Top 160+ Favorite Games of all time! (Pt 8 Final)

19 Sonic and Knuckles 3

"Sonic and Knuckles 3" is not even the proper title for this game. This is Sonic the Hedgehog 3 with one of the first expansions in console gaming. It's at least the most popular expansion in the industry. This opened up all kinds of new gameplay options for the original Sega Genesis Sonic games. With the addition of a new character, you can reach new areas with his gliding skill in different ways. It also gave Sonic 3 a new layer of greatness, as Knuckles opened up all new content overall for the game. They finished the game itself and had no time to impliment Knuckles, so they just sold off that portion as a separate cartridge attachment. This was a genius move for the time, but it was a double edged sword when it came to the idea of paid DLC in gaming.

18 The House of the Dead 2

When it comes to the Dreamcast, this one hit number one after hours and hours of gameplay. There came a time when all of the secrets came unlocked and the urge to kill zombies increased to brand new levels. The graphics, the co-op play, the badguys and tons of features were improved and added to The House of the Dead. There are new bosses and returning bosses, but they did everything they needed to make it a unique gaming experience all around. The terrible voicing for the English version is parallel in greatness with the original Resident Evil and gave it that slice of cheese that made it so entertaining.

17 Metroid Prime

The Gamecube, in all of its greatness, reached its peak early on as far as I'm concerned.  You are put into the armor of Samus and throughout the game, you are given access to all of her weapons! This includes the ability to turn into a ball and plant bombs in three dimensions. The combat shines in first person, especially for a console game, and it does so with such an amazing style. The graphics really pushed the envelope for the GC and showed off its true capabilities from the very start. 3D adventuring and exploring while dodging deadly aliens has never felt so awesome before this title and that really is saying something. 

16 Metroid

It's hard to beat the original. The Metroid title for NES killed it with exploring and getting lost in levels while surviving pitfalls and listening to such an amazing and memorable soundtrack. Enhance Samus's armor, or even put in the code to give her no armor, which revealed that she was a woman in the first place. This blew our minds as kids, but it did nothing to take away from the experience. Samus is amazing and this game is where her journey began. Platforming in this game brings you to new heights in 8-bit gaming and it has earned its place in gaming history.

15 Katamari Forever

When you want a nice satisfying collect-a-thon game where you go from tiny as a softball to the size of an entire planet, this is your sauce. With a catchy music lineup and the simplest graphics, this game brings both the old and the new of Katamari to the forefront and gives you that sensation of being a tiny little giant that can roll up the entire cosmos. The king is annoying, but that only makes it better when you prove his negativity wrong and show him that you can score with the best of them. It's fun to collect all of the characters and get all of the collectibles for your shrine. Not to mention, it even has a two-player mode! If you have heard anything about this franchise and need a place to start, here you go!

14 X-men Arcade

This was a hard choice, but if I had my pick of the Konami Triforce beat'em ups, this one beats TMNT and the Simpsons. None of these games buckle under the pressure, and all of them are great in their own way. This one has the Colossus roar, though, and it is just all kinds of fun to use the X-men's many powers. Wolverine's slicing power is a close second favorite, but all of them are fun to play to some extent. The levels are memorable and Magneto's stupid dialogue has reached iconography. This is a satisfying experience and this game has gone through so many efforts to save it from obscurity, even when it was only on the arcade cabinet for the majority of its existence. It is just too valuable to lose.

13 Panzer Dragoon II

People will disagree with me up and down about this favorite in the Panzer Dragoon franchise, but the experience and the fun that this game gave me with my original Sega Saturn is something to behold. It is a wonderful experience that is only compounded as your dragoon continues to grow and evolve throughout the playthrough. The graphics are grungy and beautiful, with enviroments that show off the true 32 bit nostalgia. All three of the Saturn titles are great in their own way, but this is my piece of the pie for a very good reason.

12 Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart has stood the test of time for a reason, and this is where the franchise peaked in absolute greatness with the simplest elements. The graphics are fantastic without being overblown and the gameplay keeps itself without overburdening itself with flab. There are just too many characters to choose from at this point with Mario Kart 8, but 64 kept itself at a core roster. This bore some of the best levels and some of the most memorable tracks. This was such a huge improvement over the first game on the SNES, it basically eclypses it in every sense of the word. The Wii version and WiiU version were still awesome, don't get me wrong. This one is just what it needed to boost the franchise to greatness.

11 Quake

This is the final game that was made by the majority of the original crew at ID. After this title, John Romero was gone from the company. As much of a disappointment it was for the developers, it was a dream come true for gamers. Death Matching, rocket jumping and 3D gaming in general was brought to this peak from the very beginning thanks to the hard work of our Doom makers. Quake is gothic, and beautiful in its simplicity, even if there weren't a lot of vibrant colors. Even if the levels look very similar, they don't play the same by any means. This was not always a great thing, and sometimes you can really feel the limitations on the number of monsters, especially compared to Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. While the solo game is still great, it was the multiplayer Death Matching that made this title truly great. 

10 Doom Eternal

It's not surprising to see how many Doom titles are on this list. Doom Eternal came when it was needed the most and it delivered on its promises to give us an experience very close to Doom 4. The graphics are astounding with just the right amount of spice and detail. Killing the demons by blowing meat off of their bones with a shotgun is so satisfying, especially when you get to rip their heads and limbs off with your armored hands. This was all brought to a head with the return of the Icon of Sin, who was beautifully implimented! It's not perfect, but even with some of the more irritating parts of the game, it's a wondrous fight through Hell and Earth.

9 Doom

The advent of Knee Deep in the Dead was met with such a rousing success, it put video gaming on the map. With such an iconic title, everything after was just gravy on the taters. Thy Flesh Consumed didn't do such a great job of ending the Ultimate Doom collection, but everything within is still amazing to behold. Killing demons and creating a blood bath took what Wolfenstein 3D did and brought it to brand new heights with new capabilities in elevations and lighting graphics. Doom was a milestone in gaming, like ID would cause over and over throughout their early career. This title is still iconic, and people continue to make new levels for it to this very day as the Doom Mapping community is still running very strong. May they make until forever. Rip and Tear!

8 Spider-man

Spider-man 2 for the PS2 and Gamecube walked so that Spider-man for the PS4 could run. Coming out after Batman Arkham Asylum only made this game that much greater with its own take on such a great combat system. This game has the story, has a likeable Peter Parker, and even makes you want to 100% the whole thing for all of the spider suits. Swinging on the web feels crisp and nastural. Finding and fighting the Sinister Six feels like you're coming right out from the comics. The sequels may not be as great, but this game stands on its own merits of greatness. It's replayable, especially with New Games + and you're a webhead with some extra awesome points if you do!

7 Resident Evil 7

The loss of P.T. was terrible, but it did inspire Capcom to make this game first person and scary. The story and progression had some hiccups and the ending of the game isn't as great, but overall, this is a beautiful title. Playing this game gives you some real fear, especially when you're running from a maniac with a shovel! It's so satisfying to finally meet him in the subsequent boss battles, especially with a chainsaw fight! This game has some very memorable moments, even some that I wouldn't mind going back and playing over and over again. That's how you know you have a gem on your hands.

6 Doom (2016)

Somehow, the reboot to the franchise jumped its way up my favorites totem. It game when it was needed and it did everything it set out to do. The experience was new but also very nostalgic. The vast majority of the awesome guns were back and so many of the demon roster returned so you could put your fist through their faces! They thought that the multiplayer Quake 3 Arena type shooter and the map creating capabilities were going to be the selling point, but it was proven that the singleplayer won out tenfold! The Doom Slayer demon voice clips and the soundtrack all became iconic and this game made the power fantasy real and fun, also real fun.

5 Sonic the Hedgehog 2

This game came free with Sega Genesis 2nd Gen, and changed Sonic's fortunes forever. This game was leagues above the first title and made platforming legend comparable to the Super Mario Bros franchise! Sonic and Tails became household names and Sega truly had their mascot set in stone. Sonic 2 even threw a bone to the younger brothers in 2nd player, making sure they could help without getting in the way and local multiplayer exploded! The soundtrack, the gameplay and the level designs became iconic and this franchise was boosted to the point where Sonic games had a brand new standard to reach.

4 Virtual On

This game got 3D fighting right on so many levels. Getting great at this game is not exactly hard, but it does require a good deal of sharpening. It's just fun all around and offered a free wielding style that made you feel like you were a mech pilot trying to destroy the mech suit in front of you. This is compounded when you take on bigger machines and truly tests your mastery of the controls and maneuverability while using your unique set of weapons. You need to think fast and get accurate, so learn your machine and have a ball while doing it. This game is awesome on both Sega Saturn and Dreamcast.

3 Doom 2

This is another point where many will disagree. So many people consider these new levels a huge downgrade, but I can't see where they're coming from. There's just some great levels and some not so great levels. What you get, though, is brand new weapons and brand new demons with new level designs that not only did wonders for its own game, but made the level modding that much more fun. Doom 2 brought us the Super Shotgun and a barrage of other things like the Mancubi, Pain Elementals and the Archviles. This only built upon the foundations of an already great game and magnified the ways to play it. Doom 2 is keen as far as Planet Virtua is concerned.  

2 Mega Man 2

With one of the most iconic soundtracks, levels and boss robot battles, Mega Man 2 is hailed as the greatest Mega Man game of all time. The weapons you get, like Metal Man's band saws and Wood Man's leaves, are just flat out fun to play throughout the game. Even when Mega Man X hit the market, this is still held up as the best in the franchise. The game can get frustrating in the Dr. Wiley levels and in the Quick Man stage, but that's all just par for the course in terms of an 8-bit game. Even Mega Man 11 couldn't reach this level of greatness, just think about that for a moment.

1 Dragon Warrior

The word "simplicity" has been used a lot on this list and that is this game's greatest strength. It is a simple story with an open world map that gives you quests in order to beat the Dragon Lord. Dragon Quest's humble beginning aged like a fine wine and made its way to the top of this list. Rescuing the princess, defeating the first green dragon and axe knight, all of it is chiseled in legend. You're put in the place of a true hero and you fight your way through slimes, metal men and all forms of magical beasts trying to kill you. Search out the fabled metal slime to get lot's of experience points and look for Erdrick's ultimate weapons to defeat the most powerful foes in the final dungeons beyond the rainbow bridge. Nostalgia goggles be damned, this game wins.

So, there you have it. It took me a solid year, but I'm glad I finally got all of these lists out for one big grand ranking of my favorites. As said in the first post, this is not a perfect list and there are some games who can interchange between rankings. It's still a very complete list, even if there are a few titles that deserve an honorable mention because either I didn't think of them for the master list or I've played them since the list was originally created. Here's a nice short list of those games.

Doom The Dark Ages

A solid addition to the Doom franchise, despite the lack of notable demons and the employment of a pale BFG replacement. The shield and the weapon roster is still solid for the gameplay and it is still a fun time all around. The story doesn't really spark any inspiration, but it frames the demon killing fine. It can wrestle Doom Eternal for one of the higher spots on this list, more because it doesn't have all of the unnecessary platforming and lore heavy items throughout the entire runtime. Many will disagree, as usual, but those are my thoughts.

Retro Rewind

Management games are just plain fun work. This one, however, hits home with a wondrous return of the VHS rental store that you can customize and decorate to your own tastes. This is just busy work with a good deal of interaction with customers and time management. It's very easy to gain up to level 20 and you can even work toward 100% achievements without a lot of effort. The movie titles are a lot of fun to see and it's a joy to get new releases that are obvious stand-ins for some very iconic movies. 

No Man's Sky

It's hard to earn back the trust of your customer base, but the game devs for this title battened down and did just that over years of development after its official release. The space exploration is relaxing and you can pump up the difficulty by fighting space pirates and drones. This is not a free pass to screw up your launch and patch it after the fact, but if you're going to do it, earn your communities respect by patching it for free and listening to what they're saying. Now, you can explore new galaxies and planets, naming them and building your own base on their surface. There's a lot to do and craft throughout the game and you could do worse than giving it a look now that it's fixed.

Helldivers 2

A game that is fun to play and fun to advance. The trolls and the unhelpful players in the game can dampen the experience, as can some of the difficulty of taking on an entire army by yourself. Still, when you get into the groove, you can be killing Terminators and Starship Trooper bugs while finishing your primary missions. Get it done, kill the opposition and extract yourselves back to your own giant ship. Make Democracy proud.

Plants vs Zombies

What started as a simple PC/Mac game ported to every other system and took the tower defense community by storm. While the franchise would kill itself with greedy microtransactions in later sequels, the first game remains a solid experience that you can poor hours into. It's just fun to experiment with plants and powerups to get the most effective build in your rows to take down the zombie opposition. It's fun to see all of the plant options you can build, as well as how they affect the many types of zombies. It's just mindless fun you can play wherever for super cheap. The franchise sadly never reached this level of greatness afterward, but it's still good to have such a great title.

So, yes, I went through just over 160 games I would consider my favorite. Why did I do this? That's a fairly good question. Who really knows? Maybe I'll post another list if there's another 10 or 20 titles that make it to the list some how. Either way, this was just a lot of fun to think about and finish in exactly a year. You'll probably never agree with the rankings and that's fine. These are games I grew up with or just took a shine to as they worked their way into my constant play list. Do yourself a favor and start a tier list, you may be surprised at what you think of. Be true to yourself and don't forget to drink water.

TMNT Cowabunga Collection - Slash'm'ups in a Half-Shell!

 It's so nice when companies get it right. When they seem to wear that mask just right and tell you that they understand, every once in a while it's nice that their lies actually make something valid. Putting together a Konami collection of Ninja Turtle games was a definite step in the right direction. This is right up there with the Capcom fighting collections, you've got yourself a winning bunch. This is an entire generation of childhoods we're talking about. If there's one one thing that can nostalgia punch on the level of Ghostbusters 2009 for PS3, it's TMNT for the arcade, plus Turtles in Time! 

That's right, dear reader, TMNT IV looks pretty damn good, whether it be for SNES or the arcade. We're loving it either way. Just going through these levels and rediscovering the fights against the machines, against Shredder and going across time to different settings fit like an old jacket that I haven't worn in ages. Shredder's Revenge was awesome in its own right, but there's something about playing the originals that get you really engaged. 

It doesn't stop at the awesome classics, though. TMNT III is awesome to revisit from the old childhood, but what about the games that were missed in our childhoods? I know some of you out there have had Turtles 2 for the Gameboy, but wow, this is a different sort of game to its very core. Still, even with the clunky gameplay and the very narrow point of view that you get from the limited scope of the handheld, it's just 90's nostalgia all wrapped in a bow. 

There's no way around it, you need to get good at these games just to get past the third level. It's not impossible but it is a very daunting task when you run out of continues. That's the great thing about all of the arcade ports in this collection. All of them go by a coin system and if you can just push a button to gain more continues, then you can basically beat the game. In the old Gameboy/Nintendo mentality, you have probably 3 continues and then you start at the very beginning of the game. 

Well, now with some current gaming trends of actually having a SAVE FEATURE, you can bypass this little detail. In all 13 titles of the Cowabunga Collection, you are allowed to save whenever you wish. This allows you to refine your gameplay and start to catch onto the controls for each game. While we're not going to go into great detail on every single title, as there are many, we are going to take a look at some noteable Turtles games. Some of them I've either never mentioned on this Planet Virtua or others that I've mentioned many times. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES)

Even as a kid, I really did not like this title. I had already played TMNT II for the NES and the arcade by the time I had gotten to this title and it was obvious why I really did not favor it. The dull side view platformer angle did not work for the turtles at all. You need to get Donny in order to get a good weapon with a long range, and that alone is not really a good selling point. There's a reason I love Mikey and part of it is his unique design and his personality. I also prefer the nunchaku over the bo staff when it comes to beating down some Foots. 

The platforming itself is already boring and tasteless, but then they bring in the mechanic of when you need to go into the overhead view and vehicles can come out of nowhere. All of the sudden, you've lost a life because some jerk on the street decides they want to run you over! We haven't even gotten into the water level with the electric seaweeds! There were just too many variables throughout the game. Not all of it is terrible, but a great deal of it is and those are also the most memorable parts. They're memorable for all of the wrong reasons. 

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (NES) 

There has been some talk around the block about this game being a wholly inferior experience to the TMNT arcade port. Obviously, to some degree, this would be the case, but is it really enough to consider it inferior in every sense? No, really, it's not. When it comes to controls, this port is functionally just as good as the arcade port. The graphics are a downgrade, but still hold up as some of the peak in the NES library. This is also because they added to everything. They even added Tora! Not that he was the most memorable villain in the roster, but still! It's just really cool to see them needing to keep with limitations while also generating a very positive experience with the NES port. So, calling this a wholly inferior experience is very disingenuous and it's important to keep the record straight. Any kid in the 90's was proud to have this added to their collection. 

Fall of the Foot Clan (Gameboy)

This game... is annoying. Let's be real here, they did not put their best foot forward. Ha! Foot!... I'll see myself out... but seriously! They put the camera so close to you that it's very difficult to see what is right in front of you and react accordingly. The controls are very, very stiff and it's hard to keep a good pattern going when you need to deal with the Gameboy's shortcomings. If this weren't bad enough, Splinter keeps coming up to you for bonuses with his "Guess what number I'm thinking of! You have this many chances!" And it feels like a kid going, "Dad! I'm fighting the Foot Clan! Can we do this later, please?!?" 

It's not always rocky sailing, but even when you're getting good with it, this title tends to drag. It does get pretty boring. This is not entirely its fault, as the Gameboy was made back when handheld gaming had ridiculous amounts of limitations and we were lucky to get what we had. Still, now it's just more of a relic with no nostalgic ties and it is a snooze fest. Then it starts to throw so many things at you from both sides and your progress becomes slow as a result. It's not overly difficult but it's also not a very pleasant or fun experience. I clocked out after beating the Shredder fight. The time and effort that took was not worth it.

Radical Rescue and the other Gameboy titles are more or less the same experience as this one. While some of them have a few extra gimmicks like being able to helicopter your weapon or something to that nature, they are still the bland and boring beat'em ups that gameboy had to offer. 

TMNT Tournament Fighters (SNES and Genesis)

Fighting games have been a dubious genre when it comes to our favorite green heroes. These titles were pretty big on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo but they never really caught any traction in the franchise as a whole. Sure, they've had appearances like they did with Injustice: Gods Among Us, but TMNT has never flourished as such. Tournament Fighters is something of an indication as to why. This is not a terrible game by any means, but it's just not an especially good mix. This is strange, though, you would think that with the translation from comic to TV Show to Beat'em up, Fighting games would be a knockout. 

No, honestly, the game is excellent in its own right, even as a fighting game outside of the franchise. The problem was that it just wasn't any sort of standout in the genre against Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. TMNT was seen more as a cartoon and a silly Saturday morning chuck partnered with a bowl of cereal. The fighting games did not offer anything new or innovative, so as good as the controls are and as cool as the game mechanics were, they did not pursue this genre any further. 

Another big problem is that they jammed it full of characters you don't even know. I have no ties to these weird dinosaur-like things, nor do I care about this storyline being jammed between fights. They could have brought in tons of the TMNT rogues gallery but they didn't. Instead of fighting memorable villains like the Bebop or Leatherhead, you're fighting monster things from the Archie comics. It was a decent effort and not a terrible game, but fans didn't latch onto it all that much and it didn't really have an appearance in arcades. Good for a play or two, though.

TMNT Tournament Fighters (NES)

Wait, there was an NES port?!

Whether there be Hyperstone Heist or the Manhattan project, this collection is more than worth it to at least try these games you missed as well as play the incredible games you remember. Turtles in Time still stands as one of the favorites, even when my personal favorite has always been the original TMNT for the arcade. It really doesn't matter which one is your favorite, this collection's got it. Playing the old games and discovering some other, perhaps stranger ones is just all part of a fun package for not a terrible price, even on launch. If you're a turtle head, then give this collection a try and take a bite out of Shredder. 

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!

Batman (NES) - You Are Batman

Batman is a hero that has made his mark on culture in many differnt ways. While everyone will flock to the Arkham series when it comes to gaming, you should also be aware that his title tied to the 1989 Burton film is also a God send of its time. Not only was it an exemplary platformer, it also captured the very essence of Batman himself with only 8-bits to work with. Many will cite this as one of the very few in the category of the unsung heroes of the movie, comic book and video game triumphs. 

The controls are very intuitive and the soundtrack gives off that Danny Elfman feel to bring you a great experience punching out criminals. You get to cycle through many weapons, which you will need, and you will need to get a grip on the grappling techniques. It has a mechanic very similar to Ninja Gaiden where you jump on and from walls in order to progress. It's a tricky control, but with some good muscle memory, it's not extremely hard to get down. 

Atmosphere is something that is very difficult to get down, especially with games limited to the Nintendo Entertainment System. This is the best in terms of Batman games of its time, because some of them lacked the gameplay while hitting the atmosphere, while others just flat out didn't try. Sadly, the Sega Saturn never saw a good Batman game. One thing you can also compare to the Arkham games is that this game is much harder. 

The platforming is just the beginning. Some of the mini-bosses and some of the level designs enhance the difficulty for that wholesome NES difficulty that's all natural and still tastes great. Even if you do conquer the labyrinth that is this game's level design with all of the jumping and wall hopping, actually beating the Joker is a whole other ballgame. Once you get the controls down along with the special weapons, this game is beatable. Be prepared for a lot of game over screens, though. 

It's really a marvel to see just how far back Batman ruled the scene. Superman and Spider-man can't even boast the number of quality games in the caped crusader's library. It could be argued that this game ranks right among them in terms of Batman's chief video game achievements. It's not perfect by any means. The difficulty can get downright tormenting and the limited Continue system should never have been introduced to the console mechanics to begin with. It's not as if we're jamming quarters into our Nintendo systems. It's worth your time to give this one a try. Just remember to take it slow and show them that you are vengeance! Virtua Batarang!

Mega Man 2 - The Legendary Sequel

Capcom has had a very successful run of sequels. Resident Evil 2, Street Fighter 2 (pick whichever you want, they're all good), and everyone should know which Mega Man we're talking about here today. Call this a review of both Mega Man 1 and 2 because the two are commonly compared. Mega Man started strong on the NES, and the level designs and functions were quite unique in the ways of not only level selections, but also differing levels. 

Then there came the mechanic of gaining powers. Not only did Mega Man 2 take up on this, but it also improved upon it. While both games boast very iconic boss battles with their awesome character designs, Mega Man 2 just had more and better variants when it came to their attributes. Different weapons could be used against their opposing Robot Masters. Of all of the Masters you hear of, Metal Man is usually the best of the selection to get first. 

We all love Guts Man, especially his ass, but Mega Man 2 also had Heat Man, Wood Man and Bubble Man! Flash Man's ability could even stop time completely for a short duration. These were all just weapons to make you equipped to take on the bosses, as well as many of their traps and mechanics in their levels. Quick Man has a section in his levels where large blazing bars run across the screen, and while there is a way to dodge them, it is just made so much easier with Flash Man's time stopping ability. Metal Man's ability allowed you to shoot your blades in vertical and even diagonal lines across the screen. His blades were some of the strongest weapons in the game! 

This game is known for its jumping and shooting mechanics, as well as its high flying platforming action. However, what this game is also known for is its soundtrack! There is some of the most amazing music in this game and it is almost worth playing just to listen to these amazing tunes. Wood Man and Flash Man have some of the best music in their backgrounds, but everyone will remember Wily's Stage 1 for the rest of their lives. There is a band called Bit Brigade that plays some of the best rock renditions of these songs. If you have not heard them, I bid you check them out. 

Mega Man 2 can get very frustrating in some areas. Going through some of the later stages can get hard, esepcially when you need to use Crash Man's bombs to get through walls and shoot wall guns. If you have played this game, we all know the pains of speed running that nightmare. However, some of these levels are just worth playing for their simplicity once you have mastered these controls. They have some more annoying points than others, like some of the moving platforms in Air Man's level and the rolling platforms in Metal Man's. However, once you've found your way of dealing with these difficulties, they become an old challenge that you can mentally train yourself to overcome with a smile. 

This is one of the best titles on the Nintendo Entertainment System. This is the greatest game in the Mega Man library. While Mega Man X remains its equal in the X and Mega Man series, that is another review for another time. Mega Man 2 is a great game to start people on with platforming. It teaches rhythm in jumping, dealing with some challenges that may be complicated at first, but are overcome even at very young ages. If you have any of the Mega Man Legends collections, getting the first one is worth it for this game alone, but there are also some greatness in the later games as well. Mega Man 3 is definitely no slouch, but again, that is another glass of water for another time. Drink your Bubble Lead!

Virtua Turkey Cooker 3000!!!

Virtua Thankfulness is upon us! More Virtua Turkeys must be harvested for the Thankfuls! We must take to the Virtua fields and hunt us down Virtua Turkeys and the turkey equivalents. Find your weapon of choice and we must fight them now! Our travels will be vast, through Hyrule, Mars and even South Park! Yes, this is the true journey of gaming in order to feast upon the Virtua flesh of turkey and have left overs for sandwiches. Do not forget Virtua Gravy!

While we eat and watch the Turkey Day Mystery Science Theater 3000, we must plan the next day of feasting in Thankfulness! Our eating will be followed by our long journey, but do not forget to pack the left overs. Let us keep watching our show and prepare to take down evil horrible turkeys!

 Doom 3 Turkey Puncher

Super Turbo Turkey Puncher 3 is only for the most manliest of men who must man Turkeys to death with their fists! Go onto the Mars Station and find this arcade machine! The Virtua Turkeys are not going to punch themselves. Turkeys must be had for Virtua Thankfulness! 

South Park Turkey Shooter

South Park for the N64 requires much discipline in the ways of shooting and harvesting Virtua Turkeys! These are aggressively terrible turkeys, and you must be on top of your game! Gain your guns and fart bombs to take out these horrible specimen of Virtua bird flesh! Fully automatic weapons and winter gear are required to decimate the Virtua Turkey ranks and take down their numbers! The Thankfulness must be had! Virtua Fire!

Duck Hunt Dog Hunter

There is more bird flesh than simple Virtua Turkeys and Virtua Duck may also feast upon in Thankfulness! Fire them down and keep up the firing! Now, once you see the dog, primary target verified! Fire at the dog and don't make it look like he is the reason you are hunting! Do not question this! There will be Virtua birds for the Thankfulness but the dog must go as well! No one needs to know and no one shall question his absence! Go! Onward, to Hyrule!

Link to the Past Chicken Attack

Virtua Chickens are an acceptable bird in order to feast upon! Begin by going to the fields of Hyrule where chickens dwell. Next, begin to attack them with the sword of Thankfulness! This will bring us more chickens in order to feast upon in Thankfulness. Yes, I will be going over here while you do this. There is no questioning this action, keep slicing the chicken! I'll be running away now! Keep attacking chickens and do not worry about them pecking you into oblivion! The Thankfulness is had! Happy Turkey Day!

Life Force (NES) - Flight Through the Universe

 There are games that stay with you forever and Life Force was very well titled. It will stay on Planet Virtua for life. It is also, apparently, also named Salamander. That is not so symbolic a name. It's more just a description of the final boss of the game, I think. Either way, this game is amazing. It was astounding when it was released and it still holds a strong place in gaming history. 

While it is not the first of its kind, it most certainly holds a distinction among them as one of the early greats. The soundtrack is something you could listen to for hours and you'd just better. This game will have you flying through the void of space along with stars, planets and ribcages of galactically large celestial creatures.

This game is also very strange. Much like Contra, it will have you going through some very strange settings while taking down some ridiculously strange creatures. You're in a jet and you pick up a vast array of powerups while shooting anything and everything in your path. That is, unless you have two things grow out into your path and stop you, then you will be destroyed and lose a life, oops! 

Yes, with this being on my Top 10 NES Games, I sang its praise to the top of Olympus, but I may have left out the fact that it is DEVIOUSLY DIFFICULT! You need to be aware of some of the things that are coming earlier than the game makes it comfortable. You need to stay in the front of the screen rather early, or arms of rock with a single weakpoint or mounds of indestructible rock grow out in front of you. Then patterns of small spacecraft, huge hulking creatures and just about anything else imaginable come out of nowhere.

You'll find out very quickly that this is one of the earlier examples of Bullet Hell. This is basically when the game replaces oxygen with BULLETS! You have very small, if ANY avenues to come out of them unscathed when the game decides it's tired of allowing you to breathe. Everything is coming to get you and you'd better be ready to fire those special attacks in a hurry. 

The powerups are basically what is going to save you and you need to keep them. This is very difficult because you lose this special ability once you get hit by an enemy and die. This happens a severely great amount. Did I say great? Yeah, I guess I did.

This game is still beautiful. The ambience of its gameplay and its wonderful soundtrack just scream the best elements of its time. This is a title that needs to be part of your NES collection. If you have a jet, let's see if it can go into the galaxies to fight alien dreadnaughts! Virtua Star Battle!

Super Mario Brothers 3 vs Super Mario World

 Look, we all understand who Mario is and we have some understanding of his games on some level. If you're new to the franchise, you may only know his games on the Switch. Some may only know Odessey or some may even know the Galaxy games. Well, old school gamers know two things when it comes to Mario. One, if you say Mario 2, you're going to hear someone say "It was originally Doki--", yes yes, we get it! And, two, you either like Super Mario 3 better or you like Super Mario World better. 

There are many views on this subject and there are several theories, but in the end, it all comes down to the era and which side you were on in that era. You either were born into a family that currently had a Super Nintendo, or your family could only get a Nintendo, so you were subjected to one or the other as a result. Whatever the case may be, there is so much to love on either game. 

Super Mario World has some graphics that just scream 16-bits! These are those strange graphics where the team was experimenting while also proving their expertise carrying over from the previous game. The haunted houses with the Boos and the Bowser Castles with the Thwamps look very stylish and polished. Then, there's Yoshi. Everyone loves Yoshi. Virtua Venus, my space partner from space loves Super Mario World better because of Yoshi. He was the face of Nintendo for a time and has proven to be quite personable with different colors available on Mario Kart 8. 

Then, there's Super Mario 3, coming in before the game I just talked about, with such a style that has been copied but never duplicated. This game has secrets and flutes in its many great things it contributed to gaming lore. Anything from the giant world to the Tanuki Suit have been referenced in so many other games along with the raccoon tail and the automatic screen side scrolling time limits with limitless pitfalls. There's a lot! Let's go with that. 

When people decide which one is better, a lot of people may realize that these two games are quite similar. While the feather isn't exactly the leaf, there are quite a few familiar levels that show up in both games. Many monsters make new appearances, though one of the developers apparently discovered American Football, because those weird villains charging at you in pads was a little surprising in the first level. 

One cool thing many will observe in Mario 3 is that, from the very beginning, it is a play that Mario is acting in. You see the red curtain at the very beginning and you notice that much of the first few levels are screwed into the back like a stage. You can even go behind the stage if you go on top of one of the white blocks in the first level and press down for a bit. That way you can dodge all of the enemies and just run to the end. All you need to remember is to jump the falls. 

When it comes to difficulty, that's a crossroads that both of these games share as well. You can beat Mario 3 much faster because of the flutes and it is one of the most speedran game along with Doom. Overall, Super Mario World is probably considered the more difficult game but that's really dependant on what's more difficult, the water levels or the moving platform levels with all of the floating spiral platforms? 

One point against Super Mario Brothers 3 was the movie, The Wizard. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a terrible idea and it was a successful campaign overall, as it had been the first time it was ever done. They advertised their third title release at the end of the movie and showed the kids competing to play it. It really was an iconic moment in gaming and one that old school gamers will always remember. The movie itself, however, was absolutely horrible. The acting in it was beyond cringe, but that is very acceptable by many people. So, many will consider this a plus. Super Mario Bros. The Movie, however, that's another article. 

One day, the polls will say Super Mario Brothers 3, the next day, Yoshi's first game will be the victor because everyone loves the dinosaur who spits fireball red shells. It's really a testament to their greatness and a declaration of integrity to have created two knockout titles in such quick succession between two different systems.  Mario has a rich and deep history with gaming in general and there are so many games in the library to cover. He and Sonic's rivalry can never be overstated as one of the biggest in Video Gaming. Planet Virtua celebrates Sonic more but we're of a mind that Mario deserves his kudos. Just wait until we get to the Super Show! Momma Mia!