BluePai's Gaming Musings

#49: Monster Rancher

2011-03-22T18:00:00.003-05:00

Tecmo's Monster Rancher won't get talked about much in RPG circles. However, its mechanics were strong and it could become an addictive force... especially if you were in my house during the late-90's. Your "monster" could be generated from any CD. Surprisingly, this gimmick wasn't used with any other mainstream games. When you received your monster, you could train, battle, and explore with it.

The heart-breaking nature of this game happened when your monsters would eventually die. This wasn't Pokemon. After a few in-game years, your monster would die and there was little you could do to stop it. It made the breeding step that the game encouraged all the more important. Sure, your Suezo might die soon. But if you breed it with another monster, part of your original monster could live on.

If you ignore the peculiar cross-species breeding, Monster Rancher was an endearing classic.

#50: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

2011-03-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

After a few very difficult TMNT games, we were given this gift. Turtles in Time was a quick, solid brawler. Its 4-player coop was one of many reasons to own a Multitap for your Super Nintendo. The time warp gameplay made sure that you never got stuck on a level design for too long. The other perk was the length of the game. It could be crushed in under half an hour. So, you could pop in a quick game while waiting for a meal, before bedtime, or when you're just plain bored.

This game cast aside any attempts at an epic game and focused on making a brawler with perfect controls. Congrats, Konami. You succeeded and many gamers remember the joy of 4-player coop because of you.

Runners Up to the Top 50

2011-03-22T14:31:00.000-05:00

After I had made the list of my favorite games, I had to trim it to 50. Here's the list of those that didn't make the cut. If you want justification as to why these didn't make it, please ask.

NES

Final Fantasy
Legend of Zelda
Zelda II: Adventure of Link
Faxanadu
Blaster Master
Super Mario Bros 2
Ducktales

Gameboy

Zelda: Link's Awakening
Pokemon Trading Card Game

Sega

Sonic the Hegdehog 2
Sonic Spinball

SNES

Kirby's Dream Course
Kirby Super Star
Secret of Evermore
Mortal Kombat 2
Stunt Race FX
Super Punch Out

N64

Zelda: Majora's Mask
Mario Tennis

Playstation

Final Fantasy VII
Legend of Legaia
Legend of Mana
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2
Brave Fencer Musashi
Bushido Blade

Gamecube

Super Smash Brothers Melee
Viewtiful Joe

Xbox

Guitar Hero 2
Conker: Live and Reloaded

Playstation 2

Okami
Dynasty Tactics
Shadow of the Colossus

Xbox 360

Shadow Complex
Dead or Alive 4
Limbo
Halo Wars
Portal
Dragon Age
FIFA 11

Starcraft
Civilization IV

My 50 Favorite Video Games

2011-03-22T01:27:00.004-05:00

This whole blog is starting because of a recommendation from a fellow gamer that my top 50 games list belongs not only on Facebook, but also on the web.

So first off, thank you AB.

I was sitting during a 5 hour session of guard duty at work, yesterday. It was miserable. I was painfully bored. After throwing a pen off of a door and catching it 100 times, I decided that I should finally figure out what my favorite games are.

To compile this list, I went through a complete games list of every system I've ever played writing down my "favorites". I then had a list of around 90 games. I then very scientifically started rating them above or below each other. Ok, fine. There was no science. This was looking at two games and then pondering "which one is more innovative, addictive, replayable, memorable, and most importantly, fun?"

In a few years, this list will definitely change. Heck, this list has been tinkered with 3 times since I made it yesterday. But I feel very confident that these games are my favorites and the top 10 are my personal Hall of Fame.

I'm going to reveal a couple games from the list a day. There will definitely be other posts going on as this list unravels, so if my top 50 list is going to bore you, then tomorrow you can check out my impressions on Homefront.

Sit back, enjoy the ride, and please... debate with me on why my picks are right or wrong. It should be a great time.