Board 8 > transience's top 100 games -- please insert disc 2.

(+) Yeah! (+)

that's fair. it's hard to come back to XB1 after making a superior sequel

---

alright youve been wrong most of this topic but now youre going too far

---

i wanted to like xenoblade 2 so much, but the problem i had is that i played it

---

huge improvement in boss fights (although if I'm being honest I think XBX has the sweet spot for quick random battles) and quest design particularly in how those two intersect, somehow even better music, really great level design (maybe a step down from XBX), excellent cast (probably a push with XB1). they really took the time to look at what XB1 did well and turn the intensity up to 11. I think XB1 only comes out on top in its overall narrative.

also gacha is so dumb, ugh, why do this, there are other ways to drive player + social engagement monolith!!

---

Rex is soooooo bad though

---

Xenoblade is another game I should go back to but I really don't want to hook my Wii back up

---

iiicon posted...

huge improvement in boss fights (although if I'm being honest I think XBX has the sweet spot for quick random battles) and quest design particularly in how those two intersect, somehow even better music, really great level design (maybe a step down from XBX), excellent cast (probably a push with XB1). they really took the time to look at what XB1 did well and turn the intensity up to 11. I think XB1 only comes out on top in its overall narrative.

also gacha is so dumb, ugh, why do this, there are other ways to drive player + social engagement monolith!!

here's my counterpoint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFG0MxeGZWA

tales is that you

---

How can you forget the Xenoblade Reyn memes

---

how can you appreciate ff1 and dragon warrior but not appreciate genre defining moments like that

---

X the peak music-wise tho

I did like XB2 overall more than XB1, but it definitely had a lot more flaws. I ended up liking most of the Blades more than a bunch of the main cast members. And this is one of those games that really suffers from voice-acted cutscene direction. Why are there so many pauses!?
---

way late, but props for the Ikaruga mention

look sometimes when you go panhandling early 90s adventure anime for inspiration you're not always gonna come up with gold

---

XB2 is a better game if you can completely ignore its vast plot, writing, character, and tone deficiencies, all wrapped together in a blanket of embarrassing female objectification

Which most people can't

---

20.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0GCxGDVxtM

1995
SNES

Chrono Trigger starts out slow. The game lets on that youre in it for real once you get a full party and are exploring other time periods, but it doesnt truly get going until you hit the end of time a few hours in.

Once you hit the end of time, this game is the single smoothest RPG ride around. Everything just works together so damn well. You get magic, you get to choose a real party, you start finding stat tabs and start caring about character customization and strategy.

CT never gets too challenging in any one area. The battles are always pretty easy but its still super fun to get new equipment and new techs. The story is always linear but the different time eras offer the suggestion of nonlinearity. The story isnt too deep but playing through it is super enthralling since it has exceptional pacing.

Chrono Trigger never really wows you in any one way, but its so goddamn playable and likable that Ive probably got 15-20 more playthroughs in my lifetime and each one will be a lot of fun.

---

KamikazePotato posted...

XB2 is a better game if you can completely ignore its vast plot, writing, character, and tone deficiencies, all wrapped together in a blanket of embarrassing female objectification

Which most people can't

look man, its kind of his thing.

On Yggdrasil's Periscope BBS, while talking to fans, Soraya once stated that Elly (Sophia) was Takahashi's ideal woman"

it just comes with the territory

---

KamikazePotato posted...

all wrapped together in a blanket of embarrassing female objectification

never exactly been a series strength!

---

CT is one of those games that used to be an annual playthrough kinda game for me until the last few years. I think I've had my time with that game and am ready to leave it behind, at least for a bit

---

I was similar a few years ago. I needed a bit of a break from it but I really enjoyed it when I picked it up a few months ago.

---

I did it, I finally caught up! I've been 2-3 pages behind this whole time until now. Great list with good write ups, even if some of your opinions are strange. (Seriously what's up with the Mario 64 thing?)

---

JRPGs may not be known for treating female characters well, but the gulf between X1 and X2 in that regard is gigantic. In terms of "would be embarrassing to play around other people", X2 might take the #1 spot outside of actual porn games and maybe Tokyo Mirage Sessions. It's amazing how little I'm looking forward to a potential X3 considering X1 is like, my favorite game.

Also, CT is really cool.

---

KamikazePotato posted...

JRPGs may not be known for treating female characters well, but the gulf between X1 and X2 in that regard is gigantic. In terms of "would be embarrassing to play around other people", X2 might take the #1 spot outside of actual porn games and maybe Tokyo Mirage Sessions. It's amazing how little I'm looking forward to a potential X3 considering X1 is like, my favorite game.

Dunno if you played it, but Torna deletes most of that embarrassment. Not quite all, but it's closer to the other XB games.
---

I have Torna but haven't started it yet. Will keep that in mind!

---

KamikazePotato posted...

In terms of "would be embarrassing to play around other people", X2 might take the #1 spot outside of actual porn games and maybe Tokyo Mirage Sessions.

Can someone please explain because this is a major accusation to make considering how JRPGs are

---

this tweet of the decade kinda sums up my feelings on the n64.

https://twitter.com/n64today/status/935240944185683969

---

19.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnqfDmhDdi0

2003
Gamecube

GXs combination of speed and control really sets it apart. It completely rewrites the standards of play not just for futuristic racing games, but racing games in general. Theres a host of us always keeping our eyes on the indie racing scene hoping for some kind of spiritual successor but those always let down for one reason or another. This cheeky little Gamecube game from 2003 remains best in class a full 17 years later.

One of GXs best strengths is its crushing difficulty. This game just destroys you in a variety of ways, especially the story mode which has a chapter that is so maddeningly hard that its not really any good. The regular game though can really push you to get good and the result is a deeper appreciation for the game. This game is an adrenaline rush due to the speed it moves at and the skill level required.

Its up there with the absolute greatest game designs of all time. On the flipside, though, its a single player game with limited replay value - the money mode here is the 30 man grand prix and once youve managed to beat that, theres really just time trials left. If there were online leaderboards or some kind of persistence or something, that would raise this game. As it is, its one of the true greats, but its not one I go back to every few months or anything. Its one that I admire like hell from afar.

---

transience posted...

here's my counterpoint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFG0MxeGZWA

is this star ocean 4

---

X_Dante_X posted...

i wanted to like xenoblade 2 so much, but the problem i had is that i played it

Accurate

Still waiting on F-Zero GX HD.

---

transience posted...

On the flipside, though, its a single player game

I played a good amount of multiplayer and had lots of fun with that. Just wish it had an X-Cup like F-Zero X did.
---

I really disliked the multiplayer because it was split screen. I felt like that took away from the experience a lot.

---

I wouldn't consider Chrono Trigger an all time favorite, but I recognize just how well made the game is. I wouldn't say it does anything the best, but it does everything well


---

I wouldn't say Chrono Trigger starts slow, I think the pacing is pretty great. Although (I have to say this about almost everything in this topic) it's been a long time since I played it. On the other hand, I rate FF6 above it these days which I didn't for the first 10+ years after they came out.

---

I'm super excited for the Xenoblade remaster to come out, but that's only because of the hype that this board provides for the game. I know nothing about the story or gameplay. I only know running across two dead gods.

---

Chrono Trigger, for my money, is the best playing RPG to this day. Just a tour de force of incredible pacing and sequences that keep it engaging the whole way through. Definitely a game that is more than the sum of its parts. I wish they would give us something more recent than the DS version to play. Its a perfect Switch experience.

f-zero gx is one of the greatest goddamn games of all time

it's so stupidly good i have no way of understand how the series never got another console release, even 16 years later

---

I'd be happy to call CT my favorite game. It's hovered around #1 since I first played it back in '95.

I also enjoy splitscreen multiplayer in general, but I can see being against that. The graphics get turned off when you play with more players, so it's definitely less visually impressive.
---

Im more than happy to do splitscreen in Mario Kart or Uniracers or whatever, but I cant in GX. I need that fidelity.

---

Desert Golfing is good. Here, have a picture


This is where the ball stopped and I took a shot from

Current playthrough is on hole 2161 with 4135 shots

---

I've done that on purpose a few times on really hard holes.

---

18.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CVpiuVADW4

2016
PC

I cant understate how surprising AM2R is. Its not that its a fan project that turned out well. Those happen a lot, from randomizers to simple quality of life improvements to completely new games using original games as a base. The rom hack community is amazing. But AM2Rs sole developer takes the concept of Metroid 2 and rebuilds it from scratch as a standalone game (not a rom hack) using Zero Mission as a base.

The results are.. actually, and this is hard for me to even type, I think its better than Zero Mission from a pure gameplay perspective? Its amazing to even suggest that from a fan game but its true. All of the great control from ZM is here plus additional enhancements, like a dedicated morph ball button, that are offered by actually having a modern controllers buttons for the first time in series history. AM2R is a dream to play, not just because its really good but because its the true followup that a 2d Metroid fan has deserved since the series went underground in 2004.

Unfortunately, this game is hamstrung by the design constraints of Metroid 2. Metroid 2 was a GB game that was intended for a small scale, portable experience instead of a fully realized sprawling maze complete with all the eventual series staples. The game uses a general structure of lava that drains as you defeat all the metroids in an area and you arent really meant to revisit areas. AM2R takes some steps to try to remedy the design, but it largely tries to pay homage to the original.

Its weird to say about a remake, but its too bad that this is a remake of Metroid 2, because if you gave this game a more modern design, it might actually be the best Metroid game in the series. Its that good.


---

17.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf06P-_1lkU

2010
PC first, just about every console since

Everything about this game is so infectious and happy, from the bright colors to stupid faces on the guys to the music. Oh god, the music. Im not sure that this game even works without that killer chiptune soundtrack.

V straddles the line between being challenging and being hard. Its challenging enough to keep things feeling thrilling when you pull it off, but outside of a few key spots (usually around trinkets), its rarely truly hard. It usually involves you needing to make three or four precise movements and getting the muscle memory down.

Trinkets -- Vs collectibles -- arent new by any means, but they stand out here for how great they are to find. Theyre a combination of hidden and challenging. They're probably the best random collectible in any game that I can think of, and I feel like a lot of future indie games looked to V's trinkets for inspiration.

Its crazy to say about a one-button platformer, but V has some of the strongest level design around. Each level has a unique mechanic that keeps the game feeling fresh. That design, along with the challenge and the music, elevate V way the hell up there for me.

---

VVVVVV fun game

I mostly remember that one Trinket where you had to navigate up and down several screens without messing up.

---

it's actually not that hard once you've spent some time with it (I usually get it within 5 or 6 tries now), but that first time is a sobering experience.

---

Yeah, I don't know how many times I died but I was bound and determined to do it.

---

I wish I had played AM2R when it was everywhere. I would have no idea how to even get there now, if its even possible, but it sounds so good. Much better than Metroid 2, at least! Truth be told, the M2 remake on the 3DS didnt even resonate super strongly with me either. It might be that game!

V is undoubtedly one of the best indie games of the past decade, right there with Hollow Knight and Celeste for me.

I consider getting the Veni Vidi Vici in VVVVVV trinket is one of my greatest having achievements.

---

VVVVVV so good

---

I played V for a while and enjoyed it a fair amount. Then I got to Doing Things the Hard Way, spent a fair bit of time there, and quit. :(

heroicmario posted...

I wish I had played AM2R when it was everywhere. I would have no idea how to even get there now, if its even possible, but it sounds so good. Much better than Metroid 2, at least! Truth be told, the M2 remake on the 3DS didnt even resonate super strongly with me either. It might be that game!

V is undoubtedly one of the best indie games of the past decade, right there with Hollow Knight and Celeste for me.

https://mega.nz/#!Us82jayK!WSnji9dPD4GMSjUtsrWgUVrT180DUlGwG_A79jtmmZ0

Still a free game. Still getting updated too, oddly enough? At least it was as of last year.
---

VVVVVV seems to be everything I want

---