As promised here is the final part of my Top 50 all-time favourite games, as before these are my personal choices and in no particular order of preference…..
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Considered at time of release to be a total game changer in terms of it’s lush and detailed graphics this is still today one of the best games on the SNES, the stages are varied, look amazing and are huge fun to play, the Mine Cart Carnage level being a particular favourite of mine.
F-Zero (SNES)
Utilising Nintendo’s Mode 7 technology this futuristic racer boasts some really fast racing, great tracks, a highly recommended racing game.
Top Rank Tennis (Nintendo Gameboy)
Way better than Nintendo’s own tennis game on the GameBoy this boasts a ranking system which you can progress up as you play offering increased difficulty as you progress, great looking players, catchy music and there’s even a rather disembodied sounding digitised voice reading the score after each point! The best Gameboy tennis game by a long way.
Mario Tennis (Nintendo Gameboy Color)
Another excellent tennis game, this time on the Gameboy Color, offering great graphics, a large choice of characters to play as and fun gameplay and special moves, a really enjoyable tennis game and on the best on the GBC.
Comix Zone (Nintendo Gameboy Advance)
This game is highly unusual for being played out in the style of an interactive comic book, it looks fantastic with a terrific story, great graphics and is really engrossing and addictive, one of the best games on the GBA.
F-Zero Climax (Nintendo Gameboy Advance)
The final handheld F-Zero game to be released this offers improved graphics over the previous two GBA F-Zero games but keeps the same fast racing and great gameplay, I was and still am a huge fan of the F-Zero franchise and would dearly love to see a Switch game one day happen as there’s still a lot of life left in this series.
Kuru Kuru Kururin / Kururin Paradise (Nintendo Gameboy Advance)
On the face of it these two games don’t sound like the most exciting idea for a game ever - guide a rotating stick down a course in the fastest time possible without hitting the sides, however the opposite is true, these two games provide a real and addictive challenge and I’ve found them to be really quite touch but great fun with a high replay value. The second game, Kururin Paradise was only ever released in Japan so is quite rare in the West but worth tracking down or playing on an emulation handheld. One of the most innovative and original games on the GBA and I love it!
Believe it or not this game has passed me by until quite recently when I decided to give it a try on my emulation handhelds and I’m so glad I did. Basically a sequel to the Gameboy classic, Donkey Kong this offers many levels of increasingly difficult puzzles to solve using the same Mario cartoony style graphics you’ve come to expect, a real gem of a game and one I wish I’d discovered years ago.
Wario Ware : Twisted! (Nintendo Gameboy Advance)
Now quite rare and sought after by collectors this addition to the Wario Ware series is unique in offering a cartridge with a built-in gyroscope meaning all the mini games are played by tilting the GBA left or right which works brilliantly, is great fun and adds a real extra dimension to the game. Of course, the same Wario humour and addictive mini games are still present. Well worth tracking down.
Manx TT Superbike (Sega Saturn)
Another terrific arcade port on the Saturn this offers great looking and fast racing based around the Isle of Man TT, as previously mentioned the Saturn boasted some really excellent arcade ports and this is another cracker!
Mini Metro (iOS / Nintendo Switch)
I’ve not included too many iOS games in this list as am unsure if they can truly be considered retro but this is one I just had to include as it’s brilliant! The simple sounding idea is to build underground lines in a variety of cities around the world, at the end of each 24 hour period (shown by a clock in the top right corner) you’re given the option of adding additional locomotives and carriages which you must choose the best line to use on to avoid overcrowding at stations as once just one station becomes overcrowded it’s game over! A really calming zen game to play, also available on the Nintendo Switch.
Athlete Kings (Sega Saturn)
Also known as Decathlete in some countries this is a ‘Track and Field’ style game with a choice of characters and different events to take part in including the 100 meters and long jump. The graphics are in the typical Sega arcade style and if you’re a fan of a good old ‘button basher’ this is a terrific choice.
Asteroids (Arcade)
An old game but an absolute classic still highly playable today, simply use your ship to fire at and destroy the asteroids, looks great and one of my very favourite arcade games ever, as a sidenote an excellent remastered and modern version is now available for the Switch.
Fire Emblem Fates : Birthright (Nintendo 3DS)
Best described as being a bit like a game of strategic battle chess this is one of the best handheld titles in the Fire Emblem franchise, great graphics, satisfying combat requiring a good level of strategy, truly a game you could lose many hours to.
Wipeout 2048 (Sony PS Vita)
I’ve long enjoyed all the Wipeout games but for me this is definitely my favourite, looks great on the Vita, brilliant tracks and music and, as with all Wipeout games is blisteringly quick! A great addition to any Vita collection.
Persona 5 : Dancing All Night (PS Vita)
I’ve been a fan of rhythm games for a long time and this is one of the best I’ve yet played although it’s quite hard to track down a copy of nowadays, fortunately I won a copy on eBay at a very decent price. Great presentation, catchy Japanese tunes and a fantastic choice for anyone who, like me, loves their rhythm games!
I love all the handheld Pokemon games right back to the very oldest titles, and particularly like the titles on the 3DS, they’re all terrific games but for me Ultra Sun and Moon take the crown. An engrossing title with great graphics and terrific Pokemon battles this is the best Pokemon title on the 3DS.
Racing Destruction Set (Atari 8-bit)
Now this is a real oldie! Like the previously mentioned International Karate in part 1 I’ve happy memories of playing this on my friend’s Atari 800XL way back in the late 1980s, it not only offers racing on pre-designed tracks but also included is a track editor allowing you to construct and race around your own personalised circuits, great fun!
Virtua Cop (Sega Saturn)
When I owned a Saturn I played this game using the included blue lightgun and it was another perfect arcade port and a brilliant experience to play, and, thanks to the wonders of emulation I’m now enjoying all over again on my Anbernic RG552 handheld courtesy of the Saturn emulator, minus the lightgun obviously but still very easy to play using the handheld controls. Brilliant graphics, satisfying gameplay - one of the best arcade ports on the Saturn. Virtua Cop 2 on the Dreamcast is also well worth checking out.
Another excellent game with same great catchy tunes to play along in time to, all accompanied by some Blues Brothers-style characters on screen with some very questionable haircuts! A brilliant handheld rhythm game employing good use of stylus and is great fun!
Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)
One of only three Game and Watch multi-screen machines which opened out like a book, the other two being Lifeboat and Rainshower (both also well worth a look) but for me this is one of the best titles ever released in the G&W series. Guide your characters on either side of the screen up and down the conveyor belts to catch the packages and load them onto the waiting truck at the top. It’s easy to begin with but soon speeds and becomes a challenge especially if you select the harder Game B, a brilliant little machine.
Pokemon Pinball (Pokemon Mini)
I was fortunate enough many years ago to purchase the Pokemon Mini, a tiny cartridge based handheld released by Nintendo, only a handful of titles were ever released but this is my favourite, offering Score Attack and Time Attack modes, simply guide your Pokemon into the three slots on the table for either the highest score or the fastest time, a terrific little game to pass away a few minutes. Pokemon Tetris is also well worth a look on the Pokemon Mini.
For your information I’ve already done a review of the Pokemon Mini elsewhere on this blog you might be interested, it’s a really cracking little machine and a brilliant device to have in my collection!
Russian Subway Dogs (PS Vita)
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