Top 10 Strategy Games for 8/16-bit consoles?

[Limewater]

Also don't forget:

M.U.L.E. -- NES

Populous -- SMS, Genesis, SNES

Also, if you're going to count "Pirates!", you should probably also include "Defender of the Crown" -- NES

Of course, all of these were ports, but I think several others that have already been mentioned were ports as well.

[timewarpgamer]

Hmm, I would consider checking these out as well, just in case. I'm not saying they'll all make your list, but give them a shot:

Genesis
Vixen 357

Sega CD
Arslan Senki

SNES
Energy Breaker (which I'm happy to say may actually see it's translation patch come out within the next year)
Majin Tensei
Majin Tensei II

I figure the MegaTen fans will appreciate that. The Farland Saga fans might not though, and there are two of those games on the Super Nintendo, Farland Story and Farland Story 2.

Also, while I doubt you'll want these for a top ten list, there are a couple of Taiwan-only strategy RPGs on the Genesis:

Tiger Hunter Hero Novel
Heroic Legend of Sealing Gods

So yeah, I wish you good luck!

Some excellent recommendations for obscure titles. Thanks, man. Can't wait for that Energy Breaker translation. The game looks great, but all that Japanese text leaves me imprisoned in the first town.

Those Taiwan-only games look gorgeous. I'll have to give a shout-out to them even though I have no idea what the games' stories are like.

[timewarpgamer]

What do y'all think about these two for the Sega CD?

Dark Wizard
Record of Lodoss War (J)

I've played the former, and I found the sparse graphics a little too much of a hurdle in terms of getting into it. It definitely had lots of depth in the gameplay department, though. I've got about 1-2 slots left in my latest draft of the Top 10 Tactical RPG list.

[Ack]

Ah, I can't believe I forgot Record of Lodoss War! That's actually one of the best RPGs for the Sega CD! I think that definitely deserves a mention.

Oh, and in case you're wondering about the two Chinese RPGs, I wrote an article on Sega Genesis RPGs, and they were included:

Tiger Hunter Hero Novel

The title of this game is actually Shuihuzhuan, though it is often referred to as Tiger Hunter Hero Novel. It’s a Taiwan-only strategy RPG, based off the book of the same name, sometimes known in the west as Water Margins or Outlaws of the Marsh. In this game, 108 heroes band together to defeat the corrupt Song Dynasty, in the 12th century. Towns and locales can be explored, though the majority of the game is composed of large battles. This game is also absolutely gorgeous, it’s just a real shame that not much is known about it in the West. It should not be confused with the beat ‘em up Shui Hu Feng Yu Zhuan, which was apparently never released.

Heroic Legend of Sealing Gods

Once again, this is a Taiwanese strategy RPG, sometimes known as Fengshen Yingjiechuan, with gorgeous artwork and some nice magic animations. The plot follows a legend from the Shang Dynasty, where Emperor Zhou fell in love with the goddess Nu Wa. When he ordered his soldiers to capture her, they informed him of a mortal woman with beauty to rival Nu Wa’s, and captured her instead. Unfortunately, she had been possessed by a fox spirit, and this has lead to corruption and problems in the ruling household. To save China, you must rebel against the royal family. You start as the hero Lin Yuan, and must find the other 8 heroes to help you on your journey. The game focuses entirely on combat and story exposition, with a little travel on the world map thrown in. Once again, it’s a shame so little is known about it in the West.

[timewarpgamer]

I did an edit on my first post, but I'm not sure if that alerted those already following the thread (please pardon my forum ignorance, but let me know if this is redundant). Anyway, thanks to all your excellent input, I finally got a top 10 tactical RPGs posted here:

http://timewarpgamer.com/top10s/tactical_rpgs.html

Once I struggle through some more Chinese text, I can imagine some of those Taiwan-produced Mega Drive games getting added as honorable mentions.

[Pingfa]

Very nice list. A bit short and probably missing some must-haves, I think, but what's there is all great. Good move separating the Tactical RPG games from other games with Strategy elements; that would have been much too overwhelming.

I'm sure I've come across so many great Tactical RPG games, impossible to count... although the vast majority of them, needless to say, are no doubt Japanese. It's a wonder why there are so many great ones that still haven't been translated.

I didn't realise Just Breed was a Tactical RPG - and it's so high on the list! Now I have to buy it soon. It better be worth placing over Shining Force II, though, or somebody's gonna' come and get you.

Anyhow, I'd say all of the aforementioned Taiwanese games are worth Honorable Mentions - especially considering Beggar Prince got one in the Top Ten RPG list you did.

Man, most of these lists you've done make me want to get a Sega CD all the more.

Oh, and I agree about what you said about Pirates! Gold; I was keeping with a more loose definition at the time. A lot of people count Uncharted Waters under strategy as well, but I consider them more Adventure/RPG games with Strategy elements. Sheesh, I can see why you were having trouble defining all these games. Good luck with that!

[timewarpgamer]

Very nice list. A bit short and probably missing some must-haves, I think, but what's there is all great. Good move seperating the Tactical RPG games from other games with Strategy elements; that would have been much to overwhelming.

I'm sure I've come across so many great Tactical RPG games, impossible to count... although the vast majority of them, needless to say, are no doubt Japanese. It's a wonder why there are so many great ones that still haven't been translated.

I didn't realise Just Breed was a Tactical RPG - and it's so high on the list! Now I have to buy it soon. It better be worth placing over Shining Force II, though, or somebody's gonna' come and get you.

Anyhow, I'd say all of the aforementioned Taiwanese games are worth Honorable Mentions - especially considering Beggar Prince got one in the Top Ten RPG list you did.

Man, most of these lists you've done make me want to get a Sega CD all the more.

Oh, and I agree about what you said about Pirates! Gold; I was keeping with a more loose definition at the time. A lot of people count Uncharted Waters under strategy as well, but I consider them more Adventure/RPG games with Strategy elements. Sheesh, I can see why you were having trouble defining all these games. Good luck with that!

Thanks, Pingfa. I definitely left the list with room to grow. And I'm quite sure that those Taiwan-releases are going to make the honorable mention list--at least--in the near future. I just need to click through enough Chinese text to get to an actual battle.

Wow, I guess I did rank Just Breed above Shining Force II. What the former achieved on the NES hardware is astounding (thanks largely to the MMC5 chip). For a variety of reasons, the combat is actually deeper in JB, too. I also really like that attacking doesn't require cut scenes and magic spells are rendered very nicely right on the actual battlefield.

Sega CD is right up there with the Turbo Duo in terms of consoles that "failed" but actually included a surprising number of great games. It gave me great pleasure to sneak Record of Lodoss War into the top 10, especially having grown up on the anime back in high school.