Lurker > plasmabeam

SpoinkRulezz posted...

Ys VIII. I had neve played an Ys game before, bought it in a sale and almost immediately regretted buying it because I thought it wasn't going to be that interesting anyway. Ended up being one of my favorite first playthroughs of a game in a loooong time, beat the game 100% and literally wasn't bored for 1 second.

This. Bought Ys VIII $40 "New" from Gamestop and only gave it a shot because it was already opened. Was completely blown away.

Tales of Berseria, Suikoden 1, Silent Hill 1, and Nier PS3 also come to mind.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Immune: Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)
Boot: Mario (Super Mario Bros.)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

LeonhartFour posted...

It doesn't do anything groundbreaking with the story, but it offsets that with a likable playable cast, an amazingly detailed world (probably still my favorite to explore in any RPG), and a cast of villains that's probably only rivaled by FOXHOUND.

Damn, that's a good point. That group is truly the FOXHOUND of JRPGs. Charm and presence.

Axl_Rose_85 posted...

I love the universe that Skies of Arcadia created. The characters are charming, and the sense of adventure, exploration and mystery is similar to One Piece. Those add a lot to the otherwise simple and somewhat cliche JRPG plot.

Just looked up One Piece. May have to give the manga a shot.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

9.5/10

Like its GameCube cousin Tales of Symphonia, Skies is a familiar tale that is well told. Unlike ToS however, SoA doesn't have a fun battle system to carry it. And yet the game shines because of the story, atmosphere, and characters. The only way I can enjoy a JRPG with a dull battle system is if the storyline is strong, so I have no qualms about giving it a high score here.

Things I love about SoA's story:

• One of the rare JRPG stories that absolutely nails its finale.
• Characters are charismatic, vivid, and fun.
• Atmosphere and worldbuilding are top-notch.
• I still get chills at the thought of leaving Esperanza for the Dark Rift. That whole sequence of the game where you end up going after the Blue Gigas had such an adventurous feel to it. Skies has a sense of adventure that few other JRPGs possess.
• No silly/forced romantic subplots. Instead the focus is on developing friendships and loyalties.
• Drachma's subplot.
• Galcian.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Immune: Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)
Boot: Mario (Super Mario Bros.)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

I played maybe an hour of Infection and couldn't believe how dull it was.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

KamikazePotato posted...

Nominate Skies of Arcadia

What? Everyone else was doing it!

FOR GREAT JUSTICE

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Nominate Skies of Arcadia

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Average regular playthrough for the main 3 games is probably 20 hours each if you do story only (totally viable), maybe 25 if you do some side stuff that you just stumble upon. There's a very extensive amount of extra content for completion isn't which could easily add another 15-20 hours, but there's no story locked behind that, just items. The new volume 4 is maybe 10-15 hours, I unfortunately have no idea how much additional content is in that one because I never went for it, just did the story.

In terms of just the general spoiler free pitch, its a very unique jRPG with a great story, some fantastic characters, and interesting setting. This is from a time long before the characters playing an MMO and things get real genre became stale overused crap thank to SAO, and it completely stands on its own. Unlike the older games in the series, GU is actually fun to play. The combat is hard to describe though, nothing I can think of to compare it to without caveats. Theres a demo if that helps.

As far as the two things that get asked a lot for those more in the know:

I didnt like the original quadrilogy, is this more of the same? No, these games may take place in the universe but they are very different. Those old games, honestly were pretty bad. They were certainly COOL and stood out as different than the rest of the market, but they were very repetitive and a very poor value proposition. Stuck way to rigidly to the fake MMO idea in places and suffered for it.

Do you need to play those older games for the story? Absolutely not. It definitely adds a lot of flavor to some of the plot beats, but is in no way required whatsoever. Its one of the things I like a lot about the GU story, it stands completely on its own while still having some very interesting tidbits for fans that arent just fansevice. The setting makes that a lot easier to pull off, honestly.

Thanks for this. Saw the sale on Cheap Ass Gamer but was like... "Eh, I hated Infection back on PS2."

Will give this a shot.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Kenri posted...

I've definitely come to like this one more as I've gotten older. I actually disagree with what some others have said -- OoT's story is significantly more interesting than the standard Zelda fare. I hesitate to say it's the best story in the series, but I'm not sure what I'd put above it.

Majora's Mask definitely. The storyline is basically Zelda x Silent Hill.


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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

9/10

Well told, charming, and meaningful. Excellent worldbuilding, vivid characters, epic scope, and a great variety of tones and emotions. I could go on.

Only serious drawback is Link being mute.

This video especially helped me appreciate the storyline:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyUcwsjyd8Q

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Immune: Miles Edgeworth
Boot: GLaDOS

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

LeonhartFour posted...

Nominate Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Can we just nominate the prologue so we have ourselves a perfect 10?

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

7/10

Story/characters/worldbuilding were easily the best part of the game for me, but they weren't enough to compel me to finish RDR.

Open world games just aren't for me.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Not even Post-Netflix Castlevania?

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Who survives this 4-Pack?

Metal Gear Solid vs Super Metroid
Final Fantasy Tactics vs Castlevania: SotN

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Nominate Chrono Trigger

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Leonhart4 posted...

It's popular in places that are not here. I wouldn't be surprised if it did win though because its competition is pretty terrible.

What gives THPS a solid chance is that it's more of an Arcade game than a Sports game

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Seanchan posted...

I'd take Tony Hawk over Parasite Eve. No one gives a shit about Parasite Eve, a series that has been irrelevant for 20 years. THPS isn't a strong game but it's at least popular enough to have generated multiple remasters/remakes.

The THPS Remasters make this one interesting IMO. I would also assume apathy votes would favor THPS due to PE growing more obscure over time.

I feel like the board would overrate PE based on Aya Brea's performances from 20 years ago.

I'd say 54-46 in favor of THPS, but I wouldn't feel good about the pick.

MetalmindStats posted...

Pokemon Snap: Don't think people who played Mario Party back when it was popular don't remember what it did to their hands.

Coinflip. Would be a perfect Day 1 8/9-Seed match. I think Mario Party wins, but I'm not at all confident.

Super Mario RPG: I think its 2015 run looked artificially impressive via bandwagoning in its last few rounds, but at the end of the day, it's simply more esteemed as a singleplayer SNES JRPG here.

My gut instinct likes Smash 64 here for some reason, but I could easily see it on the wrong end of a 60-40 beatdown. Both games haven't aged well, but I think SMRPG's aging is less noticeable.

Final Fantasy VI: Crushes the prestige battle, which matters a lot regardless of how the contest is framed. That's also why WW > LA is a call I'd make with total confidence now that the Celda hate has all but died off.

Yeah, I agree. Even with the Switch remakes, LA still has to overcome the "Console > Handheld" factor that only Pokemon RBY seems to be immune to.

GoldenEye 007: I could easily see this one going either way, so I'll pick the one that (relatively) benefits from forced apathy votes and doubled votes from registered users.

This one is 52-48 either way. Goldeneye has aged horrendously but is fondly remembered as an N64 hallmark. FF8 is a golden-era FF that recently got a remaster. Goldeneye gets the apathy votes. FF8 has JRPG-FAQS. If the match pic comes down to Pierce Brosnan vs. River Phoenix, FF8 squeaks out a win.

Sonic: FFV definitely beats Sonic Adventure. Beyond that, both of these are total wildcards, but I'll take the one voters realistically played in the early/mid 90s.
Crash Bandicoot Warped: Characters =/= games, which benefits the stronger Crash more due to Lara's modern relevance.

Agreed.

Panzer Dragoon Saga: In a stomping.
Silent Hill: Could be an interesting match or another blowout if it happened, but like Madden 98, GT2 probably doesn't even make the field.

These make me smile. Maybe a more interesting match would be Silent Hill vs. Star Ocean 2

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Immune: Alucard (Castlevania)
Boot: King Dedede (Kirby)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Who wins these matches in a potential "Best 90s Game Ever" Contest?

Mario Party vs. Pokemon Snap
Super Smash Bros. vs. Super Mario RPG
Link's Awakening vs. Final Fantasy VI
Goldeneye 007 vs. Final Fantasy VIII
Any Notable Sonic Game (1, 2, 3&K, Adventure) vs. Final Fantasy V
Tomb Raider II vs. Crash Bandicoot Warped
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater vs. Parasite Eve
Madden 98 vs. Panzer Dragoon Saga
Gran Turismo 2 vs. Silent Hill

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Almost won Origins in an eBay auction last year for $85-ish.

Now it goes for almost double that

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Still waiting for the PS4 version of this game to go on sale

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Leonhart4 posted...

Nominate Metal Gear Solid 3

Second'd. Long overdue.

I'll nominate MGS4 too so we can wallop it.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Whoa @ these high ratings.

I know nothing about the game. What does it play like? Diablo?

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 5
Godot (Ace Attorney)
Kyle Hyde (Hotel Dusk: Room 215)

Group 6
Naked Snake/Big Boss (Metal Gear)
Count Bleck (Super Paper Mario)

Group 7
Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)
Mega Man (Mega Man)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Without question Skies of Arcadia

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn, NieR, FF4, and FF9 also came to mind.

Dark Silvergun posted...

Honestly, I think it's a mixed bag. Quite often, the last portion of a RPG is a long and drawn out dungeon. Yeah, the end story and final boss might be really good however.

This is spot-on. I hate final dungeons. Usually by that point in the game, I'm dying to see how the story ends. The last thing I want is a bloated dungeon with OP random enemies to kill the story's momentum.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

andylt posted...

10/10 love it and pretty much everything about it. Best cast around. Like FFX it's one of those games where I can see a few narrative flaws here and there but I love the whole package so much it doesn't bother me. I'm not really thinking too hard about the scores in these topics, I just go with my gut.

I guess I can see why some don't like the third act, but for me the scenes at the top of the Mechonis and later in the Dickson fight are among the absolute best in the game. I don't think it peters out at all, and I admire how bold it is right up until the credits.

It's been almost a decade since I've played it, but I also don't remember the 3rd Act being as bad as some are making it out to be. Worst I can say is that the story's momentum got disrupted by the spike in difficulty.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

9.6/10

So much to love about this one (basing this on the Wii version). The characters have charm, the worldbuilding is unreal, the plot is familiar yet engrossing.

Only reason why I didn't give it a 10 is because of some pacing issues. I think the game is strong out of the gate, but it loses steam over the course of the journey. Also I never liked that they pulled the punch with Fiora.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 2
Luigi (Super Mario Bros.)
Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong)

Group 3
The Boss (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Alucard (Castlevania)

Group 4
Solid Snake (Metal Gear)
Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

First game on the list that I haven't heard of.

KamikazePotato posted...

Nominate Tales of Berseria
Nominate Tales of Symphonia

Second'd

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 9
Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

Auron (Final Fantasy X)

Group 10
Samus Aran (Metroid)

Yoshi (Super Mario World)

Group 1
Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza)

Ike (Fire Emblem)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Nominate Silent Hill 4: The Room

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

GROUP 6
Naked Snake/Big Boss (Metal Gear)
Raiden (Metal Gear Solid)

GROUP 7
Mega Man (Mega Man)
Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)

GROUP 8
Mario (Super Mario Bros.)
Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Another haven't-played/need-to-play for me.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Leonhart4 posted...

Disc 2 is the best disc in FFVIII

Tough call. Discs 1, 2, and 3 were all excellent for different reasons (and 4 too, but it's so short that it might as well be considered an extension of Disc 3).

My memory is fuzzy on Disc 2. I distinctly remember the prison opening, then things ramping up with the Gardens going to war, Cid/NORG/Edea revelations, great Squall/Rinoa moments (especially if you select her for your team when the party splits up)... You may be right. Lot of action and great plot moments/revelations on Disc 2.

Disc 1 has the vivid worldbuilding, the SeeD missions, the train chase, the assassination attempt, and the uncompromising characterization of Squall as an isolated jerk who wants to be left the hell alone. People like to s*** on FF8, but you have to give the writers credit for committing to Squall as a heavily flawed character. If FF8 were a Hollywood movie, the screenwriters probably would've shown him rescuing puppies or something in order to soften him and make him "palatable" to a mass audience.

Disc 3 I love for how raw and wildly imaginative it is and for the emotional payoffs of Squall struggling to let his defenses down. People knock him for allowing Rinoa to be taken to the Sorceress Memorial, but that shows how conflicted he is. Even after literally going beyond the ends of the earth for her, he still struggles with his fear of abandonment. Then he needs one more nudge before going after her while this masterpiece plays:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr4eB0WOwN0

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 3
Alucard (Castlevania)
Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

Group 4
Solid Snake (Metal Gear)
Phoenix Wright (Ace Attorney)

Group 5
Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)
Godot (Ace Attorney)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 10
Yoshi (Super Mario World)

Samus Aran (Metroid)

Group 1
Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII)

Ike (Fire Emblem)

Group 2
Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong)

Jecht (Final Fantasy X)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Snake5555555555 posted...

The pacing is more akin to a TV show than a video game; as the main plot chugs carefully along with mystery and intrigue, care and craft is put into the game's richly detailed world & characters in episodic styles that sees all of its spectacular main cast grabbing the spotlight at one time or another. FF7 mingles with all sorts of genres through its lengthy run-time, with genuine laugh-out-loud comedy, intensive drama, thrilling action, and eldritch horrors capturing the imagination at every turn. FF7's most impressive ability is to go beyond its cartoony avatars by leveraging the natural cinematography of its gorgeous pre-renders to make every scene stand-out with kinetic action and exaggerated flair taken directly from anime especially, all without any voice acting as well. You end up defining the characters in your head even more so than the game does. Whether you're staring at the ruins of your former home from a small abandoned playground, mourning the tragic loss of a beloved friend, following the bloody trail of an unknown monster, or just getting your materia stolen by a gutsy thief, one thing you can't say is Final Fantasy VII lacks flair, style, and a sense of experimentation that still makes it one of the leading examples of how to do a video game story today.

This is what I miss about the pre-voice acting era. PS1 RPGs allowed you hear the dialogue (spoken or direct internal thoughts) in your head like when you're reading a book.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

9.5/10

Great characters, great plot, great villain, great atmosphere, great moments, great, great, great.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Hahaha! Haven't played, but it should be fun watching this get ugly.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

StartTheMachine posted...

6. I don't really think of Star Fox 64's great quotes and memorable characters as part of the "plot" normally, but then I guess that is the category they would most easily fall into. So yeah, those are so good that it basically triples the score.

I wouldn't call them part of the "plot" either. Plot and Story are two different beasts. Plot is usually what people refer to as the events of the story, whereas Story incorporates Plot, Character, Worldbuilding, Themes, etc.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 7
Missile (Ghost Trick)

Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher)

Group 8
Mario (Super Mario Bros.)

Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles)

Group 9
Magus (Chrono Trigger)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

6.5/10

Dialogue/characters bump it above average.

UltimaterializerX posted...

Does characterization count as part of the story?

100%. Pretty much every writing/storytelling guidebook out there discusses characterization.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Snake5555555555 posted...

In my opinion the best game stories perfectly meld with the gameplay. Some of my personal favorite examples are Silent Hill 2 and its subtle player choice progressions, Spec Ops: The Line inflicting psychological tricks on you as Walker's mental state deteriorates, The Sorrow having more ghosts the more violent you are (the whole Metal Gear series in general is excellent at this type of stuff). Gameplay and story definitely doesn't have to be mutually exclusive or inclusive to be effective.

I like your take (and all three of the games/stories you mentioned).

Last week I finished Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice and was disappointed because IMO the story didn't gel with the gameplay. Like I could picture the devs meticulously crafting the story and consulting psychologists and historians for details, then at the last minute thinking, "Oh s***, we should probably add combat and puzzles too."

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Jecht with the nailbiter! Love it!

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Group 4
Solid Snake (Metal Gear)

Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda)

Group 5
Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII)

Godot (Ace Attorney)

Group 6
Naked Snake/Big Boss (Metal Gear)

Raiden (Metal Gear Solid)

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

ninkendo posted...

I think I'd like it more if I enjoyed the game play

The more of these topics we have, the more I find myself confronting the "How much does gameplay factor into story?" question.

Sometimes it's easy to divorce a story from the rest of the game (as with turn-based JRPGs; just rate the game as if the battle system doesn't exist), sometimes the story itself is the game (as with visual novels), and sometimes you have this messy overlap of gameplay and story (Fallout 3 gave me trouble here because I counted the exploration as story in that case).

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

Missed you, prophet man.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~

7.5/10

Cool piece of visual storytelling.

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~Jacksonville Jaguars~