Kathunter's Personal Space

"In my dictionary - and thus the one we will be referencing in this article - a Strategy RPG is (generally) a console game in which battles take place over a grid. Each player has his turn and each character can move a certain number of spaces, based on skill level, character type, and perhaps equipment."

1. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness / La Pucelle: Tactics (PS2)
"If you don't know why these two titles are sharing number 1, go play them. I don't know if you will be able to put your finger on it either, but there is some new level, some unheard of achievement, reached with these games. They are SRPG perfection. If you don't squeal with delight after the first battle, you just don't understand the genre". Utter Perfection.

6. Vandal Hearts (PlayStation)
"In my opinion, this is where everyone interested in the genre should start. the classes are given to you from the start, and can only "evolve" in a maximum of two directions. This means that by the end you can easily sample every class the game has to offer, which is great because these offer all of the staples of SRPG games."

7. Fire Emblem (GBA)
"a story that forces the gameplay to take a back seat...Also of note, this game has been called "boot camp for SRPGers" because it walks you through battles in the beginning if you so desire, and also gives you characters of certain classes, so you don't have to make such decisions for yourself...at least not early on. "