Phantasy Star IV was really well done imo and i prefer it to any other 16-bit RPG outside of FFVI. really love the more anime style of it all, robot with cat ears and all.
Gunstar Heroes is just non-stop WTF but it can get extremely challenging. i remember getting stuck on the dice rolling level and just feeling like i was in hell. great two-player game! reason enough to check out anything else Treasure ever made.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:11 (seven years ago) link
Gonna post a couple more and then go out to take care of errands, the second half will be like an hour or two later
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:17 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/M2pIg3g.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/DfqowIn.jpg36 - Super Mario All-Stars - 78 points / 3 Votes
^obviously unimaginably classic but it didn't feel right to be voting for a compilation of previous generation games (nicely touched up tho they may be)
― lazy rascals, spending their substance, and more, in riotous living (Merdeyeux), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:21 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/XB3DHJX.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/DLxOoQg.jpg35 - Rock n Roll Racing - 79 points / 4 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:24 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/9rxMPL2.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/GWdkqJ7.jpg34 - Crusader of Centy (aka Soleil) - 80 points / 2 First-place votes / 2 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:29 (seven years ago) link
^Had to double-check this one... two first-place votes, zero other votes. some people love this! and some people like me had never heard of it!
http://i.imgur.com/pyqxm3X.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/pyqxm3X.jpg33 - Langrisser II - 81 points / 3 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:37 (seven years ago) link
hmm
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/langrisser/langrisser2-md.jpg
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:38 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/rU4qDwG.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/iyjOfsK.jpg32 - Earthworm Jim - 86 points / 6 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:45 (seven years ago) link
Ok break time! To be continued in a couple of hours.
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 17:46 (seven years ago) link
i'm sorry i didn't vote in this! my few attempts at a ballot were pretty pathetic and i didn't wanna do what i did in the NES poll and vote for a bunch of PC games whose ports i hadn't played. kept telling myself i'd brush up via emus but never did :(
just wanna say contra 3 is a great co-op experience and has a surprising variety of levels, some of which (crawling around in zelda-style single-plane movement clinging to the superstructure of a skyscraper?) i almost feel like i must have made up
def wanna hear from the crusader of centy crew
thought at first that was orig street fighter 2 at 42 and was like wtf even i know that's wrong
― florence foster wallace (difficult listening hour), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 18:15 (seven years ago) link
harvest moon - only played this in the emulator days. i think i remember considering renting it but the idea of a farming simulator just seemed awful. turns out the game is very, very addicting, and it made my top 10. it still holds up, too! the ps4 release of stardew valley is the most anticipated release of the season for me, i can't wait.
super street fighter II - which new character was your favorite: dee jay, cammy, t. hawk, or fei-long?? i'm guessing none of them were, which is why this was a somewhat disappointing release for me at the time despite it refining what were already excellent mechanics. i guess a lot of people consider SSFIITurbo to be the definitive street fighter of the era (like people who are really into competitive fighting games and can pull off enormous combos at will, i mean) because of that, but i was more of a Top 20 Player on my Block kind of kid, so i was happy just sticking with regular ol' turbo.
flashback- the controls were awful, but at the time i remember thinking they were really realistic, both in terms of animation and the feeling of real weight and momentum. mario had a great feeling of weight/momentum as well, but it was much more videogamey and floaty (and AWESOME). flashback felt like you were put in the shoes of a dude with below-average athleticism, thrown into a bizarre situation. despite renting it a few times, i never got very far at all. i suck at adventure puzzle games in general though so ymmv.
breath of fire - i really need to play this. or was it a sequel that everyone loves? i'll wait til the final rundown to make a decision, but i've never played any of them.
simcity2000- so classic. and surprisingly playable for a console port! bonus contemporaneous PC gamer review scan: http://dl.pcgamer.com/pcgarchive/SimCity2000.jpg
NBA Jam T.E.- i feel like i spent many, many hours with this game, but it didn't really leave any lasting effect on me other than knowing all the announcer slogans by heart. it was fun! was it a dream?
super mario allstars- like merseydeux said, this is obviously an amazing collection, and they did add important useful things (like being able to save), but i didn't feel right voting for NES-era games. i really need to go back and beat all the lost levels, i'm not sure i ever did!
rock n roll racing- i haven't played this! it's definitely on my list. paranoid! highway star! born to be wild (my first ever memory as a human being)! bad to the bone...god i fucking hate that song. i'll give it a shot!
earthworm jim- this game (and the sequel) was immensely enjoyable when it was released, but like battletoads, i just suck way too bad it these days. i miss my young adult motor skills, they were great there for a while.
― I look forward to hearing from you shortly, (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 18:26 (seven years ago) link
actionbutton review really making secret of evermore sound like some sort of grail
― florence foster wallace (difficult listening hour), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 18:39 (seven years ago) link
what the hell is Crusader of Centy
Rock'n'Roll Racing is THE shit. Let the carnage begin!
― cookware regression (Dinsdale), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 18:56 (seven years ago) link
sim city would be a way better game if you could play as mayor mike haggar
― a confederacy of lampreys (rushomancy), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 19:01 (seven years ago) link
Man I fucking hated Super Mario All-Stars. It was like if they took all the Beatles albums and remixed them with cheesy 80s production.
― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 5 October 2016 19:42 (seven years ago) link
I'm bback for a few mins! Five more now, ten more later tonight!
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:07 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/SHdR1UJ.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/GMP2aar.jpg31 - Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - 87 points / 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/zFjOFMG.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/wlBxrYI.jpg30 - Sonic & Knuckles (and Sonic 3 + Knuckles) - 87 points / 1 First-place vote / 4 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:12 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/tIO9tqr.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/x4E5id4.jpg29 - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - 94 points / 1 First-place vote / 3 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:17 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/hxwvaEP.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/INH8ssX.jpg28 - Mega Man X - 99 points / 8 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:27 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/bM5CbYP.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/49QwYLn.jpg27 - Pilotwings - 100 points / 4 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:31 (seven years ago) link
super street fighter II - which new character was your favorite: dee jay, cammy, t. hawk, or fei-long?? i'm guessing none of them were, which is why this was a somewhat disappointing release for me at the time despite it refining what were already excellent mechanics. i guess a lot of people consider SSFIITurbo to be the definitive street fighter of the era
yes the mew characters were disappointing. i had the PC release of Super Street Fighter II Turbo (god i love that long ridiculous name) and it was easily one of the best arcade to PC ports ever.
Rondo of Blood - what can you say? from those german-language anime cutscenes in the intro, you know you are in for a treat. featuring glorious 16-bit CD synth arrangements of the always baroque and flashy Castlevania music style. feels more than ever like prog rock. gameplay is incredible, love the hold-the-whip-button-and-you-are-moonwalking mechanic. level design is very cool and very classic. i always thought Super Castlevania IV was too muddy and dis-proportioned compared to the older games but this feels like a proper sequel to Castlevania 3 (or Simon's Quest, given that it re-creates a town from it on fire in the first level). Maria is a cool character too. what other games can you throw an attack cat at a skeleton? the double jump is a lot of fun too. i don't mind the added anime flavor, it kind of goes with the music and the art design, bringing the Castlevania series from straight gothic horror closer to dark fantasy.
― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:40 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/sjescuC.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/sIQFe4q.jpg26 - Legend of the Mystical Ninja - 101 points / 4 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:46 (seven years ago) link
recently i saw my uncle, who i hadn't seen in a really long time, and out of nowhere at dinner he said "what was that old game you used to play all the time? all you would do is skydive and refuse to deploy the parachute, and laugh and laugh as you crashed into the ground." eventually, after beating pilotwings about 100 times (it was a launch title, i think, and one of two SNES games i had for several months), that's what it became to me. just a ridiculous stuntgame, trying to make perfect human-shaped silhouette holes in the landscape in particular spots after a 5,000 foot descent.
very underrated part of pilotwings was the rocket launcher mission (?!?!?!) you had to do after proving your mettle in recreational sports (?!?!?!). "now that you have mastered the hang glider, you are ready to murder dozens of people with this rocket launcher. good luck!"
― I look forward to hearing from you shortly, (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 20:56 (seven years ago) link
lol yes, good to have a game that let our young selves act out gruesome suicidal ideations.
iirc the rocket launcher mission was in an assault helicopter? v fashionable in that gulf war pt. 1 era
― lazy rascals, spending their substance, and more, in riotous living (Merdeyeux), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 21:24 (seven years ago) link
top 25 begin now!
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:01 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/zdG4el8.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/oFRDXc8.jpg25 - Another World/Out Of This World - 101 points / 1 First-place vote / 4 Votes
http://i.imgur.com/AKvzPhN.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/4QRjlGC.jpg24 - NBA Jam - 113 points / 5 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:06 (seven years ago) link
Looks like a classic victim of vote-splitting. Only one person put both games on their ballot, and I think it would've made top 10-15 combined.
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:10 (seven years ago) link
Btw we are about to enter some serious stone-cold classic territory.
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:11 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/fwK7Uj0.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/J2kv9wA.jpg23 - Donkey Kong Country 2 - 115 points / 5 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:13 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/5LfNnoy.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/caJPchV.jpg22 - Super Mario Land - 118 points / 5 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:24 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/Pe2TmqS.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/XtWLKhT.jpg21 - Super Castlevania IV - 121 points / 5 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:29 (seven years ago) link
wtf just #21 this is an outrage
― lazy rascals, spending their substance, and more, in riotous living (Merdeyeux), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:34 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/WSCKnff.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/2IRw30j.jpg20 - Sonic The Hedgehog - 128 points / 7 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:38 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/azEpDw0.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/UJb4sdF.jpg19 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - 129 points / 7 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:44 (seven years ago) link
i used to love super mario rpg
only game i actually replayed a few times
― F♯ A♯ (∞), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:46 (seven years ago) link
normally the box art is so much more inspiring than the game but that dynamic seems flipped on gunstar heroes.
― Philip Nunez, Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:51 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/dUQ8MtW.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/3IBIscB.jpg18 - ToeJam & Earl - 136 points / 6 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:52 (seven years ago) link
Speaking on uninspiring box art...
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:55 (seven years ago) link
(that was in ref to TJ & Earl)
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:56 (seven years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/HXKUOIe.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/7ZvJ9d2.jpg17 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 161 points / 9 Votes
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 22:59 (seven years ago) link
SONIC AND "TAILS" TEAM UP!
That's it for today... the top 16 (see what i did there lol) tomorrow!!!
Recap in my next post, followed by my thoughts in the post after since I was kinda doing 20 things at once while posting so I wasn't sharing my feelins
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 23:00 (seven years ago) link
17 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - 161 points / 9 Votes18 - ToeJam & Earl - 136 points / 6 Votes19 - Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - 129 points / 7 Votes20 - Sonic The Hedgehog - 128 points / 7 Votes21 - Super Castlevania IV - 121 points / 5 Votes22 - Super Mario Land - 118 points / 5 Votes23 - Donkey Kong Country 2 - 115 points / 5 Votes24 - NBA Jam - 113 points / 5 Votes25 - Another World/Out Of This World - 101 points / 1 First-place votes / 4 Votes26 - Legend of the Mystical Ninja - 101 points / 4 Votes27 - Pilotwings - 100 points / 4 Votes28 - Mega Man X - 99 points / 8 Votes29 - Castlevania: Rondo of Blood - 94 points / 1 First-place votes / 3 Votes30 - Sonic & Knuckles (and Sonic 3 + Knuckles) - 87 points / 1 First-place votes / 4 Votes31 - Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - 87 points / 4 Votes32 - Earthworm Jim - 86 points / 6 Votes33 - Langrisser II - 81 points / 3 Votes34 - Crusader of Centy (aka Soleil) - 80 points / 2 First-place votes / 2 Votes35 - Rock n Roll Racing - 79 points / 4 Votes36 - Super Mario All-Stars - 78 points / 3 Votes37 - NBA Jam Tournament Edition - 77 points / 5 Votes38 - Gunstar Heroes - 70 points / 4 Votes38 - SimCity - 70 points / 4 Votes40 - Streets of Rage II - 70 points / 3 Votes41 - Breath of Fire - 69 points / 3 Votes42 - Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium - 67 points / 3 Votes42 - Flashback - 67 points / 3 Votes42 - Super Street Fighter II + Turbo - 67 points / 3 Votes45 - Revenge of Shinobi - 66 points / 2 Votes46 - Harvest Moon - 64 points / 5 Votes47 - Shining Force 2 - 64 points / 2 Votes48 - Micro Machines - 63 points / 3 Votes48 - ActRaiser - 63 points / 3 Votes50 - Zombies Ate My Neighbors - 61 points / 4 Votes51 - Streets of Rage III - 61 points / 3 Votes52 - Front Mission - 57 points / 2 Votes53 - Shining Force - 56 points / 2 Votes54 - Tetris Attack / Panel de Pon - 54 points / 3 Votes55 - Final Fantasy V - 54 points / 2 Votes56 - Contra 3: The Alien Wars - 53 points / 4 Votes57 - Super Empire Strikes Back - 51 points / 3 Votes58 - Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse - 50 points / 3 Votes59 - Secret of Evermore - 50 points / 2 Votes60 - Kirby's Dream Land - 48 points / 2 Votes61 - Shadowrun - 47 points / 3 Votes62 - Shinobi III - 47 points / 2 Votes63 - Road Rash II - 46 points / 2 Votes64 - E.V.O. The Search for Eden - 45 points / 2 Votes65 - Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins - 44 points / 1 First-place votes / 2 Votes66 - UN Squadron - 44 points / 2 Votes66 - ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkatron - 44 points / 2 Votes68 - Cannon Fodder - 43 points / 3 Votes69 - Wonder Boy V: Monster World III - 43 points / 2 Votes69 - Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - 43 points / 2 Votes69 - Castlevania: Bloodlines - 43 points / 2 Votes72 - Nobunaga's Ambition - 42 points / 2 Votes72 - Final Fantasy IV (II) - 42 points / 2 Votes74 - On the Ball - 40 points / 1 First-place votes / 1 vote75 - Mortal Kombat 2 - 40 points / 2 Votes76 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - 38 points / 2 Votes77 - Final Fight - 38 points / 1 vote77 - Rings of Power - 38 points / 1 vote
Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 were games I always had to play at someone else's house. I never had a Genesis, but my cousin did (who lived with my grandma) so probably 90% of the Sonic I played was there. Those, and Aladdin. On a giant old tube TV she had. I remember being really stressed out by the drowning mechanic. More than most other games I can even remember.
Super Mario Land was one of the first games I had for the GB (and one of the only ones for a really long time). I have no idea how long it took me to beat but in my memory it was years. The SML games are vastly underrated/underrepresented in the zillions of remakes I find, I really miss having that "superball" 45 degree angle projectile attack. And the music!!
Donkey Kong Country 2 - All three of these games really. Wow. Really came out at a time that was post-secrets in a way, where you could find out about most secrets pretty early on if you were interested enough (magazines and maybe even early internet for me). But there were still moments where I found things through my own exploration and it felt like I was the only person in the world who knew about them.
NBA Jam 1 & TE (& Hangtime) - The game mechanic for this was fun enough but it was never A+. There were easy ways to force turnovers (if you hit turbo and shove at jsut the right time on a pass inbound, you could knock them down every time), but what really made it special was the presentation. Trying to see all of the different jams was the best part. And the voice!
Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow - TOO LOW! One of the best games ever made. Once I was done with it, I started playing competitively with my friends, and we all picked our teams and printed little posters, and nobody was allowed to have the same Pokemon as anyone else (which was bullshit since I got the game last, so the starters, the legendaries and mewtwo were off bounds). In fact, I'm gonna look up a tier lsit now and see if I can remember my old team. Marowak, Magneton, Golduck, Hitmonchan I think?, and nope, can't remember the other two. All "low-tier." No wonder I never won.
Rock n Roll Racing - one fo the first games i played a LOT of on emulator, dunno how far I ever got but I felt like I got pretty far... loved the level-up mechanics in this one. At the time. Idk if they held up.
Super Mario All-Stars - don't think I voted for it, for reasons noted above... they're Nintendo games, which made it easy to cut it (on a ballot that needed a LOT of cuts). Since I didn't have a Nintendo, though, this is mostly how I played these games. SMB2 in particular I don't think I had EVER played, and it is DOPE.
Super Street Fighter II + Turbo - I, for one, loved the new chracters. I primarily played T-Hawk when my friend got this, Deejay sometimes, and in later games (Alpha 3 I think? Or another? I forget), Fei Long. I can't do Street Fighter anymore because proficiency has all but ruined it -- everyone's either too good, or too bad -- but I miss the days of the old Red-Queen days of constant improvement simultaneous with friends. Before the Internet ruined it for all of us, you know.
Harvest Moon - another one I played via emu a lot, this game made me feel very chill and I loved it. I remember NOTHING though.
Games I am reminded I have to play, or have learned I have to play from today's list: Toejam & Earl(s), Seven Stars RPG, Langrisser II, Crusader of Centy, Streets of Rage 1/2/3, Phantasy Star IV
― a simba man (Will M.), Wednesday, 5 October 2016 23:01 (seven years ago) link
Breath of Fire getting more votes than Final Fantasy II is way fucked up
― esempiu (crüt), Thursday, 6 October 2016 01:14 (seven years ago) link
Maaan, I saw Super Mario Land pop up and was looking forward to the sequel's proper placement in like the top ten, having totally missed that it showed up yesterday. Bah. Guys! SML 2 is maybe my favorite old-school Mario game! You gotta check it out!
I'm guessing whoever voted for Another World hasn't played it recently. Not good. Flashback is so much better.
Just had a flashback of my own seeing that NBA Jam (aka that game my brothers played) cover for the first time in decades.
― The Butthole, The Whole Butthole, and Nothing But The Butthole (Old Lunch), Thursday, 6 October 2016 02:14 (seven years ago) link
mario all-stars is a good idea but not very well-executed. strange that they put such time into redrawing all the art (which looks, y'know, fine, but somehow wrong) and then got the control so not quite right. it's not unplayable but it's strange to play a mario game that doesn't feel fine-tuned, they're normally so effortless and here somehow the little fine details are missing and it feels like playing mario through a slight delay or something.
rock n roll racing is such fun.
earthworm jim was good for a rental, and one of the best-looking (least drab) genesis games. i definitely enjoyed playing it. otoh it maybe epitomizes this whole post-Sonic tendency for your character in a platformer to take up way too much screen real estate, and for the growing number of frames in, say, a jump animation to oddly make the thing feel too smooth, like rotoscoped animation, with the effect of lowering the overall kinetic energy of bouncing around the screen. in games not themed around speed gimmicks the frustrations of this become rapidly apparent.
rondo of blood followed by megaman x is a nice sequence - two kicked-up-a-notch 16 bit re-dos of 8-bit smash series. castlevania, as in super castlevania iv, gets a massive upgrade in control which knocks off most of the bullshit parts of I and III's difficulty. the levels are gorgeous, the bosses are gorgeous. for 'classic' style castlevania this really might be the best one, depending how much you want to test yourself and find meaning in life through taking on really impossible games. when i got ahold of it in high school, i played a lot of rondo of blood, but it wasn't the kind of play where i felt pride in accomplishing anything. was just fun to see the next level. i did like unlocking maria and playing it through again with her, that was cool. anyway it's just such a great execution of a trusty formula/setting. mega man x i remember much less clearly and the differences with the NES ones are much significant. the "x" was doing a lot of the work, at the time, of convincing kids like me that it was somehow tougher and badder and all that.
i already expressed my 'another world' disappointments on the voting thread i think. great to look at, and a cool approach to storytelling that was sadly not incorporated into a better game.
sonic 2 was my sonic pick. all the sonic you really need, tbh, and has enough that improves on the first one (especially the "crouch and get the speed built up" mechanic) that you really can't make the first one the canonical pick. also the levels really evoked something for me that i can't really articulate now. not the level design but the art and names and all. sonic 3/knuckles is probably better looking (or has better gimmicky setpieces, can't remember). tails, and the comic book extended universe generally, must have launched a thosand furries. the bonus stages in this are kinda bullshit but it was satisfying as FUCK to sit down for the afternoon and nail a perfect run and get all the chaos emeralds and EARN your super sonic status.
― DOCTOR CAISNO, BYCREATIVELABBUS (Doctor Casino), Thursday, 6 October 2016 04:17 (seven years ago) link