GameFAQs Contests
Aitch Emm's Top 10 Favorite Games with write-ups -- cuz its overdue
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 1:08:47 AM | message detail | #001 |
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So I've decided to tackle another one of these crazy write-up topics.
It has been a looong time since I've been bothered to try one of these
(and I hope I don't end up ever doing one of these again), but this epic list deserves to have a fantabulous write-up topic dedicated to it. Given the history of these topics with me, I suspect potential comparisons from previous lists (like they matter) and lots of "lol hm" due to lots of unexpected games (/characters) showing up that were not on any other list -- maybe. This list, for a couple of reasons, is probably the final one I'll be bothered to do like this. Finalized and brilliant, this is the definitive Aitch Emm list. Enjoy -- !! As always, feel free to criticize, post predictions (you know you like it), or whatever. I know about four (hurrah random number) of you who already have your Microsoft Words open to archive this -- this is for you, mates. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| Lucid Faia | Posted 3/27/2007 1:09:28 AM | message detail | #002 |
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Aw hell. --- Rebel. Revolutionary. Disharmonious. UNMUTUAL. |
| XxSoulxX | Posted 3/27/2007 1:09:30 AM | message detail | #003 |
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tag --- - "Ha, the gaming industry, PS3 included, just got Wii'd." - Wanglicious |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/27/2007 1:09:34 AM | message detail | #004 |
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oh god ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| Helba QotD | Posted 3/27/2007 1:09:39 AM | message detail | #005 |
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ever changing list. What is number 1/last game you played? --- Cats land on their feet. Toast lands peanut butter side down. A cat with toast strapped to its back will hover above the ground in a state of quantum indecision |
| XxSoulxX | Posted 3/27/2007 1:10:16 AM | message detail | #006 |
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HM's List at the end of 2005! 1.) Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) 2.) Final Fantasy 7 (PS1) 3.) Chrono Trigger (SNES) 4.) Tales of Symphonia (GCN) 5.) Skies of Arcadia (DC) 6.) Ikaruga (ARC) 7.) God of War (PS2) 8.) Grim Fandango (PC) 9.) Castlevania : Symphony of the Night (PS1) 10.) Guilty Gear X2 #Reload (ARC) 11.) Final Fantasy 8 (PS1) 12.) Sonic Adventure 2 Battle (GCN) 13.) Mega Man 3 (NES) 14.) Final Fantasy X (PS2) 15.) Sonic 3 & Knuckles (GEN) 16.) Castlevania : Aria of Sorrow (GBA) 17.) Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) 18.) Final Fantasy VI (SNES) 19.) The Legend of Zelda : A Link to the Past (SNES) 20.) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (GEN) --- - "Ha, the gaming industry, PS3 included, just got Wii'd." - Wanglicious |
| Lucid Faia | Posted 3/27/2007 1:10:31 AM | message detail | #007 |
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What is number 1/last game you played? I bet it's God of War II. --- Rebel. Revolutionary. Disharmonious. UNMUTUAL. |
| raytan7585 | Posted 3/27/2007 1:10:48 AM | message detail | #008 |
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tag --- FFVI say, "A Love between Human and Esper." "She's (Rikku) as deep as a mountain for God's sake" - Inviso. |
| Ed Bellis | Posted 3/27/2007 1:11:33 AM | message detail | #009 |
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oh lordy lordy --- This was Ed Bellis. Rufus Shinra 18 took a shotgun to my bracket. Congrats, Guru champ! |
| transience | Posted 3/27/2007 1:11:45 AM | message detail | #010 |
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nah, GOW2 will be in the top 10 but not #1 go go HM! don't let the jokers stop you! --- xyzzy Winner of 6 V-Tokens |
| Undeniable | Posted 3/27/2007 1:12:18 AM | message detail | #011 |
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No. 1 is Suikoden 3.. --- "It doesn't matter if you're wearing blue, red, yellow or polka dots, you'll always be the same loser, and I'll always be THE CHAZZ! - Chazz Princeton |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 1:13:02 AM | message detail | #012 |
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10.) Grim Fandango (PC) I am, how you say, great. Ah, Grim Fandango. It seems like just yesterday I was sending a poor short man off onto journey to the afterlife with nothing but a stick, and rebuilding a run down old restaurant and turning it into the most luxurious spot this side of the dead. Ditching the hard work life at the Department of the Dead to have gambling and skeletal hookers by my side -- is there a better life? For the uncultured among us, Grim Fandango is one of Tim Schafer's little masterpieces he made way back during the days of StarCraft and Ocarina of Time. The game sports not only one of the most suave protagonists you can imagine, but also comes bearing lots of good stuff -- like good story line stuff! You play as one Manny Calavera (you know the one, he was Snake Fodder in Summer 2005 Contest). He's an unfortunate soul who has gotten stuck working a job worse than that of Wal-Mart as atonement for the sins he committed during his...fleshy days. What, exactly, he did remains a mystery even to him. Nonetheless, he must work as a travel agent for the dead. Depending on how good of a person they were in life, they can either get a four minute joy ride on the No. 9 right into their hot vacation spot for eternity or they can get a cane and spend four years walking! Most unfortunate for Manny, he just can't seem to get any clients worth their salt, which means longer community service at the DOD. Shameful! Now that I have cultured some of you heathens, I can move on to talking about grander things, such as why it is this game is so good. Once upon a time, I fell into the trap of a manipulative man who fancied Tim Schafer and wanted to spread his rotten seed across this board. I was tricked into downloading a 1.2 GB file over AIM! If you're gasping right now, I feel you. As it downloaded, I was told all sorts of things like "This game is fantastic" or "The writing in this game is brilliant" or -- perhaps my favorite -- "Manny is better than your favorite character." (Note: These may be put into HM phrases for lack of proper memory.) At the time, I did not believe this man who called himself "Shake." I mean, adventure games that not only lacks the all important point-and-click, but one that revolves around dead people with rectangular heads? Needless to say, I wasn't buying it and I was anxious to get back to my games with spiky haired heroes who had overcompensating swords. But, being the masochistic man that I am (darn you tri-Ace; I'll get you to later in this list!), I suffered through the lag my computer received and installed this "Grim Fandango." Despite all my doubt and desire to get back to my games with men cross-dressing, I was blown away at just how good Grim Fandango was! Can you believe that little ol' me liked it?! It's madness, I know! Somehow, everything I had been told was...truth. Right down to one of the game's most attractive points -- its clever writing and colorful cast of characters. Honestly, if you're playing Grim Fandango, you're not doing it because it sports fantastic gameplay and superb puzzles; you're doing so because of its narrative. |
| SensiShadeSlaye | Posted 3/27/2007 1:15:53 AM | message detail | #013 |
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...My, my. This is going to be fun. --- I posted a picture of me running out of a burning building and stop, drop, and rolling and i got marked for flaming - Sir Cobain |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 1:16:07 AM | message detail | #014 |
| But what a narrative it is. In an age where
characters were being cast into various archetypes lacking any sort of
standout substance and originality, Grim Fandango offered a different
and refreshing alternative. Manny is a cynical and matured protagonist
who any person can relate to on some level. Be it not wanting to work
his crappy job, or hating the dick that is too narcissistic for his own
good, or even wanting to bang the hottest skeletal woman in El Marrow.
Save for maybe the last part, anyone can relate if they've been through
the paces. Further, Manny is one of those caring souls who looks out
for his friends and has a sense of justice about him -- no, not Vlado
Message Board Justice (VMBJ); the good kind. It is actually that sense of justice that pushes the game's narrative into being what it is -- a darker plot full of corrupt and criminal activity. Who would have thought such unspeakable horrors would go own in the Land of the Dead? I mean, really! At any rate, when one of his clients, an attractive (attractive for a skeleton) woman named Mercedes, who has been an absolute saint in life is denied her access to the No. 9; instead being offered a walking stick and a boot out the door. This doesn't set well with one Manuel Calavera, so he sets off to find out the source of the criminal hiccup in the system. Now that then leads to something truly awesome -- Café Calavera, baby! Remember that rundown restaurant turned luxurious hot spot? This is it. As though it were ripped straight out of Casablanca, Manny somehow manages to turn a ghost town of a restaurant into the liveliest of hangouts, complete with gambling, wining and dining, and Glottis on the piano (if that doesn't seal the deal, nothing will). And did I mention that Manny turns into James Bond? You might be thinking "Pics. Now," and you best believe I'm going to deliver. http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8520/mannycalavera200130341aqy4.jpg Huzzah! What can I say? I'm a sucker for suits. Now I have totally exhausted my creative genius for one write-up and I cannot recall specific scenes in-depth nor do you people probably care about these scenes in-depth when you haven't played the game. But what Grim Fandango accomplishes for me is a brilliant narrative with some exceptional characterization. I remember playing through it for the first time and being floored at how enjoyable it was, always wanting to know what happened next, even if the game isn't exactly high on plot twists it still creates an intriguing and gripping story, almost like a good murder mystery. In a way, if you ignore the terrible controls and mixture of "my god what were you thinking" and "haha awesome" puzzles, this is almost like a book brought to life perfectly in a videogame. I'm sure they have a name for those games, but they're escaping me at the moment. It's one of those. It's why I played it; it's why I love it; it's why you should try it. I want to go off on a good note here, so I'm going to steal a line from Mr. Calavera, " This deck of cards is a little frayed around the edges. Then again, so am I, and I've got fewer suits." (P.S. -- Remind me to never write these in Microsoft Word again. Blasted symbols taking over the apostrophes.) --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 1:30:17 AM | message detail | #015 |
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I can confirm that God of War II is, in fact, not number one despite being my most recently played game. Shocked? So am I! Now for something all together new here. Since this game list expands to 100, I'll unveil ten games each time I post a write-up for one of the top 10, starting with 21 and ending, of course, with 100. My plot twists are always fun and stuff awww yeah 21.) Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo) 22.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Nintendo) 23.) God of War (PlayStation 2) 24.) Metroid Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance) 25.) Suikoden (PlayStation) 26.) Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) 27.) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PlayStation 2) 28.) Resident Evil 4 (PlayStation 2) 29.) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PlayStation 2) 30.) Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PlayStation 2) 31.) Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation) --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 1:31:46 AM | message detail | #016 |
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I totally just posted eleven games, too. It's always something... --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| Xtremeblur | Posted 3/27/2007 1:31:54 AM | message detail | #017 |
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dear god tag ~/\~ Some people see this "mountain of evidence," these videos, these DNA readings, but some people see it for what it really is...racism. - Anonimity |
| Fett0001 | Posted 3/27/2007 1:34:59 AM | message detail | #018 |
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But what about 11-20? --- Congrats Rufus Shinra , winner of the Guru Challenge! |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 1:36:49 AM | message detail | #019 |
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Lots and lots of list spoilers in there. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| Kaxon | Posted 3/27/2007 2:06:01 AM | message detail | #020 |
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Tag this --- ....TCELES B HSUP |
| transience | Posted 3/27/2007 2:06:48 AM | message detail | #021 |
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24.) Metroid Zero Mission (Game Boy Advance) what happened here?! --- xyzzy Winner of 6 V-Tokens |
| kungfu chicken | Posted 3/27/2007 2:08:08 AM | message detail | #022 |
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his list, for a couple of reasons, is probably the final one I'll be
bothered to do like this. Finalized and brilliant, this is the
definitive Aitch Emm list. Enjoy lol. Does anyone (even you HM) believe that? --- currently looking for a new enemy. Detective in Sir Chris' Police Force |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:25:03 AM | message detail | #023 |
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One more for tonight... 9.) Super Mario World It's a blast from the past! Moving away from the more cultish Grim Fandango to something just a bit more popular --Super Mario World. I have a lot of ground to cover here so sit tight. First, with the unveiling of 21 - 30 of my list, I'm sure it's not hard to notice that SMB3 is just outside of the Top 20 and SMW is sitting up here in 9th. Given my past tendencies with Mario game rankings, this may create mindblowing comments like "OH GOD HM DID IT AGAIN," but hopefully not! There is a reason for this, though, and it's pretty clear: Super Mario World is more fun. Long have I tried to compare level design, number of levels, appeal, or whatever. It was silly of me and I have no idea why any of that mattered in two games that were both superb. Secondly, Lucid appears to be following this topic, so I'm going to pre-empt his remarks by saying this: you win...this time. Now what's to say about Super Mario World. Well, first and foremost, I would venture to say that this is one of the most finely crafted, enjoyable games I've ever played. If I was basing this list entirely on which was the most fun, Super Mario World would probably take first place in a walk, and I had seriously thought about sticking it up there at number one and blowing the minds of the masses, but there were some other factors to consider than just "fun." I remember clearly the sheer joy I got from taking that first lone red shell in the first stage and knocking out that line of red Koopa Troopas; the first time I ran into Yoshi trapped in his egg, and then eating Koopa Troopas; the first time I jumped ever so gloriously across that marker at the end of the level. I have to say, I have nostalgia baaaad for Super Mario World. It is probably the game I remember most of my childhood because from the time I got it until the time Super Mario 64 came out on the Nintendo 64, I was hooked on playing it in what seemed like every other month, even after beating it. I could probably play this game with my eyes closed because the levels and world map are so integrated into my head. Scary thought. What I thought was the coolest addition to this game, and the series as a whole, was the cape. That's right, Yoshi lovers, the cape is better than that dinosaur. If you haven't seen Mario grab onto the corners of the cape, stick his belly out in the air, and glide across the sky with that smile on his mustachioed face, you are have not lived. Seeing that had a profound effect on my childhood because I felt strange desires to mimic these...cape escapades. Whenever the family videos are busted out at gatherings, I always get the jokes about trying to be Mario with my a pillow sheet tied around my neck, clasped together with a rubber band so as to keep it from falling. It's a sight to behold -- probably some of those "TMI" thoughts popping into your heads right about now, but don't worry, I'm going to nip this in the bud. Anyway, the overall point here is that Mario's cape rocks faces and it is long overdue to return to the series in some fashion. Moving on to other favorites from the game, who else absolutely despised the level under the bridge when they were kids? You know the one -- underwater bullet bills. Those things were my kryptonite as a child. That level was demonic in its design and caused me a crapload of grief. Of course, that doesn't hold true today, but you best believe it did at age eight or nine. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:25:14 AM | message detail | #024 |
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And while on the subject of levels that pained me, I'm sure everyone
is with me on Tubular being ridiculous and vein cutting worthy. That
was the level in Special World where you have to use the P-Balloons to
get through the entire level while Chargin' Chucks launched baseballs
at you and Volcano Lotus' spread their fiery seed into the air. I think
I nearly went mad as a kid with that level, even so far as to chew into
the controller wire out of frustration. I wasn't too bright then, but I
had to alleviate that stress somehow. Yeah. There are so many fond memories of this game that it's nuts. I could type almost endlessly on each level, detailing where what went wrong, what was awesome, how clever some of those level designs actually were. I'm not really one of those people who think that old games always beat new ones, but there is something about Super Mario World that has gone unmatched in the platforming world for a long, long time now. Sure, Super Mario World isn't the most challenging thing out there, but everything is so finely designed that it's one of the few games that I think holds up extremely well even by today's standards. It can compete with the best of them. Believe. Oh, and because it would bother me tremendously to leave this out -- who loves them some SMW world map music? I'm not really a big music guy, but holy crap is that one of the best tunes to come from gaming. It's so...jovial. You have this miniaturized Mario on the screen walking in place with this hearty little beat going on in the background. If someone were to ask me to describe the feeling of Super Mario World, I would probably tell them to go listen to that piece. Super Mario World is probably one of the best examples of great game design. The level are diverse and unique; the control of Mario is so very precise (that may sound strange, but there's just so much control you have over Mario in comparison to other games); and, above all else, the game is a blast to play. It has been a couple of years since I last actually played Super Mario World, but doing this write-up has reinvigorated my desire to run through it again. I mean, I could beat that game with 100% in a day no problem. Let it be known -- Mario is ****ing awesome. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| junglebob22 | Posted 3/27/2007 2:30:19 AM | message detail | #025 |
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I like SMB3 better than SMW tbqh. --- ....trolling is just some hairy monster-ertyu http://www.capcom.co.jp/saiban4/saiban4_taikenban/saiban4_taikenban.html |
| transience | Posted 3/27/2007 2:33:49 AM | message detail | #026 |
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Tubular is fun! --- xyzzy Winner of 6 V-Tokens |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:34:48 AM | message detail | #027 |
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Whoops. I almost forgot to do the whole list thing... 31.) Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation) 32.) Tales of Symphonia (GameCube) 33.) Metroid Prime (GameCube) 34.) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) 35.) Mega Man 2 (Nintendo) 36.) Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64) 37.) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube) 38.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Super Nintendo) 39.) Mega Man X4 (PlayStation) 40.) Pikmin (GameCube) Some good stuff there. --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:35:23 AM | message detail | #028 |
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Tubular is fun! You get out of here with that kind of talk !! --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| transience | Posted 3/27/2007 2:37:05 AM | message detail | #029 |
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I've actually never beaten it the right way. blue yoshi + cape = aw yeah !! --- xyzzy Winner of 6 V-Tokens |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:38:47 AM | message detail | #030 |
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lol. Does anyone (even you HM) believe that? As for this, I have become very exasperated with "lists," so yeah. I made this one and have no intention of ever remaking it again. >_> --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:39:45 AM | message detail | #031 |
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Now that's just cheating! --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| transience | Posted 3/27/2007 2:41:43 AM | message detail | #032 |
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cheating is fun! --- xyzzy Winner of 6 V-Tokens |
| XERD_003SS | Posted 3/27/2007 2:44:04 AM | message detail | #033 |
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32.) Tales of Symphonia (GameCube) XD --- Currently Playing: Wild Arms: The Vth Vanguard, Tales of Legendia, Lumines |
| Redtooth | Posted 3/27/2007 3:01:21 AM | message detail | #034 |
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yay, hm list =D --- Rufus>Redtooth Nice list, I counted twenty that would be in my top ten - BlondeAfroHero7 |
| Lady Ashe | Posted 3/27/2007 4:53:22 AM | message detail | #035 |
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From transience I've actually never beaten it the right way. blue yoshi + cape = aw yeah !! ...If only I still had my SNES. >_> ~~~ Ashe. The Cream of Final Fantasy Fanboyism. http://www.board8wiki.com/Lady_Ashe |
| Heri_turla_Heru | Posted 3/27/2007 4:57:33 AM | message detail | #036 |
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I could take a look at this every once in a while. tag ~Shaggy~ --- Only I can prevent forest fires?!?! Ahhh, the power... |
| Undeniable | Posted 3/27/2007 10:52:27 AM | message detail | #037 |
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lol FFVIII and ToS.. --- "It doesn't matter if you're wearing blue, red, yellow or polka dots, you'll always be the same loser, and I'll always be THE CHAZZ! - Chazz Princeton |
| THEJackSparrow | Posted 3/27/2007 10:57:05 AM | message detail | #038 |
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Final Fantasy X for #1! --- "Four of you have tried to kill me in the past. One of you succeeded." |
| Not Dave | Posted 3/27/2007 10:59:39 AM | message detail | #039 |
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I've actually never beaten it the right way. blue yoshi + cape = aw yeah !! sissy >_> --- d |
| Mumei | Posted 3/27/2007 11:00:57 AM | message detail | #040 |
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*goes to pull out my collection of Heroic Mario lists* --- "I believe that words uttered in passion contain a greater living truth than do those words which express thoughts rationally conceived" - Sensei |
| Ed Bellis | Posted 3/27/2007 11:01:15 AM | message detail | #041 |
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You are a very fast writer. >_> --- This was Ed Bellis. Rufus Shinra 18 took a shotgun to my bracket. Congrats, Guru champ! |
| therealmnm | Posted 3/27/2007 11:51:27 AM | message detail | #042 |
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Now that I have probably purchased my last new game in the PS2-era, I'll probably do my new Top 50 games list sometime soon. --- Currently playing: God of War 2, Fable, Ultimate Spiderman, FFVI Advance |
| Jack White | Posted 3/27/2007 12:07:16 PM | message detail | #043 |
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Tag. --- ~Jack White~ |
| wavedash101 | Posted 3/27/2007 12:08:59 PM | message detail | #044 |
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epic tag --- Our shields cannot withstand wavedashing of this magnitude! Annoying posters! I am the great wavedash! |
| Kloggmonkey | Posted 3/27/2007 12:20:37 PM | message detail | #045 |
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Not #1.) God of War (PlayStation 2) Well that's quite spontaneous of you, Red Wanker. =P --- DNEA |
| Drakeryn | Posted 3/27/2007 12:59:33 PM | message detail | #046 |
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Tag. --- We're not foolish because we're tools. It's because we're men. - Albedo |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 4:28:05 PM | message detail | #047 |
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Final Fantasy X for #1! http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/3487/25542839ar9.gif --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| KleenexTissue50 | Posted 3/27/2007 4:33:19 PM | message detail | #048 |
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Oh that's right, HM's on a MGS kick. 1,2,3 = MGS 1,2,3 --- http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs9/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=33847108 Now playing: Final Fantasy III DS, Rogue Galaxy |
| ZFS | Posted 3/27/2007 4:35:44 PM | message detail | #049 |
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None of them are first. :) --- An infinite world. Infinite possibilities. Infinite Undiscovery. |
| KleenexTissue50 | Posted 3/27/2007 4:36:24 PM | message detail | #050 |
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Don't try and lie to me. --- http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs9/genmessage.php?board=8&topic=33847108 Now playing: Final Fantasy III DS, Rogue Galaxy |
