Rate the Game: Week 139
 

Good morning and a Happy Independence Day to all as we here in America make merry over this July 4th! One of our most important, beloved, and fundamental rights that all of us should enjoy and exercise is our right to freedom of expression. Like, say, giving our opinion and thoughts on various video games on a weekly forum thread that is open to said opinion and thoughts! Even if you're a non-American, Rate the Game welcomes your input and invites you to participate in this shindig. Last week's Army of Two needs to be added to the leaderboard in its appropriate place based on all the ratings it got. How does it come out after being put the ringer? 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. Ōkami (4.33)</option>
<option>24. Perfect Dark (4.3)</option>
<option>25. Shadow of the Colossus (4.28)</option>
<option>26. The Last of Us (4.28)</option>
<option>27. Super Street Fighter 2 (4.15)</option>
<option>28. Sonic the Hedgehog (4.14)</option>
<option>29. Resident Evil 2 (4.14)</option>
<option>30. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (4.125)</option>
<option>31. Super Mario 64 (4.07)</option>
<option>32. Grand Theft Auto 3 (4.06)</option>
<option>33. The Legend of Zelda (4.06)</option>
<option>34. NBA Jam (4.05)</option>
<option>35. Super Mario Kart (4.0)</option>
<option>36. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (4.0)</option>
<option>37. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 (4.0)</option>
<option>38. Super Smash Bros. (4.0)</option>
<option>39. Super Metroid (4.0)</option>
<option>40. The Simpsons (4.0)</option>
<option>41. Resident Evil 4 (4.0)</option>
<option>42. EarthBound (4.0)</option>
<option>43. Fallout 3 (4.0)</option>
<option>44. Mirror's Edge (4.0)</option>
<option>45. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (4.0)</option>
<option>46. Donkey Kong Country 2 (4.0)</option>
<option>47. Banjo-Kazooie (4.0)</option>
<option>48. Final Fantasy 7 (3.94)</option>
<option>49. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (3.92)</option>
<option>50. Mega Man (3.89)</option>
<option>51. Castlevania (3.86)</option>
<option>52. Contra (3.86)</option>
<option>53. Devil May Cry (3.86)</option>
<option>54. Half-Life 2 (3.85)</option>
<option>55. Half-Life (3.83)
<option>56. Final Fantasy 8 (3.83)</option>
<option>57. Infamous (3.83)</option>
<option>58. SimCity 2000 (3.8)</option>
<option>59. Final Fight (3.8)</option>
<option>60. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (3.77)</option>
<option>61. Batman: Arkham Asylum (3.76)</option>
<option>62. Double Dragon (3.75)</option>
<option>63. Max Payne (3.75)</option>
<option>64. Tetris (3.69)</option>
<option>65. Mortal Kombat 2 (3.67)</option>
<option>66. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (3.66)</option>
<option>67. Alan Wake (3.66)</option>
<option>68. Diablo (3.66)</option>
<option>69. Xenoblade Chronicles (3.66)</option>
<option>70. F.E.A.R. (3.66)</option>
<option>71. Mortal Kombat (3.65)</option>
<option>72. Doom (3.625)</option>
<option>73. StarFox (3.61)</option>
<option>74. X-Men (3.6)</option>
<option>75. Resident Evil (3.58)</option>
<option>76. Kirby's Adventure (3.57)</option>
<option>77. Daytona USA (3.5)</option>
<option>78. Ninja Gaiden (3.5)</option>
<option>79. Burnout Paradise (3.5)</option>
<option>80. Thief: The Dark Project (3.5)</option>
<option>81. Dark Souls (3.5)</option>
<option>82. Shinobi (3.5)</option>
<option>83. Dead Space (3.4)</option>
<option>84. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (3.39)</option>
<option>85. Resident Evil: Nemesis (3.38)</option>
<option>86. Crash Bandicoot (3.33)</option>
<option>87. Mortal Kombat (2011) (3.33)</option>
<option>88. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (3.33)</option>
<option>89. Wolfenstein 3D (3.33)</option>
<option>90. Dead Island (3.33)</option>
<option>91. Left 4 Dead (3.33)</option>
<option>92. Nights Into Dreams (3.33)</option>
<option>93. Condemned: Criminal Origins (3.33)</option>
<option>94. Gauntlet Legends (3.28)
<option>95. Gears of War (3.27)</option>
<option>96. Borderlands (3.22)</option>
<option>97. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (3.22)</option>
<option>98. Duke Nukem 3D (3.2)</option>
<option>99. Darkstalkers (3.2)</option>
<option>100. Quake (3.2)</option>
<option>101. SoulCalibur (3.16)</option>
<option>102. Pac-Man (3.125)</option>
<option>103. Killer Instinct (3.11)</option>
<option>104. Virtua Fighter (3.09)</option>
<option>105. Rock Band (3.09)</option>
<option>106. Earthworm Jim (3.0)</option>
<option>107. Metroid (3.0)</option>
<option>108. Time Crisis (3.0)</option>
<option>109. Tekken (3.0)</option>
<option>110. Halo 2 (3.0)</option>
<option>111. Gex (3.0)</option>
<option>112. Destiny (3.0)</option>
<option>113. The Secret of Monkey Island (3.0)</option>
<option>114. Army of Two (3.0)</option>
<option>115. Sonic Adventure (3.0)</option>
<option>116. Shenmue (3.0)</option>
<option>117. Guitar Hero (2.875)</option>
<option>118. Ecco the Dolphin (2.85)</option>
<option>119. Streets of Rage (2.84)</option>
<option>120. Altered Beast (2.8)</option>
<option>121. Bayonetta (2.75)</option>
<option>122. ToeJam & Earl (2.75)</option>
<option>123. Assassin's Creed (2.71)</option>
<option>124. Gauntlet (2.71)</option>
<option>125. Dead Rising (2.71)</option>
<option>126. Bionic Commando (2.66)</option>
<option>127. Saints Row (2.66)</option>
<option>128. The Sims (2.6)</option>
<option>129. Killer Instinct 2 (2.6)</option>
<option>130. Silent Hill (2.6)</option>
<option>131. Tomb Raider (2.55)</option>
<option>132. Halo: Combat Evolved (2.5)</option>
<option>133. Twisted Metal (2.42)</option
<option>134. Crackdown (2.42)</option>
<option>135. Golden Axe (2.33)</option>
<option>136. Gran Turismo (2.3)</option>
<option>137. The Secret of Mana (2.2)</option>
<option>138. Ghosts n' Goblins (2.14)</option>
</select>

A score of 3.0 lands it at the number 114 on our list of ever-increasing games. What will it take to crack the top ten if at all?

Well, it's time to turn to the bowl to see if we can answer that question. It's time to draw our 139th game for this party and see what we all think of it. Let's do this....

https://i.imgur.com/n9WgnmQ.gif

Phew, we got this sucker back to horizontal. Now we're in business! This week we're taking a look at the first entry into Marvel's line of action RPG titles with its colorful cast of characters, this one focusing on our favorite band of merry mutants! It's Ravensoft's 2004 take on the X-Men...um...X-Men Legends! The game did what it could to bring the world of the X-Men to life with a different format than beat-'em-ups and fighters. The question is how well did it come out? Does this game get a passing grade in your eyes. It's time to exercise that freedom of expression and rate this sucker. Let's hear what you think and we'll see you next week!

It was a fun game, rough around the edges but a good base for The sequel and eventual Ultimate Alliance series. I had one major problem with this game. Why make unlocking Psylocke happen so late in the game, to the point that pretty much every enemy you face after that point is almost immune to her powers.

This post is sponsored by Izzy
 

This got me so mad with the game. I'm not a fan of getting additional characters as you go, but this one really stung. You get to do maybe 3 missions with her? And they didn't even do a New Game+ option where you can have unlocked characters ready to go from the beginning. It was a bit more tolerable in the sequel and Ultimate Alliance, but then Ultimate Alliance 3 came along and really screwed it up. If nothing else, she rocks in the Danger Room missions as her daggers can combo well with powers like Storm's lightning.

Xmen legends 2 is the peak of the series (and that includes ultimate alliance) and one of my all time favorite games. Thats said the original has a lot going for it. Every character plays in a way that feels right and satisfying. Both in combat and in exploration.

Probably the only xmen games to capture it.

Never played it.

This post is sponsored by Anita Massengil
 

I definitely enjoy the second game over this one thanks to the main villain and the expanded roster and exploration of the X-Men's world, but there are some quirks in there that really break the game or bring things to a crawl. The gear drops are too much and you have to take the time to sort through it all or travel back to base to sell or store it. Characters like Bishop, Toad, and Iron Man have buffs that increase your damage output WAY too much. Still, it did improve a lot over this game, and this one is already fun as it is. The Astral Plane levels and Asteroid M are where it really shines as far as design goes.

This post is sponsored by the cane in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
 

This sucker is almost 20 years old.

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I dont think breaking a noncompetive game is all that big of a deal and personally i love breaking games. So things like figuring out how to really ramp bishop up was a ton of fun. I played it probably 10 times looking for more and more OP builds. Tons of fun in that.


What hurts UA for me, and its still great btw, its all the input gimmicks. "This skill you mash." "This skill rotate the analogs." Etc. Just always felt lame to do.

And if you want broken Silver Surfer in UA1 is bonkers

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He is a pretty good reward. His Surfer's Rage is probably the best crowd control skill in the whole game, right next to Venom's Symbiote Flail. It seems like they tried to balance him out by making his defense suck ass and his Heal skill cost so much energy, but you can get around that with some smart building. I always give him the White Ring of the Mandarin to help him out.

Figuring out builds and gear management was a bit tougher in this game, though. Wolverine and Jean were no-brainers but Nightcrawler and Gambit would give me pause. Colossus would be a pure tank and it took a few tries to get Beast to be, well, a beast in melee. Now I want to go back to it and give it another whirl.

You dont ned defense when he one shots every basic enemy in the game and shreds bosses before they can hit you

This post is sponsored by the R-Zone
 

I was kind of disappointed that he wasn't the secret unlockable character for Ultimate Alliance 3 and we ended up with just another version of Thanos. I wonder how they would've handled him and kept him super-buffed like in the original.

One thing I will say about this game in comparison to the Ultimate Alliance games is I miss the healing and energy restoration being dedicated items you had to manually use instead of relying on the whim of the computer to drop you enough orbs. It was more strategic.

Completely random note but this being episode 139 reminded me of this guy who streams usually Borderlands 2 on twitch for like 4 hours every M–F and is about the most wholesome streamer I’ve ever watched.

Random story time with The “DAMN!™ Man” is over. You may now return to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress.

I'm having an issue following the thread... Who is the guy?