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What is the best Nintendo RPG after the Wii/DS era?

What is the best Nintendo RPG after the Wii/DS era?

  • Fire Emblem: Awakening

    Votes: 28 6.9%

  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses

    Votes: 125 30.9%

  • Xenoblade Chronicles X

    Votes: 62 15.3%

  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2

    Votes: 155 38.4%

  • Mario and Luigi: Dream Team

    Votes: 6 1.5%

  • Pokemon Sun and Moon

    Votes: 7 1.7%

  • Other

    Votes: 21 5.2%
  • Total voters
    404
SPRidley

SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,232
The people have spoken, is Xenoblade 2. <3

Three Houses and Awakening are also great, but I loved XB2 too much. Also I wouldnt categorized them in the same vein as classic RPGs, though with Three Houses they astart having stuff from the that I enjoy.

EDIT
Oh damn, I just read the whole OP. The salt is delicious.
 
thefro

thefro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,996
Three Houses is great until you've seen everything in the monastery and a lot of things turns into chore work. Still good afterwards.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is engaging through 99% of the game, beautiful areas to explore, killer soundtrack. It's got a ton of micromanagement issues too but you can ignore a lot of the systems unless you want to go superboss hunting at the end.
 
Oregano

Oregano

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,878
Xenoblade 2 is my personal favourite, especially with the addition of Torna but I think FE: Three Houses is the objectively best.
 
JangleLuke

JangleLuke

Member
Oct 4, 2018
1,604
I can't seem to get into RPGs, but I have played Dream Team, and I absolutely loved it (was also my introduction to the series), so that's my choice.

M&L is the only turn-based RPG series I've managed to enjoy, ever.
 
JB2448

JB2448

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,957
Florida
SmiteOfHand said:
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As someone whose favorite games are Mother 3 and EarthBound (with Beginnings in my personal top 5), I absolutely appreciate the sentiment. It has a haunting atmosphere and an incredible soundtrack. Its visual style, while comparatively spartan to other NES RPGs, is arguably iconic and simply evolved with EarthBound and Mother 3.

But no. Looking at things outside of personal bias, this game has just aged too much. The grinding problem endemic of RPGs of the era and "glass cannon" nature of every party member up until basically late game, along with the lack of direction and unrewarding exploration, make this game avoid the highs of the ones in the poll.

I'm glad it got the first post, though. The game deserves more attention and another release on the NES Switch Online app.
 
Jane

Jane

Member
Oct 17, 2018
1,253
Lmao at OP hating Xenoblade 2 while it's currently winning the poll. Despite some of the cringe content, Xenoblade 2 is a fantastic game and (imo) better than the first in every way except story. That being said I haven't finished Three Houses yet though it seems good as well.

EDIT: Also I really love Fates: Conquest as well and feel like it probably deserves to be on the poll too, but I wouldn't have voted for it over Xenoblade 2.
 
Neoleo2143

Neoleo2143

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,462
JediLink said:
Lmao at OP hating Xenoblade 2 while it's currently winning the poll. Despite some of the cringe content, Xenoblade 2 is a fantastic game and (imo) better than the first in every way except story. That being said I haven't finished Three Houses yet though it seems good as well.

EDIT: Also I really love Fates: Conquest as well and feel like it probably deserves to be on the poll too, but I wouldn't have voted for it over Xenoblade 2.
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I can see why people may dislike XC2, the costuming is not great, some cutscenes seem superfluous, the "anime" might go too far at times. The tutorialization in the game is really poor and the map is still unhelpful. But what it does well, it does really well or improves from the previous games, like the characterization, the better scene direction, the more interesting worldbuilding (from XC1), the difficulty in tandem with the endgame content, some useful QoL additions like showing when NPCs have something new to say and so on, the production quality of the ost, the improvements to towns and cities being denser but more detailed. It still handles foreshadowing as well as XC1 if not even more so.

It is funny how the poll goes against the OP's opinion though.
 
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Comic Obsessed

Comic Obsessed

Member
Oct 27, 2017
9,792
Peru
I truly hate to use this term, but I think Three Houses already passed its "honeymoon phase" and people are realizing that, while is the best Fire Emblem in years, is still not as good as XC2.
 
Voke

Voke

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,336
You guys putting Xenoblade 2 over X?

I can't even fathom that tbh. X is probably my favorite Nintendo game.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

signature-less, now and forever
Member
Sep 24, 2019
34,324
Nothing on that list comes close to Three Houses. I can't begin to describe how disappointing the Xenoblade games were in comparison to the hype and praise that surrounded them. I wouldn't even include them on the poll if it were me.
 
fiendcode

fiendcode

Member
Oct 26, 2017
24,911
Full list if people are wondering what the options are (minus VC/NSO) using wikipedia definitions of 'RPG' and associated subgenres:

1st party produced or co-produced
  • Astral Chain (NSW)
  • Cadence of Hyrule: Crypt of the Necrodancer featuring the Legend of Zelda (NSW)
  • Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (3DS)
  • Dragalia Lost (iOS/AND)
  • Ever Oasis (3DS)
  • Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)
  • Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)
  • Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright (3DS)
  • Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest (3DS)
  • Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation (3DS)
  • Fire Emblem Heroes (iOS/AND)
  • Fire Emblem: Three Houses (NSW)
  • Fire Emblem Warriors (NSW/n3DS)
  • Fossil Fighters: Frontier (3DS)
  • Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story + Bowser Jr.'s Journey (3DS)
  • Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS)
  • Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)
  • Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions (3DS)
  • Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (NSW) Ubisoft
  • Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order (NSW)
  • Miitopia (3DS)
  • Pokémon Let's Go, Pikachu! / Evee! (NSW)
  • Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (NSW)
  • Pokémon Omega Ruby / Alpha Sapphire (3DS)
  • Pokémon Rumble Blast (3DS)
  • Pokémon Rumble U (WU)
  • Pokémon Rumble World (3DS)
  • Pokémon Sun / Moon (3DS)
  • Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (3DS)
  • Pokémon Sword / Shield (NSW)
  • Pokémon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon (3DS)
  • Pokémon X / Y (3DS)
  • Ring Fit Adventure (NSW)
  • Street Pass Mii Plaza (3DS)
  • Tokyo Mirage Sessions # FE (WU)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (NSW)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna, The Golden Country (NSW)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (n3DS)
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (WU)
1st party pickups
  • Bravely Default (3DS) Square Enix
  • Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS) Square Enix
  • Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past (3DS) Square Enix
  • Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (3DS) Square Enix
  • Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition (NSW) Square Enix
  • Dragon Quest Builders (NSW) Square Enix
  • Dragon Quest Builders 2 (NSW) Square Enix
  • Fantasy Life (3DS) Level 5
  • Inazuma Eleven 3: Lightning Bolt / Bomb Blast (3DS) Level 5
  • Inazuma Eleven 3: Team Ogre Attacks (3DS) Level 5
  • Inazuma Eleven GO: Light / Shadow (3DS) Level 5
  • Inazuma Eleven GO Chronostones: Thunderflash / Wildfire (3DS) Level 5
  • LBX: Little Battlers eXperience (3DS) Level 5
  • Monster Hunter Stories (3DS) Capcom
  • Octopath Traveler (NSW) Square Enix
  • Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition (3DS) GungHo Online
  • Story of Seasons (3DS) Marvelous
  • Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS) Marvelous
  • Trine 2: Director's Cut (WU) Frozenbyte
  • The World Ends with You: Final Remix (NSW) Square Enix
  • Yo-Kai Watch (3DS) Level 5
  • Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits / Fleshy Souls (3DS) Level 5
  • Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (3DS) Level 5
  • Yo-Kai Watch 3 (3DS) Level 5
  • Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: Red Cat Corps / White Dog Squad (3DS) Level 5
Nintendo might've released more RPGs this gen that any other publisher?
 
Twister

Twister

Member
Feb 11, 2019
5,074
Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I hate RPGs but I love anime and the story looked interesting and anime like so I took a chance on it and ended up loving it. It's in my top 10 games of the decade now. Xenoblade just bored me, so I'm gonna have to give it to Three Houses
 
Monster Zero

Monster Zero

Member
Nov 5, 2017
5,612
Southern California
I'm so glad the right one(XB2) is winning. Best characters, best story, Best post release DLC(challenge trials, full customization of difficulty, Elma, Shulk, Fiora, T-Elos), and best of all it has a great 30hr expansion that most people say exceeds the main game in quality. The only season pass I consider better than XB2 is the Witcher 3.
 
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SoH

SoH

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,734
JB2448 said:
As someone whose favorite games are Mother 3 and EarthBound (with Beginnings in my personal top 5), I absolutely appreciate the sentiment. It has a haunting atmosphere and an incredible soundtrack. Its visual style, while comparatively spartan to other NES RPGs, is arguably iconic and simply evolved with EarthBound and Mother 3.

But no. Looking at things outside of personal bias, this game has just aged too much. The grinding problem endemic of RPGs of the era and "glass cannon" nature of every party member up until basically late game, along with the lack of direction and unrewarding exploration, make this game avoid the highs of the ones in the poll.

I'm glad it got the first post, though. The game deserves more attention and another release on the NES Switch Online app.
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I mostly posted as it is often forgotten. If I were seriously recommending someone play it I'd probably recommend they apply the hack that reduces grinding unless I knew for sure they had a high tolerance for 8-bit RPGs.
 

Deleted member 2793

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,368
It's probably Awakening, that game is a Nintendo classic, but voted for Xenoblade 2 because I want it to beat 3 Houses.
 
WestEgg

WestEgg

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,047
Xenoblade 2 hands down, and Three Houses is the current front runner for my GOTY. Pretty clear reading the OP and comments that the intention of the thread was to shit on Xenoblade 2, so the poll backfire is especially delicious.
 
JB2448

JB2448

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,957
Florida
SmiteOfHand said:
I mostly posted as it is often forgotten. If I were seriously recommending someone play it I'd probably recommend they apply the hack that reduces grinding unless I knew for sure they had a high tolerance for 8-bit RPGs.
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Absolutely fair. More exposure for the series (especially its first and third entries) is always welcome.

As for the thread's topic, well, Xenoblade 2 coupled with Torna takes it and it's not even close. This is in spite of its multitude of problematic design decisions. Not just in regards to sexualization (though that is undoubtedly the most high profile part of it), but in terms of decisions that, whether inadvertently or deliberately, marginalized those who suffer from a very misunderstood and obscure mental disorder (dissociative identity disorder).

But the stories and personalities of the characters for both games for the most part are just too well presented, and the environmental design leaves pretty much every other notable RPG on that list in the dust. Not even mentioning the soundtrack, which I'm still bitter about not being nominated for The Game Awards in 2017 or 2018 (dammit Geoff, you're killing me).
 
Sieglinde

Sieglinde

Member
Feb 20, 2019
970
Honestly Fates:Conquest probably deserves to be there instead of Awakening, both have a dumb story and characters (Fates is a bit worse) but at least Conquest has the best gameplay out of any of the games listed here, as a whole i prefer 3H anyway.
 

Deleted member 2793

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,368
Sieglinde said:
Honestly Fates:Conquest probably deserves to be there instead of Awakening, both have a dumb story and characters (Fates is a bit worse) but at least Conquest has the best gameplay out of any of the games listed here, as a whole i prefer 3H anyway.
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Awakening has the highest score of all the FE games, most iconic characters, revived the series and will go down as one of Nintendo's best games ever. It certainly deserves more to be there than Fates.
 
Sieglinde

Sieglinde

Member
Feb 20, 2019
970
Heartskips said:
Awakening has the highest score of all the FE games, most iconic characters, revived the series and will go down as one of Nintendo's best games ever. It certainly deserves more to be there than Fates.
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It did bring the series back to life, but Pokémon X/Y also have the highest score of any Pokémon game that doesn't mean much,also i dont' know how would you describe "most iconic characters" in an objective way, overall Awakening probably deserves it more i'll concede, i just peronally saw more good points in Conquest than in Awakening.
 
Oregano

Oregano

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,878
Sieglinde said:
It did bring the series back to life, but Pokémon X/Y also have the highest score of any Pokémon game that doesn't mean much,also i dont' know how would you describe "most iconic characters" in an objective way, overall Awakening probably deserves it more i'll concede, i just peronally saw more good points in Conquest than in Awakening.
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Awakening brought us Lucina. Iconic.

Playable in Smash, playable in Super Mario Maker, playable in Codename Steam, playable in Project X Zone 2.

Icon. Queen.
 
FusionNY

FusionNY

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,704
Xenoblade 2 was my favorite Nintendo produced Switch game until Mario Maker 2 so that one.
 
Etrian Darkness

Etrian Darkness

Member
Oct 29, 2017
4,515
UK
That list sure makes me realise we haven't had anything better than Xenoblade Chronicles. If I had to choose, it'd be Xenoblade Chronicles X.

Maybe when I've played TMS#FE:E I'll change my mind.
 
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