Favorite NES RPG (If Dragon Warrior never saw the light)

[starfox316]

In an alternate reality, where Dragon Warrior never happened what would be you're favorite RPG game/series for the NES?

(I say this assuming the DW's will draw alot of your responses, so just to encourage different answers. Because let's face it, DW is pretty hard to beat as far as awesome NES RPG series go.)

My vote goes to the Ultima games, with Star Tropics (particularly zoda's revenge) as my favorites.

I really enjoy the battle/strategy system that the Ultima series uses (any suggestions on other battle systems like that, NES or SNES?) Star Tropics 2 is very quirky, with lot's of humor and lightheartedness to go around, not to mention that i like the refreshing fact that there are times when no random battles occur, yet you're still kicking ass all over the place.

[Daria]

This is pretty similar to a poll I replied to in another forum that requested a top 10 for NES RPGs. I replied as such:

1. Dragon Warrior IV - The best RPG released for the system as far as I'm concerned. Of course that it came out late enough to have been an early SNES release is no surprise. A last hurrah for the NES.

2. Legend of Zelda - The original open world exploration adevtnure game. Simple, and immersive the game was all about the hidden secrets and you just felt smarter for having played it.

3. Crystalis - The only reason I rate this higher than Star Tropics is that it's not as hard. A great action RPG with solid story, like DW4 it really felt more like a 16bit adventure.

4. Star Tropics - Damn game was hard. :/

5. Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom - Hilarious.

6. Ultima Exodus - old school dungeon dwelving and level grinding. What's not to appreciate here?

7. Magic of Scheherazade - I'm a sucker for time traveling games. Like Chrono Trigger, and DW7 I enjoyed this game simply because I could warp back and forth between generations. That, and it was Arabian themed.

8. Dragon Warrior - The original. Love it for nostalgia's sake.

9. Legend of the Ghost Lion - A Dragon Warrior clone with a female hero. Excellent character portraits and creature sprites. Not a deep game but it was fun, I recall it having some nice puzzles too.

10. Solstice - OK a stretch to call this an RPG. But a really good dungeon puzzler in the same vein as ICO, Lightcrusader, & The Immortal.

But there's a couple games I really haven't played yet that are suppose to be fantastic, mainly Destiny of an Emperor and Willow.

[Truffle]

Oh I love Star Tropics, and Crystalis!
The Magic OF Sheherazade and Gargoyles Quest 2 are awsome!

I also love Legacy of the Wizard and Solstice! Though Im not good at them at all, and they arent true RPGs....

[Truffle]

Oh yes.
Destiny of an Emperor (sp?) was a wonderfull game. I really enjoyed it back in the day.Thats a game I need to bust out and play again...

[starfox316]

Is Willow an RPG? That movie kicked so much ass, it isn't even funny. (how the hell did they FIND all those midget actors???) Plus, Val Kilmer as Mad Mardigan was killer. I wonder, is he playable in Willow?

I've seen Willow sitting up at the store for months now, with a shiny 2.99 sticker on it. I just figured it would be a horrible liscenced game, not worth the plastic it was cased in, now Im stoked to go pick it up.

[DefaultGen]

.....

[Gabriel]

It doesn't even matter that the Dragon Warrior games did exist. The best NES RPG is Ultima: Quest of the Avatar.

[Jorpho]

What about Magician? It's supposed to be excellent (and underrated).

Get the scoop on NES Willow at Hardcore Gaming 101. Not terribly movie-related, it seems, but excellent nonetheless. (It's Capcom, after all!)

[exit]

This one is easy, Earthbound.

A runner up would have to be Sweet Home, despite me yet having to finish it.

[skaar]

Crystalis.

[Chaz From Phantasy Star 2]

This is pretty similar to a poll I replied to in another forum that requested a top 10 for NES RPGs.

Wow! You have so many posts here I thought you wouldn't have time for any other message boards!

And to answer the question, the best NES RPG is without a doubt Final Fantasy III!

[NinjaJoey23]

Um, Final Fantasy? Is there something I am missing? Why was this not mentioned? In any case, I like FF better than any of the DW series.

[Daria]

Wow! You have so many posts here I thought you wouldn't have time for any other message boards!

And to answer the question, the best NES RPG is without a doubt Final Fantasy III!

I'm a mod of the Other RPG forum at ShiningForceCentral.com

Not as active as it used to be but whatever. It's home. :P

[Arqueologia_Digital]

Same as topic´s creator, i prefer most Ultima Games and of course, Star Tropics. Great RPG classics!

[DigitalSpace]

Another vote for Crystalis, which I would have picked over Dragon Warrior anyways. Just avoid the GBC version, it's not the same.

I also highly recommend Willow. One of my friends had it back in the day and it was a blast. Could have used a battery save, though.

[Snapple]

Hard to say. Crystalis, Earthbound Zero, Final Fantasy 3, Destiny of an Emperor... all good games.

[bangtango]

Crystalis... and i've never played DW

Never played Dragon Warrior, not even the original? What are you waiting for?

I don't like RPG's much so Dragon Warrior would win by default. Aside from the excessive level building (and gold accumulation) required just to go from one city to another, it is a good one.

Others I liked? I'm not certain that Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves could be classified as an rpg, even partially, but that one was pretty fun. For most people, it is a bad licensed game but there is a little strategy involved with what each of your characters has to carry. Otherwise, I'd say Legend of Zelda or Adventure of Link.

The rest? Ultima Exodus was a little too slow paced for me. I tried Hydlide and it was horrible, I don't expect anybody here to disagree. I never played Crystalis or Star Tropics but I watched them get played often enough to determine I wasn't very interested.

[psychic1]

I'll do you one better and rank every NES RPG released in North America from best to worst!

1. The Legend of Zelda
2. Dragon Warrior IV
3. Crystalis
4. Dragon Warrior III
5. Final Fantasy
6. Uncharted Waters
7. Destiny of an Emperor
8. Dragon Warrior II
9. Dragon Warrior
10. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
11. Ultima: Quest of the Avatar
12. The Magic of Scheherazade
13. Faxanadu
14. Tombs & Treasure
15. The Battle of Olympus
16. Might and Magic
17. Wizardry
18. Faria
19. Willow
20. Conquest of the Crystal Palace
21. Ultima: Exodus
22. Legend of the Ghost Lion
23. Wizardry: Knight of Diamonds -- The Second Scenario
24. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Pool of Radiance
25. Ultima: Warriors of Destiny
26. Swords & Serpents
27. Bard's Tale
28. Times of Lore
29. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon Strike
30. Dungeon Magic: Sword of the Elements
31. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Hillsfar
32. Castlequest
33. Deadly Towers
34. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance
35. Hydlide

[Jorpho]

You don't have Magician listed either.

[starfox316]

Conquest of the Crystal Palace is an amazing game!!! But not really an RPG, otherwise your list is solid. Thanks for the contribution.

Speaking of AD&D, does anyone remember the D&D arcade game? I remember it playing a bit like Golden Axe. I've wanted that for the longest, does anyone know if it was ever ported?

P.S. DW II is better than DW???!!! Personally, I got nosebleeds from playing DW II it was so tedious and difficult. Almost made the game unplayable at times