Death By Troggles was born with Star Trek: TNG, and one of my readers suggested a while back I go and do a top moments list for the show. The staff here went back and forth for a long time and finally settled on a list everyone can be happy with. Come back tomorrow to see #40 and #39!
Trek at its best put me on the edge of my seat, made me laugh, made me cry, gave me the chills, or gave me food for thought with a powerful message. Most of these moments got a mention during the episode countdown, so there shouldn’t be a ton of surprises; naturally, my favorite episodes tend to have my favorite moments as well. But there are some excellent episodes (Ship in a Bottle, for instance) that I love but don’t have a single moment that really stands out. And, naturally, there are a few moments from mediocre episodes that still get me to this day.
And in case there were any worries, Justice will not get a mention.
Developer: HAL, Ape Publisher: Nintendo Year: 1995 Platform: SNES, WiiU
Considered a cult classic, I have never known anyone personally to dislike this RPG. In fact, I am not sure I know anyone who doesn’t love it like crazy. But when the market for RPGs was still trying to gain steam in America, Earthbound had no place and the sales figures were awful. Released in a huge box with a huge strategy guide, Earthbound was obviously quirky from the start. While on the surface the game seems little more than a goofy parody of American culture and other RPGs, therein lies a high-quality adventure with a gripping story and superb game mechanics.
I got this for Christmas shortly after it came out, but didn’t play it for two months as I also received Link to the Past. I think that easily qualifies as the most bang for buck Christmas ever as a child. Other than Tecmo Super Bowl, I have never spent more time playing a video game. While this no doubt influenced the ranking, I can’t help but feel nothing but love for this game despite all of its obvious problems.
I heard how awesome this game was for five years before I finally put some serious cash down for it on eBay. It blew away all expectation I had. While the characters are only about average as far as RPGs go, it has my favorite battle system and an incredible plot that spans multiple timelines with significant choices the player can make to alter events.
I first played this game on a SNES emulator with an English translation patch, then later on the DS. The DS version has a few additions that may increase enjoyment; regardless, both versions are an example of a great RPG, with emphasis on the role-playing.
The last RPG I played, I consumed it during a one-month period in 2011 when I was unemployed. I rejoined the workforce completely satisfied. Getting away from the futuristic, steampunk atmospheres from the previous two games, Square returned to its roots with classic characters and a classic battle system that is the most user-friendly since Final Fantasy IV.
While Final Fantasy Legend II was miles ahead of its predecessor, it was a very similar game with a significantly improved plot. Lufia II is so unlike the first game in the series that it’s hard to believe they have the same name. About the only thing that’s similar about the two games is the battle interface, which was the best part it took from it’s older cousin. Everything else has been revamped to make Lufia II a near perfect RPG.
Developer: Square Publisher: Square Year: 1991 Platform: Game Boy
It’s hard to say a game with a Final Fantasy name is unheralded, but in 1991, there had only been two games released in North America with the name. Those two were the original game for the NES, and the dreadfully dull, long, and difficult first game in the Legend series. Square had yet to release Final Fantasy II in America (also, not much of a loss). So the name in 1991 wasn’t an automatic gold mine. It wasn’t until IV and VI came out that RPGs became a huge thing in America, and then of course with VII things really exploded.
Despite hating the first game in the series, I loved RPGs and asked for this game anyway. And I’m very glad I did.
A rare and mostly forgotten game in the NES library, Dragon Quest IV should not be ignored by fans of classic RPGs. While, like its predecessors, it remains underwhelming in the graphics and music department (at least on the NES), it more than makes up for it with a tight, epic story. Thankfully, the DS version fixes some problems and makes the game much more palatable for today’s gamers.
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