Last week saw a few fun, if uneventful, matchups in the prelims. There were no surprises, there usually aren't, so it's time to move on to the quarters, the elite 8, whatever you want to call it. Let's get right into this.
Quarterfinals Matchup 1
(4) Sonic Mania vs. (5) Sweet Home
We will get started with the two games we haven't seen yet, my first and most recent GOTY winners. I reviewed Sonic Mania way back in 2019 and it ended up narrowly edging The Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon for GOTY that year. Anyone that has any familiarity with Sonic the Hedgehog will know exactly what to expect from Sonic Mania. You run fast through big levels with multiple paths while dodging enemies and occasionally doing some platforming. There's tons of variety in each level, with the various paths each presenting a different challenge. To me, speed, variety and level design are what separates the good Sonic Games from the great ones, and you know what? I think Sonic Mania might be the best of them. It hits all three of those points as well or better than any of the classic Sonic titles. Of course, some of that is to be expected as it features a lot of classic levels from throughout the series history. But all of them have been remixed, reimagined and upgraded to make them even better. As is typical of the series, each level is broken up into two stages. Here, the first stage usually mimics one from its original iteration while the second offers a new challenge. There was so much love and care put into every aspect of this game and it's incredibly well made. All of that from a development team composed largely of fans who were influential in the fangame and rom hacking communities. Now that's something I would love to see other series try.
On the other hand, we have this year's GOTY Sweet Home. This may have been one of the most surprising games I have ever played, it wasn't what I expected at all. It's a shame this never made it to the West when it was initially released, though I very much understand why it didn't. Sweet Home was revolutionary in many ways, most notably because it was the basis for Resident Evil. But I think it stands on its own merit. It has an interesting plot and does a great job of creating a tense, creepy atmosphere despite it being a 3rd generation game. Combat takes place in a JRPG format with random encounters, while exploration is more in line with its survival horror successors. The gameplay is a little slow and some of the controls are awkward, but that is more a function of being able to do so much on a controller with only two buttons.
At the end of the day though, Sonic Mania is more accessible and I think I would give it the slight edge. Sweet Home definitely isn't for everyone, although it was almost tailor made for me. Many of its flaws weren't really issues for me, but they might be for others. Sonic Mania is much easier to pick up and play. Both of these are must play games, all the games in this tournament are, but I think Sonic Mania was the more fun overall experience. It might not have been quite as deep and there are a lot of gamers out there that might prefer Sweet Home though.
(4) Sonic Mania Over (5) Sweet Home
Quarterfinals Matchup 2
(3) Star Fox 64 vs. (6) F-Zero GX
We looked at F-Zero GX last week, with its incredible graphics, outstanding course design and breakneck speed. Every time I play it, I can't help but think every racing game should be like this. It may be incredibly difficult to master, but it's easy to learn and it's a great multiplayer title. Now it finds itself against a juggernaut from another underserved Nintendo franchises.
Star Fox 64 was all the rage when it dropped in 1997. It was bundled with an accessory called the rumble pack, which caused the controller to vibrate when certain actions happened on screen. This is standard functionality now, but it was mind blowing at the time. And who could forget the promo video that came out with Nintendo Power? Of course, the game is pretty awesome too. Much like the original, SF64 is an on rails shooter that tasks you with shooting down as many enemies as possible while completing objectives. Depending on what you do successfully, you can travel through a variety of paths, making each playthrough feel different. All the planets have unique environments, from the water filled Aquas to the desert of Titania to the toxic waste dumps of Zoness. Heck, you even get to fly into the sun. It's just so fun to take down as many enemies as possible, trying to get combos and string shots together. It's another great pick up and play title that has a low skill floor and a high skill ceiling. To this day, I love to fire it up and see how many baddies I can take down.
But when it's all said and done, I am actually going to have to go with F-Zero GX. Star Fox 64 is a blast, it's one of the games I fire up most consistently when I am just looking to kill a few minutes. But I just don't think it is as deep or well designed as it's competition. Star Fox does one thing, it does it well and does it over and over. I mean, it may do that one thing better than any game in history, but it's still just the one thing. F-Zero just offers more, which is surprising coming from a racing game. It also gives you more incentive to master it, at least I think so. With that, we have our first upset.
(6) F-Zero GX over (3) Star Fox 64
Quarterfinal Matchup 3
(2) Suikoden II vs. (7) Final Fantasy VII Remake
Now things are getting interesting. Final Fantasy VII Remake moved on pretty easily last week, it's a polarizing game that a lot of people tend to love or hate. I obviously lean on the "love" side, I think it's incredible and it's probably been my favorite modern game. Look, I will totally admit to being a huge FFVII fanboy (although a lot of those people hate the remake, so I guess it doesn't mean much) but I think FFVIIR stands on its own. If anything, I think the game would have been received more favorable without the FFVII name attached to it.
But now, it's time to talk about Suikoden II, my game of the year in 2022 and probably my most clear winner ever. I am just going to come out and say it, Suikoden II lived up to all the hype it was given and is probably a top 10 PS1 RPG. Remember, that's on a console that is known for the genre. In an era filled with experimental 3D graphics, Konami chose instead to use a 2D, sprite-based style and they did so just about perfectly. Suikoden 2 tells a story about hope, loyalty, love and how all of those things become more difficult to come by when faced with the horrors of war. This was some of the finest world building of the era, the ongoing war between the Kingdom of Highland and City-State of Jowston feels like an actual conflict and the suffering of their residents feels very, very real. The character development could be better, but I think they did about as well as they could with 108 recruitable allies. No, that's not a typo, there are 108 characters to recruit, most of which are useable in battle. And you know what? There's not a dud among them. Even if they aren't well developed, all the characters at the very least look cool and are viable in combat. As for the villains? Luca Blight might be one of the most despicable antagonists of all time. This dude is straight up evil and unflinchingly brutal and the boss fight against him is one of the finest in gaming history (though spoiler alert, it's not actually the final boss fight). The combat is just about perfect, it's some of the best old-school RPG combat you can get and it flows so well. The side content is actually fun, the castle building is rewarding and the variety of battle types keeps the game fresh and flowing.
Look, if FFVII Remake told the complete story of FFVII, we might have a competition on our hands. But it only scratches the surface of the original and also adds a lot of aspects that detract from rather than add to its excellent plot. Its haters are a bit ridiculous, but it definitely has its share of issues. Suikoden II very nearly earned a 10 and after this tournament, I may have to bump its score up. FFVII Remake probably makes my top 100 games of all time...but Suikoden II definitely makes the top 50. It moves on.
(2) Suikoden II over (7) Final Fantasy VII Remake
Quarterfinal Matchup 4
(1) Shin Megami Tensei:Nocturne vs. (8) Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millenium
It's time for our last quarterfinal, and it almost doesn't seem fair to match these two games against each other so early.
Phantasy Star IV is an underrated RPG for the Sega Genesis, a console not typically known for the genre. It offered great gameplay, fun characters and an engaging story, serving as the final chapter in a four-game saga. But beyond that, it was revolutionary in a lot of ways (honestly, the whole series was). Sci-Fi settings were not common in the genre before Phantasy Star. Nor were party member deaths. Other games often get credit for those things, but Phantasy Star kind of introduced them for console RPGs. Of course, PSIV stands on its own as a game. Combat is fun and rewarding, with balanced characters and double team attacks that are a blast to discover. It has a strong cast of characters that are well developed and easy to get attached to. It has some varied gameplay, fun exploration and some of the absolute best world building of any RPG ever.
In many ways, Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne is kind of what Phantasy Star wanted to be when it grew up. Not that they have anything in common thematically, or even gameplay wise, but in their intentions and generally unique theming and structure. Nocturne was not the first SMT game, but it was the first to make it to the west, and that's a shame. Many of us thought it was a spinoff of Persona when we first saw it, only to later realize that it was actually the other way around. I always kind of avoided it, as I never really liked the high school drama BS of Persona, even if I did appreciate its darker, more sinister atmosphere. But SMT keeps all of the latter while doing away with the former. Nocturne puts you in the shoes of the Demi Fiend, a young boy transformed into a monster after being one of few survivors of an event called the conception. The conception has ended life on earth, transforming Tokyo into a bleak vortex world. Of course, all is not lost. It's up to the few survivors to remake the new world in their image, calling upon a reason for doing so. Of course, it's not going to be easy. The vortex world is a brutal, lawless place, filled with demons that are out to get you. Well, most of them. Some of them might even join you on your quest if you play your cards right. There is so much going on here that it's impossible to really talk about here, so go back and read the review. It all boils down to the fact that Nocturne is a phenomenal game with a dark, brooding aesthetic that is unlike any other. It also nearly earned a 10.
As great as PSIV is, I don't think it quite offers as much as Nocturne does. In many ways, the latter is kind of a natural evolution of the former, underappreciated RPGs with unique aesthetics and strong mechanics that go completely above and beyond. But Nocturne is a beast all its own and I don't know if any game outside its own series has matched its tone and atmosphere. Closer than you would think for a 1 vs. 8, but Nocturne staves off the upset.
(1) Shin Megami Tensei:Nocturne over (8) Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millenium
Consolations round 1.
You know what, I think we should play down to a top 4, so I am going to make this a double elimination bracket. I am just going to go quickly through the first round consolations, as the winners here will take on the losers of the semifinals. After giving it a little thought, the first round of the consis would shake out as follows:
(8) Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millenium over (3) Star Fox 64
(7) Final Fantasy VII Remake over (5) Sweet Home
Poor Star Fox. It really is a great game, but it's had some bad bracket luck. I guess Sweet Home has too, but it's also way less accessible than any other game in this bracket. It's going to be a love it or hate it thing for most gamers, while I don't think there are too many people that would dislike Star Fox 64. Either way, both games are out of the tourney. Our semifinal matchups next week:
(1) Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne vs. (4) Sonic Mania
(2) Suikoden II vs. (6) F-Zero GX
Should be an interesting one.
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