Virtua Neptune's Least Favorite N64 Games

To be honest, this list was rather hard to make, because even these titles have their own small charm. Well, the former titles do, the latter titles are rather smelly as games go. One game you may see missing is Dai Katana for the 64, but that game review is going for the PC port, as it is the original and I've never played it for the console. Still, there were enough titles to give this list that accent of terribleness and guilty pleasures. That's right, some of these come with a somewhat ironic recommendation. They still have that old N64 nostalgic charm and some of them you more than likely played in your childhood. It's a real statement for the system that it was so difficult to gather up this small scrap of games to criticize. Still, there is some rather filthy quality here.

  

South Park

You know, sometimes, when I shoot turkeys, I'd like to see what I'm shooting at. There's Silent Hill levels of fog, then there's South Park on Nintendo 64. I understand that there were some serious limitations to this game and it did have some charm to it. Multiplayer games and cheat codes were actually pretty fun experiences. It's the single player games that really killed this title because of the pacing and the long, drawn out quality of these levels. There are very few people who can get past the second level because this game is soooo horrifically boring without a party of friends to go four player mode.

Quest 64

The limitations of the system obviously had something to do with how Dragon Warrior came out. It was a marvel of its time because of how it revolutionized the RPG industry in the ways of video games and the series became very successful with all of the leaps and bounds it made afterward. Quest 64 didn't really learn much, other than put it in 3D. This story and characters have very little charm, unless you've got some kind of nostalgia. Sometimes, simple is good, but not this simple.   

Mace: The Dark Age

A game that is fun for maybe the first run-through, then you start to realize that the fighting controls and the characters are rather bland. It is entirely too easy, because the enemies last for the blink of an eye. You can spam some overpowered attack and the opponent is powerless to stop you. True to the Mortal Kombat Klone genre, it's a fighting game with Fatalities that they call Executions, and they are all so bland. There may be an entertaining one here and there, but for the most part, you just fall apart the moment they take a swing. As MK Klones go, it's not terrible, and the 3D is nice, but the game is too boring to recommend to anyone.

Carmageddon 64

The racing game where making sense or having a point was a bit of an after thought. This is supposed to be a game where you can wreck your car into other cars and run over zombies. The original game for the PC had you running over people, but this version was censored, so now they're zombies. These racing maps were just mindless mishmashes of buildings and roads. You can't navigate them to save your life. The camera is so terrible, it literally makes the controls worse. They should have crashed this game rather than releasing it! 

Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Hey, were you looking for a terrible, repetitive beat'em up that had no impact and looked like one of your favorite heroes from the 90's made into a pixelated stick figure? No? Well it happened and this game is a testament to how bad a game can go. This is like if Spider-man for the Dreamcast was drained of vitality and given the most generic combat. It features people from the show, but there is no reason for it to be so boring. The cut scenes are just flash cards and depict a terrible rendition of the Batman Beyond movie. Top it off with long, boring dialogue scenes before another run upon run of smashing up things over and over again. Just give this a pass... a bat pass... 

Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

There was some potential in creating a Mortal Kombat platformer featuring Sub-Zero. This game used none of it and gave us a tedious run of the MK world through 2.5D. The jumps and the tricks you need to do are beyond impossible to get right twice. You will die so many times and the traps will kill you so many times that you will more than likely find that this game is not worth the time. With a fighting game mentality shoved into a level based platformer, you can't even use your ice powers right away. Why in the hell would they leave out the ice powers, which the character is known for, and hide them behind a level system in a game that has no other roleplaying game elements? It gives me BRAIN FREEZE!

Superman

This character will never get a good game at this rate. We haven't even talked about the PS2/Xbox game that slithered under the radar for so long. Superman for the Nintendo 64 basically claimed the very top of the mountain on this system and if there are worse games for this sytem, maybe it's a good idea I've either forgotten about them or have not played them. Flying through rings, clumsy, HORRIBLE controls, horrific graphics and settings have all made this game infamous for how utterly unplayable it is. It is a force of will to get through the fourth level, let alone beat this horrific game. You make one mistake on these numerous rings, or you miss them by a molecule, and you have already gotten to the point where you can't beat the level and you start over again. There is a reason Titus has become one of the beacons of crappy games throughout the years. They not only made Superman, they made Carmageddon 64 and they also made one of the worst Robocop games as well. They're real heroes of the terrible 64 games industry. 

There are other games that fit into he worst N64 games, but they will be brought under consideration later on, if ever. The Nintendo 64 had a rather small library and the number of terrible games on it is actually quite limited. Even some of their worst games, like WCW/NWO titles have some charm in a crude way. It's a very tightly knit console, but if there are any more under performers we get into, you'll be the first to know. Let's get back to the real meaty games. Just remember to take them down with some water.

Spider-man - The PS4 Masterpiece and the PS4 DLC Misfire

This Planet Virtua is no stranger to Spider-man. In fact, they are some of the earliest reviews written for this world and that is because he is awesome. Honestly, this is more of an article for Spider-man himself and singing the praise to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for bringing him to the comics. The webslinger arrived in his first issue, Amazing Fantasy #15 in August of 1962 to profound praise all across the board. The kids loved him and bought the issues off the rack. Instead of an adult with a teenage sidekick, it was a teenager who had to go to school, have a day life and also go around town fighting crime in red and blue. 

Spider-man went from a teenage super-hero to an adult and joined the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, The Defenders, The Web Warriors, had a clone, had several different dimensional copies of himself and has fought villains ranging from a brick wall with legs to Dracula himself. He's teamed up with Batman, Captain America, Hulk, Black Panther and any other number of superheroes throughout the ages. Going into his full backstory would be a big job, so we'll just be covering the more prominent video games.

Spider-man hit his peak with Spider-man 2 for the Gamecube era, and that is where the 2018 title of Spidey leapt from. It has some of the most intuitive controls and broad spectrum of gameplay since those olden days. Spider-man from the PS4 took up the mantle completely, with an all new storyline, a fresh new face to an old but loveable cast, and gameplay that truly captured the essence of everything we love about the old web head. 

If you were to list its greatest traits, one of them would have to be the spider suits you're able to get throughout the game. All you need to do is find backpacks all across New York City and then you will be able to choose from a vast array of Spider-man suits that range from his original class, to Spider-man 2099. My favorite has to be either the MCU Iron Spider or the Scarlet Spider. I just love the look of Ben Reilly's suit, I don't know why. 

The greatest thing is yet to come, True Believers, as this is a game that very prominently features the Sinister Six! You have battles with Rhino, Electro, Vulture and, of course, Doctor Octopus. Doc Ock is actually the best villain here because you get to know him throughout the entire game. Peter Parker acts as his lab assistant and he needs funding. Once they cut his funding, that's when he gets into some very horrible crimes. 

You find Easter eggs all throughout this entire game, and they're all a joy to see. New York City is vast, and it's a pretty accurate representation of Manhattan Island. You find your way through the city with a very accessible map, and you swing your way to side missions, main story missions, or you can just swing around and stop random crimes. The more crimes you stop, the better your rewards so you can level up your powers, along with your technology. This gives you access to some awesome gadgets that will enhance your webshooting, along with your healing abilities. 

One place where this game fails is the stealth sections when you are Mary Jane or Miles Morales. It is just not a fun experience to take away all of your powers and make you throw balls to distract guards. Being able to stick to walls and being able to web up guys to keep them quiet is much more fun, even though those sections don't tend to last very long, especially in the gang beat'em up sessions when it's all just lost upon the second wave anyway. The sniper stealth sections are also kind of a low point. I get that it's more dangerous with higher damage weapons, but those sections just take forever, while not being difficult, just tedious and boring.

There are some things in the story that were not so well received, and for good reason. There is also a side mission where you fight an insufferable Youtuber and they are committing crimes just for views. This section is also quite tedious. 

Aside from some of the smaller missions, the core of the story and the gameplay in the story mode is definitely more than worth your time. Even the opening fight with the Kingpin is very well implimented, as it is the thing that sets off such a gigantic crime wave in the first place. He even warns us of that at the very beginning of the game. From there, the boss battles are quite awesome. While the double teaming with Scorpion and Rhino is kind of a long slog, it is really fun still. Electro's fight sections are also pretty fun, though not very difficult. Even the ending boss battle is challenging, while not overly so. It's a real run in Spider-man's shoes and you see his hardships as he is constantly getting the shaft for having a life as both Spidey and Pete. It's not an easy life, and it was very nice to see him get back with MJ. 

Then, of course, they had to speed-run a so-called "game" to go along with such an awesome title. Spider-man Miles Morales was originally going to be a DLC for the game, but for some reason, they just released it with a SLIGHT discount from a full game. It came out for the PS4 and PS5, but really, it had some seriously bad timing issues, mostly because it was done in the blink of an eye. Seriously, this game is four, maybe five hours long if you do some more of the side quests, of which there are not many. 

The other gigantic issue with this game is that it is so devlishly easy, the only reason I ever died was because I forgot about an ability I could use. Seriously, with how fast the Venom Strike replenishes, you can just suddenly go invisible, hide, then come back with another strike, while taking more and more of the gangsters by surprise. That invisibility breaks this game in half. You go invisible at any time and you have all of Spider-man's strengths. 

Aside from that, this is still the same game we know and love. Miles is not a bad character, even if they shoved in "modern messages" into the story, he still remained a good guy. Why they had to kick Peter Parker out of the story completely is a bit of a sham. It seems like they could have saved this all for the actual sequel, and do it to where you follow two Spider-men, but that's not what they did. Instead, we get this half baked game, and it seems they also changed a few things about Spider-man 2 that rubbed fans the wrong way. Still, they came out with a good game with the original Spider-man for PS4 and they prettied it up with some PS5 technology later on. Honestly, they got it right the first time, rushing out a mocked up DLC and then changing everything about the sequel just doesn't play in their favor. 

Spider-man is best when he is Peter Parker and he is more than happy to welcome partners in hero work, but no story should ever shove him aside when his name is in the title. Implimenting the Arkham Series fighting mechanics and pushing in some flips and Spider-man kicks was the best thing they did for this entire game and injecting spider venom straight through the entire game paid off in spades. This is a prime example of why patience and pleasing fans plays in the gaming industry's favor. The moment they forget that is the moment they miss out on a great deal of customer satisfaction. Spider-man can work in a video game, just like any other super hero. Well, except Superman. His games Virtua BLOW! 

Virtua Neptune's Top 10 N64 Games

The hero of the 3D age for many, and still one of the most beloved systems of the bygone era where 64 Bits was a lot. It opened up the doors for so many memorable titles and even improved upon many of them with sequels that were far superior to the original. It wasn't a perfect system, it had it's horrible titles, but we need not talk about those now. Nintendo brought out its greatest franchises for this system and gave them legendary titles that are still very fondly remembered when you lost friendships over red shells or silly things like getting shot down for the seventh time and that Bond music playing for the seventh time! You will pay, Justin! 

Despite all of that, though, here are just a few titles that are so nostalgic, they will never leave the internet, or have a fanbase that will let them go to the wayside. Here is the top 10 Nintendo 64 games!

Forsaken 64

When you want a good shooter with a free wheeling style, Forsaken is one you can count on. This title is just fun to pick up and play. It can get a little harder in later levels, but you can't beat the satisfaction of navigating the vast mazes of hallways in your ship. This is one of the unsung heroes of the multiplayer games on the N64, as you can do a four player split screen. Decide which ships to pit against one another and have a ball destroying each other!

Gauntlet Legends

No matter what port came out for this, it always seems to come out on top. Gauntlet is a long celebrated arcade game that originated back in the old arcade days, got several ports from the NES onward, and then ended up absolutely smashing the co-op gameplay with its release of Gauntlet Legends for the N64, Arcade and the Sega Dreamcast. The graphics are nothing to brag about now, but they haven't aged poorly either. The levels are fun to play with friends or even play alone. It requires a lot of movement and accuracy, as well as quick reflexes when the groups get larger. This is a fantastic title to play with friends.

Doom 64

While it is not as recognized as its contemporaries, Doom 64 stands on its own. It looks very different from the original Doom, but it bears the same soul. There is more of a focus on puzzle solving and going through confusing levels, but much of the Doom arsenal is still there. It also has its own original monsters, and even a couple of new weapons. Just like Doom, you can play through this version whenever you feel like destroying demons and munching on some explosions. 

Turok

A first person shooter that did not have the staying power, but it still remains a favorite. Turok was a fun venture into the world of dinosaurs and Rambo-type environments. His arsenal has a beautiful chaingun, and the heavy explosives on display do not disappoint when it comes to packing a punch. While the levels can get a little long and wear out their welcome after a while, it is truly satisfying to play this when it comes to its cheats. The cheats are so much fun, so many memories of this game come from just playing on the big-head version.

Starfox 64

A giant leap in the series from the SNES, which was already a graphical marvel of its time. Starfox 64 has been on the forefront of 3D space shooters, putting it just a bit above Star Wars Shadows of the Empire. While the tank section isn't quite as fun as the space flight, it doesn't stay in the game for very long. The boss battles are the highlight for this title and that is saying a lot. The graphics on display here are beautiful and still hold up today. It was also a bit strange to hear Slippy and Falco have actual voices with which to speak. It made Slippy's horrible death cries all that much more funny.

Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time

It's hard to put a price tag on experiencing a game such as this for the first time. Take in the fact that these are the type of graphics we could only see in the movies or the arcades and then take in the fact that the last time we visited Hyrule, it was in 2D and 16 bits. The leap to 64 bits was a marvel of its time, and the Zelda series made that leap and perfectly stuck the landing. From taming the horses at the ranch to taking on the Water Temple, playing this was a great time. There are people who can practically beat this game blindfolded because they've played it so many times and defeating Ganon is as natural as breathing.

Super Smash Brothers

A game we never knew we needed, but once the cat was out of the bag, there was no putting it back. The Smash Brothers series has had a mile of success thanks to its fantastic fighting mechanics on top of beloved characters. They're not just cheap immitations or simple cameos, they came with their own attacks and strategy of attack. Pitting Mario against Pikachu and Link against Donkey Kong, how could you possibly go wrong? While the roster may seem bare bones by today's standards, you need to start somewhere. It was always a joy to unlock the characters it did have, though, and playing this against friends and tournaments was a pasttime old school gamers will not soon forget.

007 GoldenEye

A landmark in the local multiplayer circuit. Parties of old used to be centered around GoldenEye and all of the iconic levels. This was a game that was supposed to be just another movie tie-in and its graphics did not age well at all. The gameplay was free-wielding and the first person shooter elements were executed remarkably and people took notice. There's a huge story mode and people played that as well, but it pales in comparison when people get into the four player split screen mode. Rocket levels and Golden Gun games were a staple of the genre from that point on.

Super Mario 64

The revolution of 3D platformers and the pinnacle of gaming for a good period of time. This is the standard that 3D platformers are still judged on to this day. Mario Galaxy ended up doing the same job but many still stuck to this title out of earned loyalty. Jumping through portraits and using HUB worlds was nothing new at the time, but this game made it iconic. Going through these levels is just plain fun. Collecting the stars in every level and exploring the secrets of the Mushroom Castle is a mindless way to settle your brain into a good space. I still say this has the best Bowser boss battle.

Mariokart 64

This is a great example of the second iteration perfecting a formula. Mariokart 64 blew the original SNES title out of the water in every way. Rainbow Road is a beautiful experience and the highway course has ruined people's day in the traffic. This is such a great way to spend time with friends and while it doesn't have quite as many characters and courses as later sequels, this is still the standard that we've come to expect from kart racing games. 

To be fair, Mariokart 64 is my favorite of the Mariokart games. It is so simplistic, you don't need to spend 10 hours trying to decide who to choose as a character if you're new and it's just very tight knit. Nintendo 64 is an exemplary console when it comes to simple and what makes a game great when it has a bit more freedom than it once did. The idea of 3D was not new, but the 32 and 64 bit era really opened up the possiblities of what made a game great. This didn't take away from the 2D titles that revolutionized the industry, it simply added to their ranks. It may seem crude by today's standards, but there is a reason why collections like Mario 3D All-Star and titles like GoldenEye is still brought up when someone is talking about party games. Just be prepared to take a right cross if you keep using the red shells. 

Marvel vs Capcom Collection - Punisher - Eat Justice Lead! (Pt 2)

The Punisher is a very divisive hero in many respects. Some people absolutely hate the extreme violence and gunplay that's on a medium more intended for children. Some people love the guns and the blood! Frank Castle has had many good iterations on multiple different platforms. From movies, TV Shows and cameos to video games upon video games, he's had it pretty good. While his first foray into movies wasn't the most successful, I will stand by the Thomas Jane movie. His guest appearance in the Spider-man Animated Series was a fun ride and so was his Netflix series, for the most part. 

When it comes to video games, his success is a bit more hit and miss. He's found the most success in arcade cabinets in both the awesome railshooter and today's subject. The Punisher is a beat'em up/shoot'em up in the most raw manner. Personally, I've never seen this one in any of the arcades, I've been to. Most of the time, it was the machinegun game with the big bad toy gun on the arcade. This game looks a lot more like Capcom just threw up their hands and decided Frank Castle belongs in Final Fight. 

The Punisher wants to go after Kingpin. If you have a player 2, you can have both Punisher and Nick Fury. If they could have made a Thomas Jane and Samuel L Jackson movie, which will never happen, that is the reality I want to live in. The idea that we could have seen them go through, punching and shooting through miles upon miles of baddies. Often, you'll run into mini-bosses who have a long hitbar and know karate. These go down especially fast if you are able to carry a weapon into the fight as well. 

The pistols come in at random times. They'll give the badguys firearms, and all the sudden, you're shooting instead of punching. Honestly, there is a big difference and it's a fun experience to just pick up a gun and start shooting away at the criminals trying to kill you. Obviously, the final boss is the Kingpin and he's pretty decently difficult. He has always been a combative villain and his strength is actually quite formidable. Of course, the whole time, you have infinite "quarters" to put into the arcade game, so winning isn't really much of a stretch. 

Throughout the entire game, there is a strange sound that all of the characters make as they either die, do a special move or Punisher just gets resurrected back to life. It's kind of a "AAAEEEEOOOOHHH!!" It happens throughout the entire game and at first, it's rather comical. Then you suddenly realize that it is happening CONSTANTLY throughout the entire game. It starts to grate on the nerves just a little bit. The repetitive nature of the beat'em up franchise doesn't really hold well to this sound or any subtle annoyances like flashing lights or any other sort of similar gimmick. They just start to drive people insane after a while, and it hurts the replay value a bit. 

As beat'em ups go, Punisher is average for an arcade shooter from Capcom. If you're a fan of their work anywhere else, The Punisher is going to give you a bit of blood and a lot of punching, so if you have a friend who wants to play Nick Fury, it's a good time to arm up and make some criminals Eat Justice Lead! Virtua Pow! 

Super Mario Brothers The Movie (1993)

The first thing that should be made clear is that the making of this movie was said to be on par with Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The fighting between the two directors was so bad that Bob Hoskins and John Liguizamo were constantly drunk while shooting it to deal with the toxic environment. The movie was written so unlike a Mario movie and it's clear that this never should have been a live action movie because they did not have the technology, nor the know-how to create a world like the Mushroom Kingdom. 

So, what do they do? Make it BladeRunner, of course! A good old dystopian science fiction setting with depressingly terrible poverty, horrible mohawks and poor ridden in the streets. This was a terrible idea to put into something that already had a perfectly good artistic look to it. Super Mario Brothers Super Show caught the essence of Mario Brothers better than this movie, and they were on a fraction of the budget. 

Now, does this make it a terrible movie? Not especially. The acting is not great most of the time, but it's also nice and campy, while also being downright hilarious when it comes to Toad. Sometimes, it's just so easy to get involved with the movie because the story is engaging enough to keep your attention, while also making sure you're not taking it too seriously. 

This is not a movie for everyone, but it is a movie I can watch all the way through and get a good nostalgic feeling for times past. You'd never see another movie made like this for a kid's property. There are some serious adult themes while not being outright graphic with it. Also, Dennis Hopper's transformation at the end is quite nightmarish. Oh, did I forget to mention Dennis Hopper was here? Well, he's probably the best part of the movie. He's not what I would call Bowser or "King Koopa" as he is called in this flick, but he is most definitely putting up the best performance because he's doing it his way and the way he likes to do it. Hopper is fun in everything, watch Blue Velvet. 

The special effects are decent for the time. As the special effects suggest, it was made by the same guys who made that weird 80's computer animated guy Max Headroom. It's obvious the original directors had a lot of influence over the movie, despite being fired during its production. Bob Hoskins swore off ever working with them again and judging by a lot of how the movie is edited, it's said that this was a horrifically choatic shoot. 

For some reason, though, it has a raw charm to it. It's a movie that kind of never should have existed, but it's alright that it does. It's not a good Mario property, but you can find a lot of humor and a lot of very interesting and entertaining scenes because the movie is just so stark raving mad! It's not something you can show to just anyone. They need to have a certain taste for bad or camp movies. If it looks even slightly interesting to you, it's worth a shot. It wasn't popular with audiences and critics would never touch it again, but you should be the critic on this one. Perhaps the 80's nostalgia will find its way into your heart. Virtua Hope.

Top 160+ Favorite Games of all time! (Pt 1)

 That's right, folks, I have decided to compile a list of over 160 Greatest Games of all time, which will become outdated tomorrow, so let's get started! I was born in the late 80's, so my first system was the Nintendo Entertainment System. From there, I have played many, many games for more than one decade and I have come up with a list that puts them in the best order that could be deciphered. Is the order exact? Of course not! These games are so different and similar to one another, while also being in completely different ballparks! 

Still, there are also plenty of gaming franchises I was never really a part of, and we'll get to those later. For now, you'll see that there is a very big trend of some franchises, while also doubling up on a few through collections and whatnot. That is kept to a minimum, and this is not a tried and true list. Still, it is the best estimation of the most awesome games that Planet Virtua has to offer. If you have a list, by all means, share it with us! They'll probably be totally different and that's alright. There's a ton to get done, so we'll see how many we can cram into one article before we say enough! This list will be in many installments, just be ready for some long ones. So, up we go into the clouds of miracle games put on this green Earth!

#162 Incoming

Yes, this was at the bottom of my most disliked Dreamcast games of all time. It was also an admitted guilty pleasure and has had a couple of hours put into it. This simple little game where you shoot incoming aircraft with a turret has such crude graphics and the gameplay is really nothing to write home about, but it's something akin to a mobile game (which are not featured on this list) or what some gamers might call junk food games. Destroying the big flying saucers with your double barrel machinegun and firing off missiles to make flying objects go boom just has a raw feeling of accomplishment to it. This game delivers on that, but honestly the turret section is the best. The helicopter and tank sections are honestly a little clunky, though have some of the same charms. It's a tentative addition to this list, but it's also the very first CD-ROM game I've ever played. Its Dreamcast and PC ports are eerily similar, but don't let that stop you. We're blasting on!

#161 Forsaken

Another raw bit of fun, this time in the first person spaceship shooter. It's not really much like Quake, nor is it really much like your normal vehicle game. The controls are not the greatest, but destroying ships left and right while flying a cool craft is always a plus. It captures that old 90's FPS charm that many crave, but it's admittedly not the choice title for everyone. Many would call it bland, but we can't help but love how it has aged with such awesome foul language and that nostalgic angst that seems to be something of a lost art. This is one you should look up if you're more than a little bored.

#160 Mortal Kombat Gold

If we're talking about graphics that have NOT aged well, we'd be talking about Mortal Kombat Gold. This is another bit of a sarcastic choice. It's bad, but in a good way. We've already talked about how the production was a bit of a mess with the switch to the 3D format, and the weapons system didn't quite pan out to great fun, but the fighting mechanics are there. What's also there is the amazingly campy and cheesy dialogue, ending videos and that beautiful MK gore we all recognize and love. Many shun it away, but this is one that you should at least look up on youtube and give a gander at the amazing cringeworthy content it produces. It's a big gory ball of fun.

#159 Tony Hawk's Underground

Tony Hawk 2 was fun on the PS1, but this PS2 was graced with the later edition that came out for the Gamecube as well. Skating has never been a big genre here, but this is just fun to learn all around and it's fun to just give a good skate here and there. Don't expect much of this sort of thing on the list, but nostalgia plays a good role in this game's limelight here on the Virtua. It's fun to create your own skater and just make your own story as you skate and hit your hea--ouch!

#158 Super Mario Sunshine

A charming, but less polished follow up to the masterpiece that was Mario 64. The Gamecube Mario game has its hickups, but it is a beautifully rendered experience. The graphics are shiny, as the title suggests, and the story is a good bit of fun. The gameplay really highlights itself with the water machine, but admittedly, sometimes they overdid the pushing of its limitations. Some of the gameplay can get rather frustrating when having to deal with those strange controls and performing all of the tricks it requires. This is the part of the list where the games start to grow much more solid in foundation. If you want to judge the numbers, these are still recommendations, but only to those who are interested.

#157 Sunset Overdrive

Despite some of its repetitive elements, this is still a good looking game with a lot of fun mechanics that keeps it interesting. Though, there are a few sections that get frustrating, much like the ship sections and the LARPing. Other than that, exploding the energy drink zombies is fun and SOME of the characters are actually really cool. You want to wipe the floor with some of the snot nosed brats you run into, but other than that, the weapons pack a good punch and the sliding mechanics give this game a great fast pace. Not the tops of a 3rd person shooter, but not a bad title to end up with.

#156 Tecmo Super Bowl

If you loved football and you were a gamer back in the 90's, this was probably a familiar sight to you. This is a football game that evolved through the NES to the SNES and the Sega Genesis. The gameplay is pretty smooth, and easy to learn, even for the younger crowd. It's just fun to get to know which team you like to use and which players to use for what positions on your field. It's so satisfying to win against an especially hard team, because it feels like you're relying on your skills as well as the luck based system for catching passes and when the other team calls your play, sacking your quarterback. This was back in the Jerry Rice and Joe Montana days of football. Play as Bo Jackson or Barry Sanders. All of the football legends of the NFL are on display! If you don't care about football, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, and that's fine. 

#155 Quake 4

The Quake series is a familiar face around this parts, and this title comes with its hitches, but killing strogg is still a lot of fun. Despite the turret/vehicles sections being long and arduous, the story and the weapons are still a lot of fun. Seeing the changes your hero goes through and the struggles your squadron has with the war on the strogg is a lot of fun to be a part of and it really feels like you're contributing. The game gives you a good sense of accomplishment and it's actually a pretty good successor to Quake 2, all things considered.

#154 Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

The Creed series is another one you won't see much of on this list, but this one actually came with my PS4. The ship sections are actually pretty addictive, and the stealth mechanics are well implemented without being overbearing. It's strange they never could replicate how awesome this game turned out after it was made. Getting your own ship and firing down enemy vessels is just a good feeling all around. It's one of those games that honestly more fun when you make up your own story around it. The one they had in the game itself wasn't that bad, but the heart wants what it wants.

#153 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Of all the Harry Potter games, it was hard to believe that there would be one that made it on this list. They are not especially great, puzzle platformers not being the strongest genre on this scope. Goblet of Fire, however, is a cooperative combat game and it's actually a lot of fun, especially if you have one or two players to play with. Going around as Harry and Hermione while shooting up lizards and other monsters was just a pile of fun and this can be considered the best of the bunch. If you've even looked at Order of the Phoenix's gameplay, you'd probably get a glimpse of some of the worst of the bunch and we'll not get into those. All we have to say to them is Avada Ke---

#152 The Simpsons Hit and Run

If you love cars and the Simpsons, chances are that this is going to be the game for you. It's very difficult and sometimes can get very frustrating, but racing against time and other cars while mindlessly crashing into things with no drawback at all is just ridiculous fun. You get to play as an assortment of characters with different cars. You even get to play as Homer and Homer's other alias, Mr. Plow, wherein he rides a snow plow. If you're even a casual fan of the Simpsons and have access to this game, do not pass it up. The recommendations are getting MUCH stronger now. Not like Bartman strong, but you know.

#151 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

If you want to be the most powerful Jedi ever and pass around Stormtroopers like they were nothing, then your ship has come in! You are so overpowered, it looks like you could take down the entire Empire by yourself! Starkiller's powers move entire Star Destroyers in the sequel, and it's really not much less here. He's still taking down enormous machines and kills people by the thousands. If you're up for a power trip, this is a good title, though it does it quite easy. The boss battles are pretty mundane as well, but it's a fairly solid game all together. 

#150 Resident Evil 2 (2019)

Sometimes, remakes get it right. I've only played maybe 10 minutes of the original Resident Evil 2, but I played through this entire remake. It's a good bit of horror, even when you have a shotgun. The Lickers will sneak up on you quick and zombies will come out of nowhere to bite you. Even if you struggle with them successfully, you'll get bitten. It's a fairly long game, and the boss battles are probably the best parts about it. Taking down the big man in the trench coat is one of the best parts, as the Tyrants turn out to be some of the strongest creatures in the franchise. It's a good example of how to remake a game. It's just a shame they couldn't manage the same thing for Resident Evil 3.

#149 Unreal Tournament 2004

Whether it's the original or 2009, Unreal Tournament was awesome. This was up there with Counter-Strike and Quake 3 Arena in the LAN party circle, and it's just plain fun to rain deadly laser beams on your friends while you try to capture the flag or just flat out kill the opponents in a death match. Whether you play as a team with friends or A.I., this game is a lot of fun. It's free wheeling bullets in an FPS arena fighter that doesn't take itself too seriously. Just kill each other for our entertainment, don't ask why.

#148 Fallout 3

While it is slow to get going and has a few pacing issues, Fallout 3 is a fun run. Some of the puzzles are nonsensical and sometimes the story can drag to terrible levels, but once you get into the action and some of the deeper parts of the lore, it's easy to get engrossed in this game. The weapons pack a good punch, especially if you're fortunate enough to get an AK-47. It's fun to explore other vaults, stores, houses and just explore the world as a whole. You don't even need to go too deep into the story, this is a good example of one where you can make your own. Honestly, this and New Vegas were probably considered the peak of the franchise for good reason. It is worth a try! Just beware the Death Claw!

#147 Dragon Quest VIII

You will see the game franchise with the most iconic slimes in this list quite a bit. There are many that deserve to be on this list, but it's long enough. Dragon Warrior cannot be outstated as one of the earliest precursors to the RPG model we know today. This one gives it a 3D setting and introduces new characters that we can get to know and like. All of them have their own weapons and attacks to do and you need to make sure you get all of your healing items and spells in order. The graphics, the dialogue and the kookiness of the old Akira Toriyama artstyle was something of a great return to form. More on this series later.

#146 Pokemon FireRed

Red was my favorite Pokemon for the longest time, and then FireRed came out. It updated everything and actually revamped the love it possessed within me. There came more playthroughs and it still remains the best of the bunch. Around 150 was enough, we didn't need 700 some odd. Facing down the Elite 4 was still a ton of fun, especially when you kicked your rival's tail across the stadium! Get yourself a diverse bunch of Pokemon types and show the island who's boss!

#145 Naruto Clash of Ninja 2

The Gamecube was a marvel of its time, unappreciated and considered a failure. Well, the same could be said for the character of Naruto and now look at him. This is one of the older titles, but it holds up still today, especially with how complicated later endtries became. The balancing system on the new games became bonkers, and Clash of Ninja 2 did a better job of getting it down. The unlockable characters are fun to get and it's always a blast going through the group fights. Some control issues occur, especially when you try to turn around quickly. Either way, this is very much based in nostalgia, as this was in every collection for the Gamecube I've had.

#144 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

A title that came free with my Xbox 360 and made me want to buy Skyrim along with it. The free range exploration is always fun, and breaking the law so that guards give you the arrest speech, it's all good fun. The game is long and the world is huge, so you can explore for quite some time, you just need to make sure you're not trying to go against higher level creatures and enemies that you're not ready to fight. Following the story at the beginning is a good idea to help you level up until you're ready to take on the real challenges or explore to your heart's content. If you're in it for the high fantasy, then this is your game. Well, this and Skyrim.

#143 Soul Calibur III

Once you get a PS2, you want to get the top fighting games for it. Soul Calibur 3 is an exclusive to the PS2 and only released as an arcade cabinet otherwise. There really isn't much more to say about this title that could be said for the rest of the series. These games have been a staple of the genre for years. Characters like Taki, Astaroth, Voldo and Yoshimitsu are known throughout the entire arcade fighting community for their very intricate fighting styles. While the graphics are vastly improved in this, there are more to consider when it comes to this franchise, so we'll leave that as it is for a brief time.

#142 Red Dead Redemption

This cannot be overstated as a favorite in the sandbox gaming world. This is one of the best examples of a pioneer of its time because of the different mechanics involved. Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead are two very different games for more reasons than just genre and setting. The style with which you need to fight, the different technology you need to learn and a lot of side games that involve gambling brings this title to its own strengths and weaknesses. It was buggy and some sections of it were mecilessly difficult, but it remains one of the best examples of a replayable game. Not to mention the cheats are a lot of fun too! YEEHAW!!!

#141 Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor

There is an art with how games implement stealth and hack and slash mechanics so seamlessly and get the graphics so exact. Lord of the Rings is a piping hot franchise and the Shadow of Mordor gives you such a good look at a side of the world we didn't get an extremely good look at. The level system and the fighting mechanics from the Arkham series gives this title a lot of replay value. The story isn't stellar, but it's enough to give you the excuse to assault orcs with graphic and gory slices with your swords. This title does not hold back when it comes to killing these monsters, and the boss battles are well enough without being awesome or terrible. Be sure to give this game a shot if you're a fan of dark fantasy and black blood.

#140 Soul Calibur II

The Dreamcast title that stuck on the screen for long periods of time. Dead or Alive was good, but Soul Calibur II was amazing. It is crude by today's standards and there are many better fighters, but this one was just great with its characters. This was the one where Taki and Yoshimitsu ruled my playthroughs. Sophitia, Kilik and Maxi also gave a good performance. Who could resist doing Maxi's nunchaku techniques and pulling off his combos? That's not even bringing up Nightmare!

Wow, that's a lot of fighting games and open world RPG's. That's a fairly strong start to a very large list. This list is obviously going to take up more than two or three, but it's a lot of fun to showcase some favorites and this is a very good way to do it, as far as I'm concerned. We're still riding to the top! Keep it tuned to Neptune!