For the modern era I feel like Fire emblem awakening and bravely default definitely deserve to be canonised. Fire emblem awakening for (literally) saving the franchise and bringing in a lot of new fans. Bravely default for kind of bringing back the old school 2d jrpgs made by the big companies with an amazing story. Both also hugely important for handheld gaming which your current canon lacks a bit
I 100% completely agree with the remake trilogy..... specifically Rebirth being on this list. Not only is Rebirth in itself the best FF SE has made in 2ish decades, it encapsulates everything that made us fall in love with franchise. All the aspects that made up the identity of FF in IV - X were on full display in a modern form in this title. The perfect blend of snappy combat with the strategy of menu based commands. Complex and interesting characters and word. A big world filled with stuff to do. Everything that made FF great on the SNES, PS1, and early PS2 was found in this title. Not only is the bew benchmark for the franchise it needs to be the framework from which FF works from going forward. It absolutely deserves to be part of the canon.
You’re one of the only TH-camrs I’ve ever watched and thought, man I’d literally just chill in a room with this guy and talk for hours. You are so chill and passionate about these games and it’s super dope.
I spent quite a bit of time talking to him at Anime Expo going through my Grandmaster theory amongst other topics, and I can confirm, he really is that dope in real life. Also, I should add David Vincent was with him and Emily was there too, and they are both also that dope in real life. JRPG youtube is in really good hands right now.
the 6 episodes of xenosaga was not condensed to 3 games. it was 6 games but 3 arcs. the xenosaga episode 1-3 we got is 1 arc that was originally going to be xenosaga episode 1-2. so it actually got 'expanded' to an extra game if anything rather than 6 games worth of story put into 3 games. though its still true a lot was left out because even within that arc alone there was so much planned content. just the exact details on this people get incorrect often.
That's what I'm hoping it does for people. I love watching these types of videos too, because inevitably I'll learn about some cool game that slipped under my radar.
Hey, Branden! As usual, great lists overall for both videos. Something I'd add into this one (previous was pretty much perfect already) - you really should check Blue Dragon for 360, it's awesome (and of course Lost Odyssey, but of that you're aware). Also, the love for the FFXV in my heart is as strong as ever, disregarding all its objective faults, so I would at least made a honorable mention. And I would include Persona 3 Reload as the absolutely best current-gen JRPG (I think it really is), and the best megaten-like game of them all for the average player.
The 360 game I would add is definitely Lost Odyssey. That game was absolutely stunning! Some of its short stories made me literally cry. I hope you get a chance to play it one day.
Yes me too! The short stories were written by a Japanese novelist right? There's one particular story about the little girl who dreamed of seeing the world. I showed that to someone who had never seen or played the game and had no context to go on. And they STILL got really emotional just witnessing that 5 min story.
Tales of Legendia mention!!! I love that game so I'm just happy it being talked about lol I understand why P4G was added later since you didn't play the games on the ps2 but I think for its time P3 was really just different because it totally overhauled a lot of the gameplay from P2. I personally like P4 better but yeah I think if you played P3 on the PS2, it would definitely be added xD I think one of the atelier games definitely has to be canonized. I haven't played all of them so I don't think I could pick which would be the best one and for which platform but it's like the poster child for "relaxing" jrpgs with this crafting-dungeon story loop. I say that the arcs they have all have different levels of how deep a story is or how into the rpg elements it can be but yeah I just think it deserves a spot c: I don't remember if you didn't mention you wouldn't do the handheld consoles but there were a lot of gameboy games, ds and 3ds games that I think could have been added. fire emblem awakening and rune factory for me definitely.
So many different versions of Kingdom Hearts at this point. It's hard to keep track for sure. Great list here. No disagreements from me at all. Great choices all around.
Great video! There are very few channels on TH-cam that can put up a nearly 50-minute video and get me to click on it without a second thought 😂 Love the content and always looking forward to more!
I'm so happy to see Ys Origin on here! It was my first Ys game. I fell in love with the world and Yunica and Toals characters. Hugo not so much lol. I was a little disappointed when I learned most of the games dont take place in the original Ys region, despite my love for Ys 8. There was so much potential in the original region. I want more lore! Maybe a spinoff with Epona as lead character. And I want Roos merch! Their encounters are so funny and charming. Anyways, great video!
HERE WE GO! Thanks Branden! Nocturne is my favorite PS2 game. I actually have a framed poster of the Demifiend key art in my living room. DDS desperately needs a modern update (and *I* desperately need to finish DDS2)! I still haven't properly gotten into the Tales or Trails series, although I did pick up Abyss after playing ~30 hours of the 3DS version. Shadow Hearts is great! I have mixed feelings on Covenant; it's one of many sequels that I can recognize the improvements they made, while still overall preferring the first. Xenosaga is another series that I really need to finish; I was grinding stats for so long at the end of XS1 that I literally got lost and couldn't figure out how to get back to the story. 😂 The KH Story So Far collection was a great deal. I also think KH1 is the best in the series; the plot gets SO convoluted as the series progresses. One you missed: Valkyrie Profile 2. Eternal Sonata and Ni no Kuni deserve a mention in the PS3 era. The Xillia pronunciation is a weird one; my understanding is that all the games in that arc share a namkng structure using a three syllable word, so "Ex-ill-iya" is the correct way to say it. I knew as soon as we didn't see it on PS2 that P4Golden was going to make the list. I'm on my 3rd playthrough of Golden right now, working on an all Social Links run, then I'll try my luck at Elizabeth until I burn out. I know it isn't a standard JRPG, but I firmly believe Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a must play game for any JRPG enthusiast. I'm pretty sure Beowulf doesn't have a known author; we don't know exactly who wrote it down, or when. I do think that as an oral myth with centuries of history, the version we reference in the modern day probably WAS an extremely revised edition, so to speak (I studied a little bit of it during an early college-level language class).
Awesome video as always Brandon! Thank you so much for giving Kingdom Hearts a shout out, as I always say, my Kingdom Hearts is your Trails. Highly recommend ignoring the mobile games and the Back Cover X movie for Kingdom Hearts, and to enhance your experience I would say play TWEWY, TWEWY Neo, Melody of Memory, KH III with DLC & Smash Ultimate. It’s a perfect way to enhance and end the series. Adding a couple of notes, I loved the combat in Graces F…. However the story I felt really blue balls’d the player in regards to Asbel & Cheri, I know a love story kiss ending is very cliche but they hint at this for those two characters for the entire game and they don’t give the player the pay off. Wanted to also give a major shout out to Persona 3 FES/Reload and Tales of the Abyss. P3FES fully realized what the Persona team wanted to achieve and it’s the darkest story I have ever played and took ALOT of risks at the time. Tales of the Abyss for my money has the best single game character development in any game I’ve ever played with Luke, Luke starts off as a spoilt prince but through out the journey he learns and becomes a humble hero naturally, the combat is the standard for every Tales game moving forward, everything is top notch. I wanted to love Legendia, love the OST, the combat is fun but unfortunately I didn’t vibe with the character designs which is fully on me 😂 but there are a lot of classics that I don’t vibe with by judging the book by its cover and its hard for me to look pst with some games. You are definitely right with Tales of Vesperia getting a shoutout for the 360, that was the sole reason I got a 360 back in the day. Great content as always mate 🍻One of these days you’ll get that Crystar review from me and you’ll be like “What took u soooo long!?!” 😂🍻
Thanks man! Yeah, I've had frustration with the Tales series never fully realizing their romance subplots... It's something that I feel happens in a lot of them, unfortunately. And you're right, Luke's journey in Abyss is definitely a highlight for the series.
You are a real one for picking Tales of Graces F, that battle system is immaculate and few games come close to it to this day Tales of Xillia and Tales of Xillia 2 in particular are also very solid too
Thanks for putting to together a well thought out list, and I am glad to see someone else out there puts Tales of Legendia on their list. Since we seem to generally have similar tastes, it is hard tho me to think of a game that you did not touch upon. I think of you had an Xbox 360 back in the day, Lost Odyssey is a strong candidate, and I also really like Blue Dragon as well. I am about to start Final Fantasy Remake, so we shall see if that ends up on my list (haven't touched a Final Fantasy 7 related game since back in the day...).
Hey Brandon, Great list again! Yeah, your right it’s so much fun to share our though on TH-cam!! These 3 generations are not my most played, was playing Everquest and World of Warcraft, so my backlog is huge there lol. Ok for your Romantic Period, great list, but I would add Grandia 2! For you Victorian Period, I would go with these, World of Final Fantasy and Ys Memories of Celceta. Then for your modern, yep great list, I could add to check out, I am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, even if I did find the school part a bit too long, the stories was so good 😊
Digital Devil Saga were some of my favorites in the PS2, I'm currently near the end of Nocturne after life got in the way and I was never able to finish it back then.
I loved everything about your list in the PS2 era. Xenosaga is by and large my favorite RPG series EVER, mainly because before that, Xenogears blew me away. Saga's presentation was just so good. Soooo many animated and fully voiced cutscenes, especially in Ep 1. I've yet to find that much story in such a great presentation. The music was incredible - in all three games. Saga is the greatest thing that never fully was, and for me one of the greatest gaming tragedies. We need a remaster, since I doubt Xenoblade will ever get released off Nintendo. Shadow Hearts Covenant took the disappointment I felt in the presentation of its prequel after being spoiled by the presentation of Koudelka and FIX IT. It's easily one of my top games on the PS2. It's stuck there, and that's wrong. Also, I'm visually impaired and the judgement ring was very hard for me. I managed it, but how the heck didn't I know there was an auto ring? How am I finding this out NOW? Legendia is one I'm surprised to see, but I rank it as a fantastic game, with great characters and music, let down by the second half having no voice acting. It was a huge disappointment. Because of my vision I read MUCH slower than your average gamer. After all the voiced dialogue - first one to include voiced skits even, that was frustrating. Always heard great things about the Trails series. But its speratic voice acting - or in some cases Japanese only acting, plus just how many there are makes the whole experience seem daunting. I did play a bit of Cold Steel 1 and it definitely DID grab me though. I really enjoyed Graces and Xillia, though I for some reason gave up on Xillia 2 half way. I've played Zesteria and Berseria twice though, and really liked them both. Berseria is by far my favorite Tales game. Legendia and Arise are also up there.
Thank you for another well-thought out video! I'm wholly in agreement on the Trails series and Xeno. My wife recently got back from Japan and brought me the Saga games on PS2..I'm excited but also very intimidated. (Also, don't sleep on Ys VIII as people adore the story and the heroine. Also, look forward to Ys X; I finished it last year and really loved the story and characters and I'm not a fan of silent protags either!) I have a few of my own here. I do have to admit, though I realize I played more than I think, I'm not too well-versed in the PS2/3 era, so there are some gaps. (Like you, I really want to play Lost Odyssey.) Gamecube - Skies of Arcadia - Originally on Dreamcast, this is an "enhanced" port, but either version works. What makes this game stand out to me is that I don't think a game since Grandia has captured the feeling of youth on an adventure as well as this. The setting is still unique, the characters are memorable and likable and the game does some interesting things in terms of exploration. It is criminal that this game never got a remaster/remake. PS2 - Wild Arms 3 - While the first game easily trumps this in my memory as a nostalgia favorite, I'm giving the nod to 3 here for its realization of the techno-western theme. (A theme wholly underused in media in general.) Featuring a compelling cast of characters and main story, the game really makes you feel like you're out there in the (anime) Wild West adventuring on your horses. I think any RPG fan who relishes the idea of something different in terms of tone and setting will find a lot to love. - FF XII - While I found FFX profoundly disappointing (and the second clue that the series just wasn't really my jam overall), I had the exact opposite experience with FF XII. I walked in wary and walked away in awe. While I know Vahn is a pretty polarizing figure, I actually quite liked his and Penelo's role of just being along for the ride. It was a refreshing take and also helped us fit into the world a little better by proxy. The combat was novel and I liked unlocking the various licenses as a means of character progression. Though not without its faults, it easily sits among the best of what the series has to offer in my estimation. Also, you can't talk about it without giving the appropriate kudos to Alexander O. Smith and the localization team. The game's localization oozes charm, originality and a deep sense of respect and care for the source; it raised the bar for localizations. PS3 - Tales of Vesperia - I played this in Japanese on the PS3, meaning I got the content that Western fans would only experience via the remaster, but I'm putting it here since the core story doesn't change from the Xbox version. Yuri is just about the coolest protagonist ever. I love his approach to life and those around him and his strong sense of justice and doing what's right despite what the "system" or "law" might say. As someone who went into the PS3 very jaded at the time on JRPGs and anime-style story telling, the game jolted me awake and reinvigorated my love for the genre. Hon mention: - Valkyria Chronicles - I didn't get too far into it, but the alternate history story telling, beautiful graphics and fun, innovative tactical gameplay make it stand out and very worth checking out. I also need to get Harvestella, while I don't think I can do either Crystal or the Blue Reflection games, you've definitely sold me on Harvestella over the years!
I hope you will get around to trying “Lost Odyssey” - even just a few hours to get a taste of it (but I guarantee you’ll get sucked in). The writing is amazing and the story felt so mature. I wept many times in my playthrough.
No game has impacted me more than Xenosaga Episode I. I have the exact same feeling whenever I played it. If there was a platinum for that game I would have had it. "relinquish your pain unto me" 💜
Did I miss something or did we not have Persona 5 in the modern period? That's a must include IMO. However, bonus points for Tales of Graces F...low key my fav tales game and doesn't get enough love.
I vastly prefer the 2D backdrops and 2D visuals in general. There are a handful of small areas in FFX that feature 2D backdrops sort of as an homage to the PS1 days. These are some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen in a video game. If the entire game looked like that, I think I'd actually have a hard time playing the game, because I'd be so mesmerized by the visuals.
There’s a couple games I’d include just cause I like them (I’ll always pick XII over X) more than others, but despite it being somewhat questionable as a JRPG, the lack of Nier Automata is inexcusable. It absolutely should be in the canon!
It's so wild that we love the same genre but our canons are tootally different. If I were to make same list, only games that would stay are FFX and FFVIIR
Obviously this is your canon, but some rpgs that would be in the canon if you had played/remembered them: Late Medieval Y’s Books I & II - turbographix cd Early Romantic Skies of Arcadia - Dreamcast Bonus tabletop dungeons and dragons as “ancient” period I understand why you have blue reflection in the modern era, but I think it is stretching the premise of a western jrpg canon. Persona 5 would be the boring replacement here. There is no handhelds, so let’s do that real quick: Final fantasy Adventure (legend of mana) - Gameboy Golden Sun - Game Boy Advance Trails in the Sky - psp I left Pokémon out cause I don’t feel like it is viewed as a jrpg. But it could be included.
Skies of Arcadia is almost definitely a shoo-in, but yeah, I completely missed the Dreamcast boat. I do have it on Gamecube though, so I'll get to it one of these days!
Hello there it seems we have some liking in common :) FF7 Remake and Rebirth are THE best of the best jrpgs ever made! My second in the liking is the Mana aka Seiken Densetsu series I still have to get Visions of Mana that is the next jrpg for me. Then the Tales and Trails of series too! They are awesome! I played through all of the Cold Steel games and now Ism playing Trails into Reverie.
After watching both videos I think I would add Fire Emblem to this list and lump Persona 3,4,5 together. Then I would add Paper Mario TTYD and Mario+Luigi Superstar Saga. Some games I haven’t played on your list I need to check out though!
IMO it's doubtful that Takahashi improved the accessibility of the Xenoblade series by himself. It was after Nintendo got on board that the Xeno stories became WAY more accessible/more streamlined. Night & day from Xenosaga.
I think it's a combination of Takahashi learning how to get things done more effectively and the fact that Nintendo sort of let him do his thing. He found himself within a corporate structure that seemed to defer more to the creative side than a company like Bandai Namco did. That's my impression, anyway.
@@JustTheGems Yeah and in any case we're lucky for how it turned out. I still enjoyed Xenosaga but struggled a bit with it's execution. I'm currently in Ch. 4 of XB3 and loving it.
Final fantasy X was the last great final fantasy and in my opinion the 3rd best final fantasy behind 6 and 9. Great inclusion. Shadow Hearts Covenant is a masterpiece. Amazing evolution of the timed button presses for combat. Wait do you like the trails series? This is news to me... Agree, silent protagonist's are and have always been weird and bad. I've thought it was weird since at least chrono trigger back when I was a kid. I'm not in the game, I'm playing the game, like reading a book or watching a movie. P4 Golden is a masterpiece. I played it for the first time last year on the switch and feel in love with the characters so much that at the end I felt sad that I wouldn't be in that world anymore. I definitely plan to new game + it. First time I've wanted to do it since chrono trigger. I want to play Berseria really bad. Dragon quest XI is fantastic. I enjoyed it immensely. Is it NEEDED story wise to play blue reflection before second light? Would it be a good game for my nearly-teenage daughter to play? Or is it all fan servicey? Octopath traveler is the resurgence of "2D" and turn based. Even though neither went anywhere. Great inclusion. Fantastic videos, really interesting topic and inclusions.
Dude Abyss is way better than legendia. But I can't completely disagree with your choice as Legendia was my first Tales game and will always be special to me. I enjoyed the story amd the world/gameplay but I just couldn't click with the characters
what does canon even mean lol. english is not my first language and i play this video on the background while farming in game. and the word canon come out so much lol. all i know is that canon is a camera brand
The people that are 'sick of' HD-2D need to stop complaining. You sound silly. There are what, three or four of those games coming out a year? If they're not for you, cool, go play one of the other hundreds of games out there and leave the games like that to the fans of the genre who are loving it.
Oof. I know you gave the warning for Tales of Legendia, but I still was thinking "don't say it" the entire time. Lol I always felt the Tales of series is the fast food of JRPGs. Lots of mediocre titles with some standouts. If you were to choose one Tales of game, it has to be Symphonia imo. It is the FF6/7 of the series.
I don't know, for some reason Symphonia didn't hit with me the way it did with others. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but I was more impressed by some of its contemporaries (though I do think the series continuing down the trail Symphonia blazed was the right choice in the long run).
I agree. Loved Symphonia when I played it as a teen. Played a bunch of Legendia before getting bored. Tried multiple times to get into Abyss. Tolerated Zesteria, and enjoyed Berseria. Just not passionate about the series, I guess.
No nier? Unsuscribed, nah im kidding but i was surprise you didnt include at leats automata here but nah either way good video. And Dude Golden Sun is calling you hehe.
@@JustTheGems Ha, no worries. These things happen it's hard to remember every amazing game you've ever played. But like... canon is canon and I think all would agree that Chrono Trigger belongs there, FFT belongs there, at least one of FF VI / VII belongs there, at least one of P4G / P5R belongs there, at least one DQ game belongs there (probably VIII or XI but arguably IV or V), at least one Xeno game belongs there, and I think we'd all agree Nier Automata belongs there too. I also agree w other commenters saying Skies of Arcadia but like... idk no one played that game at release so how can it be canon. Great game though (especially the exploration and villains, nothing really like it before or since). Anyway I feel like we have pretty similar taste in games -- if so I'd recommend 13 Sentinels if you haven't played it yet (to be clear it does NOT belong in canon as it's too niche / a visual novel) and would also recommend Utawarerumono series (also basically a visual novel)-- the third game should be an all-time classic imo (same level FF7 / Chrono Trigger / FFT) but you have to play the first two first and they're honestly only ok. That said worldbuilding / characters in all three games are top tier, same level as Trails -- I say this as a fellow Trails superfan who actually put down the series so that I could wait for translations and play all the games in order (currently Chap 3 in Daybreak). Actually characters are probably better than trails but they're not perfect games as the 'strategy' gameplay is incredibly weak (haven't played MonoChrome Mobius yet but the first 3 are basically visual novels with absolutely amazing worldbuiding). Anyway thx for the video and keep up the good work! Hard to disagree w any of your choices (though of course Nier Automata belongs in here somewhere as we both agree)
Respectfully, I Totally disagree about Legendia, I hated the game and still do. Abyss is so much better in every way. The world, the story, the main characters growth and his arc is second to none in my opinion.
Only things I'd add would be Lost Odyssey and Sea of Stars. Still a fantastic list though! Was great to see the love for Shining Force in part 1. A lot of people tend to sleep on it, but so many series that followed after wouldn't be here without it.
I don't know if i completely get what you value in a "Must-Play" list like this. From the analogy you used with literature, it feels like it should be a list of the biggest Landmarks or most Important games troughout history, while also touching on as much of the genre as possible. However from the choices you made, it somewhat feels like you have just made a list of your personal favorite games from each generation. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, however i feel don't feel like that is what these videos was going to be about. In your first video you mentiioned that this list should give you a "Full and complete education on the JRPG genre" I don't want to sound too harsh, but I don't feel your list does this at all. There is just so little diversity here, with so many huge games and even entire franchises that are completely missing... Every single Xeno game does not belong on a list like this, Xenogears and Xenoblade 1 are probably the only ones important enough to keep. Same with Tales, I haven't played much tales myself, but there is no way that Tales deserves just as many spots as Final Fantasy on a Must-Play JRPGs list. While i love DDS and DDS2, neither of them deserve to be here either. On the other hand, where is Pokemon? Fire Emblem? Monster Hunger? Nier? Suikoden? Breath of Fire? Star Ocean? or Dark Souls? I guess since i am complaining so much, i'll go ahead and make my own list of "Must-Play" or "Landmark" JRPGS. Here i Tried to pick out as many of the most influental JRPGs that i could find, as well as trying to include as many series as i could, and if a series doesn't have a very influential title, i just picked out the what i think is the most liked game in the series. I also tried to limit myself to max 10 games per Gen, however for some gens, like 6 and 8, that was very difficult Gen 3 Dragon Warrior (NES) Final Fantasy (NES) Zelda 2 (NES) YS 1 (MS) or YS 1 and 2 (TG16) Wonder Boy 3 the Dragon's Trap (MS) Phantasy Star (MS) Gen 4 Phantasy Star 4 (MD) Shining Force 2 (MD) Final Fantasy 4 (SNES) Final Fantasy 6 (SNES) Chrono Trigger (SNES) Terranigma (SNES) Earthbound (SNES) Final Fantasy Adventure (GB) Final Fantasy Legend 2 (GB) Gen 5 Final Fantasy 7 (PS1) Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1) Xenogears (PS1) Castlevania Symphony of the Night (PS1) Star Ocean 2 (PS1) Suikoden 2 (PS1) Breath of Fire 3 (PS1) Valkyrie Profile (PS1) Pokemon Red and Blue (GB) Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn) Gen 6 Final Fantasy 10 (PS2) Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2) Dragon Quest 8 (PS2) Persona 4 (PS2) Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne (PS2) Tales of the Abyss (PS2) Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2) Grandia 2 (Dreamcast/PS2) Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast/Gamecube) Paper Maio Thousend Year Door (Gamecube) Fire Emblem (GBA) Gen 7 Valkyria Chronicles (PS3) Tales of Graces f (PS3) Dark Souls (PS3/Xbox360) Lost Odyssey (Xbox360) Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) Trails in the Sky (PSP) Dragon Quest 5 (DS) Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver (DS) Radiant Historia (DS) Etrian Odyssey 3 (DS) gen 8 (This gen is way too big, 2013 to 2020 is just a too big of a timeframe, especially in modern time with so many releases) Bravely Default (3DS) FIre Emblem Awakening (3DS) SMT 4 (3DS) Atelier Ryza (PS4) Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS4) Digaea 5 (PS4/Switch) Dragon Quest 11 (PS4/Switch/XboxOne) Octopath Traveler (Switch/PS4/XboxOne) Nier Automata (PS4/XboxOne/Swtich) Monster Hunter World (PS4/XboxOne) Ys 8 (PS4/Vita/Switch) Persona 5 (PS4/XboxOne/Switch) 13 Sentinals Aegis Rim (PS4/Switch) Yakuza 0 (PS4/XboxOne)
I'm all for disagreement on this sort of thing, people have been arguing the literary canon forever. I stand by my picks as being vital, but your mileage may vary.
The biggest oversight is Ys 8 Lacrimosa of Dana. I played this game right before Tales of Berseria (which is in the cannon) Ys 8 and Dana Euclid completely ruined Velvet Crow for me. To me, Ys 8 might be the greatest action RPG of all-time, I liked it that much. Also, if we're talking about Dragon Quest, it's criminal to not include Dragon Quest 5 and 8. I was not surprised by the mid-game twist in Dragon Quest 11 because they did the exact same mid-game twist in 8. I can understand the desire to not include these games, because, let's be real, Dragon Quest 8 is a fantastic game, but it has massive difficulty spikes. Dragon Quest 11 smoothed things out, and it has a very graceful and forgiving difficulty curve, but the older Dragon Quest games don't. Still 5 and 8 remain amongst my most favorite games of all-time and they're great to me. The best description I've heard about what FF 7 remake and rebirth are is that they are what would happen if Sephiroth discovered new game+. That's the best description of them I've seen. I haven't played them yet, but I'm going to get to them soon. I played Persona 3 Reload earlier this year and I've got to say that as much as I liked the game, the plot sort of dragged on for me towards the end. It's why I'm a bit hesitant to play 4 and 5. Basically, when it comes to turn-based JRPGs, the Trails series has completely and utterly ruined the genre for me by being so good that everything else falls short of trails. I know that's not fair, but it's really hard to get pumped to play Persona 5 when I could be playing Daybreak instead.
Honestly, the reason DQ8 isn't here is because I haven't really played it. It came out during the period of my life where I wasn't playing games nearly as much, so it fell by the wayside. But I will definitely play it someday soon.
For the modern era I feel like Fire emblem awakening and bravely default definitely deserve to be canonised.
Fire emblem awakening for (literally) saving the franchise and bringing in a lot of new fans.
Bravely default for kind of bringing back the old school 2d jrpgs made by the big companies with an amazing story.
Both also hugely important for handheld gaming which your current canon lacks a bit
I 100% completely agree with the remake trilogy..... specifically Rebirth being on this list. Not only is Rebirth in itself the best FF SE has made in 2ish decades, it encapsulates everything that made us fall in love with franchise. All the aspects that made up the identity of FF in IV - X were on full display in a modern form in this title. The perfect blend of snappy combat with the strategy of menu based commands. Complex and interesting characters and word. A big world filled with stuff to do. Everything that made FF great on the SNES, PS1, and early PS2 was found in this title. Not only is the bew benchmark for the franchise it needs to be the framework from which FF works from going forward. It absolutely deserves to be part of the canon.
You’re one of the only TH-camrs I’ve ever watched and thought, man I’d literally just chill in a room with this guy and talk for hours. You are so chill and passionate about these games and it’s super dope.
I spent quite a bit of time talking to him at Anime Expo going through my Grandmaster theory amongst other topics, and I can confirm, he really is that dope in real life. Also, I should add David Vincent was with him and Emily was there too, and they are both also that dope in real life. JRPG youtube is in really good hands right now.
Hope we can connect at a con at some point! I'd be down to chat.
@@JustTheGems I live in Minneapolis so if you’re ever around here I’d for sure be there
the 6 episodes of xenosaga was not condensed to 3 games. it was 6 games but 3 arcs. the xenosaga episode 1-3 we got is 1 arc that was originally going to be xenosaga episode 1-2. so it actually got 'expanded' to an extra game if anything rather than 6 games worth of story put into 3 games.
though its still true a lot was left out because even within that arc alone there was so much planned content. just the exact details on this people get incorrect often.
I've heard this before, it's interesting. So conceivably we could have ended up with 9 games if they all played out that way. That would be a dream.
I love these videos. Part nostalgia part introduction to games I never got around to playing.
That's what I'm hoping it does for people. I love watching these types of videos too, because inevitably I'll learn about some cool game that slipped under my radar.
Hey, Branden! As usual, great lists overall for both videos. Something I'd add into this one (previous was pretty much perfect already) - you really should check Blue Dragon for 360, it's awesome (and of course Lost Odyssey, but of that you're aware). Also, the love for the FFXV in my heart is as strong as ever, disregarding all its objective faults, so I would at least made a honorable mention. And I would include Persona 3 Reload as the absolutely best current-gen JRPG (I think it really is), and the best megaten-like game of them all for the average player.
The 360 game I would add is definitely Lost Odyssey. That game was absolutely stunning! Some of its short stories made me literally cry. I hope you get a chance to play it one day.
I definitely will.
Yes me too! The short stories were written by a Japanese novelist right?
There's one particular story about the little girl who dreamed of seeing the world. I showed that to someone who had never seen or played the game and had no context to go on. And they STILL got really emotional just witnessing that 5 min story.
Great video! My list would look a lot like yours but also decidedly different. And that's what I love about videos like yours!
Tales of Legendia mention!!! I love that game so I'm just happy it being talked about lol
I understand why P4G was added later since you didn't play the games on the ps2 but I think for its time P3 was really just different because it totally overhauled a lot of the gameplay from P2. I personally like P4 better but yeah I think if you played P3 on the PS2, it would definitely be added xD
I think one of the atelier games definitely has to be canonized. I haven't played all of them so I don't think I could pick which would be the best one and for which platform but it's like the poster child for "relaxing" jrpgs with this crafting-dungeon story loop. I say that the arcs they have all have different levels of how deep a story is or how into the rpg elements it can be but yeah I just think it deserves a spot c:
I don't remember if you didn't mention you wouldn't do the handheld consoles but there were a lot of gameboy games, ds and 3ds games that I think could have been added. fire emblem awakening and rune factory for me definitely.
Great list! I would have chosen PS2: FFX, KH1, DQVIII PS3: Valkyria Chronicles, Eternal Sonata, Nier PS4: DQXI, FFVIIR, Yakuza 7
Wow, these videos are awesome! Like a great guide honestly! Kudos to this!
So many different versions of Kingdom Hearts at this point. It's hard to keep track for sure. Great list here. No disagreements from me at all. Great choices all around.
Great video! There are very few channels on TH-cam that can put up a nearly 50-minute video and get me to click on it without a second thought 😂 Love the content and always looking forward to more!
Haha thanks for that, I appreciate it!
I'm so happy to see Ys Origin on here! It was my first Ys game. I fell in love with the world and Yunica and Toals characters. Hugo not so much lol. I was a little disappointed when I learned most of the games dont take place in the original Ys region, despite my love for Ys 8. There was so much potential in the original region. I want more lore! Maybe a spinoff with Epona as lead character. And I want Roos merch! Their encounters are so funny and charming.
Anyways, great video!
HERE WE GO! Thanks Branden!
Nocturne is my favorite PS2 game. I actually have a framed poster of the Demifiend key art in my living room.
DDS desperately needs a modern update (and *I* desperately need to finish DDS2)!
I still haven't properly gotten into the Tales or Trails series, although I did pick up Abyss after playing ~30 hours of the 3DS version.
Shadow Hearts is great! I have mixed feelings on Covenant; it's one of many sequels that I can recognize the improvements they made, while still overall preferring the first.
Xenosaga is another series that I really need to finish; I was grinding stats for so long at the end of XS1 that I literally got lost and couldn't figure out how to get back to the story. 😂
The KH Story So Far collection was a great deal. I also think KH1 is the best in the series; the plot gets SO convoluted as the series progresses.
One you missed: Valkyrie Profile 2.
Eternal Sonata and Ni no Kuni deserve a mention in the PS3 era.
The Xillia pronunciation is a weird one; my understanding is that all the games in that arc share a namkng structure using a three syllable word, so "Ex-ill-iya" is the correct way to say it.
I knew as soon as we didn't see it on PS2 that P4Golden was going to make the list. I'm on my 3rd playthrough of Golden right now, working on an all Social Links run, then I'll try my luck at Elizabeth until I burn out.
I know it isn't a standard JRPG, but I firmly believe Odin Sphere Leifthrasir is a must play game for any JRPG enthusiast.
I'm pretty sure Beowulf doesn't have a known author; we don't know exactly who wrote it down, or when. I do think that as an oral myth with centuries of history, the version we reference in the modern day probably WAS an extremely revised edition, so to speak (I studied a little bit of it during an early college-level language class).
Awesome video as always Brandon!
Thank you so much for giving Kingdom Hearts a shout out, as I always say, my Kingdom Hearts is your Trails. Highly recommend ignoring the mobile games and the Back Cover X movie for Kingdom Hearts, and to enhance your experience I would say play TWEWY, TWEWY Neo, Melody of Memory, KH III with DLC & Smash Ultimate. It’s a perfect way to enhance and end the series.
Adding a couple of notes, I loved the combat in Graces F…. However the story I felt really blue balls’d the player in regards to Asbel & Cheri, I know a love story kiss ending is very cliche but they hint at this for those two characters for the entire game and they don’t give the player the pay off.
Wanted to also give a major shout out to Persona 3 FES/Reload and Tales of the Abyss. P3FES fully realized what the Persona team wanted to achieve and it’s the darkest story I have ever played and took ALOT of risks at the time.
Tales of the Abyss for my money has the best single game character development in any game I’ve ever played with Luke, Luke starts off as a spoilt prince but through out the journey he learns and becomes a humble hero naturally, the combat is the standard for every Tales game moving forward, everything is top notch. I wanted to love Legendia, love the OST, the combat is fun but unfortunately I didn’t vibe with the character designs which is fully on me 😂 but there are a lot of classics that I don’t vibe with by judging the book by its cover and its hard for me to look pst with some games.
You are definitely right with Tales of Vesperia getting a shoutout for the 360, that was the sole reason I got a 360 back in the day.
Great content as always mate 🍻One of these days you’ll get that Crystar review from me and you’ll be like “What took u soooo long!?!” 😂🍻
Thanks man! Yeah, I've had frustration with the Tales series never fully realizing their romance subplots... It's something that I feel happens in a lot of them, unfortunately. And you're right, Luke's journey in Abyss is definitely a highlight for the series.
You are a real one for picking Tales of Graces F, that battle system is immaculate and few games come close to it to this day
Tales of Xillia and Tales of Xillia 2 in particular are also very solid too
I'm glad to hear more Graces love, I feel like that one doesn't get mentioned enough.
Thanks for putting to together a well thought out list, and I am glad to see someone else out there puts Tales of Legendia on their list. Since we seem to generally have similar tastes, it is hard tho me to think of a game that you did not touch upon. I think of you had an Xbox 360 back in the day, Lost Odyssey is a strong candidate, and I also really like Blue Dragon as well. I am about to start Final Fantasy Remake, so we shall see if that ends up on my list (haven't touched a Final Fantasy 7 related game since back in the day...).
Hey Brandon, Great list again! Yeah, your right it’s so much fun to share our though on TH-cam!! These 3 generations are not my most played, was playing Everquest and World of Warcraft, so my backlog is huge there lol.
Ok for your Romantic Period, great list, but I would add Grandia 2!
For you Victorian Period, I would go with these, World of Final Fantasy and Ys Memories of Celceta.
Then for your modern, yep great list, I could add to check out, I am Setsuna, Lost Sphear and Fire Emblem: Three Houses, even if I did find the school part a bit too long, the stories was so good 😊
Oh, I really want to play Lost Sphear. I saw it at a used game store last weekend and almost picked it up... It's getting kinda pricey!
Digital Devil Saga were some of my favorites in the PS2,
I'm currently near the end of Nocturne after life got in the way and I was never able to finish it back then.
I loved everything about your list in the PS2 era. Xenosaga is by and large my favorite RPG series EVER, mainly because before that, Xenogears blew me away. Saga's presentation was just so good. Soooo many animated and fully voiced cutscenes, especially in Ep 1. I've yet to find that much story in such a great presentation. The music was incredible - in all three games. Saga is the greatest thing that never fully was, and for me one of the greatest gaming tragedies. We need a remaster, since I doubt Xenoblade will ever get released off Nintendo.
Shadow Hearts Covenant took the disappointment I felt in the presentation of its prequel after being spoiled by the presentation of Koudelka and FIX IT. It's easily one of my top games on the PS2. It's stuck there, and that's wrong. Also, I'm visually impaired and the judgement ring was very hard for me. I managed it, but how the heck didn't I know there was an auto ring? How am I finding this out NOW?
Legendia is one I'm surprised to see, but I rank it as a fantastic game, with great characters and music, let down by the second half having no voice acting. It was a huge disappointment. Because of my vision I read MUCH slower than your average gamer. After all the voiced dialogue - first one to include voiced skits even, that was frustrating.
Always heard great things about the Trails series. But its speratic voice acting - or in some cases Japanese only acting, plus just how many there are makes the whole experience seem daunting. I did play a bit of Cold Steel 1 and it definitely DID grab me though.
I really enjoyed Graces and Xillia, though I for some reason gave up on Xillia 2 half way. I've played Zesteria and Berseria twice though, and really liked them both. Berseria is by far my favorite Tales game. Legendia and Arise are also up there.
Final Fantasy X was the second jrpg I ever played, after Legend of Dragoon. Two great games back to back pretty much!
Maybe you could do an extra episode with all the canon handheld RPG from GBA, DS and 3DS
Great list! Nice range of mainstream and obscure titles here.
Thanks Milla!
my first JRPG was Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest so they all hold a special place for me
Same. Love those memories.
I think Legendia is pretty under appreciated so it was super refreshing to get your take, but…. Abyss to me is the best Tales game to this day
Thank you for another well-thought out video!
I'm wholly in agreement on the Trails series and Xeno. My wife recently got back from Japan and brought me the Saga games on PS2..I'm excited but also very intimidated.
(Also, don't sleep on Ys VIII as people adore the story and the heroine. Also, look forward to Ys X; I finished it last year and really loved the story and characters and I'm not a fan of silent protags either!)
I have a few of my own here.
I do have to admit, though I realize I played more than I think, I'm not too well-versed in the PS2/3 era, so there are some gaps. (Like you, I really want to play Lost Odyssey.)
Gamecube
- Skies of Arcadia - Originally on Dreamcast, this is an "enhanced" port, but either version works. What makes this game stand out to me is that I don't think a game since Grandia has captured the feeling of youth on an adventure as well as this. The setting is still unique, the characters are memorable and likable and the game does some interesting things in terms of exploration. It is criminal that this game never got a remaster/remake.
PS2
- Wild Arms 3 - While the first game easily trumps this in my memory as a nostalgia favorite, I'm giving the nod to 3 here for its realization of the techno-western theme. (A theme wholly underused in media in general.) Featuring a compelling cast of characters and main story, the game really makes you feel like you're out there in the (anime) Wild West adventuring on your horses. I think any RPG fan who relishes the idea of something different in terms of tone and setting will find a lot to love.
- FF XII - While I found FFX profoundly disappointing (and the second clue that the series just wasn't really my jam overall), I had the exact opposite experience with FF XII. I walked in wary and walked away in awe. While I know Vahn is a pretty polarizing figure, I actually quite liked his and Penelo's role of just being along for the ride. It was a refreshing take and also helped us fit into the world a little better by proxy. The combat was novel and I liked unlocking the various licenses as a means of character progression. Though not without its faults, it easily sits among the best of what the series has to offer in my estimation. Also, you can't talk about it without giving the appropriate kudos to Alexander O. Smith and the localization team. The game's localization oozes charm, originality and a deep sense of respect and care for the source; it raised the bar for localizations.
PS3
- Tales of Vesperia - I played this in Japanese on the PS3, meaning I got the content that Western fans would only experience via the remaster, but I'm putting it here since the core story doesn't change from the Xbox version. Yuri is just about the coolest protagonist ever. I love his approach to life and those around him and his strong sense of justice and doing what's right despite what the "system" or "law" might say. As someone who went into the PS3 very jaded at the time on JRPGs and anime-style story telling, the game jolted me awake and reinvigorated my love for the genre.
Hon mention:
- Valkyria Chronicles - I didn't get too far into it, but the alternate history story telling, beautiful graphics and fun, innovative tactical gameplay make it stand out and very worth checking out.
I also need to get Harvestella, while I don't think I can do either Crystal or the Blue Reflection games, you've definitely sold me on Harvestella over the years!
I've put a combined 1000 hours into Remake and Rebirth and constantly want to go back for more.
I have to resist just replaying them because I have so many games I need to get to...😅
Story time with Uncle Brandon
I hope you will get around to trying “Lost Odyssey” - even just a few hours to get a taste of it (but I guarantee you’ll get sucked in). The writing is amazing and the story felt so mature. I wept many times in my playthrough.
No game has impacted me more than Xenosaga Episode I. I have the exact same feeling whenever I played it.
If there was a platinum for that game I would have had it.
"relinquish your pain unto me" 💜
It was incredible. Still is. I love it so much.
Did I miss something or did we not have Persona 5 in the modern period? That's a must include IMO.
However, bonus points for Tales of Graces F...low key my fav tales game and doesn't get enough love.
I wish Shadow Hearts games were available on any ANY modern platform...
I vastly prefer the 2D backdrops and 2D visuals in general.
There are a handful of small areas in FFX that feature 2D backdrops sort of as an homage to the PS1 days. These are some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen in a video game. If the entire game looked like that, I think I'd actually have a hard time playing the game, because I'd be so mesmerized by the visuals.
Yeah FF X is pretty great. The story grabs you and doesn't let go and it has some incredibly interesting characters.
Agreed. So many good memories of that one.
Your canon is very agreeable! One I would place in the modern era would be Nier automata. What a fantastic way to tell a story
Agreed, that's the main one I wish I had included.
For the PS2, DQVIII. It is in my top 5 for rpgs on that system. Xbox360 Lost Odyssey. PS3 Nier.
hell yeh, can appreciate a ff7RR lover. There was so much undeserved negativity with it
There’s a couple games I’d include just cause I like them (I’ll always pick XII over X) more than others, but despite it being somewhat questionable as a JRPG, the lack of Nier Automata is inexcusable. It absolutely should be in the canon!
Have you ever played Skies of Arcadia? In my opinion, that's the best JRPG in the generation you're calling the Romantic period.
I haven't yet, but I did pick up the Gamecube version, so it'll happen sooner or later!
It's so wild that we love the same genre but our canons are tootally different. If I were to make same list, only games that would stay are FFX and FFVIIR
Obviously this is your canon, but some rpgs that would be in the canon if you had played/remembered them:
Late Medieval
Y’s Books I & II - turbographix cd
Early Romantic
Skies of Arcadia - Dreamcast
Bonus tabletop dungeons and dragons as “ancient” period
I understand why you have blue reflection in the modern era, but I think it is stretching the premise of a western jrpg canon. Persona 5 would be the boring replacement here.
There is no handhelds, so let’s do that real quick:
Final fantasy Adventure (legend of mana) - Gameboy
Golden Sun - Game Boy Advance
Trails in the Sky - psp
I left Pokémon out cause I don’t feel like it is viewed as a jrpg. But it could be included.
Skies of Arcadia is almost definitely a shoo-in, but yeah, I completely missed the Dreamcast boat. I do have it on Gamecube though, so I'll get to it one of these days!
I absolutely loved Shadow Hearts Covenant! One of my favorite games ever. Also, Tales of Berseria - my favorite Tales game ever. Really good list.
So glad to hear Covenant love out there!
Harvestella supremacy 🫡 I played it after you repeatedly recommended it and I loved every bit of the 85ish hours I put into it.
I would also put Ni No Kuni in the PS3 era. I felt so absorbed in that world.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
you showed DDS 1 & 2 Sub
Hello there it seems we have some liking in common :) FF7 Remake and Rebirth are THE best of the best jrpgs ever made! My second in the liking is the Mana aka Seiken Densetsu series I still have to get Visions of Mana that is the next jrpg for me. Then the Tales and Trails of series too! They are awesome! I played through all of the Cold Steel games and now Ism playing Trails into Reverie.
After watching both videos I think I would add Fire Emblem to this list and lump Persona 3,4,5 together. Then I would add Paper Mario TTYD and Mario+Luigi Superstar Saga.
Some games I haven’t played on your list I need to check out though!
Good call - I also really need to replay the Mario & Luigi games. I've only ever played Superstar Saga, and even that was YEARS ago.
IMO it's doubtful that Takahashi improved the accessibility of the Xenoblade series by himself. It was after Nintendo got on board that the Xeno stories became WAY more accessible/more streamlined. Night & day from Xenosaga.
I think it's a combination of Takahashi learning how to get things done more effectively and the fact that Nintendo sort of let him do his thing. He found himself within a corporate structure that seemed to defer more to the creative side than a company like Bandai Namco did. That's my impression, anyway.
@@JustTheGems Yeah and in any case we're lucky for how it turned out. I still enjoyed Xenosaga but struggled a bit with it's execution. I'm currently in Ch. 4 of XB3 and loving it.
Final fantasy X was the last great final fantasy and in my opinion the 3rd best final fantasy behind 6 and 9. Great inclusion.
Shadow Hearts Covenant is a masterpiece. Amazing evolution of the timed button presses for combat.
Wait do you like the trails series? This is news to me...
Agree, silent protagonist's are and have always been weird and bad. I've thought it was weird since at least chrono trigger back when I was a kid. I'm not in the game, I'm playing the game, like reading a book or watching a movie.
P4 Golden is a masterpiece. I played it for the first time last year on the switch and feel in love with the characters so much that at the end I felt sad that I wouldn't be in that world anymore. I definitely plan to new game + it. First time I've wanted to do it since chrono trigger.
I want to play Berseria really bad.
Dragon quest XI is fantastic. I enjoyed it immensely.
Is it NEEDED story wise to play blue reflection before second light? Would it be a good game for my nearly-teenage daughter to play? Or is it all fan servicey?
Octopath traveler is the resurgence of "2D" and turn based. Even though neither went anywhere. Great inclusion.
Fantastic videos, really interesting topic and inclusions.
Dude Abyss is way better than legendia. But I can't completely disagree with your choice as Legendia was my first Tales game and will always be special to me. I enjoyed the story amd the world/gameplay but I just couldn't click with the characters
DUDE, YOU FART AT 42:27 ? 😮
Dragonquest 8 😢
It's only missing because I haven't played it!
what does canon even mean lol. english is not my first language and i play this video on the background while farming in game. and the word canon come out so much lol. all i know is that canon is a camera brand
It’s basically what we’d establish as like “must-plays” to understand the history of the genre. He goes over it a bit in the first video.
Haha yeah, sorry, I originally intended for this to all be one video, but this is part 2, so the explanation for all that was in the previous one.
Tales of Legendia? *high five*
Heck yes.
The people that are 'sick of' HD-2D need to stop complaining. You sound silly. There are what, three or four of those games coming out a year? If they're not for you, cool, go play one of the other hundreds of games out there and leave the games like that to the fans of the genre who are loving it.
Oof. I know you gave the warning for Tales of Legendia, but I still was thinking "don't say it" the entire time. Lol
I always felt the Tales of series is the fast food of JRPGs. Lots of mediocre titles with some standouts.
If you were to choose one Tales of game, it has to be Symphonia imo. It is the FF6/7 of the series.
I don't know, for some reason Symphonia didn't hit with me the way it did with others. I liked it, don't get me wrong, but I was more impressed by some of its contemporaries (though I do think the series continuing down the trail Symphonia blazed was the right choice in the long run).
I agree. Loved Symphonia when I played it as a teen. Played a bunch of Legendia before getting bored. Tried multiple times to get into Abyss. Tolerated Zesteria, and enjoyed Berseria. Just not passionate about the series, I guess.
No nier? Unsuscribed, nah im kidding but i was surprise you didnt include at leats automata here but nah either way good video. And Dude Golden Sun is calling you hehe.
Yeah, I might include at least Automata, in retrospect having a Yoko Taro work on here is actually pretty important.
Tales of Xillia is pronounced "EX-illia" because that's what the katakana in the japanese title implies.
テイルズ オブ エクシリア = Teiruzu obu Ekushiria
Oh nice! I hadn't looked up the kanji before, that's good to keep in my back pocket.
You forgot Nier Automata
Yeah, honestly, a few people have pointed that out, and I'm like... How did I not include it??
@@JustTheGems Ha, no worries. These things happen it's hard to remember every amazing game you've ever played. But like... canon is canon and I think all would agree that Chrono Trigger belongs there, FFT belongs there, at least one of FF VI / VII belongs there, at least one of P4G / P5R belongs there, at least one DQ game belongs there (probably VIII or XI but arguably IV or V), at least one Xeno game belongs there, and I think we'd all agree Nier Automata belongs there too. I also agree w other commenters saying Skies of Arcadia but like... idk no one played that game at release so how can it be canon. Great game though (especially the exploration and villains, nothing really like it before or since).
Anyway I feel like we have pretty similar taste in games -- if so I'd recommend 13 Sentinels if you haven't played it yet (to be clear it does NOT belong in canon as it's too niche / a visual novel) and would also recommend Utawarerumono series (also basically a visual novel)-- the third game should be an all-time classic imo (same level FF7 / Chrono Trigger / FFT) but you have to play the first two first and they're honestly only ok. That said worldbuilding / characters in all three games are top tier, same level as Trails -- I say this as a fellow Trails superfan who actually put down the series so that I could wait for translations and play all the games in order (currently Chap 3 in Daybreak). Actually characters are probably better than trails but they're not perfect games as the 'strategy' gameplay is incredibly weak (haven't played MonoChrome Mobius yet but the first 3 are basically visual novels with absolutely amazing worldbuiding).
Anyway thx for the video and keep up the good work! Hard to disagree w any of your choices (though of course Nier Automata belongs in here somewhere as we both agree)
Respectfully, I Totally disagree about Legendia, I hated the game and still do. Abyss is so much better in every way. The world, the story, the main characters growth and his arc is second to none in my opinion.
Only things I'd add would be Lost Odyssey and Sea of Stars. Still a fantastic list though! Was great to see the love for Shining Force in part 1. A lot of people tend to sleep on it, but so many series that followed after wouldn't be here without it.
For sure, Shining Force is hugely influential.
I don't know if i completely get what you value in a "Must-Play" list like this. From the analogy you used with literature, it feels like it should be a list of the biggest Landmarks or most Important games troughout history, while also touching on as much of the genre as possible. However from the choices you made, it somewhat feels like you have just made a list of your personal favorite games from each generation. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, however i feel don't feel like that is what these videos was going to be about.
In your first video you mentiioned that this list should give you a "Full and complete education on the JRPG genre" I don't want to sound too harsh, but I don't feel your list does this at all. There is just so little diversity here, with so many huge games and even entire franchises that are completely missing...
Every single Xeno game does not belong on a list like this, Xenogears and Xenoblade 1 are probably the only ones important enough to keep. Same with Tales, I haven't played much tales myself, but there is no way that Tales deserves just as many spots as Final Fantasy on a Must-Play JRPGs list. While i love DDS and DDS2, neither of them deserve to be here either.
On the other hand, where is Pokemon? Fire Emblem? Monster Hunger? Nier? Suikoden? Breath of Fire? Star Ocean? or Dark Souls?
I guess since i am complaining so much, i'll go ahead and make my own list of "Must-Play" or "Landmark" JRPGS. Here i Tried to pick out as many of the most influental JRPGs that i could find, as well as trying to include as many series as i could, and if a series doesn't have a very influential title, i just picked out the what i think is the most liked game in the series. I also tried to limit myself to max 10 games per Gen, however for some gens, like 6 and 8, that was very difficult
Gen 3
Dragon Warrior (NES)
Final Fantasy (NES)
Zelda 2 (NES)
YS 1 (MS) or YS 1 and 2 (TG16)
Wonder Boy 3 the Dragon's Trap (MS)
Phantasy Star (MS)
Gen 4
Phantasy Star 4 (MD)
Shining Force 2 (MD)
Final Fantasy 4 (SNES)
Final Fantasy 6 (SNES)
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Terranigma (SNES)
Earthbound (SNES)
Final Fantasy Adventure (GB)
Final Fantasy Legend 2 (GB)
Gen 5
Final Fantasy 7 (PS1)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PS1)
Xenogears (PS1)
Castlevania Symphony of the Night (PS1)
Star Ocean 2 (PS1)
Suikoden 2 (PS1)
Breath of Fire 3 (PS1)
Valkyrie Profile (PS1)
Pokemon Red and Blue (GB)
Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn)
Gen 6
Final Fantasy 10 (PS2)
Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2)
Dragon Quest 8 (PS2)
Persona 4 (PS2)
Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne (PS2)
Tales of the Abyss (PS2)
Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
Grandia 2 (Dreamcast/PS2)
Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast/Gamecube)
Paper Maio Thousend Year Door (Gamecube)
Fire Emblem (GBA)
Gen 7
Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
Tales of Graces f (PS3)
Dark Souls (PS3/Xbox360)
Lost Odyssey (Xbox360)
Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Trails in the Sky (PSP)
Dragon Quest 5 (DS)
Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver (DS)
Radiant Historia (DS)
Etrian Odyssey 3 (DS)
gen 8 (This gen is way too big, 2013 to 2020 is just a too big of a timeframe, especially in modern time with so many releases)
Bravely Default (3DS)
FIre Emblem Awakening (3DS)
SMT 4 (3DS)
Atelier Ryza (PS4)
Final Fantasy 7 Remake (PS4)
Digaea 5 (PS4/Switch)
Dragon Quest 11 (PS4/Switch/XboxOne)
Octopath Traveler (Switch/PS4/XboxOne)
Nier Automata (PS4/XboxOne/Swtich)
Monster Hunter World (PS4/XboxOne)
Ys 8 (PS4/Vita/Switch)
Persona 5 (PS4/XboxOne/Switch)
13 Sentinals Aegis Rim (PS4/Switch)
Yakuza 0 (PS4/XboxOne)
I'm all for disagreement on this sort of thing, people have been arguing the literary canon forever. I stand by my picks as being vital, but your mileage may vary.
The biggest oversight is Ys 8 Lacrimosa of Dana. I played this game right before Tales of Berseria (which is in the cannon) Ys 8 and Dana Euclid completely ruined Velvet Crow for me. To me, Ys 8 might be the greatest action RPG of all-time, I liked it that much.
Also, if we're talking about Dragon Quest, it's criminal to not include Dragon Quest 5 and 8. I was not surprised by the mid-game twist in Dragon Quest 11 because they did the exact same mid-game twist in 8. I can understand the desire to not include these games, because, let's be real, Dragon Quest 8 is a fantastic game, but it has massive difficulty spikes. Dragon Quest 11 smoothed things out, and it has a very graceful and forgiving difficulty curve, but the older Dragon Quest games don't. Still 5 and 8 remain amongst my most favorite games of all-time and they're great to me.
The best description I've heard about what FF 7 remake and rebirth are is that they are what would happen if Sephiroth discovered new game+. That's the best description of them I've seen. I haven't played them yet, but I'm going to get to them soon.
I played Persona 3 Reload earlier this year and I've got to say that as much as I liked the game, the plot sort of dragged on for me towards the end. It's why I'm a bit hesitant to play 4 and 5. Basically, when it comes to turn-based JRPGs, the Trails series has completely and utterly ruined the genre for me by being so good that everything else falls short of trails. I know that's not fair, but it's really hard to get pumped to play Persona 5 when I could be playing Daybreak instead.
Honestly, the reason DQ8 isn't here is because I haven't really played it. It came out during the period of my life where I wasn't playing games nearly as much, so it fell by the wayside. But I will definitely play it someday soon.