30 Days of Video Games

[Silver*]

Favorite ability? I like the ability to use weapons. I always liked mee-lee/combat based abilities but weapons take the cake. Thre's so many things you can do with that and many that are deadly, like take the kawsigwa from Ninja Gaiden. It has a weight on one end and a blade on the other. You can use it to not only skillfully take away an opponents weapon, but you can also swing it to knock out multiple opponents as well. Plus it makes the gameplay more fun and interesting.

[Semi-colon e]

Oh god there's a few, many of them Metroid upgrades...

Spider Ball, Metroid games.

This is always so fun to use. It's kind of like Spikes in Sonic Colours in that you crawl up walls, but here it's only on magnetic surfaces (except Metroid 2, but it's not as fun to use in that game). There are a surprising amount of puzzles you can do with it, and the Prime games (especially in number 2) really expanded on that. Once you have the Boost Ball in Primes 2 and 3 (you'll have it before getting the Spider Ball), you can charge the boost to bounce off the surface you're on to the next one, often a moving surface. It's also used to kill some bosses (Quadraxis, bitch). In terms of utility, it doesn't seem much, but it's intricate platforming crawling heaven, and I wish it was in Other M.

Other great Metroid abilities are the Screw Attack (jumping constantly as a spinning ball of death? Epic!), the Power Bombs (mainly the 3D titles including Other M, considering it's a giant explosion with a wide radius, also used when you're in ball form. Prime 3 lacked this and therefore wasn't as good ), and the Super Missiles (especially in the 3D ones including Other M, charging one up and letting one go takes 5 missiles, but it's so handy in almost every combat situation and so satisfying to use).

There's loads of powerups and stuff I could have mentioned, from this series, Sonic abilities (which is done to death), and the Castlevania series (some weapons and stuff are great), but it's Metroid where I always look forward to getting the next new ability the most as they often have more than one use, and sometimes are required for both combat and puzzles/platforming.

[Jeffhog]

Day 8 - Favorite Ability from a Video Game

I could go on and on about any given ability, so I'll just level it down to one simple thing: every ability ever.

To be more specific, I bring you Kirby.

Poyo?

Yup. This little puffball right here.

Everyone has their own interesting abilities, but Kirby is a mothertrucking beast. He swallows up enemies by sucking up his surroundings like a freaking vacuum, a literal bottomless pit, and copies their attributes onto his own and uses it against them!

Sword Kirby! Fire Kirby! Needle Kirby! Wheel Kirby! Sonic Kirby! Snake Kirby!

He's the freaking ditto.

The mothertrucking megaman.

Star Warrior Kirby and his copy ability!

[TheGerkuman]

Day 8!

Spiderman Websling. If there's one thing that will make you feel like spiderman, it is this. It's really the only reason I'd play a spidey game, since the rest of it is random beating up of baddies. (You'd think that Batman being able to prove stealth can work in a superhero genre would inspire Marvel to try something new with Spidey but nope. Apparently he's not allowed to be stealthy).

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that when I'm allowed to websling, I feel like spiderman. It is amazing.

Edited January 23, 2012 by Gerku(snow)man

[Badnik Mechanic]

Day 8 - Favorite Ability from a Video Game

So my mission to mention games which are not Sonic continues...

I was thinking about this the other day... I'm not sure if this is is my favourite one... but it's definately up there with the most memorable... chances are I'll post about another one later today...

Die Hard Vendetta: Hero Time (GameCube version)

Die Hard Vendetta is a terrible game... it's not very good, the voice acting is awful, the story is ridiculous (basically Hans Gruber had a son who now wants revenge!) John's daughter is now a cop and she gets kidnapped. It's bad... bad, bad, bad.

But... there is one feature thats just... gold...

When the game was released, the Matrix was out, and a lot of games were adding 'bullet time' into them, Max Payne did it most famously, but Die Hard also added it... only it called it Hero Time.

Now because this game is old and upopular, theres not really and 'good videos' showing how hilarious this mode is.

What Hero Time does, is it uses energy stored for being a 'good cop' and slows down time, but lets you move a much faster speed including your rate of fire... all the while Ludwig Van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" plays.

It's so funny to do, just the combination of how stupidly over powered McClain gets and the fact you have a choir now singing as you mow down enemies.

Problem with it... the game doesn't make it clear how you use it... so I went through the whole game never using it until the final boss... and it was such a fun way to finish and otherwise terrible game.

Unfortunately, the game is so unpopular that theres virtually no videos of it online, the only clips of Hero Time I can find are at the 12 min mark here...

Or this shaky cam video of someones telly. But neither give a true sense of how glorious Hero Time actually was.

Honorable Mention

Marvel Super Heroes/Marvel Vs Capcom 2

PROTON CANNON!

You cannot begin to imagine how amazing this move was when people first discovered it... Iron Man causes a giant cannon to appear from nowhere... the blast wave takes up nearly the entire screen and at the end he just says... "Superior attack"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zykrtutkchg

Marvel Vs Capcom 2

Gambits Royal Flush. Just awesome to look at... especially the finger snap at the end (why are there no clear videos of this move from the game?)

Marvel Vs Capcom 3

Phoenix Wright's Level 3 Hyper Combo. It's just too funny not to like.

[null]

Day 8 - Favorite Ability from a Video Game

The Celestial Brush - Ōkami - Nintendo Wii - 2008

The Celestial Brush is clearly one of the most versatile items that I've certainly seen in a game. Your expected fire, lightning, etc. elemental attacks are accomplished by using it, but I believe the best brush techniques are the ones used outside of combat. Drawing a gust of wind to blow hanging drapes sideways so you can use them as platforms to get to the other side was such an example of the clever puzzles that utilized the brush.

Perhaps my favorites are the Bloom (Picture related) and Rejuvenation techniques. I just get a certain joy out of purifying things that I can't really describe. Seeing the after-effects of your good deeds immediately was one of the best parts of the game for me.

Runner-Ups: Dual Clawshots (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess) and the Cape Feather (Super Mario World)

Edited January 23, 2012 by Ricky

[Emmett L. Brown]

Eighth: Favourite Ability

SUPER MODE!

I don't care that it completely breaks the game. I love nothing more than going back to levels I've already beaten fairly and then utterly ridiculing the enemies and hazards. Overcoming difficult sections makes me feel pretty good, but sometimes I wanna be Superman laughing in the face of ordinary bank robbers.

Back when every computer game had cheat codes, once in a while I'd play through the whole thing with God Mode. At my age I'm sure it'd get boring fast, but back then it was a heck of a good time. Since Super Mode generally only lasts a short while these days, it's a fine balance.

[Cola]

BOOST

that is all.

I kid, I jest! My favorite ability in video games would have to be the ability to use power ups. The ability to grab a special item or pop open a special box and gain the powers inside is pretty awesome, be it temporary or permanent until hit by a baddie, the ability to grab power ups is my favorite video game ability.

A few of my favorite powerups are:

METAL BLADE (Mega Man 2)

Anyone who has ever played Mega Man 2 knows that this is the Go-to powerup in most situations. I always start with Metal Man because he's awesome, the stage is pretty easy, the music is awesome, and the Metal Blade is the best weapon in the game.

Fire in 8 directions? Check.

Uses barely any ammo? Check.

And when you get to Wily Fortress and have to fight Metal Man again? Use the metal blade, he's weak against it. Oh, the irony!

FIRE FLOWER (Super Mario Series)

Who doesn't love the Fire Flower? Grab one and you'll instantly be granted the ability to throw fireballs at any of your foes. It's appeared in Smash Bros, where it's function is akin to that of a flamethrower, and Mario Kart 7, where you're able to throw fireballs at foes. C'mon, who doesn't like playing with fire?

(adding more, just getting this in)

Edited January 23, 2012 by Cola

[Alex2Beta]

Favorite ability? Hm..Hmmmm...

Gravity Suit (Metroid Fusion GBA)

This thing made me almost god in the game, it let's you splash around lava without fear of losing health, it allows you to run underwater as if it's air. This thing can make accidental slips in area's no big deal, and that is what I like about it.

Time Rewind (Prince of Persia games..Some)

I love this ability, cause once you screw up, you can try again..From the point you screwed up and fix it!

It's most useful when you climb around edges and you have to be creative to know where the leap off. So if you jump of a cliff for whatever reason, you can rewind everything like nothing happened and examine your way without doing everything all over and fall again out of rage.

The Spindash (Sonic 2,3,K)

Does there need to be a reason why? When I playing Sonic 1, I can't stop but feel that it's plain uncomfortable to back away and then ram into a loop, now that we have Spindash to make it better.

Now it doesn't bug me that much using the swell physics Sonic 1 had to offer (along with the rest of the sequels) , but once you are used to using something more convenient, you just can't detach it from how you're used to playing the games.

[Serperior]

I mentioned this before, but I might has well go into more depth with it this time since there's a day dedicated to this now.

Okami's (I need to stop giving this game so many mentions) Celestial Brush is my favourite ability in a game. The amount that can be done with it in this game is pretty shocking at times. For a start, the amount of techniques you can get with it allow for a lot of unique ways to weaken and/or take down enemies in combat, some of my favourites including Galestorm to blow away a parasol that one of the enemies use to block attacks that are launched at it, using a flame to reignite one of the enemies' smoking pipes to calm it down and prevent it from using it's more powerful attacks and using one of the bosses' swords as a lightning rod to put them into a damagable state. It also has it's uses, which are just as diverse, if not more so, outside of combat as well. It can lead to a lot of interesting and creative ways to traverse the environments, like the drapes Ricky previously mentioned, and also allows some really unique puzzle ideas to come into play as well. Also like Ricky said, the purification techniques, Rejuvination and Bloom, is really satisfying once you see the effects, and they lead to some of the nicest looking moments in the game in some areas. Also being able to use it to change the time of day is a godsend, as it means you rarely ever have to wait for time specific events once you get the Crescent power.

Also Brown Rage from the same game makes the list because literally being able to take a dump on the enemies that gave you trouble earlier in the game is INSANELY satisfying.

Honourable mentions:

Mega Buster/Kirby's Copy ability: The ability to copy enemy powers is where quite a bit of the fun comes from with these games in my opinion. They add a lot of diversity to the gameplay, and in Mega Man's case, some of the power ups, such as the Metal Blade and the Pharaoh Shot, make the games easier and thus more accessible as a result.

Bro moves (Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga/Bowser's Inside Story): These moves make what was already a unique RPG (Not counting the other Mario RPGs, obviously) a lot more varied. They make the gameplay much more dynamic, and it's really satisfying if you can pull off the inputs for them perfectly. Bowser's Inside Story's ones are also amusing simply for how off the wall they can be, like the move where you have to fatten Luigi up with food, and then throw him at the enemies.

Making them items in Partners in Time was dumb though, so the bro moves from that game don't make this list.

Edited January 23, 2012 by Serperior

[Octarine]

Siege Mode.

The Siege Tank's Siege Mode combines two things that I love: transforming robots and giant goddamn guns. Basically, at the push of a button (once you've paid the fees and waited the requisite 80 seconds for the ability to be researched), the Siege Tank can transform from a respectable but unremarkable ground-to-ground tank into an artillery platform with twice the range, twice the firepower and splash damage. The transformation sequence is short and simple but very appealing, particularly considering that StarCraft isn't normally the prettiest game, and the sound the cannon makes in siege mode is incredibly satisfying.

As for the tank's actual capabilities, there's nothing more delightful than planting a group of Siege Tanks on a cliff above an enemy's base and raining fire down on the helpless peons. Sure, Siege Tanks can't touch air units and are clunky to manoeuvre around, but that's why the Terrans have Marines and Dropships, dammit.

...a close second goes to Samus' Morph Ball and Spider Ball, and actually about 90% of the abilities in the Metroid series. Very slightly bitter that Semi-colon e beat me to that.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Favourite game ability eh? Difficult. Has to be

Shadow the Hedgehog - Chaos Control. This game really gave me what I wanted. The ability as Shadow to go faster than anything using Chaos Control. With the Bosses, you move much faster than they ever could. In levels you zoom to a new location. It was awesome and the music rocked. So I give you, CHAOS CONTROL! (I know the vid is a hack but it is still quite fun!) Edited January 23, 2012 by Dr Spudhead

[Chooch]

Three letters. V. F. X. The greatest means to dispatch enemies ever created in a video game. It's likely not to change any time soon.

The V-Watch, much like it's name implies, deals with controlling time and space. It allows the wielder to slow down time, speed it up, repeat a specific action, or even freeze time all together. The best part about it is that you can combine these powers for absolutely amazing results. Because the Viewtiful Joe series focuses more so on visual flair than anything else, using this time control based abilities is made all the more viewtiful with how they work in gameplay.

Slow makes hitting you entirely impossible, as your character will dodge anything on reaction that comes at you. Bullets can be slowed down as well, allowing you to punch or kick them back at enemies. When an opponent is dizzied, hitting them with a Slow powered punch or kick problems then to fly uncontrollably across the screen, more often than not, colliding into other enemies on-screen.

Mach Speed is exactly as it says. It makes everything around you along with your movement and attack speed that much faster. This can allow you accomplish amazing feats such as punching and kick your opponent so quickly, you and them both catch on fire. This is of course significantly less pleasant for for the one your hitting.

Zoom is the piece de resistance. Zoom makes everything in the immediate vicinty freeze in place and gives you access to even more powerful techniques such as the Red Hot One Hundred. I can't accurately describe was makes Zoom (and VFX in general) so awesome. You just have to play the games yourself.

[Chibinuva]

Day 8!

Spiderman Websling. If there's one thing that will make you feel like spiderman, it is this. It's really the only reason I'd play a spidey game, since the rest of it is random beating up of baddies. (You'd think that Batman being able to prove stealth can work in a superhero genre would inspire Marvel to try something new with Spidey but nope. Apparently he's not allowed to be stealthy).

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that when I'm allowed to websling, I feel like spiderman. It is amazing.

I must agree that webslinging is fun, however if you had played Shattered Dimensions, you would know that Spider-Man Noir does have stealth like Batman (and some other similarities like artwork style,) and I must say, it works pretty well.

Eighth: Favourite Ability

SUPER MODE!

I don't care that it completely breaks the game. I love nothing more than going back to levels I've already beaten fairly and then utterly ridiculing the enemies and hazards. Overcoming difficult sections makes me feel pretty good, but sometimes I wanna be Superman laughing in the face of ordinary bank robbers.

Back when every computer game had cheat codes, once in a while I'd play through the whole thing with God Mode. At my age I'm sure it'd get boring fast, but back then it was a heck of a good time. Since Super Mode generally only lasts a short while these days, it's a fine balance.

Oh god yes. I simply love going god mode and beating the crap out of those badniks. Who cares if it's overpowered, being overpowered is awesome.

Anyways, now it is time for the bulk of my post.

Day 8-Your Favorite Ability in a Video Game

Now I'm probably going to get slammed for saying this, but the Boost feature is actually one of my favorite moves in the Sonic series. Sonic's going faster than ever, and Generations has proved that the level design can incorporate a fair amount of platforming along with utilizing other moves, preventing it from being boost-2-win! as some have suggested. And honestly, that exhilirating sense of speed you get when using it is worth it for the few flaws it may have.

Spider-Man 2099 is probably my favorite of the characters from Shattered Dimensions, and his ability set is awesome, being the speediest of the four spider-men, and having Accelerated Vision, which is very similar to Chaos Control, making him even more awesome. He's essentially a great combination of speed and spider-man, making him great for taking out hordes of enemies. Also, while this isn't necessarily an ability, he also has free-fall sections, which not only make him even more similar to Sonic, but therefore makes him even more awesome IMO.

[Solkia]

Favorite ability? Gonna go with Shinespark from Metroid

I don't know why, but I just find this ability so much fun to use. Especially shoulder tackling enemies is really satisfying.

[Lady Soniko]

Day 8 - Favourite Ability in a video game

2 come to mind. first off...

The metal fist upgrade in Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc.

Nothing is more satisfying in this game than totally whooping a bunch of Hoodlums with this power up, not only does Rayman sport some badass looking death fists, but his whole colour scheme changes to match his fists, a red hoodie ans blue hair! this power up upgrades Rayman's punches to double damage, and can flatten any standard hoodlum warrior in a single fully charged punch which was incredibly amusing with the comic styled "POW! CRACK! text" accompanied by the cartoony punch sound effects but it doesn't stop there, heavily armoured enemies that are resistant to your normal punches are made vulnerable as you punch them, their armour sky rockets exposing their weak bare selves, leaving you to lay waste to them, Rayman 3 also added the Parry punches, swiping in from the side, punching a large enemy whilst wearing these gloves in their sides is just far too much fun, the power ups made Rayman 3 such a fantastic game.

honourable mention.

The Phazon Beam - Metroid Prime

When you accquired the Phazon suit, you sustained the ability to harness pure phazon as a new energy source for your arm cannon, it was shockingly powerful and was satisfying to use, even if it did dry up Phazon patches in a few seconds.

[JezMM]

Gravity Gun from Half-Life 2 and it's episodes

Just so much damn fun. You can pick stuff up, put stuff down, turn anything into a weapon by jolting it at enemies... And then when you reach the final couple of chapters.... =D This is also the game that really popularised the ole physics-based weapon. Any close-minded Sonic fans who thought Silver's gameplay was really clever and original - you have Half-Life 2 to thank.

Close seconds that also very quickly sprang to mind:

Charge from Left 4 Dead 2

Nothing much more satisfying than plowing through a perfectly bunched up set of survivors like bowling pins - and if you're lucky enough to knock them all off a cliff for an instant win, just... hnnnnnng. <3

Spinner from Zelda: Twilight Princess

Yeah it had really limited use, but who cares, it was so damn fun.

Starman from the Super Mario series

I especially love how in recent years they tend to set these up perfectly so you can kill the exact necessary amount of enemies to get a 1-up before it runs out... ...But if you manage to beat them at their own game and get even MORE than that in what is clearly a specifically set up area, that's oh so satisfying.

Boost from Sonic Unleashed/Colours/Generations etc

Yeah I really like the boost so there. In fact Sonic's current moveset in general is near absoloute perfection to me. Just give us the ability wall jump whereever we like again.

[Covskin]

If I want to be silly, I could say the ability to slap Stimpy in the face using Ren in one of the Ren & Stimpy games, just for the funny sound effect that played.

But I'm not going to do that.

I'm going to say Spyro's gliding ability, and finally having free flight in Year of the Dragon's Super Bonus Round.

One of the things that made Spyro stand out as a character to me was his gliding ability, that let you jump much further distances than in any other game. See a sparkle in the distance? Climb the nearest tower, jump off and glide to that tiny ledge. The feeling of satisfaction when landing a particularly tight one, after twists and turns, was great.

Then, in Spyro 3's final level, you get free flight. No longer do you have to observe racing rules as you fly; you can go wherever you want. It was a lovely way to end Insomniac's trilogy.

[Marcello]

Day 8!

Spiderman Websling. If there's one thing that will make you feel like spiderman, it is this. It's really the only reason I'd play a spidey game, since the rest of it is random beating up of baddies. (You'd think that Batman being able to prove stealth can work in a superhero genre would inspire Marvel to try something new with Spidey but nope. Apparently he's not allowed to be stealthy).

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that when I'm allowed to websling, I feel like spiderman. It is amazing.

Since I'm not really sure, I'll go with this. Swinging around the city is a blast. I felt like the king of the world being able to go pretty much anywhere with his powers. There were times I'd just swing around the city for a while

Stealth was in the first or second Playstation game if I remember correctly. In the level where you save some hostages of a bank.

Edited January 23, 2012 by MarcelloF

[gato]

Day 8 - Favorite Ability

Another hard one...

...

But for Nostalgia's sake.

SUPER SONIC

My love for this game breaking bastard comes from the classics, as a grumpy old guy said, playing as god mode might not be so fun nowadays but back in the day it made you feel like the coolest kid in the block, like... Look how at laugh in the face of that thing that kills you every time! 8)

I wish I could make splashes like that in-game, those looked awesome!

Super Sonic was not only god mode, it was more, it didn't only made you invincible (to MOST of the level hazards) it also made you faster, you jumped higher... It made you feel powerful, like if you could just let yourself loose and unleash all your contained fury upon everything that was unlucky or stupid enough to cross in your way!

...

Except for those knuckles only walls... WHY CAN'T I BREAK THEM!!!?? I'M SUPER SONIC!!! I BREAK STONE WALLS WITH MY FACE (it was a novelty back then ), WHY DO YOU TAUNT ME GAME!!!!???...

...

But other than that you were unstoppable! Awesome! A force of nature and all that stuff...

Wait, what!?

... Or not? Despite being god mode, super sonic can still be killed, be dumb enough to think you can fly over a bottomless pit and your done for, run out of rings and see how you revert to your weakest version (considering you have 0 rings now), so as game breaking as he is, Super Sonic still holds some challenge for the players, not to mention that for you to unlock him you must go through 7 challenging special stages or complete some other sort of hard tasks (Generations being the only exception I can remember, and Sonic 3 because blue sphere stages were easy).

I'm not going to deny it, this was also a big influence to my love for Super Sonic back then. (Art by

trunks24)

So yeah, Super Sonic is my favorite skill simply because it made me feel awesome... I wish I was.

Honorable mentions go to:

- Pretty much every single skill in Starcraft (I can't decide, EMP, Lockdown, Cloak, Nuclear Missile, Psionic Storm, Blink, Snipe, Stasis Field, Siege mode, Dark Swarm, Yamato Gun, Spawn Broodling... aaarrrgh, too much!).

- Double Penetration (Uuuuhhh... It's called like that! The game pretty much tells me Eathan Waber gave it to me!... OH FU... Okay I'll shut up) from Phantasy Star Universe (AOTI).

- Devil Trigger from Devil May Cry (Idem to Super Sonic?).

- Most of the spells in Dungeon Keeper.

- The Super Weapons from the Command & Conquer Red Alert series

- Shoryuken from the Street Fighter series.

- Too many DM's to list from the King of Fighters series... And the Garou series too. (are you okay? BUSTER WOLF!)

- And the super leaf from Super Mario Bros 3 (or was it 2? I can't remember how are we supposed to name it with that Doki Doki Panic game).

I bet I'll keep remembering more of them as the time goes, so I better stop now. >_>

[FlameKoetsu]

Day 8 - Favorite Ability

I have to pick the Thunderbolt from Mario Kart games.

There is always a good feeling when you shrink every other racer on the track and you can just speed by. It may be overpowered, but its because you're behind and I think its a good balance. In Mario Kart 64, if you touched someone who was shrunk they would get flattened also.

*waits to see if anyone posts blue shell*

Runner Up - Bomb Up from Bomberman games

Even though its a really simple powerup or item, it can change the way you play be speeding up block bombing or if you have about 5 you can go wild.

[Your Vest Friend]

Abilities? Well, there's a lot that can constitute an ability. Still, I have some that I'm partial to...

No image found so here's a funny-looking man instead.

The Bazooka/Superflame [Crash: Warped and Crash: Wrath of Cortex/Spyro 2]

These both serve the same purpose so I'll address them about equally. These two abilities are not part of our heroes' standard line-up. Instead, these were little extras that you could unlock that gave you the ability to shoot a projectile at any time. In Crash's case the bazooka, while powerful and making attacking enemies easier, wasn't a complete level overkill as it cost time to carry out, which was bad for the relic prizes. Still, it was fun to shoot that chicken in Toad Village, and I do like to see enemies be blown away by a piece of fruit.

Spyro's superflame, meanwhile, was absolute overkill; not only did it have an insane range, could be aimed and didn't have any impact getting prizes, but it could also shoot underwater, rendering the water dangers harmless. The catch with this was that you had to get all 64 orbs and 10,000 gems in order to unlock the ability on the now complete game, so it's useless there. What makes it great is that as long as that save remains, any new game will have the superflame unlocked from the start, making the second run a total blitz!

Infinite Flight [spyro:Dawn of the Dragon, Skylanders and...Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets/Prisoner of Azkaban?!]

If there is one sensation I love, it's that of flight. While many characters I know have the ability to fly for a short period of time (Tails, hello), nothing is more satisfyling than sailing in a 3D, free of any worry of running out of air stamina*. That's where these all come in; they each have some form of infinite flight that's a pleasure to use. I'll admit, Skylanders' version is more a feeling of usefulness than of proper flight sensation, but Dawn of the Dragon combines the spectacle of it with at times breathtaking scenery and a wonderful score. It's one of the most beautiful moments I've witnessed.

*Funnily enough, I started typing this out before I saw Covskin's post. I personally don't think that Spyro 3's flight mode, which is only usuable in the Super Bonus Round and not in the regular levels was all that impressive given that it was almost identical to an unlockable that had been done before (Gnasty's Loot, albeit you get unlimited flight from the start but have to earn your height via unlocking doors with keys gotten from thieves).

A strange entry into my faves now, in the second and third installments of the EA game line based on the best-selling books. I'm not ashamed to admit that I personally found them both solid gaming experiences, but the best thing about them has to be how much they let you do what you want. It's awesome to sail around a bright, sunset-lit Hogwarts on the Nimbus 2000, and to soar across the lake in the icy cold on the back of a hippogriff. Splendid stuff!

[Carbo]

Heh

Bionic Commando is second only to Ace Attorney in terms of my absolute favorite Capcom franchises. This is one of those games I practically grew up on, and the

was one of the biggest bouts in fanservice since Smash Bros since it improved and added onto everything and made the original better in every single way. The game was notorious for being one of the few platformer games where you couldn't actually jump, but instead you got the completely rad Bionic Arm to swing around the environments, taking out foes and being awesome.

was probably the closest thing I had to a game of the year, and the Bionic Arm returns better than ever. While it was looked down upon by many, many people in the fanbase (whom I'm convinced are absolutely batshit crazy and never actually played the game), particularly for it's nonsensical plot, this game provided hours of some of the most fun swinging in a video game since Spider-Man 2, and an absolutely robust combat system that made flinging enemies, flinging items, whiplashing foes and bombarding people from above an absolute blast. Not to mention, the multiplayer was totally cool whenever you actually found some matches to play in.

Spencer as a whole was my most wanted inclusion in the crossover fighting game Marvel vs Capcom 3, and I couldn't have been more joyful that even after bombing and having a relatively sub-par reception from fans, he was still included and became one of the best sleeper characters in the game, and easily a contender for the highest tiers in UMvC3. I was looking forward to kicking ass with the Bionic Arm yet again, but what I didn't expect was to have some of the most creative uses of combos and the hilariously golden hyper.

[Senator NinjaShark]

Day Numbero 7 Part 2: 8 Harder - Ninja's Power Ups of Rock and Metal, "Kami would still stand no chance with them", Favourite Abilities Ever!

The Fire Flower

this one is simply a Classic in Video games, and I like it for that. I always feel good when I get one of those and BRING DOWN THE FLAMES OF HELL AND PURGATORY onto an unsuspecting Koopa or Goomba.

Super Mode (Various Video games)

the Super Mode is a concept I always like to see in both Anime and in Video games. It almost always is a way of bringing a Fight to even Crazier levels, to crank up your Score Higher and Higher and/or to have even more Fun in defeating your obstacles.

or, in RPG's, Simply to get access to Powerful as Fuck Moves, wich is also Badass.

Do note that I mainly refer to Super Modes where actual Change in appearance happens (i.e. Super Sonic, Devil Trigger, etc) not the God of War type of Super Mode.

Honorable Mentions:

Cape Feather and Super Leaf, Mario Series - Not much to say aside of I CAN FLY MOTHERFUCKERS! FLY! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Celestial Brush, Okami - one of the Most Interesting and fun to use Abilities to me in recent years. The Brush is a Gimmick done right to me. It works very Well, doesn't distract from the Main gameplay and is Most Importandly Fun. My favourite of the Brushes being the Power Strike mainly because of IMPLODING EXPLOSION!

Bro Moves, Mario & Luigi Series - The Bro moves are some of my most Beloved special Moves. They are fun to look at and are Satisfaying to use, especially in Bowsers inside Story (not so much in Partners in Time...making them Items is kinda silly).

The Rocket Jump - I'm mainly referring to the TF2 incarnation, since I never played Quake and other FPS that use that Move. It quickly became another big favourite of Mine however, due to being rather Easy to pull of, yet still having a Awesome Effect. Many a Dominations were made by me Rocket Jumping all Over the Map and Raini9ng down Hell itself onto the Enemy Team, and I Love it.

[Victory Defender]

Day 8 - Favorite Ability

Favorite ability of all time would be the Purple Frenzy.

The wisp that gives the power is cool lookin', too.

An unstoppable brute force that could destroy anything in it's path is awesome as is. What makes it cooler, though, is that the more you destroy, you turn even bigger and deadlier. Rippin' through stages in Sonic Colors was fun, and you had to use the skill cautiously on a few stages or deadly consequences ensued. It gets bonus points for being purple and evil looking.

Violet Void is essentially the same, but Frenzy wins with more style points.