8. Fire Emblem – You want epic battles and deep strategy? The Fire Emblem series has them in spades. This series has a tactical battle system that almost perfectly embodies the “easy to learn, hard to master” mantra that most RPGs from both Japan and the West strive for, with a deceptively simple foundation that branches into a level of complexity that feels natural to progress into. Plus, the characters in each game are usually very well developed, and the fact that character death in each game is permanent – lose them in one battle, and you lose them for good – makes them all the more special. The Fire Emblem games are almost like playing a really good tactical board game.
7. Front Mission – Everything’s better with giant robots. Case in point – the Front Mission series’ focus on the battlefields of the future not only has a highly original story driven by international politics and the impacts of war, but the ability to customize your own squad of giant robots, called wanzers in the series, is always a plus. The plots of each Front Mission game are as gripping as any Tom Clancy novel, and the complexity of the wanzer customization system is compelling enough to satisfy any sci-fi or military hardware geek. Try Front Mission Evolved when it comes out this spring for the Xbox 360 if you want to get a taste of this amazing series.
6. Disgaea – There are some that accuse JRPGs of taking themselves too seriously. Well, the Disgaea series sure isn’t one of them, as these games have a wacky, zany sense of humor that, to be honest, more games need to have. And the humor is not just expressed through the storyline, but in the gameplay itself, where players are often challenged to do the most outlandish of tasks to produce the most outlandish of results. Need to power up a weapon? Fight on its surface to rid it of impurities. Need to alter a game rule such as the prices of shops, but the ruling council doesn’t agree with you? Fight them yourself. Then there’s the art, which is as likely to make you laugh as it has you gawk at its beauty. Oh, and don’t forget the Prinnies. Prinnies are awesome, dood.
5. Demon’s Souls – I hope this isn’t seen as a cheap shot against the Xbox 360, seeing as how Demon’s Souls is a recent PlayStation 3 exclusive, but to be honest, Demon’s Souls deserves to make this list, seeing as how it’s a near-perfect blend of both Eastern and Western RPG design sensibilities. Having a real-time combat system comparable to Elder Scrolls games Morrowind and Oblivion (except in third person this time), character customization abilities that can withstand comparison to any Western game with similar features, and online features that make me ask “why hasn’t anyone thought of these before?”, Demon’s Souls could almost be mistaken for a Western RPG. But it’s distinctly Japanese in its execution, providing a gripping single-player experience that the aforementioned online features enhance, rather than intrude upon. So, From Software, please port this game to the Xbox 360, okay? Thanks, bye.
This feature top 10 list continues on the next page, please click below to reveal our next couple choices for top 10 Japanese RPGs of all time.
