Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Square games that don't start with "Final" or end with "Fantasy".

The Final Fantasy series for Squaresoft, or rather Square EA, or Square Enix, whatever it is now called, is the most recognizable series for their company. It is also most likely the first RPG that comes to mind for many gamers, Squaresoft is also the first company that comes to mind for thinking of RPGs, with that in mind, lets try and find the other masterpieces Square has made...

This has to be THE MOST underrated Squaresoft game, ever. It's not an RPG, heck, it's not even a Squaresoft fighting game, ala Ehrgeiz or Tobal No. 1, it's a side scrolling shooter, but a good one at that. Yes, I'm sure some of you are still a little mind boggled, a Squaresoft shooter? No you're not hunting little Moogles or Chocobos, but other little space ships. However the two best factors, and the most important factors of "new age" shooters, is 1) Replay value, and 2) Graphics, and thankfully Squaresoft hit them both on the mark, kick ass graphics, and the ability to replay with different ships and weapons, this game will keep you busy for a long long time.

One of the more underrated, yet still known games by Square, Bushido Blade, is also one of the best. With mulitple characters with multiple authentic Japanese weapons, with multiple stances, the possibilities were near endless on how to strike, or strike back. One of the funnest gameplay modes was the "Slash" mode, where you simply kill countless enemies until you were done. Some of the scenery was simply breath taking for it's time, whether you're in a Cherry Blossom garden or on a mountain side, it definately had memories which everyone some be able to remember.

You either, played this game and loved it, played this game and hated it, never heard of it, or heard of it but never played it, but thought the title sounded cool. Well the game is almost as cool as the title! This game hit in the coolness factor of being able to pick your character from the start, either as Rue trying to revive your dear friend or as Mint, where you try and take over the world, while each story crosses over, which would you want to be?

Is it a game or a movie? Well Squaresoft cleared it up and called it a Cinematic RPG, and it fits in that catagory, quite well I might add. Think Final Fantasy VII + Resident Evil 2, and you'll be somewhere in the middle. Most memorable are the FMVs, at the time, it had probably some of the most realistic movies that you could find anywhere. The basic plot is, you were watching an opera, and suddenly everyone bursts into flames, but while? It is quite the science fiction, horror, RPG game, that has been forgotten, which everyone who enjoyed Final Fantasy VII or Resident Evil 2 should pickup and play.

A sequel, sort of, to the best non-Final Fantasy Square game, ever! While Chrono Trigger brought you traveling from somewhere in time, to another place in time, Chrono Cross, brought you from dimention to dimention. With a countless amount of characters to pickup, as well as having to play multiple times to get them all, it left you with a sense of wanting to play until completio, however with so many characters it did not leave too much in the character development area, but for some strange reason, there was enough to get attached to a bunch of characters, but not all of them, but also left certain characters etched in your mind, and for me it was Harle, but you'll have to play to find out why!

Tired of playing RPGs alone? Well play this, not only can you and a friend play, but you and two friends can play! Most people compare this Zelda, but three players instead of one, which makes it three times the fun! Like all RPGs it starts small, then, whoa, wait, what happened? Boy takes sword from stone, evil is unlocked and is now everywhere, so fix it, but look on the brightside, now you can fix it together!

Nintendo, and Squaresoft? What would they do, make a RPG about Mario? Well, actually, yeah, and it was actually kind of good. Back then, a group project between Nintendo and Squaresoft did not seem so far fetched, but with recent times, especially a few years ago before Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, a Nintendo/Square venture seemed like it would never happen, and is exactly the reason why, loving both companies, I spent the $40 on a used, old, Super Nintendo cartridge, and money well spent. If you ignore the fact it is Mario, yes MARIO in an RPG, and simply play it for the fun it is, you will enjoy this, not to say the Mario purists wouldn't, because whether you'te an RPG fan or Mario fan, you'll enjoy this classic as well.

They could have called it, "Chocobo, wish I was the main star like Mario in his games but I'm not, so I'll be the star of this game, Kart". Obviously a lot was taken from Mario Kart, but only the best things of Mario Kart, then Square added their own touch to make this one of their best games as well. Possibly one of the most underrated racing games ever, it is quite fun. With the choices of many of the side characters of the Final Fantasy series, Moogles, Chocobos, Wizards, Priestesses, and Behemoths and more, you're pitted against each other somewhat childish looking tracks, but the fun is still there. Whether you want to work through a story mode, or the best fun of the VS. mode, trying to shoot each other down with Fire 1, or trying to e-brake around the turn hoping to cut your opponent off, it will always be fun.

This game is so good, you want to say it's the best RPG ever, but then you know you have countless others ahead of it, but you still feel the need to give this a title, so it will be dubbed, "The best not called Final Fantasy VII, but a Squaresoft game on Playstation, RPG, ever." At first glance it was probably shrugged off as the stereotypical Japanese, big robot game, but for the diehards, it's a Square game, so of course, they bought it, and were lucky enough to witness one of the best Squaresoft games. It broke away from the normal prerendered backgrounds, with 3d characters, to quite the opposite, sprite characters with a complete 3d world! This game spanning 80+ hours was one of the best, and if you were a perfectionist like me, you HAD to go around walking around the 3d world, infact sadly, I probably spent more time looking throughout that world, than the real one while playing this.

Not only a contender for the best Square game, but also a contender for best RPG, if not best game ever, which can be backed up by it's "Top 10" placing at #3, or the Spring 2004 Best Game Ever placing at #2. A masterpiece for the Super Nintendo, most known for the insane amount of endings at 15, as well as its very interesting time travel aspect. It kept gamers on edge for hours upon hours traveling back and forth through time, trying to save the world, hoping you did not mess too much up going back and forth. A definate must play.

A top 10 Squaresoft list without a Final Fantasy game in it? Almost boggles the mind, but then that was the point, there is no doubt Final Fantasy is one of the best series ever, reaching it's 12th game, excluding a few sequels, spinoffs and whatnot, so very obviously the Final Fantasy series has been good, and a success. It is just, if you trust your gaming dollars to buy every Final Fantasy that comes out, also have faith the same people who brought you those wonderful games made others for you to play as well, and maybe dip into your Final Fantasy fund to maybe pickup a few of these and give them a try...

List by IONO (11/06/2005)