sephfire

Forgotten already? Snowfall on Forbidden Lands

Well, guys ... the time has come to bring this thread to a close. I give you ... The FINAL OCR Must-Have Games List Dreamcast Bangai-O Crazy Taxi Daytona USA Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of Earth Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves Grandia II Ikaruga Jet Grind Radio Last Blade 2 Marvel vs. Capcom Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Metropolis Street Racer Powerstone 2 Project Justice Skies of Arcadia Soul Calibur Street Fighter III: Double Impact Street Fighter III: Third Strike Street Fighter Alpha III Playstation 2 Ace Combat 5 Amplitude Beatmania IIDX 8th Style Beyond Good and Evil Breath of Fire 5: Dragon Quarter Burnout 3: Takedown Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Devil May Cry Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves Final Fantasy XII God of War God of War II Grand Theft Auto III Guilty Gear X2 Guitar Hero Guitar Hero 2 ICO Jak II Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Katamari Damacy Kingdom Hearts MegaMan Anniversery Collection Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Okami Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Rez Shadow of the Colossus Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Silent Hill 2 Soul Calibur 2 Soul Calibur 3 Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Viewtiful Joe We Love Katamari Xbox Beyond Good and Evil Burnout 3: Takedown Capcom Classics Collection 2 Capcom vs. SNK 2 EO Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge Dead or Alive Ultimate Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Halo Halo 2 Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Ninja Gaiden Black Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath OutRun2 Panzer Dragoon Orta Prince of Persia: Sands of Time Project Gotham Racing 2 Psychonauts Shenmue II Soul Calibur 2 SSX 3 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Gamecube Animal Crossing Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem F-Zero GX Ikaruga Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Mario Power Tennis Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Metroid Prime Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Pikmin 2 Resident Evil 4 Skies of Arcadia Legends Soul Calibur 2 Super Mario Sunshine Super Smash Bros. Melee Viewtiful Joe Wario Ware Inc.: Mega Party Game$ Nintendo DS Advance Wars: Dual Strike Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime Elite Beat Agents Metroid Prime: Hunters NEW Super Mario Bros. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Phoenix Wright 2: Justice for All Tetris DS PSP Lumines Tekken: Dark Resurrection It's been a fun thread guys. Maybe we'll do it again sometime.

You speak truth. I think if we had a couple dozen people in here voting regularly, this problem would get weeded out naturally by the voting process itself. If a game's flaws really were too great to consider for must-have status, a majority of the voters would probably feel this and vote its supporters down. Unfortunately, with a smaller group, that majority is a lot less reliable. Example: As it stands, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is tied at 4-4. If we had a couple dozen people in here, I bet a more visible majority would surface one way or the other. Unfortunately, without that sort of group size, I'm not sure these threads will be terribly effective.

If you happen to get in a last couple votes a day late, I'll squeeze them in. edit: Much as I'd love to do another of these threads, I don't know if there's enough interest. Four regular voters doesn't give us a very wide range of taste.

You don't have to own them. So long as you've played them for at least half an hour (preferably more), you can vote on them.

Tomorrow will be the last day for voting!

Well I'm back and the first round of cuts has been made. Any games that still have no YES votes have been dumped into the red category. They can still be voted into the green, but since it looks like we've gotten about all the votes we're gonna get, I don't expect much. Any games that have at least one YES vote remain purple. If you're going to vote on these, it's now or never. On a side note, I really miss the ability to change the thread title for updates and such. Very irritating.

Obviously, the PC has seen some of history's finest games. This thread isn't limited to certain consoles because we think they have all of the good games. We're sticking to these 6 consoles because leaving it open to every game in existence would just be too daunting a task at this point. This thread has already taken a month. If people are interested, there will be more of these threads. And PC games will find their place in one of them (probably the next one).

... yes? What about them? edit: Taking a road trip down to SCAD tomorrow. Will be back friday to start cutting purples!

Once we're done with the voting, the Majority NO list will be removed, as will the vote count. I share your concern that a list of "rejected games" might discourage people from trying them, making them look worse than they are. By the end of this, there will be nothing but the final list of Majority YES games.

Less squabble, more vote.

Crap. Fixed again.

How the crap did that happen? Thanks and fixed.

Here are some votes for games I missed or have tried since the thread began: Lumines -- YES You know what? It can't be much different than the version on XBLA. In fact, it's probably better since Live Arcade forces you to buy it in segments. Combine Tetris with a rhythm game and you have Lumines. It's addicting and will actually cause you to see falling colored blocks in your mind all day. Amplitude -- YES Though I miss the hexagonal tube from Frequency, this game improved on almost everything. The learning curve is a little more generous, but the game still provides a challenge at high levels. The track list may be slighty inferior, but only barely (if at all). You'll find this in bargain bins now, so start digging. SSX Tricky -- YES Though I strongly prefer the SSX 3 vibe, Tricky is just as strong when it comes to the snowboarding gameplay itself. If you have to pick one, I say SSX 3, but they're two of the best Snowboarding games in existence, period.

Now that all the games are votable, I'll be trying to update the voting progress in the main post daily. Also, feel free to keep discussing games you've already voted for or don't feel qualified to vote for (as many of you have been doing). In the end, I suspect it may help get a few games out of that nasty purple section. And so you all know, about a week from now I'll start dropping purples into the NO section if they don't get voted out of there. First cuts will be games from the earliest rounds and (0-1) vote counts.

FINAL ROUND! We made it! Now, before we get to this slightly longer than usual round, let me share the game plan from here on. You may notice a lot of games in the purple, "NEEDS MORE VOTES" section on page 1. Now that we've covered all of the nominees, it's time to finish that section up. A game will remain "purple" if the vote is tied, or if there are fewer than two votes on the game. So look through that section and see if there are any left that you haven't voted on yet. After a certain amount of time, I'll have to start sending those games right into the NO pile if there are no more votes on them, which would be a shame. I'm sure a few of them might belong in the "green" section. If you've enjoyed this thread so far, let me know. If enough people are interested, I'd love to do it again with another batch of consoles. Tell me if you want this to happen! ****************************************************************************** ***FINAL ROUND*** Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition Console: Gamecube Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Meta Score: 9.3 Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Console: Gamecube Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Meta Score: 8.5 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Console: Gamecube Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Meta Score: 8.7 Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Console: Gamecube Publisher: Sega Developer: Sonic Team Meta Score: 7.2 Bomberman Land Touch! Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Atlus Co. Developer: Hudson Meta Score: 8.1 Metroid Prime Pinball Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Fuse Games Meta Score: 8.1 Star Fox Command Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Q-Games Meta Score: 7.6 Tetris DS Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Meta Score: 8.6 Odin Sphere Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Atlus Co. Developer: Vanilla Ware Meta Score: 8.7 Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Tri-Ace Meta Score: 8.1 Okage: Shadow King Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: SCEI Developer: Zener Works Meta Score: 7.2 Half Life 2 Console: Xbox Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Valve Software Meta Score: 8.9 Indigo Prophecy Console: Xbox Publisher: Atari Developer: Quantic Dream Meta Score: 8.6 ****************************************************************************** My votes: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! -- YES Though I much prefer Mario Kart 64, this sequel is worthy of similar praise. The "doubles" aspect is a fun twist and the tracks give a good bit of variety. Solid racing game. Odin Sphere -- NO I actually love this game. Gorgeous 2d animation, beautiful story and solid acting. It's main downfall: the divided gameplay between the five characters. To get through the game, you have to play all five characters' stories, leveling them all up seperately. It's fun the first time or two, but it doesn't take long to feel like work, having to start over again every time. It's like having to play the same game 5 times, and then having to play them all again to level up for the final chapter. It just gets tedious, which is a huge shame given how amazing the rest of the game is. Half Life 2 -- YES I know the graphics took a slight dip down from the PC version, but this is one of the finest FPS games in existence. Incredibly well-written and acted. If you haven't had the priviledge to play this yet, do yourself a favor. Indigo Prophecy -- YES It's not without flaws. The ending is rushed and cluttered, to put it lightly. Other than that downfall, however, this is one amazing game. Interactive and cinematic gaming have never combined so smoothly. The only reason the ending feels so terrible is because the game was so incredible until then. Also, this game may have the coolest cover art ever.

Oh man, the boss fights are some of the most epic parts. Do yourslef a favor and at least rent the first one.

Last round tomorrow! ****************************************************************************** ***ROUND TWENTY-THREE*** Star Wars: Republic Commando Console: Xbox Publisher: LucasArts Developer: LucasArts Meta Score: 8.0 WarioWare: Touched! Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Meta Score: 8.2 Tekken: Dark Resurrection Console: PSP Publisher: Namco Bandai Games America Developer: Namco Bandai Games Meta Score: 8.8 Viewtiful Joe 2 Console: Gamecube Publisher: Capcom Developer: Clover Studios Meta Score: 8.5 The King of Fighters 2006 Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: SNK Playmore Developer: SNK Playmore Meta Score: 7.4 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within Console: Playstation 2, Xbox Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Meta Score: 8.5 Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Console: Gamecube Publisher: Atari Developer: Pipeworks Software Meta Score: 7.4 In the Groove Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: RedOctane Developer: Roxor Games Meta Score: 7.5 God of War II Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: SCEA Developer: SCEA Meta Score: 9.4 ****************************************************************************** My votes: Star Wars: Republic Commando -- NOT REALLY, BUT TRY IT ANYWAY Every now and then, a Star Wars game comes out that doesn't suck. This is one of those rare gems. A squad-based shooter with good writing, solid acting and fun FPS goodness, this game has a lot going for it. However, when your biggest selling point is "Star Wars without sucking," I don't suppose you belong on a must-have list. Still, I strongly suggest you guys try it out. It's quite fun. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within -- NO I don't know what else they could have done to suck the charm out of the amazing Prince of Persia world. The Sands of Time had awesome gameplay, but its value also lay in it's beautiful atmosphere and "storybook fantasy" feel. Heavy metal, time sluts and general XTREME-ness are completely unnecessary. Now, underneath all the shallow moodiness, the acrobatic puzzles were still great and the mediocre combat was marginally improved. But the aesthetic of the franchise took such a hit that it was hard to ignore. God of War II -- YES It may be more of an "expansion" than a sequel, given how similar the two games feel. But when the first game kicked so much ass, why mess with a good thing? Like We Love Katamari, it gave us more of the same and we couldn't be happier. If you can handle the mature content, the God of War games are some of the finest of this entire console generation. Do NOT miss them.

Only two more rounds after this one, guys. The end is nigh. ****************************************************************************** ***ROUND TWENTY-TWO*** Rayman 2: The Great Escape Console: Dreamcast Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Meta Score: 9.3 Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Meta Score: 8.0 Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors Console: Xbox Publisher: Sega Developer: From Software Meta Score: 8.1 Star Fox: Assault Console: Gamecube Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Namco Meta Score: 7.1 Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Square Enix Developer: TOSE, Square Enix Meta Score: (not available) Lumines II Console: PSP Publisher: Buena Vista Games Developer: Q Entertainment Meta Score: 8.2 Test Drive: V-Rally Console: Dreamcast Publisher: Atari Developer: Eden Studios Meta Score: 8.2 WipeOut Fusion Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Bam Entertainment Developer: SCEE Meta Score: 8.4 Project Gotham Racing 2 Console: Xbox Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Bizarre Creations Meta Score: 9.3 Super Monkey Ball 2 Console: Gamecube Publisher: Sega Developer: Amusement Vision Meta Score: 8.6 ****************************************************************************** My votes: Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors I don't feel qualified to vote because I didn't play much more than half an hour. It seemed decent enough, but there are plenty of other games like it that outclass it in a lot of ways.

Three weeks and still going. Great work, OCR! ****************************************************************************** ***ROUND TWENTY-ONE*** Gunbird 2 Console: Dreamcast Publisher: Capcom Developer: Psikyo Meta Score: 6.7 Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Meta Score: 8.2 GunValkyrie Console: Xbox Publisher: Sega Developer: Smilebit Meta Score: 7.4 Pikmin 2 Console: Gamecube Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo Meta Score: 8.9 Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Meta Score: 7.9 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Console: PSP Publisher: Rockstar Games Developer: Rockster Leeds Meta Score: 8.7 Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Console: Dreamcast Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Meta Score: 7.5 Soul Calibur 3 Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Meta Score: 8.7 Metal Slug 4 & 5 Console: Xbox Publisher: SNK Developer: BrezzaSoft Meta Score: 7.0 SSX Tricky Console: Gamecube Publisher: EA Sports Big Developer: EA Sports Big Meta Score: 8.7 ****************************************************************************** My votes: Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams -- YES This is the Onimusha game that was always meant to be. The trilogy before it had a lot of potential, and each installment perfected the formula more and more. This fourth Onimusha game is the finest yet. The graphics have never looked better, the character designs are interesting and varied, and the hack/slash and puzzle gameplay is more polished than ever. Simply put, if you want to see Onimusha at its best, play this. Pikmin 2 -- YES The original was charming and the sequel is no disappointment. Now we get two new Pikmin types and a second character to help lead the leafy hordes. Better yet, the 30-day survival limit is now removed, allowing you to explore the various mas and scavange waste at your leisure. This is an RTS so different, you can barely even call it an RTS at all. The Pikmin games are truly unique and well worth purchasing. Soul Calibur 3 -- NO Ugh, what a disappointment this was. With nothing but greatness in the Soul Calibur franchise history, I expected SC3 to be yet another grand slam, but noooooo. Now we get to fight psychic AI. Now, aside from that huge weakness, SC3 has a lot of good things going for it. Several new cool characters, custom hero creation, and slick visuals (though the character models seem to have taken a dip in detail). And if you have someone to play against, you probably won't notice a decline in quality from SC2. But if you aren't that lucky, you'll be screaming at your TV for hours. Frequency -- NO After playing it again, I think the difficulty curve is just too steep. Also, the notes are way too difficult to see , even when you turn off the crazy background stuff. I love the game and recommend it, but it's not quite good enough for must-have status. The potential is there, though.

No one will require you to own or beat the games on this list. I assumed this was understood. Perhaps I don't understand the changes you are suggesting? Either way, revising the thread in such a manner would mark the third (or fourth, I forget) rule revision this thread has seen, and seeing as how we're two hundred games into this process, it's a little late for yet another overhaul.

I spoke incorrectly earlier: the update to the main post will not occur until tomorrow, right after I post Round Twenty-One. Also, 200 games and going strong! ****************************************************************************** ***ROUND TWENTY*** Street Fighter Alpha III Console: Dreamcast Publisher: Capcom Developer: Capcom Meta Score: 8.6 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Konami Developer: Kojima Productions Meta Score: 9.3 We Love Katamari Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Namco Developer: Namco Meta Score: 8.6 Dead or Alive 3 Console: Xbox Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Team NInja Meta Score: 8.6 Rallisport Challenge 2 Console: Xbox Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Developer: Digital Illusions Meta Score: 8.9 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door Console: Gamecube Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Intelligent Sys. Meta Score: 8.8 Trauma Center: Under the Knife Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Atlus Co. Developer: Atlus Co. Meta Score: 8.0 Frequency Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: SCEA Developer: Harmonix Music Meta Score: 8.4 Megaman ZX Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Capcom Developer: Inti Meta Score: 8.0 Sonic Rush Console: Nintendo DS Publisher: Sega Developer: Dimps Corporation Meta Score: 8.3 ****************************************************************************** My votes: Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence -- YES One of the greatest MGS games to date, plus MGS Online and a bunch of other bonus features? Count me in. The fact that the US servers have shut down online play already makes me cry, though. Just the same, the game was a must-have before this special edition. We Love Katamari --YES It's got everything Katamari Damacy had and more. This was one of the rare cases when almost everybody wanted a sequel with "more of the same." And we got it. Everyone with a PS2 should own one or both of these games. Dead or Alive 3 -- NO Don't get me wrong, I like this one, but if any of the DOA games qualify as must-haves, it's DOA Ultimate. Otherwise, there are plenty of other fighters out there, many of higher quality. If you seek bouncy female fighters, however, look no further. Frequency -- UNDECIDED It's darn fun and features a great soundtrack, but I don't know if it's accessible enough for everyone to enjoy. The learning curve is a tad steep, too. I recommend it, but I dunno if it's "must-have" enough. I'll play it more this week and try to decide for sure.

Apparently, I have GOT to find a copy of Rez. To Thin Crust: I can't count any of those votes until they include at least a sentence or two (more, if possible) supporting your vote. Sorry, I know that's a long list to go back through, but everyone else had to do it and without reasoning to support your vote, I can't include them in the count. Also, to whoever asked a page or two ago, I'll be updating the main post sometime today. I've been doing it weekly.

Vote on Round Nineteen, you must. ****************************************************************************** ***ROUND NINETEEN*** Taito Legends 2 Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Destineer Developer: Empire Oxford Meta Score: 7.0 Space Channel 5 Special Edition Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Agetec Inc. Developer: Sega Meta Score: 8.1 Rygar: The Legendary Adventure Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Tecmo Developer: Tecmo Meta Score: 8.3 Jak 3 Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: SCEA Developer: Naughty Dog Meta Score: 8.5 Tales of the Abyss Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Namco Bandai Games America Developer: Namco Bandai Games Meta Score: 8.0 Rez Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Sega Developer: UGA Meta Score: 8.2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Rockstar Games Developer: Rockstar North Meta Score: 9.5 Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Console: Playstation 2 Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Tri-Ace Meta Score: 8.5 Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance 2 Console: Xbox Publisher: Interplay Developer: Black Isle Studios Meta Score: 8.0 Midway Arcade Treasures 2 Console: Xbox Publisher: Midway Developer: Backbone Meta Score: 7.4 ****************************************************************************** My votes: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas -- YES Take everything that is great about GTA, double the scope, add the ability to "level up" your character's stats, put together yet another awesome voice cast, and you've got San Andreas.

Have you played it? I can't count the vote otherwise. There's only 2 left in the lineup, I think. You won't have to vote on many more. ITG 1, yes. ITG 2, which was not released on consoles, no.