Games that Make You Want to Type "</genre>"

[Mzo]

I believe NHL '94 or maybe '95 was the last one with fights.

You need the fights.

[Josh]

Gotta have that head blood.

[gameoverDude]

Out Run 2 SP (arcade racing)- Daytona is good, but I prefer this. Playing 5 different stages per game instead of going 4 times around one track helps it in my book. The score system is also good- Slipstreaming helps rack up higher Out Run bonuses and saves some time.

Super Chase (arcade racing/chase)- The pinnacle of the Chase HQ series. CHQ2 doesn't come close- but to be fair, that was farmed out to Gamewax. SC's game play is a bit improved over the first, only done in FPP. Graphics benefit from 32-bit F3 derived hardware with better scenery, scaling, and detail. One section takes place in city traffic, with the oncoming cars flashing their headlights- and some intersections with cross traffic. Taking down a tractor-trailer simply owns. Voice acting is in a delicious kind of cheesy style. "You were really having a good time with it, weren't you? Where do you get off sayin' that... SHUT UP!". Love it. Yack's solid BGM rocks with slick slap bass & drum samples. SC has one of the few game intros that is worth watching every time. I just wish Taito had forgotten about a SNES version and done a Saturn port instead.

Akumajo Dracula: Chi no Rondo (action) - What Yoshi said in the OP.

Gunner's Heaven AKA Rapid Reload (run-n-gun) - Good as Gunstar Heroes in more than a few ways, though missing 2P co-op. Weapons can't be mixed here, but rather switched on the fly (something Treasure copied for GBA Gunstar Super Heroes in 2005- now there's a game sorely needing to be remastered for XBLA/PSN).

Dishonored - Best recent example of a stealth game but with some flexibility. You can Rambo through enemies if you don't mind giving up the best ending (more kills, more Chaos), or even try not to be discovered at all. TBH, the melee combat system is better than the new Thief's.

[GohanX]

Good call on Outrun 2. It is the best game, I wish Sega would port it to everything.

[Glass Joe]

Alundra for the Zelda-style puzzle infused action RPG.

Yes!!! I was coming in here to say the same thing.

[No One]

Final Fantasy XII (JRPG) - If this is the last time Yasumi Matsuno receives a AAA budget, then this might be the single best example of a </genre> for me. The only other contender in this genre is the SMT series, but it is held back by the "you don't have the right demon combination for this boss, so fuck you" effect, which I have run into eventually in every game I've played. Could I go back and grind to clear that obstacle or use a guide the whole way through? Of course. Am I going to? Nope. Maybe Xenoblade contains some hope here? I've read it's similar from a single player MMO-type standpoint.

I'd agree with this if Chrono Trigger didn't exist. Fortunately it does.

You're dead on with Rondo, though. Nothing's come even remotely close.

[YellerDog]

Super Meat Boy kills walljumping precision speedrun platformers.

[YellerDog]

Don't even talk to me about tough games if you haven't cleared the I Wanna Be The Guy levels.

[No One]

How would Bayonetta be classified? "Stylish action?" Even though Yoshi removed the 2D qualifier on action games, it would seem odd for it to be in the same genre as Dracula X.

Oh please oh please oh please let this turn into a massive argument about sub-genres.

Edit: Oh, and Hotline Miami (murder simulator)

[Pineapple]

Don't even talk to me about tough games if you haven't cleared the I Wanna Be The Guy levels.

I hate them so much. Remains unbeaten to this day