Late to the Party.

I have played the crap out of Chrono Trigger. Every night before bed, when I'm waiting for Lindsay, and even just on the couch (when I could be playing something huge and modern on my TV), I pick it up every chance I get.

Which makes it no surprise that I've gotten to the end-game already. I could just go fight the last boss, but I'm going around doing the last seven side-quests to get the best weapons and gear. I can't believe how good this RPG is.

I also played Valkyria Chronicles tonight. Which is also surprisingly good. It's one of my favorite games of the year, for sure, and I think even once I beat it, I'll go back and play the unlockable skirmishes in the future. It's pleasant, tactical and tactile, thanks to the on-the-ground perspective when moving and the one-to-one controls of your units.

What's kind of surprising is both are Japanese games. Japanese games used to lead the pack and be the best of the best, but lately (well, for years now) it seems like Japanese games have turned me off a lot by their seeming inability to progress with the times. Many of them seem archaic in terms of game design, aesthetics and even story.

So to have two Japanese games high on my list of great games of 2008 is refreshing. Even though one is a remake of a game from 1996.