Awesome Video Games A-Z, pt. 5

Holy crap! I totally forgot that I never published this last post! I’m sure you’ve all been on the edges of your respective seats, waiting for the madness to end! Well, truth be told, school has been insane lately, so yeah. But there’s still hope! Only a couple more weeks until the semester is over, and then I’ll have to think of some other excuse not to write.

In any case, here we are at the last part of the A-Z game list thingy. Should be easy to decide since these last letters don’t have many games to choose from. So, here we go!

V! This one is an interesting one. I don’t many V games, but the few I do have are pretty good. And after a short deliberation, I’ve decided that the winner is Volleyball (NES). Just volleyball. Yup. It’s a game I got at KMart a long time when they used to sell repackaged used games. It doesn’t work very well, so you have to blow on the cartridge to be able to play. But it’s a pretty fun game. Kinda hard. But fun. You can be USA. Or Japan. Or BRA(zil). You can spike the ball. Just like real volleyball. And you can set it. Bump it. Whatever you want. It’s your game. Just make sure to win. Also, you can play 2-player, which is awesome. Oh, and it’s available on Virtual Console. So yeah. Um… go play it? Now?

Runner-Up: Viewtiful Joe (GCN)

W! Ok, this one was hard. Mostly because there are a bunch of Wario and Wii labeled games. But I have a winner. It starts with W. Its name is Worms 2 (PC). The worms games are very fun. It’s a turn-based artillery-style game. You take turns firing rockets, grenades, or exploding sheep at each other. You have to judge the trajectory and power of the weapon to be able to do well. But, there are plenty of weapons that don’t need a lot of skill. Like the Super Sheep, easily one of the best weapons of the video game world. It’s a flying sheep that you can control. So make it fly to your opponent and make them explode. Awesome. The game is exceptional is every way and is certainly worthy of this honor. It was my favorite game of all time before Kirby 64 came around. So it’s super-awesome. This one may be hard to come by nowadays, but if you can find Worms World Party, that can be a reasonable substitute. Either way, it’s totally worth it. Play it! Now!

Runner-Up: Worms World Party (PC)

X! This is a funny letter. It’s always used for extreme things. And exceptional things. And xylophones. But on this blog, it almost always means X-Men. Now, I’m no comic nerd, so I don’t have much X-Men stuff. But X-Men Mutant Apocalypse (SNES) is a great game. You play as Wolverine, Cyclops, Beast, Gambit, and the slutty Psylocke. Each character has some levels that only they can complete, and there are levels where you can choose any of the characters to complete it. It’s a cool concept, but it’s also a great game. The controls are great, the powers are fun, and of course, it’s just plain cool to see Beast and Wolverine beat the crap out of people. I mean, it’s not a perfect game (it’s insanely hard at times), but it’s a fun diversion. It’s not available on Virtual Console, but it’s probably not too hard to find in used game stores. So, if you’re an X-Men fan, you need this game. If you’re not, then… I don’t care. Whatever.

Runner-Up: XIII (GCN)

Y! All four of my Y games have to do with Yoshi, but Yoshi’s Island isn’t one of them, since its official title is Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. So I’ll go with the next best thing: Yoshi’s Island DS. It’s a direct sequel to the first Yoshi’s Island, only this time, you have two screens to work with. Plus, there are more babies than just Mario & Luigi. That’s right, baby Peach and baby DK join in the fun this time. For those who don’t know, Yoshi’s Island games are fun! You play as Yoshi, and the objective is to get the babies to the end without letting them get captured. If Yoshi gets hit, the baby he’s carrying floats around in a bubble for a short time and if you don’t pop that bubble and get him back, the evil Toadies come and steal him away. Then they eat him. Just kidding! They don’t eat baby. That’d be gross. Anyways, the game is really cool. If you liked the first Yoshi’s Island and you have a DS (which by now, should be about 97% of the world), you need to play this game. Play! Now! Go!

Runner-Up: Yoshi’s Story (N64)

Z! So, after four previous posts and some insanely long gaps, the end is finally here. That’s right, we’ve reached the end of the alphabet! So without further ado, the best Z game: Zack & Wiki: The Quest for Barbaro’s Treasure. This is an adventure/puzzle game sort of like Zelda but not really. The game is very puzzle intensive, so I guess you could call it some kind of a Zelda/Professor Layton halfsy. But these aren’t just simple push-blocks-over-a-switch puzzles. These are insanely inventive and fairly difficult ones. In fact, if you go here, you can play a flash demo of the first level of the game! This will let you see how cool it is. This game may be difficult to find, but I would recommend it to everyone. It didn’t sell well, either, so I wouldn’t expect a sequel, so I would double recommend it. Plus, I think it’s awesome, which should be a recommendation in and of itself. So there you go. Three reasons to pick it up. I don’t need to tell you what to do next.

But I will. Go buy it now!

Runner-Up: Zoo Keeper (NDS)

So there you go. All done now. Now, you just need to wait another 300 years for a new post! How awesome is that?!

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Boom Blox Bash Party, Excitebots Trick Racing, Guitar Hero World Tour (Wii)

Awesome Games A-Z, pt. 4

Ok, well, I was just gonna shirk my responsabilities and not post anything, but then I decided that I better. Cause you’re lucky!!

P! Alright, so moving right along… Some might predict a Pokemon game here. And while Pokemon is a cool idea, it’s not my favorite thing in the world. But Mario games are one of my favorite things in the world. And one of the best ideas in the history of Mario games was Paper Mario. It sounds weird, and it kind of is. You play as Mario, but he’s made of paper. So, when you want to turn around, he literally flips over. But all the backgrounds and worlds are in 3-D. So basically, it all adds up to a really cool art style. And it’s not your standard Mario game. It’s an RPG. So, you get experience points, add members to your party, and go on a huge and grand adventure to once again save the princess from Bowser. It’s a brilliant game, and easily one of the best games available for the N64, or for any Nintendo system for that matter. It’s funny, it’s imaginative, it’s exciting, and most importantly, it’s fun! If you don’t own this game, then you’re in luck! You can download it right now for Virtual Console. And for $10, it’s truly an amazing deal. Go buy it! Now!

Runner-Up: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (NDS)

Q! This one is easy. I only have 1 game that starts with Q. Its name is Quantum of Solace, based on the 007 movie. But I haven’t played it yet. I should play it sometime.

Runner-Up: Quincy Douglas’ Underground Railroad Adventure (Commodore 64)

R! Anyone who knows me knows that I love me some racing games. Especially ones that are unrealistic, and where you can explode. F-Zero is a good example of this. But there are other great racing games, like the one here where they actually made a stunt track with the express purpose of letting you wreck your car for points. Naturally, I’m talking about Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA. It’s simply a fantastic game. You pick one of many cars, color it how you want, and then go out for a race. And, if you’re like me, you’ll really enjoy the stunt track. It’s filled with ramps and bumps and giant butts (once you play it , you’ll understand). Plus, you can play tag! Seriously! One person starts as it, and you have to ram the other car to tag them. If someone wrecks, they become it. It’s pretty hard, but it’s super-fun. Unfortunately, this game is not yet available for the Virtual Console. Maybe it will be someday. If not, come to my house and we’ll play it.

Runner-Up: Rhythm Heaven (NDS)

S! This was a hard one. After all, most major Mario games start with Super. Plus, many SNES games also begin with Super. Plus, don’t get forget Sonic, Starfox, San Francisco Rush… but in the end, the winner is Super Mario Bros. It is probably the most important video game of all time. After all, it basically saved the ailing video game industry of the early 80s. Plus, it spawned countless other games and series that we all know and love. Mario is the most recognizable and influential video game character of time, and will more than likely continue to be so for a very long time. Super Mario Bros. is an amazing game, even now. The controls are tight, the difficulty is perfect, the enemies and many and varied, the level design is inspired… I could go on forever. We’ve all played this game and know how freaking amazing it is. If you don’t currently own a copy, shell out the $5 for a Virtual Console copy and enjoy it forever. I know I will.

Runner-Up: Super Smash Bros. (N64)

T! Thankfully, I don’t have to try so hard to decide on this one. As we all know, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles starts with T. And if you don’t know how awesome TMNT: The Arcade Game is, this it’s time for you to find out. It’s a fantastic side-scrolling beat-em-up featuring everyone’s favorite amphibians. It’s a simple, but extremely effective formula, and one that is difficult to copy. You pick your favorite turtle (Mikey, of course) and you run around beating the crap out of foot soldiers and other enemies (but mostly foot soldiers). Once you clear the enemies in an area, you can move on. At the end of most of the levels is a boss, such as Baxter Stockman (as the fly), or General Kragg (the rock guy). Plus, it has coop multiplayer, which works really well, and is the main reason the game is so fun. The game is not yet available for Virtual Console, but when it comes, get it and play it. So, go grab a Raphael and beat some foot ninjas up!

Runner-Up: Tetris DS (NDS)

U! So since there was no Q game, I’ll fit U in right here. And since U is an uncommon letter (especially for Video Game titles), this choice is easy. I have 2 U games. One gets the top spot. The other gets runner-up. So yeah. The better one is Ultimate Mortal Kombat for the DS. It’s like Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, but ported to the DS, with added WiFi functionality. I like UMK3 because you can play as Raiden (who was strangely missing from the original MK3). Also, the game comes with Puzzle Kombat, which is a Kirby’s Avalanche-type match-2-colors-to-break-them puzzle game. And in the background, the players beat each other up based on who gets better combos. Kinda cool. This was one of those games that I always wanted, but waited until it went on sale. I think it was $10. Well worth it. I’m not gonna say go buy it, because not everyone is a Mortal Kombat fan. So, go play Mortal Kombat until you like it. Ready? Ok, now go buy it.

Runner-Up: Urban Champion (NES)

So, there you are. Awesome games. And, if you’re really lucky (and you just might be this time), then I’ll post the last entry sometime in the next century. Honest.

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (NDS), Soul Bubbles (NDS), Excitebots: Trick Racing

Awesome Games A-Z, pt. 3

And here we go with part three!

K! This one is super easy, because not only is it a great game, but in my opinion, it's the best game ever made. Naturally I mean Kirby 64. Kirby games are almost always awesome. Kirby 64 is still a classic-style side-scrolling Kirby game. But all the characters and backgrounds and enemies are rendered in 3-D, much like New Super Mario Bros. As always, you can suck up enemies and steal their powers. But this one, just like its SNES counterpart, lets you combine powers. For example, you can take snow power and add it to electric power. BOOM! You turn into a fridge. You can launch out food, which you can then eat to replenish health. Plus, the flying drumsticks and sandwiches kill enemies. How cool is that? I could go on for hours about this game. It's a perfect mix of great platforming, ingenious level design, excellent music, a nice story, and most importantly, loads of fun. Lucky for all of us, it's available on Virtual Console, so seriously, there's no reason you shouldn't own this game. If you don't have it, go buy it. Then come back. I'll wait...

Fun, huh? I knew you'd love it!

Runner-Up: Kirby Air Ride (GCN)

L! This choice was kind of hard, but not really. There are two L games that are far-and-away the best ever. The best one is the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. It is one of the few games that I have given a perfect rating. It's a Zelda game, so naturally the quality level is very high. Not only that, it's easily the best and most engaging story of all Zelda games. Link wrecks his ship and washes up on the shore of a small island one day. He is found by a girl named Maryll, who nurses him back to health. He must then find his way off of the island to get home. That's all I'm gonna say, because the game is way too good to ruin. To give you an idea of how much I like it, I've completely played through it at least 5 times. It's got everything a great game needs: an excellent story, fantastic gameplay, imaginitive dungeons and bosses, and nice music and graphics (for its time). Do not surprised if this game shows up on Virtual Console for DSi someday. So get ready for it!

Runner-Up: Looney Tunes B-Ball (SNES)

M! Now this was truly a hard decision. I have nearly 100 M games. Think Mario, Metroid, Megaman, etc. But after a short brainstorm I have found the winner. Naturally, it's a Mario game. But it's not the kind of Mario game you might have been thinking. It is Mario Golf (GBC). There have been four Mario Golf games so far, but this one is the best. It's golf, but it's also an RPG. You run around, play golf, build up your stats, buy new equipment, and finally, get good enough to beat Mario himself. It's a brilliant idea, honestly. I put nearly 80 hours into the game before I finally beat everything, too. And that's definitely not a bad thing. It's an exciting game, and it has lots of extra features. For example, when you get a great shot, it saves it for you so you can watch it later. It also has a nice glossary, so you can look up all sorts of golf terms. In short, it's the best golf game ever made, and one of the best Mario games ever made as well. Again, when Gameboy games show up on Virtual Console, go get it!

Runner-Up: Mario Party 3 (N64)

N! N has significantly fewer games than M, so the decision was a little easier. And of course, why stop talking about great sports games? This one is one of the best. It's basketball, but it's arcade style, so you can push and shove and jump 30 feet in the air and run 90 mph. Of course I mean NBA Jam Tournament Edition (SNES). NBA Jam used to be the de-facto standard for arcade basketball games. This version improves on the original by adding special rules, such as Juice Mode (which makes your player run up to 4x faster than normal) and Hot Spots (where numbered circles appear on the court that give you up to 8 points for a single shot. It's insane, but that makes it insanely fun. Plus, there's practice mode, so you can play HORSE or other silly games. It's a good time, I tell ya whut. Strangely, it's not available on Virtual Console yet. but keep a watchful eye. It's worth buying.

Runner-Up: New Super Mario Bros. (NDS)

O! And finally, let's talk about O. This one's easy since I only have 2 O games I've played (and 1 I haven't yet). It's Okami. Okami is a story about Amaterasu, who is the Japanese sun god. Okami comes back after a 100-year slumber to help the people of Japan destroy one of the dark gods. It has a very cool cel-shaded (think cartoony) style. And it's a great story. It has a lot of accurate Japanese history as a backstory, which makes it fun to play. Plus, the controls work quite well. Amaterasu (at least in this game) has a magic paintbrush which can be used to slice things, draw items, etc. The goal of the game is to restore the greenery and peace to Japan, and of course that means destroying some of the annoying imps and monsters that appear. I haven't yet completed it, but I have played enough to know that it's a lot of fun, and a very polished game. It was made by Clover Studios, who also made Viewtiful Joe. Sadly, they are now defunct. Oh well. In any case, Okami is one of the most underrated and undersold games of this generation. Go buy it now!

Runner-Up: Operation Wolf (NES)

Well, that should do it for today. If you're lucky (and you're not), I'll be back tomorrow to bring part 4! Muhahaha!!

-benjamines

Currently Playing: Art Style PictoBits, Animal Crossing City Folk, Okami

Awesome Games A-Z, pt. 2

Hello again, friends! I think this is some kind of recent record. I've posted consistently for like 3 days. Hoo-hah! So let's see what awesome games there are today!

F! This one is an easy one. Everyone knows (or should know) that F-Zero is one of the best franchises on any console, so naturally F-Zero X is my choice for F. Even though I give it an A+. For those who don't know, F-Zero is a futuristic racing game. Not only can you race, you can destroy other cars (somewhat like Excite Truck). Speeds of some levels can reach insanely high levels, which can make even staying on the track difficult. But it's loads of fun. And F-Zero X (N64) has tons to offer. One of the best parts is the X Cup. It's a Grand Prix, but every track is random each time. Sometimes they're easy, sometimes they're hard, sometimes they're freaking impossible. Either way, it's amazing fun. Now we just need an F-Zero for Wii and for DS. Come on, already!

Runner-Up: F-Zero GX

G! Today must be an easy day, because G is a super-easy choice. You've probably all guessed that naturally, Goldeneye 007 (N64) is the best G game ever. It's not the first FPS ever, but it was one of the most groundbreaking. Not only that, it was just plain fun. Because the N64 had 4 controller ports, it was easy to do local split-screen multiplayer. And it was amazing. I must say, the people I played with normally had no problem kicking the crap out of me in this game. But it's one of those games where you can consitently lose and it's still a load of fun. In fact, my longest video game spree to date was playing this game. I played it with a friend and my brother from 4pm one afternoon until 10 am the next morning. Without stopping. 18 hours. Beat that. In short, it's one of the best games ever made. Unfortunately, it will likely never be released on the Virtual Console because of licensing issues. So, naturally the best thing would be to run out and buy a used N64 and a copy of the game. It's worth it. Trust me.

Runner-Up: Galactic Pinball (VB)

H! This choice is also easy, not just because it's a great game, but because I only own 3 games that start with H. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a point-and-click style adventure game for the DS. It's made by the same people who made the awesome Trace Memory way back when. You play as Kyle Hyde, a washed-up detective who's searching for his traitor partner. You wind up in a dumpy hotel called Hotel Dusk, which has a history of strange happenings and such. The game design is ingenious, really. You use the stylus to pick up objects, rub dirt off of something, flip switches, etc, etc. Plus it a has a pretty good story to go with it. Plus, the game is only $20, so you all should really go buy it right now. There's no reason not to.

Runner-Up: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

I! Today is obviously not Monday, because these game are super easy to pick. The best I game ever is clearly Ice Climbers. Ok, so most of you have probably only heard of or played them in Smash Bros. But long before that, they were clubbing sheep and smashing through mountains on the NES. It's a brilliant concept, really. One or two players can simultaneously play. You use your hammers to jump through the floor above you. Some floors are moving clouds, which means you have to time your jumps correctly. Plus, even when you break through a floor, the sheep will sometimes come and cover the hole up again. So speed is essential at times. Once you clear the bottom half of mountain, you get to scale a series of non-breakable platforms. If you can get to the top and hitch a ride on the pterodactyl, you win! Sounds extremely weird, but remember this game was invented in Japan in the 1980s. So yeah. Makes perfect sense.

Runner-Up: International Superstar Soccer (N64)

J! Oi vey! Again with the easy choices! But this game is pretty good. It's Jazz Jackrabbit! For the GBA! It's loosely based on the Jazz Jackrabbit for DOS from oh-so-long ago. You run, jump, and blow the crap outta stuff. What else do you need for a great game? Nothing, I tell you! While it doesn't have all the charm of the original, it is still an amusing game. Plus, it's not too easy, not too hard. And the story is quite amusing, to boot. So yeah. That's about all I have to say on the matter.

Runner-Up: Jordan vs. Bird One on One

Well, there you are. We're about 40% done with the best games A-Z. We'll continue this journey later! (maybe)

-benjamines

Currently Playing: ArtStyle - PictoBits, Animal Crossing City Folk, Okami

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