Chapter 4: 66-56

Dr. Mario
[Nintendo - NES/GB - 1990]

Although we may question his credentials, Dr. Mario still knows how to entertain. Even though this is just a puzzle game, it's pretty much one of the first that introduced the concept of chain reactions. Using some skill, the bigger a chain reaction you create, the more you can score. Dr. Mario was also a nice break from just clearing lines in Tetris, and as we later saw on the Super NES in a compilation, it also compliements Tetris pretty well.

Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon
[Konami - Game Boy Advance - 2001]

Had I had the chance to play Symphony Of The Night on the PS1, you would probably see that on here instead of COTM. But, COTM is pretty much the next best thing. As one of the launch titles to the Game Boy Advance system, Castlevania COTM turned out to be THE game to have at the time. The adventure was long, full of depth and secrets, and is one of the only games that have come close to Super Metroid in terms of design. It does have a drawback, as the game is pretty dark to see, unless you have the new GBA SP.

Uniracers
[Nintendo - Super NES - 1994]

I remember back in middle school, when this game first came out, I had a friend who owned the game. I really liked the game, so much that I ended up getting it for myself for my birthday. While the game had a rather simple look, it did use the same ACM pre-rendering technique used in the SNES Donkey Kong Country games, plus it had a good deal of speed. Want to know a suprising fact about this game? It was developed by the same people who created the Grand Theft Auto series.

1080 Snowboarding
[Nintendo - Nintendo 64 - 1998]

It's funny, Sony tried four times to create a good snowboarding game on the PlayStation (Cool Boarders), and failed each time. Nintendo takes a crack at the genre once, and ended up with one of the best snowboarding games that couldn't be beated until the SSX series debuted. 1080 takes after Wave Race 64 in some respects. It combines both racing and stunt modes to keep the replay value high, despite the fact that both modes are not that long to start. On top of that, the controls and physics are tight and easy to grasp.

The Pinball Of The Dead
[Sega - Game Boy Advance - 2002]

A good video pinball game seems to be tough to find, either because it's not the most popular genre, or when one does come out, it's just not that good. But Pinball Of The Dead is not only one of the best video pinball games I've played, it's probably the one GBA game I own that I've played the most. Sure, the physics aren't realistic, but there's a lot of action on screen, and many ways to score. Some great pre-rendered graphics along with a good soundtrack coupled with battery back-up makes this GBA game one to own. It's fun and addictive for either 5 minutes of play, or for a whole hour. A strange, yet succesful combination of two different genres.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
[Nintendo - Nintendo Gamecube - 2001]

This is a game where only a company like Nintendo can pull off. With over 20 years of different franchises and characters, Super Smash Bros. Melee is an all-out assult in the "World Of Nintendo". While the first Smash Bros. debuted on the N64 back in 1999, Melee ups the graphical quality, adds an excellent soundtrack full of classic video game favorites, increases the character roster, adds many more multiplayer modes and throws in an addictive tropy collecting element. Melee is probably on of the most frentic fighting games ever devised, and only a company such as Nintendo (with help from Hal Labratory) can dream this up.

Ridge Racer 64
[Nintendo - Nintendo 64 - 2000]

Ridge Racer 64 is a unique title in the N64 lineup. For one, it marked as the moment where the tension between Nintendo and Namco seemed to be resolved. Also, it's a Ridge Racer title that wasn't developed by Namco, but by Nintendo. As the first title to be developed by Nintendo's new U.S. studio, Ridge Racer 64 improves what made the PS1 version great with tighter handling, a smoother framerate and a hell of a lot more speed. Plus, the classic Ridge Racer and RR Revolution courses got a much-needed graphical facelift. Aside from the San Francisco Rush series, Ridge Racer 64 is pretty much the best non-kart racer on the system.

Pilotwings
[Nintendo - Super NES - 1991]

While much attention was divulged onto Super Mario World and F-Zero on the launch of the Super NES, there was also a game by the name of Pilotwings. At the time, Pilotwings was pretty special. It was pretty much the first time that console gamers had a chance to play a flight-sim, as well as skydive, ride a rocket belt and fly a hanglider. Unlike the N64 edition of Pilotwings, this version had a slightly more serious approach to it's theme, and that's what makes it better. It's too bad that the game is too short, and didn't give you enough choices on how you can complete a stage. But it's still pretty fun.

Crazy Taxi 2
[Sega - Dreamcast - 2001]

Crazy Taxi 2 didn't really do anything different from the first CT except for introducing the "crazy hop" and the abillity to pick up groups of people. But that didn't stop the game from being a fun and addictive experience. In fact, the new techniques only increased the cash you made. This was also one of the last of the games the Dreamcast had to offer.

Gran Turismo 2
[Sony Computer Entertainment - PlayStation- 1999]

Ok, I'll admit this right now: I have all three GT games on the list. I could have just said "series", but each game was special to me. But, I had to put GT2 behind the other GT games for a couple of reasons. One, the game didn't look much different from the first GT. Two, the game had more bugs in it's inital shipment that a sleazy Reno motel. Three, it seemed a bit unfinished. Some of the car requirments weren't enforced, and there were quite a few mispellings in the car descriptions. But, GT2 was far from a bad game. I poured so many hours into that game, actually. And the rally mode was a welcome addition. It's also on the list due to the fact that there are so many racers that can't even touch the final product of this game.

F-Zero GX
[Nintendo - Nintendo Gamecube - 2003]

I could have thrown F-Zero X for the N64 on the list, as it did haul as much ass as this game, and boast the same amount of cars on screen. But F-Zero GX is what we would have wished F-Zero X would look like. On top of the insane speed (actually, GX is much faster than X), we now have much more detail, and a more true vision of what the world of F-Zero should be. It's also worth noting that this game is a joint effort between Nintendo and Sega (and you'll see both of their logos together when you start the game up), which used to be advisaries in the early 90's. It's something I never thought would happen 10 years ago. It's amazing what can happen in a decade.

Take Me To Chapter 5, #55-45

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