Board 8 > transience's top 100 games -- 2020 edition.

(+) Yeah! (+)

and here's the one I wrote up and deleted because I skipped one. warning: the 60s are jrpg heaven. it's just how the numbers worked out this year we'll get past this, I promise!

68.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8ZouXpUC4g

2001
GBC

Monsters 2 takes the excellent Monsters 1 and just adds way more stuff. Way more monsters, new monster families, equipment for your monsters, a fully fleshed out world map and then essentially infinite subworlds in the form of magic keys. Its a great product for fans of the original since it just supersizes whats already there.

Monsters 2 continues what made Monsters 1 great: its super fun to breed monsters and go from a pathetic slime to a maxed out superboss. This game gets more into the postgame content than the original did, and for those crazy people like me, there are fun hard mode hacks that really force you to breed well and let you get access to some of the super late game monsters easier. That stuff is great for a Monsters addict like me.

Monsters 2 pushes the series forward, but does a lot that Im not actually interested in. The game adds a storyline as opposed to just randomized dungeons forever, but Im not coming to this series to hit trigger points and figure out what to do next. I like just breeding monsters, and while theres way more content to be had here, Im totally fine with the old list of guys. DW Monsters isnt a catch em all kind of game since the focus is on breeding them together. Youre not putting them in a box to gaze at them endlessly. The old game is my Pokemon Red, so to speak, and this one is more like Gold.

I still love this game though. Its weird. Monsters 2 is completely competent and is a game I will gladly sink dozens of hours into, but when it comes down to it, I might as well play the original which is much higher on this list.

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transience posted...

For those who don't know me, I mostly like jrpgs, platformers/metroidvanias and indie games.

this is pretty much my exact taste in games (except also PW-like "visual novels") so just know that even if i don't always post in your topics i am usually reading them and trusting your opinions =)

I feel like I've always been B8's #1 DD fan. I think the individual case quality is so high. I love 5-2, 5-3, 5-5, and 5-6. Even 5-4 offers something unique to the series despite its flaws. 5-1 is the only real dud in the game, in my opinion.

And Blackquill quickly became one of my favorite characters in the series. He was definitely a return to form as a strong rival character after how nothing Klavier was. While Apollo gets pushed to the side for a lot of the game, I still think DD did a ton to improve his standing with the fanbase. Blackquill was the perfect rival character for him in particular. That's my second favorite attorney/prosecutor dynamic (after Phoenix/Edgeworth, naturally).

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DQM2! Yay!

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transience posted...

W Monsters isnt a catch em all kind of game since the focus is on breeding them together. Youre not putting them in a box to gaze at them endlessly.

And yet I was compelled to breed em all!

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LordoftheMorons posted...

And yet I was compelled to breed em all!

just curious, how old were you?

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10 I guess?

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thats what I figured :) my son would do the same. I cant imagine doing that with no reason for it today.

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Dels posted...

this is pretty much my exact taste in games (except also PW-like "visual novels") so just know that even if i don't always post in your topics i am usually reading them and trusting your opinions =)

it's kind of funny because I think tran and I tend to like all the same genres but we like them for entirely different reasons so our tastes don't line up all that much

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I'm a little late, but I loved Dual Destinies. Mostly because I thought Athena was a great addition.

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LeonhartFour posted...

it's kind of funny because I think tran and I tend to like all the same genres but we like them for entirely different reasons so our tastes don't line up all that much

yeah thats sorta true. it makes us a good pair.

Im also of a different game playing generation from you so my formative experiences are a lot different than yours. I go back to the NES whereas youre more coming of age around the SNES and PS1.

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Yeah, that's true. There's enough of an age gap that we were on different consoles at our phases of life. My early childhood was the SNES and the Genesis. Then my adolescent years were the N64, PS1, PS2, and GameCube.

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67.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgYaD8xXiQ

2015
PC, Vita, PS4, Switch

A rhythm roguelike doesnt work if it has bad music, and indeed, Necrodancers songs really slam. It isnt just the music. The sound effects, the visual look of the game, and the general dance aesthetic is just so damn good. It all works together to feel great.

But it also doesnt work if its easy to play. You need that difficulty to make the rhythm aspects feel good when you nail the patterns and the beat all at once. When youre dancing alongside a dangerous miniboss, Necrodacer can feel zen-like.

I suck at this game and thats okay. I kind of love how brutal it is. I played the demo of Cadence of Hyrule and it just felt too permanent and too relaxing. I love the stress that Necrodancer brings, that feeling that Im going to die and its just a matter of how long I can hold on.


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I also suck at Necrodancer. I found Cadence of Hyrule to be a lot easier!

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that's why I prefer Necrodancer!

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66.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOE_fLX2JsY

1992
NES, GBC

This is easily the most influential game in the DQ series. Its the first game in the series that feels modern, and the class system is a great addition, especially class changes. The spell list greatly expands from the basics to essentially what still lives on today. You get Pachisi, day/night cycles, mini-medals (in the GBC remake anyway), the monster arena, etc etc. If this game came out in 1988 in NA instead of 1992, wed think quite a bit differently about Dragon Quest here.

The first handful of hours are super fun as youre building up your guys and exploring a huge world map. It has the charm of the original but with much more depth as you slowly expand your footprint across the first major continent.

About halfway through, you go on an orb hunt that really kills the momentum. Wandering around the world on a ship trying to find the right threads to find the orbs is the games one real weak point. It can turn into FAQ bait if youre not patient. Thats what keeps this game out of my top 30, honestly.

The end of the game ties in to the first two games in a surprisingly poignant way, especially for someone like me who holds the nostalgia of the original Dragon Warrior in such high regard. This game really cemented Dragon Quest as an all time series.

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Love the DQ series so much

IIIs not that high in my rankings, but its still a great game

Actually, lets see...
7 > 6 > 5 > 8 > 4 > 3 > 9 > 2 > 1

But I love all of them. Need to go back and finish the postgame in 11 before I rank it, but itll probably go either before or after 8.

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This is the sort of Quality Content that whispers into my ear return home.

the prodigal son of top 100s comes home

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As someone who has never played a dragon quest game ever, 8 > 11 > 5 > the rest, in terms of how interested I am in dedicating a precious 50+ hours to

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7 is definitely not a game that Id try to pitch to someone as their first DQ; its very divisive!
Its my favorite game of all time, though. 5, 8, and 11 are indeed the games that Id guess have the broadest appeal.

Also 5 is definitely shorter than 50 hours and 8 and 11 are longer

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I really dont like DQ7. I was okay with it in 2001 but I played the remake last year and whoa, I am not as forgiving now as I was then.

aitch emm is a lot more positive on it than I am

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So far, this list feels so comprehensively you. Its like a nostalgic ride through all the years Ive known and talked about games with you, which is maybe the best thing about a new top 100 in 2019! That 100-89 segment has some games of a specific era, love it! Mega Man Maker is forever.

Ive have to see if I can surprise you! you know me so well gameswise that you know what to expect. maybe the next couple will throw you.

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That DQ7 remake landed at such a prime moment for me. Im not sure if it would hit as hard if I had tried to play at any other time than when I did. It has such glacial pacing, and obscene time commitment, that I would never try to convince someone to give into its charms, but man, there was something about the cyclical routine of solving isolated crises every couple of days that really landed and spoke to me a couple years ago. Not sure I would ever even play it again, might taint the warm memories!

I just absolutely love the structure of the game. I've never seen another game try anything like it.

There's no doubt that it's slow paced, though!

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Haha, Im sure there are some curve balls here and there, but I am all the way in regardless! Ive been enjoying this list more than any of the others. There *are* a couple of games Im curious to see pop up. Like, where does Breath of the Wild fit into how you feel about the Zelda gamesif it does at all! And, of course, is Desert Golfing your game of the 10s? I think so, but who can really say.

Also, have you played What the Golf?

One of these days I will play a DQ game to completion

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I keep getting asked about what the golf?, which is absolutely hilarious because I know its because of desert golfing alone. I havent played it yet but Im not expecting anything to be like desert golfing because my attachment to that one is wholly unique.

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65.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKmuaU2WoKg

1991
Every Platform Ever

Ive been a huge fan of FF4 for going on 30 years now, but for some reason now I find it kinda.. boring? Im not really sure. I think its the most influential game in the series by a mile, the one that birthed ATB and defined the spirit of the series, and therefore the rpg genre, for the next decade-plus. But when I play it now, its like theres nothing to it.

Getting bored of it makes sense since Ive beaten it something like 20 times and own just about every copy known to man, including two copies on the Wonderswan Color for some reason. But Im not sure why my feelings on it went from being a top 10ish game to near the bottom of my list.

In fact, Im not sure if it would make my list at all if not for the best randomizer on the market, FF4 Free Enterprise. Rom hacks and randomizers are weird to deal with in the context of a favorite games list but it definitely makes me appreciate the core design of FF4 more. In Free Enterprise, youre given an airship and two random characters and can randomize any number of ultra-specific variables. Its really well thought out and makes me appreciate the best part of FF4: the bosses and the simple yet effective dungeon designs.

This game is so goddamn iconic in so many aspects that just being able to zip to any location you want at any time is a real treat. Its just fun to take Tellah, DK Cecil and Yang to a fight in the sealed cave against the Mom Bomb. Maybe the game has gotten stale, but its climactic moments still rate in 2020, silly as they are.

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At this point, your best bet for DQ has to be 11, I would think? Still a big ol time commitment, but honestly, probably the best one to play these days.

I think youre absolutely right, haha. I associate quirky little golf games with you, so I just figured you would have given it a spin. Conceptually, you could say its sort of similar, but its way goofier and silly, and not as minimalist or endless. Its a fun 15 minute phone game.

yeah, Leon would most likely only really like 8 or 11. maaaybe 5, but probably not.

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i love ff4's action movie approach to the story, which is to resolve every plot point in the most ridiculous over-the-top way possible

for being relatively straightforward in its battle systems, boss fights are still really satisfying, or at least they were in the mid-2000s when i last played this

on the other hand, it felt like you needed to do a healthy bit of grinding on your party throughout the game to get to the finish, which just feels like something i'm not compelled to do in a game in 2019

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Some day I'll play DQ3 and fill in that gap. I actually just started DQ4 this morning, because that was another one I hadn't tried yet. But that class system in 3? Why have I not gone out of my way to make this one happen?

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4 is good. it's not on my list but it's not very far off. it's just been a long time since I played it last.

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64.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TmgNMgcLk0

1991
SNES

Actraiser is the original next-gen game in my memory. It wasnt a launch game but it was close, and most people didnt have a SNES on day 1. The opening was next level: the graphics, the mode 7, the way it zooms into the ground, the majestic sound of Yuzo Kushiros magnificent soundtrack in glorious 16 bit quality. I get the feeling that younger people dont get why this game is impactful and it could just be a you had to be there moment.

Its still fun to play today though! Actraiser is pretty simple mechanically but the mashup of sidescrolling action game and building sim mixed with some god game elements still totally works today. You dont spend too much time in the simulation sections before youre hack and slashing, and those levels only take a few minutes before youre on to new towns and new problems.

The different modes create an almost Persona-ish feedback loop where you defeat bosses to rebuild cities which levels your character up so he can fight more monsters. Even the top-down angel sim sections have action elements in there since there are enemies coming after you. Actraisers gameplay variety keeps the game feeling fresh.

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transience posted...

yeah, Leon would most likely only really like 8 or 11. maaaybe 5, but probably not.

I think Leon would like 5

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transience posted...

yeah, Leon would most likely only really like 8 or 11. maaaybe 5, but probably not.

Thankfully those are the two that I own! I'd be willing to give 5 a shot because it's a B8 darling, but yeah.

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63.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiDUAGNPg9A

2004
PS2

Shadow Hearts is a quirky but sincere little JRPG. Shadow Hearts 2, on the other hand, is just goofy all the way. It has a strong core story once it gets going, but youre also hunting down gay porn to make dresses for your loli doll and fighting your wrestling teacher as a vampire bat superhero thing. SH2 manages to somehow bring these two extremes together. Its not perfect all the time, but it works.

Honestly, coming back to this game in 2019 is kind of shocking. This game just screams 2000s, even moreso than its predecessor. SH2 was novel as a joke-y JRPG before that kind of thing was common, but video games do jokes and break fourth walls all the time now and do them much better. The gameplay is better than SH1s but the dungeons are bad news and really nerf the enjoyment. The voice acting isnt very good and the game has this maddening translation where the voices dont match the subs. This game used to be a top 10 staple for me and its fallen a long way.

But theres a real silver lining here: once you get a ways in to the game, the story and atmosphere get really good. The main character is an all-timer and it really shines when an antagonist rises up and the plot starts driving you in a direction instead of wandering around Europe. The second disk is some of the best stuff on the PS2 and Im not sure that any video game has a better ending. SH2 doesnt hold up like it used to but it still has some real strengths.

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Yeah, I haven't tried to play SH2 in forever because I'm a little worried it hasn't aged well, but I sure have fond memories of it. SH2 might as well be called "The Yuri Hyuga Punches Dudes in Faces Show," and I love it for that.

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that's another tier down. 3 down, 7 to go

100. hacknet
99. braid
98. batman: arkham asylum
97. super meat boy
96. portal
95. world of goo
94. hollow knight
93. super mario world
92. mega man maker
91. ace attorney 2
90. zelda: majora's mask
89. xenoblade chronicles x

88. monument valley
87. dragon warrior
86. mega man 3
85. castlevania: dawn of sorrow
84. nier: automata
83. we love katamari
82. zelda: link to the past
81. lethal league
80. half-minute hero 2
79. mike tyson's punch out!!
78. god of war 2
77. wolfenstein 2: the new colossus
76. super smash bros ultimate

75. binding of isaac
74. final fantasy 7
73. super hexagon
72. crystalis
71. suikoden
70. ace attorney 5
69. etrian odyssey 5
68. dragon warrior monsters 2
67. crypt of the necrodancer
66. dragon quest 3
65. final fantasy 4
64. actraiser
63. shadow hearts 2

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lots of nice number representation in that tier

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Name your tiers! This is board 8 man

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dumb names on each tier would not be my style

but if anyone wants to try to come up with ones that somehow represent all ~12 games, by all means

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I am the one who names his tiers after Ace Attorney quotes

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Tagging this, I always enjoy these!

I thought SH2 held up decently when I played it last (a few years ago); yeah it's cheesy 2000's, but the writing does some fun things (especially in the second half as you note) and the gameplay is exactly what I want for a game of its type: fast and fun to break, with irrelevant little rewards for doing well even while it's too easy to actually slow you down from getting to the things you're actually playing for. Dungeon design's not great but oh well.

FF4's not a game I really see the appeal of. I played it shortly after FF6 and it just seemed dramatically worse in every way, and that opinion hasn't changed with time and as I've discovered more and more RPGs that seem to do everything it does better. I guess it's important for the time but no moreso than a bunch of other 8-bit RPGs and as far as those go I'd rather play FF1 or FF3 today.

Dual Destinies is one of the best Ace Attornies IMO. Every new major character is great (and the minor ones bat a very high average), I love cases 2 / 5 / DLC (and case 3 has that amazing Athena/Simon interaction even if the case itself is kinda eh to me). Just an all-around fun game.

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hey there! I love how I haven't really posted here in a year or so and yet all the same people are still here. nothing ever changes around these parts. the average age must be like 35 which is kinda unheard of on a video game message board.

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62.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O10pqWZPhiU

2008/2012
PS2, Vita

Persona 4 took Persona 3s core and improved a lot, especially in terms of a narrative. Persona 3 had a story but it largely let the systems run themselves, at least until the last couple of arcs. Persona 4 made everything much more authored, from the dungeons to the characters to the search for the main villain.

The bigger emphasis on story and overarching narrative makes Persona 4 feel a little more rich than its predecessor. You probably learn more about the core characters in the first 10 hours of Persona 4 than you did throughout all of 3. On the flipside, it also slows down the pacing, something that would continue into Persona 5.

Speaking of Persona 5, this game is in a weird spot. Persona 3 stands out for being the first one of these kinds of games and Persona 5 one-ups everything that 4 did. 4 ends up in this strange middle ground where it feels kind of forgotten despite being the flagship game in the series for a full decade. Its good, yeah, but why play this one when you could play 5?

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transience posted...

Its good, yeah, but why play this one when you could play 5?

Because 4 is still the better game! P5 is one of the most stylish games I've ever played, but the cast and the story just aren't as good as 4's.

And honestly I love the small town feel of Inaba. It almost feels like home by the time I finish a playthrough of P4, unlike with P3 and P5.

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I knew that would set someone off!

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