Top 10 Best Sega Genesis JRPGs of ALL TIME!

[@maxcady360]

Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millienium is the absolute best Genesis RPG.

[@Maikeru101]

Just don’t overlevel🤣🤣😭

[@seraph127]

@@Maikeru101 Or get a romhack that fixes that problem...

[@grahfkarate1799]

Never played any Phantasy stars games. Can you skip to 4?

[@JacaboBlanco]

Except for Shining Force 2 of course.

[@Coreisus]

@@grahfkarate1799 you skip to 4. 1 and 2 are pretty integral to eachother and setup the overall lore. 3 and 4 are only loosely connected to the previous games. (Self contained stories, set within the established worlds of 1 and 2)

[@theopatino2379]

PS4 and Shining Force 2 are among my favorite games ever.

[@drumtap2792]

Hey Erick, I just want to say thank you for being a content creator. We didn't have a lot of money growing up so the Gameboy Colour was my only access to games for most of my childhood, and I only bought my first consoles (Switch and PS4) around 4 years ago. Hearing you talk so enthusiastically about these games and share your vast knowledge with us always puts a smile on my face and makes me excited to discover them for myself after missing out on them in my childhood. Your natural personality and passion shine through in your videos and it's refreshing to just hear you talk about your love of games without the need for super fancy or polished editing. Being a content creator must be very difficult sometimes but thank you for persisting, I'm sure many of us appreciate it more than you know.

[@thepaper888]

Ditto

[@AbstractM0use]

Phantasy Star 3 was my introduction to the series, and I loved it. I remember playing through it over and over to see all of the different paths to take.

[@MiamiSunrise]

Phantasy Star 4 is a masterpiece. It deserves the love it gets and I was really impressed by it when I got it shortly after release. The only game I dont have/have not played is Crusader of Centy. I was going to buy a loose copy of that game for $50 back in 2014 at a convention and didnt. Little did I know I made an error in not doing so. That game is STUPID expensive now. Every game in this list deserves the praise, legitimately none of these titles are anywhere close to bad. Fantastic lineup, excellent video!

[@emanuelbatista4748]

Phantasy star 4 was my first jrpg and the second rpg in general that i play, i have greats memories about the game, is one of my favorites rpg ever.

[@rbardy]

Same here, I remember renting the cartridge playing it even not knowing english and somehow loving the game.

[@Dannyrorro]

Playing Landstalker during lockdown made me feel like an 11-year-old on a weekend in the mid-90s. Nice top, and thank you for your videos!

[@MiamiSunrise]

I absolutely love what they did with that game. I hadn't played it at all until about 5 or 6 years ago and was shocked by how much fun I was having with it. I got the same vibes haha

[@Dannyrorro]

@@MiamiSunrise Totally! For me, it was my first time. A masterpiece, if you ask me.

[@tbatrics]

Great list. I just started playing through Phantasy Star IV via the Genesis Classics Collection. I'm loving it, and I'm excited to have the chance to finally play through this great game.

[@xer0vi]

You actually mentioned Warsong! God I loved that game. That and Shining Force were the main games I played on the genesis.

[@Rayzorbladez]

PS3 really was an ambitious game.

[@theopatino2379]

The Tech grid and generation ideas were really cool, combat and gameplay just felt so slow and grindy, I couldn't get into it on my Genesis and only actually beat it when I could use a speed boost to make the game faster.

[@rolfathan]

Phantasy Star 2. I've been using Rolf for my online usernames my entire life because of that game. EDIT: Also, have you tried Shining in the Darkness? A dungeon crawler? I spent a lot of time playing that one.

[@Cali-Bare]

Thanks for taking the time to make this. Keep up the great work!

[@richboutin4044]

Shining in the darkness and Sword of Vermillion are also great, and would be in my top 10.

[@chrisallen3427]

I also thought Shining in the Darkness was pretty awesome and had some cool mechanics for a dungeon crawler back in the day. The fight animations and some of the item that can be used in battle were pretty cool. However, I don't think that Sword of Vermilion was top 10 on the Genesis.

[@Coreisus]

@@chrisallen3427 Sega sure seems to disagree with you about Vermillion, being as they put it on every Sega Genesis collection

[@ribenasquash]

You guys. The best rpg on Mega Drive/Genesis is Shadowrun followed by Super Hydlide.

[@redstratus97]

I beat Beyond Oasis not long ago. It was fun but it was a rather hard game to get through, especially with the mid game bosses. At one point I got frustrated because I was very lost and it took me an hour to retrace my steps to get where I needed to go. In the end it was a fun adventure but there were a fair amount of annoyances with it that I didn’t care for with its game design.

[@ytmndman]

"Corona, the main character" - I'm having flashbacks to diet AYDS now.

[@dluxx7283]

Might I suggest you try Togi Oh: King Colossus. An action RPG that got a fan translation not so long ago. Pretty neat top down perspective RPG gameplay kinda similar to Alundra with cool combat and great soundtrack. Keep up the good work Erick.

[@kidkytes6233]

Phantasy Star 3 isn't half bad. It's got a lot of flaws but the biggest one is that simply...Final Fantasy IV wasn't released yet which properly introduced characters talking to each other throughout the game. Since Phantasy Star 3 has a generational system, having the characters properly converse with each other would've really done a lot for it. Maybe that way we could've been invested in all of these characters who join your party but only have a few sentences of dialogue when you first met them and it's silence afterwards. There's a great retranslation mod out there for Phantasy Star 3 which fixes a lot of things with the script, puts NPCs in all of those empty houses and other things. I really wish all RPGs had a "Talk" function like in Phantasy Star 4. It's a great way to see banter between party members but also a great reminder on what your current destination is especially when you head back into something that you've put down for a while.

[@gpl992]

Tales of Symphonia I remember had a talk feature like Phantasy Star 4 did years earlier..

[@Ruzland]

Emerald Dragon has that function and it is quite the fun strategy RPG.

[@joeyabraham9159]

i smiling ear to ear shining force 2 was the 1st rpg i ever played its where my love of rpgs begun

[@alexmorpheus6762]

Shining Force 1 is the first rpg of my life. Although Shining Force 2 is a better game overall, I prefer both SF1 and SF2.

[@bisterddave]

Never played a Shining Force game before, but now I will. Looks great!

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

I swear the first dungeon in Phantasy Star II is harder than a lot of end game dungeons in some modern RPG's!

[@JacaboBlanco]

It will always be Shining Force 2 for me. My first RPG ever. And my God. Love it so much.

[@JacaboBlanco]

Well Shining Force was my first. But 2 is my favorite.

[@TimBitten]

A hidden gem on Genesis is STARFLIGHT!!! It’s a bit of a stretch to call it RPG...but not much! There’s lots of dialogue and you create a custom party! Check it out blind if you’ve never played it and you’ll be blown away I guarantee.

[@SwiftJustice]

And if you love Starflight, you'll love Star Control 2, aka The Ur Quan Masters. Make sure to play a version with the voices, they're excellent.

[@Rayzorbladez]

PS2 was so freaking mature, I don't want to spoil it, but Darum and Teim's story was completely devastating for something from the 80s.

[@xxcrysad3000xx]

I wish the translation were better, the dialogue was often clunky and emotional moments tended to fall flat for me. But for 1989 it was pretty great, it was the first RPG I ever played and I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

[@Madchaskon]

had a lot of 80's anime vibes, I personally love that design of characters, reminds me of robotech.

[@jamesgodfrey8972]

I love my Sega Mega Drive emulator nd thank god for the great games that was on them. Love the list Erick as always these games are pure legendary games especially Phantasy Star 4 and Landstalker 😁👌🏻

[@HybridAngelZero]

The awesome thing here is, unlike most of these lists, almost everything on this list is available on modern consoles in the Sega Genesis Classics Collection, with the exception of Crusader of Centy and Warsong, and as Eric said, Warsong, the first Langrisser, is remade in a combo pack with its sequel for Switch, PS4 and PC

[@dosboot1]

I think this is the first time I've watched a list video and immediately wanted to play the entire list.

[@insaneasock3156]

Excellent list and proud to say I own all, that's not to say I played all of them. I never played Phantasy Star IV, *hangs head in shame*

[@kevmc97]

Awesome video! And I like the Decap Attack music at the end!

[@rudidellama3718]

Top sega saturn Jrpgs?? I know we didnt get that many in english

[@maxcady360]

The Dreamcast was also pretty unlucky!

[@lnsflare1]

I that Panzer Dragoon Saga would really get the #1 slot on that list.

[@Jsunrise2thetop]

Perfect list. As a genesis rpg fan my list would look almost identical.. some people consider shadow run an rpgish game so I guess I would include that.. plus I'm a fan of shining in the darkness.. but still a perfectly solid list...

[@filgaia1]

ERICK YOU ARE AWESOME thank you for everything you do. Your video intros have become so much better over time, love it!

[@alexmorpheus6762]

I remember playing Beyond Oasis. The main character looks like Axel from Streets of Rage franchise.

[@retornno]

Esperaba este video. Saludos desde Canada =)

[@rimthestew254]

most of Sega Gen RPG stories are dark and heavy as hell if compared to SNES RPGs like in phantasy star II, THERE'S A SUICIDAL SCENE!!! Alys death in PS IV also a heart breaking and a bit dark at the time, the woman that was being the main character the whole time and she just killed like that

[@kekuncj5678]

Crusasader of centry was called Soleil here

[@bigballrecall]

Since we all know where you are

[@MsModestyBlaise]

Great video. Out of interest, does the Phantasy Star collection on GBA improve on the Mega Drive versions? If so, how?

[@whitewolf3051]

I don’t think it does, it lacks Phantsy Star 4 even, only has Phantsy Star 1, 2, and 3. I only get to play Phantsy Star 4 via Sega Genesis Classics for the Switch.

[@MsModestyBlaise]

@@whitewolf3051 Yes, we all know know that PS 4 was sadly missing from the collection. What’s interesting though is that the PS 1 was on an 8 bit console, 2 and 3 on a 16 bit console, and the GBA was a 32 bit handheld released over a decade later. If we’re talking Switch, it has the Sega Ages Phantasy Star 1 version which is Definitive with a capital D.

[@Pimpjira87]

None whatsover and worse music because GBA hardware, no reason to get the GBA collection anymore.

[@whitewolf3051]

@@MsModestyBlaise Yeah, I do have Sega Ages Phantasy Star 1 on my Switch despite having the GBA collection. Mainly because of the additions and improvements.

[@SolonJhee420]

I fully agree with this list. Have you ever tried Light Crusader?

[@RedPowerStorm]

I grew up with a Mega Drive. Beyond Oasis (here in Europe it retained it's original title The Story of Thor), Landstalker and Crusader od Centy (called Soleil in Europe) were my favourite games. I never owned the Phantasy Star and Shining Force games. I played Shining Force some years later and I loved it. I also think the first game was better than the second.

[@hornetscout2579]

Here's the top ten Genesis JRPGs. Thanks for watching!

[@mymusic3354]

Great video! These are all great selections! I've played all the shining force series games on Genesis, Game Gear and Sega CD, they are all great! I've also played all the Phantasy Star games too, they are all really good, each having their own differences that make each stand out but with the 4th game they tie it in to the previous games which was interesting! The 4th game is really great as a series finale, it's too bad other RPGs out there haven't used some of the things that make the game stand out, surprising because the game is really well done. I'm a retro gamer and it's always interesting to check out videos like what you have here, I think I'll subscribe to your channel.

[@deusvlad2.083]

I remember Beyond Oasis forgot the name though was a classic game I also remember the sequel can't remember if it was on the megadrive or the sega saturn?

[@deusvlad2.083]

I liked Landstalker too cause there was this cool 1v1 battle music that really got me going lol

[@alimirza851]

Some of the genesis rpg's deserve remakes (graphics like Final Fantasy VII of PlayStation 4)

[@sinthetic4878]

It's mostly for the rpgs that I really value the Sega compilations that have come out for PlayStation 2/3/4. I just wish the PS3 version wasn't the only one to have all 4 original Phantasy Star games.

[@JuanSchwartz]

Your accent is awesome. And your content is amazing. Subbed

[@GeekHero_Bubba]

Sometimes Americans changed the names in order to achieve maximum marketing potential. That is not as important now.

[@Tochir0]

Good vid, needs more Shadowrun tho

[@diegoarmando5489]

My favourites: Warsong Uncharted Waters New Horizons Shadowrun Phantasy Star 2 Phantasy Star 4 Langrisser 2 Shining Force Shining Force 2 Beyond Oasis Landstalker HMs: Crusader of Centy Light Crusader Phantasy Star 3 I suspect that Ys 3 would be somewhere had I played it. Warsong obviously has awesome music, as it's an Iwadare OST. It doesn't have multiple paths though. Only Langrisser 2 does.

[@Pimpjira87]

I need to try out Uncharted Waters again sometime. It seems like a good game but it was harder to get into than I expected and I put it down way back.

[@diegoarmando5489]

@@Pimpjira87 Don't bother playing Uncharted Waters. It's a frustrating mess. Play Uncharted Waters 2: New Horizons on either a SNES or a Genesis emulator depending on which console's sound you prefer. The PC version isn't as good.

[@Pimpjira87]

@@diegoarmando5489 Ah yes, that is the one I meant. I kinda forgot the first game existed.

[@rpg-memories8069]

It's alway nice to see how many intersting RPG's are out there, that I haven't played yet. But catching up to Erick is impossible ;) Thanks for creating these lists for us :D

[@nintenjoel]

Awesome list for sure but I would replace PSIII with Shadowrun!

[@jasonsouthwell1590]

This rules! You can find a few of these titles on the Genesis Mini if anyone is looking for an easy way to access them.

[@EoR_2B4GOT10]

Personally I think Sega renaming Story of Thor to beyond Oasis was an alright move. The title Story of Thor made no sense at all.

[@scottyboy6269]

Genesis had 10 JRPGS?! I played Phantasy Star and Shining Force and then had to play on SNES had no idea these others existed lol.

[@MrElbowsmash]

Ending on Decap Attack music, cultured taste.

[@guillaumer.7698]

Hi Erick, I watched many or your video, and I like what you do. I have 1 question : did you give your advice about Sword Art Online serie ? I couldn't find any

[@UNGGodYT]

it is top 6 , because phantasy star took too many slots. Landstalker was a great game for me, i really like how different from zelda , you get stronger without noticing , as you increase your vitality you will do more damage , i remember going to dungeon 1 killing slimes with 2 slash, and when i returned i was killing with just one, and did not got a new weapon! i liked to play sword of vermillion , might and magic was too confusing to count i guess .

[@foxmulder4318]

Sword of Vermilion really seems to get little love. I personally really enjoyed it.

[@Cbjj16]

Great video. Never owned a genesis and never played any of these games. But this video is making me want to be a kid again and play these games for the first time. May 2024

[@teefa85]

One thing I can't wait to do when this pandemic is over is to finish the SF2 friend we started before it hit. We'd already gotten through the first game and wanted to see the second. Both games definitely get my seal of approval for awesome strategy games. And if I didn't have several other games I wanted to play this year...I'm itching for another run of PSIV. Such a wonderful RPG.

[@cubs252006]

Shining Force II will always be my favorite. It is THE game that got me into JRPGs. Kind of sad I've only ever beaten SF1 on the GBA. I need to return to the Genesis version.

[@Ruzland]

I would add Shining in the Darness, Traysia and Sword of Vermillion as honorable mentions and would put Phantasy Star 3 over all those action-RPG's. When you really get into Phantasy Star 3 you discover how amazing and deep the game is and with 3 generations there is an amazing replay vallue. Wren and Rika are also in the game. Once you get the magic box in Shining in the Darkness there is almost no RPG that is as fun. A very deep and enthralling game!

[@Beorn567]

You need to do more Sega Saturn Erick

[@Pimpjira87]

I don't think he's played much Saturn. He has said he doesn't have any Saturn games, and Saturn isn't so easy to emulate.

[@rodrigosoto1176]

Which games did you use for the intro of this video?

[@yoelchris2596]

Well, Crusaders of Centy.... That took a while back... Ive played it... ( Emulator,OC) if im not mistaken, for more than five times already....in the search of Tloz Substitutes....... Man, What a Game it is.... And yeah, In that game, ya can find a certain blue hedgehog somewhere in the beach there... 😁

[@DragonKingX78]

Love Shining Force I and Phantasy Star IV.

[@stevenade8104]

ummm good list, but you didnt put Shining in the Darkness on here

Nice T-shirt Erick!

[@TrevRockOne]

Lol, I've never heard anyone call a video game a douche before.

[@MoreAwsomeMetal]

I have to oppose to 3 of the titles in this list: Landstalker, Beyond Oasis and Crusader of Centy are NOT RPGS. Those are action adventure games.

[@beebomcgroober9316]

So if we made a list of the top 10 worst Genesis JRPGS would they overlap somewhere in the middle?

[@Madstylezify]

Are you able to save game progress?

[@vitojosephjoestar3653]

Love your channel ! Great job

[@Blackcloud288]

Does anyone know what game is shown at 00:21?

[@redstratus97]

You can get 6 of these games on the Sonic Ultimate Collection for the PS3 and the XBOX 360.

[@ArcusAngeluss]

i agree everyone forgets about shining force it was my first rpg, i did a let's play of the GBA version if anyone wants to check it out

[@HeavyCrapStudio]

I really enjoyed playing Shining Force. I actually skipped II to play Shining Force CD and ended up finishing it twice for some reason. I might also play PS4 directly as I havent played the old ones and want the best experience.

[@hachiko187]

Ah, Phantasy Star, a great game that came to Brazil in Portuguese :D with some funny bad translation, but it was the first to be translated here

[@johnr4836]

after the PS2 era i feel console gaming kinda fell out creatively

[@909crime]

how so?

[@johnr4836]

@@909crime the dlc and cash grab type of stuff, and every game mostly being a genre clone

[@909crime]

@@johnr4836 I guess so, but a lot of smaller studios and indie developers have certainly held up creatively I think. Hell, even bigger companies like nintendo have done a lot of innovation with games like Kid Icarus Uprising, Mario Kart... Hell, even Rocket leauge is still pretty unique creatively!

[@johnr4836]

@@909crime you're right i don't mean all just a lot like everything seem like the same game but different name lately

[@909crime]

@@johnr4836 true. it takes a lot to stand out in this world.

[@whitewolf3051]

The original Phantsy Star which I have on the on both the GBA collection and the Switch digital copy.

[@Pimpjira87]

It's Master System not Genesis so it wouldn't be on this list. Switch version of the game is great btw with the map and less grinding required. edit: durr on me, missed the last part of the comment.

[@sunekoo]

Anyone who likes Warsong should check out Yggdra Union

[@Pimpjira87]

I was hoping the Switch version would get localized but still nothing on that.

[@sunekoo]

@@Pimpjira87 seems unlikely at this point. Sting have significantly dumbed the game down on switch though (a rewind feature, making items able to be equipped and unequipped freely etc) so perhaps not a huge loss... PSP version is probably the best, although the GBA original is probably the most brutal srpg I’ve played

[@Pimpjira87]

@@sunekoo Ah I didn't know about that. Rewind feature would be optional of course but I don't recall how equipment changes would effect the game, been a long time since I played the six or so hours that I did. I only have a 16gb card for Vita and you can't download Yggdra Union directly from the Vita(one of those must be transferred from PC/PS3 games) so Switch would just be more convenient.

[@elasmojones]

Shining Force II = my number 1 for Genesis easily.

[@MiamiSunrise]

Shining Force 2 I really enjoyed as well. I remember playing it through and then after I beat it and turned the Genesis off I came across an article in a gaming magazine that said at the very end of the game after you beat it, wait for a couple minutes and then Sarah's text box will suddenly continue speaking saying "And more". Then you could play a secret final battle. The game just kept giving out greatness haha

[@kcmac9298]

Shining Force II is the best rpg on Genesis and its not really close. Only rpg that has replayability.

[@slasher8091]

War song is my favourite game i played throughout it at least 5 times

[@vel2118]

how come beyond oasis is an rpg when there's no level up system ?

[@darkmangekyo243]

0:19 What game is this? Looks like a Tales Of style.

[@darkmangekyo243]

@Dutch Slatin Thank you.

[@Dsims37]

Phantasy Star 2 is unforgivable with the encounter rate and the INSANE menu system making every last battle tedious and overlong.

[@robertomelgar1008]

Can I play Phantasy Star 4 without playin the prior games?

[@moogleking]

Hardly played any jrpgs on genesis but played so many on snes, guess genesis wasn't that popular for jrpgs as snes was

[@akhandtripathipyz9888]

Shining force 2 and phantasy star 4 are the best

[@Ubu90]

i owuld like a new phantasy star in the old style like 4

[@Blackcloud288]

What's the game at 00:21?

[@NerdCrave]

Let's Begin!

[@danluke426]

When Retro Reviewers say "Sega didn't have many good RPG JRPG's..." If you don't want to do your research and look stupid, thats cool. Thanks for trying, maybe next time you can teach us how to make Taco's or beans😂🤣😂🤣

[@EliteGamersUnited]

great list erick. i will only disagree with SF1 being better than 2. Though both are great, i put 2 ahead of 1.

[@ericp631]

I was a bigger shining force fan than ps(had both for the gba), it's a shame that sega went away from the strategy gameplay for the series

[@Coreisus]

The fact that most Genesis games are shorter than SNES games is saddening. I wish Phantasy Star 4 and Beyond Oasis were as long as FF4 or Link to the Past

[@yurikrupin6907]

Name the second game from the intro please

[@tomthespaceknerd5396]

Genesis was my first console and despite it's flaws I love it to death. I still have it and it still works, though me and my brother covered it in stickers from Sonic: The Comic when we were about 8 and I can't get them off. I still have a number of rpgs for it that I still haven't finished much to my shame. Phantasy Star IV, Shining Force, Landstalker, Shining in the Darkness and Sword of Vermillion. probably won't ever finish Vermillion though. It's... not the best.

[@TimBitten]

I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but Shining in the Darkness was my favorite as a kid. I just wanted to save that princess SO DAMN BAD! lmao But it was too hard back then. I couldn’t handle it. Recently beat it, but even now that I’m better at these games, I had to resort to save states to keep my sanity. lmao It really doesn’t hold your hand at ALL.

[@anjbaron1018]

Phantasy star IV was the best and still is.

[@alexmorpheus6762]

Shining Force 1 and 2 are my first and favorite RPGs

[@TheBT]

You can tell how lacking the Mega Drive RPG library is when Phantasy Star 3 makes the top 10. Honestly these lists could use the inclusion of western RPGS, Warriors of the Eternal Sun, Rings of Power (That one's brutal) etc

[@TheBT]

Though I don't think there is a console with less controversy about the best RPG on it, maybe an exception being the Switch with Xenoblade Chronicles. Phantasy Star IV is just head and shoulders above the rest