What is the most 'charming' game you have ever played? [Archive]

Flippy8490

01-07-2010, 01:40 AM

This is an odd question, i know, but it just randomly popped into my head tonight and I thought it was interesting. You know those games that you play that just have a nice feel and atmostphere about them. The best way I can describe it is the feeling you get when you boot up your favorite game to play for the 7 millionth time, but even though you have played it over and over, it is still just as fun to play this 7 millionth time as it was the first.

For me, this game has got to be Super Mario Bros. 3 (i know, generic). It's not even the nostalgia of my childhood, though. The entire game just leaks a special atmospheric quality that I have found in very few games since that (a few of the original megaman titles and NSMB Wii have got this for me)

What about you?

kedawa

01-07-2010, 01:49 AM

The first game that pops into my head is Actraiser.
I rented it when it was new, beat it twice, and still asked for it for xmas.
I've played through it countless times since then, and never get tired of it.

Cryomancer

01-07-2010, 01:54 AM

Earthbound for sure.

Wraith Storm

01-07-2010, 02:16 AM

Bullet Witch.
I bought the game before I had a 360 and It was the first game I played and beat when I got a 360. Then I waited a few weeks and beat it again. I hadn't played it in a quite a while while because I have been playing some other games. So just the other weekend I beat it twice in a row! I don't think I have EVER done that with any other game. Sure there are games that I come back to all the time. But I have never beat a game and then after it was over started the game again and then beat it again. The game certainly "Charms" me!

Nights Into Dreams
This game is just filled to the brim with Charm! No matter what kind of mood I'm in I can always play Nights. The simplicity, beauty and music create an atmosphere that's always inviting. At its core its a racing/time attack game, but when you loose your suit, you are penalized with... Freedom?! The game actually opens up more and you can freely explore the world and find things you would never see playing the game properly. Its such an odd yet effective game mechanic and keeps the game fresh and charming with every play through.

bunnybum

01-07-2010, 02:20 AM

Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge (the Amiga version) :love:. This game holds a dear place in my heart. The overall athmosphere of it, the story, and the awesome music has me hooked even today.
I have fond memories of spending the whole day with my mother playing it back in the day (Yeah, she's a gamer too :eek 2:), and even at 29 I still pull it out of storage every now and then to give it another go and relive the memories playing through it for the Nth time.

I'm still hoping for a Monkey Island: The movie.

Arkhan

01-07-2010, 02:23 AM

Bullet Witch

I thought I was the only one who liked that game. Wanna join the fanclub!?

as far as charming, I think Little Nemo for NES is the most charming game ever

and Parasol Stars for TG-16

and secret of mana and chrono cross

those are some lush games.

garagesaleking!!

01-07-2010, 02:30 AM

LOTR Battle for Middle Earth II, Everytime you load up the game you go to the moving image of the river with the statues of men on each side and have epic lotr music playing.

j1e

01-07-2010, 04:43 AM

Mine would be Crystalis and Maniac Mansion both for NES.

Dirkfunk

01-07-2010, 05:06 AM

kedawa

01-07-2010, 06:18 AM

Now that I've had some time to think on it, I've always had a strange fondness for Monster Lair, Buster Brothers, Castle of Illusion, and Jumping Flash!

Jehusephat

01-07-2010, 08:35 AM

Kickle Cubicle for the NES always makes me smile. It's incredibly simple, fun, and has cute graphics that somehow don't make me feel like less of a man.

Shenmue is incredibly charming, too. I sometimes play it without regard to the plot, just to pretend I'm living in some alternate universe for a while. I wish they'd make a new version of Shenmue completely devoid of sailors or forklifts, with towns hundreds of times larger and more detailed, in which the whole goal was just to relax, wander around exploring other people's houses, play arcade games and buy stuff.

scottw182

01-07-2010, 10:15 AM

The first game that popped into my mind was Secret of Mana. It's such a beautiful, incredible, 'charming' game. I've played it so many times, and every time it feels like the first again, and it's always a great experience.

Honerable mentions go to FFVI and Super Mario Bros. 3.

Edit: Completely forgot about handheld games. Link's Awakening and Pokemon R/B are up there too, I played the crap out of those games when I was younger and it's always so nostalgic when I start them up again.

MissingNo_1231

01-07-2010, 11:02 AM

I guess for me there's a few. Though I'm not sure if I'm confusing Charming with Nostalgic, or if they kind of go hand in hand or what.

Galaga was the first game I ever played in a laundromat as a kid. Always nice memories with that one.

Donkey Kong Country is my favorite game and I just always feel good when I play it.

Pokemon Red, Blue, and to a lesser extent Yellow, were such a massive part of my childhood that I could never forget those.

Luigi's Mansion, though it seems to have one of the smallest fan bases ever, is a game I really love. I've beaten it about 4 times so far, which is probably the most times I've actually sat down and gone through a game from beginning to end.

And lots of other games I used to play on quiet Sunday afternoons after church. Paper Mario, Pikmin, etc.

I've probably gone on for too long as it is.

Videogamerdaryll

01-07-2010, 11:30 AM

What is the most 'charming' game you have ever played? (mhtml:{38B82F2F-7B1A-4497-9765-8325D5A65E0C}mid://00000018/!x-usc:http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139918)

Wow,this thread really got me thinking..
..The game/s that I instantly think of off the top of my head that I feel have a 'charming appeal to me..

...I just can't choose one.

NES
Super Mario Bros(I'll just let it run and run on screen watching it..I do this often

PS2
Ico
Shadow of the Colossus

PS
Klonoa
Heart Of Darkness

Saturn
Tomb Raider

N64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Xbox ...Halo ....the intro music just does it to me.

GC
Zelda Windwaker.

Radiant Silvergun/IKARUGA

Wii
Wii Sports >Bowling.

PS3
Little Big Planet

Neo Geo MVS
Samurai Shodown,Neo Turf Masters.

.................................................. ...............
And Nights Into Dreams....YES!!!!!

Luigi's Mansion..Wow,So true....I loved playing this game,,I gotta play this game through again..

Ravenswood

01-07-2010, 12:10 PM

Dragon Warrior. I crack a smile everytime I read "A Slime draws near! Command?".

skaar

01-07-2010, 12:16 PM

kupomogli

01-07-2010, 12:22 PM

Brigandine the Legend of Forsena

Other than almost all the stage based Castlevania titles and the original Final Fantasy, this is the game I have played and beaten more than any other that I own.

In Brigandine you have six countries. Norgard, New Almekia, Caerleon, Iscalio, Leonia, and Esgares Empire. Each country has the main story characters, characters who aren't greatly involved in the storyline but have some story parts when paired with other characters, quest characters, etc. Every single character in the game also has a lengthy bit about them in their status screen. No matter what country you choose there are a lot of characters you're going to like for those countries.

Then the gameplay itself never gets boring. I could start a new game and replay Norgard over and over, which sometimes I do, and still really enjoy the gameplay. Each Knight getting a single turn in the world map to either move, attack, or go on a quest. With all the different levels, status attributes, rune stats, etc, you can also greatly customize how you're going to use each character(not too much, but cross classing helps.) When going on quests there are random story events that sure you might have seen this same event four times in the game, possibly more depending on how much you quest, but regardless they're nice to see as they break away from the gameplay as the storyline in the game is fairly infrequent and it's always awesome getting a powerful weapon, piece of armor, or a potion to change that Seraph class monster you have into a Lucifer, or a Satan into a Lilith. The storyline is usually only there within certain months of the game or a specific amount of months after an event, except when specific characters meet on the field of battle which has a mini story event.

Dryst's ending sums up the amount of replay value to this game. After taking over all of Forsena, each character takes what was left of the other countries and they start the war all over again. Obviously you can't do this, but it would have been a nice bonus.

acem77

01-07-2010, 12:57 PM

ecco all ver
fantavision ps2
rayman all ver
flower ps3
ico ps2
apprentice cdi
kolibri 32x
little big planet ps3 psp
kameo 360
klonoa psx
clock work knight 1+2 saturn
panzer dragoon all ver

Cornelius

01-07-2010, 01:04 PM

Katamari Damacy and the first sequel would do it for me. There's something about those games that you could feel the love the dev team had for it - they were just having fun!

For 360, Eternal Sonata was beautiful, relaxing and just plain enjoyable. Not the challenge people were looking for but for me it succeeded beautifully as a game.

I could probably think of more...
I'm surprised we got this far without Katamari Damacy mentioned. That's the first game I thought of. Bubble Bobble gets a nod for being charming, but that's heavily influenced by the nostalgia of spending whole days playing it with my sister.

Ico and SotC come to mind, too. Ico has such great characters that I really have sympathy for, and SotC is just full of melancholy.

And although I've never played it, Flower comes to mind. Going to have to pick that one up at some point.

Fuyukaze

01-07-2010, 01:46 PM

I'm surprised we got this far without Katamari Damacy mentioned. That's the first game I thought of. Bubble Bobble gets a nod for being charming, but that's heavily influenced by the nostalgia of spending whole days playing it with my sister.

Ico and SotC come to mind, too. Ico has such great characters that I really have sympathy for, and SotC is just full of melancholy.

And although I've never played it, Flower comes to mind. Going to have to pick that one up at some point.

You beat me to it. Every time I play it I always smile. The game just feels so fun to me. We love doesnt do the same but that's ok.

ButtonMasher123

01-07-2010, 02:54 PM

Parasol Stars for Turbo Grafx-16 is the most colorful and charming game I have ever played. Truly joyful in every way. With that said, Rainbow Islands and Bubble Bobble also carry some of that same charm.

Even though it was everywhere. Sonic The Hedgehog is an extremely charming game and a really lovable character. I think as more games in the series continued, the charm fell off a bit.

In terms of atmosphere, Castlevania IV is pretty great. I've beaten that game more than any other and just love the overall look and feel of it.

I like the way you think. Parasol Stars is one of best games I have ever played and barely anyone knows about it compared to it's more popular big brother Bubble Bubble. The themed worlds in it are very orginal and fantastic to look at as well. It's definitely one of those games that makes you feel like a kid again everytime you fire it up.

I would also say Little Samson for the NES has a very charming quality to it as well. I always loved the fact that it told the whole story through the animations of the characters rather than using text on a screen.

NerdXCrewWill

01-07-2010, 03:08 PM

The Adventure of Willy Beamish (talkie version, PC) is the most charming game I've ever played. It perfectly captures the feeling of being a little kid in the US in the 80s and 90s. The characters and dialogue are hilarious. The voice acting is the best I've ever heard. The art is totally charming too. Everyone who grow up in the last thirty years should play it. Skip the Sega CD and floppy disk versions though.

123►Genei-Jin

01-07-2010, 03:17 PM

Metal Slug and Tobal 2 for me.

TonyTheTiger

01-07-2010, 03:42 PM

When I think of "charming" I think of something like The Wizard of Oz with that kind of happy go lucky aesthetic. Like early Dragonball where it's this fun romp through a fantasy land. Where even when the shit hits the fan it still feels like some whimsical adventure you just know is going to turn out ok.

So, for instance, while I love a game like Mass Effect I wouldn't really call it "charming."

But using that definition?

Chrono Trigger
Lunar 1 & 2
Magic Knight Rayearth
Super Mario
Mega Man
Early Sonic The Hedgehog
Dragon's Lair
Crash Bandicoot
Jak & Daxter
Popful Mail
Zelda
Donkey Kong Country

I'm sure there's more but that's what I can list off the top of my head.

deathafterkarma

01-07-2010, 05:50 PM

Charming?

Guilty Gear X2 #reload(xbox)
Something about this game just kept bringing me back. Maybe it was the awesome rock soundtrack. Maybe it was just originality behind the characters sprinkled on top with music references.
Being the first in the guilty gear series that I played. It was a fun and enjoyable experience that still like to whip out ever now and again.

Metal Slug(neo-geo and the many spinoffs on other consoles)
This game was eating my quarters since I was 8. I think it was the fact that every time I got to another stage. I ended up pumping more money. The fact that I still can't beat this game brings me back.
Also every time I see a remake of this cult classic. It just brings back the memories of the good old days of what arcades were all about. Something this new generation of gamers is missing out on.

There is a lot more but those two come to mind at the moment.

Nebagram

01-07-2010, 05:57 PM

NiGHTS has to be top of the list for me too, and I'd find it hard to disagree with Kameo. May sound like a daft response considering it's such a bloodthirsty game, but Lemmings has a lot of charm about it too.

Pantechnicon

01-07-2010, 06:14 PM

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening for the Gameboy. It was my first Zelda game and exposure to the quirky humor and characters of the series. For some reason I've always especially enjoyed the bit of the opening sequence where Marin finds Link washed up on the beach: the music, the sound of the sea, the animation, it's just got charm written all over it.

Aussie2B

01-07-2010, 06:18 PM

This seems like it's turning more into a "list your favorite/most nostalgic games" topic rather than being about charm.

When I think of games I'd regard as charming, virtually all of the games that come to mind have at least somewhat deep stories and developed characters. Charm generally equates to thoroughly endearing characters in my book.

I'd say my top charming games would be Wonder Project J and J2, Tail Concerto, and Rhapsody. Rhapsody, in particular, is a game where I feel its charm is its driving force. It honestly wouldn't really be worth playing without that as all of the technical aspects about the game are pretty weak.

mobiusclimber

01-07-2010, 06:53 PM

First off, to agree with some others, Ico, Katamari Damacy and Rhapsody would be way up there as far as "charming" games go. Rhapsody especially b/c I think it succeeds based on its charm alone. Most of the story isn't really any great shakes (tho the plot twist in the middle is a bit unexpected and packs a real punch mostly b/c it comes out of nowhere), the battle engine isn't the greatest, and the game is overall incredibly easy. Without that charm to it, the game just wouldn't work. But as it is, I absolutely love it.

A recent game I was playing and playing and realizing that the only reason I was really enjoying it was b/c of how charming the characters and setting are is the game Ar Tonelico. It's another one where it does a lot of things that I normally would hate in an RPG, but it can get away with it (stuff like not having an overworld map to run around on, for instance) because of how likeable the game itself is. Same thing I'm feeling from the two Tales of Symphonia games, the second one even moreso than the first (mostly b/c the first one did a lot more things right/well, so even tho it was charming, it was more like a great game that was also charming rather than being really charming to make up for its numerous faults or short-comings).

johndarkness

01-07-2010, 08:15 PM

As the others ICO is one of the most atmospheric game I ever played, but there are other games which I can play anytime and they are fun, all the time, like Metal Slug, Radiant Silvergun and of course Transport Tycoon Deluxe.

garagesaleking!!

01-07-2010, 09:26 PM

Whoever brought up halo thank you, That halo song in the background when you start the game is a familiar sound to me from many summers of gaming from halo.

rgw825

01-07-2010, 10:31 PM

For me it would have to be either of the 2 Paper Marios, Sonic 2, Castlevania SOTN, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, any of the Mario Party's, NHL 94.

That's what i think of when i hear the word charming. A game that give you that warm fuzzy feeling and makes everything seem alright with the world. No matter if your saving the Princess, battling Eggman, destroying Dracula, or poppin a cap in someone's ass. At the end of the day everything will be OK. :cheers:

I probably could add all the Nes, Atari, and Intellivision games i grew up with. But that list would be too long.

Tallise

01-07-2010, 11:04 PM

The only one I can think of that hasn't been said at the moment is Animal crossing. I never played it but my friend swears its "charming". I remeber her going through an obsessive "lock yourself in the basement and don't come out for anything" phase with this game a few years ago.

TheDomesticInstitution

01-07-2010, 11:09 PM

Doom 3.

Raedon

01-07-2010, 11:13 PM

Adventures of Lolo

Zoltor

01-08-2010, 12:30 AM

Hm this is a hard one, as 4 games come to mind: DW 3(NES Version). DW7, FF 6(omg, I used up the battery, no joke, I never heard of SNES Cart batteries dying. The funny thing is, I know I put literally millions of more hours into DW3, yet that still works, and NES cart batteries have been known to die). and FF7.

danny_galaga

01-08-2010, 12:37 AM

I'd have to say Fly Guy is the most charming 'game' I've played (",)

http://dagobah.biz/flash/FlyGuy.swf

In fact, when i was using windows, i had it as my home page. It's so relaxing...

For more conventional games, there's a few i've discovered in the last couple of years that i never played when new- Crazi Taxi and Mario 64. They both fit the 'charming' definition in my book...

VG_Maniac

01-08-2010, 01:13 AM

The Mega Man games or the Kirby games.

buzz_n64

01-08-2010, 01:38 AM

NES
Kirby's Adventure
Little Nemo

SNES
Yoshi's Island

N64
Diddy Kong Racing

Flippy8490

01-08-2010, 01:47 AM

Wow, there are some really good responses here! I can't believe I didn't mention Nights into Dreams on the Saturn or Metal Slug in my post! Those are some of my favorites.

Thrashdance

01-08-2010, 03:13 AM

Paper mario N64
Space station silicon valley
Fire emblem
Suikoden 2
Earthbound

exit

01-08-2010, 07:40 AM

Earthbound - Not only did it have a bright and colorful atmosphere, everyone had a smile on their face no matter what.

guitargary75

01-08-2010, 01:00 PM

Kiwi Kraze NES

Hwj_Chim

01-08-2010, 01:05 PM

Popful mail!

GrandAmChandler

01-08-2010, 01:26 PM

Earthbound for sure.

Cryo beat me to it, this has to be the most charming game of all time.

megasdkirby

01-08-2010, 01:28 PM

Klonoa (series) and Kirby (series).

GnawRadar

01-08-2010, 01:42 PM

Zack and Wiki: The Quest for Barbaros' Treasure is one of the most charming games I've ever played and is one of my favorite Wii games.

pseudonym

01-08-2010, 03:14 PM

Yoshi's Island is the first thing I thought of when I read this thread. The cute, colorful worlds, upbeat music, and baby-ized versions of many Mario enemies; the battle with Bowser is one of the more amusing ones in the game.

And Earthbound, of course.

thom_m

01-08-2010, 03:24 PM

Laugh as you will, but Heavy Nova has exactly that kind of appeal to (for? on?) me. The looks+the sound are charming as hell. I know the game is bad and all...but I can't help liking it because of its "mood".

Gradius II and Toejam & Earl are like that, too. But these are good games.

kedawa

01-08-2010, 05:06 PM

Laugh as you will, but Heavy Nova has exactly that kind of appeal to (for? on?) me.
LOL. I had that game. I thought it was mediocre, but I still had fun with it. I always wondered what the japanese version was like, since it was a Sega CD game, and the US version was squeezed into a cart.
Incidentally, I also liked Black Hole Assault, which is sort of a sequel I believe, even though it wasn't that great either.

Ruudos

01-08-2010, 05:43 PM

I agree with Little Nemo, Kiwi Kraze (The NewZealand Story) and Yoshi's Island.
I'll add Bubble Bobble and Kirby's Adventure to the list.

NerdXCrewWill

01-08-2010, 06:34 PM

Popful mail!

This is a close second for me, behind Adventures of Willy Beamish. Popful Mail is amazing! Those voice actors were amazing, and Working Designs translated this title with some awesome humor. I love the Arnold impersonator.

Also, as a side note, Blackhole Assault has possibly the funniest intro cinematic of all time. I played through it and thought the fighting sucked, though.

Classicgamesdepot

01-08-2010, 07:06 PM

I will second Earthbound for sure, it has that "charming" I'm a young teenager again feel to it in every aspect of the game. It also happens to probably be my favorite game of all time.

Cornelius

01-08-2010, 07:10 PM

Rocket Slime Adventure on DS. Definitely has a cutesy charm to it.

runinruder

01-08-2010, 07:43 PM

Castle of Illusion
Bonk's Adventure
Lunar
Ys VI
Fantasy Zone
Cyber Core
Coryoon
Madou Monogatari
Star Ocean 2
Rainbow Islands

Astrosmash

01-12-2010, 01:51 PM

Brigandine the Legend of Forsena

LOVE Brigandine - always good to see that game get a mention. And yes, Iscalio is my favorite to play as also.

As for my "most charming," offhand I'd second a few that have already been mentioned (Kirby's Adventure, Super Mario Bros. as a sentimental/nostalgic favorite).

I also always found 3-D WorldRunner (NES) to have a certain indescribable charm. I'm not sure if it's the character/enemy design, the music, the backgrounds or some combination thereof, but the game has that certain "something" about it that I always really liked.

SpaceHarrier

01-12-2010, 03:45 PM

Katamari Damacy and the first sequel would do it for me. There's something about those games that you could feel the love the dev team had for it - they were just having fun!

This was the first one to pop in my head as well. Damn zany intro and all..

Additionally:

Suikoden (PSX)
Illusion of Gaia (SNES)
Zelda A Link to the Past (SNES)
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PSX)

I guess RPG's have a high charm-quotient for me..

Arkhan

01-12-2010, 11:52 PM

Magic Knight Rayearth for Saturn definitely fits the bill for charming I think.

Tron 2.0

01-13-2010, 02:00 AM

Liquid Kids
Bonks Adventure
SMB2 usa
Galaga 88
Arkanoid
Bubble Bobble
Captain Tomaday
Spinmaster
Zupapa !
Blue's Journey

The games i mention are a mix of arcade&console.

RP2A03

01-13-2010, 02:43 AM

Chibi-Robo for GameCube. Who knew cleaning and earning happy points could be so much fun. Now if you will excuse me, I feel the need to assert my masculinity by killing a few kittens. :texaschain:

Damon Plus

01-13-2010, 06:58 AM

Nobody has said World of Illusion??

That game is the definition of charming. You can play with two characters everyone loved as a kid, and all of the stages are full of surprises, looking like they took them out from a cartoon.

Arkhan

01-13-2010, 08:16 AM

yeah,. that game was pretty friggin sweet

scottw182

01-13-2010, 10:31 AM

This seems like it's turning more into a "list your favorite/most nostalgic games" topic rather than being about charm.

Maybe our favorite/most nostalgic games ARE the most charming :D

alwaw911

01-13-2010, 04:59 PM

Nobody has said World of Illusion??

Yep,...agreed \\^_^/...lots of Nintendo fanboyism here/; i used to have it on the MD (takes us back in 1992) and the colors-the co-op mode (read between Mickey & Donald)-the gameplay-etc, it was just plain FUN...btw, i
started with Castle of Illusion on the geny and maybe LOVED the SMS port even more :kiss:,...but talk 'bout its "nemesis", a trashie Disney game, great graphics ruined by screwed controls, here comes Fantasia :devilish: (argghhhh!!)

Aussie2B

01-13-2010, 05:58 PM

Maybe our favorite/most nostalgic games ARE the most charming :D

Maybe, but I gotta scratch my head when people list very serious games or even games that are dark and gory as "charming".

Most of my picks are also favorite games of mine, but that's largely BECAUSE they're so charming. It's not the opposite situation where because they're my favorite games I'm regarding them as charming. I wouldn't mention many of my favorites because even though they're excellent in so many ways I still wouldn't describe them as "charming".

Anyway, add two more to my list: Mega Man Legends and Chulip.

Mega Man Legends has a very similar atmosphere and style as Tail Concerto, so it too has the same charm. And Chulip's concept alone is enough to make it charming. :)

ClassicGameTrader

01-13-2010, 11:43 PM

Sim City (SNES)

Can't believe nobody mentioned this one! This game is oozing with charm. The music, the season changes, sound fx and that dude with the green hair! I don't think this game gets the credit it deserves, still my favorite game in the series. The only simcity game that ever managed to have any character, the rest were all vanilla.

mobiusclimber

01-14-2010, 12:18 AM

Yep,...agreed \\^_^/...lots of Nintendo fanboyism here/; i used to have it on the MD (takes us back in 1992) and the colors-the co-op mode (read between Mickey & Donald)-the gameplay-etc, it was just plain FUN...btw, i
started with Castle of Illusion on the geny and maybe LOVED the SMS port even more :kiss:,...but talk 'bout its "nemesis", a trashie Disney game, great graphics ruined by screwed controls, here comes Fantasia :devilish: (argghhhh!!)

That's funny, I LOVE Fantasia and HATE World of Illusion.

I was going to post that another game I just thought of is Rez. That game is seriously charming. I'm not a fan of shooters at all but I had to play the hell out of that game.

scottw182

01-14-2010, 09:56 AM

Maybe, but I gotta scratch my head when people list very serious games or even games that are dark and gory as "charming".

Most of my picks are also favorite games of mine, but that's largely BECAUSE they're so charming. It's not the opposite situation where because they're my favorite games I'm regarding them as charming. I wouldn't mention many of my favorites because even though they're excellent in so many ways I still wouldn't describe them as "charming".

Yeah, I see what you mean. Some of these games definitely don't seem "charming", but I'm sure they would argue "it's charming to me!"

Flack

01-14-2010, 10:09 AM

The first game I thought of was Nebulus (C64). It's a platform game (I guess), except the platform rotates. There's something about the characters and music that I've always considered charming, so that's what I thought of when I read the thread title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBrixTKdqvk

Arkhan

01-14-2010, 10:13 AM

when I hear the word charming, I think of finding games that are so cutesy / colorful, that they leave you with the distinct feeling you've been temporarily turned into a giddy 12 year old girl.

and then they give you the urge to ride unicorns through cupcake filled forests, bounce off clouds and eating cake frosting.

kgenthe

01-15-2010, 10:08 AM

Teddy Boy - Sega Master System

I got this game as part of a lot of random gaming stuff off of eBay and didn't know anything about it. But's it's dead simple game mechanics, cute enemies, and colorful backgrounds won me over. Charming game!

AbnormalMapping

01-18-2010, 06:40 AM

Charming to me is a game that greets you with a wink and a smile, and can make you agree to whatever insanity it has in mind, because it's completely ignoring your half hearted objections to any of this anyways.

Besides, you know it's good for you.

Shut up and buckle up for the ride.

Rising Zan announces it's intentions as soon as the theme song begins.

Skies of Arcadia coasts on charm. You know how the plot turns out. You've seen the characters before. The game knows this.

30 Second Hero: Also knows.

MegaMan Legends 1&2. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. They'll seem like old friends by the time you're through.

Lunar 1&2 (all versions except GBA), Arc the Lad 3, Albert Odyssey - Working Designs is missed.

Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. The only game I've ever been afraid to win. I didn't want the dream to end.

Chrono Cross - is the best way to learn what charm is, as it loses it completely before the story is finished.

Tail Concerto - true charm, in the kind of way even movies struggle to achieve. People report being cheered up by it, no matter how sad they were when they began playing. I thought nothing of it, until I joined their ranks...

The Bard's Tale - A rogue's charm. This one's included to keep charm from being confused with cute or childish.

Persona ( series ) - It's something that can be used to gain power.

The Urbz ( GBA ) - or make the world a better place. Even the product descriptions are charming. See what happens when someone who likes humanity is allowed to make an EA game for a change. Take the weirdest, most magical "anything can happen" moments of your life - now imagine they became your new normal...