The story is definitely the strongest of any game in the series, especially if you put in the work to go around talking to all of the random NPCs and demons. It's just such a really beautifully realized world, with its own history and culture; you just have to connect the dots on a lot of things yourself. The weaker dungeons compared to Strange Journey are really the only blemish the game has.
This is one of those opinions that I just am baffled by. SMTIV had some good ideas in its story, but it's a mess in execution in some places, one of the biggest being that so much of it is missing on certain paths. Even on Neutral it's damn hard to keep track of everything even if you try to talk to everyone. It's just so scattered around in tiny fragments that don't easily contextualize in your head. I'd also agree with the opinions in this thread that the two halves of it don't quite fit together as well as they should and that lack of coherence hurts it.
I'm generally of the opinion that the best SMT stories are Nocturne, Devil Survivor Overclocked, Strange Journey, and DDS*. I'd never even consider putting SMTIV in that list.
DDS is in there mostly for the pure mindfuckery factor. It's so twisted up in every direction that I'd have a hard time even trying to criticize it thematically.
Also, how are we posting SMTIV music and nobody's posted Roppongi?
The way the drums in the background are basically a bizarre inverse of the electronic keyboard or whatever in the foreground and thus make everything punchier always puts a smile on my face.
Edit: Also, the Infernal Underground theme is probably my favourite song in the game.
Yes, it is. It's labelled as RPG everywhere, from the website, PSN store, to wikipedia.
Horizon Zero Dawn - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizon_Zero_Dawn
Horizon Zero Dawn is an action role-playing video game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Yakuza 0 - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza_0
Yakuza 0 is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega. It is a prequel to the Yakuza series.
God of War (2018 video game) - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_(2018_video_game)
God of War is an action-adventure video game developed by Santa Monica Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE).
Shame it only plays in a very tiny area of the game, but it sets the tone perfectly. Coincidentally, that whole stretch (+ the events preceding it) was by far my favorite part of SMT IV's narrative, the story was building to such a great crescendo.
Shame it only plays in a very tiny area of the game, but it sets the tone perfectly. Coincidentally, that whole stretch (+ the events preceding it) was by far my favorite part of SMT IV's narrative, the story was building to such a great crescendo.
The first time I played SMTIV, I got to just before that whole sequence and was thinking, "Okay, this series usually will try to horribly mindfuck you in some way, but it's all been relatively tame other than the initial Tokyo twist" and then this happened, and I was so happy, lol
Lets keep this party going. The cheery shop lady and pleasant vibe is a nice respite from the intense atmosphere of the entire game. This one is my favorite shop theme:
NICE Terranigma placement! Amazing game, anybody who loves 16-bit RPGs should absolutely give it a shot. The ending is one for the ages and will stick with you, it should be mentioned in the same breath as other SNES classics.
Yeah in terms of quests I'll certainly agree. The Dark Brotherhood storyline in that one is so much better and a more personal dark story then what we got in Skyrim, same can be said for Thieves guild and a few others as well IMO.
I am surprised that Final Fantasy XV is out so early but very happy that it made it so far into the rate. The game is incredibly charming and sunk me in deep - some of the best dungeon design in the series, gorgeous to look at, and filled with so many unique ideas. It is an oddball in the series, for sure, but I think it is a great one. Noctis ended up being one of my favorite protagonists in the series.
Okay, so how many people put Terranigma on their list because of the Kyle Bosman playthough?
Lots of interesting placements so far! Surprisingly strong showing for FFXV (although I'm sure other people will be disappointed at it not cracking the Top 50). Amazing job on this list to everyone involved, as always!
Oblivion will always be my favorite in the Elder Scrolls series. Most people here probably have Morrowind as their favorite but Oblivion is something special to me. Kinda like comfort food. There is a cozy feel walking around Cyrodiil, being greeted by some of the most grotesque and bizarre looking friendly beings in fiction. So many warm memories attached to that game.
Surprised XV even made it this high on Era. In my opinion it should be even higher up, but I can't be disappointed on its placement on this forum. :]
Being higher than Horizon, Yakuza, and Dark Souls is surprisingly since it seems like the majority of the forum love those games. But it just looks like the XV haters are just a vocal minority.
Since SMT 4 was posted, this is still my favorite music on the game. It's the first battle theme but it's the one in the entire game that resonated more with me.
I played a bit of FFXV the other day. I don't think I've ever been so confused as to whether I like a game or not. Oftentimes I'll pick it up and think "this is so bad I just can't". But then later end up reminiscing positively about the experience. It's weird.
exactly how I felt after beating it. When I was going through it, I couldn't stop playing it, I was obsessed and when I beat it I just said: "huh" out loud. Didn't play anything for a day or two.
Took me a while to find out I actually kind of hated it.
Someday I should play XIII actually. I own it on Steam because I got one of the sequels through an SE Easter basket and then bought it on sale. Still haven't tried it though.
just realized Tokyo Mirage #FE hasn't shown its ugly head. Is it seriously going to be ranked over Tactics Ogre, Vagrant Story, Fire Emblem 2003, Kingdom Hearts and Oblivion???
I'd be shocked if it places higher than those three lol. I can see it ranking, but not beating out those games. I think even IX will rank higher than VIII.
just realized Tokyo Mirage #FE hasn't shown its ugly head. Is it seriously going to be ranked over Tactics Ogre, Vagrant Story, Fire Emblem 1, Kingdom Hearts and Oblivion???
that would be awesome and the best case scenario but I doubt it didn't make it into the list, its small fanbase is extremely loud about it - would love to be wrong though