Jump to content

16 bit and earlier games that would have scored 10/10

Ketchup

By Ketchup,
in Retro & Arcade Gaming

 Share

Recommended Posts

Ketchup

Ketchup

Posted
Posted

Zelda OoT was the first game to get an Edge Famitsu 10 (well 40/40), Mario 64 was the first Edge 10. But surely there must be games before this that would have earnt a perfect score. What game(s) do you think would have done that in the previous generations? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Droo

Droo

Posted
Posted

I’d say super mario bros. 1 on the NES is a master class in game design.

 

it’s still completely playable today and I’m more likely to play it than Mario 3 or Mario world.  They are arguably better, but the sheer simplicity of design of the original is amazing  

5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Popular Post
Anne Summers

Anne Summers

Posted
  • Popular Post
Posted

Dungeon Master. It's just so far ahead of its time. Real time lighting, physics engine, awesomely flexible spellcasting and levelling up mechanics that piss all over what other CRPGs were doing at the time. 

 

Monkey Island 1. Amazing cinematic storyline that basically brings Lucasfilm quality storytelling and production values to adventure games for the first time. While also being miles ahead of the competition (impossible to die or get stuck in a dead end) in terms of gameplay mechanics. Basically redefined player expectations of adventure games and pretty much all storytelling in games.  

16
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wiper

Wiper

Posted
Posted

I can think of a few unmentioned games that absolutely would have deserved it (bar the truly obvious early progenitors; e.g. Pong, Space Invaders, Pitfall!, Breakout, Blockade, Pac-Man, Asteroids, Defender, Colossal Cave Adventure all surely are natural choices):

  • Lords of Midnight — an epic, first-person, strategy/adventure/role-playing game. The CRPG, if CRPGs had taken as their influence the narrative flow and range of Lord of the Rings rather than the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons. Remains conceptually one of the most exciting games I know.
  • Mercenary — Bethesda's Starfield, 1985 edition. Somehow, its sparse writing will still be better than the reams of lore Starfield will inevitably spew at you.
  • Lemmings. I probably don't need to go into why Rockstar North's greatest legacy deserves to be here.
  • Dune II. I mean, it probably wouldn't have gotten one given Edge's general lack of interest in strategy games, but it's the game which really coalesced the form of the real time strategy game, with its combination of resource management, base building and army recruiting, dealing with waves of enemies as you built up your unstoppable force. And also realised the importance of presentation (and voice barks).

 

17 hours ago, Anne Summers said:

Monkey Island 1. Amazing cinematic storyline that basically brings Lucasfilm quality storytelling and production values to adventure games for the first time. While also being miles ahead of the competition (impossible to die or get stuck in a dead end) in terms of gameplay mechanics. Basically redefined player expectations of adventure games and pretty much all storytelling in games.  

 

Time to beat on my drum, but I always feel a little bad for Loom here, which did a lot of the above eight months before Secret. Obviously it's not a perfect game (though a lot of the criticism it faced at the time is much less of an issue when returning to it — the main thing it suffered for is being very easy by the standards of the day, and very short, which given its price tag was seen as damning; these days that primarily marks it as approachable), and Secret deserves its plaudits. But taken on its own merits Loom is a gorgeous, well-written adventure and represents Lucasarts' first venture into the game-over-free, cinematic adventure game.

 

It is of course dramatic and eerie rather than Secret's comedic and, well, also somewhat eerie atmosphere, and ultimately it's Secret's injection of comedy and panache that make it the more important, 10/10 release; but Loom deserves recognition for taking the first steps towards its level of polish and approachability. That, and for being one of the best looking EGA games of all time.

 

(sadly the CD-ROM remake is dramatically inferior, cutting dialogue and ruining the game's aesthetic in order to be able to market itself as a full talkie, VGA remaster. Worse, that's the only version now available to buy, which doesn't exactly serve the game's memory well)

8
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dumpster

dumpster

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, Ketchup said:

Zelda OoT was the first game to get an Edge 10, as well as a perfect score in Famitsu. But surely there must be games before this that would have earnt a perfect score. What game(s) do you think would have done that in the previous generations?

I think Gran Turismo and Super Mario 64 were both 10s before Zelda. Just to be pedantic...

 

Edge retrospectively gave out some 10/10s in their retro spin off issues.  Google says 

Elite (1984)

Exile (1988)

Super Mario Bros. (1985)

GoldenEye 007 (1997)

Advance Wars (2001)

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Drop7 (2009)

Red Dead Redemption (2010)

Super Street Fighter IV (2010)

Dark Souls (2011)

 

 

5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dudley

Dudley

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, dumpster said:

I think Gran Turismo and Super Mario 64 were both 10s before Zelda. Just to be pedantic...

 

Edge retrospectively gave out some 10/10s in their retro spin off issues.  Google says 

Elite (1984)

Exile (1988)

Super Mario Bros. (1985)

GoldenEye 007 (1997)

Advance Wars (2001)

Resident Evil 4 (2005)

Drop7 (2009)

Red Dead Redemption (2010)

Super Street Fighter IV (2010)

Dark Souls (2011)

 

 

 

And this is interesting because it kinda shows the problem here, an "Edge 10" back then would have been the initial review rather than a hindsight one.

 

Most of those are classics, but would they have been recognised as such in an initial review.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
mwaawm

mwaawm

Posted
Posted

Contenders for a 10/10 score aside from those already mentioned in the thread for me would be:

 

Civilisation 

Populous / Populous 2

Gauntlet 2

Dynablaster/Bomberman

Volfied

Supersprint

Outzone (arcade, never converted to other formats)

Renegade (cpc)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rex Grossman

Rex Grossman

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, Down by Law said:

Streets of Rage 2 surely a deserved 10. Nearly three decades old and still an absolute blast to pay, perfect 30 minute slice of gaming. The best arcade game that never was ! 

 

But in what way was it revolutionary? It was great but it was only sequel to a Final Fight knock off.

3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rex Grossman

Rex Grossman

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, dumpster said:

I think Gran Turismo and Super Mario 64 were both 10s before Zelda. Just to be pedantic...

 

Edge retrospectively gave out some 10/10s in their retro spin off issues.  Google says 

Elite (1984)

Exile (1988)

Super Mario Bros. (1985)

 

 

My issue with this at the time was how can the 1980s have produced so few formative, revolutionary experiences?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Rex Grossman

Rex Grossman

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Down by Law said:

Yeah, but i'm arguing that it should have. Isn't that the point of this thread?

 

You can claim it's not revolutionary enough but if edge think RDR deserves a 10 when it's GTA IV in a cowboy skin than anything's fair game IMO

 

And I'm saying an Edge 10 doesn't mean something is a classic (SOR2 is that) but that it has to be at least seen to be doing something different. I personally think RDR is one of the most atmospheric gaming experiences ever created. Worthy of 10? I don't know. But I can see why Edge gave it a 10.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Use of this website is subject to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Guidelines.

  I accept