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TopicThe Board 8 Discord Sports Chat Rank Their Top 100 Respective Video Games part 3
CherryCokes
03/04/21 10:46:26 PM
#261:


14. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Gamecube, 2004)


The perpetual letdowns of the good but not great Paper Marios that followed The Thousand Year Door are a testament to how good the first two games in the series are. Theyre the funniest, most charismatic Mario games, and in many ways the most memorable. TTYD really shines in this regard, with venues like the Glitz Pit, Rogueport, and Creepy Steeple, and characters like Doopliss and Pennington the Penguin. 3 Days of Excess might be the best chapter in either game. Its such a pitch perfect, madcap take on Murder on the Orient Express.

The inclusion of the Peach and Bowser interludes really bolsters TTYDs case as the better Paper Mario. Bowser in particular is in rare form; his scenes are reliably among the funniest in the game, and its always a treat to see how Bowser manages his kingdom, which the main Mario games never really get into.

TTYD is also, I think, the harder game. Theres legitimate challenges in the main story, and the Pit of 100 Trials is a hell of an optional dungeon. The only thing that ultimately (spoilers) keeps it a notch below its predecessor for me is that the companions are kind of underwhelming. Goombella is fine, and an improvement over Goombario, but you basically dont get another companion whos both likeable and usable until Vivian, and later Admiral Bobbery. And its entirely possible to not get Ms Mowz on your squad, which is a shame because she is a delight.

Still, The Thousand Year Door is an incredible experience that improves on Paper Mario in significant ways while retaining most of the charm and character that makes the series so damn joyful.

13. Banjo-Tooie (N64, 2000)


I might catch some heat for this ranking, but the more I thought about it, the more resolute I felt about it: Banjo-Tooie takes everything Banjo-Kazooie does and improves upon it. Full stop.

Its opening is memorable and remarkably tragic for such a colorful, ridiculous game: Gruntilda murders Bottles as she begins her rampaging revenge tour. Fortunately, Bottles sticks around as a ghost, in the hopes of being resurrected, while his brother, the drill sergeant Jamjars, takes his place guiding Banjo and Kazooie - who can split up and use individual skills, in addition to their tag-team skills - through the game.

From top to bottom, Banjo-Tooie is a bigger, funnier, more engaging game, while also having a darker undertone than B-K. The score is tremendous. The visuals are at the peak end of what the N64 was capable of, and a significant step up from the already-beautiful prequel. Mumbo becoming a playable character doesnt feel out of place or tacked on, which you might expect in a situation like this, and he acts as a great change of pace. Plus, his rivalry with the definitely problematic in retrospect Humba Wumba is a great source of comedy. The magical transformations in this game are absurd to the nth degree, but by and large all work. Also, finding musical notes 5 at a time instead of 1 at a time is not to be understated as an improvement.

The game also has what I would describe as surprisingly good multiplayer, which is not something I anticipated but nonetheless got a lot of value out of between my friends, my brother, and me.

I am dead sure Im in the vast minority in thinking that Banjo-Tooie is better than Banjo-Kazooie, but I stand by it. Go replay it. It deserves it.

12. Resident Evil 2 (PS, 1998)


I played this game with one of my best friends over the span of several sleep-overs when we were in third or fourth grade. Needless to say, there was not much sleeping to be done.

This was my first exposure to horror games, and it immediately hooked me. Raccoon City and its Police Department are iconic settings, and they remain etched in my memory despite the fact that I havent played RE2 in like 15 years (though I will be buying the remake for myself for my birthday next week, I think). That first licker? Hoo boy.

Going beyond that: Leon and Claire are the best duo in a Resident Evil game, and its not even especially close, I dont think. Leon of course became the face of the franchise for a time, while Claire has largely been shelved, which is a damn shame, because shes the more interesting Redfield. William Birkin is, despite Weskers best efforts, the most compelling villain in the series, and his family is perhaps the most tragic. And on top of all that, we get Ada and HUNK, two of the more intriguing and mysterious characters the series has offered.

Not to mention the single greatest playable character in gaming history.


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The Thighmaster
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