I think many of the 32-bit RPGs are excellent. I agree that most 8-bit RPGs are pretty dull at times, mainly 'cause a lot of them (at least in Japan) were bog-standard Dragon Quest clones, but without the charm and impeccable balance (at least of the later entries).
My absolute favorites on NES are Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Warrior IV, Final Fantasy, and Final Fantasy III. Those are still good even today.
The original Final Fantasy definitely comes in last in my list there. It's good, but it ain't as good as the others. As far as I'm concerned, those two Dragon Warrior games are the pinnacle of turn-based 8-bit RPGs, with Final Fantasy III just a smidge behind. Or maybe equal; it has strengths as well.
I'd say the stretch from SNES to PS2 is the absolute best for JRPGs. So many fantastic games up in there. And thankfully, we got a lot of the good 16-bit ones. I know a lot got left in Japan, but we still had plenty of goodness to go around. (Gun Hazard and Treasure of the Rudras would have been appreciated, though!)
I didn't play Final Fantasy Tactics until 2014. TWO THOUSAND FOURTEEN And you know what? I had a really good time. But I guess that's a popular opinion, sorry.
If I can offer anything unpopular about SRPGs, it's that I don't find Fire Emblem to be nearly as amazing as most folks. But that might be because I chose the very worst one to start with.
The problem I have with 8-bit JRPGs in general, is they tend to be extraordinarily grindy. I know why that is, but it still is. Thankfully there are still some stellar 8-bit JRPGs out there regardless (there's always exceptions).
Sarge wrote:I'd say the stretch from SNES to PS2 is the absolute best for JRPGs. So many fantastic games up in there. And thankfully, we got a lot of the good 16-bit ones. I know a lot got left in Japan, but we still had plenty of goodness to go around. (Gun Hazard and Treasure of the Rudras would have been appreciated, though!)
Push it back to PC Engine CD through PS2. There were a ton of fantastic RPGs and ARPGs we never got here due to NEC US failing to market a good thing.
Well, I include it in the 16-bit generation, so yeah, definitely. 16-bit is a better overall descriptor, and of course I'm not leaving out the GC or XBOX on the RPG front, either. The Genesis, in particular, has some amazing RPGs despite not being known for it.
The Falcom library alone makes the PCE one of the best JRPG systems of all time.
Ys Book I & II Ys III: Wanderers from Ys Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys Popful Mail Brandish Sorcerian Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II The Legend of Xanadu The Legend of Xanadu II
