#chase koeneke

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke's Top 25 Game Boy & Game Boy Color Games

The final part in GOTG's GB & GBC Top 25 coverage, make sure you check out my good friend Giggy's list, as well as the shared list we made together on the most recent episode of the podcast.

While the NES was my very first brush with video games, it wasn’t until the Game Boy that I truly fell in love with gaming. For a kid who got taken on a lot of long car trips, it was a godsend (both to me, but probably even more so to my parents, who could drive in relative peace). I dumped hundreds of hours into many of these games, and some of them continue to rank within my all-time favorites. 

25. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

24. Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble

23. Pokemon Pinball

22. Tiny Toons Adventures: Babs’ Big Break

21. Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel)

20. Shantae

19. Harvest Moon 3 GBC

18. Balloon Kid

17. Mario’s Picross

16. Mole Mania

15. Mega Man V

14. Super Mario Land

13. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

12. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages

11. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX

10. Mario Tennis

I’m not usually a big sports game guy. I find the ways devs abstract a sport through mechanics interesting, but often, their efforts fall short. I’d prefer to just hitting the batting cages than play Game Boy Baseball, y’know? But that’s not the case with Mario Tennis. Camelot aced this one, with simple, responsive controls that offered hidden depth in its strategic play. And the light RPG elements let you shape your character to better fit your play style (then import that character into the N64 incarnation!)

9. Warlocked

I didn’t grow up with a PC, so the real-time strategy genre was always something of a mystery to me. Warlocked was the first RTS I ever got my hands on, and while I can’t say it’s a particularly glowing example of the genre, the fact it even works on a Game Boy Color is astonishing to me. I ran the wheels off this game, playing through both its campaigns and collecting all the colorful wizard characters (Sweatwiz for life!) 

8. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons

Zelda continues to not be my thing, but the Oracle games are generally my favorites of the entire franchise (which feels wrong since they’re made by Capcom). Of the pair, I prefer Seasons’ mechanics. Plus, I really love exploring Subrosia — a volcanic land sitting right below the overworld — and interacting with its Jawa-looking residents. Most people are going to prefer Link’s Awakening, and that’s fine, but for my money, Oracle of Season is the way to go.

7. Donkey Kong ’94

It’s unfair how good this game is. The movement tech Mario can achieve is unreal, and it forever changed the way we think about Mario’s moveset. If you’ve ever enjoyed the triple jumps of Super Mario 64 or the cap throwing and diving of Mario Odyssey, you have DK ’94 to thank for inspiring it all. This game takes the original arcade game, and expands it into one of the greatest puzzle-platformers of all time. 

6. Tetris

It’s Tetris. I mean, what else needs to be said? Later versions have added slight tweaks to the formula in the form of T-spins or holding pieces that make them arguably better, but whenever I want to play some Tetris, this is always the one I reach for. 

5. Kirby’s Dream Land 2

Creator Masahiro Sakurai has said the original Kirby’s Dream Land is all about introducing people to what a platform game is. Dream Land 2, in my opinion, is about introducing you to what they can be. The copy abilities brought in from Kirby’s Adventure are expanded threefold with the addition of Kirby’s animal companions, and the music from the battle with King Dedede still bangs. This will forever be my favorite Kirby game.

4. Mario Golf

I gushed about Mario Tennis above, but it can feel repetitive at times as you play set after set on nearly-identical courts. Mario Golf brings in everything good about Tennis (the RPG elements, character importing, great controls) and applies it to a sport that naturally has a little more variety through its courses, challenging you to approach them in different ways. Pick up both if you can, but if you only have room for one, Golf is the way to go. 

3. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal

The second generation of Pokemon games add so much to the series, both from a mechanical perspective with new types, held items, additional HM moves, breeding and more. But maybe more importantly, Gold, Silver and Crystal surprise and delight in a way that make you feel like you’re in a living and breathing world. It can be annoying for those going back to the games now, but having a real-time day and night cycle affecting the Pokemon you could catch felt revolutionary. And weekly events like the bug-catching contest or a Lapras that only appeared on certain days made you want to explore (and re-explore) every area in the game. Last, but certainly not least, going back to Kanto in the postgame continues to be one of the coolest surprises a game can throw at you.

2. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow

…But even if all of the above is true, it’s not the original. Red, Blue and Yellow, while often a broken, buggy mess, got so much right on their first try. I think a lot of it is the sense of ownership I got through playing. When you pick up a Mario or a Zelda game, you’re playing as those characters, escaping into their shoes. With Pokemon, those were my shoes, and the creatures beside me were ones I raised and trained. It was all my adventure. And that made it all the more special. 

1. Pokemon Trading Card Game

There’s something about card games though. All my Pokemon card friends just wanted to collect them, to keep them in binders and show them off. I always wanted to play the actual game, but would never have anyone to play against. That is, until this came out. Now I had a bevy of computer opponents to face off with, and every win would grant me the dopamine rush of ripping open virtual card packs to further enhance my decks. Even if the card game its based on is a little unbalanced, it’s still one of my favorite games ever, and my favorite Game Boy title of all-time.

#chase koeneke #game boy #game boy color #nintendo

[raeonthearoace]

[gamersonthego]

Gamers On The Go's Top 25 Game Boy & Game Boy Color Games

On the off chance you don't have 2.5 hours to listen to a podcast where Chase Koeneke and Matt "Giggysan" Giguere debate and deliberate over our shared GOTG list of the best Game Boy and Game Boy Color games of all time, here's the ordered list of 25 we came up with.

Same criteria we used in previous lists:

One game per series (only one Super Mario Land

No ports (so something like Dragon Warrior III didn't count)

Total remakes were allowed (is DK'94 a remake? Who knows?)

Only official North American releases

Look for Chase and Matt's personal lists later this week.

25. The Game Boy Camera

24. Metroid II: Return of Samus

23. Metal Gear Solid (Ghost Babel)

22. Mario's Picross

21. Mole Mania

20. Pokemon Pinball

19. Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble

18. DuckTales (Giggy assures me it has different levels from the NES)

17. Mega Man V

16. Kwirk

15. Shantae

14. The Final Fantasy Legend

13. Mario Tennis

12. Warlocked

11. Final Fantasy Adventure

10. Wario Land 3

9. Gargoyle's Quest

8. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

7. Kirby's Dream Land 2

6. Mario Golf

5. Pokemon Trading Card Game

4. Donkey Kong '94

3. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX

2. Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow

Tetris

And be sure to check out our lists for the Top 25 GBA games, Top 25 DS games and Top 25 3DS games.

#gb #gbc #game boy #nintendo

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke's Top 25 GBA Games

There’s an argument to be made that the Game Boy Advance is where handheld gaming peaked. Its successor, the DS, represented a massive shift, with its two screens, accelerometer and touch capabilities. In contrast, the GBA is simple and pure. It’s a Game Boy, just…well, advanced. And the games also had a simple purity to them, pushing pixels and innovation within the games themselves, not relying on hardware gimmicks to keep players’ attention. Don’t get me wrong: I love the DS (read my top 25 games for it for proof), but the GBA’s library represents, in many ways, the pinnacle of what handheld gaming should be. And this list will show you why.

1. Golden Sun

I love Golden Sun for so many reasons: It’s memorable cast, strong music, gorgeous locations and challenging puzzles. But it’s the game’s variety in combat that has cemented it as my favorite GBA game ever. Golden Sun is a JRPG, and it most games of the genre, you tend to have attacks with weapons and attacks with magic (and potentially a special skill or two). Golden Sun gives you so much more. Your most basic weapon attacks have a chance to “let out a howl,” creating secondary effects, often with incredible animations. Your magic is customizable and ever-changing. And the game adds a new system of collectible djinn that lead to devastating and jaw-dropping summons. It’s the most complete JRPG combat I’ve ever experienced.

2. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

It wasn’t until Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DS that I really fell in love with the franchise, but coming back to the GBA games, I see the roots that make these games so special to me. Sacred Stones has a colorful and varied cast, and you’ll quickly find favorites within your army. It’s one of the easiest entries in the series (you could pretty much solo the game with one, particular unit,) but in my eyes, that makes it a perfect starting point to learn what makes Fire Emblem amazing.

3. Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen

I grew up with Red and Blue, so the idea of coming back to Kanto — now with a fresh coat of paint and updated mechanics — sounded like a dream come true. And you know what? It absolutely was. As much as I still love the originals, these games are just better, and are probably the best Pokemon games I’ve ever played.

4. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

Before I even knew what Fire Emblem was, I have loved Advance Wars. Its vibrant graphics and sharp strategy mechanics make it one of the best the GBA has to offer. And while the first game is great (check a few spots down below to see), the second game just gives you more to love with new units and a new characters to deal with.

5. WarioWare Twisted!

I know I talked about GBA games not needing hardware gimmicks, but Twisted is the exception. The second game in the WarioWare franchise, Twisted’s built-into-the-cart accelerometer gameplay is fast, responsive, clever and most of all, zany as hell.

6. Fire Emblem

The first game of the series we got in the West, Fire Emblem 7 is another great entry point. It’s so quintessentially Fire Emblem, that it’s almost a little bland for how vanilla it feels these days. But that’s only because of how much other games in the series have used it as a foundational text, a testament to everything it gets right.

7. Golden Sun: The Lost Age

The second half of the Golden Sun story, The Lost Age gives you a new crew and has you seeing a new perspective during the events of the first game before meeting up and combining forces with the original party to finish the fight. It’s not as endearing as the first title, and by the end, you might even feel overwhelmed with how many options you have, but at its core, it still has that Golden Sun magic, and that’s more than good enough for me.

8. Advance Wars

Not much more to say about Advance Wars I haven’t already covered when I wrote about its sequel. It’s still great. And you really can’t go wrong with either game.

9. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2

This might be the most impressive achievement on the GBA. THPS2 adapts the cutting edge and frenetic gameplay of the Tony Hawk games on a portable platform, and does so without really losing anything. Outside of an isometric camera perspective, it’s hard to see where compromises were made. It’s an amazing game, one made even more amazing when you realize this was a launch title for the system!

10. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

It’s saying something when one of my least favorite generations of Pokemon is still cracking my top 10. I dislike R/S/E for its reliance on pacing-killing water sections, but it brings the goods when it comes to new mechanics and new monsters and a better story than any Pokemon game that had come before.

11. Kirby: Nightmare In Dream Land

12. Final Fantasy V Advance

13. Super Mario Advance 1-4

14. Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga

15. Rock N’ Roll Racing

16. The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past and Four Swords

17. Mario Golf: Advance Tour

18. Sonic Advance 2

19. DK: King of Swing

20. Mega Man Battle Network

21. Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade

22. Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo

23. Super Dodge Ball Advance

24. Mario Vs. Donkey Kong

25. Metal Slug Advance

#chase koeneke #gba #game boy advance #nintendo

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 25 DS Games

The DS was a fascinating system. It was the first salvo in Nintendo’s pivot to more innovative and oddball gaming, priming an audience for the Wii console that was about to come. It was easy to laugh at this thing. How the hell were you supposed to pay attention to two screens at once? And yet, developers found interesting new ways of using the dual screens to create a slate of awesome and original titles. I haven’t played every DS game. Hell, I haven’t even played all the ones I’ve wanted to (like The World Ends With You or Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story), but here is a list of my 25 favorite DS games. If you don’t see one of your favorites listed, let me know. I could always use another game to add to my never-ending backlog. 1. Advance Wars: Dual Strike 

I may be president of the Fire Emblem fan club these days, but back in the DS era, it was all Advance Wars, all the time. And Dual Strike represented the peak of the series, even if it may have gotten a little too complex for its own good. The dual front mechanics and new units types felt mostly superfluous, but the online play is what made this game truly special in its day. It’d be great to see Intelligent Systems come back to this series one day. 

2. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies

I love to tinker. I love to grind. I love job systems with lots of unique skills. Dragon Quest IX has all that and much more. While some may not enjoy the blank slate party you’re given, I loved building a completely customized team. The main campaign is extremely meaty (HowLongToBeat clocks it in at 48.5 hours), but the amount of endgame content is truly staggering. With proto-StreetPass and SpotPass functionality, the game felt truly limitless (for comparison, HowLongToBeat says a “completionist” playthrough balloons up to 752 hours!)

3. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver

Nostalgia keeps the original Red & Blue as my favorites of the series, but if I’m being honest with myself, these are the best Pokemon games ever made. These remakes smoothed out the few rough edges from Johto and added in the modern functionality from Diamond & Pearl (like the Global Trade System). This double-long Pokemon adventure is one of the best, with expressive new sprite work and a remastered soundtrack.

4. Monster Tale

Don’t be discouraged if you’ve never heard of Monster Tale. No one has. It came out late in the DS lifecycle (like, five days before the 3DS launched), so it very quickly was buried in the mix. And that’s a shame because it’s one of the best DS games ever made. Developed by the makers of Henry Hatsworth (#19 on my list), Monster Tale makes great use of the two-screen concept, having a Metroidvania brawler on the top screen and a virtual pet simulator on the bottom. The two games worked in tandem as your pet could come up to the top screen to help solve puzzles or battle enemies. An excellent aesthetic and tight controls make this one of the best games you’ve never played.

5. Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

Speaking of games you’ve never played, what is a licensed anime game doing in my top five? It’s here because it’s actually a really great RPG. You get access to a large cast of unique characters and arrange them on a 3x4 grid for surprisingly tactical combat. You may rub a hole into your DS’ bottom screen with the game’s poor special attack quick-time events, but if you can get past that, it’s a real gem. I wrote more on this series back in an old GOTG SP if you like what you’ve heard.  

6. Mario Kart DS

This is the best Mario Kart game, don’t let anyone tell you different. No silly gimmicks like two people on a cart or motorcycles or anti-gravity: Just good, tight racing action. A bevy of great new courses (like the incomparable Tick-Tock Clock) and retro tracks (Moo Moo Farm, Choco Mountain, Donut Plains 1) complete the package. There are plenty of other good Mario games, but this one’s the best.

7. Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Look, I’d be lying if I said this game was as good as the ones on the Game Boy Advance, but I love Golden Sun with all my heart and this entry does have some cool ideas. Lots of cool characters, some amazing summons and a very useful encyclopedia that can be accessed within the natural dialogue of the story: There’s good stuff here. The graphics may not be great and the game may be too easy, but I enjoyed my time with it, even if I was mostly reminiscing about the GBA games.

8. Final Fantasy III

I’ve mentioned it on a number of shows and in some of these GOTG posts, but I just don’t enjoy Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle (ATB) system. I like my RPGs strictly turn-based. And Final Fantasy III is that. While not the strongest game in the series by any stretch, it does have a fairly robust job system that I appreciate, and the updated 3D graphics were great for the time (and led to a beautiful, yet too difficult version of Final Fantasy IV not much later).

9. Picross 3D

I love Picross. I’ve written about it here before. But Picross 3D changed the game, literally. That extra dimension made for much more interesting puzzle mechanics as you strategically chipped away blocks to reveal the figure within. So charming, so fun and occasionally, so challenging. I’m glad a 3DS sequel was eventually made, but this original is still the one to play.

10. Meteos

My very first DS game, Meteos immediately showed me how the DS era was going to be different, both in design and input. In this puzzle game, you’d need to skillfully use the touchscreen to line up blocks and bury your opponents while monitoring their progress on the top screen. Each planet you played on had a particular quirk to it, keeping things fresh as you matched and rocketed your way to victory. Extremely fun and a sign of the innovation to come.

11. Animal Crossing: Wild World

12. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl

13. Chrono Trigger

14. Metroid Prime Hunters

15. Retro Game Challenge

16. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

17. Pokemon Conquest

18. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

19. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure

20. New Super Mario Bros.

21. Pokemon Black/White

22. Space Invaders Extreme

23. Advance Wars Days of Ruin

24. Kirby: Canvas Curse

25. WarioWare D.I.Y.

#chase koeneke #DS #nintendo

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 25 3DS Games

The fun thing about doing lists for the best handheld games each year since 2013 is that you can compare your opinions then to what they are now and see what holds up. Some things have decidedly shifted over time. For example, Monster Hunter Stories has dulled a bit since I named it my 2017 game of the year, whereas repeated playthroughs of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia have given me new appreciation for this entry in one of my favorite series. Even more interesting: 2013 claims three of my top five 3DS game slots. Hell of a year. Read on for all 25 of my favorite games for one of my favorite systems ever.

1. Fire Emblem Awakening

Hardcore Fire Emblem fans tend to dislike Awakening for becoming too casual and too broken, but those are the things I kind of appreciate about the game. Permadeath has always been my biggest gripe about Fire Emblem (well, ok, it’s actually the limited weapon uses, but permadeath is a close second,) so it was great to see Intelligent Systems create an option to never lose characters independent of the difficulty. Awakening has a really fun and varied cast, some strong music and an incredible array of customization to turn your units into literal killing machines. I put over 500 hours into Awakening in 2013 alone and I’m still thinking about it to this day.

2. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Echoes is right up there too. In a number of ways, I even prefer it to Awakening. From my Best of 2017 list:

Whereas Awakening and Fates are built from a rich history of mechanics from past Fire Emblem games, Echoes is almost experimental by comparison.

This remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden is such an interesting mix of new, old and old made new. A gorgeous artstyle, doing away with the weapon triangle, magic costing health, dungeons to explore, full voice acting and a split story that is one of the more compelling tales in the series. It’s held back by some outdated and boring map design, but Echoes does so much more right than it does wrong and it’s my favorite game in the series to go back to.

3. SteamWorld Heist

From 2015:

It scratches all my itches: Tactical combat, party customization, loot, and then wraps them up in this fun and friendly 2D world.

All still true, but the thing I forgot to mention is what makes SteamWorld Heist so unique: It’s aiming. When you attack in other tactical franchises, your hits are either guaranteed or there are dice rolls to determine whether or not your attack lands. But in Heist, your weapons have a slight sway, requiring skill and timing to hit your shots. It’s a very inventive approach that brings finesse to a genre that’s normally pre-determined. Image & Form made something special here, and while the Dig games are great, I’m hoping that more Heist is on its way.

4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

One of my big video game shames is that I’ve never finished A Link to the Past, despite numerous attempts. I always get lost somewhere in the middle and become frustrated in having this big world to explore, but still feeling like I’m locked out from experiencing most of it. A Link Between Worlds alleviates this problem by letting you rent equipment, making more of the map accessible at any one time and allowing you to tackle dungeons in the order you prefer. For my money, it’s the best Zelda game of all time.

5. Pokemon X/Y

Despite playing and enjoying every Pokemon game since X & Y, I think this was the last generation I truly loved. The first mainline Pokemon games to move into the third dimension, X & Y’s new coat of paint truly felt fresh, despite hewing pretty closely to the tried and true Pokemon formula. And though it started a disappointing trend of gimmick features in each new generation, X & Y’s Mega Evolution was a real game changer that made it exciting to go back to old favorite monsters and see how they changed. Combine that with a fun array of new Pokemon (and a new type) and you’ve got the best modern Pokemon game around.

6. Bravely Default

7. Dragon Ball Fusions

8. Fire Emblem Fates

9. Monster Hunter Stories

10. Super Mario 3D Land

11. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

12. Bravely Second

13. Mario Kart 7

14. Pushmo

15. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

16. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

17. Kirby: Planet Robobot

18. BOXBOY!

19. SteamWorld Dig

20. Picross 3D Round 2

21. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

22. Fantasy Life

23. Mario Golf: World Tour

24. Shovel Knight

25. Paper Mario: Sticker Star

#chase koeneke #3DS #nintendo

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 10 Handheld Games of 2019

With the Switch in full gear and the debut of Apple Arcade, 2019 was another solid year for handheld games. Sequels to many of my favorite games were plentiful, but very few absolutely blew me away. And a few games I really loved (Slay The Spire, Return Of The Obra Dinn, Super Mega Baseball 2) were handheld ports of previous games I didn’t feel super great about adding to my list. So instead, I left this final year of the decade feeling content, and that’s perfectly OK too. So here are 10 games I liked this year, even if I didn’t love them.

10. Tetris 99 (Switch)

I love pretty much all iterations of Tetris. From the iconic Game Boy release I would play in the car, to the Facebook-based Tetris Friends that kept me company through many boring lectures in college, to last year’s gorgeous and powerful Tetris Effect, Tetris is A-OK with me.

Battle royale games on the other hand? Not so much. Despite enjoying shooters in general, I’ve yet to play a single match of PUBG, Fortnite or Apex Legends, and I’m not itching to change that anytime soon. But I found the mechanics of the battle royale genre to translate rather brilliantly to Tetris. It’s a thin experience (even with the expansions made to the game), but it’s an addictive one. And the fact I never quite crested the mountaintop – even if I did get a second place finish to video game Santa himself, Wario64 – is one of my biggest 2019 gaming regrets.

9. Mini Motorways (Apple Arcade)

Dinosaur Polo Club’s previous game, Mini Metro, made my top games of 2016 list, so it’s not surprising to see their latest game show up on this year’s list. What is a little surprising is how much of what could be said about Mini Metro can be echoed here on Mini Motorways. From my 2016 write-up:

Mini Metro wins my heart for its amazing ability to be serenely relaxing and nail-bitingly stressful simultaneously. Watching the train cars move back and forth around the sharp, minimalistic map brings a calming sense of satisfaction, but when the ever-growing amount of train stations hits critical mass, there were few experiences more harrowing this year. The basic strategy is smart and layered, preferring to let you experiment rather than tutorializing you to death up front.

You could remove the word “train” and get yourself a pretty accurate Mini Motorways review. But unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. While I love a lot of what’s new in Mini Motorways – being able to create partial roads to better plan out cities from the start, colorful and sprightly graphics – the strategy and variety on display here actually pales to the previous game. One Mini Motorways upgrade, the traffic light, doesn’t even seem to function correctly. And the fun modifiers in Mini Metro’s different locations like Tokyo’s shinkasen are nowhere to be found here. Every city has a body of water to deal with, it’s just that some are slightly more of a pain than others. That’s not variety.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Mini Motorways and have put a lot of time into it. It’s my #9 after all. But if I had to pick just one to take up space on my phone, Mini Metro is getting that spot every time.

8. Risk Of Rain 2 (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

The first Risk of Rain also appeared on my games of 2016 list, and like Mini Motorways, the sequel is good, just not quite as good…and also feels a bit unfinished. But unlike Mini Motorways, Risk of Rain 2 made a bold change, ditching the two-dimensional world and sprite-based graphics for 3D polygons.

Bringing the z-axis to the tried and true roguelike mechanics of the original Risk of Rain makes for a new experience, for better and worse.

The worlds of RoR2 are bigger and more awe-inspiring. The 3D nature makes some classes and items feel more viable (like the melee Mercenary class) and it’s much easier to dodge incoming enemy attacks.

But the shift in perspective is anything but perfect. Just as enemies miss you more, so too will you often miss your own targets. The camera is both too close and yet also too far away, depending on the situation. The levels, after your inspired awe has left you, are barren, and the main objective of hunting for a teleporter to take you to the next area can be a frustrating venture as they are much more easily camouflaged in the polygonal zones.

It’s also just…not done. As of this writing, there’s no final boss fight, just a shrine that lets you sacrifice yourself to say you’ve “won.” There are missing classes on the menu and the artifact modifiers tab says “coming soon.” Last time I checked, the Switch was not an early access machine, and the fact that this version also gets a “Switch tax” makes it go down even more bitterly.

So why would a deeply flawed game like this make my list? Because the core loop of Risk of Rain is still better than most experiences out there. Stacking power-ups to near omnipotence is a blast, and running around with a friend or three in co-op is more fun than ever. Risk of Rain 2 may eventually become a great game someday, but for now, it’s a good game. And despite its issues, it’s still good enough for me.

7. Baba Is You (Switch, PC)

Sokoban meets coding logic; Baba Is You layers these puzzling elements to create something that feels familiar, yet fresh. It’s a simple concept: You push physical words around the self-contained areas to manipulate the level’s rules and collect a flag…or a different win condition if you’re clever enough.

Take the screenshot above for instance. “Baba is You” means you control Baba. “Flag is Win” means you need to touch the flag to win. But say you push the words “is Win” to vertically align with “Baba.” Now Baba is both you, the player and also the win condition, so you can forget the flag. You win automatically!

The puzzles continue in that fashion, ramping up the challenge very quickly (or maybe I’m just not very good at it.) I’m nowhere near mastering it, but for its highly inventive mix of environmental and logic problems, I’ve got an incredible amount of respect for it.

6. Assemble With Care (Apple Arcade)

I’m kind of down on Apple Arcade as a concept (I’d rather just pay for the few games I want and be done with it), but if games like Assemble With Care keep coming out, I might have to soften my stance. Assemble sees you repairing broken objects like rotary phones, cassette players and watches by using the touchscreen to pull objects apart, replace their busted components and piece them back together. It’s wonderfully serene: There’s no time limit, no logic-defying puzzle box qualities, no Operation-style buzzer if and when you make a mistake. It’s just nice.

A lesser game would leave it at that, but Assemble goes a step further, wrapping the repair mechanics with a short, satisfying story with solid writing and voice acting. It’s this year’s Florence, and while it may not be as impactful as that game, it’s a must play for anyone with an Apple Arcade subscription (or a good reason to burn your free trial if you’re not a subscriber).

5. Untitled Goose Game (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

Like Assemble With Care, Untitled Goose Game does not hang its hat so much on its mechanics as what it chooses to do with them. There are no fail conditions to Goose Game and what challenge it holds is relatively minimal. But it’s a true sandbox game in that it’s loaded the small town you inhabit with lots of little things to play with and discover. It’s Grand Theft Auto, except they’ve replaced carjacking and shooting with taking an old man’s stool or honking at a kid until he hides inside a phone booth. You’re an asshole, you’re just not a malicious asshole.

A list of tasks helps to keep you focused, but it’s more of a nudge in the right direction so you can discover something else to mess with or people to bother. And once the game is “over,” you get a new, more inventive list of tasks, all with the benefit of the entire sandbox available to you. It might not be the most complex game, but when it comes to the enjoyment of play, it’s one of the best this year.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Switch)

I’m well known for my aversion to finishing Zelda games. I’ve played almost all of them and have finished exactly two of them (Oracle of Seasons and A Link Between Worlds, probably not the two you’d expect). And despite enjoying it, even the original Link’s Awakening eluded me, so seeing it get an overhaul in the form of a Switch version excited me. Not only was this a second chance for me to play a classic, but it was also another opportunity for the world to see how great handheld games have always been.

Outside of the really well done tilt-shifted graphics, the remake is mostly made up of small quality of life improvements. The overworld isn’t as rigidly screen-based anymore, allowing the player a little more finesse in dealing with enemies. Some equipment, that on the original Game Boy version must be switched in and out ad nauseam, now has dedicated buttons on the controller (never again must you be without your sword). All these decisions allow for the charm of the design to shine through even easier than its original version.

Would it be nice if the frame rate were more consistent? Sure. Is the Chamber Dungeon a completely extraneous and half-baked idea? Totally. Does it tarnish the fun that’s there to be had here? Not in the slightest.

I’m proud to say Link’s Awakening has joined the pantheon of Zelda games I’ve actually finished. Now maybe someday I’ll finish that “Link to the Past” that everyone keeps talking about…

3. Super Robot Wars T (Switch, PS4)

Super Robot Wars X made my list last year despite me having only played the PS4 version. So it feels a little more legitimate to have played the Switch version of Super Robot Wars T this year. It’s still not available in the US (you have to import a copy of the Asia version that comes with English subtitles,) and it’s still an extremely flawed game with its repetitive and uninspired level design and overly complicated systems, but man, I love this bad game so much.

I love tinkering in T’s dense mechanics, upgrading my anime mechs for perfect turn-based strategy synergy. I love jumping through hoops to find the right way to recruit new units. And I still love the over the top battle animations – seriously, if you’re bitching about Pokemon’s weak animations, the video above will show you Super Robot Wars has your back.

Plus they’ve added Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop this time around, so there’s at least one recognizable character from a non-Gundam anime you’ve probably seen in here. That’s…progress.

Look, this game probably isn’t for you, but it is totally for me. And Christmas came early this year in that Super Robot Wars V (which came before last year’s X – the naming conventions are not here to make sense) got ported to the Switch, and last year’s Super Robot Wars X will get ported soon too. That’s a lot of anime turn-based strategy to play, and I couldn’t be happier.

2. Pokemon Sword/Shield (Switch)

After much Internet handwringing from an extremely vocal minority, the new Pokemon games came out. And, what do you know, they’re good. Really good. They continue the slow evolution (I’m so sorry) of the franchise with small quality of life enhancements, a few new features and a little trimming of the vestiges. I appreciate the renewed focus on gyms and gym leaders and the single connected world, even if it basically two circles with a straight bit in the middle.

The new Pokemon are…fine. Very few that I detest, but also very few that I’d be willing to write home about. The new Max Raid Battles are generally pretty cool, but they all take advantage of the gimmick I’m least thrilled about: Dynamaxing. Making a Pokemon bigger for three turns is not all that compelling to me. And the Gigantamax variants with their special appearances are neat, but it’s basically just a worse form of Mega Evolution.  

So yeah, it’s a good entry in the series. And a good Pokemon game is pretty hard to top in my book.

1. Fire Emblem Three Houses (Switch)

Hard to top, that is, unless you’re Fire Emblem. But despite being a new game in my favorite franchise, I was actually dreading Three Houses. The pre-release coverage did not leave me optimistic. Old features I hated were making a comeback (cough, weapon durability, cough). The art style couldn’t hold a candle to the jaw-droppingly gorgeous previous entry, Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia. And whether Intelligent Systems was admitting it or not, there was a strong Persona-fication at play here (don’t get me wrong, I love Persona, but if you’re going to get your Persona chocolate in my Fire Emblem peanut butter, I’d rather you just make a sequel to Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.)

So the hopes, they were not high. But Three Houses exceeded my expectations with a cast of characters I really grew to love. My loveable loser Golden Deer crew went from zeroes to heroes, and the ability to recruit students from other classes meant I got to make my dream team (Hilda, Petra, and Lysithea were my undisputed MVPs) when saving the world.

The story was deep and complex, and hearing how it changes based on which house you align with is pretty cool. I enjoyed the control I had in molding my students, and appreciated seeing them have a breakthrough in something they used to struggle with, and it becoming one of their best qualities. Turning a lazy, valley girl like Hilda into a front line tank and hearing her bitching about it every step of the way was especially enjoyable.

It’s not my favorite in the series, but I’m glad it’s seen pretty universal appeal and sales from the community at large, cementing its status as one of Nintendo’s premier franchises. Someday I will play through all four of its routes, but for now, I’m content with it comfortably sitting as my favorite handheld game of 2019.

#goty #gotggoty2019 #chase koeneke #tetris 99 #mini motorways #risk of rain 2 #baba is you #assemble with care #untitled goose game #the legend of zelda link's awakening #link's awakening #super robot wars t #pokemon sword #pokemon shield #Fire Emblem Three Houses

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 10 Handheld Games of 2018

2018 could’ve been a bummer of a year. The game I was most excited about – Fire Emblem: Three Houses – got pushed to 2019. We were getting a new Pokemon game...but it was based on a mobile game and was fundamentally changing the formula I loved. And outside of Smash Bros., there was little left I was anticipating.

And yet, 2018 turned out to be a fantastic year in handheld gaming. I got a turn-based strategy game that’s up there with any Fire Emblem game I’ve ever played. That Pokemon game ended up being pretty great! And there were a bevy of unexpected indies that kept me entertained all year long. Here are my top 10 handheld games from 2018 (as well as a few honorable mentions).

Honorable Mentions: Mark of the Ninja Remastered, Gris, Kingdom Rush Vengeance, Donut County, West of Loathing

10. Minit (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

I like to take my time in games – fully exploring worlds, talking to NPCs, reading item descriptions. In that sense, Minit, a top-down Zelda-style game that only allows you to play in one-minute sessions should be my nightmare. But it’s not. In fact, I really liked it. Minit’s limitations freed me from my thinking and made me engage with the game on its level. In a world dominated by GPS and a games’ landscape dominated by easily accessible maps, there’s something refreshingly challenging having to commit the area to memory and make plans on not only what to do next, but how to make it there in time.

9. Golf Peaks (iOS, PC)

I’m bad at real golf, but golf video games, especially the ones that don’t try to meticulously recreate the sport, are my jam. Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color is one of my favorite games ever. Golf Story was one of my favorite games last year. And Golf Peaks takes that crown in 2018. Golf Peaks expertly mixes golf, card and puzzle mechanics to make for a uniquely pleasing combination. New obstacles are layered in world by world and get increasingly bizarre, until what you’re playing is barely recognizable as golf. Golf Peaks feels meticulously crafted, and it makes for a difficult, but rewarding experience. Unfortunately, because it’s so bespoke, it’s a finite experience, and once you’ve completed it, there’s little reason to revisit it. A new world has been added since the game’s release, but after completing it in less than an hour, I’m back to waiting for more.

8. Alto’s Odyssey (iOS, Android)

Alto’s Adventure was one of my favorite games of 2015, a gorgeous and fun take on the infinite runner genre. Alto’s Odyssey further refines the formula by adding in even more things to do. The silky-smooth jumps, grinds and backflips return, along with the sublime wingsuit power-up, but they are joined by Tony Hawk-style wall rides that add a new dimension to the game. With uniquely skilled characters to unlock and upgrades to literally and figuratively grind for, Odyssey will keep you busy for a long time. It’s one of those rare phone games that’s good for play sessions both long and short, and its action never gets old.

7. Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition (iOS, Android, Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

I was intrigued by Final Fantasy XV on the PS4, but ultimately bounced off its combat and general milling about. Pocket Edition fixes both of those issues and lets me enjoy what I really like about the game: its story and its characters. The miniaturized version of FFXV has turned it into a linear game with simplified controls (touch controls if you’re playing the phone version). The way it retains quite a bit of the themes and depth (and voice acting) of the original game despite streamlining it never ceased to impress me. And weirdly, playing Pocket Edition has actually reawakened my desire to play the original game. I want to see this treatment given to other Final Fantasy games.

6. Florence (iOS, Android)

Florence is not a game I would traditionally play on a phone. It’s not an infinitely replayable, puzzling experience like Threes or Drop7 or even a Kingdom Rush. But it is an experience, and one I deeply appreciated. Florence made me feel more than any other game this year, and it did it in a game that takes only about a half hour. It tells a mundane, yet impactful story about relationships. It’s beautiful. It’s funny. It’s tragic. But most of all, it’s real, and it uses its touchscreen controls to great effect to make you feel like you are an active participant in the story. It’s somehow simultaneously abstract and extremely specific, and I think it’s something everyone should witness.

5. Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee (Switch)

This is the Metal Gear Solid 2 of Pokemon. Let me explain. In MGS2, you play as Raiden, and you learn that you are being put through a similar adversity to the original MGS’ Shadow Moses Island in the hopes of turning you into another legendary hero like Solid Snake.

In Pokemon Let’s Go, things start familiar enough to anyone who’s played the first generation of Pokemon games (particularly, Yellow). You get a starter, you battle your rival, you face Brock and Misty and the other gym leaders and you stumble into and interrupt a nefarious Team Rocket plot. It’s all there. Except then you run into Blue, who is the real rival from the first generation of Pokemon. Which means your rival isn’t your rival. And you aren’t you. It’s fascinating and I ended up loving it.

Mechanically, it’s a weird mix of adding from more recent games while also stripping away complexity. Mega Evolutions are in. Held items are out. HMs are out. Steel, dark and fairy types are in. And there are some brand-new mechanics like catch combos that are a fun and new way to engage with Pokemon. It’s not all rainbows (I’m still not sold on the GO-style catching system,) but I hope the next mainline Pokemon game takes a little inspiration from these games. And I hope they remake Gold and Silver in this style too.

4. Holedown (iOS/Android)

Holedown became my go-to phone game for most of 2018. While you can beat it in a manner of hours, the game is so addictively fun and replayable with its final, seemingly endless level that you’ll be happy to dive back in again and again to improve your score. Holedown is satisfying in every sense of the word. Endorphins rush when you see and hear massive streams of balls ping-ponging off walls. Hitting the perfect angle to keep the combo going higher and higher is intensely gratifying. It’s so easy to play and understand, and yet you’ll be learning new tricks after your hundredth attempt. Holedown rules. Play Holedown.

3. Super Robot Wars X (Vita, PS4)

OK, this one’s a bit of a stretch. Super Robot Wars is not available in the US last I checked (though it is available in English.) Also, I did not play its handheld Vita version. Instead I played it on the PS4. So, on one hand, this game doesn’t really belong on this list. On the other hand, I love Super Robot Wars X so much, so it’s staying.

This was my first dip into the series and immediately found it to be an incredibly dense and confusing experience. It’s a turn-based strategy game like Fire Emblem, which sounds right up my alley, but the number of things to account for is staggering. To list all its mechanics would be a daunting exercise. Slowly, but surely, I learned to engage with more and more systems until finally, I felt like I could see the code, that I had entered the Matrix. I suddenly knew strategy game kung-fu. The game would set up almost impossible odds and, sometimes after an insane amount of consideration, I’d find a solution. I could boost the range on one weapon for the one turn I need it. Or maybe that shield I’ve never used would actually come in handy here. Oh wait, this pilot has a special skill I could utilize. The solutions are always there, you just have to look for them. It’s a beast of a game, but one I became utterly mesmerized with.

2. Dead Cells (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC)

I jealously watched early access PC players make run after run on Dead Cells. I heard people extol the game’s virtues on countless podcasts, and then, finally, the game released on Switch and I too could experience its splendor. And boy, did it deliver. Dead Cells bends over backwards to tailor the game experience to you. It allows you to choose what and when to unlock new skills, letting you further customize your arsenal as you play. It accounts for novice players who need to take their time getting through its sprawling levels while also providing options for crafty veterans who are able to speed through its content. And yet, as much as it caters, you’ll inevitably get to a point in your run where the game says “OK, now we’re going to test you.” I have failed that test every time. I have not beaten Dead Cells. But I am damn sure ready to try again.

1. Into The Breach (Switch, PC)

Where Super Robot Wars X is a turn-based mech strategy game on a macro scale, with an inconceivable amount of systems and options to deal with for your double-digit army of robotic fighters, Into The Breach stuffs all the same intensity into a comparably tiny grid and only a trio of battlers. It maintains the perfect amount of complexity, making every unit, every weapon, every move and every choice matter. It’s the ultimate chess game. And just when you think you’ve wrapped your head around its mechanics, it hands you a new team of mechs that plays completely differently. Runs are short, but meaningful, and the optional challenges (that let you unlock more new teams) push you out of your comfort zone to learn new strategies. Not only is it my favorite game of the year by a country mile, it might be one of the best games of all time.

#goty #gotggoty2018 #chase koeneke #minit #golf peaks #alto's odyssey #final fantasy xv pocket edition #florence #pokemon let's go #holedown #super robot wars x #dead cells #into the breach

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 10 Handheld Games of 2017

2017 represented a big shot in the arm for handheld gaming. As the Vita clings desperately to life support, Nintendo has graced us with the Switch, and with it, a bevy of AAA titles not normally seen in the handheld space. Maybe it’s not fair to pit Breath of the Wild and Mario Odyssey against something like Iron Marines, but hey, this is the shot across the bow. It’s time to step up your handheld game in 2018.

Honorable Mentions: The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Puyo Puyo Tetris

Personally, I never feel good about double dipping on a game come GOTY list time. I love The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth on the Vita, and Afterbirth+ is even better on the Switch, but it’s pretty much the same game. The same can be said about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Dragon Quest VIII is excellent, but it’s a straight port of a 13-year-old game, and even if it’s one I experienced for the first time in 2017, I can’t in good conscience count it here on this list (though watch me do just that for my #3 game this year). And while Puyo Puyo Tetris got its stateside release this year, I’ve been plugging away at my imported Vita copy for the better part of two years. It’s an essential Switch title, but I didn’t play the game much in 2017 and to put it in a list of my favorite games this year doesn’t really make sense.  

Dishonorable Mention: Fire Emblem Heroes

I think I played more Fire Emblem Heroes than any other game this year. I know I spent more money on it than any other game this year (and probably more than any other game ever). And while I really enjoyed my time with it, its money-sucking greediness became too much for me to bear. I had to quit the game cold turkey and delete it from all my devices. It’s a truly special game, completely marred by bad business tactics, and that is heartbreaking. And while it has been disqualified from this list, its impact deserves some sort of recognition, even if that’s in the form of a warning..

And with that out of the way, let’s get to the top 10!

10. Monument Valley 2 (Mobile)

While it didn’t quite grip me as hard as the first game, Monument Valley 2 still manages to put together stunning visuals with simple, but effective puzzling. And man, it’s really fun to make those kaleidoscope/snowflake things. Make sure you listen to the GOTG episode about the series with Bobby Pease too.

9. Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (Switch)

I laughed right along with the rest of you when the images for this leaked out online before E3. This seemed like a bad idea from the start, and I didn’t much trust Ubisoft to execute the idea. But Kingdom Battle is a surprisingly strong strategy game. With simplification where you want it and depth where you need it, there’s a lot to like about the way this game plays. Forcing you to keep a Rabbid in your party at all times and less than interesting puzzles outside of combat keep this from greatness, but this a great foundation to build upon.

8. Iron Marines (Mobile)

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Kingdom Rush and its developer Ironhide Games. And I’ve been waiting for Iron Marines to release for years after playing a demo at PAX East in 2015. Now that it’s here, I can say that yeah, it was worth the wait. It’s the best RTS game on mobile and builds on Ironhide’s strong tower defense roots. And if you need to hear more, I spoke with two of the developers earlier this year for GOTG.

7. SteamWorld Dig 2 (Switch/Vita)

I’ll be honest, I had misgivings about SteamWorld Dig 2. I loved the first game for its condensed experience. Hearing that the sequel was going to be much bigger worried me. Was Image & Form about to bite off more than they could chew? Thankfully, my worries were completely unfounded. SteamWorld Dig 2 is fantastic. A solid platformer through and through that lives up to the SteamWorld name. Now we just need a SteamWorld Heist 2 on Switch.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)

I am notorious for my inability to get through Zelda games, and Breath of the Wild is no different. But even in my relatively short time with the new game, I’ve come to realize how special this series really is. There’s a transcendent quality to exploring Hyrule, taking in this massive world that feels so natural and yet is so densely and elegantly packed with life and mystery. I don’t like the weapon degradation and I think the combat is a little too simplistic, but those are small gripes when you consider how this game makes you feel on a moment-to-moment basis. It’s not my favorite Zelda game, but it is the best Zelda game. Maybe one day I’ll finish it.

5. Golf Story (Switch)

I. Love. Mario. Golf. Specifically, I love Mario Golf for the Game Boy Color, which smartly combined RPG mechanics and a thin, but enjoyable story into a golf game. Since the GBC release, Mario Golf has become increasingly generic, dumbing down the RPG mechanics and losing what made it special. Golf Story is the second coming of Mario Golf GBC. The writing is top notch, it brings back the RPG mechanics I’ve been missing and dammit, the golfing is pretty good too. For Sidebar Games’ first release to be so strong out of the gate, I’m just so impressed. Now let’s tackle a baseball RPG please.

4. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Nintendo really knocked it out of the park this year. First they launch the Switch with the best Zelda game ever and then they follow it up with one of the best Mario games ever. Super Mario Odyssey manages to be a love letter to both 2D and 3D Mario games of old while simultaneously raising the bar of what a Mario game can be. Everything is just so inventive and imaginative. The simple act of moving Mario around the different kingdoms is sublime giving you the freedom to do some spectacular platforming if you dedicate yourself to mastering the controls. And some of the later kingdoms are too good to spoil here. You really need to experience them for yourself.

3. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia (3DS)

Fire Emblem Awakening and Fire Emblem Fates were my favorite games of their respective years of release and I expected Echoes to be in a similar conversation this year. And it absolutely lived up to those lofty expectations, but not in the way I initially thought. Echoes is way more than a remake of an NES game. It deftly weaves in the story, themes and mechanics of that game into a modern video game, managing to feel faithful to its source material while never being tied down by it. Whereas Awakening and Fates are built from a rich history of mechanics from past Fire Emblem games, Echoes is almost experimental by comparison. Not all of those experiments pay off, but enough of them do that I truly hope the next new Fire Emblem game takes some notes from Echoes (and I hope more Fire Emblem remakes of games that never made it stateside appear in the future. May I suggest The Binding Blade so we can all see what our Smash Bros. friend Roy was up to?)

2. Sonic Mania (Switch)

While I’m a Nintendo kid through and through, I’ve always preferred Sonic to Mario when it mattered. Sonic 2 beats Super Mario World any day. But Sega has continually missed the mark on giving fans the good 2D Sonic follow up we’ve been craving…until now. With the help of Sonic’s most hardcore fans, Sonic Mania is the perfect sprint down memory lane. Remixes of old stages and music, brand new ideas that would feel right at home on the Genesis and some incredible references and callbacks to even the most obscure Sonic games and lore, Mania just nails the Sonic experience from top to bottom. My only complaint is those damn blue sphere bonus stages plucked straight from Sonic 3. Those were terrible then and they’re terrible now.

1. Monster Hunter Stories (3DS)

This one was a surprise to me. I’m not a Monster Hunter fan. I just can’t get into them. But a traditional JRPG using Monster Hunter’s cool creature, armor and weapon designs intrigued me enough to give the demo of Stories a try. Over 100 hours later, and I think it’s fair to say the game hooked me. The combat is the star here. While you fully control your character, your monster partner has a mind of its own. Only by gaining kinship during battle can you call out specific attacks for your monster to do. Whether you or your monster are calling the shots, the action takes place in a rock, paper, scissors style battle, but unlike Pokemon’s type advantages, each monster has certain tendencies, and picking the right move can cause additional damage to the enemy while taking minimal damage in return. But sometimes monsters go against their tendencies, making each fight a unique chess match that stays engaging throughout the experience. Like Dragon Ball Fusions last year, this game came out of nowhere and blew me away. As developers continue to embrace the Switch, this may be one of the last great RPGs for the 3DS.

#goty #gotggoty2017 #chase koeneke #fire emblem heroes #monument valley 2 #mario + rabbids kingdom battle #iron marines #steamworld dig 2 #the legend of zelda: breath of the wild #golf story #super mario odyssey #fire emblem echos: shadows of valentia #sonic mania #monster hunter stories

[gamersonthego]

Gamers On The Go's Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games

Matt Giguere and Chase Koeneke spent nearly three hours narrowing and ordering this list of titles (you can hear the deliberations here) for Nintendo's pinnacle of Game Boy technology. We did have a few ground rules: One game per franchise. No ports, such as the Mario Advance games (Final Fantasy V was given an exception since it was the first decent way to play that game), but ground-up remakes like Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land were considered. And we only accepted official North American releases - sorry Mother 3 fans.

If you enjoy this, take a look at our Top 25 DS Games and Top 25 3DS Games lists as well.

25. Super Dodge Ball Advance

24. Lunar Legend

23. Mega Man Battle Network

22. Metal Slug Advance

21. Sonic Advance 2

20. Mario Golf: Advance Tour

19. Sword of Mana

18. Mega Man Zero

17. Mario vs. Donkey Kong

16. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

15. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

14. Wario Land 4

13. DK: King of Swing

12. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

11. Final Fantasy V Advance

10. Gunstar Super Heroes

9. Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land

8. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

7. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

6. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones

5. Metroid Fusion

4. Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen

3. WarioWare: Twisted!

2. Golden Sun

1. Advance Wars

#gba #game boy advance #nintendo

[gamersonthego]

The Top 25 DS Games

If you’re not jazzed by the idea of a meandering, three-hour podcast detailing the lifespan of the Nintendo DS, perhaps you’ll enjoy this stripped down, no frills, top 25 list of Matt Giguere and Chase Koeneke’s favorite games for the handheld. Only one game from a given series was allowed, and while full remakes (like Final Fantasy) were allowed, remasters/ports (like Chrono Trigger) were not. Look for our personal top 25 lists (with no restrictions on ports or series limitations) coming soon.  25. Naruto: Path Of The Ninja 2

24. Brain Age: Train Your Brain In Minutes A Day

23. 999: Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors

22. Retro Game Challenge

21. WarioWare: Touched!

20. Looney Tunes: Duck Amuck

19. Final Fantasy IV

18. Metroid Prime Hunters

17. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

16. Henry Hatsworth In The Puzzling Adventure

15. Professor Layton And The Curious Village

14. Animal Crossing: Wild World

13. Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin

12. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

11. Picross 3D

10. Monster Tale

9. Tetris DS

8. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

7. Kirby: Canvas Curse

6. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver

5. Elite Beat Agents

4. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies

3. Mario Kart DS

2. Advance Wars: Dual Strike

1. Meteos

#ds #nintendo

[gamersonthego]

Chase Koeneke’s Top 10 Handheld Games of 2016

Ed. Note – Chase is…well, Chase is me, the editor, and I run this joint. That means I get to take certain liberties, like making a top 10 list instead of a top five like I asked from all my contributors this year.

A big thanks and shout out to all the guests of Gamers on the Go throughout the years, especially to those who submitted lists this year for our Extravaganza. Even though I play a ton of handheld games every year, each person’s list contained something I hadn’t played, hadn’t played enough of, or didn’t even know was a thing. Means I’ve got a lot to play over the holiday break, and that means I’m a happy camper.

Check out all the lists and coverage of 2016′s best portable games with the tag “GOTGGOTY2016.” See you all next year!

Honorable Mention: Warbits (iOS)

To say Warbits is inspired by Advance Wars is a huge understatement. It’s exactly Advance Wars, almost ashamedly so. The unit types, the environmental features, the primary-colored armies: It’s all spot on (the only glaring omission is the commanding officers with their varied “CO Powers.”) Warbits dares you to call it a rip-off, but the more you play, the more you realize it’s actually a loving homage to a seemingly forgotten series. Having one of the best handheld gaming experiences of all-time (Advance Wars) beautifully translated to mobile devices is fantastic, even if it slightly misses the mark when it comes to the charm and heart found in the genuine article.

10. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (Vita)

I went through a pretty quick Digimon-watching phase when I was a kid, but while I found the anime to be fun and light, the few times I’ve dipped my toe into the Digimon games, I’ve felt bogged down in overly complicated mechanics and poor design. So I went into Cyber Sleuth with pretty low expectations, but those expectations were quickly exceeded and then some. Though Cyber Sleuth gets a little up its own ass with its nonsensical story, playing through the fun battles with Togemon, Metal Seadramon and all my other childhood favorites was just the nostalgia trip I was looking for. It’s still second fiddle to Pokemon, but Vita owners now have a monster-collecting game they can be proud of.

9. Picross 3D Round 2 (3DS)

Forgetting that my 3DS is region locked (seriously, why is this still a thing?) I bought the Japanese version of this game long ago, not knowing it was not compatible and unplayable on my US system. That’s how badly I’ve wanted a sequel to the excellent DS puzzle game, Picross 3D. Regular, two-dimensional Picross is fun enough, but if you’ll pardon the pun, Picross 3D Round 2 just has more depth. Getting a localized version announced and released on the same day was one of 2016’s more pleasant surprises, and is a game I’m happy to go back and mess around with whenever the mood strikes. I’ve had some bad run-ins with sequels to Nintendo puzzle games (looking at you BOXBOXBOY! and Stretchmo), but Picross 3D Round 2 artfully dodges the sophomore slump.

8. Invisible Inc. (iOS)

Turned-based strategy is my genre of choice, and when the geniuses at Klei (makers of one of my favorite games of all time, Mark of the Ninja) took a stab at it, it’s no wonder it’s a lock for my list. There’s a thoughtfulness to the world and its mechanics at play here. Despite its turn-based nature, the game demands your full and undivided attention, as a single move can often mean death. While Invisible Inc. is at its best at its most unforgiving, the amount of customization in the game’s difficulty options mean that it can be a surprisingly accessible experience as well. The iPad version is rock solid, but I still can’t help but think this game would show up higher on my list if only it had made its way to the Vita (where I probably would’ve played a lot more of it).

7. Mini Metro (iOS/Android)

Mini Metro wins my heart for its amazing ability to be serenely relaxing and nail-bitingly stressful simultaneously. Watching the train cars move back and forth around the sharp, minimalistic map brings a calming sense of satisfaction, but when the ever-growing amount of train stations hits critical mass, there were few experiences more harrowing this year. The basic strategy is smart and layered, preferring to let you experiment rather than tutorializing you to death up front, similar to a great tower defense game. But the real treat comes with the various modifiers at play on the different real-world-inspired locations (my favorite being Osaka with its super speedy shinkasen bullet trains).

6. Dragon Quest Builders (Vita)

I’ve kept myself away from Minecraft knowing it would completely suck me in and never let go. But the idea of Minecraft elements in a game with a guided story experience sounded like something I could handle. But no, I was completely sucked in, gathering materials, crafting new furniture, arms and fortifications and building an impenetrable fortress from the Slimes and Drackys of the outside world. And then I finished the first quest line and realized the entire world I’d meticulously manicured in my own image would disappear as soon as I began the second chapter. Distraught, I quit cold turkey, but nothing can take away the beautiful experience I had in that first chapter. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll give Chapter 2 a try.

5. Bravely Second: End Layer (3DS)

Much like the characters of Bravely series, I got a real bad case of déjà vu with Bravely Second. From my 2014 write up on Bravely Default:

StreetPass done right, the Brave/Default system, the plethora of cool job classes, the customizability of random encounters and game speed: It’s all just so, so good…until you get near the end. The repetition Bravely Default puts you through for the final quarter (maybe even third) is unbearable and kept it from being a classic. Fingers crossed that Bravely Second gets it right.

Those same words apply just as well to Bravely Second. The combat and random encounters got even better. The job system has been further expanded into greatness. And then it all peters out in the end with another bad twist ending and more repetition. It’s infuriating. Fingers crossed that Bravely Third gets it right. Wait, where have I heard that before?

4. Risk of Rain (Vita)

I’ve been waiting a long time for Risk of Rain to come to the Vita. And it did not disappoint. A fantastic port of the 2013 PC game, Risk of Rain joins the family of roguelike-ish gems on the Vita. Played on easier difficulties, Risk of Rain is fun and breezy and seeing the power-ups stack to ridiculous levels is a joy. Bump it up to the “normal” difficulty, and you’ll be scratching and clawing for every upgrade, getting through each area by the skin of your teeth, if at all. And god help you if you try the hard mode. Great as a solo adventure, better in co-op with friends, Risk of Rain was the best reason to dust off your Vita in 2016.

3. Pokemon Sun/Moon (3DS)

The combat has been slowed way down. The map is kind of a mess. The new Festival Plaza feature is a bad fix to a problem no one had. The “trials” that have replaced the gyms of previous games pale in comparison. The new Z-move feature is weak compared to the Mega Evolutions of X and Y. New evolution conditions have reached peak ridiculousness. Listen, I have a ton of problems with the new Pokemon games, but at the end of the day, they are still solid experiences that had me hooked for hours and hours and hours. The new monsters are some of the most creative yet and a great addition to the series. Though limited to a scant few Pokemon, the new “Alolan form” subspecies are a really cool way to refresh older ‘mons. Taking the good with the bad, Sun and Moon still end up being worthy new entries in the franchise, but it’s hard to reconcile with the fact that they could’ve been much, much better.

2. Dragon Ball Fusions (3DS)

“Dragon Ball Fusions is a more fun Pokemon game than the new Sun and Moon,” is not something I imagined saying this year, but here we are. Despite a ton of drawbacks (awful inventory upkeep, uninspired story, obtuse capture mechanics, long and unskippable battle animations, etc. etc. etc.) I became (and still am) completely addicted to it. The combat is deep and strategic with just a hint of luck, pitting teams of five against each other in turn-based battle arenas that make you feel awesome when you get it all right. The fusion mechanic in the title is a lot of fun as you mix and match characters who may or may not have fused in the show or the manga. This is way better than a licensed game had any right to be. Despite not being that much of a Dragon Ball fan, I ended up completely charmed by Fusions.

1. Fire Emblem Fates (3DS)

Fire Emblem Awakening was my 2012 game of the year – and currently sitting at #5 for my favorite games of all time – so suffice it to say the three games that make up Fates had some incredibly big shoes to fill. And for the most part, they did a bang up job. For every tiny quibble I have (team-up mechanics got nerfed a bit), there’s another thing that got improved upon (no more weapon degradation!) But the strategy continues to be top notch and the array of difficulty settings make the game as easy or as hard as you want it to be. If I had to pick one of the three in the package, I’d argue in favor of Birthright for its relaxed pace and coherent story, but for the Fire Emblem/Advance Wars/strategy fan, all three games are absolute must plays.

#chase koeneke #GOTY #warbits #digimon story cyber sleuth #picross 3d round 2 #invisible inc #mini metro #dragon quest builders #bravely second #risk of rain #pokemon sun and moon #dragon ball fusions #Fire Emblem Fates #gotggoty2016

[gamersonthego]

I was on a panel at St. Louis’ PixelPop gaming festival a couple weeks ago. We talked about podcasting, blogging and other forms of content creation. If you’re interested in hearing a little more about the history of Gamers on the Go, the video’s worth a watch!

Thanks to Ryan Dampf of Living the Nerd Life for putting the panel together and and recording it!

#chase koeneke #gamers on the go #panel #pixelpop