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Top Twenty!
Man, I feel like Carson Daly, except without the black nail polish or feeling of success. Here's a recap of the previous entries!
Oh, man... Brawl or Melee... Brawl or Melee... I love both of these games, and the large selection of characters and addicting and satisfying gameplay would make all of them fantastic entries to my list, but at the end of the day, I've got to give it to Super Smash Bros. Brawl due to their inclusion of Snake, and the addition of the Final Smash. I'll be honest, however, this list may change in a few months when Super Smash Bros. Ultimate releases...
19. Pokemon Red/Blue - GameBoy
They are all great games, however, the original 150 (151 if you were lucky or a cheater) pokemon still stand out as the most iconic to me, and the original adventure in Pokemon Red/Blue as the best in the series. Instead of regaling you with stories of my Poke-journey, I'll simply leave you with this: Pokemon is essentially an adorable survival horror game. You journey through dungeons with limited resources, sneaking behind enemies that you're not equipped to fight, and praying that you don't get ambushed by a (pocket) monster. MIND BLOWN.
18. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - Multi
I wanna take you for a RIIIDE!!!! Marvel vs. Capcom 2 remains to this day, not only the pinnacle of the series (womp womp MVC Infinite...) but it is also the pinnacle of crossover fighting games! Hell, it MAY even be the pinnacle of fighting games, in GENERAL! A great, colorful cast of characters, each with unique play styles, and a control scheme that has been often imitated, but never duplicated (even by it's own sequels) elevates this game as one of the greatest of all time.
17. Resident Evil 4 - Multi
So, I ALMOST put Resident Evil 5 up here, because the experience I had with the co-op of that game is some of the best I've EVER had with a video game, however, I cannot deny Resident Evil 4. It's typically hailed by many as the pinnacle of the series, and you know what? It is. They introduced the over-shoulder style of gameplay that carried the series through the next 3 entries (with varying success) and they gave us an update on what fan favorite character Leon Kennedy was up to, which was apparently being an emo badass. While this could have EASILY ranked even higher, it's prevented from being a top ten contender due to the STUPID Ashley escort missions. I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT'S DAUGHTER! JUST STAY IN THE DUMPSTER!
16. Shenmue 2 - Dreamcast
If Shenmue has taught me anything, it's that Japan in the 80's was a WEIRD place. Shenmue 2 takes everything that was great about the original and just makes it BIGGER. While the original game focused on a small Japanese city, Ryo Hazuki's quest for revenge takes him to TWO separate and distinct cities in Hong Kong. Adding some of the more memorable characters of the series, such as Ren and Joy, and the game's ending FINALLY has Ryo meet Shenhua, you know, the girl who's on the cover of BOTH GAMES. It's just too bad that we've had to wait almost 20 YEARS for the sequel...
15. Fallout 3 - Multi
Marking the game's jump to a first person perspective, Fallout 3 took the formula made popular by Bethesda's other juggernaut, The Elder Scrolls, and put on the fresh coat of paint with mutants, radiation, and guns! Fallout 3 has more focused gameplay without the minutiae of building settlements weighing it down, like in Fallout 4. While the Capitol Wasteland's aesthetic may not as been as pleasing as the Commonwealth's the story and characters presented there are easily the franchise's most memorable.
14. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Super Nintendo
Oh, what could have been. In the late 90's Nintendo and longtime exclusive developer Squaresoft had a falling out which resulted in the Final Fantasy series becoming a Playstation exclusive for the next several years, but not before they released Super Mario RPG. While taking notes from both Super Mario games and Final Fantasy games, Super Mario RPG seems to strike the perfect balance between both audiences, with it's turn based combat that is enhanced by the dexterity of the player's button inputs, a feature that's become a mainstay of the pseudo-sequels, the Paper Mario series.
13. God of War 3 - PS3
There aren't many games that are as brutal as the God of War series. Sure, the Grand Theft Auto series lets you be as despicable as you want, but the game is rarely BRUTAL. What do I mean by brutal? I mean, RIPPING OFF SOMEONE'S HEAD with your BARE HANDS BRUTAL. God of War does just that, and the original pretty much set the standard for 3D action games. Great, satisfying action gameplay that remained BASICALLY unchanged through the franchise's history, insane boss battles and huge setpieces with graphics finally given the HD treatment it deserves. God of War 3 is the god of this series.
12. Ogre Battle 64 - Nintendo 64
I'm sorry all of you Final Fantasy Tactics fans, but Ogre Battle 64 is superior to your franchise in just about every way. It is the BEST tactical strategy RPG in existence for one simple reason, it actually FEELS like you're commanding an army! You train your forces, give them all their own squads, give them their marching orders, but in battle, it's all up to them and the formations you've given them! You don't directly control their actions, and I love that! Some of you out there may hate this game for the exact same reason, but this is MY LIST, so there.
11. Red Dead Redemption - Multi
I love westerns. Silverado, Young Guns, 3:10 to Yuma, Open Range, Tombstone, Unforgiven... I've seen them and love them all! So when Red Dead Revolver hit the Xbox and PS2, I was ecstatic! It was a great little action game, but it wasn't anything revolutionary. However, Red Dead Redemption was. It took the setting of the original game, and matched it with the gameplay of Rockstar's mega-hit Grand Theft Auto to create a game where it not only felt like you were playing a western, it felt like you were LIVING in a western, but without the cholera and dysentery.
That's it for today! Make sure you check back next week as the end begins, and we finally reach my number 1 video game of all time!
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