Most of us here are developers, and that's our focus. We like trying our hand at this whole game making dealie. We like to script, to code, to map, to design and tap into our creativity. The result can be a finished, RPG Maker game that we're eager to share with others.

However, how often do we play (and finish!) other people's projects? We praise those who produce amazing screenshots and videos of their upcoming work, and in the unlikely event that they finish the game, do we give it a download? Maybe we play around with it for half an hour, but do we finish it. Considering the statistics of some of the most downloaded RPG Maker games, it's obvious that the main target audience for RM games isn't necessarily those who make them.

And yes, I'm fully aware that the quality of the games matter. Likewise, I think that some people enjoy RPG Maker games as a whole more than other people do.

I've never beaten an RPG.
That is because I focusing more on doing my own. I would play every now and then to see how people work their mappings, characters, scripts, or I would try to understand the storyline. I do it to get ideas and reference. Or I may do it to get some inspiration, I really don't play it to beat it. Or maybe because I am a bigger fan of Western-RPGs rather than JRPGs and most seem to be JRPG-like... ... ... IDK

Well, I beat a few of them. Problem is that most don't go past demo state so you can't really go and beat them. Then some games are just too horrible to play through fully. I do try to play and beat some of the more interesting or recommended ones though. We can probably inspire some people to play each others games by having some type of event, like say "Pick a random game, play it and give your thoughts to the author!". I'm sure people will play and beat a game they think is actually worth playing. There are games like Sunset over Imdahl which do something different rather than just paste a bunch of scripts together with RMVX RTP and make a story about COLLECTING CRYSTALS and fighting the DARK LORD. (Deep plot twist: Your hero has a dark past and your father is the Dark lord).

Also in all honesty, sometimes I don't want to play because giving feedback to the game maker means "BUT I MEANT TO DO IT THAT WAY" "STOP FLAMING ME", "WELL OTHER PEOPLE THINK ITS FINE SO IM NOT CHANGING IT" and stupid excuses like that.

I can't really state all the ones I've beaten but it's stuff that usually tends to do something different, or just when I'm asked to play something (like to beta it or whatever). I beat Leo and Leah, Sunset over Imdahl, Chocobo Panic, among others. I played some other indie RPGs as well. You guys should try to do that as well. Recettear: An item shops tale is very very good for an indie (You can play the demo, I gladly paid for the full game), then there's Valdis Story, among others.

I'm sorry for not caring about peoples first games were the first town is set on fire and the Hero has to go for revenge by going through elemental caves because people don't have the creativity to actually think of interesting places/stories.

I totally agree.

The thing about Beta testing is to see if the audience appreciates the game, or there are bugs that need to be fixed. To have people be so defensive about the game tends put players off. I can understand that you put a lot of emotion into the game, but you also got to understand that it is the player's opinion. Not all opinions are the same, but to tell a player that his opinions don't matter would put that player off from wanting to play any more games you created in the future.

I never finished a game yet.

My question is, what is the top game so far?

This might help a littele, Jackal:



This is taken from one site, so assume the real download numbers are actually several thousand higher.

I've reviewed 35 of them so far. I'm slowly working my way through as many game as possible. With an estimated 1200 games with gameplay available, it is going to take forever, and I'll never actually get it done, but it can be prettty fun so I'll try.

A lot of games can't be completed, often I run into an error of some sort; scripting errors are an example of this. In those situations, I can't continue. Also, sometimes monsters get so difficult. Games are generally not well-tested. I try to play as much of a game as possible though.

Since I rarely play video games anymore, I find it extremely difficult to sit through an amateur game / RPG Maker game and finish it all the way 'till the end, considering how so many projects are left unfinished and are riddled with bugs, bad mapping, and...why does it seem like all the bosses people create can kill you in a single shot? Maybe I should level up a bit more...if it wasn't for the fact that the battles are boring, and there is little EXP / Money offered to the player. Ugh.

But some people manage to get it right; and when they do, I really enjoy finishing somebody's game. I haven't beaten a lot of games, but the ones I know off the top of my head are Barkley, Ara Fell, Romancing Walker, Alter A.I.L.A (first one, god...fuking hard), and...that's about all I can remember.

But, I'll play anything if it looks really polished, or if I've been looking forward to it for a long time, or if it's a buddy online that I know, then I'll try his / her game. But, like everybody else has mentioned, we are developers, not players. A lot of us don't have the time / too busy to play everybody's games, but it is nice that we sit down, once and awhile, and play a RM game.

EDIT: Shit, I forgot about Sore Losers and Leo & Leah. I did finish those. Heh. Guess I have played a lot more, and beaten more, games than I thought.

I've 'beaten' Akasha's Seal and Nadir's Canon. I'm more of a cinematic kinda guy, with the little time I have to play games. ^^;

Most of the thing I have completed are people's in-progress and canceled demos, but for the complete games, I have done three:

- The Burning Grail
- In My Heart She Remains
- The Goddess Blade

All of them are from Ultima Island, and the later two are more like visual novels with a bit of an RPG combat system.

I don't really play rpgmaker games anymore, but I used to way back in the day when I played through Kindred Saga multiple times and a few others.