The 10th Hour 08.08.08: Top 10 Favorite Games

Posted by Derek Robbins on 08.08.2008

This week, 411's Derek Robbins breaks down which games out of the thousands that are out there are his favorite.

Hello and welcome to the 10th hour. As always, there are a couple of tangents I would like to hit on before I get the ball rolling this week.

-This column is set to go up on August 8th. Wait a minute…that day sounds familiar. It's my birthday! I'll be 21! What a grand time that'll be.

-The more and more I watch Jim Edmonds play for the Cubs the more and more I think my analogy of him to an anime villain who eventually joins the protagonists at the end is accurate (such as Viral from Gurren Lagann). Edmonds has been better than expected…and while I still think it's too good to be true – breakdown ahoy!- I'm still enjoying it while it's happening. In short, in the year of our lord 2008…I, Derek Robbins, no longer harbor any ill will towards Jim Edmonds. We'll see how I'm feeling next year. I have a feeling my illness (yes, I am sick, how lame is that?) is effecting my common sense.

-I've been replaying Mario Sunshine. I got in the mood to play it thanks to re-reading some Penny-Arcade comics. All I can say is that this game is criminally under-rated…as I am having an absolute blast playing it.

Reader Feedback

Last week I posted what I felt were the top-10 Wii games. Let's see how you felt…

RavenTazECW notifies me of Florida's wii problem

Futurama rocks the world.

I'm becoming more infuriated with Nintendo not bothering to meet the demand for Wiis in my area of Florida, and I'm not paying an additional $70+ to get one on eBay or buy a bundle online with things I don't want with it.

I'm missing out on a lot of Wii games I'd love to play and many VC games I haven't played for a decade or more.

Wow…your area still isn't getting enough Wiis? There is still too much demand for the system? I had no idea. I remember working at Toys R Us last Fall and being bombarded with questions regarding the wii roughly every twenty seconds. I thought it had faded everywhere, but apparently some places are still having problems shortage issues. I guess those housewives buying them up are causing some issues!

King Boo of the Mushroom Kingdom questions my infinite wisdom

Where is Boom Blox? That is one of the best Wii only games out there. ps Mario Kart Wii should be ranked a little bit higher.

I would rank Mario Kart a little higher, but I just don't think it compares to some higher echelon Wii titles.

Also, I've not played Boom Blox yet. Even if I had though, I doubt it'd top my list. The game looks fun, I know I'd have fun playing it, but the amount of playtime per sitting would bother me. I'm guessing an hour or so per sitting? Oh well, at least it beats Animal Crossing's 10 minute extravaganza.

A Guest chimes in with a list of his own:

Fair list besides the first three titles. I can't stand Mario Strikers (it's terrible) or Mario Kart (mediocre) and I think you overrated No More Heroes, which was a good game, but better than Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3? Really can't agree with that. Anyway, my personal list:

10. Wii Sports
9. No More Heroes
8. Zak and Wiki
7. Batallion Wars 2
6. Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles
5. Trauma Centre: Second Opinion
4. Super Mario Galaxy
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
2. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
1. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (one of the top three games this generation, I simply loved it)

I would have been on board with your hatred of Mario Strikers and Mario Kart, but you list Wii Sports on the list…and I just can't go along with that. That said though, I think this is a good list – I enjoy the inclusion of Battalion Wars – and can't really complain about placement. A lot of people really liked Prime 3 and I do believe it's a worthwhile number one.

David likes Zelda

Applause my ass. How the hell could you put Zelda anywhere but #1?

I love Zelda, but seriously. Am I playing Ocarina of Time with wolves?

Another Guest…has a controversial opinion.

I'd say Red Steel would be in the top ten - Really looking fwd to Red Steel 2.
Mario Galaxy #1 though.
For a game that is on all the consoles though Guitar Hero 3 is the best game EVER !!! (until GH metallica comes out!!)

You allllllllmost got me. Almost. Supporting Red Steel and then Guitar Hero 3…I mean, you made it too obvious.

shingetter prime wants me to make a difficult list.

i need to see a top 10 3rd party wii games list

I'm not sure I can name 10 third-party non-port wii titles that are worth anyone's time, let alone are the "best".

Kaiza must know my love for pocket monsters

What about Pokemon-Battle Revolution

There is a Penny-Arcade that reminds me of myself in regards to Pokemon. Tycho purchases an E-reader and refers to himself as a consumer whore. That's how I am towards pokemon videogames. If they exist, I want them, unless they're clearly shit such as Dash or Pokemon Channel. That said, Pokemon Battle Revolution is a terrible game that is only good for one thing: Random Wifi Battles. That's not worth 50 dollars though, as I can battle my friends on the DS version. Hell, it's not even worth 20. PBR is one of the biggest wastes of money in the wii library and that is saying a lot.

Mr. Freeze responds to an earlier post made by one Mike

I STRONGLY Agree with MIKE HERE

Too MUCH MARIO Kills NINTENDO .

I'm satured and sick of Mario this Mario that

Time to bring Metal Gear, GTA and more exciting things to Nintenland

Enough of Mario !

Except Mario games are full of quality. No matter how you look at it, Mario's track record of appearing in good games is hard to match. He's only been in a few bad ones. I wouldn't say anything is killing Nintendo – since it's doing better than ever now – I would say some things are changing it though…and Mario isn't one of those things. I'd be fine with more Mario, less toys disguised as games.

Brittany likes Wario Ware:

Call me crazy, but I loved Wario Ware: Smooth Moves.

keeps you on your toes....litterally

You have good taste! Wario Ware Smooth Moves is a pretty fun title and worthy of everyone's time.

Mark Henry Squash followed by a sequence of random numbers posts a list of his own:

good list (I need to get No More Heroes someday) but imo (and I need to play some other games too)

10. Dewey's Adventure
9. Zack and Wiki
8. Wario Ware Smooth Moves
7. Wii Sports
6. Metroid Prime 3
5. Okami
4. Super Paper Mario
3. Super Smash BRos Brawl
2. Super Mario Galaxy
1. Twilight Princess

Well first of all, props on Dewey's Adventure. I don't particularly like that game, but it's unique. Also, what's with you guys putting Wii Sports in the top-10? That's weird. It's essentially a tech demo.

Other than that, some good choices. I share a similar stance regarding Okami with the Exploding Barrel Podcast, but I can see why some people may like it too. So…good stuff all around.

Another Guest rounds out the feedback

I think No More Heroes is an absolute piece of crap. It shouldn't be on this list.

You're not correct. Opinion or not, that is wrong.



My Top-10 Favorite Games

Originally this week I was supposed to cover the top-10 360 games to this point in time but I decided that since my birthday is on the horizon that I'd like to have a little fun and instead mention my top-10 games to this point. Earlier in the year there were a few top-50 games lists popping up and while I'm not ruling that out for the future…I figured a top-10 list would be more fitting for the 10th hour since that is, essentially, what I do.

There is one sad, sad rule to this list. Since I have not played a translated version of Mother 3 (instead, playing through the game with a translation guide), that game is not eligible. I figure once I actually play the game in my native tongue I may find it more or less enjoyable.

10-) TimeSplitters 2 and 3 - Throughout my life I've changed my stance on the first person shooter genre about a million times. Generally speaking, it goes…when I was younger, I loved it but when I grew older…it sort of wore thin on me. That said, there are still a couple of games in the genre that I can go back and genuinely enjoy. The second and third Timesplitters are among those games. This, of course, is not to be confused with the first time splitters which the words "light on content" could be considered as "being nice". Anyhow, if you haven't played these two games before, I'll explain them to you briefly. Essentially your character warps through time periods in search of some sort of badguy. On your search for said bad person you help various people out. I actually, couldn't care about the "story" of the game. It's a nice little extra and I've played through it in each of the games, but…it's not why they rank as my tenth favorite game ever. There are two reasons, first…the arcade mode, which lets you play through various events to unlock stuff. I am an absolute whore for "event-type" battles. I get stuck in those sorts of modes for hours and this game supplies what I am looking for. I would even go as far to say that thanks to this feature, TimeSplitters 2 and 3 are so fun, that they could be considered the most fun (not to be confused with "best", Half Life 2 and System Shock 2 might want to argue said point) to be had in a single player shooter. Single Player isn't the only thing it has going for it though! You've got…local multiplayer! It's quite enjoyable and back when I roamed the streets of Colorado, Time Splitters multiplayer matches made up half of my day – the other half being comprised of Super Smash Brothers Melee. We'd either hook up a multi-tap and play with a lot of bots (seriously, I miss bots) or put a couple of systems together and play six-way shooting frenzies. Can you still do that today? Sure you can! It's pretty hard not to have fun shooting with friends, but that said…shooters today tend to be too realistic – seriously, how many shades of brown and gray are there? - and Timesplitters is anything but that. It's pure cartoony madness that hasn't been replicated since then, except for the fantastic Team Fortress 2. TF 2 would even stand a chance of making it on this list if it wasn't for the fact that TS 2 and 3 hold a fonder place in my heart. I won't be able to look back on those games without a smile on my face, and when you can say that about a title…that's quite high praise. I'm hoping the fourth Timesplitters, if there is indeed one, can resonate as well with me.

- TS is sorta famous for monkey business.

9-) Starcraft - If you've ever read the 10th hour, you probably know that I have an affinity towards games that require a bit of strategy. Usually these "strategy" games are in the tactical RPG genre, but I made an exception for ol' Starcraft here. The RTS genre is a fun one, but this will always be the definitive RTS to me. To this day, I don't think that an RTS has achieved the command of balance and fun that Starcraft does. While some people may claim certain races are broken, there really aren't. A skilled player can choose a race they want and formulate strategies to fend off against the other two races. This isn't a game such as Smash Brothers Melee where tiers are required to make the game more fair (though let's be honest, to separate a game with three races into tiers would be kind of silly), this is balance and it's fantastic. Of course there's a campaign here for you to go through, and it's recommended you play through it since it can get you accustomed to the races. After all, if you don't know what the hell you're doing odds are you will get the floor whipped with you on Battle net. While the story isn't anything award winning, it still is pretty neat – especially by video game standards – and worthy of your time. I really can't say anything new or revolutionary about Starcraft outside of what's already been said. We all know it's a great game, hell…a LEGENDARY game…and a title that's long over-due for the sequel its about to receive. So instead of ramble on about how good it is, I have a bit of an anecdote to share. I was once playing on battlenet with a couple of friends of mine while my brother had his friend stay the night. They were downstairs. So we're battling away and all of a sudden his friend bolts up stairs and informs me that he wants to go home because he saw a scary commercial. You know what commercial it was? SIGNS. What the hell? Since this is back in the olden days, we had a 56K modem…and I had to get off of Battlenet to accommodate the kid so he could call his mother to pick him up. I guess my parents were too busy sleeping to take him home. Me and my two comrades were in the midst of a 3-on-3 clan (I know, I know…but I went to school with these guys if it makes it any better) battle and I cost us the game. It wasn't for anything but pride…still though, I was angry as hell that a commercial for SIGNs cost us a game. What a stupid movie that was anyhow. I'll always remember Starcraft fondly…and I simply can't wait until the second Starcraft comes out so it can dominate my life once again.

- I was a Protoss main.

8-) Final Fantasy VI - My very first game in the RPG genre was Super Mario RPG. It got me interested in the genre and made me want to try out things. Without that game classics such as Chrono Trigger and Earthbound may not have ever found their way into my young hands…but around this time I was reading previews for a game called Final Fantasy VII and it looked awesome. I didn't have a Playstation though and did not plan on getting one, so I wanted to try the game that came before it – Final Fantasy VI. I ended up learning that our FF III was FF VI so I played that and fell in love. Final Fantasy VI features arguably the most well-rounded cast an RPG has ever featured. You can make a case for why each character is the main character. It doesn't take a route like Final Fantasy VII or…well…most other RPGS…by focusing on one central character, but instead it focuses on the party you control and the events surrounding each member. It helps make the game more immersive and helps their world feel more alive. FF VI also features one of the most diabolical villains of all time. You very frequently hear a bad-guy make a plot of some sort. He'll swear that he'll take over the world, destroy the world, do something bad…but you very rarely see their ideas come to fruition. Kefka changes this by not only destroying the world…but conquering it too! Throughout the game he's really framed as a bad man with little to no remorse. You can say what you will about Sephiroth – who isn't really the guy doing all the horrible things (it's Jenova!) – but Kefka is truly sinister and worthy of praise. A combination of a great cast and a fantastic villain must mean something good for the story, right? Why…yes it does! FF VI has one of the most enthralling stories in video game history and if you consider yourself a fan of Final Fantasy you would be well-served to experience what many consider to be the high-point of the series.



7-) Super Mario 64 - I've made no secret about it, I love the Mario franchise. A matter of fact, my very first 10th hour was relating to Mario…so it's only natural that one of the games would make this list. To be quite honest, there are a number of Mario titles that could have claimed this spot – Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Brothers 3 to be specific – but I chose this game because no matter what day of the week it is or what year the calendar says it is…Mario 64 is an enjoyable experience. Everyone reading this probably knows that Mario 64 is an important title that gave us reason to believe that 3D platforming could be fun. While the camera is pretty wonky, to be perfectly fair most platformers to this day suffer from a camera that's less than desirable. Hell, Mario Sunshine which I praised earlier in my comments section suffers from one of the worst cameras ever…but the game is still fun. It takes the fun experiences you may have with your 2D Mario games and flips it into the third dimension. Oh sure, some things have changed – one hit will NEVER kill you, no fire flower power-ups, Metal Mario! – but its still the Mario we all know and love. We have goombas, koopas, various other baddies…and Bowser. You still kill the basic enemies by jumping on their head – or punching them, since jumping precisely can be an issue in the third dimension. You kill Bowser by hucking him into a minefield. The Bowser fight has changed with each increment of Mario, and I feel the way you fight him in this game really helps you realize: "Wow! This is 3D!" It was a good idea for the N64. This is the sort of game that I can assume everyone reading this list has played at some point, and odds are very few of you out there have anything bad to say about it. It's platforming pure and simple…and it's a blast. If you own a Nintendo DS and don't own the remake, shame on you! While it controls awkwardly with the analogue stick at first, the game is still a blast to play and was essential in the early life of the DS. Mario 64 helped usher Mario into the future, a future of which he is thankfully still a part. As far as consistency goes, Mario may very well be the most consistent franchise out there.

- That castle, it's still quite recognizable.

6-) Disgaea - I mentioned above in the Starcraft portion that I was a fan of tactical RPGs, and lo' and behold! One has made it into my favorite games list! A lot of you may criticize me for not having Final Fantasy Tactics on here, but please…while it's a great game, it takes itself too seriously. See the remake for that. "Why not go with the original!" you may ask…well…the translation is horrid. Tactics Advance 1 and 2 are quite good as well, but to be honest…neither of them really match up to Disgaea. There is a reason that Disgaea is getting ported to portable systems and is in the process of having more sequels made…it's because it's damn fun. If you've played a tactical RPG, you essentially know what you're getting. You move your units across tiles and attempt to slay the enemy. While this game throws in occasional twists to this formula, such as geo panels, it's essentially that. This is fine, since you need to understand the game's classes in order to succeed anyhow. This is not what placed Disgaea on the list though. I felt that the tone the game takes, the humor…is pretty great. For instance, in between chapters one of the main characters Etna will provide a fake preview for the coming chapter which is usually pretty entertaining. Eventually, the previews stop being false but they remain entertaining. The game can make you laugh and I suppose laughter is the best way to gain affinity towards your characters because by the end of the game I actually CARED about Laharl. Insanity, I know, but I was invested in the little guy. The story is really good, but typically the problem with a game such as this is…what do you do after you beat it? Nothing? Well…Disgaea has masochists in mind as you can hang in the item world for…a long time. You can fight bosses that are infinitely more powerful than the final boss, hell you can even take on Prier from La Pucelle Tactics. You may be asking, how can a boss be infinitely more powerful than the Final Boss…isn't that sort of an opinion thing? No, no, it's fact. The level cap in Disgaea is 9,999. That's right, you have to invest a significant amount of time into your party and…this play time can add up. Literally, this game contains thousands of hours of gameplay and is actually worth your hard earned 50 dollars. A tactical RPG with replay value! Who would have figured that? Buy the PSP remake (with, god, even more content) or get the DS remake when it comes out. If you are familiar with the genre, this game will be an instant favorite of yours.



5-) Pokemon Franchise - I've said it once and I'll say it again, I love Pokemon. I've loved it for a long time and I think it's a franchise worthy of adoration. It's a series I've played in two different ways. When I was younger I formulated parties based on who I thought was cool. If I liked a pokemons design, I would use it. While Charizard may have a plethora of disadvantages, he always led off my team. I still do that somewhat to this day – Feraligatr has a permanent spot on my team – but now I seem to focus more on training pokemon and making them stronger by implementing EVs (been around since third gen) and IVs. I have specific teams for specific situations and it makes the experience seem a little deeper. I have to think about what team I will use, and that's cool. That's what makes pokemon so great, no matter what age you are…there are multiple ways to play the game and they make you keep coming back for more. There's only one thing that I could really hope for to make the pokemon franchise even more near and dear to me. A pokemon MMO. You catch pokemon along with hundreds of other trainers and battle with them. I can just imagine hopping onto a flying type and looking down on a field and seeing people battling each other, trainers catching pokemon, and other trainers flying as well. It may seem sort of corny to you, the wishing for an online world of pokemon inhabited by trainers, but it's the sort of thing that fans of the game would truly appreciate. Of course, given Nintendo's fear of all-things online something like this will never happen and that's a shame. No matter what though, Pokemon is a franchise I have been playing since I was real young and it's one I see myself enthralled in for the foreseeable future. It's a highly accessible RPG that makes good use of customizable teams, and most importantly…it's fun. You may consider yourself to old for it, but put that aside and play Diamond and Pearl (or replay Gold or Silver)…and I'm telling you, you'll see why this series continues to resonate with me.

- My neighbor Snorlax.

4-) Metal Gear Solid 3 - Looking at where this game places, you may think there are two possibilities. One, I can't stand the fourth title or two…I am a huge loser and haven't touched the fourth title yet. If you guessed the second option, you are correct! That will end, hopefully, tomorrow. I can't wait as I have been a huge fan of the Metal Gear Solid Series for years, and the third installment into the "Solid" (as opposed to the regular Metal Gear franchise) franchise really, er, solidifies my loyalties. The game maintains the stealth gameplay of games past, but this time no matter what difficulty you are playing on, the radar is not accessible. This seems daunting to those of us who aren't exactly…the most stealthy…but having played through the game, and going back to earlier Metal Gear Solids, the radar just seems…wrong. To be honest, it really helps you feel emerged and that's really nice. This game has shown me the light regarding radars, but that's not why it makes the list. The story is fantastic. There really is no other way to say it. It's fantastic. It doesn't rely on the other games in the franchise to tell the story, it stands on its own…and under its own merits, it gives us one of the most enthralling tales in video game history. Sometimes on these thrill rides, we are met with…a disappointing ending. It's like a roller coaster, a fun ride throughout…but the end of it is just flat. Metal Gear Solid 3 doesn't really have this problem in it. The ending to Metal Gear Solid 3 is one of the most memorable in gaming history and evokes actual emotion from the viewer. I, a rugged manly man (…who plays pokemon), was even brought to tears by the shocking ending. This game does not operate like Metal Gear Solid 2, throwing twist after twist at you until you're holding a pretzel…Metal Gear Solid 3 is straight forward with only one major twist. That's helpful considering the plot is hard to get lost in. As if the story wasn't enough, the soundtrack in Metal Gear Solid 3 is also fantastic. From the limited instrumental pieces to the vocal Snake Eater theme, the soundtrack in Metal Gear Solid 3 is fantastic. Shockingly, from what I've heard of the MGS 4 soundtrack…it's even better. That's insane. From gameplay, to story, to sound…Metal Gear Solid 3 is just about as ideal a game as you can get and to this point, for me at least, the pinnacle of the franchise. Maybe my viewpoint will change this weekend though…

- Don't mess with Big Boss.

3-) Sonic 3 and Knuckles - I've made no effort to hide this, but I am what some would consider a Sonic fanboy. Throughout all the shit we've received, I always have faith that the next game will be a good one. I guess you could say being a Cubs fan comes in handy here, because usually when that next game comes out…it's shit. Remember Sonic 2006? I had such high hopes for that game. I thought it would restore the name of Sonic. After all, the trailers for that game were astounding. Of course, we all know how that one will turn out. Heck, I'm even hopeful that Sonic Unleashed will be a fun title. Even if it mimics Sonic Rushes "PRESS RIGHT AND WIN" gameplay, it's still monumentally better than what we've seen of Sonic lately. So, it's good to kick back and enjoy a time when Sonic was not a mascot to laugh at…but a mascot that was considered a viable contender to Mario! I know, that SOUNDS crazy – especially to you younger folk whose first Sonic game was Adventure 2 – but Sonic was once on equal footing with Mario. This game is the epitome of all things Sonic as it combines great side-scrolling platforming with speed. This is what made Sonic 2 and 1 interesting as well, so what sets aside Sonic 3 and Knuckles? Well…it's huge. It's two games with fourteen different chaos emeralds, and three different characters who play differently. Sonic and Tails are no longer clones, they have different functions. The addition, Knuckles, can glide…Tails can fly, and Sonic can use various powerups and turn them into new double-jumps. It expanded upon the previously established formula and that is really cool. As if this wasn't enough, it also marks the first time (well, I mean, unless you count Sonic 3 by itself) that the Sonic series has allowed for saving. AH! So now when you reach a particularly hard level and get screwed out of completing it, you don't have to worry about starting the game from scratch, you can continue! A lot of people these days criticize the early Sonic titles…but I only think that's because they've never played them. Without a doubt, Sonic 3 and Knuckles is a platforming title you really need to play. That way you can see why many consider it to be the finest Genesis title ever. The Genesis was a pretty good system, so this praise is quite rich indeed.



2-) Super Smash Brothers Franchise - I sort of wanted to place Brawl here, but I played Melee for so many years that it really wouldn't be fair to that game. Not to mention the original Smash Brothers! So, I decided to group the three together, because to be quite frank…the franchise as a whole is spectacular. Some people complain that the gameplay is too simple, and that's a fair complaint…but that's selling the series short. It's a sort of game that you can pick up and play right away and be decent at, but you will not be able to touch those who have been playing the game for a long time. While it's easy to do everything, mastering these skills takes time and formulating strategies takes more than simply knowing that Ness's Up+B does his PK-Thunder move. It's deceptively simple, yet so many people can enjoy it…which is part of the reason why it's so popular. A fun game that's simple yet takes some skill? Sign me up! The equation allows for you and several of your friends to have fun for hours on end. It's so much pure fun that even people that have no particular interest in Nintendo will like it. I had a friend that was only particularly interested in Halo and other shooting titles, and they ended up falling in love with the series. You may ask, why is that such a big deal? They honestly couldn't give a shit about Mario or Link or any of the characters. They just liked it for fun. You can really have quite a lot of fun with a game that's essentially a fanservice title. Speaking of fanservice, that's another reason why this series is so liked. Just look at the roster! From Mario to…finally…Sonic, Nintendo has a fair number of representatives. Basically, if you're a fan of Nintendo…you'll find at least one character from a game you like. As a piece of fanservice, Smash Brothers does its job exceptionally well. Not only is the roster, as mentioned, very pleasing…but the amount of collectibles that they throw your way is greatly appreciated. In Melee and Brawl they include trophies you can collect that show off Nintendo's history and can be a nice trip down memory lane. To include Smash 64, seeing levels based off of locales such as Saffron City and Zelda's castle was really neat. Of course, levels were a part of the series for each increment, but it's STILL neat to see places like Onett and Green Hill Zone represented. In the latest game you can even collect music and stickers…for a Nintendo fan it's sort of like having your own history of Nintendo at your fingertips. A matter of fact, they even include a list of several notable titles to be released for each one of their systems. That is a nice touch for fans. As a fanservice fighter, Smash Brothers really includes everything that someone who grew up with Nintendo could ask for. After all, it's the only way Nintendo of America has referenced Earthbound at all since its release. Wait, hey, speaking of Earthbound…

- Row, Row, Fight the Pit.

1-) Earthbound - This has got to be the biggest surprise on the list. I am sure you, the reader, are not only shocked…but appalled by the surprise number one choice I have listed. After all, when have I ever mentioned or referenced this game at all? Seriously though, Earthbound is one of my favorite games ever for various reasons all of which I have mentioned in this column before. It's an RPG that doesn't take itself too seriously, set in modern times…with one of the most interesting stories out there. It even includes one of the trippiest final bosses in videogame history and that alone makes the whole thing memorable. While the combat itself hasn't really aged so well, the experience hasn't. The experience is timeless and every single time I revisit the game, I enjoy myself. I find something new, be it a pop-culture reference or a nuance to the plot, every time I play. It's a true shame that Earthbound failed to catch on with the masses, as this is mostly due to one of the worst advertising campaigns in history, as we could really use more titles like it. Then again, there IS another title like it…Mother 3! We won't be getting an official version of it over here thanks to Nintendo looking at old sales figures and seeing that Earthbound sold poorly. While that is typically a good way of business…there is now a whole lot more interest in Earthbound since the advent of Smash Brothers. People want to play the game Ness is from! Once Nintendo decides to release Earthbound over here on virtual console, hopefully it'll sell well so we can get an official version of Mother 3 released. Odds of this ever happening are low, but American views on RPG have changed since Earthbounds release and I truly believe we are ready to embrace the original and prepare for the sequel. Too bad that'll never happen. Since I've said so many kind things regarding Earthbound in the past, I'll try to keep this section somewhat short. I'll just say this: You owe it to yourself to download a SNES emulator and play an Earthbound ROM. This is just something you need to play. Also, real quick, make sure to give the people on the Mother 3 fan translation team some love.



Honorable Mentions: MVP 2005, Zelda: Windwaker, Team Fortress 2, Kirby Superstar

Well that's it for this week. As always, if you wish to get hold of me send me an e-mail at [e-mail]. Send me your feedback, your complaints, your suggestions, your baseball conversations…whatever. Just send away. Or simply comment below.

Of course, before I depart I want you to check out some links from around our great game section.

AJ and Mike Minotti are the voices of the Exploding Barrel Podcast. I actually forgot to link to them last week, which I felt bad about, but I remembered them this week! AJ scores points this week for two things – first, he defeated the "Great American AJGUY" gaming quiz on the first go, and second…he threw a Penny-Arcade reference out there that I bet he thought I would miss but I CAUGHT it. Pressing the right buttons indeed. Mike gets points for owning the correct version of Soul Calibur 4

Theo Fraser brings us the Nintendophiles. He does a good job, as typical. He talks about Nintendo news, but the Rock Revolution Track listing really leaps out at me. I…think it's kind of lame. They also have several songs that appear in Rock Band. Well, I didn't plan on a purchase anyhow.

Tommy Coloma brings us the Negative Edge news report. Good job Tommy, thanks for giving me information on where I can play SF IV and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Two games I would love to play, the second…won't be coming to America though. Hopefully it can be turned into Marvel Versus Capcom 3 like Tommy mentions in the article.

Owain J. Brimfield brings us the Wonder Years and this week he talks about Alfred Chicken. I've not heard of this one but it seems…interesting.

Chris Evans writes the PC-Centric extravaganza and this week he brings us lots of news from Quakecon!

Tommy Coloma also moderates fact or fiction and this week he pits THE CURRY MAN against Dan "The Man" Owen. Questions such as whether Vader or Yoda will be made available in the future for the console they don't appear on are asked (Yep), as well as whether there should be no more 2D re-imagining. (YEP) Make sure to check out their responses. The final score this week was 4 to 6

THE Curryman, who may or may not be Christopher Daniels, tells Jim Brown to shut up this week.

Coming Attractions is penned by my younger brother Drew. He previews what games are coming out in the following week. He talks about, uhm…Summer Athletics and GRID this week. Wow Drew, sounds enthrallinzzzzzzzzz

Rod Oracheski writes achievement unlocked, which updates on Fridays like my column! So as soon as you finish this, check him out. Last week one of the things he discussed was collection achievements. Which ones were good, Okay, or just plain bad. He liked the Crackdown agility orb one while he disliked collecting flags in Assassin's creed. Really, who LIKED hunting down flags in that game. Better yet, who liked that game?

Mark Salmela is done with B3yond the Report for the moment, this could be his final one so wish him well! This week he brings us news from Square's private party, including the fact FF XIII could not be here ‘til 2010. Yech. Anyhow, next week Dan Owen is filling in for Mark, he'll do a great job…but after that…the writer of the Sony report changes to one, Derek Robbins. UH OH. Mark was fantastic at what he did, and next time I need a week off he'll be the person I contact to fill in.

Joe Roche brings us The Full Circle News Report. As always, he does a good job but we update on the same day. Blast it! Even though I am at odds with Microsoft right now, I find Joe's Full Circle a good read.

Well, that's it for this week. Top-10 360 games next week. I'm out.

'til the crossroads