X2 probably has one of the best battle systems in the entire franchise. The music is phenomenal as well. The story isn’t the best but I much prefer the briljant gameplay over a mediocre game with a great story
@@MichieHM Yep, not to mention that Bradygames and other strategy guides were either wrong or based on early betas on the game, so their tips were wrong in crucial parts. At least once it was figured out, there was NG+ to mess around with the Mascot, seeing how overpowered it is...
@@SpaceCat1111 I agree completely. And it's sad that XIII-3 got left in the dust when that was the best game from that trilogy but no one cared...and rightfully so.
I think at the very least you could say the second story is a big step forward from the first game. I understand how may could see the rest of the series as a step back, but the third game will always be one of my personal favorite games of all time. The last hope was just alright, but not as impactful (although I do love a prequel, and they do a great job of showing the back story of how the UP3 came to be) annnnnnd the fifth game is admittedly equivalent to garbage. Man, I had crazy high hopes for that one... I’m trying to think of there’s a game that has disappointed me more... maybe Tales of Zestiria...
Star Ocean would benefit from a hard reboot there’s so many interesting things you could do with the core concept but they’ve been meandering down the wrong paths since Star Ocean 3.
@@ethanhunt3242 honestly, I loved the big plot twist that was the last quarter of SO3, but there’s no denying that it makes every story after (and even before) feel pretty hallow. Like, knowing what we now know, why should we care about anything that’s happening here?
@@ethanhunt3242 The whole Tri-Ace mythos needs a hard reboot tbh sure the SO3 plot twist essentially killed any future tension in the franchise but we haven't a proper VP game in over a decade too (poor Hrist lol!).
@@TheBatmanMan1 Admittedly the twist has grown on me, if it was a separare IP Id probably even like it but I think it fundamentally breaks the canon and Star Ocean as a series. Like you said why should we care about anything that happens in the series now? I still love the first two star Oceans and just largely ignore the others.
Chrono Cross was like Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother... A tremendous idea, but clumsily executed. It's definitely in my top 10, but I completely understand why everyone hated it, I just separate it from Chrono Trigger and take it as it is on its own. More characters than were necessary, weird plot line asides, and a horribly overcomplicated story, though Time's Scar is my favorite piece of video game music ever written, and one of my favorites in general, so if nothing else, it at least has that to show.
Spoilers!! Phantasy Star III is actually set 1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star IV. The Algol Solar System is mentioned in Phantasy Star III, but it doesn't play a role in it. More like lots of passing mentions and references to the other Phantasy Star entries. The third installment does feel like a sequel, yet more of a standalone and be it's own thing. While still being part of the Phantasy Star series. Much like a spiritual sequel type. Something like Star Trek The Next Generation, The Legend of Korra, or even cartoons like The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish. Those entries I mentioned. Do feel like continuations. They feel like standalone and want to have it's own identity. As in, a sequel storyline as continuation, but with a more distinct feel to it. I am glad they never went overboard with the legacy sequel vibe such as the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, the 2018 Halloween Reboot Sequel Trilogy, and even Sream V. I do give them effort for existing. But in story practice, they had a lot be desired. I am glad spiritual sequels are still made. They don't bring legacy characters for the sake of the plot. They made them as guest characters, some have passed away since many years have taken place later. Ect. That's what I like about rpgs. They don't overlap with what came before. References and mentions to the past entries can happen. In a pssing mention. And they don't go overboard with shoehorning legacy characters for the plot or the sake of nostalgia. It can hamper the focus on the casts of their respective entries. That's all.
I really like X-2 though. Yeah it’s not as good as X. And yeah it’s almost completely different. But it’s nonetheless a fun game. The story is the only thing that I can take or leave. Kinda like how I feel about Tales games. They’re really fun but the stories are almost never that great.
It’s basically Final Fantasy V in 3D, in which a party consisting most of women characters fight an evil tree. Whereas in X2, a party of women characters fight an evil ghost and his oddly overpowered abilities. Thus, a plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously and relies on its gameplay as the main strength is oddly enough not seen among the fandom as “brothers from different mothers”. Perhaps it was because of the reaction to X (similar to VIII) in that the newer fans came to expect a particular style of game. Remember how the quite solid Unlimited Saga was lambasted by reviewers and in sales numbers (US only), mostly because the new fans expected everything from Square to be like FFX in the future? But like with most things, 2D makes everything better. Or in V’s case, its flaws less obvious...
The battle system was actually above average, maybe even good. But the whole "cutesy" elements, and light hearted story and characters, were a deal breaker for me. 100% turned me off, and I never finished it, it was sooo bad. A good battle system couldn't save the garbage that was the rest of the game
Combination attacks in Phantasy Star IV were basically a precursor to the dual techs in Chrono Trigger. Don't necessarily agree that X-2 was ruined, but it's definitely a downgrade from X.
I tolerated Symphonia 2 a lot more than most-there are even aspects of the story that I remember liking quite a bit. But you hit the nail on the head with Xillia 2. There’s a sequel done right. I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I actually prefer Xillia 2 to the first game. I think it’s because I went into the first game with super high expectations (I still think the trailer for that game is better than the game itself turned out to be) and therefore went into Xillia 2 with pretty low expectations, only to be blown away by how much more I liked it than the first game.
@@Chelaxim Yeah, you almost never hear about it. People go straight from Vesperia to Zestiria and Berseria for some reason. Even acknowledging that I was somewhat letdown by Xillia, if it got ported to switch any time in the future, I’d play it again in a freekin heartbeat. It was still a solid game. By the way, your username freekin rocks.
I only finished Xillia 2 pretty recently (like last 2 months recently) and really liked it once it got going. I just wish it didn't take 6 chapters for the game to actually start ;-) I have no idea why, really. but from the opening trailer, I thought Elle was going to be a playable party member... I doubt they actually did, but if you look at the times games came out, it looks like Final Fantasy 13-2 copied a lot of elements of Symphonia 2, only to have Xillia 2 copy the original parts from 13-2, like the time travel mechanics.
I honestly wasn't a big fan of Xillia 2. The forced sidequests, Ludger being a silent protagonist simply because, and the fact that the previous characters are just kinda there for the sake of it made me prefer the first game as a whole. The only thing that made me finish it was the battle system, easily one of the best in the series.
@@nathangarcia3953 my biggest beef with Ludger being a silent protagonist was that 100% of the lines he “would have” said in the various decision points of the game *were* voiced. They just made it so that you literally had beat the game, start a new game plus, and then use like, one measly grade point or something like that in order to unlock it. Why on earth would they do this!? His voice was there!! In the game!! It wasn’t some DLC pack they added-they didn’t even make you have to save up a lot of grade for it like it was something super special!! Who’s insane idea was THIS!? All this being said, even after starting a new game and unlocking his voice, I still wasn’t happy with how they implemented it. You just hear the audio of the voice when you make a decision. Game as a whole would have been waaaay better if he actively spoke in cutscenes and skits like every other character.
The story behind Phantasy Star 3's development is pretty interesting, but in short, the team that handled 3 was completely different than the team that handled 1, 2, and 4.
Chrono Cross cut deep. I had largely the same opinions as you, though I really do enjoy the soundtrack and the visual flair of it. Artists worked hard on that lackluster sequel.
david your judgment of these sequels is well imformed and honest and really shows your dedication and love for rpgs and makes me wish i coulda played those classics again ps ffx2 is a guilty plasure and i dont regret it
ffx-2 sucks, but i kinda love it ngl. the first hour or so is a disaster, i think it gets a bit better after episode 2. the 100% thing sucks tho, nobody loves the game enough to do it.
i love X2 too, i played it alot when i was a child and has a special place in my heart. I know it is not every cup of tea but for me i like the slice of life story of that game and getting into Yuna heads how she thinks and feel and how she evolves. She give a really great speech close before the final boss fight how she regret what happened 2 years ago.(as in there was no other way and she except it without trying) Which made Yuna my favorite MC in history also i favor female MC over male anytime, Not sure why XD.
I’ve heard pretty mixed things about Chrono Cross. Some people say it’s a good game, with a few even insisting that it’s superior to Chrono Trigger, while others have called it disappointing. I tried it out for myself, and I’m not exactly a fan of it from what I’ve played. The combat is boring and the story isn’t nearly as interesting as that of its predecessor.
I love Chrono Cross! Grand time-travelling story comes full circle and keeps you guessing. The music is incredible, the characters memorable. Dialogue that is unique for each character. Great FMV cut scenes for the time. No random encounters. Loaded with secrets. Respect your opinion though.
the story of Chrono Cross sucks, Kid is one of the worst characters in RPGS, and the characters in the game itself are some of the worst and most bloated pieces of crap ever made. The music and combat system I didn't mind though
@@StewNWT took me 3 months to answer this comment, which is similar to how much time it takes to end a combat with a random grunt aaaaaaaaaaaaa I'm usually ok with games w/ bad characters, as long as the combat isn't boring Every combat takes ages to finish, how is this game related to Chrono trigger?
I find Chrono Cross an okay, albeit rather boring game, only when you remove whatever associations to Chrono Trigger the developers hastily inserted, at least from a plotwise perspective. It still enrages me how they initially marketed it as a sequel, only later to claim the opposite.. The small number of dual and triple tech a let down, as it was one of the features that made Trigger so enjoyable. The same could be said for the size of recruitable characters, which reflects on their little to none character development. To its defense, the music and visual representation are beyond gorgeous, and the battle sysyem is novel, even if the fanbase is divided when it comes to it. I also like the plot twist in the middle of the game as an idea. However, no matter how much I have tried, I can never seem to be able to take Cross out of the box where disappointing and lost potential games are stored..
Im actually amazed there’s 40-some characters in Chrono Cross and I either hate or am indifferent to all of them. Even in the worst suikoden there’s at least 20 characters Im drawn too for one reason or another be it personality, back story or cool design. Great list, would pretty much match my own.
I think if we separate X from X-2 and allow them both to breathe independent of each other, they’re both solid, albeit flawed, games. The music, battle system, and job system in X-2 was a step above X, especially when the International version hit the US, because imo, it took away the designated roles the characters in X had and made them all shells that could do anything from the very beginning. X-2 and anything involving LeBlanc was cringey af though. If X-3 ever comes out, I hope they can learn from X and X-2 and create a hybrid best of both worlds. So long as Blitzball and Pop Star Yuna are nowhere to be found.
I will never understand why they doubled down on the Trigger > Cross connection(or RD,if you want to be pedantic about it) with the rerelease. Cross was so disliked that Square was rather amibigious about its status as a sequel for the longest time but then they go ahead and retroactively insert the Cross-nonsense into Trigger anyway. Just...why?
X-2 imo has one of if not the best battle systems of the franchise. A little refinement and this battle system could evolve into an excellent next gen battle system in a current generation game. Brilliant!!!
Totally agree. But Square-Enix rather wanted to appeal to a casual audience and created the stupid stagger mechanic FF13 introduced (and is still present even in FF 7 Remake). Talking about damage sponges.
David, great video as always, but I’ll always have to argue that Chrono Cross is a great game. I mean of course it’s tough being in the shadow of quite possibly the perfect RPG.. and… yea the amount of characters is.. dumb… but still I found it to be great.
Funny, I saw X-2 as a huge improvement. I had to make myself finish X but X-2 was weird and I loved it. It’s amazing how we can all have such difference experience! :)
Chrono Cross was one of the first games I've ever played(I was around 6 or so). I didn't know Chrono Trigger was a thing until like 3 yrs ago 😅 but I can understand some of the games short comings you pointed out. Cross will still hold that top 3 games spot for me but I can appreciate your different approach on it.
Im always tickled that we seem to have the exact same taste in rpgs David! It's crazy because I remember having some of these exact convos with my friends, way before there was this sort of internet hive mind thing. Great reviews as always!
I'm currently at a desert town and stopped earthquakes from happening. Really long time since I picked it up so I don't remember much at all. I have a vehicle and should go to some place with it. Maybe I should start the game over but I've done that too many times.. Now sandworms keep one-shotting me in the desert when I'm trying to grind for easier time.
Chrono Cross--Thank! You! You've talked about it before; but it bears repeating what a head-scratcher and letdown it was. It didn't matter to me if it was or wasn't a true sequel to the story and characters in CT: it could have been its own self-contained story (like how each FF is its own world). Your setup to this video defines what my disappointment with CC is: it's because CC discarded nearly everything that made CT a perfect game. The battle system, the Element system, the Leveling system, the overabundance of underdeveloped characters just for the heck of it. Even the redeeming value of its music: it's good--there's stuff I still listen to--but it's no Chrono Trigger. I guess when you make the all-time (pun intended) best JRPG, there's nowhere to go but down...
Don’t hate me for this hot take, but it needs to be said. I loved FF4 and 6. I expected 5 to be the love child of those two with intriguing characters and rich plot. I know you like job systems. Ok. I just found 5 to be a huge letdown for me personally. Bring the hate if you want, it’s just not a game I can connect with
Rather than write a long rant about how much I adore FFX-2 I'll suffice to say that X-2 is a lot of fun, it's just too easy. I have a blast with it and it still makes me cry.
Unpopular opinion. I didn't care for FF X. Blitzball was a reason, and the characters exp. Tidus and Wakka I disliked as much as Vaan and Penelo. 12 I thought was better and fun.
you videos have me thinking about taking up meditation again haha. i just need to close my eyes and breath when you start dunking all over some of my favorite titles. but i respect your uncompromising thoughts on stuff, always makes for a good time
Bad games or games with bad stories often have awesome battle systems (like FFX-2). Vice versa is also the case, where good games have bad battle systems (FF13-2 and most of the Atelier series). I would love a video series about those
Love your listing's mate, ffx and symphonic hold a special spot for me and happy to see them on the list. Can I recommend a list.? Top games that had better written fanfiction sequals then actual sequals
Funny enough, I just watched Erik Landon's video about JRPGs people didn't know were prequels and found out that Phantasy Star 4 is a prequel to Phantasy Star 3.
I relieved when David mentioned "Mega Man" because I'm still a big fan while waiting for probably Mega Man 12 or X9. Thanks to Legend of Legaia and final fantasy 9, I started to enjoy RPG. Hopefully square enix don't mess up with us by releasing FF9-2 like what they did with FF10-2
3:24 - Nobody will ever convince me that they didn't add that scene and Lavos in post just for fanservice. There are alot of dialogue scenes in Chrono Cross where things are mentioned that seem important, yet you never actually encounter them in the game. It's almost like... this was originally a different game that was renamed at the last minute and a few lines of dialogue were changed to try and make it connect...
For half a moment there I thought you were about to diss Tales of the Abyss. I actually gasped when you said tales of symphonia. This was the correct choice. You didn't even mention that they level cap the original cast in order to force you to use the monsters. So many questionable thing about that game.
Tales of the Abyss is one of my favorite tales that I even bought the 3ds version play it anywhere I want. But the level cap in ToS2 was the worst (I thing at the end of the game they were cap at 50? If I remember correctly). I like the game enough, like the monster idea was OK for me. But they should not have cap the character at all. They other thing if I remember is that you could only move Emil or Martha at the beginning of battle and if you want to move Zelos for example you can only switch for him in battle (correct me if wrong for this mater). It was a mess of a game.
"For JRPG sequels the developers ruined, number 1 is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door" "WHAT?!" "...to Super Paper Mario" Ya got me good there, dude xD I actually have every game on this list, though I haven't played every single one in-depth. Final Fantasy X-2 is such an odd one. On the one hand, the DressSphere system is so cool, I love the idea of switching jobs in combat, and the different Garment Grids, and this game got an audible cheer from me when I found out the ATB system returned... but outside of combat, this game is all over the place, and the 100% experience is just exhausting and devoid of fun. As for Dawn of the New World, I actually like this one quite a bit, of course it doesn't hurt that I actually like Emil and Marta (and Tenebrae), though I still have my issues with the game, namely the world map and the fact that none of the heroes from the original can be leveled up or customized. Though I think the weirdest thing about DotNW is that Square lifted the entire concept WHOLESALE for Final Fantasy XIII-2
I think branding has a lot to do with this. Putting games under a certain moniker gives existing fans expectations, that if brought under their own ip name would avoid some of the backlash. Say calling chrono cross, adventure saga or some other b.s. would anyone feel disappointed? Probably not
I love me some Chrono Cross! But yeah as far as a sequel to Chrono Trigger goes...it's hardly a sequel at all. It's an amazing game if you pretend it's a stand alone title though. I did however forget JUST how random and forgettable 90% of the playable cast was until I played through it recently 🤣.
Interesting to hear these opinions!! It does seem like we have 5 recommendations for games and also 5 games to avoid. It was neat to hear your take on Phantasy Star II/III. I know someone else who really dislikes PSII. I've played most of the PSI, but didn't complete it and just the start of PSII. PSIII does seem boring from your description! I need to play Tales of Symphonia sometime. It is one of the very few Gamecube games I own.
Chrono Cross had nice graphics on ps1. The color elements which gave enemies more damage when equipped also made those equipped characters take more damage. The elemental dragons were a nightmare to fight in late mid game. I had to use a guide to find out out that grouping certain characters together could trigger certain techs alla Chronic Trigger. Also, using the guidebook, I learned you had to use a certain color element sequence to get the best ending, geez!
WELL AKCHTUALLY, New Game Plus was FIRST introduced in Zelda 2: Link's Adventure, where you could carry end-game stats over to replays. Chrono Trigger just popularized it. Also, Dawn of Mana, because...Dawn of Mana.
My thoughts exactly on Tales of Symphonia 2. I was so excited when I learned there would be a sequel, and I thought the story would center around the relations of the two worlds now united. I really wanted to see what they did with the map and if there would be tension in the group as well as the world as a whole. Instead, there was no map at all to explore, the main cast is barely in it and when they are, they're useless and can't gain any exp. They're also flanderized to the point of absurdity having only discernable trait if there are any traits at all. The new characters act like they're from some 11 year old's fanfiction and I didn't care about the monsters. Also Marta constantly sexually harassing bitch boy got old real fast (it wasn't funny the first time), and stupid Emil having flashbacks to Richter calling him a dog every five seconds looped around and became hilarious in the worst way. It was probably the biggest disappointment in gaming for me.
One of my least favorite things about Super Paper Mario is the amount of useless and uninteresting dialogue. There is A LOT of dialogue I found myself skipping just because it wasn’t important to moving the story nor interesting enough to read. This is coming from a guy that loves dialogue in JRPGs.
Wow, someone else that finds FFX linear and actually voices it. I've pointed out to some fans of FFX that it is linear and they brush it off by saying it isn't because of blitzball, I HATE that minigame.
@@ikeashes9089 It being a diversion from the main story. But take that away it is just as linear as one of the more split oppinated FF titles, and they didn't like that fact.
I loved Blitzball. I got hype playing it. Nothing better than crushing the Ronso Fangs like 12-0 or barely scraping by 2-1 against the Al Bhed Psyches. So if loving Blitzball is lying, then call me Pinocchio I guess... 😅
@@SpaceCat1111 Glad that you enjoy it, but you can see how there would be those that dislike it. Just like Triple Triad of FFVIII has both fans and haters, sure both minigames are great timesinks but if you don't like the style of the minigame it would suck.
Despite being a JRPG fan, I really dislike the game play of the early Paper Mario games. But Super Paper Mario hit all my buttons perfectly. Sure, the RPG elements were light, but the 2D to 3D switching was brilliant and used in so many creative ways.
I nominate Final Fantasy Tactics to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. FFT was *such* a great game. I personally think it has the best Final fantasy story to date (I'm excluding FF11 and FF14 as I HATE a paid subscription to play a game. To me that's *worse* than microtranactions) But when they went to FFTA, they fipped everything. The added Judges *ruined* the gameplay. The characters became unrelatable. The story became to childish. Ugh.... For the first time, I understood those Chrono Trigger fans when they talk about their disappointment with Chrono Cross.
Cant say i like generation systems all that much. Game gets me invested in their characters only for them to sometimes replace them completely with their kids. I get the appeal of it but i tend to pick a party of characters i like and not change it very often. That said, some games punish me hard for this, if you have every played the touhou labyrinth games, you know what i mean lol.
Chrono Cross did have connections to Trigger as a sequel besides that one bit. They just weren’t ways most wanted. Crono & Marle are on the run after Porre overthrew the Guardian kingdom. Lucca is on the run after an assassination attempt. Belthazar is a well meaning accidental dock to everyone. You kill Robo who already sacrificed his body for operating a machine. Basically no one had a happy ending (except Schala who you save if you play right) after Trigger. Because 90s edge. And I say this as someone who likes the game! I tend to just view it more as it’s own thing. Radical Dreamers is pretty neat though, got me a fan translated cart and everything.
I'll always agree that they messed up a lot of Chrono Cross. The fact that Glenn is put in a lot of fan art (and he pretty much is a non character in the game besides being the brother of a important NPC character) compared to characters like Karsh (he attacks you the 1st time in Another World as a boss, he has a major group boss battle rematch, he is linked with the Viper story, he is innocent in his biggest accused crime back story wise for a side quest, his dad is a blacksmith, and more) never shows up at all. The fact that he isn't the only character like this is just crazy.
Loved the new channel Icon mate :), not saying Chrono Cross is a bad game on its own but I felt the same way, to me that game its inferior to its predecessor (CT).
I haven't played Chrono Cross, but at the time it was unavailable (it still is) in Europe it was pretty hyped (along with pretty much every other Squaresoft title that didn't come to PAL regions). My friend could play imported PS1 games (he's one of the few people I know who has actually played Xenogears and not any of the XBC's) on his PS2 and I advertised that game to him couple of times, but he didn't bothered to get it. I felt the music was phenomenal but I guess the actual gameplay wasn't that good.
100% agree with TTYD--> SPM. Such a shame that the franchise has gone so far away from its roots that it could basically be considered a different series altogether. Cross I'll say takes a lot of extra reading in additional texts [ex. Ultimania/official wiki] to fully appreciate what is going on with the story. There's lots of small details that I had never caught onto due to lack of explicitly stated information or being lost in the complex narrative overall (ex. Magus being Guile, Robo being Fate). So I understand your gripe with the game, but I would encourage a new playthrough with additional sources material at hand (no idea how long it has been since you tried playing it again). Fully respect your opinions regardless.
That is the problem really. Chrono cross while has flaws, mainly the oversized roster with half the characters being terrible both gameplay and story wise or the heavy exposition dump that plagued the late game, as a stand alone game it is actually pretty good. Combat is actually pretty interesting giving reasons to use your defense command to rebuild stamina and delay enemy turns as well as preventing you from just spamming high tier moves late game like I just did in chrono trigger's end game. Music is good, visuals pretty decent for a ps1 game. Also despite my compliants the oversized roster there are still a lot of cool characters in the roster. Literally if it wasn't suppose to be connected to trigger it would have been received much better.
@@boredomkiller99 imo the large roster doesn't even matter. It's fun, they're irrelevant really. The main characters matter and they're very well written. All of Chrono Cross is well written imo. Yes it has exposition dumps but as someone who adores Xenogears Disc 2 that's the kinds shit I eat right up. Masato Kato can do no wrong and he did a fantastic job with Chrono Cross's story
I just want to say THANK YOU for saying it, Super Paper Mario isn't quite an actual RPG, let alone similar to the past games, while people might look at sticker star or color splash and go "MAN THE SERIES REALLY STARTED TO GO DOWN HILL AROUND HERE", Super Paper Mario pretty much is what gave them the EXCUSE to remove as many RPG mechanics as possible, while not a BAD game, it was the catalyst for where the series would go, people who don't want to admit this drive me up the wall when they bitch about paper mario.
BS. Final Fantasy X-2 is freaking awesome. The story was okay, but it needed to be. It was supposed to be a breath of fresh air from emo-spikey hair the world is about to end trope. We don't have to have a serious story all the time. And it was the best version of the ATB system. Put it on active mode and fight the superbosses in the Bevelle dungeon, and it's a blast. And the soundtrack is excellent. Easily in my top 5 FF soundtracks alongside FFV, FFXII, FF Tactics, and FFXIII-2.
I think the worst part of trying to 100% FF X-2 is the commspheres. I have no problem doing extra side quests or dungeons, but to expect a player to constantly check the commspeheres and sit and wait for cutscenes completely kills the experience.
Chrono Cross was actually a good game if you didn’t know about Trigger. The idea of crossing over dimensions for different stories and characters and such was brilliant. But this game was doomed from the start by not being a true sequel. It should have been an individual IP.
Final Fantasy X was my first Final Fantasy game, I really enjoyed the turn based system and Yuna is one of my favourite characters in the franchise. About X-2, it has a ton of fanservice, bonus points for David including the massage scene which you shouldn't play with your parents nearby (really, you shouldn't), getting 100% is a huge pain in the ass but the perfect ending more than makes up for it... No, I won't mention audio drama thing at all, that thing has the same treatment as the Zelda CDi games, it ends on X-2.
I don’t mind that Chrono Cross isn’t a sequel to Chrono Trigger (although I wish it was) think of it like Final Fantasy, where every game will be in a different world.
While it wasn't exactly a great game in my book but more of a good one-time playthrough thing, I believe it was a waste that a boyband FF15-2 never happened, but instead only that incredibly forgettable batch of DLC.
It is sad what happened to Paper Mario. I don't hate the newer titles like most people, and at least from a story/character standpoint, Origami King is a step in the right direction. But you know, while there is still a chance Mario and Luigi may continue since Nintendo owns all rights to it now, and as much as I'd love a real return to form for Paper Mario, ever since I heard this rumor of a true sequel to SMRPG, I've been thinking about how amazing it would be if Nintendo decided to make that their official Mario RPG franchise from now on. Maybe even incorporate the ability to get in a first strike outside of battle. Heck, it's probably one of my favorite things to come out of the later RPGs. As much as I adore the Mario and Luigi games and even consider them the best from a gameplay standpoint, that limit of only being allowed to play as either the titular characters or alternate versions of them (With Bowser's Inside Story being the only time to played as someone else), I dunno, I miss being able to experiment with other characters. Sure, PM Origami King brought back partners and even had a couple of original ones, but you can't control them and they're basically just there as a backup in case you fail to defeat every enemy on your first turn. It's obvious at this point all we can really rely on for our traditional Paper Mario fix is indie games, since let's just say Bug Fables simply lit the flame and opened a path for more PM inspired games to come. If Square Enix and Nintendo work together to make the first Mario RPG into a true franchise, that would be stupendous. Oh yeah, on a side note, what game was that footage in the intro from?
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X2 probably has one of the best battle systems in the entire franchise. The music is phenomenal as well. The story isn’t the best but I much prefer the briljant gameplay over a mediocre game with a great story
The unspoken rule of JRPGs is the worse the story the better the gameplay.
Just don't mention the catnip in the original versions of the game and no-one will have major complaints about the gameplay (outside personal tastes).
The thing I hate is getting the 100% completion rate.
I agree that getting 100% is to difficult. You have to use a guide and even then you might miss some event locking you from getting 100%.
@@MichieHM Yep, not to mention that Bradygames and other strategy guides were either wrong or based on early betas on the game, so their tips were wrong in crucial parts.
At least once it was figured out, there was NG+ to mess around with the Mascot, seeing how overpowered it is...
Final Fantasy X-2 is definitely a hot mess of a game but I have to admit it’s one of my guilty pleasures 😂
same! The gameplay is a lot of fun!
X-2 nailed the gameplay. Probably my favourite FF in terms of gameplay even.
To this day, I still think X-2 and XIII-3 feature the best combat in the franchise.
@@SpaceCat1111 I agree completely. And it's sad that XIII-3 got left in the dust when that was the best game from that trilogy but no one cared...and rightfully so.
FFX-2 has the best battle system in the series... everything else should have been destroyed in a fire. Even the soundtrack was lackluster ☹️
The fact that almost the entire Star Ocean franchise could be on here tho. It was one step forward, two steps back with that franchise.
I think at the very least you could say the second story is a big step forward from the first game. I understand how may could see the rest of the series as a step back, but the third game will always be one of my personal favorite games of all time.
The last hope was just alright, but not as impactful (although I do love a prequel, and they do a great job of showing the back story of how the UP3 came to be) annnnnnd the fifth game is admittedly equivalent to garbage. Man, I had crazy high hopes for that one... I’m trying to think of there’s a game that has disappointed me more... maybe Tales of Zestiria...
Star Ocean would benefit from a hard reboot there’s so many interesting things you could do with the core concept but they’ve been meandering down the wrong paths since Star Ocean 3.
@@ethanhunt3242 honestly, I loved the big plot twist that was the last quarter of SO3, but there’s no denying that it makes every story after (and even before) feel pretty hallow. Like, knowing what we now know, why should we care about anything that’s happening here?
@@ethanhunt3242 The whole Tri-Ace mythos needs a hard reboot tbh sure the SO3 plot twist essentially killed any future tension in the franchise but we haven't a proper VP game in over a decade too (poor Hrist lol!).
@@TheBatmanMan1 Admittedly the twist has grown on me, if it was a separare IP Id probably even like it but I think it fundamentally breaks the canon and Star Ocean as a series. Like you said why should we care about anything that happens in the series now? I still love the first two star Oceans and just largely ignore the others.
Chrono Cross was like Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother... A tremendous idea, but clumsily executed. It's definitely in my top 10, but I completely understand why everyone hated it, I just separate it from Chrono Trigger and take it as it is on its own. More characters than were necessary, weird plot line asides, and a horribly overcomplicated story, though Time's Scar is my favorite piece of video game music ever written, and one of my favorites in general, so if nothing else, it at least has that to show.
Phantasy Star 3 exists only to make the jump in quality to Phantasy Star 4 feel even bigger.
It still stuns me how the classic Phantasy Star games, the modern games and the MMOs all apparently take place in the same galaxy lol!
Spoilers!! Phantasy Star III is actually set 1,000 years after the events of Phantasy Star IV. The Algol Solar System is mentioned in Phantasy Star III, but it doesn't play a role in it. More like lots of passing mentions and references to the other Phantasy Star entries. The third installment does feel like a sequel, yet more of a standalone and be it's own thing. While still being part of the Phantasy Star series. Much like a spiritual sequel type. Something like Star Trek The Next Generation, The Legend of Korra, or even cartoons like The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish. Those entries I mentioned. Do feel like continuations. They feel like standalone and want to have it's own identity. As in, a sequel storyline as continuation, but with a more distinct feel to it. I am glad they never went overboard with the legacy sequel vibe such as the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, the 2018 Halloween Reboot Sequel Trilogy, and even Sream V. I do give them effort for existing. But in story practice, they had a lot be desired. I am glad spiritual sequels are still made. They don't bring legacy characters for the sake of the plot. They made them as guest characters, some have passed away since many years have taken place later. Ect. That's what I like about rpgs. They don't overlap with what came before. References and mentions to the past entries can happen. In a pssing mention. And they don't go overboard with shoehorning legacy characters for the plot or the sake of nostalgia. It can hamper the focus on the casts of their respective entries. That's all.
I know people who grew up with Chrono Trigger were let down by its sequel, but Cross still remains arguably my most favorite game ever.
Yeah. I was let down by Chrono Cross as well, but then it's a good game. I beat it once since about 20 years ago. Been a long time.
I really like X-2 though. Yeah it’s not as good as X. And yeah it’s almost completely different. But it’s nonetheless a fun game. The story is the only thing that I can take or leave. Kinda like how I feel about Tales games. They’re really fun but the stories are almost never that great.
Absolutley my favorite iteration of the ATB system.
I actually enjoyed X-2, it's the "audio-tapes" of the scrapped X-3 that I dislike and I will never accept them as canon.
It’s basically Final Fantasy V in 3D, in which a party consisting most of women characters fight an evil tree. Whereas in X2, a party of women characters fight an evil ghost and his oddly overpowered abilities.
Thus, a plot that doesn’t take itself too seriously and relies on its gameplay as the main strength is oddly enough not seen among the fandom as “brothers from different mothers”.
Perhaps it was because of the reaction to X (similar to VIII) in that the newer fans came to expect a particular style of game. Remember how the quite solid Unlimited Saga was lambasted by reviewers and in sales numbers (US only), mostly because the new fans expected everything from Square to be like FFX in the future?
But like with most things, 2D makes everything better. Or in V’s case, its flaws less obvious...
I agree. Only Tales Of Xilla had a really good story compared to a lot of the others.
The battle system was actually above average, maybe even good. But the whole "cutesy" elements, and light hearted story and characters, were a deal breaker for me. 100% turned me off, and I never finished it, it was sooo bad. A good battle system couldn't save the garbage that was the rest of the game
Combination attacks in Phantasy Star IV were basically a precursor to the dual techs in Chrono Trigger.
Don't necessarily agree that X-2 was ruined, but it's definitely a downgrade from X.
Final Fantasy Tactics Gameboy Advance sequels. It is still a crime Square let this franchise die.
I cry everytime lol, that was such a large chunk of my childhood in such a little cartridge.
I tolerated Symphonia 2 a lot more than most-there are even aspects of the story that I remember liking quite a bit.
But you hit the nail on the head with Xillia 2. There’s a sequel done right. I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not, but I actually prefer Xillia 2 to the first game.
I think it’s because I went into the first game with super high expectations (I still think the trailer for that game is better than the game itself turned out to be) and therefore went into Xillia 2 with pretty low expectations, only to be blown away by how much more I liked it than the first game.
Kinda odd how nobody talks about Xillia anymore.
@@Chelaxim Yeah, you almost never hear about it. People go straight from Vesperia to Zestiria and Berseria for some reason. Even acknowledging that I was somewhat letdown by Xillia, if it got ported to switch any time in the future, I’d play it again in a freekin heartbeat. It was still a solid game.
By the way, your username freekin rocks.
I only finished Xillia 2 pretty recently (like last 2 months recently) and really liked it once it got going. I just wish it didn't take 6 chapters for the game to actually start ;-)
I have no idea why, really. but from the opening trailer, I thought Elle was going to be a playable party member...
I doubt they actually did, but if you look at the times games came out, it looks like Final Fantasy 13-2 copied a lot of elements of Symphonia 2, only to have Xillia 2 copy the original parts from 13-2, like the time travel mechanics.
I honestly wasn't a big fan of Xillia 2. The forced sidequests, Ludger being a silent protagonist simply because, and the fact that the previous characters are just kinda there for the sake of it made me prefer the first game as a whole. The only thing that made me finish it was the battle system, easily one of the best in the series.
@@nathangarcia3953 my biggest beef with Ludger being a silent protagonist was that 100% of the lines he “would have” said in the various decision points of the game *were* voiced. They just made it so that you literally had beat the game, start a new game plus, and then use like, one measly grade point or something like that in order to unlock it.
Why on earth would they do this!? His voice was there!! In the game!! It wasn’t some DLC pack they added-they didn’t even make you have to save up a lot of grade for it like it was something super special!! Who’s insane idea was THIS!?
All this being said, even after starting a new game and unlocking his voice, I still wasn’t happy with how they implemented it. You just hear the audio of the voice when you make a decision. Game as a whole would have been waaaay better if he actively spoke in cutscenes and skits like every other character.
FFX-2 still has one of my favorite battle systems. Lol
The story behind Phantasy Star 3's development is pretty interesting, but in short, the team that handled 3 was completely different than the team that handled 1, 2, and 4.
My only argument to Cross - it's a spin off, not a sequel. If the title was Chrono Trigger 2 I'd have been more critical.
Chrono Cross cut deep. I had largely the same opinions as you, though I really do enjoy the soundtrack and the visual flair of it. Artists worked hard on that lackluster sequel.
david your judgment of these sequels is well imformed and honest and really shows your dedication and love for rpgs and makes me wish i coulda played those classics again ps ffx2 is a guilty plasure and i dont regret it
ffx-2 sucks, but i kinda love it ngl. the first hour or so is a disaster, i think it gets a bit better after episode 2. the 100% thing sucks tho, nobody loves the game enough to do it.
I love X2 but I know it's not popular.
i love X2 too, i played it alot when i was a child and has a special place in my heart. I know it is not every cup of tea but for me i like the slice of life story of that game and getting into Yuna heads how she thinks and feel and how she evolves. She give a really great speech close before the final boss fight how she regret what happened 2 years ago.(as in there was no other way and she except it without trying) Which made Yuna my favorite MC in history also i favor female MC over male anytime, Not sure why XD.
"Number 1: Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door - " NNOOOO "- to Super Paper Mario" Oh okay, yeah.
X-2 is probably the best combat in a purely turn based rpg ever. The game as a whole though cheapens what was amazing about the first one.
I’ve heard pretty mixed things about Chrono Cross. Some people say it’s a good game, with a few even insisting that it’s superior to Chrono Trigger, while others have called it disappointing. I tried it out for myself, and I’m not exactly a fan of it from what I’ve played. The combat is boring and the story isn’t nearly as interesting as that of its predecessor.
I love Chrono Cross! Grand time-travelling story comes full circle and keeps you guessing. The music is incredible, the characters memorable. Dialogue that is unique for each character. Great FMV cut scenes for the time. No random encounters. Loaded with secrets. Respect your opinion though.
the story of Chrono Cross sucks, Kid is one of the worst characters in RPGS, and the characters in the game itself are some of the worst and most bloated pieces of crap ever made. The music and combat system I didn't mind though
@@StewNWT took me 3 months to answer this comment, which is similar to how much time it takes to end a combat with a random grunt aaaaaaaaaaaaa
I'm usually ok with games w/ bad characters, as long as the combat isn't boring
Every combat takes ages to finish, how is this game related to Chrono trigger?
I find Chrono Cross an okay, albeit rather boring game, only when you remove whatever associations to Chrono Trigger the developers hastily inserted, at least from a plotwise perspective. It still enrages me how they initially marketed it as a sequel, only later to claim the opposite.. The small number of dual and triple tech a let down, as it was one of the features that made Trigger so enjoyable. The same could be said for the size of recruitable characters, which reflects on their little to none character development. To its defense, the music and visual representation are beyond gorgeous, and the battle sysyem is novel, even if the fanbase is divided when it comes to it. I also like the plot twist in the middle of the game as an idea.
However, no matter how much I have tried, I can never seem to be able to take Cross out of the box where disappointing and lost potential games are stored..
Im actually amazed there’s 40-some characters in Chrono Cross and I either hate or am indifferent to all of them. Even in the worst suikoden there’s at least 20 characters Im drawn too for one reason or another be it personality, back story or cool design.
Great list, would pretty much match my own.
Phantasy Star 3 is pretty much the only game I played where your regular healing spells can miss. Why? Just...why? X(
Chrono Trigger is the greatest game of all time. My daughter says Cross is another franchise in the same universe in her opinion.
I think if we separate X from X-2 and allow them both to breathe independent of each other, they’re both solid, albeit flawed, games.
The music, battle system, and job system in X-2 was a step above X, especially when the International version hit the US, because imo, it took away the designated roles the characters in X had and made them all shells that could do anything from the very beginning.
X-2 and anything involving LeBlanc was cringey af though.
If X-3 ever comes out, I hope they can learn from X and X-2 and create a hybrid best of both worlds. So long as Blitzball and Pop Star Yuna are nowhere to be found.
I will never understand why they doubled down on the Trigger > Cross connection(or RD,if you want to be pedantic about it) with the rerelease.
Cross was so disliked that Square was rather amibigious about its status as a sequel for the longest time but then they go ahead and retroactively insert the Cross-nonsense into Trigger anyway.
Just...why?
X-2 imo has one of if not the best battle systems of the franchise. A little refinement and this battle system could evolve into an excellent next gen battle system in a current generation game. Brilliant!!!
Totally agree. But Square-Enix rather wanted to appeal to a casual audience and created the stupid stagger mechanic FF13 introduced (and is still present even in FF 7 Remake). Talking about damage sponges.
Imo The jump from super to sticker star was infinitely worse that the jump from ttyd to super
The J Pop in FF X2 was bad, the rest was ok...
The world of real emotion is surrounding you!
I feel stupid, but where in the description is the link to the first video?
Here you go! ruclips.net/video/gkr03w78FCk/видео.html
David, great video as always, but I’ll always have to argue that Chrono Cross is a great game. I mean of course it’s tough being in the shadow of quite possibly the perfect RPG.. and… yea the amount of characters is.. dumb… but still I found it to be great.
Phantasy star III needs a remake. This game was very badly made.
Funny, I saw X-2 as a huge improvement. I had to make myself finish X but X-2 was weird and I loved it. It’s amazing how we can all have such difference experience! :)
Chrono Cross was one of the first games I've ever played(I was around 6 or so). I didn't know Chrono Trigger was a thing until like 3 yrs ago 😅 but I can understand some of the games short comings you pointed out. Cross will still hold that top 3 games spot for me but I can appreciate your different approach on it.
I guess Sega thought the same thing about Ps3 cuz they definitely knocked it out of the park with Phantasy Star 4.
Im always tickled that we seem to have the exact same taste in rpgs David! It's crazy because I remember having some of these exact convos with my friends, way before there was this sort of internet hive mind thing. Great reviews as always!
X2 had the best job system of any of the mainline FFs. The gameplay was stellar. Especially some of the optional/endgame stuff
But they did very well in Phantasy IV
I'm currently at a desert town and stopped earthquakes from happening. Really long time since I picked it up so I don't remember much at all. I have a vehicle and should go to some place with it. Maybe I should start the game over but I've done that too many times.. Now sandworms keep one-shotting me in the desert when I'm trying to grind for easier time.
What game is the footage in the intro from? I’ve been trying to remember that game for ages I only remember there being pirates
was finna argue about x2 when i saw title card but ur assertion was on point. wish they would put the x2 job system into another game.
Chrono Cross--Thank! You!
You've talked about it before; but it bears repeating what a head-scratcher and letdown it was. It didn't matter to me if it was or wasn't a true sequel to the story and characters in CT: it could have been its own self-contained story (like how each FF is its own world). Your setup to this video defines what my disappointment with CC is: it's because CC discarded nearly everything that made CT a perfect game. The battle system, the Element system, the Leveling system, the overabundance of underdeveloped characters just for the heck of it. Even the redeeming value of its music: it's good--there's stuff I still listen to--but it's no Chrono Trigger. I guess when you make the all-time (pun intended) best JRPG, there's nowhere to go but down...
Ps1 era was pretty much a 3d test era so I understood if most of the games are bad if it include 3d,especially the loading time
Don’t hate me for this hot take, but it needs to be said. I loved FF4 and 6. I expected 5 to be the love child of those two with intriguing characters and rich plot. I know you like job systems. Ok. I just found 5 to be a huge letdown for me personally. Bring the hate if you want, it’s just not a game I can connect with
Stares in X-Death.👀
Also re: Dawn of the New World “frankly this is a story that shouldn’t have been told” lmaoooooo legit cracked up 🤣 👏🏻
it was purged from the official timeline so yeah pretty much it's the truth of it
Rather than write a long rant about how much I adore FFX-2 I'll suffice to say that X-2 is a lot of fun, it's just too easy. I have a blast with it and it still makes me cry.
Unpopular opinion. I didn't care for FF X. Blitzball was a reason, and the characters exp. Tidus and Wakka I disliked as much as Vaan and Penelo. 12 I thought was better and fun.
you videos have me thinking about taking up meditation again haha. i just need to close my eyes and breath when you start dunking all over some of my favorite titles. but i respect your uncompromising thoughts on stuff, always makes for a good time
Bad games or games with bad stories often have awesome battle systems (like FFX-2). Vice versa is also the case, where good games have bad battle systems (FF13-2 and most of the Atelier series). I would love a video series about those
Love your listing's mate, ffx and symphonic hold a special spot for me and happy to see them on the list. Can I recommend a list.?
Top games that had better written fanfiction sequals then actual sequals
I agree on FFX-2 ! The new vibe made the first one seem like a big joke with how all seriousness seemed to take a backseat to girl group power
Funny enough, I just watched Erik Landon's video about JRPGs people didn't know were prequels and found out that Phantasy Star 4 is a prequel to Phantasy Star 3.
I relieved when David mentioned "Mega Man" because I'm still a big fan while waiting for probably Mega Man 12 or X9. Thanks to Legend of Legaia and final fantasy 9, I started to enjoy RPG. Hopefully square enix don't mess up with us by releasing FF9-2 like what they did with FF10-2
X2: but memory of lightwaves
Those thirty dislikes the video has as I’m typing this comment are from Chrono Cross fans.
Wanna fight bro?? Let’s go!
Hahah jk
Huge Chrono Cross fan but didn’t dislike
Awesome! Thanks for another great video, David.
3:24 - Nobody will ever convince me that they didn't add that scene and Lavos in post just for fanservice. There are alot of dialogue scenes in Chrono Cross where things are mentioned that seem important, yet you never actually encounter them in the game. It's almost like... this was originally a different game that was renamed at the last minute and a few lines of dialogue were changed to try and make it connect...
"CoUrAgE iS tHe MaGiC tHaT tUrNs DrEaMs InTo ReAlItY!"
For half a moment there I thought you were about to diss Tales of the Abyss. I actually gasped when you said tales of symphonia. This was the correct choice. You didn't even mention that they level cap the original cast in order to force you to use the monsters. So many questionable thing about that game.
Tales of the Abyss is one of my favorite tales that I even bought the 3ds version play it anywhere I want. But the level cap in ToS2 was the worst (I thing at the end of the game they were cap at 50? If I remember correctly). I like the game enough, like the monster idea was OK for me. But they should not have cap the character at all. They other thing if I remember is that you could only move Emil or Martha at the beginning of battle and if you want to move Zelos for example you can only switch for him in battle (correct me if wrong for this mater). It was a mess of a game.
"For JRPG sequels the developers ruined, number 1 is Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door" "WHAT?!" "...to Super Paper Mario"
Ya got me good there, dude xD
I actually have every game on this list, though I haven't played every single one in-depth.
Final Fantasy X-2 is such an odd one. On the one hand, the DressSphere system is so cool, I love the idea of switching jobs in combat, and the different Garment Grids, and this game got an audible cheer from me when I found out the ATB system returned... but outside of combat, this game is all over the place, and the 100% experience is just exhausting and devoid of fun.
As for Dawn of the New World, I actually like this one quite a bit, of course it doesn't hurt that I actually like Emil and Marta (and Tenebrae), though I still have my issues with the game, namely the world map and the fact that none of the heroes from the original can be leveled up or customized.
Though I think the weirdest thing about DotNW is that Square lifted the entire concept WHOLESALE for Final Fantasy XIII-2
I think branding has a lot to do with this. Putting games under a certain moniker gives existing fans expectations, that if brought under their own ip name would avoid some of the backlash. Say calling chrono cross, adventure saga or some other b.s. would anyone feel disappointed? Probably not
I just came here to say: Chrono Trigger is good, but Chrono Cross is BETTER!
I love me some Chrono Cross! But yeah as far as a sequel to Chrono Trigger goes...it's hardly a sequel at all. It's an amazing game if you pretend it's a stand alone title though. I did however forget JUST how random and forgettable 90% of the playable cast was until I played through it recently 🤣.
This guy right here gets it!
I saw Tales of Symphonia and I nearly had a heart attack as I thought you were referring to the Tales series as a hole.
Interesting to hear these opinions!! It does seem like we have 5 recommendations for games and also 5 games to avoid. It was neat to hear your take on Phantasy Star II/III. I know someone else who really dislikes PSII. I've played most of the PSI, but didn't complete it and just the start of PSII. PSIII does seem boring from your description! I need to play Tales of Symphonia sometime. It is one of the very few Gamecube games I own.
Chrono Cross had nice graphics on ps1. The color elements which gave enemies more damage when equipped also made those equipped characters take more damage. The elemental dragons were a nightmare to fight in late mid game. I had to use a guide to find out out that grouping certain characters together could trigger certain techs alla Chronic Trigger. Also, using the guidebook, I learned you had to use a certain color element sequence to get the best ending, geez!
hello, have you alredy tried bravely default 2? do you thing is a good or a bad sequel?
I’m all about job systems. Was FFX2 great? No. Was it fun? Yes
I totally agree about Chrono Cross! I loved Chrono Trigger but I can't stand the sequel. I honestly makes me sad. Not mad.
David, have you ever played Vagrant Story, for the ps1?
Yeah I actually spoke about it in a recent live stream
As much as X-2 made me say "WTF is this shit I love it", I completely agree.
WELL AKCHTUALLY, New Game Plus was FIRST introduced in Zelda 2: Link's Adventure, where you could carry end-game stats over to replays. Chrono Trigger just popularized it. Also, Dawn of Mana, because...Dawn of Mana.
My thoughts exactly on Tales of Symphonia 2. I was so excited when I learned there would be a sequel, and I thought the story would center around the relations of the two worlds now united. I really wanted to see what they did with the map and if there would be tension in the group as well as the world as a whole. Instead, there was no map at all to explore, the main cast is barely in it and when they are, they're useless and can't gain any exp. They're also flanderized to the point of absurdity having only discernable trait if there are any traits at all. The new characters act like they're from some 11 year old's fanfiction and I didn't care about the monsters. Also Marta constantly sexually harassing bitch boy got old real fast (it wasn't funny the first time), and stupid Emil having flashbacks to Richter calling him a dog every five seconds looped around and became hilarious in the worst way. It was probably the biggest disappointment in gaming for me.
One of my least favorite things about Super Paper Mario is the amount of useless and uninteresting dialogue. There is A LOT of dialogue I found myself skipping just because it wasn’t important to moving the story nor interesting enough to read. This is coming from a guy that loves dialogue in JRPGs.
Wow, someone else that finds FFX linear and actually voices it. I've pointed out to some fans of FFX that it is linear and they brush it off by saying it isn't because of blitzball, I HATE that minigame.
What would blitzball have to do with linearity? Sounds like a bad argument for them
@@ikeashes9089 It being a diversion from the main story. But take that away it is just as linear as one of the more split oppinated FF titles, and they didn't like that fact.
FFX is one of my absolute favourites. But it’s linear as hell. And no one likes that damn blitzball minigame. If they say they do, they’re lying!
I loved Blitzball. I got hype playing it. Nothing better than crushing the Ronso Fangs like 12-0 or barely scraping by 2-1 against the Al Bhed Psyches. So if loving Blitzball is lying, then call me Pinocchio I guess... 😅
@@SpaceCat1111 Glad that you enjoy it, but you can see how there would be those that dislike it. Just like Triple Triad of FFVIII has both fans and haters, sure both minigames are great timesinks but if you don't like the style of the minigame it would suck.
Despite being a JRPG fan, I really dislike the game play of the early Paper Mario games. But Super Paper Mario hit all my buttons perfectly. Sure, the RPG elements were light, but the 2D to 3D switching was brilliant and used in so many creative ways.
I nominate Final Fantasy Tactics to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.
FFT was *such* a great game. I personally think it has the best Final fantasy story to date (I'm excluding FF11 and FF14 as I HATE a paid subscription to play a game. To me that's *worse* than microtranactions) But when they went to FFTA, they fipped everything. The added Judges *ruined* the gameplay. The characters became unrelatable. The story became to childish. Ugh....
For the first time, I understood those Chrono Trigger fans when they talk about their disappointment with Chrono Cross.
Yeah, Advance was terrible.
Cant say i like generation systems all that much. Game gets me invested in their characters only for them to sometimes replace them completely with their kids. I get the appeal of it but i tend to pick a party of characters i like and not change it very often. That said, some games punish me hard for this, if you have every played the touhou labyrinth games, you know what i mean lol.
6:40 - I remember a game called Mugen Souls where the beginning of it parodies Yuna's concert from FFX-2.
Chrono Cross did have connections to Trigger as a sequel besides that one bit.
They just weren’t ways most wanted.
Crono & Marle are on the run after Porre overthrew the Guardian kingdom.
Lucca is on the run after an assassination attempt.
Belthazar is a well meaning accidental dock to everyone.
You kill Robo who already sacrificed his body for operating a machine.
Basically no one had a happy ending (except Schala who you save if you play right) after Trigger. Because 90s edge.
And I say this as someone who likes the game! I tend to just view it more as it’s own thing.
Radical Dreamers is pretty neat though, got me a fan translated cart and everything.
I'll always agree that they messed up a lot of Chrono Cross. The fact that Glenn is put in a lot of fan art (and he pretty much is a non character in the game besides being the brother of a important NPC character) compared to characters like Karsh (he attacks you the 1st time in Another World as a boss, he has a major group boss battle rematch, he is linked with the Viper story, he is innocent in his biggest accused crime back story wise for a side quest, his dad is a blacksmith, and more) never shows up at all. The fact that he isn't the only character like this is just crazy.
I wonder if you can do a "top worst/best romances in rpgs". I always like these videos but there aren't that many of them.
I expect Fei/Elly from Xenogears to be the best, and Noctis/Luna from FFXV to be the worst. Ain't that right?
Loved the new channel Icon mate :), not saying Chrono Cross is a bad game on its own but I felt the same way, to me that game its inferior to its predecessor (CT).
Ins't the premise of tales of eternia repeated in synphonia? Im currently playing it (im on cd 2) and the 2 games share the dual world stuff.
I haven't played Chrono Cross, but at the time it was unavailable (it still is) in Europe it was pretty hyped (along with pretty much every other Squaresoft title that didn't come to PAL regions). My friend could play imported PS1 games (he's one of the few people I know who has actually played Xenogears and not any of the XBC's) on his PS2 and I advertised that game to him couple of times, but he didn't bothered to get it. I felt the music was phenomenal but I guess the actual gameplay wasn't that good.
100% agree with TTYD--> SPM. Such a shame that the franchise has gone so far away from its roots that it could basically be considered a different series altogether.
Cross I'll say takes a lot of extra reading in additional texts [ex. Ultimania/official wiki] to fully appreciate what is going on with the story. There's lots of small details that I had never caught onto due to lack of explicitly stated information or being lost in the complex narrative overall (ex. Magus being Guile, Robo being Fate). So I understand your gripe with the game, but I would encourage a new playthrough with additional sources material at hand (no idea how long it has been since you tried playing it again).
Fully respect your opinions regardless.
Chrono Cross is a fantastic game. Y'all just need to stop comparing it to Trigger. They're different yet related things and that's fine.
That is the problem really. Chrono cross while has flaws, mainly the oversized roster with half the characters being terrible both gameplay and story wise or the heavy exposition dump that plagued the late game, as a stand alone game it is actually pretty good. Combat is actually pretty interesting giving reasons to use your defense command to rebuild stamina and delay enemy turns as well as preventing you from just spamming high tier moves late game like I just did in chrono trigger's end game. Music is good, visuals pretty decent for a ps1 game. Also despite my compliants the oversized roster there are still a lot of cool characters in the roster. Literally if it wasn't suppose to be connected to trigger it would have been received much better.
@@boredomkiller99 imo the large roster doesn't even matter. It's fun, they're irrelevant really. The main characters matter and they're very well written. All of Chrono Cross is well written imo. Yes it has exposition dumps but as someone who adores Xenogears Disc 2 that's the kinds shit I eat right up. Masato Kato can do no wrong and he did a fantastic job with Chrono Cross's story
FF 10-2 is alright if you treat it like some kind of non-Canon spinoff/fever dream. Not having Blitzball and the sphero board is already a huge plus.
I just want to say THANK YOU for saying it, Super Paper Mario isn't quite an actual RPG, let alone similar to the past games, while people might look at sticker star or color splash and go "MAN THE SERIES REALLY STARTED TO GO DOWN HILL AROUND HERE", Super Paper Mario pretty much is what gave them the EXCUSE to remove as many RPG mechanics as possible, while not a BAD game, it was the catalyst for where the series would go, people who don't want to admit this drive me up the wall when they bitch about paper mario.
BS. Final Fantasy X-2 is freaking awesome. The story was okay, but it needed to be. It was supposed to be a breath of fresh air from emo-spikey hair the world is about to end trope. We don't have to have a serious story all the time. And it was the best version of the ATB system. Put it on active mode and fight the superbosses in the Bevelle dungeon, and it's a blast. And the soundtrack is excellent. Easily in my top 5 FF soundtracks alongside FFV, FFXII, FF Tactics, and FFXIII-2.
I think the worst part of trying to 100% FF X-2 is the commspheres. I have no problem doing extra side quests or dungeons, but to expect a player to constantly check the commspeheres and sit and wait for cutscenes completely kills the experience.
Chrono Cross was actually a good game if you didn’t know about Trigger. The idea of crossing over dimensions for different stories and characters and such was brilliant. But this game was doomed from the start by not being a true sequel. It should have been an individual IP.
Final Fantasy X was my first Final Fantasy game, I really enjoyed the turn based system and Yuna is one of my favourite characters in the franchise.
About X-2, it has a ton of fanservice, bonus points for David including the massage scene which you shouldn't play with your parents nearby (really, you shouldn't), getting 100% is a huge pain in the ass but the perfect ending more than makes up for it... No, I won't mention audio drama thing at all, that thing has the same treatment as the Zelda CDi games, it ends on X-2.
I don’t mind that Chrono Cross isn’t a sequel to Chrono Trigger (although I wish it was) think of it like Final Fantasy, where every game will be in a different world.
Ok, I didn't get the format right away and thought you were trying to get yourself cancelled.
I actually bought symphonia collection on ps3 but i must have forgotten to play it since its still sealed and my ps3 is no longer working.........
While it wasn't exactly a great game in my book but more of a good one-time playthrough thing, I believe it was a waste that a boyband FF15-2 never happened, but instead only that incredibly forgettable batch of DLC.
It is sad what happened to Paper Mario. I don't hate the newer titles like most people, and at least from a story/character standpoint, Origami King is a step in the right direction. But you know, while there is still a chance Mario and Luigi may continue since Nintendo owns all rights to it now, and as much as I'd love a real return to form for Paper Mario, ever since I heard this rumor of a true sequel to SMRPG, I've been thinking about how amazing it would be if Nintendo decided to make that their official Mario RPG franchise from now on. Maybe even incorporate the ability to get in a first strike outside of battle. Heck, it's probably one of my favorite things to come out of the later RPGs.
As much as I adore the Mario and Luigi games and even consider them the best from a gameplay standpoint, that limit of only being allowed to play as either the titular characters or alternate versions of them (With Bowser's Inside Story being the only time to played as someone else), I dunno, I miss being able to experiment with other characters.
Sure, PM Origami King brought back partners and even had a couple of original ones, but you can't control them and they're basically just there as a backup in case you fail to defeat every enemy on your first turn. It's obvious at this point all we can really rely on for our traditional Paper Mario fix is indie games, since let's just say Bug Fables simply lit the flame and opened a path for more PM inspired games to come. If Square Enix and Nintendo work together to make the first Mario RPG into a true franchise, that would be stupendous.
Oh yeah, on a side note, what game was that footage in the intro from?