Top 10 WORST JRPGs - The Davidvinc Awards Series

[@davidvinc]

Missed the first video? Check out the 5 Best and 5 Worst RPGs of 2023! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnjLqIlrm7asmq8 Get the DavidVinc (DavidQuest?? LOL) shirt here! www.switchwicked.com/davidvinc

[@timedasher]

Square should have finished the rest of the promised FFXV DLC , but instead they chose to make games no one asked

[@gaetanocolella4778]

Especially considering that the FFXV DLC completely twists the meaning of the story, introducing that Noctis and Ardyn were pawns in God's schemes and a rebellion against Bahamut. The plot of FFXV was already based on less than solid foundations, but after being distorted and unfinished in this way it became a disaster

[@johananj.j8003]

Nah, nobody asked for FFXV or it's DLCs, so they went ahead to make what people actually asked for, games like Octopath Traveler, a huge blessing for retro gaming considering how HD-2D rebates we're getting and games like dragon quest XI, reviving the beloved franchise after a long hiatus.

[@InhaleSand]

god I love watching david roast JRPGs

[@ohitsdannie]

As someone who bought Crymachina because I liked the art style and tried the demo, I’m so sad it’s a mess 😢 it doesn’t look great on switch and combat either you’re overpowered or you get stomped out 😭

[@funywunky]

Enternights and chained echos cant be compared…. Ones basically an RPG maker game and the others a 3D action game.

[@smokeldogg]

Forspoken is 1 of the games on my Christmas list this year, now that it’s under $20. I bet I enjoy it because everyone who actually played it says the combat and traveling aspects are actually fun. I also believe about 90% of the commenters on the internet who hate on Forspoken haven’t even played it. They just want to feel cool or funny by calling Cuff “Cringe”.

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

I had fun with it. But I also kept my expectations in check and have a high tolerance for cheesy dialogue. Which I honestly didn't find all that bad.

[@Drm3221]

Yeah so much fun traveling in a big open sandbox with next to nothing in it 😂

[@Pcbore]

Agreed about Symphonia. Europe didn't see any Tales games until Symphonia, then didn't see any more until Phantasia's GBA release and Graces F. There are so many Tales games we're missing out on.

[@TheModernPost]

I quite liked Forspoken, at least more than most people seemed to. It's certainly a flawed game, but did like the open world traversal and combat, it had an interesting unique setting (that could have been fleshed out a little more), and there were some interesting ideas there. The unlikable protagonist is really more a problem with pacing, as all her character development happens in the last hour of the story.

[@pvt.prinny759]

if there wasn't that marvel-esque dialogue and writing i might give it a shot but from the videos i've seen looks kind of insufferable

[@Vitreia]

The "unlikeable protagonist" criticism is really starting to bother me given how many people stan for genocidal maniacs like Kratos and Joel. Can't imagine what makes Frey different than those guys 🤔🤔🤔

[@arkeshn729]

​@@Vitreiamost people can relate to wanting revenge, or a desire to protect someone. Delsin Rowe from Infamous Second Son represented the quippy youth much better than Frey. What drives Frey? What makes you relate to her?

[@Drm3221]

@@Vitreia oh see, that’s just because you’re misunderstanding the use of “unlikeable”. Doesn’t really refer to characters that do morally unsound things or whatever, it refers to characters who are poorly written or are otherwise not compelling

[@Drm3221]

@@arkeshn729I think what makes Vitreia relate to Frey is precisely what she’s accusing people of unfairly singling Frey out over compared to Kratos and Joel 😂

[@TheIncredibleEmu]

#4 hurts David.😢 Symphonia deserved so much better. Would love a remaster of Graces or Berseria.

[@daveayala1405]

To early for beseria remaster

[@TheIncredibleEmu]

@@daveayala1405 Maybe. Imo it's one of the strongest entries in the series. The only other 3D entries I can think of are Legendia and Abyss. I would be fine with those as well!

[@GameRock06]

Berseria is fine and has aged well. I think we need the tales of phantasia of PSP localized (the best version, after the snes one), and tales of rebirth...

[@AndreaMusso99]

This was a great year for games in general, but it' s incredible just how much stinkers got released I still am tempted to try Eternights and Another Crusade because the first one I heard good things about it (somehow) and Another Crusade interest me and does not seem to be all that bad, I wanna form my opinions on those two games like I did with Cristales ( yeah I enjoyed that game, but I played after all the patches, I dont know how it was at launch) I have no desires of touching the other games in the list for now, I might hate myself but not that much that I am willing to play bad games (or bad ports in Tales of Symphonia case)... first though I' m gonna play the actual good ones, I got Nayuta finally, Can' t wait to play it after Star Ocean The divine Force, Harvestella and Oninaki :v

[@JhakceMorgan]

“Me-me”? 😂 oh, David. I love your terrible pronunciations! ❤

[@sunekoo]

Counterpoint- Redemption Reapers is excellent and one of the best SPRGs of the year. It’s so refreshing to play an SRPG where you actually have to plan out your moves and THINK (unlike say, new Fire Emblems where you basically just walk forward to win). If you play strategically (the “S” in SRPGs) the game is incredibly fun. It also has one of the best soundtracks of 2023. If you like SRPGs I HIGHLY recommend you play it! After patches etc it’s currently on 83% recent positive reviews on Steam. (Totally agree with David’s #1 though- I was really looking forward to Crimson Tactics but it’s pretty bad and the devs blatantly lied about the content)

[@SpicyRess808]

8:25 meme? 😂

[@KnolanCross]

Tales of Symphonia is my favorite tales, when they announced it I was so hyped that they would improve the game. I wanted at least 60 FPS and dreamed about free run being implemented. Boy, was I wrong. It is sad to think that if you download the GameCube version and play on your phone you will have a better experience than any paid option.

[@henrygnoobgamer6610]

Tales of Graces f Remastered : Hello man, buy me right now. Your wallet : Don't make mistake the same error again.

[@bandrew1442]

I know its super polarizing, but I had fun with Eternights.

[@f.9344]

I appreciate your work and the nice roasts but strongly disagree with this list man, its just nuts. Half of these games definitely arent the worst RPGs out there from 2023. :D

[@RedPandaSir]

11:14 the number of accents that you slipped into is a skill ❤

[@PapaDragonMK]

Most of these games are on my wish list. I see that they must continue to stay there.

[@davidvinc]

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

[@nyfrit]

Or you could simply remove them from there and forget they ever existed. There, money saved.

[@davidtimmer596]

I personally only focus on games I know I'm gonna like. Sadly, with the industry as it is, and now that physical media is disappearing rapidly, I worry for the state of gaming as a hobby and expression as a whole

[@ParasaurolophusZ]

Now if only Tales of the Abyss would get a remake/remaster one of these days.

[@Peetwenty]

I'm late here, but THANK YOU for pointing out the state of the Tales series. Classic Tales games are either not localized or only playable on their native console. For the 25th anniversary all we got was an Instagram page. AN INSTAGRAM PAGE!!!! And yeah the definitive way to play Symphonia is still on GameCube! It's freaking embarrassing.

[@r.a.fgattaiguy845]

honestly I´d be perfectly happy if they ported Berseria to the Switch instead of yet another Symphonia port, I could replay Berseria anytime

[@hylianfelldragon1308]

Didn't Tales of the Vesperia get released on modern platforms not too long ago though?

[@gaetanocolella4778]

Yes, and Vesperia’s remastered is more than good

[@unlucky_thir13en]

As someone who's only played one Sword Art Online game, I can say with a high level of confidence that Last Recollection surely has to be better than Hollow Fragment. I don't think I've played a worse RPG 💀

[@nyfrit]

I heard that Hollow Fragment is a league of its own in how bad it is. I've read somewhere that the only passable one is the Gun Gale Online based, but it still has a lot of problems.

[@FlyingFocs]

Having finally gotten Tales of Arise recently, number 8... hurts. Might just look up the story content there is.

[@KnightRaymund]

keep in mind he's talking about the DLC, not the main game.

[@comicdragon1]

The main game is pretty good but personally I haven't gotten the DLC yet. Seriously, they should have release a DLC years ago or just shortly after the game was release and not so long after it... I already forgotten about the game until I saw the DLC announcement,

[@borrellipatrick]

I secretly would get redemption reapers if it gets cheap enough on the switch eShop 👀 I see it on sale for $30 a couple times but i need it for under $20 At the part where your talking about crymachina. Playing Crystar right now and ordered crymachina to play afterwards 🥴😅

[@davidvinc]

Don’t do it to yourself!! Lol

[@borrellipatrick]

​@@davidvinc 😂😂😂

[@eliechaya9690]

Love from Belgium 🇧🇪 ❤ Glad we had so much good games this year to forget those ones

[@makoto1234]

imagine if square made their next final fantasy turn based, or at least not purely action. same graphics and presentation they have now but with a much deeper and engaging combat system

[@Sonzy0990]

Many people said Eternight Is worst/bad, But many people also said that game Is good and even best RPG thisvyear. Im a bit confused here

[@morriganrenfield8240]

It’s funny cuz crymachina wears it’s nier automata inspiration brazenly but they clearly had NO idea what yoko taro was actually doing with the game and they made this slop. Also, hard game doesn’t mean dark souls difficulty, it just means hard game, or imbalanced game. ^.^

[@hylianfelldragon1308]

Yeah the only SAO game that I have played that I have actually kind of liked is Hollow Realization but that's only because it had an admittedly okay skill tree system. It's still not worth playing unless you have nothing else to play though.

[@Eagleknight815]

🎵 He's the Angry JRPG Dude (Guitar Riff) 🎵 😂 Seriously, David was not happy to play some of these games. Reminded me of an AVGN episode 😂

[@Cool750Boy]

David you are not the only one who isn’t the biggest fan of Tales of Symphonia. I liked it back in the day but I personally think there are much better Tales games (Abyss, Eternia, Vesperia, etc.). Thank you for this list. I was considering many of these games for Christmas. I’ll pass. P.S. I am surprised Neptunia: Sisters Vs. Sisters didn’t make the list.

[@alejandrosunshadow6041]

RPGs were my favourite genre since I discovered them as a kid with bof2. Nowadays I try to collect the rpgs releases on new consoles to enjoy them whenever i can (as one has less time as an adult). I'm just glad I don't own any of these ones 😅😂. Thanks for warning us.

[@dustanglx50]

I payed $12 for Eternights. It was worth $12. I enjoyed it for a short time, probably won't play again, but I got $12 worth of game out of it.

[@zeon137]

I personally loved Eternights and Crymachina

[@jaretco6423]

The sad thing is about Tales of Symphonia remastered is that it came out weeks after Metroid Prime got it's remastered on the Switch and it looks & plays amazingly. It can demonstrated that an Gamecube game can get remaded or remastered and become as good; if not, better than it originally was from an powerful hardware system. The same thing with Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door remake when it comes out. Why couldn't Symphonia get that treatment?

[@Noumakara]

Combats in Eternight really pissed me off. At first it seemed unfair, but when I got the hang of it, the boss seemed too easy

[@larxie93]

Nope, you're not the only one tired of Tales of Symphonia. I'd like to see a remake of Tales of Phantasia myself, my all time favorite Tales of, but I guess it won't happen.

[@henrygnoobgamer6610]

Only remasters with bugs

[@fredsorre6605]

Square Enix leadership can only blame themselves for the failure of Forspoken too much meddling as they completely changed what the devs wanted to make same way they forced Crystal Dynamics a mostly single player studio to produce a Live service game with the Avengers blaming the game itself for a result forced upon it by its parent company is just not fair especially to all the people that gave their heart and soul in to making it.

[@MiamiSunrise]

I enjoy some of the weirder JRPG releases out there (Eternights, CryMachina) so my taste for some of these releases is a bit different. Monster Menu and SAO Last Recollection (as well as the Tales of Arise expansion) I havent touched but I'm not shocked to see those here. Symphonia was a ridiculous shitty release that was broken as hell and I just don't understand why that happened. Thanks David, onto a new year with new shitty (and hopefully not shitty) games!

[@ShadowWolfRising]

I think it's because Namco Bandai are cheap bastards.

[@Queenofthesevenseas]

I’m still waiting for tales of arise to come to the switch 🤔🤔 thinking I’ll be waiting when I’m in the grave as well😓 ( where are my other tales games 🤔 like the better games umm ?.) Very valid list and even more valid and spot on comments and opinions on the games❤ quite close to my thoughts as well actually… Appreciate your videos and content a lot

[@davidvinc]

Thank you so much!

[@riyuphoenix4533]

The Symphonia PS4 remaster was a complete Joke, the ps3 version at least had the sequel (which was crap, but i still think its worth 1 playthrough). The PS4 version at the very least needed better FPS, additional english voice acting (especially for skits), updated visuals and i skip scene button if you want the platinum trophies as i believe it requires 5 playthroughs. Yeah total cash grab garbage, they should have done any other tales game, phatasia, destiny, eternia or abyss.

[@mosstwig3591]

Thank God Crymachina had a demo lol I was really curious about it until I tried the demo. What a mess that was. I actually liked the premise of the game too. The opening was strong and it QUICKLY floundered.

[@CorinianSalame]

Nope- Eternights is great! Love ya and agree with everything else! In fact it’s so funny because I’ve seen it on game of the year lists from channels I trust (Noisy Pixel, I dream of indie games, etc) and worst game of the year lists from channels I trust too! Which really just means it’s bound to be cult classic 😉

[@rickmaia964]

I've been saying: "THIS TIME SQUARE WILL LISTEN, GUYS" for ages. I hope you're right 😢

[@HybridAngelZero]

I'm so sad that Bamco's suits rushed the Symphonia remaster. I love the game, and I was happy for it to be on Xbox for the first time, plus being portable on Switch, and while they have patched up a bit, it still has all the issues from the PS3 version. This is even more egregious when Vesperia, a game originally from a later console generation, runs beautifully on every platform. Symphonia should have been a slam dunk ;~;

[@Jasco15]

I know it didn't come out this year but I've been playing Sword and Fairy 7 from the PC game pass and I've gotten 20 hours in on it and that game is absolutely great. Decent amount of exploration with fast paced combat and interesting story. Only con for me is alot of storytelling and you have to read subtitles cause the game is chinese.

[@ChurchAngel2007]

I agree. I'm so tired of the symphonia remakes. Give me Eternia and Phantasia. It reminds me of ff7 getting all the love constantly.

[@AsianMoriarty]

Nothing sums up SAO more than what you said about Last Recollection. At the very least they have exactly 1 decent game but it's a shooter.

[@hylianfelldragon1308]

So basically Eternights is a worse version of Persona

[@Genethagenius]

OMG, stop… I can’t look at the “Crymachina” protagonists without thinking they have weeping pink-eye now! 😂

[@wguevara86]

It's interesting that David might have a game on the worst list while Gaming Shelf will have the same game on the best games of the year lol

[@ServbotNumba40]

2:58 This has been my same argument for Chained Echoes. "A bad game, a bad game."

[@wombo_samu4420]

I think what makes square enix great is that they are willing to take risks and try new ideas. Failure for the sake of creativity is fine by me

[@raina1848]

Symphonia does kind of get more favoritism it feels like. I mean, it's nice to have it released on other platforms, but I'm over here still waiting for english versions of Destiny 2, Rebirth, Innocence, Tempest, and all the missed Tales of the World games. What is it going to take? If games like the Rhapsody sequels with being from a game that was mostly considered a "cult classic" can make the cut now, then why can't they translate the other Tales games? 😢

[@threeswordssama]

I'm here for this. I love seeing bad games getting their just desserts. I haven't played any of the games on this list so I don't know if that means I have good taste or not.

[@thenewlevi]

Hi David- I would love to buy a shirt, but I do not know where to get one! You should link them in your video descriptions! :)

[@davidvinc]

It's in the pinned comment, but I'll add it there too!

[@gustaveriksson113]

Love to see any reference to Chained Echoes. That game revitalized my love for the genre.

[@henrygnoobgamer6610]

8:04 Tales of symphonia remastered : I'm the worst remaster of tales saga. Tales of Graces f Remastered : Wait for me Bro. I will have that title :) Me : OMG Here we go again :( And YES . Namco should have make a Remake. and NOT a remaster. But they dont want spend money in a better project (game).

[@ChemyNoSurfea]

I discovered your channel this year. Thank you for all these DEcommendations lmao!

[@davidvinc]

Glad you like them!

[@MarvinConman]

Monster Menu would be more bearable if it wasn't a tRPG. If it was more like Torneko-style dungeon crawlers then it would be a smidge better.

[@Petersmith57921]

Well in tales of arise I'm God now I've got level 99 characters and can blow bosses away with just a couple of hits

[@butorenjin6835]

There are some games I loved which others hated. Some of them were Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel and Eternal Sonata. I loved these JRPGs and would love to revisit them one day. Knowing they are both for the PS3, and Sony might be working on Backward Compatibility... Who knows. I love revisiting some old gems. Another game I like to mention is Brave Story: New Traveler. This game was hard. Not hard as in the gameplay, but the grind and the repetitive of it. It was a stunning looking RPG for its time on the PSP. But I couldn't get through it. I just stuck to Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology. Which has a stupid low score from Metacritic btw. Only 66%, scoring lower. What the flying fruitcake? To close off. This game has gotten a lot of shit. It's not a JRPG and I'm honestly awestruck with the incredibly score it has on Steam, scoring 9/10. Whilst Metacritic gives it a meager 71%. I'm talking about "Days Gone". This game has been shit talked so much in my close circle and I don't understand why. I was told to play it and completely fell in love with it.

[@chrisv.4279]

Ha, I liked Crymachina, but it's not really because it was good. Enoa is cute and the way they treat the crazy twist near the end so nonchalontly was pretty amusing.

[@003SONE]

So far i like Forspoken but I haven't played a lot of it yet. I don't tend to listen to game hate as i like to make up my own mind but i was happy to see you enjoyed your time with it 😊 If Crymachina is a lesbian harem i knew i got it gor good reason😁🏳️‍🌈

[@bilditup1]

‘The whole thing feels like filler and a waste of time’ -while I don’t hate the SAO show (it has some high points, whatever anybody says) there is a fair amount of filler there too :/

[@JhakceMorgan]

“Vomitroscious” is my new favorite word

[@Lamasis2]

You missed a chance for a good pun. The darkest hallways you have never seen. I didn't even hear about the top 3.

[@6thstanza700]

Hahah great list! As bad as some games are, some of them have something for everyone. I kinda of enjoyed Monster Menu and Crymachina. Tower of Fantasy would have been my #1, no contest. If i played those other games, that would be it, I spent money once. But for Tower of Fantasy? You need to pay real money to progress... consistently? That ain't a game. Could've spent the money to buy all nine of the other games on this list and you'd still be behind.

[@tbz709]

I agree that a lot of Crymachina was really dumb, but the combo is pretty fun for me. Plays like an arcade slasher

[@klocks2543]

The Crymachina roast had me rollin

[@joeyisabsb1]

I watch your content from time to time but ive never heard you mad before, until this video. It did not disappoint 😂

[@Mamiya645]

Forspoken mentioned, and I laugh, clutching my Spirits Within DVD. The number one pick makes me want to revisit Natural Doctrine.

[@airdrighmor1439]

I liked Forspoken and Eternights, but the other 8 I agree. Good list.

[@jeffereykizior1605]

I loved Forspoken… nuff said

[@InitialDL84]

Most of the games on your list are games I can care less about anyway, too many anime weeby games for me 😂 only one I'd check out is Tales of Symphonia, but I'd just get the Steam version for $5

[@Binambik]

Will we get good remaster of SaGa Frontier 2 with QLI ?

[@b1zarr01]

That Tales of Symphonia remake is for degenerates like me that was to get trophies for playing through Tales of Symphonia because retroachievements doesn't support gamecube games yet (and I doubt it will any time soon but never say never when it comes to the emulation community.) That said I'm waiting for it to drop down to a hotdog and a handshake price and even then it'll depends on the time of that particular PSN sale.

[@DevonDekhran]

I may find bizarre how some roasts may just be being a prude for whatever reason, but yeah, Mugen Z is one of the most dogshit pathetic excuses for a game I have ever had the displeasure of losing the refund period for....

[@Abysslover91]

I know symphonia switch had some issues they updated it finally fixing some issues it wasn't my first or favorite tales game but it is my second favorite I hope that's okay gamecube and switch versions I play the most switch for extra content GameCube for the experience

[@uppernimbus]

Your humour is always on point David, had me laughing a few times 🤣

[@ericbarlow6772]

I love that shirt. It reminds me of my early childhood in the late 70s and early 80s.

[@davidvinc]

Thank you so much! I love it too!

[@LowResLeafa]

The only one I disagree with is SAO: Last Recollection. Outside of that great video!

[@Chelaxim]

Tower of Fantasy isn't great but it's better than Eternal Kingdom Battle Peak. They apparently spent all their money on hiring Yoshitaka Amano. I knew something was up in the character creation screen. It is the worst MMO I've ever played. While the one positive thing was seeing a brand new character designed by Amano in HD...on the down the monster designs were bland and maybe Nomura took over monster designs in FFV&VI for a reason.

[@eliotwildermann]

Forespoken got a lil better after all the updates and dlc but not by much 😅

[@GamingtheOtter]

The thumbnail is so deceiving to me. Since when does bad RPGs have good cover art? Lol. I enjoyed the video though. Liked. 🎉

[@morriganrenfield8240]

Games can have good art/artists behind them but piss poor gameplay/design on them

[@neogeo1999]

Decided to try out Cry Machina in my backlog…. Worst RPG I have ever played 😅

[@deatho0ne587]

If I had to suggest a SoA game then it would be one of the early ones since they were "open" world, not saying they were good just better than what you are saying for this years.

[@ShadowWolfRising]

Honestly given how shit Sword Art Online is as a franchise, I'd be more shocked if this one WASN'T bad. Let me tell you David, I know you don't like anime but let me tell you as someone who does, The entire Franchise is complete shit. Admittedly the Writer does seem to be improving over time, but he ain't near being good yet, but I have to give him props for actually improving at all. That is the only nice thing I have to say about the franchise. 'Tales of Symphonia' We should just have a massive Full on Remake for that so we can be done with the shitty ports.

[@eliotwildermann]

Damn u really called ff7 ever crisis an abomination 😅

[@everythingmainecooncat4938]

Man I love Sword Art Online... it's too bad they can't make a decent game of it

[@raspberrylicious76]

Did you even play Crymachina? Only one of the three main characters hates humans, and that's only at the very beginning of the game

[@davidvinc]

No I didn’t play it at all. I only got an early review copy and put out a full comprehensive review of the game. But yeah, didn’t play it.

[@CrashPad56]

aww man i really thought crimson tactics was going to be good, really reminded me of tactics ogre but thanks for saving my wallet David!

[@Petersmith57921]

Forspoken best game I've ever played ever yes story is short but the jumping and flying is amazing

[@hadouken2408]

I had high hopes for Eternights. But got disappointed too. Thanks for the video.

[@MJ-oi6ul]

Glad to know arise dlc is garbage cause i bought the game a month before the dlc was announced and was worried the dlc was a must lol

[@TheTateful]

In other news, Fragrant Story got a surprise update.

[@davidvinc]

I should add an addendum to this video then LOL

[@TheTateful]

@@davidvinc you'd be the first person to cover it on KZbin! It's almost as though nobody else is interested in Fragrant Story, for some reason. I can't imagine why.

[@davidvinc]

@@TheTateful what a mystery!! lol

[@karmenion]

I am honestly surprised you didn't mention loop 8 after how much you said it was dissapointment in you review. Or maybe I am misremembering it.

[@davidvinc]

Rewatch the introduction to the video

[@agroah7236]

What did forspoken not do 🤔 for your listening for the fans can someone explain i have no clue about this game

[@gxrrett]

We love a handsome king with the best takes 💕