Something interesting that I've noticed is that in almost every one of Nintendo's major RPG series, what is widely regarded by the dedicated fanbase to be the best game in the series was released in either the sixth (Gamecube/GBA era) or seventh generation (Wii/DS era). Even more interestingly, however, is that ever since that Wii/DS era, almost every Nintendo RPG released on the 3DS, the Wii U and the Switch, have received a mixed-at-best reception from the community. For instance:
Personally, if I had to rank each game in the poll, it would be as follows:
Three Houses>Dream Team>Awakening>Xenoblade X>Sun and Moon>Xenoblade 2
- Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was released on the Gamecube, and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn was released on the Wii. Most consider the DS and 3DS Fire Emblem games to be a significant step down from the Tellius games.
- Xenoblade Chronicles was released on the Wii. While Xenoblade X and Xenoblade 2 weren't terribly received, it's difficult to deny that these two games haven't received the same kind of universal praise that the original received.
- Pokemon Heartgold and Soulsilver, Black and White as well as Black 2 and White 2 were all released on the DS. Many people in the Sword and Shield threads will attest to both the 3DS and Switch Pokemon games being a severe decline in quality from Gens 4 and 5.
- Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was released on the Gamecube, and all three Paper Mario games that followed it have very often been compared to it in a negative manner.
- Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was released on the DS, and the complaints levied at the modern Paper Mario games have also largely applied to Paper Jam, and Dream Team (to a lesser extent).
Personally, if I had to rank each game in the poll, it would be as follows:
Three Houses>Dream Team>Awakening>Xenoblade X>Sun and Moon>Xenoblade 2
- I consider Three Houses to be the only Nintendo RPG since the Wii/DS era that manages to reach the heights of the Tellius games, Pokemon Gen 5, and Bowser's Inside Story. It has both a good (albeit slightly inconsistent) story and some of the best character writing in any Nintendo game. Furthermore, out of all of the games in the poll, I'd say that Three Houses is the only game that doesn't have a especially crippling flaw.
- Dream Team was pretty good - it has far too many tutorials and cutscenes for its own good, but the Mario and Luigi gameplay in that game is arguably the best that the series has ever had. Props to it giving Luigi a personality, and making Bowser threatening in a Mario RPG for once.
- Awakening was decent - it's story is a mess, but it is redeemed by a mostly good cast that gets far more flak than it deserves. It being a very good Fire Emblem game for newcomers also greatly helps its case.
- Xenoblade X is a game of highs and lows - on one hand, it has the best exploration of any Nintendo game outside of BOTW. On the other hand, I feel that BOTW largely renders this game's greatest strength obsolete. What worsens it as a game is that its story and characters are not only uninteresting, but also a tremendous step down from the original Xenoblade. That being said, this game desperately needs a sequel, and it's a shame that we ultimately got Xenoblade 2 instead of a Xenoblade X-2.
- Personally, I would have rather put X and Y up on the poll instead of Sun and Moon, but Era does seem to enjoy Gen 7 more (link: https://www.resetera.com/threads/do-you-prefer-pokémon-xy-or-sun-and-moon.153402/#post-26512560). I don't like Sun and Moon at all. It completely gutted the sense of adventure that you got from previous Pokemon games for a story and characters, which to put it charitably, fail miserably at holding the rest of the game up.
- If Xenoblade X was a disappointment coming off of Xenoblade 1, then Xenoblade 2 felt outright disgraceful to me. It has some good moments on occasion, but the plot is completely marred by its insistence on being a terrible, D-list anime (the sleepwalking scene, in particular, is one of the most offensively written scenes I have ever seen in a Nintendo game). Rex is one of the worst protagonists I've ever seen in a video game, being both bland and insufferably whiny, and characters such as Tora aren't much better at all. Whilst I feel that this a more competent game than Sun and Moon, I hate this game far more because of how cynically designed this game feels - as if pandering to otakus was a higher priority than actually making a good game.
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