Robio's All-New, All-Different, Top 100 of All Time
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#46 - Art Style: BOXLIFE
The Art Style series of games on the Wii and the DSi were quietly some of the most interesting games on Nintendo consoles at the time. Much like the Bit.Trip series, they took simple concepts and basic graphics and found a way to turn them on their head just a bit. Sadly they didn't quite have the same success as the Bit.Trip games, but they mostly were just as good.
BOXLIFE in particular was a favorite of mine. However, it is one of those games that when I tell people about they think I'm an idiot. Or possibly 5 years old. Or maybe just a really slow 8-year-old. Here it is in a nutshell. You're given a sheet of segmented paper, and you have to trace out segments that could be folded up into a box, creating as little waste as possible. You do this for 14 levels, and for some reason it is insanely fun. Oh, and you get a reward too. When you clear a segment, you get new papercraft figures for your home that you grow from an empty field to a farm to a house to a giant building.
I could try and explain it further, but it's just one of those things that doesn't make sense until you actually play it yourself. And even then, if you're not really a fan of puzzle games, or making boxes, I suppose, you still might not think it's worth a damn. But I will say that when I first started it, I was immediately addicted and I pretty much played straight through until I had completed every level. It's a real shame that it's essentially locked away on the closed DSi and 3DS shops.
The Art Style series of games on the Wii and the DSi were quietly some of the most interesting games on Nintendo consoles at the time. Much like the Bit.Trip series, they took simple concepts and basic graphics and found a way to turn them on their head just a bit. Sadly they didn't quite have the same success as the Bit.Trip games, but they mostly were just as good.
BOXLIFE in particular was a favorite of mine. However, it is one of those games that when I tell people about they think I'm an idiot. Or possibly 5 years old. Or maybe just a really slow 8-year-old. Here it is in a nutshell. You're given a sheet of segmented paper, and you have to trace out segments that could be folded up into a box, creating as little waste as possible. You do this for 14 levels, and for some reason it is insanely fun. Oh, and you get a reward too. When you clear a segment, you get new papercraft figures for your home that you grow from an empty field to a farm to a house to a giant building.
I could try and explain it further, but it's just one of those things that doesn't make sense until you actually play it yourself. And even then, if you're not really a fan of puzzle games, or making boxes, I suppose, you still might not think it's worth a damn. But I will say that when I first started it, I was immediately addicted and I pretty much played straight through until I had completed every level. It's a real shame that it's essentially locked away on the closed DSi and 3DS shops.
#45 - Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
As much as I love the game, Dragon Quest XI seems like the least original game of a series that prides itself in playing it safe and taking as few risks as possible. In this case, Dragon Quest 3, Final Fantasy 6, and Chrono Trigger seemed to be the direct inspiration. But you know what? If you're going to borrow, borrow from the best. And in this case, it 100% worked. While you can't say it feels fresh, that doesn't stop it from being a great game and experience.
Really the only downside of DQ11 is the length. If you want to get the true ending, it's around a 100 hour investment. JRPGs had an unfortunate trend in the last few years of bloating their playtime to or near triple digits, and DQ11 was no exception.
However, that true ending is well worth the time. I've said it before, and I still stand by it, DQ11 has the best ending of all time. The moments where it drags or gets repetitive, are all paid off with an ending that not only wraps up the game, but wraps up a series with over 30 years of history.
As much as I love the game, Dragon Quest XI seems like the least original game of a series that prides itself in playing it safe and taking as few risks as possible. In this case, Dragon Quest 3, Final Fantasy 6, and Chrono Trigger seemed to be the direct inspiration. But you know what? If you're going to borrow, borrow from the best. And in this case, it 100% worked. While you can't say it feels fresh, that doesn't stop it from being a great game and experience.
Really the only downside of DQ11 is the length. If you want to get the true ending, it's around a 100 hour investment. JRPGs had an unfortunate trend in the last few years of bloating their playtime to or near triple digits, and DQ11 was no exception.
However, that true ending is well worth the time. I've said it before, and I still stand by it, DQ11 has the best ending of all time. The moments where it drags or gets repetitive, are all paid off with an ending that not only wraps up the game, but wraps up a series with over 30 years of history.
Edited: Sun, 18 May 2025 00:23:00
Yeah, loved Dragon Quest XI but it was a really long game. It was a game that just didn’t want to end. Like you said though getting that true ending was well worth the time spent. Felt like a love letter to the entire franchise.
I downloaded the demo for Dragon Quest XI a long time ago. I've never played any other game in that series. The demo for XI was fun. I doubt I could invest 100 hours into it, though.
Yeah, it's a lot even for the long time fans. Plus, to get the real value out of the game you need to play DQ3. Throughout the game, there's references to some lore about a legendary hero and his party members, which are hinted to be the team from DQ3.
So on that subject, I've said this before, but if anyone wanted to dive into the Dragon Quest series, just play 3, 5, 8, and 11. And while it's a pretty basic and simple game, I would still even say the original is worth a play, if for no other reason, then it helps set up dq3.
So on that subject, I've said this before, but if anyone wanted to dive into the Dragon Quest series, just play 3, 5, 8, and 11. And while it's a pretty basic and simple game, I would still even say the original is worth a play, if for no other reason, then it helps set up dq3.
#44 - Cult of the Lamb
I think the best way to describe Cult of the Lamb is if Animal Crossing was much faster paced. And also had combat. And orgies. And everyone dies of old age. Unless of course you end up sacrificing them to the dark one. Other than that though, it's really quite similar to Animal Crossing. Oh and some of the members of your cult will ask you to make meals for them out of poop. But yeah, just like Animal Crossing.
So yeah, it's a twisted game with an absolutely adorable presentation. And if I'm going to spare everyone from the Animal Crossing jokes, basically it's a Dungeon Crawler with a hub that offers one of the crazier city building life sim games you'll ever come across.
For all the fucked up cold aspects though, it actually does a very good job balancing both of the elements. The village perhaps takes a little too long to get to the point where it's self-sufficient, but once you hit that point, you're pretty much free to focus on whatever you like.
I can honestly say I wouldn't recommend this game to everybody. If my grandma were alive, I wouldn't recommend it to her. But for anyone who likes The Binding of Isaac, this is a very logical next game to put on your list.
I think the best way to describe Cult of the Lamb is if Animal Crossing was much faster paced. And also had combat. And orgies. And everyone dies of old age. Unless of course you end up sacrificing them to the dark one. Other than that though, it's really quite similar to Animal Crossing. Oh and some of the members of your cult will ask you to make meals for them out of poop. But yeah, just like Animal Crossing.
So yeah, it's a twisted game with an absolutely adorable presentation. And if I'm going to spare everyone from the Animal Crossing jokes, basically it's a Dungeon Crawler with a hub that offers one of the crazier city building life sim games you'll ever come across.
For all the fucked up cold aspects though, it actually does a very good job balancing both of the elements. The village perhaps takes a little too long to get to the point where it's self-sufficient, but once you hit that point, you're pretty much free to focus on whatever you like.
I can honestly say I wouldn't recommend this game to everybody. If my grandma were alive, I wouldn't recommend it to her. But for anyone who likes The Binding of Isaac, this is a very logical next game to put on your list.
Edited: Wed, 21 May 2025 14:00:11
#43 - Valkyria Chronicles 2
For some reason the entire write up I did for this game vanished after I posted it. I'm not doing the whole thing again, so to sum up:
Not as good as the original, due to the limitations of the PSP, but it jams in a ton of extra features that weren't in the original like fleshed out backstories for all of the soldiers, new classes, and class specialization. For that reason it's still great game and on the list.
And fuck... That was a lot of writing down the drain.
For some reason the entire write up I did for this game vanished after I posted it. I'm not doing the whole thing again, so to sum up:
Not as good as the original, due to the limitations of the PSP, but it jams in a ton of extra features that weren't in the original like fleshed out backstories for all of the soldiers, new classes, and class specialization. For that reason it's still great game and on the list.
And fuck... That was a lot of writing down the drain.
Edited: Wed, 21 May 2025 15:15:27
This is a series I've always wanted to try but have never gotten around to. I'd like to say that one day I'll find the time, but really, who am I kidding?
I've got a lot of those games too -- the classics that you're going to get around to, but sadly you probably won't. But if I can advocate for it, I've purchased Valkyria Chronicles 1 three times and will always recommend it to others. It's available for almost every system and steam, and goes on sale on a pretty regular basis, so you can get it for pocket change.
Cult of the Lamb sounds like Animal Crossing meets Binding of isaac?
SupremeAC said:This is a series I've always wanted to try but have never gotten around to. I'd like to say that one day I'll find the time, but really, who am I kidding?
This is one you should get around to.
Foolz said:Cult of the Lamb sounds like Animal Crossing meets Binding of isaac?
That's the best way I think it can be described. Like Animal Crossing, it has a population of cute animal-like creatures, and in your cult's village you have to build and decorate structures and constantly pull weeds. The dungeon segments are very similar to The Binding of Isaac, as is the developers semi-fascination with feces.
#42 - Ms. Pac-Man
I don't remember a world without Pac-Man. I was only 3 years old when it originally came out in the arcades, so I don't really remember the initial impact it had. But in the next years I remember and was a part of the wave of Pac-Man fever. Every Sunday I would get a pack of the Pac-Man trading cards, my fifth birthday had a Pac-Man theme (I still have the Pac-Man sleeping bag I got that year), and I remember when the whole thing died down which I will always blame on the god-awful Pac-Man cartoon.
The biggest memory though, was courtesy of my best friend Christopher. I've talked about him before in the past. Christopher's stepdad was in the local mafia. I'm not exactly sure what his rank or position was, but he seemed to have been a mid-level guy and as a result, their family had a lot more cool stuff and everyone else in the neighborhood. Case in point, they had an actual Ms. Pac-Man arcade unit (along with Donkey Kong, a Space Invaders pinball machine, and I think a game called Circus).
Christopher and I put in hours and hours on Ms. Pac-Man. The reality was we were around 4 or 5 years old so we were never that good at it. If we could get to the pear stage it was considered a pretty giant accomplishment. But that game fed my Pac-Man addiction far better than the Atari 2600 version of regular Pac-Man could. And truth be told, when you look at all the Pac-Man games throughout history, it's pretty hard to argue that Ms Pac-Man wasn't the best in the series. Just enough variety on the levels that it kept things interesting, but not so many that you weren't able to learn the patterns and techniques to keep going.
40-something years later, if I see Ms Pac-Man somewhere in the wild and I have a quarter in my pocket, I'm going to play the game. The phrase "timeless classic" gets tossed around a lot, but Ms Pac-Man genuinely is one of those games that lives up to it.
I don't remember a world without Pac-Man. I was only 3 years old when it originally came out in the arcades, so I don't really remember the initial impact it had. But in the next years I remember and was a part of the wave of Pac-Man fever. Every Sunday I would get a pack of the Pac-Man trading cards, my fifth birthday had a Pac-Man theme (I still have the Pac-Man sleeping bag I got that year), and I remember when the whole thing died down which I will always blame on the god-awful Pac-Man cartoon.
The biggest memory though, was courtesy of my best friend Christopher. I've talked about him before in the past. Christopher's stepdad was in the local mafia. I'm not exactly sure what his rank or position was, but he seemed to have been a mid-level guy and as a result, their family had a lot more cool stuff and everyone else in the neighborhood. Case in point, they had an actual Ms. Pac-Man arcade unit (along with Donkey Kong, a Space Invaders pinball machine, and I think a game called Circus).
Christopher and I put in hours and hours on Ms. Pac-Man. The reality was we were around 4 or 5 years old so we were never that good at it. If we could get to the pear stage it was considered a pretty giant accomplishment. But that game fed my Pac-Man addiction far better than the Atari 2600 version of regular Pac-Man could. And truth be told, when you look at all the Pac-Man games throughout history, it's pretty hard to argue that Ms Pac-Man wasn't the best in the series. Just enough variety on the levels that it kept things interesting, but not so many that you weren't able to learn the patterns and techniques to keep going.
40-something years later, if I see Ms Pac-Man somewhere in the wild and I have a quarter in my pocket, I'm going to play the game. The phrase "timeless classic" gets tossed around a lot, but Ms Pac-Man genuinely is one of those games that lives up to it.
When I was 7 years old, I was diagnosed with Pac-man Fever. I was told it was incurable but I would be able to live a full, mostly normal life.
Sounds like doctors Buckner and Garcia's work into managing the illness helped you out.
It was a happy day when my mom got me that 45.
Have you ever listened to the full album with all the other songs? Frogger, Beserk, Donkey Kong, etc? It's a special kind of bad.
travo said:It was a happy day when my mom got me that 45.
Like most of my 80s songs, I recorded it from the radio.
robio said:Have you ever listened to the full album with all the other songs? Frogger, Beserk, Donkey Kong, etc? It's a special kind of bad.
I hadn't but I'm listening to it right now on YT. 
Downloading it right now.
travo said:It was a happy day when my mom got me that 45.
When I saw this onthe feed I thought you were talking about a Colt 45.
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If you are a Beatles fan, but you don't own this game, you've done a tremendous disservice to yourself. It should be considered a requirement, right up there with owning a copy of the White Album and watching A Hard Days Night.
As someone who was a pretty big fan of the Guitar hero and Rock Band games, I never would have thought you could do one game with just one band. Lord knows they've tried it enough times and it never really worked again. I'm pretty sure the Van Halen edition of Guitar hero is a collector's item now, because no one wanted to touch it with a stick when it was released. But in retrospect, it made sense that it worked with the Beatles. Not many bands changed that much over a 10-year period and consistently made excellent music the entire time.
In a more fair and just universe, we'd be having this game remade every console generation instead of Grand theft Auto V or The last of Us, so that everyone would still have a chance to play it on modern hardware. Until then though, this is why I'll never get rid of my Wii version.