**RATE THE GAME: Week 127**

[M-A-G]

Good morning, y'all. Yes, we're getting back into the habit of doing this motherfucker. Could I have been a bit earlier? Probably, but good things come to those who wait, no? Speaking of good things, was last week's Final Fantasy 8 chock full of enough enjoyability to warrant being called worthy of joining our elite crew? Let's go to the numbers!


<select><option selected="">Rate the Game Results

<option>1. Super Mario World (4.81)
<option>2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (4.8)</option>
<option>3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (4.8)</option>
<option>4. Hitman: Codename 47 (4.75)</option>
<option>5. Mass Effect (4.75)</option>
<option>6. Goldeneye 007 (4.72)</option>
<option>7. Super Mario Bros. 3 (4.7)</option>
<option>8. Silent Hill 2 (4.66)</option>
<option>9. Super Mario Bros. 2 (4.5)</option>
<option>10. Portal (4.5)</option>
<option>11. Red Dead Redemption (4.5)</option>
<option>12. Chrono Trigger (4.5)</option>
<option>13. Final Fantasy 3 (4.5)</option>
<option>14. Silent Hill 3 (4.5)</option>
<option>15. Mega Man 2 (4.44)</option>
<option>16. Donkey Kong Country (4.44)</option>
<option>17. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (4.44)</option>
<option>18. Super Mario Bros. (4.41)</option>
<option>19. God of War (4.4)</option>
<option>20. Mega Man X (4.36)</option>
<option>21. Metal Gear Solid (4.33)</option>
<option>22. BioShock (4.33)</option>
<option>23. Perfect Dark (4.3)</option>
<option>24. Shadow of the Colossus (4.28)</option>
<option>25. The Last of Us (4.28)</option>
<option>26. Super Street Fighter 2 (4.15)</option>
<option>27. Sonic the Hedgehog (4.14)</option>
<option>28. Resident Evil 2 (4.14)</option>
<option>29. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4.125)</option>
<option>30. Super Mario 64 (4.07)</option>
<option>31. Grand Theft Auto 3 (4.06)</option>
<option>32. The Legend of Zelda (4.06)</option>
<option>33. NBA Jam (4.05)</option>
<option>34. Super Mario Kart (4.0)</option>
<option>35. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (4.0)</option>
<option>36. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (4.0)</option>
<option>37. Super Smash Bros. (4.0)</option>
<option>38. Super Metroid (4.0)</option>
<option>39. The Simpsons (4.0)</option>
<option>40. Resident Evil 4 (4.0)</option>
<option>41. EarthBound (4.0)</option>
<option>42. Fallout 3 (4.0)</option>
<option>43. Mirror's Edge (4.0)</option>
<option>44. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (4.0)</option>
<option>45. Donkey Kong Country 2 (4.0)</option>
<option>46. Banjo-Kazooie (4.0)</option>
<option>47. Final Fantasy 7 (3.94)</option>
<option>48. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (3.92)</option>
<option>49. Mega Man (3.89)</option>
<option>50. Castlevania (3.86)</option>
<option>51. Contra (3.86)</option>
<option>52. Devil May Cry (3.86)</option>
<option>53. Half-Life 2 (3.85)</option>
<option>54. Half-Life (3.83)
<option>55. Final Fantasy 8 (3.83)</option>
<option>56. Infamous (3.83)</option>
<option>57. SimCity 2000 (3.8)</option>
<option>58. Final Fight (3.8)</option>
<option>59. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (3.77)</option>
<option>60. Batman: Arkham Asylum (3.76)</option>
<option>61. Double Dragon (3.75)</option>
<option>62. Max Payne (3.75)</option>
<option>63. Tetris (3.69)</option>
<option>64. Mortal Kombat 2 (3.67)</option>
<option>65. Alan Wake (3.66)</option>
<option>66. Diablo (3.66)</option>
<option>67. F.E.A.R. (3.66)</option>
<option>68. Mortal Kombat (3.65)</option>
<option>69. Doom (3.625)</option>
<option>70. StarFox (3.61)</option>
<option>71. Resident Evil (3.58)</option>
<option>72. Kirby's Adventure (3.57)</option>
<option>73. Ninja Gaiden (3.5)</option>
<option>74. Burnout Paradise (3.5)</option>
<option>75. Thief: The Dark Project (3.5)</option>
<option>76. Dark Souls (3.5)</option>
<option>77. Shinobi (3.5)</option>
<option>78. Dead Space (3.4)</option>
<option>79. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (3.39)</option>
<option>80. Resident Evil: Nemesis (3.38)</option>
<option>81. Crash Bandicoot (3.33)</option>
<option>82. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (3.33)</option>
<option>83. Wolfenstein 3D (3.33)</option>
<option>84. Dead Island (3.33)</option>
<option>85. Left 4 Dead (3.33)</option>
<option>86. Nights Into Dreams (3.33)</option>
<option>87. Condemned: Criminal Origins (3.33)</option>
<option>88. Gauntlet Legends (3.28)
<option>89. Gears of War (3.27)</option>
<option>90. Borderlands (3.22)</option>
<option>91. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (3.22)</option>
<option>92. Duke Nukem 3D (3.2)</option>
<option>93. Darkstalkers (3.2)</option>
<option>94. Quake (3.2)</option>
<option>95. SoulCalibur (3.16)</option>
<option>96. Pac-Man (3.125)</option>
<option>97. Killer Instinct (3.11)</option>
<option>98. Virtua Fighter (3.09)</option>
<option>99. Rock Band (3.09)</option>
<option>100. Earthworm Jim (3.0)</option>
<option>101. Metroid (3.0)</option>
<option>102. Time Crisis (3.0)</option>
<option>103. Tekken (3.0)</option>
<option>104. Halo 2 (3.0)</option>
<option>105. Destiny (3.0)</option>
<option>106. The Secret of Monkey Island (3.0)</option>
<option>107. Sonic Adventure (3.0)</option>
<option>108. Shenmue (3.0)</option>
<option>109. Guitar Hero (2.875)</option>
<option>110. Ecco the Dolphin (2.85)</option>
<option>111. Streets of Rage (2.84)</option>
<option>112. Altered Beast (2.8)</option>
<option>113. Bayonetta (2.75)</option>
<option>114. Assassin's Creed (2.71)</option>
<option>115. Gauntlet (2.71)</option>
<option>116. Dead Rising (2/71)</option>
<option>117. Saints Row (2.66)</option>
<option>118. The Sims (2.6)</option>
<option>119. Silent Hill (2.6)</option>
<option>120. Tomb Raider (2.55)</option>
<option>121. Halo: Combat Evolved (2.5)</option>
<option>122. Twisted Metal (2.42)</option
<option>123. Crackdown (2.42)</option>
<option>124. Golden Axe (2.33)</option>
<option>125. Gran Turismo (2.3)</option>
<option>126. Ghosts n' Goblins (2.14)</option>
</select>

Well, there you have it. With a 3.83 final score, Final Fantasy 8 can't top Final Fantasy 7 in the rankings nor does it come close to Final Fantasy 3(6) and it lands itself in the number 55 spot on our leaderboard.

The legacy of Rate the Game MUST CONTINUE, however, and that's exactly what we're going to do now. BRING OUT THE BOWL!!!

https://i.imgur.com/A2DnZSQ.gif

Now would you take a look at that? This week we're dealing with more RPG excitement as well as the first ever title on the Wii (at the time). It's Xenoblade Chronicles! Can this entry fare better than other RPGs on our list? Let's swing around our Wii Remotes and ponder this question by taking the poll and talking things out on the forum. Until next week!

[Sepholio]

One of my all time favorite games. Some of the best world design in gaming history. You can put me down as a 5 for every game in this series. It's pure gaming bliss for me.

[Big Vic]

Damn, haven't played.

[Fignuts]

Never played it

[Lock Jaw]

Never played it.

[M-A-G]

This is another 'haven't played it' vote for me. Let's see how long I can keep this streak going.

[weather vane]

Haven’t played.

[Sepholio]

None of you have taste and should all be ashamed of yourselves. I dare say you shouldn't even be allowed in this forum. Except for M-A-G because he earned it.

[Emperor Smeat]

Never played it nor any other game in the series.

When Operation Rainfall was happening during the Wii era, the only game out of the trio of Last Story, Pandora's Tower, and Xenoblade Chronicles that I was interested the most was Last Story.

[OssMan]

Oh my fucking god I could go on for ages about this game. One of the most truly baffling games out there, pound for pound, all things considered, when you get down to brass tacks.

There was a petition to get this game localized in English - along with The Last Story and Pandora's Tower - in a surprisingly successful petition called Operation Rainfall aimed at Nintendo. Obviously, it being a Japan only game that's being taunted to my face made me want it. But I hadn't even played Xenogears at that point.

Shortly after, I did end up playing Xenogears, I found it to be the most thematically engrossing and challenging game I'd ever played, biblical in fact. To me, the Xeno tag now resembled gospel, holiness, I wanted to consume everything Xeno. Though I knew I'd eventually get around to XenoSaga, I picked up Xenoblade when it came out, but just let it sit for a while. I think I had played The Last Story first and was left really underwhelmed from it and realized that maybe the Operation Rainfall games weren't all that.

I think around 2016 was when I finally started Xenoblade. I was hyped for the game because the setting and plot seemed interesting and creative, about how worlds exist on the two husks of the giants. I think I saw someone on Youtube say they liked the battle system, and I'm always looking out for a good RPG battle system.

The battles were... okay. The system took a while to get used to, but once you get the hang of it, it's kinda fun although a bit tedious. I remember something about being able to see into the future and having to wait for your skills to regenerate. But everytime you'd use a move you'd hear your characters say some dumbass shit like "IT'S REYN TIME!" or "THIS IS THE POWER OF THE MONADO!" I swear to God, by the end of this game, if I ever heard the word "Monado" again, I was gonna puke. It's Star Ocean 2 levels of voice acting.

That is mostly the feeling I have on this game. It's cool, and it's dotted with little touches that are stupid as shit. Some of them are funny like your guys yelling "To you! To me! AWESOME!" when crafting items, and some of them are maddeningly childish, making me straight up embarrassed to be playing the game in someone else's presence (everything related to Hero-Pon Rikki, for example).

The music is gorgeous, the environments are jaw dropping, the overall story was laughable, side quests were mind numbing, the day and night system was done well. The story just wasn't executed the way I wanted it to be - it was much more a generic tale about a group of people sticking together than it was about challenging the moral implications of organized religion, which was what I came to expect after Xenogears. At least this is what I remember. Honestly, the biggest impression the game left on me a veritable imprint on my brain of the main guy going "DUNBAN!" "Shahlah!" "RIKKI!!!!!!"

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BAn2Af_l-Aw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

...and that about did it for the Xeno series for me. The stuff that was charming in Xenogears, like the Chu guy who gets big, was totally throttled when they moved to voice acted cutscenes. The religious overtones took a backseat, the game was like 100 hours long, and I just felt annoyed half the time I was playing it. But I did feel oddly content while playing it also too. At this point I have no interest in the remaster, or Xenoblade 2 or 3, Xenoblade X was boring as shit and I didn't get out of tutorials until 10 hours in, I've had a file in Xenosaga for a couple years and its moving REALLY slow.

I can't imagine more than three people on TPWW will ever play this game. Destor and maybe Fignuts. But let's press on, and on, and on.

[Destor]

Ossy you lost me when you fired shots at Heropon Rikki.

[Destor]

Ive giving this one a 4. I love the series. 3 is an easy 5 for me. The original has pacing issues imo. Once the back 3rd starts though its a roller coaster. Great cast (aforementioned Heropon Rikki for example) interesting combat though in the first iteration a bit too plodding. Still good though but future games were much much better. And in true xeno fasion the later hour or so is mind blowing. For the wii it was pretty but compared to what was on the market it was pretty ugly for its time (not that im a visuals guy.) Score is top shelf.

[Destor]

I can't imagine more than three people on TPWW will ever play this game. Destor and maybe Fignuts. But let's press on, and on, and on.
Also this made me miss Ultra Mantis