Rate the Game: Week 131
 

Hello, everyone. Sorry for the late start on this, but staying out and rocking out late into the night takes more out of me than it used to. Nonetheless, I will not shirk my duties! It's time for another Rate the Game! Sadly, we haven't had any breakout stars these last few weeks. Nothing so far has come close to breaking that sweet 4.0 barrier that the real winners earn. Last week's ToeJam & Earl was no different. Observe...

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

Yeah, landing at number 115 with a 2.75 overall score is pretty rough. There has to be something in the new pile that can get over the sting of mediocrity, no? What's on tap this week?

https://i.imgur.com/vUGUuPO.gif

Well, I'm no RPG expert so who's to say where this week's title is going go? It's the Secret of Mana! Is its secret that it's a top dollar game? That's for you all to decide as you rate this sucker and talk it out. Have fun.

I definitely played it but I have zero memory of it beyond "I know that name" and then looking at a gameplay video and thinking "I know that guy, I played this"

Its very mid. The combat just isnt all that good

Never played it.

Well I did, for like an hour, but that hardly counts.

Yeah, I probably didn't play it all the way through either given my zero memory about it

I played the remake on PS4 because I remember this was a big game/deal back during the SNES days.

I'm with Destor. It was okay. Nothing fancy. It was rather tedious finding the rare gear.

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I imagine it's standard turn-based or am I assuming incorrectly? Is there a gimmick to it that ruins the whole thing?

Its not turn based. Id like it more if it were. Its an ARPG. A very basic one. Real time strikes like in Zelda. Difference is when you strike you expend stamina. You can strike infinitely but each strike lessens the attack power. Recharge is pretty fast. A second or two. Its just a pretty mindless system. Babies 1st ARPG.

There's some nuances like managing hitstun and what not but still its very bland

If it had 2 more layers it would be pretty interesting though. Its just not enough to be engaging for long

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I remember Child of Light kind of being similar where it seemed it was geared towards making things easier for people not accustomed to RPGs. I imagine it's tough to balance things in order to keep veterans engaged while not overwhelming beginners. I think Super Mario RPG hit the sweet spot.

I love Child of Light. Great turn based rpg. 3rd act really ramps up top. Its no SMT but it def takes the gloves off

Paper mario is so underrated. TTYD is an all time classic

Just remembering how good CoL is. Manipulating the shared ATB gauge is a really satisfying mechanic.

Think I've only ever played the N64 one

Need to give it some real thought but that game and The Witcher 2 were the only RPG and action RPG games I ended up enjoying a ton from start to finish.

RPGs is one of the few genres I'm not that big of a fan of for gaming. Only racing, dance/music/rhythm, and rougelike are the genres I like even less outside of a few exceptions.

I also stupidly traded that game many years ago to help pay for either Super Smash Bros Brawl or Super Mario Galaxy 2 when either game was released. I paid $20 for it back in the day and now that game goes for around $100-$150+ these days.

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I liked its visual style and the rock-paper-scissors element to combat. It had a simple enough story but the way it was told worked. Not to rag on anyone who likes their RPGs hardcore, but I need games like this for me to give the genre a whirl. If I had known more about Secret of Mana, I probably would have tried to give it a spin, although no one I knew had it.

im all for entry level vames. Like pokemón totally has a place in the world. I find it completely unplayable because its brain dead. It doesnt mean it should be erased from existence though. Its games like that that ultimately bring people in to the genre givingus more potential sales for the games i gravitate toward.

Mana though i think is just way too same-ey.


ive still got it and several other big ticket items. At some point I'll sell them...maybe. Blood Will Tell and Fire Emblem Path of Radiance i have both CiB and in like new condition. If i got them graded theyd move for 1-1.5k.

I hate this game so much

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Damn, here comes OssMan threatening to send this game to the very bottom of the pack. Anyone else with similar sentiments who might want to give it the same rating might push it to being able to dethrone Ghosts n' Goblins from it's last place spot.

The Mackem appreciates you keeping the VG Forum alive but the sample sizes are really small in here. The power we wield