Role Playing Games: 5 Favorite RPG's

Role-playing games are by far one of the most entertaining and fun to play game genres out there.  While there are so many different types, they all have their own appeal.  My list is probably out of ordinary for most, but I loved playing all 5 of these growing up.  It was tough to pick only five, but these are 5 worth mentioning.

Phantasy Star 3: Generations of Doom

The Phantasy Star series was a huge hit for the Sega Genesis.  While many consider Phantasy Star 3 the “black sheep” of the series, it was my favorite one.  It spans 3 different generations of family.  As you start out with a character named Rhys, you battle your way through many areas to rescue your bride to be, Maia.  However, at the end of Rhys’s journey, you must decide to marry Maia or another woman named, Lena.  Depending on whom you marry, will determine the next man born in your lineage.  Then you play as that man until the end of his story and you must again decide between two different women to marry.  This is how every generation ends.  This makes for multiple playthroughs.  There are several endings to this game and that is why I liked it.  I played through every possible storyline and they were all fun.  The characters are memorable and the end battle is quite fun against the fiend, Darkforce.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

This is by far the best game made in this series.  It is not like its predecessors.  In the early games: Castlevania 1, 2, and 3, you played through one level at a time.  Symphony of the Night is fantastic because you are constantly running around the open-world of Dracula’s castle.  This isn’t a level based game.  You can go through the areas as many times as you like.  The weaponry and skills that the main character, Alucard, receives are all different, so you must choose wisely which ones to equip.  Every area is memorable from the library, to the catacombs, to Dracula’s chambers.  The graphics are amazing for the time it was made and the soundtrack is one of the best of its time.  There are different endings to this game as well depending on what decisions you make.  I played through this many times to see them all.  This game is a must play through.  The mini-bosses you fight along the way are all memorable.  Some are easier than others, but there a couple that made me pull my hair out.  There is a huge sense of accomplishment when you defeat a tough boss.  If you haven’t played this game, you definitely should.  The one drawback that I can remember from this game is there is one area where you see a few pentagrams, other than that I think it is a great game.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

This game is held in high regard by most RPG fanatics, and for good reason.  This was the first Zelda game that was made in 3-D.  And what an amazing job the makers did!  The graphics were the best of its time.  The soundtrack is one of the best.  The story-line is amazing too.  You start out as a young Link.  As you progress through the game you realize that Ganondorf has some evil intentions.  You are playing to stop him from obtaining the triforce.  Whoever has the triforce has all the power.  While playing as young Link, you begin learning songs to play on your ocarina.  There are 12 songs in all.  Some songs you won’t learn until you become an adult in the game.  The songs you learn are used to solve puzzles and to teleport you to different areas of the game.  Every area in this game is memorable whether you are playing inside the deku tree, water temple, or Princess Zelda’s castle.  Each level is extensive and requires critical thinking and puzzle solving skills, along with combat strategy.  Link mainly fights with his handy sword and shield, although he does use different items along the way to help in the fight too, like deku nuts and bombs.  If you only play one Zelda game ever, this is the one to play.

Final Fantasy 2 (US Version)

This is my favorite FF game of the series, even though, it is one of the older ones.  This game uses “turn-based” combat.  You start out as, Cecil, the dark knight.  The king sends you and your comrade, Kain, to deliver a package.  On this journey you end up slaying a mist dragon.  When you arrive to the town to deliver the package, the package opens and the entire town is set on fire.  A poor helpless girl, Rydia, is left without her family and she blames you for her mother’s death.  You feel horrible and eventually she realizes that you did not know what was in the package.  You vow to never serve the king again and you repent of your ways and become a Paladin.  The storyline in this game is massive.  You play through many areas, including towns, dungeons, caves, castles and towers.  Every character in this game plays an important role in your journey to figure out why and where all of this evil is coming from.  You travel on an airship to take you to different areas on the map because some are not accessible without it.  You also travel to the underground realms where molten lava is everywhere and you also travel to the moon near the end of the game.  There are 4 different fiends you must defeat to progress through this game.  They comprise the elements of earth, water, air, and fire.  There is not enough space in this article to describe my love for this game.  This is a must play for any RPG fan.

Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

I know that many may wonder why I picked this one over its sequel, Skyrim.  My main reason is because I love the story line better in this one.  I think the side missions were well thought out in this one.  This is a massive RPG with well over 100 hours of gameplay.  You can stick with just the main quest, but you would miss so much.  All of the side quests are fun and you acquire different weapons, artifacts and scrolls along the way.   When you begin the game you must decide between many different races of characters, which one you will become.  You can be a human, khajit (tiger/leopard-human), argonian (reptilian) or choose from many others.  Every decision you make in this game affects the rest of the game.  There are multiple guilds that you can join including, the mages guild, fighter’s guild, and the dark brotherhood.  Each guild has its own benefits.  You can be involved in many guilds at once but you have to play your cards right or you may have to jump through hoops to rejoin.  The main storyline involves you trying to stop the cult “Mythic Dawn” from opening the gates of Oblivion.  This is impossible to do, though.  Once this occurs, you must enter these gates and acquire a special stone to close them.  Your goal is to stop Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric prince of destruction, from entering the real world through one of the gates of Oblivion.  It will be tough to beat this game for the number 1 spot.  It is an epic journey with amazing graphics and music.  This game should be played by anyone who loves RPG’s.  This game does incorporate some language, darker areas, and suggestive themes (no nudity), so I encourage you to keep children away.

Conclusion

There is not enough space to explain why these 5 games should be played.  If you love RPG’s and haven’t played any of these, I encourage you to try them out.

I would love to see what some of your favorite RPG’s are.  Please feel free to let me know in the comments.  God bless you!

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