The Ten Best Movie/TV NES Games (not made by Capcom)

Despite what most people think, there are a whole pile of really great movie/TV based games on the NES. Sure, the black hole created by terrible games such as Back to the Future and Total Recall is vast, but it is certainly not all consuming.

If I am making a list of the best movie/TV licensed games, why am I not including Capcom developed titles? Surely they made some of the best games of the 8-bit era, movie-based or otherwise. Therein lies the reasoning. This list inclusive of Capcom would be dominated by them. The purpose of this article is to highlight some of the lesser known franchise-licensed NES games out there, rather than list the very best overall. Capcom’s Ducktales would have been number 1 with a bullet, for the record.

10. The Goonies II (1986, Konami)

The original Goonies game was a title that was exclusively released for the Famicom in Japan for Nintendo’s home console, but we here in North America got it in the arcades as a Nintendo Vs. title. The game-only sequel to the blockbuster movie was released in both Japan and North America for the Famicom and NES respectively, and it remains a fun and highly addictive platforming game. Think of it as the halfway point between a static-screen arcade game (such as Popeye) and the full side-scrolling freedom of Super Mario Bros.

9. Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (1991, Interplay)

A port of a PC game, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is both the lone original series Star Trek game officially released for the NES, and one of the few PC style adventure games to grace the console. While Star Trek is a fairly difficult game with a steep learning curve, it is ultimately highly rewarding and the game’s emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving over action is indicative of it’s PC roots. Do not miss this one if you are a PC or adventure game fan. The transition to the NES works better than you may think.

8. Batman: The Return of the Joker (1991, Sunsoft)

After the massive success of both Tim Burton’s 1989 film and Sunsoft’s 1989 game tie-in (more on that one later), a film and video game sequel were inevitable. While the NES video game rights to the film sequel were given over to Konami resulting in an uncharacteristically weak Double Dragon clone, Sunsoft continued on with the rights to the DC comic book. The result was Batman: The Return of the Joker. Not nearly as polished as their first outing,  Return of the Joker none-the-less mixes the tight controls and steep difficulty of the game’s predecessor into a compelling and rewarding package.

7. Monster in My Pocket (1992, Konami)

Perhaps better known now for the video game than the line of toys on which it was based, Monster in My Pocket was a huge deal when I was a kid. Collecting the different monsters was a sensation in my neighbourhood for a summer, and I have fond memories of the little plastic figures. I never had a chance to play the NES game until a few months ago, and I must say I was a little let down. Perhaps I was expecting an unobtainable high, clouded by the nostalgia I held for the Monster in My Pocket toys. The game is pretty great, albeit slight repetitive, but it is better than most NES games, and for a toy-based game? It knocks it out of the park.

6. Star Wars (1987, Namco)

This one is a bit of a cheat, as was a Famicom exclusive game. Namco’s Star Wars is the game we SHOULD have got, rather than JVC’s turd fest. Due to a disagreement between Namco and Nintendo of America over the latter’s draconian licensing policies, the west was unfortunately denied a generation of console video games from Namco. This is a shame, because this Japan exclusive Star Wars game is a real mind-warp. Darth Vader at the end of the first level? Transforming into a giant crab? Light sabres on Tatooine? I am not a fan of Star Wars by any means, and even I know that’s blasphemy. The game is pretty tough, but the music is fantastic and it stands among the best side scrolling action games on the NES/Famicom. A true gem.

5. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990, Sunsoft)

This game pretty much encapsulates 1991 for me. I played this game non-stop. The game is based, of course, on the hugely popular film of the same name. Gremlins 2 was the kind of game that required you to play the stages over and over again, exploiting every trick and tactic to make it the end. The game plays as a top down view (think The Legend of Zelda with bigger sprites) platformer hybrid. You play as the loveable Mogwai Gizmo, fighting your way through the Clamp skyscraper to the building’s computer control center. One of the best things about Gremlin’s 2 The New Batch is the password system. There is a password for every stage, and they are mercifully only four capital letters long.

4. Teenage Muntant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (1990, Konami)

With TMNT II: The Arcade Game, Konami took the essence of their TMNT coin-op smash hit and shrunk it down to fit the NES’ less capable hardware. The result is a fantastic console port, and although it lacks the graphics and sound prowess of the coin-op, it included tons of enemies, a great score, and awesome between stage cut scenes. TMNT II: The Arcade Game was a flash of brilliance after the disastrous debacle that was the original Ninja Turtles game. Seriously, fuck that seaweed.

3. New Ghostbusters 2 (1990, Hal Laboratory)

New Ghostbusters 2 was the only good Ghostbusters game to be released for an 8-bit machine, console or computer. It’s a damn shame that we didn’t get it in North America due to an expired licence. New Ghostbusters 2 takes a top down view similar to The Legend of Zelda, and even lets you select any one of the four ghostbusters and even the Ghostbuster’s nerd accountant Louis Tully. The game has top notch music, a cartoony and colourful look and actually follows the plot of the movie fairly accurately. The sole reason that this game is not #2 or even #1 is because it is balls-out hard and hell. Old school hardcore gamers need only apply.

2. Bucky O’Hare (1992, Konami)

Perhaps more remembered as a NES game rather than the cartoon on which it’s based, Bucky O’Hare’s short TV run was none-the-less extremely popular, spawning comic books, action fugures, and a killer NES game from Konami. The game is a side scrolling platformer in the Mega Man vein. Like Mega Man, Bucky O’Hare’s non-linear approach, which lets you choose to complete the four planets in any order, gives the game significant replayability. Upon clearing each planet Bucky gets back a member of his team. You can switch between characters on the fly, each with their own strengths, weakness and special abilities. After clearing the planets and getting your team back together you must venture into a Dr. Wily-like final level that has some epically difficult levels. Bucky O’Hare features amazing controls, highly challenging levels, superbly level design, a kick-ass soundtrack and fantastic gameplay. If you have never played this game I suggest you correct that grievous error at the earliest opportunity.

1. Batman (1989, Sunsoft)

With Batman, Sunsoft not only crafted a brilliant movie-based game, they managed to make a impressive video game regardless of the source material. Every detail from the sprites to the backgrounds perfectly mimics the noir-art deco production design of Tim Burton’s film. The game is challenging, with fantastic level deign and inventive boss battles. The weapons, the controls, the wall jumping; it all screams polish and perfection. To top off the whole package, Batman features some of the best music written for any NES game, with a varied and expertly composed score that will get jammed in your brain for weeks after you are done playing. Over all, Batman proved that Sunsoft had the guns to turn a movie license into an innovative and spectacular video game experience.

Which Final Fantasy is Best? *Update*

It’s high time I updated one of the most scrutinized posts I have published since I started writing this blog over 4 years ago… There has been only one new release in the Final Fantasy series since the original publishing date (in the main series, that is. We don’t speak of the MMOs around these parts and spin-offs and direct sequels, ie X-2 and XIII-2 don’t count)

There has been some shuffling in the order, mainly prompted by recent changes of heart because subsequent replays and more critical thinking in general.

Anyway, there is one new game on the list (XIII) and the rest have revised descriptions. Begin!

#12 – Final Fantasy II (Famicom)

I still have this one at the bottom. It has definitely NOT improved since my original list. That being said, I gave this game a fair chance. I own it 6 times over (Famicom, WonderSwan, GBA, PlayStation, Reproduction cart, and PSP and I can say without a moments hesitation that this is the weakest entry in the series. The entire game is completely bogged down by the confusing, annoying, and punishing leveling system where by you have to exercise an attribute before you can have it bolstered. There are no levels as in a classic RPG system, where by you gain experience points and reach higher levels, instead your stats increase after each and every battle. This may sound pretty cool, and that’s exactly what I thought before I ever played the game, but the theory put into practice is a lot different, mainly because the game is incredibly difficult and having to level grind is so tedious using the game’s revamped leveling system that the first couple times I played it I got frustrated and lost interest. Overall, the game had a pretty good story and plot compared to it’s contemporaries, but there is a reason they did a major over haul of the game mechanics for part 3.

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#11 – Final Fantasy (NES)

I have to admit that putting the original Final Fantasy game this low on the list was a tough decision for me. I first played this game around the time of it’s release and I must have begged my parents for it for months. But the memories of strategizing with my friends and leading heroic charges through Warmech territory has succumbed to the simple fact that there are better Final final Fantasy games. When it comes to North American NES games, Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior 4 stand shoulder to shoulder in dominance of the console for plot, game play and graphics, but the one that started it all just isn’t as good as many of the games that followed it.

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#10 – Final Fantasy III (Famicom)

I originally had this game a lot higher on my list, and I dropped down a few notches after replaying it last year. The reason? The game is too hard. Now, I am not some wimp who only likes easy games; I love the challenge of a hard game, especially a hard RPG, but there are points in III where the difficulty grinds the pace of the game to a halt (for HOURS at a time) and it really affects the enjoyment of the ambitious story. The game is not really a good Final Fantasy game, but it is an important one. With the addition of the job system, III paved the way for the sweeping innovation that can still be seen in nearly every Final Fantasy title to follow. The job system that got it’s start in part 3, while primitive by today’s standards, created an amount of depth that at that time had not yet seen in console RPGs. In terms of series innovation, III is at the top of the list with IV and VII, and that’s where I got confused on the previous list. As a game, it doesn’t hold up quite as well and it’s best left in the past.

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#9 – Final Fantasy V (SNES)

For a long time Final Fantasy V was an elusive creature to the English speaking west. The only numbered Super Famicom Final Fantasy game to not receive a North American release at the time, many Western gamers had no idea this game even existed because of Square’s renumbering of the localized Super NES titles. Part 5 was one of the earliest rom fan translations and finally saw the light of day in North America, first in 1999 as a part of the Final Fantasy Anthology series, and then as a stand alone re-release for the Gameboy Advance. Perhaps there was method to Square’s madness; the game is without question the weakest of the Super Famicom titles and not much stands out in the game other than the job system, which is an improved variation on the Famicom release Final Fantasy III. A solid game through out, the game really suffers because of the lack of a memorable antagonist, who would all but be forgotten if not for the Dissidia spin-offs.

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#8– Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation)

Chances are VII is the first Final Fantasy game you played. In fact, part 7 was the first console RPG that millions of people played, and this plays a large part in its legendary status. You must remember that before Final Fantasy 7 came out, the console RPGs of the 16 bit era had a really tough time finding an western audience, and part 7 served as an introduction to not only the Final Fantasy series and console RPGs in general, but also to the Sony PlayStation, one of the most popular platforms in video game history. Now there is nothing wrong with this game; the addition of FMV cut scenes and the transition to 3D were truly revolutionary at the time of the game’s release, but I truly believe that if any one of the three PlayStation Final Fantasy titles were released in it’s place they would have had the same success and be held in the same bulletproof regard as Final Fantasy 7 is today.

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#7 – Final Fantasy IX (PlayStation)

If you can get past the cheesy, elfish character designs (which is my least favorite of the series), then there is a lot of good here. Part 9 was the swan song for Final Fantasy games on the PlayStation and the game was treated as a retrospective tribute to the series to that point. In fact, there were many months of doubt during the games development whether or not it would actually be titled as part 9 or be a gaiden to the Final Fantasy series. The game is littered with tons of references to earlier Final Fantasy games, especially the first title. There is an awful lot to like about this return to the roots of the series, and while the game is the highest ranked title of the series on MetaCritic, it fell sort of expectations for many fans of the series. After the drastic and revolutionary changes made to in Final Fantasy 8, it was assumed that 9 would push the envelope even further. Regardless of it’s decided lack of innovation, IX actually succeeds by hearkening back to a simpler style of RPGs that made the series famous in the first place.

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#6 – Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Upon it’s release XIII took a lot of crap for it’s linear progression and elongated combat tutorial that spans the first 25 hours of the game. What many people seem to forget is that every Final Fantasy game since VII has had the same lengthy linear introduction, but the developers of XIII just decided not to dress it up in this installment. Look at X, or XII- it’s about 15-20 before you really get any freedom to speak of in those games, much like Final Fantasy XIII. However, once Final Fantasy XIII opens up the world is enormous, absorbing, and  beautiful. The stars of XIII are the characters, and they are thoroughly developed and explored, each with their own arc, motives, and surprises. The combat system is among the best in series, with the Paradigm Shift system providing nearly limitless strategic layers to combat. The combat actually does require that you spend 20 hours mastering it’s nuances, because  every battle, even seemingly innocuous encounters with grubs, is potentially lethal and requires every bit as much strategic aforethought as any boss battle in the game. XIII is a game that asks a steep investment of time, but those who choose to surrender to the games linear structure are rewarded with a rich, satisfying experience and one of the largest post-game adventures in console RPG history. Plus the game is really hard (in a good way).

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#5 – Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

This game holds a fair bit on nostalgia for me personally as I can remember playing when I was an impressionable young nerd. The vastness of the game at that time was unreal. Playing one video game for 40 hours before you beat it? It was unheard on a Nintendo console. It is with this misty eyed wonder that I look back on this game. Great characters, plots twists and a huge world to explore. Not to mention that Final Fantasy VI boasts the greatest, most vile villain in video game history. This is the game that new Final Fantasy games are still consistently compared to and is often remembered with the same over-inflated grandeur as Final Fantasy 7. But where as part 7 is often revered as a jump to the next plateau, part 6 is seen as the end an era and the close of the golden age of console RPGs.

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#4 – Final Fantasy IV (SNES)

Easily one of the greatest RPGs made in the 16 bit era, Final Fantasy IV is, at it’s core, a story of betrayed loyalties and the bond of relationships. When moving the series to the Super Famicom Square took enormous strides in both plot and character development. The story and especially the score are among the best in the series to date and the game has seen several re-releases, including a complete 3D remake for the Nintendo DS and an enhanced port for the PSP that includes the DLC only “The After Years” epilogue story. If you have not played this game yet, then I would get the PSP remake before it goes out of print; this is a game that needs to be experienced.

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#3 – Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation)

I have no idea how this game got such a bad wrap. Maybe because Square didn’t remake Final Fantasy 7 and went in a different direction. While it’s true that much of the hate on Final Fantasy 8 comes from simply the fact that it’s not Final Fantasy 7, I can safely say that it’s completely unjustified. First off all, the graphics, both in game and cinema FMV, are among the best on the PlayStation, and the story is extremely well crafted and methodically paced. Final Fantasy 8 remains the champion of character development in the Final Fantasy series. The game features some cool elements such as switching between two different parties, one in the past and the other in the present. This opens the door for you to trigger events in the past that you can manipulate in the present. The game is truly cinematic and plays out more like a opera than a video game. Never afraid of innovating, Square completely revamped the leveling system by introducing Draw, Junction, and Guardian Forces, where by you learn abilities through your summons creatures. There was some initial backlash against this system because it was so radically different than anything else in the series, but the Draw / Junction system has ultimately proven to provide the game with a level of customization far deeper than that of the Materia system in FF7. If you have stayed away from this entry because of it’s negative stigma, then I suggest you pick yourself a copy, forget what you’ve heard, and let the exciting mission based game play, epic story, and rich characters be the judge.

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#2 – Final Fantasy X (PlayStation 2)

Games this beautiful only come a couple times a generation. This best thing about Final Fantasy X is that at it’s heart it is basically a simple love story. two people come together, over whelming odds, etc. The back drop for this epic story is that of a world in ruin struggling to be reborn. Everything about this game is nearly perfect; the graphic, pre-rendered backgrounds, the game play, even the cinema FMW are motion picture quality CGI. The battle system has once again been re-perfected in the form of the Sphere Grid, which is an ingenious way of providing the player with true computer RPG level customization. The game holds a near infinite amount of replay power when you factor in the side quests, the legendary weapons, monster hunts, and hidden Aeons to name a few. I have a file clocked at just short of 140 hours and still don’t have half of the legendary weapons or all the hidden monsters. The game is just that huge. Final Fantasy X was also the first in the series to feature voice acting. The acting has been done incredibly well, however they faced some criticism due to the fact that the character’s lip movements where not re-animated for English localization, so often the English voice actors would have to fit a sentence of dialogue into one-syllable’s worth of mouth movement. This problem has been addressed in all subsequent games in the series, however. The one thing that makes this game stand out in my memory, though, is the story. The epic love story and the tragic beauty and attention detail that comprises the world of Spira made Final Fantasy X truly worthy of the ushering in the next generation of console RPGs.

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#1 – Final Fantasy XII (PlayStation 2)

Winner of countless awards, the only Final Fantasy game granted 40/40 by prestigious Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, the cream of the crop, the best of the best. Final Fantasy XII is truly a feat. The developers managed to squeeze every last drop out of the aging PS2 and create a next generation level game on a six year old last gen console. Everything about Final Fantasy XII is first rate. Theater trained voice actors, sweeping orchestral score, a plot wrought with emotional and political intrigue. The depth of the characters, and the size the world combine to make this game on of the all time classic video games, not just of the Final Fantasy series, or of console RPGs, but of all gaming. Gone are the random battles, in their place a fully customizable battle system based on a mechanic referred to as Gambits that not only grant you complete control over every action your character makes, but also gives you total control over your entire party, even if you have them set to the games player-friendly AI. The entire world is laid out in front of you; no longer do you have to go to a map screen or world view, the transition from town to country-side to battle is 100% seamless. The attention to detail in Final Fantasy 12 is almost obsessive compulsive. It almost seems as the world around you is alive, constantly changing and evolving. The game is set in Ivalice, much just like Sqaure’s Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story, and much of the quasi-medieval setting is borrowed and recreated on a grander scale. The main quest will take bear minimum 35 hours, but are so many side quests, hunts, and hidden dungeons to explore that a complete game, if you took your time, would take in the neighborhood of 180 hours. I know, because that’s what my 100% complete Final Fantasy 12 file ended up at. The strength of Final Fantasy 12 is the games ability not just to be one of the biggest console RPGs ever made, but to fill that space with enough depth, beauty, originality and rock solid game play that you keep coming back again and again. The level of quality of Final Fantasy 12 is what makes me excited each time a new Final Fantasy game is announced- the prospect that it has the potential to be as sweeping and absorbing this.

Top Five Final Fantasy Villians

You don’t have to agree with my picks, but I will try and convince you none the less. You may notice that the list is slanted toward later games in the series somewhat. Let me answer that with a declaration; No, I am not biased towards the later games. It just seems to me that as the series progressed and as both the matter in which the stories were told and the stories themselves became more sophisticated the series produced deeper, darker, and more compelling villains.

(Note: We are talking about mostly end-bosses here, so spoilers may be abundant. Continue at your own risk.)

5. Ultimecia – Final Fantasy VIII

One of the more tragic of the Final Fantasy antagonists, Ultimecia is a powerful sorceress whose end goal is to compress all of time itself into a single moment and thus gain all of the knowledge and power in the history of the universe, however, ultimately destroying the world in the process. Ultimecia is actually from the distant future of the time period in which the game takes place. Using a device called the Junction Machine Ellone, Ultimecia is able to send her consciousness back through time where she possesses a sorceress named Edea. While inhabiting Edea, Ultimecia gains political power and influence which she intends to use to execute her plot. Ultimately, she is stuck in a time loop where her defeat is somewhat of a self fulfilling prophecy. She is aware that she will be defeated by a member of SeeD, referred to as the “Legendary SeeD”, and it is your job as Squall Leonhart, the SeeD in question, to make sure sure that the time loop continues by preventing Ultimecia from compressing time. Ultimecia’s actions are fueled by the fact that future generations know of Ultimecia’s possession of Edea, and therefore are aware of her ultimately unsuccessful attempt to destroy the world. The persecution and hatred she faces because of her past actions actually drive her to send her consciousness back through time, thus repeating the process in an infinite loop where she can never win and never back down. Yeah, I know. My brain hurts, too.

4. Warmech – Final Fantasy I

Warmech may not be the most legendary of all villains, but this hulking mechanoid killing machine is forever ingrained into the memory of anyone who has played the original Final Fantasy game and had the unfortunate luck of running into this bastard. I know for sure one of my readers, fellow Final Fantasy aficionado, cousin, and good friend Neil knows the diagram of pain the Warmech has caused. We grew up playing the original Final Fantasy game together, and we would both fall victim to Warmech more than once. Warmech has no discernible back story or motivation. Much like most enemies in classic RPGs, it’s just there. But, that’s just the thing… the Warmech isn’t always there. You run into this son of a bitch in the long, menacing hallway in the space node above the Mirage Tower,  just before you face off against the final of the four Fiends, Tiamat. I have no scientific proof to back me up, but I would conservatively estimate that you only run into Warmech on a 15% chance encounter, maybe less. It seems that every time I attempt to seek it out I can never encounter it. But I remember every time I tried to go into that last tower a little to early, every time I held off on healing my party until just before the fight with Tiamat- BAM! Warmech would show up and ruin everything. Warmech is easily the hardest enemy in the game other than the final boss, Chaos. It dwarfs all four fiends in it’s ability to lay even a well prepared party led by an experienced player to waste. Think of Warmech as the Ruby, Emerald, or Omega weapon of the original game.

3. Sin – Final Fantasy X

Sin, the generations-old destroyer of Spira, is truly a larger than life villain. From it`s first attack on Zanarkand in the game’s opening (which is one of the best CG sequences in a PS2 game) to your journey inside of it’s shell for the final showdown, Sin is an awe-inspiring creation. For a 1000 years Sin periodically haunted Spira, causing massive destruction and death on a titanic scale. It is the predestined task of the Summoner to travel through Spira with a group of Guardians, visiting each of the world’s temples in order to gain the power of the fayth. These fayth sacrifice themselves to form power beings known as Aeons. Once sufficiently powered up with Aeons. the Summoner must enter into a final battle with Sin and sacrifice their life, their Aeons, and the life of their most trusted Guardian to invoke the Final Summon- thereby defeating Sin. However, even after the Final Summon is unleashed, Sin never truly dies. Instead he disappears for a varying length of time- these months or years Spira’s inhabitants refer to as The Calm. These calms never last, however, and the terrifying destruction of Sin is a constant threat to the world of Spira. The origin of Sin’s regenerative abilities are later revealed to be due, in part, to the Final Summon itself. Sin takes the energy expelled by the Summoners final sacrificial act and uses the summoners soul to power the next incarnation of Sin. The only way to break the cycle is to find a way to defeat Sin once and for all without the Final Summon, thereby preventing a future incarnation of the legendary destroyer.

2. Sephiroth – Final Fantasy VII

Probably the most popular and beloved villain in the long, storied history of the Final Fantasy series, Sephiroth had a lot to live up to. With the massive jump from 16-bits to Sony’s powerful PlayStation hardware, character designer Tetsuya Nomura and illustrator Yoshitaka Amano had a very important task when creating Sephiroth… long gone where the limited color pallets of the Super Nintendo and the PlayStation offered a vehicle to deliver a level of detail never before seen in console gaming. Much attention was paid to sculpting Sephiroth as the polar opposite to Final Fantasy VII’s antagonist Cloud Strife. Sephiroth’s backstory and motivation in VII was written as dark and brooding as his design. Created as the result of biological experiments with an alien life-form known as Jenova, Sephiroth was bred to be the ultimate killing machine. As a member of the elite army know as SOLDIER, Sephiroth’s past was hidden from him by the controlling corporate entity Shinra. During a routine mission to Nibelheim Sephiroth’s discovers the nature of his past and the experiments that birthed him. He burns down the entire village, blinded by anger and insanity and vows to take revenge on Shinra and humanity as a whole. He plans to do this by summoning a powerful spell called Meteor, which which he plans to literally crack open the planet and access the life stream within, so he can become all powerful while at the same time obliterating the world and it’s inhabitants.

1. Kefka – Final Fantasy VI

Final Fantasy 6 may not be the greatest game in the series, but 6’s main antagonist can be classified as perhaps the most vile villain in the series’ history, if not in the history of all video games. His actions alone do not merit his place atop this list, although plotting to destroy the world and actually succeeding in doing so definitely does not hurt. He belongs here more because of the sheer depth of his insanity and complete and total absence of anything resembling human emotion or empathy. While other entries on this list and every other antagonist the Final Fantasy series has a purpose for their wrath, Kefka Palazzo has none. No revenge vows, no rebellion, no motivation in the classical sense. When you first meet Kefka he is the court mage to Emperor Gestahl- a kind of laughable, goofy clown-like character in full Jester’s dress. However, behind the Emperor’s back Kefka is using his appointment to attack and invade towns, siphoning off power from the Espers he captures before they are sent to the Imperial’s research facilities.  Once he is sufficiently powerful, Kefka triggers a sequence of events where he actually causes the Apocalypse. Using the Magicite farmed from Espers Kefka becomes the God of Magic. To my knowledge Kefka is the only villain in RPG history to actually succeed in destroying the world during the course of the game. In the wasteland that remains he constructs an enormous tower, the Tower of Kefka, and continues to unleash his profane cruelty upon the world’s survivors. The one defining trait of Kefka that seals his place on this list? You hear it many times through-out the game, but most telling of his madness is just after Kefka destroys a planet and kills millions upon millions of people, he lets out that chilling peel of clown-like laughter that I can still hear echo in my mind as I type.

Five Completely Rad Capcom Games

Oh, Capcom. You have been so good to us over the years. Most recently with Mega Man 9 and Bionic Commando Rearmed. Unlike some developers (AH-HEM-Rare-COUGH) you never forgot your roots and frequently reward long time fans with remakes, sequels, and assorted rad shwag.

Capcom has made so many great games over the last couple decades that I found it nearly impossible to make a Top 5 list. Instead I just picked five of my favorites from console generations of old. Let it wash over you…

5. The Punisher – Sega Genesis, Released June, 1994

There is no doubt in my mind that Final Fight is one deadly game. But how to make it better? How about this; instead of having your protagonist’s daughter get kidnapped, how about the bad guys just fucking kill her. Hell, throw his wife on the murder train, while your at it. Thus is the motivation of Marvel’s skull encrusted avenger. You play as Frank Castle, AKA The Punisher. In 2 player co-op, your partnered with the cigarette-chomping cyclops-looking sociopath Nick Fury. No need to over think this one. It’s a Final Fight clone. With guns. It’s fucking awesome.

Top Five Final Fantasy Spin-offs

I already covered the main Final Fantasy series in my list of the Top Ten Final Fantasy Games, but I thought I’d shed some light on a few on the epic rpg juggernaut’s spin-off titles. Nothing newer than PS2 here, and I am a confirmed hater of Final Fantasy 11, so with that in mind here we go.

#5 – Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

A worthy successor to the unbelievable PlayStation original, Final Fantasy Tactics come in at number five on my list. This style of strategy RPG was born to be portable (see the PS1 original’s re-release for the PSP). Granted, they stripped some of the depth out of the character customization and neutered the mature storyline of the original, but with Yasumi Matsun0 (the so called father of Ivalice) producing there was no way this game could miss the mark by too much, and it didn’t. Following in it’s predecessors footsteps, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a massive and life consuming strategy role playing game that plays nearly identical to the original, but also managed to spice up the formula by adding the Judges/Laws system and other features such as the ability to link with a friend via the GBA link cable. These additions made the game seem like more of the sequel is was meant to be and less the under-powered port many feared.

#4 – Sword of Mana

Final Fantasy Spin-off you say? You bet! Follow me down the rabbit hole, here; In 1991 square released a game called Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden for the original Gameboy. By the time that the title hit our shores it had been retitled Final Fantasy Adventure. The game was essentially an action RPG spin-off of the Final Fantasy series. The game played alot more like The Legend of Zelda than any other JRPG of the time. The game spawned a sequel, entitled Seiken Densetsu 2 for teh Super Famicom. By the time the sequel was released the association with the Final Fantasy series was dropped, and the game continued on with the action RPG style game play from the first game. You and I know Seiken Densetsu 2 as the seminal SNES classic Secret of Mana. Final Fantasy Adventure was later remade as Sword of Mana for Gameboy Advance. I actually prefer the original Gameboy title over the GBA remake, but I am embarrassed to say that I don’t currently own the Gameboy version, as I lost my copy when I was a kid. I should get on that…

The Ten Best Konami Games

The two things that have kept Konami on the forefront of video game publishers and developers are consistency and longevity. Going all the way back to the heyday of arcades, Konami has time and time again managed to put out fun, engaging games that challenge conventions and set new standards for excellence. There is hardly a video game fan out there who doesn’t have a fond memory of playing through at least one of Konami’s hundreds of games, no matter what generation they started playing games in. Publishers and/or developers of well over 400 titles for 23 consoles since 1978, Konami has without a doubt carved out it’s place in video game history. But what are the best games Konami has ever made?

This list encompasses titles released up-to-and-including the fifth generation, so nothing released since 2000 counts.

#10 – Blades of Steel (NES)
Released December 1987

The definitive Nintendo Entertainment System hockey game, and also one of the earliest. Blades of Steel was a marvel of technology for its time. The game featured “voice” acting (who can forget the tin-soaked “Blades of Steel!” at the title screen?), fighting, penalty shots, shoot outs, 8 selectable teams, and a mini game between periods that allowed you to play a simplified version of Konami’s Gradius. I can recall many feverish battles that took place in the basement as a kid with my brother and I (and a lot of the time our dad) fighting for Blades of Steel bragging rights.

#9 – Contra: Hard Corps (Genesis)
Released September 14th ,1994

Contra made it’s jump to Sega’s 16-bit wonder Genesis with this addition to the Contra run and gun family. While not quite on par with other Genesis gunning classics such as Gunstar Heroes, Contra Hard Corps none the less featured graphics that were truly revolutionary for it’s day, and when I went back to play this title for this article, this 14 year old game still managed to impress me all over again. The game is very boss battle heavy, and has some of the cleverest bosses created for a 2D platformer. Be forewarned, however, as Hard Corps is a stunningly difficult game, and North American game is missing the extra lives input code that is present in the Japanese Mega Drive version of the game.

The Ten Best Super Nintendo RPGs

The Super Nintendo was without a doubt the pinnacle of the golden age of the console RPG. There were classic console role playing games for earlier systems such as the first four Dragon Warrior (Quest) games and Final Fantasy for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Phantasy Star, Golden Axe Warrior, and Miracle Warriors for the Sega Master System, and during the same 16-bit era Sega’s Genesis had such gems as Phantasy Star 2-4 and the Shining series, but not other console up to that point had the sheer bulk of console RPGs that the SNES had to offer. Many of the Super NES games made in the 16-bit era still rate highly on lists of not only the greatest RPGs ever made, but the greatest games made, period.

Sadly, due to the expense and difficulties involved in the localization of the text-heavy RPG genre, North American gamers never got the chance to play some the best games released for Nintendo’s highly regarded 16-bit system. Titles such as Star Ocean, Bahamut Lagoon, Tales of Phantasia, Dragon Warrior V, Front Mission, Final Fantasy V, and Seiken Denstesu 3 are all revered in import / ROM translation communities as some of the best games ever created for any system.

Us english speaking folk on the other side of the ocean didn’t exactly get the shaft, however. There were a plethora of amazing titles released for the Super NES in North America. Here are the ten best:

#10 – Lufia & the Fortress of Doom

Released in December 1993, Lufia & the Fortress of Doom was the first in the highly underrated Lufia series. The game is standard RPG fair, with an emphasis on puzzle heavy game play. I won’t lie to you, this is a pretty tough game. Many of environmental puzzles have the tendency to make you pull your hair out, especially if you were a kid playing it before every game had a stradegy guide and before GameFAQs.com. The game revolves around the unnamed hero’s battle against a demonic god-like race called the Sinistrals and there campaign to enslave the earth. An interesting side note, the game was originally planned to be ported to The Sega MegaDrive / Genesis but Taito abandoned the project early in the games development.

#9 – Illusion of Gaia

Released on New Years Day 1994, Illusion of Gaia is at it’s best a twist on the tried and true RPG conventions up that point. The game features only one playable character at a time, no weapons or armor, the inability to re-explore past areas of the game (as all previous areas become unreachable after the game’s story progresses) and a character advancement system that has you collecting gems and allocating them to three unique attributes; attack, defense, and health. The game’s setting is also a departure from most RPGs formula, in that it takes place in a alternate version of modern times and features such real world locations as the Great Wall of China and the Tower of Bable. These elements, when put together, create a game that is different than what you are used to to, and I mean that in a good way.

Which Final Fantasy is the best?

View the updated list that includes Final Fantasy XIII here! 

Here’s something I have wanted to do for a while now. I am a huge Final Fantasy fan, and I have played every game in the series with an open mind and a clean slate. I have my own favorite game (Final Fantasy Tactics, incase you are wondering) but I am always careful to judge each new game on it’s own merits, instead of comparing it to past games. Sure, comparisons are inevitable, but with each game being so different and requiring so much devotion and commitment, sometimes its hard not to judge games in the Final Fantasy series based on past successes and failures. Now, for the sake of argument, I am going to include all 11 numbered Final Fantasy games, not including any spin offs or part 11 because it is an MMORPG, and should have never been titled Final Fantasy 11 in the first place. Seriously, what was Square thinking? I will be listing them from worst to best, #11 to #1. And having a game rank low on the list does not mean it is a bad game, because surely any one of the 11 games in the Final Fantasy series have more quality content than 90% of video games ever made. That being said, the countdown begins with…

#11 – Final Fantasy II (Famicom)

Now, I gave this game a fair chance. I own it 6 times over (Famicom, WonderSwan, GBA, PlayStation, Reproduction cart, and PSP, and I don’t even own a PlayStation Portable) and I can say without a moments hesitation that this is the weakest entry in the series thus far. The entire game is completely bogged down by the confusing, annoying, and punishing leveling system where by you have to exercise an attribute before you can have it bolstered. There are no levels as in a classic RPG system, where by you gain experience points and reach higher levels, instead your stats increase after each and every battle. This may sound pretty cool, and that’s exactly what I thought before I ever played the game, but the theory put into practice is a lot different, mainly because the game is incredibly difficult and having to level grind is so tedious using the game’s revamped leveling system that the first couple times I played it I got frustrated and lost interest. Overall, the game had a pretty good story and plot compared to it’s contemporaries, but there is a reason they did a major over haul of the game mechanics for part 3.

#10 – Final Fantasy V (SNES)

For a long time Final Fantasy V was an elusive creature to the English speaking west. The only numbered Super Famicom Final Fantasy game to not receive a North American release at the time, many Western gamers had no idea this game even existed because of Square’s renumbering of the localized Super NES titles. Part 5 was one of the earliest rom fan translations and finally saw the light of day in North America, first in 1999 as a part of the Final Fantasy Anthology series, and then as a stand alone re-release for the Gameboy Advance. Perhaps there was method to Square’s madness; the game is without question the weakest of the Super Famicom titles and not much stands out in the game other than the job system, which is an improved variation on the Famicom release Final Fantasy III.

The Four Greatest Video Game Villains

The greatness of a video game can be defined by the caliber of it’s antagonist. The more vile and horrible the villain, the more heroic and great the heroes deeds appear in retrospect. Video games, console role playing games in particular, have given us some of the most memorable villains in history. The deeds of many video game bad guys rival both the scope and enduring legacy of anything from film or literature.

Donkey Kong – Donkey Kong

Many people fail to remember (or realize) that the bandana-wearing California-cool DK of Donkey Kong Country fame began his existence as a broad stealing, barrel throwing sonafabitch. When the Donkey Kong arcade was released in the early 80’s DK became famous for driving throngs of quarter popping zombies insane with his persistent habit of throwing barrels that inexplicably change patterns, speeds, and crashed into oil drums creating fireballs. Nearly thirty years and piles of video games later, Donkey Kong has transformed from a mindless monster to a big teddy bear who has traded his obsession with female flesh for a more appropriate love for bananas. At least we’ll always have MAME…

Bowser /King Koopa – Mario series

Bowser / King Koopa has the dubious distinction of appearing on both the greatest villains list and the most persistent villains list. No other video game baddie in history has had more cracks at a hero than poor old bowser. He has been Mario’s nemesis at every activity from tennis to cart racing, and he just can’t seem to get ahead. Making his first appearance in Super Mario Bros. at the end of world 8-4, he has developed and fairly unhealthy obsession with Princess Toodstool (or as you kids that know Mario with an Italian accent call her, Princess Peach). Nearly every single Mario outing begins with Bowser kidnapping the Princess for one reason or another. But where a normal lizagator dragon-king would just call it a day and retire, Bowser keeps getting right back on that horse. And for that reason, plus the fact that he has become some-what of a cultural icon, Bowser deserves a spot on the list.

Psycho Mantis – Metal Gear Solid

Another thing that makes a villain truly legendary is a great back story. Psycho Mantis has such a back story. Born with the gifts of telekinesis and telepathy, as a child he used these gifts to ascertain that his father blamed him for the death of his mother, who died during childbirth. He also believed that his father was going to kill him, so in a preemptive strike he murdered his father and burned down his entire village. You can see now that ‘Psycho Mantis’ is no just a cool sounding name, but also has a certain ring of truth to it. Clad in Marilyn Manson-esque body suit and totally bad ass gas mask, when you encounter him in Metal Gear Solid he demonstrates his psychic and telekinetic abilities by telling you what Konami games are on your memory card and messing with the screen and your the dual shock’s rumble feature. This neat little mechanic blew my, and pretty much everybody who played the game’s, minds and forever engraved Psycho Mantis in to our collective memory.

Kefka – Final Fantasy VI (III)

The Final Fantasy series has garnered an impressive list of villains, many of which can be argued onto this list. From Chaos, Sin, Sephiroth, Warmech, to Omege, Ruby, and Emerald Weapon, the series is a fountain of villainous debauchery. But one enemy truly stands out among Final Fantasy’s vast gallery of rogues, and that villain of villains is Kefka. A misanthropic psychopath, Kefka is revealed to be Emperor Gestahl’s court mage who was patient zero in Cid’s line of Magitek infusion experiements. These experiments result in Kefka developing powerful magic skills, but as is a common effect in stories of this nature, he also ends up hopelessly insane. He begins a quest to search out all of the Espers, ancheint magical beings who’s powers can be transfered to humans in the form of magicite. Using his ‘Light of Judgement’ he lays towns to waste, killing millions of people. Many of the worlds remaining inhabitants form the Cult of Kefka, who worship the deranged demigod that Kefka has become. Fueled only by his hatred of life itself, he reveals himself to be a nihilist out to destroy the human species, his only motive his burning hatred and unparelled disgust for everything that exists.

The 5 best CyberPunk video games, Part 2/2

Welcome back for the Top 3 games on our list of the best Cyberpunk themed video games. These are the cream of the crop and should be found, and played immediately. In fact, don’t even read this; go and buy these games. And for those of you who have already played them, here they are:

#3 – ShadowRun

Platform: Genesis
Developer: BlueSky Software / FASA
Release Date: 1994

Based on a series of pen-and-paper role playing games from the 80’s, Shadowrun for the Sega Genesis is actually the second game to take place in the Shadowrun universe. The first, also titled Shadowrun for the Super Nintendo was released a year earlier. The Sega Genesis Shadowrun is not a direct sequel, and is in fact universally regarded as the superior game due to it non-linear sand box style of game play. You are trying to track down clues to solve your brothers murder. You arrive in the outskirts of Seattle with no money, and only the address of the hotel your brother was staying at before his death, From there, it’s up to you how you want to play the game. You can contract yourself out and take part in shadowruns, which can be anything from escorting a business man down the street, to computer hacking and corporate espionage. This is an excellent game, but have no illusions; it is very hard.

#2 – Final Fantasy 7

Platform: Playstation
Developer: SquareSoft
Release Date: September 7th, 1997

At the heart of the much beloved seventh entry in the Final Fantasy series, it is the story of the Shinra Electric Power Company and the lengths they will go to to control not only the world’s electricity, but by extension, the world itself. You play primarily as Cloud, an outcast with what can be described as ‘skeletons’ in his closet. This game has all the hallmarks of a cyberpunk story; fantastic technology, a ruthless and faceless corporation, the outcast rising above to become a hero, piles of tragedy, a villainous nemesis. As an example of cyberpunk, this game stands out for the sheer size of it’s epic and genre defining muscle. However, Final Fantasy 7’s legacy as the greatest Final Fantasy game is not entirely justified, especially considering that previous entires such as 3 and 6, and later entires such as 8, 10, and 12 that ultimately out preform 7 in plot and game play. Much of Final Fantasy 7’s legendary status can be attributed to romanticism and fond memories of a game that introduced new generation to a fledgling genre.

#1 – Snacther

Platform: SegaCD
Developer: Konami
Release Date: December 15th, 1994

Hideo Kojima struck first on this list, and he gets all the glory with his point-and-click noir classic, Snatcher. Released in 1994 for Sega’s struggling Sega CD Genesis add-on, the game was released in small numbers (my research has revealed estimates that range from 3000 to 10,000, although none of it can be accurately substanciated) and failed to find a broad audience. The game’s limited release as well as it’s status as one of the greatest stories told in a video game has propelled to Snatcher to be one of the most sought after games for a Sega system. A complete copy of the game frequently fetches between $150 and $300 on Ebay and has been consistently praised for it’s mature themes and riveting plot. Retrowaretv.com‘s John D. put together a spectacular video on Snatcher, which I must admit proved to be the stimulus that encouraged me to finally get a complete copy of my own. The video was included in Retroware TV’s debut episode, and you can see it here.

The game follows an amnestia plagued man named Gillian Seed as he takes on his first case as a JUNKER ( Japanese Undercover Neuro Kinetic Elimination Ranger), an organization whose goal is to hunt and destroy SNATCHERS, a class of cybernetic organism that can imitate human beings. You follow Gillian through the gritty underworld of Neo-Kobe, Japan, part of an area devastated by a biological disaster years earlier. You are accompanied by Metal Gear, a small robot who assists you in your investigation and it is your job to solve the mystery of the SNATCHER epidemic as well as put together the enigma of your own past.

The game was marketed as a Cyberpunk Adventure and it’s dedication is even written for those involved in Cyberpunk culture. If you are the least bit interested in Cyberpunk fiction or culture, this game is a must, as it completely embodies the themes, paranoia, and bleak darkness that is Cyberpunk.