IGN's Top 100 RPGs List

http://www.ign.com/top/rpgs

Thoughts? Preferably in a way that doesn't get the thread locked, because this could turn out bad.

-Generic biased uninformed rage over the mere mention of IGN-

Looking at this list I can already see a shitstorm brewing, Fallout NV is all the way back at #89. To add insult to injury FFIX is at #88.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:15:54 AM by stevebat

Welp, that list is wrong.

I really think there should be separate lists for WRP Gs and ERP Gs. The genres tend to play so differently, it's hard to compare them.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:21:23 AM by Talby

In my opinion, this list is just really unprofessional. The most influential RP Gs in the genre like Ultima VII and Wizardry are ranked so low under silly things like Pokemon and Final Fantasy. There's also a huge bias towards JRP Gs in this list, judging from this quote for Fallout 3 (which is also above its predecessors and New Vegas for some inexplicable reason): "Fallout 3 marked a shift in the industry, a move that saw the western RPG begin to surpass its Japanese counterparts." I honestly wish they'd hire older and more experienced video game journalists to do these sorts of things rather than 20-something year olds.

Xenogears is high on the list.

Don't know what you're all complaining about.

S-See guys! We here at IGN DO know about video games! We don't just put what people want to hear in our articles, honest! We could've put FF 7 at the top, but we didn't! We put FF 6! It's still a safe, generic choice, but it's not the safest!

Maybe it's a stale and generic choice because it's the right one.

Kinda like how people put The Godfather or Citizen Kane at the top of Best Movies Ever lists. Sure, they could put Inception or something up there but then you are no better because you're being different for the sake of being different.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:30:18 AM by Nikkolas

If they wanted to put an awesome JRPG on top that's not a cliche choice they could have just used Chrono Trigger. That game's very highly regarded.

Red and Blue being so high is just...no. I get historical significance but they're pretty shitty games compared to everything else that came after.

• #10 fallout 3. Which just shits on NV which is #89
• #9 Mass Effect, Which is terrible because ME 2 was in the 60s
• #8 World of Warcraft. Not commenting
• #7 Skyrim.
• #6 Diablo II, Finally something I don't disagree with
• #5 Final Fantasy IV,
• #4 Pokemon Red, A early installment favoring, I would have put Gold/Silver here at earliest.
• #3 Baulders Gate 2
• #2 Chrono Trigger.
• #1, Final Fantasy VI

edited 16th Sep '12 10:32:36 AM by stevebat

I think the only real proof needed to see the list is a glorified popularity contest is that the only SMT games are Persona 3 and 4. No Persona 2, no SMT 3: Nocturne, just P3 and P4. Because those were popular.

But Final Fantasy VI isn't even close to the level of Citizen Kane in terms of gaming. I mean, if they wanted to do something like that, they would've put Planescape: Torment, Fallout 1 or 2, Baldur's Gate 2, or Ultima VII there. But Final Fantasy VI is there, despite the pretty generic story it had.

EDIT: And the more I read the descriptions for Fallout 3, Mass Effect, and Skyrim, the more my heart sinks to the ground. Apparently, the only way to compete with the glorious writing of such wonderous JRP Gs like Pokemon and Final Fantasy is to add the ability to wander around aimlessly and snarky good-or-evil dialogue.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:38:38 AM by Kev-O

I have the opposite opinion. There are way, way too many JRP Gs on this list, many of them I just absolutely hate. Though that could just be my bias talking.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:41:35 AM by CPFMfan

Also Planescape Torment isn't in the top 10 while Pokemon is. Not even a good pokemon game, red and blue, the buggy messes.

I find it odd that despite how much IGN defended Bioware for Mass Effect Triple, inventing that stupid phrase "gamer entitlement" (it hurt typing that) in the process, they didn't even bother to put it on the list.

EDIT: "Bias towards" means they're for it, mate. They honestly think that JRP Gs have been consistently better than WRP Gs until the advent of Fallout 3.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:45:26 AM by Kev-O

Oh what, so just because they defended a game against fans who felt unsatisfied with the ending they HAVE to put it on their lists? You better check your entitlement buddy, you're dangerously close to having an opinion.

You can't compare JRP Gs and WRP Gs They're too different.

Ah. I got confused, sorry. Anyway yeah, I agree with that opinion. Many of the J "RP Gs" on this list don't even qualify as roleplaying games at all or just don't deserve their spots.

It may also have something to do with the fact that they gave it a perfect (well, 9.5) score, called it one of the greatest games ever made, and gave it the Editor's Choice award.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:50:45 AM by CPFMfan

This list (like most "best game ever" lists) was pretty much doomed from the start. Regardless of what they picked there would have been accusations of JRPG bias, CRPG bias, retro pandering, hipsterism etc.

Either way the list does pretty much contains only the RP Gs that IGN fells most people have heard of (if not played). Which is probably why a lot of lesser known classics are missing.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:49:52 AM by Mio

@Kev-O: I can't speak on FFVI but I know many of its fans would throw a fit if you said the story was generic. It's apparently quite amazing.

From what I do know, the villain gaining absolute power and destroying the world halfway through the story is pretty unheard of, especially for gaming.

They did for some reason. Wonder why they lumped them together. Laziness, perhaps?

EDIT: The inclusion of Mass Effect 3 would've made the list worse, I believe. Perhaps they recognized it, although I bet they really were tempted to throw it on there.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:56:17 AM by Kev-O

I don't think anyone at IGN has played or heard of a hundred individual WRP Gs or JRP Gs. I question people at IGN playing a hundred games period.

Perhaps. I've actually come under the impression that some of IG Ns employee's are actually non-gamers. Example: That Jessica Chobot girl that used to do the Daily Fix. It was kinda obvious she was just a pretty face and had no idea what she was saying.

edited 16th Sep '12 10:56:51 AM by Jamdat369