Rate the Game: Week 111

[M-A-G]

Well this is certainly embarrassing for me. I should've been able to take care of this hours ago but shit happens. Sorry for the delay but better late than never, right? We begin the countdown of the final 15 games in this party we call Rate the Game. Before we shift into overdrive into the serious territory, what say we take a gander at where last week's Saints Row ended up. It looked like it was going to end up last place with some of the early voting but did it earn enough love later on to pull it from the trenches?

<select><option selected="">Rate the Game Results

<option>1. (TIE) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (4.8)</option>
<option>3. (TIE) Hitman: Codename 47, Mass Effect (4.75)</option>
<option>5. Goldeneye 007 (4.72)</option>
<option>6. Super Mario Bros. 3 (4.7)</option>
<option>7. Silent Hill 2 (4.66)
<option>8. (4-WAY TIE) Chrono Trigger, Portal, Red Dead Redemption, Silent Hill 3 (4.5)</option>
<option>12. (3-WAY TIE) Mega Man 2, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (4.44)</option>
<option>15. Super Mario Bros. (4.41)</option>
<option>16. God of War (4.4)</option>
<option>17. Mega Man X (4.36)</option>
<option>18. (TIE) Metal Gear Solid, BioShock (4.33)</option>
<option>20. Perfect Dark (4.3)</option>
<option>21. (TIE) Shadow of the Colossus, The Last of Us (4.28)</option>
<option>23. Super Street Fighter 2 (4.15)</option>
<option>24. Sonic the Hedgehog (4.14)</option>
<option>25. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4.125)</option>
<option>26. Super Mario 64 (4.07)</option>
<option>27. (TIE) Grand Theft Auto 3, The Legend of Zelda (4.06)</option>
<option>29. NBA Jam (4.05)</option>
<option>30. (13-WAY TIE) Super Mario Kart (4.0)</option>
<option>- Sonic the Hedgehog 2</option>
<option>- Super Metroid</option>
<option>- The Simpsons</option>
<option>- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night</option>
<option>- Donkey Kong Country 2</option>
<option>- Resident Evil 4</option>
<option>- Super Smash Bros.</option>
<option>- Banjo-Kazooie</option>
<option>- EarthBound</option>
<option>- Fallout 3</option>
<option>- Mirror's Edge</option>
<option>- Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3</option>
<option>43. Final Fantasy 7 (3.94)</option>
<option>44. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (3.92)</option>
<option>45. Mega Man (3.89)</option>
<option>46. (3-WAY TIE) Contra, Castlevania, Devil May Cry (3.86)</option>
<option>49. Half-Life 2 (3.85)</option>
<option>50. (TIE) Half-Life, Infamous (3.83)</option>
<option>52. (TIE) SimCity 2000, Final Fight (3.8)</option>
<option>54. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (3.77)</option>
<option>55. Batman: Arkham Asylum (3.76)</option>
<option>56. (TIE) Double Dragon, Max Payne (3.75)</option>
<option>58. Tetris (3.69)</option>
<option>59. Mortal Kombat 2 (3.67)</option>
<option>60. (3-WAY TIE) Diablo, F.E.A.R., Alan Wake (3.66)</option>
<option>63. Mortal Kombat (3.65)</option>
<option>64. Doom (3.625)</option>
<option>65. StarFox (3.61)</option>
<option>66. Resident Evil (3.58)</option>
<option>67. (3-WAY TIE) Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Burnout Paradise (3.5)</option>
<option>70. Dead Space (3.4)</option>
<option>71. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (3.39)</option>
<option>72. Resident Evil: Nemesis (3.38)</option>
<option>73. (6-WAY TIE) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Condemned: Criminal Origins, Crash Bandicoot, Wolfenstein 3D, Left 4 Dead, Dead Island (3.33)</option>
<option>79. Gears of War (3.27)</option>
<option>80. (TIE) Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Borderlands (3.22)</option>
<option>82. (3-WAY TIE) Quake, Duke Nukem 3D, Darkstalkers (3.2)</option>
<option>85. SoulCalibur (3.16)</option>
<option>86. Pac-Man (3.125)</option>
<option>87. Killer Instinct (3.11)</option>
<option>88. (TIE) Virtua Fighter, Rock Band (3.09)</option>
<option>90. (5-WAY TIE) Time Crisis, Tekken, Earthworm Jim, Metroid, Halo 2 (3.0)</option>
<option>95. Guitar Hero (2.875)</option>
<option>96. Streets of Rage (2.84)</option>
<option>97. Altered Beast (2.8)</option>
<option>98. Bayonetta (2.75)</option>
<option>99. (3-WAY TIE) Dead Rising, Gauntlet, Assassin's Creed (2.71) </option>
<option>102. Saints Row (2.66)</option>
<option>103. (TIE) Silent Hill, The Sims (2.6)</option>
<option>105. Tomb Raider (2.55)</option>
<option>106. Halo: Combat Evolved (2.5)</option>
<option>107. (TIE) Twisted Metal, Crackdown (2.42)</option>
<option>109. Gran Turismo (2.3)</option>
<option>110. Ghosts n' Goblins (2.14)</option>
</select>

Oof, position 102 is one hell of a ditch for Saints Row to land in. Not the absolute bottom but it's a rough spot. GTA might have a lock on being the best in this genre of gameplay.

But that clock you hear is the ticking and tocking of the final weeks of this bad boy. 15 games remain and they need our rating to complete this list of ours. Where shall we begin? Only the bowl knows the answer. Let's do this...

<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/EXicfyW6M2YO78te93" width="480" height="222" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/EXicfyW6M2YO78te93">via GIPHY</a></p>

Presto. Going back to the distant past one more time with this go around. It's another beat-'em-up romp, but this time there's a twist. It's not bare knuckles, pipes, and mean city streets. It's swords, spells, and villages as we take a look at Sega's Golden Axe! We've dealt with this style of gameplay before but is there enough of a spin with this title that it can achieve some high mark among us? Let the countdown begin as we rate and reflect on this title. You know what to do. Until next week!

[drave]

Maaaaaaaaaaan, one of my favorite arcade games. I remember this being at a putt putt place and being one of the loudest games in the entire arcade. Can't remember why, but I always played as the green dude with the axe.
https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/square_small/0/4737/629037-gilius.png




The little goblins that would show up when you slept.... that was always fun too. I remember playing this with one of my older brothers and beating it. Can't remember how many quarters we fed the machine, but it was a lot because Adder was cheap.


Later, I had all the Genesis ports of the game. Always enjoyed these titles.

[Fignuts]

3

Went back and played it on xbox a few years ago, and its honestly not very good. Still enjoyable enough when I was a kid, so I won't give it a 2. But only because Im feeling nice.

Like a lot of games in RTG, it laid the groundwork for the superior sequel.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Gave it a 4. So many great memories of this game.

[ClockShot]

1.

I hated this game. Streets of Rage came along a year later and perfected the side scroll beat 'em up. I think the Amazon was the most powerful that when you maxed out her special, she'd call a dragon and wipe everyone out. The other 2 had lame or decent powers even at max power.

[M-A-G]

1.

I hated this game. Streets of Rage came along a year later and perfected the side scroll beat 'em up. I think the Amazon was the most powerful that when you maxed out her special, she'd call a dragon and wipe everyone out. The other 2 had lame or decent powers even at max power.

Would you feel a tad miffed if this ends up scoring higher overall than Streets of Rage?

[Destor]

this game is shit. come at me. 2

[M-A-G]

Ooh, drave, 'NATOR; y'all gonna take that?

[Lock Jaw]

I want to say the one I played was actually Golden Axe II, but I really couldn't say for sure.... so to make M-A-G happy I will say I have played this one.

I remember it being the favourite to play at the house of the one kid who had a Sega instead of Nintendo.

I will give it a 3 because that description seems to fit... was probably dull as heck, but must have had some value to be the favourite.

[Lock Jaw]

It is also entirely possible that I have played neither the original nor the second one, cause these screenshots via Google don't look familiar at all.

[Fignuts]

There was a golden axe 3.

[Fignuts]

Altbough it was only on the sega channel. Did your friend have that?

[Fignuts]

Changed my mind and gave it a 2 afterall. I actually think the one I enjoyed as a kid was 2.

[Sepholio]

1. Least favorite beat em up ever. Terrible game. Sequels were better, but that isn't saying much.

[M-A-G]

I want to say the one I played was actually Golden Axe II, but I really couldn't say for sure.... so to make M-A-G happy I will say I have played this one.

I remember it being the favourite to play at the house of the one kid who had a Sega instead of Nintendo.

I will give it a 3 because that description seems to fit... was probably dull as heck, but must have had some value to be the favourite.

There are a lot of other ways to make me happy....:shifty:

[drave]

Nah, I'll leave it, as I love contrasting opinions. In addition, my memory is fucked and I probably remember this more fondly than it was.


Either way, I know I played more than one of them, and always had a good time.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Ooh, drave, 'NATOR; y'all gonna take that?

MEH, I don't really pay attention to Destor. I mean, he gave Saints Row a 4 when it's clearly nowhere near that good.

[Big Vic]

Remember getting frustrated and annoyed at this.

[Lock Jaw]

There are a lot of other ways to make me happy....:shifty:

Name 7.

[Destor]

MEH, I don't really pay attention to Destor. I mean, he gave Saints Row a 4 when it's clearly nowhere near that good.i stand by it. saints row has a historical significance that gives it a value the contrnt in the game doesnt. golden axe lacks both.

[screech]

3. I remember enjoying Golden Axe, but not a ton. Enjoy most games like it in general, though.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Name 7.

I bet 2 are hookers and blow. :shifty:

[M-A-G]

I bet 2 are hookers and blow. :shifty:

Pfft...no...:shifty:...

[M-A-G]

Name 7.

1. Get every single fucking singing show canceled.
2. End the Fast and the Furious franchise.
3. Get me in a room with the Kardashians, some jumper cables, and a car battery.
4. A $100 gift card to Chipotle.
5. Play any game on our Rate the Game leaderboard that you haven't played.
6. Hookers.
7. Blow.

[Big Vic]

3. Get me in a room with the Kardashians, some jumper cables, and a car battery.

Is this a hate thing or foreplay?

[M-A-G]

I plead the 5th.

[DAMN iNATOR]

1. Get every single fucking singing show canceled.
2. End the Fast and the Furious franchise.
3. Get me in a room with the Kardashians, some jumper cables, and a car battery.
4. A $100 gift card to Chipotle.
5. Play any game on our Rate the Game leaderboard that you haven't played.
6. Hookers.
7. Blow.

HAH I knew it. Now just as long as LJ didn't inexplicably have those other 5 on his list, thus luring me into a trap bet that he knew would end in a draw, I win.

[M-A-G]

Damn, I was actually hesitant about putting this game in the pile but it's got some good turnout. Shows what I know.

[Lock Jaw]

Ok, I will end the Fast and Furious franchise with the 11th movie.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Damn, I was actually hesitant about putting this game in the pile but it's got some good turnout. Shows what I know.

🎵He's gonna take y -- oh...wait...

[M-A-G]

Ok, I will end the Fast and Furious franchise with the 11th movie.

Fast-10 Your Seatbelts

[M-A-G]

🎵He's gonna take y -- oh...wait...

Well I'm just saying I didn't think it was going to have a lot of people who played it but I did know it was a major title for Sega so I took the chance. I imagine that it was an arcade staple for a lot of us. I never played it because I was always distracted by all of the other machines and I never owned a Genesis.

[M-A-G]

Altbough it was only on the sega channel. Did your friend have that?

Oh, man, I forgot about the Sega Channel. They really were ahead of the time.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Oh, man, I forgot about the Sega Channel. They really were ahead of the time.

Oh, online gaming dates way further back than most people would suspect. The very first M.U.D., or multi-user dungeon used an internal network to support online play, and that was in 1978. A couple of years later, it became connected to the ARPANet (experimental Internet before the official switchover to TCP/IP on January 1, 1983) in 1980. So, yeah. And the first modems date back to multiplexers used by news wire services starting c. the mid 1920s.

Sorry for the nerdy tangential rant. It's like the old wisdom goes, though: you have to look back at where you've been to see how you got to now and where it might lead in the future. Not that I profess myself to be a deep thinker or anything by any stretch of the imagination.