Topic: The Universal Games Ranking Forum (Currently: Characters/Weapons/etc. You Hate Playing Against)

@LuckyLand I tried Mario 64 on the Wii U and it's no more comfortable trying to play on the GamePad than it is on the N64's controller.

Frankly, the dualshock controller layout is the best I've ever seen.

@Ralizah GameCube? Mashing that A button is very satisfying.

@Octane GameCube controller is more comfortable, but it has the same drawback as the Xbox 360's controller: a piddly, borderline useless D-Pad.

The D-Pad and analog sticks are both easy to access on a dualshock controller, though, which makes playing 2D and 3D games on them equally pleasant.

EDIT: Also, the GC controller that an inferior c-stick in place of a second analog stick.

@Ralizah Yup, but I don't think I ever used the d-pad in any GameCube game now that I think about it...

@Octane Oh, absolutely, the GC controller was perfect for the GC and its library, but it wouldn't be a good general controller layout for other systems, especially ones with a lot of 2D games. Or games with a lot of right stick manipulation, for that matter.

The classic controller that Nintendo uses now is perfect. It is also based on the layout of the Dual shock like all the other good quality controllers that made it a standard today on any console, I don't think it is a coincidence

@LuckyLand Nintendo switched to an Xbox controller format with its newest system, unfortunately.

I never liked the classic controller for the Wii. Something about it just feels... wrong.

Xbox/GameCube layout or DS layout, either way is fine by me. As long as they don't bring back the Wii U layout.

These are just the ones I've played, ranked from worst to best.

4: Super Mario Galaxy 2. Not a bad game by any means, but it really didn't enchant me like the last two on the list did for a variety of reasons. For one thing, it was much too easy. For another, the levels were pretty generic for the most part, and I really struggle to remember them, simply because they all blend together for me. Plus, I really liked the exploration aspect of Sunshine and 64, which this game almost completely lacked. The whole game felt really "casual" to me, for lack of a better word. Just generic, overly easy Mario platforming.

3: Super Mario Galaxy 1. I had much the same complaints about this game as I did the second one, but it was still new and fresh, and ultimately felt like it had more soul than Galaxy 2 did.

2: Super Mario 64. While this is probably the most flawed game on the list by modern standards, with its finicky camera and Mario occasionally feeling like he was "slippery" among a few other issues, I still have some incredibly fond memories of this game. The levels were varied and incredibly random in their design, they were filled with secrets and really reward exploration, and the objectives were always very different as well. This game never felt stale the whole time I played through it for those reasons, something the Galaxy games suffered from due to the focus being pretty much only on platforming and having pretty generic and uninteresting levels. Definitely one of my favorite childhood games (still a favorite today), and an incredible work of art for its time.

1: Super Mario Sunshine. One of my favorite games of all time. I loved almost everything about this game. The setting, the music, the visuals, the addition of FLUDD, the varied objectives, the large, beautiful, and interesting stages, etc etc. Absolutely gorgeous to look at and listen to to this day, and a joy to play. Despite its flaws, such as the blue coins, some of the filler objectives, the lack of levels compared to 64 etc etc, this game is the pinnacle of the 3D Mario games IMO. While objectively it has its faults, this game is a masterpiece in my mind. Even if Odyssey can't surpass this game and only matches it in terms of pure fun, I will probably consider it the game of the year, and one of the best games on the Switch, if not THE best.

Mario 64 is still my favorite (I didn't have an issue with the camera mostly...I prefer it to be honest), then 3d World, then Sunshine (secret levels almost ruined the game for me), then the Galaxy twins. Galaxy was a beautiful series but it didn't control very well to me.

Right, poll is finally down, results are coming in fast, sit tight.

Ughhhhhh... I posted the results, and then some goofy stuff happened while I was out with the dog and they're gone suddenly. hecc

1st - Pokemon Spin-off Games - 40% (8 Votes)
2nd/3rd - Mainline Kirby Games/Games Most Deserving of Remakes - 25% Each (5 Votes Each)
4th/5th - Best Hidden/Underplayed Features/Modes in Games/2D Sonic Games - 5% Each (1 Vote Each)

So there you have it, Pokemon Spin-off Games is our new topic! Sorry this took me so long, last night was just me grinding Street Fighter V and Team Fortress 2 while some of my mates played CS:GO and told me every ten minutes in Discord that the new update for The Forest was out.

I find you fall for stuff a lot more when you really want it...

Dang, wanted Kirby 😔

I think these are all the Pokémon spin-offs I've played:

1. Pokémon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire (a blast to play)

2. Pokken Tournament (one of my favorite games on Wii U, and I'll definitely pick up the Switch version)

3. Pokémon Snap (lots of fun still to this day)

4. Pokémon Art Academy (I like drawing and I like Pokémon, so I like drawing Pokémon!)

5. Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (not amazing, but still enjoyable)

6. Pokémon Conquest (a solid SRPG; I enjoyed my time with it)

7. Pokémon Picross (the puzzles are great but the awful freemium model holds it back)

8. Pokémon Pinball GBC (It hasn't aged very well, but I still can have fun with the game).

9. Pokémon Shuffle (an addictive match-3, but not really my type of game)

10. Pokémon GO (this game has so much potential but it needs to change mechanics and add more features to make me come back to it)

11. Pokémon Battle Revolution (it was cool seeing my Platinum version's Pokémon battle in 3D, but the game was annoying and repetitive)

12. PokePark Wii (extremely mediocre and not that much fun)

13. Pokémon Rumble World (cute presentation, but not a good game)

Honorable Mention: Pokemon Dream Radar (it's more like an application than a game, but it is canon and it used AR before that was cool)

Never played the Stadium games and not a fan of the Mystery Dungeon series.

Also, this list could change at any time 😉

@LegendOfPokemon Kirby was my vote too, but I'm somewhat okay with this.

Also, was thinking of having a theme for the next poll, like maybe ranking characters only. Just something I'll do for every fifth poll just for some variety maybe. What do you guys think?

There will be something that I've forgotten, but here goes:

• 1: Pokemon Colosseum: Amazing to actually see a 3D Pokemon RPG work this well. Characters were brilliant, especially the main protagonists. The Shadow Pokemon mechanic was also a nice twist. Only disappointment was the lack of wild pokemon.
• 2: Pokemon XD: Still amazing, but I didn't like the characters or story as much as Colosseum.
• 3: Pokemon Ranger Guardian Signs: Quite fun, but story and dialogue was a bit slow.
• 4: Pokemon Ranger: Almost as good as Guardian Signs.
• 5: Pokken: Quite fun, but also fustrating.
• 6: Pokemon Go: This would have been much higher on the list if I was asked a year ago. It was fun at first, but I eventually got bored of it. The recent Raids mechanic is off-putting to me, since I like to play casually whenever I've got a free few minutes instead of timing when I play and hoping that others will be there.
• 7: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity: Not so keen on the gameplay. The dialogue was slow and tedious, but I loved the overall story.
• 8: Pokemon Picross: fun, but disliked the free to play model.
• 9: Pokemon Rumble World: Started off fine, but quickly gets repetitive.
• 10: Pokemon Channel: It turned watching TV into a chore.

(Edited, forgot Pokken)

Haha, I'll just rank the few I've played.

4. Hey You, Pikachu! - The Nintendogs of its day, except I liked it even less than I did Nintendogs. Pure misery.
3. Pokemon Conquest - Didn't really care for this. Slow, FFT-esque tactical gameplay combined with weird resource management in the interim. It's an interesting crossover, but not really for me.
2. Pokemon Stadium - It was really cool at the time being able to import your Pokemon and seeing what they looked like in 3D. Of course, every battle looks like something from Stadium in the RPGs these days, so I doubt it'd be very thrilling now...
1. Pokemon Snap - A legitimately fun and creative idea. I'm disappointed we haven't seen a follow-up to this.

I don't even think of Colosseum and Stadium as spin-offs. Same gameplay, and full compatibility.

I'mma save y'all the introductory words this time since I've already extensively explained my relationship with Pokemon. As far as spin-offs are concerned, I've never gotten into Rangers, Rumble or Mystery Dungeons so neither will have installments featured in this ranking. Also, only the spin-off games I've played are ranked.

1. Pokemon Rush: Why did I buy this? Probably, because there's a big fat 'Pokémon' in the title. Otherwise, I'd doubt Nintendo would have been comfortable releasing this game to the masses. Besides absolutely hating it for its shallow gameplay and touchscreen controls, I don't remember this game much.

2. Pokémon Battle Revolution: Spoilers for the higher ranked games on the list: I've always been a fan of the two Stadium games. So when, I saw Battle Recolution, I thought I'd finally get the Stadium 3. And I did in a way. But without being able to put together a team on my own. Instead, I am given rentals with the option of porting my Platinum team over to Battle Revolution. I do like the arenas, opponents and overall feel of the game but the special rules of the latter tournaments got quite on my nerves. Not bad, but ultimately disappointing.

3. Pokemon Tekken: Yeah, I know, it's called Pokken everywhere but in german speaking territories as Pokken sounds exactly like 'pocken', the german word for smallpox. Also, I've been known to buy some fighting games only to drop them a few days later because I'm too impatient to learn a character's combos. Pokémon Tekken befell the same fate and yet again, I'll gladly buy the DX port at the end of September.

4. Pokémon Colosseum/XD: I respect both of those games for what they were trying to do and some of the locations in Orre are quite nice but a Pokémon game without the ability to catch wild Pokemon, is not a Pokemon game in my book. I know, there are these few spots where you can try to lure a wild Pokemon but that's not what I am looking for. What I basically wanted them to be is mainline games on console. Don't know why they chose to do it this way. Maybe because then we wouldn't be saving those corrupted Pokemon, I guess. I don't know, not a fan.

5. PokePark 1+2: I actually like both quite a lot. Maybe I was just starving for 3D platformers at the time, but I found them quite fun. I especially liked the different locations and the sense of exploration, I didn't have for years at that point, the constant question of which Pokemon I'll be able to find there. They're very easy but they're for kids and I never mind an easy experience, so that's not negative. The minigames were boring, though. Did they really think somebody would play those games instead of playing Mario Kart, Mario Party or similarly popular couch party games?

6. Pokemon Snap: While a Short experience, it's definitely a fun one. Exploring the island for Pokémon to capture (on film) and finding all the hidden secrets and things. It took me years of neglecting this game until I could finally put Mew onto film (since I had no idea how to break its shield). Oak's rating system always seemed kinda busted to me. I mean, it's functional but not perfect. If this ever gets a sequel, I hope it's set off the rails and allows us to traverse the island on our own looking for Pokémon to capture.

7. Pokémon Stadium 1 + 2: I've always loved these two games. The reason behind that lies in my impatience to properly play the original first gen games (training and leveling up). Because with Stadium 1 and 2, you can freely choose which Pokemon to use without any of the nasty training and leveling up nonsense. The minigames are also a ton of fun and the connectivity to the first and second gen games cool.

Aw, was hoping for Kirby...

Anyhow, I really don't have much experience with the current topic. I'll go with Pokémon Snap as it's the only one I've played (other than a short stint with Shuffle).

I've only played 2... Pokémon Snap > Pokémon Stadium

Stadium was the Pokémon 64 game I was hyped for - the ability to battle your Game Boy Pokémon vs. friends on the big screen was a big selling point for me - but the novelty kind of wore off pretty quickly...and I didn't end up playing it all that much. Snap, on the other hand, was pretty much the opposite - I was expecting the novelty to wear off pretty quickly but, to my surprise, it didn't for a long time! I spent many a happy hour riding that monorail and snapping my favourite monsters! Really, really enjoyed it!