Mine would have to have been final fantasy vii, Mainly because its the first RPG I had ever played and i was just hooked into the genera. The turn based battle mode with the ATB gauge worked great and the Materia system was pretty cool plus it was the first game i had ever played that didn’t use the Gandolf effect. Though i will admit it also had the most annoying to get item. The Knights of the round materia was the hardest pain in the arse item to get mainly cause of those fricken chocobos, and i could of shot the tv after about the 30th time i heard the Fiddle de chocobo lol Then when i figured out how to breed the little buggers it turned out to be a real easy item to get go figure. though its the only rpg ive ever beat over 10 times.
Not counting eroge? Ultima IV. I just love the elegance of the design, the way very simple elements are combined together to create compelling, in-depth exploration and gameplay. Genius concept and genius execution. I’ve probably also poured more hours into it than I have any other game too.
If it’s non-eroge, then the NES port of Gun.Smoke by CAPCOM back in 1988.
- It had a wild west theme, and the whole Clint Eastwood lone gunman thing was absolutely perfect “quarter-eating” game plots.
- It was a vertical scrolling shooter with point buyable powerups.
- Each stage had it’s own BGM. Nearly all used a Western style.
- Each stage had at least one unique common enemy. Some stages were entirely unique and unlike the others (the Indian Village and Ninja Mountain).
- Advance stage maps had layouts that could aid or hinder you, depending on your timing and prior knowledge.
- Each boss had his own weapon theme, individual attack pattern, and unique BGM.
I’ve long dreamed of making a shump or bullet hell PC doujin of it… call it Smoking.Gun or something like that. Even back in the 90’s I always thought what a Gun.Smoke 2 should have been like. Actually got concept papers and sprite art. Lack of experience kept me from getting anywhere serious, so I just fantasize. :o
These are kind of old, but I had the most fun playing Rocket Ranger and It Came From the Desert. If we do count eroge, tho, it has to be Kana, of course.
I can’t possibly point to just one. There’s a list of games that are all really awesome, but there’s no way I could pick just one and say it is better than all the rest. Hell, I don’t even try to keep a “best RPG ever”, I have a list of games that all stand head and shoulders above the rest. (At the moment, that list includes: Persona 3 FES/P3P, Mass Effect 2, Planescape: Torment, and Odin Sphere.)
Atm, Its Infinite Space. Its a DS game.
http://www.sega.com/games/infinite-space/
So that u guys know wat i’m talking about.
My all time favorite game has got to be the original Wing Commander.
Reason being it was the 1st flight type sim I ever played that actually decided to tell a branching story, offered a variety of mission types (Escort, Patrol, Cap Ship fights, etc.) and really gave you a top notch presentation where your wingman weren’t just some nameless AI that assisted you in fights.
My favorite game is so far Starcraft. Mainly because I like playing RTS and Starcraft gives good balance between battle and resource management imo. Oh, and I also like the story very much.
Now this reminds me how I always long for Starcraft comtinuation. I know Wings of Liberty has been around for a while now, but I think I’ll wait for the title to expand and add more story.
Might and Magic VI, mostly for nostalgic reasons. It could barely be classified as RPG and lacked actual dialogue and role-playing, but the vast world, engaging gameplay and amazing music left a huge impression on me back then.
Jagged Alliance 2. I still play it from time to time and I had bought this on release. Incredible value for money.
Another old favorite, revitalized by the efforts of awesome people who made the 1.13 patch.
That’s a tough question. I think my favorite game ever would be Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (especially the SNES version). Six options for main characters, an impressive mix of linear and non linear gameplay, challenging but not too frustrating… it’s the sort of game that can hold my interest for hours and hours.
Non Eroge- has to be Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors. Still play it . Keep on hoping that Microsoft would release newer patches, though some of the recent mod packs are quite interesting.
Eroge- Has to be Kana and Crescendo.