Super Smash Bros. Brawl

[JUST... WHAT]

Source // Wikipedia

I still don't like Super Smash Bros. - I just want to make that clear before we start. I do not get the hype, I do not understand the devotion, I cannot contemplate how a fighting game that doesn't play as a fighting game can continue to make Nintendo console owners go nuts.

But here we are again, this time with Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and it is the turn of the Nintendo Wii to show us a good time.

I hope there isn't any unnecessary waggling...

Street Fighter IV

"I'll make this quick and painless for you, kid!"

Hot on the tail of Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix was the console release of the next great leap in the Street Fighter series. Had it gone 3D yet? Sort of, yes. Was it easier for newcomers to pick up and dive into? I'm told so, yes. Would it kick the fighting genre into a higher gear than that which it had been wallowing in recent times? Yes indeed.

What is it called already? Simply, Street Fighter IV.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

Because apparently, you can't have enough versions of Street Fighter II...

Source // MobyGames

There are more versions - not ports, necessarily, but versions - of Street Fighter II than there are games in an entire series of many well-loved IPs. Obviously, it's a little easier to release another version of a fighting game than it is to release another version of an action-RPG or something, but still, Street Fighter II has an awful lot of love, and the 1001 list wants us to experience it again.

Usually, the 1001 list is full of praise for a game, or it not full, heavily leaning towards the positive. If you can't avoid mentioning a negative aspect of the game, it'll get touched upon, but that's it. With the mouthful that is Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, however, the 1001 list was quite critical - well, it was critical of the distribution method and its limitations, at least.

Will this downloadable remix pass the time before Street Fighter IV comes to consoles? Does Street Fighter II deserve more than a cheap HD rerelease? Let's flex those button mashers at the end of our arms and find out.

Spore

Damn nature, you scary.

Games have allowed players to create all kinds of things - simulations of their lives, the cities they want to live in, the vehicles they want to drive, hospitals, theme parks, and zoos. If you had a creative itch, there was probably a game that could scratch it.

But what about creating the entire evolutionary tree of an interstellar lifeform? What game caters for that? What game starts us off in some chemical soup before allowing us to guide the hand of evolution towards a space-faring civilization?

Spore does. Let's see how intelligent this designer is...

Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

In the world of Monster Hunter you're never alone.

Source // PlayStation

I won't argue with the idea that monster hunting would make a good game. Giving players the tools and the freedom to roam the lands in search of gargantuan beasts to carve up and turn into armour and weaponry sounds pretty cool, and making it a co-operative experience is just a no-brainer.

But I have always been put off by the presentation of the series that does this kind of thing, Monster Hunter. It has always been too convoluted for my tastes, seeming like too much work for too little gain. Will portable offering Monster Hunter Freedom Unite give me a bite-sized starting point to dive into?

Wipeout HD

Cannon.

Source // MobyGames

When last we saw Wipeout, I said it was awesome and it'd only get better. At the times, others might have argued that the series only appearing on the PlayStation Portable was a sign that it had run its course. Yes, it was technically impressive, but it was lost on a handheld that wasn't bought in huge numbers and showed little sign of life on the consoles it belonged on.

And then an HD blend of Pulse and Pure for the PlayStation 3 was announced, a cheap little download that promised improved visuals and buttery smooth gameplay, and as a fan, you know I bought Wipeout HD in an instant.

SoulCalibur IV

"With our combined strength, we can end this destructive"... hang on, am I reading the right character here?

Source // PlayStation

The second fighter in quick succession is Tekken with swords 4, or SoulCalibur IV as it is properly known to the wider world. It was SoulCalibur II that was my introduction to the series, thanks to this 1001 list, and I came out of my time with it liking it a fair bit.

A console generation later and high definition graphics allow for character models to be insanely detailed (for 2008, remember) so that you can see all of Ivy's curve...d blade whip slicing through the air. Ahem.

Will I find this one as appealing as the earlier titles in the series? I hope so, I know that much.

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

The Wheel of Fate is turning.

It has been a long time since the 1001 list has given us a fighter, and an even longer time since it has said we need to play one with two-dimensional sprites taking the spotlight, but two fighters are coming along at once here, starting with BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.

'Calamity' might as well be a descriptor of my efforts in fighting games. Notoriously complex and deep, the fighting genre exists for passionate fans to devote hours and hours in search of true mastery of a single character, let alone a single game.

Me? Just give me the one and looks cool and show me where the do stuff button is...

Space Invaders Extreme

Less 'Save the world', more 'Make some music'.

Space Invaders. Absolute classic. Nobody is going to forget it in a hurry. Thirty years later, though, and someone thought it needed to be extreme. Space Invaders Extreme is the result of mixing Space Invaders with Rez in a sort of psychedelic shooter sure to keep you playing until your thumb hurts.

I'm not sure what state the world is in, but I'm guessing this pilot doesn't care. Grab your handheld of choice and start shooting these aliens.

LittleBigPlanet

"An ethereal dreamscape of adventure and possibilities ... and you can go there now."

Source // Media Molecule

Some games are aimed at kids. Many more are aimed at adults. A few of them are aimed at big kids, and little kids, and weird kids, and creative kids, and LittleBigPlanet is one of those few. A platformer and a platform for, it gave the world the seemingly infinitely customizable Sackboy, a delightful avatar for all kinds of hand-crafted physics-based entertainment.

Surely I was too old for a game like this in 2008, right? Never.