This is the one RPG that does not have me worrying about when Final Fantasy XIII drops. White Knight Chronicles, rather than White Knight Story which was the working title seems to be a slight trend when naming a game this generation, ala Valkyria Chronicles.

Valkyria Chronicles, which is the best RPG this generation thus far in my opinion, seems to be passing the torch over to White Knight Chronicles. So the Chronicles continue and from what I’ve seen thus far, this one seems to not disappoint.

While Japan has been privileged enough to have enjoyed this game since what was New Years Eve, they were made to wait for a decent online experience for this game. When this game is finally localized, it will boast all of the features that the Japanese version currently has, which is great. Just as long as this game gets confirmed for a 2009 release, all will be well over on this side of the globe.

Now, why would I prematurely consider this game to be the best RPG in this generation? For one, neither Final Fantasy XIII game will have released yet, other than in Japan and Persona 5 will also not be on the shelves either. While the 360 has quality titles such as Mass Effect and Fable 2 which fit under the “action role-playing” genre that seems to be quite popular nowadays, I’m merely just going over true-role playing games.

On top of that, the battle system strikes similarities to Final Fantasy XIII and appears to be a step above Valkyria Chronicles, Star Ocean IV, Tales of Vesperia, Lost Odyssey and Disgaea 3. Now, you’re probably wondering how and why I think that, so let’s break down each of these games.

• Valkyria Chronicles – This game is rather short for one, but makes up for the length of play with outstanding quality, while being extremely difficult. Currently a must own, but there are only a few RPG’s that are currently must own titles. Valkyria Chronicles is a strategy game, but these games are RPG’s in every sense of the word. For one, it’s turn-based and after that, you have to take time to upgrade powers and plan out your strategy rather tactfully by choosing who you want to be in your party at the time.

• Star Ocean IV – In a genre that focuses as much on the quality of characters and storyline as it does the game play, this game has horrible narration and the storyline doesn’t do much to get you interested in the characters at all. The battle system is decent, but this is a very average RPG title, with lots of hype.

• Tales of Vesperia – Some may argue that this is the best RPG title out there, they could be right as it might be a matter of just flipping a coin between Valkyria Chronicles and Tales of Vesperia. This game is your traditional RPG that boasts a quality storyline, great narration and requires you to log long hours. Those fit the criteria for a quality RPG already, but it’s over 50 hours, while White Knight Chronicles is over 100. So, Tales of Vesperia excels in all the classic RPG elements, it just seems that White Knight Chronicles takes it a step further in all these departments. Offering a robust online experience in comparison with a more mature undertone of the characters, the only strength that Tales of Vesperia seems to have over this title is storyline…right now, anyways

• Lost Odyssey – When I first saw commercials for this game, it looked outstanding, but then I find out that it’s four discs and still tops out at 50 hours. Not to mention that it offers a very average turn-based battle system and storyline that does not make it easy at all to be interested in the characters. While on paper, this game looks great, when you dig deeper you will find this is nothing more than an average RPG with pretty graphics.

• Disgaea 3 – This game is another top notch RPG that is right there with Tales of Vesperia and Valkyria Chronicles, so if you own both consoles and like RPG’s then you should own all three. If you can get past the kiddy animation and narration, you should have no problem enjoying this game as it is your traditional RPG that boasts a whopping 100+ hours of game play and stellar graphics. However, it looks like another title that will simply take a back seat to White Knight Chronicles.

There we have it, The Don’s  top 5 RPG’s this generation thus far and I think that the path has been cleared for White Knight to take the #1 spot….until Final Fantasy XIII drops, and then we’ll get to see how these blue chip titles stack up on all fronts.

So stay tuned…and be sure to listen to the Vice Weekly Podcast that was just posted to hear our indepth conversation about RPG’s and whether or not they have become the staple of gaming!

Popularity: 17% [?]

Related posts:

1. PS3 Over-Booked To Start The Year?
2. Poll of the Week : White Knight Chronicles Edition
3. New White Knight Chronicles Screens From Comic Con
4. PS3 Lineup For ‘09 Was Too Good To Be True?
5. Quality over Quantity: PS3 RPGs