Star Ocean 3

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Post what you think are epic games, and please explain why in 300 words or less. Grandia - It's the first game to comes to mind when I have nothing better to do and think of epic games. So it started off as some silly adventure, and turned into saving the world. But this game didn't need to be about saving the world to be epic. The evil empire wasn't really necessary, either. The vastness of the world...that huge wall, all the various tribes, and the fact that the "civilized human" part of the world was only two cities made this seems like a...historic game? People didn't have contact with each other outside their own area for the most part, there was a nice feeling of discovery, at least for Justin. It needs a direct sequel to see how the world has evolved since then. Arc the Lad 2 - Including the first game with this makes it better, especially since they were supposed to be one game anyway. At times it seemed like this game would never end, a new continent would always pop up somewhere. I do think there was one town too many, but besides that, the longevity only made the game better. The party is seperate most of the time, too. It's always nice to see how the two sides meet, and finally join forces. If Arc 4 was longer, and not so freakin easy, it could have been the same way. Dragon Warrior 7 - People complain about this series, but those Japanese weirdos can back me up here. I haven't seen a single job system in a game that wasn't good, DW7 included, of course. But the jobs aren't what made this epic. Visiting every conceivable spot on the map, and seeing how they evolve through the past and present, and the fact that the game is so long makes it unforgettable. It's too bad the music was in that low quality MIDI or whatever and not orchestrated like it is on the album, otherwise more people would know how good Koichi Suigiyama can be. Lunar SSSC - I cannot think of anything negative to say about this one. The sequel couldn't cut it, but that doesn't make the original any worse. The songs and characters really helped make the game great. The entire atmosphere is absolutely perfect. Running all around the world with everybody...it's too bad Eternal Blue fell short of recapturing the magic that made this one special. Working Designs still did a great job with the packaging, of course. Lucia's pendant rules. Skies of Arcadia - This is very similar to Grandia. So maybe all the cities were stereotypical..there's the iceworld, the desert, the evil empire, the primitive jungle, the hi tech place, and Asialand. The feeling is still there. The army always found a way to follow you, even to places that were "unreachable," just like in Grandia, but the rest of the world itself was so unique and original it makes up for it. The music is awesome, too. Xenogears - Actually one of the first RPGs I played, and it completely and utterly engulffed me. Every second of it I loved, (especially the sewers and the finger snapping music) even if I didn't really get it the first time through. It has the best soundtrack-game combination ever. I would have liked disk 2 to be more elaborate, if it was this probably would have been over 100 hours without any sidequests. But still, Xenogears rocks. I just hope there won't be any more games like Xenosaga, which wasn't awful, but still dissapointing, tarnishing the good name.

The west coast games start at 7:00, near prime time, they obviously only care about ratings and attendance, since people aren't as likely to watch an afternoon game, but even the east games can be scheduled way too late, especially like playoff hockey games going into quadruple overtime.

Which would be practically every poll ever made... The answer is The Naked Gun, by the way.

Yes, EVO was excellent! I hope it makes the list, that game was fantastic and innovative, and yet it was overlooked/underrated by the entire gaming population for the most part. Star Ocean, you're the most jaded RPG gamer I have ever seen in my life. Lighten up before you get an ulcer. You don't get it...I definitely don't need lightening up, though. You haven't been around much if you think I'm that jaded...

Valkyrie Profile is godly.

The list is focusing on what the media said, not what hardcore RPG fans on message boards say. Suik 2 was totally ignored in favor of FF8 despite being infinately better than FF8, and was relegated to one paragraph reviews from people that didn't play it. EGM gave it a 7.0 because characters couldn't move diagonally. So yes, in terms of the media, it's unbelievably underrated. I'd have it higher up, myself. Even a 7.0 is too high a score. Might as well put most RPGs up there because they're all overshadowed by Final Fantasy in the media. Underrated is not the same as overlooked.

There are like, two people who don't like Suikoden 2. It's overrated if anything.

Most of the arguments do revolve around the wrestlers' talent...that doesn't mean every single conversation has to be about that.

....sighs... Yes, there is uniqueness in being able to cancel out someone's effects and stuff, but um... It's the same old same old from the first game with tidbits added. How is it genius if it's still the same thing? From the first game? I mean, there's not really much in the evolution of the system. It's just add tidbits here and there. And with the eggs, it just makes everyone be like some Godly magic using fiend? Hm... Didn't people bitch about FF7 being like that? Yet, people like that? Uh... Ok then. Oh and if you knew how to create the proper eggs early (I thought I fucked up until I tried using some Fairy Eggs and finding out otherwise), you could become Godlike after only two dungeons (three if you do the Water dungeon and get the Healing Eggs, and then difficulty is just GONE). That immediately killed any difficulty in the game. +++ Secondly, I know that Arc 4 wasn't apart of the Collection. Did I EVER say it was? No. I said if you forget that 4 was apart of the story (as they are all connected in some fashion). 4 had a good story, yes. However, it felt like tidying up loose ends. Spoiler (Highlight to Read): I mean the Ancient Evil can suddenly assume human form? Excuse me? I mean, that didn't make too much sense. Sure, it was explained ... enough, but really was kinda just there as a pitiful excuse to me. And how the hell do Darc and Kharg suddenly become buddy-buddy even though they just fought their asses off at the Tower before the final dungeon? I mean, both of them wanted to kill the other just not that long ago. If it was built in a little better than they had to trust one another and not just "oh we must trust one another in the final dungeon" then I could probably have bought it. Sigh all you want, a battle system doesn't have to significantly change from game to game to still be good. G2's battles being the same doesn't take away from Xtreme. I've never seen anyone bitch about materia than praise Grandia's egg system, so I don't know where that came from...I don't remember the game being easy, I didn't look at any egg combinations until after I beat it for the bonus dungeon. If you somehow figure out the right combinations on your own, you deserve to plow through the enemies. And the way you worded it it sounded like you included 4 in the Collection, calm down. Everything with the Dark One or whatever it calls itself is very confusing, I doubt any of the planners even know how it's supposed to connect from game to game. The brothers don't become buddy-buddy either...they just accept each other.

Uh, Xtreme's battles ARE the same as Grandia 2, except for very few additions. Grandia 2 has a genius battles system, so so does Xtreme. Get it? And never be shocked by someone's opinion. Arc the Lad 4 was released this year, too...it wasn't part of Collection. Its story is excellent, though. Arc 3 is sort of weird, but it's still good.

Xenosaga is 2003, unless you count the Japan release

1. Arc the Lad Collection - Obviously the best, they're all pretty old, but that was the first time they were released in the US, so I count it 2. Wild ARMs 3 - Just a great game, with tons of extra stuff to do at the end, the atmosphere is perfect. 3. Grandia XTREME - So the story wasn't the priority, but the music, and, obviously the genius battles make it worth it. Kingdom Hearts would probably be fourth, Legaia 2 was actually pretty good, as well.

That fuzzy pink hat Stevie wears is tremendous. At least that remains.

Criterion is disgustingly expensive, so this is good.

I'd like to say it isn't overrated, but since some people actually consider it the best RPG of last year, it must be. As with most Square stuff, it gets more attention than it deserves.

Moe can't be gay...he dated that police woman before...I suppose they could twist and have him be bisexual, which is unlikely.

Who the hell is reading this?

I remember that name, it doesn't seem like over a year since I've seen it, though. AOL boards are dying fast, which is why RPGA for the most part moved on the net.

I don't think there's a single RPG out this year where the hero whines and cries like you said. Breath of Fire 5 - Ryu is determined to reach his goal from the start, never complains about fighting Arc the Lad 4 - Both heroes very strongly "declare their intent to defeat the bad guys" Same with Disgaea, Xenosaga, Dark Cloud 2...is it because Final Fantasy had two semi whiny heroes that people think every RPG protaganist is a crybaby?

Only looking at the top of that Kurt Angle signature picture, he sort of looks like Maven.

Or Purify Weird Soul, which is my name on the web board.

I don't really think two games is enough to warrant calling it a series...Cross' music alone is better than some FFs, though.

Cait Sith is nice, but is nowhere near being the best comedy character.