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Which are the best JRPGs of the 00s?

Qurupeke

Qurupeke

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,275
As someone that didn't own any consoles of that era, I'm kinda in the dark about a lot of the great games of that period. Also, when people make lists of the greatest JRPGs of all time, it's usually either 80s-90s stuff or games that were released the last 10 years. Maybe it has to do a lot with how these games have aged, as sprite based games aged much better than early 3D games, especially those that didn't receive any remasters.

So, which JRPGs of the 00s do people consider the best, and something worth playing today?
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,384
That's really tough to answer, because you have the tail end of the PS1, all of the PS2, and the GBA, DS and PSP libraries...

I can rattle off 50+ games that are worth playing, because the first half of the 00s is the golden age of JRPGs imo, but like:

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Mana Khemia 1 and 2, the Atelier Iris trilogy, Atelier Rorona and Atelier Annie
Wild Arms 3, 4 and 5 (Alter Code F is 'good' too, but I prefer the original)
Suikoden 3 and 5 (and I really like Tactics too!)
Dragon Quest 7, 8 and 9
Fire Emblem 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10
Vagrant Story
Xenosaga 3
Persona 2: EP, Persona 3 and Persona 4
SMT 3, SMT Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2, SMT Devil Survivor
FFX, FFXII, FF: The 4 Heroes of Light, FF Tactics Advance, the FF3 and FF4 remakes
Kingdom Hearts 1, 2 and Chain of Memories
Tales of Eternia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Graces, Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Legendia
Front Mission 3 and 4
Grandia 2 and 3
Valkyrie Profile 2
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Like a billion Disgaea entries (1-3), plus the other SRPGs NIS was making during this period
Eternal Poison
The World Ends With You
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga and Bowser's Inside Story
Paper Mario and Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Etrian Odyssey 1 and 2
Pokemon Crystal (plus others)
Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Mother 3
Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 1 and 2 (I'm not including JP only games, but hgnn, the Summon Night series and the rest of FlightPlan's games during this era are personal favourites)
Mega Man Battle Network 1-6

... I'm gonna stop because the list is frankly stupid already, and that's not 50% of what I'd mention (don't think I mentioned a single PSP game). I know you're going "STUPID STRINGS, I JUST WANT THE BEST ONES!!!" but there is so many stupidly good JRPGs from this period.
 
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Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
MOTHER 3

It's not just the best of the decade, but the best one of all time

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey are right behind it.

Also great:
FFXII IZJS
DQVIII
Dark Cloud
Pokemon Platinum
Yakuza 2
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
 
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Shizuka

Shizuka

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,101
63071_front.jpg
 
SubvertedTrope

SubvertedTrope

Member
Sep 14, 2018
4,620
SMT Nocturne
Golden Sun
Persona 3
Resonance of Fate
The World Ends With You
Digital Devil Saga
FFX
Valkyrie Profile Silmeria

All worth playing today.
 
hyouko

hyouko

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,208
The first two Etrian Odyssey games fell in the 00s, though they're broadly regarded as the worst games in that series now (superseded by their remakes and by later games). But they got me hooked on the series.

I also loved Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, though I understand why that one is a controversial pick.
 
The Praiseworthy

The Praiseworthy

Member
Oct 30, 2017
9,201
Mostly PS2 games:

Xenosaga Trilogy
Final Fantasy X
Dragon Quest VIII
Wild Arms 3,5, Alter Code F
Tales of Symphonia
Tales of the Abyss
Suikoden III
 
bombermouse

bombermouse

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,056
Chrono Cross (released in 2000 in NA) is a masterpiece. Very cool setting and aesthetics. Music is top notch.

Valkyrie Profile was incredibly unique at the time too. Unexplored mythos, adult protagonists, unique battle system.
 

Rob2K19

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,646
Kingdom Hearts Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix
Rogue Galaxy
Rockman.EXE (especially 3)
Ryuusei no Rockman (especially 3)
.hack//G.U. Vol 1-3
Golden Sun
 
Ramsay

Ramsay

Member
Jul 2, 2019
3,621
Australia
Xenoblade Chronicles, Persona 3 and 4, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and Path of Radiance (if those count) and Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story are the ones that come to mind.

I haven't played Trails in the Sky, but I've heard nothing but good things about that game.
 
Aniki

Aniki

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,793
The World Ends With You

Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Final Fantasy 10

Xenoblade Chronicles

Suikoden 3&5

Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne

Persona 3

Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria

All amazing games i've enjoyed immensely.
 
deftones r cool

deftones r cool

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,050
Final Fantasy X and Dark Cloud 2 are two of the best games in the genre period. There's a ton more obscure but these were the ones which clicked for me most.

FFX was arguably the last great game of the franchise, and my favorite apart from 6. Battle and leveling systems are on point, and the cast is insanely memorable and full of character. As for Dark Cloud 2, no other game from that period let me feel so in control of how I played it with so many possibilities within its various systems. Super memorable.
 
Dogui

Dogui

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,791
Brazil
If you didn't owned a PS2, you sure missed a lot of great stuff.

Persona 3/4, Xenosaga Trilogy, SMT Nocturne, Raidou 1/2, Digital Devil Saga 1/2, Star Ocean 3, Shadow Hearts games, Ar Tonelico 2, Grandia 2/3, Suikoden 3/4/5. I put it above Snes as a jrpg console tbh.

DS also had Devil Survivor, Strange Journey and The World Ends With You. (Also Radiant Historia but that's 2010 :p)

PSP had some Trails snd Ys games.

Gamecube has fucking Baten Kaitos duology, and Skies of Arcadia Legends.

Xenoblade was 2009 in Japan afaik :p

00's are atleast as good as 10's jrpg wise. Wouldn't give credibility to lists without a bunch of 00's stuff.

Edit: Also Mother 3 on GBA. What an incredible game. 100% must play.

Edit2: If 2000 counts, we also have a lot more great stuff. FFIX, Breath of Fire IV, Legend of Mana, Valkyrie Profile, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story...
 
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Firemind

Firemind

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,532
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door aged gracefully. Great mechanics, pacing, visual design, sound design, enemy design, writing. Even today.
Golden Sun 1&2 still has great dungeon design and class mechanics.
Xenoblade Chronicles still has great exploration and world map design.
Fire Emblem: Binding Blade still has great tactical gameplay and challenge.
 
fiendcode

fiendcode

Member
Oct 26, 2017
24,911
For traditional JRPGS: DQVII, DQVIII, FFXII, Mother 3, Paper Mario 2, SMT3, EO1/2, SOA

Weird to think about but for me it really seems the best comes from Square Enix, Nintendo or Atlus and that hasn't really changed. Skies was sort of a last great thing from Sega in my eyes although the core team kept going with good SRPGs (Sakura, Valkyria). So many great companies fell off after the 90s too (Gamearts, Neverland, etc).
 
NioA

NioA

Member
Dec 16, 2019
3,627
Dragon Quest VIII, Tales of The Abyss and The World Ends with You definitely come to mind.
Golden Sun too
 
Kill3r7

Kill3r7

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,403
Shadow Hearts Covenant
Persona 3&4
SMT Nocturne, DDS 1&2
FFX and FFXII
DQ8
Grandia 1&2
Lost Odyssey
 
Misuta

Misuta

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 31, 2017
929
Germany
Paper Mario 2
Baten Kaitos, Baten Kaitos Origins
Xenoblade Chronicles
Wild Arms 3,4,5, Alter Code: F
Tales of Symphonia, Tales of the Abyss, Tales of Vesperia, Tales of Graces
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Grandia 3
Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth of Destiny, Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm
Kingdom Hearts II
Radiata Stories
Eternal Sonata
Infinite Undiscovery
 
daninthemix

daninthemix

Member
Nov 2, 2017
5,023
I mean, you'll get a mix of lists of every JRPG released during that time period without any sort of filter, and nostalgic favorites.

Difficult to see how many, if any, would be decent played fresh for the first time in 2020.
 
Strings

Strings

Member
Oct 27, 2017
31,384
daninthemix said:
I mean, you'll get a mix of lists of every JRPG released during that time period without any sort of filter, and nostalgic favorites.

Difficult to see how many, if any, would be decent played fresh for the first time in 2020.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
JRPGs have hardly changed since the PS2. For the most part, it all holds up great.
 
garion333

garion333

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,722
Xenoblade Chronicles
Persona 3&4
Disgaea

I think Cold Steel is better than Trails in the Sky, but mostly from a gameplay perspective.
 
Grunty

Grunty

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,342
Gruntilda’s Lair
My five personal favorites are among the best of all-time imo...

-Lost Odyssey
-Eternal Sonata
-Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
-Golden Sun
-Golden Sun: The Lost Age
 
mrmickfran

mrmickfran

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
26,727
Gongaga
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy X
Persona 3
Persona 4
The World Ends With You
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
Kingdom Hearts II
 
Kivvi

Kivvi

Member
Jun 25, 2018
1,708
It was Atlus' golden age. They pumped out great rpgs left and right. Loved the 00'.
 
Dreamboum

Dreamboum

Member
Oct 28, 2017
22,852
  • Vagrant Story
  • Final Fantasy XII
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
  • Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
  • The World Ends With You
  • Shadow Hearts: Covenant
  • Half-Minute Hero
  • Front Mission 5
  • Skies of Arcadia
  • Count Chrono Cross if its NA release in 2000 matters

These are the only ones I would say are the titans of that era. Haven't played Trails though.
 
Pirate Bae

Pirate Bae

Edelgard Feet Appreciator
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
6,794
??
Tbh the only ones I played we're FFX, TTYD and Kingdom Hearts. I was too young to really understand the mechanics of a JRPG, or a RPG in general, so I dropped them pretty quickly. But I did revisit them in college and they were great :)
 
Firima

Firima

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,471
Tales of Vesperia
Golden Sun 1+2
Mother 3
Shin Megami Tensei 3
The World Ends With You
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Final Fantasy XII
Persona 3 FES
Breath of Fire V

Those are the important ones, really.
 
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