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

[BlobVanDam]

I never really got what was so great about Halo.

For single player /co-op I've found every Halo game to be pretty dull, but multiplayer with a bunch of friends, and they're all a ton of fun. Also Halo 1 was still relatively earlier days for console FPS games, so I think it managed to establish itself.
I generally hate the FPS genre though.
I haven't played Epic Mickey either.

[Bolsters]

For single player /co-op I've found every Halo game to be pretty dull, but multiplayer with a bunch of friends, and they're all a ton of fun. Also Halo 1 was still relatively earlier days for console FPS games, so I think it managed to establish itself.

I think for me it was just how overblown its supposed innovation was. Graphically it was amazing for its time but the gameplay is as you say, quite dull, and not as revolutionary as the Halo fanboys would have me believe. I guess I could be a bit biased here because I had almost everyone around me at the time tell me how amazing Halo was and how it was pretty much the best game ever, and I just didn't see it, so I became very annoyed with constantly being around people who thought that.

I'm not a big FPS player myself and I was even less of one back then, but I enjoyed games like Perfect Dark or Tribes (if we leave consoles and go PC) far more than what Halo had to offer.

[BlobVanDam]

I don't recall people calling it innovative, but I wasn't really paying attention to gaming at the time either, so I don't have much perspective on that. My kind of people were always more into Nintendo.

[ReaperKK]

My college roommate loved playing Halo so he got me into it. I never played through any of the campaigns but the multiplayer was nice.

[Randaran]

Halo's single player is not all that great, but its multiplayer, especially in Halo 2 onwards, is a lot of fun. It is one of my favorite split screen games.

[Accelerando]

I tried playing the campaigns for Halo 2 and 3, and I put down the controller and never went back after a couple hours of game play. The first Halo game is the one that I went all the way through. I enjoyed it, but I think like everyone here, I enjoyed the multi-player the most.

[orcus116]

For single player /co-op I've found every Halo game to be pretty dull, but multiplayer with a bunch of friends, and they're all a ton of fun. Also Halo 1 was still relatively earlier days for console FPS games, so I think it managed to establish itself.

I think for me it was just how overblown its supposed innovation was. Graphically it was amazing for its time but the gameplay is as you say, quite dull, and not as revolutionary as the Halo fanboys would have me believe. I guess I could be a bit biased here because I had almost everyone around me at the time tell me how amazing Halo was and how it was pretty much the best game ever, and I just didn't see it, so I became very annoyed with constantly being around people who thought that.

Completely agree. I could never get over how bad the level design was and there was something about the guns and combat that just turned me off. Outside the fact that I could never get used to dual control gunplay the whole aesthetic of the game is incredibly boring .

[Accelerando]

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and gobbled up as much turkey and stuffing that you can handle!

Time to count down my top 25!

25. Tetris (1989)



Although the game was actually made earlier, the version I know and love came to me in the form of a hand held console.  I'm sure many of you are just as guilty as I am wasting time playing this game and not stopping. I mean, how is placing falling shapes into rows this entertaining? If you think about it, it should be as entertaining as cleaning your room.



For me, the music is just as addicting as putting together these darn puzzle pieces. I mean, as far as Russian music goes it's Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and the son of a bitch who composed the score for Tetris. When Nintendo released it for their hand held console, they probably didn't see the storm coming. It single handily sold millions Game Boys! Like everyone with a Game Boy had this game. It's a great classic game that has had many versions in it's 30 years of existence, but it's the core Tetris that is the most memorable.






24. Super Mario Galaxy (2007)




Some people wouldn't be caught dead playing on a Wii, which I find rather surprising since it has sold more consoles than the PS3 and Xbox 360. Despite it's limitations, the Wii produced some fantastic games. Super Mario Galaxy is one of the great games in the Wii library. Galaxy offers beautiful graphics, great dynamic gameplay, and new innovation to the Mario franchise. 



The gameplay is absolutely top notch. Every stage in the game has a great deal of replayability. It's just a to of fun. I like that once you complete an area, you can go back and engage in a specialized version of it like speeding up all the enemies in an area or putting you on a timed run. One of the other great elements about this game are the graphics. It's one of the best looking Wii games you can play. The character designs, level details, and animations are all incredibly colorful and vibrant, and just a joy to look at. The music is top notch, with some of the best renditions of the original tracks in any Mario games. This is a must own Wii game.

[ReaperKK]

I hear a lot about Super Mario Galaxy on the Giant Bombcast. My girlfriend loves it too, it definitely looks like an interesting game.

[Phoenix87x]

I also hear them talk galaxy on the Bombcast a lot as well. Luckily I have had a chance to play through it and its really excellent

Tetris... oh man so many hours upon hours spent playing that. Love it 

[ReaperKK]

I'm going to have to hook up the wii now. I've been saying it for months but haven't done so, plus my GF wants to play mario kart with me.

[Randaran]

Can't complain about either of these. 

[black_biff_stadler]

Great opening duo of games. I've barely played Galaxy at all yet since I've still not even finished Sunshine but it's definitely my most anticipated Mario game. Tetris was great but I hated playing it when I'd be around 130-140 lines and my screen would pick THAT point in time to begin fading from low battery power. Super Gameboy was such a fucking game changer. Within a couple months of getting it, my all time record from playing it on Gameboy got thoroughly smashed. On the regular GB, my best had been 146 lines for at least a year or two. I broke that record probably 10-15 times in those first few months of owning a Super GB until my record plateaued at 229 lines. Still haven't topped it since but I'd like to give it a go some time for a couple weeks and see where I could get.

[jingle.boy]

Lots of games of Tetris were played at the arcade.  It was the go-to game when all the good games were taken up.  Great time killer, and it kept your mind sharp.  You could never just go through the motions.

[Cable]

Epic Mickey was a lot of fun, issues and all. I don't know what happened on the 2nd one (didn't play it). Clearly so much good to build on from the first one. I wonder if Disney rushed it or something.

It was also the sort of significant re-introduction of Oswald- I liked his character.

[Accelerando]

Epic Mickey was a lot of fun, issues and all. I don't know what happened on the 2nd one (didn't play it). Clearly so much good to build on from the first one. I wonder if Disney rushed it or something.

It was also the sort of significant re-introduction of Oswald- I liked his character.

The second Epic Mickey game wasn't good. However, some of the things that I loved about the first game, such as playing through the animated shorts, were still retained. But overall, unlike the first Epic Mickey game, it was a missed opportunity.








#23 Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II (2001)



I think for a while, this was the epitome of Star Wars games.  In many ways, it was similar to first Star Wars Rogue Squadron game released for the N64. It had dogfights and search and destroy gameplay, as well as similar control schemes. The first Rogue Squadron game was good, but maybe didn't quite capture the spirit of the original movie trilogy the way Rogue Leader does. Visually, Rogue Leader blew the first game out of the water. Rogue Leader is just simply the bigger and badder successor.




Rogue Leader is the kind of game that was really easy to get into, but the mission were no walk in the park. It wasn't an easy to master. It may take you a few times to get through the mission, but once you get the hang of it, it makes for a really rewarding Star Wars gaming experience. There's only a 10 missions though plus bonus levels, so it's not like an epic undertaking. However, for those who always wanted to fly the ships of Luke Skywalker or Wedge Antilles, this is the perfect game for you.







#22. Super Mario Brothers (1985)



For millions of people, this was the stepping stone of getting into gaming, and it still an entertaining game as it ever was. There's probably no other game in the world that's as recognized as this one. It was instantly a big hit when it came out in the 80's. Back then, side scrolling games were not accessible to the NES. People all over the world played and loved all the levels and the pure and simple controls.  And just as the game itself, the music for Super Mario Bros are some of the most memorable pieces in video game history.



This game is extremely enjoyable to play. The controls are very well done and the variety in the levels makes the game much more worthwhile. The game never really gets boring and I can go on playing for hours. This game was the mold for every platform game to come in the future on this same system and systems to come. The game play was excellently designed, and it's no wonder why this game has gone down in history like it has. There is great replay value for a game that is 30 years old.

[Accelerando]

#21. Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes (2012)



I'm a huge fan of the Lego video game franchise. It seems silly, really. The child in me though is having an absolute joy ride playing these Lego games, especially when I am able to play my favorite movie and comic characters as lego figures in their universes completely made by Legos. These games are fun, and accessible to all ages. Plus, they are fun date games. My girlfriend and I look forward to every release because we are able to play with each other and just act like goons.

Lego has made three Lego Batman games: Lego Batman - The Videogame, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes, and Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.  These games are regarded as some of the best in the Lego gaming franchise, but to me, Lego Batman 2 is the ultimate sandbox experience.




Like it's predecessor, Lego Batman 2 isn't based on any of the Batman movies of the past 25 years. They have original scenarios for us to get absolutely get zoned into. However, Lego Batman 2 isn't only limited to Batman characters. You get an array of DC super heroes and villains to unlock and play, like Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern.  Lego Batman 2 is also the first Lego game to have original voice acting. The previous Lego games had their stories told with grunting and shrugs. With a great story and replay value, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes is one of the best Lego games to date.




20. Super Smash Bros. : Melee (2001)



Many thought that this game was going to be a minor upgrade to the N64 original, but ended blowing out it predecessor by a metric ton, and one of the most impressive games in the GameCube's library. On the N64, Super Smash bros was made primarily to be a multi-player game. You can gather up to 4 people and battle each other with some of the most popular characters in the Nintendo canon, including Mario, Luigi, Link, Samus, and Fox McCloud. Moving on with the sequel, the developers wanted to add more depth and variety, resulting into hours and hours of fun.



The single-player was vastly improved. You can play two different versions: The Classic mode and the Adventure mode. The Classic is similar to the original single player mode in the first game, but only it's fleshed out. You move from arena to arena fighting a random set of characters until you reach the final boss. Interleaved between the fights are bonus challenges. Adventure mode is a side scrolling experience combined with arena fighting. It probably was my favorite mode. The multi-player gaming was more polished than the first game. With Melee, you are able to dodge attacks in midair, and deflect attacks with use of your shield. The complex controlling have made it a more sophisticated gaming experience than other "Button Mashers." New players can jump into a game together and do relatively well in their matches, but there's also plenty of room for expert players. My buds and I played this game for hours and hours with plates of pizza bagels and soda. Since then, multi-playing reached new limits and game play, but i'll always treasure my days of ignorance with Super Smash Bros: Melee.

[BlobVanDam]

I'm a big fan of the Lego games, and Batman 2 was a good one (still haven't finished it off yet). It had too many levels focused on that boss though.
I haven't played the first one, and I'm still working through the third one.

I love Super Smash Melee too, although I prefer the fighting and levels in the original game more.

[Randaran]

I love Melee as well, though I prefer the Wii U game. Melee was a huge improvement over the original.

[jingle.boy]

The only Lego games I played completely were the Star Wars OT ones.  Tons of fun.  Played a few of the others - kids had the first Batman on Wii, and Marvel Superhero's on the PS3.  Usually pretty fun, but frustrating at times as well.

[ReaperKK]

I haven't played either of those games. I've always been curious of the lego universe. Are those games simply games themed with lego toys or is there a building aspect to it?

[BlobVanDam]

I haven't played either of those games. I've always been curious of the lego universe. Are those games simply games themed with lego toys or is there a building aspect to it?

A lot of the gameplay is simple puzzle solving that involves breaking Lego objects and rebuilding them, and later ones also include mini-games that involve choosing the right Lego pieces to build objects. I think they strike a pretty good balance between being Lego themed and whatever the franchise is.

[cramx3]

Halo's single player is not all that great, but its multiplayer, especially in Halo 2 onwards, is a lot of fun. It is one of my favorite split screen games.

Except they took away split screen play in the new Halo 

I personally love the campaigns.  They are beautiful and a lot of fun, a lot more depth to them and then story as well compared to most FPS out there.  Halo is just a very simple game though.

[BlobVanDam]

Halo's single player is not all that great, but its multiplayer, especially in Halo 2 onwards, is a lot of fun. It is one of my favorite split screen games.

Except they took away split screen play in the new Halo 

Is that just for co-op or all multiplayer?

[cramx3]

Halo's single player is not all that great, but its multiplayer, especially in Halo 2 onwards, is a lot of fun. It is one of my favorite split screen games.

Except they took away split screen play in the new Halo 

Is that just for co-op or all multiplayer?

For all, completely gone, co-op and multiplayer.  Fucking terrible decision, it was honestly the best part about halo.  4 way split screen FPS with friends.  The multiplayer is actually really really strong in this, but I find it un interesting to play since I can't play online with my brother.  Ruins the experience and I won't bother buying the next one if they don't put split screen back for at least 2 people since the single player is only like an 8 hour game anyway.

[BlobVanDam]

Halo's single player is not all that great, but its multiplayer, especially in Halo 2 onwards, is a lot of fun. It is one of my favorite split screen games.

Except they took away split screen play in the new Halo 

Is that just for co-op or all multiplayer?

For all, completely gone, co-op and multiplayer.  Fucking terrible decision, it was honestly the best part about halo.  4 way split screen FPS with friends.  The multiplayer is actually really really strong in this, but I find it un interesting to play since I can't play online with my brother.  Ruins the experience and I won't bother buying the next one if they don't put split screen back for at least 2 people since the single player is only like an 8 hour game anyway.

Well that's poo. Do they think gamers don't have friends any more, or were they just too lazy to optimize the game to render 2-4 screens? What about once the servers are gone? Games are getting lazier.

[cramx3]

Their reasoning is that the games performance would suffer if they rendered more screens.... id rather they take away some of that performance for more playability.  And honestly, the game looks nice, but it doesn't look like a game that can't be rendered at least in two screens by the xbox1.  It feels like BS to me.

[Accelerando]

19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time (1992)



The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my jam growing as a kid. I had action figures, t-shirts (with one that specifically said TURTLE POWER that I think was my favorite shirt back then), and I had the live action movies on constant rotation. I first learned of James Cagney because of Michelangelo's impression of him in the first movie. Mom came home one day with a gift that she picked up from the store, and it was TURTLES IN TIME for the SNES. I never played the arcade version that was released in 1989, but let me tell you that I played the SNES game FOR HOURS as a kid, and I had to play each character.



I think one of the reasons why I loved this game so much because it had reminded me a lot of the cartoon series that was popular back then. The graphics sort captured the colorful personality of that show. The characters looked real good, and was one of the more impressive games graphic and animation was at that time. It was a great beat em up game, which was a reason why I went back to this game so much because it was hours and hours of fun. There was a multiple player option so your friends can join in too....I always had to be Michelangelo, of course. The formula is classic; go through a bunch of enemies and fight a boss. The levels have various traps here and there, and you get little waves of enemies and attacks. Once you defeat two or three of these waves, you progress to the next area of enemies. It one of the most fun side scrolling games I ever played, and I'm sure at 28 I can have as much fun with as I did when I was 6.




18. Tomb Raider (2003)




I never played the original Lara Croft: Tomb Raider games, so I don't have those to compare the reboot to. However, that doesn't matter. I had so much fun playing this game. It had the flare of Uncharted with open world exploration. As I mentioned before, one of the things that got me into gaming again was the cinematic quality games have nowadays, and this is no exception. There was great jaw dropping sequences in this game that I got play through and just made the gaming experience more enjoyable. The action is gritty and intense, and kept me on the edge of my couch playing through this the entire time.




What I love that storytelling is such an integral part of gaming nowadays to where people get upset if someone spoils a game for them like they would if someone spoiled the new episode of The Walking Dead. This game is delivers character development at the highest degree. The first hour or so is very scripted, setting up set pieces and learning Lara Croft's abilities until the plot starts thickening. So this reboot is supposed to be Lara Croft in her early years, so we see a very vulnerable Lara. It takes a good while before she makes her first kill, which is a very dramatic scene and important to her characterization. From there things pick up, and action moves forward. You upgrade Lara's skills and weaponry to a gratifying extent. The Uncharted inspiration is there, with masterful wall-climbing and cinematic action sequences, but one thing that Uncharted doesn't have is free roaming in an open world. Tomb Raider is dramatic, exciting, and incredibly well made. A must play for any video game fan.



17. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga/The Clone Wars (2005 - 2011)




As jingle.boy said in response to my Lego Batman write up, the Lego Star Wars games are "Tons of fun." They are probably one of the best Star Wars games made. It's Star Wars with the unique and clever humor of the Lego brand. That's one thing I love about these Lego games that makes me excited for each title release is that these games don't really take themselves seriously. They embrace the ridiculousness that these licensed brands are being Lego-lized, where you are playing through scenes from the movies or comics where everything is made out Lego pieces and you are allowed to cause utter chaos.

Lego Star Wars started it all, developed by Traveler's Tales. The raw concept of building new kits, smashing stuff up, and collecting studs through memorable moments from the movies. As I mentioned in my previous write up, Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes started the voice acting aspect of these games, so with Lego Star Wars and then Lego Star Wars II:  The Original Trilogy, the cutscenes that are usually voiced in any other case are replaced by goofy grunts, squeals, and shrugs. The charm about this was it made the moments more entertaining.



The first Lego Star Wars game focused on the prequel trilogy, and was released for the older consoles like Gamecube, PS2, and Xbox. I'm sure the decision to do the prequels first had to do with that fact that it was going to be released in 2005 when Revenge of the Sith was released and back then, was suppose to be the very last Star Wars movie ever made. So you play through several different scenes from The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. The replay value comes in when you can go back to these scenes as  free play, which means you can play different characters that you unlocked, and all have different special skills for you to complete each scene at %100. So you have the opportunity the play Darth Maul battling Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of Sith. This is the basic formula for all Lego games, and with the games evolving, it's doesn't get boring.



In 2006, we get Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, with the same game engine as the previous game. However, they made improvements on the camera angles and movement, created vehicle levels such as dogfighting in A New Hope, and introduced character building. In 2007, they compiled both games to The Complete Saga. It incorporated the improvements from the sequel into the original game, and a new hub so that your characters will have access to all six episodes to go and replay, and was the first Lego game for the new PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii consoles.



2011 brings us Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, based on the now canon cartoon series originally aired on Cartoon Network. While the game play is similar to the previous titles, it introduces scene swap in the franchise, which is a co-op type game play that lets characters play in two vastly different areas to complete multiple-part objectives. For example, one character will be fighting droids underground while the other character is blowing up generators off in the forest. You don't have to play with two people to complete these objectives. You just simply hit a button that'll switch to the other character. The split-screen gameplay with two people is actually excellent! Another great novelty of this game is the war strategy element. You are able to command large armies of Clone Troopers to battle the droid armies,  capturing control points on a map, then call down troops and vehicles to use in an effort to take the battlefield from the enemy. I know many people who prefer this game over the other Lego games because of this new mode.

The Lego Star Wars games are fun, aesthetically pleasing, and a great use of the most popular license. Any fan of Star Wars can find pure joy playing these games, or any of the other Lego games. I'm sure Traveler's Tales has something cooking for future Lego Star Wars games, perhaps Rebels before they tackle the new trilogy and Anthology movies.

[BlobVanDam]

I'm enjoying the Lego game love.
We have Lego Star Wars 1 and 2 for the Gamecube, although I've mostly only played the OT. I'll have to grab the complete saga for the 360 some time and play it all.

The TMNT game is also great fun. I remember playing the arcade version too.

[Randaran]

I'm enjoying the Lego game love.

Same here.

[ReaperKK]

TNMT was a great game. I spent many hours playing it.

I'm the opposite, I played a bunch of the old Tomb Raider games and while I have the reboot I never played it.

[Lynxo]

The Tomb Raider reboot is awesome and deserves more praise IMO. It pissed me off to no end that the sequel only made it to the XBone, at least for now. Anyone knows if it will eventually get to the PS4?

And TMNT is awesome, no doubt. Especially with friends!

[ariich]

Pretty sure Rise of the Tomb Raider is only a timed exclusive, so it's expected on PC and PS4 sometime next year.

[Lynxo]

Pretty sure Rise of the Tomb Raider is only a timed exclusive, so it's expected on PC and PS4 sometime next year.

Well, that's good to hear.  Can't wait to play it!

[Accelerando]

Yep, stoked about it. I'll be patiently waiting for that PS4 release too.