#2

Change YoY: =   My Rating: 9.8 / 10

There are obviously certain games where nostalgia plays a huge role in how I view them. Some games I loved as a child end up not holding up all that well for one reason or another when replayed years later. Fortunately, there are also certain games that I not only have an immense amount of nostalgia for, but which also hold up remarkably well when I play them today. The Legend of Dragoon is one of them. I've replayed it every few years since I first played it in 2001, and every time it seems like I end up liking it even more than I did before.

Now, there are obviously some elements in the game that don't hold up to scrutiny anymore. First, this is obviously a PS1 game, so the 3D visuals haven't aged in the most graceful manner, though many of the pre-rendered backgrounds still look fantastic. The voice acting is typical of its time, which is to say average at best and often just downright awful. Finally, the localization is unfortunately quite shoddy, the English language writing often coming off clumsy and unrefined, a clear sign that whoever were responsible for the translation likely weren't native English speakers. In fact, if there was one aspect of the game I wish I could improve or simply redo entirely, it would the localization, because the English language dialogue and narration leaves quite a lot to be desired. At least there aren't any mistakes that unintentionally change story details like in some other games of the era. With all that said, this is still my second favourite game ever, and nothing has come along to change that in over 20 years.

In some ways, the thing that makes The Legend of Dragoon stand out so much to me is difficult to explain. While I love the story, characters, battle system, and music, there's also an intangible element to my opinion about the game. A feeling that I haven't experienced with any other game I've played, an atmosphere and tone that is wholly unique to The Legend of Dragoon. It's the thing that makes me want to start a new playthrough every single time I talk about this game during these year-end events, and this time was no different.

No. 3 Divinity Original Sin

No. 2 Divinity Oiriginal Sin 2

Both of these games are the one entity for me, sort of. 500+ hours, 3 playthroughs of DOS and 2 Playthroughs of DOS2. I find both games to be on par with one another even though DOS2 does evolve things yet there is much to be said about the simplicity of DOS and as with the story and world size and simple square maps. I prefer it in many ways, also tonely with the whimsical nature of it there is just something to it that hits right but with that said DOS2 ups the game quite a bit and even though it takes more effort to play it is rewarding for that effort and while it looses many things that DOS brought to the table like that 90's feel it also brings so much that it is hard to argue that it's not the better game and for me, the greatest CRPG ever. Both titles take this genre, one that other titles don't even break my top 50 and solidifies it, gamifies it and just perfects it all. It fixes everything weak about the genre, the week loot, the flimsy pause combat, the feeling like you're going from dialogue box to dialogue box for no other reward and then adds in so much more like scenarios and quests that have actual video game puzzle focus, this cool elemental system, an illusion of emergence like no other, differing paths that feel like they were actually crafted and scripted. Wanna blow up a town with a bunch of barrels voiding the whole areas quests lines, cool, nothing is off the table but what's different here and absolutely amazing is how carefully crafted it all feels. 

The games are addicting on many levels, there are gameplay loops within gameplay loops whitin overall gameplay loops and right down to the itemization it's all so gamified and addicting while still holfing the genres core feature like choice based dialouge and doing it very well. The turn based combat in my opinion is the best there is, I can't put to words why that is so but I just love it and the encounters can sometimes go for 45 minutes, you make a mistake and die and it's so good you feel no pain replaying the scenario.

I consider these games 10 out of 10s but they aren't perfect, they are so good though that they rise over their minor flaws such as repeating dialogue in NPC chatter, a weak third act in DOS2 and insanely difficulty final fights (a few final fights in DOS2) that make you wonder if you're supposed to slaughter everyone for EXP before finalising areas and yes I have done this on subsequent pkaythroughs to min max but in DOS2 I simply have to lower the difficulty in the final two hours. Point is, there is much that can be improved and perhaps my first pkaythrough of Baldurs Gate 3 is where I will find that improvement.

For now, these two game remain the best CRPGs for me and are just one slot short of being my best game/s of all time. I love them so much, equally yet on different levels, I even have come to love their flaws like the NPC chatter. I wish I was good enough to finish them on the highest difficulty for the platinums, alas, I never will be.

Well here at last, dear friends, on 31 December, comes the end of our list. I will not say do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.

So, that's it for me this year. I'm somewhat torn that I limited my involvement here this year, and that my write-ups haven't been more than imageless compilations like above, because this thread is a great VGC tradition. Anyway, it is what it is, who knows what the future brings. For now, everyone, I wish you a Happy New Year!

#1

Change YoY: =   My Rating: 9.9 / 10

In my opinion, there is no such thing as a perfect game. No matter how great a game is, how amazing an experience it is, there's always going to be something in it that could be improved. In the end, it's just a question of how little there is to improve when you think back on the experience as a whole, and out of all the games I've ever played the one that I can think of almost nothing that I would change about is Final Fantasy IX. This has remained true for well over two decades now, and no matter how many times I play through it, my opinion has never changed. It remains to this day the best game I've ever played.

Final Fantasy IX was the second game in the series I played, and one of the first JPRGs in general I had ever experienced as well. This meant that at the time I didn't really realize that it was essentially a love letter to the entire Final Fantasy series, with countless elements, allusions, and minor details that refer to one or more of the games that came before. It was simply a game that hooked me within 30 minutes of starting, and never really let go. It was completely different from both FFVIII (which I'd played before) and FFVII (which I'd seen one of my friends play), and I absolutely loved that. While FFVIII was one of my favourite games already at the time, I wanted something different with the next game, and I definitely got that.

The fantasy setting was perfect, and to this day is among my favourite video game worlds ever created. I still remember nearly every detail about Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, Cleyra, Treno, and all the other cities, dungeons, and places found around the game's vast world. I scoured the overworld for every tiny detail I could find, hunted every treasure and secret until I could find no more. I remember the feeling of discovering hidden treasures on the world map with a chocobo, stumbling on an entire hidden town on the side of a mountain while riding an airship, and finding secret pathways in places I thought I already knew. Now, when I go back and replay it every few years, I can still visit almost any location in the game and instantly know where everything in it can be found, including secrets, hidden collectibles, and Easter eggs that the game is filled with. It is an experience I will likely never forget, and one I can always return to and enjoy just as much as the first time I stepped onto the streets of Alexandria almost 24 years ago.

No. 1 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

970 hours. Platinum and about to do my fifth playthrough along with DLCs and platinum it on PS5 all over again with the next gen patch whoch improves on the perfection that is The Witcher 3. It excels in every area, even the minimalistic combat is fun and exceeds most other ppen world RPG games or games in any genre for that matter. The microscopic gameplay from moment to moment within an over arching gameplay loop that is captured within a larger questing structure is just perfect, you're always doing something immediate that is fun and rewarding while goaling towards medium and very long goals. It's the best adventure structure in an RPG game and not to mention the miriad of smaller goals that intertwine like going after gear crafting through master weapon and armour quest lines, gathering stuff for potions along the way given an excuse to buy into the ingame economy with gold and every item actually meaning something to treasure hunts for specific gear sets with bonuses to Gwent. It's all so perfectly woven together and expertly paced in a world that is extremely (even though it's aging graohically) beautiful and full of strong vibes. The next gen patch takes it even further and makes it's age feel less apparent, I can't wait to get on with my playthrough when I can justify the heavy time investment. 

Music as if it were made by God for his personal playlist. Characters that are so deep and interesting. Moments that tug on even my jaded heart strings that come often and thunderous. Traversal and exploration so free and fun to doing with no goals in mind. A big bad villain in The Wild Hunt and Iridan that is actually scary even though they are only elves in cool armour. Choices at hand that you accept as yours and even if you get a bad branching narrative point that you could save scum you don't feel the need cause it feels as if it was meant to happen, good or bad.

..man I could go on and on. It is a miracle this game exists and a wonder that some people don't vibe with it. I feel bad for the people above who don't understand this game or couldn't get it to gel. It's as close to perfection along with Larian games and Red dead 2 that we could get. Not perfect but close to perfection in enough areas to make it practically earn the phrase A Perfect game.

The greatest of all time and one that will not easily be beaten, the stars aligned with this and it excels is so many areas with little that is flawed, that I have to assume there was luck involved as well as great talent. There is pages and pages of stuff I could write on this game and it wouldn't do it justice to how phenomenal it is. 

Now that it's over and I've posted my number one. My full list. All games are 10 out of 10. I have beaten everything at least once, Everything after no 17, Stellar blade, I have beaten more than once apart from Theme hospital even though I've tried with playthroughs no less than two dozen times. I have many games from the 9th gen left to play and 2025 is a stacked year so I suspect this list is going to get a shake up by next year's end. I also Forgot about Alan Wake and Halo combat evolved, they're in there somewhere in the 40's and Dust an Elysian Tail which would be in the 30's.  

I think you'll be getting a remake akin to FF7r after they are done with part 3 of that. Just a gut feeling I have, 9 seems to be the one they'd choose for it's popularity after 7. 

I have heard about some people within the company really wanting to do something with IX, so it's certainly a possibility. I've loved the two VII remakes so far, so I wouldn't be opposed to it.

Fingers crossed and while I thought Remake was great, Rebirth is everything a mainline title should be. Hopefully they'll use this template going forward cause they can never seem to get them right these days. 

Games #50 to #41
Games #40 to #31
Games #30 to #21
Games #20 to #11
Games #10 to #06

Now, into the top 5:

#05 Chrono Trigger

This was one of my first J-RPG experiences, and it's such a masterpiece that has some of the most memorable and emotional story moments of any game I've played, with a time travel story that is very well written, engaging and excellently paced. The idea of going through different eras of the game's world gives you a sense of being in a grand epic adventure that not many games can match. It was also amazing to see how your actions in past eras would cause changes in the events of future eras. The characters are just so memorable, likable, and their backstories are endearing and well written. The side-quests in the game are fantastic, as they all have their mini-stories and help flesh out the main cast, the villains and several secondary characters. This game's ATB-based battle system is engaging and dynamic, and I love the idea of the double and triple techniques, as well as the fact that enemies are visible on the map. The OST is one of my favorites in gaming (in my top 3) and the sprites are just beautiful, expressive, and ageless.

#04 NieR: Automata

NieR: Automata's story is one that left a big impact on me, I couldn't stop thinking about everything that happened in the game even long after I had already finished it, there were so many moments and plot reveals that left me completely in shock, and the struggles of the characters were truly heartbreaking. I love how the plot deals with topics of existentialism, which are reflected both in the main story and in the sidequests. All of the three main endings of the game are incredibly memorable. The lore of the world is also incredibly deep and well written, and does a fantastic job at making you feel interested in it. I found the desolate atmosphere of the game's locations to be very immersive. I also love how the sidequests give you a lot of insights into the lives and feelings of the NPCs, many of whom are really memorable. The battle system feels really good to play and the three playable characters have very different fight styles. The parts were the game changes genres to shoot-'em-up, sidescroller, rail shooter, etc. provide really nice gameplay variety. Of course, I must say that Automata has one of my top 3 OSTs in gaming.

#03 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Dragon Quest VIII is the definition of a magical grand adventure, it just has so many charming, magical, unforgettable and sometimes even sad moments, which happen mainly in the form of little stories or vignettes that occur in each town that you visit. The characters, both the main cast and the secondary NPCs that you meet during town vignettes, are just so endearing and have well developed backstories. This game's world is simply amazing and gorgeous, and it's one of the main reasons the game so high in this list, it has so many fully explorable towns that feel truly alive and have really varied aesthetics, as well as an overworld that you can explore at your leisure in an almost open world fashion, and has a lot of optional locations for you to discover. Overall, the game does a fantastic job at giving you a great sense of adventure, which is also helped by all the methods of transportation that you can use you to explore, such as riding a sabrecat or flying. The turn-based battle system is simple, but the Tension system gives a nice additional layer of strategy to it. Finally, I must say that I absolutely adore DQVIII's art-style.

#02 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The sense of discovery and immersion that this game offers is in another level, I was always curious about what I'd find next while exploring, and I loved the freedom that the game gives you to go everywhere you want whenever you want. This game's overworld is just so very well designed, with a lot of secrets to discover, amazing scope, and towns which feel really alive (my favorite is Gerudo Town), the sense of being in a grand adventure that it gives you is certainly one of BotW's biggest strengths. Exploring in this game is so satisfying thanks to Link's agility, his varied moves set, and the way you can interact with basically everything you see, with a physics system that is super flexible, and can be used in many interesting ways, for example, to damage enemies or to solve puzzles inside the shrines. Another aspect that I really like about this game are the Shrine Quests, which offer some really interesting riddles for you to solve and allow you to know more about the backstories of some NPCs and the game's world. Playing this blew me away in a way that reminded me of when I played Ocarina of Time for the first time, I ended up playing for an insane amount of hours.

#01 Xenoblade Chronicles

This is a game that truly left me in awe the first time I played it, and one of the main reasons is its amazing world, which offers such a great variety of environments to explore, with areas that have really beautiful art direction and feel truly alive, with all the fauna that you can see roaming around in them, and where the different species even have their own behavior patterns. I absolutely adore the whole concept of the game's world, which consists of two huge titans over which people and machines live, as well as all the lore they wrote for it, and the contrast between the environments in Bionis and Mechonis. Xenoblade's story is incredibly engaging, well paced, and has many really great plot twists and memorable events. I love how the main story theme of changing the future and not following the predetermined path is implemented into the gameplay mechanics. The characters are just so likable, and all of them have believable motivations to be on their trip with Shulk; also, the Heart-to-Hearts, which are optional conversations between characters, do a great job at fleshing them out even more. I really enjoy the game's battle system, and I think it has the right amount of complexity. Also, this game's soundtrack is glorious and in my trinity along with Nier Automata's and Chrono Trigger's.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!