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GAF Games o' Gen 5 (PSX/N64/SAT and more) Voting Thread -Read the First Post!-
- Thread starter AniHawk
- Start date
derExperte
Member
BG1 is overrated anyway.
Here are my two cents:
1) Final Fantasy Tactics
This is not only the greatest SRPG of the generation, it remains one of the greatest games with Final Fantasy in the title. With a dark political plotline that would make Game of Thrones jealous, it is one of the most memorable games I've played.
2) Final Fantasy 9
My favorite of the PS1 era Final Fantasy games, 9 throws back to what made the SNES era games fantastic. Unique characters with their own skill sets, crystals that need saving, a great and evil flamboyant villain, and the ever charming Vivi.
3) Mario Kart 64
This game is one of the holy trinity of N64 multiplayer games that made up the bulk of my childhood with friends. Late nights playing battle mode or racing against each other will never be forgotten.
4) Goldeneye 007
The second of the multiplayer trinity, Goldeneye was the perfect party game with friends, when it wasn't causing fights among us all over that asshole that always tried to pick Odd Job.
5) Metal Gear Solid
This game absolutely blew me away when I played it. Cinematic, engrossing, engaging, and a delight to play. My first stealth game, I got so absorbed in the story that I ended up replaying it and showing people the game for years.
6) Super Mario 64
The game that not only introduced us to 3D platforming, but also nearly perfected it out of the gate. My journey to 120 stars was a defining moment for me as a middle schooler.
7) Super Smash Bros
The third and final of the holy trinity of multiplayer games, Smash Bros became a phenomenon. Others may disagree, but we all know Link and Samus were the best, and Hyrule Castle was the ultimate stage.
8) Twisted Metal 2
The ultimate multiplayer game on Playstation, I can't even remember how many times my friend and I beat this game. Everyone had their favorite character, but it was the destructible environments and secret Street Fighter-esque attacks that kept me hooked.
9) Parasite Eve
Combining Resident Evil with an addictive RPG, Parasite Eve had me hooked. A creepy atmosphere, a realistic world setting merged with crazy paranormal elements, and an intriguing battle system made this a winner.
10) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
It's no Link to the Past, and I don't think it has aged well, but this game was a watershed moment in gaming for me at the time. What a fully realized world and excellent use of 3D in both the combat and puzzles.
HM1) Chrono Cross
I love Chrono Trigger. A lot. I think I expected it to tie in more with Chrono Cross, but even after the initial let down, I was left with an incredible RPG with a killer soundtrack, fun battle system, and tons of characters to mix and match with.
HM2) Lunar: Eternal Blue
Boy did I love this game. I also loved Silver Star Story, but the improved mechanics and more grandiose story made Eternal Blue win out. The charm of a Working Designs translation with an awesome anime and sprite based presentation...kudos to you EB.
1) Final Fantasy Tactics
This is not only the greatest SRPG of the generation, it remains one of the greatest games with Final Fantasy in the title. With a dark political plotline that would make Game of Thrones jealous, it is one of the most memorable games I've played.
2) Final Fantasy 9
My favorite of the PS1 era Final Fantasy games, 9 throws back to what made the SNES era games fantastic. Unique characters with their own skill sets, crystals that need saving, a great and evil flamboyant villain, and the ever charming Vivi.
3) Mario Kart 64
This game is one of the holy trinity of N64 multiplayer games that made up the bulk of my childhood with friends. Late nights playing battle mode or racing against each other will never be forgotten.
4) Goldeneye 007
The second of the multiplayer trinity, Goldeneye was the perfect party game with friends, when it wasn't causing fights among us all over that asshole that always tried to pick Odd Job.
5) Metal Gear Solid
This game absolutely blew me away when I played it. Cinematic, engrossing, engaging, and a delight to play. My first stealth game, I got so absorbed in the story that I ended up replaying it and showing people the game for years.
6) Super Mario 64
The game that not only introduced us to 3D platforming, but also nearly perfected it out of the gate. My journey to 120 stars was a defining moment for me as a middle schooler.
7) Super Smash Bros
The third and final of the holy trinity of multiplayer games, Smash Bros became a phenomenon. Others may disagree, but we all know Link and Samus were the best, and Hyrule Castle was the ultimate stage.
8) Twisted Metal 2
The ultimate multiplayer game on Playstation, I can't even remember how many times my friend and I beat this game. Everyone had their favorite character, but it was the destructible environments and secret Street Fighter-esque attacks that kept me hooked.
9) Parasite Eve
Combining Resident Evil with an addictive RPG, Parasite Eve had me hooked. A creepy atmosphere, a realistic world setting merged with crazy paranormal elements, and an intriguing battle system made this a winner.
10) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
It's no Link to the Past, and I don't think it has aged well, but this game was a watershed moment in gaming for me at the time. What a fully realized world and excellent use of 3D in both the combat and puzzles.
HM1) Chrono Cross
I love Chrono Trigger. A lot. I think I expected it to tie in more with Chrono Cross, but even after the initial let down, I was left with an incredible RPG with a killer soundtrack, fun battle system, and tons of characters to mix and match with.
HM2) Lunar: Eternal Blue
Boy did I love this game. I also loved Silver Star Story, but the improved mechanics and more grandiose story made Eternal Blue win out. The charm of a Working Designs translation with an awesome anime and sprite based presentation...kudos to you EB.
thesaucetastic
Unconfirmed Member
Do I need to play SS1 before SS2, or can I skip over it? Only have 2 so far
1. Resident Evil 2 ; had amazing graphics, was fun to play, scared the SHITE out of me, loved speed running it and unlocking new weapons to blast through it on. Was playing it for years.
2. Metal Gear Solid ; same for this, apart from the scary bit. Would play through it in one sitting with my mates multiple times. Some complete mindfucks, interesting characters and stealth was a cool concept then. Some truly iconic moments as well.
3. Pokemon Blue
4. Crash Bandicoot 3
5. Gran Turismo
6. Crash Team Racing
7. Resident Evil 3
8. ISS Pro 98
9. Gex: Enter the Gecko
10. Resident Evil
Only had a PS1 and spent most of my time playing football as a kid so I was not really well into games at this point. Played AoE2 much later.
2. Metal Gear Solid ; same for this, apart from the scary bit. Would play through it in one sitting with my mates multiple times. Some complete mindfucks, interesting characters and stealth was a cool concept then. Some truly iconic moments as well.
3. Pokemon Blue
4. Crash Bandicoot 3
5. Gran Turismo
6. Crash Team Racing
7. Resident Evil 3
8. ISS Pro 98
9. Gex: Enter the Gecko
10. Resident Evil
Only had a PS1 and spent most of my time playing football as a kid so I was not really well into games at this point. Played AoE2 much later.
I only finished it because I was unemployed at the time and had a loooot of free time. With the time I spent on it, it left an impression. I'm not sure if I was actually having any fun.
derExperte
Member
Need? No. Should? Maybe. 2 builds wonderfully upon the events of 1 including a very famous scene/revelation (you probably already know about) so having played it could enhance your experience. Also it's a historically significant game which influenced so much that came after but I imagine the controls will be very hard to get used to these days and the overall plot of 2 is self-contained (plays many years later) so there'll be no 'huh, what's going on?'.
Sounds about right, completed it during some holiday because, well, I bought it and had time. BG1's success led to many other better games though so I won't complain too much.
I expect nothing else from someone crazy enough to put Warcraft above C&C. Though NOLF almost redeems you, unfortunately it isn't eligible according to the OP: "PC 1994-1999"
blast processed
Member
1. M.U.S.H.A. ; Amazing soundtrack that is in this game Each level has a unique track that makes this one of my favorites. Some of the levels have some of the best parallax scrolling seen on the system. And with a unique weapon system and not so difficult to pick up and play makes it my favorite game. i play it at least once a month.
2.No One Lives ForeverBaldurs Gate
3. The Adventures of Batman & Robin Genesis
4. Warcraft 2
5. Quake 2 Ground Zero
6. Command & Conquer Red Alert
7. Need For Speed 3 Hot Pursuit
8. Descent 2
9. Full Throttle
10. Baldurs Gate 2
x. Albert Odyssey
x. Super Mario 64
Damnit
2.
3. The Adventures of Batman & Robin Genesis
4. Warcraft 2
5. Quake 2 Ground Zero
6. Command & Conquer Red Alert
7. Need For Speed 3 Hot Pursuit
8. Descent 2
9. Full Throttle
10. Baldurs Gate 2
x. Albert Odyssey
x. Super Mario 64
Damnit
drtomoe123
Member
1. Panzer Dragoon Saga ; I was not expecting this game to be so good. Where I'm playing playing some of these games for the first time in 2014-2015, I understand that I'm probably approaching these games differently than I would if I had played them when they were released. Panzer Dragoon Saga is one of the few games from this gen that impressed me in today's terms. This game oozes atmosphere and style and accomplishes a visual aesthetic that hasn't really been matched since--the same goes for its battle system. It's a shame that PDS is so expensive because I will recommend this game as essential to any person I meet. This is a game that I'm proud to own.
2. Final Fantasy IX ; If I had to recommend the one RPG that everyone should play, it would be this game. FFIX is the ultimate culmination of everything that made 16 and 32-bit RPGs so great. This game would be legit perfect by today's standards if you could just make the battles faster.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; I've never cared for Zelda at all, but this game captivated me from the moment I first saw it. Its aesthetic is totally PDS if it was done by Nintendo instead--few games ever manage to be as charming, powerful, and legitimately artistic as this one. I didn't play it until I reluctantly started it on the 3DS a few summers ago, but the N64 version is just perfect in (almost) every way.
4. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile ; Now this is a game.
5. Xenogears ; This game's vision is unreal.
6. Pokemon Gold/SIlver ; The literal golden age of the series.
7. Mega Man Legends ; I feel that MML embodies everything that made Japanese development great during the 5th Gen.
8. Parasite Eve ; It was either this or Vagrant Story and PE is cooler.
9. Final Fantasy VII
10. PaRappa the Rapper
Honorable Mentions
x. Suikoden II
x. Moon: Remix RPG Adventure ; I haven't played this but every single thing I have ever heard about this game has been positive and it seems as if this one's the real deal. I can't wait for that translation patch.
2. Final Fantasy IX ; If I had to recommend the one RPG that everyone should play, it would be this game. FFIX is the ultimate culmination of everything that made 16 and 32-bit RPGs so great. This game would be legit perfect by today's standards if you could just make the battles faster.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; I've never cared for Zelda at all, but this game captivated me from the moment I first saw it. Its aesthetic is totally PDS if it was done by Nintendo instead--few games ever manage to be as charming, powerful, and legitimately artistic as this one. I didn't play it until I reluctantly started it on the 3DS a few summers ago, but the N64 version is just perfect in (almost) every way.
4. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile ; Now this is a game.
5. Xenogears ; This game's vision is unreal.
6. Pokemon Gold/SIlver ; The literal golden age of the series.
7. Mega Man Legends ; I feel that MML embodies everything that made Japanese development great during the 5th Gen.
8. Parasite Eve ; It was either this or Vagrant Story and PE is cooler.
9. Final Fantasy VII
10. PaRappa the Rapper
Honorable Mentions
x. Suikoden II
x. Moon: Remix RPG Adventure ; I haven't played this but every single thing I have ever heard about this game has been positive and it seems as if this one's the real deal. I can't wait for that translation patch.
I'm enjoying seeing that there are entries in these lists that are from recent LTTP playthroughs. Its cool to see as it goes against the narrative some like to peddle that games from this gen were trash that are unplayable today without nostalgia.
I'm also pleasantly surprised how many people actually mentioned Saturn games in their lists.
I'm also pleasantly surprised how many people actually mentioned Saturn games in their lists.
1. Star Fox 64 "My second favorite game of all time. I will always keep playing this."
2. Mario Kart 64 "The best Mario Kart game of all time. It set the standard for future Mario Kart games. Rainbow Road 64 is still GOAT"
3. Super Mario 64 "Easily one of the top 5 most important games of all time. I replay it once a year"
4. Metal Gear Solid "The greatest Metal Gear game of all time"
5. Pokemon Gold/Silver "One of Iwata's greatest developer achievements. He gave us two regions to explore in one game."
6. Age of Empires 2 "I lost too many hours playing this game. I still lose too many hours today playing it"
7. Banjo Kazooie "It is a sin that this game can no longer appear on a Nintendo console"
8. Suikoden 2 "One of those RPGS that they just don't make anymore"
9. Super Smash Bros "This is the game that started a phenomenon"
10. Final Fantasy VIII "This game deserves more love then it gets"
Honorable Mention Conker's Bad Fur Day "This random game came out of no where and it came with a bang. I lost many nights with the multiplayer"
2. Mario Kart 64 "The best Mario Kart game of all time. It set the standard for future Mario Kart games. Rainbow Road 64 is still GOAT"
3. Super Mario 64 "Easily one of the top 5 most important games of all time. I replay it once a year"
4. Metal Gear Solid "The greatest Metal Gear game of all time"
5. Pokemon Gold/Silver "One of Iwata's greatest developer achievements. He gave us two regions to explore in one game."
6. Age of Empires 2 "I lost too many hours playing this game. I still lose too many hours today playing it"
7. Banjo Kazooie "It is a sin that this game can no longer appear on a Nintendo console"
8. Suikoden 2 "One of those RPGS that they just don't make anymore"
9. Super Smash Bros "This is the game that started a phenomenon"
10. Final Fantasy VIII "This game deserves more love then it gets"
Honorable Mention Conker's Bad Fur Day "This random game came out of no where and it came with a bang. I lost many nights with the multiplayer"
1. Ogre Battle 64; Pretty easy pick for #1. I have replayed the game around 10 times and enjoyed every minute of each play through.
2. Castlevania SOTN ;
3. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ;
4. Final Fantasy Tactics ;
5. Zelda OOT;
6. Metal Gear Solid ;
7. Final Fantasy IX ;
8. Perfect Dark ;
9. WCW/NWO Revenge ;
10. Final Fantasy VII ;
x. Final Fantasy VIII;
x. Grandia ;
x. GoldenEye 007
x. Star Fox 64
x. Mario 64
x. Chrono Cross
I could probably list like 30 more games but I am going to have to stop. Probably my favorite generation.
2. Castlevania SOTN ;
3. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ;
4. Final Fantasy Tactics ;
5. Zelda OOT;
6. Metal Gear Solid ;
7. Final Fantasy IX ;
8. Perfect Dark ;
9. WCW/NWO Revenge ;
10. Final Fantasy VII ;
x. Final Fantasy VIII;
x. Grandia ;
x. GoldenEye 007
x. Star Fox 64
x. Mario 64
x. Chrono Cross
I could probably list like 30 more games but I am going to have to stop. Probably my favorite generation.
Allan Holdsworth
Member
Sorry for the terrible comments, but I wasn't inspired and I'll forget if I don't post it now
1. Banjo-Kazooie ; amazing 3d platformer/adventure hybrid
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; revolutionary game
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; another zeruda
4. Banjo-Tooie ; took some things of the first too far, but overall great
5. Diddy Kong Racing ; never could beat Wizpig
6. Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow ; started the craze
7. Command & Conquer: Red Alert ; started my RTS experience
8. Wario Land II ; started the Wario Land series (first one was a Mario/Wario hybrid)
9. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages ; better dungeons give it an edge over Seasons
10. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
x. Paper Mario ; I don't typically play RPGs, but the Mario ones are even fun for people like me
x. Goemon's Great Adventure ; amazing 2D platformer, not a huge fan of the robot battles though
x. Mario Tennis (N64) ; arcadey tennis fun
x. Mole Mania ; puzzle-y fun
x. Mario Tennis (GBC) ; the RPG format was the selling point, even if the actual tennis gameplay isn't as good as the N64 counterpart
x. Samurai Kid ; great puzzle platformer, Japan only sadly (http://www.gamingsanctuary.com/SamuraiKid.html )
x. Wario Land III ; Wario deserves another spot
x. Virtual Boy Wario Land ; only great VB game
x. Age of Empires ; dont remember if I liked this or 2 more, so I will include the first
x. SimCity 3000 ; my first SimCity makes it get a spot
1. Banjo-Kazooie ; amazing 3d platformer/adventure hybrid
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time ; revolutionary game
3. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; another zeruda
4. Banjo-Tooie ; took some things of the first too far, but overall great
5. Diddy Kong Racing ; never could beat Wizpig
6. Pokemon Blue/Red/Yellow ; started the craze
7. Command & Conquer: Red Alert ; started my RTS experience
8. Wario Land II ; started the Wario Land series (first one was a Mario/Wario hybrid)
9. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages ; better dungeons give it an edge over Seasons
10. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
x. Paper Mario ; I don't typically play RPGs, but the Mario ones are even fun for people like me
x. Goemon's Great Adventure ; amazing 2D platformer, not a huge fan of the robot battles though
x. Mario Tennis (N64) ; arcadey tennis fun
x. Mole Mania ; puzzle-y fun
x. Mario Tennis (GBC) ; the RPG format was the selling point, even if the actual tennis gameplay isn't as good as the N64 counterpart
x. Samurai Kid ; great puzzle platformer, Japan only sadly (http://www.gamingsanctuary.com/SamuraiKid.html )
x. Wario Land III ; Wario deserves another spot
x. Virtual Boy Wario Land ; only great VB game
x. Age of Empires ; dont remember if I liked this or 2 more, so I will include the first
x. SimCity 3000 ; my first SimCity makes it get a spot
Absolutely.
1. Metal Gear Solid ; my introduction to the stealth genre. It's an undeniable classic but nothing will ever recapture the feeling of playing some cold war relic and the realisation when you climb up out of the water for the first time. The utilitarian base, the colour palette and the music. An all time favourite.
2. Goldeneye 007 ; proxy mines, bunker, punching my brother. Perfect school holiday game.
3. WipEout 2097 ; contender eliminated. Amazing soundtrack and challenging snaking tracks in some techno industrial setting unlike anything else. Addictive.
4. Sega Rally ; the only racing game I love time trial mode in. Still the best arcade racer ever made.
5. Bushido Blade ; unlike any other fighter. I love the fact that any fight can go all over a map.
6. Tenchu Stealth Assassins ; satisfaction in stealth kills like no other. Beautiful atmosphere.
7. Super Mario 64 ; perfect controls and still eminently playable today. The music is just spot on and the levels are so varied in what you can do
8. Final Fantasy 7 ; my first rpg. It's a nostalgic vote, but the materia system really scratched an itch I never knew existed. I also thought the story made sense first time around.
9. Resident Evil 2 ; the goddamn Licker interrogation room.
10. ISS Pro 98 ; my first intro to football games and the precursor to the PES series.
2. Goldeneye 007 ; proxy mines, bunker, punching my brother. Perfect school holiday game.
3. WipEout 2097 ; contender eliminated. Amazing soundtrack and challenging snaking tracks in some techno industrial setting unlike anything else. Addictive.
4. Sega Rally ; the only racing game I love time trial mode in. Still the best arcade racer ever made.
5. Bushido Blade ; unlike any other fighter. I love the fact that any fight can go all over a map.
6. Tenchu Stealth Assassins ; satisfaction in stealth kills like no other. Beautiful atmosphere.
7. Super Mario 64 ; perfect controls and still eminently playable today. The music is just spot on and the levels are so varied in what you can do
8. Final Fantasy 7 ; my first rpg. It's a nostalgic vote, but the materia system really scratched an itch I never knew existed. I also thought the story made sense first time around.
9. Resident Evil 2 ; the goddamn Licker interrogation room.
10. ISS Pro 98 ; my first intro to football games and the precursor to the PES series.
Oops almost forgot about this. My true first gen so I got shit to say. Notes will be rushed because oops
1. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back ; One of my favourite games of all time. As a kid I loved the Crash franchise and revisiting it now it's still damn good. As a 3D platformer with a heavily 2D influenced design the control is great, the level design, from the basic design to the devious secrets, is sublime. The soundtrack is amazing. Besides a few gripes (mediocre bosses, jetpack controls) overall it's a very cohesive package and a fantastic game.
2. Crash Team Racing ; Another personal GOAT of mine. CTR is the game I put hours and hours into and for good reason. Single player content that still outclasses Mario Kart to this day (barring online play), hectic four player gameplay (with some of the silliest item balance ever), a roster of 14 characters with 16 tracks all held together with some great mechanics, including the best drifting mechanic in a karting game period. While Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed is probably the better game (and best karting game period) CTR will forever have a place in my heart.
3. Pokemon Crystal ; While the first generation of Pokemon games are the most iconic, playing them today is a struggle. Type imbalance is ridiculous (lolpsychic), some movesets are nonexistant, some sprites are terrible (aka all the back sprites), generally just inferior to future gens unless you're playing it to fuck with it (toxic + leech seed nonsense, missingno goofs,
) The Gen 2 games, specifically Crystal here, are like Gen 1 but playable. Ghost gets a usable STAB move in Shadow Ball, (previously the only move Ghosts had to do damage where Lick and Night Shade, Lick had 20 Base Attack (Shadow Ball has 80) and Night Shade does fixed damage) the Egg system gave pokemon a reason to have fleshed out movesets, with Egg pokemon starting at level 5, the Special Defense stat, the list goes on. And if you love Kanto, you can go to the ruins of the region after you beat the game. This game also had the last great rival before you get shafted with friends who could never be as MLG pro as you.
4. Um Jammer Lammy ; Both PS1 Parappa games will be on this list but I gotta give the edge to Um Jammer Lammy. While not as iconic as the game it is spun off of, Um Jammer Lammy has more content beyond five songs, giving players seven songs with six of them getting Parappa remixes, and (mediocre) multiplayer modes to play with your friends/ the shitty AI. It also hosts the best song/stage to grace the franchise IMO.
5. Mario Tennis ; This game is 100% nostalgia for me. After school I would go to my friends house and play the fucking shit out of this game. Even now, it's probably my favourite Mario spinoff franchise. The character variety, tournament and minigame modes, the control and the gameplay. It's all here friends, and it's all good.
6. Spyro 2: Riptor's Rage ; Back about two years ago, I went through the PS1 Spyro trilogy in order, 100% them in sequence. While having Spyro 1 and 2 when I was a kid, I felt a revisit was in order as I never game them their due. In doing so, it was clear that the second game is the best. While the first game sets a nice base for the franchise, Riptor's Rage really perfects it, adding multiple objectives to every level and generally more expansive hub worlds. In particular, I always loved the peacefully serentiy that was Summer Forest, especially the theme seen here.
7. Parappa the Rapper ; I've already talked about Um Jammer Lammy so I won't go too much into this. You know what this is anyways. Kick punch it's all in the blah blah blah. Here, look what happens when Parappa fails to use the bathroom. And have whatever this shit is too.
8. Ape Escape ; The first game I ever got to play with the new DualShock at the time. Everything about the game is fairly unique. It's twin stick ass control scheme, it's catch rampaging monkeys gameplay, it's time travel stage gimmick which lets you go everywhere from swamps and beaches to temples and futuristic buildings, hell even a dinosaur's insides. The time station track is pretty damn memorable and the victory sound when you win a level is hype as fuck.
9. Banjo Kazooie ; In case you couldn't tell from this Top 10, I didn't have a N64 growing up, only my PS1. I've always been aware of this game, even played it in a McDonalds Party Place as a kid. So when the Yooka Laylee kickstarter went up, I decided to give it a look and see what it is all about, and it is good. Between the level and music variety, Banjo's expansive moveset, a raving witch talking smack as you progress through the hub, it all comes together to make a damn good game.
10. Street Fighter Alpha 2 ; While I didn't really get into fighting games with Street Fighter 4 until 2010 or so, this is probably the one game I would have liked to get into and play. Strong footsie based gameplay with a neat mechanics in Alpha Counters and little in terms of gimmicks (besides broken ass custom combos). Combine that with a solid 18 character roster, great stage design and some of the best music in the franchise and you can't do no wrong with this game.
x. Crash Bandicoot: Warped ; This game has a lot in common with my number one. However, what knocks it out of my top 10 are the gimmick levels. The jet ski levels, the underwater levels, the accursed flying levels, they all make revisitng this game harder. Especially when going for gold relics to 105% the game. The same can be said for Spyro: Year of the Dragon, whose different characters range from ok (Kangaroo) to horrible (Yeti) and all of them bog the gameplay down. Oh and that game lets Spyro ride a skateboard because 90s I guess.
x. Roller Coaster Tycoon ; The classic itself Roller Coaster Tycoon is one of the most iconic sim games of all time. The game lets you do anything from making the greatest theme park known to man to a deprived hell scape of suicide coasters covered in puke because fuck trashcans and fuck janitors while the game tells you "'my dick' broke down" and you revel in its glory.
Welp that's it for me. It was a good gen and I do revisit it a lot. This was fun though I wish I didn't procrastinate so hard #rip.
1. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back ; One of my favourite games of all time. As a kid I loved the Crash franchise and revisiting it now it's still damn good. As a 3D platformer with a heavily 2D influenced design the control is great, the level design, from the basic design to the devious secrets, is sublime. The soundtrack is amazing. Besides a few gripes (mediocre bosses, jetpack controls) overall it's a very cohesive package and a fantastic game.
2. Crash Team Racing ; Another personal GOAT of mine. CTR is the game I put hours and hours into and for good reason. Single player content that still outclasses Mario Kart to this day (barring online play), hectic four player gameplay (with some of the silliest item balance ever), a roster of 14 characters with 16 tracks all held together with some great mechanics, including the best drifting mechanic in a karting game period. While Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed is probably the better game (and best karting game period) CTR will forever have a place in my heart.
3. Pokemon Crystal ; While the first generation of Pokemon games are the most iconic, playing them today is a struggle. Type imbalance is ridiculous (lolpsychic), some movesets are nonexistant, some sprites are terrible (aka all the back sprites), generally just inferior to future gens unless you're playing it to fuck with it (toxic + leech seed nonsense, missingno goofs,
using strength on the truck
4. Um Jammer Lammy ; Both PS1 Parappa games will be on this list but I gotta give the edge to Um Jammer Lammy. While not as iconic as the game it is spun off of, Um Jammer Lammy has more content beyond five songs, giving players seven songs with six of them getting Parappa remixes, and (mediocre) multiplayer modes to play with your friends/ the shitty AI. It also hosts the best song/stage to grace the franchise IMO.
5. Mario Tennis ; This game is 100% nostalgia for me. After school I would go to my friends house and play the fucking shit out of this game. Even now, it's probably my favourite Mario spinoff franchise. The character variety, tournament and minigame modes, the control and the gameplay. It's all here friends, and it's all good.
6. Spyro 2: Riptor's Rage ; Back about two years ago, I went through the PS1 Spyro trilogy in order, 100% them in sequence. While having Spyro 1 and 2 when I was a kid, I felt a revisit was in order as I never game them their due. In doing so, it was clear that the second game is the best. While the first game sets a nice base for the franchise, Riptor's Rage really perfects it, adding multiple objectives to every level and generally more expansive hub worlds. In particular, I always loved the peacefully serentiy that was Summer Forest, especially the theme seen here.
7. Parappa the Rapper ; I've already talked about Um Jammer Lammy so I won't go too much into this. You know what this is anyways. Kick punch it's all in the blah blah blah. Here, look what happens when Parappa fails to use the bathroom. And have whatever this shit is too.
8. Ape Escape ; The first game I ever got to play with the new DualShock at the time. Everything about the game is fairly unique. It's twin stick ass control scheme, it's catch rampaging monkeys gameplay, it's time travel stage gimmick which lets you go everywhere from swamps and beaches to temples and futuristic buildings, hell even a dinosaur's insides. The time station track is pretty damn memorable and the victory sound when you win a level is hype as fuck.
9. Banjo Kazooie ; In case you couldn't tell from this Top 10, I didn't have a N64 growing up, only my PS1. I've always been aware of this game, even played it in a McDonalds Party Place as a kid. So when the Yooka Laylee kickstarter went up, I decided to give it a look and see what it is all about, and it is good. Between the level and music variety, Banjo's expansive moveset, a raving witch talking smack as you progress through the hub, it all comes together to make a damn good game.
10. Street Fighter Alpha 2 ; While I didn't really get into fighting games with Street Fighter 4 until 2010 or so, this is probably the one game I would have liked to get into and play. Strong footsie based gameplay with a neat mechanics in Alpha Counters and little in terms of gimmicks (besides broken ass custom combos). Combine that with a solid 18 character roster, great stage design and some of the best music in the franchise and you can't do no wrong with this game.
x. Crash Bandicoot: Warped ; This game has a lot in common with my number one. However, what knocks it out of my top 10 are the gimmick levels. The jet ski levels, the underwater levels, the accursed flying levels, they all make revisitng this game harder. Especially when going for gold relics to 105% the game. The same can be said for Spyro: Year of the Dragon, whose different characters range from ok (Kangaroo) to horrible (Yeti) and all of them bog the gameplay down. Oh and that game lets Spyro ride a skateboard because 90s I guess.
x. Roller Coaster Tycoon ; The classic itself Roller Coaster Tycoon is one of the most iconic sim games of all time. The game lets you do anything from making the greatest theme park known to man to a deprived hell scape of suicide coasters covered in puke because fuck trashcans and fuck janitors while the game tells you "'my dick' broke down" and you revel in its glory.
Welp that's it for me. It was a good gen and I do revisit it a lot. This was fun though I wish I didn't procrastinate so hard #rip.
Megatron
Member
Since you said 'go to your friend's house' to play it, I assume this is he n64 version, not the gbc version? Good choice! That made my list as well.
Shadow Hog
Member
1) Panzer Dragoon Saga. One of the most surreal worlds around, paired with some of the most fun and engaging RPG battle mechanics I've ever had the pleasure of encountering - to the point that the random battles are almost something worth looking forward to. (Almost.)
2) Link's Awakening DX. If only because it introduced me to the series, but to be fair to it, I've remained partial to it over the years regardless. Something about the world layout of it tickles me pink in a way that even the great A Link to the Past cannot. Plus, the color job, frankly, looks really, really good.
3) Doom 2, easily. The actual mapset included is kinda mediocre, but you don't exactly buy Doom 2 for that; instead, you buy it to access the tons of fanmade levels and mods that (somehow) more competently showcase just how fun the core gameplay is when done well. And there's no end of it, with more mods coming out every day, practically. A testament to how good id Software's game design was, in essence.
4) Wario Land 3. The gameplay of Wario Land 2 was already an immense step up from Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, with far more fluid movement and a unique "you're invincible" hook that allowed the platforming to take more of a puzzling direction rather than pure action. Wario Land 3 is much the same, but then adds Metroid-ish elements on top. While it's jarring to start the game coming fresh off of WL2 and find almost all of your old moves no longer work or don't pack the same punch, it's very satisfying to watch it all open back up - and new levels along with each upgrade - until you're ultimately slightly stronger than you had been in Wario Land 2. Good stuff.
5) Powerslave. You know Metroid Prime? Imagine that game, but it plays more like Doom or Quake, is set in Egypt, and is on the Saturn and PlayStation. That's Powerslave. It's way ahead of its time, but the game didn't get the recognition it deserved for a myriad of factors (Playmates Interactive having financial woes at the time, the Saturn version being largely overlooked because, well, Saturn, the PlayStation being looked at with slight scorn from Sony because Lobotomy had the nerve to work with Sega on Quake and Duke 3D ports, etc). Give either console version a whirl if you get the chance, they're well worth a look.
6) Quake. Doom, but in true 3D, and with an even more gothic setting (somehow). There's a sheer arcadey verticality in the levels that modern FPSes just don't do anymore - id knew how to make the most of the added dimension they gained, cramming empty nooks and crannies with enough secrets to make your head spin. Sure, it doesn't make much sense for there to be knights running around wielding naught but swords when there are ogres on their team wielding chainsaws and grenade launchers, but whatever; it may be anachronistic, but it's awesome.
7) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Still probably my favorite 3D Zelda, even with all the quality-of-life improvements later games made to the formula. Yes, I happen to like this one more than Majora's Mask, even though I feel MM's world was more fully fleshed out. Something about the more traditional Zelda setting of this one speaks to me.
8) Spyro the Dragon. A collectathon through and through, but with levels smaller and more focused than Banjo's, so 100%ing everything is actually really straightforward and enjoyable to do. The dichotomy between things that need to be rammed and things that need to be set on fire is handled pretty well, too, giving the game just enough variety in how your foes are dispatched to remain interesting all the way until the end.
9) Rayman. Granted, you'll need to abuse the "give me more continues" cheat (press Up Down Right Left on the continue screen when your count is 2 or lower) like mad if you want to ever hope to beat this game, but if you can look past that, this is a fun, beautiful, meaty 2D platformer with a lot of imaginative stage design, and is well worth a look.
10) Half-Life. Changed the first-person shooter scene irrevocably to be more linear, interconnected and story-focused, but damn if it didn't do it with panache. Still probably the best example of that particular formula (Half-Life 2 was damn good, but drags here and there in ways this one doesn't). A classic.
HM1) Clockwork Knight 2. I can't, in good faith, call it one of the ten best games of that generation, but it is a pretty solid 2.5D platformer, and one that is fairly dear to me due to the demo of it being the only platformer I had access to on the Saturn for the longest time. It's got a pretty good jazzy soundtrack as well. Alas, some uneven difficulty kind of drags it down - it's not the cakewalk the first game was (seriously, even on Hard it was a cinch), but remains generally easy barring some boss fights that act as sharp spikes in the difficulty curve. Still, recommended. Even has a second playable character accessible via the Konami Code, although I've not tried him out much...
HM2) Tomb Raider. The tank controls take getting used to, but if you're patient and don't mind taking your time lining up jumps (and abusing the PC version's save-anywhere system like crazy, because you will miss a lot of jumps), then this is an oddly thrilling platformer. The combat is kinda ass, though - Lara autoaiming at whatever was closest when you hit the Action button helps, but you're still stuck trying to coordinate the tank movement controls with the awkward camera angles that don't face what you're shooting. The platforming is the star, at least, and for all its jank it still works admirably.
2) Link's Awakening DX. If only because it introduced me to the series, but to be fair to it, I've remained partial to it over the years regardless. Something about the world layout of it tickles me pink in a way that even the great A Link to the Past cannot. Plus, the color job, frankly, looks really, really good.
3) Doom 2, easily. The actual mapset included is kinda mediocre, but you don't exactly buy Doom 2 for that; instead, you buy it to access the tons of fanmade levels and mods that (somehow) more competently showcase just how fun the core gameplay is when done well. And there's no end of it, with more mods coming out every day, practically. A testament to how good id Software's game design was, in essence.
4) Wario Land 3. The gameplay of Wario Land 2 was already an immense step up from Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land, with far more fluid movement and a unique "you're invincible" hook that allowed the platforming to take more of a puzzling direction rather than pure action. Wario Land 3 is much the same, but then adds Metroid-ish elements on top. While it's jarring to start the game coming fresh off of WL2 and find almost all of your old moves no longer work or don't pack the same punch, it's very satisfying to watch it all open back up - and new levels along with each upgrade - until you're ultimately slightly stronger than you had been in Wario Land 2. Good stuff.
5) Powerslave. You know Metroid Prime? Imagine that game, but it plays more like Doom or Quake, is set in Egypt, and is on the Saturn and PlayStation. That's Powerslave. It's way ahead of its time, but the game didn't get the recognition it deserved for a myriad of factors (Playmates Interactive having financial woes at the time, the Saturn version being largely overlooked because, well, Saturn, the PlayStation being looked at with slight scorn from Sony because Lobotomy had the nerve to work with Sega on Quake and Duke 3D ports, etc). Give either console version a whirl if you get the chance, they're well worth a look.
6) Quake. Doom, but in true 3D, and with an even more gothic setting (somehow). There's a sheer arcadey verticality in the levels that modern FPSes just don't do anymore - id knew how to make the most of the added dimension they gained, cramming empty nooks and crannies with enough secrets to make your head spin. Sure, it doesn't make much sense for there to be knights running around wielding naught but swords when there are ogres on their team wielding chainsaws and grenade launchers, but whatever; it may be anachronistic, but it's awesome.
7) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Still probably my favorite 3D Zelda, even with all the quality-of-life improvements later games made to the formula. Yes, I happen to like this one more than Majora's Mask, even though I feel MM's world was more fully fleshed out. Something about the more traditional Zelda setting of this one speaks to me.
8) Spyro the Dragon. A collectathon through and through, but with levels smaller and more focused than Banjo's, so 100%ing everything is actually really straightforward and enjoyable to do. The dichotomy between things that need to be rammed and things that need to be set on fire is handled pretty well, too, giving the game just enough variety in how your foes are dispatched to remain interesting all the way until the end.
9) Rayman. Granted, you'll need to abuse the "give me more continues" cheat (press Up Down Right Left on the continue screen when your count is 2 or lower) like mad if you want to ever hope to beat this game, but if you can look past that, this is a fun, beautiful, meaty 2D platformer with a lot of imaginative stage design, and is well worth a look.
10) Half-Life. Changed the first-person shooter scene irrevocably to be more linear, interconnected and story-focused, but damn if it didn't do it with panache. Still probably the best example of that particular formula (Half-Life 2 was damn good, but drags here and there in ways this one doesn't). A classic.
HM1) Clockwork Knight 2. I can't, in good faith, call it one of the ten best games of that generation, but it is a pretty solid 2.5D platformer, and one that is fairly dear to me due to the demo of it being the only platformer I had access to on the Saturn for the longest time. It's got a pretty good jazzy soundtrack as well. Alas, some uneven difficulty kind of drags it down - it's not the cakewalk the first game was (seriously, even on Hard it was a cinch), but remains generally easy barring some boss fights that act as sharp spikes in the difficulty curve. Still, recommended. Even has a second playable character accessible via the Konami Code, although I've not tried him out much...
HM2) Tomb Raider. The tank controls take getting used to, but if you're patient and don't mind taking your time lining up jumps (and abusing the PC version's save-anywhere system like crazy, because you will miss a lot of jumps), then this is an oddly thrilling platformer. The combat is kinda ass, though - Lara autoaiming at whatever was closest when you hit the Action button helps, but you're still stuck trying to coordinate the tank movement controls with the awkward camera angles that don't face what you're shooting. The platforming is the star, at least, and for all its jank it still works admirably.
Napalm_Frank
Member
Late to vote as usual, gotta have to write only short comments since I'm tired as hell. PS1 gen is funny in a way that I have REALLY hard time actually ranking them, the top 5 could easily be in any order depending on the day you ask me. These are not neccessarily even what I concider the ''best'' games but they are my favourites. Also my brain works in a way that I cannot put two games from the same series in a list (CTR being the exception).
1. Resident Evil 2 ; As a kid I would watch horror movies a lot with my friend and I became facinated with the genre. Resident Evil 2 demo was the first real horror experience I had in a video game (if you don't count Quake but that actually didn't affect me much). However there was something about the mood that immediately made me shit my pants. Later on when I got my hands on the full game it was just a magical journey for me to complete the story alone and overcome my fears. From then on I have completed the game a billion times and have really come to appreciate the gameplay side of it too. It's just such a tight package, best way to describe it is an adventure game with very fast pacing. Never does the game drag and it's incredibly replayable. The only thing I was missing from it was higher difficulty options (that I know appear in the PC/DC versions). There is no doubt in my mind that Capcom will fuck up the remake with my sky high hopes.
2. Metal Gear Solid ; Sometimes I think MGS2 is Kojimas masterpiece (sorry Acquiescence) but if you would ask me which one is more important to me personally it would have to be the original. This game actually gives me the same kind of feelings as RE2, it's incredibly tight package and unbelieveably replayable. I don't think any other game has such a colourful cast of characters packed in such a short story. The music is also absolutely unbelieveable in setting the mood and playing Twin Snakes really hammered it to me how big of a part it plays. This game is almost without flaws for me.
3. Final Fantasy VII ; This game was the first truly grand feeling work of fiction to really affect me as a kid. This game more than anything else in my life actually forced me to learn and want to learn english (funny considering some of the translation flubs) and respect the narrative side of games. And unlike some naysayers the game was not only incredible back then, it's friggin incredible game even now. I actually don't look foreward to the remake that much since I don't think it's even possible to recreate the charm that the PS1 limitations forced the game to have. Some say the game needs an upgrade because of the lego character models ect. but for me those legos are the absolute embodiment of the charm FFVII has over many other games. The soundtrack is also one of the greatest of all time, such a huge part of the VII vibes.
4. Crash Team Racing ; In my opinion this is not only the best kart game I have played, it's also the best racing game I have played period. AND the best game Naughty Dog has made thus far. It's one of those perfect local multiplayer games and the single player is more fun than it has any right to be.
5. Pokemon Yellow version ; It's impossible for me to decide if I wanted to put red, yellow, gold or crystal in here. But I think Yellow might be the closest to me even if it isn't the best (crystal) or the first (red) because it was the one with closest ties to the anime and every kid I knew myself included was absolutely obsessed for the show when the games hit. These games were also the ones to introduce me to the wonders of portable gaming.
6. Crash Bandicoot 2 ; The first game has more nostalgia for me but there is no denying that 2 is the better game. I also always liked the linear style of Crash games over Mario 64 and honestly I think it ironically might have to do with Crash being closer to the style of older Mario games I grew up with. It basically plays almost like a 2D platformer in a 3D space most of the time.
7. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile ; This is a game that embodies the ''less is more'' way of making games. It's short, very basic 2D platformer but it's just the most charming game I have ever had the pleasure to play. And to think they made the story that is incredibly simple have such a big impact and important part is just stunning to me. The ending is one of the best in any game. If there was one game I would want a kid of mine to play it would be this (and Resident Evil 2 of course :3).
8. Tomb Raider ; I never actually completed the game when I first played it but it left a huge impact on me. The first game in particular has such great vibes of exploration, adventure and even horror.
9. Silent Hill; If Resident Evil 2 (and RE series as a whole) got me into horror genre the Silent Hill demo that came with MGS was like a wake up call. I ain't seen nothing yet. This game pretty much fucked me up considering I was like, 11 when I played it but I could not stop, I had the same feeling that happened with RE2, I had to overcome my fears and conquer this game. At least with this one I had a friend with me so I didn't go completely nuts.
10. Super Mario 64 ; While I always liked Crash more there is no denying that Mario 64 is an incredible game too. The thing I perhaps most like about the game is that the levels feel more like little worlds of their own instead of just a little 5 minute obstacles and there is such a great variety between them.
1. Resident Evil 2 ; As a kid I would watch horror movies a lot with my friend and I became facinated with the genre. Resident Evil 2 demo was the first real horror experience I had in a video game (if you don't count Quake but that actually didn't affect me much). However there was something about the mood that immediately made me shit my pants. Later on when I got my hands on the full game it was just a magical journey for me to complete the story alone and overcome my fears. From then on I have completed the game a billion times and have really come to appreciate the gameplay side of it too. It's just such a tight package, best way to describe it is an adventure game with very fast pacing. Never does the game drag and it's incredibly replayable. The only thing I was missing from it was higher difficulty options (that I know appear in the PC/DC versions). There is no doubt in my mind that Capcom will fuck up the remake with my sky high hopes.
2. Metal Gear Solid ; Sometimes I think MGS2 is Kojimas masterpiece (sorry Acquiescence) but if you would ask me which one is more important to me personally it would have to be the original. This game actually gives me the same kind of feelings as RE2, it's incredibly tight package and unbelieveably replayable. I don't think any other game has such a colourful cast of characters packed in such a short story. The music is also absolutely unbelieveable in setting the mood and playing Twin Snakes really hammered it to me how big of a part it plays. This game is almost without flaws for me.
3. Final Fantasy VII ; This game was the first truly grand feeling work of fiction to really affect me as a kid. This game more than anything else in my life actually forced me to learn and want to learn english (funny considering some of the translation flubs) and respect the narrative side of games. And unlike some naysayers the game was not only incredible back then, it's friggin incredible game even now. I actually don't look foreward to the remake that much since I don't think it's even possible to recreate the charm that the PS1 limitations forced the game to have. Some say the game needs an upgrade because of the lego character models ect. but for me those legos are the absolute embodiment of the charm FFVII has over many other games. The soundtrack is also one of the greatest of all time, such a huge part of the VII vibes.
4. Crash Team Racing ; In my opinion this is not only the best kart game I have played, it's also the best racing game I have played period. AND the best game Naughty Dog has made thus far. It's one of those perfect local multiplayer games and the single player is more fun than it has any right to be.
5. Pokemon Yellow version ; It's impossible for me to decide if I wanted to put red, yellow, gold or crystal in here. But I think Yellow might be the closest to me even if it isn't the best (crystal) or the first (red) because it was the one with closest ties to the anime and every kid I knew myself included was absolutely obsessed for the show when the games hit. These games were also the ones to introduce me to the wonders of portable gaming.
6. Crash Bandicoot 2 ; The first game has more nostalgia for me but there is no denying that 2 is the better game. I also always liked the linear style of Crash games over Mario 64 and honestly I think it ironically might have to do with Crash being closer to the style of older Mario games I grew up with. It basically plays almost like a 2D platformer in a 3D space most of the time.
7. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile ; This is a game that embodies the ''less is more'' way of making games. It's short, very basic 2D platformer but it's just the most charming game I have ever had the pleasure to play. And to think they made the story that is incredibly simple have such a big impact and important part is just stunning to me. The ending is one of the best in any game. If there was one game I would want a kid of mine to play it would be this (and Resident Evil 2 of course :3).
8. Tomb Raider ; I never actually completed the game when I first played it but it left a huge impact on me. The first game in particular has such great vibes of exploration, adventure and even horror.
9. Silent Hill; If Resident Evil 2 (and RE series as a whole) got me into horror genre the Silent Hill demo that came with MGS was like a wake up call. I ain't seen nothing yet. This game pretty much fucked me up considering I was like, 11 when I played it but I could not stop, I had the same feeling that happened with RE2, I had to overcome my fears and conquer this game. At least with this one I had a friend with me so I didn't go completely nuts.
10. Super Mario 64 ; While I always liked Crash more there is no denying that Mario 64 is an incredible game too. The thing I perhaps most like about the game is that the levels feel more like little worlds of their own instead of just a little 5 minute obstacles and there is such a great variety between them.
Hm, I wonder what won.
I gotta say, having looked through this topic, I'm surprised at the lack of JRPGs. In my head I like, define this gen by its RPGs. Especially the PS1, but I feel like I saw more MGS and Resident Evil than anything else. I guess GAF just doesn't like classic FF style turn-based RPGs as much? I honestly love that type of game and I feel like I might be in the minority, especially as someone who grew up during gen 6.
Also, I'm surprised at how big RE seemed to be in particular. RE5's disappointment here must have been massive when that game came out, especially considering RE4 was voted as the best of gen 6. In retrospect I always forget how many people saw it as a disappointment, but it's never in the discussion when it comes to GOAT games (personally I didn't really think there was much of a drop off from RE4, but I see both games as just simply being good but not fantastic).
I gotta say, having looked through this topic, I'm surprised at the lack of JRPGs. In my head I like, define this gen by its RPGs. Especially the PS1, but I feel like I saw more MGS and Resident Evil than anything else. I guess GAF just doesn't like classic FF style turn-based RPGs as much? I honestly love that type of game and I feel like I might be in the minority, especially as someone who grew up during gen 6.
Also, I'm surprised at how big RE seemed to be in particular. RE5's disappointment here must have been massive when that game came out, especially considering RE4 was voted as the best of gen 6. In retrospect I always forget how many people saw it as a disappointment, but it's never in the discussion when it comes to GOAT games (personally I didn't really think there was much of a drop off from RE4, but I see both games as just simply being good but not fantastic).
Napalm_Frank
Member
RE5 was actually pretty well received by a lot of fans all things considered (especially those that got to play it with co-op). RE6 is where it really had a negative impact I feel.
That's what I thought, but looking at a lot of these votes made me feel like it might be otherwise. RE4 seems to be considered GOAT tier, and RE 1-3 are apparently considered to be some of the standout games from this gen looking at these votes. And while RE5 has fairly positive reception, I never see it in the discussion when it comes to the best games released in the past decade or gen or whatever.
rpgs are the most recognized genre in the top 25. you might be surprised by some of the results - they'll be up in maybe an hour.
I suppose there were very few JRPGs on the N64, and also while they were finally actually appearing in decent numbers in Europe on the PSOne, we hadn't had the FF games/Chrono Trigger etc on the SNES for the genre to really bed down yet, and even then they weren't what people were buying playstations for here. I remember people being more excited for Ridge Racer, Metal Gear, Resident Evil (particularly RE2 and 3), and even some nightclubs I went to at the time in Nottingham had playstation booths with the racing/fighting, quick-to-start, more arcadey games set up. It was a different audience to the SNES/Megadrive, aimed at people in their late teens and twenties. I suppose it was the 'blue ocean' of it's time, loads of my friends who had never played games before picked up a PSOne, and they were more likely to go for the racers etc than JRPGs.
However, 2D stuff like Suikoden and SotN has held up far better than a lot of the early 3D stuff IMO, that's why twenty years of word-of-mouth propels them up these kind of polls even if they weren't that popular globally at the time. It's interesting how looking at a generation so many years later really gives dual barometers of both what stuck in people's memories at the time, as well as what still plays well now. There's been hundreds of games mentioned but hundreds more utterly (and probably rightfully) forgotten.
Put the link in here when it's done.
yep, still working on it. images are almost done. then i need to gather quotes, upload the images, and post the thread. should be done in about an hour.
Yoshi
Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
I think I'm the only one that voted for Abe's Exoddus in the whole thread. Is there no puzzle-platforming GAF?
I don't know I really love platforming in all kinds of ways, but Abe's Oddyssey (which plays very similar right?) has a horrible jumping mechanics from my perspective and this effectively kills every platformer for me :/.
Abe's games are cinematic platformers. More precision jumping and moves than traditional ones. It's more about figuring out which way to go, memorizing it and than executing it in a perfect manner. More of a design choice than faulty mechanics when it comes to jumping.
It's similar to prince of persia, another world, heart of darkness, flashback and more recent example would be Limbo.
It's similar to prince of persia, another world, heart of darkness, flashback and more recent example would be Limbo.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
I tried to go for the games I enjoyed that were excellent rather than personal favorites (OMMV).
1. Virtua Fighter 2 - from the hours I spent playing against my older brother to the tens of dollars I sunk into the arcade machine, VF2 was the reason I wanted a Saturn and made a lasting impact on my gaming life. it's not my favorite VF, but it's the one I feel the most sentimental for. if I had to walk away from gen 5 with one game, it would be Virtua Fighter 2.
2. Panzer Dragoon Saga
3. Layer Section
4. Shining Force III
5. Panzer Dragoon Zwei
2. Panzer Dragoon Saga
3. Layer Section
4. Shining Force III
5. Panzer Dragoon Zwei
Well fuck, thought OP said Sept 12 at 12PM. oh well.
Me too :/
Yes the N64 version. Forgot the GBC game existed. Oops lol.
The horizontal jumping is super precise once you are used to it, but I can understand why it would feel unintuitive to people accustomed to vertical jumping.
1. Final Fantasy VII ; The game that defined this generation for me. It was my first ever RPG and the one that got me hooked on the genre.
2. Final Fantasy IX ; This and VII are equally great games in my opinion, but VII gets first place for the reason stated above.
3. Metal Gear Solid
4. Mega Man Legends
5. Crash Bandicoot
6. Ape Escape
7. Grandia
8. Chrono Cross
9. Vagrant Story
10. Ridge Racer Type 4
x. Final Fantasy VIII ; Weakest FF of the gen but still an amazing game and deserves a mention
x. Xenogears ; More Square love
2. Final Fantasy IX ; This and VII are equally great games in my opinion, but VII gets first place for the reason stated above.
3. Metal Gear Solid
4. Mega Man Legends
5. Crash Bandicoot
6. Ape Escape
7. Grandia
8. Chrono Cross
9. Vagrant Story
10. Ridge Racer Type 4
x. Final Fantasy VIII ; Weakest FF of the gen but still an amazing game and deserves a mention
x. Xenogears ; More Square love
Kiddy Dong
Member
First post on Neogaf, etc.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; A masterpiece of artistic vision in video gaming whose whole is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. One of very few games which grows with you as you mature as a person - approaching its themes of heroism, friendship, and death from new angles as you gain more perspective in life. It is depressing that Nintendo will never have the balls to make a game like this again.
2. Sin and Punishment ; About as good as you can get in the rail shooter genre. It's short, challenging, and action packed from the moment you pick up the controller to the end credits. Personally I feel this is what Star Fox should have always aspired to be.
3. Half Life ; Monumental in video gaming narrative. Giving the player full control of Gordan Freeman at all times but keeping the flow of gameplay along a scripted path was revolutionary back in the day. It's a damn good FPS to boot.
4. Wipeout XL (2097) ; Quite possibly the best marriage of style and substance ever seen in a video game. The Designer Republic's unmistakable imagery and the killer 90's electronica soundtrack really give this game an identity like no other. Not to mention it improved upon the clunky racing of the first Wipeout in every way imaginable.
5. Super Smash Brothers ; The humble beginning of one of Nintendo's flagship franchises. It is very simple in comparison to its younger brothers, lacking the ferocity of Melee's engine and the vastness of Brawl/4. Although there is beauty in its simplicity - a bygone era when every item wasn't meant to be an instakill and stage hazards were tastefully implemented.
6. Pokemon Stadium 2 ; Pokemon perfected for consoles. It's a damn shame there has never been a proper follow up to this series, as the rental system is brilliant.
7. Banjo-Kazooie ; An excellent platformer with a refreshing sense of humor. An impressive musical output too.
8. Perfect Dark ; The sequel to Goldeneye which would end up as the basis for the outstanding Timesplitters series. It's everything a sequel should be, minus the rough framerate.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask ; A masterpiece of artistic vision in video gaming whose whole is far, far greater than the sum of its parts. One of very few games which grows with you as you mature as a person - approaching its themes of heroism, friendship, and death from new angles as you gain more perspective in life. It is depressing that Nintendo will never have the balls to make a game like this again.
2. Sin and Punishment ; About as good as you can get in the rail shooter genre. It's short, challenging, and action packed from the moment you pick up the controller to the end credits. Personally I feel this is what Star Fox should have always aspired to be.
3. Half Life ; Monumental in video gaming narrative. Giving the player full control of Gordan Freeman at all times but keeping the flow of gameplay along a scripted path was revolutionary back in the day. It's a damn good FPS to boot.
4. Wipeout XL (2097) ; Quite possibly the best marriage of style and substance ever seen in a video game. The Designer Republic's unmistakable imagery and the killer 90's electronica soundtrack really give this game an identity like no other. Not to mention it improved upon the clunky racing of the first Wipeout in every way imaginable.
5. Super Smash Brothers ; The humble beginning of one of Nintendo's flagship franchises. It is very simple in comparison to its younger brothers, lacking the ferocity of Melee's engine and the vastness of Brawl/4. Although there is beauty in its simplicity - a bygone era when every item wasn't meant to be an instakill and stage hazards were tastefully implemented.
6. Pokemon Stadium 2 ; Pokemon perfected for consoles. It's a damn shame there has never been a proper follow up to this series, as the rental system is brilliant.
7. Banjo-Kazooie ; An excellent platformer with a refreshing sense of humor. An impressive musical output too.
8. Perfect Dark ; The sequel to Goldeneye which would end up as the basis for the outstanding Timesplitters series. It's everything a sequel should be, minus the rough framerate.
For some reason I thought I had until the 15th to submit mine so I'm just going to leave this here just so I can say that I voted even if it doesn't count.
1. Half-Life ; What more is there to say? This game pushed FPS into the modern age and every game today owes something to it. I still think it's better than Half-Life 2, but I can understand why so many prefer the sequel.
2. Star Wars Episode I: Racer ; Easily my favorite game from this gen, and probably my favorite racing game of all time. A Star Wars version of Wipeout. I put more hours into this game than any other game from this gen. Star Wars games from the mid '90s to mid '00s were scary good and this was just another addition to that impressive lineup.
3. Crash Bandicoot ; My most-played game on the PS1, and all-time favorite 3D platformer. I would always forget to write down the password codes to keep my progress so I ended up restarting almost every time I played. Eventually I just looked them up online and wrote them down on a post-it note that I slid inside the case.
4. Perfect Dark ; I tried playing GoldenEye once, but it has aged badly. Then I tried Perfect Dark. It has aged wonderfully. The 2nd best console FPS of all time behind Halo, but Halo owes a lot to both this game and GoldenEye.
5. Resident Evil ; This game marked the birth of the survivial horror genre, and has an atmostphere that is second only to it's own remake from 2002. I never finsihed it because I just couldn't take the tension for long periods of time.
6. Star Wars Trilogy Arcade ; I only got to play this once at a movie theater arcade, but all I remember was being blown away by it at the time. It was an on-rails shooter that was loud, looked fantastic, and threw me right into the best sequences of the Star Wars movies. This thing put Rebel Assault to shame. The next time I went back to that theater it was gone.
7. Gran Turismo ; This game was the first racing simulator that I can remember playing. Everything else before it amounted to an arcadey simplification of what real racing was like.
8. Twisted Metal 2 ; One of my fondest gaming memories as a kid were some splitscreen multiplayer matches with my Dad in Twisted Metal 2.
9. Destruction Derby 2 ; I'm just now realizing just how many racing games I used to play back then. It really was a lot. This one can be best described as a predecessor to the Flatout and Wreckfest games.
10. Tiny Tank ; Because I love this little guy and I want to go down as the one person who actually voted for him. Also, I can't think of anything else to put here.
Honorable Mentions (a.k.a. "games that should be in my top 10 but I never finished")
x. System Shock 2 ; The predecessor to the BioShock series which is one of my favorites. I never finished because I got the ending ruined for me.
x. Metal Gear Solid ; Great arcade stealth game. I never finished because my emulatior could never run this properly.
x. Colony Wars ; Great space combat sim which was something unheard of on consoles back then. I never finished because I just didn't play it enough.
x. Pokemon Gold/Silver ; My first and only Nintendo game. I never finished because my parents returned my GBC since it used too many batteries.
x. Grim Fandango ; I only recently picked this up on Steam. A great adventure game so far with Tim Schafer world-building at it's best.
x. Star Wars: Dark Forces ; When you think about it, all of the best Star Wars games are just a Star Wars version of another popular game of the time. This one was Doom.
x. Duke Nukem 3D ; An FPS with style. The game that helped bridge the gap between Doom and Half-Life.
x. Mararthon ; The predecessor to the Halo series. I've barely played it because I never owned my own Mac.
x. Thief: The Dark Project ; Another game I picked up on Steam years later and have barely touched. Arguably the greatest stealth game of all time.
x. Fallout ; Got it from GoG along with the sequel and tactics. I never put enough time into it because it just felt too dated for me. The Fallout universe just never clicked with me either.
x. Nights into Dreams ; I picked it up on Steam not so long ago, played for about 10 minutes, and realized that I didn't know what was going on. I still haven't gone back to it.
x. NFL BLitz 2000 ; An over-the-top, grungy, steroid-fueled blast of an arcade football game. We need more sports games like this than wanna-be sims.
x. Lego Racers ; A fun little racing game that helped kickstart the Lego gaming franchise in the late '90s. Players would build their own cars out of Legos and race through a series of tracks.
x. Carnivores ; A first-person hunting game for the PC, but with dinosaurs. Our house had an on-going competition to see who could kill the T-Rex first. I don't think anyone ever did. Those Raptors were nightmare fuel too.
x. Oregon Trail 2 ; Ah, Oregon Trail. What more is there to say? I used to play this during computer class at school until we eventually got our own PC that happened to have a copy bundled with it.
x. Tomba! ; I discovered it on one of those demo discs for the PS1. What a fun little platformer. I never got around to buying it, but it's probably my most played demo of all time.
1. Half-Life ; What more is there to say? This game pushed FPS into the modern age and every game today owes something to it. I still think it's better than Half-Life 2, but I can understand why so many prefer the sequel.
2. Star Wars Episode I: Racer ; Easily my favorite game from this gen, and probably my favorite racing game of all time. A Star Wars version of Wipeout. I put more hours into this game than any other game from this gen. Star Wars games from the mid '90s to mid '00s were scary good and this was just another addition to that impressive lineup.
3. Crash Bandicoot ; My most-played game on the PS1, and all-time favorite 3D platformer. I would always forget to write down the password codes to keep my progress so I ended up restarting almost every time I played. Eventually I just looked them up online and wrote them down on a post-it note that I slid inside the case.
4. Perfect Dark ; I tried playing GoldenEye once, but it has aged badly. Then I tried Perfect Dark. It has aged wonderfully. The 2nd best console FPS of all time behind Halo, but Halo owes a lot to both this game and GoldenEye.
5. Resident Evil ; This game marked the birth of the survivial horror genre, and has an atmostphere that is second only to it's own remake from 2002. I never finsihed it because I just couldn't take the tension for long periods of time.
6. Star Wars Trilogy Arcade ; I only got to play this once at a movie theater arcade, but all I remember was being blown away by it at the time. It was an on-rails shooter that was loud, looked fantastic, and threw me right into the best sequences of the Star Wars movies. This thing put Rebel Assault to shame. The next time I went back to that theater it was gone.
7. Gran Turismo ; This game was the first racing simulator that I can remember playing. Everything else before it amounted to an arcadey simplification of what real racing was like.
8. Twisted Metal 2 ; One of my fondest gaming memories as a kid were some splitscreen multiplayer matches with my Dad in Twisted Metal 2.
9. Destruction Derby 2 ; I'm just now realizing just how many racing games I used to play back then. It really was a lot. This one can be best described as a predecessor to the Flatout and Wreckfest games.
10. Tiny Tank ; Because I love this little guy and I want to go down as the one person who actually voted for him. Also, I can't think of anything else to put here.
Honorable Mentions (a.k.a. "games that should be in my top 10 but I never finished")
x. System Shock 2 ; The predecessor to the BioShock series which is one of my favorites. I never finished because I got the ending ruined for me.
x. Metal Gear Solid ; Great arcade stealth game. I never finished because my emulatior could never run this properly.
x. Colony Wars ; Great space combat sim which was something unheard of on consoles back then. I never finished because I just didn't play it enough.
x. Pokemon Gold/Silver ; My first and only Nintendo game. I never finished because my parents returned my GBC since it used too many batteries.
x. Grim Fandango ; I only recently picked this up on Steam. A great adventure game so far with Tim Schafer world-building at it's best.
x. Star Wars: Dark Forces ; When you think about it, all of the best Star Wars games are just a Star Wars version of another popular game of the time. This one was Doom.
x. Duke Nukem 3D ; An FPS with style. The game that helped bridge the gap between Doom and Half-Life.
x. Mararthon ; The predecessor to the Halo series. I've barely played it because I never owned my own Mac.
x. Thief: The Dark Project ; Another game I picked up on Steam years later and have barely touched. Arguably the greatest stealth game of all time.
x. Fallout ; Got it from GoG along with the sequel and tactics. I never put enough time into it because it just felt too dated for me. The Fallout universe just never clicked with me either.
x. Nights into Dreams ; I picked it up on Steam not so long ago, played for about 10 minutes, and realized that I didn't know what was going on. I still haven't gone back to it.
x. NFL BLitz 2000 ; An over-the-top, grungy, steroid-fueled blast of an arcade football game. We need more sports games like this than wanna-be sims.
x. Lego Racers ; A fun little racing game that helped kickstart the Lego gaming franchise in the late '90s. Players would build their own cars out of Legos and race through a series of tracks.
x. Carnivores ; A first-person hunting game for the PC, but with dinosaurs. Our house had an on-going competition to see who could kill the T-Rex first. I don't think anyone ever did. Those Raptors were nightmare fuel too.
x. Oregon Trail 2 ; Ah, Oregon Trail. What more is there to say? I used to play this during computer class at school until we eventually got our own PC that happened to have a copy bundled with it.
x. Tomba! ; I discovered it on one of those demo discs for the PS1. What a fun little platformer. I never got around to buying it, but it's probably my most played demo of all time.