RPG's: Your First, "Focus," Finished, and Favorite

[Nz17]

First {which you played}: Final Fantasy (NES) ...unless you count Adventure for Atari 2600

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Final Fantasy VI (SNES FFIII)

Finished {first you defeated}: Final Fantasy VII (PSX)

Favorite: LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete (PSX)

Playing Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy really got me reflecting on my history with RPGs across the ages. For myself, I didn't play very many RPGs except for the consoles which I owned. Growing up poor, that meant rentals for the NES and later presents for the PlayStation. And while I played Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy for Nintendo and a few computer RPGs along the way with occasional RPG exposure at a friend's house due to his Super Nintendo and N64, my personal golden age for RPGs didn't start until I got a PlayStation in 1997. That's when I was old enough and determined enough to start saving and buying many role-playing games for the console which was home to many, the first PlayStation.

Wild ARMs; Xenogears; Final Fantasy VII; Chrono Cross (well not so much ;)); Final Fantasy Anthology (FFV & FFVI); Final Fantasy Chronicles (FFIV & Chrono Trigger); Final Fantasy Origins (FFI & FFII); LUNAR: Eternal Blue Complete; LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete; Breath of Fire III; Breath of Fire IV (could've been better, still good); and many more, both here and on earlier and later consoles...

All of which got me to thinking, what are your RPG memories? The first you can remember? The one which really clicked with you? The first you got to see the end credits with? A cherished favorite? Perhaps one you completed with a friend. Please share if you would.

[bigbacon]

not counting atari or PC games

first: Dragon Warrior
focus : FF2 (4)
finished: Dragon warrior
favorite: (and I know everything will think this is nuts) Final Fantasy 8 (with FF12 close behind)

somthing about the characters in 8 just drew me in WAY more than any others until 12. 8 is still my favorite though of the "3d" FFs, with 2 (4) being my favorite in the old school ones.

I also really like the Xenosaga games. Still listen to the soundtracks to all three daily.

[gamingpalooza]

Personally speaking, I am not a huge RPG fan but I will answer to this as a person who is not necersarly a huge RPG fan.

My first RPG that I tried playing would have to be probably Zelda Links Awaken on Gameboy, as well as the Pokemon games.

My first RPG that I focused on quite a bit was probably Oasis on Sega Saturn and Pandoras Tower on the Wii wasn't bad either for me. I also downloaded a RPG game on DS-i ware and it was pretty good for awhile.

I never finished any RPG because I lost my interest in them after awhile.

I'm not sure if I have a favorite, only because I am not a huge RPG gamer.

[j_factor]

First: Ultima III (C64)
Focus: Phantasy Star (SMS)
Finished: Legacy of the Ancients (C64)

I'm not 100% sure on these, because I played RPGs from a very young age, so I may be misremembering. But I definitely have a soft spot for these.

Favorite: Dragon Force (saturn)

I don't really have a single favorite, so my answer to this will change every time. But Dragon Force is definitely one of my most-played. I love its battle system.

[SEGA_Queen]

First {which you played}: Pokemon (Game Boy)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast)

Finished {first you defeated}: Pokemon (and Skies of Arcadia after that.)

Favorite: Current - Solatorobo, Ni no Kuni DS, Tales of Hearts, and Eternal Sonata.

Pokemon was the game that introduced me to the world of RPGs. But SoA (and to a lesser extent the Evolution series) was what solidified my love for them!

I stay away from full-blown strategy RPGs. (FF Tactics, Fire Emblem, etc.) However, I don't mind RPGs with light strategy elements, as long as the battles don't drag on.

[Natty Bumppo]

First {which you played}: Final Fantasy (SNES)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Shining Force II (Genesis)

Finished {first you defeated}: Final Fantasy II (SNES)

Favorite: Dark Wizard (Sega CD)

Final Fantasy II was one of the first two (the other was Tetris) games I bought when I bought my first console (I got in late in the game (as it were) and got an SNES when I was 39 or so. Game sucked me right in and I finished it before I bought any more games.

The Shining Force games snagged me early on (a genesis was my second console) and SFII was the best of the first three (the two genesis and the sega cd one) - pretty simple mechanics with an interesting story line and enough characters to offer a lot of replay value. Although I did miss a lot of stuff (like the blacksmith) on my first playthrough.

Dark Wizard has always been my favorite RPG game - kinda like Shining Force on steroids crossed with Master of Monsters (another favorite) for the genesis. Not only do you get a large army, but you can vary its compositon in a really wide variety of ways. And tons of secrets to discover. The only real drawback (which most console stragety games suffer from) is an AI that is generally dumber than a box of rocks.

[Rickstilwell1]

Not counting Zeldas or action RPGs

First {which you played}: Wizardry - NES

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Dragon Warrior - NES

Finished {first you defeated}: Beyond the Beyond - Playstation

Favorite: Suikoden II - Playstation

First I played was Wizardry but I was 6 and didn't know much about what I was doing. I just had fun imagining what the weapons looked like and going through the maze trying to find as many different monsters as I could.

Next came Faxanadu 6 months after my 6th birthday, but as an action RPG I decided not to include it. I beat the game when I was 7 while I was in first grade.

Next action RPG/adventure came The Legend of Zelda when I was 8, but I didn't beat it till I was about 10 because I could never find level 7 before I found it accidentally one day when I was trying to warp from that screen to a previous level as a shortcut. Doesn't count here, but great game.


When I was 9, I finally got my first 2D third person RPG, Dragon Warrior. I say this is the first one I clicked with because it was like the fun I had aimlessly exploring in Wizardry, except I could see where I was going and tell what I was doing. Still as a kid I couldn't beat it because my Nintendo was always blinking so much ruining my progress and I was also trying to go too far when my level was too low. The one thing that really stopped me from progressing was that I didn't understand that I had to find a pendant in order to activate the Stones of Sunlight and Staff of Rain. But hey, that's pretty far for a kid who's only played his own games for 3 years. In my high school years I would revisit this game and annihilate it multiple times since then. One time I played it all day and beat it in one sitting.

On my 10th birthday I got Zelda: A Link to the Past which didn't take me long to finish and 6 months later I got Link's Awakening which I had the help of Nintendo Power to beat. Those were the last two RPG-esque adventures I would get before discovering the Playstation.

When I was 11 I started 5th grade and Pokemon came out. I got it that Christmas and played it like crazy, watched the anime and bought Pokemon cards. A fad that lasted a few years. For a while we were excited about the new Pokemon coming out in Gold and Silver but after they were officially revealed and named I just lost interest. No more fun hype and speculation, just a fixed reality.

When I was 11 my mom started dating this guy and they ended up having a daughter. By the time I was 12 they moved closer to me and I got to go over there on weekends. He had a Playstation and it was his favorite system ever. Only having seen NES, Genesis, SNES, Game Boy Pocket and Nintendo 64 in action yet, I saw how good it was and how it had a great share of interesting games. One day when going through his games I put in Beyond the Beyond and immediately fell in love with it. I was like awesome! This was like Dragon Warrior with way more color, good graphics, and multiple characters like Wizardry except they were unique characters with their own personalities. Once I got into this game I played it all the time. My stepdad found another Playstation with the dualshock controller he was missing so he let me borrow one of the systems and gave it back after a while. I told him what games I liked on it and he gave it back to me that Christmas with Beyond the Beyond. It took a few months but I finally beat the game using Gameshark. In later years I would find out it was possible to save Percy without using the walk through walls code and I would learn where almost everything in the game was. I managed to beat it 10 more times over the years without using cheats. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Next I got to try the strategy RPG, Vandal-Hearts. I was 13 yes, game rated M, but what the hell. The story was very interesting and easy to follow. Some stages needed to be replayed multiple times before a good strategy would be devloped, but for the most part it was pretty easy. It is up there among my favorites, but misses the top spot by just a little.

Also in 7th grade, but later in the year: My friend let me borrow his copy of Final Fantasy III for SNES after this making it my first Final Fantasy experience. To me it had some similarities to Beyond the Beyond, but it had taken battles in a different direction where if you just stood there without pausing, enemies would hurt you. There was more dialogue, making the story much longer. I made it to the point where the world changes and tried exploring a bit but it started getting hard and other games stole my attention.

And here comes 8th grade. I finally played through Suikoden I. The only game series that would surpass my enjoyment of when I discovered Beyond the Beyond would be the Suikoden series. I spent much of May playing this game while I stayed home from school with labyrinthitis caused by being on my dad's boat for the first time. I would secretly play this, putting a blanket over the Playstation and turning off the TV every time I heard footsteps down the hallway. A technique that would allow me to videotape and watch porn from public access TV without ever getting caught. lol.

While I love all the games in the series, I would give the award of favorite game to Suikoden II for integrating the most characters from a past Suikoden game in to its storyline, and for having good-looking 2D graphics. Something visual I would have loved to see more of before they went all-out with the 3D. The story for Suikoden I was very interesting, but Suikoden II's story was even more interesting and involved. I picked this game up at Game Crazy for $20 during my first year of high school.

Many games have come and went since then including Final Fantasy VII, The Legend of Dragoon, the 2D Final Fantasy remakes for GBA, Diablo, Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, X-Men Legends and so on. I think my appreciation for certain games comes from the order in which I got to experience these games.

[TonyTheTiger]

First {which you played}: Ultima Exodus (NES)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Finished {first you defeated}: Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Favorite: Chrono Trigger (SNES) and/or Mass Effect (Xbox 360)

[kupomogli]

First {which you played}: Dragon Warrior (NES)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Final Fantasy (NES)

Finished {first you defeated}: Dragon Warrior (NES)

Favorite: Brigandine Legend of Forsena (PSX)

[Damaniel]

First {which you played}: Dragon Warrior (NES) - got it from that Nintendo Power promotion

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Final Fantasy IV (SNES)

Finished {first you defeated}: Dragon Warrior (NES)

Favorite: Final Fantasy VI (SNES), but Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest VIII are a close second and third

[tom]

First: DragonStomper....a nice and easy to get into RPG on VCS, three levels, fun game play
Focus: Wizard's Crown....A8, a super classic RPG, one of the best out there, still nowadays, a diamond RPG, unbeatable
Finished: Wizard's Crown, followed by all SSI Gold boxes (not the console rubbish, the real C64/PC classics), SSI was truly one of the best RPG makers out there.
Favourite: Curse of the Azure Bonds or Treasures of the Savage Frontier

[SpaceHarrier]

First {which you played}: Final Fantasy III/VI (SNES) (unless Ogre Battle (SNES) counts as an RPG... I think it's more strategy?)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Suikoden (PSX)

Finished {first you defeated}: Suikoden (PSX)

Favorite: Final Fantasy VII (PSX)


First RPG I was interested in was Dragon Warrior, and I asked my mom to get it for me after reading about it in Nintendo Power. She looked at the screenshots and said, "that doesn't look very fun."

I never played an RPG until the SNES days, but I wasn't so taken with what I tried until Suikoden. It was simple, and had an amazing story that just drew me in. Great music too. And the whole affair was on the order of 10 hours long. Final Fantasy VII sealed the deal. I was ready for a more complex game at that point. Then came FF8, Lunar: SSSC, Chrono Cross... so many great RPGs on the Playstation.

I'm sure liking FFVII best is probably seen as somewhat derp but after all these years I still prefer it... it's my desert island rpg, if you will. I'm still struggling to play through VI, its good but doesn't grab me quite the same.

[Steven]

First: Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Focus: Final Fantasy II
Finished: FFMQ
Favorite: toss-up between FFIII and Chrono Trigger

[shopkins]

First: Dragon Warrior
Focus: Dragon Warrior.
Finished: Dragon Warrior. Yes. There is a theme. I got this when I got my NES, if I'm remembering correctly, and after a short period where I was annoyed with it because it wasn't an action game I went back to it and fell in love.
Favorite: Planescape: Torment.

I could probably say I have two entries for the focus category. The first RPG to excite me was Dragon Warrior, and for years I was all about JRPGs. I never really could afford a computer that could play current PC RPGs. But years after it came out I found a budget two-pack of Fallout and Fallout 2 and it was like discovering RPGs all over again. They were the kind of games I'd idly find myself thinking about strategies and scenarios for when I was driving around or at work. From then on I still loved JRPGs, but I broadened my horizons and included WRPGS as well.

[IHatedSega]

Pokemon for the first 3, and Favorite I cant say, too many I havent played yet.

Pokemon is probably one of the more complex RPG's out there from how many Pokemon there are and so many different attacks, if it wasnt such red hot phenomenon at the time the games would just be kiddy versions of The Megami Tensei Series.

[G-Boobie]

First: Final Fantasy 6

Focus: Morrowind

Finished: Morrowind

Favorite: Persona 4

Currently playing: P4 Golden, VTM Bloodlines.

[jonebone]

First - Final Fantasy NES
Focus - Final Fantasy II SNES
Finished - Final Fantasy NES
Favorite - Dragon Age (X360)

[Battyone]

First {which you played}: Might and Magic III

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Final Fantasy IV (II US, but after I discovered the J2ETranslations fan translation I never looked back)

Finished {first you defeated}: Final Fantasy II/IV

Favorite: (J)Chrono Trigger/(US)Knights of the Old Republic

[understatement]

First played: Final Fantasy II (SNES)
Focus: Xenogears (PSX)
First finished: Final Fantasy II (SNES)

I had to break down the favorite into genres, I can’t name one favorite above all RPGs.

Favorite Standard RPG: Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Favorite Action RPG: Brave Fencer Musashi (PXS)
Favorite Tactical RPG: Dragon Force (Saturn)

[Dashopepper]

First: Final Fantasy mystic quest

Focus: Pokemon gold

Finished: Golden Sun

Favorite: Crono trigger

I really hated RPGs after mystic quest, Golden Sun For the Gameboy Advance put me on the right path, just a little late for the heyday.

[Graham Mitchell]

First: Dragon Warrior, NES. I was so young that I don't think I really understood the broader goals of the game. I just liked wandering around and killing stuff.

Focus: Ultima Exodus, NES. The melancholy ambience really resonated with me. The Lord British music is kind of dark and sad, and the fact that your characters could get ill, die, and eventually be reduced to ashes if the doctor could not revive them, was a pretty heavy thing to consider for your little blocky clerics and druids. I also found it really creepy how the game describes the runes burning into your characters skin. It's kind of terrible and unplayable today, but I still play it every once in awhile because I just like to spend some time in that world every now and again.

Finished: If Y's Book 1 and 2 for the Turbografx counts, that would be the first one I actually sat through to the end. Otherwise it would be Lunar: the Silver Star for Sega CD.

Favorite: Final Fantasy VII. The first several hours of that game are so engrossing, so unique and so generally off-the-wall that I really don't think an RPG has captured by attention like that since. Phantasy Star 1 or 2 would be a close second.

[Gunstar Hero]

Awesome idea for a thread :)

My First, Focus, and Finished was Pokemon Blue (GB)

The game was the first RPG I played (I was 5 or 6 years old), as before then I mostly played Dreamcast adventure games and a couple GBA games (like my then new Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land and Rayman: Advance). BTW at the time I probably only owned 10 or so games so Pokemon Blue was the only RPG I had and the first I had played.

It had really clicked with me as me and my brother were HUGE fans of the show and would watch it almost every weekday morning when an episode came on. As a child who had an enormous imagination and loved cartoons (especially Pokémon), I wanted to be a Pokemon trainer just like on the TV and Pokemon Blue allowed me to do this through one of my favorite things, video games. When I played the game I really loved it and the fact that I could even trade Pokemon with my brother made me feel like a real Ash Ketchum! I'm 15 now and still love the game and still have the save data from when I was 5 or 6 and just kept expanding on it because I feel it was a really awesome RPG (though not even close to my favorite, just the first one I really liked.)

I finished it by beating the Elite Four and later getting all the Pokemon in the game through some trading and collecting. I felt really, really accomplished when this happened :)

As for my favorite RPG it's really hard to say but I love SNES RPGs like Super Mario RPG, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, all of the Final Fantasy's, Legend of Zelda A Link To The Past, and I was absolutely crazy about the Kingdom Hearts games for PS2. I really can't say and I'm sure there are many other RPGs that I love that I can't remember right now because I love too many :P But, it would probably be one of those.

[kupomogli]

Favorite: Dark Wizard (Sega CD)

Dark Wizard is a great game. If you have yet to play it, I'd suggest checking out Brigandine. Brigandine may or may not have been developed by the same people as Dark Wizard as it had different development studios, but it feels like a spiritual successor. Each game has a set of countries to choose when starting the game, the exact same combat system down to even the hex based style, monsters are summoned in the exact same fashion, and both monster and character classes can be upgraded. They have their differences, but have too much in common to think that the Brigandine didn't either have some of the same people, or that developers didn't use this game is reference when making their own.

[Natty Bumppo]

Dark Wizard is a great game. If you have yet to play it, I'd suggest checking out Brigandine. Brigandine may or may not have been developed by the same people as Dark Wizard as it had different development studios, but it feels like a spiritual successor. Each game has a set of countries to choose when starting the game, the exact same combat system down to even the hex based style, monsters are summoned in the exact same fashion, and both monster and character classes can be upgraded. They have their differences, but have too much in common to think that the Brigandine didn't either have some of the same people, or that developers didn't use this game is reference when making their own. I like Brigandine a lot - it is part of my troika of favorite SRPG games - Dark Wizard, Brigandine and Master of Monsters (Genesis version). Another strategy game (not an RPG one) I like a lot is Nectaris for the PS. Not only do all of these use hex grid maps but they utilize zones of control - which makes battlefield formations a lot more important.

[kupomogli]

Master of Monsters (Genesis version)

Thanks for the mention of Master of Monsters. I've never played it so looked up on it just now. Read up a few reviews and watched some Youtube videos and it looks pretty good so I'll try it out sometime. I'm going to emulate it first though because the price is a bit high, even for cart only copies, and depending on how much I like it I'll try to find it for cheap one day.

[Graham Mitchell]

I like Brigandine a lot - it is part of my troika of favorite SRPG games - Dark Wizard, Brigandine and Master of Monsters (Genesis version). Another strategy game (not an RPG one) I like a lot is Nectaris for the PS. Not only do all of these use hex grid maps but they utilize zones of control - which makes battlefield formations a lot more important.

Of that genre, the Nectaris series is my favorite. I know it's not the most complex or detailed of those simulations, but I'm a big ambience/setting guy, and I find the sci-fi setting to be pretty interesting. IMO, nothing beats the good ol' PC Enginge/TG-16 Nectaris/Military Madness. The PSX version is excellent, and a loving tribute to the original (I started a thread about it on here many years ago), but nostalgia wins it for me.

I have Neo Nectaris for the PC-Engine Super CD, which actually includes the original game as a bonus! Both games are totally playable without knowledge of Japanese...there's only 4 commmands. I'd actually say we got a better overall game in the US, though. The units have names in Military Madness, where as in the Japanese version their just model numbers, like "SG-42" and stuff like that. They're more difficult to differentiate. Regardless, however, it's an excellent game. I highly recommend snagging an iso of Neo Nectaris if a legit copy is out of your price range.

[Wraith Storm]

First {which you played}: Final Fantasy Legend (Gameboy)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

Finished {first you defeated}: Final Fantasy (NES)

Favorite: Final Fantasy VI, Skies of Arcadia or Panzer Dragoon Saga


I remember Christmas 1989 like it was yesterday. Both my brother and I received gameboys and several games. One of the games that I received was Final Fantasy Legend (Saga). I loved it from its awesome music to all the cool monster designs and its japanese infused mythos. It was awesome, but progress was slow because it was my first RPG and I really didnt know what I was doing. It took me 3 and a half years to beat it and now I can beat it in a weekend!

During this time my brothers friend told me about Final Fantasy on the NES. He offered to sell me his copy for 20 bucks so when I finally managed to save enough money I bought it off of him. My brother, being a Nintendo Power subscriber, already had the Players Guide so I was all set. Damn was I in for a world of difference. They were completely different games and even the RPG mechanics were different between the two titles. I now realize thats because FFL wasn't even a Final Fantasy game, it was a whole different series (Saga), but regardless I enjoyed them both. Once I got Final Fantasy (Nes), one of my closest friends, Josh, would come over and we would just wander around for hours and hours leveling up. We knew from what my brothers friend told us that your characters could eventually get promoted to a different class, but for whatever reason we though it was tied to a certain level (instead or acquiring a specific item).

Josh even told me that one night he had a dream where we hit level 30 and our characters got promoted, but then they were so big that they couldn't all fit on the screen so my dad had to weld several TVs together. LOL! I love awesome videogame dreams. Undeterred, we plugged on and eventually beat the game. Having tackled two very different RPGs I was ready for something bigger and better. Nothing could prepare me for what came next.

My buddy Andrew showed up at my house with some new SNES games, one of which was Final Fantasy VI. I asked him if I could borrow it and he nodded. Later that afternoon when he went home I tossed the game into my SNES and literally became obsessed with it for something like a year and a half. The music moved me like nothing had before, the graphics drew me into this cold desolate world, and the characters kept me clinging to a thread of hope. All of this coupled with a novel sized story created the first game that ever moved me emotionally... on many levels. It would be the first time I ever cried in a video game. Again my longtime friend Josh would come over and we would work our way through the game, but come to find out there were so many secrets and so many rumors that I had missed that I would keep starting over and over and over trying to get it all. I became so obsessed over the game that for a while it was all I would do.

I was in the 9th grade by this time, and you could probably say that change was already in the cards, but around this time Josh (My closest and oldest friend) and I really began to grow apart. He eventually started hanging out with some other people, but still wanted to include me. He would swing by my place, sometimes with some of the other guys, but I refused to do anything. I just wanted to play FF VI. We eventually stopped hanging out all together. We still talked at school and had an appreciation for one another, but our interests pushed us in seperate directions, although looking back I can say that FFVI certainly acted as a wedge to speed up the process.

The odd thing is, I still haven't beat FF VI to this day. I just kept looking for all the secrets and then I got a Sega Saturn that Christmas and got drawn in by it's games. Eventually Panzer Dragoon Saga came out and it drew me in. It intrigued me from its unique battle system to its surreal graphics and Saori Kobayashi soundtrack and very adult story. It wasn't as accessible as FF VI and therefore didn't get the marathon play sessions, though I was completely dedicated to it. I just had to swallow it in smaller pieces due to its much more realistic and adult nature. Though I wish someone would have warned me about its gut wrenchingly sad cliff hanger ending. It has effected me like no other game and apparently with the franchise in limbo we'll never know for certain what happened.

Fast forward a few years and I was hooked on Skies of Arcadia. Some people say its over rated but I couldn't disagree more. Simply put, there had NEVER been ANYTHING like Skies of Arcadia on a home console to that point. It was filled with so many fresh ideas. I was absorbed into its huge seamless 3d world, its lovable characters, its inspiring level design, moving soundtrack, solid story and refreshing take on the standard RPG battles. There were so many things to discover and it always rewarded the player for their inquisitive nature. More than anything though it was the art and level design that has really stuck with me. I remember walking through a corridor underneath a floating island and rounding the corner only to see that part of the wall had crumbled away and you could see out into the stormy night sky while lightning was flashing casting an ominous glow. It was at that point I said to myself "This game is going to be something very special" and I was absolutely right. The game is filled with visually epic scenes and it has the game play, characters, music and story to tie it all together. Skies of Arcadia was the last game that managed to get 12 hour marathon gameplay sessions out of me and I loved every minute of it.

So there you have it "The abbreviated history of Wraith Storms 3 most beloved and important RPGs."

[Crystalian]

Tony the Tiger and Shopkins both have the same pattern as I.
First: Final Fantasy for NES. All the rest: Final Fantasy 3/6 for SNES. That simple.
I love plenty of RPG's, but Nothing can hold a candle to the memories and first-time experiences of FF3. Anything after just doesn't compare. Honorable mentions would be Ultima: Exodus or Quest of the Avatar, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Dragon Warrior 8, and certainly Final Fantasy Legend 2. Those titles could hold their heads up high in any category in this list, if it weren't for Garland, Astos, Matoya, Setzer, Celes, Kefka, Mog, Sara, Terra, and Tiamat locking down my whole worldview on what an RPG could and should be. An amazing genre for sure. and no wrong answers to give. I like the one guy who mentioned KOTOR; that takes guts but is still a great example, and not one I would have thought to list even though I heavily enjoyed them... Bravo!

[Genesaturn]

Great thread

First {which you played}: Final Fantasy VII (PSOne)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Xenogears (PSOne)

Finished {first you defeated}: Final Fantasy VII (PSOne)

Favorite: Final Fantasy VII (PSOne)

I received my first NES in 88 and been gaming ever since...but the RPG eluded me until I saw an add for the upcoming Final Fantasy VII. After the NES I got a Genesis and been Sega ever Since and missed all the earlier FF games. This game blew my mind....I was used to action games, hack n' slash..the bulk of video game genres. FFVII's story, characters..everything about it...all my best memories are with this game. The first time I saw the add , I made my dad take me to the store and trade in my Saturn for a PSone for it.

After FFVII, I needed more and I went on an RPG binge...Xenogears was a really emotional story and it really covered some dark topics, which I really got into a lot..this was the most emotional I ever got outside Aerith being killed. I've experienced so many great RPG's since...like lal the Shining Force games...which the exception of par 2 and 3 or Shining Force 3 on the Saturn. Grandia 2, Skies of Arcadia, every FF ever made, a bunch of DQ games...if it wasn't for FFVII...I may not even be into gaming and anime like I am today.

[Eponasoft]

First {which you played}: Pool of Radiance (Commodore 64)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Dark Savior (Sega Saturn)

Finished {first you defeated}: Pool Of Radiance (when you beat Tyranthraxus, the game is technically defeated, but it sandboxes at that point)

Favorite: Xenogears (Sony Playstation)

[NayusDante]

First: Final Fantasy
This was around December of 1993, so I was about 5. I rented it and immediately realized that there was something more complicated than what I was used to. A few months later, we had a garage sale and I made enough money to buy a copy.

Focus: Final Fantasy VI
I got my SNES in 1995 and I think this was the first game I rented. This was when I began to understand that RPGs were about telling a story as opposed to just jumping on and shooting things. I'd played adventure games like King's Quest and the LucasArts stuff, but I'll never forget loading up the saved games on the cart and getting the feeling that this game had length.

Finished: I forget
Around 1999, I remember finishing FFVII, Pokemon, and Chrono Trigger. I don't remember which was first.

Favorite: Deus Ex
I could say FFVIII, but it has too many design flaws. I thought about the week I was out sick from school and finished Chrono Cross, but I remember the experience more than the game itself. Deus Ex just got everything right. It's a roleplaying game wrapped in a stealth shooter, so I can definitely say it's a valid choice.

[substantial_snake]

First: Xenogears (PSX)

It was the first RPG I had ever picked up and played all on my own as before we got our playstation around 97' we just had a genesis and I had never seen a game of its genera before. I didn't have many friends with an SNES and those that did didn't have any RPG games while my PC owning friends were more interested in things like NFS and Jedi Night at the time. Final Fantasy 7 introduced me to the genera but only in the sense that I would watch my older brother play until I passed out as young kids do, it was more about hanging out then the game really.

Focus: Xenogears (PSX)

Xenogears qualifies for "Focus" because its also the first RPG that I really cared about the characters in. It didn't help that I saw it in bits and peices but my initial impression of Final Fantasy 7 wasn't the mystery plot or the questions about Clouds past but was more "WOW LOOK AT THESRE GRAPHICS!" kinda feeling. lol Xenogears really felt like a long journey and in that I got to care about the characters and their struggles throughout the world they lived it. I even grew to care about secondary characters to the plot and what they were doing in any particular time after a major event. The game really clicked with me and I wanted to see what would happen next, which pushed me to beat it.

Finished: Xenogears (PSX)

Its again the first one I finished, all 80 hours of it on my own. Quite proud at the time too since my brother and I were almost racing to the finish on this one.

Favorite: Xenogears (PSX)

The game is also my favorite and I don't feel its been topped yet for me personally. Despite all the problems with the "incomplete" second disc it will always be this long adventure to me that sticks out in my mind. Its music, world, characters, and story are all so incredible that it sticks out as the peak to Square's RPG height at that time. Overall its just the complete package for me and I replay it every two years or so even now.

I feel a bit silly listing the same game again and again but its the truth. I've played and enjoyed a ton of RPGs with some doing individual things much better then Xenogears but none of them have that entire package for me that this game does.

[123►Genei-Jin]

First {which you played}: Link to the Past (SNES)

Focus {first RPG which really clicked with you on a powerful level}: Baldur's Gate (PC)

Finished {first you defeated}: Link to the Past (SNES)

Favorite: Morrowind

I'm more of a PC RPG fan. I played tons of JRPGs (Lufia series, FF Series, Breath of Fire Series, etc) back in the day but never truly enjoyed them and Baldur's Gate for the PC made completely forget about them. I could simply never go back to JRPGs.