did you misplace my comments, Flik? I can post them if you did.
EDIT: Here they are:
30. Metal Slug 3 - Arcade
SNK’s humorous Contra-clone reaches its absolute peak in this chapter of the series. Featuring a wide variety of vehicles, multiple branching paths, incredible bosses and gorgeous level design, and the same core run-n-gun (with optional co-op) play, it remains the peak of the series and one of the best of the genre two sequels later.
29. Chrono Trigger - SNES
It’s comparably simple plotline will not top some most modern RPGs or even the best of it’s time. . Even though its soundtrack is still immensely enjoyable, and it remains one of the best-looking classic RPGs, Chrono Trigger’s excellent game play is the major factor that makes it a classic.
Doing away with random battles, in CT enemies appear in the field, and players can maneuver around them rather than be forced to fight every group that appears. However, combat actually takes place in the field, and the enemy formations can be used to players advantage, with attacks that focus on a limited area, a line of enemies, and so on. In addition, as more magic skills and “techs” are discovered, the characters can master a wide variety of double-team and triple-team moves. Sometimes, knowing just what challenges lay ahead preparing for them with the proper team line-up is key to being successful.
In addition, the characters, quests, and dungeons scattered along the multiple timelines offer a constant breath of fresh air, and taking advantage of affecting the past in order to change the future is necessary to uncovering all the secrets of the side quests. With the brilliant New Game + option, allowing characters to restart the game with the same stats and most of the non-story items, players can not only get the chance to beat old foes with their new skills, but also uncover the game’s many, many secret endings, ranging from humorous, to dramatic, to flat-out strange.
28. Super Smash Bros. Melee – Gamecube
With more characters and modes of play than it’s predecessor, this simple-to-play, but difficult to master pseudo-fighter allows 1-4 players to take control of classic Nintendo characters (as well as a handful of related characters, such as Pikachu) in 2-4 player fights in appropriately-themed worlds.
Despite the deceptively-simple game play, a large tournament community has been built upon the game and the original Smash Bros. Mastery of all of the background elements, the multiple environments and maneuvering around the often-changing fighting arenas are key to success.
27. Street Fighter Alpha 3 – Playstation
Despite the confusing mish-mash of “ISMs” within the game, the downgrade in music quality, and questionable changes in basic game play mechanics, the variety of characters in this third, dream-match-style entry of the Alpha series offers players more ways to play, compete, and show off than even before. However, like the slightly more balanced Street Fighter Alpha 2, the Custom Combos/V-ISM can be a little too dominant.
Going far beyond being a simple port, the home versions offer World Tour mode, allowing players to perfect varied skills as they battle through varied challenges. With Survival Mode, handicap fights allowing two fighters to gang up against one for a fight, home console-exclusive bonus characters, this is the most complete and high-value Street Fighter title available.
26. Super Mario Kart – SNES
Mario, ever the trend setter, starred in the first of the major “kart racer” titles. Boasting use of the SNES’ “Mode 7” technology, brilliantly designed tracks, excellent control and game play, addictive 2-player game play, the title was a big hit and an instant classic. To this day it still spawns imitators, and even Nintendo themselves have had a difficult time trying to top it.
25. Starfox 64 - Nintendo 64
Making use of the new FX chip, Starfox brought polygon graphics home in a rather simple, but well-executed 3D shooter for the SNES. After the debut of the N64, players clamored for an update to the classic game, which, while still enjoyable, its pitiful frame-rate and bare-bones textures screamed for a dose of the N64 treatment.
The result, Starfox 64, managed to be everything demanded and more. The first game to make use of the Rumble Pak, the game play had been improved and deepened, more levels were available, but the game still retained the ability to take multiple pathways. Each level contained myriad secrets for obtaining the top score, heading onto the other paths, and avoiding enemy fire.
Unlike the original, Starfox 64 offered ground-based levels where you were able to control a tank. Although response was mixed, they offered an excellent diversion from the rest of the game. While the frame-rate suffers, the game also offers up to four players to battle each other in a dogfight. The Gamecube has had a pair of Starfox follow-ups, neither one quite capturing the essence of the original or Starfox 64 so well.
24. Goldeneye – N64
Goldeneye, despite a recent attempt at a direct sequel, multiple attempts to usurp it (later Bond games, and even Rare’s old Perfect Dark) has still stood strong as one of the best games for the N64, and one still played and vastly enjoyed today. While it suffers the common problem of 3D games (it’s visuals look extremely dated today), the incredibly diverse and fun missions, level structure, and most importantly—the multi-player, leave it towering over many First Person Shooters released even today.
23. Guardian Heroes - Saturn
In a simple phrase—the best “beat ‘em up” ever created.
More elaborately, Guardian Heroes was Treasure’s beautifully-executed effort to take one of the stalest, most stagnant genres in gaming, the side-scrolling beat ‘em up, and turn it into a magnificent, extremely replayable gaming experience.
Start with a beautiful fantasy setting, throw in a charming cast of characters, add magic complete with dramatic effects, add RPG elements (careful customization of your characters are possible as you level up), add in a well-paced set of intermission scenes moving the story along, and for good measure add the ability of one-on-one fighting, allowing players to use defeated enemy characters for fights. You have the recipe for perhaps the perfect beat ‘em up. If Golden Axe didn’t suck, it would have turned out somewhat like Guardian Heroes.
22. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PS1
A Castlevania game…with stellar control?! Whoa! Not stopping there, Konami’s daring 2D Playstation addition to the Castlevania series shamefully, blatantly, ripped off the basic structure of Super Metroid and infused RPG elements into the game. The son of Dracula, Alucard, enters his pops’ castle(s) on a mission to find the missing Richter Belmont and off his pops once again. Controlling very differently from a Belmont, Alucard has more of a penchant for blades than whips, and is able to become stronger by gaining experience points, leveling up, buying stronger equipment. With some of the best 2D visuals on the Playstation, a fantastic soundtrack, and the best game play in the series up to that time, the game’s biggest flaw appears when Alucard frankly becomes too strong, making most of the game a breeze until the final boss.
While the game hasn’t quite topped the game that it has drawn the most inspiration from, it’s various portable sequels—especially Aria of Sorrow, have all been extremely well-crafted as well, and taken various new twists and turns on SotN’s gameplay, and have surpassed the more recent 2D Metroid games.
21. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - PS2
Hello, hello—it’s stupid old white men’s (and women’s—can’t forget Ms. Clinton) favorite poster boy for violent video games and their effect on pre-teens. While it’s easy to characterize the games as being little more than “murder simulators,” the game offers diverse and well-designed mission-based game play while retaining a rich, extremely fun to navigate world besides.
Often ignored is the presence of the law in the games which provide penalties for the sort of rampant violence the game allegedly glorifies, as well as the well-told story. Vice City takes place prior to Grand Theft Auto 3 chronologically, and adds top-notch voice acting, a better soundtrack, better graphics, and deeper game play.
However, it still should not be played by young kids ever. So parents beware: this game is not for little Johnny, you stupid assholes. So quit trying to **** it up for the rest of us.
20. Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact - Arcade
After nearly a decade in the making, Street Fighter III didn’t make the splash Capcom had hoped. Arriving at a time when the arcade scene in the US had been shrinking, and when no current consoles could support the game, the game was doomed from limited distribution. However, it added depth, improved gameplay, and even more stunning animation over its predecessors.
However, it was with the upgrade, 2nd Impact, that the game got a little more interesting. With universal overhead attacks, new characters, and minor upgrade tweaks, Capcom delivered a vastly superior title even more worthy of play, although it suffered from the same problems as the first, despite finally finding a home on the Dreamcast. The game would be further upgraded in 3rd Strike, but with some overpowered new characters and questionable balance issues, 2nd Impact is perhaps the best overall value for the casual fight fan.
19. Katamari Damacy - PS2
A sleeper hit of 2004, Katamari revolves around the simple concept of taking a small ball, and rolling up objects slightly smaller than it, forming a larger and larger ball until a player can reach a set objective. The simple, silly, fun story adds a bizarre charm to the game, and the objectives get more difficult as your protagonist is relentlessly browbeaten by his father, the King of the Cosmos.
While there are gift boxes carefully hidden throughout the stage (requiring players to not only just find them, but collect them at the appropriate time), even a complete lack of secrets would not make Katamari Damacy less enjoyable. It’s an instant classic that never suddenly becomes boring. Older objectives become easier to master, and even then, you’ll want to take the stages for another roll. Go for a better time, go for a bigger katamari, go for a higher score—pick your goal and go for it. Katamari Damacy is pure gaming bliss, and bless Namco for bringing it over to America’s shores.
18. Gunstar Heroes – Genesis
Gunstar Heroes, created by the team of ex-Konami programmers known as Treasure, perhaps is not only still the finest game they’ve created to date, but the best game on the Genesis/Megadrive. With a brilliant and extremely flexible weapon system that allows players to combine different power-ups for a wide variety of weapons, rich and varied levels, eye-popping visual effects, great music, rich colors that defy the hardware, it’s difficult to think of one better.
17. Metal Gear Solid - PS1
When Konami reached back in their catalogue of classics and chose to do a new Metal Gear game, many retrogamers rejoiced, and neophyte gamers suspiciously became trivia sponges for a series none of them had played and one that had been rather unappreciated in its day. With Metal Gear father Hideo Kojima at the helm, backed with a vastly talented team, MGS combined stealth-based gameplay with the Playstation's capability to put gamers closer to the action, giving multiple angles and viewpoints for gameplay, and supporting rich cinemas to push the story forward.
MGS simultaneously showed how far video game storylines have come, while leaving considerable room for improvement. Despite the game's overwhelming postives, it still contained a fair number of cliches (odious comic relief/character the gamer is supposed to "identify" with, a love interest, and bosses that seem somewhat silly). It makes for a dish comparable to a fine filet mignon with Kraft singles melted on top. While tasty and palatable, it *could* have been improved oh-so-slightly.
16. NBA Jam - Arcade
Despite the guaranteed hit sales of nearly every major licensed sports release these days (such as…the EA games, and of course the EA games), it’s the rare sports title that can appeal across the board to every gamer. That is, the nerdy, non-athletic gamer completely disinterested in sports. If a company aims to program such a game, the most common approach is to copy Midway’s excellent 2-on-2 hoops classic.
Start with Midway’s Arch Rivals game. Add an official NBA license and a handful of each team’s biggest stars. The official NBA rules? Gone; out the window. You can run back and forth along the court and shove your opponent without penalty. No free throws. Aside from goal-tending and a shot clock, no real penalties at all are enforced. Your object is to win by any means possible, and while you can shoot 3 pointers and take jump shots in the paint, it takes a backseat to the game’s showpiece—the dunks.
By utilizing the game’s Turbo button (boosting player speed and performance like a sudden burst of…adrenaline), rushing towards the paint and tapping shoot, players can leap 10, 20, sometimes up to 50 feet in the air, and after mid-air acrobatics, and slam the ball into the rim. Smaller players can only manage the weakest of dunks and often lay-ups, but had their own unique strengths; selecting a team and set of players to match a play style added a bit more depth to play.
While NBA Jam won’t satisfy hardcore hoops fans’ desires for a realistic basketball sim, they still can’t help but enjoy the high energy play of NBA Jam. Many of the top sports franchises of the day up to even today will often include an “arcade” mode, with the game’s rules adjusted to be a little more like Jam’s approach.
15. Ms. Pac-Man - Arcade
Despite the decision to replace Pac-Man with a female character as an apparently shameless attempt to court more females into playing, Ms. Pac-Man also gave Namco the opportunity to refine the original Pac-Man a little. With improved level designs, the addition of the “Pac-Booster,” and the solid Pac-Man game play still intact, they had improved on what was already nearly perfect already.
14. Final Fantasy Tactics - PS1
The collaboration of talented individuals working on this game automatically set high expectations. Surprisingly, nearly all of them had been exceeded. Arguably the finest game to sport the Final Fantasy name, Tactics is actually a turn-based strategy title.
While the links to the Final Fantasy series are loose, they are nonetheless numerous, from many of the animals populating the game, to the design of the black mages (Aeris appears and Cloud is playable, however). However, the biggest and most influential carry-over from Final Fantasy is the job system of V. Expanded and refined, it now allows party members to learn a plethora of skills and specialties, and to combine skills of different classes to provide for wide combinations of well-rounded fighters.
While the battle engine itself has been improved upon over time (Disgaea being a fine example), and the battles move rather slowly, the implementation of the job system, the ability to capture and tame creatures, add and build up new recruits, and even plan out your lineup so that the zodiac signs of the fighters will provide the most compatible mix (!), it stands head and shoulders above nearly all traditional console RPGs because of the depth and execution.
While FFT’s story is solid and told well, it can be rather confusion to follow. Aiding this, the game actually provides a log of the story and major plot points as you progress. Even though console RPG fans may be a little turned off by the longer (but more plot-relevant) battles that make up the majority of the game, it is hard to deny the quality on display. The GBA sequel, however, does away with many of the things that made the original Final Fantasy Tactics so good.
13. Metroid Prime – Gamecube
When it first sunk in that the two “new” Metroid games, Fusion and Prime, that would be hitting Nintendo’s consoles would be and the former would be a traditional 2D game made by Nintendo, and the latter would be a 3D, First Person “Adventure” developed by some Texans called Retro, the end results seemed predictable.
Little did I expect that Retro would churn out the 2nd best Metroid game yet.
The presentation of the game is, of course, fantastic. Visually, aurally, control-wise, everything is spot on. However, somehow Retro managed to translate the Metroid gameplay to 3D almost flawlessly *and* make it work. While not a true first person shooter, Prime manages to keep the platforming and exploration portions of the game in larger focus. The camera angle tilts during jumps to assure that players can land exactly where they need to be, and even double-jumping and grappling can be accomplished without worry once you’ve dialed in the controls.
While the combat is varied and often, the game’s lock-on targeting assures that players won’t be struggling with simply aiming at the varied and quick enemies of Metroid Prime. Despite this, it isn’t necessarily easy, because players will have to contend with multiple targets, enemies that need to be attacked in the right spot, and massive bosses often requiring some special trick to be defeated.
The story is told primarily through expository information Samus acquires by “scanning” the environment around her, especially from Space Pirate computers. While this may be somewhat disappointing to players more accustomed to cinematic storytelling in games, this leaves more gung-go players the option of skipping it entirely. Unfortunately, scanning as much information as possible is essential to unlocking the game’s juicier secrets. Good for those who prefer to explore their Metroids, but speed-runners will be a little disappointed. Retro should have allowed speed runners to unlock them with good times providing an either/or option (this was also overlooked in the sequel as well).
While Prime comes close to besting its legendary SNES ancestor, the degree of backtracking (which is faithful to the Metroid legacy, but rather tedious in the vast, 3D environments of Prime) and the excessive scanning called for keep it a few notches short of Super Metroid. Despite this, it’s still an incredible game worth checking out, and the spectacular fight with the Metroid Prime itself is one of the best boss encounters in any game.
12. Soul Calibur 2
Within the fighting genre, nearly every single title falls neatly within the 2D fighter or 3D fighter genre, with the former being (ideally), fast, fluid, strategy and combo intensive brawlers with impressive, super-human attacks; and the latter, which is often much more realistic, slower, even more strategy-intensive, but with more emphasis on controlling the ground and less emphasis on longer combos or any control of the air.
The Soul games have been straddling the line ever since Soul Edge’s debut, with fast, fluid battles, dazzling combos, but with extensive use of strategy and a greater emphasis on using the entire 3D arenas than most “3D” fighters.
The follow up to the classic arcade and Dreamcast title, Soul Calibur fixes up some minor game play issues, boosts the character roster, adds new backgrounds, expands SC’s Edge Master far beyond the version found in the original Soul Blade, and throws in (vastly overpowered) console-exclusive fighters to boot.
11. Halo - X-Box
Halo’s ability to almost single-handedly sell X-Boxes and keep the system afloat in its rocky starting months, as well as its enduring sales, is impressive enough. However, it’s not the X-Box’s former game drought that is solely responsible for it’s success. Halo manages to nearly live up to all of the hype, with brilliantly designed and playing single player missions that helped put it on the map. What it kept it there was its multiplayer. With the resources to connect multiple TVs and X-Boxes up, it truly is one of the most fantastic experiences in gaming.
While the sequel was disappointing to some, and Sony continues to try to search for its own Halo-Killer (see Kill Zone for their most recent failed attempt), Halo still stands as one of the finest first person shooters around, alone or with friends.
10. Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando - PS2
From humble beginnings (a game built upon the Jak & Daxter engine), Insomniac has crafted one of the finest 3D platformers around. On the surface, it could be understandably mistaken for one of the dime-a-dozen cute mascot games that have hung around on the PS2, despite that genre’s heyday apparently a distant memory. However, once serious playtime is invested in the game, a wonderful and deep 3D platformer (with plenty of focus on combat) is discovered.
Far too many 3D platformers have allowed fighting to tack a backseat to platforming and exploration (even Mario 64’s enemies were mostly a minor nuisance at most), however, Ratchet and Clank puts it at the forefront, and throws a wide variety of weapons (many of them comical) to deal with the problems. Wiping out the many alien scum in Going Commando is every bit as fun as the rest of the game, keeping it a well-rounded experience that doesn’t quickly become tedious like the many cute-mascot titles littering the current consoles.
(Note: Up Your Arsenal is, by many accounts, even better, but I’ve yet to play far enough through it to place it on my list)
9. Tetris – NES
With a back story as colorful and interesting as the game itself, Tetris is an enduring classic that has been considered the definitive puzzle game, and one of the titles that even a non-gamer and many a parent can easily become addicted to.
Describing the game itself and how it plays is unnecessary—everyone should know. While the game deserves all of the praise it has lavished on it, the worst thing than can be said about it is that it is so successful, it has indirectly stunted the puzzle genre. Far too many puzzle games are built on the “falling block/match color” concept even today, with far too few innovators…
8. Devil Dice - PS1
And when something arrives that manages to put a new spin on it, often it is overlooked. Devil Dice is one such game—although many may scoff at the oft-proclaimed “better than Tetris” boast.
Devil Dice takes place in a ¾ overhead view of a board divided into squares, while dice pop up from the floor. Players don’t simply match up the numbers, though. The “devil” itself stands atop one of the Dice, rotating it as he/she walks, and has the ability to run atop and rotate one of the dice directly next to the previous one. With the rule of thumb that the opposite sides of the die equal 7 (the bottom and backs of the dice are obscured from view, making this essential to remember), the industrious devil must shuffle the dice to make as many melt into the floor before the board is full. Once a series melts into the floor, the devil can act quickly to built combos onto the area before time is up,
Skeptics should give the game a serious shot, and then draw their own conclusions.
(Renegade told me there’s a PS2 sequel, Bombastic, BTW, which I’m going to try ASAP)
7. Legend of Zelda – NES
With a fair share of ideas borrowed from Adventure, infused with a fantastic soundtrack, challenging dungeons, and a vast world to explore, Legend of Zelda solidified itself as an instant classic from the moment gamers plugged its shiny gold cartridge into their NES. Time certainly hasn’t been kind to its graphics and story, but it stands the test of time well worth playing today.
6. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - SNES
The third game in the series…which takes place first…yeah. With fans rather disappointed with Zelda II overall, the series returned to its roots. Despite its confusing chronological placement, A Link to the Past was the long-awaited follow-up to the original classic, offering better graphics, sound, a large world (and the “dark world” besides), dungeons filled with new and trickier puzzles, and naturally plenty of optional side quests to tackle. The loose game structure, putting less focus on story than exploration and combat, returns.
For many Zelda fans, this game is the best in the series, offering a steadier and more stable learning curve (unlike OOT, which admittedly drops off after the Water Temple…), and stays truer to the spirit of the series. Regardless of the debate, its difficult to deny Link to the Past’s status as one of the top games in one of the greatest video game franchises to date.
5. Super Mario Bros.- NES
Without Super Mario Bros, it’s unlikely that the gaming industry would even exist today. The game that made the NES a must-have “toy” for millions of kids, put Nintendo on the map, and was essential in reviving the video game industry after the Atari-helmed crash of the 80’s, Super Mario Bros. also set the standard for the action/platformer. From it’s iconic soundtrack, bizarre gameplay conventions, the immensely enjoyable levels, and even glitches that are memorable, the game is just as fun today as ever.
Although it’s arguable if it is even possible to judge the game without nostalgia taking over, brought together all the right elements to suck in casual players, enthrall the hardcore, and keep them both attached to the controllers as long as they possibly can.
4. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64
If only for its presentation, Ocarina of Time could have been a direct rehash of the previous games, the development team could have closed down early, and it still would have likely been a critically acclaimed and beloved game. It worked for Final Fantasy VII, after all. However, that wouldn’t satisfy the dedicated staff and the brilliant Shigeru Miyamoto. More than just containing magnificent visuals and wonderful dungeon designs, Ocarina of Time absorbs the player in an adventure more mature and dramatically told than the previous games. Although the structure is a little tighter, exploration is still encouraged and necessary to reap the most rewards and enjoyment out of the game.
Link starts his adventure in a magical forest that is filled with an otherworldly quality, but quickly the stage is set for darkness about to descend upon the land. As the young Link unexpectedly encounters more and tougher challenges, he eventually discovers just far he has yet to go to complete his adventure. The dungeons are even more picturesque and menacing in full 3D, but retain the series’ classic puzzle solving and featuring improved combat thanks to the simple but effective Z-targeting.
3. Super Mario 64 - N64
Less merely the old Mario series in 3D and more a bold, innovative approach to gaming in general, Super Mario 64 shattered many of the barriers restraining the series previously, namely the timer, the flat 2D worlds, a mere 2-button setup, the constant runs towards a course's end goal, and especially the digital pad. The first mainstream console game to make intelligent use of analog control, the N64's controller and its peculiar new input device was essential to putting you inside of the plumber's shoes.
However, rather than trotting across huge 3D worlds doing much of the same, Mario had to collect Power Stars. Many of the SM64 clones seem to be based on the belief that merely collecting baubles can make for intriguing game design. Not so. After rushing around Princess Peach's castle, and selecting a painting, Mario is thrown into mini-world with a hint at how to find one of these stars. With hundreds of unique tasks to complete and few prerequisites, Mario is given the chance to explore and encover them. Each one ingeniously hidden, and the opportunity presented to replay again at a later time, the reaching the stars is the true aim and focus of the game. Despite that, the game's structure allows players to experiment, explore, and have fun in so many myriad ways, SM64 is less just another game and more an experience rarely rivaled in gaming even today.
2. Super Metroid - SNES
Non-linearity often is a big selling point in modern game design. When done right, it can be welcome feature in a tightly-playing, excellently-crafted title. Gamers can be given a chance to choose their own path through a game, free from the shackles of A-to-B game design. More often, though, it may be used as a blanket method to cover up the flaws of a game that lacks a quality central, enjoyable theme, gameplay, narrative. This "junk drawer" approach to game design has spawned vast numbers of GTA clones, and is a growing used in many a genre.
However, when the original Metroid integrated it into a side-scrolling platformer, it was a revolutionary game design. Not only could players travel left to right, but right to left, up to down; walls could be destroyed, new items obtained that opened old areas. Ultimate mastery of the game belonged to those either with a photographic memory or with the patience to painstakingly map the caverns of the game.
After a disappointing Game Boy sequel, Metroid 3 finally came to the Super Nintendo. Managing to do everything better than its predecessor, including a more richly nuanced visual style, huge and difficult bosses, an auto-mapping feature, new weapons, more distinct and beautiful worlds, and one of the greatest soundtracks in an SNES title. Gamers can either carefully trek through the game, collecting everything and unravelling the game's many secrets and mysteries, or blast through the game on a "speed run," collecting as few power-ups as possible, attempting to get the best time, and facing up against the game's bosses and enemies with a small assortment of health tanks. Then start a new game and try another method, attempt to "skip" important events and items. Some of the game's ingenious design has been attributed as accident by the late Gumpei Yokoi, director of SM and the original classic. Regardless of how, the game still stands as one of the most sought-after and loved classics, despite the many sequels since.
1. Super Mario Bros 3 - NES
For many people, the most famous, most played, and most loved entry in the Mario series is the SNES' Super Mario World. While certainly a wonderful game, for those familiar with the previous entry in the series, Super Mario Bros. 3, it seems rather unfulfilling. SMB3 offers longer courses, more challenge, more to see and explore, and better level design. It takes more than a save feature (available in the All Stars/GBA version of the game anyway) and a dinosaur to overcome that. The game also has the distinction of having perhaps the greatest video game commercial of all time behind it, and Nintendo saved it for last in the Mario Advance line.
Super Mario Bros. 3 is, aside from the best side-scroller in the Mario series, perhaps the finest game ever created. With level design so well-crafted, a nearly-perfect difficulty curve, it still stands tall over the side-scrolling platformers than relentlessly tried to copy it. The overworld map, with it's many features, special challenges, the ability for more skilled gamers to skip ahead a little (thanks to the design of the overworld map) or newbies to stay behind and learn the ropes, the alternating co-op play, and so much more, SMW's seems to merely copy it while taking a little away from it. Mario's powerups go far, far beyond the mere fireballs and invincibility star, allowing Mario various forms to explore the courses, including Hammer Mario, Frog Mario, and the infamous Raccoon Mario. Unmatched in its day, and still with almost no rival, it’s no wonder that after it Shigeru Miyamoto himself seems to have wary of attempting another 2D encore.
