The Fantaverse Members Top 20 Games of All-Time

[NSpan]

#1
Final Fantasy Tactics
(Square) - PS1
(1998)

In a sense, Final Fantasy Tactics--and most others in its genre (including the Shining Force, Fire Emblem, Disgaea, and even Advance Wars franchises)--is simply a variation of chess. Battles that take place during the main storyline are like jumping into a game of chess that is half-way complete. Depending on the configuration of the pieces, there is a limited number of strategies that you can employ in order to achieve victory. Every move matters. Side-quests and random encounters (which occupy the bulk of the gameplay) are more akin to a full game of chess. You can employ your own strategy from the beginning, and you can revise that strategy as you play.

Unlike a standard game of chess, the genre allows for a great deal of customization. You aren't limited to (for example) two bishops, two knights, and two rooks. Instead, you could employ three rooks and, for the remaining three pieces, create a hybrid class that mixes the strengths and weaknesses of both bishops and knights. Class changing (along with leveling up, skill-trees, magic, and equipment upgrades) essentially reframes the concept of chess by allowing you the freedom to make each unit wholly unique.

I've sunk countless hours into Final Fantasy Tactics, and I still never tire of it. As I continue to explore the genre, I use FFT as a benchmark to compare all others. Some games (including entries in the franchises mentioned earlier) have come close... but nothing has ever truly matched FFT's overall quality and replayability. The graphics have a timeless feel to them, so--even today--the game doesn't look especially dated. I rarely listen to in-game music, but FFT has a great soundtrack. And, for a Japanese game, the story is surprisingly coherent and well-executed. It's a shame that the sequels were dumbed-down, though I still hold out hope that the series will return to its roots one day. An "enhanced" remake was released for PSP a few years ago, but I heard it had a few problems with slowdowns. Perhaps they'll iron out those bugs before it's released on the PSN. In the meantime, the original is available for download through PSN--and I strongly encourage everybody to give it a try.

[W]

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of those games that you wish never ended, but instead it seemed rather short. It made my list at number 24 and really, the length of the game is the only think I think you can knock it for. Everything else is stellar. My brother lost my copy of the game along with disc 2 of my FFVII.

[numbersix]

Final Fantasy Tactics sounds like my kinda game. There's a DS version I might...er.... obtain.

[NSpan]

great final round.

The Secret of Monkey Island - I think the only reason that this game wasn't on my list is because I prefer the sequel--and I decided to limit myself to one-game-per-franchise. Great stuff. "How appropriate, you fight like a cow."

X-COM: Terror from the Deep - Once again, the only reason this didn't make my cut is because I prefer another game in the series. You should really play the original. It's the EXACT same engine--but I think the above-water missions are much more interesting. There's just so much more going on in cities, suburbs, and even rural areas than in the ocean. Sweeping through a town for rogue aliens is always more exhilarating than digging through an ocean-bed. That said, it's the same game with different skins.

Mario Kart 64 - I've grown to prefer the Wii version (using gamecube controllers)... but the 64 version is a gem. And, as a multiplayer game, I've sunk more hours into it than just about any other. My ONLY complaint also happens to be a perk in many situations: the rubber-band effect. The game is incredibly forgiving for those who suck--and incredibly punishing for those who actually know what they're doing. When playing with casual gamers, this is a great way to keep things interesting. But, when playing with seasoned gamers, this feature makes the game feel a bit kiddie.

Civilization II - This was on my own list, so I imagine everybody knows how I feel about it. I'll get around to trying V one of these days. This is redundant, but for ANYONE who enjoyed the original Civilization or Colonization, find a copy of Master of Magic and give it a shot.

On a sidenote, Colonization almost made my list. I've certainly played it enough to warrant inclusion. But I always thought the end-game was a bit weak. A truly great turn-based strategy should be engrossing from start to finish.

[numbersix]

great final round.

X-COM: Terror from the Deep - Once again, the only reason this didn't make my cut is because I prefer another game in the series. You should really play the original. It's the EXACT same engine--but I think the above-water missions are much more interesting. There's just so much more going on in cities, suburbs, and even rural areas than in the ocean. Sweeping through a town for rogue aliens is always more exhilarating than digging through an ocean-bed. That said, it's the same game with different skins.

If there's one problem with my Number 1 game, it's that there wasn't enough mission on the land. Will certainly take a look at the original. Have you played XCOM Apocalypse?

[NSpan]

Yeah. It sure seemed like a cool idea at the time. But... something about it... just didn't live up to the first two. It looked slick in comparison but lost something in the translation. In hindsight, I think part of the problem was simply the time it was released. The late-nineties suffered some growing pains as we were entering a new era of "modern" gaming. X-COM: Apocalypse ends up feeling flimsy and cheap. The originals hold a certain gravitas that the third installment simply can't muster.

[NSpan]

This thread needed (read: needs) a recap!

Maybe everyone's final lists--and a compilation of the most popular video game franchises amongst ReelSociety members? (I say franchises instead of games, because I think a few of us simply chose our favorite game from our favorite series and omitted the rest for the sake of space. For example, if I didn't pick Monkey Island 2, the original Monkey Island would have taken that spot. Same goes for entries in the X-COM and Civilization series)

[W]

I picked 3 Mario games and 3 Final Fantasy games. Do those count as 1 or 3?

[NSpan]

At first thought, I'd say that counts as three votes for the Mario franchise and three for the Final Fantasy franchise. But, then again, the Mario umbrella is quite expansive. Mario should probably be split between the main series, the racing games, the role-playing games, and the party games... right?

[W]

Well, the three games were Super Mario Bros 1, 3, and Dr. Mario. 3 is the first true sequel of 1, but as far as the FF series goes, I had III, VII, and VIII none of which were true sequels, but had the same basic gameplay. And depending on how rigid we're being I'm not sure if your Tactics (mine came in at #24) would or wouldn't count as it's the same franchise and genre but hardly the same gameplay.

Here's my Top 20

20. Final Fantasy VIII
19. Bioshock
18. Diablo II
17. Sonic The Hedgehog
16. Mortal Kombat II
15. Street Fighter II
14. NBA Live 2000
13. Final Fantasy III
12. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
11. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

10. NBA Jam
9. Goldeneye 007
8. Super Mario Bros.
7. Dr. Mario
6. Final Fantasy VII
5. SOCOM II: US Navy Seals
4. Contra
3. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Tetris
1. Sid Meier's Civilization II

------------------------------------------------
And in case you joined late here's the rest of my 100.

21. LittleBigPlanet 2
22. Fat Princess
23. Monster Party
24. Final Fantasy Tactics
25. WCW/NWO Revenge
26. Super Mario Kart
27. Sim City 2000
28. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
29. Railroad Tycoon II
30. Sid Meier's Civilization

31. Donkey Kong Country
32. X-Men Arcade
33. The Oregon Trail
34. Rock Band (Series)
35. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
36. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
37. Guitar Hero II (Series)
38. Scorched Earth
39. Parasite Eve
40. Super Mario Bros. 2

41. Area 51
42. Axis & Allies
43. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES #1)
44. Alchemy
45. LittleBigPlanet
46. Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego
47. SOCOM: US Navy Seals
48. Revolution X
49. WWF Royal Rumble
50. Wolfenstein 3D

51. A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia
52. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
53. Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers (Microprose)
54. PixelJunk Shooter
55. Kid Icarus
56. Paper Mario
57. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
58. Final Fantasy X
59. ESPN NFL 2K5
60. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

61. Rescue Rangers: The Adventure in Nimnul's Castle
62. Mike Tyson's Punch Out
63. Pokemon Red and Blue
64. Kirby's Adventure
65. Gauntlet
66. Doodle Jump
67. Minesweeper
68. Phantasy Star II
69. Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball
70. NBA 2K2

71. Mega Man 2 (series)
72. Freecell
73. Diablo
74. Killer Instinct
75. Super Mario 64
76. Duck Hunt
77. Snood
78. Twisted Metal 2
79. Super Mario World
80. Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

81. NFL Blitz
82. Gauntlet: Legends
83. Myst
84. Dope Wars
85. Troy Aikman Football
86. Time Crisis 3 (series)
87. Monopoly
88. Duke Nukem
89. Super Mario Galaxy 2
90. Golden Axe

91. Double Dragon
92. World Class Track Meet
93. Bad Dudes
94. Joe Montana Sportstalk Football
95. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
96. Shaq-Fu
97. TNN Outdoors Bass Tournament '96
98. NASCAR '98
99. Crazy Taxi 2
100. G-Loc

[ROBDude]

Here are my top 20:
20. Super Smash Bros. (N64)
19. Call of Duty Modern Warfare
18. Mario Kart DS
17. Mario Kart Wii
16. Mario Party Series
15. Mario Kart 64
14. Super Smash Bros. Melee
13. Super Mario 64
12. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
11. Lego Star Wars Games
10. Lego Indiana Jones 1 and 2
9. Lego Batman
8. Lego Harry Potter
7. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
6. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
5. Yoshi's Story
4. Paper Mario
3. Warioware Inc.
2. Grand Theft Auto IV
1. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

[W]

Not a very diverse list with most being Mario franchises from the past ten years, but I can't really fault that considering my 100 had 11 from the franchise, 2 being from your list (Mario 64 and Paper Mario).

I also plan on trying GTA IV in the future.

[silversurfer19]

I think you also need to factor his age into this as well, W. Some decent games though that I've enjoyed playing

[W]

I think you also need to factor his age into this as well, W. Some decent games though that I've enjoyed playing

Yeah, I figured. Just stating the obvious. And in no way am I saying anything bad, or trying to at least.

[NSpan]

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of those games that you wish never ended, but instead it seemed rather short. It made my list at number 24 and really, the length of the game is the only think I think you can knock it for. Everything else is stellar. My brother lost my copy of the game along with disc 2 of my FFVII.

I think I mentioned that I've spent quite some time looking for anything comparable to FFT since its release. What I forgot to mention is that "Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis" comes damn close. Check it out.