Rank Up! - Super Smash Bros.

Over the weekend it was Super Smash Bros. for Wii U's first anniversary. With that in mind, it seems like the perfect time for SuperPhillip Central's Rank Up series to return to count down the best of the Super Smash Bros. series as a whole. There are five game in the series, and SuperPhillip Central is going to list them from least greatest to the best. Here are the games we'll be mentioning:

Super Smash Bros. (N64)
Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)

With that, let's get to ranking these games!

5) Super Smash Bros. (N64)

The original Super Smash Bros. kicks off this countdown of Smash Bros. supremacy. This is Smash at its most basic, offering a modest selection of characters (eight to start with, four to unlock), a fun assortment of stages, and several modes to enjoy like the amazing Classic and Target Blast modes that would return in future installments. This was the beginning of something very special for Nintendo and its fans, and the original Super Smash Bros., like every other game in the series, is worth playing for multiplayer fun even to this day.

4) Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (3DS)

The first and only Super Smash Bros. game on a handheld, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS broke new territory and blew minds as Masahiro Sakurai and his team successfully converted the console gameplay of past Super Smash Bros. games to the small screen with almost everything you'd want from the series intact. The same arsenal of characters from the Wii U version were all available for play without much in the way of making concessions. Smash Run was the exclusive mode for the 3DS version, and it offered a maze-like dungeon of enemies to defeat to get your character stronger for the final round, a match of some kind against AI opponents. The stage variety was quite good, too, delivering well designed stages like The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks' train, Nintendogs' Living Room, and Fire Emblem: Awakening's Arena Ferox. While it's not a game that competitive players went to in droves, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is a wonderful Smash Bros. game that feels complete and great to play on-the-go.

3) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

It seemed like we were waiting ages for the Wii's Super Smash Bros. game to be released, constantly getting teased with new information every weekday with the Super Smash Bros. Dojo website. When the game finally came out, it was a mixed blessing, more of a positive one than a negative one, though. Packed with amazing stages with seldom a stinker in the bunch, an incredible amount of characters with such newcomers as Wario, Kid Icarus's Pit, Kirby's Metaknight and King Dedede, as well as a first for the series, third party characters like Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake of Metal Gear Solid fame. Super Smash Bros. Brawl featured a campaign with it with engaging and charming cutscenes, allowing for up to player to join in on the 2D side-scrolling levels. The amount of content in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is amazing, and that fact is something that is a tradition with the series itself. However, not all was great with Brawl. One issue that ruined its chances as a competitive title was the inclusion of tripping. While great for a party game, not really well suited for tournaments. Still, for the millions of people who just enjoy the games as Nintendo fighters and not the small number of players who seek a tournament-caliber competitive game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was a legitimately great game.

2) Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN)

This next Super Smash Bros. game, Melee, is still played competitively and enjoyed by players all over the world. It says a lot about the legacy of this near-launch GameCube title. What I enjoyed about Super Smash Bros. Melee was how it really began the content-packed tradition that games following Melee would possess. Melee saw the introduction of trophies, a collectible that showed well known and forgotten characters, items, settings, and objects with wonderful descriptions. It was a virtual museum and shrine of Nintendo. The solo mode, Adventure, continues to be my personal favorite single player mode of any Smash game, taking players through familiar Nintendo settings like the Mushroom Kingdom, a Legend of Zelda temple, and even an F-Zero race track. The stage design is some of the series' best without a doubt, offering great locales like the Fountain of Dreams, Mute City, Temple, Kongo Jungle, and so many others. Then there is the cast of characters that introduced Fire Emblem as a series to the West and brought memories of Nintendo's Game and Watch systems back into the limelight (or for many, the first time ever). Super Smash Bros. Melee is the complete package, but at the same time, it's not the best that the Super Smash Bros. series has to offer.

1) Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Wii U)

The latest and what SuperPhillip Central considers the greatest Super Smash Bros. game is the recently released Wii U sequel. Although its board game mode isn't the best, everything else more than makes up for it. Everything including the largest roster of Super Smash Bros. characters ever to be contained in one game-- from Nintendo staples like Mario, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus Aran, and Pikachu, to third party greats like Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and now even Street Fighter's Ryu and Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife. The immense amount of excellent stages with plenty of dynamic hazards and obstacles to concern yourself with give them as much character as the fighters you battle with. The variety extends to the game's many modes like returning delights like Classic mode, All-Star mode, Event mode, Special Orders, Multi-Man Smash, Target Blast, Home-Run Contest, and Trophy Rush. The addition of mostly lag-free online play (something that Brawl sadly balked on) makes it easy to join up and play intense battles for up to four players over the Internet. Finally, the creation of Omega versions of stages makes it so the Battlefield and Final Destination aren't the only backdrops competitive players will have to put up with, as all stages now feature a Final Destination version. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is the most content-rich, enjoyable to play, and magnificent Smash Bros. game to currently exist. Once again, Masahiro Sakurai and his team delivered sublimely.

Toughest Tasks in Gaming History - Volume Two

Do you consider yourself to be a hardcore gamer? Just how hard of a hardcore gamer do you think you are? Do you think you could perform some of the most difficult feats in gaming? Even if you don't think you could, Toughest Tasks in Gaming History is here to show you some of the most challenging feats in gaming. No, we don't mean things like becoming a credible gaming journalist. No, no! We're talking feats that will amaze friends within your gaming circle. This second volume contains tasks from games like Gears of War 3, Dead Rising, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl!

If you missed the inaugural edition of Toughest Tasks in Gaming History, have no fear! We have the first volume's link right here!

Seriously 3.0 - Gears of War 3 (360)

Some tasks in gaming are tough because of the challenge involved, while others are tough due to the time investment required. Gears of War 3's Seriously 3.0 achievement focuses on the latter. In the original Gears of War, there was the original Seriously achievement, earned through obtaining 10,000 kills. The sequel required the player to up their killcount exponentially with 100,000 enemies killed. This time one could earn these kills in and out of multiplayer (through grinding the last level over and over again in a sensationally stupid, tedious, and so-not-worth-it way).

Seriously 3.0 requires you to reach level 100 as well as acquire all 65 Onyx medals. What does that actually mean for the player? Well, one has you being forced to play over 15,000 multiplayer matches at the very minimum and score over 70,000 kills. Unless you absolutely can't live without Gears of War 3, this tough task is only reserved for the biggest fans of the game.

7 Day Survivor - Dead Rising (360)

Through completing the main campaign of Capcom's Dead Rising for the Xbox 360, Infinite mode unlocks. This mode requires Frank "covered wars, y'know" West to survive for seven in-game days. Each day in Dead Rising lasts two hours, so simple math has a 7 Day Survivor achievement-acquirer spending 14 hours total on this task.

You must constantly babysit Frank, as his health bar is always declining. He must eat over 40 meals at the very least to stay alive (a full health bar will empty in 20 minutes), he must survive against a zombie horde that wants him as a nighttime snack, and there are no checkpoints or save points to help the player with. That means you must have your Xbox 360 on for at least 14 hours. Huh. No wonder our damn Xbox 360 overheated on us when we got this achievement!

Collecting all of the trophies - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

With the Super Smash Bros. series' fourth and fifth installments releasing later this year, it seems like as good a time as any to look back at the latest game in the franchise, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. One cool feature of Brawl, which was also in Melee, is that of trophies. These trophies are modeled after various characters, objects, items, and more from numerous Nintendo properties. It's a veritable virtual museum for Nintendo fans.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl introduced a challenge wall, much like what was seen in Kirby Air Ride, another Masahiro Sakurai directed title. As in-game tasks are completed, individual panes on the challenge wall shatter, revealing a prize.

In order to get every trophy in the game, a player needs to not only acquire all the trophies found in the challenge wall (this means beating the game's modes on the hardest difficulty), but he or she must turn every enemy and boss in the Subspace Emissary mode into a trophy with a trophy stand item, and beat the Classic and All-Star modes as every character. Not just immensely challenging as a task, but time-consuming, those who have collected every trophy Super Smash Bros. Brawl has to offer are without a doubt the best and brightest the franchise has to offer.

Super Monkey Master - Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz (Vita)

The PlayStation Vita's edition of the Super Monkey Ball series is a title that will grab you by the monkey balls and not let go. It's a very difficult game, featuring a steep leap in difficulty going from the intermediate to the advanced stages of the game. It's a feat all on its own to simply beat the fifty stages of the advanced mode, and that's because you don't have the luxury of unlimited continues until after you beat the mode.

What does Super Monkey Master entail, then? Well, it's the simple task of beating every stage in the game without ever using a continue. Be sure to grab as many bananas as you can to rack up those lives, master those challenging stages as many times as you can in Practice mode, and keep those palms steady! If you can somehow obtain this incredibly rare trophy, then pat yourself on the back, as you are indeed a Super Monkey Master!

Beating the game - Contra (NES)

...How about without the famous Konami code? Heck, even with the code activated, the original Contra on the Nintendo Entertainment System was no walk in the park... Well, maybe a walk in the park if your park has a hail of gunfire, explosions, and one-hit kills every step of the way.

Without the Konami code activated, which would give players thirty lives to work with, Contra only gave players three lives to work with. Yes. Three. Lives. Throw in the little caveat that every hit you took was a one-hit kill, and those lives just fly away like scraps of paper in the wind.

Players had eight levels to complete in order to beat Contra, and if you could beat the game with just those three lives, you were the coolest kid in elementary school. Nowadays, many gamers are soft-- using save states, tool-assisted runs, and other girly-men handicaps. We should know...

SuperPhillip Central's Top 100 Games of All Time - The Top Ten

This is it. The moment you have been waiting for. For the past nine weeks we've been counting down our favorite games of all time. This is the final week we'll be doing so, listing our top ten games of all time. As is standard for each week, here is our spiel:

On June 5, SuperPhillip Central turned five years old. We're celebrating big the only way we know how, with a list of our favorite 100 games of all time. SuperPhillip Central's staff has come together to come up with this list. These don't necessarily have to be the best, but they are indeed our favorites. Coming up with an order for these games has been an immense challenge. We're sure you won't agree with our order-- heck, we don't even agree with our order. That said, we hope you'll at least agree with our picks, and if you don't, at least you can read our rationale for our choices. Regardless, for ten weeks, we will be counting down our favorite games of all time. Please join us for this great undertaking.

If you missed a previous edition of our countdown, look no further than these links:

Games of All Time (100-91)
Games of All Time (90-81)
Games of All Time (80-71)
Games of All Time (70-61)
Games of All Time (60-51)
Games of All Time (50-41)
Games of All Time (40-31)
Games of All Time (30-21)
Games of All Time (20-11)

10) Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Many competitive fighting gamers would stick up their noses at this choice, but our preference towards the Super Smash Bros. series has us choosing Brawl over Melee. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, while not as competitive of a fighter as Melee, was the more complete package. It was much more entertaining for parties and gatherings due to its off-the-wall antics, fierce action and intense battles. Throw in interactive stages, newcomers like Ike and Lucas, a healthy heaping of crazy items, and you have the ultimate party game. Like many of Masahiro Sakurai's creations, Super Smash Bros. Brawl brought players hundreds of hours worth of content-- stages, characters, modes, trophies, stickers, music, etc. One could spend months, if not years, trying to unlock everything that the game contained. Brawl was indeed a love letter to all Nintendo fans, lovingly designed by its developers, offering more characters than ever before in both playable and non-playable forms, two dozen all-new well-executed stages, trophies containing info about many Nintendo properties, music from an assortment of well-known Japanese composers and tremendous bang for one's buck. A local multiplayer fan's delight, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is our number ten game.

9) Mega Man X (SNES)

While we love the classic Mega Man series and think it has more great games than the X series, our favorite Mega Man title of all time just so happens to end with an X-- Mega Man X, to be specific. Everything about Mega Man was made more incredible and astounding with Mega Man X. You had more abilities like wall climbing, more replay value in finding Dr. Light's capsule upgrades, heart tanks and sub tanks, more challenge, more intimidating bosses and a more mature story. The level design was among the entire Mega Man franchise's best, making players perform daring leaps while keeping a cool head about them. This was definitely one of those games that would get your hands soaked with sweat as you clutched your Super Nintendo controller. Mega Man X is one of those games that we constantly find ourselves returning to. It may not take a long time to complete once you know the location of every item, but we always come up with new challenges to do-- speed runs, no damage runs, X-Buster only runs, etc. Case in point, if you're looking for hot and hectic 2D run and gun platforming action, there's no better than Mega Man X.

8) Banjo-Kazooie (N64, XBLA)

Yes, we actually prefer Banjo-Kazooie to Super Mario 64. While Super Mario 64 was revolutionary for 3D platformers, Banjo-Kazooie was evolutionary to Super Mario 64. It offered larger worlds, a wider array of moves (most of which had to be unlocked, so you would have a reason to return to past worlds), plenty of fun collectibles, awesome transformations a la Mumbo Jumbo, great music, Rare's trademark humor and some gorgeous graphics. It's actually the Xbox Live Arcade version that prefer the most and is our favorite. In the original N64 version, you had to collect all 100 musical notes in a given level at once. That meant if you died, you had to restart your collecting of them. With the XBLA version, if you die, all the notes you've collected stay collected. This makes the game a more fair and fun experience. Banjo-Kazooie delivered on all fronts, and focused on platforming and exploration to create a combination that is hard to beat.

7) Resident Evil 4 (Multi)

Out of all of the different versions of Resident Evil 4 that came out (the GameCube original, the PlayStation 2 port, the iOS version, the HD iterations), our favorite would have to be the Wii version. Not only did it offer superior aiming controls with the Wii Remote, but it was just a lot more entertaining taking shots on and picking off the Ganado horde. The version had all of the content of the PS2 port, and if motion controls did not suit your fancy, you could choose to use a more traditional means to control U.S. government agent Leon S. Kennedy. As a whole, Resident Evil 4 was a perfectly paced game, delivering thrills, chills and tense moments throughout its lengthy adventure through three major areas. The game defied all expectations, certainly our own, and there's good reason it is so almost universally loved. Resident Evil 4 created dozens of imitators and games inspired by it, and none-- even Capcom's own efforts-- have come close to outshining the game.

6) Metroid Prime (GCN)

Austin-based Retro Studios was a developer no one really had much clue about or faith in, but if they taught us anything, it's that Nintendo's influence can make the difference. Oh, what a difference it made with Metroid Prime. Taking the 2D foundation of the series and implementing it into 3D was certainly a daunting task, and the end result was a first-rate first-person shooter with a focus on adventuring. The world of Tallon IV felt lived in, natural and full of wonder to behold. Little in this world felt man-made, and the overall level design was simply superb. Secrets were smartly hidden and required some exploring to find, rooms and areas were linked together in a logical way, and enemy locations were wisely placed. The encounters on this mysterious planet were action-packed and exemplified the excellent controls that Retro Studios gave the player to control Samus Aran. Metroid Prime came from out of nowhere. Few expected it to be something special, and many gamers, including us, were hit with it like a strike to the back of our head. Unlike a real strike to the back of the head, Metroid Prime was mostly certainly welcomed and felt oh-so good.

5) Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

Previously Mario had ventured through the Mushroom Kingdom, explored the hallways and chambers of Peach's Castle and even had a platforming adventure on a tropical island. Who could have foreseen that Mario would be going galactic with Super Mario Galaxy, and who could have foreseen that it would become not only one of the highest rated games of the generation but also one of the best games of all time? Super Mario Galaxy put players in an epic intergalactic quest to save Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser through traversing along planetoids both big and small, taking down the Koopa King's forces and entering some of the best designed levels ever seen in a platformer. The originality and innovation that exuded in Super Mario Galaxy was no doubt breathtaking to behold and witness. Nintendo EAD created a title that was truly unforgettable and shows that all video games need not look towards Hollywood-like experiences for entertainment. Instead, pure fun in disc form is all you need for a good time.

4) Super Mario World (SNES)

The battles on message boards pitting Mario fan against Mario fan concerning which 2D Mario is superior, Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World, are never going to pass away any time soon. That's okay, as good discussion comes from such battles. Regardless, we're in the camp that prefers the multitude of secret exits, multiple paths to reach Bowser and addition of Yoshi with Super Mario World. Over two decades old now, few developers have come close to creating a game with as excellent and near-perfect level design than Super Mario World. There was no filler to be had. As stated with other Mario games on this list, every hill, every pipe, every enemy, every block, every coin, etc. had its purpose and was placed perfectly for players to try to overcome. The aforementioned secret exits meant the levels containing them could be explored more thoroughly, and when you finally found that key and keyhole, you felt an immense level of pride, as many of the secret levels were really well hidden. It says something about Super Mario World when you can not play it for years, yet go back to it and remember so much about it, especially the minor details. It is for these reasons why our top 2D Mario title is none other than Super Mario World.

3) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

The greatest 2D Legend of Zelda title is A Link to the Past. After the drastic departure from what fans were accustomed to with the original LoZ with the side-scrolling Zelda II, Nintendo return to the overhead viewpoint of the original Legend of Zelda with their lone Super Nintendo entry of the series. As kids, we lost ourselves in A Link to the Past's Hyrule, venturing through the forests, caves, towns and dungeons, bombing walls for secrets, acquiring optional items, collecting Pieces of Heart, solving puzzles in dungeons, figuring out how to and then taking down behemoth-sized bosses and transporting between the Light and Dark Worlds. The two world mechanic opened up so many more possibilities to the world design, and the dungeon design offered plenty of brain busters that made us think out of the box countless times. It all adds up to Link's most complete and satisfying 2D adventure yet. With the Nintendo 3DS' A Link Between Worlds, we are anxiously awaiting returning to ALttP's version of Hyrule.

2) Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)

To see a direct sequel of a 3D Mario game was an usual, but very welcomed, sight. To see it be the sequel of one of the highest rated games of all time made us worry at first. How would Nintendo EAD possibly outdo Super Mario Galaxy? The answer is "very well." Offering a higher challenge right from the get-go, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was a game that used ideas left over from the original Galaxy game, while bringing forth multiple amazing new gameplay mechanics, a near perfect mastery of level design by the designers, and some of the most fun we've had with a platformer since... well, ever! The developers designed Super Mario Galaxy 2 around the concept that players had already experienced its predecessor, meaning that the difficulty could be placed at a higher point at the start. This made for a much more rewarding, and challenging, experience for players. Even after besting Bowser and getting all 120 Power Stars, the game still wasn't over. You then needed to use your platforming prowess and a little ingenuity to reach 120 Green Stars scattered in hard to reach locations in each galaxy. Super Mario Galaxy 2, alongside Super Mario Galaxy, are without a doubt the best games of this generation and of all time. When your bottom line is entertaining the player and charming the pants off them at a constant rate, this is the type of exquisite game you get.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 3DS)

The most masterful game on this list, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, released in 1998, after years of tech demos, trailers and screenshots in issues of Nintendo Power. The game went through several incarnations before finally becoming the highly rated and greatly loved game. Super Mario 64 was a game that put Nintendo in a class to themselves by properly and almost perfectly implementing a true 3D world. Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo took their expertise and successfully put the world of The Legend of Zelda into 3D as well. Pretty much using the foundation and formula laid down by A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time perfected it, adding new touches, new items that would go on to be series regulars, the incredibly innovative, intuitive and invaluable Z-targeting to center Link's attention on a foe at a given time, and dungeons that required deep thinking to solve the copious amounts of puzzles that laid inside.

We will never forget first walking out onto Hyrule Field and seeing the glorious expanses ahead of us. Sure, nowadays it seems quite empty, but then it was marvelous. Moreover, the entire game world was fascinating to explore, from the high vantage spots of Death Mountain to the beauty of Lake Hylia. The recent 3DS remake, Ocarina of Time 3D, built even more on the greatness of the Nintendo 64 original, beefing up the graphics and frame-rate, introducing the ability to change between equipping the Iron Boots with ease with the touch screen (making the Water Temple no longer tedious) and a Master Quest for veterans.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is one of those games that doesn't come out very often. It brings with it universal critical and gamer acclaim, it inspires countless developers, it redefines our understanding of what makes a truly terrific and expertly crafted game, and it sticks with us long after we've put the controller down.

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There you have it. Those are our top 100 games of all time. Do you agree/disagree with our list? Are there games that you love that we neglected to name? Keep in mind that this list is by no means the be-all end-all and that it is entirely subjective. Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Link, Mario and Mega Man, Oh My! Edition

Welcome to a new week here at SuperPhillip Central. As per usual, we start the work week with SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, featuring music both classic and modern. This week's edition contains music from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Perfect Dark Zero and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. After these songs have been listened to, you can check out our VGM Database, where every VGM ever listed is... listed.

v421. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB) - Tal Tal Heights

We begin with some retro goodness from The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. By far our favorite track from this fantastic classic Zelda title is Tal Tal Heights, featuring phrases of the Zelda theme song while having its own identity. Like the person in the video, we played around on the mountain just to have an excuse to listen to this theme.

v422. Mario Tennis (N64) - Ring Shot Doubles

Motoi Sakuraba and Camelot go together like peanut butter and jelly. Mr. Sakuraba composed the music for Mario Tennis, and one of the better original themes of the game plays during Ring Shot Doubles. Four contenders, two teams, multiple rings, endless fun.

v423. Perfect Dark Zero (360) - Trinity Escape (Main Theme)

On its own, Perfect Dark Zero was a fun shooter with some nice level design. However, as a prequel to the spectacular Perfect Dark, it was a major letdown. That said, the soundtrack is one of the Xbox 360's best, offering both atmospheric and hard rock songs. Trinity's Escape's main theme is the latter.

v424. Mega Man X5 (PS1) - Axel the Red

Mega Man X5 started the decline of quality of the Mega Man X series. We won't even talk about Mega Man X6. Still, unlike its sequel, Mega Man X5 had plenty to enjoy about it. One such piece to enjoy was the music. Axel the Red's stage took place in a jungle ruins setting.

v425. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - Main Theme

Famed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu was contacted to create the main theme of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. We definitely didn't see the game's theme take such a dramatic turn, but it was for the best. No better theme could be made to get one excited to smash and bash their friends in a Super Smash Bros. game.

Top Ten Most Memorable E3 Moments

E3 2013 officially kicks off one week from today. It is setting up to be one of the most important yet, as we have two new consoles trying to beat the other in hype, and another console that is trying to prove itself as anything but irrelevant. We at SuperPhillip Central thought today would be a perfect day to look back on what we consider to be the most memorable E3 moments-- or at least what moments are our favorites. Will your favorite moments make it on this list?

10) Don't believe SEGA Saturnday's lies (1995)

1995 was an important year for gaming. It was the very first official E3 presentation, and the big contenders in the industry took it seriously. For the longest time, SEGA was claiming that their new system, the SEGA Saturn, was going to release on a special day called SEGA Saturnday, which just meant it would release on Saturday, September 2, 1995. However, this date was a ruse, and in a surprise announcement, SEGA announced at their press conference that the Saturn was already shipped to four specific retailers in North America.

Unfortunately, this turned out to be a bad thing, as not only did the retailers who did not get Saturn systems early feel absolutely betrayed by SEGA (KB Toys went as far as not selling the Saturn and actively promoting its rivals because of this), but it helped a certain company arrive in the game industry with a huge advantage. For more on this, check out #2 on this list.

9) Final Fantasy XIII heads to Xbox 360 (2008)

Speaking of betrayals, PlayStation fans felt betrayed after Square Enix announced at Microsoft's press conference that Final Fantasy XIII was coming to the Xbox 360. Message boards and comment sections everywhere turned into an embarrassing display of fanboyism, immaturity, and meltdowns. If only PlayStation 3 owners knew of the quality of Final Fantasy XIII before their reactions, perhaps the loss of exclusivity wouldn't have bothered them so much. It's funny to think of the outcry in retrospect, as Final Fantasy XIII turned out to be one of the lesser mainline entries in the franchise, especially for Xbox 360 owners who had to deal with worse performance and a game split up across three discs. Still, the moment at Microsoft's press conference was certainly a memorable one.

8) Jamie Kennedy falls flat (2007)

The Electronic Entertainment Expo was greatly downsized for the 2007 edition, and it was a much weaker show because of it. However, not all was bad. Well, actually Activision's 2007 press conference was legitimately bad, but it was basically as intriguing as watching a car accident. "Comedian" (and we must use quotations, mind you) Jamie Kennedy was the host of the press conference, and to say he was out of it would be an understatement. Throwing around unfunny non sequiturs, taunting the gaming public with cliche insults, and just being generally awkward were all tricks in Kennedy's repertoire that day.

Such gems including Kennedy asking "Should I do this interview as Ozzy Osbourne" followed by the quick quip of "Aren't you doing that already?" contributed more to the art of comedy than Kennedy's own drunken and/or stoned antics. Truly hilarious and awkward, and for all of the wrong reasons.

7) Konami's press conference (2010)

Speaking of things that are awkward and act like train wrecks, Konami's unforgettable and now infamous 2010 press conference was all kinds of weird. Where do we even begin? It was a greatest hits of awkward moments like "extreeeeeme", "you will be sucked", "one million troops... wow", "love you guys", "not funny", a Silent Hill developer that stands too close to his coworker, some kind of wresting slap fest, a silly dance game that made it demonstrators look silly, and-- aw, hell, words do not do this press conference service. It must be seen to be believed. Praise Sir Tak Fujii!

6) Killzone 2 reveal (2005)

At Sony's 2005 E3 press conference, a certain trailer for a certain game got an immense amount of buzz. It was a trailer for Killzone 2, what many in the industry wanted to call a Halo-killer. (Let's face it. People get hard-ons when they can call something a Halo-killer, despite how good or bad it is.) Regardless, the incredibly impressive trailer hyped up not only existing PlayStation 3 owners, but also a good portion of the gaming world in general. There are STILL arguments to this day on whether or not the Killzone 2 reveal trailer was real-time or CG, which Sony is known to do for their trailers occasionally. That said, we haven't been floored by graphics in a long time as much as we were with Killzone 2.

5) Reggie revealed (2004)

"My name is Reggie. I'm about kicking ass, I'm about taking names, and we're about making games." That little speech started a rallying cry that Nintendo fans could support. It was one that had a vulnerable and weakened Nintendo (especially after E3 2003) coming back strong with a backbone, despite having to go up against both Sony and Microsoft and currently losing to them both. Yes, Reggie Fils-Aime has become nothing but a marketing and public relations face for Nintendo of America with little real power, but at the time during E3 2004, he was a god among Nintendo fans.

4) Super Smash Bros. Brawl reveal (2006)

Nintendo's 2006 E3 presentation came and went without a word of this next game reveal. Instead, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was shown in a closed room at the end of one of the show's nights. When the gaming world caught wind of a new Smash Bros., one with new characters like Metaknight, Pit, and Wario, and impressive new graphics, the hype was unbearable for many. It certainly was that way for us at SuperPhillip Central (we've only gone on to call Brawl one of our favorite video games of all time on multiple occasions). The creme dela creme, however, was the arrival of an unexpected character-- Solid Snake. Showtime! Super Smash Bros. Brawl's reveal was one of those game reveals that will always stick with us, and to see why, here's the full trailer.

3) Sony's 2006 abomination (2006)

One of the most infamous press conferences, and not really because it was so bad, but knowing that this conference was the starting point for a once dominant video game console manufacturer to have to play catch-up for an entire generation, was Sony's 2006 E3 showing. From the incredibly large money investment of five hundred and ninety-nine US dollars to all the lackluster games sporting real-time weapon change, attacking crab weak points for massive damage, and RIIIIIIIDGE RACER, the show is something that Sony is still recovering from. That is how devastating the showing was, proving that a bad E3 showing really can be detrimental to the success of a platform. (Though it's obviously not the only thing that went wrong with the PS3.)

2) The beginning of the PlayStation brand's rise to power (1995)

We move from Sony's worst E3 showing to one of their most successful. Continuing the story from moment #10, the SEGA Saturn's reveal was botched in many ways, from developer outcry to a lack of games at launch. The most important of which is the price tag, which was $399 USD. Sony took this information and proceeded to go directly for SEGA's jugular. Olaf Olafsson (as great a name as Phillip Phillips), then president of Sony Electronic Publishing, went on stage, supposedly to talk about game developers being successful storytellers. Instead, he interrupted himself midway through his speech, called up another Sony employee, Steve Race. Again, Mr. Race was supposedly going to talk more about the PlayStation, but instead simply came up to the stage and said, "$299," and proceeded to walk off the stage with an applause worthy of an Oscar winner. This was the beginning of the rise of the PlayStation brand in the gaming industry, and one hell of an introductory showing.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess reveal (2004)

We at SuperPhillip Central are big supporters of the industry, and all three of the big three. We have a particular soft spot for Nintendo, as all of us on staff grew up on Nintendo. Not only is the debut trailer for what would later be known as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and the subsequent reaction something that gave us absolute goosebumps all over, but when Shigeru Miyamoto came out with a replica of the Master Sword and Hylian Shield, we screamed like the man-children we are. These moments are what E3 is all about, and Nintendo is usually one of the best at giving gamers a good show (2008 and 2012, not withstanding). It is The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess reveal that even for those who don't care for Nintendo or Zelda can appreciate the genuine excitement and enthusiasm of the moment. This is why we have ranked it as our number one moment. That, and because we're whores for the Zelda franchise.

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Those are our personal favorite moments from E3's historic past. Which moments do you remember the most? Post your comments below, and discuss your thoughts with other readers. Just think, there's only one week to go until we are bombarded with more video game news and titles than we can shake a booth babe at! Stay tuned later on in the week when we list the worst E3 moments, much like we did last year.

Best Boss Battles in Gaming History - Part Seven

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

We cannot believe it has been over a year since we last took a look at our favorite boss fights of all time. We're sure you're wanting to catch up, so you can see all six past installments at the end of this article. Some argue that boss battles are too old school for modern games. Something that strives to be akin to a blockbuster like Call of Duty or Killzone probably shouldn't have boss battles in them, but if it's an RPG or a platformer, then sure, why not? For us, it all comes down to what the type of game is. These five boss battles that we've selected are ones that were fun to play, awesome to see, and/or just too damn entertaining to put into words. Regardless, we've gone ahead and done the futile task of putting these fights into words. We hope you enjoy our selections. After we're done, why not mention some of your own?