The Video Game Critic

I have a list:

SNES:
Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow - play as a Donald Duck like character as he traverses mansions, jungles, volcanoes, sunken ships and temples.
Biker Mice From Mars - based on a decent 90's cartoon series an isometric racing game with great powerups. I know which character will be the critic's favorite (hint - the one with a charge move that crashes opponents out of the race)
Ogre Battle - tactics RPG with plenty of classes of units.

PS2 or PS3
Nioh - play a lone English warrior battling Japanese creatures of legend
Sly 2 Band of Thieves - sequel to the first Sly Cooper with up to 3 characters to play as to pull off a string of heists to save the world from evil.

Sega Genesis
Golden Axe III - this one's tricky and I've already reviewed this one, hope the critic can get his hands on a copy this won't be easy....

Gameboy Color
Mario Tennis - best GBC sports game with some RPG elements and minigames
Shantae - the original half-genie adventure
Best of Microsoft Entertainment pack - collection of 7 old microsoft games, I know which one will be a hit.

Feel free to post your own lists.

Xbox360, Enslaved Odyssey to the West
PS4, Horizon Zero Dawn

I really enjoyed both of these sci-fi action adventure games. No review at VGC. Both are future, post-Apocalypse settings with a red-haired female protagonist who has helpful headgear tech. But other than that, the games are quite different.

Shadowman, N64/Dreamcast (not the PS1 version)
- One of the few Open World type action games in the late 90's that did not suck. Camp villains, humor, and a creepy vibe, it is a cult classic for the time. Has not aged well though and the early parts, as is prevalent in most open world titles, are boring and it takes two or so hours before it becomes interesting. It is Zelda / Metroid like in that finding key items opens up other sections of the game and allows you to backtrack to pick up things you could not do earlier. The Critic has a good sense of humor and would definitely smile or laugh out loud at some of the games moments (particularly in dialogue scenes).

Elder Scrolls III Morrowind, PC/Original Xbox
- Skyrim is usually considered the best of this role playing series but for my money Morrowind is the best game. While the graphics have not aged particularly well (and even in the day they were not particularly impressive on PC or Xbox) the gameplay is tight, immersive, with a good mix of RPG elements and open world action. This is a classic in my opinion.

Spindizzy Worlds, SNES/Amiga
- A very fun little puzzler for the SNES where you control a little exploration vehicle that must map each planet before it is destroyed. The game essentially revolves around navigating through each maze like level avoiding hazards and not running out of fuel. Considered a classic on the Amiga the SNES game was overlooked despite being a very good port of the original.

Gremlins 2, NES
- I have nothing to say other than how could the Critic have possibly missed this one. While Gremlins 2 was not a patch on the first film, the video game is awesome and a classic title for the system.

Skullmonkeys and The Neverhood, PS1/PC
- Both titles are quite different but feature the same character. The Neverhood is a point and click style adventure and it is an absolute classic for the genre, a remarkable and imaginative game. Skullmonkeys is a fun 2D platformer / sidescroller. It is an imaginative title that is very easy on the eyes.

UFO: Enemy Unknown, Xcom, PC
- Classic turn based strategy game. The Critic liked Mario Vs Rabbids, UFO: Enemy Unknown is ten times better. I think you can get this for modern consoles as part of one of the collections. There is a reboot as well but I feel the original is still the best experience.

I think it would be cool if there were more reviews for all of the Gameboy handhelds. I’ve tried a few games here and there and really have a hard time identifying the good games other than the ones I’ve already found.

Pokemon snap N64. It's been brought up a lot in the forums, so we might have raised expectations too high on this. But it is a rather glaring omission on N64 games.

EDIT: Zack Burner, Golden Axe III is on a lot of compilations. Like the 360 Sonics ultimate genesis collection. A simple disclaimer at the end about it being played on something like that is all it needs. It's a really easy one to track down as long as you aren't talking about original system.

jon wrote:I think it would be cool if there were more reviews for all of the Gameboy handhelds. I’ve tried a few games here and there and really have a hard time identifying the good games other than the ones I’ve already found.

Good call. Here's a few that might be up the critic's alley:

Gameboy:
Operation C (Contra game similar to the NES ones)
Contra The Alien Wars (more like the SNES game)
Super Mario Land 2
Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge
Kirby's Pinball Land
Revenge of the Gator Pinball

Gameboy Color:
Tetris DX (more than just Gameboy Tetris in color, it has new modes, controls are a little more forgiving, and saves high scores)

(Yikes, I was just looking at the prices of some of these, and it looks like prices for Gameboy games have really jumped over the last few years, with a few of the games I listed now going in the $20 - 30 range for a loose cart. The VGC might be better off spending $90 for a GB / GBC Everdrive flash cart. He could even review the ulra-rare and expensive original Shantae GBC game, which cart alone goes for $500.)

NES
Athena
Firehawk
Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll
Super Cars
Tecmo Cup Soccer Game
Vindicators

I've spent some time with the above games for better or worse. We learned to love games for what they were back in the day. You bought it you played it! Allowance money only takes you so far
Anyways I'd love to see what the Critic thinks of these games. Especially Firehawk - I still enjoy putting the game in and destroying some enemy bases. It's oddly calming on a lazy afternoon.

Super Hang-On for Genesis. It is strange that he has never posted a review of the Genesis version. He has reviewed Hang-On for every system except Genesis.

sixam wrote:Super Hang-On for Genesis. It is strange that he has never posted a review of the Genesis version. He has reviewed Hang-On for every system except Genesis.

I didn't even know this existed! I need to get a copy and rectify this oversight.

If you like shmups, system exclusives, anime, hidden gems, and Square Enix, then you'll love Project Sylpheed. The controls are fully customizable after the tutorial, there's a lot of replay value, all the Achievements are offline and fairly easy to obtain, the DLC is currently free, it's a graphics showcase, and will likely never see a re-release on a newer system. Once you get past the first few missions and start building up your fighter the game really picks up, and you can keep all your unlocks into additional playthroughs. There's nothing like managing to kill an entire S-class Battleship!

Operation Darkness is another 360 exclusive that is also a future grail, and is already getting tough to find. Not the easiest game, but still worth playing.