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/vr/ - Retro Games

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4683549 No.4683549 [Reply] [Original]

Has there ever been a company that had a run like this?

Final Fantasy VII (1997)
Bushido Blade (1997)
Final Fantasy Tactics (1997)
SaGa Frontier (1997)
Front Mission 2 (1997)
Einhänder (1997)
Xenogears (1998)
Bushido Blade 2 (1998)
Parasite Eve (1998)
Brave Fencer Musashi (1998)
Ehrgeiz (1998)
Final Fantasy VIII (1999)
SaGa Frontier 2 (1999)
Racing Lagoon (1999)
Legend of Mana (1999)
Front Mission 3 (1999)
Threads of Fate (1999)
Chrono Cross (1999)
Parasite Eve II (1999)
Vagrant Story (2000)
Final Fantasy IX (2000)

>> No.4683562

Well, you forgot to go back further, because Squaresoft from 1991 to 2000 is nonstop gold.

>> No.4683564

>>4683562

Yeah, but Playstation phase in especially exceptional.

>> No.4683568

>>4683549
Damn... Really hurts to look at this list and see what they've become.

>> No.4683576

>>4683568
Yup. You had to have been there.

>> No.4683583

>>4683564
No the NES/SNES phase was literally better.

>> No.4683589

>>4683568

They had so much confidence after this they thought their movie couldn't fail.

>> No.4683591

I can still think of Squaresoft fondly, because Squaresoft and Square Enix are not the same thing.

>> No.4683594

>>4683562
This, why start the list so late

>> No.4683615

>>4683549
>Enix
Dragon Quest (1986)
Dragon Quest II (1987)
Dragon Quest III (1988)
Dragon Quest IV (1990)
Dragon Quest V (1992)
Ogre Battle (1993)
Dragon Quest VI (1995)
Terranigma (1995)
Star Ocean (1996)
Star Ocean 2 (1998)
Dragon Quest Monsters (1998)
Dragon Quest VII (2000)

>> No.4683673

>>4683583
It really wasn't

>> No.4683676

>>4683549
Nintendo. And unlike Square, they didn't fuck themselves in the ass nearly as hard during their their darkest hours.

>> No.4683691

Squaresoft and Capcom are probably the standouts but lots of companies were on fire during that era. 1997-2000 really was an astonishingly good period for games.

>> No.4683701

>>4683549
So some decent games interrupted regularly by some rather noticeable bumps in the road? Yeah tons of companies have had runs like that.

>> No.4683743

>>4683701
Which are which to you?

>> No.4683863

>>4683564
>>4683583
Not nes but imo snes and psx squaresoft are on a par.

>> No.4683902

>>4683591
exactly

>> No.4683906

>>4683615
Square actually developed their games though.
>Dragon Quest (1986)
>Dragon Quest II (1987)
>Dragon Quest III (1988)
>Dragon Quest IV (1990)
>Dragon Quest V (1992)
Chunsoft
>Dragon Quest VI (1995)
>Dragon Quest VII (2000)
Heartbeat
>Ogre Battle (1993)
Quest
>Terranigma (1995)
Quintet
>Star Ocean (1996)
>Star Ocean 2 (1998)
tri-Ace
>Dragon Quest Monsters (1998)
Tose

>> No.4683948

Late 90s gaming industry was the peak.

>> No.4683951

>>4683948
5th gen in general was the peak. I don't care what anybody says, fuck 4th and 6th gen, 5th was the perfect balance of new and old. We will never have it that good again.

>> No.4683985

>>4683951
4th and 6th gen had way less jank, though.

>> No.4684028

>>4683549
3rd gen Nintendo (maybe 4th gen Nintendo as well [I'm tempted to say 5th gen also])
3rd gen Technos (arguably Technos in general, but especially 3rd gen)
90s id Software
Looking Glass Studios
Midway when they made arcade games (to a lesser extent)
5th gen Rare

>> No.4684029

>>4683951
People who know 6th gen better than you will claim the same.

>> No.4684034

>>4683948
>>4683951
This is complete horseshit. I can see 5th gen being the peak of PC (and maybe portables, but that's pushing it), but 5th gen consoles SUCKED compared to most other generations. The late 90s was all about PC and arcade (and Pokémon if you were into that). Consoles were for weeb faggots who played Final Fantasy.

>> No.4684037

>>4684029
I don't think anyone considers 6th gen "old school". It was more like a primitive version of modern gaming without the DLC.

>> No.4684073

>>4683549
I'm sure Capcom and Konami had great runs too.

>> No.4684078

>>4684037
You're a moron.

>> No.4684091

>>4683951
5th gen was cool and shit, but 6th gen is easily the best one, too bad we can't discuss how great it was here

>> No.4684113

>>4684091
If only they were allowed on /v/. Too bad they banned all discussion of it over there.

>> No.4684130

>>4684113
hahahahaha
there is no place for 6th gen in 4chan?

>> No.4684135

>>4684078
you're literally a faggot

6th gen was cinematic faggotry

no different than modern gaming

>> No.4684138

>>4684091
How is it physically possible to believe this? Arcades were shit then, PC was declining, Xbox was garbage, Gamecube was garbage. Literally the entire generation is PS2. And nobody still plays that thing.

>> No.4684141

>>4684130
It's in that weird limbo state, really. No one on /v/ wants to discuss it because it's too old.
And /vr/ considers it too new. It's an abstract kind of hell.

>> No.4684178

>>4683583
This time is some misinformed opinion

>> No.4684185

>>4684141
/vr/ definitely does NOT consider it too new. /vr/ wants it added and always has. Hiro has completely failed in his duties as administrator and has not maintained the site properly.

>> No.4684198

>>4684185
Don't get me wrong, I know there's plenty of people that want it added, myself included. But you're right, Hiro isn't doing much about it here on /vr/.

>> No.4684204

>>4684138

ps2 was the pinnacle of that era. xbox had more fps and morrowind, but btfu in every other genre.

>> No.4684264

>>4684141
>>4684185
>>4684198
I prefer having a /v2k/ to discuss the limbo gens.

I'm 30 and I'm more inclined to the 5th-7th gen gap than the real retro stuff.

>> No.4684279

>>4684028

midway was beastin back in the n64 days

>> No.4684291

>>4683691
1997: Age of Empires, Quake II, GTA, Dungeon Keeper
1998: Starcraft, Civilization 2, Baldur's Gate, Half-Life

It was yep

>> No.4684324

>>4683549
Not with that kind of variety and consistent quality, no. For 14 straight years, Square was unstoppable. >>4683562 pretty much nailed it, though I would have dipped back into the late 80s.

>> No.4684432

The SNES stage is even better than that

>> No.4684472

>>4683549
>>4683615
and like 1 or 2 or these games really sold well and the two companies had to merge instead to keep from downsizing or going out of business.

why didn't you save them /vr/

oh right, we were 12.

>> No.4684484

>>4684472
>had to merge
that happened because of the retarded movie, youngfag

>> No.4684517

>>4684484
get the fuck out faggot.

>> No.4684570

>>4683676
This.
Nintendo's run has been going for 30+ years now.

>> No.4684572

>>4684291
The only company that made any of those games that had close to as good a run was Blizzard, which was good from 1994-2005. And you're off on Civ 2's release date.

>> No.4684782

>>4684570
Ignoring the gamecube and wiiu fails.

>> No.4684846

>>4683615
Enix didn't make any of those games.
>>4683985
This. 4th gen was the perfection of 2D gaming, 6th gen was the perfection of 3D gaming (pre HD).
>>4684138
>Gamecube was garbage
Yeah it only had a buttload of quality exclusives, what a shitty system :^)

>> No.4684878

>>4684138
>Gamecube was garbage
The best GC games have generally aged much better than the best PS2 games.

>> No.4684894

>>4684138
Gamecube was great.
REmake
RE4
Viewtiful Joe
Windwaker
Metroid Prime

>> No.4684901

>>4683549
80s-90s Capcom

>> No.4684907

6th gen Rockstar had a flawless run.

>> No.4684915

>>4684141
I have wanted 6th gen on vr for a few years now but there is always some balding grey bearded 45 year old geezer who gets his adult diapers in a bunch and says not retro. I even hear some of these gramps even say 5th gen shouldn’t be retro.

>> No.4684924

>>4684878
18+ sonny

>> No.4684934

>>4684924
Fuck off. Wind Waker and Metroid Prime have aged much better than any PS2 game.

>> No.4685085

>>4683691
there was a lot of innovation for console gaming and excitement for developers as they transitioned from cartidges to discs for storage space. higher concepts were conceivable and gamers were all the richer for it.

>> No.4685530

>>4684782
Talking about software you moron.

>> No.4685540
File: 251 KB, 448x313, backtoreddit.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4685540

>>4684138
>Gamecube was garbage

>> No.4685582

>>4685540
>everybody who disagrees with me is reddit
Not even the same anon. The
Gamecube was great and you are a faggot. These are both facts.

>> No.4685584
File: 1.94 MB, 580x433, intothetrash.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4685584

>>4685582
>everybody who disagrees with me is reddit
No, but anybody who would categorically label the GameCube as "garbage" when it was home to some of the best games ever made is a reddit-tier drooling retard and needs to leave. Stop defending test tube babies and realize that the only faggot here is you.

>> No.4685650

>>4685584
Taste is subjective though. Not to mention the current state of nostalgiafags around here. You forgot to consider that anything nintendo is seen by /v/ as "soyboy nu-male reddit manchildren" games.

Seriously though, this whole calling something "reddit" has really gotten out of hand. Just call them a fucking faggot and move on to another thread.

>> No.4685659 [DELETED] 

>>4685584
REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT

>>4685540
REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT REDDIT

>> No.4685721

Origin Systems.

>> No.4685729

>>4684037
>It was more like a primitive version of modern gaming without the DLC.
5th gen was just a primitive version of 6th gen.

>> No.4685749
File: 70 KB, 480x280, 1695.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4685749

>>4684141
/v2k/ when

>> No.4686059

>>4685729
>6th gen was just a primitive version of 7th gen.

>> No.4686304

>>4683676
Nintendo dominated the 80s but was Square was far more prolific during the 90s. Nintendo put out high quality games but at a much slower rate than Square.
>>4683701
>some
Few companies come close producing consistent high quality at the rate Square managed during the 90s.

>> No.4686491

LucasArts from like 1987 to 2001ish is the right answer

>> No.4686497
File: 6 KB, 500x300, squaresoft.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4686497

>>4683549
Yes, pic related.

>> No.4686524

>>4686491
LucasArts is a good candidate. Blizzard had consistent hits but haven't released many games. Others, like Konami and Capcom, put out a lot of good games but a lot of decidedly mediocre ones as well.

>> No.4686564

>>4686491
Lol, not even.

>> No.4686571

>>4686524
Capcom and Konami's quality output in the 8 and 16 bit generations far exceeded their mediocre content. They also had a much more varied catalogue than either Lucas or Blizzard.

>> No.4686758

>>4684138
PS2 was great because it had all the quality fighting games I didn't get on Dreamcast. By this time JRPGs we're starting to fade away for me, although I did enjoy FFXII.

Now, 5th gen, that was when I was in RPG Mania.

>> No.4687018

>>4686564
>releases in a straight row what are regularly considered the greatest Adventure games of all time (similar to Squaresoft with JRPGs)
>super star wars, x-wing, star fighter
>zombies ate my neighbors
>other quirky gems

>> No.4687080

Namco

>> No.4687693

>>4687080
Namcot*

>> No.4687701

>>4686491
>literally only adventure games: the publisher

>> No.4687705 [DELETED] 

Square now.

Game A 2004
Game B delayed until 2018

>> No.4687713

Square now.

Game A 2004
Game B 2010 (delayed until 2018)

>> No.4687715

>>4687713
Square now.

Part1 of a game - 2020.
Parts 2 & 3 - ????

>> No.4687725

>>4687701
>literally
Stop abusing this word.

>> No.4687727

>>4687715
>>4687713
Jesus Christ between them and Capcom and Konami it's a real fucking shitshow. What the fuck happened?

>> No.4687751

>>4687727
>What the fuck happened?
Capcom and Konami are greedy bastards.
Enix fucked the management of Square when they merged.

>> No.4687768

>>4683549

It was a really good run, yeah. And peeps have pointed out how going back into the SNES era gives you Chrono Trigger, FFV, FFVI, SMRPG, SaGa, and SD3, but I see your point. Those are, with little exception, banger after banger (Musashi, and Bushido Blade remain relevant on novelty) of genre defining early 3D games.

But you can see, not a decline, but a trend happening near the end of that list. Ideas and games become more obtuse or divisive in opinion. Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, and FFIX all go into different avenues on how to do a JRPG, which core mechanic makes the game. I haven't played Threads of Fate, but even Legend of Mana can be criticised on some of its opened gameplay choices. FFVIII and the Junction system is still seen as the games primary fault or feature depending on who you ask.

I'm playing Vagrant Story atm, and while being a mastercraft of a JRPG it is so obtuse that only "enthusiasts" of the genre could ever really enjoy it. Ideas present in these late Square PSX games I think really shaped JRPGs afterwards but you can't claim that they are universally good. Especially Chrono Cross and its focus on aesthetics and optional content (Party Members) over a real game.

>> No.4687813

>>4683549
They came in with enough money to have multiple studios working on different projects simultaneously and they pushed their advantage while they had complete dominance in several game genres on the PSX. Smart business. Lots of companies come out with a ton of products while they're doing well.

>> No.4688009

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question and I tried to find the most relevant thread to ask it in. But is there an archive that would still have that really good parasite eve 2 thread from a week or so ago? You all had it to early and I just beat it now.

>> No.4688050

It really doesn't make sense that PS2 and Gamecube can't be discussed here. Xbox too I guess, but Dreamcast was in the same generation, basically, and that's discussed here. Why not PS2 and Gamecube at least? And GBA? They're certainly old enough to be retro.

Also don't diss Brave Fencer Musashi. I asked for it for Christmas or something just for the FF8 demo disc (Yes there was a time when FF8 was super hype) and popped BFM in after exhausting the FF8 demo. Blown away, fun little game. Must have replayed it like ten times over the years, though not recently.

>> No.4688078

>>4687751
>Enix fucked the management of Square when they merged.

Explain

>> No.4688127
File: 274 KB, 800x1200, serveimage.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4688127

>>4683549
>blocks your path

>> No.4688128

>>4683549
You forgot, Secret of Mana 1&2

>> No.4688621

>>4687701
Guess you never played X-Wing or TIE Fighter.
>>4687768
>Musashi, and Bushido Blade remain relevant on novelty
I never played Musashi, I just remember everyone buying it for the FFVII demo. Bushido Blade though, is a great example of Square at its peak, trying its hand at a new genre and producing a unique game that was both deep and fun to play. In fact I wish there were more games that used those elements:

> Weapon-based movesets balanced against character attributes like strength and speed
> Maiming and one-hit kills.
> Slower pace than typical for the martial arts based fighting games.

The only games that come to mind are the Soulsbourne games, but there must be others.

>> No.4688625

>>4684472
>we
lmao

>> No.4688682

>>4688050
The difficulty comes in defining retro. Fans of PS2 games may find it difficult to talk about their favorites on popular forums focused on recent releases. But certain stylistic and design elements that really shifted during that transition between 5th gen and 6th gen, and fans of retro tend to consider everything from PS2 onward as "modern."

Compare gameplay on GTA2, the moderately popular PS1 game, with GTA:San Andreas, the record-breaking best-seller for the PS2. Then compare San Andreas with GTA5. GTA5 is basically the same as San Andreas just much higher fidelity.

Resident Evil 1 (PS1), vs Resident Evil 4 (PS2), and Resident Evil 5 (PS3). RE1 looks like a retro game, RE4 is just a low-res version of RE5.

Tomb Raider II, Metal Gear Solid, and Ocarina of Time played like modern games, but they were fairly exceptional games during 5th gen, not the rule. Most 5th gen games were either 2D, 3D graphics but 2D in spirit, or 3D experiments like Hogs of War, Twisted Metal, and Mario 64. You also had genres that had long been at least quasi-3D like racing games and flight simulators.

>> No.4688696

>>4688682
>RE4 is just a low-res version of RE5.
Obligatory (You)

>> No.4688806

>>4684138
>PC was declining during 6th gen
Hardly. Neverwinder Nights, Warcraft 3, Star Wars:KOTOR and Jedi Knight II, and lots of games that tend to be better on PC than console like TES:Morrowind. 6th Gen was also the rise of MMOs, starting with Everquest in 1999 and then really taking off with World of Warcraft in 2004.

>> No.4688815

>>4688696
I'm not baiting dipshit. Of course games vary in quality I am talking about fundamental gameplay mechanics. Are you really going to argue that RE4 is more like RE1 than RE5?

>> No.4688817

>>4688815
Yes?

>> No.4688968

>>4683562
Because he’s a sonypony

>> No.4689419

>>4688806
Joke's on you, cause World of Warcraft is a low point in the history of gaming.

>> No.4689427

>>4683564
first half of psx was great. second half they lost their mojo.

>> No.4689451
File: 114 KB, 650x650, p7.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4689451

>>4683549
Don't think any other company will ever come close to how in the zone Square was during this era.

>> No.4690232
File: 87 KB, 960x720, maxresdsefault.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
4690232

To think they still have a ton of interesting, untranslated games from their golden SNES-PS1 period:
>Racing Lagoon
It's supposed to be like a racing game that also is an RPG.
>the other satellaview games outside of Radical Dreamers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X940gvaM-6Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arVCIuTkTXU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9hbcxiHGUQ
Of these games Treasure Conflix looks most interesting. I think it's an aerial fighter that works like FFVI's airship portions but you have to eliminate enemies.
>Hanjuku Hero (long-running RTS/RPG series directed by Takashi Tokita)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwKNLATPjpY
>Wonderswan games: (one is a fighter plane SRPG by the Front Mission team, the other is a Chocobo life sim?!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9lMAg_stvI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWF30WGmumM
Yeah, who knows what else is out there. If there are any Squaresoft translators still left these are some fascinating titles.

>> No.4690259

No. I could only think of Rare.
Rare had also a good variety of genres. Dont forget about that. Shooter, JumpnRun, Fighting Games, Racing Games.
Thats also hard to achieve.

>> No.4690279

>>4688682
If we choose games for retro classifications based on gameplay mechanics being similar to prior iterations then let's allow talking about New Super Mario Bros here because it's basically the same as Super Mario Bros. How about Sonic Mania, Sonic Colors, those are just like Sonic 2. But not Sonic and the Black Knight, that's not the same gameplay.

I would argue that the Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox generation was the last generation where gaming wasn't primarily about AAA blockbuster open world multiplayer social media experiences or applauding indies for having the bravery to intentionally use cutting edge 8-bit graphics and fighting The Man with multi-million dollar crowdsourced budgets. It was, in that generation, still somewhat focused on the art and pushing the medium in ways that just don't happen now that the major Japanese studios like Capcom, Konami, et al. are in a major decline and everyone shits on Nintendo for being too 'kiddie' and making 'underpowered over gimmicked' gaming systems when they are the only ones who understand that when the lines are blurred too much between PC and console most will opt for a PC instead. In that spirit, I'd consider PS2, GBA, and Gamecube at least to be retro. I could take or leave Xbox really (though Phantom Dust was sick)

>> No.4690692

>>4690259
Shame most of them sucked

>> No.4691117

>>4689419
almost funny. No the low point came after when everyone else started copying the WoW formula. Even single player games started imitating MMOs.

>> No.4691148

>>4690279
>I would argue that the Dreamcast/PS2/Gamecube/Xbox generation was the last generation where gaming wasn't primarily about AAA.

That's a good point, while blockbuster games that wouldn't seem too out of place on a modern system were certainly moving to the fore in the 6th gen, there were still plenty middle budget games by small studio and experimental games by established developers. Especially on the PS2 where those games could be expected to sell at least a few copies just by virtue of the console's install base.

These kinds of games almost totally disappeared in the 7th gen; games were far too expensive to develop, the AAA market had become do or die, and most people who owned a Wii had no interest in games, meaning the only correct move in that space was to pump out shovelware.

>> No.4691993

>>4690232
Racing Lagoon has a sick OST. Hope some one translates it one day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa_1buOIveA

>> No.4692001

It still makes me feel warm and fuzzy to load up a game and see the Squaresoft logo

>> No.4692002

>>4691148
Right, and the move to digital further splintered the market as the experimental/small/other games not 'worthy' of being put on a physical disc were shunted off to XBLA/PSN. Some of those games did find success but the move to digital-exclusive certainly put a lot of people off from purchasing and introduced certain anti-preservation foibles in the case of games that were pulled from the market for licensing or other issues. See Scott Pilgrim vs The World (How many people actually own the Wallace DLC, which was put out...what, maybe a month or two before the game was pulled from stores?) and the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games+ their add-on content.

>> No.4692009

>>4692002
and to further add on to it, 6th gen was a decent cutoff between when the Japanese were still putting out good stuff and when they were putting out somewhat good stuff but 90% of it all is wrapped in oversexed anime lolis so you feel vaguely uncomfortable whenever you're playing it.

>> No.4692097

>>4683589

Even the movie, for as big as a failure as it was financially, was a fucking marvel of technology that pushed CGI forward and inspired many in the industry. They didn't stop innovating and pushing the boat out until they literally imploded, which I can appreciate.

>> No.4693664

>>4684846
Gamecube kid spotted

>> No.4693667

Nintendo, Capcom, Konami

>> No.4694156

>>4684484
Spirits Within wasn't retarded, it was the audiences who were retarded. Too retarded to support a masterpiece when they could.

>> No.4694217

>>4687018
No thanks

>> No.4694224

>>4683549
You forgot onehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWWTmyeym4s

>> No.4694225

>>4694224
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWWTmyeym4s