Ranking: JRPGs

[A Black Falcon]

Oh, also, are you counting tactical games? Of course in my opinion tactical strategy games, aka 'strategy RPGs', aren't RPGs but are strategy games, but they often get listed with RPGs on the console side because the Japanese list their genres differently from how the West does. I'm not Japanese though, so things like Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, Disgaea, etc., etc. aren't RPGs in my opinion. I don't think you have any in your list (unless Arc the Lad is? Not sure), so maybe you're keeping them separate too, or have you just never played any of those games?

Also Zelda is out as usual, evidently. I can see why (Zelda II excepted, you don't have levels or experience in Zelda), but there are a bunch of very Zeldalike RPGs that do get included as action-RPGs, like the Mana series. Oh well...

So yeah, no Zelda or strategy-RPGs in my list at least. I'm trying to rank every RPG I own, by platform, plus some I don't own too, mostly imports (the only import RPG I actually own, so far, is Grandia for the Saturn... I'm sure I will get something more at some point though.)

Maybe I'll try to add scores later, for titles that I think I've played enough to score. That definitely would not be all of these games.

Blank spaces in the middle of a system's list mean that I think there's a good sized quality or fun gap between the upper and lower titles.

Game Boy
--
1. Final Fantasy Adventure

2. Rolan's Curse

3. Pokemon Red


Game Boy Color
--
1. Dragon Warrior III

(I can't count Survival Kids, I don't think it has levels)

Game Boy Advance
--
1. Riviera: The Promised Land
2. Summon Night: Swordcraft Story
3. Golden Sun
4. Lunar Legend
5. Golden Sun: The Lost Age
6. Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2

7. Sword of Mana

8. Boktai (stupid worthless light sensor!)


DS
--
1. Etrian Odyssey
2. Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City

3. Summon Night: Twin Age
4. Children of Mana
5. Lunar: Dragon Song
6. Magical Starsign


PC
--
1. Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst


NES (not sure which of these count)
--
1. StarTropics
2. Faxanadu
3. Dark Lord (Import, has translation patch, played in emulation)
4. StarTropics 2: Zoda's Revenge
5. Crystalis
6. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (counting because of the levels)
7. Willow

Shmup/adventure/RPG/platformer hybrids: The Guardian Legend, Xexyz


TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine
--
1. Dungeon Explorer (Gauntlet style)


Genesis
--
1. LandStalker
2. Crusader of Centy
3. Legend of Oasis
4. Phantasy Star IV
5. Phantasy Star II
6. Light Crusader
7. Sword of Vermillion


TurboGrafx CD/PCE CD (all played in emulation)
--
1. Xak III: The Eternal Recurrence (Import, has fan translation)
2. Dungeon Explorer II
3. Ys IV (Import, has fan translation)
4. Ys I & II
5. Efera & Jiliora: The Emblem of Darkness (Import)
6. Exile
7. Exile II: Wicked Phenomenon

Shmup/RPG mix: Fray in Magical Adventure: Xak Gaiden (Import)


SNES
--
1. Illusion of Gaia
2. Chrono Trigger (only played in emulation)
3. Secret of Mana
4. Final Fantasy VI (only played in emulation)
5. Breath of Fire
6. Robotrek
7. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
8. The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang

Drakkhen is a Japanese port of a European original. Not sure how you'd categorize that.

Emulation (Japanese titles with fan translations): there are so many translated SNES games they deserve their own list... not that I've played most of them, I haven't. I'll expand this category once I go back and look at what I have actually played some of.
1. Seiken Densetsu 3
2. Dark Law: Meaning of Death]
3. Treasure Hunter G


Sega CD
--
1. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
2. Lunar: The Silver Star
3. Popful Mail

4. Dungeon Explorer (Sega CD)
5. Vay


PSX
--
1. Threads of Fate (platformer-RPG)
2. Star Ocean: The Second Story
3. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
4. Grandia

5. SaGa Frontier
6. The Granstream Saga
7. Brave Fencer Musashi
8. Final Fantasy IX (if I was ranking what little I've played of them FFVII and VIII would probably be even lower than this one)
9. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
10. Koudelka
11. Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu

12. Alundra 2
13. King's Field

Have but haven't played yet: Legend of Dragoon


Saturn
--
1. Grandia (import) (I do own this one)
2. Magical School Lunar! (import, only played in emulation)
3. Magic Knight Rayearth (only played in emulation, I'd like to get it but the price is very high)


N64
--
1. Paper Mario

2. Hybrid Heaven


Dreamcast
--
1. Skies of Arcadia
2. Grandia 2
3. Phantasy Star Online
4. E.G.G.: Elemental Gimmick Gear
5. TimeStalkers
6. Evolution 2: Far Off Promise


PS2
--
1. Final Fantasy XII
2. Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
3. Tales of the Abyss
4. Final Fantasy X-2
5. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
6. Unlimited SaGa
7. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
8. Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
9. Kingdom Hearts 2

10. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
11. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
12. Dark Cloud
13. Dark Cloud 2

14. .hack//INFECTION
15. Radiata Stories

Have but haven't played yet: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army


Gamecube
--
1. Skies of Arcadia: Legends
2. Tales of Symphonia
3. Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II Plus
4. Lost Kingdoms
5. Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution
6. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

7. Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean


Wii
--
1. Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World


Overall favorite JRPG: Skies of Arcadia/Skies of Arcadia Legends


Strategy-RPG (for a separate thread, and yes, they are roughly in order of how much I like them.)

Fire Emblem (GBA)
Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones (GBA)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GC)
Knights in the Nightmare (DS)
Disgaea (PS2)
Dark Wizard (SCD)
Mystic Warriors (GG)
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (GBA)
Vandal Hearts (PS)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PS)
Kartia: The Blade of Fate (PS)
Yggdra Union (GBA)
Phantom Brave (PS2)
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon (DS)