NinDB Top 25, 2012 - Voting Thread [Closed]

[nocturnal YL]

Ah, cool. All decisions are fine with me.

With BS games, some of them are released in series. There are multiple broadcasts of Super Mario USA, Mario Excitebike, BS Fire Emblem, BS Zelda and so on, one chapter/stage/area at a time. There are also one-time releases, but they tend to be the exact same thing as their SFC counterpart (BS Yoshi's Panepon, BS Dr. Mario, etc).

It's unlikely that someone else than me would vote for a BS game, but perhaps it's a better idea to count each series of games as one (Mario Excitebike 1~5 as one unit, BS Fire Emblem Ch1~4 as one unit, etc).

I don't know about Cave Story. The WiiWare version seems to be a port of Cave Story+, while 3D lies somewhere between the WiiWare version and the PC one. It doesn't help that the Japanese version added in even more small changes (cameos from Nichalis games). I'm perfectly fine with your decision though; the majority of the gameplay hasn't changed.

I can see your direction towards how to count the votes. I guess if voters want to cast their votes to a particular version of a game, just state it as such and discuss it here.

...I'm treating this a bit too seriously, aren't I?

[Nester the Lark]

jigglysama, just to be sure, can I assume that your list is ordered with SSBB in the #1 position, or do you have yet to organize it?

[8bitretroshit]

Sept 2, 2012 3:38:23 GMT -5 Fryguy64 said:

If anyone wants to remember how they voted last time, it's here. I found it useful for culling my old list

Ha, pretty funny reading my past list again (and seeing me complain about Pokemon gen3 like a chump)

Alright here's my 2012 list. Not a whole lot has changed. Just a few new titles and mostly old school games I happened to play recently. Tried to stick to one game per franchise again.. well more or less anyway:

25) Bust-a-move-Allstars
The 4 player mode is hectic and surprisingly fun.
24) Phantasy Star Online
Never actually went online once, but the 4 player splitscreen more than made up for it
23) Ducktales 2
Good platformer filled with secret rooms within secret rooms within...
22) Starfox 64
Very easy to pick and play, still fun.
21) Pokemon Conquest
Had a lot of fun playing this one this year. The unfair advantage you get when you start new scenarios is a bit of a downer though.
20) Mischief Makers
Such an oddball game. The ability to slam NPCs into other NPCs is pretty satisfying.
19) F-Zero X
The randomized X-cup still puts this one above the other F-zero games.
18) Perfect Dark 64
Still my favorite console shooter. Unlike Goldeneye this game is still playable and it features more customisation than Timesplitters 2
17) Cave Story
Great pixel art and pretty difficult at times (which is a good thing!)
16) Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2
Game pretty much has nonexistant story, but the amount of customisation makes up for it.
15) Mr.Gimmick
I come to appreciate this game more lately. Very short, but filled to the brim with tiny awesome details.
14) Fire Emblem 6
Went on a Fire Emblem 6-10 marathon earlier this year. Of the five games I played I liked 6 the best because of it's higher difficulty. Also Gonzales is the best
13) Skies of Arcadia Legends
Fun game with good pacing, good story and great characters. Need to replay this sometime.
12) Rhythm Heaven Fever
Game is kooky as hell and that's just the way I like it.
11) Kirby Superstar
The new games are great too, but a little on the easy side for me. Still one of the best co-op games (and since the remake requires two handhelds, I'm picking the original over that one)
10) TMNT: Turtles in Time
This is the better co-op game though.
9) Parodius
Still the best cute-'em-up
8) Terranigma
One of few Zelda-type games I bothered to play through and I'm glad I did.
7) Smash Bros Brawl
Hardly get around to multiplay this anymore, but it's still fun to ocassionally pick up and play solo.
6) Mario Galaxy 2
Mario Galaxy was awesome as shit. This is better.
5) SMW2: Yoshi's Island
Been meaning to replay this lately, but I remember the big diversity of locales and fun style the game had going on.
4) Pokemon HG/SS
Black & White is one of the best new generations, but the power of nostalgia is pretty strong. Also Pokemon following you was a rather useless, but fun gimmick.
3) Earthbound
Imported a US SNES and a physical copy just to play this the legit way, enough said.
2) Megaman 2
Fuckin' rose tinted glasses
1) Plok
Forever 'n ever

[nocturnal YL]

For some reason I find your list reply-worthy, 8bit.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

22) Starfox 64
Very easy to pick and play, still fun.

For some reason I have a hard time with 3D shooting games, Even getting the harder red route with the 3DS mode of Star Fox 64 3D proves to be a challenge to me.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

21) Pokemon Conquest
Had a lot of fun playing this one this year. The unfair advantage you get when you start new scenarios is a bit of a downer though.

So the Pokémon SRPG is named that in English? And Nintendo published it too?
Is it just me, or are SRPGs in general keep getting easier?

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

20) Mischief Makers
Such an oddball game. The ability to slam NPCs into other NPCs is pretty satisfying.

So true.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

19) F-Zero X
The randomized X-cup still puts this one above the other F-zero games.

I'd have liked F-Zero X Expansion Pak better (and it'd enter my top 25) if I ever have the chance to get my hands on the 64DD. It's one of the very few Nintendo games with full-fledged level editor, and the only 3D game to be so.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

17) Cave Story
Great pixel art and pretty difficult at times (which is a good thing!)

Ah, so I'm not alone in this one.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

15) Mr.Gimmick
I come to appreciate this game more lately. Very short, but filled to the brim with tiny awesome details.

I saw several TAS videos of this game. It looks great indeed. Its audio enhancement is a nice plus too.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

14) Fire Emblem 6
Went on a Fire Emblem 6-10 marathon earlier this year. Of the five games I played I liked 6 the best because of it's higher difficulty. Also Gonzales is the best

I was quite surprised to see a recruitable bandit back then (FE5 has several recruitable mountain thieves as well, but I didn't think I'd see one in non-Kaga FE).
IMO, FE6 Hard's actually quite easy compared to FE10 Maniac, FE9 Maniac and FE7 Hector Hard.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

11) Kirby Superstar
The new games are great too, but a little on the easy side for me. Still one of the best co-op games (and since the remake requires two handhelds, I'm picking the original over that one)

That reminds me of Ultra's single-card 2P Spring Breeze mode. Why can't the game just create a copy of Spring Breeze in Player 2's system?

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

9) Parodius
Still the best cute-'em-up

I like all three in SFC. Sexy Parodius on Saturn and PS has lost its touch, though.

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

2) Megaman 2
Fuckin' rose tinted glasses

I never got to play any of the Mega Man games back in the NES days. I've got the chance to try several Mega Man X games later on, but the difficulty just scared me off. Maybe I should try MM2 some day...

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

1) Plok
Forever 'n ever

Never heard of it before, so I went and found some gameplay videos. I laughed at those "flags".

[jigglysama]

Sept 3, 2012 22:19:39 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

jigglysama, just to be sure, can I assume that your list is ordered with SSBB in the #1 position, or do you have yet to organize it?

Yeah they are in order starting Brawl, otherwise I am such a big fan a consider FE Gaiden my favorite game ;P

[8bitretroshit]

Sept 5, 2012 7:44:44 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

I'd have liked F-Zero X Expansion Pak better (and it'd enter my top 25) if I ever have the chance to get my hands on the 64DD. It's one of the very few Nintendo games with full-fledged level editor, and the only 3D game to be so.

I always love it when they include some sort of stage editor in a game. Hell it's the only reason I wasted so much time on Excite Bike 64. If the 64DD and F-Zero Expansion were actually released here at that time it'd definitely be in my top 5 Nintendo games foreverrrr

I was quite surprised to see a recruitable bandit back then (FE5 has several recruitable mountain thieves as well, but I didn't think I'd see one in non-Kaga FE).
IMO, FE6 Hard's actually quite easy compared to FE10 Maniac, FE9 Maniac and FE7 Hector Hard.

I usually just stick to Normal and play through it once. Well, except for 10 and it's normal-hard switcheroo, but that one's pretty easy since you can just spam Battle Save and prevent restarting the chapter from scratch

I never got to play any of the Mega Man games back in the NES days. I've got the chance to try several Mega Man X games later on, but the difficulty just scared me off. Maybe I should try MM2 some day...

Yeah, the X games or atleast the Playstation ones are pretty ridiculous when it comes to difficulty. I guess they were going for old-school-hard where you have to memorize stages and patterns to even stand a chance, but dashing through a shitload of one hit kill spikes does not a fun game make

Megaman 2 on the other hand is easy as poop. You can beat all Robot Masters with your basic weapon, no sweat

[Nester the Lark]

Sept 4, 2012 15:29:40 GMT -5 8bitretroshit said:

10) TMNT: Turtles in Time
This is the better co-op game though.

And once again...

[Shadrio]

Well, I've never had to make a top 25 games, so I took my time with this. I'm pretty sure this is accurate with what I'd consider my top 25 favorite games.

25) Luigi's Mansion
My first Gamecube game and while it was pretty damn easy, it was a fresh game that's finally getting a sequel for the 3DS.

24) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle
First sonic game I ever owned and I was all wanky about Shadow (hence the avatar & SHADrio). I have some fond memories of this game. Memories only, though, since a younger cousin scratched the life out of the game. Damn kids, take your eye off them for a second, and they scratch game CDs and delete your Pokemon Sapphire with a shiny electrode and jirachi.

23) M&L: Bowser's Inside Story
I couldn't decide between M&L 1 or 3, but ultimately fun took over nostalgia and I decided I liked Bowser's Inside story a bit more.

22) Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
Another hard decision. I originally had B/W as nº22, but HG/SS was the remake of my favorite generation to just play, beat the Elite 4 and restart with a new team. That, and with the mechanics 3G and 4G added, plus all the aesthetics changes (pokemon following you? FUCKIN AMAZING) and the UI changes, make this my favorite pokemon game of all time.

21) Picross DS
You have no idea how many hours I've poured into this game. NO. FREAKIN'. CLUE. And the puzzle maker? FUCK YEAH. I love me some game editors.

20) Pushmo
Like Picross DS but without the load of hours poured into it. Instead, the charm is has (and later on difficulty) makes this a great game any puzzle lover should own.

19) Elite Beat Agents
How this hasn't had a true sequel is baffling and a wasted opportunity. And I hate wasted opportunities. That said, this rhythm game pulled me in for months and I still periodically come back to it. It oozes charm and is the only rhythm game I have enjoyed.

18) Mother 3
I could never get into Earthbound, I respected it and even liked it in a way, but I just could force myself to finish it. But this game, while simple at heart, also was one of the few games to make me get teary and then later make me laugh. Simple, but fun.

17) Pikmin 2
I'm surprised this game was so low on my list, considering how I really love me some Pikmin. This game basically improved almost everything over the first one and I will always treasure the soothing feeling this game would give me. Unless I was at a boss fight, damn that Titan Dweevil.

16) Super Smash Bros. Melee
So many weekends with my cousins. No items, 1 vs 1, Final Destination, Corneria or Temple. One cousin was a beast with Samus, another with Sheik and I enjoyed using Mewtwo the most, even if I was best with Fox. Then, to relax, we'd put out max items and enjoy a itemfest on Pokemon Stadium or any random stage. That's the thing most people don't get: you can play SSB competitively AND casually and still have fun.

15) F-Zero GX
What can I say about this game? It was fun, fast and took no prisoners. Tough as nails, this one. Too bad the series went MIA after this, I love me a tough game.

14) Monstr Hunter Tri
Though I don't play this anymore, I really did enjoy this game with my cousin online. I always found it how the funnest quest didn't require any of the skills one had been honing up until that fight (Jhen Mohran). Also, the first time you take out the Special Quest Alatreon? FUCKING NERVE RACKING. One hit could potentially take out half of your health. Great game, if you don't own it, you flippin suck

13) Super Mario World
Ah, what memories with this game. To say it the simplest way possible: no other Mario game has felt as great as this one in my book. Galaxy and 64 were fun, but I could never get very much into them. And I've said enough about the NSMB series, I don't want to add more fuel to the fire.

12) Megaman X

Need I say anything else?

11) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
I'm a big fan of the FE series due to its difficulty and gameplay, and before I played the Wii FE, the GC FE was my favorite, mainly due to the difficulty and power of the characters (Soren, Ike, Oscar, Nephenee, Rolf, etc.) but the Wii FE was just brutally hard.

10) Banjo Tooie
This game was one of my childhood memories. I took what made the original great, expanded it and gave me memories I still hold dear. That battle against Gruntilda at the end was one of the Boss Battles that defined my youth.

9) LoZ: Skyward Sword
Ah, finally a Legend of Zelda that rivaled Windwaker (I hate Majora's Mask, feel Ocarina of Time is extremely overrated and found Twilight Princess way too easy) in my eyes. Items are continuously used throughout the game, instead of becoming dead weight after their dungeon, the Motion Controls added much fun to the game and it gave me an interesting story. Sadly, this game had some flaws in my eyes that held it back, like the lack of voice acting (it killed the epic feel some cut scenes had, like the one after the Lanayru Mining Facility dungeon) and the game felt dated. Also, fucking Fi. Such a wasted opportunity, especially after Midna, Fi felt like a triangle that wouldn't shut up.

But that's forgivable. Why? The epic boss battles, Ghirahim and Groose. Also, the Ancient Cistern was the best LoZ dungeon, hands down.

8) Metroid Fusion
My first metroid game and while easy (now that I've played it so many times), the looming feel of something out there more powerful than you and capable of taking you with ease teased and terrified me as a kid. It was a fun game, and I enjoyed the sense of exploration in this game, even if limited, and I craved for more.

Also, the 1% challenge I started years ago and just beat a few months ago? That was a challenge, alright...

7) DKC Returns
I wasn't gaming around the time the original trilogy was on the SNES, so I don't hold them that fondly compared to others, but I've always enjoyed them for their charm and difficulty. Then came out Returns and when I knew it was being made by Retro Studios, I was on board for the fun train. Tough as nails and brimming with fun, this is a game I always play when my cousins come over. Also, I've never had problems with the controls.

6) Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Ah, SSBB. The much awaited sequel to Melee. While I do love this game, it has a few things that do tick me in the wrong way. Luckily, the Brawl community more than makes up for this; my main problem with Brawl was the unbalanced issue, but with Balance Brawl, it's pretty much fixed for me. Another huge yet superficial problem were the alt. costumes for the characters, the worst offenders being Fusion Suit Samus and all of Sonic's alts. Again, the community makes up for this.

Honestly, I don't think I'd still be playing Brawl as much as I do if it weren't for them. Sadly, this also makes me very unexcited for SSB4, unless some sort of "Nintendo Workshop" (parallel to Steam's Steam Workshop) were to be implemented. As I think I've said, I love user created content, which is why I love Valve's recent work so much (TF2, L4D, Portal 2 and DotA 2).

5) Metroid Prime
Oh, gawd, it's a Metroid Prime. This game's amazing. I got this in about 2007 and I freakin loved it. Samus just gets thrown onto Tallon IV and has to find herself around without any help other than "oh, I got this upgrade, let me remember where to use it" (because you obviously turned off the help mode, sissy pants). The music was great, the scenery was breathtaking and the gameplay was awesome. And then it gets re-released for the Wii in the Metroid Prime Trilogy with upgraded Wii controls, making the controls even better.

The detail and sheer awesome Retro put into this game made me an instant Retro Studios Fan (and I hate calling myself a "fan)". I'm currently replaying it on the Wii and I'm having a blast all over again. And the overall quality didn't even go down with the sequels (MP2 and MP3 were much more straightforward, but MP2 makes up with its difficulty and MP3 makes up with its presentation and fun factors).

4) Kid Icarus Uprising
I never played the original, despite being a Metroid fan (with KI being Metroid's "sister") and I intend to someday. But for now, I decided to pick up Uprising. At first I was skeptical about it because that's just how I am. But after making it into a few chapters, I was hooked. The detail, the stupidly funny story and dialogue and the sheer fun had with this game instantly knocked it up to nº4 on my list. Also, the controls were never a problem, just about 2-3 levels to get used to them, but I can see how it would rub lefties in the wrong way.

3) LoZ: WindWaker
Ah, Windwaker. Not only was it my first Legend of Zelda game, but it was one of my first few games, so at the time, it was a challenge for me. A fun game with great music and a bold art style few would have dared to take and will never become dated, this LoZ is without a doubt my favorite LoZ. I have a lot of fond memories with this game, like my first dungeon and dungeon boss, getting launched by Tetra's catapult and the wide blue sea.

2) Chrono Trigger
I remember when I first played Chrono Trigger years ago. I was a bit on the defensive side, since I didn't really like Square's other RPG series, Final Fantasy, but once the story kicked in, I was trapped. Never before had an RPG had such good gameplay, music, atmosphere and soul that I would actually care for the characters and the world around them. I wanted to beat Lavos and I wanted to fix time.

I could go on and on about the game, but I'll just say this: no other RPG that I've played has made me give two cents about it other than Chrono Trigger. I mean, that OST is just perfectly made and implemented...

1) Super Metroid
And so I finally arrive at nº1: Super Metroid. Played it back in 2004 for the first time after Metroid Fusion and just took my merry time with it. The music and atmosphere were great, the story was simple enough and I really was addicted (I was playing this on my cousin's SNES at the time). Then I made it to Norfair and got stuck. Super stuck, I had no idea where to go. I bombed the hell out of everywhere accessible and finally, out of desperation, bombed the elevator room to Norfair and found my way forward. The sense of accomplishment there has yet to be equaled and it remains as my most cherished memory in videogames.

Welp, that's it. I'm pretty sure everything is in order... I did write a bit too much, [urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBZMsIfHQF0]but...[/url]

[Dances in Undergarments]

ok, lets do this. Going to see what I come up with off the top of my head, then I'll go back and check through the last list to see if I forgot everything.

1. Yoshi's Island - I still think this is as close to perfection a game has come. Creates so many different, varied experiences out of a relatively limited set of skills. Every level is something different, I love it.
2. Tetris - Brilliantly addictive, there's a reason I own it in probably a gajillion different forms.
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Pretty much repeat what I said about Yoshi's Island - its the closest a modern game has gotten in my mind. In my 2008 list, the original was here, and while I'd be happy for that to stay, if given the choice between the two, I'd go with Galaxy 2, so I'm putting it here to represent the series, I guess.
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Again, its kind of a series vote - I suppose I actually played more of Melee technically, but I'd chose Brawl, with its greater roster of characters, stages, etc over its predecessor any time now.
5. Mario Kart DS - Ditto. Represents Mario Kart as a whole by being my favourite game in the series. Should've had Koopa Troopa as a character, though - Dry Bones isn't quite the same.
6. Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver - And again. Struggled whether Black / White or this one would be here, but I went with the slighlty nostaglic tinge, plus gave it points for letting my Pokemon buddies walk around behind me.
7. WarioWare Inc: Minigame Mania - Crazy fun. Never seen a game before like it, and gave birth to a great series, though the original is my favourite.
8. Resident Evil 4 - Absolutely polished, a brilliant experience from start to finish.
9. Metroid Prime - As above. Just another incredible of game design.
10. Tetris Attack - Probably as addictive as its non 'attack' cousin, just falls a bit shorter because I can't own it on every device under the sun
11. Super Mario World
12. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
13. Pacman
14. Mario Tennis 64
15. Donkey Kong Country 2
16. Super Monkey Ball 2
17. Viewtiful Joe
18. Wii Sports
19. Animal Crossing: Wild World
20. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
21. Banjo Kazooie
22.Super Mario 64
23. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
24. Waverace
25. Mario Party 9




Movers and Shakers[/u]
Newbies -
Waverace (rediscovered on Virtual Console),
Monkey Ball 2 (jumped to mind reasonably quickly this time, I suspect I probably just forgot it last time),
Banjo (I'd say a combo of me forgetting and getting to play it again on XBL),
Animal Crossing (was addicted to this for a while, though strangely, this would've been just before the last list was made - maybe I this was when I burnt out on it and felt negative about it),
Galaxy 2, Pokemon HGSS (they're new, but their predecessors were there last time),
NSMB Wii (also new, but I feel it doesn't really replace anything, as I consider it a new experience thanks to the 4 player mayhem)
Mario Party 9 (felt i needed a new party game to go in here. Like the changes this one made to the formula.... I suspect it won't be in next time, but I've hit a wall)
Star Wars (still hitting that wall... always liked this when I was younger. Don't think it'll be in next time either)

Goners -
Super Mario Galaxy, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl and Pokemon Red/Blue (replaced by sequels, though really, the original could've also stayed, as its fantastic),
Mario All Stars (no more cheating to get them all in),
Super Mario Kart (didn't want two Mario Karts in this time),
Guitar Hero III (I would've put Rock Band in as a replacement, but I played it on 360 and don't think of it as a 'Nintendo' game),
Dr Mario (how did this get on there? I like it, but wouldn't have thought I ever would've given it a top 25 spot),
Rayman Raving Rabbids (not sure I've touched it since then, though those rabbids still do amuse me)

EDIT: Learnt to count

[Nester the Lark]

I forget how difficult it is to make one of these lists. This is a good mix of old and new, I think.

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2. Super Metroid
3. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
4. Yoshi's Island
5. Resident Evil 4
6. Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
8. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
9. Rayman Origins
10. Shock Troopers
11. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
12. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
13. Xenoblade Chronicles
14. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
15. Epic Mickey
16. U.N. Squadron
17. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
18. Metroid Fusion
19. SSX 3
20. Contra 4
21. Tetris
22. Sonic the Hedgehog
23. StarTropics
24. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
25. Super Mario Bros. 3

Fairly low voter turnout this year, but not as bad as it seemed at first. Still time for some last-minute votes. Tomorrow is the last day!

There's something I wanted to discuss, however. As I described in the first post, I rank based primarily on score, and score is determined by where a game is placed on individual lists. Votes (number of lists a game appears on) is used as a secondary criteria. But I'm wondering if maybe I should flip those around, and give priority to the number of votes, with cumulative score used as a secondary.

Hypothetically speaking, what deserves priority: a game that appeared in the #1 position of one list, or a game that appeared in the #21 position of five lists?

EDIT: By the way, doofdoof, you actually had two #20s on your list, so I counted Banjo-Kazooie as #21, and bumped everything down a notch (which eliminated your vote for Super Star Wars). If you want to go back and make adjustments, let me know.

[nocturnal YL]

Both votes and score have their own demerit. I'm inclined in score.

The number of votes method, for an extreme example, counts everyone's 25th and ignores everyone's 26th, even though they're essentially the same. And my favourite game sure doesn't have the same value to me (and thus this voting in a whole) as my 25th.

Score seems to be a blind counting of everyone's list while we seem to be having our own criteria in picking the games. For example, while I aim to bump up whatever I like (just like in elections, where you either vote for the candidate you want to win or vote for whoever is the most likely to kick away whoever you don't want to win), 8bit showed a bit more information: what series he likes and what is his favourite game in each. But score counting is still my preferred way of counting, because: (1) it treats everyone's 1st to 25th differently; and (2) this is how you explained it would work in the first place.

...Pardon me for getting too serious again. An election is going to take place in my hometown (and I hate real-life politics), thus my replies.

[Nester the Lark]

Sept 6, 2012 13:52:51 GMT -5 nocturnal YL said:

But score counting is still my preferred way of counting, because: (1) it treats everyone's 1st to 25th differently; and (2) this is how you explained it would work in the first place.

I understand your points, and I didn't want to change the scoring method willy-nilly without discussing it first. I'm inclined to keep it as-is because it would be consistent with the previous results.

I think, however, that favoring score works better when there are a lot of people voting. Favoring votes might be better when there are fewer people (as there are) because it could prevent the results from being manipulated by only one or two people.

...Pardon me for getting too serious again. An election is going to take place in my hometown (and I hate real-life politics), thus my replies.

We're getting ready for an election here, too, and I share your sentiments.

[Da Robot]

First time I'm really ever thought about what "my favourite games are." I sadly lack playing a large amount of other populor franchises (Mega Man, Final Fantasy, MGS, Sonic) so my list looks kind of weird. Their's very few games from the same series, (I should have put more Zelda titles on it and I usually picked my favourite game from each series) and nostagia and memories of the timeperiod when I got the game are also a factor. Also it's very long.


25) Tetris Party (WiiWare)
Only copy of Tetris I own, but it’s great.

24) The Legendary Starfy (DS)
A platformer I had longed to play for years, was just a good as I hoped. Great art and characters. Though a tad easy in terms of difficulty.

23) Animal Crossing (GCN)
A game I heard my brother talk about for years that was finally released in PAL regions in late 2003. While it may only be worth playing an hour each day, I did that for a about a good year before stopping in early 2005. It was also the GCN game that would have used the majority the GBA connectivity the most for accessing the "Animal Island" mode. Also got some e-reader cards for it. Also its got unlockable NES games in it.

22) Wave Race 64 (N64)
A technical marvel on N64, while it's 2p multiplayer is . . . decent, it has a challenging single player mode that change with each course due due to buoy and wave size/placement (and is one of the few racing games to offer a "reverse" mode) It's enthusaitic and abusive commentator will always be remembered (YOU'RE IN LAST PLACE!)

21) The Last Story
While the story isn't the most original, I really, really liked the combat and the characters and how the game has no padding/filler. It good to know the game was released in NA

20) Mario Kart 64 (N64)
The game that made me and my brother get a N64 over a PS1, it has a feeling of speed unlike the other MK games. Though it has aged since than and it's single player AI is well, kinda pathatic. Though multiplayer battle mode is freakin awesome and one of the best game modes of all time due to how items (green shells) seemed to be programmed to stay alive forever (until they hit each other or players) on closed stages such a Double Decker or Block Fort. Other MK games seem to have an "item limit"

19) TimeSplitters 2 (GCN)
Single player is hard as hell, but multiplayer is good fun with bots. A worthy spiritual successor to Goldeneye, sadly the GCN version of the 3rd game was not released down here.

18) WarioWare:Twisted
I was disapontted after playing Touched years ago, but I got my hands on this and it plays and is "arranged" so much better than that version and is a very close 2nd to the original in terms of content. The gyro feature works very, very well. Though the biggest limitation is excessive (fast) motion and not being able to see the screen at the same time. My favourite memory of this game is playing the Jimmy T boss battle and having to spin the entire GBA (SP) in a 360 motion . . . to climb a spiral staircase. It's was so weird and awesome at the same time.

17) Lylatwars Star Fox 64 (64 VC)
Has wonderful levels that are challenging, distinctive and have good length. Also great characters. (and Lylat voice language option for PAL users!) Would love to own the 3D remake just for the level select option. Like Super Metroid, it is seen at an old game that later entries find hard to top.

16) The World Ends With You
One of the most uniqne DS RPGs ever. It’s combat system is difficult to understand at first but becomes pretty fun when you understand it. Pin selection gives a lot of variation in how YOU want to fight in battles.

15) Super Mario Galaxy
Great platformer, would probably get replaced by SMG2 on this list once I finally buy a copy.

14) Goldeneye (N64)
Only got a copy back in 2008, and hadn't fully played it. But it's single player levels are very well designed and difficulty based objectives and multiplayer is always great. Now if only I could get Perfect Dark . . . and an expansion pack.

13) Super Smash Bros Brawl
Massive amount of content and characters, while some may argue that Melee was better/faster, SSBB is still a good game.

12) 999: 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors (DS)
A visual novel/escape the room game. Has a very well written story (LOTS of text). With multiple paths and interesting characters and good puzzles. More people need to try this game (its sequel is coming to the 3DS/Vita and makes me want to buy former).

11) Mario Kart DS
Best range of features and modes and difficulty in a single MK game, it may only be surpassed by MK7 if I ever buy it. Also has a good battle mode since the 64 version. (Why MK Wii, Why did you screw up battle mode?)

10) Sin & Punishment (VC 64)
One of the best shooters ever, with cool projectile deflecting melee attacks and the choice of accuracy over damage per second for shooting. Though controls are kinda screwed with the VC version. While the sequal is really really good, I feel like most of its levels just go on for too long and could have been broken in half. And its story doesn’t make much sense either (both games)

9) Beyond Good and Evil (Played PC version off Steam, but buyable on GCN)
Great characters and story. Good art. Simple combat and challenging stealth sections. Good use of the camera for the story and for sidequests. Also beatable in less than 15 hours Buy it! (Shakes fist in threatening gesture)

8) Xenoblade Chronicles
Most likely the longest story based RPG I've ever played outside of Pokemon. It has an amazing world and art design and incredible draw distance for a Wii title (and with very short load times!). It's characters are awesome and has a big linear story connected by sections of the world that reward players for exploring every corner (if they have corners . . .) The main "seeing the future" mechanic works well with the story (in cutscenes) and gameplay (in battles and when picking up items they may be used for sidequests)

7) Super Metroid (SNES VC)
Played for the first time in 2010. An incredible 2D sidescroller. Some "hidden" features of it make me wonder why they haven't been implemented into other games. Even Yoshio Sakamoto admitted the game would be hard to top for future Metroid instalments.

6) WarioWare: Mega Microgame$ (GBA)
One of the weirdest games I ever saw when I was first shown it by my brother. But once you play it and learn each of it's microgames it becomes a wonder high score fest. It's sheer volume of microgames, modes and unlockables/minigames (and it's perfect difficulty balance) is still the best out of all the whole WarioWare series.

5) Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Wonderful game, great combat and pacing and difficulty. Mercenaries mode is awesome, wish I could have the Wii version with the extra features/modes though.

4) World of Goo (Played Steam version but avalible on WiiWare)
One of the best indie games of all time, great art, story and puzzle gameplay. It’s really GOOd. Nintendo even helped translate/promote it in Japan!

3) TLoZ: OoT (via GCN that came with TWW)
Incredible, though it has aged graphically. Master Quest version also proves that you can make a new (harder) gameplay experience out of existing dungeon areas.

2) Metroid Prime 1(Played both GCN and Triology versions)
Going successfully into 3D like SM64 and OoT did for their franchises by, MP is a amazing game, that has art direction that still looks good today. While it's sequels are both great games that go slightly different directions

Eg - Retro did design MP2 with the intention of a larger world with higher difficulty (such as the immtimading health draining Dark World that made some players stop playing the game completly but got rebalanced with the Wii version) than MP1. The final fetch quest take too long as the final suit upgrade is required to get most of them.
- MP3 has good art direction and backstory for the multiple worlds and great Wii controls that showed that you could make a good first person game with the Wii Remote/Nunchuck for use in combat (faster, more specfic targetting) and eniviroment interaction. But it's namesake "courrption" mechanic (hypermode) has been admitted by Retro didn't work as well as it should (feels like a lot of enemies need to have hypermode to get killed with). The game also appears to have been rushed to completion with amount of useless "Ship Missile" items scattered around the game. The final fetch quest is better than MP2 but feels kind of off when the items in question are just Galatic Federation Fuel Cells (Why can't they just give me some?)

MP 1still has the best balance of good combat, backtracking, puzzles, and a decent length final fetch quest where it's possible to earn 9/10 keys before the final suit upgrade with little backtracking.

1) Super Mario Bros 3 (SMA 4 GBA version)
When I first played this (at age 14 in 2003), I died on the first Goomba of 1-1, and ending up seeing multiple "Game Over" screens every few levels. I still greatly enjoyed the game and managed to beat it, sometime after that I started a new game and made my way back to World 8 with out a single Game Over. Even at University I helped someone with the NES version get to World 8 (via Warp Whistles) which made me feel like a badass (the guy in question had never seen World 8 and I can’t blame him). I loved its level design and its selection and balance of items* (Go Hammer suit! Kill some Boo's!) Sadly I have still not played SMB1/2/TLL or World.
This game also made me get an e-Reader even though the cards for it weren't released down here (least I got 2 in the box)

* Compare to NSMB which has Fire Flowers come out of nearly every "? Box", making it bloody hard to get the (cool looking) Shell suit or the Mini Mushroom

[Dances in Undergarments]

Sept 6, 2012 12:45:19 GMT -5 Nester the Lark said:

EDIT: By the way, doofdoof, you actually had two #20s on your list, so I counted Banjo-Kazooie as #21, and bumped everything down a notch (which eliminated your vote for Super Star Wars). If you want to go back and make adjustments, let me know.

Sounds good to me. Counting is hard.

[nocturnal YL]

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

I sadly lack playing a large amount of other populor franchises (Mega Man, Final Fantasy, MGS, Sonic) so my list looks kind of weird.

There's no way you can beat me when it comes to repeating the same series. I voted with games in consideration, not series.

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

24) The Legendary Starfy (DS)

Where are thou now, TOSE?

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

22) Wave Race 64 (N64)

Reminds me of the GC version's secret announcer voice.

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

21) The Last Story

Pretty much what I heard: The story is so unoriginal that some will find it laughable, but the gameplay's pretty great.

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

20) Mario Kart 64 (N64)

One of my favourite pasttime. Letting loose loads of shells in Double Decker is fun. Sometimes I'd say on a spawning point forever just to shoot things out (and often get hit myself).

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

18) WarioWare:Twisted

Agreed; Twisted is better than Touched.

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

15) Super Mario Galaxy

I highly recommed you to get SMG2 if you like SMG1. You won't regret it.

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

11) Mario Kart DS

It's the easiest Mario Kart I've played, except the Missions and playing with other human players. The emblem editor is a nice addition; few Nintendo games allow custom icons with games that can be played with anyone.

Sept 6, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 Da Robot said:

1) Super Mario Bros 3 (SMA 4 GBA version)

SMA4's awesome. I considered putting it into my list, but there are only 25 slots per person.