The Discussion Thread - The 14th Annual Greatest Games Event

[psychicscubadiver]

20. Super Mario Galaxy 2
When it comes to pure level design, Galaxy 2 outstrips Galaxy 1. The worlds are more cleverly designed, the new Spin Drill and Rock power-ups are great and adding Yoshi unlocks a host of other gameplay options. I love both games, but this one falls a bit lower on my list because of things outside of just the levels. Spaceship Mario, although neat, is not the Comet Observatory and Lubba is no Rosalina. The music is good, but borrows heavily from Galaxy 1. The overworld map just was not as satisfying a way to choose levels. Still, the gameplay is fantastic and more than deserving its #20 spot.

19. Rayman Legends
This is one of my favorite 2D platformers. The action is fast and frantic with strange and creative twists thrown into each of the levels. But what really sells it is the music levels. Running, jumping, punching and grinding in time to the beat as enormous set pieces flash past you just brings a smile to my face every time I played them. Whether it was goblins gargling out 'Black Betty' as a caste explodes around you or 'Eye of the Tiger' played on Spanish guitar as you dash through the Land of the Dead. If every level had been like these, this game would be in my top ten,

18. Elite Beat Agents
This game made the best use of a touch screen in any game I've every played. Rhythm games are nothing new, but the gameplay loop of tapping the screen, dragging held notes and spinning the wheel was and still is addicting. The framing device itself was a lot of fun too, and fully embraced how ridiculous its premise was. The song selection could have been better, but I can't complain too much since it introduced me to 'September' and 'Canned Heat'.

17. Super Smash Bros Melee
The first Smash Bros game on N64 had been a favorite of mine for years when this gem came out. It was easily the game I played most often with my friends. Then Melee took everything I loved about the original and improved it. Controls were tighter, fights were quicker, the roster was bigger, you got two single player modes and a host of special missions to play through. The opening cut scene alone was one of the coolest things my young mind had ever seen and I watched it almost every time I booted up the game no matter how many times I'd seen it before.

16. Donkey Kong Country Returns
Although not having King K Rool was a bit sad, this game showed that Retro absolutely had matched and exceeded Rare at their own game. The game was gorgeous for a Wii game and packed with fun and challenging levels. Many people did not enjoy the waggle tech, but it was minimal enough that it never bothered me. I 100%'ed this game which was a real challenge given how insane the final secret level was, but after beating it I was mostly just sorry there wasn't more to play.

15. Tears of the Kingdom
You can't help but compare this game to its immediate predecessor. And while I think BotW was better, there was still a lot to recommend TotK. Ultrahand and Ascend are two abilities that you could an entire game around all by themselves and the ability to build whatever insane thing your heart desires is an absolute selling point. What I liked most of all was the sheer verticality of the game, going from floating islands all the way into the depths of the underworld and back. I am happy that I stumbled upon Autobuild fairly late into my playthrough as once I had that the temptation to cheese my way through various obstacles was ever present. But still, I spent hours beating shrines, collecting and upgrading clothing, completing quests and just enjoying all that this Hyrule had to offer. And the updated Ganondorf was an absolute beast, a great return for a classic villain even if he spent little time on screen.