RPG Ranks: 80-71

Continued from the previous post.

80. Final Fantasy III (#55)

Mind you, I'm not talking about that abhorrent remake of this game on the DS or FF6, but rather the original Famicom/NES Final Fantasy III. Yes, it's still a huge grindfest and it still follows the cliche Warriors of Light thing, but it pays off by having a customizable job system which is always a load of fun to screw with. It's also the last game in the Final Fantasy series to have the barebones turn-based methods before they moved on to the Active-time stuff, which is more fun.

79. Tales of Eternia (#136)

I think the strangest thing about this game is that this game could be better, but I'm unsure as to how it could be better. On the surface, we have a traditional Tales game, one with AI controlled allies as well as lots of customization and use of techs and such. So the gameplay is good. Story seems to be good too, but you get sidetracked quite easily. The voice acting is just horrendous too. It's not REALLY bad, but it's not quite the game I was hoping as the next Tales game.

78. Xenogears (#30)

Oh, Xenogears, I talk about you WAY too much. There are so many things in this long-ass game that always confused me, even to this day. The plot is super-convoluted and deals with a load of philosophy, yet at the same time gives us giant robots to fight with. Not to mention annoying dungeons and loads of villains. At least the two battle systems are well done. Trying to explain everything at this point will just make me lose my consciousness.

77. Odin Sphere (#34)

I wonder just how action RPGs tend to be harder than the barebones ones sometimes, but Odin Sphere does exactly that. Story is segmented irregularly, but very compelling, and quite sad too. The special abilities characters have should save them, but this game's like a 2D Dark Souls. Tutorials only help a little, but on the overall spectrum, this is a challenge worth pining.

76. Illusion of Gaia (#51)

To RPG? Or not to RPG? That was my question upon looking back at Illusion of Gaia, a game in the middle of the trifecta of action RPGs with Soul Blazer and Terranigma. In this game, you're not really leveling up, and your stats increase upon just clearing an area. Thus, it's far off from the other games that actually are RPGs. But because of how enjoyable it was, it ranks far better than the other non-RPG games before it.

75. Langrisser II (#73)

With my familiarity after beating Warsong, the second Langrisser game I warmed up to a bit more. More unique scenarios and units, but keeping the core gameplay aspect the same. Leaving the battles at the mercy of RNG is still something that is frowned upon though. But hey, no permadeath mechanic! Although you still need to keep the main hero alive and leveling up to the right class could be a hassle.

74. The Legend of Dragoon (#60)

Not as monumental as it was laid out to be, Sony's Legend of Dragoon attempted to cash on the Final Fantasy bandwagon, only really earning it cult classic status at most. A unique way of doing attacks, could actually be one of the more difficult battle systems to master, plus Dragoon transformations are only just as useful. It goes to say that attack items are somehow a lot more fun. And FOUR DISCS. Geez. 

73. Final Fantasy IV (#4)

To me, FF4 has the strongest story in any Final Fantasy game. Gameplay leaves a little to be desired though, as customization is a lot more minimal, just to ensure that the individual characters keep their classes (well unless you're Cecil). I did quite a lot of grinding too, it was pretty much necessary. Loads of twists and turns make this an overall fine game, just a tad above average..

72. Kartia: The Word of Fate (#63)

Here's a pretty decent FFT clone. Kartia allows for customizing Phantoms and having decent equips, and couples it with not one, but two different plots. Pretty enjoyable to work with both, don't you think? Make sure human characters are healthy though, this is the only con that is noticeable because it's an immediate loss upon one that falls. Also Amano's art isn't really that enticing to look at.

71. Lufia: The Ruins of Lore (#139)

Supposedly a side story to the Lufia franchise, this game is an example of one that felt like three different RPG franchises at once. Traditional Lufia II navigation and combat, mixed with a job system reminiscent of classic Final Fantasy where you gain skills, and then you have the ability to catch monsters a la Pokemon. You would think that the mix would work out amazingly, but it's only lukewarm at best. Plot is forgettable and so are the characters (except for Dekar's cameo of course).

Continued in the next post.