The idea of this thread is to talk about the games that were the most memorable of your youth. Not necessarily your favorite, because your taste change with time, but more those games that left a really lasting impression on you. Feel free to talk about why they left such a strong impression on you...
I'll start with my top 3, from the least to the most important :
3. Dragon Warrior (or Dragon Quest). That's the first RPG I played in my life. Could have been worst, believe me. It's a bit of a stiff game by more modern standard, but that's the very classic tale of the damsel and kingdom in distress because of a big bad dragon. Thus, Dragon Quest.![:p]( ":p")
I had a lot of trouble with it, because it was pretty darn hard - and also because I couldn't read english very well around 8, 9 years old. That's also the first game that frightened me : after finally managing to get the Green Dragon in the Swamp Cave to sleep, I was hacking at it in the hope that he woudn't wake up. I was so stressed that when I finally beated it, I bursted with joy. Fighting the Axe Knight for the Erdrick's Armor was also nerve-racking. I never managed to finish the game in my youth (I couldn't for the life of me understand where to find the Erdrick's sword), but I did a few years back. Had a blast. It's memorable for me because it's the first RPG I got immersed in.
2. Final Fantasy 4 (2 in US). The classic of classic JRPGs. A well written and engaging story that follows the blueprint a grand and epic tale. There's nothing ground breaking in the game, but everything is just so well executed. I always have the feeling that I'm playing a dramatic opera when I go through this game. It's also still in the timeframe where Final Fantasy games ressembled D&D the most, along with FF1, 3 and 5 : in your team, you can have fighters, monks, clerics, wizards, (spoony) bards, ... Amond them, FF4 is definitively the most mature and well executed of the bunch. After that, the serie deviated from the D&D standard. Still, this game is probably the one that got me totally hooked on RPGs purely based on its strong execution.
1. Chrono Trigger. You can't even imagine how massively enthralled I was with this game. Seriously. The time travelling through 5 different ages (without counting the End of Time), the flashy cartoonish graphics (that still hold up really well today, in my opinion), the dual and triple techs you could unlock with your different party members... The most memorable moment for me was when you arrive in the Kingdom of Zeal. The sheer beauty of the place along with the soundtrack made my imagination fly like crazy (even though it's kind of an horrible place in reality). But I also loved fighting Masa and Mune, climbing through Mt. Woe, invading Magus Castle, ... There's a very strong aesthetic coherence throughout the game as well as a stout execution gameplay wise. I get a little bit of goosebump writing this.
As I said, those are not necessarily my favorite games : the BG saga hold that position, but I played it in my early twenties. Those are however games that marked my sensitivity for as long as I will have a memory to remember them.
I'll start with my top 3, from the least to the most important :
3. Dragon Warrior (or Dragon Quest). That's the first RPG I played in my life. Could have been worst, believe me. It's a bit of a stiff game by more modern standard, but that's the very classic tale of the damsel and kingdom in distress because of a big bad dragon. Thus, Dragon Quest.
I had a lot of trouble with it, because it was pretty darn hard - and also because I couldn't read english very well around 8, 9 years old. That's also the first game that frightened me : after finally managing to get the Green Dragon in the Swamp Cave to sleep, I was hacking at it in the hope that he woudn't wake up. I was so stressed that when I finally beated it, I bursted with joy. Fighting the Axe Knight for the Erdrick's Armor was also nerve-racking. I never managed to finish the game in my youth (I couldn't for the life of me understand where to find the Erdrick's sword), but I did a few years back. Had a blast. It's memorable for me because it's the first RPG I got immersed in.2. Final Fantasy 4 (2 in US). The classic of classic JRPGs. A well written and engaging story that follows the blueprint a grand and epic tale. There's nothing ground breaking in the game, but everything is just so well executed. I always have the feeling that I'm playing a dramatic opera when I go through this game. It's also still in the timeframe where Final Fantasy games ressembled D&D the most, along with FF1, 3 and 5 : in your team, you can have fighters, monks, clerics, wizards, (spoony) bards, ... Amond them, FF4 is definitively the most mature and well executed of the bunch. After that, the serie deviated from the D&D standard. Still, this game is probably the one that got me totally hooked on RPGs purely based on its strong execution.
1. Chrono Trigger. You can't even imagine how massively enthralled I was with this game. Seriously. The time travelling through 5 different ages (without counting the End of Time), the flashy cartoonish graphics (that still hold up really well today, in my opinion), the dual and triple techs you could unlock with your different party members... The most memorable moment for me was when you arrive in the Kingdom of Zeal. The sheer beauty of the place along with the soundtrack made my imagination fly like crazy (even though it's kind of an horrible place in reality). But I also loved fighting Masa and Mune, climbing through Mt. Woe, invading Magus Castle, ... There's a very strong aesthetic coherence throughout the game as well as a stout execution gameplay wise. I get a little bit of goosebump writing this.
As I said, those are not necessarily my favorite games : the BG saga hold that position, but I played it in my early twenties. Those are however games that marked my sensitivity for as long as I will have a memory to remember them.
