Dear Doc,

~Heath

Chrono Cross wasn't exactly the sequel everyone was hoping for, but it wasn't too bad. I think the problem with a lot of direct sequels to classic games is that they never live up to the original. Can you imagine SquareEnix tackling a new entry in the series and managing to please the fans of the original? That doesn't mean I'm against sequels or anything, in fact there are a few games I wish could get another installment. First off, I'm a huge fan of the early Jurassic Park games and would love to see an open world installment, like Turok, only less shooting and more exploring and trying to escape. Also, there was a game released about fifteen years ago called The Horde, which starred TV legend Kirk Cameron as a young man charged with protecting a village from monsters. It was a mix of action and strategy and I wasted several hours with it.

As for my cohorts:

NaviFairy: Skies of Arcadia NEEDS a sequel, as does Eternal Darkness. I'd also love to see a proper Shining Force 4, or at least English translations of scenario 2 and 3 of SF3. It would be amazing if Capcom made a new entry into the Gargoyle's Quest/Demon's Crest series. Then my last pipe-dream would be to see a new Cubivore (Spherivore?).

Game-Boy: In my eyes, the subjects of my Last Dance articles deserve the sequel treatment. Ok, maybe not Odama, but God Hand, Metal Arms, and P.N. 03 do!

I want a "Real" Bionic Commando sequel. The modern update looks terrible in my fanboy eyes, ignores what made the first game fun, and there are hot dog things on the dudes arm. Basically, I want Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2 or nothing.

My other picks for sequels would include the gravity-flipping shooter Metal Storm and the "it's basically like Ninja Gaiden but better" Shadow of the Ninja.

Wootini: You know, I really wish they'd make another Pokemon game. Just kidding. Actually, the only game I would have thought of is Deus Ex, but they've just announced another one of those in the pipeline, so I've got nothing to complain about.

Dawdle: Grim Fandango. The story was pretty well wrapped up in one game, but I'd love to get another installment of the game.

Asterick: Clocktower. Gimmick! Bayou Billy.

Sgt. Sausagepants: New Installment - Thief (and may be getting it, happily)

Haaaaaay, me again!

~William

1. I love playing favorites! My absolute favorite game of all time is Final Fantasy IV. I've played through it more times than I can count and own every release of it. Oh, can I add this to my games that need a direct sequel?

My least favorite game has got to be the original King's Quest. There was no redeeming quality in that horrid concoction of frustration. When I type "hump the tree" I want him to hump the bloody tree! I did get into the later installments though.

Shall we hear from the others:

NaviFairy: My favorite game is definitely Shining Force 2, but other favorites are Metroid Prime, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Okami, Tales of the Abyss, Skies of Arcadia, and Bioshock. As for least favorites? Gears of War is the most recent game that comes to mind that I couldn't stand. I've also hated the controls in all of the Grand Theft Auto games since the move to 3D.

Game-Boy: My Favorites... Super Mario Bros. 3: In my mind this is the only perfect game in existence. No sprite misplaced, no movement not perfectly timed. This is Miyamoto-magic at it's finest.

Shadow of the Colossus: I really wanted to list Ico here, but the last quarter of SotC came together in a way that nearly every game wishes it could. Easily the most moving I have ever experienced, the story is masterfully told and features truly "epic" boss battles. It confuses me why so many developers believe that storytelling can only occur with voice overs and cut scenes when games like this, Ico, Out of This World / Another World are able to do so much with so little.

Metal Gear series: Since I've talked up my love of the series before on the site, I'll just list my ranking of the series from best to worst: MGS1, MG, MGS3, MGS4, MGS2 (Die Raiden, DIE!).

Loom: I love games that aren't afraid of throwing away the assumptions of it's genre. As a "point-n-click" adventure game without an inventory, Loom did everything in it's own way and it's own terms. The result is a relatively short jaunt into fantasy that LucasArts still has yet to top in my opinion. Not an adventure game in the strictest terms and not a music-rhythm game by any definition, Loom is one of games that people either immediately love or loath.

My Least favorites... (thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely of Game-Boy and do not reflect the views and opinions of GayGamer.net or it's management)

Final Fantasy (installments 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10): I understand why people like them, but they just don't click with me. In my opinion the stories are terrible, gameplay is dull (although I've heard that 12 fixes many of the issues I've had with the series), characters are a combination of sexist and racist stereotypes, and I'm told that Squall doesn't die despite my wishes. Also, if I wanted to watch someone that looks like David Bowie plot an evil scheme to take over the world for 60 hours, I can get the real thing by putting my Labyrinth DVD on repeat. At least that had better puppet work than this [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU8-e-C4Uy0 ]. I know how much a lot of the people here love the series to death, but I just don't get it. Educate me and send your complaints to gameboy@gaygamer.net.

Gears of War: This game's art direction makes me think that I'm blind and colorblind. I can't tell the difference between "grey big muscled Space Marine #3" and "grey big muscled Space Bug #58." Also, I thought that Kill.Switch did the "pop and shoot" cover mechanic better. Again, I know it's popular and I'm happy for those that like it, but it just didn't work for me.

Wootini: My favorite game is hard to pin down. If we're going for a Desert Island Disc kind of thing, I'd probably go with Morrowind just because it has so much to do and see. But if we're going for sheer fun, my favorite would probably be Rock Band/Rock Band 2. I never get bored of that. Least favorite is also tough to call because I tend not to buy or play games I don't think I will enjoy. But I have to say I was somewhat underwhelmed by Halo.

Dawdle: My favorites oscilate, and I'm reluctant to name any from this generation quite yet, but three that come up most often are Ocarina of Time, Diablo 2, and Resident Evil 4. I'm pretty good at weeding out truly bad games before I buy or play them, so I can't think of any games I'd call my least favorite. I will admit that in the past few years, I've been disappointed by Super Paper Mario and Patapon. They're both fine games for a certain type of gamer, but I think I was expecting something more from both.

Asterick: Least favorite: Anything in the "Chessmaster" series

Sgt. Sausagepants: Favorite of all time - That's hard to say. Myst probably. Least favorite... anything sports related, really.

2. I wish I could say the increase in girl gamers (and gay gamers for that matter) will lead to an increase in attractive male characters but I don't think that will be the case. One reason that games contain such idealized (and kinda warped) representations of women is because the designers are more often than not men. Though all is not lost, for every three hundred macho space marines there is at least one Nate Drake. I guess it all depends on what you find attractive in a guy. As for well endowed men... I don't think I can say anything that won't get me censored by the FCC.

So I consider myself a retro gamer as well as a hardcore gamer of today. I was wondering what are some of your and others of the gay gamer staff favorite retro games? Are you happy with the awesome retro return of Mega Man? Would you like to see more of this retro style done to other franchises?

~Josh

Battletoads, Double Dragon, Bubble Bobble, Joe and Mac, Mario 2, Space Invaders, just to name a few. Mega Man 9's release has made me aware that gamers today have gotten soft and I'd love to see some retro sequels kick our butts back into gaming shape. If I had to pick one, I want a brand new Battletoads done in the style of the NES original, complete with obscenely difficult tower climbs and hover bike races.

As for the crew:

NaviFairy: Aside from the standard Nintendo favorites like Mario, Metroid, and Zelda, I've also been a big fan of games like Balloon Fight, Kid Icarus, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mega Man 2. Then in the 16-bit era I loved Shining Force 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Vectorman, Earthworm Jim, Lion King, Battletoads, Dynamite Heady, Rocket Knight Adventures, and TMNT: Hyperstone Heist. Once it gets into the PS1/Saturn/N64 generation I don't think of it as retro anymore.

Game-Boy: Flashback: I can't exactly put my finger on why I love this game so much. Combat is clinky, the story is a little "meh," and the difficulty curve is Out of This World, but it's still a compelling experience. The game's designers carefully balanced the occurrence and placement of combat, the storytelling and presentation clearly influences my other favorites (like Ico of SotC), and the difficulty makes it challenge even on a replay. Of all my retro collections, this is the one I take most seriously since I'm trying to track down each of the game's platform releases: 6 down, 9 to go.

Capcom's Disney NES Games: Everyone loves Ducktails, some people liked Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers, a few people still talk about Darkwing Duck or Tailspin, but I have to be the only person that loves (LOVES!) Capcom's take on The Little Mermaid. To me these games make up some of the best games that the NES has to offer. Related to an earlier question, I would kill for a sequel to any of these. Can you imagine how awesome Ducktails 3 would look like today

Wootini: Dr. Mario is always a favorite. So glad it finally showed up on Wii Ware.

Dawdle: Honestly I'm not much of a retro gamer. As a kid I played a lot of crap that happened to be in stock at the local video store, and usually the selection wasn't too great. I remember the first Maniac Mansion being a particular favorite, as well as the Mega Man series (up until 4), and Capcom's Duck Tales was the first game I ever beat, and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Asterick: Too many to list. (perpetually changing) Top 5 would be: Bubble Bobble, Blaster Master, Micro Machines (NES), Gimmick! and Sweet Home

Sgt. Sausagepants: Metal Warriors. It's a SNES game where you pilot giant robot fighters around, and can get out and switch models when you find an empty one. Thexder and Zeliard would be on that list too, they were PC titles.

Well, that is all for this week. If you sent a question in and it wasn't answered don't fret, I'm saving them for next week. If you haven't sent a question in yet then you've betrayed me and I wish a plague on your house. Nah, just kidding, but please send them in!