Tales Of Backloggery

I mentioned a few days back that I was contemplating an artificial backlog of my entire games collection to be played in chronological order, and then you might have noticed I went a bit more quiet after that.  Well that's because, as you may have guessed....

And I've actually accomplished a hell of a lot already.  Since I'm replaying everything anyways, I figured I may as well post some quick points about each of them and update my grades for them as I go.  I'll put the entire list below, and whatever I've finished so far I'll update.

I'm slightly out of order on this because when I got into the N64 I kept rolling with it alone, and forgot (quite embarrassingly) to do MGS at its appropriate time.  So that'll be done soon.  This task includes only retail home console games; no digital games and no handhelds.  An exception is being made for MGS: Peace Walker on PS3 (because I was kind of in the middle of it anyways), but that's it.

To explain the grades, green means I rated it higher now than before, red means worse, and blue means no change.  I am approaching each of them as someone who has experienced games both before them and after, in many cases evaluating how they hold up.  S means among the best of all time, A-F should be self explanatory.

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1. Super Mario World (SNES) ... S

• + I love that the "cheats" are secret levels rather than codes.
• - Coins and lives do not save between sessions.
• + Still fun and challenging in parts.

2. Super Ghouls And Ghosts (SNES) ... D

• = Unfortunately, the cartridge no longer works. (-,_ -)

3. ActRaiser (SNES) ... B

• - Platforming and action not as refined as I'd like.
• + City building and godhood works fantastic.
• - Menus can be a bit unfriendly.
• + My pick for franchise most deserving of a revival.

4. Paperboy 2 (SNES) ... D

• - High scores don't save
• - No depth
• + Still challenging and funny.

5. Home Alone (SNES) ... F

• - Too short, too easy
• - Little to nothing in common with film
• - No bonus for getting all items

6. The Lost Vikings (SNES) ... C

• + Think Trine, except fun and humorous.
• - When one of the three dies, forces you to continue to the end of the stage though you auto fail on exit.

7. Contra III: The Alien Wars (SNES) ... B

• + Still really challenging....
• - ...almost too much sometimes. Certainly too much other times.

8. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) ... S

• = Devastatingly, the cartridge no longer works. (-,_ -)

9. Super Mario Kart (SNES) .. C

• - Rubber band AI
• - Repetitive and predictable AI finishes each race
• + Fun, tricky tracks

10. Super Star Wars (SNES) ... D

• - Killed enemies respawn immediately
• - Vehicle controls cause rage quits

11. Star Fox (SNES) ... D

• - Can be difficult to see around ship
• - Lots of slowdown in heavy action

12. Super Mario All Stars (SNES) ... A

• + All games are still a blast to play
• - Downgraded because it's a collection.  I waver on whether those qualify for top honors, and right now they don't.

13. Street Fighter II: Turbo (SNES) ... C

• = Sadly, the cartridge no longer works. (-,_ -)

14. Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES) ... S

• + Still the greatest game of all time.

15. Super Metroid (SNES) ... C

• + Good challenge
• - Awkward platforming

16. Super Punch Out!! (SNES) ... C

• = First two circuits were way too easy.  Never used to think so...
• - Huge difficulty spike at Mad Clown.

17. Earthworm Jim (SNES) ... C

• - Awkward platforming
• + Still fun

18. Donkey Kong Country (SNES) ... A

• + Still fun and challenging

19. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES) ... B

• = Disappointingly, the cartridge no longer works. (-,_ -)

20. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong's Quest (SNES) ... A

• + Much improved over the first
• + Dixie Kong

21. Star Fox 64 (N64) ... C

• = Disappointingly, the cartridge no longer works. (-,_ -)

22. Goldeneye 007 (N64) ... D

• - Terrible controls; impossible to aim and awkward to move.

23. Metal Gear Solid (PS1) ... A

• + Still excellent story
• - I really miss CQC and analog sticks and aiming.

24. Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) ... S

• + Still great despite its terrible camera
• - Save game loads at inconvenient places outside of dungeons.
• - Have I mentioned the terrible camera?

25. Mario Party (N64) ... D

• + Love the board game premise and mini-games can be fun...
• - Often the controls in mini-games are rage-quit-worthy.
• = Mini games don't last long enough to warrant rage quits.

26. Super Smash Bros. (N64) ... B

• - Small roster
• - Awkward jumping physics/controls
• + Still a lot of fun

27. All Star Baseball 2001 (N64) ... C

• + Controller is actually good for baseball
• = Was able to replace the New York Yankees roster with players from "Who's On First".  Nobody is playing Right Field.

28. Mario Tennis (N64) ...

•  update coming soon....

29. Legend Of Zelda: Majora'a Mask (N64)

30. Zone of the Enders (PS2)

31. NHL Hitz 20-02 (PS2)

32. Halo (Xbox)

33. Jak & Daxter: Precursor Legacy (PS2)

34. Jet Set Radio Future (Xbox)

35. Red Faction II (PS2)

36. Deathrow (Xbox)

37. Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (Xbox)

38. War of the Monsters (PS2)

39. Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (PS2)

40. Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner (PS2)

41. Freedom Fighters (PS2)

42. Jak II (PS2)

43. WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain (PS2)

44. Deus Ex: The Invisible War (Xbox)

45. Beyond Good & Evil (PS2)

46. Counter-Strike (Xbox)

47. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Acadamy (Xbox)

48. The Suffering (Xbox)

49. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox)

50. Psi-Ops: Mindgate Conspiracy (PS2)

51. Killzone (PS2)

52. Jak 3 (PS2)

53. Halo 2 (Xbox)

54. Tom Clancy's Classic Trilogy (Xbox)

55. Mercenaries (PS2)

56. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Xbox)

57. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)

58. Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict (Xbox)

59. Psychonauts (PS2)

60. Destroy All Humans! (PS2)

61. Madden NFL 06 (PS2)

62. Stubbs The Zombie (Xbox)

63. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)

64. Jak X: Combat Racing (PS2)

65. Star Wars Battlefront II (PS2)

66. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)

67. Hitman: Blood Money (PS2)

68. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2)

69. Bully (PS2)

70. Rogue Galaxy (PS2)

71. Rugby 08 (PS2)

72. NHL 2K8 (PS3)

73. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)

74. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3)

75. Unreal Tournament III (PS3)

76. The Orange Box (PS3)

77. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

78. Dead Space (PS3)

79. Bioshock (PS3)

80. Fallout 3 (PS3)

81. Mirror's Edge (PS3)

82. Killzone 2 (PS3)

83. inFamous (PS3)

84. Batman Arkham Asylum (PS3)

85. Brutal Legend (PS3)

86. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

87. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (PS3)

88. Assassins Creed II (PS3)

89. Heavy Rain (PS3)

90. God Of War Saga (PS3)

91. Just Cause 2 (PS3)

92. Red Dead Redemption (PS3)

93. Fallout: New Vegas (PS3)

94. LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)

95. Dead Space 2 (PS3)

96. Killzone 3 (PS3)

97. Mortal Kombat (PS3)

98. Portal 2 (PS3)

99. L.A. Noire (PS3)

100. inFamous 2 (PS3)

101. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3)

102. Resistance 3 (PS3)

103. Batman: Arkham City (PS3)

104. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)

105. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (PS3)

106. Elder Scrolls V: Skrym (PS3)

107. Saints Row The Third (PS3)

108. Mass Effect Trilogy (PS3)

109. Borderlands 2 (PS3)

110. Hitman: Absolution (PS3)

111. Far Cry 3 (PS3)

112. Playstation All Stars Battle Royale (PS3)

113. Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch (PS3)

114. Dead Space 3 (PS3)

115. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3)

116. Tomb Raider (PS3)

117. Bioshock: Infinite (PS3)

118. The Last Of Us (PS3)

119. Splinter Cell: Blacklist (PS3)

120. Grand Theft Auto V (PS3)

121. South Park: The Stick Of Truth (PS3)

122. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag (PS4)

123. Killzone: Shadow Fall (PS4)

124. Infamous: Second Son (PS4)

125. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4)

126. Middle-Earth: Shadow Of Mordor (PS4)

127. Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4)

128. Far Cry 4 (PS4)

129. Dying Light (PS4)

130. The Order 1886 (PS4)

131. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PS4)

132. Mortal Kombat X (PS4)

133. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4)

134. Fallout 4 (PS4)

135. Star Wars: Battlefront (PS4)

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Quote Of The Day

"Just because they have money saved up, doesn't mean they'll poop out, well, poop."

-shmuga9

Quotes Archive

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Today In Music (April 29th)

The Devil You Know by Heaven And Hell released on April 29th, 2009.   Also released on this day:

• D Fun Pack [EP] by Tenacious D (2002)

• "Unchained" [single] by Van Halen (1981)

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PS: Be sure to check back tomorrow, for a surprise that I know you will all enjoy...