Ranking Every JRPG I've Ever Played (100)

[J is Justice]

63. Pokemon Sword and Shield



I thought these were pretty good Pokemon games. I mean, they're just Pokemon games, nothing new or unexpected, but at least they aren't slow like Pearl and Diamond were. Of the new Pokemon, I liked Scorbunny, Cramorant, Sirfetch'd and Alcremie. Eiscue looked funny but I don't think I caught one. I never completed them, though. I can't specifically remember but didn't they replace the Elite Four with just rematches against the gym leaders? I dunno, but I lost interest at that point.

[J is Justice]

By the way, I've decided to remove some games from my list (I'm always editing it) because I feel I can't fairly rank them. Chrono Trigger, for example. Only reason I'm bringing it up is that I hyped it up in the opening post, lol. Skies of Arcadia is another, along with a few more. Just because I feel like I haven't played them enough to fairly rank them, or it was so long ago that I did that I just don't remember enough about them to have an opinion.

Anyway, next game!

[J is Justice]

62. Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon



This game is just beautiful. The graphics, the music, the story, the characters. But it's definitely style over substance. The gameplay isn't too great. The combat, for, example, is just mindless mashing. I actually didn't even know this was considered a JRPG until I made this list—I thought it was a survival horror.

Still a hidden gem, though, despite the flaws.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Jan 3, 2022 15:44:50 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

63. Pokemon Sword and Shield



I thought these were pretty good Pokemon games. I mean, they're just Pokemon games, nothing new or unexpected, but at least they aren't slow like Pearl and Diamond were. Of the new Pokemon, I liked Scorbunny, Cramorant, Sirfetch'd and Alcremie. Eiscue looked funny but I don't think I caught one. I never completed them, though. I can't specifically remember but didn't they replace the Elite Four with just rematches against the gym leaders? I dunno, but I lost interest at that point.

Im replaying this now. Got bored last time. I think because theres no real side plot, its just go to gyms and fight. I like stuff like in G1, stopping Team Rocket at Mt. Moon and Silph Co.

Plus the constant handholding.

And Hop is an annoying shit.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Jan 3, 2022 10:04:12 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

64. Final Fantasy Tactics



This is a great game. The only reason I have it this low is because it was so difficult I couldn't get that far into it. But considering that, it just shows how good the game is that I still have it this high. But, yes, this game is hard as f***!

You do need to grind a little to do well in the game. This not only makes your characters more powerful (though eventually you will likely abandon most of your user-made characters for the party members you can pick up along the way - excluding your most powerful white and black mages, of course), but it lets you get a feel for all of the features of the various classes. You'll need that.

Having said that, the optional dungeon/pit of hell is CRAZY tough. You are nowhere near ready for it when you come across it.

[J is Justice]

61. Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu!



This might be a weird choice but I really liked this game. It's supposed to be a remake of Yellow, which I didn't even know when I bought it. This game was just nostalgic fun. The thing that stood out most to me were actually the graphics—it looked great. It was definitely too easy but the originals were never that hard to begin with. Call it a guilty pleasure.

[J is Justice]

60. Breath of Fire IV



This is a JRPG that, I guess, does nothing new, but it does everything so well. The graphics are really nice; I especially like the attack animations. Battle system, characters, music and story are all solid. Just a really good, all-round game.

[J is Justice]

59. Dragon Warrior Monsters



Anyone remember this game? This came out during the Pokemon craze and it was the shit! So you catch (well, not 'catch', exactly, they just randomly join you) the monsters from the Dragon Quest games and battle with them. It wasn't as open as Pokemon, in that you just transport to several dungeons. This game was definitely more challenging, though. I guess the only downside to this game is that you couldn't see your monsters actually attacking, similar to how you couldn't see your party members attacking in the earlier DQ games. There was a 3Ds remake, apparently, but it was never released outside Japan.

[H-Virus]

Jan 4, 2022 17:26:12 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

59. Dragon Warrior Monsters



Anyone remember this game? This came out during the Pokemon craze and it was the shit! So you catch (well, not 'catch', exactly, they just randomly join you) the monsters from the Dragon Quest games and battle with them. It wasn't as open as Pokemon, in that you just transport to several dungeons. This game was definitely more challenging, though. I guess the only downside to this game is that you couldn't see your monsters actually attacking, similar to how you couldn't see your party members attacking in the earlier DQ games. There was a 3Ds remake, apparently, but it was never released outside Japan.

I wish I still had this game. Now that strategy guides are so readily available, I bet I could finally figure out how to breed the Boss monsters that I could never get as a kid.

[Deleted]

Jan 4, 2022 17:26:12 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

59. Dragon Warrior Monsters



Anyone remember this game? This came out during the Pokemon craze and it was the shit! So you catch (well, not 'catch', exactly, they just randomly join you) the monsters from the Dragon Quest games and battle with them. It wasn't as open as Pokemon, in that you just transport to several dungeons. This game was definitely more challenging, though. I guess the only downside to this game is that you couldn't see your monsters actually attacking, similar to how you couldn't see your party members attacking in the earlier DQ games. There was a 3Ds remake, apparently, but it was never released outside Japan.

Ugly American boxart aside (That is meant to be a young Terry from Dragon Quest VI), it started arguably the most successful of Dragon Quest's spinoffs, though the series is currently at an impasse with the next game potentially not being released until the mid 2020s due to COVID.  People just liked the idea of catching, raising, and breeding monsters to make the best teams, and with a series that relied on such memorable critters as Dragon Quest, it felt like a no-brainer.

The 3DS remake utilized a much easier monster catching feature from the Joker series (where you impress a monster based on how strong your attacks are and it decides to join you based on chance, giving you more room to control success rather than hoping the monster likes that you gave it meat, which is what Yo-Kai Watch used to the frustration of players) and the randomized worlds in favor of more organized locations to visit, which was another feature brought in from Joker and, to a lesser extent, Caravan Heart.  However, it never was ported to the West because SquareEnix believed Western audiences weren't that interested in Dragon Quest, nevermind spin-offs, after Dragon Quest IX disappointed and only ceded working on the walls of text necessary to bring over the remake of Dragon Quest VII as well as the Dragon Quest VIII port through much convincing.

[Deleted]

Jan 3, 2022 15:44:50 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

63. Pokemon Sword and Shield



I thought these were pretty good Pokemon games. I mean, they're just Pokemon games, nothing new or unexpected, but at least they aren't slow like Pearl and Diamond were. Of the new Pokemon, I liked Scorbunny, Cramorant, Sirfetch'd and Alcremie. Eiscue looked funny but I don't think I caught one. I never completed them, though. I can't specifically remember but didn't they replace the Elite Four with just rematches against the gym leaders? I dunno, but I lost interest at that point.

Sword and Shield is arguably the weakest Pokémon game thanks to how few risks the series took.  Not including the full Pokedex?  Okay, then prioritize attack animations to improve the experience.  Oh, you just ported the 3DS models and went the lazy route of doing "Signature Moves" as a make-up attempt, then added more Pokemon while leaving out around 200+ anyway.

The series didn't have an Elite Four, but rather a tournament where you did battle against other Gym Leaders in a playoff style setting before you battled the champion.  However, it's all scripted so you faced the same people no matter what.

[J is Justice]

Jan 4, 2022 18:08:42 GMT -5 H-Virus said:

Jan 4, 2022 17:26:12 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

59. Dragon Warrior Monsters



Anyone remember this game? This came out during the Pokemon craze and it was the shit! So you catch (well, not 'catch', exactly, they just randomly join you) the monsters from the Dragon Quest games and battle with them. It wasn't as open as Pokemon, in that you just transport to several dungeons. This game was definitely more challenging, though. I guess the only downside to this game is that you couldn't see your monsters actually attacking, similar to how you couldn't see your party members attacking in the earlier DQ games. There was a 3Ds remake, apparently, but it was never released outside Japan.

I wish I still had this game. Now that strategy guides are so readily available, I bet I could finally figure out how to breed the Boss monsters that I could never get as a kid.

Thankfully, I still have my copy. No idea if it still works, though.

[J is Justice]

58. Pokemon Sun and Moon



More. Pokemon. I really enjoyed Sun and Moon. I liked how they switched it up because Pokemon games can get quite stale. I loved the setting and I enjoyed the story. This is the game where HMs were finally removed, I believe. The region-specific Pokemon designs were a cool idea. Favourite Pokemon? Gotta be Bewear. Lots of positives, in my opinion.

My only complaints are the slow start and Hau.

[The Ichi]

Breath of Fire IV is fantastic.

[Ryback on a Pole!]

Hau was annoying too. But not as annoying as Hop

I want a proper rival like Blue or Silver for the next games.

Not an annoying, overenthusiastic brat

[J is Justice]

57. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga



Unlike the other SMT games where you summon monsters to battle for you, in this one your characters transform into them. A cool idea and the monsters designs are really interesting. Like the SMT games, you have to hit the enemies' weaknesses which gains you an extra attack and, as usual, it's a fun system. I really liked the character customisation, as well. I'll be honest, I don't really remember the story that well, but the gameplay is great. Never played the sequel, but it's a shame there were never any more games released in the series.

[J is Justice]

56. Phantasy Star Online



I actually never played this game online but still had loads of fun with it. I think this might have been the first RPG I played where I could customise my character's appearance, actually. Exploring Ragol, fighting monsters and collecting loot was really addicting. A lot of reviewers said that this game was boring offline, but I thought it was a fun experience.

[Dr. T is an alien]

Jan 5, 2022 10:14:43 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

56. Phantasy Star Online



I actually never played this game online but still had loads of fun with it. I think this might have been the first RPG I played where I could customise my character's appearance, actually. Exploring Ragol, fighting monsters and collecting loot was really addicting. A lot of reviewers said that this game was boring offline, but I thought it was a fun experience.

When you talk about customizing your characters' appearances, are you talking outfit, hairstyles, and accessories like the Tales series allow or are you talking something more fundamental like selecting facial features?

[J is Justice]

Jan 5, 2022 10:58:55 GMT -5 Dr. T is an alien said:

Jan 5, 2022 10:14:43 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

56. Phantasy Star Online



I actually never played this game online but still had loads of fun with it. I think this might have been the first RPG I played where I could customise my character's appearance, actually. Exploring Ragol, fighting monsters and collecting loot was really addicting. A lot of reviewers said that this game was boring offline, but I thought it was a fun experience.

When you talk about customizing your characters' appearances, are you talking outfit, hairstyles, and accessories like the Tales series allow or are you talking something more fundamental like selecting facial features?

You could create your own character, basically.

[Cyno]

Jan 5, 2022 6:36:49 GMT -5 J is Justice said:

57. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga



Unlike the other SMT games where you summon monsters to battle for you, in this one your characters transform into them. A cool idea and the monsters designs are really interesting. Like the SMT games, you have to hit the enemies' weaknesses which gains you an extra attack and, as usual, it's a fun system. I really liked the character customisation, as well. I'll be honest, I don't really remember the story that well, but the gameplay is great. Never played the sequel, but it's a shame there were never any more games released in the series.

You should track down the sequel if you can. It's a direct sequel in that it immediately takes place after DDS1 ends.

Truth be told, you can think of DDS1 and 2 as two halves of a larger game.