Best Multiplayer RPGs?
Me and my 2 best friends are WAY into RPGs and I feel like if I'm going to buy an RPG for my NES, SNES, Genesis, or N64, that I should get one game that is at least 2 players. I've searched online but I know the most reliable source would be from the mouths of fellow classic gamers. We especially enjoy turn-based RPGs but really any fun multiplayer RPG will do. Please help me as I am just starting out as a collector and at the moment I have No Home Console RPGs!
As far as the SNES is concerned, you definitely need to pick up Secret of Mana! Not only is it an awesome action RPG, but it is 3 player simultaneous! You do need to locate the other 2 party members for the multiplayer to activate, but that happens fairly early in the game. You could also look into Secret of Mana 2. It only came out in Japan, but there are English-patched versions that you could either emulate or buy on a repro cart if you want to play it in your system. I believe that SOM 2 is far superior, but SOM 1 is easier to acquire and cheaper if you're going cart-only.
I'm not sure of any traditional multiplayer RPG's on the NES, but for something a little unconventional, you should look into River City Ransom! An awesome beat-em-up with the ability to upgrade your stats and learn new moves! The most fun you can have with a friend on the NES!
Someone can correct me on this, but aren't the SNES Final Fantasy games multiplayer in the battle scenes?
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Thanks Smashed Brother! Three player mode sounds perfect for me and my friends on Secret Of Mana. I will probably pick this one up!
Little Ninja Brothers for NES, and Super Ninja Boy for SNES. That's a great series. It's part Dragon Quest, part brawler.
Just in case you didn't, I'll second a recommendation of Secret of Mana. It's such a fun game to play with friends, especially if you both (or three?) play through the whole thing together. It just really makes it worthwhile.Originally Posted by Gunstar Hero
The SNES release Final Fantasy 3 has 2 player. Final Fantasies 4 and 5 (and of course 3/6) are two player on the Playstation releases.
[And before anyone mentions it, the Playstation versions of 4 and 5 are definitely the definitive way to go for official English releases. Any complaints about load times are absolutely exaggerated. The only Playstation Squaresoft rerelease with bad load times is Chrono Trigger.]
I believe there are hacked Secret of Evermore versions out there where a 2nd player can control the dog.
Also, Twisted Tales of Spike McFang has a code where the 2nd player can control Rudy (google it). One of the coolest codes around, although, I don't know why they didn't just make that an option from the get-go (they could have advertised the game as a 2-player action RPG and it probably would have sold more). Note that the RPG-ness of Spike McFang is extremely light however. It's really more of an action adventure.
Dungeon Explorer series has multiplayer, from 3 to 5 players depending on game and system. There are entries on TurboGrafx-16, Mega-CD/Sega CD and Super Famicom. I've only played the Mega-CD version, and while it is fun, the classes are very unbalanced (weak and fast magic type characters seem useless to me) and you really do need to try out the different dungeons a lot to see in which order to tackle them. Gauntlet is the game it is based on, pretty much, and the Genesis/Mega Drive version has an RPG mode for 2 players. Fun to play and amazing music, looks a bit dated though. Then there is Arcus Odyssey/Arcus Spirits on Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Famicom, which I haven't played but hear is good. It's for two players as well.
Even with Chrono Trigger, it's a manufacturing defect causing the horrendous times. Playing from a CDR is actually preferable, assuming you have the means to do that. Not saying it gets rid of the load times completely, but it definitely reduces it to a more reasonable level.
I just spent my Sunday night playing a four player game of Swords and Serpents using the NES Four Score. It's a totally rad 1/2/4 player dungeon crawler. While a primitive game for sure, it managed to hold all our attentions. The only downside is some warrior/thief characters might find hitting the A button over and over again to be tedious (especially if they aren't the one chosen to walk around the map). Well, that and the password system.
One of the top 100 games of all time for sure!
The first Diablo (PS1/PC) is pretty fun if a bit shallow. Baldur's Gate is excellent for multiplay but PC only.
Oh and I forgot the Mystical Ninja series! 2-player hybrid of platforming, mini-games and town exploration.
Official? Yeah. But really the best way to experience those games is to get patched Japanese carts.
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