The Top 10 Best JRPGs On The Xbox 360

When gamers think of the JRPG genre, the Xbox is likely the last platform that they will associate with them. Microsoft’s Xbox has largely failed to crack the Japanese market, with gamers in the country favoring the already existing PlayStation and Nintendo brands. But, Microsoft did attempt to change that during the seventh generation with some minor success, by releasing some of the best JRPGs of the era, with some of them being exclusive to the Xbox. For any JRPGs out there, the Xbox 360 is certainly a console you should be looking to add to your collection.

These are the top 10 best JRPGs on the Xbox 360.

10. Tales Of Vesperia

The Tales series has been going on for over two decades now and spans multiple titles and platforms. Tales Of Vesperia is regarded by many fans as being one of the best entries in the entire series thanks to its likable characters and fast gameplay and mechanics that make it feel more like a fighting game than a traditional menu-based fighting system. The game was remastered and released on many modern platforms, making it very easy to check out in 2022.

9. Eternal Sonata

Eternal Sonata is set in the dying mind of composer Frédéric Chopin as he’s dying of tuberculosis. Because the universe is created in a composer’s mind, it naturally focuses around music which adds a very interesting spin to the JRPG genre. The game also features the option for a two-player co-op, something that isn’t typically seen in JRPGs.

8. Resonance Of Fate

Tri-Ace and Sega decided to develop a new JRPG to release as a direct competitor to Final Fantasy XIII. A very bold move by the developer and publisher, and it didn’t really pay off in terms of sales, but when it comes to quality it was certainly the better of the two. It is a shame that they decided to try and compete with the biggest name in the genre as Resonance Of Fate flew under the radar of many players and has become a forgotten gem in the Xbox 360’s library.

7. Blue Dragon

When gamers think of RPGs the Xbox likely isn’t the system that comes to mind. Microsoft knew this and set out to change this, particularly in the Japanese market by releasing many RPGs on the Xbox 360, with some being exclusive. Blue Dragon was one of these games, with it being exclusive to the Xbox 360, it was also bundled with consoles in Japan to try and encourage gamers to purchase the system. This tactic, along with an anime based on the game, seemed to work as the Blue Dragon Xbox 360 bundle sold over 200,000 units in its first month. However, the plan to try and gain market share in Japan overall failed, with the market still favoring Sony and Nintendo products, but for RPG fans this generation provided plenty of great titles on the Xbox 360.

6. Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII was one of the most highly anticipated games in the Final Fantasy series, with it being the first, and only, entry in the series to release on the seventh generation of consoles. With the graphical leap between the sixth and seventh generation, as well as the much larger storage capabilities, fans were very excited to see what Square Enix would do with the franchise to push the current platforms to their limits.

Overall, the game did disappoint many players, with it failing to live up to expectations although it did sell extremely well and spawned two sequels, the first time it had been done in the series. In more recent years it has begun to gain a cult following with many players revisiting the game and realizing it is a very well-made game.

5. Infinite Undiscovery

Tri-Ace was very busy during the seventh generation, developing Star Ocean: The Lost Hope, Resonance Of Fate, and Infinite Undiscovery among other games. This could make setting them apart from each other very difficult as these are just three JRPGs from the developers on one system. Infinite Undiscovery has a very interesting mechanic that is rarely seen in that decisions in the game affect the outcome of the story in real-time. Like many games on this list, it flew under the radar for a lot of players and that is a shame.

4. The Last Remnant

The Last Remnant served as an unofficial testing ground for Final Fantasy XIII, with the game released by Square Enix two years prior. The game utilizes a group battle mechanic rather than players taking control of a single character. Square Enix seemed to have liked this mechanic as an element of it was carried over to Final Fantasy XIII.

3. Final Fantasy XIII-2

Although it is a spin-off game of Final Fantasy XIII, many fans consider Final Fantasy XIII-2 to be the better game, and we’re inclined to agree. Released two years later, Final Fantasy XIII-2 launched in 2011 and is a direct sequel to the previous game as part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis subseries and features a faster style of gameplay, as well as a customizable “Paradigm” system to control which abilities are used by the characters, and adds a new system that allows monsters to be captured and used in battle. It was a different take on the Final Fantasy series and proved to be a lot of fun. While it didn’t sell as well as the first game, it did sell over 3 million units and received very favorable reviews.

2. Star Ocean: The Last Hope

As the name suggests, Star Ocean has a more sci-fi space theme than what is typically seen in the genre, which does make the setting feel fresh. Players travel to different planets as a member of the Space Reconnaissance Force, a space corps type of organization. Star Ocean: The Last Hope is certainly one of the more unique games on this list and very nice change of pace.

1. Lost Odyssey

Lost Odyssey went for a more realistic game style as opposed to the typical anime or chibi style, and it was definitely the right choice. The game has a feel of a Final Fantasy game and features one of the best JRPG villains of all time, Gongora. This is a JRPG that you need to play if you’re a fan of the genre.

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