1.
Chrono Trigger (SNES)
2.
Gyromite (NES)
3.
Lucy -The Eternity She Wished For- (Steam)
4.
Ys III: Wanderers from Ys (Famicom)
5.
Radical Dreamers (SNES)
6.
Video Games 1 (TI-99/4A)
7.
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (Famicom)
8.
Exile (TurboGrafx CD)
9.
Exile: Wicked Phenomenon (TurboGrafx CD)
10.
Xak (PC Engine CD,
Xak I・II)
11.
Xak II (PC Engine CD,
Xak I・II)
12.
Neutopia (TurboGrafx-16)
13.
Captain Silver (Sega Master System)
14.
Märchen Veil (Famicom Disk System)
15.
Vanguard (Atari 2600)
16.
Kangaroo (Atari 2600)
17.
Front Line (Atari 2600)
18.
Mario Bros. (Atari 2600)
19.
Harmonia (Steam)
20.
Donkey Kong (Atari 2600)
21.
Jungle Hunt (Atari 2600)
22.
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes (TurboGrafx CD)
23.
Gorf (Atari 2600)
24.
Neutopia II (TurboGrafx-16)
25.
Dungeon Magic (PlayStation 2,
Taito Legends 2)
26.
The Lost Vikings (SNES)
27.
Blue's Journey (Wii Virtual Console)
28.
Wizard Fire (Wii,
Data East Arcade Classics)
29.
Super Mario Run (Android)
30. Dragon Warrior II (NES)
Oh dear. This one's a bit of a doozy.
Dragon Warrior II (
Dragon Quest II if you wanna be a weeb about it) has its moments of fun and thrill, but they're far too often submerged beneath the patina of tedium and frustration.
The game launched in Japan in January of 1987. For reference, that means that Enix shat out two of these fuckers before the venerable
Fantasy/
Phantasy duo dropped. Taking inspiration from the likes of
Ultima III,
Dragon Warrior II was the first "big-name" party-based JRPG, and set the stage for dozens of imitators to follow.

Aesthetically, it's a brilliant game. Technically speaking, the graphics are perhaps a small improvement compared to the first
Dragon Warrior, and they're just as noteworthy and charming. Every sprite is a "square" and the game world is once again constructed out of the most pleasantly clashing color palettes. Toriyama returns as character designer, naturally, and the enemy designs are oozing with personality. There's a larger array of foes on display here, and the game's far less reliant on the dreaded palette swap. Playable characters and NPCs are small, but feature some impressive detail and animation. Ye Olde English makes a triumphant return, with a story told succinctly with zero needless exposition. Surprisingly,
Dragon Warrior II is a sequel both in name and plot. It directly references the first game numerous times, and even provides some clever foreshadowing into the events of the third.
The overworld is huge, overwhelmingly so. The entire continent that comprised
Dragon Warrior's world is but a segment of this one. As expected, there are many more dungeons and towns. The annoying torchlight element from the first game has been ditched, and save points are more frequent. They're not frequently
consistent, unfortunately, as only every other town or so grants the player an opportunity to record progress. A bigger game world means more opportunities for Koichi Sugiyama to flex his creative muscles. The soundtrack is excellent, with plenty of throwback tracks from the first game as well as new standouts. There's a fine attention to detail here. For instance, various segments of the overworld are accompanied by a unique and appropriate theme. Of course the "main theme" returns in all its glory; it's featured on the title screen alongside and impressive animation of the heroic trio marching forward.

Ah yes, the party of
Dragon Warrior II. The lead character (and only nameable one) is the Prince of Midenhall. He's the tank, basically. High HP, impressive attack and defense stats, zero magic. He's joined by his cousin, another prince: the Prince of Cannock. Here's your "average" dude. Lower attack and defensive stats, but with an array of both offensive and healing spells. Finally we have the Princess of Moonbrooke! She's a dog. I don't mean to imply that she's an unattractive woman (
quite the opposite hubba hubba), rather she's a victim of a curse that placed her in canine form. Once cured she joins the party as the healer.

Combat is frequent and is instantly recognizable as the "standard" that would become featured in so many turn-based JRPGs. Black background, static enemy portraits. The game pulls the same nonsense as
Final Fantasy, where you can strike dead air should you target an enemy who expires before your hit connects. It's annoying, though not exactly game-breaking as it becomes quickly apparent how many strikes are required to vanquish most foes. Not to mention the fact that the party becomes heavily reliant on spells that target all enemies for the back half of the game. Oh, and there's mandatory level-grinding. A lot.
The pacing here is rather unfortunate. The game's really thrilling and upbeat at first. The main hero visits a series of distinct towns and dungeons and recruits his allies. Challenge increases gradually and fairly. Then things grind to a halt once the ship is acquired. As mentioned, the world is huge and there's little direction whatsoever. Moreover, many plot-essential items are hidden in obscure places, inventory space is laughable, and the dungeons get more annoying and obtuse as the game progresses. As you move forward, it becomes apparent that the party isn't "balanced" in the slightest. The Prince of Cannock and Princess
never seem to have enough defense, can equip fuck-all for weapons and armor, and are always the ones targeted by enemies. Seriously, monsters gang up on the weakest party member first. Assholes.

Things come to a head in the final 20% of the game. Seriously, the final stretch
sucks. Exhibit A: The Cave to Rhone. This is the stuff nightmares are made of. It's a giant cavern rife with pitfalls and false exits. Don't even think about trying to make a beeline to the exit, as thorough exploration is required to acquire all the essential items that lie within. Now, things wouldn't be so bad if said cave wasn't in fact infested by diabolically hard enemies. In fact, some of these battles are nigh impossible to survive. Expect to run, a lot, and if you find yourself ambushed by four green dragons just bend over. You're done. The land of Rhone doesn't fare much better. This is the game's final "grind spot" and believe me, a shitload is required for the final stretch of bosses. Now in addition to featuring enemies even harder than those found in its adjacent cave, Rhone is also home to monsters
that can kill the entire party with a single spell. Grind enough and it's time for the final dungeon, which features even more impossible-ish fights so fleeing from every battle is mandatory (wow, flashbacks to the first
Dragon Warrior!). Mercifully the very very final couple of bosses are complete wimps compared to everything in their vicinity, assuming you did the requisite level-grinding.

So that's
Dragon Warrior II. Sometimes a blast, frequently a chore. Ultimately it's just a game that overstays its welcome. I was ready to be "done" at twelve hours. Yuji Horii and friends demanded I stay for another eight. To those who attempt this series chronologically: don't be put off by the crusty nature of the first two installments. All is made right by
Dragon Warrior III, which is pure bliss.