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theultimateegghead-blog · 6 years ago

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50 Follower Special! The Grand Finale!

Well guys, gals and all others, we made it. The finale of this lovely 50 follower special! This is the last 10, my top 10 favorite games of ALL TIME. Every game here I have beaten multiple times and have poured countless hours into. They bring me such joy, they all are special to me, allow me to share them!

10 – Dragonball Xenoverse 2

What can I say? I love this game, Dragonball was a big part of my childhood, and this game lets you create your own characters and relive the story of Dragonball. I initially did not find the first Xenoverse that great, I liked it but thought it was very flawed, this game corrects some of the major gripes I had and has a huge roster of characters. I got this game the day it came out and I have been playing it ever since. I primarily play as a member of Freeza’s race, I call them Icejins. His name is Mintice and he is a precious cinnamon roll.

Will I review this game? – Yes

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9 – Ocarina of Time

I know some people think its overrated, but I love Ocarina of Time. This game is what sparked my love for the Zelda series. I found it amazing, I had no internet, strategy guide or friends who played the game, so it was all a new experience and I loved it. I still have my original N64 cart and the 3DS remake, both versions are fantastic. If you love Zelda, then please give this game a try, it got great dungeons, great music and is overall fantastic. That water temple though…

Will I review this game – Yes

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8 - Kingdom Hearts 2

I loved the original Kingdom Hearts, and I LOVED the sequel. I got it shortly after it came out and played it for so long. Then the 2.5 remix came out and I enjoyed it all over again. I got the ultimate weapons, I beat some of the super bosses and I got to level 100. This is one of the best action RPGs ever and is possibly Disney’s greatest gaming masterpiece. There is so much to love about this game and im excited for the sequel.

Will I review this game? – Yes

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7 - Metal Gear Rising Revengence

Metal Gear Rising is an awesome hack and slash video game that takes place in the Metal Gear universe. You play as a cyborg Ninja that can cut down buildings and throw 60-foot-tall robots. While not a relatively long game, it can be fun to sink hours into to beat the various challenges and so on. A huge focus of this game is the boss fights and the music, the music is absolutely amazing. This is a great game, its got great moments and is worth the time, be ready though, this game can get tough!

Will I review this game? – Yes

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6 - Sonic 3

My first game, Sonic 3 was the first game I ever recall playing back when I was just about 4 years old. This game was great, and it came in two different parts. It is not much different from the previous sonic games, but it introduces some cool new things. Knuckles is introduced along with the shield power ups. It is in my opinion the best Sonic game…so spoilers for the sonic series extravaganza. This game is colorful, fun, its one of the longest sonic games and it can be challenging. This is a game I often revisit.

Will I review this game? – Yes

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5 - Halo Reach

The best Halo game in my opinion. Halo Reach has everything that makes Halo 3 great and more. Custom characters, rewards for playing, easter eggs…and a VERY good somber story. This is a game I got attached to and have sunk many hours into. This is a game I have played full playthroughs with multiple friends. My Xbox is fried with the red ring, when I get new one, I am totally playing through this game again. Ill be honest with you, Halo 4 was a disappointment and I do not care for the direction the story has gone in the sequels, they aren’t bad games but at the same time... So, this was my last favorable Halo game, and I think it’s the best first person shooter in my collection of games, and I have a large collection.

Will I review this game? – Yes

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4 - Bloodborne

Bloodborne is an utterly amazing game that is extremely action packed and difficult. I love the art style of this game, I love the way it plays. It is an aggressive game that punishes the timid, not for the feint of heart. This game was the reason I bought a Ps4. I have played through it 3 times and got all the trophies including the DLC trophies as well. This game is a masterpiece and I cannot get enough of it. If you want a more in-depth reason behind my love for this game refer to my review.

Will I review this game? – Already did, it got a perfect 10/10.

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3 - Dark Souls

From Bloodborne to Dark Souls. Dark Souls is very nostalgic for me. I played it during a time of my life were my motivation was at an all time low. I just endured a month of Bronchitis, I was in between college terms and just lacked the motivation to play anything. I told myself to beat this game, and after a month I did. It resparked my love for beating games. Then years later I got the full version and I beat that one as well, I platinumed it and got everything the game had to offer. This is a great and very challenging game that I simply adore.

Will I review this game? – Already did, it got a 9/10.

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2 - Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess

My favorite Zelda game, this game is amazing. It was one of my first Wii games and it is the Wii game I have played the most. I loved the characters, Midna and Zant in particular, I loved the dungeons, the combat, the story. I loved everything this game had to offer, and I will play it again once I get the Wii U version, I will play it all over again. This game is beautiful and a completely amazing experience. Give it a try if you haven’t, If you’re a Zelda fan I can almost guarantee you will love it.

Will I review this game? – Yes

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1 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

What a thrill… There could be no other, when creating this list, I knew this would take the first place. This game is my favorite of all time. Its an amazing video game and is in my opinion the best game on the Ps2. It has a great story, excellent gameplay and music and it has a certain unique quirkiness to it that makes it memorable. What other games can let you beat a boss by letting him die of old age by waiting a week? Or scare people away by wearing an alligator hat? This is Metal Gear at its best, and it is my favorite game of all time.

Will I review this game? – OH YEAH!

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Thank you all for reading! Thank you to all my followers! I appreciate all of you, and I appreciate the followers to come. Special shout out to my brother, he may not be a gamer but he is a very cool dude and a great friend! Next special is at 100 followers, and be ready, it’s a 10 parter. Thanks again!

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crystalnet · 7 years ago

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Favorite 5 Consoles of All Time

Consoles are fun to think about. This is a given for any gamer. Beyond just being the things that we play our favorite games on though, consoles can offer a unique experience unto themselves based mostly on the games they offer, but also in the way their individual characteristics set them apart from what comes before and after. When a console is successful, I believe that it has a sum-greater-than-its-parts effect, and feels like one big cohesive platform with something unique to offer. Without further ado, let’s get into it (this one is long)...

1. PS2

In my mind this one is almost indisputably one of the top three consoles of all time and the only way I can imagine it not being included in your top 3 or even your number 1 is if you either never owned one and never so much as played any of its classics, or maybe if you're way more into SNES or N64 having grown up with those. Or maybe the Dreamcast is preferable if you're kind of freaky (I get that), or you prefer OG playstation because of the plethora of dank, god-level JRPGs. As for other 6th gen consoles, maybe you are a Halo and Fable freak so you go for the OG Xbox (only Microsoft machine I respect) or you just have a weird thing for the Gamecube's comparatively skimpy but eclectic offering of 1st party titles and others (Sunshine, Mansion, Melee, MGS Twin Snakes, the "Capcom 5", yeah, I get that too). So yeah, basically you're wrong if you don't say PS2 is the greatest of all time unless you have a weird but understandable fetish for any of those several other consoles I mentioned.

For me though, PS2 was my very first console. I was a bit late to the party due to only owning a Gameboy Color and later Advance throughout the 90s, so lucky me, I was rewarded for my patience with this beast of a console, going straight from 32-bit handheld titles like Mario Kart Grand Prix-- skipping right over the polygonal, blocky era of N64/Sega Saturn/PS1 that have unfortunately aged pretty poorly for me-- straight to the rich graphical prowess of this unstoppable machine. I couldn't have asked for a better introduction to console gaming, for in the following years I would have my formative experiences with some of the most eclectic and deep games I have ever played to this day.

Exclusives on this thing are, in my opinion, probably the best of any console ever, beating out even most if not all Nintendo consoles in terms of its exclusives which is no mean feat given that exclusives are Nintendo's bread and butter. But everything from Tekken 4, to Final Fantasy X, to Ratchet and Clank and Jak and Daxter, to Kingdom Hearts, to Persona 3 and 4, to Katamari Damacy, to MGS 2 and 3... to...to... I could keep going for a while but probably should avoid devolving into listing, but a lot of those games are still to this day my favorite experiences, and they run the gambit in terms of genre, with everything from fighters and platformers to JRPGs and puzzle games and tactical espionage survival-shooters (or I should just say MGS3) being represented excellently. To me, these games and a few others might just be the peak of gaming as far as I’m concerned. PS2 is that perfect sweet spot for me, before things got maybe a tad too complicated and loaded down with overworked graphical spectacle but after the unbridled potential that SNES and PS1 games teased at, with the 6th generation's best titles delivering on that promise and then some.

It's especially impressive to me and worth noting that this console doesn't have anything in the way of a mascot like a certain plumber or hedgehog, while also not having a single killer-app, must-own title either, like Halo was for Xbox. Unlike Gamecube or Xbox, there wasn't a single game that you just knew a person was going to own if they had a PS2 back in the day, whereas Smash Melee or Halo seemed like default games for their respective consoles. This speaks to the eclecticism of the console's lineup. It had pretty much anything that was conceivably multi-platform while also having tons of unique games made by devs that were loyal to Sony and pretty much only Sony during this time. Square Soft (still Soft for just a bit longer..) and Konami bolstered the system by putting out some of the greatest Final Fantasy and Metal Gear games in the franchise while lighter platforming fare like Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank from Insomniac and Naughty Dog made good on the promise of previous genre's 3D platforming excellence. Indeed this was the last time 3D platforming would really be a big thing, but the genre went out on a great note due to these two series’ and the Sly Cooper titles to a lesser extent (stealth platforming).

With Crash out of the game, Sonic's cache quickly fading and others like Spyro or Rayman being relegated c-list status, these two titles combined sand-box gaming (in Jak's case) and inventive shooting-centric combat (in Ratchet and eventually Jak's case) with the now classic tenets of the genre that Super Mario 64, Crash and Banjo Kazooie set precedents for. And both of these power-duos kind of vie for a role as Sony's mascot, but I think it pretty quickly became apparent that the whole idea of a mascot was by then both passe and unnecessary, unless he was Mario or Master Chief (indeed Mario is kind of so uncool that he has always remained cool unlike Sonic or Crash, while Master Chief with his sci-fi para-militaristic edginess made older leading characters shrivel upon comparison (save for like Solid Snake or that Half-Life 2 guy maybe)).

That's kind of a tangent though, but I think the way that the console doesn't have any single one game or franchise that everyone hails as the quintessential PS2 is part of what makes the console's line-up so strong. There was also an especially strong presence of combo-heavy hack-and-slash titles like God of War and Devil May Cry which aren’t really in my wheelhouse but I do respect them. More relevant to the purposes of this blog and my own penchant for JRPGs, this console is far and away the best console for JRPGs during this generation. Dreamcast comes in 2nd place probably for JRPGs this gen, with Gamecube just on its heels, and while they both have their fair share of titles, PS2 comes out on top easily almost based solely on that fantastic run of Final Fantasy games, from X, to XI, to XII (XI is multiplat but good lord, I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours on this MMO, and it was kind of a big deal to even be playing an MMO on a console, not to mention the greatest MMO of all time). Add in the SMT/Persona games and you have one of the top 3 consoles for JRPGs of all time, alongside the PS1 and SNES, based almost solely off of two franchises. But then there's also the excellent Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy games from Level 5, the Kingdom Hearts games (say what you will, they're solid), stand-outs like Odinsphere from VanillaWare, and the sort-of-trashy but sort-of-brilliant games like the Dot Hack titles (okay those are only brilliant to me), and these and many more round out a very strong presence for the genre, including stuff like Xenosaga and Dragon Quest VIII, both of which I still need to get to. There’s literally probably 1000+ hours worth of solid JRPG experiences on this console given the sheer amount of them.

So yeah, this console is just kind of god-level all around. Multi-platform titles like SSX3 and Resident Evil 4 have a strong presence as well. Throw in pretty decent online functionality back when that wasn't a given and DVD/CD compatibility and you have something that truly felt like an all-purpose entertainment console. Oh and the Dual-Shock 2 was the best controller at the time, and probably at that moment was the best controller so far (I would say it still is but the Dual-Shock 4 is a strong contender despite slightly lacking battery life). So yeah, this thing is a beast. I could talk about it all day because I feel like it deserves that but I should move on before I start doing extended commentary on each and every unique 5-star game this thing offered. I'll leave you with this... Picture it... Christmas morning 2002. Kingdom Hearts came out in March and you've been patient all year. Biding your time. This Xmas, your mother is finally coming around to the idea of a console and you know what you must do... for your first games you carefully select Tekken Tag Tournament, Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9 and Tactics (respect discounted PS1 gold) and a certain goofy-as-hell, but beautiful crossover game.. all year you've been pining over the ad-spot that played during Toonami featuring that unstopable J-Pop Utada Hikaru song and now... at last, in front of your whole family, you boot up the PS2 for the first time and behold, your just desserts... Dame Utada. And yes, the whole family is on board with this otaku dreamscape. Dream on gamerz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKsX02Zc9eE

2. Wii

Moving right along. We jump ahead in time all of 4 years from when I first got PS2 and 6 years total from when PS2 first dropped and we arrive at the undoubtedly troubled but still deeply worthwhile 7th gen. And while Microsoft and Sony were unveiling they're grotesquely expensive bionic bastardizations of a console, strapped down with overly pricey bells-and-whistles that put the focus on everything but actual gameplay, Nintendo had cooked up something drastically different with the Wii-- a weird, slightly under-powered, quirky-as-hell at best, gimmicky-as-fuck at worst, and comparatively compact and cheap console simply called the Wii (originally titles the Revolution). It's fun to think back to the excitement and promise in the months leading up to the launch of the Wii... a whole new kind of controller and way of playing. A console that seemed to have a real philosophy that wasn't based solely around pretty as fuck graphics that would make your eyes bleed. And that excitement lasted well into the first year or so of the console. Wii Sports is a behemoth of cross-generational accessibility, and made for some very fun Christmas mornings across the planet, I imagine. Twilight Princess, though in actuality a delayed Gamecube title, was super solid and one of the better launch games of all time. Then there were other lighter, motion-control heavy titles early on like WarioWare Smooth Moves, Rayman Raving Rabbids or Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz that were fun if uneven and a little jank-y. Rounding it out were games like Red Steel (ghetto but kinda fun!) and Excitebike (underrated!) that round out the genre diversity. So yeah, not a bad launch really. The big problem with the Wii though, was keeping up the impressive momentum that it started with.

The gestalt of the system was always very strong. An impressive interface that was fun and easy to use with relaxing "zen" feeling ambiance added to the relaxing and intuitive feeling of the console. The stark white and minimal presentation of the menus and the console itself, clearly inspired by Apple products and pre-figured by the gorgeous Nintendo DS-lite by about a year, were preferable to what Sony and Microsoft were doing. And the whole anti-graphical prowess, pro-innovation thing-- especially in retrospect-- seem kind of punk rock. In my mind, things got kind of nasty for gaming around this time, with the rise of Madden and Halo gamer bros, and the ridonculous price-tags of PS3 and 360 making things feel both played-out and overwrought. But with the Wii, Nintendo offered a panacea. One that came with its own unique flaws and pitfalls mind you, but a panacea nonetheless.

The great Achilles heel of the console though, was the slow trickle of games. I think it's a shame that the console had this problem, but it's also pretty damn understandable. With lower graphical prowess, big triple-A titles had trouble living on this console, and devs were a bit reticent to develop for such a strange, motion-control-centric console. The whole idea of the wii remote and motion-control was brand new, and to my knowledge only existed before this in Kirby Tilt-&-Tumble (a really dope Gameboy Advance gyroscopic pinball riff). Nintendo should have realized that this was going to be an issue and either ramped up their 1st party projects or figured out a better way of courting third-party devs. The weird thing is, that by the end of the console's lifetime, the line-up actually comes outlooking pretty damn strong. And it's easily in my top 5 libraries of all time (is top console and top console library a different list?). But it's just that it took all 6 years of its life to get there. And as a gamer in high school, I felt this slow-trickle of strong releases very acutely. And when I look back, I realize it may simply have to do with a nearly-fatal lack of JRPGs initially and for much of its lifetime. Now this whole generation is kinda stinky for JRPGs and I'm just about to write a whole post on that, but still, I shouldn't have had to rely on the impressive albeit well-worn selection of Gamecube and Virtual Console titles to get my JRPG kicks while I waited.

The thing is, this console actually has 2 of the best JRPGs of the era, but they came out very late and almost not at all. It's all thanks to X-Seed's fantastic localization efforts that we even have the fantastic Xenoblade Chronicles and Last Story-- both of which Nintendo was frustratingly hesitant to even release in the west. So again, even though it took a while, the console ends up with super strong offerings in the long-run. First-party games were more the story of this console than any other Nintendo console, which is really saying something given their habit of relying on them. But here, they were especially dependent on their flagship franchises. Indeed, Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3 are some of the best games of their respective franchises, not to mention Twilight and eventually Skyward, which I much prefer but paradoxically didn't like initially (plus it came at the tail-end like a lot of the other good ones). It seems like there's a big stretch there between the end of the first year and the last couples years of the console where pickings were just a bit too slim. But quirky third-party titles like No More Heroes and Muramasa were excellent and proved that other developers like Suda51 and Vanillaware could knock games out of the park on the console, showing that Nintendo themselves weren't the only ones capable of this.

Indeed, by the end of the console, shit is solid as hell. My favorite version of Resident Evil 4. A very solid Fire Emblem game, when those were still kind of new to the states. Smash Brawl. Like you can't fuck with these games. So while I might seem like I'm spending a lot of time talking about the slight lack of high-quality games just to say that by the end that said library is actually super strong, it's because I can't overlook the flaws this thing had for a decent stretch of time there. It's just that I really love the Wii at this point in my life, but that I am still aware of my issues it had-- hell I'd even say I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with it. I simultaneously scorned the hardcore experience I felt I was missing out on while also wishing at least some of those games could exist on the Wii. At their worst, games could feel cheaply made and gimmicky, but then the very best games made the Wii and its unique controls feel like the pinnacle of gaming that gen. In retrospect though, even it's "flaws" at the time almost seem like strengths.

Yes, this console could be gimmicky, and roughly a third of the 1200 some odd titles are shovel-ware. It probably should have been like $50-100 dollars more expensive for the purposes of having a more impressive graphics card and Nintendo really needed to figure out how to either have more third-party exclusives or just more third-party support in general. BUT, despite all of that, this thing has ascended to legendary status in my mind. And I think it's strengths, and even some flaws, make it shine even brighter in my mind when I think of the ways that it represents something pure. With the Wii, Nintendo wanted simply to innovate and entertain. They didn't seek to blow us away with sheer processing power, and big, Hollywood-esque triple-A shooters that were as polished as they were soulless. No, instead they gave us something truly unique-- almost aggressively so, and everyone and their grandma and baby cousin benefited from it. And in a landscape where a lot of the glaring issues with big, dumb humdrum triple-A day-one DLC-baring titles continue to lack substance or anything remotely resembling a soul or anything in the way of spunk, the Wii and its philosophy on gaming is more valuable than ever. It prefigures what Nintendo continues to do with the next two consoles (to varying degrees of success) and it functions as a line drawn in the sand by Nintendo, by which they made more clear than ever before their goal to sing their own tune (N64 chose not to jump on the CD game and Gamecube has those mini-discs but were otherwise pretty regular comparatively). Moving forward, I think people have begun to realize that Nintendo's project is far more important than what Sony and Microsoft are doing in terms of sheer innovation and principles. While individual games on Sony and Microsoft games are still capable of being fantastic, those consoles lack a certain personality or cohesive aesthetic, whereas the Wii has it in spades. Nintendo had real guts for this, and a lot of it payed off very well, and I'll certainly be playing some of these games well into my septuagenarian years, as I imagine most of my generation will spend their retirement community days playing either Wii Fit/Sports or else maybe like PS8 Virtual Reality. And you know what? That sounds like a good time to this gamer.

3. Sega Dreamcast

Speaking of consoles with spirit and spunk. There's just something about the Dreamcast, and I know so many people would know exactly what I mean by that. Some kind of X-factor that is nigh impossible to pin point. Of course, the fact that it died off so pre-maturely and tragically certainly helps with the cult status. In fact I bought mine used 2 years after it ceased being sold new in stores (the Xmas after the big PS2 score), partly because of the ideal price-tag and cheap back-catalog of games, partly because I think I was going through my last Sonic the Hedgehog phase. But beyond it's unfortunate and rapid decline, the console is just special in a way almost no consoles seemed ever again after this generation save for like yeah probably the Wii, or maybe the Switch and that's all. I love me some Sony to this day, but PS3 and PS4 feel more like the default consoles rather than like something unique and special like the Dreamcast was. Nintendo I think are the only ones that appreciate the idea of a console having a unique gestalt and philosophy, but whether it was intentional or not, Dreamcast also had that in spades. I don't know if it was intentional but there's something kind of... "urban" feeling about this console. Games like Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure seemed to sport this specific kind of 90's lite-edginess that was a lot of fun and went well with the strong offering of sports games.

Then there are legendary games like Shenmue or Marvel vs Capcom 2 (eventually ported) that retain an arcade-y feel while also offering depth. Throw in some solid JRPGs including the first iteration of Phantasy Star Online (online on a console in 2000???), along with a solid Resident Evil entry, and a modded bootleg version of Metal Gear Solid 1, and you have a well-rounded winner of a console, with personality to spare. Of course, due to its untimely death, most of its games would be ported to the other more lucky gen-6 consoles, but certain titles-- most of which I've mentioned-- will always belong on the Dreamcast as far as I'm concerned. It's just one of those consoles where you weren't just playing a game that happened to be on Dreamcast. You were playing a Dreamcast game. Big difference.

The first of its gen, it was ahead of its time, with online functionality and a freakin browser(!!!), along with a unique controller that had a screen-baring memory card slot right there in the controller. In a way, it kind of vaguely pre-figures the Wii U a decade before tablet-centric gaming. Four controller slots made it more party-friendly than the PS2 (damn you multi-tap add-on) and I also just generally like the way the actual console itself looks compared to every other console around this time save for maybe the Gamecube, for what that's worth. In fact, I feel like Dreamcast kind of passed its torch off to Gamecube in the way that that console got a lion-share of Dreamcast ports including Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and Phantasy Star Online. Plus GC was the only other console in the gen to have the same kind of spunky individuality. PS2′s library was eclectic as fuck, but the console itself never felt as unique as the Dreamcast or Gamecube if only in terms of its sheer appearance or in terms of that ever-elusive x-factor. Hell, Gamecube has a much stronger library if I'm honest, but I already included the Wii which has backwards compatibility, and I never owned a Gamecube. But not to get derailed into changing my mind to include a console whose games I only ever played on my Wii while waiting for new Wii games to come out, I stand by the Dreamcast for what it represents and in a perfect world Sega, Nintendo and Sony will always be the holy trinity of console developers and Xbox never came along and eventually made things dumb and bro-y by the late aughties. Like I know it's not Microsofts fault, but ugh, what a bummer for the Dreamcast to be effectively replaced by the Xbox (I know Dreamcast's decline didn't have to do with Xbox per se, but still (indeed Microsoft helped Sega build the Dreamcast in the first place, in the process learning how to make their own watered-down bullshit console (truth be told, even though I'm a J-gamer through and through, I actually have a soft-spot for OG Xbox))).

But yeah, I just want the Dreamcast to know that I love it, and will always be here for it. Corny Sonic games and all (Sonic Shuffle is sick and underrated fyi). Dreamcast, you were not made for this world, but I will always love you despite the fact that there's only like 6 games on you that I'd ever want to revisit~

ps Also, it's just the best name for a console hands down. Like what even does "Dreamcast" mean (oh like broadcast I guess?)? It sounds cool and rolls off the tongue, and at least on some nights, is truly is the console of my dreams. Also, big ups to the modding community that kept this baby alive and still does.

4. Nintendo Switch

Oh boy... now this is a bit ballsy seeing as this thing is all of 6 months old, but I can't deny how much enjoyment I've already gotten out of it already,-- or more importantly-- how much unbridled potential this thing has in every iota of its tidy little package. I feel I can include this because of some of the same reasons I raved about the Wii. In a landscape where PS4 and 360 seem a bit weight down by the sheer technical prowess of their most over-developed games, the slick and sporty and versatile Switch is a life-raft that does nothing less than breathe life into gaming in a time when pumping new ideas into the landscape is rare and ever essential, especially so given that triple-A developers are want to roll-out homogenized, open-world, over-the-shoulder uber-genre show-piece titles ad nauseum. The Switch is everything PS4 and 360 aren't while not being nearly as drastically outpaced technologically as the Wii was by its respective peers. Indeed, part of Nintendo's advantage is that they are essentially the sole inhabitants of the 9th generation (unless you count PS4 Pro or the whatever the deluxe Xbone is...). The Switch comes much closer to the graphical capability of PS4 and Xbone than the Wii did to it's respective peers while also offering unique handheld versatility, motion-controlling joy-cons, a touchscreen a la the problematic-if-promising Wii U AND the goldmine that is Nintendo's 1st party titles.

If Nintendo had a kind of uneven and weaker lot of 1st-party games on the Wii U, it seems like the Switch has them feeling inspired if Breath of the Wild is any indication. And yes, BotW is essentially a Wii U game, but good lord that game is fun to play in handheld mode, and what I have learned from the console, is that for me at least, most games are made exponentially better by simply having the option to be played on the go. Time will tell if the first-party entries will keep up the success of BotW though, but Mario Odyssey is almost certainly a slam-dunk for a 6-month old console, and Metroid Prime 4, the inevitable Pokemon and Animal Crossing games in 2018 seem to suggest that we won't have to worry about a lack of high-quality tiles. Really the only thing Nintendo has to worry about is that they keep a consistent flow of games coming out, namely good multi-platform and third-party titles in addition to the strong 1st party flagship titles that are probably on lock. And so far, so good on that front. There's been at least one big title every month, and the 3rd party and indie support seems to be strong in this one. Throw in some vintage-style JRPGs already on the console, and new big-budget ones like Xenoblade, and things seem to be infinitely promising for this little handheld/console combo that could. I think this shows that Nintendo has learned from the issues the Wii had, and that the Wii u had to an even larger extent, and are addressing it.

The whole idea of creating a machine that effectively merges their predilection with handheld gaming with their big new console effort is a masterstroke on Nintendo's party. They have created a console in which big budget, triple-A titles can exist in a way that is arguably superior to the way their counterparts exist on PS4/XBO/PC simply because of handheld functionality. In this way, Nintendo can put big, pretty 1st and 3rd party tiles on it, while also putting a whole mess of good indie and low-budget and/or retro-style games like Spelunker World, Sonic Mania or I Am Setsuna (ported from PS4 but so much better on Switch (JRPGs are want to be played on the go when that is called for)). This has me most excited for what this means for JRPGs on the console, with things like Lost Sphere and Octopath making it seem like this might be Nintendo's best console for JRPGs since well Wii and Gamecube (JRPGs skipped N64 and basically Wii U entirely save for like Mario RPG and Tokyo Mirage Sessions/Xenoblade Chronicles X) and I write about that more elsewhere, but the fact that this range of kinds of titles can exist on the Switch may be a crucial boon for the console. So the next year or so will be proving ground for Nintendo, and these next few quarters are especially crucial, but things are looking very solid when you consider Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2 are just about to drop, closing out a super solid year 1 (calendar year that is, next March will be a true year).

So yeah, I'll have to check back in at the end of 2018, but assuming as many amazing first-party titles come out in 2018 as we have reason to believe they will, + RPG Factory’s Octopath, and I think next year will be just as strong as these initial months have been. It's a good time to be a gamer, and this is the most hopeful thing about this current era, so once again, Nintendo seems to be back on top in terms of promise and potential after a slightly problematic Wii U (problematic mostly just in terms of library. Wii U is fine but sports Nintendo's worst library since the NES or OG gameboy for my money). So yeah, this thing is great and kind of exciting in a way that gaming hasn't been since maybe the Wii. Your ducks are all in a row Nintendo, now it's time to slay.

5. SNES

I'll be honest upfront. Never owned one of these bad boys. In fact, as far as retro-gaming goes, I kinda suck. Not only have I not played as many retro classics as I should, I'm just generally not a good admirer of games that proceed PS2 or those classic PS1 JRPGs. And that's why this list has skewed so much toward the 6th generation and beyond. BUT I'm not fool enough to not be able to see just how many knock-out state-of-the-art masterpieces exist on this single, pixelated-sprite rendering bastion of a console. Like seriously, I always knew that this was kind of the advent of modern gaming, or represented a moment when things went from black-and-white if you will, to fully fleshed out, deep, and colorful experiences like Link to the Past and Super Metroid, but it wasn't until perusing the titles selected for the recently-released SNES Classic. Like seriously, the library on this thing is incredibly strong. Super Castlevania and Super Metroid and the Super Mario games alone make this the single greatest console for side-scrolling platformers and the beloved Metroidvania genre. Now it was only competing against the older NES and Sega's consoles basically but still, the fact that it didn't have all that much competition makes it even that much more impressive that it didn't skimp on games at all. It's also got fighting and racing in spades (Street Fighter II, F-Zero and Super Mario Kart) for multiplayer sessions and as if that wasn't enough, it also sports a handful of the greatest JRPGs of all time. Indeed, if not for the games Square Soft released for this console, the JRPG may not have taken off in the way it did by the time FFVII came out. Behold games including Final Fantasy 4, 5, 6, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana (a multiplayer JRPG???) just to name the ones that must absolutely be mentioned, all of which are paragons of JRPG excellence. They set a very high precedent for the genre going forward and all of their statuses have been securely enshrined in the halls of fantasy greatness.

Indeed, these 5 games alone force my hand in terms of including this console, and that means a lot for someone who is a bit of plebeian when it comes to the 16-bit era. It would be an obvious inclusion if I ever actually owned it, but even having missed out on it originally, I have the utmost respect for it and its games. So many of these games over the decades have gotten ported and re-released and remastered (esp on PS1 and Gameboy Advance) to the point where most gamers have encountered at least some of these games to some extent even if they got into gaming way after this generation. They are quite simply the gold-standard in gaming, and truly some of the most "classic" titles of all time, providing a truly inspiring precedent for what games can be. Sega Genesis/Master Drive had fantastic Sonic and Phantasy Star games, but Mario, Metroid, Castlevania, Zelda and the golden age Final Fantasy games are staggering individually and also when lined up next to each other, all of them offering perfectly archetypal iterations of their respective genres, containing within their cartridge's circuit-boards the sheer essence of gaming itself~ Shout-out/Runner-ups:

-Gamecube- again, never owned one but this thing is unstoppable (and I owned many essentials once I got a Wii), but with Mario Sunshine, Luigi's Mansion, Melee, Windwaker, Metroid Prime, Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, Killer7 and other oddities, this is nearly tied with my other favorite Nintendo library, the Wii, which might only have a slight edge because the Wii has better JRPGs (even though it's only really 3 or so JRPGs, but still they're fantastic while the Gamecube is lacking any truly excellent JRPGs amongs its modest smattering of titles, including Tales of Symphonia, Evolution Worls and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles). Also, the lunchbox design and portability is really sweet. Solid controller also, with the Wavebird being my second favorite controller of all time after the Dual-Shock 2 (and then the Wii remote probably).

-PS1- My first couple years of owning a PS2 I was spending the bulk of my time playing Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9 and Tactics, and those along with several other of the dankest JRPGs of all time, make this the greatest console for JRPGs of all time imo (especially because most of the best SNES JRPGs save for Secret of Mana were ported decently to the PS1 (Chrono Trigger gets Toriyama-animated cut scenes!). And so while that genre is really the only draw for me to the PS1, there's obviously a wealth of other fantastic titles on it, and bless the PS2 for allowing me to play all of them).

-PS4- It feels stupider to put this than it did the Switch and the Switch is way newer, but still, I couldn't actually put this in the top 5 because most of the games that I really love on it are either also on Xbox One, PS3 or PC, so almost nothing on it feels truly exclusive but I still wanted to mention it. Like really, two of my favorite JRPGs of all time-- Persona 5 and Nier Automata-- came out for this thing this year but both are also available on PS3 and PC respectively. So yeah, I love this thing and use it literally all the time, and in the past year or so it seems to finally be coming into its own in terms of offering a unique experience that is remotely different than Xbox One, but these days the exclusive title is becoming more and more rare with only certain Final Fantasy games (the excellent Zodiac Age and decent Type-0 (and the twee World of..)) and like Bloodborne and Gravity Falls being true exclusives. But more are surely to come with Kingdom Hearts 3 and FF7R eventually coming out at long last sometime in the next few years (maybe??). Ni No Kuni 2 and Dissidia next January will also be exclusive. But yeah, beyond the mostly non-exclusive library, this thing has a good controller, good interface, good functionality and is just generally a good/ideal system. We did it, go team! -Wii U- Only mentioning this because I kind of ripped on this earlier and want to clarify: I have a soft spot for the Wii U, and appreciate that it kind of prophesizes what Nintendo would do with the Switch what with the way you could play games on the pad. It’s a really neat and functional idea hindered only by the fact that you can’t leave the room (minor for me since I basically never need to play a handheld anywhere except my house). I’d say this thing had two big problems though: One, it felt way more like an expansion or attachment for the Wii than a brand new console. And second and more importantly, they were not able to correct the issue the Wii had with third-party and it got even worse on this thing. The console has a handful of fantastic flagship games, with a couple of promising new franchises popping up (like Splatoon or the newly Nintendo-loyal Bayonetta) but even these first-party games lack the strength to sustain the entire console on their own. Really, this thing ends up being a bit of a bust unless your a Smash fanatic, or really love the HD Zelda releases (and eventually BotW) or if you are way into Xenoblade Chronicles X. And that’s how I am, so that’s literally 5 games. In like 5 years... I mean yeah there’s some solid old-school platformers, and Mario Kart and Splatoon but it just doesn’t quite come together for me. I figure it might grow on me in the same way the Wii did, but to a lesser extent because of the way the Switch feels like a superior version of it (or else an ideal hybrid of the Wii and Wii U) Whew, that was longer than I thought it'd be. But I love thinking about consoles! They're like the album of gaming or something. And the games on them are the songs? Idk that's a weird metaphor, but anyway, coming tomorrow: The Awkward 7th Generation and Mistwalker games~

#console #top 5 #list #video games #gaming #games #console gaming #rank #ranking #ps2 #dreamcast #switch #ps1 #snes #wii #gamecube

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