if there’s one thing that the past 5 years have taught me it’s that chicks dig undertale
Yeah I feel pretty sure undertale is gonna win that, and that makes me sad.
2 Likes
katamari damacy. super turbo is fantastic, utterly timeless, and without it, we wouldn’t have one of the greatest genres of games as we know it today. but katamari is something on an entirely different level. it has something that a lot of games in this round have, and that’s heart. it’s cute, it’s funny, every little area is loaded with personality. the graphics, the music, the simple act of rolling. a wonderful game that even its own sequels couldn’t surpass.
resident evil 4, baby! for better or for worse, re4 is video games. this interactive tour of increasingly bombastic setpieces, with little in the way of filler or downtime. it’s fun. it’s gory. it’s hilarious. leon kennedy is gaming’s greatest himbo, and the plot revels in this fact. once you’re done with the amazing campaign, there’s a score attack mode that you can play, including vastly different characters (in terms of look and playstyle), and new areas and enemies. it’s a game that you should buy every time it is inevitably re-released on a new console. eventually, i’m sure capcom will work out some deal that re4 gets shipped with every new system the same way solitaire is included with every pc.
undertale. undertale is the first of many games this round that are great, but have fanbases that can charitably be described as “obnoxious as fuck.” but like katamari damacy, undertale does have a lot of heart put into the game. did i like it as much as the rest of the world did? no, definitely not. but as far as a nice, at times emotional, rpg? yeah, i think it’s great. it’s unique takes on humor and gamer expectations are things that will be ripped off for decades to come.
shadow of the colossus. like undertale, it’s great, but you really wish people who think the game is great would shut the fuck up already. it also inadvertently kicked off an obnoxious trend of eugenics-loving white dudes going on about “games as art” that we will never recover from. but that’s not the game’s fault. instead, i will simply look at the game for what it is: an incredible action-platformer with boss battles that differ with each encounter. it rules.
third fucking strike, motherfucker. probably because, of all the street fighters, it’s the one i took to the quickest. could be the incredible music, or the fantastic animation. it could be the excitement you feel when you take on another player and you’re both greeted with that awesome LET’S GET IT ON NOW SELECT AND MAKE YOUR FIRST PICK LET’S GET IT ON YO TEN NINE EIGHT SEVEN SIX. it could be that, even now, it’s among the top fighting games solely in terms of how good it feels to play, whether it’s landing a punishing counter combo, or pulling off a clutch parry. breath of the wild was simply not a good game, let alone a good zelda game.
cave story is my favorite “indie” game, bar none. it was heavily influential on me as a creator. seeing a guy single-handedly put this exceptional game together, and making it as incredible as one exceptionally talented person could, is great. cave story is loaded with little details that make mimiga island feel like a real world that people live in, rather than a series of video game levels. it rules, and you should play the original freeware game with a widescreen mod (or not; i ain’t your momma), rather than give nicalis any money because fuck nicalis.
killer7. going with killer7 here because this game expanded my mind, galaxy brain style, back in 2005. killer7 is the video game equivalent of a messy, dramatic bitch that exudes an air of confidence and doesn’t give a fuck. it’s ugly, it’s raw, it barely makes sense at the best of times, there’s a luchador in it, it is everything that i love in art in my cynical mid-30s. a violent condemnation of the united states, and geopolitical bullshit. if a game like this came out today, suda51 would be getting death threats and articles calling him a piece of shit. lord help the world if he turned out to be trans.
rondo of blood. aside from being a top 3 castlevania (alongside symphony of the night and bloodlines), rondo is another one of those games loaded with finesse and style, with every corner packed with little details to be admired on repeated playthroughs. richter and maria have vastly different ways of moving and attacking, which only serve to complement the games’ level design and game mechanics. it owns, and was outstanding on a system already loaded with quality games.
demon’s souls. nights into dreams is a game that is unrivaled in its “sega” aesthetic. you can pull it out (lol) once a year (preferably christmas) and enjoy it and struggle not to cry when that ending theme hits. but demon’s souls has more “meat” to it. much as i love nights, it does feel at time like there’s more sizzle than steak. i will try to stop talking about games in regards to food now. des has this overbearing atmosphere that its spiritual sequels (barring bloodborne), or even its own remake can’t capture. boletaria and the surrounding lands all look like a world that has fallen apart. definitely the best game based on the hit manga series, berserk.
sonic mania. love sonic. sonic fucking rules, dude. sonic mania was more than a nostalgia trip for a sega kid like me, it was an exceptional piece of video game. i think i once likened it to an alternate timeline where the saturn had a real sonic game. it’s fun to sometimes close my eyes and imagine that world.
outrun 2. i know that i said outrun deserves to lose due to yu suzuki being a lying asshole. as someone who has recently gotten into actual auto racing, i will tell you straight up that ferrari is not great. ferrari is run by incompetent clown shoes magically turned into human beings. you have a multiple time world champion in sebastian vettel as your driver, but thanks to mismanagement and your “master plan,” you’ve prevented him from being able to crack the top 10 in his last few races. vettel rules, and thankfully, he’s on his way to aston martin after this season is over. anyways. i grew up being told through sega games that ferrari was this top-tier car manufacturer that made the world’s most perfect car. instead, they’re too busy making a living legend into a joke. that being said, outrun 2 is a legitimately good game, leagues ahead of the first outrun. ferrari, you can go to hell.
12 Likes
never played undertale but the idea of a genocide and pacifist path irritates me and makes me want to kill not 100 percent of things in the game but maybe around 50 percent
4 Likes
you get different endings if you kill all monsters, kill no monsters, or kill some monsters and certain bosses
in context it makes the most sense (narratively and emotionally) to kill no one, the kill em all ending is a bonus that exists as an extension of the “win battles without actually fighting” conceit and ties in with the meta shit the game is doing in a creepypasta-ish but also very neat way. The game expects you to treat it like a normal rpg at first blush and isn’t as judgy about killing some of the monsters as you would think, it’s meant to be replayed (while also yelling at you and making fun of you for replaying it lol)
Undertale is cool imho
7 Likes
Welcome to GameFAQs where every matchup is a GameFAQs poll
KATAMARI DAMACY
vs.
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO
Katamari Damacy, its still a splendid experience and it’s not a fighting game
RESIDENT EVIL 4
vs.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK
Pass, I feel like having opinions about either of these games is too much effort for me
UNDERTALE
vs.
CRAZY TAXI
Crazy Taxi is cool, Undertale did not impress me
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
vs.
PUYO PUYO SERIES
Puyo Puyo series just because I don’t like Shadow of the Colossus. Every terrible thing in modern AAA lawnmower games can be traced back to SotC.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD
vs.
STREET FIGHTER III THIRD STRIKE: FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE
pass, I don’t want either of these games to win
CAVE STORY
vs.
TETRIS: THE ABSOLUTE: THE GRANDMASTER 2 PLUS
TGM2+, of course. Cave Story is real good, and a wonderful work but I’m not gobsmacked by high levels of play the way I am with TGM.
KILLER7
vs.
SUPER METROID
Ugh, I don’t know. It’s not 2005 any more and I never posted on insert credit. They’re both good games. I’ll probably decide which I’m voting on minutes before the poll is over.
CASTLEVANIA: RONDO OF BLOOD
vs.
MYSTERY DUNGEON: SHIREN THE WANDERER (1995)
Shiren the Wanderer 100%, it’s still one of a small handful of roguelikes that I like. It even manages the trick of unlocking features for subsequent runs feel pleasantly integrated rather than a stapled on anti-feature to stretch out play time.
DEMON’S SOULS (2009)
vs.
NIGHTS INTO DREAMS…
Demon’s Souls, I’m not good enough at video games to play Nights into Dreams, give me something pleasant and breezy like Demon’s Souls instead.
RIVEN
vs.
SONIC MANIA
Riven is a masterpiece in every way, and Sonic Mania is a Sonic game. I hate mascots and I love fucking up colonialists in a pacifist adventure game with puzzles so well integrated into the writing that I don’t even register that I’m solving puzzles anymore.
OUTRUN 2
vs.
GAME BOY CAMERA
Outrun 2 is damn perfect and I already voted against the Game Boy Camera once. (the camera is cool but I don’t think it rates)
4 Likes
katamari wins by virtue of being adorable and having the best soundtrack of any videogame ever, probably. also sf2 killed my boy (minecraft) and i’ll never forgive it
this is the first of the really hard ones for me. i appreciate majora for being a depressing game about repeating mistakes over and over, but i just can’t help it: re4 is just so effortlessly pleasant. a nice hot-afternoon-shower of an action game, plus it’s got the atache case!
only played undertale out of these, and didn’t like it much. the fight mechanic is novel but none of the game’s emotional beats or worldbuilding actually touched me. it still wins in my heart because i respect it so much. it’s a foundational experience for so many people, on such a deep level, i love thinking about it even if i don’t stand the twee-ness of it all. the offspring is fine but doesn’t get close, really
if i were on my right mind, i’d say puyo because it’s such a good puzzle thing. sotc, though, is beautiful and i have so many memories of it so it wins
third strike wins because i don’t like having to stare at the stamina wheel thingy in order to go from place to place in breath of the wild
same as puyo, tetris probably should win. i’m voting cave story though. perfect comfort food game
didn’t play either. killer7 is stylish so it wins
one day i’ll play shiren (or any mystery dungeon) and i’ll probably love it. that day is not today. rondo of blood wins
demon’s is the quintessential ps3 action game and i love my chunky ps3. it’s both very simple and straightforward as a 3d action piece, but also really elegant and inspired in terms of atmosphere. i also loved it’s completely broken online ecosystem
don’t care about either. sonic wins because of the soundtrack
outrun 2 wins because it’s the good one
3 Likes
katamari > sf2 no contest
maj mask > resi4, this was a tough one but i decided resi4 is a little too long and has some boring parts. i have a friend who loves maj mask more than i like anything in the world and his enthusiasm is infectious. i will never play it but i watched him play it one hungover morning and it was really nice
crazy taxi > undertale which i feel almost guilty about because i know how much undertale means to people, but sorry! i cant get into it
sotc > puyo puyo bc tbh i rly like ueda games even though this is the worst of the 3
sf3 > botwuh because i am more interested in playing the games that are coming out now that have the same grafix as botwuh than i am in playing botwuh ever again. and sf3 is still in a league of its own graphically
tetris > cave story cause idk ive played most of cave story and i dont care
killer7 > supmet because killer7 is the cool one
rondo > shiren because rondo rules. ive never played a dungeon game and i would like to but i probably would play another one anyway
demons souls > nights i think??? god this is hard im not sure
sonic > riven bc idc abt myst type stuff
outrun 2 > gbc because outrun 2 > almost anything. why isnt there a game boy camera app for my phone. maybe there is and actually i dont rly care. its still better than deus ex tho
5 Likes
Katamari Damacy & Super Turbo
I love the symmetrical control scheme of Katamari Damacy and how your thumbs are arms. I really love that the objects are both obstacles and collectibles. The metaphorical controls and the arena within arena maps anchor the game loop with a self similarity even as the scaling gets wild.
I can automatically enjoy the content while playing a level in Katamari. I can try to appreciate the breadth and depth of Super Turbo, but I struggle to not be concerned with anything other than the outcome of the match.
Might abstain.
2 Likes
There are some tough choices in this round. Here’s what I’m feeling so far.
KATAMARI DAMACY
vs.
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO
I’m a lonely rolling star forever and ever.
RESIDENT EVIL 4
vs.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK
Tapping this post out on a Chicago Typewriter.
UNDERTALE
vs.
CRAZY TAXI
Undertale has good music but Crazy Taxi has The Offspring and Bad Religion so there’s no comparison.
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
vs.
PUYO PUYO SERIES
“It’s more like another dimension. You take a journey and discover yourself.”
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD
vs.
STREET FIGHTER III THIRD STRIKE: FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE
Breath of the Wild is the best Zelda game since the original.
CAVE STORY
vs.
TETRIS: THE ABSOLUTE: THE GRANDMASTER 2 PLUS
I prefer the NES or Game Boy versions but TTATG2+ counts as Tetris so I’m voting Tetris no matter how good Cave Story is how important it was for indie gaming.
KILLER7
vs.
SUPER METROID
CASTLEVANIA: RONDO OF BLOOD
vs.
MYSTERY DUNGEON: SHIREN THE WANDERER (1995)
Argh this is hard. I’m leaning Castlevania right now. Rondo of Blood was the last in the old style Castlevanias before Symphony of the Night changed everything and is probably the best version of that style.
DEMON’S SOULS (2009)
vs.
NIGHTS INTO DREAMS…
Another tough one. NiGHTS is a legendary game but my heart is saying Demon’s Souls.
RIVEN
vs.
SONIC MANIA
I feel like no matter which way I answer this I’m going to piss off half the forum.
OUTRUN 2
vs.
GAME BOY CAMERA
It’s not a vote against the Game Boy Camera it’s a vote for the Ferrari Testarossa okay.
3 Likes
this is something that isn’t brought up a lot, so i’m glad you mentioned it. it is a game meant to be replayed over and over so you can see all the different outcomes, not just in endings but just in the myriad of interactions you can have, and it’s so so smart about that. so often on my playthroughs of the game I asked myself “Can I do this thing with this?” (because any other game would be like “of course not!”) but the game had thought of that and comes up with funny, ridiculous outcomes that were so surprising to discover and stumble upon (Stick interactions, pet the guard dog, to name a few) I love how specific some of these endings can be, i love that they’re representative of the ripples your actions can take with your limited interactions. it makes you feel like no enemy and no boss is just a game enemy, they’re a part of this world that you’re removing when you kill them, and the world sort of reacts appropriately to that. Take Jerry for instance, his completely lack of consequence to the world is hilarious and is the only enemy that does that. The game actively hates him and describes all of his actions as unwanted and obnoxious. IIRC you can kill him and still get the “best” ending. I think that’s incredibly mean, but also funny.
Undertale it’s this wonderful little toy of a world that is this incredibly full meal to any obsessive fan to push it and explore to its limits. Its third wall breaks somtimes chastises you for doing that, but I don’t feel are criticisms of the player and their playing habits necessarily. I feel that’s just the game trying to hit you harder and personal so you don’t lose that special feeling that the game has of feeling like it’s something more, like it’s this more-than-just-a-game world that fights back as you try to reduce it down to a game, to a set number of events, triggers, content. It’s a game about the consequences the player inflicts upon the world, so it’s only fair that it creates a specific outcome in which the world is permanently afflicted no matter how much you reset it, in contrast to the “best ending” in which the world is completely reset and won’t acknowledge it being a repeat playthrough if you do a New Game. The best and worse endings are just mirrors of each other, and the game even outright tells you that there are no answers as to what you’re doing is truly “moral or amoral.” I think people get hung up on that too much when trying to criticize it, saying that it makes you feel bad for this or that. I don’t think that’s true. There are multiple characters that address the player specifically, but they aren’t the voice of God, they’re just characters that are aware they’re trapped in this toy world you play with, and will act accordingly to their character and motives. it’s a way more smart game than people give it credit for. Undertale is cool imho
11 Likes
I recommend muting The Offspring to play Crazy Taxi to Megalovania
Best of both worlds
8 Likes
i fuckin love Crazy Taxi so don’t get me wrong this is a nightmare matchup to me. I think I’ll ultimately go towards Undertale but if Crazy Taxi is lagging too far behind I’ll feel really bad and vote for it instead
1 Like
You pushed me to reconsider my stance and try Undertale again without caring about the ending I get slotted into, but I can’t bear to vote against Crazy Taxi so I’ll probably just abstain.
Crazy Taxi is the core appeal of PS2 open world games (driving like jehu to objectives) with heart attack mode. Who fucken needs R*
Undertale feels more like it’s wasting my time than scolding me. I get it. I get it. OK. No, I get it. There’s more to Earthbound than the pray command.
1 Like
there’s more to undertale than earthbound fangame
it’s also a shin megami tensei and persona fangame
2 Likes
also unlike eb and persona, undertale is actually good
i like all of those games 
earthbound is good. some of the personas are good…
undertale tries to be a game 100% about the demon conversations from smt where killing is the least optimal strategy, and i think it does that well. it could only be better by being a bigger game where failure/fighting was more of an option, but then i don’t think it would be the same
2 Likes
You kill a lot of random monsters (sometimes even humans) in every RPG and the consequences for this are never addressed. What if they were?
This shit is so trite I can’t engage with it. The Sorrow veered into sophomoric gag territory in 2004. I can’t take a “you like all the killing, don’t you?” metafictional titty twister as seriously as Undertale wanted me to ten years on.
The music is great, though.
2 Likes
yknow i never want to be offended on behalf of games themselves but takes that reductive make me wonder what you think of the tastes of ppl who already said this game means something more than that to them. and that it’s less trite than that as a whole