Ranking the Post-Millennium RPGs I Finished

 

This seemed like a good way to wrap up this month of lists. Listlemania, if you will. It's the sequel to my ranking of pre-millennium RPGs, which is like a whole different world (mostly the 2D world versus the 3D world, mostly). We're picking up with 2001 onward here. If you missed the first list, it's HERE. Same general format, except it'll be over 23 and a half years instead of the 15ish that the first one covered. I don't want to take too much away from the 1000 List, which is still in-progress, so I'm not going to go too deep on most of these or include any fun stuff like "Toughest Part". We'll get some music interludes, though, when the aural pleasure of a game is just too good.

Ranking All 40 Wrestlemanias

 

With Wrestlemania this weekend, and an even 40 in the books, it seemed like a good time to do a ranking.

Ranking Every Episode of Black Mirror, Including The New Ones

 

Taking a break from looking at things from 1987 to look at something hip and trendy and current. I will now be "with it" and "down" with the "pop culture" by ranking every episode of Black Mirror, including the new Season 7 eps which will drop during the making of this post. Which episode will be "goated FR"? Let's find out. There'll be a fair amount of spoilers here but I'm not going to reveal the biggest twists or completely give away the episodes.

Ranking all of Samus' Suits

Some of Samus' suits are remarkably well-designed and fun to look at, with colors and aesthetics that drip off the screen. Just absolutely sumptuous design on some of these, and it's probably a part of why the series has been successful over the years.

The ranking will be based mostly on the look and art design of each suit, with maybe 10% consideration given to their ingame abilities. It isn't about which is more powerful than which (something largely impossible to determine from game to game, given the mostly-shared ability pool). It's more about which ones are the most appealing to look at in action.

Top Ten Games/TV Shows/Movies I Wish Would Have Lasted Longer

Today I'm looking at things that were just over too soon. I needed more, dammit!

The Best And Worst Thing In Each Mario Game

Wrapping up this impromptu Mario month of sorts with a list that I threw together about 50% of in a medical waiting room. Somebody needs to do something about these Canada-esque wait times. I don't mind too much as long as I've got something to do, though.

Top Fifteen Games I'd Like To See

A lot of this is going to amount to "game companies selling us things we already have"... It is what it is. I don't even resent them for doing that, because it keeps the old greats alive. Besides that, nostalgia's a bigger selling point now than most of the new things being put out there. Aside from generational games like Elden Ring, modern gaming just doesn't have the magic for a lot of folks that retro gaming does. Regardless, here's my list of remakes, remasters, and occasional new things that I'd like to see happen.

Highlander 5x06 - Money No Object

 

This picture looks like it should be accompanied by 1930's honky-tonk jazz, like the entirety of the movie Babylon. This is a great comedy episode, and more fun with Amanda after the heartfelt episode we got last time. Not sure why Amanda gets hated-on online, because she's quite likeable in these episodes.

Highlander 5x05 - Dramatic License

 

After several episodes that tackled more serious subject matter, we're overdue for a comedy episode. Episode 5 here is, as the French say, "le goof". Which is just what le doctor ordered.

This week we're getting not one, but TWO new episodes. ...because I don't like the thumbnail for this one, and I'll be damned if I have this fish-like woman eyeballing people while they read this site.

Ranking the Super Mario 64 Levels

One of the main criteria I use to judge a Mario 64 level is how fun it is to just run around aimlessly. Mario 64 is one of those rare games where mere movement and exploration is its own fun, without even having a goal in mind. Some of these levels are really conducive to just having fun and jumping around, while others aren't. So what this list ultimately comes down to is how much fun I have just playing around in any given level, and how likely I am to look forward to replaying them.

Super Mario 64 - Act III

 

Today, I finish off this solid-gold game that damn near defined a console era. September 29th 1996 is a day that lives on fondly in the hearts of many, many, many kids who grew up in that era. The NWO had just dawned as the hot thing in wrestling, the 3D era had begin in gaming, and so much was fresh and new. People's brains were still producing dopamine, doomscrolling didn't exist, and we were playing the original versions of all those games that game companies are now selling to you even though you already have them.

Super Mario 64 - Act II

 

The second act of this game is hands-down my favorite part. Going back to 1996, by this part, the sheer novelty of having the game and running around in a 3D space had worn off a bit, so the levels had to step their game up to keep the hype going. And step up they did, with most of my favorite levels in this next section.

Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64, 1996)

 

It's "Mar10 Day" and I've been wanting to do something Mario-related on this particular day for a while. Too bad "Mar10 Day" isn't more of a thing. Nintendo started to try and make it a thing and then just kinda abandoned it, I think, much like they abandoned trying to stay ahead of the competition's tech level somewhere around 2005.

This is a game that meant a lot to millions of kids in 1996. It isn't hyperbolic to say that it was the biggest video game of all time at that moment. Nintendo Power sold many games to people over the years, with things like Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario RPG, and Killer Instinct getting the mega-pushes of mega-pushes. And yet none of them got the GIGA-PUSH that Super Mario 64 got in the months leading up to the launch of the Nintendo 64.

This is still, to this day, probably my favorite 3D Mario game (though Mario Galaxy got close), and I'm long overdue for a replay of it. I've beaten this game all of twice ever previously: Once in 1999 when I finally got an N64, and once in 2012 or so on the Wii Virtual Console where I got all 120 stars. Now I play it a third time to talk about it here. Just beating the game (70 stars) and trying to do it fairly quickly. I'll also be looking at some of the Nintendo Power coverage to see if I can evoke some twinges of nostalgia over just how beyond-hyped people were for this.

Sunset Riders (Super NES, 1993)

 

Kind of a butt-ugly box art here, and I don't think I ever saw it in stores. This is a SNES port of an arcade game that was quite popular at the time, but unfortunately I think this is a game that probably worked much better in arcades.

This is the game that I always mix up with Wild Guns, and I thought I'd already played it. Turns out that wasn't the case, so I gave it a go. Unfortunately, I wasn't missing anything because after one run, I loathe this game. Wait, what? But...it's Konami. Probably my favorite developer ever besides Fromsoft and maybe Square-Enix. How can this be?

Wild Guns (Super NES, 1994)

Today I'm taking a quick look at a forgotten SNES game. It has achieved slightly mythical status in the modern era due to a number of high-profile members of the internet singing its praises. It's... surprisingly great.

(Originally posted Oct 2012)

Highlander 5x04 - Glory Days

 

The first Season 5 episode that I don't actually like. It isn't bad or anything but it's got some issues. Very much a filler-y "villain of the week" and the villain in question is one of the weakest in the series. Both in terms of physical ability and overall persona. At least it has a good subplot with Joe Dawson.

The Little Mermaid (NES, 1991)

 

Here's a game that isn't in the Disney Afternoon Collection and probably should have been. I never played it before this, but I heard only good things about it over the years. It's just a pleasant little game, starring a cute redhead. Not sure why a drunken fish is sidling up next to Ariel though.

Today is a dark day for wrestling fans, but I'll do my best with this.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Act III

 

Portrait of Ruin draws to a close, as unfortunately this super-good game has an end. Took about 8 hours, would have been totally fine with it taking another 20. Today I take out the last four portraits.

Ya know, I'm starting to wonder if Konami saw these 2D 'Vanias as B-Team projects and most of their resources went into the 3D console 'Vanias. Which would be kinda comical considering how much better-regarded Iga's 2D creations are. I don't even really think of the 3D 'Vanias as the same series.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Act II

 

Next I wade through my favorite of the painting zones, the desert, fighting off Shishio cosplayers.

Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (Nintendo DS, 2006)

 

In my continuing quest to figure out what the best of the big eight Iga-Metroidvanias is (the six portables, plus Symphony and Bloodstained), I've got two left and this is one of 'em. It's definitely a major contender. And I'll say this, Circle of the Moon isn't going to win, probably because it's the Iga-Metroidvania that doesn't even contain Iga.

Regardless, this game is freaking fantastic, and is a direct sequel to Castlevania Bloodlines.