LogFAQs > #949387777

80. Final Fantasy IV (SNES, 1991)

I have a confession to make: I've never beaten a single Final Fantasy game. In both this game and the one I have higher on this list, I made it to the final boss area and, through a combination of being underlevelled and impatient, couldn't get to the end credits. Generally, I'm not too fond of RPGs, and at a certain point near the end when the story has basically run its course, I lose interest in the purely mechanical race to the finish line. So, uh, why the heck do I have FF4 here, a by-the-book RPG if there ever was one?
For starters, the game's flow and pace is actually generally very good. Battles feel pretty quick and manageable, and when you encounter some of the tougher late-game boss encounters at just the right level, they're very satisfying. I remember taking on some of the late Four Fiends fights and losing several times before getting the flow just right, and they're some of the most satisfying RPG boss encounters I've ever had. The simplicity of the game's system - a rotating cast of characters of generally standard RPG classes with the spells and attacks you'd expect - and a fairly linear world map/story progression keep things moving along nicely.
More than anything though, I absolutely love the story, perhaps because I played it in the mid-00s among a swell in RPGs that had become significantly more complicated and convoluted. My best description of FF4's plot is that it plays out like an action movie, or a season of 24. Characters' motivations and plotlines come to a head quickly and explosively, and then you're quickly whisked off to the next point of drama. The heavier narrative threads of moral ambiguity and redemption are good too, but they are never weighing down the story to the detriment of the more fun stuff. There are a couple other Square RPGs quite a bit higher (including the aforementioned other FF game) but 4 will always have a particular place in my heart for just being so dang charming and great.
Top 5 characters: Rydia - Cid - Yang - Cecil - Tellah

79. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GameCube, 2004)

Probably the unlikeliest Zelda game ever made, the component requirements to actually play the game in its best form (with four human players) most likely stopped a ton of people from ever getting to play it. And it's a shame, because if you could actually get a group of four players each equipped with a GBA and the GBA-to-GameCube link cable, you were in for a treat.
Four Swords Adventures is the spiritual successor of the similarly titled side-game Four Swords that was bundled with the GBA Link to the Past port a year earlier. It's fun but fairly short - you can get through the randomized missions to the end in about 30 minutes. FSA is a more comprehensive experience, both in following along a fully fleshed-out story, and in really doubling down on the competitive aspects as well. All players' current Force Gem (essentially Rupee-equivalents) counts, along with their place, are depicted on the screen, and a trophy is awarded at the end of each stage to the player who collected the most.
Playing the game solo is totally doable, and it's a fun if forgettable experience. But going through the campaign with three other friends was a blast, and our instinctive competitiveness made the whole endeavor so memorable. In one stage, players are navigating a mysterious village to uncover paths and power-ups to get to the end. I remember while being stuck and figuring out where to go, we also were busy trying to snipe each other with bombs to steal each others' force gems. In another level where players have to dodge searchlights while swimming through a castle moat, we kept intentionally getting caught to try to grab more gems. It's the kind of experience that no other Zelda game, and very few cooperative games, really can pull off successfully. And for neither the first or last time on this list, I'm giving a unique multiplayer experience extra points for simply being so memorable.

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it's an underwater adventure ride