The Next 25 Video Games - UPDATED For 2015

[Abe Sargent]

Hello Folks!

This dynasty is a updated sequel of the Top 100 Video Games of All Time as voted on by me. They represented a ton of games I personally played and enjoyed.

That list was made some time ago. I have played a lot of great games since then, including some that would chart very highly on my list, and at least one game that would make my top 20. Maybe two.

I thought it would be fun for me to write up another quick dynasty as a version of that. Included here are 25 games that I have played since I wrote my 100 list.

What 25 games really pushed my buttons? What are some great overlooked games you might have missed? What are some great games we all played together? Are there some games you'll expect to find that are missing? Might as well take a seat and check it out!

[Abe Sargent]

HERE is my list for The back 37:

The Last 37 - The Last of Abe's Top 100 Video Games - All Done! - Front Office Football Central


HERE is my middle 30

The Next 30: Abe's Top Video Games of All Time #62-#33 - Front Office Football Central


And finally my top 30:

Abe's Top 30 Video Games of All Time - Front Office Football Central


I massaged my top 100 list a bit, and here were the final numbers, after I moved things around a few years later:

Abe's Top 100 Video Games of All Time, circa 2009

HN: Star Fox - SNES - Action
100. Populous - PC - Simulation - God Game
99. Adventure - Atari - Action/Adventure
98. Wishbringer - PC - Adventure - Interactive Fiction
97. Planescape: Torment - PC - RPG
96. Crossbow - Coin-Op - Action - Shooter
95. Robot Odyssey - Apple II - Adventure - Educational
94. Dark Legions - PC - Action/Strategy
93. Donkey Kong - Coin-Op - Action - Platform
92. Goldeneye 007 - N64 - Action - FPS/Stealth
91. The Bard's Tale - Apple II - RPG - Dungeon Crawl
90. Commando - Commodore 64 - Action Run N' Gun
89. Bejeweled - PC - Puzzle
88. M.U.G.E.N. - PC - Action - Fighting
87. Blaster Master - NES - Action - Platform
86. WariorWare Inc - GBA - Action
85. Knights of the Old Republic - XBox - RPG
84. Qix - Coin-Op - Action
83. Medieval: Total War - PC - Strategy - Military, Turn Based
82. NHL Hockey - Intellivision - Sports - Hockey
81. Tetris - PC - Puzzle
80. Oregon Trail II - PC - Adventure - Educational
79. Ninja Gaiden - NES - Action - Platform, Combat
78. Evil Genius - PC - Strategy
77. Command and Conquer - PC - Strategy - Real-Time
76. Overlord - XBOX 360 - Action/RPG
75. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - GBA/DS - Adventure
74. Microsurgeon - Intellivision - Action
73. Grand Theft Auto III - PS2 - Action - Thug
72. Soul Calibur II - GC/PS2/XBOX - Action - Fighting
71. BattleTech VR - BattleTech Center - Action/Simulation - Mecha
70. Sid Meier's Pirates! - Commodore 64 - Action/Simulation
69. Contra - NES - Action - Run N' Gun
68. StarCraft - PC - Strategy - Real Time
67. Guitar Hero - PS2 - Rhythm
66. Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri - PC - Strategy - 4X
65. Jagged Alliance 2 - PC - Strategy
64. Majestic - PC - Alternate Reality Game
63. Pool of Radiance - PC - RPG
62. Wolfenstein 3D - PC - First Person Shooter
61. Military Madness - TurboGrafx - Strategy - Wargame
60. Serf City (aka Settlers) - PC - Simulation - Economic
59. Moraff's World - PC - RPG - Dungeon Crawl
58. Scorched Earth - PC - Strategy - Tank
57. Metroid - NES - Action/Adventure - Platform
56. MarioParty 5 - GameCube - Strategy/Action - Party Game
55. Deathtrack - PC - Action/Simulation - Racing
54. Dungeon Keeper - PC - Strategy
53. Triple Action - Intellivision - Action
52. Pac-Man - Coin-Operated - Action
51. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest - NES - RPG/Action - Platform
50. Bully - PS2 - Action/Adventure - Thug
49. Lakers versus Celtics - PC - Sports - Basketball
48. Street Fighter II - SNES - Action - Fighting
47. Sea Rogue - PC - RPG/Action/Adventure/Strategy
46. Archon: The Light and The Dark - Atari 8 Bit Computer - Action/Strategy
45. Fallout - PC - RPG
44. Railroad Tycoon 3 - PC - Strategy/Simulation - Economic
43. Mega Man 2 - NES - Action - Platform
42. Sid Meier's SimGolf - PC - Action/Simulation - Sports/Economic
41. Mario Brothers - Coin-Operated - Action - Platform
40. NFL Football - Intellivision - Sports - Football
39. Warcraft: Orcs & Humans - PC - Strategy - Real-Time
38. MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat - PC - Action/Simulation - Mecha
37. Metal Gear - NES - Action/Adventure - Stealth
36. Utopia - Intellivision - Strategy/Simulation - Real Time/God Game
35. Katamari Damacy - PS2 - Action
34. Super Mario Kart - SNES - Action/Sports - Racing
33. RollerCoaster Tycoon - PC - Simulation - Economic
32. Sea Battle - Intellivision - Strategy/Action
31. Baldur's Gate - PC - RPG
30. Monster Rancher 3 - PS2 - Strategy/Action
29. Master of Orion 2 - PC - Strategy/Simulation - 4x
28. Madden '99 - Nintendo 64 - Sports/Action - Football
27. Might and Magic VI - PC - RPG
26. TradeWars 2002 - BBS Door Game - Simulation
25. Star Chamber - PC - Strategy
24. Guild Wars - PC - RPG - MMORPG
23. Wing Commander - PC - Simulation - Outer Space
22. Tropico - PC - Simulation - Economic
21. Heroes of Might and Magic II - PC - Strategy - 4x
20. Final Fantasy - NES - RPG
19. Colonization - PC - Strategy/Simulation - 4x
18. SimCity 4 - PC - Simulation - Economic
17. The Legend of Zelda - NES - RPG/Adventure - Platform
16. Half-Life - PC - Action - First Person Shooter
15. Front Office Football 2001 - PC - Sports/Simulation - Football, Economic
14. Wasteland - PC - RPG
13. Pokemon: Pearl & Diamond - GameBoy DS - RPG/Adventure
12. Europa Universalis II - PC - Strategy/Simulation
11. Star Control II - PC - Strategy/Adventure
10. Civilization - PC - Strategy/Simulation - 4x
9. Angband - Unix - RPG - Dungeon Crawl
8. Culdcept - Saturn - Strategy
7. Magic: the Gathering - PC - Strategy/Adventure
6. X-Com: UFO Defense - PC - Strategy
5. Master of Magic - PC - Strategy/Simulation - 4x
4. Crusader Kings - PC - Strategy/Simulation
3. Ultima Online - PC - RPG - MMORPG
2. The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind - PC - RPG
1. Football Manager 2006 - PC - Sports/Simulation - Football (Soccer)

[Abe Sargent]

I also need to do a little apologizing up front. I haven't invested the $$ or time into console gaming much over the last 5 years. Sorry. Most of my console gaming has been with series I know well (such as Madden) and with stuff I didn't like much. So most of the games on this list are PC games. Sorry about that.

[Abe Sargent]

Honorable Mention:
Higurashi, When they Cry
2002 (English Version 2009)
07th Expansion
Mystery Visual Novel



This is an extremely funky entry, and thus it really can't crack my top 25, but I do want to spend some time with it. The Visual Novel video game is incredibly important to Japanese gaming, and other nations have since adopted it as well. Mostly of the time you get a few choices a la "Choose Your Own Adventure" although not really in this one. You just watch the game unfold.

I cannot really get across what this game is about without you just picking it up and playing it. One common motif of the VN world are stories where a young man or old boy finds himself suddenly with a bunch of attractive girls. Each of the girls has a variety of established archetypes and this game plays right into that. But it also subverts the genre quite well.

The game is an independent game,and one of the best selling of all time. It is distinctly Japanese in feel and flavor. You cannot play this game without getting a true and authentic sense for a lot of Japanese feelings. You'll enjoy that sense as well.



Due to budget restraints, the game had very simple graphics and sounds, and instead focused on the characters and story. And unlike a ton of games in the genre, this one really fleshed out the characters quite ably. These are not simple automatons dancing across the screen.

Now, the game was hugely influential. It becomes the first chapter of an 8 chapter mega-arc. There was a very influential anime series that followed, some comics, and even some live action films. It was a hugely vital part of Japan.

Now, the original graphics are not good. Here I'll show you:




Yeah, I hear you. Ouch. They have updated the graphics for later release. The updates with fully updated sprites and images have the first chapter, and then a later chapter as well available, and you can pick up the last 6 with the old graphics.


The game is extremely hard to predict, does clever stuff with the genre, really has a great aura to it, and was extremely influential and ground-breaking. It's a powerful game, but to get it, you need to be able to get the VN method of story telling. And it may not be the best opening into it. But no worries, my next one will be.


Thanks Higurashi!

[Abe Sargent]

Honorable Mention #2
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet
2004 (English Release 2014 on Steam)
Key
Nakige Kinetic Visual Novel






Key is one of the foremost developers of Visual Novels. This is where I'd recommend you begin. It takes just a few hours to read, I did it in 3 hours. It is another hugely influential VN because it pushes the genre into more emotional spaces and arcs, and is much more rooted in character than others.

Even 10 years later, this is still a beautiful VN. As one of the best developers, Key spares no expense in creating the best VNs. In fact, when asking international audiences what their favorite VNs were, the Top Ten of all time included THREE Key games. Nope, this was not one of them. But it's good, and its a good introduction for the VN as a whole.





So let's take a look at some of the things that make it good. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Planetarian has an interesting resonance with the current love of the genre, such as Fallout 4. The various characters feel very real, and the setting is suitably interesting.

And there is danger and wonder in equal measure. It's a well written and well developed story, a sort few flash novelette. It's a great way to get introduced to the genre as well.


It's also 50% off the Steam Holiday sale right now.

Anyways, next we are leaving behind the VN genre and heading to the actual Top 25. No more honorable mentions!

[Abe Sargent]

As we get to my top 25, just as a reminder, that the same rules apply as before. This means no sequels or games in a franchise. I don't want to honor Football Manager 2014, Football Manager 2015, and Football Manager 2016 in this list. That's boring, no one wants to read it, and I don't want to parse the games down like that anyway.

These are all unique games or in a line that did not make the cut prior. Obviously, I'd love to have games in series that already made my top 100 (cough cough Wasteland 2 cough cough). But you won't see Wasteland 2 on the list. Wasteland already made it in the top 20.

But you could, and will, see major IPs in new series or major series with a more recent entry that hits. Those are all in bounds. So if i want to include Mario Tennis, I can. I can also include NASCAR '15 or Blood Bowl 2.

[lighthousekeeper]

interesting to see if any mobile only games crack the list.

[Abe Sargent]

This is the era of casual gaming. It would be a mistake not to acknowledge that. Right?


And that sort of leads to #25 on my list, so let's go ahead and start!

[Abe Sargent]

#25. Westward IV: All Aboard
Sandlot Games
2009
Casual Strategy






This casual game is a lot more polished, better designed, and deeper than a lot of strategy games that aren't. You might expect a light and simple game that you can play through in just two or four hours, but that's not Westward IV. As the final chapter of a strong series, it has developed to a point of balance.

You need to balance the normal stuff - getting certain base goods like wood and coal, and then build various buildings. But there is one huge base map that you explore and build off of for the whole game, but then you have to build your railroad in another city or fight off bandits on some other map, so you have these short scenarios mixed in with the various objectives on your main map.





It's an extremely well detailed game, and one that is really fleshed out. Many casual strategy games have just a handful of buildings, decorations, and such. Just enough to wet your whistle. Not so here. Here you have a very fleshed out economy.



And if you explore all of these extra maps and scenarios you'll find side quests, and unlock secret plants for your farms or animals for your ranches. I put around 20-25 hours into my first play through the game. That's worth it.

It's a casual game that can certainly be played as such. It''s a fun, laid back game that your kids and family can enjoy. You can pick it up for a bit in lunch time or on the train home. But it also transcends the genre in many ways as well. I stand by how good it is. From PCs and Steam to Mac App Store, it's in a lot of places.



Westward Ho!

[Abe Sargent]

#24. Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Chunsoft
Nintendo DS
2009 (English Release 2010)
Adventure Visual Novel




Let's just say I won't be surprised if you've never heard of this game. And that is a shame. It's really good. It combines the Visual Novel way of telling stories with adventure goodness, solving a major problem, and it has inventory control, mini-games, and more. Roughly half of the game is adventure, and the other half visual novel story telling.

So what is 999?


First of all, 999 is a very tense, atmospheric game, and it wears that very accurately. There are a variety of branching storylines based on what you do and what you decide. The basic concept is pretty simple though.

It's sort of a combination of Battle Royale or SAW. Nine people are trapped by a maniac who has planted a bomb in each of you. You have to play a game. You'll have to get together and overcome various obstacles, find out what's really going on, and learn about each of the 9 characters. You have nine hours to escape a sinking ship, many doors and puzzles to pass through, and you can mix up different characters to overcome different challenges.


That's a pretty dark plotline for a handheld game, and I really appreciated it.



The game emphasizes characterization, setting, and story telling. Those are it's trademarks and highlights. It's one of those surprisingly good hits you weren;t expecting, but you are so glad you found.

It required a second printing in America, a sequel was made, and more.

Opening video:



So if you haven't even heard of 999, I suggest that you check it out. It's a great adventure game. It's dark, moody, atmospheric, and really well done. Enjoy it!

Now it'll take about 9 hours to play through, and then based on your choices, not everyone may live, and you may get some bad endings. So then you have to try again. And again. There are I think 6 different endings in all. It's not easy, it's not light-hearted, but it is totally worth it. It really feels like an old-school Choose Your Own Adventure book where you want to try again and see if you can't do better.


EDIT - PS The Sequel is even better:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Escape:_Virtue's_Last_Reward

And the sequel won some serious awards too.

[Abe Sargent]

Alright, let's do the next one


#23. Skyborn
Dancing Dragon Games
RPG Maker
2012
RPG






Skyborn is a game that was made with love by a handful of people with a Steampunk feel that's made with the RPG Maker suite of tools. It's one of the best games ever made with that suit (to my mind) and I finished it in roughly 12 hours of play. It's not that long. I've played around 10 or 11 RPG Maker games, and I've always found it to be one of the better gaming experiences. Now you know up front that any RPG Maker game is going to have some....rough edges. You know? That just happens. But this one really stuck out because of the care invested into the world.

Skyborn has a lot of things going for it. The game works pretty smoothly, the plot and setting are very interesting and different from a lot of boring "Dragon Warrior" or "Final Fantasy" clones. The game has levels of difficulty I didn't expect, and the game is pretty standard fare for the engine.

The major character is a tinker and engineer lady who's had it pretty okay under the thumbs of the ruling class Skyborn that look like draconians from Dragonlance. As she is set on her explorations, she finds a lot of people who have it worse than she did. And she'll rally some folks to the cause, and set out to bring down the big bad and some of the Skyborn race.





If you just want a diverting throwback to the mechanics of old, but with modern settings, story-telling and concepts, then Skyborn is a pretty satisfying way to spend some time. I enjoyed the time that I invested into the game. The setting was my favorite part.


And you can get it anywhere from RPG Maker sites to Steam and bigfishgames - http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/7156/skyborn/

[Abe Sargent]

#22. Dungeon of the Endless
AMPLITUDE Studios
2014
Rogue-Like Strategy Adventure Thing





I like a game with a lot of depth. I like a game where you an pick it up for a while, and then set it back down again without wondering why it's suddenly gone light outside. I like a game that has a real sense of itself. I like a game with a huge replay ability factor. I like a game that's hard. I like game where you can unlock future crew, weapons, ship designs, and such. I like a game that's fun.

And those are some of the reasons why I like Dungeon of the Endless. While it has perfectly fine sound and throwback graphics and such, the place where this game truly shines is in the mechanics. In the game structure. In the play of he game. You open the door to another room, and then fight something, find resources, build things, and more. And you explore and face danger constantly. Different creatures have different fighting algorithms.



And it's an odd mixture of genres. It has RPG elements, and base design elements and tower defense and exploration and such. Ultimately, I would place it in the Rogue Like genre of games. Numerous classes, RPG feeling, perma death, and other additions make me really confident about that too.


Your space ship breaks up, and pieces of it fall to the ground and crash. You begin with a certainly piece of the ship and a certain character, and can unlock more . You have different areas of a crashed space ship that you can apart in and gives you different aspects of game play:



Deep, compelling, rewarding and fun. And sometimes a bit frustrating (in a good way). That's Dungeon of the Endless

I also loved the trailer too.:





The dog from that trailer was so popular that it was added to the game as a secret character. I like stuff like that in my developers and games. That sort of relationship is hard to find. In fact the top two games in this countdown are going to be ones with incredible relationships between developer and fans. Just as a quick little teaser!

[JAG]

I've looked at DotE for a while but never bought. Pretty sure I am going to though.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by JAG

I've looked at DotE for a while but never bought. Pretty sure I am going to though.

It's about $5 on Steam right now. Go for it!

[Abe Sargent]

Pick iit up!


Let's do one more before bed

[Abe Sargent]

#21. King's Bounty: The Legend
1C Company
2008
Tactical RPG Strategy




To be fair, this game was released as I was doing my final 37 games in the dynasty, and I didn't play it yet. Sorry about that. It wouldn't have hit my Top 100 anyways, but would have been in the running for the next 30 or something that I might have done. Anyways, King's Bounty is a Russian game that uses the old and ancient IP from New World Computing, the company that made the Might and Magic stuff. As you might recall, the original King's Bounty was released long before Heroes of Might and Magic came along, and it was the ancestor of that series.


So 1C certainly could have tried to do a clone of the Heroes series, and then moved on. But that;s not what they chose to do. Instead they have a game with a strong RPG aspect, and a very powerful adventure. It's not the normal strategy and tactics game. Now, once battle starts, you are back in familiar territory moving folks around. Like this....







But nowhere are you controlling cities, mines, building things, balancing finances and such. Nope. No strategy. Instead you are adventuring, exploring, heading into dungeons, and fighting folks. It's tactical RPG rather than the game you might have expected.



And that allows the rebooted franchise space to breathe. It has room to branch out and find its own path, and new additions like Rage do very well. They created their own world, and they have a game that's pretty deep, with three major classes of emphasis (although there's not a lot of separation between the two). The idea of mages having reduced leadership, which leads to having fewer troops and hence a greater reliance on magic is clever. Fighters can emphasize rage, and their troops are better, but still not maxed like a Bard is. Bards have more leadership and thus more troops, but not as much rage or magic to supplement - they more or less stand on their own. There's a degree of interesting spins in there.



And that;s certainly not the only different mechanics either. There are new ways of hunting, exploring, casting magic, and more. New creatures, items, and concepts. It's pretty good. Now the sequels have changed a few things here and there, but really hung tightly with the previous games, so there's not as much chance-taking. They feel more like stand-alone expansions than sequels. But it's still a really good game.

[JAG]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

It's about $5 on Steam right now. Go for it!

$4 actually, thanks for the tip.

[Abe Sargent]

#20. Rebuild 3: Gangs of Deadsville
Northway Games
2015
Turn Based Strategy



There are not a lot of games that I have played in Steam's Early Access and found them actually pretty good. But this was one of them. And it's even better now. So yay for indy games that don't suck!


The game is set 2 years after a Zombie Apocalypse, and a few survivors have decided to stop running and to set up a new slate of settlements. You establish orders for your survivors and then hit the next turn (well I do, I know you can give yourself a time limit for those orders, but I don't see the need)

You have to set up defenses, explore the area, scavenge for stuff, grow food, expand into new areas, research, build stuff, trade with local groups or caravans, and of course, kill zombies. And maybe other survivors too.



There are a variety of different classes of survivors that specialize in one task. As they get better in that task and level up you can talk with them, learn more about them, and then choose a perk to use to level them up a bit. Every but you can't learn any skills other than their main one (although perks can change that. I was playing the game again last night and I have a solider who I gave a perk to give him +3 scavenging, so when I take him to my next city, I can use him in multiple roles as needed until I develop a better economy.




And like any good strategy game, there are a variety of things you have to balance. Good. Building Supplies. Weapons. Tools. Medicine. You can only have one building per block of real estate, so you have to plan your city carefully. Supplies are in short demand.


Unfortunately Sarah Northway did not read my review of Dungeons of the Endless above. It can just absorb your time. Did I miss the kickoff of the Thursday Night Game? Blast it, the first quarter is almost over. What happened?!?!?

Anyways, the game is deep, has a lot under the hood, and sort of bridges the gap between an authentic normal video game and a more laid back casual game. I'm still not convinced about which box it should check. But then again, who cares about boxes? Anyways, like Westward IV, this game is the latest in a series, and that enables it to really show a lot of polish. Tons of events, and lots of good and bad happening, often in equal measure. So get your post-Apocalyptic glasses on. It's another kickstarter success story!


Welcome to Deadsville




EDIT - More about Deadsville and strategy

So there are five different "classes" that are good in scavenging, smarts, fighting, talking, and building. Different tasks require these skills. For example, charisma comes into play when recruiting people you come across, talking with other factions, trading with traders, and when being used in bars or churches to tend bar or tend the flock. Smarts are used for researching stuff or for building things in the workshop like making new ammo, zombie bait, and more. You can scavenge any block that you don't own, and try to bring back any resources it may have. After a block is out, you can scavenge for fish from water, for extra food from any farm you control, or for building supplies from either parks or woods. You can also use someone with the hunter perk to hunt animals in fields.

Some items grant a perk temporarily. The hunting rifle and boomerang grant the hunter perk while equipped. Equipped a baseball bat or golf club as a weapon also gives you a perk that makes you easily entertained, and you won't get sad as quickly. The ninja perk is granted from some weapons, and that lets you be more successful when really far from home. Equipping binoculars lets you get an enhanced scouting radius perk, etc.

In order to leave a town, you really need a few things. You need to grab enough land to matter, then build a town hall, and that lets you make a government which then allows formal contact with any factions in the city. You have to ally or destroy every faction in the city in order to advance (unless the plot of that story and quests let you do it otherwise. ) At the end of each town, you can take your leader,along with your items, and then any three other people and their stuff as well. The right people can make a huge difference in the next town. For example, I have a researcher that has 19 research (the max in any skill is 10, so perks and items push it above 10). So when I arrive in a new town, I can often get the lowest level reseraches, among the most useful too, btw, on one turn of research. All I have to do is to find and capture a laboratory and we're set.

Every block has one type of thing in it. Normally these are buildings, but they could be something else (field, bridge, park, rubble, etc). Now some of these are downright useless, like coffee shops, restaurants or stores. They have no added value. Many others do - farms and pig farms get you food, apartments, hotels, trailer parks and houses get you places to stay, bars are a place to hang out, churches a place to preach, etc.

Now you can rebuild your own structure over what you have. You can level something to make a farm or to add a needed building to your infrastructure like a school or hospital. But you can't build anything other than food, housing until you have researched the base construction tech. So finding and building into that lab is important. Meanwhile there are a number of useful-ish buildings you can find and annex, but cannot build. For example, the Bank and Police HQ can be annexed, and they increase the defenses of every space next to them. Warehouses increase by 50 your food storage. Balancing out all of your buildings and moving towards certain areas at the right time of the game is really important.

Here's a better slate of examples. You can't build, but you can find power plants, gas plants, and water treatment. After you grab them and incorporate them into your fort, you can send over engineers to fix them up. You might have to craft some spare parts for them as well at your workshop.


People also get sad. Now you can build/grab bars and churches for them. Some prefer one and some the other. Someone who has the Devout perk is really helped by preachers. Anyways, each person can hold onto one items, and then one weapon. So items can increase your happiness of that person - children and pets do so. You can also send someone to rest and get happy again. Pissed off folks might flee, or steal your stuff. Now equipping someone with a pet or their child/baby does increase their happiness. But it drops their stats by one each and prevents other more meaningful stuff from being equipped. Shoot, after marrying someone, I've had three babies myself. While I could take them with me, I just leave them with someone else I don;t value as highly.


So the game has a lot of depth. A lot.

[Abe Sargent]

#19. Space Pirates and Zombies
Minmax Games
2011
Action Strategy




I believe this is the final Zombie ish game, although it's not really a zombie game in the traditional sense.


In this game, you pilot your fleet around the Universe from system to system and explore, fight, do quests, mine, salvage, and more. You fight for different sides, take different quests, and advance along a campaign. You can land on bases and upgrade your technology, and you can also do other things.



For example, if you capture a type of ship that you previously had no capacity to build, well, now you can. You figure it out and can build others. Which makes total sense if you ask me.


In combat, which is real time with pausability to give orders, you direct your fleet to head out and cause some damage, flee, or whatever. Otherwise, you are moving around, exploring, mining, or more.



It's fun to fly into a system and be randomly hailed by rebels or local factions or whatever asking for your aid for something in order to break a stalemate. You can run supplies, build weapons and equipment, fight and bring back salvage, or whatever,

Everything is customizable, and ships are as well. You can edit, advance, or retract your vessels, and different types of weapons have different advantages and disadvantages.

Eventually you are going to get to a place in the game where a huge disease and plagues of zombifcation break out. And thus, the game gets its name.




The game added numerous patches and mods over time, and added more ships, bounty hunters, and bunch more - all for free. Because they get it.


Anyways, another indy wonder. Enjoy.

[Abe Sargent]

After #17, I honestly think there's a pretty big leap in quality of games. Like games in the HM and up through 17 on my list are all very even. But there's a distinct level in quality from 17 to 16 on my list. None of these games up through 17 would make my Top 100, for example. But after that? They have a good shot of making it. Four of my top five games are indy games, the last is a major franchise you should all know and love. All five of those deserve reorganization. There's a Top 10 game I think you'll be unfamiliar with, but if you are, I don't think you'll wonder at why it's there/


There's roughly two games on the list left that I would call casual or casual-esque.



Aren't teasers fun?

[Abe Sargent]

#18. UFO: Extraterrestrials Gold Edition
Chaos Concept
2007 Main Game, 2010 Gold Edition
XCOM Clone





Another Eastern European take on a strategy series makes my list as well. (This is from the Czech Republic). This game is one of many XCom clones that attempt to put all of the pieces together and hew very closely to the source material. Most of these clones lack quality, depth and more. They aren't even worth your time. They are buggy, lack balance, or spend so much time on the turn based mode that the rest of the game lacks severely.

And frankly, UFO ET was in the same place. Then the developers released the Gold Edition and fixed a lot of bugs, added some stuff, made some gameplay changes, and suddenly, you have a pretty solid game.



UFO: ET has tried to move the setting to another planet, and it's fully in the sci-fi realm. You are a colony at another planet, and bad guys are popping out from nowhere. You have various colonial nations that you need to protect.



By setting it abroad, the game gives you a better map to use to defend, and different nations that are funding you, which you need to protect. All of the normal options are there, doing interceptions, missions, defending the skies and bases, etc.



So it's an XCOM clone, and you know that going in. You know what to expect, and won't be too disappointed that other than setting and other obvious things that follow. it's still the same basic XCOM game underneath.




But XCOM in space is not an unfun way to spend some gaming hours. And this game takes a long time to beat, so it's got that going for it as well.

[Abe Sargent]

Alright, let's do the final one of these before bedtime, and again, the last one before a jump in quality.

[Abe Sargent]

#17. Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes
Capybara Games
DS
2009
Puzzle RPG





Now I want to be upfront about this. The only reason that I checked this game out was the IP. I'm a big Might and Magic fan, and here is a DS game with the brand right on it. Before I picked it up, I watched it getting played on some YouTube videos by a certain British guy you may know and love. As I watched it get played, I began to get excited. This seems like it could be good.





It has been ported to a lot of places as well. (Steam included)


So, what's happening here? You have a lighter RPG element, which is a prequel of Heroes 5 storyline wise. You play the questline of five separate people, and then at the end play against the big bad. The world has been smashed a bit and you are going to help.




As you explore and adventure, you come across various fights. These fights are a strategy turn based game, much like anything else you'd expect from Heroes or shoot even King's Bounty. But instead you have a different game element. It's more like a puzzle. You are going to move pieces around, and try to build defenses, attacks, and more from various formations. You have both color and type of creature that are matchable. You can link some formations together, and more. It's an interesting puzzle that you have to unlock, all while your foe is doing the same. Creatures and walls block damage, and formations block more, and any left from an attack hits your foe.




Basically the game is adventuring and exploring, doing your main quest, picking up new monsters and reconfiguring your army between battles, and then purchasing ones that died back again (the bigger higher level ones have limited uses) and more. So it sort of has that puzzle, adventure, strategy, quest thing going for it. It's a solid game to get into. You can level up, gain XP and HP, find some items, and such. Different creatures may have different forms of attack, like freezing or leaving behind bones. Don't forget to cast some spells!

[Abe Sargent]

Alright let's get to the next echelon of video games, shall we?

[Abe Sargent]

#16. Craft the World
Dekovir Entertainment
2014
Strategy




68 hours. I have no idea what it is about this stupidly fun crafting game that pulls me in again and again. But it's a good game. 68 hours attests to that.

You have a handful of dwarves from whom you mine, gather resources, fight monsters, and build build build. After you build your way to a better you, the next thing on the queue is to delve in and around the area. Dig into the earth and fine ores of various metals, Stone, coal, and other resources like water, sand, roots, gems, and crystals.

All of these various resources can be used in different crafting recipes. Harvest wood, gather and get ready. You can cast spells yourself, and then make potions for your dwarves to use.



And then get ready to fight.


Every hour or so, a wave of undead spawns at night and you have to hold them off with your defenses. So the game turns into a bit of a tower defense concept then. How well did you build your defenses, traps, spikes, ranged weapons, and more? And then your folks will head out to attack as well.




Meanwhile you have to research up your stuff as well. How do you research tech? By building things that were unlocked with that techs. So, as an example, suppose you want to research and finish off Basic Lighting. You make torches. Eventually you've made enough torches that you finish that level off, and then you can advance to the next one. There are no research points or laboratory stations for research, or anything, you learn by doing - which makes perfect sense when you think about it.


Then you have to fight lots of folks outside of the basic night time hoards. Did you delve too far? Are there some goblins coming your way? Did some underground spiders hit you?


And you have to balance your handful of dwarves from crafting, fighting, gathering supplies, building, digging and exploring. That's a lot of balance. Meanwhile your dwarves have certain skills and tasks and jobs, and if you want to balance your community, then you can't have a bunch of fighters, but you need some degree of fighting in order to defeat the big nasty stuff you'll often run into. So that's another balancing thing as well. DO I have the right equipment for those roles that my dwarves have?





The result is a game that's both fun, and difficult at times. You need a lot of things to balance out, from food to beds, and from building to mining. They also keep adding new things to it as well, and just added a new world a few months ago, and now multiplayer. Good luck in crafting that world!

[Abe Sargent]

#15. To the Moon
Freebird Games
2011
Adventure




I don't know what to do with this game. I've had it as high as #3 on my list and as low as #15. I keep debating it over and over in my head. Is To the Moon even a game?


Using the RPG Maker software to make a decidedly non-RPG game isn't new. Horror games have been embracing that for a long time, and there's a large contingent of horror games from the RPG Maker. So getting a non-RPG from the software isn't unheard of. Doing a relatively non-game game certainly is.


To the Moon is a very short experience that's more art than video game. It takes roughly 3-4 hours to complete. There are some mock-video game moments, and a few items where you have to move around in order to find items that resonate with your location, and then assemble them with a puzzle.

So in that sense, I suppose To the Moon counts. Technically.


Now I'm am intentionally keeping this overview very very spoiler free. If you are thinking of picking up To the Moon and trying it out, then don't look it up, don;t research it, and don't read the wikipedia page. Just grab it and commit. Commit




For me it was one of the most visceral and moving experiences in video gaming in the last 5-6 years. That experience makes this thing hit my chart so easily that I thought it might wind up in the top 5 . I dropped it a bit on reflection, but it's still good. (now even though I had it as high as #3, it won't get near my top 2. Both of those games are go good that they are in contention for my top 10 overall video games of all time, and are definite entries for #20) the music from this indy number is so startlingly good that I picked up the soundtrack. It's a good game.

[Abe Sargent]

#14. Shadowrun Returns
Harebrained Schemes
2013
RPG




The last few years has been one of the high water marks for RPGs to my mind. We've had numerous great RPGs, many of which are success stories from ye old Kickstarter. Yay RPGs!


Frankly, the rebooted and redone Shadowrun series, starting with this one and moving through the Dragonfall and Hong Kong is a pretty strong entry in the overall Shadowrun series.




There's not a lot that I can tell you that most of the people on the board don't already know about the game. It's a flavorful look at a future in which a strong cyberpunk future where science fiction and fantasy have blended together. Guns and dragons, lasers and fireballs.


There are a variety of aspects of the game that are pretty interesting, like the decker, which I found to be pretty interesting. Those sorts of ways to push past a normal group of characters and to embrace something new and different in really interesting.



Now I certainly wish that the game was longer. My first playthrough was just 13 hours. But we have lots more Shadowrun rocking the block in the Workshop as well as various expansions of a standalone nature that have followed. But Returns is a Return that heralds many other.



Run some shadows, deck some machines, and welcome back!

[Abe Sargent]

#13. Invisible, Inc
Klei Entertainment
2015
Turn Based Strategy




Oh yes. Turn Based squad and movement and such became areal thing in the post-XCom gaming world. Some games got it right by ditching the sci fi and such and hitting up the tactics from another angle (like Jagged Alliance 2). Other games will hew a lot more closely to the influential and popular games.



What sets Invisible, Inc apart from a lot of the pack is the simple fact that they game is both well designed for tactics, and there are a lot of options, a good UI< and yet its pretty simple and elegant. a lot of games forget to really focus on the UI and wind with with a clunky mess. (Like Jagged Alliance, Flashback).

This game is set in the future, with a strong cyperpunk feel. Quite ironic given the game that just hit before. But it's just sci-fi, no major elements of fantasy. Anyways, you are a private intelligence agency, and someone has just burned all of your assets. Your AI will expire after 72 hours, so you have to prepare and launch your mission, to find out what happened, and to gather needed supplies, intel, and more.




Of course you'll need to level up different agents, and get the right boosts and supplements and mods. Armor and weapons? Check.



The result is a turn based game that actually has stealth elements to it as well. That's a pretty interesting addition. For example, the UI shows the way guards are facing, and which squares are covered. The fusion of a real time stealth genre with the mechanics of a turn based one actually work quite well, and the game is strengthened as a result. If you've never heard of Invisible Inc, well, then get ready for fun time. THere was a new DLC released last month which is pretty kicking as well.

Stealth on!

[Abe Sargent]

#12. The Banner Saga
Stoic
2014
Tactical RPG





There have certainly been good quality tactical RPGs in the past. Games like Final fantasy Tactics come to mind pretty quickly. The Banner Saga is a great entry point into that world if you are looking for something new, and another strong element if you are already used to it. So if you've been living under a collectively large rock, lets briefly discuss the game.



The Banner Saga is a story set in the Norse Inspired world that is very well fleshed out, very flavorful, and was done intentionally in order to avoid the normal fantasy tropes and norms, and instead stick with the new world. The game itself features a variety of characters and players that you move across a battlefield whenever combat is dictated by your explorations or the script You have to move around and control the map in a turn based field.




The game's mechanics are strong, the story is very well done, and the flavor is a real hit. As a result, the game hits a lot of lot of good things for you. Again, no real spoilers, but get ready for a nice ride.


In case you were wondering why you had never heard of Stoic Software, that's because it was formed by three developers from a major game studio (BioWare) who wanted to take their craft and create their own games. and it worked, you can see the expertise of the game's designers everywhere here. I love the art of the world in particular.







Saga Time has Arrived!

[Izulde]

I've said it before. I'll say it again. To The Moon made me literally cry my damn eyes out, which is the only video game to ever make me do that.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I've said it before. I'll say it again. To The Moon made me literally cry my damn eyes out, which is the only video game to ever make me do that.

I hear ya, Planetarian is another.


Let's do #11 before bed, and then leave the Top Ten for laters

[Abe Sargent]

#11. Divinity: Original Sin
Larian Studios
2014
Single Player-Ish RPG





Yet another kickstarter success story, this crowdfunded RPG is a giant step forward from a lot of angles, from doing a great job of marrying cooperative play to having good single player stuff too. I'll be honest with you. I'm not really the fondest person of a typical MMORPG. Don't get me wrong, one of my Top Three games of all time was Ultima Online, and you have Guild War sin there too, but UO was unique for a large number of reasons, and GW as well. I played in a lot of MMORPGS during the day, City of Heroes, WOW, Everquest, Ascheron's Call, GW2, shoot even Age of Wushu. But for the most part, it's tricky to find the right balance,because I don't like being forced to player with others if I don't want to. Sometimes I just want to head out and do stuff on my own, you know?




I can play real life joystick jockey games still, but I don't get as much enjoyment out of them as I used too. I find turn-based game systems much easier to get into, and they tend to be significantly stronger as well. So I like a turn based game like D: OS. (For the same reason. I never play a game like Rebuild 3. mentioned above, in real time, I just go to turn based immediately upon starting a new city. You'll notice that I have a strong predilection for games that have strategic based combat like Heroes of Might and Magic, XCom, Jagged Alliance, Master of Magic, The Banner Saga, King's Bounty, Clash of Heroes, etc.)


That always has worked for me.

I won;t belabor it overly much, and I think most people here are either players of the game or wish they were. Now the game certainly is not perfect. There are reasons it falls out side of the top ten like, *cough* bad pacing at times or some at-times-funky UI. And I'm glad I play a lot of RPGS cause there is a lack of getting you familiar with the game. But it's pretty, engaging, and a very interesting world to explore.




Despite the fact that I have a number of RPGs in my list, we don''t have as many in the Top 10. Just one is a traditional Western RPG, and another a traditional Japanese one, with others that have a different style of RPG-ish game. The other 8 aren't even smelling RPG. While I do think we were in a bit of an 3rd RPG golden era, (the first in the 80s, the 2nd in the late 90s) there are a lot of other game genres out there too. So the RPGs will be taking a *bit* of a rest. Ish. Which ones will make the cut? What are my Top Ten games I played in the last 5+ years?

[Abe Sargent]

#10. Bravely Default
3DS
Square Enix
2012 (North America 2014)
RPG




Happy Sunday All! Are you ready for my Jags to beat the Saints? I certainly hope so!

Remember how I mentioned that I had a traditional Japanese RPG in my Top 10? A classic, no-surprise-to-anyone game that is designed by a major company, and which has had a bit of a Renaissance lately. Well here we go.


Say hello to Bravely Default.



Before, Square Enix was more interested in either acquiring game companies and their own hit series and using them (like Eidos Interactive or Taito) and then milking their own major brands with the Nth version of something like Dragon Quest or FF that needs to really take a break. But they've had a few recent hits, and this one is a serious throwback to the golden days of their RPG goodness when they were at the top of their game.

Back in Final Fantasy's glory days, what where the things to remember the most? Turn based combat rather than real time? Each game had its own funky Magic/mana/special attacks system you had to figure out? Each character was their own class? Funky combination attacks? Cut scenes? Different occupations and jobs? Just three save slots to keep you from over use? A bunch of weapons and armor to figure out?






Bravely Default was an attempt to give Japanese RPG games a new jolt and to be the spiritual successor to both the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy lines. What worked best in both? How can we tap into that?




For example, Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior in the states) was created for Japan only. The game series is never watered down for Europe/USA tastes. Even later versions of the series are distinctly in the Japanese gaming style. Bravely Default is very similar.


And then they pushed the idea forward considerably with a new slate of great characters, concepts, world, and more. A sequel is already out in Japan, and will arrive here in 2016.

[Abe Sargent]

I'm going to edit the Rebuild and add in a bunch more, since I have been playing it again after writing this up and renewing my interest Then I'll hit up #9 all before my Jags/Saints game starts.

[Abe Sargent]

#9. Papers, Please
Lucas Pope
2013
Puzzle Simulation



Can you imagine what it must have been like to pitch this game? Well, it's set in a fictional nation behind the Red Curtain during the Cold War. And then you are playing the role of a recently appointed border official who sits at the border looking at passports and then deciding who is and is not approved.


So it's like Bureaucrat Tycoon. And as much fun as people have playing Roller Coaster Tycoon, Railroad Tycoon or Zoo Tycoon, I don't think they are lining up to play the role of some random bureaucrat. Sound like fun?





Then you get scored based on how accurately you only allowed the right passports and entrants into Arstotzka. And based on your score, you get paid. That money then pays for your daily budget of food, shelter, bills, and such for your family.

So it really becomes more of a boring, real life simulator. As the game's timeline progresses, more and more technology is used for the border points. Meanwhile some try to bribe their way into the country and you have people you missed coming in and bombing the place or causing a ruckus. And the government is very much anti-you if you screw up. And you can't make the budget if you fail at the border, and you'll lose your job very quickly.


How do you pitch that game? What publisher would stick their neck out for Papers, Please?




But it's a game that is evocative, moody, and very disturbing at times. It's creepy, eerie, and not in a "horror motif" sense, but instead in an "I'm about to lose my job on day 6 of me having it!"


I still remember my first playthrough. I was finishing up day 2 and wondering what all of the fuss was about and why the game came heavily favored One mistake in my judgement led some guy through who pulled out a gun and starting shooting folks, and I just was in a "holy crap!" mood. The rules changed for admission after that failure on my part and the game became harder. The rules shift, and I have to get in as many people as possible as accurately as I can in the 10 minute day, cause I need that money for my family!




Glory to Arstotzka!

[Abe Sargent]

#8. Banished
Shining Rock Software
2014
Simulation



Let's do another Top 10 game while the football day is rolling. Back to back we'll have 2 games that have just a single designer - a rarity this day. (And this won't be the last single designer game on our list either.)




Banished is a very smooth simulator of a town builder. Due to playing it intently here together, I doubt that many here need a major introduction to it. As of today, I've dropped 73.7 hours into it. That's a pretty potent amount of play.

I've picked up the game a few times, and played with new mods. Everyone mentioned that the game would be even better with Workshop, and they were right. One set of mods (Colonial Charter) in particular has given the game 2nd and 3rd life. You can check out their website for more info, Colonial Charter - Colonial Charter : A Banished Mod



And yet the initial game is still pretty solid. It's pretty, solid, strong, and most of all? Extremely smooth. I've never had any crashes, any bugs, or any problems. It's the sort of game that shames a lot of other major titles that can't get their act together. It was a labor of love for years, and I'm happy to ward that labor with my Top 10 rating.


Banished is lovely simulator of building a small town. Now it doesn't try to add in research across different eras or to have you build a great sprawling city that sports a SimCity-esque megapolis. And that's okay, It doesn't have to. It's fine as is.



Banished works.

[Abe Sargent]

#7. Plants vs Zombies
PopCap Games
2009
Tower Defense



PopCap Games is the studio that Bejeweled put on the map in a major, major way. And it gave this small Indie studio a lot of cash. So it began to get aggressive, releasing other casual games, and buying up smaller game studios.

It's no wonder that PopCap Games would be gobbled by the big Electronic Arts in 2011. They set that stage. (and ironically the creator of PvZ would be let go by EA the following year. Don't ever get purchased by EA folks)


So let's take a look at PvZ, arguably one of the most popular casual games published from 2009-2015



Everyone here knows the game. Did you know that it was specifically designed to be deep enough for serious gaming fans but also accessible as well? Did you know that the game did a lot of testing in order to tease out all of the issues and quirks?


Did you know that the game has been so popular it rolled over into other aspects of society, such as this Halloween video from Dentists to the recent commercial for Chevrolet traverse making the rounds on TV.






Although it was primarily designed by one employee, he kept coming back to the studio on a weekly basis to have them look at changes and updates he had made and to continue to make and improve the game.


Did you know that a major influence of the game was Magic: the Gathering and in response they made a card back? (it's called Grave Bramble -http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=229964)


The game takes the very common Desktop Tower defense theme and changes it up with quirky art and a fun set of concepts, as well as the bowling alley lanes of attack.



So when I got my iPad a couple of years ago, the very first thing that I did was download PvZ II, the sequel. And let me tell you, it was really disappointing. Insert sad face here.



Anyways, will this be the highest charting casual game on our list? I guess we'll find out soon enough!

[Abe Sargent]

#6. The World Ends With You
Square Enix
2008
Action with RPG Elements



Let's get this one knocked out of the way now, so we only have Top 5 left.

If I had told you that Square Enix was going to get a game to the 6 spot, you might assume that Bravely Default was the title in question. If that's the case then get ready for The World Ends With You



As I mentioned earlier, we've had a bit of a rebirth of new stuff from S-E. And they get this hit in my countdown as a result, and two in my top ten. I picked up The World Ends With You from Amazon around a year and a half ago or so. I was looking for highly reviewed games that might get me out of my video gaming funk. This (as well as 999 above) struck my fancy enough to pick up and get some serious play.


In my opinion, it's the 2nd best handheld game I've played since I've done the last countdown back in early 2009. The other one is hitting #3. I don't think you'll guess it, but after seeing it, I think you won't really question it. You'll get it.


Anyways, back to The World Ends With You. Already in progress. It's sold about 500k - 600k titles I think, so it's not a game that's been unheard of, but I do think it went under the radar so to speak.


This game, well received by American critics and such, really does reach outside of the normal Kingdom Hearts, FF, DQ, and even Bravely Default style of games. Forget that it won awards like DS game of the year by some folks, (IGN.com for example). I hadn't heard of it. Which makes me a sad Abe.



Have you ever played one of those games that has a lot of different things going on, and these different things all aren't super-mega-fleshed out, but they work together? This is a synergetic game with a variety of elements and they just click into place for me.


The game will just throw you into the actual game pretty quickly, with little conversations or character development. It's sink or swim time. With a dual battle screen featuring two people fighting, some mechanics like card game fighting, and more, it's conventionally unconventional. It has a solid plot, but nothing you can't expect from a JRPG, and it removes grinding from the process too, to focus on the game stuff.



It has a great soundtrack. Strong graphics. It's an aesthetic crowd-pleaser. Don't ignore these facts when looking at a game like this. These aren;t always hits for Square Enix games, as we already know. We've seen lots of games that were vaguely musical with dated graphics.

Now the game really fleshed out the city of Shibuya where it's set. For example, there are different districts. When you are in a district with a certain fashion style, if you are wearing that style or colors, or a brand name popular there, then your equipment is better and you get bonuses. That's just the sort of detail that takes an interested game and pushes it up for me.



It's kind of like a Bethesda game in one major way. There are a lot of things to do, and a lot of different mini-games and such. It's miles wide. But it's only a puddle deep, if that makes sense.

The World Ends With You. Unless you play the Reaper's Game...




Don't listen to me:

IGN?

Most gamers out there would probably agree that the world of role-playing games has been stuck in a specific rut for quite a while. We're not talking down on games like Fire Emblem and Advance Wars on DS (RPG-like tactical games), or the still-remarkable Final Fantasy series, but rather the hundreds upon hundreds of RPGs out there that don't dare to be different. We can understand a few "period piece" role-playing games, but does every story-heavy adventure out there need to revolve around swords, bows, magic, castles, and hoards of monsters emerging from some sort of ultimate evil? It's fine in moderation – and when done extremely well, games go beyond any preconceptions – but the RPG world could use a little kick in the pants to get it moving, and that's exactly what The World Ends With You is. Square Enix – more specifically Team Jupiter, the creators of Kingdom Hearts – has challenged every facet of the RPG genre, and the result is one of the best pocket games we've played in years, and one of the top DS experiences out there.

The World Ends With You Review - IGN


New York Times?

World is a remarkably deep and complex game. It is as though the designers sat around thinking of every possible feature you could have in a role playing game and then managed to squeeze them all in.

Log In - The New York Times


Gamespot?

Flawless presentation, gameplay depth, an engaging story, and innovation all add up to make The World Ends With You a worthy addition to the already-impressive pantheon of Square Enix works. There's very little to complain about in this package, which makes The World Ends With You a must-have for any DS owner needing an RPG fix.

Abnormal Traffic Detected

RPgamer? A bit more nuanced but still,

Though it's not perfect, one has to hand it to Square Enix for trying something truly different. While criticism abounds that the company has gotten stale and relies too much on ports and spin-offs, The World Ends With You proves that they are still coming up with fresh ideas, even if they don't pan out entirely as they might have planned. Regardless of its gameplay issues, TWEWY is a solid, fun game with an incredible story that is difficult to put down, and is certainly recommended to anyone looking for something different.

http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/n...rldstrev1.html


GamesRadar?

But Square Enix’s latest title not ending in “Hearts” or “Fantasy” literally drips style. The World Ends With You mixes graffiti-infused J-pop with Japanese youth culture in an alternate reality Shibuya, Tokyo, while introducing dual-screen combat to the DS. The experience is unlike anything we’ve played on the handheld and is as deep as RPGs come.

http://www.gamesradar.com/the-world-...th-you-review/


Hopefully the point was made

[Barkeep49]

I agree that PvZ2 was so disappointing. To what do you attribute that?

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

I agree that PvZ2 was so disappointing. To what do you attribute that?

I hear ya.

I think there were a few issues.

1). I don't think EA has cared about their IPs for a very long time. They were founded as a company to push video gaming artists and to give them the business models and destruction needed to succeed. But they became too big, and too focused on money instead of their original mission. That's not an issue, any company has the right to do that, and I won;t belabor folks with some anti-EA rant, because I;m not really that anti-EA anyway, but it's clear that their #1 priority is to make money. If they can do so with pissing folks off and keeping customers returning, then they will. But they are willing to go with a financial model that may not fit the design and concept. (cough, SimCity cough)

I don;t believe that PvZ as a causal game and what it does is good for the financial model they moved it to. The result is a game that loses some of its fun


2). I felt the game lost some of its balance for both casual and dedicated gamers. The original was carefully designed over years to hit both. They tested it to newer casual gamers and with gamers like you and me. And they made changes based on tests to make the best possible game. I think the sequel is missing that balance


3). The sequel also loses some of its soul. There were a lot of fun things about the first game, from jokes and moments of fun (remember the first time you fought against the latest variant of a zombie like the pole vaulter or disco zombie?) There were some strong "moments" and heart the original game had. The sequels lacked it.

4). This project was created and designed by George Fan, who was fired and was not involved in the sequel. I think that created a formula for failure from the very get go. In fact, PvZ was created by Fan before he even joined PopCap. They convinced him that it would be easier to develop his game in house than it develop it himself and then distribute with someone, like them. So after leaving Blizzard behind and going solo for a bit, he came to PopCap games and brought PvZ with him. And you fire him? And multiple offices and developers?


It feels to me a bit like XCom Terror from the Deep. You had a game single handedly developed by Julian Gallop who published it with MicroProse, then they made a sequel in house that wasn;t exactly good, and it wasn;t Gallop's vision for a sequel or where the game and series should go. The sequel lost its heart and soul. That happened with Star Control III or lots of other games as well where popular developers were let go and the studio made a sequel in house and totally lost perspective.




EDIT:

Just did some research and wow. I didn't realize the review copies were easier than the normal ones, or that the game has likely gotten harder since.



http://business.financialpost.com/fp..._lsa=17be-2b7b

[Abe Sargent]

So here's a quick teaser rundown of 5-1:

80 % are from Indy titles


The amazing relationship the top two games have their the fans will take EA look downright wowzers

I think some might think #5 is a bit overrated. But after seeing what I like in a game, won't be surmised that its there in my 25, just at 5

I think most people we be seriously that either if my top 2 games are my top two games. Both would make my Top 20 overall games of all time. (#2 would hit 9 on my chart and I'm not sol yet on where #1 would hit. It's possible that it could end up a little lower like #12 or something, or higher).



I doubt at least 2 games on my list will shock or surprise any one.

Genres for the top five? Action, Puzzle, RPG, Roguelikex2

That last one may have been a bit too much we'll

[Abe Sargent]

Before I get to the top 5 I want to give honorable spout outs to games that were good, were close, and were fun to play, but weren;t Top 25 matieral:



I have a really secret fondness for all things Hidden Object. Anyone following the Hidden Object subgenre of casual games knows just how adventure'y teh genre has become in the last four-five years. I have played more then 300 hidden object games in my life, and currently have, hold on, 23 on my machine. There are a few that really transcend the genre, like Pickers and Settlement: Colossus (my fav of all time). But the adventure/HO game series set in the Bermuda triangle called Hidden Expedition: Devil's Triangle is just a lot of fun.

I also love how so many women play those games that characters are almost unanimously women in the games, which is a nice change of pace from male-dominated video games. Trust me, the first time you play as a women in some major games, (cough KOTOR cough) and you see how ridiculous the gender problems are (they use the male pronoun to refer to you multiple ties despite your gender choice) i't's a nice change.



Special Homage to the Adelenato Trilogy, another high quality management series from the casual world

Endless Space and Endless Legend are fine and fun to play, thanks!

Smugglers 5 deserves a shoutout as another fun one-dev video game.

Princes Evangile for being one of the most interesting and out-of-nowhere really good storyline for a simple little Visual novel

Lords of Xulima is fine, but a bit too old school for my taste, and not refined enough to make the cut. I like my RPGs to know and be inspired by the past, and to not be defined by it. Don't let others define you; let them inspire you. But it's still a fun game.


But by far the closest game to making my list and it was on it for a while, is Card City Nights. I was initially #19, and then fell, and then fell again. It's around #28 or 30 or so in real life. It's a great game with a very fun CCG element that is used to resolve battles in the user-mode. That battle is very simple, but as you win, you acquire more cards and build your own deck.

Cities and Consirtium are good things too. And Elerium is fun if you want a modern game that throwbacks to the old wing Commander series.


Alright, let's move to the top five

[Abe Sargent]

#5. Sunless Sea
Failbetter Games
2014
Roguelike Naval Adventure



Yet another Kickstarter success, this game is just awesomely bizarre from a lot of angles:

1). The world is a alternate universe ancient London and nearby areas that fell from above ground to a great giant, underground sea

2). That world, the Unterzee, and Fallen London, is inspired by Cthulthu mythos stuff, and is in a Mythos-esque universe

3). The game is a naval adventure that puts you at the helm of an ancient and hoary steamboat.

4). You fight against other creatures in the Unterzee by maneuvering around and firing at them. With weapons.

5). You collect a variety of allies and NPCs for various roles on your boat, and some of them are....well to say seedy would be fluffing them up a bit.

6). You choose a destiny at the beginning of the game and then try to fulfill it.

7). In traditional RPG style gaming, you gain stuff, money, and crew.

8). You choose the game you want to play. There are a few runs you can do to make some money running cargo from one place to another. But fuel, repairs, and food for your ship and crew can be pretty pricey.

9). The game is pretty hard on you, and has perma-death normally enabled. (You can turn it off). There have been times I have done a cargo run, purchased a bunch of stuff, finished a quest and gotten my quest reward, and then only to have lost money after refitting and repairing my ship

10). This game takes its time. It's not some quick and fast game. You move and fight with enough time to get things working and to prevent issues.






That's a pretty odd set of stuff for the game. And it's a fun game. The flavor for this game is just outstanding. Sunless Sea has some of the best writing of any game I've ever played period.


And Flavor? It's oozing with it from every single tentacle. From the squid like humanoids to various eldritch additions to your crew, and yourself, it's good. In various ports you have people, quests, exploring, allies, enemies, and more. From stores to upgrade your ship or to purchase new ones, to buying and picking up some stuff for your crew and officers, there's a lot to do. Make sure to keep your terror levels as low as possible too, by the by...



Get ready for a creepy, fun, slow-paced, game that really pushes Roguelike games to the next level in my mind.

[Abe Sargent]

#4. Pillars of Eternity
Obsidian Entertainment
2015
RPG





Ah yes, Pillars of Eternity. One of the most successful Kickstarter games of all time. Everyone knows Pillars. And it's my favorite (traditional) RPG of the last 5 years.

I adore Pillars.





Deep.





Compelling.






Story-driven






Characterization





Intricate






Majestic






Remember when I mentioned above that I like it when an RPG is inspired by the past rather than overly beholden to it? Lord of Xulima could learn that lesson from this game. It revels in the old stuff while also moving forward and fixing some of the problems of the old school games it evokes. It's good stuff.


I doubt many of you are surprised to see Pillars here.

[JAG]

Tried to slip a BG2 pic in there I see. (3rd from the bottom, Waukeen's Promenade).

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by JAG

Tried to slip a BG2 pic in there I see. (3rd from the bottom, Waukeen's Promenade).

Shhh......






It's hard to find images that are small enough to make the cut. I have a modern size screen, with a large space for the larger images, but i know that a lot of you don't, and I don't want to make a bigger image that causes problems. So I had one, and then I cut it for another, and then another and the BG one must have come from a batch of Pillars images I was trying out and were small enough to fit without me noticing.

[Barkeep49]

Thanks for the backstory on Fan. I didn't know any of it, interesting stuff. I always enjoyed this "dynasty" because we place pretty different weights on what elements are important. I think your priorities are pretty similar to my brothers so I should get him to read this.

[Abe Sargent]

#3. Scribblenauts
5th Cell
2009
DS
Puzzle


Alright let's knock off #3, the highest charting non-Indy game, one of the most clever, original, and fun concepts in gaming in recent memory....



Scribblenauts!


So, if you are unfamilar with the premise, it's pretty simple. You need to get through certain levels, and acquire a star. Each level has various obstacles, people, animals, water, walls, or whatever in your way. You type in a noun and the game creates that object. Then you use that object to complete the task.


That's the basic game in summation. It's a lot more complex than that, but the basic is you entering a noun, the game makes it, and then you use it.




First off, the game's database of nouns is extremely intense. It's rare that I type in a noun and it's not in there. The game gives you more points for using different objects on various sages. So if I want to make, equip, and then use a handheld weapon, I can type in sword, katana, scimitar, epee, foil, saber, and such.


You can make tools. Want to dig? Shovel, hoe, jackhammer and more are all available. You can make a vehicle that can be operated, like car, bicycle, or backhoe and dig that way. You can move around in different ways (other than your normal walking) with wings, hot air balloon and such. Helicopter? Jetpack? Teleporter? Submarine?

Make a suit of armor and don it to prevent damage from something. Take a tool to cut down a tree like a chainsaw or hatchet.

Or you an improve the dungeon with walls, ladders, ramps, bridges, and doors to get you where you need.

You can create power and light up something. Tie something to you with rope, cord, or chains. Connect that rope to the star and something else.




There are so many different options for getting to the star. Go through an obstacle, go over, go under, or remove it entirely. You can summon an enemy to fight on your behalf, like sharks or dinosaurs.

And then there are a variety of levels where there is no physical star and you have to do something else, like make someone happy. Something like that.

The game is a genuinely amazing investment of your time. It rewards thinking outside the box, coming up with alternate methods of achieving your goal, and more.



Take this example. Maybe you need to move a cow from one side of the map to another. How do you it? What obstacles are in the way? Maybe you can make a helicopter, and some rope. Tether the cow to the helicopter with the rope. Put yourself in the vee, and fly over everything and drop the cow off. Or you can simple create some enticing food like hay and lure the cow over to the other side. Perhaps you make a wolf costume and then put it on and scare the cow into moving over. Maybe you launch the cow out of a great cannon. You get the idea. Your imagination is the only limit to the game.

And these levels tend to increase as you move in difficulty. Protect the sandwich from the ants. Save the kitten from the tree, etc.


It's incredible.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Thanks for the backstory on Fan. I didn't know any of it, interesting stuff. I always enjoyed this "dynasty" because we place pretty different weights on what elements are important. I think your priorities are pretty similar to my brothers so I should get him to read this.

And that's healthy!

[JAG]

Cool, never heard of that one. I'd love to play that with my kids and see what kind of solutions they come up with.