When it comes down to it, I'm sure everyone has a specific game that they consider the best/their favorite on a system. What is that game? Post here!

But let's get things out of the way. I don't want lists. You can just have one game on just one system for your post, that's perfectly fine. And most importantly, STATE WHY, even one paragraph is fine. I don't want stuff like "because it rocks" or half assed and repetitive attempts in your explanation, for example

"I think this game is great. It just is! OMG everyone should play this game because it's sooo good. It has great characters, story and graphics! It's one of the best games I ever played and it also has some of the bes music in a game ever! SO GO PLAY IT"

I'd like to avoid stuff like that as much as possible. You don't have to explain why the game is great in much detail, even a description of what the game is with only some thoughts on why you think it's good is appreciated. So long as you're on point and not go crazy. I know this will scare away some posters (if not all), but I'd rather this thread die than see stuff like that. It's already everywhere in the forum, and even I'm guilty of it, but there won't be any in this thread.


This thread isn't about finding out what your favorite game is or whatever, I'm sure not a whole lot is interested in that, I want to use this thread as a reference for the great games that I want to see recommended so someone would feel they should try it out, hence why I want some explanations. This thread will basically be a compilation of all the great games that you'd absolutely recommend. It's also very entertaining to read people's recommendations when they go out of their way to try and explain why it's worth playing. It's contradictory to the first sentence of this paragraph perhaps, but I find that proper explanations make all the difference. The real point of the thread isn't about what the best games on a specific system are, since that's subjective, but it's about why you think they are.

You don't have to mention just one game for a specific system, it could be 2, or 10, or all of them, so long as you feel it deserves a mention.


Double post rule is exempt from this thread.

Here are a list of each system and games recommended with the posts from a respective member:
SNES:
Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War (Japanese only) - Aura Blackquill
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 (Japanese only) - Aura Blackquill
3DS:
Fire Emblem Awakening - Spinosaurus
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - Spinosaurus

PC:
StarCraft II - ShadowE

Multiplatform:
Bioshock (360/PS3/PC) - T!M
Dark Souls (360/PS3/PC) - Somniac
Zer Escape: Virtue's Last Reward (3DS/Vita) - machomuu
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (360/PS3/PC) - Wander

Well, first of all, I'll make this official - this thread has been exempt from the double posting rule, so, post away to your hearts' content, kiddies!

Now, I'll mention a Fire Emblem game for the SNES, which is probably one of my all time favourite Fire Emblem games, as well as it's one of my favourite games on the SNES as well, which is ファイアーエムブレム 聖戦の系譜 Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War).



Now, I do like this game, because if you've played Fire Emblem Awakening on the SNES, and enjoyed it, you'll find that this game was sort of inspiration for some of the mechanics of the newer Fire Emblem games, and yes, I'd recommend this game too, even though it's about... 16 years old, ahaha. Awakening developed some of the ideas of marriage from this game! Holy War also has really great and challenging mechanics - the enemies seem stronger than the newer Fire Emblem games, and there are a lot of familiar skills like Paragon, and some ones like one that allows the unit to double attack if they're faster, in which, back then, units weren't allowed to double attack unless they had this ability. The story gets good around the 4th - 5th chapter or so, and, you'll eventually have offspring units to fight with to, like from Awakening as well.

The only problem (obviously) is yes.. it's only on Japanese, since it wasn't released overseas. However, if you have a SNES emulator, you can play a patched version of this game! It's not really tough to do; just follow the instructions that they give you!

Thanks! Now I'm on to my first recommendation, which might end up as a big surprise. And a coincidence with the above.

I'd like to dedicate my first recommendation to my current favorite system, the 3DS.

Fire Emblem: Awakening - 3DS

What's this?! Me, one of the biggest protesters against this game, recommending it?

That's right. Don't get me wrong, I still hate this game, and for that reason I'd like to move on to the flaws first. For a strategy game, this just sucks. The map design mostly consists of mindless hording with reinforcements coming out everywhere toruin your day, and with this kind of design it encourages the player to just grind their units to god-tier to laugh at all the enemy units that once kicked your ass. And then, there's the fact you can easily make all your unit as broken as a wine glass that was just dropped from a mountain. There's absolutely no variety in the main missions, and the story is one of the worst kinds of time travel. Pair ups and second class add nothing to add to enhance the original Fire Emblem formula in terms of strategy and are just overpowered mechanics. The characters are hit and miss, but the main characters are big miss. One of the most advertised character doesn't even do much after their debut. There's barely any strategy in this game, if at all (beyond the first few chapters in lunatic), so there's that problem. If anything, this game is a typical JRPG with a turn based system.

But I'm not letting my hate blind me to this, because for what it is, it's a damn good game. I'm gonna have a hard time listing the good stuff in this game because yes, I hate it, but...it's addicting. Not to me, but evidently to others. I'm seeing these people play it and considering one of the best game I ever played, and I finally come to understand why. Pair ups and Second class do NOTHING to add to the game, but what they do, is add to the replay value. The game is all about experimenting, and if it was a strategy game, it'd be super hard to get right. Being able to see the supports of each characters, on top of being able to change the classes of each character non stop means the player can experiment and see what the game can offer with that. Thanks to this, the game offers endless replayability, and in fact can be very addicting because the core mechanic is perfect, and second to none when it's about just being fun. The addition of grinding and the ability to turn off death supports my argument to this, on top of helping new players to get into the game way easier.

The game was designed for new players first and foremost. Whereas they mostly failed to get players familiar with the series (and play it for the strategy aspect first and foremost), it did the absolute best to accomplish that. The game is content filled, with so many units to try and so many ways to play, on top of what I said before about experimenting. Honestly, that's a big word when it comes to describing the game design of this. Because it allows experimenting, the game was made easier to accommodate that, and it's all a clever design choice to appeal to mostly everyone. By the virtue of experimentation, it allows the game to be a timeless classic, and one that'll be remembered for years as a game that brought many hours of fun to many, many people. I'd also like to mention how this game is perfect for a handheld, because it's very easy to just pop the game up and play through thanks to all the design choices I mentioned. If it was a traditional FE game, this would've been harder as maps sometimes take hours and a lot of thinking.

So yes, if you're someone who loves JRPGs, or a game that lets you experiment with all kinds of stuff, this game is the best of the best. It's easy, fun, and addicting. If you're a fan of the series, or want pure strategy, I'd be weary, but give it a go and judge it for what it is, not for what it isn't. Only a talented developer such as Intelligent System can make me hate a game so much but still appreciate its quality.


In a way I kinda regret choosing this game first, because yeah I hate it and I wanted more to say for my first game recommendation, but on the other hand I'm glad because I wanted to say what I wanted to say for a while and I'd like to get this one out of the way first.



I still hate this game by the way. <3

BIOSHOCK (2007)

My first recommendation to this thread since I just discovered it, 3 minutes ago (thanks, Spine) will be Bioshock for the XBOX, Personal Computer and later the PlayStation 3.

The game takes place in 1960 when the main character's plane crashes over the Atlantic, finding lone light house among his crash inadvertent leads him to underwater utopia city known as Rapture, that has clearly seen better days...



You follow the main character in a survival horror/FPS-Shooter adventure seeking the mystery behind the rise and fall of Rapture and learn even darker secrets yet as you wander deeper and deeper into it's confines, all the while trying to find your way out of this horrid carnival full of decaying corpses and rotting flesh...

____________

Tim's Personal Experience

PROS: Fun, deep mystery, good scares.

CONS: Some of parts of the story (without spoiling) are a little drab, even on the Hard setting, the game is pretty forgiving and otherwise "Easy".

Besides the CONs above, the game is virtually flawless. It's fun, scary (for new-players or unless you're just a plum scaredy cat, veterans of the series) and easily has one of the best stories in terms of mystery I've ever seen.



Truth be told, the only reason I picked up this game is that I could't play Fallout 3 (because I have a severe case of Arachnophobia, so the giant ants and scorpions running around the desert made it impossible to play) and I really wanted to, and when I heard that Bioshock has very similar traits, I used it as a substitute. And what I wanted from a substitute, I got so much more. And entirely new and crazy experience.

I love Bioshock and the series (Except Infinite, that was turrible). And I can't wait for more releases in the future.

So go out there, players of PokéCommunity, if you haven't played Bioshock, get on it!

~ Tim

My first recommendation to this thread will be one of my all time favorite games.

Platform:
PC | PS3 | XBOX360

Personal Rating: 4/5

What is it?
Dark Souls is a fantasy based action RPG. The game has a brilliant atmosphere and exceptionally in-depth lore.

Why?

Difficulty & Reward


Lore & Discovery


PvP


Summary:

Good points:
Rewarding gameplay
Intriguing lore
Epic boss fights
Beautiful music [Here's one of my personal favorite tracks for your listening pleasure]

Bad points:
The PC port is truly awful, and you must install at least one mod to fix it, or use a controller. [Don't let this put you off, all of the issues can be fixed with mods]
The online on PC uses GFWL, which has issues for a lot of people.
The difficulty may be off-putting for some.

The game goes on sale quite often on Steam, I believe the Prepare To Die Edition, which includes the DLC was recently $5 during the Christmas Steam-sales.

Well I had planned on doing a "Machomuu's Recommendations" for the Christmas season, but that time's passed, so might as well post here.


The sequel to 999: 9 Persons, 9 Doors, 9 Hours (a game that I previously recommended), Virtue's Last Reward is about a college student named Sigma who is kidnapped and, when he wakes up, finds himself in a strange room with a mysterious girl named Phi and a strange bracelet on his arm. After seeking a way out of the room, he introduced to a cast of seven other characters, all of whom seem to be in a similar situation as Sigma. They are then greeted by a charismatic rabbit named Zero Jr. The rabbit tells them that they are apart of the Nonary Game, and the goal for the game is simple, open the number 9 door. How this is done is simple, a player simply has to flash their bracelet over the scanner when it displays the number 9.

The bracelets all of an initial value of 5, and to raise the value they need to complete trials with the help of two other members and then vote whether they want to Ally or Betray the player (or players, if their Bracelet says that they are a solo). If both the solo and the pair pick Ally, they gain 2 points. If they both choose Betray, they both gain no points. If a one chooses Ally and the other chooses betray, the traitor gains 3 points while the ally loses 2. Now, the logical solution would be that each time they are able to vote, everyone chooses Ally each time. After 3 votes, everyone would be able to get out all at once, right?

There's a catch, though. Well, two of them (if not more). The first of them is that the door only opens for nine seconds, only those who have nine points can enter (lest they die), and once the door closes, it closes for good. The second is that if someone's points reach 0 or below, they are injected with a lethal poison.

What this creates is an engaging and tension filled experience where the lines between cooperation and competition are blurred. When it comes down to voting time, VLR turns into a game of trust, and because of how well the characters are developed over the time that the player spends with them, this does incredibly well to make the player feel the weight behind the their decisions as if they were Sigma themselves. The game does well to portray the emotions of the characters, and the sadness or bonafide anger after they've been betrayed by someone they thought they trusted (and vice versa). It's that human element that truly makes that portion of VLR so engaging, but that is only a brief portion of the game.

Much of the game is told in Visual Novel format, so there's a good deal of text. Unlike the first one, all of the lines are voiced. The US version has included the well done dub that features experienced and fitting voice actors such as Laura Bailey, Liam O' Brien, and Travis Willingham. Both the US and European versions contain the Japanese voice acting, though the US version contains both English and Japanese. In comparison to the original, the characters are far more expressive than they were in the original game, and in place of the 2D sprites with fluid animations, Virtue's Last Reward uses 3D models. The game also uses pictures and short animated videos to show action on screen, so as to keep the player interested, and it spares no expense in doing so.

Despite the grim tone of the game, Virtue's Last Reward manages to be a lot brighter and more colorful than its predecessor, and it does so without disrupting the atmosphere. The characters also feel more human, often making jokes and acting as normal people would in such a situation that they're in (this is partially due to the lack of a time limit, unlike the first game, which gave them nine hours). With that in mind, the humor in this game can often times be laugh-out-loud funny, and it does really well in developing the characters.

Finally, there's the puzzles. Dear God, the puzzles. In 999, I had a hard time just beating the puzzles without a guide. I didn't manage, and I did use a guide. I decided against that in VLR, even opting to play on Hard Mode (which changes some of the extra rewards and disallows your partners from give you hints on when you're stuck). I can say without a doubt that this game's puzzles are not only much more difficult than those of the original, but also much more involved and fun as well. While there may be those of you out there who are thinking "Puzzles? I'll pass", I recommend against it. I'm not a puzzle fan myself, but VLR is just such an engaging experience that I actually enjoyed doing the puzzles (and it was INCREDIBLY satisfying when I figured them out on my own).

And, even with all of that, I've barely touched on what makes Virtue's Last Reward so great: the story. VLR has a story that I would easily deem the greatest in gaming (and one of the best in storytelling period, though that might be a stretch) in a heartbeat. The world of VLR is so detailed and so well constructed that it could pull pretty much anyone in. VLR does not simply try to be a game that the player will complete and put away, it was meant to be an experience that will stay with the player days, weeks, and even months after they play it, with an ending (or rather, many endings) that will hit the player emotionally and leave them wanting more. With each playthrough, the game gives the player just enough information to piece the story together and theorize about the big picture, something that will still be incomplete after going through all of the endings (which you will, you won't be able to stop yourself if you enjoy the game). I simply cannot recommend this game enough, and I feel that it is probably one of the most overlooked titles of all time as well as one of my favorites, definitely my favorite 3DS/Vita title. I'd even go as far as to say that it contends for being one of the greatest games of all time.

Digitally, the game's $25 dollars on the 3DS and it was previously free to PS+ subscribers, so please do yourself and Chunsoft a favor and buy this game.

machomuu said:

snip

Click to expand...

Fantastic post. I've been wanting to give this game a go for a year now, especially since I enjoyed 999, but I never got around doing so. I think it's about time I make this a game a priority.


I figured it'd be appropriate that my next recommendation ends up being my Game of the Year


The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds - 3DS

First off, let me just get this out of the way: I have never, ever played a Link to The Past, so this is all coming from the perspective of someone who found everything in this game to be absolutely refreshing and new. I have, also, associated Zelda games to be full of padding, dragging, fetch quests, annoying assistants, handholding, stories that gets in the way and long ass tutorials.

However, A Link Between Worlds throws all that away, and drops the player into this curious world. The only handholding is in the very beginning, but after that, you're all on your own. The game does away with the series formula and gets rid of the linearity, giving the player a choice of what dungeon they like to tackle. The game also introduces a rental system, where instead of finding the items in a dungeon, you can rent (or buy later) the item in a shop that would open up soon after the introduction. This was done so that dungeons can be talked in a non-linear fashion, as mentioned.

But enough of that, let's start on why the game is terrific.

Action

Ever played one of those games, where you had so much fun to the point where you think "this game is WHY I play video games!". Well this is one of those games, and I'll tell you why this Action-Adventure title is worth your time.

Now, before you start expecting Devil May Cry or Bayonetta levels of complexity and content, don't. The action in this game is much more simple and it's nowhere near as intense or crazy as those games.

BUT, is that a bad thing? Not at all! This is an example of "simple is perfect". The gameplay is tuned to perfection, and Link is very responsive. Just walking around with Link is fun on its own because of the control you have over the character. The sword play is precise and relies on timing, which adds a layer of depth to it. Even if there's only two methods of swinging your sword, it make sense in the design of the game. You're a player, and the sword is mapped to one button. It's not "how do I push the button", because you just push it or hold it, it's "when should I push it". Timing is key, and is integral in making the sword play incredibly fun. This is all because the dungeon design and enemy variety are all key parts in making the controls effective and just fun to ply around, but I'll cover tht later. After all, you have a variety of weapons you can use. The items aren't just for the puzzles you know. The game does a good job to get the player experimenting with the items, and allows them to decide on their own which item they prefer to use for enemies. The items are all unique and offer new ways to tackle opponents, and allows for many different approaches. Sooner or later, you might even find use for the Sand Rod outside of sand areas, because it stuns any enemies a tile away from you and leaves them completely open for attacks. Sounds useful for guarded enemies and ones that tend to evade right when you swing the sword, doesn't it?



But this is all thanks to the way the dungeons are designed and the variety of enemies that are in, as each offer the player different ways to think of how and when to beat them. Dungeons will offer themed enemies that require the item the dungeon is designed around to beat these enemies. You'll have enemies that will only be defeated from bombs, or the sand rod, or the hammer, etc. And even outside the dungeons, enemies are still varied enough to ensure the player is constantly aware and prepared. For example, all over Lorule you have enemies with shields. This means the player need to find a way around the shield, and this where items come to play. Of course, you can still defeat any normal enemy, regardless of speed, defensive capabilities, or flight, with the normal sword. The shield enemy can be defeated with a sword if you know the timing on when to attack, and know how to maneuver around your opponent and hit him in the weak spot. This all combined keeps the action refreshing and absolutely addictive.



But the highlight are the bosses. The best part is that, the way the bosses are designed, it's all up to the player to figure out how to beat the boss. Normally, it's obvious, especially if you know the theme of the respective dungeon and the required item, but sometimes players can find new ways to tackle the boss. Offensively, the bosses all have one way to defeat (I could be wrong!), but what if you're on the defensive? This is where it all gets interesting. You could either run away to avoid the enemy's attack, or you can use some of Link's arsenal to dodge. Will you use the shield to block? Or will you merge to the wall against attacks that cover a huge radius? There are many ways to approach bosses and figure out to defeat them, and it's all up to the player.

Adventure

The real meat is the adventure aspect, however. The game drops you into a world full of life and wonders, with no help whatsoever. This game clearly promises you endless exploration.

And this promise is fulfilled. Everywhere you go, there's something new to discover, to see, to experience. Be it a mini-dungeon, treasure, or even new NPCs to talk to and quests to do. There's never a dull moment in the game. The beauty of this though, is that everything is left to the player. The player knows where the dungeons are thanks to the map, so they can choose to tackle them straight and be done with it, or they have the choice to explore every nook and cranny before doing anything, and they can. When you get your first all, the majority of the game is pretty much open for exploration. They might require a certain item that they can only get later, but this only adds to the experience, because they get those moments where they finally get the item and think "a-ha! Now I can see what's waiting for me there!" The game is paced perfectly, so that the player will never get tired of his adventure in the lands of Hyrule and Lorule.



Just as you'd normally expect from a Zelda game, the NPCs are entertaining and full of personality and life. Each character has unique and interesting dialogs to read, and a lot of them have something for the player to do. The game does a great job in getting the player to be immersed into these character's lives, and find out what they do and what they want. The NPC themselves maybe one-dimensional and aren't really anything to write home about, but it doesn't matter, because just seeing what these guys do in their life in the fantastical setting of Hyrule is great in itself. The game rewards the player for interacting with NPCs by giving them quests and treasures to get by doing so, or by quests giving by the NPCs, so there's so much to do.

The game REWARDS the player for exploring in general. There are many things they can get just by looking a little. In fact, it's impossible to get all the upgrades they can get just by going through dungeons. The rewards can be money, or an item, but there are also upgrades to Link's arsenal, which can prove to be very helpful in their journey.


The dungeons are the cream of the crop. They're all cleverly designed with some great puzzles that can be enjoyed by anyone of age. They're paced perfectly, and are unique in their designs, so that no dungeon will feel like a repeat. Each dungeon has a specific theme that plays out to the design, and most will require an item, although some don't and instead are designed around a specific mechanic or by the use of one of Link's abilities.

Dungeons aren't just unique for their themes. The ice dungeon isn't different to the fire dungeon because it's about ice, no. Each dungeon also has a specific design element to play out and different puzzles that accommodate those designs. For example, you might find a specific dungeon that is maze-like, where it overwhelms the player and requires them to find their way around the dungeon. You'll also find one that throws the player and a big floor with many rooms around in a non-linear fashion, allowing the player to tackle the dungeon the way they want. There's also a dungeon that's very linear but plays around a specific mechanic and backtracking. Each dungeon have new ways to engage the player and keep their interest.

The puzzles are clever. They're easy for someone who's familiar with puzzles and Zelda games, but by no means does that mean they're poorly design. For the most part, I had no trouble solving them, but I still thought "hey, that was clever!" and had a lot of fun doing them. This lack of complexity contrast to other Zelda games is due to the fact dungeons only use one item instead of multiple, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The puzzles are still very fun to solve, and are varied enough to feel refreshing.


The big mechanic here is merging to the walls. This was utilized by the game cleverly, be it in puzzles or traversal. The game constantly throws new ideas relative to this ability that are all clever and fun to engage in. Merging to the walls allowed for many options and interesting ideas to keep the game fresh from repetition.

Flaws

But the game isn't without its share of flaws. The rental system is both the game's biggest strength and its weakest link. Whereas it keeps the game fresh, it allowed the game to be easy in its design. Dungeons lack the complexity the series is known for, and puzzles are fairly straight forward for the most part. Add to that, you can't de-upgrade if you want to keep any sort of challenge. You found a blue mail? Too bad, you'll keep the -50% damage resistance and you'll like it.

But if you can excuse the lack of difficulty, this game is nothing short of perfect game design. The flaws are easily negligible, but if you're looking for real challenge, this game won't be for you.

Conclusion

Whether you're looking for fast paced action, or some sense of exploration with fun puzzles to solve, this game covers everything that is fun about video games. On top of that, the game is one of the most polished you'll ever play, having 60 frames per second on both 2D and 3D. The game is such a joy to play on 3D as well, being smooth with very amazing depth, so if you want a game to show off the feature, this one does it best. The game is an shining example of game design that I absolutely recommend to anyone who is looking for an extremely fun game

Here is a game i fell in love with ever since playing and kept playing it:

StarCraft II

A great RTS game i found out about by a random YouTube video (i didnt even knew it was well known!)
The game is pretty cool to play and has quite a lot of features. The campaign is just the best campaign i ever saw in a RTS. There's tons of different missions: from escort missions to leading a small task force to blow up a network. The cutscenes are worth watching and there is much more than just building a base and making a army. You can upgrade almost everything, hire mercenaries who are slightly better than their normal counterparts (all about the Wings of Liberty campaign, since Heart of the Swarm is a expansion).

Besides a campaign this game also has a training mode, which the game helps you to slightly get warm for the multiplayer part. Then there is also a vs AI mode for 1,2 and 3 players if you ever want to stomp the AI on a random map. Then there is the Unranked and Ranked gamemodes. Unranked is same as vs AI, but then against human players instead of the AI and also you can play 4v4 and FFA on Unranked. Ranked is getting into a League and playing to get the best competively and eventually (if you are really good) place for real tournaments!

Then there is the Custom Games part, in which you can pick your prefered map to play on and pick what gamemode to play (1v1, 2v2, etc.). Also there are maps made by the community with some having a certain change in the game itself (units cost no supply, minerals will never run out, etc.). These type of games doesnt count towards your winstreak however.

Then there is the Arcade. Now this is the best part of all StarCraft II in my opinion. People create weird things with the Map Editor which the game adds with it. In the Arcade you can play these type of games, and they range in genre's aswell. The Arcade is pretty fun to play and has a lot of challenging games in it. For example in Monobattles you are restricted to only one offensive unit and you have to work with your team to defeat the other.

Good things about StarCraft II

- Has a free Starter Edition for people who want to try the game without playing
- Training mode to help you understand the game quite well
- Breathtaking storyline and cutscenes
- 3 totally different working factions

Bad things about StarCraft II

- Community isnt the friendliest and most helpful of all
- Requires a pretty powerful PC to work on properly
- Starter Edition is limited to Custom Games, Arcade and only one faction (all factions are unlocked in Patch 2.1)

StarCraft II is $40 in the Battle.net store and its expansion is for the same price aswell.
But it is all worth the money if you can run it and if you like a RTS game.

EDIT: There is still a sale going on making StarCraft II and its expansion $20 each.

Alright now, I think it's time that I tell you guys about another Fire Emblem game for the SNES, one which was one of my personal favourites for many, many reasons, which is ファイアーエムブレム トラキア776 - Fire Emblem: Thracia 776:



Now, first and foremost, yes, this game is also only released in Japan, however, it is possible to grab an English patch of the game, so, if you have time, I'd recommend that you try it out on your SNES emulators! Now, on to the actual game. If you've played Awakening, Sacred Stones, Radiant Dawn, Path of Radiance, Fire Emblem 7, etc, etc, you'll find that those games are ridiculously easy compared to Fire Emblem: Thracia 776. In other words, this game is really hard. In fact, I'd say it's the hardest Fire Emblem game in the series, even harder than Fire Emblem Sword of Seals.

What makes this game so hard compared to the others? Well, the enemy units are exceptionally stronger than the other enemy units from the other Fire Emblem games stat wise, in fact, you'll feel like you're playing Lunatic Mode from Awakening. On top of that, Enemy reinforcements are also very common throughout the levels, as in, you won't get to react to them since they spawn during the enemy phase, and well, catch you off guard, so you'll find yourself near death normally, even when you're playing as safe as possible. Not only that, Staff magic can actually miss in this game, which makes healing also a problem. With all that being said and more, I have to warn you, I do not recommend this game for beginners. So, if you are just looking into the Fire Emblem series, I recommend you play games like Sacred Stones, Fire Emblem 7, or Fire Emblem Awakening because they are way more beginner friendly, and will familiarize yourself into the Fire Emblem mechanics.

Now, despite the extreme difficulty of this game, why play it? Despite the difficulty, this game in the Fire Emblem series is a definite solid game. For one thing, the storyline is pretty outstanding. The story in Thracia 776 branches off from Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War), in which the main Lord is named Leif, which is also a character from Genealogy of the Holy War. In fact, a lot of characters from the Genealogy of the Holy War such as Finn, Delmud, and Nanna are in this game too. Basically, you're trying to revive the the Kingdom of Leonster after it was invaded and attacked that resulted in the death of Leif's father. The storyline branches off in themes of betrayal, togetherness, and extreme depths of the heart. I believe it's a truly outstanding storyline with a lot of character development that is pretty much par within the more talked about Fire Emblem games, like Fire Emblem Awakening.




The mechanics in Tharcia 776 is also really fun to help you enjoy the game play despite the difficulty. It pretty much uses the same mechanics as Genealogy of the Holy War, for example, this game has fairly larger maps compared to most of the other Fire Emblem games. Again, referring back to Awakening, you'll find that you'll be able to each both ends of the map within a small amount of turns, give or take, in which the game pretty much consists of small maps in deserts, castles, outfields, and so on. However in this game, you'll find that the fields near the castles are really large, which opens more opportunities to use more units for more interesting strategies! If you also notice when playing, the layout in each map kind of matches up with the world map, which adds to it's aesthetics!

The music is also quite amazing, which leaves an unforgettable experience upon playing each map, and entering each battle phase. For example, the main ost on attacking is called Start The Justice Attack, and the main defense theme is called Start the Justice Defense. IN JUSTICE WE TRUST It sort of adds that war-like feel to it, whenever you attack or fending off those ridiculously strong enemies! of course, there are also music within the game that adds to peaceful and sad moments too, and if you're like me, you'll appreciate each sentimental piece of music that adds to the feel of each key moment within each video game played. This one is no different.




The battle mechanics are also pretty similar to Genealogy of the Holy War, and like the rest of the Fire Emblem games, follow the same pattern of the weapon triangle, (swords > axes, lances > swords, axes > lances) and I believe it was the first game that introduced the 'rescue' mechanic where you can rescue your units by 'pairing' with them and transport them else where. It also introduced Fog of War, where if you've played a Fire Emblem game for the GBA, like Sacred Stones, you'll know that Fog of War limits your vision on certain maps like maps with fog, or maps during the night time.

It produced another mechanic called the capture mechanic, which allows your units to actually capture enemy units! The downside is that it leaves your units with half of their normal HP, but when you capture the enemy, you can essentially steal their items. Another downside is that the enemy can capture your units too. If they do, they can also steal your items, and the only way to get them back is to of course kill the enemy unit. Another mechanic that I actually really, really dislike is called Fatigue, in which if your character does things like attack a enemy unit, they'll slowly become tired. If the character's fatigue builds up so much that it become more than their base HP, then you can't choose them in the next chapter, which adds to the strategy, but, I admit, it's sort of an annoying mechanic.




But in conclusion, if you're liking the Fire Emblem series and would like to try your hand on a challenge, then try Fire Emblem: Thracia 776! Sure, because of the hard difficulty of this game, it requires you to be patient, and for you to think on your feet whenever something unexpected comes up on each map, but, after your done a really chapter, you'll feel great satisfaction on completing it, and you'll be prompted to find out what to do next in the next one! So, again in my own personal opinion, this is one of my favourite games for the SNES, and I urge you to try it out when given the chance!

Keep the posts coming guys. They're a joy to read.

I'm actually on the verge of playing the SNES Fire Emblem games thanks to this thread. VLR is on my priority list as well.


Also, I'm torn on what to write next. Is there a game anyone wants me to write about? I might make a list of games that I could and let someone pick for me. I might do Pikmin 3, or Elite Beat Agents. I'm thinking of doing Advance Wars (the first one) because I'm currently addicted to it, even though I haven't beaten it yet.

Spinosaurus said:

Keep the posts coming guys. They're a joy to read.

I'm actually on the verge of playing the SNES Fire Emblem games thanks to this thread. VLR is on my priority list as well.


Also, I'm torn on what to write next. Is there a game anyone wants me to write about? I might make a list of games that I could and let someone pick for me. I might do Pikmin 3, or Elite Beat Agents. I'm thinking of doing Advance Wars (the first one) because I'm currently addicted to it, even though I haven't beaten it yet.

Click to expand...

It's be awesome if someone can write about Pikmin 3. I've been looking at the game for a while now, and I've yet to buy it, but, I'd love to learn more about it. c:

Keeping in with the strategy theme of this thread, I'll recommend a game I only discovered quite recently, but I wish I had sooner: XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

XCOM is a tactical turn-based game for PC/360/PS3. You're the commander of a secret organization whose purpose is to combat extraterrestrials that have recently appeared to assault Earth. The gameplay has two significantly different aspects to it, which I'll explain below.

The Missions
As commander, you take control of between 4-6 human soldiers in turn-based tactical combat against several different types of aliens. There are four classes of soldiers-- snipers, supports, assaults, and heavies. Snipers can't move and shoot at the same time, but have exceptional hit and critical chances. Supports can help heal your troops and hide them using smoke grenades; assaults are fast-moving and versatile; and heavies tote dangerous rocket launchers and huge machine guns.

Fog of war hides all of your enemies from you, so care must be taken to advance slowly and carefully. Upon sighting a group of aliens, they will instantly get a free move to take cover or advance towards your position. Using an assortment of shotguns, machine guns, rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, and more, players will duke it out with the extraterrestrial creatures in explosively charged firefights.

All soldiers start out as rookies; their first kill earns them a promotion and a randomly assigned class. As soliders earn more kills and continue to level up, they get 1 of 2 player chosen abilities based on their class. Snipers, for example, may be able to shoot after moving or shoot anything within their squad's line of sight. Later in the game, you gain access to "psionic" abilities, allowing you to further customize your troops.

The most important aspect of XCOM is the positioning of your troops. Taking cover is essential; leaving a soldier out of cover near enemies is essentially the same thing as killing that soldier. And getting soldiers killed is permanent; much like Fire Emblem, once a soldier's gone, he's gone for good, and a new recruit must take his place. This can be devastating, especially later in the game; losing one of your best soldiers that's been with you for 20+ missions is both devastating personally and in a gameplay sense; it creates a gaping hole on your team.

XCOM is a very difficult game. You're often outmanned and outgunned; especially on the higher difficulties, enemies will deal more damage than you, have higher hit chances than you, and you'll be outnumbered 3:1 at times. It's not a game for the faint of heart. There's even an "Ironman" mode which automatically saves after each move. No save-scumming for you!

Strategy: Base Building
The other significant gameplay aspect of XCOM is the base-building part of the game. You'll be charged with managing a team of scientists, telling them which of a selection of technologies to research; managing a team of engineers, telling them what facilities to build, items to improve and construct, and more; deploying "Interceptors" to crash UFO's which you invade for resources; and several other significant decisions to make.

As commander of the XCOM project, you are funded by all the nations of the world. If these nations are unsatisfied with how you are running the project, they will leave and you'll lose some funding. For example, at many points in the game, the aliens will begin abducting citizens in several different countries. You can only send your soldiers to one of these abduction sites. The countries of the continent you ignore will have their panic level rise, while the one country you help will have its panic level decrease. This leads to difficult decisions; will you help Germany, which rewards you with engineers for helping, which you need for that new power facility you want to build? Brazil's panic level, however, is dangerously high; refusing Argentina's request for aid could cause a chain reaction of panic that causes them to leave the XCOM project for good. It's decisions like these that make XCOM both a tactical game and a political strategy game; keeping your sponsors happy is not easy when one's fighting an alien invasion.

XCOM's soundtrack is neither spectacular nor mediocre. It fits the game well and fades into the background, for the most part. Much the same can be said of the story, which is mostly there to push the campaign along.

XCOM is an excellent game that I highly recommend to any strategy fan. Although quite different from SRPGs like Fire Emblem, it makes for a unique experience that's both challenging and more importantly fun.

AUTHOR'S NOTE; Sorry for the text heavy review; I don't have 15+ posts yet, so I can't link any images as of now. :(