It seems as though for every console generation, there are a handful--or even a ton--of games I wish I had played. Whether it was because they weren't big name games, I didn't think they looked good, or there was another game I wanted more, I find myself always "missing out" on some games. It also seems like every game system had one or two games that were hidden gems--perhaps not publicized enough, misunderstood, or released too late in a system's lifespan to garner attention.
List your own personal guilt trail here.
NES- River City Ransom. I always loved Double Dragon 2, and I remember one of my friends renting this game and enjoying it, but the concepts of the game didn't really grab me until a few years ago. I do realize I can find a ROM of this game easily, or even track down the GBA remake, but I wish I had played this when I was good at videogames.
Genesis- I did pretty well with the Genesis as far as playing the best games for it, except that I completely missed out on Warsong and Phantasy Star IV. I do remember renting both games, but back then I was as into RPGs and didn't quite understand what I was supposed to do or why I kept losing. I could also say Shining Force CD, but since it was the only game I wanted for Sega CD, I couldn't convince my parents to buy the damn thing for me. Years later I bought a Sega CD with the intention of picking up Shining Force CD on eBay, but never got around to it. Hmmmm...
SNES- Illusion of Gaia was one of those borderline RPGs I always meant to play and never did.
Ogre Battle was another "rented but never got around to buying" game. I still say this game would be better if you could control the actual battles, which the developers apparently thought because most of the other games in the series have you doing just that.
Secret of Evermore...this game is so famously hated and reviled because everyone thinks it's the reason we didn't get Seiken Densetsu 3 (aka Secret of Evermore 2), but if treated on its own terms, I don't think it's so bad. I very nearly bought this game when it came out, but when I rented it I got stuck somewhere in the game and couldn't go on. I think the spell system is an interesting idea, at least, and I still think I should give it a chance.
Saturn- I never owned a Saturn, and let's just say that even in the notoriously mishandled and fucked over U.S. market, the Saturn did have a handful of great games almost no one played. Some of the arcade ports, like Die Hard Arcade, were cool as hell, but mostly I remember the RPGs I would always lust after even with my RPG saturated Playstation.
Guardian Heroes- this is technically a beat-em-up, but it has strong RPG elements. Think the D&D arcade games from the mid 90s, only more cartoony and with fighting game style special moves. I still have a magazine from '96 with tips for this game because it looks so kick ass.
Panzer Dragoon Saga- One of those games that you wish you had bought if only to sell it for stupidly high prices when people realize three years after Saturn had died that it was amazing. I know I'll never get to play this game, but it sure sounds fantastic. Released so late in the Saturn's lifespan as if to be a cruel joke.
Shining Force III- Like Panzer Dragoon Saga, SFIII was released late in the Saturn's lifespan so as to be either a final comfort for starved Saturn owners or an annoying nose-thumbing at non-owners. My friend Dave and I have a psychotic obsession with the first two games, and this third game (of which we only ever saw the first chapter of three that were released in Japan!!) always was a nagging bit in the back of our minds. However, Dave eventually bought a Saturn AND this game for some stupid amount of money. We were almost too excited to play it when we first popped it in. Sadly, we were obsessed for about two weeks and moved on to other games. What was undoubtedly great back then was hard to care about now, with so many other games to contend with. It's not as good as the first two games, and unfulfilling due to the loss of the second and third chapters of the game.
Playstation- God, what a behemoth of the a system. Now that a decade has passed since its birth, I would safely say it was the best console ever in my opinion. It did so much for the industry, both creatively and monetarily, and helped popularize RPGs in the U.S. to the point where we began to see completely bizarre games released here. I missed out on so many RPGs for this system...even the not very good ones interested me. I could list a ton of PS1 RPGs I wish I hadn't missed out on, but the first three that come to mind...
Valkyrie Profile- I have the sequel for PS2, but from things I've read and videos I've seen, VP1 looks brilliant. I'm also a whore for 2D RPGs in general.
Suikoden II- Like those Saturn games, you can only find this for insane prices on eBay. But I really loved Suikoden III and have heard this is the best game in the series.
Grandia- I played and loved Grandia II, but I always meant to get around to Grandia I. It was originally for Saturn in Japan, but ported to the PS1 and subsequently released here. It was released around the same time as FFVIII and swallowed up in that game's hype.
Dreamcast- The funny thing about this system is that I managed to play most of the RPGs for it, but missed a lot of the others. I'm kind of embarrassed about it, really.
Resident Evil: Code Veronica- I went so far as to borrow this from a friend and play three hours into it before promptly losing all motivation for it due to Phantasy Star Online.
Jet Grind Radio- The concept never appealed to me, and still doesn't, but I feel like I should have given it a try.
Dynamite Cop 2- I have a soft spot for those mid 90s beat em ups--like the Simpsons, X-Men, the D&D games, Alien Vs. Predator--and this game is a sequel of sorts to Die Hard Arcade. I did, ironically, buy Zombie Revenge, which is a mediocre beat em up in this vein but nowhere near as good and almost unbeatably hard.
Skies of Arcadia- I don't know. I slept on this one over and over.
Nintendo 64- I doggedly held unto this system for almost two full years waiting for more good games to be released. My friend Kevin loved it because it was an orgy of racing games and platformers. I bought a PS1 in the winter of '98 because I couldn't find Ocarina of Time and I wanted some RPGs. I ended up playing most of the great games for it, except...
Paper Mario- I didn't even know this game was out. Anyway, it looked like a watered down, weird version of Mario RPG. Which is honestly what it is. The Gamecube sequel, which I have been playing recently, combines the worst aspects of platformers and RPGs, IMO, but I'm told the N64 one is one of the best things for it.
Ogre Battle 64- I bet this game sold like shit in the U.S. It was tailor made for N64 owners like me who were starved for RPGs, but we soundly ignored the thing. Too bad, it's a decent strategy RPG.
Hybrid Heaven- This was one of those weird N64 games that nobody remembers. But if I recall correctly, it's kind of like Metal Gear Solid meets RPG. Only good.
Quest 64- Just kidding!! I did come scarily close to buying this game just because it was literally the only RPG for the system for a LOOONG time.
I'll stop there since I don't consider the Xbox/PS2/Gamecube/GBA era quite dead yet.
