Game of the Day: Phantasy Star Online

Today’s game of the day is Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast. What can I say about this game other then I love this game. This is one of the main games that made my Dreamcast totally awesome. It was one the first console online RPGs and it was tons of fun. Unfortunately you can’t play it online anyone if you are playing it on the Dreamcast but it is still an awesome single player game. There were 3 classes: Hunters, Rangers and Forces. Hunters specialized in close range combat, Rangers specialized in long range combat and Forces where the Technique/Magic users. Each class was unique in its own way and you strategies were mainly based on the class you picked. Another thing that helps increase playthroughs were the races. You had Humans, Newmans (an elf like race) and Androids. Humans where the most well-rounded classes they are pretty much good at everything an. Humans are available as Hunters, Rangers and Forces, Newmans has the highest TP (technique points) there were the best magic users and they were usually better at evading attacks and being quicker but they lack the strength. Newmans can be either a Hunter or a Force. Androids have the highest strength, defense and accuracy being machines they are much stronger they Humans and Newmans but their main drawback is they are unable to use TP. Androids can either be Hunters or Rangers. Regardless of what you pick to play you will have lots of fun and it’s always fun to try multiple classes and races. I usually used humans and my main character was a human hunter and it was so much fun to rush right up to enemies and get engaged in battle. If you haven’t tried this game out you should there is also a version on the GameCube it’s kind of expensive but it’s worth it if you don’t have a Dreamcast. There is also a game that I own that is similar it’s called Phantasy Star 0 For the Nintendo DS. I wrote a post about it a while ago to check it out click here. Phantasy Star Online is awesome and it’s so much fun you need to check it out.

Top 10 Video Game Series That Have Stood the Test of Time

These are games that came out in either the 8-bit or the 16-bit era and are still going strong in the current generation of video games.

10. Mortal Kombat – This fighting game series is an awesome series. This game series was ground breaking in the fact that is the first game to include blood and be very violent. This game also was the reason the ESRB rating system was created. The system needed to be created and it works great. So may disagree but it does work. This game have come out on almost every system.

9. Donkey Kong – This is the game that got Nintendo’s foot into the door of the gaming market. Donkey Kong is an awesome game it also introduced us to Mario who was known as Jumpman at the time. Donkey Kong has gone on to make many different times of games and they are all good games.

8. Street Fighter – Probably the most popular fighting game series. It all started with Street Fighter in the arcade but the series took off when Street Fighter II was released. Street Fighter II also had many remakes and people would buy the games multiple times. Capcom is still doing this with the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter IV came out and Capcom released Super Street Fighter IV which had a few more characters and some extra modes and not they have Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition with a few other add ons and characters. Lucky for us today we have high speed internet with Xbox Live and PSN so we can download the extra features for a lot less than buying the game. Capcom’s ability to keep releasing the same game with more stuff and keep gamers coming back for more Street Fighter is why this series is on the list.

7. Castlevania – This is another series that is still awesome. The Belmonts may not be as well know outside the gaming world but in the gaming world they are the most famous family of vampire slayers. This series of games has been going strong since the NES. Some games may not been as good as other. The old 3D games weren’t as popular but with the Castlevania games on the handheld system the series stayed alive. Then Lords of Shadow came out and showed us there is such a thing as a good 3D Castlevania game.

6. Pokémon – Pokémon is probably on of the most popular hand held games ever made. It's not just popular with kids is also popular with adults. The theme of the games is "gotta catch em all". That was on of the main goals making it a very addicting game to play. You also had different versions of the games like Red and Blue and each version of them game is pretty much the same but each version had exclusive Pokémon which meant you had to have a friend with a different version of the game to get all the Pokémon. You would have to link up your Game Boy to your friends Game Boy so that you could trade Pokémon or you could battle with your friends. Today with the DS we have Wi-Fi we can get only and find random people to trade with making its easier to trade and with the growing number of Pokémon its nice to have. There are also games on the consoles that allow you to transfer Pokémon to the console games like Pokémon Stadium. The Nintendo 64 had a Transfer Pak which allowed you to transfer your own Pokémon to the game. This is a game where you may not like the TV show or anything else to do with Pokémon, but you seem to really think these games.

5. Kirby – One of the most popular character from Nintendo other then Super Mairo. Kirby games are always awesome the game was designed to be a game for Kids and was meant to be easy. As the series evolved the game stayed somewhat easy but they added some things to make it more fun for hardcore gamers and fans of the series. Kirby is a little blob but he is a very popular blob named after a brand of vacuum cleaners.

4. Mega Man – The Blue Bomber is the most popular Capcom series out there and there are still games being made with 8-bit graphics. Mega Man also known as Rock Man in Japan is such an awesome game series. It has had is fair share of spin off games including Mega Man X which became its own series. I remember spending so much time as a kid playing Mega Man and I still have so much fun playing the games. You know a game has stood the test of time when you can have your graphic enhanced for newer games and then go back to the 8-bit graphics for the latest games in the series and people still want to play the game.

3. Final Fantasy – Final Fantasy was Squaresoft’s (SquareEnix now) final attempt at succeeding in the gaming market. Final Fantasy truly met Final Fantasy because if this game failed Square would have gone under. Final Fantasy is the most popular RPG game series out there now. They have 14 games in the main series (two of them being MMORPGs XI & XIV) along with many spin off series. These series include: Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Legend and a few sequels and prequels to some of the games in the main series. Final Fantasy has evolved over the years but you know when you are playing a Final Fantasy game.

2. Super Mario Bros. – Everyone knows who Super Mario is even if you have never played a video game. Super Mario is an awesome game he was one of the main reason the video game crashed. There have been so many types of Mario games. The most popular is platformers. He has also been in racing games, fighting games, party games, sport games and RPGs. Mario has his experience with all types of games. I don’t know if I've even know someone who doesn’t like to play Super Mario game who is a gamer.

1. The Legend of Zelda – This is a series the truly hasn’t lost any its luster. Every game in this series is awesome and I don’t count the CD-i games because they are not part of the series because they don’t have The Legend of Zelda in their names anywhere. This series is so awesome the time line can be very hard to follow but that really doesn’t matter. The game play is awesome and the stories are usually good also. No matter which game in the series I play it always feels like the Legend of Zelda. Technology gets better but the Legend of Zelda will never change. It was awesome when It came out in 1987 and its still awesome now with Skyward Sword (which I’m getting for Christmas). This is truly the game that has stood the test of time the best.

Honorable Mentioning

Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Dragon Quest, Metal Gear, Madden, Virtua Fighter and Sim City (and its many spin offs).

Want to learn more about the Legend of Zelda time like check out this video by the Angry Video Game Nerd.

To see more of the Angry Video Game Nerd check out Cinemassacre.

Games I've found and games I'm still looking for

This Labor Day weekend was a great weekend in games for me. Between going to Ed McKay and the Hillsville gun show over the weekend I made out well. Here are the games I was able to pick up that were on my list:

Donkey Kong 3 (NES)
Double Dragon III (NES)
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (SNES)
Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64)
Donkey Kong Land (GB/GBC)
Donkey Kong Land 2 (GB/GBC)
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance (GBA)
Metroid Fusion (GBA)
Bushido Blade 2 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X5 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X6 (PS1 Black Label)
Mega Man X7 (PS2 Black Label)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Shenmue II (Xbox)

Here are a few games I got the weren't on my list:

Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road (NES)
Marble Madness (NES)
Smash TV (NES)
Yoshi’s Story (N64)
Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS1 Greatest Hits)
Croc 2 (PS1 Black Label)
David Beckham Soccer (PS1 Black Label)
Tenchu Stealth Assassins (PS1 Black Label)

Overall I picked up 23 Games. 15 of these games were on my list.

I have updated my list as well as added a couple of other games to the list that I’m looking for.

NES

Dragon Warrior II
Dragon Warrior IV
Dig Dug II
Mega Man
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Pac-Mania
Tetris (Tengen)

SNES
Castlevania: Dracula X (Got the Japanese version)
E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
Earthbound
Kirby's Dreamland 3
Kirby's Super Star
Mega Man 7 (Got the Japanese version)
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3 (Got the Japanese version)
Secret of Mana
Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

N64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Clayfighter 63 1/3
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards  
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania: The Adventure II: Belmont’s Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Donkey Kong Land 3
Final Fantasy Adventure
Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Received a free digital copy for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
Super Mario Land 2

Game Boy Advance
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (Got a free digital copy on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Zero Mission

Sega Genesis
Mortal Kombat II
Power Base Converter (Plays Sega Master Systems games on the Sega Genesis)
Samurai Showdown
Sega 32x (With all the hook-ups)

Game Gear
Sonic Blast
 
Dreamcast
Shenmue
Power Stone
Power Stone 2

Playstation
Bushido Blade
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Ehrgeiz
Fighting Force
Intelligence Cube
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Mana
Legend of Legaia
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
SaGa Frontier 2
Vagrant Story
Xenogears

Playstation 2
ICO
Mega Man X8
Romancing SaGa
Unlimited SaGa

GameCube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Picked it up for the Wii)
Mario Kart Double Dash
Phantasy Star Episode 1 & 2
Super Mario Sunshine

Xbox
Ninja Gaiden Black

I had some good luck finding games and getting them at great prices. I hope to keep getting games and great prices. I will continue to update you as I get more games on my list.

Games I'm looking for

I started making a list of games I’m looking for the other day and it’s a pretty long list. My luck the Hillsville Gun Show is this weekend and sometimes you find some people selling all types of games. Here is a list of games I’m look for. Not all the games are listed but the games I want the most are listed below.

NES
Donkey Kong 3
Dragon Warrior II
Double Dragon III
Dragon Warrior IV
Dig Dug II
Mega Man
Mega Man 5
Mega Man 6
Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Tetris (Tengen)

SNES
Castlevania: Dracula X (Got the Japanese version)
E.V.O.: The Search for Eden
Earthbound
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Mega Man 7 (Got the Japanese version)
Mega Man X2
Mega Man X3 (Got the Japanese version)
Secret of Mana
Turtles IV: Turtles in Time

Sega Genesis
Mortal Kombat II
Power Base Converter (Plays Sega Master Systems games on the Sega Genesis)
Samurai Showdown
Sega 32x (With all the hook-ups)

Game Boy/Game Boy Color
Castlevania: The Adventure
Castlevania: The Adventure II: Belmont’s Revenge
Castlevania Legends
Donkey Kong Land
Donkey Kong Land 2
Donkey Kong Land 3
Final Fantasy Adventure
Kirby’s Dream Land 2
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Received a free digital copy for pre-ordering The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds)
Super Mario Land 2

Game Boy Advance
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure (Got a free digital copy on 3DS)
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission

Game Gear
Sonic Blast

N64
Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
Clayfighter 63 1/3
Donkey Kong 64
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Mario Party 2
Mario Party 3

Dreamcast
Shenmue

Playstation
Bushido Blade
Bushido Blade 2
Castlevania Chronicles
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Cross
Ehrgeiz
Fighting Force
Intelligence Cube
Legend of Dragoon
Legend of Mana
Legend of Legaia
Lunar Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X6
SaGa Frontier 2
Xenogears

Playstation 2
Mega Man X7
Mega Man X8
Romancing SaGa
Unlimited SaGa

GameCube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Picked it up for Wii)
Mario Kart Double Dash
Phantasy Star Episode 1 & 2
Super Mario Sunshine

Xbox
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Shenmue II

There are a lot more games I would like to get, but these games are the games I want the most. Wish me luck on my hunt for all these games.

Video Games I need to beat

I own so many games and I love to buy games. The only thing is I buy so many games buy without beating the games I already own. What’s really bad is with some games I’m either at the end or very close to the end. So I’m going to make a list of some of the games I own that I need to beat.

Bioshock 2
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Castlevania IV (Super Castlevania IV) (On the next to last level)
Castlevania: Dracula X
Castlevania: Bloodlines
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chrono Trigger
Dragon Warrior
Dragon Warrior III
Fable
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (I need 1 more crystal star then it’s on to the final boss)
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus
Final Fantasy IX (I’m on the final disc of the game)
Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy XII
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts II
Legend of Zelda
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Mega Man 2
Mega Man 4
Mega Man 8
Mega Man X
Mega Man X4
Mega Man X5
Mega Man X6
Mega Man X7
Metroid
Metroid II: Return of Samus
Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (Just gotta beat level 5)
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Ninja Gaidan (NES)
Ninja Gaidan II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES)
Saga Frontier (This game has 7 different missions and at least 1 of them has multiple ending and it depends on the actions you take in the mission)
Skies of Arcadia
Star Ocean: The Second Story (This game has two different characters with similar but different stories and it has about 80+ endings so to see them all you will be playing a long time)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (one main character 80+ hours of game play not sure how may endings this one has)
Super Mario Bros. (I’ve come so close)
Super Mario Bros. 2 (I’ve come so close)
Super Mario Bros. 3 (I’ve come so close)
Super Metroid
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (At the last battle)
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider III
Zelda II: The Adventures of Link

Well as you can see this list is long and the list is actually longer then want you see listed. I know some of you might look at some of these games and wonder why I haven’t beaten some of them yet. The answer to that question is I don’t know but I’m going to work hard to beat these games. I have a lot of games to beat ill add to the list and hopefully move some of these games to beaten games list. Wish me luck I’m Going to need it with some of these games. I will update you as I beat these games and mark through the game. I will also let you know what games I’ll move to after I’ve beaten a few of these.