Classic RPG recommendations?

[fishboneKiller]

howdy folks, i've always been a sucker for a good ol rpg. however, it took me until VERY recently to finally play some of the final fantasy games, and ever since ive realized that ive kind of kept myself in my own bubble of rpgs, and i wanna try branching out a bit. the mother series is my favorite series of all time, i've played a lot of the early Megaten stuff, and i played all of the Mario RPGs and pokemon games as a kid... but outside of those (and a ton of RPG maker games) my rpg knowledge is a little bit lacking. so, i ask you folks out there, what are the essentials i gotta check out? i need a good curriculum of classics.

 

[Cardboardtubeknight]

Chrono Trigger
Live a live
Secret of Mana

 

[χKai]

Tales of Symphonia. I recommend the Gamecube version.
Also it's up to 4 player, so you can bring up to 3 friends along!

Chrono Cross
You'll laugh, you'll cry. You don't need to play Chrono Trigger to understand what's going on.

Final Fantasy IV
Starts out slow, but as you come to play more, discover that it is not as traditional as it leads to believe.

Final Fantasy VI
A high-paced, steampunk, action-packed story with memorable characters and a driven plot that makes sense.

Persona 4
A mixture between a murder mystery and slice-of-life high school anime.

 

[ATenderLad]

Get ready for a million suggestions from this den of nerds!

(Though, just to differentiate this from similar topics, let's all try not to repeat each other!)

 

[UnDubious]

Phantasy Star IV

 

[fishboneKiller]

Chrono Trigger
Live a live
Secret of Mana

shit, i forgot about live a live!! seriously one of my favorite games of all time, it's so cool. and chrono trigger is definitely on my list, so many people that i respect say its their favorite of all time so its gotta be good

Final Fantasy IV
Starts out slow, but as you come to play more, discover that it is not as traditional as it leads to believe.

Final Fantasy VI
A high-paced, steampunk, action-packed story with memorable characters and a driven plot that makes sense.

definitely plan on playing these, i wanna play every final fantasy from 1 to 6. currently on 3, and im really excited to play the super nintendo games... they look so killer.

 

[DPRWesley]

Dragon Quest VIII (PS2)
Legend of Dragoon (PS1)
Metal Max Returns (SNES)

 

[psvitaforever]

For which console?
Here's my recommended titles (based on what I played and liked), so there are CLASSIC and also NOT-SO-CLASSIC :)

Nintendo DS:
* Suikoden Tierkreis (turn-based, lots of characters to recruit)
* Tales of Innocence (with English Patch, also on PSVita)
* Golden Sun Dark Dawn (turn-based, a bit like Pokemon in which you have to capture little creatures that gives you abilities outside battle and skills in battle)
* Final Fantasy III (also on PSP)

Nintendo 3DS:
* Bravely Second End Layer (avoid first "Bravely Default" if you can, there is a VERY BORING part)
* Monster Hunter Stories (turn-based, also on Switch, you capture the monsters of MH series and they become your companions in battles, nice and cheerful graphics)
* The Legend of Zelda A Link between worlds (Zelda title, with a nice mechanic and colourful graphics)
* YoKai series (my fav is the first title, even if shorter than 2 and 3, Pokemon-like with a very original way to do the battles)

PSP:
* Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core (turnbased / action-rpg, remade or remastered on Switch)
* Riviera The Promised Land (turn-based, you use skill based on equipped items, also remade for Switch, I don't remember the mechanics perfectly but I liked it a lot)
* Phantasy Star Portable 2 (action rpg, lots of weapons, great story, no need for English patch if you don't want to play Infinity)

PSVita:
* YS 8 Lacrimosa of Dana (also on Switch, a huge world to explore and real time action battles)
* Sword Art Online Hollow Realization (also on Switch, huge world, lots of items and skills)
* Odin Sphere (from a ps2 game, beautiful artworks and great action battles in 2d enviroments)
* Exist Archive (battles like Valkyrie Profile game, they say it was bugged but it crashed on me only once)

Surely I forgot many titles, but it's something already; if you're curious about a title you don't know, look for some gameplay videos so you can see for yourself the graphics and the general settings to understand if you can like it, I only tried to explain briefly.

Enjoy whatever you will play next among all the titles people is suggesting!

 

[TotzOnGaming]

Ys Series
Tales Series
Breath of Fire Series
Valkyria Chronicles Series
Jean D'Arc
Golden Sun Series
Legend of Legaia
Lost Odyssey
Valkyrie Profile Series
Tokyo Xanadu eX
Baten Kaitos
Front Mission Series

 

[DanVzare]

The Dragon Quest games are really fun.
I think Dragon Quest V is the most beginner friendly, while also being a good showcase of what to expect from a typical Dragon Quest game.
Dragon Quest VII is my favourite, and is easily the longest.
Dragon Quest XI is the newest one, and probably easiest to get into.
Dragon Quest III is an incredible classic. But you really need to play through Dragon Quest 1 and 2 to really be able to appreciate it. Although while Dragon Quest 1 is fine, and can be finished in an afternoon. Dragon Quest 2 is twice as long, and is easily one of the most frustrating and annoying experiences I've ever had the misfortune to deal with.

I'd personally recommend playing Dragon Quest V first, then if you like it. Play through all of the games starting from the first, and working your way through them.
Use the SNES remakes for 1, 2 and 3, and the DS remakes for 4, 5 and 6. For 7 and 8, I'd recommend the original versions. 9 has never been re-released, so you'll need to play the DS version for that. 10 is an MMO and therefore has to be skipped. And as for 11, make sure to play the Definitive Edition.

They're not that long. It only took me a month to play the first six games in the series... then it took me a month just to finish the seventh game. Seriously, that game is LONG!

 

[psvitaforever]

Forgot to mention:

Xbox360:
* Final Fantasy XIII (turn-based and also action-button mashing to change jobs, despite its bad reputation I loved all of it, setting, story, characters, also on ps3 and pc)
* Eternal Sonata (turn-based but also real time action and button mashing, cute graphics, story is dream-fairytale, melancholic, many characters for your party, also on ps3, beware of a dungeon early on that's pretty confusing, I did it fine with a guide -no ingame maps)

Switch:
* Unicorn Overlord (tactical rpg with LOTS of characters and missions, it's Atlus x Vanillaware so you should check it out if you enjoy titles from them, huge medieval-like world, it's a big map in which everything plays, I cannot recall any game like this one)
* Cat Quest 3 (also on other consoles, if you like cats and pirates, cute graphics, mashing buttons to attack with swords and guns and magic and a language with a lot of "meow", "purrfect" and so on, check it out)

 

[solnK!]

Dark Cloud and Dark Chronicle (also DC2 in USA) are some really great eperiences on PS2.

The Persona series is also a must-play nowadays.

Panzer Dragoon Saga (Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG in Japan), one of the most unique games of all time; altough you´ll need to play the first one and zwei to undestand some things, and they aren´t RPG´s.

The Disgaea series is funny and addicting as hell, but ooh boi, they consume a lot of your time.

The MegaMan Battle Network and Starforce sagas are easyly some of the best card games ever.

 

[LastValsion]

MS Saga: A New Dawn for the PlayStation 2. You start with basic mobile suits but eventually work your way up to Gundams. You can customize your mobile suits with color changes and swap each part out individually. Weapons and shields have their own grid they can be put in.

As a tip keep to your characters preferred play styles. Like having a melee user in a Guncannon can work but you're better off using a more melee oriented mobile suit for them like a Gyan.

 

[moonbits]

Shining The Holy Ark
Skies of Arcadia
Grandia

 

[AncientBehemoth]

Metal Max series.

 

[MetalSharkPlayer]

Xenogears, How is it possible nobody recommended Xenogears? What is wrong with you all? lol

 

[Natsuyasumi]

A lot of good recommendations here so far.
Chrono Trigger, FF6, FF7, and Xenogears are indeed top tier need-to-plays.

Some additional ones I’m sure others will recommend are:
Star Ocean 2
Final Fantasy 12
You’ve already played the mother series, but I second that recommendation for anyone else reading.
Dragon Quest 1-3 trilogy is dated but still very enjoyable.
Panzer Dragoon Saga is something entirely different from the rest and very much worth playing.

I would also add Breath of Fire 4. It’s my personal favorite BoF game, and, despite it’s pain points (camera being locked to cardinal directions being the main one), it may be one of the best and most beautiful games ever made. It’s timeless in a way. Incredible sprite work, deep and moving story, A+ characters.
Highly recommended.

 

[Viviana Santos]

One of my favorite games ever, incredibly deep story and characters, fantastic soundtrack, great gameplay and amazing atmosphere, it's an incredibly ambitious and philosophical game so I don't know if it's your type of game or if you'll like it but I highly recommend it.

---

Another incredible 5th generation role-playing game, fantastic story and characters, incredible gameplay, simply beautiful visuals and graphics and a great soundtrack, one of my all time faves.

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Two great and incredibly underrated RPGs, great gameplay, great characters and stories and absolutely beautiful graphics and visuals. They are very charming and whimsical games and since I saw that you are a fan of the Paper Mario games, I think you will like the Popolocrois series a lot since this series reminded me a lot of the Paper Mario series.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

i need a good curriculum of classics.

Gonna need some rules on what you consider “classic” ngl. Classic could imply any span of time before current consoles as late as PS4. Taking that into mind here’s a few recommendations for a bunch of different consoles.

SNES

-Elnard: this game was infamous for being localized as The 7th Saga and having the difficulty cranked up way too high to prevent rentals from being completed in a day, which was standard practice at the time. Whether you decide to go with the old version or The 7th Saga really doesn’t matter because there’s a lot of cool and under appreciated things about it. First off there’s the 3rd person view for battles which is incredibly rare for this era. Every attack has its own animation, every enemy has a health bar (which isn’t as common as you’d think), and every character (there’s 7 different ones in total) has their own unique movesets and builds. Most people tend to go with Esuna since she can spam magic attacks out the wazoo and obliterate things. Story’s nothing to really write home about though. 7 different heroes each get a rune and they have to get them all to get a wish granted. What IS unique is what the characters in this game can do. You can have a maximum of one other party member, but each character isn’t accessible at any time. Most insane thing though is that many of these characters will often FIGHT YOU TO THE DEATH for these runes. Hell, even if you pick someone up as a party member, you still might not be safe as most of the characters have a chance to full on betray you. It’s also worth mentioning that if you die, it doesn’t boot you to the menu, just to the last town and saves your exp, levels, and stuff.

I like how I said I was gonna recommend things from different consoles just to write up an essay on a single SNES game oof. Elnard/7th Saga also has an unlocalized sequel called Mystic Ark, and Mystic Ark also has a second game exclusive to PS1 but that game’s…weird.

 

[daughter of janus]

Malkavian (Insane):
*eyes gleaming with admiration* Planescape: Torment... an exquisite tapestry of the bizarre and the profound. Its uniqueness dances in every line of dialogue, every character's twisted soul. The story weaves a web of existential wonder, and the characters... so strange, so compelling... leave an indelible mark on the mind. Each return is like revisiting a nightmare filled with beauty and chaos, endlessly enjoyable in its own dark way. Truly, a masterpiece of the surreal.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Alright no more descriptions from me, site has a word count id rather not hit.


SNES:

-Elnard/The 7th Saga
-Mystic Ark
-Sailor Moon: Another Story
-Princess Minerva
-Breath of Fire
-Breath of Fire II
-Chrono Trigger
-Dragon Quest I & II
-Dragon Quest III
-EVO: Search for Eden
-Earthbound
-Equinox
-Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
-Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War
-Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
-BS Fire Emblem (all 4 episodes)
-Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer
-Lufia II
-Last Bible III
-Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis
-Secret of Mana
-Trials of Mana (aka Seiken Densetsu 3)
-Final Fantasy IV, V, VI
-Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (game that was made for people new to the genre but mainly for really small children, so it may be a bit too juvenile)
-Illusion of Gaia
-Secret of Evermore
-Terranigma (the game that was everywhere BUT North America)
-Treasure of the Rudras
-Tales of Phantasia (though most would prefer the PS1 version)

Sega Saturn:

-Sakura Wars and the recently translated Sakura Wars 2
-Dark Savior
-Dragon Force
-Dragon Force II
-Magic Knight Rayearth
-Princess Crown
-Shining Force III (and all its scenarios)
-Shining: The Holy Ark
-Shining Wisdom
-Vandal Hearts Ushinawareta Kodei Bunmei
-Arcana Strikes
-Dungeon Master Nexus
-Lunar Silver Star Story
-Zanma Chou Ougi

DS

-Etrian Odyssey (though if you can, you’d be better off playing the HD remake of this one specifically. It’s rough compared to literally any other game in the franchise)
-Etrian Odyssey II: Heroes of Lagaard
-Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City
-7th Dragon
-Advance Wars: Dual Strike
-Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
-Avalon Code
-Pokemon Platinum
-Pokemon Black or White
-Pokemon Black 2 or White 2
-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
-All Castlevania games on the DS
-Contact
-Custom Robo Arena
-The Dark Spire
-Dragon Quest IV
-Dragon Quest V
-Dragon Quest VI
-Dragon Quest IX
-Final Fantasy Tactics A2
-Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
-Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem
-Fossil Fighters
-Fossil Fighters: Champions
-Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
-Infinite Space
-Izuna
-Izuna 2
-Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
-Luminous Arc
-Luminous Arc 2
-Luminous Arc 3
-Mega Man Star Force (any version but not all 3)
-Mega Man Star Force 2 (any version but not all 3)
-Mega Man Star Force 3 (any version but not all 3)
-Lunar Knights
-Magical Starsign
-Shiren the Wanderer DS
-Nora and the Time Studio
-Okamiden
-Phantasy Star 0
-Pokemon Conquest
-Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
-Soma Bringer
-Tales of Innocence
-Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
-A Witch’s Tale
-Wizard of Oz

There’s more but I’d be surprised if this didn’t hit a limit

 

[UnDubious]

I don't know if it's useful to recommend 500 games. Realistically, these are not nearly all on the same level, and some are actually bad.

 

[daughter of janus]

@Evaccaneer Doom
Malkavian (Insane):
*eyes flicker wildly* Why recommend so many? No, no.. only the best, the 5%, the shards of madness shining brighter than the others. The rest are shadows, echoes in the wall’s endless maze. But what is “best” really? Perhaps the ones that whisper secrets, or scream them, or drown in silence. Only a few.. those are the stars in her fractured sky, the pieces of her shattered mirror. The others? Just dust swirling in the chaos, lost in the endless loop of the wall’s own madness. Only the chosen ones, the whispers of eternity... those are the true memories in the void.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

GBA:

-Advance Wars
-Advance Wars 2
-Boktai
-Boktai 2
-Boktai 3
-Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
-Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
-Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
-Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
-the GBA remakes of SMT 1 & 2 with extra content
-Golden Sun
-Golden Sun: The Lost Age
-Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
-Medabots (either version is fine but Metabee is an easier one)
-Mother 3
-Pokemon Emerald
-Pokemon FireRed or LeafGreen doesn’t matter which
-Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon
-Tomato Adventure
-Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
-The Frog for Whom The Bell Tolls

PSP:

-7th Dragon 2020
-7th Dragon 2020 II
-Black Rock Shooter: The Game
-Fate Extra
-Fate Extra CCC
-Grand Knights History
-Yakuza Kurohyou
-Yakuza Kurohyou 2
-Valkyria Chronicles 2
-Valkyria Chronicles 3
-Riviera: The Promised Land
-Yggdra Union
-Gungnir
-Knights in the Nightmare
-Phantasy Star Portable
-Phantasy Star Portable 2
-Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
-Disgaea 2
-Final Fantasy: Anniversary Edition
-Final Fantasy II: Anniversary Edition
-Final Fantasy III
-Final Fantasy IV: Complete
-Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
-Final Fantasy Type 0
-Crimson Gem Saga
-Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
-Queen’s Blade
-Persona (PSP)
-Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP)
-Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)
-Persona 3 Portable
-.hack Link
-Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
-Tales of Eternia (PSP)
-R Type Command
-R Type Command 2
-Jeanne D’Arc
-Lord of Apocalypse

 

[daughter of janus]

GBA:

-Advance Wars
-Advance Wars 2
-Boktai
-Boktai 2
-Boktai 3
-Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
-Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade
-Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
-Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
-the GBA remakes of SMT 1 & 2 with extra content
-Golden Sun
-Golden Sun: The Lost Age
-Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
-Medabots (either version is fine but Metabee is an easier one)
-Mother 3
-Pokemon Emerald
-Pokemon FireRed or LeafGreen doesn’t matter which
-Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon
-Tomato Adventure
-Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
-The Frog for Whom The Bell Tolls

PSP:

-7th Dragon 2020
-7th Dragon 2020 II
-Black Rock Shooter: The Game
-Fate Extra
-Fate Extra CCC
-Grand Knights History
-Yakuza Kurohyou
-Yakuza Kurohyou 2
-Valkyria Chronicles 2
-Valkyria Chronicles 3
-Riviera: The Promised Land
-Yggdra Union
-Gungnir
-Knights in the Nightmare
-Phantasy Star Portable
-Phantasy Star Portable 2
-Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
-Disgaea 2
-Final Fantasy: Anniversary Edition
-Final Fantasy II: Anniversary Edition
-Final Fantasy III
-Final Fantasy IV: Complete
-Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
-Final Fantasy Type 0
-Crimson Gem Saga
-Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
-Queen’s Blade
-Persona (PSP)
-Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP)
-Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP)
-Persona 3 Portable
-.hack Link
-Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology
-Tales of Eternia (PSP)
-R Type Command
-R Type Command 2
-Jeanne D’Arc
-Lord of Apocalypse

Serious:
Sharing a TXT document would definitely be more efficient and save time at this point. Without having to go through multiple messages.