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Post by Ex on Mar 11, 2018 14:33:07 GMT -5
Do you guys have an absolute #1 favorite game of all time? From the entire lexicon of gaming? I do. Without question: But that's not a console game. Trying to come up with an all time favorite retro console game would be a lot harder. It's cool a lot of us love Kirby's Adventure too. The NES original is likely the best. I'm not a HUGE fan of Kirby personally. I enjoy the character and some of the games, but the play of the things tend to be so toothless they don't leave a lasting impression on me. Amazing aesthetics across the series though. Nice to see some SMB2US love Ex! You bet. I'll take SMB2US over SMB3 any day. (Not that SMB3 isn't great.) I feel like I'm weirdly forgetting some potential titles though, hmmm. Ristar and Vectorman would be some easy honorable mentions That's why I created the other thread, it's for listing underrated or hidden gem games. Even if we've already heard of all of them, explaining why you think they're worth our time is the real point. - Another system, Gameboy (I'll do GBC later): 1. Gargoyle's Quest 2. Bionic Commando 3. Super Mario Land 2 4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan 5. Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
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Post by Xeogred on Mar 11, 2018 15:13:56 GMT -5
Note: Instead of "console" I named the thread with "system" as I think PC fits under that umbrella as well. Maybe "platform" works best, I don't know. But basically if anyone wants to post a top 5 for PC, feel free!
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Post by Sarge on Mar 11, 2018 23:52:10 GMT -5
Absolute favorite game of all time? That's a tough one. I think it's a fight between Chrono Trigger, Link's Awakening, and Symphony of the Night. I replay SotN the most, because it's pretty short, but I replayed both of the others fairly recently as well. I have a blast with all of them every single time. I'd probably change my answer depending on the day. Right now, I'll go with Chrono Trigger. Speaking of Game Boy games, my top 5: - Link's Awakening
- Donkey Kong '94
- Bionic Commando
- Final Fantasy Legend II
- Kirby's Dream Land 2
Shout out to Mega Man IV/V and Gargoyle's Quest for sure. I also remember enjoying Donkey Kong Land, despite the muddy visuals. I'm sure there's more I could mention, but I'll leave it there for now.
@ex: SMB2 used to be my favorite of the NES series, and I still love it. And depending on what I'm looking for, it may still be. Great stuff. I'm quite tempted to give the original version a go, although part of me thinks I should mess around with the GBA version instead. There's so much creativity on display there; Japan missed out having to make do with their ultra-tough followup.
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Post by anayo on Mar 12, 2018 21:18:27 GMT -5
N64
1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Around early 1999 kids in 4th grade wouldn’t stop talking about this game. I asked my mom to rent it so I could find out for myself what all the fuss was about. It absolutely swept me off my feet. I had played Quake before, so I wasn’t unacquainted with 3D texture mapped polygons, but Quake never wove a story of jealousy, loss, betrayal, of good triumphing over evil. It seems pretty melodramatic to describe it like that, but I just wasn’t used to a video game with such an expansive cast of memorable characters or with the ambition to even attempt a story of that scope. On my Sega Genesis I’d get wordless pantomime between Sonic and Knuckles before unceremoniously running into the next stage, or maybe a comic book panel illustration and a few lines of exposition if I was lucky. Ocarina of Time exuded a cinematic flair where the 3D viewpoint was afforded the same dramatic finesse as the camera on a movie set. It has shots and framing you’d expect from a film, like Navi clumsily flying into the Deku village in search of Link, or the forboding and mysterious introduction of Sheik in the temple of time. The music was atmospheric, sentimental, and catchy. The 3D gameplay is the template followed by countless third person action games to this very day. Ocarina of Time in 1999 is what I mean when I say a game is a 10 out of 10.
2) Super Mario 64 - When I was 6 years old I didn’t keep up with gaming media or magazines or anything. I’d just walk into the store with my parents and see whatever games had arrived. So when I first saw this on a demo N64 I thought, “Oh, it’s Mario, just like on my NES.” For a second my brain wasn’t processing what I was seeing and I thought it was a 2D platformer. I even tried moving Mario with the D-pad. He didn’t budge. Then I hit A, he jumped, and somehow it dawned on me Mario could not only move left and right, he could move deeper into the screen as well. To this day I have never seen a graphical leap forward that impressed me as much as that. Modern VR comes close. But every 3D polygon game where you control a human-like character since 1996 has just seemed like incremental improvements on Mario 64 to me.
3) 007 Goldeneye - I got this for Christmas of 1998. My Dad and I stayed up till 1 AM playing multiplayer deathmatch. The single player campaign was a blast. Then when I beat the campaign I unlocked all the cheats. There was just so much play value in this game. It's kinda weird compared to modern shooters, but I kinda like that about it. It makes it unique today.
4) Starfox 64 - I didn’t own this as a kid, but it awed me when I saw it at friends’ houses. It’s still pretty charming and fun today.
5) Super Smash Bros. - I prefer the later renditions today, but this was such wacky fun when it came out! It felt like a schoolyard argument over “which Nintendo character is best” turned into an actual game. I’d always choose Link and Pikachu cause Zelda and Pokemon were my favorite Nintendo franchises.
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Post by Ex on Mar 12, 2018 21:55:22 GMT -5
Japan missed out having to make do with their ultra-tough followup. Well now I wouldn't say they entirely missed out...
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Post by Sarge on Mar 13, 2018 0:38:09 GMT -5
Japan missed out having to make do with their ultra-tough followup. Well now I wouldn't say they entirely missed out... True. They also got it as SMB USA, if memory serves. There were a decent number of changes from Doki Doki Panic, too.
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Post by Ex on Mar 13, 2018 10:04:11 GMT -5
I think I'll go with PS1 today... 1. Vagrant StoryVagrant Story has everything I love in a good JRPG. A serious plot with mature writing and adult characters. Dark and foreboding aesthetics. Complex game design with deep subsystems. Absolutely amazing graphics and a killer OST. Fantastic world design with engaging layouts. A killer localization with convincing dialogue. It's just about as perfect as it could have been (minus the block puzzles). It doesn't get any better than this on PS1. 2. King's Field IIII am a huge fan of the King's Field series. I have beaten all five official entries (yes I count Pilot Style as its own series entry) and enjoyed each of them. Ultimately King's Field III is the best of the PS1 entries, if only just barely. This series perfectly captures the feeling of adventuring through a forlorn and melancholy world. KF3 makes that world larger than before, with less linear progression. Tons of enemies, weapons, and secrets galore... it's pure dark magic. IMO King's Field is the most underrated game series of all time. 3. Mega Man LegendsWhen it comes to late '90s 3D action-RPGs, 99% of folks would point at Ocarina of Time and say it's the best. I'm not one of those people. I would take Mega Man Legends any day over Ocarina. This game has insane amounts of charm pouring from every pixelated orifice, awesome world building, actually enjoyable characters, great music, hilarious cutscenes, and so much more. The core gameplay is still fun today. Did you know Mega Man Legends had Z-targeting before Ocarina? True story. And Mega Man can actually jump whenever you want him to! Digouter's aventure story in halcyon days, indeed. 4. Front Mission 3I'm a big fan of Front Mission, having beaten most of the series' entries. Of the PS1 entries, I enjoyed Front Mission 3 the most. Its world building is convincing, with a story that is both immersive and epic, spanning two different campaigns in one game. Front Mission 3 even has its own internal internet! It could be argued that Front Mission 3 is too easy, and compared to FM4 (and especially) FM5, that's true enough. But that doesn't keep Front Mission 3 from being a seriously fun SRPG for us mech nerds. 5. KoudelkaThe first time I played Koudelka I hated it. The battle system was so slow, and I died to a boss I had no idea how to put up a fight against. Years later I gave Koudelka another chance, and I was richly rewarded. Turns out the battle system isn't so bad, albeit not great. Outside the battle system however, lies an awesome adventure through a macabre tale, which outclasses any PS1 Resident Evil in both writing and pathos. Koudelka's plot and atmosphere are worth putting up with its less-than-stellar battle system for. The payoff is worth it. And there are actually a few really good boss battles that make good use of that weird battle system. You're looking at the best survival horror game on the PS1 here folks.
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Post by Sarge on Mar 13, 2018 11:31:47 GMT -5
Vagrant Story? Vagrant Story. Yep, that's a good choice. I'll hit on N64 first; this one is both easy and hard, since there weren't that many games that hit "amazing" for me on the system. I actually might have to reach a little bit for five, haha! First, I think I'll go with Paper Mario. I remember being somewhat concerned that Nintendo was continuing the RPG line without Squaresoft. Surely this game will be terrible! Uh, nope. The paper aesthetic was inspired, and it helps that the battle system and lively world keep things interesting. And the pacing is absolutely blistering. I love it. I reckon we can get the 800-lb gorilla out of the way now as well. Ocarina of Time isn't my favorite Zelda; I remember being slightly disappointed by it when I finished it. However, it still showed that Nintendo had what it took to bring the series into 3D. The 3DS remake also clicked with me a bit more. It's still not my favorite, but it definitely climbed the ranks. For a more surprising entry, I'm going to roll with Mario Tennis. Guys, I don't play much tennis in real life or in video game form. I'm awful at the former (seriously, the pros make it look easy, it's not!), and the latter doesn't interest me a whole lot despite me actually liking the sport. But Mario Tennis has just the right balance of arcade-style play and realism; the later entries added all the super shot junk that affects the flow of the game significantly. The other gorilla in the room is Mario 64. Can y'all believe I never owned the N64 version until around five or so years ago? No, really. I did have the DS version, in my defense, where I proceeded to get every single star. Great stuff. I plan on revisiting sometime; having a N64 stick with a right and proper Gamecube stick with the proper throw distances should prove a transformative experience. I've only got one slot left, and it's a dead heat between Kirby 64 and Mischief Makers. In the end, though, my love of Kirby wins out. The pacing is a little more sedate than some in the series, but the power combinations prove to be a really neat hook, and I quite enjoyed tracking down all those crystal shards. So, recap? - Paper Mario
- Ocarina of Time
- Mario 64
- Mario Tennis
- Kirby 64
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Post by anayo on Mar 13, 2018 12:32:56 GMT -5
- Paper Mario
- Ocarina of Time
- Mario 64
- Mario Tennis
- Kirby 64
I didn’t know much of Paper Mario until my brother got the Gamecube one, so I look back more fondly on the sequel. I have the N64 cart now but haven’t played it yet. I’ve heard the Mario Sports games are great. Lots of people sing the praises of Mario Golf for making golf fun for people who don’t like golf. If they turn up at Goodwill I'll grab them. I loved Kirby 64 when my cousin brought the cart over to my house around 2000 or so. Haven’t played it recently enough to know how I feel about it these days, though, although like Paper Mario I have the cart in my collection. Playstation1) Castlevania Symphony of the Night - I played this on Dracula X Chronicles for the PSP, not the original Playstation disc. What a masterpiece! Fluid, buttery smooth animation full of detail and nuance. Atmospheric corridors full of gothic decorations and macabre monsters. A soundtrack worthy of a Hollywood film. I’ve yet to play a Playstation game that appeals to me more than this. 2) Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater - I was introduced to this through a Sega Dreamcast demo disk. I must have played that one “abandoned warehouse” level a hundred times. I was still used to Nintendo 64 audio at that time, so hearing a real rock band with guitar, drums, and actual lyrics inside a video game was stunning. When I finally got my hands on the Playstation version, I was letdown that the graphics didn’t look as nice as the Dreamcast, but that didn’t stop me from playing the living daylights out of it. Activision kind of ran the series into the ground over the following decades, but THPS1 is still just as much fun to pick up and play in 2018 as it was when it came out. You can’t say that about every game from 1997. Weird story: My younger brother got really good at playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 with a Namco arcade pad. He doesn't like video games as much as me, preferring to go surfing and long boarding rather than sit in front of a TV, but for some reason he's still uncannily savant-like at them. 3) Street Fighter Alpha 3 - This was the first Street Fighter game I ever played. The graphics and animation were all first class and the whole experience really awed me. So, it deserves a place on this list for being my gateway drug to one of the best fighting series of all time. 4) Atari Anniversary Edition Redux - I’m generally against putting compilations of older games on these lists because they’re not representative of that console’s era. By that same logic my Playstation 2 top five would be filled with Metal Slug Anthology, Midway Arcade Classics, and so on. But this was my first introduction to Atari arcades. I got a ton of play value from it as a teenager and it means a lot to me today. 5) Jumping Flash - This is purely a placeholder. In all honesty I expect it to get replaced with Suidoken or Harmful Park once I get around to playing those. But I beat this on the PSX emulator on my PSP and quite enjoyed it. It’s an awkward pre-Mario 64 3D game where the standards weren’t quite ironed out yet, but against all odds its appeal has endured.
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Post by Sarge on Mar 13, 2018 12:42:46 GMT -5
I feel you on Alpha 3. That's the game that really got me into Street Fighter. I had a buddy of mine that I'd play against; I was always Ken, and he'd take Shin Akuma. We still split our matches, despite him spamming air fireballs and being able to pull off that super move that takes half your life if it lands. If you liked The Thousand-Year Door, I can't imagine you not enjoying the first game. Give it a go when you have a chance! Guess I can roll into PlayStation now, too. I bet y'all can guess the number one spot! Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. A timeless classic. The best PlayStation game ever made in my eyes. I routinely revisit it, and have an absolute blast every single time. Sure, the difficulty is pretty uneven (mostly easy), but there are just so many little touches that you can tell it was a labor of love from start to finish. Valkyrie Profile might be crazy obtuse for that hidden ending, but dang if it's not one of the best RPGs on the system. I just love the general feel of the game, and the lore involved. You feel like all your Einherjar are real people with real stories, and that's awesome. Uh, my current profile pic is also a drawing I did of Arngrim from some time ago, so... yeah, I'd say the game resonated with me. Arc the Lad II hit me as a combination of Chrono Trigger and Shining Force. It might be my favorite SRPG of all time. Absolutely recommended, although you might want to start with the first game; it's rather short, but sets the stage well for the second game. The scope of AtLII dwarfs that of the first game. To mix things up, I'll take a rather jubilant game: Ape Escape. The N64 had the 3D platformer scene pretty much locked down, but darn if Ape Escape didn't make a run for the crown. I loved figuring out how to capture those monkeys with all the cool gadgets you get. This game also required the use of the Dual Shock, and made excellent use of it. Highly, highly recommended. This is where things get tough. I've got a bunch of games vying for the fifth spot, but much like my choice on NES with Tecmo Super Bowl, I'm going to go with sheer hours invested. That means Street Fighter Alpha 3 makes it in. This was one of the best arcade conversions on the PSX, a system that often paled in comparison to the Saturn for these games. Capcom really went all out on making this particular version run better on the system. Plus, that World Tour mode was crazy fun. There are tons of other games I could have listed, but the four that got pushed out were: Metal Gear Solid, Alundra, Suikoden II, and Vagrant Story. - Symphony of the Night
- Valkyrie Profile
- Arc the Lad II
- Ape Escape
- Street Fighter Alpha 3
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