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Post by Sarge on Dec 21, 2020 21:54:42 GMT -5
Ex : Yeah, I've always heard that the series has very good writing and whatnot. Definitely a good choice. toei : I ended up enjoying the plot of Alundra 2 as well once I adjusted to the Saturday morning cartoon vibe. Much as Mega Man Legends has, too. And I mean, a lot of video games don't even hit that level - MML is like a good Saturday morning cartoon. I'd totally watch a series based on it. Xeogred : I still have an unfinished playthrough of Command Mission. Might be a good one for a Gamecube month, although it was on PS2 as well.
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Post by paulofthewest on Dec 22, 2020 18:14:16 GMT -5
I do think of MML as an ARPG as well. Ya Xeogred, we ganged up on you =P<br><br>As for best story, I can only think of the first Diablo. When I played as a kid, I liked the story-telling form Cain and the way the protagonist had to taken it upon himself to continue the fight against Diablo at the end.<br><br>That said, I'm a little low on the number ARPGs I've played.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 22, 2020 18:22:18 GMT -5
Yeah, I can see how Mega Man Legends counts in the end, along with Vagrant Story. How about Parasite Eve then? I haven't finished it but always hear great things about it as a whole. The world/characters definitely seems good from what I've played.
For newer stuff, I think Demon's Souls is certainly an ARPG, but for something more direct story heavy, the original Nier is from 2010 so it fits here too. If you play beyond the first scenario though, you end up seeing it's one of the most depressing games ever.
I think Nier has better characters than the newer Automata, though that could be by design in a way with Automata leaning more into existential sci-fi themes that I love (one of the games to give me some Xenogears-like vibes). It's surprisingly somewhat optimistic in the tail end in ways too. But not so much in Nier. That game has incredible storytelling and characters. So I highly recommend it, maybe the upcoming remaster will give it a second chance... however this was one of those games where the Western version had a completely different main character. The gruff dad Gestalt for the West and the bishounen brother for the East. I'll probably check out the remaster and see how it is but honestly, I think in this case the father figure role fit the story perfectly. The localization was excellent too along with the dub.
I feel like only Ex here would maybe give this one a shot and like it.
(* I still like Automata more as a whole in a lot of ways, but yeah down to characters, the original Nier wins for me).
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Post by Sarge on Dec 22, 2020 18:49:45 GMT -5
Oh, right, yeah, that's a good call. I always hear that's got a great story, too.
Also, I should probably go ahead and clarify that both ARPGs and "action adventures" are both fair game, so it's not precluding games that still feel like they fit in the ARPG category but might be missing some elements that some think are needed (i.e. leveling). So games like Zelda or Landstalker are still fair game.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 22, 2020 18:54:24 GMT -5
Also, I should probably go ahead and clarify that both ARPGs and "action adventures" are both fair game, so it's not precluding games that still feel like they fit in the ARPG category but might be missing some elements that some think are needed (i.e. leveling). So games like Zelda or Landstalker are still fair game. I jest. But I'm definitely that guy on this debate. - I guess that adds up with me not really thinking of MML for this right away either. Even though I'm pretty sure you see damage numbers and stats to an extent... I think that's what my silly brain requires to give it the RPG tag, I need numbers!
Zelda II is pure unadulterated RPG for sure though.
But yeah I guess for the record, Zelda's with the best stories... I'd say:
Link's Awakening Ocarina of Time (bit of a retread of LTTP but certainly fleshes things and the characters out more, so I'll give OoT the edge!)
Twilight Princess Skyward Sword
Need to replay Majora's Mask and the two Oracle games for a refresher, but I think those are some of the stronger ones in this department too probably. And I guess to be fair to Wind Waker, I do like its story and take on Ganon a fair bit, it's just everything else around it that brings that one down too much for me.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 22, 2020 19:15:45 GMT -5
Yeah, I agree that those Zelda games have pretty solid stories for the series. I think Skyward Sword is pretty underrated in that regard - and I didn't mind Fi at all.
Link's Awakening contains one of the most melancholic endings out there. I still adore the game. I also still think the GB/GBC version is better than the Switch remake.
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Post by toei on Dec 22, 2020 19:35:23 GMT -5
Parasite Eve's great strength is atmosphere, and the writing contributes to that. In the end the core sci-fi concept of it is crazy, but it's still kind of a cool idea, and it came from the original novel, anyway.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 22, 2020 19:36:43 GMT -5
Yeah, forgot to comment on PE. Definitely a game with excellent atmosphere. I enjoyed it way more than I expected to coming into it.
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Post by Xeogred on Dec 22, 2020 19:43:26 GMT -5
Yeah, I agree that those Zelda games have pretty solid stories for the series. I think Skyward Sword is pretty underrated in that regard - and I didn't mind Fi at all. Link's Awakening contains one of the most melancholic endings out there. I still adore the game. I also still think the GB/GBC version is better than the Switch remake. Finally, I can sleep in peace tonight. That was one of those innocent experiences of loving the game and having no issue Fi, until I ventured back out into the internet. But yeah, the story/characters in Skyward Sword was stellar. BoTW was pretty weak in this department and I thought it was extra potent naturally comparing it to Skyward Sword's story in my mind, since it was the last big Zelda game prior.
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Post by Sarge on Dec 22, 2020 19:51:15 GMT -5
It's really hard for me to be objective about that game. Still my favorite Zelda - the perfect middle ground between the sublime LttP and the original game. Amazing that they managed to fit such a masterpiece on the Game Boy.
If they do a remaster of Skyward Sword, I will be there. Structurally, while it isn't the most balanced game in the series, the "oops, all dungeons!" approach gives me more of my favorite part of the series than any other in the series. Really funny how it basically shot the other direction with Breath of the Wild... but that was also fantastic, and really, it wasn't wanting in the dungeon category either, it was just chopped up differently.
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