I'm left to puzzle out exactly which games you mean when you say CV and AA. I'm guessing AA is Ace Attorney? Anyway, the DS has a lot of quirky games on it, and I think one of the things the current Nintendo Power did very well was covering a wide range of games that bigger video game magazines don't cover extensively. Actually this is something the magazine did quite well throughout its history. Would many of us have ever given Dragon Warrior a try if they hadn't given it away for free? Or would we have tried Final Fantasy if they didn't cover it extensively? Nintendo Power wasn't afraid to cover the little guy (OK, not sure why fear would be involved here).

Well that's OK, I'm sure there were a lot of amazing issues there, and I'm guessing you were too young to buy a subscription yourself anyway.

Oh yeah, Nintendo Power used to publish all sorts of strategy guides. I assume they came with the subscription. There were a few guides that weren't for one game, but were collections of Game Boy or NES games, which is where I got tips for Final Fantasy Legend.

Yes, the Final Fantasy guide! I never actually owned the original Final Fantasy, but read through the guide multiple times, imagining what it would be like to play the game. Of course, when I finally was able to play the game it was a bit disappointing due to the slowness, but I did eventually get to enjoy it through the remakes. Still, that guide alone made me very interested in the series, and probably got me to beg my parents to buy me Final Fantasy Legend.

That's OK, the glory days were quite a long time ago. Perhaps this will jog some of your memory:

Well, I think the PSX version was a harder version or something, at least harder than the GBA version. Still, their guides were quite good and I wish they'd reprint them in some kind of digital form. Would be nice to have with some of the Virtual Console games!

I can't agree with that, I still prefer Secret of Mana to the other two, but I can understand where you're coming from. Certainly they're all great games, why not just enjoy them all and not waste time squabbling over which is the best? Also don't forget that some people haven't even played Seiken Densetsu 3, so they may not be taking that into consideration.

Sure, I'll give you my five:

1. Resonance of Fate - A very original and interest RPG from tri-Ace. It ditched the lengthy and annoying narrative of their previous release, and instead focused on the challenging battle mechanics. There is story of course, but it focuses more on developing the personalities of the party rather than the overall narrative. No idea why this game got so much disdain from the press and gamers. It can be hard to get into, but didn't the same people complain about too much hand holding from Final Fantasy XIII?

2. All of the SaGa games - Seriously, people really don't give these games enough credit. I know Unlimited Saga kind of destroyed good will towards the series, but Romancing SaGa is one of the best PS2 games of all time. No one paid it any heed.

3. Nier - Amazing soundtrack, fun gameplay, haunting story, but reviews didn't get it? Sorry, I don't get you reviewers. It isn't the perfect game for sure, but I feel like I played something completely different from what reviewers talked about.

4. Front Mission - I haven't played most of the series, but the series doesn't seem to get any attention in the US, despite the popularity of series like Mechwarrior. I don't really get it. It seems like this should have a decent following.

5. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - Crystal Bearers - Don't be haters!

I loved it, and haven't found many who didn't. I still don't get the majority of negative reviews. I think it managed to sell decently anyway.

This game was leagues better on the PC, but at that point it was probably too late for gamers to care. It's a shame, as it really is an interesting RPG. At the very least it's on Steam so people can still find it easily if they're curious. Heck you can plug in a 360 controller and play it exactly like on console. Highly underrated game.

I could never get myself to try this one, I was too burned by Cross Edge. I'm just going to have to take your word for it that it isn't utter garbage.

I couldn't agree more. This has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. The world needs more Resonance of Fate.

Well you may be shocked to learn that Kawazu was actually not involved with SaGa 3, which would explain why it is so different from the other games in the series. Thankfully he was in charge of the much better remake of the game. Anyway, the SaGa games are great and more people need to give them a shot. Thanks for this excellent list!