What's your favorite RPG and why do you like it?

[Alexei F. Karamazov]

NEW VEGAS!
What a glorious game, once all the patches were properly installed! In my opinion, New Vegas was an improvement of the already amazing Fallout 3 and it brought so much more to the table. And that's BEFORE you look at the DLC! New Vegas's DLC is without a doubt the best implementation of DLC I've seen, adding its own meta-plot to the plot that adds even more to the story, as well as being downright fun as hell to play in- especially Oldworld Blues. Hot damn. All of the DLC is distinct and have their own identities, but Oldworld Blues is the most notable by far.

I don't want this to turn into another "Fallout 3 or New Vegas???!??" debate, so I'll add that Fallout 3 was also an incredible experience, and I can totally see why people prefer it to New Vegas. Something I've come to notice is that Fallout 3 is a much more "swashbuckling" experience in terms of gameplay (can you have a swashbuckling apocalypse? Maybe a pirate apocalypse), while New Vegas is much more methodical. I just prefer the methodical aspect, where you are directly shaping events in the world, even going so far as to take over the whole Mojave, if you decide to.

 

[the_great_cessation]

I'm not an expert on the genre by any means (and my choices will likely reveal that) but my favorite JRPG is likely Mother 3. It has a novel battle system paired with a unique aesthetic style and one of the most emotive narratives I have experienced in gaming. Earthbound would be a close second in this category.

As for WRPG, I'm going to with Jade Empire. I know it's far from being the best game but it's easily my favoirte. I found the world and aesthetic of the game to be evocative and memorable. Likewise, I found the more fast-paced, action-oriented combat system helped the game hold my interest all the way to the end. While I will admit the story is a little generic, I found the whole experience so unique that it will always be a personal favorite of mine.

 

[AnthrSolidSnake]

Persona 3 and 4. The only RPG series that doesn't specifically force me to do things with the characters just for the sake of "development". If I decide not to hang out with a character, that was my choice, and I will face the consequences of those actions. And if you do go out of your way to balance all those relationships, you get nothing but benefits for it.

It's also one of the most "pick up and play" games because of its pacing. I don't feel lost with the story if I decide to continue playing a few weeks from now. I always feel right at home no matter when I pick the save file up, and know exactly what I need to do.

 

[Hero of Lime]

I'll split mine up based on what kind of RPG, however it's not supposed to be a split between eastern/western RPG styles as you will see.

Traditional JRPG: Golden Sun and Golden Sun: Lost Age. Great combat system, great environments, puzzles, characters, well written dialogue, good story etc.

Quirky RPG: Paper Mario/Paper Mario Thousand Year Door. They make the strange world of Super Mario feel more alive. They have a unique turn based combat system based on interactivity so you aren't just pressing the confirm button all the time. Great characters, dialogue, stories, humor, environments. Everything works so well, It's a shame the same can't be said for the third and fourth entries. :/

Not sure what category it belongs to: Pokemon Black! If I had to rank RPGs it would most likely take my #1 spot. For me, it showed me potential for how great Pokemon games can be. I know a lot of people aren't as impressed with it as I am, but the new Pokemon, the characters, and gameplay refinements all work really well. The story is actually meaningful compared to most other Pokemon games as well, there's more to it than the usual get 8 badges, beat villain team and become champion story the rest of the games have.

 

[putowtin]

Fallout: New Vegas

I love Mass Effect and Dragon Age, love climbing a mountain in Skyrim, but New Vegas is the RPG I will always return to

 

[deathbydeath]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say EYE: Divine Cybermancy. Granted it's also one helluva FPS, but as far as the "building a character" bit goes, the only thing that beats it is straight-up D&D.

Speaking of D&D, I know OP was talking about vidya games, but D&D seriously is teh best RPG (if we're including sourcebooks here. Planescape and Eberron are the epitome of wizard settings, plus moar sourcebooks means moar crazy silly character options).

I will give Planescape Torment an honorable mention because I haven't finished it. The Brothel and Fall-From-Grace in particular will always be close to my heart, though.

 

[thebakedpotato]

Arcanum of steamworks and magick obscura
One of my favorite games of all time. The options are vast and world is quite amazing. Granted I played this game years after its release(thank you GOG) so I miss many of the bugs. Just the options given to you when creating your character is amazing. Using technology and magic leaves many choices when it comes to combat. Some of my favorite NPCs of all-time.

This. When you meet someone else who likes this game. You can't help but high five them. It's manditory. Hugging, however, is entirely optional.

 

[TheCrapMaster]

Arcanum of steamworks and magick obscura!!!

Multiple endings, the voiced NPCs had great voice actors, awesome world to explore and the backstory to the the Arcanum universe that you got in the instruction manual was over 40 pages. The manual was made so it was written by a scientist who explored the origin of all the fantasy races in the game, and how the mechanics worked in the game.
The music realy set the mood with almost only using a string quartet. Oh and did i mention it was a steampunk setting?

You could be everything between a mindless brute that could hardly speak, made for some hilarious questing, specialy once you talked to the voiced NPCs.

A cunning engineer that could build great weapons/guns to steampower armor, make healingbalm, traps and other great gadgets, oh and you could also make automatons!

A mage...tho mages suck/ are boring to play compared to the others.

A charming adventurer that could talk him/herself out of most situations, and if things got hairy as a smooth talker, you had a great number of followers to send into the fray.

So when it comes to RPG this is the one i usualy go back to.

 

[Ml33tninja]

Arcanum of steamworks and magick obscura!!!

Multiple endings, the voiced NPCs had great voice actors, awesome world to explore and the backstory to the the Arcanum universe that you got in the instruction manual was over 40 pages. The manual was made so it was written by a scientist who explored the origin of all the fantasy races in the game, and how the mechanics worked in the game.
The music realy set the mood with almost only using a string quartet. Oh and did i mention it was a steampunk setting?

You could be everything between a mindless brute that could hardly speak, made for some hilarious questing, specialy once you talked to the voiced NPCs.

A cunning engineer that could build great weapons/guns to steampower armor, make healingbalm, traps and other great gadgets, oh and you could also make automatons!

A mage...tho mages suck/ are boring to play compared to the others.

A charming adventurer that could talk him/herself out of most situations, and if things got hairy as a smooth talker, you had a great number of followers to send into the fray.

So when it comes to RPG this is the one i usualy go back to.

YES!! I am so glad to see people putting this title on their list. I was worried I would be the only one who would bring this game up. I am so glad I caught the retro bug when I bought my gaming PC (around my mid 20s) and dived onto the CRPGs I missed. And would could forgot that title music?! It just grabs you

 

[Twintix]

Well, I haven't played that many RPGs, so I can't say a favorite WRPG, but when it comes to JRPGs:

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team.

It's a bit hard to explain, but I love this game so much. Of the games in the series, the only one I haven't played is Partners in Time, but I love this series. Dream Team is my favorite of the bunch. I love the quirky humour that the series is known for, I love the visuals, the gameplay feels refreshing and fun, the music is gorgeous and Pi'llo Island is such a pleasant setting. Not to mention, mad props for giving Luigi such a huge role; Makes him feel appreciated, you know?

I guess you could argue that Bowser's Inside Story is better, but Dream Team is my definite favorite.

 

[RomanceIsDead]

For me it's Project X-zone on the 3DS. It's just so much fun having so many different characters from so many games coming together to fight monsters and save the world.

I think my favorite teams from that game are: Chris and Jill from the Resident Evil series, Team Vashyron from Resonance of Fate and Frank West (Dead Rising) and Hsein-Ko (Darkstalkers).

+1 as far as "J"RPGs go.

For western I kinda gotta pick Fallout 3 or Diablo 3. I won't bother explaining the second one because D3 is a love it or hate it game. But I think everyone loved Fallout 3. That game was amazing. VATS really brought it home.

 

[Leemaster777]

Second place would probably be Kingdom Hearts 1. I know Two is technically the superior game, most assuredly the bigger game, but I prefer the story, characters, and theming of the first one.
KH2 is still an incredible game though, I'm not bashing it just because I like the original more.

I think saying KH2 is obviously superior to 1 is a bit of an overstatement. It's certainly a PRETTIER game, but I'd be pressed to say that it's superior.

First off, Kingdom Hearts 2 is just blatantly easier than 1. And not for the good reasons, either. It's WAY too dependent on "mash X to win". Except when the reaction commands come into play. Then it's "mash X to win, except sometimes mash triangle to win instead". There's tons of combat options in 2, just waiting to be used, but none of them really come into play when you can just mash one button and win every fight, save for the exceptionally tough optional battles.

Secondly, yeah, it's bigger, but it's also padded. The beginning few hours with Roxas are ENTIRELY too long, for no particularly good reason at all. Also, that whole "lets visit every world a second time for no reason except to pad out the game length" was a particularly annoying dick move. Oh, and Atlantica. Just... all of Atlantica.

Third (and I admit that this one may be just me), but I felt like the voice acting overall was a bit of a step down from the first game. Aerith and Leon both sound alot worse than they did the first time around, and alot of dialogue sounded a bit too silly for my taste (I've got a drinking game for you. Take a shot every time someone says "Sora! Donald! Goofy!" in that exact order.)

I'm not saying KH2 is BAD, but it's flaws and shortcoming sort of even out all the improvements it made over the first game, so I wouldn't really say that it's objectively better than the original. Okay, tangent over.

OT: Favorite RPG? Easy. Persona 4.

My reasoning is simple: I have never grown as attached to characters in a video game as I did with the cast of Persona 4. I mean, yeah, there's alot (ALOT) more to love about it, but really, I loved the Investigation Team more than anything else in that game. I actually got a bit emotional when the game was over and I had to say goodbye. That NEVER happens.

 

[theevilgenius60]

For Eastern RPG's I'll copy a few others and just say MegaTen, the whole thing from Kazuya to Yu Narukami. The overall battles of the the games(Law vs Chaos, Philemon vs Nyarly, Nemissa vs Manitou[all I could come up with for Soul Hackers]) just pulls you in. You either become a MegaTen addict(like me) or it turns you off immediately. Can't wait for the four Persona games(yeah, P4Dancing too) and for some news on Kaneko's new ip.
As for Western RPG's, I'll give it to the great time sink itself, Skyrim. I generally prefer BioWare type games, but the numbers don't lie. I spent some serious time in Tamriel over the last few years.

 

[EscapeGoat_v1legacy]

I think my favourite RPG has to be Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. There are a lot of other RPGs I love - stuff like Kingdom Hearts II, Skyrim and Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver - but there's something about Dragon Quest's absolute adherence to a really old-school approach to the genre, its gorgeous visuals and design, its cracking orchestral soundtrack, solid character writing, expansive and interesting narrative and its massive, beautiful world all endear it to me more than any other RPG.

 

[Something Amyss]

Pokemon. Because I don't really have much time for RPGs these days, and a lite and portable RPG I can take on the go and play for fun?

Yes, I'm counting the series as an RPG series, albeit a light one.

Otherwise, Skies of Arcadia.

 

[Sigmund Av Volsung]

KoTOR II.

It takes the Star Wars canon in a new and interesting direction; instead of pestering you go either fully light/dark side like KoTOR I did, it tells you that you can take the neutral path, and that it's usually better. It represents both sides as being equally harmful and weak in their own manner, with 'light' and 'dark' being arbitrary labels used on ideologies that seek total conversion, albeit through different methods.

The dialogue is rather excellent, and the characters are memorable too. There are few one-note characters like Carth Onasi in this game, and almost everyone has some sort of dark past that you could help them work through and guide them towards your established ideology. You can also turn every single one of your companions into Jedi, which is cool as f**k. Not only that, but if you tend to either go light side or dark side, their behaviour changes; I don't mean in some sort of idle animation: they actually vary in responses during key moments in the plot.

Add to that, there is no real villain in this plot. The premise is that you are a jedi who was changed during the Jedi Civil War; seeing that much suffering happening around you, and having to destroy an entire planet as a last-ditch effort to pursue victory has left you scarred, not only mentally, but through the Force as well. As such, you were exiled. During your dissapearance, the jedi have been all but vanquished by a new cadre of sith assassins, who use secret techniques that are not of this galaxy, lead by a mysterious Lord who, in his pain and suffering, has become immortal. The entire point of the game is to find some answers, and to try and repair your connection to the force.

The atmosphere of the game has a distinct Dark Souls-vibe to it, that you are a tiny, insignificant being in a large, uncaring world, going from place to place to meet heroes who have long since lost their power. The Universe is hostile and is resigned to using you as a tool; there is no good ending to this, because the Jedi have lost, and the great heroes have either been turned, or have dissapeared, leaving only the Sith scavengers who are working as part of a larger, almost-Lovecraftian organism. Not only that, but all the places you visit are dying; Dantooine has never been the same after the events in KoTOR I, Onderon is in the midst of a civil war, Nar Shadaa is a world of lost souls and refugees from the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars, killing each other to get by and oppressed by sprawling criminal organisations, and Korriban is a shadow of its former self; permanently scarred and corrupted into being a void for darkness. Telos too, suffering from a bombardment is undergoing a desperate effort to rebuild the dying planet's surface, which is an impossible and foolish task opposed by large corporations.

Simply put, I adore the setting. I think it is the best setting that Star Wars has ever had, and it's a crying shame that KoTOR III was never made. It's why I love Obsidian; they are amazing storytellers and they always find ways to make your decisions actually be moral. Granted, the game was marred by bugs on release, but as it is now, with the Restored Content Mod, it stands as one of the greatest RPGs ever made, in my opinion. It's also a lot longer than KoTOR I, and it has so much more content packed within.

The game also retains and improves on the combat from KoTOR I; the level cap has been expanded, and there is a tangible benefit to going all light side/all dark side, as you get to pick a specialisation with its own unique powers. Not to mention that the offensive and defensive force powers have new and interesting additions; the lightsaber combat is just as good and as tactical as it was before; the crafting system allows for more flexibility with the addition of unique focusing crystals that enhance your capabilities; new armour sets, including new force robes.

I love this game for all the above reasons. It stands not only as my favourite RPG of all time, but as one of my favourite games of all time. Including length and pure entertainment, it overtakes Spec Ops The Line, were it not for that game's excellent narrative and atmosphere.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

No Chrono Trigger? I am Super Volt'ed.

Yeah, so apparently its storyline is loosely based on the bible? Whatever. Maybe it hasn't withstood age as well as some, but when it first came out it was all I could think about, and when I got to the best ending all I wanted was more. Still my favourite RPG on a system known for having tons of great ones. Lavos didn't have to speak one word to be more intimidating than a dozen fancy-haired pretty boys.

Honourable mention to Paper Mario: TTYD.

 

[Libra]

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (yes, I know, word salad title).

The most criminally underloved Gamecube game ever for me. Stunning graphics, enormous replay value, and a unique and challenging card battle system that manages to completely avoid the usual card battle issues (e.g. boredom). For me the only criticism is that the story starts off very slowly, but about 15 hours in it picks up the pace and starts to deliver shocking plots twists in quick succession. Remains my favourite game up to this day.