LoC #81 - Top 50 Video Games of the Oughts

[Pak-Man]

OK. Enough ado! Let's get it on!

Top 50 Video Games of the '00s

Here's the ol' Cut n' Paste!

Participants were asked to send a list of their 25 Favorite video games from January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2009. 11 ballots were received with 200 unique entries, and those were ranked on a point system allowing 25 points for a #1 choice, 24 for a #2, and all the way down to 1 point for #25. The points were added up, and what follows are the selections.

Tiebreakers work like such: If two games have equal pointage, the game that appeared on the most lists ranks higher. If those games appeared on the same amount of lists, then the game ranked higher on the individual list got the higher spot. A game that was someone's #4 beats another person's #6, for example. If there was still a tie, then the one with more top votes got the bump (2 #3 votes beat out 1 #3 vote). And then if the game was still tied, alphabetical order reigned supreme. Since there was a tie at the bottom of the list, the top 51 choices were represented.

Incidentally, this has been done twice before!
If you would like to stroll down memory lane, you can see the top games of the ‘80s (And before!) here: http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php?topic=22337
And the Top games of the ‘90s here:
http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php?topic=27562

Without further ado, enjoy the top 50 games of the ‘00s!

[Pak-Man]

#51 –World of Warcraft

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – Compound

The drums of war thunder once again.

Release Date:  November 23, 2004
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. World of Warcraft takes place within the Warcraft world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous Warcraft release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft on September 2, 2001. The game was released on November 23, 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise.
 
With almost seven million subscribers as of August 2014, World of Warcraft is currently the world's most-subscribed MMORPG, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG by subscribers. Having grossed over 10 billion dollars USD as of July 2012, it is also the highest grossing video game of all time. In January 2014 it was announced that more than 100 million accounts had been created over the game's lifetime.

Much of World of Warcraft play involves the completion of quests. These quests, also called "tasks" or "missions", are usually available from NPCs. Quests usually reward the player with some combination of experience points, items, and in-game money. Quests allow characters to gain access to new skills and abilities, and explore new areas. It is through quests that much of the game's story is told, both through the quest's text and through scripted NPC actions. Quests are linked by a common theme, with each consecutive quest triggered by the completion of the previous, forming a quest chain. Quests commonly involve killing a number of creatures, gathering a certain number of resources, finding a difficult to locate object, speaking to various NPCs, visiting specific locations, interacting with objects in the world, or delivering an item from one place to another.

 Pak's Thoughts – While I’ve been to Azeroth to fight the occasional Real-Time Strategy war, I’ve never dipped my toes into the MMORPG.  It seems like fun, with the raiding and the questing for epic loot and all that, but unless the other players are sitting on a couch with me, I’m not big on multiplayer gaming. Whenever I DO play an MMORPG, I just end up playing it like a single-player game, which is missing the point of the first three letters in the acronym.

[Pak-Man]

#50 –The Simpsons: Hit and Run

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – ColeStratton

If only kids would play more video games about sharing.

Release Date:  September 16, 2003
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
The Simpsons: Hit & Run is an action-adventure video game based on the animated sitcom The Simpsons. It was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Microsoft Windows in North America on September 16, 2003, in Europe on October 31, 2003 and in Japan on December 25, 2003. The story and dialogue were crafted by writers from The Simpsons, with all character voices supplied by the actual cast.
 
The game follows the Simpson family and the citizens of Springfield, who witness many strange incidents that occur in Springfield. When several of the citizens take matters into their own hands, they discover that two aliens Kang and Kodos are filming a reality television series about the populace. To make the show more interesting, the aliens release a new version of the popular soft drink Buzz Cola into Springfield's water supply—however, this particular version causes insanity. With help from Professor Frink, Homer is able to destroy the aliens' spaceship, and Springfield and its inhabitants are returned to normal.
 
The game received generally favorable reviews from video game critics. Praise focused on the interpretation of the Simpsons television series as a video game and its parodical take on Grand Theft Auto III, while criticism mostly surrounded some aspects of gameplay. The game received the award for Fave Video Game at the 2004 Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards. As of June 2007, over three million copies of the game had been sold.

 Pak's Thoughts – The Simpsons’ trademark humor mixes well with sandbox style gaming. I rented this one weekend and thought it had a lot of potential, but it never made it onto my video game shelf, so I never got too far into it to see if it holds up.

[Pak-Man]

#49 –Resident Evil: Code Veronica

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – Tyrant

Let's just say I am just a ghost to haunt your dear brother. 

Release Date:  February 3, 2000
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
Resident Evil Code: Veronica is a 2000 survival horror video game, originally released for the Dreamcast. It was the first Resident Evil title to debut on a non-Sony platform, in contrast to the first three installments, which were originally PlayStation games and then ported to other platforms.
 
The story focuses on Claire Redfield and Steve Burnside during a T-virus outbreak on an island and are confronted by the Ashford family members. Besides controlling Claire and Steve, the player also has control over Chris Redfield, Claire's brother who tries to save his sister. The game retains the survival horror elements from previous installments in the series such as the use of puzzles and guns. The traditional pre-rendered backgrounds have been replaced with 3D backgrounds.

Code: Veronica is the first Resident Evil game in the main series to use 3D backgrounds instead of the traditional pre-rendered ones. Despite this, the camera does not follow the player around, but swings between semi-fixed angles and the skyboxes are pre-rendered. However, two weapons in the game can be fired from the character's point of view (the Sniper Rifle and the Linear Launcher) First person view mode is also available in the game's unlockable Battle Game minigame.
 
Gameplay remained largely unchanged from Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (which was developed in tandem with Code: Veronica); features such as explosive oil drums and a 180-degree turn having been carried over to this game, though the dodge feature was removed. Items from Resident Evil 2, such as upgradeable handgun parts and "side packs" to increase carrying capacity are included, as well as new weapons such as crossbow arrows mixed with gunpowder and anti-B.O.W. rounds for the grenade launcher. A feature of Code: Veronica is the inclusion of various dual-wielding pistols, allowing the player to target two enemies at the same time. Some of the more subtle improvements include the addition of continues, allowing the player to retry a scene after a game over, and the ability to pick up and use a healing herb when the character's inventory is full.
 
Code: Veronica features two protagonists, Claire Redfield and her brother Chris. In Code: Veronica the player controls Claire for the first half of the game and Chris for the second half. All of Claire's weapons and items in the item box are available for Chris to pick up in his half of the game. In addition, a third character, Steve Burnside, is briefly playable during the game's first half and Claire herself is playable during a short portion of Chris' scenario.

 Pak's Thoughts – This was the first Resident Evil game I ever sunk any time into. The combination of my first decent-paying job, my Dreamcast ownership, and the fact that my then-girlfriend (now-wife) was/is pretty crazy about the series prompted me to give this one the old college try. Being an adventure gamer, I love the puzzles, but the “Survival” part of survival horror has never been my strong suit. I tend to unload about half of my ammunition into the scenery, and every shot that actually lands tends to hit the worst part of the zombie possible. Still, this game delivers on the heebie-jeebies.

[Pak-Man]

#48 –New Super Mario Bros.

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – Sugar Ray Dodge

Here I go! 

Release Date:  May 15, 2006
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
New Super Mario Bros. is a 2006 side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. The game was released in North America and Japan in May 2006 and in Australia and Europe in June 2006. It was the first original side-scrolling platform game starring Mario since Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins in 1992, and the first game to be a part of the main Super Mario series of video games since Super Mario Sunshine in 2002.
 
The game's plot is similar to those of other side-scrolling Mario games. New Super Mario Bros. follows Mario as he fights his way through Bowser's henchmen to rescue Princess Peach. Mario has access to several power-ups that help him complete his quest, including the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, and the Starman, each giving him unique abilities. While traveling through eight worlds with a total of 80 levels, Mario must defeat Bowser Jr. and Bowser before finally saving Princess Peach.

Hidden throughout each of the levels are three Star Coins. By collecting these Star Coins, Mario is able to purchase access to Toad Houses to gain items or lives. Mario can also use these Star Coins to unlock special backgrounds and paths on the World Map. Players will also come across Star Coin Signs. Paying the number of Star Coins shown on these signs will open new paths that in turn allow you to save your game.
 
There are six power-ups available in New Super Mario Bros. Three power-ups from Super Mario Bros. return: the Super Mushroom makes Mario grow in size, the Fire Flower lets Mario throw fireballs, and the Starman makes Mario invincible temporarily. The Starman also gives him a boost of speed and more jump height, a first for the game. Three more power-ups are introduced in New Super Mario Bros.:  the Blue Koopa Shell lets Mario withdraw into a shell to protect himself, run and then withdraw into the shell to attack enemies, and swim faster,  the Mega Mushroom grows Mario to an incredible size for a short time (the amount of damage inflicted as Mega-Mario corresponds to extra lives received after returning to normal size). The Mega Mushroom provides complete invincibility, and is capable of destroying many enemies (excluding boss enemies) with one hit. It even grants Mario the power to kick down the flagpole at the end of any given level, and the Mini-Mushroom makes Mario very small and able to run across water. He can also jump higher and enter small pipes.

Pak's Thoughts – Man, it felt good to be playing Mario in 2D again. Those Star Coins are an awesome addition to the game, and also the reason I still haven’t played all the way through. I’ve played through many Mario games and have all the skills it takes to beat this one, but there’s always a coin hiding somewhere that I haven’t found, and I feel compelled to find them all before moving on. This drives me to explore every inch of every level to find every secret, which has always been one of the most fun aspects of Mario games, but it also exhausts me and I can only play a few levels at a time before getting burned out .

[Pak-Man]

#47 –Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – PsychoGoatee

War has changed. 

Release Date:  June 12, 2008
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is an action-adventure stealth video game developed by Kojima Productions exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console. It was the sixth Metal Gear game directed by Hideo Kojima and is set nine years after the events of Metal Gear Solid and five years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Guns of the Patriots made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008.
 
Guns of the Patriots received widespread critical acclaim, garnering perfect reviews and Game of the Year awards from several major gaming publications, including GameSpot, which claimed that the game is "technically flawless". The game has been a financial success, selling 6 million copies worldwide. The game is a direct sequel to Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, and concludes the story of both the Patriots and Solid Snake.

In MGS4, players assume the role of an aged Solid Snake (colloquially referred to as Old Snake), using stealth, close quarters combat, and traditional Metal Gear combat. The overhead third-person camera of earlier games has been replaced by a streamlined view and over-the-shoulder camera for aiming a weapon, with an optional first-person view at the toggle of a button.

Metal Gear Solid 4 started development due to fan demand. Series creator Hideo Kojima had previously directed the prequel Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater which was meant to end the series. However, people's demand to have a sequel to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and clear the mysteries Kojima wanted to leave to the players' interpretations resulted in the making of Metal Gear Solid 4. Kojima announced that he would be retiring as director of the Metal Gear series after Snake Eater, and would leave his position open to another person for Metal Gear Solid 4. As a joke, the new director was announced as "Alan Smithee", but in R, a 400-page book bundled with Metal Gear Solid 3's Japanese "Premium Package", the director was revealed to be Shuyo Murata, co-writer of MGS3 and director of Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner. He also contributed easter eggs to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and Metal Gear: Ghost Babel. However, it was announced that Kojima would be co-directing the game with Murata after substantial negative fan reaction, including death threats.

 Pak's Thoughts – I’m sure these games deserve every bit of the praise that they get, but I just don’t do stealth games. It’s too easy to make a wrong move and ruin everything. I know that’s supposed to be what makes it so much fun, but it’s just tedious and stressful to me.

[Pak-Man]

#46 –The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – lassieface

You don't have to look so sad! We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual twilight really all that bad?

Release Date:  November 19, 2006
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series. The Wii version was also released alongside the Wii console on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 in Japan, Europe, and Australia. This made Twilight Princess the first Zelda game released at the launch of a Nintendo console. The GameCube version was released in December 2006, and was the last Nintendo-published game for the console, as well as the final official GameCube game released in Asia.
 
The story focuses on series protagonist Link, who tries to prevent Hyrule from being engulfed by a corrupted parallel dimension known as the Twilight Realm. To do so, he takes the forms of both a Hylian and a wolf, and is assisted by a mysterious creature named Midna. The game takes place approximately 100 years after Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, in an alternate timeline from The Wind Waker.
 
Twilight Princess is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series to receive a T (Teen) rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which cited fantasy violence and animated blood as reasons for the more mature rating. At the time of its release, Twilight Princess was considered to be the greatest Zelda game ever made by many critics, including writers for 1UP.com, CVG, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Game Informer, GamesRadar, IGN and The Washington Post.

 Pak's Thoughts – What a great way to kick off the Wii. I never quite completed Twilight Princess, but I intend to. I say that a lot in these write-ups. I suppose someday, I’ll be a retired old man, and I’ll be able to just sit back and play all the games I never had time for. A lot of people have that dream with books, but for me it’s always been video games.


That's all for today. I'll be back with another bundle of list tomorrow!

[Relaxing Dragon]

Solid start. Somehow I never got around to playing Twilight Princess, something I probably should change (of course, I never got more than an hour or more into Wind Waker, so maybe it's just me).

And then there's WoW, a game I almost lost friends to back in high school (in the sense of "Want to do something tonight?" "Can't, got a raid", with me being the one who wanted to do something).

Meanwhile, I just remembered a game that would've been in my Top 10, had I not completely spaced on it. Hopefully it shows up.

[Quantum Vagina]

Wooo! Looking forward to this!

[Johnny Unusual]

Yeah, it's gonna be fun on a bun.  Never been interested in getting into WoW.  If it is anything like DOTA 2, I don't think it's my kind of thing.

[Quantum Vagina]

Yeah, it's gonna be fun on a bun.  Never been interested in getting into WoW.  If it is anything like DOTA 2, I don't think it's my kind of thing.

WoW is NOTHING like DotA 2. I don't think they're great, but they're entirely different types of games.

[Pak-Man]

#45 –The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

(23 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #3 – Relaxing Dragon

I... I shall consume. Consume... consume everything...

Release Date:  April 27, 2000
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on April 27, 2000, North America on October 26, 2000, and Europe on November 17, 2000. The game sold approximately 314,000 copies during its first week in Japan, and has sold three million copies worldwide.
 
Majora's Mask is the sixth installment in The Legend of Zelda series and the second using 3D graphics, the first being The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the game's predecessor. Considered by critics to be "darker" among the Zelda games franchise, Majora's Mask is set in Termina, an alternate version of the usual series setting of Hyrule, where the Skull Kid has stolen Majora's Mask, a powerful ancient artifact. Under its influence, the Skull Kid causes the land's moon to slowly fall towards Termina, where it crashes after three days. The main protagonist Link repeatedly travels back in time to the beginning of the three days to find a way to stop the moon from destroying the world.
 
The gameplay is centered on the perpetually repeating three-day cycle and the use of various masks, some of which allow Link to transform into different beings. Link learns to play several melodies on his ocarina, which have a variety of effects like controlling the flow of time or opening passages to four temples, which house challenges Link must overcome. Unlike Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask requires the Expansion Pak, which provides additional memory for enhanced graphics and more on-screen characters. Majora's Mask was acclaimed by critics, who praised the graphics and complex story.

The gameplay of Majora's Mask expands on that of Ocarina of Time; it retains the concept of dungeon puzzles and ocarina songs, and introduces character transformations and the restriction of a three-day cycle. As in previous installments, Link can perform basic actions such as walking, running and limited jumping, and must use items to battle enemies and solve puzzles. Link's main weapon is the sword, which can be upgraded throughout the game. Other weapons and items are available—Link can block or reflect attacks with a shield, stun enemies by throwing Deku Nuts, attack from a distance with a bow and arrows, destroy obstacles and damage enemies with bombs. He can also latch onto objects or paralyze enemies with the Hookshot. Magic power allows attacks such as magical arrows or spin attacks, and the use of special items.

Pak's Thoughts – I have this sort of OCD hang-up where I don’t like to play direct sequels until I’ve conquered the first game.  This goes double for story-heavy titles like Zelda. So even though the story seems isolated from Ocarina of Time, I don’t want to dig into Majora’s Mask until I complete Ocarina. I’ll beat that water temple someday… Still, the concept behind this one seems fascinating, and I have one of those elusive Gamecube remakes sitting on my shelf. Maybe I should just dive in..

[Pak-Man]

#44 –Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

(23 Points) 2 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #5 – Sugar Ray Dodge

HI! I’M DAISY!

Release Date:  November 17, 2003
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is a racing game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003. The game is the fourth installment in the Mario Kart series, following Mario Kart: Super Circuit from 2001. It was succeeded by the handheld game Mario Kart DS, which was released for the Nintendo DS in 2005.
 
Similar to previous titles, Double Dash!! incorporates characters from the Mario series and pits them against each other as they race on different, Mario-themed tracks. The game introduced a number of new gameplay features, most notably the inclusion of two riders per kart. Double Dash!! supports LAN play using the Nintendo GameCube Broadband Adapter, allowing 16 players to compete simultaneously. There are 20 characters to select from in total, with eleven of them being new to the series. A special item for each character has also been implemented.
 
Double Dash!! is a kart racing video game in which the player races in a kart against other teams in different courses. The game screen indicates the current standings in a race, the current speed of the player's kart and incoming weapons. Like in the previous installments, players can pick up item boxes to receive a randomly selected item and use it to impede the opposition and gain the advantage. Some items, such as shells and bananas, allow the player to hit others to slow them down, while other items, such as the star power-up, render them temporarily invincible to attacks. This is the only game in the series in which instead of one character per kart, there are two: one to drive, and one to use items; and is also the first in the series where players drop their items when hit by a weapon. The powerslide technique, an action that allows the player to drift around turns, has been improved; players can tilt the control stick while drifting to make sparks appear around their kart. If tilted enough, the sparks turn blue, and the player gains a speed boost known as a "mini-turbo". The rocket start technique, an action that allows the player to gain a speed boost when a race begins is also improved as the Double Dash!!, which can only be done as a team.

Players can choose from a cast of twenty playable drivers. All of the characters have their own special items which are unique to them, like Mario and Luigi with Fireballs, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong with Giant Bananas, Bowser and Bowser Jr. with Bowser Shells, Yoshi and Birdo with Eggs, Peach and Daisy with Hearts, Wario and Waluigi with Bob-ombs, Koopa and Paratroopa with Triple Shells, Toad and Toadette with Golden Mushrooms, and Baby Mario and Baby Luigi with Chain Chomps. Petey Piranha and King Boo have the unique ability to use any of the other characters' special items excluding Luigi's Green Fireball and Birdo's Pink Egg.[5] There are 21 karts in all and the character's weight class (light, middle, or heavy) determines the kart in which they can ride as well as their speed, acceleration, and weight attributes.
 
In addition to the playable drivers, other characters have supporting roles in this game as well. Lakitu reprises his role as the referee, helping racers in various situations such as announcing laps, giving the signal to drive with its traffic lights hanging on a fishing pole, and taking teams back on track in case they fall off course. Other supporting characters appearing in this game include Shy Guys, Goombas, Nokis, Toadsworth, Piantas, Chain Chomps, Piranha Plants and more. It should also be noted that this is the very first time that Toadette has appeared in the Mario franchise.

Pak's Thoughts – Mario Kart is one of those series where you just get it when it comes out. You know exactly what you’re getting with a Mario Kart game, and if you like it, you want more. No need for deliberation. I never quite understood why Nintendo ditched the 2-driver thing. I assumed that feature would be here to stay. It was all cosmetic, really, but I liked the chaotic look of having everyone hunched down in the same kart.

[Pak-Man]

#43 –WWF: No Mercy

(24 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #2 – Sugar Ray Dodge

Release Date:  November 17, 2000
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
WWF No Mercy is a professional wrestling video game released in 2000 on the Nintendo 64 console and published by THQ. It is named after the World Wrestling Federation annual pay-per-view event of the same name. No Mercy is the follow-up to 1999's WWF WrestleMania 2000, and the last WWF game released for the Nintendo 64. No Mercy was well received by players and critics alike.

Some of the features included in WrestleMania 2000 were removed from No Mercy. First, wrestlers' entrances were cut short to showing the wrestler only appear on the stage/entrance ramp, and players never see wrestlers actually enter the ring (despite early screen shots showing full ring entrances). For example, Triple H is shown spitting water at the crowd upon entering the ring. The belt options were also changed; rather than creating a belt from scratch, players now have to complete a story mode to win a title.
 
However, No Mercy features a much more extensive Create-a-Wrestler mode with more moves, more customizable body attributes, better-organized clothing options (No Mercy utilizes descriptive categories and titles for each clothing item, whereas WrestleMania 2000 simply numbers items), and the ability to create female wrestlers, which is nearly impossible in WrestleMania 2000. Each wrestler in the game has four different ring attires that could be independently edited, and each attire can be completely changed including name, height and weight, body parts, and music, technically allowing four different wrestlers per slot, although they must share a common moveset. Several of the game's unlockable wrestlers used this feature, such as Taka Michinoku who has his partner Funaki in two attire slots. The graphics also were improved significantly over the game's predecessor, and various match types made their Nintendo 64 debut in this game, including ladder matches and special referee matches. The game also marked the first time on the system in a WWF game that players could fight backstage and also the first time moves can be done on the announcer's table. Many parts of the backstage environment are usable, such as being able to hit the opponent with a pool stick and driving them through the pool table in the bar/lounge.
 
The Championship mode is more extensive, compared to WrestleMania's career/Road to Wrestlemania mode. Each WWF title features a unique story. For the WWF Championship, players can choose any wrestler to reenact the classic feud between Mankind and Triple H that dominated the WWF in early to mid-2000. Other angles include Stone Cold Steve Austin's feud and The Rock's temporary alliance with Vince McMahon. After winning a title, the player can replay the story mode and defend the newly acquired belt in a variety of new storylines. Also, unlike future wrestling games, players are allowed to fight for and defend any championship in the exhibition mode, a feature that was not included again until Smackdown Vs RAW 2006.
 
The story mode's depth is due in part to its branching storylines that develop based on the outcomes of the player's matches. In WrestleMania 2000, if the player lost a match in the career mode, the game only allowed the player to retry the match, rather than adjusting the storyline accordingly. No Mercy's story mode offers branching storylines based on the outcomes of matches. The player has to actually play through each story several times and lose matches in order to achieve a 100% completion rating.
 
Another notable feature that was added to the game is the "SmackDown! Mall." With money earned from winning matches in story mode and playing the Survival mode, players can purchase unlockable characters, clothing, wrestling moves, props, tattoos, weapons, and venues.

Pak's Thoughts – I’m not much of a wrestling fan, which means I don’t play a lot of wrestling games, but I always enjoy them when I try one out. I’ve never tried this one, so maybe Sugar Ray Dodge can fill in for nostalgic memories. :^)

[Pak-Man]

#42 –Metroid Prime

(24 Points) 1 of 11 Lists - Highest Ranking - #2 – Tyrant

In the vast universe, the history of humanity is but a flash of light from a lone star.

Release Date:  November 17, 2002
Just the facts/Stuff I wiki'd:
Metroid Prime is a video game developed by Retro Studios and Nintendo for the GameCube console. It was released in North America on November 17, 2002, and in Japan and Europe the following year. Metroid Prime is the fifth main installment and the first 3D game in the Metroid series. Because exploration takes precedence over combat, Nintendo classifies Metroid Prime as a first-person adventure rather than a first-person shooter.
 
Metroid Prime is the first of the three-part Prime storyline, which takes place between the original Metroid and Metroid II: Return of Samus. Like previous games in the series, Metroid Prime has a science fiction setting in which players control the bounty hunter Samus Aran. The story follows Samus as she battles the Space Pirates and their biological experiments on the planet Tallon IV.
 
The game was a collaboration between Retro's staff in Austin, Texas and Japanese Nintendo employees, including producer Shigeru Miyamoto, who suggested the project after visiting Retro's headquarters in 2000. Despite initial backlash against the game's first-person perspective, the game garnered universal acclaim and commercial success, selling more than a million units in North America alone. It won a number of Game of the Year awards, and it is considered by many critics and gamers to be one of the greatest video games ever made, remaining one of the highest-rated games on Metacritic

As in previous Metroid games, Metroid Prime takes place in a large, open-ended world in which regions are connected by elevators. Each region has a set of rooms separated by doors that can be opened with a shot from the correct beam. The gameplay involves solving puzzles to reveal secrets, platform jumping, and shooting foes with the help of a "lock-on" mechanism that allows circle strafing while staying aimed at the enemy. Metroid Prime is the first game in the Metroid series to use a first-person view instead of side-scrolling, except in Morph Ball mode, when Samus' suit transforms into an armored ball and the game uses a third-person camera.
 
The protagonist, Samus Aran, must travel through the world of Tallon IV searching for twelve Chozo Artifacts that will open the path to the Phazon meteor impact crater, while collecting power-ups that enable the player to reach previously inaccessible areas. The Varia Suit, for example, protects Samus' armor against dangerously high temperatures, allowing her to enter volcanic regions. Some of the items are obtained after boss and mini-boss fights, which are encountered in all regions except Magmoor Caverns. Items must be collected in a specific order so that the player may progress. For example, players cannot access certain areas until they find a certain Beam to open doors, or discover new ordnance with which to beat bosses. In common with previous games in the series, the player must return to areas already explored to retrieve items that were previously inaccessible.
 
The heads-up display, which simulates the inside of Samus' helmet, features a radar display, a map, ammunition for missiles, a health meter, a danger meter for negotiating hazardous landscape or materials, and a health bar and name display for bosses. The display can be altered by exchanging visors; one uses thermal imaging, another has x-ray vision, and another features a scanner that searches for enemy weaknesses and interfaces with mechanisms such as force fields and elevators. Metroid Prime introduces a hint system that provides the player with clues about ways to progress through the game.

Pak's Thoughts – Making Metroid into a first person shooter should have been a total disaster. I remember hearing all about it in the previews and being completely unable to comprehend how Metroid’s 2D platforming could possibly translate into 3D. Boy did they pull it off, though. It took an already-immersive franchise and cranked the immersion up to 11. This game and its sequels have also resulted in the most frustrating, controller-throwing frenzies since childhood.

Fun Fact! The last 3 items on this list have all been released on the same date in different years. Must be something magical about the 17th of November…