Role-Playing

To its credit, Square EA did pack in the second best RPG in the whole series with Final Fantasy VI, but I cannot let Square off the hook because they left out my all-time favorite, Final Fantasy IV.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Comic Mischief, Mild Animated Violence

For all its depth, though, I quickly discovered that I had little control of the game after the early part of it. No matter what I did or what kind of responses I gave [to the non-player characters (NPCs)], the story progressed regardless of that. It has been a running trend with Sakaguchi since Final Fantasy III (FF3) that furthering the plot takes precedence over player involvement.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes

In a word: "overrated." Alongside games like Tomb Raider and Resident Evil, Final Fantasy VIII (FF8) will go down in my book as one of the most overrated games of all-time. I'm convinced that if this role-playing game (RPG) did not bear the Final Fantasy moniker, it would have been universally panned as a poorly written obnoxious piece of CG fluff by the public and press alike.

Game Description: A revolutionary new Battle System has been created to add more customization to your characters by way of the Junction System. The latest features such as Dolby Surround Sound, Pocket Station compatibility and CG movie integration have also been incorporated into this masterpiece, making this title a showcase in technological game advancements.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Violence, Mild Language

As successful as Pokémon was, it has always lacked a compelling story or the sophisticated graphics to hold the interest of older players. Genki took notice and when they produced Jade Cocoon, they intended to come through in a big way. Genki abandons Pokémon's large sprawling story line (with a multitude of side stories) for one that could best be described as quaint.

In terms of actual gameplay, JC isn't quite the sprawling trek that most RPGs represent. Instead, traveling is minimized through menus and plot devices that enable quick entry to particular areas. There is some exploration, but the main focus still resides on combating and capturing monsters (as Dale already mentioned, unoriginally dubbed Minions).

Game Description: Try to save your village from a swarm of giant insects in Jade Cocoon: The Story of Tamamayu. Your goal is simple: you must travel through the forests surrounding your town and capture over 150 different monsters. When you capture a monster, you can either sell it for cash or train it to fight for you. If you want to combine the elements of particular monsters, breed them and create the ultimate weapon. Only you can save your village in Jade Cocoon: The Story of Tamamayu.