The Best to Own Forever series isn’t about what’s great right now. It’s about what will be great in 10 years, even though there will be better-looking games and later sequels, and what will keep you pulling that dusty old console out of the closet every once in a while. This time, we focus on the original Xbox which, while mostly home to ports and iterative series, has a few gems to go back to.
Jade Empire was BioWare’s first attempt at making an unlicensed RPG, as well as one that is almost entirely action-based, so hopes were high, but some people (including myself) had doubts. Thankfully, they managed to pull it off better than anyone could have expected, creating an experience that is unlike anything BioWare has done before and since. It contains all of the same BioWare tropes, including dialogue choices and a quest system that was reminiscent of their previous effort, Knights of the Old Republic. It all came together wonderfully and managed to set itself apart from most of the RPGs from the time (and the many Western RPGs to follow). – Andrew Passafiume
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The Best to Own Forever series isn’t about what’s great right now. It’s about what will be great in 10 years, even though there will be better-looking games and later sequels, and what will keep you pulling that dusty old console out of the closet every once in a while. In this installment, we look at the long-lived PS2.
Similar in a lot of ways to the Parappa the Rapper series, Gitaroo Man is an insane Japanese rhythm game that features effective use of button timing and analog movement. Each song is as expectedly catchy and zany as the last and the actual controls are spot on, which provides some of the most satisfying moments I’ve seen in any rhythm game. And if you’re really up for a challenge, try playing on the harder modes, I guarantee you’ll have quite a task ahead of you. This is the kind of rhythm game we rarely see released anymore, and one I think is completely worth having in any PS2 library. – Andrew Passafiume READ MORE
The Best to Own Forever series isn’t about what’s great right now. It’s about what will be great in 10 years, even though there will be better-looking games and later sequels, and what will keep you pulling that dusty old console out of the closet every once in a while. In this installment, we look at the Nintendo DS.
Meteos is a one-of-a-kind puzzler that fully utilizes the DS’ touch screen in a fantastic way. This alone should make it a must own, but that’s only scratching the surface. The visuals, fast-paced puzzles and multiplayer modes all add a lot to a puzzle game that is, on the surface, fairly simplistic. It’s the perfect example of taking a basic concept and adding to it to make it seem more complex than it actually is and, as a result, Meteos is one of the most addictive puzzlers to come out in quite some time. If you’re a fan of puzzle games and you don’t have this in your DS collection, then you need to fix that immediately. – Andrew Passafiume READ MORE
The Best to Own Forever series isn’t about what’s great right now. It’s about what will be great in 10 years, even though there will be better-looking games and later sequels, and what will keep you pulling that dusty old console out of the closet every once in a while. In this installment, we look at the PlayStation Portable.
Patapon 2 combines all of the basics from the original with a new layer of complexity that is deep enough for veterans of the series, but is still very welcoming to new players as well. The combination of a simple strategy game and the catchy rhythmic beats of the Patapon as they charge through enemies feels absolutely perfect on a handheld. There isn’t anything else like it on the system and the chances of seeing another game in the series (despite how much I would love a fourth game for the Vita) is unlikely. – Andrew Passafiume READ MORE
The Best to Own Forever series isn’t about what’s great right now. It’s about what will be great in 10 years, even though there will be better-looking games and later sequels, and what will keep you pulling that dusty old console out of the closet every once in a while. We start the series with the Wii.
The fact that we even got a sequel to the original Boom Blox is strange, considering how poorly the first game sold, but the sequel improves upon everything while maintaining what made the original so much fun in the first place. The addition of new multiplayer modes makes this the best Wii game to play with kids while still remaining as addictive as ever in during the single-player content. The simplistic motions play to the strengths of the Wii’s controls without ever running into any of the typical motion gaming problems you might be accustomed to. This is one of the few family-friendly Wii titles that belongs in every gaming library. – Andrew Passafiume
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