LogFAQs > #949203923

92. Snowboard Kids 2 (N64, 1999)


Somehow, nearly 22 years on, I'm not sure that there's been a more fun snowboarding game. It's Mario Kart on the slopes, in essence, but for whatever reason, it never got the traction it deserved. It's got a solid story mode with bosses, courses in non-wintry environments like a castle and in space, and a battle mode for multiplayer. You can get power-ups to try to improve your standing in the race, and you can perform tricks to block your opponent's attacks. It's not a life-changing game; it won't alter your perception of gaming or sports or sports games or anything. It's just a real solid, enjoyable game from top to bottom that doesn't really have any glaring flaws.

91. Simpsons Arcade (Arcade, 1991)


Maggie accidentally gets her pacifier swapped out for a priceless gem, and Smithers - in an uncommonly villainous turn - kidnaps her on behalf of Mr Burns. Chaos ensues. It's a bizarre setup, when you think about it, even for the Simpsons, but across the 8 increasingly bizarre levels, including one that exists in the collective dream world of the Simpsons and ruled by a tentacled version of Homer's bowling ball, the game pretty much works throughout. You play as one of the four remaining Simpsons, who attack in a specific way: Homer with his fists, Bart with his skateboard, Lisa with her jumprope, and Marge with her vacuum. That is also the order of least to most useful. Homer has no range. Bart has a bit more. Lisa gets tangled in her rope sometimes, and Marge fucks shit up. When two or more players are playing together, they can do tag team attacks based on the pairing, and they're all very fun and very useful.

When you contrast this with Castle Crashers, it's easy to see, I think, why I ranked this higher. It may not have as many bells and whistles, but you can also cruise through it pretty quickly, before anything gets stale, and the level, enemy, and boss designs are all very visually engaging. I can beat this game on three quarters, maybe two on a good day, and have each of the last 10 years before 2020. It felt weird not doing it in my local arcade in 2020, but such is life these days.

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The Thighmaster