As discussed on the ForwardSlashAwesome Podcast - The Podcast discussing new games and old... and the occasional bukkake reference. NSFW.

The Internet is a list based place, on every gaming forum, hundreds of people post lists of their favourite in a desperate attempt to have their choices approved by others. It is almost pitiful.
As we all know however, no one seeks approval more than AwesomeLarsen so for the next twenty five days, be mildly entertained by AL's Top 25 games!
I was going to put an 'ever' on the end but that tends to imply that it is a definitive list that will not be altered by either games that will come out in the future or games from the past I haven't played yet. 'Top 25 games' by itself sounds a little bland though, if you want to spice it up you can add an 'Eva!!!!' or 'Of all time!!!!!!!' onto the end in your mind, I won't stop you.
The only rule is that there can only be one game per series. This article also was totally not posted several years ago on another blog.
Now enter the Garden of Madness!

25. Shining Force 1&2. Mega Drive. 1994



Already breaking one of my own rules, these games compliment each other so they both need a mention. One of the only games to seemlessly mix tactical strategy with a roleplaying storyline and world exploration. Shining Force was fun both on the field and in the town. Field battles that felt like they took minutes would consume hours of your time. The battles pitted centaurs against machines, swordsmen against werewolves, and everyone against this weird mini octopus thing called 'Domingo'.
After those hours had flown by you would spend the rest of your time wandering around the towns of the world interacting with it's wacky denizens. I love that word.
Shining Force 2 (and 1&3) was one of the few strategy role playing games (SRPGs) in history where you could actually wander around the world between battles (like a regular RPG). It was a brilliant mechanic that surprisingly has only been emulated once or twice in the fifteen years since it's release, and it was emulated poorly.
Unfortunately the Shining Force series is owned by Sega who actively go out of their way to rape their classic franchises. While a new Shining Force is released every two years, the new games aren't even in the same genre as the originals.



Recently a DS game based on the originals was released but it has yet to be confirmed for release outside Japan. Another new game is slated to be announced next Tuesday but I wouldn't get your hopes up, like every new Sonic game, it most likely will just be more shit to add to the pile.

For those of you wanting to get your hands on this gem you can either download it on the virtual console or pick up the Ultimate Genesis Collection (or whatever it is called in your region) and get the first two games in the series.



Awesome Character Expose:
Kane (Shining Force)


Shining Force, in my mind anyway, was my first exposure to cool looking anime characters and the first badass anime dude I ever saw was Kane. While pretty much every Japanese RPG created these days has a badass anime dude, this was not always the case... or maybe it was... point is Kane rulezes.

You first meet Kane after he wipes out your home town of Guardania (props to me for remembering it) he does his ol' bad guy chuckle, kills the king as well as your mentor in front of your eyes then pisses off. You spend the game searching for him and eventually bust a cap in his ass. Later you find out that SPOILERS: Kane is actually your brother who was brainwashed by an even eviler dude (even more so than Skeletor) and controlled by the mask he wears in the above pic.

Sure it is cliched as a fox sitcom now but back then it was cool.


Like all Japanese badasses he flickers a few times then disappears... which presumably means he died.
END SPOILERS

Over the years people have likened Kain to David Bowie. The resemblance was seen as a joke until Shining Force II was released and the new main characters default name was 'Bowie'. Coincidence or hi-tech MI-5 plot? You decide.



Thank you your dukeness.

Stay tuned for number 24.