What's your favorite game?
I see we are playing hard ball, eh? Well that is a tough one to answer. Favorite game in the moment? Favorite game ever? Favorite game for a sunday brunch (for the record you can never go wrong with checkers)? Well you'll get no clear answers from me. Because if it is a statement of all time favorite it is constant toss up of Final Fantasy III / VI & Chrono Trigger. Two of the best 2D Sprite Based JRPG's to ever be created.
FF VI just had the cast and the story of politics and ethical struggles of leadership. Hell (spoiler coming up), the big bad Kefka? He ultimately wins. He destroys the world. Sows chaos. Achieves utter godhood all to prove a point that everything you've endured to get to him and stop him is meaningless. Even as the epilogue plays there is no guarantee that the world our heroes are left in will ever recover. But they are together, and if you did it right much like Mass Effect 2's suicide mission, you get the pleasure of seeing them survive.
Meanwhile Chrono Trigger is about unexpected weight of responsibility, and the battle between uncertainty and conviction. A pair of friends get sucked through time to save a princess who ran away, because she too just wanted to be unburdened by the uncertainty of the future. Together they are bounced around time flowing from happenstance to happenstance. Each time taking on a charge. A new revelation brings a new responsibility. They are the heroes of time and the only ones to know of and find out how to end the threat of the ancient time devourer Lavos. In the end a Genius finds inspiration, A Robot finds their humanity, a Knight learns to give up a grudge, a Savage brings forth the age of progress, a Mage finally moves on from grief, and a Silent Child goes on a great adventure with his friends. What is not to love?
Both games have phenomenal soundtracks that still hold up today. And if I am to be honest? When I choose one I am always quick to change my mind to the other. Maybe it is because they are the two most influential games of my early child hood that helped me form a strong bond with my older brothers. Or maybe it is because the older I get every play through reveals more nuance and depth. They are simple games to be true. But I love them and that is why they are my favorites.
Any favorie video game series? Or a specific one?
Final Fantasy is just a given. Even the worst of them I enjoyed. There is no amount of grief that I recieve for preferring FF 8 over 9.
But the Fallout Franchise, Mass Effect, and almost anything to do with Star Wars? Consider me down.
What makes it your fav?
Final Fantasy is a series that has managed to sequalize and drag itself to death on franchising characters to death. FF 7 is a bit of an exception. But far and few between are there genuine sequels between entries. What I like is that every new Main Series entry to Final Fantasy brings a new story and a new world. All playing on the core tropes of Final Fantasy being Crystals, Magic, Summons, and Warriors of Light who are called upon to fight back the coming darkness. It is simple, yet in that simplicity they have been able to create such rich characters and moving stories.
To think this franchise started off as the developers interpretation of a DnD game they ran. So just to prove my dedication to tabletop it serves as a root inspiration for the beginning of one of my favorite game series.
What would you recomend others to play?
I feel if I am suggesting entries in Final Fantasy? Unless you are cool with the retro of previous entries, I believe FF X and FF VII Remake are the most accessible and will give you a true understanding what to expect from the series. They give you the weird and exciting action right out the gate. Earlier entries held back their sci-fi and metaphysical shenigans behind the image of a basic Fantasy RPG, but trust me these are not those kinds of games,
Outside the franchise I doe suggest to know what it is like to play a classic Final Fantasy without going back in time play the Bravely Default games. Nintendo exclusives but they give so much depth and a fresh breath to a classic story and turn based battle system.
Now I also will always suggest Witcher 2 & 3 - fantastic games, hard to beat them on terms of quality and richness of mechanics.
If less time is available and you just want to enjoy yourself? Hades is such a great Roguelite action rpg. It fixes my issues I have with these kinds of game, I don't like having complete wipes of skills, equipment, and abilities when I die. I like to build improvements.
I could probably go on and on about the games I love. But this is just a glimpse. Ask me questions and I promise it will be difficult to shut me up.