Well, we have gone over the 10 best SquareSoft and Enix games before the two companies merged. Now it’s time to look at what the companies have done together in our list of the 10 Best Square-Enix Games. Oddly enough, Squeenix has produced far fewer JRPGs than either Square or Enix did prior to the merger. In fact, their primary role seems to be publisher, rather than developer, funding other development teams that go on to create shooters, adventure games, puzzle games and more. These are the 10 Best Square-Enix Games (once again limited to only one game per franchise).

  • 10

    Mario Sports Mix

    Yep. That multi game sports compilation on the Wii featuring Mario and friends was made by Square-Enix. Not just published, actually made by the company. Even though the game seems way, way, WAAAAAY off genre for a JRPG great, it was still pretty fun, and that managed to get it on our list of 10 Best Square-Enix Games.

  • 9

    Star Ocean: Till the End of Time

    Star Ocean was one of Enix’s properties before the merger, and both the first and second in the series were considered some of the best RPGs of all time. Unfortunately, the third and four games pale in comparison, but they are still some of the best RPGs that Square-Enix ever made. The third made it on this list over the fourth because it had more of the fantasy feel that Star Ocean traditionally was known for, as opposed to the bizarre yet epic space operate that was Star Ocean 4.

  • 8

    Quantum Conundrum

    Yet more proof that Square-Enix is straying from its JRPG roots. This awesome little indie game was all about changing the laws of physics. You were able to make everything more massive, less massive, slow down time, screw around with gravity, and much, much more.

  • 7

    Final Fantasy XIII

    Of course, no Square-Enix list would be complete without Final Fantasy. Unfortunately, Final Fantasy has kind of been lacking in the years since the merger. Final Fantasy XIII is about as good as the company has to offer. It’s a decent game, don’t get us wrong. But there’s a reason why it only makes slot #7 instead of slot #1 like you would expect. For some reason, it feels like Square has lost the Final Fantasy touch.

     

  • 6

    Deus Ex Human Revolution

    Open world shooter/stealth game? Still not a JRPG. Still a product of Square-Enix. Deux Ex: Human Revolution was certainly more RPG like than a lot of other Square-Enix offshoot projects, but it’s a far cry from traditional Final Fantasy. Still, it’s a great cyberpunk game that makes you think about the nature of humanity, so give it a shot!

  • 5

    Space Invaders Infinity Gene

    This game is about as far away from Square-Enix’s RPG brand that you can possibly think of. It’s an evolving shoot 'em up that starts you on classic Space Invaders stages and eventually ends you on Star Fox style rail shooter sequences. It’s shoot 'em up excellence on an grand scale, with a heavy dose of nostalgia thrown in for good measure. That’s why it got on our list of the 10 Best Square-Enix Games.

  • 4

    Tomb Raider

    Tomb Raider is another franchise that has been swallowed up by Square-Enix’s gaping maw, and it was awesome. One of the most well regarded releases of 2013, Tomb Raider showed us Lara Croft’s dark past, before she became a badass adventurer.

  • 3

    The World Ends With You

    The World Ends With You was an astounding game that just asked you to do a little bit too much. You controlled one character with the DS touch screen, another character with the d-pad, your equipment changed its stats depending on what location you were in, and one of the game mechanics actually had you stop playing to earn XP. It was still a great game though, one of the best for the DS, and many people hope to see a sequel on the 3DS.

  • 2

    Kingdom Hearts II

    While Final Fantasy may be getting a bit on in its years, Kingdom Hearts seemed to only get better when Square-Enix took over. In Kingdom Hearts II, the controls were tightened, the story got darker, more interesting characters were introduced, and there were no more frustrating platforming levels. Many fans regard Kingdom Hearts II as the best in the series, and one of the best action adventure games on the market right now.

  • 1

    Dragon Quest 8

    Back in the days of the NES and SNES, the big RPG rivalry put Final Fantasy up against Dragon Quest, and we hate to say it, but Dragon Quest won. While fans continue to complain about Final Fantasy’s overblown dramatics, linear hallways, and increased distance from all the themes that made the game great in the first place, Dragon Quest continues to build upon its solid foundations with interesting cartoony characters and wonderfully fleshed out worlds. Dragon Quest 8 and Dragon Quest 9 were both amazing entries to the series, but 8 won it out for our top slot on the 10 Best Square-Enix games list, because it was more like traditional Dragon Quests with its limited party size, interesting characters, and tons and tons of Metal Slimes.

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