What were the best RPGS for the NES?

[BoneSnapDeez]

So none of you are going to mention the Fire Emblem games? You people make me sick

Eh.

The Famicom ones are okay.

Best strategy RPG on the system is Just Breed by Enix.

[Sarge]

I'd like to know what the best exclusive RPGs are for the NES that are *still worth playing today*. I can't stomach Dragon Warrior or Final Fantasy on the NES, for example, plus those have numerous modern remakes.

That makes me wince a little bit. While the remakes may be a bit smoother, I'd still say that the Dragon Warrior games are worth playing today. But I know what you're saying, and I'm just partial to the NES versions because I grew up playing them.

So, best RPGs to play today? I think everyone's mentioned most of the good ones. If you're going the action-RPG route, then Willow, Crystalis, Chronicles of the Radia War, Zelda I and II, The Magic of Scheherezade, and Faxanadu come to mind, even if some of those *coughZeldacough* are more action-adventure than action-RPG. Radia in particular is interesting because there are two different ways to play it, a translated version, then a prototype that was discovered and dumped. The proto actually increases your main character's movement speed by 50%. Translation seems okay, if not in need of a bit of polish. And if you're coming off of StarTropics, I'd go ahead and give Zoda's Revenge a shot, too!

RPGs get dicier, I suppose. Especially if you're throwing out the Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior games, which were probably the strongest ones on the system. If you're willing to try it, though, I'll agree with the sentiment that Final Fantasy III was flat out amazing. Some prefer that version to the DS remake. Mother is solid, just expect a similar experience to Dragon Warrior. Another one that I've always wanted to play through is Ultima: Quest of the Avatar, which is a consolized take on Ultima IV.

Anyway, there's also a load of translated RPGs, it's a question of which ones you want to try to delve into. Some of them seem quite solid. I'd peruse the translation section of ROMHacking.net, see what they've got there. Destiny of an Emperor II (and its predecessor) is awesome. Lagrange Point uses the VRC7 chip to give Genesis-like sound. Stuff like Chaos World and Silva Saga look great, and I've heard nothing but good things about Sweet Home.

I'll... I'll stop here, I'll go all day on this.

[dogman91]

If you're willing to try it, though, I'll agree with the sentiment that Final Fantasy III was flat out amazing. Some prefer that version to the DS remake.

The DS version looks like it changed way too many things, plus has that ugly polygonal graphics style. Too bad there isn't a 2D sprite remake of Final Fantasy IIIj like the others.

My main gripe with Final Fantasy on the NES is the clunky menu system, and the fact nothing explains itself in the game (like what the spells do, what armor upgrades are better or worse, etc). I could've memorized the manual, but I quit halfway and went with the FF Origins route and loved that. Does FFIII on NES alleviate some of this stuff?

Thanks for all those suggestions btw.

[Sarge]

Yeah, I think it's a little more streamlined in the NES version. At least, I never really ran into anything that didn't make sense. I'd give it a shot, see how you like it for sure, as long as you're not opposed to emulating.

I didn't think the DS version changed that much, it was still very much in line with what I played on NES, despite the change in graphical style. That didn't bug me for whatever reason. But I still remember absolutely loving the NES version, so you're not losing anything by trying that version. Just be aware that the last area gets hard.

Also, ninjas and sages. Ninjas and sages.

[MrPopo]

Yeah, I think it's a little more streamlined in the NES version. At least, I never really ran into anything that didn't make sense. I'd give it a shot, see how you like it for sure, as long as you're not opposed to emulating.

I didn't think the DS version changed that much, it was still very much in line with what I played on NES, despite the change in graphical style. That didn't bug me for whatever reason. But I still remember absolutely loving the NES version, so you're not losing anything by trying that version. Just be aware that the last area gets hard.

Also, ninjas and sages. Ninjas and sages.

There's actually some major mechanical differences in III on the DS vs. the NES. Classes get completely rebalanced, the number of enemies on screen is different which leads to other balance differences.

As I recall the NES version of III actually does tell you if a piece of equipment is an upgrade or not. It might require you to first look at what you have equipped and then the item you're looking at, but the numbers are right there in the status window at the bottom. III also introduces enemy retargeting which is definitely a nice modern innovation (and is particularly jarring when you play Lufia 1 on the SNES and it doesn't have it).