Top 10 Best PS3 Role Playing Games of All Time

"The PlayStation 3 makes a good home for role-playing games and titles close to the genre. Find out the best RPGs the PlayStation 3 has in store."

[guitarded77]

Demon's Souls at number 9? Author should be prepared for incoming hate mail (comments).

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

a lot of the stuff on this list is questionable. The PS3 version of Skyrim at number 3?, Mass Effect 3 at number 4 (even though ME1 and 2 are on PS3), New Vegas is better than Fallout 3 apparently.

Not the best list in the world, in my opinion, but then again it isn't my list. It does go against a lot of the more vocal gamers opinions, though. I still respect the list and Dark Souls and Ni No Kuni hitting the top 2 is a good choice.

[guitarded77]

I agree, but the majority of the PS3/RPG community will see Demon's Souls at #9 first, and the rest of the list will be invalid after that. IMO and in the opinion of many I know, Demon's Souls is a better game than even Dark Souls. Of course a top 10 is subjective, but this list seems off indeed.

[MadLad]

"New Vegas is better than Fallout 3 apparently. "

It is from a writing, depth and choice/consequence standpoint.

The only things that Fallout 3, arguably, handled better was setting and the open world itself. The first of which can be debated, being that that would be from a gamer to gamer basis.

[Irishguy95]

New Vegas is vastly superior to Fallout 3 in every way that counts. Mainly at being an RPG and not a simple exploration game.

Don't forget SlapHappy, New Vegas had the balls to take out that god awful level scaling system bethesda started implemented to make their games cater to exploration over progression. And to cater to a wider audience who don't like being challenged. Not to mention the companions were vastly superior to F3 and Skyrim. And the combat was superior to F3.

I mean...imagine if Dark Souls and Demons had level scaling...It would just be a pointless game.

[abzdine]

i only like JRPG and there were two this gen on PS3!

Valkyria Chronicles
Ni no Kuni

[abzdine]

i forgot 3D Dot Game Heroes!

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

@abzdine

Do you mean PS3 only got 2 JRPGs or that there are only 2 you like?

Cause, aside from Ni No Kuni and Valkyria Chronicles, there's actually plenty of PS3 RPGs made in Japan, ranging from action, turn based crossovers and strategy/tactical RPGs:

Demon's Souls/Dark Souls
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Nier
Final Fantasy XIII and XIII-2
White Knight Chronicles I and II
Eternal Sonata
Folklore
Tales of Vesperia, Graces f, Xillia and Xillia 2
Disgaea 3 and 4
Enchanted Arms
Cross Edge
Record of Agarest War
Atelier Rorona, Totori, Meruru and Ayesha
Hyperdimension Neptunia, Mk2 and Victory
Mugen Souls
Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
Ar Tonelico III
Trinity Universe
Resonance of Fate
Last Rebellion
Rainbow Moon (PS Store game)
Vandal Hearts: Flames of Justice (PS Store game)

And those are only the ones that I'm sure got released in western, I have no idea how many other are still in Japan only.

[ShaunCameron]

@ abzdine

3D Dot Game Heroes isn't an RPG. It's an Action-Adventure game.

[TooTall19]

I would agree with New Vegas being better. I think the story and main missions were much better.

[jrbeerman11]

@bishop-br

I'm pretty sure Tales of Graces F is the only western Tales release for Ps3. Vesperia is xbox only in west, and Xillia 1 hasn't been released in english yet despite Japan already having Xillia 2.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

@jrbeerman11

Yup, I messed up, was putting Tales Of on the list and remembered Graces f readily followed by Vesperia, which I played the japanese version borrowed from a friend, didn't remember it wasn't on PS3 on western 'till it was too late to edit... The others (Xillia and Xillia 2) just followed in without much consideration. Again, my bad.

Also (as -GametimeUK- brought to my attention) Rainbow Moon is not made in Japan, it only borrows a lot from JRPGs, but it's actually German.

Anyway, I guess I still have my point clear, there's 30 some PS3 JRPGs, so I don't get the "only two JRPGs" argument, unless he meant the "only two I liked".

[dedicatedtogamers]

Author lists three Bethesda games (PS3 versions are the worst, unfortunately). Mass Effect 3 (worst in the trilogy) and Eternal Sonata (a delayed port of a 360 game).

No Resonance of Fate? No Folklore? No Disgaea 3 or 4? No 3D Dot Game Heroes (that's more action-adventure, admittedly)?

And no Valkyria Chronicles? Really?

[DigitalRaptor]

I just don't imagine he's played all those games. They are pretty niche. Valkyria Chronicles and Folklore are such brilliant underrated gems.

[StockpileTom]

Valkyria Chronicles was a brilliant hybrid of a game but I would classify it more strategy than RPG though it does have some heavy RPG elements.

I can't believe Sega sent such a game out there with almost no marketing... I am confident if it were better advertised VCII and III wouldn't have been PSP games...

[Gigglefist]

Number 1 or gtfo lol

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Dark Souls should be number 1 in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned it is probably the best game of the generation.

[DemonSlayer420]

Demon's Souls should be 1, Dark Souls should be 2.

[MysticStrummer]

I went back and forth with the voices in my head about which was better, Demon's or Dark Souls, and I came to this same conclusion. Demon's Souls has the edge, mainly because I felt like I was in danger most of the time while I was playing. It made me nervous. Dark Souls did that too at times, and there were things I liked better about it, but overall I have to give it to Demon's Souls. They are possibly my two favorite games of any generation.

[fattyuk]

FALLOUT 3

[_QQ_]

Tales of Vesperia should be on the list, the co-op mode was amazing.

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Does the Japanese version have English subs or voice acting / text?

[Firan]

It's Tales. So no.

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Guess I could always try the 360 version, but I would rather of had a PS3 version. :(

[jrbeerman11]

i heard that you can actually use flynn in japaneze ps3 version of Vesperia. Why they couldnt have a western release for a game that was already translated escapes me.

[vakarian75]

It was only on the ps3 in japan that's probably why it didn't make the list.

[Godmars290]

ME3?

List invalid.

[young7yang]

of all the Mass Effect games 3 was the most linear

[MysticStrummer]

I got the trilogy and enjoyed ME1, but ME2 bored me for some reason so I traded the whole thing in without finishing it.

[ddurand1]

they should ban sites from making these stupid slideshows.

[jrbeerman11]

I know such a cheap tactic

[jambola]

I must say it's nice to see a list like this without skyrim being on top

[young7yang]

this list sucks!

games that should have been on there..

No particular order..

tales of grace f
tales of vasperia
tales of xillia
tales of xillia 2
valkryia chronicles
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2 (mass effect three did no allow for much in terms of choice)
final fantasy xiii-2
Skyrim
Okami
the Yakuza series 1-5 and Kenzan/of the end

[Sam Fisher]

I rather your list, for ps3 its logical. Mass effect 3 has better game controls than the first 2 but thats all, imo mass effect 1 was the best. It really stuck to the rpg elements most and story was amazing, 2 felt like a filler to complete 3.

[Eyeco]

Okami isnt an RPG, like Zelda its an action adventure game with RPG elements

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

Nice to see XIII-2 on there. I just bought Tales of Graces F amazing game.

[RedDevils]

no nino kuni failed

[jrbeerman11]

again, this list probably excludes Japan only games such as all but one of those tales games.

and mass effect 3 had choices people just focus on the ending choices that sucked.

but the end of tuchanka, the end of geth/quarian war, and even the ardat yakshi mission had tons of choices that reflect past games choices as well as the current one.

the main game leading up to ending was well done, and makes the endings that much more offensive, even with the improved extended cut.

also as a side note, no one ever complained that jrpgs never have choice (story wise).

[-Gespenst-]

Hmmm I feel like Resonance of Fate deserves a spot. I never played it, but it looks pretty sweet.

I suppose there was no chance XIII and XIII-2 were gonna make the list, but I'd put them on though.

Deus Ex... not strictly an rpg. Great game though, my GOTY the year it came out. Still, I'd knock it off the list. Doesn't seem entirely fair to actual rpgs.

As for Ni No Kuni, I think it may well deserve that top spot. Possibly the best rpg this generation IF a little simplistic (And also VERY like most of Level-5's rpgs in different ways- DQVIII, Rogue Galaxy, and Dark Cloud)

I've not played ME3 but I have a feeling ME2 should be on there instead.

I kind of prefer Oblivion...

And Kingdom of Amalur always seemed like the most trite, WoW-looking thing ever. Don't like games like it.

[Inception]

You should try Resonance of Fate. It really underapreciated by the majority of gamer, when it had better gameplay than FF XIII.

[josephayal]

Fallout New Vegas is technically a terrible game

[ZodTheRipper]

Only on PS3, Like all Bethesda games. It's still one of the better RPG's this gen.

[Eyeco]

Really it was buggy as hell on my 360 I didn't play the PS3 version, looking at reviews it was called out on all 3 platforms for being buggy

[AKS]

Only Bethesda's PS3 versions are buggy? I beg to differ on that point. I also have PC and 360 versions of some of their games, and there's no shortage of bugs. Great games, but very buggy.

[MysticStrummer]

Bethesda prides themselves on being buggy no matter what platform. It's what they do best.

[McScroggz]

Don't really agree with the list, but it's a highly subjective thing though so I won't undermine the author's article. One thing I'll say is Demon's Souls and Dark Souls are games for a fairly small group of gamers. To those gamers it's amazing and I 100% understand why. I just hope those that love those games understand why so many dislike the game.

For instance, I'm a huge Disgaea fan. I'd put Disgaea 4 on my top 10 list, but that's an even smaller target audience than Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. If somebody doesn't like the game I don't think any less of them; but that doesn't mean its a bad game.

My list:

1. Mass Effect 2
2. Fallout 3
3. Mass Effect
4. Mass Effect 3
5. Ni no Kuni
6. Disgaea 4
7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution
8. Borderlands 2 (Specifically because it was my interaction with my best friend who moved away)
9. Tales of Graces f
10. Fallout: New Vegas

That doesn't include great games like Valkyria Chronicles, Eternal Sonata, Folklore, and Nier. Nor does it include games like Final Fantasy XIII, Resonance of Fate, or The Elder Scrolls games (which ran poorly or they'd be on my list - Morrowind is still the best).

The point is, to me, that while the PS3 didn't deliver nearly as many great JRPG's (especially the first several years) it has rounded out to have a pretty sweet balance of JRPG's and WRGP's.

Now PLEASE bring a localized version of Tales of Vesperia to NA :D

[pop-voxuli]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Mass Effect 3 are RPGs eh? News to me.

[DemonSlayer420]

Demon's Souls is number 1 in my book, that game was so ahead of it's time with the online which made the game feel like a MMO. Demon's Souls is the definition of Action RPG.

[ZodTheRipper]

I can only agree, Demon's Souls probably was the game that surprised me the most this generation.

[jensen86]

id of put fallout new vegas as my number one with skyrim a close second wiv fallout 3 3rd then oblivion 4th

[T2]

I personally dont consider fallout an rpg but I understand why some would .. And im just gonna say everyone should play kingdoms of amalur

[Chaos_Raiden]

Own list:

Dark Souls
Demon's Souls
NieR
Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk
Valkyria Chronicles
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Tales of Graces f
Mass Effect 2
Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory

[Snookies12]

No Disgaea 4 or Tales of Graces f?

[ajax17]

shit list

[iliimaster]

Lost Odyssey is the best one of them all this gen *(xbox 360) never woulda thought that

[wedgie]

No Dragon age Origins? One of my favorite games of all time, let alone being on the PS3

[thirtyandnerdy]

I was gonna add that.^ So instead I'll agree-- DA:O is possibly my favorite this generation. If we're not counting Dragon's Dogma as an actual RPG. Haha. If we are, DD first, and probably DA:O second, followed by Deus Ex: HR. =) Good times this generation.

[Relientk77]

Way to make most of the list Western RPGs, JRPGs are way better

you want amazing PS3 RPGs, go play

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, and Tales of Graces f

edit: Folklore, 3D Dot Game Heroes, and Valkeria Chronicles are all also good

[AsunaYuukiTheFlash]

1.Ni No Kuni (JRPG)
2.Dark Souls (JRPG)
3.Tales of Vesperia (JRPG)
4.Demon Souls (JRPG)
5.Valkyria Chronicles (SRPG)
6.Tales of Xillia 2 (JRPG)
7.Disgaea 4 (SRPG)
9.Tales of Xillia (JRPG)
10.Tales of Graces F (JRPG)
11.Dragon Age Origins (WRPG)
12.Final Fantasy XIII-2 (JRPG)
13.Star Ocean IV : The Last Hope (JRPG)
14.Mass Effect 2 (JRPG)
15.Eternal Sonata (JRPG)
16.White Knight Chronicles (JRPG)
17.Enchanted Arms (JRPG)
18.Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel (JRPG)
19.Dragon's Dogma (JRPG)
20.Final Fantasy XIII (JRPG)

[Inception]

My top 10:
1. Valkyria Chronicles
2. Demon's Souls
3. Dark Souls
4. Tales of Graces f
5. Ni no Kuni
6. Disgaea 4
7. Resonance of Fate
8. Ar Tonelico III
9. Heavy Rain (well, RPGfans listed it as RPG on their review)
10.Nier

I will reserved my judgement to the upcoming Tales of Xillia, Disgaea Dimension 2, The Guided Fate Paradox, The Witch and Hundred Knight. And looks like a lot of people really like Folklore and 3D Dot Game Heroes. Hmm, maybe i should check my local store if they still have a copy for this two.

[thirtyandnerdy]

<3 Nier sooo much. One of my favorite games ever. More people need to give it a chance. Despite the annoying amount of fetch-quests, it becomes beyond epic with a great story, soundtrack, characters, gameplay-- everything really.

[MestreRothN4G]

The source site is ridiculous. Won't even read the list.

[birdykilla]

Makes me want to play Ni No Kuni!
I think the list is good, but definitely Mass Effect over Mass Effect 3. I thought Fallout New Vegas deserved a spot in the top 10 and I was right. #6 not bad!
New Vegas>Fallout 3

While playing New Vegas only once has my 360 froze so far and that was upon exiting the docs house at the very beginning. It was loading and the little spinning loading thingy stopped, I waited like a couple minutes and finally had to do a hard shutdown. Since then theres been no bugs as far as I can tell. I'm pretty sure at this point that they've cleaned up most of the bugs in the game. I bought the game twice once at the midnight launch (I pawned off) and the copy was a bug filled mess and once when I got the ultimate edition. It's definitely a lot more playable now.

[jsslifelike]

One game per page? Really? You'll get no extra cheap clicks from me.

Good day.

[Run_bare]

Agree, I hate articles like this, make me click 10 times and look at different ads.

[Run_bare]

Demon and Dark Souls and Resonance of Fate for me. I recommend all these 3 brilliant games.

[Gardenia]

Why does this say PS3? Most are on PC and Xbox as well

[deafdani]

The list doesn't say exclusives. Those games are available on PS3, so they count.

[deafdani]

Guys, I'm going to re-buy a PS3 soon (my previous PS3 got stolen). I'm currently replaying Xenoblade Chronicles on my new Wii U (my previous Wii U and my Wii were also stolen, so I started the game again), and I'm LOVING it.

I'm no expert when it comes to RPGs, far from it, so here's a question for those RPG lovers:

Is there any RPG game for the PS3 similar to Xenoblade? As in, RPGs that let you explore huge worlds, combat stupid amounts of different monsters, be pretty long and have combat in real time, instead of turn based? (I HATE turn based combat)!

Is Kingdoms of Amalur similar somehow? What about Nier? Folklore? Ni no Kuni?

Would I enjoy Skyrim?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :D

[Gardenia]

The only game i can think of is FFXII, but that's a PS2 game

[deafdani]

Yeah, I've been told exactly that. Just to make it clear, it doesn't have to be exactly like Xenoblade; the two things I'm looking forward to most is a real time combat system and hopefully a lot of exploration.

If you can come up with a few RPGs that mostly match these two descriptors, thanks! If not, thanks anyway. :3

[Master of Unlocking]

Demon's souls should be higher IMHO