Top Ten RPGs Of This Generation... So Far

Gaming Union writes: "This console generation has seen a remarkable shift in what it means to be a role-playing game. Elements that have traditionally been exclusive to RPGs - such as leveling / upgrading characters and equipment, branching, non-linear plots, and collectible items - have begun to be incorporated in numerous other genres, blurring the lines between them. However, the core RPG genre remains intact, featuring a wide variety of the best Western and Eastern game designers have to offer. This is Gaming Union's top ten RPGs of this console generation (roughly 2005 to present)."

[Coramoor_]

I have to say this is a very good list, all the games i've played on this list were top notch

[Sanrin]

I can amen to that.

[DasBunker]

c

[Chubear]

Ah FO3, it should be about $20bucks now right. I've heard such great things about it so I hope I'll enjoy it before the onslaught of games come in this Fall.

Is there Goty edition or something for FO3?

[GWAVE]

This is a pretty good list, but keep in mind that there are a ton of great RPGs on the handhelds and on PC, too.

[DORMIN]

Valkyria Chronicles is still my fav RPG this gen. VERY happy to see it on the list!

Can't wait for VC2 and the VC3 announcement. XD

[Perjoss]

Don't like the way they have Mass Effect 2 there but Mass Effect 1 only makes it into the honorable mentions. The first Mass Effect is more of an RPG than 2, 2 focuses much more on combat and has much less RPG elements.

[DasBunker]

lol glad to see people agreed with my "c" comment.. i was gonna edit it but i forgot :P

im gonna try demons souls soon... people positive comments are overwhelming.. i dont have many games that im looking forward this year anyway

[JDouglasGU]

@ GWAVE: the list does include some games on PC, PSP, and DS. the console generation is more of a time reference.

[Myze]

@Perjoss

It's kind of a tricky thing. ME1 is definitely more of an RPG, but ME2 IS still an RPG, and to me (and the majority of people) it is still a better game, even if the RPG elements aren't as common. Then again, RPG is not a clearly defined genre, either.

Overall, great list, but also shows that this generation, so far, does not come close to measuring up to past generations in terms of RPGs. I'm not saying some of the games don't measure up, but in the past, I could make a top 50 list with quality RPGs, easily.

[jeseth]

That game was magic. Arguably the most underated game this gen.

[ChineseDemocracy]

Solid list, played and loved every single one of those titles.

[gtamike]

Fallout 3

[kanetheking]

about 6 pound on Amazon get it.

[darkcharizard]

iyo.

[handheldwars]

...

[Darkfiber]

lolshooter

[darthdevidem01]

Easy MGS4

[darkcharizard]

And if you consider that last gen,

Metal Gear Solid 4 or Super Mario Galaxy 2

[Kingdom Come]

My Opinion, I won't disagree with others...

[jalen247]

Easily GOW III
Kratos rules them all

[dragon82]

I can't decide so I will give my top 5:

Fallout 3
Heavenly Sword
Heavy Rain
inFamous
LittleBigPlanet

[Nerox3]

God of War 3

[flyingmunky]

Demon's Souls

That game more than any other reminds me of old school gaming. Amazing sense of atmosphere, nothing else really like it this generation.

[Imperator]

If you have a 360 and are interested in JRPGS, there's no better choice than Lost Odyssey. IMO, it's miles better than FFXIII. Such a great game. Probably one of my favorite 360 games.

[mrcash]

I was hoping for a sequel but I doubt we'll see one.

[Umbrella Corp]

Im with you guys LO was a master piece.Turn based system and amazing graphics with he creator of the original Final Fantasy.The story was so touching and Jansen hahaha that mofo was funny.

[heroprotagonist]

Lost Odyssey is awesome. It's underrated in my opinion. I agree with what I heard in some article that everybody judged earlier RPGs harsher because they all assumed Final Fantasy XIII would come along and blow all those games away. Now that FFXIII has turned out to be below expectations I realize even more how awesome Lost Odyssey is.

[Jamegohanssj5]

Demon Souls and Oblivion. The End.

TGSI

[Kingdom Come]

Double post curtosy of my iPhone :/

[Kingdom Come]

What does this TGSI stand for? I've been meaning to ask for months...

[ReservoirDog316]

Haha, I asked that before. It means:

The Genius Said It.

[longcat]

TGSI - Tokyo Game Show (International Edition)

[callahan09]

It's a pretty good list. My only changes would be: Dragon Quest IX should be on the list, not the honorable mentions, so I would switch its spot with Crisis Core, and Eternal Sonata shouldn't even be an honorable mention (didn't like it at all), and Disgaea 3 should be there on the honorable mentions in its place.

[Pika-pie]

Demon Souls is good but its a little too hardcore for my tastes. I have a busy life and I like to enjoy my games on an evening and its just not fun at times having to consult a guide every step of the way because its to easy to die or miss something important. If the enemies didnt respawn when you died I would probably like it 100times more. Still, I shall stick at it for now.

Glad to see Oblivion and FFXIII on that list. When are they going to announce an Elders Scrolls V!!!

[meganick]

I liked every pick on the list except Final Fantasy 13, which I thought was a major letdown.

[Scrooge]

ME1 had more detailed character stats to upgrade than ME2. Is that all a game needs in order to have "more RPG elements"? I think it's a weak argument. Upgradable character stats were present in ME2 just not as detailed, everything else was better in ME2.

I like Demon's Souls, it's really hard. I put like 100 hours into Oblivion. I think it's about time I picked up Lost Oddyssee, but there's too many others I need to play and not enough time. I'm yet to finish GOW3 for crying out loud!

[mephman]

Some quality games in there, one for every different type of RPG fan.

[JDouglasGU]

RPGs have really diversified over the years, it's a great thing to see.

[Xwow2008]

list :)

[RedPawn]

Great List, but out of PERSONAL TASTE, I would of put DQIX in the place of Fallout 3.

[darthdevidem01]

I agree Fallout 3 was disappointing after Oblivion!

[Coramoor_]

Fallout 3 had it's problems but in comparison to oblivion it was far better, oblivion just lost me after a while, altohugh i did enjoy what i played of it immensely up to a point

[Redempteur]

fallout 3 was disapointing after ..Fallout 1 or 2...

fallout is not bad but it's oblivion with another skin ..while i'd want ...well fallout ...

[jaosobno]

Demon's souls, my favorite RPG of all time.

On the other hand, FF 13 belongs on "The Worst" lists, not "Best". They should have put Mass Effect 1 instead of FF 13.

[PS360WII]

Okay list. I'd throw in The World Ends With You too but that's what you get with lists

[lightningsax]

That definitely deserves a place in the list over Tales of Vesperia. TWEWY was an amazing game.

[Malebaria]

Good list even though I´d personally put The Witcher there.

[Sidewinder-]

I'm looking into that game now, missed out on it due to the PC being cruddy. A game that was definetly on radar but for all intents and purposes stealthed me. The second one's on it's way so i don't wanna miss out.

There's a lot of comparison with it to Dragon Age (In terms of maturity and setting). Dragon Age was okay, but thats it. 'Overtly cliché' might be too kind. Any infinity engine game bests that any day. But i've heard good things about this...this Witcher.

I'd welcome some insight. A purchase may beckon this 'morrow.

[CrzyFooL]

The Witcher may very well be one of the best RPG's of ALL TIME. The problem is that the original release got nearly no American marketing and was translated poorly. The Enhanced Edition: Directors Cut that you can get now is nothing short of a classic. The graphics and gameplay hold up surprisingly well for a game that came out in 2007. Even if The Witcher doesn't make many lists like this now due to the fact that it's only sold close to 2 million copies at this point. The Witcher 2 will undoubtedly top most of these lists in the future. CDProjekt ONLY makes PC RPG's for PC RPG gamers. And they will show that they do it better than anyone. Wow, I just typed a lot . . . I must really like this game . . . :-p

[yog-sothot]

I'd put the Witcher in the list too, but I guess it's not there as there were no console version (and therefore, one could argue that the game does not belong to any "generation" as there is no such thing in PC gaming world)

good list nevertheless

[TheColbertinator]

Valkyria Chronicles and Mass Effect are my favorite RPG games this gen

[Robearboy]

Best western - Fallout 3
Best JRPG - Lost Odyssey
Best other - Valkyria chronicles

Bearing in mind i have yet to discover the delights of Demons soul

[CrzyFooL]

You got the first 2 right. :-)

[blahblah]

when you discover those delights

[IrishYamato]

Demon's souls is one of the best i have played in a while

[lolzers]

Yeah it's excellent. I got it on import before Xmas and after completing it stupidly sold it on Ebay. I got more back than what I paid for it but I really regret doing so. I'm gonna buy another copy next week now it's been released in the UK as I've got a serious urge to get back into it.

[laoboy_Smoke]

Valkyria n Demons Souls 4 me

[Gilliand]

Am I the only one who considers ME2 to not be a major RPG. It's as much of an RPG as Fallout 3 is an fps. It's there but it's not a major focus.

I loved ME story and RPG elements and hated the shooting, ME2 sotry was good, the RPG elements were ok but the gameplay was one of the best. For ME3 I want a mix of those things.

[Robearboy]

You know i kind of agree, although ME2 was all round better and more polished than the ME1, the first left an overall greater impression on me, the story and the way it was told was much more compelling plus the weapons collecting, leveling up and RPG elements were far superior on the first.

Like you say ME3 needs to be a mix between the both

[TheStorm]

I agree as well. Though both were outstanding games, and as some one said above ME2 was way more polished, it was kinda watered down too much. Some one once put it best. ME1 was an RPG with shooting aspects. While ME 2 is a Shooter with RPG aspects.

I really hope they give ME3 it's RPG core back. I think they need to blend ME1 and ME2 to make ME3.

[punisher99]

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is the one that really blew me away. Mainly the great game play and exploration.

[BeOneWithTheGun]

Agree! Cannot believe they put FFXIII above it.

[callahan09]

It's in alphabetical order.

[darthdevidem01]

FFXIII deserves to be above it

But like callahan said its in alphabetical order.

[JDouglasGU]

as mentioned above, the list is in alphabetical order

[BusterFang]

Can't help but agree, Oblivion was the first RPG I played this gen! I really love that game. I also love Demon's Souls and Dragon Age: Origins. <3

RPGs FTW!

[TheRebelliousHater]

ME2 is amazing now I want to buy demon souls. Have to buy till march of 2011 because online in that game will be gone :(

[theEx1Le]

What? why will it be gone?

[blahblah]

it will be supported AT LEAST until then (but if traffic will go on as it does, i doubt they will end it then). that was Atlus announcement, not Sony or From (asian release) or Namco (european release)

that goes only for blue phantom edition. asian is packed with players major and european is gaining momentum more and more

[theEx1Le]

cool, thanks for clearing that up for me

[lightningsax]

Definitely buy Demon's Souls ASAP. You won't regret it. Even if for some weird reason the online component disappeared, it's still great - online connectivity enhances the game, but it doesn't make or break it by any means.

There are some great RPG's this generation (not as many as usual, but still, great ones!), but Demon's Souls is king for me. Followed closely by Oblivion.

[Ares84PS3]

No queston.

[Hank Hill]

Demon's Souls is the best RPG by far.

[jdktech2010]

I played and loved Lost Odyssey, Dragon Age, ME and FF13. I wasn't a huge fan of Elder Scrolls (never have been) but I could see why it's on the list...it certainly is an expansive game

[turnerdc]

Very underrated game, best JRPG I've played this gen.

[CrzyFooL]

ONLY JRPG I've played this gen. LO was the real FF13.

Anything square has made since Sakaguchi left is complete shit. Bring on the disagrees, you know it's true.

Cept the PSP games . . . even tho one was just a remake.

[Lyr1c]

I sadly have to agree. I found Final Fantasy 13 to be one of the biggest let downs in a long time. Hopefully SE can get their act together and release a gem with Versus....

[Capt-FuzzyPants]

Crisis Core was great because of it's ending.

[fucadastates]

tales of vesperia is on ps3 too, at lest i played it on ps3 :)

[Whackedorange]

Only out in Japan i think, a shame since it should be localized to other areas aswell.

[JDouglasGU]

it's only on ps3 in japan.

[fucadastates]

well so what, da does not make it "only xbox360" as statet in the article? or dosent games in other "sprog" count?

[GeoramA]

Demon's Souls really is an amazing experience and it literally came out of nowhere.

The hype for DS2 is going to be huge.

[JonnyBigBoss]

Demon's Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are my two favorites.

[kanetheking]

but that just me good list anyway.

[Coramoor_]

i just could never get into that game, despite how awesome the overall concept was

[JDouglasGU]

i also really enjoyed Folklore, but it's hard to put in the same conversation as some of the giants in the top ten. if only because of the massive budgets of some of those other titles.

[Pumbli]

Folklore got an honorable mention, woot!

It's a really underrated RPG.

[darthdevidem01]

GO FFXIII and Oblivion!

[A LIVING LEGEND]

Good list.
My list includes WKC(the online was Grade A imo).
Oblivion was disappointing but had it's moments.Demon Souls :)
FF13 is debatable,it did few things right but so many wrong.The final 20 hrs is the only part I enjoyed,as pointless as they were.

[Lyr1c]

It's ridiculous when you have to get 20+ hours into a game to get to the "good" part....

[lelo2play]

Good list of games... but i would change the list, taking some games out in putting other games in there.

[Coramoor_]

that is a rather vague and pointless comment, would you care to expand on that?

[Jorrel56]

FF13 was awful. Not even worth honorable mention no less making the list.

[darthdevidem01]

FFXIII was the best out of them!

Boo @ You

[Lyr1c]

Actually, he's right...FF13 WAS awful.....

Unless you've never played a FF game in your life prior to 13

[Homicide]

I played all FF's, and I thought FFXIII was a very good game. Much better than that FFX crap.

[dragon82]

I have played every Final Fantasy game and I actaullly realy like FFXIII. If you compare it to the best of the series of course you are going to be let down. If you just judge it on its own merits its actually quite good. I really like the new combat system.

[Chuk5]

So FF13 makes it but TWEWY doesnt? BS. TWEWY is the most refreshing jrpg this gen.

[Lyr1c]

I definitely have to agree. Other than those 2 blatant mistakes, I'd have to applaud the list.

[CrzyFooL]

This list will have to be edited when The Witcher 2 comes out ;-)

[blahblah]

was there any other RPG in this gen? this game hooked me so bad i barely play anything else. nothing i ever played comes close to ds.

[Nerox3]

whats ds?

[blahblah]

(:d:)emon's (:s:)ouls

[blahblah]

can people disagree that i got hooked on demons souls.

[ITLoo]

Fallout 3! Threeeee Doooooggg!!!

[Nerox3]

FF 12 is the best ever ever evr
then FF13 after that :D

[RBLAZE1988]

I accidently clickedon disagree...i gave you a bubble tho.

[Nerox3]

nah its cool :) heres a bubble for u 2 xD

[PidgeottosCrew]

I didn't accidentally click Disagree.

Please don't take my bubbles away.

[Nerox3]

@Pidgeotto
haha ok hes a bubble too :p :P

[RBLAZE1988]

FF13 should be replaced with Nier on that list...anything else on that list is good but nier is definetly better jrpg than ff13.

[reaper1050]

the only game i was gald to have spent 60 bucks for is Mass Effect, I have played it 6 times through, and still am not tired of it

[vox]

Seriously, TWEWY all the way!!!!
and FF CRISIS CORE!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? WHAT!?!?!?!
Get the Eff out of here with this list, I knew before I even clicked it what to expect and I really hate the direction RPGs have been going lately. I wouldn't play half of those generic games.

and ME2 over ME if we're talking story here, no way.

[lightningsax]

Here's a The World Ends With You fan that also loves Crisis Core.

I get it, though. The story wasn't always coherent, and the end battle was way too predictable, tedious, and silly. If you played it right, Zack was so powerful by the end that he could have altered FFVII's space-time continuum and survived, but no. That was dumb. The gameplay was hit-or-miss - at a certain point, you could get by by just doing one move over and over again if you felt like it. That part of it felt more like FF12, where you could just deck everyone out with swords and make them same-y warrior types, which made things pretty easy and boring for a while.

Still, here's why I loved it. The missions were wildly addictive to me. I put tremendous hours into that game and still never quite reached the end of the missions list, and it was nice to see new enemies way down the line in extra stages. It felt a bit like traversing the upside-down castle in SOTN at times. Music is very important to me when playing a game, and the CC music was distinctive - very different style than what I'm used to with Square, a close companion to the X-2 regular game soundtrack (not that vocal BS). When I hear it, I do get a bit of nostalgia about my first playthrough, which means, hey, it worked!

I know. The reasons why I like Crisis Core, the depth and soundtrack, come off as wishy-washy to many gamers, so I do get it, definitely! I still like it.

[MiltonZep]

That's like the best handheld RPG next to Golden Sun. Best stylus controls ever.

Oblivion on the list?! I HAVE CHORTLES!!

[commander]

GREAT LIST IF AND ONLY IF YOU REMOVE FFXIII

[PidgeottosCrew]

Pretty awesome list. Demon's Souls, Oblivion, Mass Effect 2 and Valkyria Chronicles are all in my top 10 for this generation, maybe even all time.

FFXIII and Lost Odyssey were both let downs in my book. Still, not everyone's going to agree with everything in an opinion piece.

[Azianphil88]

Suikoden VI will be in the top ten of this generation

[fucadastates]

if suikoden VI comes.. then it will be epic. if its not like SIV

[lightningsax]

Man, I hope so. They need to channel a bit of II's extreme amounts of awesome to make it work. If the changes made in this one are just a graphics update over the past couple PS2 iterations, I'm not that interested. Not that V was bad, but it wasn't outstanding the way the first two were.

[girlwithturn]

Crisis Core is BEST RPG of this gen. Who is discordant that is half-witted.

[baodeus]

thats actually one of the best list that i have seen so far.

Love Lost Odyssey. It kept the traditional feel of JRPG minus the stupid boyish protagonist crap. The 1000 years story was probably the best new implementation in JRPG that most affectively introduces you to your characters, especially Kaim and some other immortals. It would be useless to play LO without reading those stories. It is the bread and butter of LO.

ME2 is pretty amazing (epic plot and probably has the best characters development in any game). It really makes you feel that your decision does really matter. And for once, it is an RPG. Anyone care to share their view on why ME2 isn't RPG?

Demon Soul is very challenging. The developers stay true to the dark theme of the game, which is one of the most unique aspect of DS. What game out there that actually have you fight another real person which is summoned by a boss?

I kinda like Fable 2. The story isn't as deep, but pretty unique in it own sense. Like Peter said, you really should take time to play this game. Almost every aspect in Fable were subtly introduced throughout the entire game that if you just blow through the main story, you would really miss out on all the charms that it offers. For example, many seem to criticize fable for being very shallow and NPC interactions were merely fart jokes. But if you have time to observe them and pay close attention, you will see that they do possess much deeper personality then you might have thought. For example, just spend more time with your wife or husband, and eventually, they will start sharing with you about their life and such, which is quite interesting. I would say Fable has the most dynamic NPC out of any RPG games that i have played.

[mariusmal]

my favorites are dragon age and oblivion. i also had a blast playing valkyria chronicles and mass effect.

and how did they left witcher out ?? because it's a console only list ??

ps - where can i get folklore real cheap ?? i remember playing a demo and loving it

[MonopolyRSV]

Everything smells like cat piss compared to Oblivion.

[-DeathWraith-]

No Folklore in the list? Fail list, is fail.

[mariusmal]

Honorable Mentions:

Dragon Quest IX
Eternal Sonata
Fable II
Folklore
Mass Effect

i see folklore there :D

[HISHAM_PWNS]

Fallout 3,Demon Souls and Dragon Age were amazing. So far my favourite has to be Fallout 3, but I can't wait to play Mass Effect 2 when it comes to the PS3

[Mastodon]

I'd put in Resonance of Fate before even mentioning either of those Final Fantasy games that were listed.

I don't see why you'd add Oblivion and Fallout as they are very similar in nature. I'm pretty sure you could have added Mass Effect and took out Oblivion. It makes it ever better since ME1 and ME2 aren't really too similar in what they accomplish.

Other than that it was a standard list by someone who used Metacritic to decide what "good" RPGs are. The genre has always produced very good games to very strange review scores which is why I find the list so standard. For those who play RPGs you'll probably get what I'm saying, for those who live by review scores - probably not.

[NovusTerminus]

Not even a mention of Resonance of Fate? What gives?