Famous as a series of uncompromising multiplayer JRPG greatness, our one pic from the whole franchise has to be Tales of Vesperia. The game blends classic JRPG storytelling with fast-paced, real-time combat that works surprisingly well in co-op. The story follows Yuri Lowell, a former knight who takes justice into his own hands in a world powered by magical technology.
Slowly but surely, Monster Hunter Stories has established itself as more than just a spin-off of Capcom's famed action role-playing game. It has gone from a small project on the Nintendo 3DS to an ambitious Japanese RPG on the Nintendo Switch that punched above its weight. Now in its third iteration, Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is the franchise's coming-out party. The entry is launching across multiple systems for the first time, and it's taking a different approach to the story.
One thing I didn't mention is part of why it had such a big impact: It was a massive improvement in scope, gameplay, and storytelling over the two preceding Dragon Quest titles. With DQIII HD's sales success and its chronological position as the first part of a story trilogy, Square Enix releasing a similar HD-2D remake of the first two titles made perfect sense.
But it was going to be an uphill struggle to get a new PS1 RPG any traction, even one made by Star Ocean 2 developer Tri-Ace. The Dreamcast was already out, the US launch of the PS2 was less than two months away, and Squaresoft had dropped Chrono Cross, a follow-up to the beloved Chrono Trigger, a couple of weeks earlier.
The game that kicked off the long-running Legend of Heroes RPG series is getting a remake with Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, which launches on PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 25. The game is an all-new version of the original Trails in the Sky, remaking the PS3 and PS Vita game with full 3D high-res visuals, new voice acting, and overhauled gameplay.
