Board 8 > Leonhart Ranks 100 Games with Writeups!

(+) Yeah! (+)

now something like GTAV I could believe because it's absurd how well that game has sold

literally only behind MInecraft and Tetris all time

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lol Sonic 2 Death Egg wrecked kid!me. I actually probably haven't actually beaten it all that many times because of that. Meanwhile my clear count on S3&K is probably in the hundreds. >_>

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Yeah, I really wish Sonic 2 had save files! I've probably only actually completed the game a handful of times because of that.

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I have dognated far too much money 1G at a time

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Yeah I never beat Sonic 2 as a kid because of Silver Sonic and Death Egg.

LordoftheMorons posted...

Never really understood why people tend to be down on TP relative to other 3D Zeldas

Better than OoT imo

TP just doesn't really stand out in the way OOT, MM, and WW (and BOTW I guess) do. It just feels forgettable by comparison, like it's "just another Zelda".

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Nah, it stands out plenty. It just tried really hard to be another Ocarina, and for some people, there will never be another Ocarina.

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Not to me it doesn't, and it was the first 3D Zelda I beat!

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congratulations

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Not saying I don't get why people like the game so much. Just providing my take on why it tends to get lost in the shuffle.

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#67. The World Ends With You


To me, The World Ends With You is the definitive Nintendo DS game. Theyve ported it to other systems, but it just isnt the same. They have to change too much about what makes the original special. Ive tried playing the Switch version a bit, but I just couldnt get used to it. TWEWY provides the best usage of the dual screen and touch screen of any DS game Ive played. I love how the pins work using the touch screen in various ways, and how you have to work in tandem with your partner on the top screen in order to maximize effectiveness (and each partner fights differently). Theres never a dull moment in a TWEWY battle.

The World Ends With You was a slow burn for me. I liked the concept immediately, but it took me a long time to warm up to Neku. He probably has the roughest start of any major protagonist in a game Ive played. Just take Squalls anti-social tendencies, multiply them by ten, and you have Neku at the beginning of TWEWY. But like Squall, I did eventually grow to like Neku because he does grow and change a lot over the course of the story (Well, I liked Squall from the start, but whatever). I think TWEWY has a pretty strong cast, highlighted by Neku, Hanekoma, Joshua, and Minamimoto. They all play off of each other really well, and theyre cleverly written.

The story is pretty cool, too. I enjoyed constantly feeling the pressure of the deadline (even if, deep down, you knew youd technically never run out of time). The last week really drove that home well because you feel rather aimless and uncertain of how to actually win. The final day of TWEWY is one of my favorite video game segments. Then I enjoyed the post-game where you go around collecting a bunch of Secret Reports that provide a lot of behind the scenes info about the plot (a la Kingdom Hearts). The World Ends With You also has one of my favorite self-parody moments in a game with Another Day. Just watching the characters make fun of themselves and the game the whole time was amazing. Im just hoping we get a sequel someday, and lately, it seems like Square might be keen on making one, so I might get my wish!

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TWEWY was definitely a quality game. Another Day is amazing. Neku and Joshua are definitely the cast standouts.

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I do want to try to get back to the Switch version one of these days because I'm curious about the new content, but like I said, it just feels different.

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i remember getting pretty far in TWEWY and then getting stuck on a boss that took up both screens and giving up :
:(

really liked the atmosphere and battle style though
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SeabassDebeste posted...

i remember getting pretty far in TWEWY and then getting stuck on a boss that took up both screens and giving up :
:(

really liked the atmosphere and battle style though

uh you mean the last boss?

oh wait I think the boss at the end of the first week was like that but I don't remember it being super tough

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I haven't played TWEWY in a long, long time but I think I found the first week boss kinda challenging on my first playthrough.

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LeonhartFour posted...

uh you mean the last boss?

oh wait I think the boss at the end of the first week was like that but I don't remember it being super tough

yeah, the end of the first week i think. it was very shortly after the one girl realized her appearance wasn't her real life appearance
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#66. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty


Oh hey, a Metal Gear Solid game finally shows up! Yes, out of the main four, Metal Gear Solid 2 is my least favorite of the bunch, but I still think its really good! The games issues are pretty apparent (but also a plus for some people!). The pacing in the Plant Chapter is pretty rough. Opening the section with hunting down Fatmans bombs was not a great idea. They dont really give you a favorable first impression of Raiden when they give him a clearly dorky line with, Did you say nerd? to stress even more that youre no longer playing as Solid Snake. You can get Codec fatigue with the amount of time you spend getting infodumps from it (People give Kojima a lot of credit for being ahead of the curve with all the meme stuff, and he deserves it, but theres so much self-important droning toward the end of the game). Speaking of which, the Codec crew is a step back from MGS1, especially with Rose. The villain ensemble is an even bigger step back from Foxhound. Dead Cell might be the worst set of villains in the series because Fatman, Fortune, and Vamp are all bottom tier characters. Thank goodness Ocelot and Solidus (and Liquid) are good enough to carry all of that dead weight.

But once Metal Gear Solid 2 really gets going, its very good. It probably starts with the first appearance of Solidus and the Harrier boss fight, which is a really fun battle. I suppose its no surprise that the game picks up once Raiden learns that Iroquois Pliskin is, in fact, Solid Snake. The Emma Emmerich arc is one of my favorite moments in the entire series (aside from the strange confession from Otacon because its just not in MGS2s DNA to do anything in the Plant chapter perfectly). You get to see a side of Snake you dont really get to see very often anywhere else in the series. The game drops some real shocking plot bombs toward at the climax of the game and ends on one heck of a cliffhanger.

However, where I think Metal Gear Solid 2 shines is actually the Tanker Chapter. That might be one of my favorite levels (if you can call it that) in gaming. Its so well paced, and since the game is trying to get you accustomed to the new controls, it gives you so many neat opportunities to mess around with them. Snake and Otacon have such good chemistry on the Codec. I will save so many times just so I can hear him botch all of Mei Lings proverbs. There are so many cool Easter Eggs. I even enjoy the absurdity of Liquid Ocelot! I can see why people were so disappointed to not play as Snake for most of the game after how great the first part is!

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MGS2 does everything worse than MGS1 aside from graphics and gameplay.

Still very very good though. It has its high points, just a bit underwhelming in hindsight compared to 1 and 3.

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the graphics and gameplay in mgs2 were enough to put it over mgs1 for me

playing mgs1 for the first time after already playing a ps2 mgs was rough. i did love the atmosphere and storyline, but it's such a cinematic game that it needed a bit more polish for me

mgs4 i also got stuck on like the first boss and just didn't have the patience to get good. the game didn't particularly strike me even before that, though. now i don't have a ps3 so working through it isn't really an option
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If the polish is the issue, just play Twin Snakes!

(I know a lot of people will try to naysay it because it was made during the era when everything was stealing bullet time from The Matrix, but I like it!)

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well i did wind up beating MGS1 and was quite happy with it - in the end the authenticity felt worth it! plus man i don't really trust my wii to play a gamecube game these days.

would love to see a remake of that more in the vein of mgs2/3, though.

(... but more on mgs1 later)
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I mean, Twin Snakes is basically MGS1 with MGS2's gameplay!

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Hey Fortune was cool man. You just jelly you weren't born with your heart on the right side of your body.

my only debate with Fortune is whether she or Fatman is the worst character in the series

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Random thought: Since I'm getting married in a few months, maybe I should do a top 25 bachelors/bachelorettes of video gaming to as a sendoff to my single years.

The catch would be that they can't have any romantic entanglements whatsoever, so it's not necessarily just being unmarried. I feel like that would make it more challenging!

Or maybe it's a dumb idea.

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1. edgeworth
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Edgeworth's first and only love is the truth

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I would enjoy that list, it's a nice creative idea.

Also, congratulations, I somehow missed the announcement you were engaged.

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NBIceman posted...

I would enjoy that list, it's a nice creative idea.

Also, congratulations, I somehow missed the announcement you were engaged.

I'm just wondering if I should rank it based on how much I like them or rank them on how well they hold to principles of bachelorhood!

And thanks! It happened at the end of November, so it's been a couple months now.

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I guess I would also have to decide what those principles are...!

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#65. Mega Man 9


Now this is the greatest Mega Man Classic game ever made (unless Mega Man 11 turns out to be a masterpiece since I havent played that one yet)! I wish I hadnt put it off for so long, but Im glad I finally played it! When Mega Man 9 originally came out, I was honestly kind of put off by the throwback to the NES graphics and gameplay (No slide, no chargeable Buster), as well as the fact that it was digital only (I still prefer physical copies when possible, but Ill go digital if need be now). Yet despite Mega Man 9s throwback graphical style, it showed off just how far theyve come in terms of game design since the early years.

I was sold on this game right away from the very first stage I chose, which was Galaxy Man. The backgrounds looked so good. The stage had unique features I hadnt seen in previous games, like the warp rings that move you from one area to the next and shoot you straight up. I appreciated how well laid out everything was and how smoothly it flowed from one thing to the next. It felt like Mega Man 9 had found that sweet spot that the Classic series hadnt really been able to hit since Mega Man 2. As I progressed from stage to stage, I was most impressed by the collection of powers this game had amassed. They were all extremely useful, not just against the Robot Masters, but at navigating through the stages themselves. I had never really seen the series attempt anything like that before, and I loved it.

Mega Man 9 feels like the most well rounded and complete experience you can get from a Mega Man Classic game. It gets everything just about right. Its the best collection of Robot Masters the series has had in a while with great powers. The platforming and combat are satisfying and rarely frustrating. Its got an excellent soundtrack, up there near the top with the very best the series has produced. In returning to its roots, Mega Man 9 rediscovered what made the series great to begin with, and it even exceeded the peaks it had hit before. If youve neglected this game because you were skeptical (like I was) of what they could do with a throwback game this long after the original heyday of the series, I can assure you that youve got nothing to worry about. Its an offering worthy of the series.

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Undertale update

I am approaching the Core and presumably the end of the game since there's only one trophy left to collect

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great song

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interesting non-sequitur but okay

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LeonhartFour posted...

Yes, out of the main four, Metal Gear Solid 2 is my least favorite of the bunch, but I still think its really good!

5 isn't a "main"?

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Nelson_Mandela posted...

5 isn't a "main"?

No, because it's V, not 5...!

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Mega Man X interests me so much more than Mega Man Classic.

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LeonhartFour posted...

interesting non-sequitur but okay

referring to Core

Never played Undertale but that's probably my favorite song I heard in those music contests from that game

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Core is pretty good, yeah. I think the OST is a bit overrated around here, but it works well in game.

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#64. Kingdom Hearts III


Perhaps a controversial choice for some, but I really liked Kingdom Hearts III! Was it everything I hoped for? No, not even after the release of the DLC. Did it deliver on a lot of my expectations? Absolutely. Did it give me some things I didnt even know I wanted? It did some of that, too. Like many of the games in this range, Kingdom Hearts III has some obvious flaws you can pick apart if you want, but I think the pros outweigh the cons. It wouldve been nice if they hadnt crammed all of the important plot points and boss fights into the final section of the game, but that part still turned out to be awesome and gave me the thing I wanted the most. At this point, the Disney stuff feels shoehorned in because its tradition and doesnt impact the actual story in any meaningful way anymore, but it still had some really cool worlds. Heck, the Final Fantasy stuff got pushed out of the way entirely in the main game, which is lame, and I missed having the Coliseum, too, but I enjoyed what they did give us.

I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts IIIs battle system, although I dont think it reached the heights of its predecessor. Shotlocks and the various forms are cool, but I got tired of having Attractions pop up all the time. They just got in the way, and I didnt want to do them anymore after a while. I definitely appreciate the flash and flair of every fight, even if its a little lacking in substance. I care more about having fun with it than how much of a challenge it is, but thats just me! I also liked that every party member in each world was always active instead of having to swap out Donald or Goofy to put them in. I think Kingdom Hearts III had some pretty solid worlds, but the Pirates of the Caribbean one was my favorite of the bunch. Not just because its one of my favorite movie franchises and Captain Jack Sparrow is one of my favorite fictional characters, but exploring the Caribbean with your own ship and fighting other ships is really fun and addicting. I loved searching all over the map for every island to see what it had to offer. I spent so much time on that part of the game.

But the real surprise of Kingdom Hearts III to me is Sora. Ive never been a big fan of him, but hes slowly but surely improved over the course of the series. He fully comes into his own in this game as a real hero (Phil would be proud). Hes more mature and isnt just a silly kid anymore (He still has his moments because thats just who he is, but thats not all he is anymore). I was so impressed with what the game did with him, especially toward the end (which is expanded on in the DLC). Not saying Sora is suddenly a top 10 character for me now or anything, but hes really good!

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Wow, no love for KH3, huh.

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no
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No love for any KH since KH2.

Little bit of like for 358/2 Days, but not a whole lotta love to go around.

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That's a shame because I think they've all got something to like about them, even Coded!

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#63. Steins;Gate


I feel like I need to state that this isnt an evaluation based on the anime. Id say I like Clannad more than Steins;Gate as an anime, but the visual novel version is outside of the top 100. I generally dont rate traditional visual novels all that highly because they dont feel like games in some ways (This isnt the place to debate whether they actually are video games!). I might enjoy the experience, but it has to do something really special to stand out compared to traditional gameplay, as well as compared to its own anime adaptation, if such a thing exists. I think Steins;Gate managed to do that.

First of all, like I mentioned earlier in the topic, Im a sucker for time travel plots, and Steins;Gate has a really interesting one because it actually delves into the potential science behind it. I really enjoy the serious in-depth discussions the lab members have about it, even if Im not totally sure I follow it sometimes! At the same time, it never takes itself too seriously because their time machine is literally a cell phone attached to a microwave powered by a CRT television. The main character calls himself Hououin Kyouma (just as absurd in Japanese as it is in English, for the record) and pretends to be an agent on the verge of uncovering a secret conspiracy. The game is very lighthearted at times, especially in the first half.

But once you get to a certain moment around the midpoint of the game, the plot turns on its head and starts getting crazy. Now I watched the anime first, so I experienced most of these story beats there before I played the game, but I remember watching it together with user SaveEstelle. Both of us werent totally sold on the show until that moment, and after that, we were hooked. The plot stacks the odds against Okabe, and it makes you feel every bit of it as he struggles to somehow find a way to undo all the damage hes caused. There are some very poignant moments, and it totally flipped my opinion on the guy. I thought he was way too over the top and in your face in the first half, but once he finally starts letting you see the real Okabe, he becomes a really strong protagonist.

Now for those of you whove seen the anime and wonder why you should bother playing the visual novel if its mainly the same content, Ill say that there are several alternate endings and just about all of them are worthwhile. They arent just empty or cheap filler. If youre someone who doesnt normally play this style of game but might be curious, I think Steins;Gate is a good game to give the genre a trial run. I like the art style. Its kind of futuristic but also kinda playful (Everyone is sparkly! But not in a sickly sweet or obnoxious way). The game gives you plenty of choices, some meaningful and some just for fun, so you dont feel like all youre doing is reading. The cast is very strong (Makise Kurisu is one of my favorite fictional female characters ever), and its very well written. Its possible that visual novels just arent for you, but I think Steins;Gate is worth a shot regardless.

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Its a shame Sora is the figurehead of KH hate when he's actually a bright spot.

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tag so I can catch up when I have time

Also for #UndertaleUpdates

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Steins;Gate too low tbqh. But yeah, it's an amazing VN.

chaos;child is even better (though i wouldn't expect you to follow me there) really all 3 of the SciAdv VNs I've played (Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate 0, and Chaos;Child are excellent, though Steins;Gate 0 is a step or two behind the other two)

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LeonhartFour posted...

That's a shame because I think they've all got something to like about them, even Coded!

I think that's mostly true, but those things don't really line up with what originally made me love the series.

KH1 felt like a real one-of-a-kind adventure. The Square Enix-Disney crossover was such a fresh idea, and even if the two didn't really interact directly all that much. Getting to go to familiar Disney worlds and experiencing their stories in a different way, all tied to the villains being the collective villains for most of the game, was magical. Combat was simple but not in an off-putting way, and the elements of exploration and platforming were nice bonuses that were never really revisited, at least not in the same way. And it's all built around this strong theme of discovering the universe, finding strength from within, forming bonds and connections.

CoM had its issues, but Castle Oblivion is an awesome setting, the Organization members we see are cool, and the Riku mode is a really cool bonus. And I've grown to almost enjoy the card system over the years.

KH2 is where I think the writing started to go off the rails. It didn't feel like you were discovering things anymore so much as people were telling you things. Disney worlds became full rehashes of the movies and sometimes nothing more than busy work-esque distractions from a story that, while still engaging, was now overflowing with OCs and starting to miss the forest for the trees. I'm forgiving of all this, though, because it has what I firmly believe to be the best combat ever in a JRPG.

Coded I never actually played.

Days is where the series starts to bank completely on players being invested in the story. That's why my feelings on it are more mixed than on any other KH game. I really like Org. XIII as it's presented in this game. Some of the less fleshed-out members get some time to shine and the game generally does a really good job of expanding the lore. The problem is that this is officially the point where I no longer understand why I'm supposed to care about the story. What is this series trying to say? I don't know, and it makes it really hard to trudge through repetitive missions just to see what Zexion says the next day. I do unironically love the panel system, though - I just wish the missions themselves were fun enough to make it feel worth it.

I hate Birth by Sleep. Combat is unbalanced and unfun, worlds are dull, the Unversed are the silliest enemy groups in the series, combat is choppy and floaty, the three main characters are boring or stupid or both and don't have a believable or compelling friendship, all the extra Keyblade lore makes them not cool or special anymore, the command deck and melding systems are both terrible, Disney Town is the worst world in the series, nothing anyone does in this game makes any sense, and combat sucks. I know people love this game, and if you're super engaged by the story and fascinated by all the parallels its tries to draw between the two main trios I can see why. Me, I had more fun with the board game stuff than with the actual game.

Dream Drop Distance had Flowmotion, which made movement really fun. It also had the bad and unnecessary, although somehow inevitable, beginnings of the time travel shenanigans, the Dream Eater system that's worse in every way than the world-specific partners, and the still-unbalanced command deck system. At least we got to explore more of Traverse Town! One thing that will never change is that I adore that place. But this is where I gave up.

This got way more rambling and soapbox-y than I intended, but I really feel like there's no other game series that went through such a complete and dramatic change in identity partway through its lifespan. Nomura being legitimately surprised that people were upset by KH3 not having any Final Fantasy characters is so emblematic of how out of touch he is and was with a certain segment of the KH fanbase. The franchise is really just unrecognizable from how I remember it.

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