This time, some "cult" classics:
21. Okami (2006)Makes for some nice wallpapers.Like ICO and Shadow of Colossus before it, Okami was a pleasant surprise for gamers that loved art and visual styles. It utilizes something similar to the japanese watercolor paintings, translated to game through cel-shading. It's simply the most unique PS2 graphics i've ever seen, transcendental.
The story borrows from Japanese folklore. Basically, you control Amaterasu, a god in the form of a wolf that is called to save Japan from the darkness brought by Orochi, a legendary eight headed serpent. While a basic premise, it soon turns into an epic journey across the world in where you meet many other myths and legends.
The game plays pretty similarly to a series that always was a reference: the Zelda series. You travel around the world, get clues talking to folks, clear dungeons... sounds familiar, eh? But, to differentiate, you have the unique Celestial Brush mechanic, where you stop time by holding the shoulder button to paint symbols onto the screen, each one representing a move. There are tons of symbols you learn during your journey that you can use in the environment and in battle, some of the most simple being a straight line that cut things and drawing a Q, which creates a bomb. Also, notice how this mechanic complements the "painting" visuals of the game.
Music is classical Japanese done with traditional instruments, very fitting though i'm no expert.
As a whole, i think Okami excels at every department. From story to music, everything perfectly complements each other so well, making for a unforgettable experience.
20. Xenogears (1998)This is what i call a "tight" battle.Xenogears is the first entry in the Xeno series, which spawned games such as Xenosaga and, more recently, Xenoblade Chronicles.
It started as a potential script to Final Fantasy 7 but Square refused, claiming the story was too much complicated for a series so popular. Instead, they let the script be used into the making of a new game.
Sure, the story IS complicated, delving in themes such as philosophy, psychology and theology, but it's some of the best ever told in gaming. I think it is pretty equiparable to the Legend of the Galactic Heroes anime in how both have complex themes and so many well written characters.
It starts pretty simple: a young man named Fei lives peacefully in a pacific village. One day, two conflicting forces, in the midst of battle, end up into his village unintentionally, ensuring chaos. Fei, in order to protect his people, try piloting a Gear (akin to a mecha robot) that is unoccupied. He ends up losing control and destroying everything. With no place to call home, he decides to move on, as the few people left alive don't want his presence anymore.
From there, you can't even imagine what is waiting you.
Now, into the gameplay, the most interesting thing is how it changes depending of two circumstances: if you are using the characters or the Gears. Some dungeons are obrigatory using only one of them, others no, you may either enter or left the Gears at will (though isn't wise not using then in areas where the enemies are giants in comparison to humans).
There's two battle systems. The basic attacks consists of you pressing X, square or triangle and making combinations that results in "Deathblows"(special combos) but, the other options differ, depending on the same circumstances i talked about earlier. For characters, you can store AP, allowing various combos at once. For Gears, you can increase your Attack Level by charging (enabling more powerful attacks) or using the "Booster" command, which makes your Gear faster but consume much more fuel than usual. Run out of fuel and you're practically disabled.
When people talk about Yasunori Mitsuda (the music composer), everyone is quick to say Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross are his best works. I think Xenogears OST is in the same level, these being some evidence:
Bonds of Sea and Fire,
Omen,
Shevat,
Ship of Regret and Sleep,
Gathering Stars in the Night Personally, the thing that drags down Xenogears is, rarely i will replay a game so long and with a scope like this instead of playing something new and that is the reason i put it in this position. Instead, i would love to see an anime adaption or a remake to experience it again in a different way.