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Megas

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Blog Entries posted by Megas

  1. Megas
    But my computer shat the bed right when I finished, deleting everything I worked on, and discouraged me from redoing the entire thing...
     
    Besides it's mostly Konami, so here's instead another blog post with a bunch of Konami related pics
     








     

    Also, in case your interested, other things on that list include:
    - SJWs ruining games
    - EA messing up Star Wars
    - Activision with a lot of money to burn
    - An example on how not to do kickstarter
    - Nintendo hating youtube
    - Sony screwing up BC
    - Sony screwing up streaming
    - Gamergate bollox
    - Plastic Toys
    - Edgy games
    - More preorder bullshit
    - Crap PC ports
    - Tony Hawk 5
  2. Megas
    I lucked out on getting the Special edition of Xenoblade X, but I'm glad I did because it's awesome(and I'm gonna show it off because I'm such a show-offy sack of crap anyway)
     

     
    Everything that came with it(USB drive with all a few notable songs, artbook, art-card and the game obviously)
     

     
    At first I was sad it didn't come with the Steelbook like the EU version did, but the reversable cover more than makes up for it
     

     
    The art-card is smaller but nicer than expected. A picture worth framing
     

     
    USB is also surprisingly surprisingly nice and meaty-looking, I was expecting something really cheap looking
     

     
    The artbook is also a beast and I fucking love it
     



  3. Megas
    When a game comes to a close, they often end with a final, satisfying challenge, often in the form of a boss fight, with the player using everything they learned to overcome it. Unfortunately even the best games can deliver a final boss the is completely underwhelming compared to everything else you've gone through throughout the game. Sometimes the ending can be satisfying enough for you to forgive it, but more often than not, the boss fight can sour your opinion of it.
     
    Just like every other list, this'll only have final bosses from games I've played
     
    10) Ganondorf(Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess)
     

     
    Even though I will always consider Twilight Princess one of my favorite installment in the franchise, even as far as my second favorite, I can't say the fight with Ganondorf was a highlight. Sure it had a lot to live up to with how great Windwaker and Ocarina of Time's fights were, but even then, surely they could've done better than give us a fight with what is essentially a beefed-up Darknut(which is a generic enemy in the game, let that sink in). Also his weakness is the fishing pole....no I'm serious, just swing it and he'll be distracted, giving you a chance to attack. Still as underwhelming as the boss is, at least that last tidbit can garner a good laugh.
     
    9) Bowser(Super Mario Sunshine)
     

     
    For a game that was fairly difficult, especially compared to other Mario games, this boss battle was surprisingly weak. In most other Mario games, you use different kinds of tactics against Bowser, such as using his own attacks against him, outsmarting him, sneaking up to him. Here you just go to the a certain point of the hot tub, shoot up with Rocket Fludd, and then smash the floor, all while avoiding easy to avoid projectiles. Also hearing Bowser with a voice is really weird.
     
    8) Hell Sigma(Megaman X6)

     
    Regardless of your opinions on Megaman X6, it's hard to deny that the game can get ridiculously hard. Yet no matter how much the game loved to crush your balls with a sledgehammer, one thing everyone can agree on is that the endboss is insultingly easy, especially if you're using Zero or the Shadow Armor. Hell any attacks that chain damage(like...the saber). You'll be done before you even realize it.
     
    At the very least it almost makes up for it by having one of the
     
    7) Necron(Final Fantasy IX)
     

     
    Nowadays you'd be hard pressed not to find a Final Fantasy fan who doesn't consider IX their favorite, and who could blame them? It was a return to classic Final Fantasy with a good story and fun characters.....yet it managed to deliver one of the lamest endbosses in the franchise. Would have been fine with just Kuja, but no they had to throw one more guy, as Necron appears literally out of nowhere. He's a fairly difficult boss, but you just got done getting thru Kuja, they guy you've been going after the entire game(who was already a difficult boss as is), now it just feels like a huge waste of time fighting someone who literally has absolutely no reason to appear. And I can only imagine how angry people would be if they lost to this guy.
     
    6) Tabuu(Super Smash Bros Brawl)

     
    Tabuu shares some similar problems Necron had; he shows up near the end of the game, and is supposedly the mastermind behind everything rather than the guy you've been going after most of the time, Master Hand and a plethora of Nintendo villains. What makes him worse is how absolutely boring and generic he looks and acts, which is criminal for a game with a cast of colorful and diverse characters. You know you suck when a floating hand has more life and personality than you. His fight is also nothing to write home about, aside from one desperation most of his attacks are fairly easy to dodge or don't do much damage.
     
    SSE had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it still needed a ton of improvements. Getting rid of this guy would be a good first step
     
    5) Abyss(Marvel Vs Capcom 2)

     
    Tabuu before Tabuu. Abyss was the first and only time a Vs Capcom title used an original character for a final boss. Normally they've used various characters, either their own or from the franchises they've crossed over with, such as Marvel's Onslaught(MvC), Apocalypse(XMvSF, MSHvSF), Galactus(MvC3), Okami's Yami(TvC), Akuma and SNK's Rugal(both CvS2). You'd expect someone interesting, perhaps someone like Sigma, or Mundus, instead you get some really generic blob of energy that can also control armor. The first form is a joke while the second one is outright cheap unless your character uses projectiles. Then the 3rd form isn't much to write home about either. MvC2 is still highly regarded as one of the best superhero games ever, but it drops the ball when it comes to a final boss.
     
    4) Ehrich Rhoemer(Syphon Filter)

     
    As much as I love the Syphon Filter series(heck the second game is one of my favorite games on the PS1), admittedly the game does not hold up very well, and that is most evident in the final boss battle with the game's big bad, Erich Rhoemer. After you abort a nuke and saving the world from World War III, you find yourself face to face with Rhoemer. Sounds good and all right? Except the guy has a fucking M-79(grenade launcher) and your in a little square box with very little room to do much, and the only way to defeat him is with Gas Grenades(which you better fucking hope you find it). The only real strategy is to exploit the game and spam and gas grenades you have at the little opening where Rhoemer appears then after the cutscene he'll immediately die from the gas. But because the game has a checkpoint immediately when the battle begins, you can't do much to correct any action. While I still had fun with the game, I still found it have an incredibly frustrating endgame
     
    3) Andross(Starfox Adventures)
     

     
    Despite not being a Star Fox game on any right, I still have a lot of fondness for Adventures, fun combat, fun characters, fun world to explore, and I especially loved the villain, General Scales. So you can imagine my enjoyment going up the him in the final Krazoa Temple. I begin with swinging my staff and then*plop*...what the fuck just happened. Turns out Andross was just waiting for his power to be restored so he could begin to conquer Lylat again with the Power of the Krazoa gods. Strike one. He also suffers a lot of problems seen with Necron and Tabuu, he literally shows up at the last second and suddenly he's the real bad guy all along. Strike two. He's also significantly crappier compared to his SF64 boss fight, it was such an unfun fight and so rushed you could tell he was thrown in at the last second. The straw that broke the camel's back? You never get to fight General Scales, the guy who was built up to be genuinely terrifying villain, suddenly disappears and I doubt we'll ever see him again.
     
    2) Yu Yevon(Final Fantasy X)
     

     
    Final Fantasy X is one of my favorite installments of the series. I loved some of the new things they attempted such as the Sphere Grid and the new battle system and had one of my favorite endings of all time, and despite some bullshit like the minigames, it's one I hold very close to the top, along with IV, VIII and Tactics. Yet that doesn't stop this boss fight from sucking all kinds of ass. At first you'd expect this guy to be some god-like being, as he goes to possess every Aeon you have. So far so good. When he finally appears? He's just a tick....who's weak to practically everything. Normally the final bosses in Final Fantasy games are near-godlike beings, capable of having some of the deadliest attacks and are invulnerable to nearly everything with ridiculous amounts of health that even the best weapons in the game aren't enough. Then this guy shows up, vulnerable to practically every status effect, can be killed with Full-Life and Phoenix Downs(since he's already undead), and can be one-hit KO'd with your best weapons, all while you have permanent auto-life. There's easy endgame bosses, and then there's handing you over the ending. Still, at least the ending was worth it, unlike the no. 1 spot
     
    1) Jasper Batt Jr(No More Heroes 2)
     

     
    Fuck this guy right off
     
    This guy is the main villain of No More Heroes 2, who kills Travis's friend Bishop as revenge for you killing his father and brother. Remember those assassination missions from the first game that had you killing to generic CEOs at one point? Yup that was them. Besides being absolutely grating in every sense of the word and stupid-looking with a very punchable face, he redefines throwing-your-controller-across-the-wall-with-testicle-smashing-cheapness. His first form is nothing to write home about, but his third and especially hiss second form is what does it, as he's absolutely difficult to get a hit on(he rarely, if ever, staggers) as well as having a automatic kill attack where he punches you off the roof if your not careful. All of his attacks are incredibly strong to the point where it's unfair, and the final form which is one of the most hideous things you'll ever see, with the same cheapness as the second form. It's unfun, unfair, and frustrating that it leaves you finishing the game unsatisfied...speaking of which
     
    The best part? This was intentional. Apparently Suda51 wanted to tell the story to make it a point that revenge was usually never worth it.
     
    Suda51...I love you, but fuck you too
  4. Megas
    Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations is the third and final game of the original Ace Attorney trilogy(and was originally intended to be the final game period). After the first two games, this one had the role of wrapping up Phoenix's story line as well as several character arcs that were present during those first two games. Does the game live up to the expectations set by the first two as well as serve as a satisfying conclusion to the original trilogy?
     
    Warning, there may be some spoilers.....and this may turn more into a Godot Gushing blog rather than an actual review
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

    Gameplay
     

     
    It's the same as the first two games. Investigation(with some Psyche locks) and the trials.
     
    Story
     

     
    The game's story focuses a lot on Mia Fey's past and serves as the final chapter in Phoenix's character arc in what it means to deliver justice. The first case(Turnabout Memories) is the game's tutorial case, but a surprisingly strong one at that, and one that is very important as it introduces the game's main villain. The case is a flashback about Mia Fey's earliest cases where she defends none other than Phoenix Wright, who is accused of murdering fellow college student and his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend, Doug Swallow. The second case(the Stolen Turnabout) returns to the present day where Phoenix has to defend Ron DeLite, who is accused of robbery, and then murder. This case also reveals the game's prosecutor, everyone's favorite coffee loving prosecutor Godot who is totally a sexy badass easy the best character in the game. The third case(Recipe for Turnabout) involves Phoenix defending Maggey Byrde who is accused of murder once again, though unknowing to Phoenix, he supposedly already defended her and did a terrible job of doing so. Despite being a filler case like Turnabout Samurai and Turnabout Big Top, this case is surprisingly a lot of fun with despite an odd ending. The fourth case(Turnabout Beginnings) is another flashback, this time being Mia's very first trial where she, along with her boyfriend Diego Armando, defend death row convict Terry Fawles, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend's sister and detective, Valerie Hawthorne. This trial is pretty much the one that started it all and serves as a prologue to the final case in the game, it also shows to be one of Miles Edgeworth's earliest cases as a prosecutor. The final case(Bridge to the Turnabout) centers around a girl named Iris, who reminds Phoenix of someone in the past, who is accused of murdering children's book writer Elise Deauxnim. However an accident causes Phoenix to get sick and Godot goes missing so Miles Edgeworth(as the Defense) and Franziska Von Karma(prosecution) has to take it to court and fill the roles for the first day, meanwhile, Maya and Pearl also go missing. This trial pretty much goes all out in the best way possible as most of the major characters in the trials were main characters in the first two games, we get to see more backstory behind Mia's family and the connections she has to the game's villain, we get to see Godot hates Phoenix so much, and despite some parts being a bit complicated, serves as the best possible send off for not just the game, but the original trilogy as a whole. And I'm just gonna get this out there, but the game had me bawling at the end.
     
    Also there's a small part where Phoenix and Franziska do the investigation together. And it is hilarious.
     

     
    The cast in this installment is arguably some of the best in the trilogy. The main characters from the first game(Phoenix, Mia, Maya, Edgeworth, Larry and Gumshoe, and even Marvin Grossberg) as well as a few from Justice For All(In particular, Pearl, Franziska, Adrian Andrews, Maggey Byrde, and to a lesser extent, Morgan Fey). And several of the new characters introduced are really hilarious(though I can see some being more annoying with others) with more depth than they let on. And I'm not exaggerating when I say one of the villains is one of the most evil characters I've ever seen in a video game. Though the highlight character is easily Godot. Hot Shot, yet cool and collected(even when he's losing), setting his own guidelines, and his unabashed love for coffee, he's easily the coolest character in not only the game but the entire series, and a very quotable guy.
     
    Also I couldn't help but notice that love is a running theme in this game, as romance can be a focal point in every trial.
     
    Visuals
     

    Much like the first two games, visuals are great. Very detailed backgrounds and very funny and expressive sprite animations.
     
    Sound
     


     
    The sound design is again, as great as the other two games, tons of "Hold it!"'s, "Objection!"'s and "Take that!"'s everywhere.
     
    The music is something else though. I'm willing to go as far as to say that the OST up there with the first game as the best in the series. Phoenix's theme and the Pressing Pursuit theme rivals those of the original game's, and almost every character in the game gets their own theme song, making them a bit more memorable than some of those in the past, with my favorite themes being Godot's and Furio Tigre's themes.
     
    Overall
     
    This is easily one of, if not the best, game in the series, and has easily become my favorite. Great music, strong characters, both new and returning, and one of the most emotional stories in the series, it is easily the best possible send off for the Phoenix Wright trilogy. And again, if you have a 3DS, the Ace Attorney Trilogy is the best way to go. Though I highly recommend playing the first two games before trying this game.
  5. Megas
    Quickly after the success of the first Ace Attorney game, Capcom quickly followed it up with Ace Attorney: Justice For All. After establishing an interesting world and cast of characters in the first game, everyone was excited to see what they could do with the second game. However, with the bar set high on the first one, will the second game be able to meet those expectations?
     
    Also much like the first Ace Attorney, Justice For All is a remake of the second game on the GBA, and was the first time the game was released in the US. And again, there may be spoilers, though mostly from the first game
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Gameplay

     
    The gameplay is mostly unchanged from the first game, with two key differences. One is that unlike the first game, this one had no new cases added, so it doesn't use any of the new gameplay additions from "Rise from the Ashes" and Apollo Justice. However, one new addition it does comes with is the addition of Psyche Locks, which helps make the investigation sections a little more interesting. Maya gives Phoenix an item called a "Magatama" and with it Phoenix can use it to uncover deep secrets from different witnesses throughout the game, and will help you in the trial. Many witnesses have several locks, and some are harder to unlock than others and may require more evidence than others, and using the wrong evidence will deplete your "penalty bar". Speaking of which, the Penalty Bar(which is basically your life bar) replaces the Penalty points from the last game, and it's much better. Instead of losing points, you "health" whenever you make a mistake, but one thing that separates this from the penalty points is that the amount of "health" you lose depends on what you screw up, and some penalties hurt more than others, and unlike the points, your "health" doesn't recover after the trial, and breaking psyche locks will recover "health"
     
    Story

     
    The game takes place a year after the first game, and most from the first game comes back as well as several more new characters. The most notable characters include Pearl Fey and Morgan Fey, Maya's cousin and Aunt respectively, as well as Franziska Von Karma, the daughter of the first game's villain, Manfed Von Karma, and serves as the game's main prosecutor after Miles Edgeworth disappears, and is probably my favorite character in the game(and is totally my waifu). Most of the main cast from the last game including Mia and Gumshoe, and a few minor characters like Will Powers(awesome), Lotta Hart(ughhhhh....) and Wendy Oldbag(...UGHHHHH). Unfortunately Larry doesn't return for this one(though I'm sure some people may not have a problem with that :/). Most of the new cast is, admittedly, a step down from the first game, though most of them are stuck to one case, and there are still many memorable characters that are some of the series best, like Maggey Byrde and Adrian Andrews.
     
    One interesting thing the game does an interesting job with the story though is how it makes you care very little for most of your clients(with the exception of Maggey Byrde) and the murder victims, as a few of them turn out to either be dicks to straight up scumbags. Inversely, it does a good job of making you feel really sorry for a few of the criminals.
     

     
    As for the cases themselves, it's a mixed bag. The first case(The Lost Turnabout) involves Phoenix is to defend officer Maggey Byrde, a clumsy but cute officer(and one Gumshoe has an obvious interest in) who is charged with murdering her boyfriend, the case serves as a tutorial case, but it's handled in a really dumb way as Phoenix is struck in the head and suffers from amnesia during most of the trial until the end. It sucks. The second trial(Reunion and Turnabout) revolves around Phoenix reuniting with Maya(who left in the end of the first game) while bringing a client to get a spirit channeling to right a wrong. However the client ends up killed and Maya is once again framed. This one is really interesting as it brings us a closer look to the mystique surrounding Maya's culture and abilities, and introduces several key characters. The third case is the infamous "Turnabout Big Top", which where you must defend the famous magician and "Master of Flying", the fabulous Max Galactica, who is accused of murdering the ringmaster of the Big Berry Circus. This case is easy the worst in the game, if not the entire series, I can understand why this case is so unpopular with fans. Positives I will say is that enjoyed some of Max's antics, and the the murderer reveal was a huge heavy hitter, but despite the fact that the case is circus themed, the rest of the characters introduced here are some of the most pain in the ass witnesses I have dealt with in the series, they're all incredibly annoying, really difficult to deal with and are absolutely no fun at all. The final case(My Farewell, Turnabout) on the other hand, is the highlight of the game and is right up there with the final cases in the first and third game as the one of the best cases in the series. It involves Phoenix having to defend the star of the hit new "Nickel Samurai" series, Matt Engarde, who pretty dorky and airheaded in a why(though there is more to him than he lets on), meanwhile Maya is kidnapped by an assassin and will not release her until Phoenix meets his demands. This game definitely lives up to the game's subtitle "Justice For All" with all the events leaving you at the edge of your seat and having one of the best plot twists in the series, but for me, what makes this one special is how it's one of the most realistic cases in the series.
     
    Visuals
     

     
    Again, mostly unchanged from the first game. Most of the areas are well-detailed and the sprites are as over the top and as expressive as ever.
     
    Sound
     
    Sound design is, again the same. The music however, while still great, is a step down from the first game. On their own, the music still adds to the game's atmosphere very well, but key songs like Phoenix's "Objection 2002" and the "Cornered" aren't as pumping as the first game's. On the other hand, the Great Revival themes for Miles and Franziska are easily some of the series best as well as Matt Engarde's theme and
     

     

     
    Conclusion
     
    Admittedly, the game is my least favorite in the original trilogy, but it's still fun to play and a must for fans(flaws and all), especially for the final case alone. Much like the first game, if you have a 3DS the Ace Attorney Trilogy is the way to go
  6. Megas
    Nowadays, it's expected for a game to have decent voice acting, and in a AAA game's case it's almost always required to have Hollywood level VAs working on your games, with popular actors like Peter Dinklage, Kiefer Sutherland, Patrick Stewart, and etc., often lending their voices in various different titles, but back then, it wasn't always the case. Somewhere in between the 4th and 5th gen developers finally began to focus on what more things they can do with the extra power they had, and were able to record better quality sounds with led to more authentic sounds, soundtracks recorded with real instruments, and being able to record voices for voice acting. However, in the case of voice acting, even with the extra power they had voice acting was always an afterthought, and they would always find people almost literally from the streets, with absolutely no experience to do the voices for the characters in said games. This would either lead to said 'actors' to either not try at all, or try so hard that they would deliver their lines terribly, but in some cases this would lead to many unintentionally hilarious moments in the game, and some of the most memorable quotes in gaming, just due to how hilarious they were delivered. Even some of the games with better voice acting and more experienced VA would often drop a few hilarious lines every now and then(ex. "We've managed to avoid drowning!" .All in all, the voice acting would often lead to a much more enjoyable experience, regardless of whether the game was good or not.
     
    Though all the games on this list is pretty good at least
     
    5) "YOU FLAMING IDIOTS!" - Dynasty Warriors 3

     
    Definitely the more underrated on the list, but one that should be experienced. Dynasty Warriors isn't as well known of a series as the other games on the list, so you shouldn't expect any quality voice acting. For starters, it took until the sixth game in the series for them to actually begin pronouncing the names properly. Before then, the names would be pronounced in ways that would often lead names to sound unintentionally hilarious. Most notably, for Cao Cao would sound like "Cow Cow" instead of "Ts'ao Ts'ao", his son Cao Pi though had it worse. Besides mispronounced names, the VAs would often make normal lines sound hammy and ridiculous. In the montage above, you can see many lines delivered more hilarious than the needed to. Some of my favorites include a simple "Yes" said by multiple characters, "A dike? Oh no!" by Sima Yi, and just about everything Zhang He says
     
    4) "USE THE BOOST TO GET THROUGH!" - Starfox 64

     
    Almost every line in Starfox 64 is a meme itself. In short, Starfox 64 is a YouTube Pooper's wet dream, having almost every single line in the game delivered in such a way that it gives them enough material to make several dirty videos.
    . Falco(HEY EINSTEIN I'M ON YOUR SIDE), Fox(ANDROSS WON'T HAVE HIS WAY WITH ME), Wolf(You're good, BUT I'M BETTAH) and several of Andross's officers have some pretty hilarious lines itself. Though it's not all sunshine and laughs though, as some characters like Slippy(though he has his moments too) and Andrew, can actually be pretty cringeworthy. Some may argue that the VA was meant to be cheesy, but I disagree, because these guys gave the original game a ton of charm, and I felt that more after I played the 3DS remake, where I couldn't help but feel they tried too hard to be cheesy in that version, and led to the lines being more cringeworthy and uninspired, rather than hilarious and memorable like the original game. 
    3) "WHAT AM I FIGHTING FOOOOOUUUURRRR!!!" - Megaman X4(feat. Dr Wah Wee)
     

     
    Most Megaman games seem to have bad habit of having very bad voice acting. Apart from the first Megaman Legends, I'd say it took until Megaman X Command Mission for their games to have at least decent voice acting. Megaman X4 in particular had some pretty serious moments made hilarious just to how hard they were trying. It helps though that almost every VA from this game was also from Megaman 8, which led to some familiar voices. Roll and Iris shared the same voices. Megaman and X shared the same voice, probably because who ever was the voice directer thought they were they same person, which is the only explanation as to why X sounded like a little girl(though the fact that it was still better than his X7 voice is really depressing). Most notably, the two game's premiere badasses Duo and Zero ended up sounding like complete wimps trying to be badass, though it led to one of the
    . A particular mention for Dr Light as well. . 
    Still high quality compared to X7's VA though(no I will never let that game go)
     
    2) "DIE MONSTER! YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WORLD!" - Castlevania Symphony of the Night
     

     
    This was kind of an odd one, but I'll explain it. A lot of what makes Castlevania's VA is that they also try to be old fashions. A lot of times it leads the dialogue sounding even cornier than usual. But it also leads to a very memorable opening for the game, with Richter Belmont and Dracula's exchanges with comments like "It was not by my hands that I am once again given flesh. I was brought here by humans who wish to pay ME tribute!" and "Tribute? You steal men's souls! And make them your slaves!". Though my favorite, and man other's is Dracula's famous,
    (which I'll admit, as cheesy as it is, it's also kind of badass). As much as it disappointed me that they decided to redo the entire game's VA and dialogue in the PSP re-release in "Dracula X Chronicles" it probably would've lost its charm had they just redid the original script, much like Starfox 64 did with the 3DS port. 
    1) "YOU WERE ALMOST A JILL SANDWICH!" - Resident Evil

     
    You all knew this was gonna be here, but can you really blame me. The original Resident Evil was more funny than it was scary for a lot of people. Sure, it had its scary moments, but with such voice acting, it was hard to take anything seriously. But that's why everyone loved it so much. The voice acting was such a big deal that even Capcom loves to reference them(I'm pretty sure that Capcom restaurant in Japan has "Jill Sandwich" somewhere in its menu). And while I'm glad they changed the dialogue in the REmake and improve the VA(especially since it improves the scare factor), I still find myself coming to the original game just to hear things like "It's especially effective against living things!" and "You ARE the master of unlocking!" among other things.
     
    Seriously, Barry Burton's quotes alone are worth playing the original game, even when you've already played the REmake
  7. Megas
    The Sony Playstation is one of the most beloved game consoles among gaming, and it was what helped Sony become a gaming giant. From its beginnings as a SNES peripheral to it's continued success on the PS2 and eventually PSN, the original Playstation set tons of standards for the industry, including disc based consoles, dual analog, built-in rumble, and etc. It's also has had one of the biggest and strongest library of games, including some of the most iconic and classic games and franchises gaming as seen. The console itself played a huge part of my childhood, introducing me to some of my most favorite games ever, and this is what this list is about.
     
    10) Medal of Honor

     
    One of my favorite shooter franchises, Medal of Honor was one of the earliest console FPS games, and was heavily influenced from the N64's hit shooter, Goldeneye. It was also the first game to have a story from a movie director, as the game's story was written by one of the biggest out there, Steven Spielberg(who's also responsible for classic films like ET, Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones). The game's music was composed by Michael Giacchino, which was what really made him big as a composer. The game's presentation and combat was great and would help set of the big WWII shooter boom during the 6th and most of the 7th gen console games.
     
    9) Syphon Filter 2

     
    Unknown to a lot of people, in 1996 Eidetic was involved in making Bubsy 3D, one of the worst games ever made. Yet Sony still saw some value in them, and in the end it looks like they made the right call. 3 years later they'd go on to make Syphon Filter, which wound up being one of the Playstation's most popular titles. And Syphon Filter 2 is exactly how you improve on an already great game, with better levels with more variety, a better story, and much more varied weapons compared to the first. And the air taser still kicks ass.
     
    8) Legend of Dragoon
     

     
    After getting introduced to Final Fantasy with the Playstation, I decided to try out other games like it. One game that caught my eye was Legend of Dragoon, one of the few JRPGs made by Sony themselves. This game was awesome, the Dragoon transformations and attacks, were awe-inspiring, I was amazed to see voice acting(especially with Final Fantasy opting out), the additions were fun and engaging and I absolutely loved the story. I'm still bitter that a sequel was cancelled...and that Dart was cancelled from PSASBR.
     
    7) Megaman Legends
     

     
    While many people prefer the second game to the first, the first still remains a much more special game to me. When it came out, seeing Megaman both in 3D and without a helmet was such a mind blower to me. And the radical departure was one of the biggest things that made this game special for me, I loved exploring the ruins just to find what goodies I could find, and trying out new weapons never got old, especially when you maxed out all of their stats. Even playing the game on easy with the overpowered Max Buster was blast. And it was probably one of the very few Megaman games that actually had a decent story to follow, and was full of character and charm. Also Megaman's voice wasn't lame like MM8, Legends 2 or X4
     
    6) Final Fantasy VIII

     
    Yes, Final Fantasy VIII is my preferred game in the main series, but can you blame me? FFVIII was the first game in the series I ever played, and was the game responsible for me getting into the series, which I still hold as one of my favorite franchises ever. I still remember my brother buying it,
    . Visuals were great, FMVs still hold up very well which says a lot with how ugly a lot of them can be. Squall, Edea and Laguna still remains some of my favorite characters in the series, the OST fantastic and is one of my favorites of all time. Yeah, it has its flaws like the battle system, the utterly broken junction system(which actually add to the game's charm for me personally, nothing beats overpowering yourself to godlike levels in the beginning of the game) and how the story goes to hell by disc 3(Disc 1 and 2 though are fantastic, as well as the final dungeon), but goddammit those do nothing to deteriorate the sheer happiness I get from playing it. 
    5) Megaman X4

     
    Easily one of the most fine-tuned Megaman games of the PS1/N64/Saturn era, as well as one of the best Megaman games, period. While Megaman X2 and X3 were well-liked by fans, they didn't have as much of an impact as the original Megaman X did which is still highly regarded as one of the best in the franchise, but X4 is the only game that could stand in equal footing to the original game. X4 took the best parts of X2(Speed) and X3(Zero playable), and took it to bigger and better things. The game was much more action packed and frantic than the last two, Zero opened up a whole new way to play with his up-and-front style combat, great music as usual for the series, and the bosses and characters were some of the most memorable since X1. And while the voice acting is atrocius,
     
    4) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

     
    Much like what games like FFVII, Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario 64 did for their franchises, Castlevania would become the new standard of what future titles in the series would be like. Unlike the more linear platformers of the past games, Symphony of the Night actually takes a lot of influence from the more unpopular Castlevania II(as well as the Metroid series, thus coining the term "Metroidvania) and would focus more on exploration. The game is has some of the most finely-tuned gameplay in the series and sports some insanely good hand-drawn sprite work, the music is, as usual, fantastic, and exploring Dracula's castle was a blast. Also, much like Megaman X4, the voice acting is also several kinds of terribad, but still gave us some of the greatest lines ever
     
    3) Metal Gear Solid
     

     
    This is probably the biggest surprise that this is only number 3 considering how much of a fanboy I am of this series, but I digress. Regardless, the original Metal Gear Solid is a fantastic game that set a lot of industry standards. MGS was one of the earliest games to take a cinematic approach to its storytelling and game design, as this would influence a ton of future developers to adapt that same cinematic approach, for better or for worse(admittedly for worse is more common). It was also one of the first games to have voice acting that...well, wasn't awful. The game's visuals and music do a lot to help the game's cold and metallic atmosphere.The story is very engaging and does a great job at making you feel for all the characters, including the villains. Speaking of which, the game also sported some of the most memorable boss fights in gaming, such as Grey Fox, Psycho Mantis, and the fist fight with Liquid.
     
    2) RESIDENT EVIL. 2

     
    After the massive success of the first game which also came out on the Playstation, Capcom decided to capitalize on that and make a sequel. What we got was a game that improved on everything that was great about the first game and then some. Improved visuals helped add a lot to the game's creepiness, the controls were more streamlined compared to the last, more weapon variety and tons more scares than the last, and tons of puzzles that block your escape. Story was a great follow up to the last despite using mostly new characters, though they were just as great as the last cast. The voice acting is still bad but not as bad as the first game. Sometimes I still have trouble deciding which is my favorite in the series, RE2 and RE4
     
    As usual, honorable mentions, since there's more than just the 10 games I listed that made the PS1 great:
    - Final Fantasy VII and IX
    - Chrono Cross
    - Metal Gear VR Missions
    - Resident Evil 1 and 3
    - Megaman 8 and Legends 2
    - Silent Hill
    - Syphon Filter 1
    - Grand Theft Auto 2
    - Xenogears
    - Soul Reaver
    - Tekken 3
    - Medal of Honor Underground
    - Die Hard Trilogy
    - Tail Concerto
    - Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
    - Misadventures of Tronne Bonne
    - The Spyro and Crash Trilogies
    - and tons more I'm forgetting
     
    1) Final Fantasy Tactics

     
    Best Spin-off ever. Best Final Fantasy Ever. Best PS1 game ever. Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the very few examples of how to do a darker take on generally light-hearted franchise without being "try-hard" or "edgy". It also takes the series to a new gameplay direction while incorporating almost everything from the Final Fantasy series fans know and love. The combat's great with tons of great and over the top spells and abilities, the story is fantastic and mostly refreshing in comparison to other Final Fantasy games, with tons of characters to love and hate. Hell, Cloud from VII is a hidden playable character which was mind-blowing at the time. The job system is one of the best in the series, and the OST is on par with other Final Fantasy games even without Nobuo Uematsu. The ONLY flaw I can think of with this game is that it can get a little grind heavy. Even with that said, it is still one of my favorite games and one, if not, the best game on the Playstation.
     
    _________________________________________________________________________________________________________
     
    Did your favorite game not make the list? What were some of your favorites?
  8. Megas
    Ports are a very common thing in gaming, and more often than not they aren't very interesting to think about. A game from one console shows up to another. But it isn't often where games from one console show up on a platform people would have never even thought was possible.
     
    Xenoblade Chronicles(3DS)
     

     
    Xenoblade Chronicles for the 3DS is highly regarded as one of the Wii's best titles, and one of it's largest games at that. So it was a surprised when they announced they'd be porting the game on a dinky 3DS cart for the New 3DS(specifically). However the dev team pulled it off, and managed to port the entire game onto the console, only slightly compromising the original game's graphics
     
    Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D(3DS)

     
    Another Wii to 3DS title like Xenoblade, and while smaller than Xenoblade, it's more impressive in the sense that not only was it made with the original 3DS in mind, but also manages to look as good as the original game being the definitive way to play the game using traditional controls rather than the tacked-on motion controls the Wii version used
     
    Arcade Ports on Sega Consoles

     
    When people always told you to buy console ports of popular arcade games, there's a reason why people would usually recommend the version on Sega consoles as opposed to the SNES or PS1 versions, regardless of the company. The Sega version would often retain almost everything from the original games while the SNES or PS1 versions would often lack features(ex. SNES Final Fight being released in two versions, one with Cody and one with Guy, both omitting the Industrial Zone; PS1 ports of Capcom Vs omitting the team-up style; both systems would often perform much worse.) Only company that didn't suffer from this(from what I recall) was Konami as their NES/SNES ports were normally faithful to the original, aside from maybe some weaker visuals)
     
    Persona 3 Portable(PSP)

     
    As the name implies, P3P is a portable version Persona 3 for the PSP. The Persona series experiences a boom in popularity, and so Atlus decided to rerelease the game a third time on the PSP(game was rereleased once before as FES on the PS2). What sets this apart is that despite some cut features(anime cutscenes and the overworld being replaced with menus and a cursor) they still managed to add a lot to the game. P3P gave players the option to play as either male or female, and this would alter a lot about the game despite the main story being the same. For example, interactions with other characters would often be much different from the male protagonist and shaking up Social Links, Igor's assistant could also be either Male(the new character Theodore) or Female(Elizabeth from the original game) and the game would also feature different tracks when playing as FP. Game also revamped the battle system, allowing you to control all of the characters(a common complaint from the original game was not allowing you to control allies) and included two new difficulties. Really the only thing that brings it down is that it's not the FES version.
     
    Also I wish they'd give the Female Protagonist more love as I ended up liking her more than the male protag
     
    Resident Evil 2(N64)

     
    Easily the most impressive feat on the list, as this game should have been impossible to happen. Yet the dev team did it, they managed to fit 2 disc worth of content(700-800 MB, or 350-400 MB each) into a 64 MB cartridge and gave the game features exclusive to the N64 version, such as more alternate costumes, an item randomizer, extra documents expanding the game's lore, and etc. Many even go as far as to say the N64 version was the best version of the game, and is often regarded as one of the most notable programming feats in gaming
  9. Megas
    "On my business card, I am a company president. But in my mind I am a Developer, and in my heart I am a Gamer."
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Earlier this week, the gaming industry and community lost an important figure, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed away at age 55 from a bile duct tumor. His tragic passing is felt around the world as fans, friends, and colleagues in the industry mourns his passing
     
    Shigeru Miyamoto:
     

    Reggie Fils-Aime
     

    Shigesato Itoi
     

    Masahiro Sakurai
     

    Shuhei Yoshida
     

    Phil Spencer
     

    Iwata was a rarity among most corporate heads in the gaming industry, becoming president in 2002, handpicked by former Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi. He was incredibly humble and would take responsibility for the companies mistakes and apologize, and would take a pay cut by half so he wouldn't have to lay people off. He was also one of the very few company presidents who also understood the development side of things.
     
    Speaking of which he was also a programming wizard. When he was working at Hal Laboratory, he was responsible for working on many beloved Nintendo titles such as Baloon Fight, Earthbound, NES Open Tournament Golf, and the Kirby series. He then became president of Hal Laboratory and turned the company around when it was on the verge of bankruptcy. He also was responsible for bringing Earthbound to life even after running into so many issues in development. He also had a hand in Pokemon Snap and Stadium, the latter of which he single-handedly ported the source code of the Red/Blue battle system to Stadium. While we're on the subject of Pokemon, he also was able to fit both the new Jhoto and Kanto regions into a single GBC Cartridge. And he and his team also had a hand in bringing the original Super Smash Bros to life, and I think that success story speaks for itself.
    During his time as president he brought forth many consoles that many gamers still love to this day such as the Wii and the DS, both of which are two of Nintendo's biggest success stories of all time.
     
    One thing that Iwata will always be known was his directness, character, and his quirky-ness. Iwata Asks was a segment where he would often interview other devs on upcoming games revealing the thought processes that went into certain game design and going in depth into the game's mechanics. The man would also often deliver news "Directly" to gamers via Nintendo Directs which are very popular in the community, and within those directs he would often present himself in very humorous and fun ways, whether it'd be holding bananas, duking it out with Reggie or doing goofy stuff with Mario and co.
     


     
    The most recent instance was when he was "Muppet-fied" for Nintendo's recent E3 conference. Regardless of your feelings towards the conference, I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say the Muppet-fied Nintendo leads were among the best and most memorable parts of E3.
     


     
    And I feel this shows a lot of what kind of man Iwata was, and what represents Nintendo, fun and having fun. And you could definitely tell the man had a lot of fun doing what he did, acting and doing goofy games, demoing all of the games they would have to showcase.
     
    Nintendo and the Gaming World lost an important man, who was taken too young, but his legacy will live on in history, and in gamer's hearts. Godspeed Mr Iwata, may you rest well.
     




  10. Megas
    *based on the 3DS version*
     
    Tales of the Abyss is the eighth installment in Namco's popular "Tales of" series, and was first released on the PS2 in 2005/2006(and rereleased on the 3DS in 2011/2012, coming to Europe and Australia for the first time). When it was released, Tales of the Abyss had a lot to live up to following the huge success of one of the previous titles Tales of Symphonia(not to mention Legendia fell short for many people). Despite some of flaws Tales of the Abyss is an excellent addition to the series that sits up their with Symphonia as one of my favorites in the series and of the best games on it's respective platforms library
     

    The story and characters are fun and engaging for the most part despite adhering to several cliche's common among JRPG storytelling.
     
    The world in Tales of the Abyss follows a society that depends on a a "Score", or prophecy, read by a historical figure in the game, Yulia, that foretells the destiny of the world and the people who live in it. Meanwhile the game's main character and nephew to the king of Kimlasca, the immature and incredibly selfish Luke Von Fabre, is still confined(for his safety) in his manor after he was kidnapped and lost his memory. While he still gets regular visits from his loyal friend, the woman-fearing Guy Cecil and his teacher, Master Van Grants, things go awry when an attempt to assassinate Van causes Luke to accidentally teleport himself and the assailant, the battle-hardened sister to Van Tear Grants to a different country, and along their travels they meet many allies along the way, including the really fucking pessimist and sarcastuc yet awesome Jade Curtiss, a general of Malkuth, Fon Master Ion and one of his guardians Anise Tatlin, and Princess Natalia of Kimlasca, and Mieu, a cheagle who is basically the game's cute animal mascot. They also face many foes mainly involving the Order of Lorelai, who is obsessed with fulfilling Yulia's score(though the Six, The Order's main faction, has plans of their own).
     
    The game has a pretty strong cast for the most part, with Luke though it really depends if your willing to put up with him throughout the first 4th of the game, as he is absolutely unlikeable with almost no redeeming values(and his abusive behavior towards Mieu doesn't help). However, after a certain point he vows to change, and throughout the game he changes from a spoiled brat you never want to deal with a game to a guy that you really don't want to depart with, and is easily one of the best characters in the game. The other characters are also really awesome like Tear, Guy and Natalia, and I already gushed over Jade, as he's up there with Kratos as one of my favorite characters in the Tales series. The only character I never really cared for was Anise, who only reminds me why I dislike most child characters in video games.
     
    The game also has a strong set of antagonists, the most notable one being Ashe, who serves as Luke's Rival, but the others are also strong each with their own distinct personalities and goals that do a good job of putting them in a sympathetic light. Again the only antagonist I don't care much for was Mohs, as he pretty much serves as the game's religious nutjob.
     

     
    Gameplay-wise, the battle system got a bit of an overhaul from Symphonia, with every character being fun and easier to use. On top of this, it's the first game that allows you to run freely while choosing your enemies. Techniques(now called Artes) work the same as previous games, certain artes cam be mapped to certain button placements to allow you to execute them in battle, and short cuts allow you to use any skill quickly(including your allies). Also, whenever an elemental ability is used, an elemental circle called "Field of Fonons" and can change your artes attack depending on the FOF and which arte is used. At a certain level, when you go to Overlimit, you can use an attack called "Mystic Artes" which is basically a Limit Break. Each character also has their own set of skills(called AD Skills) that amplify certain actions, and each character can fit artes with something called Capacity cores that does different effects for them.
     
    Many key features from previous Tales games such as Cooking, Titles, Grade and Skits return and work exactly how they should. Only problem I have with cooking is that Wonder Chef doesn't make an appearance, which I find inexcusable
     

     
    The soundtrack, while not as memorable compared to other JRPG soundtracks imo, is still really solid with its share of standout songs. The voice acting is also fairly strong, which is actually pretty amazing compared to the Voice Acting you hear in other JRPGs.
     

     
    The game is also packed with content. The main story should take about 30-40 hours to complete, and that's not even including the plethora of sidequests to do, which range from pretty mundane tasks like being a waiter and rearranging boxes in warehouses, to fighting in the coliseum, learning more earning powerful new artes and learning more about your character's backstories. Some sidequests also include getting alternate outfits for your characters. One thing I feel the game falls short in is replayability, again coming after Symphonia where you can have different paths, even if only slightly different, this game doesn't really change during different replays. That said there are still plenty of things to do that you will either miss on your first playthrough or you can only get on subsequent playthroughs, and there's still a ton to do if your a completionist.
     
    In all, Tales of the Abyss is an awesome game that's a welcome addition to the Tales franchise and is one of the must-haves on the PS2 or the 3DS, two platforms already lauded for having a strong JRPG library. If you have either platform, I highly recommend getting this game
  11. Megas
    Leaving the forums on Monday for a trip up north for a week and assuming I can't get access don't expect me to be back till the end of the week. So don't mess up the place while I'm gone
     
     
     
    /clickbait
  12. Megas
    f5f5f5f5f5f5f5f5
     

    - Just Cause 3. Square Enix making an awesome looking game sound boring
    - Suits being boring
    - Nier 2. Developed by Platinum Games. Awesome
    - Suits being boring
    - Laura Croft Go. Mobile games. Break time
    - Suits being boring
    - Kingdom Hearts Mobile. Squeenix trolls
    - FFVII remake refresher
    - Suits being boring
    - FFVII PC Port refresher
    - Suits being boring
    - Kingdom Hearts III surprise. Vague. But looks amazing. Getting a Tangled level(Hype). Hoping for Frozen, Brave and Star Wars
    - Suits being boring
    - World of Final Fantasy refresher
    - Suits being boring
    - Hitman refresher
    - Suits being boring
    - DQ Heroes in there somewhere
    - Still no localization for 3DS DQ games
    - Suits being boring
    - Star Ocean : Faithfulness and Integrity(oxymoron for the industry)
    - Project Setsuna. Nothing else much too it
    - Suits being boring
    - Final Fantasy mobile game
    - Suits being boring
    - Deus Ex Mankind Divided. Looks awesome. Still need to try Human Revolution though
    - Fake clapping
     
    OVERALL: Really fucking boring despite KH showing. Still better than EA
  13. Megas
    - Last Guardian. Single handedly the best way to start their show
    - Horizon. Looks fantastic. Beats the shit out of Guerrilla's other game Killzone
    - Hitman. never played a game in this series, but it looks cool. Could hear my brother having an orgasm in the other room
    - Street Fighter V. Cammy and Birdie join the game. Great to see Charlie back. That said I need fucking Ken and Guile
    - No Man's Sky. Continues to impress me
    - Dreams. Looks like Media Molecules other games. Creative and full of charm
    - Firewatch. Not much to say, but looks promising
    - Destiny DLC. Bathroom time
    - Assassins's Creed Syndicate. Still in the bathroom
    - World of Final Fantasy. Looks like Pokemon, but with Final Fantasy
    - FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

    - Shemune III announced for Kickstarter. Fucking Kickstarter crashes
    - Batman Arkham Knight. "Exclusive DLC". No fucks given FFVII
    - Morpheus. Again. No fucks given. FFVII
    - Playstation Vue. AGAIN NO FUCKS GIVEN. FFVII
    - CoD Black Ops III. Sony just stole one of M$'s biggest money makers. FFVII
    - Sony reminding everyone that the Vita exists
    - Star Wars Disney Infinity. Figures looks nice
    - More Battlefront footage. Giving me more hope for the game
    - Uncharted 4 demo and Uncharted brainfart 

    OVERALL: FINAL FANTASY VII!!!!!!!!
     
    It's gonna be nearly impossible for Nintendo to top that tomorrow. Ball's in your court now
  14. Megas
    Earlier it was revealed that first games inducted into the recently created official Video Game Hall of Fame by the Strong National Museum of Play. These inductees include iconic games and franchises like Pong, Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros, Tetris, Doom and World of Warcraft, and it's not hard to see why for these have been some of the most impactful and legendary franchises in not just video games, but in all of media, and each have helped revolutionized gaming in one way or another, from gaming's conception(Pong), to the rise of Arcade Gaming(Pac Man), to flat out saving the gaming industry(Super Mario). Sometime down the future however, hopefully we'll see more games and franchises earn their spots in the Hall of Fame
     
    Keep in mind that I'm going with entire franchises rather than single games to make my life a lot easier
     
    Legend of Zelda

     
    Legend of Zelda actually barely missed out on being inducted. However, even with that said, this just means that it's inclusion is inevitable in the future, as nearly every game in the franchise has always left an impact on gaming in some way or another...yes even those historically awful CD-i games
     
    Metroid

     
    Another franchise known for it's high quality. The Metroid franchise was one of the first of it's kind for it's mixture of adventuring and platforming, one of the first known for having atmosphere as it's appeal, and introduce who is easily one of gaming's most iconic female characters through one of gaming's biggest twists
     
    Pokemon

     
    Pokemon is one of the most notable franchises that helped portable gaming become as big as it is now, as well as introducing some of gaming's most diabeetus-inducing creatures out there. It was also one of the biggest world-wide crazes ever, and one that's still going strong.
     
    Half-Life

     
    If Doom was responsible for being one of the first gaming's earliest PC games(as well as popularizing FPS games), then Half-Life sure as hell helped popularized PC gaming. The game was one of the first for PC gaming juggernaut Valve and had a huge influence on the FPS genre as a whole
     
    Goldeneye 007/Halo

     
    Putting these two together since they had a similar effect on gaming. If Half-Life and Doom helped popularized the FPS genre on PC, then the same could be said for these games on consoles. Not only that however, but these two were also responsible for popularizing Multiplayer in FPS gaming, and in Halo's case online gaming, which would influence many developers to include an online mode in their games. As for Goldeneye, it's what happens when developers put love and care into a movie-licensed game
     
    Street Fighter
     

     
    One of gaming's most iconic fighting games and arcade games along with Mortal Kombat. The Street Fighter style of fighting games would eventually become the basis of many fighting games in the future
     
    Mortal Kombat

     
    Mortal Kombat is a game known for its excessive violence and gore and everyone loved it for it as well as being one of the most beloved Fighting games along with Street Fighter, and along with a game called "Night Trap", it was responsible for creating the ESRB. The only reason I'm including MK in this and not Night Trap in this is because Night Trap is awful
     
    Metal Gear Solid

     
    One of the best examples of the stealth-genre, Metal Gear Solid was also known for it's cinematic approach in regards to both it's story and its gameplay, which would influence many, many future developers to adopt a cinematic approach to their games, for better or for worse.
     
    Grand Theft Auto

     
    When it comes to Sandbox and open world games, the Grand Theft Auto series definitely set the standard for what kind of game they should be like, full of exploration and the ability to do anything you want. It also helps that the GTA series is one that loves to get itself into some of the most controversial moments in the gaming industry.
     
    Final Fantasy

     
    One of the premiere examples for not only Japanese-Style RPGs, but for the RPG genre itself. The series, also lauded for it's visuals, character, and music, single-handedly saved Square from bankruptcy
     
    I know there are plenty of other games people would love to see included in the Hall of Fame, so feel free include your ideas in the description
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