Board 8 > Herein lies a list of 20 video games that may or may not be the best ever! Pt. 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

the PS2 generation is probably in last place for me, if you start with the NES
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transience posted...

the PS2 generation is probably in last place for me, if you start with the NES

Might agree with you there. Some very awkward growing pains without a real balance of "classic" styles that you could find on PSX.

Edit: as long as we're not counting handhelds.
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The PS2 is pretty low for me but it's not irredeemable trash better left in the dustbin of time
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The PS2 generation might be in last place, but it's not because of the PS2.
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yeah it's still got some good games of course. I love me some F-Zero GX.

when fun-hating aliens come and insist that I wipe one console generation off the earth, though, it'll be that one.
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6 | Mega Man 2 (NES)

Mega Man is notorious for being considered a tough series, or at least on the tougher end of the platformer spectrum. Maybe not be brutally difficult, but it isnt Mario or Donkey Kong. Its a step above your average Nintendo platformer. Youre not getting out of one of these games without dying a few times.

Mega Man 2 is about as far from that stereotype as you can get. Its easy! Easy enough that you dont even need to use any of the powers to defeat the bosses. Easy enough that even if you discount the Metal Blades (how dare you), Mega Man 1 is a harder platformer! That one that no one likes.

And yet, and yet, MM2 is the most fun game of them all. Its an absolute blast to pick up and play, it makes you feel good busting your way through each level cutting through robots like butter and getting just enough platforming challenge to give you this false sense that youre pro, haha.

I dont know what it is about MM2, but I get that feeling in a way that I dont with any other platformer. Every time I pick it up, there is this an almost effortless flow of fun. It isnt until Wilys Castle where the game starts throwing some tricky moments where that illusion gets shattered a bit, and you have to start focusing and putting in some work.

Until then, it has this blissful rhythm between short hopping and shooting an enemy right where you need to, jumping into the next screen before you get hit, landing on those weird sky faces in just the right spot to avoid having to wait for the spikes to go back down. Its beautiful in its design, how it all comes together.

There arent many games on this list, not even some of the ones above it, that I have such an appreciation and love for like Mega Man 2. Its a joy to sit down in a play, a real video ass video game. MM2 takes you back to a different time, while also being totally timeless.

Screw disappearing block puzzles, though. Whoever thought of those did not like people, Im convinced. The same guy who came up with Item-2 was not the same guy who designed those. It was a different person who loved us, humans.

Remember that Item-2.

Mega Man 2 is indeed the best Classic game, but I've always preferred the X series.
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Mega Man 2 is funny because it's the easiest one to point out obvious, objective flaws (well, besides MM1 but that almost doesn't count), and yet it's got that fun factor that kills it.

I think a lot of that is because it really isn't that hard, as you said. you can really waltz through it. wily 4 boss and heat man stage and wily 5 boss is kinda indefensible but you can deal with that stuff and still have fun. those other games just don't have that fun.
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Mega Man 2 is great. I prefer Mega Man 3 cause I gotta slide everywhere. I also feel like tend to remember less annoying stuff from there-- there are some appearances by the obnoxious blocks but nothing like trying Heat Man without Item 2. MM3 being the first one I played and owned probably also is a factor but you know.

Both really good games though. Both of them and Mega Man 5 will always be very fondly remembered as top games in the NES library.

I think you're underrating Mega Man 2's difficulty though. Like it feels really easy once you know how to play it, but I think it's because the game is fairly low on BS tricks particularly compared to its peers on the NES-- like if you know how to beat a section there's no RNG you need to account for or unexpected cheapness with enemy spawns and the like that the game will pull on you. Also unlike a lot of NES Games you're not fighting the controls cause it controls perfectly. It's the type of game that will be difficult on a first playthrough but when you know what you're doing you can bullseye it every time. Which is a good thing!
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I like MMX1 a lot, but Im much more of a Classic fan. Theyre more fun to play, I think, less complexities in the control scheme and more creatively challenging platforming.

Yeah, MM2 has so much enjoyable design. It doesnt have too many of those frustrating segments that can take you right out of the joy of playing. I think MM3 is a good follow up, the slide is fun, but its tough between that one and MM5 for which I like more. Those forgotten later NES installments had some cool stuff going on that people dont give enough credit.

MM4 is poop.

I like MMX because the different abilities (particularly the dash and the wall climb) expand what they can do in terms of level design.

also the real forgotten Classic gem is MM7

*runs*
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I always thought MM2 was pretty hard but I was playing on a phone on Heat Man's stage so oops
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I dont know what game(s) you might have been thinking about when you mentioned the RNG, but the moment I saw that plus monster spawns I immediately got taken straight back to Ninja Gaiden level 2. Oh my God freakin eagles, man!

Im glad someone else appreciates MM5!

Youre right about MM2 being low on scummy level design. Thats probably exactly why it has stood out so brightly for so long. The further away from that time we get, the better MM2 compares next to its contemporaries.

Wall sliding was always so satisfying. Weird thing to say, but gliding down walls is video game pastime, haha.

Mega Man 7 was left off the SNES Classic for a reason. If you put Mega Man underwater, you have MM7. I feel like MM8 was worse, but I cant remember ever playing it.

(Insert Nintendo system joke here)

NFUN posted...

I always thought MM2 was pretty hard but I was playing on a phone on Heat Man's stage so oops

What? What! You played it on the phone? That... must have been an experience.

I had a shitty Bluetooth controller, but it was barely better than nothing
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Those damn eagles are exactly what I was thinking of and let me just clarify for any uninitiated readers that they are in a lot more than level 2! (I still love Ninja Gaiden but gotta call a spade a spade)

I wasn't thinking of anything in particular with RNG, but it does happen a lot in NES games-- most of them are garbage like Back to the Future or Simpsons games or whatever. FF1 is probably the worst example that isn't too obscure or garbage. The encounter charts and ambushes, paralysis. Ugh. The damn blocks that come out of the wall and bean you at the start of Stage 4 of Double Dragon 1 also-- I've heard people say they're not RNG and I refuse to believe it. (And I love both of those games too!)
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heroicmario posted...

Mega Man 7 was left off the SNES Classic for a reason.

the same reason Chrono Trigger was?
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Yeah, the NES was filled with games that had weird stuff going on all the time. To some extent, it has a weird charm when it isnt making you want to throw your controller into a wall. transience and I were talking on Twitter about how FF1 had stats that were completely broken and useless, and how that would be unacceptable today, but its something you laugh at with these old games. Part of the package! Old school encounter rates in RPGs are nightmarish, though.

Did you just get out of a battle and take a step? LETS DO IT AGAIN, BABY!

LeonhartFour posted...

the same reason Chrono Trigger was?

Haha, that was a gentle, underhanded pitch, wasnt it? I walked right into that one!

Finally at the top 5!

20 | Phoenix Wright (DS)
19 | Puyo Puyo Tetris (Switch)
18 | Super Mario Kart (SNES)
17 | Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
16 | Super Street Fighter II (SNES)
15 | Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
14 | The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC)
13 | Pokmon RBY (GB)
12 | Dragon Quest VII (3DS)
11 | Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

10 | Attack of the Friday Monsters (3DS)
9 | Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
8 | Super Metroid (SNES)
7 | Chrono Trigger (SNES)
6 | Mega Man 2 (NES)

Did we all like the Super Nintendo? Its a nice console.

Did anyone archive the first topic? I wasn't finished catching up.
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Uh oh! I cant say I even saved my own writeups, haha.

Looks like there's no proof that the first 11 entries this list weren't PS2 RPGs then, huh.
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el oh gee faqs dot com slash topic.php?id=76365292&db=0
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brb gotta beat mm2
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The Mana Sword posted...

Looks like there's no proof that the first 11 entries this list weren't PS2 RPGs then, huh.

There are whisperings that it may have even contained THREE Xenosagas!

alright umm predix

SMB3, super mario 64, link to the past? bayonetta or something? not expecting any more RPGs, SSB, or FPS types
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prediction update

1 | Undertale

because this list won't finish before it comes to Switch
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heroicmario posted...

Uh oh! I cant say I even saved my own writeups, haha.

also come on, it's 2018, use google docs
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GMUN archives all of the topics with some script
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Nelson_Mandela posted...

GMUN archives all of the topics with some script

this. nfun linked to the topic in post #123.
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SeabassDebeste posted...

brb gotta beat mm2

let me know when the beams of death in Quick Man's stage make you quit
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NFUN posted...

el oh gee faqs dot com slash topic.php?id=76365292&db=0

Thanks for that, but it's missing the last 3 pages. :/
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LeonhartFour posted...

let me know when the beams of death in Quick Man's stage make you quit

i'll let you know when i acquire the game!
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which I assume will be approximately never
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hey now it could be tonight!
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yeah and I could get up to $65 from Sony just from owning a fat PS3 and knowing that it used to have Other OS functionality that got yanked several years ago
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wait did i just get transported to an insurance commercial
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no you just got transported to a world where Vlado actually did something of value
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ah, it must be one with no ignore list
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5) EarthBound (SNES)

Strange. Funny. Heartrending.

It might be a tag line for Mother 3, but how appropriate it is for EarthBound as well! Did you know that I own four copies of this game? One on the SNES, 3DS, Wii U and SNES Classic. There is no way Im letting this one fade into distant memory like it nearly did the first time (thanks, Iwata!)

I remember first hearing about EarthBound on my way to school. A friend of a friend was talking about how much he liked this new RPG that traded swords and dragons for baseball bats and weird trees, that took place in the modern world instead of some distant past or future. I was intrigued! At that point, I had no idea its influences, or who made it, and it didnt seem nearly as cool as so many other games coming out.

Over the yearsand a gigantic book dedicated to its localization laterI have garnered a stronger appreciation for what an incredibly unique, interesting take on the genre EarthBound is. At its core, EarthBound takes some pretty heavy inspirational cues from Dragon Quest. The battle system, the menu layout, the unfortunate item inventory mangementits all here, for better or worse. On the other hand, it had some forward thinking, even strange ideas, like removing the tedium or random encounters, or letting you skip battles against enemies you were too strong for. It also does some cool things within its battles with rolling HP, which amounts to the ability to potentially save someone from a fatal blow by healing them before their HP drains.

If were being honest, though, the draw of EarthBound isnt really in its mechanics, or its battle system, but rather, its the unique world and incredible dialogue that fill it. I wouldnt necessarily call EB a laugh-out-loud funny experience, but it has undoubtedly some of the most clever dialogue I have come across in any game. The flavor and style coming from the mouths of the most random NPCs is so good the hunt to consume all of it practically turns into a game within a game. I go to Twoson, or Fourside, or especially Onett, you can bet Im going to talk to everyone and read every sign, haha! Its a large part of the experience for me, to hear all the goofy puns, fourth wall breaking remarks and maybe even sometimes an uplifting, inspirational message.

Also, EarthBound might be the first, maybe only, video game where I have such an appreciation for the sound design. I dont mean the soundtrack, Im talking about those pleasing cursor sounds, or the scroll of the text, even the weirdly satisfying battle damage when you get s critical hit. You never think about that stuff, right? Am I weird? Does no one else get a strange satisfaction from the smush noise? No?

ANYWAY!

EarthBounds quirky, off-center charm, the way it takes the familiar and twists it ever so slightly, is why I love it so much. It isnt so much that it has a profound story, or that its characters are complex figures that you watch develop, or that I just love fighting through New Age Retro Hippies; its about the whole package of how all these threads mingle and come together. Its a fascinatingly unique take on the genre, inspired by so many different real word life experiences and beliefs, that has no real equal. Well, it has Mother 3, but thats more Itoi excellence. His brand of humor, writing and themes will draw me in every time. And while its unlikely hell ever return to the fold, especially since Iwatas passing, we have a few brief mementos to carry with us. They may not be everyones cup of tea, but to be sure, the Mother series is a gift to the medium of video games. EarthBound is its champion.

DRINK COFFEE BEFORE GO?

Yes, I will. Every time!

I miss the days when HM hated Earthbound.
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Just so you all knowthis entire top 5 took me forever to properly organize! I must have interchanged where every game was a million times before settling on what I have now. I say this to garner better understanding that the distance between #5 and #1 is tiny.

Mother 3 is better.

HM you should probably play Undertale.
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I definitely lean more Nick than HM on the subject of Earthbound
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We all grow and learn from our mistakes, like when I thought Tales of Symphonia was the pinnacle of RPGs. Its best to grow when we can!

The Mana Sword posted...

Mother 3 is better.

HM you should probably play Undertale.

Heres my issue with Mother 3I played it on an emulator. Im sure Im not alone there, but because of that I could never get the hang of the cool rhythm-based battle system it has, nor really be able to dive in and have the sort of experience I like with games (which is to say not on a tiny square within a computer monitor). As the years go, and my hope fades, especially without Iwata to champion the series and push it through himself, but if they just released Mother 3 on some modern system it would be top 10. As it is, I have it somewhere in the 20-30 range. I made a list that went to 40, so I could post that later.

Undertale Im real interested in playing. Seeing that its coming to the Switch yesterday was great for me, because by all accounts, Ill probably like that game a lot.

LeonhartFour posted...

I miss the days when HM hated Earthbound.

1. Ness
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LeonhartFour posted...

no you just got transported to a world where Vlado actually did something of value

Like ours? He hosts BABE BRAWL, after all.
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Also, haven't played Earthbound. Need to fix that. BAD. Right?
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https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588301-earthbound/reviews/101516

a true aitch emm turnabout
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That reminds me I was supposed to buy the cart off of Jakyl and make him a happy wealthy man
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