Top 10 JRPGs That Aged Really Well

These 10 JRPGs I feel aged really well and if played today, they can be just as enjoyable as they were back then.
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[@MrRMD32]

Valkyrie Profile made such an impact on me as a teenager. The story, music, characters, and battle system are amazing 👏

[@allthatishere]

I haven't played Valkyrie Profile in almost 20 years and I still remember her special attack, Nibelung Valesti. It just sounded so badass! it's crazy that it's been stuck in my head this long. lol

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

@@allthatishere I remember a generic archer attack "pulvarishing Storm" still has me get excited each time haha

[@jtgamingguy885]

Breath of Fire 4 has aged well

[@dariushines1251]

Definitely!

[@hansjaeger4166]

Damn straight

[@JMrealgamer]

What about BOF5? Nah I’m just kiddin’! 😂

[@hansjaeger4166]

@@JMrealgamer dragon quarter was a good game but it wasn’t really a good breath of fire game. And six never happened or at least we all wish it didn’t

[@kylealexander7024]

Has it? I grew up played BoF3 on ps1 but never continued the series.

[@Aenashi]

Final Fantasy 6 also had some of the best music. Terra’s theme gets me each time I hear it.

[@JagdPanther101]

I love Terra's theme, but the Celes' Theme and Aria di Mezzo are what get me.

[@MarkerInTheSand]

It's my favorite videogame soundtrack of all time.

[@self-righteousideologue9398]

Had "some" of the best music? Incorrect, my good man. FF6 had "the best" music. 😈

[@michaelbenti5383]

I would have placed ff6 as #1. Everything was just perfect.

[@jonnyjazzz]

Decisive Battle (boss theme) is, hands down, the best boss theme music ever created.

[@kylekostamo1880]

Suikoden 2 is an absolute masterpiece, perfect in almost everyway. It is my favorite RPG between all systems, one of my fav series, and definitely one of the best RPGs of all time. One of my saddest days was when my physical copy went missing, and it has never turned up. I had bought it for 20$ when blockbuster went out of business and Quake or Quake2 was bundled with it. All my friends thought it was a waste of money cuz they never heard of it, until they seen me playing.

[@williammason3229]

Seems kinda funny that I'm often brought into RPGs on 2, Wild Arms 2nd ignition , Suikoden 2, Shadow Hearts 2 Covenant, Legia 2,

[@Dogbold-Rue]

Loved it a lot as well. Finished it legit the 1st time & next ones, I started messing around w/ codes for extra fun. Ever tried playing the game with Sword Jowy with you & never losing the best buds combination attack? Had impossible to equip Runes in all available Slots? Activate the 1st Suikoden hero sidequest w/o a save from S1? Literally push the Border Gate to a harder Area way earlier than you should be able to for easier leveling? (This one is a no-hack legit in-game exploit)

[@jaretco6423]

I need to play the Suikoden series at some points.

[@kylekostamo1880]

@@jaretco6423 do it sooner than later. You won't be disapointed. Too lots of fans surprise but suikoden 3 was my least favourite, in terms of battle mechanics anyways. Story and characters were great as normal, just didn't like the random placement when your characters move in battle and if they end up in the AoE for any attack spells you cast then they're taking major damage too, if not dying. I liked 4 too most people surprise, it was a bit different and I did find the characters to be a little bland and generic compared to the previous 3 games. Tierkries for the DS is fine game as well, a bit different again but mixes in a lot of the good from the first 2 games in with its ideas. Sorry, I could go on about the series, its hard to write only short things about it.

[@jaretco6423]

@@kylekostamo1880 OK. What about 5?

[@tek512]

Xenogears is still popular enough that a team of coders and artists are finishing disc 2. They are also changing the in-game names and text to properly reflect its Japanese counterpart. It has aged extremely well. Its story, controls, art, and overall gameplay are still top notch. I am legitimately surprised it didn't make the cut.

[@LoadingLegendary]

I miss playing that game, it was so fun. MA mixed with Mech combat. It's hard to find a half decent Mech RPG now.

[@rimjobledouche5201]

No, it isn't. None of that is happening. Do not play with my heart like that.

[@WSPBane]

Xenogears was and still is my favorite jRPG of that era. A couple of years ago I got a handheld emulator so I could play it again. I still have my original disks one of the few I actually kept from any system over the years!

[@tek512]

@@rimjobledouche5201 It absolutely is happening. Never underestimate what fans of a game will do when they have the necessary skills.

[@rimjobledouche5201]

@@tek512 What's the name of the project?

[@Dayvson_Costa]

I got one that aged so well that I'd say it's still modern: Shining Force 2. This game is just incredible.

[@dotteddice2358]

Agree! I loved the Shining Force series, especially 2.

[@Exile1a]

Totally Agreed. And the 'Remake' of the first for the GBA also works well. Only bad thing about The Shining Force 2 is the weird 'love' interest with the princess. XD She has like 6 lines that are actually words and not a scream...

[@_BenJaminCroft_]

Star Ocean: The Second Story. The cut scenes, the backgrounds, battle system, music, item system, the sprites, everything about this game is amazing and definitely stood the test of time.

[@xbdaddyx]

Literally just played it again on an emulator for the 4th time (I never play games more than once). Top 3 game of all time. Period

[@keiichimorisato98]

The PSP remake was a lot better.

[@Fingerknee]

Psp remake loses a lot of the charm of the ps1 version imo

[@keiichimorisato98]

@@Fingerknee the PSP version was a remaster of the PS1 version.

[@Ninjasqrlgirl]

Suikoden 2 is one of my favorite games of all time. The waybyour base grew as you gained more team members was done better here than any other game.

[@spencer1531]

When I played Mother 3 I was blown away by how much it felt like playing a modern indie rpg rather than a 20 year old game. The pacing, story, gameplay, and humor hold up perfectly and the 4-party system with an attacker, mage, buffer, and item-user is super engaging

[@Coconattsuu]

It's almost like all (most) the modern indie RPGs copied it... hmm... the meme is real

[@samt3412]

@@Coconattsuu but even then, you'd expect that indie RPGs would modernize the feel of Mother 3. Turns out, that feel still feels modern 20 years later. Either that, or the amount of indie RPGs has retroactively made otherwise dated parts of Mother 3 feel modern because they're still used in popular RPGs today.

[@tbonejenkins8807]

it's not 20 years old, though, it was released in 2006, and the fan translation even later.

[@protodad6151]

Mother 3 is a great call out! That game has aged very well.

[@OzymandiasWasRight]

Phantasy Star 4 is a remarkably impressive game, every time I play it I'm shocked its on the Genesis. The panel style cut scenes aged really well.

[@thenuclearsandwich]

And just think they originally wanted to put it on the Sega CD. It would have been magnificent if they had done that.

[@eschcal9839]

I think I've played in about 5-6 times in my lifetime. I'm a fan of a protag essentially being the sidekick character. The tech and skill system was nice and added unique flavor to every character, though your party is pretty much the same characters afterwards. The old alien cleric was amazing and could restore TP to everybody, but never could stay alive in the final battle. The pure melee alien sucked. I think 1 one choice you get is either Kyra due to nice combos with others, or your favorite robot like Demi. The human tech user is awful. Honestly, there are characters that hit hard enough and still have good abilities. Wo wants to spam attack or use spells that aren't any better? I really wish they fleshed out the machines more, and let you fly in space with one. The way sprites looked in it put me off at first while moving out of battle, but I quickly adjusted. In the end, very linear stuff with 1 or 2 areas that are optional, with pretty clear end game eq everyone uses. The lack of variety sucked some, but that is a way to make the difficulty just right by the designers. I felt like I actaully accomplished something. Games like FF6, 7 and 8 forgot how unique characters with a certain skillset is better. Everyone spamming the same spells from the same list really wore on me by 8 I was so sick of only sprites and limits being the only was characters differed in battle. 9 got back to it in style, everyone had flexable but clear roles. 10 was real strange, and again everyone could be everything. And you had to hold back "leveling" until you got items to fill empty stat slots or you went crazy skipping them. 12, again, curaga spam. The Zodiac system release was better imo. The story sucked ass in the end, I beat the boss it thought he was just another one along the way. Anticlimatic AF. I think FF5 and FF4 were skill systems done right. Either set roles, or a limitt to what you can do so you end up specializing roles. Its what I loved about FF Tactics. I miss that they'll never make another one that isn't online BS and its such a huge waste. I think they all held up.

[@OzymandiasWasRight]

@@thenuclearsandwich wait really?? I'd never heard that but it totally makes sense. Always wished Sega put more rpgs on the CD. Shining Force CD, Lunar, and Popful Mail are 3 of the consoles best. Damn shame to think what Phantasy Star CD coulda been.

[@dustinleed9696]

That final fantasy 6 (3) song will play in my mind forever. Dunno why. It's just there permanently. I'm not sad. I'm blessed.

[@Edwinschuur]

I would go for Breath of Fire 4. Less grinding than 1 to 3 and the visuals hold up really well. For Final Fantasy I think X also holds up well but maybe not old enough compared to other games on this list.

[@AndrewTheTransformer]

Although BOF4 felt slower because of the battle scenes compared to BOF3. They both had excellent story lines.

[@debbyolivier5122]

I think 3 is better 4, better characters!

[@AndrewTheTransformer]

@@debbyolivier5122 Ryu, Garr, and Peco? aha

[@AmazingOwnage]

FFX is my favorite FF game and probably my favorite JRPG. I replay it every couple of years and always glean something new out of it.

[@rafaelalmeida9516]

Breath of Fire III and IV aged very well too.

[@danteroberto7412]

BOF IV aged like Tom Cruise rsrsrsrs

[@WhatAboutZoidberg]

Star Ocean 2, still amazingly fun, simple game with lots of replayability with the different recruitments. Breath of Fire 3 or 4 are both top tier games and look gorgeous, some of the best sprite work outside of SNK. Lunar for PS1, both are still great and a blast to play.

[@tnshanobighost6749]

Starocean 2 is slept in my dude

[@AndrewTheTransformer]

100% with so much content and tons of different endings 😀

[@aidankhaos7687]

Breath of Fire is amazing

[@AndrewTheTransformer]

@@aidankhaos7687 yep! Did you enjoy part 3 or 4?

[@debbyolivier5122]

Is star ocean 6 actually gonna be good this time i wonder

[@ScootMootE]

Wow! Such nostalgia. What a great list you’ve put together. Thanks for the hard work. Now it’s time to go play some of these classics. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@elvesrus]

Slightly surprised at the lack of Dragon Quest, in particular anywhere from 3-6. There is even a movie on Netflix that is basically a condensed 5.

[@clintbrew]

I was enjoying the dragonquest movie until the twist at the end

[@falksi3182]

Great selection! Phantasy Star 4 is IMO the best JRPG of all time, and it's cut-scenes feel very modern along with the interface.

[@alexel-ramahi2274]

Shadow hearts is one of the games I wish I can replay, I was a very tiny kid when I saw my dad playing it and I can’t shake the feeling I’d kill for this game to be rereleased 😭❤️

[@Zakemaster]

This is when I feel obligated to mention that there are… less than legal ways to play it whenever you’d want as long as you have a half decent PC.

[@alexel-ramahi2274]

@@Zakemaster I don’t have a pc that’s the sad part😭 maybe in the future

[@jaretco6423]

The only reason Shadow Hearts wasn't talk about that much was because it came out the same time as Final Fantasy 10 did and well, u know how popular that game was when it was released on the early PS2.

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

@@Zakemaster honestly, I'm almost tempted to do that anymore. In so desperate to play those games. The perfect mix of dark and gritty, but light and charming. Serious and intense then hilarious and goofy. I never realized how much i missed the game until I couldn't play it anymore.

[@Zakemaster]

@@hellfrozenphoenix13 look, I’m not a big fan of pirating games and software, but I do take exception when it’s a game that requires a serious amount of effort or a large financial investment to be able to play again. Playing shadow hearts requires a working ps2 and a copy of the game, and while it’s far from the most expensive PS2 game to get, you’re still probably gonna be putting down more than a modern release to get it. I would 100% rebuy the shadow hearts games if they were rereleased, but until then, I emulate. Is that legal? No. But it’s also not hurting the devs, so I don’t feel bad about it. So I’d personally recommend it.

[@stephenfagnano2868]

How about a little love for Dragon Force on the Sega Saturn, a 2D strategy masterpiece that I believe still looks and plays great today.

[@Terron29]

great list and interesting topic. I love what you focus on, load times and overall battle speed/ encounter rate etc, These are things that really hold back some ps1 classics but others have aged like wine such as suikoden 2.

[@PazuChill]

For me The Legend of Dragoon would be another one. I'm playing through it for the first time; and it feels very nice and accessible.

[@asraarradon4115]

Yes. As much as that game got flak for its comparisons to FF, I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed the combo system. It made combat feel active for a JRPG, which traditionally has static-feeling combat. And I loved the limitations for the human and dragoon forms. It made it so you had to decide which to be in tactically, so the dragoon form wasn't just all-out superior.

[@robertbeisert3315]

Definitely a hidden gem, and it's getting a remake!

[@merlefi6162]

Valkyrie Profile Lenneth was soooooo good! The story and characters were great! I can say that it was one of the very few games that made me cry (the only other games that made me cry so far were Star Ocean 2, Symphonia, and Silent Hill Shattered Memories). It takes a lot before I really get emotionally invested in a game's story and characters. Lenneth's so cool and and strong and very likeable!

[@dirtyfrench2926]

Lmao I love that he brings up loading times for Lufia 2... like loading times were even a thing on the snes lol.

[@7Ronin7]

Played Arc The Lad II a few years ago and now I understand why it's considered a classic in Japan. Great game and now it's one of my favorites.

[@djgizmoe]

Nice vid! Totally forgot about Grandia, but thanks to your vid, I was able to snatch up 1 & 2 on the Steam Summer Sale (as if I *really* needed anymore, but whatevs).

[@SubduedRadical]

Fantastic list. Some old favorites here as well. :D

[@CompassIIDX]

Suikoden 2's magnificence can't be overstated. Koudelka was awesome.

[@Rizky-Gumilar]

FF VI and IX are freakin masterpiece. Both games are timeless.

[@petea8501]

FF9 is even better with the Moguri Mod it looks and sounds amazing

[@Rizky-Gumilar]

@@petea8501 i really hope a full modern remake for FF VI and IX someday but as long as nomura is in charge of square it will never happen. square is gonna keep milking overrated 7

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

@@Rizky-Gumilar after 7 remakes are done, I would say 6 is the next natural step. It had a ton of room they can fill as well, has a lot of unique elements they can flesh out a lot, and is simply set up for it. 6 and 4 are the most likely for remakes, although I'll always hope for 9 to get one. But 9 doesn't have the same potential for fleshing out as those 2.

[@Rizky-Gumilar]

@@hellfrozenphoenix13 ff7 remake will never end. square will keep milking it until the end of time sadly.

[@MiamiSunrise]

Every one of those picks totally fit. Truthfully so many could fit here and a second version of this list could be made as well. Wow are there some games that have aged HORRIBLY, but fortunately these are not them. I was hoping for VP and Suiko2 and you delivered.

[@leandrocalmon4185]

What a list, my friend! Happy that PSIV and Lufia II appeared here, in my opinion the two most underrated JRPGs of the 16-bit era. Two masterpieces that deserves more recognition.

[@Ruzland]

Phantasy Star 2 is still an amazing game and much deeper than PS4. Graphically PStar 3 was terrible but the generational mechanism (first RPG to use this) makes this still interesting and challenging RPG. Both are hidden gems. The Genesis had quite a few decent to great RPG's no one talks about.

[@cpthurme]

I’m playing Phantasy Star II Improvement mod and I do think it’s a better game than IV even - which is a truly excellent rpg.

[@Ruzland]

@@cpthurme High five! PS 4 is too easy and seemed to be aimed at RPG "new players". PS 2 is hardcore. I had to draw my own maps, etc etc. PS3 is even tougher. P.S: What are the improvement mods ? I have never heard of that before. I beat it 25 years ago or so.

[@lillipup60]

Just finished Super Mario RPG yesterday on my SNES. Plays and looks excellent still!

[@glorkbork776]

Lol, before even watching I was thinking of Valkyrie Profile as an older game that's aged almost flawlessly. You could release it today as an indie title and it would feel perfectly modern, in fact, with the fixed time blocks it would feel right at home next to similar systems in Persona. Ironically, I'd say the only thing that's aged poorly is the English dub, it's done by many 4Kids alums and isn't terrible, but is definitely a relic of its time, and dates the game.

[@robertsilvermyst7325]

I really love the graphics, gameplay and story of Shining the Holy Ark. I really want to see that game return with just touch-ups.

[@rozlian]

Xenogears, wild arms 2,breath of fire 2 and bahamut lagoon would be a great addition to these masterpieces

[@spectralfire4842]

If you’re making an exception for 19 year old games then Shin Megami tensei Nocturne might deserve to be on the list. It’s more beloved now than when it released. Tales of Eternia could make this list too.

[@faridsalam9521]

Tales of Phantasia rather

[@carlosaugusto9821]

Phantasia is better, even though Eternia has much better graphics. But Phantasia graphics are very good.

[@archon536]

I would also consider a game like Skies of Arcadia, especially the Gamecube remake. Had a really cool battle system with interesting character progression mechanics. Also had an incredible story, and the ship battles were so cool!

[@cruxis27]

I love Skies of Arcadia Legends! I think the encounter rate was a bit high and the battles dragged a bit but I still love it! I would love a modern remake especially those ship battles.

[@drowningin]

I want that game upscale ported Legends with og Dreamcast bitrate of the music/sounds so I can sell my GameCube & Dreamcast discs. That game looks a lot better on Dolphin with all the settings cranked up so they actually wouldn't need to do much. I would also like it to be re translated. Have option for original, and accurate. If you play fan translations you can see the story only just barely captured what the original game was saying

[@Fa1nTy]

Skies of Arcadia fails the "quality of life check" IMO. Really go back and look at how long basic battles took. You had massive loading times on top of very slow to load attack animations. Even a small random battle could take 30-60s to do where you two shot little enemies.

[@drowningin]

@@Fa1nTy that stuff can be easily altered. It's still an amazing game, and if those are the only complaints its great. Only problem I had is frequency of battles which can easily be altered, if it isn't I would still buy and play it again because it perfectly captures the promise many RPGs fail at- the feeling of adventure. FF12 released after, and they said it would have sky pirates. I mistakenly thought "SoA with FF paint" but nope, no sky piracy to be had, just words on a box as usual

[@behzadmirmozaffari2563]

Really loved that game

[@matttran7161]

The PS1 version of Lunar has aged incredibly well. It's pure nostalgia for a time you've never experienced. PSP version is even better and at ~15 hours to complete is easily a once-per-year kind of game.

[@PheonixKnght]

I kept waiting to see Lunar as number 1 and then see its not on the list is highly disappointing.

[@Rosa_Canina]

Have not played the first Lunar on PS1, but with the second game I found myself WAY MORE entertained with the original Sega CD release. Those awesome animated sprite art cutscenes beat the the compressed anime cutscenes any time of the day. But Lunar 1 is just a good time, so yeah, PS1 should be fine, too :)

[@PheonixKnght]

You need to play it my jaw dropped at one point from the changes

[@acerimmer8338]

Sorry, but the PSP version is bad. It's pretty, but that's it. Much simpler, easier and way too much cut content. Takes out too much of the RPG in JRPG.

[@PheonixKnght]

@@acerimmer8338 Smoke me a kipper ill be back for breakfast.

[@cyberangel9967]

Thank you for making Valkyrie Profile number one!

[@joshalstott4877]

YES, Valkyrie Profile! "To my side, my noble Einherjar!" and "I am Freya. Recall the name on your journey to Hel." were just the best!

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

Yggdra Union and Knights in the Nightmare aged pretty well.

[@danteroberto7412]

Hhhhmmm, I don't know bud Like, these are JRPGs with RIDICULOUSLY - and in some points clearly unnecessary - complicated mechanics, which audience of nowadays will fairly drop them at the first hours of gameplay. Now talking about Riviera and Spectral Souls, maybe these two - the other two titles of Department Heaven saga - games would have a nice better reception by newcomers. Don't you think 💁🏽‍♂️???!

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

@@danteroberto7412 so its all about new players and not the intricate charms? I guess Riviera would register. Maybe Hexyz Force but Spectral Souls?? I dont know.

[@danteroberto7412]

No, bro. Not EVERYTHING is about new players. That's not (by far) what I meant. Though, think about the time we live in today. It's 2022, bud. Videogames are in a VERY different stage as they were at the turn of the millennium. Like, place yourself on the company's shoes; you want to be the maximum sure that a "relaunch" of these games will hit the tops, are you not???! And when you look from the surface and you see more criticism than appraisal, you... Hold back your coins, isn't???! That's exactly the case of these two games you cited and that's the current videogame industry mindset. No matter as much as we - the 35-40 years old JRPG gamers - are aware of how GOOD these games we're talking about are, WE are PLAYERS and they are CEOs, and they will never look to videogames as we do. And Y-E-S my man, these current executives take into account new audiences more than you imagine. I don't like it, you don't like it, but that's the reality 🤷🏽‍♂️ Now, let me ask you: have you played and beaten these FOUR Department Heaven saga games???! Did you REALLY find Spectral Souls more convoluted than Knights in The Nightmare????? Well, ok then... If you say so 🤷🏽‍♂️ About Hexyz Force, it's a good one 👍🏽 candidate for a successful "resurrection" to nowadays "general tastes", I guess. Sorry the extensive text 🙏🏽 and thnx for the discussion.

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

@@danteroberto7412 well I am not done with Gungnir so I legitmately just beat 3 Dept Heaven(Gungnir is definitely the hardest in terms of strategizing). I honestly didn't play any Spectral Soul game since I've been warned that is a grindfest. About Knights in the Nightmare, it all changes to me when I actually look at the wisp and what it was doing, it became clear to me on how to play it at that point. And about Dept Heaven, they are trying to crawl back and I hope someday that they manage to make a Episode ix part 2. Last thing, why did you apologize and why the long essay?

[@soratheorangejuicemascot5809]

@@danteroberto7412 a question I truly wanted to ask, do you think Yggdra Union would be good if you remove the card, mvp system, and Gulcasa?

[@OrphanCrippler1]

Wild arms should be on here for sure

[@ZealPropht]

Once again, you’re absolutely correct in your assessments. All these titles still hold up really well even today.

[@kdude1575]

Dark Cloud and Dark cloud 2 both in 2000 and 2002 are 2 of my top 10 games with Dark cloud 2 being #1 on my list. If y’all have a PS4/5 you need to download these 2 and play them

[@Cologneking408]

Lunar the Silver Star Harmony for the PSP is probably the best looking 2d rpg ever. It looks gorgeous

[@kngkulilin]

Suikoden 2 is still one of my favorite RPGS to this day. Very happy to see it on the list!

[@rodfagundes01]

Great video man! Thank you!

[@SilentZed]

One thing to add about Lufia II. It has, from what I can remember, the first randomized deep dungeon in a strictly RPG game rather than a hack and slash like the original Diablo.

[@nickwick35]

I’d pay an insane amount of money for a Shadow Hearts remastered collection

[@lowtiergamer2736]

Use that money to get a pc and emulate it. I guarantee with shaders and texture pack it will look better than remaster. Most devs dont put much effort into remasters, just look at chrono cross it runs worse than the ps1 version.

[@gulpirak]

I emulate them but I would still absolutely support a remaster or even simply an HD-upscaled widescreen release.

[@Jack_80]

me too. i never played them back in the day but they look like my type of games. i also really want a xenosaga trilogy, i did play the first 2 but never got around to playing the 3rd. i still remember how amazing the first game was for it's time and can't understand why it wasn't more successful.

[@luxijus5581]

Me too, I'm replaying it on my phone now though

[@ZuperNEZ]

Funny, because it costs an insane amount of money to buy even one game in the series online.

[@braselthegamer]

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but I feel like the puzzles in Lufia 2 are awesome and really add to the overall experience. Neat list!

[@jfc5643]

great video! suggestion video as i am into pce cd in this moment: tier list rpg games for this console :)

[@Cage532]

Great list and you have many of the same games I would have chosen if I had to pick like, Suikden 2, Phantasm Star IV and Arc The Lad 2. I also love Shadow Hearts but I would have picked Shadow Hearts 2 over the first one. On the list of games needing a HD Remaster the whole Shadow Hearts trilogy is top of my list.

[@hellfrozenphoenix13]

If I had the resources to, I'd hire a team and fund the remaster for the trilogy. Cannot express enough how much I love those games

[@jonnyjazzz]

I make my list of ROM games to obtain based on Erick's videos, to play through with my son. Thanks for keeping these up, Erick!

[@TheCoopsCorner]

Phantasy Star IV is a great game, without question. And while PSII and PSIII both had issues that drag them down in some important ways (PSII was grindy as hell, with drawn out dungeons that take forever to get through), I think the first Phantasy Star has aged well as well. It's more basic to be sure, but the exploration isn't drawn out, the visuals are good for an 8-bit machine, the music is memorable, and the gameplay is pretty snappy for an RPG of that era. And those 3-D dungeons... gotta love 'em.

[@jeffnogo]

I love PSII, grindy as hell and the original genesis version is probably the most difficult JRPG there is. PSIV is much more polished and easy to get into it, but I think II will always be my favorite.

[@SuiteLifeofDioBrando]

In terms of older rpgs I would say Trails in the Sky SC Star Ocean 2 Tales of Eternia FF6 SMT Devil Survivor Overclocked

[@fnors2]

SO2 is still pretty good, that's for sure. I think most of the early Tales games are still very nice. Tales of Phantasia on snes is still very good. Also, Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen. It's really sad that we never had a good, real or spiritual, successor for it.

[@armandostockvideos8386]

Hey, Devil survivor overlocked isnt that old, don't make me feel old.

[@Pocket_Fox]

Shadow Hearts Judgment Ring!!! Oh my God what an awesome battle system. 3 years from now you can add Radiata Stories to this list (came out in 2005 so it misses the 20 year requirement). This game needs a HD remaster.

[@xinshy1370]

Radiata Stories was an extremely underrated game. Only waiting for a time when all these tri-ace games get remastered and ported to newer consoles.

[@islandboy7271]

Good list!🤜🏽🤛🏽

[@LeoHightower]

Impressive list and choices!

[@chronofantasy1987]

Yep. Plenty of great JRPGs which aged well, especially those from AAA studios like Squaresoft/Square Enix. Chrono Trigger especially comes to mind since it's still one of the most beloved JRPGs of all time even today. But that's such a common answer. I've been playing some old PS2 JRPGs lately this month. Played Wild arms 4, Shining Tears and now Drakengard 2. Some of these haven't exactly aged so well in comparison. Still kind of fun games. But definitely the graphics in drakengard 2 is really bad compared to what we have today and maybe even what came out around its time.

[@absoluteclownworld]

So many 16 and 32 bit system rpgs have aged so well, probably 100+ and it's glorious.! I still have probably 20+ rpgs in my backlog I haven't even played yet, trying to stretch them out for next 10 years :)

[@vxicepickxv]

There's a lot of other games from the mid 2000s that will add to your stack too.

[@absoluteclownworld]

@@vxicepickxv I have all the rpgs released in the 2000s that I want as well haha 😄

[@benjaminwild2393]

Phantasy star iv and final fantasy vi my top 2 favorite games

[@justinc882]

Great list. Another game I don't ever hear anyone talk about, Act Raiser. Man I loved that game.

[@SBaby]

2:40 - Except on the overworld. Lufia II does indeed have random battles on the overworld.

[@dudeihavenocar]

Xenogears: I guess I'll take a seat in the back...

[@Hassler247]

One of my favorite games all time, and best story of any jrpg I’ve ever played. Character development was amazing. I’ll keep dreaming of a completed 2nd disc maybe it’s only flaw

[@yuzundogame7347]

man.. I wasnt really an rpg fans back then, but after I saw this video. Inreally want to get touch to that oldies RPG games

[@azzi4life]

Agarest Generations of War and Blazing Souls Accelate. Two of my all time fav JRPGs that hold up well even today. Would love a Switch port for them.

[@zetsun0]

Golden Sun + Golden Sun: The Lost Age - Masterpieces that have such fun gameplay and puzzle solving elements, not to mention an amazing story and groundbreaking soundtrack/music quality for the GBA time. That's my solid Top-1.

[@GrimoireM]

Was looking for this comment! Technically The Lost Age doesn't qualify for this list but if Fire Emblem's on here I think it's fair to include it.

[@zetsun0]

@@GrimoireM if we take in account that both games were intended to be one, but were separated in two due to gameboy constraints, i think it's fair to assume that they're both one. Also they released in the span of two years

[@MolotovMan1263]

Symphonia for me is always my answer. The art style is timeless, the gameplay is still solid to this day, and the story is one of the best.

[@abbeyfre]

Same except the gameplay is considered to be clunky by a lot of people. I remember struggling with it at first too, but once you get the hang of it it's super fun.

[@ghostfantasyfreak]

Can't agree. I finally played it last year. The texture on Chibi models weren't appealing to look at, and the gameplay is not only clunky, but how you play 2d on a plane where can roam 3d was not fun. I can respect the game for a good first try in 3d, but man did the later games really fix the issues Symohonia had for me.

[@Enharmony1625]

I need to give a shoutout to Vagrant Story -- this game was ridiculously far ahead of its time in terms of its writing, storytelling, cinematics, depth of its combat and crafting systems, and just overall presentation. What a masterpiece! And an undeniable technical triumph on the PS1! There is really other game on the system that can compare to what they achieved with Vagrant Story. Not even Metal Gear Solid. Admittedly, Vagrant Story does have some issues with its clunky interface, slow animations, and tedious weapon swapping. All the more reason this game needs a quality remaster (or even better, a remake). This game is way overdue for a comeback!!

[@lucasrinaldi9909]

Dude, what are you talking about? Vagrant Story is one of the most horrible (visually) jrpgs on the PS1. The game is rightly known to have aged so badly. And the game's story wasn't ahead of its time. There were already countless superior stories written before.

[@Enharmony1625]

@@lucasrinaldi9909 Everyone has their own tastes, and Vagrant Story isn't for everyone. That is understandable. What is absolutely indisputable is the technical and artistic achievements made by the team that created it, and what a marvel this game was on the PS1 -- it pushed the hardware to its absolute limits. Here is a Twitter thread well worth reading, that gives great insight on the creation of this masterpiece: twitter.com/Dreamboum/status/1226610123000467457?s=20&t=sDSvScn5OsDwhnvVAYaPcg

[@lucasrinaldi9909]

@@Enharmony1625 Don't get me wrong, I love Vagrant, but the visuals of the game aged really bad.

[@Enharmony1625]

@@lucasrinaldi9909 I can't say I totally agree with that, given how technically impressive it was on PS1, and how unique it is. But, it does need a proper remake! :) The potential there is just huge. I really hope Square gives it what it deserves.

[@lucasrinaldi9909]

@@Enharmony1625 A Remake would be really nice. I love the Yasumi Matsuno's work in general.

[@kd0t]

I'm currently playing Breath of Fire 3 and it's held up very well, I'm surprised it wasn't on the list.

[@epic8088]

The best part of the Ark the Lad series, is they tie into each other. Your finished save from Ark 1, can be loaded at the start of Ark 2, and same from 2-3. Number 2 also had 2 disk. Disk 1 is the full game, Disk 2 however, is a Training disk. If you needed to grind, you could save the game, switch disk, and do better grinding on the Training disk than grinding the main game. You could also battle your friends on that disk if they also played the game.

[@AmazingOwnage]

Breath of Fire II is fantastic. I love the shaman fusion system, the characters are great and diverse, the story is epic, the music is memorable, and the difficulty is just right. I also think making your own town and recruiting who gets to move (and even who gets to build it) is a very nice touch. Overall, one of my favorite RPGs ever.

[@eridevanie8484]

Valkyrie profile is still good even now the days. Still masterpiece to me for gameplay and story plot.

[@Leingod123]

Why no one mentions Wild Arms? For me this is the OG on PS1 and one of the best JRPG of all time.

[@dotteddice2358]

Loved Wild Arms! It had awesome music too, I still listen to the soundtrack occasionally.

[@Relisoc]

Phantasy Star Online, even without considering the revolutionary online multiplayer aspect, was still way ahead of its time. Not a perfect game by any means, but it did so many things well that modern games seem to struggle with. I haven't played an RPG since where getting rare drops felt as satisfying as seeing those red boxes.

[@plain_simple_garak]

Spread needle spam ftw

[@plain_simple_garak]

Spread needle spam ftw

[@0XReactor]

I still have my original copy of Grandia II for Dreamcast! I loved how it came with the games soundtrack also.

[@KrsJin]

Awesome timing for VP1 given the news of a modern port coming to console. Man, Grandia II really does hold up still. My only wish is the HD Remaster would allow you to fast forward/skip spells/abilities.

[@nderubis]

i love Lufia II its one of my favorite JRPGs of all time. it was the first JRPG i ever beat all on my own when i was a kid on the SNES. I played other JRPGs before it but me and my brother or uncle would play through the game together, it felt great beating the whole thing alone and with no guide for it it felt like a great achievement to figure out all the puzzles without help even if some of them took me forever to finally figure out.

[@miaobear33]

Nice list. Some i have never heard before.

[@philiptaele4894]

Lufia 2 has random encounters on the world map but not in the dungeons. Great game tho and great review. Glad to see Grandia 2 up there also; I played the PS2 version back in the day. The first Suikoden game was awesome too. Hopefully I can play the second one someday. I also think Wild Arms aged well too. Great game overall!

[@arvinear2331]

Legend of Legaia for the combat system and Breath of fire 4 for the amazing sprites design.

[@kidvalhalla6091]

Good stuff my man.

[@zengram]

Phantasy star 4 is one of my favorites RPGs ever! I have beaten it like 6 times

[@Banefane]

Good list. A lot of nostalgia.

[@TheHornsofValmar]

Loved Grandia 2! The PS2 port however had such bad lag compared to Dreamcast but still played it through multiple times. It influenced me so much that I still use Granas and Valmar as character names to this day for other games.

[@FSVR54]

Not enough comments for this masterpiece

[@skyrander]

Kinda suprised Vandal hearts wasnt on here :D That said, A LOT OF THESE 2D sprite games really became timeless :D its fantastic how awesome Valkyrie profile just is incredable as is. I replayed it last month, like latest save file was from 2006, and I gotta say, i find it more incredable today then i did when it came out in 2000. a absolute gem

[@easymodex9400]

Back when 3D was a "new thing" it got so much hype even though it objectively looked like shit. Looking back it's no surprise that the pinnacle of 2D sprite gaming aged reasonably well, especially contrasting to the shit-tier 3D that directly followed.

[@skyrander]

@@easymodex9400 yeah very few early 3d games stood the test of time. Thinking about it, i think FF7 aged imo better then FF8/9 due it it veing less detailed :)

[@Aioba3846]

Ah. For some reason I managed to already forget they're working on a new mainline Valkyrie game.

[@nHautamaki]

Dragon Warriors 3-5 still get played in my house, as does Ogre Battle, Ogre Battle 64, and Tactics Ogre. Final Fantasy Tactics was also great on the first playthrough but I find myself going back to the Ogre Battle Series even more. Final Fantasy 6 was a great choice, the peak of the series, but Final Fantasy 4 and 5 are also amazing games. Glad you shouted out Lufia 2. Many of the other games you mentioned I haven't even tried so it's nice to be introduced to some classics I should give a chance to.

[@Rue669]

Cool video, Erick. Also...do you play War of the Visions? lol

[@BrandonHeat21]

I was like "Grandia 2 better be on there" and it turned out to be the very first one on the list... so... great list right there :)

[@ski9392]

Hi man, great video! But how are you able to play Shadow Hearts on your PS5?

[@realavt]

Many of PS2 Grandia 2 port problems were fixed in PAL release. Not all, but several major ones.

[@g4man41]

JRPGs always have the best soundtracks.

[@uhtyp1]

Lunar Eternal Blue (PsOne) and Treasures of the Rudras (SNES) I've revisit these games recently and I'm enjoying them after all this years. Though I'll admit, Lunar EB it's cheesy, cliche charms will hook you. And if can't get enough of ff6 you'll definitely enjoy TOTR.

[@zymz7892]

Valkyrie Profile's World Theme always sent shivers down my spine.

[@buddybleeyes]

So in other words, this video is going in my steam deck playlist until I'm lucky enough to have it at the end of the year? ;)

[@DarksteelHeart]

Dark Cloud 2 is the single best action/RPG ever made. I still play it. Pretty sure it's from 2006 so not exactly old enough yet, but definitely deserves a spot.

[@Taikaru]

Great titles on this list. Suikoden and Valkyrie Profile blew me away when I first played, and nothing captured the feeling since!

[@WhiteFangofWar]

Breath of Fire 3 still stands as my favorite of the series. Great colorful spite animations and plot with only a few niggles like the Desert of Death segment and training Beyd. I remember how even the ads for the game state Ryu to be 'an unlikely hero' as he is the youngest of the Ryus and cries a lot (with damn good reason considering what he's going through)... but he grows up.

[@Muhammadwasapedo]

I really loved BoF 4. Yhe transformation in it was great for ps1

[@saedt]

Would love to hear you talk about Vagrant Story!

[@zerofragment3417]

Definitely agree with Grandia II and Final Fantasy VI. I would add Lunar I and II to the list.