Board 8 > Leonhart Ranks 100 Games with Writeups: The Top 40!

(+) Yeah! (+)

My first RPG as well.

And Hurly gloves were A+ hilarious to me.

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Something later tonight. Will try to do two, but should at least get one

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#23. Mega Man X


Mega Man X is my all-time favorite Mega Man game. This game felt like such a massive leap from the NES Mega Man games. Just like how X was a technological upgrade over Rockman, this game felt like the future had arrived with its sleek SNES graphics. Everything just looked, felt, and controlled so good. Mega Man X could dash and climb walls. He could get armor upgrades that made him look so cool after you collected them all. He could even learn the friggin Hadouken, which was an instant one-hit kill if you could pull it off, even on bosses. He always seemed so much cooler than Mega Man Classic to me. As an aside, while X hasnt historically been as strong as the Blue Bomber in contests indirectly, a lot of people have speculated that he could win a head-to-head matchup. I dont know that I necessarily agree with it (Ive never thought he had Noble Nine level strength. Friendly reminder that I had Tifa > Mega Man X in the last Character Battle!), but I can see why people would think that, even if Zero is actually the coolest character in the X series.

Anyway, Ive spent more time with Mega Man X than any other game in the series, and I doubt its even close. All the levels are so well designed, and its a classic set of Mavericks with a really good set of weapon powers. Its probably the only game where I instinctively know the correct order off the top of my head: Chill Penguin (to get the dash right away) > Spark Mandrill > Armored Armadillo > Launch Octopus > Boomer Kuwanger > Sting Chameleon > Storm Eagle > Flame Mammoth. I loved the fact that each Maverick had a unique reaction to getting hit with its weakness. Using Spark Mandrills weapon to literally shock the armor off of Armored Armadillo was a big Whoa moment the first time I did it. Speaking of which, my personal favorite Mavericks are Spark Mandrill and Storm Eagle. Its no coincidence that they also have the best stage themes. On a related note, Mega Man X has one of the best SNES soundtracks out there. So many good songs on there!

The introduction of the dash and the ability to climb really revolutionized what they could do with the series in terms of level design compared to the original Mega Man. These levels couldnt exist in those games for the most part. I loved the feeling of gradually getting stronger as you upgraded your armor, and the game gave you a good barometer to measure yourself against. In the opening level, X gets dominated by Vile, only to get saved in the nick of time by Zero. By the time you have a rematch in the first Sigma stage, youre able to hold your own and eventually beat him (albeit still with a little help from Zero). It was really satisfying to have such a noticeable sense of progression. I loved getting that full X Buster upgrade and charging it up all the way. It made me feel so powerful unleashing that thing on enemies. It was also really awesome discovering you could even charge Maverick weapons, too, so I experimented with all of those them. I dont know if I would have really ever fully gotten into the Mega Man series as a whole if not for this game. I replayed it recently when I got the MMX Collection, and its still a great game.

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#22. Mass Effect 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PjTuSQNLI4

I normally like my heroes to be heroic, but that video demonstrates why Mass Effect makes it so fun to be the renegade. The first time I played Mass Effect 2, I played it straight Paragon all the way, and then I saw that video. Then I immediately started a replay and went Renegade, and it was a blast. I even played a third time picking all the neutral options just so I could see as much unique dialogue as possible, as well as seeing how much it changed things not having enough Paragon or Renegade points to make some of the more important choices. It was crazy seeing how many possible permutations there were even in a single scene, such as the interrogation scene with Shepard and Thane. This was part of what made Mass Effect 2 (and eventually 3) such an engrossing experience for me.

I ended up playing Mass Effect 2 first because I never owned an Xbox 360, and they released this game on Playstation 3 first. User SaveEstelle eventually talked me into giving it a try, but I didnt want to go into the second game of a trilogy totally blind, so I watched an LP of the original Mass Effect first just so I could be up to speed. Thankfully, the PS3 version came with a special sequence that allowed you to make the important decisions from the first game so you didnt end up with some of the crappy default settings! I enjoyed the experience of recruiting a huge squad, talking them up between missions to get to know them, and then helping them solve personal problems from their past. Mass Effect 2 only has a handful of mandatory story missions, and while some people see that as a weakness, I loved the fact that they made this game more character-centric than plot-centric. It was fun getting to learn more about the Mass Effect universe by conversing with these characters. The combat missions were fun and all (Combining gunplay with special powers was a good move because Im not a fan of straight up shooters), but the cast chemistry was what kept me invested. Everyone loves Tali and Garrus, of course, but my personal favorite ended up being Thane (and in the unpopular opinion department, Miranda is great).

The biggest draw in Mass Effect 2 for me was the Loyalty Missions. They all felt personalized to each character, and they were filled with good moments and fun choices, even for the characters I didnt care much for. My personal favorites were Talis, Kasumis, and Mordins. I do have to give a special shoutout to the final mission of the game as well. Its hard for something to live up to the hype when you label it as a suicide mission, but they managed to pull it off. You feel the weight of every choice, especially on the first run through. Mass Effect 2 also has some really good DLC, including a couple of squadmates and a fantastic mission in Lair of the Shadow Broker. Thankfully, it came standard with the PS3 version, so I didnt have to pay anything extra for it!

(Also, I roll with MaleShep all the way! And I voted for Shepard in Link/Draven/Shepard, and I dont regret it!)

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Mass Effect 2 is so good. I hope it gets far in the upcoming contest.

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Hoping we get the bracket soon so I can see what draw it got!

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Taking Legion to Tali's Loyalty Mission makes it even better and it was already the best loyalty mission without that! ya go my me2.

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Yeah, I went out of my way on one playthrough to take Legion along for that, and it made something amazing even better.

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I wanted to, but I'd heard that for the optimal ending, you needed to recruit him at a very specific time.

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Anagram posted...

I wanted to, but I'd heard that for the optimal ending, you needed to recruit him at a very specific time.

I'd have to double-check but what it is is that the IFF Mission where you end up recruiting Legion starts a timer. I think there's a way to get it such that you can do Legion's Loyalty Mission + 1 other action and still have everything go optimal.

You're always given time to do Legion's Loyalty Mission without being penalized and I'm pretty sure done correctly you can get one more in but it's been a long, long time. If I'm wrong you could still do Tali's Loyalty Mission instead of Legion's, have a not-loyal Legion in endgame and just work around the mechanics to ensure his survival but you'd need to know what you're doing.

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Yeah, I had to be willing to make some sacrifices to make it work, but it's worth it for a single playthrough.

You can work around it if you know what you're doing, but yeah.

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Honestly, that whole situation might be ME2's biggest flaw. Either you get Legion and if you want to take him to places where he has tons of dialogue (and even more in cut dialogue suggesting that originally you could have gotten him waaay earlier) but get a worse ending. Or you do (almost) everything else first and get him last and miss out on all that (including some of his character story since his dialogue topics only advance after you do a mission so you can very easily do everything possible before IFF because of the timer and then find out you can't advance his dialogue to the fullest because you're literally out of missions to advance it.)

There are partial solutions to these but you'd have to know in advance to set them up.

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xp1337 posted...

Honestly, that whole situation might be ME2's biggest flaw. Either you get Legion and if you want to take him to places where he has tons of dialogue (and even more in cut dialogue suggesting that originally you could have gotten him waaay earlier) but get a worse ending. Or you do (almost) everything else first and get him last and miss out on all that (including some of his character story since his dialogue topics only advance after you do a mission so you can very easily do everything possible before IFF because of the timer and then find out you can't advance his dialogue to the fullest because you're literally out of missions to advance it.)

There are partial solutions to these but you'd have to know in advance to set them up.

Yeah, I solve the dialogue issue by saving the DLC for postgame. It'd be nice if there was a more optimal way, but I suppose it also plays into the idea of your decisions mattering.

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I havent played ME2 yet but the timer is the one thing I've heard about that gives me pause. I hate feeling like I have to miss out on fun things or get a worse ending.

Yeah I know it makes no sense to do a bunch of little things when the fate of the world is on the line but that's how these games work. Let me have my fun without screwing up my file for the sequel.

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Eh, you don't necessarily have to miss out on things. You just have to miss out on taking a certain character on a lot of those things.

But there are workarounds.

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Maniac64 posted...

I havent played ME2 yet but the timer is the one thing I've heard about that gives me pause. I hate feeling like I have to miss out on fun things or get a worse ending.

Yeah I know it makes no sense to do a bunch of little things when the fate of the world is on the line but that's how these games work. Let me have my fun without screwing up my file for the sequel.

Every character has unique dialogue. You'll just see it for other characters instead of Legion.
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The Mass Effect trilogy single-handedly rekindled my love of gaming as an art form. ME2 is probably a top 20 all-timer for me, but I will still hold ME3 over it for all time.

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Oh man, there's a bracket. I might have to take some time to analyze this thing.

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Funny that this is the page I refresh and find out there's a bracket.

Holy shit pokemon in shambles

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#21. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door


Weve had three Mario RPGs in the last ten games, but this is my favorite one of all. I think The Thousand-Year Door really perfects the idea of Paper Mario. The original game felt like it was paper in appearance only (which isnt a bad thing! It was a cool concept), but the sequel actually did practical things with it. I loved all the different paper forms Mario could take in order to progress through the game (I also liked the lore behind the cursed treasure boxes pretending to curse Mario but actually attempting to help him). I liked all the different paper effects that the game used on the backgrounds, too. TTYD took a novel concept and ran with it in a way that no other game in the series has ever done, which is a shame, considering theres really not another series out there quite like it.

I also love Thousand-Year Doors battle system. Its pretty similar to the original games, except now theres an audience! That was such a cool gimmick, honestly. The crowd gets bigger the better you are at timing your attacks, and they will sometimes give you bonuses for good performances. I also love the fact that sometimes bosses will actively attack the crowd and use them against you. As I said with the Super Mario RPG writeup, I love using timed hits, and I like in TTYD that your party members have different uses and are more effective depending on the type of enemy youre facing. The different party members are pretty cool, too, with my favorites being the Yoshi dude (who I named Squall because Im creative like that) and Goombella (whose Tattle ability I used all the time for the additional dialogue!).

But like with most Mario RPGs, the real charm is found in its characters, the really clever writing, and the world. I love Rogueport. I think it really stands out as unique among the Mario series. The Glitz Pit is one of the more interesting things TTYD attempted, where Mario takes on the stage name of the Great Gonzalez and slowly works his way up through the ranks of a wrestling league. The game doesnt cut corners there either. You actually have to win all the necessary battles to get there. I also loved the playable Bowser segments (obligatory RPG Bowser is awesome reminder). It was a cool change of pace. I even enjoyed the Peach/TEC segments. I also loved Luigis misadventures that you could hear about between chapters. Ive long advocated for a Paper Luigi spinoff based on the stories he tells in this game! At this point, itd be a breath of fresh air the series desperately needs!

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4 of the remaining games are in the GotD2 bracket

1 more was eligible but did not make it

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Botw>Ultimate
Skyrim>P5

Botw>Skyrim

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I never played Sticker Star or Color Splash. Are they worth playing as non-Paper Marios?

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Anagram posted...

I never played Sticker Star or Color Splash. Are they worth playing as non-Paper Marios?

no

Sticker Star is absolute garbage. Literally the only RPG I've played where fighting is actually detrimental.

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ttyd is p good, but not as good as paper mario 64. i found the cast much better in 64, and most of the levels, especially the final stages.

the mechanisms were cool tho. i also liked paper luigi, and glitz pit + that train level were fantastic.
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LeonhartFour posted...

The Glitz Pit is one of the more interesting things TTYD attempted, where Mario takes on the stage name of the Great Gonzalez and slowly works his way up through the ranks of a wrestling league.

rawk hawk also has a baller theme

TTYD was a really good game! Though for some reason I mix a lot of PM and TTYD stuff up. TTYD had Doopliss too, right? Another baller theme if so.

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Yeah, that was TTYD. That chapter is frustrating in some ways, but it was still clever. And yeah, Doopliss has a great theme.

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I really like how they drastically raised stat caps in ttyd.
Increase bp EVERY SINGLE LEVEL is the only way to play imo

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I'm a bit too insecure to roll with default HP the entire game, but yeah, I went with BP most of the time.

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So TTYD is Paper Mario with new gameplay mechanics and a more complex plot?

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LinkMarioSamus posted...

So TTYD is Paper Mario with new gameplay mechanics and a more complex plot?

Yes, that's how sequels often work.

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You can level up BP every level in either Paper Mario because you get HP Plus and FP Plus badges that essentially allow you to convert BP to HP/FP if you ever need it anyway

I usually level up FP once and then BP for the rest of the game, in PM it's until I can't do it anymore, in TTYD it's forever

Yeah, that's true. I forgot about those HP/FP Plus badges.

All of the writeups for the Mario RPGs is making me want to replay them!

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#20. Street Fighter Alpha 2


This is my all-time favorite fighting game. Street Fighter Alpha 2 is the game that got me sucked into fighting game lore because the game is telling so many different stories. With fighting games, its always difficult to tell which endings happened and which ones didnt until the next game in the series comes out, but it was fun speculating and even the non-canon endings could be pretty wild. The last boss for each character varied depending on who you chose, so it wasnt always the same guy. For example, Ryus last boss is Akuma, Adons last boss is Sagat, Kens last boss is Ryu, etc. You do have several characters whose last boss is Bison, of course, like Chun-Li or Charlie, but the point is that each characters story mode was specifically catered to them. You could also trigger a special mid-boss under the right conditions (I believe it was winning 5 rounds via Super KO without losing a round), and that one was unique to each character. There were no repeats. There was also dialogue between the two characters before every mid-boss and last boss fight. Each character also had an animation they would perform before a fight, and it could change depending on who you were fighting (Sagats scar would glow if he was facing Ryu, for example). It was such a cool concept that the series kept it going forward.

The gameplay in Street Fighter Alpha 2 is excellent, too. It brings back a lot of the ideas that the original implemented, like a three-level Super gauge, Alpha counters (which were counterattacks you could unleash after successfully blocking and inputting a Hadouken motion with a punch or kick), and air blocking (which I think every fighting game should have, in my opinion). Alpha 2 also introduced Custom Combos, which you could activate as long as you had at least one level on your Super gauge. You could basically do anything and turn it into a devastating combos because it removed lag between your moves and allowed you to do things you otherwise couldnt. For example, if you wanted to fire off three fireballs back to back to back, you could. Normally, you can only have one projectile on the screen at once, but Custom Combos let you ignore that rule.

In terms of presentation and aesthetics, Street Fighter Alpha 2 is a beautiful game. There are so many awesome backgrounds. Akuma fights on a small island out in the ocean. Charlie fights at a base with a giant harrier jet in the background. You can even fight in that grassy field from the opening of the Street Fighter II anime! Gen fights in a Shanghai alley with water puddles, and the puddles shimmer if you land on them or walk over them, which I thought was so cool when I was a kid! Sakura fights in front of her friggin house! Speaking of which, this is the game that introduced Sakura, the consummate Ryu fangirl. Also, Alpha 2 has an absolute banging soundtrack. I can hear some of them right now as I think about them, like Adons theme or the song that plays during Ryus ending. It just gets you pumped up for each fight.

Now theres a lot of debate among the fanbase between which is better between Alpha 2 and Alpha 3 (the original doesnt factor into the conversation). I can see why people side with Alpha 3 because it basically said go big or go home (or go for broke, some might say). I think they just went a little overboard with it. I didnt like having to choose a fighting style for each character, for instance. I also didnt like that almost every characters last boss was Bison. I enjoyed the uniqueness of the Alpha series giving a character the final fight that made sense for them. Dont get me wrong. I still like Alpha 3 a lot, but Alpha 2 will always be king to me.

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I never really thought about it until now but that game would have been called "Street Fighter Zero 2" in Japan.
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Team Rocket Elite posted...

I never really thought about it until now but that game would have been called "Street Fighter Zero 2" in Japan.

It would have been and was! And then there was Street Fighter Zero 3.

Smart marketing by Capcom to call it Alpha in the west!

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I need to finish this before the contest starts because I've got four writeups per day for the Analysis Crew!

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#19. Trails of Cold Steel III


If theres a video game equivalent to Infinity Wars, Trails of Cold Steel III is it (at least until the actual penultimate entry for the entire series!). It brings together so many characters and plotlines from the Liberl and Crossbell arcs and sets the stage for the conclusion of the Erebonia arc as a whole. It answers a ton of lingering questions that have been out there, some even dating back to the very first Trails game, while still leaving a lot left to be solved. I enjoyed the first two Cold Steel games, but I didnt think they had lived up to the standard of the Trails in the Sky series. Trails of Cold Steel III changed that, and now I am very hyped to see how everything wraps up in the fourth game!

One of the things I like the most about Cold Steel III is that it wastes no time getting into the action. Since every Trails game tends to be pretty long, they can be slow burns as theres a lot of setup required to get the plot into full motion. Since this is a game dealing more with resolving active plotlines (or at least building toward a resolution) from previous entries, they dont need to do that here. Theres a timeskip between the end of Cold Steel II and the start of Cold Steel III, so they spend a little bit of time explaining how we got to where we are now, but then they kick it into high gear and never let up. To be honest, I was a little skeptical about them basically jettisoning the party from the first two Cold Steels and bringing in a brand-new crew because I had grown quite attached to the original Class VII, but they really made it work. They mixed in cameos from them to satiate your nostalgia, but they did so without ever overshadowing the new Class VII. They let them become their own thing and prove themselves worthy as characters individually and as a party overall.

I think the gameplay feels better in Cold Steel III than it ever has in Trails. Some people might say its too easy, and I might agree with them, because Im not sure I ever got a game over, but I love the way combat links and S-Crafts make me feel so friggin powerful. The graphical upgrade to the Playstation 4 means those moves are flashier than ever, and Im honestly okay with style over substance in many cases in battle systems! Im more interested in the battle system being fun than it being challenging! Due to the nature of the game, Cold Steel III is also loaded with epic battles against powerful foes. It feels like you have several of them in every chapter. The game just never lets up. If youre a fan of JRPGs with a grand sense of scale, then Trails of Cold Steel III is the game for you. I know it can seem daunting to try to get into the series now with so many games out there, but I assure you its worth it!

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ya go my Trails of Cold Steel III.

3rd games in trails sub-series too powerful. First Sky 3 then Cold Steel 3.

I feel like combat in Trails peaked in Sky 3 personally though CS3 does give you a bunch of cool new options to play with.

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Street Fighter Alpha 2 is awesome.

Definitely my favorite SF game. I played it so much.

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Maniac64 posted...

Street Fighter Alpha 2 is awesome.

Definitely my favorite SF game. I played it so much.

Heck yeah

More later

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#18. Super Mario World


This is the game of a million romhacks, none of which Ive played, but it speaks to Super Mario Worlds enduring popularity. Its such a well-designed game, and the controls feel really good. I loved the dinosaur theme as a kid because I was obsessed with them, so the first time Yoshi popped out of an egg and I was able to ride a friggin dinosaur was mind-blowing for me. Super Mario World scaled way back on powerups compared to Super Mario Bros. 3, and I think it was largely because of Yoshis versatility, almost to the point of being broken. He can repeatedly tank hits for you as long as you can catch him again. You can use him to get an extra high jump (if youre heartless). Depending on the color, he can even spit fire, fly, or stomp on landing for extra damage. I think they deliberately had to keep Yoshi out of ghost houses, fortresses, and castles just to provide some extra challenge and to be able to design different types of levels.

As much as I like Yoshi, those are honestly my favorite levels in Mario World because they focus more on pure platforming, and they implemented different sorts of gimmicks into them. The music and the setting also created a certain level of tension. There was always a palpable feeling of imminent danger because they took away your safety net. Even the cape is largely useless in most of these levels because you dont have a lot of room to fly. I dont know that I have a particular favorite castle because they all kinda blend together, but I seem to recall Wendys being the one that gave me the most trouble, so she ended up being my least favorite Koopaling! Her boss battle could get pretty annoying, too! I do love the final boss fight against Bowser though. The Koopa Klown Kar provides a unique challenge because hes always out of your reach, and your ability to hit him is rather limited. I was always on the verge of panic whenever he started bouncing all over the place, but it was so satisfying to finally beat him.

Thats not to say the rest of Mario World isnt good because its a lot of fun! Its filled with all sorts of secret exits, and it could be pretty addicting trying to find them. It was fun going back to old levels once you activated a certain color of block because you knew it was going to unlock some new path you couldnt get to before. It encouraged you to be thorough in exploring the level because you wanted to unlock every stage, and you wanted to complete the Star Road, too. I think my favorite world was the Forest of Illusion. It had a really cool atmosphere, and it also had the best Koopaling (that would be Roy, for those who dont remember!).

And if you completed the Star Road, you unlocked the path to the Special Zone, which contained a series of, well, special challenges. Each level had its own gimmick, and some of them could be downright brutal. I think many of us remember the trauma of Tubular, as pictured above. If you could finish the Special Zone, you entered into a new land of horror where the Goombas and Koopa Troopas were replaced with enemies that looked a lot like Mario, reminding us that the greatest enemy of all is ourselves. Seriously though, I always had to start a new file after finishing the Special Zone because all the enemies looking like Mario heads was too freaky!

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Blue Yoshi the best.

LeonhartFour posted...

I think many of us remember the trauma of Tubular

Tubular and Outrageous were like the final bosses of my childhood gaming experience.

even now i have residual dread thinking about them

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xp1337 posted...

Blue Yoshi the best.

darn right

there's a reason Blue Yoshi was always the one who tackled the boss level in Yoshi's Island

except when they robbed him of his rightful place in the last world so green Yoshi could fight Bowser

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2D Mario is just insane. I think each NES and SNES title would make my top 50 or 75.

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#17. Metal Gear Solid


I dont really want to spend much time debating the merits of the Twin Snakes remake for the GameCube. I know a lot of people dislike the Matrix-esque cutscenes, especially since they like the idea of Solid Snake being a normal in a world of abnormals, but Metal Gear Solid is full of cheesy dialogue, so cheesy cutscenes didnt bother me that much! Plus, while inserting Metal Gear Solid 2s gameplay improvements into the confines of Shadow Moses did make the game easier, it did cut down on some of the annoyances caused by the limitations of the original on Playstation 1. Also, it got rid of Mei Lings terrible accent that she shouldnt have had anyway because she was born and raised in America! All that to say that I actually do like both versions of the game, so Im taking the whole picture into account with this ranking.

When Metal Gear Solid came out in 1998, there was really nothing like it in terms of a cinematic video game experience. Probably the closest thing was Final Fantasy VII, but it didnt have full voice acting for every line of dialogue like MGS1 did. Those two combined to change storytelling in video gaming forever as countless games have attempted to emulate them in the 20+ years since. What made this game so special? You had a game attempting to tell a serious story with an anti-nuke message with the theme that you are more than your genes, while also throwing absurd things at you like a cyborg ninja or a dude who impersonates people by drinking their blood. Metal Gear Solid also unabashedly broke the fourth wall in unprecedented ways, like putting a Codec number you needed on the back of the case or needing to put your PS1 controller in the second player slot to beat Psycho Mantis. And speaking of Psycho Mantis, him reading your memory card and telling you what games you like was the craziest thing. The game is just such a memorable experience.

Another big draw of Metal Gear Solid was the fantastic cast of characters. FOXHOUND might be the greatest villain ensemble in a video game ever, with Revolver Ocelot ranking as one of my favorite villains individually as well (although for his entire body of work, not just this game). You have so many memorable boss fights with them, whether its the aforementioned Psycho Mantis battle, blowing up the tank, shooting down the helicopter, the fistfight with Gray Fox, and more. The best character in the game is Solid Snake though. There was no one cooler than Snake back in the day. He was calm under pressure (one of my favorite understated moments in the game is after the Hind D battle when Otacon asks Snake what he was doing, he just casually says, Oh, I had to shoot down that helicopter, like it was no big deal at all), busted out cool one-liners all over the place (That takes care of the cremation), and let you explore the dark side of his past with Big Boss. He almost single-handedly made smoking cool again! Seriously though, Metal Gear Solid is littered with memorable moments, characters with complex motivations, excellent writing and voice acting, and more.

Ive used the word memorable several times to describe Metal Gear Solid, but I think thats part of what makes it so good. Theres so much stuff about this game thats simply unforgettable because youd just never seen anything like it in a video game before. There are some things that just stick with you, and MGS1 is one of them.

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Bit late to this comment, but I expected Mass Effect 2 to be higher.

MGS1 is great. I'm not sure it holds up but that first playthrough years ago was a trip.

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Yeah, I haven't attempted an MGS1 replay in a really long time. I keep saying I'm going to replay 1-4 again sometime soon, but it never happens!

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Two classics.

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