Summer Games Challenge 2016

[BoneSnapDeez]

I had Dragon's Curse on my list a couple of years ago but couldn't get 'er done. I'd like to finish the first game before revisiting it.

[Sarge]

Dragon's Curse is the TG-16 version, right? I've heard in some corners that the SMS version is better, but I don't know how true that is.

[prfsnl_gmr]

True story: The only Wonder Boy game I have beaten is Adventure Island.

[Sarge]

Which Adventure Island? Because apparently, Dragon's Curse came out in Japan as Adventure Island. No, really.

Or maybe that's the joke.

[alienjesus]

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is the best game on the Master System, and probably the best game in the series. WB in Monster World and Monster World IV sure as hell give it a run for it's money though.

[noiseredux]

Wonder Boy In Monster World was on my 2014 Summer Gaming list. I got bored w/ it and quit after 3 or 4 hours.

I don't think I've played any of the others (except Adventure Island). I have Wonder Boy III Monster Lair on Steam, though.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Which Adventure Island? Because apparently, Dragon's Curse came out in Japan as Adventure Island. No, really.

Great catch!

BTW, I have only beaten Adventure Island (NES), I.e., the re-skinned version of the original Wonder Boy. It is only OK.

[noiseredux]

for the hell of it, I tried to find my old lists.


2011:

Chrono Trigger
Dead Or Alive
Duke Nukem 3D
Mega Man X4
Metal Gear Solid
Mr. Driller
Myst
Ridge Racer
R-Type Delta
Silent Hill


2012:

Beats of Rage
Cave Story
Corpse Party -Rebuilt-
Fallout
Grand Theft Auto Vice City
Half-Life
Indigo Prophecy
Loom
Super Fighter
VVVVVV


2013:

Castlevania Rondo Of Blood
Doom
Eye Of The Beholder
Final Fantasy
Killer7
Nights Into Dreams
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Panzer Dragoon
Resident Evil 4
Tomb Raider


2014:

Aliens Versus Predator
Batman Arkham Asylum
Dragon's Lair
Fallout
Loom
Metal Slug 3
Phantasy Star IV
Sonic 3 And Knuckles
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Wonder Boy In Monster World


2015:

The Adventures Of Willy Beamish
Bloodrayne
Bonk's Adventure
Call Of Duty
Diablo
Dragon Quest
The Great Giana Sisters
King Of Fighters 2002
Loom
Outrun Coast 2 Coast



I probably won't do a Summer Gaming list this year.

For Together Retro I'll be playing COD, Daytona and Metal Slug. And I enjoy playing Summer "themed" games in Summer. So I'll probably be doing that as well. Plus, there's plenty of good looking games coming out between now and June that I'm sure I'll still be checking out.

[Ack]

And lo, the spirited defense begins. Here are my counter arguments for my list:

Alone in the Dark - I realize this is a Together Retro choice for October, 2016. Unfortunately since a) I'll likely be writing the TR intro piece on it, and b) I will be unlikely to have much time for games due to my annual horror movie marathon, I figured I'd go ahead and get in on the action now. Also the "classic" status of this appears to be undisputed.

Castlevania - No defense necessary. Everyone supports this.

Crusader: No Remorse - Computer Gaming World awarded this game Action Game of the Year in 1995 and declared it one of the best PC games ever released the next year. Techtite declared it one of the best 50 games ever made in 2000. The Interplay Entertainment development team of the original Fallout cite this as a major source of inspiration.

Dragon Warrior - Seems like this is undisputed. I'll likely be playing the GBC version.

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - This doesn't seem to have been disputed.

John Madden Football - The first in a long running series. I'll likely play the SNES version just because it's what I have access to.

Magic Carpet - I believe this was the effective progenitor of 6 Degrees of Freedom FPS, though I'm not sure if it beat Descent out of the gate. At the time of its release, it was a technical marvel fueled by the brain of Peter Molyneux, and it realized 3D FPS design along with deformable terrain and open world gameplay years before this became the norm.

Mortal Kombat 3 - This game actually holds a world record for largest promotional campaign. It also led to significant changes in the MK series' style and gameplay, introducing new characters(with new digitized actors), a more West-oriented theme, the dial-a-combo system, run mechanics, the Kombat Kode, Choose Your Destiny system, and many more offerings that are now synonymous with the Mortal Kombat brand.

Sanitarium - This was a bright spot in the waning years of the point-and-click adventure genre before it largely vanished in the early 2000s. Sanitarium received numerous nominations regarding its gameplay and story but unfortunately was repeatedly beat out by or tied with the other major point-and-click released in 1998. Adventure genre aficionados do consider Sanitarium to be a classic, and they hold it up both alongside other adventure games as well as other horror games. In fact Adventure-fan sites like Just Adventure and Adventure Classic Gaming hold Sanitarium up as one of the best in the genre.

SimCity 2000 - I've beaten SimCity. Not only did SimCity 2000 expand upon the formula, it's actually showcased in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Super Punch-Out - This is the continuation of the classic Punch-Out formula and was the effective end of the series for over a decade. It was highly praised upon release. It's also the only SNES game developed by Nintendo's IRD team.

System Shock - This appears to have been undisputed.

Thief Gold - This also appears to have been undisputed.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon - Not only did this game receive numerous accolades, awards, and nominations, it is also credited for spawning the long-lived Ghost Recon series and refining the entire tactical shooter subgenre of FPS along with previous Tom Clancy game Rainbow Six. It was also the first video game to use Tom Clancy's name without being based on one of his books.

Turok: Dinosaur Hunter - At the time of its release, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was the most successful console FPS ever released. It was the first console FPS game to become a Nintendo's Players Choice game and paved the way for the likes of 007: GoldenEye to be released. It also helped define how FPS games would use the Nintendo 64 controller for motion and starts the popular Turok series that would help define the N64 library.

Ultima II/IV - Each of these is significant in its own way. They all feature varying gameplay, and the Ultima series operates in loose trilogies, so IV is the start of a new subseries within Ultima. Ultima II lead to the foundation of Origin Systems, III introduced tactical combat with a group of characters(partly inspired by Wizardry), and IV introduced the concept of morality systems into video games. But to prevent too much Ultima, I'll drop III...for now.

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Here is what I am willing to drop:

Bioshock - It has been hugely influential...but it was also only released 9 years ago. I will hold off and try to keep all games at least 10 years old.

Gradius III - I was under the impression this one was a highly favored classic for SHMUP fans, but the response seems to have been lukewarm to its inclusion.

Little Big Adventure - I had heard this one was a big deal with European gamers and wanted to give it a try. I'm ok with waiting.

MDK - Ok with me to remove.

NHL '96 - Noise and I had a discussion about this, and he figures an earlier entry would be better. I'm ok with giving this up.

Thief 2 - Since I'm already considering playing the first, I guess I'll hold off on the second.

Ultima III - There was already one Ultima in the same trilogy, so I'll drop this one for that.

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 - Eh, I still need to play it, and it has merits of its own, but I can hold off.

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With eight games already on the chopping block, here are 8 more potential replacements to keep the pool at 25:

Broken Sword - Winner of numerous accolades and high praise, Broken Sword is considered another classic of mid to late 1990s point-and-click adventures.

Call of Duty 2 - GameSpy called this one of the finest FPS ever made. The CoD series is notable for being one of the few WWII FPS lines to put the player in the perspective of a non-American soldier. It should also be noted that many of the CoD series' mechanics, such as health regeneration, come from this game. I've beaten the first CoD, so its time to move through the series.

NBA Jam - Perhaps the most famous basketball game ever released. I have a personal vendetta against it, but perhaps I should finally get around to playing it.

SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash (Capcom version) - One of the most unusual and well known games in the NGPC library is a card battler series from SNK and Capcom, with the first two games taking a different company's side. Since it all comes down to personal taste, I'll be starting with the Capcom side.

SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium - The NGPC's library is prized for its fighting games, and MotM is generally considered the best. If there is one reason to own an NGPC, well...this is it.

Silent Hill - Noted as being one of the scariest games ever made, this title spawned a beloved series, two movies, comic books, and much more. It also had massive influence in the survival horror genre.

Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts - Capcom has gone so far as to release this game in their classics collections. Whose to argue with that?

Super Star Wars - EGM declared this both the best action game of its year and the best movie-based game. It's renown for its difficulty as well as its gorgeous animation.

[fastbilly1]

Broken Sword
Call of Duty 2
SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighter's Clash (Capcom version)

You are no longer my friend