It is time for another edition of my Weekly Top 5.  This week I am targeting Role Playing video games, aka RPGs.  There are dozens of quality RPGs that I am sure some of you will be ready to call me out on for not featuring in this list.  And with that being said there are no MMORPGs because I don't play them.  Crucify me later, but these are single player RPGs mainly because I don't feel many MMOs stand up to to these games when it comes to story.

I will admit I probably haven't played as many RPGs as some of you out there, but I stand strong in stating that my list should hold up well vs. everyone else's.  Now on with the list!

5.  Phantasy Star

I will admit it, some of this rank may belong to nostalgia.  This was the first RPG that I ever played and it was a total eye opener.  The detailed story, the grand scale, playing as a girl... Yes, the first time I remember playing a female lead in Alis.  Phantasy Star even predates Final Fantasy 1 here in the states, though they came out within days in Japan.  The whole death of your brother, (hope I'm not ruining anything for you), at the start of the story instead of say mid game ratcheted up the excitement and was a plot device that was rarely used early in game.  The gameplay and visuals may not hold up well to some of the other titles on this list, but for it's time Phantasy Star was epic.

I remember vividly, every day after school, going over to my friends house to play this as I didn't have a Master System.  The game was like crack at the time.  The rush to find Odin, the ultimate goal of avenging your brother and trashing some Robotcops drew me in and kept me hooked.

If you can remember this fight, you are probably old like me.




4.  Knights of the Old Republic

What do you get when you mix one of the most in depth and beloved franchises in all of entertainment with the first rate developers at Bioware?  One of the best modern RPGs to date.  Taking place 4,000 years before the greatness that was "A New Hope"; Bioware weaved a epic tale of space adventure, power struggles, and a choice between the light and dark side.  The whole Revan reveal was fantastically done and came as quite the surprise to me.

I decided early on to follow the path of the light, but there were so many moments where I wished otherwise.  Surely a second play through remedied that situation as slaughter was the name of the game.  A game that provides such moral choices adds great replay value, and KOTOR still stands the test of time. 

Greatest Star Wars game ever?  I think so.




3.  Final Fantasy 6

Kefka is one of the greatest villains in all of video games.  It isn't often a antagonist is so vividly remembered and surely his incredibly wicked laugh doesn't hurt.  Another favorite aspect of this title was the dozen plus playable main characters which I believe is still a record for Final Fantasy. 

I played this game well after most of you probably did, not catching it until the Playstation release, and even then a couple years after it came out.  It was one of the first games in my experience where the bad guy actually wins.  He nearly destroys the whole damn World of Balance.  Incredible game, great characters, and tons of customization. 

Gotta love Kefka...




2.  Chrono Trigger

Time travel, multiple endings, a game well ahead of its time.  Original copies of Chrono Trigger are still hard to come by even today.  The best RPG to ever grace the SNES, was a real revolution in gaming at the time.  The ditching of random encounters was a huge plus in my book, and still is one of my favorite aspects of modern RPGs. 

Crono. Magnus, the great sword Masamune, so many great memories.  The time travel was a interesting twist that really had you wondering where things would lead to next.  One of the few times where I really had no clue what to expect next storyline wise.  The music and graphics established a trend of greatness that led in to future Square releases.  Truly a stunning game that is a must play for any fan of RPGs. 

Lavos falls...



Assuming you have come this far, and that you know RPGs it should almost a given on which game is featured next...


1.  Final Fantasy 7

Cloud, the greatest Final Fantasy hero ever.  One of the most tragic and surprising moments in gaming history with the death of Aeris.  The first FF to feature polygon based models transitioning from 2D to 3D characters in a 2D world.  This game brought a resurgence to RPG games, and should be considered the father of modern day RPG.  It also was a key factor in RPGs getting a foothold outside of Japan.  Something I didn't know when looking up info on the game, Square spent 100 million dollars marketing this game here in the states.

A tried and true quality battle system, materia, limit breaks, were among many of the great features.  The first time I played this game I was awestruck by the graphics, and captivated by the story of Cloud and the AVALANCHE crew.  I remember watching my new college roommate playing this game, and just the act of watching him play got me hooked.  The incredible animated attacks like Knights of the Round were amazing for the time.  This game is still the measuring stick today for which all future RPGs will compared against. 

One of my favorite "weapon" battles, enter Emerald Weapon.



I am prepared for the lack of MMO bashing, and various other complaints, so let me have them. 

I have now had my say, what are your favorite RPGs of all time?