Rate the Game: Week 157

[M-A-G]

Welcome, one and all. The month of November is in full swing. This time of the year is known for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Let us be thankful for the games that we've played and discussed here on Rate the Game. Then we can go out like lunatics and try to grab some more games at ridiculously discounted prices! Sounds like a plan. Here's another plan: let's do another game while adding last week's Tekken Tag Tournament to our list. Let's have a look....
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<select><option selected="">Rate the Game Results

<option>1. Super Mario World (4.81)
<option>2. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (4.8)</option>
<option>3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (4.8)</option>
<option>4. Hitman: Codename 47 (4.75)</option>
<option>5. Mass Effect (4.75)</option>
<option>6. Goldeneye 007 (4.72)</option>
<option>7. Super Mario Bros. 3 (4.7)</option>
<option>8. Silent Hill 2 (4.66)</option>
<option>9. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (4.61)</option>
<option>10. Super Mario Bros. 2 (4.5)</option>
<option>11. Portal (4.5)</option>
<option>12. Red Dead Redemption (4.5)</option>
<option>13. Chrono Trigger (4.5)</option>
<option>14. Final Fantasy 3 (4.5)</option>
<option>15. Silent Hill 3 (4.5)</option>
<option>16. Mega Man 2 (4.44)</option>
<option>17. Donkey Kong Country (4.44)</option>
<option>18. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (4.44)</option>
<option>19. Super Mario Bros. (4.41)</option>
<option>20. God of War (4.4)</option>
<option>21. Mega Man X (4.36)</option>
<option>22. Metal Gear Solid (4.33)</option>
<option>23. BioShock (4.33)</option>
<option>24. Ōkami (4.33)</option>
<option>25. Perfect Dark (4.3)</option>
<option>26. Shadow of the Colossus (4.28)</option>
<option>27. The Last of Us (4.28)</option>
<option>28. Super Castlevania 4 (4.16)</option>
<option>29. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (4.16)</option>
<option>30. Super Street Fighter 2 (4.15)</option>
<option>31. Sonic the Hedgehog (4.14)</option>
<option>32. Resident Evil 2 (4.14)</option>
<option>33. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4.125)</option>
<option>34. Super Mario 64 (4.07)</option>
<option>35. Grand Theft Auto 3 (4.06)</option>
<option>36. The Legend of Zelda (4.06)</option>
<option>37. NBA Jam (4.05)</option>
<option>38. Super Mario Kart (4.0)</option>
<option>39. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (4.0)</option>
<option>40. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (4.0)</option>
<option>41. Super Smash Bros. (4.0)</option>
<option>42. Super Metroid (4.0)</option>
<option>43. Star Fox 64 (4.0)</option>
<option>44. The Simpsons (4.0)</option>
<option>45. Resident Evil 4 (4.0)</option>
<option>46. EarthBound (4.0)</option>
<option>47. Fallout 3 (4.0)</option>
<option>48. Mirror's Edge (4.0)</option>
<option>49. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (4.0)</option>
<option>50. Donkey Kong Country 2 (4.0)</option>
<option>51. X-Men Legends (4.0)</option>
<option>52. Banjo-Kazooie (4.0)</option>
<option>53. Dishonored (4.0)</option>
<option>54. Final Fantasy 7 (3.94)</option>
<option>55. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (3.92)</option>
<option>56. Mega Man (3.89)</option>
<option>57. Castlevania (3.86)</option>
<option>58. Contra (3.86)</option>
<option>59. Devil May Cry (3.86)</option>
<option>60. Half-Life 2 (3.85)</option>
<option>61. Half-Life (3.83)
<option>62. Final Fantasy 8 (3.83)</option>
<option>63. Infamous (3.83)</option>
<option>64. SimCity 2000 (3.8)</option>
<option>65. Final Fight (3.8)</option>
<option>66. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (3.77)</option>
<option>67. Batman: Arkham Asylum (3.76)</option>
<option>68. Double Dragon (3.75)</option>
<option>69. Tomb Raider (2013) (3.75)</option>
<option>70. Max Payne (3.75)</option>
<option>71. Fallout 4 (3.75)</option>
<option>72. Tetris (3.69)</option>
<option>73. Mortal Kombat 2 (3.67)</option>
<option>74. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3.66)</option>
<option>75. Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (3.66)</option>
<option>76. Alan Wake (3.66)</option>
<option>77. Diablo (3.66)</option>
<option>78. Xenoblade Chronicles (3.66)</option>
<option>79. F.E.A.R. (3.66)</option>
<option>80. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (3.66)</option>
<option>81. Mortal Kombat (3.65)</option>
<option>82. Doom (3.625)</option>
<option>83. StarFox (3.61)</option>
<option>84. X-Men (3.6)</option>
<option>85. Resident Evil (3.58)</option>
<option>86. Kirby's Adventure (3.57)</option>
<option>87. Daytona USA (3.5)</option>
<option>88. Ninja Gaiden (3.5)</option>
<option>89. Burnout Paradise (3.5)</option>
<option>90. Thief: The Dark Project (3.5)</option>
<option>91. Dark Souls (3.5)</option>
<option>92. Shinobi (3.5)</option>
<option>93. Unreal Tournament (3.5)</option>
<option>94. Battletoads (3.42)</option>
<option>95. Dead Space (3.4)</option>
<option>96. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (3.39)</option>
<option>97. Resident Evil: Nemesis (3.38)</option>
<option>98. Crash Bandicoot (3.33)</option>
<option>99. Mortal Kombat (2011) (3.33)</option>
<option>100. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (3.33)</option>
<option>101. Wolfenstein 3D (3.33)</option>
<option>102. Dead Island (3.33)</option>
<option>103. Left 4 Dead (3.33)</option>
<option>104. Nights Into Dreams (3.33)</option>
<option>105. Condemned: Criminal Origins (3.33)</option>
<option>106. Gauntlet Legends (3.28)
<option>107. Gears of War (3.27)</option>
<option>108. Tekken Tag Tournament (3.25)</option>
<option>109. Borderlands (3.22)</option>
<option>110. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (3.22)</option>
<option>111. Duke Nukem 3D (3.2)</option>
<option>112. Darkstalkers (3.2)</option>
<option>113. Quake (3.2)</option>
<option>114. Halo 3 (3.16)</option>
<option>115. SoulCalibur (3.16)</option>
<option>116. Pac-Man (3.125)</option>
<option>117. Killer Instinct (3.11)</option>
<option>118. Virtua Fighter (3.09)</option>
<option>119. Rock Band (3.09)</option>
<option>120. Earthworm Jim (3.0)</option>
<option>121. Metroid (3.0)</option>
<option>122. Time Crisis (3.0)</option>
<option>123. Tekken (3.0)</option>
<option>124. Halo 2 (3.0)</option>
<option>125. Syphon Filter (3.0)</option>
<option>126. Gex (3.0)</option>
<option>127. Destiny (3.0)</option>
<option>128. The Secret of Monkey Island (3.0)</option>
<option>129. Army of Two (3.0)</option>
<option>130. Sonic Adventure (3.0)</option>
<option>131. Shenmue (3.0)</option>
<option>132. Guitar Hero (2.875)</option>
<option>133. Ecco the Dolphin (2.85)</option>
<option>134. Streets of Rage (2.84)</option>
<option>135. Altered Beast (2.8)</option>
<option>136. Bayonetta (2.75)</option>
<option>137. Command & Conquer (2.75)</option>
<option>138. ToeJam & Earl (2.75)</option>
<option>139. Jet Set Radio (2.75)</option>
<option>140. Assassin's Creed (2.71)</option>
<option>141. Gauntlet (2.71)</option>
<option>142. Street Fighter Alpha (2.71)</option>
<option>143. Dead Rising (2.71)</option>
<option>144. Bionic Commando (2.66)</option>
<option>145. Saints Row (2.66)</option>
<option>146. The Sims (2.6)</option>
<option>147. Killer Instinct 2 (2.6)</option>
<option>148. Silent Hill (2.6)</option>
<option>149. Tomb Raider (2.55)</option>
<option>150. Halo: Combat Evolved (2.5)</option>
<option>151. Twisted Metal (2.42)</option
<option>152. Crackdown (2.42)</option>
<option>153. Golden Axe (2.33)</option>
<option>154. Gran Turismo (2.3)</option>
<option>155. The Secret of Mana (2.2)</option>
<option>156. Ghosts n' Goblins (2.14)</option></select>


Well, there are only two Tekken games that we've tackled here, but Tekken Tag Tournament can still claim to be the better received title as it earns itself a decent 3.25 overall rating. Not too terrible on its own, but in the overall scheme of things, it's left out to dry in the triple-digit territory at spot number 108. Hey, better than SoulCalibur, both Killer Instinct entries, and even Street Fighter Alpha. Nothing to be ashamed about.

Moving on to hopefully bigger and better things, we now come to the pulling out ceremony. I said what I said. Anyway, let's do this...


<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/ndslHBStTZbDId6d2Y" width="480" height="270" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/ndslHBStTZbDId6d2Y">via GIPHY</a></p>


The bowl has spoken! It's time to harken back to the days of the Nintendo 64, the time in the late nineties when Nintendo was doing what it could to stave off the onslaught of Sony's Playstation and the uncertainty of Sega's Dreamcast. Whatever was it going to do? Why, it was going to turn to its mascot and multiplayer capabilities! It's the original Mario Party that we're dealing with this week! The first entry in the long-running board party game series has a lot to contend with as we put it through the ringer, and it'll be interesting to see how it comes out in the end. Is it the superstar? Or this party a dud? Let's hear what you all have to say about it. Do that rating thing and we'll see you next week!

[M-A-G]

I think this one is going to be very polarizing. Just a prediction.

[Big Vic]

I've only played "Super Mario Party", Dunno if it'd be fair if I rate that. (Which I would rate a 4)

[Emperor Smeat]

Never played it

Only thing I remember the most about the first one is the infamous mini-game that led to a lot of people cutting their palms and Nintendo eventually sending out protective gloves over the backlash from it.

Only games from the Mario Party I have played are 2, 9, 10, Super Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars and Mario Party The Top 100. Of those, played 9, 10, and Superstars the most.

[Lock Jaw]

My brothers and I got a lot of fun out of this one.

But we did destroy a few controllers... No cutting palms, but we did wear those control sticks down and all sorts of powder and stuff would be coming out of them....

[M-A-G]

I never understood the cut palms thing because I didn't use that technique for that mini-game. I would always just pinch the stick with two fingers and rotate it that way. Also, you didn't have to rotate it as hard as humanly possible; you just had to do it better than your opponent. Still, I do appreciate them dropping the gimmick in later entries.

[Emperor Smeat]

I never understood the cut palms thing because I didn't use that technique for that mini-game. I would always just pinch the stick with two fingers and rotate it that way. Also, you didn't have to rotate it as hard as humanly possible; you just had to do it better than your opponent. Still, I do appreciate them dropping the gimmick in later entries.

Think it was just due that being the first notable exploit or tactic someone found out that was faster to do and guaranteed the win against others playing that mini-game normal. Then it just spread like wildfire in schools, gaming pals, and during the early days of the internet into become a well known phenomenon for the first Mario Party game.

Probably also lead to a good chunk of people causing their N64 controller joysticks to go limp a lot quicker than normal. Mine might have been due to all the WCW and WWF AKI wrestling games since I played those a ton or either Perfect Dark or Killer Instinct Gold.

[Destor]

Definitely ripped my palm open on this game many times

[M-A-G]

Going through my head trying to remember which mini-games were the favorites of ours. The one with the Shy Guy holding up the flags that you had to repeat was always fun. The one where you could jack coins from your opponents' backpack was another good one because you could repeatedly steal from one person if you were quick enough.

[Big Vic]

Can we talk about slapparazzi? Just wanted to say I love that mini-game even though it's not in this game and only in Super Mario Party.

[M-A-G]

That one's easily my favorite in Super Mario Party, especially when you get a pretty good freeze frame shot of one the characters getting decked. :lol:

[M-A-G]

Oh, damn, this got released again via the Switch Online service. Mario Party Superstars gives me the bulk of the good stuff, but being able to tackle the original again would be fun.

[M-A-G]

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[M-A-G]

Hah, I forgot about the Hot Potato game with the Bob-omb. That one was another favorite.

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[DAMN iNATOR]

Gave it a full 5 because I deserves nothing less.

[M-A-G]

I think Mario Party 3 is worthy of a 5, but then again it has the fucking Game Guy mini-games, and those were very "LOL, suck on this middle finger" at times.