Board 8 > Herein lies a list of 20 video games that may or may not be the best ever! Pt. 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sadly, TRE got that account. My Presea account is long gone.

as far as the FFX comparison goes, Symphonia diverges from that about a third of the way through the game

but yeah those dungeons suck
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there was one with flowers and shooting you between them or something that was straight up the worst dungeon I've ever played in an RPG.
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transience posted...

there was one with flowers and shooting you between them or something that was straight up the worst dungeon I've ever played in an RPG.

yep Latheon Gorge is the worst dungeon ever
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That dungeon also had a party skit that was triggered by screwing up the timing in the flowers too many times. The developers knew exactly what the dungeon was like and went with it anyways.
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transience posted...

there was one with flowers and shooting you between them or something that was straight up the worst dungeon I've ever played in an RPG.

LeonhartFour posted...

transience posted...

there was one with flowers and shooting you between them or something that was straight up the worst dungeon I've ever played in an RPG.

yep Latheon Gorge is the worst dungeon ever

All of this is washing over me in the most unpleasant way. I feel like years of vaulting these memories has been for naught when you guys have tunneled in through the back. This was a bad video game, guys.

Symphonia is still a good game!

just not the dungeons
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The hook for me was always the character interaction system they had. I remember thinking it took that mechanic from SO2 and perfected the hell out of it. Then Mass Effect came along and probably makes it look silly by comparison.

Anyway, good--but just good--game. Probably the most overrated game by mid-00s board 8 next to Melee.
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Didnt it come out on the PS4 somewhat recently? Did they do anything to it other than make it HD? That would have been a perfect time to fix those dungeons.

What a playthrough topic that would be in 2018, haha.

heroicmario posted...

Didnt it come out on the PS4 somewhat recently? Did they do anything to it other than make it HD? That would have been a perfect time to fix those dungeons.

What a playthrough topic that would be in 2018, haha.

PS3 actually. And later Steam. Not sure if they changed any dungeons though!
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Instead of replaying Tales of Symphonia you should play Tales of Berseria instead, which is the modern-day Tales game

By which I mean they made the writing a lot better and the dungeons...boring, which is an upgrade from aggravating at least!
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The PS3 port is based off of the PS2 version we never got Stateside. Most of the new stuff is purely aesthetics (like new costumes and a couple of new cutscenes), but they did add a few new abilities.
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also Symphonia's affection system is still one of the best things about it
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I'm in the SMW > SMB3 camp. Both are probably top 20 games of all time imo, but always preferred SMW.
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I still haven't gotten around to playing ToS. But my expectations for the game are pretty high. I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually super overrated. All I've ever heard is how good it is.
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LeonhartFour posted...

also Symphonia's affection system is still one of the best things about it

Huh? What's good about it?
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the fact that it exists at all for one because more games ought to have it

but also the fact that it's not merely for romance but that it's used for every party member, so you can have up to eight permutations of important scenes, which is awesome
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biting FF7 instead of FF10 this time
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expanding on FFVII's because the affection system there is just for romance and only matters for one scene
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I know, I'm just teasing
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LeonhartFour posted...

the fact that it exists at all for one because more games ought to have it

but also the fact that it's not merely for romance but that it's used for every party member, so you can have up to eight permutations of important scenes, which is awesome

Yeah, this. It makes the game more interactive and each player's experience more unique. Back then the ability to do this was very new, so it was cool.
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I mean borrowing from Final Fantasy is usually a pretty smart move so I ain't gonna knock Symphonia for doin' it
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Eh, I feel like too much choice is a bad thing sometimes. Would FF8 really have been better if you could romance the other girls instead of Rinoa and they only had a third as many scenes for each of them?
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transience posted...

biting FF7 instead of FF10 this time

It also happens in FF10!
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Eh, I feel like too much choice is a bad thing sometimes. Would FF8 really have been better if you could romance the other girls instead of Rinoa and they only had a third as many scenes for each of them?

Depends entirely on the game. Tales was built around player-selected character interactions. FF8 was, for better or worse, completely tied to the Squall/Rinoa love story.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Eh, I feel like too much choice is a bad thing sometimes. Would FF8 really have been better if you could romance the other girls instead of Rinoa and they only had a third as many scenes for each of them?

I think FFVIII would probably be more popular if that existed...!

also I'm not sure how more options somehow reduced the number of scenes in the game
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Oh, I was just saying the scenes would be split between the characters.
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LiquidOshawott posted...

transience posted...

biting FF7 instead of FF10 this time

It also happens in FF10!

well yeah FFVIII could've done something like this since Tidus/Yuna is locked in too

it doesn't necessarily have to be romance
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How did the heart-to-heart work in TOS again? Was it in the form of skits, or did you have to make choices that affected?

Its such a typical feature in RPGs now, too. From Persona to Fire Emblem, everything seemingly has a relationship builder as part of the package. Im happy to get some party chat. Thats what I need.

All of your choices had an impact on your affection rating for each character, and it was the character with the highest affection who got chosen for those scenes.

I mean yeah Persona has S. Links and stuff like that, but it's not the same way Symphonia did it
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Its an evolution of the ideadeeper, more involved, more significant. Its just something Ive noticed RPGs have picked up in a big way.

To be honest, I dont even remember what you even got out of how TOS did it. I rarely even remember having dialogue choices! I dont feel like it mattered too much there, but I guess it gave you extra backstory, or development, to a character.

But those characters were so their gimmick and quirk that it didnt reveal much!

the game had dialogue choices all over the place and it mattered as much as it did in just about any game that has them

also you're kind of wrong about Symphonia's characters being one-dimensional shticks

like you can argue whether the characters are any good but there was more to Zelos (a former HM greatest character of all time I should add) than just being a womanizer
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I mean, yeah, they had these backstories that explained why they acted like one dimensional characters generally, but Raines obsession with (books? Education?) doesnt change how she acts once it is revealed, from what I remember. I could be wrong, because I remember nothing about any of those characters outside of Zelos having a big spoiler scene, and some other thing with Kratos.

heroicmario posted...

but Raines obsession with (books? Education?) doesnt change how she acts once it is revealed, from what I remember. I could be wrong

you are
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In fact, I feel like the Kratos stuff was real bad, but I cant place what it was. I almost want to say TOS went all Star Wars, but Im not confident enough to say, haha.

I CAN say I remember everyone was doing their best Sephiroth impression with those angels wings.

Ill accept that! I find TOS very, very forgettable, so I cant possibly speak from a place of confidence about any details. Its all a blur of shouting sword moves and Lloyd being confused and upset.

man I wish I had access to your old Symphonia opinions
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So uh...has no 1 been revealed yet?
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Zylothewolf posted...

So uh...has no 1 been revealed yet?

it was revealed before your overexuberant response to tran's opinion about 2-D Mario which was in response to HM's #1 game
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Haha, theyd be a treat to read!

I have no illusions about how much I was obsessed with that game, but I was like 16 or 17? Oof, thats wildtalk about forever ago. Sometimes what you liked as a teenager doesnt always reflect what you like into adulthood, you know? When it comes to something like Tales, especially.

I dont outwardly HATE Tales, I just remember it being really silly but also rather self-serious in a way games like that are, and it doesnt mesh with my own sensibilities today.

...I have no idea why I quoted that

Symphonia aged pretty badly though, the more I think about it the more I find myself questioning it

I think I slightly prefer World over 3 but both are top notch platformers. Feel like the whole list is pretty much a love letter to the SNES!
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yeah I understand what you mean

your tastes change as you get older in some ways
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Damn writeups are missing:

http://board8.wikia.com/wiki/Heroic_Mario%27s_Top_20_Games_%2B_More_(2005_Edition)

Top 20 Games
1.) Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

2.) Final Fantasy 7 (PS1)

3.) Chrono Trigger (SNES)

4.) Tales of Symphonia (GCN)

5.) Skies of Arcadia (DC)

6.) Ikaruga (ARC)

7.) God of War (PS2)

8.) Grim Fandango (PC)

9.) Castlevania : Symphony of the Night (PS1)

10.) Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (ARC)

11.) Final Fantasy 8 (PS1)

12.) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GCN)

13.) Mega Man 3 (NES)

14.) Final Fantasy X (PS2)

15.) Sonic 3 & Knuckles (GEN)

16.) Castlevania : Aria of Sorrow (GBA)

17.) Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

18.) Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

19.) The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past (SNES)

20.) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN)

How times have changed!
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I have impeccable taste that will remain with me in perpetuity.
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man what a list

I forgot that HM had a brief FFVIII phase

he even had Laguna at #1 on his character list once
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oh man that character list is even better

Wander is literally at #2
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Oh, baby, lets talk about Guilty Gear. Holy crap, haha.

Zylothewolf posted...

So uh...has no 1 been revealed yet?

Super Mario World!

1 | Super Mario World (SNES)
2 | Super Mario 64 (N64)
3 | Dragon Quest V (DS)
4 | The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
5 | EarthBound (SNES)
6 | Mega Man 2 (NES)
7 | Chrono Trigger (SNES)
8 | Super Metroid (SNES)
9 | Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
10 | Attack of the Friday Monsters: A Tokyo Tale! (3DS)

11 | Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
12 | Dragon Quest VII (3DS)
13 | Pokemon Red / Blue (GB)
14 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC)
15 | Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
16 | Super Street Fighter II (SNES)
17 | Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
18 | Super Mario Kart (SNES)
19 | Puyo Puyo Tetris (Switch)
20 | Phoenix Wright (DS)

LeonhartFour posted...

oh man that character list is even better

Wander is literally at #2

I almost amended my earlier post with this because it's the most ridiculous HM opinion ever, but it deserved it's own post!
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LeonhartFour posted...

man what a list

I forgot that HM had a brief FFVIII phase

he even had Laguna at #1 on his character list once

I have fond memories of FF8! I always enjoy playing it right up until the end. That first disc has some great set pieces and moments.

Haha, I have no regrets about Wander. Well, maybe at #2, but the kind of story Shadow of the Colossus tells has always been appealing to me. It isnt complex, there is almost no dialogue, but the events and what happens always have affected me. I dont know that I would want to play SOTC, with those controls, again, but Ill always appreciate its quiet tale.

SOTC is the most 6/10 game I've ever played
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