Post by Admin Droid on Aug 9, 2004 20:50:00 GMT
Yes, I'm shamelessly ripping off Jamie’s list of games from a while back.
The time has come for the one, the only, the shocking, the controversial, the elitist, the much-hyped: Ed’s top fifty games. In reverse order, expect to read a list of superb games along with memories of years gone by and various comments looking back misty-eyed at the 90s. It’s actually a bit odd. I remember in primary school, most people had four or five games. Six was showing off. Seven was being smarmy. Of course, nowadays people build up massive games collections. But I never really reckoned I’d have played fifty games, let alone been able to choose a top fifty. Ah well...
I might add three reasonably obvious points to remember while reading this list which will unfurl over the coming days and weeks.
1. This is a personal opinion. If you’re upset at the great lack of games from the Jaguar, 32X and X-Box, the reason is that I haven’t played those systems. It may be that the greatest games in the world aren’t on my list, and they probably aren’t. There’s a good chance that this is because I haven’t played them. Plus, if you think my comments about the relative merits of certain companies are occasionally bang out of order: suck it up, Sony fans.
2. I haven’t regularly played games for a long time now. In fact, the games I have played lately have almost exclusively been ports of games from the ‘90s brought onto the Game Boy Advance. I don’t want to slag off modern games because I’m sure there are plenty of modern games that are rather good. But I don’t know too much about them, and I don’t really have the time or inclination to learn about them anyway. Anyone who first picked up a gamepad in 2000 will probably be scratching their heads at most of these choices, and that’s fine. Although it also means there’s a real treasure trove for you to dig into at car boot sales.
3. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Mostly I’m rating these games on outright brilliance, but there’s also an element of nostalgia mixed in. Some would not stand the test of time, but nonetheless seem too major to me personally or to gaming generally to omit. If I loved a game age 5 but haven’t been able to play it since, it will still score because I have no more recent experience to disprove my memory.
And now, on with the show!
50. Defenders of Oasis
System: Game Gear
I’m a little reluctant to mention Defenders. I’ve spent a lot of time playing it, and have completed it more than once. The characters are fun and memorable, it has good villains and spells (although the silly names are a bit frustrating; if you stop playing for a while, you forget what they all do). The plot, while not exceptional, is good enough, and the game is pretty playable. There are some good secrets too. What bugs about Defenders is the gameplay system common to a ridiculous number of RPGs where you wander around and suddenly enter into a little 5 minute skirmish. This would be fine, but it means that to get anywhere in most dungeons takes you an astoundingly long time, and it just bores the pants off me. Shining the Holy Ark, Final Fantasy, Skies of Arcadia: all great and well-respected games that fall flat for me because of an awful battle system. Still, I got a lot of pleasure out of Defenders despite its frustration factor, and I have happy memories of a lot of it. The Game Gear was sadly lacking in RPGs, but this was one to be proud of.
49. Repton Infinity
System: BBC Micro
Let’s be honest. A lot of those games we lapped up on the BBC Micro would look pretty naff now. Even at the time, Repton wasn’t the absolute best thing ever, but his antics were still quite entertaining and this particular game had the function of allowing you to make your own games though I never really took anyone up on it. This game is on there for sentimentality for the BBC Micro, really (Granny’s Garden just missed the cut because, frankly, I don’t really remember it well enough). Since I’m never likely to play it again, it’s never likely to experience the inevitable plummet down my gaming chart that would almost certainly follow experiencing it when not six years old. Incidentally, does anyone remember the magazine Let’s Compute? Rom and Ram (and sometimes Rem)? No? That was a cracking little magazine. More about it further up the list...
48. Sonic 2
System: Megadrive
Sonic 2 was so thoroughly overshadowed by Sonic 3 for me that it’s hard to return to it. It’s okay, but it means more to me as a nostalgic icon than as a game I’d ever be likely to pick up and play again. Still, no list would be complete without it. Lovely ending, too.
47. Twin Worlds
System: Acorn A3000
In hindsight, this wasn’t a terribly good platform game. It moved too quickly, the characters had an irritating habit of skidding off ledges before stopping and the music left something to be desired. But with big, beautifully drawn characters, plenty of challenges and the fact that it was my first and only exposure to platforming action until the Megadrive, this suited me fine. Maybe it would stand the test of time. I suspect it wouldn’t. But since I can’t say for certain, I have to list it. For months and months, Twin Worlds was my world.
46. Micro Machines
System: Megadrive
A good laugh, especially with a group of friends. The solo modes were probably okay too, although I don’t recall them as clearly. The only problem was that the controls were initially counterintuitive, although in about twenty minutes you’d adjust and they became second nature. But this made it difficult to challenge different friends who weren’t used to the game because they’d just keep crashing.
#41-45 soon...
The time has come for the one, the only, the shocking, the controversial, the elitist, the much-hyped: Ed’s top fifty games. In reverse order, expect to read a list of superb games along with memories of years gone by and various comments looking back misty-eyed at the 90s. It’s actually a bit odd. I remember in primary school, most people had four or five games. Six was showing off. Seven was being smarmy. Of course, nowadays people build up massive games collections. But I never really reckoned I’d have played fifty games, let alone been able to choose a top fifty. Ah well...
I might add three reasonably obvious points to remember while reading this list which will unfurl over the coming days and weeks.
1. This is a personal opinion. If you’re upset at the great lack of games from the Jaguar, 32X and X-Box, the reason is that I haven’t played those systems. It may be that the greatest games in the world aren’t on my list, and they probably aren’t. There’s a good chance that this is because I haven’t played them. Plus, if you think my comments about the relative merits of certain companies are occasionally bang out of order: suck it up, Sony fans.
2. I haven’t regularly played games for a long time now. In fact, the games I have played lately have almost exclusively been ports of games from the ‘90s brought onto the Game Boy Advance. I don’t want to slag off modern games because I’m sure there are plenty of modern games that are rather good. But I don’t know too much about them, and I don’t really have the time or inclination to learn about them anyway. Anyone who first picked up a gamepad in 2000 will probably be scratching their heads at most of these choices, and that’s fine. Although it also means there’s a real treasure trove for you to dig into at car boot sales.
3. All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Mostly I’m rating these games on outright brilliance, but there’s also an element of nostalgia mixed in. Some would not stand the test of time, but nonetheless seem too major to me personally or to gaming generally to omit. If I loved a game age 5 but haven’t been able to play it since, it will still score because I have no more recent experience to disprove my memory.
And now, on with the show!
50. Defenders of Oasis
System: Game Gear
I’m a little reluctant to mention Defenders. I’ve spent a lot of time playing it, and have completed it more than once. The characters are fun and memorable, it has good villains and spells (although the silly names are a bit frustrating; if you stop playing for a while, you forget what they all do). The plot, while not exceptional, is good enough, and the game is pretty playable. There are some good secrets too. What bugs about Defenders is the gameplay system common to a ridiculous number of RPGs where you wander around and suddenly enter into a little 5 minute skirmish. This would be fine, but it means that to get anywhere in most dungeons takes you an astoundingly long time, and it just bores the pants off me. Shining the Holy Ark, Final Fantasy, Skies of Arcadia: all great and well-respected games that fall flat for me because of an awful battle system. Still, I got a lot of pleasure out of Defenders despite its frustration factor, and I have happy memories of a lot of it. The Game Gear was sadly lacking in RPGs, but this was one to be proud of.
49. Repton Infinity
System: BBC Micro
Let’s be honest. A lot of those games we lapped up on the BBC Micro would look pretty naff now. Even at the time, Repton wasn’t the absolute best thing ever, but his antics were still quite entertaining and this particular game had the function of allowing you to make your own games though I never really took anyone up on it. This game is on there for sentimentality for the BBC Micro, really (Granny’s Garden just missed the cut because, frankly, I don’t really remember it well enough). Since I’m never likely to play it again, it’s never likely to experience the inevitable plummet down my gaming chart that would almost certainly follow experiencing it when not six years old. Incidentally, does anyone remember the magazine Let’s Compute? Rom and Ram (and sometimes Rem)? No? That was a cracking little magazine. More about it further up the list...
48. Sonic 2
System: Megadrive
Sonic 2 was so thoroughly overshadowed by Sonic 3 for me that it’s hard to return to it. It’s okay, but it means more to me as a nostalgic icon than as a game I’d ever be likely to pick up and play again. Still, no list would be complete without it. Lovely ending, too.
47. Twin Worlds
System: Acorn A3000
In hindsight, this wasn’t a terribly good platform game. It moved too quickly, the characters had an irritating habit of skidding off ledges before stopping and the music left something to be desired. But with big, beautifully drawn characters, plenty of challenges and the fact that it was my first and only exposure to platforming action until the Megadrive, this suited me fine. Maybe it would stand the test of time. I suspect it wouldn’t. But since I can’t say for certain, I have to list it. For months and months, Twin Worlds was my world.
46. Micro Machines
System: Megadrive
A good laugh, especially with a group of friends. The solo modes were probably okay too, although I don’t recall them as clearly. The only problem was that the controls were initially counterintuitive, although in about twenty minutes you’d adjust and they became second nature. But this made it difficult to challenge different friends who weren’t used to the game because they’d just keep crashing.
#41-45 soon...
Sounds kinda like the 1st level in Futurama only stretched to the entire game!! hee hee....is this where his character development as a technical genius began?
ehh, Nintendo trivia eludes me!! hee hee
