Bear & Badger Recommends - The Bear and Badger

Eric

We don't currently have a place to list our gaming recommendations, so put them in here. I'll compile the best of them in the OP as a reference point for people to come back to and I may be do some sort of tally chart or pictogram if it gets popular and badgers start covering the same formats etc.

These can be Platform specific (ie best Wii/C64 etc Games), Genre specific (Best scrolling beat em up, XBL/PSN only titles etc) or whatever tickles your fancy.

You have to have ten in your list, or else:

COMMODORE 64 [1]
1. Skool Daze
2. Green Beret
3. The Tube
4. Spy Vs Spy
5. Blue Max
6. Rampage
7. Night Racer
8.Hover Bovver
9.Last Ninja 2
10.Commando

AMSTRAD CPC 464 [1]
1. Gryzor
2. Head over Heels
3. Get Dexter
4. Spin Dizzy
5. Pirates
6. Harrier Attack
7. Oh Mummy
8. Cauldron
9. Roland in the Caves
10.Hero Quest

SINCLAIR SPECTRUM [1]
1. Chaos
1. Fantasy world Dizzy (plus most others)
1. Chase HQ
1. 3d deathchase
1. Back to skool
1. Head over heels
1. Operation Wolf/Thunderbolt
1. Hyper Sports
1. Manic miner (I had to really)
1. Elite

ATARI 2600 [1]
1. Kaboom!
1. Warlords or Medieval Mayhem(homebrew)
1. Maze Craze
1. Megamania
1. Super Breakout
1. Demon Attack
1. Jr Pacman
1. Solar Fox
1. Thrust
1. Combat

NES [4]
1. SMB 3
2. SMB
3. Punch Out
4. SMB 2
5. Solar Jet Man
6. Super Off Road
7. Zelda 2
=. Balloon Fight
9. Megaman 2
10. Duck Hunt

SEGA MASTER SYSTEM [4]
1. Alex Kidd in Miracle World
2. Wonderboy in Monster Land
3. Asterix
4. Castle of Illusion
=. Fantasy Zone II
6. Wonderboy III
7. The Ninja
8. Action Fighter
9. Sonic 2
10. Psycho Fox
=. Sonic

PC ENGINE [1]
1. R-Type
2. Devil Crash
3. Legenday Axe
4. Military Madness
5. Gunhed/Star Soldier/Solider Blade
6. Bloody Wolf
7. Bomberman '94
8. Jackie Chan Action Kung-Fu
9. Dungeon Explorer
10. Bonk/PC Kid

AMIGA [1]
1. Monkey Island (1 & 2)
2. Jurassic Park
3. Z Out
4. Alien Breed
5. Dojo Dan
6. Worms
7. Loom
8.Jaguar XJ220
9. Dreamweb
10. Rick Dangerous
11) Frontier Elite 2
12) Batman

MEGADRIVE [6]
1. Shining Force 2
2. Streets of Rage 2
3. Gunstar Heroes
4. Micro Machines 96 TT
5. Sonic The Hedgehog
6. Sonic & Knuckles
7. Subterrania
8. Sonic 2
9. Devil Crash
=. Landstalker
=. Road Rash
=. Phantasy Star IV

SNES [8]
1.Super Mario World
2.Zelda: Link to the Past
3.Yoshi's Island
4.Super Mario Kart
5.Super Metroid
6.Super Castlevania IV
7.Super Aleste
8.Super Punch Out
9.Legend of the Mystical Ninja
10.Secret of Mana
=.Final Fantasy VI

MEGA CD [1]
1. Sonic CD
2. Final Fight CD
3. Shining Force CD
4. Robo Aleste
5. Eternal Champions Challenge from the Dark Side
6. Snatcher
7. Keio: Flying Squadron
8.Slipheed
9.Lunar: The Silver Star
10.Secret of Monkey Island

ATARI JAGUAR [1]
1. Alien v predator
2. Tempest 2000
3. Cybermorph
4. Pitfall
5. Doom
6. Erm....

SEGA SATURN [6]
1. Nights: Into Dreams
2. Guardian Heroes
3. Virtua Fighter 2
4. Panzer Dragoon Zwei
5. Streetfighter Alpha 2
6. Sega Rally
7. Athlete Kings
8. Virtua Cop
9. Baku Baku Animal
10. Shining Force 3

SONY PLAYSTATION [10]
1. Final Fantasy VII
2. Metal Gear Solid
3. Resident Evil 2
4. ISS Pro 98
5. WipeOut 2097
6. Final Fantasy VIII
7. Castlevania: SotN
8. Tomb Raider
9. Final Fantasy IX
=. Gran Turismo
=. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2

N64 [7]
1. Mario 64
2. Zelda Ocarina of Time
3. Goldeneye
4. Mario Kart 64
5. F-Zero X
6. Wave Race
7. Banjo Kazooie
8. ISS 2000
9. Mario Tennis
10. 1080 Snowboarding
=. Smash Bros.

SEGA DREAMCAST [5]
1.Soul Calibur
2. Bangai-O
3. Crazy Taxi
4. Virtua Tennis
5. Jet Set Radio
6. Shenmue
7. Powerstone
8. Daytona
9. Resident Evil Code Veronica
10. Chu Chu Rocket

NINTENDO WII [5]
1. Mario Galaxy 1
2. Mario Galaxy 2
3. Zelda Skyward Sword
4. Punch Out!
5. No More Heroes
6. Zelda: Twilight Princess
7. Donkey Kong Country Returns
8. BoomBlox 2
9. New Super Mario Bros.
10.Mario Kart Wii

XBOX [6]
1. Halo CE
2. Outrun 2
3. Project Gotham Racing 2
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
5. Oddworld: Strangers Wrath
6. Jet Set Radio Future
7. Burnout 2
8. Halo 2
9. Topspin
10. Ninja Gaiden

PLAYSTATION 2 [6]
1. ICO
2. Pro Evolution 6
3. Metal Gear Solid 3
4. Shadow of The Colossus
5. Gradius V
6. Okami
7. R-Type Final
=. Contra; Shattered Soldier
=. Gran Turismo 4
=. REZ

GAMECUBE [8]
1. Metroid Prime
2. Resident Evil 4
3. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
4. Super Monkey Ball
5. F-Zero GX
6. Super Smash Bros. Melee
7. Super Mario Sunshine
8. Paper Mario
9. Zelda: Twighlight Princess
10. Mario Kart Double Dash
=. Pikmin 2

Eric

GAMEBOY [1]
1. Tetris
2. Pokemon Blue/Red
3. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins
4. Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land
5. Wario Blast
6. Dr. Mario
7. Pokemon Gold/Silver
8. Kirby's Dream Land
9. Metroid II: Return of Samus
10. Mega Man II

GAMEGEAR [1]
1. Sonic the Hedgehog
2. Columns
3. Legend of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse
4. Road Rash
5. Shinobi
6. Wonder Boy
7. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
8. Fantasy Zone
9. Desert Strike
10. GG Aleste

VIRTUAL BOY [1]
1. Mario Clash
2. Teleroboxer
3. Mario Tennis
4. Galactic Pinball
5. V Tetris
6. Bomberman: Panic Bomber
7. Golf
8. Vertical Force
9. Virtual League Baseball
10. Red Alarm

GAMEBOY ADVANCE [1]
1. Fire Emblem (the first one)
2. Astroboy
3. Advance Wars
4. Yoshi's Island
5. Tactics Ogre
6. Wario Ware
7. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
8. Zelda: Link to the Past
9. Mario Kart
10. Final Fantasy Tactics or something

NINTENDO DS [1]
1. Dragon's Quest IX
2. Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
3. Disgaea DS
4. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
5. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
6. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
7. Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
8. Advance Wars: DS
9. Wario Ware: Touched
10. Brain Training

SONY PSP [1]
1. Jeanne D'Arc
2. Patapon
3. LocoRoco
4. MGS: Peacewalker
5. Wipeout Pure
6. Space Invaders Extreme
7. Lumines
8. Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins
9. Echochrome
10. God of War:Chains of Olympus

Eric

Workids Top 10 Mario Games
1. Mario 64
2. SMB
3. Super Mario Galaxy
4. Super Mario World
5. SNES Mario Kart
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
7. Super Mario Galaxy 2
8. Mario Kart 8
9. Super Mario Bros 2
10. Mario Golf (GC)

Moots Top 10 16-bit overall, Sonic & Mario excluded:
1. Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament
2. Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Streetfighter 2 (Variations)
4. Shining Force 2
5. Landstalker
6. Super Punch Out!
7. Red Zone
8. Streets of Rage 2
9. EA/NHL Hockey (Variations)
10. Dynamite Headdy
Nearest miss: Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts

Moots Top 10 MD exclusives
1. Shining Force 2
2. Landstalker
3. Red Zone
4. Streets of Rage 2
5. Dynamite Headdy
6. Rocket Knight Adventures
7. Story of Thor
8. Sub Terrania
9. Gunstar Heroes
10. Road Rash 2
Nearest miss: Pulseman

Moots Top 10 SNES exclusives
1. Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. Super Punch-Out!
3. Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts
4. Castlevania IV
5. UN Squadron
6. Donkey Kong Country
7. Super Metroid
8. F-Zero
9. Megaman X
10. Axelay
Nearest miss: Contra III

Workid's Top Controllers
1. N64 pad
2. Wiimote and Nunchuck combo
3. Gamecube pad
4. DC pad plus VMU
5. SNES pad
6. PS3 pad
7. Rock band drums
8. NES pad
9. The joystick I had on my Amiga
10. MegaDrive pad

Eric

DavyK's Top 10 STGs
1. Mushihimesama Futari
2. Oshaberi "Chatting" Parodius
3. Super Aleste
4. RType Final
5. Gunbird 2
6. Layer Section
7. Fantasy Zone
8. Gradius 1
9. Castle Shikigami II
10. DoDonPachi

DavyK's Top 10 puzzle games
1. Tetris
2. Mr Driller
3. Puyo Puyo 2
4. Kurushi
5. Shanghai Triple Threat
6. Baku Baku
7. Dr. Mario
8. Wetrix
9. Bust-a-Move 2
10. Big Brain Academy

Eric

NES
SMB3 - still one of the finest platformers money can buy. Stands shoulder to shoulder with SMW and has considerably more levels to conquer.

Solar Jet Man Gravity shooter in the Thrust & Gravitar tradition. This takes the genre to the limits with huge levels, loads of power ups to collect and rock solid physics.

Balloon Fight Nintendo's take on Joust has more to do and features beautifully realised gravity and friction. Also has the crack-like survival mode that is Balloon Trip thrown in for good measure.

Dropzone Archer Maclean's Defender update is lightning fast (even in PAL - it's originally coded that way) and looks splendid too.

RC Pro Am Lovely, fast 3rd person racer.

Boulderdash NES got a splendid port of this. Probably the "best ever" if truth be known.

Solomon's Key Solid port of the arcade game. This is a rather clever platform/puzzle game with loads of secrets and bonuses to find.

Contra aka Probotector Solid run and gun from Konami.

Ice Climber Vertically scrolling platformer. Early , simple Nintendo design but it's brilliant when you add a second player.

Punch Out Legendary comic boxing game. One of the few games to ever actually make me laugh.

SNES
Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island Two of the best platformers ever bookend the SNES's life. Enough praise has been poured on these but suffice to say they are still highly playable and are choc-full of replay value. Finish them once and then go back to find the 96 exits in SMW and go for 100pts in all the YI levels.

Legend of the Mystical Ninja Konami had a magic spell on the SNES and this is probably their finest hour on the console. Lovely roam and hunt scenes packed with mini-games give way to tough 2D side on levels leading you to great boss battles. The 2 player mode transforms the game - featuring a hilarious piggy-back move in the 2D sections. Loads of Japanese weirdness and great atmosphere.

Super Aleste One of the finest STGs of the 16bit generation. Technically speaking this trounces anything the Megadrive has to offer , and I'd argue the PCEngine and even the mighty NeoGeo have problems matching it. This game is sprite city with no slowdown, has the best ever use of Mode 7 (level 2), twelve gorgeous levels, and 4 difficulty levels that crank the challenge up to meet the huge arsenal of weapons at your disposal; each of which have 2 methods of use giving you a mind boggling choice of ways to defeat each level and boss. It's an astounding achievement and rarely does gameplay match the technical excellence - it does here with some change left over.

Super Castlevania IV Before this series went all Metroid on us, we had this - the best linear entry in the series. Loads of levels, great controls (not matched in its flexibility since) and the music, the best on the SNES , is still impressive today.

Kirby's Dream Course Ignore the Kirby branding - this is an original crazy golf style of game. You control Kirby as the ball on isometrically viewed courses. The aim is to hit all the enemies from which you can absorb special powers and then drop into the hole that the last enemy standing becomes. It is a very clever game - every hole can be done in one shot - and it has plenty of courses and a smart, tactical 2 player game. A late release that got ignored.

Cybernator aka Assault Suits Valken Wonderful mech shooter. The feeling of the weight of the mech is really well done here and the control scheme is rich but instinctive. Loads of atmosphere and the levels are varied.

Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Beautiful realisation of Miyamoto's original vision which has been recycled ever since. Ageless graphical design and beautifully paced gameplay with the expanding skills and map. The only Zelda I ever finished and I'd say the only one you need to play. Its genius has been diluted by the later games as great as they are.

Super Bomberman This may have originated on PC-Engine but this version with its multi-tap support is only surpassed by the all conquering Sega Saturn version but that's only because of the 5-10 player options which aren't exactly practical.

Pilotwings The flying experience in this game still hasn't been recreated despite a couple of attempts. The graphics are ageing now but the gameplay is intact and the challenges are extremely well thought out.
Until a proper sequel comes along this is still a unique game.

N64
Super Mario 64 Boring choice but it is still unique despite the presence of its offspring. The level design and the control are the highlights and they are still highly enjoyable.

F-Zero X Balls to the wall racing against 29 aggressive opponents. No other game like it and PS1 and Saturn couldn't have done this. The tracks are great, the boost vs shield trade-off is terrific and the difficulty is just right - GX is too hard for its own good. This is better.

Mario Tennis The Nintendo design ethic on full show here. Simple pick-up-and play controls have depths for more skilled players. Plenty of content, 4 player support. Just a great game of tennis - took the shine off Virtua Tennis when it arrived.

Wetrix The N64's power on display. The Saturn and Ps1 wouldn't have been up to this. Excellent water effects and a genuinely new puzzle experience. Good selection of modes keep the interest up and there's brilliant presentation throughout from the graphics and chilled out sound through to the playful menu.

Tetris 64 An early JPN only release that was overshadowed by the excellent New Tetris. This has a slightly more pedestrian look, and the Voss tunes of New Tetris aren't matched, but this still looks and sounds solid. It's all about gameplay - with 4 player options , a unique garbage system and far more modes on offer with hardcore options like selectable rotation schemes means this is the better game.

Waverace 64 Stunning water effects that still deliver a great experience underpinned by excellent tracks. Looks simple but it hasn't been surpassed.

1080 Not as trick heavy as more modern games, the emphasis is on racing here. Excellent tracks and splendid racing action. Simple but engaging supporting modes keep the interest up.

Doom 64 All new levels that look great and a great cast of enemies. It's old-school Doom but it's all the better for it. Brilliant atmospheric soundtrack.

Mischief Makers Treasure do platforming. A rich control scheme and unique tweaks to traditional platforming gameplay. Looks pretty good too and plenty of replay ability with gems to search for.

Mystical Ninja 2 The 2nd Mystical Ninja game on N64 returns to the winning format of the SNES games. The weirdness is turned up to 11 here. Lovely fake 3D look and the great controls allow for some great old-school tough side on platforming. Has an unlockable 4 player mode for those who can finish the game.

Sega Saturn
Baku Baku More people should have got to play this. Yes - it's "just"a match symbol pit puzzle game. But the animal/food matching mechanic is unusual and makes chaining more enjoyable that just colour matching. The presentation standard is high throughout and graphically this has aged rather well.

Athlete Kings aka Decathlete The 3D graphics still look solid today and the gameplay is sufficiently varied to raise it above the usual button mashing effort. It's highly competitive and has that magical Sega arcade feel.

Layer Section Magnificent port of the Taito arcade game with an enhanced soundtrack. Visually miraculous in TATE mode. Just a wonderful old-school shmup that you don't get any more.

Saturn Bomberman Best version of one of the best same room multi-player games. Up to 10 players, definitive option mode and for once an excellent one or two player main game with gorgeous hand-drawn sprites, and unique to Saturn - a highly addictive and replayable one player score attack Master mode.

Oshaberi Parodius Best of the series. Choc full with content. Some Saturn exclusive content such as an arrange mode and a duet mode for setting which player gets the most attention in 2 player mode. The Saturn hurls dozens of sprites around without a hiccup while pushing out hilarious Japanese commentary and the nutty soundtrack. Hidden fairy side quests ,a huge roster of characters (the biggest in the series) with more to unlock round this out.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei Graphically is ageing now but the control remains super slick. Excellent episodic on-rails shooter with lots of atmosphere.

Marvel Super Heroes vs Streetfighter Capcom gave sterling support to the Saturn and used the 4MB expansion cart to create a series of games that pissed all over the efforts on the PS1. This is the 2nd "versus" game. Gorgeous 2D fighter with 2 characters per side and the whole thing runs with zero load times.

Sega Rally Only 4 tracks - but what tracks they are. Sega at their best, and the control is silky smooth and so rich there is always room for improvement.

Nights Misunderstood. It's a score attack game based around collecting objects on set paths that contain some branches and alternate rotes. Sounds simple but this game just oozes charm. A bit dodgy looking in places now but still gorgeous in others; the control still stands up and the scoring system makes for infinite replay value. Balletic expert playthroughs look more impressive in this game than in any other. Throw in the Xmas Nights disc (has there ever been a better magazine giveaway?) for a seasonal twist that's an evergreen must play tradition to those who own it.

Twinkle Star Sprites Still the definitive version of this puzzle/STG fusion (The NeoGeo original's slowdown is an option that is unlocked on the first playthrough). Really needs a second player and then it's a highly competitive graphical firework display. Unique.

Megadrive
Micro Machines 96 Definitive version. Loads of tracks and modes. 4 players via J cart and track editor

Subterrania Excellent gravity shooter. Detailed graphics, great physics and puzzly levels. Short but sweet.

Quackshot Lovely Disney platformer. The plunger gun could have been put to better use maybe but this is top drawer.

Vectorman Technical wizardry here. Really slick run n gun/platformers with lovely presentation.

Toki It's really tough, and really old school, and looks a bit dull - but this is a rock solid port of the arcade game with remixed levels.

Thunderforce IV Top notch hori-shooter. Has lovely parallax scrolling and an enjoyable weapon set.

Sonic 1 I think the series has always chased the pure platforming of the first one.

Desert Strike The MD's muddy pallet and tinny sound suits this game down to the ground. Best version.

Gunstar Heroes Legendary run n gun. Treasure busts the MD's limits with this. Plenty of variety and an interesting weapon fusion system.

Space Invaders '91 Exclusive to the MD. Massive update with hidden bonuses , tons of levels and powerups.

Dreamcast
Daytona 2001 Epic, gorgeous, sparkly Sega blue sky racing. Extra tracks on the DC version.

Cosmic Smash Pure Sega arcade genius with beautiful styling. Basically it is 3D Breakout but it's a real hardcore score attack game with alternative paths for replay.

Typing of the Dead More Sega genius. This shouldn't work but it does. Really clever and competitive 2 player versus mode. Even features a "proper" typing tutorial that expands the surreal universe further.

Bangai O Teeny Tiny graphics and dozens of missiles in a this lovely mazy/STG hybrid.

Virtua Tennis 1 or 2 Best version of best sport suited to video games. Four player mode is pure arcade fun.

Gunbird 2 Straight up vertical STG with loads of replay due to the genuinely different characters to choose from. A shmups.com favourite with it's coin chaining and high challenge. The DC version offers difficulty levels for mortals and a unique tag team mode in which you pick 2 characters that alternative with life loss.

Cannon Spike Robotron/Smash TV shooter but with Capcom fan-service stacked to the rafters. Choose from Capcom stars such as Arthur the night, Mega Man or Streetfighter's Cammy in a variety of Capcom game inspired levels. Short but highly replayable.

Hydro Thunder Big daft racing in boats. Stupendous fun.

Mr Driller The pure stripped down arcade sensibilites are right at home on the DC. Play this with the DC stick for the best version outside an arcade.

Pro Pinball Trilogy Three gorgeous tables from the Pro Pinball series on one disc complete with every option you could think off including setting the age of the table,. Lovely looking with the VGA cable.

PS1
Vib Ribbon Delightful animation. The music generated tracks turns your CD collection into a game, and the on-disc J pop is glorious.

RType Delta Lovely big pixelly polys are thrown around at speed but the game is still 2D. Great version of RType - pushes Final for best ever.

Bishi Bashi Special Out weirds Wario Ware.

Kurushi/Kurishi Final Splendid block rolling puzzle/action game. Wonderful , unique presentation with minimalist graphics and epic orchestral soundtrack.

Turn About Ultra basic puzzle game - rotate the entire level and make coloured gems slide about and disappear when they collide if the same colour. Fiendish level design that cranks up in difficulty quickly is further bolstered by a level editor.

In The Hunt Metal Slug in a submarine. Lovely detailed 2D artwork. It's a slow paced STG but is manic at the same time.

Wipeout 3SE Lovely graphical upgrade and loads of tracks.

Power Diggerz Weird but wonderful JCB arcade "sim". The control scheme uses both sticks and every button on the PS1 controller but still manages to feel natural. The game starts off with basic stuff like loading sand onto a lorry and ends up having you dish up giant curries.

Puchi Carat Home version of a Taito arcade game which is a fusion of Breakout and Bust-a-Move. More than a straight port though - it has some extra modes and the special edition comes with a paddle controller.

Castlevania Chronicles Late release - this is a redux of an obscure Japanese only Sharp computer version of Castlevania. Excellent old school linear game - features a straight port and an arrange mode with touched up graphics and a slightly more generous difficulty level. Complete the game to unlock an addictive time attack mode.

Atari 2600
Kaboom! Ultimate twitch game using paddle control. Catch the bombs in the buckets - brutally simple, but the life system which sees each life loss move you up the screen, and the brutal speed (this game has to be played at 60Hz) elevate this to greatness.

Warlords or Medieval Mayhem(homebrew) Another paddle game. Four players deflect and aim fireballs to break down each other's castle wall to score a kill. Incredibly competitive. The homebrew version 1ups the original with better graphics more fireballs and more options.

Maze Craze An early game so the graphics are blocks , and you need 2 players, but the mazes are generated by algorithm so it's a different maze every time and there are over 200 ways to play the basic first-out-of-the-maze gameplay. Among the options are enemies to avoid, enemies to catch, invisible sections and fake walls , all making for great variety.

Megamania Proper old school vertical STG with graphics that still pass muster. 8 levels to defeat but subsequent loops introduce more speed and more challenging patterns with a target of 1m points to beat the game.

Super Breakout As close to a perfect game as you can be. The 4 modes deliver all the variations on basic brick breaking you could need and they make Arkanoid look like it's trying too hard. Super smooth paddle control rewards high levels of skill and concentration. The challenge, to beat 10,000 points in each mode will only be achieved by the few, and may well be impossible in the sweat inducing progressive mode with its advancing walls.

Demon Attack A seemingly straightforward vertical STG but it has a certain something. You gain a 1UP for each wave you defeat without a life loss. Later levels with splitting demons and tracer bullets soon pare away at the stock you build up and the way your new ship appears with no regard for bullet location doesn't help either. There are some 2 player modes in which control switches every few seconds which gives rise to some interesting tactics. Looks and sounds are timeless.

Jr Pacman Last and best of the pacman series on the Atari. This is painfully hard with large scrolling mazes, high speed play and aggressive ghosts. Just clearing one level feels like an achievement. A really solid port - great control, decent graphics and good use of sound complete the arcade feel.

Solar Fox Really solid port of an old arcade game. Based on clearing different grid layouts while avoiding enemy shots and firing back. Highly compulsive.

Thrust High quality homebrew that is a technical miracle. The Gravitar inspired home game gets a flawless port to the old 2600 with no compromises in graphics, sound or challenge.

Combat The original 2 player versus game. Control tanks in mazes or biplanes and jets in single screen wraparound arenas and try to hit your opponent more times than he or she hits you in 2 and a half minutes. Highly competitive and some great variations ; particularly the tank games with bullets that bounce off the maze walls.

PS2
RType Final This is the Gran Turismo of STGs. Once you get enough levels, ships , forces and orbs unlocked the score attack mode really comes into it's own. It's one reason why I bought a PS2.

Gradius V And this is the other reason. Gradius had lost it's way - III and IV were harsh joyless drudges in which the game was effectively over after the first life loss due to power up loss. The devs had long forgotten the glory of the balance of the first two games. This is a return to form.

Ico More is communicated through the simple act of hand holding than a Bluray's worth of cut scenes. A beautiful atmospheric giant puzzle.

Amplitude A brilliant rhythm/music game that doesn't need extra pieces of plastic. Highly accessible (more so than its predecessor) and rewarding.

Sky Odyssey As close as anyone has come to a Pilotwings sequel. It's plane only and it's a an early title that suffers a wee bit from fogging but this is a delightful game with a wide range of planes and varied challenges.

Outrun 2006 : Coast to Coast A glorious labour of love this. A generous helping of modes and a gorgeous looking game too with nutty but loveable handling. Pure arcade driving.

Metal Slug 3 Best of the batch released on PS2 and there are also exclusive mini games to enjoy.

Raiden III This is how an STG should be done. It's an old school game but the features and modes are an example to all. Various display modes , including TATE, a boss rush, a comprehensive set of hi-score tables linked to difficulty settings for every mode, a separate score attack mode for each level AND difficulty, a nuts double mode in which you control two ships at once, and record and playback support. Costly in PAL but worth an import.

Flipnic Takes the pinball genre and stretches it to breaking point. Huge multi-layered tables that would be impossible outside the digital realm and sumptuous presentation throughout.

Street Fighter Alpha Anthology Accessible fighting before Capcom went overboard with the hardcore stuff. This game has every tweaked and enhanced version with modes and options galore packed onto the disc to be unlocked with repeated play and there's the bonus of Pocket Fighter thrown in for good measure.

Gamecube
Super Monkey Ball With Super Breakout and Tetris, this game needs no improvements. The sequels proved the point. Lovely looking, sublime control and a challenge to match all abilities in the main game and the supporting mini-games stoke the value up and could with a little effort almost be full titles themselves.

F-Zero GX It's a bit too hard probably, but the tracks are glorious and Sega has embued an epic feel to the game. Looks and sounds brilliant and the split screen multiplayer is better than it should be for reasons unknown.

Wario Ware inc One of the finest 4 player games I have ever encountered. Hilarious in multi-player while becoming an obsession for the single player.

Mario Kart DD Oft regarded as the poor relation but the Gamecube has the power to render the interactive cartoon that earlier games tried to be. The 2 drivers per kart feature allows for tactical selection of complementary weapons and the co-op mode has more to it than meets the eye as players have to work together to get drift boosts. There's also a LAN mode for the determined that supports up to 16 players in 8 karts in co-op mode.

Kururin Squash A JPN only release which is a shame. This is the big brother of the GBA game. Excellent control and up to 4 players can race and take part in some Monkey Ball inspired mini games.

Castle Shikigami II Another JPN import. This is a beautiful vertical shmup with compulsive gold collecting gameplay and hi-risk bullet scraping to up the firepower and the points. Gorgeous artwork and choice of two soundtracks and an extreme mode for the highly skilled. Character choice extends the replay value as they play very differently.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat Safe to say not a lot people played this. It was a late release that uses the bongo controller. The graphics are lovely and the game is designed to be replayed many times due to its score attack nature. The bongo controller works very well and the game is basically a joy to play.

Smash Bros Melee Highly accessible yet chaotic fighting game that appears to be an endlessly deep game for the hardcore. The sheer amount of content on offer is mind boggling. The menu system has entire game styles and modes hidden away and the amount of options that are on offer allow you to create new game types within the main modes. Extremely well presented throughout and is choked with fan service goodies.

Mario Smash Football Mario themed football/soccer game that is one step removed from the usual Mario skinned sports game. The matches are violent and the graphics have a gritty feel to them. Games are end to end and full of action resulting in ridiculous scores but that's part of the fun. The multi player mode is optimal but there is plenty of content for the single player with the usual cup format to play through.

Pacman Vs Miyomoto does Pacman and makes it multi-player. You need at least 3 people and a GBA with linkup cable (and probably wave birds to stop the cables getting tangled). This got Nintendo onto asymmetric gaming but its unlikely they will top this formula. A riot of a game that forces temporary alliances to form and break up as each minute passes.

Wii
Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2

Mario Kart Wii - simply because of the 100s of hours I and my kids have clocked up on this. Pure unadulterated family fun.

Wii Sports Resort - What Wii Sports should have been. A riot in multi-player and the Golf and Bowling games will last forever.

Geometry Wars Galaxies - an excellent remix of GW with splendid variety in the different levels that vary from the original's style to Asteroids tributes.

Punch Out - Excellent remake with NES control , wavy and even balance board options.

Boom Blox - Basic knock down the blocks game with loads of content including Jenga-esque modes.

House of the Dead Overkill - pure arcade shooting. With a dual wield mode.

Kororinpa - beautiful physics and a stupendous example of the accuracy of the tilt control

Tetris Party Deluxe - excellent main game and a pile of weird and wonderful new games to play within the basic ruleset for up to 4 players that will last forever.

Eric

Crisps [1]
1. Doritos Chilli Heatwave
2. Walkers Worcester Sauce
3. Discos Salt and Vinegar
4. Frazzles
5. Skips
6. Spicy Transformer snack
7. Walkers Cheese and Onion
8. Frisps Salt and Vinegar
9. Prawn cocktail wotsits
10. Tangy Toms

Sweets [1]
1. Skittles
2. Jelly Tots (phone just corrected that to Kelly Tits)
3. Tutti Fruttis
4. Fruit Pastilles
5. Cola Bottles
6. Jelly Babies
7. Yellow back gummy snakes
8. Wine gums
9. Sports mix
10. Fried eggs

Chocolate bars[1]
1. White Kinder Bueno
2. Peanut Kit-Kat Chunky
3. Snickers
4. Wispa Gold
5. Mint Aero
6. Yorkie Raisin & Biscuit
7. Crunchie
8. White Nestle Crunch
9. Fry's Turkish Delight
10. Picnic

Lager [1]
1. Birra Moretti
2. Cruz Campo
3. Red label Peroni
4. Pilsner Urquell
5. Budvar Budweiser
6. Heineken
7. Peroni
8. Staropramen
9. San Miguel
10.Grolsch

Top 10 Carry On films [1]
1. Abroad
2. Up the Khyber
3. Dick
4. Cleo
5. Camping
6. Cabby
7. Cowboy
8. at Your Convenience
9. Screaming!
10. Up the Jungle

Skerret

PLACE HOLDER am i doin it rite

Roujin

What platform is PLACE HOLDER available on?

Skerret

You've not played it? Srsly t'is Tuff E Nuff tier.

Eric

So far so good! Keep them coming!

JonB

Could this be directed a bit? Like, give us a specific console to list games for, then compile the results, then move on to the next one.

TheDJR

We haven't even done game of the generation yet ffs.

Moot_Geeza

This is already in my top 5 list threads.

Skerret

If you could please post your top five thread recommendations Moot.

Skerret

PLACE HOLDER

Eric

I was going to suggest to go with Platform specific lists first so start with any platform you have any knowlege about.

Personally I would like someone to do a NES and GBA list as I have just got a Retron 5 but don't have a clue what NES and GBA games are worthy of playing.

I'll get a Megadrive and Dreamcast one done when I get the chance.

Outlaw

JonB wrote:

Could this be directed a bit? Like, give us a specific console to list games for, then compile the results, then move on to the next one.

I suggest Top Ten DS games as the first topic. Only because I want to obsess over Hotel Dusk a lot.

n0face

What are the best recent point and click adventure games?

JonB

No point and click games are good.

Actually, I played Machinarium. That was alright.

hylian_elf

Skerret wrote:

You've not played it? Srsly t'is Tuff E Nuff tier.

Dead Dance was quality!

Skerret

I think I played it, briefly. Better than Weaponlord.

JonB

GBA games:

1. Fire Emblem (the first one)
2. Astroboy
3. Advance Wars
4. Yoshi's Island
5. Tactics Ogre

I still have the first 4, and probably shouldn't have sold TO.

hylian_elf

SNES:

Zelda: Link to the Past
Super Metroid
Super Mario World
Yoshi's Island
Terranigma
Secret of Mana
Final Fantasy VI
Super Mario Kart
Super Street Fighter 2
Legend of the Mystical Ninja

JonB

Outlaw wrote:

JonB wrote:

Could this be directed a bit? Like, give us a specific console to list games for, then compile the results, then move on to the next one.

I suggest Top Ten DS games as the first topic. Only because I want to obsess over Hotel Dusk a lot.

I can't think of many DS games I rate very highly. Except Dragon Quest IX, which is just super.

I quite liked the Hourglass Zelda and the first Castlevania (Dawn of Sorrow?).

Eric

John have you got another 5 GBA recommendations? I have just amended the OP to say you need 10 if I am to score this properly!

n0face

JonB wrote:

No point and click games are good.

Actually, I played Machinarium. That was alright.

Exactly, now list more.

Outlaw

JonB wrote:

Outlaw wrote:

JonB wrote:

Could this be directed a bit? Like, give us a specific console to list games for, then compile the results, then move on to the next one.

I suggest Top Ten DS games as the first topic. Only because I want to obsess over Hotel Dusk a lot.

I can't think of many DS games I rate very highly. Except Dragon Quest IX, which is just super. I quite liked the Hourglass Zelda and the first Castlevania (Dawn of Sorrow?).

The DS has tons of great stuff, are you crazy? Chiefly Hotel Dusk. But also its sequel, Animal Crossing, the Phoenix Wright games, Teenage Zombies, Zoo Keeper, The World Ends With You. Viva Pinata and GTA were better than the big console versions too. (THEY WERE).

JonB

OK, 10 GBA games:

1. Fire Emblem (the first one)
2. Astroboy
3. Advance Wars
4. Yoshi's Island
5. Tactics Ogre
6. Wario Ware
7. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
8. Zelda: Link to the Past
9. Let's see... Mario Kart?
10. Erm... I dunno, Final Fantasy Tactics or something

Outlaw

Lilo and Stitch. That shit was HARD.

JonB

Outlaw wrote:

The DS has tons of great stuff, are you crazy? Chiefly Hotel Dusk. But also its sequel, Animal Crossing, the Phoenix Wright games, Teenage Zombies, Zoo Keeper, The World Ends With You. Viva Pinata and GTA were better than the big console versions too. (THEY WERE).

I didn't fancy most of those. I tried Phoenix Wright and it was pretty awful.

mk64

Nes.

1) SMB
2) SMB3
3) Super Off Road
4) TMNT
5) Punch Out
6) Excite Bike
7) Wrestling (I liked it)

Urban Champion (repetitive but i like it for nostalgia reasons)
9) Metroid
10) Dragon Warrior

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