If FFTactics is your fave tactical RPG, what do you have in second place?

[Kremiso]

it's all in the title, was wondering if you have a personal favorite close to that milestone

i'm debated myself to choose the second one :)

 

[Questless Knight]

Well sadly for me FF tatcis is like top 5.
1. Valkyria Chronicles
2. Devil survivor
3.Bahamut Lagoon
4.Banner of the Maid
5. FFtactics

 

[ShadowsofCreationAga]

I may be the only fan of the FFTactics series that thinks the original game is the worst one, From a gameplay standpoint it is a supremely unbalanced mess that essentially requires grinding unless you have the game and your builds already memorized.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance on the other hand. Love that game. FFTA2 actually has the best overall gameplay of the trilogy, but the story is.... very not good.

As for non FFTactics games... I've struggled to find many that can hold my interest. Tactics Ogre would be the obvious answer. I haven't beaten Shin Megami tensei: Overclocked, but each time I've played it I've really liked it.

Oh! And I forgot Bahamut Lagoon somehow. Love that one too!

 

[NOTthatHARD]

Can only think of maybe Front Mission 3, 4 or 5 and that is if we ignore how slow those games can get, especially Front Mission 5.

 

[AncientBehemoth]

FFT is not my favorite tactics. The Cops 2170: Power of Law is my favorite.
FFT is not even my favorite FFT, Advance and NDS tactics are better. They don't have that "I'm lvl 99 but i'can't do shit because enemies just one shot me" bullshit.

 

[MajesticSiN]

I'm a huge fan of the TRPG genre and besides Final Fantasy Tactics the one I played the most was Tactics Orge. I usually go out of my way to look for games in this genre.

 

[ShadowsofCreationAga]

FFT is not my favorite tactics. The Cops 2170: Power of Law is my favorite.
FFT is not even my favorite FFT, Advance and NDS tactics are better. They don't have that "I'm lvl 99 but i'can't do shit because enemies just one shot me" bullshit.

Finally someooe else gets it!! I've heard of The Cops 2170 but haven't played it. I am quite curious.

Post automatically merged: Jun 9, 2025

The more I think about it, the more I feel that the best TRPGs... aren't just TRPGs. Baldur's Gate 3, Divinity: Original Sin, X-Com... all have some of the best 'tactics' gameplay there is on offer.

 

[Orclease]

Vandal Hearts
It has a great story

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

I'm a pretty huge Fire Emblem geek, with my favorite one being a different answer depending on what day you ask me. (Usually Genealogy, PoR/RD, New Mystery, or Awakening, but I like them all) I dig Front Mission, Vandal Hearts, and Valkyria Chronicles a lot too, and FF Tactics of course.

 

[Zerohour2k12]

Mostly SRW games and and GBA FE games. Can't choose a fave. Currently playing though The Hundred Line TLDA and Redemption Reapers. Haven't played FFTactics.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

FFT isn't my favorite, that's what Fire Emblem 8 is for

Too many contenders to count and I doubt it'd even make top 10 when

-Advance Wars 2
-Fire Emblem Awakening
-Majin Tensei 2
-Shining Force CD
-Stella Glow
-Sakura Wars
-Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
-Tactics Ogre
-Shining Force II
-Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade
-Shining Force III
-Vandal Hearts
-Dragon Force
-Yggdra Union
-Knights in the Nightmare
-Jeanne D'Arc
-Project X Zone
-Valkyria Chronicles

etc exist

 

[Leon]

Tactics is probably my favorite, but it's one of those things i sometimes forget.
Top 5 would be:
Shining force 2
Vandal Hearts
Not sure it counts but Arc the Lad 2
Langrisser 2/Der Langrisser
and of course, final fantasy tactics.

Probably forgetting a few though.

 

[Bonkers225]

It's not. For me it's Front Mission 3, after that, Tactics Ogre on the PSP, SRW OG2 on the GBA, Disgaea 3 or 4, then FFT.

 

[Cantarella]

FFT is not even my favorite FFT, Advance and NDS tactics are better. They don't have that "I'm lvl 99 but i'can't do shit because enemies just one shot me" bullshit.

Neither does FFT.

I dunno if FFT is my favorite. Don't think it has the writing or gameplay I enjoy the most, though it does do a good job of making you care about some of the characters. I think Triangle Strategy on hard mode probably had the tightest gameplay of any srpg I've played.

 

[AncientBehemoth]

It's not. For me it's Front Mission 3, after that, Tactics Ogre on the PSP, SRW OG2 on the GBA, Disgaea 3 or 4, then FFT.

Why OG2 on GBA and not PS2?

I've heard of The Cops 2170 but haven't played it. I am quite curious.

There is english translation and it is available on Steam. It's just big part of the charm for voice acting. I've played english version and it didn't feel quite as good. But maybe I'm biased and my native language sounds ,ore pleasing to me +nostalgia.

 

[_Lorenzo_]

In second place I would definitely put Eternal Eyes, better known in Japan as Koukroseatro: Yūkyū no Hitomi, which boasts one of the most beautiful (and inspired) ps1 covers ever created.
No, more seriously, I've always had a soft spot for the first Vandal Hearts, and I liked the second one quite a bit as well. I would still opt for the first one.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

The entire Summon Night series.

 

[Grumpy_Old_Man]

Not a favorite in my books(Unbalanced classes and too grindy), I tend to enjoy the Langrisser series far more, along with it's "sister" series the Growlanser, other favorites include Banner of the Maid, Front Mission 3, the Shining Force series, Brigandine GE, Dragon Force 1-2, Black Matrix AD, among others.

 

[Hourai]

It's not. My favourite is Yggdra Union. Then Devil Survivor 2 RB, then Fire Emblem Three Houses, then Devil Survivor Overclocked, then Gungnir.

 

[Geocide]

IMHO, Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together (specifically the Sega Saturn version due to it, strangely, being the superior version vs PSX; one of few Saturn versions that's actually better than the PSX version) is the best sJRPG. FFT would be in my Top 5 fav sRPGs.

@Evaccaneer Doom pointed to one very specific game that deserves SPECIAL mention:

Knights in the Nightmare

This is a very, very special breed of strategy, rpg, and bullet hell and is honestly one of the most underrated and most slept on RPG to have ever come out of Japan. It honestly still pisses me off that we have yet to get an English version of the Switch port of Knights in the Nightmare HD. It looks really good in HD, imho.

 

[Viviana Santos]

Tactics Ogre is my second favorite Tactical/Strategy RPG only behind Final Fantasy Tactics, I love the story and the characters in this game.

---

I also love Front Mission 3, it's a fantastic game.

 

[snes9x]

The first Disgaea, then Into the Breach, then FE Thracia 776 (never did neat that mfer)

 

[Kremiso]

really i was choosing between Vandal Hearts and Bahamoot Lagoon, and then the first Shining Force popped up in my mind lol

about FFTactics what to say, i just love how it is, i don't know how many times i have complete it (atm on PSP again); i like the restricted area and the chess like battle, i like to play it without grind;

beat an enemy lv20-30 platoon with your lv10 one is my nirvana there :)

thanks for sharing your favorite ones!

 

[ShadowsofCreationAga]

IMHO, Tactics Ogre Let Us Cling Together (specifically the Sega Saturn version due to it, strangely, being the superior version vs PSX; one of few Saturn versions that's actually better than the PSX version) is the best sJRPG. FFT would be in my Top 5 fav sRPGs.

@Evaccaneer Doom pointed to one very specific game that deserves SPECIAL mention:

Knights in the Nightmare

This is a very, very special breed of strategy, rpg, and bullet hell and is honestly one of the most underrated and most slept on RPG to have ever come out of Japan. It honestly still pisses me off that we have yet to get an English version of the Switch port of Knights in the Nightmare HD. It looks really good in HD, imho.

I second the knights in the nightmare port. The translation already exists from previous versions!

 

[theshiningpath]

My personal favorite tactics game are Shining Force III, Tactics Ogre, and then Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War. FFT is probably number 4 or 5 on my list.