We’re in a bit of a loop, but I’ll translate for you:
I think TD2 is excellent, and that concerns about visibility are overblown, as they are about Garegga. I think Batsugun isn’t Toaplan’s best. I think Garegga is a better game than DOJ, Ketsui, and Futari. I think Eschatos, ZeroRanger, and TDIII are cool sonically and aesthetically, but overrated as ‘games.’ I think the list has gotten a little stale and samey. I wish some players who didn’t vote had voted. And I think we’re in dire need of some charismatic and creative tastemakers to reframe the way we think about our canon. (Not me, an asshole, I’ve been told. And worse, an asshole whose taste isn’t sufficiently independent from prevailing attitudes for the job.)
Moving on to newer conversations and greener pastures:
The impact of availability is hard to judge given the prevalence of emulation. I wonder how many of the voters are really reliant on new home ports to modern consoles? In some contexts, it has a pretty decisive impact. Ex. I think CRS68K is hugely benefitted by its Windows port; without it, I’d wager it’d have the reputation of a Flame Zapper. If exA Arcadia games were more widely played, there’d be a number in the Top 25 and HMs: Aka to Blue R, Cambria exA, Aces Kai, Gallet / AK / SDOJ exA Arrange, and FixEight exA (surprisingly, a stronger game than Outzone) would all be worthy. But voting for them in current market conditions would be tantamount to throwing your vote in the bin.
And finally, I have no faith that most voters are reading, to say nothing of following, Nifty’s rules.




