LogFAQs > #949190015

92. DJ Max Portable (PSP, 2006)

One of the most addictive and enjoyable handheld rhythm games in what was frankly a pretty dang good era for handheld rhythm games. Shamelessly lifting most of its design aesthetic from the beatmania IIDX games, DJ Max feels much like the Pump it Up to IIDX's DDR (along with the obvious Korean-Japanese comparisons to boot). That said, it's an excellent game with lots of standout tracks, and absolutely stands out on its own merits. There are a lot of different modes (I think 4,5,6, and 8 buttons are all supported on this version) but 6-button is the best and feels like the truest incarnation of the game's formula. Timing windows are generous, but having to play the entire game on a handheld with button controls probably demands a healthy bit of leeway. Interestingly enough, I never actually owned this game (despite playing a whole bunch back in the 06/07 range) and so I can't speak to its DLC and sequels, but they did do a PS4 version a few years back that was killer and had a bunch of the "classic" tracks from this version.
All in all, an excellent start to a great and still ongoing series. Can't recommend them highly enough.

91. Zany Golf (PC, 1988)

Undoubtedly the weirdest pick on my entire list. Zany Golf is a cute and creative miniature-golf simulator with only 9 holes. The game gives you a set number of strokes to complete each hole, carrying any leftovers with you as you advance, making finishing the whole course a reasonable challenge. The game is still visually appealing, in a classic SimCity 2000/Roller Coaster Tycoon isometric-pixel-art kinda way. And there's a lot of really neat mechanics, too, with a hamburger that jumps over the hole the more you click it, and "magic carpets" that you can use your mouse on to control your ball's movement.
The real reason this is on the list is its place in my childhood as one of my first video game triumphs. Back in elementary school, my gifted class teacher pulled this out as a cute way to teach us some basic physics/geometry (I guess???) and its inherent difficulty took on a legendary status among my classmates. After many attempts (and failures) I managed to bring a run to the final hole and beat it on my last (or next-to-last, whatever) stroke.
There are a lot of technically better games below this one, but I wanted to give a shout-out to a classic bit of 80's MS-DOS game design that I have nothing but the fondest memories of.

---

it's an underwater adventure ride