#176 – Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
I didn’t really think the GTA series could improve upon Vice City, at least not with the PS2 engine. I was wrong but since I’ve never been huge on GTA, I was probably one of the few gamers who actually thought SA wouldn’t be all that good. My initial impression was the same as Vice City. I didn’t think the plot would be all that great but it turned out to be quite decent and the characters in SA appealed to me much more than either Vice City or GTAIII (CJ >Vercetti >Mute MC). Vice City improved on GTAIII by quite a margin but it still failed to make me fall in love with such an acclaimed series. I didn’t think San Andreas could improve by as much of a difference between Vice City and GTAIII but the game surprised me and was actually entertaining. GTA:SA deserves to be placed this high just because it was and still is the height of its genre (Better than GTAIV). I’ll never to this day know what the craze is over the series but I can’t deny the fact that the GTA series has left its landmark on the gaming industries. San Andreas is a quality game but like all its predecessors (GTAIII, Vice City) and its successor (GTAIV) it is one of the most overrated games of all time.
#175 – Dragon Quest VII – Warriors of Eden (Jap Title – DW7 in U.S) (PS1)
I hate calling the Dragon Quest series Dragon Warrior so I’ll just call this game DQ7. DQ7 is quite possibly one of the longest if not the longest RPG I’ve ever played and trust me I’ve played a LOT of them. The DQ series’ charm remains with its medieval fantasy world and its traditional turn-based style of play. DQ7 does not deviate from the series’ bread and butter but expands upon it. The plot like most DQ is not the strong point of the game and neither are the characters. The fun of DQ7 lies upon the journey and the exploration. Although a grind fest, DQ7 remains fun with a more polished job system of DQ6’s and fighting the monsters in the DQ Universe is always one of the series’ high points. Let me warn fellow gamers that this game isn’t for everyone. From my point of view, I don’t think this is a very good game for RPG beginners because it is a moderately difficult game (Most RPGs just tends to hold your hand, this one doesn’t) even for the experienced RPG gamers. The graphics are also… well hideous but if you can look past that you just might enjoy the game like I did. But don’t listen to me, I’ve always been in love with the DQ series ^_^
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