Continued from the previous post.
30. Wizardry 8 (#149)
The curtain closes on the Wizardry series with Wizardry 8, doing a lot more than changing the plot and a few gameplay aspects around. 360 degrees of movement, monsters on the field, just LOADS of skills, usage of guest star party members, multiple endings, beginnings, and alliances, and it closed off the franchise on a good note. A series that inspired most of the JRPGs on this list had to end on a good note, you know.
The game that popularized monster collecting, the original Pokemon games remain a classic beloved by many for simplistic one-on-one battles as well as exploration and battling of other trainers out and about. No real premise at all, get your starter, go out, catch Pokemon, battle trainers and gym leaders, battle the occasional Team Rocket, and get to the Pokemon League. It still has its shortcomings, which is why I preferred some of the future gens of Pokemon, but it remains a classic.
28. Crystalis (#5)
Hydlide was so barebones for an action RPG. Ys. tried it better. But in the end it was Crystalis who wore the big pants. This made action RPGs fun, for an NES game that's an accomplishment. Charge up sword attacks, use the right sword, be at the right level, get those spells properly situated. Complex, yet workable.
27. Final Fantasy VIII (#85)
You know the drill right now, or do you? Final Fantasy VIII was so different from the other games, made grinding a bit of an after thought, came up with the complex Junction system and Guardian Forces, and came with loads of content, including an entertaining card mini-game. But with practice, this ended up being the easiest of any mainline Final Fantasy game, and quite frankly the character development took a turn for bad at times.
26. Final Fantasy IX (#115)
A breath of fresh air for those who hated VIII, IX offered characters that were quite refined to their classes, seemingly returning things to classic form, at the same time allowing for many different abilities to be learned so the customization aspects remained. Combine this with stellar plot, lots of subquests, an EXCELLENT villain, and many more things across four discs making Final Fantasy IX a game you'll get lost in for days.
25. Earthbound (#99)
As before, the Mother series started out as a Dragon Quest clone. Earthbound does a lot of better things that detract from being a clone, removing random encounters, adding a good auto-kill ability for weaker foes, and rollover HP counters. Plus a memorable villain in Giygas and another in Porky. This is a well-known cult-classic, mostly because of Ness being in the Smash Bros lineup, and while seemingly barebones RPG, it holds up well.
24. Skies of Arcadia (#90)
Some games just plain exist to entertain, and Skies of Arcadia does that. Its main battle system is barebones with a few twists, but it detracts from this with excellent ship battles that require great strategy. All characters in this game are memorable, and the storyline is a wondrous combination of adventure and world-saving. Plunder the islands in the sky!
23. Treasure of the Rudras (#87)
Adding the ability to construct any magic spell really does make Rudra No Hihou a very unique game and separates it rather well from that barebones RPG mantra. For that, I'm quite proud. And then there's the deal with multiple main characters, who then converge, and jade bearers take full precedence to finally beat the big evils and prevent extinction. It's always wonderful.
22. Phantasy Star IV (#92)
Here's a Phantasy Star game worth playing. While barebones, it's significantly easier and has much needed character interactions, plus the answer as to why Dark Force won't stop showing up. Plus combination attacks and new techniques. It's of the proper length too, not too long, not too short, and even if you do the sidequests it still has a good amount of fun to it.
21. Chrono Cross (#40)
Whereas this is a game with a really good battle system (reminiscent of Xenogears) but rather annoying plot where you basically do everything wrong without knowing it. Chrono Cross just isn't a good sequel to Chrono Trigger, but a fantastic game on its own. Loads of characters have no relevance to the plot, which is unfortunate, but you'll be experimenting with using elements and characters quite often to not notice.
Continued in the next post.
29. Pokemon Red/Blue (#150)
28. Crystalis (#5)
Hydlide was so barebones for an action RPG. Ys. tried it better. But in the end it was Crystalis who wore the big pants. This made action RPGs fun, for an NES game that's an accomplishment. Charge up sword attacks, use the right sword, be at the right level, get those spells properly situated. Complex, yet workable.
27. Final Fantasy VIII (#85)
You know the drill right now, or do you? Final Fantasy VIII was so different from the other games, made grinding a bit of an after thought, came up with the complex Junction system and Guardian Forces, and came with loads of content, including an entertaining card mini-game. But with practice, this ended up being the easiest of any mainline Final Fantasy game, and quite frankly the character development took a turn for bad at times.
26. Final Fantasy IX (#115)
A breath of fresh air for those who hated VIII, IX offered characters that were quite refined to their classes, seemingly returning things to classic form, at the same time allowing for many different abilities to be learned so the customization aspects remained. Combine this with stellar plot, lots of subquests, an EXCELLENT villain, and many more things across four discs making Final Fantasy IX a game you'll get lost in for days.
25. Earthbound (#99)
As before, the Mother series started out as a Dragon Quest clone. Earthbound does a lot of better things that detract from being a clone, removing random encounters, adding a good auto-kill ability for weaker foes, and rollover HP counters. Plus a memorable villain in Giygas and another in Porky. This is a well-known cult-classic, mostly because of Ness being in the Smash Bros lineup, and while seemingly barebones RPG, it holds up well.
24. Skies of Arcadia (#90)
Some games just plain exist to entertain, and Skies of Arcadia does that. Its main battle system is barebones with a few twists, but it detracts from this with excellent ship battles that require great strategy. All characters in this game are memorable, and the storyline is a wondrous combination of adventure and world-saving. Plunder the islands in the sky!
23. Treasure of the Rudras (#87)
Adding the ability to construct any magic spell really does make Rudra No Hihou a very unique game and separates it rather well from that barebones RPG mantra. For that, I'm quite proud. And then there's the deal with multiple main characters, who then converge, and jade bearers take full precedence to finally beat the big evils and prevent extinction. It's always wonderful.
22. Phantasy Star IV (#92)
Here's a Phantasy Star game worth playing. While barebones, it's significantly easier and has much needed character interactions, plus the answer as to why Dark Force won't stop showing up. Plus combination attacks and new techniques. It's of the proper length too, not too long, not too short, and even if you do the sidequests it still has a good amount of fun to it.
21. Chrono Cross (#40)
Whereas this is a game with a really good battle system (reminiscent of Xenogears) but rather annoying plot where you basically do everything wrong without knowing it. Chrono Cross just isn't a good sequel to Chrono Trigger, but a fantastic game on its own. Loads of characters have no relevance to the plot, which is unfortunate, but you'll be experimenting with using elements and characters quite often to not notice.
Continued in the next post.
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