Platform: Rank: #1 Release Date: 08.14.2007 Publisher: Atlus

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 While many other RPGs had bigger budgets and others have had shinier presentations, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 shows that it's not all glitz and glamour that makes a great RPG. Persona 3 is an experience like no other before it. It blends a dark, edgy story with dungeon crawling, monster collecting, and social interaction in a way that is addictively unique and memorable. One aspect that sums up the RPGamer love for Persona 3 is the unique feeling that you had never played anything like it before. Shoji Meguro's soundtrack is one of the catchiest collections of tunes in some time and his techno style fit the game's diversity to a tee. One minute the game has you fighting your way through dungeons, battling powerful demons known as shadows, and the next you're in school taking quizzes, doing homework, and making friends. There is no one defining facet of Persona 3, but the blending of all of them is what makes this game an experience you have to play to understand. So whether you are wooing the sexy Mitsuru or just making friends with an elderly couple at a bookstore, Persona 3 is an RPG you just don't want to stop. Whether you picked up the initial release or waited for FES, Persona 3 is an endearing experience. While Persona 4 no doubt made some major improvements to the system, Persona 3 is where it all originated from. For its story, characters, music, gameplay, and overall originality, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 is not only our pick for RPG of the Decade, it's easily one of the top RPGs of all time. « Second Place | The Rest »