Lurker > Axl_Rose_85

And the booking of Malakai Black

The only complaint I have about AEW right now is that their matches can go on too long sometimes. Like Bryan/Omega or World Championship matches lasting 30-40mins is completely fine but Jesus Christ, Punk/QT does not need to be this long.

Holy fuck the Punk/MJF promo was the best wrestling promo since.... Punk/Rock.

And it was better.

Edit: It was like 20mins and I swear it did not feel like one.

I've always been in favor of WWE over AEW simply because WWE had way more star power and that naturally made you care more about the product. It obviously more established and the titles were more prestigious despite poor booking decisions and short term repetitive matches week in and week out.

Now however, I can safely say that AEW is the better product. I look forward to Dynamite more than Smackdown. I'm thoroughly invested in both the mid and upper card in AEW whereas in WWE, it is only the upper card that I care about. And why should I care about the midcard in WWE? They treat their 'superstars' like a joke. They are booked so badly that I wouldn't bat an eye if they booked 6 of their midcarders in a handicap match against Brock Lesnar and Brock goes on to squash them in less than 3 minutes.

AEW has been getting it right, especially this year. And not because they signed CM Punk and Bryan but because they managed to make stars out of Hangman Page, MJF and Darby Allin. Even Sammy Guevara and Jungle Boy, both of whom would have been jobbers in WWE, are made to be believable threats to the upper card. It is because they booked those wrestlers really well till now. The TNT title feels like it means way more than the Intercontinental and U.S Tile. The Tag Division of AEW are leagues and leagues ahead of WWE because they don't treat tag team wrestlers like jokes or a side show. It wouldn't be unbelievable in the least if someone like Penta El Zero starts feuding with the World Champion and even wins it ultimately because he himself has been booked like a champ and not like the underling to the World champ like the Usos have been.

AEW is absolutely better than WWE this year. And this is coming from someone who's been making fun of A-E-Dub since its inception.

StartTheMachine posted...

Desperately need a replay. Is this one of those games that's basically impossible to find nowadays?

Legends on Dolphin

8.5

I love the universe that Skies of Arcadia created. The characters are charming, and the sense of adventure, exploration and mystery is similar to One Piece. Those add a lot to the otherwise simple and somewhat cliche JRPG plot.

2

Stuck out like a sore thumb for how bad it was when I did a full series replay this year.

Leon's campaign was especially bad and I've no idea why I thought that was the best part of the game when I played it for the first time years ago.

Chris' Gears of War campaign was actually the most entertaining part of the game and the story for all the wrong and hilarious reasons this time around. It is the only reason why I give the story a 2 instead of a 1.

Playing as Young Link blows as much as the early slow as molasses section of Twilight Princess, especially on replays. Water Temple ironically has become much more tolerable on replays.

5

If I had to rank OoT's story in the series, it would be somewhere in the middle. And honestly even the best Zelda stories like Wind Waker and Skyward Sword wouldn't get more than a 7-7.5 from me.

8.5

I like the story of the sequel better but Red Dead 1 is definitely 2nd in Rockstar stories.

RDR > GTA

Sky Land baybay

7.5

So entertaining and I liked the twist

7

7

A good story for what it is but possibly the weakest one FromSoftware delivered since Demon's Souls.

The game itself however has the best and most satisfying combat in any game I have played and is also overall one of the best games I've ever played.

Everytime I see Outer Wilds I always misread it as Outer Worlds.

I love Suikoden II and all the mentions it got but for me there is no way the end part matches the part from mid game to a certain infamous boss battle. It is still good but Suikoden II mid game is just god tier.

Combat and progression is quite archaic in Planescape which can understandably turn off a lot of people. Baldur's Gate II is noticeably leagues ahead in combat but Planescape trumps every game of its kind in writing and story.

I would say Persona 5 Royal but then that would be cheating since it is like rating the Dark Souls and Bloodborne DLC as the final act. Sure the bulk of the new content in Royal is incorporated into the game as the final act but it is still very much added content as good as it is.

My answer by goes to Final Fantasy X and NieR Automata as a close runner-up.

Nominate Torment: Tides of Numenera

plasmabeam posted...

Whoa @ these high ratings.

I know nothing about the game. What does it play like? Diablo?

More like Baldur's Gate and Fallout 1-2. Isometric view with serviceable combat but the main focus is on the dialogue and choices more so than the games I mentioned.

10

Can't give this story anything other than a 10. Just brilliant writing and dialogue.

Squall

10

A tale of revenge and war shrouded in a world(s) of mystery that absolutely hit all the marks in my opinion and capped off with mind-blowing revelations worthy of the "Xeno" universe. The cast is memorable with great chemistry and interaction. Melia, Dunban and Shulk are all top tier JRPG characters for me.

Squall

Leonhart4 posted...

7.5/10

Interesting way of telling a story, but it's a bit short and I don't think it hit the emotional notes for me that it was supposed to. I recognize the effort that was put into it though.

This except I give it a

6

10

My favorite game of all time and also one of my favorite stories in a video game.

Nominate Metroid Other M

4

Mostly for character interaction than the actual generic storyline

Sephiroth

6

Neutral

No

9

Squall

I nominated this game because everytime I pick it up, it would bore me to death before I eventually quit.

I think the only reason why I would want to grit my teeth and finish it once is so that I can say I beat all the Tales games released in the west.

I was hoping to get more insight on the different phases of the game. Early-game I know because I played it twice before tapping out (and I don't quit on games that easy) but Tales games have different phases. It has its usual mid game lull (lol I can't even imagine if this one has one) and usually a sub par-ish or even sometimes unnecessary final act (I'm looking at you Vesperia).

I think I just either need that jolt to give this game a proper shot one last time or just completely write it off as a waste of time and so far it is leaning heavily towards the latter.

Yes

Squall

I just need P3 FES HD Remaster and P4Golden on consoles. A P5Royal port on Switch would be nice too.

I can't even fathom Persona 6 right now but if it gets announced it is gonna top Elden Ring for my most anticipated game.

Yes

Squall

7

Exploring the wasteland in open world 3D (which was amazing for its time) and the side quests were the main draw to Fallout 3 but the main story is really good as well. It just takes a backseat to those two things.

10

Ranks 2nd for FromSoftware stories. It is close to Dark Souls and quite a margin above the rest.

Squall

Nominate The Great Ace Attorney

Genuinely curious about the quality of the story

Nah

10

3-1 is my favorite opening case in the series
3-2 is one of my favorite middle cases in the series
3-3 is ok. It has grown on me but it certainly has issues
3-4 sets up the final case perfectly
3-5 is my favorite case in the entire series

9

The overarching plot of Mass Effect 2 in the grand scheme of the trilogy is the least consequential which is why I would give it a 9. The loyalty missions however is the best part of the trilogy and character interaction is at its most consistent and strongest.

Squall
Jecht

Yeah there are definitely appearances that would be spoilery for past Yakuza games considering how some of the plot points are heavily centered around those characters in those games.

9.5

Yakuza: Like a Dragon makes a naturally beautiful transition from Beat em'up to Turn Based JRPG and of course its drama, over the top action and incredible character interaction, familiar to past games of the series, doesnt miss a single beat. I would say, especially the beginning and end game took me on an emotional roller coaster ride like few video game stories have and also absolutely managed to stick its landing.

The somewhat mid game lull is the only reason I docked half a point but Yakuza mid game lulls are nothing of the sort of how Tales game mid game lulls usually are, so it should be made clear that it isnt anything like that. Like a Dragon personally for me has higher highs than even the series' pinnacle Yakuza 0 but it isnt quite as tightly paced as that game unfortunately because of certain fluff that are there to simply make the game longer (which are present in most JRPGs to be fair). Overall though it is a fantastic package that I recommend to series fan, JRPG fans and people sinply looking for an emotional and engaging story in video game.

Also, Ichiban Kasuga despite his scruffy hobo gangster looks on the exterior has this infectious kindess and compassion to him that makes him my personal breakout main character of the last generation of video games and is the perfect example of dont judge a book by its cover.

Absolutely

Yes