Qu's Marsh - Staff Favorites Archives
Return | Read | Look | Listen | Play

GIA Staff Favorites 2001

Fritz's Picks:

  1. Paper Mario
    • In its dying breath, the Nintendo 64 yielded what was one of the most memorable RPGs of the concluding generation. Paper Mario's precisely-tuned combat calculations and interactive attacks replace luck with skill in combat, and its terrific sense of humor and numerous sidequests contributed to that magical "always something more to do, can't stop playing" feeling. This game also finally brought Nintendo's Intelligent Systems division to glory in the eyes of the North American gaming public.
  2. Dance Dance Revolution
    • It's not just a fun game, it's also good exercise! While it may not offer the same kind of experience as most games, don't be surprised if you've actually logged more hours on DDR than any other title. The BeMani elite may grumble about the U.S. tracklisting - and, yes, it could be better - but DDR is still immensely fun.
  3. Final Fantasy X
    • Like Paper Mario, FF X rebuilds the standard RPG battle and ability systems from the ground up, throwing out the chaff and making each piece of the system count. Features such as the Trigger Commands, status changes that actually matter, and the new CTB system add a great deal of strategy and variety to battles, and the presentation goes from great to outstanding. The relentlessly morbid story means I'll probably not remember FF X as fondly as FF VIII, but this is still one amazingly well executed game.
  4. ICO
    • Defying franchises and sequels is no easy task, but Sony's puzzle-adventure managed to make quite a name for itself, and with good reason. Its quiet charm and intuitive premise - no manuals or text boxes are necessary - make this a human experience that few other games can claim to present. This is the future of gaming, and from an objective standpoint, it's really the best game of 2001.
  5. Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Zelda: Oracle of Seasons
    • No, they're not the best Zelda games ever, (nor the worst), but both Oracles titles delivered plenty of classic Zelda gameplay, which still makes them better than a lot of other games. While both Oracles games are lacking in secrets and truly memorable puzzles, their dungeons are still incredibly addictive -- and Seasons has a heavy dose of terrific platforming as well.

(Back to the columns archive page.)