1. On Planescape: Torment, Colin McComb should be added to "Key staff members" as a writer, since he was the secondary writer on the game (after Avellone).
2. The second screenshot on BG2 is actully from BG1 (running in the BG2 engine, but still).
I don't understand why people are parsing the ranking shifts so closely. You've got a little over 100 ballots determining these rankings. The actual points haven't been posted yet but it seems clear that a handful of extra votes would be enough to change the results quite a bit one way or another. Trying to extrapolate trends when you're starting from already low participation of less than 200 votes last year seems like a real stretch.
I really like the inclusion of key staff members in the OP.
I don't understand why people are parsing the ranking shifts so closely. You've got a little over 100 ballots determining these rankings. The actual points haven't been posted yet but it seems clear that a handful of extra votes would be enough to change the results quite a bit one way or another. Trying to extrapolate trends when you're starting from already low participation of less than 200 votes last year seems like a real stretch.
I really like the inclusion of key staff members in the OP.
Very nice work you've done compiling this list! RPG's are some of the most ambitious and complex games to exist, so any recognition of the talent that goes into them is a worthy cause.
Nope, you can start with 4. Probably the best game to start the series with. Golden is fantastic if you have a Vita or PSTV. Just don't expect 1 and 2 duology to play anything like 3 and 4. Also, if you go back to 3, and have to choose between the PSP (P3P) and PS2/PS3 (FES) versions note that P3P lets you control your party directly, play as female protagonist, and is presented in a visual novel style while FES is more traditional, party members are controlled via AI but can be directed with the tactics menu and has The Answer, which is a continuation of 3 - an epilogue essentially.
I don't understand why people are parsing the ranking shifts so closely. You've got a little over 100 ballots determining these rankings. The actual points haven't been posted yet but it seems clear that a handful of extra votes would be enough to change the results quite a bit one way or another. Trying to extrapolate trends when you're starting from already low participation of less than 200 votes last year seems like a real stretch.
I really like the inclusion of key staff members in the OP.
I do agree that with such a small number of Gaffers participating, rank shifts probably don't mean a huge amount. I think looking at the overall list, ignoring ranks is pretty interesting for sure.
You can start with 4 for sure. No problem. Makoto is right that it's probably the best to start with...although I do find it harder to go back to 3 after playing 4. That might just be me though.
The writeups are fantastic so far. Comprehensive, informative, and I love the addition of user review quotes. It's an honor to have my quote used for Persona 4!
I do miss the gorgeous kswiston graphics. Not only did they look great, they delivered so much info in a single image per game. And it's worth noting that if the supplementary info like rank, platform, and Essential Awards were in the image instead of text, you would have had an extra 1300 characters to work with in your first two posts. Possibly more actually, since I'm not counting the amount of characters taken up by having to use three urls per game for the images, instead of one.
That said, your use of images is still quite functional and your posts look really solid overall. I seriously hope I don't sound ungrateful, because I love what I'm seeing so far and I'm really impressed with the amount of work you've put into the Top 10 alone. It just would have been nice if an image editing wizard had volunteered to collaborate with you on the pictures side of things. Maybe next year!
I hope that feedback came off as constructive feedback instead of mean. My overall takeaway was very positive, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the final product turns out!
I definitely agree with you, but I also knew that the images were not going to be my strong suit, so I chose to focus on writing because I felt that would be the best way to go about it. I figured that taking up some more words would be a small price to pay given that. I also miss those nice graphics, but after thinking things over I felt like it would be best to just go about things like this rather than trying to put together a mediocre looking version of the past.
1. On Planescape: Torment, Colin McComb should be added to "Key staff members" as a writer, since he was the secondary writer on the game (after Avellone).
2. The second screenshot on BG2 is actully from BG1 (running in the BG2 engine, but still).
Glad you guys like it. I feel like not enough attention gets paid to creators a lot of the time, aside from a few big names, so I wanted to help to shine some light on what people went into making these games essential.
Nope, you can start with 4. Probably the best game to start the series with. Golden is fantastic if you have a Vita or PSTV. Just don't expect 1 and 2 duology to play anything like 3 and 4. Also, if you go back to 3, and have to choose between the PSP (P3P) and PS2/PS3 (FES) versions note that P3P lets you control your party directly, play as female protagonist, and is presented in a visual novel style while FES is more traditional, party members are controlled via AI but can be directed with the tactics menu and has The Answer, which is a continuation of 3 - an epilogue essentially.
I do agree that with such a small number of Gaffers participating, rank shifts probably don't mean a huge amount. I think looking at the overall list, ignoring ranks is pretty interesting for sure.
You can start with 4 for sure. No problem. Makoto is right that it's probably the best to start with...although I do find it harder to go back to 3 after playing 4. That might just be me though.
I would frankly suggest the P2 duology or P3P over P4 anyday. But I know I'm a minority on that. P4 isn't necessarily bad...it's just....I have some gripes with some of it's writing for the most part. I also feel like the general gameplay starts to drag on in ways that make the game less and less engaging. I like some of what the game does to be fair. I can get why people like it too. It's just a step-back for me as far as the Persona series goes.
And no, you don't need to have played the previous games first. That's the case in all of the Persona games really. Cept Eternal Punishment. You really should play Innocent Sin first in that one's case.
Writeups are great so far, and I'm honored to be quoted for Dark Souls, especially considering the tough time I had with it at first. I need to get around to so many other RPG's though. I still haven't played what is the top game for many years straight, or any Fire Emblem (I own Awakening), or most of the PC ones.
Writeups are great so far, and I'm honored to be quoted for Dark Souls, especially considering the tough time I had with it at first. I need to get around to so many other RPG's though. I still haven't played what is the top game for many years straight, or any Fire Emblem (I own Awakening), or most of the PC ones.
Yeah I don't know if I'll have the time, inclination, etc. to get around to a lot of rpgs this year but I am enjoying building my hypothetical to-play list. It is nice both to have thorough support of what you sort of ephemerally knew to be good and to hear about totally new games (to you).
On the other hand I thought it was Atlus's strongest game, and a contender for one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
I liked the vast majority of what it did. From a game play perspective I thought that the combat was extremely well handled with the battle system, although the difficulty drop off after you get to Tokyo was definitely not ideal, and the changes made to the fusion system were very good. Being able to search all my fusion options as well as just using demons from my compendium without having to go through a bunch of menus was a very welcome addition as far as quality of life goes. Aside from the lack of hard mode from the start, the only real issue I had on the game play front was the lack of any real deep dungeons, which was definitely a drop off when compared to the excellent dungeons of Strange Journey.
And I think the game really excelled in the story department. Not just in terms of the main plot, although that was really good with some very effective scenes (and Reverse Hills will probably always be with me), but in the use of NPC dialogue and the power of suggestion to tell a story that has the gaps filled in by the player. I think it hits the perfect sweet spot for me where a video game story gives you a good overarching plot, but allows the player who is talking to everyone and has an active imagination to figure out the rest of the world for themselves. Accordingly, I think that no two people's impressions of Shin Megami Tensei IV's story will be exactly the same (not unlike many Dragon Quest games). Things like the demon dialogue in battles and the like just further that impression for me. I love that sort of flavor.
And the soundtrack is an incredible triumph, one of the best in recent years from a company known for putting out excellent soundtracks. The art direction of the game is also pretty good in my opinion, although the new demon art from the guest artists often leaves a lot to be desired.
I think SMT4 is worse than SMT3 in most ways, and worse than SMT1 in some ways, but I still really like it. The Tokyo moment, Reverse Hills and the endgame paths, Press Turn, the MUSIC, it's a great experience for fans and even newcomers.
On the other hand I thought it was Atlus's strongest game, and a contender for one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
I liked the vast majority of what it did. From a game play perspective I thought that the combat was extremely well handled with the battle system, although the difficulty drop off after you get to Tokyo was definitely not ideal, and the changes made to the fusion system were very good. Being able to search all my fusion options as well as just using demons from my compendium without having to go through a bunch of menus was a very welcome addition as far as quality of life goes. Aside from the lack of hard mode from the start, the only real issue I had on the game play front was the lack of any real deep dungeons, which was definitely a drop off when compared to the excellent dungeons of Strange Journey.
And I think the game really excelled in the story department. Not just in terms of the main plot, although that was really good with some very effective scenes (and Reverse Hills will probably always be with me), but in the use of NPC dialogue and the power of suggestion to tell a story that has the gaps filled in by the player. I think it hits the perfect sweet spot for me where a video game story gives you a good overarching plot, but allows the player who is talking to everyone and has an active imagination to figure out the rest of the world for themselves. Accordingly, I think that no two people's impressions of Shin Megami Tensei IV's story will be exactly the same (not unlike many Dragon Quest games). Things like the demon dialogue in battles and the like just further that impression for me. I love that sort of flavor.
And the soundtrack is an incredible triumph, one of the best in recent years from a company known for putting out excellent soundtracks. The art direction of the game is also pretty good in my opinion, although the new demon art from the guest artists often leaves a lot to be desired.
My main issues with SMT4 are the map design (a big step back from Nocturne & Strange Journey) and the feeling that the combat & LV design is really badly balanced - from the easy to abuse stat system to the swingy "Smirk" condition to the boring MC ability system to the removal of HP-costing abilities to the lack of defense stats to the highly variable LV ranges due to being less linear and so on and so on. And though I like the concept of the App system, I dislike how a lot of stuff that used to be free in older games has to be unlocked with apps (like having to spend 24 levels worth of points just to get 8 ability slots for everybody).
The music was really good and I like the idea of the setting, but I've tried to play through the game several times and I always end up getting bored and giving up around the 10-15 hour mark.
The only weak point of SMTIV is the main cast, IMO. I know what they were going for, but the dialogues are so damn predictable and cliché. It's a pity, because the setting, atmosphere and everything else is really good. I hope that we end up getting stm4 final in the west, because it looks that is going to fix the main issue I have with 4.
I was quoted for two of my favorite games of all time, cool!
General impressions of the list:
I'm a bit bummed that Nocturne missed the top 20 but I suppose I should be happy about it getting top 25 at least, even though it dropped a position from last year.
Time to start releasing your games on Steam for more exposure and accessibility, eh Atlus?
The lack of Dragon Quest representation anywhere in the top 30 is also disappointing. I wonder if it'll ever catch on in the west. The newest titles always seem to sell well relatively to other JRPGs but for some reason it doesn't seem like the franchise has much of an online presence at all. Here's hoping XI can change that.
I expected the FF rankings to change due to VII Remake hype, but X > IX? You wound me, Gaf.
Good shit to Witcher 3 and Undertale for debuting so high. I already expected Witcher 3 > BB to happen, but I'm legit surprised that Undertale also managed to beat it. It's also funny considering how BB just won the GOTY poll. Truth be told, even though I haven't played it yet, I expect The Witcher 3 to have more staying power than both games in these sorts of lists. Undertale seems like the kind of game who will drop a few positions in the coming years but eventually settle somewhere in the top 20 (or maybe a little higher) with a dedicated fanbase (unless it goes to consoles, in which case it might rise in popularity). Bloodborne, much like Demon's Souls, will always have to deal with the fact that Dark Souls is the posterboy of the franchise and thus will always get the majority of the votes, and unless DkS 3 absolutely blows everybody's minds I don't see that changing anytime soon. It'll get positions similar to its older Sony exclusive sibling, probably higher since it's a more unique entry, but I don't see it breaking the top 10. Witcher 3 on the other hand, being the most beloved and popular game of a franchise that doesn't get many new entries per year, just strikes me as the sort of game who will get consistently high positions for years to come. Only time will tell.
Also, great work for doing all this, Kuwabara. Just as the cherry blossom is a flower among flowers, Kuwabara is a man among men.
My main issues with SMT4 are the map design (a big step back from Nocturne & Strange Journey) and the feeling that the combat & LV design is really badly balanced - from the easy to abuse stat system to the swingy "Smirk" condition to the boring MC ability system to the removal of HP-costing abilities to the lack of defense stats to the highly variable LV ranges due to being less linear and so on and so on. And though I like the concept of the App system, I dislike how a lot of stuff that used to be free in older games has to be unlocked with apps (like having to spend 24 levels worth of points just to get 8 ability slots for everybody).
The music was really good and I like the idea of the setting, but I've tried to play through the game several times and I always end up getting bored and giving up around the 10-15 hour mark.
I thought that the level design was weak at first but the more I played the game the more I appreciated it. Like many main entry games on handhelds before it, Shin Megami Tenseiv IV is suppose to be a portable experience and thus the map design works a lot better when playing the game in a bite sized manner. The whole "mini-dungeon" aspect of the game also worked well due to the main meat of the game was side quests.
I will admit I haven't played Strange Journey so I am not sure how that handled portable SMT due to that also being on a handheld.
The lack of Dragon Quest representation anywhere in the top 30 is also disappointing. I wonder if it'll ever catch on in the west. The newest titles always seem to sell well relatively to other JRPGs but for some reason it doesn't seem like the franchise has much of an online presence at all. Here's hoping XI can change that.
Good shit to Witcher 3 and Undertale for debuting so high. I already expected Witcher 3 > BB to happen, but I'm legit surprised that Undertale also managed to beat it. It's also funny considering how BB just won the GOTY poll. Truth be told, even though I haven't played it yet, I expect The Witcher 3 to have more staying power than both games in these sorts of lists. Undertale seems like the kind of game who will drop a few positions in the coming years but eventually settle somewhere in the top 20 (or maybe a little higher) with a dedicated fanbase (unless it goes to consoles, in which case it might rise in popularity). Bloodborne, much like Demon's Souls, will always have to deal with the fact that Dark Souls is the posterboy of the franchise and thus will always get the majority of the votes, and unless DkS 3 absolutely blows everybody's minds I don't see that changing anytime soon. It'll get positions similar to its older Sony exclusive sibling, probably higher since it's a more unique entry, but I don't see it breaking the top 10. Witcher 3 on the other hand, being the most beloved and popular game of a franchise that doesn't get many new entries per year, just strikes me as the sort of game who will get consistently high positions for years to come. Only time will tell.
Like Souls/Bloodborne, the fanbase for Dragon Quest is too divided among the individual entries to have a very strong showing. That's the case with Final Fantasy as well, but Final Fantasy is much more popular in general so only getting a fraction of the fanbase is enough.
I disagree on The Witcher 3 having list staying power - I predict it'll stay strong for a year or two, but as soon as the next big open-world RPG that doesn't botch things comes out, it'll start to slide and a couple years later, it'll be off the Top 100 entirely. Although I'm not personally a fan, I see something like Undertale as being more likely to maintain or even rise in position - I don't see anyone emulating its style successfully any time soon and the developer seems like the kind of person who would rather make new games than just a string of sequels.
Oh and sorry for not actually voting. So many games that I felt could possibly go onto my Top 20 came out in the last quarter of the year (Xenoblade X, Trails SC, Cold Steel, Legend of Legacy, Summon Night 5, Stella Glow, etc.) and I haven't had time to properly play & evaluate them all yet. Next year should be interesting though, especially if Persona 5 doesn't get delayed again.
I thought that the level design was weak at first but the more I played the game the more I appreciated it. Like many main entry games on handhelds before it, Shin Megami Tenseiv IV is suppose to be a portable experience and thus the map design works a lot better when playing the game in a bite sized manner. The whole "mini-dungeon" aspect of the game also worked well due to the main meat of the game was side quests.
I will admit I haven't played Strange Journey so I am not sure how that handled portable SMT due to that also being on a handheld.
Strange Journey is a very interesting game, and it's worth playing a lot. I think SMT IV is better, but the games are different enough that they can work for different reasons.
Strange Journey definitely excels when it comes to dungeon design (maybe the best dungeons I've ever experienced), and it provides a much higher level of difficulty compared to IV. On the other hand, the writing isn't as strong in either the main story or the sidequests (although there are some highlights, and I do think the Chaos route was handled a little better in Strange Journey).
The biggest real difference where I can't say if one is better or worse is in atmosphere. They have such radically different atmospheres (IV feeling like a late 80s cyberpunk OVA while Strange Journey is an aggressive and relentlessly lonely journey through a bizarre world), but both really execute on their atmospheres.
I listed both games on my list since I consider them both to be pretty essential RPG experiences, and I think they actually show the two different types of mainline Shin Megami Tensei pretty well.
Like Souls/Bloodborne, the fanbase for Dragon Quest is too divided among the individual entries to have a very strong showing. That's the case with Final Fantasy as well, but Final Fantasy is much more popular in general so only getting a fraction of the fanbase is enough.
I disagree on The Witcher 3 having list staying power - I predict it'll stay strong for a year or two, but as soon as the next big open-world RPG that doesn't botch things comes out, it'll start to slide and a couple years later, it'll be off the Top 100 entirely. Although I'm not personally a fan, I see something like Undertale as being more likely to maintain or even rise in position - I don't see anyone emulating its style successfully any time soon and the developer seems like the kind of person who would rather make new games than just a string of sequels.
Oh and sorry for not actually voting. So many games that I felt could possibly go onto my Top 20 came out in the last quarter of the year (Xenoblade X, Trails SC, Cold Steel, Legend of Legacy, Summon Night 5, Stella Glow, etc.) and I haven't had time to properly play & evaluate them all yet. Next year should be interesting though, especially if Persona 5 doesn't get delayed again.
I'm going to have to disagree on The Witcher 3 falling that hard. I do think it will probably settle a little lower on the list, but I'd be shocked if it fell out of the Top 100 entirely. Even Skyrim, which suffered pretty much immediate backlash, hasn't fallen that far. And big open world RPGs that don't botch things don't exactly come around very often. Few developers aside from Bethesda are even playing around in that realm when it comes to big budget games. Combined with the fact that The Witcher 1 and 2, while dropping as their sequels come out, remain in decent positions on the list, and I don't see The Witcher 3 ever falling so far.
If I had to guess where it ultimately winds up, I think it probably settles in the 25-40 range a few years from now. If anything pushes it down further, it would probably be The Witcher 4 coming out and sapping some of its support away.
Next year will definitely be an interesting one. There are so many interesting looking titles slated to come out, including new entries in franchises that make up half the Top 20 (with multiple Persona, Final Fantasy and Mass Effect games in the Top 20, plus Torment, Nier and Dark Souls). I'm not counting Original Sin 2 because I think that has 0% chance of coming out this year.
I was quoted for two of my favorite games of all time, cool!
General impressions of the list:
I'm a bit bummed that Nocturne missed the top 20 but I suppose I should be happy about it getting top 25 at least, even though it dropped a position from last year.
Time to start releasing your games on Steam for more exposure and accessibility, eh Atlus?
The lack of Dragon Quest representation anywhere in the top 30 is also disappointing. I wonder if it'll ever catch on in the west. The newest titles always seem to sell well relatively to other JRPGs but for some reason it doesn't seem like the franchise has much of an online presence at all. Here's hoping XI can change that.
I expected the FF rankings to change due to VII Remake hype, but X > IX? You wound me, Gaf.
Good shit to Witcher 3 and Undertale for debuting so high. I already expected Witcher 3 > BB to happen, but I'm legit surprised that Undertale also managed to beat it. It's also funny considering how BB just won the GOTY poll. Truth be told, even though I haven't played it yet, I expect The Witcher 3 to have more staying power than both games in these sorts of lists. Undertale seems like the kind of game who will drop a few positions in the coming years but eventually settle somewhere in the top 20 (or maybe a little higher) with a dedicated fanbase (unless it goes to consoles, in which case it might rise in popularity). Bloodborne, much like Demon's Souls, will always have to deal with the fact that Dark Souls is the posterboy of the franchise and thus will always get the majority of the votes, and unless DkS 3 absolutely blows everybody's minds I don't see that changing anytime soon. It'll get positions similar to its older Sony exclusive sibling, probably higher since it's a more unique entry, but I don't see it breaking the top 10. Witcher 3 on the other hand, being the most beloved and popular game of a franchise that doesn't get many new entries per year, just strikes me as the sort of game who will get consistently high positions for years to come. Only time will tell.
Also, great work for doing all this, Kuwabara. Just as the cherry blossom is a flower among flowers, Kuwabara is a man among men.
I agree especially since we still have the Blood and Wine expansion coming which CDPR says is even better than the main game. The only thing that would push it down is maybe The Witcher 4 as Kuwabara said, which we probably won't see for a very long time anyway. I'm skeptical that TW4 will be able to match TW3 though with them likely opting for a character creator.
Edit: The Witcher 2 was #20 last year, 4 years after release and The Witcher 3 is a much better game so it falling far seems unlikely to me.
I disagree on The Witcher 3 having list staying power - I predict it'll stay strong for a year or two, but as soon as the next big open-world RPG that doesn't botch things comes out, it'll start to slide and a couple years later, it'll be off the Top 100 entirely. Although I'm not personally a fan, I see something like Undertale as being more likely to maintain or even rise in position - I don't see anyone emulating its style successfully any time soon and the developer seems like the kind of person who would rather make new games than just a string of sequels.
If New Vegas has staying power, The Witcher III likely will as well. The only thing that could overtake The Witcher III would be The Witcher IV. Just like The Witcher III did to The Witcher 2.
Even with DQ's fanbase split over a number of entries, I would imagine 5 and 8 would get the highest amount of votes since they seem the most universally loved.
It doesn't seem like 9 gets a lot of love, even if it's the most successful game in the series in both the US and Japan. Though at least for me, as a long time fan of the series, it's one of my least fave entries...
Even with DQ's fanbase split over a number of entries, I would imagine 5 and 8 would get the highest amount of votes since they seem the most universally loved.
It doesn't seem like 9 gets a lot of love, even if it's the most successful game in the series in both the US and Japan. Though at least for me, as a long time fan of the series, it's one of my least fave entries...
5?
I always thought it's 7-8 that are universally liked.
I can't believe 9 is more successful than 8, of all DQ games 8 was more popular than any other DQ, even people not liking DQ games liked it. It just so weird and makes no sense.
yeah, I thought 9 is one of worst in series, really surprised it sold most. I wonder why.
It's 5 and 8 that are universally liked. The fans are not that split. Just start at page 1 and look at the lists of this thread. Very rarely will you see someone have a DQ game above 5 and 8.
Since I can't believe someone can list 30 RPGs more essential than the best DQ, I can only assume that sadly there are a huge amount of people that haven't played them.
It's 5 and 8 that are universally liked. The fans are not that split. Just start at page 1 and look at the lists of this thread. Very rarely will you see someone have a DQ game above 5 and 8.
Since I can't believe someone can list 30 RPGs more essential than the best DQ, I can only assume that sadly there are a huge amount of people that haven't played them.
nah, they aren't mainstream enough for many people, of all people I tried to talk into DQ, nobody ever finished any but 8th. DQ are essential series, yes, but it's not going to win any popularity contest for sure.
It's not in my list too, I only included 8th in honorable mentions. There are so many essential RPGs, much more than 30 by now.
DQ9 had a big mainstream marketing push by Nintendo in North America. I believe worldwide shipments of 9 were about the same as they were with 8, but 9 sold a lot more than 8 in North America.
DQ5 has a lot of fans because it's the most story-focused game in the series.
I've heard cases for DQ III-V, VII, and VIII being named the best in the series on many occasions. DQ IX support seems to be less common. The fact that Dragon Quest has that many standout games, and the fact that its western fan base is small, hurts it in these lists though.
Pokemon and the Mario RPGs have the same issue with vote splitting. Kuwabara should release a list of franchises by points at some point. Final Fantasy will obviously have a huge lead, but #2-10 would be interesting to see.
EDIT: It's interesting to see the first Witcher game fade into obscurity as more years and sequels follow its release. I think this is its first time out of the top 70.
On the other hand I thought it was Atlus's strongest game, and a contender for one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
I liked the vast majority of what it did. From a game play perspective I thought that the combat was extremely well handled with the battle system, although the difficulty drop off after you get to Tokyo was definitely not ideal, and the changes made to the fusion system were very good. Being able to search all my fusion options as well as just using demons from my compendium without having to go through a bunch of menus was a very welcome addition as far as quality of life goes. Aside from the lack of hard mode from the start, the only real issue I had on the game play front was the lack of any real deep dungeons, which was definitely a drop off when compared to the excellent dungeons of Strange Journey.
I'm not the biggest SMT IV fan (though I still think it's a very good game), but the bolded sure was great.
Though it did have the nasty limitation of not letting you fuse when your search returned too many results, which can happen often late game.
That's putting it mildly. The world art design is good enough, I'm okay with the character design too, but the monster design is all over the place, and doesn't fit the rest of the game at all very often.
Such a contrast to Nocturne...
Kaneko, come back pls
That and the ridiculous difficulty curve (due manly to the too permissive fusions) kinda killed the game for me. Not a big fan of smirk either....
No Walter, please don't use agi on Minot.... oh FFS!
I'm not the biggest SMT IV fan (though I still think it's a very good game), but the bolded sure was great.
Though it did have the nasty limitation of not letting you fuse when your search returned too many results, which can happen often late game.
That's putting it mildly. The world art design is good enough, I'm okay with the character design too, but the monster design is all over the place, and doesn't fit the rest of the game at all very often.
Such a contrast to Nocturne...
Kaneko, come back pls
That and the ridiculous difficulty curve (due manly to the too permissive fusions) kinda killed the game for me. Not a big fan of smirk either....
No Walter, please don't use agi on Minot.... oh FFS!
Apologies for the extra time it took, but I've got the writeups for 11-20 up now. My current plan is to do similar writeups for 21-50 as space allows (I might have to shorten the sections for the later titles), and then a simpler list for the rest of the Top 100.
And since I haven't revealed the rest of that yet, here's the next section, along with the writing category.
72(t). Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
72(t). Ys: The Oath in Felghana
72(t). World of Warcraft
75(t). Kingdom Hearts
75(t). Tales of Symphonia
75(t). System Shock 2
75(t). Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
75(t). Final Fantasy VIII
75(t). Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
75(t). Golden Sun
75(t). Radiant Historia
75(t). Lost Odyssey
The Oath in Felghana and Strange Journey are in the Top 100 for the first time (and well deserved, too). On the flipside, World of Warcraft, Tales of Symphonia, and Final Fantasy VIII. Several other well-liked RPGs from the previous generation such as Radiant Historia, Ni no Kuni and Lost Odyssey wind up setting in the same part of the list.
NeoGAF's Essential RPGs: Writing (list presented alphabetically):
Chrono Trigger
Fallout: New Vegas
Final Fantasy VI
Mother 3
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 3
Persona 4
Planescape: Torment
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC
The Witcher III: Wild Hunt
Undertale
The writing category, like the combat category, had a much wider variety of titles getting nominated, with fewer managing to stand out from the crowd. 40 titles received at least one vote, but only 13 managed to get two different people to nominate them. The result is a varied list, although with three different Persona titles popping up on the list.
I can't think of a bad thing about Earthbound or a thing that wasn't unique and amazing.
-Being able to stomp on easy enemies.
-The rolling HP meter which made battles more intense and exciting.
-The fact that dying didn't punish you; You got to keep your exp, items, and your money was safe if it was in the ATM account. So it can be challenging without being real annoying and tedious that you died.
-The varied constantly changing battle music.
-The humor with the enemies. (both the design and what they did) Like the hippies and cranky old ladies, and cute lil UFOs. I'll be walking along and then I'll get into a battle with a UFO with a ribbon on it's head and just start laughing.
-The dialogue's humor and charm; I don't think it was ever as much fun to talk to people in towns in any other RPG.
-The setting taking place in the present and having so many things that you could never do in another RPG. I can order a pizza and have it delivered to me. I can go to an arcade. I can go to a shopping mall. I can be in a traffic jam. I can buy a bike and ride it. I can go to a music concert.
-The variety of locations. From Stonehenge to cult towns to metropolitan cities to pyramids to swamps to beach resorts to palaces to fighting dinosaurs to bizarre places like Magicant and Moonside and Saturn Valley. At the same time as it makes every area feel fresh, it also makes it the ultimate epic kids going on an adventure game.
-The feeling and heart involved. Just read the creator's message to see what Earthbound means to him and what he wanted to impart on the player. http://earthbound.nintendo.com/message/ This is a great post that goes into detail on the game's heart. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137756020#post137756020
Now what I want to know is what people see in Star Ocean 2. I am almost finished that game now for the first time. It's completely average in every way. Despite the cool title, the setting and story is traditional generic RPG. The story, characters, world, towns, dialogue, music, and voice acting are as unremarkable as they come. Battles almost always just consist of me pressing X a lot. Crafting and customization could be nice if experimenting worked. But what it really seems to boil down to is trying something, failing, reloading saves and trying again even if you're looking at a guide and know what you're doing.
Now what I want to know is what people see in Star Ocean 2. I am almost finished that game now for the first time. It's completely average in every way. Despite the cool title, the setting and story is traditional generic RPG. The story, characters, world, towns, dialogue, music, and voice acting are as unremarkable as they come. Battles almost always just consist of me pressing X a lot. Crafting and customization could be nice if experimenting worked. But what it really seems to boil down to is trying something, failing, reloading saves and trying again even if you're looking at a guide and know what you're doing.
Like what in the world make SO2 be in a top 10 list? Xenogears and Lunar are two fantastic games. What is SO2 doing there?
Everything else is why I'm riding tri-Ace to make 5 the ultimate game in the series and recreate 2's vast swath of out-of-combat fun times as much of what went on in 2 was wierd, cryptic, and was on an aborted game design evolutionary lines, but I can't tolerate Sakuraba's Limiter-Off Mode Era being questioned.
At first I was sad there was no quote from me featured in the OP this year. Then I realized I forgot to go back and fill out my ballot with quote worthy material.
List is looking good Kuwabara! The write ups are well done.
I can't think of a bad thing about Earthbound or a thing that wasn't unique and amazing.
-Being able to stomp on easy enemies.
-The rolling HP meter which made battles more intense and exciting.
-The fact that dying didn't punish you; You got to keep your exp, items, and your money was safe if it was in the ATM account. So it can be challenging without being real annoying and tedious that you died.
-The varied constantly changing battle music.
-The humor with the enemies. (both the design and what they did) Like the hippies and cranky old ladies, and cute lil UFOs. I'll be walking along and then I'll get into a battle with a UFO with a ribbon on it's head and just start laughing.
-The dialogue's humor and charm; I don't think it was ever as much fun to talk to people in towns in any other RPG.
-The setting taking place in the present and having so many things that you could never do in another RPG. I can order a pizza and have it delivered to me. I can go to an arcade. I can go to a shopping mall. I can be in a traffic jam. I can buy a bike and ride it. I can go to a music concert.
-The variety of locations. From Stonehenge to cult towns to metropolitan cities to pyramids to swamps to beach resorts to palaces to fighting dinosaurs to bizarre places like Magicant and Moonside and Saturn Valley. At the same time as it makes every area feel fresh, it also makes it the ultimate epic kids going on an adventure game.
-The feeling and heart involved. Just read the creator's message to see what Earthbound means to him and what he wanted to impart on the player. http://earthbound.nintendo.com/message/ This is a great post that goes into detail on the game's heart. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?p=137756020#post137756020
"Heart" and "Uniqueness" doesn't save the game from being boring as hell with sparse save points and mundane map design. I "get" what it was trying to do. It just didn't it poorly.
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