Lurker > Nelson_Mandela

ExThaNemesis posted...

He was so good at it though that I want him to have made similar albums every two years with the new music that came out. I would've played the f*** out of them all.

I'm just saying, the pop/rock mashups coalesced PERFECTLY with that grandiose hip-hop style of 10 years ago. Peak Wayne, TI, et al were made for that bombastic party sound. Can you imagine fucking mumblerappers providing the right energy for this nowadays?
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Also All Day sucked
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Feed the Animals was probably my most played album in college. So perfect for its time. So late 2000s. It was purely a right place, right time record too. Can't see this being important at all in the SoundCloud era.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

KamikazePotato posted...

transience posted...

67.

I was thinking about this match recently. It's the only time I've ever been on Board 8 where the aftermath of a match made me feel distinctly uncomfortable (and I picked Vincent). I remember voting, seeing the results and just...cringing a little as I imagined what the blowback towards the users who supported Kerrigan was going to be.

Was it black turtle or maybe... Kyle Bowen or KP who adamantly backed kerrigan? I remember weeks of buttdamage.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

I think the Nintendo Boost was more related to:

1. The decline of JRPGs/Square: this was the core genre that built this site in the 90s
2. Non-Nintendo gamers being more drawn to other media (YouTube in particular) for guides: this is pretty anecdotal, but the "casual" Sony/Xbox gamers i know were more likely to favor streaming videos
3. The DS and Wii sold a quarter of a BILLION units combined: this absolutely dwarfed anything Sony or MS did from 2005-2010
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

lordjers posted...

It's taking too long for Yoshi's Island.

It seems I quite enjoyed it!
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

CaptainOfCrush posted...

http://www.gamefaqscontests.com/gallery/albums/sc2k5/br63-8.jpg

Where the heck did someone find a picture of Mario mean muggin like that. I wonder if they made it?

Melee maybe?
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Team Rocket Elite posted...

If you want to talk about account suicides, nothing compares to the effect of Squall vs Luigi.

Ah yes another great one
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

RoseChevalier posted...

Oh Kerrigan Vincent the worst result of all time. God that one hurt.

This, Knuckles/Magus, and Kefka/Vercetti were the best "unimportant" matches of the pre-rally era. So many account suicides, back when that MEANT SOMETHING.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

transience posted...

I remember it

1. FF7
2. OOT
3. CT
4. LTTP
5. Melee
6. Mario 3
7. Goldeneye 007
8. MGS1
9. Halo 1
10. FF6

edit: https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/features/10year

It's pretty nuts that GoldenEye is on there. I think I missed that and had world instead of SMB3.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

transience posted...

I remember that contest super well because I won money in it. Leon did too if I remember correctly.

I seem to recall people talking about the DS as being a potential culprit. I'll probably get into my theories on it in a future writeup.

I can't even find the results anywhere. I recall almost predicting it perfectly but fucking up the Mario games.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

transience posted...

The site shifted in 2005 to be more Nintendo-friendly

Has anyone ever had a solid theory for this? The Nintendo shift was so sudden and dramatic around 2006-2007. A year earlier and FFVII had even won its second best game ever title when CJayC did that top 10 list mini contest. Does anyone else remember that?
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Hint for #5: This game is the subject of a fierce debate with another game on the list as to which one is superior.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Yeah given Tifa's (and Cloud's) strength, I really think Vincent and Sephiroth suffered from some anti-antihero voting. The new "cool" characters seem to be more the sarcastic, quippy hero types like Deadpool, Iron Man, the Chris Pratt roles, etc.--and the days of the dark, moody, uber-serious bad guys have been beaten to death over the past 20 years.

I for one long for those days to return eventually!
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

transience posted...

Tifa went down hard to Samus twice.

enough with the hentai references already
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

tag

#1 best be Cloud/Link '03. It was the Super Bowl III of GameFAQs Contests. I think we would have never had more than BGE had it not been for this match.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

#6. Super Mario Bros. 2 (US)
https://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/b/b2/Famicom_disk_system-doki_doki_panic.jpg/250px-Famicom_disk_system-doki_doki_panic.jpg

Super Mario Bros. 2 was the one NES Mario game I had no experience with as a young kid. Mario 1 (+Duck Hunt) was the first game I ever owned, and I played Mario 3 at a neighbor's house not long after. I'd heard Mario 2 was the black sheep of the series--an anomaly that wasn't really a Mario game and something that was largely forgotten after the SNES came out. The first time I tried playing it was when I discovered emulation (probably in the late 90s), and I remember being thoroughly confused. I can't kill enemies by jumping on them? I can play as Toad and Peach? When I go to the right, I appear on the other end of the screen?! THERE IS VERTICAL PLATFORMING??

Needless to say, I never went further than the first few stages. So when I finally decided that I had to beat the game in full to get the complete breadth of these series, I assumed Mario 2 would be dead last on this list, or at least toward the very bottom. And, at first, my suspicions were confirmed. I found the gameplay to be really jarring, with some actions and items appearing to be totally pointless. But as the game went on, I started to understand the mechanics a little better. The stages were becoming more challenging and, later, downright difficult. And soon I came to an important realization: Super Mario Bros. 2 is not a traditional platformer, it is a puzzle platformer. The game does a brilliant job at slowly teaching you how to use the various objects and enemies to your advantage in order to access the new areas, and eventually stopped holding your hand. I was at times confused and frustrated, dying over and over as I tried to muscle my way through the platforming only to be killed by an unforeseen trap... but I loved every second of it.

The best of these games make you feel really fantastic once you develop a bit of mastery to the mechanics. SMB2 is different in the sense that you never really need to master the button presses, timing, or anything like that--but the awesome feeling comes from solving the puzzles, figuring out how to unlock an extra heart container in each world, and beating all of the mid-bosses and world bosses without taking too many hits. Maybe I am a complete idiot for being proud of myself for solving a children's game, but the satisfaction I received from SMB2 really isn't rivaled by any other game on the list (at least not in the same way). I was hooked.

SMB2 is certainly the "black sheep" of the group, but it's still a superb puzzle game--and once you change your expectations for what a platformer should be, it holds up mightily well against its legendary peers.

Not good
11. Sonic the Hedgehog

Fine
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Great
9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
8. Super Mario Bros.
7. Donkey Kong Country

Excellent
6. Super Mario Bros. 2 (US)
5.

Spectacular
4.
3.

All-timers
2.
1.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

I'd consider running through the SML games. My biggest deterrent is just rearranging my shelves to play it through the GameCube >_>
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

A note on Mario: 4 of the next 6 games in the Excellent and beyond tiers are Mario games. Not that this is a novel concept, but holy shit are the 2D Mario games fucking good. The run from SMB through Mario 64 is just otherworldly, and I don't think we'll see a series as consistently great and innovative for that amount of iterations ever again.

Hint for #6: this was, for me, the most pleasant surprise of any game on the list.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

#7. Donkey Kong Country
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c1/Dkc_snes_boxart.jpg

Donkey Kong Country had no business being as great as it is. What essentially was just an expanded tech demo to show off the hardware capabilities and graphic prowess of the SNES became an immediate critical sensation and wound up selling 9 million copies. And you could even argue that its success is responsible for the direction Nintendo would take over the next 20 years, as it proved the value of iconic first-party mascots beyond Mario and Link to the overall brand.

My quest to beat these classic platformers all started with Donkey Kong Country. DKC set the groundwork for a truly original platformer when they could have easily just created a Mario clone and sold a million copies. The play style in many ways is faster than Sonic, and it provides a real sense of speed and challenge that will test your reaction time until your palms get sweaty. And the first game did something that Mario or Sonic could only capture for fleeting moments until that point--it created a true sense of mood that helped put the player in a sometimes Nirvana-like state while swiftly dodging obstacles and pulling off some of the hardest pure platforming seen on the SNES.

I love this game. When ranking the DKC series as a whole, I tried my hardest to not take into account personal biases that I've had for it for the past 20+ years. The series is far and away the one I am best at playing. Compared to most here, I probably suck at gaming overall. But there's just something about the way DKC plays that just clicks with me--always has. I can crush through these games without dying until the later levels, and I can impress my friends with how well I can pick up and play if we ever happen to do co-op for a few minutes. The thing that really stunned me most is that, when I made a topic here years ago about starting some of these old platformers, most people actually told me that DKC was the most difficult of these three series. I think that is objectively wrong now, but still, the fact that there is that perception makes me think that my brain is just able to handle this series better than any other. The reason why I am stating all of this is not to "brag," but I really am trying to review this game objectively, despite how well it works for me personally.

Let's get to one cold, hard truth: DKC is inferior to its sequel in literally every way. Donkey Kong himself does not play nearly as smoothly as Diddy or Dixie. The Animal Friends are vastly improved in their next iteration. The boss fights are very same-y (including an actual color palette swap for one). And the music, while containing some of the most perfect tracks ever recording for a video game (Aquatic Ambiance, et al), really didn't hit its stride until DKC2.

For all of this, DKC just barely fails to manage to break that threshold that separates this group from the next on the list--but it's still a remarkable game and a remarkable feat by the dev team at Rare.

Not good
11. Sonic the Hedgehog

Fine
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Great
9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
8. Super Mario Bros.
7. Donkey Kong Country

Excellent
6.
5.

Spectacular
4.
3.

All-timers
2.
1.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

WazzupGenius00 posted...

Jakyl25 posted...

Also the All-Stars SMB1 has imperfect physics as compared to the original, sadly

Its visuals and music are aesthetically worse, too. Most of the rest of All-Stars improves on the original work (except SMB3 World 8) but SMB1 on there is just an inferior experience

Really? I guess it's not something I would really notice. I still enjoyed the game either way!

What about SMB3 world 8 is different?
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Jakyl25 posted...

If you want to imagine a dark alternative history for platform games, play Pac-Land and imagine thats the common ancestor instead of SMB just because it came first

You have to hold a face button to move!

So basically every platformer functions like a racing game? Damn.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Hint for #7: this was the first game I played when starting this journey 2 years ago
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

#8. Super Mario Bros.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/f4/c3/43f4c3cd400643f63e0cac465908d212.jpg

It is kind of amazing how well the original Super Mario Bros holds up. Jakyl may argue with me here, but it basically codified the most popular gaming genre for a decade and was the first of its kind in so many ways. Holding down the run button to jump over bigger gaps? Killing enemies by jumping on them? The power-up? The 1-Up? All were either invented or solidified in SMB.

Many games of this era, and trailblazing games in general, get held to lower standards and often get placed on "best ever" lists because they simply broke new ground. Hell, I see people still praising Assassin's Creed 1 because it opened the door to a new style of game--and AC1 sucks. But the praise of SMB is not unwarranted. I legitimately had a great time running through this game, trying to assess the exact point in which I passed the furthest stage I'd gotten to as a kid, and then ultimately beating a surprisingly challenging final world.

But... there is also a reason why this is the lowest Mario game on the list. The controls can feel a bit slippery at times, which leads to many annoying moments that forced me nearly break my controller. The Bowser fights are notoriously repetitive and mechanically uninteresting (I found the best strategy usually just involved kamikaze-ing into Bowser as Super Mario and running straight to the axe). And of course, the level of polish graphically and otherwise just doesn't compare to the later entries.

Despite its flaws, Super Mario Bros. remains probably the oldest game that I can still genuinely enjoy to play to this day, and its place among the greats is quite deserved.

Not good
11. Sonic the Hedgehog

Fine
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Great
9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
8. Super Mario Bros.
7.

Excellent
6.
5.

Spectacular
4.
3.

All-timers
2.
1.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

JonThePenguin posted...

Fun fact - for the GBA version of DKC3 they brought in David Wise and redid the music.

Oh really? How does it compare to 2?
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Hint for #8: I once saw it ranked in some magazine as the greatest video game of all time
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

I really would love to do the great run-and-gun games (Contra, Gunstar Heroes, Metal Slug, etc.). But those are best played in co-op and the wife would rather die than help me ;_;
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

oh yeah

then I stand by Sonic 2 being the hardest
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Xeybozn posted...

No way, SMB3 without whistles is the hardest game here. And if you want to say its fair to use the whistles to make up for no saves, I'd argue you might as well use Sonic 2's level select for the same reason.

That's actually a good point. I used the All-Stars version for the NES games, but I can't fathom beating SMB3 without saves.
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"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

pjbasis posted...

The only reason I have trouble with Sonic 2 is that it's a lot LONGER than Sonic 1. I got near the final boss a few times and lost all my continues, but there were so many levels that I didn't really retain much information on them to do it all over again.

The fact that Sonic 2 doesn't have a save feature is absolutely punishing. It's probably the most difficult game on the list when you don't count secret levels.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

I'll have to see what I can handle. These were great because I could play them for 30 minutes at a time if needed.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

#9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
https://static-cdn.jtvnw.net/ttv-boxart/Donkey%20Kong%20Country%203%3A%20Dixie%20Kong%27s%20Double%20Trouble%21.jpg

We've now reached the point in the list where every remaining game was enjoyable for me! But alas, there must be a least enjoyable enjoyable game, and for me that was (narrowly) DKC3.

The Donkey Kong Country series stands out from its peers because of its emphasis on ambiance and creating an overarching mood while you play. They accomplish this through lush visuals, gorgeous music, and fluid gameplay that feels legitimately zen-like when you're locked in. Unfortunately for DKC3, some of these take a major step back from its predecessors.

The first thing I noticed in this game is that the music mostly sucks. I can't even express to you how much this bummed me out after playing DKC2, which arguably has the greatest soundtrack in 16-bit gaming history. With David Wise's departure from Rare, the OST for the final game in the trilogy is just a mess. It's inconsistent in tone and at times comes off as very childish. Couple that with the awful addition of Kiddy Kong, and parts of the game are straight-up obnoxious. Speaking of Kiddy, I can only imagine how much it would suck to play DKC3 co-op and getting stuck with him. He truly has no redeeming qualities from a gameplay perspective and, once again, this fact is extra apparent when playing the game after DKC2.

Another common complaint I've seen is that the levels are too gimmicky. In fact, all 48 levels in the SNES version are distinctly original and contain a mechanic or gameplay element unique to that stage. Sometimes this fails miserably (Rocket Rush), but other times it can be really fun and memorable. Although it's flawed, I actually like the game better because of the stage variety--not only out of respect for the developers, but because many of the levels are stunning showcases of the SNES capabilities in its twilight.

Overall, DKC3 lacks much of the charm and consistency of the other entrants in the series, but the sheer creativity and impressive visuals definitely make it a black sheep worthy of a playthrough.

Not good
11. Sonic the Hedgehog

Fine
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Great
9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!
8.
7.

Excellent
6.
5.

Spectacular
4.
3.

All-timers
2.
1.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Jakyl25 posted...

What comes after this? The 3D platformers?

After this I can finally die in peace

But seriously, I don't even know what the classic 3D platformers would be... The Mario games, SA1-2, and Crash?
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

up
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Hint: #9 is not a Sonic game!
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

I love that Cloud made it this far. Long live the GOAT FFVII!
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Boo link
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

ScareChan posted...

The golden boys gonna get got in golden 1

Book it

I really hope not. I can't handle an offseason where I delude myself into thinking Durant might come to the Knicks.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

where leon at
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

#10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9f/Sonic2_European_Box.jpg

I am probably going to take a lot of shit for this, but I think that Sonic 2 may very well be the most overrated game I have ever played. Until I came to this board, Sonic 2 was almost universally considered the best Sonic game and the pinnacle of the Sega Genesis. Every video game magazine, every top 100 list had it ranked as the best Sonic game--and often the best Genesis game ever. I had played it as a kid, but I was no where near good enough to make it through the first few zones, so my memories of it weren't super vivid. I also probably hadn't played it since the 90s. Needless to say, I was pretty hyped to play what I always understood to be the far superior sequel as a more refined adult.

But Sonic 2 let me down. I can't even say it "aged poorly" or anything like that. Nothing about the game is really antiquated--it was just never really that amazing to begin with. The spin-dash made parts of the game fun to play, but it suffers from the same inherent flaws as its predecessor. It is a game built around speed that simultaneously punishes going fast. I know the common response to this is that it encourages/forces replays to master it, and that you just need to "get gud." But the fact of the matter is that there are nine other challenging games on this list that encourage replays while not ruining the fun of an initial playthrough. Replays should give you alternate goals to attain, paths to clear, items to receive, etc. Sonic 2 wants you to replay it so the levels suck less when your muscle memory allows you to go fast. Maybe it's just me, but I hate that game design philosophy.

In addition to that intrinsic philosophical disagreement, there were also a number of factors that really took away from my enjoyment of an otherwise beautiful looking and sounding game. Like Sonic 1, the enemies and obstacle placements are fucking cheap, the bonus levels are tedious and annoying, and the hit detection is just awful. The final boss fight in particular was one of the most rage-inducing battles I've ever experienced entirely because the hit detection on Robotnik is genuinely inaccurate--not to mention having to start all over again when you fall victim to this fact.

This isn't to say Sonic 2 is a bad game. If you look at the tiers, I actually do consider it to be pretty okay... and I respect it for starting to change the paradigm for what platformers "should" be. However, we're in a topic that ranks some of the most beloved games in the genre, so in relative terms, Sonic 2 is at the bottom of the lot.

Not good
11. Sonic the Hedgehog

Fine
10. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Great
9.
8.
7.

Excellent
6.
5.

Spectacular
4.
3.

All-timers
2.
1.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

LOLIAmAnAlt posted...

Classic 2D platformers without any Mega Man games?

Mega Man is an action platformer
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Suprak the Stud posted...

And it is like whoever made the first zone was different from the team that made the rest.

I saw somewhere that the dev team spent more time on Green Hill than the rest of the game combined. I'll give Sega credit that it worked... They took a rather mediocre game overall, got kids hooked on the stellar first level, and outsold Nintendo (for a minute).
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Hint: the #10 selection is probably going to piss off quite a few users
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

ExThaNemesis posted...

Whew. Lookin' good now.

Thank God mwc @FinalFantasyVII sacrificed his good name to get Allen to wake up
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Go Cloud
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

GuessMyUserName posted...

woof, Coulter on Fox last night just shedding absolutely any restraint she never really had

https://twitter.com/ndrew_lawrence/status/1072700305568079872

The Democratic party is full of people who hate each other, "the Muslims and the Jews and the various exotic sexual groups and the black church ladies with the college queers".... all bound together for a common cause to hate white men

...................................

Literally nothing about this is untrue
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Is that Andy Dick??
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

Jakyl25 posted...

Nelson_Mandela posted...

The truth of the matter is that Sonic is a frustrating mess of a game that really does only stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Alex Kidd and Bubsy, but we falsely treat it as seeding some kind of revolution that didnt really happen until its sequel.

Isnt that kind of what seeding implies?

Sonic 1 offered nothing to move the genre forward and all of the "game-changing" innovations came in the sequels. Sonic 2 succeeded despite working off of a flawed baseline.
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

probably gonna tackle one of these a day
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso

P.S. I've heard that some of the mechanics have been updated in the Sonic mobile port, and supposedly it improves the game greatly. But remember--these are reviews of the original games!
---

"A more mature answer than I expected."~ Jakyl25
"Sephy's point is right."~ Inviso