Robio's All-New, All-Different, Top 100 of All Time
<<
prev
I feel like that's just American stereotyping right there.
#41 - Willow (arcade)
In the late '80s and well into the 90's, there was no better developer for third-party licenses than Capcom. In fact, I think I already said that when I mentioned Little Nemo for the NES. But if I'm repeating myself, it's because it's true. And to further make my point, I present there arcade version of Willow.
Sure, it might have been a little difficult, but it was well worth feeding that machine quarters. You got to switch between Willow and Madmartigan, each of whom had a completely different play style. The level design was great, the graphics were some of the best arcades had to offer at the time, bosses were huge and filled the screen, and the music was excellent.
It's really a damn shame that we never got a home port of the arcade version. To their credit though, Capcom did release a very good Willow for the NES, that felt like a more fleshed out though more linear version of The Legend of Zelda. Anyway if haven't you weren't lucky enough to stumble across this in the arcades, it might be worth hunting down and checking out now.
In the late '80s and well into the 90's, there was no better developer for third-party licenses than Capcom. In fact, I think I already said that when I mentioned Little Nemo for the NES. But if I'm repeating myself, it's because it's true. And to further make my point, I present there arcade version of Willow.
Sure, it might have been a little difficult, but it was well worth feeding that machine quarters. You got to switch between Willow and Madmartigan, each of whom had a completely different play style. The level design was great, the graphics were some of the best arcades had to offer at the time, bosses were huge and filled the screen, and the music was excellent.
It's really a damn shame that we never got a home port of the arcade version. To their credit though, Capcom did release a very good Willow for the NES, that felt like a more fleshed out though more linear version of The Legend of Zelda. Anyway if haven't you weren't lucky enough to stumble across this in the arcades, it might be worth hunting down and checking out now.
#40 - Lego City Undercover
Even is everything else about Lego City Undercover was utter trash, it would still make it on my list for one reason -- Frank Honey.
Frank is the greatest sidekick in the history of video games. Whether he's shouting "waffles" or is telling you a story about how eating glass led to the worst birthday he ever had, Frank is the ideal plucky and completely oblivious sidekick who tends to create more trouble than he solves. It's completely cliche, but it's done so damn perfectly that you can't help but love him.
Aside from the greatness that is Frank, Lego City Undercover takes what is now the classic Lego game formula, and that presents it with a parody of the police dramas of the '70s and '80s, and ultimately creates the best thing since the original Naked Gun. Dirty Harry, Columbo, Starsky and Hutch, and many others make brief cameos, but the game largely forges its own path with its own characters. The loading times are definitely rough, but if you can look past that, you're in for the closest thing you'll ever see to Grand theft Auto with Legos.
And on a final note, this was the first game that a young Robio Jr. finished on his own. The boy was proud as hell of himself. Also, for several weeks after he was finished with it, he would still run around the house. Yelling Frank Honey's famous line, "WAFFLES!!" Which got old kind of fast as you can probably imagine.
Even is everything else about Lego City Undercover was utter trash, it would still make it on my list for one reason -- Frank Honey.
Frank is the greatest sidekick in the history of video games. Whether he's shouting "waffles" or is telling you a story about how eating glass led to the worst birthday he ever had, Frank is the ideal plucky and completely oblivious sidekick who tends to create more trouble than he solves. It's completely cliche, but it's done so damn perfectly that you can't help but love him.
Aside from the greatness that is Frank, Lego City Undercover takes what is now the classic Lego game formula, and that presents it with a parody of the police dramas of the '70s and '80s, and ultimately creates the best thing since the original Naked Gun. Dirty Harry, Columbo, Starsky and Hutch, and many others make brief cameos, but the game largely forges its own path with its own characters. The loading times are definitely rough, but if you can look past that, you're in for the closest thing you'll ever see to Grand theft Auto with Legos.
And on a final note, this was the first game that a young Robio Jr. finished on his own. The boy was proud as hell of himself. Also, for several weeks after he was finished with it, he would still run around the house. Yelling Frank Honey's famous line, "WAFFLES!!" Which got old kind of fast as you can probably imagine.
I want a Mario City.
# 39 - Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness
I was always a fan of the Sierra online adventure games. The first PC game I remember playing was King's Quest at my neighbor's house. But he was kind of an asshole, so I didn't play it that much. But I did know that I loved the game. When I eventually got a PC of my own, my first game was King's Quest 3. For the next 10 years, Sierra games we're always my PC games of choice. And while I loved almost all of them, The Quest for Glory series was my very favorite, with the fourth game, the series being the masterpiece.
Shadows of Darkness was a return to the formula of the very first game, which was an amazing game in its own right, but found ways to improve on that formula, while avoiding the pitfalls of the second and third games of the series. So now our hero is once again in an unfamiliar village, surrounded by strange monsters, natural wonders, and a buttload of jokes ripped off directly from Monty Python.
And the cherry on top? The thing that really makes it something special? The game is narrated by John Rhys-Davies. You want to talk about a guy whose voice alone takes everything to another level? Look no further than that man. He takes a strong well-written script, and makes it even better. Plus, he has a surprisingly good sense of comedic timing, and create some genuine laugh out loud moments while you struggle.
Ultimately, it's a shame that the series didn't end here. Quest for Glory 5 was a disappointment on pretty much every level possible, as they were experimenting with too many new ideas and changes. Seriously, why would you end a well-established series by almost completely changing the genre? But that doesn't change how great this game was.
I was always a fan of the Sierra online adventure games. The first PC game I remember playing was King's Quest at my neighbor's house. But he was kind of an asshole, so I didn't play it that much. But I did know that I loved the game. When I eventually got a PC of my own, my first game was King's Quest 3. For the next 10 years, Sierra games we're always my PC games of choice. And while I loved almost all of them, The Quest for Glory series was my very favorite, with the fourth game, the series being the masterpiece.
Shadows of Darkness was a return to the formula of the very first game, which was an amazing game in its own right, but found ways to improve on that formula, while avoiding the pitfalls of the second and third games of the series. So now our hero is once again in an unfamiliar village, surrounded by strange monsters, natural wonders, and a buttload of jokes ripped off directly from Monty Python.
And the cherry on top? The thing that really makes it something special? The game is narrated by John Rhys-Davies. You want to talk about a guy whose voice alone takes everything to another level? Look no further than that man. He takes a strong well-written script, and makes it even better. Plus, he has a surprisingly good sense of comedic timing, and create some genuine laugh out loud moments while you struggle.
Ultimately, it's a shame that the series didn't end here. Quest for Glory 5 was a disappointment on pretty much every level possible, as they were experimenting with too many new ideas and changes. Seriously, why would you end a well-established series by almost completely changing the genre? But that doesn't change how great this game was.
Edited: Mon, 09 Jun 2025 13:53:17
#38 - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
A lot of people were divided over Breath of the Wild, and I get it. Dungeons have long been a key part of the series, and this time they were traded for shrines with small puzzles, and a giant freaking overworld to explore. For me though, I welcomed the trade off.
The Hyrule overworld was perfectly designed. The areas are diverse, and filled with just the right amount of things to do, without ever feeling overwhelming. I think largely this is achieved thanks to the set of magic you receive, and the excellent implementation of the in-game physics. The tools are limited, but at the same time it feels like you can do almost anything you want with them. With the combination of the setting and the actions you can take, I think they achieve the goal of replicating the feeling that the original NES Legend of Zelda offered - there's a great big world out there, so go explore it however you like.
For me this is also one of the great "hurricane games" of all time. In 2019, hurricane Dorian was heading towards Florida, and ready to destroy everything. In preparation of it, my company gave us 4 days off to ensure our homes were ready and that we would have time to clean up etc. And the weekend fell right in the middle of this, so I had 6 days off. As part of my preparation, I finally picked up Breath of the Wild, figuring that I was going to be stuck in the house and I would play it for as long as we had power.
The good news was, we never actually lost power. So the entire 6 days was basically a vacation with me sitting on the couch and exploring all I could of Hyrule, almost beating it during my extended break.
A lot of people were divided over Breath of the Wild, and I get it. Dungeons have long been a key part of the series, and this time they were traded for shrines with small puzzles, and a giant freaking overworld to explore. For me though, I welcomed the trade off.
The Hyrule overworld was perfectly designed. The areas are diverse, and filled with just the right amount of things to do, without ever feeling overwhelming. I think largely this is achieved thanks to the set of magic you receive, and the excellent implementation of the in-game physics. The tools are limited, but at the same time it feels like you can do almost anything you want with them. With the combination of the setting and the actions you can take, I think they achieve the goal of replicating the feeling that the original NES Legend of Zelda offered - there's a great big world out there, so go explore it however you like.
For me this is also one of the great "hurricane games" of all time. In 2019, hurricane Dorian was heading towards Florida, and ready to destroy everything. In preparation of it, my company gave us 4 days off to ensure our homes were ready and that we would have time to clean up etc. And the weekend fell right in the middle of this, so I had 6 days off. As part of my preparation, I finally picked up Breath of the Wild, figuring that I was going to be stuck in the house and I would play it for as long as we had power.
The good news was, we never actually lost power. So the entire 6 days was basically a vacation with me sitting on the couch and exploring all I could of Hyrule, almost beating it during my extended break.
Edited: Mon, 09 Jun 2025 14:10:56
I loved the massive overworld and shrines but disliked the Divine Beasts as a dungeon replacement. Those are the main reason I'll likely never finish that game. I don't find them to be much fun, so I can't be bothered.
I didn't mind the Divine Beasts, but I definitely wasn't a fan. They're not a lot of fun, but they are brief so at least you're not spending an hour diving into them. And really the only one that I had strong distaste for was the camel. I don't remember the specifics anymore, but I did have to either watch a walk-through or read a guide for it.
I gave up on the camel. Even with a guide it was too confusing with all the rotating sections and whatnot.
#37 - Double Dragon (arcade)
I don't think Double Dragon was the first co-op side-scrolling brawler, but it's definitely the game that perfected it and the one that popularized the genre to the point where it became the most popular and ultimately oversaturated in the arcade.
It was the first arcade game that I actually beat in the arcade too. I was in my grandma's middle of nowhere town in Texas, where pretty much the only entertainment was a bar that had an arcade would let kids come and play during the day. I played it along with some older guy who was pretty damn good at it. At the very end of the game, when the boss was killed and the two brothers squared off, he gave me the baseball bat to help even the odds. He still kicked my ass.
On a side note, I used to think that was and odd way to end the game. To be fair though, the two brothers had just killed hundreds of other guys with their bare hands. So one more fight was probably the most logical way for the two of them to resolve their differences over a woman.
I also can't help but feel it was one of the source of one of gaming's great betrayals - Double Dragon, the NES version. Who the hell thought this amazing co-op game would be accepted as a single player adventure? Seriously, I hope that guy was strung up by his thumbs.
I don't think Double Dragon was the first co-op side-scrolling brawler, but it's definitely the game that perfected it and the one that popularized the genre to the point where it became the most popular and ultimately oversaturated in the arcade.
It was the first arcade game that I actually beat in the arcade too. I was in my grandma's middle of nowhere town in Texas, where pretty much the only entertainment was a bar that had an arcade would let kids come and play during the day. I played it along with some older guy who was pretty damn good at it. At the very end of the game, when the boss was killed and the two brothers squared off, he gave me the baseball bat to help even the odds. He still kicked my ass.
On a side note, I used to think that was and odd way to end the game. To be fair though, the two brothers had just killed hundreds of other guys with their bare hands. So one more fight was probably the most logical way for the two of them to resolve their differences over a woman.
I also can't help but feel it was one of the source of one of gaming's great betrayals - Double Dragon, the NES version. Who the hell thought this amazing co-op game would be accepted as a single player adventure? Seriously, I hope that guy was strung up by his thumbs.
I have the Atari 2600 version of Double Dragon. It's technically kinda impressive but brutally difficult.
I have the Arcade Archives Double Dragon too but it's really difficult to go back to it after Streets of Rage and Final Fight series. Still lots of nostalgia playing it in the arcade with my high school friends, though. 2-player is best.
I have the Arcade Archives Double Dragon too but it's really difficult to go back to it after Streets of Rage and Final Fight series. Still lots of nostalgia playing it in the arcade with my high school friends, though. 2-player is best.
Log in or Register for free to comment
Recently Spotted:
travo (5m)
A typical gamer jump-to conclusion.