I cannot believe I wrote this whole thing nonstop every day (save the one-day Chatzy Madness break). But it's finally over. We've seen good games, bad games, and so-bad-they're-good games. Games I cribbed characters from to make RP characters, games I played in my early childhood, games I played last year. Games I played in an arcade, games I played on compilations, games I played on Virtual Console, games I found at garage sales, at Wal-Mart, at GameStop, got as Christmas presents, the works. Shooting games, fighting games, role-playing games, platform games and beat-em-up games.
In short, a freakin' truckload of vidya, representing the last twenty years of my life.
And now it's time to finally finish it. My favorite five games ever made. Suffice it to say, if anything ever beats these juggernauts I will be so hyped and you will never hear the end of it.
5: Streets of Rage RemakeGenre: Beat-em-up
System: PC
Developer: BomberGames
Publisher: BomberGames
Released: April 4, 2011
I had never thought any beat-em-up would ever top Streets of Rage 2.
I hadn't counted on someone doing what Sega refused to do and just making a new Streets of Rage.
The first new SOR game since the mid-90s, SORR is much more than just a "remake". All the stages from the first three games are here with graphical enhancements, true, but there's also new enemies, new moves for old enemies, new playable characters, new areas, new items, new features, a shop to buy unlockables and cheats, and even a level editor to create and share new SOR stages with (It's kind of difficult to learn to use though).
In their infinite wisdom, Sega decided to sit on their pile of gold like a greedy miser and shut down SORR instead of offering to distribute it to Steam or Xbox Live Arcade or something. However, they didn't shut it down until after it was released, and by then it was too late. You'll have to go underground, but the game is available and it's far better than anything Sega would ever have done alone. This is the greatest beat-em-up ever made, and it's a lowly fan tribute to a long-forgotten series.
4: Super Smash Brothers MeleeGenre: Party Fighter
System: GameCube
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: December 4, 2001
In addition to being absolutely spectacular, SSBM provides two important additions to my gaming timeline. The first is a story I mentioned back in 2011 when I wrote my Gaming Retrospective: SSBM was the game changer that got my brother to join me in wanting a GameCube instead of a PlayStation 2. The other is what I called the Gaming Cycle that defined me and my brothers' gaming throughout the early and mid-2000s.
1: Get new games and play them.
2: Once bored, return to older games (either favorites or ones still unbeaten) and play them.
3: When bored of everything else, go back to the loving embrace of SSBM.
This cycle repeated itself roughly every five or six months for YEARS. SSBM seemed endlessly replayable.
I'm unlikely to ever play it again, because I'd rather play Brawl or the fourth Smash game when that releases, but Melee ranks higher than Brawl because it made a far stronger impact and was far more impressive for its time (Brawl adds a lot, but it's not as big of an upgrade as Melee was over Smash 64, and a couple minor issues make it worse than Melee in some ways). I've played Brawl about 300 hours, but I've played Melee for over 500, and Brawl is almost certainly not going to make it that high before the fourth Smash comes out and I abandon it in favor of the new game in town.
3: Paper MarioGenre: RPG
System: Nintendo 64
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: February 5, 2001
Good lord almighty, did the Nintendo 64 go out with a bang or what?
I got Paper Mario as a video store rental, and what was supposed to be a weekend rent turned into a week-long hording. I was completely absorbed in this masterpiece, and it wasn't going anywhere until I was finished with it.
With an instantly charming aesthetic, a beautiful soundtrack, and a take on "Peach kidnapped lol" that actually manages to be interesting, the original Paper Mario is far better than the two recent sequels that tried to be different and, in the process, lost sight of what made Paper Mario so beloved in the first place.
Paper Mario's Action Commands lend excitement to the turn-based combat without straying from the RPG roots of the series. Mario's partners have gathered their own fanbases, particularly Bow. Badges add a neat dynamic of customization, as does the level-up system, which lets you choose what stat you'd prefer to upgrade.
There are so many memorable moments in this game, but I have to give special mention to the escape sequence at the end of Chapter 3, which had me and my brother on the edge of our seat (On our first playthrough, we played the same file and took turns, and the one who wasn't playing watched). There's so much more I could gush about, like Jr Troopa, Peach getting to actually do things, Luigi's begging to join the party (I would've let him, poor guy) and so much more, but instead I'll just say that it's on Virtual Console now for a mere ten dollars and that if you like RPGs, Mario games, or both, you will almost certainly love this game.
You know, when I played Paper Mario, I expected a good game, but I didn't expect to be as shocked at the game's quality like I was.
There is only one other game that managed to blindside me with perfection like that.
2: Skies of Arcadia LegendsGenre: RPG
System: GameCube
Developer: Overworks
Publisher: Sega
Released: January 27, 2003
On my first ever trip to GameStop in late 2007 I saw this game available used for twenty bucks. I remembered hearing that it was a good game, so I went for it. It then proceeded to collect dust until April 2008. I was bored and lacking games to play, so I decided to finally pop it into the Cube and give it a go.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
This is the best traditional fantasy RPG I have ever played, and I will be shocked if it's ever surpassed. Skies of Arcadia is a game that is more than the sum of its' parts - the graphics are dated, random encounters are frequent, many of the voice samples are goofy and the story is a massive bucket of RPG cliches, like the sealed evil forces that become unsealed and the mysterious foreign girl whose past is a major part of the plot. But somehow, someway, all of these things manage to become nonfactors or even positives when the game is actually played.
The basic gist of the game is that you are Vyse, a young pirate in a world of floating islands. Your goal is to help the reclusive and shy Fina, who is being targeted by the Valuan Empire, a society of steampunk aristocrats that desire not just her death but the end of your hometown and your father - and perhaps even more than that. Along the way you'll meet dozens of unique characters and be joined by several different adventurers. You'll fight battles on your ship, off your ship, and sometimes with your ship, and you'll commandeer several different ships over the course of the game.
Skies of Arcadia is, hands down, the most immersive game I've ever played. No game before or since has gotten me so invested in the story, the world, and the characters. It feels alive. There is an incredible atmosphere of excitement and discovery. Whether the lovable hero Vyse was navigating a black hole negative zone no other ship had ever returned from or exploring a massive misty ancient ruin in the heart of the jungle, Skies of Arcadia held onto me and refused to let go. Adding to the immersion is that fact that very, very few NPCs look alike, but there's just as many of them as in any other RPG. Add to that dynamic boss battle music that gets nerve-wracking when you're losing and triumphant when you're winning, a vast horde of secret and optional content, and a truly massive main quest and you've got my second-favorite game of all time - and for a while I entertained it being first place, but ultimately one game proved even better than this work of art.
And that game is...
1: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorGenre: RPG
System: GameCube
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: October 26, 2004
Perfection. That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Paper Mario: TTYD. But then a bunch of other things come to mind alongside it.
A Mario game with top-quality writing and story? It's possible, TTYD did it.
How about a thirty-hour adventure with a dozen hours of bonus content on top of that? TTYD's got you covered.
This is a game where every last NPC has something to say, often funny or clever. Each individual chapter (the game's got eight) has its' own story and cast of characters - something that was true of the first Paper Mario, but expanded on here. Many peoples' favorite chapter, Chapter 3, is my favorite as well - an excellent and surprisingly dark mystery surrounding the Paper Mario equivalent of a wrestling ring.
The cast is massive, with dozens of memorable characters. The soundtrack is magnificently scored, working with the graphics and sounds to bring each unique location to life. Both Princess Peach and Bowser have brief playable segments - Peach's add a new dynamic to the main storyline, while Bowser is pretty much comic relief.
There's also the Pit of 100 Trials, a tough and memorable endurance challenge that sees you taking on over eighty fights against successively stronger enemies, some of which are exclusive to the dungeon. Party members are back and with more personality than ever - unlike in the first game where they stayed mostly silent after their role in the story was through, here everyone gets plenty of lines for different situations. Goombella, of course, gets by far the most because of her ability to offer comments on every single area, NPC, and enemy in the game.
The original Paper Mario made me love this series. Thousand-Year Door rewarded that love with a brilliant and unforgettable adventure. I thought the series could do no wrong, and although I've been proven wrong on that one I hold out hope that someday Intelligent Systems will once more craft a game as beautiful, engaging, and fun as this GameCube classic.
It's over eight years old and the system it's on is long dead, but that doesn't matter because Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is my favorite video game of all time.
THE END
FINAL RANKING
1) Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
2) Skies of Arcadia Legends
3) Paper Mario
4) Super Smash Brothers Melee
5) Streets of Rage Remake
6) Sonic 3 and Knuckles
7) The Pokemon Series
8) Disgaea DS
9) Banjo-Kazooie
10) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
11) The Ace Attorney Series
12) Streets of Rage 2
13) Final Fantasy Tactics
14) Banjo-Tooie
15) Ghost Trick
16) Animal Crossing
17) Super Street Fighter II
18) Super Paper Mario
19) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
20) Final Fantasy: Four Heroes of Light
21) Metal Slug Anthology
22) Space Invaders Get Even
23) Pokemon Trading Card Game
24) Super Smash Brothers Brawl
25) Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
26) Final Fantasy I Advance (Dawn of Souls)
27) Super Mario World
28) Mario Kart 64/Mario Kart Double Dash/Mario Kart DS
29) WarioWare Inc: Mega Microgames
30) Ms. Pac-Man
31) Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
32) Wario Land II
33) Kirby Super Star Ultra
34) Blast Works: Build, Trade, Destroy
35) Lego Star Wars II
36) Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
37) Final Fantasy IV Advance
38) WarioWare: Touched
39) Mortal Kombat Deception
40) Kirby and the Amazing Mirror
41) Contra Hard Corps
42) Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories
43) MySims
44) Kirby’s Air Ride
45) Metroid Zero Mission
46) Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction
47) Super Mario 3D Land
48) Super Mario Brothers 3
49) Pokemon Snap
50) Castle Crashers
51) Scott Pilgrim
52) Vectorman
53) Seek and Destroy
54) Yoshi’s Island
55) Super Mario Galaxy
56) Drill Dozer
57) Pokemon Puzzle League
58) Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut
59) Space Station Silicon Valley
60) Socket
61) Assault Heroes
62) Deadly Creatures
63) Pokemon Stadium/Pokemon Stadium 2
64) Operation Neptune
65) Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee/Godzilla: Save the Earth/Godzilla Unleashed
66) Kirby’s Dreamland 3
67) DecapAttack
68) Smash TV
69) Phoenix
70) Sonic CD
71) Toy Story
72) New Super Mario Brothers
73) Tatsunoko Vs Capcom
74) Mortal Kombat Armageddon
75) Game Boy Donkey Kong
76) The Legendary Starfy
77) Super Mario 64/Super Mario 64 DS
78) Super Mario Sunshine
79) Pokemon Battle Revolution
80) ECO Fighters
81) Pokemon Rumble
82) Custom Robo
83) Mario Superstar Baseball
84) Pokemon Colosseum/Pokemon XD
85) Thrillville: Off the Rails
86) Space Invaders
87) Wario World
88) The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey and Minnie
89) Chuck Rock/Chuck Rock II
90) Kirby’s Dream Land
91) Monster Jam: Urban Assault
92) The Jungle Book
93) Offroad Thunder
94) Final Fight/The King of Dragons/Knights of the Round/Captain Commando
95) Rampage: Total Destruction
96) Excitebike World Rally
97) Dig Dug
98) Super Columns
99) Feeding Frenzy
100) Endless Ocean
SYSTEM STATS - SYSTEMS BY NUMBER OF SPOTS ON THE LIST (Counts compilations and Virtual Console releases)
GameCube: 20
Nintendo Wii: 17
Sega Genesis: 13
Nintendo DS: 12
Game Boy Advance: 10
Nintendo 64: 9
PlayStation and PlayStation 2: 6
Game Boy and Game Boy Color: 4
Xbox 360: 4
PC: 3
Nintendo 3DS: 2
Atari 2600: 2
Arcade: 1
Sega Game Gear: 1
USELESS STATISTICS
Number of games Mario appears in: 21
Number of games Kirby appears in: 8
Number of games white mages appear in: 4
Number of 2D platformers: 24 (includes Super Paper Mario)
Number of 3D platformers: 11
Number of RPGs: 12 (includes Super Paper Mario)
Number of tactical RPGs: 3
Number of beat-em-ups: 7
Number of fighting games: 6 (includes SSBM and SSBB)
Number of visual novels: 2
Number of edutainment games: 1 (2 if you count Endless Ocean)
Number of games where you can play as a character named Scorpion: 4
Number of games where you play exclusively as a vehicle: 10
Number of games with Create-A-Character or Create-A-Level elements: 13
Number of games I first played in 1992 that made the list: 1
Number of games I first played in 2012 that made the list: 5
Oldest game I own: Air-Sea Battle (Atari 2600, 1977)
Newest game I own: Paper Mario Sticker Star (Nintendo 3DS, 2012)
Number of years of gaming history this range spans: 35
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