2019 MAIN EVENT Round Four

[SkyPikachu]

Spore says I'm not allowed to answer that question. I can confirm that any Pokémon games that win this round will appear in later rounds.

Spores not the boss and you already know and get to vote so the whole concept of keeping it hidden is mega flawed. Its not affecting my voting just generally curious. I thought the main point was discussion anyway.

Spore is indeed the boss, and I have enough integrity to vote for the games I want to win each poll without allowing future rounds to affect my decisions. No one else here has that level of personal and moral fortitude.

In case you missed my other post. Is Pokemon Emerald considered a separate title from Ruby/Sapphire? Emerald is far better version so if they're separate it changes my voting style.

[Kong Wen]

In case you missed my other post. Is Pokemon Emerald considered a separate title from Ruby/Sapphire? Emerald is far better version so if they're separate it changes my voting style.

If it were included here, don't you think it would say something like "Pokémon [Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire] Version"?

[Kong Wen]

Poll 1 of 7 - The Grumpy Bracket
Beat Saber (2018, PC/PS4)
Bust-a-Move 4 / Puzzle Bobble 4 (1998, Arcade/PC)
Castlevania (1986, NES)
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993, TGCD)
Chaos League (2004, PC)
F-Zero X (1998, N64)
Maniac Mansion (1987, PC)
Mario Kart 64 (1996, N64)
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (1996, PC)
Robotron: 2084 (1982, Arcade)
The Witness (2016, Multiplatform)

Castlevania is an early near-perfect platformer. Great length, great pacing, and maybe the first game to really nail the delicate balance between high difficulty on one hand and nurturing the feeling of progress and improvement on the other. No matter how many times I died on tricky obstacles, I always felt like I was getting better. Being able to keep a player engaged in the face of repeated failures is a tricky design element, but it's definitely not accidental. The game has to be built specifically to achieve that, and many of the later games that did this well took their cues from Castlevania.

Poll 2 of 7 - The Happy Bracket
F-Zero AX (2003, Arcade)
Fable: The Lost Chapters (2005, PC)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1989, Genesis)
Metal Gear Solid (1998, PS1)
Persona 3 [FES] (2007, PS2)
Red Dead Redemption (2010, Multiplatform)
Rock Band 3 (2010, Multiplatform)
StarCraft (1998, PC)
Tales of Symphonia (2003, GCN)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015, Multiplatform)

I didn't play enough of MGS or RDR to feel comfortable giving them a vote that could eliminate something else here, so I'm letting more knowledgeable voters decide their fates. I'm not great at RTS games and StarCraft was a step back from WarCraft II for me anyway, so I'll pass on that one. I've heard great things about the Witcher 3, but I couldn't get the controls down in Witcher 2 and thus never managed to progress that far.

I'll cast a sole non-spoiler vote for Rock Band 3, because I've spent hours and hours playing that game with a group of my non-gamer friends, and it's always a rowdy good time.

Poll 3 of 7 - The Sleepy Bracket
Animal Crossing (2001, GCN)
F-Zero GX (2003, GCN)
Medieval II: Total War (2006, PC)
Pikmin 2 (2004, GCN)
SSX Tricky (2001, PS2)
Stardew Valley (2016, Multiplatform)
Super Mario Sunshine (2002, GCN)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, GCN)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)
TimeSplitters 2 (2002, PS2)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2001, Multiplatform)

I'll toss a vote at Medieval II: Total War because of some of its interesting strategic turns. Total War isn't really my cup of tea when it comes to strategy, but I'm glad it's there.

Poll 4 of 7 - The Bashful Bracket
Okami (2008, Multiplatform)
Pokémon [Blue/Red] Version (1996, GB)
Pokémon [FireRed/LeafGreen] Version (2004, GBA)
Pokémon [HeartGold/SoulSilver] Version (2009, DS)
Pokémon [Ruby/Sapphire] Version (2002, GBA)
Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (1987, Arcade)
The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link between Worlds (2013, 3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000, N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007, DS)

The Legend of Zelda is an easy, obvious vote in this bracket. I'll also vote for HeartGold/SoulSilver because they were the first (good) Pokémon games I played (Pearl was a mess). Finally, Okami deserves a vote here because of its interesting setting, protagonist, mechanics, and doing something new and fresh with the action/adventure formula.

Poll 5 of 7 - The Sneezy Bracket
Dead Space (2008, Multiplatform)
Fallout 2 (1998, PC)
Final Fantasy VIII (1999, PS1)
Halo 3 (2007, X360)
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001, PC/XB)
Ico (2001, PS2)
Ninja Gaiden / Shadow Warriors (1988, NES)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2005, GBA/DS)
Reverie (2017, Multiplatform)
Superhot VR (2017, Multiplatform)
Worms (1995, Multiplatform)

I agree with Ouenben about Worms. Armageddon and World Party were beefed up, feature-rich successors, so I don't mind skipping it here. Instead, I'll vote for Fallout 2 and Final Fantasy VIII.

Poll 6 of 7 - The Dopey Bracket
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009, Multiplatform)
Crackdown (2007, X360)
Dynasty Tactics 2 (2003, PS2)
Ms. Pac-Man (1982, Arcade)
No More Heroes (2007, Wii)
Shadow of the Colossus (2005, PS2)
Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994, Genesis)
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991, Genesis)
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991, Arcade)
Unreal Tournament 2004 (2004, PC)
Warriors Orochi (2007, PS2)

This bracket is pretty stacked. Ms. Pac-Man is one of those giants that's going to be hard to beat. It took the fundamental principles of Pac-Man and improved on them. And it's fun to play. First video game I ever played!

Poll 7 of 7 - The Trained Medical Professional Bracket
ActRaiser (1990, SNES)
Bubble Bobble (1986, Arcade)
Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (2015, PS4/Vita)
FTL: Faster than Light (2012, PC)
Half-Life (1998, PC)
Mega Man 2 (1988, NES)
Mega Man Battle Network (2001, GBA)
Monster Rancher (1997, PS1)
Quake (1996, PC)
Super Monkey Ball (2001, GCN)
X-Men: Mutant Academy (2000, PS1)

I'm only voting for Mega Man 2 here. I could also vote for ActRaiser, Bubble Bobble, FTL, or Quake, but the fact that there are so many "runner-up" choices for me that I can't narrow it down to a couple more votes makes me feel better just picking the one game and letting the rest of the chips fall where they may.

[SkyPikachu]

In case you missed my other post. Is Pokemon Emerald considered a separate title from Ruby/Sapphire? Emerald is far better version so if they're separate it changes my voting style.

If it were included here, don't you think it would say something like "Pokémon [Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire] Version"?

So it is a separate title?

[Ouenben]

)

Poll 2 of 7 - The Happy Bracket
F-Zero AX (2003, Arcade)
Fable: The Lost Chapters (2005, PC)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1989, Genesis)
Metal Gear Solid (1998, PS1)
Persona 3 [FES] (2007, PS2)
Red Dead Redemption (2010, Multiplatform)
Rock Band 3 (2010, Multiplatform)
StarCraft (1998, PC)
Tales of Symphonia (2003, GCN)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015, Multiplatform)

I didn't play enough of MGS or RDR to feel comfortable giving them a vote that could eliminate something else here, so I'm letting more knowledgeable voters decide their fates. I'm not great at RTS games and StarCraft was a step back from WarCraft II for me anyway, so I'll pass on that one. I've heard great things about the Witcher 3, but I couldn't get the controls down in Witcher 2 and thus never managed to progress that far.

Forget Witcher 2, skip it and go play Witcher 3. The gameplay and combat is vastly improved. Game of the generation (unless Cyberpunk 2077 beats it )

[Ouenben]

Sonic 3 & Knuckles (1994, Genesis)

Forgot to mention this speedy boi.
Pinnacle of the Sonic games, better than Sonic 2 no matter what anyone says. The levels are better designed, bigger and have way more branching paths and different routes. The little cutscenes told a better story than any 3D sonic game ever did and it was neat seeing how Sonic would transition from one Zone to another. The immediate continuation from act 1 to act 2 was nice too. The shield power-ups added some fresh ideas to the gameplay and the music was the best the series has ever produced. The introduction of mini bosses on act 1 was a welcome addition and the replayability of this was some of the best I'd seen in a platformer - play again as Knuckles and take completely different routes and even fight different bosses etc. Play as tails and take higher routes you might have missed as Sonic, beat the game and play through again NGplus with the emeralds as super or hyper S/T/K, Replay just to try and take different routes and find all the secrets. Also this was back when Sonic was a platformer not a bloody roller coaster simulator (aka hold boost to win) and had plenty slower bits where you needed cautious well timed jumps and such. However as you got better at the game and knew the levels Speeding through those acts again was a pleasure. Still one of my favourite platformers to this day, up there with Super Mario World and SMB3.

[Kong Wen]

In case you missed my other post. Is Pokemon Emerald considered a separate title from Ruby/Sapphire? Emerald is far better version so if they're separate it changes my voting style.

If it were included here, don't you think it would say something like "Pokémon [Emerald/Ruby/Sapphire] Version"?

So it is a separate title?

Yep, as always. It's not in this bracket though, so you're really only judging how Ruby & Sapphire stack up against the other stuff here.

[The Shoemaker]

Poll 1 of 7 - The Grumpy Bracket
Beat Saber (2018, PC/PS4)
Bust-a-Move 4 / Puzzle Bobble 4 (1998, Arcade/PC)
Castlevania (1986, NES)
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (1993, TGCD)
Chaos League (2004, PC)
F-Zero X (1998, N64)
Maniac Mansion (1987, PC)
Mario Kart 64 (1996, N64)
Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (1996, PC)
Robotron: 2084 (1982, Arcade)
The Witness (2016, Multiplatform)

Not a whole lot stands out to me here, but I'd say I know 80% of these games but haven't played them, or played them enough for a significant opinion. The Witness was really interesting, I like how the puzzles were split throughout the world and progressively built one each other. Beat Saber was a lot of fun for the 5 minutes I played it. On PS4 though, it seems a bit limited by its song selection. Mario Kart 64 is nostalgia, but not necessarily great.

Poll 2 of 7 - The Happy Bracket
F-Zero AX (2003, Arcade)
Fable: The Lost Chapters (2005, PC)
Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1989, Genesis)
Metal Gear Solid (1998, PS1)
Persona 3 [FES] (2007, PS2)
Red Dead Redemption (2010, Multiplatform)
Rock Band 3 (2010, Multiplatform)
StarCraft (1998, PC)
Tales of Symphonia (2003, GCN)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015, Multiplatform)

The Witcher 3 is one of those games I feel I could like, but I just couldn't get into it. I gave it 6-10 hours or so, but I just found there to be too many cut scenes for me to stay interested. Might have been one of those scenarios where I just had too much to play at the time to focus on one 60 hour game.

Poll 3 of 7 - The Sleepy Bracket
Animal Crossing (2001, GCN)
F-Zero GX (2003, GCN)
Medieval II: Total War (2006, PC)
Pikmin 2 (2004, GCN)
SSX Tricky (2001, PS2)
Stardew Valley (2016, Multiplatform)
Super Mario Sunshine (2002, GCN)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, GCN)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)
TimeSplitters 2 (2002, PS2)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (2001, Multiplatform)

I would still vote for Smash Ultimate over Melee, more content, and in my opinion, better gameplay. Melee has a great nostalgic sound track though. Sunshine is a game I haven't played in over 10 years so I have a hard time judging it. I want to say it's still great. Stardew Valley I spent a lot of time in. It's essentially Harvest Moon SNES with QOL additions, but it's great at what it does. Animal Crossing is another game I haven't played in years, but it is the most different entry. The way you interact with villagers is a bit different with the favor requests, money trees actually work and there's a ton of NES games to play. Probably the most worthwhile entry to play besides New Leaf.

Poll 4 of 7 - The Bashful Bracket
Okami (2008, Multiplatform)
Pokémon [Blue/Red] Version (1996, GB)
Pokémon [FireRed/LeafGreen] Version (2004, GBA)
Pokémon [HeartGold/SoulSilver] Version (2009, DS)
Pokémon [Ruby/Sapphire] Version (2002, GBA)
Rainbow Islands: The Story of Bubble Bobble 2 (1987, Arcade)
The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link between Worlds (2013, 3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000, N64)
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007, DS)

Okami is great, not as great as in 2008, but still great. Hard poll though. With the last BGE I didn't give the original LOZ it's due, since then I've played it and it really does hold up well today - with a light guide. A Link Between Worlds is about as good as ALTTP when I replayed them back to back. I really liked the wall mechanic they added, and the 100 shell guys you had to find made for a game that was satisfying to complete, but could also be done in 10ish hours.

Majora's Mask is great, but I think a lot of the magic is in the first playthrough. A lot of the joy is discovery, which is taken away a bit when you already know the patterns and solutions for the NPC's. Pokémon Ruby was fine, kind of the stock Pokémon experience.

Poll 5 of 7 - The Sneezy Bracket
Dead Space (2008, Multiplatform)
Fallout 2 (1998, PC)
Final Fantasy VIII (1999, PS1)
Halo 3 (2007, X360)
Halo: Combat Evolved (2001, PC/XB)
Ico (2001, PS2)
Ninja Gaiden / Shadow Warriors (1988, NES)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2005, GBA/DS)
Reverie (2017, Multiplatform)
Superhot VR (2017, Multiplatform)
Worms (1995, Multiplatform)

Phoenix Wright games aren't my favourite, but I do enjoy them, and the first game was a good entry. Halo 3 was a landmark multiplayer game at the time, and likely still holds up not bad today. Not really my kind of game though. I was hoping to run through the Halo games before BGE started, but it doesn't look likely at this point. Still, I can recognize what Halo has done.

[The Shoemaker]

As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't grow up with Halo, only played it at my friend's place. I wasn't a huge fan of playing it because I was no good at FPS and my friend always wanted to either play online or play the campaign at the highest difficulty (Halo 3 specifically)

Tonight I booted up Halo 1 on the Master Chief collection through Game Pass and my girlfriend and I played through a couple missions. So many years after it's release we had a lot of fun playing together, especially when it came to jumping in the jeep to really cause some damage.

It is the remastered version so that gives it an edge, but the core gameplay experience still holds up. So kudos to you Halo, you're still fun!

[This Old Neon]

Unfortunately, we have run a couple of tie-breaker polls to allow some third-place games to limp into the next round. They're indicated in RED in the lists of winners below. Hopefully the launch of a new user-submitted category ("Best Game Not Available on Any Digital Service") will maintain enough interest until the main event picks back up.

Poll 1
Castlevania (1986, NES)
Maniac Mansion (1987, PC)
Mario Kart 64 (1996, N64)

Poll 2
Metal Gear Solid (1998, PS1)
StarCraft (1998, PC)

Ghouls 'n Ghosts (1989, Genesis)
Red Dead Redemption (2010, Multiplatform)
Tales of Symphonia (2003, GCN)

Poll 3
Stardew Valley (2016, Multiplatform)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001, GCN)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)

Poll 4
The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000, N64)

Okami (2008, Multiplatform)
Pokémon [Blue/Red] Version (1996, GB)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link between Worlds (2013, 3DS)

Poll 5
Fallout 2 (1998, PC)
Ico (2001, PS2)
Superhot VR (2017, Multiplatform)

Poll 6
Ms. Pac-Man (1982, Arcade)
Shadow of the Colossus (2005, PS2)
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991, Arcade)

Poll 7
Mega Man 2 (1988, NES)
Bubble Bobble (1986, Arcade)

ActRaiser (1990, SNES)
FTL: Faster than Light (2012, PC)