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While e-mailing Graham a suggestion for Unskippable, I had a thought of what PS1 games they could do. After sending the e-mail I remembered my favorite RPG of that era. Koudelka.
Those familiar with the Shadow Hearts series on PS2 probably know about it. For those who don't, it's basically the first game of the series. If you can find it, I highly recommend it.

So what's your favorite RPG from off the humble playstation?

Final Fantasy IX. This, and Final Fantasy's VII and VIII were my gateway RPG games (not specifically J-RPG's; just RPG's in general).

IX had a great story for me to appreciate at the time. Plus, you don't have to equip marbles or suck magic from enemies. Pick a character whose abilities suit your needs, equip an item or weapon with new abilities, and grind. Grind. Grind. Grind.

Chrono Cross

Manual wrote:One hundred years prior to the story's beginning, there was a great war waged between the Allied Spirit Army and the Imperial Wizardry. The war waged for ages, with neither side having a clear advantage. The Imperial Wizardry employed a new weapon that would fire at the core, with the intent of causing heavy terrain damage to enemy territory, but a severe miscalculation caused the planet's axis to shift and cause global warming. Before the Earth could sink, four wise men created a machine to allow four of the continents to float, avoiding death. The wise men left the mechanism in the hands of their descendants. However, in the present day, their descendants have disappeared, and the remaining continents have begun to sink.

Unlike most RPG's the combat is action based, so there's no turn taking bullshat. You have to go to temples across the continents to recharge the engine crystals to stop them from sinking while fighting off an evil empire who solely desire to take the engine crystals to have full control over the world and it's people.

That or:

Manual wrote:Azure Dreams is set in a fantasy town called Monsbaiya. Set in the desert, the town prospers only because of the Monster Tower looming over it. In this town lives a skilled and famous monster tamer named Guy. On a stormy day, Guy disapears in the tower, never to be seen again. Ever since he disappeared, Guy's family has struggled to get by, putting all their hopes on Koh, his son, who will be allowed to enter the tower when he reaches the age of 15. When Koh finaly reaches adulthood, he meets a vagabond familiar named Kewne, a monster that can speak the human language. Kewne and Koh then embark on a quest to reach the top floor of the Monster Tower and find out the truth about Guy's fate.

I'm still playing through it having gotten it when I was 8, it takes a LONG time to get up the monster tower (200+ Levels) and you can raise different monsters and what-not.

You can also purchase different buildings for the town as you get richer such as a Bowling Alley or a Theater. You can also pimp yo crib and get a motorcycle that looks like a dick and do flips and shit, as well as get a girlfriend with the romance side-story's. You also get stuck doing dishes if you go to the town resteraunt after running without paying.

Xenogears.
Also Suikoden... which i feel I'm spelling wrong.
Final Fantasy Tactics.
Star Ocean: The Second Story.

Vagrant Story, and Legend of Dragoon were absolutely stellar! I used to play those games all the time.

Oh Final Fantasy VI if "re-releases" count, I still replayed it alot of psx, still my favourite rpg.

Xenogears
FF Tactics
Chrono Cross
Legend of Mana
Parasite Eve

Tough call.. so many good ones! Obviously I'm a massive Final Fantasy Fanboy, but I think Breath of Fire III is quite note-worthy.

I've just downloaded Suikoden off the PSN and seeing if it lives up to almost 15 years of hype. (Sadly it doesn't appear to, but for $6 I'm not gonna gripe)

Favorite PS1 RPG: Chrono Cross. It's also my favorite RPG of all time.

Grandia, easily.

Vagrant Story

Keith K wrote:I've just downloaded Suikoden off the PSN and seeing if it lives up to almost 15 years of hype. (Sadly it doesn't appear to, but for $6 I'm not gonna gripe)

I would suggest playing through the 1st Suikoden and then, if you can find it (most likely won't), Suikoden 2. The second takes everything that was great about the 1st game and makes it much better. Plus it generally has a more sophisticated story.

Jillers wrote:Star Ocean: The Second Story.

I can't believe how much of a let down all the other Star Ocean games are when that one is so amazing.

Hakaryu wrote:Parasite Eve

As someone who grew up in the shadow of New York City, I always enjoyed this game, if not for the nifty game play and story, but because everyone in Manhattan turns into a gigant slime monster.

Oooh. Koudelka has what is probably my favorite plot and setting for any RPG, but the gameplay was SO BAD that I cannot in good conscience list it as my favorite PS1 RPG.

I'd say for all-around-quality FFIX is my favorite. It was just so soothing and fun to play, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

I'm also really fond of Suikoden I and II. Despite the battle system being laughable and the story kind of weird, I was very happy while playing them.

Xenogears. Well, the first disc of it, anyway.

Sachiel wrote:Xenogears. Well, the first disc of it, anyway.

The second disc wasn't to bad.

The second disc is where the budget problems became apparent, but it still had the story, which is all that really matters to me.

Chocobo's Dungeon 2 is a game I always go back to. ^_^

I guess Final Fantasy 6's remake for the PS1 doesn't count does it?

In that case I'd probably pick Final Fantasy 7.

Not that I'm a FF fanboy, I didn't really like 8, and I never finished 9. And from 10 and upwords the series didn't appeal to me at all anymore.

So if I'd have to pick anything other the FF series I'd pick, Alundra 1.

That's too bad, FF 10, 11 and 12 are all awesome, in my opinion. 13's looking pretty cool too (if an obvious clone of 7).

Smidge wrote:I guess Final Fantasy 6's remake for the PS1 doesn't count does it?

In that case I'd probably pick Final Fantasy 7.

Not that I'm a FF fanboy, I didn't really like 8, and I never finished 9. And from 10 and upwords the series didn't appeal to me at all anymore.

So if I'd have to pick anything other the FF series I'd pick, Alundra 1.

shame you didn't finish 9. that game is brilliant. (and has a great ending [aside from the very last boss fight]).

And while I'm not a huge fan of 10, 10 and 12 are both really very good. (12 is amazing)

-m

I love Brave Fencer Musashi, too.

Matt wrote:

Smidge wrote:I guess Final Fantasy 6's remake for the PS1 doesn't count does it?

In that case I'd probably pick Final Fantasy 7.

Not that I'm a FF fanboy, I didn't really like 8, and I never finished 9. And from 10 and upwords the series didn't appeal to me at all anymore.

So if I'd have to pick anything other the FF series I'd pick, Alundra 1.

shame you didn't finish 9. that game is brilliant. (and has a great ending [aside from the very last boss fight]).

And while I'm not a huge fan of 10, 10 and 12 are both really very good. (12 is amazing)

-m

It's been atleast 4 years since I last played it. I was in this castle? where your gear would work against you. The better it was the more nerfed you'd get. At least thats what I remember. It was on the 3rd or 4th disc I think.

I'm probably close to the end, maybe I'll give it a go upcomming weekend. ( hopes the memcard still lives )

Alundra is an amazing game. Not really sure if it counts as an RPG in the traditional sense, but still. Oh I'm surprised it was mention in the Extremely Difficult Games thread.

Smidge wrote:

Matt wrote:

Smidge wrote:I guess Final Fantasy 6's remake for the PS1 doesn't count does it?

In that case I'd probably pick Final Fantasy 7.

Not that I'm a FF fanboy, I didn't really like 8, and I never finished 9. And from 10 and upwords the series didn't appeal to me at all anymore.

So if I'd have to pick anything other the FF series I'd pick, Alundra 1.

shame you didn't finish 9. that game is brilliant. (and has a great ending [aside from the very last boss fight]).

And while I'm not a huge fan of 10, 10 and 12 are both really very good. (12 is amazing)

-m

It's been atleast 4 years since I last played it. I was in this castle? where your gear would work against you. The better it was the more nerfed you'd get. At least thats what I remember. It was on the 3rd or 4th disc I think.

I'm probably close to the end, maybe I'll give it a go upcomming weekend. ( hopes the memcard still lives )

yeah, the upside down castle. just equip the shittiest weapons you have.

or fly back to a town, buy back the original weapons and head back in.

-m

I think I shall... um... aquire some of the games mentioned here, and play them either on my PSP or the PS2 I will buy soon.
But I still have a HUGE backlog of games (most of em RPGs), so... I'm slowly despairing over the sheer number of games I want to play X D
(It's been mabye a year since I bought my first gaming console since the original gameboy, so there's a lot of stuff for I haven't played, you see?)

Final Fantasy Tactics. Second best game ever. Final Fantasy IX comes in a distant second, with nothing else even in the vicinity.