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Post by Baxter on Nov 29, 2004 19:28:53 GMT
Jamie did it, Ed did it, and now I'm taking it a step further. Welcome to Dan's top hundred games! I will post the list in reverse order, with three new games and their analysis being posted every night. Before I begin I'd like to make a few points... - This is not intended to be an "official" list of any sort. It is solely based on my personal opinion. - The only consoles I have ever owned are those made by Sega and Nintendo (and the PC, of course), hence why there are no Playstation, Xbox or retro games on the list. There are bound to be many great games released over the years that I've missed out on, so forgive me for that. - Mostly I'm rating these games on quality alone, but there's also an element of nostalgia mixed in. Although some games in my list have not stood the test of time, I believe that they should be listed nontheless due to their impact on me as a gamer or on the video games industry in general. Now that's out the way, let us begin! 100. Sonic Battle (2004, Nintendo Game Boy Advance)This game has its fair share of flaws, no doubt. For instance, the battling is incredibly basic, though oddly satisfying at the same time, and the soundtrack is pretty poor, which is quite unusual for a Sonic game. However, it does boast some of the finest graphics seen on the GBA thus far (the battle arenas in particular are remarkable), the storyline is one of the best yet in the series, and the option to modify Emerl’s abilities is quite clever. Perhaps if it had instead been released for a home console, with an improved fighting system and a bit more effort put into the Emerl customisation aspect, it could have been a classic. As it is, it's OK. 99. Donkey Kong Land 3 (1997, Nintendo Game Boy)In retrospect, DKL3 doesn't look like much. It isn't. The pre-rendered graphics made popular by the Donkey Kong Country series on SNES (none of which I have ever played) look rather rough on the black-and-white Game Boy, and the music leaves something to be desired. That said, the actual game is fairly enjoyable and large in size, with quite a few secrets thrown in for good measure. I never did manage to collect all those DK coins and go on to fight K Rool in his hidden base though... 98. South Park Rally (2000, Sega Dreamcast)I have to admit, I never have been the world's biggest fan of racing games. The fact that cars bore me may have something to do with that. The only ones I've ever really enjoyed are those with a theme, such as the Mario Kart series, and this. Almost every character imaginable from the show is selectable, replete with catchphrases and gimmicked vehicles. The game itself is pretty playable, and the soundtrack is great, with voices and music right out of the TV show. The main fault is a lack of good courses – only Big Gay Al's and the Swamp are really worth playing. And the Championship mode contained some ludicrously hard challenges, causing me to give up on the game for good in the end. #97-95 coming tomorrow night!
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Post by ChaosX3 on Nov 29, 2004 19:55:46 GMT
You kinda lost your edge when you reached #100...
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Post by Sin on Nov 29, 2004 20:56:21 GMT
Unless you have dedication to beat all dedication then you are going to get bored of this long before you get to #1.
Prove me wrong Dan.
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Post by Chosenoneknuckles on Nov 29, 2004 21:11:18 GMT
Go Dan, u can do it!
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Post by archangelffx on Nov 29, 2004 21:27:44 GMT
The heinous crime of putting Sonic Battle at the very back! Well, at least it is IN the list. Matter of opinions once again, and I don't suppose it matters much to this topic, but I personally think that Sonic Battle beats many of the Sonic Advance games. So I'll be interested to see what you get, Dan.
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Spudiator
Artist Hume
High Priest of the Religion of Football
STC-O's resident footy obsessive
Posts: 2,815
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Post by Spudiator on Nov 30, 2004 0:00:50 GMT
If you really can get all the way to 100 without getting bored then you have my admiration. Personally I doubt I could even name 100 games I've played (although I've probably played thousands by now). Would be interesting to run an official worldwide poll to this effect and see what really are the greatest games ever in a mass opinion poll. I can't see how anything can be #1 other than Tetris though!
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Post by Shadic? on Nov 30, 2004 3:13:51 GMT
Thinking up 100 games and putting them into a order would be conciderably hard.. I can probably only do my top 20.. if that I salute you!
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Post by madhair60 on Nov 30, 2004 11:02:49 GMT
I'll have to do something like this at some point. Games wise, I mean. TO THE ODD LIST!
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Post by Samface on Nov 30, 2004 11:48:48 GMT
*waves the "Dan can do it" banner* Y'know, I noted down my top 25 games MONTHS ago, meaning to do one of these topics...then lost the list.
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Post by Baxter on Nov 30, 2004 21:04:54 GMT
I'll try my best guys. Now, on with the list... 97. Star Wars: Rebel Assault (1993, PC)Though I'm a fan of the Star Wars movies, I've never actually played many games based on the franchise. This is one of those few. The visuals, although they now look very dated, were impressive for the time, and the constant change in gameplay styles throughout helped break the tedium. Flying through Beggar's Canyon in the opening stage was an awesome feeling. 96. Sonic Spinball (1993, Sega Mega Drive)Pinball games are for the most part as boring as hell. This however is a welcome exception. The graphics were average and the music was appalling, but as an actual game it was quite fun and challenging in places. And although there were only four stages/tables in total, each one took a fair amount of time to complete. It's just a shame that its reputation has been somewhat tarnished by the hideous Game Gear version… 95. James Pond 2: Codename Robocod (1991, Sega Mega Drive)Though overrated by many, James Pond 2 definitely caused a buzz when it was originally released. The storyline, in which the hilariously-named Dr. Maybe takes over Santa's factory, is one of the most ridiculous ever seen in a game, though oddly amusing at the same time. The graphics are a mixed bag – the exterior of the factory is reasonably detailed and the characters are well-animated, but the backgrounds of the main stages look quite bland and uninspired. All that aside, the game itself is entertaining, with dozens of stages and entertaining boss fights to choose from. definitely one to dig out come Christmas time. #94-92 coming tomorrow night!
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Post by Samface on Dec 1, 2004 9:31:11 GMT
James Pond was brilliant. Bring him back! Back, I say!
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JJ
Script Hume
Bit of a hack, really.
Posts: 4,902
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Post by JJ on Dec 1, 2004 11:21:59 GMT
You have my support, Dan. Good list so far! I think Sonic Spinball probably would've been higher on my personal 100 though. Haven't played the others.
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Post by Baxter on Dec 1, 2004 21:03:48 GMT
Thanks for the kind words guys. 94. Bubsy (1993, Sega Mega Drive)An interesting little platformer, to say the least. At the time of its release, Bubsy was thought of as a possible contender to Sonic, which of course seems ridiculous looking back at it now. Despite all the initial hype, however, Bubsy still proved to be quite an enjoyable game in its own right. The graphics are decent, as are the sound effects. Bubsy himself is well-animated and delivers one-liner voice clips before each stage, some of which are very amusing. The game's main fault is its difficulty – poor Bubsy only needs to take one hit to get killed, and there are no checkpoints throughout the stages. This problem was fixed in time for the sequel however. Which, incidentally, sucked. 93. Mega Man (1987, Nintendo NES)The beginning of one of the most popular and longest-running video games series in history. The graphics are, taking into consideration 8-bit standards of the time, rather good, although the sound is nothing to shout about. Most memorably of all, Mega Man delivered a rock-solid challenge throughout, which set the standard for what was to follow. 92. Super Mario Land (1989, Nintendo Game Boy)More or less a disguised port of Super Mario Bros from the NES. The graphics are rubbish, even by "classic" Game Boy standards, and the game wasn't particularly big in size. Nevertheless, like most Mario games, Super Mario Land is quite wonderful in its simplicity. The occasional twist in gameplay styles also helped break the tedium, and gave us some truly unique boss battles. One to pick up if you see it cheap. #91-89 coming tomorrow night...
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Post by Shadic? on Dec 2, 2004 5:05:00 GMT
GRRR.. Megaman one is the devil It's so hard So far the list is looking good
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Post by Chosenoneknuckles on Dec 2, 2004 7:37:37 GMT
good list, I agree Sonic Spinball wasnt good at all, Bubsy and James Pond rule tho! ;D
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Post by madhair60 on Dec 2, 2004 9:19:22 GMT
IMO, Mario Land is absolutely NOTHING LIKE SMB on the NES...
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Post by Baxter on Dec 2, 2004 20:22:00 GMT
91. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1997, Nintendo 64)
At the time of its release, amidst all the hype of the cinematic re-releases of the trilogy, and the launch of the Nintendo 64, this game was hugely anticipated. And although it didn't live up to the hype, it was still a reasonable effort. S.O.T.E is for the most part a third-person shooter, but also contains planet-based flight, space flight and speeder bike stages. The opening stage, set in the Battle of Hoth scene from the Empire Strikes Back film, is excellent. Unfortunately, this set a standard that the rest of the game can just not live up to. The graphics are poor, and the ground-based stages, which dominate the proceedings, are repetitive and ridiculously long (the Gall Spaceport stage can take up to an hour to complete). It does pick up a bit towards the end however, ending a game of mixed quality on a high note.
90. Marko’s Magic Football (1994, Sega Mega Drive)
If it hadn't been for Lew Stringer’s famous STC strip then I probably never would have played this game. The graphics and music were fairly good, although the handling of the ball itself is poor and it is far too easy in parts to get killed. That aside, it's decent little platformer in its own right, with a unique premise, which could have been great with a little more time and effort put into the gameplay aspect.
89. Streets of Rage (1991, Sega Mega Drive)
One of the most famous games to be released for the Mega Drive, although I actually didn't play it until many years later. A simple side-scrolling beat em up in the Double Dragon mould, I still have yet to figure out what all the initial fuss was about. Still good though.
#88-86 coming tomorrow night...
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JJ
Script Hume
Bit of a hack, really.
Posts: 4,902
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Post by JJ on Dec 3, 2004 10:43:04 GMT
Another retro-packed chart, it seems. Can there be ANYONE out there who didn't play Streets of Rage in the early nineties?
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Post by Chosenoneknuckles on Dec 3, 2004 10:44:38 GMT
Another retro-packed chart, it seems. Can there be ANYONE out there who didn't play Streets of Rage in the early nineties? I never played on it
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Post by archangelffx on Dec 3, 2004 17:23:07 GMT
Another retro-packed chart, it seems. Can there be ANYONE out there who didn't play Streets of Rage in the early nineties? I played it in the late nineties! 0_o
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Post by Baxter on Dec 3, 2004 20:23:24 GMT
88. WWF Royal Rumble (2000, Sega Dreamcast)
Most wrestling games, in particular those made by Acclaim, are mere clones of one another, but this is one of those rare few that delivers a unique and enjoyable gaming experience. It's closer to an arcade title than a traditional console game, with only two game modes and a small-ish roster of wrestlers to choose from. Still good fun however, containing some of the finest visuals ever seen in a wrestling sim, and a frantic Royal Rumble mode in which up to nine WWE Superstars™ can share the ring at the same time!
87. Super Mario Bros (1985, Nintendo NES)
One of the most important video games in history, and one which many people actually consider the greatest game ever made. Hype and nostalgia aside, however, Super Mario Bros is a nonetheless a wonderfully simple platformer, and a joy to play. Jump on Goombas, warp through pipes; beat Bowser, only to be told that the Princess is in another castle. Sure had cracking plots in those days, didn't they?
86. Lemmings (1990, Sega Mega Drive)
Although it wasn't the sort of game you could play continuously, Lemmings was truly a memorable gaming experience. Commanding the Lemmings and coming up with unique ways to save them was fun, and seeing them die was always oddly amusing. Frantic and fun, with some good puzzles and tons of stages to play through.
#85-83 coming tomorrow afternoon (will be out tomorrow night!)
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Post by ChaosX3 on Dec 4, 2004 1:24:52 GMT
Hitler played Lemmings.
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Post by madhair60 on Dec 4, 2004 20:55:57 GMT
0__o
Hokay.
Lemmings rocks.
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JJ
Script Hume
Bit of a hack, really.
Posts: 4,902
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Post by JJ on Dec 5, 2004 15:38:26 GMT
I think that was a joke in the back of this months Edge...
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Post by ChaosX3 on Dec 5, 2004 15:56:59 GMT
I think that was a joke in the back of this months Edge... You mean it was a joke? Ooooh...
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