Best Multiplayer RPGs?

[Gunstar Hero]

Me and my 2 best friends are WAY into RPGs and I feel like if I'm going to buy an RPG for my NES, SNES, Genesis, or N64, that I should get one game that is at least 2 players. I've searched online but I know the most reliable source would be from the mouths of fellow classic gamers. We especially enjoy turn-based RPGs but really any fun multiplayer RPG will do. Please help me as I am just starting out as a collector and at the moment I have No Home Console RPGs!

[Smashed Brother]

As far as the SNES is concerned, you definitely need to pick up Secret of Mana! Not only is it an awesome action RPG, but it is 3 player simultaneous! You do need to locate the other 2 party members for the multiplayer to activate, but that happens fairly early in the game. You could also look into Secret of Mana 2. It only came out in Japan, but there are English-patched versions that you could either emulate or buy on a repro cart if you want to play it in your system. I believe that SOM 2 is far superior, but SOM 1 is easier to acquire and cheaper if you're going cart-only.

I'm not sure of any traditional multiplayer RPG's on the NES, but for something a little unconventional, you should look into River City Ransom! An awesome beat-em-up with the ability to upgrade your stats and learn new moves! The most fun you can have with a friend on the NES!

Someone can correct me on this, but aren't the SNES Final Fantasy games multiplayer in the battle scenes?

[Gunstar Hero]

Thanks Smashed Brother! Three player mode sounds perfect for me and my friends on Secret Of Mana. I will probably pick this one up!

[davidbrit2]

Little Ninja Brothers for NES, and Super Ninja Boy for SNES. That's a great series. It's part Dragon Quest, part brawler.

[NerdXCrewWill]

As far as the SNES is concerned, you definitely need to pick up Secret of Mana!
Someone can correct me on this, but aren't the SNES Final Fantasy games multiplayer in the battle scenes?

The SNES release Final Fantasy 3 has 2 player. Final Fantasies 4 and 5 (and of course 3/6) are two player on the Playstation releases.

[And before anyone mentions it, the Playstation versions of 4 and 5 are definitely the definitive way to go for official English releases. Any complaints about load times are absolutely exaggerated. The only Playstation Squaresoft rerelease with bad load times is Chrono Trigger.]

[Steven]

I believe there are hacked Secret of Evermore versions out there where a 2nd player can control the dog.

Also, Twisted Tales of Spike McFang has a code where the 2nd player can control Rudy (google it). One of the coolest codes around, although, I don't know why they didn't just make that an option from the get-go (they could have advertised the game as a 2-player action RPG and it probably would have sold more). Note that the RPG-ness of Spike McFang is extremely light however. It's really more of an action adventure.

[Zebbe]

Dungeon Explorer series has multiplayer, from 3 to 5 players depending on game and system. There are entries on TurboGrafx-16, Mega-CD/Sega CD and Super Famicom. I've only played the Mega-CD version, and while it is fun, the classes are very unbalanced (weak and fast magic type characters seem useless to me) and you really do need to try out the different dungeons a lot to see in which order to tackle them. Gauntlet is the game it is based on, pretty much, and the Genesis/Mega Drive version has an RPG mode for 2 players. Fun to play and amazing music, looks a bit dated though ;). Then there is Arcus Odyssey/Arcus Spirits on Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Famicom, which I haven't played but hear is good. It's for two players as well.

[o.pwuaioc]

Thanks Smashed Brother! Three player mode sounds perfect for me and my friends on Secret Of Mana. I will probably pick this one up!

Just in case you didn't, I'll second a recommendation of Secret of Mana. It's such a fun game to play with friends, especially if you both (or three?) play through the whole thing together. It just really makes it worthwhile.

[BlastProcessing402]

The SNES release Final Fantasy 3 has 2 player. Final Fantasies 4 and 5 (and of course 3/6) are two player on the Playstation releases.

[And before anyone mentions it, the Playstation versions of 4 and 5 are definitely the definitive way to go for official English releases. Any complaints about load times are absolutely exaggerated. The only Playstation Squaresoft rerelease with bad load times is Chrono Trigger.]

Even with Chrono Trigger, it's a manufacturing defect causing the horrendous times. Playing from a CDR is actually preferable, assuming you have the means to do that. Not saying it gets rid of the load times completely, but it definitely reduces it to a more reasonable level.

[NerdXCrewWill]

I just spent my Sunday night playing a four player game of Swords and Serpents using the NES Four Score. It's a totally rad 1/2/4 player dungeon crawler. While a primitive game for sure, it managed to hold all our attentions. The only downside is some warrior/thief characters might find hitting the A button over and over again to be tedious (especially if they aren't the one chosen to walk around the map). Well, that and the password system.

One of the top 100 games of all time for sure!

[PresidentLeever]

The first Diablo (PS1/PC) is pretty fun if a bit shallow. Baldur's Gate is excellent for multiplay but PC only.

Oh and I forgot the Mystical Ninja series! 2-player hybrid of platforming, mini-games and town exploration.

[kupomogli]

Secret of Mana (SNES)
Diablo 2 (PC)
Diablo (PC/PSX)
Champions of Norrath (PS2)
Champions Return to Arms (PS2)
Untold Legends (PSP)
Untold Legends the Warriors Code (PSP)
Sacred 2 (my favorite Diablo clone.) (PC, PS3, 360.)
Final Fantasy Tactics(with Gameshark and debug mode. Versus mode.) (PSX)
Final Fantasy Tactics War of the Lions(multiple multiplayer co op or versus modes. All abilities have 30-40% slowdown in this version.) (PSP)
Brigandine Grand Edition (JP only. Grand Edition only. Up to six players) (PSX)
Phantasy Star Online (PC/Gamecube are the only two that can be played multiplayer now. I think.)
Phantasy Star Zero (DS)
Phantasy Star Portable (PSP)
Phantasy Star Portable 2 (PSP)
Arc the Lad Arc Arena (versus mode) (PSX.)
White Knight Chronicles 2 (only on quests, but like an offline/online mmo and I've heard the multiplayer is the best part. I'm only 15 hours into WKC on WKC2 and enjoying it, so no idea how the multiplayer aspect once you get to the end game is. You can also take on a quest alone and will take whatever allies you have with you in WKC2. (PS3)
Tales of Destiny (equip accessory channel ring.) (PSX)
Tales of Eternia(Destiny 2 in the US) (no accessory required, second player from the beginning of the game, best Tales game) (PSX)

[SEGA_Queen]

Tales of Destiny (equip accessory channel ring.) (PSX)
Tales of Eternia(Destiny 2 in the US) (no accessory required, second player from the beginning of the game, best Tales game) (PSX)

Stop me if I'm wrong, but don't most (if not all) home console Tales games have a multiplayer option for the battles?

[o.pwuaioc]

The SNES release Final Fantasy 3 has 2 player. Final Fantasies 4 and 5 (and of course 3/6) are two player on the Playstation releases.

[And before anyone mentions it, the Playstation versions of 4 and 5 are definitely the definitive way to go for official English releases. Any complaints about load times are absolutely exaggerated. The only Playstation Squaresoft rerelease with bad load times is Chrono Trigger.]

Official? Yeah. But really the best way to experience those games is to get patched Japanese carts.

[kupomogli]

Stop me if I'm wrong, but don't most (if not all) home console Tales games have a multiplayer option for the battles?

All console Tales games except Phantasia SNES, is multiplayer. However, the thread is "best" multiplayer RPGs. I haven't played anything on the PS2 even though I own the games, and I've played two hours of Symphonia before I got bored of it and never turned it back on. So to me, best is Destiny and Eternia.

[andwan0]

I love this list! Thanks for letting me discover these fantastic multiplayer RPG gems for the consoles!

Here is my favourate multiplayer RPG list for the PC:

Nox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nox_(video_game)
Silverfall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverfall
Sacred http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_(video_game)
Dungeon Siege http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Siege
Neverwinter Nights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_Nights
Baldur's Gate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldur's_Gate
Icewind Dale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icewind_Dale
Dungeon Lords http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeon_Lords
Space Siege http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Siege
Loki: Heroes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loki:_Heroes_of_Mythology
Titan Quest http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Quest

(ofcourse, including the sequels too!... and I believe Baldur's Gate on PS2 is also multiplayer third-person)

Millenia of fun with friends!