Giles

A Monster Hunter hunter is my guess and entry. Multiple weapon choices would be best, but my cynical concern is they'll add yet another fighting horn character to the roster.

I hope it plays like F-Zero GX.

1. Super Mario 3 (1990 North America release) 2. Earthbound 3. Wipeout XL 4. Metal Slug 5. Castlevania SOTN 6. Resident Evil 7. Final Fantasy III 8. Virtua Fighter 3 9. Super Mario World 10. Mario 64 11. Zelda: A Link to the Past 12. Time Crisis 13. Wipeout 14. Chrono Trigger 15. Daytona USA 2

Because of this topic, I finally bought and played my first FromSoft game, jumping right into the deepest end with Sekiro. Buyer aware, I’m grateful to play past the tutorial and to see how far I can go. No regrets.

My personal mantra when feeling overly critical is to focus on gratitude and being in the moment, but in regards to a hobby so closely linked to escapism, maybe that's not a good fit. The first cut is the deepest ... We all witnessed the heady creation of videogames as the premiere "art" of the epoch. Games developed at mach speed, going from the first Mario Kart to F-Zero GX in 11 years! Like Botticelli to Raphael, it's a period that can't be replicated. Back to my earlier point, to me it looks like the most creative and imaginative types are drawn to make games, not books or movies. Interesting that most geniuses of early Japanese game design like Miyamoto grew up wanting to be manga artists, and then they in turn changed the world and what inspires kids. I spend more time reading this forum than playing games, but watching my 7 year old play Paper Mario: Origami King has been a wonder, as they've been enthralled adventuring and puzzle solving through a world of the imagination. A couple years ago I was resigned to never feel that way about a game again, although, Divinity: Original Sin 2 is an impossibly great game. Sharp writing and a good amount of strategy in the turn-based battles. Recommended. "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." TLDR: Drunk.

F355 Challenge The game is the license.

I think it comes down to horses for courses, but that's just me, and round and round we go. No surprise the chat is circling, as it touches upon one of the most ancient unsolvable philosophical questions — form vs. matter/content. Games are, more or less, foremost form. Without rules checkers would just be clutter, not a game. Strip down the settler or farming themes from board games and they play just as well. The challenge is the game. The point is the rule-set. Could a rubix cube have an easy mode? And of course there are exceptions. RPGs. There content/matter is king. Maybe with rpg's form is the chronology of the story, and imo, should be respected. Here's an example: In 2002 at a party someone recommended I watch the ending of Earthbound. I hadn't played the game at that point. The next day, hung-over I dutifully kept my word and watched a video of the ending. It was weird, but that's it, and was forgotten soon after. Jump ahead to 2015, where I played the entire game on the wiiU, and only then, in context, could I finally experience the ending as a transcendent artwork, all the while sobbing uncontrollably. I can see both sides. As a child I rented a Game Genie and used it to beat Bionic Commando, thereby seeing Hitler's exploding head. It was cool and I wouldn't have seen it otherwise. I rented it again, this time at a friend's house to beat the NES Ninja Gaidens. As we progressed my friend's older brother watched disapprovingly. He eventually chimed in and said we was cheatin' and he didn't see the point in living a lie. That day my friend and I had fun, but after cheat-coding our way to "victory", Ninja Gaiden II lost its appeal. Back then the older brother/Jimmie Cricket seemed a sourpuss buzz kill; my how time changes things. I quit DK Tropical Freeze because of the b.s. monkey shadow bosses. I quit Luigi's Mansion 3 because of an unfair boss at the tv station. I'm cool with that. Maybe I'll go back, maybe not. Putting a book down to start another is a joy. TLDR: I dunno. Cheat codes. Save Wizard. Authenticity. **EDIT: Unfinished games reside in the heart … "It would not be better for men if they got what they want." — Heraclitus

For some games content exists to test mastery. I couldn't unlock the most advanced Super Monkey Ball extra stages, though that doesn't bother me. Those stages are designed to challenge players far more able than me. It's still my favorite game.

Sega. This whole thread reads as a panegyric to the loss of a creative giant.

It's a good question and I doubt if even Nintendo know exactly how it happened. I think in part it has something to do with the magic of intention. Nintendo always wanted their games to hold value just like all the best toys -- Thomas trains, Monopoly, Legos. Whereas an entertaiment company seeks the most eyes, Nintendo is happy currating and growing a toy catalog.

I admire Zok's passionate appreciation of Cyberpunk. Enthusiasm, as the Ancient Greeks understood, is the breath of the Gods. I also admire Tim's videos. And it was such an appreciation that drove me to Tim's Discord server, which in turn, sadly brought me down to game forum infidelity. While here I silently lurk, there amongst Tim's groupie dweebs, I was outspoken and confident. I thought fans of Tim's verbose pretensions would welcome my own, but alas, it never works that way. Things soured and it ended. The falling out happened over Cyberpunk 2077. Outside of this thread, the game isn't seen so favorably. Over there it was wall-to-wall complaining, fault finding, and nitpicking. The final straw was when that Noah Caldwell-Gervais video was posted as a great assessment. I ranted. They mocked me. All in all, it's unbelievably embarrassing.

I remember renting Blackthorne a couple times and for various reasons wasn't able to play it as much as I wanted. And since the kids have been playing and enjoying Huntdown, I think there's a good chance they'll like Blackthorne, too. I'm extra grateful for all the Huntdown recommendations. Thank you.

Bowser's Fury is like the ultimate DLC. Beyond just an open world try, it's more a shadow world, a carefullly crafted inverse of 3D World. It takes the same elements, play-fully rearranges everyhing, which proves game-changing. In the original Greek sense of the word as an overturning, Bowser's Fury is truly cat-aclysmic.

Best platformer since Rayman 2 and Mirror's Edge.