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 That's right, folks, I have decided to compile a list of over 160 Greatest Games of all time, which will become outdated tomorrow, so let's get started!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!

  

 

Quake 4 - Die, Strogg, Die!

Quake has gone through many identities since its inception, and the series never turned out the way it was originally intended. This seems to ring true for the entire franchise of Quake. Quake 1 was supposed to be a medieval fantasy first person melee fighter, but they couldn't get the mechanics to run properly in time for Quake to be finished. Quake 2 was supposed to be an entirely different game, but they couldn't figure out anything better for it. While Quake 2 was a mere shell of creativity over what is more a glorified test of mechanics, it did have enough of a storyline to grant it a deeper plotted sequel. 

Quake 4 was created by Raven and they decided to make it even more Space Marine Military shooting and they doubled down on the concept. You're a famous soldier who is only known because he was the only survivor of a particular mission that killed the rest of his crew. You're fighting against the Strogg and you're part of the squadron that is behind enemy lines with a path to cut them off and cripple their efforts. 

The game is good, but it does lack a through-line. It has all of the elements we love, including a very nice arsenal of weapons that fits in perfectly with the Doomverse guns of old. The shotgun is garbage, thanks to a very uneven spread, but the railgun is probably one of the best ones overall. It's a pretty standard shooter with some very dark themes and you'll see that it doesn't really fit with the rest of Quake, aside from a few elements. 

Sometimes, the missions just drag. It's just kind of bad when you find yourself in hallways that look the same and keep shooting down the same stroggs over and over again. This is compounded when you get to the vehicle sections. The tank and the rail shooter sections are just a snorefest, especially when you get to the boss battles after spending forever shooting down strogg and strogg vehicles. This game could have used a bit more variety in both setting and gameplay, because sometimes the hallways just end up looking the same and you lose your way more than once if you're not careful. 

It does a good job telling the story of the lengths they have to go in order to counter the strogg enemies. You find yourself going deeper and deeper into the strogg forces to find their nexus and their sources of power in order to disable them. This leads you to getting captured by one of the strogg overlords and processed into a strogg soldier yourself. You see, stroggs are huge humans who are implanted with machinery and brainwashed into becoming crazy cannibalistic soldiers. The process for your character is interrupted, but only at the last moment. You are now fully strogg, but you do not have the reprogramming. 

They didn't do a great deal with this concept other than change up a few bits of game mechanics and your soldier comrades start looking at you funny. Other than that, though, I feel like there could have been more insight as to how this truly affects your character and teammates who now see you as one of the enemies. Obviously, they didn't have time to make it a Hall-mark movie, but more than what came of it would have been nice. 

It's a fun game, but Quake 4 is definitely not one of the stronger titles in the franchise. It is one of the better titles to come from Raven and the graphics for the time were decent. There's just not enough excitement to make this game very memorable and sometimes, it can get a little too easy to just kind of drop out of the game because you feel like you've played these missions more times than is necessary and they felt very similar. Killing the strogg and getting stronger weapons is still fun, though, and if you have not tried out this title, then there are far worse titles for you to give a chance. It is very easy to find on the digital game stores for cheap, so giving a few extra hours of your life for it isn't such a tall order. It won't cut off your legs to replace them with replacements or nail a chestplate onto your body. No one said it would do that. Prepare for reprogramming, Virtua Strogg.  

Super Mario RPG - Quest for the Marshmallows

If there was ever an SNES game that captured my interest, when I didn't even own one, it was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. This has to be the most in depth and captivating Mario game. It was also one of the earliest examples of 3D gameplay. While it was not full 3D like Mario 64, it was done in a very tasteful way, more in the vain of Donkey Kong Country. This game is very unique in several ways, one of the bigger ones was it was one of the earliest examples of Princess Peach in a combat role. Super Mario 2 and Super Mario RPG were pioneers in that. It is also one of the first times you can play as Bowser. 

The game does start with kidnapping Princess Toadstool, yes, but she becomes your teammate, along with Bowser and a few other familiar faces. It is kind of a bummer that we didn't get to see Luigi in this game, but there are still a plethora of characters. Geno is added to the roster, as is Mallow, who both round out the cast very well. Mallow is a decent healer but is otherwise rather uninteresting. Geno, however, is awesome and severely under utilized, as he has hardly ever even been seen since this very game. Geno is a damage powerhouse, as is Bowser, but his final weapon does more damage than Rock Candy, which does 200 damage. He is essential when it comes to the bigger bosses. 

Mario RPG takes its story very, very seriously. You go through a lot of worlds and a lot of settings throughout the entire game. Every single time, you have a clear goal to reach. Some of these bosses are ridiculously hard, while others are serious pushovers. Thankfully, the grinding in this game is not especially bad. If you stick around a few zones to take on a few enemies here and there, you should have enough experience and money to get yourself upgraded. Gear and levels are absolutely needed. Make sure you at least go through the motions to some degree.

The timed hits keeps you engaged with the gameplay. You need to make sure you keep hitting the A button at the right points for each attack. Sometimes, this also means you see Bowser pick up Mario and throw him at the enemy twice. There is plenty of good humor in this game and that gave me a good chuckle. Weapons are not too hard to save up for, thankfully. If you keep up with the main quests and grind to a small extent, you'll have what you need if you keep progressing through these ridiculous worlds.

Smithy, the final boss, is rather difficult if you don't have a good amount of Rock Candies, good rolls for damage and a plethora of healing items. The final level takes a lot of strategizing and concerving your best items for the boss battles coming your way. By then, you'll have your proper team lined up and you'll have a good system set up. 

Going through the story, you start to find out more and more about the characters around you and they do a great job making you want to help. Wherever you go, you're doing good deeds and helping the citizens of the world as you progress. The game does its job very well in giving you the drive to keep going deeper and saving as much of it as you can. A good example of this is when you get Mallow to join you on your journey and he is able to help you get to the clouds where he is actually from. It's kind of funny because he lived with his family of frogs. As a walking cloud marshmallow, he was just shocked to learn that he was adopted. This is the peak of his character development, but honestly, after that, he isn't very necessary to the plot in a very noticeable way. 

The graphics in this game were rather groundbreaking for its time. It's gotten a port on the Nintendo Switch and it is a real shame that there was never a complete sequel to this game. Paper Mario was charming and fun, but it never reached this level of greatness. Mario RPG became one of those strange experiments that Nintendo just doesn't do anymore. Taking Mario and giving the reigns of his game over to the Final Fantasy devs turned out great results. It's a real shame that we don't see this sort of mish mashing anymore. It is a dying breed, sadly. Still, we got something of a masterpiece out of it. It's a long game, and the story takes some strange turns, but it's among some of the greatest RPG's of its age. Just remember to get to some of the gray clouds to get some water. 

Doom: The Dark Ages - The Doom Knight

Doom has had some very divisive titles in its day. Doom 4, while very well received, had some fans saying it was too easy and repetitive. Doom Eternal, while also amazingly reviewed, had some questionable mechanics added to slight annoyances. Doom 6, however, seeks to fix all of the problems while also giving us what we truly want in a Doom game. Does it succeed? Obviously, that's up to the masses, but I believe it does a lot more good than it does harm. While not every game mechanic is a masterclass, there are some very nice touches. There is a TON to go over, with a small hint of spoilers, so let's strap up our shields and pull the string!!

The shield, since we're on the subject, is one of those mechanics that was surprisingly well implimented. Unlike the chainsaw in Doom Eternal, they don't force you to use it, nor do they force you to obtain fuel for it after constant use. This may make it seem overpowered, but only for what is now referred to as "Fodder" demons. You want to use it, because there are some seriously overpowered shields that these demonic zombies carry. In some cases, you need to shoot the shields in order to make them light up with heat, then the shield basically shreds them apart when you throw it. The shield is also very handy when you come across the green attacks the demons lay on you. With a perfect block on these, you reverse them into the opponent for more damage. There are also constant upgrades that have secondary effects. The mechanics are so well placed, it makes you want to use it, especially when the enemy has chainguns. If you over-use it, though, you need to let your shield recharge, so try your best to balance the action. 

The weapons line-up also sees a lot of changes. Of all the new guns you get, honestly, there's not really what would be called a "dud" among them. The new skull shrapnel guns, the "Ravager" and the "Pulverizer" are basically the same, but with different overall effects. The Pulverizer was the one that won the day for me because the upgrades to it are a bit more useful. Then there are the two plasma guns, which also have very similar rapid fire, but the Accelerator is so obviously the plasma gun from Quake 3: Arena, so it won my affections. Call me old fashioned. 

While it does lack a chaingun, that's basically nixed in favor of the nailgun. We basically perfected chainguns in Doom 4 and 5, so bringing in a nice taste of Quake is more than welcome. The impaler is your sniper rifle while the Shredder (turtle soup) is the super nailgun. It does what the name implies, especially when you upgrade the ammo to not only do more damage, but also detonate on impact of your shield attack. The chain ball gun is an interesting mix of rocket power without the need for distance, but it is also not among my preferred in the arsenal. It's different, but it's also not all that interesting to use. 

As said in the trailer review, I am so glad they removed that awful spike from the super shotgun. They condensed the arsenal so that you don't need to spend all day looking for each gun in your wheel, so they allow you to choose which one comes up when you need to change guns. So, the shotgun takes an immediate backseat while its double barreled big brother blasts through skulls and turns demons into greasy smears. Thank GOD they don't limit your ammo so terribly at the beginning. That whole, "you should use all of the guns instead of choosing favorites" was a horrible idea to begin with. 

When it comes to the BFC (Ballistic Force Crossbow), let's go with the fact that it does next to nothing to replace the BFG in terms of iconography. It's a powerful oneshot weapon, for sure, and is limited to three shots in order to be used sparingly. It is, however, quite forgettable. I even wrote a great deal of this review before I even remembered to comment on it in the weapons section of this article. It's not terrible or useless, but it just doesn't replace what has been widely considered one of the most powerful weapons in gaming. 

In a genuine show of listening to fans, they stopped the ridiculously implimented platforming sections from Doom Eternal and that is like a kiss of an angel in the midst of bursting demon gore. There are still platforms and puzzles to solve, and they can get a little agitating, but it's not at all to the same degree as to slow the pacing down to a crawl. Instead, you need to look for hot metal and green dead bodies with which to throw your shield. It's pretty straight forward, but sometimes they can be really hard to spot. Again, this is only a moderate nitpick. 

One strike against the game is that it can be a little inconsistant with how the mechanics are pulled off. Sometimes, when the zombie shields are hot, you throw the shield and literally nothing happens. Throw it again, and they're mowed down immediately. You might think this is because the metal is now hot, but the shields do not even change the slightest shade. Sometimes, you'll throw your shield at enemies and it will begin to saw into their bodies for a good stunning effect, other times you throw it at them and it merely does damage or doesn't have any effect. This goes for the blocking in general. Sometimes you block a green attack and it does literally nothing, other times it blasts back at the demon full force. Whether this was a glitch or not is up in the air, but it happens enough times to be very noticeable. This is the same for the melee attacks.

The flail, gauntlet and mace are all stellar weapons. Rather than just making his punches so weak they can't take down the lowliest zombie (coughETERNALcough), you have a limited number of times before you need to recharge. At first, I thought I would stick with the flail because it's awesome. Then I picked up the mace and my mind was immediately changed. You can only use the mace once before it needs to spend a while recharging, but it blasts off their armor almost immediately and does ridiculous amounts of damage that spreads to nearby enemies. It's kind of addicting to see their limbs fly everywhere from such a massive blow. 

When it comes to the demons, that's when this game gets a little wonky. You recognize some of them, and it's really nice to see big commander imps, but there are some that kind of just... are there. The most awesome thing about Doom 4 and Doom Eternal is that you can immediately look at a demon and see what it is. Here, some of them kind of blend together and just sort of die when you shoot them. They have their unique characteristics, but it's not exactly a one-look scenario of "Oh wow, it's those things!" One very noticeable absence is that of the cacodemon. Instead, they're replaced with giant floating tentacle brains in the vain of Duke Nukem 3D. It's like if arachnotrons were suddenly given flight. Arachnotrons get various weapons as well, so you have one that will blast you with lasers and another that will shoot you with a chaingun. It's all a very mixed bag. 

Glory kills are now only for the second tier demons and higher, which is a massive improvement. Rather than spending ridiculous amounts of the game melee killing every demon, it's limited to a much more digestible mechanic. There's also demons in armor that needs to be broken before you can actually do your gory murder kills, so there's a nice little added difficulty along with the fodder. There are also giant spider demons and mancubi to consider. Then there are the empowered demons that not only need to be slowly chopped down, but also ones that require you kill the demons around them before you can do any damage. 

Rather than having a boss fight in each level, you need to take down a handful of empowered demons. This is nice but I was lamenting the lack of boss battles as a result. Then you get to the later levels and you get a nice smattering of boss battles to sate that hunger. In a small stroke of genius, it created a need and fulfilled it very, very well. These battles range from the top tier demons to a traitorous Makyr known as The Kreed. Killing that pompous gas bag was a wondrous breath of fresh air with multiple tiers and massive disrespectful smashing of his face. Satisfaction hardly scrapes the surface of that feeling. 

The story is also a great upgrade from Eternal. It's not nearly as much, though it is a bit more than Doom 4, which is a nice little blend of moderation. You don't need to go into flashbacks and it doesn't give you the origin stories or anything like that. Instead, it shows you how important the Doom Slayer is to the sentinels and how far they will go to get him back into the fray. You even develop feelings for your commanding officer, who turns out to be very important to the plot, as she is, in herself, a plot device. You want to go after them and you want to see him succeed so that he can help the king and those who protect the realms from Hell's evil. 

One element that could have easily broken the game to pieces was both the giant mech suit and the dragon riding. Much like Batman Arkham Knight's Batmobile mechanics, these could have taken up 60% of the game and thrown the ripping and tearing out the window. This would have been a massive blow, but instead it's only for a few small sections of the game. That being said, the dragon was a bit of a lowpoint. The dodging and empowering features it possessed were not among the most stellar and it got to be a small annoyance when the dragon appeared for you to get on its back. Thankfully, it is a far cry from being outright cringeworthy. 

The titan battles in the mech suit are fun, and you get plenty of it while, once again, not being overbearing. The dodge mechanics are still weird, but it's still a lot of fun bashing the gargantuan titans in the face. You also get to step on normal demons, as well as mow down a ton of structures, especially in Hell. Given what happens to Earth in Eternal, it's a great feeling to pay them back in kind and bash their realm into oblivian with a swoop of your giant mechanical arm. 

Now for the big question: Where does this fall in the Doom Top 10's list? People are going to call me names and tell me I'm wrong, but I'd put this at #5, shoving Doom Eternal down a peg. By all means, the comments button is at the bottom of this article, but I will stand by that comment. In terms of Doom 4, it is a contender for the mantle, but it lacks a very important point: Being a Doom game. When you see the demons in Doom 2016, you know that this it is a Doom game and you recognize almost all of the demons. Doom The Dark Ages does feel like a Doom game, but it is so unsaturated and blandly colored that it can be mistaken for a mix of Doom with the color pallet of Quake. Is this a bad thing? Not especially. It does, however, make it a bit overly dreary. 

Another MASSIVE loss is that of the soundtrack. It's not a bad soundtrack, but it lacks the gravitas of Mick Gordan's spark of genius. It's kind of hard to notice the music in this one. The only real time I ever even paid any attention to it was when the Doomguy sails a demon barge through Hell's gates in order to get back to the mortal plane, and yes I know how that sounds. It sounds awesome, but then the knockoff BFG Division plays and that's when Mick Gordan is so sorely missed. 

Doom The Dark Ages lacks the identity that Doom 4 had in spades, but that does not, in any way, hinder the game itself. It simply hinders it as a title in the Doom roster. Beyond that, this game is absolutely solid. The graphics are awesome, the glitches do nothing to break the game (in the PS5 version, I've heard different stories from the PC version) and you get the ripping and tearing in full force. It's more of the game that we love and if you're a Doom fan, it's definitely worth giving it a fair chance. It adds to the lore without shoving it all in your face while being a prequel that is its own story and with its own look. The replay value isn't quite as strong as Doom Eternal, for a few reasons that include the lack of cheat codes, but it's still there and you can hop to any level in the new game + to try your full arsenal on any level. I know where I'm going to go back to and Kreed had better be ready for a sadistic amount of deaths in his near future. I will load my super shotgun with malicious intent! Virtua Super Buckshot!  

The Uncanny X-men (NES) - A Childhood Dud

Brand names don't mean as much to some people as they probably should. You see companies getting the names to all kinds of properties and just a few products later, you wish they'd never touched them. This was especially true with LJN. If you are a gaming and internet fan, you've probably heard of the infamous LJN company that used to make toys and video games back in the 80's and 90's. Well, they didn't tend to care who they outsourced their video games to, even when they had some of the biggest market names in the industry of the time. Names like Jaws and Back to the Future actually meant something when they were in movie form. When they were in NES form... not so much. 

True to form, X-men should have been a no-brainer of a video game. There were a million different ways to make this game and they seemingly picked the worst one. When you look at X-men, you shouldn't be thinking, "This would make a killer top-down co-op game where the levels are absolutely garbage!" I don't know how else to reason this game out. It's absolutely nonsensical how they made these levels and how they thought up this horrific gameplay! 

The characters themselves are just a hair away from being absolutely unrecognizable. The graphics along with the point of view make the game look like it was directly converted from the earliest Atari console. the worst part about it is the A.I. If you don't have a second player, the computer who is trying to help you goes anywhere they want and does whatever they want, no matter if it holds up your gameplay or not. Always get Cyclops and always make the computer a character who does not have range attack, like Wolverine. 

Think about the animated series, or even the comic books at the time. Think about how much we loved Wolverine or Colossus and how cool it would be to play them in a video game for yourself. Well, we were pretty okay with a downgrade in graphics at the time. 8-bits didn't get you much in the ways of keeping with a movie or good looking animated TV show. This, however, could have at least been a side-scroller or something that even felt like it was trying to be part of the X-men. Seriously, this is closer to feeling like a parody of a Lego X-men game. 

Even going by those standards, this game is awful. We could imagine being Link and fighting Ganon in the NES version, along with a myriad of other games. This, however, failed to capture any imaginations. The worst part about it is that it wasted such immense potential that other games captured far better and more naturally. The X-men, though having a rocky start, finally broke its bonds of just being a successful comic book series and has found a lot more success (and failures) in later projects. We've taken a look at a bunch of them, but we'll be taking a look at some more, so long as you don't side with the Brotherhood! Virtua Blast!

Happy 30th Birthday, Sega Saturn!

 Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Sega Saturn’s release in America and we Saturn fans will dance and sing its praise with unconditional love, even today! I count myself proudly among them and who would I be if I didn’t give it the best article I could possibly give? This is a flawed but gorgeous system that deserves all of the praise and a fraction of the criticism it has gotten over the years. Whatever your thoughts are on the Saturn are, so long as you believe that we love it, that’s all that it takes. 

Whatever genre you want to play, the 5th generation Sega system has it in spades. It has its terrible games, just like any other console but it also has its gems where it counts. Compare it to the Playstation all you want and turn your nose up toward it if you feel like it, but your opinions are your own and we will give this system the celebration it truly deserves right here! 

People love awards, and developers love to win awards for the effort they put into their games. So, since the Saturn Awards have already been taken, we’ll be presenting some games with the Golden S Awards in their own respective categories. This will be a mixture of personal preference as well as popular opinion all rolled into one big package. Please, if you have a pick for these awards, don’t be shy, talk about it in the comments and express your love for the Saturn! Be respectful and courteous while letting your love shine through.

RPG

The first category we’ll be viewing today is the Roleplaying Games! There are so many great RPG’s on the system and it’s really hard to choose from its gigantic library as such. Among such amazing titles as Shining the Holy Ark, Shining Force III, Dark Force and Magic Knight Rayearth, picking out one single title seems like a daunting task for anyone, let alone Saturn Fanatics. 

Panzer Dragoon Saga

On another note, though, some would call this a no-brainer. The Panzer Dragoon series is no stranger to greatness and many consider Panzer Dragoon Saga not only the greatest RPG on the Saturn, but the greatest game on the console, period! Flying through landscapes and fighting monsters of all shapes and sizes in gameplay so vastly different from its predecessors was pulled off with absolute grace and glory. Taking place thirty years after the first Panzer Dragoon, you are Edge. Flying on your Dragoon through treacherous landscape never looked better as it pushes the system to its very limits on four discs. Calling this an epic seems like small potatoes by comparison to its definition. If you are an RPG fan, you are depriving yourself of enormous experience if you miss this title. Do not pass this game up!

Fighting Games

If you thought the Saturn had a great selection of RPG’s, you better strap yourselves in for the Fighting Games! To say there are a lot would be the understatement of the year. Both Capcom and Sega themselves developed multiples upon multiples of titles and slapped that beautiful S on each and every single one of them. From 3D, 2D and 2.5D fighting games, there are some incredible titles to cover and we need to pick two of them.

2D Fighting Game

The first game will be less pixels but just as much action. With such titles as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Darkstalkers and SNK, you better believe choosing a title among them is going to be more than a little difficult. The greatest thing to note about the Sega Saturn’s fighters is that its controller was seemingly created with arcade fighters in mind as the button and D-pad were set up very similarly to the big machine cabinets. This makes the system ideal for competitive fighting gameplay. The 2D Fighters alone include Street Fighter Alpha, Fatal Fury 3, X-men: Children of the Atom, Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 and King of Fighters ‘97. The list goes on and on! However, in the end, there can be only one.

X-men vs Street Fighter

That’s right, Capcom wins the day with their amazing Marvel vs Capcom precursor and it is beyond amazing! In the world of home consoles, no one came close to the Sega Saturn version of this game. The character selection is beautiful and the animation is gorgeous, especially for the era it was created in. With 17 characters in all, the battles are fearsome and the action is non-stop so long as you have the courage to go on! Widely considered one of the best Saturn games around, this is a title to put on your shelf, ASAP!

3D Fighting Game

The Saturn’s 3D Fighters are also no slouch when it comes to choices. Some of its first games were arcade ports of arcade 3D brawlers that showed off its capacity for bone crunching action of the finest caliber. True Saturn fans will have Fighters Megamix come to mind, as well they should. With Fighting Vipers and Virtua Fighter clashing together head to head, why wouldn’t it be a top pick? Others will cite Virtua Fighter 2 as some of the finest punch and kick gameplay around, this is also a strong argument. Even its predecessor, Virtua Fighter, which launched the Sega Saturn, while lacking in graphics, still had gameplay far and away as some of the finest of its time. Then, when you want to ramp up the technology and put your fighters into massive machines of mayhem, look no further than Virtual On. 

Virtual On: Cyber Troopers

Stay with me on this one. This was top of the line fighting for several reasons. Not only did it have a complete change up of the genre but it also boasted some of the most original gameplay as far as fighters went. With your choice of vastly different cyber troopers and long range to close range combat systems, you really couldn’t go wrong with this title. The gameplay takes some practice to get use to because it’s so much faster than your run-of-the-mill fighters and you’ll be begging for more once you’ve had a taste of the lasers and missiles flying every which way on the screen! 

Platformers

While not as plentiful as the Fighters and RPG’s the Saturn boasts a healthy helping of platformers of all kinds, and I mean ALL KINDS. They may be small in numbers but they are quite unique as the genre goes. We like to celebrate those differences with praise, though, that’s for sure. With such legendary titles as Clockwork Knight, Mega Man X3, Mega Man 8, and Mr. Bones, you really couldn’t go wrong. Let’s not forget that it also houses all three of the original Sonic games (plus their Knuckles equivalent) on Sonic Jam, which is a must-own if you are a true blue fan of the Blue Blur. A close runner for the platformer genre is the amazing Nights Into Dreams, which revolutionized the system and pushed its very limits in both graphics and 3D Gameplay, it even inspired the creation of the 3D Gamepad controller! However, there is one other title that is just a little more beloved.

Burning Rangers

Saturn 3D Platforming at its finest. This rare game is among the most engrossing in every facet. There are relatable characters (that you love and hate and love to hate) that carry out daring rescues as they plunge into burning buildings to save civilians. If that weren’t enough, there’s even boss battles that will grip you like none other! Even though it’s a somewhat short game, its control and soundtrack are just icing on the cake. If you can find this at a decent price, do not let it escape your grasp! 

Racing Games

In the young days of 3D gaming, 32-bits could pull off some seriously awesome racing games! From race cars to motorcycles, there’s racing fun to be had all around! Wipeout is always there for those of you who love rocket powered racers of the future but for those of you loving the raceways with the likes of Nascar, Daytona USA and its Champion Circuit are there to quench your thirst. GT24, Sega Touring Car Championship, and the original Need for Speed are all lovely gems of this genre! If you delve deep into this group, you’ll find more than one that you’ll like or even love. Again, though, we’re whittling it down to one single diamond among the jewels. 

Sega Rally Championship

Among Sega Saturn fans, this is definitely the most popular choice as racing games go, and there is a very good reason for that! The starting race course is iconic and its graphics are stellar in the world of 32-bit delight! The best thing about it is the detail in the landscape and the control in which to make your opponents eat your dust! It’s high octane speedy fun and you can tear into the road over and over again without a single care in the world. Keep your eye on the road!

Rail Shooters

Games in which bullets go into bad guys and you’re left with the satisfaction of moving on to the next section to take on another barrage of them. Whether they be criminals, zombies or aliens, it doesn’t matter! Keep shooting that gun across the screen and you’re bound to have a good time in this uncomplicated but riveting genre of games! Sega Saturn had some titles that you may have seen in more than one arcade. I mean, Area 51 is one of the LESSER shooters on this system and that’s a high standard already! Panzer Dragoon 1 and 2 were marvels of their time and deserve more than just a mention to be sure, but as rail shooters go, they are not the kind we’re targeting (Not to mention, Saga already took home a prize). Then there’s the amazing House of the Dead, even though it wasn’t quite as good as its arcade counterpart, it’s still fantastic! 

Virtua Cop 2

You can argue this point, that much is certain. However, this title is a peak that so many gamers revel in. It’s a very close race between the first and second game, but while Virtua Cop 1 was a more pure experience, you can’t deny that the second one was better in the ways of detail and environments when it comes to the arcade shoot’em up. With the inclusion of Virtua City’s new recruit, Janet Marshall, this game has that fast pace shooter aspect that fans really crave. Those baddies need to be taken out and now you have the arsenal to do it! Pick up that light gun and dive right in! 

Are there more genres to look over? Of course, but let’s just simmer down from popular opinions and just bask in the love we have for our 5th gen system. It wasn’t the most popular console, by any means, but it certainly was full of personality and did its own thing and did it very well. This isn’t even my first game system that I played, nor is it the first Sega game system that I had as a kid. It was, however, the first 3D game system I had and I was caught in its magic the moment I opened it up on Christmas morning of 1996. Me as a 10 year old child glimpsing upon its wonder with three full games that it came with. 

Call Saturn fanatics nostalgic old farts with rose colored glasses all you want. You can talk about the Playstation all you want but get that overhyped garbage out of my face! It’s all about the Saturn for me! Not only the Saturn but the Dreamcast which can be considered a perfect sequel to an already marvelous first. Both of them together make for an experience like none other and it is just a shame that they did so terribly in the states. 

To say this system is a cult classic would be a drastic understatement! The Saturn has a loyal fanbase, and that’s enough to show that it is still a titan of its era. Under appreciated in its time but it has aged like a fine wine for those who are willing to give it a fair chance. 

I’m not the only one who feels this way. There are plenty others who have a soft spot for the Sega legend. It’s full of flaws but we love it for what it is. Now, I have invited a good bunch of folks to type up a little bit about the Sega Saturn. Read what these Saturn-heads have to say and please post your thoughts in the comments. Even if you don’t love the system, post your thoughts. Be courteous and be kind. Thanks for reading and remember to drink water.

“The Saturn is a console that time has been kind to, as gamers find a real and heartfelt connection to the system. Up against the then newcomer in Sony’s PlayStation, it was home to some genuinely unique games that some argue optimise the very pinnacle of SEGA’s creativity.

And while third party support dwindled due to the complex architecture of the system, in the hands of SEGA’s first party studios, the Saturn would sing, with titles like Virtua Fighter 2, SEGA Rally, Virtua Cop, NiGHTS, and Panzer Dragoon, providing gamers with hours of entertainment.

It’s arguable that the Saturn is THE cult SEGA console, whose collectibility and timeless blend of original and arcade titles make it a favourite for retro gamers young and old.”

--Dreamcast Addict

“Dear Sega Saturn,  It's your birthday, and I love you.  

I remember when I first got you. You were my first home console. I remember the rain animations and background animals in Sonic 3D Blast. I remember looking out into the skybox in Croc and thinking "I can see so far from up here!" Nights will always be MY first sandbox. 

 I'll never forget telling my friends, "No, I don't mean Sega Genesis." I'll never forget how cartridges on the 64 seemed like a step backwards. I'll never forget Clockwork Knight; whether or not I knew what was going on in it. 

Most of all, Sega Saturn, I'll never forget you.”

--EjFellner