10 Things Video Games Shouldn't Have Abandoned

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

Absolutely loved how Sleeping Dogs let you kidnap people and throw them in the trunk. Idk why GTA never adopted this. Missed opportunity

[@ThePowerOfOneThePowerOfTwo]

I'll never understand why GTA didn't adopt the trunk mechanic from True Crime streets of NY.

[@articusramos808]

Gta really missed a whole lot of things. Rdro had ways to do that and that's a franchise they neglect

[@t.me_Sk1llissue]

maybe we will have those things in gta VI

[@BTBSOUNDS]

​@@articusramos808for how much stuff you can get up to in RDRO, it sucks how they left it and it's playerbase to rot

[@articusramos808]

@@BTBSOUNDS they thought we be like gta online's toxic group of children yet they messed that up when gold was necessary to do things and the regular money was already hard to make. I remember that 1000 dollar mauser. We all do.

[@TheWolfofWallStreet99]

I miss when Fighting games made you work to unlock the complete roster. It gave me a way to enjoy those games as a single player game type of guy, Tekken 3 and Soul Calibur 2 👌🏾

[@ARIXANDRE]

Man, I'm just happy if we get a game with any unbroken content at all nowadays.

[@gameranxTV]

👆🏻

[@5226-p1e]

@@gameranxTV i like your old mic, this one makes your voice sound funny.

[@KingJohnMichael]

That was never a thing

[@Krotas_DeityofConflicts]

10:31 what game is this?

[@Wildemut]

​@@Krotas_DeityofConflictsCrackdown. Not sure which one. It looks like number 1.

[@F4346]

I would also add to #4, unlocking secrets characters in fighting games. It was awesome to just play the game and suddenly the new character screen pops up. Now you have to pay extra money to get more characters

[@lyianx]

Yep. All the fighting game publishers learned how much they could monetize the crap out of those games and dove in headfirst. Hell, publishers dont like having 'unlockable' anything in games anymore.. they'd rather SELL them to you. Publishers have gotten intensely greedy these days.

[@turbo8628]

Players allowed themselves to be ripped off. I was around when dlc first dropped and have never spent a penny on a game other than the initial purchase. If nobody bought into it then they wouldn't do it.

[@dogg-paws]

@@lyianx I take it you weren't happy with expansion packs and updated releases, were you?

[@braves4life25]

@@dogg-paws Expansion packs are completely different , I think he’s saying instead of getting all of this for $10. You have to buy everything individually . These companies don’t even make complete games anymore

[@shifflettartstudios2335]

Tekken, play different ways and get different characters. At least Tekken 2, I can't speak for the rest.

[@theclassicmanila-style8435]

I admire this channel for always showing love for sleeping dogs, I keep revisiting that game every year. One of the best games few people talks about. Driving in HK streets while raining with HK radio on is so immersive. Same feeling I got playing Mafia 2 when the song rags to riches played on the radio. Fun times.

[@mhopkins7954]

It is a gem of a game!!

[@tathagatquandaliusganesh1082]

Watch dogs also gives me the same feels...cranking up satellite by echodroides while it's raining. Same goes with day n nite by kid cudi.

[@sarthaksan]

Loved the karaoke minigame in Sleeping Dogs. Used to pick "I fought the law" by Clash haha

[@t-man9024]

those 2 games are gems. Sleeping Dogs needs a sequel.

[@anonymousinfinido2540]

​@@sarthaksansame

[@ReadySetBret]

I love that this is not just about nostalgia -- it's about things that made games actually fun and sometimes more functional!

[@purwantiallan5089]

And also more awesome to play.

[@speresec]

In Horizon Forbidden West, at the end of the game you unlock an airship in a form of a pterodactyl. This is actually one of the most amazing and beautiful moments in the game as you get to see the entirety of all of the regions from above and visit places that we’re really hard to reach before. Check it out!

[@claudio5432154321]

Shame 90% of people never finished the game cos it was tedious af

[@heartless604]

@@claudio5432154321not really, the final boss was way too hard, on normal difficulty! U get stuck there

[@Gloriayana]

I completed the game but didnt know the airship

[@OrphanCrippler1]

No one cares what unlocks after the game is already over lol

[@tonyariepe2243]

This video made me miss the games from my childhood/teenage years. I don't know if Falcon is as old as I am, but I am FF1 kinda old, and man, the dungeons, getting an airship, building my party. Even having the paper map that came with the game!! It was all so amazing. Great video.

[@Razmoudah]

I'm only a few years younger myself. Gaming has changed in so many ways, especially with the HD transition.

[@RetroPacman]

FF1 was the first game I ever owned. Saw my older brother playing it and had to have it. The stuff that came with games back then was awesome. Now everything is digital and the kids today will never know that kind of gaming.

[@benderfry551]

Only games that even come with a real map is rockstar games it seems it’s sad

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@RetroPacmanyep. FF XVI was a little too original sadly.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@stephen-ngFF 1 REMAKE PROTOTYPE could be cool bro.

[@officialnoquestion]

Mass Effect's browser and codex was extremely awesome and informative

[@jbzhummerh2gamer]

You 1 thing that should've never left - Rewards for progression. You complete a goal with a character, you get to choose different outfits, colors, things like that. Nowadays most of that is locked behind a microtransaction.

[@BlueKnightV20]

Absolutely agree on point #5! After spending over 145-hours with Tears of the Kingdom, and who knows how many on Horizon Forbidden West. It does make me wish we had a return to the smaller open worlds of the PS2/PS3 eras. The Sly Cooper games are what immediately comes to my mind. Due to how intuitive they are, in relation to the stealth platforming. As for modern examples of that, Sonic Frontiers is like, the only one I can think of. And it continues to be a treat to come back to, just for that reason. More games need to try & follow in Sonic Frontiers' footsteps, and have smaller, individualized, open worlds.

[@mr.troully]

What I miss is the "semi open world" sections like what we had in the first two witcher games. Those were interesting to explore, without being filled to the brim with fillers (collectibles, uninteresting challenges, etc.) which fill modern open world games. I have neither the time nor the endurance to spend 200 hours exploring an open world that is too big for its own good.

[@Amins88]

The thing about BotW and TotK is that they utilize their map of Hyrule so well that it doesn't feel unnecessarily large. But TotK loses this quality with The Depths. They essentially doubled the size of the world for very little reason. The Depths are drab and boring with very few landmarks and it's incredibly difficult to navigate. It's a fantastic game, but there is such a thing as too much content.

[@XenonArcher]

@@Amins88 i kinda dissagree with botw. felt empty.

[@hueco5002]

Ratchet and Clank (A Rift apart I think?) seems like it fits what you’re asking for

[@willcosta7856]

About rpg secret party members, its really worth it to mention Pathfinder 2, depending on your choices in-game, you can unlock from a pet talking dragon going for a specific divinity, to a full undead party if manage to become a lich, and obviously don't stop there.

[@XionDarkblood13]

For number 5 I would say the secret is traversal. If you can get around a massive open world quickly and it's fun to get around quickly, then it doesn't matter how big it is. It's when an open world is a chore to get around in. Either it's empty and nothing is happening or its super bogged down with pointless stuff that slows you down. Like Fallout 4 did have a lot of stuff (sometimes) but a lot of times you wish it was quicker to get around. I know it has fast travel but that can get boring. I actually liked having vertibird grenades and having one come pick you up and take you somewhere and you could shoot stuff with a minigun on the way. It wasn't well done in the base game but it was a cool concept.

[@matthewmetwalli3936]

I'm very surprised that Falcon didn't mention Persona 5 during #7. I feel like as far as puzzles and dungeons go, the way that game did the palaces is the best modern example of modern dungeon design.

[@Machina_EX_Machina]

Great list as always! Abandoning the Nemesis System was a huge mistake by WB. It's such a shame, there really is a lot of potential there. One can only hope they do something with it, but I won't hold my breath.

[@gameranxTV]

👍🏼 thanks

[@BrandonGavin_EDC]

If they aren’t gonna use it then let another developer use it. I’d love to see a team inside Sony get a chance with it.

[@gentlemancyborg3746]

Apparently it’s going to be used in an upcoming Wonder Woman game so there is a sliver of hope

[@joeycoe85]

WB should never have gotten a PATENT for it to begin with. Due to how programming works, if someone is going to take the time/effort to copy you, then let them do it. Imagine if Nintendo had a patent on PLATFORMING MECHANICS. Reverse-engineering a feature like that would NOT be easy, and I would love to see other developers take a crack at it. It’s ironic, since LARGE parts of the parkour in that game were ripped directly off of Assassin’s Creed.

[@Catheidan]

​@@gameranxTVwhat is up with your audio lately? It sounds like you're recording in an empty bathroom sometimes

[@mpja]

The Airship is a good point. The feeling when you first get an Airship is very liberating. Golden Sun 2 also had a literal Airship that rocked. Good times...

[@purwantiallan5089]

Agree. Literally airships gonna brought me tons of nostalgia factors.

[@FunkyBaconArts]

I kinda want the map-like open worlds back were you have these points of interest that you can "enter" into this big dungeon or large city or stuff like that. Not everything needs to be fully open world, or in many cases a linear corridor disguised as an open world.

[@paulocardoso3078]

I'm surprised you didn't mention Chained Echoes again for number 1. It has an air ship that you pilot freely from chapter 2 onwards. The fact that this game covers several points of the list shows how it is a love letter to past RPGs but with qol features.

[@Razmoudah]

I found the game to be a horrid nostalgia fest. I've tried it, and it's one of the few games I've regretted paying full price for. Some people may get good mileage out of it, but I remember, and mostly still have, the games it so blatantly draws most of its inspiration from, and I enjoy replaying them more.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@Razmoudahyep. 1990s Games still brought me tears of nostalgia.

[@jamiestetler1522]

I’m surprised Final Fantasy X’s Blitz Ball wasn’t mentioned as one of the mini games. That could have been a video game on it’s own. I absolutely loved it!

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

I have a friend who believed Final Fantasy X was something you had to put up with to get to Blitzball. I don't think he ever actually finished FFX.

[@Esvald]

Still waiting for a blitzball job or at least gold saucer minigame in FFXIV

[@kenshinhimura6280]

Bro Wedge was a savage in blitzball. And i love how the Albhed guys ended up being way better than the Luca Goers idiots haha.

[@Justforvisit]

Imagine if that minigame would have evolved into a whole spinoff series: "Blitzball Pro Tournament" or sth. like that :D

[@BTBSOUNDS]

Final Fantasy 15 definitely had kind of an air ship with the Type F upgrade for the Regalia. In fact you specially NEEDED it to access a secret dungeon that was otherwise "out of bounds"

[@zappawaits4969]

Thats 'Pitioss Ruins'. An absolutely torturous dungeon and many players quit trying. And for good reason- it's a major pain in the a$$ and dizzying at times.

[@BTBSOUNDS]

@@zappawaits4969 the worst part iirc was the reward wasn't even that impressive. I remember the game switching the camera angle to a 2D thing and this was after HOURS of trying to get thru and that shift was when I said fuck it and never looked back

[@zappawaits4969]

@@BTBSOUNDS yeah it looked like the game 'Limbo' for an entre area of the game. I love the game so wanted to do everything and did finish it but holy shit it was maybe the worst hours of my gaming life.

[@DOC_951]

@@BTBSOUNDSit isn’t that it wasn’t a good accessory… it was the fact that by this point you already had done everything else and it was pointless lol

[@BTBSOUNDS]

@@DOC_951 tbf i don't remember what it was at all or what it did, i just remember looking up what the reward was meant to be and getting mad annoyed

[@ghostyuki-kfpinquisitor1038]

The other thing with number 5 is a lot of the time they're bigger for the sake of being bigger rather than actually filling it with anything meaningful (or using filler collection quests instead) Number 4, it's an added bonus if one of the secret characters is originally a villain or someone that would die if not recruited for the extra surprise.

[@justinyule.]

Love you falcon, just went on break and this’ll keep me good company 😎

[@trash4gold]

Should’ve given DQ11 a shoutout for the airship thing, it’s not a “ship” but it instantly brought my overflowing levels of nostalgic satisfaction to new heights once I realized it was also part of the game

[@1BadAssArchAngelvs14]

"Arc Rise Fantasia" for the Nintendo Wii was the last Japanese RPG with an air ship. if you are going to play the game emulate it with japanese voice acting.

[@SaaltyLamaa]

It's cool that you're starting to spend more time on the things in the list. Makes for a much more informative and fun watch!

[@taughtbytv2273]

I know games generally load faster now, but I definitely miss loading screen minigames, specifically the ones in PS2 Dragon Ball games. Simple button mashing games that kept your hands on the controller and prepped you for the button mashing you'll have to do in main game.

[@Neonsilver13]

One company had the copyright for them, which prevented most companies from including them, of course the company that had the copyright just sat on it. What the Dragon Ball games had might have been classified as a practice mode or something to even allow that.

[@purwantiallan5089]

​@@Neonsilver13agree. I also miss the 1970 PONG minigame in TD OVERDRIVE.

[@hypnoticdelta7937]

1000% agree with the idea of smaller open world maps. Not every new game has to be this way, but some variety would be nice

[@Hirnlego999]

Yup. Avatar feels big and empty. Once the brain adjust to different kinds of plants it just doesn't cut it.

[@Microsuperman33]

#4 is huge!! This should be in more RPGS. Glad you mentioned ME2. That’s the first time I experienced it. Super cool!!

[@Solo76239]

Feel like Falcon recorded this video in the bathroom 🚽 😂

[@PsychoRavager]

I know there will be people out there who'll call me cringe or outdated for saying this, but I really, really miss the darker, grittier, edgier games like the original God of War entries, Manhunt, Condemned, Dante's Inferno, and a whole lot more that weren't afraid of such material. I'm also not a fan of how people are calling the new God of War games as "more mature" as though the originals were simply edgy for the sake of being edgy. What I'm saying is that I miss when edge was utilized more often, whether it be in combat systems, narratives, or even just tone and atmosphere.

[@dyinginfashion2558]

The mini games are a huge part of why yakuza is so much damn fun. I think it plays into its recent popularity as well.

[@John-996]

Yeah I games like that along With San Andreas and Bully RDR1and 2, Witcher 3 with Gwent. Mini games really help with vaierty.

[@BottleofLotion]

I spent so much time in those karaoke stores singing, there’s just something about those songs.

[@DaPhenomAce]

As someone who recently got into rpgs I would love to see secret party members and dungeons return. Seems really fun

[@benhaney9629]

Here’s something games never really abandoned because they never started to do it in the first place but when Mass Effect 2 came out I really thought that the future would see a lot more big budget RPGs that were not only true trilogy’s but carried over game decisions from one game to the next. The fact that my friend doesn’t care about Wrex because he got him killed in his first game and the fact that in my canon the Quarian (Talia? See can’t remember) died at the end of the second. That shit is just great and I thought it was something we were going to see a lot of. But why make a great mass seller RPG when you can make a games as service crapfest with legal gambling for children? Certifiably that’s what BioWare themselves decided…

[@tickshepard6870]

All the reasons why Mass Effect is one of a kind. The true GOAT.

[@louiseogden1296]

Yeah, definitely. You could import your characters from Baldurs Gate 1 into BG2, mainly because the level cap for 1 was the starting level for 2. That made sense from a Dungeons and Dragons sense, but most games start with an underpowered character so the player can build their way up with no prior knowledge of the property needed. In Tears of the Kingdom, you get full hearts and cool weapons in the prologue (and actually more games should have more interactive cinematics) but you lose them and start at the beginning very quickly. ME Legendary Edition is awesome in having the whole thing as a package. It works better that way IMO. However, it sucks a bit for people who haven't played the first game. The Wii U version of Mass Effect 3 had a slideshow with the main decisions you took in the first two games as choose your own adventure prompts, but since it was the first game I picked up in the series I had no idea what was going on and just picked at random. The other issue which kinda bears this out from a publisher's perspective is that even book trilogies see a drop off of readership between books. People buy and read book 1 and generally it's a standalone because the publisher hedges their bets -- they don't want to be locked into investing in a full series if book 1 flops. The number of people who read book 1 but not book 2 or 3 is larger than that of people who read the whole series. When video games these days cost millions of dollars to put out (people SAY they're ok with less effort put into visuals and sounds but truthfully they'd complain if people didn't spend the money on those things) you don't want those millions to be spent on two or three games that will not make back that investment because they require you to play something else beforehand. So they make games in a way that you don't have to have played the previous ones beforehand. Mass Effect is a great series, don't get me wrong. However I saw why more games don't do this -- because if a new release forces you to have to play through a previous one first or even refresh your memory on it, you're going to struggle to get new players to buy in to the series and risk people playing the first game and then looking for another game (because personally I like a variety of games rather than to play through a whole series all at once just so I don't lose the plot) and never getting to game 2. Publishers and devs have access to numbers and research into consumer behaviour that we don't, so that's probably why you just don't see games where the subsequent ones build off each other to the extent Mass Effect did. It was a good experiment, and maybe hardcore fans appreciate it, but people with less time to play through a whole series straight find it easier to get into a game if we don't have to have played the previous two, so that's why you don't see it so often. (And before you start whining about corporate greed...who do you think bankrolls the games you play and their development, and with development becoming increasingly expensive and time consuming, they have to try and get an income stream going from both hardcore fans and casual players. We casuals probably make up the majority of the gaming public and our cash helps you get the big budget games you want.)

[@joewilder5530]

I actually miss random encounters. Being able to see the enemies on the overworld just makes me want to run around them. With a random encounter I'm like you took the time to load I might as well fight you.

[@OrphanCrippler1]

Of all the things to miss from older games, random encounters is not one of them.

[@Spazmatronicmonkey]

In regards to number 5, the Spider-Man games weren’t that large and still had a lot of depth to the map

[@sebastianbenavidesmorales2274]

Something i really miss are unlockables, specially on multiplayer/party games, now everything is just battle passses, DLC and updates, which it works sometimes, but that feeling of finding secrets and putting efford into beating the game can’t be beat

[@northdkt7088]

Haha I share the sentiment about open-world game size. When I was in college and the days before, I did not mind it at all. But after getting a job, I just get the feeling that I wanna experience and finish the game quickly( 15-20 hrs at max) rather than traverse through this big-vast world for hours and hours despite ignoring side-quests and its just not as satisfying.

[@QubedSteak]

linear story-telling with smaller maps are frowned upon today, but I appreciate games that have a specific story to tell with a specific direction!

[@coconutologist]

16:27 I think there's a bit more truth to this, too. In JRPGs you ultimately end up saving the world, and by the time you get the airship that part of your quest has been revealed. You can finally explore the mysteries of the world that you are now charged with saving. It's easier for me to want to save a world that I know.

[@thejackal007]

Gradius III for the SNES had a great fake cheat that was memorable, too. Creepy to put in because you can see the new options that arrived before you unpaused and then when you paused... big explosion, louder than anything else and you die. Loved it.

[@ChrisHMusic95]

Isometric rpgs still have amazing companions that are completely optional but add a whole lot of depth if you choose to include them. The Pathfinder series is one that comes immediately to mind.

[@chrisrudolf9839]

Pillars of Eternity too. But that one was a crowdfunded Indie-Game that deliberately emulates the style of the old isometric RPGs like Baldur's Gate

[@fortresstraining]

Man i miss good dungeons in videogames. Remember how in zelda when you'd find something like the grappling hook and know its gonna help you the rest of the game? Such a shame that experience doesnt exist in modern games.

[@chrisb4131]

I dont know, Elden Ring had some awesome, dungeony sections.

[@codguy12]

Lol you serious?

[@calico2509]

The Secret World introduced me to ARG stuff. That game was amazing and featured an in game web browser as you needed to do research for certain puzzles. All of the major organizations had websites where you could look up an employee by going to that organization and looking up employees through the company's human resources. It was absolutely brilliant. Even some major NPCs had Twitter accounts that we would follow. Shame on Funcom for letting it die.

[@Hadeks_Marow]

My number 2: Stylized pause menus. I remember playing old spider-men games on the PS2, pausing and opening the map looked like a comicbook panel. Now pausing is the same in all games where you press RP to switch to a different tab in the pause menu. Where the pause menu itself is very basic and bare minimum. I mean, you are already paying your UI artists, might as well have fun with it.

[@kuyakor2374]

Adding to #4, the first time i played Fire Emblem was fun and enjoyable in my first playthrough. When my bro said, "did you get ...", He didnt realize it then but he opened a can of interests and fun unlocking every character thats possible

[@Anonamuos]

Ni No Kuni had fantastic airship mechanics! A bunch of stuff on the world map was only accessible from the air ship but you got to see it way early so it was definitely something to look forward too

[@midwestyle]

Agreed. Aside from how the magic worked in that game, I really enjoyed how that game blended old school and new school RPG tropes.

[@SupClayton]

You guys need to talk more about Skies Of Arcadia. One of my all time favorite games. You’re a pirate who commandeers airships!

[@TiboNP30]

About #1 I think Horizon Forbidden West pretty much nailed that feeling of flying over parts of the world you spent time walking through

[@LightBulbxXx]

Gameranx truly deserves an award for what they do. I thoroughly enjoy having game content to watch every single day, so does my younger autistic brother and I can't thank Gameranx enough for giving me that thing to do with my brother

[@gameranxTV]

Thank you so much 😊

[@GaaraFuninTheSand]

I really miss stat building like you put stats into what you want instead of getting stats from a item or build which isn't bad but having a slightly unique character to mess with stats plus having stats from items always made things fun for me. A game I will always love was Summoner 2 like you can build stats, find secret locations, have you party members be more of a heal or attack and mini games were you can watch/gamble on fights with enemies you fought. Sweet video for sure and made me nostalgic for games this these.

[@harmonyqueue]

I agree! One of those games for me as a kid, though much simpler than Summoner, was Nox. I loved how every playthrough quite literally had to be handled and planned different from the last.

[@amgrabowska]

IMO the best example of small open world is DS1. Sublime experience exploring that always. No load screens and all interconnected. Simply amazing.

[@MrSkullMerchant]

Whats ds1?

[@cesare4926]

Loving the Chained Echos shoutouts. This channel is so goated and a small mention of some indie games can introduce so many people to underrated games

[@trevordavidjones]

When you acquire the Ragnarok in FFVIII is one of my favorite moments in video game history 😆✈

[@flissflossgaming]

I'd like to see dimension shifts come back in games. I'm thinking Light/Dark World from Link to the Past, switching between the spirit world and the real world in Soul Reaver, that kind of thing. The most recent example I can think of is Titanfall 2 in the level where you get to control time and jump back and forth between the past/present. It's cool exploring the same area in a different dimension and solving puzzles that require you to jump between the two

[@vault29a]

have you played the most recent ratchet n clank?

[@Krotas_DeityofConflicts]

10:31 what game is this?

[@TheZoenGaming]

Medium did a spirit world/living world split.

[@flissflossgaming]

@@vault29a I haven't, but from what I've seen of Rift Apart the new dimensions are pretty much new maps, not the same map in a different dimesion. But maybe I'm mistaken?

[@highdefinist9697]

It was really great in "Mask of the Betrayer", even though it was not a particularly big part of the game.

[@muddystick]

Number 8, I completely agree with is one I miss the climbing puzzles in Assassin's Creed 2 where getting to the synchronisation points required you to *figure out* how to climb a building, like navigating a vertical maze.

[@louiseogden1296]

Yeah, that was fun. Infuriating, but fun!

[@BrandonGavin_EDC]

I don’t mind huge maps but take RDR2 for example. Not the biggest map ever but quite large but it’s filled with people, places, and things to do. Along with a ton of hidden secrets. Rockstar does map size so well IMO.

[@bauerleinjohn]

Final fantasy tactics advance had secret characters out the wazoo, didn’t realize how much I missed them. Was really worth buying the gamer guide for it back in the day

[@pambarth3183]

I loved playing Chrono Trigger and discovering that I could actually have Magus in the party. One of my favorite memories of playing that game.

[@bjax211]

Yes!!!

[@gameprose4293]

#6 is why I loved playing Secret World back in the day, using the in game web browser, which was an actual web browser that allowed you to go just about anywhere on the actual internet, to solve clues left in the game itself was amazing. EDIT: #2 Skylanders did this too. Imaginators for the Playstation 3 & 4 got an exclusive version that came with Vortex and Crash. Superchargers for the Wii and Wii U got a Nintendo exclusive Bowser and Donkey Kong.

[@cousinrolf871]

Dragon Quest 11 had somewhat of an airship near the end! It also had a boat for most of the game, but there were random encounters during the boat rides. Still a really cool world to explore by boat and flight, in my opinion, especially because the air travel let you access areas you couldn't on foot or with the boat

[@nickmorales9413]

Man when you mentioned Front Mission 3, my nostalgia shot through the roof. I miss that series so much

[@kitaikoturtle7770]

I remember unlocking all the summons in FFX and that felt rewarding at the time. Anima was so cool and completely missable if you didn’t explore

[@DisorientedWanderer]

If it wasn't for my brothers strategy guide, I never would've gotten Anima

[@Rodeo-iz7cg]

The small open worlds is something I’d love back. I am just now playing Deus Ex Mankind Divided and the city of Prague is really small but it’s so well developed and full of stuff to find that it seems huge.

[@Sisren86]

I would cite Chrono Cross as the ultimate 'optional party member' example. And it was done right. Every character had at least some little story arc if you cared to look for it.

[@WhooFlungPoo]

Imo it was too much. Trigger had a good party size with fleshed out threads. Cross was more like suikoden but without the permanent building or structural upgrades. There were just too many "fun" or nonsense characters that padded out the games artificial length. It could have done with an editor to trim it down and focus on the core characters better.

[@sirloinestakegames7866]

POSHUSHU

[@Laughy-Flaaffy]

NUMBER 1, Game Freak abandoning “Gotta Catch ‘em all” by cutting the national dex.

[@willhendrix86]

I loved the mini games in the Hyrule town of Ocarina of Time, that and that defeating them had a real reward like the largest mouse bomb/ammo pouch in the game, only way to get it too.

[@LynxGGTV]

Chrono Cross is the best example for having lots of secret party members, with different ways on how to get them.

[@peterfconley]

Kaiden in ME3 was a secret to me in years because I always saved Ashley in ME1. I don’t save Ashley anymore.

[@crashbandicoot5636]

Nope. Screw missable quests and missable characters/items, it punishes those who tackle the game blind or for the first time - not everyone has the luxury to play multiple times, so a well-made game imo makes everything accessible and not some bs secret.

[@Marx1684]

These list is ridiculous! These videos are SO on point. I miss all of the ones I knew of. Had no idea Solid Snake ate sh*t at the skate park😂

[@baohst1]

Falcon spoke to my heart and soul when he said “it’s a video game, it’s fun, isn’t that the thing that matters?” about action hijacking. It’s something I remind myself of every time I have to turn on accessibility features as my disability progresses or go find some tasty cheese to get through a tricky spot in a game. My favorite raptor spoke Deep Truth there.

[@Bobby_Go]

The only one I disagree with is #2. IMO, platform exclusive content is worse than pre-order bonuses. I don't want to miss out on content just because it's locked to a different platform. Just let the game be the game!

[@Galaxy_moons2003]

You guys should do a video about protagonists that were actually the villains if you guys haven’t already would be an awesome video to see! Love the vids keep up the amazing work !🥳

[@ProjectPCHY]

YESS! THANK YOU FOR INCLUDING THE SPYRO SKATEBOARDING MINIGAME! My dad, younger brother and I spent WEEKS one-upping each other in high score until dad finally claimed victory with the highest score! Best few weeks of my childhood!

[@TrueKingOmega]

I would have added "Memorable Superbosses" to the list of things games shouldn't have abandoned. A lot of them these days the bosses are not as "powerful" as they used to be. Back then, you had to REALLY prepare to fight them otherwise you would get stomped within the first couple of minutes, if not seconds. Nowadays they are simply recolored mobs with more HP, and maybe hit a little harder, and others can be defeated with a simple ability (I'm looking at you Adamantoise from FFXV)

[@Cellfix]

Believe me Mr. Falcon, you'd be AMAZED about games and things I remember...

[@bobwade1686]

Gameranx haven't missed in like 10 years it's crazy. Easy my fav channel

[@BoondockRoberts]

Played Lunar for nostalgia's sake recently and I really miss the idea that all you party members participate in battle. People on the bench never make any sense to me. "whole world is at stake, what three are fighting and what three sitting and not fighting this godlike being?" Also, bonus points for showing Wild Arms and Space Ace

[@Matt_C130]

10:52 yes! Getting some of the optional/secret party members in the .hack series or secret summons in ff games (not quite party member but still.) were amazing!

[@Matt_C130]

16:21 I do miss random battles actually. Make them toggable if you want but add them back to dungeons in games. Adds to the difficulty & danger of jumping in a dungeon unprepared. I loved Wild Arms 3 “airship” in that you had to beat it to be able to use it. That and its sandship to traverse the parts of the overworld you couldn’t walk through. Said that part before they show the game for 4 seconds woo!

[@Neonsilver13]

Best example for a RPG with optional characters are the Suikoden games (at least the first two, not sure about the following titles). There you can recruit more than a 100 characters. While a lot of them won't join your party and instead give your castle some upgrades, a large amount of them are playable. However you don't have to get them. They might be tied to what ending you get, but you don't have to get all of them.

[@lydiaharper9844]

Personally I like the huge open world games because I can actually get lost in the world/setting the developer created and I know I'm not alone. What we really need is a balance of game releases that cater to both fan bases every few years.

[@wannabikkit]

Absolutely. I've spent hundreds of hours running around huge maps and having a great time doing so.

[@MrSkullMerchant]

I love exploring big open world maps 👊

[@ericyen9974]

Absolutely need more airships, I love just flying around the world! Also airship musics are always good, I still remember the airship theme form FFVIII

[@naruko191]

Zelda totk and botw is a great example of awesome climbing and exploration there’s so many different ways to get to where you want and complete puzzles.

[@MrSkullMerchant]

Immortals fenyx rising too 👊

[@Ammdar]

What's funny to me is that until I started watching gaming videos, which was way after I played FFVII, I had no idea Yuffie was an optional character. I played the game a few times and always got her around the same point in the game .

[@LuciusNox]

I opened a video, and immediately heard Falcon's voice. "Another banger, eh?" Always makes my day.

[@comog]

Long time watcher, love the content falcon. Your voice has a wee bit of an echo, blankets and pillows will help absorb sound if u have any around the recording studio. All the best my man! Keep on keeping on

[@Vorundor]

Always a fun time to watch your videos. LEGO City has the action car hijacking.

[@LegacyIvyTerascale]

nowadays the games are about - Grafix - Audio - how yo make you Pay little by little , as much as possible

[@dampee6]

Appreciate the mentioning of Chained Echoes not once, but twice. Amazing indie title that clearly took inspiration from retro JRPGs like Chrono Trigger. And it was made by one guy!

[@valystsalley6274]

Golden sun 2 had some amazing dungeon design. One of the reasons I still play it to this day.

[@BigAssLizard]

Agreed! GS is my favourite game still to this day, I really hope for a remaster!

[@mt_baldwin]

Elden Ring does 7 and 8 pretty damn good. Stormveil castle is probably one of the best dungeons in video game history. Not only is it a maze, it stays true to being an open world as it has many different ways through it. Also it's layout is that of an actual, functional castle, not some nonsensical design that could be nothing else but a maze with a castle skin on it. And as for 8, yeah anyone that's played it knows gravity is the most deadly killer in ER.

[@FanGirl9463]

For number 5 yakuza is definitely a exception to the rule. All the yakuza games are focused on small dense open worlds with a lot of things to do.

[@Ori_Kohav]

There are specific types of minigames that I always welcome: 1. Rhythm minigames, like that ice cream game in Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep 2. Racing minigames, which were in multiple games. Spyro, Ratchet & Clank, Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep, even Horizon Forbidden West. 3. Turn based chess-like minigames. I might be a minority on that opinion, but I love the Machine Strike minigame in Horizon Forbidden West.

[@NightWolfsHAMMER]

Man all the mini games in FF7 were and still are so memorable to me. I can remember the music and visuals vividly. That part of this video brought a huge smile to my face lol

[@TrowSonny]

Hey falcon, did you change your mic or is it someone with your same voice ? You sound different 😂 Also great video as always ❤

[@yodasaber1]

If you want air ships what about Forever Skies? It is like a Subnautica but with air ships instead of ocean

[@HattaTHEZulZILLA86]

Number 6: The "internet" in Front Mission 4 does MORE than just tell the state of the game's world. The dot hack (.hack) games also used this mechanic to elaborate the world their game exist in. With regular updates as you progress through the main storyline.

[@Amins88]

Yes! The .hack series was simulating an MMORPG setting where you weren't necessarily playing as the character, you were playing as a character who was playing a character. The simulated OS was perfectly integrated into the games setting. Also, Doki Doki Literature Club uses your real-world operating system to progress its plot and understanding what it is doing is essential in completing the game. Which is also why DDLC Plus fails in trying to simulate this with a fake OS and contradicts the entire point of that game.

[@Frost4Real]

Definitely agree with the smaller open worlds. Infamous and spiderman are some of my favourite PS games, and thats part of what makes them fun

[@ihavegymnastics]

Falcon's videos are more than just gaming insights: they reflect society at large. Best channel on KZbin, easily

[@louiseogden1296]

Honestly, not sure about that. I love his videos, don't get me wrong, but he's one kind of gamer. I love some of Ubisoft's games for the reason he doesn't enjoy them -- there's always something to do and somewhere to go and I can forage over a huge map for hours at a time for relaxation. I'm not the kind of player who just wants to see the story -- I want the full experience. I think what some really dedicated gamers miss is that not everyone is them. Some of us play games for the story, but some of us play for the immersion in a singular world. I play Fallout 4 a bit like some people play Minecraft -- for the scavenging and building as well as the story. AC Valhalla and World of Warcraft both at various times got me through long periods of isolation and loneliness because there was always another corner of the world to explore and the game was never over in the way that I was actually disappointed when I finished Horizon Zero Dawn. Also I come from an accountancy background and a lot of people way underestimate what time and effort it takes to make games and why companies might be anxious to, say, get the game out at Christmas because that's when they're going to make the bulk of the money they can put back into their next title. If they miss that window their game will come out at a time when people are tightening their belts after the festive season and not buying more premium titles, and by the time next Christmas comes around everyone else has new stuff and their game is old. It doesn't excuse travesties like Battlefield 2042 or Cyberpunk 2077, but it goes some way to counter the argument that devs should be allowed to take as much time as they want without a ROI into their salaries if nothing else, and that the remake scene is there because big games now take years to develop and yet the studios need cash to finance the new properties. So in a way, Falcon is an awesome commentator, but like anyone else he has his biases and while society might agree with some of his points, others of us, no less part of the gaming community ourselves, have very different priorities and interests. The reason why Ubisoft still puts out its massive games is that people like me want to take the scenic route and savour the fun we're having with them, and that other people don't understand that isn't going to negate our opinions.

[@Thms.e85]

I just finished Chained Echoes, it's such an amazing game 😍 Thanks for mentioning it Falcon 👍🏼

[@CSXIV]

My favorite troll cheat: in Gradius 3 for the SNES, inputting the classic Konami code instantly blows you up with a custom sound effect and the whole screen flashing. To troll you more, it appears to give you every powerup (which is what it does in Gradius for the NES) before blowing you up. I got one friend to put it in by telling him "It blows up everything on the screen." When his ship blew up, I added "including you." (Also-if you input the Konami Code but replace the left-right with the L and R buttons, it will give you every power up).

[@gibshit4118]

As someone who does not appreciate mini-games, I fully understand what Falcon is saying, variety is underrated. Gonna go check out some mini-games I initially ignored…

[@dangerousmindgames]

I loved random battles in RPGs. It added a sense of intensity and didn't let you just sprint through the world. Plus you could use Materia in FF7 to lower the chances of encounters.