Top 10 Square Enix Video Games

Despite the horribly confusing storyline and sometimes laughably bad translation, “Final Fantasy Tactics” is the quintessential tactical RPG, setting the template for dozens of followers. The depth and challenge of the battles and character customization in “Tactics” were truly groundbreaking. This is an insanely tough game that never even attempts to hold your hand, but there’s something so rewarding about building that perfect blend of squad members and finally beating that seemingly impossible mission. Plus, Cloud Strife is unlockable as a secret character, and that’s just plain bad-ass.

Featuring an inspired medieval-themed storyline that follows the protagonist, a knight named Ashley Riot as he tries to undermine a group of religious zealots that have established control over his homeland; “Vagrant Story” is a mature and complex game. The combat system in “Vagrant Story” is insanely deep, with the ability to target every separate body part on an enemy, chain abilities, and class systems. Square managed to balance the intricate story and complicated fight mechanics with a beautiful, making it one of the most unique hybrids of Western and Japanese RPGs ever.

Squaresoft and Nintendo had a great relationship throughout the 16-bit era, but before Square decided to jump ship and develop their next-gen Final Fantasy games for Sony, their swan song for Nintendo was “Super Mario RPG,” a charming and fun traditional RPG combining all of the iconic “Mario” characters with the best Square gameplay traditions. The game starts in a familiar way, with Mario attempting to save Peach from the clutches of Bowser, but before long, the three are forced to join forces to combat a new common enemy and recover lost star fragments.

After merging in 2003, Square and Enix also bought out Eidos Interactive, the company best known for games like “Deus Ex” and “Tomb Raider.” Fans were skeptical that “Square Enix” could publish a “Deus Ex” game that would match up to the original, but they delivered. “Human Revolution” is an amazingly fun and replayable first-person RPG that absolutely nails its cyberpunk aesthetic. The amount of control you have over the gameplay, both in terms of your character’s cybernetic augmentations, and in terms of how you choose to approach each mission, is awesome.

It might have been easy to get lost in the shuffle of 90’s Squaresoft classics, but “Secret of Mana” just has so much damn character. Following the story of a nameless boy who accidentally unleashes terror on his town after pulling an ancient sword from its resting place, “Secret of Mana” offers three playable characters to seamlessly switch between, frantic action gameplay, and beautiful graphics. This memorable adventure was made even better if you had a SNES multi-tap, because it’s one of the only 16-bit RPGs to feature co-op gameplay.

It seemed like so crazy an idea that it could never possibly work: combining Final Fantasy style characters with different iconic Disney franchises to create an action RPG that appealed to kids and die-hard gamers alike. “Kingdom Hearts 2” is also great, but it can’t match up to that magical feeling you get the first time you enter Agrabah or Halloween Town and whoop some enemy ass alongside your favorite Disney heroes. There’s nothing Goofy about this.

Though the “Dragon Quest” games never quite caught on as well in North America as it did in Japan, you know what they say: “Eighth time’s a charm”. This is a game that doesn’t necessarily try to re-invent the wheel, but rather, “VIII” is basically the perfect refinement of all of the elements that make RPGs great. It has a long, enthralling storyline, beautiful cel-shaded graphics, a vibrant explorable world filled with sidequests and NPCs, and a perfectly balanced combat system.

Lara Croft has gone through many iterations since her debut in 1996, but the “Tomb Raider” released in 2013 brought the legendary treasure hunter in a new, spectacular direction. Rather than trying to play up Lara’s sexuality, “Tomb Raider” casts Lara as a bad-ass, no-nonsense woman who can truly be looked at as a role model for female gaming characters. By revamping the franchise’s gameplay and style and giving Lara Croft previously unseen emotional depth, “Tomb Raider” became relevant again as one of the best modern action adventure games.

Choosing the best “Final Fantasy” game is no easy task – there’s definitely a case to be made “Final Fantasy VII,” - but “VI” wins out for having the best storyline and most memorable characters. Nothing beats the moment when you wake up on an abandoned beach as Ceres, having witnessed the near-destruction of the world, and set foot on that desolate post-apocalyptic land to search for your friends. The perfect storm of gameplay, music, graphics, and storytelling – Final Fantasy VI is the crown jewel of one of the most storied franchises in gaming history.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“The World Ends With You” (2008)

“Xenogears” (1998)

“Sleeping Dogs” (2012)

“Secret of Evermore” (1995)

“Chaos Rings” (2012)

As the first collaboration between Square and Enix before they became one, this game is not only the clear-cut best game to be produced from that union, but it’s arguably one of the best games of all time – we certainly thought so. Every single character is so fleshed out and memorable, and you truly get attached to their relationships and histories as they travel together through time, thwarting the impending apocalypse. With beautiful character art by famed “Dragon Ball” illustrator Akira Toriyama, one of the best soundtracks in gaming, perfectly balanced combat, and the best rag-tag group of fighters ever assembled, “Chrono Trigger” goes down as a masterpiece of gaming.

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