Lurker > KamikazePotato

Next round hints will be posted in a bit.

Kenri posted...

Caught standing on the banister is what sells it for me.

Cat behavior.

I wish I'd somehow caught that moment on video. Was the only time I ever saw the Alien come to a dead stop when it knew where I was.

azuarc posted...

And half an hour later, on a different device, Youtube decides to recommend me a video about Fear and Hunger. That's fucking weird.

Mildly creepy but hats off to the algorithm I guess!

Leonhart4 posted...

Heck yeah Persona 4

Investigation Team is perhaps the best playable cast in any RPG in terms of overall quality from top to bottom (and cast chemistry, of course). I love Inaba and how literally every single person in town has a character development journey you can follow over the course of the game.

The Social Links in P4 are great at tackling realistic problems. I really liked the ones with Saki's brother and the overworked mom. Persona 5 has strong Confidants (best part of the game), but P4's felt like they did a better job at furthering that game's atmosphere.

That's hilarious. Buggy indie games can give some fantastic moments.

This isn't a comparable glitch, but when I first played Alien Isolation, the cutscene where the Alien first appears completely bugged out. I heard random sounds, but nothing else happened except for the music getting dramatic. Wasn't sure what was going on, so I did what I needed to in that area then started sprinting away because the music had me on edge. You're supposed to be scared and sneaking due to Alien having officially appeared, but since I never actually saw its character model...yeah. As I was running up the stairs, I heard big plodding footsteps, then turned around to see the Alien standing on the bannister one floor down, just staring at me without moving. I think it was as surprised to see me as I was to see it.

Then it murdered me, which was rude.

The SMRPG Remake felt like it came and immediately went. It might skate by on name value alone, though.

Kenri posted...

it's more scared of me than i am of it"

I somehow doubt this is the case!

I actually didn't know about the Reaper Leviathans when I first played. Didn't see it coming, either. Was swimming along around the shipwreck and suddenly I'm at 2% health and oh my god what is that.

35. Fear and Hunger: Termina
Fear and Hunger 1 was a tragic discovery for me. I found it from the SuperEyepatchWolf, then learned too much of it to justify playing myself. As a huge Berserk and dark fantasy fan, it likely would have been high up on this list if I got to experience it fresh.

Thankfully...there was a sequel. While Termina doesn't have the same pure dark fantasy tone of F&H1 that is 101% my vibe, it goes for something that is still 95% my vibe combining dark fantasy, urban warfare, eldritch horror, and Silent Hill. The game is openly inspired by multiple sources (hence the title), and could have felt derivative, but manages to meld them in a way that feels cohesive and extremely unique.

Fear and Hunter 2 is an exercise in tension. Your number of resources and saves are limited, and certain injures can lead to permanent limb loss for your characters. While the game could probably be beaten in 2-3 hours if played perfectly, a normal playthrough will have 15+ hours marked on your save file and 15+ more hours unaccounted for due to deaths and retries. It sounds brutal and it is but as your knowledge grows, the game continues to open up, giving you this addicting push/pull feeling of running into an obstacle, figuring it out, then running into another obstacle, etc.

The main issue I have Termina is actually that it gets a bit too easy in the last 40% or so. There's certain ways to break the combat that aren't hard to figure out. Also, while this wasn't an issue for me, it's worth noting to anyone interested in the game that it has some big content warnings attached to it. I mentioned it reminds me of Berserk for a reason.

34. Subnautica
One of the scariest horror games ever created, even thought it (initially) wasn't really advertised that way. At its heart, Subnautica is an underwater base builder game. There's some survival elements, but resources like food and air aren't really the problem. Once you get a handle on the mechanics, you'll rarely ever die to silly things like that or die at all, honestly.

It turns out that the open sea is terrifying regardless of how well-prepared you are. Going down...and down...and down...unable to see exactly where you're heading...visibility low...home base getting farther and farther away...something stirring in the distance...

Yeah, it's bone-chilling in a way that can't be accurately described. Subnautica tabs into primal caveman fear better than any game ever released. And just for funsies, it also has giant monsters that can eat you, appearing infrequently enough that you're always lulled into a false sense of security before they show up.

33. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal / Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Back when the series was still fresh and fun. Not going to devote my limited time to describing what freaking Pokemon is to people here, but special note should be given to how you go back to the RBY's areas after beating GSC, then go on to fight Red as the final final boss. It was an absolutely mind-blowing experience, especially as a kid. Made the adventure feel infinitely more vast and important, and helped showed me what expansive worlds were capable of. Not bad for a Game Boy game.

32. Persona 4
Persona 4 used to be a lot higher on this list. I think as I've gotten older, some of the anime tropes and questionable writing choices have soured my memories of that first golden playthrough. Spoiler alert Persona 5 is not appearing on this list, in large part due to having the same issues, but magnified, and without good characters or plot to use as a smokescreen.

But that's a different conversation. Despite Persona 4's flaws, it still has a special quality to it that sets it above other JRPGs. Cast chemistry is at an all-time high here; I like the worst members of the investigation Team more than the best members of SEES or the Phantom Thieves. Persona 4 also absolutely nails its small-town atmosphere, benefiting greatly from focusing on personal characterization rather than grandiose external events. Until right before the very end of the game, P4's entire plot focuses on one ongoing supernatural murder mystery, which is a breath of fresh air in a world of RPGs with constant escalation.

Aside from its mostly strong writing, Persona 4 also retains the same addictive gameplay loop as P3. Dungeon, Social Link, Dungeon, Social Link. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The music is phenomenal as well, which seems to be a prerequisite for Persona games.

31. Pyre
It's a shame that Pyre is by far Supergiant's worst-selling game, although I get why. It's definitely the most unique title they've release. The other three Supergiant games are all solo-character action games with a 2-D isometric style. Pyre...is essentially 3 v 3 fantasy basketball.

And it's great. I'll talk about the gameplay first because it's the biggest stopping point for most people. Pyre's 'battles' take a while to get used to, but once you do, they make for an exciting combination of twitch reflexes and short-term strategizing. You have to continuously pass the 'ball' between your three characters, setting them up in proper spots to gradually advance your position, then finally, score. Do this enough times, and you win! Your reward?

You get to decide which one of your friends escapes an underground hell.

Pyre's gameplay is fun, but it's the gameplay in tandem with the narrative that makes it something special. Whenever your motley crew manages to win a Big Game, you choose one of them to ascend to the world above, freeing them from the desolate environment they've been exiled to. That character...is gone. Permanently. They're happier, probably, but you will never see them again. They can't be chosen in battles anymore, and they won't show up in cutscenes or interactions. It lends a huge amount of weight to the decision, especially in a meta sense. Helping out your favorite characters means you, the player, don't get to interact with them anymore.

Assuming you win at all. Know what's worse than losing a character you like? Losing the Big Game, and watching as someone else on a different team gets to ascend. There's a limited number of those chances in Pyre, and you can fuck up literally all of them. And even if you have a flawless record, not everyone in your main cast can benefit. At least one or two people will inevitably be left behind.

This is something that would fall flat if Pyre didn't have strong writing, but it does. There's plenty of character moments to get you invested in not just your own cast of characters, but people on the other teams too. We've got faction politics, family drama, an above-ground revolution, a brewing maybe-sorta apocalypse something for everyone. Characters and the world respond to your decisions constantly as well, even down to small details. Hades rightfully gets praised for this, but Pyre did it first.

I'll stop there because this writeup is already getting too long. Anyone who's read this is probably going to research Pyre with inflated expectations. I fully understand I care about this game more than most. But sometimes when a game resonates with you, it really resonates.

If just Baldur and one of Spiderman/RE4/FF16 makes it to the end, I don't think Tears of the Kingdom gets 50% on both of those.

I think there's a better chance of BG3 outright winning than TotK breaking 50% in the general final.

Pacing is the main reason I've held off on diving into the GAA duology. Like, all I've heard is the first entire game is poorly-paced and underwhelming. That's...not a cost-effective use of my time right now!

Very busy, so will post half the writeups today and half tomorrow.

40. Tales of Symphonia
Symphonia hit every RPG-starved-Nintendo-kid like a nuclear warhead. I fully recognize that its high position on this list is largely due to the massive nostalgia I have for it. Back then, especially in circles on B8, this game felt like an event.

Has it held up now that I've gone on to play a ton of other RPGs?...Honestly, more than one might assume. Tales of Symphonia does a lot right. The story, while containing many cliches, mixes them together in a way that feels interesting. It gets some criticism for being very similar to FFX in certain ways, but past the halfway point I think the plot diverges into something wholly unique. This is helped by the charming cast of characters, who have strong personalities that play off each other in fun ways.

Everything else is done well too. The battle system has been iterated upon and eclipsed by later Tales entries, but it's still more fun than the majority of RPGs coming out today. The music is Sakuraba's best. The pacing is strong throughout. While Symphonia is somewhat lacking in big standout moments, at its core, I think almost everything about the game is at least above-average.

Its biggest issue by far is age. This is definitely an early 2000s game in terms of presentation and cutscene direction. It desperately needs a remake. Like, a good remake; not a shoddy port that's worse than the original.

39. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
I've played a lot of open-world games. I've played a lot of Zelda games. Despite that, Breath of the Wild still felt special. I loved exploring every corner of the world, playing with the physics, and uncovering the nonlinear story. I even liked weapon durability, as it forced me to continuously try out new things inside of forever sticking with whatever sword had the best stats. There was an indefinable joy to messing around in BotW that few other games have managed to capture. I have fond memories of sitting near a fireplace in winter, jacket on, gliding through the air as I searched for new oddities to discover. To me, that represents the essence of this game.

Short writeup, but I don't have much else to say. Some things you just vibe with.

38. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
The game that introduced B8 to its mascot. As a Day 1 adopter, I knew Phoenix Wright was going to be special the moment they started playing awful puns completely straight in Case 1-1. The rest, as we say, is history.

Future games in the series have exceeded the original in complexity, but honestly, I'm not sure that's a good thing. Pacing in Ace Attorney has gotten pretty rough as of late. AA1 delivers almost as many jaw-dropping moments as its successors while also respecting your time (Case 5 aside). 1-4 isn't my favorite case ever, but it's what I would choose if I had to pick an objective best case that is the ultimate total package of what AA is meant to achieve. Edgeworth is at his best in AA1, and so is Phoenix, in some respects.

There are some flaws. Case 1-2's ending is limp and unsatisfying. Case 1-5 has bad pacing - rather telling that it was written well after AA1 originally released. Overall, though, this is maybe the most consistent game in the series.

37. Dishonored 1 & 2
Mostly Dishonored 2. Dishonored 1 has a slightly better atmosphere and felt more fresh, but Dishonored 2 has probably my favorite stealth gameplay of all time. For context: I played D2 on PC shortly after it came out. The port was poorly optimized on launch. My PC was also underpowered. I had to fiddle with the settings for a while to consistently get an FPS of 25, and it would gradually get worse as I played, resulting in me needing to hard reset the game every hour or so because loading times became ridiculous.

I still absolutely loved playing Dishonored 2. No series does stealth better (at least stealth with fantasy powers). Emily's Spiderman-esque powers were super fun to use. I actually thought the plot was kind of dumb, but who cares when D2 has two of the best levels in any game I've ever played? The clockwork fortress and the time travel mansion were incredible. I'd play Dishonored 3 in a heartbeat, especially since the stealth genre is mostly dead and starved for blood.

36. Deadly Premonition
I can't explain what makes Deadly Premonition so good without sounding kinda like a lunatic.

'It's like Twin Peaks' is part of it. That vibe is lovingly recreated while still putting its own spin on things. But in terms of combat, and frame rate, and quest design, and car controls, and lots of design choices that are important to games as a medium? Deadly Premonition fails. It legitimately does not do a lot of things correctly. People that try to extol this game usually to default to the tagline: So Bad It's Good, because the kind of shorthand language necessary to explain what made Deadly Premonition resonate with people sounds obtuse and pretentious.

But I'll try. To start with, Deadly Premonition does have some genuinely strong aspects to it. The music and sound design are extremely proficient at setting the mood, with some songs like Life is Beautiful being very memorable. Additionally, the voice acting and character performances are fantastic. Anyone that's supposed to sound normal sounds normal, and anyone that's supposed to sound offputting sounds weird as hell. York is a standout his VA perfectly encapsulates the off-kilter charisma a character like him needs. Finally, the plot is entertaining throughout, building to an extremely memorable conclusion that I think about to this day.

As for all the bad stuff? Honestly, Deadly Premonition might be a worse game if it was slick and polished. Nothing is detrimental enough that it ruins the experience, and all the little gripes you have while playing just turn into memorable quirks. Sure the combat sucks, and the driving has the literal worst car controls I've ever played, and sometimes the faces look like they were animated by one dude in Gmod. But remembering those parts just makes me smile. The game's atmosphere is intentionally bizarre and invites you to blur your preconceptions of reality, so sure, it makes total sense that York needs to shower or else flies will start swarming you in cutscenes. That's just how his world operates.

In the simplest possible terms, Deadly Premonition is far more than the sum of its parts. We don't talk about the sequel though.

Round 7 Results

--

12 people submitted guesses.
The most common score was 8 / 10.
The average score was 8 / 10. Exactly.

Yeah I definitely made this one too easy. Two questions ended up being significantly harder than everything else.

The most interesting bit of data is actually that two of the people who scored 9/10 missed a question that no one else did.

--

Hint:
31. My favorite Supergiant game. Reminder: Hades was already on the list.

Answers:
Pyre 5
Bastion 5
Transistor 2

I feel kind of bad for this one, because I used to talk up Bastion when it came out but haven't mentioned Pyre as much. With that said, as years have gone by, Bastion felt less special (although it barely missed the honorable mentions) while Pyre left a big mark on me.

--

Hint:
32. The truth is shrouded in fog. Reach out to it.

Answers:
Persona 4 11
Genshin Impact 1

Probably made this too on-the-nose with 'reach out to it'.

--

Hint:
33. A sequel where after beating it once, you get to revisit the map of the first game, then fight the original main character as the final boss.

Answers:
Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal 11
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow 1

Dawn of Sorrow was not a guess I would have expected, but it actually fits!

--

Hint:
34. Didn't have thalassophobia before? Well, now you do!

Answers:
Subnautica 10
Soma 1

Fuck the Reaper Leviathans.

--

Hint:
35. Inspired by Majora's Mask, which the title makes extremely clear.

Answers:
Fear & Hunger 2: Termina 3
Kena: Bridge of Spirits 2
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 1
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII 1
Witcher 3 1
UNSIGHTED 1
Torment: Tides of Numenara 1
Raging Loop 1

The bloodbath question of this round. Interesting guesses all-around, but only one game literally has Termina in the title.

--

Hint:
36. F...K...in the coffee...

Answers:
Deadly Premonition 12

Knew this hint was too easy, but I couldn't resist.

--

Hint:
37. A duology of stealth games. The first game had one playable character, and its sequel had two. Not counting DLC for this hint.

Answers:
Dishonored 9
Metal Gear Solid 2
Tenchu 1

If you didn't know Dishonored, this was basically 'pick a stealth game and pray'.

--

Hint:
38. OBJECTION!

Answers:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney 12

Meant to be a freebie. Wouldn't have been a freebie if I knew how well people would do this round!

--

Hint:
39. An open world game that, after the tutorial area is over, lets you head straight for the final boss if you want.

Answers:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 11
Chrono Trigger 1

I'll let one submitter speak for themselves:
"can't wait to regret not just going with a safe BotW pick for #39!"

--

Hint:
40. The main character legitimately believes that a dual-sword style is inherently better than a single-sword style, because two swords must be twice as strong as one.

Answers:
Tales of Symphonia 12

This one really surprised me. Didn't know that Lloyd's flawless logic was that well-remembered here.

--

Which makes the Mac Arrowny the winner of Round 7, with a score of 10/10! The only perfect score, actually, despite how well everyone did. I think at this point Mac has earned enough prize winnings for a celebratory dinner at a low scale restaurant.

Game writeups will be posted either later today or tomorrow.

Raeliana has an actual good ending, so I hope it gets a S2 as well. If not, the webtoon is there for you.

Yeah, thanks for hosting!

Thanks for letting me vicariously experience Bloodborne again, your hype mirrored mine when I first played it.

Bit swamped with work right now, but I'll post the results as soon as I can. If someone sneaks in a last-minute submission I'll probably count it unless I'm seconds away from posting.

kevwaffles posted...

That said, DS3 was especially snubbed. I don't know how much you can blame any one other game for that. You remove everything above it and decent chance Inside wins bigger. I don't really get it.

From got shut out pretty badly until Sekiro. Even then, despite Sekiro winning the overall Game of the Year award, it only got 3rd in total awards across publications, losing to Death Stranding and RE2Make.

Then Elden Ring happened and the dam broke. Elden Ring actually holds the clear record for the most consensus GotY pick across all websites, winning 73% of outlets. Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild 'only' got 57%.

I'm partial to the Kos Parasite. It's not very good but it's hilarious.

kevwaffles posted...

Not even close. Overwatch cleaned up that year. It's hard to imagine that anymore but it was all anyone was talking about that year.

Objection!

https://goty.gamefa.com/year/2016/
https://gotypicks.blogspot.com/2016/09/2016-game-of-year.html

Overwatch may have been the #2 winner that year in total awards, but despite it being a cultural multiplayer phenomenon, Naughty Dog's cinematic presentation resonated more with critics.

Side note - playing Lies of P now, and this shit rules. Outside of a spotty localization I think it's the first Soulslike that's worthy of standing beside the From Soft games. Probably not best to play it right after Bloodborne, but for me it's scratching that itch.

kevwaffles posted...

I think you might be overestimating how well anything else besides Uncharted 2 specifically has done for them in the accolades department.

Uncharted 4 won the most awards the year it came out. So did TLOU2, although From didn't release a game that year.

It took From Software until Sekiro to win the Game of the Year award. Gaming critics alternated between giving it to Naughty Dog and Insert Popular WRPG for years before finally throwing in the towel.

Although notably enough, Demon Souls won Gamespot's personal GotY award over Uncharted 2 back in the day, which is a decision that has aged like fine wine.

Laurence is honestly the only boss fight in BB that I don't like. Orphan of Kos, though, is probably my favorite fight in any From game period. Those screams are ingrained into my soul.

YEEEEOOOOOWW

Maria has S+ atmosphere but she felt a bit too easy to be the absolute best boss fight. I need that combination of atmosphere and getting my ass kicked.

MrSmartGuy posted...

The Old Hunters is far and away my favorite DLC of all-time. The only thing that even comes close is Outer Wilds'.

This is so accurate it hurts.

TomNook7 posted...

Its crazy to me the Elden Ring dlc has been in development for almost a year. Like what are they even cooking up over there??

But yeah this is already top dlc. Smash ultimate is up there too. I never got around to the outer wilds dlc because that final run is too hard to replicate lol. I can never get that damn portal to work right

I would recommend doing The Outer Wilds' DLC eventually. It can be done as its own thing without needing to do replicate that final run.

And up. Will give this two more days.

up

UshiromiyaEva posted...

Not even getting into Gege's current reputation about how he treats his female characters, I don't think the shock value is worth removing one of only 3 non-antagonist characters that I think are even good in the entire cast of JJK anymore up until the point I dropped it. It's not like it was entirely on her shoulders, but it's certainly a contributing reason to why I think that JJK was fucking terrible for a solid 2 years after that other than the Zenin arc, which was absolutely baffling after putting out one of the single greatest arcs I've ever seen in a modern, or even older, Shounen.

This plot point actually prevented me from getting into JJK, and based on the stuff that came after I made the right call.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dick-durbin-judiciary-committee-biden-judges_n_6568fef4e4b066e398b6fb64

Worth reading through. It's not long and there's a bunch of choice quotes.

Ding dong the bastard is dead

Round 7 Hints

31. My favorite Supergiant game. Reminder: Hades was already on the list.

32. The truth is shrouded in fog. Reach out to it.

33. A sequel where after beating it once, you get to revisit the map of the first game, then fight the original main character as the final boss.

34. Didn't have thalassophobia before? Well, now you do!

35. Inspired by Majora's Mask, which the title makes extremely clear.

36. F...K...in the coffee...

37. A duology of stealth games. The first game had one playable character, and its sequel had two. Not counting DLC for this hint.

38. OBJECTION!

39. An open world game that, after the tutorial area is over, lets you head straight for the final boss if you want.

40. The main character legitimately believes that a dual-sword style is inherently better than a single-sword style, because two swords must be twice as strong as one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uKIeamPi2Y

Cast chemistry is a good buzzword. I should use that! Agree that FFX does that well, too. Even the characters that don't really stand out on their own have good interactions.

MacArrowny posted...

The finger guns sequence is one of the best scenes in a game.

Tales has like 5 memorable sequences that I could potentially call the best scene in the game. That's definitely one of them.

45. Hi-Fi Rush
Rhythm May Cry really is the best way to describe this. I love rhythm games, and I love character action games, so naturally I was immediately interested in Hi-Fi Rush. Shoving two great things together always ends up working out, right?

Thankfully, this time it did. Hi-Fi Rush is a fantastic aesthetic experience. Its visual style is colorful and appealing to look at, the writing is genuinely funny, the voice acting is top notch, and the licensed music was perfectly chosen. This game is the closest you'll get to playing a Saturday Morning Cartoon. There actually are some animated cutscenes in the game to fit the theme, which look great and they still feel like a downgrade, because the in-game art style is just that good.

The gameplay doesn't quite meet the standards of the best character action games, but it's still a lot of fun. You've got your dodges, parries, combos, and enemies that are (mostly) well-designed. Hi-Fi Rush's big gimmick is that buttons need to be pressed on the beat of a rhythm, which takes some getting used to but feels amazing when you get the hang of it.

That isn't to say the game is without flaws. The the platforming feels sub-par, which sucks because there's a surprising amount of platforming. It also took me a while to get immersed in the cast of characters, although I quite liked them by the end. Other than that, though, any complaints I could have would feel like nitpicking. Fingers crossed for a sequel.

44. Fate/Stay Night
Putting this above Umineko feels wrong, but Fate/Stay Night didn't shit the bed in its final act, so here we are.

FSN has retained a surprisingly large spot in my mind ever since I played it...15 years ago? Jesus Christ I'm old. Anyway, there's a lot about the story that feels inherently memorable. The Holy Grail War is such a fantastic framing device that it spawned a major gacha the second the series branched out. Despite being a Visual Novel, the action sequences are legitimately thrilling, moreso than most actual action games. The characters are also nuanced, with flaws and quirks and development and all that good stuff.

Its protagonist Emiya Shirou is the secret sauce that brings everything together, though. He's rarely someone's favorite character after finishing the game he wasn't mine but his warped ideology and how each route affects it differently is what drives most of the story engagement. Unfortunately the anime adaptation didn't do him justice, so his reputation has taken a hit, but at least I still remember OG VN Shirou.

Even if he did spend most of the third route cooking. Is it even worth mentioning FSN's pacing issues? Like, it's a problem, but every damn Visual Novel seems to have pacing issues as well. I legitimately can't think of one that doesn't fumble this outside of the original Phoenix Wright trilogy. I'm used to it by now and in a weird way, the long stretches of buildup make the moments of climax stand out that much more.

43. Alien: Isolation
Tension: the game.

There's not much to talk about here. Alien Isolation's story and characters are excuses for the setting. I don't remember any of its music. The franchise isn't one I'm super attached to.

But goddamn did it deliver in the only way that mattered. Alien Isolation's gameplay amounts to an extended, ~20 hour long horror stealth sequence, and it does that really well. The Alien pursues, and you hide. The Alien adapts, and you adapt as well or die. There's honestly not that much variety to it, but the core mechanics were so perfect that I didn't care. This game hit the ideal balance of scaring the daylights out of me and presenting a challenge that can be overcome. I want to replay it in VR someday.

42. Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
The 'objective' best Ace Attorney game. If you polled the fanbase, I think maybe 70% of them would choose this as their favorite, which is insane for a series with like 10 games. AA3 is all killer, no filler. Every case is good at minimum, amazing at best, and the its overarching narrative builds up is super memorable. Part of that is thanks to *INSERT SPOILERS*, who is potentially the best villain in the series.

What keeps it below AA1 for me is that I don't like 3-5 nearly as much as most people. When I first played that case, the ending kind of underwhelmed me. Still good, but didn't hit my emotions quite where I wanted it to.

P.S. Since there's no natural place on the list to mention this...if I were to isolate 2-4 and ignore the rest of Justice For All, it might have made my Top 50 on its own. Best case, incredible experience. Nothing else in AA has come anywhere close to eliciting the emotional response that 2-4 did.

41. Crystal Project
I don't think it's possible to make a better 2D JRPG battle system than Crystal Project.

Bold claim, I'm aware, but I believe it. Adding MMORPG-style enmity to turn-based combat was a stroke of genius. It means you can't just do the basic damage->heal->damage->heal; you need to actually pay attention to what characters the enemies are going to target, then manage your threat levels accordingly. It adds a huge layer of strategy, especially on Hard mode, where one mistake can result in defeat.

The job system is also the only job system I've legitimately loved. It's easy to switch things up without endless grinding, and it highly rewards creativity, encouraging you to test different abilities and party formations. After Crystal Project, something like the job system in FF5 or FFT would feel like a massive chore to revisit.

Finally, there's the more contentious aspect of the game: its heavy focus on weird-ass pixel platforming. Personally, I think it significantly adds to the experience. Exploring the world and looking for potential pathways had me canvassing every inch of the map. A lot of people will completely bounce off this element, though, which is understandable. It's simply not what many are looking for in a 2D JRPG.

Overall, this game perfected the genre for me at least its gameplay. The story is largely nonexistent, but who cares when there's fantastic exploration and fascinating combat?...Okay most RPG fans would probably care, but I was too busy sinking 80+ hours into Crystal Project to be particularly upset about its paper-thin writing.

--

Round 7 hints will be posted in a few hours.

Emulator speed-up is a thing of beauty for old games.

azuarc posted...

Welp, I got wrecked here. Forgot case 4 of AA3. Knew nothing about F/SN. Knew nothing about P3 (and google pointed me at P5.) And was apparently the only person who didn't know that was Earthbound. I also lost all the toss-ups, after assuming TFTB would be the correct choice.

Guess I should give up hope for snatching one of these after a rout that bad.

For the record, I really do appreciate everyone's participation. This topic has been a lot more popular than I thought it would. I hope no one gets discouraged from not winning because they couldn't decipher my wackadoo hints.

50. Earthbound
It's hard to describe what makes Earthbound good to someone who doesn't get it. The game lives and dies on vibes. 'Quirky' as a descriptor comes to mind, but I think that's actually underselling the completely unique atmosphere that Earthbound exudes. Even the games that it inspired never managed to fully recapture its tone. Earthbound is silly, serious, nostalgic, thought-provoking, banal, whimsical, clever, ridiculous, stupid, and plenty of other adjectives. Thinking about everything really makes me want to replay it, just so I can experience those vibes again.

Notice how I haven't mentioned the gameplay, yet though? I'm a bigger fan of Earthbound's combat than most the rolling HP is a fun gimmick but it's still an old JRPG with all the downsides therein. Inventory management is a chore, battles are too slow, and world traversal is especially too slow. Ness feels like he moves at a snail's pace. Some games benefit from forcing the player to stop and smell the roses, but I'm not sure Earthbound does. This is by far the biggest problem with the game, and is what keeps it from having mainstream appeal to this day.

I can't end the writeup without mentioning its final boss. For a while, I considered it the best final boss I'd ever encountered. Giygas has been dethroned since then, and the things that made that fight special were copied repeatedly by other games, but it's still an incredible feat for an SNES title.

49. CrossCode
CrossCode is a weird game for me, because the first half probably doesn't make this list. It's a solid experience, don't get me wrong. CrossCode deftly combines charming writing, interesting puzzles, and pretty decent combat. The gimmick of having an actual silent protagonist is well-implemented too. However, the story and setting lacked a sense of gravitas, so it has hard for me to get truly invested in the game. I considered dropping it after a solid chunk of time, feeling like I'd seen all it had to offer.

Then I got to the mid-game twist.

Calling it a twist is doing it a disservice, actually. It's more like a series of repeated plot developments and gut punches that radically altered my perception of the game, culminating in one of the most exhilarating sequences in anything I've played. Nothing in CrossCode ever matches this height again, but it couldn't possibly, and it didn't need to. I was extremely invested in everything that happened afterwards.

...Then it stumbles with the very late-game puzzles. Those things are the most ridiculously difficult puzzles I've ever seen. The timing and planning required on them is bonkers. I used a step-by-step youtube guide so I could get past them, and I don't regret it. The ending was great outside of that though!

48. Persona 3: FES
The game that launched gaming's current JRPG darling franchise. I mean, I guess Persona 1 and 2 technically exist, but you get what I mean.

Persona's core loop is extremely addicting. Story feeds into gameplay which feeds into story. Social Links were a genius idea for getting the player invested in the world and dialogue. The calendar system is engaging without being stressful. Its battle system...isn't very interesting, but is balanced out by the other half of the loop, so it never gets outright boring. There's a reason this series has continuously grown in popularity for over a decade.

Persona 3 also has blatant flaws. It lacks the quality-of-life upgrades of its successors, half the Social Links feel underwritten, and its sole dungeon is essentially just a series of hallways. The cast and plot aren't that great either, which is kind of important for an RPG. I fully recognize that my enduring appreciation for P3 partially comes from how it was the first in the series that I played, meaning it felt incredibly fresh and exciting at the time.

With that said, it's time for my favorite buzzword to excuse a game's issues: atmosphere. Persona 3 nails several different atmosphere, which few game are capable of doing. It blends urban city life and existential melancholy in a way that feels special. Much of the heavy lifting there goes to the music, which is excellent. And while Tartarus is repetitive, it's honestly worth it for that moment where you finally reach the top.

The remake looks good, but I'll be probably pass on it. I don't think a replay of P3, even an upgraded P3, will be better than my Memories Of The City.

47. Final Fantasy X
I don't think Square knows how to make a game like FFX anymore. Actually, let me revise that: this is the one time they were firing on all cylinders and managed to make a game like FFX. It's the most balanced, well-paced Final Fantasy experience in the entire series. The plot is always moving forward at a steady pace, yet it avoids feeling like FF13's linear hallways. The battle system is turned based, but never feels slow, and has plenty of intuitive strategies for players to develop. The music is memorable, and the characters are mostly great, with Tidus and Auron as the standouts. FFX kind of does everything right. Except Blitzball, but you can ignore that if you want.

Like, have you seen FFX's sequels and spinoffs? That's what happens when Square tries to draw from this well again. It's embarrassing. The longer Square goes with inconsistent output, the more FFX feels like a happy accident.

The game's biggest issue is honestly its age. FFX suffers from being an early PS2-era release. Character animations in cutscenes look stiff, and the voice acting is inconsistent. Presentation that was revolutionary back in the day no longer is. For a game that focuses so heavily on storytelling, this is a problem when trying to revisit it. The core narrative of FFX is strong enough to overcome that hurdle, but it's definitely an issue.

Lastly...the laughing scene was well-acted, and the internet turning it into a meme is simultaneously funny and annoying.

46. Tales from the Borderlands
Telltale is notorious for none of their games living up to The Walking Dead Season 1. Borderlands is notorious for overly-quirky writing that ages worse with each year. So what happens when you make a Telltale game based off of Borderlands?

You get a miracle, essentially. Tales from the Borderlands has no right to be as good as it is. My personal experience with Borderlands before this were a few sessions of Borderlands 2 co-op with friends, which while fun, were fun mostly because it was co-op with friends. I came out of those sessions with very little respect for the world and writing of Borderlands as a whole. Heck, I'm not even sure why I bothered getting Tales.

But man is it just a blast to experience. The characters are all fantastic, especially the two main leads and a third who I will refrain from mentioning. The quirky humor is toned down to a point where it's actually funny. The story starts out as a more basic (but entertaining) heist thriller, then proceeds to reach emotional heights I didn't think were possible from this franchise. I'm being vague on purpose here, as I care enough about this game to not want to spoil it. I would easily recommend Tales to anyone, including people with zero knowledge of Borderlands.

Then Borderlands 3 re-used some of the Tales characters and it sucked. Then Tales from the Borderlands 2 came out and it sucked even worse. Tales 1 really was a miracle, and I'm happy it exists.

Alien Isolation suffered from following up Alien Colonel Marines, which was the definition of licensed crap.

Round 6 Results

--

10 people submitted guesses.
The most common score was 6 / 10.
The average score was 5.9 / 10.

This round was all over the place. Pretty even distribution of low, mediums, and highs.

--

Hint:
41. I made a short playthrough topic of it recently. Indie game. Two word title. The first word is 'Crystal'. It's obscure enough that if I don't make the hints this direct, no one will get it.

Answers:
Crystal Project 9

I, uh...forgot a certain website existed.

--

Hint:
42. The third game in a series. At the time, was meant to be its finale. Be careful crossing that bridge...it doesn't look very sturdy.

Answers:
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials & Tribulations 5
Uncharted 3 1
Dark Souls III 1
Mass Effect 3 1
Metal Gear Solid 3 1
Halo 3 1

Some decent guesses, but AA3 was the right answer. Had to keep it relatively vague due to how well-known the series is here!

--

Hint:
43. Survival horror...in space!

Answers:
Dead Space 8
Returnal 1
Alien: Isolation 1

Figured this one would trip people up, but I'm surprised only one person went for the less obvious guess.

--

Hint:
44. A cooking Visual Novel occasionally broken up by urban fantasy drama and high-octane fight scenes...wait, you mean the cooking wasn't the point? Then why did we spend half of Route 3 in the kitchen?

Answers:
Fate/Stay Night 5
Cooking Companions 2
Dishonored 2 1

This was a real 'if you know, you know' hint, based on an in-fanbase joke. Two people didn't even bother guessing. Half of you still got it right, though.

--

Hint:
45. Rhythm May Cry

Answers:
Hi-Fi Rush 8
Bayonetta 3 1

Intended freebie.

--

Hint:
46. The best Telltale game. Ironically, was based on an existing property that I don't have a very high opinion of.

Answers:
The Walking Dead 5
Tales From the Borderlands 4
The Wolf Among Us 1

The Walking Dead was actually in the opening post honorable mentions. With that in mind, Tales was the clear main choice, unless you thought I disliked Fables or Batman or Game of Thrones.

--

Hint:
47. A 3D mainline Final Fantasy game.

Answers:
Final Fantasy X 5
Final Fantasy VII 1
Final Fantasy VII Remake 1
Final Fantasy VIII 1
Final Fantasy IX 1
Final Fantasy XIV 1

I'm surprised yet not surprised that FFX was the clear favorite despite the vague hint. Guess there's something about it that just fits at #47 on a list, at least compared to the other options.

--

Hint:
48. BABY BABY BABY BABY YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH

Answers:
Persona 3 8
Control 1
Persona 5 1

Anyone who's played this knows the lyrics. Persona 3's random battle theme is the definition of an earworm.

--

Hint:
49. An indie game with an actual silent protagonist, although they learn to speak a few words over time, most notably their name.

Answers:
Crosscode 6
Undertale 1
Ib 1
Cave Story 1

Lea?...Lea. Lea!

--

Hint:
50. The final boss was based off of an adult movie screening the head developer accidentally walked into an as a child.

Answers:
Earthbound 8
Diablo 4 1

A semi-famous piece of trivia that made the rounds back in the day.

--

Which makes the Mac Arrowny the winner of Round 6! I think that marks his second win. No lightning round necessary this time.

Game writeups will be posted tomorrow.

I have issues with Dandadan, but I'm happy for its fans, and a good anime adaptation should be able to highlight the series' strengths.

Fucking hell it's not even close.

Tearmoon is a fun series and I didn't have any problems with the way it handled things. When I say nonsensical, I'm talking like 'random heart attacks on people whose death was prevented' or just straight-up mind control.

Robazoid posted...

My biggest complaint was that she acted like it was inevitable that she would eventually turn into an evil queen and need to be killed....Why are you still assuming there will be a bad end?

This is an issue with the villainess isekai genre as a whole (I've read far too many of them). Lots of protagonists stay laser-focused on the plot being fate/unavoidable even when that's clearly not the case and they've derailed canon so badly it's in another hemisphere by now.

The most frustrating stories are the ones where they turn out to be right, though. Like the world nonsensically adjusting itself to get back on track.

I read some of the manga and bounced off it much like Overlord. Think I'm just not into stories where the main character is genuinely the bad guy and kills lots of innocent people. Anti-hero? Great. Misunderstood hero? Even better. Ruthless-for-questionable reasons protagonist? I think that can work great if it's built up to over time as character degradation, but otherwise...

Gonna leave this open for a few more days to see if we can get more submissions. Figure people are busy with Thanksgiving weekend stuff.

Aaaand up.

I was pretty conservative with my materials, so I got to try out all the weapons guilt-free. I get why it'd be a problem for most people though.

The one biggest flaw of BB from my perspective was the Blood Vial system. It's strictly inferior to Estus Flasks, especially when you get hardstuck on a boss. That final DLC battle raked me over the coals.

Bump.