The Only 26 JRPGs You Absolutely Have to Play

[Ack]

Gamespot put out an article at some nebulous time in the past purporting to reveal the 26 JRPGs that were must plays. I figured why not post the list and see how folks feel about it, offer new suggestions or decry what was put up, and in general generate a list of JRPGs that are really the pinnacle of this particular RPG subgenre.

Note: I don't believe these are in any particular order.

Additional Note: Their definition of JRPG is apparently "RPG from a Japanese dev."

Here's the list:

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Illusion of Gaia
3. Chrono Trigger
4. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
6. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
7. Xenoblade Chronicles
8. Xenogears
9. Dark Souls
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
11. Final Fantasy IX
12. EarthBound
13. Final Fantasy VII
14. Radiant Historia
15. The Last Story
16. Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals
17. The World Ends With You
18. Suikoden II
19. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
20. Final Fantasy Tactics
21. Secret of Mana
22. Final Fantasy Type-O HD
23. Valkyria Chronicles
24. Tales of Vesperia
25. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
26. Fire Emblem Fates

http://www.gamespot.com/gallery/the-only-26-jrpgs-you-absolutely-have-to-play/2900-464/

Thoughts? Anything on this list definitely deserve to be here or desperately need to be removed?

[dsheinem]

where's the 26th?

[Ack]

where's the 26th?

Fire Emblem Fates. For some reason it didn't want to load when I first wrote it up.

[Gunstar Green]

Not a single Phantasy Star or Shining Force (my picks would be IV and II respectively but this isn't the genre for me to be making suggestions).

I'm not a big JRPG guy but I know a few of those Final Fantasy games like IX are not necessarily "must play" genre defining classics.

[Sarge]

I'm going to do this in a manner that I usually don't, and that's a simple YES or NO vote to each one, with no accompanying explanation!

1. Final Fantasy VI - YES
2. Illusion of Gaia - NO
3. Chrono Trigger - YES
4. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete - YES NO
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - YES
6. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - NO
7. Xenoblade Chronicles - YES
8. Xenogears - NO
9. Dark Souls - NO
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - NO
11. Final Fantasy IX - NO
12. EarthBound - YES
13. Final Fantasy VII - YES
14. Radiant Historia - YES
15. The Last Story - YES
16. Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals - YES
17. The World Ends With You - NO
18. Suikoden II - YES
19. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - YES
20. Final Fantasy Tactics - YES
21. Secret of Mana - NO
22. Final Fantasy Type-O HD - NO
23. Valkyria Chronicles - YES
24. Tales of Vesperia - NO
25. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - NO
26. Fire Emblem Fates - NO

This was a pretty knee-jerk list. Y'all can ask me to expound a bit on some of my weirder picks, of course. Some are borderline both ways, with some right on the edge of being no, and some on the edge of being yes. Perhaps I'll clarify a bit later with a MAYBE at some point.

[dsheinem]

I'm going to do this in a manner that I usually don't, and that's a simple YES or NO vote to each one, with no accompanying explanation!

1. Final Fantasy VI - YES
2. Illusion of Gaia - NO
3. Chrono Trigger - YES
4. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete - YES
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - YES
6. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - NO
7. Xenoblade Chronicles - YES
8. Xenogears - NO
9. Dark Souls - NO
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - NO
11. Final Fantasy IX - NO
12. EarthBound - YES
13. Final Fantasy VII - YES
14. Radiant Historia - YES
15. The Last Story - YES
16. Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals - YES
17. The World Ends With You - NO
18. Suikoden II - YES
19. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - YES
20. Final Fantasy Tactics - YES
21. Secret of Mana - NO
22. Final Fantasy Type-O HD - NO
23. Valkyria Chronicles - YES
24. Tales of Vesperia - NO
25. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - NO
26. Fire Emblem Fates - NO

This was a pretty knee-jerk list. Y'all can ask me to expound a bit on some of my weirder picks, of course. Some are borderline both ways, with some right on the edge of being no, and some on the edge of being yes. Perhaps I'll clarify a bit later with a MAYBE at some point.

I mostly agree with this, but I think LUCT should def be included.

[prfsnl_gmr]

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Illusion of Gaia
3. Chrono Trigger
4. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
6. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
7. Xenoblade Chronicles
8. Xenogears
9. Dark Souls
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
11. Final Fantasy IX
12. EarthBound
13. Final Fantasy VII
14. Radiant Historia
15. The Last Story
16. Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals
17. The World Ends With You
18. Suikoden II
19. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
20. Final Fantasy Tactics
21. Secret of Mana
22. Final Fantasy Type-O HD
23. Valkyria Chronicles
24. Tales of Vesperia
25. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
26. Fire Emblem Fates

Ouch...I haven't beaten very many of these.

Thoughts? Anything on this list definitely deserve to be here or desperately need to be removed?

Ummm....No Demon's Souls, Dragon Force, Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest III, Dragon Quest VIII, Dragon Quest IX, King's Field IV, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Paper Mario, Paper Mario: TTYD, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star IV, Phantasy Star Online, Pokémon, Skies of Arcadia, Shining Force II, Super Mario RPG or Ys Book I & II?

I guess I've been playing the wrong games...

Also, why are there no Zelda games on the list.

[Stark]

I'm going to do this in a manner that I usually don't, and that's a simple YES or NO vote to each one, with no accompanying explanation!
9. Dark Souls - NO

[Sarge]

I had Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre pretty equal. I went with the more popular representative for the SRPG genre. Some could argue (quite well, actually) that TO is the superior game.

As for Dark Souls... that's not a JRPG. I'm sorry, it's just not! I know it's a quality game, but I refuse to let it be on my list of top "JRPGs". Nothing personal.

Honestly, Valkyria is a bit borderline for me as well. I'm not sure that's so much an RPG as it is a tactics game like X-COM with anime-WWII stylings. But I also admit I've not played a ton of it, so it may be much more RPG-ish than I'm giving it credit for.

Hmm... I've actually played every game on this list but Fire Emblem: Fates. As for beaten...

1. Final Fantasy VI - YES
2. Illusion of Gaia - NO
3. Chrono Trigger - YES
4. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete - YES NO
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - YES
6. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - NO
7. Xenoblade Chronicles - YES
8. Xenogears - NO
9. Dark Souls - NO
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - NO
11. Final Fantasy IX - NO
12. EarthBound - YES
13. Final Fantasy VII - YES
14. Radiant Historia - YES
15. The Last Story - YES
16. Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals - YES
17. The World Ends With You - NO
18. Suikoden II - YES
19. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - YES
20. Final Fantasy Tactics - YES
21. Secret of Mana - NO
22. Final Fantasy Type-O HD - NO
23. Valkyria Chronicles - YES
24. Tales of Vesperia - NO
25. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together - NO
26. Fire Emblem Fates - NO

Interesting, a 3-6 YES/NO tilt for games I've not beaten. 11-6 10-7 for those I have. A lot seems to be my anti-SRPG tilt. I'd probably swap out for a different Fire Emblem, or put a Shining Force game in. Or Arc the Lad II.

[Stark]

As for Dark Souls... that's not a JRPG. I'm sorry, it's just not! I know it's a quality game, but I refuse to let it be on my list of top "JRPGs". Nothing personal.

Ah ok, I recalled the ninjas.