@phbz

Damn, you're selling me on it here. I couldn't quite get a feel for the game from reviews but I love well made Zelda clones. Dark Souls backtracking to unlock shortcuts is probably one of the most satisfying things in gaming.

@oscillator

What's weird is that my memory of the original SC trilogy is a bit hazy, but I swear my friend and I finished Splinter Cell 1 together on PS2. And I recall that game having instant-failure scenarios and a lot of trial and error, but I know we finished it.

Rented and played Pandora Tomorrow by myself and could barely finish the first level (if I even did finish it). I played that alone so maybe I was just worse at video games than he was. IDK. But that experience put me off of Chaos Theory.

I also didn't have an Xbox and I think it was exclusive for a long time?

@dmcmaster

Good fucking god. Throw aside the family ties and sue him jesus murphy.

I can get like $400 for my copy of Chibi-Robo! Smash Bro's, Pikmin, and Metroid Prime all sit around $50-150 now.

Easy answer.

Selling my Game Cube games.

When I was a kid, I had PS1 / Genesis at my dad's house and N64 at my mom's house. I loved my Nintendo 64 and asked for a Game Cube right away in 2001.

For my birthday and Christmas, I got a new Game Cube with Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 which hooked me on the series. I got into SSX and SSX Tricky. Harvest Moon. Just so many great games. I had an awesome collection. All of the Prime games, all of the exclusives including F-Zero. I had all of the multiplatform games on GC as well such as Tony Hawk, NFS, FIFA, NHL series.

Then my GC broke.

My dad bought me a new one and a year or two later, my new GC broke. Apparently the GC is the most reliable console but it broke twice on me and I am a careful owner. My friends all had PS2 and they wanted me to get into SOCOM II and Star Wars Battlefront with them so I asked my parents for a PS2.

Now, they weren't impressed with Nintendo breaking twice so they were open to buying me a PS2 instead of a new GC but they told me I only get the games that come with it. At Best Buy, PS2 came with my choice of 2 games so I got SOCOM II and Jet Li's Rise to Honor.

I went to EB Games and sold all of my GC games to fund new PS2 games.

WORST DECISION EVER.

It made sense as a child because I had no money, but I'd kill for to have that collection back...

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Same kinda goes for when I sold most of my PS2 games to fund PS3 games like Uncharted and Warhawk but my PS2 collection wasn't as good. By the time PS4 rolled around, I had a job so I didn't need to sell stuff to afford new games.

Just such a massive regret overall.

Massive catch up post.

Star Wars: Battlefront II

I love this game but didn't vote for it. I'm one of the few people that prefers the vibe and original trilogy focus in the original Pandemic Battlefront. Even after BFII released, my friends and I still preferred to play the original. Just something about the menu's, music, and big maps.

BFII was really active on PS2 online and I felt like I was a part of something bigger playing with so many people online back then.

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Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

I love the GTA III universe and in 2005, I got a PSP and I couldn't believe I was essentially playing GTA III in the palm of my hands. Parents want to drag me shopping across the city—no problem! I played this one in the back of my car for hours.

I also love how it builds and expands upon the characters and plot in GTA III. Toni Cipriani stood out in GTA III so it was really cool to just play as him in Liberty City Stories.

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Pokémon Emerald

I kinda outgrew Pokemon (and Nintendo for that matter) around 2005. Ruby was my last Pokemon game until the Let's Go remake. Tbh, I loved Ruby but had no desire to buy this one. Still though, maybe it's just me growing up, but I feel like this was the last good era of Pokemon art. It got so high res vector looking after this.

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Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

I know it's crazy considering how many awards this game won, but I never played it. Pandora Tomorrow was too difficult for me as a kid so I never had any desire to rent Chaos Theory. I remember kids at school talking about it, but I never touched it cause I assumed it was too hard. It's on my list to play one day.

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Need for Speed: Most Wanted

EA Blackbox / EA Canada is an insanely underrated studio and deserve way more credit for the work they've done over the years. Most Wanted was the last great NFS game in my opinion. It isn't as memorable as NFS Underground 1 & 2 but it is still in the same vein and a last hurrah for this type of racer.

Digital Foundry just did an awesome Gran Turismo retrospective which puts the games in context of their PS2 peers and they make mention of some of the technical wizardry in the Underground series (which I consider Most Wanted to be a part of) so I suggest you check that video out because they put it into words better than I can.

That 2006 BMW livery is iconic too. I wanted that car so badly as a kid. I actually styled my BMW in GT7 to have the same livery and it's my favourite car to drive in single player so far.

GG App: Want to Play
GG App: Playing
GG App: Completed Games of 2022

Backlog

Nier Replicant v1.22 - 02/22

Halo Combat Evolved - 04/22

Halo 2 - 04/22

Halo 3 - 05/22

Cyberpunk 2077 (currently playing)

DOOM Eternal

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Psychonauts 2

Forza Horizon 5

Hitman III

Hades

Gothic II (Gold Edition)

Halo Infinite

Half Life

Black Mesa

Half Life 2

Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle

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Just beat Halo 3 finally finishing the original Bungie trilogy. This was definitely the best one so far and insanely fun to play in 3-4 player co-op. It holds up well pacing-wise and the big open vehicle levels are the standout of the series so far. Onto Reach, then Halo 4 next.

I put a bit of a pin into CP77 because summer is starting which means less time at my desk and playing games. It's been starting to drag a bit and it isn't a great bite-sized game so I think if there is a rainy weekend, I'll put a huge 10 hour dent into it.

I don't see it as a problem in the same way you're describing. For example, I find Ori and the Will of the Wisps and Hollow Knight to probably be better pound-for-pound against any Metroid or Castlevania game I've played. So I don't really pit them against the originals in that sense.

But I think Metroidvania as a term has become a bit too one-size-fits-all for my liking. Ori and Hollow Knight are quite different styles of game so using Metroidvania to describe them only gets you in the ball park. But too many people use it to describe the whole experience.

@oscillator

Billy Talent & Billy Talent II were seminal albums among the kids in school growing up. Hometown hero's.

I think Red Flag is in SSX On Tour, NHL 06, AND Burnout Revenge. Red Flag was like all over EA Sports in 2006.

Burnout Revenge

I might be in the minority of people who think this, but is Revenge not a better game than Burnout 3: Takedown?

I wanted to place Revenge higher up the list but I just couldn't based on the games I have in my Top 4.

Regardless, Revenge is the best Burnout game. Crash Mode got a bit more attention after it was introduced in Burnout 3, but the maps and FX here are just pushing the PS2 to it's edge. Honestly, 2005 was a great year for developers just extracting the most out of the PS2. Games like this hold up amazingly due to the technical wizardry.

I found this on YouTube. I think this is a prime example of the audio/visual masterpiece Revenge is:
Youtube Video

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland

The last great Tony Hawk game! I think some of the challenges hold up really well, with some strangely difficult ones on 'Sick' settings. The gameplay is insanely refined building upon the Underground formula, but adding in freestyle spin moves in between your button combos is addicting and satisfying. The level design leaves a lot to be desired coming off of THUG and THUG2, but they all have an incredible LA vibe.

But THAW is all about vibes through and through. References to early skateboarding history paint the backdrop but the fun-in-the-sun modern LA with vivid colour everywhere makes THAW my top 2 favourite Tony Hawk games to return back to.

Worth mentioning the attention to detail in the soundtrack again. THAW incorporated a ton of modern underground LA legends and it really brought a ton of flavour to the game. But there is always a clear nod and respect to the past as well with bands like Dead Kennedys. Huge X-factor in the soundtrack are the contemporary Pop Punk bands doing covers of punk rock classics like Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies, Start Today by Gorilla Biscuits, and Wash Away by TSOL.

Youtube Video

I think about this song at least once a week by the legendary DJ Felix Da Housecat:
Youtube Video