because Square during the PS1/early PS2 era held most of the industry talent for JRPGs. it was only after some of then left to other companies where Square had competition (e.g Xeno series and how it went from Square, to Bandai Namco, to Nintendo). PS2 era, especially after FFX was an arms race between companies and which jrpg would win depended on your preferences as it'd be a long time till the next final fantasy was out (barring 11 being an MMO, 12 didnt come out till 2006). For example in 2003, I'm a big homer for Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle for anyone outside of NA) which cemented Level-5 to being a major JRPG dev.
As someone who is a bit of an RPG nut, I cannot agree more. The Shadowheart series is perhaps one of the best that's ever existed and Shadow hearts 1 & 2 combined are my favourite RPG of all time, considering that both of them together is a 'complete' story. Just sad really that the third installment was just a giant let down compared to what had come before.
@@fade2black001 I agree with this 100%. I've played every Star Ocean so far, with 2 being the best in my opinion but I could not be bothered going past the first 15 minutes of SO4. It just felt...lifeless.
ToV and DQ11 are on my GOAT list with Persona 5, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Trails of Cold Steel 2, and FFX literally all the best in their respective series. And the definitive /final mix/ Royal editions all carry this home.
Dragon quest 5 was one of the best 90s rpgs I've played. I didn't realize how tight competition is though because Lunar, the game that beat out Dragon quest 5, looks pretty advance for 92. Haven't played that game but it would have to come to the execution because their is something very special about Dragon quest 5.
Personally; I'll always be grateful to FFVII. It's the game that made me love the genre and also the 1st game that made me buy the memory card for the PsOne.😂
This is kind of interesting. Why would you say that? Clearly it is an RPG from Japan, which seems to be the only real conditions for the label. Are you saying it needs to be anime to be a jrpg?
I agree. The souls borne series are more of western style rpg rather than a jrpg. You wouldn't call fallout or oblivion a jrpg. So dark souls wouldn't be one imo.
The distinction between a WRPG and a JRPG is pretty simple. Western RPGs PUT you in a story. Japanese RPGs TELL you a story. In the west, you ARE the main character. In Japan, you PLAY the main character. The W/R distinction has very little to do with the actual local area the game is created in, and everything to do with style. I've never played Elden Ring, but if you follow a linear path with little to no agency on the stories course, that's a JRPG. There are weird exceptions to this classification. The Witcher III comes to mind and a difficult to place game. You play as a main character, with their own personality, their own motives and their own reasons for adventuring requiring little input from the player to justify their place in the plot. However, your decisions have far reaching and often difficult to anticipate outcomes that can vary the adventure/story in large ways creating a unique experience player to player. It treads both paths. It feels right to call it a WRPG, but I couldn't judge someone for calling it a JRPG.
@theBeetleGoose as a follow up. Would you consider forspoken a jrpg? It has all the elements your require for one, and yet I think most would not consider it. Also, would you consider dragons crown a WRPG? You don't play a specific character in that and are encouraged to role play. And what makes your resist putting the witcher 3 in that same pile? To me, the reason it seems like an outlier is because of the lack of an anime art style.
25:50 Man, that moment of Silence really adds to the massive impact of the game that follows and that told one of the most epic tales spun across it's two sequels and in the end, with the "Future Redeemed" DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 brought it to such an unparalleled wonderful, satisfying and complete end like no game ever before has done in my ~30 years of gamer career. And I highly doubt anything will anytime soon, considering that Tetsuya Takahashi himself with Xenogears and Xenosagsa refined and reworked and with Xenoblade finally finished his perfect vision of that story....an real life arc of chasing one's perfect dream over 30 years and never giving up until it is done, despite the circumstances. Kudos to this legendary trilogy of games and Kudos to Takahashi for having the energy to pull through for 30 years straight!!!
Damn mate, great list and memories here! Played all games you shown on their original systems from 1990 until 2004, and played all but 3 titles. Loved that nostalgia hit, thanks!
❤🥰 I was born in 1981 and my first actual exposure to jrpg was dragon warrior for nes late in its lifetime with my father bringing home a bunch of nes games I fell in love with the genre. However as I’m 42 now it’s hard to play every rpg due to time and responsibilities but man so many games in this list I love .
The first game on this list is also my absolute favourite game. I got it when I was 11 years old and it introduced me to RPGs and set me on my path with video games. It was so much bigger than the previous DQ games, but it also felt more grounded because of the great cast of characters. What a fantastic NES game.
As for Dragon Quest, I only just recently got to play DQ8 and I really enjoyed it. The characters were great, and the world was a lot of fun to enjoy. It's not an open world game, but the game does a good job of making the world feel big and it rewards the players for pushing the envelope and exploring new places they might not be ready for.
I enjoyed this list so much. The JRPG genre is experiencing an absolute renaissance after what you rightly point out was a pretty dry decade. So many of my favorite titles were here, and a couple that I keep meaning to get to like the Trails, Valkyria, and Suikoden series. Much love.
@TheMessiahPraiseMeyeah I'm going to play Shadow Hearts on PS3 after I finish Magna Carta 2. I didn't even realize how bad my attention span got playing these modern hamster wheel games.
HELLUA GREAT LIST. Some great choices. The SNES and PS1 era was probably my favourite. I started with Secret of Mana, I loved it. I wonder if FF will have a summon as a protagonist, such as Ifrit, either starts off as kick-ass or weak and shabby. As you progress you unlock various special attacks from the different installments. The FF8 animation was the most over the top imo.
That 4-track boss flurry at the end of FFVIII does not get anywhere near the respect it deserves. Yes, Birth of a God straight into One-Winged Angel is all-time, but VIII IMHO blew them out of the water.
Thanks for including from software games into your list. Dark souls and elden ring etc have more in common with Japanese games and “jrpgs” than western games than what some of these people believe. Great video! Keep up the good work
Everything you said about FF8 is 100% accurate for me too. It was the very first RPG I ever played, and even then what got me hooked was the demo where Rinoa is in your party for the Dollet battle. Then my step dad at the time bought the full game and it was over from there. When I went back to my dad’s (My dad had main custody when I was a kid), I got $25 for my birthday and went to the store to get a new game with my sights set on FF8 and FF8 only. Unfortunately, I got to the store and saw the $40 price tag on FF8 and my heart sank and my dad refused to cover the rest. Defeated, I looked next to it saw FF7 (greatest hits edition) next to it for $20. My 9-year old self thought “I love 8, maybe I’ll like 7.” I turned the case around and saw all the blocky characters and it almost turned me away after how great the character models looked in FF8 by comparison, but I decided to give it a chance. Little did I know I just made the best decision that shaped my childhood and gaming in general for me that if I could go back to that time and thank 9-year old me, I would. Super stoked for FF7R2, and thank you for the trip down memory lane.
Amazing list, I have only not played Phantasy Star 4 & Nier Automata and would have about 75% similarities and that was usually 1 of your called out honorable mentions.
I mean, it's final fantasy with RPG mechanics (albeit not many) so it technically is a jrpg. The best jrpg of 2023 would be sea of stars if the development team wasn't from the West. But I agree with you, octopath is the best jrpg of last year
It feels like I'm clinically insane when I hear people saying all these things about ff16. It's like something an alien/AI would do that doesn't understand video games at all, but tries to make an "epic" one. It looks and feels like something great, even to the point where you can get fooled into thinking it's a great game.
I loved the video! I highly recommend checking out Tactics Ogre (Reborn or Let Us Cling Together) if you're a big fan of Three Houses and its routes :)
No Brave Story: New Traveler from 2006/2007? Missed a good one there. Also Eternal Sonata from 2007 is a blast and a unique story. Thanks for including Radiata Stories! Fantastic game!!
@@HellFireRPGs here’s my list but based on my definition of Game and jrpg 😂 (and of course only what games I’ve seen the credits for+ USA releases since that’s where I’m from) 1990 Phantasy Star II 1991 Final Fantasy II 1992 (NONE) 1993 Secret of Mana 1994 Final Fantasy III 1995 Chrono Trigger 1996 Super Mario RPG 1997 Final Fantasy VII 1998 Xenogears 1999 Harvest Moon 64 2000 Pokemon Gold Silver 2001 Golden Sun 2002 Kingdom Hearts 2003 Xenosaga 2004 La Pucelle Tactics 2005 Dragon Quest VIII 2006 Xenosaga III 2007 Brave Story New Traveler 2008 Persona 4 2009 Mana Khemia 2 2010 Golden Sun Dark Dawn 2011 Pokemon Black White 2012 Xenoblade Chronicles 2013 Fire Emblem Awakening 2014 Persona Q 2015 Xenoblade X 2016 Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE 2017 NieR Automata 2018 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 TTGC 2019 Fire Emblem Three Houses 2020 Yakuza Like a Dragon 2021 NieR Replicant 2022 Pokémon Legends Arceus 2023 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 FR Also noticed I’ve got no suikoden, gonna go to my corner of shame
Its fun to look at the 00 years as the actual full list of RPGs at that point on the PS2 is staggering compared to current years, and pretty much most of them could be seen as genre defining in some ways with battle systems that were absolute peak innovation.
I could never get into xenoblade because of it being exclusive on switch, I play 90% of my JRPGs on PS5 so it never made my cut, just not a fan of playing JRPGs on a handheld, it just feels awkward to me, JRPGs are gaming chair games in front of a big 4K 120hz TV with HDR and VRR
I'm guessing he hasn't played it yet, given he said "2008 was an easy year for me," didn't pick Lost Odyssey, yet he has so many Final Fantasy games on this list. Valkyria Chronicles is great, but there's a reason so many people call Lost Odyssey "the REAL Final Fantasy 13." It's really that good.
New sub here! Great video! Surprised Kindgom Hearts 2 wasn’t here, but seems like you have a great handling of this genre and this video was so interesting! I subbed and look forward to new content!
Twilight of the Spirits? My boy, you've done me proud. Shame about no Breath of Fire 3, but releasing in '97, it was a very good year for JRPGs and nothing else had a chance.
Dark Souls isn't a JRPG. It's made by a Japanese developer I'm well aware, but JRPG is a genre in which games share particular sound, visual and gameplay styles. Souls games are completely outside of that. It's why it rarely appears in lists or discussions of JRPGs.
@@pogethedoge which one? because there are tons of actual JRPGS and tons of Dark Souls copycat games, so much that the "souls-like" term was even made.
Having Final Fantasy IV, VI, VII, VIII IX, X, and XVI shows what a great series it is. I'm playing through IVs DS remake right now, and it truly is such a charming game. Already beat VII, VIII, and X
Love seeing FFVIII get acknowledgement and your personal appreciation. It's my favorite RPG of all time. I was a bit sad to see FFIX get the 2000 spot over Chrono Cross. It's one of the few older RPGs I did not play in my youth so no nostalgia glasses here - just a fantastic game!
Great video bro! I agree with most of your list actually. Its funny though listening to the list you can physically see when the RPGs just dropped off the map ( I blame the FPS movement) lol Glad my favorite genre has picked back up and is looking rather healthy. I think the Switch really helped usher in the love for role-playing again with mix of ports and new IPs and I might have to agree with Atlus Persona 5 really helped too because a few years after FFX till then were liltte Dry Dry Desert.
Trails in the sky 3rd is like a fan service game that you'll be able to control all character up to date of sky trails without losing them by story mode. Ahah this remind me of Trails into reveries in which you can now recruit and control everyone playable from crossbell to date of cold steel last arc.
IMO Dragon Quest V tops hands down the list for 1992. My controversial take would be choosing Terranigma over Chrone Trigger for 1995. CT is a masterpiece but so is Terranigma and for me the latter slightly edge out the former.
You're a high school teacher, in Britain, and you played all of these awesome games? You're my hero! What subject do you teach? Only disagreement I have is I'd include FFXIII and FFXV for their respective years. And 2003 was dominated by Star Wars Galaxies for me, so I wasn't even thinking about JRPGs. Chrono Trigger is the absolute best game on this list by far imho, tho some FFs give it a run for its money.
I AGREE WITH YOU ON MOST TITLES except for 2003 star ocean 3, 2005 dragon quest 8, 2007 valkery profile 2, 2018 dragon quest 11, 2021 shinmegami tensei V
For my money, the best JRPG of 2023 was Octopath Traveler 2, which accomplished the Herculean task of taking a flawless game, Octopath Traveler 1, and improving on it in every conceivable way.
13:20 So did I....so did we all. And FF VIII still holds the credit for being the first ever FF that had a completely vocalized song in it. When people talk about "Cinema Magic" for the greatest moments of Hollywood blockbusters, that for sure is an instance of "Video Game Magic" right there on the Ragnarok.
Nice video, and Maybe someone has said this already, but it’s “swee-ko-den”, not “soo-kuh-dun”. Also Trails in the Sky the 3rd is only playable in English on PC. Just some fun facts that could be included in case someone wants to actually play some of these.
![Destroy, Rebuild, Live Anew | FFVI Retrospective [Playing Every Final Fantasy, Kinda]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gIC2mJhUvuk/mqdefault.jpg)
![Destroy, Rebuild, Live Anew | FFVI Retrospective [Playing Every Final Fantasy, Kinda]](/img/tr.png)
It's a shame Lost Odyssey didn't make the list. One of the best turn based RPG's out there. The story is fantastic.
Currently playing it again on Xenia! amazing underrated game!
Why did it not make it
and the most deserted ignored rpg of all time lol
I so wanted to love the game.
Bought it upon release
Lost interest about halfway thru
I've revisited a few times since but nothing changes
Though it is a good game, Lost Odyssey has just too many cringey moments. The narrative, based on text rather than cutscenrs, doesn't help either.
1998 Xenogears, most underlooked JRPG of all time, but the coolest one.
Look at how FF dominated this list. Hoping the Remake trilogy brings this franchise back to being consistently great
FF was unmatched for a while there. With Remake, Rebirth and XVI, I like where the series is going.
because Square during the PS1/early PS2 era held most of the industry talent for JRPGs. it was only after some of then left to other companies where Square had competition (e.g Xeno series and how it went from Square, to Bandai Namco, to Nintendo). PS2 era, especially after FFX was an arms race between companies and which jrpg would win depended on your preferences as it'd be a long time till the next final fantasy was out (barring 11 being an MMO, 12 didnt come out till 2006). For example in 2003, I'm a big homer for Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle for anyone outside of NA) which cemented Level-5 to being a major JRPG dev.
Shadow hearts covenant one of my favorites of all time but still very underrated. You're the real deal bro for including it on the list.
As someone who is a bit of an RPG nut, I cannot agree more. The Shadowheart series is perhaps one of the best that's ever existed and Shadow hearts 1 & 2 combined are my favourite RPG of all time, considering that both of them together is a 'complete' story. Just sad really that the third installment was just a giant let down compared to what had come before.
I'm amazed Tales of Vesperia, Dragon Quest 5, 8, 11, and Radiant Historia aren't on this list.
and SO4 is.... Perhaps the worst SO game ever made
@@fade2black001 I agree with this 100%. I've played every Star Ocean so far, with 2 being the best in my opinion but I could not be bothered going past the first 15 minutes of SO4. It just felt...lifeless.
ToV and DQ11 are on my GOAT list with Persona 5, Kingdom Hearts 2, and Trails of Cold Steel 2, and FFX literally all the best in their respective series. And the definitive /final mix/ Royal editions all carry this home.
Dragon quest 5 was one of the best 90s rpgs I've played. I didn't realize how tight competition is though because Lunar, the game that beat out Dragon quest 5, looks pretty advance for 92. Haven't played that game but it would have to come to the execution because their is something very special about Dragon quest 5.
Wild arms alter code f
Personally; I'll always be grateful to FFVII. It's the game that made me love the genre and also the 1st game that made me buy the memory card for the PsOne.😂
Maybe it's just me but Dark Souls (all of them) and Elden Ring are kinda far from jRPG.
This is kind of interesting. Why would you say that? Clearly it is an RPG from Japan, which seems to be the only real conditions for the label. Are you saying it needs to be anime to be a jrpg?
I agree. The souls borne series are more of western style rpg rather than a jrpg.
You wouldn't call fallout or oblivion a jrpg. So dark souls wouldn't be one imo.
The distinction between a WRPG and a JRPG is pretty simple.
Western RPGs PUT you in a story.
Japanese RPGs TELL you a story.
In the west, you ARE the main character.
In Japan, you PLAY the main character.
The W/R distinction has very little to do with the actual local area the game is created in, and everything to do with style.
I've never played Elden Ring, but if you follow a linear path with little to no agency on the stories course, that's a JRPG.
There are weird exceptions to this classification.
The Witcher III comes to mind and a difficult to place game.
You play as a main character, with their own personality, their own motives and their own reasons for adventuring requiring little input from the player to justify their place in the plot.
However, your decisions have far reaching and often difficult to anticipate outcomes that can vary the adventure/story in large ways creating a unique experience player to player.
It treads both paths.
It feels right to call it a WRPG, but I couldn't judge someone for calling it a JRPG.
@theBeetleGoose as a follow up. Would you consider forspoken a jrpg? It has all the elements your require for one, and yet I think most would not consider it. Also, would you consider dragons crown a WRPG? You don't play a specific character in that and are encouraged to role play. And what makes your resist putting the witcher 3 in that same pile? To me, the reason it seems like an outlier is because of the lack of an anime art style.
JRPG = Japanese roleplaying game
Is it japanese? Yes
Is it a roleplaying game? Yes
Then it's a JRPG
Wow excellent list, so many of my all time favorite rpgs are on it. Seeing some of them pop up brought back huge rush of nostalgia
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
25:50 Man, that moment of Silence really adds to the massive impact of the game that follows and that told one of the most epic tales spun across it's two sequels and in the end, with the "Future Redeemed" DLC for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 brought it to such an unparalleled wonderful, satisfying and complete end like no game ever before has done in my ~30 years of gamer career. And I highly doubt anything will anytime soon, considering that Tetsuya Takahashi himself with Xenogears and Xenosagsa refined and reworked and with Xenoblade finally finished his perfect vision of that story....an real life arc of chasing one's perfect dream over 30 years and never giving up until it is done, despite the circumstances.
Kudos to this legendary trilogy of games and Kudos to Takahashi for having the energy to pull through for 30 years straight!!!
Damn mate, great list and memories here! Played all games you shown on their original systems from 1990 until 2004, and played all but 3 titles. Loved that nostalgia hit, thanks!
❤🥰 I was born in 1981 and my first actual exposure to jrpg was dragon warrior for nes late in its lifetime with my father bringing home a bunch of nes games I fell in love with the genre.
However as I’m 42 now it’s hard to play every rpg due to time and responsibilities but man so many games in this list I love .
The first game on this list is also my absolute favourite game. I got it when I was 11 years old and it introduced me to RPGs and set me on my path with video games. It was so much bigger than the previous DQ games, but it also felt more grounded because of the great cast of characters. What a fantastic NES game.
As for Dragon Quest, I only just recently got to play DQ8 and I really enjoyed it. The characters were great, and the world was a lot of fun to enjoy. It's not an open world game, but the game does a good job of making the world feel big and it rewards the players for pushing the envelope and exploring new places they might not be ready for.
I enjoyed this list so much. The JRPG genre is experiencing an absolute renaissance after what you rightly point out was a pretty dry decade. So many of my favorite titles were here, and a couple that I keep meaning to get to like the Trails, Valkyria, and Suikoden series. Much love.
the lack of Lost Odysey in 2007 is a misunderstanding
35:45 - You get massive respect for highlighting Valkyria Chronicles lV!
Playing western RPG since 98' and join jRPGs in 2017, so much content/history/art/knowledge to catch up
Yeah! Massive genre. If you want to catch up, I would suggest focusing on the games of the 90s (golden age) before anything else.
@@HellFireRPGsDo you think we have entered another golden age?
@TheMessiahPraiseMeyeah I'm going to play Shadow Hearts on PS3 after I finish Magna Carta 2.
I didn't even realize how bad my attention span got playing these modern hamster wheel games.
I was born in 1990 so this was a pleasant reflection of my life in JRPGs. Great video!
same.. we are so lucky to be born in the golden age of jrpg.
games today are unfinished, unpolished, paywalled, lacks depth.
HELLUA GREAT LIST. Some great choices. The SNES and PS1 era was probably my favourite. I started with Secret of Mana, I loved it.
I wonder if FF will have a summon as a protagonist, such as Ifrit, either starts off as kick-ass or weak and shabby. As you progress you unlock various special attacks from the different installments. The FF8 animation was the most over the top imo.
Great list! Needs more persona 4 (maybe golden in 2012?) but I'm deffo gonna try out some of these games!
That 4-track boss flurry at the end of FFVIII does not get anywhere near the respect it deserves. Yes, Birth of a God straight into One-Winged Angel is all-time, but VIII IMHO blew them out of the water.
Thanks for including from software games into your list. Dark souls and elden ring etc have more in common with Japanese games and “jrpgs” than western games than what some of these people believe. Great video! Keep up the good work
Got introduced to your channel with this video and it was such a cool idea! I really enjoyed watching it
Yay! Thank you!
First time I’ve seen someone rank a game other than octopath traveler 2 their best game of 2023, not complaining though great list
Very solid picks; I would’ve included Ys VIII as I absolutely loved that game
Can't wait for the rest! Great list so far!!
Everything you said about FF8 is 100% accurate for me too. It was the very first RPG I ever played, and even then what got me hooked was the demo where Rinoa is in your party for the Dollet battle. Then my step dad at the time bought the full game and it was over from there. When I went back to my dad’s (My dad had main custody when I was a kid), I got $25 for my birthday and went to the store to get a new game with my sights set on FF8 and FF8 only. Unfortunately, I got to the store and saw the $40 price tag on FF8 and my heart sank and my dad refused to cover the rest. Defeated, I looked next to it saw FF7 (greatest hits edition) next to it for $20. My 9-year old self thought “I love 8, maybe I’ll like 7.” I turned the case around and saw all the blocky characters and it almost turned me away after how great the character models looked in FF8 by comparison, but I decided to give it a chance. Little did I know I just made the best decision that shaped my childhood and gaming in general for me that if I could go back to that time and thank 9-year old me, I would. Super stoked for FF7R2, and thank you for the trip down memory lane.
Awesome story mate! Love hearing all the different stories people have the seroes. Thanks for sharing .
Amazing list, I have only not played Phantasy Star 4 & Nier Automata and would have about 75% similarities and that was usually 1 of your called out honorable mentions.
How can people consider Devil May Fantasy XVI a JRPG is beyond me.
Octopath Traveler II is a true JRPG and the true best of 2023.
I mean, it's final fantasy with RPG mechanics (albeit not many) so it technically is a jrpg. The best jrpg of 2023 would be sea of stars if the development team wasn't from the West. But I agree with you, octopath is the best jrpg of last year
It feels like I'm clinically insane when I hear people saying all these things about ff16.
It's like something an alien/AI would do that doesn't understand video games at all, but tries to make an "epic" one.
It looks and feels like something great, even to the point where you can get fooled into thinking it's a great game.
Octopath 1 and 2 are complete ass, how anyone can consider them good is beyond me.
Persona 4, Persona 3, Star Ocean 3, Tales of the Abyss, Legend of Legaia
I loved the video! I highly recommend checking out Tactics Ogre (Reborn or Let Us Cling Together) if you're a big fan of Three Houses and its routes :)
Your inflection makes you sound like you’re narrating an action movie. I love it
No Brave Story: New Traveler from 2006/2007? Missed a good one there. Also Eternal Sonata from 2007 is a blast and a unique story. Thanks for including Radiata Stories! Fantastic game!!
great list and great video especialy for 2024.. the 50th anniversary of Role-Playing Games!
Thanks!
@@HellFireRPGs here’s my list but based on my definition of Game and jrpg 😂 (and of course only what games I’ve seen the credits for+ USA releases since that’s where I’m from)
1990 Phantasy Star II
1991 Final Fantasy II
1992 (NONE)
1993 Secret of Mana
1994 Final Fantasy III
1995 Chrono Trigger
1996 Super Mario RPG
1997 Final Fantasy VII
1998 Xenogears
1999 Harvest Moon 64
2000 Pokemon Gold Silver
2001 Golden Sun
2002 Kingdom Hearts
2003 Xenosaga
2004 La Pucelle Tactics
2005 Dragon Quest VIII
2006 Xenosaga III
2007 Brave Story New Traveler
2008 Persona 4
2009 Mana Khemia 2
2010 Golden Sun Dark Dawn
2011 Pokemon Black White
2012 Xenoblade Chronicles
2013 Fire Emblem Awakening
2014 Persona Q
2015 Xenoblade X
2016 Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
2017 NieR Automata
2018 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 TTGC
2019 Fire Emblem Three Houses
2020 Yakuza Like a Dragon
2021 NieR Replicant
2022 Pokémon Legends Arceus
2023 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 FR
Also noticed I’ve got no suikoden, gonna go to my corner of shame
Its fun to look at the 00 years as the actual full list of RPGs at that point on the PS2 is staggering compared to current years, and pretty much most of them could be seen as genre defining in some ways with battle systems that were absolute peak innovation.
This is a really cool idea for a video! I'm so glad you've got Xenoblade on this list, I love that series with a passion!
Of course! XbC3 was so close to winning 2022, but elden ring was too good.
I could never get into xenoblade because of it being exclusive on switch, I play 90% of my JRPGs on PS5 so it never made my cut, just not a fan of playing JRPGs on a handheld, it just feels awkward to me, JRPGs are gaming chair games in front of a big 4K 120hz TV with HDR and VRR
@@mathewhosier9739How about you play your Switch on the tv.
@@mathewhosier9739How about you get into Xenoblade Chronicles & play with the Switch on the tv.
Hell yeah!! Lost Odyssey would have been my 2008. That game is so special! They don’t make them like that anymore.
I'm guessing he hasn't played it yet, given he said "2008 was an easy year for me," didn't pick Lost Odyssey, yet he has so many Final Fantasy games on this list.
Valkyria Chronicles is great, but there's a reason so many people call Lost Odyssey "the REAL Final Fantasy 13." It's really that good.
Oh yeah. Shadow Hearts 2 is one of my favorites. So glad it got best RPG of 2004 on your list.
Love me a good jrpg. I've played 18 of the games on your list lol
New sub here! Great video! Surprised Kindgom Hearts 2 wasn’t here, but seems like you have a great handling of this genre and this video was so interesting! I subbed and look forward to new content!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. There were some really tough choices to make.
Happy that you mentioned radiata stories, this is a awesome game
Saw the title and had to check it out. ❤
I'm glad you did! Thanks!
13:48 Aahhh, the Magnum Opus of Squaresoft. A masterpiece of a game and a masterpiece of a JRPG.
wow great list, I really enjoyed star ocean 4 too. thank you for giving ni no kuni and xillia 2 some love :)
Excellent list of rpgs, I only wish you had mentioned a few others that came out that year to challenge/solidify your take though.
Twilight of the Spirits? My boy, you've done me proud. Shame about no Breath of Fire 3, but releasing in '97, it was a very good year for JRPGs and nothing else had a chance.
YOOOO VALKYRIA CHRONICLES MENTION!!! My dad n I loveeee this game, and I was surprised to see it on this list!
FFX was the first game I bought myself, even before I bought my PS2.
That was the first game I bought for the PS2!
Awesome video man
Dark Souls isn't a JRPG. It's made by a Japanese developer I'm well aware, but JRPG is a genre in which games share particular sound, visual and gameplay styles. Souls games are completely outside of that.
It's why it rarely appears in lists or discussions of JRPGs.
The genre doesn't really constitute much tho so...
@@pogethedoge which one? because there are tons of actual JRPGS and tons of Dark Souls copycat games, so much that the "souls-like" term was even made.
@@f.b.l.9813 jrpg
Great list. Xenogears of course is king but man what an era. So many masterpieces. We were lucky to have front row seat during the golden age.
Absolutely. That era was easily the hardest to pick winners
@HellFireRPGs another sneaky good one was Legend of Legaia!
Never expected someone would mention the hidden gem, Radiata Stories..
Great list, keep it up!
Thanks, will do!
Having Final Fantasy IV, VI, VII, VIII IX, X, and XVI shows what a great series it is.
I'm playing through IVs DS remake right now, and it truly is such a charming game.
Already beat VII, VIII, and X
we have the same taste buds wehn it comes to games, nice video mate👍
I LOVE RPG'S. Glad I found your channel.
Welcome aboard!
I was skeptical of a lot of this list (I am NOT a FF8 defender), but then you said Shadow Hearts: Covenant, so we're cool.
Haha, Shadow Hearts is the best way to win people over 😄
@@HellFireRPGs And you at least mentioned Vagrant Story ;)
And I still think Suikoden 3 is the best Suikoden game!
I love dq iv so much. Great start
Only discovered your stuff today, this is easily one of my favourites I've watched in this genre.
Thanks 😊
At least you mentioned Skies of Arcadia! Im glad! Best JRPG of all time for me! Although FF7 is the most iconic one
A bunch of good games in the list! Really great, gonna try a few 💪🏻
Wow! What a list! Love this idea BTW!
Yay! Thank you!
Chrono Trigger, FF7, and Xenogears are my top three RPGs, and three of my favorite games in general.
Great video, and great picks overall
Glad you enjoyed it
im glad xenogears got an honorable mention at least
Love seeing FFVIII get acknowledgement and your personal appreciation. It's my favorite RPG of all time. I was a bit sad to see FFIX get the 2000 spot over Chrono Cross. It's one of the few older RPGs I did not play in my youth so no nostalgia glasses here - just a fantastic game!
Great video bro! I agree with most of your list actually. Its funny though listening to the list you can physically see when the RPGs just dropped off the map ( I blame the FPS movement) lol Glad my favorite genre has picked back up and is looking rather healthy.
I think the Switch really helped usher in the love for role-playing again with mix of ports and new IPs and I might have to agree with Atlus Persona 5 really helped too because a few years after FFX till then were liltte Dry Dry Desert.
Niiiiice! This will give me some good ideas on some LP’s to watch!
Remember that XI is 11 and IX is 9 for the time stamps. Great video :D
this is such a great list here, i hope to check out suikoden 1 and 2 and xenogears soon.
nice video and list, worth checking some of these games! In the markers your noted FFIX -9 as "FFXI -11"
I love the souls series and am happy to see you include them in your list! Great list.
Did you like Dragon Quest 11?
I agree on almost everything. Great list.
Have only been playing rpgs since 2018 but xenoblade chronicles has to be my favourite series so far. XC1 for the story & XC3 for the characters
I love your passion for JRPGs!
I do have soooome qualms with this list for certain years, but over all it's a pretty objectively good list.
No Dragon Quest 11 is craaaazy
Right?!
The most perfect classical JRPG released in years with a good enough story and lovable characters to boot.
No xenoblade 2
DQ11 is soooo good
I know they were big years for JRPGs but I feel like Lufia II and Tales of Symphonia need shout outs too! Great list however
Remember when people used to say that jrpgs are dying? And yet you have an hard time deciding on a single one per years :D
Trails in the sky 3rd is like a fan service game that you'll be able to control all character up to date of sky trails without losing them by story mode.
Ahah this remind me of Trails into reveries in which you can now recruit and control everyone playable from crossbell to date of cold steel last arc.
Excellent list. Kind of nuts, but I've played every game on it.
Thanks!
Nice list and I agree with most of the early ones! It seems you started using the Japanese release dates in the beginning but then moved to NA dates?
IMO Dragon Quest V tops hands down the list for 1992.
My controversial take would be choosing Terranigma over Chrone Trigger for 1995. CT is a masterpiece but so is Terranigma and for me the latter slightly edge out the former.
Oh maaaaaaan…Radiata stories over Kingdom hearts 2 must be a crime of some sort 😂
You're a high school teacher, in Britain, and you played all of these awesome games? You're my hero! What subject do you teach? Only disagreement I have is I'd include FFXIII and FFXV for their respective years. And 2003 was dominated by Star Wars Galaxies for me, so I wasn't even thinking about JRPGs. Chrono Trigger is the absolute best game on this list by far imho, tho some FFs give it a run for its money.
Hell yeah (Arc the Lad was so good a personal fav on ps2)
Nice work
Awesome list, my only change would be in the year 2000, instead of FFVIII i would set Chrono Cross, even tho i have 7 playthroughs of FFVIII :D
I AGREE WITH YOU ON MOST TITLES except for 2003 star ocean 3, 2005 dragon quest 8, 2007 valkery profile 2, 2018 dragon quest 11, 2021 shinmegami tensei V
Yeah awesome. It was hard to dismiss most of them, but I really hate SO3, haha. DQ games were very unlucky. Thanks for the feedback!
2001 should’ve been Golden Sun instead of FFX.
@@badmeetsevil6163 delusional
Star Ocean 3? That plot twist tried to kill the franchise.
Fantastic list, new sub
Star Ocean 4! Wow! Playing it right now and I now it received quite a bit of hate but I’m really enjoying it
Great video! Ever played The Last Story?
For my money, the best JRPG of 2023 was Octopath Traveler 2, which accomplished the Herculean task of taking a flawless game, Octopath Traveler 1, and improving on it in every conceivable way.
Flawless ? Wtf , its storylines are horrible and super boring.
You’re brave for putting FFVIII, Dark Souls 2, Cold Steel 1, and FFXVI on this haha awesome list!
Cool list! I will check all of these games out
Hell yeah!! ''Arc The Lad: Twilight of the Spirits'' is one of these hidden gems no one played. Man i loved this game!
13:20 So did I....so did we all. And FF VIII still holds the credit for being the first ever FF that had a completely vocalized song in it. When people talk about "Cinema Magic" for the greatest moments of Hollywood blockbusters, that for sure is an instance of "Video Game Magic" right there on the Ragnarok.
great list !
2017 should be Dragon Quest XI, 2018 should be Octopath Traveler, 2023 should be Octopath Traveler 2.
I had lost interest in rpgs until ps4. Man they had so many great games
Nice video, and Maybe someone has said this already, but it’s “swee-ko-den”, not “soo-kuh-dun”.
Also Trails in the Sky the 3rd is only playable in English on PC.
Just some fun facts that could be included in case someone wants to actually play some of these.