This Old Neon Forum

Welcome to This Old Neon’s fourth official “BEST GAME EVER!!!” Project.

The “BEST GAME EVER!!!” Project is not intended to champion any particular objective quality. The best game can be the best for any of a number of reasons: its earnings or critical reception, its influence and impact, the emotional resonance of its art or music, the playability of its mechanics or the thoughtfulness of its design, the immersiveness of its world, the quality of its writing and characterization, or the memories and nostalgia it invokes. All participants are invited to engage in their own ways, and vote according to their own criteria, however arbitrary and however personal.

Round Two includes the next batch of low-seeded games by nomination weight in addition to the Round One winners. There are 5 polls of 9 games each. If a game you nominated doesn’t appear in these polls, it probably seeded high enough to get a bye into a later round.

You can vote for 1-2 games per poll, or skip a poll entirely.
The top 2 games from each poll will advance to Round Three.
You can’t change your votes once they’ve been submitted, so click carefully. Voting closes on Saturday at midnight AST.

Main Poll

Don’t forget to vote in these user-submitted categories. Others will be added in the coming weeks.

Best Mech Customization (Round 2)
Most Innovative Mechanics (Round 2)
Best Game You’ve Never Played (Ever)

Game I have crossed out are games I've never played.

Poll 1 of 5 - The ARCTIC Bracket
ActRaiser (1990, SNES)
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989, NES)
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (2003, XB)
Diddy Kong Racing (1997, N64)
Donkey Kong (1981, Arcade)
Donkey Kong (1994, GB)
Herzog Zwei (1989, Genesis)
Ms. Pac-Man (1982, Arcade)
Super Castlevania IV (1991, SNES)

I really like Diddy Kong Racing they changed up cart racing just enough for it to be really fun and a single player structure was awesome. Donkey Kong as never really gotten into. Just seems way to boring. When games like Pong and Space Invaders seemed a lot better.

Poll 2 of 5 - The ATLANTIC Bracket
GoldenEye 007 (1997, N64)
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003, GBA)
Mario Party 3 (2000, N64)
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000, Arcade)
Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars (1997, N64)
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991, Arcade)
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995, SNES)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)
Wave Race 64 (1996, N64)

Goldeneye 64 has aged horribly. I'm sure it was a great game in 1997 but oh boy does it suck. Look at something like Halo 4 years later and it just astounds me. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is fantastic and I really need to play Partners in Time and Bowsers Inside Story.

Poll 3 of 5 - The INDIAN Bracket
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (2003, GBA)
Blades of Steel (1988, NES)
EarthBound (1994, SNES)
Fire 'n Ice (1992, NES)
Lords of Thunder (1993, TGCD)
Okami (2008, Multiplatform)
Power Stone 2 (2000, DC)
Spider-Man 2 (2004, Multiplatform)
The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES)

I did not like Earthbound it just felt all over the place and I ended up needing a guide in the end just so i knew how things worked. Okami I've played 5 hours of a really enjoyed but I played it on PS3 a few months before the PS4 release so I don't really want to play it again on PS3 because it won't look as nice. TLOZ is a classic I've never played it however I've watched enough of it to know it's a fantastic game.

Poll 4 of 5 - The PACIFIC Bracket
Blast Corps (1997, N64)
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (2010, DS)
Mass Effect (XB360)
Mega Man 2 (1988, NES)
Mega Man Legends (1997, PS1)
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom (2018, Multiplatform)
Rocket Knight Adventures (1993, Genesis)
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove (2014, Multiplatform)
Thomas Was Alone (2013, Multiplatform)

Hated mass effect really wasn't my thing. Shovel Knight was fine but nothing that screamed it's amazing and Thomas was alone I barely remember playing. I rated it 4 out of 5 stars on backlog but I think the fact I barely remember shows it's not important enough to nominate.

Mega Man 2 was great fun and I've been meaning to play 1/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11 at some stage. Ghost Tricks was amazing as well and such a cool story I forgot who sent me that as a secret santa.

Poll 5 of 5 - The SOUTHERN Bracket
Contra: Hard Corps (1994, Genesis)
Doom (2016, Multiplatform)
Golvellius: Valley of Doom (1988, SMS)
Ico (2001, PS2)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (2007, DS)
Snatcher (1994, SCD)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003, Multiplatform)
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (2001, GCN)
StarCraft (1998, PC)

Surprised it took so long to find a list of games I've never played. Hope Ico does well.

Overall I much preferred last rounds list I didn't have to think at all about my votes here. Still wish more games went through last round. Hollow Knight and Twilight Princess seem like huge early loses that deserved to make top 100.

I guess you all have me to thank for this round of voting since I nominated practically everyone of these games.

Ghost Tricks was amazing as well and such a cool story I forgot who sent me that as a secret santa.

I was the one that sent you Ghost Trick. I'm glad you liked it.

Poll 1 of 5 - The ARCTIC Bracket
ActRaiser (1990, SNES)
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (1989, NES)
Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge (2003, XB)
Diddy Kong Racing (1997, N64)
Donkey Kong (1981, Arcade)
Donkey Kong (1994, GB)
Herzog Zwei (1989, Genesis)
Ms. Pac-Man (1982, Arcade)
Super Castlevania IV (1991, SNES)

Donkey Kong 94 is a gem, I'll vote for that.

Poll 2 of 5 - The ATLANTIC Bracket
GoldenEye 007 (1997, N64)
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (2003, GBA)
Mario Party 3 (2000, N64)
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (2000, Arcade)
Star Fox 64 / Lylat Wars (1997, N64)
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991, Arcade)
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995, SNES)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (NS)
Wave Race 64 (1996, N64)

Smash must continue of course. I'll vote Star Fox over Yoshi's island. Can't say why, but those credits in SF64 always get me teary eyed.


Poll 3 of 5 - The INDIAN Bracket
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising (2003, GBA)
Blades of Steel (1988, NES)
EarthBound (1994, SNES)
Fire 'n Ice (1992, NES)
Lords of Thunder (1993, TGCD)
Okami (2008, Multiplatform)
Power Stone 2 (2000, DC)
Spider-Man 2 (2004, Multiplatform)
The Legend of Zelda (1986, NES)

Shout out to Spider-Man 2.

Will other versions of Street Fighter II be appearing later on or is this the only entry?

Han Solo wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:06 Will other versions of Street Fighter II be appearing later on or is this the only entry?

This is the only Street Fighter of any variety in the main event. Great question!

Kong Wen wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:10

Han Solo wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:06 Will other versions of Street Fighter II be appearing later on or is this the only entry?

This is the only Street Fighter of any variety in the main event. Great question!

Disagree. The system works more honestly through ignorance of the nominations in other brackets. If SF2 is the best game in its bracket it should be voted on regardless of games in different brackets that may lead to strategic voting.

Spore wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:23

Kong Wen wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:10

Han Solo wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:06 Will other versions of Street Fighter II be appearing later on or is this the only entry?

This is the only Street Fighter of any variety in the main event. Great question! Not telling!

Disagree. The system works more honestly through ignorance of the nominations in other brackets. If SF2 is the best game in its bracket it should be voted on regardless of games in different brackets that may lead to strategic voting.

Great point! Edited. Policy changed for future brackets.

Spore wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:23

Kong Wen wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:10

Han Solo wrote: ↑06 Mar 2019 21:06 Will other versions of Street Fighter II be appearing later on or is this the only entry?

This is the only Street Fighter of any variety in the main event. Great question!

Disagree. The system works more honestly through ignorance of the nominations in other brackets. If SF2 is the best game in its bracket it should be voted on regardless of games in different brackets that may lead to strategic voting.

If we're talking about the same game just different versions of that game I'd have to disagreed with you. People really shouldn't have to nominate the same game multiple times when it's a single title. I believe there's a ton of street fighter 2s so I'd rather the question be answered so street fighter 2 fans don't flood the later rounds with 1 game and also dont miss out on voting due to it the only street fighter included. Also kong votes and knows all these details had the answer been yes then someone else would have been able to say that they also nominated a street fighter 2.

I see no reason on hiding such details.

Mentioning however that street fighter 1 or 3 etc aren't included though I see being more of an issue as that shouldn't change your vote.

Eg. If kingdom hearts final mix and normal Kingdom hearts were nominated I'd want to know before voting them both through as the 2 games are so similar they don't deserve to take up two spots. (in my eyes)

Also I could be confused on how different the street fighter 2 series is as well but in this example I assume they're remakes.

Also I feel that considering people have already asked multiple times and had them answered if x game was nominated I feel like the rule should stand going forward for the 2019 event for consistency. We could then further discuss a rule for next time

Also we are encouraged to discuss our nominations and a lot of us do so I don't understand the reasoning behind hiding such a think when the whole concept is to chat about the games and comparing 2 versions of the same game falls under that category.

We don't even have an agreed upon tiebreaker rule yet let we're putting a rule on this seems even more strange considering I was told not to take this all so seriously which imo not telling people something was nominated falls easily in that catagory

Poll 1 of 5 - The ARCTIC Bracket
ActRaiser is a brilliant game that mixes action platforming levels with a relaxing simulation/shmup mode. It also has a great soundtrack. Combine all of these elements and the game is better than the sum of its parts.

If you'd like to play Castlevania III be sure to play the Famicom version as it sports a much fairer difficulty and a killer enhanced soundtrack. That said, even the Famicom version has sections at the end that are too long for their own good.

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is a fast paced, arcadey, flight combat game with light RGP elements and large maps to explore. It was also one of the best games to play on X-Box Live. This brings up a great question: How do you personally rate games where you can't really play the multiplayer anymore?

Diddy Kong Racing is my favourite kart racer of all time. I love the boss races, the coin challenge, the hub world, the battle maps and the variety of vehicles. The course where you compete to be the first to hatch three eggs is still a favourite among my friends. The game also has some of the catchiest gaming tunes ever.

I've never been that big a fan of Donkey Kong (Arcade) since I find the distance it allows you to fall without dying to be too strict.

Donkey Kong (1994, GB) on the other hand plays like a dream. Mario can safely fall from higher heights and has been given a few new moves like a handstand jump and the ability to swing on ropes. For those that don't know, the game starts with remakes of the original four Donkey Kong arcade levels but then there are about one hundred puzzle platforming stages you must play through to defeat DK and save Pauline. The Super Game Boy features are also really neat. Definitely among the best on the original Game Boy.

I was immediately blown away by Herzog Zwei when my Genesis loving cousin introduced it to me a couple years. A real-time strategy game that has you playing as fighter craft instead of using a cursor and lets you play split-screen?! I couldn't believe this game existed, let alone on a console as old as the Genesis.

Ms. Pac-Man took the original Pac-Man's simple and super addictive gameplay and just made it better by adding more mazes. A truly timeless game that anyone can enjoy.

Super Castlevania IV is my favourite Castlevania and the game I always recommend to people looking to get into the series. It is bursting at the seems with atmosphere with its detailed graphics and its jaw-dropping soundtrack. Simon has such fluid controls and having the ability to whip in all eight directions makes me feel like such a badass whenever I play it.

This was an extremely difficult poll for me to vote on as most of these are quite dear to me, but I voted for ActRaiser and Super Castlevania IV. I'm sure others will vote for the Nintendo titles, so that made it a little easier. I will try to give my write up on the other brackets before the poll closes.

Just out of curiosity, how many games did everyone nominate? I nominated an even 50 and tried to limit myself to one game per series.