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Incline Codex Top 55 JRPG List - Results

Gastrick

Cipher
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Aug 1, 2020
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1,704
It's finally time to reveal the top results! A total of 74 people voted and a total of 233 JRPGs were counted. I'll repeat the methodology, that it's the pure averages of games that were played by at least 7 people or roughly 10% of participants.

First of all is the pure JRPG list. These are the top 55 games:

2vP5jY7.png

I'll reveal the top five games over the coming days, one game per day.

This is the full JRPG list:


Once the top spot of the top 50 list has been revealed, I'll post the rest of the data, including the series rankings.

Side data:

JRPGs played by the most people:

oYitaVJ.png

1. Seven people voted before this game was added so it could be higher than it shows. The same goes for any other games that were added partway through.

Top 5 most disliked JRPGs:

PyfXm3s.png

Median and Average number of JRPGs played per person, out of the games included:

VVYVerv.png
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 3, 2022
Messages
944
The poll wasn't conducted very well, IMO. The original poll condensed multiple games into a single listing, and also omitted several key JRPGs. Additional polls had to be created to add those other JRPGs in but that happened after people had already voted for the original poll and moved on from the thread, so there would have been a participation dropoff, which would skew the results.

Taking the poll at face value, the list that is indistinguishable from a Gamefaqs top JRPG list. The vast majority of games on the list are from the 90s or early 2000s, with a handful of the super mainstream ones from more recent years. I didn't see a single Gust game on that list.

FF13 and FF15 being rated as bad games shows that people here haven't played actually bad JRPGs. FF15 is lackluster but not actually bad, and FF13 is pretty good (albeit not living up to the expectations of a FF game due to the lack of exploration and NPCs to talk to).
 
Unwanted
Dumbfuck
Joined
Dec 14, 2020
Messages
803
I better not see Chrono Trigger in the top 5 you fuckers. Some notable mentions.
Shadow Heart Covenant, never thought i would see a relatively obscure game in a top 10, i think it deserves that place.
Valkyria Chronicles 3, to me the best in the series and i'm glad that thanks to the fan transaltion is now getting it's place under the soon, i will always be mad that 4 took out a lot of 3's improvements for the series and instead did basically 1 all over.
Saga games are also getting more recognition thanks to the remastered versions in the last couple year, a shame the last remnant isn't there with their cousins.
Radiant Historia is a fucking meme, don't know why is even on the list.

Full JRPG list
Demon's souls is fucking amazing and what Miyazaki did with the souls franchise is a fucking tragedy, every single was felt unique and now every single one is a anime swordmaster on cocaine.
Dragon's Dogma has a special place in my heart, i bought the game when every single journo trashed it for not being Skyrim and have never regretted, i own like 5 versions of that game.
Bloodborne is fucking amazing but i remember almost dropping it at release, at the time i haven't read yet any of the cosmic horror authors so the setting didn't clicked with me, i now have probably two thousand hours in that game, a shame i sold my PS4.
Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War is a story fag game, FE Fates Conquest should have been in that spot.
Tactics ogre and Ogre Battle should change places, Ogre Battle was always the monocled choice.

I wanted Dungeon Travelers at least on the top 50, i know most people don't own a Vita or know moon runes but it's a fucking shame, i'm even replaying 2 right now.

Edit: Forgot to talk about FF XIII on the most hated. Game is not bad and the hate that it amassed through the years is too disproportionate, people that probably gave it one star probably never played it, it's combat is fantastic and the ps3 version still looks amazing to this day.
 

Gastrick

Cipher
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
1,704
The vast majority of games on the list are from the 90s or early 2000s
Probably because those games were better than modern ones, but even then 38% of them were made after 2004.

Additional polls had to be created to add those other JRPGs in but that happened after people had already voted for the original poll and moved on from the thread, so there would have been a participation dropoff, which would skew the results.
Only a single game on that top 50 list was added after the list was created, FFT, and even then I added it early enough that 90% of people were still able to vote for it. Same for the top 90.

I didn't see a single Gust game on that list.
A C-grade series like Atelier would never make it on a list like this.
 
Unwanted
Dumbfuck
Joined
Dec 14, 2020
Messages
803
The vast majority of games on the list are from the 90s or early 2000s
Probably because those games were better than modern ones, but even then 38% of them were made after 2004.

Additional polls had to be created to add those other JRPGs in but that happened after people had already voted for the original poll and moved on from the thread, so there would have been a participation dropoff, which would skew the results.
Only a single game on that top 50 list was added after the list was created, FFT, and even then I added it early enough that 90% of people were still able to vote for it. Same for the top 90.

I didn't see a single Gust game on that list.
A C-grade series like Atelier would never make it on a list like this.
As much as i luv me some potion autism it has always been a budget series, and even the best games are spin offs. Mana Khemia and Ar Tonelico are better than Atelier.
 

lightbane

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
10,156
But of fucking course a Souls game is in the top five of JRPGs. At least it's Demon Souls, the first one of them, for what's worth.
 

Gastrick

Cipher
Joined
Aug 1, 2020
Messages
1,704
Shadow Heart Covenant, never thought i would see a relatively obscure game in a top 10, i think it deserves that place.
I routinely see it be praised around here, and its popularity is one of the unique characteristics of this sub-forum, so it's a good sign that it made the top 10 as well.
 

S.torch

Arbiter
Joined
Jan 4, 2019
Messages
937
Taking the poll at face value, the list that is indistinguishable from a Gamefaqs top JRPG list. The vast majority of games on the list are from the 90s or early 2000s, with a handful of the super mainstream ones from more recent years. I didn't see a single Gust game on that list.

Look at the couple of people ranting you negatively just because you're telling obvious things.

- The methodology for doing the vote or the list was yet again, escaping logic. The OP decided that he was doing a list, instead of just letting people vote for whatever game they feel like doing so while maybe having a list for support only. And then, one that list was done, numerous games weren't in it, so he started to constantly "update" it every time it was pointed out that a game was not there, while people were still voting.

- Once more time, games where excluded from the vote by arbitrary conditions. "Nobody knows that game" is not a coherent condition.

Finally I going to say that, there's a high probability that even if all these things were done right the results may haven't change much. Because there aren't an awful amount of people interested in JRPGs in this forum (not like there's a large amount of communities dedicated to JRPGs today). This is a thing of the community and not a list or anything like that. This probably happens because the genre of JRPG itself, in the later decade or so, has greatly decline in numbers and been replaced by gatchas and other very insufficient genres.

But maybe there's hope for another resurgence in JRPGs in the horizon. And when that times comes maybe we will see a resurgence in its community too. And things like these polls will be done differently.
 

markec

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Codex 2012 Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Dead State Project: Eternity Codex USB, 2014 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath
I see Yakuza: Like a Dragon is highly rated, never played any of Yakuza games but I was thinking about playing them.

So is there any need to play them in order or is every game for itself and can I just start with Yakuza: Like a Dragon?
 

GhostCow

Balanced Gamer
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I see Yakuza: Like a Dragon is highly rated, never played any of Yakuza games but I was thinking about playing them.

So is there any need to play them in order or is every game for itself and can I just start with Yakuza: Like a Dragon?
If you want the whole story it's best to play them in order but I'd say you can just play 0 and Like a Dragon without missing much. Those are the two best. Maybe play Kiwami 1 as well before 7 if you're up for it.

7/Like a Dragon is its own thing but does have minor references to previous games.
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
4,189
RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In
Demon's souls is fucking amazing and what Miyazaki did with the souls franchise is a fucking tragedy, every single was felt unique and now every single one is a shitty Japanese pornographic cartoons swordmaster on cocaine.

Yeah, the main problem is that Soulslikes are mostly known for difficult bosses so every new installment needs even more ridiculous boss battles. And the most liked bosses are usually humanoid weapon masters (Artorias, O&S, Fume Knight, Sir Alonne, Nameless King, Sword Saint Isshin). So it's tempting to shove-in as many of these as possible and give them the longest, most ridiculous combos. Though for me it ruins atmosphere. When I fight a boss in a gritty dark fantasy game I don't think I should see moves stolen from Zangief from SF or Dante and Vergil from DMC.
 

mushaden

Scholar
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Aug 12, 2015
Messages
334
Pokémon above FF 6? Maybe you should use weighted averages to counteract tanking votes? I think there are online calculators that you can use if that’s not your area.
 

GhostCow

Balanced Gamer
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Man no matter how well FF6 does in a poll, someone has to complain. What an overrated trash game. I'm quite happy that it wasn't the top FF game in this poll.
 

mushaden

Scholar
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Aug 12, 2015
Messages
334
I rated it 4 but it’s way down there, with shining force 2 at that. But hey maybe I need to play Pokémon gold
 

Duraframe300

Arcane
Joined
Dec 21, 2010
Messages
6,395
3.86 out of 5 isn't a bad score at all for any game. No issue with that, even as a fan of VI.

Have more issue with the worst list, but YMMV. Seems like a decent list in any case. Good job Gastrick
 

Falksi

Arcane
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Feb 14, 2017
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Man no matter how well FF6 does in a poll, someone has to complain. What an overrated trash game. I'm quite happy that it wasn't the top FF game in this poll.
Well said.

5 is the only one I can replay now due to the job system actually adding some semblance of variety & challenge t the gameplay. Edgar's tools totally break 6. It's one of the least fun to play in the turn based series gameplay wise.
 

Grauken

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SMT:Strange Journey on 8 and Dark Spire on 14 sounds good, two of the best jap dungeon crawlers
 

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