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A few years ago, I’ve announced in one of my journal entries that I would make Top Favorite Lists of stuffs I like, such as Top Favorite Movies, Top Favorite Animated Shows, etc. It took me a long time to make any of these lists because, well, it’s hard to decide which ones are your favorites. Even harder is in which orders you want to put them. Of course, there are some that I like more than any others, but it was still a hard thing to do for any list. Nevertheless, I finally managed to finish one of those lists.
In this case, I’m gonna do my Top 30 Favorite Video Games. Playing video games has always been a big part of my life. The problem with such a list is that there are so many games in the entire world and there’s no way someone could be able to play every single great games in the world unless he or she had one of the biggest wallets in the universe. Well, either that or lots of emulators. There are several games I was never able to play in the past but that I was luckily able to play recently because of stuffs like compilations or the Virtual Console on the Wii. Still, there are so many games I’ve never played, even those that are available on the Virtual Console right now. Even though I haven’t played all the great games in the world, I think I’ve played enough video games in my life to make a list. And now, I’m ready to show it to you. One thing I should tell you is that all those games on this list are games I’ve played on Nintendo consoles. Why? Well, I’ve always been a huge Nintendo fan and I’ve never really been that much interested into buying a PlayStation or an Xbox, even though I will admit there are several games on either consoles I definitely wouldn’t mind playing if I got my hands on them.
Anyway, it’s time to start this three-part list. Let’s go for my Top 30 Favorite Video Games!
30. Tetris (NES)
Let’s start with a classic. I know it sounds odd to put such a simple game on the list, but I gotta say, that’s what makes this game fun and why I put it on the list. “Tetris” is one of the simplest games ever. Everyone knows how to play this game. You move around the blocks, you occasionally form lines whenever possible and you hope you won’t get to the top of the area or else you get a game over. It’s so simple that I don’t even know why the heck I even bother telling you this. It’s simple, but it’s also addicting when you want to get the highest score.
There has been a lot of focus these days on casual games; games that can be played by gamers who only play once in a while and thus aren’t experienced gamers. The Wii has a lot of games like that, such as “Wii Sports”. Before any of these casual games of today, there was “Tetris”. I know a lot of people who doesn’t play games that much, but if given a version of “Tetris”, they will have no problem figuring out how to play it.
There have been several versions of this game, the most popular being the original on Game Boy. Personally, I’ve never played it, but I’ve played the NES version and it’s just plain ol’ fun.
29. The Simpsons Game (Wii)
When you think ‘Licensed Game’, you immediately shiver in fear. For many reasons, games based on a license don’t really work. Of course, there have been several exceptions over the years, but you’ll still find licensed games these days where it’s clear the developers didn’t care whether or not the quality was important and were just thinking of making a quick cash-in. This can’t be truer than with games based on “The Simpsons”.
Ever since it was created, “The Simpsons” have been the stars of SO many games. And you know what? The majority of them are terrible messes. But again, there are some exceptions. I haven’t played many Simpsons games, but I’ve played at least a few of them. I’ve played “The Simpsons: Road Rage”. That was fun, even though it was an obvious rip-off of “Crazy Taxi”, to the point Sega even sued the company who made that game. I’ve played “The Simpsons: Hit and Run”. That was a lot of fun, actually. But personally, my favorite has to be “The Simpsons Game”. This was a game released the same year as “The Simpsons Movie”. But instead of basing it on that movie, EA decided to make a completely unrelated game that would poke fun at video games in general. I love the video game satires in this game. The humor in this is as good as the humor in a Simpsons episode. Well, a GOOD Simpsons episode, at least. It’s also fun to see several references to famous episodes in it, like having the first level based on Homer’s dream about the Land of Chocolate for example. Plus, the animation is great. Half the cutscenes in this game are made with the cell-shading graphics from the gameplay, while the other half is animated with traditional animation, making it look like you’re watching footage that could have come from an actual episode. That’s something that wouldn’t have been possible in previous Simpsons games.
One thing I will admit that keeps this game from being perfect is that the controls aren’t as good as they could have been. There are some bugs here and there, plus it can get repetitive. Despite all of that, this is a game that certainly doesn’t belong among the bad Simpsons games. Not a masterpiece, but it’s at least decent enough.
28. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Game Boy Advance)
Most people know that both Mario and Donkey Kong made their first appearance in the same game, which is the classic arcade game simply known as “Donkey Kong”. It got two sequels titled “Donkey Kong Jr.” and “Donkey Kong 3”. After these arcade titles, Mario would go on to become Nintendo’s most popular character after starring in the successful “Super Mario Bros.”, while DK would go on to become the star of the “Donkey Kong Country” series. Both characters have since appeared in several games together, mostly multiplayer spin-off games. They also appeared in a Game Boy remake of the original arcade game in 1994. But then, in the early 2000’s, Nintendo decided to make a modern spiritual successor to the arcade classic with “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”.
When this game was announced, I was quite excited. I mean, a game that’s specifically about Mario fighting Donkey Kong? That’s pretty cool! Mario’s always been fighting Bowser since the past few decades, so it was fun to see him fight his original antagonist. The goal in this game is pretty simple. DK stole several Mini-Mario toys from a factory and Mario has to take those toys back. It’s pretty much a 2D platformer. However, unlike most 2D platformer starring Mario, you have to use your brain to finish the levels. So yeah, it’s pretty much a mix between a platformer and a puzzle game, kinda-sorta. The graphics were pretty darn impressive for a GBA game. They almost look like 3D graphics. The keyword being ‘almost’. The music is also fun and it has great gameplay.
I never played any of the sequels, mainly because I don’t like the fact they changed the gameplay so much. In the first game, you were controlling Mario and traveling around the level on your own. In the sequels, however, you have to guide the Mini-Marios through the levels, sort of like “Lemmings”. I like the fact they brought back Pauline, but frankly, why would Mario send his Mini-Marios to fight Donkey Kong when he could just fight him on his own? I don’t know. Still, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” is a fun game and my favorite GBA game.
27. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
When the Wii was released in 2006, it was a huge success. One of the reasons it was a huge success is because of the one game that was sold with it: “Wii Sports”. It was the perfect game to demonstrate what the Wii was capable of with its controllers. It was a huge hit, but mostly to casual gamers. People who don’t play video games are able to play this game without any trouble. Your grandparents, your parents, your aunts, your uncles, your cousins… Anyone can play this game. It’s one those ideal games to play during a Christmas party.
I love this game as well, with my favorite being the boxing one and the bowling one. But I gotta say I prefer its sequel, “Wii Sports Resort” a little better. The reason is simple: it has more games to offer. It lets you play with half the games from the original, but it also offers many other games to play with. Much like the original, anyone can play those games. And much like the original, it makes you move a lot. I can get pretty exhausted after playing this game for a while. My favorite games are the bicycle one and the sword one as they are the ones I have the most fun playing at. I also like the basketball one. It’s one of my favorite sports in real-life, so I was pleased to see it included in this game.
I also like the one where you can use a plane. I like it because it allows you to have a good look at the island where the game is taking place. And I gotta say, Wuhu Island is a beautiful place. I would love to visit it for real if it was possible. Needless to say, “Wii Sports Resort” is a great game, offering a lot more than its predecessor.
26. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U)
Back in 2004, Sega made a game called “Sega Superstars”. It was basically a mini-game collection starring their various franchises. However, the game was exclusive to the PlayStation 2’s Eye Toy, so I never managed to play it due to a lack of PS2. Later, it got a sequel, this time for all platforms, called “Sega Superstars Tennis”. It looked like a decent game, though honestly, it didn’t seem to offer much when compared to the “Mario Tennis” games. Although, I can see why long-time Sega fans enjoyed it, which was most likely to see their favorite characters in a brand new game. Then, they made another game, called “Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing”. I will admit it seemed more fun than the tennis one, but again, it didn’t seem to offer much compared to the “Mario Kart” games. Still, Sega fans loved it and it was a hit. And then, they made another game, called “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed”.
This one managed to get my interest from the very first trailer. In this game, you can either race on land, on water or in the air. It feels like a modern “Diddy Kong Racing”. I like the fact your vehicle transforms to fit whenever you go from the land to the water or to the air. I also like the roster of characters they got for this game. For the Sonic characters, they got Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, Shadow, and Metal Sonic, all popular to the fans. As for the rest of the characters, I’ll be honest; I never played any other Sega games aside from those from the Sonic series. However, that didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the Sega characters. Characters such as BD Joe, Vyse, Ulala, and Alex Kidd are pretty much fun to play as. The character roster also includes a few guest stars. One is the Mii (exclusive to the Nintendo versions, no real surprise there). Another is Wreck-It Ralph. It’s pretty obvious that Ralph was included in the game as a way for Disney to thank Sega for letting them use their characters. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but even I have to admit it was a fitting choice. And then there’s Danica Patrick. She’s a famous real-life Nascar driver who was included as part of a deal between Sega and Nascar. Many Sega fans didn’t like this idea and would have preferred another Sega character to be included. To be honest, though, the idea that Danica Patrick is in this game actually made me even more interested into playing this game. I dunno, I just thought it was cool to have a real-life driver appearing in a game starring Sega characters. I can understand why Sega fans wouldn’t want her in the game and would have preferred another Sega character to take her spot, but honestly, I don’t mind it at all as I always have fun racing as her.
Also, the racetracks they got are all great. Again, I’m only familiar with the Sonic series, so the Sonic-related tracks were the only ones I’m familiar with. But again, I had a lot of fun with the other tracks as well. Carrier Zone, Rogues’ Landing, Dream Valley, Burning Depths, etc. They’re all great. Playing as all of these characters and racing through the various racetracks actually made me want to play the games those characters and racetracks all come from. This is like whenever I would play the latest “Super Smash Bros.” game and it would make me want to play the various Nintendo games outside of those I already played because of the various characters and stages. The game has a mode called “World Tour”. In this mode, you have to succeed at several missions set in the various racetracks. The more difficult the mission is, the more stars you get, the more characters you can unlock. It’s pretty fun, though it can be very difficult after a while. There are still several characters I haven’t unlocked because of how difficult some of those missions can be on higher difficulty. Still, it’s a fun game. If you want a good “Mario Kart”-inspired racing game, this game is a good example of that. From the point of view of someone who’s barely familiar with Sega games other than the Sonic ones, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this game. If they ever make another Sega crossover like this one, I’m looking forward to it.
25. Wario Land 3 (Game Boy Color)
With a few exceptions, Wario’s platforming adventures have been released mostly on handheld consoles. I haven’t played any of the “Wario Land” games, with the exception of “Wario Land 3”. When I played it for the first time, I was only familiar with Wario through the various multiplayer spin-off games starring Mario, such as “Mario Kart 64” or the “Mario Party” series. I was quite curious to see how Mario’s rival would be able to make his own game work. I played WL3 and I gotta say I enjoyed it very much.
In this game, Wario is stuck in some world inside some music box and must save that world. If Mario, Link, Sonic, etc. was the one rescuing that world, that would be pretty much it. But with Wario, though, while he agrees to go on this adventure, he doesn’t care much about that world. What matter the most to him are the various treasures he can find. Honestly, it’s pretty refreshing to play a video game where the main character is full of greed instead of being a typical hero. The more treasures you get, the better the reward will be at the end. One other difference between Wario and Mario is the fact that whenever the former would get hit, he doesn’t lose health. Rather, whatever hits him gives him some ability that’s temporary. For example, if he touches fire, Wario runs around in fire but he’s also able to light a torch or a candle, which can then open a door or something like that. If he gets hit by a zombie, he becomes a zombie himself. This then allows him to go through some floor, unless he appears under some light. As such, Wario never dies in this game. However, this allows for some creative ways of progressing through the levels. Stuck in one place? Get hit by something and see if it allows you to progress. The various levels are well-designed, though I will admit some parts can be difficult. I also love the golf-based mini-game, where Wario simply kicks some small creature instead of using a golf club on a golf ball. It almost feels like a parody of “Mario Golf”.
Aside from WL3, the only other Wario platforming game I’ve played is “Wario World”. That game was actually pretty fun. However, the main problem I had with it is the fact it’s too short. Seriously, it took me less than two days just to finish it. I’ve heard “Wario Land: Shake It!” also suffered from being too short despite having good gameplay. Why can’t Nintendo make a Wario game that’s just as long as a Mario game? I’d like to see that. Anyway, I haven’t played any other “Wario Land” game, but I will certainly buy them on the Virtual Console once I get the 3DS. If they’re as fun as “Wario Land 3”, then I have the feeling I’ll enjoy them very much as well.
24. Starfox Adventures (Gamecube)
It seems like every video game series has at least one game that will make fans divided. By that, I mean a game a lot of fans will say they don’t like it because it’s not as good as the other installments, but you’ll find plenty of other fans liking it too. Mario has “Super Mario Bros. 2”, Zelda has “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link”, etc. In the case of Star Fox, well, there’s “Starfox Adventures”. The main reason several fans don’t like this game is pretty much for the same reason some Mario fans and some Zelda fans didn’t like the aforementioned games: the gameplay is too different from the other installments. Just to give you an idea if you’ve never played any other Star Fox games, it’s quite simple. The Star Fox games are space shooters. You’re in a flying vehicle known as an Arwing and you shoot at stuff around you while travelling in the universe. In “Starfox Adventures”, though, this style of gameplay only happens a few times. In fact, the main gameplay makes it more like a Zelda game than a Star Fox game. There’s a reason why. The game was made by Rareware and had nothing to do with Star Fox at first. However, Nintendo pretty much ordered them to put Fox McCloud in it and that’s how we got this game.
However, I’ll admit I’m among the fans who actually enjoyed this game. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be talking about this game on this list. So, what do I like about this game? Well, for starters, even though it doesn’t feel like a Star Fox game with its different gameplay, it’s still a very fun gameplay. All the stuffs you can do with that staff and with the help of Tricky the dinosaur are fun to do. I will admit the way you fight the enemies can get repetitive at times, but on the other hand the boss fights are well-done. I will also admit it was nice to see Fox McCloud do stuff outside the Arwing and fighting enemies on his own. Although it would have been nice if they included his fighting moves from the SSB series, but whatever. It was also a good way of expanding the Star Fox universe. Many of the new characters who were introduced in this game, such as Krystal, were quite memorable to me. Another good thing to me is the fact that, for once, you don’t have to save Slippy all the time like in “Star Fox 64”. The graphics were also impressive. There’s one thing I hate though. There’s one part of the game where you have to push against something to make your opponent fall in some hole, but you have to push on the button so many times that it’s nearly impossible to do. I think my thumb went into a coma that day.
Despite that, I like this game. It may not be perfect, but I like it enough. I do find it ironic that the last major game Rareware did for Nintendo before going to Microsoft was a Star Fox game that wasn’t even meant to be a Star Fox game in the first place. It also ended up being the only Rareware game to be released on the Gamecube. Anyway, “Starfox Adventures” may not be the best Star Fox game, but it’s a good game to me.
23. Sonic Colors (Wii)
In recent years, the blue hedgehog has been through lots of bad stuffs. By that, I mean his games haven’t been well received. When did this happen? Well, the “Sonic Adventure” games were well received. “Sonic Heroes” got mixed reviews, but was generally well-received. Then, “Shadow the Hedgehog” was released and received lots of negative reviews, criticized for several things, including the inclusion of guns. It didn’t stop the game from being a success, though. But then, Sonic got worse with “Sonic the Hedgehog 2006”. This game is considered by the majority of fans and critics, if not the ENTIRETY, to be the worst Sonic game ever. This game was the moment where the series pretty much ‘jumped the shark’. It is to the Sonic series what “Hotel Mario” is to the Mario series, what “One More Day” is to the Spider-Man comics, etc. Yeah, THAT bad of a reception. A few years later, though, Sega made “Sonic Unleashed”. Many people didn’t like the Werehog stages, but everyone seemed to enjoy the daytime stages. So, Sega pretty much decided to listen to all the fans’ complaints and made a game that would appeal to everyone. And thus, we got “Sonic Colors”.
This game came back to what made Sonic so great to begin with. No other different gameplay, just Sonic running fast from Point A to Point B. Much like in “Sonic Unleashed”, the levels switch between 2D and 3D. I did found awkward the switch between 2D and 3D in both “Sonic Unleashed” and this game, to the point I wished the developers would just stick to one dimension or the other. But after a while of playing this game, I’ve gotten used to it. The level design is also creative. It is fun to see Sonic running through a place filled with giant hamburgers, or going on a planet where lots of roller coasters are around asteroids, among other things. Plus, using the different Wisps to go through the levels is an enjoyable experience every time you do that. Also, much like in “Sonic Unleashed” as well, the cast of characters has been reduced. Many people have been complaining about Sonic having way too many supporting characters. While I do like most of the Sonic characters, I have to admit it was great to see a game that focus more on the hedgehog himself.
On top of that, the story is great. It stops being too dark like the previous Sonic games did and instead goes back to an atmosphere more lighthearted. In particular, it’s filled with lots of jokes from Sonic, Tails, Eggman and/or the robots. It’s also notable for being the first major Sonic game to feature the current voice actors. Roger Craig Smith is simply great as Sonic. Kate Higgins is wonderful at voicing Tails. The only one who wasn’t replaced from the previous cast members is Mike Pollock as Eggman. As always, his performance as the mad scientist is a lot of fun. The game is also long enough. Not only do you have to go through all the levels, but you can also collect red rings, which allow you to unlock additional levels. That’s a great way to make you spend your time playing. With all those qualities, “Sonic Colors” is a great way for Sonic to go back to his former glory and the one the franchise needed. Considering the success it got, I say mission accomplished.
22. WarioWare: Touched! (Nintendo DS)
Back in 2003, there was a little game that came out of nowhere on the Game Boy Advance called “WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgames!” This was an unusual title. I mean, this is a game where Wario is basically hosting a series of random mini-games that you have to do in only a few seconds, and you have all these strange characters living in the same city as Wario. This includes a pair of ninja twins, a disco guy, a mad scientist, and a guy who keeps playing old-school Nintendo games. And then you take a look at what the mini-games are and you suddenly wonder what kind of drugs the developers of this game took when they worked on it.
With all this randomness, this game was a hit. It did well with critics and sold lots of copies. So much so, it is now guaranteed that you can expect a new WarioWare game on any upcoming Nintendo console. This game brought a new career to Wario. As if like being Mario’s rival and the star of the Wario Land games weren’t enough, he was now the main character of this collection of random mini-games and I gotta say, it surprisingly fits the character very well. Although, I have to admit I never played this GBA game. As such, the first WarioWare game I’ve played was “WarioWare: Touched!” on the Nintendo DS. This installment pretty much convinced me to become a fan of the series. The mini-games are all randomly funny, the characters hosting the mini-games are colorful and it does a great job showing the capabilities of what the Nintendo DS was capable of.
Later on, I played “WarioWare: Smooth Moves” on the Wii. This game is also a lot of fun, though I decided to put “WarioWare: Touched!” on this list instead because it was my first experience with the series and I prefer the mini-games in this game a little bit more. It is one experience I simply will never forget.
21. Nintendo Land (Wii U)
Admittedly, when this game was announced, I was kinda sceptical about it. I mean, I didn’t have anything against it. But at the same time, I was wondering how fun this game would be. Well, I’ve played it when I got the Wii U and, much to my surprise, I was having a lot of fun playing it. A whole lot of fun, in fact. Basically, this game is pretty much to the Wii U what “Wii Sports” was to the Wii: a game made to show off the possibilities the latest Nintendo console can do. But instead of having Miis playing sports, it has Miis visiting a theme park based on various Nintendo games. Nintendo managed to take the idea of a virtual theme park based on its various franchises and made it work. It’s pretty much the best way to show off the Wii U’s functionalities, which is mostly with the GamePad. Each mini-game also managed to recreate elements from the various video games they’re based on. The music, the character design, the sounds and such were well-chosen when they made each mini-game.
Okay, time to describe each game. The first one I tried is the Zelda one. I always have a blast playing this one. You can use either a sword or a bow and arrows. Both are fine, though I prefer the sword. The Yoshi one is quite fun. In this one, you’re driving some robot-Yoshi and eat all the foods in a certain order while avoiding obstacles in order to go to the next level. It’s fun as it gets more complicated when you progress. There’s also the Donkey Kong one, based on the arcade game. It’s really fun, although it’s also very difficult. It took me SO many tries just to finish the first level. And now I’m stuck at the second level. Still really fun nonetheless. The Metroid one is also pretty fun. There, you can use either a vessel or go on foot and blast your enemies. It feels very much like a 3D Metroid game. I also like the F-Zero one. Again, it can be pretty difficult too. The Pikmin one is really fun as well. From the point of view of someone who has never played any of the Pikmin games, I gotta say I enjoyed this one a lot. The mini-game with the Octopus from the Game and Watch games… it’s actually my least favorite. I don’t hate it, but at the same time, I haven’t played it as much as the other mini-games.
There’s one based on some Japanese game released on the NES who had never been released in America. “Takamaru’s Ninja Castle” is actually a lot of fun. I felt like being a ninja while playing this mini-game. The Balloon Fight one is also fun. Again, I never played “Balloon Fight”, and yet I enjoyed it very much. There’s also a Mario one, an Animal Crossing one, and a Luigi’s Mansion one. They’re all fun. Although the main problem I have with those three games is the fact you can’t play them alone. You need to be at least two players at once to play those games. I’ve got nothing against that as I like playing with friends. But honestly, there are times where I like playing alone and I don’t see how they couldn’t have made them single-player as well. Anyway, another thing I like about this game is the fact you can collect several items and music from all those games. You need to play those games, win enough coins, and then you can use those coins to play a mini-game set in at the center of the theme park to win those items and music. I like being able to collect those things. The only thing that would make this game even better is if they made a few attractions based on other Nintendo franchises, such as Star Fox, Pokémon, or Kirby. That would have been great. Overall, “Nintendo Land” is a great way to introduce someone to the Wii U. It’s also a great way for Nintendo to make another crossover with its franchises, just like with the “Super Smash Brothers” series.
To Be Continued…
In this case, I’m gonna do my Top 30 Favorite Video Games. Playing video games has always been a big part of my life. The problem with such a list is that there are so many games in the entire world and there’s no way someone could be able to play every single great games in the world unless he or she had one of the biggest wallets in the universe. Well, either that or lots of emulators. There are several games I was never able to play in the past but that I was luckily able to play recently because of stuffs like compilations or the Virtual Console on the Wii. Still, there are so many games I’ve never played, even those that are available on the Virtual Console right now. Even though I haven’t played all the great games in the world, I think I’ve played enough video games in my life to make a list. And now, I’m ready to show it to you. One thing I should tell you is that all those games on this list are games I’ve played on Nintendo consoles. Why? Well, I’ve always been a huge Nintendo fan and I’ve never really been that much interested into buying a PlayStation or an Xbox, even though I will admit there are several games on either consoles I definitely wouldn’t mind playing if I got my hands on them.
Anyway, it’s time to start this three-part list. Let’s go for my Top 30 Favorite Video Games!
30. Tetris (NES)
Let’s start with a classic. I know it sounds odd to put such a simple game on the list, but I gotta say, that’s what makes this game fun and why I put it on the list. “Tetris” is one of the simplest games ever. Everyone knows how to play this game. You move around the blocks, you occasionally form lines whenever possible and you hope you won’t get to the top of the area or else you get a game over. It’s so simple that I don’t even know why the heck I even bother telling you this. It’s simple, but it’s also addicting when you want to get the highest score.
There has been a lot of focus these days on casual games; games that can be played by gamers who only play once in a while and thus aren’t experienced gamers. The Wii has a lot of games like that, such as “Wii Sports”. Before any of these casual games of today, there was “Tetris”. I know a lot of people who doesn’t play games that much, but if given a version of “Tetris”, they will have no problem figuring out how to play it.
There have been several versions of this game, the most popular being the original on Game Boy. Personally, I’ve never played it, but I’ve played the NES version and it’s just plain ol’ fun.
29. The Simpsons Game (Wii)
When you think ‘Licensed Game’, you immediately shiver in fear. For many reasons, games based on a license don’t really work. Of course, there have been several exceptions over the years, but you’ll still find licensed games these days where it’s clear the developers didn’t care whether or not the quality was important and were just thinking of making a quick cash-in. This can’t be truer than with games based on “The Simpsons”.
Ever since it was created, “The Simpsons” have been the stars of SO many games. And you know what? The majority of them are terrible messes. But again, there are some exceptions. I haven’t played many Simpsons games, but I’ve played at least a few of them. I’ve played “The Simpsons: Road Rage”. That was fun, even though it was an obvious rip-off of “Crazy Taxi”, to the point Sega even sued the company who made that game. I’ve played “The Simpsons: Hit and Run”. That was a lot of fun, actually. But personally, my favorite has to be “The Simpsons Game”. This was a game released the same year as “The Simpsons Movie”. But instead of basing it on that movie, EA decided to make a completely unrelated game that would poke fun at video games in general. I love the video game satires in this game. The humor in this is as good as the humor in a Simpsons episode. Well, a GOOD Simpsons episode, at least. It’s also fun to see several references to famous episodes in it, like having the first level based on Homer’s dream about the Land of Chocolate for example. Plus, the animation is great. Half the cutscenes in this game are made with the cell-shading graphics from the gameplay, while the other half is animated with traditional animation, making it look like you’re watching footage that could have come from an actual episode. That’s something that wouldn’t have been possible in previous Simpsons games.
One thing I will admit that keeps this game from being perfect is that the controls aren’t as good as they could have been. There are some bugs here and there, plus it can get repetitive. Despite all of that, this is a game that certainly doesn’t belong among the bad Simpsons games. Not a masterpiece, but it’s at least decent enough.
28. Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Game Boy Advance)
Most people know that both Mario and Donkey Kong made their first appearance in the same game, which is the classic arcade game simply known as “Donkey Kong”. It got two sequels titled “Donkey Kong Jr.” and “Donkey Kong 3”. After these arcade titles, Mario would go on to become Nintendo’s most popular character after starring in the successful “Super Mario Bros.”, while DK would go on to become the star of the “Donkey Kong Country” series. Both characters have since appeared in several games together, mostly multiplayer spin-off games. They also appeared in a Game Boy remake of the original arcade game in 1994. But then, in the early 2000’s, Nintendo decided to make a modern spiritual successor to the arcade classic with “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”.
When this game was announced, I was quite excited. I mean, a game that’s specifically about Mario fighting Donkey Kong? That’s pretty cool! Mario’s always been fighting Bowser since the past few decades, so it was fun to see him fight his original antagonist. The goal in this game is pretty simple. DK stole several Mini-Mario toys from a factory and Mario has to take those toys back. It’s pretty much a 2D platformer. However, unlike most 2D platformer starring Mario, you have to use your brain to finish the levels. So yeah, it’s pretty much a mix between a platformer and a puzzle game, kinda-sorta. The graphics were pretty darn impressive for a GBA game. They almost look like 3D graphics. The keyword being ‘almost’. The music is also fun and it has great gameplay.
I never played any of the sequels, mainly because I don’t like the fact they changed the gameplay so much. In the first game, you were controlling Mario and traveling around the level on your own. In the sequels, however, you have to guide the Mini-Marios through the levels, sort of like “Lemmings”. I like the fact they brought back Pauline, but frankly, why would Mario send his Mini-Marios to fight Donkey Kong when he could just fight him on his own? I don’t know. Still, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” is a fun game and my favorite GBA game.
27. Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
When the Wii was released in 2006, it was a huge success. One of the reasons it was a huge success is because of the one game that was sold with it: “Wii Sports”. It was the perfect game to demonstrate what the Wii was capable of with its controllers. It was a huge hit, but mostly to casual gamers. People who don’t play video games are able to play this game without any trouble. Your grandparents, your parents, your aunts, your uncles, your cousins… Anyone can play this game. It’s one those ideal games to play during a Christmas party.
I love this game as well, with my favorite being the boxing one and the bowling one. But I gotta say I prefer its sequel, “Wii Sports Resort” a little better. The reason is simple: it has more games to offer. It lets you play with half the games from the original, but it also offers many other games to play with. Much like the original, anyone can play those games. And much like the original, it makes you move a lot. I can get pretty exhausted after playing this game for a while. My favorite games are the bicycle one and the sword one as they are the ones I have the most fun playing at. I also like the basketball one. It’s one of my favorite sports in real-life, so I was pleased to see it included in this game.
I also like the one where you can use a plane. I like it because it allows you to have a good look at the island where the game is taking place. And I gotta say, Wuhu Island is a beautiful place. I would love to visit it for real if it was possible. Needless to say, “Wii Sports Resort” is a great game, offering a lot more than its predecessor.
26. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U)
Back in 2004, Sega made a game called “Sega Superstars”. It was basically a mini-game collection starring their various franchises. However, the game was exclusive to the PlayStation 2’s Eye Toy, so I never managed to play it due to a lack of PS2. Later, it got a sequel, this time for all platforms, called “Sega Superstars Tennis”. It looked like a decent game, though honestly, it didn’t seem to offer much when compared to the “Mario Tennis” games. Although, I can see why long-time Sega fans enjoyed it, which was most likely to see their favorite characters in a brand new game. Then, they made another game, called “Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing”. I will admit it seemed more fun than the tennis one, but again, it didn’t seem to offer much compared to the “Mario Kart” games. Still, Sega fans loved it and it was a hit. And then, they made another game, called “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed”.
This one managed to get my interest from the very first trailer. In this game, you can either race on land, on water or in the air. It feels like a modern “Diddy Kong Racing”. I like the fact your vehicle transforms to fit whenever you go from the land to the water or to the air. I also like the roster of characters they got for this game. For the Sonic characters, they got Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, Shadow, and Metal Sonic, all popular to the fans. As for the rest of the characters, I’ll be honest; I never played any other Sega games aside from those from the Sonic series. However, that didn’t stop me from enjoying the rest of the Sega characters. Characters such as BD Joe, Vyse, Ulala, and Alex Kidd are pretty much fun to play as. The character roster also includes a few guest stars. One is the Mii (exclusive to the Nintendo versions, no real surprise there). Another is Wreck-It Ralph. It’s pretty obvious that Ralph was included in the game as a way for Disney to thank Sega for letting them use their characters. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but even I have to admit it was a fitting choice. And then there’s Danica Patrick. She’s a famous real-life Nascar driver who was included as part of a deal between Sega and Nascar. Many Sega fans didn’t like this idea and would have preferred another Sega character to be included. To be honest, though, the idea that Danica Patrick is in this game actually made me even more interested into playing this game. I dunno, I just thought it was cool to have a real-life driver appearing in a game starring Sega characters. I can understand why Sega fans wouldn’t want her in the game and would have preferred another Sega character to take her spot, but honestly, I don’t mind it at all as I always have fun racing as her.
Also, the racetracks they got are all great. Again, I’m only familiar with the Sonic series, so the Sonic-related tracks were the only ones I’m familiar with. But again, I had a lot of fun with the other tracks as well. Carrier Zone, Rogues’ Landing, Dream Valley, Burning Depths, etc. They’re all great. Playing as all of these characters and racing through the various racetracks actually made me want to play the games those characters and racetracks all come from. This is like whenever I would play the latest “Super Smash Bros.” game and it would make me want to play the various Nintendo games outside of those I already played because of the various characters and stages. The game has a mode called “World Tour”. In this mode, you have to succeed at several missions set in the various racetracks. The more difficult the mission is, the more stars you get, the more characters you can unlock. It’s pretty fun, though it can be very difficult after a while. There are still several characters I haven’t unlocked because of how difficult some of those missions can be on higher difficulty. Still, it’s a fun game. If you want a good “Mario Kart”-inspired racing game, this game is a good example of that. From the point of view of someone who’s barely familiar with Sega games other than the Sonic ones, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this game. If they ever make another Sega crossover like this one, I’m looking forward to it.
25. Wario Land 3 (Game Boy Color)
With a few exceptions, Wario’s platforming adventures have been released mostly on handheld consoles. I haven’t played any of the “Wario Land” games, with the exception of “Wario Land 3”. When I played it for the first time, I was only familiar with Wario through the various multiplayer spin-off games starring Mario, such as “Mario Kart 64” or the “Mario Party” series. I was quite curious to see how Mario’s rival would be able to make his own game work. I played WL3 and I gotta say I enjoyed it very much.
In this game, Wario is stuck in some world inside some music box and must save that world. If Mario, Link, Sonic, etc. was the one rescuing that world, that would be pretty much it. But with Wario, though, while he agrees to go on this adventure, he doesn’t care much about that world. What matter the most to him are the various treasures he can find. Honestly, it’s pretty refreshing to play a video game where the main character is full of greed instead of being a typical hero. The more treasures you get, the better the reward will be at the end. One other difference between Wario and Mario is the fact that whenever the former would get hit, he doesn’t lose health. Rather, whatever hits him gives him some ability that’s temporary. For example, if he touches fire, Wario runs around in fire but he’s also able to light a torch or a candle, which can then open a door or something like that. If he gets hit by a zombie, he becomes a zombie himself. This then allows him to go through some floor, unless he appears under some light. As such, Wario never dies in this game. However, this allows for some creative ways of progressing through the levels. Stuck in one place? Get hit by something and see if it allows you to progress. The various levels are well-designed, though I will admit some parts can be difficult. I also love the golf-based mini-game, where Wario simply kicks some small creature instead of using a golf club on a golf ball. It almost feels like a parody of “Mario Golf”.
Aside from WL3, the only other Wario platforming game I’ve played is “Wario World”. That game was actually pretty fun. However, the main problem I had with it is the fact it’s too short. Seriously, it took me less than two days just to finish it. I’ve heard “Wario Land: Shake It!” also suffered from being too short despite having good gameplay. Why can’t Nintendo make a Wario game that’s just as long as a Mario game? I’d like to see that. Anyway, I haven’t played any other “Wario Land” game, but I will certainly buy them on the Virtual Console once I get the 3DS. If they’re as fun as “Wario Land 3”, then I have the feeling I’ll enjoy them very much as well.
24. Starfox Adventures (Gamecube)
It seems like every video game series has at least one game that will make fans divided. By that, I mean a game a lot of fans will say they don’t like it because it’s not as good as the other installments, but you’ll find plenty of other fans liking it too. Mario has “Super Mario Bros. 2”, Zelda has “Zelda II: The Adventure of Link”, etc. In the case of Star Fox, well, there’s “Starfox Adventures”. The main reason several fans don’t like this game is pretty much for the same reason some Mario fans and some Zelda fans didn’t like the aforementioned games: the gameplay is too different from the other installments. Just to give you an idea if you’ve never played any other Star Fox games, it’s quite simple. The Star Fox games are space shooters. You’re in a flying vehicle known as an Arwing and you shoot at stuff around you while travelling in the universe. In “Starfox Adventures”, though, this style of gameplay only happens a few times. In fact, the main gameplay makes it more like a Zelda game than a Star Fox game. There’s a reason why. The game was made by Rareware and had nothing to do with Star Fox at first. However, Nintendo pretty much ordered them to put Fox McCloud in it and that’s how we got this game.
However, I’ll admit I’m among the fans who actually enjoyed this game. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be talking about this game on this list. So, what do I like about this game? Well, for starters, even though it doesn’t feel like a Star Fox game with its different gameplay, it’s still a very fun gameplay. All the stuffs you can do with that staff and with the help of Tricky the dinosaur are fun to do. I will admit the way you fight the enemies can get repetitive at times, but on the other hand the boss fights are well-done. I will also admit it was nice to see Fox McCloud do stuff outside the Arwing and fighting enemies on his own. Although it would have been nice if they included his fighting moves from the SSB series, but whatever. It was also a good way of expanding the Star Fox universe. Many of the new characters who were introduced in this game, such as Krystal, were quite memorable to me. Another good thing to me is the fact that, for once, you don’t have to save Slippy all the time like in “Star Fox 64”. The graphics were also impressive. There’s one thing I hate though. There’s one part of the game where you have to push against something to make your opponent fall in some hole, but you have to push on the button so many times that it’s nearly impossible to do. I think my thumb went into a coma that day.
Despite that, I like this game. It may not be perfect, but I like it enough. I do find it ironic that the last major game Rareware did for Nintendo before going to Microsoft was a Star Fox game that wasn’t even meant to be a Star Fox game in the first place. It also ended up being the only Rareware game to be released on the Gamecube. Anyway, “Starfox Adventures” may not be the best Star Fox game, but it’s a good game to me.
23. Sonic Colors (Wii)
In recent years, the blue hedgehog has been through lots of bad stuffs. By that, I mean his games haven’t been well received. When did this happen? Well, the “Sonic Adventure” games were well received. “Sonic Heroes” got mixed reviews, but was generally well-received. Then, “Shadow the Hedgehog” was released and received lots of negative reviews, criticized for several things, including the inclusion of guns. It didn’t stop the game from being a success, though. But then, Sonic got worse with “Sonic the Hedgehog 2006”. This game is considered by the majority of fans and critics, if not the ENTIRETY, to be the worst Sonic game ever. This game was the moment where the series pretty much ‘jumped the shark’. It is to the Sonic series what “Hotel Mario” is to the Mario series, what “One More Day” is to the Spider-Man comics, etc. Yeah, THAT bad of a reception. A few years later, though, Sega made “Sonic Unleashed”. Many people didn’t like the Werehog stages, but everyone seemed to enjoy the daytime stages. So, Sega pretty much decided to listen to all the fans’ complaints and made a game that would appeal to everyone. And thus, we got “Sonic Colors”.
This game came back to what made Sonic so great to begin with. No other different gameplay, just Sonic running fast from Point A to Point B. Much like in “Sonic Unleashed”, the levels switch between 2D and 3D. I did found awkward the switch between 2D and 3D in both “Sonic Unleashed” and this game, to the point I wished the developers would just stick to one dimension or the other. But after a while of playing this game, I’ve gotten used to it. The level design is also creative. It is fun to see Sonic running through a place filled with giant hamburgers, or going on a planet where lots of roller coasters are around asteroids, among other things. Plus, using the different Wisps to go through the levels is an enjoyable experience every time you do that. Also, much like in “Sonic Unleashed” as well, the cast of characters has been reduced. Many people have been complaining about Sonic having way too many supporting characters. While I do like most of the Sonic characters, I have to admit it was great to see a game that focus more on the hedgehog himself.
On top of that, the story is great. It stops being too dark like the previous Sonic games did and instead goes back to an atmosphere more lighthearted. In particular, it’s filled with lots of jokes from Sonic, Tails, Eggman and/or the robots. It’s also notable for being the first major Sonic game to feature the current voice actors. Roger Craig Smith is simply great as Sonic. Kate Higgins is wonderful at voicing Tails. The only one who wasn’t replaced from the previous cast members is Mike Pollock as Eggman. As always, his performance as the mad scientist is a lot of fun. The game is also long enough. Not only do you have to go through all the levels, but you can also collect red rings, which allow you to unlock additional levels. That’s a great way to make you spend your time playing. With all those qualities, “Sonic Colors” is a great way for Sonic to go back to his former glory and the one the franchise needed. Considering the success it got, I say mission accomplished.
22. WarioWare: Touched! (Nintendo DS)
Back in 2003, there was a little game that came out of nowhere on the Game Boy Advance called “WarioWare Inc.: Mega Microgames!” This was an unusual title. I mean, this is a game where Wario is basically hosting a series of random mini-games that you have to do in only a few seconds, and you have all these strange characters living in the same city as Wario. This includes a pair of ninja twins, a disco guy, a mad scientist, and a guy who keeps playing old-school Nintendo games. And then you take a look at what the mini-games are and you suddenly wonder what kind of drugs the developers of this game took when they worked on it.
With all this randomness, this game was a hit. It did well with critics and sold lots of copies. So much so, it is now guaranteed that you can expect a new WarioWare game on any upcoming Nintendo console. This game brought a new career to Wario. As if like being Mario’s rival and the star of the Wario Land games weren’t enough, he was now the main character of this collection of random mini-games and I gotta say, it surprisingly fits the character very well. Although, I have to admit I never played this GBA game. As such, the first WarioWare game I’ve played was “WarioWare: Touched!” on the Nintendo DS. This installment pretty much convinced me to become a fan of the series. The mini-games are all randomly funny, the characters hosting the mini-games are colorful and it does a great job showing the capabilities of what the Nintendo DS was capable of.
Later on, I played “WarioWare: Smooth Moves” on the Wii. This game is also a lot of fun, though I decided to put “WarioWare: Touched!” on this list instead because it was my first experience with the series and I prefer the mini-games in this game a little bit more. It is one experience I simply will never forget.
21. Nintendo Land (Wii U)
Admittedly, when this game was announced, I was kinda sceptical about it. I mean, I didn’t have anything against it. But at the same time, I was wondering how fun this game would be. Well, I’ve played it when I got the Wii U and, much to my surprise, I was having a lot of fun playing it. A whole lot of fun, in fact. Basically, this game is pretty much to the Wii U what “Wii Sports” was to the Wii: a game made to show off the possibilities the latest Nintendo console can do. But instead of having Miis playing sports, it has Miis visiting a theme park based on various Nintendo games. Nintendo managed to take the idea of a virtual theme park based on its various franchises and made it work. It’s pretty much the best way to show off the Wii U’s functionalities, which is mostly with the GamePad. Each mini-game also managed to recreate elements from the various video games they’re based on. The music, the character design, the sounds and such were well-chosen when they made each mini-game.
Okay, time to describe each game. The first one I tried is the Zelda one. I always have a blast playing this one. You can use either a sword or a bow and arrows. Both are fine, though I prefer the sword. The Yoshi one is quite fun. In this one, you’re driving some robot-Yoshi and eat all the foods in a certain order while avoiding obstacles in order to go to the next level. It’s fun as it gets more complicated when you progress. There’s also the Donkey Kong one, based on the arcade game. It’s really fun, although it’s also very difficult. It took me SO many tries just to finish the first level. And now I’m stuck at the second level. Still really fun nonetheless. The Metroid one is also pretty fun. There, you can use either a vessel or go on foot and blast your enemies. It feels very much like a 3D Metroid game. I also like the F-Zero one. Again, it can be pretty difficult too. The Pikmin one is really fun as well. From the point of view of someone who has never played any of the Pikmin games, I gotta say I enjoyed this one a lot. The mini-game with the Octopus from the Game and Watch games… it’s actually my least favorite. I don’t hate it, but at the same time, I haven’t played it as much as the other mini-games.
There’s one based on some Japanese game released on the NES who had never been released in America. “Takamaru’s Ninja Castle” is actually a lot of fun. I felt like being a ninja while playing this mini-game. The Balloon Fight one is also fun. Again, I never played “Balloon Fight”, and yet I enjoyed it very much. There’s also a Mario one, an Animal Crossing one, and a Luigi’s Mansion one. They’re all fun. Although the main problem I have with those three games is the fact you can’t play them alone. You need to be at least two players at once to play those games. I’ve got nothing against that as I like playing with friends. But honestly, there are times where I like playing alone and I don’t see how they couldn’t have made them single-player as well. Anyway, another thing I like about this game is the fact you can collect several items and music from all those games. You need to play those games, win enough coins, and then you can use those coins to play a mini-game set in at the center of the theme park to win those items and music. I like being able to collect those things. The only thing that would make this game even better is if they made a few attractions based on other Nintendo franchises, such as Star Fox, Pokémon, or Kirby. That would have been great. Overall, “Nintendo Land” is a great way to introduce someone to the Wii U. It’s also a great way for Nintendo to make another crossover with its franchises, just like with the “Super Smash Brothers” series.
To Be Continued…
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