Summer Games Challenge 2014

[alienjesus]

For the 5th year in a row, it's time for the annual Racketboy Forum Summer Games Challenge. Every summer, for the past 4 years, members of the Racketboy forum have set themselves a goal to play some of the classic games they've been neglecting.

It was started by old user Snickerd00dle back in 2010, and has run every summer since. Here's the challenge exactly as Snickerd00dle described:

what I thought I would do is pick ten games that I own and have never beat, that are regarded as classics by most people and are also games that I really wish I had played through, games everyone talks about that I never ended up finishing, and beat all ten of them by the end of the summer.

The original definition of summer used was from the start of June to the end of August, but you're free to adapt this - starting earlier and finishing later will give you more time to take out your list!

So, which games are you ashamed to have never beaten? Or even worse, never started? Which classics do you wish you could discuss when they come up in conversation? What classics that have been on the shelf untouched for the past 5 years? Time to clear your backlog!

Pick your list of 10, and get to it over this summer. Don't worry if you don't beat them all, or if you don't like them all, but at least try and give them all a go at long last!



Here's my personal list from the last 3 years (red = unfinished, strikethrough = replaced):

2011 (8/10 beat):
1. Wonder Boy in Monster World (VC - Mega Drive)
2. Secret of Mana (VC - SNES)
3. Final Fantasy IX (PS1)
4. Blazing Lasers (TG16)
5. Banjo Kazooie (N64)
6. Panzer Dragoon (Saturn)
7. Punch Out!! (NES)
8. Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
9. Metroid Prime 2 (GC)
10. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) UNBEATEN

2012 (9/10 beat):
1. Ducktales (NES)
2. Monster World IV (VC)
3. Star Wars Rogue Leader (N64)
4. Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)
5. Grim Fandango (PC)
6. Resident Evil 4 (GC)
7. Panzer Dragoon Orta (XBox)
8. Super Ghouls'n Ghosts (SNES)
9. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons (linked)
10. Metroid Prime 3

2013 (7/11 beat):
1. Blaster Master - Wii VC (NES) Earthbound
2. Cybernator - SNES
3. Super Aleste - SNES Shantae
4. Diddy Kong Racing - N64
5. Metroid Prime 3 - Wii
6. Loco Roco - PSP
7. Final Fantasy VII - PS1
8. Metal Gear Solid - PS1
9. Tomb Raider - PS1
10. Pulseman - Wii VC (MD)
11. Bubble Bobble - SMS

P.S I know this thread is up early again, but I thought I'd give it time for people to prepare their lists, and for more people to notice and join in. It also let's people start earlier if they want to! This thread is at it's best when lots of people are playing old classics together for the first time, so try and match one of your games up with other people of you can!

[alienjesus]

And without further ado, my proposed list for this year:

EDITED:
1. Double Dragon (NES)
2. Super Aleste (SNES)
3. Perfect Dark (N64)
4. Wave Race 64 (N64)
5. Shantae (GBC via 3DS VC)
6. Ristar (MD via Wii VC)
7. Bangai-O (DC)
8. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSP)
9. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP)
10. Metal Gear Solid 2 (Vita)

I'm considering swapping one for a Final Fantasy game, or maybe just making my list 11 long instead, but we'll see.

Reasoning behind the games on my list:

Double Dragon - One of my few unfinished NES games, and a classic beat-em-up I've barely played. Considering beat-em-ups were one of my favourite genres as a kid, it's about time I played through this classic brawler.

Cybernator - My SNES doesn't get much love of late, so it's time to polish off some of the remaining games I have for it. I see this game come up in a surprising number of people's favourites lists on the SNES, and I want to give it a go.

Super Aleste - Known as Space Megaforce in the US. Seems to be considered a pretty awesome classic shooter, and one of the best on SNES. I loved Blazing Lazers on TG16 which is similar. Let's see how this stacks up. This is another leftover from last year's list.

Perfect Dark - N64 was known for 3 genres by my reckoning - 3D platformers, Racing games and FPS. This is one of the most iconic FPS of it's era, and I should give it a go. FPS isnt by favourite genre, so I'm curious what I'll think.

Wave Race 64 - And here's a representative of one of those other genres. Wave Race 64 was one of the first games on the platform, and is often listed in people's top 10 on the System. I've owned it about 4 years and barely touched it.

Shantae - Always listed as an example of one of the most technically impressive and best games on GBC. I bought it last year and stopped playing about 2 hours in for no real reason. This is another leftover from last year's list.

Ristar - Often listed by people as one of their favourite Mega Drive games, and as one of the best looking and playing games on the system. I've had it on VC since 2007 and never finished it - it's one of 3 unbeaten Virtual console games on my Wii.

Bangai-O - It's by Treasure and Treasure are awesome. I loved the DS one.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - considered probably the defining game of the series, and successful enough to add the 'vania' to the Metroidvania genre. I've literally never played it.

Metal Gear Solid 2 - I've just started getting into this series. I've played the MSX games and the original MGS. I thought I should see how the series evolved.

[dsheinem]

can we at least expect the annual patented Dsheinem 'that isn't really a classic' critique?

sure

(for the n00bs, I do this every year)

Cybernator - My SNES doesn't get much love of late, so it's time to polish off some of the remaining games I have for it. I see this game come up in a surprising number of people's favourites lists on the SNES, and I want to give it a go.

really? Can you show me this somewhere? This is really the only quibble I have with your list of "classics"...

That said, I'd also argue that most of the ones you mentioned are more like "cult classics" than classics that defined the platform, the genre, etc. Just because people remember a game fondly or it has picked up popularity in retro communities years after its release doesn't necessarily make it a "classic" game as such (unless classic means just "old" or "old and good" or something)...but anyway, I don't have strong arguments against any of them.

[alienjesus]

really? Can you show me this somewhere? This is really the only quibble I have with your list of "classics"...

That said, I'd also argue that most of the ones you mentioned are more like "cult classics" than classics that defined the platform, the genre, etc. Just because people remember a game fondly or it has picked up popularity in retro communities years after its release doesn't necessarily make it a "classic" game as such (unless classic means just "old" or "old and good" or something)...but anyway, I don't have strong arguments against any of them.

Haha, I was waiting for this.

For what it's worth, I think I'm running out of classics I havent beaten and already own, and I'm not buying 10 games just for this, it kind of defeats the point for me.

[darsparx]

Well not all classics but here's my list:

1. Starfox Adventures (GC)
2. Dragon Warrior(NES)
3. Kingdom hearts (ps2)
4. The flintstones: the rescue of dino and hoppy (nes)
5. final fantasy adventure (gbc)
6. Bugs birthday blowout (NES)
7. Crystalis(I have both so may make this a double feature and try to beat both)
8. Spyro the dragon
9. Pokemon Yellow
10. Yugioh Double Pack (gba) (I think this is the one with sacred cards and reshef of destruction....been meaning to beat it for quite awhile)
11. Metroid fusion (i'm already part of the way through this i just need to beat it finally)
12. Quest for camelot

Sounds like i've got a pretty ambitious list to finish for my first time doing this...I was looking out for this topic because I really do need to finish some of these....especially if my library gets much bigger over the summer anyways Hope I can beat those 12 games...

[Sload Soap]

I'm on board. I have five games in mind for now, might bump it up to ten later.

Skies Of Arcadia (I've had this since it came out!)
Wonderboy in Monster World
Viewtiful Joe
Nights into Dreams
Super Mario Bros 3

Those are the five I've had the longest and have the highest status as classics. If I can beat them I'll add Otogi 2, Rocket Knight Adventure, Golvellius, Rockman X4 and Exhumed to the list.

[alienjesus]

I'm on board. I have five games in mind for now, might bump it up to ten later.

Skies Of Arcadia (I've had this since it came out!)
Wonderboy in Monster World
Viewtiful Joe
Nights into Dreams
Super Mario Bros 3

Those are the five I've had the longest and have the highest status as classics. If I can beat them I'll add Otogi 2, Rocket Knight Adventure, Golvellius, Rockman X4 and Exhumed to the list.

Pretty great list of 5 there. I adore Skies, Wonder Boy, Nights and Mario. I wasnt as keen on Viewtiful Joe though.

[darsparx]

I hope my list isn't too ambitious I'd love to eventually play some of the games on every body else's lists though...especially skies of arcadia. Don't know why but i keep hearing about it and want it so bad XD

[prfsnl_gmr]

Cybernator - My SNES doesn't get much love of late, so it's time to polish off some of the remaining games I have for it. I see this game come up in a surprising number of people's favourites lists on the SNES, and I want to give it a go.

really? Can you show me this somewhere? This is really the only quibble I have with your list of "classics"...

I will help alienjesus with this one. Cybernator, the third game in the classic Assault Suit series, is a prequel to the Sega Genesis classic Target Earth. It is also one of my favorite SNES games, and I highly recommend it. (It is also listed in EGM's list of the "200 Greatest Video Games of Their Time".)

That said, I'd also argue that most of the ones you mentioned are more like "cult classics" than classics that defined the platform, the genre, etc. Just because people remember a game fondly or it has picked up popularity in retro communities years after its release doesn't necessarily make it a "classic" game as such (unless classic means just "old" or "old and good" or something)...but anyway, I don't have strong arguments against any of them.

When you have been in the game as long as alienjesus and me, "cult" classics might be all you have left...

.....

Here is my list for summer 2014:

1. Dragon's Lair

- This is a classic arcade game, and IMO, an undisputed classic. While I have the excellent Wii port (and the "I can't believe it actually exists" GBC port), I will probably be playing this game on the Nintendo DS.

2. Final Fantasy Tactics

- This game consistently makes video game publications' lists of the greatest games, and despite owning a copy for years, I have only watched the opening cinematics. I will probably play the upgraded PSP port, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions.

3. Flashback

- This is a classic action/adventure puzzle-platformer that also consistently makes video game publications' lists of the greatest games. I have never made it past the first area, however, and I need to remedy that. I will probably play the SNES version absent a compelling reason to stick with the Genesis original.

4. Halo 2

- This was a defining game for the Xbox, and the Halo franchise remains popular. I very much enjoyed Halo's campaign, and I am looking forward to the campaign in this game too. I will be playing this on the Xbox.

5. Jumping Flash! 2

- Jumping Flash! is one of my favorite PS1 games, and it is arguably the best PS1 "long box" game. (Sorry, Street Fighter: The Movie!) In 1997, its sequel was listed in EGM 100 as one of the greatest games of all time, and I really have no excuse for not completing it. I will be playing the PS1 original on my PS3.

6. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

- I enjoyed playing through Metal Gear earlier this year, and getting through this game will put me one step closer to completing all of the games in the Metal Gear series. I will be playing the MSX port of the game included with the PS2 version of Metal Gear Solid: Subsistence.

7. Military Madness

- It wouldn't be summer if I didn't make another attempt at beating Military Madness! I will, once again, be attempting the PS1 version, Nectaris: Military Madness, which includes all of the maps from the TG-16 original.

8. R-Type Delta

- I have completed R-Type, R-Type 2, R-Type III: The Third Lightning and R-Type Final. R-Type Delta was listed as one the greatest games in EGM 150, and by completing it, I will have finished all of the main games in the R-Type series. I will be playing the PS1 original on my PS3.

9. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

- This probably is not a classic, but I have read it is one of the best games on the PS3. (Could it be considered a "modern" classic?) I recently completed Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, which I enjoyed, and I hope to complete all of the PS3 Uncharted games this year.

10. Virtual Boy Wario Land

- This is arguably the best Virtual Boy game. Moreover, it is the only game in the Wario Land series I have not yet completed, and completing it will accomplish one of my 2014 aspirational gaming goals. I do not own a Virtual Boy, however; so unless Nintendo releases a 3DS port, I will have to emulate this one.

[Nyukki]

10. Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2 via Vita)

Can I ask, are PS2 games on the Vita strictly official rereleases, VC type ports, or has someone finally cracked the vita to run emulators? (please please please please please!!!)