Did you watch cartoons when you were a kid? I think the majority of us did. Nothing catches a kid's eye like bright colors, flashing lights, funny characters, topped off with a catchy theme song. For some of us, cartoons reflect a part of our childhood. If that rings true for your life, you probably saw cartoons of all kinds. Looney Toons. Kim Possible. Animaniacs. Batman. Dragon Ball Z.
The last example is what I want to talk about today. Yes, I'm talking about anime. That special kind of cartoon that could only come from our brothers and sisters from the far east. Japan has done their best to create hundreds of cartoon tv shows in order to capitalize on our bored and easily amused youth. And the anime industry has become very successful in the west as a result. At some point during the 80's and 90's, anime shows quietly swept into our televisions, computers, and minds. At this point, its a multi-million dollar juggernaut of an industry. We watch the tv shows, we buy the dvds, we draw the characters on our computers. It has become so popular, entire conventions are held in anime's honor, all across the united states. Anime is so powerful nowadays. Who would dare stand against it?
Me.
Yes, that's right. I don't like anime...Okay, that's not entirely honest. Out of the several dozen anime television shows I have sampled during the course of my life, I have found only a few golden nuggets of pleasurable entertainment amongst the brown sea of generic eastern incoherence. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before I talk about what does work for anime, I'm going to explain what does not work.
But before I do that, let me be clear. I'm not an anime expert. I'm not Japanese. I don't have a respectable grasp on Japanese culture. I can barely understand it at times. I also have a hunch that some of anime's failings are not to blame on the shows themselves. The nuances of the show, or the ideas behind them may be lost to me. Furthermore, I'm willing to guess that some of the shows I have watched have lost a touch of quality during the translation from the Japanese language into the English language. Therefore, you should probably take what I have to say with a grain of salt. I could be missing the point. Having said that, let's explore what ruins the anime experience for me.
1) Too much dialogue
I come across this in almost every anime I watch. A mere second of an anime show seems to contain about 5 times the amount of dialogue than its western cartoon cousins make use of. The main characters in shows seem to ramble on, and on. A typical scene in an anime consists of two or more characters in the show. The scene is held completely still, as the show's camera zooms in and out of the character's faces. As they talk, their actors are bouncing paragraph after paragraph of dialogue in between each other, no doubt using up an entire page of script.
And for what? To explain a character's motives. To explain details about the show. To describe an aspect of the show that can't be seen at the moment. It could really be about almost anything. Blah, blah-blah, blah-blah! All I know is, 10 minutes of the show can go by, and the plot can go absolutely nowhere. It's so worthless.
It's just talking. Too much talking. Most of the time, it isn't even funny dialogue, or thought provoking. There's no flow. It's just one statement after the other, or the protagonist/antagonist trying to one-up each other with their words, instead of doing some actual fighting.
All that dialogue brings the anime's flow down to a crawl. Nothing happens. We don't like the characters any better. It causes more damage to the show, instead of providing any sense of entertainment. And it's used for such meaningless purposes! For example, I just watched an episode of a show created in 2007. In it, the female protagonist is surrounded by hit-men in speedboats. In a flying rampage, she leaps from boat to boat, taking out all hands on deck with a grenade launcher and a machine gun. As is always the case with these shows, all of the bullets from the bad guys miss her, and she destroys them all without breaking a sweat. As she successfully returns to her own ship, the main character shouts the obvious “Wow, she just killed all those men with a grenade launcher!” No...really? Thanks captain obvious!
These shows keep talking at us for hours at a time. They're trying so hard to convince us that their characters are awesome! They are truly the best. They are the most skilled, the strongest, or the most filled with virtue. They have a dark and distressing past, but that's okay! They are going to put it aside to show us just how amazing they are. Alright, alright, we get it, guys! But next time, keep it simple. Show, don't tell. Your anime will be much faster paced, and your audience won't get caught up in a mess of words.
2) The story is too convoluted
Many shows do their best to develop a good story, and create a cast of characters to inhabit that story, so they can bring their experience to the audience. But sometimes, anime simply gets too confusing for its own good. The way I see it, an anime like this does its best to create such a compelling, unconventional tale, it will surpass the expectations of the audience, and encourage them to watch every detail in every episode. Nothing creates a more loyal fan that an intelligent story that keeps you guessing, right?
Unfortunately, that mindset often works against the anime. After a certain point, I simply get lost. I will have no idea what's going on, or what the characters are trying to say. Some examples that come to mind include shows like Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell, and Big O. It's like the characters are speaking a different language, even though I can clearly hear them speaking in English It's too much!
If you're trying to weave an engrossing story, break it down for us, okay? We can't keep up with all of those crazy codes, unconventional takes at morality, and political intrigue. Your philosophy is great, I'm sure. But don't pull down the entire show because you're trying to explain every last detail of it to me! Don't be so heavy-handed. Lay off a little. Try to keep the story grounded. That way, your audience can understand what's going on, and can get interested. Just make sure you don't send us a tidal wave of dialogue to try and explain everything. That makes it worse.
3) The show is not universally appealing
Cat girls. Tiny floating animals. Spunky schoolgirls in miniskirts. A man who sword-fights with his teeth. Exaggerated faces with angry bulging veins, a mouth that looks like a sideways 3, or characters that spontaneously shrink into shapes that resemble a cabbage patch kid. Do you have a clue what I'm talking about? No? Well neither do I!
Japan has a radically different culture. They have restaurants with a toilet-theme (complete with poo-shaped food). Giant robots are erected as park statues. One of their most popular singers is nothing but a holographic computer image, working with a computer program that creates an artificial singing voice. There are some things we may never understand about them.
So when we get a tv show from them, there are going to be thoughts, ideas, and actions that make sense to them, but not us. I get it, it happens. That's ok. Many anime shows have a broad range of appeal, and will not suffer from a Japan-ism here and there. My problem is when the entire show is created specifically with the Japanese demographic in mind, and yet somehow arrives to our shores.
For example, consider the anime called Lucky Star. It's about a group of Japanese high school girls, dealing with normal life issues. That doesn't seem so out of place, until you discover that the show's intended demographic is adult males. A very girly, cutesy, feminine show, made for adult men. The show's main appeal is its cute characters, and typical storyline. Can somebody tell me how this interests anyone who isn't a teenage girl? Yet somehow, it does. If you look at the intro of this show on youtube, it has over 3 million views.
You would think something like that would be impossible. But its not. I don't know how, but I do know this. I am an adult male, with normal adult interests. I like things that are shiny, fast, sexy, cool, intelligent, strong, inspiring, scary, or violent. I have absolutely no interest in seeing fake, cute little girls talking about normal girly things in obnoxiously high voices. And I can't imagine a normal adult male who would disagree with me on this. I can't see the appeal of these type of animes at all, and yet these can often prove to be the most popular animes of all. How can this be? Your guess is as good as mine.
Ok, that's fine. There are some things that interest Japan that just don't make sense here in the states. Alright. But if the show is geared towards such a specific audience, it doesn't belong here. At best, it will be unsuccessful here, and will fail to draw attention. At worst it creates a strange sub-culture of men and women that hug pillows with anime girls drawn on them, and dance anime cheerleader routines in public. If your show isn't fit for all audiences, don't try to market it for everyone. Keep it to yourself.
4) Filler
This isn't as much of an issue for anime shows that are good. But it makes the bad animes even worse. The term “filler” describes when a show has an episode or more that seems to serve no purpose for the story or the characters. Often, this type of episode is created because the anime is based upon a graphic novel called a “manga.” Sometimes, the anime is created at or near the same time of the manga. As the tv show works to translate the manga into something viewable, the manga is written in parallel. At a certain point, the anime has a chance of being finished sooner than the manga has a chance of being written. When that happens, the anime has to continue to make new episodes, while the story has yet to be continued.
Then along comes filler. These episodes are stalling for time, while still giving the audience something to view. Typically, these episodes range from acceptable quality to simply worthless. The main characters may talk for 17 minutes, and only fight during the last 5 minutes of the show. Nothing new will happen in the plot. Nothing new about the characters will be explained. It's a waste of the viewer's time, and a waste of effort from the Japanese animators. Either the anime should tell a complete story, or a new story all of its own, independent from outside sources.
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These are just a few of the problems and cliches that are holding back many anime television programs today. But not all animes suffer from these aggravations. Just like many other forms of entertainment, I have found some good animes surrounded by all of the bad animes. I took a risk with this genre, and once in a while, I got something good from it.
If you're like me, and you can't stand most anime shows, here are a few examples that might change your mind (for mature audiences). Cowboy Bebop is what I'd recommend first. It's by far my favorite anime. Trigun is next. Fooly Cooly (aka FLCL) is a unique, short series. Death Note is a great mystery series, with a dash of the supernatural. Samurai Champloo is stylish and entertaining. Perhaps Hellsing, if you're into vampires that don't sparkle.
My last recommendation is actually a series of movies produced by a single anime studio. These films are all made at Studio Ghibli. Unlike the shows I recommended above, almost every one of these movies are fit for people of all ages. Some of the best films from Studio Ghibli include Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Spirited Away. All of the movies this studio makes are creative, imaginative, beautiful, and surreal. They will transport you to amazing places, and help you forget life's problems (if only for a little while). I haven't seen a movie from Studio Ghibli that I didn't like.
This brings us to the conclusion of this article. I guess what I've been trying to say is be wise with your entertainment choices. Anime is an entertainment giant. It's not going anywhere. You're likely to meet plenty of people who recommend that you watch as much of it as you possibly can. Well, I would warn you to be cautious. I'd say 75% of anime is crap, if not more. Keep an eye out for it. If you look hard enough, you just might find something you like. If you don't, that's okay...
- It is what it is.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
View: Tetris
I just spoke to a friend of mine earlier today. He mentioned an interesting fact during our conversation, as is usually the case between us. He told me that Tetris has over 65 different versions of itself. That is more than any other electronic game/gaming franchise currently in existence. Nobody and/or nothing else can say the same. Not Mario, nor Pac-man. Bejeweled can't claim such success, and neither can Snake. Tomagotchi wishes it was this successful, along with Pokemon. Not even the grandfather of gaming, Pong, can say that it has over 65 different releases on almost every single piece of electronic media that has the ability to play games.
So I began to think about what Tetris means to me. Such a well-known video game phenomenon deserves some attention and introspection. I have played several different versions of the game during the the course of my gaming history, and I have a pretty good idea about what Tetris is, and what I think is so great about it. I'll work through this particular view by examining a few choice games of Tetris that made a difference in my life, beginning with the first game of Tetris that I ever came in contact with.
Like almost anything wonderful that I have been introduced to in my life, my introduction to Tetris came from my mother. She was an avid player of the original Nintendo Entertainment System as I was growing up. When I was still in diapers, she would spend her time playing Tetris on the NES when I was sleeping for the night. It was almost an addiction for her, you might say. Occasionally, she played it during the day. And when she did, it caught my attention, naturally.
I can't remember exactly when I started playing it, or how, but this was definitely the first version I saw. Going back to it now, it pretty basic. You get the basic game, a time attack version, and that's pretty much it. There was no 2-player mode, and only 3 different sets of music to play the game to. At the time, that was all that was needed. Nowadays, that might not work. I give this version credit, for introducing me the sensation that Tetris already was, and was to become.
The next time Tetris would re-enter my life would be in the game Tetris & Dr. Mario, on the Super Nintendo. As I understand it, this game has become quite rare nowadays, and is somewhat difficult to get a hold of. I can imagine why. This is a pretty special game. It comes with an upgraded version of the NES's Tetris, a graphically re-done version of Dr. Mario from the NES, and a brand new mode that pitted the player against both game modes in a row. That kind of stuff just isn't done in video games anymore, you know? I would explain why Dr. Mario is a great compliment to Tetris, but maybe I'll save that for another entry. All I can say about this particular game was that it was fun, the competition between players was better realized, and it was a nice double-pack of a game.
It's a good thing I had that game, because I wouldn't see a new version of Tetris in my life for quite some time. Fast forward to my pre-teen years. I grew up on the Nintendo side of things, so to speak. So I missed out on things like the Sega Saturn, and most of the original Playstation. As the Nintendo 64 did not get much of my attention for Tetris...it seemed I was out of luck for a while. As fate would have it (if you believe in that sort of thing), I would eventually get a Playstation near the end of the Playstation life-cycle. Because of that, I didn't play many games on the Playstation. Yet there was one I remember.
Tetris Plus for the Playstation did quite a few different things for me, and for Tetris. It came with classic mode, and vs. mode, as usual. However, this version had 2 differences. The first was puzzle mode. It involved protecting a professor trapped among the Tetris blocks, and getting him to the exit at the bottom of the screen. What really got me hooked on this particular version, though, was edit mode. Edit mode was a special feature that allowed the player to create their own Tetris levels, and try to solve them on their own. I made plenty of puzzles for others to try out. Of course, the only “play-tester” I had at the time was my mom, but I don't think she minded.
I wouldn't touch another Tetris for a couple of years. After a while, Tetris Worlds came along, which I played on the Nintendo Gamecube. I would say that this is probably the weirdest version of Tetris I've played, and certainly the most unique. Tetris Worlds brought along a throwaway, alien storyline, and 6 different variations of Tetris. Every time the player starts a game, a female voice would whisper “Go for a Tetris.” Some called it sexy, I just thought it sounded creepy. It wasn't something I wanted to hear alone, at night.
Even though there were 6 different variations of Tetris, only 2 of them made an impact upon me. The first was classic Tetris. The second was called Fusion Tetris. In this particular version, there was one small glowing square, called an atom block. Other small blocks would fall from the top, along with normal Tetris blocks. The goal was to connect the small blocks with the atom blocks, in order to create a fusion. What I loved most about this variation, was how those small blocks could literally fit into any possible hole. This is the only game to unseat the almighty “stick block” as the single best, most useful Tetris block. I enjoyed Tetris Worlds a bit, but it became just a footnote in my Tetris experience, once my next Tetris experience came to pass.
Tetris DS is the next Tetris game I played. This one was special. It currently holds the spot as my personal favorite game of Tetris ever created. Why, you might ask? Because it combines everything I could ever want from a Tetris game all into one. Then, it brings innovative new variations of Tetris that work better than the ones attempted in Tetris Worlds. On top of that, it adds a dosage of old-school Nintendo goodness, making the aesthetic pleasing and the soundtrack catchy/familiar. Let's not forget portability. One of the most important success factors for Tetris is portability. (If you disagree with me, ask gameboy/cellphone owners.) Add to that an easy to access, exciting multiplayer mode, and you have the perfect Tetris game, as well as the perfect puzzle game.
This particular game had many things going for it. I liked some of it, and didn't like the other parts. My less favorite parts included the more gimmick-y modes of play, such as Touch Tetris. Since this was a DS game, it had to have touch controls thrown in (naturally). Touch Tetris wasn't terrible, but controlling each piece individually with the touch screen proved to be inaccurate. Besides that, it added gravity to the blocks, which muddled everything together. Puzzle mode wasn't too hot, either.
Meanwhile, my favorite mode, besides classic, of course, was Catch Mode. Catch Mode was placed in an 8-bit Metroid setting. The goal was to rotate a 4x4 square of Tetris around, to catch falling Tetris blocks. If the player missed any Tetris blocks, they would fall to the bottom of the screen, and the player would lose health from the life bar. By catching Tetris blocks, the 4x4 block grew to become a 16x16 block. Once that happened the big block was set to explode. By catching falling Metroids and other blocks in the explosion, points would be added to the score, and health would be added to the life bar. I found this mode most innovating and entertaining out of any other mode of Tetris I've played (besides classic, of course).
Vs mode wasn't unique to this particular Tetris game. Other games had attempted it before, that's true. What made this particular vs. mode better, was the level of interaction between players. This vs. mode had items that players could use to help themselves, and hinder others. A star could enable the player to have constant “stick blocks” falling on their screen, or a banana could scramble the playing field of the opposite player. I think this type of back-and-forth mechanic in multiplayer helped foster the most fun and competition. Add to the fact that all that was needed for vs. mode was one game, and another DS, and players now had access to an easy and fun game of competitive Tetris. Simply ingenious.
I believe it ends here. The latest version of Tetris I played afterwords was a game called Tetris Splash, on the Xbox Arcade. This was nothing but a regular game of Tetris set in an aquarium backdrop, so it didn't make any kind of impression on me. In total, Tetris is a very classic series to me. It seems to be one of the only games capable of staying fun and addicting for years upon years of play. Indeed, Tetris is so special, it has the ability to cause “The Tetris Effect” in people, causing them to see Tetris blocks when they close their eyes, and go to sleep. That may sound scary to some, but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. When you play that much Tetris, like I have, it gets to you, after a while. Not to worry. The fun to be had is totally worth it. And besides, when I play Tetris in my mind, I always win. That makes me smile. I'm sure we'll all be experiencing that fun Tetris effect for years and years to come.
So I began to think about what Tetris means to me. Such a well-known video game phenomenon deserves some attention and introspection. I have played several different versions of the game during the the course of my gaming history, and I have a pretty good idea about what Tetris is, and what I think is so great about it. I'll work through this particular view by examining a few choice games of Tetris that made a difference in my life, beginning with the first game of Tetris that I ever came in contact with.
Like almost anything wonderful that I have been introduced to in my life, my introduction to Tetris came from my mother. She was an avid player of the original Nintendo Entertainment System as I was growing up. When I was still in diapers, she would spend her time playing Tetris on the NES when I was sleeping for the night. It was almost an addiction for her, you might say. Occasionally, she played it during the day. And when she did, it caught my attention, naturally.
I can't remember exactly when I started playing it, or how, but this was definitely the first version I saw. Going back to it now, it pretty basic. You get the basic game, a time attack version, and that's pretty much it. There was no 2-player mode, and only 3 different sets of music to play the game to. At the time, that was all that was needed. Nowadays, that might not work. I give this version credit, for introducing me the sensation that Tetris already was, and was to become.
The next time Tetris would re-enter my life would be in the game Tetris & Dr. Mario, on the Super Nintendo. As I understand it, this game has become quite rare nowadays, and is somewhat difficult to get a hold of. I can imagine why. This is a pretty special game. It comes with an upgraded version of the NES's Tetris, a graphically re-done version of Dr. Mario from the NES, and a brand new mode that pitted the player against both game modes in a row. That kind of stuff just isn't done in video games anymore, you know? I would explain why Dr. Mario is a great compliment to Tetris, but maybe I'll save that for another entry. All I can say about this particular game was that it was fun, the competition between players was better realized, and it was a nice double-pack of a game.
It's a good thing I had that game, because I wouldn't see a new version of Tetris in my life for quite some time. Fast forward to my pre-teen years. I grew up on the Nintendo side of things, so to speak. So I missed out on things like the Sega Saturn, and most of the original Playstation. As the Nintendo 64 did not get much of my attention for Tetris...it seemed I was out of luck for a while. As fate would have it (if you believe in that sort of thing), I would eventually get a Playstation near the end of the Playstation life-cycle. Because of that, I didn't play many games on the Playstation. Yet there was one I remember.
Tetris Plus for the Playstation did quite a few different things for me, and for Tetris. It came with classic mode, and vs. mode, as usual. However, this version had 2 differences. The first was puzzle mode. It involved protecting a professor trapped among the Tetris blocks, and getting him to the exit at the bottom of the screen. What really got me hooked on this particular version, though, was edit mode. Edit mode was a special feature that allowed the player to create their own Tetris levels, and try to solve them on their own. I made plenty of puzzles for others to try out. Of course, the only “play-tester” I had at the time was my mom, but I don't think she minded.
I wouldn't touch another Tetris for a couple of years. After a while, Tetris Worlds came along, which I played on the Nintendo Gamecube. I would say that this is probably the weirdest version of Tetris I've played, and certainly the most unique. Tetris Worlds brought along a throwaway, alien storyline, and 6 different variations of Tetris. Every time the player starts a game, a female voice would whisper “Go for a Tetris.” Some called it sexy, I just thought it sounded creepy. It wasn't something I wanted to hear alone, at night.
Even though there were 6 different variations of Tetris, only 2 of them made an impact upon me. The first was classic Tetris. The second was called Fusion Tetris. In this particular version, there was one small glowing square, called an atom block. Other small blocks would fall from the top, along with normal Tetris blocks. The goal was to connect the small blocks with the atom blocks, in order to create a fusion. What I loved most about this variation, was how those small blocks could literally fit into any possible hole. This is the only game to unseat the almighty “stick block” as the single best, most useful Tetris block. I enjoyed Tetris Worlds a bit, but it became just a footnote in my Tetris experience, once my next Tetris experience came to pass.
Tetris DS is the next Tetris game I played. This one was special. It currently holds the spot as my personal favorite game of Tetris ever created. Why, you might ask? Because it combines everything I could ever want from a Tetris game all into one. Then, it brings innovative new variations of Tetris that work better than the ones attempted in Tetris Worlds. On top of that, it adds a dosage of old-school Nintendo goodness, making the aesthetic pleasing and the soundtrack catchy/familiar. Let's not forget portability. One of the most important success factors for Tetris is portability. (If you disagree with me, ask gameboy/cellphone owners.) Add to that an easy to access, exciting multiplayer mode, and you have the perfect Tetris game, as well as the perfect puzzle game.
This particular game had many things going for it. I liked some of it, and didn't like the other parts. My less favorite parts included the more gimmick-y modes of play, such as Touch Tetris. Since this was a DS game, it had to have touch controls thrown in (naturally). Touch Tetris wasn't terrible, but controlling each piece individually with the touch screen proved to be inaccurate. Besides that, it added gravity to the blocks, which muddled everything together. Puzzle mode wasn't too hot, either.
Meanwhile, my favorite mode, besides classic, of course, was Catch Mode. Catch Mode was placed in an 8-bit Metroid setting. The goal was to rotate a 4x4 square of Tetris around, to catch falling Tetris blocks. If the player missed any Tetris blocks, they would fall to the bottom of the screen, and the player would lose health from the life bar. By catching Tetris blocks, the 4x4 block grew to become a 16x16 block. Once that happened the big block was set to explode. By catching falling Metroids and other blocks in the explosion, points would be added to the score, and health would be added to the life bar. I found this mode most innovating and entertaining out of any other mode of Tetris I've played (besides classic, of course).
Vs mode wasn't unique to this particular Tetris game. Other games had attempted it before, that's true. What made this particular vs. mode better, was the level of interaction between players. This vs. mode had items that players could use to help themselves, and hinder others. A star could enable the player to have constant “stick blocks” falling on their screen, or a banana could scramble the playing field of the opposite player. I think this type of back-and-forth mechanic in multiplayer helped foster the most fun and competition. Add to the fact that all that was needed for vs. mode was one game, and another DS, and players now had access to an easy and fun game of competitive Tetris. Simply ingenious.
I believe it ends here. The latest version of Tetris I played afterwords was a game called Tetris Splash, on the Xbox Arcade. This was nothing but a regular game of Tetris set in an aquarium backdrop, so it didn't make any kind of impression on me. In total, Tetris is a very classic series to me. It seems to be one of the only games capable of staying fun and addicting for years upon years of play. Indeed, Tetris is so special, it has the ability to cause “The Tetris Effect” in people, causing them to see Tetris blocks when they close their eyes, and go to sleep. That may sound scary to some, but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. When you play that much Tetris, like I have, it gets to you, after a while. Not to worry. The fun to be had is totally worth it. And besides, when I play Tetris in my mind, I always win. That makes me smile. I'm sure we'll all be experiencing that fun Tetris effect for years and years to come.
Monday, February 7, 2011
View: Servanthood
My views on: Servanthood
I almost had a serious car accident on Saturday. I came extremely close to crashing into a sheer cliff wall. Scary stuff. And yet, I'm glad. Why, you may ask? For a couple of reasons. For one thing, I didn't get hurt. I've personally seen what happens when car accidents hurt people, and let me tell ya, I don't like what I see. I'm also glad because my car doesn't seem to be any worse for wear. Something like that could have totaled my car, and cost me thousands of dollars in repair, or even worse, force me to try to get a new car. But do you know what makes me glad the most about this situation? God used it to teach me a lesson in servanthood.
(Note, some of you might know a little about this story already. I think now is the right time to explain the whole thing.)
For the last week or so, I've been actively dealing with an issue. Okay, I might as well be honest with you, it's a couple of issues. I have been suffering from acute cases of laziness and selfishness. Me and my mom have been going back in forth. She had been asking me to do certain, routine things, and I was less than enthusiastic about it. It got to a point where she asked me to drive down to our local grocery store to pick up a couple of bottles of wine, and I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. Some of you might be familiar with the Hyvee that's on South Locust, about a 5 minute drive away from my house. Well, I just didn't want to make a simple trip down there, and I started to give her an earful about it.
“It's not fair!” I yelled at her, secretly feeling ashamed that I'd regressed back into the mind of a 5 year old. “I don't care, it's true!” I said to myself, determined to be right. “She can't make me do it!” I told mom that I had already indulged her obnoxious craving for ham (making my case and lining it with evidence, as any fat-cat lawyer in California would do) and that she would just have to be happy with that. No more Hyvee for me.
Hurt and frustrated with my attitude, mom simply told me to quit yelling, and do as she said. “I'M NOT YELLING” I shouted, waving my hands frantically in the air. “I'm just so tired of dropping everything I'm doing, just so I can do whatever you want me to do!” After all, dear readers, I was right in the middle of a “very important” session of PS3 gaming. How dare she try to rip me from my console! Had she no decency? Realizing that I never really had a choice in the first place, I accepted my responsibility and got into my car. Little did I know that I was driving straight into some divine intervention.
At this point, my story almost begins to sound like a plagiarism of something like the movie Bruce Almighty, with Jim Carrey. It began when I turned my car on, and turned up the radio. Alright, classic rock, good stuff! Do you know what song just so happened to be playing as I began to drive? “You can't always get what you want” by The Rolling Stones. Really? “God,” I said, “are you trying to say something?” I didn't hear back from Him (yet). I figure it's probably coincidence, and make my way to Hyvee.
Once I find a parking space, it happens: God starts getting through to me. Words begin to materialize in my head, and they weren't coming from me. “You should apologize to your mom.” “I will later” I respond, “it doesn't matter to me now.” At this point, I tell myself that I'm just thinking too much, and it's not God who's talking to me, but it's my own thoughts. That's when I hear, “I'm not gonna put up with this anymore!” Woah. I'm sure that those of you who have known God might hear something like that and think “Uh oh, God's about to do something!” Well, even though I've been a Christian a long time, I hadn't been hearing a lot from God, lately (or maybe I just wasn't listening), so I continued to pretend that it was all in my head, and I just needed to finish what I was doing.
So I ran though Hyvee quick, got the wine, and went to check out. Ever so defiant and passive aggressive, I tell the cashier how I'd already been here earlier today, and how I had already taken care of my mom's obnoxious craving for ham. (Yeah, sorry mom.) Rather than comment on my infantile raging, the cashier says he doesn't eat a lot of meat. I didn't care about what he had to say at the moment, so I pretended to listen and got the heck out of there. Back in my car, I made my way to the other side of the parking lot, and went onto this little short-cut street called Mt. Carmel. This, dear readers, is when God was about to get my full attention.
Picture a thin back-street. It curves up the side of a sheer cliff wall. One side being the cliff, and the other side being a panoramic view of houses and the Mississippi River, far below. My side was the side closest to the cliff. As I'm driving up, another guy is driving down. I try to do the nice driver thing to do, and get as close to the right as I can, so we can pass each other unharmed. Normally, this isn't a big deal. But this time, there's a lovely little snow-drift on my right, making an already thin street skinnier than a super-model.
The right tire of my '95 Honda Accord begins to sink into the snow. “No problem” I think. Actually, it was a BIG problem! My entire car is literally sucked into the drift, up and to the right. Snow goes flying onto my car, covering my windshield, and panicking my mind into blank nothingness. In the next second, my car comes to a crashing stop.
I take a second to get my brain to start working again. I flip on my windshield wipers, and take a look. My car is literally a mere 2 inches away from the rock. Close call! I try to go in reverse, but my car isn't budging. I have no choice but to get out and see what the damage is. As I open my door, I look for the other driver. He's long gone, already on his way to wherever the heck he was going. My gaze turns towards the front of my car. The front 2 tires are firmly entrenched in the snow, making it explicitly clear why going in reverse was going to be impossible. Front-wheel drive has its problems, folks.
Running out of options, the first thing I do is call mom on my cell phone. I let her know what happened, I'm not hurt, and ask her to please bring a shovel. After that, I simply wait by my twisted car, hoping that nobody has trouble making it around. Several drivers pass by, asking me if I need help. “Unless you've got a shovel, I don't see what can be done.” They agree, no doubt relieved that they are relieved of their “good samaritan” duty, due to their inability. I keep waiting for mom, and just can't believe what's happening to me.
That's when it hits me: God allowed this to happen to me on purpose. He set it up. At that time, at that place, this certain driver was going to come. I was going to try and avoid him, and it would end up making me crash into a snow-drift. This was no coincidence, this was a dark symphony, orchestrated by God. He told me He wasn't going to take it anymore, and He meant it! You could say that our heavenly father saw one of His sons giving off a bad attitude and talking smack, and it was time to discipline me. Not with a spank, like earthly fathers give to their bad kids. No, God wanted to make sure I was getting the message. I felt humbled and ashamed. But soon, those feelings would change to being lucky, and loved.
Along comes a Jeep Wrangler. This guy rolls down his window, and asks me if I'm okay. I tell him the same thing I told everyone else. Then, get this: Not only does this guy have a shovel, he's also got a chain! After a little exchange, he gets his chain connected to the hooks on his Jeep, and strings it up around my car. I'm out of the drift in no time! It's great! Brett (my car-towing savior) doesn't ask for anything in return, and makes sure I'm able to drive up the rest of Mt. Carmel. I finally get home with some bottles of wine, and a different outlook on life.
People sometimes wonder how Christians can believe in a God they can't see or hear, and ask whether God truly exists. Well, my answer to them would be that I know for a fact that God exists. Not because I've seen him or heard a big booming voice from the sky, but because I've personally experienced Him in my life, and have learned from Him. Was it just a coincidence that I heard that song from the Rolling Stones? Did luck keep me 2 inches away from that cliff? Was it fate that brought a driver in a Jeep with a chain? There's just no way!
God looked at my heart, and didn't like what He saw. He loves me enough to let me know when I'm doing something wrong, and that I need to change. Was I scared at the time? Absolutely. But, as the Bible says, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10). Well, let me tell ya, I'm afraid of God. Not because I think He's out to get me. But I fear and respect Him, because I know that He's not opposed to letting me come close to disaster in order to change bad habits.
Something like that doesn't make me resent God. I love God! I know that He's still watching over me, and changing me into who He wants me to be. God is real to me, my reading friends. And He's telling me I need to stop being lazy, and help my mom out whenever she needs it. True servanthood isn't about feeling like doing good things. It's about action. How much am I actually doing? Is my heart really in it? Well, it should be, because God loves us and wants us to serve others, as he serves us every day. If there's one thing I want you guys to get from this story, it's that. Pay attention to God. Because if you don't, there's no telling how far He'll go to get your attention. Fear and respect God. But more importantly, love God, because He loves you!
I almost had a serious car accident on Saturday. I came extremely close to crashing into a sheer cliff wall. Scary stuff. And yet, I'm glad. Why, you may ask? For a couple of reasons. For one thing, I didn't get hurt. I've personally seen what happens when car accidents hurt people, and let me tell ya, I don't like what I see. I'm also glad because my car doesn't seem to be any worse for wear. Something like that could have totaled my car, and cost me thousands of dollars in repair, or even worse, force me to try to get a new car. But do you know what makes me glad the most about this situation? God used it to teach me a lesson in servanthood.
(Note, some of you might know a little about this story already. I think now is the right time to explain the whole thing.)
For the last week or so, I've been actively dealing with an issue. Okay, I might as well be honest with you, it's a couple of issues. I have been suffering from acute cases of laziness and selfishness. Me and my mom have been going back in forth. She had been asking me to do certain, routine things, and I was less than enthusiastic about it. It got to a point where she asked me to drive down to our local grocery store to pick up a couple of bottles of wine, and I decided that I couldn't take it anymore. Some of you might be familiar with the Hyvee that's on South Locust, about a 5 minute drive away from my house. Well, I just didn't want to make a simple trip down there, and I started to give her an earful about it.
“It's not fair!” I yelled at her, secretly feeling ashamed that I'd regressed back into the mind of a 5 year old. “I don't care, it's true!” I said to myself, determined to be right. “She can't make me do it!” I told mom that I had already indulged her obnoxious craving for ham (making my case and lining it with evidence, as any fat-cat lawyer in California would do) and that she would just have to be happy with that. No more Hyvee for me.
Hurt and frustrated with my attitude, mom simply told me to quit yelling, and do as she said. “I'M NOT YELLING” I shouted, waving my hands frantically in the air. “I'm just so tired of dropping everything I'm doing, just so I can do whatever you want me to do!” After all, dear readers, I was right in the middle of a “very important” session of PS3 gaming. How dare she try to rip me from my console! Had she no decency? Realizing that I never really had a choice in the first place, I accepted my responsibility and got into my car. Little did I know that I was driving straight into some divine intervention.
At this point, my story almost begins to sound like a plagiarism of something like the movie Bruce Almighty, with Jim Carrey. It began when I turned my car on, and turned up the radio. Alright, classic rock, good stuff! Do you know what song just so happened to be playing as I began to drive? “You can't always get what you want” by The Rolling Stones. Really? “God,” I said, “are you trying to say something?” I didn't hear back from Him (yet). I figure it's probably coincidence, and make my way to Hyvee.
Once I find a parking space, it happens: God starts getting through to me. Words begin to materialize in my head, and they weren't coming from me. “You should apologize to your mom.” “I will later” I respond, “it doesn't matter to me now.” At this point, I tell myself that I'm just thinking too much, and it's not God who's talking to me, but it's my own thoughts. That's when I hear, “I'm not gonna put up with this anymore!” Woah. I'm sure that those of you who have known God might hear something like that and think “Uh oh, God's about to do something!” Well, even though I've been a Christian a long time, I hadn't been hearing a lot from God, lately (or maybe I just wasn't listening), so I continued to pretend that it was all in my head, and I just needed to finish what I was doing.
So I ran though Hyvee quick, got the wine, and went to check out. Ever so defiant and passive aggressive, I tell the cashier how I'd already been here earlier today, and how I had already taken care of my mom's obnoxious craving for ham. (Yeah, sorry mom.) Rather than comment on my infantile raging, the cashier says he doesn't eat a lot of meat. I didn't care about what he had to say at the moment, so I pretended to listen and got the heck out of there. Back in my car, I made my way to the other side of the parking lot, and went onto this little short-cut street called Mt. Carmel. This, dear readers, is when God was about to get my full attention.
Picture a thin back-street. It curves up the side of a sheer cliff wall. One side being the cliff, and the other side being a panoramic view of houses and the Mississippi River, far below. My side was the side closest to the cliff. As I'm driving up, another guy is driving down. I try to do the nice driver thing to do, and get as close to the right as I can, so we can pass each other unharmed. Normally, this isn't a big deal. But this time, there's a lovely little snow-drift on my right, making an already thin street skinnier than a super-model.
The right tire of my '95 Honda Accord begins to sink into the snow. “No problem” I think. Actually, it was a BIG problem! My entire car is literally sucked into the drift, up and to the right. Snow goes flying onto my car, covering my windshield, and panicking my mind into blank nothingness. In the next second, my car comes to a crashing stop.
I take a second to get my brain to start working again. I flip on my windshield wipers, and take a look. My car is literally a mere 2 inches away from the rock. Close call! I try to go in reverse, but my car isn't budging. I have no choice but to get out and see what the damage is. As I open my door, I look for the other driver. He's long gone, already on his way to wherever the heck he was going. My gaze turns towards the front of my car. The front 2 tires are firmly entrenched in the snow, making it explicitly clear why going in reverse was going to be impossible. Front-wheel drive has its problems, folks.
Running out of options, the first thing I do is call mom on my cell phone. I let her know what happened, I'm not hurt, and ask her to please bring a shovel. After that, I simply wait by my twisted car, hoping that nobody has trouble making it around. Several drivers pass by, asking me if I need help. “Unless you've got a shovel, I don't see what can be done.” They agree, no doubt relieved that they are relieved of their “good samaritan” duty, due to their inability. I keep waiting for mom, and just can't believe what's happening to me.
That's when it hits me: God allowed this to happen to me on purpose. He set it up. At that time, at that place, this certain driver was going to come. I was going to try and avoid him, and it would end up making me crash into a snow-drift. This was no coincidence, this was a dark symphony, orchestrated by God. He told me He wasn't going to take it anymore, and He meant it! You could say that our heavenly father saw one of His sons giving off a bad attitude and talking smack, and it was time to discipline me. Not with a spank, like earthly fathers give to their bad kids. No, God wanted to make sure I was getting the message. I felt humbled and ashamed. But soon, those feelings would change to being lucky, and loved.
Along comes a Jeep Wrangler. This guy rolls down his window, and asks me if I'm okay. I tell him the same thing I told everyone else. Then, get this: Not only does this guy have a shovel, he's also got a chain! After a little exchange, he gets his chain connected to the hooks on his Jeep, and strings it up around my car. I'm out of the drift in no time! It's great! Brett (my car-towing savior) doesn't ask for anything in return, and makes sure I'm able to drive up the rest of Mt. Carmel. I finally get home with some bottles of wine, and a different outlook on life.
People sometimes wonder how Christians can believe in a God they can't see or hear, and ask whether God truly exists. Well, my answer to them would be that I know for a fact that God exists. Not because I've seen him or heard a big booming voice from the sky, but because I've personally experienced Him in my life, and have learned from Him. Was it just a coincidence that I heard that song from the Rolling Stones? Did luck keep me 2 inches away from that cliff? Was it fate that brought a driver in a Jeep with a chain? There's just no way!
God looked at my heart, and didn't like what He saw. He loves me enough to let me know when I'm doing something wrong, and that I need to change. Was I scared at the time? Absolutely. But, as the Bible says, “Fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10). Well, let me tell ya, I'm afraid of God. Not because I think He's out to get me. But I fear and respect Him, because I know that He's not opposed to letting me come close to disaster in order to change bad habits.
Something like that doesn't make me resent God. I love God! I know that He's still watching over me, and changing me into who He wants me to be. God is real to me, my reading friends. And He's telling me I need to stop being lazy, and help my mom out whenever she needs it. True servanthood isn't about feeling like doing good things. It's about action. How much am I actually doing? Is my heart really in it? Well, it should be, because God loves us and wants us to serve others, as he serves us every day. If there's one thing I want you guys to get from this story, it's that. Pay attention to God. Because if you don't, there's no telling how far He'll go to get your attention. Fear and respect God. But more importantly, love God, because He loves you!
Friday, January 21, 2011
View: My top 50: Games #10-1
10) Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)
We're getting to the really good stuff, now! Melee is just so, so great. It is one of the best competitive multiplayer experiences I've ever encountered. This game is pretty much endless fun. While I wasn't as hyped for Melee's release as I was for Brawl's, you better believe I was still plenty hyped. Sadly, I couldn't talk about it on the internet much, since I was stuck with crappy dial-up back then. Nonetheless, Melee was greatly enjoyed once it arrived. I have sunk years of play into that game, and maybe close to a thousand hours of total playtime. I might be over-estimating on that last part, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. I can't know for sure, because my original game save has since been lost to some unknown circumstance. But it doesn't matter, I just keep coming back for more Melee!
Ultimately, I chose Melee over Brawl not because it's a better game, objectively speaking. No, Brawl is pretty much better than Melee in every objective way. More stages, more characters, more single-player stuff, etc. Honestly...I just like Melee better. The fighting is faster, the classic mode is better, adventure mode is better than Subspace Emissary, in some ways, and every character got their own Break the Targets stage, instead of just 5 measly stages. I also found many characters I like to use in Melee. Once those characters got to Brawl, their physics or attacks were changed so much, they pretty much suck now. Just look at Link, or Samus, or Mario (ugh, FLUDD instead of the tornado). Brawl did some things to the core fighting experience that I just didn't like. All of the characters are kind of floaty, a lot of the attacks are hard to make combos with, and they added random tripping for no good reason. Melee doesn't have to deal with all this crap. Melee gives you plenty of characters, most of which have a great chance of winning. Then they let you go nuts, tearing people apart limb from limb. Please understand, I like Brawl very much. But, if I'm going to be honest with myself, and with you, if someone asks me which game I want to play, I will say “Melee” twice as much as I say “Brawl.”
9) Metroid Prime (Wii)
Until this game came along, the First Person Adventure game did not exist. Yet, I think I speak for all of us when I say that I'm so glad it does. The original Metroid Prime is a joyful masterpiece of a game. As far as I'm concerned, it's also the king of atmospheric gaming. When you pick up the controller, you're not just playing a game, clicking buttons, and shooting aliens on a screen: you have been transported to a mysterious planet, your hand has become a part of an arm cannon, and you are on a mission to save the entire galaxy from an inhospitable threat. Never has a fictional world seemed so real, and so interesting. I can't help but get wrapped up in every little detail of this game every time I play. From that first step on that awesome space station, to that final shot in Metroid Prime's face, I never want to stop playing this game once I start. It's just so compelling and fun.
This game gets everything right. The weapons. The levels. The semi-hidden story. The secrets. The boss fights. The not-boss fights. Just...everything. I will never forget the fear and tension I felt the first time the lights shut off in the Research Lab. Those Metroids almost made me crap my pants! Likewise, trekking through Magmoor Caverns will always be a great example of being in the hot, stinking belly of the beast. Just the general feeling of isolation makes for perfect immersion. I love it so much! Something in particular that MP gets points for is it's penultimate boss fight. The fight against the Metroid Prime Exoskeleton is my favorite example of a final boss. This boss actually requires you to use every single skill and weapon you have gotten during the game. You must use all 4 awesome beams, and make use of each beam combo if you want to do well. You have to drop into Morph Ball mode quite often, in order to dodge this giant monster. Of course, the final, final battle is great too. But I will always love fighting the Exoskeleton the most. But really, this is just one of those games I will never get tired of. I do my best to play it once a year, and I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon. I'm going to keep listening to that mind-blowing soundtrack, collecting missile expansions, dodging corrupted ghosts, and blasting metal space dragon pterodactyls. And I'll be happy.
8) Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
What an unstoppable juggernaut Halo 3 was. The hype for this game was unbreakable. Besides Brawl, I've never been so excited for a game in my entire life. What's more, Halo 3 actually managed to keep up with most of the hype. Well, as much as possible, anyways. No game can ever truly match the hype it gets, when it gets crazy like this. But yeah, hype, this game really had me going. This game led me to my first midnight release, the first of the only 2 midnight releases I've ever been to. I simply couldn't wait to get my hands on this game. Neither could my friends, which is what made it even better. Nothing was cooler than all of us getting the game together, driving home quickly, connecting our 360s together, and playing campaign co-op for the rest of the night. What an awesome night that was!
This game made for an exciting conclusion to the legendary and epic Halo story. We finally got to finish the fight. No surprise, Master Chief and the humans won. Yet it certainly came at a high cost, didn't it? I can't say I was completely happy with some of the campaign choices Bungie made. The monitor, 343 Guilty Spark, should have never killed Sgt. Johnson, and pretended to be a final boss. That was silly, and undignified. At least that amazing escape sequence with the Warthog (or maybe Ghost) made up for it. But still, campaign isn't what Halo is about. It's the multiplayer, no duh. And it was fantastic. It was 99% better than Halo 2 in ever way. There were plenty of great levels, cool vehicles, great weapons, old and new, as well as new toys to play with (equipment). I spent a great deal of 2007 working on my ranking. And even though my excitement kind of dropped during the next 2 years, I still played Halo 3 online regularly right up until Halo: Reach was soon to arrive. We're talking about hundreds of more hours spent shooting up little halo noobs. For the hype, the multiplayer memories, and for letting me finish the fight, Halo 3 deserves to be called the best Halo game, and the best FPS ever made.
7) Mega Man 2 (NES)
A legitimate childhood classic, Mega Man 2 makes for simple, skill-based platforming. From the intro to the final boss fight against Dr. Wily, this game is something special to me. I was first introduced to it when I was about 7 years old, in a day care center. They had an NES for us kids to play in between snack time. One of the games they had was this, along with Mega Man 6. While 6 was also fun, as is the entire classic Mega Man series, it was Mega Man 2 that won my heart, and garnered a great deal of my nostalgic admiration.
Not many NES games can age as well as Mega Man 2. It still does so many things well. The controls are still response and the music never gets old. (One of the best game soundtracks ever!) The levels are short, sweet, and the designs remain a fun workout to this day. The weapons earned from the robot masters are here and there, with Metal Blades being one of the best and most over-powered weapons in any Mega Man game. They were the weakness of several robot masters, they had a ton of ammo, and they let Mega Man shoot in 8 different directions, including...up. Yes, up. Once he could shoot up, Mega Man became unstoppable! And so...yeah. Not much else to say. This game is one of the best retro platfomers. I can't really complain about it. All of the difficulty is skill-based, and I can't think of anything I don't like or love about this game. I suppose that's why it's a favorite of mine.
6) Rock Band 1/2/3 (Xbox 360)
As the only music game on my list, the Rock band series gets a lot of applause from me. This game can reach pleasure centers in my brain that no other game can reach. By combining some of my favorite songs into an addicting color-matching mechanic, Harmonix made what I believe is the ultimate co-op multiplayer game. It is simply better than everything else. Now, you might have noticed that I haven't picked a game in particular, here. But do I really need to? They are all pretty much the same thing, after all. If I had to, I would obviously pick 3, since it's the most well-developed one, and has the most options (like Keyboard, and harmonies).
Rock Band is the one and only game that me and all of my friends can agree upon playing together. To this day, this is no other game that we can all equally enjoy together. We will play Rock Band together every single time we hang out, no exceptions. I can't say that about any other multiplayer game. Not Halo, not Mario Kart, not Kirby. Not even Super Smash Bros. gets such an honor. Only the irresistible call of Rock Band refuses to be ignored. Just when you think you're getting tired of the whole deal, Harmonix is smart enough, and awesome enough to release brand new songs week after week after week! How can you say no, when a brand new song from your favorites list is just waiting to be played? It's a winning combination. What I love the most is when it's late at night. I'll be playing with all of my friends, and we'll pick a great song (like The Game, from Disturbed). As friend #1 is singing (awking?), friend #2 is drumming, and friend #3 is bass-ing, I'll be thrashing my heart out on guitar. As that music hits that special place in my mind and soul, I'll forget about playing a game. My mind will transport me into a special zen-like state. My body is a slave to the music, and I'll bob my head uncontrollably. My hands will match the rhythm all on their own. I'm pretty much in heaven, at that point. For these unforgettable, almost indescribable moments of multiplayer bliss with friends and family, Rock Band (3) truly deserves to be called one of my favorite games.
5) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
One of the highest-rated games of all time, OoT gets praised left and right. Sometimes, there are games that are quite overrated, and don't deserve the praise. You get to play those games, finally, and you find out they're not as great as everyone says they are. Well, rest assured, OoT is not one of those games. Every bit of praise and hype you've ever heard about the game is absolutely true. The things it did for video games were revolutionary. The quest structure, the focus on story and characters, the Z-targeting system, the connection between worlds, and more have all been used, in part and in whole in hundreds of games since then. And this is for good reason. OoT is just one of those timeless wonders. It never gets old. It never gets boring. It's art-style always looks good (even if the graphics themselves don't age as well). With ever other Zelda game on this list of mine, I've always focused on a specific aspect of the game that I found better than the others. I can't do that with OoT. Do you know why? It's because every single thing in this game is the best.
The overworld is cool, and well connected. There is a balance between large spaces, and secrets to find. Along those lines, almost every temple is really fun, and clever. This isn't like Wind Waker, where you can't really remember where you've been, or what you've killed. Each dungeon is iconic. Heck, almost every room of every temple is memorable. There are some places I know like the back of my hand. The music is the best to find on the N64, and most any game ever. Then there's the characters and story. They are still so very great. Saria, and Malon, and Darunia, and Zelda, and the graveyard keeper, and everyone else involved. Even Link himself. The story is an epic tale of greatness, telling the origins of Hyrule, and showing off Ganondorf and his evil quest for power. I also enjoy every item in this game, and love how useful they are, in and out of dungeons. The Biggoron Sword is the ultimate reward, as far as I'm concerned. Love that thing. Some of my favorite places in this game include the Forest Temple, Zora's Domain, Kokiri Forest, the first Hyrule town, and Ganon's Tower. My memories of this game defy time just as much as the game's plot does. OoT is absolutely wonderful, and deserves all the praise it gets, and more.
4) Kirby Superstar Ultra (Nintendo DS)
For certain, this is not only the best Kirby game, it is also one of the best platformers on the SNES, or any game system period. I freaking love KSSU! Just love it. Someone might question how I can love such an adorable protagonist, or such a cutesy world. Then I would answer that person by putting on a red bandanna, multi-punching them by tapping B, and finishing with an up-B upper cut. This game really knows how to make an open-ended experience. I'm willing to bet that, comparing game length to replay length, I've replayed this game more than any other game I've picked for this list. Granted, this game comes in parts, and I've played some parts more than others. But nevertheless, I've worn out this game, and the game it was remade for completely. I know pretty much anything you'd want to know about this game, and I love every bit of it. The music is amazing, the gameplay is tightly perfected, and the colors and variety are plentiful. The story isn't that developed, per se, but it does exactly what it needs to do. And hey, it even has a twist here and there!
For a while, I was considering whether to put the original game from the SNES on my list, or the remake. I decided on the latter, mainly because it's better in every way, 99% of the time. The graphics are much better (making an already good looking game gorgeous), there is more content (which is great fun, and not just thrown together junk), and it makes one of my favorite games portable! What's not to like? It still has a great multiplayer as well; helpers are so much fun! What I love most about this game is the copy abilities. Most Kirby games have them, but none have ever done them as well as KSSU. You see, there are plenty of abilities to use, but they're also more developed. Each ability has multiple moves and uses. This makes them fun to find, but also fun to use.
With most other Kirby games, it's a case of one happy thing or the other, but never both. KSSU gets it right, by giving quantity and quality! I really enjoying playing with Sword, Fighter, Ice, Hammer, Suplex, Yo-Yo, Ninja, and other abilities. What I love to do is start a new game, and just play using one single ability as much as possible. Doing so lets me play the game I love in a new way, making it fun all over again. It's amazing to me how well it works. The game truly doesn't get old, no matter how many times I see the same level, or how many times I rematch King Dedede. It's just great, every single time. This is truly an awesome game, and I'd recommend it to almost anyone. Just thinking about it makes me happy.
3) Super Mario World (SNES)
Knick-knack, the plumber's back! (I'm sorry, that came out terrible.) This is one of my earliest gaming memories, and it has a metric ton of nostalgia backing it up. For many people, this may have been their first game, or their first...something. While that isn't the case for me, it certainly felt like something that important. (This might have been the first game I beat, I'm not sure.) SMW is a delightful platformer with a fantastic collection of secret paths and hidden specialties. It also has the great gameplay to back it up, and an iconic charm. Is there a story to speak of? Not really. It's basically focused on kidnapped princesses and dinosaurs. That doesn't matter, though. The gameplay speaks for itself. There's Fire Flowers, super capes, big green dinosaur friends, and rideable dolphins. You've also got secret paths, hidden levels, and the elusive star world to discover. Even the switch palaces will give you a ride for your money! (Coins?)
I have spent so many hours with this game. I found just about every secret I could. Then, I found the rest of them once I knew how to use the internet (lol). I didn't just play this game seriously, either. Sometimes, I'd just goof around, for fun. I'd grab a cape, and sail up high in the open sky. Does anyone remember just playing games for fun, and not because you're desperately trying to beat the game, get an achievement, or become a higher rank in some meaningless online scoring system? I certainly do. Now, I'm not saying that all modern games are like that, or that they can't be fun too. But It really goes to show with games like SMW how far a game can get with simple, good gameplay. Just give me a cape, a back-up fire flower, and a blue yoshi (he can fly!), and I'm ready to take on the world!
As you might recall, I've described how many Mario fans compare Super Mario World with Super Mario Bros. 3, and how they often pick Super Mario Bros. 3. Well, that's not me. And no, you can't blame that on which game I played first, because I did play SMB3 first. The reasons that I think SMW is the better game is, for one thing, secrets. They're much better designed, and they feel way more rewarding than some warping whistle, or a bouncing shoe that's in one level. I flipped out when I first discovered the Star World. What an awesome secret world! But it got even better. There was the mystical Special World! Good gravy, it was like magic! Yeah, it was friggen difficult to find that place, and even harder to beat it. But it was incredibly rewarding, especially once you came back to the regular levels, and saw such a crazy change in the enemies. On a different note, I simply like the Cape better than SMB3's leaf. Hmm, would I rather be a super hero (like Superman with a cape), or flying as an animal that can't even fly in real life? No brainer. Yep, this game seems better to me than SMB3 in every way. Better secrets, Yoshi, much better music (Bowser's castle music especially), and much more make this game the best Mario game I've ever played.
2) Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sega Genesis)
A god among platformers. A game with a fantastic sense of speed. The single-best reason to own a Sega Genesis. Sonic the Hedgehog's finest gaming performance. One of the best gaming soundtracks I've ever heard. A nostalgic example of blissful memories. A pioneer of simultaneous co-op platforming. A game with the best secret reward ever created. A yearly tradition.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is all of these things, and more.
What an unbelievable game this is. S3&K means a lot to me. And when I refer to it, I mean the whole experience. I'm not talking about Sonic 3. I'm not talking about Sonic & Knuckles: I'm talking about the real game. The fully-realized sequel to Sonic 2. If you're familiar with Sonic's history, then you might know about this game's back-story. During a time when episodic gaming was unheard of, a game was created that was too large for a Sega Genesis game-cart. That game, obviously, was S3&K. What was Sega's solution? Split the game into two, and capitalize on revolutionary gaming technology. This tech was called Lock-On technology, and it was so freaking cool! How this worked, was taking the Sonic 3 game, and the Sonic & Knuckles game, and literally putting both games together, one on top of the other. S&K had a special slot on the top, which allowed for the insertion of Sonic 3 (or the other two Sonic games, providing separate bonuses). But just the concept alone was so awesome to me. I imagined it like a Power Ranger, combining together to form an unstoppable force, defeating any competition that stood in its way. Corny? Maybe, but it rocked my socks, back in the day. You just have to play the game this way. If you play one part or the other, it just doesn't feel right.
Once you've got everything together, this game is fantastic. It's got 3 playable characters, each of which plays mostly the same, but features special in-game bonuses. Sonic gets to make use of 3 shield power-ups, and their special abilities. Tails can't use them for anything besides protection. To compensate, he can fly, finding special secrets and hidden routes. Knuckles, meanwhile, is slightly handicapped with lower jump height, in order to offset his awesome abilities. One was to glide in the air, another was to climb up almost any wall, and the final was to break special walls with his...knuckles...and find new parts of levels that Sonic and Tails had never seen before. So you take these awesome characters, and put them in these sweet levels. They were all so great. My absolute favorites would include Angel Island, Ice Cap, Flying Battery, Lava Reef, and the unforgettable Death Egg zone. That last one was set in space, with the earth as a background! How cool! The last thing I'll reference is the Chaos/Super Emeralds. Not only do they give you awesome, game-breaking powers: Sonic gets an extra level flying in space, like a crazy rocket! It was awesome! It's still awesome. The whole game. It's just great. A great game. I will love it always. Kind of like...
1) Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
The final game on my list is something special. Yeah, I know, I said the same thing about all the other games on my list. But this one is especially...special. It is near and dear to my heart. Nothing is perfect, that might be true. However, when it comes to games, DKC2 comes this close to perfection. I can't really think of anything really wrong with it. I'd probably have to pick something worthless like...menus, or something. I really do love everything about this game. No, really, everything. Think of something that describes a game, and I love it. Characters? Yep. Levels? Oh yeah. Music? The best ever, bar none. Secrets? Especially awesome. Multiplayer? Great. Yeah, like I said...everything.
This is the absolute creme-de-la-creme of gaming. It is completely nostalgic, and at the same time, perfectly aged and continually fun. What helps this so much is the level design. It is friggen top-notch! The absolute best. Every single level feels a little different from the last one, and is always fun. Some have gimmicks, some don't. It doesn't matter. Because they're always different, the game never gets old. You will always find some new kind of challenge waiting in each level that you never experienced before. It's that kind of challenge that is supremely compelling. You just can't wait to see what the next level holds in store for you. One thing's for sure: each one will look and play great. Every stage flows together. Nothing really feels clunky, or out of place. Meanwhile the ambiance and atmosphere is flawless. While this was a game made primarily for kids, the art wasn't made cutesy, or overly colorful. The game has a somewhat dark look to it, but it's offset by the goofy characters. Then you have the music. The mind-blowing music. Quite honestly, it's beautiful. Yes, it's true. It almost has the power to move me, in ways I can't describe. It's not just nostalgia, or simple happiness. It's something more than that. So you take the music, the levels, and the atmosphere, and it all works together for a game that takes itself seriously, but not too much so.
When you take the above into account, you also have to remember the gameplay. The tight, enjoyable, frenzied, flowing, compelling, splendid gameplay. It just hits this mysterious gaming nirvana pleasure center in my brain. You have 2 playable characters, one that's fast, and one that can glide. You can toss each other to greater heights. That's not bad, by itself. But it's all supported by so many other great things. You've got the animal friends, like the awesome rhino, Rambi, the cool swordfish, Enguard, the sweet egg-spitting parrot, Squawks, and the friendly neighborhood spider, Spitter. They can all help you reach the many secrets in this game. Oh, that's right: secrets. This game has loads of them, and they're so well-designed, I can't think of any better secrets ever made for a game. Bonus barrels and DK Coins, so cool! These secrets are so great because they're not quite impossible to find, like how some games do it. You kind of know where they are before you find them. The developers almost lead you to them. But it's still up to you to figure them out, and collect them all. That's how you do it, my friends. It's simply genius, I tell you! The entire game is an amazing example of game design, for every reason conceivable. As far as games go, Donkey Kong Country 2 means everything to me. I will treasure it always, staying content with happy memories.
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And that, my good readers, is My top 50 favorite video games of ALL TIME!!! I really hoped you enjoyed reading it, just as much as I enjoyed writing it, and remembering these awesome games. Tell me what you think. Did I miss any games? Is there something about a certain game I forgot to mention? Do you have your own list? Let me know. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later.
We're getting to the really good stuff, now! Melee is just so, so great. It is one of the best competitive multiplayer experiences I've ever encountered. This game is pretty much endless fun. While I wasn't as hyped for Melee's release as I was for Brawl's, you better believe I was still plenty hyped. Sadly, I couldn't talk about it on the internet much, since I was stuck with crappy dial-up back then. Nonetheless, Melee was greatly enjoyed once it arrived. I have sunk years of play into that game, and maybe close to a thousand hours of total playtime. I might be over-estimating on that last part, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. I can't know for sure, because my original game save has since been lost to some unknown circumstance. But it doesn't matter, I just keep coming back for more Melee!
Ultimately, I chose Melee over Brawl not because it's a better game, objectively speaking. No, Brawl is pretty much better than Melee in every objective way. More stages, more characters, more single-player stuff, etc. Honestly...I just like Melee better. The fighting is faster, the classic mode is better, adventure mode is better than Subspace Emissary, in some ways, and every character got their own Break the Targets stage, instead of just 5 measly stages. I also found many characters I like to use in Melee. Once those characters got to Brawl, their physics or attacks were changed so much, they pretty much suck now. Just look at Link, or Samus, or Mario (ugh, FLUDD instead of the tornado). Brawl did some things to the core fighting experience that I just didn't like. All of the characters are kind of floaty, a lot of the attacks are hard to make combos with, and they added random tripping for no good reason. Melee doesn't have to deal with all this crap. Melee gives you plenty of characters, most of which have a great chance of winning. Then they let you go nuts, tearing people apart limb from limb. Please understand, I like Brawl very much. But, if I'm going to be honest with myself, and with you, if someone asks me which game I want to play, I will say “Melee” twice as much as I say “Brawl.”
9) Metroid Prime (Wii)
Until this game came along, the First Person Adventure game did not exist. Yet, I think I speak for all of us when I say that I'm so glad it does. The original Metroid Prime is a joyful masterpiece of a game. As far as I'm concerned, it's also the king of atmospheric gaming. When you pick up the controller, you're not just playing a game, clicking buttons, and shooting aliens on a screen: you have been transported to a mysterious planet, your hand has become a part of an arm cannon, and you are on a mission to save the entire galaxy from an inhospitable threat. Never has a fictional world seemed so real, and so interesting. I can't help but get wrapped up in every little detail of this game every time I play. From that first step on that awesome space station, to that final shot in Metroid Prime's face, I never want to stop playing this game once I start. It's just so compelling and fun.
This game gets everything right. The weapons. The levels. The semi-hidden story. The secrets. The boss fights. The not-boss fights. Just...everything. I will never forget the fear and tension I felt the first time the lights shut off in the Research Lab. Those Metroids almost made me crap my pants! Likewise, trekking through Magmoor Caverns will always be a great example of being in the hot, stinking belly of the beast. Just the general feeling of isolation makes for perfect immersion. I love it so much! Something in particular that MP gets points for is it's penultimate boss fight. The fight against the Metroid Prime Exoskeleton is my favorite example of a final boss. This boss actually requires you to use every single skill and weapon you have gotten during the game. You must use all 4 awesome beams, and make use of each beam combo if you want to do well. You have to drop into Morph Ball mode quite often, in order to dodge this giant monster. Of course, the final, final battle is great too. But I will always love fighting the Exoskeleton the most. But really, this is just one of those games I will never get tired of. I do my best to play it once a year, and I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon. I'm going to keep listening to that mind-blowing soundtrack, collecting missile expansions, dodging corrupted ghosts, and blasting metal space dragon pterodactyls. And I'll be happy.
8) Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
What an unstoppable juggernaut Halo 3 was. The hype for this game was unbreakable. Besides Brawl, I've never been so excited for a game in my entire life. What's more, Halo 3 actually managed to keep up with most of the hype. Well, as much as possible, anyways. No game can ever truly match the hype it gets, when it gets crazy like this. But yeah, hype, this game really had me going. This game led me to my first midnight release, the first of the only 2 midnight releases I've ever been to. I simply couldn't wait to get my hands on this game. Neither could my friends, which is what made it even better. Nothing was cooler than all of us getting the game together, driving home quickly, connecting our 360s together, and playing campaign co-op for the rest of the night. What an awesome night that was!
This game made for an exciting conclusion to the legendary and epic Halo story. We finally got to finish the fight. No surprise, Master Chief and the humans won. Yet it certainly came at a high cost, didn't it? I can't say I was completely happy with some of the campaign choices Bungie made. The monitor, 343 Guilty Spark, should have never killed Sgt. Johnson, and pretended to be a final boss. That was silly, and undignified. At least that amazing escape sequence with the Warthog (or maybe Ghost) made up for it. But still, campaign isn't what Halo is about. It's the multiplayer, no duh. And it was fantastic. It was 99% better than Halo 2 in ever way. There were plenty of great levels, cool vehicles, great weapons, old and new, as well as new toys to play with (equipment). I spent a great deal of 2007 working on my ranking. And even though my excitement kind of dropped during the next 2 years, I still played Halo 3 online regularly right up until Halo: Reach was soon to arrive. We're talking about hundreds of more hours spent shooting up little halo noobs. For the hype, the multiplayer memories, and for letting me finish the fight, Halo 3 deserves to be called the best Halo game, and the best FPS ever made.
7) Mega Man 2 (NES)
A legitimate childhood classic, Mega Man 2 makes for simple, skill-based platforming. From the intro to the final boss fight against Dr. Wily, this game is something special to me. I was first introduced to it when I was about 7 years old, in a day care center. They had an NES for us kids to play in between snack time. One of the games they had was this, along with Mega Man 6. While 6 was also fun, as is the entire classic Mega Man series, it was Mega Man 2 that won my heart, and garnered a great deal of my nostalgic admiration.
Not many NES games can age as well as Mega Man 2. It still does so many things well. The controls are still response and the music never gets old. (One of the best game soundtracks ever!) The levels are short, sweet, and the designs remain a fun workout to this day. The weapons earned from the robot masters are here and there, with Metal Blades being one of the best and most over-powered weapons in any Mega Man game. They were the weakness of several robot masters, they had a ton of ammo, and they let Mega Man shoot in 8 different directions, including...up. Yes, up. Once he could shoot up, Mega Man became unstoppable! And so...yeah. Not much else to say. This game is one of the best retro platfomers. I can't really complain about it. All of the difficulty is skill-based, and I can't think of anything I don't like or love about this game. I suppose that's why it's a favorite of mine.
6) Rock Band 1/2/3 (Xbox 360)
As the only music game on my list, the Rock band series gets a lot of applause from me. This game can reach pleasure centers in my brain that no other game can reach. By combining some of my favorite songs into an addicting color-matching mechanic, Harmonix made what I believe is the ultimate co-op multiplayer game. It is simply better than everything else. Now, you might have noticed that I haven't picked a game in particular, here. But do I really need to? They are all pretty much the same thing, after all. If I had to, I would obviously pick 3, since it's the most well-developed one, and has the most options (like Keyboard, and harmonies).
Rock Band is the one and only game that me and all of my friends can agree upon playing together. To this day, this is no other game that we can all equally enjoy together. We will play Rock Band together every single time we hang out, no exceptions. I can't say that about any other multiplayer game. Not Halo, not Mario Kart, not Kirby. Not even Super Smash Bros. gets such an honor. Only the irresistible call of Rock Band refuses to be ignored. Just when you think you're getting tired of the whole deal, Harmonix is smart enough, and awesome enough to release brand new songs week after week after week! How can you say no, when a brand new song from your favorites list is just waiting to be played? It's a winning combination. What I love the most is when it's late at night. I'll be playing with all of my friends, and we'll pick a great song (like The Game, from Disturbed). As friend #1 is singing (awking?), friend #2 is drumming, and friend #3 is bass-ing, I'll be thrashing my heart out on guitar. As that music hits that special place in my mind and soul, I'll forget about playing a game. My mind will transport me into a special zen-like state. My body is a slave to the music, and I'll bob my head uncontrollably. My hands will match the rhythm all on their own. I'm pretty much in heaven, at that point. For these unforgettable, almost indescribable moments of multiplayer bliss with friends and family, Rock Band (3) truly deserves to be called one of my favorite games.
5) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
One of the highest-rated games of all time, OoT gets praised left and right. Sometimes, there are games that are quite overrated, and don't deserve the praise. You get to play those games, finally, and you find out they're not as great as everyone says they are. Well, rest assured, OoT is not one of those games. Every bit of praise and hype you've ever heard about the game is absolutely true. The things it did for video games were revolutionary. The quest structure, the focus on story and characters, the Z-targeting system, the connection between worlds, and more have all been used, in part and in whole in hundreds of games since then. And this is for good reason. OoT is just one of those timeless wonders. It never gets old. It never gets boring. It's art-style always looks good (even if the graphics themselves don't age as well). With ever other Zelda game on this list of mine, I've always focused on a specific aspect of the game that I found better than the others. I can't do that with OoT. Do you know why? It's because every single thing in this game is the best.
The overworld is cool, and well connected. There is a balance between large spaces, and secrets to find. Along those lines, almost every temple is really fun, and clever. This isn't like Wind Waker, where you can't really remember where you've been, or what you've killed. Each dungeon is iconic. Heck, almost every room of every temple is memorable. There are some places I know like the back of my hand. The music is the best to find on the N64, and most any game ever. Then there's the characters and story. They are still so very great. Saria, and Malon, and Darunia, and Zelda, and the graveyard keeper, and everyone else involved. Even Link himself. The story is an epic tale of greatness, telling the origins of Hyrule, and showing off Ganondorf and his evil quest for power. I also enjoy every item in this game, and love how useful they are, in and out of dungeons. The Biggoron Sword is the ultimate reward, as far as I'm concerned. Love that thing. Some of my favorite places in this game include the Forest Temple, Zora's Domain, Kokiri Forest, the first Hyrule town, and Ganon's Tower. My memories of this game defy time just as much as the game's plot does. OoT is absolutely wonderful, and deserves all the praise it gets, and more.
4) Kirby Superstar Ultra (Nintendo DS)
For certain, this is not only the best Kirby game, it is also one of the best platformers on the SNES, or any game system period. I freaking love KSSU! Just love it. Someone might question how I can love such an adorable protagonist, or such a cutesy world. Then I would answer that person by putting on a red bandanna, multi-punching them by tapping B, and finishing with an up-B upper cut. This game really knows how to make an open-ended experience. I'm willing to bet that, comparing game length to replay length, I've replayed this game more than any other game I've picked for this list. Granted, this game comes in parts, and I've played some parts more than others. But nevertheless, I've worn out this game, and the game it was remade for completely. I know pretty much anything you'd want to know about this game, and I love every bit of it. The music is amazing, the gameplay is tightly perfected, and the colors and variety are plentiful. The story isn't that developed, per se, but it does exactly what it needs to do. And hey, it even has a twist here and there!
For a while, I was considering whether to put the original game from the SNES on my list, or the remake. I decided on the latter, mainly because it's better in every way, 99% of the time. The graphics are much better (making an already good looking game gorgeous), there is more content (which is great fun, and not just thrown together junk), and it makes one of my favorite games portable! What's not to like? It still has a great multiplayer as well; helpers are so much fun! What I love most about this game is the copy abilities. Most Kirby games have them, but none have ever done them as well as KSSU. You see, there are plenty of abilities to use, but they're also more developed. Each ability has multiple moves and uses. This makes them fun to find, but also fun to use.
With most other Kirby games, it's a case of one happy thing or the other, but never both. KSSU gets it right, by giving quantity and quality! I really enjoying playing with Sword, Fighter, Ice, Hammer, Suplex, Yo-Yo, Ninja, and other abilities. What I love to do is start a new game, and just play using one single ability as much as possible. Doing so lets me play the game I love in a new way, making it fun all over again. It's amazing to me how well it works. The game truly doesn't get old, no matter how many times I see the same level, or how many times I rematch King Dedede. It's just great, every single time. This is truly an awesome game, and I'd recommend it to almost anyone. Just thinking about it makes me happy.
3) Super Mario World (SNES)
Knick-knack, the plumber's back! (I'm sorry, that came out terrible.) This is one of my earliest gaming memories, and it has a metric ton of nostalgia backing it up. For many people, this may have been their first game, or their first...something. While that isn't the case for me, it certainly felt like something that important. (This might have been the first game I beat, I'm not sure.) SMW is a delightful platformer with a fantastic collection of secret paths and hidden specialties. It also has the great gameplay to back it up, and an iconic charm. Is there a story to speak of? Not really. It's basically focused on kidnapped princesses and dinosaurs. That doesn't matter, though. The gameplay speaks for itself. There's Fire Flowers, super capes, big green dinosaur friends, and rideable dolphins. You've also got secret paths, hidden levels, and the elusive star world to discover. Even the switch palaces will give you a ride for your money! (Coins?)
I have spent so many hours with this game. I found just about every secret I could. Then, I found the rest of them once I knew how to use the internet (lol). I didn't just play this game seriously, either. Sometimes, I'd just goof around, for fun. I'd grab a cape, and sail up high in the open sky. Does anyone remember just playing games for fun, and not because you're desperately trying to beat the game, get an achievement, or become a higher rank in some meaningless online scoring system? I certainly do. Now, I'm not saying that all modern games are like that, or that they can't be fun too. But It really goes to show with games like SMW how far a game can get with simple, good gameplay. Just give me a cape, a back-up fire flower, and a blue yoshi (he can fly!), and I'm ready to take on the world!
As you might recall, I've described how many Mario fans compare Super Mario World with Super Mario Bros. 3, and how they often pick Super Mario Bros. 3. Well, that's not me. And no, you can't blame that on which game I played first, because I did play SMB3 first. The reasons that I think SMW is the better game is, for one thing, secrets. They're much better designed, and they feel way more rewarding than some warping whistle, or a bouncing shoe that's in one level. I flipped out when I first discovered the Star World. What an awesome secret world! But it got even better. There was the mystical Special World! Good gravy, it was like magic! Yeah, it was friggen difficult to find that place, and even harder to beat it. But it was incredibly rewarding, especially once you came back to the regular levels, and saw such a crazy change in the enemies. On a different note, I simply like the Cape better than SMB3's leaf. Hmm, would I rather be a super hero (like Superman with a cape), or flying as an animal that can't even fly in real life? No brainer. Yep, this game seems better to me than SMB3 in every way. Better secrets, Yoshi, much better music (Bowser's castle music especially), and much more make this game the best Mario game I've ever played.
2) Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sega Genesis)
A god among platformers. A game with a fantastic sense of speed. The single-best reason to own a Sega Genesis. Sonic the Hedgehog's finest gaming performance. One of the best gaming soundtracks I've ever heard. A nostalgic example of blissful memories. A pioneer of simultaneous co-op platforming. A game with the best secret reward ever created. A yearly tradition.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles is all of these things, and more.
What an unbelievable game this is. S3&K means a lot to me. And when I refer to it, I mean the whole experience. I'm not talking about Sonic 3. I'm not talking about Sonic & Knuckles: I'm talking about the real game. The fully-realized sequel to Sonic 2. If you're familiar with Sonic's history, then you might know about this game's back-story. During a time when episodic gaming was unheard of, a game was created that was too large for a Sega Genesis game-cart. That game, obviously, was S3&K. What was Sega's solution? Split the game into two, and capitalize on revolutionary gaming technology. This tech was called Lock-On technology, and it was so freaking cool! How this worked, was taking the Sonic 3 game, and the Sonic & Knuckles game, and literally putting both games together, one on top of the other. S&K had a special slot on the top, which allowed for the insertion of Sonic 3 (or the other two Sonic games, providing separate bonuses). But just the concept alone was so awesome to me. I imagined it like a Power Ranger, combining together to form an unstoppable force, defeating any competition that stood in its way. Corny? Maybe, but it rocked my socks, back in the day. You just have to play the game this way. If you play one part or the other, it just doesn't feel right.
Once you've got everything together, this game is fantastic. It's got 3 playable characters, each of which plays mostly the same, but features special in-game bonuses. Sonic gets to make use of 3 shield power-ups, and their special abilities. Tails can't use them for anything besides protection. To compensate, he can fly, finding special secrets and hidden routes. Knuckles, meanwhile, is slightly handicapped with lower jump height, in order to offset his awesome abilities. One was to glide in the air, another was to climb up almost any wall, and the final was to break special walls with his...knuckles...and find new parts of levels that Sonic and Tails had never seen before. So you take these awesome characters, and put them in these sweet levels. They were all so great. My absolute favorites would include Angel Island, Ice Cap, Flying Battery, Lava Reef, and the unforgettable Death Egg zone. That last one was set in space, with the earth as a background! How cool! The last thing I'll reference is the Chaos/Super Emeralds. Not only do they give you awesome, game-breaking powers: Sonic gets an extra level flying in space, like a crazy rocket! It was awesome! It's still awesome. The whole game. It's just great. A great game. I will love it always. Kind of like...
1) Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
The final game on my list is something special. Yeah, I know, I said the same thing about all the other games on my list. But this one is especially...special. It is near and dear to my heart. Nothing is perfect, that might be true. However, when it comes to games, DKC2 comes this close to perfection. I can't really think of anything really wrong with it. I'd probably have to pick something worthless like...menus, or something. I really do love everything about this game. No, really, everything. Think of something that describes a game, and I love it. Characters? Yep. Levels? Oh yeah. Music? The best ever, bar none. Secrets? Especially awesome. Multiplayer? Great. Yeah, like I said...everything.
This is the absolute creme-de-la-creme of gaming. It is completely nostalgic, and at the same time, perfectly aged and continually fun. What helps this so much is the level design. It is friggen top-notch! The absolute best. Every single level feels a little different from the last one, and is always fun. Some have gimmicks, some don't. It doesn't matter. Because they're always different, the game never gets old. You will always find some new kind of challenge waiting in each level that you never experienced before. It's that kind of challenge that is supremely compelling. You just can't wait to see what the next level holds in store for you. One thing's for sure: each one will look and play great. Every stage flows together. Nothing really feels clunky, or out of place. Meanwhile the ambiance and atmosphere is flawless. While this was a game made primarily for kids, the art wasn't made cutesy, or overly colorful. The game has a somewhat dark look to it, but it's offset by the goofy characters. Then you have the music. The mind-blowing music. Quite honestly, it's beautiful. Yes, it's true. It almost has the power to move me, in ways I can't describe. It's not just nostalgia, or simple happiness. It's something more than that. So you take the music, the levels, and the atmosphere, and it all works together for a game that takes itself seriously, but not too much so.
When you take the above into account, you also have to remember the gameplay. The tight, enjoyable, frenzied, flowing, compelling, splendid gameplay. It just hits this mysterious gaming nirvana pleasure center in my brain. You have 2 playable characters, one that's fast, and one that can glide. You can toss each other to greater heights. That's not bad, by itself. But it's all supported by so many other great things. You've got the animal friends, like the awesome rhino, Rambi, the cool swordfish, Enguard, the sweet egg-spitting parrot, Squawks, and the friendly neighborhood spider, Spitter. They can all help you reach the many secrets in this game. Oh, that's right: secrets. This game has loads of them, and they're so well-designed, I can't think of any better secrets ever made for a game. Bonus barrels and DK Coins, so cool! These secrets are so great because they're not quite impossible to find, like how some games do it. You kind of know where they are before you find them. The developers almost lead you to them. But it's still up to you to figure them out, and collect them all. That's how you do it, my friends. It's simply genius, I tell you! The entire game is an amazing example of game design, for every reason conceivable. As far as games go, Donkey Kong Country 2 means everything to me. I will treasure it always, staying content with happy memories.
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And that, my good readers, is My top 50 favorite video games of ALL TIME!!! I really hoped you enjoyed reading it, just as much as I enjoyed writing it, and remembering these awesome games. Tell me what you think. Did I miss any games? Is there something about a certain game I forgot to mention? Do you have your own list? Let me know. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
View: My top 50 Games #20-11
20) Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Boy, is it good to return to nice places, or what? Never could I have imagined a return as successful as this. Look at platformers that are trying to capture their youthful spirit, such as Sonic 4, or New Super Mario Brothers Wii. Yeah, they're certainly trying their best, and it's very nice. They get an A for effort. But have they really gotten it right? I'm talking about execution here, not conception. The answer to that question here, is no, I think. Sonic 4 isn't nearly as good as the old Sonic games. NSMBW also fails to make a proper comeback, even though it was pretty close. Then along comes DKCR. Did it go the distance? On principle, I still have to say no. But it does such a fantastic job, that it's almost too close to tell.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is a fantastic platformer. The level design is crazy, creative, colorful, and clever. Each level has you doing something fun, and different. They all feel really great, and make the game completely addicting. This game also does well by tapping into nostalgia, but not relying on it completely. DKCR does new things, in addition to making you remember old things. All together, I would say that DKCR is tied for 2nd place, in my ranking of DKC games. It certainly surpassed the original DKC. Was it because of the mine cart level in the rolling egg? The first retread in that mystical jungle? That beautiful sunset level? Maybe its the unforgettable secret level, at the end of the game? I would say yes to all of these, and much more. Other game developers should look at this game, and see how to go back to the good old days in the right way.
19) Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo DS)
First, let me say that I love almost all Mario RPGs. However, only two are good enough to make this list. And the first one to step up is this little gem from the Nintendo DS. The third Mario & Luigi game is, in essence, endearing and entertaining. Sure, that can apply to almost any game on this list. But this is what comes to my mind when I remember this game. It refines the gameplay of the original M&L, thankfully ditching the “improvements” made in the sequel. That makes for tight, flexible, and enjoyable combat. Meanwhile, the writing is just as excellent as it always is. By the end of every cutscene, or text sequence, you'll be giggling with glee, or re-discovering just how much you love these characters.
Something that will always give this game the edge, in my mind, is the time when I first played it. I had this game during my second head surgery. While the recovery was relatively quick, it took me plenty of time to recuperate. I can think of no better way to do that, then to grab my armchair pillow, prop myself up on my bed, and spend a couple of hours with this game. It made the healing process that much easier. How can I feel sick, when I'm so happy watching Fawful, and his engrish antics? If nothing else, this game reminded me of just how awesome Bowser is. Of course, the entire game is awesome. Characters, story, setting, badge system, snacks, and all.
18) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Gamecube)
Welcome back, TLoZ! We missed you! If you thought I forgot about these games, don't worry, you'll be seeing my other entries in quick succession. And so, along comes Wind Waker. A wonderful adventure, to be sure. This game has great items to use, a nice amount of side-quests, and what is definitely the biggest overworld to explore. Yes, that sea! It's so friggen gigantic! Yet it's full of things to discover. There are entire islands, just waiting to be found. Then there's treasure to be gotten, seemingly lost at sea until it's collected. Or maybe there's a humongous Octo trying to smash you and your boat to pieces! Take that sucker out!
But it isn't any of that stuff that separates this game from all the other zeldas. Most of that is pretty average for a Zelda game, kind of expected. What this Zelda does for me, that is better than the rest, is making use of emotion. I have never felt more connected with Zelda characters than I did for the cast of Wind Waker. They're all just so dang likeable! Who doesn't love Tetra, and her headstrong attitude? Or what about Link's adorable little sister? I almost shed a tear when Link left home for the first time. Then there's that unforgettable sense of accomplishment/violent satisfaction that comes when you plunge the Master Sword deep into Ganondorf's head. When it comes to this game, it all comes together. If any complaints must be made, they probably focus on the less than stellar temples to explore, the tedious and unnecessary quest for the Triforce pieces, or the general lack of traditional Zelda staples (like an actual Hyrule field). But besides a few details, Wind Waker is a loveable masterpiece of adventure.
17) Borderlands (Xbox 360)
There's something about Borderlands that's almost primal in its appeal. I think it goes back to the early days of the human race. Part of our nature is to hunt, search for, and scavenge. Before we were large/organized enough to make vast civilizations, complete with easily accessible resources, we had to work. In order to eat, or enjoy shelter, we had to find it. That might mean killing something, and maybe bringing along a friend to help. In essence, every human being is looking for loot, in some way or fashion.
Along comes Borderlands. The main focus in this first person shooter with RPG traits is getting loot. This means better guns, grenades, shields, or a number of other things. The quest for better upgrades can go on for pretty much forever. This wouldn't be so great, unless it was also fun. Fortunately for us, and Gearbox Studios, it is totally fun. Killing monsters and robbers with friends, leveling up your skills, combined with constantly looking for better weapons and upgrades makes for incredibly addictive gameplay. The fact that I've put dozens and dozens of hours into the game is amazing enough. I've gotten great weapons, seen every single rock on Pandora, and reached the final level cap with my soldier. What I can't understand, is that I still want to keep playing! I almost don't believe it. How did this game get so awesome and memorable? It's probably Claptrap's fault...Anyways, some problems worth mentioning include the unfocused story, repetitive nature of the game, and the difficulty in getting any upgrades worth using. These aren't a deal breaker, by any means. Hopefully they will be dealt with in a sequel. If and when that game comes, I'll probably disappear for good, and you'll know why.
16) Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (Gamecube)
The blue blur is speeding back onto my list, and this time, he's brought along his best 3-D game. SA2:B is a spectacular collection of speedy gameplay, memorable stages, and disputably good music. First, let's be clear, there's a lot of reasons why this game shouldn't be on my list. It's not here because of the shooting, or treasure hunting stages. Both of those things are terribly slow, have annoying controls, and make bad changes to characters that were unneeded in the first place (like for Tails and Knuckles). It also isn't here for the kart racing, or the chao raising. The former was an okay diversion. The latter was horribly addictive, I must admit. Nevertheless, virtual pet-babies have nothing to do with Sonic, and should never be in a Sonic game ever again. I'm also going to confess that I enjoyed the story of the game at first, but have come to notice just how silly and flawed it really is.
Here are the reasons this game is on the list. The first reason is because of Sonic's and Shadow's speed stages. They were fun back in the day, and they're still fun now. They're fast, they have acceptable controls, and almost all of the levels are cool, creative, and quite memorable. If every 3-D Sonic game from here on out would just go back to these kind of stages, Sonic would not be the failure he is today. The second reason this game is here is because of its significance in my life. That is to say, it re-introduced Sonic into my life, and cemented his place in my mind as one of my favorite gaming franchises of all time. Is there a lot of problems with this game? You betcha. In this case, however, the good outweighs the bad. While the first Sonic Adventure was pretty good in its own way, it will never get any better than the sequel.
15) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Gamecube)
Here it is, folks. We've come to the second Mario RPG on my list. It also happens to be the best Mario RPG, or any RPG, period. Move over Mass Effect and Fallout! The king is in town, and he's better than you! Hahaha, this game is simply fantastic. If I was going to explain everything great about this game, we'd be here all day. Me typing, you reading, an endless collection of words, not good. The first compliment towards this game I'll make is in regards to the setting. Rogueport, and the lands that surround it, are just too awesome. The main city is surprisingly dark and menacing for a Mario game. You won't find baby stars, or bunny rabbits here. Maybe a thief, or a mob boss, but no cutesy. You've also got other cool places to go, like Glitzville, The Great Tree, The moon (yes, that moon), or a nice train ride filled with Sherlock penguins and blobs.
The gameplay focuses on turn-based combat, and evolving that combat with badges. The whole experience is completely solid. Your attacks center on jumping and hammer smashes, with each attack require skilled button presses. You can set your badges to help one or the other, or to support both. No matter what choice you make, it all feels great. Every battle is always easy to follow, plan, and fun, while the interactivity from the buttons keeps it from being boring. This goes for little enemies, all the way to big bosses. As expected, the writing in this RPG is great, all around. It's hilarious, captivating, and so very unique. I'll never forget about the Yoshi I personally named, TEC, the computer who loved Princess Peach, Sir Grodus and his laugh (buh huh huh), or the curse that accidentally helps Mario all the time. If I had to find something wrong with the game, it would be difficult to do. However, I think that a couple of chapters in this game are a little boring, and the secrets are a little too hard to find without a guide. No matter. TTYD is about as perfect as an RPG can get. I've played it 2 times so far, and it probably won't be my last time.
14) Bioshock (Xbox 360)
In my mind, this game is to video games as a Beethoven song is to music. In other words, it's a classical masterpiece! There is so much to like about this game! Characters, gameplay, controls, setting, story, writing, atmosphere...aah! Where do I begin? I suppose I'll mention the fact that this game has one of the best intros ever made for a video game. A plane crashes in the middle of the ocean. It's just crazy, seeing it sink beneath the water, disappearing into the black, murky depths. Then you get to the little island that just so happens to be close by, and you step into the bathysphere (funny ball submarine thing). As you travel deep into the ocean, you first catch sight of something breathtaking: the underwater city of Rapture. When I first saw that, all I could say was, “Woooooooooow......” It was simply mesmerizing. Truly fantastic. And the game hadn't even started, yet!
Bioshock is compelling from beginning to end. Who doesn't love being a super-powered guy that keeps an armory's worth of weapons with him at all times? They're all such good weapons too! You get an electric shotgun, crossbow with trip wires, and my favorite, the chemical thrower. This gun accomplishes something amazing; it manages to be 3 times as good as a regular flamethrower. You mean, I can shoot fire (napalm), ice, and pure electricity, and all with the same gun?! Yes, yes, yes!!! Then the story, the unforgettable story! Andrew Ryan, the little sisters, “would you kindly,” Atlas (or is it Fontaine), my goodness! I can't help but devote a couple sentences to Sander Cohen, and the events that surround him. What an interesting and frightening impression he creates. You might say that can apply for the entire game. But I mean that in a good way.
Now, is all this somehow ignoring the fact that Bioshock 2 is also a great game? No way. But I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Bioshock 2 is a better game; Bioshock is a better experience. Can't wait for Infinite!
13) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis)
You just can't keep a good hedgehog down. As the most nostalgic Sonic game I know, Sonic 2 had to make it on the list. It remains a classic example of good, simple, platforming fun. To this day the game is still frozen in my mind and easily memorable. While the first game tried to convince the player that Sonic was fast, it wasn't until the sequel that we could believe it. This game is plenty fast. Heck, it goes so quick, at one point, Sonic is able to outrun the camera itself. Should we blame the old Sega Genesis for having a faulty camera? Or is Sonic just that good?
Something this game does right is having good music. Almost every stage has something great going on in the background. Emerald Hill makes for a great beginning tune, Metropolis Zone puts you right in the middle of a technological city filled with traps, Sky Chase gives you wings (suck it Red Bull), Hill Top Zone makes you feel like you're on top of the world, and so forth (all mentally speaking). A different, but equally good part of this game is the special stages. They're tense, exciting, and really feel like an accomplishment, once you beat them. I definitely enjoy playing every stage, finding plenty of secrets, all while blazing through as fast as possible. The game is pretty long, too, which allows for more variety in levels. Fortunately, there was one more Sonic game that manages to top Sonic 2 in every way. But I've gotta give Sonic 2 respect for, if nothing else, nostalgic memories.
12) Contra 3: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Probably the manliest game on my list, Contra 3 is a fistful of alien shooting awesomeness. It grabs you by the throat, and demands that you play by the rules, down to the very last detail. Then it curb-stomps you. If you've ever played it, or any Contra, you'd know just how balls-to-the-wall difficult it is. This might be a bad thing, if Contra 3 wasn't a tight, exciting, and fun game to blast through. If you stay on your toes, ducking and weaving through every bullet, crazy attack, and deadly hazard, all while plowing your way through hundreds of nightmarish monsters along the way, you'll come out with a chest filled with hair, a beard on your chin, and one of the best video game victories you'll ever feel. No kidding, beating this game on hard (the only difficulty setting, as far as I'm concerned) was one of the best feelings I've ever gotten from beating a video game.
There are so many thrilling and unbelievable action sequences in this game. Just thinking about it pumps up my adrenaline! There's the part where you're hanging on a seemingly endless ladder, trying to avoid a killer robot and his missiles. Only the moon and your gun are around to keep you company. Later on, you come up to a room filled with skeleton robots, trying to gun you down. Just when you think they're bad enough, a giant skeleton robot bursts in, trying to torch your rear with fire! Don't forget, he also throws bombs at you. If that wasn't manly enough, how about the section where you're way up in the sky, trying to take down a blimp. And the only way you can stay alive is if you jump from one flying missile to the next, only hanging by one arm! It's friggen crazy! While I love and have beaten almost every single Contra, no other sequel or prequel can match the fun and excitement of Contra 3. Let's attack aggressively! (The next game on my list, I mean.)
11) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)
Now we can talk about one of the strangest, darkest, most unusual of the Zelda games. And by talk, I mean you reading what I'm typing now. Majora's Mask does a lot of different things, as far as classic 3-D Zelda games go. Instead of stopping Ganon from world domination (of course) like normal, Link is doing his best to stop the end of the world as he knows it (and he doesn't feel fine). Yet, by doing so many different things, MM is very easy to remember. Transforming with different masks was great, exploring a new world was engrossing, working in the confines of 3 repeating days was stressful, yet exciting, side-quests were plentiful, and incredibly deep/varied. It all worked out very well.
As mentioned, this game has a dark, and depressing story. But that isn't bad. In fact, it makes the story very easy to connect with, and so great to follow along with. Absolving the sins of past heroes, reuniting broken families, and bringing rest to the dead is a haunting melancholy that isn't easy to forget. Throughout this game, you are treated to fantastic, somber music. The Stone Temple, the Oath to Order, Woodfall Temple (complete with chanting), it all works together to create an atmospheric environment that sticks with you forever. This game even goes so far as to reward all that collecting by giving you the Fierce Deity Mask. And what a great, game-breaking reward that is! Link never looked so bad-ace. A couple of stains on this fine white table cloth of a game (what, you don't like my analogies? Screw you) include the temple designs, which were too long, confusing, and obtuse. Another problem were some of the controls for some transformations (it is way too hard to steer Goron Link correctly). These aren't horrible problems. Majora's Mask is still amazing, engrossing, and an over-all stellar game. But those problems and a few more keep it from being my favorite Zelda game of all time.
So, you've seen the rest. Now prepare yourself for the best! Coming up is my top 10 favorite games of all time! The games that I consider to be better than all of the previous 40 games I've been writing about. What are they? Stay tuned. (At least you don't have to worry about commercials, lol!)
Boy, is it good to return to nice places, or what? Never could I have imagined a return as successful as this. Look at platformers that are trying to capture their youthful spirit, such as Sonic 4, or New Super Mario Brothers Wii. Yeah, they're certainly trying their best, and it's very nice. They get an A for effort. But have they really gotten it right? I'm talking about execution here, not conception. The answer to that question here, is no, I think. Sonic 4 isn't nearly as good as the old Sonic games. NSMBW also fails to make a proper comeback, even though it was pretty close. Then along comes DKCR. Did it go the distance? On principle, I still have to say no. But it does such a fantastic job, that it's almost too close to tell.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is a fantastic platformer. The level design is crazy, creative, colorful, and clever. Each level has you doing something fun, and different. They all feel really great, and make the game completely addicting. This game also does well by tapping into nostalgia, but not relying on it completely. DKCR does new things, in addition to making you remember old things. All together, I would say that DKCR is tied for 2nd place, in my ranking of DKC games. It certainly surpassed the original DKC. Was it because of the mine cart level in the rolling egg? The first retread in that mystical jungle? That beautiful sunset level? Maybe its the unforgettable secret level, at the end of the game? I would say yes to all of these, and much more. Other game developers should look at this game, and see how to go back to the good old days in the right way.
19) Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo DS)
First, let me say that I love almost all Mario RPGs. However, only two are good enough to make this list. And the first one to step up is this little gem from the Nintendo DS. The third Mario & Luigi game is, in essence, endearing and entertaining. Sure, that can apply to almost any game on this list. But this is what comes to my mind when I remember this game. It refines the gameplay of the original M&L, thankfully ditching the “improvements” made in the sequel. That makes for tight, flexible, and enjoyable combat. Meanwhile, the writing is just as excellent as it always is. By the end of every cutscene, or text sequence, you'll be giggling with glee, or re-discovering just how much you love these characters.
Something that will always give this game the edge, in my mind, is the time when I first played it. I had this game during my second head surgery. While the recovery was relatively quick, it took me plenty of time to recuperate. I can think of no better way to do that, then to grab my armchair pillow, prop myself up on my bed, and spend a couple of hours with this game. It made the healing process that much easier. How can I feel sick, when I'm so happy watching Fawful, and his engrish antics? If nothing else, this game reminded me of just how awesome Bowser is. Of course, the entire game is awesome. Characters, story, setting, badge system, snacks, and all.
18) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (Gamecube)
Welcome back, TLoZ! We missed you! If you thought I forgot about these games, don't worry, you'll be seeing my other entries in quick succession. And so, along comes Wind Waker. A wonderful adventure, to be sure. This game has great items to use, a nice amount of side-quests, and what is definitely the biggest overworld to explore. Yes, that sea! It's so friggen gigantic! Yet it's full of things to discover. There are entire islands, just waiting to be found. Then there's treasure to be gotten, seemingly lost at sea until it's collected. Or maybe there's a humongous Octo trying to smash you and your boat to pieces! Take that sucker out!
But it isn't any of that stuff that separates this game from all the other zeldas. Most of that is pretty average for a Zelda game, kind of expected. What this Zelda does for me, that is better than the rest, is making use of emotion. I have never felt more connected with Zelda characters than I did for the cast of Wind Waker. They're all just so dang likeable! Who doesn't love Tetra, and her headstrong attitude? Or what about Link's adorable little sister? I almost shed a tear when Link left home for the first time. Then there's that unforgettable sense of accomplishment/violent satisfaction that comes when you plunge the Master Sword deep into Ganondorf's head. When it comes to this game, it all comes together. If any complaints must be made, they probably focus on the less than stellar temples to explore, the tedious and unnecessary quest for the Triforce pieces, or the general lack of traditional Zelda staples (like an actual Hyrule field). But besides a few details, Wind Waker is a loveable masterpiece of adventure.
17) Borderlands (Xbox 360)
There's something about Borderlands that's almost primal in its appeal. I think it goes back to the early days of the human race. Part of our nature is to hunt, search for, and scavenge. Before we were large/organized enough to make vast civilizations, complete with easily accessible resources, we had to work. In order to eat, or enjoy shelter, we had to find it. That might mean killing something, and maybe bringing along a friend to help. In essence, every human being is looking for loot, in some way or fashion.
Along comes Borderlands. The main focus in this first person shooter with RPG traits is getting loot. This means better guns, grenades, shields, or a number of other things. The quest for better upgrades can go on for pretty much forever. This wouldn't be so great, unless it was also fun. Fortunately for us, and Gearbox Studios, it is totally fun. Killing monsters and robbers with friends, leveling up your skills, combined with constantly looking for better weapons and upgrades makes for incredibly addictive gameplay. The fact that I've put dozens and dozens of hours into the game is amazing enough. I've gotten great weapons, seen every single rock on Pandora, and reached the final level cap with my soldier. What I can't understand, is that I still want to keep playing! I almost don't believe it. How did this game get so awesome and memorable? It's probably Claptrap's fault...Anyways, some problems worth mentioning include the unfocused story, repetitive nature of the game, and the difficulty in getting any upgrades worth using. These aren't a deal breaker, by any means. Hopefully they will be dealt with in a sequel. If and when that game comes, I'll probably disappear for good, and you'll know why.
16) Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (Gamecube)
The blue blur is speeding back onto my list, and this time, he's brought along his best 3-D game. SA2:B is a spectacular collection of speedy gameplay, memorable stages, and disputably good music. First, let's be clear, there's a lot of reasons why this game shouldn't be on my list. It's not here because of the shooting, or treasure hunting stages. Both of those things are terribly slow, have annoying controls, and make bad changes to characters that were unneeded in the first place (like for Tails and Knuckles). It also isn't here for the kart racing, or the chao raising. The former was an okay diversion. The latter was horribly addictive, I must admit. Nevertheless, virtual pet-babies have nothing to do with Sonic, and should never be in a Sonic game ever again. I'm also going to confess that I enjoyed the story of the game at first, but have come to notice just how silly and flawed it really is.
Here are the reasons this game is on the list. The first reason is because of Sonic's and Shadow's speed stages. They were fun back in the day, and they're still fun now. They're fast, they have acceptable controls, and almost all of the levels are cool, creative, and quite memorable. If every 3-D Sonic game from here on out would just go back to these kind of stages, Sonic would not be the failure he is today. The second reason this game is here is because of its significance in my life. That is to say, it re-introduced Sonic into my life, and cemented his place in my mind as one of my favorite gaming franchises of all time. Is there a lot of problems with this game? You betcha. In this case, however, the good outweighs the bad. While the first Sonic Adventure was pretty good in its own way, it will never get any better than the sequel.
15) Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Gamecube)
Here it is, folks. We've come to the second Mario RPG on my list. It also happens to be the best Mario RPG, or any RPG, period. Move over Mass Effect and Fallout! The king is in town, and he's better than you! Hahaha, this game is simply fantastic. If I was going to explain everything great about this game, we'd be here all day. Me typing, you reading, an endless collection of words, not good. The first compliment towards this game I'll make is in regards to the setting. Rogueport, and the lands that surround it, are just too awesome. The main city is surprisingly dark and menacing for a Mario game. You won't find baby stars, or bunny rabbits here. Maybe a thief, or a mob boss, but no cutesy. You've also got other cool places to go, like Glitzville, The Great Tree, The moon (yes, that moon), or a nice train ride filled with Sherlock penguins and blobs.
The gameplay focuses on turn-based combat, and evolving that combat with badges. The whole experience is completely solid. Your attacks center on jumping and hammer smashes, with each attack require skilled button presses. You can set your badges to help one or the other, or to support both. No matter what choice you make, it all feels great. Every battle is always easy to follow, plan, and fun, while the interactivity from the buttons keeps it from being boring. This goes for little enemies, all the way to big bosses. As expected, the writing in this RPG is great, all around. It's hilarious, captivating, and so very unique. I'll never forget about the Yoshi I personally named, TEC, the computer who loved Princess Peach, Sir Grodus and his laugh (buh huh huh), or the curse that accidentally helps Mario all the time. If I had to find something wrong with the game, it would be difficult to do. However, I think that a couple of chapters in this game are a little boring, and the secrets are a little too hard to find without a guide. No matter. TTYD is about as perfect as an RPG can get. I've played it 2 times so far, and it probably won't be my last time.
14) Bioshock (Xbox 360)
In my mind, this game is to video games as a Beethoven song is to music. In other words, it's a classical masterpiece! There is so much to like about this game! Characters, gameplay, controls, setting, story, writing, atmosphere...aah! Where do I begin? I suppose I'll mention the fact that this game has one of the best intros ever made for a video game. A plane crashes in the middle of the ocean. It's just crazy, seeing it sink beneath the water, disappearing into the black, murky depths. Then you get to the little island that just so happens to be close by, and you step into the bathysphere (funny ball submarine thing). As you travel deep into the ocean, you first catch sight of something breathtaking: the underwater city of Rapture. When I first saw that, all I could say was, “Woooooooooow......” It was simply mesmerizing. Truly fantastic. And the game hadn't even started, yet!
Bioshock is compelling from beginning to end. Who doesn't love being a super-powered guy that keeps an armory's worth of weapons with him at all times? They're all such good weapons too! You get an electric shotgun, crossbow with trip wires, and my favorite, the chemical thrower. This gun accomplishes something amazing; it manages to be 3 times as good as a regular flamethrower. You mean, I can shoot fire (napalm), ice, and pure electricity, and all with the same gun?! Yes, yes, yes!!! Then the story, the unforgettable story! Andrew Ryan, the little sisters, “would you kindly,” Atlas (or is it Fontaine), my goodness! I can't help but devote a couple sentences to Sander Cohen, and the events that surround him. What an interesting and frightening impression he creates. You might say that can apply for the entire game. But I mean that in a good way.
Now, is all this somehow ignoring the fact that Bioshock 2 is also a great game? No way. But I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Bioshock 2 is a better game; Bioshock is a better experience. Can't wait for Infinite!
13) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis)
You just can't keep a good hedgehog down. As the most nostalgic Sonic game I know, Sonic 2 had to make it on the list. It remains a classic example of good, simple, platforming fun. To this day the game is still frozen in my mind and easily memorable. While the first game tried to convince the player that Sonic was fast, it wasn't until the sequel that we could believe it. This game is plenty fast. Heck, it goes so quick, at one point, Sonic is able to outrun the camera itself. Should we blame the old Sega Genesis for having a faulty camera? Or is Sonic just that good?
Something this game does right is having good music. Almost every stage has something great going on in the background. Emerald Hill makes for a great beginning tune, Metropolis Zone puts you right in the middle of a technological city filled with traps, Sky Chase gives you wings (suck it Red Bull), Hill Top Zone makes you feel like you're on top of the world, and so forth (all mentally speaking). A different, but equally good part of this game is the special stages. They're tense, exciting, and really feel like an accomplishment, once you beat them. I definitely enjoy playing every stage, finding plenty of secrets, all while blazing through as fast as possible. The game is pretty long, too, which allows for more variety in levels. Fortunately, there was one more Sonic game that manages to top Sonic 2 in every way. But I've gotta give Sonic 2 respect for, if nothing else, nostalgic memories.
12) Contra 3: The Alien Wars (SNES)
Probably the manliest game on my list, Contra 3 is a fistful of alien shooting awesomeness. It grabs you by the throat, and demands that you play by the rules, down to the very last detail. Then it curb-stomps you. If you've ever played it, or any Contra, you'd know just how balls-to-the-wall difficult it is. This might be a bad thing, if Contra 3 wasn't a tight, exciting, and fun game to blast through. If you stay on your toes, ducking and weaving through every bullet, crazy attack, and deadly hazard, all while plowing your way through hundreds of nightmarish monsters along the way, you'll come out with a chest filled with hair, a beard on your chin, and one of the best video game victories you'll ever feel. No kidding, beating this game on hard (the only difficulty setting, as far as I'm concerned) was one of the best feelings I've ever gotten from beating a video game.
There are so many thrilling and unbelievable action sequences in this game. Just thinking about it pumps up my adrenaline! There's the part where you're hanging on a seemingly endless ladder, trying to avoid a killer robot and his missiles. Only the moon and your gun are around to keep you company. Later on, you come up to a room filled with skeleton robots, trying to gun you down. Just when you think they're bad enough, a giant skeleton robot bursts in, trying to torch your rear with fire! Don't forget, he also throws bombs at you. If that wasn't manly enough, how about the section where you're way up in the sky, trying to take down a blimp. And the only way you can stay alive is if you jump from one flying missile to the next, only hanging by one arm! It's friggen crazy! While I love and have beaten almost every single Contra, no other sequel or prequel can match the fun and excitement of Contra 3. Let's attack aggressively! (The next game on my list, I mean.)
11) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)
Now we can talk about one of the strangest, darkest, most unusual of the Zelda games. And by talk, I mean you reading what I'm typing now. Majora's Mask does a lot of different things, as far as classic 3-D Zelda games go. Instead of stopping Ganon from world domination (of course) like normal, Link is doing his best to stop the end of the world as he knows it (and he doesn't feel fine). Yet, by doing so many different things, MM is very easy to remember. Transforming with different masks was great, exploring a new world was engrossing, working in the confines of 3 repeating days was stressful, yet exciting, side-quests were plentiful, and incredibly deep/varied. It all worked out very well.
As mentioned, this game has a dark, and depressing story. But that isn't bad. In fact, it makes the story very easy to connect with, and so great to follow along with. Absolving the sins of past heroes, reuniting broken families, and bringing rest to the dead is a haunting melancholy that isn't easy to forget. Throughout this game, you are treated to fantastic, somber music. The Stone Temple, the Oath to Order, Woodfall Temple (complete with chanting), it all works together to create an atmospheric environment that sticks with you forever. This game even goes so far as to reward all that collecting by giving you the Fierce Deity Mask. And what a great, game-breaking reward that is! Link never looked so bad-ace. A couple of stains on this fine white table cloth of a game (what, you don't like my analogies? Screw you) include the temple designs, which were too long, confusing, and obtuse. Another problem were some of the controls for some transformations (it is way too hard to steer Goron Link correctly). These aren't horrible problems. Majora's Mask is still amazing, engrossing, and an over-all stellar game. But those problems and a few more keep it from being my favorite Zelda game of all time.
So, you've seen the rest. Now prepare yourself for the best! Coming up is my top 10 favorite games of all time! The games that I consider to be better than all of the previous 40 games I've been writing about. What are they? Stay tuned. (At least you don't have to worry about commercials, lol!)
Friday, January 14, 2011
View: My top 50: Games #30-21
30) Half Life 2 (all episodes included, on Xbox 360)
This FPS shows off the journey of an ordinary man under extraordinary circumstances. This man is Gordon Freeman, the so called, “one-free man.” This designation is quite special. Many games feature heroes that are going to save the world, and all that jazz. But few games feature a character of messianic proportions. This ideology surrounding one average guy is almost crazy. And yet it makes for an interesting distinction, to say the least. What's more interesting than him, however, is the world that Gordon Freeman inhabits, and the characters that surround him.
It's the future, and earth is enslaved. Half Life 2 doesn't focus on some ultimate space marines, or super-powered men of might, ready to save the day. It shows off typical scientists, and simple freedom-fighters. A resistance built up from normal men and women, desperately trying to survive. And what are they trying to survive, exactly? No one knows for sure. That's the mystery behind it. Who are the combine? Who or what leads them? What about the G-Man? Well...we don't know. Will we ever know for sure? I doubt it. Oh well, the lack of details lets us focus on Half Life 2's fantastic sense of atmosphere, great gun play, cool physics, and some of the best/creepiest zombie-type enemies I've ever seen in a game. I'm on my third playthough of the game right now, and it may not be the last one. If only we could continue this adventure. Sequel please!
29) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Wii)
Light and darkness. Good and evil. Moth people and ink blob people. Metroid Prime 2 focuses on all of these things and more. Take notice; MP2 is further down the list for a reason. It isn't the best Metroid I've ever played. Do you know what drags it down? Well, you probably do, if you've played it. The beam ammo system comes up first. As I see it, the primary weapon in a Metroid game should never be limited in use or supply. The power beam is weak, so no one wants to use that. Meanwhile, the light, dark, and sonic beam all use up ammo, so puts pressure where there should not be. Then comes backtracking. No, I'm not saying backtracking is bad, in and of itself. But how you backtrack can be bad. Looking for sky keys is obtuse, and almost requires a guide, for pete's sake. One more important draw back are the environments. Many of them can be bland, compared to other Metroid games, and the dark world can become a tedious obstacle for exploration. When Metroid is concerned, never allow something to get in the way of exploration, besides natural item progression.
So, that's all the bad stuff. What does MP2 get right? Everything else. Okay, next game!...Alright, fine, I'll explain: The atmosphere is fantastic. (Yes, I keep bringing up atmosphere in games. That's because atmosphere is important, and the games that do it right become my favorites.) The other power-ups are great (especially the almighty Screw Attack, I'll use it to kill everything). Then you get a great sense of rivalry and tension between Samus and Dark Samus. Going back to environments, yeah, you'll get bland things. But some places more than make up for it. For example, there's the technotronic masterpiece, Sanctuary Fortress, or the underwater wonderland, Torvus Bog. There's also a great many puzzles to encounter, and they're always done in a smart way. Plus, there's some more great music. Sometimes, a sequel can't meet up to expectations, but it can still be an awesome game regardless. This is exactly how I see Metroid Prime 2.
28) Shadow of the Colossus (Playstation 2)
With the impending re-release of this game coming, in HD no less, now is a great time to remember this wondrous work of gaming art. Yes, I said game and art in the same sentence. That's because some games are art, with this game being one of them. This one is all about the experience it provides. How does this game make you feel? What moods and thoughts do this game reflect? It is certainly an acquired taste, as far as games go. Not many games commit themselves on such an intimate focus. 16 bosses, killing little lizards for stamina, horse riding barren lands, and exploring barren lands until you find the boss. That's it, that's what this game has you do. But it all works so well!
Each colossus displays its own unique characteristics. No battle is exactly alike. They all have their own quirks and personalities. Nevertheless, they will all go down, if you have enough skill. But is that really a victory? I'm not so sure. Most games make you feel good about the things you defeat. That isn't the case here. Every glorious take down of a colossus is poisoned with this feeling of regret, or sadness. This soon becomes a growing concern, as each kill causes the main character to become darker and sicker. What is this quest doing to him? Is killing these colossi really going to help Wander, in this bargain he has made to save the one he loves? While this question is mostly answered at the end, it still kind of bothers you as you keep playing. Such an experience isn't for everyone, but if you can appreciate this game for what it is, you will never forget it.
27) Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
This is a game that goes to show that gameplay is the most important thing, when it comes to games. The gameplay here is tighter than the belt on a fat girl's waste. SMG2 (haha, that acronym looks like a gun sequel) takes everything from the first game, and improves it to a perfect polish. The level design is top notch. The normal controls work 99% of the time, and the collecting works just fine for a 3-D platformer. Not too much, not too little. A few things drag down the experience, though. A couple power-ups, the spring and the rock, control quite badly, and don't make the best use of their abilities. The worst part, however, is the flying sections with the parrot. Those simply control like butt, and are difficult for all the wrong reasons.
There is something about this game that I will remember for a long time. Something almost magical. That something is in the galaxy called Slimy Spring Galaxy. Or, rather, the end of it. This is a seemingly ordinary galaxy, with hardly anything going for it, at first. No nostalgia, no epic space odysseys, no nothing. That is, until you come to the end of this murky, underwater place. After swimming past tentacle hazards, boos, and surviving in these murky depths, you finally come near the surface. It's like a tunnel, and you keep swimming, and swimming. Then, as you finally reach the surface, and take a breath...you see it. You come up to the surface to find a glorious sunset. And it's just beautiful! There is no music, just simple ambiance. Trees and flowers dance by your feet, and decorate the surroundings. A wondrous sky, filled with clouds, and touching hues of red, orange, and white stretches all around you. The true magic of it all is difficult to explain. It was a subjective miracle, as far as I'm concerned. But that's the kind of thing gaming is capable of, and that's what puts this game on my list.
26) Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES)
Almost every Donkey Kong Country game is going to make it on my list, and for good reason. These games are timeless masterpieces of 2-D platforming goodness, showing off good music, clever level design, and an atmosphere that almost no platformer can match. The third trip to this country can certainly lay claim to such a heritage, but ultimately fails to own that territory. DKC3 did some new things, and kept some old. Sometimes this works perfectly. But it ended up making the game merely great, instead of unimaginably fantastic.
The level design doesn't really take a hit. It's just as top-notch as the other games. DKC3 also gets my vote on the coolest secret world in any platformer. Underwater volcanoes that you can't find normally? Yes! Then there's the music. While some think it is inappropriate, dark, or otherwise bad, I always found it to be pretty awesome. There is the matter of the new playable character, Kiddy Kong. His gameplay is great, but his character is annoying, so that's a double-edged sword. As a whole, DKC3 is an elite among other platformers, but it is kind of the middle child, so-to-speak, when it stands next to its brethren.
25) Mario Kart Wii (obvious system is obvious)
Here it is, folks, my favorite kart racing game. It beats Mario Kart 64 in everything but nostalgia. Considering both games objectively, this game is better at nearly everything. Better music, more/better stages, more characters, a trick system, online racing (that actually works!), more driving options (bike/kart), and pretty much anything you can think of.
The only thing that Mario Kart 64 truly owns MKWii at, is the battle mode. No Nintendo, I don't want team deathmatch only, and I don't want to have infinite balloons. That just takes away the fun, and strategy! Besides that, MKWii is superior. Heck, MKWii even has remakes of old MK stages, from many different games. So, you could say it's more than one MK game! Come on people, you know it's true! Ignore the item spam, and realize that Mario Kart Wii is the best kart racing game so far.
24) Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)
Bungie's final Halo game was certainly one of their best. You can tell they really put their heart and soul into making this game. There is an unbelievable amount of content in this game. You get the campaign, then Fire Fight. Online multiplayer, in all of its glory. Custom games, and all of their crazy options. Then you get to edit and create with the evolution of Halo 3's Forge, in Forge World. Finally, there's the Theater mode, letting you observe in-game screenshots and movies you've recorded, so you can never forget that awesome shot, that despicable cheater, or that hilarious fail. Throw in a dedicated armor unlocking system, and you've got a ton of bang for your buck.
The campaign is not too shabby. It's a pretty serious one, and has plenty of awe-inspiring set pieces. Something of note was the little space-battle Bungie threw in (cool stuff, there should have been more). Firefight is just about as great as it was in ODST, but there's way more options, modes, and fun things to do. (Infinite rockets and online play? Oh yeah!) Multiplayer finally gets some significant twists and upgrades to make killing in Halo exciting again. The loadouts allow for customization, choice, and some variety. It's a shame that they aren't better balanced yet, and some end up being more popular than others. To be honest though, the reason Reach isn't at the top isn't so much because it's Reach's fault. It's my fault. I simply don't have as much excitement for Halo as I used to. After playing hundreds of hours in Halo 2, then playing at least a couple hundred more in Halo 3, plus ODST, my Halo love is just about dried up. At this point, it's best for me to take a good break, and come back for more soon. And believe me, when you have as good a game as Halo: Reach, I will be coming back for more!
23) Super Monkey Ball (Gamecube)
The main mode of Super Monkey Ball is one of the simplest takes on the platformer genre I've ever seen. It's also one of the hardest, and requires a meticulous amount of skill. You got a monkey in a hamster ball, and you got to get him to the goal at the end of the level. Naturally, this level usually ends up being a complicated maze. Some levels require a crazy amount of speed. Others require a very steady finger, and force you to walk across a line that seems like it's only as thick as a piece of hair. A few levels are a brain-busting combination of both. The themes of the levels are highly imaginative, entertainingly fun, and demonstrate the most nostalgia. (Confession time: I couldn't beat the game without an action replay cheating device.)
This game was pretty much split in half. One half was maze-focused. The other was focused on zany multiplayer minigames. They were acceptable at the time, but are too simple nowadays. There was a racing game, a fighting game (monkeys with boxing gloves), a different take on the game of darts, and a few alterations on popular sports, like bowling. I would say that the original Monkey Ball has the best, and most memorable mazes. On the other hand, it has the less enjoyable minigames.
22) Super Monkey Ball 2 (Gamecube)
I might as well talk about the second game, while I'm at it. I really like both games a whole lot. But they're better for different reasons. I'd say Super Monkey Ball 2 does minigames much better. Each game from the first comes back, and gets upgraded somehow. Racing became a crazy battle against 12 monkeys, and tons of items. Monkey Fight turned into an outright melee, making use of items and tense stages. Monkey Target took the darts idea further, and allowed the use of synchronized monkey teammates, and corresponding flight formations. (Haha, boy that sounds funny!) Then, it added fun new games, like Monkey Shot (an on-rails shooter), Monkey Soccer, and a golf game that went from silly mini-golf in the original game, to an actual golf course that was almost as good as full-fledged golf games.
It would seem that in order to get such good minigames, something had to give. That something was the single player mazes. You wouldn't think so, at first. There were two modes now, one being arcade, the other being story mode. And sure, arcade mode was almost exactly the same as the first. But the story, meanwhile, was silly nonsense. The mazes themselves were less enjoyable, and memorable. (I think it had something to do with how each one began with a “starting area.” This took away some of the creativity.) I guess the original did some things better, while the sequel was better at other things. Nevertheless, both games were equally great.
21) Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)
You know what? Valve knows how to make good FPS games. It's pretty much a fact of life. Having said that, here comes another one, creating a focus on co-op that no other FPS can match. You have to rely on your teammates to win this game, end of story. I think that's great, though. While many FPS's are making you work against each other, L4D2 helps bring you and your friends together, amid bloody zombie carnage. How sweet!
Speaking of carnage, this game gets it right. Really right. The addition of melee weapons truly brings you closer to your violent side. A slashing axe, and a clanging frying pan have never felt so satisfying. Naturally, the guns are just as great. The Desert Eagle is loud, and capable of spilling every bit of a zombie's lower intestine. Or making their head explode, it all depends on where you aim. The weapon variety is almost perfect (flamethrower, please).
As of the time of this list's creation, the game has pretty much become a combination of the first and second game. Going by that, it's pretty obvious why the first game isn't going on the list. I appreciate what you did, Left 4 Dead 1, but the king of the zombie apocalypse is here.
This FPS shows off the journey of an ordinary man under extraordinary circumstances. This man is Gordon Freeman, the so called, “one-free man.” This designation is quite special. Many games feature heroes that are going to save the world, and all that jazz. But few games feature a character of messianic proportions. This ideology surrounding one average guy is almost crazy. And yet it makes for an interesting distinction, to say the least. What's more interesting than him, however, is the world that Gordon Freeman inhabits, and the characters that surround him.
It's the future, and earth is enslaved. Half Life 2 doesn't focus on some ultimate space marines, or super-powered men of might, ready to save the day. It shows off typical scientists, and simple freedom-fighters. A resistance built up from normal men and women, desperately trying to survive. And what are they trying to survive, exactly? No one knows for sure. That's the mystery behind it. Who are the combine? Who or what leads them? What about the G-Man? Well...we don't know. Will we ever know for sure? I doubt it. Oh well, the lack of details lets us focus on Half Life 2's fantastic sense of atmosphere, great gun play, cool physics, and some of the best/creepiest zombie-type enemies I've ever seen in a game. I'm on my third playthough of the game right now, and it may not be the last one. If only we could continue this adventure. Sequel please!
29) Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Wii)
Light and darkness. Good and evil. Moth people and ink blob people. Metroid Prime 2 focuses on all of these things and more. Take notice; MP2 is further down the list for a reason. It isn't the best Metroid I've ever played. Do you know what drags it down? Well, you probably do, if you've played it. The beam ammo system comes up first. As I see it, the primary weapon in a Metroid game should never be limited in use or supply. The power beam is weak, so no one wants to use that. Meanwhile, the light, dark, and sonic beam all use up ammo, so puts pressure where there should not be. Then comes backtracking. No, I'm not saying backtracking is bad, in and of itself. But how you backtrack can be bad. Looking for sky keys is obtuse, and almost requires a guide, for pete's sake. One more important draw back are the environments. Many of them can be bland, compared to other Metroid games, and the dark world can become a tedious obstacle for exploration. When Metroid is concerned, never allow something to get in the way of exploration, besides natural item progression.
So, that's all the bad stuff. What does MP2 get right? Everything else. Okay, next game!...Alright, fine, I'll explain: The atmosphere is fantastic. (Yes, I keep bringing up atmosphere in games. That's because atmosphere is important, and the games that do it right become my favorites.) The other power-ups are great (especially the almighty Screw Attack, I'll use it to kill everything). Then you get a great sense of rivalry and tension between Samus and Dark Samus. Going back to environments, yeah, you'll get bland things. But some places more than make up for it. For example, there's the technotronic masterpiece, Sanctuary Fortress, or the underwater wonderland, Torvus Bog. There's also a great many puzzles to encounter, and they're always done in a smart way. Plus, there's some more great music. Sometimes, a sequel can't meet up to expectations, but it can still be an awesome game regardless. This is exactly how I see Metroid Prime 2.
28) Shadow of the Colossus (Playstation 2)
With the impending re-release of this game coming, in HD no less, now is a great time to remember this wondrous work of gaming art. Yes, I said game and art in the same sentence. That's because some games are art, with this game being one of them. This one is all about the experience it provides. How does this game make you feel? What moods and thoughts do this game reflect? It is certainly an acquired taste, as far as games go. Not many games commit themselves on such an intimate focus. 16 bosses, killing little lizards for stamina, horse riding barren lands, and exploring barren lands until you find the boss. That's it, that's what this game has you do. But it all works so well!
Each colossus displays its own unique characteristics. No battle is exactly alike. They all have their own quirks and personalities. Nevertheless, they will all go down, if you have enough skill. But is that really a victory? I'm not so sure. Most games make you feel good about the things you defeat. That isn't the case here. Every glorious take down of a colossus is poisoned with this feeling of regret, or sadness. This soon becomes a growing concern, as each kill causes the main character to become darker and sicker. What is this quest doing to him? Is killing these colossi really going to help Wander, in this bargain he has made to save the one he loves? While this question is mostly answered at the end, it still kind of bothers you as you keep playing. Such an experience isn't for everyone, but if you can appreciate this game for what it is, you will never forget it.
27) Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
This is a game that goes to show that gameplay is the most important thing, when it comes to games. The gameplay here is tighter than the belt on a fat girl's waste. SMG2 (haha, that acronym looks like a gun sequel) takes everything from the first game, and improves it to a perfect polish. The level design is top notch. The normal controls work 99% of the time, and the collecting works just fine for a 3-D platformer. Not too much, not too little. A few things drag down the experience, though. A couple power-ups, the spring and the rock, control quite badly, and don't make the best use of their abilities. The worst part, however, is the flying sections with the parrot. Those simply control like butt, and are difficult for all the wrong reasons.
There is something about this game that I will remember for a long time. Something almost magical. That something is in the galaxy called Slimy Spring Galaxy. Or, rather, the end of it. This is a seemingly ordinary galaxy, with hardly anything going for it, at first. No nostalgia, no epic space odysseys, no nothing. That is, until you come to the end of this murky, underwater place. After swimming past tentacle hazards, boos, and surviving in these murky depths, you finally come near the surface. It's like a tunnel, and you keep swimming, and swimming. Then, as you finally reach the surface, and take a breath...you see it. You come up to the surface to find a glorious sunset. And it's just beautiful! There is no music, just simple ambiance. Trees and flowers dance by your feet, and decorate the surroundings. A wondrous sky, filled with clouds, and touching hues of red, orange, and white stretches all around you. The true magic of it all is difficult to explain. It was a subjective miracle, as far as I'm concerned. But that's the kind of thing gaming is capable of, and that's what puts this game on my list.
26) Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES)
Almost every Donkey Kong Country game is going to make it on my list, and for good reason. These games are timeless masterpieces of 2-D platforming goodness, showing off good music, clever level design, and an atmosphere that almost no platformer can match. The third trip to this country can certainly lay claim to such a heritage, but ultimately fails to own that territory. DKC3 did some new things, and kept some old. Sometimes this works perfectly. But it ended up making the game merely great, instead of unimaginably fantastic.
The level design doesn't really take a hit. It's just as top-notch as the other games. DKC3 also gets my vote on the coolest secret world in any platformer. Underwater volcanoes that you can't find normally? Yes! Then there's the music. While some think it is inappropriate, dark, or otherwise bad, I always found it to be pretty awesome. There is the matter of the new playable character, Kiddy Kong. His gameplay is great, but his character is annoying, so that's a double-edged sword. As a whole, DKC3 is an elite among other platformers, but it is kind of the middle child, so-to-speak, when it stands next to its brethren.
25) Mario Kart Wii (obvious system is obvious)
Here it is, folks, my favorite kart racing game. It beats Mario Kart 64 in everything but nostalgia. Considering both games objectively, this game is better at nearly everything. Better music, more/better stages, more characters, a trick system, online racing (that actually works!), more driving options (bike/kart), and pretty much anything you can think of.
The only thing that Mario Kart 64 truly owns MKWii at, is the battle mode. No Nintendo, I don't want team deathmatch only, and I don't want to have infinite balloons. That just takes away the fun, and strategy! Besides that, MKWii is superior. Heck, MKWii even has remakes of old MK stages, from many different games. So, you could say it's more than one MK game! Come on people, you know it's true! Ignore the item spam, and realize that Mario Kart Wii is the best kart racing game so far.
24) Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)
Bungie's final Halo game was certainly one of their best. You can tell they really put their heart and soul into making this game. There is an unbelievable amount of content in this game. You get the campaign, then Fire Fight. Online multiplayer, in all of its glory. Custom games, and all of their crazy options. Then you get to edit and create with the evolution of Halo 3's Forge, in Forge World. Finally, there's the Theater mode, letting you observe in-game screenshots and movies you've recorded, so you can never forget that awesome shot, that despicable cheater, or that hilarious fail. Throw in a dedicated armor unlocking system, and you've got a ton of bang for your buck.
The campaign is not too shabby. It's a pretty serious one, and has plenty of awe-inspiring set pieces. Something of note was the little space-battle Bungie threw in (cool stuff, there should have been more). Firefight is just about as great as it was in ODST, but there's way more options, modes, and fun things to do. (Infinite rockets and online play? Oh yeah!) Multiplayer finally gets some significant twists and upgrades to make killing in Halo exciting again. The loadouts allow for customization, choice, and some variety. It's a shame that they aren't better balanced yet, and some end up being more popular than others. To be honest though, the reason Reach isn't at the top isn't so much because it's Reach's fault. It's my fault. I simply don't have as much excitement for Halo as I used to. After playing hundreds of hours in Halo 2, then playing at least a couple hundred more in Halo 3, plus ODST, my Halo love is just about dried up. At this point, it's best for me to take a good break, and come back for more soon. And believe me, when you have as good a game as Halo: Reach, I will be coming back for more!
23) Super Monkey Ball (Gamecube)
The main mode of Super Monkey Ball is one of the simplest takes on the platformer genre I've ever seen. It's also one of the hardest, and requires a meticulous amount of skill. You got a monkey in a hamster ball, and you got to get him to the goal at the end of the level. Naturally, this level usually ends up being a complicated maze. Some levels require a crazy amount of speed. Others require a very steady finger, and force you to walk across a line that seems like it's only as thick as a piece of hair. A few levels are a brain-busting combination of both. The themes of the levels are highly imaginative, entertainingly fun, and demonstrate the most nostalgia. (Confession time: I couldn't beat the game without an action replay cheating device.)
This game was pretty much split in half. One half was maze-focused. The other was focused on zany multiplayer minigames. They were acceptable at the time, but are too simple nowadays. There was a racing game, a fighting game (monkeys with boxing gloves), a different take on the game of darts, and a few alterations on popular sports, like bowling. I would say that the original Monkey Ball has the best, and most memorable mazes. On the other hand, it has the less enjoyable minigames.
22) Super Monkey Ball 2 (Gamecube)
I might as well talk about the second game, while I'm at it. I really like both games a whole lot. But they're better for different reasons. I'd say Super Monkey Ball 2 does minigames much better. Each game from the first comes back, and gets upgraded somehow. Racing became a crazy battle against 12 monkeys, and tons of items. Monkey Fight turned into an outright melee, making use of items and tense stages. Monkey Target took the darts idea further, and allowed the use of synchronized monkey teammates, and corresponding flight formations. (Haha, boy that sounds funny!) Then, it added fun new games, like Monkey Shot (an on-rails shooter), Monkey Soccer, and a golf game that went from silly mini-golf in the original game, to an actual golf course that was almost as good as full-fledged golf games.
It would seem that in order to get such good minigames, something had to give. That something was the single player mazes. You wouldn't think so, at first. There were two modes now, one being arcade, the other being story mode. And sure, arcade mode was almost exactly the same as the first. But the story, meanwhile, was silly nonsense. The mazes themselves were less enjoyable, and memorable. (I think it had something to do with how each one began with a “starting area.” This took away some of the creativity.) I guess the original did some things better, while the sequel was better at other things. Nevertheless, both games were equally great.
21) Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)
You know what? Valve knows how to make good FPS games. It's pretty much a fact of life. Having said that, here comes another one, creating a focus on co-op that no other FPS can match. You have to rely on your teammates to win this game, end of story. I think that's great, though. While many FPS's are making you work against each other, L4D2 helps bring you and your friends together, amid bloody zombie carnage. How sweet!
Speaking of carnage, this game gets it right. Really right. The addition of melee weapons truly brings you closer to your violent side. A slashing axe, and a clanging frying pan have never felt so satisfying. Naturally, the guns are just as great. The Desert Eagle is loud, and capable of spilling every bit of a zombie's lower intestine. Or making their head explode, it all depends on where you aim. The weapon variety is almost perfect (flamethrower, please).
As of the time of this list's creation, the game has pretty much become a combination of the first and second game. Going by that, it's pretty obvious why the first game isn't going on the list. I appreciate what you did, Left 4 Dead 1, but the king of the zombie apocalypse is here.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
View: My top 50 Games #40-31:
40) WarioWare Inc. (Gameboy Advance)
One of the weirder games on my list, WarioWare was still great, addicting fun. Instead of being a collection of mini-games, WW is actually a collection of micro-games. These were tiny little games that would only last for about 5 seconds. Each one was incredibly simple and relied on good timing, or quick reflexes. One game might ask you to “Jump!” and you have to realize that you got to jump over an incoming hot dog car. Another might tell you to “Squat!” so you must push the A button a couple of times on your little Gameboy Advance until your character has beefy legs. It's a crazy game for sure, but what else would you expect from Wario and his strange friends?
What's great about this game is it's just pure fun. It isn't deep, and it doesn't have a long story, or much story at all for that matter. The thing is, WW doesn't need those things. It was fun and compelling, just based on its collection of micro-games. It had catchy music too, which always helps. There were plenty of sequels for this series, and they were all pretty nice. But none will ever be as memorable as this first option. Now then, get ready: “Read!”
39) Mega Man 10 (Xbox 360, hooray achievements)
In case you didn't know, I'm a pretty big fan of classic Mega Man. While I've played every single one of his games, only two of them are going to make the list, with this being the first. Now, Mega Man 9 gets credit for being gutsy enough to be a modern game made in 8-bit style. However, Mega Man 10 perfected that gutsy move, with great level design, and superior music. It also allows for up to 3 playable characters, each coming with their own style. Mega Man gets to shoot 3 normal bullets, and takes average damage. His brother, Proto Man, gets a shield that blocks damage, can slide away from danger, a charge shot, and completely bad-ace sunglasses. Sadly, he takes double damage.
Then there's Bass, Mega Man's rival. Not only does he get to shoot machine-gun style, but he can dash, making for fast gameplay, and clever shortcuts. I don't have much else to say. Mega Man 10 has tried and true gameplay, great level design, fun weapons, character choice, replayability, and good chiptune music. I can't really ask for more than that.
38) Katamari Damacy (Playstation 2)
This is definitely the strangest game on my list. In case you have never heard of this game, let me explain. The idea is to take this ball, and use it to roll up all kinds of junk scattered throughout the level. As you collect stuff, the ball will grow bigger. Once it does, you can collect bigger stuff. Once you get as big as possible, the level ends, and you win! Yeah, there really isn't another game like this (not counting the sequels, obviously). The concept is simple, but it's really fun and addicting. Don't bother trying to figure out why things work out the way they do. This is a crazy, obviously Japanese game, and it barely makes sense.
It has to do with some kind of kooky guy who looks like Galactus, who goes on a drunken binge and destroys all of the stars in the sky. This drunk, called the King of All Cosmos, sends his princely son down to Earth, to make katamaris. Then he takes these balls of junk, and makes new stars. It's a crazy idea, but it actually works. Since I've never played the sequels, I can't comment on them, or if they're better. But the first game in the series will always be remembered for its bouncy music, and highly unique gameplay.
37) Halo 2 (Xbox)
Halo is the best series of FPS, in my opinion. You're going to see most of the Halo games on my list, so prepare yourself. The biggest reason this one gets on my list is its legendary status of online multiplayer. Since I never was a PC gamer, I'd never played a game online before. That all changed with Halo 2. It was my very first experience with matchmaking, ranks, and frantic competition. And I loved it. I spent well over a year playing this game. Not for the campaign, mind you. No, I barely remember that thing. Not that it matters, it was probably the worst Halo campaign. The best part about campaign was probably the music, which is great in every Halo game.
But yeah, it was all about Xbox Live. It would be the first time I was forced to completely memorize each level, knowing where all of the weapons and vehicles were kept. I had to develop strategies, and gain a steady hand for aiming. Halo 2 wasn't perfect, but it was definitely great, there's no denying it. It helped me hone my shooting skills for the many years of FPS games to come. I can thank Halo CE for introducing me to the series, and for having great music. Besides that, Halo 2 was better in every way...and had online multiplayer.
36) Animal Crossing (Gamecube)
Ah yes, I remember this one. (Well, I remember all of these games...wait, what I talking about? Oh yeah!) If you could get into this game, and let it work on you with it's adorable charm, you could get sucked into playing it forEVER! You would start the game in your tiny little house, and you're just dying to make it bigger. Well, that requires money, and a lot of it! Once you finally got the giant mansion with 3 floors, then you couldn't help but complete as many sets of furniture as possible. Otherwise the house looked like a mess.
With Animal Crossing, it isn't just about the addiction to consumerism and material possessions (haha, it isn't as gloomy as it sounds). This game is genuinely charming, IMO. You've got these animal neighbors to talk to, and to help out. They were so friendly! Then there was all of the activities involved. There was fishing, bug-hunting, tree gardening, all kinds of stuff. You could design shirts, make songs, talk to strange camels about carpets, and more! This game was just so compelling. One of the best ways to get money was from hitting a rock, right? Well, this game got me so addicted, I found a new rock every day, and hit it. I literally did this every single day for over a year straight. How many other games claim to do that? The sequels certainly didn't, I was burned out by then. Besides, only the original had hidden NES games to play. That alone makes it superior.
35) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
SSBB is the best example of video game fan service I've ever seen (not counting perverted things like Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball). I can tell you, if you like Nintendo games even a tiny bit, you will find something awesome or nostalgic in this game to back it up. This is because there are so many playable characters in this party fighting game. All of the important Nintendo characters are accounted for, and then some. 3 games later, and it still makes me all warm and fuzzy seeing Mario, Link, and Kirby together on one screen. Such awesome representation is only made better thanks to the best cutscenes Nintendo has ever made for any game. Is the story that the cutscenes present confusing, pointless, and bordering on fan-fiction? Absolutely. But it doesn't matter, because all of the characters get some screen time, doing things that they would logically do, and being funny/awesome the entire time.
However, to be honest, none of the above reasons describe why this game is on the list. You see, there is something that Brawl had that no other game had before, and no other game ever will: HYPE!!! Oh my freaking gosh, the hype for this game. Every moment between the initial announcement of this game and the second I finally got to play this game was pure. Agonizing. Torture. Nintendo made a website for SSBB, and called it the supersmashdojo. Every day, the creator of SSBB would post something revealing about the game. Sometimes, it would be a small news post. Sometimes, it would be big news, like the announcement of a new character, or revealing a new remix of game music. The entire experience was magical, and the final game could never live up to the hype generated up to that point. SSBB is a great game, but it has too many flaws and disappointments to be considered the absolute best.
34) Metroid: Zero Mission (Gameboy Advance)
I love the Metroid universe. I really do. Maybe it's because I've always been a big sucker for anything sci-fi. I would say that this universe is likely my favorite out of any universe Nintendo has created. More so than any version of Hyrule, or the Mushroom Kingdom, or other competing sci-fi universes, like the future cities of F-Zero, or the space battles of Star Fox. There something very exciting, foreboding, and exotic in this galaxy filled with these deadly floating life-suckers. You get that element of mystery with the ancient Chozo civilization, and that bit of conspiracy theory coming from the Galactic Federation. Then you throw in the rivalry coming from other bounty hunters, the Space Pirates, or their seemingly-immortal leader, Ridley, and you've got a winning combination, my friend.
Why is this particular Metroid game on the list, you might ask? Well, this is where the Metroid story begins. Samus's first mission is simple: Go to this planet, and kill the Metroids. Boom, bang, done. Other very likeable things about this game include the controls, the gorgeous amount of power-ups, and the quality and quantity of bosses. Speaking of power-ups, this game does a great job at hiding them. Getting 100% in this game seems almost impossible without the help of a guide. And the thing is, even if you know where a power-up is, it can be joyously confusing on how to get it. The exploration is paced well, and the music applied to each area is always atmospheric, and highly iconic. Metroid: Zero Mission is a quality game, that's for sure.
33) Portal (Xbox 360)
This game is a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction. Hahahaha, ok, sorry, I just had to use this game's own song to describe it. But can you blame me? It totally fits! (If you felt like singing the entire song after you read the first few lines, congratulations, you get a thumbs up.)
At first, you wouldn't think much of this first-person game. It is very short (2 hours, maybe), it has only one gun (the portal gun), and there is very little story, or characters to observe. But it all makes for a tight package that totally works together, making for a short-but-sweet experience. Being a puzzle game, mainly, Portal makes for a great brain-teaser, all while maintaining a captivating atmosphere. Portal technology really hadn't been used to its full gaming potential until Portal came along, and it made the gameplay very unusual and interesting. That, combined with one of the best villains in all of video games (Glados, duh), is what makes the game so memorable. Glados has so many memorable lines of dialogue, it makes her infamous. Best of all is the surprise song at the end. It makes me happy to know that she is still alive, and makes me completely hyped for the upcoming sequel.
32) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)
Here is my second-favorite Kirby game, and the game with the most variety out of the entire franchise. At least, as far as copy abilities are concerned. In the main adventure, these take center stage. The mechanic of combining two abilities together to make a fusion of the two was certainly compelling at the time. What could you do with Ice and Fire? Rock and Spark? Needle and Cutter? What about Fire and Fire? While the possibilities weren't endless, per se, they certainly allowed for a large amount of experimentation.
Once you found your favorite ability, you could really get into this game's aesthetic. While it may have been a little too cute at times, Kirby 64 had tons of great atmosphere and character. Something that I will always remember is the final level of world 3. Kirby enters an ocean, and descends all the way to the very bottom. You gain a sense of foreboding, balanced by a smothering of peaceful tranquility. It is a moment that is somewhat magical to me. I don't know if anyone else could ever feel the same way about it. Even if we can't agree on that, we can all look at the single player adventure, with it's crystal hunting, combined with the frantic, exciting multiplayer, and recognize Kirby 64 as a masterpiece of 2.5D N64 platforming. Slower pace be darned.
31) Mario Party 3 (Nintendo 64)
After the 2.5D N64 masterpiece comes the N64 party-miester! The bottom line is that the N64 was great at bringing people together for multiplayer gaming. No game embodied this attitude better than Mario Party 3, the best party game I've ever played. Some of you might look at the Mario Party franchise, and see an over-worked cow, completely milked of its potential, or any fond memories. You might be right, but so what? This was before Mario Party became a milked series that was a shadow of its formal self. This was before it had too many sub-rules, or before it made Donkey Kong a freaking event on the game board, instead of his proper place as a playable character. This was Mario Party when Mario Party was still cool.
This game had just enough advancements to propel it past the first 2 sequels, while still staying true to the core gameplay. You get 3 items instead of 1, and there's a lot more skill involved in winning this party. Something that always gets the focus of Mario Party are the mini-games. Well, the ones in this game were freaking brilliant, most of the time. Toadstool Titan involved everyone frantically busting open blocks until a mushroom came out. Once you get that mushroom, you get to trample your friends into oblivion! Who doesn't love that? Other stand out games include Merry-Go-Chomp (don't land on chomp), Slap-Happy (ultra-stress while waiting to click the right flower card), Locked-Out (punch the key out of your friend's hand), or Aces High (shoot those airplanes outta the sky). Putting all of this fun together in just one game is nothing short of amazing.
One of the weirder games on my list, WarioWare was still great, addicting fun. Instead of being a collection of mini-games, WW is actually a collection of micro-games. These were tiny little games that would only last for about 5 seconds. Each one was incredibly simple and relied on good timing, or quick reflexes. One game might ask you to “Jump!” and you have to realize that you got to jump over an incoming hot dog car. Another might tell you to “Squat!” so you must push the A button a couple of times on your little Gameboy Advance until your character has beefy legs. It's a crazy game for sure, but what else would you expect from Wario and his strange friends?
What's great about this game is it's just pure fun. It isn't deep, and it doesn't have a long story, or much story at all for that matter. The thing is, WW doesn't need those things. It was fun and compelling, just based on its collection of micro-games. It had catchy music too, which always helps. There were plenty of sequels for this series, and they were all pretty nice. But none will ever be as memorable as this first option. Now then, get ready: “Read!”
39) Mega Man 10 (Xbox 360, hooray achievements)
In case you didn't know, I'm a pretty big fan of classic Mega Man. While I've played every single one of his games, only two of them are going to make the list, with this being the first. Now, Mega Man 9 gets credit for being gutsy enough to be a modern game made in 8-bit style. However, Mega Man 10 perfected that gutsy move, with great level design, and superior music. It also allows for up to 3 playable characters, each coming with their own style. Mega Man gets to shoot 3 normal bullets, and takes average damage. His brother, Proto Man, gets a shield that blocks damage, can slide away from danger, a charge shot, and completely bad-ace sunglasses. Sadly, he takes double damage.
Then there's Bass, Mega Man's rival. Not only does he get to shoot machine-gun style, but he can dash, making for fast gameplay, and clever shortcuts. I don't have much else to say. Mega Man 10 has tried and true gameplay, great level design, fun weapons, character choice, replayability, and good chiptune music. I can't really ask for more than that.
38) Katamari Damacy (Playstation 2)
This is definitely the strangest game on my list. In case you have never heard of this game, let me explain. The idea is to take this ball, and use it to roll up all kinds of junk scattered throughout the level. As you collect stuff, the ball will grow bigger. Once it does, you can collect bigger stuff. Once you get as big as possible, the level ends, and you win! Yeah, there really isn't another game like this (not counting the sequels, obviously). The concept is simple, but it's really fun and addicting. Don't bother trying to figure out why things work out the way they do. This is a crazy, obviously Japanese game, and it barely makes sense.
It has to do with some kind of kooky guy who looks like Galactus, who goes on a drunken binge and destroys all of the stars in the sky. This drunk, called the King of All Cosmos, sends his princely son down to Earth, to make katamaris. Then he takes these balls of junk, and makes new stars. It's a crazy idea, but it actually works. Since I've never played the sequels, I can't comment on them, or if they're better. But the first game in the series will always be remembered for its bouncy music, and highly unique gameplay.
37) Halo 2 (Xbox)
Halo is the best series of FPS, in my opinion. You're going to see most of the Halo games on my list, so prepare yourself. The biggest reason this one gets on my list is its legendary status of online multiplayer. Since I never was a PC gamer, I'd never played a game online before. That all changed with Halo 2. It was my very first experience with matchmaking, ranks, and frantic competition. And I loved it. I spent well over a year playing this game. Not for the campaign, mind you. No, I barely remember that thing. Not that it matters, it was probably the worst Halo campaign. The best part about campaign was probably the music, which is great in every Halo game.
But yeah, it was all about Xbox Live. It would be the first time I was forced to completely memorize each level, knowing where all of the weapons and vehicles were kept. I had to develop strategies, and gain a steady hand for aiming. Halo 2 wasn't perfect, but it was definitely great, there's no denying it. It helped me hone my shooting skills for the many years of FPS games to come. I can thank Halo CE for introducing me to the series, and for having great music. Besides that, Halo 2 was better in every way...and had online multiplayer.
36) Animal Crossing (Gamecube)
Ah yes, I remember this one. (Well, I remember all of these games...wait, what I talking about? Oh yeah!) If you could get into this game, and let it work on you with it's adorable charm, you could get sucked into playing it forEVER! You would start the game in your tiny little house, and you're just dying to make it bigger. Well, that requires money, and a lot of it! Once you finally got the giant mansion with 3 floors, then you couldn't help but complete as many sets of furniture as possible. Otherwise the house looked like a mess.
With Animal Crossing, it isn't just about the addiction to consumerism and material possessions (haha, it isn't as gloomy as it sounds). This game is genuinely charming, IMO. You've got these animal neighbors to talk to, and to help out. They were so friendly! Then there was all of the activities involved. There was fishing, bug-hunting, tree gardening, all kinds of stuff. You could design shirts, make songs, talk to strange camels about carpets, and more! This game was just so compelling. One of the best ways to get money was from hitting a rock, right? Well, this game got me so addicted, I found a new rock every day, and hit it. I literally did this every single day for over a year straight. How many other games claim to do that? The sequels certainly didn't, I was burned out by then. Besides, only the original had hidden NES games to play. That alone makes it superior.
35) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
SSBB is the best example of video game fan service I've ever seen (not counting perverted things like Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball). I can tell you, if you like Nintendo games even a tiny bit, you will find something awesome or nostalgic in this game to back it up. This is because there are so many playable characters in this party fighting game. All of the important Nintendo characters are accounted for, and then some. 3 games later, and it still makes me all warm and fuzzy seeing Mario, Link, and Kirby together on one screen. Such awesome representation is only made better thanks to the best cutscenes Nintendo has ever made for any game. Is the story that the cutscenes present confusing, pointless, and bordering on fan-fiction? Absolutely. But it doesn't matter, because all of the characters get some screen time, doing things that they would logically do, and being funny/awesome the entire time.
However, to be honest, none of the above reasons describe why this game is on the list. You see, there is something that Brawl had that no other game had before, and no other game ever will: HYPE!!! Oh my freaking gosh, the hype for this game. Every moment between the initial announcement of this game and the second I finally got to play this game was pure. Agonizing. Torture. Nintendo made a website for SSBB, and called it the supersmashdojo. Every day, the creator of SSBB would post something revealing about the game. Sometimes, it would be a small news post. Sometimes, it would be big news, like the announcement of a new character, or revealing a new remix of game music. The entire experience was magical, and the final game could never live up to the hype generated up to that point. SSBB is a great game, but it has too many flaws and disappointments to be considered the absolute best.
34) Metroid: Zero Mission (Gameboy Advance)
I love the Metroid universe. I really do. Maybe it's because I've always been a big sucker for anything sci-fi. I would say that this universe is likely my favorite out of any universe Nintendo has created. More so than any version of Hyrule, or the Mushroom Kingdom, or other competing sci-fi universes, like the future cities of F-Zero, or the space battles of Star Fox. There something very exciting, foreboding, and exotic in this galaxy filled with these deadly floating life-suckers. You get that element of mystery with the ancient Chozo civilization, and that bit of conspiracy theory coming from the Galactic Federation. Then you throw in the rivalry coming from other bounty hunters, the Space Pirates, or their seemingly-immortal leader, Ridley, and you've got a winning combination, my friend.
Why is this particular Metroid game on the list, you might ask? Well, this is where the Metroid story begins. Samus's first mission is simple: Go to this planet, and kill the Metroids. Boom, bang, done. Other very likeable things about this game include the controls, the gorgeous amount of power-ups, and the quality and quantity of bosses. Speaking of power-ups, this game does a great job at hiding them. Getting 100% in this game seems almost impossible without the help of a guide. And the thing is, even if you know where a power-up is, it can be joyously confusing on how to get it. The exploration is paced well, and the music applied to each area is always atmospheric, and highly iconic. Metroid: Zero Mission is a quality game, that's for sure.
33) Portal (Xbox 360)
This game is a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS. It's hard to overstate my satisfaction. Hahahaha, ok, sorry, I just had to use this game's own song to describe it. But can you blame me? It totally fits! (If you felt like singing the entire song after you read the first few lines, congratulations, you get a thumbs up.)
At first, you wouldn't think much of this first-person game. It is very short (2 hours, maybe), it has only one gun (the portal gun), and there is very little story, or characters to observe. But it all makes for a tight package that totally works together, making for a short-but-sweet experience. Being a puzzle game, mainly, Portal makes for a great brain-teaser, all while maintaining a captivating atmosphere. Portal technology really hadn't been used to its full gaming potential until Portal came along, and it made the gameplay very unusual and interesting. That, combined with one of the best villains in all of video games (Glados, duh), is what makes the game so memorable. Glados has so many memorable lines of dialogue, it makes her infamous. Best of all is the surprise song at the end. It makes me happy to know that she is still alive, and makes me completely hyped for the upcoming sequel.
32) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (Nintendo 64)
Here is my second-favorite Kirby game, and the game with the most variety out of the entire franchise. At least, as far as copy abilities are concerned. In the main adventure, these take center stage. The mechanic of combining two abilities together to make a fusion of the two was certainly compelling at the time. What could you do with Ice and Fire? Rock and Spark? Needle and Cutter? What about Fire and Fire? While the possibilities weren't endless, per se, they certainly allowed for a large amount of experimentation.
Once you found your favorite ability, you could really get into this game's aesthetic. While it may have been a little too cute at times, Kirby 64 had tons of great atmosphere and character. Something that I will always remember is the final level of world 3. Kirby enters an ocean, and descends all the way to the very bottom. You gain a sense of foreboding, balanced by a smothering of peaceful tranquility. It is a moment that is somewhat magical to me. I don't know if anyone else could ever feel the same way about it. Even if we can't agree on that, we can all look at the single player adventure, with it's crystal hunting, combined with the frantic, exciting multiplayer, and recognize Kirby 64 as a masterpiece of 2.5D N64 platforming. Slower pace be darned.
31) Mario Party 3 (Nintendo 64)
After the 2.5D N64 masterpiece comes the N64 party-miester! The bottom line is that the N64 was great at bringing people together for multiplayer gaming. No game embodied this attitude better than Mario Party 3, the best party game I've ever played. Some of you might look at the Mario Party franchise, and see an over-worked cow, completely milked of its potential, or any fond memories. You might be right, but so what? This was before Mario Party became a milked series that was a shadow of its formal self. This was before it had too many sub-rules, or before it made Donkey Kong a freaking event on the game board, instead of his proper place as a playable character. This was Mario Party when Mario Party was still cool.
This game had just enough advancements to propel it past the first 2 sequels, while still staying true to the core gameplay. You get 3 items instead of 1, and there's a lot more skill involved in winning this party. Something that always gets the focus of Mario Party are the mini-games. Well, the ones in this game were freaking brilliant, most of the time. Toadstool Titan involved everyone frantically busting open blocks until a mushroom came out. Once you get that mushroom, you get to trample your friends into oblivion! Who doesn't love that? Other stand out games include Merry-Go-Chomp (don't land on chomp), Slap-Happy (ultra-stress while waiting to click the right flower card), Locked-Out (punch the key out of your friend's hand), or Aces High (shoot those airplanes outta the sky). Putting all of this fun together in just one game is nothing short of amazing.
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