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Qu's Marsh - Staff Favorites Archives
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GIA Staff Favorites 1999
Fritz's Picks:
- Pokémon Snap
- Just when I think innovation is dead, along comes Nintendo to restore my faith in gaming (again). The "photography sim" concept is cool enough, but what really makes this game shine are the puzzle elements. To find all the Pokémon -- and take the highest-scoring shots of them -- you have to use various items (fruit, a flute, and Pester Balls) and interact with the environment around you. Terrific replay value and the chance to take pictures of most of your favorite Pokémon (Balloon Pikachu is just too cute) combine to make this game more fun than a barrel of Mankeys. Hands down the best game of 1999, and a perfect example of gaming at its finest.
- Suikoden II
- An achievement long believed to be impossible, Suikoden II is the first console RPG ever to succesfully pick up where its predecessor left off. Dozens of Suikoden I characters return as both heroes and villains, and you even get the chance to visit Gregminster itself. The lack of any sort of bonus card game is unfortunate, but, hey, at least there's plenty of secrets and a cool story. It may not be saying much to call this the best RPG of 1999, but I'll say it anyway: Suikoden II is the best RPG of 1999 (at least in lieu of Persona 2). Recommended whether or not you liked Suikoden I.
- Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
- Topping 1997's addictive PaRappa the Rapper is no easy task, but Masaya Matsuura and Rodney Greenblat proved themselves more than up to the challenge. Um Jammer Lammy improves on PaRappa in every way imaginable: the challenge is greater, the music is better, the game is longer, and you can even play as PaRappa himself! On the other hand, SCEA deserves a collective slap in the face for rewriting Um Jammer Lammy's storyline to suit young children, and then following up with an advertising campaing that indicated the game was clearly not targeted at young children.
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