Top 128: 4/16 - Final Bracket X

[This Old Neon]

Welcome to the "BEST GAME EVER!!!" Project Top 128 Brackets!

You can vote for 1-4 games in this bracket. Vote carefully—you can't change your votes after submitting them. The top 4 games at the end of the week will advance to the Top 64.

4 - Final Fantasy X - 2001 - PS2
29 - Pokémon [HeartGold/SoulSilver] Version - 2009 - DS
36 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 2002 - PS2
61 - Donkey Kong - 1994 - GB
68 - Prince of Persia - 2008 - Multiplatform
93 - Der Langrisser - 1994 - SNES
100 - Super Mario 64 - 1996 - N64
125 - Valkyria Chronicles - 2008 - PS3/PC

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

[VictorViper]

Valkyria Chronicles kept this from being my second abstained bracket. I love this game.

[Claytone]

I was surprised to exhaust all four of my votes here. I don't think anything really stands out here, but nothing is bad either. Solid matchup of games.

[SkyPikachu]

Final Fantasy X
I really love JRPGs and this one is no exception the story is fun and the gameplay is challenging enough as well. Makes me really feel for the characters.

[Humphries90]

Final Fantasy X. My second favourite Final Fantasy game. The story just sucked me in back in the day. It's not the best story ever, but nothing had engrossed me quite as much before or since. Well, maybe Persona 4. It was stunning to look at and the music was astounding.

Vice City. The best GTA. The 80's. Perfect match.

Pokemon Soul Silver. A brilliant remake of one of my favourite games of all time. Blew the original out of the water. The new additions were so great. Breeding, types, regions.

Super Mario 64. It's Super Mario 64. What a Christmas morning that was, unboxing the N64 and playing this masterpiece for the first time. Thanks Mum and Dad!

[Sharecrow]

Final Fantasy X. My second favourite Final Fantasy game. The story just sucked me in back in the day. It's not the best story ever, but nothing had engrossed me quite as much before or since. Well, maybe Persona 4. It was stunning to look at and the music was astounding.

Which is your favorite? Just curious....

[Humphries90]

VII. Predictable, but the truth.

[Kong Wen]

I can tell this is going to be one of those brackets.

Final Fantasy X was a nice return to form after the tasteless fanservice of the previous entry. It was also a nice PS2 debut and showcased the power of that system quite well. I liked the pseudo-job character progression system. The characters and story themselves kind of left something to be desired, but that kind of stylized wackiness is to be expected from Final Fantasy games. Overall quite solid and fun. The game picks up once you get past the several-hour tutorial hump.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City took everything the excellent but generic GTA III did and painted it over with a gloss of neon, '80s music, and ridiculous Miami beach excess. I think this is where the series really came into its own, showcasing not merely a free-roaming open city, but also a living breathing setting. The music, the clothes, and the cars all came together to make you feel like you were really living this story rather than just nosing around in a sandbox.

Valkyria Chronicles gets another vote from me here for giving a fresh face to a loved genre, not only in terms of mechanics but also in terms of setting.

The final vote was again the one I waffled on for a bit. I eventually decided to cast it for Der Langrisser. I happen to be one of the apparent minority who prefers both Warsong and Langrisser 2 to this enhanced port. I think some of the branching story/alignment options are a bit ridiculous and the whole game becomes rather unbelievable and convoluted. But the game's core mechanics are as great as ever. Put a bunch of generals on a grid, let them hire fodder, clash in cute cut-scene one-on-ones, and promote through classes, and I'm happy.

The reason I was waffling is because I would have loved to have cast a vote for Prince of Persia as well. This game gets a lot of flak for being repetitive or boring or whatever, but I think the people who make those complaints were missing the point. The game is about exploring, adventuring, and conquering the landscape rather than defeating enemies. The banter between the two main characters is natural and entertaining. The game is visually stunning. It's doomed in a Top 128 like this one, but it deserves more respect.

[evildevil97]

DK '94 is the best game listed here, in my opinion. I threw SM64 a vote too. It's just so influential to gaming as a whole.

[Forscyvus]

Glad to see PoP 08 fans. It's getting defeated but yay.

Left out FFX just incase pop could overtake