Robio's All-New, All-Different, Top 100 of All Time
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#86 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
You can debate whether or not the years have been kind to Sonic the Hedgehog, but at least throughout the '90s, the games were pretty damn good. All three of the original Sonic games were great, but the second will always be my favorite in the series. Primarily because that was the hot game that had just come out right when I bought my Genesis.
The original was great, and the first time I played it at my cousin's house I went home with super bloodshot eyes because I felt like I couldn't blink. Everything was just too damn fast and I couldn't dare miss a frame. But Sonic 2 was still a giant step forward. It was a bigger game, better level design, and Tails added a really fun element as a surprisingly helpful partner.
Sonic 2 was also a near perfect co-op video game simply because the second player was just as involved as the main player, their A bad player wouldn't necessarily hinder a good player. They can have fun and be along for the ride, but never feel like an anchor.
My best friend was a great guy, but he wasn't a very good gamer. I blame his parents. They never got him a Nintendo. They settled for an Atari 7800. He did later get a Game Boy though, and he did become a pretty incredible Tetris player. However, when it came to platformers he never quite "got" it. So, him playing as Tails was perfect. He can play along and when he would inevitably miss a jump and fall into a pit, a minute later he would come hovering back to join me. Damn good way to ensure a friendship stayed strong, because Lord knows as playing a multiplayer game and inadvertently killing your partner is A justifiable reason for ending a friendship around that age.
You can debate whether or not the years have been kind to Sonic the Hedgehog, but at least throughout the '90s, the games were pretty damn good. All three of the original Sonic games were great, but the second will always be my favorite in the series. Primarily because that was the hot game that had just come out right when I bought my Genesis.
The original was great, and the first time I played it at my cousin's house I went home with super bloodshot eyes because I felt like I couldn't blink. Everything was just too damn fast and I couldn't dare miss a frame. But Sonic 2 was still a giant step forward. It was a bigger game, better level design, and Tails added a really fun element as a surprisingly helpful partner.
Sonic 2 was also a near perfect co-op video game simply because the second player was just as involved as the main player, their A bad player wouldn't necessarily hinder a good player. They can have fun and be along for the ride, but never feel like an anchor.
My best friend was a great guy, but he wasn't a very good gamer. I blame his parents. They never got him a Nintendo. They settled for an Atari 7800. He did later get a Game Boy though, and he did become a pretty incredible Tetris player. However, when it came to platformers he never quite "got" it. So, him playing as Tails was perfect. He can play along and when he would inevitably miss a jump and fall into a pit, a minute later he would come hovering back to join me. Damn good way to ensure a friendship stayed strong, because Lord knows as playing a multiplayer game and inadvertently killing your partner is A justifiable reason for ending a friendship around that age.
Edited: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:26:15
Sonic 2 is at #88?! 
88???
88mph! 
When this list hits 88, you're going to see some serious shit.
#85 - Super Mario 3-D World
I accept the reality that I will never get a direct sequel to Super Mario Bros. 2. That is a goddamn shame. However, if nothing else I can console myself with Super Mario 3D World. Wart might not have made an appearance, but between some of the gameplay and the overall feel and design of the environment that I can comfortably say the designers were willing to throw me a bone.
3D World Saw the return of one of the most underrated features of the series that characters that have their own sets of strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. That one little detail always makes a huge difference in any game to me. Being able to jump higher with Luigi or float with peach always makes me wonder if I chose the right character for a particular level, and encourages a bit of replay in the process. And as a nice bonus, they even threw us a surprise secret character for the post game.
And speaking of the post game, while 3D World was overall pretty easy, it may have unleashed the single most difficult level In a Mario game since the 8-Bit era (insane fan. Made levels for Mario Maker excluded of course). Seriously, go back and revisit that level if you ever even got to it, and see if your controller will work by the end of the day.
Arguably my favorite memory of the game though wasn't even from playing it. Rather, it came from the second trailer that Nintendo released to promote it. The first glimpse of the game wasn't particularly inspiring, but when Nintendo launched that second trailer.... Holy shit. It felt like some of the first real Nintendo magic that they had come up with in ages, and I watched and rewatched that trailer probably more than any other game in my adult life. It was just that damn good.
I accept the reality that I will never get a direct sequel to Super Mario Bros. 2. That is a goddamn shame. However, if nothing else I can console myself with Super Mario 3D World. Wart might not have made an appearance, but between some of the gameplay and the overall feel and design of the environment that I can comfortably say the designers were willing to throw me a bone.
3D World Saw the return of one of the most underrated features of the series that characters that have their own sets of strengths, weaknesses, and abilities. That one little detail always makes a huge difference in any game to me. Being able to jump higher with Luigi or float with peach always makes me wonder if I chose the right character for a particular level, and encourages a bit of replay in the process. And as a nice bonus, they even threw us a surprise secret character for the post game.
And speaking of the post game, while 3D World was overall pretty easy, it may have unleashed the single most difficult level In a Mario game since the 8-Bit era (insane fan. Made levels for Mario Maker excluded of course). Seriously, go back and revisit that level if you ever even got to it, and see if your controller will work by the end of the day.
Arguably my favorite memory of the game though wasn't even from playing it. Rather, it came from the second trailer that Nintendo released to promote it. The first glimpse of the game wasn't particularly inspiring, but when Nintendo launched that second trailer.... Holy shit. It felt like some of the first real Nintendo magic that they had come up with in ages, and I watched and rewatched that trailer probably more than any other game in my adult life. It was just that damn good.
Edited: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:26:29
#84 - Riviera: The Promised Land
Have you ever felt that the only thing missing from Norse mythology was that it just wasn't enough like an anime? Don't worry, Atlus has you covered thanks to Riviera: The Promised Land.
Riviera is very quietly an excellent game, and probably checks that box of, "good game that you for some reason never played". Liberal interpretation of Norse mythology aside, it mostly feels like a standard jrpg. It has a few unique twists to combat, and the story is pretty compelling, but it doesn't really "wow" you at any point in the game, until you get to the end. And then you realize, this game was really good the entire time. And there's a few branching paths that you still want to see, so maybe you play it again.
And the game's history insists somebody else liked it too. It was originally a Wonder swan game, and since then it was remade and ported a half dozen times. And In most cases, additional content and features kept getting added.
It's also a game that I've gone back to a couple times. I played the GBA version, and it was only a couple years later that I went ahead played the PSP remake just so I could play it in widescreen and check out any of the changes. And it was totally worth it.
Have you ever felt that the only thing missing from Norse mythology was that it just wasn't enough like an anime? Don't worry, Atlus has you covered thanks to Riviera: The Promised Land.
Riviera is very quietly an excellent game, and probably checks that box of, "good game that you for some reason never played". Liberal interpretation of Norse mythology aside, it mostly feels like a standard jrpg. It has a few unique twists to combat, and the story is pretty compelling, but it doesn't really "wow" you at any point in the game, until you get to the end. And then you realize, this game was really good the entire time. And there's a few branching paths that you still want to see, so maybe you play it again.
And the game's history insists somebody else liked it too. It was originally a Wonder swan game, and since then it was remade and ported a half dozen times. And In most cases, additional content and features kept getting added.
It's also a game that I've gone back to a couple times. I played the GBA version, and it was only a couple years later that I went ahead played the PSP remake just so I could play it in widescreen and check out any of the changes. And it was totally worth it.
Edited: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:26:42
Super Mario 3D world sold me on getting a Wii U. I had very little interest in the system prior to its release.
#83 - Rainbow Silk Road
When I first learned about the world of fan translated video games it was because I was trying to find ways to play some of the well-known Square and Enix titles that never got official translations. Games like Secret of Mana 3 and Final Fantasy 5. But it wasn't long before I learned there were in fact hundreds of games that stayed in Japan (for instance, the world's shittiest Transformers game where you play as Ultra Magnus and didn't do much of anything).
I started going down this rabbit hole somewhere around 1999, and at the time there were tons of games being worked on, but sadly, not very many that were actually completed. And even the ones that were completed were rarely translated particularly well. One of the exceptions I came across though was a Famicom game called Rainbow Silk Road.
The era of PlayStation and N64 was coming to an end, so trying to go backwards and start playing an 8-bit game took a little getting used to, but I always enjoyed games with in an Arabic theme and they are pretty far and few in between. So it didn't take a lot of debate for me to give it a shot. And it was a damn good choice on my end. This was an absolutely excellent and unique experience.
The game basically revolves around an overthrown Prince going from different regions on the Silk Road, buying and trading goods. As earns money, ye buys better equipment, and with better equipment he can go in a more dangerous areas and try and find some missing pieces of a magic mirror that's going to help him regain his kingdom.
The plot itself is about as advanced as most 8-bit games were, but the trading was the whole reason to play the game. Where is salt for sale at the lowest price? Where does it sell the highest? What's the fastest route to get there without being attacked by mummy's and snakes? The whole system required either a great memory or a lot of notes. I can't imagine this would sound fun to anyone, even myself, but it was surprisingly addictive. For anyone who finds joy in managing spreadsheets, I suspect this game would be an absolute slice of joy.
Sadly it would be a little tough to recommend this game today. Some of the controls are just insanely awkward. Things like you have to select a stairs command to go upstairs. Those little things were hard to adjust to when I first played it, and even harder the last time I played it which was around 2010. But it was such a refreshingly different kind of game that it was worth it. And if you can really get yourself in an 8-bit frame of mine, it might be worth checking out.
When I first learned about the world of fan translated video games it was because I was trying to find ways to play some of the well-known Square and Enix titles that never got official translations. Games like Secret of Mana 3 and Final Fantasy 5. But it wasn't long before I learned there were in fact hundreds of games that stayed in Japan (for instance, the world's shittiest Transformers game where you play as Ultra Magnus and didn't do much of anything).
I started going down this rabbit hole somewhere around 1999, and at the time there were tons of games being worked on, but sadly, not very many that were actually completed. And even the ones that were completed were rarely translated particularly well. One of the exceptions I came across though was a Famicom game called Rainbow Silk Road.
The era of PlayStation and N64 was coming to an end, so trying to go backwards and start playing an 8-bit game took a little getting used to, but I always enjoyed games with in an Arabic theme and they are pretty far and few in between. So it didn't take a lot of debate for me to give it a shot. And it was a damn good choice on my end. This was an absolutely excellent and unique experience.
The game basically revolves around an overthrown Prince going from different regions on the Silk Road, buying and trading goods. As earns money, ye buys better equipment, and with better equipment he can go in a more dangerous areas and try and find some missing pieces of a magic mirror that's going to help him regain his kingdom.
The plot itself is about as advanced as most 8-bit games were, but the trading was the whole reason to play the game. Where is salt for sale at the lowest price? Where does it sell the highest? What's the fastest route to get there without being attacked by mummy's and snakes? The whole system required either a great memory or a lot of notes. I can't imagine this would sound fun to anyone, even myself, but it was surprisingly addictive. For anyone who finds joy in managing spreadsheets, I suspect this game would be an absolute slice of joy.
Sadly it would be a little tough to recommend this game today. Some of the controls are just insanely awkward. Things like you have to select a stairs command to go upstairs. Those little things were hard to adjust to when I first played it, and even harder the last time I played it which was around 2010. But it was such a refreshingly different kind of game that it was worth it. And if you can really get yourself in an 8-bit frame of mine, it might be worth checking out.
Edited: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 21:27:00
#82 - Warioware: Smooth Moves
I think we all have a couple of those games that we regret not playing earlier. I didn't touch Smooth Moves until 15 years after it had been released. What's the hurry right? It's just going to be some weird mini game collection. Turns out, that 9.0 score that Gamespot gave it years ago was actually 100% justified.
The whole Warioware series is full of bizarre ideas, and while there are probably more hits than misses everything came together in a magnificent ball of "what the fuck were they thinking and why does it work so well?"
Maybe it's because the wiimote's motion controls already lend itself, exaggerated motions and ridiculous actions? Who the hell knows. All I can tell you is that when I finally got around to trying it, I just planned to spend maybe 15 or 20 minutes with it. A couple hours later I had finished every minigame and was ready to go retry a few of them to earn higher scores.
I think we all have a couple of those games that we regret not playing earlier. I didn't touch Smooth Moves until 15 years after it had been released. What's the hurry right? It's just going to be some weird mini game collection. Turns out, that 9.0 score that Gamespot gave it years ago was actually 100% justified.
The whole Warioware series is full of bizarre ideas, and while there are probably more hits than misses everything came together in a magnificent ball of "what the fuck were they thinking and why does it work so well?"
Maybe it's because the wiimote's motion controls already lend itself, exaggerated motions and ridiculous actions? Who the hell knows. All I can tell you is that when I finally got around to trying it, I just planned to spend maybe 15 or 20 minutes with it. A couple hours later I had finished every minigame and was ready to go retry a few of them to earn higher scores.
I've never played a Warioware game.
Smooth Moves is my favorite in the series. I don't know how the most recent ones are looked at, but I think the original GBA Warioware Inc and Smooth Moves are considered the highlights of the series.
#81 - Fortnite
As someone with very little dignity, I'm not too proud to admit I loved playing Fortnite. I certainly won't fault anyone who rolls their eyes at the in-game dancing and the general vibe that this Coachella inspired Battle Royal shooter oozes. God knows I certainly did. But underneath its cringy candy coating, there's a remarkably fun game here. And best of all, the game is free.
It took a long time before I finally sat down and played it. I watched my son and his friends play it for about a year before I finally said, "I'm drunk as shit, I'll go ahead and give this a shot."
Okay, I probably wasn't drunk when I played it. What really Drew me in was one of the limited time skins that they offer the characters. They were doing a Marvel theme, with a final battle leading up to Galactus. Say what you will about those skins, they keep the game interesting even if you're not buying them.
And on occasion they really affect the game. Darth Vader showed up at one point during a Star wars event and the dude wrecked havoc on anyone who got close to him. Of course, if you did manage to beat him with a bunch of your friends, you'd get his lightsaber. And then you were mowing down all the other 8-year-olds who were playing. And that's fun stuff.
I pretty much lost a summer of gaming to fortnite a couple years ago because this was all I was playing. No regrets either. Whether or not the free-to-play model ruins a lot of the big budget gaming that our generation has become accustomed to is a separate question. But if you want a quality shooter with some absolutely bizarre weapons and moments, fortnite is worth spending a few months with.
As someone with very little dignity, I'm not too proud to admit I loved playing Fortnite. I certainly won't fault anyone who rolls their eyes at the in-game dancing and the general vibe that this Coachella inspired Battle Royal shooter oozes. God knows I certainly did. But underneath its cringy candy coating, there's a remarkably fun game here. And best of all, the game is free.
It took a long time before I finally sat down and played it. I watched my son and his friends play it for about a year before I finally said, "I'm drunk as shit, I'll go ahead and give this a shot."
Okay, I probably wasn't drunk when I played it. What really Drew me in was one of the limited time skins that they offer the characters. They were doing a Marvel theme, with a final battle leading up to Galactus. Say what you will about those skins, they keep the game interesting even if you're not buying them.
And on occasion they really affect the game. Darth Vader showed up at one point during a Star wars event and the dude wrecked havoc on anyone who got close to him. Of course, if you did manage to beat him with a bunch of your friends, you'd get his lightsaber. And then you were mowing down all the other 8-year-olds who were playing. And that's fun stuff.
I pretty much lost a summer of gaming to fortnite a couple years ago because this was all I was playing. No regrets either. Whether or not the free-to-play model ruins a lot of the big budget gaming that our generation has become accustomed to is a separate question. But if you want a quality shooter with some absolutely bizarre weapons and moments, fortnite is worth spending a few months with.
#80 - Mega Man 2
Just a little disclosure here, when I put this list together Mega Man 2 was going to be in the #21 slot. However, I had a bit of bad family news recently. A couple days ago a cousin of mine died from cancer. My initial days playing this game were with him and because of that I wanted to do a little tribute to him.
So Christmas of 1989, my parents took me to visit the rest of our family in Texas. Generally, this was not an exciting time for me because it meant even if I got a good video game. I wouldn't be able to play it because I was 800 miles away from my Nintendo. The one loophole to all this was my cousin Jerry. He was the only cousin who was close to my age, and he liked two things. Video games and football. That worked out well, because that Christmas he scored big. He got Mega Man 2 and Tecmo Bowl.
Despite not caring about football, I still enjoyed Tecmo Bowl, but the big excitement was definitely around Mega Man 2. I had seen some screenshots in Gamepro magazine was pretty damn impressed by the graphics, but it was even better in person playing it. I hadn't seen many games where a monster or robot or whatever took up half the screen, at that point in time, but Mega Man had a lot of them. They were big, colorful, and looked exactly like they were supposed to.
Visually the game was amazing, but the soundtrack was what was particularly impressive. There's no question that the game has one of the great soundtracks of all time. To this day, I think the Flash man stage has the single best bit of 8-bit music I've ever heard.
Anyway, for the next couple days, Jerry and I played that nearly non-stop, with occasional breaks for Tecmo Bowl, of course. But the two of us doing whatever we could to make it to an end boss. And then trying to guess what weapon would be the right one for the fight. Sometimes it made sense. Metal saw blades for Woodman? Seems logical. Air Man's tornado gun for Crash Man? Well that's a little less obvious. And on that note, what is a Crash man anyway?
Oh, but one bizarre thing that is stuck in my head even to this day, 35 years later, is that when you get the Crash Man weapon it's listed as C. Bomber. That one random point while playing, we looked at the list of weapons we'd collected and we're trying to remember what the C. bomber was supposed to be. Also for that Christmas someone else in the family got a book about an Apache chief named Cochise. For some reason we found that name hilarious, so the rest of the time we played, we referred to the C Bomber as the Cochise Bomber. Just one of those random things that kids do, but for this day that's how I still think of the weapon.
Anyway, it was a legendary game and probably the best in the series. Anyway, I've got good memories of the game and playing it with my cousin. It may have been ages since I've last seen the guy, but I'll always carry that memory of him.
Just a little disclosure here, when I put this list together Mega Man 2 was going to be in the #21 slot. However, I had a bit of bad family news recently. A couple days ago a cousin of mine died from cancer. My initial days playing this game were with him and because of that I wanted to do a little tribute to him.
So Christmas of 1989, my parents took me to visit the rest of our family in Texas. Generally, this was not an exciting time for me because it meant even if I got a good video game. I wouldn't be able to play it because I was 800 miles away from my Nintendo. The one loophole to all this was my cousin Jerry. He was the only cousin who was close to my age, and he liked two things. Video games and football. That worked out well, because that Christmas he scored big. He got Mega Man 2 and Tecmo Bowl.
Despite not caring about football, I still enjoyed Tecmo Bowl, but the big excitement was definitely around Mega Man 2. I had seen some screenshots in Gamepro magazine was pretty damn impressed by the graphics, but it was even better in person playing it. I hadn't seen many games where a monster or robot or whatever took up half the screen, at that point in time, but Mega Man had a lot of them. They were big, colorful, and looked exactly like they were supposed to.
Visually the game was amazing, but the soundtrack was what was particularly impressive. There's no question that the game has one of the great soundtracks of all time. To this day, I think the Flash man stage has the single best bit of 8-bit music I've ever heard.
Anyway, for the next couple days, Jerry and I played that nearly non-stop, with occasional breaks for Tecmo Bowl, of course. But the two of us doing whatever we could to make it to an end boss. And then trying to guess what weapon would be the right one for the fight. Sometimes it made sense. Metal saw blades for Woodman? Seems logical. Air Man's tornado gun for Crash Man? Well that's a little less obvious. And on that note, what is a Crash man anyway?
Oh, but one bizarre thing that is stuck in my head even to this day, 35 years later, is that when you get the Crash Man weapon it's listed as C. Bomber. That one random point while playing, we looked at the list of weapons we'd collected and we're trying to remember what the C. bomber was supposed to be. Also for that Christmas someone else in the family got a book about an Apache chief named Cochise. For some reason we found that name hilarious, so the rest of the time we played, we referred to the C Bomber as the Cochise Bomber. Just one of those random things that kids do, but for this day that's how I still think of the weapon.
Anyway, it was a legendary game and probably the best in the series. Anyway, I've got good memories of the game and playing it with my cousin. It may have been ages since I've last seen the guy, but I'll always carry that memory of him.
Sorry for your loss, Robio.
I don't know about Crash Man, but Vince and Larry are the ultimate Crash Men.
Edited: Sat, 27 Apr 2024 15:23:27
I had no idea the crash test dummies had names. Today I learned.
Sorry for your loss, Rob.
Sorry for your loss Robio.
Mega Man 2 was a fantastic game indeed. Still is really.
Thanks for the condolences all. I wish I could say he and I were closer, but age and distance separate people, and I don't think I'd even seen him in 15 years. But he was a big part of my life once upon a time and I'm very sorry to see him go so young.
#79 - Kid Icarus: Uprising
Nintendo, like most other game developers has really embraced the idea of remaking and remastering their old titles. So my question is, why the hell haven't they done that yet with Kid Icarus Uprising?
Uprising was designed to be a marquee title, and it did not disappoint. When the 3DS was announced at E3, this was the title that they showed off to demonstrate how the system and the 3D effects would work. 3-D development was ultimately abandoned by Nintendo, but this game was always an amazing example of how it could look. And the game's story was absolute batshit crazy in the best possible way. Really, the only complaint anyone had for it was the controls, and yeah those were kind of a pain in the butt. A shooter like this needs 2 analog sticks which the 3DS sadly lacked. And that brings me back to my original question.
I don't think anything could have saved the Wii U, but if Uprising had been ported to it, I think you would have seen at least a temporary demand for the system. And if not the Wii U, well there's the Switch just sitting there. There's no shortage of 3DS ports, so what's one more? Are they waiting for the Switch 2?
Nintendo, like most other game developers has really embraced the idea of remaking and remastering their old titles. So my question is, why the hell haven't they done that yet with Kid Icarus Uprising?
Uprising was designed to be a marquee title, and it did not disappoint. When the 3DS was announced at E3, this was the title that they showed off to demonstrate how the system and the 3D effects would work. 3-D development was ultimately abandoned by Nintendo, but this game was always an amazing example of how it could look. And the game's story was absolute batshit crazy in the best possible way. Really, the only complaint anyone had for it was the controls, and yeah those were kind of a pain in the butt. A shooter like this needs 2 analog sticks which the 3DS sadly lacked. And that brings me back to my original question.
I don't think anything could have saved the Wii U, but if Uprising had been ported to it, I think you would have seen at least a temporary demand for the system. And if not the Wii U, well there's the Switch just sitting there. There's no shortage of 3DS ports, so what's one more? Are they waiting for the Switch 2?
Kid Icarus: Uprising was a really good game and I really enjoyed it, except for the controls. I’d totally day one purchase a Switch port.
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Recently Spotted:
*crickets*
I didn't know a sequel to the game existed until I started looking up some information on it for this post. It seems in fact there are four games in the series, although the last two never left Japan. But that sequel is apparently one of the most maligned PS2 games ever released. It was actually kind of entertaining to read a few of the bad reviews.