Ok. Here's the my grand list of RPGs. I'm not including any of the RPGs that I played less than 3/4 of and then stopped. If I didn't finish it for who knows what reason but got most of the way, there is an asterisk by the name of the game. All the rest I finished unless something other than a fraction is in the ranking column. You might not consider some of these games as RPGs, but if a game has a certain number of RPG-like elements, then I count it as an RPG. For MMORPGs, if I played it for over 100 hours, then I count it.

A game with a ranking of 1/10 was painful to play. 5/10 means it was alright, but I probably wouldn't play it again unless I was really bored. A 7/10 means it was a good game. Pleasureable and I wouldn't mind playing it again. A 10/10 is reserved for those games where I feel that I ripped off the company by getting more than I paid for. MUCH more.


GAME RATING
The Bard's Tale I: The Bard's Tale 6/10
The Bard's Tale 8/10
Betrayal at Krondor 7/10
Breath of Fire 3/10
Breath of Fire II 3/10
Chrono Trigger 10/10
Chrono Cross IN PROGRESS
Chrysalis 6/10
Diablo II 9/10
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 9/10
Dragon Warrior I (Dragon Quest in Japan) 7/10
Dragon Warrior II 7/10
Dragon Warrior III 8/10
Dragon Warrior IV 8/10
Dragon Warrior V 7/10
Dragon Warrior VI UPCOMING
Everquest II QUIT: 1200 HRS
Fable 9/10
Final Fantasy I 7/10
Final Fantasy I (Dawn of Souls) IN PROGRESS
Final Fantasy II 7/10
Final Fantasy II (Dawn of Souls) IN PROGRESS
Final Fantasy III 7/10
Final Fantasy IV 9/10
Final Fantasy V 9/10
Final Fantasy VI 10/10
Final Fantasy VII 10/10
Final Fantasy VIII 8/10
Final Fantasy IX 9/10
Final Fantasy X 9/10
Final Fantasy XI Online QUIT: 180 HRS
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles IN PROGRESS
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest UPCOMING
Final Fantasy Tactics 10/10
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 9/10
Fire Emblem: Monshou no Nazo 8/10
Golden Sun 7/10
Golden Sun: The Lost Age 7/10
Illusion of Gaia 2/10
The Legend of Zelda 8/10
The Adventure of Link 5/10
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 9/10
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening 6/10
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 10/10
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 9/10
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages 6/10
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons 6/10
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 10/10
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap 9/10
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures 7/10
Lostmagic 7/10
Lufia and the Fortress of Doom 6/10
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 9/10
Lufia: The Legend Returns UPCOMING
Lufia: The Ruins of Lore UPCOMING
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time 9/10
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 9/10
NetHack IN PROGRESS
Neverwinter Nights 10/10
Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide 8/10
Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark 10/10
Nox 8/10
Paper Mario 10/10
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 10/10
Pokemon Blue 7/10
Pokemon Silver 7/10
Revenant 4/10
Rogue 7/10
Secret of Evermore 6/10
Secret of Mana 7/10
Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3) 10/10
StarTropics 3/10
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 8/10
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II 9/10
Sword of Mana 6/10
Super Mario RPG 5/10
Tales of Symphonia 10/10
Terranigma 5/10
Treasure Hunter G 6/10
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar 7/10
Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny 8/10
Ultima VI: The False Prophet 8/10
Ultima VII, Part 1: The Black Gate 7/10
Ultima VII, Part 2: Serpent Isle 7/10
Ultima VIII: Pagan 6/10
Ultima IX: Ascension 7/10
Wasteland 8/10
TOTAL COMPLETED NUMBER OF RPGS: 76

This list is probably not exhaustive. I'm sure that there are a few RPGs out there that I've played and forgotten to put on this list. I'll add them if I happen to remember them while I'm sitting at my computer. Not likely though as I haven't been able to think of one I'm missing for a long time.

--------------------------------------------- MY TOP FIVE AND WHY THEY ARE SO GREAT ---------------------------------------------

1) Chrono Trigger
    There are many reasons why this game is my all time favorite. I would have to say the most compelling though is the storyline. The way the heroes get drawn deep into the story is better than just "you are the chosen one of destiny!". I think I am highly drawn to that.
    Another reason is the multiple endings and the new game + mode. These two features allow an extremely high replay value that is unmatched by nearly any game. I have played it countless times and I still have yet to see them all.
    The music is, of course, a huge influence. I have known many people that play the game repeatedly just for the music. I know that I myself love many of the well done tracks. The greatest of which would have to be the New Zeal song (Second in my mind only to the FF IV boss battle song). This excellent music adds a whole level to the feel and experience of the game.
    One of the last important points would have to be the tech combos. Having the characters team up to do joint attacks was completely unique at the time. It was mind-blowingly cool. The sprite movements and actions are still impressive and I still love the way Luminaire looks.

2) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
    Even though this was an excellent game, it would not have made it to the top five if it were not for the legend that had been building up for 15 years. It is the plot of Wind Waker that brings it to #2. There were many points in the game where I was awe struck by the plot and how cool it was becoming. I had no idea when I began the game that it would be so deep.
    However, one thing in which this game excels is the final fight. Sure, it was not particularly hard, but it was easily the coolest final boss fight I have ever played. Bar none. The background, the way the villian did not shout "No! I am invincible!" upon his defeat. In every way, the final fight of this game was about as good as it gets in my mind.
    And, while it was controversial, I think that the cell-shaded graphics were a stroke of genius for the Zelda series. I see it this way; Most games try to make it look as real as possible. Ok, so I know what lava looks like. Great. Most games make it look like how lava looks. But that's somewhat boring. I mean, lava looks cool when it looks real, but when its cell-shaded it's something completely new, unlike anything I have ever seen before. And that's a reason all by itself.
    There were also many little things in the game that were captivating. The Darknut AI, for one, was delightfully clever. Being able to cut or burn rope bridges was so cool. And don't even get me started on some of the dialogue or how enemies explode when you hit them with light arrows. These are some of the many, many small touches that were added to the game that didn't need to be, but made the game far more entertaining.
    Lastly, even though it is a small reason, I was incredibly impressed by the game's near infinite depth of view. Being able to see things slowly rise over the horizon and grow larger in a game is incredible. It makes it feel so much more real and so much larger. It made the whole game much more immersive.

3) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
    I can not exaggerate how kickass this game was. From the very un-childlike end boss, to the innovative way of using a crowd during battles, this game was destined to make my top 5 list. No amount of praise does this game right. The dialogue rocked, the throwbacks to old mario songs rocked, the playing of original Super Mario Bros. as Bowser rocked. It all rocked. What can I say except that in my mind this is the best Mario game ever created? Nothing. That's what. If you have not played it, play it. There are many jokes in there for kids, but there are also many in there for adults.

4) Secret of Mana 2 (Seiken Densetsu 3)
    I am not sure exactly why I enjoyed this game so very much, but I believe it is because the game had so many different ways it could be played. With being able to choose any 3 of 6 characters and every character able to have 4 different final classes, this makes for a lot of variability. Such variablility really appeals to me. It shows that the creators cared more about making the game deeper and richer than they cared about pumping it out quickly.
    I suppose another reason would be the graphics. Better sprites and tilesets have been created but none seem to capture such a bright, entertaining mood as much as in this game. This goes for the music as well. It was not the best game music ever made, but it fit extremely well and was very catchy. This made for a game that could be played for hours on end without any loss in entertainment.
    Lastly, I think there is a part of me that likes the rarity of an RPG that has action (or zelda) style fighting and combat while at the same time having hit points and experience. It is a rare sight indeed and any high-end game that takes the risk of doing something new gains respect in my eyes.

5) Final Fantasy VI
    A good part of the reason this game is on the top five is because it is one of the last great "classic" RPGs. It was soon after this that 3D moved in and changed games forever. Final Fantasy 6 rose to the top and pushed sprites as far as they could go. This was a culmination, a peak, and a near-perfect use of many RPG cliches.
    Even though most people see it as minor, I loved this game for the fact that it had not one, but two characters who used Blue Magic. I have always loved Blue Mages and this game sated that. Countless hours were spent learning useless monster moves just to get them all. In my eyes, a great waste of time.
    Enjoyed by few since it makes the game easy, I loved the fact that by the end I could cast Ultima 8 times a round. Sometimes in games it is good to be so powerful that you crush anything that stands in your way and FF6 delivered this better than almost any other game I have played. It is something that is extremely hard to pull off, but when done correctly, is extremely satisfying. I commend this game for doing it so incredibly well.
    The last unique trait I identify with this game would have to be the character depth. Rarely does a game get so deep into the history of almost all the characters and make you feel for them. This game did just that, making me think hard even about the enigmatic Gogo and what his (her?) story was. Very hard to do with so many characters, but FF6 managed to do it almost to perfection.