I' ve played ' em all (or just about), so here is a list of the best RPGs this generation has to offer. After the glory days of the PSOne (I still own 25 RPGs for that system, and played over 35), the PS2 is primed to perhaps equal that number, although it will take a bit longer...

(in no particular order)

Legaia 2: Duel Saga

I figured I' d start with a more controversial pick. While it didn' t garner great reviews, I consider it to be one of the most underrated games of this generation. What it lacked in flash it made up for in smooth and balanced gameplay. The story wasn' t all that great, the soundtrack was hardly anythi.ng to brag about, and the characters weren' t beautiful, but the game was still a blast to play...so long as you didn' t mind frequent random encounters that could take a while. The physical combo attacks known as Arts were back from the original, and better than ever, and there were more than enough extras, mini-games, and side-quests to satisfy most any hardcore RPGer. 65 hours invested, and I don' t regret a minute of it.

Suikoden III

Continuing in the tradition of excellence set forth by its predecessors, the third installment of this stellar series was every bit as great as was expected. The 108 Stars were back and ready to find and recruit, but the series took a major twist and showed the story in three distinct parts, from three distinct viewpoints. The new " buddy" system in combat added yet another element of depth, and the story, as usual, was OUTSTANDING. Typical Konami-quality sound and soundtracks coupled with some extremely memorable characters make this gem of a game stand out above most all the rest.

Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2

X set the mark for this generation that, IMO, has yet to be beaten. Gorgeous and wonderfully-designed characters, environments, and the like settled comfortably around a freedom-oriented advancement system known as the Sphere Grid. For the first time, the customary " levels" were done away with, and characters learned new physical and magical abiltiies, as well as permanent stat enhancements, via their path on the ingeniously created Grid. A story that touched on religion, fate, and love brought the masterpiece together, and helped to further solidify FF' s legacy.

FF X-2 came out to much speculation, and although it doesn' t quite beat out X, the first true sequel in the FF series sported the fastest-paced battle the franchise had ever seen, with a Class system disguised in the Dress Spheres (forgive the pun). The game also took another different turn in telling the story, straying a bit from the traditional ways and offering a more free-roving exploration right from the start. There was a lot more depth and dark storyline behind that bouncy cover provided by the upbeat girl trio, and turned out to be nearly as addictive as FF X.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Choose the light side or the dark side, and battle your way through a real-time fun-fest of beautiful environments, compelling characters, and a classic story. It turned out to be a benchmark for future real-time RPGs, and portrayed the Star Wars universe extremely well. Both hardcore SW fans and RPG fans got the best of both worlds with this one.

XenoSaga

XenoSaga showed everyone that Namco was more than capable when it came to making a highly engaging RPG. Character design and storyline is where this one excelled, and we were treated to a lovable android named KOS-MOS...who was far more deadly than anyone ever imagined. Complex turn-based combat that included combination attacks, upgradable abilities and statistics, and even the use of mechs in battle provided a strategic style of gameplay that never seemed to get old. The second episode is eagerly anticipated...

Wild Arms 3

You start with three characters; you end with three characters. Like the original, you really got to know these guys, and that was some of the allure of this unique, western-style RPG. A wasteland that holds some earth-shattering secrets, battles complete with real-time movement for character placement coupled with dozens of abilities and magic attacks, and a whole new Guardian system, the third installment changed much, but retained most of its old charm. This one couldn' t be missed by any true RPG fan, for a variety of reasons. The great characters, story, and gameplay are only a few of those reasons...

This is most of them, but I' d also like to give honorable mention to Jade Cocoon 2, Grandia II, Morrowind, the .hack series, Summoner 2, and Dark Cloud 2. Upcoming titles to look for:

Star Ocean 3
Suikoden IV
Final Fantasy XII
XenoSaga: 2cd Episode
Front Mission 4

FFX was pretty sweet but Tidus could be a bit gay at times.

KOTOR was just sweet. I wish it was longer though and had a bit more open feeling. Even though the cities were huge I always felt somewhat constrained.

Morrowind took well over a hundred hours of my life away and I still have et to beat it.

What about Deus Ex 2? That' s kind of a hybrid RPG. I' m not a big fan of RPG' s, that' s why DX2 is my favorite one of this generation.

I played Deus Ex: Invisible War (I was the reviewer for it here at Kikizo), and while I enjoyed the game, I' m not about to classify it as a strict RPG. However, I' m fine with FPS/RPG hybrid, because that' s really what it is. It doesn' t really fall into any one traditional category.

Deus Ex, Shenmue 1/2, Zelda Link' s Awakening

Uhh...I was talking about this generation.

And just for the record, Deus Ex is more of a hybrid FPS/RPG, as I stated earlier, and I' ve never liked Shenmue.

Oh, Shenmue II is a definate. I' d say the first shenmue was inbetween generations.

I agree Deus Ex can' t be strictly classified as a RPG. It definately was a good game though.

FF X is the worst piece of filth ever created.




Wild arms 3= best ever!!! (this generation, FF7 is the greatest game ever)

You make no sense. Simply because you don' t like something doesn' t mean you can insult the game' s inherent quality. I can' t stand KotoR, but I' m not stupid enough to call it " filth."

Oh, and FF VII was last generation. Not sure what year you think this is...

It IS the best RPG ever, though.

I haven' t been particuarly thrilled by the RPG' s of this generation. Skies of Arcadia is undoubtedly awesome and Suikoden III is pretty good but inferior to it' s prequels while the rest have mostly left me cold. I definitely preferred the RPG' s of the 32 bit days.

Gossi: Nah, WAY too simplistic. A chimp could master those games.

What' s too simplistic? The RPG' s of the last generation?

BTW if you don' t like KoToR, why the hell is it in your list?

Sorry, I mis-read. I thought you said 16-bit. Anyway, of all the PSOne RPGs I' ve owned and played, I do agree to some extent. However, there are at least a couple of years left for the current trio of systems, and they' ve already had a good start with the ones I listed above.

Oh, and KotoR is on the list because I don' t let personal preference get in the way of objectivity. I didn' t like KotoR (maybe because I' m not a Star Wars fan), but I can easily recognize it' s quality. Same goes for MGS 2. I' ve never been a fan of the MG series, but I can clearly recognize its superior polish and overall excellence.

Being objective is tough though. Wouldn' t it have been easier to be subjective and simply listed all the ones you liked?

And yes this generation could easily surpass the last one in terms of it' s RPG' s with the likes of Suikoden IV, Star Ocean III, Final Fantasy XII and Dragon Warrior VIII all on the horizon.

Well, of COURSE it' s more difficult to be objective. You have to put aside your own personal preference and analyze the game for what it really is. I entitled this topic, " Best RPGs of this generation," not " My Favorite RPGs of this generation." There' s a difference. However, most of the best are my favorites as well.

Yeah, I can' t wait for SO 3, Suikoden IV, FF XII, and let' s not forget Front Mission 4.

Kotor- one of the best! You have to experiance it

shenmue 2- i just fell in love with this gameplay, and game! I think everyone should play shenmue 2

FFX and X-2- excellent

i stand by my original statement that FF X is complete and utter trash.

Okay. You' re still wrong, because you' re not stating opinion. You don' t even have any reason why it' s " trash" other than you don' t like it.

Not good enough.

If someone doesn' t like it, they don' t like it Some things just turn people off and there is no reason for it. I may disagree with the statement of FFX being trash because I really enjoyed it, but if he doesn' t like it that' s his opinion, with or without reasons.

That' s not the point. It' s not stating opinion to say that something is " trash" ; it' s a direct implication on the game' s quality. Whether you like it or not is opinion, saying it " sucks" or something like that is basically saying that the game' s quality is terrible. This is obviously not the case. I can say that I did not like KotoR, but I CANNOT say that it' s trash. One would be my opinion, the other would simply be untrue.

There IS black and white in games. It' s not all 100% subjective.