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I think Bayou Billy is the easiest game of all time. ... And im not lieing. And yes i do use a game genie on that game, and yes without it i can only get to level 3 but the game can be beat.

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That whole list is pretty stupid. Basically every NES game made is on it. Games that are easy are on it because they're easy. And games that aren't easy are on it because "I beat it without dieing in ony 30 minutes!! [after owning and practicing the game for years!!]" Or, like the above, "This game is considered impossible, but it's SO EASY! I can make it all the way to stage 2!!"


I think when lists like that are made, people just want to contribute, even if the material they have is inappropriate.

No, not really.

I wonder how they can have something that's so blatantly opinion at Wikipedia? (Granted, the fact that I'm not a fan of Wikipedia could be explanation) And you're right, it's a WRONG opinion. I'd say the soundtrack to Paper Mario is downright BAD.


As for the "polish" thing, that's very interesting. It reminds me of a couple of things.

First, there are, out of all the thousands of game reviewers on the net, maybe a couple that actually have original thoughts. Then the rest just steal from those.

As an example, I could praise games like R-Type or Punch-Out!! or Goldeneye for being challenging.


But then I see other people praising games for being challenging. But the games they're praising for that reason include Castlevania 4, Donkey Kong 64, etc.

If you've never played those games, that might make them sound good -- challenge is something that makes games good. But the word doesn't apply to those games. It's as though the word and the reasoning has been stolen.

It's the same thing with "polish". Some games do come across as being very polished, or perhaps I should say fine-tuned to separate my points from the above quotes.

I was talking to my brother the other day about how I thought Goldeneye showed obvious signs it was labored over. I used the word "polished". He said, what does that even mean?

Well, it means a lot in my head, but it is difficult to convey.

One thing that occurs to me is that "polish" is only meaningful in reference to something. Saying a game is "polished" is meaningless, but some aspect of a game may be polished. (I guess if all aspects have been fine-tuned, it might make sense to call the whole thing polished)

And I've also said that, in art, what's difficult is achieving near opposites. It might be difficult, for example, in writing to achieve phrasing that is simple and straight forward, yet not lame or boring.

Whenever near opposites have been achieved, you can bet a lot of effort has been put into that.

In Goldeneye, one aspect that's highly polished is the three-act structure. The first three stages of the game, for instance, are very good at grabbing attentions.

And an opposite that has been achieved is that those first three stages are easy and accessible -- but they have hidden depth. You won't even explore all of the first stage until the final difficulty. And the way the rest of the stage is cordoned off for the first difficulties -- and the way the remainder offers new experiences -- is just done unbelievably well.

And of course, the Facility is an easy stage on Agent, but the cheat on 00 Agent is just about one of the hardest things do earn in the game.

I think challenge might be a prerequisite for true polish.

I think Aztec is one of the greatest videogame stages ever, and it certainly seems like every detail of that stage had been obsessed over. But the reason it seems like that is because every detail of the stage is a challenge that YOU the player have to mull over to overcome! Think of all the great moments: First, trying to simply start the stage with very little cover, being outnumbered and outgunned. Sniping across the distance next. And on and on.



Anyway, the word "polish" is totally misapplied to Wind Waker. You have to sit through at least 30 minutes of nothingness before the game even really starts. How the hell does that represent care, attention, and the best that a videogame can achieve? How the hell is the ocean sailing "polished"? How COULD something like that even be polished?