The Shrine

Now, I know it is not over yet, but I think I can pretty much guarantee that I'll like Zelda: Twilight Princess and Final Fantasy 12 better than anything else from this generation, so consider these 1 and 2 in whichever order. They can be added in later. They're probably the only two games left this generation which could make my list:


1) Vice City

The game might not be technically as good as San Andreas, kind of like Goldeneye wasn't technically as good as Perfect Dark. Like Goldeneye, I did find this game to be more fun, and I got much more out of it. Why I liked this game so much? It might be that it reminds me of my very young childhood. Either way, I couldn't get enough of this game.

2) Skies of Arcadia

As far as RPGs go, this was the one that really opened my eyes. This to me was the Chrono Trigger of this generation. The world, the people, the towns, it was just a place that I wanted to go to and live. The Age of Exploration setting was really a great setting.

3) Xenosaga

I highly enjoyed this series, it was a great follow-up to Xenogears, however, it does seem a bit rushed and holey at times. Even so, there are dramatic scenes which are unrivalled in RPGs. It is the only game whose ending I would compare to Final Fantasy 8 (which has my favourite ending).

4) Zelda: The Wind Waker

It's Zelda, and it turned out to be a lot better than what I thought it was going to be. The major problem with this game is that it isn't #1.

5) Soul Calibur

The first one. I have never been a fan of fighting games, this one really opened my eyes. It brought depth and story to fighting games, and a lot of very interesting situations for fights. Part 2 and 3 were both good games, but I found the first one to be the most fun. I look forward to future installments of the series.

6) Metroid Prime

This was a great transition to the 3D realm. The detail in this game was amazing, and it was just a joy to play. Echoes was quite an upgrade from this game, but it didn't have the same feeling that the first one did. Even so, I look forward to future installments of the series.

7) Mario Sunshine

Mario 64 is often rated above this one, but I found that this game had so much more depth to it than Mario 64, and it worked.

VIII) Shadow Hearts: Covenant

What a great game, I still have to play the third, but this RPG was a real surprise. It was the first RPG on PS3 that I could say is better than Final Fantasy 10.

9) Knights of the Old Republic

A very unique RPG. I normally despise RPGs that aren't made in Japan, this one is an exception.

10) Splinter Cell 3

Of all of the stealth action games, I found this one to be the best.

Dreamcast is going back pretty far for this generation, but here's mine according to that frame of time:

1. Shining Force Neo

The gameplay is simply awesome. Minor story weaknesses and Meryl's annoying voice acting are the only flaws I can think of, but even that is very minor. It is perhaps unfairly high because I have played Shining Force and the entire game is a total throwback to Shining Force so people who never played it before won't be able to appreciate the subtle references.

2. Grandia 2

In terms of the gameplay, it's the RPG analog to Shining Force Neo, but with a bit weaker story overall, so it gets #2. It is the only RPG I think of that you can get away with minimal/no healing without being stupidly overpowered compared to the enemy because the combat system is creative enough for such strategy. Final Fantasy Tactics could conceivably fall into this category, but that becomes more of an abuse of the system as opposed to just playing carefully in the case of Grandia 2.

3. Fate Stay Night

If the Unlimited Blade Works arc is its own game, it'd get #1. But it is not so it has to pay for a game with more internal character power level inconsistency than Naruto and Prince of Tennis combined. Thankfully the UBW arc reasserts the Knights of Seat of Heroes as the beings of unfathomable might as they're supposed to be. It is quite reminiscent of the final dungeon in Terranigma, when the heroes of the Light gather and you get the feeling there is no possible way you can lose, and it's good to be on the winning team holding all the cards.

4. Kingdom Hearts

I think this game manages to do just about everything right, except the game is a bit longer than it should be. It is not spectcular in any area, but it makes almost no mistakes.

5. Final Fantasy X

Similar to Kingdom Hearts, this game simply does not have mistakes. I don't know if you can say any aspect of this game was perfect or even close to it, but there's also no part of the game weak, either.

6. Soul Calibur

Still the best fighting game around, and I'm not even a fan of fighting games.

7. Skies of Arcadia

A game whose excellence rests almost solely on graphics and music, and almost having the opposite strengths of Grandia 2. I find the combat in this game to be quite repetitive and boring, and since that's what you spend a lot of time in any RPG, I feel this should be lower compared to a game that gets the combat system right, like Grandia 2.

8. Zelda: Wind Waker

If I actually play Nintendo games, this might be higher, but I do not. I do appreciate a good game when I see one, though.

9. Romance of the Three Kingdom 11

For those of us who still play turn-based games, this one is the best one yet.

10. Fate Hollow Ataraxia

I have heard of people describing Dead or Alive as prostituting girls for sales, and Fate certainly prostitutes the Knights for sales. Like the non UBW arcs in Fate, you basically have garbage characterization that is once again bailed out by the all powerful and popular Knights. Artoria, the Goddess of Battle and the leader of Knights, went through some wholesale shameless prostitution to cover the game's inefficiencies, including coming back from 2 story-induced really-dead-for-good death in the same game which not even Zero has managed to pull off yet. But what can I say? As much as I dislike Artoria and the general shamelessness Fate goes through to promote their #1 heroine, no one can argue she isn't the coolest Knight to ever exist when she reverts to her heroic personality. It certainly is good enough for a #10, and maybe the Knights' integrity will preserved in their eternal rest as the ending claims, just like Zero really stays dead after X5... wait...