It was also an incredibly easy game to explain. Though he quickly soured on the idea of milking his little charmer and left subsequent projects after tackling the sequel, Takahashi nevertheless created something that had universal appeal, remaining uniquely Japanese (a credit to Namco and their decision to bring the game over just as it was) yet still entertaining anyone who picked it up and got to grips with the tank-like controls. (See it on Amazon)ġ9.) Katamari Damacy Developed by: Namco Published by: Namco Released: SeptemNo best-of list on the PS2 is complete without the inclusion of Keita Takahashi's brainchild, the irresistibly charming and utterly easy-to-pick-up Katamari series. Any and all fans of the original Dragon Quest games would be well served by picking up this meaty little epic. Everything about Dragon Quest VIII played like a tribute to the original games, a labor of love that was plain to see from the moment players fired up the game and were greeted by the bombastic symphonic intro (and if they were American gamers, they got a completely re-recorded score with a live symphony too). This was Dragon Quest in fine form, aided by a lengthy quest, all the classic trappings of the series (turn-based battles, series favorites like slimes and imps, familiar spells) and presented beautifully. Upon being dropped into this world, old-school fans of the series got an overwhelming (and entirely welcome) sense of déjà vu. This was old-school Dragon Quest, but done up with Level-5's trademark cel-shading. (See it on Amazon)Ģ0.) Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Developed by: Level-5 Published by: Square-Enix Released: NovemThough Enix had taken a couple of stabs at updating its classic RPG formula to be properly digested in 3D, it wasn't until developer Level-5 stepped in to take a stab at it that everything just clicked. Rarely does a game offer such pristine controls, gorgeous visuals and enjoyable characters right out of the gate, but Sly Cooper most certainly did it. There were mini-game-like boss battles, time trial runs on all the levels and, if you beat said time trials, you were taken on a little audio tour by the developers for each of the levels, detailing how the flow and layout changed over the course of development. Turns out, it was a rather magical traditional platformer that mixed a stunning amount of detail on animation and character design with gorgeous art direction and gameplay that was almost constantly being changed up. Its first game, Rocket: Robot on Wheels was an underappreciated gem on the N64, but their follow-up caught the attention of Sony Computer Entertainment America and with a little first-party backing, more people finally got to see what the Bellevue, WA-based development house was capable of. (See it on Amazon)Ģ1.) Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus Developed by: Sucker Punch Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment Released: SeptemFor developer Sucker Punch, the second time was the charm. The first game's then-ludicrous numbers have since been surpassed thanks to people that power-leveled through the game and influenced NIS to make its own adjustments to things, but for sheer amounts of depth, grind-ability, story and relatively newbie-friendly approach to executing actions within turns, nothing beats the original. ![]() ![]() That you could cancel out of moves or stack multiple actions in quick succession lent itself far more to setting up ridiculous tag team strikes. It wasn't just the cute, dark world that NIS created though, it was the ease in which players could move their units around and make tag-team attacks. Plus, let's face it Disgaea superfans, the first game still has the best characters (and Prinny voice actors, d00d!) no offense to Adell and Mao, but Laharl, Flonne and Etna are where it's at. 22.) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Developed by: Nippon Ichi Software Published by: Atlus Released: AugStrategy role-playing games have been around for decades now, but it was Nippon Ichi Software's tongue-in-cheek approach to the macabre land of demons and angels that truly perfected the grid-based setup of classics like Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |