List of Crap #107: Countdown to the Top 50ish Console Games of the 16-Bit Era!

[Retro Muppet Pastor]

#18

Final Fantasy 2 (or 4... I can't get a straight answer)

System: Super Nintendo

53 Points

4 of 11 Lists.  Highest Rank: #4 Russoguru

The Final Fantasy entries were troublesome, because people were inconsistent with the numbering.  Some people submitted this as Final Fantasy 2, some people submitted it as Final Fantasy 4.  I got the same thing with Final Fantasy 3.  I knew that there were some naming differences based on the Japanese and North American release schedules.  So I did the best to reconcile them.  I basically lumped anything named either “Final Fantasy 2” or “Final Fantasy 4” together.  Ditto for “3” and “6”.

Year of Release:1991

Details

Final Fantasy IV, also known as Final Fantasy II for its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, it is the fourth main installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game's story follows Cecil, a dark knight, as he tries to prevent the sorcerer Golbez from seizing powerful crystals and destroying the world. He is joined on this quest by a frequently changing group of allies. Final Fantasy IV introduced innovations that became staples of the Final Fantasy series and role-playing games in general. Its "Active Time Battle" system was used in five subsequent Final Fantasy games, and unlike prior games in the series, IV gave each character their own unchangeable character class.
Final Fantasy IV has been ported to several other platforms with varying differences. An enhanced remake, also called Final Fantasy IV, with 3D graphics was released for the Nintendo DS in 2007 and 2008. The game was re-titled Final Fantasy II during its initial release outside Japan as the original Final Fantasy II and Final Fantasy III had not been released outside Japan at the time. However, later localizations used the original title.

(No video here.... I'm too confused about the numbering to find one.)

Personal Thoughts

Like I mentioned with the Final Fantasy 3 entry, I never played much of the Final Fantasy series.  None of it before, I think, 1998.

[Pak-Man]

Ah the Final Fantasy numbering saga. Let me lay it down.

Final Fantasy was released in Japan and the US. It did OK up here, but not well enough that they wanted to release Final Fantasy II and III. (Both of those were NES titles). When Final Fantasy IV came out, they decided to give the US market another shot. But they didn't want to confuse people in the US (Haha!) so Final Fantasy IV was released as Final Fantasy II. Final Fantasy V never made it to the US, so when Final Fantasy VI made it to international release, again, to avoid confusion, it released as Final Fantasy III. So at that point, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy VI were the only games in the states, and were known as Final Fantasy I, II, and III. When Final Fantasy VII came out, Square decided it didn't care about confusing people anymore, and released it as Final Fantasy VII. Every game from there on kept its original numbering.

Some people cling to the number that the game was released with, and some stick to the Japanese numbering, because every game is floating around somewhere now and it makes things less confusing.

Since the Japanese Final Fantasy II and III were NES games, for the purpose of this list, Final Fantasy II is always going to mean Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy III is always going to mean Final Fantasy VI.

Clear as mud?

[Retro Muppet Pastor]

Well I considered interpreting Final Fantasy 2, 3, 4, and 6 as four separate games, since those were four separate titles given to me.  That would have changed the look of the list for sure.

[Retro Muppet Pastor]

Dragon Warrior/Quest has a similar gap in NA releases.  It was Dragon Quest in Japan but for some copyright reason it because Dragon Warrior in the U.S.  Dragon Warrior 1, 2, 3, and 4 all came out for NES.  Dragon Quest 5 and 6 didn't.  Then Dragon Warrior 7 came out on Playstation.  Around 2006, they went back to "Quest" with the release of Dragon Quest 8 on Playstation 2.  Then they pedaled back a little and finally released Dragon Quest 5, then Dragon Quest 6, on Nintendo DS.  Then later Dragon Quest 9 worldwide also on DS.  I think there's a Dragon Quest 10 out there, but it's an MMORPG only available in Japan.

Sure there was a gap, but at least they didn't fuck up with the numbers.

[PsychoGoatee]

I definitely dig Dragon Quest, and several Final Fantasy games, and gotta love Sonic 2, that is one of the best games ever in my book.

Anyone here heard Vomitron's interpretation of the music from the original Contra? Because it is super bad-ass.

Just checked that out, very cool! My fav metal VG cover and are my friends Powerglove, great that there are a lot of those.

[Retro Muppet Pastor]

So did the actual Final Fantasy 2, 3, and 5 ever come out in the U.S?

And when the heck is that Final Fantasy 7 remake coming out?

[PsychoGoatee]

Yes indeed those all hit US years later, on PS1 and GBA etc. I'm not sure I need that FF7 remake, though I did really like FF XV.

[CJones]

Fortunately, for the purposes of this list, anyone who says FF2 or 3, definitely meant 4 or 6, because the actual 2 and 3 were NES games and therefore disqualified.

[CJones]

Dragon Warrior/Quest has a similar gap in NA releases.  It was Dragon Quest in Japan but for some copyright reason it because Dragon Warrior in the U.S.  Dragon Warrior 1, 2, 3, and 4 all came out for NES.  Dragon Quest 5 and 6 didn't.  Then Dragon Warrior 7 came out on Playstation.  Around 2006, they went back to "Quest" with the release of Dragon Quest 8 on Playstation 2.  Then they pedaled back a little and finally released Dragon Quest 5, then Dragon Quest 6, on Nintendo DS.  Then later Dragon Quest 9 worldwide also on DS.  I think there's a Dragon Quest 10 out there, but it's an MMORPG only available in Japan.

Sure there was a gap, but at least they didn't fuck up with the numbers.

It's also worth noting that 5 and 6 were both SFC games. Don't know what they had against that era in the US. I have SFC 6, and it's pretty good. Better than PSX 7.   

[Retro Muppet Pastor]

#17

Mega Man X

System: Super Nintendo

53 Points

6 of 11 Lists.  Highest Rank: #8 Russoguru

Year of Release:1994

Details

Mega Man X is an action-platform video game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was the first Mega Man game for the 16-bit console and the first game in the Mega Man X series, a spin-off of the original Mega Man series that began on the SNES's predecessor, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Mega Man X was first released in Japan on December 17, 1993 and was released in both North America and Europe the following year. Taking place a century after the original Mega Man series, Mega Man X is set in a futuristic world populated by both humans and "Reploids", robots capable of thinking, feeling, and growing like their human creators. Because of these complex attributes, many Reploids are prone to destructive, criminal activity and are thereafter referred to as "Mavericks". The plot of the game follows the protagonist Mega Man X, an android member of a military task force called the "Maverick Hunters". With the help of his partner Zero, X must thwart the plans of Sigma, a powerful Maverick leader wishing to bring about human extinction.

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/wd2NqblSmIY" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://youtube.com/v/wd2NqblSmIY</a>

Personal Thoughts

I owned this game.  Played through a lot and got to the last boss, but never beat him until sometime around 2009 on the Game Cube Mega Man X Collection.

[Pak-Man]

It's also worth noting that 5 and 6 were both SFC games. Don't know what they had against that era in the US.

It was believed that the U.S. market was never going to be interested in RPGs. The sales figures tended to agree. That's why Square made Mystic Quest just for us, to teach us the joy of RPGs without confusing us with an open world. Things were different back then.

[Retro Muppet Pastor]

#16

Castlevania: Dracula X / Castlevania : Rondo of Blood

System: Super Nintendo, TurboGrafx 16 / PC Engine

54 Points

3 of 11 Lists.  Highest Rank: #3 PsychoGoatee

Another bit of a mixed entry.  Rondo of Blood was only released in Japan, but it was remade for Super Nintendo as Castlevania Dracula X.  It's a little nebulous.

Year of Release: 1993

Details

Taking place in 1792, Rondo of Blood is set in the fictional universe of the Castlevania series. The premise of the series is the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont clan and the immortal vampire Dracula. The protagonist is 19-year-old Richter Belmont (Jin Horikawa), heir to the whip Vampire Killer and Simon Belmont's direct descendant.He comes to the castle after his beloved Annette (Atsuko Honda) is kidnapped by Dracula's servant Shaft. Two times throughout the game, Dracula's trusty lieutenant, Death, attempts to stop Richter before he reaches Dracula. Along the way, Richter frees his distant relative Maria Renard (Yōko Teppōzuka), an orphaned 12-year-old who was taken to the castle with her and insists on joining him; Terra (Hiromi Murata), a nun who mistakes him for a manifestation of God; Iris (Akie Yasuda), the daughter of the village doctor; and finally Annette.  After defeating Shaft and Death, Richter confronts Dracula (Hiroya Ishimaru) and vanquishes him. The castle then collapses into the sea.

A sequel, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, was released for Playstation in 1997.

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/J_QPcgKvQLU" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://youtube.com/v/J_QPcgKvQLU</a>

Personal Thoughts

I played Symphony of the Night on Playstation, which opens with an easier version of the final level of this game.  I didn't play this one until 2010 when I got it on Wii Virtual Console.  It was pretty difficult as Richter, but fairly easy as Maria.

[PsychoGoatee]

Great game! Gotta love that flashy 90s anime style, pairs well with CastleVania.

[CJones]

Thank you so much for combining Dracula X with Rondo of Blood.

Rondo of Blood is one of the "Holy Grail" of PC Engine games. Vastly better music, anime cut scenes and an entire second character, Maria. Dracula X was by no means bad, but it was no where near as good as Rondo of Blood. Nevertheless, it kept all the gameplay with Richter, and therefore played like a classic Castlevania.

And yes, Rondo of Blood is the immediate predecessor to Symphony of the Night. The most genre-defining entry in Castlevania history. 

[Russoguru]

Yup, I love me some Final Fantasy 2/4! Story is just SO good. And the greatest part? You get to fly around in a Giant Whale and you get to go to the Moon!

Megaman X is the best in the series as far as I'm concerned. The music for Storm Eagle and Boomer Kuwanger's stages are absolutely legendary.

Dracula X though?! Come on!!! Seriously!!! That game is hard as shit! I can't stand Dracula X.