Damn that high praise for Splatoon.
I could only dream of getting to play that many games from multiple genres and systems.
I could only dream of getting to play that many games from multiple genres and systems.
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The Top 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time (IMO)
- Thread starter Nuu
- Start date
Omega Kirby
Member
If Windwaker doesn't make the list, OP will be my next best friend
16| Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations
Released: October 23rd, 2007
Definitive Version: Nintendo DS; Also On: 3DS, iOS, Wii
The Ace Attorney franchise has gone from obscure to cult classic to a household name in portable gaming. Much like Etrian Odyssey and at one time Castlevania, if you are a "portable gamer" it is mandatory that you play the Ace Attorney games. And for good reason, they provide a whimsical and fun storyline and atmosphere that few other games can offer. The gameplay and plots are designed around small bites of playthrough, but are intriguing enough to hold one's attention if they are looking to play for hours on end in a single sitting. The title is very text heavy that it feels more like an interactive book than a video game, and the charming characters make even the most anti-bookworm in us want to dabble through the game's text even more. There are currently six mainline games in the series, and nine if you count the spin-offs.
With so many entries in the series, it obviously has newcomers constantly asking what is the best game in the franchise? Typically when there are so many high quality games a series, fans are divided over which entry reigns supreme. The Souls fanbase constantly seems split between which of the four entries is the best one. Street Fighter fans have no consensus over what is the best the Street Fighter game. The list goes on. However, this isn't really the case for the Ace Attorney series. A vast majority of fans agree that the best game in the series, is the third entry.
It is very common in gaming for the third entry in a "trilogy" to be the best one. This is mostly due to the fact that they are often planned as the last games in the series. It definitely seems that's the way it was for the third entry in the Ace Attorney series. In terms of story and characters, the developers went all out. Trials and Tribulations is bar none the most intense and "epic" title in the franchise. I don't want to give too much away in terms of plot, I'll just say that it heavily involves the past of protagonists and addresses some glaring loose ends in the game's series.
There isn't really much to say about Trials and Tribulations other than that it is an Ace Attorney game. It uses the same visual novel, detective, and contradiction finding gameplay as all the other titles in the series. What makes it stand out is just how well written and paced it is. I realize this may not be the most satisfying answer, but it is the truth. The characters shine in this game like they don't in any other title, the plot is gripping, and the writing is top notch. If you are going to play only one game in the series, don't make it this one, as it can't fully be appreciated unless the first two entries are played. Being honest, all titles are in the series are great and are deserving of being on this list. But being forced to choose the creme de le creme, I'll have to put Trials and Tribulations at the top of the list.
I realize that this is a very short entry, especially for such a high quality game. It certainly deserves a much longer write-up. But in reality all there is to say about it is that it is the best Ace Attorney game. Simple as that.
15| Virtue's Last Reward
Released: October 23rd, 2012
Definitive Version: Playstation Vita; Also On: 3DS
It seems that what's all the rage these days are escape rooms. I've noticed that many of my coworkers often talk about how they often look forward to going to local escape rooms around the area with their friends, or playing various iPhone escape room themed apps. For those unfamiliar what an escape room is, it essentially puts people in an unfamiliar room with various puzzles and tricks. It is up to the individuals to solve these puzzles and trickery in order to unlock an exit to the room. It's a simple concept, but it results in a lot of fun. As such, these businesses have been popping up everywhere lately.
However, those who are familiar with gaming, especially that in the handheld sphere, are no strangers to escape rooms. Over half a decade ago, Western players were introduced to a title called "999" which gave gamers a familiarity with the concept. The game was essentially part visual novel and part escape room. The game was progressed with heavy text cutscenes, in visual novel fashion, followed by an escape room puzzle. It was pretty much rinse and repeat after that, however, the puzzles and story were both so engaging that this was welcomed. But what really made it stand out was it's branch pathing gameplay. Throughout the game players make choices of what to do in various events. This mostly included who to partner with, usually to unlock various doors within the game. To summarize, each character was assigned a number, as were the doors throughout the facility. In order to open up the doors, the player must team up with enough corresponding characters to add up to the number on the corresponding door. It may seem silly, but it is interesting and adds a lot of replay value as different puzzles are encountered and different events occur.
999 was very well received and quickly gained a cult status within the gaming community. It also had a soft rivalry with the Ace Attorney series, as it arguably still does, since it was a contender for the best visual novel/adventure game on its respected platform. However, the game was released at the tail end of the Nintendo DS's life cycle and new platforms were approaching. A sequel to 999 was soon announced and that it would be released on both the upcoming Nintendo 3DS and Playstation Vita. The title was released a bit over a year later.
Virtue's Last Reward takes place a few years after the first title. I don't want to give much away, so I won't explain much, if any, of the story. The basic format is still all there. The game is essentially half visual novel and half escape room/puzzles. Though there are a few key differences. The biggest difference is that while the game still extensively features branch pathing, the player must explore every possible path throughout their playthrough. While one has to restart their playthrough with 999 after each, often gruesome, ending, during Virtue's Last Reward the player has the ability to navigate through a web of various events throughout the storyline and jump back and forth in between them, exploring every possible option. In 999, you are at the whims of the timeline you choose, while in Virtue's Last Reward you wield it. It is very interesting seeing just how things can progress so radically different just by altering one single event. There is also the fact that rather than using the cumbersome number system, the game has each player and door assigned a "color" instead. It takes out the complication of math and makes things more straight forward.
But arguably the most interesting change to the game is the "ally" and "betray" system. Basically, the way it works is that before each escape room each "contestant" is paired with a partner. In order to exit a room, each pair must cooperate with another pair to solve the puzzles. After the escape room is completed, both pairs go into a private room where they vote either "ally" or "betray". If they vote "ally" then each player gains 2 points, if you choose "betray" then you gain 3 points, while the corresponding person gains no points. The purpose of these points is that those who receive more than 9 points are released from the facility, those who do not stay until they reach 9 points. The solution may seem simple enough. Just have everyone vote ally so everyone gets out. Unfortunately, knowing human nature, things aren't that simple.
The result of these changes is a very engaging title that is overall bigger and better than the first game. Virtue's Last Reward takes everything that was great about 999 and builds upon it. This isn't just from a gameplay standpoint, but also a story standpoint. A lot of dots left over from the previous game are connected, while in contrast a lot of new single dots are created. There are also a few recurring characters from the previous title as well as plenty of new ones. Virtually all of them stand out and are arguably the best characters in the series. This however, could be argued as a "weakness" as the title really is best when playing the first game in the series to fully understand the situation.
I also have to touch upon the game's music. The soundtrack is great and fits the game perfectly. It is no wonder that the next game in the series uses so many, if not the majority, of it's musical pieces from Virtue's Last Reward. The trance like state and disillusion feeling the music brings is perfect for the game's atmosphere.
The series has supposedly come to a close with the recently released Zero Time Dilemma. The game was released for the PS Vita, 3DS, and to a pleasant surprise Steam. It's a great game and all, and is in-line with the other games in the franchise. Unfortunately, I find the game to be the weakest in the series, though that isn't saying much being how well made these titles are. With the series supposedly at a close, I can comfortably say that Virtue's Last Reward is the best game among the three. It has the best story, the best gameplay, the best music, and really the best everything. It represents the pinnacle of the series and is at a peak that very few games reach. With the popularity escape rooms are getting it is difficult for me to imagine that this is the last we will see of the nonary game. I hope that I am right.
14| Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
Released: September 13th, 201
Available On: PC
From the late 2000s to the mid-2010s there was an utter domination of the shooter genre. Never since platformers during the late 80s and early 90s had a genre had such a strangle hold on the console market. With Halo maintaining its status as a popular franchise, and Call of Duty becoming a monstrous success with it's fourth entry, it seemed that every publisher was flocking to find the next big title in the genre. Sureeven today shooters are still one of the most popular genre in the market today, but during the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, it seemed that virtually every hyped game involved shooting guns in the first person perspective, or at least over the shoulder. Many people at the time were calling the generation "the golden age of first person shooters".
While that is arguable for many reasons, personally I don't really feel that way. While the quantity was there, like WRPGs at the time, many shooters were watered down to appeal to the mass market. Rainbow Six used to be a tactical FPS series, but starting with Rainbow Six Vegas, it became yet another corridor FPS. Bioshock was the spiritual successor of System Shock II. Yet, despite upping the ante with the presentation, the level design was pathetic and the RPG elements were much more basic than its predecessor. And while the likes of Call of Duty and Killzone dominated the charts, they were a far cry, of what other first person shooters were doing for years in multiple categories.
That said, the era did have a lot of quality first person shooters. Team Fortress 2, Crysis, and Metro 2033 come to mind. But out of all of them, the one I felt stood head and shoulders above the rest, especially in terms of online mutliplayer, was Red Orchestra 2. With such a funny sounding name, most assume it is part of a Konami's "music game" series where the player is a maestro who wields a baton to conduct a symphony. While that does seem like something that is so strange that it could be a reality, the title is actually a Soviet themed WWII multiplayer first person shooter. The premise of the game is very basic, you join a large map with a large amount of players. Players are divided into two teams, Soviets and Nazis. There are two modes of the game, which is either to capture all of the territory or defeat all of the enemy teams players. In short, it's much like any other multiplayer shooter.
What separates Red Orchestra 2 from other titles are quite a few things. First off is that the gun handling isn't like most other titles. Modern machine guns and assault rifles do not exist in the game. The vast majority of players wield a simple rifle. This means that after each shot a player takes, they need to reload their gun. There is also the fact that the game is very unforgiving with its hitboxes. One needs be lined up just right in order to hit their opponent, while headshots are an extreme rarity, even moderate distances. That said when one does get hit, they lose a lot of health as it is often dire. This leads to two things about the game that few other shooters deliver, tension and reward. Due to not being able to kill enemies instantly in a spray of bullets players have to wait and sneak up on enemies in order to get a perfect shot in. Players often camp in dense foliage or obscure parts in buildings in order to surprise players. In most games, this would lead to plenty of cheap kills, but due to Red Orchestra 2's brilliant level design there and multiple routes to take in a map as well as plenty of ways to scout for enemies. Waiting for a player to come by like a fish grabbing bait, or sneaking up and outsmarting a tricky opponent is so rewarding. Red Orchestra 2 doesn't rely simply on skills of wielding the gun, but more so on tactics and strategy.
The game also has pristine presentation. The Soviet inspired world both terrifies and invigorates the player. Moving through the maps and hearing characters talk, one can see just how dominate Stalinism was during the era. Stalinism wasn't just a political ideology, it was life for these soldiers and the world of the game really captures that. But one has to talk about the game's excellent soundtrack. It's so good, that the music actually players during gameplay. Regularly this would be ridiculed, but being that it fits the game so well, it not only gets a pass, but it is actively embraced with open arms. Being the Soviets were so heavily involved in World War II and did more to defeat the Germans than any other nation, it's nice to see a title focus so much on their perspective of the war.
In 2013 a stand alone expansion pack called "Rising Storm" was released. It was essentially Red Orchestra 2, but only with Americans and Japanese rather than Russians and Germans. It too was a great game, but at the end of the day, I felt that the maps were a bit lacking. And while I would like to see more games about the Pacific Theater, there is just no beating hyper masculine Soviet theme of classic Red Orchestra. That said, Rising Storm does have the ability for the player to wield swords and flamethrowers. Another stand alone expansion called "Rising Storm: Vietnam" is also currently in beta and scheduled for release in the not so distant future.
Red Orchestra 2 was a military focused multiplayer first person shooter in a sea of military focused multiplayer first person shooter. Despite this it managed to stand out thanks to tactical, tense, and rewarding gameplay. Tripwire Interactive has proven itself to be a very competent developer, and hope the future of the series remains bright, and red, as ever.
13| Duke Nukem 3D
Released: January 29th, 1996
Available On: PC (all major OSes), PS4, Xbox One, PS3, XBox 360, PS Vita, N64, iOS, Android, PS, Saturn, MD
With the release of Doom in December 1993, there were soon seemingly countless titles emulating the game's formula. After existing in the country's mainstream culture for around 20 years, there was finally a video game that mastered a tight formula around America's love affair with guns. As such, Doom was a major success, and every company wanted to cash in. So much so that there were "doom clones" found in cereal boxes (the game was supposedly pretty good by the way, which is shocking). Released at the absolute height of FPS domination was "Duke Nukem 3D". A sequel to what was essentially a 2D platformer, Duke Nukem 3D was a dramatic shift from the original game to say the last. It was welcomed change because what resulted was arguably the greatest FPS of all-time, and in my opinion the best in the "run-and-gun" FPS subgenre.
For those unfamiliar with Duke Nukem 3D, it essentially Doom, but better. It has the same labyrinth style level design and fast paced run and gun gameplay. The key difference between the two titles is that Duke Nukem 3D is just...well a far superior game. Duke Nukem 3D has bigger and more complex levels, more challenging and original enemies, and is just far more ambitious overall. It may sound like I'm generalizing a bit too much, but there really isn't any other way to describe the game. Duke Nukem 3D simply replaces Doom's demons and the possessed with aliens and the mutated, and just ups the ante in every aspect. If you like Doom, you will LOVE Duke Nukem 3D.
Playing the game for the first time ever in 2013 was a real experience. I literally played the game for hours upon hours for days until I beat it. One thing that really stood out to me about the game, was how much more advanced it was compared to modern FPSes. This especially was ringing true since I then recently finished Bioshock: Infinite and tried my hands with Crysis 2 a couple of months earlier.
This image often get ridiculed, but the reality is that it is pretty accurate. Playing Crysis 2 or Bioshock: Infinite, the games were pretty much "run forward, kill things, repeat". In contrast, Duke Nukem 3D was much MUCH more complex. The maps are multi-layered with tons of doorways and rooms to explore. Backtracking is very common and finding secrets and hidden areas are often a must in order to progress the game. Sure, much of the areas are a little ridiculous and at times seem to be designed by H.H. Holmes. But at the end of the day they made you want to explore and most importantly think of how to progress to the next area. That said, it just isn't the map design that is more advanced. Duke Nukem 3D boasts an impressive arsenal of deadly and varied weapons. The player can carry 9 weapons at a time. Some of these weapons include the freezethrower to turn enemies into blocks of ice or the Shrinker that shrinks enemies so that the player can stop on them. This also of course includes the bread and butter weapons such as the pistol, shotgun, and RPG. In contrast to this, most modern FPSes rarely let the player carry more than two weapons at a time. This is likely due to the fact that most FPSes today are designed with consoles in mind, meaning that offering a lot of weapons at a time to the player is a big no-no, as switching between weapons is a pain on a traditional controller. This also ignores the fact of how boring the weapons are. When a shotgun is seen as the "oh shit!" weapon in your game, you know the weapon choices are pretty shitty. There are many other things as well, but bottom line is that playing Duke Nukem 3D really displays just how watered down the genre has gotten over the years.
Arguably the biggest thing that people claim that makes Duke Nukem 3D stand out is the presentation. The title character is portrayed as a "no fucks given" crew cut 80's action hero badass. He constantly uses one liners and has no problem going into strip clubs or hitting on the ladies. The game also has a lot of humor such as having the LAPD all turning into mutated pigs and various pop culture references throughout the maps. I emphasized that this is what people claim, because through my playthrough I didn't really notice this that much. I mean sure Duke Nukem is portrayed as a self-parody badass, but outside of a few one liners throughout a stage and a ten seconds cutscene after the seldom boss battles, it isn't really that noticeable. The pop culture references are a nice touch, but even these aren't that common. The game certainly isn't a Working Designs title.
As I said before, what makes the game great isn't the wacky humor and atmosphere, but that it is such a well designed title. Unfortunately, 3D Realms never got this message. It seems that ever addition to the series that followed Duke Nukem 3D was a disappointment. The first expansion pack "The Birth" had piss poor level design. The maps weren't that simple, but they weren't really fun to explore. However, pop culture references in the game were literally everywhere. I admittedly haven't played the other expansions, but they look much more similar to The Birth than the main game. Duke Nukem 3D's sequel, appropriately titled "Duke Nukem Forever", was pretty much a running joke for the longest time. To make modern gamers under the age of 25 understand the whole hubbub about the title's history, the game essentially out "The Last Guardian"..."The Last Guardian". It was in continuous development for 14 years. It was plagued by delays and rebuilds all the way up until it's final release in 2011. The thing is that 3D Realms technically never finished the game. In 2009, 12 years after the game was being developed, 3D Realms announced that they were severely downsizing the company, and that Duke Nukem 3D's team would be let go. However, Gearbox software, mostly known for the Borderlands titles, agreed to finish the game and released it. The result is one of the most disappointing, broken, and shitty games of all-time. You can say what you want about "The Last Guardian" but at least the game was functioning and playable, however Duke Nukem Forever was just flatout unfinished. And is likely one of the most disappointing moments in gaming history, but being honest...it was kind of expected.
As far as I am considered, I view the Duke Nukem franchise much like I do with the Secret of Mana series. You have one or two really fantastic titles in the series, but with a bunch of other tiles that range from being mediocre to just piss poor. It's very unfortunate, but it seems that with the release of Duke Nukem Forever the title character will finally be put out of his misery. I one day just hope that the genre goes back to its roots.
Released: October 23rd, 2007
Definitive Version: Nintendo DS; Also On: 3DS, iOS, Wii
The Ace Attorney franchise has gone from obscure to cult classic to a household name in portable gaming. Much like Etrian Odyssey and at one time Castlevania, if you are a "portable gamer" it is mandatory that you play the Ace Attorney games. And for good reason, they provide a whimsical and fun storyline and atmosphere that few other games can offer. The gameplay and plots are designed around small bites of playthrough, but are intriguing enough to hold one's attention if they are looking to play for hours on end in a single sitting. The title is very text heavy that it feels more like an interactive book than a video game, and the charming characters make even the most anti-bookworm in us want to dabble through the game's text even more. There are currently six mainline games in the series, and nine if you count the spin-offs.
With so many entries in the series, it obviously has newcomers constantly asking what is the best game in the franchise? Typically when there are so many high quality games a series, fans are divided over which entry reigns supreme. The Souls fanbase constantly seems split between which of the four entries is the best one. Street Fighter fans have no consensus over what is the best the Street Fighter game. The list goes on. However, this isn't really the case for the Ace Attorney series. A vast majority of fans agree that the best game in the series, is the third entry.
It is very common in gaming for the third entry in a "trilogy" to be the best one. This is mostly due to the fact that they are often planned as the last games in the series. It definitely seems that's the way it was for the third entry in the Ace Attorney series. In terms of story and characters, the developers went all out. Trials and Tribulations is bar none the most intense and "epic" title in the franchise. I don't want to give too much away in terms of plot, I'll just say that it heavily involves the past of protagonists and addresses some glaring loose ends in the game's series.
There isn't really much to say about Trials and Tribulations other than that it is an Ace Attorney game. It uses the same visual novel, detective, and contradiction finding gameplay as all the other titles in the series. What makes it stand out is just how well written and paced it is. I realize this may not be the most satisfying answer, but it is the truth. The characters shine in this game like they don't in any other title, the plot is gripping, and the writing is top notch. If you are going to play only one game in the series, don't make it this one, as it can't fully be appreciated unless the first two entries are played. Being honest, all titles are in the series are great and are deserving of being on this list. But being forced to choose the creme de le creme, I'll have to put Trials and Tribulations at the top of the list.
I realize that this is a very short entry, especially for such a high quality game. It certainly deserves a much longer write-up. But in reality all there is to say about it is that it is the best Ace Attorney game. Simple as that.
15| Virtue's Last Reward
Released: October 23rd, 2012
Definitive Version: Playstation Vita; Also On: 3DS
It seems that what's all the rage these days are escape rooms. I've noticed that many of my coworkers often talk about how they often look forward to going to local escape rooms around the area with their friends, or playing various iPhone escape room themed apps. For those unfamiliar what an escape room is, it essentially puts people in an unfamiliar room with various puzzles and tricks. It is up to the individuals to solve these puzzles and trickery in order to unlock an exit to the room. It's a simple concept, but it results in a lot of fun. As such, these businesses have been popping up everywhere lately.
However, those who are familiar with gaming, especially that in the handheld sphere, are no strangers to escape rooms. Over half a decade ago, Western players were introduced to a title called "999" which gave gamers a familiarity with the concept. The game was essentially part visual novel and part escape room. The game was progressed with heavy text cutscenes, in visual novel fashion, followed by an escape room puzzle. It was pretty much rinse and repeat after that, however, the puzzles and story were both so engaging that this was welcomed. But what really made it stand out was it's branch pathing gameplay. Throughout the game players make choices of what to do in various events. This mostly included who to partner with, usually to unlock various doors within the game. To summarize, each character was assigned a number, as were the doors throughout the facility. In order to open up the doors, the player must team up with enough corresponding characters to add up to the number on the corresponding door. It may seem silly, but it is interesting and adds a lot of replay value as different puzzles are encountered and different events occur.
999 was very well received and quickly gained a cult status within the gaming community. It also had a soft rivalry with the Ace Attorney series, as it arguably still does, since it was a contender for the best visual novel/adventure game on its respected platform. However, the game was released at the tail end of the Nintendo DS's life cycle and new platforms were approaching. A sequel to 999 was soon announced and that it would be released on both the upcoming Nintendo 3DS and Playstation Vita. The title was released a bit over a year later.
Virtue's Last Reward takes place a few years after the first title. I don't want to give much away, so I won't explain much, if any, of the story. The basic format is still all there. The game is essentially half visual novel and half escape room/puzzles. Though there are a few key differences. The biggest difference is that while the game still extensively features branch pathing, the player must explore every possible path throughout their playthrough. While one has to restart their playthrough with 999 after each, often gruesome, ending, during Virtue's Last Reward the player has the ability to navigate through a web of various events throughout the storyline and jump back and forth in between them, exploring every possible option. In 999, you are at the whims of the timeline you choose, while in Virtue's Last Reward you wield it. It is very interesting seeing just how things can progress so radically different just by altering one single event. There is also the fact that rather than using the cumbersome number system, the game has each player and door assigned a "color" instead. It takes out the complication of math and makes things more straight forward.
But arguably the most interesting change to the game is the "ally" and "betray" system. Basically, the way it works is that before each escape room each "contestant" is paired with a partner. In order to exit a room, each pair must cooperate with another pair to solve the puzzles. After the escape room is completed, both pairs go into a private room where they vote either "ally" or "betray". If they vote "ally" then each player gains 2 points, if you choose "betray" then you gain 3 points, while the corresponding person gains no points. The purpose of these points is that those who receive more than 9 points are released from the facility, those who do not stay until they reach 9 points. The solution may seem simple enough. Just have everyone vote ally so everyone gets out. Unfortunately, knowing human nature, things aren't that simple.
The result of these changes is a very engaging title that is overall bigger and better than the first game. Virtue's Last Reward takes everything that was great about 999 and builds upon it. This isn't just from a gameplay standpoint, but also a story standpoint. A lot of dots left over from the previous game are connected, while in contrast a lot of new single dots are created. There are also a few recurring characters from the previous title as well as plenty of new ones. Virtually all of them stand out and are arguably the best characters in the series. This however, could be argued as a "weakness" as the title really is best when playing the first game in the series to fully understand the situation.
I also have to touch upon the game's music. The soundtrack is great and fits the game perfectly. It is no wonder that the next game in the series uses so many, if not the majority, of it's musical pieces from Virtue's Last Reward. The trance like state and disillusion feeling the music brings is perfect for the game's atmosphere.
The series has supposedly come to a close with the recently released Zero Time Dilemma. The game was released for the PS Vita, 3DS, and to a pleasant surprise Steam. It's a great game and all, and is in-line with the other games in the franchise. Unfortunately, I find the game to be the weakest in the series, though that isn't saying much being how well made these titles are. With the series supposedly at a close, I can comfortably say that Virtue's Last Reward is the best game among the three. It has the best story, the best gameplay, the best music, and really the best everything. It represents the pinnacle of the series and is at a peak that very few games reach. With the popularity escape rooms are getting it is difficult for me to imagine that this is the last we will see of the nonary game. I hope that I am right.
14| Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
Released: September 13th, 201
Available On: PC
From the late 2000s to the mid-2010s there was an utter domination of the shooter genre. Never since platformers during the late 80s and early 90s had a genre had such a strangle hold on the console market. With Halo maintaining its status as a popular franchise, and Call of Duty becoming a monstrous success with it's fourth entry, it seemed that every publisher was flocking to find the next big title in the genre. Sureeven today shooters are still one of the most popular genre in the market today, but during the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, it seemed that virtually every hyped game involved shooting guns in the first person perspective, or at least over the shoulder. Many people at the time were calling the generation "the golden age of first person shooters".
While that is arguable for many reasons, personally I don't really feel that way. While the quantity was there, like WRPGs at the time, many shooters were watered down to appeal to the mass market. Rainbow Six used to be a tactical FPS series, but starting with Rainbow Six Vegas, it became yet another corridor FPS. Bioshock was the spiritual successor of System Shock II. Yet, despite upping the ante with the presentation, the level design was pathetic and the RPG elements were much more basic than its predecessor. And while the likes of Call of Duty and Killzone dominated the charts, they were a far cry, of what other first person shooters were doing for years in multiple categories.
That said, the era did have a lot of quality first person shooters. Team Fortress 2, Crysis, and Metro 2033 come to mind. But out of all of them, the one I felt stood head and shoulders above the rest, especially in terms of online mutliplayer, was Red Orchestra 2. With such a funny sounding name, most assume it is part of a Konami's "music game" series where the player is a maestro who wields a baton to conduct a symphony. While that does seem like something that is so strange that it could be a reality, the title is actually a Soviet themed WWII multiplayer first person shooter. The premise of the game is very basic, you join a large map with a large amount of players. Players are divided into two teams, Soviets and Nazis. There are two modes of the game, which is either to capture all of the territory or defeat all of the enemy teams players. In short, it's much like any other multiplayer shooter.
What separates Red Orchestra 2 from other titles are quite a few things. First off is that the gun handling isn't like most other titles. Modern machine guns and assault rifles do not exist in the game. The vast majority of players wield a simple rifle. This means that after each shot a player takes, they need to reload their gun. There is also the fact that the game is very unforgiving with its hitboxes. One needs be lined up just right in order to hit their opponent, while headshots are an extreme rarity, even moderate distances. That said when one does get hit, they lose a lot of health as it is often dire. This leads to two things about the game that few other shooters deliver, tension and reward. Due to not being able to kill enemies instantly in a spray of bullets players have to wait and sneak up on enemies in order to get a perfect shot in. Players often camp in dense foliage or obscure parts in buildings in order to surprise players. In most games, this would lead to plenty of cheap kills, but due to Red Orchestra 2's brilliant level design there and multiple routes to take in a map as well as plenty of ways to scout for enemies. Waiting for a player to come by like a fish grabbing bait, or sneaking up and outsmarting a tricky opponent is so rewarding. Red Orchestra 2 doesn't rely simply on skills of wielding the gun, but more so on tactics and strategy.
The game also has pristine presentation. The Soviet inspired world both terrifies and invigorates the player. Moving through the maps and hearing characters talk, one can see just how dominate Stalinism was during the era. Stalinism wasn't just a political ideology, it was life for these soldiers and the world of the game really captures that. But one has to talk about the game's excellent soundtrack. It's so good, that the music actually players during gameplay. Regularly this would be ridiculed, but being that it fits the game so well, it not only gets a pass, but it is actively embraced with open arms. Being the Soviets were so heavily involved in World War II and did more to defeat the Germans than any other nation, it's nice to see a title focus so much on their perspective of the war.
In 2013 a stand alone expansion pack called "Rising Storm" was released. It was essentially Red Orchestra 2, but only with Americans and Japanese rather than Russians and Germans. It too was a great game, but at the end of the day, I felt that the maps were a bit lacking. And while I would like to see more games about the Pacific Theater, there is just no beating hyper masculine Soviet theme of classic Red Orchestra. That said, Rising Storm does have the ability for the player to wield swords and flamethrowers. Another stand alone expansion called "Rising Storm: Vietnam" is also currently in beta and scheduled for release in the not so distant future.
Red Orchestra 2 was a military focused multiplayer first person shooter in a sea of military focused multiplayer first person shooter. Despite this it managed to stand out thanks to tactical, tense, and rewarding gameplay. Tripwire Interactive has proven itself to be a very competent developer, and hope the future of the series remains bright, and red, as ever.
13| Duke Nukem 3D
Released: January 29th, 1996
Available On: PC (all major OSes), PS4, Xbox One, PS3, XBox 360, PS Vita, N64, iOS, Android, PS, Saturn, MD
With the release of Doom in December 1993, there were soon seemingly countless titles emulating the game's formula. After existing in the country's mainstream culture for around 20 years, there was finally a video game that mastered a tight formula around America's love affair with guns. As such, Doom was a major success, and every company wanted to cash in. So much so that there were "doom clones" found in cereal boxes (the game was supposedly pretty good by the way, which is shocking). Released at the absolute height of FPS domination was "Duke Nukem 3D". A sequel to what was essentially a 2D platformer, Duke Nukem 3D was a dramatic shift from the original game to say the last. It was welcomed change because what resulted was arguably the greatest FPS of all-time, and in my opinion the best in the "run-and-gun" FPS subgenre.
For those unfamiliar with Duke Nukem 3D, it essentially Doom, but better. It has the same labyrinth style level design and fast paced run and gun gameplay. The key difference between the two titles is that Duke Nukem 3D is just...well a far superior game. Duke Nukem 3D has bigger and more complex levels, more challenging and original enemies, and is just far more ambitious overall. It may sound like I'm generalizing a bit too much, but there really isn't any other way to describe the game. Duke Nukem 3D simply replaces Doom's demons and the possessed with aliens and the mutated, and just ups the ante in every aspect. If you like Doom, you will LOVE Duke Nukem 3D.
Playing the game for the first time ever in 2013 was a real experience. I literally played the game for hours upon hours for days until I beat it. One thing that really stood out to me about the game, was how much more advanced it was compared to modern FPSes. This especially was ringing true since I then recently finished Bioshock: Infinite and tried my hands with Crysis 2 a couple of months earlier.
This image often get ridiculed, but the reality is that it is pretty accurate. Playing Crysis 2 or Bioshock: Infinite, the games were pretty much "run forward, kill things, repeat". In contrast, Duke Nukem 3D was much MUCH more complex. The maps are multi-layered with tons of doorways and rooms to explore. Backtracking is very common and finding secrets and hidden areas are often a must in order to progress the game. Sure, much of the areas are a little ridiculous and at times seem to be designed by H.H. Holmes. But at the end of the day they made you want to explore and most importantly think of how to progress to the next area. That said, it just isn't the map design that is more advanced. Duke Nukem 3D boasts an impressive arsenal of deadly and varied weapons. The player can carry 9 weapons at a time. Some of these weapons include the freezethrower to turn enemies into blocks of ice or the Shrinker that shrinks enemies so that the player can stop on them. This also of course includes the bread and butter weapons such as the pistol, shotgun, and RPG. In contrast to this, most modern FPSes rarely let the player carry more than two weapons at a time. This is likely due to the fact that most FPSes today are designed with consoles in mind, meaning that offering a lot of weapons at a time to the player is a big no-no, as switching between weapons is a pain on a traditional controller. This also ignores the fact of how boring the weapons are. When a shotgun is seen as the "oh shit!" weapon in your game, you know the weapon choices are pretty shitty. There are many other things as well, but bottom line is that playing Duke Nukem 3D really displays just how watered down the genre has gotten over the years.
Arguably the biggest thing that people claim that makes Duke Nukem 3D stand out is the presentation. The title character is portrayed as a "no fucks given" crew cut 80's action hero badass. He constantly uses one liners and has no problem going into strip clubs or hitting on the ladies. The game also has a lot of humor such as having the LAPD all turning into mutated pigs and various pop culture references throughout the maps. I emphasized that this is what people claim, because through my playthrough I didn't really notice this that much. I mean sure Duke Nukem is portrayed as a self-parody badass, but outside of a few one liners throughout a stage and a ten seconds cutscene after the seldom boss battles, it isn't really that noticeable. The pop culture references are a nice touch, but even these aren't that common. The game certainly isn't a Working Designs title.
As I said before, what makes the game great isn't the wacky humor and atmosphere, but that it is such a well designed title. Unfortunately, 3D Realms never got this message. It seems that ever addition to the series that followed Duke Nukem 3D was a disappointment. The first expansion pack "The Birth" had piss poor level design. The maps weren't that simple, but they weren't really fun to explore. However, pop culture references in the game were literally everywhere. I admittedly haven't played the other expansions, but they look much more similar to The Birth than the main game. Duke Nukem 3D's sequel, appropriately titled "Duke Nukem Forever", was pretty much a running joke for the longest time. To make modern gamers under the age of 25 understand the whole hubbub about the title's history, the game essentially out "The Last Guardian"..."The Last Guardian". It was in continuous development for 14 years. It was plagued by delays and rebuilds all the way up until it's final release in 2011. The thing is that 3D Realms technically never finished the game. In 2009, 12 years after the game was being developed, 3D Realms announced that they were severely downsizing the company, and that Duke Nukem 3D's team would be let go. However, Gearbox software, mostly known for the Borderlands titles, agreed to finish the game and released it. The result is one of the most disappointing, broken, and shitty games of all-time. You can say what you want about "The Last Guardian" but at least the game was functioning and playable, however Duke Nukem Forever was just flatout unfinished. And is likely one of the most disappointing moments in gaming history, but being honest...it was kind of expected.
As far as I am considered, I view the Duke Nukem franchise much like I do with the Secret of Mana series. You have one or two really fantastic titles in the series, but with a bunch of other tiles that range from being mediocre to just piss poor. It's very unfortunate, but it seems that with the release of Duke Nukem Forever the title character will finally be put out of his misery. I one day just hope that the genre goes back to its roots.
FeedMeAStrayCat
Member
I'm mostly a lurker, but felt I had to make a post in this thread.
Hell yes, OP. What a great list. The amount of time and dedication you put into this is incredible. People will bitch and complain about the placement of certain games, but who the fuck cares? It's YOUR list of 100 greatest games, and that's all that needs to be said. If E.T. for the Atari, or Superman 64 happen to be in your top ten? So be it.
THAT BEING SAID: IF GOLDENEYE OR PERFECT DARK DON'T SHOW UP, IMMA KILL A MAN /s
Hell yes, OP. What a great list. The amount of time and dedication you put into this is incredible. People will bitch and complain about the placement of certain games, but who the fuck cares? It's YOUR list of 100 greatest games, and that's all that needs to be said. If E.T. for the Atari, or Superman 64 happen to be in your top ten? So be it.
THAT BEING SAID: IF GOLDENEYE OR PERFECT DARK DON'T SHOW UP, IMMA KILL A MAN /s
Wow OP, you played like every game on every gaming system ever to make such a list.
Great job on writing so much on every entry, I certainly want to try some of these now. Also found a lot of games I have in my personal top list, so I am really looking forward to your top ten.
Great job on writing so much on every entry, I certainly want to try some of these now. Also found a lot of games I have in my personal top list, so I am really looking forward to your top ten.
entremet
Member
misses bull
Banned
on the "not good enough to be on the list" list
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
brb playing X-men 2: Clone Wars.
Sgt. Kabukiman
Banned
You deserve congratulations for all the work and thought you've put into this. It's been a great read so far. It looks like my tastes really align with yours for the most part so I'll give a look to the few games on your list that I've never played, starting with Ranger-X.
12| The Witcher III: The Wild Hunt
Released: May 19th, 2015
Definitive Version: PC; Also on: PS4, Xbox One
If you have been reading through this list, you can tell that I am a big fan of CD Projekt's "The Witcher" series. It was the first "pure" Western role playing game series that I enjoyed. And it really aided in pulling me toward the genre. The first game was classic and testament to dark role playing rich games at a time when open world games with little substance were all the rage. The sequel continued that trend. To say that the third game realized the series potential is a mass understatement. The Witcher III just didn't realize the original vision of the The Witcher series, but pretty much the entire role playing genre and arguably gaming itself. Now yes, this sounds like pure hyperbole but it really isn't.The Witcher III does what gamers have been dreaming about since forever. A true role playing experience with a huge explorable interactive 3D world with a strong main storyline, deep intertwined quests, and a living breathing world. Typically with RPGs there is always a sacrifice. You either have a huge explorable world with a lot of pointless side quests and a weak storyline (such as Xenoblade X or The Elder Scrolls titles) or you have a small linear experience with a highly engaging story and/or very meaty side quests (such as in Final Fantasy or Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines). For the longest time, these things were divided because developers had to pick and choose. One simply doesn't have the time or the resources to focus on all of these things at once. Apparently, CD Projekt managed to accomplish this impossibility. The Witcher III managed to check every box, and checks it damn well.
How did they accomplish this? Being honest, I'm not so sure. I believe it was just simply that they set out to create the best game possible and just exhausted the amount resources to make three games into just one game. And being honest that's what playing The Witcher III feels like. To start off, just walking around or riding on horse back, exploring town to town feels like it's own game. There plenty of hidden caves, dungeons, and random things going on. While just merely exploring you will come across plenty of side quests. A vast majority of these will be very meaty and have as much backstory to them as the average "big sidequest" in other WRPGs. The world is massive and everything you see in the distance you can actually go to, no matter how far. If you manage to reach the shore, no big deal. You can just take a raft and sail further to the next continent and continue your expedition.
The thing is though, is that the main game's storyline is so intriguing that you find yourself torn between exploring or continue doing the "must do objectives." Let's be honest, storyline isn't usually one of WRPGs strong points. People like to pretend that titles like Deus Ex or even Fallout have storylines to match the top end JRPGs, but they really don't come close. The Witcher III technically doesn't either, but it tries a different approach. Similar to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines it tries to sell the world. Upon the quest you go through tons of towns meeting a variety of interesting characters with haunting backstories. It's so easy to get lost in the game's lore. However, the main plot is also pretty interesting. Again it's not the most engaging plot out there, but it certainly keeps your attention. It revolves around the main character Geralt searching for who is essentially his psuedo daughter Ciri. It sounds basic and cliche, but it works very well. It's interesting to see how each main quest, and even a good amount of side quests, are intertwined with Ciri's actions. It's really neat seeing everything come together at the end.
But what's perhaps the most impressive thing to me is how despite the game having so many quests, both mandatory and optional, is just how interconnected everything is. Make no mistake, the size of The Wticher III makes zero compromise on the actual role playing. Every choice the character makes has an effect on the game, sometimes immediate, sometimes at the end. The games quests are intertangled in a massively huge web that results in other quests being unlocked or taken away. It results in many alliances or enemies. And it results in the entire world of the game changing right before one's eyes. The title flatout embarrasses every other modern game when it comes to the role playing department. It isn't just simply being "good" or "evil" it's about making tough choices both personally and for the greater good.
I could literally write almost a book about The Witcher III. Hell, I haven't even talked about it's technical achievements as the game is fucking gorgeous and runs stunningly well even on average gaming PC. I haven't written about the game's perfect OST, or how everything in the game, down to the most minimal side quest is voice acted. The best way I can explain the game is that it is a unicorn. The Witcher III is a game that has massive overworld with tons of side quests, but with a deep story, deep quests, and and all that are interconnected with one another in choice based gameplay. It has tons of text that is all voice acted. Crazy huge draw distances and a big environment with some of the most best looking graphics in gaming, that runs very well in 60fps with modest rig. The game is just full of contradictions. I would usually end this by saying that the title added a new standard for the genre, but the reality is that the standard set by it is so high that it just flatout unrealistic. The Witcher III is like if CD Projekt got all the fans together like this clip from The Simpsons. The fans listed their highly unrealistic and contradictory wants and expectations. But instead of yelling at them, CDProjekt delivered.
11| System Shock II
Released: August 11th, 1999
Available On: PC (All major OSes)
Bioshock is a very mediocre game. After being hyped to Atlantis I actually purchased the game for my PC during its launch day on August 21st 2007. The thing is, is that at the time I was also at the point of wrapping up the original Deus Ex. I found Deus Ex to be a memorizing and highly enjoyable experience. With well designed maps, an immersive world, a well done mixture of the FPS and RPG genres, the game quickly became one of my favorites at the time. My only complaint with it was the brain dead enemy A.I.. However, despite enjoying the game so much, I was under pressure to finish it as soon as possible. The reason? Bioshock was releasing that day. The game was receiving praise to no end with many saying was the natural evolution of the first person shooter/RPG hybrid genre with revolutionary storytelling. I finished Deus Ex just a few hours after Bioshock was unlocked for downloading. The ending of the game was fantastic and it made me pump to play the evolution of the genre.
After some time with Bioshock I was extremely disappointed. Sure, the presentation was top notch. The graphics were insane at the time and the art style was beautiful. There was ton of cinematics throughout the game making me feel like I was playing a movie, and the character design was great with the Big Daddy's in particular scaring the shit out of me. The issue with the game was anything relating to the actual gameplay. The map design was pathetic. So simplistic to the point where there were fucking arrows telling you where to go. Yes, you could turn them off, but the entire game is designed around this handholding and even with the arrows off the map design is still ridiculously simplistic. The RPG elements seemed a monumental step back from what I was expecting coming out of Deus Ex. They were very simplistic and as basic as you can make them. There was virtually zero penalty for dying as you immediately respawned at a nearby "checkpoint" in a regeneration chamber. The list goes on and on. Suffice to say, I found the game disappointing.
From what I understood at the time, is that Bioshock was a spiritual successor to a title named System Shock II that came out eight years early. I wouldn't sink my teeth into this game until half a decade later. If playing Deus Ex prior to Bioshock made me disappointed in Bioshock, then if I would have played System Shock II before playing Bioshock then my disappointment would have instead morphed into venomously hatred. Playing System Shock II well over a decade after its initial release resulted in my being glued to my computer. The game was phenomenal in so many ways. And literally addresses every issue I had with Bioshock.
To start off, the level design is light years ahead of Bioshock. Despite taking place on a spaceship rather than an actual city, System Shock II's maps are far more complex and layered than anything in Bioshock. Every area has multiple floors all interconnected with one another that are filled with different secrets, items, and other interesting things to discover. In order to actually progress in the game you need to actively explore the area. Rather than relying on arrows on the ground to prevent the player from getting lost the game instead just uses ingenious visual cues and constructed areas to give the player hints on where to go, but not enough to the point where it is handholding. The game's maps manage to properly find the balance to not be cryptic enough so the area doesn't feel like a maze, but not streamlined enough so that it doesn't feel like a tunnel.
There are also the game's RPG elements. There are so many different stats, weapons, and gadgets to play around with that the title arguably feels more like a RPG than FPS. It's fascinating to see how changing different stats and settling on different weapons change the play style of the game. Particularly when they are all well suited in different situations. Especially when you can either choose to be good and using weapons or psychic abilities.
The final improvement I enjoyed was the game's approach to immersion. To me, I sometimes feel that at times less is more when it comes to being immersed in a game. Sure, interactive cutscenes are nice and all, but they only maintain their effect in small doses. System Shock II understands this. While it does have its share of interactive cutscenes, must of the immersion comes from the gameplay itself. Huddling in a dark corner of a room, being in the opposite side of the exit, as two large dangerous creatures are walking in the room randomly looking for prey. Coming across a torn up body with blood all over the room and finding a recording of the person detailing their situation as they accept their inevitable fate. These are things to me that sell a game, while Bioshock didn't have these moments absent in it, it did feel like it took interactive cutscenes as a primary focus.
In terms of the type of game System Shock II is, it is pretty much Bioshock, but on a spaceship. A character embarks on a flight in a spaceship only to wake up and find out that everyone is either dead or has turned into some type of horrific creature. It turns out that the ship has been hijacked by an extremely evil super A.I. with goals of taking over the world. It is up to the player to destroy the A.I. before it is too late. Things are obviously a bit more complicated than this, but it's a general summary. The title revolves around an atmosphere of emptiness and loneliness as it plays the whole "in space no one can hear you scream" card. Here however it works very well being that throughout the player's journey they will come across countless dead bodies and recorded journal entries of the victims detailing their situation in a haunting manner. Just like Bioshock these leave cues of the bigger picture of what's going on. It's a very innovative way of storytelling and it comes to no surprise that this is used so much today as demonstrated not only by Bioshock Infinite but also by titles like The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
System Shock II was way ahead of its time in virtually every aspect. It's unfortunate that the game didn't get the commercial success it deserved. Despite that it has not only become a cult classic but an absolute mandatory classic PC game playthrough. It is easy to see why. The game has aged phenomenally, partly due to it's tried and true game design and partly due to modem FPS game design going backwards over the past decade. If you're someone who tried their hand on the Bioshock series and felt that the series needed a little bit more meat during it's course, I can't recommend System Shock II enough.
10| Strider
Released: January 1989 (Exact date unknown)
Definitive Version: Arcade; Also on: MD, Virtual Console (Wii), PS, PCE
Well, you've finally reached this point. The top ten of my Greatest Video Games of All-Time (IMO) list. There were literally dozens of games that fought their way to get on this placement, however only a couple made it through. It took me a while to think which titles left as big of an impact and are enjoyable enough to actually rank in this area. I feel it is pretty fitting that Strider would make it to this level. For those unfamiliar with the game it is a side-scrolling action game set in the future that stars a highly acrobatic ninja named "Strider Hiyru". The game was released at that start of when these side scrolling hack-n-slash games began to become the standard in the market. Ninja Gaiden for the NES was released just a few weeks prior, while Sega was set to release Revenge of the Shinobi in a couple months. What made Strider standout from these games, as well as almost every other game that followed, was that platform it was developed on. Strider was developed for the arcades, therefore it didn't have to work around the limitations of consoles. The game featured huge sprites, many enemies on screen, and even an in-game physics system that calculated gravity. This alone made Strider head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd.
That said, despite the game's technical prowess, few people care or even notice it. There are two things that make Strider such a beloved game. How well the constant breakneck pacing mixes with the games acrobatic and fast paced gameplay, and the game's marvelous setting. To make things simple, there is always something going on in Strider. The heroic ninja constantly walks around the area (usually to the right) and uses his long range sword to slash at every enemy he sees. His ninja flexibility and agility allow him to scale and climb nearly any platform or building in the area. Every time the X or Y axis of the screen moves, there is usually something prepared as enemies and platforms are placed very well in the game. Not only that, but the game features array of unique levels and segments. From scaling to the top of the sky-scrapers of Neo-Moscow to assaulting the inners of a zero gravity airship base, Strider offers plenty of variety and excitement. It's non-stop action from beginning to end.
There is also the title's awesome setting. It takes place in the distant (while I guess today not so distant) future where cyborgs, robots, and magic dominate. The game is like every ten year old kids fantasy come true. There is even a level where you travel to the amazon rainforest and interact and fight with dinosaurs (both organic and robotic)! The game's art style is very comic booky and bright and the music manages to be both dark and cartoony at the same time. If you were going to point to someone what would be the quintessential example of a video game setting and atmosphere, Strider would be a top candidate.
The game isn't without its faults however. For starters the game does decline in a quality after its third level as the final two stages aren't as enjoyable to player as the first three. This goes double with the final stage which is far too punishing and dare I say confusing for its own good. While the cutscenes are a great touch, and it's even cooler that they are voiced with each character speaking their native language, they are far too short which leaves the story to be practically nonexistent in a game world that has so much potential.
Like Duke Nukem 3D, Strider was an excellent title in the series in which the developer could never come close in matching again. Strider 2 for the Playstation was widely regarded as a disappointment. The recent reboot by Double Helix was regarded as good...but that's just it, it was "good". Strider isn't suppose to be a "good" game, it's suppose to be an incredible one. Hence why the original Strider is still talked about while the few year old reboot is all but forgotten.
Despite staring in only three official games, Strider Hiryu has been featured in many more. Despite hardly being Capcom's most popular franchise, it seems that whenever there is a Capcom ensemble involved in a title, Strider WILL appear. This is probably due to the fact that the character is just so bad ass. He's a futuristic ninja who is a master in acrobats and wields long reaching plasma sword. Why wouldn't you want to play as him? He is a regular in Monolithsoft's "X" SRPG series which gathers Namco, Capcom, SEGA, and Nintendo characters all together as playable characters. But where Strider is really well known is in the Marvel vs Capcom series. Most of this is due to the highly praised Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. The game boasted an insane roster of 56 playable character in a 3 vs 3 team fighter. However, the game contains insane speed and complexity at high level play that very few other fighting titles feature. Due to this the roster of viable characters for competitive play shrunk to around 16. Of these 16 only just 3 or 4 of them were from the Capcom side. Strider was one of those characters, and it really propelled him to being more recognized in the gaming community, especially since his character was so fun and unique to play as. Strider also returned in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 where he was once again viable in a game that boasts a huge roster that significantly shrinks when accounting characters that are tournament viable.
In age of where Capcom has all but become a shadow of its former self, it's worth looking at games like Strider to remember just why they were held in such high regard in the first place. Sure Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, and Devil May Cry all have great games in their series, but Capcom has produced tons of exciting and entertaining games over the years. And that's worth to remember.
Released: May 19th, 2015
Definitive Version: PC; Also on: PS4, Xbox One
If you have been reading through this list, you can tell that I am a big fan of CD Projekt's "The Witcher" series. It was the first "pure" Western role playing game series that I enjoyed. And it really aided in pulling me toward the genre. The first game was classic and testament to dark role playing rich games at a time when open world games with little substance were all the rage. The sequel continued that trend. To say that the third game realized the series potential is a mass understatement. The Witcher III just didn't realize the original vision of the The Witcher series, but pretty much the entire role playing genre and arguably gaming itself. Now yes, this sounds like pure hyperbole but it really isn't.The Witcher III does what gamers have been dreaming about since forever. A true role playing experience with a huge explorable interactive 3D world with a strong main storyline, deep intertwined quests, and a living breathing world. Typically with RPGs there is always a sacrifice. You either have a huge explorable world with a lot of pointless side quests and a weak storyline (such as Xenoblade X or The Elder Scrolls titles) or you have a small linear experience with a highly engaging story and/or very meaty side quests (such as in Final Fantasy or Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines). For the longest time, these things were divided because developers had to pick and choose. One simply doesn't have the time or the resources to focus on all of these things at once. Apparently, CD Projekt managed to accomplish this impossibility. The Witcher III managed to check every box, and checks it damn well.
How did they accomplish this? Being honest, I'm not so sure. I believe it was just simply that they set out to create the best game possible and just exhausted the amount resources to make three games into just one game. And being honest that's what playing The Witcher III feels like. To start off, just walking around or riding on horse back, exploring town to town feels like it's own game. There plenty of hidden caves, dungeons, and random things going on. While just merely exploring you will come across plenty of side quests. A vast majority of these will be very meaty and have as much backstory to them as the average "big sidequest" in other WRPGs. The world is massive and everything you see in the distance you can actually go to, no matter how far. If you manage to reach the shore, no big deal. You can just take a raft and sail further to the next continent and continue your expedition.
The thing is though, is that the main game's storyline is so intriguing that you find yourself torn between exploring or continue doing the "must do objectives." Let's be honest, storyline isn't usually one of WRPGs strong points. People like to pretend that titles like Deus Ex or even Fallout have storylines to match the top end JRPGs, but they really don't come close. The Witcher III technically doesn't either, but it tries a different approach. Similar to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines it tries to sell the world. Upon the quest you go through tons of towns meeting a variety of interesting characters with haunting backstories. It's so easy to get lost in the game's lore. However, the main plot is also pretty interesting. Again it's not the most engaging plot out there, but it certainly keeps your attention. It revolves around the main character Geralt searching for who is essentially his psuedo daughter Ciri. It sounds basic and cliche, but it works very well. It's interesting to see how each main quest, and even a good amount of side quests, are intertwined with Ciri's actions. It's really neat seeing everything come together at the end.
But what's perhaps the most impressive thing to me is how despite the game having so many quests, both mandatory and optional, is just how interconnected everything is. Make no mistake, the size of The Wticher III makes zero compromise on the actual role playing. Every choice the character makes has an effect on the game, sometimes immediate, sometimes at the end. The games quests are intertangled in a massively huge web that results in other quests being unlocked or taken away. It results in many alliances or enemies. And it results in the entire world of the game changing right before one's eyes. The title flatout embarrasses every other modern game when it comes to the role playing department. It isn't just simply being "good" or "evil" it's about making tough choices both personally and for the greater good.
I could literally write almost a book about The Witcher III. Hell, I haven't even talked about it's technical achievements as the game is fucking gorgeous and runs stunningly well even on average gaming PC. I haven't written about the game's perfect OST, or how everything in the game, down to the most minimal side quest is voice acted. The best way I can explain the game is that it is a unicorn. The Witcher III is a game that has massive overworld with tons of side quests, but with a deep story, deep quests, and and all that are interconnected with one another in choice based gameplay. It has tons of text that is all voice acted. Crazy huge draw distances and a big environment with some of the most best looking graphics in gaming, that runs very well in 60fps with modest rig. The game is just full of contradictions. I would usually end this by saying that the title added a new standard for the genre, but the reality is that the standard set by it is so high that it just flatout unrealistic. The Witcher III is like if CD Projekt got all the fans together like this clip from The Simpsons. The fans listed their highly unrealistic and contradictory wants and expectations. But instead of yelling at them, CDProjekt delivered.
11| System Shock II
Released: August 11th, 1999
Available On: PC (All major OSes)
Bioshock is a very mediocre game. After being hyped to Atlantis I actually purchased the game for my PC during its launch day on August 21st 2007. The thing is, is that at the time I was also at the point of wrapping up the original Deus Ex. I found Deus Ex to be a memorizing and highly enjoyable experience. With well designed maps, an immersive world, a well done mixture of the FPS and RPG genres, the game quickly became one of my favorites at the time. My only complaint with it was the brain dead enemy A.I.. However, despite enjoying the game so much, I was under pressure to finish it as soon as possible. The reason? Bioshock was releasing that day. The game was receiving praise to no end with many saying was the natural evolution of the first person shooter/RPG hybrid genre with revolutionary storytelling. I finished Deus Ex just a few hours after Bioshock was unlocked for downloading. The ending of the game was fantastic and it made me pump to play the evolution of the genre.
After some time with Bioshock I was extremely disappointed. Sure, the presentation was top notch. The graphics were insane at the time and the art style was beautiful. There was ton of cinematics throughout the game making me feel like I was playing a movie, and the character design was great with the Big Daddy's in particular scaring the shit out of me. The issue with the game was anything relating to the actual gameplay. The map design was pathetic. So simplistic to the point where there were fucking arrows telling you where to go. Yes, you could turn them off, but the entire game is designed around this handholding and even with the arrows off the map design is still ridiculously simplistic. The RPG elements seemed a monumental step back from what I was expecting coming out of Deus Ex. They were very simplistic and as basic as you can make them. There was virtually zero penalty for dying as you immediately respawned at a nearby "checkpoint" in a regeneration chamber. The list goes on and on. Suffice to say, I found the game disappointing.
From what I understood at the time, is that Bioshock was a spiritual successor to a title named System Shock II that came out eight years early. I wouldn't sink my teeth into this game until half a decade later. If playing Deus Ex prior to Bioshock made me disappointed in Bioshock, then if I would have played System Shock II before playing Bioshock then my disappointment would have instead morphed into venomously hatred. Playing System Shock II well over a decade after its initial release resulted in my being glued to my computer. The game was phenomenal in so many ways. And literally addresses every issue I had with Bioshock.
To start off, the level design is light years ahead of Bioshock. Despite taking place on a spaceship rather than an actual city, System Shock II's maps are far more complex and layered than anything in Bioshock. Every area has multiple floors all interconnected with one another that are filled with different secrets, items, and other interesting things to discover. In order to actually progress in the game you need to actively explore the area. Rather than relying on arrows on the ground to prevent the player from getting lost the game instead just uses ingenious visual cues and constructed areas to give the player hints on where to go, but not enough to the point where it is handholding. The game's maps manage to properly find the balance to not be cryptic enough so the area doesn't feel like a maze, but not streamlined enough so that it doesn't feel like a tunnel.
There are also the game's RPG elements. There are so many different stats, weapons, and gadgets to play around with that the title arguably feels more like a RPG than FPS. It's fascinating to see how changing different stats and settling on different weapons change the play style of the game. Particularly when they are all well suited in different situations. Especially when you can either choose to be good and using weapons or psychic abilities.
The final improvement I enjoyed was the game's approach to immersion. To me, I sometimes feel that at times less is more when it comes to being immersed in a game. Sure, interactive cutscenes are nice and all, but they only maintain their effect in small doses. System Shock II understands this. While it does have its share of interactive cutscenes, must of the immersion comes from the gameplay itself. Huddling in a dark corner of a room, being in the opposite side of the exit, as two large dangerous creatures are walking in the room randomly looking for prey. Coming across a torn up body with blood all over the room and finding a recording of the person detailing their situation as they accept their inevitable fate. These are things to me that sell a game, while Bioshock didn't have these moments absent in it, it did feel like it took interactive cutscenes as a primary focus.
In terms of the type of game System Shock II is, it is pretty much Bioshock, but on a spaceship. A character embarks on a flight in a spaceship only to wake up and find out that everyone is either dead or has turned into some type of horrific creature. It turns out that the ship has been hijacked by an extremely evil super A.I. with goals of taking over the world. It is up to the player to destroy the A.I. before it is too late. Things are obviously a bit more complicated than this, but it's a general summary. The title revolves around an atmosphere of emptiness and loneliness as it plays the whole "in space no one can hear you scream" card. Here however it works very well being that throughout the player's journey they will come across countless dead bodies and recorded journal entries of the victims detailing their situation in a haunting manner. Just like Bioshock these leave cues of the bigger picture of what's going on. It's a very innovative way of storytelling and it comes to no surprise that this is used so much today as demonstrated not only by Bioshock Infinite but also by titles like The Last of Us and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
System Shock II was way ahead of its time in virtually every aspect. It's unfortunate that the game didn't get the commercial success it deserved. Despite that it has not only become a cult classic but an absolute mandatory classic PC game playthrough. It is easy to see why. The game has aged phenomenally, partly due to it's tried and true game design and partly due to modem FPS game design going backwards over the past decade. If you're someone who tried their hand on the Bioshock series and felt that the series needed a little bit more meat during it's course, I can't recommend System Shock II enough.
10| Strider
Released: January 1989 (Exact date unknown)
Definitive Version: Arcade; Also on: MD, Virtual Console (Wii), PS, PCE
Well, you've finally reached this point. The top ten of my Greatest Video Games of All-Time (IMO) list. There were literally dozens of games that fought their way to get on this placement, however only a couple made it through. It took me a while to think which titles left as big of an impact and are enjoyable enough to actually rank in this area. I feel it is pretty fitting that Strider would make it to this level. For those unfamiliar with the game it is a side-scrolling action game set in the future that stars a highly acrobatic ninja named "Strider Hiyru". The game was released at that start of when these side scrolling hack-n-slash games began to become the standard in the market. Ninja Gaiden for the NES was released just a few weeks prior, while Sega was set to release Revenge of the Shinobi in a couple months. What made Strider standout from these games, as well as almost every other game that followed, was that platform it was developed on. Strider was developed for the arcades, therefore it didn't have to work around the limitations of consoles. The game featured huge sprites, many enemies on screen, and even an in-game physics system that calculated gravity. This alone made Strider head and shoulders above the rest of the crowd.
That said, despite the game's technical prowess, few people care or even notice it. There are two things that make Strider such a beloved game. How well the constant breakneck pacing mixes with the games acrobatic and fast paced gameplay, and the game's marvelous setting. To make things simple, there is always something going on in Strider. The heroic ninja constantly walks around the area (usually to the right) and uses his long range sword to slash at every enemy he sees. His ninja flexibility and agility allow him to scale and climb nearly any platform or building in the area. Every time the X or Y axis of the screen moves, there is usually something prepared as enemies and platforms are placed very well in the game. Not only that, but the game features array of unique levels and segments. From scaling to the top of the sky-scrapers of Neo-Moscow to assaulting the inners of a zero gravity airship base, Strider offers plenty of variety and excitement. It's non-stop action from beginning to end.
There is also the title's awesome setting. It takes place in the distant (while I guess today not so distant) future where cyborgs, robots, and magic dominate. The game is like every ten year old kids fantasy come true. There is even a level where you travel to the amazon rainforest and interact and fight with dinosaurs (both organic and robotic)! The game's art style is very comic booky and bright and the music manages to be both dark and cartoony at the same time. If you were going to point to someone what would be the quintessential example of a video game setting and atmosphere, Strider would be a top candidate.
The game isn't without its faults however. For starters the game does decline in a quality after its third level as the final two stages aren't as enjoyable to player as the first three. This goes double with the final stage which is far too punishing and dare I say confusing for its own good. While the cutscenes are a great touch, and it's even cooler that they are voiced with each character speaking their native language, they are far too short which leaves the story to be practically nonexistent in a game world that has so much potential.
Like Duke Nukem 3D, Strider was an excellent title in the series in which the developer could never come close in matching again. Strider 2 for the Playstation was widely regarded as a disappointment. The recent reboot by Double Helix was regarded as good...but that's just it, it was "good". Strider isn't suppose to be a "good" game, it's suppose to be an incredible one. Hence why the original Strider is still talked about while the few year old reboot is all but forgotten.
Despite staring in only three official games, Strider Hiryu has been featured in many more. Despite hardly being Capcom's most popular franchise, it seems that whenever there is a Capcom ensemble involved in a title, Strider WILL appear. This is probably due to the fact that the character is just so bad ass. He's a futuristic ninja who is a master in acrobats and wields long reaching plasma sword. Why wouldn't you want to play as him? He is a regular in Monolithsoft's "X" SRPG series which gathers Namco, Capcom, SEGA, and Nintendo characters all together as playable characters. But where Strider is really well known is in the Marvel vs Capcom series. Most of this is due to the highly praised Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. The game boasted an insane roster of 56 playable character in a 3 vs 3 team fighter. However, the game contains insane speed and complexity at high level play that very few other fighting titles feature. Due to this the roster of viable characters for competitive play shrunk to around 16. Of these 16 only just 3 or 4 of them were from the Capcom side. Strider was one of those characters, and it really propelled him to being more recognized in the gaming community, especially since his character was so fun and unique to play as. Strider also returned in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 where he was once again viable in a game that boasts a huge roster that significantly shrinks when accounting characters that are tournament viable.
In age of where Capcom has all but become a shadow of its former self, it's worth looking at games like Strider to remember just why they were held in such high regard in the first place. Sure Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Mega Man, and Devil May Cry all have great games in their series, but Capcom has produced tons of exciting and entertaining games over the years. And that's worth to remember.
rootbeerafloat
Member
entremet
Member
That's what we should all aspire to if we're hardcore enthusiasts.
FrostuTheNinja
Member
Starting the top 10 with Strider.
This list is
LEGIT
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This list is
LEGIT
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Omega Kirby
Member
Cant stop refreshing page
Maaaaaardy
Member
This guy is a fucking gangster.
Gangster license revoked if COD4 isn't in your top 10 though, son! LETS GO!
Gangster license revoked if COD4 isn't in your top 10 though, son! LETS GO!
Oh damn, I ain't even notice that.
SolVanderlyn
Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Mario Bros 3 baby. We about to be in here.
Orakio Rob
Member
This is really fun ^_^
Striiiiiider!
Very curious about your top 10!
Striiiiiider!
Very curious about your top 10!
Peroroncino
Member
The Witcher 3 is 12th, OP is officially a false prophet in my eyes. 
lastrealgameralive
Member
Give us time to guess on the top 10, OP.
Chapeau!
Great List Op. This list shows how diverse our hobby is, i agree with some titles (Mario 3D Land) and disagree with others (Z.TW over Z Oot), but as others have said it's your list. Every one has it's own list and i appreciate it that you took so much time to share yours with us.
TheDanimal
Junior Member
Before entering this thread: "Wow, listing 100 games sounds like a lot of work! Let's see what he picked..."
After entering this thread:
After entering this thread:
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
For Honor at 1. OP is just waiting for the check to clear !
Crooked16th
Banned
Can I get a recap of all the games so far.
Respectable list, can't really disagree with anyth-
He also said Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is the worst in the series...
VanquishUK
Member
09| Kid Icarus: Uprising
Released: March 23rd, 2012
Available On: Nintendo 3DS
It has been a running gag for sometime that during one Sony's major press conferences, a reboot of the Crash Bandicoot series will be announced. Sure technically there have been plenty of games featuring Crash Bandicoot in recent years, but they weren't really Crash Bandicoot games as they were developed by a different developer, published by a different publisher, and were...well kind of shitty. Similar to the situation the Terminator film series finds itself in, Crash Bandicoot was a well received video game series when it was controlled from the ground up by it's creator, in this case Naughty Dog. Once Naughty Dog moved on to bigger and better things, the license was sold and the franchise went to...well shit. Since then fans have been clamoring Sony to buy the license back and return the character to their former glory. Over the years Sony has given some teases to bringing the series back to the spotlight. Recent examples are things such as the glorified entrance during E3 2016 of Activision releasing a HD remaster of the first three games and a presenter wearing a Crash Bandicoot shirt during another Sony conference.
Why am I bringing up Crash Bandicoot? Because it is the closest current example I can think of when comparing to what Kid Icarus went through for years. Kid Icarus was originally one of the classic NES games. In case you live under a rock, pretty much every one of Nintendo's biggest standing franchises started on the NES. Zelda got its start in the on the NES and became a flagship franchise. Mario got its start on the NES and became a flagship franchise. Metroid got started on the NES and became a flagship franchise. All of these titles were very different from one another, complemented each other very well, and had multiple appearances on pretty much every Nintendo console. Zelda was an epic action-adventure game with a medieval setting. Mario was a pick up and play platformer with a cartoony setting. Metroid was atmospheric action-adventure platformer with a sci-fi setting. However, there was another game in the NES library that was pretty popular and complemented these games perfectly. Kid Icarus was an epic action platformer with a Norse fantasy setting. It completed the "main franchise" circle perfectly. Despite the game selling well, achieving critical acclaim, being "Nintendo unique", and having a cult fanbase, it only received a single sequel for decades. After the 1991 Game Boy game the series was never heard from again.
Over the years, fans begged for a sequel, but it never happened. Then during the 2000s, some teasing occurred. First was 2006's Tetris DS, which had an entire level dedicated to the Kid Icarus game. Then most notably was Pit's inclusion to the roster in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Then in E3 2010, the impossible happened, a new Kid Icarus entry, was actually announced. Even more so, it was going to be developed for Nintendo's upcoming Nintendo 3DS. As one would imagine, fans were floored.
Two years later the title was released. The first Kid Icarus game in almost twenty years. So how did it turn out? Very good, actually no, it turned out fantastic! Kid Icarus: Uprising not only met expectations, but it set a new standard in not just resurrecting franchises, but handheld gaming in general. Before I go into detail about the game, one has to understand just what kind of game the original Kid Icarus was. A vast majority of people think it's simple a vertical platformer, in which instead of going from left to right, one goes from down to up. This is absolutely correct...for the first two levels or so. From there on out the game changes. It becomes side-scrolling dungeon crawler, then a traditional left-to-right 2D platformer, then a shoot-em-up, then back to a vertical platformer, then back to a side-scrolling dungeon crawler, then back to a shoot-em-up, then the game ends. My point is that the game had A LOT of variety. While it was technically mainly an action platformer, it didn't really stick to one single genre. This is something that a modern entry of Kid Icarus had to get right. Kid Icarus: Uprising does just this. Half the game is pretty much one clearly defined genre. Though instead of this being the platforming genre, it is in fact the shooter genre. These segments are similar to titles such as Sin & Punishment in which the camera is behind the player as they move the reticule to shoot at enemies. It's your typical affair, but what makes it stand out is how fast and frantic it can be. The game as a matter of fact let's one control the "intensity" of each stage, so the higher intensity the player sets, the more enemies and chaos there will be on screen. This alone gives the game plenty of replay value.
Once the shooter portions are over, Pit (aka "Kid Icarus") takes to the ground. The game then becomes a common action game. With Pit running on the ground, exploring the area, while taking out baddies with his trusty swords and arrows. However, these parts don't just rest on their laurels, there is plenty of variety during these segments including controlling large robots, driving fast vehicles, and plenty of other things as well. The levels also change things up as some places are designed as labyrinth mazes or just straight forward action-platforming. Each stage has a boss battle at the end which is well worth your time. I'd dare to say that the game has some of the best boss battles I have ever played.
Now let me address the white elephant in the room. The controls. The 3DS, at least at the time, lacked a second analog stick. This meant that if you wanted to move character and aim at the same time, or move the camera freely around, you had to use the touch screen. So during the shooting stages the player had to move Pit with the analog stick while aim with the stylus on the touch screen, while shooting with the shoulder buttons. It takes time to adjust to it, but after a while one gets used it to it. Most of the biggest complaints are during the on ground segments. On the ground the player runs around with the analog stick, attacks with the shoulder buttons, uses items with the face buttons, and moves the camera or aims the arrows with the stylus on the touch screen. As one can imagine, this is pretty difficult to initially do and takes some practice. Especially due to how fast paced the game is. After a while however, most players get the hang of it. Keyword is "most". Like Skyward Sword before it, Kid Icarus used a very unique control scheme which divided players into two groups: those who think it just takes getting used to and it enhances the game, and those who think it is broken, unneeded, and ruins the game. Personally, I am in the former category. Sure it takes time to learn and get used to the controls, but once one does it is very rewarding. That being said, I can understand the complaints. After playing the game for a while, it does get uncomfortable. I imagine those with more sensitive wrists will find it to be unpleasant. Nintendo realized this and sold the physical version of the game with a stand to aid players, especially those who happen to be left handed.
Despite the amazing gameplay the game goes all out on presentation. Make no mistake, this isn't a "handheld" title. The game's production matches that of a big budget console game. There is top notch voice acting, top notch cutscenes, a deep story, gorgeous graphics and effects, "epic" music, and tons of modes that I can't even talk about. One could legitimately argue that it was Nintendo most ambitious game to date when it was released. I mean to me the only game that went so far at the time was Skyward Sword, besides that I have trouble thinking of anything else that compares. And it just isn't all flash. The story is very engaging and characters are absolutely lovable. The world of Kid Icarus: Uprising is one you want to see again and again.
The title also sports an online mutliplayer mode. This mode involves a deathmatch or team deathmatch mode on one of many choices of maps, as each player controls their own Pit as they try to defeat their competitors by shooting arrows, attacking them with melee weapons, and using various items. It sounds like something that was very rushed and quickly put together, but it is actually surprisingly well throughout and pretty deep. Sure, it's no Splatoon, but it's not quite as far from that mark as one would assume. What's really shocking is how active it was last time I played the game. I recall entering the online servers three years and a half years after the game was released and I never had a problem finding a match. Apparently the multiplayer had or has some serious legs. I wouldn't be surprised if there were still players on the servers.
What really makes this game stick out is the replayability. From controlling the difficulty of every level, to the online multiplayer, to countless unlockable, to animated mini-episodes, and a many other things I forgot, this game is packed with content with a lot to love. It's funny because it technically doesn't need any of that stuff. The game in by itself is replayable enough as it is because it's a very enjoyable experience that one wants to go back to. But despite that, Nintendo didn't leave it at that, they went all out on this title. There is so much I have yet to talk about the game, but I feel like it's best to end here or else I'll just ramble on and on. The best summarization I can give about this game is this: buy it, play it, love it.
08| Jet Set Radio
Released: October 30th, 2000
Definitive Version: PC; Also on: Xbox 360, PS3, PSVita, DC
If there was a single game I'd show someone to summarize Sega during their twilight days of a powerhouse, it would be Jet Set Radio. I would feel wrong to begin detailing the game before I started to explain Sega at the time first. As virtually every gamer knows, during the 1980s Nintendo was the undisputed king of the console market. The NES had a virtual monopoly in North America. Then comes along Sega, a company mostly known for its cutting edge and fun arcade games. Sega released a series of consoles worldwide and none of them gained too much traction until their 16-bit Mega Drive, which was moderately successful in Japan and Europe, but wildly successful in North America. The system garnered a huge following due to it's more "adult" and "big kid" centric marketing and library filled with pro-athletes, ninjas, and 'tude characters. Shockingly, Sega's follow up system was a dud in everywhere in the world but Japan where it saw some success. Despite having THE flagship 3D game series with Virtua Fighter, the company wasn't really sure just how to approach 3D gaming. And with their follow-up system, the Sega Saturn, bombing almost everywhere and the arcades declining as a business the company was in a sink or swim situation. As a result, it threw out a lot of Hail Mary's in order to save the company. Most of these faciliated in their next, and unfortunately last, gaming console, the Sega Dreamcast. Featuring funky controls, memory cards with a screen and minigames on them, and online gameplay it truly was a system way ahead of its time. But what most people remember about the Dreamcast was it's unique titles.
Sega went out with a bang by creating games that nobody else really ventured in before. Shenmue is an obvious example as Sega combined free roaming map gameplay with a cinematic story, deep combat system, and pretty much something from every genre one can think of. Skies of Arcade was the first JRPG to really go all out in 3D as the maps were fully 3D models with no pre-rendered backgrounds in sight. Rez was a unique looking and playing arcade shooter similar to Panzer Dragoon. Phantasy Star Online brought MMOs to the console space. Sometimes they'd just throw shit at the wall, like they did with Typing of the Dead, which is a House of the Dead game...but where you type to kill the zombies with a keyboard.
Out of all the games though, perhaps the most beloved and well known one is Jet Set Radio. This hyper stylistic game focuses on players traversing the streets of Tokyo with inline skates as they have a mission in tagging everything and at times everyone with graffiti before the time runs out. It's a very arcadey and Sega-like approach to the then popular skateboarding genre. It was both cool, daring, addicting, and most of all fun. It encompassed everything Sega was at the time.
Now one could think that the game is essentially a Tony Hawk clone, but only with a inline skates and the ability to use graffiti. This is a bit wrong. For starters, Jet Set Radio's challenge doesn't come from doing tricks in the manner of how many buttons one can press before they hit the ground, but more so how the characters play with the environment. To rack up the score it's best for one to do a wall jump, then land on the rail, land on a car, do another wall jump, and land. As opposite to Tony Hawk which one just has to find a ramp and just constantly spam the two trick buttons. Jet Set Radio also requires a lot of skill to play. Grinding in the game is pretty difficult as one has to get the right angle and speed to do so. Setting up the tricks and just as, if not more difficult than doing the tricks themselves. The game is made to want you to go through the streets very fast and elegantly in order to tag your markers as quick as possible. In fact, it is a bit dishonest to call the game an "extreme sports" title. It's more akin to a platformer. The goal is to reach areas by hopping around and playing with the environment before the timer runs out. The title is arguable more similar to Super Mario 64 than it is to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. And like Super Mario 64, one can play the game for quite some time just moving around through the area and playing with the environment. The game feels so good to just play.
Despite the title's top notch gameplay, what most people remember the game for is how stylish it is. The game was one of the first, if not the first, to use cel-shaded graphics. This graphical style isn't too uncommon today, as almost anything that's supposed to emulate traditional cartoon uses this style. But back at the turn of the millennium, this style was never seen before. Playing the game was like being inside a living breathing cartoon world. And the atmosphere and setting of the game complemented that perfectly. The entire game is like a very upbeat comic book. Sort of like a "cool kids " version of Scott Pilgrim. The setting of the game is about various "gangs", more misfits than anything, having beef due to one thing or another. These differences are often resolved by graffiting their turf or something similar. So if you are expecting something more dark and, let's face it, realistic like Grand Theft Auto, you're playing the wrong type of game.
The title also has an incredible soundtrack. Using some of the "hippest" and "funkiest" music at the time, Jet Set Radio likely has the best use of licensed music in gaming to this day. It truly brings the world to life and makes you feel like you are a teenager again, but this time you are part of the "cool clique". The atmosphere the music creates when combined with the rest of the game is most similar to The World Ends With You. It just nails the feeling of being a cool rebellious teenager.
Unfortunately this game never really got it's due. It was initially released on the ill fated Dreamcast. It then received a pseudo-sequel called Jet Set Radio Future for the Xbox. The problem was, like most Sega titles on the system, is that it didn't really gel well with the userbase that was focused on the dark, gritty, and realistic type of games. There was third title that was pitched for the Wii, but it never came to fruition. The original title did get a Steam re-release which sold very well...but apparently Sega still isn't interested in making another title or even porting over the second game.
Today with gaming being so stale, it seems that late era Sega is needed more than ever. True, Nintendo is filling that gap to a degree, but they mostly take the weirdness too far at times. Usually relying on strange, or even appalling, control schemes as a way to keep a series fresh. Sega managed to create fresh games that used entirely new concepts consistently, all while having the titles focused on the devoted gamer. Unfortunately this arguable led to the companies downfall. The Dreamcast's biggest problem was that outside few titles like Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Sonic, it didn't really have any games that really appealed to the mainstream gamer. Even when Sega went third party, they still had this issue as nearly every game they released that wasn't a Sonic title underperformed. So one can look at Jet Set Radio as a title that represents a period. A period of gaming where developers were much more willing to take risks, experiment, and just create fun games.
07| Freedom Planet
Released: July 21st, 2014
Definitive Version: PC (All major OSs); Also on: Wii U, PS4
In just such a short amount of time, it seems indie games have taken over the hardcore gamer market. To think that just a little over a decade ago, Xbox Live didn't allow digital downloads of new content and that Steam didn't even exist. Yet here we are today with many, if not most, of the year's most anticipated titles belonging to independent developers. Now to me, there have generally always been two types of independent games. Those that are modern and try to experiment/push the trends of today, and those that are meant to emulate titles from a certain era. Time and time again we have seen many games, especially those from smaller and more ambitious developers, try their hand at recreating the glory of the old school titles from the NES, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis. And time and time again we have seen many of those games fail...miserably. Even the so called "good ones" I feel miss the mark.
The problem with these titles is that as enjoyable as they are, they focus too much on emulating the classics of the early and mid '90s without realizing a core ingredient of what allowed those classic to be so great in the first place. There are a few titles that get this right however. But I think the one that absolutely nails it, is Galaxy Trail's "Freedom Planet".
The best way to describe the game is that it is two thirds Sonic the Hedgehog and one third Rocket Knight. The game is a 2D platformer where the player can choose between two three characters. Lilac, a dragon who can charge up and "fly". Carol, a wildcat who attacks enemies with her claws and can ride a motorcycle with anti-gravity transportation. And Milia, a dog with energy attack powers. All these characters play very differently and can access different parts of each stages. This obviously leads to a lot of replayability. The game's level design is very similar to Sonic the Hedgehog with it's focus on speed, brief puzzles, and multiple routes. The stages are filled with ramps and even rollercoaster loops. It gets to the point that if someone managed to mod Sonic into the game, that an onlooker would never question whether or not one was playing a Sonic title. The game even has the player collect multiple rings crystals which tend to lead the player of where to go. Unlike Sonic though, the collectables have no relation to the characters health, as that is a separate life bar all together.
Describing the game like "Sonic with hot sauce and a unique flavor" is pretty accurate. That said, this isn't a bad thing, because Freedom Planet doesn't just match the quality of the previous Sonic titles, it surpasses them. Freedom Planet has better level design, has better boss fights, has better movement and character control, in pretty much every aspect Freedom Planet surpasses any Sonic the Hedgehog title. And this is a key ingredient of why I feel it succeeds more than any other title in terms of being an "old school throwback" indie game. What made games like Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, Sonic, and Castlevania so great wasn't the fact that they were shooting to be as "16-bit as possible". They were great because they were focused on pushing their genres to the absolute limit. When looking at these games formulas and the hardware they were on, one can see that there wasn't much more the developers could do. Today with modern knowledge and improved technology we can push these genres further. Freedom Planet does just that. It focused on pushing the core gameplay of the 2D action platformer genre. It mixed the beloved charge attacks from Rocket Knight with Sonic's fast running speed. It took Treasures giant and frantic boss fights and added it into the game. And it upped the presentation with quality voice acting, a detailed MIDI soundtrack, and a story that is well put together. Due to this, Freedom Planet just didn't reach the levels of the Genesis greats like Sonic, Sonic III, Rocket Knight Adventures, and Dynamite Headdy, it surpassed them.
A game that it reminded me of was Wayforward's return to form title Contra 4. Contra is a game series has had mediocre title after mediocre title since the third game. Only one, well technically two, have managed to be a legitimately good game. And that's Contra 4. The reason for this is that Wayforward just didn't try to emulate Contra 3, they instead decided to expand on the game. Specifically with the grappling hook, by adding some Bionic Commando flavor, and much more ambitious level design and bosses. It was a winning formula that the company hasn't replicated since with the series (well besides that one, but that WAS outsourced to Arc System Works.
I feel that developers can learn a lot from Freedom Planet. It isn't enough just to simply emulate the games when titles attempt to recreate an experience. The best case scenario with that is that you get a quality title like Resident Evil: Revelations, which is seen by many as a solid entry in the series but is light years away from Resident Evil 4. The worst case scenario is you get a game like New Super Mario Bros. Yoshi's New Island which is pretty much just like the title it is trying to be, but just with the most boring and uninspired design imaginable. One has to focus on making the best title possible and pushing those boundaries that already existed. That's what made these titles so special in the first place. Now I'm not saying to innovate for innovation's sake, but there is always something you can add to a title to spicin' it up and make it more interesting, and developers should take note.
Released: March 23rd, 2012
Available On: Nintendo 3DS
It has been a running gag for sometime that during one Sony's major press conferences, a reboot of the Crash Bandicoot series will be announced. Sure technically there have been plenty of games featuring Crash Bandicoot in recent years, but they weren't really Crash Bandicoot games as they were developed by a different developer, published by a different publisher, and were...well kind of shitty. Similar to the situation the Terminator film series finds itself in, Crash Bandicoot was a well received video game series when it was controlled from the ground up by it's creator, in this case Naughty Dog. Once Naughty Dog moved on to bigger and better things, the license was sold and the franchise went to...well shit. Since then fans have been clamoring Sony to buy the license back and return the character to their former glory. Over the years Sony has given some teases to bringing the series back to the spotlight. Recent examples are things such as the glorified entrance during E3 2016 of Activision releasing a HD remaster of the first three games and a presenter wearing a Crash Bandicoot shirt during another Sony conference.
Why am I bringing up Crash Bandicoot? Because it is the closest current example I can think of when comparing to what Kid Icarus went through for years. Kid Icarus was originally one of the classic NES games. In case you live under a rock, pretty much every one of Nintendo's biggest standing franchises started on the NES. Zelda got its start in the on the NES and became a flagship franchise. Mario got its start on the NES and became a flagship franchise. Metroid got started on the NES and became a flagship franchise. All of these titles were very different from one another, complemented each other very well, and had multiple appearances on pretty much every Nintendo console. Zelda was an epic action-adventure game with a medieval setting. Mario was a pick up and play platformer with a cartoony setting. Metroid was atmospheric action-adventure platformer with a sci-fi setting. However, there was another game in the NES library that was pretty popular and complemented these games perfectly. Kid Icarus was an epic action platformer with a Norse fantasy setting. It completed the "main franchise" circle perfectly. Despite the game selling well, achieving critical acclaim, being "Nintendo unique", and having a cult fanbase, it only received a single sequel for decades. After the 1991 Game Boy game the series was never heard from again.
Over the years, fans begged for a sequel, but it never happened. Then during the 2000s, some teasing occurred. First was 2006's Tetris DS, which had an entire level dedicated to the Kid Icarus game. Then most notably was Pit's inclusion to the roster in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Then in E3 2010, the impossible happened, a new Kid Icarus entry, was actually announced. Even more so, it was going to be developed for Nintendo's upcoming Nintendo 3DS. As one would imagine, fans were floored.
Two years later the title was released. The first Kid Icarus game in almost twenty years. So how did it turn out? Very good, actually no, it turned out fantastic! Kid Icarus: Uprising not only met expectations, but it set a new standard in not just resurrecting franchises, but handheld gaming in general. Before I go into detail about the game, one has to understand just what kind of game the original Kid Icarus was. A vast majority of people think it's simple a vertical platformer, in which instead of going from left to right, one goes from down to up. This is absolutely correct...for the first two levels or so. From there on out the game changes. It becomes side-scrolling dungeon crawler, then a traditional left-to-right 2D platformer, then a shoot-em-up, then back to a vertical platformer, then back to a side-scrolling dungeon crawler, then back to a shoot-em-up, then the game ends. My point is that the game had A LOT of variety. While it was technically mainly an action platformer, it didn't really stick to one single genre. This is something that a modern entry of Kid Icarus had to get right. Kid Icarus: Uprising does just this. Half the game is pretty much one clearly defined genre. Though instead of this being the platforming genre, it is in fact the shooter genre. These segments are similar to titles such as Sin & Punishment in which the camera is behind the player as they move the reticule to shoot at enemies. It's your typical affair, but what makes it stand out is how fast and frantic it can be. The game as a matter of fact let's one control the "intensity" of each stage, so the higher intensity the player sets, the more enemies and chaos there will be on screen. This alone gives the game plenty of replay value.
Once the shooter portions are over, Pit (aka "Kid Icarus") takes to the ground. The game then becomes a common action game. With Pit running on the ground, exploring the area, while taking out baddies with his trusty swords and arrows. However, these parts don't just rest on their laurels, there is plenty of variety during these segments including controlling large robots, driving fast vehicles, and plenty of other things as well. The levels also change things up as some places are designed as labyrinth mazes or just straight forward action-platforming. Each stage has a boss battle at the end which is well worth your time. I'd dare to say that the game has some of the best boss battles I have ever played.
Now let me address the white elephant in the room. The controls. The 3DS, at least at the time, lacked a second analog stick. This meant that if you wanted to move character and aim at the same time, or move the camera freely around, you had to use the touch screen. So during the shooting stages the player had to move Pit with the analog stick while aim with the stylus on the touch screen, while shooting with the shoulder buttons. It takes time to adjust to it, but after a while one gets used it to it. Most of the biggest complaints are during the on ground segments. On the ground the player runs around with the analog stick, attacks with the shoulder buttons, uses items with the face buttons, and moves the camera or aims the arrows with the stylus on the touch screen. As one can imagine, this is pretty difficult to initially do and takes some practice. Especially due to how fast paced the game is. After a while however, most players get the hang of it. Keyword is "most". Like Skyward Sword before it, Kid Icarus used a very unique control scheme which divided players into two groups: those who think it just takes getting used to and it enhances the game, and those who think it is broken, unneeded, and ruins the game. Personally, I am in the former category. Sure it takes time to learn and get used to the controls, but once one does it is very rewarding. That being said, I can understand the complaints. After playing the game for a while, it does get uncomfortable. I imagine those with more sensitive wrists will find it to be unpleasant. Nintendo realized this and sold the physical version of the game with a stand to aid players, especially those who happen to be left handed.
Despite the amazing gameplay the game goes all out on presentation. Make no mistake, this isn't a "handheld" title. The game's production matches that of a big budget console game. There is top notch voice acting, top notch cutscenes, a deep story, gorgeous graphics and effects, "epic" music, and tons of modes that I can't even talk about. One could legitimately argue that it was Nintendo most ambitious game to date when it was released. I mean to me the only game that went so far at the time was Skyward Sword, besides that I have trouble thinking of anything else that compares. And it just isn't all flash. The story is very engaging and characters are absolutely lovable. The world of Kid Icarus: Uprising is one you want to see again and again.
The title also sports an online mutliplayer mode. This mode involves a deathmatch or team deathmatch mode on one of many choices of maps, as each player controls their own Pit as they try to defeat their competitors by shooting arrows, attacking them with melee weapons, and using various items. It sounds like something that was very rushed and quickly put together, but it is actually surprisingly well throughout and pretty deep. Sure, it's no Splatoon, but it's not quite as far from that mark as one would assume. What's really shocking is how active it was last time I played the game. I recall entering the online servers three years and a half years after the game was released and I never had a problem finding a match. Apparently the multiplayer had or has some serious legs. I wouldn't be surprised if there were still players on the servers.
What really makes this game stick out is the replayability. From controlling the difficulty of every level, to the online multiplayer, to countless unlockable, to animated mini-episodes, and a many other things I forgot, this game is packed with content with a lot to love. It's funny because it technically doesn't need any of that stuff. The game in by itself is replayable enough as it is because it's a very enjoyable experience that one wants to go back to. But despite that, Nintendo didn't leave it at that, they went all out on this title. There is so much I have yet to talk about the game, but I feel like it's best to end here or else I'll just ramble on and on. The best summarization I can give about this game is this: buy it, play it, love it.
08| Jet Set Radio
Released: October 30th, 2000
Definitive Version: PC; Also on: Xbox 360, PS3, PSVita, DC
If there was a single game I'd show someone to summarize Sega during their twilight days of a powerhouse, it would be Jet Set Radio. I would feel wrong to begin detailing the game before I started to explain Sega at the time first. As virtually every gamer knows, during the 1980s Nintendo was the undisputed king of the console market. The NES had a virtual monopoly in North America. Then comes along Sega, a company mostly known for its cutting edge and fun arcade games. Sega released a series of consoles worldwide and none of them gained too much traction until their 16-bit Mega Drive, which was moderately successful in Japan and Europe, but wildly successful in North America. The system garnered a huge following due to it's more "adult" and "big kid" centric marketing and library filled with pro-athletes, ninjas, and 'tude characters. Shockingly, Sega's follow up system was a dud in everywhere in the world but Japan where it saw some success. Despite having THE flagship 3D game series with Virtua Fighter, the company wasn't really sure just how to approach 3D gaming. And with their follow-up system, the Sega Saturn, bombing almost everywhere and the arcades declining as a business the company was in a sink or swim situation. As a result, it threw out a lot of Hail Mary's in order to save the company. Most of these faciliated in their next, and unfortunately last, gaming console, the Sega Dreamcast. Featuring funky controls, memory cards with a screen and minigames on them, and online gameplay it truly was a system way ahead of its time. But what most people remember about the Dreamcast was it's unique titles.
Sega went out with a bang by creating games that nobody else really ventured in before. Shenmue is an obvious example as Sega combined free roaming map gameplay with a cinematic story, deep combat system, and pretty much something from every genre one can think of. Skies of Arcade was the first JRPG to really go all out in 3D as the maps were fully 3D models with no pre-rendered backgrounds in sight. Rez was a unique looking and playing arcade shooter similar to Panzer Dragoon. Phantasy Star Online brought MMOs to the console space. Sometimes they'd just throw shit at the wall, like they did with Typing of the Dead, which is a House of the Dead game...but where you type to kill the zombies with a keyboard.
Out of all the games though, perhaps the most beloved and well known one is Jet Set Radio. This hyper stylistic game focuses on players traversing the streets of Tokyo with inline skates as they have a mission in tagging everything and at times everyone with graffiti before the time runs out. It's a very arcadey and Sega-like approach to the then popular skateboarding genre. It was both cool, daring, addicting, and most of all fun. It encompassed everything Sega was at the time.
Now one could think that the game is essentially a Tony Hawk clone, but only with a inline skates and the ability to use graffiti. This is a bit wrong. For starters, Jet Set Radio's challenge doesn't come from doing tricks in the manner of how many buttons one can press before they hit the ground, but more so how the characters play with the environment. To rack up the score it's best for one to do a wall jump, then land on the rail, land on a car, do another wall jump, and land. As opposite to Tony Hawk which one just has to find a ramp and just constantly spam the two trick buttons. Jet Set Radio also requires a lot of skill to play. Grinding in the game is pretty difficult as one has to get the right angle and speed to do so. Setting up the tricks and just as, if not more difficult than doing the tricks themselves. The game is made to want you to go through the streets very fast and elegantly in order to tag your markers as quick as possible. In fact, it is a bit dishonest to call the game an "extreme sports" title. It's more akin to a platformer. The goal is to reach areas by hopping around and playing with the environment before the timer runs out. The title is arguable more similar to Super Mario 64 than it is to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. And like Super Mario 64, one can play the game for quite some time just moving around through the area and playing with the environment. The game feels so good to just play.
Despite the title's top notch gameplay, what most people remember the game for is how stylish it is. The game was one of the first, if not the first, to use cel-shaded graphics. This graphical style isn't too uncommon today, as almost anything that's supposed to emulate traditional cartoon uses this style. But back at the turn of the millennium, this style was never seen before. Playing the game was like being inside a living breathing cartoon world. And the atmosphere and setting of the game complemented that perfectly. The entire game is like a very upbeat comic book. Sort of like a "cool kids " version of Scott Pilgrim. The setting of the game is about various "gangs", more misfits than anything, having beef due to one thing or another. These differences are often resolved by graffiting their turf or something similar. So if you are expecting something more dark and, let's face it, realistic like Grand Theft Auto, you're playing the wrong type of game.
The title also has an incredible soundtrack. Using some of the "hippest" and "funkiest" music at the time, Jet Set Radio likely has the best use of licensed music in gaming to this day. It truly brings the world to life and makes you feel like you are a teenager again, but this time you are part of the "cool clique". The atmosphere the music creates when combined with the rest of the game is most similar to The World Ends With You. It just nails the feeling of being a cool rebellious teenager.
Unfortunately this game never really got it's due. It was initially released on the ill fated Dreamcast. It then received a pseudo-sequel called Jet Set Radio Future for the Xbox. The problem was, like most Sega titles on the system, is that it didn't really gel well with the userbase that was focused on the dark, gritty, and realistic type of games. There was third title that was pitched for the Wii, but it never came to fruition. The original title did get a Steam re-release which sold very well...but apparently Sega still isn't interested in making another title or even porting over the second game.
Today with gaming being so stale, it seems that late era Sega is needed more than ever. True, Nintendo is filling that gap to a degree, but they mostly take the weirdness too far at times. Usually relying on strange, or even appalling, control schemes as a way to keep a series fresh. Sega managed to create fresh games that used entirely new concepts consistently, all while having the titles focused on the devoted gamer. Unfortunately this arguable led to the companies downfall. The Dreamcast's biggest problem was that outside few titles like Resident Evil: Code Veronica and Sonic, it didn't really have any games that really appealed to the mainstream gamer. Even when Sega went third party, they still had this issue as nearly every game they released that wasn't a Sonic title underperformed. So one can look at Jet Set Radio as a title that represents a period. A period of gaming where developers were much more willing to take risks, experiment, and just create fun games.
07| Freedom Planet
Released: July 21st, 2014
Definitive Version: PC (All major OSs); Also on: Wii U, PS4
In just such a short amount of time, it seems indie games have taken over the hardcore gamer market. To think that just a little over a decade ago, Xbox Live didn't allow digital downloads of new content and that Steam didn't even exist. Yet here we are today with many, if not most, of the year's most anticipated titles belonging to independent developers. Now to me, there have generally always been two types of independent games. Those that are modern and try to experiment/push the trends of today, and those that are meant to emulate titles from a certain era. Time and time again we have seen many games, especially those from smaller and more ambitious developers, try their hand at recreating the glory of the old school titles from the NES, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis. And time and time again we have seen many of those games fail...miserably. Even the so called "good ones" I feel miss the mark.
The problem with these titles is that as enjoyable as they are, they focus too much on emulating the classics of the early and mid '90s without realizing a core ingredient of what allowed those classic to be so great in the first place. There are a few titles that get this right however. But I think the one that absolutely nails it, is Galaxy Trail's "Freedom Planet".
The best way to describe the game is that it is two thirds Sonic the Hedgehog and one third Rocket Knight. The game is a 2D platformer where the player can choose between two three characters. Lilac, a dragon who can charge up and "fly". Carol, a wildcat who attacks enemies with her claws and can ride a motorcycle with anti-gravity transportation. And Milia, a dog with energy attack powers. All these characters play very differently and can access different parts of each stages. This obviously leads to a lot of replayability. The game's level design is very similar to Sonic the Hedgehog with it's focus on speed, brief puzzles, and multiple routes. The stages are filled with ramps and even rollercoaster loops. It gets to the point that if someone managed to mod Sonic into the game, that an onlooker would never question whether or not one was playing a Sonic title. The game even has the player collect multiple rings crystals which tend to lead the player of where to go. Unlike Sonic though, the collectables have no relation to the characters health, as that is a separate life bar all together.
Describing the game like "Sonic with hot sauce and a unique flavor" is pretty accurate. That said, this isn't a bad thing, because Freedom Planet doesn't just match the quality of the previous Sonic titles, it surpasses them. Freedom Planet has better level design, has better boss fights, has better movement and character control, in pretty much every aspect Freedom Planet surpasses any Sonic the Hedgehog title. And this is a key ingredient of why I feel it succeeds more than any other title in terms of being an "old school throwback" indie game. What made games like Chrono Trigger, Super Metroid, Sonic, and Castlevania so great wasn't the fact that they were shooting to be as "16-bit as possible". They were great because they were focused on pushing their genres to the absolute limit. When looking at these games formulas and the hardware they were on, one can see that there wasn't much more the developers could do. Today with modern knowledge and improved technology we can push these genres further. Freedom Planet does just that. It focused on pushing the core gameplay of the 2D action platformer genre. It mixed the beloved charge attacks from Rocket Knight with Sonic's fast running speed. It took Treasures giant and frantic boss fights and added it into the game. And it upped the presentation with quality voice acting, a detailed MIDI soundtrack, and a story that is well put together. Due to this, Freedom Planet just didn't reach the levels of the Genesis greats like Sonic, Sonic III, Rocket Knight Adventures, and Dynamite Headdy, it surpassed them.
A game that it reminded me of was Wayforward's return to form title Contra 4. Contra is a game series has had mediocre title after mediocre title since the third game. Only one, well technically two, have managed to be a legitimately good game. And that's Contra 4. The reason for this is that Wayforward just didn't try to emulate Contra 3, they instead decided to expand on the game. Specifically with the grappling hook, by adding some Bionic Commando flavor, and much more ambitious level design and bosses. It was a winning formula that the company hasn't replicated since with the series (well besides that one, but that WAS outsourced to Arc System Works.
I feel that developers can learn a lot from Freedom Planet. It isn't enough just to simply emulate the games when titles attempt to recreate an experience. The best case scenario with that is that you get a quality title like Resident Evil: Revelations, which is seen by many as a solid entry in the series but is light years away from Resident Evil 4. The worst case scenario is you get a game like New Super Mario Bros. Yoshi's New Island which is pretty much just like the title it is trying to be, but just with the most boring and uninspired design imaginable. One has to focus on making the best title possible and pushing those boundaries that already existed. That's what made these titles so special in the first place. Now I'm not saying to innovate for innovation's sake, but there is always something you can add to a title to spicin' it up and make it more interesting, and developers should take note.
Jawbreaker
Member
Imagine Heavy Rain being OP's #1 game? That would be amazing.
Omega Kirby
Member
Jet set radioooooooooooo
Various Artists
Banned
May I ask your age OP? Or at least the year you began gaming? This will add perspective for me on the list you have provided.
I disagree with much of the placement of your list, but I have enjoyed your thorough presentation. There are some unheralded gems in there!
I disagree with much of the placement of your list, but I have enjoyed your thorough presentation. There are some unheralded gems in there!
OP is not Vince Russo.
lastrealgameralive
Member
This is gettingg harder. Okay, my guess for OP's top 5 based off the top 20 we have:
Ikaruga
Killer 7
Shenmue
Maniac Mansion
Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Ikaruga
Killer 7
Shenmue
Maniac Mansion
Zelda: Breath of the Wild