Caution: This post and posts after may contain spoilers, minor and or major. I'm okay with that, read at your own risk =] My favorite games of all time have always been the role playing genre. These types of games were what actually pulled me into the world of gaming. My very first RPG type game was Super Mario RPG. I play every RPG I can find, and I especially love the ones that force you to grind. Which games are your favorites--and why? Currently I'm replaying Final Fantasy 7 and Dragon Age Origins. Both of these games I have played so many times. With Final Fantasy 7, there are STILL rumors about getting Zack,Dyne,and preventing a certain character from their demise. I find it fascinating that there are still these rumors circulating, because I remember getting this game many years ago when it was first released. As for Dragon Age Origins, it has such a high replay value between all the classes and choices you can make,each time I replay it I experience new things and back stories within the story and get lost all over again. These are the types of games that to me, I can run through the same area multiple times and I feel the same euphoria as if it was the first time. How do you all feel about this?

Funny I should find this, as I was just about to fire up one of my favorite RPGs of all time, but it isn't your typical RPG as there's no one in peril and no bad guys or monsters to fight. It's Harvest Moon. Yeah, a farming life simulation RPG. About to play the first one again, as it still hasn't lost it's charm despite the newer ones having so many more features in them. The first one is one of those games that just never gets old. And much like you said about FF VII and Dragon Age Origins, I feel that same thrill and pure joy I felt the first time I played Harvest Moon on my SNES every time I run it again. I love this game.


Another, more traditional RPG that I love is Dragonstomper on the Atari 2600. So simple but very well made especially for it's system and time. Possibly the first video game RPG ever.

Then there's The Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess. Epic story, great game with very few drawbacks, and just an overall engrossing tale with endearing characters.

Can I keep talking? lol

Lufia - Ruins of Lore was a good one, as was Soul Blazer, and who could forget Tales of Phantasia? All masterpieces.

Story-wise I am torn apart between Final Fantasy VII and Xenogears.

In the first instance, we FINALLY have an odd-numbered Final Fantasy with a solid story line, probably the best one (or at least at par with Final Fantasy X) of the series. Not only is Cloud's struggle with himself very well thought-of, but the appropriately name "Who are you?" that accompanies these struggles fits very well. Plus, I too questioned whether he was human of just a product of genetic engineering.

Xenogears also features a tortured main character, although his is a more twisted story. It integrates elements of psychiatry (Id).

There are so many great RPG games out there, it's really hard for me to narrow it down to just a few, but first I will post some of my favorite FRANCHISES over the years.

Final Fantasy

Phantasy Star

Dragon Quest/Warrior

Ultima

These games, specifically in the early PC/NES/ETC days really grew my love for RPG games in general. A love affair that still holds true all these years later.

Another game that I played for years (Up through WOTLK) is World Of Warcraft. Probably the best and most expansive game in the genre that I've played. Loved that game. The only issue was that they dumbed it down WAY too much to keep the casual players interested and still spending the money to play the game each month.

There are many different types of RPG's that could be considered the best of all time. You have the Final Fantasy series, which has some of the most memorable music and storylines in video gaming history, such as Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy IX, and Final Fantasy X. All of those games are brilliant enough to be considered some of the best RPG's of all time. Another Square RPG series that's among the best you'll find is the Chrono games, Chrono Trigger being my favorite JRPG of all time, and Chrono Cross which is in my opinion the best looking game on the PS1.

Along with those amazing games, there are a few other RPG series that have some of the best games in that genre, such as the Tales series. Three titles from that series could be considered among the best Action RPG's you'll find, those being Tales of the Abyss, which has some of the best character development I've ever seen, Tales of Vesperia, which is the only Xbox 360 title I'll ever call great, and Tales of Symphonia.

Finally, I have several other RPG's I think are among the best, such as the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series. Those games are easily the best games that Atlus has to offer. The biggest highlights being Persona 4, 3 and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. Those games are absolutely amazing, and are still to this day some of my favorite PS2 titles ever. Finally, there's one other title I'd like to talk about, and that's a more recent JRPG known as Xenoblade Chronicles, which was released for the Wii and later the new 3DS. That game has the most massive overworld I've ever seen in a video game, the cutscenes are absolutely incredible to watch, and an incredible storyline. That game is easily the best JRPG of the 7th generation of gaming. That pretty much covers what I have to say on this subject.