What was the greatest PS1 RPG (in your opinion)?

[4justice]

The Playstation 1 has had a ton of games. And one genre they've had an abundance of is the rpg games. This came at a time when all sorts of JRPG companies were bringing their games to the western audience thanks to Final Fantasy 7's success.

But for me, there was one that I've always favored amongst the bunch. And it's a game called Thousand Arms. It was a hybrid of a dating game and an rpg. it was extremely nice (like most jrpg) but it was the kind of game that really grew on you.

 

[lindbergh]

I also played Thousand Arms and I found the system to be very interesting. The dating aspect of the game to gain "spirit" was a nice twist. The Final Fantasy games are great too because of their graphical style. Chrono Cross should also be mentioned because it is a worthy sequel to the time traveling RPG Chrono Trigger. However, my pick would go to Xenogears. The story makes it extra special. It tackles so many issues and wraps it all up into one big, epic tale that encompasses giant robots, religion, politics, and their implications to the existence of man.

 

[Jellyfish]

Final Fantasy VII. I still remember the first time I played it and the days after that. It had a huge impact on me, it was just so perfect.

I liked Vandal Hearts a lot. Breath of Fire III and IV were also really nice but not as good as the games mentioned before.

 

[RockSauron]

I'd say Xenogears for the story, even if it was incomplete and full of holes and plot threads not fully realized.

Jrpgs are weird that way :/

 

[lindbergh]

I'd say Xenogears for the story, even if it was incomplete and full of holes and plot threads not fully realized.

Jrpgs are weird that way :/

Hmm, I never noticed any plot holes when I was playing Xenogears. Then again, I was just a teen back then not knowing any better. I think that the stories of JRPGs have a lot of concepts that they want to incorporate and that most RPGs often become a mixed bag. But Xenogears managed to incorporate all the concepts that they want into a highly satisfying story which ultimately lead to a heart warming and uplifting experience.

 

[Mudgee]

Final Fantasy 9

 

[4justice]

I'd say Xenogears for the story, even if it was incomplete and full of holes and plot threads not fully realized.

Jrpgs are weird that way :/

Xenogears did have a ton of plot holes. But that was by design. People don't know this, but Xenogears is actually episode 5 of the Xeno series as a whole. Xenosaga 1-3 were the first chapters even though they were made way later and on the PS2. And as you may know, the fourth and sixth episodes were never released.

And since Nintendo owns Monolith now, you'd have to hope they either revamp the original franchise

 

[RockSauron]

No, I don't mean plot holes. I mean too many plots, not enough time to differentiate between them.

Like Id and Grahf were cool concepts, but not really focused too much. Same with that sky Nazi place.

It seemed like it threw a bunch of random concepts together, made it sound all philosophical and shit, and then you beat God and go back down to earth, and your mind is too blown to question anything.

Still love it, though

 

[branwen]

Final Fantasy VII. I still remember the first time I played it and the days after that. It had a huge impact on me, it was just so perfect.

I was addicted with Final Fantasy VII for a few months after completing the game. I remember playing it over and over again without codes just so I can say that I've played it cleanly and fairly. Final Fantasy VIII was also a monumental success, at least in the place where I lived. The story and the breakthrough graphics that time was overwhelming for Final Fantasy fans.

 

[Joel]

I've talked about some of this before but I think that there are a couple of ways to look at this. RPG's that people had access to and was properly marketed is always going to be Chrono Cross or FF VII and it should be those games were awesome. Lots of fun.

You have to give a shout out to the Breath of Fire series, especially BoF III which had an awesome dragon creation system and its story was so cool.

I also want to give a shout out to (and the title just left my head).... Legend of Dragoon I believe it was called. It was so dark. It was very beautiful though sad.

 

[8bitpenguin]

In my opinion it has to be Final Fantasy VII. It had everything a great RPG needs but above all -- an incredibly captivating story and characters, and when it comes to RPG's, that is the most important element for it to excel.

 

[SS42A]

FFVII is an all-around PS1 favorite, followed by the FF Anthology. Of course, there are other great PS1 RPGs such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden, and Vandal Hearts. I wasn't impressed by FFVIII and FFIX.

 

[lindbergh]

FFVII is an all-around PS1 favorite, followed by the FF Anthology. Of course, there are other great PS1 RPGs such as Final Fantasy Tactics, Suikoden, and Vandal Hearts. I wasn't impressed by FFVIII and FFIX.

Whoa, why weren't you impressed by FFVIII and IX? They were very pretty to look at. They had deep turn based gameplay. They both offered a card playing mini game. And the endings were better than that of FF7... Could it be the story?

 

[Gamer_Fries]

I don't remember ever really playing very many RPG's on my PS1, I can't even name one that I tried once. I seem to stick more to other genre's during that time in my gaming life; Silent Hill, Dino Crisis, Test Drive, and Power Rangers Time Force are some of the many games I did play that I can name off the top of my head.

 

[branwen]

Now that I think about it, I guess what I loved the most was Suikoden 2. The graphics is incomparable with FF 8 or 9, but it has a captivating story and well-made characters. I've played it several times before my PS 1 broke. I played it again when my PS 2 came and after it also went crashing down, I tried to play it on my PC and PSP. It's actually my all-time favorite RPG game. I still love FF VII, though, but I can't remember playing any RPG with a better characterization and story than Suikoden 2.

 

[jptrey06]

For me its a triple tie between Lunar Silver Star Story, Final Fantasy 7 and Tales of Destiny.
Lunar SSS and Lunar Eternal Blue both are fantastic, That I even spent $120 just to buy those two on ebay, because I wasnt able to play it back when i was a little kid on my PS1.

 

[BlackSolaris]

There are so many great RPGs for the console, i still think this is the best one for those who enjoy the genre the most. Final Fantasy VIII, Vagrant Story, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Suikoden... the list goes on and on and i can't simply choose just one!

 

[FFX_Yuna1]

I really enjoyed Final Fantasy VII and VIII probably close to equal terms to be honest. But one game they re-released for the PS1 (I believe it was originally on Sega CD...or at least had a re-release on there as well) was Lunar and Lunar 2. Both of those games were just beautiful. It's hard for me to compare RPG's and say which was better...but I would honestly probably place both of those games above Final Fantasy levels if I could only pick one...and if I had to choose between those 2 games I would probably say Lunar 2. The world you played in, the characters, the story...it was just so beautifully mastered that it's hard to even find a game today that compares. It seems like a forgotten gem these days, but anyone who has ever played either of those games I am sure can relate that they were really great RPG's, if not some of the best. They were light hearted, but there was also something darker going on in the background and I just loved how the game was able to put both together to not make something so serious, but rather almost real. The ending was fantastic and the game itself was challenging. It took me quite a long time to beat the final boss in the game and when I finally did I really did feel accomplished.

When I originally bought the game I knew nothing of it but decided to get it anyways. I honestly just thought the box art was nice and figured it would be worth a shot. I had no idea I would be stepping into a game that I would fall in love with and enjoy as much as I did. Even my mom enjoyed playing it.

 

[unwittyoneliner]

The PS1 was a goldmine for RPGs, so it's kind of tough to choose just one. If I had to choose only one, it would be Final Fantasy IX. The whole game was an ode to the Final Fantasy series, and it was a really fun world to be in. There wasn't one thing I didn't like about it; the gameplay, the music, the characters, the design of the environments... and the card game too. I remember having a sort of withdrawal effect after beating the game; like, I didn't want the game to end. When a game can have that effect on me, that says a lot.

 

[dannyboy]

Final Fantasy VII for me. That was a game that I was addicted to. I enjoyed every single element of that game.