Games of 2004 - ranked by preference

Release Date: November 27, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: SquareEnix
Developer: Level 5
Genre: RPG

I had always preferred Final Fantasy to Dragon Quest...Then came Dragon Quest VIII, a game that mixes the things I love about the RPGs of old with some more "modern" gameplay elements and an absolutely gorgeous graphical design and beautiful soundtrack, and my allegiance switched sides. I absolutely love how when you exit town and enter the world map for the first time, you quickly realize that you're not thrust into a top-down view of a mini character walking around the world...The world map exploration is just as big as everything in the towns, really giving you a sense of how enormous the world is in this 75+ hour game. There aren't many games, RPG or otherwise, that I enjoy more than this gem.

Release Date: September 14, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Genre: Adventure

Yeah, it didn't live up to how it was promised to be...But that's okay because we got an absolutely amazing game anyway. While not perfect by any stretch, Fable is addictive fun and just chock full of personality. There aren't many other games out there where you can wear a chicken head mask, disco dance in your underwear, and have people fall in love with you as a result, afterall. All that aside, the later games in the Fable series pale in comparison to the original in terms of gameplay. When I want to venture to the world of Albion, I go there via the original.

Release Date: October 4, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Fighting

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance was a good, solid revival of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Deception made it clear that Midway was aiming to make it one of the best fighting games of all time. With the same, solid fighting engine and system, Deception adds an open-world Konquest mode, allowing players to wander around in the various realms of the Mortal Kombat universe. The mode, while not perfect, has a decent length to it and is deceptively (pun intended) deep. With hidden items and characters only appearing in certain locations at certain times and a bunch of side-quests to do, Konquest mode will keep you busy for a long, long time. To make Deception even sweeter, also included are two mini-games - Puzzle Kombat, a variation of Capcom's Puzzle Fighter, and Chess Kombat, a slightly strategic game of chess with one-on-one fights when your pawn tries to take your opponent's rook or any similar scenario. Overall, this was an amazing overall package when it came out and it still holds up pretty well today. It's one of my favorite fighting games of all time and I highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Release Date: November 16, 2004 (NA/EU)
Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Valve Software
Genre: Shooter - First-Person

The original Half-Life was an absolutely amazing game for its time...Groundbreaking, even. No first-person shooter had ever been like it before. Fast forward a few years and Half-Life 2 was released, totally blowing the original away. With such a variety of environments to traverse, vehicles to cruise around in, and a pretty dang solid story, Half-Life 2 is better than the original (which is still excellent) in just about every way. I don't generally care for first-person shooters, but Half-Life 2 is a game that I'll gladly play any time.

Release Date: March 2, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Team Ninja
Genre: Action

Ninja Gaiden can be frustratingly difficult for some...While I found it to be difficult, I never really found it to be frustrating, as every time I continued, I found myself getting better and better. It reminded me of the 8-bit Ninja Gaiden games, which were the same way. Yeah, those games could get difficult too, but when I'm having this much fun while I fail, I don't mind failing repeatedly, especially when I see progression of my skills in the game. Essentially, this was a spiritual version of the 8-bit games with a beautiful coat of paint...And I think of that as a good thing.

Release Date: March 18, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Now Production
Genre: Action

Katamari Damacy was such a unique game when it came out. I remember picking up Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas at the store, seeing this game with its bizarre cover art and low price tag, and buying it along with San Andreas. Mid-way through playing San Andreas, I decided to give this game a try....I never got back to the Grand Theft Auto title. Katamari Damacy absolutely hooked me with the simple gameplay mechanic of rolling up anything and everything in sight. Few things in gaming are as satisfying as rolling up enough thumbtacks and caramel candies to make your katamari large enough to roll up that jerk mouse that sent you flying across the level earlier.

Release Date: December 12, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Racing

Though the recent Wii U launch lacked a Ridge Racer title, for quite a while, if a new system was being launched, a Ridge Racer game was expected to be part of the launch titles...And for the most part, they usually provided a solid title in the launch line-up that may not have necessarily been the best game of the bunch, but a very good one. In the case of Ridge Racer, it very well may have been the best title at launch and was the best game in the series since Ridge Racer 4, mixing up elements, tracks, and soundtracks from all of the previous Ridge Racer titles to create one of the best PSP games, that wasn't just one of the best at launch, it stayed near the top for the remainder of the handheld's life cycle.

Release Date: December 12, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Q Entertainment
Genre: Puzzle

Lumines is a different kind of block-falling puzzle game. Instead of simply matching up block to destroy them, in Lumines, you must match them up and then wait for a line on the screen to move past them before they disappear. Lumines also tosses in the neat little aspect of creating music as you play...Move the blocks, destroy blocks...They all add to the music of each level. This also isn't a fast puzzle game by any means; you can probably look forward to a 20-30 minute game the first few times you play and longer than that the better you get. It doesn't normally feel frantic like games like Tetris provide...It's a relaxing experience that's well worth experiencing. It may have been the last, great, block-drop puzzle game made.

Release Date: August 30, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

With WWE Day of Reckoning, the Gamecube FINALLY got a good WWE wrestling game. Getting rid of the horrible brawler/platformer/wrestling hybrid main game mode, Day of Reckoning instead replaced it with a fantastic (albeit short) story mode. The same, solid gameplay mechanics from Wrestlemania XIX carry over here, creating a fantastic overall wrestling game that any wrestling fan will likely enjoy.

Release Date: June 22, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Atomic Planet Entertainment
Genre: Compilation

Mega Man: Anniversary Collection has all 8 (at the time) Mega Man games that had been released in one disk, along with the two Mega Man arcade fighters - Mega Man Power Battle and Mega Man Power Fighters. I've noticed most folks have one of two reactions to this compilation...One is absolutely loving it, and playing through until they've mastered each game. The other is immediate frustration and hatred to the games for being "too hard." A little patience goes a long way in these titles. Learning the level layouts and enemy patterns is essential to making it to the end. Without that, you'll likely end up using language that would make sailors blush directed towards the game. Personally, I love these games and having them all on one fancy little disk makes my heart glow.

Release Date: May 26, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: SNK
Developer: SNK
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Metal Slug 3 is one of the better Metal Slug games, if you ask me...Which you didn't, but I'm giving you my opinion anyway, dang it. Anyway, Metal Slug 3 is the Metal Slug action that we all know and love, set in a variety of environments including a neat little underwater level. This game helped solidify Metal Slug as one of my all-time favorite game franchises. Metal Slug 3 is 2D, side-scrolling, run 'n' gun action at its best. There aren't too many that do it better.

Release Date: July 15, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Atlus
Developer: Atlus
Genre: RPG

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne was a great RPG on the Playstation 2, but it was less about the story and more about the gameplay. Digital Devil Saga goes the opposite route, focusing more on the story aspects. The wide array of demons that you'd expect to be here are here, but only as enemies. There's no demon collecting or fusing to be found here. While that may be a disappointment to some, this is still a very solid RPG, with plenty of hidden bosses and the like to keep you busy for quite a long time.

Release Date: March 9, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sports - Baseball

Without having played MVP Baseball 2005 yet, I can honestly say that up until I played MLB 10: The Show on Playstation 3, MVP Baseball 2004 was the best baseball game that I had ever played. Working my way up to the big leagues from the minors was an absolute blast, and other little aspects like alternate uniforms and the like created the most fun I had with a baseball game since World Series Baseball '98 hit the Saturn. I've heard that MVP Baseball 2005 is even better than 2004, but until I get the opportunity to confirm that, I'll make the claim that this is the best baseball game that I've played on the Xbox.

Release Date: March 9, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Silicon Knights
Genre: Action

Metal Gear Solid is one of my favorite games of all time, so of course I was excited to see that it was getting a graphical facelift and having a few minor features added to the gameplay. And while the game still turned out to be good, I must admit that I was a little disappointed with it. The voice actors and some of the dialogue were changed, which isn't a huge deal for newcomers, but for folks like me who had played the original countless times, it just felt weird. Some of the controls also feel a bit odd, but once you get used to them, they aren't a huge deal. Overall, while this is still a very solid game, it's not quite the quality of the original. The novelty of playing the original Metal Gear Solid similar to how Metal Gear Solid 2 was played is still fun, and newcomers will likely love their time spent playing this, though.

Release Date: November 20, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Platformer

Super Mario 64 is still considered to be one of the best games ever made, so a portable version of that game sounds like a dream come true. In a lot of ways it is, but unfortunately, the lack of two analog sticks kind of results in a little bit of getting used to how everything is controlled, and even when you're used to it, the controls aren't nearly as tight as the N64 original. To make up for that a bit, Mario is no longer the only playable character, as you can play as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario, and each character brings a new experience to the game, making it a worthwhile game to play even for the folks that beat Super Mario 64 countless times. Super Mario 64 DS proved that nearly 10 years after Super Mario 64 arrived on store shelves, the game could still hold its own against any other 3D platformer...And honestly, it still can to this day.

Release Date: November 21, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: O3 Entertainment
Developer: The Behemoth
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Alien Hominid is a pretty dang good throwback to the 8 and 16-bit days of scrolling shooters, with enough of its own personality and charm shining through to make it a little different. This is mostly your standard run-and-gun shooter, but with a few features like charging your shots or burrowing underground to surprise attack your enemy added in to keep the game from feeling like some sort of clone. If you're a fan of older games with challenge, you'll fall in love with Alien Hominid. Get it and enjoy.

Release Date: December 12, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

Darkstalkers Chronicle is a quality fighting game for the PSP, and it merges the three previous games in the series together in this title to create the best game in the franchise to date. Also new to the series is Chaos Tower mode, where you select three fighters and battle round-after-round of goal-based combat. One fight you may not be allowed to punch. The next, no throws...If you fail, you lose one of your fighters. Lose all three and it's game over. It's an enjoyable mode that forces players to use strategy to survive, and in turn, it really makes your skill in the game grow. If you're into fighters, Darkstalkers Chronicle is a good choice to make, and it was a great way to satisfy the hunger of fighting fans at the handheld's launch.

Release Date: November 16, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Action

Feel the Magic: XY/XX is kind of like Sega's answer to Incredible Crisis on the Playstation One or even Nintendo's Wario Ware series. It's basically a bunch of mini games that show off several of the new (well, back in 2004 it was new) features of touch-screen gaming. As you progress through the mini games, you watch a story unfold about love and the like...a nice, bizarre story. Supposedly Feel the Magic went under the radars of a lot of people when it came out, which is a shame, 'cause it's solid. It probably won't blow anyone away, but with its unique art design and quirky personality, I'm sure it'll win over a large majority of people that give it a try.

Release Date: November 2, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw featured nicer graphics and added many more voice-overs to the game...The problem is, those are just cosmetic things. When it came to Season mode, this game really dropped the ball after the stellar Here Comes the Pain with a more linear path - likely due to the aforementioned voice overs. The other in-game additions didn't really add much to the game as a whole and the noticeably inferior Season mode made WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw feel like a let down to a lot of folks that had spent the previous year enjoying Here Comes the Pain. It's still a solid game as a whole, but it's definitely a step back from what was released just a year previously.

Release Date: October 1, 2004 (EU)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sumo Digital
Genre: Racing

Call me crazy, but when I got my Xbox, I didn't buy it because of Halo or Fable...I bought it because of OutRun 2. I am a HUGE fan of the original OutRun. I have very fond memories of playing the arcade version. So when I saw a sequel of sorts was an Xbox exclusive, I wanted it badly. That said, it's everything I wanted it to be...Unfortunately, it wasn't anything more than that. That's not to say it was a bad game by any means, but I basically just wanted a game like the one I played in the arcades, and this was like that...But aside from the beautiful graphics and scenery, it wasn't much more than that. That's fine by me for my tastes, but to review it objectively, it really doesn't make it much more than a game that's simply on par with any other good, but average, game out there.

Release Date: November 30, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Action

Ever since I first played a Mr. Driller game back in 2000, I've been addicted to the adorable, football-shape-headed, drilling machine's games. That said, Drill Spirits is largely more of the same of previous Mr. Driller games, but with multiple characters to play as, each with their own unique abilities. The new characters are nice, but don't bring a ton to the table. If you're a big Mr. Driller fan like I am, that won't matter. You'll love this game. If you're looking for something more, however, then Drill Spirits may leave you a little disappointed.

Release Date: December 7, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Racing

Ridge Racer DS is essentially Ridge Racer 64 in portable form, which isn't necessarily bad, but considering that PSP owners got one of the better Ridge Racer games ever made just a few months later when Sony's handheld launched, it does kind of feel like a disappointment. It's a decent racing game that does everything well and if you're a fan of the genre, you'll enjoy the time you put into this game, but the Ridge Racer series had already reached its peak a few years prior with R4: Ridge Racer Type 4, so playing a portable Ridge Racer 64 does feel like a little bit of a step backwards.

Release Date: May 27, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sims
Genre: Racing

My earliest memory of an arcade game was climbing into the driver seat of an arcade cabinet in Wausau, WI popping in two quarters that my grandmother had given me, and playing a neat-looking game called OutRun. Ever since then, I've been a fan of the series, so naturally, I'm a fan of the Sega Ages remake on the Playstation 2. Aside from new backgrounds and "rivals" to try to stay in front of, this is basically the same game that was in arcades...and that's not a bad thing. In fact the arcade original is here as well, so if you don't wanna waste quarters on an OutRun machine or aren't lucky enough to be by one, this game is a nice substitute.

Release Date: November 5, 2004 (EU)
Publisher: Empire Interactive
Developer: Bugbear
Genre: Racing

FlatOut is an odd game for me to rank in these preference lists. On one hand, the racing isn't nearly as fun as you'd find on a title like Destruction Derby on the PS One...But the minigames like the long jump and high jump mostly make up for anything that is left to be desired in the racing. The end result is a so-so racing game mixed with some addictive-with-a-group-of-friends mini games to create a decent racing experience.

Release Date: May 24, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Puzzle

I like any Puyo Puyo game. I'm a Puyo Puyo junkie. So, when I played Puyo Puyo Tsuu Perfect Set, I was destined to enjoy it. The only real negative that I can give this game is that it's the same old Puyo Puyo that had been put out for about 10 years by the time this game came out. I mean the puzzle gameplay is solid and has aged flawlessly, but unless you've made significant changes or additions, another new Puyo Puyo game probably isn't needed...But it'll probably come out anyway...And I'll probably buy it anyway, too.

Release Date: November 9, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

I really, really, really want to give Rumble Roses a much higher score than I gave it. There are so many great, innovative ideas for wrestling games found here...with the only real issue being that there's a severe lack of game modes to keep you playing for long. The heel/face system is a fantastic idea, giving you heel and face (bad guy and good guy) personas of each character. When you've maxed out the heel or face meter for a character, they can then challenge for the title. Mode-wise, there's a short story mode for each character that's like an arcade mode in a fighting game, but beyond that all you can really do is singles matches, mud matches, and title matches...And the in-ring action is well done and fun enough where you'll play them for a while...But with a lack of modes, it won't be long before you move onto another game.

Release Date: December 2, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Mitchell
Genre: Puzzle

Polarium isn't a bad puzzle game by any means, and it makes good use of the stylus and touch-screen capabilities that Nintendo's DS was trying to establish at the time, but it tends to get overshadowed by better puzzle games that later came along like Meteos and Tetris DS. Basically, in Polarium, you use your stylus to draw lines along colored blocks in a two-color grid. When you finish the line, those blocks switch to whatever the other color is...If they were white, they turn black. Those blocks then match with the blocks that you didn't transform and voila! You've got yourself Polarium. It's a solid puzzle game and well worth playing if you're a fan of puzzle games, but if you can only afford to play one or two puzzle games on your DS in your life, you might wanna skip over this one.

Release Date: November 16, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Fighting

People that complain about the Marvel vs. Capcom games being unbalanced have not played this game. Basically, you've got fighters from several of Capcom's fighting games in one game, but their fighting styles, special meters, etc. are not changed at all. There is no balancing here - just fighters from different games thrown in. Something is wrong when I can get a perfect off of a boss from one of the games and then get completely destroyed by a boss from another. It's still fun, the game still plays smoothly, but the balancing is a pretty big issue in an otherwise fun-to-play fighter.

Release Date: October 7, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Hudson
Developer: Magical Company
Genre: Sports

"What's the point?" That's what I said after playing through the game's so-so attempts at hardball, tennis, and golf games and then discovering that the classic Bomberman style of gameplay of blowing up friends in a little arena was also included in the package. I stand by that statement, too. If you're going to include classic Bomberman, why not have that be the focus and make all those mediocre extra modes be like unlockable mini games or something? Anyway, the main focus of the game seems to be on the sports, which in fairness, there's plenty of replay value found there if you enjoy them...But the best aspect of the game is the classic Bomberman arena battles - you know the game type that people who like Bomberman are going to want to play. If you can find it cheap, get it for the Bomberman you know and love and maybe stick around for some mildly entertaining sports action if you feel up to it.

Release Date: July 20, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Argonaut Games
Genre: Action

I am as surprised as you for me to say this...But Catwoman is not a horrible game. It's not good, mind you, but it's not the trainwreck that I was expecting it to be. The controls, animations, and graphics are all smooth...but the thing preventing Catwoman from being a good game is the gameplay itself, which can be pretty boring. It results in an experience that is just barely passable, but far from being a masterpiece of any kind.

Release Date: August 26, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Fuse Games Limited
Genre: Pinball

When most folks think of a Mario game, they usually think of quality. Unfortunately, sometimes the chubby plumber's games aren't really anything special, which is the case with Mario Pinball Land - a game that is just passable as far as gameplay is concerned. It's mildly fun if you like pinball games, but otherwise you might not want to bother with it. There are some quality Mario and pinball games on the Game Boy Advance, unfortunately, this fits into neither of those categories.

Release Date: November 21, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Traffic
Developer: Traffic
Genre: Shooter - First-Person

JFK Reloaded is a controversial game, as it puts you in the shoes of Lee Harvey Oswald and has you try to re-create the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Supposedly, it was made as a way to simulate the assassination to see if the official documentation of his death was correct or not. But anyway, the game can be mildly amusing for maybe five minutes...but after playing the same scene over and over and over again, it gets old very, very quickly. The subject matter may also offend some folks...But I'm not easily offended, so I don't fit into that group. I did enjoy the audio quite a bit in this game - using actual audio was a nice touch....But, again, the gameplay is mostly lacking. History nuts might think this is worth checking out, since it can be a little fun testing out all the theories out there to see how they work out...but considering the time you'll play the game probably won't be much longer than the amount of time it takes to install and uninstall the game from your computer, it's probably not gonna be worth it for most folks.

Release Date: October 14, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: 505 Games
Developer: Vingt-et-un Systems
Genre: Action - Brawler

I think that if a little more development time was put into Splatter Master to improve on various aspects of the gameplay, it would be a surprisingly good game. That said, it's still better than I thought it would be. Basically, it feels like a Splatterhouse rip-off with the gore, but with more free-range in the levels that kind of reminded me of blander versions of some levels found in Battletoads. It's also kinda cutesy, which I kind of like since it makes the blood almost seem out of place, but in a good kind of way. Unfortunately, the game does not play the best. The brawling is pretty bland...though the chainsaw does add a little, it still doesn't do enough to prevent the levels from feeling repetitive up to the boss fights. This game had potential and some nice personality to it, unfortunately, it will most likely disappoint most folks that give it a try.

Release Date: August 26, 2004 (JP)
Publisher: D3 Publisher
Developer: Tamsoft
Genre: Brawler

I've always liked the cheesy, B-movie aspects of the Onechanbara games, but the problem with them has always been how repetitive they are. This, the first game in the series is no exception - in fact, I'd argue that it's the worst in the franchise in terms of repetitive gameplay. It has enough charming oddness in it to keep you playing longer than you'd probably want to otherwise, but this is still game that can get very boring very quickly. I want to like it more than I do...But I just can't justify it. Thankfully, later games in the series get at least a little better.

Release Date: September 14, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: Empire Interactive
Developer: Blitz Games
Genre: Action

If you're a male, playing Bad Boys will make you a sad boy. If you're a female, playing Bad Boys will make you glad that you lack the ability to be a sad boy. If you're transgender....I'm not educated enough on the transgender stuff to make a joke and be confident that it applies...But I included them for equality and such. Anyway, if playing a terrible third-person shooter with awful controls, awful graphics, and an awful premise sounds like a fun time for you, I'm sure they can hook up this game for you in your padded room. As for me, when you shoot your way through an arcade, I kept wishing I was playing one of those games instead. They should call it Bad Boys: Miami TakeFROWN.

Release Date: December 8, 2004 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: WayForward
Genre: Other

What would you make available around the launch of the Nintendo DS if you were in charge of a video game publisher? I'd try to put out a great, unique title that takes shows off the functionality of the system...But THQ had other plans when they published Ping Pals. Ping Pals sounds like an okay idea - take advantage of the handheld's ability to connect to other systems wirelessly to create a chatroom to talk in. The problem is that the Nintendo DS already had that function built into the system...And it's better than the one found here. It would be one thing if Ping Pals did a complete upgrade to the functionality of chatting on your DS, but they offered a product that was inferior to the software that is already pre-loaded onto your DS. It's definitely one of the most disappointing titles on the handheld.