Chrono Trigger is one of my all time faves, but I can see somebody playing it for the first time in 2022 not liking it. Video games have evolved quite a bit since then.
Having watched a few of your other ranking videos, it's genuinely a breath of fresh air as it's based on.. well your enjoyment as a whole as opposed to say "fan favorite". It's just nice seeing varying opinions! Be it videos like this to your reviews, to even your collection videos, keep up the amazing work Pam!
I agree. There are a lot of moments that stuck with me. Don't think it's just a "nostalgia" thang either, because I introduced someone to the DS version who never even had an SNES. One aspect is how the theme of friendship plays out in both the game play and story. The use of techs in particular and how the characters have unique ways of working together. Xenoblade is the only other game that rekindled any of that feeling. Some of these other ratings are also a little questionable to me. I also noticed a lack of other bangers, but it's probably for the best and not even going to mention them to risk them not getting this treatrment. Sorry, but it is gonna be a thumbs down from me dawg.
@@ShiningEternity Exactly, and it's not even just how the characters interact in combat, but how they interact with each other at various cinematic portions of the game. --Spoiler Alert for anyone who hasn't beaten the game-- For example, how right after Chrono is killed by Lavos, Marle has the most dramatic reaction to his death (understandably) and each other character has a way of consoling her. Lucca and Ayla try to lift her spirit by telling her Chrono must still be alive out there, Robo is confused by her reaction and says it doesn't seem like her to act in such a way (which also makes sense, him being a robot and all), and Frog gives a heart felt response from a place of respect and compassion and I think refers to Chrono as a "poor lad." I actually reloaded my save multiple times just to see all the interactions after his death and it showcases some of the nuance that makes the game so great. I can't think of any other game at that time with that kind of dynamic.
Respectfully disagree with your opinion of Chrono Trigger, its story and characters are still something I think about to this day. While they *might* initially appear pretty shallow, each character in your party has their own backstory and quest relating to the them. The fact that your actions and choices can affect the ending (so many endings), was something that kinda blew my mind way back when I first played it (around 98/99). You say that you played it while travelling, have you ever gone back and given it another try?
I’m surprised at your opinion of “DQ VIII”! It is one of my all-time favorite games, not just JRPG’s, of all time. I loved the characters and the story. While it was definitely “basic”, it was “basic” done at an incredibly high level of polish.
It could be that she is playing the game in more recent times. I got this game and absolutely loved it day one when it was released. I must admit there are parts in the game we're just drags but that can be fun in its own way if other things about the game are enjoyable to you But if nothing about the game is enjoyable than you're not going to have a good time.
I have to agree with her. I thought the game was incredibly polished but also incredibly bland and nothing that hasn’t been done before. There are better ones out there. Just my opinion
@@cojack1686 in a way the game is incredibly bland but nobody does incredibly bland like dragon quest games do. It's the reason why I play them is because not a lot of complicated mechanics to learn or understand it's just enjoying the game and it's story.
Classic JRPGs I would recommend : Lunar : Eternal Blue - An overall better experience than Silver Star. It's still a very basic JRPG though. Breath of Fire 4 - An underrated gem. They basically polished what they learned from past games. Lufia 2 : Rise of the Sinistrals - Adds Zelda like elements, which make the dungeons more interesting.
That CT ranking is even more absurd than your Metroid Dread review, but that kind of thing is why I follow you. I appreciate a dissenting opinion. I basically stopped playing JRPGs after Tales of Symphonia on the Gamecube so yeah. FF7, Chrono Trigger, and Grandia 2 are my GOATs.
@@guilhermeviolin Chrono Trigger ruined my JRPG gaming experience. I never found better seriously. Im stuck in 1995 for ever hahaha. Its a S+++ for me.
@@francisladouceur3819 It is also my favorite JRPG of all time. Between this and DQ VIII, I think she also just doesn't like Toriyama's art, which I found just as painful. 🥺
Your reviews are a breath of fresh air. I really like how you go through and give a synopsis of each game you're ranking and why the game gets a certain rank. I also like seeing a completely different opinion on them (like giving Chrono Trigger a C) that challenges the norm out there.
Wow, I agree with most of your ranking but that Chrono Trigger take is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. That’s like a top 5 game of all time to me and it’s because of how incredible the story and characters are, One of the best soundtracks of the SNES era, The whole time travel mechanic is done so well & It makes for so many different endings, To me Chrono Trigger is the definition of a masterpiece, Still in a league of its own even today, But hey everyone is entitled to their own opinions, And still most the time I share the same as you, This one of the only times I’ve totally disagreed with you, The other being when you didn’t have Super Metroid in S tier on your best Metroidvania list lol, I’d like to see your take on other classic games such as Metroid Prime, Secret Of Mana, Earthbound & Breath Of Fire 3, If you haven’t played yet I would def recommend them!
some of her criticisms, I wondering if she really played it? She said on 3DS and she doesn't like portable gaming? Should play the SNES or PS1 version. Also NG+ as we know it today I think might have been invented in that game. Numerous endings, also you can beat the game with 2 characters being dead (Chrono and Magus), which if Magus is dead, Frog reverts back to Glen. Can save Lucca's mother from an accident where she loses her legs by inputting buttons L A R A, her name to shut down the machine.and get a stone that gives the most powerful triple attack spell in the game. So much replay, secrets, ending, etc. It is an all time classic.
It's highly overated. I don't even remember much of the plot. It's not a bad game but it wouldn't be in my top 100. The time travel mechanics were neat but not used to their full extent IMO. I played and own the PS1 version.
@@erikw792 Thats wild, It’s one of the only games that was etched into my brain after my first playthrough, The game was so ahead of its time there was no way I could forget. And the time traveling was the done to perfection IMO, I can’t think of any game that has used this mechanic better tbh, There’s honestly so much you can do and discover using time travel on there as it is the main focus of the game, There’s just so many things that are easy to miss. Also are you sure your not talking about Chrono Cross? I honestly never seen Chrono Trigger on PS1 Unless they ended up making a Ps1 port, I’ve only ever played it on SNES. Either way, Out of all the games you’d find considered on the “greatest games of all time” list, Chrono Trigger is one of the few that I’d say properly deserves to be on that list. I couldn’t possibly think of 100 games I’d put above it lol I can think of maybe 3-4 games I could place above it and that’s still debatable for me lol.
@@butterschunkmcdonalds5333 It's on the PS1 as part of the Final Fantasy Chronicles collection. It includes FF4 and Chrono Trigger with cutscenes added and bug fixes. I didn't play it until 2001 so it was kind of dated at that point. I remember getting a couple of different endings and what not but to me it was an average JRPG. I liked the fact that there were no random battles but as with most JRPGS it wasn't challenging. I was able to beat Lavos at the Carnival on new game+ with one attempt. That's supposedly the hardest challenge in the game. Speaking of Lavos, I prefer sympathetic villains in my stories. Lavos had no character and was basically a natural disaster more than anything else.
@@erikw792 7 playable characters, with multiple time periods to travel between at will once you get the Epoch. Nothing like it in 1995. Also, no random encounters unlike almost every 90's JRPG.
Yeah, spoiler alert, you can get Chrono killed early in the second half of the game and never bring him back and beat the game without him. So if you hate the silent protagonist, you can lets him die for good with Marle sad at the end of the game thinking of her dead friend. Also you can kill Magus and Frog becomes Glen in the ending. So you can beat the game by killing off two party members out of seven and its totally fine!
Damn you gave Nier auotmata a D. The game doesnt try being deep it is deep. I just feel you have trouble immersing into some games. Looking only logically at them sometimes makes you miss out alot of emotion a game has to offer. Being like yee this game makes me walk around alot is not a reason to hate a game. The point is to immerse you into the empty sad world with beautiful music. You have to take time and feel some games not rush into them
"I just feel you have trouble immersing into some games" I think that sums up the problem with this video in general. The reviewer is lacking both the emotional and intellectual imagination to enjoy certain games.
I always admire your intelligent reviews, and listening to you almost feels like meditation because of your tempo. And while you're not making too many unnecessary words everything is always sraight to the point. Thanks for all these relaxed and competent reviews. It's always a pleasure listening to you, thanks for your great work.
I actually love this list and agree with pretty much all of it except for your assessment of Chrono Trigger. I just honestly don't feel like you played the same time as me. It's complex, heart wrenching, replayable, and I find the combat extremely engaging. It would be top of S tier for me. But I respect your approach even though I just don't think you gave it enough of a shot. Like I said, I actually pretty much agree with most all of what else you said. Dragon Quest VIII, also, the writing was brilliant in my opinion and not liking Toriyama's art style is something I will never understand. 🤷🏻♂️ Good video.
Love these ranking videos! Always walk away with interesting perspectives on stuff I’ve played and inspiration for new games to check out. As someone who felt more or less the same way you did about Ni No Kuni, I’d honestly recommend giving the second one a shot. It’s still cute but not as excessively so, and I think the story and most of the characters are really well done, I got way more emotionally invested in it than I expected to. The combat is much more action-oriented and there’s WAY less grind. There’s a SUPER fun base-building aspect and a fun simple strategy war-game mini game thing. And it’s got an incredible score by Joe Hisaishi!
The silent protagonist thing is interesting. I guess game designers do that with the hope you’ll project your own personality onto the character. I’ve heard people complain Link doesn’t talk in the Zelda games. I’m glad he doesn’t (at least in the ones I’ve played) and would find it super weird if they have him start talking one day! But yeah, doesn’t work for everyone, clearly.
Chrono Trigger is still the greatest JRPG of all time. Reading some of the comments, I can already tell this will be different from my own views *edit* My personal rankings of the ones I've finished: Final Fantasy- C Final Fantasy III- C Final Fantasy VI- S Final Fantasy VII- S Final Fantasy VIII- B Final Fantasy IX- A Final Fantasy X- B Final Fantasy XII- B Final Fantasy XV- D Final Fantasy VII Remake- C Xenogears- S The Legend of Dragoon- B Wild Arms- C Chrono Trigger- S Chrono Cross- B Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch- A Star Ocean:First Departure R- C Suikoden- B Suikoden II- A Persona 5 Royal- S Parasite Eve- A Grandia- A Phantasy Star- D The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC- B Xenoblade Chronicles- C (here's the one people will hate lol) Not Sure Nier Automata fits but I liked it a lot. I would give it an A
I did not like FF12 and i play since the early 90ies starting with Phantasy Star II and FF IV. She is spot on with her critic with FF12. Its really bad art style and combat mechanics are not fun. Hate on first sight......lol when bought i instantly sold it. Basicly FF is on a decline since its creator and turn based combat left after FFX couldn't care less about the mainline series now.
I clicked on this expecting it wouldn't be a typical list and I wasn't disappointed. The biggest outlier here is your take on Chrono Trigger. For that reason it might be interesting if you do a video going through your thoughts on CT in particular, since it wasn't entirely clear to me why you thought the story and characters of CT were less interesting than say the ones in the more primitive FF4. Completely agree on Nier Automata. I went into this filled up with hype and while the game does has some cool stuff in it and some truly epic moments, the bread and butter gameplay is for the most part quite dull. What makes it worse is they expect you to play through the game several times to see all it has to offer. I don't get why this is so highly rated. While I do think Suikoden 2 is overall a better game than Suikoden 1, I believe you're right in pointing out 1 did some things better. It has a much brisker pacing making sure it never feels slow, and the rock-scissors-paper war battles are far more exciting than the drawn out grid based battles in Suikoden 2. In fact the war battles in Suikoden 2 aren't very well programmed at all, because depending on your stats you can end up basically softlocked in battles where your DEF is too high for the enemy to hurt you but your ATK is too low to hurt the enemy.
I literally skipped to watch the CT minute just to confirm my suspicion and I won't watch the rest. I knew she was just going to be contrarian without reasoning, aka trolling. You can say "basic and boring characters/story and battles" or "bad writing" about almost any game. Ty it. Dark Souls, Ocarina of Time, Doom 2016, Elden Ring, Madden, any JRPG before CT and almost any that came after. tlou is mostly searching drawers, cupboards, etc. Name any game and I'll tell you why it's crap. These "critics" with their non arguments and mindsets. "No game can be a 10", "guilty pleasure" games and so on... How can you not see ANY value in one of the best in any category imaginable? And how can so many viewers think "I don't like this popular game" is a "breath of fresh air"? Not liking a game is never a "hot take". The vast majority of "gamers" wouldn't touch a JRPG before FFX with a ten foot pole. What game before CT had better visuals, music, story and characters and managed to combine them into a complete experience? I can see why people now wouldn't enjoy FF6 or anything pre-PS2 but even in the decades since then, barely any game managed to pull it off like that. Not to mention all the things it did first. Think of the death (before FF7) or even time travel with changes in the past affecting the future, all the cinematic scenes, many endings, inventing NG+ and so on. It's mind blowing from beginning to end. Even if all she cared about was the battle system, that was revolutionary at the time as well. Calling it basic when half the games above CT in the finished list aren't any more complex in that regard. Now that I listened to the FF7 part I'm even more confused. Everything she liked about that came from CT (even the motor bike mini game that was a big plus?!) except the setting which is FF6 evolved. Clearly you love what you played first. That's almost always the case. Pick either Persona 3, 4 or 5 then play the other two and your first will be your fav. But if you voice your opinion you should try to rationalize it. edit: FF6, CT and FFX are in my top 10 games of all time in case you wondered
@@Reginmund Of course not, that would be ridiculous. I'm saying "basic, boring, uninteresting" is a worthless take on any game, especially when you contradict yourself a few minutes later with the equally useless take on why FF7 is great ("it has good characters") because you can say these about anything. She could've flipped FF7 and CT and the video and comment section would be the same and that's why I think a long video filled with pointless criticism like this is misleading and not worth anyone's time. Watch proper critiques instead. Also who hates FF7R to the point of quitting halfway through if they love the characters? Is she ever clear about what she wants in a jrpg? Seems randomly fine with long story, grinds, not too deep characters, etc sometimes but other times absolutely not. Same with pros like diversions, visuals, sound, etc.
I'm not sure what level of critiques you expect in a ranking video that covers 40 games, unless it's 12 hours long. You are one of the people I was addressing at the beginning when I suggested going for a walk.
@@Cannotbetamed1 I don't need to touch grass to know the video would be too long and you like what you like and opinions on games don't matter because it's all subjective. I'm just trying to understand other's reasons for their opinions on games because it often seems so contradictory. Like how some expect to feel a genuine bond with a character but don't want to spend real time with them and skip dialogue. You can look at so many jrpgs from FF7 to Persona 5 and point out things people including you generally appreciate in the genre and say "Chrono Trigger did it first" and it's baffling that someone who enjoys both, those innovations we now take for granted, as well as much older, rougher and simpler games doesn't see the value in that or the story, characters, visuals or music. I too think graphics are less important than the games-age-badly crowd but why draw the line of "too old" exactly before the first 3D games when jrpgs on the SNES used character position on the battlefield(CT), time sensitivity(SMRPG), post-apocalyptic monster collecting(SMT), vast job systems(FF5), tiny minigames for each character's special ability and whatever else a dev could come up(FF6) to spice battles up just like the psx titles of the following years. A system like the dual/triple techs would fit right into any modern game. It really seems to me like you just assume or misremember that CT is linear with basic combat and no character progression when none of that is true.
I don't play JRPGs that much and often I don't manage to finish them. Even if I want to like them. But recently I played Ara Fell and I really loved it: It's not overly complicated but all the stuff that's there is really enjoyable: Main protagonist is a young girl who always wanted to explore the world, and at the beginning of the story is kinda forced to. But soon she realizes that it is not like how she always imagined it. She has just three companions, but all of them are quite well developed and their banter is very enjoyable. Combat is quite simple but you spend a lot of time thinking about which skills to advance and what gear to upgrade so that characters complement each other well. Really recommended!
I am sorry, but I have to be yet another person who thinks Chrono Trigger is one of the best ever. Pretty much in agreement with the rest of your list, though.
One of my favorites growing up was Skies of Arcadia. It was on the Dreamcast which sold poorly and it was on the Gamecube which sold poorly. It is one of those that is severely underrated. The RPG has you flying air ships and combat is interesting. I feel like if they did a mini console of the Sega Dreamcast, that it would sell well. This game hit only those titles and really is underrated.
I put 60 hours into it, same experience. Had to grind for the boss, hour or two later, still got rinsed. Decided to explore a lot of the world and kill stuff, an excuse to grind, as clearly I needed to grind a lot. I found that the world was dead, empty. Few truly living settlements, few items for sale anymore, just dull. I meant to continue on, but I was playing Etrian Odyssey Untold : Millennium Girl at the same time, everything about it was more interesting and fun, less cookie cutter. I just finished that instead, took 140 hours and a few years though lol. Monster of a game. Was playing Mario and stuff on the side though.
Oh yeah and gave up on Kingdom Hearts, beat Kingdom Hearts 2 (the best game in the series I"m sure). The BEST RPG I ever played by Square was The World Ends With You. That's a S+ rank game, a top 25 games of all time. Just perfect perfect perfect in every way.
Very interesting list, different from most others. As a PS2 fan, it warms my heart to see so many PS2 games. I really recommend checking out *SMT Digital Devil Saga duology.* Very interesting setting, intriguing premise, nice combat system, great soundtrack. Characters can be hit or miss though.
@@Xhanatos Nocturne had really obtuse dungeons and a really high encounter rate. SMT5 for Switch is my favorite, even with its meh storyline, its combat, exploration, and overall gameplay was just soooo addicting.
@@hepwo91222 Digital Devil Saga had higher Encounter rate. Also in Nocturne you can use Estoma early too turn random encounter off if your level is high. The dungeons in DDS were much more boring too, the teambuilding was more boring.
@@Xhanatos I think what I liked about DDS over Nocturne was the story. SMT5 is my favorite SMT game though and its story is nothing special, just luv the combat, exploration, and overall gameplay.
Good list, Pam! I'd recommend Legend of Mana, on PSX but recently remastered, for an enticing ARPG experience with multiple, separate plot lines and rather mature themes that push the boundaries of the typical good vs. evil didactic. The protagonist is silent, and without immediate purpose, though they feel like a supporting character in the other characters' plots and lives--which are as compelling as they are charming. Lovely artwork and the soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura (KH2) is top-notch as well. One other rec: Radiant Historia, on DS/3DS, has a creative, strategic combat system, and a plot technique of traveling to different points of time between two realities in order to exploit or affect one or the other. The protagonist, a spy for the empire, is definitely not silent here, and while the supporting cast is small, they're all memorable and easily emotionally investable. I played it on DS for the (IMO) better character art, but the 3DS has expanded plot stuff, which is cool, I guess, but not for me. Soundtrack also by Yoko Shimomura!
I do respectfully disagree with Chrono Trigger, even though your reasoning makes sense: Chrono is a bland protagonist, but I think that is picked up by the rest of the cast. Frog, Magus, Robo, and the world in itself is a great character. OTOH, I absolutely agree on your FF12 rating - Ivalice is an interesting world, but the game itself is just a snooze and grindfest, even with the Zodiac Age re-release fixing the license board somewhat. It's my least mainline favorite FF even below XIII-1, II or III.
If you don't like Chrono, you can get him killed off early in the second half of the game and play without him, he stays dead. What other game lets you do that? lol
@@NBmad also if Magus is allowed on your party, Frog never breaks his curse to become human form Glen ever again. This game was ahead of its time with NG+, numerous endings, and choices into Magus and Chrono even being on your party at all when you beat the game.
I really appreciated this ranking, as my main experience with JRPGs was the 8 and 16 bit eras. After that, I got out of video games for several years...So I missed a ton of games from this era. PS: Parasite Eve needs a high budget remake like the RE games are getting. IMO, it's so much better than the RE games, too...
Gave this a like, but my god you had some hot takes woman! LOL I knew you were going to, but you didn't back down so I ain't mad at ya! haters are gonna hate. Now having said that, both Suikoden's and FF9 will always be S tier for me!
i remember getting Dragon Quest 7 (Dragon _Warrior_ in the West) for the PS1 and being excited at the prospect of finally discovering what all the hype was about because i too had heard the stories about how this series crippled productivity throughout the country on launch day. yea, i never finished it, lol, because it just... kept... going... and was not compelling at all. it felt like a game designed by an algorithm. and i was a kid at the time, back when i had all the energy & time in the world to play these games and it _still_ exhausted me. so, yea, Pam, ur not alone. 😆
Since you seemed to like the shadow hearts games maybe you’d like the precursor to it Koudelka. It kinda like Parasite Eve has that survival horrory aesthetic with a creepy mood and location with the classic fixed camera angles. It kinda plays pretty standard rpg wise (there’s a kinda pointless grid system) but the voice acting is great and the ost is beautiful (tho the game was directed by someone that composed music at square soft it is weirdly lacking in music) so maybe it’s not totally up your alley but it’s personally one of my favorites!
I agree, Koudelka is a pretty sweet game for the PS1. I played it for the first time just a few years ago and it still holds up if you're someone with a bit of patience.
As an old-school SNES JRPG fan, your Chrono Trigger rating left me gasping. The rest all seemed pretty fair though, I also find DQ bland at times and Kingdom Hearts never appealed to me. There are Fire Emblem games not on handhelds, I bet you'd like Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn but if you want to play them legit on console you need a gamecube and wii and some serious cash for the games themselves. There are also older games on FC and SFC which hopefully will get remakes someday. The new FE game coming out early next year has a really wild design/look but hopefully the gameplay will be solid and it includes heroes from many earlier games so that might be fun and help new players learn more about the series.
This is a odd list, especially the B section. I agree with some and disagree with others. Going by the games ranked highly I suggest you trying the Tales series. I personally recommend Tales of the Abyss. Not because it's my favorite, but because I think it lines up with your personal taste the most. You might hate Luke at first though, but he really evolves as a character (for the better). If that one doesn't click with you give Tales of Berseria a try instead.
Lost Odyssey was the very first game I bought for my Xbox 360. It’s still one of the most enjoyable games I have played, in my opinion. I’m glad for the rating you have given. :)
@@hazy33 Unfortunately I haven’t played it before but I have heard about it around that time. Based on what I have heard from other people, it’s a good game and have enjoyed it. So I suggest giving it a go! :)
I really like this list because of how different from mine it is. I grew up in the 8-16 bit Era (final fantasy 4 was my first rpg that I got into). Back then, stuff like that and lunar weren't cliche. They are the reasons those things are cliches now. I always like seeing a younger rpg fan's opinions of the games that shaped me. Keep up the great work!
@@Cannotbetamed1 I was 12 when the ps1 came out. The sprites and walls of txts in the 8-16 bit era are a hard sell to a young kid. The music in ff7 takes me right back every time though. I hope you didn’t steal the 5 Gil from the boys draw. FF6 has great characters, the fast forward helps with the battles. Plus “Live A Live”, 7 characters each from a different era. 30 hours so maybe on the long side for you. However each story is only between 2-4 hours. PC version is not out yet.
Giving Chrono Trigger a C and Nier Automata a D is so unbelievably based. I'm here for it. I actually love Automata, but I think Chrono Trigger is so overrated it's not even funny.
Just because a game is overrated doesn't mean the game is C tier Fairly chrono trigger is a wonderfully created game and easily S tier or A tier(minimum) She just said it is boring and generic And ofc automata is easily S(or A tier) as well
Chrono is not overrated and i am not even a huge fan. I give you 2 advises: 1. look at the game design, the actual gameplay if it was innovative at the time. 2. look at the games time of release and what system it was released. You would not make your mistake again, to compare an ancient old game such as CT with a modern game such as Nier Automata, there are decades between them in game design and hardware advancements. Furthermore for an ancient old game, CT, was very innovative look at the combat system and double and tripple character techs(moves) + mulitple endings changed by time eras There was no game like it at the time. Why do you think its so high rated at every tier list, but this one?
I agree on Dragon Quest 8. I started playing it at the same time as Etrian Odyssey Untold : Millennium Girl, and after 60 hours I gave up on Dragon Quest. And that’s saying something as this was actually the first or joint-first JRPG (with Etrian Odyssey) I ever played, so I hadn’t even had time to get bored of genre tropes. The world is huge, and there’s no reason to go to see any of it, unless the story takes you all over it, IDK. It was bland and repetitive. I couldn’t get immersed in it as it doesn’t take itself seriously, yet it’s not funny. The enemy designs make immersion impossible for me - how can I be saving the world by fighting a carrot-man dressed like a jester? The game required grinding on one or the first Doulmagus (big baddie) boss fights, a lot of it - when the combat is boring, gameplay is boring, world is boring, and the story isn’t that good, why bother? Characters were alright and I liked the main villain, and the human/NPC character design, but when none of them do anything or say anything, they’re not compelling. It was dead enough without requiring grinding. There’s also barely any items/weapons and armour, no customisation really. It’s very bare bones. It felt basically lifeless aside from when you met a story character/an event was triggered or bantering was going on. Should’ve been more condensed and right, 25 hour silly game, then it would’ve been charming and had consistent pace and humour.
Lunar At C is and also lower then Kingdom Hearts is crazy! Though ive never played many Rpgs, but i love your content Pam! One of my new favorite contwnt creators! ❤🎉🎉🎉
I'm not much of an RPGer, but the RPGs I like best are a handful made for the Sega Mega Drive(Genesis). Climax Entertainment made some wonderful RPGs for Sega like the first two games in the Shining Force series(Shining in the Darkness, then Shining Force) then Landstalker. Now I'm not big on Sega's Phantasy Star series, I think the first three could get really boring and repetitive(first game was for Sega Master System, next two for MD/Gen), but Phantasy Star IV:The End of the Millennium is excellent, a great story told with text and comic-strip frames, manga style art of course.
Good vid, I've a few new ones to check out and we agree on the PS1 era ones almost completely! Some of my faves that you haven't played are Mother 3, Lunar 2, Langrisser 2 (basically all combat though), Shining Force II, Final Fantasy V (worth it more for the customization and combat)-VI and Phantasy Star IV. Also Terranigma, Secret of Evermore and Front Mission: Gun Hazard for ARPGs though those are all 16-bit and SoE is better with a balance hack.
I am sure with the little patience she has and not always the will to finish a game she would like Shining Force 1 more than Shining Force 2. SF1 is faster paced and shorter with no uneceassary grind and too many battles + has a way higher quality OST(SF1 and SF2 have different composers) Kinda how Suikoden 1 relates to Suikoden 2.
Wow, we have really different tastes hahaha. All of your points made sense, though. Ultimately it's a matter of liking or not those things you pointed out. I'm really glad you gave a chance to games like .hack and Dragon Quest! Edit: If you have time, try giving a chance to Breath of Fire 4. It's my favorite JRPG, and the story is amazing!
@@erikw792 Just because allot of them are easy doesnt mean they have the same levels of difficulty. I have played many jrpgs and altho bof4 is great on many levels its just such a shame that theres barely any challenge, bof 3 had more challenge, i still love bof 4 as wel tho, music, graphics, chars, did like the dragon system from 3 better tho.
Hi Pam! Nice to see the Shadow Hearts series get some love. Although I think the first game is the best, the 2nd game is really good too. Love the gothic feel.
Yeah I couldn't believe that one. And saying the battles are too basic like dude they are way more interesting than ff7 (also just a better game imo). The technique system was awesome and the directional attack stuff was really cool. Kept me on my toes every battle.
Wait, whoa, you HATE Nier Automata, my pick for GREATEST GAME EVER MADE???? I thought you were going to give it an S rank for sure. I mean, that game changed my life. It has the best soundtrack since Xenosaga. The best voice acting EVER. It's just full of non-stop insanely entertaining surprises and it's addictive as hell. Subjective choices for sure.
I'm going to comment for the algorithm's sake. I'm surprised you're comparing Chrono Trigger to games like FF7 or FF12 or Nier Automata when it's more akin to Secret of Mana, Illusion of Gaia or Tales of Phantasia. It was novel at the time because it had an active turn based combat system (which changed with speed stat), different party members had different combo abilities, (spoilers) the main character could die and the game would not end, it had multiple endings (unheard of at the time). it was a basis of newer games and better mechanics. Like Super Metroid, it WAS amazing. If you play any game inspired by it, you will find it lacking, BUT the game was an amazing first step away from the turn based, chosen one, four member party, single ending, rut that the genre had found itself comfortable it.
To me, saying one likes jrpgs, but not chrono trigger, is like saying you like dinosaur movies, but not the first jurassic park 😋 It just dosnt seem possible 😅
My Gf told me about a tinder date where a guy eluded to being into diaper fetish activity, then I showed her the scene from like a dragon involving the baby formula. Funny side quest. Ichiban great protagonist also!
Pam!!! I love jrpgs. They’ve been pretty much my “main” genre since 1998, when I fell in love with Xenogears/Final Fantasy VII. Though I will say, the last couple of years I haven’t been as into them. The new ones just don’t seem to capture that same magic.. Final Fantasy X-2 I will argue eternally is the most fun you can have playing a turn based game. It’s so damn fluid and smooth. And really cool to see Shadow Hearts get some love from you. THAT scene from the second game always gets me a little choked up. Such a great story!! Thanks for making this awesome vid! It’s got me in the mood to seek out a new jrpg to try! Take care.
I'm convinced people who look down on FFX-2 just don't like fun. Okay, if they don't like the lighter story, or some other sillier aspects, but gameplay wise it's so much more interesting than most games in the genre.
Truly sorry to hear you say this about Chrono Trigger Pam. However I don't take it personal. Its cool. Everyone has there own things they like or may not like in some games. Also many JRPGs/RPGS during that time frame were more known for the silent protagonist as the main character. Its also a shame to hear you haven't played many SNES JRPG/RPGS there was good ones. For me some of the really good ones started from the SNES/ Sega Genesis days. Games were much different back then too compared to today. It does surprise me how you talked about Chrono Trigger since it actually has everything you mentioned at the beginning of your video in regards to to things you like such as Character Development and wanting to get to know the characters more then the plot. Plus it has multiple endings. Yet something very important to mention here is were talking about the SNES and there were more limitations of what was allowed here in the United States in regards to releasable content before then it what you could do with Playstation 1 games. To me Chrono Trigger is an absolute classic and masterpiece. I highly recommend it. For me when this game came out on the SNES and I got to play it for the first time I was blown away. It truly was a light year leap compared to other SNES RPG titles we had avialable at that time. For me this was a first with seeing a new way of RPG battling being more action-like. In the past it was just turn based with not much animation from the enemies you battle. So this was a game changer for its time even though it was still turn based in a way, but you were able to do combo attacks. Now also in the United States at that time the US version had some content left out. Good news though is when they released it on the Nintendo DS version here in the United States we were finally able to play what was left out. Also the cool thing about the DS version is it also included some animated cutscenes that were originally on the remake on Playstation One. I hope you give this game another chance sometime if you play it on the DS. Another game I'm very surprised not hearing was was Secret of Mana on SNES. That one you could play with up to 3 players if you wanted. I also loved the music. Get it just for the soundtrack alone it has variety. Cool thing is you can get them now as a collection known as Collection of Mana on the Switch. This includes the third game that was never released in the United States. They did however did a remake of the third as well on it, but I prefer the old school. lol I LOVE Dragon Quest 8! Its one of my personal favorites in this franchise. 😃 When it comes to Dragon Quest the main character has always been the silent protagonist. This one is actually to me the one that really relaunched the franchise. Up until this point the past Dragon Quest/ Dragon Warrior games were more simplistic when it came the NES games. In 8 the Main protagonist actually plays a more active role then you get to see the other do in some of the past games. The SNES ones 5 and 6 and some remakes sadly we did not get until they got rereleased on the DS. It looks like you played the 3DS version of Dragon Quest 8 which sadly I've never had the chance to play. I only played the Playstation 2 version. Plus all of the DS and 3DS versions of these games are freaking expensive now. 😟 But the 3DS version or DQ8 had more characters to play as well as an extra ending, while the PS2 version had 2 endings. Next to this one I have to honestly say Dragon Quest 11 takes 8 and makes probably one of the best I've ever played in the franchise as well. It took me a good couple of months to beat it, but it was well worth it and any fan of Dragon Quest will really appreciate Dragon Quest 11. It is a MUST to play if you love Dragon Quest. ( Fun fact to note as well is Akira Toriyama did some of the artwork for both Chrono Trigger and the Dragon Quest Franchises. He's mostly known most of all for his anime/ manga work of Dragon Ball and many of its franchises. ) Also I hope you give Final Fantasy 4 another chance. Its true you have to grind by close to the end of the game but you can easily level up at the final area, but the ending is worth it. Better yet If you've never played this version of Final Fantasy 4 get it on PSP where you get this game and the soundtrack on it is even better or you can change it to the remakes. The PSP game also comes with 2 extra games. You get a short game that then lead up to a new chapter/sequel of sorts involving some new characters too. This sequel game was originally split in a few download games on the Wii store, but you get it complete on the PSP. Final Fantasy 4 or was known as final fantasy 2 here in the united states during the SNES days was the final fantasy that got me into this franchise. ( the Final fantasy 2 SNES sadly had some content edited during that time and I prefer it as Final Fantasy 4 since it returned the lost content. ) Its still to this day my favorite Final Fantasy of them all because of the characters themselves and the variety. ( there's also a GBA version of final fantasy 4 that has different content and some different things, but I personally prefer the PSP game due to the extra games. But both in there own ways are really good. ) To me Final Fantasy 12 actually went back to some of the basics I liked from the old school classic Final Fantasy games. I liked this one and I enjoyed the story too. Again its more of a return to old school Final Fantasy storytelling here. I will admit though the the battle system requires patience. I also heard its had some remakes on other game systems that may have simplified this combat system. If anyone on here has played 12 on different systems please let me know any changes that happened. I'm thinking about getting the Switch version. I tried to play Magna Carta, but I sadly I couldn't play it for long due to the over complicated battle system. Sometimes its better to keep things simple. I wish I could mention to you some JRPGS/RPGS but I can't think of any at the moment of writing this. If I can think of any I'll gladly share them on here. One that does come into mind for me is technically a JRPG yet more of a combat RPG. It's more action strategic combat battle is the Valkyrie Chronicles Franchise. I really enjoy these and the characters since they have personality on the battle field. They remade One on the later systems if you just looking to play the game for its complete content since the one on PS3 had some things locked out as DLC. Check em out if you've never had the chance. Lol anyway sorry for the long read, but there was a lot of context/content to mention considering it was a lot of games to talk about. Thanks again as always for your time Pam.
I 100% agree with you on Chrono Trigger, That game is a masterpiece & Is one of my all time favs BECAUSE of its story and characters, Never seen anyone until now say it’s uninteresting lol, And Secret Of Mana is one of my favs too, The soundtrack alone makes it for me lol love that game.
Hi @@butterschunkmcdonalds5333 thanks for the kind comment about the games. Just wondering what's your favorite character from Chrono Trigger? For me its Frog and Magus. I really liked the story told about them. Also just curious any other favorite RPG/JRPG games for the SNES you like and if so which ones. Just curious. ( Keep in mind in the United States at that time finding RPGs on a video game system was rare commodity. ) Thanks again for your time.
@@waltsoph3 Lucca was always my favorite character, First time I played the game I felt so bad for her that her mother couldn’t walk, And I never knew you can go back in time to the day she lost her legs and save her, So when I finally did that and went to the present to see her mom walking around and cheerful I was so happy, Had a similar experience with Robo rebuilding the forest. And Earthbound would be the other main JRPG on SNES I would recommend if you haven’t already played it, Just an amazing experience all around. However if you don’t mind some Ps1 games I’d recommend Breath Of Fire 3 & Wild Arms, Two of the most underrated RPGs of all time IMO, BoF3 holds a special place in my heart, So epic, I wish more people knew about that game in particular.
Hi@@butterschunkmcdonalds5333 thanks again for the reply. Lucca is it. Fantastic choice! 😃 To me she was the glue of the party in that game. ( You know the expression of about the glue keeping things together. ) I really want to say more about her character, but I don't want to give away any spoilers for future players that have yet to play this game. Still Lucca is definitely a perfect example when you talk about character development in an JRPG/RPG game when wanting to know more about them. As for Earthbound. 🤷♂ What's there to say about it that hasn't probably been positively mentioned in many different YT videos of how much of a classic it is. Loved it. Very unique game and it shocked me to know it was actually a sequel to once again a game we didn't get at the time on the 8-bit NES. Interesting enough they already had the game ready! ( known as Mother in Japan ) It was just never physically released in the United States at that time. It would be nice to see Nintendo release them in a physical trilogy in the since we never got the other two from Nintendo itself. I think there avialable on the Switch online store, but keep in mind you have to be online and have a membership at just to play those games. To me that's like renting and not owning. That's why I want them to release a physical version. There's no reason why they can't. I've played the original Wild Arms, but never the sequels. Definitely a an amazing game at the time it was released since that was still in the early days of the PS1. Good story, good music too. As for Breath of Fire I've only played the original, but its a really good game and for its time a REALLY long game as well. When it first came out I loved the combat action on the screen. For me it was the first time I noticed in a game where it showed the energy bar draining as a character or enemy gets hit like in a street fighter style game. Another interesting thing to mention was it was one of the first times that recall Capcom and Squaresoft worked on a RPG together. That's saying something for back then. I recommend that game for anyone who has never played it. Thanks again for your time.
It hurts to see Legend of Dragoon only get a B. Such an overlooked classic. But honestly there is only 2 camps for the game. Those who love the time based attack system and those that loath it. Honestly I loved it a ton. It wasn't too hard to master after a while. Lavitz had some damn hard ones though. The cut scenes though really sold the game for me. The Divine Dragon had such a cool look and memorable battle on top of the mountain
Wow, I thought I was the only person on the planet who hated nier so much)😅 Anyway, it was very interesting to listen to you and find out your preferences)
I will say that huge time investment and learning curve has resulted in me buying (and rebuying) a ton of RPGs...and yeah after 20+ years I still haven't played them. I literally have only played Xenogears, Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger in an extensive way. I could only beat Chrono Trigger (with a friend's help), gave up on FFVII in the final dungeon, found a 50+ hours in game-breaking bug that preventing me from finishing Xenogears. I can't really get into any of the other FF games I own, and I own many. After 50+ hours gave up on FFXIII. Oh wait, I'm into FF XV, though it's really slow going, not sure I'll ever beat it, because it takes forever to go anywhere or do anything, though it's still really enjoyable.
I'm going to have to recommend you check out the shin megami tensei series or spin offs. Persona 5 Royal is pretty good if you're into characters and has other stuff do other than combat. Shin Megami Tensei 5 on the switch is pretty good too if you're into demon collecting and are into a apocalypse setting fighting demons and angels. Strange Journey is personally my favorite of the series due to the heavy sci fi setting. These games are darker than your average jrpg but revolve around demon collecting and fusing them to create stronger demons or personas. Also the devil summoner series on the ps2 has combat you will probably enjoy. Cool vid!
You are not very fond of JRPGs it seems. FF XII and FF XIII are great. FF VII Remake is fantastic. You gave FF X-2 an S? Really? That was an empty, shallow and boring game in my opinion.
If you enjoyed Cthulhu Saves Christmas, maybe try out Cosmic Star Heroine. It's from the same developer, and it has a reasonably interesting combat system where any attack or technique can only be used once, and then there's a sort of 'pass' action which refreshes them all. It's a little bit board gamey in that respect, and it makes things pretty tactical. Personally I think Cosmic Star Heroine is Zeboyd's best game.
"Chrono Trigger is going in C"... ouch!! right in the teenage years! I was about to recommend Breath of Fire II for the SNES, as I didn't see it on the list. But I can tell that any pre-PS1 JRPGs are going to be hard sell here. I think games like Final Fantasy VII, Chrono Trigger or Breath of Fire II should be measured against what other games were bringing to the table at the time and judged by the experience you got from playing them when they were fresh out of the oven. Consider that games like Planescape Torment, Baldur's Gate or Fallout came 5 or 6 years AFTER these SNES JRPGs. Back in the days we had Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession, Wizardry III, etc. And compared to those... these JRPGs were ridiculously awesome! But playing them as "retro" games and holding them to PS1 standards is like pitting a current gen F1 car against an F1 from the 90's. There is one thing I 100% agree with though... the amount of anime tropes and nonsense, as you say, in this subgenre is too damn high and that's why I also have a love/hate relationship with it.
I think in a formal review games should be measured against what was possible and what other games were bringing. In a totally subjective ranking of every game in the genre I've played I'm just thinking about how much I enjoyed playing things.
I'm sure you'll get some comments about the 16 bit era RPGs and some of the Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest ones but I enjoyed hearing all of your viewpoints as usual
@@Cannotbetamed1 if you are looking for those or any other games on Ps1 I recommend Duckstation emulatory - I was really surprised how well it works and am playing Vagrant Story for the first time. Love your channel - from Northwest Territories
Also, since I suggested a game or two, I figured I should finally get around to joining your Patreon so that you have money to try them out when the time comes. Incidentally, it’s altruistic of you to only have the $1 tier but I can’t give you enough to actually buy anything soon that way (although obviously don’t buy either game if you don’t want to try them). So I used the custom option to go for a higher rate (probably for fewer months instead of indefinitely) instead. Cheers!
So happy you covered Lost Odyssey! Definitely doesn't get enough talk as it should. I still get annoyed with the reviews it got citing the load times and nothing else about it.
The soundtrack alone to some of these games makes them S Tier but sadly this was barely mentioned. Deffo a long way off how I would rank these games but happy to see Suikoden up there 🙂. A good watch.
With about a minute dedicated to each game, music seems like the least important things to talk about. Plus I don't have much more to say than "music good".
Here's an odd recomendation, especially since I've yet to complete it, but FF13 3 Lightening Returns. On series X it has 60fps so I replayed 13 and didnt hate it like I did back in the day. 13 2 was better in my opinion with bizzare time travel stuff. But 13 3 uses kinda a dress system like 10 2 and I ended up really enjoying the combat. I however fell off and will have to start over cause I dont know at all how any of my shit was set up, so someday. After I finish Lost Oddessy, which like you said those written stories are awesome, I think some of those stories are better then a lot of games stories out there. But thats my oddball suggestion
Okay, your taste is very different from mine, but they overlap. Star Ocean 2 is awesome. But I really enjoy the classic formula and the most basic turn based battle systems. I love DQ VIII and XI, but it's personal preference, of course. Maybe give Grandia a go. Its battle system is really interesting. It's kind turn-based, but you see the battle order and can knock foes back. You level elements by using magic in order to get more powerful magic and they add to your stats. What I love most about the game is the atmosphere, tho. You're going on a big adventure and the characters are excited. It's so charming. The second game loses that feeling and gets all edgy, but it's still fun as a game. They're not grindy at all, but battles are so much fun.
if you can get the .hack games cheaply, than its worth it. Loved the whole series and getting the characters, especially from .hack sign. there is a general overarching story through the anime and the games so you get a bit more depth there. the .hack franchise holds a special place in my heart. chrono trigger was such a groundbreaking game when it came out. everything about it is old hat at this point, that being said still S tier for me. FF 4 on the psp had all those expansions, If you can get that full version than it is worth it and I consider that S tier. I gotta mess with that yakuza game tho. I know people have talked about the breath of fire games and the Shin megami games, but you could also use those when you update the list.
Great video as always, Pam! Can't say that I agree with half of it at least, but I feel really seen when I find someone else who dislikes Chrono Trigger and likes Shadow Hearts, so it's fine. And FFVII got the love it deserves too. The thing about JRPGs gameplay-wise is that they are simplifications of games like Wizardry and Ultima, which a niche of 80s japanese nerds absolutely loved but were ultimately inacessible to the general public due to extreme difficulty/obtuseness and overall lack of memorable characters and stories, despite their very involved systems. So, some dudes like Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest man) and Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy man) streamlined the whole experience and put some more story and characters into it, giving the average person the thrill of combat, the ability to pop big damage numbers and the pleasure of living an adventure with cool characters... all that without having to get a math degree and PTSD. It's a very quirky, ver unique kind of subgenre, which wont't really please everyone (But, then again, what does?) and has the potential to produce some of the most infurating systems and stories that you have ever seen... but I love them oh so much. When they are good, they are GOOD. The kind of games that you can sit down with a friend and talk about 'em for hours and hours back to back to back and still have some shit to talk about tomorrow and the day after. Anyway, please consider trying the Trails series, Ys VIII and, despite your bad experience before, Dragon Quest XI. Those are some damn good modern classics that may get you by surprise in terms of storytelling and worldbuilding despite being slow-burns. You may end up not liking them, but I believe they're at least worth a try for their uniqueness. Cheers!
As a huge fan of the SNES days of RPGs, it all good if you don’t like those games. Anyone who says otherwise is a spoony bard. I love Chrono Trigger a ton but it is also put up on a pedestal as well by a lot of fans. Even if I disagree with your opinions, that’s not gonna ruin my enjoyment of your videos of those games because opinions are subjective anyways. It baffles me how people get caught up with subjective viewpoints being “right” or “wrong.” I just appreciate any love thrown towards JRPGs at all since it’s my favorite genre
I feel like I have similar mind set as you but I don't have an issue with art styles. At the top of my head a quick ranking S tier Final Fantasy 7,9,4,6 (9 is best), Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2. Legend of Dragoon. Dragon Quest 8. Chrono Trigger. Shadow Hearts Covenant, Parasite Eve, Ni No Kuni , Dark Cloud 2,KH Chain of Memories A tier. Chrono Cross, Star Ocean 3, Radiata Stories, Suikoden 1 and 3, Final Fantasy 8, KH Birth by Sleep B Tier. Final Fantasy 12 PS2 and 10, Persona 5, Final Fantasy 7 remake and Tactics, Fire Emblem on advance, KH Dream Drop Distance,Suikoden 4 C Tier. Final Fantasy 3,5,Shadow Hearts, Dark Cloud, Persona 3, Suikoden 5, Enchanted Arms 360 D Tier. Final Fantasy 10-2, 1,13, Atonement, Golden Sun on DS, Enchanted Arms PS3 F Tier. Final Fantasy 15, Dragon Quest 11 (what I played) , Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler
I completely agree with you on final fantasy 8. It was a disappointment in the magic range and start raising range. Why could it not just be equipping more equipment than leveling up like a traditional game but no equipping gf's was cool and all but equipping magic was bad
I honestly would love to see a video of you after a few glasses of wine, just dunking on various JRPGs and their fanboys. One of my fave videos of yours was that Dread dis-review. And it's always fun to hear you talk about the Switch Joy-Cons. 😄
I found it so awesome and beautiful as a kid, but yeah the affinity system is kinda tedious, since you kinda have to train your weapons, the first time I finished it with the starting weapon since I found that no other weapons did more damage right off the bat lol the final boss took me like an little less than an hour to beat. A remake sounds awesome actually.
