Sonic CD is no longer my favourite game.

[Dr. Watson]

The games i have had the most fun with would have to be the Smash Bros. titles, but i couldn't state which one precisely. Just to bad they never gave Brawl a proper online multiplayer mode. As it is now, Brawl, much like the previous installments in the series, only reaches the state of super-duper-mega-fun when you've actually been able to gather up some of those rare... what's it called again? Oh yeah, "real life acquaintances".

[Opa-Opa]

If there's a game I still play from time to time from start to finish it's Alex Kidd in Miracle World.

[Brazillian Cara]

My favorite game? Tough question.
But I can easily say that the Megaman X series is the one I've replayed the most (particularly X2).

[Arcade]

My favorite Sonic game is STILL Sonic 1...

Flower uh? I think I played a game like that ten years ago, only you used Gravity, jup, those kinds of games are fun...

[Crazy Penguin]

I tend to say NiGHTS into Dreams... even though I don't play it as much as I'd probably like to. Amazing music, amazing aesthetics, great character design, pick-up-and-play sensibility and predominantly high score table driven gameplay.

Panzer Dragoon II Zwei and Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG are both brilliant for different reasons.

Sonic 1, 2, 3&K and CD are all excellent. Like G Silver I tend to revisit Sonic 1 the most, though not necessarily because it's my favourite. Sonic 3 & Knuckles would be my favourite if it wasn't for the dull Special Stages and Super Sonic and the Bonus Stages removing a lot of the challenge.

Bubble Bobble is as fresh now as it was when first released. Bubble Symphony is the only game in the series that can be called a worthy sequel. (Rainbow Islands is a different beast altogether, though I still prefer Bubble Bobble.)

For competitive multi-player excitement it's hard to go wrong with any 2D Capcom fighter from the 90s, Super Smash Bros Melee/Brawl, any Mario Kart, Puzzle Bobble 2, Baku Baku Animal and Saturn Bomberman. And Sonic 2 damnit.

Tetris DX on GameBoy "Color". Holy fuck guys! You can pause it and switch the power off and totally resume later. I don't know if any of the sequels did that, but it's full of YES.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is one of the most tight, balanced and downright charming games I've played. Sheer genius. Ocarina of Time is also excellent, although too light on side-quests and additional goals in the adult section. The original game still holds up too.

Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World are both excellent. I can only imagine a Super Mario Bros 5 that creates a perfect balance between the two. SMB3 is more challenge based and has a well implemented tactical element with the inventory of items. Super Mario World on the other hand lets you revisit completed stages and pick up any items you want, making for a much easier game. However SMW is much more explorable, the switch palaces and multiple exit "red dot" levels were a stroke of genius.

Also props to the Game Boy version of "Donkey Kong". Something of a cult classic - not many people remember it, but everyone who does LOVES it.

Metal Slug is awesome for blowing shit up, but painfully difficult if playing with limited credits. Metal Slug 2/X is the same but MORE INSANE/AWESOME. 3 doesn't make any improvements except that you can be a ZOMBIE THAT VOMITS BLOOD AS AN ULTIMATE ATTACK. Dude. SWEET.

I'm kinda drunk.

Josh, we need to get together and play the hell out of some games in a non-gay yet tantalisingly homoerotic manner. Bring chicks.

[Crowbar]

Also props to the Game Boy version of "Donkey Kong". Something of a cult classic - not many people remember it, but everyone who does LOVES it.

OH GOD

This and Wario Land (the first one, dammit) are probably tied for the position of "Game I have spent the most time playing while on family holidays".

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Yeah, puzzle platformers have become my favorite genre, and probably due to Donkey Kong '94. I still get bummed out that it was stolen, especially since I was this close to finishing it -- Giant DK was a bastard of a final boss, I tell you what.

Too bad Mario Vs. Donkey Kong was an all-around lesser experience. I think it even had fewer levels!

[Shadow Hog]

As far as Wario Land goes, while the first is definitely a good game, I vastly prefer WL2 and especially WL3. Becoming invincible removes a lot of the stress of getting through a stage, allowing for more emphasis on exploration and unusual puzzles, something both games did very well. Both games have something the other lacks; WL2, for instance, has branching paths, multiple endings, genuine penalties for getting hit (you lose six coins - not much, but it's still a penalty), and some very esoteric locations (haunted house? Factories? Underwater ruins? Whatever the hell "The Really Final Level" was supposed to be?), while WL3 has a more Metroid-like spin to it (sure, they're 25 distinct levels and not one cohesive world, but abilities unlocked and events triggered in stages still open up new paths in other stages), more transformations (dunno if any were lost, other than Tiny Wario), night/day cycle (which is actually important in solving some of the puzzles, and not just cosmetic), and a pretty well-done (if throwaway) plot-twist at the end.

WL4 is another good game, although it's really, REALLY short, and doesn't have all the fun transformations the earlier games had. The timers for the bosses were rather annoying, but they work surprisingly well in the stages. Shake It! takes Wario Land 4's mechanics, adds a bunch of collectables, and makes it look absolutely gorgeous, but it does have a few nagging issues here and there (automatic sliding down slopes instead of rolling into a ball, you can't flip over enemies by jumping at them from beneath, you can't slide down ladders, etc.; nitpicking, yes, but they're recurring annoyances). However, it's still a damn good game, well worth the $20 it retails for nowadays. Plus all those missions would lead to endless replay value, provided you don't mind replaying the same stage several times through since some of these things are damn near impossible to get the first run through.

I didn't play either Wario World or Master of Disguise, although the former looks damn fun (and, being made by Treasure, you would assume that'd be the case).

I need to hunt down Donkey Kong '94. A friend of mine also swears by Mole Mania; should check that out as well.

[G.Silver]

You'd be well advised to stay the hell away from Master of Disguise.

[Rob-Bert]

Wario World is actually pretty fun if you want a short, sweet beat-em-up. Most people seem to hate it though. I mean, ideally it should've been a 3D version of WL2/3, transformations and all, but the actual game isn't the worst thing ever.

[K2J]

I should probably mention that there are a lot fewer transformations in Shake It!. The big thing is the machine that makes Wario run really fast, which is sort of similar, but the only returning transformations are Fire, Snowball, Freeze, and a variation on Small, and most aren't used that often.

[j-man]

Josh, we need to get together and play the hell out of some games in a non-gay yet tantalisingly homoerotic manner. Bring chicks.

I don't know any chicks. I'll bring Donkey Konga. No funny business.

[cjmcray]

Josh, we need to get together and play the hell out of some games in a non-gay yet tantalisingly homoerotic manner. Bring chicks.

I don't know any chicks.

This is a Sonic the Hedgehog message board. Nobody here does.

..Well, there's always Delphine..

[Malchik]

Josh, we need to get together and play the hell out of some games in a non-gay yet tantalisingly homoerotic manner. Bring dicks.

O.k.

..Well, there's always Delphine..

I don't think many of us are man enough to handle her.

[j-man]

I don't really think Del goes for manhandling.

[Delphine]

Not particularly. Unless you're really pretty. Having breasts is a plus, as well.

[Opa-Opa]

oh snap

[gr4yJ4Y]

Tetris DX on GameBoy "Color". Holy fuck guys! You can pause it and switch the power off and totally resume later. I don't know if any of the sequels did that, but it's full of YES.

This is probably the best version of Tetris I've played. I bought Tetris Party on WiiWare, but there's a level cap at like 10, which is stupid. I can handle level 10 easily. I could probably keep going on level 10 for hours if I wanted to. But I don't. I'd rather play a version where it gets harder.

I've been thinking about getting a GBA SP just so I can play my old Game Boy games with a back light. It's really hard to go back to the Game Boy Color after years of playing DS.



I think my favorite game at the moment is Super Mario Galaxy, even though I've yet to get all the stars with Luigi. Playing it is just fun. It's not particularly challenging, but the level design is mostly genius, there's a lot of levels, and it mixes things up enough to hold my interest.

Jet Grind Radio, Sonic 1, 2, 3&K, Adventure 1, Adventure 2, Elite Beat Agents, and the Smash Bros. games are all up there. Oh and Super Mario Bros. DX is pretty sweet too if we're talking about GBC games.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Speaking of the GBC, Capcom published some fine gems at the end of its lifespan. Toki Tori is just brilliant, it has a WiiWare release that is worth checking out I hear. And I've heard nothing but good about Shantae, but there doesn't seem to be an emulator that can handle it.

[Crazy Penguin]

The Zelda games Capcom made for Game Boy Color are better than The Minish Cap, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks combined.

Is Tetris DS any good?

And how about Space Bust-A-Move? I thought that Bust-A-Move DS was unbelievably lazy and half-assed, even more barebones than the original arcade game. But apparently Space is pretty decent? I'm pretty dubious of any entry in the Bubble Bobble franchise that didn't originate in the arcades.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Is Tetris DS any good?

Depends. Are you of the school of thought that tetriminoes should lock in place the moment they land? If yes, then no. 'Infinite' spin is part of the Tetris bible now, though, so you might as well get used to it.

It's also super-expensive as far as DS games go.

[K2J]

Tetris DS was pretty enjoyable, especially with the non-traditional modes spicing it up a bit. But yeah, after level 10 you're pretty much forced to always keep the pieces spinning.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Oh yeah, the other modes. I think the Yoshi's Cookie puzzle mode was the greatest thing in the whole package. The rest were largely forgettable, such Balloon Fight's wonky touch puzzle. Others, especially Metroid's rotating thingy, were just criminally boring.

[Shadow Hog]

I used to have Tetris DS. Still have the box and everything, in fact. Except my brother lost the cartridge (and most of his, too) when he lost his DS game case. The fact the game is so goddamn expensive to replace incenses me. Granted, since I still have the box, manual et al, cartridge-only would probably be sufficient, but...

It's pretty good. Infinite spin should never have been a permanent change to the formula, but multiplayer mixes that up by indirectly punishing players who do it for too long (that is, the game doesn't give a shit, but if you're doing it a lot and your opponents aren't, they'll get all the fun items and bonuses and toss it your way, not vice versa). The Metroid "spin" mode is pretty lame. Ice Climbers mode is okay (I forget the name, but it has something to do with a tower that you destroy with the stylus?). Zelda "Puzzle" mode is an interesting twist on the formula, but nothing terribly substantial. Yoshi's Cookie "puzzle" mode is definitely pretty well-thought out, and some of those puzzles are damn hard. The best addition, though, by FAR, was the Donkey Kong "push" mode. So frantic in multiplayer! One second you could be winning, your opponent about to be pushed to their doom, when suddenly they luck out and get two straights in a row, toss in the straight they'd had in reserve, and three Tetrises later, you're the one scrambling to survive. That mode alone I might rebuy the game for.

I've been thinking about getting a GBA SP just so I can play my old Game Boy games with a back light. It's really hard to go back to the Game Boy Color after years of playing DS.

Do. I did just that, actually. Best $30 I've spent in a good while. It's helped me tackle the Oracle games, for which my only other option was my old, original GBA (Arctic color - very nice tint, I still think - battery door broken) or plugging in my GC and GB Player (which is literally all I'd use it for, barring the two GC imports I own - the Wii handles everything else, so nyeh). I definitely don't regret it.

Do yourself a favor and opt for the AGS-101 if you can - it's generally a pale blue or pink color, maybe black as well, but the distinction between models is on the sticker on the bottom. Basically, the original GBA-SP (AGS-001) was frontlit, which worked, but wasn't really the most ideal solution. The newer model, the "GBA-SP+" (AGS-101) is backlit like the DS, and the light button no longer turns the light off - it goes from bright to REALLY bright, instead. If it's any consolation, playing the thing on the lower setting still has a longer battery life than the original GBA-SP with the light on (and honestly, I've yet to find a situation where the lesser setting isn't perfectly visible, so I tend to opt for that).

Speaking of the Oracle games, still working on a linked-game Ages. Working towards seventh dungeon now - fun seeing all the subtle nods to Seasons tossed in. Not really sure which of them was my favorite - leaning Seasons (you gotta love Roc's Cape), but Ages has a lot of cool shit as well. I suppose I'll cop out and say that no matter how good they are, Link's Awakening DX was still better. I mean, it's probably my favorite Zelda of all time (that or Ocarina of Time, but I'm pretty sure LA wins out here), so it really goes without saying that I'd prefer it. I really am not sure what it is, but few other Zelda games have come close to capturing the same kinds of feelings LA gave me, a unique sense of joy - Ocarina is probably the only other one. That LA was my first Zelda and that OoT was my first 3D Zelda (specifically the Wind Waker preorder version - taking a bit of a gamble preordering that when never having played a 3D Zelda, but I figured, being Zelda, I'd likely not be disappointed) probably has a lot to do with it.

I do have to wonder. The US version of Zelda DX had the usual gold boxart/cartridge sticker, but the EU version (the one I have) was black. Why was that? Not that I'm complaining, I think the black sticker makes it more unique, and... well, I'm now kind of ATTACHED to it, so I guess I can't really be fair here...

[Senbei]

Link's Awakening was the first time I empathized with a video game character, Marin in this case. I think that says a lot.