Happy New Year everyone!
A bit sad that these yearly beaten games lists are the only
consistent updates you get on this site these days…
But as always I blame the content of the list on why I don’t
get around to doing much else, haha.
Another amazing game year and I haven’t even played everything
new and interesting yet!
I already made a post about it but completing the PS1 RPG library
was a big goal and achievement for this year and I will keep
going with SNES and PS2 next. At the moment I am down to
20 SNES and 20 PS2 games but when you consider 8 of them are
Shin Megami games, half are strategy games, and once you see
the amount of games I already have and will get in 2024…
On to the list! (top 5 at the bottom)
Sakuna of Rice and Ruin
A nice and cozy opening to the year but a bit too long/
repetitive.
Phantasy Star Universe: Ambition of the Illuminus
Weaker than the first game but still pretty fun for the
Sci-fi starved RPG fans.
Last bible 3
This might be my favorite in the whole Shin Megami series
since it is more of a traditional RPG and not the usual first person dungeons.
Darkstone
The only PS1 RPG to properly use the right analog stick for camera!
Yakuza 2
A bit better balanced and paced than the first game, looking forward
to the rest of the series and story.
Brandish 2
More and better of the same from the first game!
Still using the confusing world turning control scheme.
Monsterseed
Ugh, this was a pain to play with some nice looking graphic at least.
Octopath Traveler II
More or less the same as the first game, better exploration and
party interactions, worse but still great music!
Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance II
More of the same great hack and slash!
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Cross Dimension 0079
One of the many Gundam strategy games, decent enough.
Deception 3 Dark Delusion
less and less RPG and simpler with each title. Still fun though!
Pode
A cute little puzzle co-op game!
The Legend of Heroes Trails to Azure
The conclusion to the amazing Crossbell saga, I love it so much!
I spoke with all 300+ NPCs probably 30 times each, all the text!
Metroid Prime Remaster
I didn’t really need a remaster of this buuut a friend gave it to
me and it was an amazing remaster and excuse to play the game again!
Live A Live
Even better than the original, especially the soundtrack!
Turtles Hyperstone Heist
I thought I had beaten this before but apparently not.
Co-op fun of course.
Boxxle
This was… unexpected but after seeing two streamers play it and being
so slow I had to do it myself… and was just as slow, haha.
It just is a long and tricky Sokoban game.
Bravely Default II
I had this for a while and finally played it. Much better than expected with
lovelyvisuals, battles, music and even a decent story!
Front Mission 3
This has been a long time coming, as expected a great game.
What I didn’t know was that it has a simulated internet that you can spend
many hours exploring!
Xenoblade 3 Future Redeemed
This DLC might as well be its own game with new characters, locations, story etc.
Great DLC with a maybe not so great end to the whole Xenoblade Saga.
Azure Dreams
Dungeon crawler+ town building and dating simulator. The added aspects
makes it stand out and more fun than most in the genre.
Kings Field II
Number III in Japan. This was actually a good game after the rough
predecessor. The lack of bosses is my biggest complaint.
Ogre Battle
The only English RTS RPG on PS1… I figured out a way to break the game
early and could rush through luckily since I didn’t enjoy it at all.
Digimon World 3
This could have been a good game… if not for the worst backtracking I have
ever seen!!
Persona 2
A big step up from the first game in all departments,
especially being able to save anytime.
Brave
A short beginner friendly RPG on DS, played in Swedish too!
Arc the Lad II
Man this was a massive game, best in the series with amazing pixels,
a darker tone for the story and worth the 80+ hours.
Arc the Lad III
Just as massive as the second game but more 3D and lighter tone.
A bit more fun and improved combat at least.
Rhapsody
My final PS1 RPG! Short, fun and nice to look at, could end in
a worse way.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie
Without spoiling anything this reminded me a bit too much of Sky 3
making me like it less but still, it is Legend of Heroes!
Shifters
I kept thinking this is a PS1 and not PS2 game, haha…
Torneko no Daibouken: Fushigi no Dungeon
Ah, good old shopkeeper Torneko. This was the SNES version
and probably no reason to play over the PS1 version, more
similar than I expected.
Jade Cocoon 2
Much better than the first game with some interesting
battles where you swap in different monster teams.
Pokemon could learn a thing or two.
The Legend of Heroes A Tear of Vermillion
More or less the definition of a classic and cozy RPG, the Lunar
vibes are strong but sadly one of the worst localization I have see.
Super Robot Taisen Aiden Lord of Elementals
More Gundam, more strategy, they will all blend together in the end.
Deus Ex
I hated this for the first hours but enjoyed the final ones when
you have more to work with.
Super Chinese World 3
One of the most unique games in the sense that you can choose between
turn based combat or the usual fighting game style combat from 1 and 2!
Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime
Fun co-op game where you help each other to steer a space ship and
shoot at things!
Swashbucklers
One of the most unplayed RPGs on the PS2 system I would say, it feels both
high and low budget at the same time and could be called a more modern
version of Uncharted Waters. (mostly trading between harbors).
Lost in Play
My first “touchpad game”. A beginner friendly point and click/adventure
game I guess, quite charming!
Wizardry Gaiden IV: Throb of the Demon’s Heart
A completely different game than the main IV of the series but from
what I have heard I should be thankful for that, hehe.
TMNT: Shredders Revenge
They had one job, to capture the feeling of the old games and they nailed it!
Sea of Stars
Most anticipated of the year! And it delivers on all fronts!
What a feat to completely switch genre instead of going with a safe sequel
to The Messenger. What is next for the studio?!
A short Hike
It is short, fun and great, just play it if you like games.
Moon scars
This is a very stable and good metroidvania but it doesn’t do much
to stand out and I fear it will be forgotten in time and with the
competition it has…
Venba
A short game about making Indian food and a sweet tale of a family
trying to live life.
Fell Seal: Arbiters Mark
I have wanted to play this forever and finally got to do it!
The strategic battles and classes offers so many options and
overall even better than expected but the plot was maybe a bit
lacking in the end.
Nayuta: Boundless Trails
YS+Legend of heroes, instant fun! I was not happy when it turned out to
be “stage based” but the game is just so fun to play that I can look past
that and see the great game it is.
Alwas Legacy
Another game I should have played ages ago!
I think I prefer the first game even if this has a lot of improvements.
Also a studio I’m looking forward to see their next game!
Dredge
Fishing has never been this fun, and scary at the same time.
It is a great game but a lot of unfulfilled potential too.
Chaos Wars
Known as the game with the worst RPG voice dub ever. While it is true,
you can switch to Japanese voices too in the US release. And more than
bad or annoying the actors all just sound extremely bored reading the
script, haha. Decent gameplay in Disgaea style but such an odd game
seeing characters from different series like Shadow Hearts mixed in…
Ultima VI
I finally beat an Ultima game! I could have enjoyed this if it
was the only game I had to play, but now with open worlds I just feel
stressed to make progress and not search and entire world for a tiny clue.
Digimon World 4
This time the series tried… a Diablo like! They never get it right, they
should just have cloned pokemon from the start, haha.
Majin Tensei
This was a game that sounded like a nightmare beforehand but turned
out to be quite nice, all the usual Shin Megami monsters and mechanics
but with strategy maps.
Trapt
The final part of the series, at least for me. The shortest and least RPG
of them all but still fun.
Kidou Senshi Gundam F91: Formula Senki
Another one I wouldn’t call RPG after playing it, pretty unique
radar-based-action or something, haha.
Star Ocean The Second Story R
As always sad to call a remake best of the year but it really is!
Thanks to new game+ and new features of the remake I could finally
finish my dream of getting every ending! Getting the Platinum trophy,
max level etc. on the way was just a minor distraction, haha.
Eternal Poison
It started out great and I was excited to hear some of my old favorite
voices from the Xenosaga cast but pretty soon the battles dragged on
and I decided to just get the bad ending and be done…
Super Mario RPG Remake
Yet another fantastic remake! The SNES version was my first beaten
turn based RPG and the first time I ever heard about RPG at all so
it will always have a special place. I have heard a lot of complaints about
the difficulty but complaining about a Mario game being easy is just silly
to me, I am happy that a new generation of players may find their way to
RPGs the same way I did.
Uncharted Waters
Another game I feared for a long time but with a bit of guidance I
ended up enjoying the trading and journey to a big fleet of ships!
Curious to see how different the second game is.
Robot Warlords
A poor man budget Front Mission with far too much randomness…
Might and Magic Book II
And my first Might and Magic game, also a lot different than the
Book II on other systems and with no complete walkthroughs or
playthroughs in English a struggle to get through yourself!
Romancing SaGa
My old nemesis SaGa, so many fantastic ideas and environments
but so many of them falling just short or get hindered by terrible design
choices… Beat it with one character, that is enough.
Zwei: the Arges Adventure
A PC game ported to PS2 then PSP and back to PC and getting a translation
in the process, haha. really cozy town and NPCs but the dungeons and
battles leave a lot to be desired.
Lies of P
The second coming of Bloodborne!? Kinda, I will more likely replay that
than this but a great game that borrows a lot from bloodborne even if
the exploration reminds me more of Darksiders, Prince of Persia,
God of war etc.
New Beaten: 65
RPGs: 53
Top 5 of 2023:
1: Star Ocean The Second Story R
2: The Legend of Heroes Trails to Azure
3: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Into Reverie
4: Super Mario RPG Remake
5: Sea of Stars
That was that, what a year! More or less the same stats as always,
and as every year most anticipated 2024 is
Silksong and more Legend of Heroes, haha.