ToriJ's Top 20 Games

[Ayen]

All the cool kids are doing it.

This was originally going to be a Top 100, but that's not gonna happen. I tried shortening it to a top 11 list and that quickly became a 20. I'm probably lucky I was able to cap it off to 20. So, yeah.

These are mainly games that has stuck with me after the first time I played them. Either from a compelling story, characters, gameplay or all three. So without further ado!

ToriJ's Top 20 Games
#20
48669
The third installment in the Soulcalibur franchise and fourth game overall. In addition to being a fun fighting game it has perhaps the best custom character creation feature I've seen in any fighting game. Offering several different options and possibilities to make other fictional characters that you may adore. But the real reason this made the list is because of the 'Chronicles of the Sword' story mode, which I am gutted that they didn't do more of in the sequels. Chronicles of the Sword utilizes the character creation to make your own protagonist and play through twenty levels overall. Playing kind of like a war strategy/board game and still having the fighting part whenever you face an enemy. The objective being to take over the enemy strongholds. You start off as a rookie commander and as the story progresses you learn about the true meaning of war and why you fight. I just think it was really well done and could have been its own game in its own right.


And in classic Top List fashion I will now wait for some replies before I reveal the next game on the list.

Discuss.

List so far

1.) Final Fantasy X
2.) Metal Gear Solid
3.) Mass Effect
4.) Final Fantasy VII
5.) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
6.) Evil Zone
7.) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
8.) Monster Rancher
9.) BattleTanx Global Assault
10.) Resident Evil Remake
11.) Final Fantasy VIII
12.) Devil May Cry 3
13.) F.E.A.R
14.) Road Rash 3D
15.) Game Dev Tycoon
16.) Spelunky
17.) Final Fantasy IX
18.) Command & Conquer: Tiberium Sun
19.) Broken Helix
20.) Soul Calibur III

[Freya]

Dude Im' a baller at that game. Only fighting game I enjoy really.


Look at all these countdowns!

[Spuuky]

Chronicles of the Sword was the best "campaign" to exist in any SC game, it's true.

[Ayen]

Dude Im' a baller at that game. Only fighting game I enjoy really.

I'd challenge you if you were anywhere close to me. My cousin used to wipe the floor with me all the time on this game, and now the tradition has been passed on to my nephews, with one hitting all the combos by simple button mashing and the other pushing his health up to infinite in the character select screen to cheat.

Hope he falls off a ledge next time they play :colbert:

[maybee]

Yes Soul Calibur 3 was incredible

Looking forward to more of this list :jess:

[Sephiroth]

No Soul Calibur IV or V? Do you have no interest in character customization? Soul Calibur III began with it but didn't have that much compared to the two others.

Soul Calibur IV was my first PS3 title. It was a good choice at that time for me.

[Ayen]

I played IV and don't remember there being as many options compared to III. IV felt like such a huge step down too as it didn't seem the franchise knew where it wanted to go and it had Star Wars characters that didn't fit the series just for the sake of being there. Never played V so I can't comment.

#19
48670
I got two words for you: Bruce Campbell. That's right, the Evil Dead star himself lends his voice for main protagonist, Jack Burton, and it's just the kind of thing you would expect out of a Bruce Campbell... anything! It has more twists and turns then you could shake a stick at, starting off with a simple bomb defusing involving a madman and then branching off in several different ways. Your comrades betray you, there's a reporter you can help to share her story with the mad bomber, and a bald-headed male you help fight aliens with. And the one-liners! "I rolled out of bed this morning, landed on a pit of spikes and people kept stepping on me." You can even turn on your comrades before they turn on you at the beginning causing one to shout, "He knows!" and then listen to their progress on the radio as they advance each level but I think that backs you into a corner and you have to start the game over. Still fun, though. You can meet the bomber too and shoot him prompting a game over after he yells, "You have killed us all!" and laughs manically as we all explode and die. The game has four endings depending on the choices you've made and what you were able to accomplish during.

[Aulayna]

SCIV and SCV were massive let downs for me. They basically stripped everything apart from the character creation, in favour of online only modes. I like playing online, but stuff like Edge Master Mode, whatever the adventure mode in SCII was called (all I know is I still love the music to this day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGhkBz2ZANE)) and Chronicles of the Sword were what made Soul Calibur for me. The removal of those modes in IV and V distinctly ruined my enjoyment of them.

SCIII also had the best menu hands down, with the silhouettes fighting and the Lorekeeper music. Good times.

Although whilst I'm getting nostalgic, gonna have to drop this here:

aqFjUfUcDs8

AMAZING

[Jinx]

True story: one time in the custom character creator, I made Gay Hitler. It was faaabuloouuuuus.

[Slothy]

I liked SC2 more than any of the others. I don't really care about character creation and Weapon Master mode in SC2 is the best tutorial I've ever seen in a fighting game.

[Ayen]

I need to make a best fighter top list later so I can put Soul Blade on it...

I haven't played SC2, but I want to. I remember all the ads that played when it first came out and the hype for which exclusive character each system brought into the fold.

#18.
48671
This was a game changer for the Tiberium Series in CnC, and I think for Westwood too since I'm pretty sure this was the game that led them to being bought out by EA. Anyways, it went from modern warfare to a science fiction theme and brought the charismatic leader, Kane (played by Joseph D. Kucan) back to life. It took the FMVs a step further and provided more lengthy cut-scenes that advanced the plot, a crew for GDI and Nod each, a guy getting his throat slit... and solidified Nod as that crazy evil cult you knew it was but didn't spawn itself as much in the first game. The expansion Firestorm also ends on one of the best cliff hangers I've seen in a game and it makes it a shame that nothing ever came of it because EA came and screwed everything up :mad:

[Aulayna]

ToriJ, this list is making me love you so far.

I loved Tiberian Sun. I still remember that GDI mission with the hovercraft thingies where you had to navigate down the river avoiding the NOD Obelisks of Light and how much I failed at it first time around xD. The corny acting in the FMVs just simply sealed the deal and Joseph Kucan really nailed Kane in this one. Plus, that map screen music - got me excited everytime!

[Ayen]

Here I was thinking no one would know what I was talking about. Command & Conquer got me interested in the RTS genre and just has one of the most underrated stories. Joseph Kucan directed all of the FMVs until EA took over too and I think he did a good job with them. Kinda wish he was still in charge by the time 3 came on board, he may have had more pull to say no to the constant use of red lights in the Nod temple >.>

[Aulayna]

Kinda wish he was still in charge by the time 3 came on board, he may have had more pull to say no to the constant use of red lights in the Nod temple >.>

Just gonna leave this here:

http://media.moddb.com/images/groups/1/1/897/7551b9c7348f54b1f0940098d6557707.1.gif

[Ayen]

Just the fact he can see in order to pull off all those moves is nothing short of amazing.


#17
48672
Chances are I'll get my butt kicked for putting this so low on the list. At least it's on there, right? Right? What are you planning to do with that hot comb?

Final Fantasy IX is a great tribute to the classic Final Fantasy games which kicked things off for the franchise as well as being a fun game on its own and a bit more light-hearted (at least most of the parts I played...). I'll admit it took a while but eventually all of the characters grew on me, but the main reason this ended up on here is because of the Black Mage. There's a scene on an airship where the group meets people who are the same as Vivi, but when he tries to go talk to them he's ignored and becomes upset. Then that evil Black Mage you've fought before shows up and attacks, prompting the others to protect the group/Vivi/I'm not sure on this bit because my memory is fuzzy, and end up dying as a result. Causing Vivi to be enraged! It was a tear jerker that still gets to me just thinking about it even today.

[Aulayna]

I think round these parts most people will kick you for even including it. But they know nothing!

FFIX was a lovely game, and Vivi's story was so touching - and the whole Beatrix and Steiner love story. Just the old school nostalgic vibes the world gave off - it was a like a love letter to early Final Fantasy. Oh, and the soundtrack too. I can't believe that one of the biggest complaints that gets leveled against IX is that it tried to be too graphical for the PSone.

[Ayen]

I can't believe that one of the biggest complaints that gets leveled against IX is that it tried to be too graphical for the PSone.

48675

Well, if that's the worst they can say about it it must be doing something right.

[Slothy]

I can't believe that one of the biggest complaints that gets leveled against IX is that it tried to be too graphical for the PSone.

To be fair, and although it looks damn good for a PSX game, it does shoot for some much more detailed textures than the PSX could actually handle. Luckily, if you play it on the PS2 with the smoothing options on it's drop dead gorgeous.

[Shauna]

I think round these parts most people will kick you for even including it.

Are you kidding? xD FFIX is the love of EoFF, and the people who don't like it are minimal. I am pretty sure that BoB was torn to pieces for having it at #81 in his Top 100.

[Ayen]

I can't believe that one of the biggest complaints that gets leveled against IX is that it tried to be too graphical for the PSone.

To be fair, and although it looks damn good for a PSX game, it does shoot for some much more detailed textures than the PSX could actually handle. Luckily, if you play it on the PS2 with the smoothing options on it's drop dead gorgeous.

Duly noted. I'll be playing this game again in the foreseeable future since it's on my request list. The PSX is boxed up since my PS2 pretty much makes it obsolete.

[Bolivar]

Tiberian Sun and FFIX, take note EoFF, this is how you make a best games list

[Slothy]

I have to agree that this list is already better than other people's lists Bolivar.

[Ayen]

#16
48677
This is a bit misleading since this is the cover for the Stream version and I'm referring to the free download one on their official website. I just didn't want to break my covers formula. In a land of AAA titles which I'm... largely indifferent to because I'm old and reaching that retirement age (you're only 24 Tori, shut up) Spelunky was a breath of fresh air. Inspired by one of the most iconic movie characters of all time as well as another classic dungeons game, Spelunky is a fantastic and challenging dungeon crawl that keeps you guessing and requires caution and thought. My total death count is pretty much tied with Dark Souls on this one, if not more so, I wasn't keeping count I was just hurling profanities at the screen like I always do when I die. We have snakes, spiders, bats, ghosts, mummies, damsels and boulders. Hit them with a whip, throw stones at them, blow up stuff with bombs, shoot them with a shotgun, be careful an object you throw doesn't bounce off a wall and kill ya, beware of spikes and whatever you do DO NOT mess with the shopkeeper!

[Ayen]

#15
48699
This game didn't have a box cover, formula broken! Formula broken! I'm posting a review of this game later today so I'm not going to go into great lengths about it here, but it made the list for being a really fun, creative game that encourages as much creativity as it dishes out and if you're a big fan of the gaming industry then it's a great treat just reliving its history and making your own mark on the industry any way you can. I don't know why but I have a very good knack with making sports and racing games on here. Or simluation and action games in general. One time I struck gold with a mature romance sim for the PC. So, you knew there was sex in it somewhere, only explanation why it sold so well >.> Oh, and let's not forget my Virtual Pet success on the Gameline (Gameboy) that was in no way a tribute to Pokemon <.<

[Elskidor]

I can't believe that one of the biggest complaints that gets leveled against IX is that it tried to be too graphical for the PSone.

48675

Well, if that's the worst they can say about it it must be doing something right.

Graphics are superb for its time. The game is only hurt by battle load times. Figure a way to fix that, and I have no complaints. Well, maybe tie up some character loose ends, but that's it.

[Ayen]

I don't remember the battle load time giving me any trouble.

[Psychotic]

RED ALERT 2 > TIBERIUM SAM DSMN YOU TORIJ DAMN UOU TO HELL

I got Spelunky when it was first released and loved it.

[Ayen]

That's what you get for making me job to HC (but that's how the game programmed it!) excuses :colbert:

#14
48703
It may surprise some people to know that there was a time Electronic Arts didn't suck and even at its worst I never found much sorrow in their sports games. Road Rash made the jump to the PlayStation with a bang, bringing everything that was great about the last one and now adding FMVs to it. I always like a good racing game and at the time I didn't know many other motorcycle race games that were out. This stands out because of things like cop chases and all the general silliness that was included in it. Each race starting and ending with a FMV and if you get caught by a motorcycle cop who will chase you on some tracks he'd sick the freaking dog on you man! One time I finished a race at either the last, or next to last place and I triggered a cut-scene that put training wheels on my motorcycle. Hysterical. Beware of cars, beware of falling off your bike, beware of little jerks who will run you over while you're on the road. Every man for himself!

[Ayen]

Something tells me I should have done this list the Pike way.

Oh well.

#13
48717
Anyone who knows me long enough can tell you I'm not that big a fan on games from the first-person perspective, and it usually has to be really fun for me to overlook that preference. This game is one of those games. Taking the familiar FPS formula and adding a dish of suspense and psychological horror to it, F.E.A.R is one of those few games that does horror right. Right from the beginning it sets the tone of the overall game and never ventures away from that tone, leaving you on the edge of your seat throughout and making those gaming hours go by a whole lot more slower than it would have otherwise. And despite having reflexes that makes you feel like you're playing Enter The Matrix, when the game wants you to feel helpless, you feel helpless. The game provides as little narrative as it can get away with so that you can learn more about what's going on as you play, adding a touch of mystery to the whole package.

[Aulayna]

For all the jumps and scares in that game, the biggest scare in the entire game for me was right near the start when you're down in the sewers I think. There's a set of double doors and as you approach them a big armoured guard kicks them open. I ended up probably emptying an entire clip into the ceiling where I'd jumped, swung the mouse up and clicked at the same time.

edit:

This was also the first game I ever actually got scared whilst playing too.

[Slothy]

I couldn't really get into F.E.A.R. It was fine as a horror game but the FPS aspects didn't really click with me. Then again, it did have the misfortune of coming out after Half-Life 2. Maybe I'll give it another go someday and see if my opinion changes. If I want a horror game these days I usually just play Amnesia for about five minutes, shit myself, then turn it off.

[Ayen]

I don't remember that.

All throughout the game I couldn't decide which I hated most, the hallucinations or the super soldiers. I need to start getting FPS games for the PC, I can't aim for crap with a controller.

Edit: @Vivi, I hear good things about Amnesia. I have a girl who requested a bunch of scary games for me to play. Evil >.>

[Slothy]

Amnesia is probably the best horror game I've ever played. I bought it a few years ago, got really scared after a couple of hours and stopped playing. And I haven't actually gone back to it yet.

I should point out that I've played a ton of horror games, watched more horror movies than I care to count, and none ever really scared me before. Some games like the Silent Hill series creeped me out a bit, but never any actual fear. I wouldn't mind going back and playing more of Amnesia now, but at the time, I stopped because it genuinely scared the crap out of me. Until I played that game I would have said it wasn't possible.

[Bolivar]

I played FEAR 1 for the first time all the way through last year on PC and I had to stop playing after sundown because the game just scared the living cap out of me... that ending is just.... "smurf you, Alma." Except all of us who said that phrase got their wish come true in the second game!

The second game just didn't have the same scare level but it was worth it because it had some of the most delicious FPS gameplay you'll ever find in a video game. The third one was cool too especially for the coop.

I'm interested to see if FEAR2 ends up on this list cause I know Tori tweeted a ton about it (follow me back MichaelGutierrez/Bolivar687!)

[Ayen]

I pretty much agree with F.E.A.R 2 still being worth it, you can find my review of it in my blog on here if you dig enough. That was a fun night, got Xbox Support to follow me that same day. So far only one other person I talked to about F.E.A.R 3 has said the game was good, everyone else keeps telling me to avoid it like the plague. They really should know better than to tell that to a reviewer...

#12
48719
Devil May Cry 3 is where the franchise IMO finally reached their strive. They were still experimenting with 1 which was originally supposed to be RE 4, and both Capcom and fans would rather you just forget all about 2 altogether. The phrase, "Third time the charm" has never been truer. Devil May Cry 3 offers a fast pace experience with a bunch of combos and different Devil Arms which they go more in-depth in showing that they were at one time or another demons (at least some of them) and it has the best voice acting and overall storytelling of the whole series. They finally found a permanent voice for Dante! Until they rebooted... Then the Special Edition came along and let you take control of the Dark Slayer himself, Vergil and offered two more cut-scenes to the rest that were already there. Kind of a shame he didn't have his own unique campaign but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I'm sure both sons of Sparda has fired their agents by now, though.

[Aulayna]

I've never actually played any Devil May Cry games since the first one.

[Ayen]

Devil May Cry 3 is basically Devil May Cry 0 since it's a prequel of the first game starring a younger Dante and gives more background on Vergil. Both main characters are voiced by Power Rangers, a theme that would continue into the fourth installment with Nero being voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Devil May Cry 3 is great. I've only ever played the third game in the series all the way through and have been interested in playing the other ones. I did play 2 a bit, and I did actually enjoy that game. It's nowhere near as good as 3, but it was still pretty fun I thought. I was playing it with a friend, though, which probably enhanced the experience. That particular friend and I tend to make fun of any game we played together.

[Ayen]

-puts on riot gear-

#11
48745
This is a game that doesn't really start until you get to Dollet. It was the second in the series I played after VII and it didn't take long to fall in love with it. Yes, I liked all of the characters in this and became emotionally invested in them. I liked how the Guardian Forces were used (and I spammed the hell out of those things, not ashamed to say) and I loved a lot of the areas: Balamb Garden, Dollet, Timber, Galbadia Garden, Deling City, the underground desert prison, being able to use Balamb Garden as a ship and being the captain. Not to mention the MOST incompetent military I have ever seen in a video game. Seriously, how do some of these soldiers keep their job? I just embraced the sheer insanity of it all and it was a wild ride. So just this one... Smurf it! I'm driving a school with levers! WATCH OUT FISHERMAN!

[black orb]

>>> I wish I could make my own Top 20 Games list (with mini reviews and everything), but Im too lazy for that :(..:luca:

[Spuuky]

I like things about Final Fantasy 8 but I will never forgive it for being the game that killed the concept of towns in Final Fantasy.

[Madame Adequate]

Hahahaha I love that you put VIII above IX it will enrage so many IXfans

[Ayen]

>>> I wish I could make my own Top 20 Games list (with mini reviews and everything), but Im too lazy for that :(..:luca:

Let it bubble until it hurts not to do the list. That's how I finally got mine finished. And I'm sure that once I'm done posting it I'll hate it, think some games should have been higher, others should have been lower and some swapped for other games that didn't make the cut. I'm surprised I made it this far...


I like things about Final Fantasy 8 but I will never forgive it for being the game that killed the concept of towns in Final Fantasy.

How so?

[Laddy]

This is a nice and diverse ist, definitely the most interesting I've seen. I approve!

[Ayen]

Thanks ^_^

We're entering the top ten :cool:

#10
48749
I'll always have a soft spot for the cheesiness of the original game, but I like the fact they were able to tell it straight and not make it cringe worthy. I think they really traded up on voice actors too when it came to Chris, Jill and Wesker. Didn't feel the same way about Barry (didn't care for his redesign either) and Rebecca sounded too old (though they rectified that in 0). It breathed new life into the Spencer Mansion making it even scarier than before, introducing the concept of burning a zombie or removing their head to avoid a Crimson Head, new areas to explore, new puzzles to solve and new enemies that added to the story and didn't feel forced. It set the pace for 0 and the re-releases of 2, 3 and CV for the Gamecube before the 4th game came out. Though I'm still left wondering what the hell happened to Barry in Chris' scenario? You never find him in either version of the game.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I'm both surprised and pleased to see FFVIII on your list considering it's my favorite of the series. IX might as well be tied with it for me, though.

I need to play Resident Evil one of these days. The only one I played at all was 5, and that was because a friend and I rented it once while we were hanging out due to wanting some co-op game to play.

[Ayen]

IX would probably be higher on the list if I got farther than a single disc. That's a testament of how good it is right there.

The older Resident Evil games are a lot different than the newer ones just in case you don't know. Everything changed when the Las Plagas attacked.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

Oh I know. 4 changed everything. My college roommate had the Gamecube remakes of 1-3, but I was waiting to play them until I had played through Silent Hill 1-3. I made it to the end of Silent Hill 3, and then I graduated and haven't seen the game since. I really want to finish it.

[Psychotic]

I never played the original F.E.A.R. but I have played F.E.A.R. 3 and I found that a blast. Not scary aside from a couple of quick jumpscares but it was fun.

Also BARRY BURTON IS A GOD AMONG ALL MEN.

[Ayen]

I actually haven't played any of the Silent Hill games. Saw the first movie. I get the feeling I would have hated that movie had I played the games.

Poor Barry never got his sandwich T_T

The first two F.E.A.R are worth checking out if you liked 3. Alma is especially badass in the first game. Another company is working on a MMO but that's still in the alpha stages to my knowledge. Not sure how they'll pull off an MMO but I'm hopeful it will be good.

[Psychotic]

You can play as Barry in Resident Evil 5's Mercenaries Reunion mode and hilariously he has an attack called the Barry Sandwich.

[Ayen]

I now have a reason to get Resident Evil 5.

#9
48750
I'll rep anyone who knows this game without having to Google it. BattleTanx Global Assault! All of the good things about BattleTanx and NONE of the weaknesses. Play up to four players (two in Campaign where the story is) in Tank Wars, Deathmatch, Battlelord, Convoy and Family Mode. Battle it out in areas from America and Europe (London, Paris, Germany!) You can fight in Washington DC! You can fight in front of the White House. You can blow up the White House! (is suddenly on the NSA watch list) it's freaking awesome! Pick an army, pick a color, use a cheat to make your own army, fire missiles, teleport, switch into turbo, fire lasers, nukes! You can ride a tank equipped with a nuke! Nuclear equipped tanks! Big tanks, little tanks, average size tanks, tanks that flip upside down! I played this bad boy for hours. I tore down more buildings than Superman did in Man of Steel! It's such a shame we never got a third game, they left it open too.

[Aulayna]

Jill Valentine. One of the best female video game protagonists ever!

[Slothy]

IX would probably be higher on the list if I got farther than a single disc. That's a testament of how good it is right there.

This statement invalidates anything MILF has to say about the rankings of IX and VIII. I can forgive someone picking VIII over IX if it was the second game they played in the series and they played less than one third of the other.

Plus it's not like you stuck FFX above it (I may cry if FFX shows up later).

[Madame Adequate]

Jill Valentine. One of the best female video game protagonists ever!

I think you mean one of the best masters of unlocking ever!

[Ayen]

I got stuck on the part where you're looking for Garnet after she disappears some time into disc one.

#8
48761
Monster Rancher lets you breed your own monster on a ranch with your own assistant (Holly ♥) Put them to work, train them, battle them and become famous! Raid your CD stack to find different monsters and combine them for more! Go on explorations with a creepy old guy but beware your monster getting lost! It was great fun and I could never sleep knowing it was waiting to be played the next day. However, the reason it got on this list is for one simple feature: death. Now, while it was rated for kids to adults, I think it's easy to say children were their main target audience, but did this stop them from approaching the topic of death? No. And I think they did a very good job of depicting the reality of death in a mature way that wouldn't have offended parents, and this was something that a lot of similar games didn't do or wouldn't do. Watching the monster die, Holly's reaction to it and then everyone showing up at the funeral with a distraught Holly really suck with me over the years.

[Ayen]

#7
48819
I was introduced to this game through a Let's Play on YouTube and was so captivated by the story and characters that I went out and bought a DS just so I could play it. There are five cases overall called Turnabouts and you play a new Defense Attorney with the objective of proving your client's innocence even though there is a mountain of evidence against them and there's little keeping the Judge from banging his gavel and pronouncing them guilty. The game can be serious and silly and usually knows which one to be at which time. All the characters are likeable and even some of the minor ones can grow on you depending on your taste. There are some holes in the overall main arch of the story and it doesn't offer the best replay value but that first time you play through it is just great. Maya ♥

[Freya]

YESSS o the last two. Phoenix wright is awesome. So is monster rancher. I like your tastes.

[Ayen]

I only have the first two Phoenix Wrights on DS. I'd like to have the third one but it's apparently rare and worth a lot more than I feel comfortable paying for a cartridge. Unless I can find it use somewhere.

#6
48821
This game proved that a fighting game CAN have a good story and well developed characters, therefore I will NEVER accept the excuse that fighting games of today don't need story because they're fighting games. Every character on here stood out, plenty of others connected and had history in various ways and it displays everything that an anime fan absolutely loves about anime. Each story is depicted as that character's very own anime show with preview leading up to each round. Gameplay is a lot of fun and it has a kicking soundtrack to go with it. This is one of the few games I can go back to and instantly know everything about the controls like it's second nature to me.



Now entering the Top 5. Dun, dun, dunnnnnn!

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I feel like I've heard of the last one from somewhere before. I'll have to look it up.

Phoenix Wright and Monster Rancher are pretty great. I've only played the first Phoenix Wright, but I want to play the other someday. I've only played Monster Rancher 2, but I wish it was something that we could still see on current consoles. I want to turn my blu rays into monsters, dangit!

[Ayen]

Man, being able to make monsters from my DVD collection would be great. I only got about a kabillion different ones to choose from.

It's time for the Top Five! What will it be? :eek::eek::eek::eek:

#5
48857
Why oh why isn't BioWare being brought in to help write the movies? This game's story put the prequels to shame, TO SHAME! Granted, that's not saying much but eh. KotOR came out back in 2003 for the Xbox and Microsoft Windows and brought with it a well crafted story, interesting characters, the best original character to be included in the expanded universe in a long time (HK-47) and the biggest plot twist since Darth Vader's, "I am your father!" line in the Empire Strikes Back. Once I started playing this game I couldn't stop until it was finished, even after all the times it crashed on my computer I kept coming back for more and saving all the time like a madman. It makes the Top Five easily for me.

[Pike]

I enjoyed KotOR but I always felt like it was more of a 4/5 game than a 5/5 game. I dunno, it was solid, but it just seemed to be missing some sort of extra spark for me. Am I the only one?

[Slothy]

I didn't really like KOTOR at all. Traveling around the Star Wars universe was nifty, and who doesn't love lightsabers? But the gameplay didn't excite me and I found the story awful to be honest. It wasn't that it was outright bad, it just kind of meandered around and was too predictable. The pacing just didn't sit well with me, and everyone went on about how amazing the plot twist was but all of the foreshadowing for it was so heavy handed that it seemed obvious to me within the first hour or two, and I only became more certain of it as it went along. By the time I got to the big reveal I just lost all interest.

I feel about the same about all Bioware writing though. They just don't do anything for me. Too predictable and more than a little boring in terms of pacing.

[Ayen]

Dilly Dally Shilly Shally.

And on that note.

#4
48877
The first RPG and Final Fantasy game I ever played, also the first RPG and Final Fantasy I ever beat. Go figure. Plot in a nutshell: evil corporation fueled by corporate greed is draining the planet to make life easier for human life, save the planet! I know I'm oversimplifying as all hell but that's basically the gist of it. Oh and something about a guy with mother issues? Anyway, vast world to explore? Check. Evil corporation behind experiments that ruined people lives? Check. Love story? Kinda, sorta check, depends on your dialog options. Loveable yet annoying villains you run into repeatedly? Check. Fun gameplay and battle system? Check. Minigames? Check. An animal you're not sure is a part of the cat family? Check. -tosses checkbook- Love it or hate it, and I think the ratio between that has evened out through the years, VII does it job by getting people to talk about its characters and story years after coming out and can often still be found in official top ten lists along games like Ocarina of Time and Mass Effect (I forget which list that was...) And when you can still be as relevant today as the time you come out you know you're doing something right.


Three left to go.

[Jiro]

Knights of the Old Republic would've been even better if it was bigger, or like, finished. I think the first one also suffered from cut content and shit.

[Ayen]

I know at least one scene they cut from the game, not sure about others. Sadly I think the second game suffered from the same problems. Can't remember. I just remember a lot of people saying KotOR II was unfinished, which made no sense to me because why would you release an unfinished game? Unless they meant in content and not literally lacking an ending.

#3
48895
This was hard. So hard I considered lumping the entire series together. While I like how 2 did things better than 1, I went through the whole experience wishing I had the old crew back and that's where the first game eventually won out. I can get why some people wouldn't care about the pacing of the game. I like it because I like my story to breathe and take its time and I like getting to know the characters in question. I always took the time to speak to each character in-between missions and such. I also think the romance had a bigger pay off since it was just the one love scene and fewer options. I don't hate the romances in 2 and 3 (you know how hard it was to stay loyal to Liara when Garrus became a romance option?) I just think there's only so many ways you can do a love scene that having one is a lot better than a bunch.

Fair warning: the leap between controls from 1 to 2 is a fairly big leap. It took me a while to get used to 2's controls again after spending time on the first game. I don't remember the EA logo on my copy of the game, though. Why is it so hard to find good pictures for game cover art? -_-

[Madame Adequate]

Oh snap Evil Zone is not a game I expected to see on this list I r8 you an 8/8

KOTOR 1 had unfinished content, but it was a complete game. 2 was a better game, just not one they finished, because there isn't a developer on the planet that doesn't actively try to screw Obsidian over.

[Ayen]

BioWare generally know how to improve upon their games with the sequels, it's one of the reasons I respect them as a development team.

#2
48899
I wrote a review of this game last month and touched on a lot of things I liked about the game, I'll try to sum it up here: Metal Gear Solid was one of the first games I remember playing that showed games could be more than what they were, as it was a Motion Picture in its own right. It made you feel for the characters, even if they were a boss you just beat, knew all the right buttons to press on the emotional scale and had a lot fun Easter eggs to boot. It was also surprisingly educational as I learned more about genes, nukes, weapons and war without even realizing it. This was an easy choice for the Top Five for me.



One more game :luca:

[Pike]

MGS is good stuff.

[Ayen]

Annnnnnnd the number one game in my Top #20 list is....

.............

.............

.............

.............

.............

-gives Vivi a handkerchief-

#1
48901
LET ME TASTE YOUR TEARS EOFF!

Final Fantasy X was the game changer, introducing the franchise to PlayStation 2 and voice acting and they spared no expense on the voice acting part. It has the enriching world of Spira which holds many parallels to our own world: a religion that controls the massive, prejudice against the closest thing the game has to Mexicans, denying certain advancement because of fear of divine punishment and they take their sports game VERY seriously. Most of all it has characters I can actually relate to, Yuna being the main one. I like the story which comes with more religious symbolism through trying to cleanse the world of 'sin'. I like how Yuna is basically a Christ symbol in this for that reason. I like how summoning and summoners are actually an integral part of the game and not just anyone can be one. And I love the twist at the end with Auron being dead this whole time. You may spend your time wishing you could be another character, but as the person on the outside looking in as the player is Tidus serves his purpose just fine. And I'm a sucker for Godzilla size monsters wrecking trout whenever they can. The game left me wanting more.

[Shauna]

*Seal of Approval*

I dunno if I'd have FFX being my favourite game ever, but it is up there.

[Loony BoB]

Your signature is an appropriate end to that post, because you should be smurfing sorry. :p

[Ayen]

Your signature is an appropriate end to that post, because you should be smurfing sorry.

x_02AWx2D74

[Madame Adequate]

This is glorious and you are wonderful.

[Bolivar]

FFX is a groundbreaking achievement and I'm sorry for anyone who can't enjoy it!

[Slothy]

I enjoy X, but it's not all that groundbreaking, and definitely not the best in the series.

[Sephiroth]

That sounds good to me.

[Scotty_ffgamer]

X is great. Definitely not my favorite in the series, but it is still a great game. This was a great list!

[Ayen]

Glad you enjoyed it. Overall reception of the list went a lot better than I thought it would, but I'm always assuming the worst in things.

[Elskidor]

Your signature is an appropriate end to that post, because you should be smurfing sorry.


LOL



I like X, but would never put it that high on any list. Good thing everyone is different though. Great list Torij...I have not heard of some of those games, but I'll get around to giving them a shot sometime.

[Karifean]

Final Fantasy X is the best game, objectively speaking of course.

[Raistlin]

This list is almost as bad as Tidus's fashion sense. Hey-oh!

More seriously, I just cannot care that much for FFX, between the linear gameplay (which made a big world feel very cramped) and rather annoying characters. I would rank a good 5-6 FF games ahead of it.

[Madame Adequate]

But... Spira feels gigantic despite the very linear path?

[NeoCracker]

...No it doesn't.

:p

[Raistlin]

But... Spira feels gigantic despite the very linear path?

Except it doesn't at all, and I honestly can't even imagine what game you were playing if you think that. :p It feels like Spira is supposed to be gigantic, and it's described as such, but you don't really experience that size in the game. I frequently contrast FFX with FFXII as two games without an overworld map, with only the latter really feeling massive (regardless of how one feels about the rest of FFXII). FFX is a large world shoved into a cramped path.

[Elskidor]

FFXII did feel very massive, but it was also very linear. There ia a lot of similarities, but in the end they don't feel any thing alike. I wonder why that is. If you do everything within the game they are also both the longest games in the series too. No world map. Tons of annoying side quests that should com with a strong bottle of headache meds. XII worked a lot better for me than X did. I like X more now than when it first came out, but XII, even with its bland cast, is more enjoyable to me.

[Bolivar]

So many of X's areas were anything but cramped with some of them being outright massive! X is widely acclaimed for hiding its linearity, I'm kinda surprised we're even having this conversation.

[NeoCracker]

X is widely acclaimed for hiding its linearity,

I mean... I don't....

...what?

[Pike]

ToriJ confirmed for good taste in Final Fantasy games http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a109/Pikestaff/smiley/emot-allears_zps3b660dd9.gif

FFX is super linear and I have no idea why I enjoyed it but I sooooooo did and I love it so much

[Slothy]

X is widely acclaimed for hiding its linearity, I'm kinda surprised we're even having this conversation.

I have to echo NeoCracker's confusion here. I can't remember a time when it was ever acclaimed by either the gaming press or FF fans for hiding it's linearity. I don't even understand where the argument that it hid it comes from since there are very few times in the game where you get to do more than walk along the one path provided for you. And even when you have more than one path, they're mostly either short trips to a dead end with some treasure that are very few and far between, or lead to the exact same place in the end. I'm wondering if we played the same game here. :confused:

[Madame Adequate]

I mean yeah FFX is linear as heck and I don't argue that. I don't think it 'hid' its linearity per se, I think it made it so it didn't matter and you didn't care because it was an enormously fun and engaging time. Which is a pretty goddamn widespread point that has been made by reviewers etc. in its favor.

The only reason I can see people wouldn't think it's a convincingly long pilgrimage is because they had such fun the time just flew by :p

[Pike]

Well I can't speak for Bolivar but it hid its linearity for me by making me forget that it was linear because I was having too much fun with the battles and sphere grid and stuff. Even when I do remember that it's linear, I don't play FF for a non-linear experience anyway. I just want to be shuttled around between having fun with battles and job classes and if it's a straight line being that shuttle then it's fine by me.

Holy hell this thread is making me want to play FFX. I'll add it to the pipeline after my current Morrowind playthrough.

EDIT: Mindhive with Hux *high five*

[Slothy]

There's the rub though, your mileage varies depending on how much you liked the battles and sphere grid on that linear path. The latter was also too linear for me until the end game, and the battle system, while an interesting concept and change from ATB, was a bit too straight forward in strategy. It suffered a similar problem as XIII for me where the optimal choices were almost always immediately obvious. Possibly even moreso considering you could always see the turn order.

It's not a bad game per se, just has some glaring flaws that I couldn't get past enough to say it's anything more than pretty good.

[Pike]

pretty good.

Hey, this is progress at least. I got you to admit that it's pretty good!

[Madame Adequate]

There's the rub though, your mileage varies depending on how much you liked the battles and sphere grid on that linear path. The latter was also too linear for me until the end game

I always forget you poor bastards didn't get the Advanced Sphere Grid. No wonder your opinions are less positive.

[Sephiroth]

There's the rub though, your mileage varies depending on how much you liked the battles and sphere grid on that linear path. The latter was also too linear for me until the end game

I always forget you poor bastards didn't get the Advanced Sphere Grid. No wonder your opinions are less positive.

Why? The Normal one has more slots so maximizing is better with it.

[Elskidor]

I do admit I love the concept of the sphere grid. XIII tried to copy it, but it came miles away from being as fun. In the end they all turn out similar if you max it out, but it's fun watching your characters progress depending on the path you choose for them.

[Bolivar]

I've seen a lot of boarders talk about how FFX hid its inherently linear game design when discussing the entry, especially in comparison and when the FFXIII issue comes up. It was a series of levels but they weren't hallways and some of them, again, were outright massive. The game's pacing and flow keeps the it moving smoothly, to where it would be rare to stop and think about how open or straightforward the game is.

I know you're asking if we played the same game but I guess it's more of a matter of if we've read the same threads.

[NeoCracker]

I've seen a lot of boarders talk about how FFX hid its inherently linear game design when discussing the entry, especially in comparison and when the FFXIII issue comes up. It was a series of levels but they weren't hallways and some of them, again, were outright massive. The game's pacing and flow keeps the it moving smoothly, to where it would be rare to stop and think about how open or straightforward the game is.

I know you're asking if we played the same game but I guess it's more of a matter of if we've read the same threads.

I'm confused at to how ANYONE felt the Linearity was well hidden.

It wasn't. At all. And I've never heard ANYONE praise the game for hiding this before. Now I've heard people say that it doesn't bother them, and that's fair enough. But in no way, shape, or form was the linearity well hidden.

And enough people who hate the game seem to have picked up on the Linearity rather quickly to go against the Idea that it was rare, as well as a few people on here who I like the game saying they found it linear, and pretty much every person I know in person who likes the game agrees it was linear.

So yeah, your other statement still confounds me.

Mind you, this is not meant to be an argument against the game proper. :p

[Sephiroth]

... It was a series of levels but they weren't hallways ...


There were enough. Plus the direction arrow. Especially the High Road to Guadosalam part shows that it is very linear. And Final Fantasy often has half of its areas locked at the beginning.

[Bolivar]

It wasn't. At all. And I've never heard ANYONE praise the game for hiding this before. Now I've heard people say that it doesn't bother them, and that's fair enough. But in no way, shape, or form was the linearity well hidden.

Ok... (http://home.eyesonff.com/general-final-fantasy/138099-cant-do-open-world-im-not-buying-2.html#post3025718)

Anyway, you weren't in the thread so I can't call you a liar (per se :D) but I don't think the idea is as unheard of or as unreasonable as you've insisted it to be. No one's saying it's not linear, just that X pulls off what it does so well that it never occurred to us to notice (or care).

[NeoCracker]

There is still to much desent to call it rare I think. FF X, while quite popular, has a lot of detractors. Like, a lot. And it is constantly bashed for it's linearity.

I also don't see how a person could see it as being well hidden in light of that. And you are trying to lump in people who don't care again at the end there. Those who just don't' care actually go against your premise that the linearity was well hidden. :p

The indicators of it's linearity are far to obvious for me to think it was ever well hidden. Lack of world map, all the levels outside of the cloister of trials being very linear and straight forward, and very few side paths to take. Basically a lot of XIII's problems, though admittedly a lot less extreme then in XIII's case. These are glaring, and the reason they are so glaring is there had already been games as far back as the SNES that have less linearity in the RPG genre. It came at a time when RPG's were basically still at their height for crying out loud.

People may have not cared about it's linearity, and some people may have just gotten caught up in other things and didn't notice, but it is far from being well hidden. So praise for being well hidden is baffling to me. :p

Maybe it was just bad wording? From what little I read of that thread it sounds more like the praise should be "Even though the game is linear, there are enough interesting things going on that the linearity is like a non-issue." A point I would strongly disagree with that sentiment in regards to the game, but it makes plenty of sense. :p

Again, not an argument against the game. God knows if you look at my Top 100 games list I have a fair few games on their that are even more linear then X was. :p

P.S. Yeah, I know you could probably find me complaining about X's linearity in the past, and that is kind of a screw up on my part. I should probably have specified that the linearity just makes all the other things I dislike about the game worse as I can't really distract myself from it all that much, not so much a complaint about linearity itself. That's kind of irrelevant to the previous point though. :p

[Ayen]

This list is almost as bad as Tidus's fashion sense. Hey-oh!

Luckily for me and Tidus both things you mentioned are a matter of personal taste.

@thread, I couldn't care less about the linearity or the spheregrid, the story and the characters are what kept me playing from beginning to end and what keeps me playing. The same goes for every other game on this list that has a story to it. If you don't like it make your own list.

[Bolivar]

Neo I think you need some new emoticons.

[NeoCracker]

Neo I think you need some new emoticons.

That would require effort, the very least of which would be proof reading.

[Elskidor]

[QUOTE=Raistlin;3339712] The same goes for every other game on this list that has a story to it. If you don't like it make your own list.

And thankfully we are not all alike or things would get boring fast. Kudos to your list, even if I don't like some of 'em!