Summer Games Challenge 2017 - Begin when ready!

[alienjesus]

Oh ye of little faith. You shall know the true meaning of suffering.

Well that seals the deal, Ecco 1 is definitely going on the list.

Even if you have little trouble with 90% of the game, once you reach Welcome to the Machine you will be humbled.

Either way though, the Ecco games are great and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's a good pick.

I'd say there are 4 'steps' in difficulty in Ecco.

The first is the second stage, the Undercaves. Very limited air, the first time you have to learn the obtuse puzzles. It's not too bad, but it's the one that warns you just what you're in for.

The second is Hard Water. Have fun with those instant death crushy blocks

The third is Dark Water. Now there's even faster instant death crushy things in a super long level with a tough boss fight to boot!

The final one is Welcome To The Machine, my vote for the hardest level in any well-known game. I've beaten Ninja Gaiden and taken out Tyson in Punch-Out, but neither come close to the difficulty of Ecco the Dolphin, which I rate as my biggest gaming accomplishment for having beaten.

Ecco the Dolphin (GEN) - Good luck!
RBI Baseball (NES) - Is this a classic? I dunno, we didn't get baseball games here much
Clash at Demonhead (NES) - A bit obscure?
Banjo Kazooie (N64) - Excellent choice
Mario Kart 64 (N64) - Should be a fun and fairly easy one to knock out
Gate of Thunder / Lords of Thunder (TG16) - Both awesome. I've yet to beat Gate, but I've beaten Lords and loved it.
Day of the Tentacle (iOS) - Nice. My favourite LucasArts game. Curse of Monkey Island is probably second.
Guardian Legend (NES) - Again, a bit obscure? People seem to like choosing kinda obscure NES stuff, and then they question me on stuff like Mario Golf :p
Landstalker (GEN) - This might be awesome, but I think it's super obscure personally. That said, I currently have Soleil on my list, so I can't talk!
Perfect Dark (N64) - Sure. I beat it a while back, it sure was an FPS on N64

Alex Kidd in Miracle World - <3
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Devil May Cry
Mega Man 64
Ogre Battle 64
Pikmin
Seiken Densetsu 3
Starfox
Thief
Wario Land 3

That's a hell of a list. As far as validating your possible swap-ins, I'd argue Eternal Darkness is more classic than Mega Man 64 personally, but maybe not everyone would agree. Ratchet & Clank certainly is if we're talking sheer sales and popularity.

[Ack]

I am so looking forward to Ds' response to these lists.

[prfsnl_gmr]

A few thoughts...

If you are going to play Mario Golf, play the GBC version. It is excellent, and a Electronic Gaming Monthly once listed it among the greatest games of all time. (EGM's lists of the greatest video games is where I get a lot of my choices...which are starting to get a bit obscure since I've beaten most of the "mainstream" games.)

Also, RBI Baseball was extremely popular in the U.S., and I really need to buff my knowledge of classic sports games. I never seek them out, it they are always fun when I get to them.

This year will be my third attempt at Ecco. It is really hard, and I just haven't been able to get into it. I will probably try the 3DS port this time.

Finally, I am also looking forward to DSH's thought...

[Exhuminator]

games

Alex Kidd in Miracle World = This is an SMS classic, but it's not amazing.
Conker's Bad Fur Day = Relies on shock factor more than good game design.
Devil May Cry = I've tried but failed to get into this one. Your mileage may vary.
Mega Man 64 = The PS1 version is better, but either way definitely a classic.
Ogre Battle 64 = Never played.
Pikmin = A boring classic.
Seiken Densetsu 3 = It failed to hook me. Probably good co-op.
Starfox = Absolute classic, but would have helped to play this when it released.
Thief = Only my all time favorite game ever. Play Thief Golf via GOG. Definite PC classic.
Wario Land 3 = Decent platformer, no big deal. Not a classic IMO.
Eternal Darkness Sanity's Requiem = Good idea, bad execution. I guess it's a classic.
Exile = I beat it, definitely not a classic.
King's Field = Too good for this forum.
Koudelka = Not a classic, but absolutely worth playing.
Ratchet & Clank = Barf. Not a classic.
Syberia = Classic adventure I guess? But it sure is boring.

[alienjesus]

Every year our 'classic' requirements get narrower and narrower and it gets harder and harder to choose a list people approve of. So I don't

[BogusMeatFactory]

Every year our 'classic' requirements get narrower and narrower and it gets harder and harder to choose a list people approve of. So I don't

Yep because the years pass and the, "Classics," never get added to.

[Raz]

My ideas;

Actraiser 2 (SNES)
Equinox (SNES)
Mole Mania (GB)
Balloon Kid (GB)
Dragon Warrior III (GBC)
Billy Hatcher and The Giant Egg (GCN)
Tales of Symphonia (GCN)
Advance Wars (GBA)
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PS1)
Jet Grind Radio (DC)
Shenmue (DC)
Metal Gear Solid 1-3 (PS1 & PS2)
Feel the Magic: XY/XX (DS)

[PartridgeSenpai]

I think I'll sit this year out again. It's hard enough to beat the games I want to play, let alone trying to pick new ones outside of those

My personal summer challenge is to beat the 2 games I'm working on now and maybe another Yakuza game. I'm just gonna hope for the best of luck on that

[Sarge]

Ratchet & Clank not a classic? If we're including sixth-gen games, that's absolutely an excellent game. The first one is a little rough in spots, but the next two are spectacular. I mean, in a lot of ways it's like a 3D Mega Man.

[marurun]

My ideas;

Actraiser 2 (SNES)
Equinox (SNES)
Mole Mania (GB)
Balloon Kid (GB)
Dragon Warrior III (GBC)
Billy Hatcher and The Giant Egg (GCN)
Tales of Symphonia (GCN)
Advance Wars (GBA)
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (GBA)
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (PS1)
Jet Grind Radio (DC)
Shenmue (DC)
Metal Gear Solid 1-3 (PS1 & PS2)
Feel the Magic: XY/XX (DS)

I think this is one of the most interesting lists posted so far. I only have experience with a few of these, but I have to say, Actraiser 2 is HARD. At least I found it hard, largely because of somewhat awkward character movement. It's a very pretty game, though, and the soundtrack is Koshiro goodness, if a little busy. Also, Circle of the Moon is fantastic. Some people really don't like it, and I totally get that. The main character's movement can feel stiff and not very Vania-like, but the enemy designs are all cool, the music is great, and the story is actually more like classic Dracula than the other Vanias. Approach it with an open mind and you may enjoy it.