The best of famous Japanese RPGs...

[Dalton]

Galuf was FF5, Erik.

[Vendetta]

Redundancy? I'm not sure I agree with that...some classes were a lot less useful than others, but as far as I recall each dresssphere had its own unique set of abilities that you could only get from that particular dresssphere.

I'm largely referring to the number of ways you have of essentially doing the same thing. For example, the White Mage and Alchemist are both capable of healing, but the Alchemist's Stash command can spam a Mega-Potion for 2000HP to all every turn for absolutely no cost at all, and that's without the sick Stash-Elixir command, whereas even at maximum level a White Mage can only cast Curaga a dozen or so times before needing an Ether.

There's also a surfeit of standard damage classes. Most of the abilities for the Warrior, Gunner, Berzerker, Dark Knight, Samurai, and Trainer are just "X damage to enemy" with a variety of animations. The only difference between them is really statistical.

There's also the fact that the White Mage does not need to use rare items to cast the most powerful healing spells, which is an advantage for players like myself who are very stingy with item consumption.

See Stash-Elixir. It may cost 999AP to learn, but it's far more powerful than anything the White Mage can cast with the exact same time-cost as any other Stash move.

As for guff classes, well yeah, but X-2 is hardly unique in that regard amongst FFs that use the job system (Geomancer, anyone?).

True, the Job system has always had a big sack of dead-weight classes, even in FFIII. I do think after god knows how many iterations that they could overhaul it a bit more though. (Maybe they should have a system where you equip two base classes, and they combine to form the more exotic ones, so you don't have too many classes to grind and then never use) And at least the Geomancer had that natty damage floor avoid move. Plus some of their earth magic was quite powerful, given how free it was)

I liked the camp. Very tongue-in-cheek for a genre that has a tendency to take itself far too seriously. X-2 and Shadow Hearts were a breath of fresh air in that regard.

I didn't see the camp as a problem. Except when Brother got a bit too wonky. As I said, FFX-2 was fun. I'd almost given up on the series before I played it.

[Exonerate]

- Best death of a major character: Shadow from FFVI. "I'm not running anymore."

He only died because you didn't wait for him

And I stand by my decision to not list Kefka. His laugh was just too annoying for me, and whereas Sephiroth was stylish with his long sword and hair, Kefka just looked ridiculous with his facepaint. That's no way for a villian to look!

Oh, and for best supporting character... Moogle. Kupo!

[Erik von Nein]

Galuf was FF5, Erik.

*smacks forehead* I knew there was something wrong with that.

[Civil War Man]

He only died because you didn't wait for him

Actually, I never killed off Shadow on the floating continent. I'm talking about his other death.

Really classy, though. He goes along with you, eventually learns what it's like to care about someone else, then *BAM*, they kill him off in the credits.

[SylasGaunt]

Oh and I feel Makai Kingdom deserves special mention just because the main character actually gives someone the nickname Asshat.

Oh that and the nominal 'hero' referring to his own men as his 'loyal battle monkeys'

[felineki]

- Best villain: Lavos, Chrono Trigger. Less is more, folks. No speaking lines + mysterious = win.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. So many people like Chrono Trigger, but Lavos doesn't seem to get the appreciation that so many other parts of the game do. That roar of his is one of the most amazing sound effects ever created, in my opinion.

[Vendetta]

Lavos isn't a villain. A villain needs to be an actual character, Which Lavos is not. It just is. Crono Trigger's only real villain is Queen Zeal.

[SAMAS]

- Best death of a major character: Shadow from FFVI. "I'm not running anymore."

He only died because you didn't wait for him

And I stand by my decision to not list Kefka. His laugh was just too annoying for me, and whereas Sephiroth was stylish with his long sword and hair, Kefka just looked ridiculous with his facepaint. That's no way for a villian to look!

*coughJokercough*

[General Zod]

- Best villain: Lavos, Chrono Trigger. Less is more, folks. No speaking lines + mysterious = win.

I wholeheartedly agree with this. So many people like Chrono Trigger, but Lavos doesn't seem to get the appreciation that so many other parts of the game do. That roar of his is one of the most amazing sound effects ever created, in my opinion.

Lavos was kinda cool, but it lacks so much of what makes a villain really great. When it boils down Lavos was just a big mindless machine with zero personality. Several other villains in the game had much more style and coolness than Lavos did.

[felineki]

Lavos isn't a villain. A villain needs to be an actual character, Which Lavos is not. It just is. Crono Trigger's only real villain is Queen Zeal.

If you say so. I found Lavos to be much more interesting than Queen Zeal, or Magus, or any of the other antagonists of CT, but then again, I seem to have odd tastes when it comes to this sort of thing.

[Medic]

Hey wait, I thought Shadow lives at the end of FFVI? In the credits he says something like "Baram! I'm not gonna run away anymore. I'm gonna start over." (while shooing away his dog)

IIR'd those lines correctly then that sounds like he meant to live. It seems like he wouldn't want his old friends to see the change because their presence in his life might remind him of the old days; make him feel dishonest about himself.

[thecreech]

i guess i will throw my one cent in here

- Best Characters and character development Skies of Arcadia


- Best main character/protagonist -Vyse- Skies of Arcadia.


- Best main heroine Nei - Phantasy Star 2

- Best villain - Earthlings- Phantasy star 2... You didn't even fight against them... they were just part of the ending and they were bastards


- Best gameplay Panzar Dragoon Saga... original and innovative. The style of gameplay in RPG's has yet to be matched


- Best story/plot -too many but i think i am going to lean on chrono trigger for this one

- Best setting Panzar Dragoon Saga


- Best art and design (not the best graphics, but the actual art and design itself) - Panzar Dragoon Saga... again original and innovative and has yet to be matched by any RPG


- Best boss battle(s) - Too tough to tell...


- Best music - Panzar Dragoon Saga

- Best death of a major character - Nei from phantasy star 2... she was your strongest character not only that her own mother kills her and it happens mid way through the game .

- Best/coolest weapons, artifacts, and spells- Really tough can't give answer

[President Sharky]

Lavos isn't a villain. A villain needs to be an actual character, Which Lavos is not. It just is. Crono Trigger's only real villain is Queen Zeal.

If you say so. I found Lavos to be much more interesting than Queen Zeal, or Magus, or any of the other antagonists of CT, but then again, I seem to have odd tastes when it comes to this sort of thing.

Lavos was less a villain than he was an evil force. But he isin't mindless, as Crono Cross and Crono Trigger detail. It's his parasitic actions that are the cause of all the conflicts in both games, and his presence causes all the woes of the characters. I'm with you on the Lavos sound effect, however. That is truly one of the most frightening sounds ever created. Its best use is when you die trying to kill Lavos and you get the "But the World refused to change..." ending. One of the most tragic endings I've ever seen.