Board 8 > Iceman's 30 for 30: Thirty Games, Characters, and Moments for my 30th Birthday

(+) Yeah! (+)

Leonhart4 posted...

Pokmon just majors on the aspects of JRPGs I don't care about that much. Capturing monsters, growing them, trying to collect everything, none of that has any appeal to me.

Funny enough, I agree with all of this in a vacuum. Never really played or enjoyed other games that have that stuff as primary mechanics. Pokemon just had that secret sauce for me, I guess. Might've all just been part of being swept up in the phenomenon.

I generally don't think the Pokemon formula has aged well, but going back to Kanto was always awesome imo.

The most recent main game in the series I've played is Heart Gold/Soul Silver so for all I know there have been many improvements since then. I have done competitive battling via Showdown up through gen 8 so I do kind of know what battling feels like up through close to the modern games, at least.

I played RBY (and got 150 on Blue) way back and I recall that I was swept up in the pokefever with my friends but I don't really remember the feeling if that makes sense, just that I do know it happened. Played and enjoyed GSC as well. ...But then I dropped off the wagon. I did play Ruby or Sapphire (as evidenced by having the cart, and to my shock some years back seeing it had a file somewhere) but I remembered nothing of it.

Did come back and played Ultra Sun a few years back and that was fun but yeah, the formula isn't really for me anymore.

pyresword posted...

I generally don't think the Pokemon formula has aged well, but going back to Kanto was always awesome imo.

The most recent main game in the series I've played is Heart Gold/Soul Silver so for all I know there have been many improvements since then. I have done competitive battling via Showdown up through gen 8 so I do kind of know what battling feels like up through close to the modern games, at least.

I don't even think it's a question of the formula aging well or not for me. I can still enjoy the new fangames and hacks I play that maintain that formula. I feel like the problem is actually that Gamefreak has felt the pressure to get AWAY from the formula, and the way they've chosen to do it just no longer jives with what I think is important to the Pokemon experience.

I get the urge to try competitive battling every once in a while. Even built a full team on paper at one point way back in Gen 6, but I never actually put it to use, and now I feel like I'm past the point where I'd get anywhere near the enjoyment out of it that I do with other games I play online, considering the limited amount of time I have to dedicate to it all.

Thorn posted...

I did play Ruby or Sapphire (as evidenced by having the cart, and to my shock some years back seeing it had a file somewhere) but I remembered nothing of it.

This was my experience with XY and what led me to realize the magic was gone. I know I played it, and even enjoyed it to some extent, but I can't recall hardly anything that happened in it.

Time for the most awkwardly titled ranking in this project! It may also be my favorite, and I have half a mind to expand and rework it into a full project of its own down the line.

Pokemon Types, Ranked by How Much Fun Id Have as a Gym Leader of That Type

Despite some of what I said in the main writeup, if I lived in the world of Pokemon, I dont think Id be the kind of guy to go on an actual journey. I like staying in one place. I get attached. Id LOVE to be a Gym Leader in that one place, though. As the hyper-competitive person that I am, it would be incredible to spend my days in heart-pounding, one-on-one battles that constantly tested my ability and kept me sharp. It would be something different every day, and if no one was showing up to challenge, I could just goof off with my Pokemon. Hell, if the games are any real indication, I can just go and goof off doing whatever anytime I want anyway, and force people to track me down before Id agree to actually do my job. Thats the dream in every regard.

Im taking a couple of things into consideration for each type. Obviously, the team I could build is important. Some types obviously have more Pokemon I like than others, but some might also be a little polarized in terms of how *strong* the Pokemon I like are; if Im only a fan of full evolutions in a certain type, for an extreme example, I wouldnt make a very good early-game Leader. Im also going to pick my signature ace for each type, however, without double-dipping, and Im largely assuming Id be working with at least a mid-level gym for that exercise to maintain consistency. But the Gym itself is of equal importance. Im going to be spending many, many hours of my life in this place, and maybe even living there. Ive gotta be able to make a design thats both interesting, to me and to challengers, and comfortable enough that Im not trying to get my battles over with as quickly as possible.

So without further ado, lets get into it!

18. Poison
Signature:Toxtricity
Ive simply never had any affinity for this type whatsoever. I can count the number of lines I enjoy on one hand without using every finger, and I dont even *love* any of them, and the only concept I could imagine enjoying for the Gym itself was already used by Roxie in BW2. Id rather not be a Gym Leader if this was my only option.

17. Flying
Signature: Corviknight (which should have been named Nevarmor)
The Flying type has a cool enough lineup of Pokemon, though for whatever reason, theres long been some weird resistance to making pure Flying-types or even mons that have it as the primary. In fairness, that has allowed for a large amount of interesting dual-types, so I think I could put a fun team together for either a beginner gym or a high-level one. Why is it second to last, then? Im deathly afraid of heights. I hate being up high in any situation, and every time I step onto an airplane, Im convinced its going to crash. Granted, it would make for a very entertaining gimmick steeped in irony, but any gym design I could conceive of that didnt have me terrified to get up and go to work in the morning would be incredibly lame. Its just not a good match.

16. Bug
Signature: Golisopod
I would use Galvantula as my ace here, but my wife has terrible arachnophobia, and Id rather she still be able to bring me lunch at work sometimes. I dont think Id feel right making my main dude hide every time that happened. Anyway, I dunno, theyve really made an effort to rehabilitate this type in recent generations, but its another one thats just never connected with me. Ironically, I never even had that bugs are cool phase that a lot of kids like Satoshi Tajiri did. There are precious few Pokemon that I like (Swadloon? Centiskorch? Armaldo?) and theres no way I could come up with a Gym design that suits me. The only reason its not lower is that I at least dont have an active fear or hatred of it.

15. Ice
Signature: Froslass
I think Ice is an awesome element in pretty much any fantasy setting - hell, my username was partially inspired by that opinion. When it comes to Pokemon, though, theres just not a lot there. A decent portion of the mons I like here are either region-specific forms, late-stage evos, or legendaries, or some combo of those three. The full Spheal line is great, as is the Beartic line, but even then, I dont feel THAT strongly about any of it. A low-to-mid-level team would be quite dull to me, and I wouldnt be super jazzed about a high-level one, either. Beyond that, theres a bigger problem: I despise the cold. I dont mind snowy vacations where I can go and bundle up for a few days and then get back to more mild temperatures, but I dont want to spend my life shivering at my job. Im sure I could commission some nice ice sculptures and/or cobble together a fun Christmas theme for the Gym, but it aint worth it.

14. Fairy
Signature: Togekiss
As much as Togekiss is one of my absolute favorite Pokemon, I loved it just as much before the Fairy typing. Past that, I will probably always hold the opinion that this type is kinda lame. Im glad we finally got a reasonable counter to Dragons and all, but the super cutesy aesthetic doesnt land with me much. I could feasibly build a team that I like well enough here with, like, the Togepi and Fidough lines plus a smattering of other dual types, but Id have more fun using those dual types in other Gyms that match their primary types instead. I do think I might have some fun getting clever with the Gym itself. I would base it on fairy tales, Brothers Grimm style, to avoid looking at any more pink than I have to. Even then, though, its not exactly an idea Im passionate enough about for it to have any staying power. Not the type for me.

13. Psychic
Signature: Gardevoir
The series loves this type. Strong as hell in the beginning and still good today, and every single region except Alola has a Leader or Elite Four member that uses it (and Alola still has Dexio). I dont really get it. I like a lot of its lineup just fine, but the only one among my favorites is Gallade, so any team I could build would leave me feeling lukewarm at best compared to many other types. All I can think of for a gym theme is some kind of escape room and, while cool, thats not enough to carry things. It slots in here above the stuff I actively dislike, but it goes no further. Besides, apparently the competition is stiff - SOMEONE else in my region would claim this type, Im sure.

12. Dragon
Signature: Tyrantrum
Call me a contrarian or a nerd or whatever, but I think this type is just a little too much. Theyre meant to be super cool and super powerful, and while I can certainly appreciate that in a vacuum, its not very interesting for an exercise like this. And like Psychic, its also overexposed, with almost every region having at least one notable specialist. I have a couple Gym ideas that I enjoy, admittedly. I could go for a full cave aesthetic leading up to a huge, ostentatious treasure hoard and throne, or I could play things a little more regal to feed into the more majestic dragon interpretations, with huge painted murals and maybe some references to other mythological creatures. So its not necessarily the fault of the type itself that its not higher in the ranking. I just prefer to go with options that are a little less in-your-face-awesome.

11. Dark
Signature: Umbreon
Pokemon-option-wise, I like this type a lot, especially in regards to higher-level teams since so many lines gain Dark as a secondary on evolution. Cacturne, Crawdaunt, Morpeko, Drapion, Pangoro - lots of good choices to make a varied team. The lower stages are good, too, with Houndour, Sneasel, Pawniard, Galarian Zigzagoon Plus, Umbreon is my favorite Eeveelution, which is saying something. I just dont have any worthwhile ideas for the Gym. I dont want to sit in actual dim lighting all day, and again, even if I tried to go for a sort of dingy, punk-rock garage sort of look, Id just be ripping off Roxie. I cant even play off the whole Evil Type concept from Japan, because its not really my vibe. If I have a burst of creativity one day, Dark might jump up pretty far in these rankings, but thats not happening right now.

10. Steel
Signature: Aggron
I wish I had more to work with here, because Steel is such a cool type in concept. The whole Aggron line is among my all-time favorites, and Im not drawing completely dead on the supporting cast. Mawile and Ferrothorn have their appeal, as do the Cufant and Pawniard lines. But its thin on stuff that I love. Gym Design has some decent potential, though. Steel Gyms havent been explored much, and steel itself has so many uses that there are a lot of potential directions to go. I think my favorite idea would be to make it some sort of transportation museum, showing off the greatest trains and cars and ships of the world. It may not be the flashiest Gym in the region, but hey, neither is the type overall.

9. Ground
Signature: Excadrill
I always think I like this type better than I actually do when I sit down and look at it. Excadrill is amazing, and Im fond of the likes of Mudsdale, Golem, and Quagsire, but past that, theres a bunch of stuff thats just kind of there. I dont even know where Id go with a beginner lineup. Drilbur/Golett/Sandslash or something? I do believe I could do something fun with the Gym, though. When I think of the Ground type, I picture dusty, arid land, and that makes me think of Westerns. I wouldnt go so far as to wear a cowboy outfit or anything - dont want to completely copy Clay - but I could put in some swinging saloon doors for the entryway, install a bar to serve age-appropriate drinks, commit to the silliness a little. Itd suit my Southern drawl, if nothing else.

8. Grass
Signature: Breloom
For such a prolific and ubiquitous type, we havent seen many Grass Gyms, and I can only assume thats because most people have a similar difficulty as me in terms of coming up with compelling ideas for it. Like, yeah, flowers are lovely, and if Im being a romantic, I would be more than happy to make my Gym into a giant greenhouse and let my wife garden it to her hearts content. There would be rose bushes aplenty, and Im sure shed make it magnificent. Its just not gonna be my first choice. Grass also has a team option problem in that most of my favorites are end-stage evolutions. Promise me a high-level Gym and Ill be thrilled to have a team with Gogoat and Lilligant and Whimsicott and Cacturne, among others. For a beginner setup, though? Er Skiddo and Snover and Fomantis are cute, I guess? This is a perfectly cromulent type, but its just not that exciting.

7. Fire
Signature: Typhlosion
If I wasnt taking the physical Gym into account, theres a good chance this would be my #1. Fire-type Pokemon are freaking awesome. Its got my favorite starter line in Cyndaquil and almost undoubtedly the highest number of evolutionary lines where I like both or all three stages. Ninetales, Arcanine, Rapidash, Houndoom, Camerupt, Pyroar, Chandelure, Salandit - thats a pretty high percentage of its full roster, and its not even counting the legendaries that I also love. Since I AM including Gym design, however, theres unfortunately a cap here. Though its at the other extreme from Ice, I also dont deal with heat very well. I sweat like crazy and burn very easily. The only interesting design idea I can imagine that wouldnt also make me miserable is a hot springs sort of thing, and not only do I not really want to be Hot Spring Gym Leader Guy, but Lavaridge town already has that selling point. Team options carry it high here, but even that has its limits.

6. Normal
Signature: Zangoose
A difficult type to evaluate, because the nature of the type means that you can kind of do whatever you want with it to a certain degree. Me? Im turning my Gym into some kind of giant board game. Pathways of colorful hexagonal spaces, meeples and dice and other playing pieces strewn about, big playing cards on the walls that display my Pokemon - it would be awesome. There are *just* enough team choices for me to call that a plus as well. Its tough, because a lot of dual-typed Normal Pokemon feel too much like their other type for me to use them here, but I can make a fun enough beginner squad with Eevee, Herdier, Teddiursa, and maybe a Deerling, and higher-level options give me access to Snorlax, Komala, and the Porygon evos.

5. Ghost
Signature: Dhelmise
Im almost never a fan of anything horror or spooky, but Ghost-type Pokemon are awesome. Give me anything from the Shuppet line, the Duskull line, or the Litwick line, and Ill be happy. Throw in Sensu Oricorio or Palossand to round things out. Actually, there are a few mons in there that I like better than Dhelmise, but Im making that my signature anyway because were turning my gym into a full-on Flying Dutchman-esque ghost ship. Its gonna be the coolest place in town even for people not challenging for my badge. Admittedly, this type has the same sort of overexposure issue that Psychic and Dragon do, but I dont care. I like the Gym idea so much (and its unique enough compared to other Ghost specialists) that I dont feel like too much of a retread.

4. Rock
Signature: Lycanroc
Just a fantastic type. Many of the Fossil Pokemon are downright awesome, and Ive got a lot of nostalgic attachment to stuff like the Geodude line and Sudowoodo as well. Between all those options, I could construct a team at any level that would be both varied and fun. As for the Gym, how about a good old-fashioned stone castle look? We havent gotten a ton of those in the Pokemon series, and when we have, theyre often attached more to story events and the like. Sure, it may not be the most creative or fancy idea, but Ive always loved that aesthetic, and the simplicity of the Rock type is one of its strengths anyway.

3. Water
Signature: Milotic
I cant swim, so in the same way that it wouldve been funny to have me as a Flying-type Leader thats afraid of heights, wed have a ready-made gimmick here. Past that, Water has a ton going for it. It makes for a gorgeous aesthetic, and I could design an awesome hydropunk Gym with waterfalls and aqueducts and fountains and who knows what else, and Id have an efficient cleaning crew in my team of Pokemon to keep it all pristine! Speaking of which, I have a huge assortment of cool options to pick from here, and Id be equally as happy making a low-level team with Slowpoke and Chinchou and Barboach as I would putting together a murderers row with Starmie, Vaporeon, Urshifu, Drednaw Its definitely a basic type, but its got a lot going for it.

2. Electric
Signature: Ampharos
Im living out my dream of creating a casino Gym and nobody can stop me. Whats that? Promoting gambling to kids is bad? Stop being such a square. My mom taught me blackjack and poker at age 5, and I turned out fine. Id have this place looking like a small-scale Vegas, complete with all the bright neon lights and big sound systems, and hell, Im even gonna throw in an arcade, just because I can. Theres no shortage of roster options here, either. Give me anything from the Shinx line, the Yamper line, the Blitzle line, the Electrike line. Give me Wattrel or Helioptile. I could probably even track down a Rotom. I might go blind or deaf long before my time, but Im gonna have a ton of fun doing it.

1. Fighting
Signature: Gallade
I dont think I can deny my true nature here as a guy who has spent most of his life engrossed in sports in one way or another, who still works out semi-obsessively, and who is most comfortable in a muscle shirt and pair of basketball shorts. The Fighting type has a lot of boring and forgettable Pokemon in it, but when it hits, it (appropriately) hits HARD. Gallade is my all-time favorite Pokemon, and when you add in stuff like Hitmontop, Hawlucha, the Pangoro line, the aforementioned Breloom, Pawmo, Mienfoo Id have no trouble finding a team I love for any level. That said, the Gym is what really puts this type over the top. I could take inspiration from another of my beloved hobbies in pro wrestling. I could go full weeb dork and make it samurai-themed. I could be a little more normal and go for a general sports feel. Id be completely at home with any of these ideas, such that sleeping at the gym would go from a surefire sign my life went irreparably off the rails to proof that its exactly how Id want it to be. This is the obvious winner.

NBIceman posted...

Pokemon Types, Ranked by How Much Fun Id Have as a Gym Leader of That Type

I think this is a really cool and fun idea, and I really enjoyed reading what you wrote for it! It also makes me want to post a bit about what would be my own favorite for this.

Also have really liked reading your other write-ups and feel they've been quite insightful.

...three of the last four games are individual games I haven't really played from series I'm fond of to some extent or another, so I don't have much to say, oops.

MetalmindStats posted...

I think this is a really cool and fun idea, and I really enjoyed reading what you wrote for it! It also makes me want to post a bit about what would be my own favorite for this.

I'd love to read it if you do! I figured the bonus rankings would be good discussion generators (which has seemed to be the case so far, relatively speaking), so I'm definitely interested in seeing other takes on them.

Also have really liked reading your other write-ups and feel they've been quite insightful.

...three of the last four games are individual games I haven't really played from series I'm fond of to some extent or another, so I don't have much to say, oops.

Thanks a ton! Yeah, this first third of the list is a bit eclectic at times, but we're getting into a run here that has more games with more widespread appeal.

And speaking of which...

Game #9 Hint: The second straight Nintendo title on this list that was intended to be the final entry in its series... And in this one's case, I'm pretty sure they've said that about every entry since.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/6abd8b2e.jpg

Game #9 - Super Smash Bros. Melee

This is, without a doubt, the most widely beloved game on this list. Capturing the adoration of hardcores and casuals alike, still played by thousands of competitive gamers for thousands of dollars today, Melee is the entry that launched the Super Smash Bros. series into the incredible heights that would make it one of Nintendos flagship products.

It wouldnt be overly hyperbolic to say that my friendship with Wyatt, who I mentioned back in the MP3 writeup, was founded on SSB. And as much as the original definitely had its time in the sun, I have no doubt whatsoever that we played more Melee together than any other video game. Maybe even combined. This was THE multiplayer game for us. We never got into Halo or any MMOs. Whatever else we may have played during those hundreds of hangouts and sleepovers and summer vacations, mountains of junk food keeping us alive, were just breaks between long sessions of SSBM.

Its my opinion that video games are more effective than any other medium when it comes to creating memories. Others can do it, but theyre more dependent on surrounding context - a movie you saw on a first date, where you were when you first heard a favorite song, that sort of thing. But no matter who you see a film with or when you hear a song, theyll always be the same fundamental piece of work to everyone. Video games turn players into storytellers as much as they are the audience, where every playthrough of every game is a wholly individual experience that you can direct in any way you so choose within its technical limitations. Every story then becomes a memory. And its no surprise that a multiplayer-focused game with the sheer amount of options that Melee has is responsible for more memories than any other.

Looking back, I marvel at some of the psychotic ideas we came up with. 50-stock mirror matches with the whole roster to decide which of us was more skilled with the greater number of characters (pretty sure I came out ahead on that one). 99-stock matches just because. No-B-Button matches, No-A-Button matches, throws-only, Pokemon battles where attacks werent allowed at all. Typing it all out now, its incredible to think there was ever a period in my life that I had the free time to do any of it. Childhood really was an extraordinary thing. Skill development was tracked through periodic matches with CPUs, as when we began, we had some trouble taking down a Lvl. 9 even with a team effort, and I vividly recall the day we realized wed both progressed to the point that we could fairly comfortably win a 1v3 with them instead. I remember tournaments at birthday parties, Cruel Melee score competitions, stupid bets and handicaps, Wyatt invoking the peak of humor by using poop as his four-letter name. Melee just never, *never* ran out of new ways to have fun, and if wed owned no other games during this period, wed have still been completely satisfied.

As far as the nuts and bolts go Well, what can I possibly say that so many others havent already? Playing this game feels amazingly fast and smooth - its incredible how well the formula was perfected on just the second effort. Unlockables are fun and plentiful, the music is basically a Nintendos Greatest Hits plus a few great original jams to round things out, stage options covered every conceivable base, and with it being almost a launch title in the US, it truly felt like the herald of a new and sensational era. And even though the multiplayer is the main draw, I think it sometimes obfuscates how impressive the selection of single-player content is. Relative to Smash 64s offerings, that side of things received even greater advancements. Adventure Mode, the fantastic Event Mode, All-Star Mode, even diversions like the Target Test and the Home-Run Contest Even the credits became an awesome minigame! Each one of them brought something new to the table, and each one was the subject of umpteen schoolyard rumors for super-secret unlockable characters if you accomplished something nigh impossible. I believed every one of them, never learned my lesson.

Melee is also notable for having one of the most unique legacies of any game in history. It continued the work of the original in defining and popularizing an entirely new genre that basically didnt exist beforehand; as much as SSB64 laid the groundwork in that regard, it was the sequel that refined the formula that gave it true staying power. By extension, it established the default genre for high-profile crossovers of this type, and did it so conclusively that it overpowered what would have otherwise been a reasonable fear of being seen as pale imitations. Playstation All-Stars and MultiVersus knew full well theyd be compared to Smash, and probably not favorably, but it didnt matter. Melee was the standard, and it was a better idea to blatantly rip it off than to attempt something like a traditional fighter or an arena battler, because the style fits the frenetic concept so well. Its also got the singular competitive resilience. Almost all popular fighting game franchises immediately phase out older entries in their competitive scenes when new ones come out, at least in terms of featured tournaments. Not so with Melee, which continues to draw entrant numbers on par with or exceeding Ultimate at Smash events even now. Finally, and perhaps most famously, SSBM is deservedly credited with fostering the beginnings of Western interest in the Fire Emblem series due to the inclusion of Marth and Roy, as Ill talk about in a bit more detail shortly. There arent many other games that can lay claim to a resume of such lasting effects across the entire industry, and even fewer are anywhere near as fun on their own merits. Im not one of those people who thinks this was the unquestioned and ineffable peak of Smash. I respect all of its accomplishments as a competitive game that has maintained and even grown its popularity over almost two and a half decades, but Im not a competitive player and never have been. This is another Mario Party to me, something that I can break out with my semi-casual best friend and our fully casual wives where the disparity in skill level isnt a strong deterrent to the fun factor. Items stay on and stage hazards can kill us all they want. For those purposes, the more is more approach of later SSB games is more valuable than high-level movement tech and combo potential.

But Melee does stand unchallenged in its significance to me. Through no fault of its own, I would no longer call it one of my absolute favorite games - there have simply been others in the last twenty-five years that have come to be more deserving of the description. Its influence, though, is impossible to overstate. It is, and will forever remain, in the top 5 or even top 3 in that ranking. The countless afternoons I spent with it were some of the happiest parts of what was, until very recently, the happiest time of my life, and while Mega Man 2 may have started my love of video games, Super Smash Bros. Melee did more than any other to cement it.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/a/a2a05a85.jpg

The Character: Roy
For those whom I must protect, I will not lose.

I dont think I ever had a true main in SSBM. Captain Falcon was my go-to in the original, mostly because I thought it was fun to jump around and do nothing but press Neutral-B because hed yell out FALCON PAWNCH and it was funny even before it became a huge meme. In Brawl and beyond, Ike and Falco have taken the bulk of my playtime and become the characters my friends hate to see me select. With Melee, though, a large part of my enjoyment came from switching things up in pretty much every fight, and I rarely chose the same fighter twice in a row. It would have been lessening the appeal of this huge, novel crossover if I didnt take advantage of as much of the roster as possible.

That said, if I had the ability to peer through the cosmos into my own life statistics and focused my lens onto the Smash Melee subcategory to see which character topped the usage list, Im fairly sure itd be Roy, whether the measurement was individual matches played or raw time. See, I, like many other Americans, had never heard of the FE series. I was too young in those days to even really understand how video game releases worked, let alone have any concept that some of them might not be available worldwide for everyone. I thought every game Nintendo had ever made was on the shelves at my local Blockbuster, and that I was therefore an expert on every roster member that might show up. I even had some knowledge of the obscure Earthbound thanks to my cousin telling me a bit about Ness when we played the first Smash.

Imagine my puzzlement, then, when this blue-haired dude Id never seen before suddenly showed up. Many of you probably dont have to imagine; I know that experience was a common one. I had to immediately do a Classic Mode playthrough with him, of course, partly out of curiosity and partly because thats just what I did after unlocking a new fighter in this game. After that, just as suddenly, heres this redhead who plays exactly like him, and though I still didnt know what game they came from, I did know two things:

1) Marth had a sword, and was therefore awesome.
2) Roy also had a sword, but his sword could make fire, and he was therefore even more awesome.

As much as I enjoy and take pride in my criteria for evaluation of fictional characters nowadays, I admit a part of me misses the time when it was that easy. So from then on, though my controller would continue to find its way to all 25 Melee Smashers for the remainder of my many hours with the game, Roy became my favorite, because none of the others had a flaming sword.

That favoritism paid dividends down the line far beyond any VS. match victories. When I saw Path of Radiance at GameStop a few years later, I knew I had to pay some respect to my old pal by finally trying out his series, which had taken on something of a legendary quality in my head by that time. Some dozen entries later, its one of my top 3 favorite franchises (enough that its repeatedly fooled me into thinking I enjoy SRPGs in general much more than I do). Again, Im aware Im not a unique story here. The positive reception to Marth and Roy brought Blazing Sword stateside, starting a domino effect without which Fire Emblem would likely be completely dead today. No pun intended, Roy is emblematic of that unique Smash legacy. How many other folks could tell a similar story about a cherished discovery as later entries continued to increase the diversity of their roster and add extra references with Assist Trophies and such? Some, Im sure, grew an even more expansive learning tree than mine: initial interests that led to games that led to entirely new genres that led to more new discoveries. Theres a true magic to it. We played SSB to see fights between all of our favorite characters, and then we even came away with new ones.

My story does have a bit of a downer ending, unfortunately. Ive tried to pick him back up in Ultimate, but he just doesnt feel quite right anymore. Im not sure why that is, and Im embarrassed to admit that it makes me kinda sad, like Ive lost a small link to my former self. It sounds dramatic, but thats what a formative experience Melee was in my early life, even by the standards of the rest of this list. I havent spoken to Wyatt in more than ten years. My treasured GameCube has long since stopped working. I only play Ultimate now, infrequently, with a group of people whose existence I wasnt even aware of in the SSBM days. And to top it all off, I no longer have the familiarity with my former favorite character. I really wish I did. Id love to have anything tangible left over. Alas, Im left with the memories, so Im lucky theyre as strong as they are.

The Moment: WARNING! Challenger Approaching

There has never been, nor will there ever be, anything in video games that generates more hype than these screens. The announcement was already fun enough in its simplest form in the original game, and then as with everything else, Melee stepped it up a notch. The musical sting gave way to the blaring klaxon, and the spinning silhouette became static, creating much more tension and thrill. Also, truth be told, the original games screen had kind of a Microsoft PowerPoint look to it, where Melees looked much more complete and professional and consistent with the design of everything else.

Of all the things that have largely vanished from modern video games, the concept of unlocking characters is the one I miss the most. Even when it does show up nowadays, its boring. On the relatively rare occasion that you dont just start out with the full lineup, you mostly buy new options with in-game currency (or real currency if you want them faster, barf) that you gain from doing pretty much anything. Theres no fanfare, no sense of wonder or mystery. Youre just ordering off a menu. And look, Im an anxious fellow and a picky eater; I like looking up menus to restaurants ahead of time so I know what Im getting. When it comes to entertainment, though? I want some suspense. I want to work for it so that it feels like a true reward when it comes. Plus, more varied unlock conditions make the associated characters more memorable all on their own. Remember how unhinged and therefore awesome some of the Melee requirements were? Luigi asked you to finish the first stage of Adventure Mode with the timer showing xx:x2, then beat the following battle against him and Peach in under a minute, then finish the rest of Adventure Mode. And *then* you had to beat him in another fight. If you lose? Guess what. Gotta do the same thing again. This is all to unlock LUIGI.

This whole system is amazing. Youve got the hype of the warning screen itself, which is enhanced by having to win one more fight afterwards. That fight has pressure because of the consequences brought on by a loss, and while most of the requirements werent terribly difficult, it still felt like a crushing setback. Plus, there was an alternate condition for each character: just playing a certain amount of VS. matches, so even if you werent looking things up on the internet or in a strategy guide (or youre just not like me in that you prefer not to pursue specific and sometimes weird goals for unlocks), youd still end up with a full roster eventually just from playing the game enough. I would listen to arguments that this is every bit as awesome as the character-specific ways due to the fact that it was the winner of the fight who earned the honor of attempting the unlock; there was no more inspiring feeling than having your friends all cheering for (or sometimes berating) you from around the room. There was a weird sense of honor to it, as being the one to add a new fighter to the roster linked you to that character forever, and no one wanted to miss a chance at that small but triumphant moment of glory.

I found the process so enjoyable that, multiple times, I deleted my save data just so I could do it all over again, and I know Im not the only one. Im an obsessive record keeper now, and losing data of any kind is one of my biggest irritants, so I cringe a bit now to look back and think of how interested I would be in pulling out my old disc and seeing how many hours of playtime it would show if I had never done such a thing. But that was the level of excitement provoked by those Challenger Approaching screens. Even when I knew they were coming and who those silhouettes belonged to, I never got tired of them.

As a side note, we had a funny misunderstanding thanks to this general setup that led us to be convinced that Mr. Game and Watch was the most powerful character in the game due to being by far the most time-consuming unlockable. Beat one of the single-player modes with all 25 other characters or play 1000 VS. matches. Surely that amount of effort required meant that the resulting reward would be well worth it, right? Yeah, no, we werent really familiar with the idea of joke characters in fighting or fighting-adjacent games yet, and other titles we played around that time held to the typical pattern that a fighters strength was directly correlated with the difficulty of their unlock condition. We did eventually come to the realization that he was intended more as a novelty than as a monster, but it took us a little longer than it probably should have.

Anyway, this is hardly a minority opinion - the visual is so iconic that a version of it was used for newcomer announcements on the now-legendary Smash Bros. Dojo site in the leadup to Brawl, and it was every bit as hype inducing in that format as it was in the actual games. Ive rarely had more fun on the internet than in that era. Hell, its one of the few brief periods in my life that Ive had any reason to look forward to waking up on weekdays. The small updates were plenty intriguing in their own right, but it was a different kind of feeling on those hallowed days that I saw the WARNING! in those five minutes that I rushed to check my computer before I had to leave for school, even if it was a newcomer that I didnt have any personal attachment to. Interestingly, Brawl itself and all Smashes since have eliminated the WARNING! section of these screens entirely, and though that seems like a negligible change, I do believe they lose a tiny bit of the punch without it.

Melees, however, is timeless. Every bit as cool now as it was twenty-five years ago. I even used it a couple of months ago in a text thread with my board game group to introduce new characters as I progressively unlocked them as possible selections for one of our favorite board games, because its still the foremost example in my mind of how to instantly cause excitement. Its never been topped, and I have no reason to expect it ever will be.

I don't think I'd call Melee my favorite Smash but it's definitely the one I've played the most by far

No ranking for Smash. Tried a couple ideas, but couldn't really make any of them very interesting. Hope everyone is enjoying their day!

I havent been commenting much but this is a great thread, I really enjoyed the Pokemon GSC write ups especially

wallmasterz posted...

I havent been commenting much but this is a great thread, I really enjoyed the Pokemon GSC write ups especially

Mighty kind of you to say! I'm glad the folks that are following are enjoying it so much. And yeah, the GSC writeup came out as one of my favorites too, especially in this beginning third of the list.

Which is about to finish!

Game #10 Hint: A game that learns from its direct predecessor with varying degrees of success, and lives on in the hearts of many due more to its side content than the main game.

Going to guess Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix

Initial thought is Majora's Mask

Yeah, that sounds a lot like Majora's Mask to me.

Ive met with a terrible fate, havent I?

Good guesses, but there's only one game out there that truly lives and learns.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/8/8880865f.jpg

Game #10 - Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

Another 30 years from now, Ill still be trying to decide if I think this is a good game or not. At minimum, Im willing to at least acknowledge that its competing with Time Stalkers for the illustrious title of the worst game in the project. Its a glitchy mess, half the levels either kinda suck or really suck, the plot is utter nonsense, the multiplayer is a joke, its a completionists nightmare Where was I going with this, again?

In some ways, Sonic Adventure 2 was doomed from the start, coming on the heels of nothing less than a surrender. Sega was getting out of the console business. The Dreamcast was dead. They'd been defeated. This game was rushed to release as something of a swan song, developed in the U.S. with a team only one-tenth the size of the one responsible for the original SA, and with those multiple dark clouds hanging over it, even Sonic's sunny outlook on life was only going to be able to accomplish so much. That said, in my opinion, the sequel benefits from the reduced scope more than its harmed by it, as without any pressing necessity to prepare for a new era of console efforts, there was also less of a need to be overly ambitious with new concepts. The weird open-world areas are gone, and instead of six separate stories that have you playing through different variations of the same levels, we get two team stories with stages tailored to the six playable characters. Now, again, are a good portion of those levels somewhat lousy? Sure, and weird design decisions abound besides. Sonic and Shadows Speed stages are the most consistently good, but a ~third of them have the frequent franchise issue of including gimmicks that keep you from going too fast, and Shadow only has four stages to begin with, the lowest total in the game. Even so, I think this games detractors go a little overboard in criticizing the Mech and Hunting levels; there are interesting ideas in some of them and the hedgehog stages arent so unassailable that the variety brought by the other characters is some great sin. Maybe thats a hot take, but I dunno. Ive never been as high on the classic Sonic gameplay as many others. And if there's even one good stage to be found, that's still one more than in the original.

To be clear, Ive no reservations whatsoever in calling SA2 a FUN game. It might even be said that some of its problems stem from trying to be *too* fun, because the plot goes obscenely off the rails. Heres a sampling of actual things that happen in the stories:

• An entire island explodes
• Sonic and Tails hijack the United States Presidents limousine
• Tails creates a fake Chaos Emerald because apparently he can just do that
• Eggman points a gun at Amys head and threatens to shoot her
• Eggman holds the planet hostage with an explicit weapon of mass destruction after demonstrating it by blowing up half of the moon
• Gerald Robotnik rants in unsettling detail about his hatred for humanity and plan to commit genocide
• A giant salamander fuses with a space station via some kind of rectal insertion

You may be thinking to yourself that this isnt even the most psychotic plot in the series, and youre probably right, but consider what a high bar that is. Compare it to normal media instead. You get the sense that Sonic Team USA was earnestly unaware of how stupid this all is, because everything is played completely straight without an ounce of self-awareness. I happen to find the outlandishness to be so sincere that its charming, so though I cant exactly blame anyone for taking a different side, I believe it does end up working in the games favor.

If youre starting to think this writeup resembles the Simpsons scene where Homer buys the Evil Krusty Doll and keeps alternating between Thats good! and Thats bad! for every detail Well, you see why Im so conflicted. One element that I will endorse without any hesitation, however, is the soundtrack. Even beyond tunes like Escape from the City and Live and Learn, which are either iconic or memey or both depending on who you are, Sonic Adventure 2 infuses a huge amount of identity into its stage themes depending on the character involved. Sonic, of course, gets the upbeat rock with catchy guitar riffs to emphasize his fun-loving, cool attitude. Tails gets a similar style, but more hesitant, with slower tempos, to reflect his aspirations to be like Sonic and lack of confidence in doing so. Knuckless and Rouges respective music drive home their status as foils, as the former obviously has his hip-hop where Rouges is more poppy, though both include some jazz influences. Eggman themes are loud and dissonant, befitting his hammy villainy, and finally, Shadow is appropriately associated with songs that sound like the dark side of Sonics, with a heavy focus on techno as a nod to his artificial beginnings. It's one of the first and best examples to come to mind for this kind of musical characterization, and it may be the only part of SA2 that gets better with time. Besides that, though, a majority of it is genuinely enjoyable to listen to casually.

In the end, Id contend that discourse surrounding this game has been affected even more than the average by peoples increasing willingness to label all media as either masterpieces or disasters with no in-between. Sonic Adventure 2 is far too schizophrenic for such definitive classification. Theres good and bad, most bad facets have good parts and vice versa, and some can go either way depending on how much lunacy you can tolerate. Warts and all, my nostalgia will never allow me to speak of it with anything but warmth, even when conceding the flaws. I have too many memories of sitting in my grandmother's kitchen, playing City Escape on her CRT with the smell of fresh cookies from the bakery up the road to keep me company. A full 180-Emblem file has become something of a gaming white whale for me, because it just feels like something I *should* do eventually with how SA2 still makes me smile. Maybe I'm giving up credibility as having any kind of discerning taste through my enduring attachment to this title. But even if I don't fully understand it myself, there's something special about it that, for better or worse, Sonic never quite captured again.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/3/3f664108.jpg

The Character: Knuckles the Echidna
I did that to prevent the Master Emerald from being stolen, you idiot! If it's in pieces, I can restore it.

This is one favorite character from my childhood that has persisted into adult life, albeit for different reasons. It was mostly superficial back then, when I just liked punching things and thought he had the coolest design of any of the seriess characters. Nowadays, I actually find him to be a little lame in most incarnations. The likability of the entire Sonic cast varies heavily from game to game and universe to universe, and he gets the short end of the stick with some regularity, either having his less interesting traits played up heavily or being out of focus entirely. I can only endure so many gullible Knuckles got tricked by Eggman again beats, for example, even though I know more recent games have attempted to add some justification by calling it a byproduct from his willingness to believe in the best of people. As nice a thought as that is, it always takes the form in practice of a lazy way to shout out his history with Sonic as a rival and get them into a forced fight. I also dont care for the himbo portrayals that seem to have increasingly proliferated in entries like Sonic Boom, as the role of dumb muscle is already capably filled by Big, and hes far better suited for it.

So if you ask me, SA2 Knuckles is by far the best hes ever been. Both Adventure games generally do an excellent job in illustrating his role as the duty-bound, last-of-his-kind semi-hermit that watches over the Master Emerald, invoking some spiritual guardian tropes of which Im always quite fond in demonstrating how that sort of solitude will have effects on anyone. It provides some solid reasoning for both the gullibility and his often abrasive attitude - hes not an idiot or a jerk, just a bit lonely and starved for social interaction enough that he sometimes doesnt know how to competently communicate with civilization. It allows for an introspective side to emerge, demonstrated often in the rather famous lyrics to his stage themes, which makes total sense for a fellow whos got nothing to do most days except sit by himself and think. It gives a main character a built-in link to the mysticism that the franchises plots like to explore. And though I know I was slightly critical earlier of lack of screen time in so many Sonic games, I do believe Knuckles functions better when hes more on the fringes of the story provided its done properly, like it is here. When hes too attached to the protagonists, it always seems like theres a compulsion in the writers room to go back to that well of the villains fooling him, or to otherwise build contrivances that have him butting heads with the others. For the first half of Hero Story in this game, though, hes completely unaware of anything going on with Sonic and Shadow etc., which allows him to stay in his element. Hes constantly exasperated by the trouble hes having to go through thanks to Rouges meddling, but not in a fashion that ever suggests he thinks of his responsibility as a burden; in fact, his single-minded determination to keep the Emerald safe in spite of his mild envy for his hedgehog buddys carefree lifestyle is his most admirable quality. When his goals do end up aligning with Sonics and Tailss later, hes more than content to work together as long as it makes sense, then head off on his own again when it becomes necessary, then come back for the finale when his friends need his help (and that of the Master Emerald, which turns out to be relevant to the plot after all). Its a great balance that captures the essence of what I think Knuckles should be: maybe not the most outwardly friendly guy, and one who puts his mission above all else, but also one wholl lend a hand for his allies anytime the opportunity presents.

Some of the little moments help, too. I find his dynamic with Rouge to be endearingly cute in a way that nothing else in this game really manages to be, and I think the scene where she returns the Emerald shards and he apologizes for hurting her (not without an eye roll, natch) to be one of the least ridiculous ones in the story. Scott Dreier, I think, actually gives the best performance of any of the main characters VAs in SA2 as well. Its not exactly a complex role, obviously, but he nails everything he needs to in contrast to his colleagues that all, at minimum, have a line or two that can be easily recalled as hilariously missing the mark.

Like many of the other featured characters in this first third of the list (whoa, 1/3rd of the way done already), Knuckles wouldnt be a strong threat to make an actual top 30 ranking of video game characters for me, but this interpretation of him is one for which I still maintain a good bit of affection. Hes the least zany aspect of a game that was in desperate need of more grounding, but he never feels out of place. Hes a high-level role player. You never want him doing too much, but hes also appreciably additive when utilized right. They hit the bullseye with him here, and for the record, I dont think that was the result of some grand epiphany at Sega so much as it was probably an accident brought on by the time constraints they were under for development. But, if it was indeed an accident, it was a happy one. Knuckles is at his best in Sonic Adventure 2, and its nice to have one more thing in the game that I can unreservedly praise.

The Moment: Good-Bye, Chao!

Conspicuous by its absence in the main writeup, I'm sure, is any discussion of SA2s least polarizing feature: the Chao Garden. Though technically present in the first game, it was, like everything else there, pretty rudimentary. The sequels version is the one everybody remembers; though it wasnt radically different or improved, there was enough additional content packed in to make it feel like a substantive part of the game rather than just a thrown-in vehicle to capitalize on the Tamagotchi craze and make use of the VMU. Incidentally, it also received more changes than any other mode in the GameCube port, which along with the fact that I just played Battle much more is the reason Im making it the official entry for this project.

Once unlocked by finding a key in any level, the Garden offered up the full Chao-rearing experience. Hatch them from eggs, feed them, play with them, hand them animals collected from stages to give them features of that animal long before Bugsnax stole the idea. You could head to the nearby Kindergarten to give them names or teach them useful talents or visit the Black Market. Weird as it sounds, this was actually one of Battles more enjoyable additions. The Market sold useful stuff, but it also offered differently colored eggs (totally legally obtained, Im sure) that led to differently colored Chao. I was kind of a shallow caretaker, to be honest. I spent a considerable amount of time farming rings in City Escape to afford purchases of the fancy, expensive Chao eggs so that theyd look extra cool from the moment they hatched. Anyway, once theyd undergone some training, they could even be entered into Races and Karate tournaments that awarded Emblems for winning, required for 100% files.

But there was one last option. One only undertaken by horrible, heartless people Like ~seven-year-old NBIceman, apparently. The Garden wasnt infinite, or even all that expansive like a Pokemon PC Box. It could only hold a relatively small amount of Chao in it, so if you wanted to keep on populating it with more deluxe pets Well, SA2 had the optimal solution! You could literally send them to live on a farm upst- I mean, a faraway forest! To continue with the Pokemon Box comparison, the Chao Garden had a Release option, too, and if you thought THAT was bad enough, imagine how it would feel if the Pokemon you were sending away were walking down a long road with a bindle across their shoulder, looking back at you with pleading eyes while the saddest music you can imagine played alongside a short caption directly explaining that youd never see them again. This was the appropriately named Good-Bye function.

I used it once and only once, ignorant of the gravity of what I was doing. I had to make room for a new egg, yknow?

You will never see your Chao again. Besides sounding like a threat at the end of a ransom note, something about the bluntness of that statement just hit me. I had little experience with finality by that point in my life. Everything that surrounded me seemed as though it would always be there. I hadn't had any relatives pass away, and all the games and books and movies on my shelves were available any time I wanted them. Even when I was deleting my SSBM data for the nth time, it didn't feel like it would be gone forever. I'd be unlocking the same characters over and over again. This was something unique. And mine. Even if I hadn't really done anything with this Chao, it was still something that belonged exclusively to me.

How and why I went through with it mystifies me. You even get multiple confirmation menus worth of chances to back out, so the game was obviously far more aware than I was of the emotional trauma that was about to be inflicted. I remained stalwart right up until the precise moment the deed was done, after which I promptly started crying. Bawling, really. I felt awful. Guilty, disloyal, callous, unfit to ever be responsible for another lifeform. I knew none of this was real, of course, but something about the situation still triggered something visceral in my mind. Ive been a great lover of animals all my life, but my parents hadnt grown up with pets and were never quite sold on the idea of having one in the house. I didnt press the issue much, more or less content to give my friends dogs and cats all the attention they so richly deserved when I hung out at their houses. Whatever piece of the void that didnt fill, the Chao made up for. With the amount of time and effort I put into them, they felt like my actual pets, or at least close enough that I couldnt handle the realization that Id abandoned one of them for no good reason. Its funny now to look back at what a response it triggered with the knowledge that Id go on to shed many more tears at parts of video games I find moving. In the immediate, though Whew. I thought I was a monster.

Im not among the people clamoring for this mode to return in modern Sonic games. Granted, thats partly because I havent bought or played a Sonic title in years anyhow, but Chao arent so exceptionally cute that their virtual pet simulator would turn me into a buyer again, either. Im sure theres any number of mobile apps out there on the Play Store that could give me a reasonably comparable experience if I had the urge. I think Ive got my hands full enough with the two adorable calico gremlins that make their rent-free residence in my home now, though. They dont do karate, but they show considerable restraint when it comes to knocking things off of countertops or yelling about half-empty food bowls. I had great fun with the Chao Garden as a youngun, and I look back with fondness on this particular moment now as a humorous story and early indicator that I was going to grow into a more outwardly emotional human being than the average. But Im content to leave it in the past. I think thats a perfectly comfortable spot for it.

Heck yeah Knuckles

The 3-D games by and large don't use him well though

SA2 is so good. I had a Dreamcast and thus had the full VMU Chao experience. But little me had no idea what they were doing lol.

Here's a short and sweet one.

Ranking Every SA2 Level

Youre probably expecting that there will just be a lot of Sonic and Shadow stages up top with all other characters filling in below And youre mostly right! But there are maybe still a couple surprises here.

31. Mad Space
An easy decision. Giant stage with gravity mechanics that only sort of work, and a nerfed radar on top of it. The hints being backwards or lies is annoying until you figure it out a few seconds later, at which point it becomes totally pointless. No redeeming qualities at all.

30. Eternal Engine
Its close with Crazy Gadget, but Im fairly sure this is the stage thats brought me the most deaths over my years playing this game. I get the idea of the dynamite being a deterrent to mindless shooting, but the mindless shooting is the most fun part of the mech stages. Add in jumpscare enemies and make it too long and youve got a lousy experience.

29. Route 280
28. Route 101
Nobody wants to drive cars in a Sonic game. Plus, some of the additional missions for these stages are among the worst in the game.

27. Sand Ocean
Trivial with the hover upgrade, obnoxious without it. And bizarrely long for such an early stage - did we really need to run back and forth across fallen pillars, like, three or four times in the last room?

26. Aquatic Mine
Raise your hand if you like water levels. Now put your hands down, you liars. This stages theme has grown on me a bit over the years, but its design sure hasnt.

25. Hidden Base
24. Iron Gate
23. Prison Lane
22. Lost Colony
I dont really have a strong problem with any of these mech levels, but theyre pretty straightforward and dont really do anything memorable or manage to stand out from each other.

21.5. Green Hill Zone
It exists. Ive never played it, since as mentioned, Ive never gotten all 180 Emblems. But Ive seen it, and it doesnt seem to translate to 3D very well.

21. Crazy Gadget
I like some things about this level, its got some cool speedrun tricks, and I think the gravity stuff was implemented surprisingly well for the most part, but its just too long and plodding for a Sonic level. Theres a whole middle section that couldve easily been cut out, and the final room, while cool in theory, is just a little too weird and disorienting.

20. Cannons Core
I like the concept as an Avengers Assemble sort of thing, and the time stop mechanic is fun, but it just trips over itself too much. Tails and Eggmans sections are too similar, Knuckless is an appalling waste of time, and Sonics is too short.

19. Meteor Herd
While infinitely better and with an infinitely better theme than its sister stage in Mad Space, this ones also just a little too big and empty. Most points of interest are near the starting area. Plus, getting the Sunglasses is kind of an annoying process.

18. Final Chase
I really wish I liked this stage more, but those damn gravity tubes just do not work correctly. Its still fine.

17. Death Chamber
Its just way too easy to get lost in here with all the digging and different sections. I like the vibe and all, but its easy to get a set of locations here that isnt fun to hunt for.

16. Mission Street
Boy, Tails really had a rough go of it in this game, didnt he? I think this stage does a great job capturing the on-the-run feel of the story taking place at the time, and its got one of the more underrated pieces of music in the game, but its still just not all that interesting.

15. Sky Rail
This would be the most forgettable stage in the game were it not so memorable in its forgettableness Uh, yeah, whatever. Pieces of this stage are fun, but the little bladed springs dont always work great, and its painfully short for a late-story stage, especially considering Shadow is already short on levels.

14. Egg Quarters
Almost a reskinned Death Chamber that benefits from coming earlier in the game and therefore being much smaller. Also, the security beetle thing adds a cool infiltrating spy element that suits a Rouge stage very well.

13. Pumpkin Hill
Is this a hot take? I dunno, the theme is memeable but far from my favorite Knuckles stage song, and I dont think its very enjoyable to navigate this place. I like the creepy atmosphere, but thats not enough on its own.

12. Weapons Bed
Running through this stage and mowing down all the deactivated robots will never cease to be fun. Theres nothing else all that special about it and I may have it a bit too high, but it just always puts a smile on my face. Im in a mech and I want to blow stuff up.

11. Wild Canyon
Very good introduction to hunting stages. Small and easily navigable, but with plenty of nooks and crannies to check out and not totally devoid of secrets. Its also easily the best Knuckles stage theme and Ill die on that (pumpkin) hill.

10. Dry Lagoon
Its Wild Canyon with slightly worse (though still good) music, but you get to ride on a turtle, so its better.

9. Radical Highway
Just a good all-around speed level with sleek aesthetics, a solid theme, and no oddball gimmicks getting in the way.

8. Pyramid Cave
It introduces the Bounce Bracelet, its got an awesome theme, and the hourglass sections make me wonder if Sonic as a series wouldve been better realized more as bite-sized, single-screen obstacle courses than as what it actually is. But theres a few sections that just torpedo the flow, namely the interminably long hunt for that one key.

7. Green Forest
Sonics version of Radical Highway. Just wonderful, clean speed-platforming, plus one of my favorite songs in the game. The whooshing that accompanies all the vine swinging etc. does a great job of conveying the gotta-go-fast energy, which brings me to

6. White Jungle
Its Green Forest, but better in every way. A little tighter, a little more elegant, a cooler look, definitely better music. Theres even a couple small route splits! White Jungle always sneaks up on me a bit because its not as immediately memorable as other speed levels, but its a definite Dark Story highlight.

5. Metal Harbor
Metal indeed. Just listen to those lovely guitar riffs. If I was ever in the mood to just boot up SA2 and play through a single level, for some reason or another, I think Id pick Metal Harbor. Its a breeze to blast through with all the light dashes and such, but its not so short that it feels unsatisfying, and the rocket is a fun setpiece to end on.

4. City Escape
Maybe a bit of a boring pick to have so high, but its iconic for a reason. Theres probably an argument to be made that too many good ideas were used up in the first stage of the game, but it sure made for plenty of memorable moments and a theme that everyone knows the lyrics to. City Escape captures the whole SA2 experience, I think. Its cheesy, overwrought, a little silly, and often clunky, but damned if it isnt a good time.

3. Security Hall
I feel nuts putting this top 3. It was my most hated stage as a kid. Years later, though, I can appreciate what a cool design it is. It does a great job capturing the feeling of a jewel heist, which, like with Egg Quarters, is perfect for Rouge. The time limit encourages you to really learn the ins and outs of the stage, and its small enough to make that possible. Even the music is good. I wish all the hunting stages had this much of an identity.

2. Cosmic Wall
Is this crazy, too? Maybe a little, but I dont care. Yeah, its probably a little too long and easy, but the sheer amount of blasting you get to do in this stage while your score goes up like crazy is very appealing to my neanderthal brain. Add in the gravity effects that make flying around actually fun, plus one of the best songs in the game, and youve got a stage very worthy of being Eggmans last.

1. Final Rush
Hero Story finished off with a bang. My complaint about basically every Sonic game Ive ever played, pretty much until the Boost starts showing up, is that theres way too much crap in your way. Stages are never smooth enough that you can really get going with crazy speed unless you know it super well. Final Rush isnt completely free of those sorts of obstacles - take, for a notable example, the section of small platforms with upside-down rails - but its basically as close as you get. You spend most of the level going downhill in one way or another, and most of Sonics upgrades get utilized pretty effectively. Its a very polished level in ways that so much of the rest of this game isnt, and incredibly satisfying to blast through quickly.

Game #11 Hint: It warms my heart to see a certain rodent get a taste of his own supplanting medicine.

Uhh...what? Kingdom Hearts, maybe? I don't really get that hint.

Conker's Bad Fur Day?

Gotta be Epic Mickey?

azuarc posted...

Uhh...what? Kingdom Hearts, maybe? I don't really get that hint.

Seems like you got it just fine!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/6/618606bb.jpg

Game #11 - Kingdom Hearts

Ive been having these weird thoughts lately. Like, is any of this for real or not?

Before anyone says anything about that hint, yes, I know Walt Disney didnt own the rights to Oswald the Rabbit and therefore created Mickey out of necessity to be his new signature. I just prefer Oswald and enjoy being bitter about his lack of celebration in modern Disney.

Anyway, though the tale of the infamous, literal elevator pitch that would kickstart development of Kingdom Hearts is now well known to be at least mostly apocryphal, it still boggles the mind to think that there was any set of circumstances that allowed it to exist. Even in this current era where everything crosses over with everything else, I dont believe anyone would conceive of a Final Fantasy team-up with Disney had it not already happened, let alone one that would later turn into a series which now includes time travel, clones, ancient wars, and alternate universes.

As such, the weirdest thing about this first game is how astoundingly *normal* it is. KH1s plot is that of a straightforward Heros Journey, complete with literal whale bellies and magic flights, and here in 2025, as the resulting franchise has grown into an increasingly bloated and convoluted exercise in drivel, it proves that simple (and clean) is sometimes better. The deliberate incongruity of this games world obfuscates the fact that at its storys (ugh) heart is a boy looking for his lost friends. We get precious little time with the central trio together, and in fact, its not until the KH2 endgame that theyre all in one place and all conscious again, but that time does an impressive job of creating a full picture of the depth and complexities of their friendship, both as a collective and as individual pairs. Its convincing enough to elicit investment in their eventual happy ending that carries multiple future entries.

But thats not the only departure from later games here. Look at the level design. Kingdom Hearts maximizes its space in a way that often makes worlds seem bigger than they are with its secondary focus on platforming and bevy of interactable environments, secrets around every corner for those willing to stop and smell the painted red roses. Who didnt love hunting for the Trinities and those adorable Dalmatians? Plus, every world was in some way connected to the main plot - sometimes tenuously, sure, but none of them ever felt like lazy retreads of the Disney movies that inspired them. The rest of the nuts and bolts of the game are some combination of charmingly awkward and awkwardly charming. Combat, for example, starts off slow and clunky and never entirely shrugs that off even as you gain more abilities; Im sure the feeling of progression is intentional, but the pervasive clunkiness less so. It works perfectly anyway, however, because even as Sora evolves as a Keyblade wielder and gets gradually stronger, hes still an entirely self-taught kid who learned how to fight by swinging a wooden sword at his friends.

That aside, KH1s greatest triumph is a bit more difficult to articulate despite how resonant it is. It requires a look at nostalgia, which is often a pejorative word in discussions about art. Ive never quite understood why that is. Praising a game (or movie, or whatever) for its nostalgic qualities is frequently taken to be a tacit acknowledgement that it is lacking in other value, but its not as though thats an emotion that automatically applies to any media one experiences in their youth. Its a specific kind of feeling that not every game can manage regardless of when youve played it. Many people look back fondly on their childhood, or at least pieces of it, and lament that its something that can never really be recaptured, so shouldnt we be celebrating things that get us a little closer? Thats a special kind of value that Im reluctant to dismiss out of hand, and one that Kingdom Hearts is doubly suited to provide due to the hook of once again getting to immerse yourself in the Disney movies that had already brought so much joy.

(cont'd in next post)

(cont'd)

Whats extra interesting is that the games own commentary on nostalgia is a bit more complicated. Its telling a story of great change, promoting it as a good thing, and reminding us that its not really possible to ever go back to the way life used to be once those changes start happening. This was originally intended as a standalone title, and look at where it ends. The routes linking worlds together have been severed. Riku has changed, grown, become a better person, but his development finishes with a literal closing of a door that locks him somewhere he may never be able to leave. Kairi returns to Destiny Islands on her own. Sora has accepted his role as the Keyblade wielder and is still separated from his friends. Their lives have been irreversibly altered. And yet, in the credits, we see a bunch of Disney properties again. KH constantly surrounds you with imagery from the past while also warning you against the wistful desire to return to it.

Like Disney and Final Fantasy, those ideas shouldnt fit together, but like Disney and Final Fantasy, they manage it anyway. I think the original Kingdom Hearts is promoting two things: moderation in your willingness to indulge in the past, and hope for your future. Look at the various worlds you tour over the course of the journey. Theyre entirely separate from each other, each with their own distinct set of rules and inhabitants and atmospheres, but to you and to Sora until the very end of the game, theyre just a short Gummi Ship ride away. Then look at your shelf of games and tell me if you see the same thing. Isolated, wildly unique worlds that you can spend a little time in whenever you want by just taking a disc out of its case. These worlds and these games are fleeting, finite experiences in one way or another, but that doesnt make them any less meaningful. Theyre part of the story - YOUR story - and regardless of what else is happening, you can go back to them anytime. They dont cease to exist once youve left them. They wait, and remain a part of you, until you decide to remember them, the same way that Sora and his friends are always with each other no matter where they are physically. So maybe the past is like that, too, in that you cant stay there forever, but you can visit every so often. And the future? Well, Destiny Islands may be missing two of its kids, but it did come back from its nonexistence in the first place, and Sora promised hed find his way back to Kairi eventually, somehow. Perhaps the story is asking us to simply believe that things will work out for these characters without us knowing it for sure. Theyre different people now, but that doesnt necessarily mean *everything* is different, and the end of one kind of happiness doesnt portend the death of ALL happiness.

This game is primed to get even more of a boost for me in the coming years, as the woman I married is far, far more of a Disney fan than Ive ever been, and I cant wait to see her playing through it for the first time. That collision of nostalgia between the two of us is gonna be like the Ghostbusters crossing the streams. Might create some sort of nostalgia singularity, which is okay, because nostalgia is not an emotion of painful longing for me. Its a comforting blanket, a reminder that even though its easy to become disheartened by difficulties in either my personal life or the world at large nowadays, Im never so far from the carefree days of childhood as it seems. I dont know of any game that encourages that sentiment more than this one.

The Moment: Destiny Islands
Admittedly, Im stretching the definition of the concept of a moment here, but I think its still in keeping with the sort of thing Im trying to do with these sections of the project. And again, its my project, shut up.

Anyhoo, tempting though it was to choose the final Riku fight here, given that I still have the majority of its preceding cutscene memorized due to the amount of times I had to watch it after deaths, the temptation was greater to sing the praises of the best prologue Ive ever played. That may seem like an insane claim, as I know there are plenty of people who outright hate the beginning section of KH1. But Ive never encountered another intro thats as effective as this one when it comes to teaching you pretty much everything you need to know about its game without resorting to cheap, dull, dry tutorials. Its show-dont-tell exemplified.

Of course, the true start to the game is Dive to the Heart, which is pitch perfect in its own right in plunging the player into a dreamlike realm that is disorienting and yet somehow calming in its inscrutable mystery. Here, the tutorials *are* very much explicit, teaching you the absolute basics of what you need to know for movement and combat. The events on the island proper are an inversion, overtly pounding home the friendship triangle that will come to define the games plot while subtly revealing some of the finer points of gameplay.

Speaking of inversions, Destiny Islands does something else I rarely see in JRPG prologues: it makes most of the mandatory tasks boring and all of the optional stuff fun. If youre so inclined, you can stroll through this entire world without getting into a single fight until the Heartless come calling. Just collect your mushrooms and rope and be on your merry way. Most games would make those sorts of pedestrian scavenger hunts into sidequests that may get you an extra item or piece of equipment, while including more forced battles at frequent intervals to keep players engaged and give them extra practice in combat. KH is smart, though. It knows youre going to want to beat up your friends whether youre directed to or not, so we get the reverse.

The items and provisions Kairi tasks you with finding are pretty nondescript, and you dont get an overabundance of hints for where theyre located. You have to pay attention. Youre climbing ladders and trees, pushing stuff out of the way, and searching little nooks that dont seem to have much purpose. Watch a blind playthrough sometime and theres a solid chance youll see some confused stumbling in the process of looking for the cloth on the first day. All of these abilities are used in later worlds for hidden secrets and goodies, but theyre usually not obvious, so the Islands are making sure you have some concept of how to search for opportunities to apply them as much as just showing you theyre possible. If youre especially eagle eyed, you might notice a cavern in the rear section of the island with a chest in it that you can only reach if you remember from Dive to the Heart that youre able to pick up and throw a box nearby. Nobody mentions this chest or how to get it - its all player ingenuity. And the reward is just a Protect Chain, nothing special, a piece of equipment you can get pretty much anywhere before much longer, but it gets the point across well: Be on the lookout.

Wakka, Selphie, and Teedus are strategically placed around the island on both days so that theyre near these items and other points of interest, making it a natural choice to break up the material gathering with some good ol play-violence. The former two are easy targets for the discovery of Tech Points, Wakka with his slowish lobbing attacks and Selphie with her long animations thatll probably lead you to trigger them by accident, and Tidus is there to give you a more standard contest. He and his Techs give more EXP, but theyre much tougher. He also delivers the important knowledge on Day 2 that Riku has beaten them 3-on-1, which you later get the chance to do as well to prove that you can do everything he can. The Riku fight itself is the pinnacle of this intro sequence. Not only does it play into the thematic hook of that rivalry itself, as hes relatively difficult to defeat for a first-timer, its the one thats intended to show off Revenge Values. RVs are a hidden mechanic in at least the first two mainline KH games that, long story short, determine when enemies (human bosses, most prominently) retaliate against you. DI Riku, for example, will always perform the attack where he falls on his back and kicks back to his feet after you hit him exactly four times. This is genius. It deals more damage to you than anything else in his arsenal, which makes it clear that you should learn how to avoid it, and its unmistakably a reactive move due to the fall portion, so you can instinctively clue in to the fact that youre causing this to happen somehow. If you manage to put those pieces together, congratulations. You can now win that fight consistently, but more importantly, youve got a firm foundation on which to approach that infuriating final fight against him in Hollow Bastion, because it works in almost the exact same basic way.

Its astounding how well-designed this place is. It packs in a stunning amount of info about how the rest of the game operates, distributes that info in active and enjoyable ways, and actually rewards its players in both the short and long term for taking the time to absorb it all. For those that dont, however, its no biggie, because theres very little of this that you NEED to know in order to play and finish the game. And, once you do know these things, theres never a need to relearn them, so you can go ahead and breeze through the fetch quests on all subsequent playthroughs to get to the meatier bits of the game. Its completely player directed. It takes a lot to get me to speak this glowingly about a prologue, but this is the perfect combo. Every game in the world could learn at least a little something from Destiny Islands.

All this is to say that, much like Kingdom Hearts in the macro sense, Kingdom Hearts the game was at its best at the beginning. Gotta love that kind of accidental symmetry.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/f11a1bde.jpg

The Character: Sora
"Heart or no heart, at least he still has a conscience. You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!"

I would love to visit the alternate reality in which Lion Sora with his chainsaw sword from the initial concept art ended up as the final design, or, despite my earlier gleeful mocking of the loss of his starring role, the one where Mickey Mouse was the main protagonist. Even so, I think the version we got, from the tip of his spiky anime hair on down to the soles of his hilariously massive shoes, is exactly what Kingdom Hearts needed. You can probably tell from the main writeup that, in spite of the Disney involvement being an undeniable initial draw with definite thematic parallels, I dont believe its one of the principal reasons for the games true successes. Mickey as the protagonist would have been too much Disney and led to a clouding of many of KHs best narrative qualities. Similarly, giving Sora claws and a tail (and, presumably, making the rest of the original cast more animalistic to match) would have been overdesigning that damaged relatability, even if the rest of that look was pretty close to the final product. He needed to be average, unremarkable, look like he couldve been some kid who lived down your street and used way too much styling gel.

Despite his story being a classic one, as previously discussed, Sora doesnt always embody the typical JRPG protagonist. Its most obvious on Destiny Islands, where he demonstrates a rare contentment with his life. His best friend and rival is the one with the wanderlust and desire to see more than just the quiet beaches that make up his immediate surroundings, and its the mysterious outsider girl that shows the mischievous and impulsive side. Sora is unusual in how normal he is by comparison. Hes happy to go along with the raft plan, but he doesnt expect it to amount to much and doesnt really care why theyre doing it in the first place. Its important to him only because its keeping the trio together. Its a surprisingly passive role; most characters of his archetype are reactionary to some extent or another when it comes to beginning their adventure, but few of them give off such a strong impression beforehand that they could live the rest of their life doing more or less the same thing theyre already doing and not feel like theyve missed out on anything. It therefore becomes all the more tragic when his idyll is so suddenly ripped away from him, even when he also acquires a pretty cool magic weapon in the deal.

Soras character in KH1 has a beautifully symbiotic relationship with the worldbuilding that hinges on the enigma that is the Keyblade. Destiny Islands defines the kid far more by what hes lacking than by anything he possesses, both in terms of that absence of ambition and in terms of the constant competition with Riku that is implied by both dialogue and gameplay to be heavily tilted against him. Its not immediately clear why, then, this mythical weapon that is all but directly stated to have some degree of sentience selects *him* as its wielder. We can infer some things off the bat, certainly. Riku was obviously disqualified from the instant he so willingly accepted his dark side, as its a tool of light that fights the darkness, but theres unmistakably something to Sora beyond just being the next-most convenient candidate in a world thats being swallowed up. Otherwise, there would have been a wielder long before the Islands blinked out. The more worlds you visit, and the more lore that is drip-fed to you, the more it becomes apparent that he was chosen for his kindness and uncommon ability to connect with people, or perhaps at a more granular level, because of his single-minded determination to be a protector. Everything you learn about him teaches you something about the Keyblade, and vice versa. You see it as early as Wonderland, where despite Donald and Goofys warnings of meddling, he instantly sticks his nose into Alices trial because hes completely incapable of being an onlooker when an injustice is occurring.

The link only grows from there, culminating in the events of the first Hollow Bastion visit where Riku temporarily gains control of the weapon only to quickly lose it again when Sora reaffirms his bond with and belief in his friends. Friendship is power is a theme that draws no small amount of ridicule for its prevalence in this genre, but not all of its appearances are created equal. The original KH treats it with an admirable amount of restraint, especially in comparison to what the series would eventually become, as here its mostly used as a strong reinforcement that Sora was a hero before he had the Keyblade. Not because of exceptional strength but exceptional love. We see it through Kairi, too. The beginning of the game looks to be setting up an important love triangle between the DI trio, but by the end, its evident that despite Sora and Riku competing with each other for everything, there was never any competition for Kairi. She was always Soras girl, having seen in him the same qualities that eventually allowed him to rescue her when she needed him.

It sounds a little silly to say, but I definitely had times in my life when I thought I had more to offer as a human being than what was sometimes recognized in me, and it was empowering to play as a character like Sora who has everything he needs to be extraordinary even before extraordinary things happen to him. He has to grow into his role, sure, but not because it demands attributes that he lacks; he doesnt truly change as a person throughout the game in ways that protagonists like him often do. He just continues to be what led the Keyblade to him in the first place. And I have indeed found it to be true in life that, if youre a genuinely good person, others will see it, and things will more or less work out for you.

Its regrettable that the overreliance on original characters came to be such a blight on the series when the decision to commit to an all-new protagonist for KH1 turned out to be such an inspired one that contributed so strongly to its excellence. Sora is far from the most complex main character youll ever see in a JRPG, but hes a magnificent exemplar for the themes Kingdom Hearts is built upon and an important part of why I will continue to opine that it still holds up today.

KH2 > KH1 but both are quite good

Leonhart4 posted...

KH2 > KH1 but both are quite good

I enjoy that we seem to be so consistent in terms of our slight preferences for the opposite games in these head-to-head comparisons between two great ones.

Anyway, today's bonus!

Ranking Every KH1 World

12. Atlantica
Theres no world in the original KH that I think of as actively bad to the point that I dread reaching them on my playthroughs. Atlantica is the closest, though, and there have been times that Ive skipped it entirely. I get the ideas here - leaving out the Little Mermaid from this game wouldve been absurd, and I think making it the requisite RPG water world was done about as well as possible. It introduces you to mechanics that would be reused for flying sections that come back in Neverland and End of the World, and I think there was an effort made to reinforce to players that magic was an useful combat tool by populating encounters with Heartless weak to it and making Keyblade strikes pretty clunky. But its an obnoxious world to navigate, its one of the least integral to the main plot, and the Ursula fights are probably the worst bosses in the whole game. I dont hate Atlantica, but something had to be in last place and its still the obvious choice.

11.5. Hundred Acre Wood
It qualifies as a world, Id say, but only by a pretty loose definition. I have a lot of affection for Winnie the Pooh and his friends, and the Torn Page collection gimmick that winds up giving you some really nice rewards as you complete them is a nice little piece of what makes Kingdom Hearts what it is. In the grand scheme of things, though, this is a collection of mini-games, and theyre not very fun.

11. Agrabah
Is this a hot take? I know speedrunners absolutely despise this world because of the annoying bosses (a sentiment I very much share), but is it one thats more loved among people just doing regular playthroughs? I dont know, but either way, Ive always found it a little boring and tedious, comparatively speaking. Everything in Agrabah proper is pretty fun, absent the Pot Centipede fight, and even that battle has a nice gimmick of moving between areas. I like how they played around with verticality to make the rooms feel bigger than they are, and having to run around to open up the new areas is generally enjoyable. I dont care for the Cave of Wonders, though. The upper levels are an obstacle course that are only an actual problem if, like, a Fat Bandit snipes you with a fireball from offscreen or something, and the lower levels are a confusing maze that require Abu (and therefore Aladdin) to get through. Aladdin as a property just isnt that interesting to me to begin with, though (except that Jasmine is the hottest Disney princess), so maybe thats part of my problem.

10. End of the World
It absolutely nails the aura that youd hope for out of a final JRPG dungeon, but overall, this place is kind of a mixed bag and barely avoids just being a boss rush. I love the gauntlet Heartless battle in the penultimate room before Ansem, the first two Ansem fights themselves, and the brief opportunities to peek your head in on other worlds. Everything else lands as a resounding Meh. All of the flying boss fights are lame, and its a particular pet peeve of mine when RPGs finish off with fights using vastly different mechanics than what youve been doing for almost the whole game. The only bits of exploration are in the Giant Crevasse, and thats not very interesting. Ive played many worse final dungeons than End of the World, but it is a bit of a letdown ending for a game that otherwise packs in so much creativity.

9. Halloween Town
This world has steadily fallen in my esteem in the two decades since I first played KH, because as cool as it is and as much as I like Nightmare Before Christmas, Ive come to believe it has a bit of a style over substance issue. I always look forward to it, but then I struggle to think of what specific parts of it give me that feeling. Its second only to Olympus Coliseum in terms of being divorced from the main plot, so it feels like complete filler. Jack is a fun party member but cant carry everything. The climb up Oogies Manor is a good bit of platforming, but in the event you fall off, it feels overly punishing. Both Oogie boss fights are awesome concepts, but theyre frustrating in practice, as the first one, though flavorful, is just kind of a time waster and the Manor involves a bunch of random crap flying at you from all over in an overly disruptive fashion that makes the battle tedious. Final Mix even drags the place down an extra bit because the Chimera is easily the most obnoxious special Heartless to farm. I dunno. The costume changes are cute, but they end up kind of serving as an accidental metaphor for the superfluousness of this world. I prefer the KH2 version, and its not even a huge highlight there.

8. Deep Jungle
Backtracking: The World. I realize thats not exactly a fresh opinion, but its an unavoidable detail of Deep Jungle. Its a shame, because I like a lot of other things about it. Clayton is probably the best and most memorable of the early-game bosses, the Jungle Slider is a fun minigame to return to later in playthroughs, Tarzan is a good party member with a lot of utility and the distinction of being the first guest, Waterfall Cavern makes for a striking setpiece to finish the world up, the Sabor encounters are cool, the Heartless in general are fun, its probably the first place youll run into White Mushrooms Theres quite a bit going for it. And yet its all overwhelmed by the feeling of exhaustion you get having to run back and forth to that damned Treehouse (which would otherwise be one of the better individual areas in the whole game). The vines are terrible, the surrounding areas are drab - its just not a fun place in which to go from area to area over and over, but outside of Traverse Town, its the world where you have to do that the most. Tons of potential here, but questionable progression just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

7. Monstro
Monstro always sneaks up on me. Its the opposite of Halloween Town; I never quite look forward to it when I start a new playthrough, but when I actually get there, I enjoy myself immensely. This is easily the world with the most fun platforming with some of the little tricks you can pull to reach chests even before you get the high jump, though admittedly itd be even better if the rooms didnt look so similar. At least I dont get completely lost anymore the way I did as a kid. I like the story beats that happen here as well. Not gonna call it genius, by any means, but it does an effective job of showing the rift between Sora and Riku thats developing and how the latters good intentions and insecurities are starting to lead him down a troubling path. Its got some weaknesses, like the aforementioned problem of the rooms all looking identical or the Parasite Cage representing two of the worst boss fights in the game, and like in Halloween Town its aggravating when a stray Heartless hit knocks you off a ledge and wastes a bunch of your time, but its easily the best midgame world on the whole and I love that it was included at all.

6. Olympus Coliseum
By most measures, you could call this a lame world. Three square rooms to explore, one of which is tiny and one of which youre only ever actually in when youre taking part in tournament activities. Plot-wise, Im not really sure why Hades is even here, either, because nothing in OC has anything to do with Maleficent and her cadres plans. But who cares? The tournaments and optional fights here are some of the most fun parts of the entire Kingdom Hearts series. Hades, Hercules, the ally Final Fantasy characters, and, of course, Sephiroth - hell, even Cerberus is great as a bit of a wake-up call boss on your first Coliseum trip. Just talking about this world makes me want to go and do a Hades Cup run on some random save file, and that kind of feeling deserves a high placement on this ranking all on its own even if the world itself is pretty barebones otherwise.

5. Destiny Islands
Think Ive talked about this one enough already!

4. Neverland
Neverland has a lot of the same good points going for it that Monstro does, in that its a generally fun world with some main plot intrigue peppered throughout, but with the added benefit of having great boss fights instead of the Parasite Cage. Hook in particular is one of my favorite parts of the game - its a tough fight, but it mixes in some comedy in the ability to light him on fire or knock him into the water to incite a brief moment of panic. Its also the only boss in the game to include Heartless enemies where they feel like they add something, as opposed to being either obnoxious (a la Oogies Manor) or pointless (as with Maleficent). Flight helps with that, too, because it feels great to zip around outside the ship after fighting through the claustrophobic corridors that otherwise make up the surprisingly small world. Its good level design. Phantom is a miserable optional boss, but Im not going to get too hung up on that. Excellent world that does exactly what it should do for its point in the game, and Ive always had something of an attachment to the Peter Pan mythos besides.

3. Wonderland
The wackiness of the Alice in Wonderland stories lends itself exceptionally well to KH, especially considering its the first world most players will go to after Traverse Town. While theres nothing here that I would necessarily call a puzzle in the strictest sense, you have to do plenty of exploring and find multiple unique ways to interact with the environment in Wonderland, not only just to clear it the first time but also when you come back later in the game to get some of the hidden stuff. You cant accomplish anything at all, for example, if you dont push the bed into the wall before you drink the shrinking potion. Going through different parts of the Bizarre Room with only a vague idea of what any individual action might accomplish is a wonderful marriage of Wonderlandian nonsense with general video game lever-pulling logic, and if youre clever and determined enough, you can get Blizzard a bit early, which will give you a slightly easier time fighting the Trickmaster, whos one of the best Heartless boss designs in the series. The Destiny Islands -> Traverse Town -> Wonderland progression is just a masterpiece of game design in how it prepares players for the rest of the journey, and I dont feel like this world ever quite gets enough credit for its part in that. Its theme song is also a frequent earworm for me, and I really dont know why, but thats a bonus.

2. Traverse Town
Lets start with the obvious: Traverse Town has an all-time great JRPG town theme and, factoring in nostalgia and all, one of my very favorite pieces of video game music period. Immediately puts a smile on my face anytime I hear it, no matter the context. Fitting for such an iconic location. They dont show up super often, but perpetual-night towns in JRPGs are always some of my favorite things in video games for being the peak of comfiness, and I think Traverse Town is a big part of why that affection developed. Its just such a warm place, and it really starts to feel like a comforting home after a while. None of the backtracking trips ever overstay their welcome, and theres always enough non-plot things to do there that they dont feel boring. Theres little discoveries around every corner in what feels like a microcosm of the whole game. You can check out the Synthesis shop or find new secrets as you gain abilities, and few things give me as much of a nice dopamine hit than going to check in on the Dalmatian family once they start to fill up their little home. Even the tiny Third District house that the Final Fantasy characters start to hang out in once its fixed up feels welcoming, and speaking of which, damned if that first Leon fight in the First District isnt one of the coolest moments in the game. KH2s version of Hollow Bastion tried to be the new Traverse Town and it just wasnt even close. I love this place.

1. Hollow Bastion
There was never any doubt as to which worlds Id have at numbers 1 and 2, and I dont imagine either of them is much of a surprise. Part of the reason End of the World feels so underwhelming as a final dungeon is that its immediately preceded by Hollow Bastion, which just feels so much more special from the moment you land in the Rising Falls and are confronted with the majesty ahead of you. The story comes to a peak here as Sora completes his development, Maleficent goes down, and Ansem finally gets directly involved. Progressing through the world is a lot of fun, having to essentially infiltrate through the sewers before you even get to the castle part, and theres plenty of secrets to discover all the way up. We even get some time with a unique gameplay section where the Keyblade is gone and you have to rely on magic or Beast. The non-Riku bosses arent amazing, but those two are great enough to make up for it, and Final Mix does also at least optionally add Xemnas. I love the second visit here, too, when the FF crowd and Princesses of Heart are all just kind of hanging around to help out - really feels like the universe is uniting for a big finale. Oh, and the music here is great, too. Im humming it right now and it will stick in my head for at least the rest of the day. KH1 Hollow Bastion is my favorite part of the whole series all the way around and a big reason why this game still sits atop my franchise ranking. Its just awesome.

Chao were so good, don't know why the series dropped them. At least, I'm assuming they dropped them, haven't played the series in a while. Seems like they could've just kept the skeleton and iterated on it.

A relative of mine loved animal raising/training games, and SA2 was probably her favorite. So many in-jokes. Quotes characters would say when petting the chao are still burned into our brains decades later. "Yooooooshh", "EVRYthing will be okayy!" "Now there." Also if you grabbed an egg and jumped up and down until it hatched, it'd come out with crazy spiral eyes. Might've been an SA1 thing.

Lastly, Last Chase is middling, but any level where you get to go fast can be great. For some reason I was trying to get crazy times and discovered you could launch yourself from near the start and land on the ending platform after falling for a minute. I learned where a bunch of the invisible walls were through that process. Funny what sticks with you.

Leonhart4 posted...

KH2 > KH1 but both are quite good

For me, KH1 had more of that undefinable quality/essence/pathos. But it's so hard to go back to- the actual platforming in particular is rough. KH1 sephiroth is probably still my favorite video game boss fight of all time, though

Deep Jungle is my least favorite KH1 world. Just generally annoying in a lot of little ways.

Hollow Bastion is the clear #1 of course

The best:
Hollow Bastion
100 Acre Wood

Very good:
Traverse Town
Agrabah
Atlantica

Fine:
Halloween Town (atomsphere is top tier, gameplay drags it down)
Monstro
Coliseum

Meh:
Wonderland
Neverland

Trash:
Deep Jungle

I didn't realize Deep Jungle was quite THIS hated. I agree there are lots of small problems, but I feel like they're counterbalanced by the small cool things enough to make it closer to being a middling world than a bottom-tier one. Glad we're all in agreement on Hollow Bastion, though.

banananor posted...

Chao were so good, don't know why the series dropped them. At least, I'm assuming they dropped them, haven't played the series in a while. Seems like they could've just kept the skeleton and iterated on it.

A relative of mine loved animal raising/training games, and SA2 was probably her favorite. So many in-jokes. Quotes characters would say when petting the chao are still burned into our brains decades later. "Yooooooshh", "EVRYthing will be okayy!" "Now there." Also if you grabbed an egg and jumped up and down until it hatched, it'd come out with crazy spiral eyes. Might've been an SA1 thing.

Lastly, Last Chase is middling, but any level where you get to go fast can be great. For some reason I was trying to get crazy times and discovered you could launch yourself from near the start and land on the ending platform after falling for a minute. I learned where a bunch of the invisible walls were through that process. Funny what sticks with you.

I can hear those quotes, too. Such a goofy game. I don't remember the spiral eyes, though, so that may indeed have been from the original. I did very little with the Chao in that game.

The invisible walls and kill planes in all of the space levels are wild; I'm amazed you managed to discover them like that. I've seen them in speedruns, but I always just assumed there were some extra tools used to find those originally.

I copy pasted my list from when it replayed it three years ago but yeah Deep Jungle was trash.

Hollow Bastion on top is about as cold a take as it gets.

Not the biggest Kingdom Hearts fan, but it was solid. Liked 2 a bit more but it's overall in the same camp, I think.

Traverse Town easily the best world imo.

KH is weird for me in that once I played KH2 I simply couldn't go back to KH1's gameplay.

I mean, maybe I could now with enough time from it all but KH2 just blew it away in every regard for me. (also i'm a sucker for all the nonsense in 2 as well)

KH1 Hollow Bastion best KH1 world tho, you're correct.

pyresword posted...

Not the biggest Kingdom Hearts fan, but it was solid. Liked 2 a bit more but it's overall in the same camp, I think.

Traverse Town easily the best world imo.

TT is closer to HB than I think some others are giving it credit for, if nothing else. It's almost hard to even compare them too closely because they're doing such different things contextually. Both top tier and it just comes down to what you're valuing in the discussion, I think.

Almost surprised by a "KH1 and 2 are solid" take in 2025. Feels like the whole series has become super polarized at this point with almost everyone loving it or hating it. I have to admit I'm always a little confused by the latter takes on the earlier titles, though. I think they have enough going for them in one way or another that most people would at least get to where you are.

Thorn posted...

KH is weird for me in that once I played KH2 I simply couldn't go back to KH1's gameplay.

I mean, maybe I could now with enough time from it all but KH2 just blew it away in every regard for me. (also i'm a sucker for all the nonsense in 2 as well)

KH1 Hollow Bastion best KH1 world tho, you're correct.

KH1 does so much on the fringes of its gameplay that I never had that issue. Like, yeah, KH2's combat is several orders of magnitude better than 1's; it may be my favorite combat system ever in an RPG. But the worlds feel so much emptier, side objectives are less interesting and charming, the Coliseum tournaments are way less cool... I dunno, their strengths are different enough that I've always been able to go back and forth between them with no issue.

For someone who actually likes the plot nonsense, though, I'm not shocked that the transition would be a little tougher. It's by far the biggest mark against 2 for me.

Organization XIII, Nobodies, DiZ, and Roxas are all good examples of great plot nonsense. It's part of why KH2 is the best.

And I actually don't mind KH2 streamlining the worlds that much, especially when the tradeoff is top notch presentation and style.

The games after this are mostly good but the story just stretches itself too thin with all the stuff it's trying to juggle and resolve. They do have their moments though.

Love KH1 and 2. Could do with a bit more of a nod to the music here - if anything the KH1 and KH2 OSTs might be a bit underrated outside of Simple and Clean.

3 is the only game I've ever decided to skip every scene (from a very early stage) because they were so drawn out and boring.

KH1 and KH2's OSTs are fantastic

I agree KH music is great and underappreciated. Does an awesome job of remixing Disney songs into level themes, and of creating new stuff that fits perfectly where needed. Peaks extremely high, too. I don't have a whole lot to say about it other than that, though, so that's why it got mentioned more in the ranking than in the main writeups.