Must-Have Games: The OCR List

[Drack]

***ROUND TWENTY-TWO***

Star Fox: Assault

NO OVERRIDE

There is NO way this can be considered a must have. Supposedly its aim was to mix the new (at the time, Adventures) Star Fox with the classic (SNES/N64) Star Fox, it did indeed mix them, with a variety of aerial and on foot missions. HOWEVER, the story was completely lacking. It didn't feel at all like Star Fox. It felt as if there was a sci fi writer who contributed a plot, and Nintendo decided to replace the characters with Star Fox characters. The voice acting was abysmal. Characters, especially Peppy, showed virtually no emotion. They just didn't care about the life and death situations they were going through. Once you hear the characters talk, you'll note that there's a reason I play this game on mute. The music is unoriginal. Sure, they're building upon the classic Star Fox 64 tunes, which I'm not bashing. But the tracks are often worse than the ones they're based on. Take Katina's theme for example. Assault's version slows the tempo down, making it very hard to listen to. The controls are very annoying, and counter intuitive to use. Even though Assault gives you multiple schemes, none feel as natural as Star Fox 64's. Granted, most of the game is in "All Range Mode" - but even the multiplayer from '64 feels much easier to use. A few changes to that tried and true interface, like the weapon change, is all that's needed. The plot. Oh my god, the plot. The aparoids idea feels like it was taken from a budget sci fi movie and has no place in Star Fox. The killing off and then revival (omg spoiler) of characters feels forced and meaningless. The alliance between Fox and Wolf (oh crap more spoilers) seems contrived and unnatural. My first reaction was to shoot at him after the dialog explained not nearly clearly enough that he wasn't an enemy. It had the look, but not the spirit of a true successor to the classic Star Fox games.

Super Monkey Ball 2

not voting

This game was a lot of fun. The goofy cutscenes and characters, even the very concept of a monkey inside a ball made the game nice and relaxing and gave it a nice personality. The mechanics are great. Who knew a game that only uses the analog stick could be so fun? It was intuitive to pick up yet difficult to complete. It offers a great variety of difficulty and quite a bit of replay value, even a fun multiplayer mode. I like it too much to not feel guilty giving it a no vote, but I don't think it's quite up to the cutoff for being a must have. It sits right on the line, so it's more like a must consider -- so I'm not voting on this one.

***ROUND TWENTY-THREE***

WarioWare: Touched!

NO

What a wacky game. Bust out your stylus, cause you're gonna be poking, dragging, tapping, and doing all kinds of stuff with the touch screen. In fact, aside from a few gimmicky unlockables, the touch is the only interface this game uses. The premise of WarioWare is simple. You must complete simple tasks one after another, but you only have a few seconds to complete each one. Miss too many and you're done. The game gets faster and faster the further you go, and you must complete a larger "Boss Stage" to finish a section. The problem with WarioWare: Touched! -- and all other WarioWare games -- is that it's too shallow. There are plenty of microgames, but once you beat it - and this only takes a couple hours - it will all be "been there, done that" and you'll never feel inclined to pick up the game again. There is no wifi multiplayer, the unlockables are simple and quickly lose their luster, and the microgames themselves have little to no replay value. Rent it, play through it once, and don't look back.

***FINAL ROUND***

Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition

YES

If you haven't played these games, I recommend them. OoT is unquestionably a must have, and if you haven't played it, shame on you! Fix it with this! Zelda 1 is also a must play. It's the classic that got the ball rolling, and is a lot of fun. It challenged the then standard level system of games with a nonlinear structure that has carried on into its sequels and into similar games. You could do many of the dungeons out of order. The challenge was there too. This is not an easy game. Zelda II, also included, packs even more difficulty. If you have a desire to conquer big challenges, Zelda II is definitely a must play. If only they had included Link to the Past, this game would be all the more incredible. Instead it has Majora's Mask, which I've only played part of the way through so I don't have an opinion on it. Definitely pick up this game... oh wait it's not for sale. It was given away as a promotion for buying a gamecube at a specific time interval so you'll have to get it used. Still, get it if you haven't played the originals. These games are fantastic.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Borderline YES.

Everybody's gotta play a Mario Kart game, and this is the best of the recent ones. It has some interesting features, like characters having exclusive items, cars determine speed rather than characters, and its signature feature of being able to use 2 drivers at once, when you're solo or pairing with a friend. The game is challenging to complete, though I did max out the single player in a single weekend. There is a good amount of replay value. It's a great game to play with a friend. Have one person drive and the other handle items and you'll have a lot of fun. There is also a good amount of multiplayer options. Who wouldn't enjoy chucking bobombs at your opponent on top of a giant gamecube?

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle

NO

As far as 3-D sonics go, this is the best of them. It had a lot of improvements over Adventure 1, and has a lot of plot and story elements, though as with Adventure 1, the plot has shifted from defeating a crazed scientist to saving the world from annihilation. I personally didn't like this game very much, and I stand by that decision. The way the 3D was handled was awful. The camera would move around with a mind of its own, making the platforming very difficult. Bottomless pits ahoy, and repetitve themes for levels - the Knuckles / Rouge missions were extremely tedious - make this game better for renting than buying. The story is long and detailed, the content is there - levels are enormous and complex - but the gameplay is nothing like what the 2-D sonics were like, and the physics/camera/placement of hazards made the game feel unfair. It's leaps and bounds ahead of Shadow or Heroes though imo, so this should by your top choice for 3-D sonics.

Metroid Prime Pinball

NO

Morph ball pinball, What fun! Samus goes through the levels of Metroid Prime in a pinball machine, complete with pirate attacks, bosses, all kinds of stuff. It's pretty exciting, but if you're a pinball fan, most of the mechanics are "been there, done that" The rumble addon is a nifty toy, but you have to keep in mind how much that motor is taxing your battery. There really aren't many levels (Entire areas, ie "Phendrana Drifts" only get one table). The fun seems to wear off quick, as you don't get far unless you can "complete" boards, and most of the content is unlockable. Pass on this one. If you're so hell bent on Metroid for DS, get Hunters, but even that has a lackluster single player.

Star Fox Command

NO

Did anyone not expect this after I NO'd Assault? Command continues the downward spiral of Star Fox games, exhibiting many of the same flaws, but also fixing a few. If anyone's played the Star Fox 2 beta, it's easy to see where Command got many of its good parts from. So why don't I like Command? Wel, I still don't like the voice acting, though it's worlds better than Assault's. The story is better as well. Instead of having the story of a budget sci fi movie, this one plays more like a choose your own adventure book. There are MANY paths and endings you can earn, and a lot of them are bizarre and interesting. It's an odd thing for a game to do. However, there are some huge negatives I cannot overlook for this game. For one, the ONLY control scheme is with just the touch screen to steer, boost, somersault, barrel roll, etc. If I remember correctly, even bombing is done with touch, though I seem to remember shoot being L as in Metroid Prime Hunters. Anyway, there's no way to control it SNES style, which shocked me as the DS and SNES controller have so many similarities. If you were expecting an on rails shooter, or even a mixed one like Assault, you'll be disappointed. The game is played like a Real TIme Strategy game. You take your units and do stuff on a world map, and when they bump into enemies, you fight them in a time limited, All Range Mode dogfight. This is the part that's similar to Star Fox 2. However, these battles have trivial depth. It's nothing like the scripted events of '64. You just fight some enemies and beat em in time or you don't. Then it's back to the map. No thanks.

Tetris DS

not voting

This required a lot of thought. Tetris is one of those games that everyone's played but there are only a few hardcore fans. This game's allure is many, MANY modes, and an online WFC function. Sounds great, aye? But some things bring it down. The music is merely okay, featuring old Nintendo classics remixed, but are short and repetitive. The classic Tetris theme, "Ancient Tetris" only plays on a few, very difficult, levels. While there is a sound test, it would be awesome to have the option to select which musical track plays through the entire session. After all, the original tetris had this feature. The online mode is quite competitive, featuring optional items and up to 4 player battles. Some negatives are that for 4 player mayches, you CAN'T play with 2 or 3 people. One person disconnects? You can't play a match with the other peeps you've been playing with and have to search again. There's no rivals system a la Hunters, which came out the same day. Perhaps the biggest flaw is the "infinite spin" - If you don't know where to put a piece, keep mashing that rotate button and it won't lock into place. This eliminates one of Tetrtis's biggest challenges, and can't be turned off. You won't see this being used in hardcore competitions - Levels have been maxed out by quite a few casual players. As far as competitive online tetris, I think Tetrinet is (was? is it still around?) a better solution. It's fun for a time, and surely interesting, but if you're not a hardcore tetris fan why would you buy it? and if you are, the infinite spin will be a huge smack in the face. Still, the game has too many merits to be easily discounted, so I'm just reviewing, not voting on this one.

[The Coop]

Another round with nothing for me to vote on? I mean, I can comment on the Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure 2 and the PC version of Half Life 2, but not the GC and XBox versions.

[watkinzez]

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - GOOD GOD NO

The fact that this sold well at the same time that F-Zero GX came out is heresy.

Aspects that I take issue with in Double Dash:

-A complete lack of options. Apparently Nintendo found it too hard to implement a 4 player grand prix mode that didn't require two of those people to fall asleep manning the back of each kart.

-Lacklustre course design. I believe it was only the final cup where I took note of the clever ideas impelented. Many courses were too short, too simple and didn't do enough to differentiate themselves other than visually.

-The battle stages. After Block Fort, whoever designed Block City needs to be shot. What a cop out.

-The soundtrack. Joy, completely forgettable tunes that never fail to annoy. How do I loathe that title screen.

Double Dash was a game made on the cheap to cash in from 2003's holiday season. Nintendo certainly knows how to make the most money with the least amount of effort.

[Raziellink]

***FINAL ROUND***

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Yes....sorta

The twist of 2 dudes in a car....sucks. The tracks are standard, the AI is freaking hard at times, and the music forgettable.

Why a yes? Get 3 mates over, and you'll have a fucking blast.

[watkinzez]

Why a yes? Get 3 mates over, and you'll have a fucking blast.

You could say that for quite a lot of bad games.

[dsx100]

Legend of Zelda Collectors Edition: No

The Zelda games are great, particularly the ones in this collection are fantastic, however I think it is stupid to include a game that was made in limited supply and only given to those that pre-ordered Wind Waker. Heck this game was never even sold as its own standard retail title. You could probably get lucky and find a used copy at Gamestop but that is also still hard to do. Great game collection but to recommend as must have is ridicoulus. Its not you can go to the store and just buy the game. If you already have it, then great for you, but if not, you probably never will get it.

Mario Kart Double Dash: Borderlined Yes

A very fun and frantic game. It is also a blast to play with friends. This game has everything you would ever want from a Mario Kart game. The new 2 people per Kart feature is pretty cool. the graphics are good and I honestly didn't mind the sound and music for the game. The only reason why I have trouble recommending this game is because It is basically a game of pure luck. So little skill is involved in playing this game it is ridicoulus. This game puts way to much focus on items. The game is a basically contest of who gets the best items. It doesn't matter how far ahead you are you can get hit with 2 blue shells and finish the race in 6th place in a matter of seconds. For multiplayer, this isn't such a big problem. You and your friends will have tons of fun just blasting items at each other and You will argue in the end that it was only because you got better items. For single player, it can be fustrating as it makes the game very hard at times but in circumstances out of your control. Just imagine trying to get a gold trophy on the star cup at 150cc and you get so close to getting first and then you get hit with 5 items in a row and finish in dead last.

Anyway, very fun and exciting game that any Gamecube owner should at least give a chance. More likely than not, you will enjoy it very much. Just give it a chance.

[dsx100]

I stayed with this thread since the beginning so I pretty used all my votes. Here are games that seriously need votes in my opinion.

Jak 3:

Whoever voted yes to Jak 1 and Jak II other than me, whats up. Vote for Jak 3 now. It is the best in the series and people seriously need to give this game a chance. Please vote for Jak 3 in you have played it and liked it.

Tekken Tag and Tekken 5:

Man there is no Tekken love on OCR. Why doesn't anybody play Tekken games. It seems to me that nobody plays 3D fighters here period, except the crappy DOA series. These game are classics and some of the best 3D fighters ever made. Even if you didn't like, still vote just to show that you at least played the game. You want some words of encouragement just read what I had to say about both game earlier in the thread.

Virtua Fighter 4:

Not my cup of tea but you got to respect what the game has done for the Fighting genre. This game is arguabley the best 3D fighter ever made. Like I said before, I have never liked this game but I can respect what it has done. Anyone who has played this game needs to vote for it now.

Metriod Prime 2:

I know this game is on the majority no list but to anyone that played Metriod Prime 2 and enjoyed it, please vote. It pains to think that this game isn't considered one of the best Gamecube game ever just because a few people think it was too hard or not as epic as the first game. Its a really great game. People just need to give it a chance and really let them selves get sucked into the absolutley great gameplay experience.

On the side note, I am really glad that Wind Waker and Soul Calibur III didn't and up on the Majority NO list. Awsome games that rightfully deserve must have status.

[Kanthos]

Tetris DS: Yes. Tetris games are always fun if you like fast-moving puzzle games, and having multiple modes of gameplay makes this one worth getting.

Star Fox Command: No. The combat itself is pretty fun, although some levels are rediculous (i.e. the superweapon boss that you have to knock into the lava); the tactical side of it seems kind of tacked on. It's also a *horrible* game to play in a moving vehicle, as you can waste 30 minutes of playing by hitting a bump when you're trying to do a missile (you have to follow a missile and move quite precisely through a series of boxes; if you miss one before you destroy it, you fail; this is quite unforgiving). This wasn't strictly bad, but not worth the money I spent on it.

Bomberman Land Touch: Yes. Quite a fun game; mini-games with a plot is a good idea, and going around to collect all kinds of things is fun. The only annoying thing about this is that a few minigames require you to blow into the mic; not bad, necessarily, but not something you want to do on the subway Plus you get classic bomberman play in multiplayer. I haven't seen any other minigame collections for the DS besides the stuff that they give you with Mario 64 and New Super Mario Bros, and this is way better.

[Drack]

Metriod Prime 2:

I know this game is on the majority no list but to anyone that played Metriod Prime 2 and enjoyed it, please vote. It pains to think that this game isn't considered one of the best Gamecube game ever just because a few people think it was too hard or not as epic as the first game. Its a really great game. People just need to give it a chance and really let them selves get sucked into the absolutley great gameplay experience.

I'm playing through it right now. As you can see from my previous votes I'm pretty tough to get a YES out of, though I'm undecided until I beat it, but I don't think that will be long from now - I finally have the power bombs Expect a vote soon.

[sephfire]

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.

[eternal Zero]

I haven't responded for the last three rounds or so for a reason, but I'll get to them eventually. I definitely have some things to say.

But be straight with me, is the AI in the Mario Kart games really -that- bad for you guys? Honestly it's just the item system in general...the AI actually makes things easier for you by having predetermined lines to take on turns and stuff which makes green shells exceptional both firing forwards and back. It's much harder to do that in multiplayer unless you're able to watch all four screens at once...but that's lame and I have to consciously stop myself from doing so. Heck...I've already typed this much. Might as well cast ma' votes.

Mario Kart Double Dash: YES

See above for non-issue with AI and item system. I don't know why you're complaining about no 4-cart Gran Prix. It's never existed because the systems, to what I've seen, aren't able to handle four player characters along with all of the necessary computer characters. If anything, be happy that you can even do a Gran Prix with four people in two carts. Freaking whiny kids always wanting what you don't have.

Pikmin 2: YES

No more obnoxious 30 day time limit along with two new types of Pikmin to have fun with along with new enemies and the ability to control two different squads AND multiplayer?! This game wins.

Phoenix Wright 2 Justice for All: borderline YES

Same great formula...just much much easier this time around. No bonus mission, but this is still a solid game that deserves attention.

Star Fox Assault: NO

A decent Star Fox game all in all, but it's not worth it to have a must buy when you still have those annoying "on foot" missions where it should all be the classic rail shooter and freaking all range mode awesomeness. Still a decent game to have, but like most Star Fox games, the multiplayer isn't worth squat.

Project Gotham Racing 2: YES

Good tight and solid controls with the music tracks and the visuals to make it all happen in a nice package.

WarioWare Touched!: NO

Fun game, but not worth your time. Touch screen play was fun and everything, but there's no real depth to this game to give it more time than you initially gave it. You won't be coming back to this one.

Viewtiful Joe 2: NO

Just didn't have the same tight feel as the first one and was made far too easy. Just wasn't fun.

In The Groove: YES

This game is what the hardcore DDR players ordered, literally. You're not limited to only hitting two at once anymore, you have to use your hands to groove properly now, and maybe get down on all fours really quickly so you can get back up and kick out a 16th note run. This game is just fun and intense while still keeping that learning curve present in all DDR-esque games.

God of War II: YES

Great expansion of the story upon the first game. Some parts of the story were frustrating, but hey, that's what it's all about.

Legend of Zelda Four Swords: NO

Horribly fun game with four other people, but that is its flaw. Needing your own screen for the 2D platforming elements required a GBA/SP and a connector for each, which isn't very feasible. I do own enough GBA/SP and connectors to invite friends over and do this myself, which makes the game worthwhile, but because of the limitations of most, not gonna happen.

Sonic Adventure 2 Battle: borderline YES

This is the only saving grace to the 3D Sonic games. It is fun, it's not incredibly innovative, it's easy to waste hours on end on Chaos until you realize they're worthless except if you have friends to play with, which I always have an abundance of. I think this is a must have.

Star Fox Command: NO

It's fun, but it's short and can be quite unforgiving. I like having the multiple people to play as and that's really fun, but it's not worth the money if you're not a Star Fox fan.

Tetris DS: YES

Everything's done right. Hell, it's Tetris. Go for it.

Odin Sphere: YES

Amazing game with beautiful visuals. Largest two problems are the slowdown caused by the huge amount of things onscreen during boss battles and the repetitive nature of the stories. While those are arguably significant, the overarching story is incredible and compels you to play through all of the books so you can finally piece together the entire thing.

Star Ocean: Till the End of Time: borderline YES

Good and fun game, but can be REALLY unforgiving, especially in the metagame. Multiplayer is also quite fun if you take the time to unlock it.

[sephfire]

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.

[eternal Zero]

Holy cow did I miss Amplitude?!

Amplitude: YES

Gameplay and look is much improved and I personally enjoy the newer set of songs more. Not as unforgiving with more gradual levels of difficulty even though the highest levels still have that sting to them. Get a multitap and this is one of -the- best gaming experiences you and your friends will have.

[Raziellink]

Sephfire, i spotted a typo in the first post !!!!!

Playstation 2

Capcom vs. SNK 2: Mark of the Wolves (2-0)

Oh noes!

[sephfire]

How the crap did that happen? Thanks and fixed.

[PlastikBag]

Metroid Prime 2: Yes

I loved the game. The original Metroid Prime was amazing and the sequel I felt was no different. The game isn't quite as epic as the first, but it upped the difficulty and gives players enough new content to make it feel like something new. While I do think it's not as good as the original, it's still better than most games on the market.

Tales of Symphonia: Yes

I guess I'll be the only one to yes this. Many push it to the side saying it has an extremely cliched sotryline, which I agree with to a point, but I feel that almost all RPGs on the market are pretty cliched. ToS, however, makes up for it with excellent gameplay mechanics. It's one of the few encounter-based RPGs out there that doesn't bore me to tears when I play through it.

[watkinzez]

Mario Kart Double Dash: YES

See above for non-issue with AI and item system. I don't know why you're complaining about no 4-cart Gran Prix. It's never existed because the systems, to what I've seen, aren't able to handle four player characters along with all of the necessary computer characters. If anything, be happy that you can even do a Gran Prix with four people in two carts. Freaking whiny kids always wanting what you don't have.

How dare I criticise a game!

And I'd be very surprised if the Cube couldn't handle four more CPU characters.

[Raziellink]

Why is Resident Evil 4 under X-box (must-haves)?

[sephfire]

Crap. Fixed again.

[eternal Zero]

How dare I criticise a game!

And I'd be very surprised if the Cube couldn't handle four more CPU characters.

I'm not sure about that, but the 64 couldn't even handle music with four players on board.

[dsx100]

I haven't played it but also haven't heard anything bad about Daxter. I actually here nothing but good things about it. I am sure some one has played it that can vote on it. But then agian, only 2 PSP titles even got votes. I guess very few people actually play the PSP.

If we could only get one more vote for Metroid Prime 2, then it could make the must have list. Come on somebody else has got to have liked the game.

[eternal Zero]

You're missing the point entirely. We're not trying to make a list of favorites. This was explained in like the first 5 pages of the thread if you actually, y'know, read it. This is trying to be objective and call out games that we think every gamer should attempt to own in his/her own lifetime.

[dsx100]

You're missing the point entirely. We're not trying to make a list of favorites. This was explained in like the first 5 pages of the thread if you actually, y'know, read it. This is trying to be objective and call out games that we think every gamer should attempt to own in his/her own lifetime.

I get the point entirely. I have been with this thread since before the rivisions where ever made. Now, I don't know if you where commenting on what I said about Daxter or Metroid Prime 2 (you really need to learn how to quote). In the case of Daxter, maybe the game really is good and worth the time of us hardcore gamers. I am just trying to encourage someone to comment on it. In the case of Metroid Prime 2, I honestly think Metroid Prime 2 has "Must-Have" status. This game is great and it pains me to see other games not even on the same level as MP 2 (in my opinion) like Mario Kart DD. If you had READ this thread you would have known that I voted NO to 2 of my favorite games because I didn't believe they where good enough to be must haves or the audience they appeal to is very narrow. I have also voted yes to at least 3 games that I personally don't like. If was honestly just listing my favorite games, why would I have voted No to 2 of my favorites and vote Yes to 3 that I dislike. It seems to me that you should be the one that does more reading.

[eternal Zero]

It's amusing how you change your pattern of speech when addressed differently. Notice this wouldn't have happened if you didn't mention that "someone else must have liked the game" and said something along the lines of "we need more votes, someone please give their opinion." Unfortunately, working at such a request objectively negates any way for you to request that someone votes on the game favorably because all you can really ask from someone is their vote.

[sephfire]

Less squabble, more vote.