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OCR 'Must-Have Games' List: -Part TWO-


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Cave Story - YES

It's freaking awesome, and it's freaking free. Probably the best freeware game ever made. And it's free. Did I mention it's free?

Descent - YES

The original Descent was pretty damn innovative for its time. And it was super fun too. It's like, a totally different kind of FPS. I never played Descent III, but Descent and Descent II were both pretty badass.

Quake - YES

Oh man. Now we're talking. Just to give you an idea of how much I love this game, it came out 11 years ago and I still play it. The original game had such incredible atmosphere, even right down to the packaging. Gritty earth-tone graphics, bizarre Lovecraftian monsters, and a Nine Inch Nails soundtrack. It doesn't get much better.

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Hey, at least I'm only missing one day at a time right? :<

****** Round Twelve: *******

Blast Corps

Console: N64

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Rare Ltd.

Release: Feb 28, 1997

Breath of Fire III

Console: Playstation

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Release: Apr 30, 1998

Persona

Console: Playstation

Publisher: Atlus Co.

Developer: Atlus Co.

Release: 1996

Fighters Megamix

Console: Saturn

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sega

Release: Apr 30, 1997

Sim City 2000

Console: PC

Publisher: Maxis

Developer: Maxis

Release: Feb 28, 1995

Starcraft

Console: PC

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Release: Apr 1, 1998

Total Annihilation

Console: PC

Publisher: Humongous Entertainment

Developer: Cavedog Entertainment

Release: Sept 30, 1997

Starsiege: Tribes

Console: PC

Publisher: Sierra Entertainment

Developer: Dynamix

Release: Nov 30, 1998

Wing Commander

Console: PC

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Origin

Release: 1990

Sword of Mana

Console: GBA

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Brownie Brown

Release: Dec 1, 2003

****** Round Thirteen: ******

GoldenEye 007

Console: N64

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Rare Ltd.

Release: Aug 25, 1997

R-Types

Console: Playstation

Publisher: ASCII Entertainment

Developer: Irem

Release: Feb 28, 1999

Valkyrie Profile

Console: Playstation

Publisher: Enix Corporation

Developer: Tri-Ace

Release: Aug 29, 2000

Vampire Savior *

Console: Saturn

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Release: Apr 16, 1998 (JP)

Big Red Racing

Console: PC

Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Developer: Big Red Software

Release: Feb 29, 1996

Fallout

Console: PC

Publisher: Interplay

Developer: Black Isle Studios

Release: Sept 30, 1997

Prey

Console: PC

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Human Head Studios

Release: July 11, 2006

Sam & Max Hit the Road

Console: PC

Publisher: LucasArts

Developer: LucasArts

Release: 1993

Golden Sun

Console: GBA

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Camelot Co. Ltd.

Release: Nov 11, 2001

WarioWare: Mega Microgame$

Console: GBA

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release: May 21, 2003

***************************

My votes:

Cave Story -- YES

Suzu's enthusiastic review led me to download and play this free masterpiece. I am truly glad I did. This might be the best free game you ever legally play. Charming old school graphics and great gameplay net this an easy YES. Also, FREE.

Sim City 2000 -- YES

I've only played a few of the Sim City games over the years, so I don't know which installment is the best, per se, but this one has more than enough great content to enter YES territory. The visual upgrade from previous games really makes your city feel prosporous and alive (assuming you can get such a city built). Remembering this game kinda makes me wish I had a new one to play right now.

GoldenEye 007 -- YES, a thousand times, YES

I shouldn't have to explain why. The graphics were lovely for the N64, the levels were great, the guns were awesome, the cheat codes were fun ... and the multiplayer. Consoles had never offered us such 4-man shooting splendor. There are few N64 games as important as this one. Easy yes.

Prey -- NO

It was pretty and some mechanics were cool, but this game turned out disappointingly average. There are far better shooters to fill out your must-have shelf, especially for PC owners.

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StarCraft - YES

Does it need an explanation?

Wing Commander - YES

DIE KILRATHI SCUM! Ahh, yes, the memories. Wing Commander is probably the first "simulator" game I ever played. And I played the shit out of it. God that game was fun. The details they put into it were pretty tight for its time. Like how if one of your wingmen dies, they're dead for the rest of their game, and they get "KIA" next to their name on the roster. Lots of other little small things made this game great.

GoldenEye 007 - YES

Oh man. Best console FPS ever? Single player was fantastic, and had amazing replayability. I probably played through the dam and facility levels a hundred times each. Maybe more. And the multiplayer was fucking godly. I'd go so far as to say GoldenEye 007 is probably the best split screen multiplayer game ever made.

Fallout - YES

A unique, original, extremely well done, and amazingly fun RPG for the PC. Fallout was freaking fantastic. And Fallout 2 expanded and improved the concept even further. These games are both definitely must have.

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Starcraft: Yes

Easily one of the best RTSs ever made. Its also most definately the most balanced one. This considered a pretty big feat for Starcraft considering how completely different each race is. The multiplayer is just a blast to play, especially on-line. The single-player campaign is very deep, very story driven, and very fun to play. This game had a huge tech-tree as well for the time. If you have a PC, there is really no reason why you shouldn't try Starcraft. Starcraft = one of the best PC games ever made period.

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Fighters Megamix (Saturn)- Take the cast of Virtua Fighter II, Fighting Vipers, bits of other franchises and fighting games like Sonic Fighters, and a host of oddball characters (like the racer car from Daytona USA), and here's what you get. You play with either Virtua Fighter rules, or Fighting Viper rules. You've lots of stuff to unlock, good tunes, two good fighting engines, graphics that are lower res, but light source shaded, a massive cast, spot on controls... it's a fighting game that you'd be hard pressed to not enjoy with everything it has. YES.

Wing Commander (PC)- The game that began a classic franchise. Great graphics for its time, good midi music, a well done story, wingmen you can command (and kill), docking, plenty of ships and weapons to earn as the game goes on, good controls... it's a fun game that's quality stuff from beginning to end. YES.

R-Types (PS1)- A small compilation with two virtually arcade perfect version of a pare of classic shmups... R-Type and R-Type II. Both games are slower paced, but they lack nothing in intensity. Good enemy patterns, cool stages, memorable tunes, areas that require you to change weapons to have a better chance at survival (especially II), great bosses, and somewhat deeper gameplay thanks to the detachable bit. They're older shmups that are well designed on all fronts, and that offer a good challenge without getting cheap. They're also games that influenced a good number of later shmups. So not only are they good, they're trend setters. YES.

Vampire Savior * (import Saturn)- It's pretty clear that I'm a Darkstalkers fan, and this game is the best in the series. The smooth and exaggerated animation that series is known for, a wide cast of familiar and new monsters that have great design, spot on controls, good tunes, great and deep gameplay, cool backgrounds, hidden fighters, some interesting story developments... this game's an outstanding fighter that needs a sequel badly. Oh, this Saturn version is every bit as good as the arcade version, and in ways, better. Every frame and note is in place, load times are basically non-existent, and there's extra goodies that the arcade didn't have. And, there's an English option so those of us no fluent in Japanese can enjoy everything.

YES without a doubt in my mind.

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Again just one? :S

Golden Sun: HELL yeah

Being the first RPG i've ever played (go figure), it has made an impression on me that i will never forget. The characters were cool, the story was a bit been there done that, but it worked well. You never had the idea the main story stopped in favor of some other character's development (Final Fantasy, Twilight Princess).

The music was simply gorgeous (among the earliest and BEST on the GBA), and the graphics were impressive. The battles were simply amazing, and due to the lack of an ATB system, you could really take the time to make a strategy by telling each of the characters what to do.

All in all, a quite standard RPG, but one dripping with quality.

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Dammit, I wrote detailed explanations on each vote but my browser decided to go kaboom when I hit submit.. so I'll just resume.

Sim City 2000 - YES

One of the best sim games ever created.

Starcraft - YES

This needs no explanation whatsoever.

GoldenEye 007 - YES

A first in many aspects, opened a window for FPS in consoles, multiplayer still helluva fun.

Prey - NO

Level 1- Portals! wow this is so amazing!

Level 2- Portals still awesome!

Level 3- Portals... they're cool.

Level 3- More portals... hmm.

Level 4- *sigh* portals.

Average FPS too. Annoying voice acting as well.

WarioWare: Mega Microgame$ - YES

Unique, innovative, crazy and funx1000

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I'm way behind, and probably will remain so. Still, lots to vote on today!

Starcraft -- YES The game is 10 years old, and still the best (one could make a strong point for C&C3 just because the UI has improved so much...but I don't want to start a massive war meant for another topic)

Total Annihilation -- NO I'm probably going to get some hate for this one, but I see a clear difference between "must play once at a LAN" and "must have" -- this one's the former.

Sword of Mana -- NO It's a good game, but like FF 1&2, time hasn't treated the remake well. Kudos for adding all kinds of things though.

GoldenEye 007 -- YES The only thing missing from making this the perfect game is the Farsight, found in Perfect Dark. Still, this game is awesome, and wasn't surpassed until Halo came out years later.

Prey -- NO Once you get over the idea of the portals, the actual game sucks.

Golden Sun YES This is the definitive RPG of portable gaming, as far as I'm concerned. Innovative combat system with dynamic classes, a plot with the right amount of twists, and the only GBA game so big they make you switch cartridges to keep playing it. :razz:

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***Round 11***

Starcraft

Especially for the time, Starcraft was unique. It was an RTS with a unique flavor, and it's no wonder it was hugely popular. I recall first playing as the Terrans: the style was a little on the grittier side, your units gave off that "fuck you" attitude," and the overall ambiance was desolate. The game only got better from there.

YES

Total Annihilation

I know a lot of people really enjoyed this game, but I found it to only be a mediocre (and broken) RTS experience. Yes, maps were huge. Yes, there was a lot of diversity in the units. No, just those two elements alone (the only I could find in the game that made it stand out even a little) do not make this game a must-have. I may not call this the best RTS ever, but even now it's up there on my list.

NO

***Round 12***

Goldeneye 007

When this came out, I honestly didn't care for the 64, yet even then I couldn't deny this game of its greatness. While where this game truly excelled was at multiplayer, the single player was plenty of fun as well. The graphics may not have aged well, but the gameplay and style of this game are still great. I could ramble on for longer, but instead I'll just say

YES

WarioWare

Oh man, was I ever skeptical of this game when a friend first told me about it. A succession of "microgames" lasting only a few seconds each fun? As it turns out, really fun. Oh, and did anyone mention this was more addictive than Pokemon? Cuz it is. By far. Anyway, this game has style all its own, features some intense and ridiculously fun gameplay, and if you don't actually laugh while you play you will certainly have a grin on your face. This game also featured several cameos from Nintendo's line-up, which is always fun to see in any of the games in the series. Great, great game.

YES!

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****** Round Twelve: *******

Sim City 2000

Yes Close between this and 3000 for my favorite in the series. And the only one I've ever filled an entire map on. Shooting helicopters down and reading about it in the newspaper was always nice. A great classic.

Starcraft

Yes, it's Starcraft. Everyone already knows why.

Total Annihilation

Borderline Yes. The difference in map size and units was not what I found interesting about this(Though it does help). Your entire army depended somewhat on your commander unit(And destruction of this unit could end in a loss if game mode is set to such). Resource collection was also quite varied. You could harvest materials or build self extracting facilities. The doomsday weapons were pretty neat too, as they actually were very very destructive, though costly. Also, who could hate singing and honking robots? I give this borderline yes though, because of the cheap tactic involving air transports and your enemy commander. Also, the last level is insanely difficult usually getting yourself nuked or MERVed(I forget the mobile missile launcher things name).

****** Round Thirteen: ******

GoldenEye 007

Yes, Singleplayer fun fun fun fun. Multiplayer fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun....

Prey

Borderline no Part of the reason I nominated this one was to see why it was so hated. Seems people only bought it for the portals gimmick. I don't know why you all ignore the gravity switching, wall walking, and ghost crap(though this wasn't that neat). As well as the excellent environment. That place actually looked like some huge alien mothership/colony designed to harvest people. The puzzles, though not extremely difficult, did throw me for a loop once. The downside is, it really is a pretty basic shooter. But what really killed it for me was, it was way too easy. The afterlife sort of thing was a neat idea, but seriously, you can't lose because of it. No reloading a save, just pop back in and keep fighting the enemy. Also, the game is short. I mean short, the ability to not die contributed to this front. Lastly, the main character is REALLY annoying. Had they just touched it up a bit, and fired the people who wrote the characters, this could have been one great game.

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More doubles. I should be ashamed of myself.

****** Round Fourteen: ******

Bomberman 64

Console: N64

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Hudson

Release: Nov 30, 1997

Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit

Console: Playstation

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Electronic Arts

Release: 1998

Final Fantasy VIII

Console: Playstation

Publisher: SquareSoft

Developer: SquareSoft

Release: Sept 7, 1999

Guardian Heroes

Console: Saturn

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Treasure

Release: 1996

Epic Pinball

Console: PC

Publisher: Epic Games

Developer: Epic Games

Release: 1993

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

Console: PC

Publisher: Sierra Entertainment

Developer: Sierra Entertainment

Release: 1993

Company of Heroes

Console: PC

Publisher: THQ

Developer: Relic

Release: Sept 13, 2006

The Sims

Console: PC

Publisher: Maxis

Developer: Maxis

Release: Jan 31, 2000

Taito Legends

Console: PC

Publisher: Taito Corp.

Developer: Empire Oxford

Release: Nov 10, 2005

Yoshi’s Island: Super Mario Advance 3

Console: GBA

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release: Sept 24, 2002

****** Round Fifteen: ******

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Console: N64

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: LucasArts

Release: Dec 3, 1996

Philosoma

Console: Playstation

Publisher: SCEA

Developer: G Artist

Release: 1996

WipeOut

Console: Playstation

Publisher: Psygnosis

Developer: Psygnosis

Release: Nov 21, 1995

Radiant Silvergun *

Console: Saturn

Publisher: ESP Software

Developer: Treasure

Release: July 23, 1998 (JP)

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness

Console: PC

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Release: Nov 30, 1995

Unreal Tournament

Console: PC

Publisher: GT Interactive

Developer: Epic Games

Release: Oct 25, 2000

Theme Hospital

Console: PC

Publisher: Electronics Arts

Developer: Take-Two

Release: Mar 31, 1997

Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure

Console: PC

Publisher: Apogee Software, Ltd.

Developer: Apogee Software, Ltd.

Release: Mar 1992

Final Fantasy IV Advance

Console: GBA

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Square Enix

Release: Dec 12, 2005

Super Dodgeball Advance

Console: GBA

Publisher: Atlus Co.

Developer: Atlus Co.

Release: Jun 10, 2001

*********************

My votes:

Final Fantasy VIII -- undecided

I'm very close to NOing this. As always, the usual Final Fantasy polish is there. The world is gorgeous and interesting enough. Most of the combat and gameplay elements are fun. The story deal may not be Square's finest work, but the worst Square story still beats most other JRPG stories any day. As for the bad: the Draw system made everything tedious, the junctioning system was cool but cluttered, and the GF animations needed a skip option. Overall, this was a fine game, but there are too many other must-have games to choose from in the Final Fantasy franchise to bother with this. I'll think about it, but I expect to NO this. Barely.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire -- NO

It was kinda fun at the time, but nothing about it sticks out as "wow" material. There are better games you could be playing.

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness -- YES

Starcraft may have perfected this formula, but Warcraft II still stands as a great RTS.Nothing makes me happier than a franchise that gets better with age. Warcraft is one of those franchises. Each installment just makes it better and better.

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Guardian Heroes (Saturn)- Well drawn 2D art, massive amounts of enemies to pow through, beat'em up-style gameplay with special moves thrown in, good tunes, and a vs mode with an astounding number of characters that can be unlocked (basically damn near every character in the game... if not every one). The controls are responsive, the action is constant, and this is a fine example of how good brawlers can be. YES.

Taito Legends (PC)- Take 25 game from Taito's past that range from legendary (Space Invaders, Phoenix, etc.), to classic (Rastan, Bubble Bobble, etc.), to down right obscure (Tokio, Plotting, etc.), and put them together. What you end up with, is a stable of great arcade games from yesteryear. The game itself does a great job of emulating these games, but there's a special aspect about the PC version that the PS2 and XBox versions don't have... the ability to play the games in MAME as well. Yes, you can take the ROMs that TL1 installs, and drop them into an older version of MAME (v.66 is good) to get non-fuzzy graphics at proper aspect ratios, and even the arcade dipswitches.

This is a great compilation on it's own. But tack on the MAME compatibility, and all the possible portability that implies, and it's even better. YES.

Philosoma (PS1)- You know, when this game came out, it was pretty damn different. It's a shmup to be sure, but it's a bit odd. It uses quite a few different viewpoints. Top view, side view, into the screen behind the ship, out of the screen in front of the ship, and even below the ship. It's a strange beast to be sure, but it's also fun. It plays like a shmup regardless of which angle you're currently in, with good music, a decent challenge (mostly on hardest), and plenty of action. It's not the pinnacle of PS1 shmuping, but it's different, fun, and well made. Borderline YES.

WipeOut (PS1)- Some folks consider Ridge Racer to be the best of the PS1's early racers. In my opinion, this game beats it by a mile. The downsides to this game are as follows... lots of pop up, and touching the side of the track brings you to an abrupt stop. The upsides? Great graphics, great music, seven wild and twisting tracks, a serious dose of speed when you unlock the higher class races, cool ship designs, and being able to shoot the bastards that come flying by you thanks to a fun array of weapons you can pick up. This game has few short comings, but a lot of pluses. YES.

Radiant Silvergun (import Saturn)- There are shmups, and there are SHMUPS. This game, is in the latter category. Great graphics, effects the Saturn wasn't supposed to be able to do, cool music, many bosses that have multiple attacks and can be picked apart, a unique powering up system, fast action, lots of unlockable stuff, two modes (arcade and Saturn), a challenging scoring system and a tough challenge in general... this thing's got so much packed into it, that there's a reason some folks consider it the best shmup made to date. If you own a Saturn, you need to own this game. YES.

Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC)- C&C gave the RTS genre it's gameplay format, but this entry in the WarCraft series gave it a nice twist. The sprite work is quite nice for the time, the music is great, the gameplay is well done, the challenge level is certainly there. But in this game, there's a greater sense of personality to the troops you control (especially the low ranking ones), and some nice extra touches (like decaying bodies). The cinemas are pretty ugly looking (even for the time), but that's pretty much the low point in this game. The rest is quality stuff. YES.

Unreal Tournament (PC)- You know, I'm probably one of the few people who wasn't all that excited about a FPS series that was focused more on single player, suddenly ditching the single player aspect damn near altogether. It happened when the Quake series jumped to III and tacked on a cheap single player game, and it happened again when the Unreal franchise did the same. Doom was a great balance between multi and single player gaming, but the lesson it taught wasn't paid attention to.

Yes, the graphics are good for the time, there are several different modes to play in, the tunes are good, and there are plenty of weapons to grab and use. The bot AI is questionable at times, but it can do a decent job for your teammates in single player. But I can't lie here... the lack of a good single player game hurts UT 99. Multiplayer? Sure, UT 99 has it covered. Single player? Sorely lacking.

Despite how disappointed I was with this game's not offering something for those of us who, at the time, didn't have an on-line option that would allow us to play it against others, I can still recognize what it offered. Borderline YES.

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****** Round Fourteen: ******

Bomberman 64 borderline YES

This game is the best offshoot of the bomberman franchise you will ever find. At first glance it looks just like any other cookie cutter n64 platformer but on a closer look, it's a very, very good puzzle-adventure-action game that mixes this three elements very well. The mechanics were fantastic, the puzzles were smart and the boss battles were awesome. And for those who can breeze through the game (not many!) there's the golden card system, which has you doing things in the game to collect all the golden card. Plus, it has rewards for customizing your bomberman in multiplayer, which btw, is very tight and classic bomberman. The music is charming and catchy, and the graphics do their job.

The only reason I'm borderline on this is because not many will be willing to go through all the puzzles. I was one that didn't like this game at first, but after getting into the mechanics of the game and the rewards, I was totally hooked. IMO this is a must have for any N64 owner.

Final Fantasy VIII NO

Crimsonzeal used to explain this better than me, but I'll try to do it without sounding like a hater:

Lame characters

Lame story

Lame system

and the most broken magic system in any FF, ever. I played this game right when it came out, and despised it. I beated it faster than any other final fantasy I've ever played and it was a pain to go through it. From squalls' annoying whiny kid nature to Rinoa's annoying personality and the annoying and incredibly lame plot twists... gah everything about this game was annoying. The only thing I can say that I liked about this game was a song or two, other than that, it's a big waste of time to go through it.

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers YES

EXCELLENT game. This game is a truly involving game. You will feel connected to this characters right away, and when they start developing their stories you will only feel the connection to tighten. One of the best storytelling I've ever seen in an adventure game, incredibly good music, and great graphics. This is a true jewel of a videogame that everyone should play at least once. The only bad thing I can say about it is that sometimes the puzzles didn't make much sense, but it's not uncommon in this genre.

Give this game a try, if only for the excellent storytelling that it has.

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire NO

I don't know why so many people liked this broken game. Sure, at the time it was one of the few things to play on N64, but the graphics were horrible EVEN back then. The story and the character they based it wasn't too interesting at all, and the controls were soooo broken. I didn't recommend this game back then, and won't recommend it now. If you want a good action game based on the star wars universe go pick jedi outcast or the best one imho: Jedi knigh: Jedi academy

Unreal Tournament - YES

Talk about games taht never get old. This game really needs no reason, I haven't met a person who doesn't thinks this game is awesome, or at least enjoys it. UT popularized the non-stop action multiplayer FPS and it's still king on this genre. Not much to say here.

Theme Hospital NO

It's not a bad game, but not a must-have. The game is too linear to be a good sim game, and also VERY easy. As I said, it's not a bad game but nothing special either.

oh forgot to YES Warcraft 2.

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Warcraft II : Yes

Starcraft and Warcraft III easily out-beat this game but there is no denying how great this game is. It also holds up very well and is still fun to play on-line, if you can find matches that is. The RTS formula for this is still great and the game is pretty well balanced. Warcraft II was also one of the first RTSs to offer online-play. The campaign was pretty good and pretty story-driven which for me is a good thing. Great and very fun RTS that I would suggest anyone try even if you own or have played Starcraft and Warcraft III.

Unreal Tournament: Yes

In my opinion Unreal Tournament (along with Quake 3) is easily one of the best if not the best multiplayer FPS ever created. If you want to see what real multiplayer FPS is all about you better play UT Classic or Quake 3. Forget Halo, forget Golden Eye, forget Timesplitters because all those are nothing compared to the level of large scale multiplayer Unreal has to offer. The online multiplayer is just off the wall and just so much damn fun. There are so many different and creative weapons. The stages are very varied and are a blast to play at. The gameplay modes especially Assault are just great. However don't expect Unreal Tournament to be the ultimate FPS experience. The single player is pretty much just multiplayer but agianst bots, which by the way have some excellent AI at higher difficulty settings. This is a little dissapointing considering not everyone would want to play on-line or even LAN. The graphics while good at the time aren't all the great even compared to other games of the time like its rival Quake 3. I also personally hated the UI. Unreal Tournament is a great game that I just have to recommend to gamers, especially those interested in Multiplayer FPS action.

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****** Round Fourteen: ******

Final Fantasy VIII -- NO I'm a big FF fanboy, and while the soundtrack to this one is amazing, the gameplay is completely broken. Getting the ultimate weapon on Disc 1, a main character that is entirely overpowered, and a magic system that outright sucks. Oh, and because you can junction magic to your stats to improve them, once you get the right magic you basically become a god. This is the only FF game where you really feel the pain of grinding (try drawing 300 Ultimas sometime).

Epic Pinball -- NO It pains me to say this about my favorite pinball game, but computer pinball just isn't the real thing. If you want a virtual pinball game though, you'd be hard pressed to find one better than this. The closest no vote so far for me.

Taito Legends -- YES Hooray for emulation! I love this disc -- in addition to all of the oldies, I get the original arcade Bubble Bobble -- what's not to love?

****** Round Fifteen: ******

Unreal Tournament -- YES This is the game that defines what an FPS should be. While the single player does suck (note: everything between Quake II and Metroid Prime / Halo had the same problem), the multiplayer is absolutely perfect. Assault mode is absolutely amazing (especially the castle level), as is the crazy variety of weapons....if only they would bring back the Ripper for UT3!

Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure -- NO This game just isn't as fun as other things available during the same time period -- note that I have only played the first episode of three (never paid for this one). In any case, the suction cup gimmick gets old after a few minutes, and it's just straight left to right the rest of the time.

Final Fantasy IV Advance -- NO If you haven't played a properly translated version of this game, then this is the edition you need to play (until the DS remake next year). However, the fact that they used the WonderSwan graphics instead of the SNES ones makes me unable to really get into the game. The crazy level of polish that FFV/VI Advance had just isn't here in this one.

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Final Fantasy VIII - NO

Final Fantasy VIII isn't a bad game. But it's severely mediocre, and easily the weakest of the Final Fantasy series. While the graphics improved over FF7, everything else took a step in the opposite direction. Sir_NutS summed it up quite well in his post. The story and characters really are quite lame.

Warcraft II - YES

Warcraft II was freaking awesome for its time. And it's still pretty fun today. While Warcraft: Orcs & Humans may have started the Warcraft franchise, Warcraft II is really what launched it. It was a fantastic RTS, and laid the foundations for the Warcraft universe as we know it today.

Unreal Tournament - abstain

UT was fun for a little while, but it, like many other multiplayer only FPS games, got boring pretty quick. Some people seem to like it, but after the 30th time hearing "M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL" after shooting a dozen people in the face with a sniper rifle, it was time for me to move on.

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There has to be someone else who played NiGHTS Into Dreams around here. I hear so much praise for that game and the Saturn is hurting for votes around here. Pester your friends to get in here!

****** Round Sixteen: ******

Star Fox 64

Console: N64

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Release: July 1, 1997

Chrono Cross

Console: Playstation

Publisher: SquareSoft

Developer: SquareSoft

Release: Aug 15, 2000

Ridge Racer Revolution

Console: Playstation

Publisher: Namco

Developer: Namco

Release: Sept 30, 1996

Sega Ages

Console: Saturn

Publisher: Working Designs

Developer: Working Designs

Release: 1997

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword

Console: PC

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Firaxis Games

Release: July 23, 2007

Doom II: Hell on Earth

Console: PC

Publisher: GT Interactive

Developer: id Software

Release: Sept 30, 1994

Jazz Jackrabbit

Console: PC

Publisher: Epic Games

Developer: Epic Games

Release: May 3, 1994

Shadow Warrior

Console: PC

Publisher: GT Interactive

Developer: 3D Realms

Release: Aug 31, 1997

Mega Man Battle Network

Console: GBA

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Release: Oct 30, 2001

Astro Boy: Omega Factor

Console: GBA

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Hitmaker

Release: Aug 18, 2004

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My vote:

Chrono Cross -- YES

The overload of characters may have made it hard to get attached to any of them, and the combat may have been a bit complicated compared to CT's charmingly simple system, but this is one of the Playstation's finest games. The art is beautiful and the soundtrack is one of gaming history's best. Big ol' YES.

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Doom II: Yes

Yes this game looks similar, plays similar, and sounds similar to Doom but it is still a great game and a must play in my opinion. Doom II is just Doom but much better in almost every way. More enemies, more puzzles, bigger levels, cooler soundtrack, better multiplayer, and it even looks a little cleaner too. Basically everything great about Doom I is in Doom II but its bigger and more refined. If you enjoyed Doom or basically any other FPS, there is no reason why you shouldn't give Doom II a shot.

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There has to be someone else who played NiGHTS Into Dreams around here. I hear so much praise for that game and the Saturn is hurting for votes around here. Pester your friends to get in here!

The only saturn games I got to play were really, really mediocre. Didn't get to play the good ones that everybody praises, sadly.

Star Fox 64 - YES

Ok this will be a little biased. Star Fox 64 rocks.

Excellent soundtrack, likeable characters, and hey how could one not want the game that gave birth to such phrases like "DO A BARREL ROLL"?.

Now on a more serious tone, this game is tight. The controls are spot on, the action is great, the voiceovers were cheesy which I think fits the theme of the game (I mean, toads, rabbits and foxes on spaceships, no one can take this plot seriously) And the graphics were nice. Some levels like the ID4 inspired battle on katrina are totally epic, and few games get so much action packed into a free flight environment and still make it fun and controllable, leaving a satisfying feeling. This game is a fun action game and the last good star fox game (I did enjoy assault, but, and I know this is getting old, fox's team NEEDS TO STAY IN THE GODDAMN AIRSHIPS)

This is a game that should be in everyone's N64 games collection. I know I never get tired of it and play it very often, despite I've beaten it beyond death.

Astro Boy: Omega Factor - YES

From the makers of gunstar heroes comes a game so fun and hectic that it's incredible it fits on such a small package. Hordes of enemies coming at you, lots of different movements and ways to fight, a pseudo-rpg system to improve your character, insane replay value, this game is simply awesome. Many people will shrug it off because it's based on the Astro boy franchise (I know I did at first) but believe me when I say this is one of the best 2d action shooters ever made, right up there with the likes of Gunstar Heroes, Contra 3 and metal slug. (Btw the first two were made by the same company, no wonder they're all so awesome)

If you hate anime or this franchise in particular I'd say shrug that off instead of the game, and you will find one of the most fun and challenging action games on a portable and one of the best values for your money. As I said, the replay value for this game is huge, specially for an action game. Go play it, like, NOW.

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