The Fourth Annual Coint and Plick Video Games Poll - Part Two: #80 - 105

#84: Yakuza 3 – PS3 – 10 pts – 1 vote
Official Game Site
http://www.dpadmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Yakuza-3-01.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lctqX1SrAQo

Matt D: Underworld melodramatic soap opera and karaoke simulator. It's an old-fashioned action-RPG, sending you wandering around its massive world searching for some arbitrary trigger to advance the story with depressing regularity but the environment is so fantastically well rendered that you walk away from the story at any time and find something to do, and it's charm / presentation is more than enough to overcome its deliberate anachronisms. The NA version apparently has a pile of cut content and I'm hoping for more localized development in #4.
http://www.cheatcc.com/imagesps2e/yakuza_3a.jpg
Eurogamer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL6kzPYJ0Ho

Dev Interview

http://www.psu.com/media/yakuza-3/site_yakuza-3-ss-8.jpg
Daniel_Rf: The most fun I've had doing chores for children ever.

Hysterical Impossibly Badly Dubbed Video Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9L2pButdCU

Jamescobo: It sucks that they're removing content, but I never got as much into the hostess stuff as other Yakuzatards so I'm not slitting my wrists over it or anything. As long as I can still win a fight with a tiger by sticking a cigarette in its eye, I'll be good. Anyone who doesn't buy this game should be reincarnated as Amy Winehouse's taint.

Composer Interview

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/07/yakuza_005.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo8YoAS2XZE

Yak Tested
http://gamestyle.com/media/images/games/screenshots/large/ps3-yakuza3-240310-04.jpg
Cozen: Massive, despite the cuts.

Sega claims to know what’s up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5EW6fq07_c

Four way tie for #80

#80: Halo Reach – 360 – 10 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site
http://www.everybodyplays.co.uk/images/screenshots/picsforarticles/Halo-Reach-Jetpack.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PeDW4tHlVU

Polyphonic: My favorite Halo is Pretty Hate Machine.

http://www.shoppingblog.com/pics/halo_reach_ss1.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMYrKTU8Hmc

Zero Punctuation

http://nogamenotalk.com/files/2010/09/Halo-Reach-Funan-14-Sep-b-1.jpg

Over 200 Mil in sales for day one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQwXVgNHLo

bnw: One nice thing about Halo games: colors and light as opposed to all the drab, rusted out worlds most FPS games put us in!

http://turbo.inquisitr.com/wp-content/2010/04/halo-reach-advert.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttaL_7tGl7c

On an “M” Rating

http://www.teamteabag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/HaloReachSpartanSkull.png

Mitch Krpata: Bungie's best effort to date, Reach is an incredibly polished, multifaceted offering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs2TPo7z0sM

The Beta Story

http://www.softsailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Halo-Reach-012.jpg

Four way tie for #80

the Minutemens lost prog epic

Haha, I just laughed out loud at my own joke.

#80: Infinity Blade – iPhone – 10 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site
http://nerdreactor.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/500x_infinity_blade.jpg

Autumn Almanac: Run to glowing spot, hit knight, run to glowing spot, hit knight. Dull. But pretty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDvPIhCd8N4

Metacritic

http://timenerdworld.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/586_infinity-blade.png

Eurogamer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uySr31INttM

Jim D: Probably voting for the engine more than the game here, but dude it's GORGEOUS.

http://gamersleak.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/infinity_blade.jpg

Even better on iPad2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ssd4P0bgSM

Dev Interview

http://gigaom2.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/05-infinity-blade.png?w=610

A beautiful garden with very high walls

http://touchreviews.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Infinity-Blade-God-King.png

#80: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 – Wii/DS/PC/PS3/360/PSP/iPhone – 10 pts – 2 votes
Official Game Site
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2757/4478873931_67b1f48ff9.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbDu_0TxQLM

2.7 Million sold

http://www.gaminglives.com/wp-content/uploads/lego_harry_potter_hermione_enlrg.jpg

Producer Interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv4KZhi_GMU

Gametrailers

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hOEkcXiPJVM/TFApR4On-qI/AAAAAAAAAeU/vxbpMXuvGfk/s1600/Lego-Harry-Potter-Years-1-4-01.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nv9p4tbcbI

http://wireninja.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/lego-harry-potter-emma-watson.jpg

Euler: My son is playing the heck out of it, so I voted for him.

http://www.videogamesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/baby-lego-harry-potter.jpg

Dev Interview

http://www.marriedwithvideogames.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LegoHarryPotter-SS5.jpg

#80: Ys 7 – PSP – 10 pts – 2 vote
Official Game Site
http://admintell.napco.com/ee/images/uploads/gamertell/ys_7_psp.jpg

Metacritic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpbwTNORntk

Captain Lorax: I'll rep for any Ys game from Oath in Felghana onward. Ys has basically nailed the winning formula for top-down action-RPGs… and it’s more action than RPG. If you enjoyed the gameplay for A Link to The Past then you will like Ys games.

http://www.rpgland.com/content/media/2009/07/7thys01.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QHR-azBa4w

Dev Interview

http://www.japanator.com/elephant//ul/17465-japanator-recommends-ys-the-oath-in-felghana/Ys%207-620x.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnHt0-GfMhg

Localization Interview

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l7nkd65kq31qd4q8ao1_500.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGFrVdoq3WY

aaaaand that's finally it for this thread.
New thread for 53-79 is forthcoming sometime this year.

i can see why you kept putting this off now

Just going to rep for Lego Harry Potter for a minute (I gave it its other vote and, like Euler's, it was really a vote on behalf of our junior household gamer).

The original lego star wars was pretty solid in 2005, and this is what, the fifth or sixth iteration now? So it's a) great that TT are even bothering to continue making improvements to the core game (they could very easily just be re-skinning the same idea over and over), and b) even more great that they're making really intelligent improvements, which are aware of and focussed on their core audience of under-10s.

Basically it seems Travellers' Tales are the only people making kids' games that don't insult kids at this point.

(The improvements, btw, come down to more puzzles, less fighting, smoother co-op experience. All good stuff).

^^^ yes; I've been watching my son play this a bunch & I agree with this take on the improvements, though I oughta try playing co-op with him.

I've read that Toy Story 3 is a pretty good kids game but I haven't picked it up yet, gonna let my boy drain the Harry Potter game first.

I periodically check the Ys Forum for Ys Origin (Ys Six for the pc) fan-made translation patch. Ys fans have been waiting years for that patch. If you don't feel bad about torrenting Japanese games then I say go ahead and get Ys The Oath in Felghana (Ys Five for the pc) and the translation patch for that one (some low end PCs can play it just fine).

Ys = fast smooth hack'n'slah action that isn't as simpleminded as many hack'n'slash games since there is more emphasis on dodging, memorizing boss patterns and not all enemies can be powered through with a flurry of sword strikes -- many have unique patterns and attributes that will change up the way you approach combat with them. Ys hack'and'slash is rewarding because it's fast, like I already mentioned, and there is a variety of attacks/combos. Plus the graphics are always good looking. There isn't really many puzzles or as many kinds of items as A Link to the Past but I still think that's a good game to compare Ys to.

I can't believe someone else voted for ys 7! all of the town/plot/dialogue stuff is incredibly dull but the hackin' and slashin' is the heart of it and it just feels so right.

Whoa, another PSP game to play? Awesome! It is pretty much all I have been playing all year, I figured after Tactics Ogre I'd have to pu it down.

yeah, the first hour or so is insanely dull. I wouldn't fault anyone for putting the game down because dull and overlong introductions to a story i don't care about/endless training tutorials RIGHT AT THE START OF A GAME are my number one pet peeves with game design. it amazes me that games still do this to people. my time is limited and I want to actually PLAY SOMETHING, people!!

but if you can soldier through, you'll be rewarded with a very fun hack n slash rpg.

playing the PSP remake of ys 1 & 2 right now. highly recommended if you've never played these games before in one of their thousands of other reincarnations.

the Settlers 7 post is the most highly-trafficked post in the history of the blog by like a factor of ten

Which what where? Linky?

http://cointandplick.wordpress.com

the Settlers 7 post in question: http://cointandplick.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/coint-plick-2010-84e-settlers-7/

wow, i honestly didn't know you had caught up. fuck, now i feel extra guilty. will post more tonight.

also james: i can provide you with the raw html if that would make doing the blog easier?

no problem! with Wordpress it's basically just a matter of cutting everything straight from the posts & pasting it straight in; the biggest hassle is grabbing the YouTube links and that ain't no thang. at this point the tagging probably takes longer than pulling the info from the post.

james, any idea why it's so trafficked? is it getting hit on GIS?

just GIS'ed it: answer is YES. I run a SNES blog and the pages that get the most hits are accidentally SEO'd into getting mad hitz.

What's with you guys running these awesome game blogs and not sharing the links? Post em here! :)

i think i have pimped it on this site before but it's everygame.wordpress.com and it's not v good anymore

givf part threeeeeee

okay, i'll take a stab at this today/tomorrow.

Yay! And sorry for mithering.

le sigh

Was a best of the decade (2000s) poll ever done on ILG?

I think the only non-yearly one we did was the attempt at the PS2 poll but I don't think that even made it to the polling stage

We did the poll for the PS2 one, I have the results, I was just kind of bummed by the turnout so I never published it -- I may do so when Forks is done, though! I am still sitting on the list!

aw i wondered what happened to that, trying to choose 10 made me go back & play some of the ps2 games i missed the first time round - think my 10 would be a lot different today

c'mon forks!!!!

It may make more sense at this point for me to completely re-run the polling & maybe even the nominations for PS2, and anyone who doesn't send in another list I'll just use their old one to beef up the numbers. That's somehow unethical though I bet. Ha.

i would be down with that, will m

oh man, was wondering what happened to the ps2 poll. think I voted for that one. will be pretty into this if it happens.

The Fourth Annual Coint and Plick Video Games Poll - Part Three: #53 - 79
will try to add new stuff tonight