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Every December, a predictable and monotonous event occurs. I speak not of Christmas, nor of family members guilting you into driving home to visit them, nor of sudden
weight gain. I speak of the media's uninteresting need to create "best of" lists for the prior year. While it is unsurprising that the video game media has joined this calling, it always feels awkward. Was this a
good year for video games? Were the RPGs that came out in 2007 better or worse than usual? The answers, often middling, are yet another excuse for people
who already constantly discuss their favorite and least favorite games to continue doing so, only now with a set timeframe. In 90s print media, this had a
minor use; editors and reviewers could use the annual awards to point out overlooked gems. The modern world of the internet leaves few cracks into which a
game can slip, though, and the end of year arguments over game quality and quantity seem forced and worthless.
The best times for video games are measured in eras, periods of a few years, rather than January XXXX to December XXXX. It occurred to me recently,
however, that we may be in the middle of one such era right now. While 2007 may have been an average RPG year, and 2008 may be as well, May 2007 to April
2008 was one of the strongest single years for RPGs that I have ever seen. With Atlus, XSEED, and NIS localizing games at a breakneck pace, contributions from BioWare
and Mistwalker, and Square-Enix producing games outside of their tradational JRPG norm, a cornucopia of diverse and enjoyable RPGs have been released in the past
year, but four stick out as excellent, singular experiences -- games I will remember forever and continue talking about for years. In order of release date, they are:
1. Etrian Odyssey (5/2007)
2. Odin Sphere (5/2007)
3. Persona 3 (8/2007)
4. Baroque (3/2008)
Each of those games provides an unparalleled experience outside of the typical JRPG formula, and they alone make the past year my favorite one in the
history of video games. They all provide a challenge, keeping you on your toes and forcing you to think and use your human wit to overcome obstacles.
There is no absent-mindedly selecting the "fight" command over and over; you cannot play these games with one eye while eating or doing work with the
other. Their worlds are beautiful and strange. Their collective music is some of the best I have heard in a game in the last decade. In short, these are
outstanding games that the developers poured their hearts and creativity into, and it shows.
Are these the most generally loved RPGs of the last year? Not at all. Etrian Odyssey and Baroque are niche dungeon crawlers, Odin
Sphere has many flaws, and although Persona 3 was universally praised, the simulation elements may frighten off some. In what was a slow year for
Square-Enix, though, rather than filling the JRPG leader's void by settling for the safety of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest copycats, RPGamers should test the
waters by trying something niche, or a game with both flagrant drawbacks and unique strengths. Wild ARMs 5 and Brave Story were fun, but will I
remember them at all in five years?
While this recent twelve month period was my personal favorite, I genuinely believe that all fans of RPGs can agree that it was one of the best, whether
or not they share my preference for original, exacting gameplay. I would also be interested in knowing other people's favorite years in gaming, so
long as those years are not constricted by beginning in January and ending in December.
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