This is why I'm getting as many unique rpg games as I can find on my switch. I want a library of games I can rotate through with unique gameplay that will never get me bored. Rpg can make systems fun with a few changes here and there and that's half the fun
@@PawapuroJRPGfan878 when you say next to PS4, that's why I have a PS5. My PS4 was 7 years old, bought in 2015, and games seemed to take longer to load. It's night and day, the entire quality of life improvement is worth it to me. That, and I wanted 4K without getting a Pro or a 4K Blu-ray player. Kinda pointless when you've got a 75 inch 4K TV and your main game console is the weakest thing connected to it 🤷 It also helps give me some longevity on the games I can play so it's not just games out now but 4-5 years from now, fun new controllers (PS4 controllers didn't get cheaper), and a baked in library of games that all load faster, sound richer, and look better. It's probably not an upgrade everyone's going to go with, but when I hear "That game is on PS4 too" it almost makes me laugh. To think it's the same exact experience is comical.
I know it’s not an RPG but I’m so excited I have to tell everyone! I just bought Silent Hill 2 from a yard sale for $15!!! Aaaahhhh I have to get my piss 2 out of storage
Scarlet Nexus was such a sharp turnaround from its initial reveal to early trailers, demo and release. At first I had no interest until JayRPG showed off some info that it had a lot more story/RPG elements in it, then the trailers showed characters on opposite sides of a conflict, then the demo came out and by the time I was done with that I just HAD to get it. :D
Xenogears is my favorite piece of fiction ever, so I absolutely love when you say it's "the absolute best, best story ever written for a video game in existence. That's right." :D Hell yeah!!
Perhaps for many, but I adore it. It's got flaws for sure, but it's so dear to me. I didn't mind the second disc's format since I was there more for story than gameplay, although I do wish there would've been more space to flesh that portion out, since so much happened in the story.
Valkyria Chronicles 4. Never thought I'd have so much fun playing a war game like that. Double for code name steam Fe fates and engage. Rocking good gameplay system that is never tiring to have fun playing. Bug fable. It has things I wish the ttyd remake just stole from like all missions being accepted at once. Plus gameplay is fire when you know how to combo Tokyo mirage sessions. I like how the side characters can help combo too as games with team attacks are always fun
Thsi silliest decision of FF12 was that we are not actually in the protagonist shoes we are in the OBSERVER characters shoes. If you really think of it, we are watching the PROTAGONIST from the side. But honestly that game was super Deep when it came out and it looked amazing for a PS2 game. Remember that game looked that good on a PS2.
....Oh, continued: I was glad to see Tales of Legendia at the end. Tales of Destiny, Phantasia, & Legendia are my 3 favorites in the series. And the character quests after the game .... the feels. (now I wish they'd bring the PS2 director's cut of Destiny over ... but nah, not Namco.
I can hardly remember Xenogears anymore. I played it in my teens near the english launch and never revisited it, yet to this day vague recollections give me a warm, comforting feeling. Despite the fact that I can hardly remember it any longer I consider it to be one of my favorite games of all time. I recall the emotions I felt while playing more than anything else. I never even finished the game, yet I felt a connection to the characters and story that has never been surpassed.
SUMMARY FOR BUSY PEOPLE: Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of 10 JRPGs that surpassed my expectations! Let’s dive in. Number 10: Final Fantasy 12 I was hesitant about this one, thinking the series had lost its charm. But it surprised me with its expansive world and mature story, despite Van being a lackluster protagonist. The remaster fixed many issues, making it even better. Number 9: Scarlet Nexus I thought the combat looked too complex, so I played on easy. To my surprise, I loved the dark sci-fi story and intricate character development. The combat became a highlight for me! Number 8: Eternal Sonata Initially, I expected a childlike rhythm game. Instead, I found a poignant story inspired by composer Chopin and unique combat. The multiplayer mode was a fun bonus! Number 7: Shadow Hearts Starting with the third entry, I thought the series was all about comedy. Playing the first game revealed a dark, gothic narrative that blew me away with its depth. Number 6: Unicorn Overlord I was skeptical about this strategy RPG, expecting a typical grid-based game. Instead, I found a vibrant world to explore with engaging gameplay that revitalized the genre. Number 5: Like a Dragon, Infinite Wealth I was excited for this sequel but didn’t expect the dual protagonist setup. Learning more about Kazuma and the engaging story made it a standout experience. Number 4: Xenogears After a frustrating start, I finally played through the whole game and discovered an incredible story that remains one of the best in gaming history. Number 3: Xenosaga Episode 3 Having struggled with the first two games, my expectations were low. However, this entry surpassed them with a compelling story and improved mechanics, making it a fantastic conclusion. Number 2: Triangle Strategy I expected a Final Fantasy Tactics clone, but it turned out to be a brilliant tactical RPG with a gripping narrative and multiple endings. A must-play! Number 1: Tales of Legendia I picked this up randomly years ago and was initially confused but captivated. After overcoming a game-breaking glitch, I experienced a story unlike any other in RPGs, making me a lifelong fan of the series. And that’s a wrap on 10 JRPGs that exceeded my expectations! Thanks for watching-don’t forget to subscribe and share with your friends. See you next time!
Xeno saga episode 3 is one of the rpg that got me emotional, few games like MGS 3 snake eater that actually made me tear up. epic adventure, emotional scene and a good soundtrack. games that actually have souls in them, the combat system is ok but battle animation is a bit simple and very stiff, a contrast to its cinematic dramatic fluidity cut scene, and other than the not so impressive battle animation this game is beautiful that tackles mature themes in a very humane way possible.
Love the content Erick, and thank you for all you do. This video although not showcasing any games I had not heard of, def made some get to the front of my play/find list. So many amazing games in this one video. Cheers man.
So many greats on this list. Xenogears is still my favorite RPG ever. Yakuza is still my favorite game series ever. Xenosaga III more than lived up to the series' promise. Shadow Hearts series needs a comeback, but I'm more than happy to give the upcoming Penny Blood spiritual successor a try.
Can someone tell what the scenes at the very beginning of the video are from? I think the Xenosaga trilogy deserves a remaster. I've only ever played the first game, despite owning all three physically, but would really like to see them on modern hardware. Unfortunately they seem to share the list with titles like the Shadow Hearts trilogy and Valkyrie Profile 2, that never will be ported or remastered.
That's the first time i play a game that make me tear up yet nobody d.ie, it's just so unpredicted. The music is so amazing it's make my 17 ys old self cry like a baby every time i listen to the ending song 😢
Triangle Strategy mentioned 🗣️🗣️🗣️ I’ve played many other SRPGs but TS is easily the best one. Which makes sense considering it is one of the latest ones that has taken lessons from the classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, etc
Surprised to see Shadow Hearts on here. It's a good game, but I still need to finish it (am around 60% bit having a break to finish BoF 1. You didnt mention Koudelka, it is the first game in the series happening before Shadow Hearts, but I dont think you need to play it first tho. If you dont know it you should really check it out. It is a horror RPG with tactical grid battles and the BEST and most enchanting battle music I have heard. Cool to see Xenosaga 3, I am trying to get my hands on all 3 but either they are waaaay too expensive or just not around..
I played xenogears when released, but never could do again because my fucking cousin LOST DISC ONE! But is THE BEST story of any rpg till today, and would play it again even in the original format!
It's sad how there a ton of reasons why Xenogears isn't getting remade nor remastered. But for Xenosaga it's comes down Bandai Namco's greed, laziness, & unfaithfulness in their own IPs. Really don't like that company right now.
At bare minimum, they need to start realizing what people expect from a port these days. Time after time, ports done right get a ton of favor, yet they barely pay any attention to that market.
Some good games you mentioned here. The 1st Shadow Hearts is my favorite in the series & one of my favorite PS2 games, in fact, along with Summoner). It's such an awesome dark-toned game (spiritually continued from Koudelka). The 2nd one, Covenant, is almost just as awesome (with a refined battle system). You should play 1 & 2 back to back. They're connected. The 3rd one, From the New World ... meh. It lost its darker tones for too much humor. Blame the publisher.
Eternal Sonata was a weird case for me where I thought I would like it better than I did. It wasn't "that bad", but it unfortunately was just a bit worse than I was hoping. I'm interested in Unicorn Overlord but not sure about it yet. The name weirded me out and still does. But I'm curious about trying it out at some point. I love Tales of Legendia. I wish that game got more love.
TBH I loved Tales of Legendia. Only Tales game I fully finished. That said I don't care for the battle system but the world, characters, and gorgeous soundtrack kept me in to the end.
Only 1 thing keeps legendary from being number 1 fir all time for me. In combat how the characters overlap each other. The story, the characters, the music, the environment, even the fact that the main protagonist is a martial artists (something always relegated to a side character). Just perfect. Yeah it was a touch jarring that the second half wasn't voice acted, but even that didn't bother me super bad. The fact that the part legit felt like a family at the end was so great. Just that damn overlapping characters in combat. If they remade this game, only updating the graphics by giving the combat a field a more 3D FOV like symphonia....it would be hands down the best game ever, followed very closely by legend of dragoon and xenogears.
i have played most of the games of this video, i like this video a lot, i got amazed of legendia story, the music, the art and the extra chapters, not my tales best game but i liked better than abyss and others like eternia or zestiria, ffxii is a mixed bag for me so yeahh, its a good one to play, i wanna play unicorn overlord and triangle strategy but i am glued playing the trails series so... bad for the games in my backlog.
Mine would be mario rpg being my first back in the day. Ff7 and Zelda OoT were huge. To my surprise years later i really got into tales of symphonia and much later persona 5. I had overlooked these series til that point and they hit the mark. Also not an rpg but mario 3d world was the best one since the 90s. Game nailed it. 😅 Tales of legendia was my 2nd tales of game and i didnt like it as much. Still my least liked but i dont hate the game. Tales of has been the most consistent series i play and i appreciate that. Final fantasy is all over the place 😒
I have never heard of the Trails series when I saw Cold Steel 1 and 2 on Vita in 2017 but I knew it was an RPG … seven years later I’m waiting for July 5th to get Daybreak and have played the previous ten games. Now Trails is my favorite series lol. Xenogears is my favorite game but Trails is my just the best series in my opinion. Therefore, we each discovered Trails and Tales the same way lol. Great video as always, Erick.
I need to play eternal sonata already. I was also suprised about ff11. I think you arent supposed to think Vann is cool, which makes him and balthier even funnier.
Unicorn overlord really shocked by how good it was When i first saw the combat system i lost interest but when i continued on ,it ended up becoming one of my best games And i fell in love with the combat system
I have something to confess, I really liked vaan back in the Day, i was 15 when i player FFXII, it was my first rpg ever, i liked everything about this game, throughout the story I reallized that he was not that important on the events, but I continued to like him, maybe because i was a teenager to, so i could relate. I played 400h on this game lol, my favorite FF, Just the final boss was kind of meh, when you play the others and fight kefka, sephiroth, sin, ultimecia, kefka again (i hate this guy for real) you realize the final boss of XII its not in this kind of greatness villains of the séries, but this game is a masterpiece.
Tales of Legendia was amazing... Vibrant world, interesting story, great battle system... For like half of the game. No, really, the main story is like 50% of the game. After that, you get character scenarios, which don't even have voice acting anymore. I never finished that game because the latter half felt so dissapointing to me.
Xenosaga Episode 1 is my favourite of the Xenosaga trilogy, I thought it was a great setup for what promised to be an excellent series, but I didn't feel that either Episode 2 or 3 lived up - first off, the characters got dumb, like they started eating paint chips after Episode 1 and that's not just the voice acting or scene work, but the decisions they were making. They also cut features present in Episode 1 (particularly UMN stuff). The animations were vastly reduced, both sequels felt much less cinematic and lower in production value - Episode 3 had a better art style than 2, but not as good as Episode 1, and it never recovered the production values. But I think my main gripes with Episode 3 was the overwhelming volume of plot contrivances (I'd say more than Episode 1, Xenogears, and all the Xenoblade games combined about 2.5 to 3 times over... I mean lots and lots of stuff just poofs into existence to move the plot forward, and characters just randomly change to fit the plot. The story doesn't feel organic at all.), and that's on top of the random exposition dumps that didn't serve any real purpose... I'm guessing you probably got a feeling there were a lot of plot contrivances on your first play through (speaking from my own experience), but I found it was on my second and third playthroughs that I really started to notice just how contrived the Episode 3 plot actually was. The first game, though, IMO, that one just got better with each play through (the Encephalon section is still annoying, but not nearly as bad on subsequent playthroughs, I'm guessing that's where you got stuck). The easiest part in Episode 2 to get stuck is the Patriarch battle at the end, that is the toughest battle in any Xeno-game.
That's because of Bandai Namco. Xenosaga was supposed to be six games. BN didn't think Episode 1 sold enough units. So the budget was cut for the second game. Even the original focus of the second game was greatly reduced. Low sales also meant they had to wrap it up in the third game. It'd honestly surprising we even got the 3rd game. It was a whole mess that gutted what was meant to be a massive epic.
@@drewtheunspoken3988 A shame too, because it seemed like it was going to be one of the most interesting game series of all time (IMO). But I think a lot of it had to do with the bungling of Namco, who didn't publish Xenosaga Episode 1 in most countries, Xenosaga Episode 2 was the one that they decided to give the worldwide release for. It was probably a worse experience than those who started watching the Lord of the Rings film series with The Two Towers and no prior knowledge of the story - because at least The Two Towers was relatively the same in quality to the Fellowship of the Rings.
@lindenstromberg6859 it also didn't help that Xenosaga 2's combat system felt like a slog to get through. Every encounter made you feel under-leveled and lasted far too long. And the game itself only took about 12 hours to get through.
Xenosaga is by far my favorite game story - yes, slightly even more than the masterful Xenogears. I think I like Saga more because of its presentation. Sooo many cutscenes and I love it! Tales Of Legendia is also fantastic. I loved it. I was severely disappointed that the latter half got rid of ALL the voice acting. Apparently the voice director thought those were just sidequests. Still no excuse, and it's the one blemish on an otherwise fantastic game. And the music! Easily the best in the series. Was playing the God Eater trilogy which also had amazing music by the same composer, and it just reminded me how good Legendia's music actually was.
Hello Erick Landon! Did you see the direct that went live (and was published) yesterday? There were al sorts of unexpected announcements, especially JRPGs. Like I wasn't expecting a remake of Romancing Saga 2 and a Phantom Brave sequel. And they finally showed some more gameplay footage of the Dragon Quest III HD 2D remake and they are also remaking the first two games as well, tough they are releasing next year. What games do you plan on picking up from the direct? 4 games I plan to pick up from the direct are Hundred Line, the Phantom Brave sequel, Dragon Quest III HD 2D remake, and the Romancing Saga 2 remake
Would be interesting to know how other players think about these games and how much they sold to be either top or flop. Is FF12 Zodiac Age easier than the original game or has it even difficulty options? Played on PS2 but never finished.
Trying the FF14 free trial right now and it definitely looks to be taking a lot of cues from FF12's unique style, complete with open world, numerous species and good writing. The only problem I ever really had with FF12 was the dull combat.
I just started playing 12 for the first time, after first seeing the teaser screenshots years and years and years ago in Electronic Gaming Monthly. I'm playing The Zodiac Age Remastered, with like some really intensely upscaled textures (that still keep the aesthetic) and seeing it on here makes me miss that low res ps2 grunginess. Fantastic game so far. Just got done talking to the Dreamer. The gambit a.i. system is actually kind of awesome. Its a bit much at first, and you're really limited with what you can do and how you can do it, but just like the Golem a.i. system in Legend of Mana, theres a depth too it that just feels so cathartic when you see it land without your direct intervention. I love Ivalice. That whole world is just so perfect to me. It feels like a much more high tech but still like high fantasy grounded world compared to Final Fantasy Tactics which obviously takes place MUCH MUCH further in the past. But that political intrigue just has me. Its just freaking got me, and I have that feeling where I just can't wait to get back to playing it ~ and that feeling has become more and more rare for me as I've gotten older.
@@wrenboy2726 Not very obvious, there's a lot of slow folks. As to what I'm referring to, there's a LOT they'd be likely to change as they did with Royal and Reload. If you're familiar with their censorship then you'd know to expect similar changes. Most of it would be to appease LGBT.
Persona 3 Reload is woke, more of a dishonorable mention. Anyway, Utawarerumono is one that far surpassed my expectations. I was way put off by by the first 10 minutes and gave up, came back years later a binged the whole trilogy lol
I agree 100% with Xenosaga 3. It was such an amazing finale to the trilogy. I didnt really like the first 2, but it sure ended with fantastic and polished game. Wish i could play it again
The glitch that prevents progression... I believe... Is angelic... Fate... Where the experience is meant for you later... After you've grown... To appreciate it... To learn from it.
1) FF12 is incredibly bad and boring for me. Gameplay was really good, world was vast but... Story is absolutely BAD and protagonist is probably the weakest in all the series. Overall kinda meh... 2) Dropped Scarlet Nexus to play other games but i would definatley come back, this game takes quite lot of time but the game is really good. Gameplay may be isn't that polished but story and characters are great, as well as the setting. Can recommend. 3) Haven't played it yet. 4) Shadow Heart 1 and 2 has unique gameplay and story, but the first game is really looking bad because of how low budget it is. For those who play for the story and not the graphics. Highly recommend. 5) Haven't played it yet. 6) Haven't played either of the two. But i probably would. 7) Xenogears has very addictive gameplay, maps are maybe not so polished, but it's still OK, though a second half of the game had rushed production and budget cut. Storywise it's probably THE best JRPG of a PS1. Absolutely recommend. 8) Xenosaga 1 had low budget and clunky gameplay, Xenosaga 2 suffered from poor writing at some parts, but the third game far surpasses them both in gameplay and story. Absolutely recommend playing through whole trilogy, 1st and 2nd isn't hard at all if you actually build your characters. 9) For those who played FFT it's a polished gem. For those who didn't - you should try and if you like also give FFT a try. Can recommend. 10) Well... Just a filler of the series, compared to mainline it has poor gameplay, poor story, not much of a content. Playable but i would recommend almost any other Tales game over it.
wait wait wait ....wait what ??? 0:15 how da hell he say BEGAN to BEGIN .... who are u ... wheres da real Erikkk... what didcha do to himmmm .... ah ...my mistake... he still say BEGAN.. but with ,i, ... so lets BEGAIN 0:15 ... wahhahahaha .. his trademark , love it lol
Xenogears is the best half of a game I've played. But the second half of the game is awful and the pretentious, overly preachy story is too cloying to ignore the lack of credible gameplay. It would be hard for the game to get a remaster / remake (given how it wasn't really fleshed out originally due to being considerably over budget) but mostly because it actually sold like crap outside of Japan. Very niche game that reminds gamers that, sometimes building a pretty, expansive game with crappy controls isn't the best recipe for success. Did you know, the game lost close to 4 million overseas, made just shy of 6 million in Japan (as in profit minus money to make the game minus money to distribute minus money to advertise) and barely broke even? No? Yeah. Not until almost a year before Xenosaga released did SE actually sell through their first shipment of Xenogears in most areas. In my personal opinion, Takahashi didn't direct any truly great games until he helped co-found Monolith.
Ah, FF XII. The angst surrounding the changes to the combat was hilarious after a few years of the same people complaining about the combat systems of the prior entries.
@@rjproduction486 that's not difficulty. That's like saying try playing with your feet. The game was designed to play with a controller which i did, IN PC. And even with keyboard and mouse it's an easy game.
"SO EASY" lmao no. Just because it isn't the toughest game doesn't mean it's a 1/10 or 2/10 in difficulty, it isn't a Kirby game or something. It's like a 6/10 or 7/10 in difficulty, above average.
"SO EASY" lmao no. Just because it isn't the toughest game doesn't mean it's a 1/10 or 2/10 in difficulty, it isn't a Kirby game or something. It's like a 6/10 or 7/10 in difficulty, above average.
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This is why I'm getting as many unique rpg games as I can find on my switch. I want a library of games I can rotate through with unique gameplay that will never get me bored. Rpg can make systems fun with a few changes here and there and that's half the fun
Same! The Switch is one of the best JRPG machines ever (next to the PS4)
@@PawapuroJRPGfan878 oh yeah. So many to choose from and every year gives some more.
Just need unicorn overlord and yohane and I'll be good
yeah.
@@PawapuroJRPGfan878 when you say next to PS4, that's why I have a PS5.
My PS4 was 7 years old, bought in 2015, and games seemed to take longer to load.
It's night and day, the entire quality of life improvement is worth it to me. That, and I wanted 4K without getting a Pro or a 4K Blu-ray player.
Kinda pointless when you've got a 75 inch 4K TV and your main game console is the weakest thing connected to it 🤷
It also helps give me some longevity on the games I can play so it's not just games out now but 4-5 years from now, fun new controllers (PS4 controllers didn't get cheaper), and a baked in library of games that all load faster, sound richer, and look better.
It's probably not an upgrade everyone's going to go with, but when I hear "That game is on PS4 too" it almost makes me laugh.
To think it's the same exact experience is comical.
I would also add Ring of Red, Folklore, Wild Arms, Rogue Galaxy, Arc the Lad, The last Remnant, Valkyria Chronicles, Ar Nosurge and Drakengard.
I know it’s not an RPG but I’m so excited I have to tell everyone! I just bought Silent Hill 2 from a yard sale for $15!!! Aaaahhhh I have to get my piss 2 out of storage
PLS start add CHAPTERS in ur vids!!
Scarlet Nexus was such a sharp turnaround from its initial reveal to early trailers, demo and release. At first I had no interest until JayRPG showed off some info that it had a lot more story/RPG elements in it, then the trailers showed characters on opposite sides of a conflict, then the demo came out and by the time I was done with that I just HAD to get it. :D
Xenogears is my favorite piece of fiction ever, so I absolutely love when you say it's "the absolute best, best story ever written for a video game in existence. That's right." :D Hell yeah!!
Imagine if they made a full game out of it, instead of just the first half.
It's severely overrated.
Perhaps for many, but I adore it. It's got flaws for sure, but it's so dear to me. I didn't mind the second disc's format since I was there more for story than gameplay, although I do wish there would've been more space to flesh that portion out, since so much happened in the story.
[17:10] I am glad you were able to get past this glitch.
I was genuinely impressed with triangle. Played on hard mode and hit a lot of walls that felt very rewarding once cleared. Def an underdog
Eternal Sonata was so good, we need a port
A port and HD enhanced version!
Valkyria Chronicles 4. Never thought I'd have so much fun playing a war game like that. Double for code name steam
Fe fates and engage. Rocking good gameplay system that is never tiring to have fun playing.
Bug fable. It has things I wish the ttyd remake just stole from like all missions being accepted at once. Plus gameplay is fire when you know how to combo
Tokyo mirage sessions. I like how the side characters can help combo too as games with team attacks are always fun
Love Triangle Strategy and Unicorn Overlord
I have not bought or played them yet, but they are really amazing from what I heard and I really do want them for my collection
Absolutely in love with both games but Triangle Strategy fastly became one of my favourite games ever, it's just perfect. For me.
Not gonna lie... for a moment there I was like "Love Triangle Strategy" like a game where you strategize about possible partners?
Thsi silliest decision of FF12 was that we are not actually in the protagonist shoes we are in the OBSERVER characters shoes. If you really think of it, we are watching the PROTAGONIST from the side. But honestly that game was super Deep when it came out and it looked amazing for a PS2 game. Remember that game looked that good on a PS2.
....Oh, continued:
I was glad to see Tales of Legendia at the end. Tales of Destiny, Phantasia, & Legendia are my 3 favorites in the series. And the character quests after the game .... the feels.
(now I wish they'd bring the PS2 director's cut of Destiny over ... but nah, not Namco.
I can hardly remember Xenogears anymore. I played it in my teens near the english launch and never revisited it, yet to this day vague recollections give me a warm, comforting feeling. Despite the fact that I can hardly remember it any longer I consider it to be one of my favorite games of all time. I recall the emotions I felt while playing more than anything else. I never even finished the game, yet I felt a connection to the characters and story that has never been surpassed.
I'm from Europe and some Tales of like Legendia or Innocence doesn't make it to PAL regions T.T
SUMMARY FOR BUSY PEOPLE:
Hey everyone, welcome to another episode of 10 JRPGs that surpassed my expectations! Let’s dive in.
Number 10: Final Fantasy 12
I was hesitant about this one, thinking the series had lost its charm. But it surprised me with its expansive world and mature story, despite Van being a lackluster protagonist. The remaster fixed many issues, making it even better.
Number 9: Scarlet Nexus
I thought the combat looked too complex, so I played on easy. To my surprise, I loved the dark sci-fi story and intricate character development. The combat became a highlight for me!
Number 8: Eternal Sonata
Initially, I expected a childlike rhythm game. Instead, I found a poignant story inspired by composer Chopin and unique combat. The multiplayer mode was a fun bonus!
Number 7: Shadow Hearts
Starting with the third entry, I thought the series was all about comedy. Playing the first game revealed a dark, gothic narrative that blew me away with its depth.
Number 6: Unicorn Overlord
I was skeptical about this strategy RPG, expecting a typical grid-based game. Instead, I found a vibrant world to explore with engaging gameplay that revitalized the genre.
Number 5: Like a Dragon, Infinite Wealth
I was excited for this sequel but didn’t expect the dual protagonist setup. Learning more about Kazuma and the engaging story made it a standout experience.
Number 4: Xenogears
After a frustrating start, I finally played through the whole game and discovered an incredible story that remains one of the best in gaming history.
Number 3: Xenosaga Episode 3
Having struggled with the first two games, my expectations were low. However, this entry surpassed them with a compelling story and improved mechanics, making it a fantastic conclusion.
Number 2: Triangle Strategy
I expected a Final Fantasy Tactics clone, but it turned out to be a brilliant tactical RPG with a gripping narrative and multiple endings. A must-play!
Number 1: Tales of Legendia
I picked this up randomly years ago and was initially confused but captivated. After overcoming a game-breaking glitch, I experienced a story unlike any other in RPGs, making me a lifelong fan of the series.
And that’s a wrap on 10 JRPGs that exceeded my expectations! Thanks for watching-don’t forget to subscribe and share with your friends. See you next time!
scarlet nexus OST is a banger! SO FUCKING GOOD!
Xeno saga episode 3 is one of the rpg that got me emotional, few games like MGS 3 snake eater that actually made me tear up. epic adventure, emotional scene and a good soundtrack. games that actually have souls in them, the combat system is ok but battle animation is a bit simple and very stiff, a contrast to its cinematic dramatic fluidity cut scene, and other than the not so impressive battle animation this game is beautiful that tackles mature themes in a very humane way possible.
It's best not to remaster now those years. Those Sweet Baby going to try to ruin the games.
True but at least fan patches can fix the cultural vandalism caused.
True but at least fan patches can fix the cultural vandalism caused.
Love the content Erick, and thank you for all you do. This video although not showcasing any games I had not heard of, def made some get to the front of my play/find list. So many amazing games in this one video. Cheers man.
So many greats on this list. Xenogears is still my favorite RPG ever. Yakuza is still my favorite game series ever. Xenosaga III more than lived up to the series' promise. Shadow Hearts series needs a comeback, but I'm more than happy to give the upcoming Penny Blood spiritual successor a try.
Can someone tell what the scenes at the very beginning of the video are from?
I think the Xenosaga trilogy deserves a remaster. I've only ever played the first game, despite owning all three physically, but would really like to see them on modern hardware. Unfortunately they seem to share the list with titles like the Shadow Hearts trilogy and Valkyrie Profile 2, that never will be ported or remastered.
Suikoden 5 ?
I've only ever played the 3rd. Didn't finish it but loved it and play to go back and finish
I'd prefer if the Xenosaga games got full-on remakes, TBH.
A Xenogears remake would be preferable but either or.
Suikoden 5 was the first game, 2nd no idea, 3rd was Final Fantasy 9
I still cry during grune ending in legendia.everyone story amazing
That's the first time i play a game that make me tear up yet nobody d.ie, it's just so unpredicted. The music is so amazing it's make my 17 ys old self cry like a baby every time i listen to the ending song 😢
Triangle Strategy mentioned 🗣️🗣️🗣️
I’ve played many other SRPGs but TS is easily the best one. Which makes sense considering it is one of the latest ones that has taken lessons from the classics such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, etc
What i like in ff12 is the junction of turn based AND real time battle, one of the best of the kind!
Surprised to see Shadow Hearts on here. It's a good game, but I still need to finish it (am around 60% bit having a break to finish BoF 1.
You didnt mention Koudelka, it is the first game in the series happening before Shadow Hearts, but I dont think you need to play it first tho. If you dont know it you should really check it out. It is a horror RPG with tactical grid battles and the BEST and most enchanting battle music I have heard.
Cool to see Xenosaga 3, I am trying to get my hands on all 3 but either they are waaaay too expensive or just not around..
JRPG time with Mr JRPG himself
I played xenogears when released, but never could do again because my fucking cousin LOST DISC ONE! But is THE BEST story of any rpg till today, and would play it again even in the original format!
It's sad how there a ton of reasons why Xenogears isn't getting remade nor remastered. But for Xenosaga it's comes down Bandai Namco's greed, laziness, & unfaithfulness in their own IPs. Really don't like that company right now.
I’d love to see KOS-MOS again 😢
At bare minimum, they need to start realizing what people expect from a port these days. Time after time, ports done right get a ton of favor, yet they barely pay any attention to that market.
I played Xenogears when it was brand new on PS1
In Triangle Strategy, I died for my wife and her people at the bridge waterfall. "Fin" Pretty much what I'd do IRL lol. GREAT game!
Personally I preferred the fourth route (or the aesfrost route if fourth route wasn't unlocked)
@@highadmiralbittenfield9689 I can’t wait to play it again and go different routes
That Witch in Unicorn Overlord is phenomenal. Too bad the gameplay graphics are chibi, and the other characters aren't as hot.
Some good games you mentioned here. The 1st Shadow Hearts is my favorite in the series & one of my favorite PS2 games, in fact, along with Summoner). It's such an awesome dark-toned game (spiritually continued from Koudelka). The 2nd one, Covenant, is almost just as awesome (with a refined battle system). You should play 1 & 2 back to back. They're connected. The 3rd one, From the New World ... meh. It lost its darker tones for too much humor. Blame the publisher.
Hey Erick & everyone, are you excited about Final Fantasy IX remake? c:
Scarlet Nexus is AMAZING.
I was surprised by how much I like Unicorn Overlord, a terrible name for people not familiar with the devs
Eternal Sonata was a weird case for me where I thought I would like it better than I did. It wasn't "that bad", but it unfortunately was just a bit worse than I was hoping.
I'm interested in Unicorn Overlord but not sure about it yet. The name weirded me out and still does. But I'm curious about trying it out at some point.
I love Tales of Legendia. I wish that game got more love.
TBH I loved Tales of Legendia. Only Tales game I fully finished. That said I don't care for the battle system but the world, characters, and gorgeous soundtrack kept me in to the end.
Emulation is the best way to play retro games. You can also play them with achievements. I loved Shadow Hearts series by the way.
Only 1 thing keeps legendary from being number 1 fir all time for me. In combat how the characters overlap each other. The story, the characters, the music, the environment, even the fact that the main protagonist is a martial artists (something always relegated to a side character). Just perfect. Yeah it was a touch jarring that the second half wasn't voice acted, but even that didn't bother me super bad. The fact that the part legit felt like a family at the end was so great.
Just that damn overlapping characters in combat. If they remade this game, only updating the graphics by giving the combat a field a more 3D FOV like symphonia....it would be hands down the best game ever, followed very closely by legend of dragoon and xenogears.
i have played most of the games of this video, i like this video a lot, i got amazed of legendia story, the music, the art and the extra chapters, not my tales best game but i liked better than abyss and others like eternia or zestiria, ffxii is a mixed bag for me so yeahh, its a good one to play, i wanna play unicorn overlord and triangle strategy but i am glued playing the trails series so... bad for the games in my backlog.
Mine would be mario rpg being my first back in the day. Ff7 and Zelda OoT were huge. To my surprise years later i really got into tales of symphonia and much later persona 5. I had overlooked these series til that point and they hit the mark. Also not an rpg but mario 3d world was the best one since the 90s. Game nailed it. 😅 Tales of legendia was my 2nd tales of game and i didnt like it as much. Still my least liked but i dont hate the game. Tales of has been the most consistent series i play and i appreciate that. Final fantasy is all over the place 😒
I do wish legendia be ported to switch one day
I remember playing that game 15 yrs ago 5:13 daaaaamn
Thanks for the reminder about xenosaga, I just started another run of mass effect, once Im done with 1 Im gonna play xenosaga 1
I have never heard of the Trails series when I saw Cold Steel 1 and 2 on Vita in 2017 but I knew it was an RPG … seven years later I’m waiting for July 5th to get Daybreak and have played the previous ten games. Now Trails is my favorite series lol. Xenogears is my favorite game but Trails is my just the best series in my opinion. Therefore, we each discovered Trails and Tales the same way lol. Great video as always, Erick.
Really great list 👍
I need to play eternal sonata already. I was also suprised about ff11. I think you arent supposed to think Vann is cool, which makes him and balthier even funnier.
I'm surprised you didn't include final fantasy 12 reverent wings
I didn’t find Scarlett Nexus intimidating. Love that game! Maybe you’re just used to turn based
I really liked Scarlet Nexus. Hoping for the second instalment ☺️
Triangle Strategy is God Tier. Eric been silently watching you for a while. Your content is also God Tier!
Didn't like FFT? What version did you play? That game along with FF9 was my childhood. Hard for me to get into any FF since.
Unicorn overlord really shocked by how good it was
When i first saw the combat system i lost interest but when i continued on ,it ended up becoming one of my best games
And i fell in love with the combat system
I agree with a lot of what you say Erick. But I'm tired of all these haters hating on Vaan. And the original is superior to Zodiac Age.
I have something to confess, I really liked vaan back in the Day, i was 15 when i player FFXII, it was my first rpg ever, i liked everything about this game, throughout the story I reallized that he was not that important on the events, but I continued to like him, maybe because i was a teenager to, so i could relate. I played 400h on this game lol, my favorite FF, Just the final boss was kind of meh, when you play the others and fight kefka, sephiroth, sin, ultimecia, kefka again (i hate this guy for real) you realize the final boss of XII its not in this kind of greatness villains of the séries, but this game is a masterpiece.
Tales of Legendia was amazing... Vibrant world, interesting story, great battle system... For like half of the game. No, really, the main story is like 50% of the game. After that, you get character scenarios, which don't even have voice acting anymore. I never finished that game because the latter half felt so dissapointing to me.
Xenosaga Episode 1 is my favourite of the Xenosaga trilogy, I thought it was a great setup for what promised to be an excellent series, but I didn't feel that either Episode 2 or 3 lived up - first off, the characters got dumb, like they started eating paint chips after Episode 1 and that's not just the voice acting or scene work, but the decisions they were making. They also cut features present in Episode 1 (particularly UMN stuff). The animations were vastly reduced, both sequels felt much less cinematic and lower in production value - Episode 3 had a better art style than 2, but not as good as Episode 1, and it never recovered the production values.
But I think my main gripes with Episode 3 was the overwhelming volume of plot contrivances (I'd say more than Episode 1, Xenogears, and all the Xenoblade games combined about 2.5 to 3 times over... I mean lots and lots of stuff just poofs into existence to move the plot forward, and characters just randomly change to fit the plot. The story doesn't feel organic at all.), and that's on top of the random exposition dumps that didn't serve any real purpose... I'm guessing you probably got a feeling there were a lot of plot contrivances on your first play through (speaking from my own experience), but I found it was on my second and third playthroughs that I really started to notice just how contrived the Episode 3 plot actually was.
The first game, though, IMO, that one just got better with each play through (the Encephalon section is still annoying, but not nearly as bad on subsequent playthroughs, I'm guessing that's where you got stuck). The easiest part in Episode 2 to get stuck is the Patriarch battle at the end, that is the toughest battle in any Xeno-game.
That's because of Bandai Namco. Xenosaga was supposed to be six games. BN didn't think Episode 1 sold enough units. So the budget was cut for the second game. Even the original focus of the second game was greatly reduced. Low sales also meant they had to wrap it up in the third game. It'd honestly surprising we even got the 3rd game.
It was a whole mess that gutted what was meant to be a massive epic.
@@drewtheunspoken3988 A shame too, because it seemed like it was going to be one of the most interesting game series of all time (IMO). But I think a lot of it had to do with the bungling of Namco, who didn't publish Xenosaga Episode 1 in most countries, Xenosaga Episode 2 was the one that they decided to give the worldwide release for.
It was probably a worse experience than those who started watching the Lord of the Rings film series with The Two Towers and no prior knowledge of the story - because at least The Two Towers was relatively the same in quality to the Fellowship of the Rings.
@lindenstromberg6859 it also didn't help that Xenosaga 2's combat system felt like a slog to get through. Every encounter made you feel under-leveled and lasted far too long. And the game itself only took about 12 hours to get through.
Xenosaga is by far my favorite game story - yes, slightly even more than the masterful Xenogears. I think I like Saga more because of its presentation. Sooo many cutscenes and I love it!
Tales Of Legendia is also fantastic. I loved it. I was severely disappointed that the latter half got rid of ALL the voice acting. Apparently the voice director thought those were just sidequests. Still no excuse, and it's the one blemish on an otherwise fantastic game. And the music! Easily the best in the series. Was playing the God Eater trilogy which also had amazing music by the same composer, and it just reminded me how good Legendia's music actually was.
Hello Erick Landon! Did you see the direct that went live (and was published) yesterday? There were al sorts of unexpected announcements, especially JRPGs. Like I wasn't expecting a remake of Romancing Saga 2 and a Phantom Brave sequel. And they finally showed some more gameplay footage of the Dragon Quest III HD 2D remake and they are also remaking the first two games as well, tough they are releasing next year. What games do you plan on picking up from the direct? 4 games I plan to pick up from the direct are Hundred Line, the Phantom Brave sequel, Dragon Quest III HD 2D remake, and the Romancing Saga 2 remake
its missing Parasite Eve 1, 2 and The 3rd Birthday
Triangle Strategy is a true masterpiece
Would be interesting to know how other players think about these games and how much they sold to be either top or flop.
Is FF12 Zodiac Age easier than the original game or has it even difficulty options? Played on PS2 but never finished.
Trying the FF14 free trial right now and it definitely looks to be taking a lot of cues from FF12's unique style, complete with open world, numerous species and good writing. The only problem I ever really had with FF12 was the dull combat.
The first shadow hearts game is kodelka
awesome list, awesome games and awesome video!
I just started playing 12 for the first time, after first seeing the teaser screenshots years and years and years ago in Electronic Gaming Monthly. I'm playing The Zodiac Age Remastered, with like some really intensely upscaled textures (that still keep the aesthetic) and seeing it on here makes me miss that low res ps2 grunginess. Fantastic game so far. Just got done talking to the Dreamer. The gambit a.i. system is actually kind of awesome. Its a bit much at first, and you're really limited with what you can do and how you can do it, but just like the Golem a.i. system in Legend of Mana, theres a depth too it that just feels so cathartic when you see it land without your direct intervention. I love Ivalice. That whole world is just so perfect to me. It feels like a much more high tech but still like high fantasy grounded world compared to Final Fantasy Tactics which obviously takes place MUCH MUCH further in the past. But that political intrigue just has me. Its just freaking got me, and I have that feeling where I just can't wait to get back to playing it ~ and that feeling has become more and more rare for me as I've gotten older.
Unicorn overlord sounds better in English sub. Its not bad in dub but its mores emotional in sub in my opinion.
FINALLY SOMEONE GIVES SHADOW HEARTS SOME LOVE!
Now just to get Digital Devil Saga 1+2 some more love
Speaking of Persona 3 Reload, will we get a Persona 4 Golden PS5 release? Feels weird to not have 4 placed between 3 and 5 on the shelf...
It'd be even more censored than P3
@@Vulpas Huh?
@@wrenboy2726 If it is rereleased it'll probably be even more censored than Persona 3 Reload was.
@@Vulpas I obviously understand the sentence, but I’ve no clue what you’re referring to contextually.
@@wrenboy2726 Not very obvious, there's a lot of slow folks. As to what I'm referring to, there's a LOT they'd be likely to change as they did with Royal and Reload. If you're familiar with their censorship then you'd know to expect similar changes. Most of it would be to appease LGBT.
I wish I loved Triangle Strategy as much as you did. It wasn't for me.
Persona 3 Reload is woke, more of a dishonorable mention.
Anyway, Utawarerumono is one that far surpassed my expectations. I was way put off by by the first 10 minutes and gave up, came back years later a binged the whole trilogy lol
FF12 was the biggest disappointment in the whole series
13, 15, 16 are way worse.
Please vanillaware, bring your games to PC......just why!
I thought Unicorn Overlord was already released for pc.
Final x12 🤮
Xenosaga ❤
Wtf do bamco dont give some remake love to the tales series
You should warn viewers that your video contains spoilers! I can’t believe the one about Yakuza… 🤬
Same here. I have Infinite Wealth but I haven't had a chance to play it yet. It's still in my backlog.
Pretty old games but yeah I guess it couldn't hurt.
@@Vulpas Yakuza like a Dragon Infinite Wealth was released in late January 2024... do you consider that an old game?
I agree 100% with Xenosaga 3. It was such an amazing finale to the trilogy. I didnt really like the first 2, but it sure ended with fantastic and polished game. Wish i could play it again
The glitch that prevents progression... I believe... Is angelic... Fate... Where the experience is meant for you later... After you've grown... To appreciate it... To learn from it.
What's with the abundance of random elipses?
you should play Yakuza 0
I was on board until number 1. Tales of Legendia is my top pick for worst RPG I've played. The story, combat, and characters are all horrible
Where is yokai watch?
1) FF12 is incredibly bad and boring for me. Gameplay was really good, world was vast but... Story is absolutely BAD and protagonist is probably the weakest in all the series. Overall kinda meh...
2) Dropped Scarlet Nexus to play other games but i would definatley come back, this game takes quite lot of time but the game is really good. Gameplay may be isn't that polished but story and characters are great, as well as the setting. Can recommend.
3) Haven't played it yet.
4) Shadow Heart 1 and 2 has unique gameplay and story, but the first game is really looking bad because of how low budget it is. For those who play for the story and not the graphics. Highly recommend.
5) Haven't played it yet.
6) Haven't played either of the two. But i probably would.
7) Xenogears has very addictive gameplay, maps are maybe not so polished, but it's still OK, though a second half of the game had rushed production and budget cut. Storywise it's probably THE best JRPG of a PS1. Absolutely recommend.
8) Xenosaga 1 had low budget and clunky gameplay, Xenosaga 2 suffered from poor writing at some parts, but the third game far surpasses them both in gameplay and story. Absolutely recommend playing through whole trilogy, 1st and 2nd isn't hard at all if you actually build your characters.
9) For those who played FFT it's a polished gem. For those who didn't - you should try and if you like also give FFT a try. Can recommend.
10) Well... Just a filler of the series, compared to mainline it has poor gameplay, poor story, not much of a content. Playable but i would recommend almost any other Tales game over it.
Erick doesn't like Final Fantasy Tactics?! Unsubscribed.
He fails miserably when games get any sort of difficult. Take his words with a giant grain of salt.
surpassed expectation "much better than i expected"
FFT is incredibly good but it's not perfect, ain't for everyone.
wait wait wait ....wait what ??? 0:15 how da hell he say BEGAN to BEGIN .... who are u ... wheres da real Erikkk... what didcha do to himmmm
.... ah ...my mistake... he still say BEGAN.. but with ,i, ... so lets BEGAIN 0:15 ... wahhahahaha .. his trademark , love it lol
Picks triple AAA ....sorry need real reviews not shills
Xenogears is the best half of a game I've played.
But the second half of the game is awful and the pretentious, overly preachy story is too cloying to ignore the lack of credible gameplay.
It would be hard for the game to get a remaster / remake (given how it wasn't really fleshed out originally due to being considerably over budget) but mostly because it actually sold like crap outside of Japan.
Very niche game that reminds gamers that, sometimes building a pretty, expansive game with crappy controls isn't the best recipe for success.
Did you know, the game lost close to 4 million overseas, made just shy of 6 million in Japan (as in profit minus money to make the game minus money to distribute minus money to advertise) and barely broke even?
No? Yeah.
Not until almost a year before Xenosaga released did SE actually sell through their first shipment of Xenogears in most areas.
In my personal opinion, Takahashi didn't direct any truly great games until he helped co-found Monolith.
Ah, FF XII. The angst surrounding the changes to the combat was hilarious after a few years of the same people complaining about the combat systems of the prior entries.
if there was not eternal sonata i would think its a top 10 list of trash games...
That last disc in xenogears completely ruined the pace. I never finished even though i was completely consumed with the game to that point.
17:00 same thing bro, ahahahaha
Scalet Nexus intimidating? dude it's SO EASY. You don't play any actions games don't you?
Try playing scarlet nexus in pc with keyboard and mouse!
@@rjproduction486 that's not difficulty. That's like saying try playing with your feet. The game was designed to play with a controller which i did, IN PC. And even with keyboard and mouse it's an easy game.
@@benjaminbeltran7004 then try defeat shadow of recording in atleast hard mode with keyboard and mouse:)
"SO EASY" lmao no. Just because it isn't the toughest game doesn't mean it's a 1/10 or 2/10 in difficulty, it isn't a Kirby game or something. It's like a 6/10 or 7/10 in difficulty, above average.
"SO EASY" lmao no. Just because it isn't the toughest game doesn't mean it's a 1/10 or 2/10 in difficulty, it isn't a Kirby game or something. It's like a 6/10 or 7/10 in difficulty, above average.