I find the fight between it and FF9 for 4th place very interesting since the two games kinda complement each other imo : I find flaws in Xenogears' gameplay while I find flaws in FF9's story. The gameplay in FF9 is way better than Xenogears's while the story in Xenogears is way better than FF9's. Still, two of the best JRPGs for sure.
Agreed, the only thing i hate on Xenogears is the platforming section. Combining with random ecounter is the bad idea, i remember i pressed jump button a few miliseconds before ecounter triggered, and i ended up falling. Overall i enjoyed the battle mechanic and the story. My favorite ps1 JRPG alongside with Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross.
It's a shame that Legend of Legaia is so underrated, it is by far my favorite rpg on playstation, the story is pretty dark and the gameplay is fun as hell
Suikoden 2 also IMO has probably the most bad ass antagonist of all time in Luca Blight. I mean how many other games can you think of where the bad guy gets the last laugh by mocking you even after you beat him by telling you he alone took out armies and that it took armies to just take him out.
Xenogears, Brave Fencer Musashi, FF7, Chrono Cross, Lunar2, Lunar, FF9, FFT, Saga Frontier, and Legend Of Dragoon are my top 10 ps1 RPGs . I haven't played Grandia yet , but I want to change that soon. I have a feeling it would take a spot on the list. I don't think FF7 is overrated, its still one of my favorites and I'v played a lot of RPGs.
I had a former friend who was a huge Grandia fan and because of that...couldn't get into it. Odd how that kind of thing goes, but every time I even think to play it, I think of this guy and, well, bad associations ruin it for me.
Chrono cross is legendary game, when you fall a sleep on the beach, when you hear the music of the other world, when you see the grave, the story , the endings..it will always be my number 1.
Xenogears was such an incredible experience for me back in 1998. I was already a long time RPG fan, I'd been playing them since the NES. But Xenogears was just different from start to finish. The story was more than just good, it was vast and epic and endlessly fascinating. And it was only one small part of the whole story, there was potential for so much more. Final Fantasy Tactics was way more influential and memorable for me than FFVII could ever be. The story was so mature and serious and I really loved the artstyle and the job system. Keep in mind that FF3 and FF5 had not released in the west yet. FFVII on the otherhand, I'm just so tired of it. I'm tired of seeing it, I'm tired of hearing about it, I'm tired of SE releasing endless spinoffs. It was a great game back in 1997 but today it really does fully embody the actual definition of the term "overrated." Chrono Cross I need to give another chance. I played it and beat it back in the 90s and I remember being disappointed in it because it wasn't anything like Chrono Trigger. I barely remember anything about my playthrough other than having to be a cat most of the game.
I'm a huge fan of FFVII and it helped open up many worlds of philosophy and friendships to me. But I can definitely see what you mean, all of these other games deserve just as much praise for different reasons. Though FFVII is definitely one of my favorite games of all time, FF6, Earthbound, they are up there too. Ps1 had so many amazing rpg games too, xenogears is so freaking beautiful, the soundtrack is unforgettable.
Same with chrono cross dude , i remember waiting at the game rental place so i would get my hands on what i had dubbed chrono trigger 2 and man was i dissapointed
Xenogears is my no 1 fav jrpg. As a young kid I felt like I was playing a great robot anime. Yeah it had its flaws esp the second disk but overall the characters, music, robots, cut scenes and battle system made it more memorable for me than other jrpgs.
Suikoden 1 being so short is a PERK to me. I love that it's a PSX JRPG that I can experience again without hesitation because it's not a huge time investment. My Xenogears playtrhoughs tend to be 50 hours, even if I prefer it.
Ive played RPGs at a younger age, mainly Super Mario Bros Rpg... but it wasnt until a played a demo on the PC of FF7, that really led me to the path of JRPGS and falling in love with the JRPGS genre. So yes i started a little late on collecting them. lol
Great list! For me, my top 10 is this. 10. Guardian's Crusade 9. Breath of Fire III 8. Gensou Suikoden 7. Final Fantasy VII 6. Legend of Legaia 5. Arc the Lad II 4. Vandal Hearts 3. Wild Arms 2. Grandia (since you included it despite it being a port) 1. Gensou Suikoden II
My top 10 PS1 JRPG 1. Final Fantasy IX 2. Final Fantasy Tactics 3. Brigandine: The Legend of Forsenia 4. Suikoden II 5. Breath of Fire III 6. Final Fantasy VII 7. Chrono Cross 8. Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth 9. Legend of Dragoon 10. Tactics Ogre
You definitely need to give Vagrant Story another chance when it's turn comes up for a remake/remaster! I can understand that the complex mechanics turned some off, but with some updated QoL improvements, it's absolutely worth coming back to in order to experience the incredible storytelling, writing, cinematics, and awesome lore/worldbuilding (Ivalice rules!). The combat and crafting are actually really compelling though, if you invest into learning it. One of it's biggest issues these days though is the interface, and how tedious it can be to change weapons. That aside, it's a meticulously crafted system that is really rewarding once you understand how it works. It just needs better UI/UX and some tutorialization so it's not so opaque to newcomers.
No ports I'll be that guy. Top 10 no order: Persona 1 Wild Arms FF7 FF8 FF9 Xenogears Thousand Arms Grandia Brave Fencer Musashi Chrono Cross Looking at this list Square really did shape my childhood.
1) Xenogears - it's also my number 1 of all time for any platform 2) Legend of Dragoon - the limited item count was rough, but I quickly got used to it. I rented that game until I nearly beat it and never asked for another game for xmas more besides Xenogears. Also does anyone else remember the commercial for it that Dart chopped off Lloyds head and a director called cut, it was the first trailer for anything I ever saw that was not using game or movie footage and was hilarious. 3) FF8 - this and FF7 are both very close, but 8 I feel is just better. The junction system being the only flaw for me, and even then not a huge deal. 4) Chrono Cross - Of note, I also own all the soundtracks for each game listed to this point, but this ones so powerful, if I was rating soundtracks instead, this would be a tie for first easy with Xeno (same composer, imagine that). That said the opening song to FF8 still raises the hair on my body. 5) FF7 - not much to say here, just a solid game that like the others on this list I own every port and have played multiple times through. I remember playing this side by side with Xeno but Xeno just blew my mind at the time. 6) Star Ocean 2 - my ONLY complaint on this was the crafting system. I raged trying for so many end game things in that system. Also I love the Valkyrie Profile cameos as secret bosses. The music for this is horribly under rated too and I wish I owned the OST. 7) FFT - though I never played this really on PS1, my friend had it and I watched but never played myself until it was on PSP 8) Vanguard Bandits - I remember this game as brutally hard back in the day. There are no random battles to level up, so if you are wiping the floor of enemies early, the game will make you pay for it in the end. 9) FF9 - I dont have a 10 for this list that I can think of, so I'll cap it off with FF9. I have to admit I have a deep prejudice against this game, the multiplayer was so gimmicky and the Prima guide (not the games fault) was next level terribad and became an example for all time how not to do a game guide, so I had a hard time getting into it. That and I didn't own it myself until I was an adult so I could only play it at my friends house that did, also didn't help.
Bruh, that list is almost similar to my own personal favorites on PS1. Here's mine: 01. Xenogears 02. Suikoden II 03. Chrono Cross 04. Valkyrie Profile 05. Final Fantasy VII 06. The Legend of Dragoon 07. Star Ocean: Second Story 08. Parasite Eve 09. Vagrant Story 10. Koudelka
Final Fantasy Tactics has really good mature story, good plot twists, i highly recommend the PSP version which has improved translation and stylized cutscenes. It has to be my favorite tactical rpg, and one of top 3 rpgs ever
1. Final Fantasy 7 2. Suikoden 2 3. Legend of Dragoon 4. Breath of Fire 4 5. Breath of Fire 3 6. Wild Arms 7. Alundra 8. Final Fantasy 9 9. Suikoden 10. Chrono Cross
I think Persona 2 should be in top 10 on PS1. The plot, music, atmosphere, characters are great. Even the idea itself is much more original than classic fantasy jrpg.
I would even include persona 1. I understand that the new games appeal to a wider audience but damn, the original 3 games have such a good atmosphere that i just prefer them.
Vagrant Story is incredible, but you need the strategy guide for the maps. Also, once you learn which weapon type does the most damage to which enemies, the overall game becomes much easier. And the final boss twist at the end of the game will blow your mind.
My list for ps 1: #1 Xenogear #2 breath of fire 3 #3 star ocean second departure #4 suikoden 2 #5 suikoden 1 , #6 legend of dragoon , # 7 vandal heart , #8 parasite eve , #9 ff7 # 10 front mission 3 , i liked grandia but it took me getting older and coming back to it to really enjoy it
My top five are: 1. Suikoden II - 2. Xenogears - 3. Chrono Cross - 4. Suikoden - 5. Final Fantasy IX. I'm pretty much like Erick mostly in top five and have FFIX being my favorite of the as well as feeling FFVII is a bit overrated (still a great game and probably my rank 10).
I played a lot of these games but not all of them. FF7 was definitely my favorite for many reasons. I loved the divergence from traditional RPG settings and I found the story and characters very satisfying. The music was amazing and the gameplay wasn't bad either. After that would be both Suikodens.
Xenogears was, is, and will always be #1 on my list of all games. Is it flawed? Absolutely. But its vast and epic story just blows my mind, and its beautiful music never grows old to me. To tell the truth, I still haven't tried XenoBlade series, because Xenogears is a standard too high to reach, so that it makes me fear that I may be disappointed by XenoBlade.
I cannot choose between FFT and Suikoden. I loved them both very much and both are easily in my top 10 games of all times. If I'm forced to choose however, I'd go with Suikoden. There's something special about this game for me.
are you me? A Patrick with same two favorite games. I also choose suikoden over fft but I think just because of the scope. if suikoden was a stand alone, it would be much harder to decide which is better
I am baffled as to why Eric loves Vandal Hearts but hates FF Tactics. I much prefer FF Tactics. Vandal Hearts was a pretty basic tactics game while FF Tactics was so very deep. I did play every game mentioned on this list and liked all of them....except that Hoshigami game (whatever it was called) that Eric mentioned jokingly at the end.
He likes lots of PS1and 2 tactics rpgs, such as Vandal Hearts, Eternal Poison, Stella Deus, Kartia, and other, but not FF Tactics of Tactics Ogre. I remember on one of his much older videos, he mentioned something to the fact that he really, really did not enjoy the permadeath feature on Tactics. I think it made the game too stressful to be enjoyable for him or some such thing. I think it has to do more with permadeath more that anything.
Suikoden 2 is definitely #2 for me too, and yes, Cross is my #1 as well and deserves to be #1. This is why I subscribe to you. You're a very wise, respectful JRPG connoisseur. [and you are 100% correct, FF7 is overrated as fffck]
After playing Suikoden I and II for the first time in the last couple years, I literally cannot understand how it isn't way higher in a lot of people's lists/isn't listed at all. As of right now, Suikoden II is easily my top PS1 game.
Here is my top 10 (never played Xenogears): 1 - Final Fanyasy 8 2 - Final Fantasy 7 3 - Final Fantasy 9 4 - The Legend of Dragoon 5 - Suikoden 2 6 - Star Ocean The Second Story 7 - Breath of Fire 4 8 - Grandia 9 - Chrono Cross 10 - Final Fantasy Tactics
Vagrant Story on consensus feels like what everybody did with Inception. It had unique ideas, abysmal execution but everyone puts it in their list of ''the greatest'' to look like intellectuals.
Since we aren't counting ports, my list is slightly different than it would normally be. First off, the only static position I have is my number one spot, which is Final Fantasy 9, but spots 2-10 can be any of the following in any order: Breath of Fire 3, Chrono Cross, Dragon Warrior 7, Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy Tactics, Grandia, Legend of Legaia, Star Ocean 2, and Xenogears. I really enjoyed FF7, and have completed it multiple times, but FF8 is a game that I would replay religiously. Not the whole game, but all of disc one. I love Breath of Fire 4 as well, but I always felt it was lame that Ryu didn't have dragon form specific combat sprites like he did in BoF3 and instead just used palate swaps of the same hybrid dragon form that would "transform" into underwhelming CGI cutscenes to show the actual dragon forms, which has always made that game the lesser for me, even though I loved the elemental comboing and reserve character mechanics. Legend of Legaia is my RPG heart and soul, and the reason I continue to play RPGs to this day, even though I'm sure most people wouldn't rank it in their top 10, unless they were specifically asked to rank their favorite Sony published RPGs lol
This list is great because it has a lot of good games no matter what. I can't wait to try out the Suikoden bundle when it comes out! And while I still have my ps3, I do wish they would put Xenogears on the ps4 or the switch lol. It sounds great and I haven't tried it yet. My favorite, and only game I really "finished" (ie: Watched brothers finish while little) on the list, is Legend of the Dragoon. This was purely because by the time my family managed to get a ps1 was when the ps2 was out and I was able to borrow the game from a friend. The only other games we had was Driver 3, the Spyro games, and Ape Escape. We had more but those are the ones I distinctly remember. LotD and Pokemon were my gateway to these games and got me to realize that there was more than driving a vehicle or platformers. Funnily enough the friend that lent me LotD was also the same friend that got me into pokemon lol...and Tales, now that I think on it.
Just bought Breath of Fire 3 and Legend of Legaia in like new condition. I can't wait to play them. Vagrant Story is great I love the combat, story, art, customization. I would give it another chance if I was you it's a one of a kind experience.
disappointed at this list no mention of legend of legaia? sir if you haven't touch it play it now, you're missing out on one the greatest jrpg on the ps1 era, for me it has the best battle mechanics better than any jrpg I've played on the ps1, also would like to recommend thousand arms rpg with the best humor. for anyone reading this comment and decided to check out this two game, you;re welcome.
is lunar eternal blue a port? because i replayed it a lot, i got adicted when i played it, maybe was a mix of beign a teenager and a begginer in jrpg, the love in this game is pure
My top 10 1.ff7 2.Xeno gears 3.Star ocean: the second story 4.Crono cross 5. Breath of fire 4 6.ff tactics 7.Legend of dragoon 8.Suikoden 2 9.Lunar: silver star story complete 10.Vagrant story
Lunar SSC wasnt really a port for the west. It was a remake of the Sega CD version and I think a port from Saturn in Japan, but the west only ever saw the PS1 release of that version of the game.
it would make for an interesting video, going over how you compiled the consensus. i look at a lot of top ps1 rpg lists to figure out what to get into. so maybe list the website or magazine or youtube with their rankings? i’d be interested.
Great list, man! I was happy to see my top two favorites, Chrono Cross and Legend of Dragoon, on there. That's where I got my username actually! And your fakeout for number one made me laugh, good stuff. I am curious why Grandia is on here, though. The PS1 version is a port to my knowledge, originally on Saturn (1997) and later PS1 (1999) in Japan... but I don't think the Saturn version was released in the West, so maybe that's your reasoning? Anyway I love the comparison style here man; it's a very well thought out video, thanks for making it!
Isn't Grandia a port too?Saturn had it two years ahead and thanks to fans it now in english Great list.PS1 had so many great rpgs it is absurd . Only the SNES had a library in the same level. There are still great rpgs waiting to be fantranslated for both systems ,like the original versions (not enhanced ports for DS or PS4) of Romancing Saga 2 and Dragon Quest IV remake
It's always nice move to present something else as number one and then show real number one 🙂I feel that nostalgia reasons weight a lot. For example, my first PS1 FF game was Final Fantasy 8 so it is usually in the top place. But awesome selection of RPG games again.
Yeah, nostalgia seems to trump quality any day. If a game makes you feel anything, then it's likely to last longer in your memory than other games you know objectively are a better game, but subjectively...meh. I always preferred FF8 over FF7. I just remember there being so much hype for 7 that never delivered for me. The magnum opus of FF, for me at any rate, has always been 4. Nothing has ever come close. It had a basic game system, but for the first time in gaming, for me, it had a griping story, great characters, and it was one of the only games of its length that I've beaten repeatedly. Now, looking back as an adult, and tried the 3D remake, I couldn't get into it. It had that zeitgeist, lighting-in-a-bottle effect for me that is just...gone, you know? I've been trying to find it's successor all my life and I've never found it.
Personal out of the “Chrono” games I prefer Chrono Trigger but as this is a PS1 list and Trigger only has a subpar port on that system I will have to agree that Chrono Cross is up there as one of my favorites ps1 JRPGS after suikoden 2 and Lunar Sliver Star Story Complete(I had no idea it was a port when I fist picked up a copy at my local reto game store years ago, and I just can’t not include it as it was one of my first purchases when I started working and I just fell in love with it)
I've never played any of the Wild Arms games, but I want to after seeing your videos on them. I hope for a Wild Arms Remastered collection. I prefer original hardware usually, but these games aren't cheap.
I like your list more than the 'best' list. It's much closer than mine. Actually, if you gave Final Fantasy Tactics another chance and end up liking it, we'd be very close. I still need to play Chrono Cross, though. It's next on my backlog and am looking forward to it.
Please! Help me find a game! I remember the game from childhood, the genre was JRPG, it was in Japanese, little known. I lost the disc (From memory, I remember the following moments in fragments, because I played at 9-10 years old: The game has a top view, real time control 1. Protagonist - a guy, several times the control went for other characters. 2. The game starts in the laboratory, there is a battle with a couple of enemies as I remember. The second location is a ruined modern city. At the end is the boss. 3. I remember a beach, a forest, a desert, space (hard mission on a spaceship), then a shipwreck. 4. Boss fight, 3v1, in the forest. 5. Laboratory, some secret base of scientists. 6. Desperate search for a certain girl, who by the end of the level was injured (in my opinion on the beach) 6. Constant battles with robots, and Protagonist has his own robot. Ship battles in space were also done in the traditional JRPG style, turn-based. 7. Locations were loaded during transitions. 8. The atmosphere of the game is quite depressing and gloomy. It's not Xenogears!
BoF3 is my favorite. I bought a copy BEFORE I had bought the Playstation console to guarantee I was going to play it someday. I guess my top 10 would be something like this: 1 - Bof3 2 - FF7 3 - Vandal Hearts 4 - Final Fantasy Tactics 5 - Chrono Cross 6 - Valkyrie Profile 7 - Kartia: Word of Fate 8 - Grandia 9 - Mega Man Legends 2 10 - Bof4
When looking for random battles in FFVii world map, why weren't you holding down L1 and spinning in circles? .. Man, that manual meandering drives me nuts.
I haven't played Vandal Hearts, but I loved the second game. Apparently most people think it is worse than the first though. Star Ocean the Second Story was awesome! I wish I loved Vagrant Story more, but the system was rather complicated and the weapon degradation (if I remember correctly) is something I never liked in any game. I prefer FF X and VIII over IX, but it is still a wonderful game. Suikoden is life. Suikoden 2 is my favourite game of all time.
I think for me its Xenogears Final Fantasy Tactics Legend of Mana Vanguard bandits Breath of Fire 3 Ff7 Parasite Eve Vandal Hearts Star Ocean 2 Azure Dreams
I think some of the top ones in general do not play all that great as you said. Trying to play the orignal versions of them now seems boring for the most part. FFVII, CC (was not really updated for the newer version either), and Xenogears (I had problems with movement recently) I can still play the original versions of BoF 3&4, Suikoden 1&2, Vandal Hearts 1&2, Star Ocean 2 and Lunar 1&2 (I do not have the same restriction as below), FFT (tactics grid based games really have not changed much since Shining Force) PS: Just because I am saying that some games are harder to play (now for me) does not mean, if someone has not played one of them they should not. PSPS: I know you did not rate Grandia, but it is a port from Sega Saturn.
You could argue that there are better Jrpg games than FFVII but to me, it's the best ever since it's the game that made me love the genre. I've tried some games before it and hated all of them pretty much. FFVII is the reason why I love Jrpg.
Honestly I agree. The reason most people rank ff7 so high is either because it's the only jrpg they played or the first one. It's not bad but pretty basic as far as jrpgs go. And yeah, hasn't aged too well. Didn't look amazing for the time either.
Ok here goes ; 1. Suikoden 2. Suikoden 2 3. FFVII 4. Star Ocean 2 5. Grandia 6. Legend of Dragoon 7. Xenogears 8. FFIX 9. Persona 2: EP 10. Koudelka With some quality of life improvements, Xenogears could easily be 3. Still need to play wild arms, BOFIV, and Final fantasy tactics
Well this video is old so no one will see this, but prepare for the weirdest list of PS1 RPG favorites you've ever seen! Not only do I have to think of ones I actually beat. But I have very odd tastes. Honorable mention: Tales of Phantasia. I beat it on the SNES via translation, and got far in the PS1 remake English patched, but the computer I was playing the ROM on died and deleted all my progress. :( 11: Rhapsody A Musical Adventure (Because I wanted to mention it damn it! It's dumb, it's silly, and I love it) 10: Valkryie Profile. (This only ranks because I had a walkthrough to get the best ending. I hate games that make you have to figure out complicated nonsense to get the best ending. I do NOT have time to play an RPG several times to figure that shit out.) 9: Xenogears. (This one was my second favorite RPG at one point, but it's just been too long since I played it. 8: Final Fantasy 9 (I liked it, but the others were better in my opinion) 7: Final Fantasy 7 (Sephy Fanboy sorry.) 6: Final Fantasy 8. (Maybe it was because I played it during my Teen angst years. I just really liked Squall and Rinona. I'm sorry.) 5: Alundra (Action RPG but still counts. This was such an amazing experience. 4: Tales of Eternia (Destiny 2) I'm a Tales of Fanboy. Trying to FINALLY play through Destiny 1 right now) 3:Lunar 1 Silver Star Story (I wrote this list backward can you tell?) 2:Lunar 2 Eternal Blue (If I didn't include ports I wouldn't even fill this list. Also like I'm sure many others. This was the first time I played a Lunar game. No I did NOT have a Sega CD) 1: Chrono Cross. Yeah I think I have to agree with you. Chrono Trigger is literally my favorite RPG ever. I still love it's sequel, though this could get bumped off if I replayed some games. If anyone is like: "Hey why no strategy RPGs?" Because I hate strategy RPGS. Sorry.
10 Breath of Fire IV 9 Final Fantasy Tactics 8 Suikoden 7 Final Fantasy VIII 6 Chrono Cross 5 Xenogears 4 Valkyrie Profile 3 Suikoden II 2 Final Fantasy IX 1 The Legend of Dragoon
Suikoden as a series, at least the PS1 games, don't get as much love as they deserve. I would agree that 2 is objectively better than 1, but it's one of those rare times where the sequel does everything the first game does, just better. With how short the first game is though, and how the save data transfers, it is still well worth a play. I find myself souring on Xenogears as I get older. Along with all the issues you have mentioned, it's also what I like to call a "talk to everyone in town twice to proceed" kind of of game. That's not a problem the first playthrough of a game (I was in love with Xenogears on my first playthrough) but playing it again just becomes a chore. Some games you can engage with as much of the story as you want, some games force you to engage with ALL of it. I'm one of those people who prefer Breath of Fire 3 over Breath of Fire 4. I think they are pretty equal in a lot of respects, but BoF4 really dropped the ball when it came to dragon formations and the Master system.
Xenogears is a jewel, simply love this game
I find the fight between it and FF9 for 4th place very interesting since the two games kinda complement each other imo : I find flaws in Xenogears' gameplay while I find flaws in FF9's story. The gameplay in FF9 is way better than Xenogears's while the story in Xenogears is way better than FF9's. Still, two of the best JRPGs for sure.
Agreed, the only thing i hate on Xenogears is the platforming section. Combining with random ecounter is the bad idea, i remember i pressed jump button a few miliseconds before ecounter triggered, and i ended up falling. Overall i enjoyed the battle mechanic and the story. My favorite ps1 JRPG alongside with Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross.
100%
I agree but the fact that disc 2 is basically a visual novel hurts it a lot.
Xenogears is good, but Fenrir is better.
It's a shame that Legend of Legaia is so underrated, it is by far my favorite rpg on playstation, the story is pretty dark and the gameplay is fun as hell
Suikoden 2 also IMO has probably the most bad ass antagonist of all time in Luca Blight. I mean how many other games can you think of where the bad guy gets the last laugh by mocking you even after you beat him by telling you he alone took out armies and that it took armies to just take him out.
To me,xenogear is my favorite game of all time,I wish square enix can remake one day!
Xenogears, Brave Fencer Musashi, FF7, Chrono Cross, Lunar2, Lunar, FF9, FFT, Saga Frontier, and Legend Of Dragoon are my top 10 ps1 RPGs . I haven't played Grandia yet , but I want to change that soon. I have a feeling it would take a spot on the list. I don't think FF7 is overrated, its still one of my favorites and I'v played a lot of RPGs.
I had a former friend who was a huge Grandia fan and because of that...couldn't get into it. Odd how that kind of thing goes, but every time I even think to play it, I think of this guy and, well, bad associations ruin it for me.
Chrono cross is legendary game, when you fall a sleep on the beach, when you hear the music of the other world, when you see the grave, the story , the endings..it will always be my number 1.
Xenogears was such an incredible experience for me back in 1998. I was already a long time RPG fan, I'd been playing them since the NES. But Xenogears was just different from start to finish. The story was more than just good, it was vast and epic and endlessly fascinating. And it was only one small part of the whole story, there was potential for so much more. Final Fantasy Tactics was way more influential and memorable for me than FFVII could ever be. The story was so mature and serious and I really loved the artstyle and the job system. Keep in mind that FF3 and FF5 had not released in the west yet. FFVII on the otherhand, I'm just so tired of it. I'm tired of seeing it, I'm tired of hearing about it, I'm tired of SE releasing endless spinoffs. It was a great game back in 1997 but today it really does fully embody the actual definition of the term "overrated." Chrono Cross I need to give another chance. I played it and beat it back in the 90s and I remember being disappointed in it because it wasn't anything like Chrono Trigger. I barely remember anything about my playthrough other than having to be a cat most of the game.
I'm a huge fan of FFVII and it helped open up many worlds of philosophy and friendships to me. But I can definitely see what you mean, all of these other games deserve just as much praise for different reasons. Though FFVII is definitely one of my favorite games of all time, FF6, Earthbound, they are up there too. Ps1 had so many amazing rpg games too, xenogears is so freaking beautiful, the soundtrack is unforgettable.
Same with chrono cross dude , i remember waiting at the game rental place so i would get my hands on what i had dubbed chrono trigger 2 and man was i dissapointed
Xenogears is my no 1 fav jrpg. As a young kid I felt like I was playing a great robot anime. Yeah it had its flaws esp the second disk but overall the characters, music, robots, cut scenes and battle system made it more memorable for me than other jrpgs.
Suikoden 1 being so short is a PERK to me. I love that it's a PSX JRPG that I can experience again without hesitation because it's not a huge time investment. My Xenogears playtrhoughs tend to be 50 hours, even if I prefer it.
Ive played RPGs at a younger age, mainly Super Mario Bros Rpg... but it wasnt until a played a demo on the PC of FF7, that really led me to the path of JRPGS and falling in love with the JRPGS genre. So yes i started a little late on collecting them. lol
It's ridiculous to me how well Suikoden 2 has aged thanks to those those gorgeous big sprites.
Great list! For me, my top 10 is this.
10. Guardian's Crusade
9. Breath of Fire III
8. Gensou Suikoden
7. Final Fantasy VII
6. Legend of Legaia
5. Arc the Lad II
4. Vandal Hearts
3. Wild Arms
2. Grandia (since you included it despite it being a port)
1. Gensou Suikoden II
My top 10 PS1 JRPG
1. Final Fantasy IX
2. Final Fantasy Tactics
3. Brigandine: The Legend of Forsenia
4. Suikoden II
5. Breath of Fire III
6. Final Fantasy VII
7. Chrono Cross
8. Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth
9. Legend of Dragoon
10. Tactics Ogre
I guess this explains why I like your channel so much. Goated list for sure
Legend of Legaia should really be up there in the top 10
Recently replayed it still great in my book but damn i forgot how unimpressive the overwold looked compared to the battle graphics
You definitely need to give Vagrant Story another chance when it's turn comes up for a remake/remaster! I can understand that the complex mechanics turned some off, but with some updated QoL improvements, it's absolutely worth coming back to in order to experience the incredible storytelling, writing, cinematics, and awesome lore/worldbuilding (Ivalice rules!).
The combat and crafting are actually really compelling though, if you invest into learning it. One of it's biggest issues these days though is the interface, and how tedious it can be to change weapons. That aside, it's a meticulously crafted system that is really rewarding once you understand how it works. It just needs better UI/UX and some tutorialization so it's not so opaque to newcomers.
No ports I'll be that guy. Top 10 no order:
Persona 1
Wild Arms
FF7
FF8
FF9
Xenogears
Thousand Arms
Grandia
Brave Fencer Musashi
Chrono Cross
Looking at this list Square really did shape my childhood.
thousand arms. one of my favorite, has the best humor in all jrpg ive played
1) Xenogears - it's also my number 1 of all time for any platform
2) Legend of Dragoon - the limited item count was rough, but I quickly got used to it. I rented that game until I nearly beat it and never asked for another game for xmas more besides Xenogears. Also does anyone else remember the commercial for it that Dart chopped off Lloyds head and a director called cut, it was the first trailer for anything I ever saw that was not using game or movie footage and was hilarious.
3) FF8 - this and FF7 are both very close, but 8 I feel is just better. The junction system being the only flaw for me, and even then not a huge deal.
4) Chrono Cross - Of note, I also own all the soundtracks for each game listed to this point, but this ones so powerful, if I was rating soundtracks instead, this would be a tie for first easy with Xeno (same composer, imagine that). That said the opening song to FF8 still raises the hair on my body.
5) FF7 - not much to say here, just a solid game that like the others on this list I own every port and have played multiple times through. I remember playing this side by side with Xeno but Xeno just blew my mind at the time.
6) Star Ocean 2 - my ONLY complaint on this was the crafting system. I raged trying for so many end game things in that system. Also I love the Valkyrie Profile cameos as secret bosses. The music for this is horribly under rated too and I wish I owned the OST.
7) FFT - though I never played this really on PS1, my friend had it and I watched but never played myself until it was on PSP
8) Vanguard Bandits - I remember this game as brutally hard back in the day. There are no random battles to level up, so if you are wiping the floor of enemies early, the game will make you pay for it in the end.
9) FF9 - I dont have a 10 for this list that I can think of, so I'll cap it off with FF9. I have to admit I have a deep prejudice against this game, the multiplayer was so gimmicky and the Prima guide (not the games fault) was next level terribad and became an example for all time how not to do a game guide, so I had a hard time getting into it. That and I didn't own it myself until I was an adult so I could only play it at my friends house that did, also didn't help.
Bruh, that list is almost similar to my own personal favorites on PS1. Here's mine:
01. Xenogears
02. Suikoden II
03. Chrono Cross
04. Valkyrie Profile
05. Final Fantasy VII
06. The Legend of Dragoon
07. Star Ocean: Second Story
08. Parasite Eve
09. Vagrant Story
10. Koudelka
Final Fantasy Tactics has really good mature story, good plot twists, i highly recommend the PSP version which has improved translation and stylized cutscenes. It has to be my favorite tactical rpg, and one of top 3 rpgs ever
Wasn't Grandia a port? I thought it was a Saturn game.
1. Final Fantasy 7
2. Suikoden 2
3. Legend of Dragoon
4. Breath of Fire 4
5. Breath of Fire 3
6. Wild Arms
7. Alundra
8. Final Fantasy 9
9. Suikoden
10. Chrono Cross
I think Persona 2 should be in top 10 on PS1. The plot, music, atmosphere, characters are great. Even the idea itself is much more original than classic fantasy jrpg.
I would even include persona 1. I understand that the new games appeal to a wider audience but damn, the original 3 games have such a good atmosphere that i just prefer them.
Stand tall and shake the heavens. So iconic
Vagrant Story is incredible, but you need the strategy guide for the maps. Also, once you learn which weapon type does the most damage to which enemies, the overall game becomes much easier. And the final boss twist at the end of the game will blow your mind.
Chrono Cross is a masterpiece, from the story to the music. I'd say Chrono Cross, FF VII, and FF Tactics are top 3 in no particular order.
My best top 10 ps1 games
Lunar 1&2
Star ocean 2
Breath of fire 4
Final fantasy tactics
Parasite eve
Ff 8
Ff 9
Legend of mana
And finally hoshigami
My list for ps 1: #1 Xenogear #2 breath of fire 3 #3 star ocean second departure #4 suikoden 2 #5 suikoden 1 , #6 legend of dragoon , # 7 vandal heart , #8 parasite eve , #9 ff7 # 10 front mission 3 , i liked grandia but it took me getting older and coming back to it to really enjoy it
My top five are: 1. Suikoden II - 2. Xenogears - 3. Chrono Cross - 4. Suikoden - 5. Final Fantasy IX. I'm pretty much like Erick mostly in top five and have FFIX being my favorite of the as well as feeling FFVII is a bit overrated (still a great game and probably my rank 10).
Xenogears and final fantasy 9 and tactics are everything
I played a lot of these games but not all of them. FF7 was definitely my favorite for many reasons. I loved the divergence from traditional RPG settings and I found the story and characters very satisfying. The music was amazing and the gameplay wasn't bad either. After that would be both Suikodens.
I have played them all,my favorite 3 are final fantasy tactics,xenogears,legend of dragoon
Chrono cross is amazing too
FF9 needs a Remake and same for The Legend of Dragoon
Xenogears was, is, and will always be #1 on my list of all games. Is it flawed? Absolutely. But its vast and epic story just blows my mind, and its beautiful music never grows old to me. To tell the truth, I still haven't tried XenoBlade series, because Xenogears is a standard too high to reach, so that it makes me fear that I may be disappointed by XenoBlade.
I cannot choose between FFT and Suikoden. I loved them both very much and both are easily in my top 10 games of all times. If I'm forced to choose however, I'd go with Suikoden. There's something special about this game for me.
are you me? A Patrick with same two favorite games. I also choose suikoden over fft but I think just because of the scope. if suikoden was a stand alone, it would be much harder to decide which is better
Rumour said that suikoden remastered will be released in a week
Nice. Hoshigami was one of my first SRPGs. I had it for Nintendo DS. My mom got it for me.
Legend of Legaia is definitelt in my top5. The first jrpg I ever played and the one that started all. Also, ffviii top 3
I am baffled as to why Eric loves Vandal Hearts but hates FF Tactics.
I much prefer FF Tactics.
Vandal Hearts was a pretty basic tactics game while FF Tactics was so very deep. I did play every game mentioned on this list and liked all of them....except that Hoshigami game (whatever it was called) that Eric mentioned jokingly at the end.
He likes lots of PS1and 2 tactics rpgs, such as Vandal Hearts, Eternal Poison, Stella Deus, Kartia, and other, but not FF Tactics of Tactics Ogre. I remember on one of his much older videos, he mentioned something to the fact that he really, really did not enjoy the permadeath feature on Tactics. I think it made the game too stressful to be enjoyable for him or some such thing. I think it has to do more with permadeath more that anything.
Suikoden 2 is definitely #2 for me too, and yes, Cross is my #1 as well and deserves to be #1. This is why I subscribe to you. You're a very wise, respectful JRPG connoisseur. [and you are 100% correct, FF7 is overrated as fffck]
3:03 - 3:11 Guren No Yumiya? Even the key change is quite similar :D
For the next list would you like to show more about rpg tactics for ps 2 or psp and i so appreciate your list
After playing Suikoden I and II for the first time in the last couple years, I literally cannot understand how it isn't way higher in a lot of people's lists/isn't listed at all. As of right now, Suikoden II is easily my top PS1 game.
I personally just didn't enjoyed them that much. They are good but they just wouldn't make it into my list.
Here is my top 10 (never played Xenogears):
1 - Final Fanyasy 8
2 - Final Fantasy 7
3 - Final Fantasy 9
4 - The Legend of Dragoon
5 - Suikoden 2
6 - Star Ocean The Second Story
7 - Breath of Fire 4
8 - Grandia
9 - Chrono Cross
10 - Final Fantasy Tactics
Vagrant Story on consensus feels like what everybody did with Inception. It had unique ideas, abysmal execution but everyone puts it in their list of ''the greatest'' to look like intellectuals.
Since we aren't counting ports, my list is slightly different than it would normally be.
First off, the only static position I have is my number one spot, which is Final Fantasy 9, but spots 2-10 can be any of the following in any order: Breath of Fire 3, Chrono Cross, Dragon Warrior 7, Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy Tactics, Grandia, Legend of Legaia, Star Ocean 2, and Xenogears.
I really enjoyed FF7, and have completed it multiple times, but FF8 is a game that I would replay religiously.
Not the whole game, but all of disc one.
I love Breath of Fire 4 as well, but I always felt it was lame that Ryu didn't have dragon form specific combat sprites like he did in BoF3 and instead just used palate swaps of the same hybrid dragon form that would "transform" into underwhelming CGI cutscenes to show the actual dragon forms, which has always made that game the lesser for me, even though I loved the elemental comboing and reserve character mechanics.
Legend of Legaia is my RPG heart and soul, and the reason I continue to play RPGs to this day, even though I'm sure most people wouldn't rank it in their top 10, unless they were specifically asked to rank their favorite Sony published RPGs lol
legend of legaia needs more love, hope sony port it on ps4/5, like what they did with the legend of dragoon
Chrono Cross is my favourite game of all time. I adore it so much.
As another suikoden die hard, the problem with 1 is the inventory system, and...ehm, one specific minigame.
That minigame is rage inducing. The rng is unbelievably bad. Iirc, sometimes you will get a quick run with it and sometimes it can take ages.
Vandal Hearts is excellent, will probably forever be a hidden gem
This list is great because it has a lot of good games no matter what. I can't wait to try out the Suikoden bundle when it comes out! And while I still have my ps3, I do wish they would put Xenogears on the ps4 or the switch lol. It sounds great and I haven't tried it yet.
My favorite, and only game I really "finished" (ie: Watched brothers finish while little) on the list, is Legend of the Dragoon. This was purely because by the time my family managed to get a ps1 was when the ps2 was out and I was able to borrow the game from a friend. The only other games we had was Driver 3, the Spyro games, and Ape Escape. We had more but those are the ones I distinctly remember. LotD and Pokemon were my gateway to these games and got me to realize that there was more than driving a vehicle or platformers. Funnily enough the friend that lent me LotD was also the same friend that got me into pokemon lol...and Tales, now that I think on it.
Just bought Breath of Fire 3 and Legend of Legaia in like new condition. I can't wait to play them. Vagrant Story is great I love the combat, story, art, customization. I would give it another chance if I was you it's a one of a kind experience.
FF IX 💖
disappointed at this list no mention of legend of legaia? sir if you haven't touch it play it now, you're missing out on one the greatest jrpg on the ps1 era, for me it has the best battle mechanics better than any jrpg I've played on the ps1, also would like to recommend thousand arms rpg with the best humor. for anyone reading this comment and decided to check out this two game, you;re welcome.
I used to cheese the encounters of xenogears so bad, load the zone and pop the lid of the PlayStation, no disk to read no encounters lol
is lunar eternal blue a port? because i replayed it a lot, i got adicted when i played it, maybe was a mix of beign a teenager and a begginer in jrpg, the love in this game is pure
Final fantasy 8 and Chrono Cross are the best RPG to me
I love the art-style of Xenogears and I was so psyched to play it, but the text speed is just unbearably slow
We need to find out more about the Kingdom of Harmonia. Those dudes have been involved in so many shaddy business in so many Suikoden for years!
Final fantasy 8 my favorite
My top 10
1.ff7
2.Xeno gears
3.Star ocean: the second story
4.Crono cross
5. Breath of fire 4
6.ff tactics
7.Legend of dragoon
8.Suikoden 2
9.Lunar: silver star story complete
10.Vagrant story
Lunar SSC wasnt really a port for the west. It was a remake of the Sega CD version and I think a port from Saturn in Japan, but the west only ever saw the PS1 release of that version of the game.
it would make for an interesting video, going over how you compiled the consensus. i look at a lot of top ps1 rpg lists to figure out what to get into.
so maybe list the website or magazine or youtube with their rankings? i’d be interested.
I watch all your videos I was just wondering why do I have yo follow a link instead of just clicking a thumbnail not batching I was just wondering
My Top 3 favorites of all time is 1. Xenogears 2. Legend of Dragoon 3. Chrono Cross
Suikoden II is my favorite of all time. Have played it many times and never gets old. Glad to see how much it’s praised nowadays. FF9 is close second!
Grandia starts really slow but after about 10 hours it gets amazing.
Great list, man! I was happy to see my top two favorites, Chrono Cross and Legend of Dragoon, on there. That's where I got my username actually! And your fakeout for number one made me laugh, good stuff.
I am curious why Grandia is on here, though. The PS1 version is a port to my knowledge, originally on Saturn (1997) and later PS1 (1999) in Japan... but I don't think the Saturn version was released in the West, so maybe that's your reasoning?
Anyway I love the comparison style here man; it's a very well thought out video, thanks for making it!
Isn't Grandia a port too?Saturn had it two years ahead and thanks to fans it now in english
Great list.PS1 had so many great rpgs it is absurd .
Only the SNES had a library in the same level.
There are still great rpgs waiting to be fantranslated for both systems ,like the original versions (not enhanced ports for DS or PS4) of Romancing Saga 2 and Dragon Quest IV remake
It's always nice move to present something else as number one and then show real number one 🙂I feel that nostalgia reasons weight a lot. For example, my first PS1 FF game was Final Fantasy 8 so it is usually in the top place. But awesome selection of RPG games again.
Yeah, nostalgia seems to trump quality any day. If a game makes you feel anything, then it's likely to last longer in your memory than other games you know objectively are a better game, but subjectively...meh. I always preferred FF8 over FF7. I just remember there being so much hype for 7 that never delivered for me. The magnum opus of FF, for me at any rate, has always been 4. Nothing has ever come close. It had a basic game system, but for the first time in gaming, for me, it had a griping story, great characters, and it was one of the only games of its length that I've beaten repeatedly. Now, looking back as an adult, and tried the 3D remake, I couldn't get into it. It had that zeitgeist, lighting-in-a-bottle effect for me that is just...gone, you know? I've been trying to find it's successor all my life and I've never found it.
Personal out of the “Chrono” games I prefer Chrono Trigger but as this is a PS1 list and Trigger only has a subpar port on that system I will have to agree that Chrono Cross is up there as one of my favorites ps1 JRPGS after suikoden 2 and Lunar Sliver Star Story Complete(I had no idea it was a port when I fist picked up a copy at my local reto game store years ago, and I just can’t not include it as it was one of my first purchases when I started working and I just fell in love with it)
I've never played any of the Wild Arms games, but I want to after seeing your videos on them. I hope for a Wild Arms Remastered collection. I prefer original hardware usually, but these games aren't cheap.
I like your list more than the 'best' list. It's much closer than mine. Actually, if you gave Final Fantasy Tactics another chance and end up liking it, we'd be very close. I still need to play Chrono Cross, though. It's next on my backlog and am looking forward to it.
Agreed man Cross is and always will be my fav ps1 jrpg. Also unpopular opinion.. I've always liked ff8 more than 7.
Had to sub over the fellow FF9 and Chrono Cross fangirling. Can't ever get enough of those games
Awesome , nice list.
Please! Help me find a game!
I remember the game from childhood, the genre was JRPG, it was in Japanese, little known. I lost the disc (From memory, I remember the following moments in fragments, because I played at 9-10 years old:
The game has a top view, real time control
1. Protagonist - a guy, several times the control went for other characters.
2. The game starts in the laboratory, there is a battle with a couple of enemies as I remember. The second location is a ruined modern city. At the end is the boss.
3. I remember a beach, a forest, a desert, space (hard mission on a spaceship), then a shipwreck.
4. Boss fight, 3v1, in the forest.
5. Laboratory, some secret base of scientists.
6. Desperate search for a certain girl, who by the end of the level was injured (in my opinion on the beach)
6. Constant battles with robots, and Protagonist has his own robot. Ship battles in space were also done in the traditional JRPG style, turn-based.
7. Locations were loaded during transitions.
8. The atmosphere of the game is quite depressing and gloomy.
It's not Xenogears!
Only game I can think of that sounds like that is Saga Frontier but it's just a guess, hope you can find it if it's not that.
@TheSmilebit I found it. It's Super Hero Sakusen, anyway, thank you!
Xenogears was amazing
FF vii, suikoden 2, c Cross, xenogears, v profile, legend of dragoon, FF tatics, legend of legaia, FF ix, wild arms 2
Suikoden and Xenogears, FF9 were the top for PS1
BoF3 is my favorite. I bought a copy BEFORE I had bought the Playstation console to guarantee I was going to play it someday.
I guess my top 10 would be something like this:
1 - Bof3
2 - FF7
3 - Vandal Hearts
4 - Final Fantasy Tactics
5 - Chrono Cross
6 - Valkyrie Profile
7 - Kartia: Word of Fate
8 - Grandia
9 - Mega Man Legends 2
10 - Bof4
1.FF9
2.FF7
3.FF8
4.FFT
5.Suikoden 2/Xenogears
My top 3: Valkyrie Profile, Legend of Legaia, Chrono Cross.
When looking for random battles in FFVii world map, why weren't you holding down L1 and spinning in circles? ..
Man, that manual meandering drives me nuts.
I haven't played Vandal Hearts, but I loved the second game. Apparently most people think it is worse than the first though.
Star Ocean the Second Story was awesome!
I wish I loved Vagrant Story more, but the system was rather complicated and the weapon degradation (if I remember correctly) is something I never liked in any game.
I prefer FF X and VIII over IX, but it is still a wonderful game.
Suikoden is life. Suikoden 2 is my favourite game of all time.
It gives me supreme joy that FF7 is down at 10 on your list. It's good but so over-hyped for the last 30 years or however long.
I think for me its
Xenogears
Final Fantasy Tactics
Legend of Mana
Vanguard bandits
Breath of Fire 3
Ff7
Parasite Eve
Vandal Hearts
Star Ocean 2
Azure Dreams
I think some of the top ones in general do not play all that great as you said.
Trying to play the orignal versions of them now seems boring for the most part. FFVII, CC (was not really updated for the newer version either), and Xenogears (I had problems with movement recently)
I can still play the original versions of BoF 3&4, Suikoden 1&2, Vandal Hearts 1&2, Star Ocean 2 and Lunar 1&2 (I do not have the same restriction as below), FFT (tactics grid based games really have not changed much since Shining Force)
PS: Just because I am saying that some games are harder to play (now for me) does not mean, if someone has not played one of them they should not.
PSPS: I know you did not rate Grandia, but it is a port from Sega Saturn.
Hidden gem of PS1: Legend of Legaia and Breath of Fire IV
You could argue that there are better Jrpg games than FFVII but to me, it's the best ever since it's the game that made me love the genre. I've tried some games before it and hated all of them pretty much. FFVII is the reason why I love Jrpg.
A few months ago I bought a copy of Chrono cross.
Honestly I agree. The reason most people rank ff7 so high is either because it's the only jrpg they played or the first one. It's not bad but pretty basic as far as jrpgs go. And yeah, hasn't aged too well. Didn't look amazing for the time either.
Ok here goes ;
1. Suikoden
2. Suikoden 2
3. FFVII
4. Star Ocean 2
5. Grandia
6. Legend of Dragoon
7. Xenogears
8. FFIX
9. Persona 2: EP
10. Koudelka
With some quality of life improvements, Xenogears could easily be 3.
Still need to play wild arms, BOFIV, and Final fantasy tactics
You need to get rid of the red boarder around the thumbnail image. I saw this and thought I had already watched it.
Well this video is old so no one will see this, but prepare for the weirdest list of PS1 RPG favorites you've ever seen! Not only do I have to think of ones I actually beat. But I have very odd tastes.
Honorable mention: Tales of Phantasia. I beat it on the SNES via translation, and got far in the PS1 remake English patched, but the computer I was playing the ROM on died and deleted all my progress. :(
11: Rhapsody A Musical Adventure (Because I wanted to mention it damn it! It's dumb, it's silly, and I love it)
10: Valkryie Profile. (This only ranks because I had a walkthrough to get the best ending. I hate games that make you have to figure out complicated nonsense to get the best ending. I do NOT have time to play an RPG several times to figure that shit out.)
9: Xenogears. (This one was my second favorite RPG at one point, but it's just been too long since I played it.
8: Final Fantasy 9 (I liked it, but the others were better in my opinion)
7: Final Fantasy 7 (Sephy Fanboy sorry.)
6: Final Fantasy 8. (Maybe it was because I played it during my Teen angst years. I just really liked Squall and Rinona. I'm sorry.)
5: Alundra (Action RPG but still counts. This was such an amazing experience.
4: Tales of Eternia (Destiny 2) I'm a Tales of Fanboy. Trying to FINALLY play through Destiny 1 right now)
3:Lunar 1 Silver Star Story (I wrote this list backward can you tell?)
2:Lunar 2 Eternal Blue (If I didn't include ports I wouldn't even fill this list. Also like I'm sure many others. This was the first time I played a Lunar game. No I did NOT have a Sega CD)
1: Chrono Cross. Yeah I think I have to agree with you. Chrono Trigger is literally my favorite RPG ever. I still love it's sequel, though this could get bumped off if I replayed some games.
If anyone is like: "Hey why no strategy RPGs?" Because I hate strategy RPGS. Sorry.
10 Breath of Fire IV
9 Final Fantasy Tactics
8 Suikoden
7 Final Fantasy VIII
6 Chrono Cross
5 Xenogears
4 Valkyrie Profile
3 Suikoden II
2 Final Fantasy IX
1 The Legend of Dragoon
Suikoden as a series, at least the PS1 games, don't get as much love as they deserve. I would agree that 2 is objectively better than 1, but it's one of those rare times where the sequel does everything the first game does, just better. With how short the first game is though, and how the save data transfers, it is still well worth a play.
I find myself souring on Xenogears as I get older. Along with all the issues you have mentioned, it's also what I like to call a "talk to everyone in town twice to proceed" kind of of game. That's not a problem the first playthrough of a game (I was in love with Xenogears on my first playthrough) but playing it again just becomes a chore. Some games you can engage with as much of the story as you want, some games force you to engage with ALL of it.
I'm one of those people who prefer Breath of Fire 3 over Breath of Fire 4. I think they are pretty equal in a lot of respects, but BoF4 really dropped the ball when it came to dragon formations and the Master system.
Grandia was a port as well...
I agree with your list more than the popular ones. I still need to play Chrono Cross
The first growlanser deserves to be here
FF VIII #1