Today is a blessed day, as 20 years ago, Square Enix released one of its lowkey, best games of all time. I’m talking, of course, about Brave Fencer Musashi. After a long silence, no doubt partially fueled by an abysmal sequel on the PlayStation 2, Square Enix has finally recognized the game with a new video montage celebrating the game’s 20th anniversary.
In the video, which you can watch above, we’re treated to a nice montage of art from the series, as well as what sounds like a few soundtrack arrangements. It’s a huge nostalgia rush for sure, as Brave Fencer Musashi doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves, especially in the west. In fact, the game was one of a few Square Enix titles that never made it to the North American PSOne Classics line, despite being released in Japan.
Here’s the fun part – does this video mean anything? Square Enix is all about mining its old IP, as we’ve seen lately with its Mana series remakes on both PlayStation 4 and Vita. Could a Brave Fencer Musashi remake be in the works, with this video as an early tease? There’s no way to know, and I’m certainly not about to get my hopes up. But even if the video is just a nice look back at one of Square Enix’s fun, little experiments, it’s nice to see it peek it’s head up above the water for a precious moment.
[Source: YouTube]
PSone Classics
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Breath of Fire III
Breath of Fire III keeps most things simple enough that it can be
anyone's first JRPG; yet also includes dragon gene splicing, an
interesting master/apprentice system, plenty of optional quests, and a
well-made turn-based battle system that genre aficionados can
appreciate. The dungeons, characters, story, music, and world,
while not mind-blowing, are full of enduring charm. Like other great
PSOne games, I've played this in 2014 and found myself just as
entertained as I was in 1998.Note that a PSP version of this game was released in Europe and Japan,
but never North America. If the PSN store could get either that game
or a port to the PSOne Classic line, RPG fans would have something to
cheer about.Written by: Heath Hindman
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Bushido Blade
Possibly one of the most technical and slowest fighters ever made, Bushido Blade forsakes flashiness with a more realistic take at fighting games. How realistic? You can literally die just by one finely timed stab. While the game's graphical limitations are painfuly obvious by now, Bushido Blade is still a fan favorite and understandably so. Who wouldn't want to play a samurai fighting game that punishes button mashers? Not to mention how cool it was cutting up environmental stuff with every slice.Let's hope Square Enix puts out a PSN version soon, or even better, release a proper entry in the franchise.Written by: Alex Co -
Dragon Warrior VII
A few years before players would start dungeon crawling for hours upon hours in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, they found a time sink in Dragon Warrior VII: Dragon Quest VII.
Dragon Warrior VII is just a huge game with so many different things to do. Whether it's the main or side quests, recruiting characters, leveling up the different classes, or fixing up your monster park for the world to see, there is something here for everyone that promises north of 100 hours of time to spent in the game.
Written by: Cameron Teague
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Gran Turismo
The racing game that started it all. Back then, racers were more arcade-y or were a clone of Mario Kart's excellent formula. Gran Turismo changed all that by featuring realistic driving physics, and all the customization carheads can throttle a shift stick at. Want to change your car's paint? Maybe your tires? Even piston alignment? All these and more can be customized by "The Real Driving Simulator" -- a moniker it dutifully earned.Written by: Alex Co. -
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
While the original Grand Theft Auto my first video game experience
facing the cops as my opponents, Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit was
the first one I played that really nailed it.When it comes to traditional racing, I don't like too many games, but
the addition of someone whose only goal was to pin racers against a
wall or eventually eliminate them just rocked me. It wasn't like
regular racing, it wasn't like kart racing, it was its own thing. It
was one of the few I chose to pack up and take with me when moving
overseas nearly a decade ago, and I've played it within the last year.
This baby still holds up.Written by: Heath Hindman
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SaGa Frontier
Square Enix's (or Squaresoft's, back then) SaGa series is decidedly
not for everyone. The hearty recommendation I give Breath of Fire III
or Suikoden II can't apply here, because of how...how just plain weird
it is. Almost everything about it is unconventional, and SaGa Frontier
embraces this to the fullest.Super-deformed character art, quirky music, playing as seven different
protagonists, skills that link together somewhat unpredictably,
randomized stat gains instead of traditional level ups: these are just
some of the divisive features that earn SaGa Frontier not the shiniest
of reputations. But there are a dedicated few who can't help but love
it, so this would be a nice addition to the PSOne Classic line. Those
in search of a JRPG from Squaresoft's golden years could see why
exactly there's a cult out there which considers this game a classic.Written by: Heath Hindman
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Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny is the 2nd game in the long running Tales of franchise, spanning from 1995 to now. The game puts you in the role of Stahn, a young man who comes across a sword named Dymlos. These two then set out on an epic journey with a great combat system and enjoyable cast and story. The Tales of series is a true RPG treat and Tales of Destiny is no different, bringing out everything people love in the series.
Written by: Cameron Teague
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Tekken 3
The third chapter in Namco's flashy fighting franchise; Tekken 3 offer a ton more of everything fans wanted from its predecessors. Not only that, but the visuals took a significant upturn that wowed gamers at the time. With Tekken's core gameplay remaining relatively the same, releasing the title on PSN would relatively be pain free for fighting fans, and can even be a good teaser for Tekken 5.
Written by: Alex Co.
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Tenchu 2: Birth of the Stealth Assassins
Tenchu 2's appeal is a no-brainer. I mean, who wouldnt want to play as a badass ninja that can take out hordes of enemies silently and with devastating precision, right? Tenchu 2 ups the ante by offering more items, more ways to take down foes. Honestly, it's surprising a full-fledged reboot or HD remaster hasn't been announced yet, but a PSN release might alleviate some of those ninja pangs a bit.Written by: Alex Co. -
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
I can't tell you how many times I skipped school *EDIT* had to stay home sick *END EDIT* just so I could play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.
Before we had the Skate series to show us just how bad Tony Hawk's would become, Pro Skater 2 was where you went for an awesome skateboarding experience. With lots of tricks and addictive gameplay, gamers could spend hours upon hours trying to get the highest score they could. It was also the first game to introduce the Manual trick, and features like Create-a-Skater and Park Editor, that would become series staples.
Written by: Cameron Teague
