I can understand Xxain if SO4 shares the gameplay with all the others...

1: Mana (because of Secret of Mana)

2: Actraiser

3: Final Fantasy

Those are the ones that I have played.

ok ok i admit tri ace has giving me some good games in the past like SO3 and radiata stories and really good when it come to developing good gameplay. But this gen they have gotten a bit sloppy espically when it comes to story telling and characters. XXain u say u havent played SO4 yet. Ok when u do i want u to hear the voices of Lymle and Sarah and then come and tell me that there still ur favourite developer

And SO3 VA was good, reaver? :P

The SO franchise is about gameplay man.

he will be playing the international version (japanese include) so no need to hear english voices and something that i heard recently is that it will feature one more character

10 years ago, FF would be #1 for sure, but not anymore.

1. Chrono Series.
There really isn't anything you can say bad about the series. Chrono Trigger is the best RPG ever made, the characters and story are so well done that it stands up to the RPGs today, 15 years after it was originally released. And while Chrono Cross didn't really live up to CT it's a great game in it's own right, lets just hope that someday we'll get a 'true' sequel.

2. Dragon Quest.
Dragon Quest VIII was the best RPG on the PS2 and really was a great way to jump start the series in America. The world is so beautifully detailed and vivid that it makes playing though the game an absolute joy.

3. Parasite Eve Series.
Parasite Eve is such a unique game, the melding of survival horror and RPG elements is really great and the series' plot isn't so bad itself. While the plot is not quite on par with some of the other PS1 era RPG series, the overall package is. Lets hope 3rd Birthday lives up to it's predecessors.

4. Final Fantasy.
While I really don't like FFX's and FFXII's characters, story,or linear game play you have to put the series on the list just on the strength of the SNES and PS1 titles. The series has fallen from grace over the last console generation, but nothing can undo the magic they created in the past.

5. Front Mission.
Front Mission is a pretty unique series, and really I'm surprised that it's still around. The games always feature great strategic game play and more mature story lines the you would usually see, plus the depth of customization in combat is pretty awesome.

Do you count both Squaresoft, Enix and S-E franchises? If so, my top 5 is as follows:

1 - Parasite Eve
2 - Final Fantasy
3 - Terranigma/Illusion of Time/Soulblazer saga
4 - Secret of Mana
5 - Kingdom Hearts

i count square games,squaresoft games,square-enix games,enix games

^ they are??? hmmm didnt no that...

*gee no wonder they moved with SEGA. Now i worry about FFXIII =/*