A slime draws near — >Fight
*The slime's hitpoints hath been reduced by 10.*

The JRPG

Despite falling out of fashion in recent years the JRPG is still going strong and will never truly die. No matter how many ATB's or moe lolis developers add.

JRPGs cover a wide variety of systems and everything from the classic turn-based to medieval strategy, so something here is bound to tickle your fancy.

Consoles

NES

Title	Style	Description
Destiny of an Emperor	Tactics/Strategy	Based on a graphic novel of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Mixes Dragon Quest and Dynasty Warriors. Journey across the vast land of China, go through towns, caves, and tunnels, and fight enemy warlords in open areas, forts, and castles. You can also recruit over 100 generals to your side, through show of force and/or bribery. There's quite a bit to see, do, and even miss out on. Has a japan-only sequel below, however it does have a full translation patch. Both are badass and worth playing.
Dragon Warrior IV/Dragon Quest IV	Traditional Turn-Based	This one's pretty nice. You don't have to play any other DQ game before this. Has pretty nice pacing, and the chapter system is a means to help you learn the ropes while still giving a bit of challenge before the fifth and final chapter, which is longer than all past chapters combined. The twist there is that you only take control of the Hero character, and your other allies act on their own accord based on tactics you give them. The AI is surprisingly decent with the right tactics, though it does make some dumb mistakes from time to time. There's a revamp on the DS that's just as good as this, if not better, but this one is still worth playing due to its curious quirks. If you want to learn a bit more about the series and its games, just click the title on the left to go to a semi-incomplete page that some jackass made.
Final Fantasy	Traditional Turn-Based	The classic JRPG by Square. Make a party of 4 characters from 6 different jobs. Mix and match these six choices, even choosing more than one of the same job. If that wasn't enough, at a certain story point, ALL of your 4 allies promote to better classes. This has a rather epic storyline that to this day, still requires a long window of time to beat. FF1 got remade and ported to a number of systems, said remakes added, fixed, and altered several things to be more in line with later FF games. The GBA and PSP versions are the easiest. The GBA version may not look or sound as pretty as the PSP version, but the action flows faster and also comes with Final Fantasy II's remake. This was the game that made Square into a household name long before Final Fantasy VII.
The Magic of Scheherazade	Action-RPG/Adventure/Turn-Based	A diamond in the rough. Incredibly ambitious and, for the most part, actually follows through on it. Mixes action battles and exploration along with turn-based event battles. The ideas and puzzles are fairly well-executed, but it does have a few odd design choices, such as having "lives" and passwords. Still, you should give it a shot. Many would call it Culture Brain's masterpiece, and it's definitely not a bad game in its own right. There's quite a few resources and fan-pages for this, should you bump into trouble. Like this one

SNES

Title	Style	Description
Arcana	First-Person Dungeon Crawler	An RPG developed by HAL, creators of Kirby and Super Smash Bros. Arcana is a great little JRPG with a lot of heart. Grab some loot in town and head out into whatever dungeon is next on your list. You explore dungeons from a first-person, Phantasy Star-esque perspective, but this game features a VERY helpful map. Battles are standard turn-based fare with random encounters. Even though monsters and characters are displayed on cards, nothing about the game is really card-based. Other characters will come and go in the story, but you always have one space in your party for different elemental beings that travel and fight alongside you. You collect more of these beings as the game progresses. This game's soundtrack is composed by the guy who scores the Kirby games. Kirby music. In an RPG. This game features a lot of polish and is truly a hidden gem. No Virtual Console release yet, but it's not a hard game to find.
Breath of Fire	Traditional Turn-Based	A JRPG by Capcom. Your hometown's destroyed, your sister's kidnapped, and an evil empire is running amok. What next, a dragon? Unlike other RPGs, You ARE the Dragon! As a dragon-man, you can transform into a dragon to kick some evil ass. Later on, certain party members can fuse together. Despite the setup being rather dull, the story fleshes itself out in very unique and touching ways, with a number of unexpected twists. It also has great music. It was ported to the GBA with a few additions, most notably the 'run' button and added EXP. The GBA version is recommended to make the game less tedious.
Breath of Fire II	Traditional Turn-Based	You are still the dragon, but not the same one, as this takes place centuries later. You can now power up party members with elemental shamans you find, and build/run your own town later on. This game features a pretty twisted story as well. It was also ported to the GBA with a few additions, similar to Breath of Fire I (EXP gain and the run button, mostly). The localization for both is horrendous though, and there's a superior translation patch for this (with a run button!). Also has great music like the first. The series continues on Playstation 1 with BoF III.
Chrono Trigger	Active Time Battle	A classic time-traveling JRPG by Square. Great visuals, fantastic music, an imaginative story, and gameplay that best utilizes the classic ATB system out of any game that has it. Considered to be one of the best RPGs of all time.
Earthbound	Traditional Turn-Based	A quirky, humorous, deep and emotional RPG, parodying the JRPG style with western pop culture. Some may love it for its 'deep' story but even if you don't go for that kinda thing you'll still love the fuck outta this!
Final Fantasy IV	Active Time Battle	A classic by Square. This was one of the first games to have a more complex storyline, and it introduced the ATB system used in many of its successors. Regarded by some as probably the best intro to the series for beginners.
Final Fantasy VI	Active Time Battle	AAnother classic JRPG by Square. It has a large and varied cast of characters that can be customized by equipping Magicite on them. Translation is a lot better than FF2us. Great music, widely contested to be the best in the series. The SNES version is noted for having LOADSAEXPLOITS, many of which can be used by the player to become overpowered, especially Vanish+Doom.
Illusion of Gaia	Action RPG	The second game in Quintet's Heaven and Earth/Soul Blazer series. A young boy with psychic powers named Will beats up monsters with a flute. He also obtains the ability to transform into powerful warriors with their own abilities. This game is noteworthy for having you travel around places that strongly resemble cultural and historical sites in our own reality and also its rather dark, but VERY well done, story and soundtrack.
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals	Traditional Turn-Based Dungeon Crawler	This game is a through-and-through traditional JRPG. Still, it pulls it off with GREAT music and writing. It also features Zelda-like puzzle dungeons.
Metal Max Returns	Traditional Turn-Based	Although the Style category says otherwise, this game is hardly "traditional" in many ways. Starts out a bit weak with only a few options for equipment and very few places to go. Then you get your first tank (yes, there's more), then you unlock the region gate, and soon you realize there's much more to the world and many dangerous areas and foes await. Thankfully, there's many more weapons and items to find as well, along with new vehicles and equipment to customize said vehicles with. The best part is that the game doesn't hold your hand at all. Good luck! Only released in Japan, but has a fan-translation patch. Has a spiritual successor released in US/English called Metal Saga on PS2.
Secret of Mana	Action RPG	Another widely-loved Action RPG by Square. Up to three people can play simultaneously. It expands on the weapon and magic abilities of Final Fantasy Adventure for Game Boy, the first Mana title. Magic is aligned to various spirits and each has their own sets of spells. This really setup the Mana series and the various mythos, along with elements and characteristics that it is so well known for today: weapon skills, tough bosses, pleasant visuals, great gameplay, and incredible soundtracks.
Soul Blazer	Action RPG	The first game in Quintet's Heaven and Earth/Soul Blazer series. In this spiritual successor to Actraiser, God/The Master sends down a hero to save the world from Deathtoll, the big bad that the stupid king struck a deal with. The music is awesome (and strangely groovy for this sort of world it takes place in), and the game itself is a lot of fun, but kinda hard at times. As an early title, it's a little stiff control-wise, but the later games in the series improved this, so fear not.
Super Mario RPG	Traditional Turn-Based	Timed hits, saving the princess, Geno, Mallow, and one of the most fun RPGs made by Square. Has an awesome soundtrack. As well as incredible characters and bosses with many colorful and awesome environments. Dear god, play this now. Has a spiritual successor in the Paper Mario series, which has a spiritual successor in the Mario and Luigi series.
Terranigma	Action RPG	The third game in Quintet's Heaven and Earth/Soul Blazer series. Ark, a boy from the underworld village of Crysta, is tasked with the creation and resurrection of the overworld. Considered by some as the best non-Ninendo release of the SNES due to its awesome soundtrack and gameplay, complex storyline and mind blowing graphics.
Uncharted Waters: New Horizons	Class-based Simulation	A game about nautical adventures with an awesome soundtrack and good plot. You can choose role of merchant, adventurer, combater by choosing different characters as protagonist.

Sega Genesis

Title	Style	Description
King Colossus	Action RPG	A game in the vein of Startropics, Ys, and Zelda, with elements of each (platforming, multiple weapons, and hidden passages). Starts a bit slow, but picks up fast. The action's a little stiff, but still enjoyable. The bosses start small, but some TAKE UP MORE THAN THE SCREEN CAN SHOW. The story has some neat twists that'll keep you playing and the action only gets better. Japan-only, use the translation patch.
Langrisser II	Tactics RPG	a.k.a. "Langrisser Hikari" Sequel to Warsong. Story and dialog are a bit better and the massive ass fields full of foes are just as impressive. Although Der Langrisser is preferable, this version is still great, and has some of the best non-CD-based music of the series (especially compared to the SNES version's music, which is just bad). Japan-only, use the translation patch.
Phantasy Star II	Traditional Turn-Based	The first 16-bit Phantasy Star. A number of things have been removed or added since the original, but for the most part, everything has been improved. Although a bit old, it is an RPG with some strongly emotional scenes, which makes up for the difficulty. For a very early title, this game has some pretty impressive visuals.
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom	Traditional Turn-Based	The "black sheep" of the Phantasy Star series. Several things here work unlike any other entry. One interesting aspect is that at end of the first two "generations" of heroes, you'll choose who to marry. This affects your child's stats and abilities, alters what adventures they go on, and adds replayability as well. Sadly, previous generations do NOT help their kids (due to plot restrictions), but your two robot pals are always ready to help any generation combo.
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium	Traditional Turn-Based	The most refined of the classic PS series, adding in-party talks, macros, spell/skill combos, faster-moving everything, and more. You don't need to play the past games to enjoy this, though it may dull the impact of some connections if you don't at least read up on them first. This team would later make Skies of Arcadia on Dreamcast, which is also great. Beware level 99 without a patch or cheat device to fix the bug.
Shining Force	Turn-Based Tactics	Arguably, Sega's answer to Fire Emblem. Both have units with different stats, classes, abilities, and promotions. However, Shining Force has out-of-battle exploration of towns and battlefields to stock up and meet new allies, instead of everything done mid-battle. This has harder odds at times, but is more forgiving as there's no perma-death. The Shining series has great music, decent visuals, and a unique flair that's been spun-off into other games and genres under the its name.
Shining Force II	Turn-Based Tactics	This is even longer than the first! Exploration has a stronger role with some more freedom. Some classes have alternate promotion options as well. The soundtrack variety is not as strong as the first, and some of the more chatty characters are a little annoying, but the gameplay is much improved, including the difficulty. Not to mention the visuals are vastly superior to the previous games and are some of the best on the whole system.
Shining in the Darkness	Turn-Based Dungeon Crawler	Dungeon crawler that started 'Shining' franchise. Visuals really aren't the series best, though they display the well-known whimsical fantasy in character and monster designs. Not so hard for a crawler, but the mazes are somehow complicated, challenging, and have a number of secrets to find. Has some really cool music as well, though the normal battle theme can get annoying.
Warsong	Tactics RPG	The first in the Langrisser series. Great tactics game, with deep gameplay, epic battles, and lots of unit-types. Mechanics are based around commanders and their armies, like a fusion of Fire Emblem and Famicon Wars. Commanders are stronger and level up, but your grunts are generic fodder, meant for protection (they get slight buffs when near their commanders) and taking out other grunts. It's kinda basic in story and dialog, but great in terms of strategy and colossal battlefields filled with troops. Hidden gem as the series wasn't otherwise released in US and Europe.

Sega Saturn

Title	Style	Description
Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean	Traditional Turn-Based	A turn-based RPG about some kid, Pike, who saw his parents get assraped by monsters when he was an infant and afterwards he was raised by furries (harpies). Then, his adopted sister is turned to stone and it's up to him and a TALKING SWORD to find the cure and stop those evil magicians from turning the world's races against each other and resurrecting the ancient god.
Panzer Dragoon Saga	Schmup Turn Based	Free roaming exploratory levels either on foot or by dragon with loads to do. Your dragon evolves here too like in Zwei and Orta. Battles are turn based but with real time maneuvering that lets you angle attacks and perform certain strategies and may include multiple enemies that generally have multiple points which you can combat using your attacks, items, or berserks (spells).
The Legend of Oasis	Action RPG	Successor and Prequel to Beyond Oasis on the Genesis/Mega Drive. Has similar concepts of utilizing elemental spirits.

Sega Dreamcast

Title	Style	Description
Elemental Gimmick Gear	Action RPG	You play an egg-shaped robot recently dug out of a ruin and re-activated, now trying to uncover your past. A Zeldalike overhead action-RPG with impossibly pretty hand-drawn environments. Good luck getting past those gates, you'll see. Boss battles are 3D arena battles, by contrast. A great, underlooked DC title.
Evolution: The World of Sacred Device	Traditional Turn-Based/Dungeon Crawler	Lighthearted JRPG that has you trying to get out of debt by exlporing randomized dungeons filled with traps and finding artifacts and treasure. Typical JRPG turn based combat, now with 50% more status effects.
Grandia II	Turn-Based/Active Time Battle	Though unrelated story-wise, Grandia II follows its PS predecessor in spirit. The protagonist is refreshingly sarcastic and distrustful of the various, colorful characters who join his party, all of which have their own charms. Once again, the character-driven story and battle system, which combines active-time battles with turn-based strategy, are the main draws. Gets sappy towards the end, but who cares.
Skies of Arcadia	Traditional Turn-Based	One of the best JRPGs of its generation, which follows the exploits of womanizing, skyfaring steampunk pirate Vyse, who explores airborne islands and engages in large-scale airship battles with his crew, along with standard JRPG combat. Everything about this game is immensely enjoyable and a treat for fans of the adventure anime-inspired JRPG.

Sony Playstation

Title	Style	Description
Alundra	Action RPG	A Zelda-esque overhead action-adventure with light RPG elements where you play as a boy who can explore people's dreams. It's visually pleasant, there's lots of secrets to uncover, and the well-told story has some refreshingly somber tones. However this game is much more puzzle-intensive than your average Zelda, and some can get frustratingly hard. Expect some silly out-of-place dialogue courtesy of Working Designs.
Arc the Lad Collection	Strategy/Tactics RPG	A fantasy RPG trilogy localized by Working Designs, with a monster arena/casino side-game thrown in. The first game is a basic but satisfying adventure with grid-based, SRPG-style combat. The second game follows the first directly (but has you play as the first game's antagonist), refines the combat, is much more expansive, has an excellent story, and is the best overall. The third game is an unnecessary and uninspired regression to the first that the team originally didn't want to do, but is still "okay."
Azure Dreams	Roguelike/Monster Collecting	Explore a tower of randomly-generated floors and slay monsters in roguelike-style combat, where death means the loss of items and progress. Outside of the tower you can hatch and raise companion monsters, help build up your town, and indulge in a limited dating sim feature. The sprite work is kind of ugly, but it has that PS1 RPG charm.
Breath of Fire III	Traditional Turn-Based	A traditional, turn-based JRPG set in a fantasy world populated by anthropomorphic beings. Features limited character customization, and side-activities such as fishing and raising a fairy village. Beautiful sprite work and fluid combat transitions. Very long, even for a JRPG. Regularly considered the best entry in the series.
Breath of Fire IV	Traditional Turn-Based	Similar in most ways to its predecessor, but with a more Far East-inspired setting. Features a less focused story, but a more memorable villain. Activities like fishing and the fairy village return, while combat is more fast-paced and streamlined. Once again, beautiful sprite work and animations.
Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena	Strategy RPG	A highly replayable SRPG; pick one of six nations and take over the continent with your knights and monsters. Each nation has its own ruler and story, and the AI is competent.
Chrono Cross	Turn-Based	An experimental JRPG with only loose connections to Chrono Trigger. Features over forty obtainable party members, a grinding-free level-up system, and a philosophically-inclined story. Very easy. Sublime ambient soundtrack and gorgeous, pre-rendered stages with dreamlike art direction. A controversial and ambitious game.
Digimon World	Monster Collecting	Essentially, this amounts to Tamagotchi with a lot of exploration. The "Digimon World" is a huge land with tons of secrets. The goal of the game is to recruit Digimon to revive File City. Although a bit unforgivingly difficult at first, once you start recruiting some Digimon, the game is extremely addicting.
Digimon World 2	Dungeon Crawler/Monster Collecting	Digimon World 2 is a good sequel though very different. It's a dungeon crawling RPG where you can recruit different digimon to fight for you(up to three per battle). What's interesting is that there's a cap for each digimon and to raise that cap you have to start fusing them ending up with a different party all the time.
Digimon World 3	Monster Collecting	Digimon World 3 is a run-of-the-mill RPG. Not bad, but load times do hurt it. The EU version is better since you can keep playing after the ending. Features a rather limited cast of playable Digimon compared to the first two and borrow quite a few elements from the portable Pokemon games, like "Gym" battles.
Dragon Seeds	Monster Collecting	In a world flooded by global warming, scientists discover dragon-like creatures long frozen in the now-thawed Antarctica, which are cloned and spliced, resulting in many races of beasts used in battles for profit and sport. A monster-raising sim with more customization than usual, and an engrossing time sink.
Dragon Warrior VII	Traditional Turn-Based	A famously huge game at its time of release, even for the Dragon Quest series. DWVII didn't make any massive changes to the tried-and-true formula of the franchise, though it features an especially lovable cast of characters and a remarkably put-together story, even if it's muddled by all the padding. The game has you constantly traveling between the past and present, which can lead to a lot of boring back-and-forth, but most back-tracking can be avoided through shortcuts. Though it has a really slow first couple hours and generally requires patience (especially for the Dharma Temple), it's worth sticking with if you have the time. Series newcomers may struggle with it.
Eternal Eyes	Strategy RPG	A very basic SRPG in the style of Final Fantasy Tactics where you fuse magical gems to an army of puppets to shape their skillset; you can also combine them to form stronger units, but this system is very unreliable and sometimes results in weaker ones. While the presentation is lacking and the story is boring (often with 5-6 battles between any story scenes), controls are tight and combat is solid at its core (with an overall low level of challenge), sure to satisfy anyone desperate for more of that rare FFT-style action on the console.
Final Fantasy VII	Active Time Battle	One of the most popular video games of all time. A turn-based JRPG with an innovative, fantasy steampunk setting and an emotional story. Its unique art direction, memorable character designs, and excellent soundtrack have made it a classic of the genre. Features limited character customization and lots of side-content, including two optional party members and several optional bosses.
Final Fantasy VIII	Active Time Battle	SquareSoft was under a lot of pressure to follow up FFVII, and what resulted was a strange game with a grandiloquent central romance, crazy (and beautiful) sci-fantasy settings, and a Draw system that still has the fandom split. It seems like Square tried to one-up FFVII in every way and came up with a game that is very inconsistent, but interesting. Has its diehard fans and haters. Worth at least a try for series fans. Gameplay aside, the music is some of the best in the entire FF series.
Final Fantasy IX	Active Time Battle	With the changing aesthetics and themes of FFVII and VIII, this game was a return to the lighthearted fantasy of the NES/SNES titles, with more cartoony characters and lots of callbacks to FFI-VI. A solid game with a shiny coat of nostalgia.
Final Fantasy Anthology	Active Time Battle	A collection of Final Fantasy V and VI with some new features and cutscenes. Was the first time V released in the USA with an authentic translation. Has some sucky load times for battles.
Final Fantasy Tactics	Tactics/Strategy RPG	A grid-based SRPG set in Ivalice and penned by Yasumi Matsuno. The job system is addictive and fun, but somewhat nullified by the broken characters you recruit later on. The story revolves around political unrest and clashing ideologies, but later devolves into DEMONS! fare. It is still an engrossing SRPG.
Front Mission 3	Strategy RPG	Square's Front Mission series usually stays in Japan on account of being about international politics and giant robots, but this game was very competently localized. Play through two different scenarios (each one over 30 hours long) witnessing a confict from different sides, where characters do the best they can in a morally ambiguous setting. Combat is grid-based and turn-based, where you use skills and strategy to destroy enemy robots' body parts, and can even eject your pilots to hijack your opponents' machines. Robot customization is a deep and essential part of progressing. If you can get past the ugly, muddled combat visuals and stiff animations, you'll find an engrossing game.
Grandia	Active Time Battle	Fantasy JRPG with a thrilling combat system that combines real-time action with pausing for commands, and emphasizes timing. The story is heavily character-driven and imbued with a sense of warmth that is similar to the LUNAR games (they share the same developer). Very easy, and lacking in optional content.
Kartia: The Word of Fate	Strategy RPG	An obscure SRPG with character designs by Final Fantasy's Yoshitaka Amano. Entirely linear, you play through two separate stories with different protagonists which eventually intertwine. Summoning and upgrading your troops all revolves around Kartia, magical cards. Very tense and melodramatic plot.
Kagero: Deception II	Tactics/Tower Defense	The unique Deception series revolves around setting up deadly traps in your castle to kill uninvited guests in the most points-racking way possible. This time traps can interact with each other for combos, and there are multiple endings.
King's Field	Action RPG/Dungeon Crawler	Actually King's Field II in Japan, the first game was never localized (but has been fan-translated). King's Field is the grandaddy of Demon's/Dark Souls, and has the same claustrophobic, dreadful atmosphere and sadistic difficulty. You are dropped on a cursed island with no backstory and have complete freedom to progress, which is made by finding keys, secret doors and new weaponry. The aged graphics and rudimentary, first-person interface haven't dampered its charms, but it's not for everyone.
The Legend of Dragoon	Traditional Turn-Based	Billed as the competition of Final Fantasy VII upon release due to its long story and state-of-the-art graphics, Legend of Dragoon is really a fairly conventional fantasy RPG. The story has a bit of an eighties cartoon vibe (the characters wear dragon-themed power suits), and the graphics still hold up today, with some neat art direction and cool settings. However, the story is very long and dragged-out, and the battle system, which uses timed hits similar to Paper Mario, can get really tedious. It has a cult following, still hoping for a sequel.
Legend of Legaia	Traditional Turn-Based	The world has been covered in evil mist, and it's up to you to go from town to town figuring out ways to push it back and ultimately, destroy the Mist Generators in each region. A beautiful 3D RPG with lots of great extras, and a wonderful fighter-like combat system, which allows each playable character to perform several special moves right from the moment you recruit them (Think Sabin from FF6, but without knowing the commands right off the bat). As you level up, the amount of moves you can perform per turn increases and more powerful\complex combos can be executed. Also features a "Magic" system that involves copying the abilities of regular critters and using them in your favor.
Legend of Mana	Action RPG	Atmosphere: the Game. Another way of describing it is Side Quests the game, almost all quests feel like side quests, but actually contribute to the main story while usually leading you to the ending, all without you knowing it. The harder modes are absolutely beyond brutal.
LUNAR: The Silver Star Story Complete	Traditional Turn-Based	Classic JRPG adventure with a lovable cast and vibrant setting. Excellent score and highly entertaining writing, well-localized for its time (though the team took some liberties). Developed by Game Arts, also behind the Grandia series, which has much of the same "kids on an adventure" vibe. Traditional, turn-based combat system with some limited tactics. Not a hardcore RPG, but one for fans of heartwarming stories.
LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue Complete	Traditional Turn-Based	Distant sequel to LUNAR, with a new core cast but similar story beats and writing. Turn-based combat also returns without major changes, though the game as a whole is harder. The tone is also more serious, though with lots of room for humor.
Monster Rancher 2	Monster Collecting	A monster raising game with a fun battle system, Monster Rancher 2 improved upon every aspect of the original. You can create new monsters by inserting any CDs. If you play it on PS3, you can even use DVDs and Blu-Ray discs!
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen	Strategy RPG	An enhanced port of the SNES tactical classic. Part of a long, incomplete fantasy saga. Great combat and story. Made by Quest, which would later develop Tactics Ogre and FFT.
Parasite Eve	Active Time Battle/Survival Horror	An RPG with elements of Resident Evil-style survival horror. The combat system is similar to Vagrant Story in its combination of free movement with pausing for commands. Set in contemporary New York with a twisted, sci-fi story and grotesque monster designs. Short and entirely linear, but features a lengthy New Game+ dungeon. Excellent electronic soundtrack and art direction.
Parasite Eve 2	Survival Horror/Action RPG	Closer to the Resident Evil formula, with more static camera angles and big, grotesque boss fights. Continues the story directly and features some Aya fanservice as well as quite a bit of replay value, and is in general underrated.
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment	Turn Based/Monster Collecting	Unlike the first chapter of Persona 2, this one did come out in the US. It directly follows the story of Innocent Sin and plays almost exactly like it, spell cards and fusion spells included. However, it also introduces a full new cast.
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure	Strategy RPG	Cute fantasy RPG with an anime-inspired fairy tale setting and a comical, non-serious story. Features turn-based combat on a grid, where multiple units can be moved and commanded. An extremely easy game with virtually no optional content and somewhat boring gameplay, but fun dialogue and entertaining musical numbers.
SaGa Frontier	Traditional Turn-Based	Guide one of seven people through seven different quests and countless worlds in a quest...well, to do a lot of things, really. Highly customizable characters and a fast-paced battle system; suffers from high difficulty and the developers running out of time/money at the end.
SaGa Frontier 2	Traditional Turn-Based	This one is a bit different from the other SaGa games, as it uses a scenario system, where each scenario advances the story a bit. Aside from that it is still classic SaGa. You have two main characters, with their stories running in parallel and eventually crossing over, spanning over various decades. Some scenarios merely advance the story, while others feature a barebones duel battle which mixes regular battles with some strategy elements.
Saiyuki: Journey West	Strategy RPG	Based on the nineties anime Saiyuki, which is in turn based on the classic Chinese epic Journey to the West. You play as the human priest/ess (you can pick) Sanzo, who travels along with his/her motley crew of were-buddies. Similar to FFT in presentation and combat, though the learning curve is very uneven. The Auto-battle is awesome though, and makes any grinding you need to do (if any) a breeze.
Star Ocean: The Second Story	Action RPG	Sci-fi/fantasy RPG with an action-based, three dimensional battle system. Highly customizable skill system, massive item creation system, and so bad it's hilarious voice acting.
Suikoden	Turn Based/Human Collecting	Turn-based fantasy JRPG with 108 obtainable characters (not all can be used in battle). Improve your headquarters by adding new features and functions. Though low on visual appeal or innovation (it could easily be a SNES game), it's a brisk and fun JRPG with virtually no grinding and a consistent challenge level.
Suikoden II	Turn Based/Human Collecting	The sequel to Suikoden. Play as a solider who ends up leading an entire army against his old allies. Criminally under-rated; is one of the best RPGs on the system. Is considered by most to be the best in the series, and has one of the greatest villains of video gaming, the legendary Luca Blight.
Tactics Ogre	Strategy RPG	This is actually a sequel to Ogre Battle 64 and the later GBA prequel, Knight of Lodis. Plays like Final Fantasy Tactics (which is unsurprising since they were made by many of the same people), but more challenging with balanced strategy (Although there are some exploits that might make the game too easy later on, and they aren't exactly hard to notice). Release date confusion had this called an FFT ripoff, which is ironically not the case. Do not overlook this game if you are a fan of the Ogre series or SRPGs in general.
Tales of Destiny	Action RPG	The first Tales game to be localized. The Tales series is known for fairly generic anime fantasy games, but with a memorable cast of characters, and a fully active battle system. Tales of Destiny has an especially likable main cast, which helps carry the story. But the combat, which is fully active and takes place on a 2D plane, can feel very clunky and slow. The graphics also look rather basic. The game allows local co-op multi-player, but it only works in battle. Overall, you should play this if you're more into RPGs for the characters than anything.
Tales of Destiny II	Action RPG	Most Tales games take place in their own self-contained universe, and this game has no continuity with Tales of Destiny; it's called Tales of Eternia in Japan. (Ironically, an actual Tales of Destiny 2 was released later for the PS2.) In comparison to Destiny this game has a rather boring cast of flat anime stereotypes, and the story certainly hasn't improved. However, the combat system is a lot faster, more fluid, and fun overall, plus the graphics have significantly improved (especially in-battle). Unlike the previous game, you should get this if you're into RPGs for the gameplay.
Thousand Arms	Turn Based/Dating Sim	A parodic, referential RPG where you date girls to power up your sword. Subtle. The combat and graphics are somewhat barebones, but the humor and ecchi elements manage to carry the game for the most part. One of the few RPGs where flirting with chicks serves some significantly pragmatic purposes.
Threads of Fate	Action RPG	A one-off SquareSoft game where you play as either a boy or girl protagonist. Though both have minor story and gameplay differences (the boy can shape-shift while the girl uses magic), progression is basically the same, and playing as the girl is recommended because her dialogue is hilarious, while the boy has a cardboard-cutout personality. Structured kind of like a Zelda title, with an interconnected overworld and underground dungeons full of puzzles. Though it has some frustrating platform segments and somewhat tedious combat, the neat, crisp graphics and entertaining story (if you picked the girl) make it worth a try for sure.
Vagrant Story	Action RPG/Weapon Customization	Another jewel by Matsuno, an action game with a moody Gothic-pop atmosphere and Shakespeare references left and right. Boasts an excellent story and a ridiculously in-depth weapon customization system. Takes place in the same universe as Final Fantasy XII and Tactics
Valkyrie Profile	Turn-Based/Platforming	An Tri-Ace title based on Norse mythology; as a valkyrie, you must recruit valiant souls to fight for the side of good as the Ragnarök approaches. Combat and exploration are involving, as they mix platformer and traditional RPG elements together, and the story is sparse, albeit very appealing. Every recruited character has their own backstory. There are multiple endings: Differently from most games, this title relies on a rather large number of factors to determine which one you'll get; After your first playthrough, a rerun using a guide is recommended, since the A Ending, often regarded as the best, requires a set of specific, non-intuitive measures. A very innovative and bold game which gives a lot of freedom to the player and stray away from the comfort zone set by some of its contemporaries.
Vandal Hearts	Strategy RPG	Similar in gameplay to Final Fantasy Tactics, you control several characters who move across grid-based maps and engage enemies by turns. Vandal Hearts has a bit of a dark fantasy style going on, and though the story is unimpressive, it's well-thought out. The meat of the game is really fun, because the polygonal maps are full of detail and varied terrain, with lots of things to interact with, varied mission objectives, and hidden items. It has a fair level of difficulty, and though the class system is somewhat broken, it's overall one of the best SRPGs of its generation, with decent replay value to boot.
Vandal Hearts II	Strategy RPG	A high quality strategy game. Isn't real-time, but after selecting your actions, they are executed at the same time as the enemies'. This can lead to a lot of chasin' bitches around the map for no reason. Characters are incredibly bland, especially in comparison to the first game.
Vanguard Bandits	Strategy RPG	A fantasy medieval SRPG, except everyone climbs into giant robots to fight! Includes a big, mostly likeable cast and story varying from a total trainwreck to rock-solid depending on which route you're playing. Combat is fun, as individual duels between mechs get very tense. It's not very polished, but what's there is quite entertaining. Also, for a game with barely any voice acting, it has an exceptional American dub.
Wild Arms	Turn-Based	The planet Filgaia is under attack by demons. Are you a bad enough dude to save Filgaia? Incredible music, various firearms, learnable sword skills, a neat magic system, and an interesting Wild West setting make this one worth playing. The graphics are kind of weak, but still have many cool visual effects.
Wild Arms 2	Turn-Based	A non-linear sequel to Wild Arms with a notably darker tone and the same excellent style of music. You play as a dude with a bigass bayonet who later fuses with some seemingly evil guy. As a result, he can transform for major asskicking. The translation isn't great, but it's acceptable.
Xenogears	Traditional Turn-Based	A traditional JRPG with a hugely ambitious sci-fi/mecha plot that touches on analytic philosophy and Jungian psychology. Turn-based combat and a lengthy story. Its super-slow pacing, occasional frustrating platforming, and general lack of gameplay on disc two have limited its appeal, but it has a strong cult following. Just be aware that it's a bumpy ride.

Playstation 2

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Gamecube

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Xbox

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Playstation 3

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Wii

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Xbox 360

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Handhelds

Gameboy/Gameboy Color

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Gameboy Advance

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Nintendo DS

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Nintendo 3DS

Title	Style	Description
Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D	Traditional Turn-Based / Monster Collecting	Remake of the first DQ Monsters game on Game Boy. Now uses gameplay akin to the Joker games (day/night cycle, visible monsters instead of random battles, DQ8 style skill trees, etc.) with some added features, like an extra monster slot which allows for up to 4 on 4 battles (as some take up 2 or 3 slots). BUT! There's still Meat and other GBC elements as well, too. Dungeons are randomly generated, like the original, but with more depth, having structures to climb, explore, etc. Has 500 monsters to collect and breed (even every monster from Joker 2 Pro), lots of side quests, and some great online features. Note: Currently Japan only (region lock), so you'll need to import a Japanese 3DS alongside the game in order to play it. Or do some sort of loophole. Cough, cough (Not that there is such a thing.) Ahem.
Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan	First-Person Dungeon Crawler	Newest entry to the niche series. 3D graphics. Great soundtrack(first run comes with a free CD). The easiest game of the series with a new casual mode, but don't expect to breeze through it without some effort.
Fire Emblem: Awakening	Turn-Based Strategy	The newest and biggest FE title borrows elements from JRPGs to create a more expansive world with more to explore, but the option to grind in between missions gels awkwardly with the gameplay and makes the story either too easy or populated with abrupt difficulty spikes. Character and script work have gotten a big boost with the return of detailed Support conversations and an emphasis on coupling and relationships as part of the story, and localization is great. Character and stage design are also wonderful and most everyone in the cast grows on the player. On the gameplay side you can expect the usual, but there's too much dependence on the Pair-up System and missions lack variety. There's tons of side content and DLC, including recruitable characters from all past games, and the game is in general a treat to series fans. If you're looking for a deep and challenging strategy experience this may leave you wanting, but it's full of fun and polish
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance	Action RPG	Happens after KH2, leads into 3. Play as both Sora and Riku, each now with unique skills, and both are in a dream world, so no Goofy and Donald. Instead you tame dream world enemies, each giving a variety of abilities, but features a pseduo Pokemon petting system to take full advantage of them. Gameplay is similar to Birth by Sleep (minus command fusion), but now with the lovechild of all the Drive form abilities in KH2 being at immediate disposal. Several new Disney worlds and characters. Also, If you care about the story, don't miss this, or KH3 won't make any sense. But, if you're new to KH, you can unlock a sort of recap to fill in any questions you need to ask. An HD collection of the originals is also available on PS3. Sadly, the TWEWY stuff isn't as important as you may have hoped. Also, Baloonga.
Project X Zone	Turn-Based Strategy / Fighting	Fan service at its finest. Not only a crossover of Capcom, Namco Bandai, and Sega; but a crossover of genres too. Combines tactics gameplay with a "Cross active battle system" combo system for the battle scenes. Does get repetitive towards the end but the production values and the ability to use Ulala from Space Channel 5 makes it all worth it.
Shin Megami Tensei IV	Dungeon Crawler / Monster Collecting	The long awaited follow-up to 2009's Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, and the older SMT3: Nocturne. One of the most solidly crafted RPG's on the 3DS, providing the classic and balls-bustingly difficult dungeon crawling and demon negotiating the series has always been known for. It's also the first title in the mainline series not to feature a main cast designed by Kazuma Kaneko, though his classic demons are still here. First run copies include the usual Atlus soundtrack CD as well as a 180 page guidebook covering the first 30-40% of the game. Atlus says it's an artbook, but don't believe their lies, that only covers about eight pages of the book.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner - Soul Hackers	First-Person Dungeon Crawler / Monster Collecting	Port of the original JP-only Sega Saturn game. The 3DS version includes fully voiced dialogue, new demons, "Hacks" which allow you to do things like adjust difficulty and a bonus dungeon in which Raidou Kuzunoha from the PS2 Devil Summoner games makes an appearance. Story involves you playing the role of a member of the Hacker group, The Spookies, as they unravel the mystery of the Phantom Society which seeks to steal all the souls of the inhabitants of Amami City via a virtual reality world known as Paradigm X. Since this game is fairly easy it would be a good starting place for individuals interested in getting into the SMT games.

Playstation Portable

Title	Style	Description	Screenshot
Spectral Souls: Resurrection of the Ethereal Empires	Tactical RPG	Known as Shinki Gensou: SSII Unlimited Side in Japan,Spectral Souls immerses you in agreat battle between good and evil. During this role-playing game, you can switch between characters from three opposing kingdoms.
Trails in the Sky	Strategic RPG	The game is the sixth entry in the "Legend of Heroes" series by Falcom, which is like the complete opposite to their other famous series "Ys" focusing on story, strategy, customization, sidequests and all you love in RPG games. Plagued by delays, but massive in scope and worth the wait. We have a detailed page on Trails in the Sky for more info.

Playstation Vita

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Japanese Role Playing Games

Contents