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1/28/2016

Spoony Plays Thief Gold, Part 4

Unmarked one-way streets!

1/27/2016

Spoony Plays Dark Cloud, Part 3

By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!



A few things I did off-camera:


Went ahead and purchased the Wise Owl sword since it's pretty solid and only three upgrades away from the penultimate weapon in the game.


I turned my Shamshir into a Synthsphere to give it a major boost; now I'm one-shotting almost every enemy in the woods.



Got enough points via fishing to get a Diamond, which boosts your anti-metal attribute by 10 and all other attributes by 5.  Very handy.  That was also enough to upgrade Xiao's Steel Slingshot to a tier 2 weapon, the Hardshooter.



 I also absentmindedly went ahead to floor 9 of the Wise Owl Forest, which results in another QTE.  However, I did get a perfect on it.  As a reward for doing that, the game gives you a random gem. I got a Pearl in this case.

If you're a perfectionist, you'll probably want to do this for every QTE that comes along.  You'll also want to save before you use any defense-boosting items, as they give a random bonus between 5-7 points.

1/26/2016

Spoony Plays Grandia II, part 11

Long dungeon, short dungeon, red dungeon, blue dungeon.

1/25/2016

Spoony Plays Dark Cloud, Part 2

The everlong search for a slingshot.

Split into three parts due to OBS arbitrarily dropping the game audio for no reason.



Other Notes:

I did some powering up off-camera, and in the process managed to snag four gems - three from a particularly lucky trip to a back floor, and one via fishing.  I put two of them to use upgrading my characters' weapons.

I also found a better weapon for Xiao along the way - the Steel Slingshot.  I turned her old Bone Slingshot into a Synthsphere and used it to power it up.

(Synthspheres can be created from any weapon once it reaches +5 rank or higher; they can then be attached to other weapons and provide a boost equivalent to 60% of the former weapon's stats.  So don't throw out or sell any weapons you've invested any serious amount of time on!)

Spoony Plays Thief Gold, Part 3

 This is why I'm freelance!

1/24/2016

Spoony's Top 100 Games, #10-1

10. Suikoden II (Konami, 1999)

Another game I always felt was vastly overlooked, but I can't really blame people too much for that as it was released with little fanfare amidst Final Fantasy's runaway success in the late 90s, and, seeing its slow sales, Konami refused to print any more copies. It was put up as a digital download on the PSN many years later, but by then Konami was going out of their way to burn bridges with frivolous copyright claims and the cancellation of many prominent franchises, leading to many long-time fans turning their backs on the company for good.  It's all a pity, really, as Suikoden II is a fantastic war epic with an enormous cast and gameplay that combines elements of turn-based war strategy games and traditional JRPGs, not to mention some surprisingly good characterizations and emotional writing throughout.  Definitive proof that a large cast can be used in a JRPG's favor, and that storytelling in them can easily be on par with a good book or TV series.

9. Bayonetta (Platinum Games, 2009)


From the gaming legend Hideki Kamiya, who brought us such over-the-top action titles as Resident Evil 2, Viewtiful Joe and the original Devil May Cry, comes a game whose wild, stylized action puts all of his previous efforts to shame and still has plenty of awesomeness left over.  In addition to the usual puzzle-solving and melees with huge swarms of foes, Bayonetta's gameplay is also a wonderfully spot-on mix of styles from seemingly every action game of the 3D era, allowing the player to wield swords, whips, fire and and lightning claws, or just a plethora of firearms (all of which can be used to extend weapon combos by holding down the button after a strike).  All presented in colorful, gorgeous 60 FPS and with an incredibly funny protagonist to boot.   Bayonetta is doubtlessly one of the finest action games ever made, if not the best.

8. System Shock 2 (Looking Glass Studios/Irrational Games, 1999)

The final game worked on by Looking Glass, and quite a solid one to go out on.  System Shock 2 is a brilliant blend of survival horror, RPG and first person shooter elements, giving the player almost total freedom in the way they customize their character and play through the game.  The horror element is also amazingly well realized, conveying a feel of claustrophobia and isolation thanks to its uncomfortable setting and the ever-present menace of the Many, a hive-mind of creepy parasitic aliens that has the ship firmly in its possession.  Not to mention some unparalleled audio design and voice acting, as was Looking Glass' trademark.  A game with tons of replayability and fantastic atmosphere, System Shock 2 is easily my favorite horror game of all time.

7. Mega Man 3 (Capcom, 1990)


Widely considered to be the pinnacle of the classic Mega Man series, Mega Man 3 was certainly a stellar game for its time, expanding on Mega Man 2's gameplay in numerous ways while retaining the excellent design that put the series on the map.  The formula is essentially the same as 2 - fight eight bosses in any order, then tackle a final gauntlet - but the additions made turn it into something brilliant.  First being Rush the robo-dog, who can transform into a submarine, a jet platform or a springboard to more easily navigate the environment (and cross some otherwise insurmountable obstacles).  The gauntlet also ups the stakes by having you fight a menacing "Doc Robot" who mimics the abilities of all of Mega Man 2's bosses, as well as several original bosses and a mysterious new arrival in "Break Man", later revealed to be one of Dr. Light's original designs.  And of course as per series standards, the visuals and music are absolutely top-notch for the NES platform.  The NES had a lot of solid platfomers, but nothing else quite equals classic 8-bit platforming like Mega Man in my book.

6. Super Metroid (Nintendo, 1994)


While technically a sequel, Super Metroid also serves as something of a remake, taking the design of the original Metroid and expanding on it tenfold.  This comes in the form of a larger game environment, yes, but it also extends to the overall design, with numerous new powerups, countless new abilities for Samus (including the ever-popular Shinespark and wall-jump) and colossal boss battles that really showed off the power of the Super Nintendo platform.  All accompanied by the same moody score and bizarre alien environments of the original, as well as a captivating storyline despite lacking much of a spoken narrative.  Super Metroid is still the gold standard for the genre even twenty years after its release.

5. Ultima VII: The Black Gate (Origin Systems, 1992)


Origin Systems was ahead of their time in too many ways to count, and that is perhaps most evident in their brilliant 1992 RPG Ultima VII: The Black Gate.  Built on the foundation of ten amazing games before it, Ultima VII upped the stakes by having an enormous game environment that could be freely roamed and interacted with in a surprisingly realistic fashion - bread could be baked, drawbridges can be raised and lowered, and nearly anything can be picked up and wielded as a weapon.  Of course, as per series standards it also reveled in its amazing storytelling, with a cast of hundreds of well-realized characters and a game world with hundreds of years of history and lore for the player to experience in addition to the usual complement of enemy hordes and dungeons.  It was a bit buggy and hard to get running, but that's to be expected for a game of this size, and hell, for 1992, the sheer ambition of its design made it worth putting up with a few glitches and some high system requirements.  Just avoid the terrible, awful, ghastly, horrible, ridiculous and (did I mention?) atrocious SNES version, as it does not do this game justice at all.

4. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo, 1993)

Link to the Past was one of the earliest games I can remember that had me hooked on the sheer strength of its narrative and presentation, thrusting the player into an epic, world-spanning journey whose merit comes from the sheer polish in every facet of its design.  The player definitely has plenty to see and experience with the wide variety of weapons and items at their disposal, but as if that's not enough, the game also utilizes two parallel worlds to travel between, with the subtle differences between them enabling all sorts of creative treasure-hunting and secret finding.  Top that with a colorful cast of characters, a strong storyline with a lot of gravity behind it, a simple yet charming and colorful visual style and an incredible soundtrack that gives it a feel of a legendary adventure, and you have a true 16-bit classic.

3. Super Mario All Stars + Super Mario World (Nintendo, 1994)

Some may consider it a copout to put a compilation game on a top games list, but hey, it's my list and I'll put what I like on it!  Besides, I couldn't bring myself to pick one of the classic Mario games over the others - they're all too damn good.  Mario 1 is an undeniable genre-definer and probably the single most important game for console gaming as we know it, Lost Levels was one of those devious "hard mode" hacks before we even knew those were a thing, SMB2 was an enjoyable, if unconventional, sequel, and of course SMB3 took the gameplay style to perfection with its brilliant stage designs, inventive powerups and impeccable presentation.   Finally, Super Mario World, while it may lack the challenge and fine polish of its predecessors, also brought a touch of nonlinearity to the table, not to mention plenty of hidden secrets to find.  No matter which one you play, though, you're in for a really good time.

2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Nintendo, 1996)


Mario's games are undeniable classics, but to me, the undisputed king of action-platformer gameplay has to be the first in the Yoshi spinoff series, Yoshi's Island.  An extremely stylish, colorful and fluidly-animated game to be sure (thanks to the Super FX2 chip), but more than that, the game is a bastion of absolutely impeccable design.  The stages are layered with hidden secrets and the mechanics lend themselves to all sorts of creative puzzles - ricocheting eggs to hit targets, transforming into vehicles, and hordes of creative enemies and bosses.  The only real tragedy of it is that all of the Yoshi-centered sequels insisted on giving the franchise a much more infantile atmosphere and that all of them ranged from mediocre to awful in comparison.  Just because it's designed with a young audience in mind doesn't mean that you can't also make it enjoyable for an older crowd, guys!

1. EarthBound (APE/HAL Laboratory, 1995)

One of the games that got me into RPGs, and despite playing hundreds of them since, I always come back to Earthbound as my choice for the finest game in the genre, as well as my personal choice for the greatest game ever made.  That mainly comes down to one big factor, namely that this is a work of passion rather than rote repetition, seemingly going out of its way to break every trend the genre had established to that point.  Rather than being set in a medieval fantasy world or a dark future, Earthbound is set in modern day and features relatively mundane, ordinary "weapons" like yo-yos, frying pans and baseball bats.  Its enemies are equally strange, with runaway dogs, possessed fire hydrants and Manly Fish to name a few.  It soundtrack is among the best ever composed for the medium, with each and every locale accompanied by a distinct and memorable tune; I can listen to any track from this OST and the memories of my adventures instantly flood back.  But most of all, I love the game for its humor and sincerity, taking the visual style and quirky, unique charm of a good comic strip and expanding it into a world-spanning adventure, which lends itself to a lot of novel sights, clever jokes and surprisingly heart-felt moments.  This was a game meant to introduce a little more happiness into the world, and it shows throughout.  And it's for that reason that I can say, without hesitation, that I have yet to play another game that even comes close to it in terms of establishing an emotional connection to the player.  Simply genius.


Spoony's Top 100 Games, #20-11

20. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo/Monolith Soft, 2023)

While I enjoyed Breath of the Wild, I didn't love it; it just lacked that all-important focus on secrets and puzzle solving of a good Zelda and the overall bland world design, lack of rewarding quests and lack of dungeons made it feel a bit lacking in spite of its stronger elements.  Tears of the Kingdom makes up for everything that game lacked and then some, giving you not one, but THREE large maps to explore, some amazing new mechanics like weapon fusion and being able to build your own contraptions to aid in battle or get around faster, and the good old Zelda mainstay - tons of secrets and content that all feels highly polished and incredibly rewarding to experience.  Simply put, this game blew me away, becoming not just one of my favorite Zeldas, but one of the best games ever created, period.

19. The Zero Escape trilogy (Spike Chunsoft, 2009, 2011, 2016)


A trilogy of visual novels interspersed with room escape puzzles, which doesn't sound terribly exciting on paper.  However, what makes it into something truly great are the merits of its writing - between these, you're presented with a colorful cast of characters and a complex science fiction tale exploring themes of time travel, humanity and morality.  The former also comes into play in the overall gameplay, requiring the player to revisit earlier choices and make different ones in order to see all the possible outcomes of the story and ensure the best endings.  It may not be the most technologically impressive of franchises, but fans of cerebral sci-fi will find a lot to enjoy here.

18. Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium (Sega, 1995)


Easily my favorite Sega game of all time, as well as one of the finest JRPGs ever released to this day, Phantasy Star IV certainly went all-out to prove that the Sega Genesis could hold its own against its competitor.  Not only for its great visual design and an outstanding soundtrack that perfectly highlights the game's science fantasy setting, but for its strong gameplay.  Utilizing a macro system that streamlines random encounters and allows players to combine many spell effects together for greater effect (over a year before Chrono Trigger, no less*), there was a lot more on offer here than the complex maze-walking its predecessors provided.  But the real kicker is the narrative, which utilized manga panel styled cutscenes to advance its story in a unique way for its era and a narrative that provided for some strong characters and a perfect wrap-up to the series' running storyline.  A definite must-play for RPG fans.

* Both games came out in North America in 1995; However, Phantasy Star IV debuted in Japan in December 1993 while Chrono Trigger's Japanese release was in March of 1995.  So my statement is correct!

17. Thief 2: The Metal Age (Looking Glass Studios, 2000)

A followup to the original Thief, taking place a year after its events and chronicling the rise of a sinister new organization called the "Mechanists" who take the world by storm with their advanced technology.  To that end, the player can expect all sorts of anachronistic fun - security cameras, turrets, complex locking mechanisms, submarines and yes, even bomb-launching security automatons.  It's a little silly, but it all works surprisingly well thanks to Looking Glass' brilliant atmospheric sound design and strong character writing.  It also allows for the player to utilize some clever new tricks of their own, like climbable vine arrows (which can be shot into both wooden surfaces and metal grates), exploding frogbeast eggs and "scouting orbs" utilizing the protagonist's mechanical eye to see into new areas with minimal risk.  And of course, the usual stealth-based gameplay is a ton of fun and lends itself to lots of interesting mission objectives.

16. Illusion of Gaia (Quintet, 1994)

Quintet is pretty much the definitive cult classic company from the Super Nintendo era, creating numerous titles that dared to tell stories driven by emotion and atmosphere in an era where games were still largely viewed as "fun diversions" more than anything.  They got their start with the angelic-themed games Soulblazer and Actraiser, which had the player rebuilding the world after a catastrophe.  Illusion of Gaia still carries on that theme, but now places a lot more emphasis on the narrative as well, with some well-developed characters and dialog turning what would otherwise be a fairly average adventure into a truly memorable experience.  Of course, they didn't skimp on the game's design either, combining Zelda-styled puzzles with some surprisingly challenging boss battles, well-designed locales and clever mechanics throughout.  And of course, no mention of Quintet can go without mentioning their soundtracks; absolutely incredible orchestral tracks that sound too good to be coming out of a system without CD audio.   It may be largely forgotten today, but Illusion of Gaia remains one of my all-time favorites.

15. Final Fantasy Tactics (Squaresoft, 1998)

When it comes to Final Fantasy games, for me at least, it's not so much a matter of "which one is the best" as "there is only one".   That one is Final Fantasy Tactics, a game which more or less serves as a storyline remake of Yasumi Matsuno's Tactics Ogre, but with the customizable class system of Final Fantasy V on top, allowing the player to mix-and-match abilities to create their ultimate team of units.  While it also possesses some of Final Fantasy's usual, erm, less-desirable aspects (a bad sense of humor, rough translation and wildly unbalanced gameplay in its late stages), the grim story and high challenge keep it a fresh and fun experience throughout.  Not a perfect game, but it's as close as Final Fantasy has ever gotten.

14. Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (Blue Sky Productions, 1992)

A game that was built from the ground up to not just be a more realistic kind of puzzle-driven dungeon crawler, but a full blown life simulation too.  To that end, you had skills not just oriented around combat and spellcasting, but for swimming, conversing, identifying items and bartering with NPCs among many others.  It had a lighting system and rudimentary physics for platforming, letting objects bounce off of walls (and activate switches) and no single set solution for most puzzles, letting the player take an innovative approach to solving the game's mysteries.  Downright mind-blowing stuff for 1992, and the influence it's had on the industry since is immeasurable, inspiring games like Elder Scrolls, Half-Life 2, Deus Ex, and numerous others.  It's a bit clumsy and awkwardly slow to play today, but it's nevertheless a great game and an important building block for gaming as a whole.


13. Chrono Trigger (Squaresoft, 1995)

A rare example of a Square game that I actually agree with general concensus on, because Chrono Trigger is good.  Really, really good.  One of the games that got me into JRPGs in general, to be honest.  It broke away from earlier games in the genre in many ways, placing much more emphasis on scripted battles, controlling the battlefield with spells, and of course teamwork between allies to unleash combination attacks that could wreak havoc like no other.  There was even a great story and mechanics that perfectly utilizes its time travel gimmick, as well as some stellar visuals and one of the greatest gaming soundtracks of all time.  Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece in the RPG genre and a true must-play.

12. Fallout: New Vegas (Obsidian Entertainment, 2010)


Fallout was one of Black Isle's big hits in the late 90s, so many fans were disappointed when the IP fell to Bethesda and became more of a futuristic Elder Scrolls than anything.  New Vegas saw the original writers return, however, crafting a sprawling world more in line with the series norm while still utilizing Fallout 3's engine.  The end result is what one would expect from Obsidian - well written, complex, and with a ton of content (and much more planned, as evidenced by mountains of unused content in its code).  Of course, the limitations of the engine also become much more evident here, with many bizarre bugs throughout even after several patches.  Still, the game is such a deep and engrossing experience that you really don't mind them too much, and the sheer number of fan mods out there lends it some tremendous replay value as well.  Not to mention some very high-quality downloadable content missions that add a lot to the overall game, retaining the same sharp sense of humor and strong writing Obsidian is known for.  New Vegas may not be a perfect game, but it's an immensely enjoyable one that can easily captivate you for months.

11. Mega Man X2 (Capcom, 1995)


Mega Man X2 is another example of the first game in the series introducing plenty of new elements, but the second one coming along and pushing them to perfection.  Mega Man X2 is just that, pushing its stage design, visuals and music to new heights while retaining the same basic feel and format of the original Mega Man X.  Of cours,e they also introduced some new elmeents to the game in the form of some clever upgrades (with the armor in particular allowing for a screen-sweeper attack once enough damage is sustained) and some new nemises in the form of the "X Hunters", who enable an alternate story branch if all three are defeated before the final fortress.


Spoony's Top 100 Games, #30-21

30. Fallout 2 (Black Isle Studios, 1998)

The original Fallout was a standout title for its time, introducing a heavy, well, role-playing element back into roleplaying games instead of just being an endless monster-squashing simulator; nearly every quest and scenario could be handled in a variety of different ways, and it was even possible to win without witnessing a single death or firing a single shot at an enemy.  Fallout 2, while it doesn't have the same amount of polish, makes up for it in its sheer amount of content, expanding the world and questlines tenfold and tweaking its gameplay to add conveniences like a car (which cuts down travel time and adds extra storage) and making recruitable NPCs programmable to a degree and much more useful in a fight.  All of this, compounded with a sharp wit and a prevalent sense of humor, make Fallout 2 an engrossing experience you can easily get caught playing for hours.

29. Mega Man X (Capcom, 1994)


Mega Man was a huge hit on the NES, spawning six sequels before the platform was finally retired at the end of 1994.  The franchise then made the leap to the Super Nintendo, and once again, the result was brilliant.  Bringing with it a reimagined protagonist and a much darker atmosphere, as well as high-res visuals, fluid animations and amazing music that took full advantage of the Super Nintendo's hardware, Mega Man X was a top contender in its own right.  Of course, it also introduced Mega Man X's sidekick Zero, who would eclipse X himself in popularity to the point of upstaging him in later games and even getting his own spinoff series (which even the game's producer admits was intentional).  The X series may have declined sharply in quality over the years, but there's no denying that the first two games were fantastic.

28. Super Mario 64 (Nintendo, 1996)

Mario's been the undisputed king of platforming for three decades, and even his leap to 3D didn't do anything to slow him down, which is more than can be said for most prominent 2D franchises from the '80s and '90s.  It really showed off what the Nintendo 64 could do with its smooth graphics, polished controls and physics and the same platforming joy that made Mario an unstoppable juggernaut in the first place.  Sure, you fight with the camera in some spots and the level design is occasionally a pain in the ass as a result, but that in no way made it less fun.  It's only grown in popularity since, with countless fan-made mods, remakes and even a fully functional, 100% unauthorized port to the PC which has gotten plenty of custom mods and upgrades in its own right.  Mario 64, like its NES and SNES brethren, is an immortal classic.

27. Half-Life 2 (Valve, 2004)

While I'm generally not a big first person shooter guy, Half-Life 2 is one I'm glad to pick up and play whenever the opportunity presents itself.  The game was downright jaw-dropping for its time in 2004 and remains so today, presenting some innovative mechanics (like the Gravity Gun), creative puzzle solving, a bleak atmosphere, intense combat, plenty of variety and a strong narrative despite the fact that Gordon Freeman never utters a single word throughout the whole thing.  That it's also inspired numerous incredible mods and spinoffs that have become timeless classics in their own right speaks to its quality, and Valve neglecting this franchise for so long since is downright criminal.  Bring on Half-Life 3 already; we're all waiting!

26. Duke Nukem 3D (3D Realms, 1996)

If Doom introduced the idea of realistic environments that still retained elements of strong gameplay, Duke Nukem 3D took it to perfection.  Not content to take place in sterile military bases and stone buildings, Duke Nukem has you walking down city streets, entering realistic locales like supermarkets and football stadiums, and blasting aliens all the while with a plethora of clever weapons.  From pipe bombs to "freeze throwers" to laser-activated mines to machine guns.  Other inventive powerups include jetpacks, portable medkits and speed/melee damage boosting steroids.  It's still steeped in brutal violence, cheesecake and cheesy action movie one-liners, of course, but that's all part of the charm.

25. Perfect Dark (Rare, 2000)

If Goldeneye broke new ground for the mission-driven shooter genre, then Perfect Dark took it to, well, perfection.  This was in no small part due to the addition of the Nintendo 64's Expansion Pak, which allowed for much more detailed visuals and voiceovers for many of the characters, not to mention much more threatening enemy AI.  Additionally, the futuristic setting also allows for all sorts of clever new gadgets like ricocheting "pinball grenades", laptop sentry guns, and submachine guns with automatic lock-on functionality.  That's all good, but like Goldeneye, the real draw is in its multiplayer, which adds in several new game modes as well as the ability to have up to eight computer-controlled "simulants" running around, making for some very intense and surprisingly strategic matches.  Everything about Perfect Dark is just pure fun.

24. Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (Origin Systems, 1988)

The last of the "classic" style Ultimas and undeniably the best of them in terms of gameplay, putting the player through a lengthy ordeal of difficult battles, challenging dungeon puzzles and the Ultima staple of lots of traveling, note-taking and problem-solving in order to gather all the needed items and complete the game.  Even towns aren't safe, as the guards are now corrupt pawns of a world-spanning dictatorship and try to shake you down or harass you, and the three Shadowlords roam the world, corrupting peoples' minds and proving to be extremely dangerous foes who can easily wipe out your entire party unless you know exactly how to deal with them.  Ultima V is a challenge for sure, but its dark atmosphere, well-realized game environment and brilliant writing shine through, creating one of the greatest CRPGs of all time.

23. Simcity 2000 (Maxis, 1995)

I'm not terribly fond of simulation games as a whole, but Simcity 2000 managed to win me over in a big way back in the mid-90s, providing just enough depth and complexity to be challenging but not enough to make the whole thing seem like a chore.  It was also just fun for the sheer amount of freedom you're given - you can design every city to the last detail, and the lack of any concrete end goal means you can create anything from a utopian metropolis to a destitute island city plagued by UFO attacks and firestorms.  Of course, those with a more goal-oriented mindset can also take on the Scenarios, which include things like dealing with widespread boredom to cleaning up the aftermath from giant floods, volcanoes and even a nuclear attack by terrorists.  Really enjoyable stuff, and still a game I occasionally dust off and play to this day.

22. Planescape: Torment (Black Isle, 1999)

Black Isle were practically synonymous with quality CRPGs during their short existence, bringing us top-notch titles like Icewind Dale and Fallout 2.  Planescape: Torment is seen by many as their crowning achievement, combining the gameplay of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale with an incredibly well-defined, dark world replete with bizarre sights and colorful characters.  Your main character is no different in that regard, being effectively immortal and attempting to regain his lost memories through all sorts of ordeals.  Your immortality also factors into the gameplay, allowing you to do really strange things like swap out your own eyeballs and reattach severed fingers onto yourself, among other bizarre (and often unsettling) feats.  Its gameplay is much less focused on combat and much more on dialog, but you honestly don't mind that much when the narrative is so dense (comprising over one million written words) and such a captivating read that you stay glued throughout every word.

21. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo, 2006/2016)

One of Nintendo's famous "remake sequels", simultaneously continuing the story of a franchise while remaking and expanding upon one of its older games.  In this case, Twilight Princess serves as a more polished reimagining of Ocarina of Time, a game which always belt a bit lacking to me (particularly in its bland overworld design and comparatively generic dungeons and items).  Twilight Princess, on the other hand, feels impeccably well-crafted by comparison - the combat is much more refined and even includes horseback battles, the dungeon designs are absolutely impeccable (with the water dungeon in particular going from one of the worst to one of my favorites) and the story is also surprisingly good, with lavishly-produced animation and expressive characters despite the lack of voiced dialog.  It's also just a gorgeous game all around, providing a strangely beautiful and alien aesthetic in spite of its subdued color palette.

Spoony's Top 100 Games, #40-31

40. Dust: An Elysian Tail (Humble Hearts, 2012)

A gorgeously animated 2D adventure whose gameplay is strongly reminiscent of a Metroid title crossed with elements of a good Devil May Cry/Bayonetta styled beat-em-up, Dust is only made more impressive by the fact that it was designed, programmed and animated entirely by one guy.  The real draw to me, though, is its storyline, which has some surprisingly well-developed and acted characters and quite dark themes in spite of the overall cute, colorful visual style.  Despite that, it's also not afraid to have a sense of humor, giving us two of the most compelling protagonists I've seen in a game in quite a long time.  Dust is an incredible game, and easily one of the best the Xbox Live Arcade service ever brought us.  Of course, it's also since been ported to PC and PS4, so non-Xboxers have no excuse not to check it out too.

39. Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo, 2007)

The Wii marked Nintendo's return to relevance in the world of console gaming, and they of course needed a big, groundbreaking game to sell it.  They certainly delivered with Mario Galaxy - a game which took the familiar lighthearted, colorful platforming fun of Mario and put it in spacey environments, complete with plenty of clever gravity manipulation - from hopping between small planetoids to racing around a track of water suspended above a black hole, the game was imaginative and fun in every detail.  Not to mention the incredible soundtrack and sights even with the Wii's 480p output, proving indelibly that fun always trumps technological advances.

38. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Golden (Atlus, 2012)


Once again, Persona 4 takes an already ground-breaking game and polishes it up in every respect, creating an even better experience than its already inventive predecessor and crafting an unforgettable RPG experience that ranks as one of the finest ever made.  Persona 4 pushes the character development to new heights, as well as adding new content onto Persona 4 in the form of new dungeons, an expanded storyline, countless new gameplay features and locales to visit, and even a new ending or two.  All great stuff, and though the game can be a bit drawn-out and frustrating (particularly as so much is missable), it's a fantastic RPG.

37. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D (Nintendo, 2015)


Majora's Mask was always one of the more unpopular 3D Zelda titles, with complaints commonly aimed at its unconventional style, unclear goals and relatively high difficulty level for the franchise.  Honestly, though, I always thought it was a big improvement over Ocarina of Time, which to me always felt like an unnecessary prequel and a big step back gameplay-wise from the earlier titles.  The 3DS title definitely addresses a few common complaints, however, with the player now able to adjust the clock to a desired time to complete certain events (instead of just in 6-hour increments), the ability to have actual saves instead of temporary quick-saves before events, and a handy notebook to keep track of the game's many quests.  Not to mention reworked boss battles that add a bit more of Zelda's puzzle-solving element to the proceedings.  A fine update of the game, and definitely among my favorite of the 3D Zeldas for its bizarre atmosphere.

36. Mega Man 2 (Capcom, 1989)


The NES brought us a lot of fantastic platformers, but in my book, the one the encapsulates the system at its best has to be Mega Man 2.  A nearly-perfect blend of action, amazing stage design and intense boss battles, not to mention a dynamite presentation with clean, colorful visuals and some of the best 8-bit music ever composed.  But more than that was its open-ended design; whereas later Mega Man games were usually dictated by a linear order for the boss weapons, this one gives each boss several viable weaknesses to exploit, allowing for many different approaches and strategies.  I'm still not quite sure why they did away with that in later sequels, but regardless, it is something I always enjoyed about the game.  But more than that, the sheer polish and ingenious design of the game ensures that Mega Man 2 is one title I can replay endlessly and never get bored of.

35. Undertale (Toby Fox, 2015)

A game that obviously draws heavy inspiration from Earthbound in its simplistic visual style, strange sense of humor and surprisingly heart-felt characters, but which also carves out its own niche.  Undertale is also a rarity among JRPG styled games in that it grants the player freedom of choice, allowing them to fight any monsters they come across or sparing them (with each enemy type requiring their own steps to take that path).  Your choices all have an impact on the story and which ending you receive, and your choices on earlier playthroughs will even affect events that happen in later ones.  A novel idea with an ingenious execution, as well as a charming and heartwarming adventure throughout, Undertale is a standout game.

34. Advance Wars: Dual Strike (Intelligent Systems, 2005)

Advance Wars is a game that single-handedly consumed most of my senior year in high school; I was bored with Pokemon, the Game Boy Advance was out, and this was one of the first half-dozen games available for it, so I decided to give it a go.  I was not let down, as Advance Wars is incredible.  A turn based tactical combat title sporting numerous unit types with their own applications, solid visuals and music, tons of charm and a unique "CO Power" system where each playable character gets a unique boost after dealing enough damage to the enemy (or taking heavy damage themselves), Advance Wars has fun to spare. Later games retooled the balance and added more COs, maps and features, and Dual Strike was easily the series' height, keeping everything that made the series a hit to begin with while expanding on it dramatically.  Some new features included the ability to tag-team COs (and do a double-attack if you charged both their meters in a single turn), tune your COs with upgrades earned by using them in the campaign, and battling across both screens, all of which were quite fun additions.  Sadly the series went into dormance not long after with a relatively forgettable followup (Days of Ruin), but with a remake of the first two games now out on the Switch, the series might just make the comeback it deserves.

33. Terranigma (Quintet, 1996)

The last Quintet game on the SNES, and it was an excellent one.  Featuring rich visuals and music to rival any big-budget RPG title, as well as their usual strong storytelling and characterizations, Terranigma was quite an experience.  Of course, it also expanded upon their previous entries in the "trilogy" by including more complex combat mechanics, giving the player a wide variety of moves like a sliding kick, rapid stab and a spinning jump attack that all had to be used in various ways to overcome the game's challenges.  The end result was a great sendoff to the platform.  The only real downside was that the game was never released in North America, as the SNES' lifespan was coming to an end at the time to make way for the Nintendo 64.  As a result of that, Quintet's big title to rival the likes of Chrono Trigger never became anywhere near as popular, and the company ceased production not long thereafter...

32. Grandia (Game Arts, 1999)

Game Arts became known to the west through their Lunar games (both on the Sega CD and their excellent Playstation remakes), but their other big RPG franchise never got nearly as much recognition.  I'm honestly not sure why, either, as it's an exceptionally charming adventure with a great combat system, well-written characters and some amazingly-realized visuals and music; defying the norms of most Playstation/Saturn RPGs, the game utilized 3D environments and 2D sprites, rather than the other way around, which made dungeons much more dynamic and interesting.  But above all else, it recognized that video games are meant to be fun adventures into the unknown, bringing with it all the charm and fun of exploring a strange new world.

31. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Nintendo, 1993)

The Zelda franchise's first Game Boy outing, and what a debut it was, jumping straight to the top of Nintendo Power's popularity charts and staying there for a solid five years, only finally being upstaged by the Pokemon franchise in 1998.  There was a good reason for that too, as the game is stellar on every front.  Playing like something of a cross between the original Zelda and something of an action-platformer, the game swaps between sidescroller and overhead segments frequently throughout its dungeons, and platforming became just as much a part of the experience as defeating enemies and solving puzzles.  Of course, as per series standards, there was still plenty of that, as well as a top-notch presentation, a fun cast of characters and surprisingly good storyline that fully takes advantage of the game's surreal tone.

1/23/2016

Spoony Plays Thief Gold, Part 2

Some crappy crypts and then fun with jerkish nobles.

Spoony's Top 100 Games, #50-41

50. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Special Edition (Capcom, 2006)

The original Devil May Cry was a runaway hit in the early days of the Playstation 2, sporting a unique blend of intense beat-em-up action and puzzle solving with a high level of challenge and some boss battles that were amazing in scale.  After a rather poorly botched sequel in DMC2, Capcom put the series back on track with 3, which not only sported tighter controls and camera angles, but a much greater variety of gameplay as there were now four distinct gameplay styles to choose from, each with their own unique advantages.  Swordmaster would grant the player additional moves with all melee weapons, for example, while Trickster made the player more agile and better able to avoid enemy attacks.  There were also a much wider variety of weapons and firearms to choose from, including an electric guitar that could summon swarms of bats and lightning bolts, a pair of swords that summoned fire and wind, and my personal favorite, a flail wielded like a nunchuck.  The Special Edition also added in Vergil as a playable character, lending even more variety to the gameplay, and alleviated some complaints about the original's difficulty by including mid-stage checkpoints and changing the difficulty levels to be more akin to the Japanese release's.  While far from the strongest game in terms of storytelling, Devil May Cry 3 provided a strong blend of strategy and action, and while its style has been often imitated, there's nothing else quite like it out there.

49. Alien Soldier (Treasure, 1995)

Another early Treasure title, and one which attracted some criticism for its relatively complicated controls and mechanics.  Once the player is used to it, though, the game is an absolutely brilliant action experience.  Essentially a series of enormous boss battles, the player must master dodging, utilizing six different weapon types, countering enemy shots to turn their bullets into more health, and destroying them on set time limits in order to persevere to the end, which proves to be a very long but extremely rewarding ordeal.  The only real shame is that it was given such a limited release in most regions.


48. Thief Gold (Looking Glass Studios, 1998)

Metal Gear may have popularized the genre, but Looking Glass's Thief is without a doubt my favorite stealth game franchise, primarily because it carries the tension of the genre so well - you were sticking to shadows every step of the way, glancing over your shoulder for enemies, and using any tricks or hidden passages you could find to avoid being seen (or make a quick escape if you were).  The grim fantasy setting and eerie architecture only added to the mood, as well as giving you some unique and fantastic tools for the job - from moss arrows (quieting your footsteps on metal and stone floors) to rope arrows to flash bombs and gas mines, you had plenty of options to accommodate your particular gameplay style.  Add multiple difficulty settings on top, each with their own mission objectives, and you have a game with plenty of replay value as well.  To say nothing of some of the brilliant fan-made missions and level packs out there.

47. Baldur's Gate III (Larian Studios, 2023)

A third entry in the Baldur's Gate franchise was originally planned to be developed by Black Isle back in 2002, but was canceled when Interplay ended up falling into financial turmoil.  Several other D&D-licensed games popped up to fill the void, but in my eyes at least, they were all lacking in one way or another.  Larian Studios, fresh off the success of the Divinity Original Sin games, eventually picked up the mantle, taking their penchant for intricate tabletop-like mechanics and deep turn-based combat to tell a new story.  Set 120 years after the events of 2, the player is abducted by a mindflayer airship and infected with one of their young, and must seek a way to free themselves from it while surviving all manner of other trials.  The sheer number of options you have available make combat and exploration quite enjoyable and ripe for roleplaying, and as in the classic BG games you have a huge number of playable classes and races, ensuring no shortage of replay value.

46. Danganronpa (Tetralogy) (Spike Chunsoft, 2014-2017)

It may be a visual novel series, but thanks to some very strong writing and aesthetic design in spite of its limited budget, Danganronpa rapidly became one of my favorite game franchises in the short while after I played it.  Starring a group of high school kids trapped in a twisted game of survival where they're forced to kill one another over the vague promise of escape, Danganronpa manages to be surreal, violent, and wildly funny all the same time.  That all comes down to the brilliant writing, which has a jokey tone throughout yet still manages to get the player invested with its strongly-written characters and murder mystery elements.  A lot of fun from start to finish, and the franchise that singlehandedly justifies the purchase of a PSVita (or Playstation TV) in my book.

45. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (Origin Systems, 1985)

Doubtlessly one of the most important RPGs ever made, Ultima IV is not about simply defeating some great evil; you already did that three times in the previous games.  Rather, you now take up the role of a different sort of hero entirely - leading by example, helping the needy and asking for nothing in return.  To that end you must master the eight virtues (Compassion, Honesty, Valor, Honor, Justice, Sacrifice, Spirituality and Humility) and begin a quest into the Stygian Abyss itself to recover the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom alongside the champions of the land.  Of course, it's not as simple as it sounds - you'll have to uncover a long trail of clues by travelling between towns, searching around and cross-referencing everything people say to find everything you'll need to complete the journey, and that can easily eat up many hours in itself.  Still, the unique premise, intricately detailed world and compelling lore of Britannia all make it a very worthwhile journey.

44. Mega Man V (Minakuchi Engineering, 1994)


The Mega Man X franchise was breaking new ground on the Super Nintendo in the early 90s, but the classic franchise definitely still had some life left in it.  Mega Man 7 came out on the SNES to mixed reception, whilst the Game Boy got two top-notch titles of its own - Mega Man IV and V.  However, the latter is not only the better of the two, but one of the best games the franchise ever spawned, retaining the basic format whilst introducing many new elements on top.  First and foremost being the new "Mega Arm", which serves as a versatile weapon and means of retrieving items.  Add to that some outstanding stage design, tense boss fights with a puzzle-solving element to them rather than the usual spam-the-weakness routine, and some surprisingly good visuals and music for the platform (especially when joined with the Super Game Boy), and you have one hell of a ride.

43. Final Fantasy VII (Squaresoft, 1997)


A divisive game among series fans, and while I don't think it's flawless, I can't deny that it's a game that made a huge impact, both on me and on gaming as a whole.  A cinematic experience with stunning visuals (for the time), amazing music, a wonderful central storyline and an amazing cast of characters; I'll never forget the complex, flawed protagonist Cloud, nor the chilling and wicked Sephiroth and his unsettling alien puppetmaster, Jenova.  The gameplay is a bit less well-polished, but consistently entertaining, and the integration of numerous minigames and sub-quests added a lot of variety to the experience.  It may have been followed by a plethora of mediocre spinoffs and knockoffs and all the following Final Fantasies were very hit-or-miss in quality, but 7 will always hold a special place.

42. Deltarune (Toby Fox, 2018)

Some might call it uncouth to add a game that's only 2/7ths done to my top 100 games list, but I don't care; Deltarune is totally worthy of the honor.  Taking the core gameplay of Undertale to new heights with party-based design, as well as much more challenging encounters (taming most enemies is a multi-step process now, especially bosses), it also never loses sight of what made its predecessor great.  The vivid, colorful environments, the expressive characters who never once fall into being lazy cardboard-cutouts (even the antagonists are very well-realized, three-dimensional characters with their own motives and personalities) and it's not afraid to show its emotional side, running the gamut from hilarious to disturbing to tender while never once feeling forced.  Even with only two chapters done, it's a brilliant experience; hell, even if it never gets finished, it'll still be one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. In an era where 99% of all time and money in the medium of video gaming goes into pretty-yet-empty 3D backdrops, models and textures that'll age about as well as milk and algorithmically-generated bland filler just to meet some arbitrary publisher-mandated length quota, with another 3 years of multi-gigabyte patches to follow just to make it slightly resemble an actual, finished product, it's nice to see developers who still remember what really makes gaming great.

41. Deus Ex (Ion Storm, 2000)

Ion Storm was a company as well-known for the names on its payroll as for its comically extravagant office space and outlandish development costs. But despite some questionable management decisions, they managed to turn out several high profile titles in their short existence.  The one that easily stole the show was Deus Ex - a dystopian science fiction tale set in a world where every conspiracy theory imaginable is real.  It was also an early example of a game where one's choices actually matter, with significantly different play styles depending upon the player's choice of skills, story events changing based on choices and even three different endings.  A compelling dark tale in a surprisingly credible future, there's a good reason that it's the centerpiece of a meme: "Every time someone mentions Deus Ex, someone reinstalls Deus Ex. "