would have been tougher if link’s awakening was up against mirror’s edge catalyst, though it would have won against either. I think link’s awakening is kinda flawed (in that it’s a regular zelda and I always get bummed out by the way they handle puzzles and items), but it has a lot of character that makes me think fondly of it, which the mirror’s edge games lack. despite loving the parcouring, the visual cleanliness of mirror’s edge reads as nothingness to me and I don’t like it.
Super Mario 3D Land vs Sky Odyssey
I want to be voting for sky odyssey based on yarusenai’s post, it sounds like a wonderful thing, but I’ve neither played nor seen it so taking any position on that would feel dishonest.
Outrun vs FFT
outrun is cool. I like it a lot more than fft which is a game that looks like and talks like and sounds like a game that I’d love but happens to be a slow tactics game that also has the gall to have random encounters on the world map. every few years I get suckered into trying again cause I want to like it.
Umihara Kawase vs Wrestling
umihara kawase speaks to me. I think I just really like fiddly platforming with momentum. wrestling games are cool but I just goof with friends.
Disco Elysium vs Silent Hill 2
I love silent hill 2 but disco elysium gives me the impression of something I could love as much, maybe more, but I’ll never know cause my laptop would burn up if I tried running it. if it was against silent hill 3 (the best one) I’d have no doubt voting against disco.
Silent Hill vs Klonoa
all three first silent hill games are dear to me. I love many kinds of horror, from the viscerally upsetting, to the horribly tragic, to the goofily trashy and silent hill kinda moves across all these vectors to some degree. and they are incredibly beautiful at it. klonoa is cool, but not dear to me
DOTA2 vs Elevator Action Returns
I hate moba. I love shooting through immaculately detailed sideviews of urban buildings.
Super Mario Bros vs Animal Crossing
have lots of respect for both smb and ac, but I always end up really, REALLY depressed playing ac. tends to happen at whatever point animals start repeating their lines.
Ouendan vs EDF
have played hundreds of hours of ouendan and 10 of edf. edf in co-op wins out.
Dragon Quest 3 vs Zelda
dq3 did leave me with stronger feelings on completing it than zelda, which gives it my vote, although I feel like zelda is the well designed game here? comparing against the sfc version which I love the animations in, also that personality quiz is savage.
ffvi is the better game, but an even better ff is already on the bracket. rez wins i guess
mirror’s edge occupies more space in my life because of how much the game was made present (through advertising but mostly through conversations / images) when i started browsing videogame forums, but i care deeply about playing link’s awakening so it wins
don’t know much about either but @yarusenai 's writeup on sky odyssey gives it the edge. sky odyssey wins
final fantasy tactics is one of the best games you play alone in the dark. final tactics wins
don’t know what bubble bobble is. baba is you wins
umihara kawase wins because it’s fun and cute, even though everytime i look at it i’m remembered of cancelled ps2 game “densen” and get sad.
i want a treasure game up there. gunstar heroes wins
haven’t played either. disco elysium wins because the one silent hill game in my heart is 3 anyway
the ending of klonoa made me cry a little and i like the main character’s design. klonoa wins
dota is, and has always been, trash. elevator action returns, on the other hand, is the best arcade game. elevator action returns wins
super mario wins even though its first stage unleashed a scourge on this earth called “game design 101 videos on youtube”
no idea what ouendan is. edf wins
i don’t think i have it in me to ever play the first zelda at this point. dragon quest iii wins
Has anyone ever found out why they’ve been hit when playing Rez
Most of the appeal came from the aesthetics, which have lost some of their uniqueness in 2020. I’d rather play Super Hexagon and Thumper
Also Rez’s best moment was stolen from Radiant Silvergun
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING
vs. MIRROR’S EDGE
I have an ex-stepmother who sends me nice text messages every year at my birthday. I never answer.
When I was a kid we had a cat I saw almost every evening as I closed the house’s shutters. (One of my assigned tasks) The cat lived outside the house because my stepmother refused to let her inside. During a cold winter my sisters and I noticed our cat’s health was deteriorating and we pleaded to have the cat with us inside the house just for a few days. My stepmother refused. We found the cat dead in the garage the next week-end.
Later that week-end I finished Zelda LA on the game boy. As the island and its inhabitants all disappeared I cried again
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND
vs. SKY ODYSSEY
I don’t know anything about Sky Odyssey but the love here is infectious
I don’t remember anything about 3D land except flying over everything with the tanooki suit, bored
OUTRUN
vs. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
FFT’s music still gives me shivers just thinking about it
BABA IS YOU
vs. BUBBLE BOBBLE
No offense but I played Bubble Bobble as a kid and I don’t know why it’s here
Also fuck level 57
WCW/NWO REVENGE (AKI N64 wrestling representative)
vs. UMIHARA KAWASE
Also no offense but the first time I watched wrestling I basically thought « what is this slow ass fake shit, I don’t get it » I still don’t TBH
YUME NIKKI (2004)
vs. GUNSTAR HEROES
No vote
DISCO ELYSIUM
vs. SILENT HILL 2
I played SH2 in one go by pulling an all-nighter and finishing at 6AM with the water ending. Never touched it again. Unforgettable experience. Disco Elysium looks cool, not sure whether to vote SH2 or abstain
SILENT HILL
vs. KLONOA: DOOR TO PHANTOMILE
No vote
DOTA 2
vs. ELEVATOR ACTION RETURNS
No vote
SUPER MARIO BROS.
vs. ANIMAL CROSSING
God yes
OUENDAN / ELITE BEAT AGENTS series
vs. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE series
I got a lot of respect EDF for allowing you to noclip through the game in the remake by introducing a flying character
DRAGON QUEST III
vs. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
Both have aged pretty well but are sort of boring in this contest aren’t they? I’m probably going to vote Draque 3 just for the personality test but that’s it.
Someone put together a pretty good version of the Rez Area 5 music as heard in the game (as opposed to the soundtrack version, which is also pretty good but different).
I’ve never played Rez, but I’ve always wanted to. I’ve played Final Fantasy VI a fair amount, and always considered it a better experience than game. Winner: Rez
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING
vs. MIRROR’S EDGE
There has only been one Mirror’s Edge in my life, while there have been many a Zelda. Winner: Mirror’s Edge
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND
vs. SKY ODYSSEY
I’ll admit that yarusenai’s post makes a compelling argument, but Super Mario 3D Land is the game I’ve actually played. I also enjoy it enough to nominate it, so… Winner: Super Mario 3D Land
OUTRUN
vs. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
As I have played neither, I am willing to sell my vote for this fight. How much do y’all want it?
BABA IS YOU
vs. BUBBLE BOBBLE
Bubbles over Baba. Winner: Bubble Bobble
WCW/NWO REVENGE (AKI N64 wrestling representative)
vs. UMIHARA KAWASE
I think I recall playing WCW/NWO Revenge during visits to my cousin’s house on the south side of Puerto Rico, back when were were all kids. It didn’t make too much of an impression, but it seemed solid. That said, if anyone can prove my memories are false and implanted by an evil entity that wanted to ensure I voted one particular way, I can be swayed to vote for Umihara Kawase when the polls open. Winner: WCW/NWO Revenge.
YUME NIKKI (2004)
vs. GUNSTAR HEROES
Selling my vote, although I’m biased in favor of Gunstar Heroes, if there’s no takers.
DISCO ELYSIUM
vs. SILENT HILL 2
Have played neither; lean Disco Elysium.
SILENT HILL
vs. KLONOA: DOOR TO PHANTOMILE
Have played neither; lean Silent Hill.
DOTA 2
vs. ELEVATOR ACTION RETURNS
I’ve played neither, but I can see myself playing Elevator Action if the stars align. Winner: Elevator Action Returns.
SUPER MARIO BROS.
vs. ANIMAL CROSSING
Hardest bout yet, but not that hard. Again, Animal Crossing is the more singular experience–I’ve not bought the sequels–so it gets the nod. Winner: Animal Crossing
OUENDAN / ELITE BEAT AGENTS series
vs. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE series
Elite Beat Agents has one of the most perfect climaxes in storytelling. What does Earth Defense Force have? (I seriously don’t know). Winner: Elite Beat Agents
DRAGON QUEST III
vs. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
I’ve not played Dragon Quest III, but I have played parts of Dragon Quest IV, which I enjoyed more than the original Zelda, which remains interesting as a curiosity more than anything else. Winner: Dragon Quest III
These abstract utopias are gorgeous to me. I also just remembered how visceral the emptiness of the city and how I would [TW] jump off buildings to feel what it would be like. It wasn’t exactly a real suicidal ideation but I remember being pretty affected by it on some level
ff6 vs rez
I know this is like a boring opinion but sorry it’s true: final fantasy is the best videogames. they are so cool. (oops my avi). i had rez on a shelf for like 3 years and never played it.
links awakening vs mirrors edge
i have played a bastardload of mirror’s edge in my life. i dont rly like zelda but LA is defs my favourite type of zelda. But ive played more oracle of seasons than LA, which i prefer because it doesnt have that rly long “you cant pick this up with the power croissant” text every time u press the a button. there are like 4 of these zeldas and also for the frog the bell tolls, there is only one mirror’s edge. also that theme song is like the ideal videogame pop song rivalled only by final fantasy and kingdom hearts pop songs. all mirror’s edge was missing was some incredibly obtrusive pepsi collab all over it.
mario 3d land vs sky odyssey
i have beautiful memories of playing sky odyssey with blueberrysoft. 3d land is ok
outrun vs fft
final fantasy tactics owns and outrun has never grabbed me like outrun 2 and super hang on have.
baba vs bubble
i like the bubble bobble dinosaur.
wrestling vs umihara kawase
umihara kawase is one of the coolest games ever. i dont like wrestling
yume nikki vs gunstar heroes
i have zero interest in the 2000s internet rpg scene. treasure is like one of the pillars of videogames imo
disco elysium vs silent hill 2
idc man. silent hill i guess
silent hill vs klonoa
i think klonoa looks cool and i just voted for silent hill. my vote for klonoa is really a vote for floating runner tho
dota 2 vs elevator action returns
never played elevator action returns but i trust it is pretty sweet. i feel like being a moba or mmo fan must be hard bc ppl (me included) dismiss them like ppl dismiss ska, but also sorry! it’s like, videogames can be so so many different things and not all of those things interest me. and mobas and mmos are the least interesting of all to me.
mario bros vs animal crossing
i have never been fully satisfied with an animal crossing. like it’s almost extremely cool but it’s not quite there. mario is good
ouendan vs edf
edf is the best shit in the world. also i feel like it doesn’t get enough credit for its hyper accurate portraits of mundane japanese zones. suburban level, industrial level, slightly more built up suburban level with a larger train station. i lived in shin yokohama and im p sure they used that as a reference for some of their environments. also rudie have u ever been to bashamichi station. it is like 100% the edf subway station. it owns.
dq3 vs zelda
havent played either of these but dq is like leagues better than zelda imo. bachelor’s dq3 personality quiz thread was fun.
Okay hello. I sent out one volley in favor of Sky Odyssey. Already, it has touched hearts. This is good, but it is not enough. I’ve got two salted leek pancakes with garlic, one glass of water, an empty bladder, and this busted-ass Chromebook I got off ebay for $40 so I didn’t have to type cover letters on my phone last year. I’m here to put in some work. I hope the passion with which I try to write all this can swing a few more votes.
FINAL FANTASY VI (A game I have played)
vs. REZ (A game I have played)
Rez tangibly changed me. In my youth, still years away from the comedown from my DDR high, I downloaded the OST for Rez, desperate to get anything at the confluence of Music and Video Games into my brain. And in listening through it, somehow what got me wasn’t all the dance tracks, but instead the weird, clicky, empty songs written by Oval. It was unlike any electronic music I had ever heard – something contemplative, something with room for self-insertion. Oval’s “Textuell” can still bring me back to one of the few warm, happy spaces I occupied during childhood – in my room late at night, lit only by a computer screen, zoning out to these strange clicks-and-cuts, feeling like I had found something that understood me and the space inside me.
All these years later and I listen to ambient way more than I listen to any other genre of music. All because of Rez. So much more I could say, like the game’s beautiful final stage, and the absurd (unrealized) dream of creating asimulation of synesthesia – but all I’ll say is I’ll be writing the rest of this post listening to Oval, and that’s all because of Rez, reaching through all these years to still touch me in the present. With the sun slipping below the horizon as I write this, I can slip back into that space, in my room late at night, lit only by…
I played Final Fantasy VI (Advance) on a phone emulator while on tour back in 2015. I remember getting to the final dungeon while crossing through western Texas, starting to head into the desert. There was some mechanic about having to form two separate parties, one of which was so underleveled I felt like I had softlocked myself. I closed the emulator. I never opened it up again. I passed time the rest of that tour by talking to people. I think it was a better decision. I have no fond memories of Final Fantasy VI. I don’t really remember anything about it, actually, except for that experience at the start of the final dungeon.
I’m voting for Rez.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING (A game I have played)
vs. MIRROR’S EDGE (A game I have played)
I think Link’s Awakening is a great Zelda game. I won’t say it’s my favorite, I don’t have a favorite. But I have a few that touch me in some very important ways, and Link’s Awakening is one of them – an exploration of the impermanence of dreams and the melancholy intrinsically tied to that. The idea that I can have an experience like that on an OG Game Boy (not that I would!) is really something special to me.
I really want to like Mirror’s Edge, but it failed me. I’ve beaten it. It’s really neat, and it’s an important release that rippled out into the industry for years. But it doesn’t feel good! Something about the movement in that game is too…something. Might be too floaty, or too gritty, strange sense of weight – I haven’t played it in long enough that I can’t remember. I remember doing some movement tech in Apex Legends a bit ago and thinking “damn, I wish Mirror’s Edge felt like this”. Yes, Apex came later. Yes, it has a more limited verb set. But that limited verb set feels better to me. It scratched an itch that Mirror’s Edge had left me with years before. I don’t like to be itchy.
I’m voting for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND (A game I have played)
vs. SKY ODYSSEY (A game I have played)
I will start by saying I have 100% completed Super Mario 3D Land. I didn’t enjoy my time with it. Like, yeah, wow, it’s cool to have something like this on a handheld. But it’s so toothless. The one thing I count on in Mario games is that the movement physics will feel sublime, and I didn’t find that here. The only thing that has changed in my life since I 100%'d that game was being able to say that I 100%'d that game.
But god damn. Against Sky Odyssey? Sky Odyssey is something that hasn’t really been approached before or since. Sky Odyssey nails something specific and special – the moments of our species reaching out to the extremes of the planet, gripping the ice/stone/soil with whatever we can, and persisting only because of curiosity. Sky Odyssey understands the spirit of exploration. I don’t play Sky Odyssey for the missions, although the missions are legitimately enjoyable in both their execution and variety. I play Sky Odyssey for the chance to see a world most never will. Sky Odyssey is so many things I am genuinely not skilled enough to put into words. I hope someday I will be.
I’m voting for Sky Odyssey.
OUTRUN (A game I have played)
vs. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS (A game I have played)
Outrun is a game I want so badly to like, but it calls back to what I said about Mirror’s Edge – it doesn’t feel good to me. There is a disgusting pull to the outer edge of the corner when not drifting, and yet the drifts themselves don’t have the right kind of friction. It’s hard to nail that friction! I don’t think many racing games do.
I tried playing Final Fantasy Tactics many years ago. I bounced off it pretty hard. But I know a lot of people here like Final Fantasy Tactics, and I like a lot of people here, so I’m willing to put some faith in others. And it’s not just that, I do plan on playing Tactics at some point. I am interested in it. But I could live the rest of my life never touching Outrun again and I would be at peace with that. In fact, that’s probably what will happen.
I’m voting for Final Fantasy Tactics.
BABA IS YOU (A game I have not played)
vs. BUBBLE BOBBLE (A game I have not played)
I have played neither of these games. However, I am someone who is always trying to learn and grow, pushing against the tide of mental health and socioeconomic happenstance. I think that I would learn more about problem solving and “thinking outside the box” from playing Baba Is You than I would playing Bubble Bobble. The Bubble Bobble dino buds are cute, but not my kind of cute.
I’m voting for Baba Is You.
WCW/NWO REVENGE (AKI N64 wrestling representative) (A game I have not played)
vs. UMIHARA KAWASE (A game I have played)
Lotta wrestling heads in these parts. That’s cool. I respect that. My last partner was a wrestling head. We went to see wrestling live once and it was cool! I gained a new appreciation for it that day, a sort of ultra-physical theater, one in which I could really feel the level of trust that the performers place in each other. It expanded my heart. Plus, it gave me a real good memory: some dude being The Bad Guy was in the ring, riling people up by saying how much he thinks Virginia sucks, and a fella behind me shouted back “You’re right! Our cost of living is too high and our public transit is sorely lacking!”. I laughed about it for the rest of the night.
But I gotta say, I’m not a wrestling head.
What I am, however, is a loner at heart. And so is Umihara Kawase. A girl, lost in her dreams, but finding the most enjoyable way to navigate them. That’s me in a huge way.
I’m voting for Umihara Kawase.
YUME NIKKI (2004) (A game I have played)
vs. GUNSTAR HEROES (A game I have played)
I’ve tried Yume Nikki a few times before, but I always bounced off. It’s all about exploration, so it’s something I’m predisposed to like, but I don’t, because the exploration is boring! Maybe the rewards are worth it. If they are, let me know. I’d love to hear an impassioned plea in favor of Yume Nikki. I remember walking around in strange landscapes and encountering a whole lot of nothing.
Gunstar Heroes feels like a Kool-Aid Jammer stuffed full of hot sauce. It’s real good. The first time I played Gunstar Heroes was when I was in elementary school, living in a trailer park at the edge of a college town in North Carolina. My mom had gotten involved with some vaguely-Christian cult. She took me with her to one of the cultist’s places to spend time there, but all I cared about was escapism from my god damn miserable life via video games. They had a Genesis, which I had never played before so I latched onto it and wow! Gunstar Heroes. Treasure does what I like – they take a concept, they make it feel good, and they explore it. No need for excess. Months later after my mom separated from the cult, there was a knock on the door late at night on Christmas Eve, followed by a car driving away. I opened the door and there was a wrapped gift for me – an action figure of Metal Cooler from Dragon Ball Z. Attached was a note: “Don’t forget that Jesus loves you”. Jesus doesn’t love me. And I never liked action figures. If they wanted to make something happen…they should have given me Gunstar Heroes.
I really fucking hate thinking back on that time of my life. It all sucked so much. But there are a few positive things nestled in the midst of all that pain. Final Fantasy VII and IX taught me how to read fast enough I literally always finished multiple choice tests first in school. Game Boy Advance emulators taught me that even though I was poor doesn’t mean I couldn’t make shit happen for myself. And Gunstar Heroes showed me that there were still so many cool things in the world for me to discover, and there always would be.
I’m voting for Gunstar Heroes.
DISCO ELYSIUM (A game I have not played)
vs. SILENT HILL 2 (A game I have played)
Hey, this is a tough one! I have indeed played Silent Hill 2, but only a bit of it, and it was over a decade ago now so it’s all some hazy hazy memory that I can pull maybe two scenes out of. I haven’t played Disco Elysium, but one of my friends has been playing it when I was around for the past week or two and all the lefty kids of the family I rent a room from recommend it highly to me.
I think Disco Elysium will arouse my brain, but I think Silent Hill 2 will arouse my heart. I also plan to play Disco Elysium at some nebulous point in the future, but I plan to play Silent Hill 2 next month. The fact that I have a definite point at which I will play it says to me that Silent Hill 2 is the right choice.
I’m voting Silent Hill 2.
SILENT HILL (A game I have played)
vs. KLONOA: DOOR TO PHANTOMILE (A game I have not played)
I’m sure Klonoa is a kind and lovely game but it takes a lot for a side-scrolling platformer to really light something up inside me. Mostly, they feel stuffy. But if you wanna really talk feeling, let’s talk Silent Hill.
Silent Hill showed me the potential of horror games. I spent so many teenage years immersed in horror. All the horror films I could get my hands on. Amateur Youtube projects. /x/ and the birth of creepypasta. So much of it (especially the latter) is a bust in hindsight, but it was a really memorable part of my development to explore this unpleasant emotion to a depth I never thought I would. A lot of that media scared me, yeah. But it was temporary – a jump scare, a paranoia I’d laugh about the next day.
Silent Hill, however, shook me. I played Silent Hill during that same time period. I played it (in the dark, in my room, with the volume turned up) for a couple nights in a row one summer. There is one distinct moment from that game that will always stick with me. I was exploring the alternate hospital, and the whole time I’m looking around there’s this clanging coming from the basement. I look around the whole hospital, finding the items I need, solving puzzles, but after I’ve been through all the rooms I know I have to go to the basement to progress. I opened the door, and I’m standing in the stairwell, about to descend. The clanging is louder. I move a step or two forward and I realize…I don’t want to go down there. I don’t want to see what’s making that noise. I’m scared. I’m scared to a point of paralysis.
But I push forward. I look around the basement. Clanging. I find a crawlspace or something. The specifics are fuzzy at this point. I mostly remember how it felt. I go into the crawl space. Clanging. I hate it. I find a ladder in the crawl space going down into the ground. I’m so unnerved and I really just don’t want to go down. I don’t want to keep playing Silent Hill. It has, through graphics and sound and crafted atmosphere, terrified me. I had to snap myself out of it and remind myself that it was just a game to keep going. And I did keep going, and I beat it, and I was tense the whole time, and I loved it.
Maybe my memories are faulty. Maybe a lot of that stuff isn’t what actually happens. But it’s how I remember it. And I remember it fondly. Getting to experience one of the true things that video games can leverage as a medium – the player knowing that their progress is under their own momentum. I’m really interested in games as a holistic experience – the interplay of the context behind their creation, their music, mechanics, art style, feel – and Silent Hill was one of the first games I played that touched on that.
I’m voting for Silent Hill.
DOTA 2 (A game I have not played)
vs. ELEVATOR ACTION RETURNS (A game I have not played)
I really don’t know much about Elevator Action Returns. But I do have feelings on MOBAs. I have dated a few people who played MOBAs, one of them to a competitive level. You’d think MOBA players would make for great partners, right? MOBAs are all about collaboration, about communication and teamwork. So many concepts that would work great if applied to a relationship.
I regret to inform you that what many people get from MOBAs is a way to blame others for their own failures. And that does not at all make for a good relationship.
I say this like I’m on some high horse. My dumb ass is the reason those relationships failed. Maybe it would have been different if I had played MOBAs with them.
Also, I loved the Dota 2 thing that got put together here last week.
I’m voting for Dota 2.
SUPER MARIO BROS. (A game I have played)
vs. ANIMAL CROSSING (A game I have played)
Super Mario Brothers is one of the few side-scrolling platformers that feels really, really good just to move around in. It also holds a special spot in my heart, remembering the nights I spent alone with a Famicom and Suupaa Mario Burazaasu and a big fuckin’ Trinitron some rich family had gotten rid of, devoting myself to finishing the entire game without warps. I made it to 8-4 Bowser multiple times. But I never quite clinched it.
Someday I will.
I’m voting for Super Mario Brothers.
OUENDAN / ELITE BEAT AGENTS series (A game I have played)
vs. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE series (A game I have played)
I already really got on my soapbox in the last thread about Ouendan/EBA. I will make it short in this one: these games do not feel good to play. The meeting of Game and Music is unsatisfying.
I have dabbled in a little bit of the very first THE CHIKYUU BOUEIGUN but it wasn’t fun alone. I’m sure these games would be fun in co-op, but nobody I’ve ever asked would try them in co-op with me. Earth Defense Force offers me a dream in my heart that someday, me and that special someone will be squashin’ bugs together. That’s a dream I’ll hold onto fondly.
I’m voting for the Earth Defense Force series.
DRAGON QUEST III (A game I have played)
vs. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA (A game I have played)
I made it about halfway through Dragon Quest III. That’s around where I stall out on every Dragon Quest I try (except the first, because it’s so short). People often speak of how “comfy” these games are, but I can’t relate. It’s like sleeping over at a friend’s house, getting under one of their blankets and having it be the opposite of what you’re used to at home. Maybe it’s heavy and itchy, soaking up all the summer humidity, or maybe it’s too light and the fabric is pilling. Dragon Quest is the heavy itchy blanket that others swear by that I can’t get any damn sleep under.
The Legend of Zelda is a beautiful exercise in collaborative exploration. I heard so many stories about what it was like at release – kids sharing their stories on the playground, helping each other find the dungeons, figuring the world out together.
Four years ago, when I was holed up in a tiny sharehouse room in the Osaka suburbs, I reached out to you all through my beat-up old phone to give that experience to me. And you did. I reflect on that fondly as one of my most treasured experiences in video games.
Not long after I beat it, I read in-depth for the first time about Japanese war crimes (and thought in depth about what that sort of history means in terms of how I relate to Japan as a country in terms of my own Japanese identity. Years later, where I’m at is: I’m proud to be Japanese-American, but I don’t know if I’m proud to be Japanese.) and had such a bad mental breakdown that all I could really do for the next few weeks was read stories and forum posts from the Final Fantasy XI launch and watch the sun rise. It was not fun. But playing Zelda with everyone’s help was. It was the last really positive memory I had for quite a while. And it still means a lot to me to have experienced that.
There are some tough choices here. But also some not so tough ones.
FFVI vs. Rez
Rez has great music. FFVI has airships. Rez is short but sweet. FFVI is a long, slow burn. Both of them linger. I’ve finished Rez’s 5 stages several times (but not 100%) while I’ve started FFVI more than a couple times but never actually made it to the World of Ruin (roughly halfway through the game). A lot of FFVI is a mystery to me or just something I’ve heard of like the opera scene. Which ever one of these wins is going to have to go up against Dark Souls. What game could do that? Maybe FFVI? I’m leaning FFVI. It has moogles and that kind of seals it for me.
Link's Awakening vs. Mirror's Edge
You know Link’s Awakening is not a long game and despite playing it both on the original GameBoy and the latest remake I still haven’t ever finished it. I did finish Mirror’s Edge at least once and it was pretty good for the most part. One of these is going up against Dog Days. I doubt Mirror’s Edge has the, ahem, edge (lol) but I’m not confident in Link’s Awakening either. I’m probably going to vote Mirror’s Edge because I have a feeling everyone else is going to go for Link’s Awakening anyway.
Mario 3D Land vs. Sky Odyssey
3D Land is a joy but I’m going with Sky Odyssey. You don’t see games like Sky Odyssey that often anymore. A cross between an arcade-y airplane game and a flight sim. Objective-based stages but they’re big enough to poke at the edges and explore a little. Both games are very fun to learn and master but the winner here is going against Sonic Adventure and 3D Land might be on par with that game (despite their differences) but Sky Odyssey soars right over both red and blue jumping idiots.
OutRun vs. FF Tactics
I’m going OutRun. I like OutRun. I’ve played OutRun. I’ve played OutRun in the arcade even. I haven’t played FF Tactics yet. I hear it’s good. Is it good enough to beat Doom? Not a chance. OutRun won’t beat Doom either but it deserves to try.
Baba Is You vs. Bubble Bobble
Bub and Bob forever and ever amen. Baba is a great puzzle game. A game-changing puzzle game even. You could argue that Bubble Bobble has puzzle game-like elements to it but it’s really a platformer/action game and I like those more than I like puzzle games. Sorry Baba. More like Baba Is Defeated.
WCW/NWO vs. Umihara Kawase
Umihara Kawase is not horny. Ok maybe the latest one is but go back and look at the SNES game. Totally not horny. It’s good. It’s pure. It’s built around a grappling hook mechanic that feels good and there aren’t enough of those in games. Grappling hooks are hard to do. Meanwhile we’ve got some wrestling games I never played but I appreciate the passion backing them. If I was into wrestling I’d probably be all over creating a character (do you do that in these games) and going into the ring against, uh, Hulk Hogan and The Rock and The Undertaker and those are the only pro wrestlers I’m aware of sorry. I think the choice is obvious.
Yumi Nikki '04 vs. Gunstar Heroes
Ahhh I want to vote Gunstar Heroes because I’ve played it and it’s a real treasure by Treasure but Yumi Nikki, which I haven’t played, is described as a “surreal adventure game” and that sounds pretty awesome. Looking at images of it I recognize uboa’s avatar and that account makes a whole lot more sense now. Probably going to vote Yumi Nikki because I’d like to see the conversation when it’s up against Super Mario Bros. 3.
Disco Elysium vs. Silent Hill 2
Probably voting Disco Elysium despite not having played it yet. The reputation alone speaks to its quality. I’ve played and finished Silent Hill 2 though and I think everyone should do that at one point.
Silent Hill vs. Klonoa
I am voting Silent Hill here. Klonoa looks really good and I may have emulated one for a few minutes once but does Klonoa have a shot against EarthBound? Does Silent Hill for that matter? My main problem with Silent Hill is that as we get further away from it in time it becomes harder to recommend because for someone who hasn’t played it to experience it in it’s proper context is a lot of work. This is a problem with most early 3D games on the PS1/PS2. PS1 games in particular you have to either get original hardware + a CRT TV or get your emulator/shader settings tweaked just right to approximate the original hardware/display setups of the game’s era.
Super Mario Bros. all the way. If given the choice between hopping and bopping and bouncing my way through colorful obstacle courses or making sure my rent is paid and my house is clean I’m going to choose the obstacle course.
Quenden/EBA vs. EDF
Shooting missiles and leveling buildings swarming with giant ants never gets old. EDF! EDF! EDF!
Dragon Quest III vs. Legend of Zelda
This one’s tough. I love Dragon Quest but I also love the theme song for Zelda that plays during the slow opening scroll with the item list and stuff. That little musical loop moves me in ways none of the Dragon Quest songs can. Leaning toward Zelda right now but who knows. It’s early yet.
FF6 fulfills the promise of advances in JRPG storytelling that FF4 hinted at. best cast of characters in any FF which is even more impressive considering how large it is. and they all have unique combat gimmicks! “the villain wins” was an amazing third act twist to pull at the time (and hell even since imo). mode 7 firing on all cylinders, sublime music. i’m looking at screens in gamepro and can’t believe how good the graphics are. when i save up to buy it my mom makes us stop at my aunt’s house on the way home. i’m too excited to leave the car, just reading the instruction manual and looking at the screens on the back of the box. later, we’d have a power outage just as i beat atma weapon on the floating continent. my save was wiped. i was stoked to get to play through it all again.
Rez to me is the gimmick vibrator game that was cute at the time but i’d also rather play Thumper or just about any other rhythm game
so many games i haven’t played. it almost feels shameful.
FINAL FANTASY VI vs. REZ
Look, I’m gonna be honest with you. As much as I love its soundtrack, I’ve never finished FF6. All of my playthroughs have fizzled out somewhere adjacent to the floating continent. Is it just me? I don’t know.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK’S AWAKENING vs. MIRROR’S EDGE
The beach scene makes me cry every time, but I really don’t like how the overworld is structured. It’s feels too aggressively sectioned off and gated, making the game’s artifice too apparent to my jaded mind.
Mirror’s Edge feels like a game I would like in spite of its flaws, but I haven’t played it. Oops.
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND vs. SKY ODYSSEY
I found 3D World to be a fun multiplayer game, but it’s kinda limp as a single-player game, so I can’t see myself being thrilled with 3D Land. On the other hand, I have never played Sky Odyssey but I know arcade-y flight games are good and the enthusiasm in this thread is just plain infectious.
OUTRUN vs. FINAL FANTASY TACTICS
I dunno. I can’t remember if I’ve actually played Outrun, but I know its general tone vibe. I’ve also played enough raster racers to know that I don’t really like how any of them handle, even though I always love the look.
Somehow I feel like I know next to nothing about FFT.
abstain
BABA IS YOU vs. BUBBLE BOBBLE
This match-up is making me feel very jaded because I’m pretty sure that I wouldn’t like Bubble Bobble if I went back to it. Likewise, I haven’t played Baba is You because I’m half-convinced that the gimmick won’t be as fun as it appears at first.
Voting for Alley Cat.
WCW/NWO REVENGE (AKI N64 wrestling representative) vs. UMIHARA KAWASE
I could never figure out how to do any of the supposedly interesting maneuvers in Umihara, so I’m defaulting towards the wrestling game because wrestling your friends in real life is fun sometimes and I remember the character creator in these games being fun (these games had character creators, right?).
YUME NIKKI (2004) vs. GUNSTAR HEROES
I have too many fun co-op memories with Gunstar to vote against it here. Golden Silver is a great final boss, and still one of the best examples of one that mirrors all the elemental powers available to the player. Also, his theme owns:
DISCO ELYSIUM vs. SILENT HILL 2
The makers of Disco Elysium giving shoutouts to Marx et al was the only good part of The Game Awards last year (do not watch The Game Awards).
My main mental association with Silent Hill 2 is mid-00s forum arguments about games being deep or art or some nonsense like that. Oh, and the Silent Hill wiki guy.
Disco Elysium
SILENT HILL vs. KLONOA: DOOR TO PHANTOMILE
“Hey baby. I WANT Klonoa.”
DOTA 2 vs. ELEVATOR ACTION RETURNS
Earnestly hoping that this match will have an 20-80 spilt (or better) in favor of Elevator Action Returns. Don’t fail me SB.
SUPER MARIO BROS. vs. ANIMAL CROSSING
I once had a neighbor with an NES and SMB1. One time I claimed that I was able to beat the game warpless, despite never having done so. The maze castles and world 8 were harrowing, but I managed to save the princess on my last life. Felt unreasonably proud about that.
The game feels good to move around in, and I like the sense of commitment that the rachet scrolling brings.
Animal Crossing has never managed to successfully capture my imagination. Sorry.
OUENDAN / ELITE BEAT AGENTS series vs. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE series
Of the games I seriously nominated, Ouendan is probably the one I least care about.
Never played an EDF, but I hear the games embrace their jankiness and I can’t help but respect that.
EDF
DRAGON QUEST III vs. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA
I’m not sure if I’ll ever finish DQ3, but that personality test at the beginning is great. I leaning towards DQ3, and it’s definitely not because the game said I was a great person.
Looks like I’ll be voting for a good chunk of games I haven’t really played, like the unprincipled hack I am.
That’s funny. When I decided I was going to vote against Zelda here, it was this intro part more than the game itself that kept coming to mind as a high point for me.
final fantasy 6 because it owns and the characters are good. rez is fine, but there are better rail shooters out there.
link’s awakening is the best zelda game, so it gets a vote. credit to mirror’s edge for being a strikingly creative game from a time and company where that sort of thing was more or less unheard of.
sky odyssey. never played it, but it looks cool, which is more than what 3d land has.
final fantasy tactics. i don’t necessarily think it’s better than outrun, but outrun deserves to lose as payback for yu suzuki lying to us all about how good ferrari is.
bubble bobble because it is bubble bobble, motherfucker. i don’t got to explain shit.
wcw/nwo revenge is the nintendo 64’s big dog. the fast and frenetic energy of sports entertainment, and wcw’s massive “ted turner has money suck it vince mcmahon” roster fused together by a company that would later make the greatest series of girl dress up games (this is not an insult) is a joy and a miracle to behold.
gunstar heroes is everything i like about video games. bright and colorful, loud and explodey (this is a word now). yume nikki is a tremendous piece of art to be played once, then carefully filed away in your mind. but gunstar still gets my vote.
silent hill 2 because disco elysium is too cynical for its message to be apprecia-ha ha ha no, i’m kidding. silent hill 2 is better because i’m anti-pc.
silent hill 1. klonoa is a great game, but silent hill really exemplifies the spirit that represented the playstation’s life. being experimental with the format of games, something konami was really good at during this time.
elevator action returns. there has never been a better time to get into elevator action returns.
super mario brothers is still, decades later, still one of the most well-designed games ever made. also without it, we probably wouldn’t be talking about a lot of other games on here.
earth defense force because it is enjoyable trash. ouendan can suck my fuckin nuts those games are awful.
Most of this comes down to game I have played vs game I haven’t, which means lol I’m going to have to vote for the wrestling game even though I don’t particularly like wrestling. Was fun to play at a friend’s place in high school though
I feel like I would vote for dragon Quest 3 if I had played it, but alas
Oh hey cool Mirror’s Edge made the cut I wonder what it ended up matched up against?
*checks
…fuck.
Mirror’s Edge is a tremendous game that 100% got its main mode and side modes crossed up. The main story mode is a bit of a mess with awful combat and challenges that rarely require too much of the frankly impressive set of moves you are given to traverse the world with. The time trials have zero combat and require you to fully embrace your abilities to truly excel there.
Sure you can just jump over a high fence, but that requires climbing over the top bit which slows you down. You can also pull your legs up to jump over lower ones cleanly. You can also wall run beforehand and leap off at just the right moment to actually push off the top of the fence a bit and pick up momentum rather than lose it.
The time trials also reveal how clever the level design can be as once you are forced to get to learn the intricacies of your moveset you notice all these random bits that exist that you can actually use to get through a section much quicker, and the 3 star time trial times often require you to get your pathing through an area as optimal as possible.
Link’s Awakening is pretty great, don’t get me wrong. I would hate to run a negative ad against it, but if I am forced to…
…do you really want to vote for a game that had those unavoidable triple text boxes every time you bumped into a crystal? What kind of message does that send to the children?
I have played a decent amount of them, but none of the early ones besides the DS remakes. Was going to buy the switch versions but they are so ugly that I was put off
