Board 8 > KP's Top 100 Games (Win $5 For Guessing Right)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Oh, I didn't realize there were prizes per round. Grants, Kenri.

Up

Up to 11 guesses for Round 2. I'll leave it open for another 24 hours.

Hmm...

I gave it a shot

Round 2 Results

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15 people submitted guesses.
The most common score was 5 / 10.
The average score was 5 / 10. Exactly. Look at the symmetry!

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Hint:
81. While I really like this Fallout game, it's partially because of mods

Answers:
Fallout 4 8
Fallout: New Vegas 7

The majority wins by a hair. While you could've picked several different Fallout games here (surprised no one went for 3), I think 4 makes the most sense as a hint, because it's the one people generally cite as having issues that mods can help paper over. Granted, the majority almost got this wrong, so maybe the hint wasn't as clear as I assumed!

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Hint:
82. Turns out the black sheep of an all-time series is still really good

Answers:
Super Mario Sunshine 2

Everything else with 1 guess:
Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Dark Souls 2
Drakengard
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XIII
Mass Effect 1
Mass Effect 3
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid 4
Metal Gear Solid V
Zelda 2
Zelda: Skyward Sword

An absolute free-for-all of answers. Unsurprising, considering the very open-ended nature of the hint. I would've felt a bit bad if none of you got it, but thankfully, one person landed bullseye.

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Hint:
83. Leveling up Acrobatics was the most fun part, and it sucks that they removed it in the sequel

Answers:
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 14

Pure knowledge check with a 100% success rate (among those who guessed). I don't think there's any other games it could have applied to, either, so there was little risk of a false positive.

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Hint:
84. Obscene encounter rate until you get the Champion's Rune, but still a great story

Answers:
Suikoden II 6
Suikoden IV 5
Suikoden V 2
Suikoden III 1

Was genuinely caught off-guard by the answers here. I never played IV, so there could have been a false positive there, but in my mind II and III had perfectly acceptable encounter rates (well, III was pushing it sometimes).

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Hint:
85. A Visual Novel that won the Absolute Best Game Ever contest I ran like...12 years ago

Answers:
Ever17 4
Umineko no Naku Koro ni 4
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations 2
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 1
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 1
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc 1
Stein's Gate 1
Fate/Stay Night 1

Absolute Best Game Ever was a contest I held where only people who'd played both games could vote. The finals ended up being Ever17 vs. Silent Hill 2. You really had to know your obscure B8 history to get this one, but even so, a handful of you got it. Shoutout to the one person who included their reasoning for choosing Ever17, saying: "Surely this is too low for Umineko?" An astute observation!

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Hint:
86. A Shin Megami Tensei sub-series game with a bad sequel

Answers:
Devil Survivor 8
Soul Hackers 3
Persona 3 1
Digital Sevil Saga 1
Persona Q 1
Persona 1 1

Slightly higher success rate than I expected, especially considering the sequel I dislike has plenty of fans.

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Hint:
87. Rayman: The Only One I Care About

Answers:
Rayman Legends 8
Rayman Origins 5
Rayman 2: The Great Escape 2

In this question, you could have chosen one of the extremely highly-rated modern Rayman games that temporarily revitalized the brand. Or you could have chosen the N64 game that time has largely forgotten. This being GameFAQs...there was only one right choice.

(Note: this will not apply in many cases. I actually like a lot of modern games, and Rayman 2 is one of the few N64 games on this list.)

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Hint:
88. A JRPG where the fan-accepted name for the main character is 'Guv'

Answers:
Dragon Quest VIII 15

Easy peasy. Considering the curveballs some other hints threw, there had to be a couple gimmes.

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Hint:
89. The closest you'll get to playing as Stephen King

Answers:
Alan Wake 14

I meant this hint to be straightforward...and it was! Glad there wasn't some game I wasn't aware of to create false positives. Was fully expecting something like, I don't know, Stephen King Simulator to crop up.

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Hint:
90. A Zelda game that the casuals seem to appreciate more than the diehards

Answers:
Twilight Princess 6
Breath of the Wild 4
Skyward Sword 2
Wind Waker 2
Tears of the Kingdom 1

Twilight Princess and Breath of the Wild were the clear choices from the hint. And maybe Tears of the Kingdom, but I haven't played that one yet.

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With all that said...the winner of Round 2 is AxemRedRanger, with a score of 8 / 10! The next-highest score was a 6 / 10, which two people achieved.

I'll post actual writeups for these games a bit later, then post the Hints for Round 3 a little after that.

Now that you've said it, I do recall that Ever17 won that contest. I remembered that contest and that I participated in it, but I didn't remember who won it when I was trying to answer the question.

i'm 6/10 on both halves so far so at least i'm consistent!

I went for Rayman 2 as its the only game structured the same way as the hint.

Ie. "Rayman: The..."

changmas posted...

i'm 6/10 on both halves so far so at least i'm consistent!

You tied for 2nd place this time! Which doesn't win you money, but at least you have...a sense of pride and accomplishment?

Fun fact: if you Google kamikazepotato "absolute best game ever" there is exactly one result and it's a topic joking about Ever17's performance. Luckily this led me away from my original guess, which was Kana Little Sister.

But wow, I donked it on this round otherwise. I didn't even think of Dark Souls 2 lol

AxemRedRanger posted...

119. Fallout 3
Feels a bit shallow compared to what came after, but that first playthrough has incredible exploration.

There's been one or two answers that were games already appearing on this list!

Whew, didn't do that great on that one. At least I managed Dark Souls 2! Devil Survivor was actually my first thought with the SMT question, but I think 2's great so I purposefully picked something else, whoops.

yeah my thing with the rayman was i assumed that any fans of origins would also care about legends, and vice versa, so it had to be one of the older games.

I never played Devil Survivor but I did play Devil Survivor 2 and liked it. =(

also knew it would be the answer. that and oblivion were the only two i had.

90. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
This game really seems like it's been abandoned by the hardcore Zelda fanbase. At least that's how it feels using my sample size of Board 8! I've always really liked TP, though. The standout point is definitely the stellar dungeons, as I like-to-love all of them, but it does everything else right for me as well. The writing is solid, Midna is a great side character, and the atmosphere of the twilight zones is very cool. Also a big fan of the art style it might be my favorite in the series. The game doesn't have as expansive of an open world as its predecessors, but that didn't bother me.

89. Alan Wake
Just played this recently. Alan Wakes is an example of how execution of a concept can elevate it to something that's greater than the sum of its parts. The combat is serviceable but repetitive, the characters aren't particularly deep, and the story is intentionally cliche...but the way its narrative is told gives it a stellar atmosphere from start to finish. Which I suppose is fitting for a game about stories influencing reality. There's just a sense of artistry and panache to it that most other games are lacking. Despite the dated early-2010s gameplay, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Alan Wake, and I'm looking forward to trying the sequel soon.

88. Dragon Quest VIII
Dragon Quest XI is probably better, but this one has the nostalgia edge (and a much better soundtrack). Dragon Quest VIII is just a very solid DQ game overall. Charming art style, dialogue, characters, and the traditional gameplay which basically feels like comfort food at this point. It lacks the highs that my absolutely favorite games in the series have, but if you were to pick a random PS2 JRPG to play, you could do far worse.

87. Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Back when everyone was going crazy for all the 3D platformers that Super Mario 64 inspired...I didn't really take to them. Genre just isn't my thing. Rayman 2 was the exception. I still believe it has some of the best platformer level design I've played, with stages feeling like actual linear challenges instead of collectathon playboxes. The core movement and abilities are strong, and there's also tons of unique obstacles and setpieces, so nothing ever gets old. The bizarre atmosphere adds to it as well, as the plot expertly straddles the line between whimsical and dark.

86. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
I adored this game when it came out. It's less special to me now that 14 years have passed (oh god), but my memories of it are still strong. Devil Survivor, more than anything else, has an excellent atmosphere. It really delivers on the title everything is on a timer, characters can die permanently if you don't pay attention to them, and if you screw up badly enough, you're locked out of every reasonably good ending. The strategy-game combat and team building aspects are also fun, but it's the tense situations, combined with a very well-paced narrative, that really sold me. It also kept the anime weirdness to a relative minimum, which made the atmosphere believable.

85. Ever17
Ever17 is the biggest mindfuck in the universe when you first play it. Especially if it gets you at a young age when you haven't seen other similar plotlines. That final twist and the way it's crafted is fantastic, and it clearly went on to inspire other games in the genre, although for my money Ever17 still did it best. Unfortunately, Ever17 goes SO hard on setting up that one single twist that the rest of the game kinda suffers to prop it up. The pacing is poor even by VN standards. It's one of those stories I'm very glad to have experienced, but I'm definitely never playing it again.

84. Suikoden V
I crave a remaster of this game with quality of life fixes. Personally, it has one of my favorite gaming stories of all time. It's not a super unique story, but it's very well-told, and I highly enjoyed it from start to finish. Fantasy family drama is my jam. But as my hint mentioned...this game really hates the player's time. Random encounters are extremely frequent and have long loading times. Even when I played it back in the day, with lower standards, I could barely tolerate this issue until I got an item that literally turns off random encounters. A Suikoden V with snappy gameplay like Suikoden II is probably 40+ spots higher on this list.

83. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
There's no legitimate reason for someone to play this over Skyrim these days, but I actually enjoyed (unmodded, vanilla) Oblivion more. Mostly because it was my introduction into the genre of expansive WRPGs. This game felt alive in a way few have since then. It also had just enough janky silliness to keep things interesting over a long period. I mentioned Acrobatics in my hint, and real talk, it contributed to some core gaming memories. Slowly leveling up your jump height until I was able to circumvent level design in inventive ways felt super freeform and rewarding.

82. Dark Souls 2
Dark Souls 2 has a bunch of issues. Its combat is the worst in the series, with questionable hitboxes and enemies that auto-track you to an absurd degree. The level design doesn't have as many standout areas, with there being too many that feel like filler. The Adaptability stat was a terrible idea. Enemies dying permanently was also a terrible idea. 'Lesser than the sum of its parts' is a good description. It's still got some good ideas, though, and it's still From Software. I'd take black sheep From Software over 99% of gaming.

Although, as a hint, this isn't actually my least-favorite game in the Souls series.

81. Fallout 4
Everything that people gripe about in regards to Fallout 4 is a legitimate complaint. The main story writing is sub-par. It doesn't let you build your main character's personal narrative. Defending settlements is tedious. The world just feels shallow.

I also enjoyed the heck out of it. This is the only Fallout game where combat is actually fun. Running around the wasteland and poking my head into whatever I find is at its best here. The level-up system is also significantly improved, making it easier to customize your gameplay style the way you want.

Yeah, I never finished the main story, but what else is new when it comes to Bethesda? Full disclosure, I did install a decent number of mods to improve the experience, but it probably makes the Top 100 even without mod support...unlike a certain other game that will be appearing later.

I still think TP is great!

Leonhart4 posted...

I still think TP is great!

From what I've seen, it's a bit of a silent majority. If you hold a poll among the general public, TP still ranks highly. It's just not the game diehards and youtubers like to talk about, which is WW. Wind Waker fans have been trying to make up for the original 'Celda' stigma ever since it came out. They already won that battle a while back, but the sentiment remains.

So for the next round, one game (#80) will actually be several games lumped together. I did this in a couple instances where I didn't feel like separating games that were too intrinsically linked together in my mind. I'll always make note of it, they're always in the same series, and if you guess any one game in that grouping, it'll count as a success.

Round 3 Hints:

71. Probably the most obscure game on my list. Developed by Kitty Horrorshow. I discovered it through Two Best Friends Play.

72. Not the only Tactics Ogre game I care about, but the only one to make the list.

73. A Visual Novel time loop murder mystery. Wait, that doesn't actually narrow it down? Uh...I had a playthrough topic for it recently.

74. If you guess this wrong, then you've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

75. A multiplayer indie game about thieves. The Mole is my favorite class.

76. Unlike #77, public perception has not turned on this game. It remains many people's favorite game on the Citadel.

77. After winning a large number of GotY awards, public perception (and its developer's cratering reputation) has mostly turned on this game.

78. An indie game where you live out each family member's last moments.

79. A PS1 Square game with a highly questionable translation.

80. A duology about an older sister and a younger brother trying to escape the raw hand they've been dealt.

sent! thinking i may have beat my 6/10 score this time

Detroit DJ had a project back in late 2013/early 2014 where he got 2000+ gamefaqs users to list their top 5 favorite games and compiled the results. Twilight Princess might have been the most drastic underperformer on the entire list, only getting 25 votes and being tied for 97th place.

So yeah, totally correct on hardcore fans not being there for it.

oh man i vaguely remember that contest. along with the other ones he'd run. i miss some of those contests.

AxemRedRanger posted...

Detroit DJ had a project back in late 2013/early 2014 where he got 2000+ gamefaqs users to list their top 5 favorite games and compiled the results. Twilight Princess might have been the most drastic underperformer on the entire list, only getting 25 votes and being tied for 97th place.

So yeah, totally correct on hardcore fans not being there for it.

And Umineko placed in the top ten on B8's list, which is what I may have been thinking of with KP's hint.

Leonhart4 posted...

And Umineko placed in the top ten on B8's list, which is what I may have been thinking of with KP's hint.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/top10/2153-the-top-10-games-of-all-time-according-to-gamefaqs-contests

omg lol what a blast from the past

how many of these are still on the board's top 10 if we reran this? 3? 4? 10?

#7: Umineko no Naku Koro ni (PC), by KamikazePotato

Hell yeah

Thorn posted...

how many of these are still on the board's top 10 if we reran this? 3? 4? 10?

I think 3/4 games holding the line sounds about right. Although rather than the other games dropping, it'd be more that we've also discovered new favorites since then. The world of gaming is much bigger than it was a decade ago. Competition is tougher.

I think there's a decent chance the entire top 6 makes the list again, although maybe not as the top 6. Persona 4 gets replaced by Persona 5, for sure. We should get a Mario game on there, but they might LFF each other too much.

How many post-2010 games would make it on, though? TotK's existence hurts BotW's potential a bit.

I think Elden Ring would be a contender. Maybe Dark Souls 1, now that it's gotten more popular here.

Not being too familiar with the Dark Souls games, I didn't know DS2 was regarded like that!

Also, new round of guesses sent in

TP best Zelda game

MacArrowny posted...

How many post-2010 games would make it on, though? TotK's existence hurts BotW's potential a bit.

Skyrim, Witcher 3, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Smash Ultimate, and The Last of Us would all at least have a chance.

I don't think TLOU1 is popular enough here for Top 10. Top 20, probably.

Also I suppose Mario Odyssey would have a chance, but I don't see that being our Mario rep.

Oh right, the post-2010 game that would be the closest thing to a lock to make it is Persona 5. I mentioned it earlier, but yeah.

Sent the next set of guesses in. I didn't do very well last time (I got 3 or 4, I was between two answers on one of them and changed before submitting, but I don't remember if I changed to or from the correct answer), so hopefully I'll do better on this set.

up

.

Persona 4 > Persona 5 IMO

OrangeCrush980 posted...

Persona 4 > Persona 5 IMO

I agree!

But P5 is definitely the most popular entry on the board now.

Still going

Currently up to 10 guesses. I'll leave Round 3 open for another 24 hours.

Hmm...

Round 3 Results

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13 people submitted guesses.
The most common score was 8 / 10.
The average score was 7.54 / 10.

Overall, people did much better than in previous rounds. Maybe I made the hints too easy...

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Hint:
71. Probably the most obscure game on my list. Developed by Kitty Horrorshow. I discovered it through Two Best Friends Play.

Answers:
Anatomy 12

Yeah, I think I made this one too much of an easy google-check. In my defense, I'm not sure anyone would have gotten it if I didn't!

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Hint:
72. Not the only Tactics Ogre game I care about, but the only one to make the list.

Answers:
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together 10
Tactics Ogre: Reborn 1
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis 1
Ogre Battle 64 1

I counted both Let Us Cling Together and Reborn as correct answers. The Knight of Lodis was a decent hail mary attempt, as I do have a lot of nostalgia for that game, but it didn't quite make the list.

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Hint:
73. A Visual Novel time loop murder mystery. Wait, that doesn't actually narrow it down? Uh...I had a playthrough topic for it recently.

Answers:
Raging Loop 9
Steins;Gate 3
Zero Time Dilemma 1

Although most people got it right, I think there were like ten possible choices for this one. Surprisingly dense genre!

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Hint:
74. If you guess this wrong, then you've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

Answers:
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 13

Freebie.

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Hint:
75. A multiplayer indie game about thieves. The Mole is my favorite class.

Answers:
Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine 10
Thief Town 1
Thief Simulator 1

One submission noted that they really liked this game. Another submission noted that they really disliked it. The duality of man.

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Hint:
76. Unlike #77, public perception has not turned on this game. It remains many people's favorite game on the Citadel.

Answers:
Mass Effect 2 13

A freebie, and also a hint as to what #77 should be.

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Hint:
77. After winning a large number of GotY awards, public perception (and its developer's cratering reputation) has mostly turned on this game.

Answers:
Dragon Age: Inquisition 3
Overwatch 3
The Witcher 3 2
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 1
Heavy Rain 1
Bioshock Infinite 1
Mass Effect 3 1
No Man's Sky 1

I meant for the Bioware connection to clue people into this one. However, it seems that either most people didn't believe Inquisition would be this high up on a list, or they forgot that it actually won a bunch of GotY awards back in the day, or they just forgot it existed entirely. All understandable reactions.

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Hint:
78. An indie game where you live out each family member's last moments.

Answers:
What Remains of Edith Finch 11
Dear Esther 1

Probably made this too obvious, but it can be difficult to find a balance for the more obscure games. Or maybe I underestimated how obscure Edith Finch actually is on B8.

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Hint:
79. A PS1 Square game with a highly questionable translation.

Answers:
Final Fantasy Tactics 5
Xenogears 5
Final Fantasy VII 1
Vagrant Story 1
Racing Lagoon 1

Multiple valid options, but in mind FFT is what defines questionable PS1-era translations. I might feel different if I'd ever played Xenogears, but I never got around to it.

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Hint:
80. A duology about an older sister and a younger brother trying to escape the raw hand they've been dealt.

Answers:
A Plague Tale: Innocence/Requiem 10
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky FC & SC 1
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons 1

Trails would probably be on this list if I'd played it, but I think I missed the boat on that series. It's too long for me to justify getting into now.

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With all that said...the winner of Round 3 is GavsEvans123, with a score of 10 / 10! The next-highest score was an 8 / 10, which a lot of people got.

Bit busy right now, but I'll post writeups and Round 4 as soon as I can. Also, remember to PM me with your email if you're a winner who wants to collect their winnings. That means you, AxemRedRanger!

I've played Edith Finch and I didn't get that one

probably should have in hindsight

trails only has five games worth playing it's fine

Shit, I was totally thinking of Edith Finch but for some reason I put Dear Esther, which I haven't even played? lol