So somewhere in the darkness of the late 90s, I decided that the breadth of games that I had gone through merited a list. Perhaps for absurdity's sake, perhaps to try and convince myself to kick the "childish" habit; whatever the case, I now have proof positive that I've done some dumb things in my life, I'm a proud (and old) gamer, and I wish to share that very madness with the Giantbomb community.
Great new art direction for the series. I'll be honest, I breezed through this game after I beat Anubis. Maybe that's just the old Mega Man reflexes kickin in, I dunno. Elf system's a good start too.
Was this the one where the UI was from the last game and then it changed? That was slick. Second in the series curse; not as memorable, but a good time had by all.
Dat final boss. At this point the story was just losing me, but who cares?!
This final boss was one of the more frustrating I've seen in my time. Such a small hit box, felt like a bullet hell. And the new weapon did nothin for me. Nice finish for the series.
So the open world thing didn't work out as well as I had hoped for, but hey, it pretty much continued the MMZ feeling, so great! And whoever added that Launch Octopus sub-boss in the desert, huge props.
Streamlined a bunch of stuff from the first one. The gameplay felt really rehashed though with the former boss elements. Also, makin me play Axl-style isn't the way to win me over, Capcom.
Never thought I'd like a stealth game like this. Thankfully, that stealth didn't last long. The depth and feel of the whole story was just so new. Start of greatness in games.
I actually bought this not knowing a single thing about the whole series. Some commercial must've duped me into it. Could probably still play this and enjoy it.
NOTE: Still need to beat MGS3. The ramping up of stealth worries me.
Had to switch it to easy for the last couple of levels (or maybe just the final boss...). I wanna like these games so bad, but they're hard!
They all feel exactly the same too. Just gimmie a boss rush mode. This one I beat legitimately.
First (and best) game I played on the Xbox original. Not usually a mech sorta gamer, but the script to this business made up for all that in spades. To this day still need to claim I do things BECAUSE I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Didn't play NES Metroid as a kid. If I had this as a kid though, I would've fallen for the series forever. Nigh perfect Metroid game. Maybe all the Castlevanias I'd played up to this point helped too.
Great new take on the universe and gameplay of Metroid. A meted, exploratory FPS doesn't sound good at all, but Retro Studios made it work. Now they just need to get me invested into the story at some point...
More of the same, kinda rushed through this one. Hated jumping from light to light in the dark realm, but I understand their doing that.
Best adventure pinball game hands down. Still dunno how I beat Ridley, but I got through him and Metroid Prime and then played some more. Brilliant.
Requel! I had played the original by the time I picked this up, but this put it all into a new perspective. Almost as good as Fusion. From time to time I replay those extra levels just cuz.
I mastered MGS in this game. Hilarious, absurd, challenging as hell. Everything you could want.
I think alotta things that this game did showed this generation of games smart things to do. Use colors, point out the next spot in different ways, mix genres. That being said, a forgettable game. Kinda neat in the moment of time it represents.
Shakeshakeshakeshakeshakeshakeshakeshake.
I S-ranked this game. This game taught me what an S-rank /was/. Super playable still. One of the first games where I recognized it as an underrepresented, underdog of a game.
Felt like a Goldeneye ripoff with stealth. Although some of the missions were rather decent. I just remember cornering fools and taking their faces.
Never played this before, but I enjoyed it. Kinda hit a wall (floor?) halfway through, but toughed it out. The one on the DS though, woof. Forget it. More thinking than I want from a game this adorable.
Try explaining to your friends how this game works. Even to fellow obscure game-players, it just doesn't make sense! And yet it was a fantastic game. Hard to make a game feel so absurd the entire time you play it.
I forget how I got a hold of this, but I did. Just as good as the first, but GODDAMNIT THAT GARAGE LEVEL! So the white family's dad has you in a garage and he's almost naked trying to kill you, and his last suck-spot was on the back of a tricep or something that almost never popped up? Spent consecutive hours into days finding that fucking thing. The internet was zero help too. Beating it only brought resolved sorrow. And f-bombs.
And from that to the most mainstream ever. I mean yeah, it's a great feeling game with a compelling story. I still wanna see them try something different or new now. Make me the gun controlling the soldier...okay, not that, but NEW DAMNIT!
Alright, back to Japan. Not as good as the first, but still a game you can't put down it's so great.
My list says I beat this on the N64. Let's just go with the thinking that that's true. Alright.
Bought this sight unseen. Played a tiny bit of 2 back in the day (parents kept me owning it at bay), but I was stoked to see MK in (not shitty tekken) 3D. So I bested this game in a way that's short of only that Budokai 2 up there and a certain dreamcast game called Soul Calibur. Beat everything, it was pretty good.
The Konquest mode seemed interesting, but didn't really fulfill some pipedream of a kinda MK-action feel more like Shaolin Monks. And that story was totally predictable (I had already played SotC by this point, cmon). Otherwise second verse, same as the first.
So I got my action-adventure from Konquest. And it felt better than the last two games'. The half-brother garbage was a bit cliche of course. But that boss sure did gimmie a run for my rushed-through money.
I will say this was more fun with a buddy, but it held my interest pretty well. Those into the mythology are still pounding their heads over the ending, I try to think about it as little as possible.
Brutal feelin game. Voices were /all/ wrong here, but the fighting felt like a good upgrade and mix between 2D and 3D fighting games. Shaoside was a punk though.
I actually thought this game was gonna be some bad adventure game with some action in it. Turned out to be pretty great. I bet if they didn't have all that sweet, appropriate Primus music, it wouldn't have won me over, but good gorbachev that music kept me interested.
I thought this was Maniac Mansion. I didn't read it correctly. Beat it anyways, let's never speak of it again.
Da-Da-Dash! Oh Impact, I miss you.
Really difficult to play now given how bad it controls and otherwise feels. But I remember eating this game up. Got the batteries for that dude, upgraded all the weapons. Good times. I just realized I never played the sequel!!
This was such a quick game, I basically played it between other games and/or during commercials.
Now here's one game I'll defend to the death since I was the only one who played it. It's not perfect, or even spectacular, but it was way surprising how enjoyable it was. It's Devil May Cry but with some Japanese sci-fi twists. You're Jake and the bad guy's name is Keith? Konami feelin in that serious-but-not tone. Forget the oil concept, it's good!
I dunno how I actually beat this but I did. It was good, but I figure this one was easier than its sequel, cuz I can't even get halfway through that sucka.
Quick, dumb, zero investment in the "story", moving on.
Watching Pyramid Head do sporting events should be a pasttime. Well enough sports minigame with GREAT Konami cameos. Great.
This is what convinced me to buy a DS. The perfect new Mario game. Simple if you want, challenging as all hell if you want every big coin. And lemme tell ya, that coin where you get it in the mini-mario maze and then you have to race to the end with the meteors?...don't talk to me about that.
Again, a ravishing game. So simple yet so enjoyable. So long as you can convince a S.O. or family member to run and jump, they'll probably enjoy this to some degree too. When in doubt, pick them up and tell them not to fuck this up for us.
Female Shinobi. Plays exactly the same. Probably a bit easier? It's been so long. I remember liking this quite a bit.
I intentionally made this my first 360 game so I could learn the controls from all the QTEs. That plan worked wonderfully. Also could've made me biased, but I thought this was a solid Ninja Gaiden wanna be that wasn't so goddamn hard that I hated ninjas forever.
I am a bona fide sucker for this franchise. Played this almost immediately after Seven, no regrets. Still a great franchise.
Too scared of the first two to touch just yet. But this was a solid solid game. You hold it book style, and it totally feels like a simplified 3D game. Through and through.
DS version. There should be a name for crappy games that you beat just to feel better now that you've beaten a game after a dry spell. Or ones that you can beat while trying it out.
Usually one tower defense feels like em all. But the personality on this one drew me in like so many others. Glad I did, nice to have a good feeling tower defense every now and again just cuz.
Ykno what made this feel super-legit as I played this? I played this in its entirety in Japan. Only game I think I played there, but what a great game. The Starfox-talk drove the roommate crazy though.
So yeah, great LoZ game, you know all this!
Maybe this'll get me interested in this apparently super popular show? No, makes it even worse? aiight.
Controls RE style? For-get it! Wait, this feels way better than RE, as though it was made with the control style in mind! Probably unplayable now, but was pretty spiffy back in the day.
But ohmygod that hanging upside down guy. Everything he says...*shudder*
Ykno what a crazy demon samurai game needs? Dating sim elements, yeahhhhh.
Jean Reno!??! Oh, he only did like, 5 lines in this. Fine.
The opening cinematic for this is still breathtaking. A fine installment.
YOU CAN PLAY AS MEGA MAN, WHY AREN'T YOU PLAYING THIS RIGHT NOW?!
Actually a way way better fighter than you'd think.
I'm no good at tactics. At. All. But I got good for this game. I started going into the Phantom Realm well after this game. It takes a great RTS (that's not too hard, lookinatyou Fire Emblem) to get me into it, and here we are.
Real realreal short, but great concept. You can actually give this to a person, have them beat it, then take it back, it's just that fast.
A good little shooter. Nothing fancy here.
This game kept me going. But oh man is this a throwback (and pastiche) of everything you loved in the id Tech 1/Build Engine years. It's...good? I can't decide. Probably.
Play this game immediately. Don't care if you hate Japan, don't care if you think games are hard, you know it's just that good.
Yep, that was one of the first DS games. S'workin.
I actually thought this was pretty cute. I'm sure they thought way more games would turn out like this on the DS. At least level 5 kinda picked up the pieces.
Personality makes this whole series, and here's where it starts with a bang. This is where I felt like Mario started to really have different continuing series, and it feels good. Gets more Mario games pumped out but covers different itches.
You're right internet, it really was a step up on the old one in so many ways. If you think about it, you see how game-y so so many things are, but don't do that. Just enjoy the wonder that it is.
This is what sold me on rhythm games, on the PSX controller, and on Sony being a viable console in general. My freestyling on these levels is sincerely known well by friends of mine. check turn signal to the check turn left uh.
Felt kinda forced? I mean it wasn't Um Jammer, but the same magic wasn't here. Still good to have it.
Now here is a beast. I didn't think I was gonna like the RPG/action mix that stopped me from getting too far in Vagrant Story (5 times I've started that game now). But this worked out pretty well. That 5 form boss on the ship was one of the most stressful final bosses I've gone through.
Tried 2 but I think that's too different to work out.
Played this years after it came out, so it didn't hit me as hard as most. Felt like a half decent Goldeneye clone for me. Hate as you will.
Started an addiction. Much like Chibi Robo and Trauma Center, it's hard to try and explain to other people that a lawyer game is really awesome, but it is. So just don't care what you think. Play, enjoy.
Keep it goin Capcom, love it. Ending was kinda off, but at least they didn't keep doing that.
Now this one tied up pretty nice. I have questions about tri-clops, but whatever. Still fantastic.
OH GOD SO ADDICTIVE. Once you make the Statue of Liberty, there's never anything else to do. This is true in life as well as this game.
Kinda weak continuation of the best alligator jumper.
Way worse story than the original. Main character is a complete joke, didn't even care about a thing. Still decently fun though.
This obviously wasn't a Parasite Eve game until halfway through development. Story made zero sense, but it was short and fun enough that I'm just satisfied enough.
Dragging my feet in this franchise now. I don't think this has anything to do with the quality of the game, just the annualization of 90% of the same concepts. I hope AC3 gets me more interested, otherwise I may start getting outta this franchise.
I like how the guys went from military lingo to grunts and curses. Really good way to show how messed up this all got. Forget Arkham Asylum Batsuit degradation, these guys got torn.up. Shame it didn't have a bit more gameplay-wise, cuz that would've made this fantastic instead of just a fine game with a great story.
This is like if Bayonetta was done all wrong. I will say this though, truly gorgeous game. I've never seen video game scenery like this.
A mini-game collection? Do I have any better games to play?...No? Damnit.
My hand didn't appreciate this game (crampy). No wonder FPSes didn't pick up on the DS. Have /any/ worthwhile games come out for the DS in 2011 though? Seems dead.
They made some real novel concepts here in bringing over the film concepts. Good addition, shame they didn't get to make another.
Exact same as above, no lie. Maybe a touch harder?
My second SNES game after SMW. I actually really liked this. (Back then) it was really really good looking, some good fan service. Probably seems super awkward if I'd play it now, but that's alright. Good memories. That NES game was a bitch with Coyote-on-rocket-shoes.
Not the 3 hour game that I was led to believe it was, although I did most all of the side quests. This was more fun than I thought it'd be. Don't really know the anime at all short of what I know from other games, but this was a neat take on the open world game concept.
A nearly exact iteration from the first. I played this way after the first, so it felt like it wasn't as eye-opening. Still every bit as fun though.
After not having the right equipment to beat the last boss and not wanting to try again, I finally got through both of these. Glad I did, this series has a bit of a grind, but I'm still a sucker for the action RPG.
Gorgeous game, very quickly won me over. I worried so bad that the boss would be some "Here's a laser gun, now fight!" sorta bunk, but it remained perfect to the tone. Little did I know, Team Ico was just gettin started...
Again, I see things you could've done to make this Halo but something new. Instead it's just Halo. And that's great, but...arg. I just hope Bungie progresses its ideas rather than just polishing.
COME AT ME, VILE! Not the most fantastic bosses, crazy great charge shot. Golden armor made it super easy, but that was a helluva challenge unto itself. Sigma's fight was pretty crazy feeling too. Bit and Byte were hard but meh. Don't get me wrong though, X1-3 are heartily recommended for everyone. Ever.
Enker and all the other new characters, brand new bosses, a weird detachable arm for your buster, probably the most worthwhile installment just for those reasons.
A weird, singular installment. I didn't like the cartoonish look back in the day (and oh god, Dr. Light). But it was actually a relatively good iteration. I have gripes with the final boss though.
So I started on 3, so this was a big step back (no sliding, no Rush?!). Seemed super hard at first, but I got used to it. Wily's levels not going on forever was a nice change.
Capcom really hit it outta the park with this one. Once you figure out how to actually use the grappling technique (I remember dying a LOT trying to get the diagonal down), it's challenging but easy, exciting, just fantastic.
I didn't really buy all the hype about this game, but it was enough to make me wanna play through it. It was competent, certainly had a voice and style all its own. But I dunno, what can I say? It didn't win me over.
Wasn't a Punch Out kid (it was way too hard for my young mind), and Super seemed just as unapproachable. But I checked my resolve and tried busting through this game. I'm glad I did, it's a fun franchise. Still not sure how I did it though. Even my pattern memorizing that gets me through all those Mega Man bosses was put to the test here.
Got addicted like everyone else. Which makes it all the more surprising that 2 is doing absolutely nothing for me.
In fact, THIS game actually pulled me in more than Puzzle Quest 2 is. Totally worse than the original, but at least it tries something different. Maybe it's the same world-map setup that keeps ya goin, letting you see everything possibly left.
Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal! Heal!
I actually beat this game. It was like a fever dream getting to the end, but I totally did. This game was whack though. And I always figured it was a reimagining of the NES Mystery Quest game which I also hated.
This wasn't on my list! Better than it had any credit of being.
A little improved over the first two, I think I may've even liked this one?
Boring and repetitive despite a good mix of bad guys. At least twice as long as it needed to be.
I wrote the entire page for this on Giantbomb. So yes, I liked it. Not the best RPG ever, but I think it deserves a bit of credit for what it tried to do.
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