(play these games!!)
25. Rival Schools: United by Fate (Playstation 1997)
The only 3D fighter I’ve ever really come to like. Mainly because it was made by Capcom, so the characters could still perform hadouken-style projectiles. And not being near as deep as Soul Calibur or anything like that, though I was dammn near unstoppable in the game and that bias towards Capcom makes it superior to all other 3D fighters to me. Never really did have the patience to learn how to play other, deeper 3D fighters anyway.
24. Seven Kingdoms (PC 1997)
An RTS that is quite different from the bunch that I played during the 90’s when I was a big fan of them. Seven Kingdoms relied on keeping your kingdom happy, establishing trade, sending spies, conquering towns and training your troops as opposed to mining and collecting materials, make units come out of a building by paying materials and attacking the other team with them. The game definitely had it’s flaws though, shame it wasn’t topped with a worthy sequel.
23. Super Metroid (Super Nintendo 1994)
One of the first games I’ve played that used music effectively to create a certain atmosphere that isn’t Nintendo-esque ghey. Creepy music and sci-fi beeps blips and blasts all come together in a stellar fashion. Controls are great and easy, and the free roaming gameplay of the game was really quite refreshing at the time.
22. Halo: Combat Evolved/Halo 2 (XBOX 2001)
I'm far from a huge FPS fan, but this game I play quite often with the friends. The features, physics and overall feel of the game I don't find as appealing as Unreal Tournament, it feels much too slow, but the friends never caught onto Unreal and PC fps in general. Aside from that, a solid single player campaign which I really enjoyed, and the graphics at the time were incredible (wow, look at the water!) The theatrics I fell for as well, when that theme music kicks in you know you’re about to do something bad, something real bad.
Halo 2 I’ve played more multiplayer, but it’s the first that really got my attention.
21. Seiken Densetsu 3 (Super Nintendo 1995)
A game strong in its replayability. The story is pretty tame, characters are boring but it’s the combat and the class change aspects that really make this game great. Pick three from six characters and have them branch off into different classes, which leads to different abilities and magic, etc. With that, you can play the game over and over with different sets. A neat feature is you can have three players playing the game at one time.
20. Metal Slug Series (Neogeo Engine 1996-Present)
Embodies everything an arcade coin-op should. Fast, frantic gameplay, easy to pick up but hard to master, and quadruple the fun with a second player. Also has that unique signature style that many have tried to copy, but this remains at the top. The graphics have aged so well as it’s still a pretty sight to look at after all these years. I discovered and played to death this marvel of a series through emulation, lucky for me, if I was to have a run through Metal Slug 3 (my personal favourite, no surprises) all the way through I’d be down about $33 at the end of the game. Just pop a coin in and let loose, great fun. (Metal Slug Anthology is coming out on the Wii a compilation of MS games throughout it’s history, get it!)
19. Unreal Tournament (PC 1999)
King of all FPS for me. Game runs hard and fast, that “keep-moving” sensation runs through you as you enter an arena full of enemies. This FPS just has everything I like about the genre, varied balanced armory, fast, mobile, and the option for team based action where working together is essential.
18. Ikaruga (Dreamcast 2001)
Posted this earlier:
It's just a beautifully presented game, and the simplicity of it all ties in with the artistic direction so well. It's just one of those games where rhythm is completely paramount, without it there's no way to enjoy the game. For me personally, it has a way of kind of tapping into my primal 'will to survive' kind of thing, which is pretty much like most plane shooters (getting that "rush" trying to dodge bullets and all that) but the light/dark switch adds another dimension to it all. It's hard as fuck, mainly because I don't have that sense of "rhythm" that masters of this game do have. When playing the game, since I'm not good at it at all, I tend to disregard the combo system and rely purely on staying alive (a complete mess to watch, but gives me a good rush)
And yes, I probably do enjoy watching good players play the game, than actually play it myself. I can't name another game that happens with.
17. Chrono Trigger (Super Nintendo 1995)
Big fan of the music in this game, it all ties very well. Interesting battle play, great storyline and characters make for a memorable RPG. The introduction of the time shifting was smooth, as well.
16. Final Fantasy VII (Playstation 1997)
One game that really raked me in as a youngster, now one of the biggest (and rather overrated in my opinion) franchises the gaming world has to offer. It’s a game and a franchise that I don’t care too much about nowadays, but no doubt this is the game that I played the most back in 1999-2000. Looking back at the game itself, it’s nothing more than a big melting pot of cheese, really. It would’ve made a fine B-grade anime movie and all, but hey, I enjoyed it! The music is the thing that sticks out the most here, and with most Square related games, the first thing I tend to look at. Uematsu has created a score to suit every scenario, from the rush of adrenaline with fights against J-E-N-O-V-A, or the sad bittersweet death of that Aeris girl. But err yeah, average game, with probably the best soundtrack I’ve ever heard in a game. Great characters, too.
15. Tetris Attack (Super Nintendo 1995)
Miles better than the original, there I said it. Tetris Attack is such a fun 2 player game which mixes it’s simple yet hard to master interface with fast action. A puzzle game for people who don’t like puzzle games.
14. Kirby Superstar (Super Nintendo 1996)
Easy as fuck, I know, but c’mon! A game that shines in co-op mode, and with a vast array of powers each with their own unique moveset, there’s plenty to do and much to see. Not to mention the 5+ game modes to play through, the trophies to collect, bosses to beat (amazing how much influence this has on Smash Bros. Melee) and minigames to play. And the minigames are great party games in their own sense, that Samurai one and the Megaton Punch in particular. Brilliant game.
13. Jet Set Radio Future (XBOX 2002)
“Can’t do graffiti if you got no soul, know what I’m sayin’?”
This game just oozes class and cool. It’s all about the attitude and with the cel-shaded graphics and amazing soundtrack this is where the heart of the game truly lies. Both these two components complement each other so well. Controlling a character is fun and easy. And if you just stand still and not press a button for a few minutes, you character will start to dance to the background music. How cool is that?
12. Super Punch-Out!! (Super Nintendo 1994)
Forget fucking Fight Night and all that just for a second, get your teeth into this one! Something so completely original, and addictive. You play as a boxer looking to rise the ranks, and will fight many different opponents, unique in style, appearance, technique and temperament. Use your head and reflexes to fight off your opponents, and devise a different plan for each foe you fight. It’s this, along with the smooth gameplay response that makes this refreshing in comparison to other boxing games.
11. Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy (Super Nintendo 1988(??))
Completely off tangent, non sequential, big colourful and gay as anything, what the fuck is going on here let me know please?!
Parodius is basically a spin off to the plane game Gradius, where you control either a ship, penguin or cap-wearing octopus and shoot down whatever comes at you, whether they be other penguins, flying fish, lips, lollipops, walking trees, bees coming out of treasure chests, whatever. Players receive upgrades to their ships by collecting certain orbs, and each character has their own set of arms.
Playing Parodius will net you the same feeling as walking through a neon-lit Tokyo. Bits and fragments of Japanese culture are embedded within. With that are mixed in tunes that one would recognize, works from classical composers, and in the latest installment of the game (Jikkyou Oshaberi Parodius on the SNES, I think it’s called) it has that “that’s the way I like it” song, where disco penguin DJ’s will try to shoot you down by throwing vinyl at you. Totally awesome.
10. Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting (Super Nintendo 1991)
This game has still retained it’s charm after all these years. I’m a big fan of the Street Fighter series in general – shame I couldn’t squeeze Alpha 3 in somewhere – and it’s this original that has started it all. Finely tuned game, no button mashing flukeness here, just quick reflexes smarts will get you through.
You can pretty much disregard that list, it's a bit of a mess and needs some cleaning up. Once I spend some good time with a modded xbox and it's emulators I'll be able to give pretty much everything a good go, sans GC and PS2 titles, as well as most modern PC games. And the Saturn.
