I finally got around to beating Samus Returns, the latest game in the Metroid series. You can find the full review here.

The short version is that it's a solid adventure and an undeniable return to form for the recently troubled series, but it feels a bit bland and "safe" compared to some of the better installments.

What do you all think of the game?

Hello, everyone, I've recently written a review for the Switch release of Retro City Rampage DX, which can be found here.

The short version is that the game is all over the place and as a result, it's sometimes fun and funny, and sometimes it's frustrating and unfunny. What do you think of the game?

Afternoons at my grandmother’s house when I was much younger often consisted of digging out the NES and playing some classic games, namely Super Mario Bros 3 and the original Castlevania as well as its infamous sequel. I loved them both, and in the case of the latter, it helped shape my early love for horror even though the game wasn’t particularly scary. When I was a bit older (around 12) and owned a Gameboy Advance, I got into the handheld installments. I currently own all three GBA and DS games, as well as a few others on other systems. Terrific games, all of them. And even though the story was never the main focus, the series is rich with history and lore and in the back of my mind while playing each game, I kept on wondering why there wasn’t more media dedicated to the series. Why wasn’t there a movie or anime series dedicated to the exploits of the Belmont clan? Suffice it to say, when Netflix announced a Castlevania anime series, I was ecstatic, and when they said it’d be R rated, well, I was all aboard the hype train, and I’m happy to report the series lives up to my expectations.

Loosely following the storyline and characters from Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, the series opens with Dracula Tepes meeting his wife- a woman named Lisa who only wants to learn secret medicinal techniques so she can help people. Despite her good intentions, though, she is captured by the church while Dracula is away on a trip around the world (requested by Lisa so he can be more like a man). She is burned at the stake for witch craft and Dracula gives everyone a year to make peace with their God. He vows bloody vengeance upon the world, and he does not let anyone down. This series lives up to its TV MA rating- the violence is horrific and extremely bloody, but used sparingly enough so it always makes an impact.

Following that, we are introduced to Trevor Belmont, the most recent warrior in the excommunicated Belmont clan. He’s a drunkard, rather careless, but a badass in his own way. Honestly, he was my favorite part of the series. The writers could have made him a more typical hero archetype, determined to put an end to Dracula’s reign of terror. But the wounded hero angle is much, much more interesting to me, and his snarky comments and snide attitude bring a good deal of levity to the otherwise straight faced series, and Richard Armitage was the perfect choice to voice the cool yet careless warrior. I won’t spoil some of the other familiar faces who show up, but every one of them reinforces the fact that the writers are huge fans of the series mythology and cast. They’re all done right, in other words.

Given that this season only consists of four episodes, each one about a half hour long, it’s surprising that the show dedicates so much time to world building. The first three episodes are almost entirely dedicated to setting up the situation and the characters, with a few mild (but kick ass) action scenes sprinkled throughout. It isn’t until the fourth episode that the show kicks into high gear, and while I wish there was more of the show to digest, what’s here is very well done. There are a bunch of slight tweaks to the series mythos that helps make it a cohesive world filled in a way the games never quite achieved.

Special mention must be given to the gorgeous artwork. Like many games in the series, it’s a fine mixture of traditional anime and gothic architecture that manages to feel unique. Some of the scenery and landscapes presented absolutely deserve to be giant posters to hang on your wall. It’s disappointing, then, that the soundtrack doesn’t measure up to the series legacy. None of it is bad by any means, but the games had a unique sound to them that have managed to stand the test of time. Bloody Tears? Vampire Killer? Any of the other iconic tracks? Nowhere to be found. Instead, the music is serviceable but unmemorable.

My only other complaint is that it feels like they should have just made this a movie series. Clocking in at under two hours, it follows a three act structure fairly closely, and each episode (apart from the last) ends in very abrupt fashion. At the same time, I know why it was executed in this way. Executives at Netflix likely saw potential in the creators’ ideas for this series, but let’s be real here: Castlevania as a brand has fallen out of grace in recent years. Once Koji Igarashi left Konami and they decided to reboot the series, people knew the series was in trouble (the first Lords of Shadow game was pretty solid, but if critical response to the second game is anything to go by, it all but killed the brand). It’s strange, then, that 2017 would bring the world a television series, and Netflix was probably taking a huge risk by making it, with this opening season being a test run to see if people really want it.

As it stands, I’m hoping enough people watch and enjoy this series to get it renewed for a (hopefully longer) second season. This is undoubtedly the best video game- to- screen adaptation ever made; it’s clear the creators love the series, and they’ve found a perfect balance of respecting its legacy while also expanding the universe and turning it into a cohesive and wickedly entertaining story. It’s executed in a way that mean non gamers should enjoy it as well; I watched all four episodes at once with someone who knows almost nothing about the games and she said she enjoyed it a lot. And really, that’s the one thing an adaptation of any source material needs to do to be good. One thing’s for sure: I personally can’t wait to see what comes next for this horror fantasy epic.

What did you think of the first season of Castlevania?

I've been absent from Gamespot lo these many weeks, and that's because most of my free time has been dedicated to playing through Breath of the Wild. I finally finished it, and you can find my review here.

Short version is that Breath of the Wild sets the new standard that all open world games should be measured by.

I'm probably going to be focusing on some shorter games now, because it took me around 65 hours to see the ending. What did you think of the latest Zelda game?

Hello Gamespot, I just completed a new review for the recently released 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VIII. It can be found here.

Short version is that it delivers exactly what you expect from a DQ game: Fun characters, plenty to do, and lots of turn based battling.

Since I work full time now, it's been tougher and tougher to find time for gaming. My next thing to play will probably be something on the shorter side since DQ8 took me more than 50 hours to beat. Anyways, what'd you think of the game?

Get out your hemp ropes and tune up your ukuleles, because my second entry in my top 10 series is my personal top 10 indie games. For this list, I’m going to be discussing some games that were made by an indie developer. This means it was made by a small team, independent of a big publisher. You know the ones I’m talking about. And while most indie games are one offs, some of them have sequels, and much like the last list I wrote, we’re going to stick with one per series for variety’s sake. Let’s get on with it, shall we?

10. Risk of Rain

Developed by Hopoo Games

This is a Metroidvania Rogue- like that gets tougher the longer your play session lasts. And just like the best of the oversaturated indie Rogue- like genre, there’s plenty to keep you coming back for more. For one, there are currently twelve characters to play as, eleven of whom are locked at the start. Each one is entirely distinct from the others- the basic Commando uses dual machine pistols to control crowds and can roll his way out of harm. Then there’s the Huntress, who can fire her bow while moving and can teleport small distances.

If the game gets harder the more you play, why wouldn’t you want to speed run through to the end each time? It’s because of the upgrades. As you kill monsters, you earn money, which you can use to purchase items from treasure chests. The item you get is random each time, but there are built in ways to break the game. See, you can find items called Relics that are essentially game modifiers, and one of them lets you select each and every item you purchase, allowing you to tailor your character into a dominant force of destruction. Play with a Relic called Glass, where you have a fraction of your usual health but do so much more damage, and you’ve got the potential to become a god. I’ve had play sessions with friends last more than an hour and a half, and by the end, there were bosses spawning every few seconds that would die from some hilarious effect we couldn’t even figure out. And we’ve crashed the game on several occasions. To me, it’s a special kind of game where crashing results in laughter rather than frustration.

9. Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Developed by Nicalis, Inc.

And unsurprisingly, we’ve got another Rogue- like game on here. In fact, many would call this game the king of indie Rogue- likes, and with good reason. The core gameplay is inherently strong. You explore randomly generated dungeons that are laid out similar to the first Zelda game, fighting some truly disgusting monstrosities along the way (the game is well known for its unique mixture of cute and nasty, and that reputation is well earned). But you can get upgrades from bosses and other rooms. Not only does each one completely change the look of Isaac (or whatever character you’re playing as), but it gives some kind of permanent effect as well, such as a higher fire rate (you shoot tears in this game, by the way) or giving you the ability to crush rocks by walking over them.

Factor in that each play through is pretty much guaranteed to net you a new item that could pop up in a future play through, be it an item, boss, or even brand new areas to explore, and you’ve got a game that pretty much defines “just one more go.” It’s incredibly easy to lose yourself in the arcadey gameplay and dark dungeons. But believe it or not, the game’s atmosphere is top notch as well. I won’t expound too much, but the story of Isaac evading his homicidal mother by escaping into the basement is really dark and sad, and everything that happens only serves to enhance this feeling of dread.

8. Shovel Knight

Developed by Yacht Club Games

Moving on to more light hearted territory, this game exploded pretty much out of nowhere. Truth be told, I had no idea it even existed until the waves of glowing review scores came in. And this game pretty much lives up to the hype. You play as the titular Shovel Knight, who sets out on a quest to save his lifelong friend Shield knight from the awesomely named Order of No Quarter, a group of eight evil warriors with their own themes, Mega Man style.

But that game is just one of the many influences. There’s clearly some Mario 3 in there with its world map, some Zelda 2 with its side scrolling villages, and more than a little Duck Tales with its particular brand of platforming. See, Shovel Knight can bounce off of enemies using his trusty digging tool, which becomes the core of the gameplay. It’s not quite as fast paced as old Sonic or Mario games and instead relies more on deliberate movements and strategic jumping. The best part of this game, though? There’s already one new expansion pack titled Plague of Shadows, which lets you play as Plague Knight, and there are, as of this writing, two more on the way where you can play as Specter Knight and King Knight. If the first expansion is anything to go by, the next two are going to be vastly different from the main story. And they’re being released for free for those of us who picked up the original game at full price. I can’t think of any better way to pay your fans back than by essentially releasing multiple sequels to your game for free.

7. Deadbolt

Developed by Hopoo Games

This is a vastly, vastly different game than Risk of Rain. In Deadbolt, you are Death, or, at least, an agent of Death. As a Reaper, you are tasked by a sentient flame to track down the source of an undead drug that makes those who have passed feel alive again. You do this gradually, of course, going through each level at a methodical pace. Using your cunning and a variety of weaponry, you slaughter the undead one at a time, and with extreme prejudice.

This is a game where the level design and gameplay marry perfectly together to create an entirely skill based experience. There is always more than one option to take in a level. You could knock on the front door and blast whoever is in the way. Or you could turn into smoke and go through an air vent, reappearing behind some poor shmuck. Or maybe you could knock on the front door and silently eliminate the enemy by throwing a knife. Regardless of the path you take, you’ll need these options, because this game is hard. You die in pretty much one hit from almost anything, and since you are always out gunned, you’ll need every advantage you can get. Even though it’s extremely difficult, its tight mechanics and superb levels make it impossible to put down. For me, it was one of the biggest surprises of 2016.

6. To the Moon

Developed by Freebird Games

Step into the shoes of two scientists who work for a corporation who specializes in granting wishes. Or, rather, making you think they’ve granted your wish. They have a machine that allows them to make a mental connection with their subject and probe through their memories in order to find the best way to grant their wish. Their subject in this game is Johnny Wyles. He is a widower and he doesn’t have long. His wish is to go to the moon. He doesn’t know why, but it’s something he’s wanted for a long time.

Using this George Saunders- esque plot device (kudos to you if you know who that is!), the game tells the story of Johnny backwards, beginning with his more recent memories and going way, way back. And you know, I heard a lot before playing this that it got seriously emotional and very tear jerky. I wasn’t expecting much. Boy was I wrong. I’m a cold hearted bastard, and there are scenes in this game of such astounding beauty and emotional depth that they almost moved me to tears (almost). There’s serious depth to the writing, and, as a result, the characters. Even though it’s presented through the sometimes crude lens of one of the many RPG Maker engines, the story shines through, thanks in no small part to the absolutely beautiful sound track. I can’t say much more without spoiling things except for this: it could move even the coldest of hearts.

5. Close Your Eyes

Developed by Yai Gameworks

I’m not even sure where to begin describing this game. You play as a small creature named Marshmallow Monk who has been put on death row for reasons at first unclear. But when they’re set free, you descend into a nightmarish world, where a lively game show host seems to bend reality to his will.

Make no mistake: this is a horror game through and through. There’s some seriously disturbing stuff in this game, complete with great but disturbing illustrations and sound effects (and even a bit of voice acting). The almost childish, crayon like art style only serves to enhance the feeling of unreality that pervades everything. Thankfully, there are some brief moments of levity or flat out weirdness that helps ease up the tension if only for a moment. To be honest, the story is borderline incoherent and requires multiple play throughs to grasp the full extent of everything that’s happening, but the mood it creates is simply unforgettable and thoroughly engrossing.

4. The Cat Lady

Developed by Harvester Games

Susan Ashworth has seen better days. Where she once had a happy life, she now suffers from a deep depression. She’s socially isolated, with only stray cats to keep her company. So when she decides to end it all and take some sleeping pills, she’s surprised to see that she’s gotten a second chance. A being known as the Queen of Maggots has given her the ability to rise from the dead at the expense of another’s life. It’s prophesized that Susan will run into five “parasites-“ humans that only seek to hurt others, including her.

Not only does this game have a gorgeous art style and superb atmosphere that blends real emotion and surreal horror, but it manages to shine through its flaws with the strength of the writing. There are certain elements of the story that feel a bit obtuse, or underwritten, but the way Susan’s character is written and acted means the player is instantly on her side. This holds true for all the characters you meet, of which there are many. Some are friendly, some are weird, and appropriately, some are flat out psychotic. The monochromatic- with- splashes- of- color art style serves to bring out the bleak feeling of the story. An old school horror themed adventure game through and through, it delivers an unforgettable and deeply intimate look at mental illness and social isolation that can resonate with jut about anybody on some level.

3. Cry of Fear

Developed by Team Psykaller

Old school survival horror at its best. Even though it follows the modern trend of being first person (it is a Source mod, after all), there’s no running from the monstrosities this game throws at you. Instead, you can shoot them. But the monsters in it are so damn creepy that it doesn’t matter whether or not you can kill them; they will keep you up at night either way. The game puts you in the shoes of Simon, a socially withdrawn teenager who has to find his way home through the cold Scandinavian night.

The story, to be honest, is straight out of the Silent Hill 2 play book of everything being a direct metaphor for Simon’s mental state, only not as well executed, but that doesn’t matter. The sounds, the monsters, the environments all evoke an overwhelming feeling of dread that crawls under your skin. While a lot of the locales are nothing that we haven’t seen before- things like derelict apartments, asylums, forests- the execution of each one feels claustrophobic thanks to the dim lighting and horrific sound design. But the game isn’t content on just delivering a scary experience. There are loads of unlockables, including weapons, skins (although that seems counter intuitive when everything is first person), difficulties, and even a side scenario similar to “The Fourth Survivor” from Resident Evil 2. For a game that is 100% free, it delivers a whole lot of top notch survival horror content.

2. Hotline Miami

Developed by Dennaton Games

Imagine, if you can, what would happen if someone walked up to David Lynch and showed him the film Drive. Then they fed him a bunch of cocaine and said, “Now make a game adaptation of the movie you just saw.” This game would be the result. You play as an unnamed man in a jacket who receives phone calls from an unknown person or organization. They’re always friendly and normal sounding, but always tell him to go to a particular location and do things like “clean up the spill.” But when you get there, you don an animal mask (each one has a different effect and you unlock more as you go) and murder all the Russian mobsters in the building in spectacularly gory fashion.

Everything about this game is tuned to a perfect pitch. The hyper pixelated graphics mean that even though the entire game is an almost nonstop gore fest from beginning to end, complete with splattered entrails and severed limbs while blood flies everywhere, it almost never feels gratuitous. The controls are absolutely wound tight as a screw, which means you always have complete control of your movement. The music is incredible, drawing you into the blood lust and fury, never letting up until everyone except you is dead. It’s skill based gameplay at its best. You always have complete control over your fate, which means you can absolutely play cautiously. But once you get a feel for the levels and the controls, you find something amazing. Throwing caution to the wind and relying almost entirely on your reflexes and spatial awareness instead of planning things out in a methodical way leads to a state of gaming Zen the likes of which I have almost never seen. It’s entirely engrossing and there were times during my pursuit of every achievement in the game that I forgot to breathe until a level was over. Intense, addictive, and with an atmosphere that feels like a high gone bad. Even though the sequel is also great, I find myself going back to this one even though I’ve already done all there is to do. There’s been a huge string of hyper violent indie games lately, but this one is undoubtedly the crème de la crème.

1. LISA

Developed by Dingaling

The Steam page advertises this as a “quirky side scrolling RPG” and when I saw that it was five bucks on sale, I thought “eh, why not?” I came to find out that it was false advertising. This game isn’t really” quirky.” Instead, it’s a master work of video game storytelling that balances both humor and overwhelming sadness with such ease that it makes you wonder why there aren’t more works like it. In the world of Olathe, women have all disappeared, leaving behind a despondent male population with no direction. The protagonist, Brad Armstrong, is one such man. He suffers from a history of abuse at the hands of his father, and as such is addicted to the world’s drug of choice known as Joy. Joy makes you feel nothing. Prolonged exposure to it twists people into literal monstrosities, mounds of flesh that were once human but have become something else entirely. Then, one day, Brad discovers a baby. Not just a baby. A baby girl. After about a decade of raising her, she’s kidnapped. And now, the word is out. Everyone in Olathe wants a piece of this female.

This game combines the best elements of numerous different works of post-apocalyptic fiction into a unique whole that feels unlike anything else out there today. The writing isn’t just sad, not in a way that makes you bummed out. It’s sad in a way that makes you want to curl up in a corner and ponder your own humanity, and how far you can be pushed before you become an inhuman monster, either literal or metaphorical. You see the downfall of society through an often times humorous lens, lending to more thought provoking moments than just a more straight forward, somber story like The Road. But it knows how to have fun with its world, too. There are cross dressing masseuses, mutant fast food workers (in one of the freakiest sequences I’ve ever seen in a game), misnamed construction workers, more perverts than you can shake a stick at, and so many party members to recruit. So while the game ultimately ends on possibly the absolute saddest note possible, there are moments of levity sprinkled throughout that only serve to drive home the statement the game makes about humanity even more. This is on top of a superb but weird sound track and top notch turn based gameplay that allows plenty of room for flexible party building. It’s brutal, it’s difficult, and it’ll make you feel like crap, but you need to play this game if you want to see just how good a video game’s story can be.

That concludes my top 10 indie games list. The thing I love about these low budget, obscure games is that when done right, they’re the clear result of someone with a vision, not a board of committee members with market research behind it. I think the variety on this list speaks for itself. What about you? What are some of your favorite indie games? And what’d you think of this list? Be on the lookout for my next one, which is going to be my top 10 shooters (both first and third person).

PS: I did not get paid to endorse any of these. If I was getting paid to advertise indie games, I’d probably be banned right now from how often I’d post about them.

I’ve decided to start writing some top ten lists. I don’t write nearly as much as I should these days, and I’m hoping that by ranking things I love, I might be able to get back into the writing habit. So, you’re going to see with these that there’ll be a lot of games that could fit into multiple categories. I’m laying my foot down right now that you will not see me repeat a game ever.

To begin with, let’s talk JRPGs. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I fell in love with the genre, but it’s since gone on to become one of my absolute favorites in gaming. Today I’m going to count down my ten favorite JRPGs.

First, some ground rules: It has to be a game that has RPG elements and it has to have been made by a Japanese company, which means many Western JRPG- likes are immediately excluded from this list. We’ll define RPG elements as things like random battles, stat managing, using a party of characters, a relatively open world, etc. The term RPG comes under fire sometimes, since you’re technically playing a role in any game you play, but come on. We all know a JRPG when we see one. Additionally, one game per franchise. As amazing as the sequels to some of the games on this list are, we’re sticking with one per franchise for the sake of variety. Now that’s out of the way, let’s get on with it, shall we?

10. Dark Souls

I bought this for twenty bucks one day at Gamestop only knowing it by its reputation for being extremely difficult. And let’s get this out of the way. The first time you play this, this game is hard as hell. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. They say it was easy, they’re dirty liars. But that’s the beauty of its gameplay- it forces you to learn. My first play through took me around 55 hours. My second took less than half that. It’s difficult because modern gamers aren’t used to games that make the player take a step back from a problem and really think outside the box to solve it. Dark Souls is smart, though, in that it keeps punishing the player until they get good enough to overcome a given obstacle. It forces them to search for alternate paths, or to maybe not confront a tough enemy directly. It’s the kind of difficulty that makes it possible to go through the entire game without getting hit once. It’s just really hard to accomplish that.

That’s only part of the appeal to this game, though. The grand, creative environments, the horrifying enemies, the deep customization systems, the cast of strange characters… Not to mention the story that is told entirely through your interactions with the world. It means that players who just want a tough game can get just that. But players who want to dive in and learn more about the world also have plenty to dissect. Upon closer inspection, there’s a whole vast array of cool fantasy lore to uncover and fallen heroes to mourn. You just need to know where to look. At once an ARPG and a survival horror game, From Software essentially created its own genre, with the recently released Nioh being one of the first clones of said genre. While Demon’s Souls was the game that technically did this, Dark Souls is the one everyone played, and if you ask me, it takes a special kind of game to flip an established genre on its head and produce such a passionate fanbase as the Souls games have.

9. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

I was pressured into buying this from a friend. I was initially apprehensive because I’d tried the series third installment out and to be honest, it was too obtuse for me. The MH games have a huge network of interlocking systems that make it unique, and for newcomers, it’s extremely intimidating. So when I bought this, I thought it would be more of the same. Thankfully, I was dead wrong. This game eases the player into all of its systems, but it doesn’t take long before you’re off on your first hunt.

And boy, what a joy hunting is. This game is basically a series of boss fights. You confront monsters of all kinds, each one much bigger than you, and each one takes quite a while to bring down. You’ll have to chase it all across whatever map you’re playing on to finally defeat it. And you’ll do so in style- not only can you make a huge amount of really awesome armor from the parts of your defeated foes, but you can choose form one of 14 weapon varieties, each one different from the last. This means that just about any kind of gamer can find a play style they like. Like to be cautious when you fight? Spear and Shield is for you. Like to hit hard and don’t mind sacrificing defense? Hammer’s got you covered. Want to be agile and able to do an aerial attack whenever you want? You should check out the Insect Glaive, one of my personal favorites. There’s so much more to discuss about this game and how much fun it’s brought me, but all I really need to say is it’s a challenging and satisfying ARPG that is even more fun with friends.

8. Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan

This game is pretty much any RPG gamer’s dream. If you’re a fan of old school challenge, you’ll find plenty of it here. If you’re a fan of absolutely air tight character customization, well, this game has that. But if you’re worried it might be too tough or too steep of a learning curve, this is a great entry point. It explains its many systems very well, and builds its difficulty gradually. And while the story isn’t the most fleshed out in the genre (mostly due to the fact that you create your party yourself and they’re never anything more than blank slates), there’s still some cool stuff going on with the plot involving an ancient god and a fallen empire.

Then there’s the cartography system which should by all rights be tedious. Instead, it’s one of the game’s best features. Filling out the map yourself really makes you feel like you’re exploring something that hasn’t been touched for generations, and when you’ve finished a floor, you can look back on the completed map with satisfaction. You drew in the details. You decided what symbol meant what. Despite how slow paced this game can be, it’s nearly impossible to put down thanks to the wealth of customization options and its sense of adventure and exploration. Just an absolutely rock solid, old school JRPG with enough modern touches to feel fresh.

7. Dragon Quest IX

Many people would probably cry blasphemy for this. V tends to be the most favored among the fanbase (generally speaking) but for me, this one takes the cake. To start with, there’s the main story, which is a solid ride, filled with fun scenarios and goofy puns. Then there’s the character creator, which while not particularly deep, ensures that no two parties are going to be exactly the same, both aesthetically and from a functionality perspective.

In many ways, it’s extremely traditional. Turn based battles, fighting bosses, shopping, etc. But this game was in it for the long haul- once the main story is done, you have access to hundreds of hours of question goodness. Not only are there 184 quests in total to complete (although I think 64 of them are now sadly lost since the servers for the game are down, which sucks hard), but there’s also the Alchemy list to fill up, a party to fine tune, and random dungeons galore. Oh, the random dungeons. This game features random dungeons referred to as Grottoes. They can appear anywhere on the map, and no two are the same in layout. Not only that, but the loot is entirely randomized, as well. You could just get a lame Medicinal herb from a chest, or you could get a super rare Alchemy ingredient you need to upgrade one of your weapons. But after you fight the boss in a Grotto, you get another, brand new map. And you can play through any particular dungeon as many times as you please. I won’t lie- this game is grindy. If you don’t like JRPG gameplay, you likely won’t care for the post game. But if you love it like I do, and want to make as many items as possible, take on the Legacy Bosses, and make your party as amazing as they possibly can be, this game will last you for a very, very long time. And that sheer breadth of content, for me, helps place it on this list.

6. Chrono Trigger

What can I say about this masterpiece of a game that hasn’t already been said? The story is great, the characters charming, the graphics gorgeous, the soundtrack top notch, the battles fun, the replayability through the roof. There are fifteen different endings in this game, and while some are better than others, it’s well worth getting every single one, especially if you’re playing the DS port, which features a new ending, new final boss, and some new post-game dungeons.

Instead of repeating what others have said for me, I just want to touch on why this game resonates with so many gamers. It’s the writing and the execution of the atmosphere. The characters are pulled from all corners of history, each with their own back stories. The journey brings them closer together as people, and once the evil is defeated and they all return to their proper times, you can’t help but fell a bit bittersweet. After all, their mission is done, but now they must go their separate ways. Whether it’s the frog knight Frog, the creative thinker Lucca, or the dastardly Magus, each character stands out and because you care about them, you care about helping them save the future from imminent destruction.

5. Radiant Historia

Appropriately enough, this game owes heavily to the previous entry. It, too, deals heavily in time travel, but with a very different execution. See, the main character, Stocke, is given a book called the Historia following a very near death experience. He is a Special Intelligence agent for his nation, but he soon learns that things aren’t always what they seem in this war. His home nation of Alistel and the country they’re at war with, Granorg, are being manipulated. But by whom or what is unclear.

The time traveling comes into play with a dual timeline feature. Very early on, Stocke must make a choice, and depending on the outcome of that choice, the story splits into two distinct paths. Often times, you’ll come across a seemingly insurmountable problem in one timeline that you must hop to the other one to figure out the solution to. Add on top of this unique mechanic great characters and an intriguing story and you’d already have a winner of an RPG, but the battle system takes it even further. Enemies are on a nine by nine grid and by using special moves and manipulating turn order, you can move enemies onto shared spaces and attack them all at once for massive damage. It’s an absolutely satisfying and fun cherry on top of the already delicious cake. Lastly, its soundtrack can stand with the best of them, easily giving the likes of Chrono Trigger a run for its money.

4. Pokemon Heartgold/ Soulsilver

Can we be honest with ourselves and say that the original Gold/ Silver rendered Red/ Blue obsolete? Yes, gen 1 is what started it all, but it’s really tough to go back to, especially after playing the massively improved sequels. So when Gamefreak remade said sequels, I knew the world was in for a treat. This remake maintains everything that made the original versions great: a strong, grounded over world, great new creatures, a wealth of team building opportunities, and a great soundtrack. But it added even more modern enhancements. In addition to the graphics, there’s now a real time day/ night system, a fully customizable Safari Zone (one of my personal favorite additions), and your Pokemon walk behind you, mirroring the cool but ultimately unnecessary Pokewalker accessory that came with each copy of the game.

But it has to be said: this has one of the best post games of any RPG ever, After fighting your way through the Elite Four, you’re not done. Instead, you can revisit Kanto and fight through their Pokemon league, then confront Red on top of Mt. Silver. It was an absolutely magical feeling as a kid, revisiting the region and seeing how things have changed, and it remains just as magical in these top notch remakes. Plus, the understated writing felt weirdly nostalgic in a way that’s tough to place, but it was really interesting to see how far Team Rocket fell in between games, as well as to see how Kanto changed. In between all this content and atmosphere is the core Pokemon gameplay that remains as strong as ever. Truly a complete package and an absolute must play for any fan.

3. Final Fantasy VI

So much about this game feels… right. The gorgeous 16 bit graphics, the varied sound track, the fun and highly exploitable battle system, the cast of distinct characters, and the story. It stood out at a time when JRPGs typically followed a very strict formula with their tales for being far more in depth and moving than it had any reason to be. While IV undoubtedly changed the game with its cast, the plot was still fairly standard. In VI, though, genre notions are challenged and flipped on their head.

The result is a game that plays and surprises just as much today as it did upon first release. Kefka is a wonderful villain, like if the Joker had a god complex and succeeded in his world domination plans. But Kefka is just one part of the absolutely cohesive and sad tale that this game weaves. The second half of the game is simply about trying to rebuild what’s been broken, and to stop any further harm from befalling everyone. There aren’t many games even today that can boast such a dramatic structural shift, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t blow the minds of all who played. But the gameplay is still strong as ever, with each character having a distinct ability, and that, on top of teaching magic through Espers, makes it just as much a joy to play as it is to take in as a story.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles

Who would have thought that making a single player MMO could work so well? This is a truly gigantic game, which seems appropriate considering the world is the corpse of a Titan. See, a long time ago, the Bionis and Mechonis struck each other down in battle, ending a centuries long fight and from the body of the Bionis sprang forth humanity and life. Cut ahead to the present day, where Mechons have nearly wiped out all remaining human colonies from the Bionis, save Shulk’s. Shulk is researching a blade called the Monado, a lightsaber inspired blade that can kill Mechon. Through a series of events I won’t spoil, Shulk and his lifelong friend Reyn set out on a journey to find out the source of the Mechon invasion and claim revenge on those who’ve wronged them.

The story is like a really great anime, filled with shocking twists and turns, even if it gets a bit out there near the end. But by that point you more than like the strong cast of characters, so it doesn’t really matter. So while the story is epic and grand, filled with sweeping cut scenes, the gameplay more than stands on its own. It utilizes a cool down timer for special abilities in battle, which works wonders for the game’s pacing. The combat is fairly simple but really enjoyable, especially later on when the challenge ramps up. This is coupled with the fact that the game is truly enormous. Each map is several times bigger than Hyrule Field from Ocarina of Time. The beauty of it is that you spend as much time in each area as you want to. Want to just push on and continue the story? That’s totally fine. But if you stop and take the time to thoroughly explore the map, you’ll find new monsters to fight, new and breath taking locations, and possibly more side quests. It’s got incredible bang for your buck, whether you’re simply in it for the story, or want to uncover every last corner of the game world. Side note: the sound track is incredible, with some of gaming’s best battle themes, and this also has one of the best swamp areas in gaming in the form of Satorl Marsh. It appears to be a bland swamp, but at night it literally comes to life and becomes a gorgeous feast for the eyes.

1. Knights in the Nightmare

This is where the term JRPG becomes tricky. This game is like an RTS/ grid based strategy/ bullet hell shooter with numerous layers of RPG mechanics. I’m not going to try explaining, but just know that the tutorial is well over an hour if you go through each and every facet of game play. But essentially, it boils down to this: You are a Wisp, a being capable of temporarily resurrecting the dead. You must charge up the attacks of dead knights to defeat monsters on each grid based map. I’m dramatically simplifying things here, trust me. There are innumerable things to consider while playing, including enemy placement, character placement, Map Phases, and so much more.

But for me, the gameplay is just the bonus that comes with the incredible atmosphere and great story. As mentioned, you are a Wisp, a floating grey light seemingly without any sort of role in life. All you know is you are to fight the monsters that have invaded the land, thanks to a knight named Maria, a warrior whose motivations are at first unclear. As you go through each level, you see more and more of both the currently developing story, and pieces of the past that detail what has already happened and why the world is in such a dismal state. Even years after initially beating it, the characters and plot points have stuck with me in a way few games have. It’s a dark, challenging game, complex in both gameplay and plot, but infinitely rewarding once you begin to figure each out. To top off the already lengthy main story, there’s plenty of replayability thanks to New Game +, hidden scenes that affect the ending, and even an alternate storyline with a brand new character. If you haven’t played this game and are a fan of complex but rewarding mechanics, or just love a really intriguing storyline that takes inspiration from both anime and medieval legend, you owe it to yourself to check out this underexposed and unique masterpiece of a game. It stands out thanks to its mechanics and presentation, but these ideas are executed to such perfection that it elevates this to the top of my list of favorite JRPGs of all time.

Thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far. Believe me when I say that, as a massive fan of the genre, it was difficult to narrow down just ten titles for this list. I hope you enjoyed reading it and have maybe even discovered a new game or two to check out. Also, leave comments! What are your favorites from the genre? Do you agree with the list or not so much? Please let me know.

My next list will be my top ten Indie games of all time, so be on the lookout for that!

Finally beat my second playthrough of the game and typed up my thoughts, which can be found here.

Short version is that the game holds up pretty well and its flaws can;t stop it from being memorable and engrossing.

What do you think of the game? Has it held up well over the years or has it aged poorly?

During my two consecutive days off this week, I planned on being productive and writing something. Instead, something compelled me to pick up my unfinished second playthrough of the cult classic Vampire the Masquerade Bloodlines and I have been unable to put the game down even though I've already beaten the game once a few years ago. So I think my next thing I do on here will be a retrospective review, where the main focus is how he game has held up since its release as well as a general review like I usually do. Keep an eye out!

I played through all of Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 today, and wrote a review, which can be found in full here.

The short version is that the sequel doesn't reinvent the wheel like the first game did, but is still a blast to play, especially thanks to the new playable character Copen.

What'd you think of the game? Would you buy a third installment in the series?