The Top 10 Role Playing Games No One Has Ever Played

The sad thing about the Video Game Industry is that if a video game isn't given a multi-million dollar marketing strategy that there is a probability that either the game will end up in the bargain bin or on Ebay and Amazon as a "RARE COLLECTOR'S ITEM". Its sad because these games deserve to be appreciated. This article is devoted to the great role-playing games that no one has ever played. The only top-ten RPG list that won't have Final Fantasy VII or Fallout 3 on the list!

10. CAPCOM X NAMCO 
(PS2)

Capcom x Namco is the first on our list because of the reason why no one played it. It was never released in the United States. Similar to Capcom's "Vs. Series" of 2D fighting games, Capcom x Namco was the crossover everyone wished for and instead of a fighting game . They made a turn-based strategy RPG with 2D fighting elements. If any of this appeals to you and you have a solid understanding of Japanese by all means buy Capcom x Namco for the PS2.

What to remember: The crossover teams of our fan boy dreams!

What to forget: No official U.S. release and the game is too large of an undertaking for a fan sub.

9. FRONT MISSION 3 & 4  
(PSone & PS2)

Here's another oddball on the list. Front Mission 3, published by Squaresoft, was a very accessible turn-based stategy RPG involving giant battle mechs called Wanzers. FM3 was released on the PSone in 1999 and the game included 2 separate 30+ hours campaigns on one disc. Front Mission 4 was released in 2004 and unlike its predecessor was designed for the hardcore Front Mission fan. Poor sales pushed the Front Mission Games into the bargain bin and Square-Enix decided not to release Front Mission 5 to the United States due to poor sales in the region.

What to remember: Deep customization and hard to beat enemy A.I. kept you on your toes!

What to forget: No multiplayer on FM4. Shame.

8. STAR OCEAN 2: SECOND STAR STORY 

(PSone)

Star Ocean 2 was released in 1999 on two discs and on those two discs were over 80 different endings. Not only that but you can teach your character a variety of skills such as painting, cooking, black smithing, and scouting just to name a few. The game featured a robust and fast paced battle system that was customizable to suit your playing style. The first Star Ocean was released very late in the Super Nintendo lifespan too be released in the United States and with the release of Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time the series fell in mediocrity.

What to remember: 80 different endings and "Personal Actions" kept the game fun outside of the fast paced battles.

What to forget: The bad translations and mediocre story-telling you would commonly find in Saturday morning anime are also commonly found in this game.

7. SKIES OF ARCADIA  
(Dreamcast)

Skies of Arcadia was re-released on the Gamecube with some added features but it too faced poor sales as the game was already five years old when released on the Gamecube. Skies of Arcadia was a Sky-Pirate simulator and featured the ability to maintain and level up your crew and airship. Many games such as the Final Fantasy series would give you an Airship as a mode of transport in the later stages of the game. Skies of Arcadia gave you an Airship of your own from the get-go and the Airship Battles were innovative for the time. This title proved to be Sega's last attempt at making a quality RPG.

What to remember: Airship Battles! Pirates! and Treasure!
What to forget: The frequent random battles would make your Dreamcast scream "Bloody Murder!".

6. PARASITE EVE 2 
(PSone)

The first Parasite Eve delivered a pleasurable yet short-lived Bio-Horror Survival RPG and in 2000 Squaresoft released a sequel with much improved graphics and a smoother battle system. Few RPGs ever delved into Horror Survival and Parasite Eve 2 was a shining example of that exception. Parasite Eve 2 was creepy and fun while offering an intelligent story to boot. A spin-off, 3rd Birthday, was announced for the PSP not too long ago.

What to remember: The Shower FMV and The Burner!

What to forget: No voice-acting, considering the game's short length they could have, they could have included it.

5. GRANDIA II
(Dreamcast)

Grandia II was developed by the now defunct Game Arts Studio and was released in 2000 with much anticipation from the hardcore gamers and fans of Japanese anime. The original game, released on the original Playstation, was known for its quirky collection of mini-games such as the Furniture mini-game. The sequel featured 3D NPCs, a rarity during its release, and a crazy addictive battle system, where you can cancel to actions of enemies or swiftly evade attacks! The game was poorly ported to the Playstation 2 in 2001 and later to the PC by Ubisoft. The game is now available on online video game service Game Tap. 
What to remember: Tactical turn-based battles with an intuitive counter system! The story is very similar to Final Fantasy X. The game also includes many voice actors from Metal Gear Solid and the Real Adventures of Johnny Quest.

What to forget: Anime-inspired visuals, but alas that's what the hardcore gamers were into back then.

4. SHENMUE 
(Dreamcast)

One of the most ambitious games ever developed. The game had a $70 million budget and a development period of 7 years! The game was originally to be released on the doomed Sega Saturn platform, but the long development time pushed the title to be released on Sega Dreamcast. The game featured a photo realistic setting with many objects to interact with. Some critics cite that the game was slow paced while others found the game to be a stroke of genius. Shenmue was supposed to be part of a larger trilogy and a sequel was released for the Dreamcast in Japan in 2000 and it was later ported to the Xbox in 2003. However they both saw poor sales, but Yu Suzuki has been working on a Shenmue MMO, however it doesn't seem to be coming stateside.

What to remember: Forklift Racing and Classic Yu Suzuki games like Harrier built in! 100 man battle was a nice end game treat.

What to forget: "Do you know where I can find some sailors?" - Ryo Hazuki

3. OGRE BATTLE: LET US CLING TOGETHER

(PSone and SNES)

Ogre Battle Tactics was originally released on the SNES and it was later ported to the Playstation. Ogre Battle Tactics was the precursor to critically acclaimed best-seller Final Fantasy Tactics, in fact the game was designed by the same creator, Yasumi Matsuno. The Japanese gaming magazine, Fatmitsu, listed Ogre Battle: Let Us Cling Together as #7 on their 100 Greatest Games of All Time List. The game now fetches $80 - $300 for used and new copies due to its rarity and rabid fan following.

What to remember: A pure strategy tactical RPG with a deep engrossing story and addictive gameplay! No wonder this game is a masterpiece!
What to forget: Price-gouging on online marketplaces prevent many people from playing this gem.

2. PLANESCAPE TORMENT
(PC)

Bioware, the company that brought us Baulder's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic, and Mass Effect, and Black Isle Studio, the company that brought us Icewind Dale and Fallout 1 & 2, made this gem in 1999. It used the Infinity Engine and was set in the Dungeons and Dragons Planescape Universe. Unlike it's contemporaries Torment was story-driven and featured less prominence on combat. Anything can be solved with the game's deep dialog system. One of the most original Role Playing Games of all time never reached a wide audience.

What to remember: Playing as an immortal undead zombie was awesome!
What to forget: Necrophilia is rampant within the game's universe.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE
Please Read before going any further . . .

The late 90's was the hay day for Japanese Console Role Playing Games thanks to the major success of the Final Fantasy franchise, particularly Final Fantasy VII. Squaresoft became a quality producing Japanese role-playing developer with successful titles such as Chrono Trigger and Kingdom Hearts, but not everything the company went gold! Mild successes such as Xenogears, Legend of Mana, and Front Mission fell the wayside but one title produced by Squaresoft received much critical acclaim including Famitsu's almost impossible to attain score of 40/40! That game was . . .

VAGRANT STORY
(PSone)

Produced by Yasumi Matsuno, the creator of Ogre Battle Series, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Final Fantasy XII (another 40/40 game from Famitsu!), Vagrant Story followed the story of Ashley Riot a special agent of the crown. Set in the Ivalice universe, which was also created by Matsuno, Vagrant Story weaved an espionage drama into one of the deepest most addictive role-playing game on any console. The game didn't feature any NPCs other than enemies and has a deeply customizable weapon building system. Vagrant proved that the aging Playstation hardware could still produce quality graphics and sound amidst next generation hardware such as the Sega Dreamcast and Sony's own Playstation 2. Vagrant Story was the greatest role-playing game no one has ever played.

HONORABLE MENTIONS IN 25 WORDS OR LESS!

Xenogears 

Philosophy Giant Robots and Kung Fu with Anime FMVs produced by I.G. Productions

Zone of the Enders 2

Hideo Kojima and Giant Robots! Somehow I'm not surprised.

Chrono Cross

It just wasn't as good as Chrono Trigger!

Brave Fencher Musashi

Samurai RPG how can that go wrong?

Tales of Phantasia
Way too many random encounters kept it from the list
King's Field
Hopefully Demon's Souls will bring the franchise back
Lunar 2: Second Star Story
Old school JRPG
Ys
A rouge like game that help define the JRPG stereotypes
Persona 2
Includes a "Rumor System", which has since been absent in P3 & P4
Evolution 1 & 2
Dungeon Crawler on the Dreamcast
Fallout 1 & 2
When people picked up Fallout 3 did they ask the question "Where can I play Fallout 1 & 2?", sadly the answer is "no".
Saga Frontier 1 & 2

Non-linear gameplay structure at its finest!
Unlimited Saga
A game board driven RPG that didn't use Polygons or Sprites!
Shenmue II
It was a departure from the first one, and thus not as good