Lurker > transience

I bring all the boys to the yard
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xyzzy

I watched some itazan Abigail and what. I can only imagine how that goes over online.
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xyzzy

oh man yeah you and Godot are going to be in sync. god, I want that playthrough topic so bad. best one since Shadow Hearts. if you do play it, start over. you need to see 3-1 again.
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xyzzy

90s Europe is so weird. maybe better than 2000s Europe which got Xenosaga 2 but not Xenosaga 1 or 3
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xyzzy

okay, top 6 tomorrow. my top tier is 6 games.
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xyzzy

yeah HMH is much more of a puzzle game than an RPG. I like that game a bunch.

P4, P5, same thing really.
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xyzzy

although, if you really wanna have some fun -- Half-Minute Hero.
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xyzzy

hmm

Xenoblade
Persona 5
FF9

would probably be my recommendations. I'd also be fascinated to see you give Xenogears a go.

edit: oh, and be prepared for an 80 hour game if you get the first two. if that's not something you can see yourself stomaching, skip 'em.
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xyzzy

Adrian Wojnarowski

@wojespn

DeMarcus Cousins has suffered a torn left Achilles tendon, league sources tell ESPN. He will miss the rest of the season. The MRI is coming soon, but diagnosis is clear.
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xyzzy

7.



AA3 puts a bow on the Phoenix Wright series. It could have stopped here and that would have been fine. The later games are good, but they're good in the way that the new Star Wars movies are good. They're forever in the shadow of the original trilogy and constantly making callbacks to remind you of the good stuff.

The story of Dahlia Hawthorne is absolutely fascinating, stretched across 3 cases and a number of years. Your opponent in this game is as cool as the other side of the pillow. The final case in this game is my pick for best Ace Attorney case and I don't have a close #2. Ace Attorney 3 is *really* good.
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xyzzy

you'd be better off playing something else, I bet. what're your top 5 RPGs?
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xyzzy

Lebron with a quadruple double
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xyzzy

8.



This video says more about Spelunky than I ever could:



Every item in Spelunky -- and there are many -- is unique. The items interact in the strangest and most entertaining ways. When you first start playing Spelunky, you get destroyed by every manner of environmental trap on the level. This game is devious in the ways in which it kills you.

There's also a huge amount of skill. At first it seems like the game is just killing you randomly but you start to learn the patterns and exactly what you can and cannot do. This is a "get good" kind of game but it's not in the pure dexterity of your jumps. It's in the knowledge of what will happen, what you can do about it and how you can avoid it. It's like playing chess and needing to think 2-3 moves ahead.

Spelunky is a game design powerhouse, one of the most influential games of the last decade. Every procedural game takes from Spelunky. It's not the first but it's the best. It's also just so damn playable. I'm not great at Spelunky - there's stuff I haven't seen in it still after hundreds of runs - but I can go back to it all the time and really enjoy whatever happens. Sometimes I have bad karma and something bizarre happens to me. Sometimes I get all the items I want and make a deep run. And sometimes I do neither and just survive long enough to see the ending. What a great game. This is often the only game on my Vita and I kinda don't need anything else.
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xyzzy

do you like turn based combat? like, does it bother you at all?

how do you feel about a game that focuses more on getting to know a world than telling a story?

do you mind a game that takes over 50 hours to complete?
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xyzzy

9.



20 years later and still nothing has even really attempted to replace this game. The closest are those Advance games that, let's be honest, aren't really trying to take the mantle from FFT. They feel more like spinoffs.

That job system is so good. The political intrigue storyline is also really good. There are fantastic hacks done by a seriously dedicated community that improve a lot of the balance and offer up new fun ways to play. This might be where FFT shines the most - not only does it have most of what you'd want, the community adds the other special ingredients where it's lacking.

My only negative with FFT is that you've usually fully built out your characters by the time you get to chapter 4 and I lose a lot of steam when I don't have a next ability or growth to go for. I've dropped a lot of FFT games right before the last stretch of battles just because of that.
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xyzzy

yeah. they also censored Jessica a little bit but I think I left that intact because yeah I'm old enough to not need to leer at anime girls.
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xyzzy

if I had one complaint for Cave Story it would be the difficulty spike that is the last boss
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xyzzy

10.



Dragon Quest 8 is so, so good but its biggest flaw was its battle speed. Hello, 3DS version! Battle speed is much improved. Alchemy Pot is now an Instant Pot. Enemies are now visible on-screen. Amazing.

All these little quality of life changes end up being huge and let you enjoy the amazing overworld and swelling soundtrack all the more. (I think they screwed up the music in the 3DS version? I wouldn't know because I patched in all the old stuff they randomly removed.) Dragon Quest 8 has a lot of Xenoblade in it (other way around, really) in that everything is really endearing and the overworld gives it a sense of scope that makes it feel really special. I honestly have nothing bad to say about this game. Dragon Quest 11 has a tall bar to clear if it wants to compete with this game.
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xyzzy

yeah I'm done with SF5 too. I got all my fun out of the beta.
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xyzzy

Leon, you do know that they just added that to SF5 this week, yeah? free update?
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xyzzy

I like how you think
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xyzzy

that said, I have Evo Japan on in another tab right now!
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xyzzy

yeah, I kinda have this "I'm too old for this shit" attitude towards SF nowadays - any time I'm grinding on a game without a tangible reward, like a story beat or an ending in sight, I feel like I'm wasting time. I don't have a lot of time to actually play video games. I *love* SF4, and I would totally pick it up here and there, but it's not a game I can dedicate myself to. if I did, I'd be playing it at the detriment of everything else. it's a sensible choice but I like to keep up on games and see things through. I'm a single player kinda person at heart.
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xyzzy

that's good! who is significantly changed? who are you thinking is strong or weak?
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xyzzy

okay, I'm to the top 10. I'll start back up around 10:30 or so (two hours from this post). get your predictions in!
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xyzzy

also -- I think most people like Portrait. HM just got utterly crushed by the boss of the desert charming him and swore off that game forever.
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xyzzy

the high level GX stuff is bonkers. that game is so amazing to watch.
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xyzzy

11.



15 years later, it's still so goddamn good! I think about this game all the time. "There's a new fast racing game coming out? Well, how does it compare to F-Zero GX? ...Oh."

F-Zero GX's strength is its speed crossed with its ability to turn on a dime. Like most fast games, this one has a difficulty to it that forces you to get good. I love that. I don't need my games to be hard but if you've got a toolset that's all about speed, you need to make me use those tools. GX punches you in the face until you can handle that burst.

At this point, I've given up on wanting a new F-Zero because I don't think Nintendo could make an adequate one of these. I just want F-Zero GX ported to a modern console. I don't even need simple bells and whistles like online play. Just give me the juice that made me love this genre.
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xyzzy

get super metroid or metroid: zero mission. super metroid is more atmospheric, zero mission is easier and controls a little better.

the walking dead is a narrative adventure game - you walk around as a character and talk to people and make choices. that's what life is strange is too - very inspired by walking dead.

brothers is different - a light puzzle game where you control two characters at the same time using the analog stick + the triggers. I think you'd like brothers or inside, which is a braid-y puzzle platformer.

when I think visual novel, I think a game where you don't have control of the characters and are just advancing dialogue. think 999 since I know you've played that.
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xyzzy

Giggsalot posted...

transience posted...

good to hear! what stuff has appealed so far? maybe I could shoot you a general recommendation. also, it's no surprise at all that our tastes align!

a lot of stuff, to be honest! I used to love RPGs but have never played a Persona or Xeno game; I've never played a Metroid game (or a "metroidvania" whatever that means) despite being a sucker for anything described as atmospheric; my initial experiences of visual novel-type games have been great, but I haven't played a single one on this list either (unless AA counts). I'm also a sucker for puzzle-oriented stuff and platformers, so anything even remotely akin to VVVVVV (or, on the flip side, maybe Braid) would rule.

basically I've probably played through like a dozen games total in the last decade and have almost no idea what I like anymore. even I wouldn't know what to recommend me, but feel free to give it a shot!

hmm. you should play a metroid game! "metroidvania" just means a game (usually 2d) with open-ended nonlinear design; explore a maze-y area to find a new powerup that gains access to a new area. find powerups as you want. you could relate it to maybe vvvvvv except that v doesn't give you powerups. you can go whereever, whenever.

you might like castlevania more than metroid. those games are a little easier to find since they made it to the DS, whereas good metroid is still back on the gba and snes. though if you have a modern console like a wii u, you can pick those games up cheap.

I don't really have many games that I'd categorize as visual novel on here - but I do think you would like life is strange. maybe a lot.
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xyzzy

12.



I have a real hard time ranking this one. Part of me wonders how this game plays in a world with X and Xenoblade 2. Those games are alright (X is quite good!), but they kind of nerf the huge sprawling world that made the original Xenoblade so appealing. They're bigger and higher fidelity and the battles have way more complexity but they also are lacking that simple charm that made Xenoblade amazing. Don't get me wrong - Xenoblade is still pretty complicated. Its battle UI is still cluttered. But there was something straightforward about navigating its world. In a way, I think being on an SD platform really helped control its scope. It focused on the great stuff.

Xenoblade's best aspects are its open exploration, awesome setting, strong soundtrack and its encouraging design that made you want to explore the corners. Xenoblade's story is pretty enjoyable too - it's a little juvenile but the earnest motivations of the characters is really endearing. I spent a while watching some videos and the story still captures you. It doesn't do any one thing great outside of its setting, but everything works together well to make a captivating game.
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xyzzy

13.



SF4's a really good fighting game. I'm over trying to come up with reasons as to why I like this one vs. the hundreds of other ones. I just like the mechanics and the characters and the flow of battle. Focus attacks are fun and the balance is good. Blah blah blah. This is my favourite competitive game.

I miss SF4. It was my go-to game for a really long time. I loved watching it competitively. SF5 is alright but a big step down from 4. I don't think I've gone back to SF5 since about a month in whereas I was playing SF4 for like 6 or 7 years. I kinda want to get back in and start playing it again. Everyone has moved on though. Oh well.
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xyzzy

good to hear! what stuff has appealed so far? maybe I could shoot you a general recommendation. also, it's no surprise at all that our tastes align!
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xyzzy

15.



Cave Story just feels good. The act of jumping, of shooting, the sounds, the music -- it all just feels amazing. There's a fascinating push and pull with the weapons system that I like way more than I should. As you get hit your weapons lose strength which means that the first part of a boss fight goes well until you're drained and they do much less damage. Your weapons also affect your mobility and there's a feeling of dread when you get hit. This game has great boss fights.

There isn't another game that plays quite like Cave Story. You can mash a bunch of games together and say it's kinda like this and that, but that feeling of moving through levels, powering up your weapons and the way that the character moves is unique. It's a really fun game to come back to over and over.
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xyzzy

I thought about picking up Life is Strange on PS4 or something and then throwing it on while the wife was around. I feel like it would resonate. she doesn't play many games outside of, like, maxis games and sometimes we play mario kart.
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xyzzy

so I guess Russ saw the all-star list, saw his name was last, got mad and dropped 46

then was told afterwards it was in alphabetical order
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xyzzy

you have my attention
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xyzzy

yeah I was wondering about its metroidvania creds. nothing ends up disappointing/bugging me more than a game that is billed as a 'vania but really just has a map. that word (bad as it is) means something specific.

that doesn't mean it's bad. Outland is that and that game is great.
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xyzzy

alright, top 15 time. #15 is a tier up from 16-20. time to get into my absolute faves. tomorrow!
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xyzzy

16.



This game makes me miss my high school days and also I am so glad I am not in high school anymore. There's a wistfulness to Life is Strange that gives me a lot of feelings. Each chapter of this game was like unraveling a puzzle and there was always a bunch of strings that you could pull on in your spare time. You could play a chapter and then spend 2 months pondering everything, waiting to see what the hell just happened. That emotional investment has stuck with me. Every chapter ended with a knockout punch and I can still remember all of my thoughts as I went through it.

Life is Strange is a special narrative game. I don't think it nailed the ending, which is too bad, but that journey was really really strong.
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xyzzy

https://twitter.com/TonyXypteras/status/956721509875281924

!!

(stop winning games you idiots)
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xyzzy

oh man you're a zelda 1 randomizer-er too, huh? heck yeah. someday we should all play a seed together. not a race or anything because screw that.

your desert golf game is pretty legit. takes some investment to get as far as you have.
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xyzzy

17.



I, um

well, here goes

I can play this stupid game forever. Absolutely forever. Desert Golfing is just a minimal little physics-y thing with very little to it, but there's something about its persistence and its restraint that just hooks me. I don't get it. I have put hundreds and hundreds of hours into this game. I have knocked the ball into tens of thousands of holes. I am one of the only people in the world to see this game's ending. THIS GAME HAS AN ENDING.

This is my second of three desert island games, and not because it's played in a desert. I just love dropping 10-15 minutes playing it. I wish I still could - you see, once you beat it, you can't restart. You've golfed all the way through the desert. That persistence lasts forever.
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xyzzy

well Undertale is an obvious one too! did ff7 finally abandon? I figured Earthbound and Suikoden 2 have to still be up there.
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xyzzy

it's always surprised me how polarized you were on the last 10%. like I can see hating that game/series but if you can stomach that much nonsense I don't see why the end would be that much different.

I don't want to go deep on this cause we've done it a few times already - it's just surprising
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xyzzy

18.



Look, I have pretty much no idea what happens in this series. I couldn't explain the plot concisely if you asked me to. Xenosaga is very mockable, probably moreso in 2018 given how PS2 RPGs have aged.

But man, they go for it. Xenosaga 3 pays off the first two games well. It's like they started on disc 2 and just kept barreling downhill. (There's still plot dumps, of course. This is Xenosaga. But they go somewhere. You're getting questions answered instead of setting up more questions.)

The music and atmosphere here are really really strong and the gameplay is a lot of fun, which is notable because the first two games could reaaaaallllly drag. The plot may have a bunch of nonsense terminology but damn it feels cool while it's all happening. I wish they'd make an HD collection of these games so I could un-squish the visuals.
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xyzzy

I don't believe any of this

mostly because I can't process believing any of it
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xyzzy

19.



This game is so god damn good that they could only make it like 18 minutes long. The enemy placements are too good. Everything feels hand crafted. The light/dark mechanic feels so good when you get the levels down and start flipping back and forth instinctively. I suck bad at this game and need a bunch of continues to get past level 4 -- but it's good even if you're bad. I watch superplays of this game and just awe in its perfection. It feels like art when played that way.
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xyzzy

cause I still have like 50 hours of xenoblade 2
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xyzzy

20.



Persona 3's tone and pace pushes it over the top. I really like the Persona gameplay loop of social link -> fusion -> dungeon -> social link but 4 and 5 mix in a ton of story that just kind of meanders a lot of the time. Persona 3 keeps it light. A lot of people would counter that it just doesn't have a lot of story - which I am okay with!

But yeah, it's that dark tone that gets me. I like Persona 5's music a bunch but 3's is on another level, at least as far as being a tone setter. Persona 3 also ends really strong whereas 4 and 5 kind of botch it at the end.

There's also something to be said for being first. Persona 3 isn't copying the formula over with a new setting. Don't get me wrong, those games are also great, but you only get to be fresh once.
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xyzzy