The Tales franchise is the third largest RPG series just behind Square’s Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest franchises, and for great reason. Tales of Xillia takes place in a world known as Rieze Maxia where main protagonists Jude and Milla as they desperately try to elude the corrupt government and help unite Rieze Maxia as a pure nation.

Much of the game’s plot theme revolves around the premise of unwavering convictions, which is what you’ll come across a lot of in the awesome story that most Tales titles are known for. Gameplay wise stays true to the Tales archetype of battle which is known as Linear Motion Battle, but upgrades it to the Dual Raid Linear Motion Battle System for a much smoother and refined experience. Everything takes place in real time and you’ll need to pay close attention to all of your meter in the game as battles get progressively harder as you get towards the end of the story, so be sure to optimize resources as much as you can.

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book revolves around female protagonist Sophie who runs her own Atelier Studio just on the outskirts of Kirchen Bell, a nearby small town. With the ability to combine several items together through alchemy, she desperately tries to master her skills but often fails due to a lack of mentorship or guidance. One day however she comes across a mysterious book that behaves as if it were alive, and now it has become Sophie’s goal to restore the book’s memories and its original human form.

Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book is a wonderful fantasy adventure that throws you into a world full of mystery, excitement and experimentation, as you wander around searching for different ingredients to help boost your abilities in and outside of battle. As you collect new items you can then use them to upgrade spells, conjure potions to heal you in battle, and various other cool methods. The more you learn to master crafting, you’ll receive more bonus points and will help you to progress further into the rich story. With other great features such as the Dollmaker feature, players will most certainly find coming up with crafty ways to expand their alchemy skills to be very enticing and enjoyable.

Jump Festa just happened here in Japan and they just dropped a bombshell announcement that many Dragon Quest fans were eagerly awaiting. Dragon Quest XI comes out next year and you’d better be prepared because we’ll most certainly get a review out for it when it does. In the meantime we can all sit back and enjoy Dragon Quest X, the MMORPG title that takes players into the Dragon Quest universe and has you battling slimes and other notable characters from the popular franchise. The game has its own unique story that comes in expansion forms, and you’ll need to team up with other players online to progress through quests.

Unlike other Dragon Quest titles, X puts you in an online only environment where you’ll travel across various environments in search for tools to strengthen and customize your character, and battle bosses as you normally would in an offline setting. There’s an offline mode that can be played but it only has a short story attached to it and nothing more, so experiencing the game at its fullest is online. The newer Dragon Quest titles such as Heroes and XI will use a real time based battle system, but those who prefer a more traditional take on things will surely find Dragon Quest X to be an enjoyable experience.

Team ICO is no joke when it comes to creating blockbuster titles, and with their latest addition to their already credible track record The Last Guardian raking in sales, the famous team doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The funny thing however is that The Last Guardian has been in development since 2007 and only now has the game been released in full HD glory to the masses. Was the wait worth it? Some may raise their arms in jubilation while others may have mixed opinions, but truthfully speaking The Last Guardian really lived up to expectations despite waiting nine years for it.

Team ICO has always been the masters of adventure and putting players to the test in some way pertaining to puzzles and overcoming challenging obstacles. As you listen to an old man reminisce
about his younger days venturing alongside a large griffin named Trico, you control his younger self as the two try to escape the castle getting to know each other along the way. It’s an emotional ride as you call out to Trico to help you reach awkward places, or feed the cute creature to ensure your relationship stays mutual. The Last Guardian takes everything you loved from ICO and Shadow of the Colossus and creates a wonderful title that’s sure to move you in many ways.

Shadow of the Colossus is one genuine game because there’s no other title that we can think of that has gameplay like it. You simply cannot compare this game to any other because it simply created its own league. You’re a young knight named Wander who must travel the vast landscape on his trusted horse, to battle and defeat sixteen mammoth beings known as Colossi to restore life back into a young girl named Mono.

Shadow of the Colossus was created by Team Ico, the same team who brought us the iconic ICO as well as the more recent blockbuster hit The Last Guardian, all of which have become instant hits. So why is Shadow of the Colossus one of the greatest games ever made? Well for one, scaling a large moving beast is incredibly thrilling especially with the breathtaking orchestrated music playing in the back. Second is that the game featured state of the art gameplay that no other game has ever come close to replicating, and to this day is still regarded as one of the best PS2 games ever created. Lastly, who doesn’t like riding a horse in an open world and having the opportunity of a lifetime to take out sixteen beasts with just a sword in hand? That’s one chance we’d never let go of.

The Xenoblade series took off on the PS1 and was known as Xenogear, until Monolith Soft decided to spice things up a bit. Chronicles forms a small section of the Xeno series but doesn’t actually follow the same narrative as its ancestors. Xenoblade Chronicles takes you on an open world fantasy adventure where you play as Shulk, as you tear through enemies with the powerful Monado in hopes to seek revenge against the Mechon Army.

Xenoblade Chronicles is known for Shulk and his witty catchphrases, but more so for its incredible soundtrack that makes you wish you lived in the Xenoblade universe. It’s dreamy, artistic and just takes your imagination on a wild ride as you battle hordes of enemies in real time. Shulk has the benefit of being able to see into the future, and that trait plays a role in battle but also the main story, which is one of the best stories we’ve ever come across in a good while. Not to mention the spectacular voice acting and riveting dialogue, which blew us away right up until the very end. This game is nothing short of amazing so please play it when you can, then hop into Xenoblade Chronicles X for even more hype.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker took a step away from the traditional 3D modeling and decided to go with a more anime cel-shaded feel, which received positive reception from fans of the franchise. The Wind Waker sees young link on a long adventure across the vast seas, as he attempts to save his sister from the evil Ganon and retrieve the sacred Triforce. As you team with other characters along the way such as the adorable Tera, while riding on your talking boat known as the King of the Red Lions, you explore various islands and traverse through dangerous dungeons to move one step closer to saving bringing peace to your soul.

Much of the style of play is still very much the same albeit with a more cel-shaded feel to explosions and character movements. The cel-shaded approach actually suited the more younger version of Link because it made the adventure feel more pure, free, and warm. A lot of people would say it’s childish but there’s still a lot of maturity in Link and his willingness to put his life on the line to save someone he cares about. The Wind Waker is full of extremely vivid colors packed with exciting action and a wonderful story that will surely bring a huge smile to your face.

When Kingdom Hearts released back in 2002, not too many people didn’t know what to expect. You had two different companies merging together to create a world like no other, and using iconic characters who work together to stop evil from prevailing. Once you popped the disc in and played it, Kingdom Hearts blew everyone away even to this day. As you roam around the several Disney and Square inspired levels, you’re just mesmerized by all of the detail and how the game manages to maintain the personality of each character.

Whether you’re goofing around with Goofy or trying to understand what Donald is saying, Kingdom Hearts invited you to a fantasy world that you never wanted to leave. The story clinged onto you because it all felt magical, and very moving. Gameplay wise everything felt almost perfect as you teamed up with other popular characters, using Sora’s abilities to slash through enemies in real time, or collecting special spells to boost your skills. Whether you were doing side quests or the absolutely thrilling main story, Kingdom Hearts truly felt like an adventure and with Kingdom Hearts III hopefully arriving soon, we’ll be eagerly waiting to get our hands on it.

Chrono Trigger is one title that will never slip the mind of any die hard fan of gaming, because it’s widely considered to be one of the best titles ever made. You roam through the vast fantasy world in various time zones in order prevent a worldwide catastrophe, and only your team is able to stop it before it’s too late. Noted as the dream team when making the title, three of Japan’s best designers teamed up to create one of the best looking Super Nintendo titles of that era, throwing players into a world similar to that of Dragon Ball Z due to Akira Toriyama’s contribution.

Gameplay wise Chrono Trigger was magnificent because the story pulled you in many different directions, and all of those twists really gave it an emotionally powerful direction. The dialogue was clever, funny, and at times a little strange, but that’s really what made the game shine brighter than other titles. Innovative turn based attacking, tactical thinking, all of these together created a spectacular game that can’t be ignored. The ending of the game is one of the best we’ve experienced in years, and to this day still resonates in our souls. If you haven’t tried this all time classic, now’s the perfect time to do so.

There’s really no other definitive title that truly speaks fantasy none other than Final Fantasy, so it shouldn’t startle you that our number one pick is Final Fantasy VII. Widely considered by many to be best Final Fantasy title ever made, FFVII as it’s also known, has won over the world with its innovative gameplay paired with such an outstanding story. Every battle you encounter is far greater than the next, with every part of the narrative growing more and more emotional as time passes.

Final Fantasy VII did what a lot of RPG’s at the time didn’t and that was be innovative, forward thinking, and took advantage of the technology that was readily available to create an experience unlike no other. FFVII opened the doors for future titles of the franchise to take advantage of the battle system, along with jaw dropping cutscenes to keep you salivating time and time again. Fans should get excited once again now that Square Enix is going to release the beloved series as a remake, with fresh HD graphics and added story elements for even more fun!