I would have added Lufia 2 as well it did puzzles and a massive procedurally generated dungeon that could and if you worked at it would give you some of the best items in the game.
Touche, didn't read this comment before writing mine haha. MHW is the one to check out. Something I have fun debating are pillars in the genres of video games. ARPG pillars: easily, Ys and Tales of, but those difficult ARPGs in the vein of Elden Ring... Monster Hunter made those games take off
so fun fact: there was already a game called dragon quest when it was localized in the west so for legal they had to change the name to dragon warrior. the copyright on the name expired before DQ8 release and square purchased the copyright and dragon quest 8 would be the first DQ to be published in the west under its original name and every since has as well
Should also have mentioned Chrono Trigger inventing the concept of “New Game +”, now a commonplace feature, as well as really pushing the idea of multiple endings, which was already rare at all back then but no game had as many endings as it did at the time.
@@princevaliant yes, but I only claimed New Game+ was unique, I didn’t say CT invented multiple endings. I just said that it pushed the concept much further than games before it with the number of endings and things like being able to reach endings much earlier in the plot.
I'd have to add Lunar: The Silver Star Story on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation as an honorable mention, along with Star Ocean. I never played the first FF game but I did play Dragon Warrior (Quest), my brother got it with a sub to Nintendo Power; Dragon Quest is what got me into RPG's. I would say that Dragon Quest was more influential than Final Fantasy II simply due to Nintendo's marketing campaign with their magazine at the time, however DQ didn't have much story and it was a really just a grind fest. Final Fantasy II did have a more story to it but was still fairly grindy; however it did influence games to include more story telling.
With Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue, I prefer the Sega CD versions as they were the original versions of both games, and I have both on Sega CD.
At that time western RPGs that revived the interest in the genre were Fallout, Baldurs Gate and Diablo. But yeah, FF7 brought JRPGs back in the west. I can't think of a more influential JRPG.
@@stinky_nut_blast Just out of curiosity, what were the sales of those western RPGs back then compared with FF7 ? Maybe it's because I was a "console" gamer, but everyone around me and even the press always talked about JRPGs during the 32/64bit era (simply as "RPGs") and almost never about the western ones. I have nothing against the genre but tbh no one talked about them in my view. For me, western RPGs made a relative come back in the 128bits era with the PS2 and the X-Box, and more importantly later in the X-box360/PS3 era they overtook the JRPGs which were in decline (to this day).
@@fabcheche2576 Yes, it makes a huge difference if you were a console or PC gamer. See, in my world of PC gaming, we had the gaming magazines where JRPGs were almost no thing. In the early 90s many families had a PC, but consoles were a rare thing. I can't help you with the sales, but FF7 was huge. For a whole generation it was the first JRPG. So I guess Fallout 1+2, Baldurs Gate 1+2 and Diablo didn't sell as much as FF7. Still my point was, those games revived the RPG genre in the west.
@@stinky_nut_blast Consoles were rare? I don't know, it seems like every kid had one in the eighties and nineties. Mainly Nintendo - almost all the kids had the NES / SNES, but then there were the kids that took the offbeat path and became Sega kids. I got my first PC in 1992 when I was 12, because my family was friends with a computer nerd that made them, but outside of school (where everyone played Prince of Persia, Lemmings and Wolfenstein 3D, because a nerdy but mischievous troublemaker type kid installed pirated games on the classroom computers) it seems like PC gaming was a very niche thing around that time period. I had Blackthorn, Ultima 7 and Warcraft 2, so I dabbled in playing games on the PC, but it didn't seem like a commonplace thing at all to have a PC then, whereas nearly any kid had at least an NES. Maybe its an upper class / upper middle class thing, I don't know. I grew up lower middle class in a fairly economically depressed area, so that might have something to do with it. I do remember the hype in the news media and on television about computers as a little kid in the eighties - mainly about apple computers. The nerd family friend was a windows / PC guy, so my first PC had Windows on it and I never owned a Mac. But yeah... there was a huge push by the media in the eighties to make PCs a status symbol, where it was like being the first family in the neighborhood to own a color TV or cable, but gaming on them was niche until the late nineties when games like Doom and the other FPS stuff came out. In contrast, every kid knew about Mario and Luigi from when the NES was released until the late nineties when the playstation came out. Maybe I just have a skewed take or something...
I think one of the Mother games deserves to be on here or mentioned just because of how it has influenced indie RPGs like Undertale, Yume Nikki, Lisa, and Omori
It's funny though how they started to influence games like 10 years later because they seemingly were that ahead of their time. I still think the inclusion of Ness in smash is what started it all since pretty much nobody knew the mother games before that. One of the strangest jrpg cases in my opinion
If you haven't played it yet, Ashen is one of my favorite Soulslike. Its art style is really appealing and the game is pretty simple and sweet. With a decent length. I really got into how your "round table" equivalent progresses throughout the game. Check it out!
Ff7 was on litterally tv commercials in 1997 and a jrpg that sold 10 million copies. It was such a hit and name that they tried to make a movie because of it
Fun fact: Persona series copied time managment system and Dating Sim elements exactly from Sakura Wars 5 So Long My Love (which was released one year before Persona 3 in Japan). If you play SW5 and Persona 4 you can see few big similatires like exploration, each chapter is dedicated to specific character, and some story plots elements. Even english dubbing in SW5 and P3/4 is nearly same.
I would heavily argue the whole time management and dating sim aspect goes all the way back to the Harvest Moon series, later going full RPG with the Rune Factory series.
@@EconomistaVJ There was also Langrisser 3-5 SRPG with Dating SIm elements like modern Fire Emblem. But those games like Sakura Taisen 1-4 also never left Japan.
I agree, but the amount of padding SE put into the Final Fantasy VIIRemake was irrelevant. I just wish we could have had a remake for the next generation to enjoy, instead of all this episodic garbage.
@@Mangomesh I mean I just started playing ff7 remake a few days ago and I have been loving it so far, it’s not 1 to 1 and the original is better but it is still fantastic. All the new character development with Biggs wedge and Jessie is awesome
@@bullsteak3468 I hated the dialogues and the stupid changes in the scenario (Sephiroth became ridiculous, and appears way too soon, way too often). I must admit the game is beautiful and the gameplay is good. As for the music, not exactly my cup of tea but I guess it's subjective. Yet, as long as you had those dumb dialogues and scenes, it was to unbearable to finish for me. What a waste. I would have loved a game that almost didn't change the original but with just better graphics.
No Final Fantasy 7? The sheer impact it had on bringing JRPGs into mainstream western acceptance is without question, part of that was its role during the initial Playstation explosion era. It doesn't matter if you're a sweaty early adopter of some previous FF game, 7 was the most "influential" which is what this video is about.
My Top Ten JRPGs ( one favorite part for the whole Series) 1. Suikoden 2 2. Final Fantasy 7 3. Ni No Kuni 2 4. Dragon Quest 11 5. Vandal Hearts 6. Secret of Mana 7. Tales of Arise 8. Fire Emblem 3 Houses 9. Triangle Strategys 10. Pokemon Shield
It is to honestly a little strange to pick Final Fantasy IV as the most influential Final Fantasy game when literally everyone and their grandmother knows that Final Fantasy VII is, in fact, not only the most influential Final Fantasy game, but perhaps the most influential JRPG ever made. The success of VII versus IV can not even be compared. It doesn't even need to be argued. FFVII literally woke the West up to the entire JRPG genre. FFIV may have introduced most of the staple Final Fantasy game mechanics, but FFVII is the game that influenced every other game developer to copy them.
Many of these games had an impact on me and I couldnt be more thankful that happened. Secret of Mana, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger and more were all apart of my upbringing in the gaming landscape and I'm happy I was able to experience these titles in their original forms when the industry was what it was then as oppose to playing them now and wondering what it was like then. Great Video Erick!
i gotta agree with dq being the most influential on jrpgs, even for a non-fan like me, it definitely is the father of all jrpgs and set the standard and style of jrpgs for many decades to come
@@CharlieSquall but yeah what other rpgs you play that would make you think of final fantasy 7. None. Because the game monopolies itself. Force feed to us over and over so we don’t forget it.
I have to say with the novel additions that FF7 added into the JRPG sphere, it seems to be at the top when it comes to being influential for the future of the genre. It's omission is a bit questionable.
Final Fantasy VII, together with Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together, was at least the most influential JRPG on me personally, since that double whammy of two of the best games ever got me quite interested in JRPG's for years (though by now I'm almost exclusively western RPG's again).
The only novel addition it did was it being the first 3D FF. Materia? Just like Espers. Ultimate attacks? Was done in earlier FFs. Characters dying? Done in earlier FFs. Cliche characters? Done before. It is right to be omitted.
@@rockyboar7899 I can't agree to the materia part, it wasn't done the way it was in FF VII before. But since the only game I can think of that copied that system is Path of Exile, I wouldn't say it was too influential.
@@rockyboar7899 I mean, Erick included Persona 3 even though it nothing new because it popularized the sim element into rpgs . By the same token FF7 popularized the ENTIRE GENRE despite doing nothing new, so by the same standards Persona 3 is on this list, so should FF7.
@@rockyboar7899 But we are talking most influential JRPG, not the first game to implement a particular game mechanic. In that sense, there are only 2 games that need to be mentioned for the West, which is Final Fantasy VII and Pokémon Red/Blue. If we are talking about Japan, then you can add Dragon Quest into the mix. These other games that Erick mentions had considerably less influence than these three games.
Where's Guardian's Crusade? First fully open world JRPG with seemless transition between town, field, etc. Had other claims to fame like the pet system and the mob size increasing or decreasing based on player level.
The problem is that it was a highly underrated JRPG. I agree though that it was revolutionary. I love when people bring it up and I hope that it goes through a revival like with Gensou Suikoden. I was listening to the music for Guardian's Crusade recently and it has such a beautiful soundtrack.
sorry but, ff6 had real impact , way more than 4.... it does not matter that 4 had impact in the west, if the title is about the most influential of all time.... aannddd tactics ogre is the most influential, ff tactics WAS influenced by ogre.. come on man... this list is all messed up
and another thing, pokemon is no influential, the anime was a hit and whatever stupid game they released with pokemon brand would sell.. only pokemon fans play pokemon games, they are really boring for anyone who is not a fan, so you cannot call it influential....
I'm kind of devastated that the Phantasy Star series didn't really influence JRPGs at all, it's such a good franchise... But for some reason, the macro system of Phantasy Star IV, character development, vehicle system etc. didn't become popular enough to set a milestone for future RPGs to look into...
@@Pokarface7 I know, I was not talking about the list itself, I was kind of reflecting on how little influence the Phantasy Star series had in RPGs in general.
@@pedroserena2234 I mean, Phantasy Star maybe. But Phantasy Star Online basically pioneered mmo lites, and went on to inspire Monster Hunter which in turn lead to Dark Souls. So I'd say that Phantasy Star is pretty influential.
@@Mangomesh the materia system was the best magic system in the entire franchise, I remember starting to play Trials of cold steel and it used the acrus unit first thing came to me was ff7
@@Mangomesh it depends what system you have. I would suggest trials in sky (all 3 games) (librial (think that's how it's spelt) arc) first (steam for the time being) or trials of zero (crossbell arc) 1st game, trials of cold steel 1&2, then back to crossbell 2nd game then trials of cold steel 3&4 That is how I would play it, but keep in mind all these events are happening all at the same time kinda .
@@hongluong3427 Thanks for the reply, many fans tell me to play them from the beginning. Trails from Zero for PS4 is out this September, so I'm thinking about picking it up. I really like the look of Trails from Zero and Trails In The Sky, they remind me of Star Ocean 2. I would like to know which is the best Trails game, or are they all the same?
No FF7 who stablished how to make 3d JRPG's or Mother 2 (Earthbound) who spawned a pletera of indie JRPG's with great success? (Undertale, Omori Yume Nikki)
I understand that you prefer speaking of Fire Emblem (Japan only) over Shining Force (World wild). But then for the dating sim part, i really don't understand why your privilege speaking of Persona 3 over Sakura Taisen or Princess Maker. It would be like speaking of FF7 over prior game of the genre... Even without speaking of japan only title Persona 3 was released in August 2007 for NA and in February 2008 for EU, a title like Harvest Moon (NA: June 1997 - EU: January 1998) was relesead years before. I don't know yours age, but i can assure you that even in Europe, Sakura Taisen and Princess Maker had a huge fan base (even tought it was partialy due to anime (Sakura War, Puchi Puri Yuushi)) meaning a huge influance. Yoh, lost.
Hmm, well the dark souls gameplay feels like it was pulled from the monster hunter formula. Since the franchise founded itself before the souls series took off, I feel like it should be there instead. (Or at least honorable mention alongside it 🤷♂️) Solid list though!
Lunar Sega CD Series over several of these. It's too bad not many played Lunar because they couldn't afford a Sega CD, it was far better than anything Nintendo was putting out at the time, FF and Chrono Trigger were garbage in comparison. If Sega hadn't royally messed up the Sega CD Lunar would of been the template instead of generic, inferior, cookie cutter Square games and JRPGs would of been far better off for it
Pretty good list, but I'm not sure I agree with Chrono Trigger. I love the game, but it seems to me that it wasn't influential much at all. FF7 should probably be in that place for the effect it had on modern JRPGs and how it popularized CGI cutscenes. Now, this is coming from someone who thinks that the FF7 is severely overrated as far as characters and story and the worst FF 3D FF game up until FF13 (though FF7 is still a good game).
No mention of the early JRPGs to contain cinematic style storytelling such as Phantasy Star 4 & FF7? Epic, epic fail. That's like a fundamental element of almost every JRPG after for decades.
Not listing Ff7 is kinda of weird being as it might be the most influential game in the JRPG market. Literally put JRPGs on the map for mainstream audiences and caused several companies to get into making quality rpgs from then on. I get why you included 4 but in that note you could of included the original because without that game there would of been no series. But 7 is the most influential even tho your biased against anything mainstream in many of your videos.
So you know Dark Souls is literally just a Demon's Souls sequel that couldn't use the title due to licensing issues right? Also you know that Demon's Souls was only created on the back of Sony wanting a next gen King's Field? Well you hate the souls games so whatever, but you are factually incorrect. You don't get to say "fire emblem despite not getting released outside japan...." but dismiss Demon's Souls because.... Dark Souls sold more copies? You do know Demon's Souls was Atlus's highest selling game they published (yes even with US only release) until Persona 5? Also no offense but the most influential JRPG of all time is FF7. I really don't need to explain why either, it literally took the genre from a niche type of game to being one of the highest regarded genres. People who would not have given a JRPG the time of day before FF7 suddenly played them. Do I really need to mention the extreme and obvious tonal shift that started in RPG's after it came out too? How many giant sword protagonists were there before Cloud Strife? Now it is literally a trope.
It makes me sad that he didn't mention Armored Core when talking about From Software. It really has been way too long since they released an AC game, nobody even remembers that's what put them on the map anymore.
Dislike Sorry but I'm pretty sure that Dark souls is not a JRPG, sure it was made in Japan but that's it, also, you really put Pokémon over Shin megami tensei? Aren't you a Persona fan or something?
He means propably Western releases. He mentioned in video Megami Tensei was first ,,monster collection'' game series, but only in Japan. Pokemon who adopted ,,monster collection'' subgenre from Megami Tensei was first kind of this game released in West. The first Pokemon was released in 1996 worldwide, Megami Tensei in 1987 but only in Japan. Similar situation with Persona 3 was first game mixed with Dating SIm elements in West, but not in the world, because Sakura Wars in 1996 who never left Japan was precursor of this types of games.
I have never played any FF tactics so from where do you recommend to start? From the original one (either the PSX or PSP version) or from the Advance one?
I totally agree on this list, though I would have choosen some other games for certain franchise. For FF4, in my humble opinion, the 6 and 7 were way much more influencial, because they were the first games/first FF for a lot of players and really created the success of the FF franchise, and the gameplay (for example the job system) was already in FF3 etc. Nowadays, there are still games influenced by FF6/7 : for example, Octopath Traveler is clearly influenced by FF6 : the colors, the splitted narration (chapters in OT, splitted route in FF6 with the moogle telling the thing), the scene of the opera/Primrose chapter 4... And I would have put an honorable mention to : - Atelier Iris : The first of the Atelier Games to come out of Japan, and despite its poor fame, it's a big franchise (about 40 games). - Tales of Phantasia : First Tales of, and the big brother of Star Ocean, (wich takes Tales of Phantasia graphics and gameplay and enhances it). It led to two awesome franchises : Tales of and Star Ocean, wich have unique gameplay. Did you know that the battler system of each Tales of is recreated every game ? - The .Hack (Dot hack) quadrilogy (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, Quarantine) for the concept of playing a game in a game, the cyberworld and the consequences of viruses / human actions in such worlds etc. They are the ancestor of others .hack games, and most importantly, ancestor of all sword art online , player one (book and movie) and games/anime like that.
I played Ys II on the Sega Genesis and Chrono Trigger on the PS 1, and Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2...wish I had gotten VII on the PS1. Playing Secret of Mana on the PS4 now.
My first jrpg experience was dragon warrior at a friends house at around 12 yrs old and i knew then i was looking at something special but i didnt know at the time, that genre of game was going to give me hundreds of thousands of hours of entertainment in the future. Hopefully hundreds of thousands more.
My first RPG too. I was a little bit younger. It came free with a subscription to Nintendo Power. It was my f it at game besides Mario and I still love it.
I just can't see a Tactics Ogre clone, even made by the same people, as one of the most influential without rating the original higher. It's beyond my limits. Also it's kinda a shame that Front Mission 3 wasn't more influential, it was certainly more interesting than it's in house Final Fantasy rival.
Eric loved the vídeo and I agree with most of the entries. Still when you talk about Pokémon you say Satoshi Tajiri and show a photo of Tsunekazu Ishihara (president of the Pokémon Company). Even Google make the same mistake but they are two different people 😅
Secret of Mana was my first JRPG I played throw and first game I cried in. Next JRPG I played was FF8.. Also played throw & cried. Best gaming memories for me.
Good vid, liked, but a couple of them are out of place. FF Tactics? Yes, great game, but influential? Meh, not as much as Fire Emblem. Also Secret of Mana? I understand why Zelda isn't on the list, but the Mana game shouldn't be either, Ys fills that spot enough. SMT, Ultima, or even an MMO RPG (Everquest, WoW, etc) should probably have been on there instead of redundant games that were nowhere near as influential as other games on the same list.
2 big take aways from this video 1) to not list FF7 at all and to put FF4 ahead of it instead is insanity and 2) a LOT of people do not know what the word "influential" means
I don’t know why you always include Dark Souls in your JRPG lists. It IS NOT a JRPG in the slightest. Sure, it’s made in Japan and has RPG elements, but that’s not really what defines JRPGs as a genre. If someone asked for a recommendation of a good JRPG to play, nobody in their right mind would suggest any of the Souls games. It’s firmly in the “character action” genre, as boring and vague as that genre name is. It has more in common with series like Zelda (Character Action) than Final Fantasy (JRPG); and let’s not forget you yourself said you don’t consider Zelda an RPG. By that logic, the Souls series shouldn’t qualify either.
I think the most influential Final Fantasy is clearly the 7th, even if it's not very original to say (you could also consider it's FF1, since it created the series). Saying FF4 was a success in the West is a big exageration. FF7 was the first to really have massive sales in the West and the first FF to be even distributed in Europe. Yeah, Europe didn't have FF1-4-6. Also, FF7 popularised for JRPGs the formula in which 3D characters moved in fixed(/2D) scenery. It had only been used by survival horrors (Alone in The Dark and Resident Evil) beforehand, and it proved to be a great idea for JRPGs considering how a full 3D game in PS1 generally looked like a mess. Many JRPGs followed that example. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of FF4, and anyway I think FF1, FF4, FF6 and FF7 all deserve to be in that top 10 considering how they influenced JRPGs. But for me the most "influential" strictly speaking would be either FF1 or FF7. The whole saga Final Fantasy is, I think, the most influential in the history of JRPGs, considering how many episodes were very influential on their own. And even if Dragon Quest, influenced FF1 itself.
Agreed wholeheartedly but had ff4 failed in the west, we may not have ff7 release in the west due to the popularity and demand for it and it may be a Japan exclusive.
I'd like to add Monster Hunter as an honorable mention. Preferably MH3.
Hahaha
That was my first MonHun that got me to go back to freedom and freedom unite and play every game going forward
I would have added Lufia 2 as well it did puzzles and a massive procedurally generated dungeon that could and if you worked at it would give you some of the best items in the game.
Touche, didn't read this comment before writing mine haha. MHW is the one to check out.
Something I have fun debating are pillars in the genres of video games. ARPG pillars: easily, Ys and Tales of, but those difficult ARPGs in the vein of Elden Ring... Monster Hunter made those games take off
so fun fact: there was already a game called dragon quest when it was localized in the west so for legal they had to change the name to dragon warrior. the copyright on the name expired before DQ8 release and square purchased the copyright and dragon quest 8 would be the first DQ to be published in the west under its original name and every since has as well
What? No love for "Beyond the Beyond"? it taught all developers exactly what not to do!
I think you should put "Tactics Ogre" instead of "FFT".
(I'm not very good at English, so the translation may be strange, but please forgive me.)
Should also have mentioned Chrono Trigger inventing the concept of “New Game +”, now a commonplace feature, as well as really pushing the idea of multiple endings, which was already rare at all back then but no game had as many endings as it did at the time.
Multiple Endings are more of minus than a plus tho, in 90% of cases they are simply filler
@@Cyzure Not if it's a game with alignments/routes, then multiple endings are one of the best parts.
Also the usage of time, changing the past having a measurable effect on the future. Not just in plot but also in side quests and smaller treasures.
Multiple endings was already there with many older games even in the NES era.
@@princevaliant yes, but I only claimed New Game+ was unique, I didn’t say CT invented multiple endings. I just said that it pushed the concept much further than games before it with the number of endings and things like being able to reach endings much earlier in the plot.
I'd have to add Lunar: The Silver Star Story on the Sega Saturn and PlayStation as an honorable mention, along with Star Ocean. I never played the first FF game but I did play Dragon Warrior (Quest), my brother got it with a sub to Nintendo Power; Dragon Quest is what got me into RPG's. I would say that Dragon Quest was more influential than Final Fantasy II simply due to Nintendo's marketing campaign with their magazine at the time, however DQ didn't have much story and it was a really just a grind fest. Final Fantasy II did have a more story to it but was still fairly grindy; however it did influence games to include more story telling.
With Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue, I prefer the Sega CD versions as they were the original versions of both games, and I have both on Sega CD.
The only way Pokémon could ever appear in your tops 🤣
I am surprised FF7 in not in the list. It basically revived West' interest in RPGs.
At that time western RPGs that revived the interest in the genre were Fallout, Baldurs Gate and Diablo. But yeah, FF7 brought JRPGs back in the west. I can't think of a more influential JRPG.
@@stinky_nut_blast Just out of curiosity, what were the sales of those western RPGs back then compared with FF7 ?
Maybe it's because I was a "console" gamer, but everyone around me and even the press always talked about JRPGs during the 32/64bit era (simply as "RPGs") and almost never about the western ones. I have nothing against the genre but tbh no one talked about them in my view. For me, western RPGs made a relative come back in the 128bits era with the PS2 and the X-Box, and more importantly later in the X-box360/PS3 era they overtook the JRPGs which were in decline (to this day).
@@fabcheche2576 Yes, it makes a huge difference if you were a console or PC gamer. See, in my world of PC gaming, we had the gaming magazines where JRPGs were almost no thing. In the early 90s many families had a PC, but consoles were a rare thing.
I can't help you with the sales, but FF7 was huge. For a whole generation it was the first JRPG. So I guess Fallout 1+2, Baldurs Gate 1+2 and Diablo didn't sell as much as FF7.
Still my point was, those games revived the RPG genre in the west.
@@stinky_nut_blast Consoles were rare? I don't know, it seems like every kid had one in the eighties and nineties. Mainly Nintendo - almost all the kids had the NES / SNES, but then there were the kids that took the offbeat path and became Sega kids.
I got my first PC in 1992 when I was 12, because my family was friends with a computer nerd that made them, but outside of school (where everyone played Prince of Persia, Lemmings and Wolfenstein 3D, because a nerdy but mischievous troublemaker type kid installed pirated games on the classroom computers) it seems like PC gaming was a very niche thing around that time period. I had Blackthorn, Ultima 7 and Warcraft 2, so I dabbled in playing games on the PC, but it didn't seem like a commonplace thing at all to have a PC then, whereas nearly any kid had at least an NES.
Maybe its an upper class / upper middle class thing, I don't know. I grew up lower middle class in a fairly economically depressed area, so that might have something to do with it. I do remember the hype in the news media and on television about computers as a little kid in the eighties - mainly about apple computers. The nerd family friend was a windows / PC guy, so my first PC had Windows on it and I never owned a Mac.
But yeah... there was a huge push by the media in the eighties to make PCs a status symbol, where it was like being the first family in the neighborhood to own a color TV or cable, but gaming on them was niche until the late nineties when games like Doom and the other FPS stuff came out. In contrast, every kid knew about Mario and Luigi from when the NES was released until the late nineties when the playstation came out. Maybe I just have a skewed take or something...
@@thefallenfaith1986 Thanks for sharing. I can imagine it also makes a difference if you lived in Europe (me) or in the US.
I think one of the Mother games deserves to be on here or mentioned just because of how it has influenced indie RPGs like Undertale, Yume Nikki, Lisa, and Omori
No
It's funny though how they started to influence games like 10 years later because they seemingly were that ahead of their time.
I still think the inclusion of Ness in smash is what started it all since pretty much nobody knew the mother games before that. One of the strangest jrpg cases in my opinion
I fully agree that Persona 3 is the most influential of the entire serie
P3 was my gate to ATLUS's game directory, though I don't necessarily love all of ATLUS's games, but my love of SMT and Persona games are true! XD
I'm pleased you mentioned Dark Souls, I've been playing a lot of souls games lately. Once you get used to dying, the games are a masterpiece.
If you haven't played it yet, Ashen is one of my favorite Soulslike. Its art style is really appealing and the game is pretty simple and sweet. With a decent length. I really got into how your "round table" equivalent progresses throughout the game. Check it out!
Play Dark Souls 2, many people dislike that one.
@@guyinapandasuit2691 Ashen was great. Although i got stuck in a boss and quit. I should probably give it another go.
Ff7 was on litterally tv commercials in 1997 and a jrpg that sold 10 million copies. It was such a hit and name that they tried to make a movie because of it
They did and it sucked. Final Fantasy the Spirits Within
In the 10 most influential jrpg UA-cam channels, this one is definitely up there
FFVII is hands down the most influential jrpg of all time on a more or less objective level.
It was extremely popular. But it was not more influential than most of the games mentioned on this list.
Gotta love FFVII, the materia system was really something.
I think ff7 pushed the series into new heights but ff4 was the launching pad for the series in the west.
I would definitely consider FF7 a dishonourable mention for popularizing 3-man parties...
That would only prove it was influential (either in good or in bad). Arguably the most influential FF factually speaking.
I just can't think of any other game that did what FF7 did, The MeToo movement and many others would have a field day if this game got a true remake.
Fun fact: Persona series copied time managment system and Dating Sim elements exactly from Sakura Wars 5 So Long My Love (which was released one year before Persona 3 in Japan). If you play SW5 and Persona 4 you can see few big similatires like exploration, each chapter is dedicated to specific character, and some story plots elements. Even english dubbing in SW5 and P3/4 is nearly same.
I would heavily argue the whole time management and dating sim aspect goes all the way back to the Harvest Moon series, later going full RPG with the Rune Factory series.
@@EconomistaVJ There was also Langrisser 3-5 SRPG with Dating SIm elements like modern Fire Emblem. But those games like Sakura Taisen 1-4 also never left Japan.
Sakura Wars 1 should've been on this list, its influence is still being felt in modern JRPG franchises like Trails, Persona, Fire Emblem.
I feel that technically ff7 should be the most influential rpg, at least in the west
I agree, but the amount of padding SE put into the Final Fantasy VIIRemake was irrelevant. I just wish we could have had a remake for the next generation to enjoy, instead of all this episodic garbage.
@@Mangomesh I mean I just started playing ff7 remake a few days ago and I have been loving it so far, it’s not 1 to 1 and the original is better but it is still fantastic. All the new character development with Biggs wedge and Jessie is awesome
@@bullsteak3468 I hated the dialogues and the stupid changes in the scenario (Sephiroth became ridiculous, and appears way too soon, way too often). I must admit the game is beautiful and the gameplay is good. As for the music, not exactly my cup of tea but I guess it's subjective.
Yet, as long as you had those dumb dialogues and scenes, it was to unbearable to finish for me. What a waste.
I would have loved a game that almost didn't change the original but with just better graphics.
@@bullsteak3468 I must admit, I love the look of Jessie, Tifa, and Aerith in FF7R.
@@fabcheche2576 I'm the same, I no longer fear Sephiroth in FF7R. I would have quit my job to play a one to one remake.
I see Fire Emblem , Pokemon and Final Fintasy made this list. Very nice indeed!
I am very surprised that you forgot the unique most influential game for the whole JRPG genre: Wizardry.
No Final Fantasy 7? The sheer impact it had on bringing JRPGs into mainstream western acceptance is without question, part of that was its role during the initial Playstation explosion era. It doesn't matter if you're a sweaty early adopter of some previous FF game, 7 was the most "influential" which is what this video is about.
Fire Emblem is so influential that instead of telling someone a game is a strategy RPG I just say it's a Fire Emblem
Lmfao
Quick edit suggestion: the picture you use for Satoshi Tahiti is actually tsunekazu ishihara.
Tajiri* autocorrect really working against me here.
My Top Ten JRPGs ( one favorite part for the whole Series)
1. Suikoden 2
2. Final Fantasy 7
3. Ni No Kuni 2
4. Dragon Quest 11
5. Vandal Hearts
6. Secret of Mana
7. Tales of Arise
8. Fire Emblem 3 Houses
9. Triangle Strategys
10. Pokemon Shield
It is to honestly a little strange to pick Final Fantasy IV as the most influential Final Fantasy game when literally everyone and their grandmother knows that Final Fantasy VII is, in fact, not only the most influential Final Fantasy game, but perhaps the most influential JRPG ever made. The success of VII versus IV can not even be compared. It doesn't even need to be argued. FFVII literally woke the West up to the entire JRPG genre. FFIV may have introduced most of the staple Final Fantasy game mechanics, but FFVII is the game that influenced every other game developer to copy them.
Dark Souls? In an Erick Landon video? PREPOSTEROUS! xD
In my opinion, Pokemon isn't an RPG. It works different.
And Dark Souls is a Japanese WRPG. It isn't like a JRPG.
I believe Phantasy Star should be on the list because of all the scifi jrpgs that came later on.
It sort of is. He put it up there with Dragon Quest. He just DQ the number 1 spot since it came first.
Many of these games had an impact on me and I couldnt be more thankful that happened. Secret of Mana, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger and more were all apart of my upbringing in the gaming landscape and I'm happy I was able to experience these titles in their original forms when the industry was what it was then as oppose to playing them now and wondering what it was like then. Great Video Erick!
I'm glad Chrono Trigger is on your list, Erick.
JRPGs are still somewhat niche
Really no Ff7?
Exactly, I remember that day I bought it for the PSX.
Don't forget Chrono Trigger's NG+
i gotta agree with dq being the most influential on jrpgs, even for a non-fan like me, it definitely is the father of all jrpgs and set the standard and style of jrpgs for many decades to come
Final fantasy 7
It’s a great game but didn’t really influence anything. It didn’t add anything unique gameplay wise either. It’s just popular and that’s all.
@@JetBlack2024 was the best jrpg and many people know the gener jrpg because of that sorry my English is bad
@@CharlieSquall but yeah what other rpgs you play that would make you think of final fantasy 7. None. Because the game monopolies itself. Force feed to us over and over so we don’t forget it.
A game that’s popular and influential is like RE4 to be precise.
FF7 sucks man.
I have to say with the novel additions that FF7 added into the JRPG sphere, it seems to be at the top when it comes to being influential for the future of the genre. It's omission is a bit questionable.
Final Fantasy VII, together with Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together, was at least the most influential JRPG on me personally, since that double whammy of two of the best games ever got me quite interested in JRPG's for years (though by now I'm almost exclusively western RPG's again).
The only novel addition it did was it being the first 3D FF. Materia? Just like Espers. Ultimate attacks? Was done in earlier FFs. Characters dying? Done in earlier FFs. Cliche characters? Done before. It is right to be omitted.
@@rockyboar7899 I can't agree to the materia part, it wasn't done the way it was in FF VII before. But since the only game I can think of that copied that system is Path of Exile, I wouldn't say it was too influential.
@@rockyboar7899 I mean, Erick included Persona 3 even though it nothing new because it popularized the sim element into rpgs . By the same token FF7 popularized the ENTIRE GENRE despite doing nothing new, so by the same standards Persona 3 is on this list, so should FF7.
@@rockyboar7899 But we are talking most influential JRPG, not the first game to implement a particular game mechanic. In that sense, there are only 2 games that need to be mentioned for the West, which is Final Fantasy VII and Pokémon Red/Blue. If we are talking about Japan, then you can add Dragon Quest into the mix. These other games that Erick mentions had considerably less influence than these three games.
Where's Guardian's Crusade? First fully open world JRPG with seemless transition between town, field, etc. Had other claims to fame like the pet system and the mob size increasing or decreasing based on player level.
The problem is that it was a highly underrated JRPG. I agree though that it was revolutionary. I love when people bring it up and I hope that it goes through a revival like with Gensou Suikoden. I was listening to the music for Guardian's Crusade recently and it has such a beautiful soundtrack.
Honorable mention for me is legend of legai or legend of dragoon. The battle systems were like nothing I had ever played before for me.
I never finished legend of dragoon, I'd love a remake.
I remember that game, everyone would recommend it to me.
sorry but, ff6 had real impact , way more than 4.... it does not matter that 4 had impact in the west, if the title is about the most influential of all time.... aannddd tactics ogre is the most influential, ff tactics WAS influenced by ogre.. come on man... this list is all messed up
and another thing, pokemon is no influential, the anime was a hit and whatever stupid game they released with pokemon brand would sell.. only pokemon fans play pokemon games, they are really boring for anyone who is not a fan, so you cannot call it influential....
Yay new vid!
FFVII not being on this list is a complete joke.
I'm kind of devastated that the Phantasy Star series didn't really influence JRPGs at all, it's such a good franchise... But for some reason, the macro system of Phantasy Star IV, character development, vehicle system etc. didn't become popular enough to set a milestone for future RPGs to look into...
Dude this is a personal opinion list 😂
@@Pokarface7 I know, I was not talking about the list itself, I was kind of reflecting on how little influence the Phantasy Star series had in RPGs in general.
@@pedroserena2234 I mean, Phantasy Star maybe. But Phantasy Star Online basically pioneered mmo lites, and went on to inspire Monster Hunter which in turn lead to Dark Souls. So I'd say that Phantasy Star is pretty influential.
The list is not complete without Final Fantasy 7. It should be at, or near, the very top.
FFVII, that materia system was really something.
@@Mangomesh the materia system was the best magic system in the entire franchise, I remember starting to play Trials of cold steel and it used the acrus unit first thing came to me was ff7
@@hongluong3427 Speaking of Trials of cold steel, which game do you recommend I start with? I would like to get into that series.
@@Mangomesh it depends what system you have. I would suggest trials in sky (all 3 games) (librial (think that's how it's spelt) arc) first (steam for the time being) or trials of zero (crossbell arc) 1st game, trials of cold steel 1&2, then back to crossbell 2nd game then trials of cold steel 3&4
That is how I would play it, but keep in mind all these events are happening all at the same time kinda .
@@hongluong3427 Thanks for the reply, many fans tell me to play them from the beginning. Trails from Zero for PS4 is out this September, so I'm thinking about picking it up. I really like the look of Trails from Zero and Trails In The Sky, they remind me of Star Ocean 2. I would like to know which is the best Trails game, or are they all the same?
No FF7 who stablished how to make 3d JRPG's or Mother 2 (Earthbound) who spawned a pletera of indie JRPG's with great success? (Undertale, Omori Yume Nikki)
I understand that you prefer speaking of Fire Emblem (Japan only) over Shining Force (World wild).
But then for the dating sim part, i really don't understand why your privilege speaking of Persona 3 over Sakura Taisen or Princess Maker. It would be like speaking of FF7 over prior game of the genre...
Even without speaking of japan only title Persona 3 was released in August 2007 for NA and in February 2008 for EU, a title like Harvest Moon (NA: June 1997 - EU: January 1998) was relesead years before.
I don't know yours age, but i can assure you that even in Europe, Sakura Taisen and Princess Maker had a huge fan base (even tought it was partialy due to anime (Sakura War, Puchi Puri Yuushi)) meaning a huge influance.
Yoh, lost.
Hmm, well the dark souls gameplay feels like it was pulled from the monster hunter formula. Since the franchise founded itself before the souls series took off, I feel like it should be there instead. (Or at least honorable mention alongside it 🤷♂️)
Solid list though!
Lunar Sega CD Series over several of these.
It's too bad not many played Lunar because they couldn't afford a Sega CD, it was far better than anything Nintendo was putting out at the time, FF and Chrono Trigger were garbage in comparison. If Sega hadn't royally messed up the Sega CD Lunar would of been the template instead of generic, inferior, cookie cutter Square games and JRPGs would of been far better off for it
Pretty good list, but I'm not sure I agree with Chrono Trigger. I love the game, but it seems to me that it wasn't influential much at all. FF7 should probably be in that place for the effect it had on modern JRPGs and how it popularized CGI cutscenes. Now, this is coming from someone who thinks that the FF7 is severely overrated as far as characters and story and the worst FF 3D FF game up until FF13 (though FF7 is still a good game).
No mention of the early JRPGs to contain cinematic style storytelling such as Phantasy Star 4 & FF7? Epic, epic fail. That's like a fundamental element of almost every JRPG after for decades.
Not listing Ff7 is kinda of weird being as it might be the most influential game in the JRPG market. Literally put JRPGs on the map for mainstream audiences and caused several companies to get into making quality rpgs from then on. I get why you included 4 but in that note you could of included the original because without that game there would of been no series. But 7 is the most influential even tho your biased against anything mainstream in many of your videos.
So you know Dark Souls is literally just a Demon's Souls sequel that couldn't use the title due to licensing issues right? Also you know that Demon's Souls was only created on the back of Sony wanting a next gen King's Field? Well you hate the souls games so whatever, but you are factually incorrect. You don't get to say "fire emblem despite not getting released outside japan...." but dismiss Demon's Souls because.... Dark Souls sold more copies? You do know Demon's Souls was Atlus's highest selling game they published (yes even with US only release) until Persona 5?
Also no offense but the most influential JRPG of all time is FF7. I really don't need to explain why either, it literally took the genre from a niche type of game to being one of the highest regarded genres. People who would not have given a JRPG the time of day before FF7 suddenly played them. Do I really need to mention the extreme and obvious tonal shift that started in RPG's after it came out too? How many giant sword protagonists were there before Cloud Strife? Now it is literally a trope.
It makes me sad that he didn't mention Armored Core when talking about From Software. It really has been way too long since they released an AC game, nobody even remembers that's what put them on the map anymore.
Damn, a list of influential jrpg's with FF4 instead of FF7 and without SMT series...
Kinda surprised to not see Xenoblade Chronicles on here project rainfall was a massive movement to try to get more JRPGs around the world
Fun fact: two first Sakura Wars games were also released in Russia on PC by Akella.
I agree that dragon quest is probably the most influential for jrpg.
I love your jrpg list, i always come out wanting to buy the games.
My fav all of time is Suikoden. Sad they not making any Suikoden game anymore
My Girl Arias Oakes In the Thumbnail.
played ff 4 first on the DS, glad i did. only ff main game i finished
Dislike
Sorry but I'm pretty sure that Dark souls is not a JRPG, sure it was made in Japan but that's it, also, you really put Pokémon over Shin megami tensei? Aren't you a Persona fan or something?
He means propably Western releases. He mentioned in video Megami Tensei was first ,,monster collection'' game series, but only in Japan. Pokemon who adopted ,,monster collection'' subgenre from Megami Tensei was first kind of this game released in West. The first Pokemon was released in 1996 worldwide, Megami Tensei in 1987 but only in Japan. Similar situation with Persona 3 was first game mixed with Dating SIm elements in West, but not in the world, because Sakura Wars in 1996 who never left Japan was precursor of this types of games.
great video, I think Elder Scrolls was pretty influential too, now open world rpgs are all the rage
I love Skyrim.
Daggerfall nailed it first.
Well one could argue dragon quest was influenced by the earlier Ultima and Wizardry games.
Yes, but they are not jrpg.
Erick specifically mentioned that both of those influenced DQ, but this is a JRPG list.
I have never played any FF tactics so from where do you recommend to start? From the original one (either the PSX or PSP version) or from the Advance one?
Psp
Lol Dragon Warrior was in Canada also in 1986
Keep up the excellent content, love your videos :)
Was that someone using bob in suikoden!
Where is my Shinning in the Darkness haha~~
No one talks about Thousand Arms
Man I loved Kingsfield.
What game is shown at :17 ?
I totally agree on this list, though I would have choosen some other games for certain franchise.
For FF4, in my humble opinion, the 6 and 7 were way much more influencial, because they were the first games/first FF for a lot of players and really created the success of the FF franchise, and the gameplay (for example the job system) was already in FF3 etc. Nowadays, there are still games influenced by FF6/7 : for example, Octopath Traveler is clearly influenced by FF6 : the colors, the splitted narration (chapters in OT, splitted route in FF6 with the moogle telling the thing), the scene of the opera/Primrose chapter 4...
And I would have put an honorable mention to :
- Atelier Iris : The first of the Atelier Games to come out of Japan, and despite its poor fame, it's a big franchise (about 40 games).
- Tales of Phantasia : First Tales of, and the big brother of Star Ocean, (wich takes Tales of Phantasia graphics and gameplay and enhances it). It led to two awesome franchises : Tales of and Star Ocean, wich have unique gameplay. Did you know that the battler system of each Tales of is recreated every game ?
- The .Hack (Dot hack) quadrilogy (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, Quarantine) for the concept of playing a game in a game, the cyberworld and the consequences of viruses / human actions in such worlds etc. They are the ancestor of others .hack games, and most importantly, ancestor of all sword art online , player one (book and movie) and games/anime like that.
Day made.
I played Ys II on the Sega Genesis and Chrono Trigger on the PS 1, and Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2...wish I had gotten VII on the PS1. Playing Secret of Mana on the PS4 now.
My first jrpg experience was dragon warrior at a friends house at around 12 yrs old and i knew then i was looking at something special but i didnt know at the time, that genre of game was going to give me hundreds of thousands of hours of entertainment in the future. Hopefully hundreds of thousands more.
My first RPG too. I was a little bit younger. It came free with a subscription to Nintendo Power. It was my f it at game besides Mario and I still love it.
I just can't see a Tactics Ogre clone, even made by the same people, as one of the most influential without rating the original higher. It's beyond my limits.
Also it's kinda a shame that Front Mission 3 wasn't more influential, it was certainly more interesting than it's in house Final Fantasy rival.
Eric loved the vídeo and I agree with most of the entries. Still when you talk about Pokémon you say Satoshi Tajiri and show a photo of Tsunekazu Ishihara (president of the Pokémon Company).
Even Google make the same mistake but they are two different people 😅
Tactics Ogre should also have a mention, as most people (even fans of Final Fantasy Tactics) do not know about this gem.
I guess you could say that Ultima is the most influencial RPG of all time, not a JRPG thought so thats why wouldnt appear here
Love your videos! FFVII should have been on this list, thou. Its impact on the West and what it did for PlayStation as a brand cannot be understated.
Digimon wasn't made to compete with Pokemon, they both had different origins & were made for different reasons.
Where the timestamps at?
I just wish they would remake or remaster persona 3, was only able to do it on psp. I'd gladly play a better version !
Secret of Mana was my first JRPG I played throw and first game I cried in. Next JRPG I played was FF8.. Also played throw & cried. Best gaming memories for me.
No .hack? First isekai mmorpg ive played while not really being mmo
Quite a good list, with relatively appropriate rankings to boot, I think.
Good vid, liked, but a couple of them are out of place. FF Tactics? Yes, great game, but influential? Meh, not as much as Fire Emblem. Also Secret of Mana? I understand why Zelda isn't on the list, but the Mana game shouldn't be either, Ys fills that spot enough. SMT, Ultima, or even an MMO RPG (Everquest, WoW, etc) should probably have been on there instead of redundant games that were nowhere near as influential as other games on the same list.
There was some redundancy with those but he just wanted to talk about them j guess lol
Yeah, it's not really a factual list. Sometimes you see he just wanted to be original.
What is the name of the second game at the beginning after Chrono Cross? At 0:05?
buen vidio
Yes
If only the Tales series had a fraction of this kind of gravitas
Watching the top 10 RPG or jrpg from Eric tends to makes me smile ☺️
Super Cool video! Thank you!
2 big take aways from this video 1) to not list FF7 at all and to put FF4 ahead of it instead is insanity and 2) a LOT of people do not know what the word "influential" means
Great video! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Great video, thank you 😊 👍
I don’t know why you always include Dark Souls in your JRPG lists. It IS NOT a JRPG in the slightest.
Sure, it’s made in Japan and has RPG elements, but that’s not really what defines JRPGs as a genre.
If someone asked for a recommendation of a good JRPG to play, nobody in their right mind would suggest any of the Souls games. It’s firmly in the “character action” genre, as boring and vague as that genre name is.
It has more in common with series like Zelda (Character Action) than Final Fantasy (JRPG); and let’s not forget you yourself said you don’t consider Zelda an RPG. By that logic, the Souls series shouldn’t qualify either.
Great video Erick!
No EarthBound (Mother 2)? IMHO still one of the most relevant RPGs and light years ahead of its time ...
Was it that influential though? I think it’s a great game
yeh, no Mother series???
@@dannybruce4513 the mother series was a sensational hit in Japan.
No esperaba ver a Trigger aquí ❤️
I think the most influential Final Fantasy is clearly the 7th, even if it's not very original to say (you could also consider it's FF1, since it created the series). Saying FF4 was a success in the West is a big exageration. FF7 was the first to really have massive sales in the West and the first FF to be even distributed in Europe. Yeah, Europe didn't have FF1-4-6.
Also, FF7 popularised for JRPGs the formula in which 3D characters moved in fixed(/2D) scenery. It had only been used by survival horrors (Alone in The Dark and Resident Evil) beforehand, and it proved to be a great idea for JRPGs considering how a full 3D game in PS1 generally looked like a mess. Many JRPGs followed that example.
Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of FF4, and anyway I think FF1, FF4, FF6 and FF7 all deserve to be in that top 10 considering how they influenced JRPGs. But for me the most "influential" strictly speaking would be either FF1 or FF7.
The whole saga Final Fantasy is, I think, the most influential in the history of JRPGs, considering how many episodes were very influential on their own. And even if Dragon Quest, influenced FF1 itself.
Agreed wholeheartedly but had ff4 failed in the west, we may not have ff7 release in the west due to the popularity and demand for it and it may be a Japan exclusive.