Set many years after the original Sin and Punishment, the Wii sequel, Sin and Punishment: Star Successor, sees two new heroes facing off against giant artificial creatures deep within the Earth and waves of grunt units beneath the waves of the ocean, in sandy deserts, and even in dreamscapes as they attempt to best their pursuers, the ever-persistent force known as Nebulox. Isa, son of Saki and Airan from the original Sin and Punishment, was previously allied with the Nebulox, but has since gone rogue in hopes of protecting his non-human friend Kachi from their intent to kill her as part of a supposed ‘will of the creators’. While perhaps not as immediately exciting a premise for opening up the world of Star Successor as the original Sin and Punishment’s cyberpunk rebellion presented, this long-awaited sequel is arguably more adventurous than its predecessor with a greater willingness to change up environment and enemy designs (thanks in no small part to the greater capabilities of the hardware it is running on being two console generations forward).
The controls are simple enough – the Wiimote is pointed at the screen to aim, while the nunchuck joystick is used to move the protagonists around the screen. They can fire single shots, or simply carry out a constant barrage of blasts, as well as release a charged bomb blast every time the shot meter resets. Isa and Kachi can dodge in any direction to avoid incoming fire or environmental hazards, and the two have unique abilities that offer subtle differences in their play styles – Isa is able to switch between manual aim and locking on to singular targets, while Kachi can automatically lock-on and fire at multiple enemies. While firing shots from a distance will be the primary means for dispatching enemies, any foes foolish enough to get in close quarters with the heroes can be struck by a fast and powerful blade.
None of the missions are particularly lengthy, though they certainly branch off into more open and brightly-colored areas than those in the original game. Star Successor’s soundtrack retains much of the original’s upbeat and exciting electronic style, while enemy designs range from techno-organic hybridizations more common to cyberpunk works to gigantic marine wildlife and exaggerated Japanese mythos. Boss fights are often multi-tiered, making them both mid-stage and end-stage highlights of the experience. The difficulty factor for Star Successor’s normal setting, on the other hand, has been toned down a decent amount from that of the first game, so players looking for a more grueling challenge may be somewhat disappointed.
Aside from cooperative play, there’s really not much to speak of in the way of extra gameplay features. Once a stage has been completed in story mode, players can revisit it at their leisure from the mission select menu. Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is a game that is primarily focused on doing a few things really well – and in an era when shoot-‘em-ups are few and far between (especially those heavy on the arcade-style gameplay of Sin and Punishment), it handles these fronts masterfully. While it would be nice to have received a greater number of stages, what Sin and Punishment: Star Successor does offer in its existing eight missions are highly-polished and creative enemy designs, exciting environments, intense and diverse boss fights, and finely-tuned controls that make for a final product which dares to break the mold of what is expected of games in the modern era.
An arcade style scrolling shooter in the vein of Star Fox 64, Sin and Punishment is overflowing with 1990s Japanese style. The first level is set in a mega city where a small band of rebels strike out against the excessive numbers of soldiers that police the sector on foot, from VTOLs, and even with the aid of mechanized animals. Achi, Saki, and Airan are the game’s three main characters, the latter two being playable. Their character models move forward automatically, while you, the player, can move them side to side and aim the cursor to change the angle of fire from their guns. When it comes to close-quarters encounters, Saki and Airan can swing a beam blade out to deal a quick strike to a foe or to deflect an object at a moving target.
The theme of a small ragtag group seeking to undo a greater force that looms ever-present with superior numbers and firepower is consistent throughout, though topics like what it means to be a pureblood human vs. a human-ruffian hybrid and the potential to become a higher being also come into play – threads common to other video game and anime works from the late 1990s and early 2000s. The city is but the start of something much greater – the lead characters will infiltrate enemy ships, square off against giant mutant creatures, and fly about on mobile platforms as they attempt to neutralize an entire fleet of ships (and that’s just during the second mission).
Sin and Punishment is a title that was released very late in the N64’s life cycle, but even so it’s thoroughly impressive just how good this game looks and plays. Character models are highly detailed, and look five times better than the angular forms of the inhabitants of Ocarina of Time’s Hyrule or the pixelated versions of the Goldeneye Bond villains. While Sin and Punishment was a Japanese exclusive prior to the Virtual Console re-release, it incorporates English voice acting. Though perhaps not the greatest example of character voice acting on the N64, it is impressive how well the actors match their characters and how well the dialogue fits the era. The soundtrack is largely that of a classic synth-rock sound that perfectly complements the artistic direction of the game.
Similarly, the game controls incredibly smoothly, whether you are using the Wii Classic Controller or one from the Gamecube. Whereas Star Fox 64 had a (more or less) fixed camera centered behind the Arwing in the middle of the screen, Sin and Punishment’s frame sits at the ground level with the playable characters, tilting up, left, and right at scripted points within each mission to provide a better range of vision. The environments are even more highly-detailed than the characters, with excellent lighting effects and brightly displayed health and weapon icons placed at strategic points.
Sin and Punishment effectively drops you into the thick of battle without much in the way of a tutorial, though the controls can be referenced from the main menu prior to starting a new playthrough. Otherwise, the first few waves of enemies you face are relatively easy prey, granting you a few minutes to get used to the arcade shooter style of gameplay. Sin and Punishment is only a couple of hours long and does grant you a set number of retry attempts, but do not be fooled – this is a genuinely challenging game that rewards a trial-and-error approach. Its over-the-top action is cheesy in the most endearing way, while the presentation on the whole is top-notch.
This is easily the most impressive Zelda title I’ve played since Ocarina of Time and the Oracle titles. Whereas Twilight Princess blatantly tried to align itself with Ocarina of Time and offered up a host of uninspired and generally non-threatening bosses, Skyward Sword borrowed elements of practically every previous Zelda game and meshed them with a brand new combat system. The result is one of the most fresh and enjoyable experiences I’ve had with any video game in a long while, and the most fun I've had with a Zelda release in over a decade.
Certainly, the core essence of Zelda is retained, but there’s plenty of new characters and content to indulge in, like sassy and prideful Demon Lord Ghirahim or the Timeshift Stones that are scattered about Lanayru Desert. Ganondorf has long reigned as my favorite video game villain of all time (specifically, his Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker incarnations), But Ghirahim ranks quite highly as well. While Skyward Sword’s enemy number one is full of attitude from the first encounter to the last, he slowly reveals more and more about his true nature with each encounter he has with Link – and I don’t mean that we learn more about his plans to revive his master, as that is something we know practically from the outset. Rather, we see how truly prideful he is, as well as how he is unable to deal with someone else besting him in battle, let alone a human.
As for the new combat system, it is what the Wii was designed for – a perfect 1:1 reaction as Link swings his sword up, down, sideways, and vertically. The dungeons are chock full of fun puzzles and stronger enemies than usual, many of whom require a specific angle of attack from Link’s sword. There’s a curious collection of items at Link’s disposal, including a whip, double clawshot, and the beetle, though none of these serve to replace pre-existing items as is typical of Zelda titles. Many of the items also see multiple applications, such as the whip being used to swing across chasms and pull on switches. While few of the dungeons ever reach the scale of those in Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, they are all wonderfully inspired on both the front of puzzle design and aesthetic presentation.
The soundtrack is gorgeous, the art style phenomenal, and the characters – especially a more bright and talkative Zelda – genuinely lovable. Skyward Sword ends with one of the most epic, atmospheric boss fights to ever grace the series, which is saying a lot, considering how well-received the boss fights in nearly any Zelda game tend to be. This is the story that sets in motion all the patterns witnessed in the rest of the series, and I could not have asked for a more perfect way for it to be conveyed. It’s a game that I waited more than two years to play after its initial reveal, a game that I was excited for unlike any other before it, and a game that delivered everything I had hoped for and more.
While there have been plenty of solid sequels and revamps of classic titles on the seventh generation titles, few developers have dared to tread into brand-new territory. Few have dared to create something so bold as No More Heroes. Much as I love the Mass Effect sequels, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and the other games that found their way onto this list, they are all sequels or spiritual successors to previous releases. Though the No More Heroes titles do draw inspiration from contemporary hack-and-slash action titles and 8-bit arcade-y games, the culmination is a wonderful breath of fresh air, not just to the genre, but to video games as an entertainment medium.
Both the original No More Heroes and its sequel Desperate Struggle are (among other things) unapologetic – Travis Touchdown slices and dices his foes into bloody pools, spouting off vulgar one-liners during his moments of downtime that are equal parts awesome and silly. The original game defined a brand-new experience and was one of the earliest Wii titles to really nail the motion controls down by balancing those with a traditional button/joystick combo. While No More Heroes boasts many a colorful environment and memorable assassin, the sequel cleaned up the entire experienced, streamlining the overworld and amping up the combat just enough that it was more fast-paced without teetering into the realm of frenetic.
The sequel also saw a more focused, darker story – one of Travis seeking revenge – which still managed to balance the silly with the gritty. While the first game was more off-the-walls goofy, the references to Star Wars and Back to the Future therein seemed unorganized and random compared to the sequel’s mecha boss fight between robots inspired by anime Space Runaway Ideon and Gurren Lagann, or a narrow forest whose twisted dead trees and red night sky were an obvious nod to Capcom’s explosively popular Resident Evil 4. Instead of giving off the impression that the game was chock full of ideas that creator Suda51 thought were cool, NMH2 came across as more of a love letter – not only to the creative minds behind the works Suda was paying homage to, but to fans of the original NMH as well.
Personally, I am a bit partial to Desperate Struggle. It’s much easier to jump into, has a higher degree of replayability due to its time attack Death Match mode and general faster pacing. But I won’t deny that the boss fights in the original No More Heroes were some of the best I’ve experienced in any game. Being such a huge fan as I am of the Legend of Zelda series, that is the standard with which I compare the boss fights of any and all other video games, and it is incredibly rare that another title provides as consistently high-quality encounters. But the UAA ranking matches in the NMH games are truly something to behold – a brilliant mesh of flair and challenge that defines the core of the experience.
The opening to the original Bioshock was an interactive sequence that blew me away when I first played it. Six years later, I still consider it to be one of the (if not the single) best introductory sequences in any video game. While the brief monologue Jack relays moments before his plane crashes into the ocean serve to provide players with some inkling of who he is and what is to come, it’s still deliberately vague. The game takes you (the player) and protagonist Jack from a familiar setting and thrusts you into a strange, dangerous, and yet ever-intriguing environment: the city of Rapture.
Bioshock is a curious game in the sense that most of the story is conveyed to Jack via audio diaries and radio chatter from both Atlas and Andrew Ryan. To tell more than to show is always a risky formula for a game, but having Jack enter Rapture after it has already gone to hell in a hand basket allows players to focus more on the hauntingly gorgeous setting. Little Sisters urge their Big Daddy protectors on to new corpses, blissfully unaware of the walking guinea pigs they have been transformed into. Sander Cohen has Jack go on a murderous scavenger hunt to gain passage through Fort Frolic. And the direct interactions Jack has with characters like Cohen, Tenenbaum, and Ryan cultivate one of the game’s most important aspects – choice.
While the core of Bioshock will remain the same for each and every player, there is a significant degree of freedom to how the game is experienced. Aside from the option to save or harvest the Little Sisters for precious ADAM, players can choose which weapons and plasmids to upgrade. They can choose to explore areas not important to their current objectives to better explore the fallen city, and they can choose to pick up or not pick up audio diaries that would better inform them of what led to Rapture becoming a such a horrifying place.
While most would argue that the story of the first Bioshock is superior to the sequel, I would argue that the method of storytelling in Bioshock 2 trumps that of its predecessor. The ‘stranger in a strange land’ approach does not work particularly well in a second visit to the same locale, and 2K avoided this problem altogether by putting players in the boots of a Big Daddy named Subject Delta. One of the original Big Daddies, Delta is far more powerful and intelligent than the typical Bouncer or Rosie and can wield much more powerful variants of the weapons Jack previously used. Because players would already know the fate of the characters from the first game, there was no reason to pull a ‘smoke and mirrors’ routine. Bioshock 2 gave players the run of the place almost instantly, and expands upon the stories of major characters that shaped the experience of the first game, while also introducing all-new characters who were key in both the rise and fall of Andrew Ryan’s underwater utopia-turned-dystopia.
Bioshock 2 looks better, sounds better, and - most importantly - plays better than its predecessor. Chunks of coral and more heavily flooded areas give players a sense that Rapture has decayed even further since their last visit. The gun controls are more tight and the hacking process distracts less from the core gameplay. As a Big Daddy, you are certainly tougher than any normal human, but then again, the splicers have mutated so far along that they are more dangerous and creepy than ever.
It would be inaccurate to state that the Bioshock titles belong to the horror genre. While certainly spooky, they consistently utilize elements from action, adventure, and RPG genres. But if there is one thing that can unquestionably be stated about Bioshock and Bioshock 2, it is that they are two of the most thought-provoking games of their day, due to the ideologies they bring into play and the questions they raise – not just within the context of Rapture, but also for the people who make and play video games.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the original Mass Effect, the sequels improved upon the gameplay and storytelling significantly. The first game provided a glimpse of the greater universe that you actually get to explore in the sequels, and while there are certainly elements of BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic that inspired the Mass Effect games, the homeworlds and cultures of the Asari, Turians, Krogans, Hanar, and so on feel strikingly original.
These two games run incredibly close for me. While neither is perfect, they both have their strengths and weaknesses that ranks them at approximately equal quality in my eyes. Mass Effect 2 was more reliant on shooter mechanics, but offered a greater host of side missions and squad members. Mass Effect 3, though more focused on reaching the end of Commander Shepard’s story, brings back many traditional RPG elements absent in ME2 and offers fewer squad members that, while specialized to one role or another, are more adaptable than in the previous installment.
Above all else, what impressed me most about the two games was the weight of your decisions and how it impacted the manner in which the greater story unfolded. The original Mass Effect forced you to choose one human squadmate to live and the other was left to die, but these were characters that I frankly could not have cared less about. Sure, there was the romance subplot, but it only offered two options per gender. Mass Effect 2 rectified all of this by including loyalty missions – sidequests that would earn Shepard the trust of his squadmates. Opt not to complete a loyalty mission and there’s a good chance your pals might not survive to the end of the game. As for the romance subplot, there were significantly more choices available to both male and female Shepard, each of them arguably more interesting and involved than those offered in ME1. Mass Effect 2 required much more time and attention than the first game, but it also gave a lot more back. It was a game that allowed you to play however you wanted, and your decisions would carry over to Mass Effect 3. The characters you allowed to live would appear in Mass Effect 3, potentially offering you assistance in your fight against the Reapers, while those who died might be mentioned in dialogue, but were otherwise nowhere to be seen.
The Mass Effect sequels are phenomenal spiritual successors to the Knights of the Old Republic titles as well as the original Mass Effect. Gone are the clunky periods of exploring uncharted worlds in the Mako, gone are the repetitive landscapes and underground bases - all replaced with planets that exude a sense of adventure. While BioWare’s love for space operas like Star Wars are clearly visible in the art and story direction of Mass Effect, these games host their own lively universe - one that was equally creative and engaging. Whether Shepard is investigating a string of disappearances on human colonies, securing the last hope of curing the Krogan genophage, or helping to beat back Reaper forces from one of the moons orbiting the Turian homeworld, each quest is uniquely exciting.
Over the years, Game Freak has done quite a bit of experimenting with the Pokémon series, between the core entries and the side games/spinoffs. While still a six-member party RPG game, the inclusion of dual types and special abilities provided a new dynamic to strategies players would adopt. However, the Generation IV titles Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum were less well-received by many in the Pokémon community following their release, due to a number of factors including a lack of balance in the representation of the then-seventeen types, as well as some new evolutions of pre-existing Pokémon that some fans considered entirely unnecessary.
Thus, the Generation V games known as Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version saw Game Freak perform a sort of balancing act between the new and the old. The fundamentals of the game were retained, and many familiar tasks were streamlined to better utilize the DS’ hardware. Trading was no longer handled through the Pokémon Centers – rather any player could access the ‘trade’ and ‘battle’ options on a whim via the handheld’s lower screen and interact accordingly with a friend/opponent nearby. The simple act of combining the Pokémon Center and PokéMart into a single building proved to be a giant time-saver.
Meanwhile, the one-hundred and fifty Pokémon players could catch in Black and White were all new, with access to Pokémon from previous generations being restricted (outside of trading) until the sizeable post-game section. The types were carefully chosen to create a near-perfect balance. Though some generation V Pokémon were perhaps more ideal to certain players than others, the fully evolved form of each Pokémon had a practical use and could serve to complement a party well. The Elite Four put up a solid challenge, and the concept of having the antagonistic Team Plasma’s desire be the liberation of Pokémon from their owners/partners made for a strikingly original and entertaining spin on an old classic - one that was mildly more thought-provoking than the plans laid out by previous baddies who wished to drown/dry up the world or mess with the time-space continuum. Everything Game Freak implemented in Black and White, they did so with good reason, and the games stand out as what I would consider to be among the best in the series as a result. There’s a decent degree of challenge, though the game allows for a great range of freedom with selecting party members and strategies. Above all else, Pokémon Black and White are just plain fun to play.
The first-person shooter is generally one of my least favorite genres in video gaming, due to the sheer number of FPS titles that are released each year with minimal effort or inspiration. As much as I have enjoyed the Halo series over the years, it is still rather surprising to me that Bungie’s swansong to their monumentally successful series landed a spot this high on my top ten list. While I will always consider the story, gameplay, and multiplayer offerings of Halo 2 to be the best in the series, Halo: Reach follows not far behind the title that essentially shaped online gaming for consoles into what it is today.
The tale of Noble Team is really a side story to the main tale of Master Chief and Cortana. While the fall of planet Reach is one of the most pivotal events in the Human-Covenant War, it’s content that is largely unfamiliar to anyone who has not read the Halo novels, and NPCs only make brief mention of the battle in any of the three main games or spin-off title ODST. Witnessing an earlier conflict in the Human-Covenant War firsthand is entertaining and does well to separate the story from the all-too familiar routine of Master Chief blowing away every Covenant and Flood foe that stands in his way. But throwing five squadmates into the equation, giving them each a unique and interesting personality, and showing players just what is at stake with the loss of a planet so critical to UNSC operations lends to Halo: Reach an atmosphere notably different from previous Halo titles.
While dual-wielding was done away with, the balance of weapons Reach offered up was darn near perfect and plenty of fun to experiment with. The armor abilities were a much more intelligent implementation of the rather awkward equipment introduced in Halo 3. The Vehicles were largely familiar, though a couple of new additions felt right at home in the UNSC and Covenant squadrons respectively. The campaign is decently lengthy, and the highest difficulty setting offers up a genuinely challenging trek that requires a far more careful and tactical approach without feeling the least bit aggravating or unfair.
As for the multiplayer side of things, Halo: Reach’s offerings may not be as consistently high caliber as Halo 2’s maps, but many of them return in the form of remakes (whether full-fledged, or variations in the make-whatever-your-heart-so-desires expanse of Forge World). Classic game modes like Slayer and Infection return, while a few new modes like Headhunter and Invasion may be drastically different in their implementation (the former being silly and frenetic, the latter requiring finesse and teamwork) but are a blast to partake in. Add in Firefight, a team-based mode where waves of Grunts, Jackals, Brutes, Elites, and the occasional Hunters advance toward your location, and you have the most complete package a Halo title has ever offered.
When it all boils down to it, the story of Noble Team’s last stand on Reach is basically a countdown to extinction. But the presentation is damn good, from Marty O’Donell’s masterful soundtrack, to the oddly gorgeous decay of a planet ravaged by battle. Though chronologically Halo: Reach takes place prior to the original Halo, there’s little more I could ask for from Bungie in bringing a conclusion to their long-running series. Nobody knows the Halo property quite like Bungie.
I consider the original Metroid Prime one of the most bold and successful revivals of a video game franchise ever attempted. I also consider it to be one of the best video games ever created. While I enjoyed the sequel Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and its light world/dark world scenario, the layout of planet Aether’s different regions did not feel as intelligently crafted as the regions of Tallon IV in the first game. Whereas the distance between save stations, weapon upgrades, and the balance of puzzles and combat was relatively consistent in Prime, it was more sporadic in Echoes – Samus could traverse incredibly short distances at times and come across a number of missile expansions or quick and easy environmental puzzles, or it could be close to an hour between two save stations.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption was one of the earliest big-name titles Nintendo revealed for their Wii (or as it was known at the time, the Revolution). While the original reveal trailer didn’t show much, the final product turned out to be a balance of familiar and fresh content. No longer was Samus limited to a single planet – in their alliance with Dark Samus, the Space Pirate forces had spread Phazon across the galaxy, requiring Samus to visit multiple worlds and undo the gradual infection and mutation brought on by the Phazon. While these individual planets were scaled down in size from the regions of the previous two Prime titles, they were still bold visions on the part of the creative team at Retro Studios. The skylines that run above the clouds of Elysia, the needle-like forests of Bryyo, and the haunting remains of the G.F.S. Valhalla all made for areas that were as interesting to look at as they were to explore.
For being one of the earliest titles to make full use of the Wii’s motions controls, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is arguably among the best on the system. Response times and targeting accuracy might not be perfect, but they’re pretty great even when you compare them to later Wii releases by Nintendo. Prime 3 spends as much time exploring the core mythos of the Metroid universe – the legacy of the Chozo, the properties of Phazon, the role of the Aurora Units and the connections they share to Mother Brain – as it does providing a satisfying conclusion to the story that makes up the Prime trilogy. To that end, Corruption does as much to send the Prime series out with a bang as it does to connect the dots of many underlying tales that helped to shape the Metroid story at large.
Final Fantasy XIII does not use the exact combat system of its predecessors, but that’s kind of a pattern the series has followed all along – trying new spins on an old classic. FFXIII utilizes a variant of the ATB battle system introduced way back in Final Fantasy IV, and puts you in control of three characters at a time, requiring you to rotate through your lineup of roles (known as paradigm shifts) in order to fight foes. While it is true that the game does not require you to be particularly involved with selecting specific attacks seeing as auto-battle will generally select the most useful magic or physical attack, FFXIII’s fast-paced combat will ask that you remain attentive and ready to switch party roles at a moment’s notice. As a result, the combat is less chaotic and frenetic and more fluid and methodical.
The only real gripe that I have with Final Fantasy XIII is that the side quests are all centered around the concept of tracking down increasingly stronger creatures and slaying them in order to unlock Xbox 360 achievements/PS3 trophies. While you can technically continue grinding during the game’s later hours in order to fully level up your party members and expand their crystarium, the roles you’ve assigned them up to that point should complement each other impeccably – each character basically starts off on two primary roles (in the case of Snow, these are Sentinel and Ravager), and then a third is recommended to both further specialize your party members as well as cover potential gaps in your strategies. Unlike many a JRPG, it offers opportunities for grinding for experience points without actually requiring it.
For my first foray into the core Final Fantasy games, FFXIII was a strong start. It’s not perfect and I have since discovered elements of other Final Fantasy titles that I prefer over some of what FFXIII has to offer. But nearly everything that FFXIII brings to the table is handled very well. During the forty plus hours it takes to complete the main game, there is ample time to develop each of the six main characters as well as explore the lore of the Fabula Nova Crystallis universe without the terminology going completely over your head. I loved Lightning and Sazh, I came to appreciate Snow, Fang, and Hope and everything they offered to the party. But in a most unexpected turn of events, Vanille, the bubbly girl who I expected might get annoying rather quickly, proved to be the most deep and engaging of the bunch.
A proper sequel to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Peace Walker explores the impact the Boss’ training and philosophy have had on Snake in the years following her death. It’s very much a story about Snake – in typical Metal Gear fashion, there are plenty of other cast members to intrigue players, to flesh out the experience, and to better connect the dots that make up the Metal Gear lore. But through all of Kazuhira Miller’s radio chatter it’s quite clear that this is the story that is meant to bridge the gap between the Naked Snake era and the rise of Big Boss’ Outer Heaven. David Hayter puts on a more gruff tone to convey how Snake has aged both physically and emotionally, and the shift in his presentation of this iconic gaming character goes a long way in sowing the seeds of both Big Boss’ new identity and the goals of the Militaires Sans Frontieres.
Much like with MGS3, Peace Walker offers a slightly greater range of freedom with picking an approach to countering Snake’s foes. You can distract them by making noise and then carefully sneaking around them, or you can take them head on thanks to a more-powerful-than-usual arsenal. A few of the boss fights do require a more straightforward combat approach, as foes will attempt to flank Snake and force him out of a well-defended spot. This results in the need to balance your strategy between taking out these lesser enemies and dealing blows to the tank, helicopter, or mech that is Snake’s primary target.
While the individual areas in Peace Walker are nowhere near as expansive as those in MGS3, they are still structured as a series of connected sectors. For a handheld game, these look gorgeous due to their high level of detail. The soundtrack is classic Metal Gear and, again, of impressively highly quality. The multiplayer mode and RPG elements worked into building Snake’s forces are both unusual choices for a Metal Gear title, but they work surprisingly well.
Peace Walker is a bold spin on everything you’d expect from a Metal Gear game – at its core, it’s the same tactical espionage action you’ve come to know and love. But the gameplay elements give it a whole new flavor that makes it a fresh experience for MGS veterans. Peace Walker is not only among the best entries in one of my personal favorite video game franchises, it’s one of the best handheld titles I’ve ever played.
Now that the big three game companies have all announced their new consoles, I thought I would take a look back at my favorites from the Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 era. I realize that what is soon to be dubbed ‘last generation’ isn’t actually over yet and there is a chance that some more truly impressive games might be released between now and the time that the Wii U/PS4/Xbox One take over completely. But as of right now, I feel that my list of favorite/most important games from this past generation will see little-to-no alteration, even with new games still on the horizon. The criteria for this list is as follows: all of the games listed below are among my favorites of this past generation, and have been placed in order of which I think were actually handled best, from gameplay, to storytelling, to graphical/artistic presentation, and overall production quality. A few series had sequels that were competing for a spot on this list, and because of how close it came between some of them, I’ve opted to include both as a single spot on the list. Keep in mind that this list is drawing from a large pool - everything from the Wii, DS, PS3, PSP, and Xbox 360. Also, re-releases of a game are not eligible – no Virtual Console or HD Collections, I'm afraid. However, full-fledged remakes are allowed. If your favorite game didn’t make the list that simply means that either I didn’t play it or it didn’t leave as significant an impact on me.
While the original Portal was certainly a landmark game for its physics engine and combination of puzzle and platforming gameplay, it lasted but a few hours. They were an enjoyable few hours, to be sure, but left less of an impression that I had played a ‘masterpiece’ and more the impression that I had played something that was a crossroad – not just for the aforementioned genres of video games, but for the medium as a whole. In the years that followed Portal’s release, there was seemingly no end to the number of developers who attempted to pay tribute to the game by including not-so-subtle references to false promises of cake and the instantly recognizable companion cube. But for so many that gave their individual nods to the game, there were few that dared try and replicate something like Portal.
Enter Portal 2, a sequel released four years after the original, which built and expanded upon everything the original created. Portal 2 once again follows protagonist Chell, but through a full-fledged story instead of a one-sided conversation with power-mad AI GLaDOS. It’s true that Chell is still silent, but Wheatley acts as both narrator and companion, while the other cores (brief though their appearances may be) and the recorded audio from Aperture founder Cave Johnson add a lot of life to the equation. The original Portal, while entertaining in its own right, did not feel to me as complete of a product as Portal 2. The addition of gels added a new dynamic to the gameplay, and a few of the puzzles were real stumpers. As for the flawlessly-executed co-op mode, that was simply icing on the cake.
While I am a big fan of Nintendo’s Metroid franchise, I have more experience with the 3D Prime titles than most of the traditional side-scrolling adventure releases. I played through both the original Metroid and its remake, Metroid: Zero Mission – two games which I quite enjoyed. However, I know many gamers who swear by Super Metroid as not only one of the best games in the series, but one of the best games of the SNES-era. Eager to check it out, I downloaded Super Metroid from my Wii’s Virtual Console library.
Fans of the original Metroid or Zero Mission should feel right at home – Super Metroid sees Samus return to planet Zebes in search of the baby Metroid that followed her home at the end of Metroid II. Ridley and the Space Pirates have captured the baby Metroid, and all-too-familiar with their track record for nefarious behavior, Samus pursues, intent on retrieving the specimen. Samus will retrace her steps through Crateria, Brinstar, Norfair, and so on, while also visiting new and expanded areas. The game does a great job of balancing a fresh and familiar feel, as each major area looks incredibly colorful and detailed. Lighting effects and objects such as pillars and stalactites go a long way in creating an illusion of depth and openness to the regions Samus visits. Meanwhile, the soundtrack walks a fine line between adventurous and eerie, perfectly fitting to one of Samus’ most dangerous missions.
The controls are far more fluid and responsive than in the two titles that preceded Super Metroid. Items and upgrades are placed at more intelligent junctures, and it certainly feels like the game does its best to direct you toward each objective, so there will be little time spent wandering aimlessly. Multiple elevators per region makes finding an entrance or exit to another region much easier, though the fact that you are only able to view the map one region at a time (depending on your current location) is mildly annoying. That said, Super Metroid holds a decent challenge factor, and seeking out at least a few non-essential energy tanks and weapon upgrades is recommended due to the gradually-increasing difficulty factor.
If there is one thing that drags Super Metroid down, it is the inability to exit certain areas. This really only becomes a problem late in the game, but always occurs immediately prior to a boss fight, and should you have fewer energy tanks or missiles at your disposal than you would like, the degree of frustration it causes can range anywhere from a mild annoyance to thoroughly aggravating. While this sort of thing only occurs a few times during the course of the game, the points where Samus is temporarily stuck are unfortunate, and the problem seems as though it lies largely with a simple oversight on the part of the development team.
There are quite a few boss fights in Super Metroid, each with its own unique strategy. Some encourage use of specific weapons, while most follow the traditional pattern of dodging swipes and firing missiles. Regardless of the required approach, the majority of the boss encounters are quite memorable – some not only because of the intensity of the fight but also because of scripted events prior to or during the encounter. As for the lesser enemies, they fit the typical Metroid designs – you can expect to run into Geemers and Shriekbats not long after Samus exits her ship, though later enemies are faster and practically require use of new/upgraded weapons if you hope to gain more health/ammo than you plan to lose.
While I thoroughly enjoyed Samus’ first outing, its remake, and even her trip to SR388 in Metroid II (the latter of which I am currently playing through), it is easy to see why Super Metroid is so beloved by fans of the series. It takes everything established by its two predecessors and cleans them up. The experience is far more smooth and streamlined, without sacrificing the challenge factor. Regardless if you are a longtime fan of the series or Super Metroid is your first outing with Samus Aran, it will certainly prove a memorable experience.
As with practically every other Mario title in existence, Super Mario Galaxy sees Bowser kidnap Princess Peach, albeit in a more grandiose scale than usual. During a festival, Bowser sends his entire Armada against the Mushroom Kingdom and uproots Peach's castle, intent of taking the princess to the center of the universe to serve alongside him as ruler of a brand new galaxy. As Bowser's force easily overwhelms Mario, he drifts unconscious through space until he is picked up by a woman named Rosalina, who is the adoptive mother of a race of tiny stars known as the Luma. Rosalina explains that Mario will need to help her reactivate the different parts of her ship by collecting Grand Stars, most of which have fallen under the control of Bowser's forces. Once Mario retrieves a total of sixty stars, the ship will be capable of travelling to the center of the universe where Peach awaits.
In the same vein as Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy does not require Mario to complete every challenge in a particular stage in order to progress to the next. Instead, he simply needs to acquire a certain number of stars to unlock the next galaxy as well as the boss galaxy found in each section of Rosalina's ship. As he progresses further in the game and unlocks more galaxies, he is granted more freedom in how he tackles the challenge of collecting those sixty stars. Some galaxies are host to bonus stars, but aside from the boss encounters, galaxies are divided into two groups - standard galaxies, which are host to at least three stars a piece, and bonus galaxies, which only house a single star but are generally more challenging and require Mario to complete a race, run a gauntlet, or perform some other comparable task.
Though the bonus galaxies present amusing distractions from the main focus of the game, the majority of the standard galaxies feel somewhat less-than-inspired. As successor to Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy opts for a number of small planets in each galaxy, with one or two puzzles found on each. Mario progresses from one to another rather quickly, making the focus of the game incredibly linear and streamlined, sacrificing much of the sense of discovery and adventure found in other 3D Mario titles. While each galaxy is host to a certain theme - desert, lava, haunted mansion, underwater, etc. - most feel like missed opportunities, and Nintendo could have fleshed out many of the planets to become more memorable and fully-realized worlds. Also, there are a handful of planets that are recycled during later portions of the game, with little more than a mirrored layout, different environment textures to distinguish them. While these are host to different star challenges than the levels they were copied-and-pasted from, the process feels lazy on Nintendo's part. While some of the formulas for boss fights are revisited, these feel generally more creative than the planets, and present a good balance of fun and challenge factor.
The Wiimote's motion controls are incorporated into the gameplay rather well, on the whole. They aren't as outstandingly smooth as in other first-party releases like Metroid Prime 3: Corruption or The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but considering that Super Mario Galaxy was a relatively early release for the Wii, this aspect is forgivable. However, there are occasional attempts to have players hold the Wiimote in different ways in order to traverse certain areas and complete puzzles. Often, these are highly unorthodox in the way they are handled, and feel clunky when compared to the core gameplay of jumping and spin attacks.
While they can still help Mario recover health, coins serve no other apparent purpose, as Star Bits are now the currency of the realm. Mario's collection of Star Bits in each stage compounds in the hub world, and can be fed to certain pink Lumas to access bonus galaxies. Collecting fifty of them will grant Mario a new life, and there are even a few Lumas strategically placed just prior to boss fights that will give him the option of paying a small fee of Star Bits to gain either another extra life or a temporary boost to his defense. What proves rather annoying is the fact that, regardless of how many lives Mario gathers during his adventures, the number is reset to the default of four lives each time you quit the game. While it is true that this Mario game is lacking much of the challenge presented in other 3D Mario releases, it seems silly that the game would not reward you for having worked to collect those extra lives and, in fact, does the complete opposite.
Despite having been originally released in 2007, Super Mario Galaxy is one of the more impressive looking releases on the Wii. Not all of the textures are up to par with recent Wii releases, but the lighting plays off colorful environments beautifully, and Bowser looks the most mean and intimidating he has in years. The soundtrack is surprisingly epic for a Mario game, but is quite fitting considering the epic space adventure theme that the game is playing toward. The backstory of Rosalina and the Lumas is presented in brief chapters sprinkled throughout, and though the storybook format lacks substance, it certainly holds a unique charm and does well to avoid distracting the flow of the core gameplay. Super Mario Galaxy is notably easier than most other entries in the franchise, and the challenge factor will seem even lower to fans of 3D Mario games.
As with my previous top five game of the year lists, the following games are more a reflection of which titles I had the most fun with or felt were noteworthy for any number of reasons (gameplay, creativity, successfully catering to a certain genre, etc.). While these games do not exactly follow the ratings I ascribed to them, they follow more closely that some of the games I rated in years past, as each of these games earned ratings between 9 and 9.5. Also, any games that I had played in previous years were ineligible for making this list, unless they were a remake (in the case of the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection, MGS2 and MGS3 were not eligible, but Peace Walker was in the running and came pretty close to earning a spot this list).
#5 – Super Mario 3D Land: I’m generally partial to 3D Mario games over the side-scrolling entries, probably because Super Mario 64 was one of my first outings with Nintendo’s leading mascot. Super Mario 3D Land presents a hybrid of these two gameplay styles. None of the stages are particularly long, but they all feel fully-realized and present plenty of variation in aesthetic style and obstacles/enemies. The boss fights are perhaps the only lackluster part of the experience, but the airship stages leading up to each are exciting enough. The post-game is incredibly expansive – effectively, the number of stages is doubled, and said bonus stages are rather intense. The use of 3D allows for greater depth perception throughout, while also making a few key stages very cinematic in delivery.
#4 – Final Fantasy IV: Though I never played Final Fantasy IV in its original SNES release (known stateside as Final Fantasy II), I felt right at home the moment I started my journey with Cecil, Kain, Rosa, and company. Final Fantasy IV takes advantage of the DS to present a cleaner vision of the game. The soundtrack has been gorgeously reorchestrated, while the characters are portrayed as semi-chibi. The boss fights are impressively rendered and some of the obstacles require unorthodox means to overcome them - this is a large part of why I enjoyed FFIV so much; it retains the 1990s-era degree of challenge. The cast is easily my favorite from any of the Final Fantasy titles I have played to date, the battle system is perfect, and the whole experience feels genuinely rewarding.
#3 – Resident Evil Revelations: It’s rare that a handheld sidestory will stack up to a major release in terms of quality, but Resident Evil Revelations is, in my opinion, the best RE title since Resident Evil 4. The cruise ship setting is sufficiently creepy, while the enemy designs draw from sea creatures and round out the horror side of the experience. The game plays like the more action-heavy entries in the series, but ammo is not nearly as abundant as it is in either RE5 or RE6, forcing you to be tactical and conservative when fighting enemies. Resident Evil Revelations blurs the lines between handheld and console games, offering up what is one of the most impressive experiences on the 3DS to date.
#2 – Pokémon Black and White: Much like with Heart Gold and Soul Silver, I love the way that Nintendo has made the Pokémon games more user-friendly over time. Each of the new types available has its own particular use, with some being highly-specialized and others being fairly rounded, but the element of strategy is still as prominent as ever. I really appreciated the fact that the game required practically no time grinding so that I could keep chugging along through the story (which, I might add, is the best I've found in the entire series). The gym battles certainly dish out a better challenge in Black 2 and White 2, but the Elite Four battles are among the most intense and exciting portions of the games. Though Nintendo and Game Freak's decision to make direct sequels ended up having beautiful results, Pokémon Black and White gain a marginal advantage over Black 2 and White 2.
#1 – No More Heroes: Though I fell in love with No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle back in 2010, I actually did not play the original No More Heroes in proper until this year. While there are a few differences in the way the two play, I consider them equal in quality – though the second has better pacing and does not require Travis to complete side jobs to progress to each new ranking fight, the fights and characters themselves tended to be more memorable in the first game. Travis’ development from socially awkward otaku who wants to be number one to his eventual understanding of the gravity of what being an assassin can mean is something that gradually unfolds, and is wonderfully scripted instead of being explicitly stated to players. The gameplay is a perfect balance of traditional joystick and buttons with motion controls, the soundtrack is phenomenal, and No More Heroes is easily one of the best games to come out for any of this generation’s consoles.
From an artistic standpoint, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land is largely a throwback to the Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. The worlds are all rendered in 3D with 2D backdrops, and the brief cutscenes adopt a storybook frame and filter. The gameplay, on the other hand, is largely a throwback to the SNES era, with emphasis on utilizing copy abilities one at a time. While plenty of familiar copy abilities including Cutter, Beam, and Spark make their return, there are a few new ones like Leaf, Whip, and Water – all of which feel right at home alongside their long-established counterparts.
The story of Return to Dream Land is relatively simple in scope – Magolor, an individual from another part of the galaxy, crashes his starship, the Lor Starcutter, onto Kirby’s home world of Pop Star. As most of the ship’s major pieces have been scattered across the planet, he asks Kirby and friends to track them down while he tends to his ship. Collecting main pieces like the mast and oars are required to progress the game and unlock new levels. Each region that Kirby visits – from Cookie Country to Nutty Noon – is new to Return to Dream Land, but features design elements used in previous Kirby games. There are the traditional island stages, snowy stages, and underwater stages.
The game’s best moments of creativity shine through in levels that incorporate puzzles that require Kirby to use his new super copy abilities, as well as the intense gauntlet that precede each boss fight with one of the new Sphere Doomer enemies. Upon defeating each Sphere Doomer, Kirby is rewarded with two Energy Spheres, though others can be found in the various stages he visits. Collecting enough Energy Spheres unlocks minigames and copy abilities for Kirby to grab at any given time from inside the Lor Starcutter. As with most Kirby titles that preceded it, the minigames in Return to Dream Land provide brief distraction from the main game, but are largely unrelated to it.
Though Kirby is the only playable character capable of using the copy abilities, friends can drop in or out of the game at any given time, allowing up to four players on the screen at any given time. The other playable characters include King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee, each of whom is granted decent range and attack via their respective hammer, sword, and spear. While the early stages are largely a cake walk, the game progressively amps up the challenge factor. Later bosses can take as much of a beating as they are capable of dishing out, and collecting each and every Energy Sphere requires quick thinking on the fly and well as precise timing.
Upon completing the main game, a bonus mode is unlocked that challenges players to revisit levels now stacked with greater trials. In this, Return to Dream Land does well to present a decent amount of replay value and substance for completionists. The main game is not terribly difficult, but later levels will quickly deplete your extra lives should you rush in without caution. There isn’t a whole lot new with regards to the gameplay, but at the same time the core Kirby games hold strong to a formula that has worked well since the series’ earliest releases. Return to Dream Land is sure to delight, whether you are a hardcore Kirby fan intent on exploring every nook and cranny of Pop Star’s latest levels, or you are simply looking to enjoy an afternoon playing cooperatively with your friends.
The No More Heroes series is full of phenomenal boss fights. Really, that is a large part of why the series has such an established cult-following. I love both of the games and the assassins Travis faces throughout them, but as this is a top five list, I can only include my very favorites from the lot. Let the bloodshed begin!
#5 - Margaret Moonlight: The fight against Margaret is largely a test of your ability to adjust your strategy on-the-fly. When she's at a distance, she'll hit you hard with shells from her guns. Blocking these will quickly deplete the charge of Travis' beam katana, and he will have to find some cover in order to recharge. The catch is that the surrounding environment is destructible, and Margaret will continue moving about. When Travis does manage to get close enough to land some direct hits with his beam katana, Margaret goes on the defensive, blocking strikes and then performing flips to not only dish some damage Travis' way but also to knock him back a fair distance, which will allow her to once again fire upon him.
#4 - Jeane: Though not officially ranked with the UAA, Jeane puts up one of the best fights of anyone between the two No More Heroes titles. Because a fight is exclusively what the boss encounter with Jeane is all about - she uses her endurance to kick, punch, and dodge Travis' beam katana. The fight can last a decent amount of time, due simply to the fact that her later attacks are carried out in rapid succession. Jeane knows exactly what she is getting herself into the moment she interrupts Travis' exchange with Dark Star, and is prepared to go all-out, giving Travis the fight of his life.
#3 - Holly Summers: A lethal beauty, Holly relies on explosives and the art of deception to try and best Travis. Approaching her will lead Travis to fall into a pit... time and time again. If he does not climb out quickly enough, he will get an up-close-and-personal visit from a hand grenade. When Holly loses this advantage, she launches a barrage of missiles Travis' way, forcing him to duck and roll one way or the other, and subsequently providing Holly time to either move or draw forth her shovel for close-quarters combat.
#2 - Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarrskii: Flashy, flamboyant - some might even say fabulous - Harvey uses his mastery of theatrics and magic to mess with both Travis and the player. He regularly performs disappearing acts, inverts both the stage and Wiimote controls, and deals some damage to Travis by trapping him inside a box. The encounter is very much unorthodox, but the quirky theatrical immersion it presents proves far more entertaining than frustrating.
#1 - Alice Twilight: There are a few fights, like those against Skelter Helter and Ryuji, that pit Travis against another beam katana-wielding foe. But both of those assassins rely rather heavily on ranged attacks - the former with his gun and the latter with his summoned dragon. Alice Twilight provides the closest thing Travis gets to a real one-on-one battle between two masters of the beam katana. Yes, there was that battle with Henry at the end of the original No More Heroes, but considering it is a post-game treat and insanely difficult, I don't feel it has the same qualifications as most other boss fights. Kimmy Howell used a dual-bladed beam katana, but she was a silly schoolgirl who thought she was stronger than she truly was.
Alice Twilight, on the other hand, knows exactly what she is getting herself into the moment Travis arrives to challenge her. She knows her strengths and weaknesses, and though she can launch her blades a short distance, she plays a mostly defensive game, hoping to lure Travis in and then dropping down to strike at him. Her arsenal is simple, but effective, and looks radical to boot.
Travis Touchdown is a socially awkward otaku who just happens to have some serious skill wielding a beam katana. After blowing all of his money at the bar one night, he decides to take up the offer presented by Sylvia Christel to enter the United Assassin's Association. Travis has two goals in mind: become the number one ranked assassin in Santa Destroy, and get Sylvia in bed with him. After defeating Helter Skelter, Travis is qualified to challenge the remaining ten assassins, each of whom utilizes a different style of combat.
No More Heroes plays out as sort of a "greatest hits" series of boss fights. Each boss is preceded by a short level wherein Travis must take down weaker henchmen. As the game progresses, these areas become longer and the henchmen become stronger, equipping themselves with blunt objects and firearms. When it comes to the actual boss fights, though, the game does not disappoint. Some of the other assassin's use a more straightforward approach, while others utilize their environment. Some are able to use ranged attack, while others prove deadly at close-quarters. Each of the boss characters is quite well-developed and carries a strong presence - fights against Destroyman, Bad Girl, and Harvey Moiseiwitsch Volodarskii will be just as memorable as their names.
The pace does slow down in-between boss fights, as Travis must earn enough money to qualify to enter each. At first, Travis is only able to access side jobs that range from collecting coconuts to mowing lawns to picking up trash. And while those descriptions don't sound particularly enticing, the way the game utilizes the motion controls makes them mildly entertaining. The fact that each side job only lasts a brief while keeps them from getting stale too quickly.
After properly completing a side job, Travis' employer will inform him that there are assassination gigs accessible at various locales in Santa Destroy. The first few prove incredibly straightforward - either kill a specific target or take out everyone in the area. Later assassination missions will add further restrictions, like taking out a line of enemies by hitting a baseball at them with your beam katana or only using wrestling moves. The more strict the rules of an assassination mission, the more money Travis will earn. After a few times running the routine of side job-assassination mission-boss fight, it's easy to pin down a rhythm to quickly earn the required funds.
Aside from putting his money toward the next fight, Travis can visit a number of locales around Santa Destroy. At Area 51, Travis can pick up some new clothes, and at Thunder Ryu's gym he can pay for lessons to improve his physical stats. Travis can also visit the lab of Dr. Naomi, a woman who develops new models of beam katanas. Back at Travis' motel room, he can kill time playing the game-within-a-game known as Bizarre Jelly, help his overweight cat exercise, swap the models of beam katanas he has amassed, and save the game by sitting on the toilet.
The first time Travis sits down on the toilet is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this game's unique sense of style. It's chock full of humor, from references to other video games and anime, to Travis occasionally breaking the fourth wall. Character designs and environments are bright and colorful, while the soundtrack is an awesome culmination of techno, rock, chiptune, and even a few metal songs.
The motion controls are worked into nearly every nook and cranny of the experience. Swinging the Wiimote lets Travis strike with his beam katana, wiggling it back and forth will recharge it when his batteries are low, and a combination of the Wiimote and Nunchuk allows him to take down enemies with a variety of wrestling maneuvers. In the event that Travis locks swords with his opponent, a prompt will appear indicating the Wiimote be spun in a certain direction in order to gain the upper hand. When Travis reduces the health bar of one enemy to zero, a prompt will appear indicating he swing either vertically or horizontally. This attack can take out not only the main enemy being targeted, but also those nearby. Each time Travis gets a kill, a small slot machine will roll at the bottom of the screen, with a winning combo granting Travis brief use of a handful of powered-up attacks.
The Wiimote will need to be tilted from side to side in order to steer the lawnmower, and back-and-forth motions with the Wiimote and Nunchuck will help Travis exercise. Only when Travis is driving his futuristic motorcycle around town does the game suffer from less-than-spectacular controls. Sometimes the bike will boost with only a small amount of acceleration applied, and bumping into practically anything and everything will send Travis flying out of his seat. Navigating Santa Destroy is easy enough - the map is only so large. But there isn't much interesting to look at outside of the key locales.
The story does not take itself too seriously, but develops at a steady pace that allows players to gain a better understanding of who Travis Touchdown is and how his character evolves from the moment he sets out to become number one to the moment he enters the final boss fight. The side jobs are a bit lackluster, and the transition from fast and intense boss fight to slow and careful work proves a bit of an annoyance at first. That said, the boss fights are outstanding - as varied and as enjoyable as something like The Legend of Zelda series could dish out. No More Heroes is one wild ride - an incredible gaming experience that is also beautifully creative. The unique blend of action and style Suda 51 brings forth in No More Heroes leads it to be as much of a video game as it is a work of art.
The following are my top five games that I played during 2011. These are not necessarily the five games I ascribed the highest rating to. Rather, these are games that I found noteworthy for any number of reasons. In some cases, it was the fun factor. In others, it was brilliant gameplay. For most it was a combination of these. The games on this top five list cover different genres, series, and consoles. (A few games that I reviewed this year were ineligible, simply because they were games I had previously played but decided to revisit prior to writing my review. Those ineligible games include: Resident Evil 5, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Sonic Adventure, Halo 2, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion).
#5 - Devil May Cry 4: Devil May Cry is ridiculous. Guns blazing, swords spinning, and characters dishing out one-liners, there are a lot of elements that would point to this being just another predictable hack-and-slash game. But the degree of involvement with chaining combos and the freedom to invest in different moves sets this apart from the crowd. Plus, it's hard not to like Dante, cocky as he can be.
#4 - Transformers: War for Cybertron: High Moon has done a fantastic job with their fresh take on Transformers. This is a game that does not lean too heavily toward either the cartoon origins nor the live-action explosion-fest films. There's a solid variety of weapons at your disposal, while the campaign tries to emphasize one or two as being ideal to each character class. Transforming on the fly is incredibly fluid, and makes the multiplayer side of things all the more interesting.
#3 - Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver: I have not played a core Pokémon game in nearly ten years, but this is possibly the best way I could have returned to the series. While the main Pokémon and progression of the story are kept intact, a few changes make these DS remakes superior to their Gameboy Color predecessors. The most prominent difference is the user-friendly control scheme, courtesy of the Generation IV engine. But it certainly doesn't hurt to flesh out some of the side characters a little bit. Updated graphics and soundtrack, plus the inclusion of online play makes this the complete Gold and Silver experience.
#2 - Portal 2: Building off the groundwork of the first Portal, this sequel presents even more clever puzzles via aerial faith plates, light bridges, speed and propulsion gels. The story takes on a much more important role this time around, and in turn, the comedy is a step up from the memorable cynicism of GLaDOS in the first game. JK Simmons and Stephen Merchant brought out some of the best moments, while the entire package is a reminder that just because something is a wildly-praised cult classic doesn't mean it can't be improved upon.
#1 - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: The best Zelda game in over a decade, Skyward Sword puts the competition to shame with phenomenal storytelling, level design, artistic direction, and the most fine-tuned controls of any motion-based game to date. Since the original Legend of Zelda released twenty-five years ago, the series has long been considered one of the best in the adventure genre. But few have come close to contesting Ocarina of Time's spot at the top, a game many consider to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Whether or not Skyward Sword manages to trump Ocarina of Time is a matter of taste, but one thing is for certain: this swan song for the Wii gives the N64 classic a run for its money.
“My country lay within a vast desert. When the sun rose into the sky, a burning wind punished my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbed into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierced our homes. No matter when it came the wind carried the same thing... death. But the winds that blew across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin. I coveted that wind, I suppose. It can only be called fate... That here, I would again gather the three with the crests... That I should lay my hand on that which grants the wishes of the beholder... That when power, wisdom, and courage come together, the gods would have no choice but to come down... The power of the gods… The Triforce! He who touches it will have whatever he desires granted! Already the crest of wisdom is mine. All that remains… Do not fear. I will not kill you. I merely have need of the power that dwells within you. Now! Let us put an end to that which binds us together!”
Every one hundred years, the all-female Gerudo tribe gives birth to a male who is recognized as their king. As Demise promised Link and Zelda upon his defeat at the end of Skyward Sword, there would always be an incarnation of his hatred to walk upon the Earth. That revival comes in the form of Ganondorf, king of the Gerudo, usurper of Hyrule, and (as far as I'm concerned) the single greatest villain in video game history.
In A Link to the Past, Ganon is referred to as having once been a man, before he discovered a greater power that allowed him to transform into the powerful beast. As Ocarina of Time is the first game in the timeline confirmed to follow Skyward Sword, we can only assume that to be the first appearance of Ganondorf. As he makes clear to Link, Ganondorf intends to overthrow the king of Hyrule and command the power of the Triforce as his own. When Link removes the Master Sword from its pedestal in the Temple of Time, he opens the Sacred Realm, which allows Ganondorf to steal the Triforce of Power. He then uses it to reshape the kingdom as he sees fit.
During the seven years that followed, Link spent his time asleep in the Sacred Realm, while Zelda evaded Ganondorf’s grasp by taking on the guise of Sheik. Link eventually helped all six of the sages awaken, and they in turn helped him to forge a path to Hyrule castle, but not before Zelda revealed her true identity and was captured by Ganondorf. The only one capable of stopping Ganondorf, Link proceeded to his castle and ascended to find Ganondorf waiting for him. With all three pieces of the Triforce in one place, Ganondorf intended to kill Link, his only remaining opponent, and claim the Triforce of Courage.
Reflecting his own dark magic back at him, Link was able to defeat Ganondorf, but the Gerudo King used the Triforce of Power to transform himself into the beast Ganon. While Link lost his advantage temporarily, he was able to retrieve the Master Sword and, with the help of the sages, sealed Ganondorf away.
There are a number of theories regarding how the Legend of Zelda timeline progresses. For the sake of avoiding debate, I will simply be covering Ganondorf’s actions in the other two titles he appeared. In Twilight Princess, Ganondorf was recognized as a threat to the kingdom and the sages attempted to execute him. They soon realized the extent of his power, however, as a blade to the chest did little harm. Ganondorf killed the sage of water, and – seeing the severity of the situation – the other sages sealed him away in the Twilight Realm.
Once there, Ganondorf took advantage of Zant, leading him to believe that he was some kind of a God. He granted Zant some of his powers – enough to travel to Hyrule and shroud portions of it in Twilight, but nothing comparable to the strength of the Gerudo King himself. After Zant’s defeat, Link and Midna stormed Hyrule Castle to find Ganondorf had assumed the throne. Eventually they were able to free Zelda from his control, and Link killed him, driving the Master Sword through his preexisting wound.
In The Wind Waker, the same Ganondorf Link sealed away in Ocarina of Time has found a way out of the Sacred Realm. When he planned a second conquest of Hyrule, there was no hero to stop him, and so the Goddesses flooded the realm, creating the Great Ocean. Hundreds of years later, there are but a few who remain that know even a little about Hyrule, one of them being the King of Red Lions, talking boat and travelling companion of this era's Link. While the two set out to face the challenges of the tower of the Gods and retrieve the pieces of the shattered Triforce of Courage, Ganondorf has already sent his minions forth to kill the last two remaining sages, Laruto and Fado. He's also gathered quite a collection of young girls with pointed ears, hoping that one of them might be the descendant of Princess Zelda.
Around the midway point of his journeys, Link finds the Master Sword beneath Hyrule Castle. But the blade of evil's bane has lost all its power, forcing Link to tackle two more dungeons to return it to its former glory. At the same time, most of Ganondorf's power was sealed beneath the pedestal of the Master Sword. With it removed, Ganondorf is once again able to assume his Ganon form, as well as his superhuman strength. When Link ventures to his tower to face him, Ganondorf already has Tetra/Zelda, and makes quick work of Link, beating him until he is nearly unconscious. The three pieces of the Triforce resonate, and Ganondorf relays his wishes to the Goddess.
Unfortunately for him, the King of Red Lions (aka the King of Hyrule) intervenes, touching the Triforce first and bringing his own wish to wash away Hyrule to fruition. Outraged, Ganondorf then faces Link and Tetra one final time, intent on taking them down with him as the ocean floods in all around. Link ultimately prevails, with help from Tetra's carefully-aimed light arrows, and drives the Master Sword into Ganondorf's skull.
In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is at his most malicious, sending forth every imaginable enemy to hinder Link's progress and attempting to kill the Deku Tree, Jabu Jabu, the Gorons, and the Zoras. His hatred and anger are displayed quite prominently as well, through his rage after his castle collapses. In Twilight Princess, he takes on the role of puppeteer, hoping it will be too late for the people of Hyrule by the time they realize Zant is not the true threat. And in The Wind Waker, Ganondorf shows maturation since his time in the Sacred Realm. His plan is much more carefully laid out, and he nearly succeeds. When it's all said and done, though, Ganondorf is still as vengeful as ever, throwing everything he has at Link and Zelda. Despite how many times Link defeats him, Ganondorf and Ganon will continue to return, just as Demise said he would, bringing pure hatred wherever he goes. There aren't many video game villains that can be both as iconic and as enduring as Ganondorf. And those are the reasons he ranks as the greatest villain of all time.
Boss Themes:
I have two favorite themes for Ganondorf. The first is from Ocarina of Time, when Link parries magic spheres back at him. The second is the sword duel with Ganondorf at the end of The Wind Waker, and both of these easily fall among the most atmospheric and epic final boss battles I have ever played through in any video game.
