Top 10 PS1 JRPGs
- ryanjepson8
- Jan 22, 2017
- 3 min read
I first got into JRPGs on the PS1. Quite a lot of them came out for this system thanks to FF7. Here's my personal Top 10 favourites that I've played:
10. Grandia
It's been a fair while since I played this one, but I recall loving the battle system, which was radically different from anything I'd seen in a JRPG. Graphics and music were great, but sadly, I don't recall a whole lot about the actual story.
9. Final Fantasy VIII
Up until recently, I would've ranked this a lot higher, but on my latest replay of this game, I found a lot less to like than I had in the past. The story was just a tad ridiculous and the draw system is horrible. However, one of the best soundtracks of any JRPG I've played saves this.
8. Suikoden
The controls were extremely dated (only being able to walk in 4 directions for example) and the faux strategy RPG elements weren't great, but being able to recruit 108 different characters was amazing for its time. Overworld graphics and soundtrack were great too.
7. Breath of Fire III
Absolutely loved the huge sprites while in battle in this game. Just gorgeous. Was one of the earlier JRPGs I played, but I recall being struck by how much personality each of the characters had. A very cool story too. Who doesn't love dragons?
6. Legend of Legaia
I'm pretty sure this was the first JRPG I'd played that was rendered entirely in 3D. Though you could cheese the battle system by just looking up the moves, it was unique and appealed to my love of fighting games. It's been too long since I played this one. If only Sony would put it on the PSN already!
5. Final Fantasy IX
I wasn't the biggest fan of this game when it launched, but the years have been kind to it. It has a charm and sense of humour that's a rare commodity in games today. It also has my favourite soundtrack out of FF and while the story isn't super original, it was a welcome change from FF8.
4. Suikoden II
All of the flaws from the original were addressed in this sequel. You still had 108 characters to recruit, and surprisingly, you were still able to become attached to a decent amount of them. Being able to import your main character from the first game was quite ahead of it's time too.
3. Wild Arms
Yeah, the battle graphics were pretty terrible, even by the standards at the time, but everything else about this game is amazing. The dash controls were a lot of fun, the characters are fantastic and it's just a beautiful game. I wish the sequels were on the same level as this, but it wasn't to be.
2. Star Ocean 2
This started my love affair with the Star Ocean series. It's hard to find a fault in this game. The voice acting, I guess? The scope of this game really set it apart from others though. Two world maps, 80 supposed endings, forging relationships with other characters. Way ahead of it's time.
1. Final Fantasy VII
FF7 will always be No. 1 for me, since it's the game that introduced me to the genre. Had this game been terrible, I may not have played any of the others. Luckily, it was one of the best games I've ever played. I can't think of a single thing wrong with it. I wish I could play it for the first time all over again.
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