Top 25 Video Games Lists! v. CableX's "Worse Than My Top25 VG Music" (pg. 62)

[BlobVanDam]

So you basically went straight from C64 to PS3.

With a brief stop at the arcade.  But pretty much ... yeah.

You've basically skipped most of my top 25 list!

[Lynxo]

Pretty sure this was the game that put Naughty Dog on the map – at least with respect to the PlayStation

No way man, their Crash Bandicoot games were legendary on the PS1. And their Jax & Daxter games on PS2 were pretty well received as well I think.

Anway, never played the Uncharted games but am definitely interested.

Exactly - Naughty Dog have been creating amazing games for a long time. The only Naughty Dog game beating Uncharted 2 might be The Last of Us, but Uncharted 2 was an experience unlike anything I'd experienced at that time.

[Randaran]

Uncharted 2 was great. It's definitely one of my favorite linear games. The multiplayer was also a lot of fun; its too bad that most players abandoned it for the far inferior Modern Warfare 2 shortly after U2's release.

And that reminds me, I really need to finish The Last of Us.

[jingle.boy]

7. Hardball / Commodore 64



Ok… topping the list of my C64 games is a baseball game, that while perhaps not my the most engaging or creative, it was without a doubt the C64 game I invested the most time in.  Before sporting games could keep track of every little statistic, or run season-long affairs, that’s exactly what I did with this game – with about 4 notebooks, and a lot of pencils and erasers.  The home-town Blue Jays were perennial playoff contenders from ’85-’93 (don’t get me started on the 1987 collapse!), so in 1991 and 1992 during my break between High School and University, I setup the blue team from this game as the Blue Jays… Alomar, Carter, Gruber, Devon White, Dave Stieb, John Olerud, Tom Henke, Jimmy Key, Al (see-ya) Leiter… man, what a team we had back then.  So, I made my roster, kept track of all the major statistics, and intended to play me a 162 game season.  I don’t recall how far I got, but I know I didn’t get a whole season in. 

What’s to say about this game?? It’s a baseball game.  Not too smart on the AI either – each batting position had pretty much the same outcome – batters 3-4-5 could all smoke lots of hits and homers; lead-off was fast as shit; bottom of the order couldn’t clear the infield.  The fast players almost always beat out an infield hit, and were rarely thrown out on a steal.  You could play a full 9 innings in about 30 minutes or so.  It got kinda repetitive after a while, and tiresome, because after like 40 games, I was 37-3 or something ridiculous like that.  Still, I put a lot of time into this game.

[BlobVanDam]

We had this game on the Amiga 500. I don't remember much of it though, since I'm generally not into sports games.

[Kwyjibo]

I remember that one as well but I didn't play it very often. Baseball was/is just not my idea of fun.

[jingle.boy]

6. Sonic II / Sega Genesis




Tails was my character of choice here.  I loved the first iteration, and then when they added Tails as a tag-team partner, me and a buddy of mine would constantly go thru this – him as Sonic, me his faithful companion.  We’d endeavor to go through each level at 100% coin collection, and the all of the rings in the half pipe bonus stages:



The additional attack moves made some levels and boss battles a little easier, and Super Sonic was of course, a bad mother-fucker.  Occasionally we did split-screen competitions, but for the most part, it was team-mate action.  Large levels, nice graphics (for 1992), enhanced attack moves, and an expanded cast of opponents, enemies and bosses all made this a great continuation of the franchise. 

Jingle.daughter bought me a Sonic game for the PS3 a couple of years ago, but the nostalgia of the 2D side-scrolling style is what I remember and love about this.  The newer 3D game just didn’t click for me.  But, going back to 1992 and 1993, we played a shit load of this, a lot of it pre-drinking at our apartment before heading out to the bars.

[black_biff_stadler]

PHENOMENAL game. Boners me up to this very day. This is definitely the best Sonic game ever. 1 lacked the spin dash, 3 tried its ass off but the music wasn't nearly as good and it was a tad too easy, and S&K is very close but damn are some of those levels repetitively long in certain spots. Sonic CD may give this a run for its money based on what I've heard but I haven't played it yet.

I remember my brother telling me he had a surprise for me when I went to visit him at my dad's apartment in fall '93. I thought "Shit! We finally got cable!" but it turned out that he'd gotten the second model Genesis bundle with this packed in as well as Street Fighter II: Champion Edition and the original Mortal Kombat. Even though it was amazing, I was still hoping it'd been cable instead since we already had an SNES and not having cable was a real stinger in the 90s.

Regardless, it was a fucking blast of a weekend. My thumbs were painfully sore by Sunday night and we probably gamed at least 12-15 hours that weekend and at least we already knew ABACABB going in.

[Cable]

Woo good Sonic! I go back and forth between 1 and 2 with regard to which is better. Cannot go wrong with 2!

I prefer to play without Tails if I am playing solo, as much as I like Tails as an addition and character.

[BlobVanDam]

Now you're talking my language! This game has come up in other people's lists, so I'm sure I've already said plenty about this game, but it's one of my favourite platformers and games of all time.

PHENOMENAL game. Boners me up to this very day. This is definitely the best Sonic game ever. 1 lacked the spin dash, 3 tried its ass off but the music wasn't nearly as good and it was a tad too easy, and S&K is very close but damn are some of those levels repetitively long in certain spots. Sonic CD may give this a run for its money based on what I've heard but I haven't played it yet.

I basically agree with your opinion on the other games, and I hated Sonic CD with a passion. It feels like a mess of a fan game to me, with awful music (depending on which country's version you get). A lot of fans adore it though, so maybe you'll disagree with me.

[Lynxo]

HELL YES! It came up in my list as well.  I agree with you, the very best Sonic game ever made.

[cramx3]

HELL YES! It came up in my list as well.  I agree with you, the very best Sonic game ever made.

Same with me, great classic game!

[ThatOneGuy2112]

The memories with this one. Might be my favorite Sonic game. The bright and vivid colors in the visuals, the level design, the music.

Only gripe is those damn special stages.

[jingle.boy]

Gonna try and power thru the Top 5, and be done by the end of the weekend so the next guy can go.

5. Sim City 2000 / PC


In the early 90s, I got a taste of Sim City on the Sega, and it was a pretty neat concept.  Fast forward a few years after I got out of University, and holy shit did this version take it up a notch.  Far more granular with the zoning/construction (for residential, commercial or industrial areas), a lot of added enhancements (prisons, schools, libraries, police/fire stations, airports, seaports, parks, mass transit etc…), more types of power plants (including wind farms) moving to a more 3D and rotating view as opposed to top-down all made the game that much more complex and engaging. 



The biggest improvement I remember was having to take care of all the utilities – water, power, gas etc.., along with an underground mode to ensure everything beneath the city was running properly as well. 



The game also came up with a far more elaborate and intricate tax/revenue system – budgeting was critical in being able build and run a successful city.  Don’t pay close attention, and businesses will close up and leave, residents will move, and areas will become abandoned, crime ridden, or both.  Fear not though, get out a bulldozer or two, and just wipe the area out and start over.

Great tactical game – one I wish I could re-do again, and have been wondering if my current Mac could handle the load.  I also don’t exactly have the time to dedicate to it, but it sure was a helluva lot of fun.

[Bolsters]

I played the shit out of this in the late 90's.

[Sacul]

I got addicted to it on December, and it was a blast

So bad I sucked a lot and my cities didn't grow a little 

[BlobVanDam]

I don't think I played much of this particular version, but every kid loved Sim City. Nice choice.

[Bolsters]

I think this and the 2013 one are the only ones I've played properly. 2013 was okay but had plenty of problems, and I got bored with it rather quickly.

[cramx3]

I always loved the Sim City games, mostly as a kid, and even 2013 I enjoyed.... but I dont think in all of the hundreds of combined hours of playing the different versions I have ever created an awesome self sustaining city. 

[Kwyjibo]

I don't think I played much of this particular version, but every kid loved Sim City. Nice choice.

[Cable]

Awesome! The last SimCity game I played. I forgot about this game, and I long to play it at times. Friggin such an awesome upgrade to SimCity. It's like what the SNES did for their NES counterparts- took the same formula basically, and made more fantastic games while sticking true to the originals.

[jingle.boy]

4. Infamous / PS3




Like my comments for Dishonored, this game brought some very creative and innovative gameplay to the table – I loved being the weapon.  Another PS3 exclusive, the premise behind this action/adventure game where the character (Cole) has been infused with abilities to use and manipulate electricity.  You start with being able to shoot lightning like a bullet, and progressively adding skills and abilities throughout the game, you eventually gain 17 different capabilities such as lightning explosions, missiles, psychic vision, shockwaves, thrusters, lightning storms and lots of others

You can play as a good hero, or an evil vigilante - depending on who and how you help in society.  It’s largely an open world game, with three main maps (islands comprising “Empire City” – based on NYC) with a main quest, and lots of side quests – some leading you to the “good” karma path; some towards “evil” … you chose what direction you want to take Cole. 

I really enjoyed the details in the storyline, though the main arc was nothing entirely spectacular - seeking out the origin of the accident that gave Cole the electrified abilities.  Various missions help you put all the pieces together, while trying to restore Empire City to a “normal” city, or simply letting it fall further into chaos.

[Bolsters]

More that I would definitely play if it came to PC.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIGtHhAfe8w

[jingle.boy]

3. Dragon's Lair / Arcade



Very few times has there been a game that is so radically different, so much more innovative than everything else in the gaming industry/market.  This is one such game.  In 1983, all games were built on pixilation, and artists/developers were very limited in what they could render and put into a game.  As one of the first laser-disc games (and certainly the first to gain popularity), Dragon’s Lair overcame this by utilizing the vast storage available on a laser-disc to essentially create a video game that was a series of stitched together video clips.  As such, the most advanced animation techniques of the day could be used to create a video game.  You were essentially playing and controlling a cartoon show.




Movement was simple – up/down/left/right and attack (with a sword).  You’re often given visual cues of what movement to take, and audio cues (“ding”) once you’ve made the right move.  As Dirk the Daring, your mission is to rescue Daphne from the clutches of an evil dragon.  There were about 20 different levels – scenes really – to complete, all completely random.  Some levels only needed a few moves to complete, but as you progressed in the game, many levels got progressively difficult requiring several moves (at precisely the right time) to continue – or death awaited.  There was a lot of comical aspects to the visual and audio elements of the game.  Many levels/scenes had a corresponding mirror image level, so the required movements to complete it were reversed – such trickery!

This one got a lot of my quarters – one wrong move at any level… the wrong movement, or just bad timing, or a faulty joystick, or worse yet, dick-head friends that would hit your sword button if you weren't paying attention, and you were toast - there goes a 'life'.  But it was incredibly gratifying when you finally got everything just right, and saved Daphne.  You know Dirk was gettin some tail later that night!   



I bought the iPad port a few years ago, and it's flawlessly replicated.  Such a good time

[ThatOneGuy2112]

I love Don Bluth's animation on this, but I can't say it works as an actual game IMO. I'm not one for QTM's, though I can see how much of an addictive thing this game must have been in the arcades back in the day.

[Cool Chris]

But it was incredibly gratifying when you finally got everything just right, and saved Daphne. 

Yeah, that never, ever happened to me. I remember thinking how awesome this game was as a kid, and the only one I knew of was the Chuck E Cheese, which of course we only went to on special occasions. And this game always had a line of bigger kids queued up. Which was good for my quarter allotment.

[King Postwhore]

I blew 50 cents a million times playing Dragon's Lair.  Such a fun game. It was a visual to a Zork like game.

[jingle.boy]

Seems I lost people.  Well, I said I'd finish it off by the end of the weekend, so here's my top 2:

2. Arkham City / PS3




The best open world game I’ve ever played.  Period.  Such improvements from the original – which was out of this world itself.  Better combat flow, gadgets, missions, side quests, artwork, character design, detective mode and tools, music… everything about this was a step up from Asylum.

It’s made a lot of lists here already, so there’s not really a lot to add that hasn’t been said.  I didn’t completely finish it – never got thru all 440 Riddler challenges, or the challenge maps – although those were really fun to try and complete fighting as Nightwing and Robin.  Playing as Catwoman was also pretty fun, and a nice little break/diversion.  Tons of awards, 6 million units sold/shipped, and this deservedly gets a place at the top of my (and should for anyone’s) list.

Flawless game.  Absolutely flawless.

1. Street Fighter II / Arcade





Where do I start with this game?  This was my go-to arcade game for quite a few years.  There was one arcade/pool hall that I frequented and spent a shit-ton of time and money on this game.  Got pretty good at it too.  There was one regular at the arcade that I got to know through this game that was one of the few that I had a hard time beating.  While Ryo and Ken were my go-to characters (and I eventually learned Guile), this fucker could play any/every character and pretty much beat anyone – even using the clowns nobody could use - Chun-Li, Zangief, Blanka or Honda.  This guy even came up with a four-hit power combo for Guile – because he had such a long leg-sweep reach.  It was impressive – jump-in-punch, side uppercut, spinning back-fist, and a leg sweep.  I don’t think any other player could do a four-hit POWER combo.

When the “Champion Edition” of the game came out, we all got a chance to play as the Grand Masters – Balrog, Vega, Sagat and Bison.  I loved the latter 3 – Balrog was fuckin useless.

This was by far the most popular game at the arcade for a long time – with lots of people crowding around the system, with plenty of challengers always willing and forthcoming – we’d even go easy on the youngins/noobs … sometimes.  Rarely did anyone have to play very long against the CPU, but that was always fun and challenging regardless.  We’d organize tournaments, with brackets and seeds, and wager some hard dollars against each other.  And of course, it spawned the famous phrases of "You Win!", and "Round 1... FIGHT!"

I never did follow the franchise past this arcade game – though I tried the PS3 versions of Marvel vs Capcom, and Injustice … I just couldn’t get into the fighting games with the PS3 controller.  Give me a joystick, and 3 kick/3 punch buttons.


Thanks everyone for following along, even though most of you will never know the joy in slipping a 5.25” floppy into a 1541 disc drive and waiting a few minutes to play a highly pixelated 8-bit game that only had 6 levels of varying difficulty, with about 4 minutes of cycling midi sounds/effects.  Thanks to Kwiji, Coz, and other fogeys for indulging me there.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Oh, the sickening grinding noises that came from my 1541.

[Cable]

 

Much time spent on SF2:Turbo on the SNES. My left thumb would hurt after awhile. I would play as a lot of the characters. My favorite from standard SF2 would probably be Ryu.

[BlobVanDam]

Ah, classic. It's been so long since I've played it, but I think I usually chose Chun Li. I was more of a Mortal Kombat guy though.

[Bolsters]

I gave Arkham City a go, but I found it to be boring, so I didn't get very far in it.

Street Fighter II is a classic and I remember playing it a bit in the day, but I was never the biggest fighting game fan, so I didn't play it much.

[Cool Chris]

I can't keep track of all the Street Fighter II editions, but whichever one my friend had, we had some epic battles in his SNES in the early 90s. When I was playing as Blanka, you couldn't stop me, you could only hope to contain me.

Thank you for the enjoyable read jingle.boy!

[black_biff_stadler]

Street Fighter II helped me realize there were other games besides Mario. When I first got into it hardcore in summer 93, I'd played maybe 60-70 games ever. This includes everything my brother and I owned, all games we'd ever borrowed from our cousin whom had several 2600 games, and anything I'd ever so much as dropped a single quarter in at arcades. Throughout all of this, there were Mario games and others that were merely there to spell my interest during down times in between.

This game would make SF the second series I legitimately considered an urgently needed part of my gaming life. Mere weeks later, Mortal Kombat would gradually begin its effort to become my third legit series as well as Sonic (it's basically a coinflip as they both were running on virtually identical timelines in regard to how quickly they were cementing their way into my heart.)

As I'd mentioned in my post replying to the Sonic 2 discussion, my older brother's autumn 93 purchase of a Genesis with SFII:CE, MK, and Sonic 2 really helped shape my gaming interests for years to come.

Back to SF. I was actually late to the game as referenced with the summer 93 thing earlier in this post. I believe it came out in February 91 so it was well over 2 years old by then and Champion Edition and Turbo: Hyper Fighting were already in the arcade. Shit, Super SFII would already be out just a few months later. Because of having SFII's first three iterations all available to me from the very moment I became interested in it, I obviously latched onto Turbo due to it having more features to offer than the other two. Man, cheapin noobs out with repeated M. Bison Psycho Crushers was great for 12 year old me. Also, it felt like I'd hacked the game when I realized you could actually latch onto the fence with Vega when playing on his stage. I thought that woulda been one of those cheap, computer-only things like how CPU-controlled characters in Mortal Kombat's first two installments could uppercut you from a standing position without ever ducking.

In all, I still enjoy the hell out of this game to this day and I'm thrilled to see it topping your list, Chad. Great list too btw as it showed me some good older games to check out.