Board 8 > transience's top 100 games -- almost 2022 edition.

(+) Yeah! (+)

I have this weird stigma against fanmade things.

All I hear is good things about AM2R but because Samus Returns is a real thing I find it hard to want to try.

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AM2R was a thing before Samus Returns was even announced, if that helps. (its also miles better)

AM2R doesnt feel fanmade at all, and the guy who made it led a lot of the design on Ori 2

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AM2R is fantastic. If it weren't for Dread getting me to replay the whole series, I'd probably have never checked it out!

I think I initially liked Samus Returns and AM2R almost equally but for completely different reasons. Now Dread has improved on the SR formula to a huge extent, yet AM2R still offers a unique experience within Metroid that makes it stand out much more.

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pjbasis posted...

I have this weird stigma against fanmade things.

All I hear is good things about AM2R but because Samus Returns is a real thing I find it hard to want to try.

AM2R is pretty much the most universally acclaimed game ever

AM2R is a damn fine game. It's not on the same tier as Prime 1 or SM per say , but it's pretty close to Dread in quality.

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pjbasis posted...
I have this weird stigma against fanmade things.

AM2R is pretty much the most universally acclaimed fanmade game ever.

12.



I've played this game to death over the last 5ish years. FF5 is so good because of how well different classes mix and match. Job systems in general are awesome but it's better in this game than others because of how many enemies and bosses are vulnerable to each class's weird stuff. Most classes in this game are totally viable and almost every one has some kind of situational strength that makes them really valuable. There isn't one class that's just always the best at everything, or even a single combination. (Summoner is close, but there's a lot that Summoner isn't good at, too.)

The only downside is that I've squeezed so much life out of this game that there's not a lot left for it to give. My four job fiesta count is somewhere around 40 now. I think this game probably goes the way of the original Final Fantasy for me, a game that used to live in my top 5 for many years but fell out just because every permutation had been exhausted. I'm getting close to that with FF5 now. I'm actually playing it now with the new pixel remaster, yet again, because that's just what I do.

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sounds like it's time to get into FF5 randomizer

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Wow I thought FFV was a lock for top ten and maybe even an outside shot at #1!

What an upset!

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FF5 ancient cave is a thing, and its great!

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I've played Ancient Cave, and yeah it's fun! There is a "classic" randomizer too - FFV Career Day. I haven't tried it myself, but I've heard it's pretty good.

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this does look cool. maybe Ill try it after this pixel remaster run - the ff5 never ends

it looks a lot like FF4 free enterprise which is awesome and a great way to reexperience FF4

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Yeah it's very similar to Free Enterprise from what I've seen

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11.



AA3 (well, and AA2) hits the writing sweet spot. The 3DS games are way too wordy while AA1 is really rote and simple, but AA3 is just right.

After 2 games of build up, the Fey storyline comes to a head in AA3 and pays off in a pretty major way. There are three cases here that are tied together by a single threadline thanks to a really strong villain. It isn't as integrated across cases as some later games are but other games don't have the writing strength that AA3 does. Cases 4 and 5 tie together to make for a monster finale that's satisfying enough to wish that it closed out the series. It's good that a great series continued, but I doubt the series ever reaches these highs again or has the opportunity to close on such a strong note.


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I don't think they'll ever top AA3, every case in that one is solid at worst. Still think Godot is kind of a limp noodle, and 3-5 really treads the line of being a bit too fanservice-y, but is easy to overlook that stuff.

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T&T the best

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Godot the best.

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AA3 too good.

Best mystery game of the AA-DR-ZE trio, though I havent played GAA2 yet.

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10.



It's certainly not perfect, but Xenosaga 3 hits some really high marks in its narrative storytelling. This game is ripe with absolute nonsense terminology but it helps to set a tone to the world that few games can pull off. Sometimes I hate games that do this but give me all the Y Data and U-DO and Omega Res Novae that you can find. I don't have any clue what's happening in half the story but that's okay. The tone and atmosphere is all I need.

I also like the simple but effective battle system. It's fun to take out enemies with final strikes and to level up each character's skill trees. Boss fights are fun for the first time here, and they're certainly not too difficult. This game goes out of its way to be as Xenogears-y as possible and that kind of thing will always work on me.

So yeah, you can mock this game quite a bit and I even join in for a lot of that. But there's still that long stretch at the end of disc 1 where the atmosphere is pitch perfect and it's as good as these sci-fi JRPGs get.

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Something about U-DO and the Zohar
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I really want to finally play Xenosaga but my PS3's been out of commission for months and I haven't had a chance to get it looked at/fixed.

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9.



This game is amazing. It takes everything great about the first Ori and just improves across the board. The combat is much improved, the new abilities are great, and man, the music. The music in Ori 2 is on another level, and I appreciate it even more in a post-Dread world.

(Tangent: Will of the Wisps vs. Metroid Dread is a fascinating comparison and I had to play them back to back in order to compare them properly. At a distance, they seem really similar -- Ori is obviously inspired by Metroid -- but are actually really different. Ori focuses on being peaceful with absolutely gorgeous music, and Dread focuses on tension with cinematic music. Ori has melee combat while Dread is ranged. Ori focuses on movement abilities almost exclusively while Dread give you a more balanced bag of tools. The list goes on.)

The first half of Will of the Wisps is maybe the most charming game in existence. It's a joy to just move and exist in that world. The lighting and the art are incredible and it makes the forest kinda come alive. The second half of the game is a bit more game-y, and it isn't quite as good - you start getting sidequests and need to restore a village and can plant seeds and go on fetch quests. You open up your map and there's icons everywhere. It feels slightly bloated like a modern action game might feel, instead of being singularly focused on being a metroidvania. It's still great and it plays amazingly! But, if you removed that stuff and just focused on the atmosphere and platforming, it would probably be a better game. Because of that, it's not quite as good as Dread.

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Ori 2 too low. Absolutely amazing game - my favorite of the last few years. Kinda crazy you have Dread higher, but it's cool that you liked it so much.
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its tough. I have a decades long love for Metroid and Dreads a good one, the first in a long time. I also love Ori. these games from ~5-9 are super duper close to each other.

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uzukiiiiiii

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Xenosaga I sucks. What does III do that I does not?

Xenosaga 1 does suck. 1 is worldbuilding, slow, boring in battles and with just about no music and a plot that goes nowhere. 3 moves relatively quickly, has great music, actually resolves some things and has a good battle system.

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Ori 2 is a total masterpiece and I also have no idea if I would put it or Dread higher. It's quite possibly the better game but Dread means more to me.

I'm totally feeling an Ori series replay soon.

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Xenosaga Episode III was pretty good most of the way but I hate the final act with a passion.

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8.



What a triumph. Official Metroid comes back after 20 years, from a developer who made the *heavily* flawed Samus Returns -- seriously, talk about not understanding what Metroid is about -- and just knocks it out of the park. The movement, combat and bosses are a clear step up from every other Metroid game. If you were just listing out features and comparing them, Dread would eat every other Metroid for lunch.

There's more to it than that, of course. But it's the way this game succeeds that impresses me so much. Metroid Dread had every opportunity to walk within the lines of a hallowed franchise, but decides not only to step out of them, but also to just use your expectations openly against you. A lot of my first playthrough was unlearning what Metroid is supposed to be. A big part of that is the combat, where you add in a lot of modern action game features like melee counters and 360 degree aiming. This game is tight, it hits fast and it hits hard. It doesn't care that you die.

I think the biggest surprise for me, upon spending more and more time with Dread, is that it's actually not hard once you learn it. I died an uncountable number of times as I adjusted to the game, especially against the game's boss encounters. But once you know what they do, they're absolutely toothless. It's an empowering feeling to take a game that ripped you apart to toying with the bosses the way Samus does in her cutscenes. This game has a really great sense of progression, and you really need to be stronger because everything hits so hard. But once you know what's coming and where it's coming from, it's really not a problem.

That empowering feeling is what really sticks with me when I think back on Dread. This game is an adrenaline trip, and never is it more obvious than that ending. Holy cow. Dread does a great job of one-upping games that came before it. It doesn't displace them, but it does envision a new Metroid where your combat skills are put to the test. Usually I would dislike this approach because Metroid isn't really about combat, but it's just done so well that I can't do anything but give it a nod. A new developer gave me, a crazy Metroid fan, a game that I didn't know I would ever want. That's wild.

I do have one complaint though. I really don't like how much of this game is steeped in locking you into areas. It feels decidedly un-Metroid to have so many one-way paths. It's smart game design, unless you're making a Metroid. There are ways around it, so many sequence breaks everywhere, but I don't like the idea of being boxed in. Other Metroid games have played with this but none as overtly as Dread. That's kind of a bummer.

But still, what a triumph.


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Ori 2 and Dread are the last two games I've played - both very good

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whatd you prefer?

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I'm almost done with Dread; just finished my sweep through the sectors getting 100% and now need to proceed to (presumably) the final boss. Definitely a very fun game!

I was super hyped about Ori when I saw its trailer and heard its soundtrack, but at the time I couldn't play it since I had a Mac and no XBOne. I eventually bought the Windows version on my parents' computer while visiting for Christmas but didn't have a controller with me; playing with a mouse and keyboard felt very awkward. I should probably repurchase it (and the sequel) now that they're on the Switch!

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I wouldn't even play Ori without a controller. a lot of people play that way but I don't like mouse+kb with literally anything.

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Yeah, I've never been good with a mouse and keyboard. I'm glad you can play most PC games with a PS controller now.

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7.



You could choose just about any version of Tetris here, but I only play two versions these days: NES Tetris, because I want to pretend that I can do half of the stuff the classic Tetris lunatics can do, and Tetris 99. I freaking love Tetris 99. It's the only online multiplayer game that I play. Every time a new themed cup is announced, I'm right there unlocking it. I don't play often enough to win these days, but I'm pretty routinely in the top 10.

I don't have anything profound to say about Tetris. It's just the perfect video game.

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The constant one-way paths are what is keeping me from replaying Dread after my first run finished. Big turn off for me, but still a wonderful game.

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I only ever really got hooked on Tetris Plus, which is an admittedly really dumb version of the game, but me and my best friend were at an age where we loved dumb games when it came out

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I played more Tetris Plus than I want to admit

and more Tetrinet, and more Tetris DS, and more Bastard Tetris, and more Tengen Tetris, and The Next Tetris, and so on

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Tetris Effect is my favorite Tetris

Also love Tetris DS, Game Boy Tetris and The New Tetris on 64

Never liked the feel of NES Tetris.

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Tetris DS is probably the one version I don't have access to that I wish I did.

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Tetrisphere is the secret best Tetris

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6.



I *love* the design of Super Metroid's world. Every room is super distinct and each area feels like it has a theme. I can talk about specific rooms here for days. The design of the world is slightly dickish in a way that I appreciate - sometimes you just fall down a pit and have to wall jump out of it, and that's kinda cool. The boss fights are really amazing, especially Ridley, maybe the most memorable boss fight on the SNES. This game has all kinds of weird crap in it, from all the hidden secret abilities to being able to kill Draygon with the grapple beam. This game can really delight you and it's so damn memorable.

The controls don't match it though. If you play enough Super Metroid, it becomes second nature and won't be a problem. But you really need to learn these things as opposed to something like AM2R that comes super naturally. This game has a run button which makes you contort your hands when trying to traverse it quickly. Space jump is one of the more confusing mechanics around, where sometimes you just stop being able to jump for reasons unknown. Who the hell knows how diagonal shinesparking works, and it sucks your energy which sucks. I'm sure there are hacks to navigate all of this and I should probably look into them because it's the only blemish on a near perfect game.

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Early on in Metroid Dread, I was a bit unsure about it. Things felt a little different, and I was very apprehensive. By the time I got to the end though, I was fully on board and think I really like this game. There are some parts that felt like slogs at first, but now that I'm replaying in hard mode, it's like, wait, I was just bad at those segments, haha

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hard mode isn't even any harder! I was telling HM the other day, I don't think I died the last 2-3 hours on hard mode even though I got butchered on normal.

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transcience posted...

Xenosaga 1 does suck. 1 is worldbuilding, slow, boring in battles and with just about no music and a plot that goes nowhere. 3 moves relatively quickly, has great music, actually resolves some things and has a good battle system.

I think 1 is probably my favorite of the three, but they're all successful and flawed in different ways. I think I give 1 the benefit of the doubt because it got to set up interesting mysteries and subplots but didn't have to worry about resolving them satisfyingly. On the other hand, 3 tries to resolve a bunch of stuff from the first two games and I almost universally hated the resolutions they went with.

Leonhart4 posted...

Xenosaga Episode III was pretty good most of the way but I hate the final act with a passion.

Agreed. XS3's final act is a case study in how not to close out a trilogy.

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transcience posted...

whatd you prefer?

The improved combat in Dread puts it over the top for me - I really enjoyed the boss fights

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No love for the Metroid Primes?

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TheRock1525 posted...

No love for the Metroid Primes?

iirc he liked a lot of things about at least the first one but like a lot of FPS games it tends to trigger his motion sickness so he cant really get that deep into it.

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I like Metroid Prime. I think it's super atmospheric and wish I could play it well. I got to like the Phazon Suit and that was as much as I could stomach.

I also really like Mirror's Edge, and did finish that. it's been in some past lists. but you better believe I played it on easy and beat it without ever using a gun.

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