GameFAQs Contests
Aitch Emm's Top 10 Favorite Games with write-ups -- cuz its overdue
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 5:47:35 PM | message detail | #251 |
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2.) Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation) METAL GEAR!? Ah, Metal Gear Solid. 'Tis been a bumpy road for me and this series -- and it took an aging Snake featured in one of the best trailers ever made to get me to give the series its well deserved second shot. I'm not sure what it was, but the original MGS had never really "clicked" with me when I played it. I did like it, but something just wasn't there, I was missing the some of the magic. But, after finding a brand-new copy of The Twin Snakes around June of last year for a measly $7, I began my dive into the world of Metal Gear Solid once again... Set in a slightly more futuristic...future, Metal Gear Solid takes place in Alaska on Shadow Moses Island in the year 2005. A retired old soldier, Solid Snake, has been living his life out in the wilderness, distant from everyone and everything he knew. Until, of course, he is called back into action (forcefully, mind you) due to the terrorist threats and hostile takeover of the base on Shadow Moses. To a normal agent, this mission is too much to handle. Snake has 24 hours to single-handedly infiltrate the nuclear weapons disposal site and rescue two hostages, eliminate the terrorist threat and prevent a nuclear launch. 24 hours? He'll do it in 23. Guaranteed. The thing that Metal Gear Solid does so well is that cinematic feel. I think that may have been the initial "magic" that I was missing for some reason. I noticed that even when you're actually playing the game, it still manages to give off those cinematic vibes, like you're watching this movie unfold moreso than just sitting there and playing a videogame. That isn't to say that the game isn't enjoyable, because it most certainly is, but it;s a different sort of enjoyable from what I would find in, say, Super Mario World. That's amplified somewhat by the characters having been given voices, the use of a codec to remain in touch with them, and of course... Kojima's ability to create a serious storyline, but making sure it doesn't take it too seriously to the point where it just becomes lost in itself and silly as a result; it's something to be admired, I think. There's always that injected bit of humor that lightens things up, be it Snake's inability to respond to someone without repeating what they said in the form of a question or Otacon pissing himself in a locker -- and that's what happens when you see Solid Snake, you piss yourself, because you just met the most badass man ever. And Metal Gear just would not be the same without Solid Snake. The man who makes the impossible possible; Snake is everything any guy would want to be and more. He's cool, levelheaded, badass, and gets a host of different chicks (even the "lol i wunna kill you" types). This is made even better by David Hayter's amazing voice acting that brings this old soldier to life. I'm pretty sure it's not possible for someone to have played Metal Gear Solid and not have tried to imitate that voice. Waking up in the morning to eat breakfast? "Milk?!" "Cereal?" Maybe that's just me, but whenever I hear that voice, there's this strange urge to try to mimic it -- with not so good results, mind you! |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 5:49:43 PM | message detail | #252 |
| But what really makes Metal Gear Solid great is
how well the stealth works. Infiltrating a base, avoiding the security
cameras, carefully watching the paths that guards take so as not to be
seen -- it's all done flawlessly. There are so many different ways to
go about completing your objective that it nothing ever gets stale or
repetitive. Need to get that one guard to move off his patrol? Knock on
the wall. See a weak spot in the wall? Whip out some C4. Need a
disguise? You know where this is going -- pull out the ultimate means
of stealth: the Cardboard Box. There is so much variety and fun to be
had in sneaking around a base, even if a game that prides itself on use
of stealth sounds like the exact opposite of fun. One of the things that I thought The Twin Snakes did better than the original MGS was a whole host of new techniques that Kojima wanted to originally include, but was unable to. For example, being able to stuff guards in lockers, knock them out by choking them, being able to shoot you targets from a distance with FPV (note: tough choice on whether that's a negative or positive, because it has its downsides), or engaging in them in hand-to-hand combat much more effectively. Plenty of new tricks at Snake's disposal made for a lot of enjoyment in revisiting this game. Although all of that came at the price of making things a bit easier, being able to pick off guards from a distance, take out cameras, or even beat up on poor old Ocelot with the greatest of ease. But, still and that reminds me, no one does boss fights like Metal Gear Solid. I loved pretty much every boss fight the game had to offer. Snake vs. Vulcan Raven (tank edition), Snake vs. Ocelot in a small, square room, a sniper fight in the snow, or my favorite, Snake vs. Metal Gear REX. I remembering being pleasantly surprised at just how good the boss fights were. The only one I thought was a bit ridiculous was the Hind D fight, not a big fan of that one. Another aspect of the updated version (The Twin Snakes) that I loved were the cutscenes. Some people out there will hate on them and say that they were too over the top or whatever. But no -- I like my Snake doing flips over bullets, trying to jump on Metal Gear REX, and punching harder than Ivan Drago could have ever hoped to. And, hey, if I'm a genetically enhanced soldier who got my genes from the greatest soldier of the 20th century, I'm thinking it's not so bad to be able to pull off moves that would make Neo envious. If you think about it, Solid Snake is some sort of sick combination between Jack Bauer from 24 and Neo from the Matrix in Twin Snakes. How is that not the greatest thing since sliced bread? Ask the haters, ask the haters. This write-up was a bit challenging for me at first, and if you think it wasn't as good as the others (if you even think they were good), I can understand. I wouldn't say it's because I haven't played Metal Gear Solid enough (hello there eight times), but it's just that it does everything so well that you could run a few lines through a generic praise machine and apply them here and everything would be dandy. It is a game that is not played; it's experienced. From the time you see Solid Snake rising from the water in his scuba gear until the epic showdown on Metal Gear REX, you're hooked. It's a wild ride, and one that I have no problems experiencing again and again. It's masterful. (Note: And I'm chalking up this inability to write effectively being due to my allergies, which are doing a number on me right now. Don't worry, I'll deliver on the next write-up. I happen to think it's the best thing I've written on this board, personally.) --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| durango X3 | Posted 3/30/2007 5:50:19 PM | message detail | #253 |
| MGS2 > MGS |
| trannyscience | Posted 3/30/2007 5:50:36 PM | message detail | #254 |
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ooh, i wanna guess 11-20 --- xyzzy™ "You try anything funny, and my AMP will explode on you." - Luster Soldier |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 5:54:31 PM | message detail | #255 |
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I'll hold off on posting the 16 - 20 batch for a moment if you want to guess. :P --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| meisnewbie | Posted 3/30/2007 5:57:26 PM | message detail | #256 |
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Uh, DNEA? Wanker is probably going to get a sigwipe for you. HEADS UP WARNING HERE LAWL. --- Eh? Easy Mode? How Disgusting! Only Elementary School Kids play on Easy Mode. |
| trannyscience | Posted 3/30/2007 5:58:54 PM | message detail | #257 |
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11 - God of War 2 12 - Twilight Princess 13 - FF12 14 - Shadow of the Colossus 15 - Chrono Trigger 16 - FF6 17 - Star Ocean 3 18 - Skies of Arcadia 19 - Zelda 1 ...that's all I can think of right now. --- xyzzy™ "You try anything funny, and my AMP will explode on you." - Luster Soldier |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 5:59:44 PM | message detail | #258 |
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Not too shabby... 16.) Mega Man X (Super Nintendo) 17.) Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PlayStation 2) 18.) Final Fantasy VI (Super Nintendo) 19.) Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) 20.) Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Game Boy Advance) --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| trannyscience | Posted 3/30/2007 6:00:18 PM | message detail | #259 |
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Aria? really? you really need to get a DS and try out the Castlevanias. really great stuff. --- xyzzy™ "You try anything funny, and my AMP will explode on you." - Luster Soldier |
| XxSoulxX | Posted 3/30/2007 6:00:58 PM | message detail | #260 |
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agreed with tranny --- - "Ha, the gaming industry, PS3 included, just got Wii'd." - Wanglicious |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:01:53 PM | message detail | #261 |
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Yeah. I've been thinking about getting a DS due to the Castlevanias and Hotel Dusk. I've heard some great things about DoS, too. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/30/2007 6:02:06 PM | message detail | #262 |
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From ZFS (Note: And I'm chalking up this inability to write effectively being due to my allergies, which are doing a number on me right now. Don't worry, I'll deliver on the next write-up. I happen to think it's the best thing I've written on this board, personally.) It damn well better be! Grr at not being able to read writeups due to not having played the games. Here's to hoping I won't have that problem with the next writeup. ;o (By the way would you or somebody who else who has it/them archived send me the older writeup topics? >_>) ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| Mumei | Posted 3/30/2007 6:02:48 PM | message detail | #263 |
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Aria? really? *Aria spoilers* Heroic Mario's probably just a lame Julius fight fanboy. *end spoilers* --- "I believe that words uttered in passion contain a greater living truth than do those words which express thoughts rationally conceived" - Sensei |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:02:59 PM | message detail | #264 |
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You really don't want those. The write-ups in my older topics sucked. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| meisnewbie | Posted 3/30/2007 6:03:24 PM | message detail | #265 |
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OH YEAH PLOT SUMMARY OF 7 AND AC >>> WORLD. --- Eh? Easy Mode? How Disgusting! Only Elementary School Kids play on Easy Mode. |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/30/2007 6:04:17 PM | message detail | #266 |
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That fight was epic. <3 Aria of Sorrow. ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| Xtremeblur | Posted 3/30/2007 6:04:52 PM | message detail | #267 |
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Relative to DoS and PoR, Arios of Sorrow doesn't even seem all that great. And Twilight Princess had better not be at the top. Top 15 is enough as it is. >_> ~/\~ Some people see this "mountain of evidence," these videos, these DNA readings, but some people see it for what it really is...racism. - Anonimity |
| Xtremeblur | Posted 3/30/2007 6:05:28 PM | message detail | #268 |
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And uh, I have no idea how I typo'd Aria that badly. ~/\~ Some people see this "mountain of evidence," these videos, these DNA readings, but some people see it for what it really is...racism. - Anonimity |
| trannyscience | Posted 3/30/2007 6:11:30 PM | message detail | #269 |
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Aria's really good, but Dawn improves on it slightly in every aspect
and Portrait is just fantastic. once you play Dawn, it's tough to go
back to Aria. --- xyzzy™ "You try anything funny, and my AMP will explode on you." - Luster Soldier |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/30/2007 6:12:36 PM | message detail | #270 |
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Some of us can't obtain a DS, and as such are coming closer and closer to cutting themselves every time tranny posts. =/ ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| _Harmonica_ | Posted 3/30/2007 6:14:32 PM | message detail | #271 |
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From ZFS If you think about it, Solid Snake is some sort of sick combination between Jack Bauer from 24 and Neo from the Matrix in Twin Snakes. How is that not the greatest thing since sliced bread? Ask the haters, ask the haters. I haven't played TTS so I don't know if you could call me a hater, but Snake flipping on a stinger missile (or whatever it is) makes him seem too much like an over-the-top superhero. While MGS is far from being a realistic game, the reason I like Snake is because despite his supersoldier genes he's still a very human and flawed individual - sure, in the original game he dodges Ocelot's first shot and Raven's tank shot, but it's more of a sign of battle experience and a sixth sense of sorts, things that might be barely believable in real life too, which can't be said about missile flipping, as far as I know. This is also why I like MGS1 more than MGS2 - while MGS1 had a lot of unrealistic stuff, they still had some kind of basis in real life, like Mantis' telekinesis and all that. Vamp's immortality and I LIVE ON THROUGH THIS ARM went a bit too far. --- goddammit |
| th3l3fty | Posted 3/30/2007 6:16:22 PM | message detail | #272 |
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You know what would make PoR better? Levels that are actually complex! --- Deputy Chief of Sir Chris' Police I have a third degree burn in flame-o-nomics -Sir Chris |
| SensiShadeSlaye | Posted 3/30/2007 6:20:51 PM | message detail | #273 |
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Number 1, for some perverted reason, = FFX --- I am the Red Mage! I cast spells that make people fall up! |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:35:04 PM | message detail | #274 |
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[Final Fantasy X Spoilers] 1.) Final Fantasy X (PlayStation 2) Listen to my story. This may be our last chance. Best Final Fantasy ever? I think so! Final Fantasy X is the quintessential Final Fantasy. Everything this game introduced to the series was something extraordinary, from the new mini-games to the first quality translation and everything in between. The slew of fresh additions, incredible pacing, and aesthetic visuals finally brought Final Fantasy into the new generation, breathing some new life into this old series. What stood out to me the most about Final Fantasy X was the inclusion of voice acting. This was Square's first attempt at having voiceovers in their games, and it came at a price of experimentation. There were some amazing performances (Mike McKenzie as Auron, James Arnold Taylor as Tidus, Alex Fernandez as Seymour) and then there were some absolute duds (Hedy....Burress....as....Yuna). For the most part, I thought the acting was pretty solid. I have always thought that script that is read aloud lends itself better to having a more refined script. When it's simply text that a person is reading, I don't think it has to be as...I dunno how to say it exactly...expressed as well as when voices are attached to the characters. Lines need to sound natural, need to flow well in conversations; it's something that I think FFX did a whole hell a lot better than previous games in the series. And one of the things FFX did a fantastic job of was character interaction. The banter between the cast as they were traveling, be it serious discussion or lighthearted conversation, was top of the line. It never felt forced or unnatural (HA HA HA HA), and it had a very believable feel to how they responded to one another. Nothing could have been more disastrous than if the interaction had felt forced, awkward, or completely unnatural. Luckily, the writers and voice actors managed to pull it off. I also loved the narration done by Tidus as you played throughout the game. At different points, Tidus, with a more matured, almost experienced sounding voice, explains how he was feeling at different parts of his journey, giving some of his introspective thoughts on certain events. It lets you sort of get into the mind of the character, what they're thinking, how they're feeling, how they thought they handled themselves in a situation. This ended up creating one of the most masterfully written, dynamic, and relatable characters in all of gaming (I'd personally extend this as far as being just a great character, regardless of the medium we're taking about). I thought it was fascinating listening to Tidus' story, and see him learn and develop as a person. His personality and problems that came along with him hit incredibly close to home, which I think made my enjoyment of the game increase tenfold. Even better was James Arnold Taylor bringing Tidus to life with some phenomenal voice acting. There may be some controversy surrounding Taylor's voice, but I can't imagine a better person for the role. He helped tremendously into bringing out the emotion needed for a character like Tidus. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:36:55 PM | message detail | #275 |
| The writers at Square also managed to put together
an almost equally as impressive supporting cast. Each of them brings
something to the group, a clashing that of distinctly different
personalities that somehow meshes together like a hearty soup. A
sprinkle of optimism, cynicism, calmness, determination, a lightheart
-- all of them ended up establishing some very human characters. Of
course, these characters can, and sometimes do, fit into stereotypical
archetypes, but the way in which their written gives them more of a
soul, something that distinguishes them from the rest of their ilk. I
think that's what ultimately makes them so enjoyable. I never felt like
they were soulless shells, only bringing to the table what every other
character created before them had brought. To me, a rather good example
of fitting archetypes to a tee, without trying to go that extra mile
and give them the necessary umph to create something a smidge more
unique, would be Tales of Symphonia. Final Fantasy X was a brilliant
example of how you do it right; Tales of Symphonia, however, was an
example of how you stick by and large to the clichés, and not giving
your characters any sort of standout qualities. To take that a bit further, a character like Auron acts as the mentor to Tidus, giving him direction, but not forcing him down a particular path. Auron gains the respect and admiration of the people of Spira, the legendary guardian that accompanied Summoner Braska on his pilgrimage to stop Sin. But having experienced the truth behind what the pilgrimage entails, he cares not for the admiration he receives -- and rather loathes it -- for accompanying his friend to his meaningless death, and being unable to right a terrible wrong. He becomes cynical, knowing everything is a sham, but he also knows that it is not his place to tell Tidus, and Yuna, what is to come. It is up to them to pass judgment on what they will find; but, when the time presented itself, he had no intention of letting past mistakes repeat before his eyes, or letting this new age of children do what he could. He tells them it is time for them to make a choice -- to die and let your problems go with you, or to live and fight that which plagues the entire world; shape their stories, don't follow the corrupt script laid out before them, only succumbing to what someone else has deigned to be the only way. While merely an example, I thought that Auron was one of the better written characters from the game. At a glance, he appears to fit the role of a "badass,"but there's just so much more to him and how it all came to fruition which offers something a bit more fresh and interesting. I think it's easy to pass off particular lines, such as Auron's "Live or Die" line right before the battle with Yunalesca, as nothing. But those types of lines tend to bring out a character, and make the game a lot more enjoyable as a result, least I think so. As like the characters, Square was on the ball when it came to laying out the plot and story. I think they really just nailed the pacing in this game; everything unfolds and is told at a nice, steady pace, never coming at you all at once and never going long stretches without delivering some meaningful character involvement and development. Final Fantasy generally does a good job at naturally feeding you the story, but the increased linearity of Final Fantasy X -- which I think was a good thing, by the way -- helped tremendously in making the story flow better, making things have a great presentation -- and a much more coherent, understandable story, too. |
| Xtremeblur | Posted 3/30/2007 6:37:57 PM | message detail | #276 |
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aw yeah ~/\~ Some people see this "mountain of evidence," these videos, these DNA readings, but some people see it for what it really is...racism. - Anonimity |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:39:16 PM | message detail | #277 |
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Taking that a bit further, I loved how Square essentially took Final
Fantasy VII's concept of the Lifestream and fleshed it out. The
Pyreflies being the life energy of all creatures and, upon their
deaths, return to the "Farplane" oozed a more well thought out version
of the Lifestream and Mako energy. I make a note of this primarily
because they explain this through the use of Auron foremost, who is
nothing more than an assembled group of Pyreflies hanging around in the
living world because of his strong will and desire not to leave it.
It's concepts and touches like these that brought out a lot of intrigue
with the game for me, making it much more interesting to read, think
about, and discuss well after the game was over. I think a certain
degree of that plays into putting FFX as my favorite game, that sort of
depth and dive into the mythos of Spira makes for a continued
experience even when you're not playing the game. And the world of Spira remains in my eyes as the most finely crafted world in videogames (right up there with Ivalice). It's an incredibly aesthetic and vibrant world that is just oozing with life. In most other Final Fantasy games, the world just seems like it's there. It just exists. You do what you need to do and move on. I noticed that I never found myself caring about the world in a game too much, even when most of them are the goal at the end. Now, I do realize it's a game, but crafting a lively world can go a long way. It's one of the aspects I enjoy the most about games that do it well. Spira has a history, a sense of being alive, and its characters -- right down to the insignificant NPCs -- help bring that out. When you're told that the inhabitants use Blitzball as an escape, trying to forget that they live in a world where death could come knocking at the door at any time, it really creates some sympathy for them and what's going on, and thus makes the journey that your taking have a bit more meaning behind it. You're not just doing it for some lifeless NPCs who are there to give you hints on where to go next. But even with well-written characters, a sublime story, and a beautifully crafted world (all of which are on the frontlines for me in an RPG), I think there is something more pertinent here that needs to be discussed, something even more enjoyable than those (wait wut wut). Are you ready for this? Wait for it -- wait for it -- BLITZBALL, *****ES!That's right, folks, I looove me some underwater rugby. I must have spent hours upon hours doing nothing but managing my Besaid Aurochs and taking them into tournaments to dominate the competition! This was not a matter of winning prizes, or items. Oh, no, this was for pure entertainment. It's fun. One of the things FFX likes to hype up is Tidus' skill in blitzball, too. He's supposed to be the heir to the great Jecht; Spira's version of Tom Brady (aww yeah), if you will. But talk is cheap, how about some proof? Luckily, FFX delivers. Tidus is a monster in blitzball. If you have not had the pure satisfaction of seeing Tidus perform a Jecht Shot at midfield, only for that very ball to end up rocking the opposing team's goalie at the other end, you simply have not lived a life worth living. I always made a point to pass the ball to Tidus, and he ended up with an obscene amount of points in any given game. Blitzball? Oh, no, more like...Tidusball !! Kobe Bryant ain't got nothin' on my Tidus! |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:41:47 PM | message detail | #278 |
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As unfortunate as it may be, Tidus' domination in the blitzball sphere
didn't quite translate over to domination on the field of battle. But
the entertainment and fun of blitzball did.
The newly introduced battle system in FFX is, quite frankly, like a
drug. I';m not sure how others feel on this, but it is way, way too
addictive. The genius behind this was Toshiro Tsuchida, who understood
that turn-based battles were in need of some kick. The fruits of his
labors ended up creating the Conditional Turn-Based Battle System
(CTB). What I loved about this more than anything was the additional
element of strategy involved. It no longer was a matter of waiting for
your bar to fill up and unloading on the enemy; instead, there was a
bar in the top right-hand corner of the screen that showed who would
attack in what order for the next few turns. What this did was it made the player use that noggin a little more. If you can get in an attack with two characters before the enemy attacks, you can plan ahead if you need to heal or buff your characters. Similarly, that whole "speed" stat actually ended up being much, much more useful. A really fast character like Tidus (man, I love Tidus; he's so damn awesome) could double-turn a slow enemy with no problem, and with a spell like Haste on him, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see him triple, or even quadruple, turn bosses. That element of strategy, in combination with the increased speed of battles (four or five full turns could go by within a minute, easy), made for, by far, the best battle system in the whole series. In my eyes, there is nothing even remotely close. In fact, I come bearing a nice story on just how much I enjoyed the battle system. We all know that I have masochistic tendencies, which is why I felt that I needed to do a Tidus SCC (Single Character Challenge). But little did I know that I enjoyed the battle system as much as I did until I started that very SCC and spend somewhere between 3 - 4 hours just chilling on Besaid (the first major area of the game) fighting random battle after random battle until I had acquired Tidus' final Overdrive, Blitz Ace. I believe the actual amount of times you have to Overdrive (the gauge builds up each turn, or every time you get hit by an enemy) is something like 80 before Tidus will learn it. I dunno about others, but I didn't get Blitz Ace my first time through until late in the game. I think some responses I got from a few people when hearing that was some form of "...," "You're insane," and "O_O" I'm all those things and more, folks! aww yeah If adding a new battle system wasn't enough, FFX also introduced more drugs for me to abuse with the Sphere Grid. This essentially was a huge grid filled with tons of nodes. Each node had a certain stat boosting attribute to them (speed +4; Power +2; HP +200; Magic +5, etc.) that replaced the standard level up method. Every character had their own section in the huge grid, making each of them "special" in some way and individualizing their characters. Tidus and Rikku have plenty of speed nodes; Auron has various breaks and power nodes, enough to OHKO a mountain; Lulu is filled with all sorts of delicious magicks to keep up the sexy black mage shtick. However, they also could eventually cross into each other's grid's, which allowed you to power them up even more than before. While, over time, this may make them all similar, you're not going to be doing that until late in the game, and rarely going to transverse the entire grid with multiple characters (it's huge). |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:43:01 PM | message detail | #279 |
| But this does lend itself to a very good story
about how my Auron delivered somewhere around ~30,000 damage to the
physical immune Seymour Omnis. That had to be one of the most
satisfying physical attacks I have ever delivered in an RPG. I think
I've told both Mumei and Semi the great story of how Auron transversed
the sphere grid in my game and was nearly capable of soloing anything
the game had to throw at me. Those were some good times. I think that pretty much details just how much I enjoyed the game. Between spending 3 - 4 hours on Besaid getting Tidus' final Overdrive in a SCC to transversing the entire Sphere Grid with Auron, I could not get enough of battling. I think it was the one time where I genuinely looked forward to random encounters to test out something new or just to see how quickly I could dispatch the latest enemies the game had to throw at me. I remember playing last year for a good six hours, not even realizing how much time had passed. I did nothing but random battles over and over, eventually realizing that I had to be at work a good three hours before -- lol "sick." 'Twas a very eventful day, I'm sure you can imagine. There are a couple of more things I want to touch on pretty quickly. The first was that I want to applaud the developers at Square for ditching the world map -- hallelujah. I don't know about anyone else, but oversized characters and shrunken towns/locales are not my idea of finely crafted world. It was fine for its time, but I'm glad it was ditched. People might call out the game being too linear that way (which I already covered), but that allowed for the world to flourish, to be able to be detailed in a way that it wouldn't have if we had to go to a silly world map. Everything flowed very well. The second was pretty minor in the grand scheme of things, but it deserves mentioning -- "To Zanarkand." I don't know what got into Uematsu, if even he composed the piece, but that is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard in a videogame. I don't think FFX has the best soundtrack out there, but it certainly holds the best single piece of music. I have no problem listening to that song over and over again, especially when you hear it done by a full orchestra. It's just incredible. I think it was the only music from a videogame that I found pretty moving. So after much deliberation and thought, I have come to the conclusion that Final Fantasy X is, indeed, my favorite game. I think it's the complete package; it brings together everything that a good videogame needs. A finely crafted, intriguing world with an even better cast of characters and script, and some addictive gameplay with a touch of depth to it. I haven't run across a more enjoyable game nor have I run across a more well crafted one. Is it possible I might in the future? Perhaps. But I'm not particularly worried about that at the moment. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| KleenexTissue50 | Posted 3/30/2007 6:43:27 PM | message detail | #280 |
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I hope the boards can take it! --- http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs9/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=33847108 Now playing: Final Fantasy III DS, Rogue Galaxy |
| trannyscience | Posted 3/30/2007 6:43:49 PM | message detail | #281 |
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you've got about eight to go if you want to outdo 2005. --- xyzzy™ "You try anything funny, and my AMP will explode on you." - Luster Soldier |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:45:20 PM | message detail | #282 |
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I'm not looking to outdo that write-up in length; I do hope I outdid that Cloud write-up in quality, though. :P --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/30/2007 6:46:18 PM | message detail | #283 |
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<3. ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| SensiShadeSlaye | Posted 3/30/2007 6:47:01 PM | message detail | #284 |
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</3 Failure in a box. --- I am the Red Mage! I cast spells that make people fall up! |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:50:09 PM | message detail | #285 |
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Failure in a box? Pfft. It's more like lots of win in a birthday card. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| SensiShadeSlaye | Posted 3/30/2007 6:51:53 PM | message detail | #286 |
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I would take pretty much every other game on your list over FFX. Including the top 100 or 80 or whatever it is you did. Begota-head! --- I am the Red Mage! I cast spells that make people fall up! |
| KleenexTissue50 | Posted 3/30/2007 6:52:24 PM | message detail | #287 |
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11-15 plz --- http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs9/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=33847108 Now playing: Final Fantasy III DS, Rogue Galaxy |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:55:06 PM | message detail | #288 |
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The full list for you people to enjoy. No idea how entertaining this
was for you guys, but if you liked it, I might do a top ten with
characters! 1.) Final Fantasy X (PlayStation 2) 2.) Metal Gear Solid (PlayStation) 3.) Suikoden III (PlayStation 2) 4.) Valkyrie Profile (PlayStation) 5.) Suikoden II (PlayStation) 6.) Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation) 7.) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PlayStation) 8.) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PlayStation 2) 9.) Super Mario World (Super Nintendo) 10.) Grim Fandango (PC) 11.) Chrono Trigger (Super Nintendo) 12.) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii) 13.) Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2) 14.)God of War II (PlayStation 2) 15.) Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2) 16.) Mega Man X (Super Nintendo) 17.) Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (PlayStation 2) 18.) Final Fantasy VI (Super Nintendo) 19.) Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) 20.) Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (Game Boy Advance) 21.) Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo) 22.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Nintendo) 23.) God of War (PlayStation 2) 24.) Metroid Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance) 25.) Suikoden (PlayStation) 26.) Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) 27.) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PlayStation 2) 28.) Resident Evil 4 (PlayStation 2) 29.) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PlayStation 2) 30.) Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PlayStation 2) 31.) Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation) 32.) Tales of Symphonia (GameCube) 33.) Metroid Prime (GameCube) 34.) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) 35.) Mega Man 2 (Nintendo) 36.) Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64) 37.) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube) 38.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Super Nintendo) 39.) Mega Man X4 (PlayStation) 40.) Pikmin (GameCube) 41.) Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (PlayStation) 42.) Madden NFL 2007 (PlayStation 2) 43.) Lunar: Silver Star Story (PlayStation) 44.) Skies of Arcadia: Legends (GameCube) 45.) Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2) 46.) Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) 47.) Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Arcade) 48.) Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo) 49.) Street Fighter II (Arcade) 50.) Chrono Cross (PlayStation) 51.) StarCraft: Brood War (PC) 52.) Fire Emblem 6 (Game Boy Advance) 53.) Final Fantasy IV (Super Nintendo) 54.) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (Super Nintendo) 55.) Yoshi's Island (Super Nintendo) 56.) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GameCube) 57.) Castlevania (Nintendo) 58.) Final Fantasy Tactics (PlayStation) 59.) Fire Emblem 7 (Game Boy Advance) 60.) F-Zero (Super Nintendo) 61.) Guilty Gear XX #Reload (Arcade) 62.) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GameCube) 63.) Mega Man 5 (Nintendo) 64.) Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) 65.) Viewtiful Joe (GameCube) 66.) Mega Man X2 (Super Nintendo) 67.) The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo) 68.) Halo 2 (Xbox) 69.) Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Xbox) 70.) Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube) 71.) Metal Slug 2 (Neo-Geo) 72.) King of Fighters 2003 (Arcade) 73.) Soul Calibur II (PlayStation 2) 74.) Radical Dreamers (Super Nintendo) 75.) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64) 76.) Donkey Kong Country (Super Nintendo) 77.) Jet Force Gemini (Nintendo 64) 78.) Ninja Gaiden (Nintendo) 79.) Ikaruga (Arcade) 80.) Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (Nintendo) 81.) Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) 82.) Super Metroid (Super Nintendo) 83.) Star Ocean (Super Nintendo) 84.) Super Smash Bros. (Nintendo 64) 85.) Zelda II: Adventure of Link (Nintendo) 86.) Tecmo Super Bowl (Nintendo) 87.) Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) 88.) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (Genesis) 89.) Fight Night Round 3 (PlayStation 2) |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 6:55:12 PM | message detail | #289 |
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90.) Super Mario RPG (Super Nintendo 91.) F-Zero X (Nintendo 64) 92.) Metal Slug 5 (Neo-Geo) 93.) Sonic CD (Sega CD) 94.) Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) 95.) Metal Slug 3 (Neo-Geo) 96.) Ghost 'N Goblins (Nintendo) 97.) Duck Hunt (Nintendo) 98.) Pocket Tanks (PC) 99.) Perfect Dark (Nintendo 64) 100.) Threads of Fate (PlayStation) --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/30/2007 7:03:05 PM | message detail | #290 |
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Please do! And uhh, are you up for a NSGNONSNCNENNENBB any time soon? We can race. ;o ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 7:05:01 PM | message detail | #291 |
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I have a rule that I don't do things that will end making me hate a game. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| KleenexTissue50 | Posted 3/30/2007 7:05:42 PM | message detail | #292 |
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So you'll refrain from playing FFVI in the future? --- http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs9/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=33847108 Now playing: Final Fantasy III DS, Rogue Galaxy |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 7:06:33 PM | message detail | #293 |
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HEY TISSUE KEFKA > GILGAMESH !! --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| _Harmonica_ | Posted 3/30/2007 7:06:51 PM | message detail | #294 |
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Final Fantasy XII is better than Final Fantasy X. --- goddammit |
| KleenexTissue50 | Posted 3/30/2007 7:06:58 PM | message detail | #295 |
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Makin' with the funny again, I see! Haw haw! --- http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs9/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=33847108 Now playing: Final Fantasy III DS, Rogue Galaxy |
| Heroic_Vyers | Posted 3/30/2007 7:07:25 PM | message detail | #296 |
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FFXII lacks a certain feeling that FFX has in spades. FFXII while great, just lacks... something special. --- Icehawk9902: damn it chris why can't you be my dad Sir Chris |
| Lucid Faia | Posted 3/30/2007 7:08:13 PM | message detail | #297 |
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ZFS and I share the same favorite game? Now I've seen everything. --- Rebel. Revolutionary. Disharmonious. UNMUTUAL. |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/30/2007 7:09:55 PM | message detail | #298 |
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Then how about a regular race to see who has the best time on the
clock? Or a regular NSG? Or all of the above minus the no customization
rule, which makes it much more tolerable? grrr How many playthroughs have you done? ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 7:12:30 PM | message detail | #299 |
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Final Fantasy XII is better than Final Fantasy X. FFXII is great, no doubt, but it lacks...a Tidus, a Auron, a cohesive story and characters. Everything in FFX came together near flawlessly. FFXII sort of had ambitions to go beyond what Square had done before, but it didn't execute it like it needed to. It wasn't as together and fun as FFX, I don't think. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/30/2007 7:13:50 PM | message detail | #300 |
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Nothing big. I've played it through about three or four times. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
