For the past several months I've been kicking this around and decide whether or not I should bother with this list. I don't play quite as much as I used to, and in particular the last few years I've played less than ever. Writing, even inconsequential stuff, doesn't come quite as easy as it once did for some reason so that's made things even harder. Then this ridiculous pandemic happened and suddenly I've had more free time and started playing a lot more than I had in years, and it's jump started my interest in gaming again in a big way.
Still, the writing part hasn't quite clicked, but after a few false starts I decided to say 'fuck it' and just force it. If it sucks, so be it. Hell, 5 people at most are going to read it so really cares?
So what will the top games be? What will be number one? Will I finish my list before Vader finishes his Top 100? To find out the answers to these questions and more STAY TUNED!!!!
#4. Dragon Quest 11
9 years. That's how long it was between the release of Dragon Quest 9 for the DS and Dragon Quest 11. Of course, that's fairly stand for western fans of this damned series. That however is a rant for another time, and ultimately it doesn't really matter as the wait was very much worth it. Dragon Quest 11 is an absolute delightful love letter to the roots of the series (Dragon Quest 3 in particular), but it's also very much a tribute to 16-bit jRPGs in general. It's impossible to play this game without making some comparisons to Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger. And let's face it, if you're going to borrow from any other jRPGs, it doesn't get better than those two games.
Dragon Quest 11 also takes some strides in the QoL department (particularly in the definitive Switch version). And while the story probably still doesn't quite top DQ5 as my favorite, this is overall the best cast of characters to grace series in one game. The story is still pretty amazing though. It twists and turns in ways that you just wouldn't expect from the DQ series prior to this.
While it is absolutely everything you'd love in a Dragon Quest game there is a valid criticism about the length and repetitive feeling of the game. I wrapped up Dragon Quest 11 after 90 something hours of gameplay. It's a lot, and towards the end it drags because you spend a lot of time revisiting familiar locations, people and sidequests in an attempt to give them happier resolutions. However, it's completely worth playing because once you finish it you are given what I believe is the best and most satisfying ending I've ever come across in a video game. As a long time Dragon Quest fan, I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the final pay-off. It was almost like getting endings for two different games, plus a prelude to an older game. It's like the best present you could get, plus amazing wrapping paper, and a picture of the last great present you received.
One of these days I need to give a Dragon Quest a go.
Yes you do. I would recommend starting with Dragon Quest 3 if you can endure it. I'm extremely fond of it, but at the end of the day it is an 8-bit jRPG. There is a fan translated version of the SFC remake though, which gives the game a facelift and includes a couple other nice features that help make it a bit easier to get into. Due to the immense popularity of the game (as well as it's story), it's also sort of a base for the series, and is referred back to in DQ8, 9 and 11.DQ5 has a pretty amazing story for the era, but again most of the game play makes it feel very very old school.
DQ8 is a treasure as far as I'm concerned. Aside from one connection to DQ3 It's entirely a standalone story. There's a version on the PS2 and the 3DS, and each have their pluses and minuses. The PS2 version has The full voice over which was done very good and an orchestrated soundtrack that is really top-notch. The 3DS version drops those things, but there are a number of QoL improvements like no random battles, fast-forwarding, more XP from battles so less grinding, etc.
DQ9 gets a bit of a bad rap. It was a step backwards in graphics and characters (your characters actually have no personality and are just canvases for their class type). But it was actually a pretty neat story, with more emphasis on tons of side quests character/class customization.
And that of course brings us to DQ11 which is without question the most accessible in the series. It's still veers to the old school side of came in, but as I said in the review it's pretty well modernized.
DQ8 is the one I've always wanted to try, so if I do try and get it into it it'll probably go straight to that...but 3 has the advantage of being half the length, so we'll see...
Cool!
Oof!
What good timing as I’ve decided to return to Dragon Quest XI and continue playing. Just made it to the Gallopolis region so I’ve got a long ways to go yet but I’ve been absolutely loving the game so far. Just before I entered the Gallopolis region I was taken to a town where everything looked like a 16-bit game. I need to find “pastwords” to enter these ten books on pedestals there which seem to be references to the ten previous Dragon Quest games and correct timeline mistakes going on in them. That is extremely cool.
Yeah I’m playing the Switch version and it does seem to be an exclusive part to that version. Just before you give your pass to enter the Gallopolis region there’s a little blue translucent creature who you can talk to to go into the 16-bit looking town of Tickington. You can find other little translucent creatures throughout the game that give you “pastwords” that let you enter the books and do small quests in each one.
#3. L.A. Noire
Make no mistake about it, L.A. Noire is flawed as hell. The interogations and questioning become counter-intutive if the player puts the pieces together and figures out where things are headed before the main character Cole does. The city itself, while appearing detailed is actually quite hollow. The final homicide case/scavenger is ridiculously frustrating. And the game's story nearly collapses on itself at the end because they just couldn't quite weave it in throughout the game. About 75% of the story is spelled out in the last 10% of the game, and ends up weighing it down. But I will take these flaws all day long, because the things the game does right make it nothing less than a masterpiece.
The characters are a who's who of noir archetypes. A very flawed hero, a drug addicted distressed damsel, bad cops, worse cops, and villains who aren't always that bad. Outside of a handful (I'm looking at your corrupt Irish police chief), there really aren't too many stereotypes and even the ones that tread on that tend to only hang around briefly. And they're all set against a backdrop of post-war LA. A city seemingly full of prosperity, but is full of plenty of problems if you look just past the surface.
While the characters and setting are great, the cases and investigations are where the game really shines. When they're good, and most of them genuinally are, they're amazing experiences. They feel like classic detective movies and tv shows from the 50's and 60's (hell they even borrow their names in some instances), but with a little more seediness added to them for modern audiences. The flaws do get noticeable in the most complex situations, but most of the time it's extremely smooth, and nothing you can't overlook. And despite the flaws they're still remarkably detailed. Even if you find the bad guy there still might be one or two dangling questions if you didn't look behind every door or ask every question just right. Most adventure games (which this is pretty much based on) tend to be games you can play one time and that's its. LA Noire has so much packed into its stories that I've still managed to find new things everytime I've played.
The most disappointing aspect of the game though is probably the developers management group at Team Bondi. Apparently these guys were such nightmares that they had to be shut down once the game had wrapped up. Though in time, it doesn't seem to be too far out of line of what other Rockstar developers go through, so maybe the problem was higher up? At any rate because of it, we'll never get to see what lessons were learned in their follow-up title, Whore of the Orient. It's a real shame because this model really feels like it has no shortage of life to it, provided the stories are good. Maybe one day Rockstar dusts off the series and tries again. Time will tell.
I really enjoyed that game and would love to see a follow-up. New York Noire?