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Thanks for coming back! I hope you've been enjoying the countdown. Once again, for previous entries you can check here:
And remember, only one game per franchise! Now, let's get on with it!
70. Beyond Oasis - Genesis
If you saw Beyond Oasis and thought it was a poor man's Legend of Zelda, well, you would be kind of correct. It's top down open world adventure gameplay does evoke that feeling, but the theme and summoning mechanics set it apart. In search of, not the tri-force, but various magical beings the player can summon these beings to aid in their battle by targeting various elements of the environment. Target the water? Well, the water being will help you with healing while you fight. Hit some grass? Well, a giant venus fly trap sprouts and tries to Little Shop of Horrors some bad guys. A unique experience, even if the game as a whole might initially feel derivative.
69. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Genesis
Do you know why new video games come out on Tuesday? Because Sonic the friggin' Hedgehog, that's why! When Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out, they released it on Sonic TWOSDAY, and the success of that Tuesday launch date reshaped the video game industry! The game ran faster, levels were more intricate, and most importantly, they added TAILS. The addition of a second player, an unkillable second player I might add, was just great and finally launched Sega to heights of success similar to what Nintendo had been seeing.
68. Streets of Rage 2 - Genesis
Okay, so when the original Streets of Rage came out, it might as well have been called "Final Fight, but Not". The gameplay was fun, but uninspired, and the story and characters were generic. Enter Streets of Rage 2. Man, oh man! This game takes what everyone liked from the original, and expands upon it to create its own unique flavor. Unique fighting styles for each character? Check. MULTIPLE special moves for each character? Check. A storyline that has a real emotional hook (especially if you played the original game)? Check! Add in unique enemies that were more than just street thugs and you have the best beat 'em up on the Genesis.
67. South Park: The Stick of Truth - Multi
There have been a lot of South Park games over the years. Some have been more successful than others, but the game that really made me feel like I was playing an ACTUAL South Park episode, was South Park: The Stick of Truth. From the humor, to the animation style, to the story, this was the penultimate South Park interactive experience. Add in a classic turn based RPG combat system that hearkened back to classic Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, and you had a game that should appeal to fans of the show as well as those who have never watched an episode.
66. Spider-Man 2 - Multi
I don't know what happened to movie tie-in games. They used to be exciting, and now they're just the worst. But before all of that happened, Spider-Man 2 was released! The first open world superhero game, Spider-Man 2 ROUGHLY adapted the storyline of the best of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films into an even better game. With semi-dynamic side quests where you had to decide if it was better worth your time to rescue someone being mugged or deliver a pizza, Spider-Man 2 remains the best game to star our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
65. Tetris - Multi
What do I really need to say about Tetris? This is literally the only game you really needed if you had a Gameboy. Sure, you WANTED games like Castlevania or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but they were never the same. Weird unplayable versions of your favorite games, but Tetris WAS PERFECT. Addicting, quick, simple to play, but hard to master, and who can forget that soundtrack? This is one of the best, and may be THE best, launch title for any system, EVER. The only thing truly sad about Tetris is the fact that its designer has not received and will receive absolutely no money for the puzzling behemoth he unleashed, and that is a damn shame.
64. Mario Party 2 - Nintendo 64
In high school, I had some of the greatest friends I've had in my whole life, but damn it, they were all GIANT BUTTHOLES when we played Mario Party 2. There has been no single experience in my life that has properly duplicated the feel of the late nights spent, playing this with those friends, and then wanting to KILL THEM because they all decided to team up against me. While the first game revolutionized the "Party Board Game" genre, Mario Party 2 raised the stakes with more games, more modes, more unlockables, and no more games where you got blisters from rotating the analog stick.
63. Earthbound - Super Nintendo
The first time I played Earthbound was only about a year ago when I scored an SNES classic, but it almost instantly jumped up my list of best games of all time. The humor, the world building, and strangely insightful social commentary all come together to create this weird, fascinating, but fun experience. The combat system may not be the most unique, but the story, and the adventure that you go on more than makes up for it.
62. Fire Emblem Fates - 3DS
Okay, before we really get into this, I'm just going to say that I have not played ALL of the Fire Emblem games, so keep that in mind, but from the ones I HAVE played, Fates sticks out head and shoulders above the rest. The signature strategy gameplay and weapons wheel are expanded upon with a branching path and multiple endings, which admittedly you have to pay an extra $20 for, but they help tell what I feel was the best story and best experience in the franchise.
61. Rock Band 3 - Multi
In 2005, video games changed for about... seven years. That is when Guitar Hero was released. Three short years later, the perfection that is the original Rock Band premiered. And in 2010, the magnum opus, Rock Band 3 hit the shelves. Rock Band 3 took everything from EVERY OTHER rhythm game before and made it to perfection. More songs, more customization, more modes, more challenges, and they even added a FIFTH CONTROLLER! The keyboard controller only worked with a few of the songs, but you tell me another game for PS3 or Xbox 360 that you could play with 5 people!
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