LogFAQs > #949288440

90. Super Mario 3D World (Wii U, 2013)

It could reasonably be argued that New Super Mario Bros U the first disappointing mainline Mario game since Sunshine. Not because it's a bad game, but because it came after Galaxy, NSMB, and Galaxy 2. All we had to wait was a year for the Mario team to get hot again, this time with a sequel of sorts to Super Mario 3D Land (which I'm told was good; I never had a 3DS). The mix of 2D and 3D platforming is crisp, the level design is generally top notch, and the multiplayer is actually really fun, albeit chaotic. The game is undeniably the most madcap Mario game, even when played single player. I know it was among the best selling Wii U games, but I have to imagine that a lot of people missed it because it was on Nintendo's least successful console. Fortunately, like virtually all great Wii U games, this will be out on Switch soon, and you really owe it to yourselves to play it if you haven't already.

89. Raiden II (Arcade, 1994)

In the grand lineage of scrolling shoot 'em ups, Raiden II isn't necessarily the best in any particular way. It's not supremely difficult, it's not particularly beautiful, its music is good but not memorable. But it does do all of those things well. It's a well rounded game, and as arcade games go, generally not a quarter eater. I spent a lot of time and not a lot of money at this machine in my youth, and it was always a good time.

88. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, 2006)

Twilight Princess is, perhaps more than almost any game, a victim of its own hype. It's a good game. It has some incredible moments sprinkled throughout. It's one of the more visually engaging Zeldas. But I think we were all expecting it to be the next Ocarina of Time and it just... was never going to be that. The wolf sections lose their novelty almost immediately; on replay, wolf Link is downright tedious. It's only by the grace of Midna that any enjoyment is derived from the opening portion. Still, once you're clear of it, it's a pretty majestic experience, bigger in scope than any Zelda before it (if not in scale - Wind Waker takes that particular cake), with some of the series' best dungeons. I could go on, but we've all played it. You get it.

87. Blast Corps (N64, 1997)

Blast Corps is the second N64 game made by RARE, after Killer Instinct Gold, but it's the first legitimately great one they created for the system, and it kicked off a run of games that most developers would kill for - Blast Corps, Goldeneye, Diddy Kong Racing, all in 97, Banjo-Kazooie in 98, the aforementioned Jet Force Gemini in 99. If you're a fan of DK64 (I am), that streak continues through that game, Perfect Dark, Mickey's Speedway USA (deeply underrated), and Banjo-Tooie. That's an incredible run by any measure, and it all started here, with Blast Corps, probably RARE's hardest game. Your goal is to use a collection of vehicles to clear the path for a nuclear missile carrier. Each vehicle operates in different (and sometimes frustrating) ways (looking at you, Backlash). If the carrier hits anything, game over. It is a genuinely challenging game. It's also a game that feels impossible to go back to now, owing to the graphics and controls of the day. Maybe make a sequel or a full scale remake? Someone?

86. Civilization IV (PC, 2005)
[you don't need a photo, you know what Civ IV looks like]
I can't say with absolute certainty that this is the best Civ. I didn't play 3 or 5 a ton. Haven't tried 6. Truthfully, for as much as I like 4X games and strategy games in general, I just don't have the time for Civ like I used to. And that's probably a good thing. Who among us has not decided to play a game of Civ IV at a seemingly reasonable hour, only to find themselves embroiled in international incident after international incident until sunrise? I know I have, and I can't do that shit anymore. But man, when I could, was it fun.

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The Thighmaster