Awesome Games A-Z, pt. 1

Good Monday to you, reader(s)! (That's the oxymoron of the year, eh?) Today I'd like to post the first in a short series of articles: The Best Games from A-Z. Basically, I pick the best game I have that starts with A, then go to B, etc. Naturally, this won't give you the 26 best games ever, since there is only 1 Q game. In any case, it should be interesting. So here we go!

A! This one was a tough one, actually. But, after a short deliberation, I have decided that it is Animal Crossing: Wild World for the DS. For those who don't know, Animal Crossing is an amusing life sim. Basically, you move to a small town where anthropomorphic animals live. You get a house, catch and sell bugs and fish to pay our debts, make friends, plants flowers and trees, and buy cool things for your house. Sounds odd, to be sure, but it's actually very engaging. Plus, you can play online and visit friends' towns, which makes it easier to get good items, since you can trade. In case you were wondering about the different versions, here's a short comparison:

Animal Crossing (GCN): Playable NES games, town divided into acres, animals rarely leave
Animal Crossing Wild World (NDS): Online play, no acres, animals leave regularly, it's portable
Animal Crossing City Folk (Wii): Nearly the same as the DS version, can visit the city, WiiSpeak compatible

Runner-up: Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright

B! Surprisingly, I have 25 games that start with B, which I thought was weird, since it seems like a less common letter. In fact, I picked a game with TWO B's, so yeah. Double awesome. Naturally, it didn't take much to convince me that Bubble Bobble (NES) was the best one. In Bubble Bobble, you play as tiny dinosaurs Bub and Bob, who have the interesting ability to capture monsters in the bubbles they can shoot from their mouths. Sounds odd, of course, but it's one of the best NES games ever made (and that's saying something). Plus, it's one of the great NES multiplayer games. There have been countless sequels (which are decent), but the original is the best. By the way, it's available on Virtual Console (and there's a new WiiWare version in the works). So go buy it now!

Runner-up: Boom Blox (Wii)

C! This game is easily one of the most under-played games of all time. Of course I mean Chibi-Robo, the story of a tiny robot who helps a family keep their house clean. In the process, he helps sort out some of the more serious problems the family is having. As always, sounds odd, but it is one of the more adorable and engaging games the world has ever known. Basically, you walk around, pick up garbage and clean floors, which earns you happy points. Enough happy points and you can buy new gear, such as the ability to float, or a longer-lasting battery. Once you get enough gear, you can traverss the entire house and backyard, giving you plenty of opportunities to meet the toys and animals of the house and help them with their problems as well. If you don't have this game, you're in luck! The New Play Control! version (for Wii, of course) is on its way and may be here sometime this year. Wait until it comes out, and then... Go buy it now!

Runner-up: Chibi-Robo Park Patrol (NDS)

D! There are a number of good D-flavored games, so it was a tough decision. At last I decided that the winner should be Ducktales, the classic NES game. If I remember correctly (and I usually do), it was the first NES game that was my very own. I got it for my birthday or Christmas and loved it then, and I love it now. It has tight controls, excellent music, a great story, and is just a fantastic play all-around. It's not a hard game, but as the Kirby games have proven, that's not a bad thing. You play as Scrooge McDuck on his quest to get the biggest and best treasures in the world. Prepare to pogo-stick off of monkeys and hit rocks into giant spiders to get to the end. Unfortunately, this game is not yet available on Virtual Console, but don't be surprised if and when it shows up. And then, go get it. Cause it's awesome. And amazing. Awesomazing.

Runner-up: Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix

E! The final game of the day is a classic. Excitebike 64 is the sequel to the really cool Excitebike for NES. The N64 version took everything great about the original and nitro-charged it to the super-extreme! Admittedly, it's one of the hardest games to learn, but once you get it, you've got it for good. It's a work of art, really. Not only are there races and tournaments, but there are other crazy things to do, like soccer. On motorbikes? Yes! You hit a giant soccer ball across a giant field. Super fun! Plus, there's time trials, a hill climb, a never-ending desert with never-ending jumps. Not only that, it has a very intuitive level editor. In short, it has limitless replay value. Sadly, it is not yet available on Virtual Console. Perhaps soon, dear friends, perhaps soon. And when it does... well, you know the drill.

Runner-up: Elite Beat Agents (NDS)

Well, that's enough for today, friends. Stay tuned in the coming days (maybe weeks) to see the rest of the best games the alphabet has to offer! Peace!

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Okami, Animal Crossing City Folk, World of Goo

Burfday Leest

Hooray for me! I'm getting old and gray! And to celebrate, my friends are family are going to reward me with all manner of gifts, cakes, and witty jabs and clever put-downs. So, to celebrate my fastly approaching prostate problems, I have compiled a short list of games from way-back yonder, before the dawn of motion controls and touch screens.

Quite obviously, the first game I remember playing is Super Mario Bros. for the good ol' NES. Never since (and likely never again) has a game sold over 40 million copies. Unreal. But there's a reason for its glory. Atari was starting go downhill, and people began to think that video games were just a fad. And they nearly were. Until Nintendo stepped onto the scene. Nintendo's innovative style, mixed with inspired game designers such as Shigeru Miyamoto, took the entire world by storm. And Super Mario Bros. was the flagship that ushered in said storm. I can still remember my older's brother voice screaming "We got Nintendo" on Christmas morning, as my younger brother smiled, but had no idea what was happening. A glorious day indeed.

The next great game I remember was Ducktales for NES. I got it for my birthday one year, and I loved it (and still do). It was a great game based on my favorite TV Show at the time. But Ducktales isn't just cool because it's based on a cartoon. It's cool because it's well made. The level designs are well done, but not hard figure out. The controls and tight and intuitive, and the music and sounds are nicely orchestrated. It's a gem of a game.

Unfortunately for me, things went a little downhill from there. My Mom told me to pick a game from (I think) the Sears catalog. After browsing the titles, I decided that Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was the one for me. After playing for several minutes, I was a little discouraged. Even today, I can't get much further than a couple of minutes in. I mean, seriously, when the entire world is out to kill you and the only weapon you have is a walking stick that only kills bees. Bees?! Seriously?! Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde was one of the worst-designed games of the NES era. More recently though, bigger travesties such as Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball and Halo 2 have made the game shine ever-so-slightly brighter. Kinda like how chocolate makes a caesar salad taste a little better.

The next game I owned was actually from a trade I made with a friend. He had Tetris, and I had Ducktales. I had played Ducktales hundreds of times (literally) and was ready for some new game fun. So we traded games. Tetris is a lot of fun. It's not Ducktales fun, but it's pretty fun. But after a few years, I felt myself longing for the sweet sound of hitting monkeys with rocks and cane-stomping giant rats. So, we traded the games back. Actually, now that I think about it, I somehow ended up with both games. Weird. Oh well. I'm not complaining.

Anyways, I think that's probably enough rambling and brambling for today. I shall now go and eat the miniature loaf of banana bread that my wife made for me. The secret ingredient is love!

-benjamines

Currently Excited For: PRESENTS!!