The greatest games - A Personal list of Neocracker~

[NeoCracker]

Please Chionis, I haven’t even broken into the top 100 yet. ;P

Besides, it’s funner if you try to tell my why I’m wrong, makes for more interesting converations that way. ;P

Anyway, I’ll preface this set by saying I probably overlooked this in my initial editing of this list, but everything in this block, the last game being the exception, should probably be moved back before everything from the last set I posted. But, as the list is already done, smurf it! They can stay where they are.

Yay for poorly placed games!
112. Lolipop Chainsaw (PS3)
      I will preface this, like quite a few other games on this list, by listing the two big things that kept this game from ending up higher on my list. The first being it’s not a very long game, at all. It suffers like most of Grass Hopper Studio games for it’s shortler length. This title in particular is rather bad in that regard.

      The other being the controls are pretty damn basic, not really doing anything new or unique, and it has a few issues with the aiming mechanics. Nothing that makes it unplayable, but it’s noticable.

      On to the awesome. And oh god does the awesome in this regards overflow. It is over the top and silly to an extreme. It’s hard not to be enthralled by the world created in Lolipop chainsaw. The characters are both bizzare and mostly unreleastic, but at the same time fit so nicely into the world and enviroment it doesn’t really bother you. And best yet you still find yourself caring about the fates and lives of these people.

      The Boss battles are all awesome. They, like everything else in the game, are these strange and almost surreal sights. From a zombie whose curse words materialize to smash you, to a disco zombie alien in black face, this whole game is an absolute wonder to behold. With more solid mechanics and a longer run time it would end up higher on this list.

111. Hyper Dimension Neptunia
110. Hyper Dimension Neptunia Mk. 2
      ...Okay, this is a series of games aimed at a very small and niche demographic of players. Most people out there should go no where near these games. Because my god are they silly. It plays it’s fan service in such a way it’s more like it was put there as a parody of Fan service from anime and video games rather then being intended as actual fan service. It’s constantly parodying various anime and video game tropes, and if you get the things it’s riffing and like the over the top humour the game has to offer, you’ll probably get your monies worth.

      I hesitate to call the combat in these games good however. It’s solid enough in both games, but a few of the customization mechancis can feel a bit over complicated to acieve rather simple results, and you’ll find yourself repeating the same moves for stretches at a time throughout the gameplay, causing it to offer little varience.

109. Tales of Destiny (PS1)
      First off I’m giving you a little bit of my relationship with the Tales series. This is a well made series, and while game quality varies quite a bit from title to title, it’s easy to see why this series has a pretty loyal fan base. However, I have never been able to play more then a couple hours into a tales game before my interest is completely shot, in spite of having no real qualms with the titles. I could never put my finger on just why.

      The sole exception to this is Tales of Destiny. Showing the classic Tales style of combat, it’s an odd mix of Side Scrolling and Turn based RPG combat in battle, and classic JRPG top view movement through dungeons and over world map. The combat flows smoothly, and the ability to change the wielders of the talking blade’s weapons can make for some fun varience in your party.

      The story is pretty solid as well, with a cast of fun characters and interesting twists along the way. In the end though, the combat is probably this games, and on a whole the series, stronger points. Definately worth a look if you’ve yet to play any of the Tales games, or fans of the series who, for some strange reason, missed this title.

[NeoCracker]

Wow, I guess no one had anything to say about those last few games.

Well then to the next set!

Lets try this again!!

108. Luminous Arc (DS)
      A fun little SRPG that can be found on the DS, to date there have been three titles launched. Having only played the first one, I can’t comment on the others, but this is a good game if you like the Genre.

      Complete with a large cast of characters, they go the route of each character having a class unique to them. You get plenty of variety in your cast to make the lack of individual character customization forgivable, since character customization is typically a staple of the genre.

      The story is pretty full of typical anime tropes, but regardless there is a fun story and cast building through out the game. So if you have a DS and enjoy a good SRPG, you can’t really go wrong with this title.


107. Legend of Legaia ‬2 (‬PS2)
      The follow up to Legend of Legaia, it’s a solid enough game. While I hoped for more out of a sequal to Legaia, there’s no real problems with this title. Gameplay, story, and characters are all solid, and it actually does a bit to make your magic a bit more useful then the last.

      It keeps up the combo system of the previous game, giving you a vairety of attacks. Though there will be stretches of the game you’ll discover your best combo’s, and gameplay becomes pretty repetative for chunks at a time. Still though, stringing the combo’s together is fun, and the story keeps you intrigued enough.


106. Star Oceaon: The Last Hope (PS3/360)
      I’ll be honest, the only other Star Ocean game I’ve played is 1, and I couldn’t really get into it, and stopped playing after a couple hours. As such, this will be the only Star Ocean game appearing on my list. And since this game got quite a bit of flack from fans of the series, I expect a few funny looks for this one.

      To begin, I don’t dislike Lymle as much as other people. I do find it odd though people complain about her constant ‘M’Kay’s”, yet no one seemed to be bothered by Myuria’s constantly calling you ‘Boy’ with this really awkward and annoying emphasis on the word. Bothered me a lot more then the ‘M’Kay’s’ ever did.

      The story is basically two different stories. The events involving the Cult on Roak, and the rest of the game. Now I’m a bit bothered by the massive disconnect with the two plots, as it seems as if the Roak events should have had a real impact on the plot, but they take up a lot of time and really don’t effect the rest of the game. That said, both plots are fine. Nothing great, but nothing infurating.

      The game has a lot of pretty enviroments to keep you happy through the games run time, without any particularly bad looking enviroments, and a couple that are very good. It’s also got some pretty solid character designs as well.

      The cast, while mostly mediocre, has a couple really fun characters. I really enjoyed the Meracle and Serah comedy relief, and Serah’s Monotone and inabilit to gauge the importance of any situation is always good for a laugh. Myuria is really the only character that bothers me.

      Mostly the game is carried by a fun and fast paced combat system. Blind Sides and Rushes were very fun, and there are plenty of party combinations to give you combat options.

       So long as you don’t go in planning on taking the story to seriously, it’s an enjoyable rid.

[chionos]

So what you're telling me is Star Ocean 2 is not going to be on this list? At all? Is that what you're telling me? Are you saying that you haven't played the best game the Star Ocean series has to offer? Am I actually hearing these words? I mean, Am I actually seeing these words? Are you really typing them? Is this really the truth? Seriously, if you ever get a chance, play Star Ocean 2.

I liked Legend of Legaia quite a bit, and was really disappointed with 2. I tried to go back and play both of them not too long ago and just couldn't, though.

Out of curiosity, will part 1 show up on the list anywhere? And don't you tell me I just have to wait and see!

[Bolivar]

Ugh why are so many of these games ahead of Final Fantasy VII....

I like how upfront you always are of the Hyperdimension Neptunia games. I know you like them yet you're always so quick to qualify anything good you say with something negative. Just come out and admit you enjoy them! I actually wanna check them out one day just to see what it's like, I'm intrigued by the whole console concept.

So long as you don’t go in planning on taking the story to seriously, it’s an enjoyable rid.

Good to hear that about Star Ocean III, I'm all about enjoyable rids.

[Raistlin]

at the Super Mario World ranking. I replayed it through a ROM several years ago, and it was still highly enjoyable. I echo everything Bubba said about it.

I never played Legend of Legaia 2, and only part of the original. It just lost my interest.

[NeoCracker]

Firstly, yes. The first Legaia will be showing up on this list at one point.

And no, I haven't played Star Ocean 2 or 3. Only "Last Hope" and the first one.

And of course I enjoy them Bolivar, hence why they are on the list.

[Ultima Shadow]

Luminous Arc is, if I remember correctly, my first RPG for the DS. I enjoyed it quite a bit, though both of the sequels had better gameplay. LA2 saw some small improvments like slightly more customization thanks to the "Lapis setups". LA3, which sadly never saw an english release (but I played the japanese version) greatly improved everything gameplay-related. The battles are more fast-paced, the lapis-system from 2 is still present and even further improved, you get to customize your characters even more through stat-development choices at each level-up ( depending on your choices, one of the characters can either turn into a special-attacking glass cannon, or a somewhat bulky mixed attacker while one of the "healers" could either have ideal support stats or be turned into an offensive mage with great offensive stats etc ) - this all while each character still maintain their unique classes. The online gameplay was also greatly improved and you actually got to see the order of the upcoming turns, which both 1 and 2 lacked for some reason. Finally, the interaction with other characters worked in a Persona-inspired way where you had a set amount of time each day to spend as you liked.

Yeah... LA3 topped both 1 and 2 completely. Shame on whoever's responsible for making the decision of not translating the best of the 3 games. =(

Ugh why are so many of these games ahead of Final Fantasy VII....

I can kinda get some of them, but... Star Ocean 4 ahead of FFVII (and lots of other cool games)? That's just utterly incomprehensible.

The cast, while mostly terrible, has a couple really abysmal characters.

Fixed.

Edit:

Also, I did find walking, talking elf-boobs' constantly saying "boy" to be annoying too. She and Lymle weren't even the only ones either. Lymle just happened to get on my nerves a little bit more than the others.

I'll admit that I might hate SO4 just a little more than it deserves, but... some cutscenes were seriously painful to endure. And aside from the decent gameplay, which was still a downgrade from SO3, this is basically how I remember the game:

[Polnareff]

The best part of Legaia 2 was Kazan. Especially the way he calls out his attacks.

"Uwoh! Midare.......OTOKOMICHIIIIII!"
"Ikuzo! Senran......OTOKOBANAAAAAA!"
"Musou.......SUIGETSU WARI!"

I loved Legaia 2 otherwise, but didn't like how every character except Kazan and Maya used weapons. The story made almost no sense either, then again I never played either Legaia game for the story.

[Bolivar]

And of course I enjoy them Bolivar, hence why they are on the list.

haha, well then stop being so defensive about it!

[NeoCracker]

I'm not being defensive, just giving my honest thoughts on the games. ;P

And I won't deny it Shads, there are some pretty damn bad cut scenes in that game.

Well, to the next set!

Slowly, but surely, approaching the top 100.
105. Starfox (SNES)
      Oh Super Nintendo, you gave us so many great games. Even one of the few flying games I can enjoy. The Original Star Fox on the SNES was great. There are times the controls could feel a bit clunky, but on a whole it handled great. And even with the blocky graphics a lot of the levels were still great.

      The game was a bit weak on the story, being pretty basic, but all the characters had some personality. It was a nice touch that you had point in the levels to save your allies, and by keeping them alive it would allow them to assist you later on in the stage. It helped give the game the feel you were in the Squadron, while keeping you, the player, as the center piece of the action.

104. Legend of Dragoon (PSX)
      I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure what the reaction to Dragoon being so low on the list will be. It’s a fun game, with an intriguing timed hit mechanic that changed depending on the addition being used. There were definitely some people who were harder to do then others, IE that smurfing Gust of Wind Storm from Lavitz/Albert. That one took a bit to get down.

      It’s a pretty colorful cast of characters, none of which were particularly bad. They all had at least something interesting about them, Haschel being a personal favorite.

      The Story was also pretty solid, though there isn't’ really to much that will take you buy surprise during the plot. The interest never really dies out, and it’s a game that actually kills off one of your characters, and one you’ve come to like at that. And the best part? They didn’t try to pull some bulltrout to revive them.

103. Toejam and Earl ‬2: Panic of Funktron (‬Genesis)
God trapping annoying tourists in jars is fun.

[chionos]

Had a lotta fun with TJ&E back in the day. Simple humorous fun.

Starfox has its place in the history of gaming, but I think it's in its rightful place, could perhaps go even lower really.

I think I feel almost indifferent about LoD's position. I mean, I really enjoyed the game, there's a lot to enjoy, and yet it's not, I dunno, memorable. I never found myself thinking about it when I wasn't playing it, and I don't get nostalgia pains for it like I do for the FFs, SO2, Lunar, etc.

[NeoCracker]

And we approach the Top 100. This will be the final Set before we embark on the top 100 games, which is really what is important in the grand scheme of things, isn’t it.

The last two games that people won't care all that much about!
102. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
      This is a game I wish I could put higher on my list. I really do. If for no other reason then how amazing the animation is, and for being one of the most original combat set ups I’ve seen in an SRPG.

      What I feel held this game back from a higher rank is it was hard to get invested in the world. The Characters were all pretty set in their archetypes, and the regular outbursts of silly from them really detract from the more serious and pressing tone the story is trying to go for, most noticeably the main characters awkward obsession with bugs, which regularly saves all of their asses.

      But past that, from a game play perspective this game is amazing, though at times the classes can be a bit unbalanced. It mixes in SRPG elements with a lot of things one would expect to see in more realistic small scale conflicts. Enemies remain hidden on the map until your characters have eye contact, people hiding in rubble, behind objects, and in tall grass, and moving through your enemies firing range will trigger attacks against you.

      And as mentioned before, the animation and art style of this game is absolutely gorgeous. This on it’s own warrents at least looking into this game.


101. La Pucelle Tactics (PS2)
      This was my initial exposure to the NIS SRPG. There was a lot of fun to be had with the games battle, and over all silly story. Intentionally silly mind you, which is a Silly I find myself able to get behind.

      The Battle system was fun and offered a good amount of Variety. Not one of the better NIS titles in this regard, but it was definitely a good starting point for me. All in all, don’t go in taking the game to seriously, and the goofiness and decent battle system will get you hooked.

[Pete for President]

But past that, from a game play perspective this game is amazing, though at times the classes can be a bit unbalanced.

It is the truth. All one ever needs in the later missions are scouts and shock troopers combined with damage/demolition boost to take out tanks. The limited movement of snipers and lancers make them redundant pretty quickly.

[Polnareff]

Legend of Dragoon was overrated and mind-numbingly boring to me. You had to sit there for hours on end doing the same boring combos over and over to level up even once. Not my idea of fun at all. Pretty much made me lost brain cells after a while. The soundtrack was meh and the only good part were the dragoon transformations for me (and the laughable battle voices). On a top 200 or so list for me, this game would barely make the 800th position.

La Pucelle, however, is to me the best NIS game ever made. It's not overly repetitive and highly-dependent on leveling like Disgaea, and the characters are cute and funny. It was just right, and I'm frankly a bit mad that they've never made a sequel to this game, but made 3 sequels to Disgaea.

[Bolivar]

If there's anything that could possibly piss me off more than you putting Final Fantasy VII behind Hannah Montana, Superman 64, and Guitar Hero 72, it's keeping Valkyria Chronicles so far back. I loved the characters and you kinda stop getting the silly outbursts once you get to the part with the Concentration Camps. Sorry if that spoils it for anybody but you should really smack yourself in the back of the head if you haven't played this game yet.

Glad it's at least here and in the discussion. I really adored the artwork, the world, the way the colors are used, vibrant greens or gloomy greys, such a big contrast in a time in gaming where you were either a brown/grey/black shooter or something trying its hardest to be the opposite and failing for that superficial motive. I hated the cell shading trend on the PS2 for so many years, in the same way I hate smartphone indie games today. But Dragon Quest VIII completely made me a believer, which was incredible, but Valkyria went even further, which I didn't think was possible. This game is art. The music was tight - it's Hitoshi Sakimoto, no matter what you say about him he's the ultimate composer when it comes to scoring a video game about war. Straight up and down. And of course the gameplay. I've gone on about how revolutionary it all is, I'll just say it's really awesome when you're in those maps, figuring out exactly how you're gonna take this, and moving ever farther into the unkown. I really can't smurfing wait to replay this game, especially after playing the excellent VC2.

Overall I understand why people don't like the story at first, and yeah, there are some silly outbreaks, but people should stop being so serious, it's not that game breaking, it reminds me more of Studio Ghibli's Sherlock Hound, both serious and silly at the same time in a magical, almost surrealistic way. When I first started the game, I wasn't 100% into it and kinda kicked myself for being so hyped for the game when I just wasn't enjoying it that much. But then it started kicking in; I think it builds up like a snowball until it's this awesome force and you appreciate what the game stands for artistically. This is a horrible explosion of random thoughts but I don't care, it's Valkyria.