Greatest Video Game Draft 2011 (1 Viewer)

[jwb]

Arcade Rankings – Introduction:

I was 12 years old in 1978. So I was right there at the start of video games, and watched as the arcade became a part of our culture. We were all astounded when we saw that first space invaders machine, and our teenage years were dominated by the arcade. It was pure magic.

Another interesting fact was, you kind of had to go to the arcade to play good games. Yea, the Atari 2600 and its competitors were out, but the difference was staggering. It wasn’t until the NES came out that a home system could even remotely compete with the arcade.

That was the beginning of the end. Developers started looking to the home systems first, arcades second, and as such, the arcades started dying. But those 1978-1984 years were really, really special. It will never be repeated, and I’m happy I got to live it.

Sooo, my list is a bit weighted towards the Old School titles. Maybe there are some surprises / disappointments, but this is how this older gamer sees them.

 

[jwb]

Arcade Rankings - the Bottom 5 (because hey, somebody has to finish last)

1 point

Crazy Taxi

Tapper

Let’s prepare the kids of tomorrow for work by making somewhat silly games out of soul-crushing jobs!! I hear Sewer Man’s Folly was just greenlighted.

2 points

Area 51

Smash TV

Nothing special here. Sorry.

3 points

Arkanoid – Too close to Breakout to really garner much interest.

Rampage – Was cool for five minutes. Then we realized just how boring playing King Kong really was.

4 points

Golden Tee Fore! – Kind of a victim of timeframe. This is too recent to unseat any of the classic stuff above it. It’s special and memorable because… why? I can’t answer that.

Daytona USA – I really wanted to rank this higher (is it REALLY the highest grossing game?) But in looking at what’s above it, considering the history of games, etc, innovation, etc, I can’t find a home for it anywhere but here in 4 point land.

5 points

Gyruss – Neat concept. Just never really caught on. But I’ll give it some love for the effort.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 –The problem here is, this really doesn’t break any real ground in fighting games, etc. It’s a fine game, but almost everything above it is a household name based just on its arcade release. But still, it's the best of the bottom.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

5 points

Gyruss – Neat concept. Just never really caught on. But I’ll give it some love for the effort.

About right.

 

[jwb]

Arcade Rankings - The Middle Five (now we're getting better)

Note: these are all fine games, and each one is probably somebody's favorite. This is where the rankings started to get hard.

6 points

Frogger – George Costanza's favorite game is a little silly. Ok, so are many games, but it's tough to be cool and play Frogger. Is the kind of game you played when your other favorite games weren't open.

Joust – It's ok. Yet the machine always seemed empty. Having to keep the wings flapping was annoying, which is likely why it’s just not as popular as it could have been. Still, one of the better, more original PvP games.

7 points

Dig Dug – I wanted to rank this higher, but where?

Tempest – I LOVED this game. Great concept, too. Another one I wish I could rank higher.

8 points

Asteroids – A simple concept, but a very popular game. It's nearly as “legendary” as space invaders, but it's just not as good.

Dragon's Lair – Gets decent points because of how original it was, and the crowds it drew. One of the only games that was just as much fun to watch as it was to play. However, the longevity just wasn't there, which dings it a little.

9 points

Centipede – There are two games you'll still find plenty of today. One is Galaga, the other is Centipede.

Spy Hunter – Who didn't LOVE using the oil slick?

10 points

Donkey Kong – The birth of Mario can't rank any lower. Clever game, too.

Star Wars – It was 50 cents in most arcades, and the giant cabinet made it a bit unwelcome to spectators. Still, it was tons of fun. One of the first cabinet games.

I'll wait a bit before posting the top 6 games.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

10 points

Star Wars – It was 50 cents in most arcades, and the giant cabinet made it a bit unwelcome to spectators. Still, it was tons of fun. One of the first cabinet games.

Again, can't argue here.

 

[tommy300]

jwb, I know it got moved out of arcade, but what would Gauntlet have been worth in your opinion?

 

[BlueDredSo]

Platform - Rachet and Clank:Going Commando.

Don't know were Twisted Metal would fit, but the 1st 2 and BLACK (PS2) were bad ###.

In fact I would probably have SweetTooth as my Villain. Dude is creepy and plays the hero at the end killing the real bad guy himself (Calypso the founder of the twisted metal arena.)

Sweet tooth (Black) Story -

Twisted Metal was really high on my list, but didn't have room for it anywhere and thought Star Fox was the better flex play.

 

[AcerFC]

9 points

Centipede – There are two games you'll still find plenty of today. One is Galaga, the other is Centipede.

Spy Hunter – Who didn't LOVE using the oil slick?

Not that I would since I have judged and it is a PITA, but I cant complain about these twoPollards, I have been looking for that game you talked about for PS3. Can you send me the name or link for it

 

[charvik]

I'll wait for rikishi before posting my #1 for Sports and for racing...

I guess the main reason for people not drafting either of these two is because the sports are fringe sports in the US, but Football Manager (former Championship Manager) from Sports Interactive has to be the best/biggest sports franchise around, not to mention a GREAT game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Manager I can highly recommend this game when it comes to Sports Management, and even the now defunct franchise expansion East Side Hockey Manager 2007. FM has a HUGE following world wide, and has ongoing community efforts to do database updates, scouting (well over 50k scouts), graphics etc etc...For racing, the Geoff Crammond masterpiece, and also his last game ever, Grand Prix 4 is touted as the best racing engine ever created from racing physics perspective (even though it's from 2002) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_4 . The same is true for this game, there's a huge community constantly updating the game, rules, graphics and everything around it...

I guess F1 Racing and Soccer is too small here (in the US) to be considered, but these two are two marquee franchises in their respective genres.

 

[BlueDredSo]

Meh. I knew Arkanoid wasn't a great pick. That's alright, since I should get some serz pts. for Space Invaders, which was mentioned twice already by the judge.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Meh. I knew Arkanoid wasn't a great pick. That's alright, since I should get some serz pts. for Space Invaders, which was mentioned twice already by the judge.

Big fan of Arkanoid.

 

[biggamer3]

Wow Crazy taxi got me one point

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Wow Crazy taxi got me one point

It was a better Dreamcast game than arcade game.

 

[biggamer3]

Wow Crazy taxi got me one point

It was a better Dreamcast game than arcade game.

damn, your probably right. I never played the arcade game, lol. When i did a wiki search for my fav Dreamcast game (other then Shenmue) i saw it was an arcade game first and i needed a second arcade game. Thought it had to be fun since the Dreamcast version was a blast

 

[Dan Arkanoid]

Meh. I knew Arkanoid wasn't a great pick. That's alright, since I should get some serz pts. for Space Invaders, which was mentioned twice already by the judge.

Big fan of Arkanoid.

Big fan here. You should try Arkanoid's new souped up cousin,
.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Meh. I knew Arkanoid wasn't a great pick. That's alright, since I should get some serz pts. for Space Invaders, which was mentioned twice already by the judge.

Big fan of Arkanoid.

Big fan here. You should try Arkanoid's new souped up cousin,

Whoa.

 

[jwb]

jwb, I know it got moved out of arcade, but what would Gauntlet have been worth in your opinion?

Probably somewhere in the 9-11 point range. It was a really good game.

 

[SlaX]

Meh. I knew Arkanoid wasn't a great pick. That's alright, since I should get some serz pts. for Space Invaders, which was mentioned twice already by the judge.

Big fan of Arkanoid.

Big fan here. You should try Arkanoid's new souped up cousin,

I have this game on Steam. Good game.

 

[jwb]

Arcade Games - the top of the heap.

11 points

NBA Jam TE – I was going to rank this one lower, until I realized it gave birth to the “arcade” type sports game of exaggerated moves, etc (which is still going strong today). It was also really fun. That combination makes it a winner.

Ms. Pac Man – Ok, somehow they took Pac Man, and made it better (but pac man beats it by being first). Plus, it kinda said to the girls “hey, you’re welcome in the arcade too, you know”

12 points

Defender – silky smooth gameplay, and awesome lasers. If you were good at videogames, you were still a nerd. But if you were good at defender, you were freaken’ cool.

Space Invaders – Unless you were there, you have no idea what a game-changer this was.

13 points

Pac Man – No surprise here. Nor should there be. Simple, yet brilliant.

Galaga – In my opinion, it’s simply the greatest arcade game of all time, and holds up quite well today. I play probably once a year, and can still reach level 15 or so.

 

[SlaX]

Arcade Games - the top of the heap.

13 points

Pac Man – No surprise here. Nor should there be. Simple, yet brilliant.

Galaga – In my opinion, it’s simply the greatest arcade game of all time, and holds up quite well today. I play probably once a year, and can still reach level 15 or so.

This is the combo that they have in my local Chuck E Cheese, (well, actually, it's Ms Pacman, not Pacman). It's the only old-school arcade game(s) in the building, so I always play it when I take my daughter. They still stand up today as they did 30 years go.

 

[Yo Mama]

Nice rankings jwb,

Where would Robotron have landed (almost swapped it with Tempest)?

Also, where would you have ranked Tron (was a toss up between this and Robotron)?

I'll hang up and listen.

 

[jwb]

Arcade Final Rankings:

Pac Man - 13

Galaga - 13

Space Invaders - 12

Defender - 12

Ms. Pac Man - 11

NBA Jam TE - 11

Star Wars - 10

Donkey Kong - 10

Centipede - 9

Spy Hunter - 9

Dragon's Lair - 8

Asteroids - 8

Dig Dug - 7

Tempest - 7

Frogger - 6

Joust - 6

Gyruss - 5

Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - 5

Golden Tee Fore! - 4

Daytona USA - 4

Arkanoid - 3

Rampage - 3

Area 51 - 2

Smash TV - 2

Crazy Taxi - 1

Tapper - 1

 

[jwb]

Nice rankings jwb,

Where would Robotron have landed (almost swapped it with Tempest)?

Also, where would you have ranked Tron (was a toss up between this and Robotron)?

I'll hang up and listen.

Robotron, right about the same spot as Tempest - maybe a biiit lower. It wasn't quite as good. Tron would have hit near the top of the list: 9-11 points or so. Tron was a lot of fun.

The 12's and 13's are givens - nothing would have unseated them. Those are the top 4 arcade games of all time, by a mile. The group under it could have changed if things like Gauntlet and Tron were in the mix. Missle Command would have snuck in there as well.

 

[TheChairman]

Where would you rank Zaxxon?

 

[biggamer3]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Where would you rank Zaxxon?

That game was neater in concept than it was in playability.

 

[Bogart]

Arcade Games - the top of the heap.

13 points

Pac Man – No surprise here. Nor should there be. Simple, yet brilliant.

Galaga – In my opinion, it’s simply the greatest arcade game of all time, and holds up quite well today. I play probably once a year, and can still reach level 15 or so.

Right before I was married, I had a chance to buy a Table Top Galaga/Ms Pac Man machine in mint condition. I balked at the last minute, and while it was the right choice at the time. I can only imagine that I would have gotten plenty of use out of it. It would be a great conversation piece still to this day.The three machines I ever seriously thought about owning:

The Table Top Galaga/Ms Pac Man

The Full Cabinet Star Wars game (with the full cabinet Spy Hunter getting a ton of consideration)

The USA vs USSR Bubble Top Hockey game (my elusive Crown Jewel and would have been in my Arcade selections if I had drafted)

 

[BlueDredSo]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

For what, Tapper? We already know it's only worth 1 pt. We'd basically be trading you something that may be worth more than 1 pt. for a guaranteed 1 pt. game. Just sayinNot that I'm overly concerned with these rankings anyway. I love my team regardless

 

[jwb]

Where would you rank Zaxxon?

That game was neater in concept than it was in playability.

Yea, it wouldn't have ranked all that well. Nothing really memorable there.

 

[jwb]

RPG and Story rankings will take a bit longer - hopefully by week's end. While I have at least played most of the games on both lists to some degree (and finsihed a good many of them, too), I want to do a little research as well.

If anyone wants to post (or repost) a writeup for any of them, feel free.

 

[biggamer3]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

For what, Tapper? We already know it's only worth 1 pt. We'd basically be trading you something that may be worth more than 1 pt. for a guaranteed 1 pt. game. Just sayinNot that I'm overly concerned with these rankings anyway. I love my team regardless

shhhhhdont devalue my assets, just common protocol really when it comes to trades in any league.So whats your best offer for Crazy Taxi? I really wont trade it unless blown away

 

[pollardsvision]

9 points

Centipede – There are two games you'll still find plenty of today. One is Galaga, the other is Centipede.

Spy Hunter – Who didn't LOVE using the oil slick?

Not that I would since I have judged and it is a PITA, but I cant complain about these twoPollards, I have been looking for that game you talked about for PS3. Can you send me the name or link for it

It's called "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection"I got it used at Gamestop (only one copy b/w our 2 stores): http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDet...roduct_id=72743

Best Buy also has, but it seems to backordered, online at least: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sonic%27s+Ulti...p;lp=1&cp=1

Wal-Mart has it online: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sonic-s-Ultimate...S3-PS3/10660527

Target's got it: http://www.target.com/Sonics-Ultimate-Gene...mp;frombrowse=0

 

[pollardsvision]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

I'll give you 3 Newports and Yao Ming's Expiring Contract for it.

 

[AcerFC]

Thanks Pollards

ETA: Sorry for the snub last night. Only had one or two left in me

 

[biggamer3]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

I'll give you 3 Newports and Yao Ming's Expiring Contract for it.

What about Greg Oden also being thrown in?

 

[pollardsvision]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

I'll give you 3 Newports and Yao Ming's Expiring Contract for it.

What about Greg Oden also being thrown in?

Nah, we've already paid for 2 microfracture surgeries. Hate to miss out when he becomes a star.

 

[biggamer3]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

I'll give you 3 Newports and Yao Ming's Expiring Contract for it.

What about Greg Oden also being thrown in?

Nah, we've already paid for 2 microfracture surgeries. Hate to miss out when he becomes a star.

so sad, i actually feel bad for a multimillionaire

 

[BlueDredSo]

I'm in there trading mood, anyone want crazy taxi

I'll give you 3 Newports and Yao Ming's Expiring Contract for it.

What about Greg Oden also being thrown in?

I'd be sticking with Crazy Taxi. :(

 

[Insein]

So are we done with adjusting categories? Everyone likes where their picks are at? If so then Madshot, when you get a chance, can you update the final lists. I should have the puzzle write up later on today.

 

[SlaX]

So are we done with adjusting categories? Everyone likes where their picks are at? If so then Madshot, when you get a chance, can you update the final lists. I should have the puzzle write up later on today.

Mine are locked in.

 

[SlaX]

Question for jwb. I think it was placed in the flex column, but where would you have ranked Dance Dance Revolution in terms of arcade category? I'm not a fan of the game, but it did bring a new generation back into arcades.

 

[jwb]

Question for jwb. I think it was placed in the flex column, but where would you have ranked Dance Dance Revolution in terms of arcade category? I'm not a fan of the game, but it did bring a new generation back into arcades.

Middle of the pack somewhere. Isn't a bad game, and does break some ground, so it has merit.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I'll wait for rikishi before posting my #1 for Sports and for racing...

I guess the main reason for people not drafting either of these two is because the sports are fringe sports in the US, but Football Manager (former Championship Manager) from Sports Interactive has to be the best/biggest sports franchise around, not to mention a GREAT game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Manager I can highly recommend this game when it comes to Sports Management, and even the now defunct franchise expansion East Side Hockey Manager 2007. FM has a HUGE following world wide, and has ongoing community efforts to do database updates, scouting (well over 50k scouts), graphics etc etc...For racing, the Geoff Crammond masterpiece, and also his last game ever, Grand Prix 4 is touted as the best racing engine ever created from racing physics perspective (even though it's from 2002) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_4 . The same is true for this game, there's a huge community constantly updating the game, rules, graphics and everything around it...

I guess F1 Racing and Soccer is too small here (in the US) to be considered, but these two are two marquee franchises in their respective genres.

Sports judge is a big soccer fan. I've been meaning to get into Football Manager for awhile; I know Z Machine is a frequent player.

 

[Adebisi]

Looking forward to reading the judges' rankings. Hurry this along, fellas.

 

[Sea Ropes]

There were a flurry of great picks in Round 24.

I'll do the rankings tonight.

 

[biggamer3]

we still need judges for Hacknslash and Racing

 

[Sea Ropes]

Fighter Rankings

1. Super Street Fighter IV - Xbox 360 - I'm playing the PS3 version right now. Huge cast of characters. Bonus stages. A less cheap Seth. It's the Street Fighter to end all Street Fighters, although I still enjoy Alpha 3.

2. SoulCalibur - Dreamcast (4.01) ) - I remember playing the original SoulEdge at the arcade and using the nunchucks guy to knock the CPU off the raft. When the Dreamcast version came out, I tried the same spinning nunchuck move against my dorm-mates; it didn't work. The weapon added a fresh element to a formulaic genre.

3. Mortal Kombat II - SNES (3.05) - Damn, I loved MK2. The Friendships still crack me up. I played the hell out of my copy.

4. Street Fighter II - Arcade (2.07) - The game that spawned a gazillion clones. My first experience was with Blanka at the mall arcade. I fought some dude who used Chun-Li. He knew all her moves, and I could only electrocute and bite her face, but I still won.

5. King Of Fighters '95 - Arcade (18.03) - I remember playing this on a little Neo-Geo machine (sitting on a mini stool) in a Asian shopping center. Not much originality here, but I liked the flashy moves and slick graphics.

6. Killer Instinct - Arcade (26.10) - Very cool game with ridiculous combos and groundbreaking graphics. I first saw this game at a theme park. Tons of nerds were crowded around it and one guy busted out a 15 hit combo with the wolf.

7. Dead or Alive 2 - Dreamcast (16.12) - This one had more of the breast physics right? I don't think I ever played the male characters. God bless that Japanese foreign exchange student for bringing his DC with him to school.

8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl - Wii (11.10) - Sorry, but tried to like this game/series. I played the single player campaign and found it somewhat more entertaining than the multi-player brawl.

9. Tekken 3 - PS1 (7.06) - I never really got into the Tekken fighting system. I was so used to the SFII joystick movements that the Tekken button combos felt unnatural to me. Plus, there was almost no jumping.

10. Mike Tyson Punch-Out - NES (3.01) - I could never beat Super Macho Man. Oh, how he would taunt me with his nipples. The *******.

But I'm not sure this really qualifies as a fighting game. It would have ranked waaay higher in another category.

11. Virtua Fighter - Arcade (10.06) - Man, this one brings back memories. The blocky 3D polygons, and I think the idea of "ring out" originated here.

12.Super Smash Brothers: Melee - Gamecube (10.02) - My buddy used to whoop my ### at this. Maybe that's why I dislike the game. But there are huge tourneys dedicated to this game and the N64 game.

13. Swashbuckler - Apple II (27.03) -

 

[Frostillicus]

Swashbuckler got hosed.

 

[charvik]

I'll wait for rikishi before posting my #1 for Sports and for racing...

I guess the main reason for people not drafting either of these two is because the sports are fringe sports in the US, but Football Manager (former Championship Manager) from Sports Interactive has to be the best/biggest sports franchise around, not to mention a GREAT game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_Manager I can highly recommend this game when it comes to Sports Management, and even the now defunct franchise expansion East Side Hockey Manager 2007. FM has a HUGE following world wide, and has ongoing community efforts to do database updates, scouting (well over 50k scouts), graphics etc etc...For racing, the Geoff Crammond masterpiece, and also his last game ever, Grand Prix 4 is touted as the best racing engine ever created from racing physics perspective (even though it's from 2002) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prix_4 . The same is true for this game, there's a huge community constantly updating the game, rules, graphics and everything around it...

I guess F1 Racing and Soccer is too small here (in the US) to be considered, but these two are two marquee franchises in their respective genres.

Sports judge is a big soccer fan. I've been meaning to get into Football Manager for awhile; I know Z Machine is a frequent player.

you should... there's really nothing like it... It's the only franchise I always buy when there's a new version out. Oh, and don't bother with the xbox version, or any of the ports. It was made for PC and should be played on PC.The main thing with the franchise is that it's really easy to learn how to do decent and get into the game, but it's incredibly hard to master it. There are tons and tons of tactic discussions online as well...

 

[jwb]

Fighter Rankings

1. Super Street Fighter IV - Xbox 360 - I'm playing the PS3 version right now. Huge cast of characters. Bonus stages. A less cheap Seth. It's the Street Fighter to end all Street Fighters, although I still enjoy Alpha 3.

.

.

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13. Swashbuckler - Apple II (27.03) -

Nice. Proving that in videogames, sometimes being first isn't always best edit: not a fighting game fan, but agree w/ you on super street fighter. Great game