My choice here is Super Metroid.
I don't have much to say about it, but on top of being a very well made and fun game, it went on to inspire a lot of other great games that I ended up enjoying.
| Kaunisto said:
But I really have only two options: FF6 and Live A Live. But my sincere opinion is that Live A Live is the best JRPG ever (with possible exception of Phantasy Star 1, but that's personal nostalgia), I have to vote that. Modern consoles are getting versions for a reason. |
I was wondering why I don't recall ever hearing about this game back in the day. Guessing maybe it didn't release outside of Japan, and looking it up, that seems to be the case.
Although I was aware of many other critically acclaimed Jp only titles (and played a few) so it seems this one flew under the radar of many people as I don't recall it ever being brought up in coversations or Top JRPG lists, etc.
Definitely a game I want to try out some day.
| Jaicee said: 1994 to me was one of the biggest standout years in the history of this medium and it's one I feel very strongly about because it includes two of my all-time favorite games. Let me start out with a little bit on what made those two games so special to me if I can: Super Metroid received my vote in this thread. It's also going to be my pick for best game of the decade and ranked fifth last year on my list of all-time favorite games. I replay it every year and it never seems to lose its impact on me no matter how much it ages. It's an embarrassment of commercialism that this game wound up being among the worst-selling entries in the Metroid franchise. Today it's among the very most respected and few other games can be said to have inspired so many other titles. That right there is the textbook definition of a cult classic. I've already shared a lot of thoughts about Super Metroid at length on several other threads and main page commentaries before, but my most detailed so far can be found here for those interested. To add some contextualization though, Super Metroid came out in April of 1994, early on in the year, at a time when I was in a very, very dark place, feeling quite alone in the world. Something about the depth of the isolation, the subtle but gnawing sense of fear, that this game's atmosphere conveyed in its varied strokes and degrees and the way these shifted so organically from one to another as you traveled to its different areas, felt relatable to me at that moment in time in a way that I struggle to even put into words here. It felt like this was my world -- my inner world -- in all of its nuances, full of secrets stored everywhere that could help me, and conquering the challenges of Zebes felt like mastering that world of mine; like finding a sense of hope that my own newfound, all-pervading sense of emptiness, hopelessness, and fear could be conquered. With help. And that last note is what separates Super Metroid from even Metroid Prime in my personal opinion. There's a scene near the end of the game where... -Snip- |
Seeing as you have Terra as your avatar, I was looking for your post to see if you'd chose something other than FF6. And I see you did, for understandable reasons.
While I've played several games I'd describe as formative experiences, I think I only played one game that helped me take my mind of things when I really needed to, and that was Persona 3.
I don't remember particularly identifying with a character in any game, but in that case the main character being a silent protagonist did add a bit to the immersion of being in that setting and forgetting about my real life setting.
I have a question though. How much of what you described in your post did you see in Super Metroid and FF6 at the time?
Because I only played FF6 once (in 2001), and I pretty much took in everything about the story at face value, and don't remember pondering the meaning behind character's action and motivations, etc.
Perhaps as a result, FF6 didn't make a strong impression on me. I had a friend who had it as their favorite game at the time, and I played it for that reason.
But what I got out of it was a good FF game that didn't really stand out much compared to the ones I had already played. I liked Celes quite a lot in terms of design, but sadly I don't remember much about her story. I think my only real negative opinion of the game was disagreeing with how Kefka turned out in the 2nd act.
I thought he was a very interesting and menacing villain before that.
And due to how the story had shaped up until that point, I expected the showdown with him to involve a confrontation of ideals.
*FF6 Spoiler*
But I do want to go back and replay the game again at some point and see if I feel differently about certain things now.
