Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 RPGs Of The Last Decade... For Real

The low spot on the totem pole goes to this quirky little game that focuses on monster battles, similar to Pokemon. Unlike Pokemon, though, the player is given the ability to draw his own creatures. While the story is somewhat childish and the battle system is a bit too similar to Rock-Paper-Scissors, let no one call this game immature. Anyone who has borne witness to a battle between a crudely drawn penis-monster and a crudely drawn nude female will understand what I mean. "Magic Pengel's" character creation system allows depravity and perversions that make 4-chan seem tame.

"FF12" is a game that instantly triggers hot-blooded debates among RPG fans. Does it ruin the FF formula by adding action to the battle system? Is it too similar to an MMORPG? Does it have a bad story? "FF12" get accused of lots of things, often with little understanding of how the game actually works. By adding the Gambit system, Square-Enix allowed players to give up some control, but didn't force it. I personally only used minimal Gambits to keep my characters from doing anything stupid and found myself quite enjoying the game and its fully turn-based battle system. The action is all an illusion!

Of course, "FF12" does have a weak and forgettable story, but with so much other stuff to do in the game, who cares about the story, right? WRONG, Square-Enix. That's why this game didn't rank higher on this list.

While it pales in comparison to its direct predecessor, "Suikoden 3" was the first RPG on the PlayStation 2 that made the system worth buying. Like the rest of the series, "Suikoden 3" stands apart from other RPGs due to the huge cast of 108 recruitable characters and a smaller-scale story that does not involve "saeving teh wurld" at any point.

Square-Enix must have realized how stupid it was to release the direct sequel to one of the best "Final Fantasy" games of all time ONLY on Japanese cell-phones. So for "The After Years'" console debut, S-E decided to rub some salve on Nintendo's sucking chest wound where S-E tore out their heart and released the game on the WiiWare service... in chunks... that add up to $37... for a download-only game... that is a port of a cell-phone game. Wait... what?

Yes it's expensive, but it's worth it. Yes it has dated graphics and looks just like a Super Nintendo game... that's why it's worth it. "The After Years" is a complete 180 from the direction S-E has been going for the last three hardware generations. It hearkens back to the original "Final Fantasy 4." And it is amazing. "The After Years" provides solid proof that it is still possible to make great RPGs using limited technology. The real question is whether or not S-E will learn anything from the success of "The After Years" and the failure of "Final Fantasy 13."

Peanut Butter + Chocolate
Lime + Coconut
Mario + RPG

Some things are just meant to go together. When Mario isn't jumping across moving platforms on his way to rescue Princess Peach, his most enjoyable activities involve turn-based battles, silly sidekicks... and rescuing Princess Peach. Some things never change, and ever since SquareSoft and Nintendo teamed up to create "Super Mario RPG" on the SNES, the fact that Mario-themed RPGs are great is one of those things. Because RPGs are much more natural avenues for storytelling, the Mario RPGs are free to explore a lot of verbose humor that would be out of place in a fast-paced platformer. Thanks for keeping me laughing, Mario!

Consisting of two amazing games in one box, "Growlanser Generations" provides hours of enjoyment and pays testament to the skills of the late, great Working Designs, as one of their last hurrahs. May they rest in peace.

Combining a semi-tactical, semi-real-time, semi turn-based battle system with a quirky equipment system consisting of 'ring weapons,' "Growlanser 2" and "Growlanser 3" offer up an experience unlike any other RPG series. Add in the connected storyline between the two games, and the collection provides an epic tale that wouldn't seem out of place in the Golden Age of Anime. Now if only Working Designs had survived long enough to localize the rest of the series. *teardrop*

Sega, the company better known for doing terrible, unspeakable things to blue hedgehogs, made a startling splash with this unexpected RPG on their doomed final console. So why did this version of the game make the list instead of the superior Gamecube version with its extra content? Simple, Dreamcast had it first; the Gamecube version is just a port.

Sega showed us how much fun it can be to captain an airship in a world without land and command a crew of anime girls and silver blob-creatures. Aside from the airship battles "SoA" didn't really do anything new. The story and person-to-person battle system were both quite good but not revolutionary.

Wait a minute! Not revolutionary... I think they may be onto something. Instead of constantly messing with the formula for a specific genre, why not embrace the formula and polish it instead? Brilliant!

They say lightning doesn't strike twice, but Sega managed to do it again, somehow. Despite their continued and worsening torture of poor Sonic, Sega managed to produce "Valkyria Chronicles," a Tactical RPG that completely revolutionized the sub-genre.

Instead of following the TRPG trend of the last decade and filling the game with ridiculously convoluted stats and systems along with tons and TONS of grind, Sega simplified... and it worked. The result is simply the greatest RPG and greatest game PERIOD on the PlayStation 3.

So now Sega has proven that they can make amazing RPGs both by sticking to established formulae AND by coming up with revolutionary new ideas. Oh, Sega, you sillies. I know you're just kidding around with the bad Sonic games... right?

A "Dragon Quest" game in #2?! Nooooo! "DQ" is old and stodgy and turn-based!

Quite untrue, actually. "DQ8" is the purest and most well-polished example of the Japanese RPG we have seen to date. The story is intriguing with many familiar concepts, but none of them feel tired or cliched. The characters, despite all looking like DragonballZ people, are likeable and interesting. The turn-based battles are finely tuned to be challenging, but not impossible. Plus there are tons of optional side-quests, such as the Monstrous Pit, to keep players engaged in exploring the beautifully-rendered world (which was a first for the "DQ" series).

How is this possible?! A PC game takes the #1 RPG slot for the years 2000-2009? Darn right it does!

"Baldur's Gate II" and its expansion are absolutely flawless examples of how to do an RPG that appeals to everyone. PC gamers, console gamers, tabletop gamers: anyone who has ever been remotely interested in RPGs will find something to love in "BG2." From the intuitive turn-based/real-time hybrid battle system to the deep dialog trees and side quests to the rich history provided by the Forgotten Realms setting, "BG2" is pure perfection. This game and its expansion straddled the line between East and West and set a benchmark that will probably never be matched again.