Favorite Games Ever (Besides Ninja Gaiden, Obviously)

[Avaitor]

wut

[Spark Of Spirit]

The new Nintendo Direct had a lot of announcements. I suggest watching it, because I'm struggling trying to post it all here. 

[Kiddington]

Wow. Wow.

I still have my original cart (and I shall never part with it, no matter the cost), but this is pretty damn cool nonetheless. It's about time they finally started acknowledging this series stateside again.

Can't help but wonder what this'll do for pricing on said original, though; last check on Amazon has single carts still going for about $300 a pop.

[Daxdiv]

EarthBound for the Wii U VC just made my day already and that was on top of all the other goodies in this edition of Nintendo Direct. It was nice for them to show footage of the Miiverse's reaction to wanting EarthBound on the Wii U VC.

[talonmalon333]

It's happened folks.

Earthbound is officially coming to the Virtual Console this year. Iwata just announced it on the Nintendo Direct.

That's nice news. But is there any reason you posted it in this thread?

Awesome!

[Grave]

01. Street Fighter 4/Super/Arcade Edition/2012
02. Marvel vs Capcom 3/Ultimate
03. Devil May Cry 3
04. Mass Effect 2
05. Shenmue
06. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater/Subsistence
07. Okami
08. Halo: Reach
09. Assassin's Creed 2
10. Final Fantasy 8

Honorable mention: Ninja Gaiden 2, God of War 2, Gears of War 2, Goldeneye 007, Perfect Dark (N64)

Trying to find something to replace SSF4 was a lot harder than I thought, and even then I still couldn't find anything, so I'll leave it at top 9 for now. Anyway, as I've stated I'll give the reasons:

01. Metal Gear Solid 3
02. Devil May Cry 3
03. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
04. Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition
05. Shenmue
06. Mass Effect 2
07. Okami
08. Halo: Reach
09. Assassin's Creed 2
10. Final Fantasy 8

Updating this a bit.

01. Metal Gear Solid 3
02. Devil May Cry 3
03. Devil May Cry 4
04. Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edtion
05. Shenmue
06. Mass Effect 2
07. Okami
08. Halo Reach
09. Uncharted 2
10. Final Fantasy 8

Honorable mention: Assassin's Creed 2, Street Fighter x Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 2

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is off my list. Perhaps it's because I'm still a little salty over my last set against my brother-in-law. Also, the game is broken and Capcom's not going to fix it. I have Borderlands 1 & 2 here, but haven't gotten around to them yet. They can make the list probably along with Uncharted 3 (and of course MGS4)

[Foggle]

Yay!

Square Enix unveiled that Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut, previously announced for Wii U, will also arrive on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, and Mac later this year. The Director's Cut includes the Tongs's Rescue mission and the entire Missing Link chapter, along with overhauled boss fights, refined game balance and combat, improved AI, over 8 hours of developer commentary, and visual improvements.

[Grave]

01. Metal Gear Solid 3
02. Devil May Cry 3
03. Devil May Cry 4
04. Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edtion
05. Shenmue
06. Mass Effect 2
07. Okami
08. Halo Reach
09. Uncharted 2
10. Final Fantasy 8

Honorable mention: Assassin's Creed 2, Street Fighter x Tekken, Ninja Gaiden 2

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 is off my list. Perhaps it's because I'm still a little salty over my last set against my brother-in-law. Also, the game is broken and Capcom's not going to fix it. I have Borderlands 1 & 2 here, but haven't gotten around to them yet. They can make the list probably along with Uncharted 3 (and of course MGS4)

01. Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition 2012 - SSF4, AE, 2012, or whatever you want to dub this game as (it'll be dubbed as 2013 soon) is the best fighting game to date, and it only took me so many times to get bodied to realize that. I once stated that me and this game is like being in a relationship and that still holds true. At times I really hate this game due to not being able to put in the time, and because of that I get bodied. And then other times I love the game because I see that I'm learning it and am feeling like I'm rewarded. Now that I'm back on days I should be able to put in at least 2 hours of practice.

02. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

03. Shenmue - My love for martial arts really kicked in here. And the way it's done is great. Yu Suzuki used Virtua Fighter's fighting and turned it into a rpg style brawler or something. I'm a sucker for martial arts and samurai, and the way martial arts is told in Shenmue is pleasing to me. And then there's the serene feel I get from playing the game. No other game outside of Okami really put me at ease when I've had a long stressful day or am pissed. Sure it can get tedious asking where sailors hang out, but I have fun with it.

04. Devil May Cry 3
05. Devil May Cry 4
06. Mass Effect 2
07. Final Fantasy 8
08. Halo Reach
09. Assassin's Creed 2

10. Batman: Arkham City - After all that talk about being disappointed in this game, how the heck did it end up on my top 10? I upped the difficulty. Don't get me wrong I was not upping it for a challenge. I upped it because it was the only way to unlock new game+. Only thing was I got a much more satisfying experience this time around when I completed the game. These custumes don't really mean much to me since it don't change the game play experience in any way. Robin and Nightwing are fun to play as, although I would've liked to have been able to play the story as them as well. Catwoman's playthrough, while annoying for the most part, I still enjoyed it. Is Arkham City overrated? No doubt. Perhaps the most overrated game I've played. It plays everything safe. The free-flow combat is nice, but the actual combat is nothing compared to Devil May Cry 3/4. The stealth mechanic is nice, but it's no Metal Gear. And I don't think it's trying to be either which is kinda why it works. While I don't Arkham City is as good as those titles I will say that AC is probably the most overrated piece of fun I've played in a while. (Thought I would get some satisfaction out of stuff like Infamous or Prototype. I don't even want to play those games)

Honorable mention: Uncharted 2, Okami, Street Fighter 3rd Strike, Street Fighter x Tekken, Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden 2

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I don't know, I've played a good chunk of both Asylum and City on Hard mode, and I guess it still didn't do anything for me. There was more challenge and all, but it just didn't feel that much more interesting to play. I suppose you could say that I am spoiled by the combat in games like DMC, Bayonetta, and Ninja Gaiden, because the combat in the Arkham games just don't do anything for me, which is probably my biggest gripe with them from a game-play standpoint. There was of course the exploration aspect of the game as well, but in that department, I don't think its quite up there with some of the best Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania games.

I think what I'm trying to say is that the Arkham games do a very good job of executing the gameplay styles of other games and mixing them together, but it also doesn't really excel at any of those styles as the games that inspired its gameplay design do.

[talonmalon333]

I don't know, I've played a good chunk of both Asylum and City on Hard mode, and I guess it still didn't do anything for me. There was more challenge and all, but it just didn't feel that much more interesting to play. I suppose you could say that I am spoiled by the combat in games like DMC, Bayonetta, and Ninja Gaiden, because the combat in the Arkham games just don't do anything for me, which is probably my biggest gripe with them from a game-play standpoint. There was of course the exploration aspect of the game as well, but in that department, I don't think its quite up there with some of the best Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania games.

I think what I'm trying to say is that the Arkham games do a very good job of executing the gameplay styles of other games and mixing them together, but it also doesn't really excel at any of those styles as the games that inspired its gameplay design do.

To be fair, I think Zelda is also a very jack of all trades franchise, where it mixes all these different things together rather than focus on one thing (combat, puzzles, exploration, etc.) but isn't exactly the absolute best at any of them.

[Foggle]

To be fair, I think Zelda is also a very jack of all trades franchise, where it mixes all these different things together rather than focus on one thing (combat, puzzles, exploration, etc.) but isn't exactly the absolute best at any of them.

I agree. Zelda still does it a lot better than Batman though, IMO.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

To be fair, I think Zelda is also a very jack of all trades franchise, where it mixes all these different things together rather than focus on one thing (combat, puzzles, exploration, etc.) but isn't exactly the absolute best at any of them.

I agree. Zelda still does it a lot better than Batman though, IMO.

Yeah, pretty much this. As far as exploration goes, the Zelda series isn't necessarily the best out there (though, I would argue that specific games in the series are pretty damn close to it), but it does still excel at that element of gameplay. The combat is nothing special, and even weaker than in the Arkham games, but I think what makes it work is the interesting design of the enemies. The game is made so that you really aren't just using your sword to kill things throughout the entire game, which itself is an incredibly shallow weapon. Its usually made so that you have to creatively use your different arsenal and assortment of items to take down certain enemies in different ways, which I feel is still very simplistic but also keeps the combat feeling fresh on that end, even if it is shallow. In contrast, the Arkham games actually do have a much more nuanced combat system than any Zelda game, but they lack the variety and depth of games like DMC, so its more middle-ground in that department. That itself I don't have too much of a problem with, I should clarify. I think my problem, though, stems more from the enemies in the game. To be blunt, they feel a bit too repetitive and less varied than other action games, IMO.

This also goes for the stealth segments, in which the same tactics pretty much seem to work on any group of enemies throughout the entire game, with just a few exceptions. On this note, even though I'm not a fan of stealth, I have to admit that I have a lot of respect for the MGS games in actually constantly forcing you to switch up tactics with almost each new room, as the enemy AI can differ depending on the enemy type, and various details can either help you get past enemies easier, or just make it easier for you to get spotted. So on that end, the Arkham games are once again well-done, but nowhere near the best in the genre.

I know it sounds like I'm hating on these games, but I really don't. I just feel inclined to point these things out because of how damn perfect everyone else thinks they are. To be fair, maybe they are games that are more than the sum of their parts and I just don't see it that way, so I can certainly accept that. I just feel that other games can do better at the things they focus on than what the Arkham games do.

On the note of Zelda, I wouldn't call it a jack of all trades kind of game, but rather a jack of a few trades, and while it may not be the absolute best at any single one of them, IMO the best Zelda games are still high up there in the various gameplay styles that they tackle, and for that, I find those to be games that are worth more than the sum of their parts.

Another example, of a game that does different styles well is BioShock (I still need to beat Infinite, though). Truth be told, the gameplay by itself is good, but nowhere near as mechanically satisfying as something like F.E.A.R., Halo, or Half-Life 2, IMO. However it also has better atmosphere than any of those games and a rich story behind it, and that in combination with its very light but appreciated elements of an upgrade system and choice make it something that still excels as an overall product, even if other games tackle particular styles that it goes for a bit better.

My basic point is that I think the Arkham games are solid games, and I enjoyed playing them, but I just can't see them as truly great games, myself, because I just don't find that they do any one particular thing good enough for me to find it worth coming back for after a single play-through (though, I did play both Asylum and City twice, anyways).

[Grave]

I think what I'm trying to say is that the Arkham games do a very good job of executing the gameplay styles of other games and mixing them together, but it also doesn't really excel at any of those styles as the games that inspired its gameplay design do.

Yeah, we're basically saying the same thing, only difference me being satisfied and you not. I won't say that I'm easy to please (I'm very picky), but my last playthrough felt very pleasing. But I agree with everything you said about the Arkham games, although if I were to go a step further, I'd probably say if it wasn't for my curiosity I wouldn't have bothered with Arkham City because of the sour taste that Arkham Asylum left. I dare call AA a bad game, but then I'd have to call games worst than that, garbage, so I'll say AA was mediocre at best.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'd honestly say that for me, they were on about the same level of quality. I think I'd give the edge to AA just slightly, only because I kind of liked how it was a more focused game, overall (the side missions in AC didn't do anything for me, as I've already elaborated on). I probably go too hard on these games, because at the end of the day I still did enjoy them on the whole, but I guess on replays they just didn't hold as much relevance for me as they do for most people.

[Foggle]

I'd honestly say that for me, they were on about the same level of quality. I think I'd give the edge to AA just slightly, only because I kind of liked how it was a more focused game, overall (the side missions in AC didn't do anything for me, as I've already elaborated on). I probably go too hard on these games, because at the end of the day I still did enjoy them on the whole, but I guess on replays they just didn't hold as much relevance for me as they do for most people.

Agreed 150%. IMO Arkham City feels more like an expansion pack for Asylum than a true sequel, since it doesn't really do much different or better. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) I just feel it's a bit odd to describe one as bad and another as great, since they are practically indistinguishable from each other outside of one having an open world and side missions.