It was a short run. And I don't think anyone really ever read any of it. But it was fun while it lasted.
You can still find me here though.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Game of the Year 2010
Wow. What a year for games it's been. I should say that I've played more games this year than any other year, and most of them were pretty good too! In the end I had over two dozen games that I was seriously considering for spots on this list. Sure, there were some disappointments along the way, as well as some real bombs, but for the most part I can't complain. With all that said, let's get on with it.
Note: This year I decided to use Giantbomb's list as the primary source for this list, so if you want the best results go on over and check it out here. Complete with links to each game's Giantbomb wiki page. Pretty much just copy and pasting the list to my blog/lj for whatever reason.
10. Super Meat Boy
I had to put Super Meat Boy on my list. There wasn't any way I couldn't. This game took me by total surprise. In fact I started off hating the game on principle alone. A hard as nails platformer that prided itself on being so difficult? Yeah, doesn't sound like something I'd be into at all. Low and behold, a fantastic game shines through regardless. The game just controls so god damn well, and even though it is really difficult, it doesn't punish you. It's an amazing feeling when you finally beat a level that you've been trying at for a good 15+ minutes. And I haven't even mentioned the game's charming retro inspired style, complete with an amazing soundtrack, that I even paid for - with real money!
The only reason Super Meat Boy ranks in at the end of the list, is because sadly I haven't actually been able to finish the game. I've been stuck on a boss fight for about two months now, and at this point I've kind of given up, and am waiting for the super special retail boxed copy that's coming out in January. That hasn't stopped me from pimping the game every chance I can get, and getting ridiculously excited about any news that I hear about the game. What can I say? It's a real treat.
9. Alan Wake
So what's all this shit about Alan Wake being disappointing, huh? Granted, in the end I could have done with a little less combat, I still think the rest of the game outshines any bit of repetition in the combat segments. Here you have a game with genuinely good writing, an interesting horror story that was broken up in such an ingenious way thanks to the whole "episode" system, and an awesome licensed soundtrack.
When I think back to some of the set pieces in the game (I'm thinking of a certain battle set on a stage) I couldn't in all honesty keep this game off the list. Plus when you consider that I initially rented the game, then turned around and bought the Collector's Edition after I finished the game? Yeah, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's sad that it was release was overshadowed by such a massive release as Red Dead Redemption, because I think this game really deserved a better shot than that.
8. Enslaved
Enslaved is one of several games this year that took me by total surprise. I was severely disappointed with Ninja Theory's last game Heavenly Sword, and with the announcement of a really bizarre Devil May Cry reboot on the horizon being helmed by them, I was really set on hating Enslaved. Then I played the demo.
Wow. So, Enslaved has a pretty decent story. Though it gets a little weird at the end, I still liked the twist - haters be damned! What really sells the game is the life like mo-cap and voice performances by the actors. This was one part Heavenly Sword did well, but I think Enslaved took it to another level. I really fell in love with the game's three characters pretty easily. And even that was surprising because I expected to hate Trip too!
Finally, the game gets a lot of flack for it's hand holding nature with the platformer, and apparently "terrible" combat according to some nutjobs? I didn't have a problem with any of this, and in fact quite enjoyed it. Again, it's a shame that Enslaved seems to have bombed in sales, but I think people will go on liking it for quite some time.
7. No More Heroes 2
Travis Touchdown is one of the best characters ever. Unsurprisingly his games are pretty damn good too. From the mind of Suda 51, NMH2 is another crack induced dose of "what the fuck" brought to you from Japan. The story is ridiculous, and the characters even more so. And unlike Killer 7, the gameplay is actually good.
Course' this isn't the first time we've seen No More Heroes (hence the "2") so it's not totally new. And I enjoyed the first game too, despite never finishing it. Two things that really helped me enjoy this game more though was the inclusion of classic controller support, and an easy difficulty setting. I'm anxious to see if No More Heroes Paradise will be as enjoyable when it comes out sometime next year.
Just do me a favor, and skip the mini games next time though. Man, fuck those things.
6. Yakuza 3
It took me a few years, but I finally decided I'm a big fan of the Yakuza series. I played the first one when it came out, and thought it was alright. Then was really late to the party on the second one but thought it was great. So I finally buckled down and bought a copy of 3 when it came out. I... didn't play it until August though, but I pretty much played it non-stop that month!
Let's face it, the combat is pretty simple, and there's way too much of it if you keep running into every punk on the street. But for whatever reason I found it to be a treat almost every time, if only for the fact that I just love how much of a bad ass Kiryu is. About the time you get the special move where you take out a cigarette and smoke it, only to flick it into the enemies face then just beat their ass, I was sold.
Unlike most brawlers though, Yakuza is known for having an intense story, full of characters that you just can't help to love, or in some cases hate. There's actually a pretty sad, and totally unexpected moment near the end of 3 involving one of the best new additions to the cast.
I can't wait for next year's Yakuza 4 to hit North America. After that... well...
5. Darksiders
In January I was faced with a decision. Buy Bayonetta, or buy Darksiders. I chose wrong. Luckily I remedied the situation a week later by trading in Bayonetta for Darksiders. Darksiders wasn't even on my radar at all beforehand. It wasn't until I put it in and gave it a spin that I found it to be one of the greatest games this year.
To start, I think Joe Madureira's artstyle is gorgeous. It really helped me get into the world, and there are some amazing looking characters. War, while not having the best personality out there, certainly looks like a bad ass. The story itself is pretty cool too, and I'm kind of disappointed that Darksiders 2 isn't going to continue the story.
That's all great and everything, but it's the gameplay that really nets Darksiders a spot on this list. It's been a while since a home console version of Zelda has come out, and even longer since I really got into one of them. Darksiders is the perfect Zelda "clone". Call it a homage or a rip-off, I could care less. I'd have to say Darksiders is the perfect fix for anyone waiting on Skyward Sword.
4. Red Dead Redemption
Well this is... unexpected. I had some pretty nasty backlash on Grand Theft Auto 4, and I certainly didn't expect to like a western themed game in the same engine this much. But... wow. RDR is easily one of the best game I've played this year. I can't think of a single thing negative to say about the game.
It has a fantastic story, full of interesting characters. The writing is excellent, and there are quite a few intense moments, including the end of the game which is shocking to say in the least. The soundtrack is fucking gorgeous, with some amazing tracks by Jose Gonzales, a name gamers are surely going to remember now.
As for the game itself? Addictive as hell. It's so hard to put down the controller, and I found myself saying "Just one more mission..." for hours. It's amazing how much they've improved the targeting system. And Dead Eye mode is just bad ass.
I haven't even begone to scratch the surface on a lot of the side content in the main game. There's a bunch of stranger missions, hunting challenges, and other stuff that I'd love to go back and complete at some point.
Simply amazing.
3. NIER
Alright, before I even begin to talk about NIER. I have to say that picking the order for the top 3 games this year was incredibly difficult. Obviously I love every game on this whole list, but these three are special. And I'm pretty confident in saying I'd include all of these on an "all time" list. With that said...
Oh god. I fucking LOVE NIER. It's this year's Half Minute Hero. A game that came out of no where and totally stole my undying affection. And it's pretty impressive that I still decided to buy NIER even after all the negativity it got blasted with when it was released.
Granted, NIER has problems. It's probably why it ranks third on my list. It's just too hard to overlook some of the faults in NIER. Mainly the fact that almost all of the side quest in the games are bullshit, and there are tons of them.
None of that matters though. The fact of the matter is I played this game for every waking hour for two weeks straight. I played through the game five times (well... New Game+'d 3 times, then started fresh to get the speedrun achievement). Why? Because the story is fantastic. Easily one of the best in recent memory. The story wouldn't be nearly as impressive without the characters, all of whom are equally as impressive as the story. Kaine is without a doubt my favorite character this year.
And against the odds, NIER was actually localized with love and care by the guys over at 8-4. It really shows, as the writing comes through solid, and the voice acting is incredible. Big props to those guys.
The soundtrack is pretty amazing too, another one that I actually paid for this year, and I'd highly recommend it. Man, I could gush on and on about NIER, but I think I should stop. The game is constantly on sale for like under $20. Buy it!
2. Starcraft 2
Oh Starcraft 2. Where do I even begin? Starcraft 2 had a lot to live up to. Starcraft is one of my favorite games of all time. And then I spent over a decade waiting for another installment in the series. And how'd it turn out? I think I need to spend another couple years with Starcraft 2, but at this point I'm going to go out on a limb and say... it's better than Starcraft. In almost every way at least.
For the multiplayer... it's the same super competitive multiplayer that people have enjoyed for a decade. Except there's more. It's better. Looks better, more units, different strategies. Better ladders, match making. A fucking Starcraft 2 league that you can subscribe to and watch the pros play every "season". Starcraft 2 took shit to a whole other level. And I really can't see going back to the first game now.
And for the single player... the story isn't as strong - yet. Though I think a lot of that has to do with the format. Starcraft 2's story will be spread along three games. Wings of Liberty is no doubt laying the ground work for something truly epic. For what it's worth though, I really enjoyed the layout and progression of missions.
When I was playing Starcraft 2, I was so excited. I couldn't believe I was playing it, and even more so that it actually lived up to all the hype. I remember at one point walking around my living room thinking about how awesome it was, and how I'd have to put in on my GOTY list.
Sadly, I just haven't been able to put as much time into Starcraft 2 as I would have liked to. It was all I played back when it came out. Once I finished the single player, I jumped into multiplayer and tried it for a bit, but was pretty quickly overwhelmed. It's a very intense, competitive scene. It requires a lot of time and practice that I just couldn't do at the time. But the great thing is that it'll be around for years, and there are no signs of it slowing down. So I have time.
In the meantime. It's fun watching GSL matches.
1. Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games I've ever played. Peace, I'm out.
No, seriously. After Bioware's offering of Dragon Age: Origins last year, I was really excited about Mass Effect 2. Hell, I liked Mass Effect well enough already, putting it on my GOTY list the year it came out. However, I had no idea how... breathtaking Mass Effect 2 would be.
Mass Effect 2 is an improvement over the original in every way. Some might disagree, and argue that the first one is better because it's more like a role playing game. Those people suck. The combat is ridiculously satisfying, they really tightened it up and turned it into a top notch third person shooter, and scrapped the inane inventory system. Less time spent trying to figure out if you want to turn Identical Assault Rifle #32 into omni-gel, and more time popping off headshots and wooing Garrus.
Speaking of which? The characters in this game? Way better in this game. The romantic options? Again, shreds the first game apart.
Okay, enough bagging on Mass Effect 1, but seriously. It's impressive how much better this game is, and how Bioware has advanced as a developer. Oh, it also doesn't hurt that this is one of the best looking games this year. And it's comforting knowing that the Mass Effect 3 engine looks even better (if even ever so slightly).
I really enjoyed Mass Effect 2 when it came out at the beginning of the year, but a couple months ago I picked it up again in hopes of getting the last achievement I was missing (and playing the DLC). I'm proud to say I completed the entire game on Insanity, and it was a fucking blast. I'm not one to purposely make a game harder on myself, but I'd almost say the experience was that much better because of it.
I don't know what else to say. Mass Effect 2 is as close as you're going to get to a "perfect" game. And I cannot wait for the third game coming out next year! Hopefully.
Note: This year I decided to use Giantbomb's list as the primary source for this list, so if you want the best results go on over and check it out here. Complete with links to each game's Giantbomb wiki page. Pretty much just copy and pasting the list to my blog/lj for whatever reason.
10. Super Meat Boy
I had to put Super Meat Boy on my list. There wasn't any way I couldn't. This game took me by total surprise. In fact I started off hating the game on principle alone. A hard as nails platformer that prided itself on being so difficult? Yeah, doesn't sound like something I'd be into at all. Low and behold, a fantastic game shines through regardless. The game just controls so god damn well, and even though it is really difficult, it doesn't punish you. It's an amazing feeling when you finally beat a level that you've been trying at for a good 15+ minutes. And I haven't even mentioned the game's charming retro inspired style, complete with an amazing soundtrack, that I even paid for - with real money!
The only reason Super Meat Boy ranks in at the end of the list, is because sadly I haven't actually been able to finish the game. I've been stuck on a boss fight for about two months now, and at this point I've kind of given up, and am waiting for the super special retail boxed copy that's coming out in January. That hasn't stopped me from pimping the game every chance I can get, and getting ridiculously excited about any news that I hear about the game. What can I say? It's a real treat.
9. Alan Wake
So what's all this shit about Alan Wake being disappointing, huh? Granted, in the end I could have done with a little less combat, I still think the rest of the game outshines any bit of repetition in the combat segments. Here you have a game with genuinely good writing, an interesting horror story that was broken up in such an ingenious way thanks to the whole "episode" system, and an awesome licensed soundtrack.
When I think back to some of the set pieces in the game (I'm thinking of a certain battle set on a stage) I couldn't in all honesty keep this game off the list. Plus when you consider that I initially rented the game, then turned around and bought the Collector's Edition after I finished the game? Yeah, I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's sad that it was release was overshadowed by such a massive release as Red Dead Redemption, because I think this game really deserved a better shot than that.
8. Enslaved
Enslaved is one of several games this year that took me by total surprise. I was severely disappointed with Ninja Theory's last game Heavenly Sword, and with the announcement of a really bizarre Devil May Cry reboot on the horizon being helmed by them, I was really set on hating Enslaved. Then I played the demo.
Wow. So, Enslaved has a pretty decent story. Though it gets a little weird at the end, I still liked the twist - haters be damned! What really sells the game is the life like mo-cap and voice performances by the actors. This was one part Heavenly Sword did well, but I think Enslaved took it to another level. I really fell in love with the game's three characters pretty easily. And even that was surprising because I expected to hate Trip too!
Finally, the game gets a lot of flack for it's hand holding nature with the platformer, and apparently "terrible" combat according to some nutjobs? I didn't have a problem with any of this, and in fact quite enjoyed it. Again, it's a shame that Enslaved seems to have bombed in sales, but I think people will go on liking it for quite some time.
7. No More Heroes 2
Travis Touchdown is one of the best characters ever. Unsurprisingly his games are pretty damn good too. From the mind of Suda 51, NMH2 is another crack induced dose of "what the fuck" brought to you from Japan. The story is ridiculous, and the characters even more so. And unlike Killer 7, the gameplay is actually good.
Course' this isn't the first time we've seen No More Heroes (hence the "2") so it's not totally new. And I enjoyed the first game too, despite never finishing it. Two things that really helped me enjoy this game more though was the inclusion of classic controller support, and an easy difficulty setting. I'm anxious to see if No More Heroes Paradise will be as enjoyable when it comes out sometime next year.
Just do me a favor, and skip the mini games next time though. Man, fuck those things.
6. Yakuza 3
It took me a few years, but I finally decided I'm a big fan of the Yakuza series. I played the first one when it came out, and thought it was alright. Then was really late to the party on the second one but thought it was great. So I finally buckled down and bought a copy of 3 when it came out. I... didn't play it until August though, but I pretty much played it non-stop that month!
Let's face it, the combat is pretty simple, and there's way too much of it if you keep running into every punk on the street. But for whatever reason I found it to be a treat almost every time, if only for the fact that I just love how much of a bad ass Kiryu is. About the time you get the special move where you take out a cigarette and smoke it, only to flick it into the enemies face then just beat their ass, I was sold.
Unlike most brawlers though, Yakuza is known for having an intense story, full of characters that you just can't help to love, or in some cases hate. There's actually a pretty sad, and totally unexpected moment near the end of 3 involving one of the best new additions to the cast.
I can't wait for next year's Yakuza 4 to hit North America. After that... well...
5. Darksiders
In January I was faced with a decision. Buy Bayonetta, or buy Darksiders. I chose wrong. Luckily I remedied the situation a week later by trading in Bayonetta for Darksiders. Darksiders wasn't even on my radar at all beforehand. It wasn't until I put it in and gave it a spin that I found it to be one of the greatest games this year.
To start, I think Joe Madureira's artstyle is gorgeous. It really helped me get into the world, and there are some amazing looking characters. War, while not having the best personality out there, certainly looks like a bad ass. The story itself is pretty cool too, and I'm kind of disappointed that Darksiders 2 isn't going to continue the story.
That's all great and everything, but it's the gameplay that really nets Darksiders a spot on this list. It's been a while since a home console version of Zelda has come out, and even longer since I really got into one of them. Darksiders is the perfect Zelda "clone". Call it a homage or a rip-off, I could care less. I'd have to say Darksiders is the perfect fix for anyone waiting on Skyward Sword.
4. Red Dead Redemption
Well this is... unexpected. I had some pretty nasty backlash on Grand Theft Auto 4, and I certainly didn't expect to like a western themed game in the same engine this much. But... wow. RDR is easily one of the best game I've played this year. I can't think of a single thing negative to say about the game.
It has a fantastic story, full of interesting characters. The writing is excellent, and there are quite a few intense moments, including the end of the game which is shocking to say in the least. The soundtrack is fucking gorgeous, with some amazing tracks by Jose Gonzales, a name gamers are surely going to remember now.
As for the game itself? Addictive as hell. It's so hard to put down the controller, and I found myself saying "Just one more mission..." for hours. It's amazing how much they've improved the targeting system. And Dead Eye mode is just bad ass.
I haven't even begone to scratch the surface on a lot of the side content in the main game. There's a bunch of stranger missions, hunting challenges, and other stuff that I'd love to go back and complete at some point.
Simply amazing.
3. NIER
Alright, before I even begin to talk about NIER. I have to say that picking the order for the top 3 games this year was incredibly difficult. Obviously I love every game on this whole list, but these three are special. And I'm pretty confident in saying I'd include all of these on an "all time" list. With that said...
Oh god. I fucking LOVE NIER. It's this year's Half Minute Hero. A game that came out of no where and totally stole my undying affection. And it's pretty impressive that I still decided to buy NIER even after all the negativity it got blasted with when it was released.
Granted, NIER has problems. It's probably why it ranks third on my list. It's just too hard to overlook some of the faults in NIER. Mainly the fact that almost all of the side quest in the games are bullshit, and there are tons of them.
None of that matters though. The fact of the matter is I played this game for every waking hour for two weeks straight. I played through the game five times (well... New Game+'d 3 times, then started fresh to get the speedrun achievement). Why? Because the story is fantastic. Easily one of the best in recent memory. The story wouldn't be nearly as impressive without the characters, all of whom are equally as impressive as the story. Kaine is without a doubt my favorite character this year.
And against the odds, NIER was actually localized with love and care by the guys over at 8-4. It really shows, as the writing comes through solid, and the voice acting is incredible. Big props to those guys.
The soundtrack is pretty amazing too, another one that I actually paid for this year, and I'd highly recommend it. Man, I could gush on and on about NIER, but I think I should stop. The game is constantly on sale for like under $20. Buy it!
2. Starcraft 2
Oh Starcraft 2. Where do I even begin? Starcraft 2 had a lot to live up to. Starcraft is one of my favorite games of all time. And then I spent over a decade waiting for another installment in the series. And how'd it turn out? I think I need to spend another couple years with Starcraft 2, but at this point I'm going to go out on a limb and say... it's better than Starcraft. In almost every way at least.
For the multiplayer... it's the same super competitive multiplayer that people have enjoyed for a decade. Except there's more. It's better. Looks better, more units, different strategies. Better ladders, match making. A fucking Starcraft 2 league that you can subscribe to and watch the pros play every "season". Starcraft 2 took shit to a whole other level. And I really can't see going back to the first game now.
And for the single player... the story isn't as strong - yet. Though I think a lot of that has to do with the format. Starcraft 2's story will be spread along three games. Wings of Liberty is no doubt laying the ground work for something truly epic. For what it's worth though, I really enjoyed the layout and progression of missions.
When I was playing Starcraft 2, I was so excited. I couldn't believe I was playing it, and even more so that it actually lived up to all the hype. I remember at one point walking around my living room thinking about how awesome it was, and how I'd have to put in on my GOTY list.
Sadly, I just haven't been able to put as much time into Starcraft 2 as I would have liked to. It was all I played back when it came out. Once I finished the single player, I jumped into multiplayer and tried it for a bit, but was pretty quickly overwhelmed. It's a very intense, competitive scene. It requires a lot of time and practice that I just couldn't do at the time. But the great thing is that it'll be around for years, and there are no signs of it slowing down. So I have time.
In the meantime. It's fun watching GSL matches.
1. Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games I've ever played. Peace, I'm out.
No, seriously. After Bioware's offering of Dragon Age: Origins last year, I was really excited about Mass Effect 2. Hell, I liked Mass Effect well enough already, putting it on my GOTY list the year it came out. However, I had no idea how... breathtaking Mass Effect 2 would be.
Mass Effect 2 is an improvement over the original in every way. Some might disagree, and argue that the first one is better because it's more like a role playing game. Those people suck. The combat is ridiculously satisfying, they really tightened it up and turned it into a top notch third person shooter, and scrapped the inane inventory system. Less time spent trying to figure out if you want to turn Identical Assault Rifle #32 into omni-gel, and more time popping off headshots and wooing Garrus.
Speaking of which? The characters in this game? Way better in this game. The romantic options? Again, shreds the first game apart.
Okay, enough bagging on Mass Effect 1, but seriously. It's impressive how much better this game is, and how Bioware has advanced as a developer. Oh, it also doesn't hurt that this is one of the best looking games this year. And it's comforting knowing that the Mass Effect 3 engine looks even better (if even ever so slightly).
I really enjoyed Mass Effect 2 when it came out at the beginning of the year, but a couple months ago I picked it up again in hopes of getting the last achievement I was missing (and playing the DLC). I'm proud to say I completed the entire game on Insanity, and it was a fucking blast. I'm not one to purposely make a game harder on myself, but I'd almost say the experience was that much better because of it.
I don't know what else to say. Mass Effect 2 is as close as you're going to get to a "perfect" game. And I cannot wait for the third game coming out next year! Hopefully.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Anime of the Year 2010
Hello friends, It's been a while. For better or worse I've pretty much fully migrated to Twitter/Facebook to share my unwanted opinion now days. However at least once a year I have to bounce back to the blog/lj to post my annual "of the Year" list. That time is now. As per usual I'll be starting with Anime. Look forward to my games of the year list next week sometime. Anyways...
This wasn't a great year for Anime, as it is I had a hard time picking five shows that really stood out to me. This has been a year full of average shows, or things that just didn't grab me for one reason or another. However there were at least a few shows that I really enjoyed, and I will recommend them here.
Another thing to note is that I'm trying to mix up the format a bit this year. I was really disappointed with my list last year. I had a hard time trying to put words to how I felt about shows, while at the same time trying to explain them. For whatever reason, talking about Anime just doesn't flow as naturally for me as it does with games. So this time, I'll be doing some quick hits. Telling you briefly why I liked the show. And if you need to know more about the show, or are interested in it - please click the wiki link I provide. Sound good? Okay. Let's go.
5. Highschool of the Dead
HotD is kind of the black sheep of this list. It really isn't as good as the other four shows on this list, and it was kind of a toss up between this and a couple other shows. Yeah, real positive start. That's just the kind of year it was though. Anyways... HotD is a bunch of mindless fun. It has tits, and zombies. Pretty much. It's based on the original manga of the same name, and features art by Inazuma - who is a pretty good hentai artist. So go figure, he can draw pretty hot chicks. The story isn't much, it's pretty standard zombie-fare, but there are some pretty awesome action scenes, and again - it's nice to look at. I'd recommend it to anyway looking for a decent action show, and it doesn't hurt if you aren't tired of the whole zombie thing by this point.
4. K-ON!!
Hey, it's K-ON! again. Except this time it has two exclamation marks!! Seriously though, K-ON is still a ridiculously cute, and funny show that I looked forward to watching every week. I can't honestly say which season was better, but if you're an Azusa fan chances are you'll like this season more (the episodes tend to focus more on her and her two side-kicks instead of the Seniors so much). Though I will say that I can recall more memorable moments this season than the last, so take that for what you will. I'll get this out of the way too, they don't top last year's ending theme "Don't Say Lazy". However, "No, Thank You!" certainly comes close.
3. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Holy-Shit. That's the best way I can sum up PSG. Gainax is pretty infamous at this point for bizarre ass series, but this really takes the cake. The first episode starts up with Panty and her sister Stocking fighting a giant shit demon, and it doesn't slow down from there. Chances are, the first thing you'll notice is... well, the name of the show. Secondly you'll probably notice that this show has a very unique art style and direction to it that doesn't come across as your average Anime. If anything it reminds me of some of the weirder western cartoons. The show does switch styles though, and can even changes the way it's animated drastically from episode to episode. Who would I recommend PSG to? Anyone. Just check it out, if nothing else you'll be left saying "What the fuck?".
Ah, what the hell. Allow me to gush more about PSG for a bit. Another fantastic thing about PSG is the soundtrack. Oh god, the soundtrack. It's fucking amazing. Almost every track is note-worthy, especially the ending theme "Fallen Angel". The OST is coming out soon, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I've never been this excited about an Anime soundtrack - ever. Something else that I really enjoy is the character designs. The show doesn't have a bunch of characters, but all of them are interesting. The designs are initially pretty simple, but the girls all get highly detailed "sexy" versions during transformations that really impress.
Ah, what else can I say? I guess that's enough. Some final words though. The last episode of the series hasn't aired yet, am I'm eagerly awaiting it. I doubt it would change the placement on the list much though. And finally, just... enjoy this shit while it last. The Japanese Government just passed a law banning any Anime of Manga containing sexual content that's judged as being harmful to children. This might be the last time we ever see anything like Panty & Stocking. And that's really, really sad.
2. Katanagatari
So, what can top PSG at this point? How about the greatest action Anime to come along in a long time? With an art style, and character designs even more beautiful and interesting than PSG? Sound good? Well, that's Katanagatari. An interesting an entirely pleasant experience - Katanagatari was 12, one hour long episodes, one of which aired every month of this year. And followed that month's adventures of the main characters of the show. It was a real treat watching this every month.
So why do I say it's the best action show in years? Certainly it isn't as action packed as your typical shonen-shows, and in fact in can be down right slow at times. Make no mistake, the main focus of this show is long, (but always interesting!) conversations between the characters. And then there is some fighting. But they do such a fantastic job of getting you hyped up for the action, that when it finally happens? It's fucking awesome. The biggest payoff? The last episode of the series. Within that hour you will see that Shichika is badass. It's like the ultimate "FUCK YES!" moment.
1. Durarara!!
While it might not be as crazy, and weird as PSG. Or as badass of an action show as Katanagatari. Durarara!! has it's own thing going for it. For starters, the show has all of the highlights from the above shows: it looks great, excellent characters, an awesome soundtrack, it can be pretty weird, and sure it even has some action in it. What really separates Durarara from other shows is it's writing, and story. I'll say this, it's not often that an Anime will get it's hooks in me, and demands that I watch the next episode. Just like a good serialized television series (think HBO) Durarara has a really compelling story that kept me dying to see what happened next in each episode.
At a glance, the characters aren't nearly as interesting (looking at least) as those found in PSG and Katana. However once you start watching the show, and watching the story unfold, you start to get attached to the characters... most of them anyway. And hell, just look at Celty. She's one of the coolest characters in recent memory. It's hard to explain, because you can't really say "This show is crazy!" or "That was the coolest thing ever!" about it, but it's consistently good, and that's why it's my pick of the year.
Final words: I can't think of another Anime outside of Death Note that has gripped me like this, and I can only hope we get another season, because there is a bunch of story left to cover. Another thing to note is that both opening and endings for the show are amazing. Particularly "Trust Me" which inspired me to watch the show seriously in the first place. Also, the number of characters can be a bit intimidating, but once you get rolling you'll ease into it pretty well. And finally, my only regret is that I didn't watch Baccano last year, because it totally would have made last year's list.
This wasn't a great year for Anime, as it is I had a hard time picking five shows that really stood out to me. This has been a year full of average shows, or things that just didn't grab me for one reason or another. However there were at least a few shows that I really enjoyed, and I will recommend them here.
Another thing to note is that I'm trying to mix up the format a bit this year. I was really disappointed with my list last year. I had a hard time trying to put words to how I felt about shows, while at the same time trying to explain them. For whatever reason, talking about Anime just doesn't flow as naturally for me as it does with games. So this time, I'll be doing some quick hits. Telling you briefly why I liked the show. And if you need to know more about the show, or are interested in it - please click the wiki link I provide. Sound good? Okay. Let's go.
5. Highschool of the Dead
HotD is kind of the black sheep of this list. It really isn't as good as the other four shows on this list, and it was kind of a toss up between this and a couple other shows. Yeah, real positive start. That's just the kind of year it was though. Anyways... HotD is a bunch of mindless fun. It has tits, and zombies. Pretty much. It's based on the original manga of the same name, and features art by Inazuma - who is a pretty good hentai artist. So go figure, he can draw pretty hot chicks. The story isn't much, it's pretty standard zombie-fare, but there are some pretty awesome action scenes, and again - it's nice to look at. I'd recommend it to anyway looking for a decent action show, and it doesn't hurt if you aren't tired of the whole zombie thing by this point.
4. K-ON!!
Hey, it's K-ON! again. Except this time it has two exclamation marks!! Seriously though, K-ON is still a ridiculously cute, and funny show that I looked forward to watching every week. I can't honestly say which season was better, but if you're an Azusa fan chances are you'll like this season more (the episodes tend to focus more on her and her two side-kicks instead of the Seniors so much). Though I will say that I can recall more memorable moments this season than the last, so take that for what you will. I'll get this out of the way too, they don't top last year's ending theme "Don't Say Lazy". However, "No, Thank You!" certainly comes close.
3. Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Holy-Shit. That's the best way I can sum up PSG. Gainax is pretty infamous at this point for bizarre ass series, but this really takes the cake. The first episode starts up with Panty and her sister Stocking fighting a giant shit demon, and it doesn't slow down from there. Chances are, the first thing you'll notice is... well, the name of the show. Secondly you'll probably notice that this show has a very unique art style and direction to it that doesn't come across as your average Anime. If anything it reminds me of some of the weirder western cartoons. The show does switch styles though, and can even changes the way it's animated drastically from episode to episode. Who would I recommend PSG to? Anyone. Just check it out, if nothing else you'll be left saying "What the fuck?".
Ah, what the hell. Allow me to gush more about PSG for a bit. Another fantastic thing about PSG is the soundtrack. Oh god, the soundtrack. It's fucking amazing. Almost every track is note-worthy, especially the ending theme "Fallen Angel". The OST is coming out soon, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it. I've never been this excited about an Anime soundtrack - ever. Something else that I really enjoy is the character designs. The show doesn't have a bunch of characters, but all of them are interesting. The designs are initially pretty simple, but the girls all get highly detailed "sexy" versions during transformations that really impress.
Ah, what else can I say? I guess that's enough. Some final words though. The last episode of the series hasn't aired yet, am I'm eagerly awaiting it. I doubt it would change the placement on the list much though. And finally, just... enjoy this shit while it last. The Japanese Government just passed a law banning any Anime of Manga containing sexual content that's judged as being harmful to children. This might be the last time we ever see anything like Panty & Stocking. And that's really, really sad.
2. Katanagatari
So, what can top PSG at this point? How about the greatest action Anime to come along in a long time? With an art style, and character designs even more beautiful and interesting than PSG? Sound good? Well, that's Katanagatari. An interesting an entirely pleasant experience - Katanagatari was 12, one hour long episodes, one of which aired every month of this year. And followed that month's adventures of the main characters of the show. It was a real treat watching this every month.
So why do I say it's the best action show in years? Certainly it isn't as action packed as your typical shonen-shows, and in fact in can be down right slow at times. Make no mistake, the main focus of this show is long, (but always interesting!) conversations between the characters. And then there is some fighting. But they do such a fantastic job of getting you hyped up for the action, that when it finally happens? It's fucking awesome. The biggest payoff? The last episode of the series. Within that hour you will see that Shichika is badass. It's like the ultimate "FUCK YES!" moment.
1. Durarara!!
While it might not be as crazy, and weird as PSG. Or as badass of an action show as Katanagatari. Durarara!! has it's own thing going for it. For starters, the show has all of the highlights from the above shows: it looks great, excellent characters, an awesome soundtrack, it can be pretty weird, and sure it even has some action in it. What really separates Durarara from other shows is it's writing, and story. I'll say this, it's not often that an Anime will get it's hooks in me, and demands that I watch the next episode. Just like a good serialized television series (think HBO) Durarara has a really compelling story that kept me dying to see what happened next in each episode.
At a glance, the characters aren't nearly as interesting (looking at least) as those found in PSG and Katana. However once you start watching the show, and watching the story unfold, you start to get attached to the characters... most of them anyway. And hell, just look at Celty. She's one of the coolest characters in recent memory. It's hard to explain, because you can't really say "This show is crazy!" or "That was the coolest thing ever!" about it, but it's consistently good, and that's why it's my pick of the year.
Final words: I can't think of another Anime outside of Death Note that has gripped me like this, and I can only hope we get another season, because there is a bunch of story left to cover. Another thing to note is that both opening and endings for the show are amazing. Particularly "Trust Me" which inspired me to watch the show seriously in the first place. Also, the number of characters can be a bit intimidating, but once you get rolling you'll ease into it pretty well. And finally, my only regret is that I didn't watch Baccano last year, because it totally would have made last year's list.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Some words about Mass Effect 2
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR MASS EFFECT 2
Alright, so it's time to talk about another Bioware game again. This time I'll try and make it fast.
At the end of Mass Effect 2, you and your team go on a suicide mission to save your lost crew, and stop the Collectors. It is entirely possible for your party members, and even Shepard to die. There's a way to ensure your characters won't die, which I won't go into, because honestly it's not that important. The important thing is, that I researched this ahead of time, to make sure I didn't lose any party members.
Now, I'm wondering if I fucked up by doing this. Of course, I want MY Commander Shepard to go into Mass Effect 3 without having lost any of the main characters. However, did I cheat myself out of an emotional experience by not playing the game by ear, and paying the price for an error in judgment?
I've heard people talking about it on podcast, and it sounds like I'm really missing out on some intense moments by not seeing any of my crew members die in front of my eyes. Imagine if Garrus, one of my favorite characters, and love interest in ME2 took a bullet to the head right in front of me? I think that would invoke some pretty crazy emotions.
What if I didn't know what I needed to do to save my crew, and was wondering the whole time if someone was going to bite the bullet? Wouldn't that be extremely intense? Wouldn't that be a gaming experience unlike anything I've ever seen before?
I guess I could just answer all this by going back to an earlier save and making every wrong choice I could. But would it be the same now? Not unlike before when I knew everyone was going to survive. I'd know that people were going to die, and that none of these deaths would be "canon" in my Mass Effect universe.
What about on my new Shepard? He's going to be a Paragon this time. It doesn't seem like he'd let party members die. And would it be worth it to let party members die on these new Shepard, just so I can experience the effect it will have in Mass Effect 3? I still don't feel comfortable doing it.
Hm.
Alright, so it's time to talk about another Bioware game again. This time I'll try and make it fast.
At the end of Mass Effect 2, you and your team go on a suicide mission to save your lost crew, and stop the Collectors. It is entirely possible for your party members, and even Shepard to die. There's a way to ensure your characters won't die, which I won't go into, because honestly it's not that important. The important thing is, that I researched this ahead of time, to make sure I didn't lose any party members.
Now, I'm wondering if I fucked up by doing this. Of course, I want MY Commander Shepard to go into Mass Effect 3 without having lost any of the main characters. However, did I cheat myself out of an emotional experience by not playing the game by ear, and paying the price for an error in judgment?
I've heard people talking about it on podcast, and it sounds like I'm really missing out on some intense moments by not seeing any of my crew members die in front of my eyes. Imagine if Garrus, one of my favorite characters, and love interest in ME2 took a bullet to the head right in front of me? I think that would invoke some pretty crazy emotions.
What if I didn't know what I needed to do to save my crew, and was wondering the whole time if someone was going to bite the bullet? Wouldn't that be extremely intense? Wouldn't that be a gaming experience unlike anything I've ever seen before?
I guess I could just answer all this by going back to an earlier save and making every wrong choice I could. But would it be the same now? Not unlike before when I knew everyone was going to survive. I'd know that people were going to die, and that none of these deaths would be "canon" in my Mass Effect universe.
What about on my new Shepard? He's going to be a Paragon this time. It doesn't seem like he'd let party members die. And would it be worth it to let party members die on these new Shepard, just so I can experience the effect it will have in Mass Effect 3? I still don't feel comfortable doing it.
Hm.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Game of The Year 2009
Finally, it's time for Game of The Year. I've certainly spent a fair share of time bitching about other people's games of the year list over the past month. Time to put my list out there. As usual, my list is quite a bit different than most of the list you'll see around the net. Of course this is all personal opinion, as any list is, but these are the 10 games I enjoyed the most that came out this year. Enjoy!
10. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
When making a game of the year list, it's sometimes hard to remember the smaller games that were released earlier in the year. Luckily, I'm a big Valkyrie Profile fan. So when it came time to make my list, this game wasn't too far from my mind. Covenant of the Plume was an interesting take on the strategy role playing game branch of RPGs that I've enjoyed since Final Fantasy Tactics. Being able to engage in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth's amazing turn based battle system everytime I fought an enemy on the battlefield is what makes this game different than your typical SRPG.
While it might not live up to it's predecessor (my personal Game of the Decade) it's still one of the better offerings this year for a JRPG fan desperately looking for a fix. It's just a shame that the main story never has you taking on the role of Lenneth, or any Valkyrie for that matter. But Wyl is a cool enough dude, that deals with some messed up situations.
9. Torchlight
Torchlight kind of came out of no where. The developer Runic Studios, survivors from the late Flagship Studios were previously working on another Diablo clone - Mythos. I tried that game out but it didn't hook me. After a surprisingly short development cycle, the newly founded studio was finally able to put out a real contender to the throne - and it doesn't even have multiplayer!
It took me about 15 hours to finish the game with a single character. A "rogue" built Vanquisher. I enjoyed my short time with Torchlight, and had a hard time putting it down once I got started. While the game might not have the cinematic presentation, or the twisted story found in Diablo 2, everything else is there and is pretty much on par with that game I spent so many hours on over the years. I'm looking forward to what Runic Games does with the MMO portion of Torchlight that should be coming in a year or so.
Also, it should be noted that Torchlight is usually $20 on Steam. It's gone on sale several times since launching, with the last steam holiday sale having it up for just $5. That's just retarded. There's no reason not to pick up this game.
8. Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa, Vanillaware's latest example of how 2D gaming is still relevant even in 2009. This gorgeous Wii exclusive was one of my most anticipated games this year. Sadly, for whatever reason it didn't hook me quite as hard as Odin Sphere, but make no mistake this is still one amazing game.
As I've already said, the game is just simply amazing to look at. Easily one of the prettiest games I've ever seen. But the game's easy to learn, hard to master combat is what really sets this game apart from the crowd. It doesn't hurt that it has a rather interesting story, told from the perspective of two playable characters, that is rich with Japanese folklore.
Sadly, I've only had a chance to go through the game as Momohime, and have left Kisuke's story virtually untouched. However I did watch my roommate play through every part of the game, so I didn't miss anything. I'll still go back and finish it during some downtime though.
If you own a Wii and you're complaining about the lack of "core" games. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
7. Suikoden Tierkreis
Another game that came out at the beginning of the year that has been stuck in my mind is the latest installment in the Suikoden series. I'm a huge fan of the series, and it had been a while since the previous game. Unfortunately, Tierkreis is kind of a spin-off from the main franchise, but I would argue that it's on-par if not better than one of the main games - Suikoden 4.
I wrote a blog entry about some of the changes Suikoden fans can expect with this game. So check it out if you want a reminder. Still, this is a traditional JRPG for the DS that provided me with a solid 80 hours of entertainment. The story is pretty neat, and there are some awesome characters in that big pile 0f 108 to be recruited. Including Chrodechild, weird name, yes. But she is pretty hot, and easily one of the most overpowered characters in the series.
Who knows when Konami will get around to putting out Suikoden 6, so in the meantime you might as well give this one a shot. In my opinion, it's pretty damn good.
6. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Yeah, another JRPG. You know the drill. Still, Dragon Quest V isn't just any JRPG. It's Japan's all time favorite game, ever. Regardless if that's an exaggeration or not (it probably isn't) they really love this fucking game. I'd have to agree with them, as far as old school JRPGs go this one is pretty fantastic, but I still hold a special place in my heart for Dragon Quest IV.
Also, yes, I know. This is a remake. However this marks the first time that Dragon Quest V has ever been released in the US. So fuck it, it's brand new to me. And I can see where you might think a first encounter with an older game so many years after it's release might be a less than stellar experience. But the truth? DQV is full of interesting stuff that still seems fresh even after all these years.
Perhaps the coolest part of the game is that you take on the role of the nameless Hero. Nothing new there, except for the fact that you follow him throughout his whole life. From childhood to adulthood. At one point you end up getting married, and having children even. And those children even join your party! It's pretty fucking cool, and honestly I'm surprised more games haven't ripped off the idea seeing how popular this game is.
It'll be a while before we get Dragon Quest IX over here in the west. So if you're a fan of the series, or just looking for a good JRPG, here's another good pick for you. Also, notice the trend of all these great JRPGs being on the DS? Yeah...
5. Brutal Legend
Here's something new. Brutal Legend was an interesting game. Not a lot of people seemed to like it, hell I wasn't even that interested in it leading up to the game's release. But when I popped the game into my 360, I barely stopped playing it until it was finished.
I can see why some people wouldn't like the game. The character action portions aren't nearly as deep as your God of Wars. And the RTS parts are pretty sloppy at all times. Still, I found the gameplay enjoyable enough. The real reason to stick around though is everything else. This metal themed world that Tim Schafer and the Doulbe Fine team crafted is easily one of the coolest settings in a video game. The story was awesome, with plenty of hilarious and epic moments that kept me glued to the TV. And the licensed soundtrack is not only one of the best you'll find around, but is masterfully used in some of the game's key segments.
As I said, the testament of a great game is one that you really have a hard time putting down. And out of all the games on this list, Brutal Legend is easily the one I was hooked on the most. Sadly the whole experience was only spread out for about two days, but those were some good times. It's a real shame the actual gameplay can be a turnoff, but if you stick with it, it's quite rewarding.
4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Let me start by saying I hated Uncharted 1. I thought that game was an overrated piece of crap that was only being talked about because it was a Playstation 3 exclusive. True, the cinematic experience was there, as it is in Uncharted 2, as were the characters. But the gameplay just wasn't up to snuff.
Enter Uncharted 2. A game that improves on it's predecessor. This, people, is how you do a sequel. Taking that amazing cinematic feel, and the characters that made the first game even worth mentioning, and combine it with some fantastic gameplay, and you've got some serious Game of the Year potential.
Like Brutal Legend, I had a hard time putting down Uncharted 2. The game just keeps going, never really slowing down to a point where you think "Yeah, I should stop here for now". And you know a game is special when I actually like the platforming in it.
Out of all the major outlet's Game of the Year list, this is the one I think is the "right" answer. It's not my personal favorite, but it's certainly a choice that I would greatly respect. It's just a shame that a game like Assassin's Creed 2 couldn't follow the example, and improve on the original game in such a massive way that I go from hating the franchise to loving it.
3. Blazblue: Calamity Trigger
This year was definitely a good year to be a fighting game fan. So many of the big franchises saw a new installment. For better or worse. But my personal pick out of the bunch is actually a new series, and oddly enough - it's number 3 on my list.
Blazblue, the latest game from legendary fighting game developer Arc System Works (the folks who brought you the amazing Guilty Gear series) is another shining example of why 2D gaming isn't dead. Like Muramasa, this game is gorgeous. And like Guilty Gear, the game's fighting system is super stylish, and ridiculously complex. But not so hard that a newbie like me couldn't pick it up and have fun with it.
I'm not really into the competitive fighting game scene, largely due to my lack of skill. So when it comes to fighters, there needs to be something special aside from addictive multiplayer to keep me going. While Blazblue certainly does have that addictive multiplayer in spades, it also has some of the most insane characters in a fighting game since Guilty Gear. I've fallen in love with most of the cast, and really it's hard not to when they're so damn cool. Some of my favorites being Taokaka, Rachel, Arakune, and Bang mother-fucking Shishigami.
Along with the characters there is a truly batshit insane story that almost makes no sense half the time. But I don't care, I ate that shit up. Yes I actually spent about a week completing the whole story mode, meeting every obscure requirement to unlock the whole story. That's dedication.
Street Fighter IV also came out this year, and it may very well be a better game. But god damn if Blazblue isn't awesome. And again, that's coming from someone who is terrible at fighting games.
2. Dragon Age: Origins
It was a hard decision to bump Dragon Age down to #2. After all I spent 89 hours playing through the game on my first character. And an additional 8 hours playing all the Origin stories. Honestly, the only reason Dragon Age isn't number one, is because I simply loved the next game a tiny bit more. Enough about that though, let's give Bioware's latest RPG epic it's due.
Dragon Age is an epic game, that has one of the best fantasy stories I can remember in a game. This isn't too surprising as Bioware has stated that they took inspiration from books like A Song of Ice and Fire, my favorite book series of all time. You can see the influence here as this game has a very dark setting to it. Shit gets real. But leave it to Bioware to make the whole world ending crisis enjoyable by including a cast of amazing characters. All of whom have some of the best voice acting talent in any game to date.
I took it upon myself to do every side quest I could in the game, something I can't say I did for Mass Effect. For whatever reason I just felt really compelled to to it in this game. Be it the little bit of extra story you get, or the promise of some epic loot. The best side quest of all being the ones that involve your party members. And the best one of those being Morrigan's quest, which ends up in a pretty epic battle.
Perhaps it's weird that I enjoyed the game so much, since people seem to think it's a throwback to Bioware's older series Baldur's Gate. A series I never got into. But I can kind of compare Dragon Age to another Bioware series, Neverwinter Nights, a series that I love.
In any case, Dragon Age is one of the best games of the year. If you're any sort of fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Just be warned that the game is a massive undertaking. So set aside some free time.
1. Half-Minute Hero
Going from an epic, nearly 100 hour RPG that is a prime example of western role playing games. To a game that is a parody of every Japanese RPG ever made, and a game that does it in 30 second chunks. Half-Minute Hero continues my tradition of including ridiculous JRPGs that no one else even thought for a second about including as their game of the year. And here? It makes top honors.
This game came out of no where and dominated my life for a couple weeks. I fell for this game so hard that I even competed in getting high scores by finishing levels in record time and posting the results on the game's official website. But what is it about the game that I love so much?
Everything really. It's a JRPG for one, but it pokes fun and pays homage to my favorite genre. The game's sprite based art has a nostalgic feeling to it that almost makes the game seem like a classic I loved in my childhood. It takes all those things I love about JRPGs and compresses them into little bite sized chunks. The main game Hero-30 which is easily the best part of the game has about 50 levels, all of which can take under 30 seconds to complete. And all of them present an interest puzzle, in making you figure out how to complete a journey's worth of stuff in under half a minute.
If the whole thing sounds hectic, it is. Yet somehow its extremely relaxing. I can't remember the last time I've just been so happy just playing a game. Sure, I love playing games, it's what I do. But there's just something special about HMH.
It doesn't hurt that this addictive gameplay is accompanied by a cute story, that is often times pretty funny. There's even a mission near the end of Hero 30 that is surprisingly deep and emotional.
Aside from Hero 30 there are a few other modes in the game that take the gameplay in radically different directions. There's a 30 second RTS, Shooter, and an interesting escort mode that make up the other half of the game. While these modes aren't nearly as entertaining, they're still fun and I didn't have any problem completing them to unlock the game's finale.
I don't expect people to agree with me. That's fine. I don't even expect the game to get mentioned during GoTY awards, even though it should. Props to IGN for giving it PSP Game of the Year though. Still, this game is without a doubt the game I enjoyed the most this year. And I see myself coming back to it many times in the coming years whenever I feel the need to do a speed run. I can only hope that Marvelous will do a sequel.
If you're a fan of JRPGs, please check this game out. You might not even like the frantic speed of the game, but I'm sure you can appreciate the homage it pays to the genre. Even if you're not the biggest JRPG fan this is probably worth checking out as it does away with a lot of the things people tend to dislike about the genre. specifically spending a large portion of time grinding for level-ups.
And that's my Games of The Year. Hope you enjoyed em'.
10. Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
When making a game of the year list, it's sometimes hard to remember the smaller games that were released earlier in the year. Luckily, I'm a big Valkyrie Profile fan. So when it came time to make my list, this game wasn't too far from my mind. Covenant of the Plume was an interesting take on the strategy role playing game branch of RPGs that I've enjoyed since Final Fantasy Tactics. Being able to engage in Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth's amazing turn based battle system everytime I fought an enemy on the battlefield is what makes this game different than your typical SRPG.
While it might not live up to it's predecessor (my personal Game of the Decade) it's still one of the better offerings this year for a JRPG fan desperately looking for a fix. It's just a shame that the main story never has you taking on the role of Lenneth, or any Valkyrie for that matter. But Wyl is a cool enough dude, that deals with some messed up situations.
9. Torchlight
Torchlight kind of came out of no where. The developer Runic Studios, survivors from the late Flagship Studios were previously working on another Diablo clone - Mythos. I tried that game out but it didn't hook me. After a surprisingly short development cycle, the newly founded studio was finally able to put out a real contender to the throne - and it doesn't even have multiplayer!
It took me about 15 hours to finish the game with a single character. A "rogue" built Vanquisher. I enjoyed my short time with Torchlight, and had a hard time putting it down once I got started. While the game might not have the cinematic presentation, or the twisted story found in Diablo 2, everything else is there and is pretty much on par with that game I spent so many hours on over the years. I'm looking forward to what Runic Games does with the MMO portion of Torchlight that should be coming in a year or so.
Also, it should be noted that Torchlight is usually $20 on Steam. It's gone on sale several times since launching, with the last steam holiday sale having it up for just $5. That's just retarded. There's no reason not to pick up this game.
8. Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa, Vanillaware's latest example of how 2D gaming is still relevant even in 2009. This gorgeous Wii exclusive was one of my most anticipated games this year. Sadly, for whatever reason it didn't hook me quite as hard as Odin Sphere, but make no mistake this is still one amazing game.
As I've already said, the game is just simply amazing to look at. Easily one of the prettiest games I've ever seen. But the game's easy to learn, hard to master combat is what really sets this game apart from the crowd. It doesn't hurt that it has a rather interesting story, told from the perspective of two playable characters, that is rich with Japanese folklore.
Sadly, I've only had a chance to go through the game as Momohime, and have left Kisuke's story virtually untouched. However I did watch my roommate play through every part of the game, so I didn't miss anything. I'll still go back and finish it during some downtime though.
If you own a Wii and you're complaining about the lack of "core" games. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
7. Suikoden Tierkreis
Another game that came out at the beginning of the year that has been stuck in my mind is the latest installment in the Suikoden series. I'm a huge fan of the series, and it had been a while since the previous game. Unfortunately, Tierkreis is kind of a spin-off from the main franchise, but I would argue that it's on-par if not better than one of the main games - Suikoden 4.
I wrote a blog entry about some of the changes Suikoden fans can expect with this game. So check it out if you want a reminder. Still, this is a traditional JRPG for the DS that provided me with a solid 80 hours of entertainment. The story is pretty neat, and there are some awesome characters in that big pile 0f 108 to be recruited. Including Chrodechild, weird name, yes. But she is pretty hot, and easily one of the most overpowered characters in the series.
Who knows when Konami will get around to putting out Suikoden 6, so in the meantime you might as well give this one a shot. In my opinion, it's pretty damn good.
6. Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
Yeah, another JRPG. You know the drill. Still, Dragon Quest V isn't just any JRPG. It's Japan's all time favorite game, ever. Regardless if that's an exaggeration or not (it probably isn't) they really love this fucking game. I'd have to agree with them, as far as old school JRPGs go this one is pretty fantastic, but I still hold a special place in my heart for Dragon Quest IV.
Also, yes, I know. This is a remake. However this marks the first time that Dragon Quest V has ever been released in the US. So fuck it, it's brand new to me. And I can see where you might think a first encounter with an older game so many years after it's release might be a less than stellar experience. But the truth? DQV is full of interesting stuff that still seems fresh even after all these years.
Perhaps the coolest part of the game is that you take on the role of the nameless Hero. Nothing new there, except for the fact that you follow him throughout his whole life. From childhood to adulthood. At one point you end up getting married, and having children even. And those children even join your party! It's pretty fucking cool, and honestly I'm surprised more games haven't ripped off the idea seeing how popular this game is.
It'll be a while before we get Dragon Quest IX over here in the west. So if you're a fan of the series, or just looking for a good JRPG, here's another good pick for you. Also, notice the trend of all these great JRPGs being on the DS? Yeah...
5. Brutal Legend
Here's something new. Brutal Legend was an interesting game. Not a lot of people seemed to like it, hell I wasn't even that interested in it leading up to the game's release. But when I popped the game into my 360, I barely stopped playing it until it was finished.
I can see why some people wouldn't like the game. The character action portions aren't nearly as deep as your God of Wars. And the RTS parts are pretty sloppy at all times. Still, I found the gameplay enjoyable enough. The real reason to stick around though is everything else. This metal themed world that Tim Schafer and the Doulbe Fine team crafted is easily one of the coolest settings in a video game. The story was awesome, with plenty of hilarious and epic moments that kept me glued to the TV. And the licensed soundtrack is not only one of the best you'll find around, but is masterfully used in some of the game's key segments.
As I said, the testament of a great game is one that you really have a hard time putting down. And out of all the games on this list, Brutal Legend is easily the one I was hooked on the most. Sadly the whole experience was only spread out for about two days, but those were some good times. It's a real shame the actual gameplay can be a turnoff, but if you stick with it, it's quite rewarding.
4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Let me start by saying I hated Uncharted 1. I thought that game was an overrated piece of crap that was only being talked about because it was a Playstation 3 exclusive. True, the cinematic experience was there, as it is in Uncharted 2, as were the characters. But the gameplay just wasn't up to snuff.
Enter Uncharted 2. A game that improves on it's predecessor. This, people, is how you do a sequel. Taking that amazing cinematic feel, and the characters that made the first game even worth mentioning, and combine it with some fantastic gameplay, and you've got some serious Game of the Year potential.
Like Brutal Legend, I had a hard time putting down Uncharted 2. The game just keeps going, never really slowing down to a point where you think "Yeah, I should stop here for now". And you know a game is special when I actually like the platforming in it.
Out of all the major outlet's Game of the Year list, this is the one I think is the "right" answer. It's not my personal favorite, but it's certainly a choice that I would greatly respect. It's just a shame that a game like Assassin's Creed 2 couldn't follow the example, and improve on the original game in such a massive way that I go from hating the franchise to loving it.
3. Blazblue: Calamity Trigger
This year was definitely a good year to be a fighting game fan. So many of the big franchises saw a new installment. For better or worse. But my personal pick out of the bunch is actually a new series, and oddly enough - it's number 3 on my list.
Blazblue, the latest game from legendary fighting game developer Arc System Works (the folks who brought you the amazing Guilty Gear series) is another shining example of why 2D gaming isn't dead. Like Muramasa, this game is gorgeous. And like Guilty Gear, the game's fighting system is super stylish, and ridiculously complex. But not so hard that a newbie like me couldn't pick it up and have fun with it.
I'm not really into the competitive fighting game scene, largely due to my lack of skill. So when it comes to fighters, there needs to be something special aside from addictive multiplayer to keep me going. While Blazblue certainly does have that addictive multiplayer in spades, it also has some of the most insane characters in a fighting game since Guilty Gear. I've fallen in love with most of the cast, and really it's hard not to when they're so damn cool. Some of my favorites being Taokaka, Rachel, Arakune, and Bang mother-fucking Shishigami.
Along with the characters there is a truly batshit insane story that almost makes no sense half the time. But I don't care, I ate that shit up. Yes I actually spent about a week completing the whole story mode, meeting every obscure requirement to unlock the whole story. That's dedication.
Street Fighter IV also came out this year, and it may very well be a better game. But god damn if Blazblue isn't awesome. And again, that's coming from someone who is terrible at fighting games.
2. Dragon Age: Origins
It was a hard decision to bump Dragon Age down to #2. After all I spent 89 hours playing through the game on my first character. And an additional 8 hours playing all the Origin stories. Honestly, the only reason Dragon Age isn't number one, is because I simply loved the next game a tiny bit more. Enough about that though, let's give Bioware's latest RPG epic it's due.
Dragon Age is an epic game, that has one of the best fantasy stories I can remember in a game. This isn't too surprising as Bioware has stated that they took inspiration from books like A Song of Ice and Fire, my favorite book series of all time. You can see the influence here as this game has a very dark setting to it. Shit gets real. But leave it to Bioware to make the whole world ending crisis enjoyable by including a cast of amazing characters. All of whom have some of the best voice acting talent in any game to date.
I took it upon myself to do every side quest I could in the game, something I can't say I did for Mass Effect. For whatever reason I just felt really compelled to to it in this game. Be it the little bit of extra story you get, or the promise of some epic loot. The best side quest of all being the ones that involve your party members. And the best one of those being Morrigan's quest, which ends up in a pretty epic battle.
Perhaps it's weird that I enjoyed the game so much, since people seem to think it's a throwback to Bioware's older series Baldur's Gate. A series I never got into. But I can kind of compare Dragon Age to another Bioware series, Neverwinter Nights, a series that I love.
In any case, Dragon Age is one of the best games of the year. If you're any sort of fan of RPGs, you owe it to yourself to check this one out. Just be warned that the game is a massive undertaking. So set aside some free time.
1. Half-Minute Hero
Going from an epic, nearly 100 hour RPG that is a prime example of western role playing games. To a game that is a parody of every Japanese RPG ever made, and a game that does it in 30 second chunks. Half-Minute Hero continues my tradition of including ridiculous JRPGs that no one else even thought for a second about including as their game of the year. And here? It makes top honors.
This game came out of no where and dominated my life for a couple weeks. I fell for this game so hard that I even competed in getting high scores by finishing levels in record time and posting the results on the game's official website. But what is it about the game that I love so much?
Everything really. It's a JRPG for one, but it pokes fun and pays homage to my favorite genre. The game's sprite based art has a nostalgic feeling to it that almost makes the game seem like a classic I loved in my childhood. It takes all those things I love about JRPGs and compresses them into little bite sized chunks. The main game Hero-30 which is easily the best part of the game has about 50 levels, all of which can take under 30 seconds to complete. And all of them present an interest puzzle, in making you figure out how to complete a journey's worth of stuff in under half a minute.
If the whole thing sounds hectic, it is. Yet somehow its extremely relaxing. I can't remember the last time I've just been so happy just playing a game. Sure, I love playing games, it's what I do. But there's just something special about HMH.
It doesn't hurt that this addictive gameplay is accompanied by a cute story, that is often times pretty funny. There's even a mission near the end of Hero 30 that is surprisingly deep and emotional.
Aside from Hero 30 there are a few other modes in the game that take the gameplay in radically different directions. There's a 30 second RTS, Shooter, and an interesting escort mode that make up the other half of the game. While these modes aren't nearly as entertaining, they're still fun and I didn't have any problem completing them to unlock the game's finale.
I don't expect people to agree with me. That's fine. I don't even expect the game to get mentioned during GoTY awards, even though it should. Props to IGN for giving it PSP Game of the Year though. Still, this game is without a doubt the game I enjoyed the most this year. And I see myself coming back to it many times in the coming years whenever I feel the need to do a speed run. I can only hope that Marvelous will do a sequel.
If you're a fan of JRPGs, please check this game out. You might not even like the frantic speed of the game, but I'm sure you can appreciate the homage it pays to the genre. Even if you're not the biggest JRPG fan this is probably worth checking out as it does away with a lot of the things people tend to dislike about the genre. specifically spending a large portion of time grinding for level-ups.
And that's my Games of The Year. Hope you enjoyed em'.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Anime of the Year 2009
Time for my annual Anime of the Year list. How this works: I usually pick my favorite three anime series of the year. However this year I've watched a lot of different shows, and felt that I could bump the list up to 5 top shows. In previous years I allowed shows to be qualified as long as they were at least still airing during the year. This year I decided only to include shows that started airing this year only. Still wasn't hard to pick five, as there were quite a few good shows this year. So with the introduction out of the way - here's my top 5.
5. K-On
Oh, what a surprise. A Kyoto Animation series on my Anime of the Year list. What can I say? K-On generate quite a bit of buzz when it came out, and it seems to have died down a bit in the past few months, perhaps even seeing some back lash. But this moe-injected show was pretty cute and funny, and was really enjoyable to watch every week during it's short run. I can tell you exactly what I was thinking going into the show: "It'll be like Live A Live, but throughout an entire series". Sadly, that wasn't the case, and the few performances the girls did weren't nearly as epic. Still, as I said - very cute, and funny.
Mio is my, as well as many other people's favorite character. She's the band's sexy bass player. She's pretty shy at times, but somehow remains "cool" throughout the whole series, except for a few parts where she finds herself in embarrassing situations. Some of which are the best moments in the series. The other characters all have their own personalities and charms, but Mio is still my favorite. Something worth noting: the show's ending theme "Don't Say Lazy" is fucking amazing. It's easily one of the coolest endings to an anime that I can remember. Sadly it also acts as the girl's greatest performance in the whole series, and it's not even part of any actual episode.
If you were a fan of Lucky Star, or any other slice of life moe series check out K-On. However I understand it's not for everyone since there isn't much substance to be had.
4. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
First off, sorry - the wiki for Railgun seems to be tied to the main series "Toaru Majutsu no Index". They take place in the same world, with the same characters. So hey - if you're interesting in Railgun, might as well check out Index. Anyways...
I liked Index, it was a pretty cool show, and if my list was bigger last year I might have included it. Sadly it got really complicated, and the show's name sake, Index, became a secondary character half way through the series. Luckily a side series based off one of the original series more interesting characters was made. Though... it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Where Index remained a pretty "serious" series throughout most of it, dealing with big battles and a rather convoluted plot. Railgun is actually a more lighthearted series, that only gets "serious" in the last leg of the show. Like K-On, there are many funny/cute moments, but it's not nearly as moe themed as K-On. Also the show is almost an excuse for fans to salivate over the yuri "relationship" between the series main character Misaki, and her roommate Kuroko.
I was expecting the series to give some more backstory on Misaki, her clones, and Accelerator, all of these things were part of her story in Index, and really it was the most interesting part in that series. Sadly none of the is explored here. That doesn't make the show bad, just different then what I expected.
Instead I got an interesting side story, that was entertaining to watch with my roommate every week. It's sad that it was such a short run, but that seems to be a trend among recent anime series lately.
If you liked Index, I'd suggest checking out Railgun. Also, if you didn't like Index I'd suggest checking out Railgun, just because it's quite a bit different. If you've never had any involvement with the series at all, well you might still enjoy it, but you'd be missing out on a lot of Misaki's story. And none of the Touma parts would make sense. But hey, maybe you don't need any of that.
3. Valkyria Chronicles
Again, sorry. The wiki page is tied to the game seemingly. Both have the same story though, so if you're interested - check it out. Valkyria Chronicles made it onto my Game of the Year list last year despite the fact that I never finished the brutally difficult game. Which was sad, because the story of Valkyria Chronicles is actually quite good. Luckily they were kind enough to make an anime based off of the game, and finally I was able to witness the whole story. Well... with a few minor changes.
One of the best parts about the anime is that it still looks pretty amazing, like the game. The animation is great, and the art is simply beautiful. Especially Alicia's various facial animations which are just fantastic to watch. And as I mentioned before, the story is quite good. Though it's a typical war drama with a few scattered moments of cuteness when the team isn't on the battlefield.
Though I guess it's worth mentioning the changes I was talking about. Now obviously I haven't finished the game, so I can't comment on everything, but from what I read they don't stray from the story too much. However, I'm guessing for the sake of making the show more entertaining - they made Faldio a major character. I was a bit put off by this at first, but ultimately it helps strengthen the story.
There's some pretty emotional scenes in the series, but that's to be expected out of a show that revolves around a war. Still, it isn't all doom and gloom. If you're a fan of the game at all, I think it goes without saying that you should check out the anime. Even if you know the whole story, as I said there's some new things to see anyway.
2. Darker Than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini
I liked the original Darker Then Black, and am honestly having a hard time trying to figure out why I didn't include it on my Anime of the Year list back in 2007. Having just watched the whole series again recently makes it even more confusing. Still... we're here to talk about the new season of the show.
Ryūsei no Gemini, or Twins of the Meteor if you prefer is a continuation of the original series. I'm not sure how many years it takes place after the original series, as details of what happened in between the two are pretty vague. It's a bit disappointing that we don't really get any answers about what happened at the end of the first series, but the new story is still pretty interesting. Plus it's nice to see familiar faces return.
Like the first series, RnG is mainly an aciton show dealing with people with special abilities. Also like the first show there's a bunch of conspiracies taking place in between the action. My favorite part about the series is that the idea of a Contractor is pretty cool. They have all these neat powers, but they usually have to pay some sort of weird price to use their abilities. It's an interesting concept that provides a few "what the fuck?" moments.
Accompanying those powers are all the interesting characters in the series. Not only do most of them look cool, but they all have different personalities and quirks. Which is weird considering Contractors are supposed to be emotionless.
If you're looking for a good action show, with a plot that's a little more complicated than clear cut good vs. evil, give RnG and the original series a shot. And if you liked the first season, might as well check out this way.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Ah, Fullmetal Alchemist. I was a big fan of the original series. Little did I know it deviated so much from the Manga. Not that it was a bad show, but the original anime was full of a bunch of filler and had some made up ending. Luckily Bones has decided to revisit the Fullmetal Alchemist well and put out a reboot of the anime. This time following the manga's story much more closely.
The first 13 or so episodes of this new series cover story events that happened in the first anime, after that it has been all new content. It was still entertaining to rewatch the old stuff, sans filler. It's some of the events that have happened since then that really make this my favorite anime of the year.
Sure, it's a shonen anime. Think of that what you will, I happen to love the stuff. I especially like the whole antiquated technology meets magical alchemy setting of the series. And while the characters might not be as deep as the ones found in a series like Darker Than Black, there are still some really cool ones, each with their own stories and goals.
It's nice to see a continuation of the story that was suddenly ended in the first series. The story isn't super complicated or anything, but it's engaging and there's enough mysteries and surprises to keep me waiting anxiously for a new episode each week. There's also some really good Opening and Ending themes in the series. The second ending is actually used in a pretty amazing way to end one episode.
I dunno, it's hard to describe why I like this series so much without going into specific story events and spoiling them. There are just quite a few moments where I get pumped up, as I'm prone to do with these shonen shows. Fullmetal Alchemist has been around for a while, chances are if you were ever interested in it you've checked out the first series. If not, but you are looking for a good shonen show, check out Brotherhood. It's better than the original, and covers all the story you need.
Honorable Mentions:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya Season 2: Yes, Haruhi Season 2 finally happened. No, it's not on my list for Anime of the Year. Why? Endless Eight. For those unaware Endless Eight is a series of eight nearly identical episodes that take up a good portion of this new season of Haruhi. It's pretty infamous at this point, and honestly I felt it ruined this season. Still, the rest of the season, all 5 other episodes or whatever are quite good. If you were a fan of the first season, check this out. And do yourself a favor and go look at the trailer for the upcoming movies "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzimiya" It's going to be amazing.
Eden of The East: This series started off so great, and then fell on it's ass near the end. I guess they wanted to save the rest of the series for two full length movies that are coming out. They might be good, but that doesn't stop it from really putting a downer on the series. It's a pretty crazy story though, and poses an interesting question: What would you do with a shit ton of money?
Bakemonogatari: Honestly, I was going to put this on the actual list, but I had such a hard time trying to think of things I liked about the series. It does some really interesting things, but at the cost of making what would otherwise be a really amazing series feel pretty incomplete. It still has a really cool story, with some awesome characters. And when you're actually watching the characters the series looks really nice. Sadly it doesn't look like they even began to scratch the surface of the whole story though. Still, Japan seems to fucking love it. Check it out.
The Sacred Blacksmith: This is easily one of the best looking, if not the best looking anime this year. The productions values are ridiculous, and the animation is amazing. My only complaint about it would be the length. The show seems to just get going when they wrap it up. Hopefully there will be another season in the works, because there is still a lot left to be resolved. If you like fantasy anime, this is definitely one to watch.
5. K-On
Oh, what a surprise. A Kyoto Animation series on my Anime of the Year list. What can I say? K-On generate quite a bit of buzz when it came out, and it seems to have died down a bit in the past few months, perhaps even seeing some back lash. But this moe-injected show was pretty cute and funny, and was really enjoyable to watch every week during it's short run. I can tell you exactly what I was thinking going into the show: "It'll be like Live A Live, but throughout an entire series". Sadly, that wasn't the case, and the few performances the girls did weren't nearly as epic. Still, as I said - very cute, and funny.
Mio is my, as well as many other people's favorite character. She's the band's sexy bass player. She's pretty shy at times, but somehow remains "cool" throughout the whole series, except for a few parts where she finds herself in embarrassing situations. Some of which are the best moments in the series. The other characters all have their own personalities and charms, but Mio is still my favorite. Something worth noting: the show's ending theme "Don't Say Lazy" is fucking amazing. It's easily one of the coolest endings to an anime that I can remember. Sadly it also acts as the girl's greatest performance in the whole series, and it's not even part of any actual episode.
If you were a fan of Lucky Star, or any other slice of life moe series check out K-On. However I understand it's not for everyone since there isn't much substance to be had.
4. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
First off, sorry - the wiki for Railgun seems to be tied to the main series "Toaru Majutsu no Index". They take place in the same world, with the same characters. So hey - if you're interesting in Railgun, might as well check out Index. Anyways...
I liked Index, it was a pretty cool show, and if my list was bigger last year I might have included it. Sadly it got really complicated, and the show's name sake, Index, became a secondary character half way through the series. Luckily a side series based off one of the original series more interesting characters was made. Though... it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Where Index remained a pretty "serious" series throughout most of it, dealing with big battles and a rather convoluted plot. Railgun is actually a more lighthearted series, that only gets "serious" in the last leg of the show. Like K-On, there are many funny/cute moments, but it's not nearly as moe themed as K-On. Also the show is almost an excuse for fans to salivate over the yuri "relationship" between the series main character Misaki, and her roommate Kuroko.
I was expecting the series to give some more backstory on Misaki, her clones, and Accelerator, all of these things were part of her story in Index, and really it was the most interesting part in that series. Sadly none of the is explored here. That doesn't make the show bad, just different then what I expected.
Instead I got an interesting side story, that was entertaining to watch with my roommate every week. It's sad that it was such a short run, but that seems to be a trend among recent anime series lately.
If you liked Index, I'd suggest checking out Railgun. Also, if you didn't like Index I'd suggest checking out Railgun, just because it's quite a bit different. If you've never had any involvement with the series at all, well you might still enjoy it, but you'd be missing out on a lot of Misaki's story. And none of the Touma parts would make sense. But hey, maybe you don't need any of that.
3. Valkyria Chronicles
Again, sorry. The wiki page is tied to the game seemingly. Both have the same story though, so if you're interested - check it out. Valkyria Chronicles made it onto my Game of the Year list last year despite the fact that I never finished the brutally difficult game. Which was sad, because the story of Valkyria Chronicles is actually quite good. Luckily they were kind enough to make an anime based off of the game, and finally I was able to witness the whole story. Well... with a few minor changes.
One of the best parts about the anime is that it still looks pretty amazing, like the game. The animation is great, and the art is simply beautiful. Especially Alicia's various facial animations which are just fantastic to watch. And as I mentioned before, the story is quite good. Though it's a typical war drama with a few scattered moments of cuteness when the team isn't on the battlefield.
Though I guess it's worth mentioning the changes I was talking about. Now obviously I haven't finished the game, so I can't comment on everything, but from what I read they don't stray from the story too much. However, I'm guessing for the sake of making the show more entertaining - they made Faldio a major character. I was a bit put off by this at first, but ultimately it helps strengthen the story.
There's some pretty emotional scenes in the series, but that's to be expected out of a show that revolves around a war. Still, it isn't all doom and gloom. If you're a fan of the game at all, I think it goes without saying that you should check out the anime. Even if you know the whole story, as I said there's some new things to see anyway.
2. Darker Than Black: Ryūsei no Gemini
I liked the original Darker Then Black, and am honestly having a hard time trying to figure out why I didn't include it on my Anime of the Year list back in 2007. Having just watched the whole series again recently makes it even more confusing. Still... we're here to talk about the new season of the show.
Ryūsei no Gemini, or Twins of the Meteor if you prefer is a continuation of the original series. I'm not sure how many years it takes place after the original series, as details of what happened in between the two are pretty vague. It's a bit disappointing that we don't really get any answers about what happened at the end of the first series, but the new story is still pretty interesting. Plus it's nice to see familiar faces return.
Like the first series, RnG is mainly an aciton show dealing with people with special abilities. Also like the first show there's a bunch of conspiracies taking place in between the action. My favorite part about the series is that the idea of a Contractor is pretty cool. They have all these neat powers, but they usually have to pay some sort of weird price to use their abilities. It's an interesting concept that provides a few "what the fuck?" moments.
Accompanying those powers are all the interesting characters in the series. Not only do most of them look cool, but they all have different personalities and quirks. Which is weird considering Contractors are supposed to be emotionless.
If you're looking for a good action show, with a plot that's a little more complicated than clear cut good vs. evil, give RnG and the original series a shot. And if you liked the first season, might as well check out this way.
1. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Ah, Fullmetal Alchemist. I was a big fan of the original series. Little did I know it deviated so much from the Manga. Not that it was a bad show, but the original anime was full of a bunch of filler and had some made up ending. Luckily Bones has decided to revisit the Fullmetal Alchemist well and put out a reboot of the anime. This time following the manga's story much more closely.
The first 13 or so episodes of this new series cover story events that happened in the first anime, after that it has been all new content. It was still entertaining to rewatch the old stuff, sans filler. It's some of the events that have happened since then that really make this my favorite anime of the year.
Sure, it's a shonen anime. Think of that what you will, I happen to love the stuff. I especially like the whole antiquated technology meets magical alchemy setting of the series. And while the characters might not be as deep as the ones found in a series like Darker Than Black, there are still some really cool ones, each with their own stories and goals.
It's nice to see a continuation of the story that was suddenly ended in the first series. The story isn't super complicated or anything, but it's engaging and there's enough mysteries and surprises to keep me waiting anxiously for a new episode each week. There's also some really good Opening and Ending themes in the series. The second ending is actually used in a pretty amazing way to end one episode.
I dunno, it's hard to describe why I like this series so much without going into specific story events and spoiling them. There are just quite a few moments where I get pumped up, as I'm prone to do with these shonen shows. Fullmetal Alchemist has been around for a while, chances are if you were ever interested in it you've checked out the first series. If not, but you are looking for a good shonen show, check out Brotherhood. It's better than the original, and covers all the story you need.
Honorable Mentions:
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya Season 2: Yes, Haruhi Season 2 finally happened. No, it's not on my list for Anime of the Year. Why? Endless Eight. For those unaware Endless Eight is a series of eight nearly identical episodes that take up a good portion of this new season of Haruhi. It's pretty infamous at this point, and honestly I felt it ruined this season. Still, the rest of the season, all 5 other episodes or whatever are quite good. If you were a fan of the first season, check this out. And do yourself a favor and go look at the trailer for the upcoming movies "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzimiya" It's going to be amazing.
Eden of The East: This series started off so great, and then fell on it's ass near the end. I guess they wanted to save the rest of the series for two full length movies that are coming out. They might be good, but that doesn't stop it from really putting a downer on the series. It's a pretty crazy story though, and poses an interesting question: What would you do with a shit ton of money?
Bakemonogatari: Honestly, I was going to put this on the actual list, but I had such a hard time trying to think of things I liked about the series. It does some really interesting things, but at the cost of making what would otherwise be a really amazing series feel pretty incomplete. It still has a really cool story, with some awesome characters. And when you're actually watching the characters the series looks really nice. Sadly it doesn't look like they even began to scratch the surface of the whole story though. Still, Japan seems to fucking love it. Check it out.
The Sacred Blacksmith: This is easily one of the best looking, if not the best looking anime this year. The productions values are ridiculous, and the animation is amazing. My only complaint about it would be the length. The show seems to just get going when they wrap it up. Hopefully there will be another season in the works, because there is still a lot left to be resolved. If you like fantasy anime, this is definitely one to watch.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
RPGs of The Decade
December has always been a month for list with me, starting back in 2006. Every year I get together with my roommate and we make a list of our favorite games of the year. I also make a little list awarding my favorite anime of the year. Those are still coming in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, I've decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a list of my 10 favorite games to come out in the last decade. Yeah, after this a measly game of the year list might seem anti-climatic. However I've seen sites posting their decade list before their year list - so I think it's okay.
You'll notice that the list is called "RPGs of The Decade", this is because it just so happens that my 10 favorite games to come out this Decade all happen to be RPGs. After some feedback I decided to change the name of the list to reflect on this. So now it doesn't seem like I'm quite so biased since the only games that will qualify for this list are RPGs. Still, if you're reading this - then you know how I really feel. Oh well. I might take the time to come up with another list of 10 games that came out this decade that I liked that weren't RPGs. But that really depends on how bored I get, and if I get my other list out of the way first.
Speaking of other games I thought of, I thought up 44 games that I loved that came out this decade. That's not even counting other games in the same series. And speaking of that, I've decided to only include one game from each series in this list. It made for some tough choices, but I thought it was only fair. Finally, I didn't count any game that was re-released in the past decade that originally came out more than 10 years ago - sorry Final Fantasy Tactics.
Let's begin.
10. Diablo 2 (PC) 06/29/2000
Let's start off with the definitive loot whore game. Diablo 2 is a game that is hailed by many as being one of the greatest games this decade - not just by me. It was an improvement on it's predecessor in just about every way, and many games have tried to copy the magic of Diablo 2. Like many people I was addicted to Diablo 2 when it first came out, despite the fact that I didn't even have a working sound card I still played the shit out of the game. Later on I was finally able to hear the sounds of Diablo 2, and well - that only helped the experience.
The main reason Diablo 2 is on my list is because even ten years later, I can still go back to Diablo 2 and crack out on it for a few weeks. Like I said, many games have tried to recreate that said digital crack that is D2, but somehow they always fall short in some way or another. However there's still room in my heart for another loot whore game. More on that in a bit.
9. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC) 5/1/2002
Morrowind was the first game in The Elder Scrolls series that I played, and ironically my favorite, out of the two I played at least. Aside from Diablo 2, this was one of the first Western RPGs I really got into. The world of Morrowind is massive, with an incredible story that could be played out in very drastically different ways depending on how you played it. I remember spending plenty of hours with the character creator alone, and when I finally found the character(s) I wanted to use I ventured out into this crazy world. Morrowind is a massive game that can take hundreds of hours to complete if you just go out and explore the world and try to do all the side quest. One of my finest memories of Morrowind is stealing a house in Balmora and filling it with various sets of armor I had collected.
The reason I picked Morrowind over Oblivion, the other TES game I played is mainly because of a first love thing, but also because I think Morrowind is the better game. People might disagree with me, especially considering Oblivion isn't nearly as fucked up, but the story isn't nearly as good either.
8. World of Warcraft (PC) 11/23/2004
I could praise World of Warcraft for being really successful, or for being extremely influential. But really, it's the 6 months of actual hours played that puts it on my list. And honestly, that's pretty casual by some people's standards. I shouldn't need to tell you about WoW, it's the biggest game in the MMORPG genre, a genre I've been known to get extremely addicted to from time to time. It just celebrated it's 5 year anniversary, and it's still going strong with another expansion on the horizon.
I've done a little of everything in WoW, from hardcore raiding to ranked arena matches and everything in between. I even have a Figure Print made of my Tauren Shaman that sits no more than a few feet away from me. There are so many great memories I have of this game. Like being pulled into a Molten Core run in progress for my very first time raiding, or causing someone to log out of the game during PVP. Though my fondest memory would probably be the first time I finally got to play the game in open beta. It was easily one of my most anticipated games of all time. And I loved it.
7. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast) 1/29/2001
Years before World of Warcraft came out, or even before I had even gone online with Diablo 2 - my first online gaming experience was with Phantasy Star Online. I remember seeing video about the game, and everyone ranting and raving about how awesome it was. I finally caved in and hooked my Dreamcast up to the internet, got a keyboard and jumped online with what would become my first real gamging addiction.
Oddly enough I had never invested much time into the older Phantasy Star games, much to my dismay at this point since it's a little too late for me to get into them. However I was instantly attracted to the futuristic setting of PSO, the stylized anime inspired look, the catchy music, and the loot. Oh god, the loot. Sure I had played Diablo 2 already by this point, and as I've already established Diablo 2 was the better game. But, Jesus Christ if I wasn't madly addicted to PSO.
I remember meeting a bunch of friends on there, including the one guy who pretty much taught me everything about the game, and the deaf guy who told me an interesting story about how he had to touch the speakers on his TV to feel the vibrations in order to solve a puzzle in one of the Resident Evil games. Regardless if that was true or not, it was still interesting.
As a testament to how much I loved this game, I remember getting my character - a HUcast to max level - 200 hours of gameplay. One night the VMU fell out of my controller and erased all of my data. What did I do? Started over, and got back up to max level again. Sure, there might have been more complete iterations of the game, but this will always be the version I remember.
6. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii) 11/11/2007
Before Radiant Dawn I had dabbled in the first Fire Emblem game they had released here in the U.S. on GBA. I thought it was neat, but ultimately too hard for my taste, or patience at the time. My roommate had played the Gamecube predecessor of Radiant Dawn though and picked this game up back in 2007. I didn't think too much of it at the time, still looked too difficult for me to get into. Then for whatever reason I decided to pick the game up again sometime in early 2008. I was hooked.
The reason I like Radiant Dawn so much is probably another case of first love, but again, after playing all the games they released here I'd still say it's the best one. The story is awesome, with a much cooler cast of characters overall than the other games. And I thought this even before playing the original game - so I was missing half of the story. I eventually went back and played Path of Radiance though and loved this game's story and characters even more. Nephenee - the game's most overpowered character is one of my favorite video game characters.
The only bad thing about Radiant Dawn is the fact that I played this game several months too late to include it in my Game of The Year list for 2007. Thankfully, I'm finally able to give the game it's due with this list.
5. Persona 3: FES (Playstation 2) 4/22/2008
The original Persona 3 was my Game of The Year in 2007, and FES is a better version with extra content for the original game, and a whole new second story to play through. The whole Persona series is an interesting take on the JRPG genre, doing away with fantasy or sci-fi and taking place in modern day Japan. This was also the first game in the series to add a whole non-combat portion of the game where your character could build up relationships with friends outside of the dungeon crawl.
It was a tough decision trying to decide if I liked Persona 3 or Nocturne more. In the end I went with Persona 3 based on it's characters and the daytime exploration and activities that set it apart from other JRPGs. As for Persona 4 - yeah, it's the better made game, and I love that game too, but not as much as I loved Nocturne or Persona 3.
I don't really have any memorable stories to tell about my time with Persona 3, but I have played through the original story three times since the game originally came out in 2007, that's several hundred hours of gameplay mind you. I also adore the characters, the story, and especially the music. Yeah you haters can keep on hatin' Lotus Juice, but Mass Destruction is one of the coolest, and catchiest battle themes in any game. And don't even get me started on Burn My Dread, or FES's Opening Song.
4. Suikoden 3 (Playstation 2) 10/24/2002
I imagine I'm beginning to sound like a broken record with these "first taste" affairs, but I'm afraid that's what this is again. At least I don't have to justify why I like Suikoden 3 more than 2 on this list. Actually, much like Fire Emblem, I had played a Suikoden game before 3. I rented 2 for a weekend back when that came out, but didn't make too much progress into it.
Hell, I didn't even like Suikoden 3 at first. The first time I tried playing the game I hated it. I can't really remember why at this point though. Something to do with the battle system I think. Which is fucking ridiculous, because I love Suikoden's battle system now.
Suikoden 3 is the black sheep of the series though. It's quite a bit different than the rest of the games, well to an extent. In the end it's all the same, but instead of playing as a mute unnamed hero (Yes, I know they all have official names) , you get to play the game from the perspective of three different main characters. One of them will eventually take over as the leader of the army, but it's still a change of pace. Personally I enjoyed this system more than the fixed perspective of the one hero in the other games.
The other thing I like about the game is the "strategy battles" that are a staple of the series. In this game you build up your characters to be automatically controlled in battles against the enemy. I don't really know why I like this so much, but I do. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you can use a few tricks to really destroy the enemy at everyone of these strategy battles? I don't know. Oh yeah, I also like Chris a lot too, she is after all one of my favorite characters.
There's not much else I can say about it really. I've played the game through about once every year since it's come out, and it made me fall in love with what is now one of my favorite JRPG series. Now I just hope Konami will release Suikoden 6 at some point.
3. Ragnarok Online (PC) 6/01/2003
Oh boy, Ragnarok Online. I don't even know where to begin. Phantasy Star Online might've been my first addiction, and World of Warcraft might be the better game, but there is no doubt that I got hooked on Ragnarok Online harder than any game - ever. And I will probably never experience anything like those days gone by ever again.
I can't remember how it all started. All I can remember is picking up the Alpha for this game. Yes- the fucking Alpha. I got a few of my friends to join with me, as I made a Swordsman and embarked on my first true MMORPG adventure. I played the Alpha for as long as it was around, but dropped out of the game when the first Beta hit. I would eventually pick it back up when Beta 2 came around. And kept playing until about a year after launch. Ever since then I've had an on and off relationship with the game. I've long since quit playing on official servers due to the fact that it's so ungodly slow to actually progress in the game. But I still find myself playing on private servers from time to time.
Honestly, there are many problems with RO. It is a Korean MMO after all. They're a dime a dozen anymore, and none of them have really changed. The game is also pre-WoW, so a lot of things WoW revolutionized were either never there, or are still missing from the game. But that's not the important thing. What's important is that it was amazing at the time. I would play the game for hours, upon hours. Barely taking a break to eat or sleep. And it's the friends I played with, and the friends I met. It's the porn phenomenon that the game's cute style surprisngly lends itself well to. It's the addictive nature of collecting a bunch of useless, albeit cute hats.
Ragnarok Online will always hold a special place in my heart, and that's why it's on my god damn list.
2. Xenosaga: Episode I - Der Wille zur Macht (Playstation 2) 2/25/2003
Xenogears would rank pretty high on the decade before last's list. And Xenosaga is no different in this decade. Still, while KOS-MOS and crew might not make top honors, Xenosaga is still one of my favorite game series.
The hardest part was deciding between Episode 1, and Episode 3. Both of them are awesome in their own ways. For instance, Episode 3 has better Mech combat, and I like KOS-MOS' design better in that game. It also has T-elos. Ultimately though, I've played Episode 1 way more than is healthy, probably largely in due part to it's awesome combat system and higher production values. Oh - it's also the only one to have an anime made after it - if that counts for anything.
Why do I love Xenosaga so much though? It was just amazing for the time. It was one of the first JRPGs to feature that much voice acted dialogue, huge cinematic cut scenes, an awesome story that's a prequel to one of my favorite games of all time, and one of my favorite characters of all time too. Sure, a lot of people give the game shit for the cinematics, but I play these games for the story just as much as the action - so I'm all for it. Also the series tends to dip into some really ridiculous religious nonesense, but again - I'm all for that shit.
Let's just try and forget Episode 2 ever happened though - k?
1. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (Playstation / Playstation Portable) 9/29/2000 / 7/18/2006
Before we begin with this, my personal Game of The Decade. I just wanted to point out that I'm considering that remake for PSP the best version of the game. This still qualifies though, because amazingly enough the original game did come out this Decade. Honestly though, aside from the new CG cinematics, and a cleaned up script - the games are identical. Anyways...
Valkyrie Profile is easily one of my favorite games ever. It would rank in my top 5 out of everything, from any decade. And I have played this game so many fucking times, getting every character, and every ending, and every item, and every...THING. Seriously. This game also caused me to become obsessed with Norse mythology, and most of all Valkyries. Needless to say - Lenneth is another one of my favorite characters.
So why is this game so great? Why is it such a classic? Everything. For starters the battle system is simply amazing. It does away with the traditional turn based menu selecting in favor of a more action oriented system. Where you tap the character's assigned buttons in an effort to juggle the enemy and build up massive combos in order to unleash an uber special attack. That alone was enough to set the game apart from any JRPG back when it came out ten years ago.
The other thing, as you might imagine is the story. It was surprisingly deep for the time, especially for a JRPG. Most JRPGs to this day still have very linear story lines. In Valkyrie Profile you're able to go through three different story paths, and get a new selection of characters with their own stories on each path. You can "beat" the game on each path, but the ending will be radically different. In the true ending, you end up rebelling against Odin - the fucking King of the Gods!
So while I may really like Persona, Suikoden, and Xenosaga. Valkryie Profile did a lot of interesting shit with JRPGs. They continued to do this in the following Valkyrie Profile games -changing up the standard formula everytime. And all of them are good games - Silmeria was my GoTY in 2006, and Plume... well keep an eye out for this year's GoTY list to see what I think about that one. Still, the original game, or rather the remake "Lenneth" is easily my favorite game this decade.
You'll notice that the list is called "RPGs of The Decade", this is because it just so happens that my 10 favorite games to come out this Decade all happen to be RPGs. After some feedback I decided to change the name of the list to reflect on this. So now it doesn't seem like I'm quite so biased since the only games that will qualify for this list are RPGs. Still, if you're reading this - then you know how I really feel. Oh well. I might take the time to come up with another list of 10 games that came out this decade that I liked that weren't RPGs. But that really depends on how bored I get, and if I get my other list out of the way first.
Speaking of other games I thought of, I thought up 44 games that I loved that came out this decade. That's not even counting other games in the same series. And speaking of that, I've decided to only include one game from each series in this list. It made for some tough choices, but I thought it was only fair. Finally, I didn't count any game that was re-released in the past decade that originally came out more than 10 years ago - sorry Final Fantasy Tactics.
Let's begin.
10. Diablo 2 (PC) 06/29/2000
Let's start off with the definitive loot whore game. Diablo 2 is a game that is hailed by many as being one of the greatest games this decade - not just by me. It was an improvement on it's predecessor in just about every way, and many games have tried to copy the magic of Diablo 2. Like many people I was addicted to Diablo 2 when it first came out, despite the fact that I didn't even have a working sound card I still played the shit out of the game. Later on I was finally able to hear the sounds of Diablo 2, and well - that only helped the experience.
The main reason Diablo 2 is on my list is because even ten years later, I can still go back to Diablo 2 and crack out on it for a few weeks. Like I said, many games have tried to recreate that said digital crack that is D2, but somehow they always fall short in some way or another. However there's still room in my heart for another loot whore game. More on that in a bit.
9. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC) 5/1/2002
Morrowind was the first game in The Elder Scrolls series that I played, and ironically my favorite, out of the two I played at least. Aside from Diablo 2, this was one of the first Western RPGs I really got into. The world of Morrowind is massive, with an incredible story that could be played out in very drastically different ways depending on how you played it. I remember spending plenty of hours with the character creator alone, and when I finally found the character(s) I wanted to use I ventured out into this crazy world. Morrowind is a massive game that can take hundreds of hours to complete if you just go out and explore the world and try to do all the side quest. One of my finest memories of Morrowind is stealing a house in Balmora and filling it with various sets of armor I had collected.
The reason I picked Morrowind over Oblivion, the other TES game I played is mainly because of a first love thing, but also because I think Morrowind is the better game. People might disagree with me, especially considering Oblivion isn't nearly as fucked up, but the story isn't nearly as good either.
8. World of Warcraft (PC) 11/23/2004
I could praise World of Warcraft for being really successful, or for being extremely influential. But really, it's the 6 months of actual hours played that puts it on my list. And honestly, that's pretty casual by some people's standards. I shouldn't need to tell you about WoW, it's the biggest game in the MMORPG genre, a genre I've been known to get extremely addicted to from time to time. It just celebrated it's 5 year anniversary, and it's still going strong with another expansion on the horizon.
I've done a little of everything in WoW, from hardcore raiding to ranked arena matches and everything in between. I even have a Figure Print made of my Tauren Shaman that sits no more than a few feet away from me. There are so many great memories I have of this game. Like being pulled into a Molten Core run in progress for my very first time raiding, or causing someone to log out of the game during PVP. Though my fondest memory would probably be the first time I finally got to play the game in open beta. It was easily one of my most anticipated games of all time. And I loved it.
7. Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast) 1/29/2001
Years before World of Warcraft came out, or even before I had even gone online with Diablo 2 - my first online gaming experience was with Phantasy Star Online. I remember seeing video about the game, and everyone ranting and raving about how awesome it was. I finally caved in and hooked my Dreamcast up to the internet, got a keyboard and jumped online with what would become my first real gamging addiction.
Oddly enough I had never invested much time into the older Phantasy Star games, much to my dismay at this point since it's a little too late for me to get into them. However I was instantly attracted to the futuristic setting of PSO, the stylized anime inspired look, the catchy music, and the loot. Oh god, the loot. Sure I had played Diablo 2 already by this point, and as I've already established Diablo 2 was the better game. But, Jesus Christ if I wasn't madly addicted to PSO.
I remember meeting a bunch of friends on there, including the one guy who pretty much taught me everything about the game, and the deaf guy who told me an interesting story about how he had to touch the speakers on his TV to feel the vibrations in order to solve a puzzle in one of the Resident Evil games. Regardless if that was true or not, it was still interesting.
As a testament to how much I loved this game, I remember getting my character - a HUcast to max level - 200 hours of gameplay. One night the VMU fell out of my controller and erased all of my data. What did I do? Started over, and got back up to max level again. Sure, there might have been more complete iterations of the game, but this will always be the version I remember.
6. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii) 11/11/2007
Before Radiant Dawn I had dabbled in the first Fire Emblem game they had released here in the U.S. on GBA. I thought it was neat, but ultimately too hard for my taste, or patience at the time. My roommate had played the Gamecube predecessor of Radiant Dawn though and picked this game up back in 2007. I didn't think too much of it at the time, still looked too difficult for me to get into. Then for whatever reason I decided to pick the game up again sometime in early 2008. I was hooked.
The reason I like Radiant Dawn so much is probably another case of first love, but again, after playing all the games they released here I'd still say it's the best one. The story is awesome, with a much cooler cast of characters overall than the other games. And I thought this even before playing the original game - so I was missing half of the story. I eventually went back and played Path of Radiance though and loved this game's story and characters even more. Nephenee - the game's most overpowered character is one of my favorite video game characters.
The only bad thing about Radiant Dawn is the fact that I played this game several months too late to include it in my Game of The Year list for 2007. Thankfully, I'm finally able to give the game it's due with this list.
5. Persona 3: FES (Playstation 2) 4/22/2008
The original Persona 3 was my Game of The Year in 2007, and FES is a better version with extra content for the original game, and a whole new second story to play through. The whole Persona series is an interesting take on the JRPG genre, doing away with fantasy or sci-fi and taking place in modern day Japan. This was also the first game in the series to add a whole non-combat portion of the game where your character could build up relationships with friends outside of the dungeon crawl.
It was a tough decision trying to decide if I liked Persona 3 or Nocturne more. In the end I went with Persona 3 based on it's characters and the daytime exploration and activities that set it apart from other JRPGs. As for Persona 4 - yeah, it's the better made game, and I love that game too, but not as much as I loved Nocturne or Persona 3.
I don't really have any memorable stories to tell about my time with Persona 3, but I have played through the original story three times since the game originally came out in 2007, that's several hundred hours of gameplay mind you. I also adore the characters, the story, and especially the music. Yeah you haters can keep on hatin' Lotus Juice, but Mass Destruction is one of the coolest, and catchiest battle themes in any game. And don't even get me started on Burn My Dread, or FES's Opening Song.
4. Suikoden 3 (Playstation 2) 10/24/2002
I imagine I'm beginning to sound like a broken record with these "first taste" affairs, but I'm afraid that's what this is again. At least I don't have to justify why I like Suikoden 3 more than 2 on this list. Actually, much like Fire Emblem, I had played a Suikoden game before 3. I rented 2 for a weekend back when that came out, but didn't make too much progress into it.
Hell, I didn't even like Suikoden 3 at first. The first time I tried playing the game I hated it. I can't really remember why at this point though. Something to do with the battle system I think. Which is fucking ridiculous, because I love Suikoden's battle system now.
Suikoden 3 is the black sheep of the series though. It's quite a bit different than the rest of the games, well to an extent. In the end it's all the same, but instead of playing as a mute unnamed hero (Yes, I know they all have official names) , you get to play the game from the perspective of three different main characters. One of them will eventually take over as the leader of the army, but it's still a change of pace. Personally I enjoyed this system more than the fixed perspective of the one hero in the other games.
The other thing I like about the game is the "strategy battles" that are a staple of the series. In this game you build up your characters to be automatically controlled in battles against the enemy. I don't really know why I like this so much, but I do. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you can use a few tricks to really destroy the enemy at everyone of these strategy battles? I don't know. Oh yeah, I also like Chris a lot too, she is after all one of my favorite characters.
There's not much else I can say about it really. I've played the game through about once every year since it's come out, and it made me fall in love with what is now one of my favorite JRPG series. Now I just hope Konami will release Suikoden 6 at some point.
3. Ragnarok Online (PC) 6/01/2003
Oh boy, Ragnarok Online. I don't even know where to begin. Phantasy Star Online might've been my first addiction, and World of Warcraft might be the better game, but there is no doubt that I got hooked on Ragnarok Online harder than any game - ever. And I will probably never experience anything like those days gone by ever again.
I can't remember how it all started. All I can remember is picking up the Alpha for this game. Yes- the fucking Alpha. I got a few of my friends to join with me, as I made a Swordsman and embarked on my first true MMORPG adventure. I played the Alpha for as long as it was around, but dropped out of the game when the first Beta hit. I would eventually pick it back up when Beta 2 came around. And kept playing until about a year after launch. Ever since then I've had an on and off relationship with the game. I've long since quit playing on official servers due to the fact that it's so ungodly slow to actually progress in the game. But I still find myself playing on private servers from time to time.
Honestly, there are many problems with RO. It is a Korean MMO after all. They're a dime a dozen anymore, and none of them have really changed. The game is also pre-WoW, so a lot of things WoW revolutionized were either never there, or are still missing from the game. But that's not the important thing. What's important is that it was amazing at the time. I would play the game for hours, upon hours. Barely taking a break to eat or sleep. And it's the friends I played with, and the friends I met. It's the porn phenomenon that the game's cute style surprisngly lends itself well to. It's the addictive nature of collecting a bunch of useless, albeit cute hats.
Ragnarok Online will always hold a special place in my heart, and that's why it's on my god damn list.
2. Xenosaga: Episode I - Der Wille zur Macht (Playstation 2) 2/25/2003
Xenogears would rank pretty high on the decade before last's list. And Xenosaga is no different in this decade. Still, while KOS-MOS and crew might not make top honors, Xenosaga is still one of my favorite game series.
The hardest part was deciding between Episode 1, and Episode 3. Both of them are awesome in their own ways. For instance, Episode 3 has better Mech combat, and I like KOS-MOS' design better in that game. It also has T-elos. Ultimately though, I've played Episode 1 way more than is healthy, probably largely in due part to it's awesome combat system and higher production values. Oh - it's also the only one to have an anime made after it - if that counts for anything.
Why do I love Xenosaga so much though? It was just amazing for the time. It was one of the first JRPGs to feature that much voice acted dialogue, huge cinematic cut scenes, an awesome story that's a prequel to one of my favorite games of all time, and one of my favorite characters of all time too. Sure, a lot of people give the game shit for the cinematics, but I play these games for the story just as much as the action - so I'm all for it. Also the series tends to dip into some really ridiculous religious nonesense, but again - I'm all for that shit.
Let's just try and forget Episode 2 ever happened though - k?
1. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (Playstation / Playstation Portable) 9/29/2000 / 7/18/2006
Before we begin with this, my personal Game of The Decade. I just wanted to point out that I'm considering that remake for PSP the best version of the game. This still qualifies though, because amazingly enough the original game did come out this Decade. Honestly though, aside from the new CG cinematics, and a cleaned up script - the games are identical. Anyways...
Valkyrie Profile is easily one of my favorite games ever. It would rank in my top 5 out of everything, from any decade. And I have played this game so many fucking times, getting every character, and every ending, and every item, and every...THING. Seriously. This game also caused me to become obsessed with Norse mythology, and most of all Valkyries. Needless to say - Lenneth is another one of my favorite characters.
So why is this game so great? Why is it such a classic? Everything. For starters the battle system is simply amazing. It does away with the traditional turn based menu selecting in favor of a more action oriented system. Where you tap the character's assigned buttons in an effort to juggle the enemy and build up massive combos in order to unleash an uber special attack. That alone was enough to set the game apart from any JRPG back when it came out ten years ago.
The other thing, as you might imagine is the story. It was surprisingly deep for the time, especially for a JRPG. Most JRPGs to this day still have very linear story lines. In Valkyrie Profile you're able to go through three different story paths, and get a new selection of characters with their own stories on each path. You can "beat" the game on each path, but the ending will be radically different. In the true ending, you end up rebelling against Odin - the fucking King of the Gods!
So while I may really like Persona, Suikoden, and Xenosaga. Valkryie Profile did a lot of interesting shit with JRPGs. They continued to do this in the following Valkyrie Profile games -changing up the standard formula everytime. And all of them are good games - Silmeria was my GoTY in 2006, and Plume... well keep an eye out for this year's GoTY list to see what I think about that one. Still, the original game, or rather the remake "Lenneth" is easily my favorite game this decade.
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