Board 8 > transience's top 60 games - 2018 edition

(+) Yeah! (+)

Yay, Life is Strange! I kept checking back wondering if it would show up because I knew you liked it (I'm fairly certain it showed up on a past ranking that you did but I'd forgotten where it placed). By this point, though, I was pretty sure it missed the 60 cutoff. Glad to see it's actually just way higher than I thought it would be!
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I love LiS, ending included. Easily my favorite adventure game in that mold.
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Heroic Mario! Welcome back good sir. =)

transience posted...

The second half of AM2R is really, really good as it starts to branch out into original content. I'd love to see what this guy makes next -- but he joined Moon and is making Ori 2. Pretty sure that game is going to be all right.

Almost did a spittake. Hell yeah.
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alright, top 15 time. #15 is a tier up from 16-20. time to get into my absolute faves. tomorrow!
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transience posted...

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.

I would REALLY love that. Let me know!

and gosh, that means a lot coming from you! <3

I didn't mention this in my topic but this summer I visited home and had my brother play Life is Strange. He's 10 years younger than me and we'd never really bonded over anything before, but he got really into this and watching him start to struggle with the more weighted choices was really great. He's normally really chill and not very outwardly emotional, but when the final choice came up he just put the controller down without saying anything and went outside to smoke a cigarette. He came back in 5 minutes later and just said "Fuck". His eyes were red.
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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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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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i'm not sure why cave story didn't really click for me. I might go back to it someday and give it another shot.
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In Cave Story I got stuck on a boss, and learned I was missing an item but I couldn't go back and get it because I had to fight the boss first. Never did pick it up again but I enjoyed what I played.
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Cave Story has some super bizarre and obtuse requirements for the best ending. it's straight out of the jrpg era. I remember restarting like 4 times because I missed the timing on something or missed a jump that doomed my entire playthrough. it's nuts.
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The most recent version on Switch adds platforms so that if you miss that near-pixel-perfect jump to skip the Booster, you can climb back up there and try again rather than having to reload the game.

But really your first time through you're not supposed to find any of that stuff.
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that's my stance too. I don't mind that it exists, but it's so easy to miss a key item.
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this is a bit late but portrait of ruin is a fine choice for best castlevania game

i think it's the standout ds castlevania, even though i'm the only one who is weirdly charmed by the boss sealing in dawn of sorrow (and therefore doesn't have that common complaint)

portrait is just very polished and sharp. maybe not quite as much character as dawn of sorrow, but then again, the level design of the non-castle areas is pretty sweet and distinguishes it from the rest of the series

plus old axe armor mode, what a treat :)
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14.



This goddamn game has sucked more hours from me than is reasonable. It can get its hooks in me like pretty much no other game. I can lose a full week of productivity because I'm there breeding a Blizzardy and a Zapbird.

DWM has some pretty intense breeding charts and you have to be on top of your game to get the good stuff. My usual play session has 3-4 tabs open with breeding charts and then notepad or a piece of paper out mapping my next 3-4 generations. You have to be thinking way ahead to get what you need. When I get to that mindspace, it's kind of all I think about. Once I'm hooked, it's tough to get out.

I played the 3DS remake last year and it's pretty good. It's a lot more user friendly and adapts the original fairly well. I prefer the original though - there's something about those classic breeding charts and the way stats work that just feels right. I will play this every few years for the rest of my life.
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Applekidrose posted...

i'm not sure why cave story didn't really click for me. I might go back to it someday and give it another shot.

Me too kinda. I remember beating it and liking it okay enough but nothing about it really sticks with me today.

Maybe a replay is due.
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nah, it's okay if it didn't stick. I didn't get really into it until a year or two after I played it for the first time though.
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Battlewrex, Zapbird, and Healslime. My three amigos.

Does the 3DS remake have randomized dungeons? I adored that about the original. It was a simple but effective way of making dungeon crawling engrossing.
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yep. it's pretty faithful. you can hold 100 monsters too which is nice.

the downside is that it's got the joker stats system so you can't make whatever you want skills and stats wise.
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I never played Joker - what's the stats system like? I remember that in the original Monsters, in one playthrough I kept a Dracky for the whole game and used breeding to make him a destroyer of worlds. If I can't do that anymore I'll be sad.
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each monster inherits 3 skill sets and you put points into them, skills or stat ups or what. monsters they have stat maxes. a battlerex might have a high hp and low mp, or a metal slime has super high def but like 15 hp, etc. dwm people object to that and I do too, but it's still fun.
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Stat maxes huh. That's a shame but it's not the worst thing ever. How's the overall game speed? My biggest issue with DQ 3D games in general is that the speed is way slower when compared to the 2D ones.
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Does Life is Strange have a Vita port yet
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speed is fine? I'm a speed guy too but I don't think this one hits me quite like an FF9 does.

either way, it never came here. you'd need to do some hacking or importing of a Japanese 3ds.
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and I don't think life is strange hit vita but it did hit iOS recently!
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I'm sold then. I don't think it should be difficult to emulate it - if I was able to play the original FF12 International edition and English patch it that way, this shouldn't be any different.
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transience posted...

heck yeah. you should still play AA6 though!

I actually just started! will probably take me ages to get through, but I think it should be a lot of fun! 6-1 was pretty mediocre but that's nothing unusual. will post in the AA topic when I have any notable thoughts!

also, I'm really enjoying this list - I've hardly played anything on it, but it's full of stuff I think I'd like. I barely devote any time to games nowadays, and when I do it's often artsy indie stuff, so it seems like our tastes align quite a bit. will definitely take some inspiration from this!
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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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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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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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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) in my life, 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!
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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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I think Xenoblade's world is just the size it should be. Any bigger and it would slow down the pace of the plot.
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transience posted...

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.

awesome, thanks! I figured Walking Dead and Brothers qualified as visual novels at least but I don't know much about either. will definitely put Life is Strange on the list too.

my gaming at the moment (to the extent that it exists) is mostly PC / 3DS-based, though my parents have a Wii U kicking around that I play around with during holidays and stuff. any starter metroid / castlevania recommendations based on that?
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transience posted...

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.

There are some SF4 revival discords and communities I've seen.

Just have to accept reddit has some good communities
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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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awesome, noted. I guess by that definition the only actual visual novels I've played have been the zero escape games. certainly not opposed to narratively driven adventures either though!

I haven't played inside, but weirdly I did play through most of limbo at a party a few years back. it was pretty cool! from everything I've heard inside is basically the same but way better, and I watched the ending on youtube since everyone was raving about it and I figured I might never play it. I think it's fair to assume I'd like it a lot, though, hopefully I'll get to it someday!
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if you've seen the ending then it may not be worth playing over other things. I do like that game's puzzles though.
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Yeah, I'm in almost the exact same boat as you with SF4 and SF5.
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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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Portrait's a good choice for best Castlevania. Lots of unusual areas, pretty good music, not much to complain about. There are also parts of the game where it feels like you're choosing where to explore next, which is a feeling a lot of metroidvanias somehow don't always capture.

I think one of the most underrated things about it, is casting spells with Charlotte. What a weird thing to do in an action game, standing still and vulnerable for a couple of seconds, then unleashing a huge burst of flames or something. Feels really good, and I love how she yells the spell's name. That use of vocals reminds me of the satisfaction of playing your favorite card in hearthstone.
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I remember watching a speed run of F-Zero GX during one of the GDQs. The runner was playing Story Mode on Very Hard using speed techniques the developers probably didn't know about and still only had a few seconds left on the clock when completing some chapters. They then said something along the lines of "if you can beat Very Hard, you aren't a casual". The game doesn't mess around with some of its challenges.
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the high level GX stuff is bonkers. that game is so amazing to watch.
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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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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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transience posted...

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.

This is my #1. Loved SF2 when I was younger, played the hell outta it. I liked Third Strike, but it was tough getting to arcades by me, and I never really got it on a home console until much later, so it kinda skipped me. When SF4 came out, dear god did it hook me. I played it until SF5 came out, and after not caring for 5 much (a first for a SF), I did go back to Ultra for a while.

The biggest thing for me with this game was the discovery of the FGC. I would find myself watching a few videos online at the very beginning, just to learn more, when I stumbled upon Evo moment 37. I was awesome seeing the super parried, but I rewatched that video at least a dozen times just to watch the end, when the cameraman pans to the crowd. I was in awe - I had no idea that there was a fighting game scene... that tournaments like this existed, and that they drew good crowds (and that was back when the crowds werent like they are today).

This led to me learning about Evo as a tournament, the other majors, the pro scene, Eventhubs, and everything else. Ive been a big fan ever since. Sorry if none of this sentence made any sense, but this game opened my eyes to all of it, and I love the game for that reason. And that its great.
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And oh yeah, Honda main here.
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This Portrait of Ruin love is sending me into a tailspin of madness. Transience does speak the truth that I had a real unfortunate experience with POR that soured me forever. More than that, though, I didnt like the double team of Jonathan and Charlotte, with everything that brings, and just generally speaking, I much prefer classic Castlevania to the Metroidvanias. To me, Metroid is best done by Metroid, and almost nothing else really compares. Those RPG-lite elements Castlevania opts to have always bothered me in what it does to the gameplay and flow of those games.

Anyway, Xenoblade is one I thought would be higher for you. Im probably misremembering, but that seemed like one of those landmark RPGs of the last few years that grabbed you. My experience was a rollercoaster, but one Im glad I saw through. Its one of handful of RPGs that I have enjoyed in recent memory. Youre spot on about the endearing quality of the story, even if the content isnt anything exceptional. It keeps things fun and engaging. I think Xs decision to blow the story into outer space, and make the world infinitely larger, was to its detriment, so I feel like revisiting the game again would be fine, even in a post-X world. Havent touched XB2, but that one seems even more divisive.

I played a stupid amount of SF4, but I cant see myself ever touching it again. I had SF5 for a time, too, but thats when I realized the grind, the time committment, and the agitation of online play were all barriers for me and traditional fighting games that I cant get into them anymore.

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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that said, I have Evo Japan on in another tab right now!
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predictions: Zero Mission, Super Metroid, N+, ttrpg
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