Sadly, I'm in exam mode, so I'm going to request to be banned until the 21st. So the least I can do is catch up before I ban myself. I better see some comments when I come back, adding these 10 games took forever, and I think the represent the best in the buisness.
31. Super Smash Bros (N64)
When Super Smash Bros came out, I was exstatic. The N64 was gettting a boatload of multiplayer focused Mario games, and this was the first to mash up characters from multiple genres. This game was fun, and so different compared to everything else released at the time. Master Hand was such a unique boss, and honestly I'll never forget tournaments I used to play against my friends with. This was one of the first Nintendo games that made me realize that I love Nintendo specifically, and I wanted to learn more about their games. I didn't know who Samus or Ness were, but I wanted to know, and after this game I started realize that there were great games that I missed out on on the SNES and N64. So in in essence, this game made me a Nintendo fan, and also made me expand boarders to what games I should play.
Note: I play as Blue Kirby, must always be blue. Favorite character in all 3 Smash Bros. My favorite level is also the Zelda Temple, and the Starfox ship.
30. Super Smash Bros Melee (GCN)
Super Smash Bros Melee took the formula that Super Smash Bros gave, and perfected it. Although the fighting is largely unchanged, Melee features over twice as many fighters as the original, with over twice as many maps, all in the best graphics capable at the time. This game is fun, and there is tons of replay in it. It also pioneered something fundamental to games now, that's right, trophies. There were hundred of trophies in this game, and you obtained them by unlocking charcaters, maps, doing specific and difficult challenges, or just getting lucky in the slot machine. Howver trophies were more then just statures in this game, each trophy was a character or item found in a previous Nintendo game, and it featured a little summary about that item. Never have a played a game which had so much content as this game, even though the core game was fairly small. This game also introduced some really interesting characters (Giga Bowser), some of which changed gaming in North America significantly (Marth brought Fire Emblem to us!), and because of all that I love this game just a little more then the original.
Note: Super smash Bros Brawl did not make my list, but it's because I haven't played much of it yet. Haven't even had my Wii a year, so next year expect a few more Wii games, and likely Brawl.
Also, I still play as Blue Kirby, but Bowser and MewTwo are my secondary characters. Favorite Level is the Starfox ship (the remake from the N64 version) and the new Hyrule temple.
29. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (GBA)
Gotta love the GBA, Advance Wars was one of those great niche franchises Nintendo kept away from the world outside of Japan. It was unfortunate that we didn't get to play all the great Gameboy Wars on the Gameboy. Either way, this game was fun, and also challenging. The campaign on normal mode is easily do-able, but play the game on hard mode and it's like playing a game of chess where a single bad move means your screwed. Anyway, when this game came out, I probably invested over 100 hours into the game, and the ability to play 4 players on 1 device made this really the only portable game I ever played and enjoyed, multiplayer.
28. Mass Effect (360)
One thing you should know about me is that I love Sci-Fi and I have an undergraduate degree in Astrophysics. Until Mass Effect, the only noteworthy space games were RTS's and I honestly don't like Real Time Strategy games much (but there are exceptions). This was the first game which changed that, and like most of the games which populate the top of my list, I actually ignored this game for a while before finally trying it out (I first played it only a few weeks before Mass Effect 2). Now that I've played it, I have to say that it has one of the most interesting plots in a video game ever. No really, the point of the game is that by a fluke mission, you heard the message given by a prothean becon, and become away of an impending invasion by a vastly supperior alien race who lies dormant in another galaxy waiting for life to evolve to the point where it becomes fun to kill all advanced life. What kind of cruel aliens are these? They brainwash another Spectre (basically a high ranking soldier who deals with big space injustices) to set up their arrival, and your mission in the game is to stop him. Simple enough, but all he has to do is open a gate between Mass Effect Relays (kind of like portals between the galaxy) between the Reapers (wrong sci-fi? I'm tired) and this large artifical satilite called the citadel, which was made by the Reapers and modern life use as a headquarters for all allied species. Once this happens, the Reapers would systematically go solar system to solar system to eliminate all life, and then give it a few million years to wait for more life to evolve and continue this cycle of death. What really makes this game interesting is that while discovering all this, you learn about what really happened to the ancient Prothean race, and well....there is a lot of backstory. Ontop of being a great deep RPG, one of the critical highlights about this game is that it lets you save the universe any way you want, and that the decisions you make in each game affect how other NPC's view you, and how the story unfolds. Not all these decisions are black and white either, at the end of Mass Effect 1, one of the Reapers actually comes to do what Saren failed to do, and during his attack, you need to decide weather to risk the Citadels defences to save the Council (something like a UN for all species), or to put all effort protecting the Citadel. I could go on, but I'll just say Mass Effect 1 has the most interesting plot compared to any game I've played this gen, and I would even argue out of every game I ever played, but I can easily think of one game which has a better plot.
27. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
I'm a huge fan of Mario Kart, but let me get this straight. Mario Kart 64 was the best Mario Kart game ever, and since Double Dashes terrible reception Nintendo has only been trying to replicate Mario Kart's 64's quality. Mario Kart DS to me literally feels like Mario Kart 64 with more maps, and Mario Kart Wii is more of them same. However, being nearly as good as Mario Kart 64, is still pretty amazing. I always appreciate a proper console Mario Kart, and that's exactly what Mario Kart Wii is. It's also the deepest Mario Kart to date, with the most tracks and usable characters. Every time I have more then a few people over, especially some girls, I always suggest to play a few races of Mario Kart. Mario Kart Wii is definatly the funnest offline multiplayer game this gen, and definatly the game to play when people come over. I wish I could say more, but I think anyone who has played a Mario Kart game knows, this game is just simple and fun.
26. Kirby's Dream Course (SNES)
When you ask someone what their favorite Kirby game is, most people say Kirby's Super Star, or Kirby's Dream Land. Not for me however, I loved Kirby for what he is....a round pink ball I want to slap into a hole. This game was one of the first games that applied 3D technology to the SNES successfully, and well for the time it was great. This game is more then just Kirby golf, there are angled surfaces and traps all over the place to bounce around, and the hole doesn't even appear until you eliminate all but one enemy (who spontaneously combusts and leaves a hole in the ground which you want to fall into). To me, Kirby games are best when he is just a round ball, and that is why this is one of my favorite SNES games, and my favorite golf game (What else could you accuratly slassify this as?).
25. Pikmin (GCN)
Honestly, when this game first came out, I ignored it. I had a particlar taste in video games, and I thought Pikmin looked really absurd and it was just a quick game Nintendo imagined to populate the launch line up of Gamecube. Boy, was I wrong (except it's pretty absurd). This game was addictive, and fun. No wonder Nintendo doesn't make too many new IP's, it's hard to make them this good. It's hard to describe why this game is fun, but it is. It's one of the most rewarding experiences taking down enemies which block your path to food items, and collecting nickels, batteries and space ship parts to eventually leave this planet and go home. This is just another example of Nintendo making fun games to play for the purpose of having fun. I actually love the Pikmin franchise so much, that I bought my Wii when Nintendo announced Pikmin 3 for Wii (now Wii U grr), but Donkey Kong Country also sealed that deal too.
24. Gears of War (360)
When this generation of gaming started, I didn't care for it. PS3 was a $600 system with not a single worthwhile game (at launch, and for a while afterwards), Wii looked like an over-priced gamecube with a gimmick controller, and 360....well I had no interest in it with the limited proper XB titles. However then I saw Mad World, and was amazed. I never played a shooter which had a plot, and focused on character development, nor one that was so apocalypic and sad. Gears of War tells the story of an endangered human species fighting for survival against some unknown threat. At first we didn't know Locust were native to Sera (Earth in the game), and like any great movie or game, there was a lot of mystery surrounding the plot. I still can't the starting cinematic "With Billions Dead." Gears of War took War based sci fi games to a whole new level of mass murder, and it's one of my favorite games this gen. There were just so many interesting parts about the game, with Berserkers being female Locust, the Pendulum Wars either preparing humans for war with the locust or reducing resources and dooming it, etc. Can't wait for RAAM's Shadow
23. Forza Motorsport 4 (360)
Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a car nut, and you know what made me a car nut? Top Gear. Before Top Gear, I had an interest in cars, but no knowledge about them. My first car in Gran Turismo 3 was a PT Cruiser because it had the most HP out of all the cars I could afford at the start. Forza 4 is the best racing sim on the market, and to me the Forza brand has become autonomous with Racing game culture. Not only does this game offer the most detailed physics, and responsivness from each car, it also has the best car roster out of any racing game. No seriously, I can't think of a single new car released that isn't in this game and should be, I actually learned about new cars from this game because it's list of cars is better then my own. Ontop of being the best sim, it's also the best racing game. Every race in career mode is unique, and most don't require you to buy a new car to race with or tune like crazy. Your garage is always big enough to play new races, and race variety makes you want to get different types of cars to qualify in the most races. This really is the game where you get to drive your dream cars, and have a blast. Ontop of being a great game, which teaches you about cars, and what to love, this game also has a playful side with online and multiplayer modes. Honestly I love Cat & Mouse, and I'm glad a game other then PGR finally has it built in.
22. Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)
Advance Wars: Dual Strike too everything Advance Wars did for GBA, and perfected it. Dual Screen battles weren't a major focus, and for the most part the second screen provided useful information on battles. The games scale grew, and challenges were added, fun challenges you actually cared to play. Ontop of that this game was one of the first game to have medals/awards (achievements, but in game), and I really wish Nintendo did this for all their games. I've honestly added over 100 hours into this Advance Wars game as well, and I never got all 300 ribbons (forget what they were actually called). In fact, I love the Advance Wars franchise so much, that I waited to get my DS for this game.
21. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest (SNES)
Starting to get into the real classics now. Donkey Kong Country 2 is one of the first co-op games I played, and it's one of those games that gives you an experience a movie can't. The plot in Donkey Kong Country 2 is paper thin, save Donkey Kong, but the gameplay and level design is unique and addictive. I particularly love the Lava and Roller coaster levels. Donkey Kong Country 2 was one of the first games to really start making unique and interesting atmospheres, and honestly playing as Dixie is so fun and cheap. This is one of those.....gateway drugs.... I mean games. It turns people who normally aren't interested in video games and turns them into gamers. I hope that Donkey Kong Country: Returns does what this game did to me on my girlfriend, and playing it so far, it's working.
RIP Rare.
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