What Game Should I Get?

[Chief Mendez]

I think what I'm trying to say, and probably failling, is that Super Mario RPG is a Mario game that happens to be an RPG whereas Sonic Chronicles is an RPG...that happens to have Sonic characters.

Spoiler

That's perfect right there. And in both cases, there are better RPGs you could play instead...but SMRPG has that Mario edge to it, which is what makes it so awesome for so many people.

Sonic Chronicles doesn't have any edge like that, so unless you're in it just to see Sonic characters in an RPG, skip it.

Spoiler

 

[Sensai]

I actually --Oh, sorry.

Spoiler

 

[JustNoOne]

Anyone has Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility? Pros and Cons to it please.

I wanna get it but everyone keeps saying it sucks... and I'm a diehard fan of Harvest Moon.

 

[Frown]

All right, my friend has allowed me to borrow a handful of games from his enormous Gamecube library. Which ones should I choose? (Don't ask if he owns [game] or not, he probably does)

EDIT: Btw, I have none.

 

[Sensai]

@ JustNoOne: I honestly can't help you. The last Harvest Moon game I played was on the GBA. :-/

@ Frown: Since you have none, you have a LOT of catching up to do:

Must Play
-----------
Pikmin
Metroid Prime
Zelda: Wind Waker
Fire Emblem (if you're into Tactical RPGs)
Animal Crossing (if you're into this)
Eternal Darkness
Resident Evil 4

Should Play
-------------
Super Monkey Ball 2
Killer 7
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Soul Caliber II
Resident Evil (the remake)
Resident Evil 0
Beyond Good and Evil (assuming you haven't played it elsewhere)
Super Mario Sunshine

 

[Chief Mendez]

Anyone has Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility? Pros and Cons to it please.

I wanna get it but everyone keeps saying it sucks... and I'm a diehard fan of Harvest Moon.

Tree of Tranquility does suck. If you can find Magical Melody, pick that up--it's the best Harvest Moon since Back to Nature on the PSX.

Tree of Tranquility just offers nothing new, except for the motion controls, which honestly, I feel, actually detract from the experience, tacked on like they are. If you're looking for a fun HM game, try either the aforementioned Magical Melody, or the Rune Factory spin-off games.

All right, my friend has allowed me to borrow a handful of games from his enormous Gamecube library. Which ones should I choose? (Don't ask if he owns [game] or not, he probably does)

To add to everything Sensai suggested...

Pikmin
Metroid Prime
Zelda: Wind Waker
Fire Emblem (if you're into Tactical RPGs)
Animal Crossing (if you're into this)
Eternal Darkness
Resident Evil 4
>Viewtiful Joe
>Tales of Symphonia
>Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (assuming he has the bongo controller)
>F-ZERO GX

Should Play
-------------
Super Monkey Ball 2
Killer 7
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Soul Caliber II
Resident Evil (the remake)
Resident Evil 0
Beyond Good and Evil (assuming you haven't played it elsewhere)
Super Mario Sunshine
>Luigi's Mansion
>Wario World
>Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2
>Skies of Arcadia Legends

...There are others, but those are the Gamecube-specific titles that are in my collection that are clearly visible from my seat on my couch.

 

[The Executive]

Must Play
-----------
Pikmin
Metroid Prime
Zelda: Wind Waker
Fire Emblem (if you're into Tactical RPGs)
Animal Crossing (if you're into this)
Eternal Darkness
Resident Evil 4

Should Play
-------------
Super Monkey Ball 2
Killer 7
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Soul Caliber II
Resident Evil (the remake)
Resident Evil 0
Beyond Good and Evil (assuming you haven't played it elsewhere)
Super Mario Sunshine

Luigi's Mansion
Naruto: GNT2

Naruto: GNT3 (if you have an AR/Freeloader)
Naruto: GNT4 (enough changes between games to recommend both of these)
MGS: Twin Snakes
Zelda: Collector's Edition
Zelda: OOT + MQ
Zelda: FSA
Custom Robo
F-ZERO GX
Sonic Adv. 2 Battle

Those I own and can all vouch for as amazing titles, and the RE games + Paper Mario 2 are also great.

 

[DUB]

RE 4- Amazing game. Played through several times on Wii and Cube.
Luigi's Mansion- One of the best Cube games ever.
Super Mario Sunshie
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - to show you how beastly Ike really is.
Mario Kart: Double Dash
Metroid Prime 1 but especially METROID PRIME 2: ECHOES- best Metroid game ever.

 

[Bowser King]

Pokemon coliseum/gale of darkness -(not bad but if your into pokemon you should be able to forgive some things)
Melee (one of the best games...ever)
Star fox assault/adventures

5 games that are also good (for melee=amazing )

-Bowser King

 

[LordoftheMorning]

I'd like to get something from the Fire Emblem series. I have a Wii and a DS Lite. Which title should I get?

Oh, and what is animal crossing even about? I keep judging that game by its cover.

 

[Sensai]

@ LordoftheMorning: I'd personally recommend the Gamecube Fire Emblem game...although the name escapes me. Is it Path of Radiance? I think that's right.

And Animal Crossing is pretty much a life simulator. You buy a house, and then you do odd jobs, that you choose, to pay it off. It sounds simple...and, well, I guess it is. But it's a ton of fun. Lots and lots of fun.

-=-=-

Serious matter, gentlemen: I have discovered that my roommate did not own a SNES, and thus never played any of the amazing games from it. I've got him working on Super Metroid and soon afterwards SMRPG...but I need more. Thoughts?

 

[Pas]

Get him onto some classic platformers: DKC2, Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island. Also, Megaman X is fantastic.

Also give Starwing (starfox for you non-pal dudes) a whirl, though this may not have aged gracefully. Get him to stop with Super Mario RPG if he's ever played any of the other Mario RPGs. Huge waste of time. Instead go Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past.


I dunno though man. Going backwards with consoles is hard. If you weren't there it's hard to gain a complete understanding of why what he's playing is meaningful, especially if he isn't having fun with it.

 

[Sensai]

He's really enjoying Super Metroid. He's played Super Mario World/LttP due to the fact that it came out on the GBA.

I'm thinking that Starfox will have aged poorly, but I'll likely show it to him. And I'm getting him to play SMRPG simply because I like it. :-D

 

[Pas]

Oh, ok. Sorry, I'm kind of anti-SMRPG, as it didn't live up to the pure torrent of awesome that was Mario and Luigi: Partners in Time. I can imagine myself liking it if I hadn't played that one.

Err.. Got a copy of Terranigma handy?

 

[Darkwashu]

@ LordoftheMorning: I'd personally recommend the Gamecube Fire Emblem game...although the name escapes me. Is it Path of Radiance? I think that's right.

And Animal Crossing is pretty much a life simulator. You buy a house, and then you do odd jobs, that you choose, to pay it off. It sounds simple...and, well, I guess it is. But it's a ton of fun. Lots and lots of fun.

-=-=-

Serious matter, gentlemen: I have discovered that my roommate did not own a SNES, and thus never played any of the amazing games from it. I've got him working on Super Metroid and soon afterwards SMRPG...but I need more. Thoughts?

Chrono Trigger...

Also, I ended up getting Kirby for the DS, and I remember Chief talkign about that Etrian Odyssey, and I saw the Sequel.

Despite the GOD FOASJDFPAOSFNDSLPFSD amount of grinding in it, im enjoying it.

 

[Chief Mendez]

@The Executive: If the guy can play Naruto 4...then just play Naruto 4 and nothing else. Those games are the epitome of licensed cash-ins that just happen to be made by a really good developer. It's not like they removed characters or took out huge chunks of gameplay or anything as the series progressed. As a result, there's really no point to go back once you played the last one.

...So yeah, @Frown: Naruto: Gekito Ninja Taisen 4 if your friend has a FreeLoader or other region unlocker. If not, Naruto: Clash of Ninja 2.


@LordoftheMorning: If you can track it down, I say you should start with FE7, aka simply "Fire Emblem".

Skip the other GBA game though, and go right to the Gamecube game, Path of Radiance, if you enjoyed the first one. After that--the Wii game, which is a direct sequel to Path of Radiance.


@Sensai: Hmm...just, any SNES game?

How'z'bout:
>Secret of Mana
>Kirby's Dream Land 3
>Populous
>Chrono Trigger
>Yoshi's Island
>Final Fantasy III (or VI, whatever)
>ActRaiser
>Mega Man VII
>Donkey Kong Country
>Pilot Wings
>Earthbound


@'Washu: If it's not apparent by this point, I love (good) grinding in RPGs. Especially ones like Etrian Odyssey. I haven't played EOII, but if it's like the first one...once you get going, it's nearly impossible to stop mapping out those dungeon tunnels.

 

[jigglyppuff8]

I want to try out a Final Fantasy game, but I'm not sure what to start with. I'm fine with anything as long as it came before VII.

 

[Chief Mendez]

I want to try out a Final Fantasy game, but I'm not sure what to start with. I'm fine with anything as long as it came before VII.

If you have a DS, start with the 3D remake of Final Fantasy IV.

If not...try and play VI first, either on GBA or the PSone. But if you've gone this long without playing a FF game, you definitely don't want to go anywhere near FF I, II, III, or V.

Everything else should rock your socks, especially if you start with IV or VI.

 

[Pas]

I've never played Wipeout before. Should I pick up Wipeout HD or save my moneys?

 

[Chief Mendez]

I've never played Wipeout before. Should I pick up Wipeout HD or save my moneys?

If you've played any F-ZERO game then you've played WipeOut (though with probably not-as-pretty graphics).

And if you haven't played F-ZERO...then skip WipeOut and buy F-ZERO GX.

 

[Pas]

I took that as kind of a backhanded yes and bought it. I mean, I've played all the F Zeros and loved them all, so if they're similar then it's a no brainer. I figured that was what I'm in for with it anyway, so I'm really quite looking forward to it.

 

[Sensai]

jigglyppuff8: If you don't mind me asking, why BEFORE VII? Any reason?

As for before VII, I'm going to give my thoughts for each game.

I: Has no real plot nor real point to the game. There's a little at the beginning and a tad at the end (think the original Half Life...but less).
II: Is actually really good and is, IMO, the most underrated FF in the entire series. It's got a good story and fair pacing...but it was attempting to distinguish itself from its predecessor (see Legend of Link, as well) and changed the combat system. It's good...just odd.
III: Is really hard. Probably the most JRPG of the entire series. Brutally unforgiving in the latter levels.
IV: Is considered by a lot of people to be the best in the series, beating out even VII and VIII. I haven't played it, so I'll reserve judgement for after I beat it.
V, VI: Haven't played, although VI apparently has a good story to it.

Also, it's not TECHNICALLY before VII, but it is different...Final Fantasy Tactics. It's a **** good game if you're in to the whole SRPG thing.

 

[Donut!]

I'm sure most of you have played it by now, but if anyone's looking for a fairly mindless game that's a ton of fun, I'd suggest No More Heroes. It was really easy for the most part, and the game reminded me of Kill Bill: corny lines every two seconds and massive amounts of blood.

 

[Chief Mendez]

I'm sure most of you have played it by now, but if anyone's looking for a fairly mindless game that's a ton of fun, I'd suggest No More Heroes. It was really easy for the most part, and the game reminded me of Kill Bill: corny lines every two seconds and massive amounts of blood.

It also had the best ending of any videogame ever.

 

[Darkwashu]

@Sensai

FFVI is the one considered by many to also be the best in the series, is seriously amazing.

@Chief
No, this is the best ending ever

 

[Chief Mendez]

Nope, sorry. Undermining gags fall far short of how elegantly NMH answered all your questions about the plot. Seriously. The only other game that might come at all close to NMH is a browser game...

 

[Peeze]

Aight so i just bought my 360 today(yep), so im looking for some suggestions on good games for it.
Here's what I'm looking for:

• 
  *I like racing sims, but not the ones that are too heavy into the buying crap for the car and the drivers backstory, just a good racing game for times when i feel like burning...pixels?
  *Not real fond of FPS, they tend to make me dizzy, not sure if this is normal or not, but eh. And if you do suggest one, fine, but i would like it to be deep, not just mindless firing away.
  *looking for a challenging game too like 30+ hours gameplay, that i can keep entertained with for like a month
  *football sim(i think madden pretty much dominates right now though)
  *RB2 or GH:WT?!?!? I'm leaning (very)heavily towards RB@, so your gonna have to convince me otherwise.

 

[Chief Mendez]

Aight so i just bought my 360 today(yep), so im looking for some suggestions on good games for it.
Here's what I'm looking for:

• 
  *I like racing sims, but not the ones that are too heavy into the buying crap for the car and the drivers backstory, just a good racing game for times when i feel like burning...pixels?
  *Not real fond of FPS, they tend to make me dizzy, not sure if this is normal or not, but eh. And if you do suggest one, fine, but i would like it to be deep, not just mindless firing away.
  *looking for a challenging game too like 30+ hours gameplay, that i can keep entertained with for like a month
  *football sim(i think madden pretty much dominates right now though)
  *RB2 or GH:WT?!?!? I'm leaning (very)heavily towards RB@, so your gonna have to convince me otherwise.

The only notable racing sims on the 360 are the Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham Racing games. That said, I've only played them like, once, and only for a few minutes. Racing sims aren't really my bad, but I've heard nothing but praise for them, so you might want to look into that yourself.

I have, however, played Burnout Paradise...which isn't really a simulation in the true sense of the word, but it's fairly realistic, and not incredibly based on customization. Test Drive Unlimited is another possibility.

/////​

The only "deep" FPS you need is Portal, which you can find in The Orange Box. It's a great deal of fun, and eventually you'll actually play the four other full games packed in with it. There's also BioShock, but that's not quite as "cerebral" as Portal, so only look into it if you're already done with the former.

/////​

Long games on 360, the only thing you'll really need in that category is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Seriously, you could play that game forever.

...But if you're looking for something else, Mass Effect is pretty lengthy, depending on how "into it" you are. And the upcoming Fable II and Fallout 3 should provide much enjoyment over time.

/////​

Finally, Rock Band 2 > Guitar Hero: World Tour. Go with your gut man.

 

[Pas]

Ooh, an opportunity to dispense opinions? I'll bite.

If you're after racing simulators, PGR series is great. If you're after something dumb but accessable, Need for Speed is still really silly but fun.

If you're after a "deep" FPS (i.e not "the space marine who saves the day") then it isn't even a question; you need Bioshock.

And yes, get OB, but not for portal. Portal's fine, sure, but don't full price JUST for portal; it's an hour long tech demo with no plot. Also not the 'deep' I suspect you're looking for. Half Life 2 on the other hand? Definitely also worth a look in. So get OB too, but after bioshock.

Challenging Game? I dunno, Mendez named some great ones, also some JRPGs which should do this, but can I humbly recommend Viva Pinata? Again, rent it first if you're unsure, but trust me; there's far far more there than you think. It's simple, but challenging.

Football Sim: NHL '09. That's not a typo. Don't argue. Just do it.

 

[Peeze]

From the suggestions, I'm probably gonna pick up Burnout paradise, the elder scrolls for a long game, and bioshock. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Firus]

Okay, I just got myself a 360 and currently have two games for it; Sonic the Hedgehog and Rainbow Six Las Vegas 2. Both are good games, but I still want to get another game to play. I've got two questions here.

1. I'm interested in Fable. Should I get the original and wait for the second one to drop in price, or will the second surpass the original to an extent that there's no need to get both, and I should bite the bullet and get #2 when it comes out?

2. Beyond that, I'm also considering Oblivion. So between the two (Oblivion and Fable 1/2), which one would you recommend? I want a fun game (well, obviously) that has a good amount of gameplay time. I know Oblivion certainly wins in that category, but altogether, everything considered, which game would you recommend?

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[Darkslash]

Fable 2 is supposedly going to surpass the 1st one or so the devs claim.

I would wait for Call of Duty World at War personally :D The wii version is going to be like on crack or something when they make shots that make you go wtf? The 360 and PS3 version are going to have armor and its going to be tank crashing into tanks.

 

[Chief Mendez]

Skip the original Fable...although, The Lost Chapters (basically Fable: The Director's Cut) is only like, 10$ on Amazon. It's not one of those games you just HAVE to play, so unless you really like the 2nd one, and want some perspective on where that game came from, just wait for Fable II.

So, Oblivion vs. Fable II. The biggest difference is that Oblivion is a first-person game (for the most part). Personally I'm not a big fan of most FPS games that center around melee combat, and Oblivion is not the exception. Also aside from equipping new items or stuff, your character doesn't really change. It is, however, incredibly deep, and there's metric sh*tload of stuff to do.

On the other hand, there's Fable. Obviously I haven't played II yet, but I've gone through the first game at least four or five times. Yes, the game was very much on the short side. Yes, it was a bit silly sometimes. Yes, the combat was sort of broken.

But (to my knowledge), there's no other game in which you can commit roundabout suicide by impregnating an entire village of women, then shunning the newborn babes, thus creating a small army of b*stard children who, as you grow old and feeble, will hunt you down and kill you.

Also you can eat baby birds.

And give people the middle finger.

And go through the entire game without pants.

And intoxicate entire towns.

And make children follow you into the woods, where bears eat them.

And literally buy the entire world.

And entertain people with you mad belching skills.

...

You know what, just go with Fable II. If it's even half as good as the original, you'll fall in love with it. You really will.

 

[Donut!]

Fable II is going to be awesome, Fallout 3 looks cool too. Personally I'm pumped for the Wii, it looks like over the next year some great games are finally gonna come out for it. I'm pretty pumped for MadWorld and Cursed Mountain, but those are 2009ers. Disaster: Day of Crisis comes out in a few weeks, that sounds pretty interesting too. And of course the new CoD.

I've also been dying for Sadness since I saw the first screenshots and trailer, but that's way off into next year :/

 

[Sensai]

Jesus. I miss like a day of this thread and I have a lot of comments to respond to.

@ Peeze: Your mind is probably made up already, but I'm going to respond anyways to the latter two questions (as I know nothing about racing games).

~Definitely Rock Band 2.
~It really depends on what you mean by a 'deep' FPS. Actually, regardless of what you mean, the choices are down to 2 already: The Orange Box (which is actually 5 FPSs) or Bioshock. My personal pick would go to the Orange Box (unless you've got a computer that can play it, in which case you should get it there) as it's 5 games, 3 of which are Half Life games (!!), one which is the most creative and innovative game since OoT (Portal), and the last which is probably my favorite multiplayer game since GoldenEye 007.

Bioshock is good...but not for any really mind blowing reason. Sure, there's a 'deeper moral' to be had from the story, but I'd wager that it was mostly unintentional from the developer's point and is more or less finding meaning in nothing. Still, though, it's a creepy, 15 hour long shooter that never lets up on the atmosphere...it's just not everything it has been made out to be.

As for lengthy games, my vote either goes to the aforementioned Oblivion (a game I never beat; I got 70 hours in WITHOUT STARTING THE MAIN QUEST and gave up) or the soon to be released Fable 2...although the first one you could get for cheap and still get 30 or so hours from it.

@ FirustheHedgehog: If you can, I'd spring for all three, honestly. Oblivion is REALLY big (like I said earlier, 70+ hours without starting the main quest)....and Fable 2 will be the second game for the 360 I get (after having recieved Assassin's Creed, which was good, and Bioshock, which is pretty good too).

Between Fable 1 and Fable 2....I'd say simply wait for the second one to come out. The first one's good, but the second one looks to be closer to what the first one was supposed to be.

@ Darkslash: The developer is Peter Molyneux (spelling)...that man, I swear, claims every game he works on is the single best thing he's ever done. You can't trust his word for much, TBH.

@ Donut: Sadness...well, there's a bit of an interesting history to that. I wouldn't expect it this year, I wouldn't expect it next year. Hell, I'm not sure I'd expect it at all. :-(

Done! I've also just finished Phoenix Wright: Justice for All for the second time (I really love that series) and am starting FFIV. Yay!

Oh, and just repicked up No More Heroes...a game I sadly never finished. I think I'm ranked 5 now or so, and I'm pretty sure I've just been introduced to a big plot hook.

 

[Donut!]

@ Donut: Sadness...well, there's a bit of an interesting history to that. I wouldn't expect it this year, I wouldn't expect it next year. Hell, I'm not sure I'd expect it at all. :-(

Done! I've also just finished Phoenix Wright: Justice for All for the second time (I really love that series) and am starting FFIV. Yay!

Oh, and just repicked up No More Heroes...a game I sadly never finished. I think I'm ranked 5 now or so, and I'm pretty sure I've just been introduced to a big plot hook.

Yeah they've been delaying it for years, what with all those production company issues and whatnot. I really hope they come through though, but I'm not gonna count on it.

As for NMH, yeah if you're at level 5 then you

Spoiler

, so yeah you're hitting the good stuff.

 

[Chief Mendez]

Sadness = vaporware. I thought this was understood by now? NIBRIS doesn't even exist.

And if it does, it's like, one guy.

@Sensai: You won't understand the plot until after the credits have rolled. And when you see what happens, you will sh*t bricks.

 

[Donut!]

Between Fable 1 and Fable 2....I'd say simply wait for the second one to come out. The first one's good, but the second one looks to be closer to what the first one was supposed to be.

@ Darkslash: The developer is Peter Molyneux (spelling)...that man, I swear, claims every game he works on is the single best thing he's ever done. You can't trust his word for much, TBH.
.

Sorry for the double post guys but I just had to add the link to yesterday's Penny Arcade regarding Molyneux and Fable II.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/10/10/

Gotta love Tycho and Gabe...

 

[BloodyPuppy]

Guilty Gear players! Lend me your ears!

Are your ears lent? Good. Alright, I want to start playing Guilty Gear due to how awesome it looks and what I've heard about it's very deep gameplay, but I don't really know where to start. Is there a particular version I should buy first, do any of them have a serious competitive scene behind them, is there one that is better than the others overall, whatever. I'm sort of limited on cash so I want to make sure I get the Guilty Gear title that everyone else is playing and not say, the DS version (which I've heard sucks).

Also, for a reccomendation of a deep 360 fps, get Condemned: Criminal Origins. I can't vouch for how good it is on the Xbox360 (don't own one) but on the computer it is one of the most frightening and challenging FPS' I have ever played. Half of the time you don't have a gun, and when you do, your ammo is ridiculously low. The plot also rocks.

Edit: Or perhaps I should say the way in which the plot is presented is what really rocks.

 

[Chief Mendez]

Guilty Gear players! Lend me your ears!

Are your ears lent? Good. Alright, I want to start playing Guilty Gear due to how awesome it looks and what I've heard about it's very deep gameplay, but I don't really know where to start. Is there a particular version I should buy first, do any of them have a serious competitive scene behind them, is there one that is better than the others overall, whatever. I'm sort of limited on cash so I want to make sure I get the Guilty Gear title that everyone else is playing and not say, the DS version (which I've heard sucks).

It varies by which systems are available to you.

Wii > Guilty Gear XX ^ Core (only if you play with a Classic Controller)
PS2 > Guilty Gear XX Slash
PSP > Guilty Gear Judgment
DS > Guilty Gear Dust Strikers (it's not bad...it's just misunderstood)

Of those, ^ Core is the latest version, and the one I prefer.

As for competition...

...ideally, and if you actually want to get into the really, really hardcore GG levels, you should move to Japan and play exclusively on cabinets. Barring that...uh, technically GGXX # Reload on the original XBOX has online play...

...I honestly don't know about how you'd go about getting involved in a compettive scene. I'm fairly sure there's a GG Social Group on SWF...

A-ha! Here it is. Ask around there, and if you still aren't satisfied, the people on dustloop.com can definitely get you started.



Personally, I only play GG "casually", but I'd reckon I'm a fair shake at it, even if I've only played against a few people seriously. It's definitely one of (if not the) best sprite-based 2D fighting series out there, so I fully advocate this decision.