This Old Neon Forum

Round 4, in which we bear false witness

You can vote for 1-3 games in this poll. Vote carefully—you can't change your votes after submitting them. The #1, #2, and #3 ranked games at the end of the week will move on to Round 5.

1987 - Phantasy Star - SMS
1990 - F-Zero - SNES
1991 - Sonic the Hedgehog - Genesis/MD
1993 - Sonic the Hedgehog CD - SCD
1997 - Theme Hospital - PC
1997 - Fallout - PC
2003 - Fire Emblem - GBA
2004 - Metroid: Zero Mission - GBA
2008 - World of Goo - PC/Wii
2014 - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Wii U

You are encouraged to discuss your choices and your reasons for selecting the games you did.

F-Zero, such a classic game! I remember playing this game with headphones on one time and the music distracted me so much I stopped playing just to listen to it. It's very simple and lacking in content overall, but it's still one of the most nostalgic games for me.

DKC:TF is the best Donkey Kong game.

We're past the point of courtesy, so with apologies to Sonic and especially Fallout, Phantasy Star gets my single vote.

I gave Phantasy Star props again. Also gave a vote to Metroid Zero Mission though with mixed feelings (I liked it a lot, but it's no Fusion...but, still, I could enjoy it as my only game if dystopia sets in and it's all I can get my hands on).

Edit: I'll stop being nice in the next round.

Phantasy Star gets my first vote. Great early RPG. Fully deserving of its place here, both for quality and influence. It'll be interesting to see what happens when its sequels start finding their way here.

My second vote is for Fire Emblem. While it's just a clunky prototype for what the series would go on to become at their peak with Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn, there are a lot of elements here that work well and make for a fun handheld tactical game. If this game were to run into the likes of Shining Force, Warsong, or the aforementioned other Fire Emblem games, all of which do many things better, I'd throw it under the bus, but here it is for now.

My third vote came down to Metroid Zero Mission and Fallout. I actually think Zero Mission is one of the weakest 2D Metroid games for a few reasons. In a Metroid-only bracket, I'd take Super Metroid, Fusion, and Metroid II over it without much hesitation. It has an uneven start, the map didn't feel as well-designed as other entries such that certain obstacles or feats of special ability use didn't feel as fun or natural. It was like, "here's your wall-jumping part, here's your shine-sparking part." I also wasn't as enrapt with the Zero Suit part as many people seem to be. It was a nice twist and a good idea, but I found the way it actually played was kind of boring and a little repetitive. So Fallout got my vote.

I loved the first [Western] Fire Emblem game. I really like the characters, story and gameplay. I have one major gripe, which is the awful support system. The support conversations themselves are great, but the way you trigger them is totally stupid and boring, not to mention counterintuitive. The ranking system is also a bit wonky. I understand how it works, but some things seem goofy. For example, you get ranked on the amount of wealth you have, but this takes into account the monetary value of your items. As a result, if you sell an item (for which you get something like half price), your wealth score actually plummets.

Nonetheless, I really liked Fire Emblem 7 or "Fire Emblem" as it is called in the West.

I've voted for an F-Zero game every time one has appeared in bracket, and this one is no exception. The original isn't as good as either of its successors, but it's still quite a good game. It was one of the first games I got for my SNES (which, having been born in 1993, I got by way of the used market years after its life-cycle in probably the 2002-2004 range, for context), and I initially didn't like it a great deal, having been won over to the series by GX. After giving it a little more time, though, I came to appreciate its brutal difficulty and amazing soundtrack (easily among my top 10 video game soundtracks). Definitely a favorite of mine.

I also cast a vote for Fallout, which I consider to be one of the finest WRPGs in existence. I talked about that in another thread, though.

And finally, I spent my 3rd vote on Metroid: Zero Mission. The only Metroid games I've finished are Zero Mission and Super Metroid, and I found the former to be the superior of the two games (finding myself scratching my head at the endless praise heaped upon the latter). I think Super is certainly good, but Zero Mission just felt great to play, and I was pretty much constantly having fun, which is not something I could say of Super.

Wow - presently a five-way tie for second place.

Tropical Freeze is currently the best Donkey Kong game.

evildevil97 wrote:Tropical Freeze is currently the best Donkey Kong game.

I really don't have any complaints for the game, other than the clunky way of setting up Off-TV play.

I do wish they added an easy mode though for younger players. I thought the challenge was perfect, but I wish there was a mode my niece could play. Can't call that a complaint though.