2008 has been a great year for RPG fans. Whether you are a Western, Japanese, Action, Strategy or MMORPG fan, there had to be something to your likings. Now that the year is almost over (Happy New Year to everyone reading), let’s take a lot back and countdown the top ten RPGs of 2008.
Before we get to the list, we would like to tell you how we came up with it. A group of 5 RPG gamers, including myself, gave each other recommendations on which RPG to try out. We rented, borrowed, bought or went to each other’s house to try out the games, since most of us are limited to one console. After weeks of playing, everyone gathered around and gave their thoughts on which RPGs were the best this year had to offer, so thanks for the help guys. The RPGs discussed in the list were released in NA this year, so imports are not included. Also eligible are ports, remakes, special editions and expansions. RPGs that weren’t discussed for the countdown were reprints or VC/PSOne titles.
10. Valkyria Chronicles - Valkyria Chronicles is set in the 1930s Europa, where a war between the Empire and the Federation is taking place. You take the role of Welkin Gunther, the son of the Gallian War hero Belgen Gunther and a tank commander, in order to get rid of the Empire from the neutral nation Gallia. Valkyria Chronicles is a strategy-RPG which features a unique battle system called BLiTZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zone). The great thing about it is that this SRPG isn’t grid-based, so you can pretty much roam around the battle zone without being restricted by pre-determined places. The game fuses TPS elements and SRPG elements together very well, and it makes battles very interesting and accessible for non-SRPG fans.
If there’s one thing you heard about Valkyria Chronicles, it had to be the art style and visuals which resemble something like a watercolor painting. The game features an unforgettable cast with many Skies of Arcadia characters appearing on the recruit list. The story is presented in a bookstyle, but there is a little problem with the story. It doesn’t get interesting until halfway through the game, and some if not most of the cutscenes are a bore such as watching character’s heads just moving around. If you want more Valkyria, DLC has been confirmed for January. This is an RPG PS3 owners must have.
9. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Yes an expansion, but this isn’t any ordinary expansion. This second expansion of the popular MMORPG, WoW, takes players to a new area located in northern Azeroth, Northrend, where the fallen prince Arthas plans to wreak havoc on the world. As soon as players enter this new area, they'll be thrown into a new world of trouble that includes an original storyline, a level 80 cap, new skills, abilities, dungeons, gear, an extra profession and a brand new hero class. The story is pretty good, and all of these added features make WoW more addicting and deep. This is a definite purchase for WoW fans wanting more.
8. Tales of Vesperia - Tales of Vesperia is an Action-RPG, and the game takes place on the planet Terca Lumireis where the people have come to rely on the mysterious ancient technology blastia. While this is helpful for people in many ways, it can also be used to destroy civilizations. You take the role of Yuri, a former knight, willing to help people with this technology. The story is good and flows pretty nicely, but it’s certainly won’t be something you’ll remember mainly because it’s not very unique. The battle system is pretty similar to the previous entries but has a few upgrades to it. The game introduces the skill system where players are able to learn skills through equipment. The best thing about Tales of Vesperia is the anime-style graphics. This is quite arguably the best Tales of game and the best JRPG on the Xbox 360.
7. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES - This is the director’s cut to one of the best RPGs of 2007 which includes the original game titled “The Journey” and the follow-up story to the main game titled “The Answer”. Also included are new events, costumes, personas and a new hard difficulty. In The Journey, you take the role of a high school student who is in a group called SEES (Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad), and your objective is to eliminate shadows during the dark hour. The dark hour is a hidden hour that occurs at midnight where shadows and a mysterious tower Tartarus show up. Only they can explore the tower and defeat shadows using their personas which are activated by an evoker, which resembles like a pistol. In The Answer, you take the role of Aegis, and this is the conclusion to the story.
Persona 3 is a JRPG and has sim-dating elements which is pretty unique for us. The battle system is turn-based, but the problem is that the main character is the only character you can control where as the AI controls your teammate. The story is great but has a few pacing problems in it, and the characters are filled with great personality that you’ll fall in love with each of them. The music is very catchy especially the battle theme. The big complaint about the game is that there is only one dungeon to explore in The Journey. The game will take over 100 hours to beat including both stories, so this is well worth the money.
6. Fable 2 - Fable II is the sequel to one of the best games to ever hit the Xbox. Fable II takes place 500 years after the original in the world of Albion. The story is pretty much a typical hero tales story, but it is pretty interesting. In the game, you can choose whether you want to be male or female and choose your path of being good or evil. The ending was very disappointing. The battle system is pretty simple and fun to use, but the game difficulty can be very easy most of the times. It’s pretty much impossible to die here. While the main quest is short, there are many things to do such as quests, having kids, getting married and buying dungeons, houses, huts, etc. The paths are sort of linear and not open which is kind of disappointing, but the environments are very beautiful to watch and have a great art style to it. The humor in the game is very well done which is kind of like European humor. The best thing about Fable II is the music which is very beautiful and relaxing. Fable II features co-op mode to play along with your friends on Xbox Live and just adds more replay value for the game.
5. The World Ends With You - This game really surprised us. This is one of most innovative, freshest and original game Square has made in a while. The World Ends with You is about a boy, Neku, who wakes up in the Shibuya shopping district in Tokyo, Japan. In here, he receives a strange text message warning him that his existence will vanish unless he completes a mission under a certain amount of time. Somehow, Neku is confused on why he is about the Underground, where the dead arrive, but if he completes the missions given to him, he can be brought back to life. The story and characters are pretty good, but there are a few problems with the dialogue. The combat system which is called the Stride Cross Battle System is pretty interesting since you control two characters at a time. By using the touchscreen, you can slash to perform a slash attack or tapping on the screen to perform spell attacks. There may be times where the game does a move instead of the one you want to. The art style is amazing and great to watch. The best thing about the game is the music which includes different genres such as rock or hip-hop. TWEWY is an impressive handheld RPG.
4. The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - The Witcher: Enhanced Edition is an enhanced version (duh!) of one of the best RPGs from 2007. The enhanced version improves load times, translations, dialogues, stability, fixes bugs and redesigns the inventory system. In addition to that, there are new two adventures to play through: Side Effects and The Prince of Neutrality. This enhanced version also includes a soundtrack and a “making of” DVD. In The Witcher, you take the role of Geralt of Rivia, a legendary monster hunter or witcher where your everyday life is killing monsters and protecting the people from them. The story is based on the novels and short stories of Andrzej Sapkowski. The story is pretty amazing, one of the best this year, and each action you take throughout the game affects the ending. The battle system is real time combat and pretty fun. There are three different fighting styles you can choose from and each has their advantages and disadvantages. Alchemy also plays a big part where the player can create items or potions to increase his health or help the player in other stuff. If you haven’t picked up The Witcher last year, then make sure you pick the enhanced edition. If you’re not into PC gaming, then good news, The Witcher has been announced for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
3. Chrono Trigger (DS) - Hailed as one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Chrono Trigger makes a return and now available for the Nintendo DS. Chrono Trigger starts off with a newly developed teleportation device that malfunctions at the Millennial Fair, and Marle disappears. Crono must travel through time to rescue her. When traveling through time, they learn that a civilization has been wiped out by Lavos, and they guarantee to save the world from destruction. The DS version has improved translation and includes a new dungeon. The story and characters are great, and the music is wonderful. The battle system is great. Chrono Trigger uses the active time battle where the player can take actions once the gauge is filled up. If you haven’t played this game before, now is the perfect time to pick it up. You can’t call yourself an RPG gamer if you haven’t played Chrono Trigger.
2. Fallout 3 - More than half of us were worried when we heard Bethesda was working on the next Fallout game because we thought it was going to be “Oblivion with guns,” but they actually did a fantastic job with Fallout 3. Fallout 3 takes place in a post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C., United States in the year 2277. The main protagonist is born and lives his life with his father in Vault 101, a fallout shelter situated close to the ruins of Washington, D.C. One day, the player wakes up to find that his or her father (you are able to choose the gender of the character) has left the vault and ventured into the wasteland for unknown reasons. The vault overseer becomes suspicious of your character and makes orders to have you and your father killed, forcing you to escape from the vault into the Capital Wasteland.
The game uses the V.A.T.S, Vault-Tech Assisted Targeting System, where real-time combat is paused, and the player is able to target specific body parts to inflict greater damage to the enemy. It is quite easy and pleasing to use. The story is incredible, and the way it’s told is great, but depending on your stats or karma, the ending might be a little disappointing. The main game is short, but there are plenty of quests to do in the game. Hell, it might take you over 100 hours to finish them all. The best thing about the game is choosing the way you want to be in the game: being good or evil. I personally had a fun time being evil. The humor, music and sound are wonderful, but our biggest complaint was the character animations. It’s not very good. While this may not be as fantastic as the previous Fallouts, Bethesda has won our respect for making an incredible RPG and shouldn’t be missed by anyone. If you want more Fallout 3, then good news for you PC and 360 owners, DLC is coming your way (sorry PS3 only owners).
1. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - The PS2 is still alive and kicking. None of us had any major complaints for Persona 4. A few of us were a little worried when we heard Persona 4 was going to come out this soon, but Atlus did an incredible job. There were no translation issues Atlus, and all the dialogue and humor was translated very well. In Persona 4, you take a role of a transfer high school student who will stay over with his uncle in Inaba for a whole year. Upon arriving, a mysterious murder occurs where the victim is hanged upside-down from an antenna. After hearing rumors of the midnight channel which is said that your soulmate will appear on TV on a rainy night, the nameless main protagonist watches it and turns out to be true. During this time, the protagonist is able to enter the TV, and a few days later, another murder occurs with no leads to the suspect or any causes of death. After entering the TV world along with his friends, the protagonist awakens to his persona, his friends as well, and they learn that they are the only ones who can catch the suspect behind all the murders.
Persona 4 resembles Persona 3 is many ways, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but Persona 4 fixes all the complaints and flaws Persona 3 had. There are now multiple dungeons to explore and the ability to control your party members. The battle system remains the same with a few improvements and the all-out attack, where all the characters go out and rush to the enemy, makes a return. Also making a return are the Social links, and this is where the sim-dating elements come into play. Since you are a high school student, you’re going to balance your double life. The social links play a more important role this time around because if you have a strong relationship with a party member, he or she is able to learn more battle tactics that will certainly be useful. Unlike Persona 3, the dungeon crawling occurs after school, so you are going to choose on whether you want to explore the dungeons or build up a healthy relationship with people.
The amount of things to do in the game is overwhelming such as doing quests (you can do more than 3 now, and there’s no deadline), have a part-time job, build up your stats, etc. The story is a pretty interesting approach for a JRPG, and it delivers. The story is amazing, and all the twists and turns are executed very well. There are a few moments where you’ll be waiting for the plot to advance, but this will be filled in by humorous events or you can go to the dungeons and fight the optional bosses, build up social links or do quests. The characters are extremely memorable due to their down-to-earth personality, and you’ll relate to some of them. The music is wonderful and just as catchy as P3. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is the best RPG this year had to offer and shouldn’t be missed by anyone who calls himself an RPG gamer.
Honorable Mentions:
- Final Fantasy IV (DS)
- Mass Effect (PC)
- Lost Odyssey
- Disgaea 3
- The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
- Eternal Poison
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