I’ve been keeping a running thread of video games I’ve beaten on Twitter this year, which has been a fun project and a highlight of 2020 for me personally. Being under lock and key during a pandemic, it seemed a good time to make some headway on my backlog, go back to some favorites just for fun, and to clear some space on the docket for some new games … which is now reality as Santa delivered the kids (and to a lesser extent Mom and Dad) a Switch for Christmas.
Woohoo!
Didn’t put it into a NY resolution exactly, but wanted to play a lot of different video games and beat them this year, especially since my collection of mini consoles continues to grow. This will be a thread of games I beat with some thoughts on each.
— David Gladow (@davegladow) March 28, 2020
Anyway, I took the liberty of ranking the games I’ve beaten this year and included them in a list below. What you won’t see is a whole bunch of other games I played/enjoyed this year that weren’t “defeated” per se. Puzzlers like Mean Bean Machine, Tetris, Chew Man Fu, and Bubble Bobble ate a ton of my time, but weren’t an easy out. I also dipped my toes in with games I just didn’t have time or motivation to finish (such as Super Return of the Jedi, Comix Zone and Zombies Ate My Neighbors) as well as some games previously defeated to continue the process of unlocking items (like New Super Mario Bros. Wii). Finally, there was stuff I played with my kids that I had no interest in beating … like SSX Tricky, Kirby Super Star or Eternal Champions. Honestly, there’s a lot I played this year that didn’t make this list. But I wanted to be fair and only evaluate a game in its “complete” form (or at least as close to that as possible).
So that all said, here’s my 2020 list, from worst to best, with a sentence review on each!
Give it a miss
63. 1943 Kai — This is the arcade version (found on the Capcom arcade classics compilation on PS2), and I found it to be dull and not my cup of tea at all.
62. Super Empire Strikes Back — The challenge from the first game is ramped up here, and that ain’t good.
61. Kirby’s Adventure — It’s a good starter game for the younger set, but it controls sluggishly and can become frustrating because of that.
60. Super Smash Bros. Brawl — I’d play the newer games in the series instead.
59. Tecmo Super Bowl III — Not worth the effort as it’s not as good as the NES original.
Tepid thumbs up
58. Super Star Soldier — It gets way too difficult in the final stages, though it’s super enjoyable up to that point.
57. Sonic & Knuckles — It’s a shorter Sonic experience if you’re looking for that sort of thing.
56. NCAA Football 2004 — It’s a good “vintage” of NCAA Football, which is important for people trying to get a college football fix.
55. Bionic Commando — This arcade version has bigger, brighter graphics and an easier difficulty to it.
54. Mega Man 4 — It’s a perfectly fine Mega Man experience.
53. Aldynes — I would have put this shooter higher if not for some late game frustrations.
52. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga — It’s a quality game that is about to become more obsolete (a new version of the game is coming out this spring).
51. Mario Kart Wii — Ditch the Wii controllers for GameCube controllers and it’s a blast.
50. Splatterhouse — It’s got historical significance and a unique style to it.
49. World of Illusion — This is an easy breezy two-player experience that ultimately delivers.
48. Star Fox — It’s ugly as sin and hasn’t aged well at all, and yet it’s a classic that built a franchise and probably should be experienced by most gamers at some point.
47. Ninja Spirit — I adored this game — a souped up, more enjoyable version of Ninja Gaiden — until the final stage, which is just comically annoying.
46. Double Dragon II: The Revenge — This NES port is a two-player brawler that certainly is showing its age.
45. Super Star Wars — The difficulty will discourage many, but it’s actually pretty solid, with or without the nostalgia.
44. Zelda II: The Adventure of Link — Beating this game is one of those “badge of honor” achievements, but it’s not a terribly broken thing either (as some would have you believe).
Endorsed without reservations
43. Sonic 3 & Knuckles — Playing these two Sonic sequels mashed together as one big game (the way it was originally intended) is a worthwhile experience.
42. Shinobi III — It’s quite a bit less frenetic than other ninja series, but that works to its advantage, resulting in more strategy.
41. Salamander — Spawned from the Gradius series, it’s a solid shooter with an interesting hook: it swaps from horizontal scrolling to vertical and back again.
40. Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire — As a “history lesson” game, this gorgeous shooter is important (how were they able to achieve all of this given the hardware limitations?).
39. X-Men Legends — The gameplay mechanics involve a lot of strategy and mixing and matching of participants, who are constantly evolving/improving, while the general look of it is highly stylized, making it less of an eyesore than other games of the era … all of which is a long way of saying it holds up really well.
38. Lego Batman 2 — The best thing about this game is the way it opens up, from tightly designed levels and missions to an open world free-for-all, complete with an abundance of mini missions and unlockables.
37. Darius — It’s another unforgiving shooter, but it’s gorgeous and has a unique style/feel.
36. Ninja Gaiden — In evaluating three different ninja series this year (Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi and Ninja Spirit), this original NES toughie still emerged as my favorite of the bunch.
35. R-Type — A “white whale” game because of its difficulty and my inability to defeat it as a youngster, R-Type is a classic shoot ’em-up I am glad to have finally beaten.
34. Bomberman ‘93 — It’s fun in multiplayer battle mode, but it’s also fun in its campaign mode.
33. Bomberman ‘94 — We’re pretty much on the precipice of “must play” territory right now, though if you want to pick just one Bomberman game, I’d probably go with this one (just barely though).
32. Metroid — If you like the later games in the series, you probably ought to carve out some time for the original, since it’s still got that Metroid essence to it.
31. Strider — It’s got a unique sense of style and plays differently than most other platformers, making it more of an enticing play.
30. Sonic the Hedgehog — Everyone should play this.
29. Seirei Senshi Spriggan — I was really impressed with the big sprites, power-up structure and fast action of this Turbografx shooter.
28. Bonk’s Adventure — Sometimes you want a game you can blast through in an afternoon, and this platformer is great for that.
27. Mega Man X — It breathed new life into the Mega Man franchise and holds up as one of the best examples of the formula today.
26. Super Mario Bros./Super Mario Bros. 35 — The original remains fun and iconic, while Super Mario 35 is a true blast of a play.
25. Blazing Lazers — This was a launch title for the Turbografx — making it historically important — but it’s also colorful, frenetic and highly enjoyable.
24. F-Zero — This futuristic racer from the Super Nintendo launch era holds up today thanks to its precision-oriented game play.
23. Gradius II — The Gradius experience (that of ramping up and toggling between options and weapons) is worthwhile, and this sequel does it insanely well.
22. Thunder Force III — This shooter is among the best in the genre due to great looks, sound and fairly unique weapons upgrades.
21. Ys Book I & II — Featuring a unique battle system (common theme on this list: unique = good), this RPG is also an important title historically with its CD audio and cut scenes.
As good as it gets
20. NBA Jam — “Arcade style” sports games are pretty much always better than simulations, and this is the definitive arcade style basketball game.
19. Soldier Blade — It controls like a dream with a highly memorable soundtrack.
18. Lords of Thunder — Speaking of soundtracks, the shredding guitars in this shooter elevate the proceedings … as do the interesting designs and game play.
17. Star Parodier — Words won’t even do this wacky cute ’em-up justice, so I won’t even try
16. Streets of Rage 2 — It’s one of the best brawlers of all time, and that’s probably all you need to know.
15. Golden Axe — I like Golden Axe as a brawler even more, as it has more of a “Genesis-y” feel to it and a fun theme.
14. TMNT: Turtles in Time — Among brawlers though, this remains my favorite (though Streets of Rage 4 might dethrone it).
13. Bonk’s Revenge — It’s the best Bonk experience of any of the games, making it a highly worthwhile platformer for everyone.
12. Super Mario Galaxy 2 — The plot and physics are pretty nonsensical, and yet its creativity and classic Mario game play elevate it into something special.
11. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night — Among “Metroid-vanias,” it’s certainly one of the classics, and it’s a darn good use of the Castlevania brand as well.
10. Punch-Out!! — Beating Punch-Out!! is a thrilling achievement, but simply experiencing it is wonderful too.
9. Super Mario 64 — In spite of some issues, a magical world unfolds around you as you play, making it a must-play for any gamer.
8. Super Mario World — This might be the tightest, most expertly refined 2D Mario game of all time (yes, even 30 years later).
7. Castlevania: Rondo of Blood — Each Castlevania game brings its own little touches to the classic experience, which Rondo does, but it also bridges “Classic-vania” with “Metroid-vania,” and I love it for that.
6. Super Mario Bros 3 — Among the Mario classics, Mario 3 does the best job with its power-ups and moments of awe.
5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 — It’s the best classic Sonic game and you should play it.
4. Street Fighter II Turbo — It delivers the best possible Street Fighter II experience.
3. Super Mario Bros 2 — My favorite Mario game holds up today thanks to its selection of characters, level design and overall weirdness.
2. Mega Man 2 — Play this game to experience awesome Mega Man platforming with an incredible soundtrack.
1. Air Zonk — It’s absolutely bonkers/marvelous.