1FF's Top 50 games Official Thread

[Rammy]

Shit, I forgot Burnout 2.

Mario Kart 64 is another of mine to fall. Amazed it hasn't done better. The best in the series IMO.

 

[Aaron-Bcfc]

FIFA 15 is so dire it's made me completely give up on the series. Probably won't bother getting the next one for the first time in 12 years

 

[last request]

Gonna release the ones that finished outside the top 50 a bit quicker. Fair few to get through.

Seven Pointers

Super Metroid
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Tekken Tag Tournament
Silent Hill Downpour
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Sensible Soccer
Banjo Kazooie

I have not played any of those games. I shouldn't be running this thing. What a wanker I am. Kill me.

Particularly surprised you haven't played any of the bolded Cas!

Burnout 2 was a great little driving game, wasn't in my list so glad to see that get a vote.

 

[Madejski]

Three of mine gone now. The FIFA I voted 19th hasn't been put in yet so must have got a lot more votes.

Can't believe I forgot Need For Speed Underground 2, was the peak of NFS and a great game, could have possibly snuck into my top 20 had I remembered. Though these last few lists have got a fair amount of decent games now. There were a number of one/two/three pointers that i'd never heard of.

 

[Smudge]

Landstalker
Medievil

Two great games there.Playing Landstalker right now ironically!

Arkham Asylum
Alan Wake

Alan Wake was one of the first games I played when I built my gaming pc in June 2014. Terrific game with a fantastic setting, great storyline and a bloke who wears Christmas tree lights.

Two of mine there. Both of them were among the first games I bought on the Xbox (Alan Wake mainly due to people on here going on about it!) and I didnt really start playing either of them straight away. But once I started, I just couldnt stop, I had to keep playing. Two absolutely brilliant games. I think the Batman Arkham series is what turned me off Assassins Creed a little bit. I got a bit used to being able to glide and grapnel hook! Jumping off buildings and having to climb up them manually wasnt nearly as much fun anymore!

 

[Pogogacy]

I'd love to see a modern day remake of Policenauts.

If it was given a lick of paint to make the graphics/interface etc. slightly more accessible for modern standards then I think that would be great.

On the other hand, if the game were to be completely remade from the ground up as an adventure game in the vein of, say, Heavy Rain for example, then I think a lot of the magic would be lost. What really made the game special for me (aside from the obvious narrative and soundtrack) was

i) being able to click on everything and discover more about the world in so much depth, and
ii) the manga like art direction, particularly the hand drawn style of the PC-98 version.

Who was the boss that voted for Chrono Cross? That game was the nuts.

That was me. One of the very best RPGs made during Square's golden age (1993-2000). I think it says a lot about the quality of Square's output during that period that FFVII-IX were probably the worst games they made in those years (and even they were pretty good).

Two great games there.Playing Landstalker right now ironically!

Landstalker was an amazing game, definitely one of the top RPGs of the 16-bit era, which is saying a lot when you remember that FFVI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Shining Force, A Link to the Past and Phantasy Star IV all came out around the same time.

It made for a really satisfying challenge in that it used its limitations to its advantage: a lot of the toughest puzzles, jumps, secrets etc. were actually a result of the fact that it was in an isometric perspective rather than 'true' 3D, yet it never (or very rarely) felt difficult in a cheap or unfair way, which is masterful game design.

 

[Smudge]

Landstalker was an amazing game, definitely one of the top RPGs of the 16-bit era, which is saying a lot when you remember that FFVI, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Shining Force, A Link to the Past and Phantasy Star IV all came out around the same time.

It made for a really satisfying challenge in that it used its limitations to its advantage: a lot of the toughest puzzles, jumps, secrets etc. were actually a result of the fact that it was in an isometric perspective rather than 'true' 3D, yet it never (or very rarely) felt difficult in a cheap or unfair way, which is masterful game design.

It was the first RPG style game I ever played. I had a SNES, but none of my mates were into Zelda so I never really got playing them until N64/ Gameboy Colour/ emulators.

Know what you mean about the jumps, Ive just got past the Thieves Hideout, some fiendish jumps in that section, and soul destroying to have to climb all the way back up if you fall! Thankfully the emulator Im playing on has a rewind function, which is more than useful!

I always loved the isometric games. Head Over Heels on the Spectrum just missed out on my list! Even despite the limitations of the Spectrum, it still stands up so well today, nearly 30 years since it came out. The remake on Retrospec is just gorgeous as well, and fixes all the problems caused by the Speccy's limitations. Maybe I should have put the remake in my top 20!

 

[Pogogacy]

It was the first RPG style game I ever played. I had a SNES, but none of my mates were into Zelda so I never really got playing them until N64/ Gameboy Colour/ emulators.

Know what you mean about the jumps, Ive just got past the Thieves Hideout, some fiendish jumps in that section, and soul destroying to have to climb all the way back up if you fall! Thankfully the emulator Im playing on has a rewind function, which is more than useful!

I always loved the isometric games. Head Over Heels on the Spectrum just missed out on my list! Even despite the limitations of the Spectrum, it still stands up so well today, nearly 30 years since it came out. The remake on Retrospec is just gorgeous as well, and fixes all the problems caused by the Speccy's limitations. Maybe I should have put the remake in my top 20!

It gets a hell of a lot harder later in the game, as you'll know if you've played it before. Most friends I've tried introducing the game to get frustrated and give up halfway through the first dungeon, which I suppose is what happens if you're raised on a diet of hand-holding modern games. Landstalker only narrowly missed out on my list, but I'm slightly regretting not putting it in now given that someone else voted for it and it would have been nice to see it make the top 50 as it rarely gets the recognition it deserves.

If you enjoy Landstalker and isometric games, you can certainly do worse than checking out its spiritual sequel Dark Saviour on the Sega Saturn, which was also made by Climax. It isn't quite as good as Landstalker, but is still a really interesting and unique game in its own right and is also probably slightly underrated. It has an almost Street Fighter like battle system (which hasn't really aged that well) and it's USP is its Parallel-world narrative. I won't ruin it too much if you haven't already played it; but it basically means that the choices you make right at the beginning of the game dramatically affect how the story unfolds, so you basically have five completely different branching narratives, meaning you have to finish the game five times to complete it 'properly'. Unfortunately, it's never been re-released and I've heard that Saturn emulation is a bit of a pain, so it might be a hassle to play it.

 

[Megaclyde]

FIFA 15 is so dire it's made me completely give up on the series. Probably won't bother getting the next one for the first time in 12 years

Pretty sure we all say this every year
Unfortunately it's the lesser of 2 evils

 

[Aaron-Bcfc]

Pretty sure we all say this every year
Unfortunately it's the lesser of 2 evils

I liked pretty much all of them up until 14. That was shite, but thought I'd get 15 only to find out it's even worse. Haven't played it in a good 6 months so can't see myself getting the next one, unless people rave about it after the first month or so of release

 

[Sparrow]

Was just thinking about that game, loved that game. Who voted for it? You have good taste

Only wish the newer ones were like this, they aren't as good anymore.

That would be me. The car customisation was as good as it's ever been in that game.

Shit, I forgot Burnout 2.

Mario Kart 64 is another of mine to fall. Amazed it hasn't done better. The best in the series IMO.

Burnout 2 one of mine as well. Hours spent creating huge crashes.

 

[Rammy]

It's a huge shame that the Burnout series seems to have died after EA bought Criterion, and tasked them with the Need for Speed series. It's not the same.

EDIT: I'm not sure whether they still do Need for Speed actually. The reception for them was poor, so it wouldn't surprise me if EA just transferred it elsewhere, and were blocking them from making a new Burnout entry.

 

[Libertadores FC]

My favourite FIFA ever of the series including spinoffs is the 2010 World Cup game. That was perfect. The 2014 World Cup game was good but was missing so much that the 2010 game had.

 

[Smudge]

It gets a hell of a lot harder later in the game, as you'll know if you've played it before. Most friends I've tried introducing the game to get frustrated and give up halfway through the first dungeon, which I suppose is what happens if you're raised on a diet of hand-holding modern games. Landstalker only narrowly missed out on my list, but I'm slightly regretting not putting it in now given that someone else voted for it and it would have been nice to see it make the top 50 as it rarely gets the recognition it deserves.

If you enjoy Landstalker and isometric games, you can certainly do worse than checking out its spiritual sequel Dark Saviour on the Sega Saturn, which was also made by Climax. It isn't quite as good as Landstalker, but is still a really interesting and unique game in its own right and is also probably slightly underrated. It has an almost Street Fighter like battle system (which hasn't really aged that well) and it's USP is its Parallel-world narrative. I won't ruin it too much if you haven't already played it; but it basically means that the choices you make right at the beginning of the game dramatically affect how the story unfolds, so you basically have five completely different branching narratives, meaning you have to finish the game five times to complete it 'properly'. Unfortunately, it's never been re-released and I've heard that Saturn emulation is a bit of a pain, so it might be a hassle to play it.

Yeah, Ive completed it a few times. Greenmaze and the Mountain Trail are such a pain! And if we're talking annoying jumps, that side quest where you get turned into the dog in the witches' house is ridiculously hard! I love bits like the crypt puzzle though, nearly up to that bit now.

Never heard of Dark Saviour, I never played the Saturn. Sounds like a shame its difficult to get hold of.

Other than a Zelda game, I did have one other old school RPG on my list, but I wont name it yet since it hasnt come out!

 

[Mr Elmo]

I only had burnout paradise, but that game was awesome. So many hours spent trying to perfect stunt runs and 1,000 degree + flatspins. I actually remember getting more than 300M on one, when I crashed I was so annoyed

 

[Don Tonberry]

Talking about Square RPG's, did anyone ever play XenoGears? That was a brilliant game that unfortunately never saw the light of day in this country and very nearly got banned in America.

 

[Aberstone]

I only had burnout paradise, but that game was awesome. So many hours spent trying to perfect stunt runs and 1,000 degree + flatspins. I actually remember getting more than 300M on one, when I crashed I was so annoyed

Likewise Burnout Paradise was the only Burnout I owned (and that was only due to Sony being hacked) but I too spent hours and hours playing that game. I enjoyed it so much I bought all the discounted DLC.

 

[Megaclyde]

Burnout Paradise was awesome, helped excuse it for the tackiness of it's main song choice
Also the DeLorean that left flames on the ground when you boosted was perfect

 

[Cas]

Nine Pointers

Diablo 3
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney
Midnight Club LA
Zelda: Links Awakening
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Snatcher
Lost Oddyssey
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
WWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain

 

[Leewilson]

At least I wasn't the only one to vote for Links Awakening. Bloody loved that on the gameboy when I was, with mysterious owl and other favourites.

Hoot Hoot Hoot

 

[Cas]

All these games managed ten point.

Cell Damage Overdrive
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Silent Hill 2
2010 Fifa World Cup
TimeSplitters 3
Saints Row
Metal Gear Solid 4
Rome: Total War

 

[Craig]

I voted Rome, my favourite of the total war series.

 

[Rammy]

At least I wasn't the only one to vote for Links Awakening. Bloody loved that on the gameboy when I was, with mysterious owl and other favourites.

Hoot Hoot Hoot

I did too. Loved that game as a kid.

Phoenix Wright was another of mine to come out in that list. Investigating cases and proving peoples innocence sounds a bit shit, but it really isn't!

 

[Megaclyde]

Radiant Dawn's great, but pretty solid

 

[Smudge]

At least I wasn't the only one to vote for Links Awakening. Bloody loved that on the gameboy when I was, with mysterious owl and other favourites.

Hoot Hoot Hoot

He's one Oracle of Seasons/ Ages too, good old mystery seeds!

 

[Relentless]

Radiant Dawn was me I think

 

[Cas]

Eleven pointers

Scarface
Perfect Dark
Gangsters: Organised Crime
Half Life
Mario Power Tennis
Super Mario World
Guitar Hero 3
Metal Gear Solid 2
Grim Fandango
Beyond Good and Evil

 

[Rammy]

Mine are falling like flies now. Beyond Good & Evil was one of mine. It's a shame it never sold well, as it was a superb game.

The sequel has been in the works for about 7 years now. I don't expect we'll ever see it.

 

[Don Tonberry]

Surprised Super Mario World is out so soon given how many people consider it to be the best 2D platformer of all time.

 

[Aberstone]

Perfect Dark, another one of mine gone. Can't remember if I scored it 10 or 11 points?