Okay, so time to address something I've been pushing off for a while. Top 10 games. Most of these are RPGs.
10. Mass Effect Trilogy - Nah, not going to choose between them. The first one was a brilliant RPG. Second one wasn't as good in RPG elements, but had great characters and much refined gameplay. And the third one was overall a better version of the second, but then it ruined everything with a terrible ending.
9. Master of Orion 2 - The best 4X game of all time, in my opinion. If you enjoy games like Civilization, but want to take over a galaxy, instead of a planet, this is the game for you. Some of the most fun tech and race options I've ever seen. Fantastic leader system and other mechanics. I really wish we could get a good sequel to this game. Because Master of Orion 3 was one of the worst sequels of all time and basically killed the series.
8. Fire Emblem: Awakening - This game actually surpassed Blazing Blade for me, just because of how many good quality of life features it had. It's not perfect, not by a long shot. It's map design is sub par and its characters don't live up to the cast of Blazing Blade in my opinion. But I'd rather go back and play Awakening again because it just plays so well. As soon as we get an Echoes of Elibe remake that uses the modern engine and conveniences to remake Blazing Blade, though? This game is off the list.
7. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - This game is great. I can, and have, written essays for fun just because of how good this game is. There's a ton of content, fantastic characters, a great plot, actually well developed morality conflicts, a brilliant job system, a lovely soundtrack, and great tactical gameplay. Great game, and Ivalice is a brilliant world.
6. Shining Force 2 - While the original's darker tone appeals to some, the sprite work and mechanical improvements from the sequel mean that I wind up going back to SF2 far more often than I do the original. If you consider Golden Sun a fusion of Final Fantasy style combat and exploration with Legend of Zelda puzzles, Shining Force is a combination of Fire Emblem style combat with Final Fantasy style exploration and dialogue. And Shining Force vastly outstrips Fire Emblem in quality because of it, in my opinion (and I am a huge Fire Emblem fan, I'm not knocking FE here). I just wish Camelot and Intelligent Systems could team up to make a new game in the series.
5. Bravely Default - This game is brilliant. How the heck Square managed to make an RPG this brilliant while their corporate suits seem to hate traditional JRPGs and turn based combat as much as they do is beyond me. It has an amazing soundtrack, brilliant mechanics, great characters, a good story, and the single greatest moment of gameplay and story integration I've ever seen in a game. Unfortunately, I basically can't discuss this game at all, because literally everything is a spoiler. The NAME of the game itself is TWO DIFFERENT SPOILERS.
4. Persona 3 - This game has some pacing issues, the dungeon design is a little lackluster, and Strega (while great characters) could maybe fit better. Literally everything else about it is brilliant. It's a fantastic work of literature, exploring a psychological concept in one of the best and most thorough ways I've ever seen. It manages to tie every aspect of the game in to its central theme. Music, characters, plot, sidequests. Everything reflects a different aspect of the core concept, and it just works amazingly. I wish we had a Golden version of this game. If they remade it with the sort of job they did on Persona 5, this game could challenge my number one. Memento Mori.
3. Rune Factory 3 - When developing Rune Factory for the anniversary of Harvest Moon, series producer Yashimoto Hirofumi said: “I want to create a small but rich microcosm in the DS, where every single person’s lives shine like jewels in a treasure box.” Rune Factory 3 is the game where I feel this goal was achieved. Every day, every character has new lines, and their own schedules. When they meet their friends, their dialogue changes to have interactions. A huge variety of quests and content. This is a game that anyone who likes Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley NEEDS to play. And demand MARVELOUS make more.
2. Golden Sun + Golden Sun: The Lost Age - I consider these two as one game. I had a link cable and two GBAs when I played it, and I got them both together (about the time The Lost Age came out). So it was one big experience for me. I played this game so much, it actually dragged down my academics (though I did learn a lot from the experience). Weyard is an amazing world, and one that I can't wait to go back to.
1. Chrono Trigger - Simply the best game ever created. Hands down, bar none. Fantastic mechanics, great story, amazing characters, gorgeous art, brilliant soundtrack... This game is just wonderful.
He was probably talking a bout a psynergy that lifts the character him/herself, not an object
I've thought about using Lift as a recovery move, before. Just have Isaac stand on a boulder as it's Lifted up.