Round 6: The 9-Headed Lernaean Hydra

[This Old Neon]

Round 6: The 9-Headed Lernaean Hydra

You can vote for 1-5 games in this poll. Vote carefully—you can't change your votes after submitting them. The top 5 games at the end of the week will move on to Round 7: The Top 128 Qualifiers.

1985 - Space Harrier - Arcade
1990 - Mega Man 3 - NES
1992 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Genesis/MD
1993 - [Maniac Mansion II:] Day of the Tentacle - PC
2001 - Dynasty Warriors 3 - PS2/XB
2004 - Cave Story [+] - PC
2008 - Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 - PS2
2011 - The Sims FreePlay - Mobile
2011 - The Binding of Isaac - PC
2012 - Crusader Kings II - PC

You are encouraged to discuss your choices and your reasons for selecting the games you did.

[Kong Wen]

I'm being extra hard on a couple games I like, here (Mega Man 3, Cave Story, The Binding of Isaac), but I chose Maniac Mansion II: Day of the Tentacle and Dynasty Warriors 3, for their impact on their respective genres.

I'll have to make sure to notify the SoSZ crowd that Dynasty Warriors 3 is on the cusp of the Top 128 and see what happens...

[Claytone]

KW: For the purposes of this poll, is Persona 4 Golden considered a different game? I'm not sure I care, but I think it's worth knowing.

[Jordan]

I'm curious about Persona 4 Golden as well, so I'll abstain from voting for now.

I could never get Crusader Kings 2 to work on my PC, which was greatly depressing to me as I really enjoyed the original Crusader Kings and I bought CK2 before they implemented Steam Refund.

In all likelihood I'll just be voting for MM3 and Cave Story+ this round.

[Kong Wen]

KW: For the purposes of this poll, is Persona 4 Golden considered a different game? I'm not sure I care, but I think it's worth knowing.

Persona 4 Golden is considered a separate game, and will be appearing in a later round.

That said... it doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't vote for Persona 4 here if you think it's a great game / better game than the others here. Things will start to get tougher in the next round, and there are bets to be hedged.

[Claytone]

Persona 4 Golden is considered a separate game, and will be appearing in a later round.

That said... it doesn't necessarily mean you shouldn't vote for Persona 4 here if you think it's a great game / better game than the others here. Things will start to get tougher in the next round, and there are bets to be hedged.

Thanks for the info, and that's exactly what I did. I voted for Persona 4, Sonic 2, and Mega Man 3.

I don't usually soapbox my votes too much around here, but inasmuch as I'm pretty sure neither Persona 3 nor 4 will make it out of this round, I have to sing their praises now. P3 and 4 and my first and second favorite JRPGs ever, respectively. Since 4 is in this bracket, though, I'll focus on it. It's quite anime tropey, it takes place in high school, and it can be extraordinarily goofy at times, but its intriguing story, interesting battle system, well-done life sim aspect, and 10/10 soundtrack more than make up for any harm done by the aforementioned gripes. It's hard to explain why it's so good. I went into the game thinking I wouldn't like it, but I finished the game wishing it hadn't ended so soon (if 80ish hours can be considered soon). That's the best way I can put it. Truly a delight.

[Humphries90]

Voted for 2 here. I've only played Persona 4: Golden, but it's practically the same game minus a few additions. Absolutely phenomenal game. One of the few RPG's I've played recently that I COULD NOT put down. I was constantly playing it from the moment I bought it.

Also, DW3. While not my favourite DW game, it's still really great and was my first.

[VictorViper]

Space Harrier is in my personal top 3. It is, without qualification, one of the greatest games ever made. Get ready.

[Sharecrow]

Space Harrier is in my personal top 3. It is, without qualification, one of the greatest games ever made. Get ready.

Get ready!

[Niahak]

First round where I've voted for more than two games, and I voted for four: DW3, Cave Story, Persona 4, Crusader Kings.

I still have fond memories of coming home from a trip abroad (including a flight cancellation, 9 hour flight, attempting to negotiate with the US airline which had cancelled my transfer, another 9 hour flight, a two hour flight)... and between a 10 hour time difference and the stress of traveling, found myself completely unable to work when I had planned to go back in.

So I ended up taking three days off and spent my waking time playing Persona 4, which had arrived the day before my trip - simply sleeping when the tiredness overcame me and playing when I woke. It seems odd thinking on it now, but it was probably the most carefree time of my adult life thus far. The game lends itself so well to long periods of play with the ability to choose between dungeons and social links, and each allows you to 'recover' from the other. Better paced than 3 (though I much prefer 3's story).

It also turned out to be even better for when I played P4 Golden, since I had virtually no recollection of the first 10 hours of the game

DW3, meanwhile, was *the* game that made me want a PS2. The co-operative multiplayer with Dynasty Warriors' pseudo-strategic gameplay, Three Kingdoms backdrop, and the amount of things going on at once - such a great game, and so impressive at that stage in gaming.