Stage Select:
Guilty Gear XX for PS2 was a game I only ever rented (as it was my older brother's and he was soon off to college around that time), but really smacked my Gamecube fanboyism in the face by representing how objectively superior the PS2 library was in terms of diversity.
I hadn't played a 2D console fighter in years up until finding this gem, a game with a convoluted anime plot for each character (I love story in fighting games, cheese and all), complete with voice acted picture stories between fights, gorgeous, fast gameplay, cool and sexy character designs, and an appropos metal soundtrack to round out its distinct style.
Since the only reason I'm excited for Fighterz is because it's made by the same people who developed the series that made me fall in love with 2D fighters again (still not a DBZ fan, though I remember finding some episodes of the original Dragonball funny in college, so we'll see), this is the first game that popped in my head for this Stage Select.
Wind Waker may not have been the first one to pop in my head, since it makes me think Disney more than anime, but thinking about it a bit more, it also makes me think Miyazaki. I think you can see why I somewhat equate the two, even if Disney and Studio Ghibili have their own unique style and conventions.
I was one of the people who was super skeptical upon seeing the first screenshots of the game in EGM. I thought, "Are you SERIOUS, NINTENDO?! WHY are you not making a realistic looking Ocarina sequel?!" Unlike Guilty Gear though, this game would eventually be one to justify my Gamecube fanboyism to a degree.
Playing a Miyazaki film, as it turns out, is in some ways more magical and impressive than realism, and it actually got me loving the cel-shaded look to the point where I'd seek out games like Killer 7, Viewtiful Joe, Auto Modelista, Okami, and so on. Wind Waker not only surprised me as a game, but introduced me to a whole new gaming art style.
Still mad at myself for believing that EGM April Foll's prank about getting a "realistic" version of the game via pre-order, but OoT plus Master Quest is still a good bonus.
Finally, Yakuza Zero is a game I only rented from Gamefly and played four chapters of a week or so ago before canceling my subscription in anticipation of lesson planning the school year, but I submit this game is anime as fuuuuuuudge in presentation; especially when it comes to humor.
I laughed every time my character would get SERIOUSLY into their karaoke, dancing, or OutRun arcade skills before those respective minigames, and politically-charged sidequests like trying to keep a politician from getting his tax-raising ass beat and cultural humor stuff poking fun at U.S. trends (greasers, anyone?) reminded me of a certain Cowboy Bebop episode that really focused on the "cowboy" thing through Japanese lenses.
The main story is a lot more straightforward than most anime can be, but the presentation of the game's humor is definitely in the realm of anime camp. And I greatly appreciate it.
As for Chrono Crossing 1990, I'm only going to do this once, but as someone who only played a couple stages of SMB3 YEARS later via streaming emulation with no save feature, I'm going to choose F-Zero, despite knowing it was only released alongside the Super Famicon this year, because the game is just WAY more memorable to me personally than any others from this year.
It, along with Star Fox, was one of the games hotels used to let us rent, presumably to show off the Mode 7 graphics, and I always loved its fast pace, futuristic setting, and memorable soundtrack. It actually kind of creeped me out as a kid reading the instruction manual mention how many people died as a result of the sport, because I thought maybe that's what future racing would look like.
While there isn't much to the original game beyond its fairly simple design and concept, and later entries would improve on the gameplay and soundtrack, it's still a classic game that I just can't ignore in favor of anything else this year, despite the feeling Julian is going to tell me it doesn't hold up that well.
Otherwise, we can just say my pick is playing F-Zero in the womb in order to become the champion sperm, since that's a game I could have actually been playing IN 1990.
