This has been killing me the last few days since I feel like I really should know this but can't pinpoint it. The music in this video from 0:02 to 2:10 is from some game that has been buried in my mind. I think it's a cover which is throwing me off since it feels like Guilty Gear because of the electric guitar but I know it isn't.
NGPC was the best portable gaming console up until the Gameboy Advance SP was released. It's an amazing little device. Grab both SNK vs Capcom Cardfighters and Match of the Millennium.
Persona 2 is the best. The way that IS subverts the expectations of winning the game and then how EP uses what you know from IS to mess with you. Additionally it was really impressive at the time that after almost every story beat you could walk around the city and people and almost every location would be changing their dialogues. There were tiny little stories hidden if you followed it closely. It's overlooked because its battle system is clunky and it's a PSX game but honestly I think it shines a lot brighter than its immediate successor.
It's also the darkest out of all of them, ESPECIALLY compared to fan favorite 4; the ending is basically the exact opposite, which turns some people off.
Catacombs has some big problems from what I've played of it. At its surface it's a light hearted game about flicking wooden disks to kill monsters. The problem is that it has WAY too many special rules for monsters and characters. So people that I thought I could get into a lighter board game were turned off because there's tons of effects and abilities that modify stuff that slowed them down and the rules are written somewhat poorly. My more board game loving friends on the other hand found the flicking part of the game kinda boring after a few tries so I've found it really doesn't appeal to anyone and just sits on the shelf.
Board games like Ben described that have way too many complicated systems have been around forever. Avalon Hill has been pushing those since the 50s. If anything there has been a resurgence of light hearted games that still have some complexity to them so it's more than just rolling dice and moving a pawn. Arkham Horror comes from the Fantasy Flight Games era where they tried to have as many tokens and cards as possible and games took four to eight hours to play. The Android game has like six different systems going on concurrently. Thankfully they've learned over the years and their modern stuff is much better.
Yeah, Catacombs is the most complex game I recommended by far. I've found that the game works if you have someone to chaperone people through a first play, and more than most board games, watching a video of it played really helps. Also, the flicking mechanic is a good gateway for people I find, and it's probably the most complex game I've seen that still works in a loose, drinking beer with friends situation. In the base game at least, the only truly unique monster (with his own rulebook section) was the Gelatinous Cube, but some of the chain shots can be definitely be difficult to parse on a first play.
You're right about Fantasy Flight getting better. Eldritch Horror is a push in the right direction, and the 2015 Fury of Dracula was a great improvement over the previous version, but a lot of their most widely available games still have that fiddly nature, though to a lesser degree. If you walk into an Indigo or Chapters, the Fantasy Flight games you see are Game of Thrones and Star Wars Rebellion, mixed right in with Catan, Pandemic and Ticket to Ride. Those are most your options without going to dedicated board game stores (which aren't exactly everywhere), and I think that somewhat does consumers a disservice. They are there because of the license, but they are rough games to start with, and still a real leap from Catan.
I really like the new Runebound. I find that it fixes my main problem from 2nd edition where it felt like it took forever to get your character good and if you got unlucky and got poor events early on you might as well not be playing for the next four hours. The token system with the gear is really interesting and last time we played everyone was involved and there were decisions to be made but it wasn't overwhelming.
T.I.M.E Stories is a really cool thematic board game and not very complicated but you will never experience it the same after the first try so replay value is very limited.
I personally really like Space Cadets since it's everyone playing minigames independently then consolidating their success or failure into the larger game but a lot of my friends hate it so maybe I am weird.
Catacombs has some big problems from what I've played of it. At its surface it's a light hearted game about flicking wooden disks to kill monsters. The problem is that it has WAY too many special rules for monsters and characters. So people that I thought I could get into a lighter board game were turned off because there's tons of effects and abilities that modify stuff that slowed them down and the rules are written somewhat poorly. My more board game loving friends on the other hand found the flicking part of the game kinda boring after a few tries so I've found it really doesn't appeal to anyone and just sits on the shelf.
Board games like Ben described that have way too many complicated systems have been around forever. Avalon Hill has been pushing those since the 50s. If anything there has been a resurgence of light hearted games that still have some complexity to them so it's more than just rolling dice and moving a pawn. Arkham Horror comes from the Fantasy Flight Games era where they tried to have as many tokens and cards as possible and games took four to eight hours to play. The Android game has like six different systems going on concurrently. Thankfully they've learned over the years and their modern stuff is much better.
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