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alienjesus
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Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by alienjesus Mon Apr 26, 2021 7:32 am

Every year on Racketboy, we host the annual Summer Games Challenge. In this challenge, we try to play 10 classics games we've never played before over the length of the summer.

Every year, I always get excited and start making this thread super early so we can start planning games to play too! :lol:

What is this challenge then?

All you regulars probably know the drill, but if you're new or haven't joined in before:

The Racketboy Summer Games Challenge is an annual event started a solid decade ago now by SnickerD00dle, a member who has long since left the forums.

The premise is to choose 10 classic games that you've never beaten before, and to try and play through all 10 over the course of the summer.

What do you mean by a 'classic' game?

In keeping with the original concept, the idea is to play 'classic games'. These are the types of game that often come up as must-play, definitive games for a system, developer or genre. They might be games credited with inspiring hundreds of games to follow, kick-starting a new genre or just super high quality games that top best games list for a system.

Now you might be a little short on those games i've you been in the hobby for a while, so we do allow some wiggle room to drop in cult classics or games from obscure genres or hardware that may still be significant in those scenes - but try and prioritse the stuff people will know, and avoid random stuff. Basically, Super Mario World is a better fit than
Lufia, but Lufia is still a better choice than something random like Bonkers on SNES.

What do you mean by 'The Summer'? That's pretty vague!

It sure is, but that's by design - people can start and finish as early or late as they would like. You could give yourself a strict 3 month window and play from June - August, or you could start in May and finish in September or anything you want. It's just for fun after all!

That's the reason this thread is up early too. People who want to (especially whilst things are still somewhat locked down in some places!) can start preparing a list and discussing ideas ahead of starting in May should they want to


Do I have to play 10 games? I normally only beat that many in a year! Also, how do I decide what to play?

The original premise of the challenge was to play 10 games, but of course you can adjust it to whatever works for you. If you want to do 5, or 3, go for it. If you blast through games like Doomguy blasts through demons, play 20! The important thing is that you get to experience those classic games and discuss them with your fellow racketboy forum buddies .

Speaking of which - part of the fun is playing along with everyone else, so if someone posts that they're gonna play a game you've not played before, you should strongly consider adding it to your list - it's great to share your thoughts as you progress!


And with that - let's get planning our lists!
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by PretentiousHipster Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:37 am

I literally only played one game on my list last year :lol: (Doom). Here was the other entries last year. I'll throw in my #10 as something I will play for sure soon though

1. Super Mario World
2. Final Fantasy 7
3. Metal Gear Solid
4. Super Metroid
5. Resident Evil
6. Fallout
7. Silent Hill 2
8. Shenmue
9. Planescape: Torment
10. Panzer Dragoon Saga
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by prfsnl_gmr Mon Apr 26, 2021 10:54 am

^ All stone-cold classics.

Let’s also not forget one of the main reasons s this challenge is so enjoyable...debating whether a particular game fits the amorphous definition of “classic”! :lol:
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by SamuraiMegas Mon Apr 26, 2021 1:13 pm

I always plan on participating but never end up finishing. Definitely going to try harder this time.

1: Metal Gear Solid (maybe twin snakes, undecided)
2: Metal Gear Solid 2
3: Ace Attorney 2
4: Professor Layton Vs Ace Attorney
5: Jet Set Radio Future
6: Metal Gear Rising
7: Horizon Zero Dawn
8: Days Gone
9: Ghosts of Tsushima
10: Last of us 2

Not all of em are retro, but they've been sitting in my backlog long enough to feel like it... I've had my copy of Ace Attorney vs Layton since I think the 8th grade... Im a sophomore in college now!
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by prfsnl_gmr Mon Apr 26, 2021 3:11 pm

Let me help you with your list...

SamuraiMegas wrote:1: Metal Gear Solid (maybe twin snakes, undecided)
2: Metal Gear Solid 2
3: Ace Attorney 2
4: Professor Layton Vs Ace Attorney

5: Jet Set Radio Future
6: Metal Gear Rising
7: Horizon Zero Dawn
8: Days Gone
9: Ghosts of Tsushima
10: Last of us 2


Once you get rid of the games that clearly aren’t “classics,” you only have to beat three games this summer! :lol:

.....

Here’re my starting five:

Metal Gear (NES) - I’ve beaten the MSX version of Metal Gear, and I thought it was excellent. The NES port is very different, though, and equally influential. I’ve been itching to give it another shot.

Ninja Gaiden II (360) - The classic status here is probably up for debate. This was Tomonobu Itagaki’s last game for Tecmo, however, and arguably, the last great Ninja Gaiden game. Also, it has swords and would be great for next month’s TR.

Phantasy Star IV - I love Phantasy Star, and after beating the first game, I resolved to beat the rest of the series. From what I’ve read, this is the best JRPG on the Genesis, and it will be a nice reward after slogging though Phantasy II, Phantasy Star III, and Phantasy Star Gaiden.

Portal 2 - I love the first game, and I’ve beaten the co-op campaign. It’s considered one of the best games of the ‘10s, and I really need to beat the single-player campaign.

Shadowrun (Genesis) - I’m reading Neuromancer by William Gibson, and I think it’d be cool to follow it up with this game. I’ve made a few attempts to start this before, and it hasn’t clicked with me. I’m going to do a bit of research before starting it this time, though.

Please feel free to lay into me and let me know why I’m not playing real classics!
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by SamuraiMegas Mon Apr 26, 2021 3:49 pm

Hey now Ace Attorney 2 is definitely a classic game, and i think AA vs PL will end up a classic for the 3DS. Just look at the crazy prices it's going for... didn't know that any 3DS games were that expensive.
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by alienjesus Mon Apr 26, 2021 4:40 pm

Time for me to throw my list out to the wolves to critique:

I'm going to 11 because that's what the cool people do.

1. Probotector (NES)
2. Tetris Attack (SNES)
3. Mario Party 2 (Nintendo 64)
4. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (Gamecube)
5. Mother 3 (GBA)
6. Shinobi (Master System)
7. Herzog Zwei (Mega Drive)
8. Dragon Force / Shining Force III (Saturn) - undecided which one currently!
9. Gate of Thunder (Turbografx-CD)
10. Ape Escape (PS1)
11. Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PS1)


Some of my list is a who's who of games I had on previous year's lists but didn't get to - Probotector, Mother 3, Shinobi, Gate of Thunder and Command & Conquer all have been here before.

Probotector is the European version of Contra, so that's definitely a classic.

Tetris Attack seems well thought of and seems to be the best thought of title in the Puzzle League series.

Mario Party 2 is often called the best in the series and is certainly a defining game in the genre.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour seems to be considered the best in the series, and there's no doubt Mario Golf is an iconic sports series.

Mother 3 is one of the most iconic and well loved games that never left Japan.

Shinobi on SMS is pretty indisputable - it's generally on every best Master System games list.

Herzog Zwei is a foundational console real-time strategy title and a big influencer in the genre from my understanding

Shining Force 3 and Dragon Force are considered some of the best and most highly recommended games for the Saturn.

Gate of Thunder is an iconic shmup, and as a pack-in title for the Turbo CD is one of the earliest examples of a game showing off the CD medium.

Ape Escape is a game designed to showcase the PS1 dual analogue controller, which has gone on to be the de-facto standard. It's also the first in an iconic Sony series that spanned a few generations.

Lastly, Red Alert is one of the best known and highest rated RTS games ever. I'm aware the PS1 port isn't the most recommended way to play it, but it's fundamentally the same game underneath so I think it counts.
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by alienjesus Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:33 pm

No-one else interested in joining in this year?

:cry:
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by SpaceBooger Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:10 pm

So my list is... different this year. I haven't really thought about it. So here is what I have thus far and will finish the list soon.
I am currently playing Grandia (Sat) and Dragon Warrior 2 (GBC) so I will start the list with those.

1. Grandia (Sat)
2. Dragon Warrior II (GBC)
3. Shantae (GBC if it ever arrives from LimitedRun Games)
4. Dragon Warrior III (GBC) ​

Ok, any other recommendations?
With this many RPGs on the list, I may need some quick fix games arcade games. Any ideas would be welcome.
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Re: Racketboy Summer Games Challenge 2021- Lets play games!

by prfsnl_gmr Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:40 pm

^ classics

Nice list, SB. AJ’s list needs some work, though:

1. Probotector (NES) - Classic
2. Tetris Attack (SNES) - Classic
3. Mario Party 2 (Nintendo 64) - The first game, maybe. Not this one, though.
4. Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (Gamecube) - Not a classic. Play the GBC version instead. That game is a classic, and inspired later titles like Golf Story.
5. Mother 3 (GBA) - Might have been a classic if people outside Japan got to play it. Forbidden fruit to gamers in Europe and the US, but not particularly groundbreaking or influential.
6. Shinobi (Master System) - A/K/A Not Another 8-Bit Arcade Port. Play the arcade original or the sequel. Play a different SMS game. Skip the just OK port.
7. Herzog Zwei (Mega Drive) - Classic
8. Dragon Force / Shining Force III (Saturn) - undecided which one currently! - Both are classics.
9. Gate of Thunder (Turbografx-CD) - Classic
10. Ape Escape (PS1) - Classic
11. Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PS1) - Classic (enough, I guess
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