SNES games

I love the Super Nintendo and my brother and I still have ours tucked away for days we wanna spend down memory lane.  With an extensive library of hits and exclusives, having to choose just 5 games on what may possibly be my favorite console of all time is pretty hard.  Once again we're gonna start off with the games that didn't make the cut (for various reasons):

Super Metroid: I know this game is probably amazing, I just never owned it.

Super Mario RPG: This game was retailing at Toys 'R' Us for nearly $69.99! There was no way back in the '90s I could get my parents to buy a game like that for me.

Donkey Kong Country: Very fun game with amazing graphics at the time, just not good enough for my list.

Contra III: The Alien Wars: Weird considering how much I love the Contra series right?  Didn't have the same appeal to me as the original.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors: One of the most fun co op games I've ever played and easily one of the hardest games.  Would have been on my top 10 list.

*There are too many great games so I'm just gonna list out the rest without descriptions:
Actraiser, Final Fantasy II & III, Super Mario Kart, Street Fighter II, Super Castlevania IV, Secret of Mana, Chrono Trigger, F-Zero, TMNT IV, and Mario Paint.

I know that there are many more excellent games I didn't list above, but I just wanted to give you some of the more popular titles to recognize the ones not in my top 5.  With that out of the way, lets jump into..

NUMBER 5

MEGA MAN X

Capcom - 1994

As crazy as it may seem, Mega Man X was the first Mega Man title I ever played or owned.  I remember spending hours trying to beat each level, figuring out which powerup was effective against which boss, discovering secret areas, and of course figuring out how to get Ryu's Hadouken.  I loved the different themes for each level and the small story that the game told, the vibrant colors and the great soundtrack.  I even remember one day that I was close to beating Sigma's last form when my pops called me to the other room; Sigma had 3 hit points and I was down to my last bit of life so I had to pause the game; I looked at Mikey and told him, "Don't touch the controller.  I'm gonna beat the game."  As I'm returning from my parents room, I hear X's trademark death sound and I see my brother looking like this.  Great game nonetheless and definitely recommend you check it out or the remake out now on the PSP.

NUMBER 4

EARTHBOUND

Hal Laboratory - 1995

You know those games that were just brilliant in every way, yet it baffles you that no one else bought them? Like recent titles Okami or Ico, Earthbound (Mother 2 in Japan) was one of those games.  You may have heard of its protagonist Ness from Super Smash Bros fame but unfortunately, that's probably the only history you have about him.  Ness starred in one of the greatest SNES RPGs and sadly one of the most overlooked titles in it's library.  Anyone who has played Earthbound has loved it.  I recently played it for the first time ever and it's quirky humor, witty dialogue, fun battle system, and likeable characters are what make it different from normal RPG fare (at the time see Final Fantasy).  I can't express how enjoyable this title still is today and unfortunately can't help but to feel a little disappointed in it's poor reception here in the states (there are already 3 titles in the Mother series in Japan!)  For a more thorough retrospective, please watch the Happy Video Game Nerd's video and try the game out for yourself. 

NUMBER 3

SUPER PUNCH-OUT

Nintendo - 1994

Super Punch Out is one of those games that I feel doesn't get the respect it deserves.  Most people remember Mike Tyson's Punch Out on the NES, but fail to mention it's (in my opinion) superior sequel on the SNES.  Everything that you loved in the first title (besides Tyson) is back and better then ever.  Better controls, great graphics and sound, more colorful characters, and two new supers add up to one of my favorite sports (technically) titles ever.  In Super Punch-Out you work your way up through lower ranked divisions until you fight for the W.V.B.A. title.  The game starts out simple enough letting you warm up to laughably easy opponents as you learn the games simple yet deep mechanics.  Tune your skills early on because once you get to the big leagues, these opponents will demolish you if you're not quick enough.  After you're done going through the story mode, the appeal of trying to get the fastest KOs or highest score adds to the replayability and with multiple data files, everyone can have their own save.  Download it on the Virtual Console or try to track one down for the SNES.

NUMBER 2

SUPER MARIO WORLD

Nintendo - 1990

If you bought a Super Nintendo then this was the first game you ever played.  Packaged with the system as a launch title, it's pretty funny that the first SNES game was arguably the best on the system.  This game was huge with close to a 100 different levels including secret ones like Star Road.  Each world was divided into islands (similar to SMB3) and these islands all had their unique inhabitants.  Super Mario World introduced us to many Mario staples in the Mario universe but none as important as Yoshi.  With the inclusion of Yoshi, Mario (Or Luigi) had a companion who he could ride and use to get to different places, kill baddies, or unleash various special abilities (blue = flight, red = fireball).  This game is so good that it was rereleased 3 different times (Super Mario All Stars, Super Mario Advance 2, Wii Virtual Console), spawned hardcore rom hacks, and even song hacks (Mega Man fans check 6:00 min mark).  Near perfect controls, fun powerups, multiple ways to finish certain levels, and (similar to Zelda on NES) a changed world once you complete the game!  I loved this game as a kid and still enjoy playing it on my GBA.

Super Mario World is one of my favorite games of all time.  The only other 16-bit game greater is none other then my favorite game of all time..

May as well have that drumroll..

NUMBER 1

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: A LINK TO THE PAST

Nintendo - 1991

Come on was there really any doubt as to what would be my number 1 choice?  This is my favorite game of all time (beating out 1 N64 title) and whats not to love about it?  Beautiful graphics, a great and timeless story, multiple weapons and upgrades, and one of the best musical scores (dark world theme) of the 16 bit era.  I can recall playing through this game for hours fighting epic bosses, discovering new secrets, and working my way up to the final showdown against Ganon.  The Light/Dark mechanic is still one of the best executed to date and I remember genuinely being sad seeing the state of some parts of Hyrule as it went from Light to Dark.  While the combat was great (with perfect hit detection) the puzzles were creative and never too frustrating.  Some puzzles needed the assistance of a new weapon while others took full advantage of Link's ability to transfer from the Dark World to Light.  After spending hours facing hordes of enemies, discovering new towns and people, and just seeing the overall growth of my character, I couldn't help but to want to play it again.  That's exactly what I did and still find myself doing every couple of years because this game is timeless.  How many kids out there didn't fantasize about becoming a hero and going on a quest to save a beautiful princess?  *for those who said no, please grow an imagination.  Please do yourself a favor and download this on the Virtual Console, track down the original SNES cart, or get the GBA version.  I promise you that you're going to experience one of the best games ever made and my personal favorite game of all time. 

I don't think too many people could argue with my choices this time around and in all honesty, a lot of great games barely missed the cut.  Most of the above titles had great soundtracks but one of my all time favorite video game songs is Donkey Kong Country 2's Stickerbrush Symphony.  Such a beautiful song and I just wanted to share this great song with everyone.  Anyways, what's your top 5 SNES games?  Thanks again for reading! Make sure to vote!

NES Games

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was the first video game system I ever played.  It's so far back in my memory that the earliest recollection I have of it was playing it on Saturdays with my brother when I was about 6.  According to my parents, however, I actually beat Super Mario Bros when I was 2 years old.  With a library of hundreds of games, choosing my personal top 5 is a lot harder then it seems.  Keep in mind that these are the 5 games that I enjoyed, not necessarily the ones I think are most influential or even best designed.  With that in mind here are the games that didnt make the list:

*these are GREAT games, just not my personal favorites

Mega Man 2: One of the best soundtracks of all-time, tight controls, ridiculously fun and hard.  Beat it and loved it as a teen but it lacks a nostalgic factor due to me playing it so late.

Castlevania Series: Loved Symphony of the Night on PS, but sadly didn't really get into the originals as a kid.

Metroid: Sorry..it kinda, just bored me as a kid.  Made it up to Mother Brain as an adult, but nowadays its pretty unplayable.

Legend of Zelda: WHAT? Yeah I love/loved this game, but it just barely missed the cut along with..

Punch-Out: So much fun, but you're ranked number 7 right behind..

Double Dragon 2: I had so much fun with this game.  Like Battletoads this was one of my favorite side scrolling beat em ups.

**I didn't own these games below, therefore no matter how great they were, I wouldn't know (some I've tried recently and they are excellent, just don't hold up well to me today)

Ninja Gaiden Series
Duck Tales/Rescue Rangers
Journey to Silius
Star Tropics

With those out of the way, lets start our list off with..

NUMBER 5

BUBBLE BOBBLE

Taito - 1986

My brother and I used to argue a lot, but one thing that helped shut us up was playing video games.  Bubble Bobble is one of those games that forces you to play with a partner (only way to gain the happy ending) meaning me and Michael had to stop arguing and work together.  Literally, even if you went through all the levels, beat the final boss, and saved the girls, your ending is not complete unless you beat it with a friend.  You play as Bub and Bob (creative names huh?), two dragons who use bubbles to trap enemies and burst them through 100 levels on your quest to save your girlfriends.  Simple enough premise right?  Along the way you gain powerups, need to use precise platforming skills, and sometimes teamwork to defeat each enemy to move onto the next level.  The sound effects are enjoyable along with a catchy tune that loops throughout the games entirety (besides the final boss).  It recently was rereleased on the XBLA so I recommend you check out the redone Bubble Bobble. 

NUMBER 4

CONTRA

Konami - 1987

Contra is by far one of the greatest co-op games (and series for that matter) ever created.  For those who played the arcade version, I'm sorry to tell you, you missed out.  Contra on the NES was close to the arcade version but with longer levels, more bosses, and better in pretty much every way imaginable.  Awesome soundtrack, tight controls, fun and varied levels, great visuals, and very minimal story (at least in the American version.)  This was one of those games where all you needed to do was push start (or put the konami code in first) and drop right into the action.  You run and gun to the right (some segments require you progress forward) as you pick up powerups (everyone loved the Spread) and face up against epic bosses.  My brother and I spent days playing this game over and over and could easily pick the game up today and have a blast.  If you didn't play Contra on the NES as a kid, hunt down a copy and enjoy some of the best co-op gaming from the '80s. 

NUMBER 3

SUPER MARIO BROS 3

Nintendo - 1988 (Japan) 1990 (US)

Most of you are probably surprised by this selection aren't you?  Not because it's on my list (frankly it should be on every top 5 best NES games) but because it's ranked as low as it is.  Regarded not only as one of the best NES games, but one of the greatest games of all time, it's understandable as to why people would argue it's low ranking here.  Don't get me wrong though, I loved SMB3 and still have fun playing it today.  Great soundtrack, incredibly creative and sometimes odd powerups (Tanooki suit?) and characters, this game was insane.  There were tricks and secrets hidden all over, multiple worlds with different themes, minigames, new characters (Koopa Kids), and timelessly tight controls.  The fact of the matter is, I do feel it should be regarded as one of the best of all time.  However, I honestly didn't find myself popping this cartridge into my system as often as my 2nd and 1st choice.  After I would beat this game, I'd kinda get bored and not touch it for a few months.  Amazing game regardless of ranking.

NUMBER 2

RIVER CITY RANSOM

Technos - 1989 (Japan) 1990 (US)

Wow look at that awesomely bad box art!  Pretty horrible huh?  Don't let the art fool you though because inside the box was one of the best side scrolling co-op brawlers released on the NES.  Taking cues from games like Double Dragon (even having you fight the "Dragon Twins" as bosses) River City Ransom had everything Mikey and I could want in a two-player game.  You play Alex and Ryan as they try to save River City High and Ryan's girlfriend from rival gangs.  The controls are similar to Double Dragon's giving you free control along the screen letting you jump, kick and punch enemies along the way.  The game also has many RPG elements allowing players to upgrade their stats as well as purchase new moves.  These upgrades can be purchased in towns (as well as some secret areas) and there are even other people to talk to.  This game doesn't take itself too seriously and because of this there are lots of genuinely funny moments especially in the dialogue.  Funny story, great gameplay, multiple upgrades, and tight controls make up one of my favorite NES games of all time.

As you could tell, multiplayer (primarily co-op) played a huge role in many of my choices.  However, this last game is a single player game and I'm sure pretty much no one out there will agree with my number 1 choice. 

Let's see that drumroll..

NUMBER 1

KIRBY'S ADVENTURE

Hal Laboratory (Nintendo) - 1992 (Jap) 1993 (US)

 

Show of hands on how many expected this?  No one?  No one out there believes thinks this should be number 1?  I can't begin to describe to you how much fun I had with this game.  Nintendo was already well on their way with the Super NES and most forgot about the NES by '93 but Hal Labs was working on a 2nd title (first being on the GameBoy) to their Kirby franchise.  One day Kirby wakes up from a nap realizing that he didn't dream.  Kirby decides to investigate the Fountain of Dreams and finds out that King Dedede has stolen the Star Rod and broken it into 7 different pieces, giving 6 to his friends and keeping one for himself.  The Star Rod is the source of the fountains power and without it everyone has grown restless.  Kirby sets off on an adventure to recover the Rod from Dedede!  This was the premise of Kirby's Adventure and it was a great way to start this incredible journey.  You travel through different worlds, each bright and beautiful, battling different waves of enemies, minibosses and final bosses.  Much to peoples surprise, Kirby didn't gain the power to absorb his enemies abilities until his second romp (along with his now trademark pink shade.)  I remember many weekends spent playing through this game, trying to find all the secrets, increasing my high score, enjoying the minigames, and being genuinely surprised at the ending (play the game, or if you have to, youtube it.)  The soundtrack was a joy to listen to as was experimenting with all the cool powerups.  This was classic Nintendo platforming and a true testament to how much life the NES still had at this time.  Some have argued that this game is great, but lacking in depth; I think this game has a lot of replayability and can be enjoyed multiple times through.  Kirby's Adventure had multiple save files too so you could easily just save and continue another day (don't laugh! This wasn't a mandatory feature in all NES games!)  There's so much more I could go on about with Kirby like the fun bosses, great and funny characters, perfect controls (balancing jumping, flying, inhaling, attacking, etc) but if you haven't played this game, do yourself a favor and check it out.  Classic NES gaming at it's finest and if you can't locate an original copy, download it on the Virtual Console or track down the GBA remake. 

I'm sure there are tons of opinions out there and most likely all of you probably disagreed with my choices.  Try to understand that nostalgia played a key factor into many of these choices so if you don't like mine, why not list your top 5 below?  It's a lot harder then it looks considering the crazy amount of great NES titles there are.  Thanks for reading and I'll be posting a new game list within the week!

People Who SUCK at their Jobs

Has anyone else ever seen professionals and thought "How did they make it?  They suck yet people are paying millions of dollars to see their sub par work?"  I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice some of these "Pros" and think to myself that there are way more capable people who could easily do much better jobs, yet for some reason these individuals were blessed with some type of "It" factor.  Of course "It" could easily be confused (at least in these cases) as being in the right place at the right time, but that's besides the point.  These five are baffling in the fact that they're as popular as they are, make millions upon millions, and are in some cases still growing in popularity.  This isn't to say that I dislike these five, actually in all honesty I truly do like them aside from one individual, but to just point out that they really aren't very good at their professions.

Before I begin I'd just like to remind everyone that these lists are mainly meant to be humorous and not taken too literally.  Also, it's okay to disagree with me because these lists are 100% opinionated meaning you're entitled to your own.  Of course my opinion far outweighs any of yours (probably due to the fact that most of you are too lazy to compose your own lists) and with that lets start the list!

*That last part above was a JOKE.  I thank all five of you out there for continuing to read my work and am grateful that people actually care (or are bored enough) to read the stuff I write.

NUMBER 5

KEANU REEVES

ACTOR?

Everyone knows who Keanu Reeves is and to say his acting is stiff is kind of like beating a dead horse.  I still feel that he's worth addressing because of the fact that he still gets work and throughout the years of being in film, he hasn't changed in the least.  Go to google images and search for Keanu Reeves.  Better yet, here's a link.  Do you see it?  ALL THE PICTURES LOOK THE SAME!  Same tired and lost look with just different features.  I've enjoyed some of his films (The Matrix, The Replacements) and he was perfectly cast in other roles (Bill and Ted movies, The Day The Earth Stood Still) but his blandness and bored execution leaves much to be desired. 

NUMBER 4

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN

ACTOR?

Let me get one thing out of the way: I love Christopher Walken!  With that said, sadly he's a terrible actor.  You can always tell that he's reading his lines and his presentation is just downright weird.  His awkward presentation is shown here in a top 11 list by the Nostalgia Critic.  It's hard to deny the strange mannerisms that make Christopher Walken entertaining, but it's that awkwardness that adds to his charm.  Even the way that he dances is weird as shown in this fat boy slim video.  The strangest thing though about Walken is that you can't help but to like him.  He's hilarious in comedies and creepy in scary roles.  I recommend you go and watch his SNL skits and tell me that you didn't laugh.  Seriously.  Go google em or something.  I love watching Walken act, but the bottom line is that he's not very good, leaving him with a fitting number 4 slot on my list.  

NUMBER 3

JOHN CENA

WRESTLER

John Cena has incredible charisma, a ridiculous build, and a charm probably only previously seen in The Rock.  Sadly, Cena also shares the same wrestling ability as The Rock.  I enjoyed watching The Rock wrestle (at times) and the same can be said for Cena but the truth is that they closely resemble wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.  While some may feel that these are compliments, if anyone has really watched those old wrestlers "fight" then you can attest to how uneventful their matches were.  With a combined arsenal of possibly 12 moves, the main things that distinguish these wrestlers are their "finishing moves" and even those seem to be boring.  An elbow drop, a leg drop, and an overhead slam are all downright yawn-inducing and if it wasn't for these wrestlers larger then life personalities, they'd just be another coulda-been trying to make it big.  I will say that Cena is a workhorse and his drive is admirable, but that doesn't change the fact that he's not that good of a wrestler. 

NUMBER 2

UWE BOLL

DIRECTOR/VIDEO GAME BUTCHER/CRITIC BULLY

For anyone out there that knows me, you know that I love video games and would love to see some competent movies based on my favorite franchises.  Uwe Boll is possibly the main reason that no studio will even risk venturing into video game territory.  Director of such classics like Alone In the Dark or the brilliant House of the Dead movies Boll is starting to be known as the Ed Wood of his time.  Boll is the one person on this list that I truly do not like and it's not just because of him possibly killing the hopes of great movies based on video games, but because the guy is also a douche!  He's actually staged boxing matches against critics of his films (which hold an average metacritic score of 18) and called out anyone who would slander his films.  He's badmouthed other directors and took advantage of German Tax Laws meaning no matter how bad his films tanked, he still took home a profit.  He doesn't even bother polishing his films and has even spliced in Video Game footage (House of the Dead.)  You can even see someone who was "dead" in one of his films actually get up and walk off set (Alone In The Dark.) 

Boll would easily take the number one spot but the truth is that he's not consistently raking in million of dollars and his work is known worldwide as being awful.  The number one spot is reserved for a group that is an international sensation and continues to grow in popularity.

drumroll please..

NUMBER 1

THE BLACK EYED PEAS

RAPPERS/SINGERS..SORTA..

The Black Eyed Peas are easily one of the hottest groups on the planet, churning out hit after hit for the past few years.  I have to admit that their tunes are infectious and once you hear them, you'll be humming them in your head all day.  The thing is, have you ever taken a moment to truly listen to the content of their songs?  Last years I Got a Feeling's first minute and a half had the words I got a feeling, that tonights gonna be a good night. That tonights gonna be a good night.  That tonights gonna be a good good night. Feeling.  Throw in a couple woo-hoos, state the days of the week and speak a little hebrew and there's the main content of 2009's blockbuster hit.  How about their Fergie heavy hit My Humps?  More great lyrics follow: Whatcha gon do wit all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk?  I'ma get get get get you drunk.  Get you love drunk off my humps.  My humps my humps, my hump my hump my humps; my hump my hump my humps. my lovely lady lumps; check it out.  Fergie and Will. I. Am are pretty much the heart of this group while the other two aren't really even memorable.  You have the filipino guy with the fat accent (APL) and the guy who umm..contributes by..well..the long haired guy (Taboo).  I enjoy some of their music, but they really aren't lyrically there (although I give a lot of credit to Will I. Am's great beats!)

Disagree?  Agree?  Any honorable mentions you think deserve a slot?  Hope you enjoyed reading this and I'll try my best to release a new list a lot sooner then later.