RPGs with the best: Story, Characters, Atmosphere, and Plot twists?

[Sagacious-T]

The Suikoden series is actually terrible. The praise it receives on these forums are a running inside joke.

[Gen Eric Gui]

Also, I've never a Suikoden game in my life. Is true that is that good as some people say it is?

Yes.

Suikoden 2 is the single best RPG I've ever played in my life.  Period.  Not even Nocturne comes close.

[Ashtrot]

Mass Effect for everything.

[Yggdrasil]

The Suikoden series is actually terrible. The praise it receives on these forums are a running inside joke.

I see...

Also, I've never a Suikoden game in my life. Is true that is that good as some people say it is?

Yes.

Suikoden 2 is the single best RPG I've ever played in my life.  Period.  Not even Nocturne comes close.

Interesting, maybe one day I'll try at least Suikoden II. I've read great things about that game in particular.

[Robert Boyd]

Also, I've never a Suikoden game in my life. Is true that is that good as some people say it is?

Depends on the game.

Suikoden 1 - Good, a little rough around the edges, but good. Available on the PSN for $6 for your PS3 or PSP.
Suikoden 2 - Generally considered the best game in the series and one of the best PS1 games of all time. Sadly, it's very rare these days with used copies regularly running over $100. Hopefully, they'll put it on the PSN soon.
Suikoden 3 - First PS2 Suikoden. Had an interesting multi-perspective system where you'd play through different character scenarios. Had several flaws IMO, but some people love it.
Suikoden 4 - Never played it. Generally considered the weakest game in the series.
Suikoden 5 - Good if you can look past the load times & slow pace.

In general, Suikoden games are very strong in the story department with the gameplay aspects being hit or miss depending on the game.

[badsanta]

Just an FYI: I'll be talking just in terms of RPG's here. What I say here doesn't necessarily mean towards every genre of videogame. (I consider Visual Novels to not be RPG's.) Now that that's settled...

Story: Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. Besides the modern setting, the overall story told across these two games is quite good. Read Neal/Dincrest's reviews to see why, as I can't really explain it all that well myself. Runner-up would be Suikoden II.

Characters: It's a three-way tossup between Persona 2, Lunar Eternal Blue (PSX), and Tales of Legendia. A number of the characters in each game were well characterized, had likable character, and even had some depth.

Plot Twists: Can't really think of the best RPG with plot twists. I'm not saying there weren't any plot twists, but there aren't any coming to mind that made me go "AAAAAH!".

Atmosphere: Planescape Torment. Honestly, the Planescape setting should have been used more often.

[Ashtrot]

Characters: It's a three-way tossup between Persona 2, Lunar Eternal Blue (PSX), and Tales of Legendia. A number of the characters in each game were well characterized, had likable character, and even had some depth.

Legendia? The game with the UGLY COW, Shirley?

Surely, you jest.

[badsanta]

Characters: It's a three-way tossup between Persona 2, Lunar Eternal Blue (PSX), and Tales of Legendia. A number of the characters in each game were well characterized, had likable character, and even had some depth.

Legendia? The game with the UGLY COW, Shirley?

Surely, you jest.

I said 'a number of', not all. In general, the characters in those 3 games I mentioned were good, but it's only natural that were some black sheeps. Shirley in particular is a piece of crap. But I like the rest of the Legendia crew, some more then others.

[RPGRocker]

Story: Vagrant Story, Terranigma, Digital Devil Saga

Characters: Lunar 2, Final Fantasy VI, Threads of Fate

Plot twists: Suikoden

Atmosphere: Wild ARMs 3, Skies of Arcadia, Nocturne, Breath of Fire V

[moomoofarm7]

I always think of Chrono Trigger when this topic comes up.

[Dice]

Story: Chrono Series (I think Cross is extremely under appreciated, especially with its strength as a sequel), Terranigma (SNES game with story powerful enough to be in a best of topic?  A rare-earned point for early console story telling), Tales of the Abyss (as discussed a number of topics ago), Nier (based on simple premises executed effectively), Breath of Fire Series (kinda excluding the first title though), Final Fantasy VI and VII.  These are the most immediate games that come to my head at least.

Characters:  Tales of the Abyss (good backstories, great voicework brought it out even better), Final Fantasy VI (you kinda get a nice spectrum of characters here), Persona games also tend to tack of personalities of every sort making an enjoyable cast filled with chemistry.

Plot Twists: Baten Kaitos had me 'omg' a few times.  Abyss, as well.  Umm.Chrono Cross. Not much really - I love a good wtf moment but hard to remmeber memorable ones.  Breath of Fire II-V.  Digital Devil Saga had me wow-ed

Atmosphere: Baten Kaitos (essentially walking about in heavenly atmospheres sinse its all in the sky), Breath of Fire V (the dark gloom is well balanced out into much more), Wild Arms I-V (a western series that effectively branched out when it needed to.).  Nier (apocalyptic work, sand town, beach, a trippy forest, a mechanical dungeon, and a town who's haunting atmosphere and chilling sound does nothing short of astound and add to how on-the-verge its immediate destruction feels imminent.  Also, to see "past remnants" unused (lamp post?) just adds a smile when thinking about the world in which Nier works off of).

[Aeolus]

The Suikoden series is actually terrible. The praise it receives on these forums are a running inside joke.

I see...

Also, I've never a Suikoden game in my life. Is true that is that good as some people say it is?

Yes.

Suikoden 2 is the single best RPG I've ever played in my life.  Period.  Not even Nocturne comes close.

Interesting, maybe one day I'll try at least Suikoden II. I've read great things about that game in particular.

It should be noted that GEG was pretty adamant with his support of Baroque representing RPGFan's 2008 Wii RPG of the Year. A game that was a port of a remake of a Saturn game.

[ratsel]

For me

Story: Suikoden II, Xenogear

Characters: Final Fantasy VI, Grandia2, Seiken Densetsu 3

Plot twists: Persona 4, Chrono Trigger

Atmosphere: Lufia II, Wild Arms, Skies of Arcadia

[Eusis]

It should be noted that GEG was pretty adamant with his support of Baroque representing RPGFan's 2008 Wii RPG of the Year. A game that was a port of a remake of a Saturn game.

If you're citing that as an example of why his opinion can't be trusted then save it for one that's truly controversial.

Edit: Actually, don't. The more I think about it the more it irritates me that gets brought up, and it's not even relevant here.

[Sagacious-T]

Hahaha I remember this
http://www.rpgfan.com/features/go2008/wii.html