I amor parties. I amor them a lot. And no, I’m not talking about those big social gatherings that I never get invited to. I’m talking about parties in games, usually RPGs, a small ragtag group of losers helping the games main loser, usually you or the player character. Usually, party members are the best parts of games for me, or, depending on how awful they are, they can be pretty much ruin the entire experience. There are a multitude of characters that can cadastrar-se your team and aid you in your fight against whatever it is that your character is going up against, and sometimes, they may not fully agree with what you are doing, but they may be mais loyal to you than you’d think. So, today, I want to discuss the best party members from games that I have played, and just find the no geral, global best team. Now, of course, I am only going to include characters from games that I have played, so no characters from the Mass Effect franchise. Second, these characters have to be a part of your party, they can’t be aleatório travellers that you meet along the way, so no Dark Souls characters either. Great as they may be, they don’t count. Also, Pokemon do not count, because that’s just too easy. These have to be characters with their own personality and backstory, so no Pokemon will be on here. With that said, let us begin the list.
~#5~
We can’t talk about an RPG list without talking about Final fantasia in some way. We all know that Final fantasia is the big name for all RPGs, and for good reason. Now, I have only played a few Final fantasia games. Those being six, seven, ten, thirteen, and for some reason, Theatrhythm. Now, I haven’t finished Ten, so I can’t say for sure what their like, so I will just go with the other three… You all know that Thirteen didn’t even come close to making the list, so, instead, that leaves us with the other two, and you may be surprised to know who I picked.
#5: Final fantasia VI
Originally, I was going to put the group from Final fantasia VII on this list, but something about the cast from Final fantasia VI just made me like them a lot more… Is it the lack of Cait Sith? It’s probably the lack of Cait Sith. Anyway, the team from Final fantasia VI consist of Terra, a mysterious girl with amnesia. Locke, a “treasure hunter”. Celes, a former general of the Empire. Brothers Sabin and Edgar, Sabin a muscular monk and Edgar a king of Figaro. Shadow, a mysterious and quiet ninja. Cyan, a powerful samurai with a tragic past. Gau, a strange and wild child. Setzer, a high stakes gambler with a flying ship. Strago, a magician and his artistic granddaughter, Relm. The mascot character, Mog, and his yeti, Umaro. And finally, the bizarre mime, Gogo. While some characters are mais interesting than others, Umaro and Gogo barely even do anything in the story, each character manages to have their own unique fighting style. Locke can steal, Shadow can throw stares, Gogo can mimic, Gau can steal enemy attacks, Mog can use different techniques, Edgar can use tools, So on and so forth. And each character always manages to have some interesting story, and are always interacting with one another in some way. Locke’s tragic past with a girl he loved has caused him to do whatever he can to protect Celes and Terra, Edgar and Sabin have a strong trust for each other after Edgar gave up his freedom for the kingdom so Sabin can go after his dreams. Not to mention, each minor characters back story makes them that much mais interesting, like Setzer’s childhood friend dying and leaving him her airship, Gau’s issues with his father, and the tragic story of Shadow. And when each character is separated after the world is destroyed, you want to find everyone, without hesitation. The moment you get a new airship, you are determined to find them and get the party back. I think that this moment of separation along with all the dialogue and backstory just pushed me to like these characters mais than that of VII’s, and why I wanted to put them on this list… Also because they didn’t have Cait Sith.
~#4~
Well, from one SNES RPG to another, and another Square Enix one. I have yet to play Earthbound, and until the dia when it isn’t being held for eight hundred dollars, I think that dia will yet to come, and since I haven’t heard the best of things about Secret of Mana, I think you know what the seguinte game is.
#4: Chrono Trigger
While Chrono Trigger’s party isn’t as big as Final fantasia VI’s, it still allowed me to get an interest for these characters. Maybe even mais than VI’s, because less characters just gives the creators mais time to develop them. I mean, come on, no backstory for Umaro? Gogo can get away with it because he’s strange, but… come on. But, anyway, Chrono Trigger. Instead of setting you in one timeline, like medieval RPG, it instead sends you across time to different locations, allowing you to meet other characters to cadastrar-se your party in order to defeat the threat that is Lavos. From the main game, you get help from Lucca, long time friend of Chrono and scientist, and Marle, the princess of the kingdom who just wants to explore. But then, the other timelines introduce you to new characters. In the medieval times, you run into Frog, a knight that was changed into, what else, a frog, and wants to protect the kingdom. In the post-apocalyptic future, you run into Robo, a robotic machine who wishes to understand himself better, and when you go into the past with the dinosaurs, you run into Ayla, a tribal warrior who fights with her club and her brute strength. While you can just look at these characters and just call them Dragon Ball Z rip offs with slightly less muscle, they are actually some of the best characters I’ve seen on the SNES library. Frog’s cursed past, mixed with his amazing sword skills, makes him a great member of the team. Ayla’s brute strength is amazing to have, allowing you to destroy enemies in a second. But if you want to cry, you can always go for Lucca and Robo’s side quests where Robo is hated por his own kind for being associated with humans or what Lucca did to her mother that caused her to feel guilt and the want to try and do better. And the best part is that not only are the side quests boring, but they actually have a reason to be here. What you do will always be a part of the bigger story. I need this stone to defeat Lavos, which just so happens to help Marle’s relationship with her father. I want to fix this forest, which just so happens to allow Lucca to explore her backstory. I want to go to this part of the island, which just so happens to have Magus there. Oh, also, Magus is a party member. This was one of the first RPGs I played where a villain character can actually become a member of your team, so it was a nice change for me to see this. Each character has their own great personality and means of fighting, and not one of them ever got on my nerves… Unlike some characters from that segundo Chrono game. The one we don’t speak of.
~#3~
I think I’ve been talking about Square Enix games for long enough, or, hell, JRPGs for long enough. I think it’s time I give the western RPGs some credit that they deserve, and what better western RPG to talk about than Skyrim… Ha! No, no. Great game, but my god, do the companions in that game suck. No, I want to talk about that other Bethesda game. And no, it’s sure as shit isn’t 4
#3: Fallout: New Vegas
I should start out por saying that I am going to be sticking with Companions from the base game, so no companions from Honest Hearts or Dead Money. With that being said, I was genuinely shocked por how they made the companions. There’s the guilt ridden sniper, Boone. Rex, a dog who is clearly in a lot of pain. Arcade Gannon, a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Cass, a heavy drinking caravan owner. Veronica, a cheery member of the Brotherhood of Steel. Raul, a ghoul mechanic with a dark past. Lily, a Super Mutant who is looking for her grandchildren. And ED-E, a small and reliable robot. I wasn't expecting much, just that they functioned properly and just did the job of protect me and mover on. But the mais I talked with them, the mais quests I did, I didn’t realize just how great they actually were. From Boone’s guilt over the death of his wife, to Raul losing everything, even his own name, each character had a sidequest that was mais than just enjoyable, but actually made me care for the characters that I was tagging along with. I wanted to help out everyone in my party. I wanted Cass to get justice for what happened to her family and her company. I wanted Lily to get healed from her mental illness. I even wanted ED-E to get the proper parts that would help him. With each decision you decide from the characters, they could become mais heavy-hearted than what they were before, letting the Wasteland overcome their morality, or you can keep them in good spirits and allow them to have some hope for a better life and a better future, if not for the Mojave, than at least for themselves. And, once again, each character has their own unique trait about them. Raul can fix things at his shake, as well as be a good gunslinger, Veronica can hit things like a truck, Rex can scout out enemies, Arcade can use a pretty powerful weapon for some guy in a lab coat, the list goes on and on. And with each companion comes unique perks, so it makes you want to find out what each one of them can do and what they can contribute to the group, but that doesn’t stop the characters from being great. I really enjoyed coming into the Lucky 38 to see all of them just wandering around, conversing with each other, and other such things. It gives the place a lot mais life and macks it feel that much better. As better as a hellhole like the Wasteland can get, I suppose.
~#2~
Since I said that Dark Souls couldn’t be on this list, I had to find western RPGs elsewhere (I know Dark Souls was made in Japan, but it’s inspired por western, dammit!). And since I said Skyrim’s companions suck, and since I haven’t played Mass Effect, that just leaves me with one other option.
#2: Dragon Age: Origins
Since there is a DLC character in Dragon Age: Origins, that being Shale, should I include her… Yes, I will. Because she sticks around the whole game unlike the Fallout: New Vegas DLC companions. Anyway, Dragon Age: Origins has some of the best cast I’ve ever seen in a RPG. Inquisitions was good, but they didn’t make me want to start a new game immediately after completion of the main game. Origins cast, did make me want to. And I did. And I didn’t even regret it for a second. There’s your loyal dog… Dog. Fellow comrade and bastard child of royalty, Alistair. Bloodthirsty nun, Liliana. Anti-social witch, Morrigan. Loyal and caring mage, Wynne. Battle-hardened foreigner, Sten. Lustful assassin, Zevran. Emotionless golem, Shale. Alcoholic dwarf, Oghren. And even main antagonist Loghain… If you REALLY want him over Alistair. From the start, you already have to decide how you want to do things in this game. Some of your characters will agree with you, and others will disagree. But regardless of what you do, no character will ever become disrespectful towards you or disloyal. Well, unless you do something that actually antagonises them, but why wouldn’t you want a pro healer like Wynne or a master swordsman like Sten on your team. And no character bombards you with complaints afterwards, even characters who you think are prone to constant whining. Even the characters who you think are going to be the most obnoxious are actually amazing. Shale’s confusion about everything and her disinterest comes from being a golem all her life, Sten wants only to fight and kill, yet has a fondness for cookies. Liliana also trying to hide her murderous bloodlust while being a member of the church or… whatever it’s called in the game. And it’s great to see each and every character interact with each other, both in cutscenes and in gameplay. You could just be walking down the road, and you can hear Alistair giving some snarky comment to Morrigan or hear Zevran try to hit on Wynne. It’s always comedic between them, but each character has some tragedy behind them and no matter what, you want to help them out. Even in small tasks, you want to help them, like get Sten’s sword back or let Alistair visit his sister. And of course, this is the first game on this list where party members can romance each other. And not Final fantasia VI with Locke and Celes, I mean the player has the choice who they can romance. Help Liliana with her bloodlust and try to see her for who she is, allow Morrigan to be mais accepting, or if your a female player, help Alistair find out who he really is. Or just be generally nice to Zevran. Hell, be a guy, Zevran isn’t picky. Dragon Age isn’t afraid to have gay relationships… Not like Mass Effect, am I right!?...
~#1~
Okay, so, if you know me, you probably already know who my choice is going to be, but shut up, and let me build it up. Originally, I wanted to put Dragon Age: Origins party on this list just for how much you can do with them. But then I remembered a party that just interested me a little mais than that of Dragon Age’s
#1: Persona 4
Like I said, I was originally going to have the companions from Dragon Age on this list, but I had to stop myself for the sake of Persona 4’s Investigation Team… Probably because it’s not called Companions or Party like in the anterior entries. But seriously, there’s mais to it than that. The party consists of store clerk and public punching bag, Yosuke. Kung-fu lover and meat eater, Chie. The quiet and calm pretty girl, Yukiko. Another mascot character, Teddie. The idiot and muscle, Kanji. Pop idol, Rise. And gender confused ace detective, Naoto. I think that, out of every other parties on this list, this one has the most chemistry together. Because it isn’t like, “These characters have been friends forever” or “We just met, but you’re my best friend forever”. While I do amor all these companions, I think that Persona 4’s party members just had the best interactions with each other. You can believe that those who have been friends before the events of the game have been friends for a long time por how they talk and interact with each other, and you can tell that they seem to respect the protagonist in some way before they get to know them more, despite his odd behavior towards everything and everyone, assuming were going por The Animation’s rules. But aside from that, the Social links of Persona 4 allow you to get closer to these characters than any other one of the members. You get to experience Yosuke’s reason to dislike the town, why Chie has to be strong for others, what Yukiko truly strives for outside of just running the inn, how Kanji can handle having a softer side due to his punk behavior, Teddy trying to find out who he really is just outside of a hollow urso costume, Rise trying to find a difference from her school life and her celebrity life and Naoto not being sure who she wants to be, not even gender wise, but just in general. And you get to see each of them grow and better themselves as the game goes on. You get to see what they want to do with their lives and what they strive for. And when you finish a social link with them, you feel as though you have gotten there with them and achieved this together, making them feel as real as a fictional character in a digital and interactive piece of entertainment can make them be. And, just like Dragon Age, you can romance a few of these characters. You can’t romance guys, but that doesn’t stop you from trying. And, of course, we all know that Adachi is the best girl, but you can still decide amongst the lesser-tier girls who you prefer and want to spend most of your time with. For a game that Atlus has milked to death, it still manages to have a special part of it that just makes me enjoy the party members mais than anything else.
~#5~
We can’t talk about an RPG list without talking about Final fantasia in some way. We all know that Final fantasia is the big name for all RPGs, and for good reason. Now, I have only played a few Final fantasia games. Those being six, seven, ten, thirteen, and for some reason, Theatrhythm. Now, I haven’t finished Ten, so I can’t say for sure what their like, so I will just go with the other three… You all know that Thirteen didn’t even come close to making the list, so, instead, that leaves us with the other two, and you may be surprised to know who I picked.
#5: Final fantasia VI
Originally, I was going to put the group from Final fantasia VII on this list, but something about the cast from Final fantasia VI just made me like them a lot more… Is it the lack of Cait Sith? It’s probably the lack of Cait Sith. Anyway, the team from Final fantasia VI consist of Terra, a mysterious girl with amnesia. Locke, a “treasure hunter”. Celes, a former general of the Empire. Brothers Sabin and Edgar, Sabin a muscular monk and Edgar a king of Figaro. Shadow, a mysterious and quiet ninja. Cyan, a powerful samurai with a tragic past. Gau, a strange and wild child. Setzer, a high stakes gambler with a flying ship. Strago, a magician and his artistic granddaughter, Relm. The mascot character, Mog, and his yeti, Umaro. And finally, the bizarre mime, Gogo. While some characters are mais interesting than others, Umaro and Gogo barely even do anything in the story, each character manages to have their own unique fighting style. Locke can steal, Shadow can throw stares, Gogo can mimic, Gau can steal enemy attacks, Mog can use different techniques, Edgar can use tools, So on and so forth. And each character always manages to have some interesting story, and are always interacting with one another in some way. Locke’s tragic past with a girl he loved has caused him to do whatever he can to protect Celes and Terra, Edgar and Sabin have a strong trust for each other after Edgar gave up his freedom for the kingdom so Sabin can go after his dreams. Not to mention, each minor characters back story makes them that much mais interesting, like Setzer’s childhood friend dying and leaving him her airship, Gau’s issues with his father, and the tragic story of Shadow. And when each character is separated after the world is destroyed, you want to find everyone, without hesitation. The moment you get a new airship, you are determined to find them and get the party back. I think that this moment of separation along with all the dialogue and backstory just pushed me to like these characters mais than that of VII’s, and why I wanted to put them on this list… Also because they didn’t have Cait Sith.
~#4~
Well, from one SNES RPG to another, and another Square Enix one. I have yet to play Earthbound, and until the dia when it isn’t being held for eight hundred dollars, I think that dia will yet to come, and since I haven’t heard the best of things about Secret of Mana, I think you know what the seguinte game is.
#4: Chrono Trigger
While Chrono Trigger’s party isn’t as big as Final fantasia VI’s, it still allowed me to get an interest for these characters. Maybe even mais than VI’s, because less characters just gives the creators mais time to develop them. I mean, come on, no backstory for Umaro? Gogo can get away with it because he’s strange, but… come on. But, anyway, Chrono Trigger. Instead of setting you in one timeline, like medieval RPG, it instead sends you across time to different locations, allowing you to meet other characters to cadastrar-se your party in order to defeat the threat that is Lavos. From the main game, you get help from Lucca, long time friend of Chrono and scientist, and Marle, the princess of the kingdom who just wants to explore. But then, the other timelines introduce you to new characters. In the medieval times, you run into Frog, a knight that was changed into, what else, a frog, and wants to protect the kingdom. In the post-apocalyptic future, you run into Robo, a robotic machine who wishes to understand himself better, and when you go into the past with the dinosaurs, you run into Ayla, a tribal warrior who fights with her club and her brute strength. While you can just look at these characters and just call them Dragon Ball Z rip offs with slightly less muscle, they are actually some of the best characters I’ve seen on the SNES library. Frog’s cursed past, mixed with his amazing sword skills, makes him a great member of the team. Ayla’s brute strength is amazing to have, allowing you to destroy enemies in a second. But if you want to cry, you can always go for Lucca and Robo’s side quests where Robo is hated por his own kind for being associated with humans or what Lucca did to her mother that caused her to feel guilt and the want to try and do better. And the best part is that not only are the side quests boring, but they actually have a reason to be here. What you do will always be a part of the bigger story. I need this stone to defeat Lavos, which just so happens to help Marle’s relationship with her father. I want to fix this forest, which just so happens to allow Lucca to explore her backstory. I want to go to this part of the island, which just so happens to have Magus there. Oh, also, Magus is a party member. This was one of the first RPGs I played where a villain character can actually become a member of your team, so it was a nice change for me to see this. Each character has their own great personality and means of fighting, and not one of them ever got on my nerves… Unlike some characters from that segundo Chrono game. The one we don’t speak of.
~#3~
I think I’ve been talking about Square Enix games for long enough, or, hell, JRPGs for long enough. I think it’s time I give the western RPGs some credit that they deserve, and what better western RPG to talk about than Skyrim… Ha! No, no. Great game, but my god, do the companions in that game suck. No, I want to talk about that other Bethesda game. And no, it’s sure as shit isn’t 4
#3: Fallout: New Vegas
I should start out por saying that I am going to be sticking with Companions from the base game, so no companions from Honest Hearts or Dead Money. With that being said, I was genuinely shocked por how they made the companions. There’s the guilt ridden sniper, Boone. Rex, a dog who is clearly in a lot of pain. Arcade Gannon, a member of the Followers of the Apocalypse. Cass, a heavy drinking caravan owner. Veronica, a cheery member of the Brotherhood of Steel. Raul, a ghoul mechanic with a dark past. Lily, a Super Mutant who is looking for her grandchildren. And ED-E, a small and reliable robot. I wasn't expecting much, just that they functioned properly and just did the job of protect me and mover on. But the mais I talked with them, the mais quests I did, I didn’t realize just how great they actually were. From Boone’s guilt over the death of his wife, to Raul losing everything, even his own name, each character had a sidequest that was mais than just enjoyable, but actually made me care for the characters that I was tagging along with. I wanted to help out everyone in my party. I wanted Cass to get justice for what happened to her family and her company. I wanted Lily to get healed from her mental illness. I even wanted ED-E to get the proper parts that would help him. With each decision you decide from the characters, they could become mais heavy-hearted than what they were before, letting the Wasteland overcome their morality, or you can keep them in good spirits and allow them to have some hope for a better life and a better future, if not for the Mojave, than at least for themselves. And, once again, each character has their own unique trait about them. Raul can fix things at his shake, as well as be a good gunslinger, Veronica can hit things like a truck, Rex can scout out enemies, Arcade can use a pretty powerful weapon for some guy in a lab coat, the list goes on and on. And with each companion comes unique perks, so it makes you want to find out what each one of them can do and what they can contribute to the group, but that doesn’t stop the characters from being great. I really enjoyed coming into the Lucky 38 to see all of them just wandering around, conversing with each other, and other such things. It gives the place a lot mais life and macks it feel that much better. As better as a hellhole like the Wasteland can get, I suppose.
~#2~
Since I said that Dark Souls couldn’t be on this list, I had to find western RPGs elsewhere (I know Dark Souls was made in Japan, but it’s inspired por western, dammit!). And since I said Skyrim’s companions suck, and since I haven’t played Mass Effect, that just leaves me with one other option.
#2: Dragon Age: Origins
Since there is a DLC character in Dragon Age: Origins, that being Shale, should I include her… Yes, I will. Because she sticks around the whole game unlike the Fallout: New Vegas DLC companions. Anyway, Dragon Age: Origins has some of the best cast I’ve ever seen in a RPG. Inquisitions was good, but they didn’t make me want to start a new game immediately after completion of the main game. Origins cast, did make me want to. And I did. And I didn’t even regret it for a second. There’s your loyal dog… Dog. Fellow comrade and bastard child of royalty, Alistair. Bloodthirsty nun, Liliana. Anti-social witch, Morrigan. Loyal and caring mage, Wynne. Battle-hardened foreigner, Sten. Lustful assassin, Zevran. Emotionless golem, Shale. Alcoholic dwarf, Oghren. And even main antagonist Loghain… If you REALLY want him over Alistair. From the start, you already have to decide how you want to do things in this game. Some of your characters will agree with you, and others will disagree. But regardless of what you do, no character will ever become disrespectful towards you or disloyal. Well, unless you do something that actually antagonises them, but why wouldn’t you want a pro healer like Wynne or a master swordsman like Sten on your team. And no character bombards you with complaints afterwards, even characters who you think are prone to constant whining. Even the characters who you think are going to be the most obnoxious are actually amazing. Shale’s confusion about everything and her disinterest comes from being a golem all her life, Sten wants only to fight and kill, yet has a fondness for cookies. Liliana also trying to hide her murderous bloodlust while being a member of the church or… whatever it’s called in the game. And it’s great to see each and every character interact with each other, both in cutscenes and in gameplay. You could just be walking down the road, and you can hear Alistair giving some snarky comment to Morrigan or hear Zevran try to hit on Wynne. It’s always comedic between them, but each character has some tragedy behind them and no matter what, you want to help them out. Even in small tasks, you want to help them, like get Sten’s sword back or let Alistair visit his sister. And of course, this is the first game on this list where party members can romance each other. And not Final fantasia VI with Locke and Celes, I mean the player has the choice who they can romance. Help Liliana with her bloodlust and try to see her for who she is, allow Morrigan to be mais accepting, or if your a female player, help Alistair find out who he really is. Or just be generally nice to Zevran. Hell, be a guy, Zevran isn’t picky. Dragon Age isn’t afraid to have gay relationships… Not like Mass Effect, am I right!?...
~#1~
Okay, so, if you know me, you probably already know who my choice is going to be, but shut up, and let me build it up. Originally, I wanted to put Dragon Age: Origins party on this list just for how much you can do with them. But then I remembered a party that just interested me a little mais than that of Dragon Age’s
#1: Persona 4
Like I said, I was originally going to have the companions from Dragon Age on this list, but I had to stop myself for the sake of Persona 4’s Investigation Team… Probably because it’s not called Companions or Party like in the anterior entries. But seriously, there’s mais to it than that. The party consists of store clerk and public punching bag, Yosuke. Kung-fu lover and meat eater, Chie. The quiet and calm pretty girl, Yukiko. Another mascot character, Teddie. The idiot and muscle, Kanji. Pop idol, Rise. And gender confused ace detective, Naoto. I think that, out of every other parties on this list, this one has the most chemistry together. Because it isn’t like, “These characters have been friends forever” or “We just met, but you’re my best friend forever”. While I do amor all these companions, I think that Persona 4’s party members just had the best interactions with each other. You can believe that those who have been friends before the events of the game have been friends for a long time por how they talk and interact with each other, and you can tell that they seem to respect the protagonist in some way before they get to know them more, despite his odd behavior towards everything and everyone, assuming were going por The Animation’s rules. But aside from that, the Social links of Persona 4 allow you to get closer to these characters than any other one of the members. You get to experience Yosuke’s reason to dislike the town, why Chie has to be strong for others, what Yukiko truly strives for outside of just running the inn, how Kanji can handle having a softer side due to his punk behavior, Teddy trying to find out who he really is just outside of a hollow urso costume, Rise trying to find a difference from her school life and her celebrity life and Naoto not being sure who she wants to be, not even gender wise, but just in general. And you get to see each of them grow and better themselves as the game goes on. You get to see what they want to do with their lives and what they strive for. And when you finish a social link with them, you feel as though you have gotten there with them and achieved this together, making them feel as real as a fictional character in a digital and interactive piece of entertainment can make them be. And, just like Dragon Age, you can romance a few of these characters. You can’t romance guys, but that doesn’t stop you from trying. And, of course, we all know that Adachi is the best girl, but you can still decide amongst the lesser-tier girls who you prefer and want to spend most of your time with. For a game that Atlus has milked to death, it still manages to have a special part of it that just makes me enjoy the party members mais than anything else.
Art by SeantheHedgehog
