Game Informer's new RPG cover art is Awesome!

[tylerbgood]

I just got the June issue of Game Informer in the mail and the art work on the cover is really cool. The top story this month lists their 50 greatest RPGs of all time, and the cover pays homage to all the featured games in spectacular fashion. A whole bunch of characters from past eras are featured, and all kinds of neat extras are floating around the scene, like a Saturn controller, an NES, a Sega Dreamcast. And there's a whole bunch of game boxes spread across the picture too, Golden Sun, Suikoden II, Star Ocean, Jade Empire, so many more! I found an image of it on the Game Informer website, but the quality is poor and a lot of the finer detail, like the labels beneath each podium, is lost. I'll try and scan my copy this weekend so you all can enjoy the finer details.

[jacob_jub]

The list itself is kinda crappy tbh, Skyrim number 1?

[tylerbgood]

The list itself is kinda crappy tbh, Skyrim number 1?

I don't think "Top 10" lists ever make people happy. Everyone has their own opinions, so it's hard to make a definitive list like this. What would you're top 5 RPGs be?

[jacob_jub]

The list itself is kinda crappy tbh, Skyrim number 1?

I don't think "Top 10" lists ever make people happy. Everyone has their own opinions, so it's hard to make a definitive list like this. What would you're top 5 RPGs be?

1. Fallout 2
2. KoToR 2
3. Oblivion
4. Final Fantasy 6
5. Tales Of Symphonia

[Blumpkin]

Horizon Zero Dawn is a fantastic game, but I certainly don't consider it to be an RPG. I wonder how many more games are on the list that I wouldn't even think of as an RPG.

[wiggy]

Ugh.  I see pukémon carts on the cover.  That's enough for me to know it's a shitty list.

[tylerbgood]

Having now read the through the list, I definitely disagree with some of the choices. Fable II better than Paper Mario? Destiny better than Vagrant Story? But I suppose to each their own.

My top 5:
1) Final Fantasy VI
2) Chrono Trigger
3) Fallout: New Vegas
4) Star Wars: KotOR
5) Final Fantasy VII

Honorable not-really-an-RPG Mention: LoZ: Link's Awakening

Horizon Zero Dawn is a fantastic game, but I certainly don't consider it to be an RPG. I wonder how many more games are on the list that I wouldn't even think of as an RPG.

The article does acknowledge that modern games are harder to define as RPGs because so many use RPG elements these days. And under the Horizon entry they mention that the RPG game mechanics are shallow, but give it points for it's narrative and distinctive universe. And it is being marketed as belonging in the "Action/RPG" category. That's how it's being categorized on Wikipedia as well. I haven't played it myself though, so can't really weigh-in with my own opinion yet.

[ShoothimNow]

aside from the pokemon, I also see Dark Cloud on Cloud, it's also gotta be a naughty list.  Cover looks pretty epic.

[tylerbgood]

Here's the scan of the cover as I promised. The spine section stinks, but best I could do without destroying the magazine. It still does a much better job showing the fine detail than the version from their website.

[Blumpkin]

The article does acknowledge that modern games are harder to define as RPGs because so many use RPG elements these days. And under the Horizon entry they mention that the RPG game mechanics are shallow, but give it points for it's narrative and distinctive universe. And it is being marketed as belonging in the "Action/RPG" category. That's how it's being categorized on Wikipedia as well. I haven't played it myself though, so can't really weigh-in with my own opinion yet.

Under those loose guidelines damn near any modern game would qualify as an RPG. The leveling and skill point system of HZD is barely any deeper than Call of Duty.

Like I said, it's a fantastic game. But it's certainly not an RPG.

[Megatron]

Just hearing that Destiny made the list is enough for me to know to just skip this.

[tylerbgood]

Just hearing that Destiny made the list is enough for me to know to just skip this.

Honestly, most everything featured in Game Informer is pretty skipable. The only reason I get it in the mail is that it comes free with my Gamestop membership. I just thought people might enjoy the neat cover art, but pretty much every reply has been negative. Oh well. 

[palmer6strings]

I appreciate the effort you made to do this thread. It's a fun topic for me to think/talk about.
Whether we like to admit it or not, people like to look at the negative side of things (especially myself) because our interests have become quite refined to each individual.
Sadly though, I have to agree that their list is shit. Any top list of "Best xxxx Games Ever Produced in the Last 2 Weeks!" (Yes, I like to dramatize things) should go more by a ranking system instead of a handful of *coughselfproclaimedprofessinalscough*...
While I like Skyrim, I don't believe it should even be in the top 10 RPG's of all time.
My list of top 5 would be more like this:

1.Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy VI (6)
3. Fallout 1 and 2 (I lump these 2 together because I can)
4. Mass Effect Series but more specifically 2
5. Dragons Dogma Dark Arisen.

People will disagree with my list and that's fine.
But as megaton said:

Just hearing that Destiny made the list is enough for me to know to just skip this.

I have to agree to a point.
The game COULD have been a great game. But the developers instead decided to fuck people over with the content they cut out just to sell as dlc for more money. The lack of storyline. The fact that if you wanted to not be absolutely clueless at all to what the fuck was going on, you had to read the lore on the internet outside of the game. And last but not least, they catered to all the crybabies out there and kept adjusting the campaign portion of the game to appease the fuckers that only wanted to do PVP.

Anyway, it's always fun to read about someone else's opinion, even if they are wrong.  

[Megatron]

Absolutely.  It's awesome art and a nice topic - gave us all something to bitch about.  Don't let our negative opinions about the list itself be an indicator that we dislike the topic.   

[tylerbgood]

Thanks for the love guys, I know how easy it is to be a jaded gamer. I saw Skyrim at number 1 and my first assumption is that it's a paid placement to promote it's upcoming release on the Switch. Also the fact that there is no explanation as to the parameters for inclusion on the list and no author's byline associated with the article really weakens the veracity of the piece as a whole. But I don't think Game Informer has been recognized for their journalistic skill since long before being purchased by Gamestop.

But on a positive note, their magazine covers often feature beautiful artwork and it's free with a Gamestop membership.

And palmer6strings, I'm gonna have to buy Dragon's Dogma on your recommendation. I'm surprised I've never heard of it before. I've seen it on the shelf but never picked it up. Thanks for bringing it to my attention! And I've had the 2nd and 3rd Mass Effect games on my to do list for years, but I was really hoping for a updated trilogy release with all the DLC on the current gen systems. With Andromeda out now though, I'm thinking that's not gonna happen. Time to bite the bullet and finish the series I guess.