Welcome to Top 5 games where I cover what I personally think are the 5 best games in a particular genre at the time of writing. In this initial installment I will cover what I think are the Top 5 Role Playing games on the Xbox 360. This category includes both “western” and “japanese” RPGs and is listed in reverse order.

Number 5: Lost Odyssey

I consider Lost Odyssey to be the best JRPG currently available on the Xbox 360, as everything about it is of a high quality. This includes the graphics and the sound which are both top notch and the game play which is a variation on the standard turn based system. Lost Odyssey also avoids a common JRPG cliche and the main protagonist is an adult rather than an annoying teenager, though some children are eventually introduced into your party.

My main criticism of Lost Odyssey is that it has a random encounter system and there is no way to avoid or initiate battles, which can be irritating if searching for missed items in an area with particularly low or high level monsters. This criticism aside anyone who enjoys turn based JRPGs and has an Xbox 360 should buy or rent Lost Odyssey at some point.

Number 4: Oblivion

Oblivion is one of the older RPGs available on the Xbox 360, having been released back in March 2006. This in no way detracts from its quality though and the game still offers alot to fans of RPGs. This is due to the large number of sidequests and quest based DLC including a full fledged expansion in the shivering isles, combined with a large world to explore, making Oblivion a game you want to keep returning to.

My main criticism of Oblivion is that enemies level with you and it is possible to complete the game with a character who is at a very low level. It also made headlines in the wrong way with the Horse Armour DLC. These issues aside it is very hard to fault Oblivion and in my opinion the game would still be highly ranked if released today.

Number 3: Fable 2

Fable 2 is in many ways like the original a “RPG-lite” as the experience system and quests are very simplistic compared to other members of the Genre. This in some ways is a strength as it allows it to appeal to people who would not normally consider playing an RPG. It also (at least in the non-DLC version) make you think very hard about what moral choice to make at the end as the consequences for two of the choices impact greatly on your game play experience and so you may make a choice you would normally reject.

Fable 2 also offers a limited form of 2 player Co-op which is not normally seen in RPGs and lets you talk with other people playing via the Orb system. While Fable 2 is in no way perfect it is a worthy successor to the much maligned original Fable and is one of the few games I have played where I felt the consequences of a moral choice actually mattered to me.

Number 2: Mass Effect

Bioware are renowned for making high quality RPGs with in depth stories from the original Baldurs Gate to KOTOR, and Mass Effect is no exception and until recently I considered it the best RPG on the Xbox 360. In a departure from earlier Bioware games, the game now plays more like a FPS though with notable RPG elements, it still maintains a complex character development system and plot.

My main criticism of Mass Effect is that the main quest lacks a sense of urgency as you can spend aged exploring the galaxy with no consequence regarding the main plot. In addition most of the worlds that you visit are too undeveloped in terms of environment and side quests, the only exceptions being the main quest worlds. The moral choices on offer are also cruder than promised falling too quickly into obviously good or evil option with no shaded of grey or being able to make the “good” choice for an “evil” reason (or vice versa). Despite these criticisms Mass Effect is a very good game and until recently was unsurpassed in RPG terms on the Xbox 360

Number 1: Fallout 3

My choice of the current number 1 game should come as no big surprise to fans of RPGs as Fallout 3 was a standout title of a packed Final Quarter of 2008. The game itself is made by Bethesda who also made Oblivion and uses a modified version of the same Engine. The game stands alone from the earlier Fallout games, while keeping a style that is recognisably Fallout including organisations that are recognisable from those games without making it inaccessible to people who have never played them.

My main criticism of Fallout 3 is that the ending, ends the game completely leaving you no options to continue exploring, and in many ways lacks the “courage” of the earlier games, shying away from some elements such as sex and drugs that were abundant in the original. There are also a few plot elements that don’t make sense such as a wealth of children in lamplight caverns with no explanation how the population gets replenished. Nitpicking aside though Fallout 3 is currently the best RPG on the Xbox 360, at least until Mass Effect 2, Fallout 4 or another standout title is released.