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GAF Games o' Gen 4 (SNES/Sega Genesis/PC Engine and more) Voting Over

AniHawk

Member
KEY RULE: You MUST put a comment for one of the choices in your ballot, or your ballot will not be counted. Ideally you will put a comment for each game, but it is not necessary. But keep in mind that these are not meant to be list threads, but threads for discussion.

please don't make preliminary lists or reserve spots. i do not have parser and i will not comb this thread a second time for updated posts unless they're pointed out to me.

this is also a companion to the NeoGAF's Soundtracks of the 4th Generation Voting Thread, so be sure to check that out too!

-----------

GAF Games o' Gen 4 (SNES/Sega Genesis/PC Engine and more) Voting Thread


  • List up to 10 games, in order from 1 to 10.
  • Your list must have a minimum of three games to be counted.
  • Add your thoughts! As with timetokill's threads, and the updated GOTY threads, I'll be using these in the awards thread. Plus, it's good reading.
  • At least one of the games in your list must have a comment by you, or your entire ballot will be disqualified.
  • You may list Honorable Mentions. These must be indicated by a “x.” in your ballot. You may have as many of these as you want.
  • Non-numbered lists will assume the top vote is first place, then second, etc.
  • Multiple votes for the same title will disqualify your entire ballot.
  • Each user may only vote once, but you may edit your ballot as often as you like until the deadline. If you do make an edit, please PM me with your original list and your changed one.
  • Games must have been first released in your region in this generation for them to count. You may also include imported titles.
  • Ports, compilations, and remakes of games from previous generations may be included. This comes with the stipulation that ports in particular must have an explanation as to why they made your list beyond being a game you liked in a previous generation.
  • Remakes of games from this generation cannot be the basis for a vote either (so no voting for Final Fantasy Adventure if your only experience with it is Sword of Mana).

Voting Ends July 23, 2016 at 9:00:00 PM, PDT

Sample Ballot
1. Game A ; Your thoughts on Game A.
2. Game B ; Your thoughts on Game B.
3. Game C ; Your thoughts on Game C.
4. Game D ; Your thoughts on Game D.
5. Game E ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Game F ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Game G ; Your thoughts on Game G.
8. Game H ; Your thoughts on Game H.
9. Game I ; Your thoughts on Game I.
10. Game J ; Your thoughts on Game J.
x. Game K ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game K.
x. Game L ; Your thoughts on Honorable Mention Game L.


Game Selection
Avoid ambiguous abbreviations if you want your votes to count.

  • Cool: Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda, Chrono Trigger
  • Not Cool: FF, LoZ, CT


Scoring

1. Game A ; 4 points
2. Game B ; 3 points
3. Game C ; 3 points
4. Game D ; 2 points
5. Game E ; 2 points
6. Game F ; 2 points
7. Game G ; 1 point
8. Game H ; 1 point
9. Game I ; 1 point
10. Game J ; 1 point
x. Game K ; 0 points
x. Game L ; 0 points

Honorable mentions will not receive points, but they will be tracked, assuming you list them appropriately.

What Platforms Count?
PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16
PC Engine 2
PC Engine Duo/TurboDuo/TurboGrafx-CD
Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega CD
Sega 32X
Sega Pico
Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Satellaview
Neo Geo (excluding Neo Geo CD games)
Commodore CDTV
Phillips CD-i
Pioneer LaserActive
Game Boy 1989-1995
Atari Lynx
Game Gear
Turbo Express
Supervision
Gamate
PC 1988-1993
Arcades 1988-1993
Sharp X68000

What Games Count?
  • Voting for imported titles is allowed. If you list an import game, please mention which country you are from. Otherwise I will assume you didn’t read the rules and the vote will not count.
  • If you’re unsure about a game or platform, just ask!
  • Asked about games that are allowed: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Super Mario All-Stars
  • Asked about games that are not allowed:

look here for notable releases from this generation:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_in_video_gaming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_in_video_gaming
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
1. Super Mario World ; It might not be the most challenging game, but in my opinion Super Mario World perfected the plattform-game with some awesome new powerups like the cape and of course Yoshi, and the secret exits which made the series go from an obstacle course to more of an exploration game, and in my opinion. It also had a ridiculous number of great and memorable levels, physics that could let you turn on a dime, the addition of flight, and of course that great tune that slowed up or down depending on the level. All in all, its my favorite game of all time.
CUT9TCE.jpg


2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ; I am actually playing this game right now, and there is just so much good stuff going on here. The music, the duneons, even the story. But best of all is how the double world is implemented with the puzzles and secrets, forcing you to change worlds often and learn the tricks of the map to progress.
tgM9CJE.jpg


3. Monkey Island 2: Lechuck's Revenge ; My favorite point & click of all time. The story and graphics took a turn for the darker with the sequel to the already excellent original Monkey Island, and the scenario this time was also more of the adventuring style with searching for the lost map and all. What makes this game so great though, is how you spend about half of the game (Act 2) travelling between three different islands, letting you start several puzzle chains at a time, and thus giving you the possibility to complete various parts of the game in the order you want. This is a huge advantage in a game of this nature, where frequent frustration is normal. Also, the music by Michael Land is just legendary, and the iMuse-system made it all the greater, and semented the excellent atmosphere going through the locations. Woodtick might actually still be my favorite city in any video game!
tfuSZGJ.png


4. Final Fantasy VI ; The ultimate Final Fantasy-game. While the story was decent enough, what really made it stand out was the strong and tragic characters that played the major roles - and how all of their backstories got fleshed out during the second part of the game by doing various side-quests. Also, the story really took a turn for the memorable when the bad guy actually managed to destroy the world - for then to start again with the desperate situation of Celes on the island, and Cid who seemed to be dying no matter how hard she tried to save him. The moment when she is going to take her life, the absolute low point of the narrative - just for her to regain hope when she finds Locke's bandana is still such a beautiful and great moment. As is the opera scene, the development of Terra, Cyans tragic fate etc. And lets not forget Kefka himself, one of the best villains ever. But the gameplay was also really good, with the development of the active time battle-system, the dungeons that required several parties and thus forced you to level up more than only 4 characters - and of course the highly customizable esper-system. A masterpiece.
RsmKXQ1.jpg


5. Super Metroid ; While the minimalistic story, the great feeling of jumping and shooting, the awesome bosses, the beautiful graphics and the atmospheric music is all top class, the level design really steals the show in Super Metroid with secrets everywhere, shortcuts to find and puzzles to solve. Who can forget blowing up that tank to enter southern Maridia for the first time?
9eyUd4j.jpg


6. Street Fighter 2: The World Warrior ; While Turbo had the improved speed and ability to play as the bosses, Super had 4 new characters (but somewhat broken balance) and Turbo had Akuma, I still have to give this to the original game for basically inventing one of my favorite genres ever. Beating or being beat by a friend in Street Fighter just never gets old.
DCHuHQw.png


7. Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo ; It was a hard fight between this and the equally excellent multidirectional whip-wielding Super Castlevania 4, but in the end I feel the secrets of the girls, the second playable character, the optional levels, the higher difficulty and the actually somewhat interesting narrative pushes this game to the top. The level design in both games are also great, but the lower difficulty of SC4 makes some parts of the levels feel slightly redundant, something you never feel in Chi no Rondo. Also, that cd-music is just on another level.
BnhHtHK.png


8. Contra 3: The Alien Wars ; Back in the 16-bit days, taking something that worked on the Nes, putting on better graphics, bigger bosses and more hectic gameplay and calling it all "Super", was totally ok, and Contra 3 is just that Super Contra (and even named so here in pal-land) with lots of recurring bosses from the first games, but new awesome action-packed levels, and even two innovative top down levels. Level 4 that starts on a motorcycle and ends up jumping from plattform to plattform high up in the air while battling a strange flying mech-thing, has to be one of the best video game levels ever.
NVCH0qx.png


9. Sonic 3 & Knuckles ; A huge game that was actually split in two, now with another character that plays completely different and even have the levels tailor-made for him, just made this third entry in the Sonic-series feel like its absolute pinnacle.
eagNZo8.png


10. Gunstar Heroes ; What a stroke of luck it was for Sega that those former Konami-guys broke off and started producing gem after gem as Treasure for the Mega Drive, with Gunstar Heroes being their absolute masterpiece. Another game that doesnt do that much special, but just does it all really excellent with high speed-gameplay, boss battles around every corner and a great variety in weapons that can be combined into many different ways, including the aiming-redundant homing laser.
y7iQb9o.png


x. Actraiser
x. Axelay
x. Chrono Trigger
x. Contra: Hard Corps
x. Donkey Kong Country 2
x. Day of the Tentacle
x. Dragon Quest V
x. Final Fantasy IV
x. F-Zero
x. Gabriel Knight
x. Mega Man X
x. Musha
x. Phantasy Star IV
x. Pulseman
x. Rocket Knight Adventure
x. Shining Force 2
x. Sonic CD
x. Star Fox
x. Streets of Rage 2
x. Strider
x. Super Castlevania IV
x. Thunder Force IV
x. TMNT: Turtles in Time
 
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ; Perfected the Formula.
2. Chrono Trigger ; To think the most notable JRPG came so early in the genre's life. Noteworthy: The integration of the "Time Travel" concept into the plot, scenarios and gameplay is rarely seen in other titles that took on that theme.
3. Super Metroid ; Perfect 2D game.
4. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars ; Still the most charming entrance in the series.
5. Secret of Mana ; Nice action RPG with 3 player coop play.
6. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island ; Inventive art style and solid mechanics.
7. Super Mario World ; Perfected the 2D platformer, insane polish and attention to detail.
8. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening ; Imagination can overcome Hardware limitations.
9. Axelay ; Classic shutem up with great use of the system capabilities.
10. Super Castlevania IV ; Treasure's most treasured game.
x. Hagane ; Not revolutionary but just a well exectuted action game.
x. Super R Type ; Another solid shooter.

Well one cant post instantly, takes a couple of minutes, i had the first post XD
 

Anth0ny

Member
gotta think about this. have a feeling it's going to be the genesis/snes show, featuring link's awakening and tetris. I don't think Rondo makes my top 10, as great as it is.
 

AniHawk

Member
Please read the rules. Especially the one highlighted in red.

thanks for the support there... really makes it more fun at the end when i can put some quotes in the top 25.

as a heads up for everyone, dark schala will run the soundtracks of gen 4 thread, which should start somewhat soon. it'll run concurrent to this one.

this is also as far back as i'm willing to go for these threads. gen 3 is when i think most of gaf wasn't born or too little to really remember the generation well enough. next up will be generation 7, but given my schedule and the gap between threads, i'd like to hold it in february or march 2017 at the earliest.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Please read the rules. Especially the one highlighted in red.

thanks for the support there... really makes it more fun at the end when i can put some quotes in the top 25.

as a heads up for everyone, dark schala will run the soundtracks of gen 4 thread, which should start somewhat soon. it'll run concurrent to this one.

this is also as far back as i'm willing to go for these threads. gen 3 is when i think most of gaf wasn't born or too little to really remember the generation well enough. next up will be generation 7, but given my schedule and the gap between threads, i'd like to hold it in february or march 2017 at the earliest.

Sorry guys, I didnt realize I was number one. in the goty-threads, i usually just post a preliminary post, and then continue to edit in my choices and explanations. Going to do it quick now since it would be a waste to have an empty first post.
 

AniHawk

Member
Sorry guys, I didnt realize I was number one. in the goty-threads, i usually just post a preliminary post, and then continue to edit in my choices and explanations. Going to do it quick now since it would be a waste to have an empty first post.

i started implementing it because people would reserve posts and then never go back and edit them. i actually do send pms when there are problems with the lists (such as having none), so it makes it a bigger job on my part.

don't feel that you have to rush - i probably won't start tallying until tomorrow anyway. it's just something i want to work out of people's systems for future threads.
 

Ikon

Member
1. Chrono Trigger ; Possibly my GOAT. So much charm, wonderful characters and a great adventure.
2. Super Mario World ; The best 2D platformer ever. Every level is wonderful and different from the previous one. Yoshi.
3. Final Fantasy VI ; Favorite cast in a FF. Love so much about this game: flying an airship and fighting the empire, recruiting a bunch of weirdos and building your favorite party.
4. Secret of Mana ; Amazing RPG and one of my favorite co-op experiences ever.
5. Super Metroid ; It's amazing how similar this game is to regular Metroid while improving upon it in so many ways. It's almost a little strange to call it the best metroidvania, but it is.
6. The Legend of Zelda: a Link to the Past ; Straight up the best Zelda game.
7. Super Mario Kart ; Amazing kart racer and one of the very best of the series. Surprisingly challenging at 150CC.
8. Super Street Fighter II Turbo ; Near perfect in its relative simplicity. My Honda is still ass but I've had fun fighting friends in this for a really long time now.
9. Mega Man X ; Something was lost in the transition to the X series but the first one was great anyway. Fun platforming and the way the stages were interconnected is really cool.
10. Super Bomberman 2 ; The Bomberman formula is timeless and super fun to play with friends. This is the version I spent the most time with so it gets the spot.
 
Awwww shit. It's that time again.

Good thing I've played Earthbound and Super Metroid since the last one. Still more games I need to play in this gen, like an Genesis game, but I think I'll have time to play at least one, but I doubt it'll be fair to judge after one quick play. I'll have to let my people who grew up have playing the Genesis to represent.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
i started implementing it because people would reserve posts and then never go back and edit them. i actually do send pms when there are problems with the lists (such as having none), so it makes it a bigger job on my part.

don't feel that you have to rush - i probably won't start tallying until tomorrow anyway. it's just something i want to work out of people's systems for future threads.

Ok, nice. Very much appreciating your effort in doing this btw!
 

Ikon

Member
Awwww shit. It's that time again.

Good thing I've played Earthbound and Super Metroid since the last one. Still more games I need to play in this gen, like an Genesis game, but I think I'll have time to play at least one, but I doubt it'll be fair to judge after one quick play. I'll have to let my people who grew up have playing the Genesis to represent.
Damn it, this seems like the time for me to actually do this...
 

oSoLucky

Member
1. Final Fantasy VI: To this day, still one of the most memorable casts in gaming. This is one of the first games that I can remember where every character has their own arc. The tone of the game is surprisingly dark, and a lot of heavy subject matter is dealt with, from racism to genocide to suicide. There were 5 or 6 main characters, who are all very charismatic and some great supporting characters as well, and a villain that embodies insanity. My personal favorite game of all time.

2. Super Metroid: The fact that there is a genre christened by this game should speak for itself. I don't think another game in its era nailed atmosphere so perfectly. There are a ton of secrets all over the game, and it blew my mind in comparison to other games coming out at the time.

3. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: 20+ years later, and some people still think it's the best fighting game released.

4. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: You can still see this game's design influence all over the industry today.

5. Secret of Mana

6. Super Mario Kart: Another game that spawned a whole genre. Rainbow Road is one of the most iconic stages in video game history, with some of the most memorable music(check out Smooth McGroove's version).

7. Sonic and Knucles: I was so heavily invested in console wars in the 90s(who wasn't when you were a kid and could only get one), but this series and more specifically, this game brought me to admission that the Genesis had something that the SNES couldn't match. The level variety and music are top notch.

8. Earthworm Jim

9. Tetris: The highest selling game of all time for a reason.

10. Streets of Rage 2

Sadly I didn't get exposed to many Genesis games that I'm sure I would have loved, namely the system's RPGs,until much later.
 

oSoLucky

Member
1. Final Fantasy VI: To this day, still one of the most memorable casts in gaming. This is one of the first games that I can remember where every character has their own arc. The tone of the game is surprisingly dark, and a lot of heavy subject matter is dealt with, from racism to genocide to suicide. There were 5 or 6 main characters, who are all very charismatic and some great supporting characters as well, and a villain that embodies insanity. My personal favorite game of all time.

2. Super Metroid: The fact that there is a genre christened by this game should speak for itself. I don't think another game in its era nailed atmosphere so perfectly. There are a ton of secrets all over the game, and it blew my mind in comparison to other games coming out at the time.

3. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: 20+ years later, and some people still think it's the best fighting game released.

4. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: You can still see this game's design influence all over the industry today.

5. Secret of Mana

6. Super Mario Kart: Another game that spawned a whole genre. Rainbow Road is one of the most iconic stages in video game history, with some of the most memorable music(check out Smooth McGroove's version).

7. Sonic and Knucles: I was so heavily invested in console wars in the 90s(who wasn't when you were a kid and could only get one), but this series and more specifically, this game brought me to admission that the Genesis had something that the SNES couldn't match. The level variety and music are top notch.

8. Super Mario RPG

9. Tetris: The highest selling game of all time for a reason.

10. Streets of Rage 2

X. Earthworm Jim
X. Super Mario World
X. Stunt Race FX
X. Uniracers
X. Donkey Kong Country 2


Making a Top 10 for this gen is basically an impossible task. Goodness. I'm trying to keep my total under 20 and there are at least 20 more top tier games off the top of my head. I actually think the SNES library slightly outclassed the PS2. Sadly I didn't get exposed to many Genesis games that I'm sure I would have loved, namely the system's RPGs,until much later.
 
Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario World
Yoshi's Island
Super Metroid
Final Fantasy IV
Mortal Kombat II
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Kirby Super Star
Donkey Kong Country 2
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
Street Fighter Alpha 2
NBA Jam
Tiny Toons Wacky Sports Challenge
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Soccer Kid (Neo-Geo)
Super Double Dragon
X-Men Arcade
The Simpsons Arcade Game
Cruisin USA
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Super Mario Kart


Not voting, just putting down a list of favorite games I've played so I know what to consider.

Edit: Damn, forgot I played Zombies Ate My Neighbors. I think that was the last SNES game I played. Apparently forgot Super Mario Kart too. Thanks Chewie
 
thanks for the support there... really makes it more fun at the end when i can put some quotes in the top 25.

as a heads up for everyone, dark schala will run the soundtracks of gen 4 thread, which should start somewhat soon. it'll run concurrent to this one.

this is also as far back as i'm willing to go for these threads. gen 3 is when i think most of gaf wasn't born or too little to really remember the generation well enough. next up will be generation 7, but given my schedule and the gap between threads, i'd like to hold it in february or march 2017 at the earliest.

True true; I'm 38 and I'm racking my brain just trying to remember them. Lucky I have so many Genny classics on PC!

Soundtracks should be easier, great tunes never go out of style.
 
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: Still, quite possibly the best Zelda game.
2. Donkey Kong Country
3. Donkey Kong Country 2
4. Super Mario Kart
5. Super Mario World
6. The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse
7. Super Star Wars
8. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
9. Donkey Kong Country 3
10. Sunset Riders

11*: Star Fox
 

qko

Member
1.Super Mario World.

Platforming Perfected. Sonic came out on the Genesis and was leagues above The NES Marios, but this one... God there is nothing like it. The choice of power ups, the World Map, the choice to 100% the game or warp to the end within the first 20ish levels you play. Some of those levels were so large with so much to discover. The game of the generation.

2.Super Metroid.

It's a shame 2d Metroid became a vehicle for storyline which didn't belong in the mystery of the series. This had the right balance of story and some silent bounty hunter adventure. All the Power Ups such as super bombs and the speed boots showed that there was so much more than shooting and rolling into a ball. Memorable bosses and the right level of difficulty.

3. Mega Man X.

Right when the NES series was going stale with the tried and true formula, this gem comes out and becomes an amazing breath of fresh air. Finding powerups mid levels and boss powerups which were fun to use in the 16-bit era. Hard as balls, but never cheap (until you start to fight Sigma).

4. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past.

RPG fans were never the kindest to the Zelda series until this one came out and became way too hard to ignore. The Action/RPG combo which set LoZ apart from other games that wanted to stay too loyal to the turn based RPG style of FF and Ultima. Better NPC's than Zelda II and side quests with a purpose that became a staple in the LoZ series. A great game before Zelda became the puzzle eat it is today.

5. Chrono Trigger.

This is hands down one of the greatest RPGs for a reason. Endearing characters, and heart warming story and a battle system which revolutionized the genre. Solid to this day and the game I introduce to people who say "I hate RPGs".

6. Donkey Kong Country.

Great platformer, want to find "100%" of the game, sure. Then you become good and realize this game was meant for speed runs, once you learn every level like the back of your hand it then became an obsession to shave off every possible second to try and get bragging rights of finishing the game with 101% in under an hour.

7. Bomberman '94.

SNES had a couple of Bombermans, but the TG16 had the best party game available on any console at the time.

8. Sonic the Hedgehog.

In that period between the NES and SNES, Sonic became the reason to buy a Genesis, it was almost as if the wonderful, colorful world of Alex Kidd matured into a 2d platformer on crack. Superb game.

9. International Superstar Soccer Deluxe.

It's important to include a sports game because there were many fun ones in the Gen 4 era, but it was a toss up between this, KenGriffey Winning Run and NBA Jam Tournament Edition. NBA Jam was best played at the arcades, and Ken Griffey Winning Run was fun but kinda the same game after a couple of games. ISSD was leagues above anything EA Sports was doing and is still fun to play today.

10. Mortal Kombat 2.

The pinnacle of fighting games on consoles this Gen in my opinion, looked almost as good as the arcade regardless of system, and even though SSFII was the best Street Fighter on Gen IV consoles. I felt the best experience for Street Fighter was at the arcades, MKIII was better at the arcades, MKII just felt like I had the arcade experience at home, and that felt amazing.

11... Holy Shit I ran out already?!?!

Honorable Mentions:
X.Super Street Fighter 2,
X. Gunstar Heroes
X. NBA Jam TE,
X. Earthbound,
X. Final Fantasy 6,
X.Smash TV,
X. Super Mario Kart,
X. Stunt Race FX,
X. KenGriffey Winning Run,
X. Disney Platformers. pick your poison, Mickey Magical Castle, Aladdin, Lion King, Jungle Book, etc.

Strictly my opinion, if your favorite game is not on this list it's not because I dislike it. Would love to make a top 50 since this is probably my favorite Generation in all of Gaming.

Edit: Shit, just saw OP included list of platforms that qualify and this list is now obsolete. Some game boy and NeoGeo games displace games on this list.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
Ok, I have two questions. First, is Sonic 3 & Knuckles counted as one? Second, are pictures allowed?
 
Does Super Mario All-Stars count or would you rather each of those games be saved for the NES generation?

Putting this list together is hard. A bunch of games I played from this gen I haven't touched since I was little.
 

AniHawk

Member
Ok, I have two questions. First, is Sonic 3 & Knuckles counted as one? Second, are pictures allowed?

they were never released together so that makes it tricky. however, the game does exist with the two components so i don't see any reason why not. i think what i'll do here is just count them as they come in (whether or not it's for sonic & knuckles, sonic 3, or sonic 3 & knuckles), and at the end have them under the sonic 3 & knuckles banner.

and pictures are allowed!

Does Super Mario All-Stars count or would you rather each of those games be saved for the NES generation?

Putting this list together is hard. A bunch of games I played from this gen I haven't touched since I was little.

super mario all-stars counts.

The Sharp X68000 is included, right?

sure.
 

Morfeo

The Chuck Norris of Peace
they were never released together so that makes it tricky. however, the game does exist with the two components so i don't see any reason why not. i think what i'll do here is just count them as they come in (whether or not it's for sonic & knuckles, sonic 3, or sonic 3 & knuckles), and at the end have them under the sonic 3 & knuckles banner.

and pictures are allowed!

Great, thanks!
 

televator

Member
Owowowowow! This is a hard choice.... Ooooooh. Super Metroid, S3&K, Super Metroid, S3&K.... Fuck me! I-I can't RetroGAF... I just can't!
 

Bishop89

Member
1. donkey kong country 2 ; even though I like the first more, I think dkc2 did most of everything better. Had a great atmosphere, fun level design, tight controls.
2. mega man x ; Extremely replayable, just so much fun going through levels and using the different power ups.
3. donkey kong country
4. super mario kart; the ONLY good MK game. I only wish you could have used the character 'special' powerups yourself instead of just the A.I :(
5. super mario allstars; Great collection and improves on the originals. So much content and charm.
6. killer instinct
7. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles :Turtles in Time
8. spider man maximum carnage
9. biker mice from mars
10. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition ; probably doesnt hold up today, but i remember renting the shit out of this game.
 
1. Chrono Trigger - The best beginners RPG ever made and a wonderful game that stands the test of time (sorry!)

2. Ys - Book 1 and 2 - The PC Engine CD version of this game is fantastic, with some great CD audio and a great rendition of the 8 bit games on the 16 bit console

3. Streets of Rage 2 - The standard in beat em ups and has an iconic OST. Probably the second most well known Genesis game behind Sonic the Hedgehog. An amazing coop game.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
1. Phantasy Star II ; Let's get this out of the way first: Phantasy Star IV is a better game. Longer, more interesting and complex systems, dramatically better writing, more impressive graphics and is a superb conclusion to the PS Genesis saga. But Phantasy Star II is my favorite in the series, for a few reasons. I like its take on high fantasy and science fiction better, and find the settings more unique and compelling. It's got a clear, vivid three part act (Biomonsters; robots/dams; Nei weapons/Dezo). The music has energy and style and is packed with memorable tracks. But most of all, it's hard fuck. The dungeons are tricky, complex, devious and often huge. There are monsters at the top (or bottom) level of them that can straight up kill you if you are not prepared, or leveled, properly, which adds a huge dimension of fear and tension utterly lacking from the combat and dungeons in PS IV. The game does not hold your hand, and it takes experimentation, patience and often outright grinding to overcome. But that's why I love it so much, and replay it every several years. Seriously, those dungeon designs are beautiful. And devious.

2. Lunar 2 Eternal Blue ; The game from which I took my online handle since as long as I have had an online handle. One of the few games to improve upon its predecessor in every way, it was a revelation to me in art, music and character writing. It has an epilogue after the credits that is actually a huge part of the game. One of the few games I get emotional about when some scenes come to mind. Ghaleon's arc was so, so well done. One of the few soundtracks I've imported from Japan, back in the day. So many stunning tracks.

3. Thunderforce III ; My favorite side scrolling shooter. Fantastic art, astounding, thumping soundtrack, giant sprawling levels and pitch perfect difficulty. I love that you can play the first four levels in any order. Probably my favorite Genesis OST; many of the tracks go on for several minutes without repeating; a full song, rather than a track loop. It was a revelation in a world of 30-60 second track loops.

4. Shining Force II ; Every battle was interesting, and dozens of them had touches of brilliance. Some, more than a touch (that chessboard!). It was hard, because while you could kill enemies in 1-2 hits, they could do the same to you - so it required actual strategy, always. Careless setups would get your party eviscerated. The quest was long, complex, packed with secrets and had zillions of characters who were fun to level up. An enormously re-playable strategy RPG.

5. Landstalker ; I didn't have a SNES, so I didn't have Zelda, but I had Landstarker, and I so didn't mind. Again, a pretty tough game at times which appealed to me, and it oozed charm, had a fantastic style and a long, meaty quest. It remains a brilliant action RPG.

6. Phantasy Star IV: End of the Millennium ; I mostly covered this in the PS II write up, but it was a perfect finish to the saga. I appreciate the throwbacks to the first two games - remixes of the best dungeon themes from them, deep hooks into their stories and settings, and even design elements (many of Lassic's castle levels are 1:1 from the original game). I never played it until the Genesis collection on the Xbox 360, but I was astonished at its quality and how well it holds up. It's a tremendous game on every level. If it had first person dungeons or the insidious difficulty of PS II, I would park it much higher on the list.

7. Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master ; This is basically a perfect action game. The controls flow beautifully, and there's nuance to learning to chain jump kicks and wall jumps, double jumps, climbing, spin attacks. Levels often had wonderful flow, and I'll put a target on my back right now and say I think the OST is better than Revenge of Shinobi (which I also a adore, so don't shoot). It was really really good!

8. Lunar the Silver Star ; One of my favorite RPG's when I was a kid, though I haven't played it in years. I think the sheer number of remakes, remasters and ports speak to how beloved its world, art, music and characters are. It's eclipsed by Eternal Blue, but still charming and compelling in its own right. (Though far too easy, something addressed in the sequel.)

9. Streets of Rage ; Yes, I like this better than the second one. It's simpler and less pretty, but plays like butter and that soundtrack does not fuck around. I might have played this game a lot. Like, holy hell, a lot.

10. Gaiares ; I'll admit right now I never beat it. I couldn't get past the last two levels. But what I did play was relentlessly beautiful and with another one of those classic Genesis OST's. I particularly loved the melodies in the opening cinematics.

X. Road Rash II ; Kicking people into cars. Stealing their club and beating their face in with it. Hitting nitro and boosting over a hill for like, half a fucking mile.

X. Sword of Vermillion ; The entire game is one giant first person dungeon, but the towns. A victim of its own ambition, the side scrolling bosses are simple and not fun, the combat limited to one attack and one equipped spell at a time. But it was long, challenging (there's a pattern here) and incredibly unique.

X. Toejam and Earl ; Speaking of unique. Fun, long adventure with a whacked out sense of humor and dynamic split screen two-player. I'm pulling for the Kickstarted sequel to turn out great. (I have a Wiseman on my keychain, thanks to it.)

X. Super Monaco GP ; One of the few racing games I really loved. Fast as hell, it somehow also had a functional rear view mirror, a great rival system and a long main mode. Sideswiping rivals at the last moment, then moving up to take their team/car, was richly satisfying. The graphics are miraculous for an early Genesis game.

This gen I owned a Genesis and Sega-CD, if that wasn't clear enough.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Amigo you have a lot of classic games to catch up on.

You don't know the half of it. I've never owned a handheld system, or a Nintendo platform, and the PS4 is my first Playstation.

But even owning one platform for the gen, there are still few dozen games I want to play on it but missed out on; I have a backlog of Genesis/Sega-CD games, on top of a backlog of platforms. There's just not enough time. Maybe when I'm in the retirement home or something.

the easiest thing would be to pick up a game gear and sega 32x to get started.

I also had a 32x.
 

AniHawk

Member
You don't know the half of it. I've never owned a handheld system, or a Nintendo platform, and the PS4 is my first Playstation.

But even owning one platform for the gen, there are still few dozen games I want to play on it but missed out on; I have a backlog of Genesis/Sega-CD games, on top of a backlog of platforms. There's just not enough time. Maybe when I'm in the retirement home or something.

judging your list, i would at least recommend chrono trigger. it's a classic rpg. i guess it would require buying a new system though since it's snes/ds/wii/psp/ps vita/ps3/ps one.

you might also enjoy terranigma, but that's super nes only, and the only english version is the european release.

I also had a 32x.

well at least you're off to a good start!
 

Brinbe

Member
1. Super Mario World ; It's platforming perfection!
2. Final Fantasy VI ; One of the best RPGs of all time. Best in the series.
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ; Superb/ambitious/influential/classic. You can run out of superlatives describing this one.
4. Chrono Trigger
5. NHL 94 ; Smooth, buttery timeless gameplay. May legitimately be the best thing EA has ever done.
6. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition ; Pure fun! Arguably the best and most accessible arcade sports game ever. Unquestioned cultural impact to this day.
7. Mega Man X
8. Gunstar Heroes
9. Earthbound
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
 
1. Ghouls 'n Ghosts ; the greatest action-platformer. Ultimate intensity.
2. Alien Soldier
3. Earthbound
4. Super Metroid
5. Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
6. Contra III: The Alien Wars
7. Contra: Hard Corps
8. Castlevania (X68000)
9. Metal Slug
10. Tetris Attack


x. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
x. Castlevania: Bloodlines
x. The Ultimate Doom
x. Demon's Crest
x. Pocky and Rocky
x. Wild Guns
x. Herzog Zwei
x. Rastan
 

Anticol

Banned
1. Super Mario World - Do I really have to explain?
2. Donkey Kong Country 2 - Diddy's Kong Quest
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles :Turtles in Time
4. Sunset Riders
5. FIFA International Soccer
6. Street Fighter II
7. Top Gear
8. International Superstar Soccer
9. Mortal Kombat II
10. Earthworm Jim
 
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past ; easily my favorite game of all time. Brilliant soundtrack, art design that still holds up today, and a unique dual world design that has yet to be matched. It was magical when released and still gives those feels.

2. Super Metroid ; another 16 bit classic that rivals modern games in terms of world design, story, and atmosphere. An unforgettable ride.

3. Super Mario Kart ; this is how you do arcade style action. I still prefer the item selection to other kart racers. The soundtrack is really charming too and battle mode rules.

4. Super Mario World ; right up there with SMB 3 and NSMB U for best 2D Mario. Aside from the excellent level design, items, and secrets, it also has my favorite over world map!

5. Final Fantasy VI ; the greatest masterpiece of the first golden age of console RPGs. FF VI has an amazing story, that great Esper Magic system, and the best soundtrack of the era.

6. Chrono Trigger ; very close to FF VI for best RPG of the era. Gorgeous game with a great soundtrack and an infectious combat system.

7. Terranigma ; Quintet's finest hour and the second best Action RPG after Zelda ALTTP.

8. Super Castlevania IV ; Unforgettable atmosphere, soundtrack, levels, and enemies. The most immersive game of the era after Super Metroid.

9. Sonic the Hedgehog ; Way to kick off the 16 bit era in style! Infectious fast action, awesome graphics, and a classic soundtrack

10. The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse ; beautiful platformer with fun transformations and charming aesthetics.
 
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