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4. Panzer Dragoon (Debut: 1995, Sega Saturn)
I’ll be honest with you; my first experience with Panzer Dragoon was in 2003 when Sega released Panzer Dragoon Orta on the X-box. I purchased it the moment my local retailer got some copies. I had heard about the Panzer Dragoon series in the past, having been told that it was “kind of like Star Fox, but with dragons instead of that space crap.” Considering that the SNES Star Fox was the very first game I ever owned, of course Orta was on my radar.
A pessimistic gamer might make the argument that all modern shooters are on rails... you’re just in control of the speed in which you progress. Well, excuse me, Mr. Fancy pants. But in an on rails shooter, you don’t have the luxury of taking a breather. They’re going to ram enemies down your throat and if your gag reflex kicks in, you’d better learn how to swallow puke, coz that crap is going down your gullet whether you want it to or not!
Orta is an amazing game. No past tense about it. It’ll beat you down if you let it. The sheer sense of accomplishment I felt as I watched those credits role for the first time is a feeling that few videogames have been able to replicate. Maybe it was because I don’t play many of these types of games, but this introduced to me a whole new meaning to the term “muscle memory.”
Thanks to the original Sega Saturn game being an unlockable, I was able to experience that one as well. Although it didn’t look like much, it was just as fun as Orta. There is a place for these kinds of games. Even if we had to endure episodic content over XBLA or PSN store, these games (done right) would be worth it. Truthfully, I’d pay a full 60 dollars for just 10 more levels.
3. Phantasy Star (Debut: 1987 JP – 1988 NA, Master System)
The first JRPG I ever played was Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom. At the time, I had no way of knowing that this was the perceived black sheep of the series. It got me into the genre, so at the very least, it’s “good enough.”
It wasn’t until recently that I started to play through this series and I got to tell you, for this gamer, They hold up. I enjoy Phantasy Star on the Master System a lot more then I enjoy Final Fantasy on the NES. I don’t want to open that can of worms, but not a day goes by where I don’t wonder why Final Fantasy has endured thirteen games plus spin-offs, but we haven’t seen a real Phantasy Star game since 1995.
How many other old school RPG's have such an amazing presentation?
Phantasy Star Online was great. I have no problems with that series. In fact, the PSO series has probably sucked more hours out of my life then just about any other series in existence. It introduced me to a kind of online gaming that in all honesty, no other game has able to duplicate for me. Even when it comes to the big online RPG’s, I’m always thinking back to aspects about PSO that I miss. But PSO continues to get its day in the sun. All I want is for them to bring the series back to its roots.
I can’t really believe I’ve ranked this 3rd. Even as I’m typing this, I’m completely vexed as to my train of thought. Obviously, something in my testicle-sized brain is breaking down the logic. This is such a classic series that any JRPG fan owes it to themselves to at least play Phantasy Star 2 and 4. Play them. Love them. Then join me in my weekly prayer service at the Yuji Naka Church of Past Glory.
