Grand Theft Auto IV. Highest rated game ever. Cultural icon. Piece of shit. Yeah, fucking piece of shit is how I’m feeling about it right now. After a shitty day in which I have to deal with a bunch of fucking retards who can’t do their jobs, all I want to do is come home and relax with a good game. So of course I pop in GTA4 and continue my efforts to beat it. Well those efforts turned into efforts to not throw my controller against the wall. I forget the name of the mission, some three leaf clover bullshit, but the basic idea was me, Packie and the boys load up and rob a bank. I’m fully decked out in armor, have thousands of rounds of ammunition for my assault rifle, and I’m ready to kick some ass. Well, the stupid fuck and his brothers blow the plan to hell, and all of a sudden I have a six star wanted level. “Oh, don’t worry Niko, we’ll just fight our way out,” says the mic bastard. So we start gunning down the streets, with swat and cops and all sorts of bad mother fuckers around every corner. Of course I make it through the 15 minutes or so of shooting before a chopper gets on our asses and we decide to go into the subway to lose it. Well, lucky for me, as soon as we walk into the subway some fucking pig is hiding behind a corner and he blows my face off. Okay, that’s cool, that was just a wasted 20 minutes. I’ll just try again, I know to look out for him now. Well I manage to go through all that bullshit again, even make it through the subway this time. And yay! My wanted level drops to 3 stars on the way out. Things are looking up. Now I just have to drive the fucking retard home. And lucky for me, there’s even a 4-door car near by so i don’t have to catch 50 bullets to the back looking for a new ride. So we all pile in with the cops shooting at us, and I take off. Now this escalade rip-off isn’t the best car to out-run the cops with, but it’s getting the job done. Well, at least it was until the fucking mini-map fucked my ass over and told me to go the wrong way. Now I’m on a highway with no way off for a while and the turn i needed to find is a ways back. No problem, we’ll just drive this piece of shit that’s down to just two tires now all the way across the highway and then find our way back on the city streets. Oh wait, what’s that Packie? “I don’t like fire,” you say. Well I guess it probably is a good idea to get out of the SUV before all the bullets in it cause it to explode. Okay, so now I’m stranded in the middle of a high way with now cars to jack, barely any health, and cops trying to crawl into my dirty eastern-european ass. I’ll just take cover behind this guard-wall and hope to make a run away from the highway or maybe kill enough cops to steal one of their cars. Shit dude, this isn’t really cover, it only looks that way. BLAM! BLAM, BLAM, BLAM! Oh fuck brah, those bullets in my face really fucking hurt. YOU’RE GOD DAMN RIGHT THEY HURT AFTER SPENDING LIKE A FUCKING HALF HOUR ON THIS SHITTY MISSION SO I CAN HELP YOUR STUPID FUCKING MIC FAMILY GET THEIR SHITTY REPUTATION BACK! I’d just love to do this fucking cluster-fuck of a mission again, except for the fact that rockstar thought it’d be cool to have no checkpoints whatsoever. Like i really wanna restart that fucking dirty fucking cock sucker mission for a third time. Now some might say that once I do beat it I’ll just feel like I accomplished that much more. Based on my experiences with ninja gaidan, i might agree with you. But then I think about the fruits of my labor. What does beating this stupid fucking mission do for me. I don’t even think it’s main story line, so nothing there. I doubt I get more than 10 grand, so umm…may as well just spend a night whoring myself in central park. OH, I KNOW WHAT I GET! I GET SOME IRISH BASTARD CALLING ME EVERY FUCKING HOUR ASKING ME IF I WANT TO HANG OUT! Yeah, that’s a great fucking idea rockstar. Let’s put tedious tasks in games and call it fun. Make sure you attach an achievement so you know it’ll eat at completionists if they don’t befriend all the stupid fucks in the game and get them all drunk and give them all rides and make them feel good about themselves. FUCK! This game is so fucking stupid. Maybe I’ll catch a break when ninja gaidan 2 comes out…
I Feel Like Death
See that? That’s what finals do to you, and that’s what I felt like all weekend, and I still don’t feel that well, so once I’m back to full strength I’ll start posting again. Thanks for understanding. 
To My Adoring Fans
This week is Finals week for me. That means that I have lots of studying and writing to do. What does that mean for you? Well, if you want to write a paper for me, then get to writing! Anyway, this just means that I probably won’t be posting much until Thursday or Friday. I might try to get a post in if I find the time. So don’t think I’ve abandoned the blog. I shall return!
Our Rapture
This image represents our little utopia as gamers. A secret world unto ourselves that the outside doesn’t understand and could never hope to. This picture in particular represents the potential of games to triumph in the art of story telling and leave its audience with a lasting impression. This picture represents progress for video games.
This image represents the destruction of our utopia– our Rapture if you will.
That’s Gore Verbinski, director of such oscar-worthy classics like The Ring and The Pirates of the Caribbean series. Now I must admit, I was a fan of the first Pirates, and the other two had their moments– albeit brief ones. But the Ring was garbage. Maybe the original was decent, but this hollywood remake was pure trash. So you’ll understand me when I emphasize just how terrible the next line I type is for our beloved industry. “…Verbinski has signed on for another oceanic epic with the big-screen adaptation of 2K Games’ award-winning action game BioShock.” As if the track record of game-movies wasn’t enough of an omen, now we have this guy heading up the project. Sure, he says, “Although it’s an adventure, its a dramatic adventure. I see it more along the lines of Blade Runner.” But can we really trust a poster-boy for hollywood thrills and spills to treat this project with the same dignity of such a thought-provoking and well-crafted work like Blade Runner? History says no. History says this guy is going to sell out the franchise’s meaning for big explosions and sexy girls on his way to a big box office hit. So I guess what I’m saying is, what makes a game movie successful? If it’s selling a lot of tickets then maybe this is the guy, but if it’s remaining true to the game and carefully converting that experience to film then I don’t really think Bioshock will change history. The sad thing is that most forums I’ve observed seem to lean heavily in favor of this project. By selling out our games we bring Rapture upon us, and as any theology major knows, that doesn’t work out so great for most of us. Let games remain games, untainted by the outside world. Let us preserve our utopia.
Downloadable Content Should be More than Costumes or Horse Armor
See that costume that Ninja Gaiden star Ryu Hayabusa is wearing? Looks pretty bad ass, doesn’t it? Ya, I’d say so. Would you pay money to get to see it? Oh, you would? Alright, that’ll be $2.50. That is exactly what Microsoft is doing to you. The big, old M$ recently announced that three costumes would be released as downloadable content for Ninja Gaiden 2 in July. They will cost 200 MS points each. “But, Peri”, you say “that’s a measly $2.50.” I’d respond “Yes, yes it is.” You know what else it is? A waste of time and money.
This is a trend that has been building since the Xbox 360 was released. Developers simply tack on some DLC to make it seem like their game has more to offer. With Oblivion it was horse armor, and now with Ninja Gaiden 2 its costumes. These costumes should be available for free as unlockables; we should not be charged money for them. Microsoft is insulting all of us by basically saying “Hey, by this new skin that you can stare at and do absolutely nothing with.” That’s what it amounts to, a new skin for your character. Fantastic. You know the worst part about it? People will still buy it.
Here’s a tip to developers out there: the majority of gamers enjoy new content. Not a new costume. Create DLC with substance. Something that actually extends the amount of gameplay in the game. Now, it would be a different story if these new costumes gave you some special new bad ass power that allowed you to rip out people’s hearts and eat them… or something like that, but no, they do nothing but look pretty.
Now, I’m not saying all developers do this, or that it’s even the norm. There is plenty of great DLC that is released. Rockstar clearly knows what good DLC’s all about. It has been rumored that the exclusive DLC for GTA IV could contain entirely new cities! Bioware also knows how to appropriately release DLC with Mass Effect’s Bring Down the Sky which actually introduces a new race into the game. And that only costs $5 for what amounts to at least 90 minutes of gameplay, whereas these new costumes get you nothing in the way of additional gameplay. Harmonix has released tons of songs for Rock Band. Not all of them are great, but its not like they simply added more guitars or clothes to the game and charged you for them. They’re also releasing full albums as well.
I sincerely hope that this trend does not continue. DLC needs to have substance, add to gameplay, and be relatively cheap (unless its like a full blown expansion pack. But it should still be fairly priced). If your DLC doesn’t have at least 2 out of 3 three of those qualities, then it’s not worth releasing.
It really is a crime against the consumer to release things like this, and I urge you not to buy this DLC. You will simply perpetuate the cycle of bad DLC and justify the company’s decision to release this crap.
Realistic Portraits of Cartoon Video Game Characters: Please Make it Stop!
It all started with Mario:
Then, naturally, came Bowser:
Then we got Pikachu as a mother…:
And now comes along Sonic:
Ok, now, seriously, what the fuck is up with these? Some of the folks over at Destructoid may enjoy these “works of art”, but I just don’t see it. Am I the only one who finds each and every one of these images disturbing? When I first saw the one of Mario I was like “Alright, that’s creepy and kinda funny.” Then I saw it about six more times and just got irritated with it. And now I find these others. To me, they’re all extremely creepy looking, and they ruin the non-creepy, friendly, great perception we have of these characters. Who knows? That could be what they’re going for. It is art. Maybe I just don’t “get it”
Exclusive Gears of War 2 Gameplay Video on 1up
At 1:30 am EST Saturday morning, 1up released the first gameplay footage for Gears of War 2.
The full video can be found here, and 1up’s analysis of the footage can be found here.
The gameplay video shows off some intense action and a few new features. There’s upgraded versions of old weapons; you can pick up fallen Locust and use them as meat shields; the new chainsaw battle quicktime event. It all looks gorgeous and seems like it will be at least as much fun as the last game. But that’s just it for me. There doesn’t seem to be enough new content (at least not displayed in this footage) to get me really excited for GoW 2. The original was great, and I’ll probably buy this one regardless, but I just hope the franchise doesn’t fall into a rut and just keep doing the same thing over and over again with little or no innovation.
Mortal Kombat Vs. DC to “push the envelope of a T-rated game”
In a recent interview with Gametap, the co-creator of Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, Ed Boon, revealed that the series’ signature finishing moves, “fatalities”, will exist in some form. The game was announced last month along with the fact that it would receive a T for teen rating as opposed to the M rating that previous Mortal Kombat games have received. This led many people to assume that the violence would have to be toned down, thus fatalities would have to be removed. According to the interview, Boon said he plans on keeping “finishers”, but that the violence will, indeed, be toned down.
The idea of “push[ing] the envelope” of T-rated games just boggles my mind. Excessive violence has been a staple of every game in the Mortal Kombat Universe. Mortal Kombat was one of the first games to garner criticism for the level of violence on display. They have received M ratings since the ESRB was founded. Yet, since the DC universe is involved, DC finds it necessary to censor the amount of violence in this game.
I’m not trying to say that it is completely necessary for a Mortal Kombat game to have over-the-top violence in order to succeed, but I think the T-rating will turn off a lot of the series’ long time fans. Those who grew up with Mortal Kombat are now adults, and the violence is an integral part of the game for them. The T-rating may open up the game to a wider audience, but I think that a lot of long-time fans will stray away from this one simply because they’ve come to expect Midway to deliver a certain style of game. I find the whole idea of MK Vs. DC to be insane in the first place, but this just makes it seem even crazier. A Mortal Kombat game without excessive levels of violence. Who’d have thunk it?
Top Ten Games of an Evolving Gamer
Alright, so I figured I’d have to one-up ya Peri and do my own top ten. This will go in the order I played these games(If I can remember that correctly) and the only criteria will by that I owned the game at one time(My god, I’ve missed out on so many great games) and that I have fond memories of it.
1. Goldeneye - N64
This game pretty much turned me into a gamer. I have vague memories of the NES, SNES, and Genesis, but the N64 was really the console that turned me into the person I am today. And as we all know, Goldeneye was a flagship game for that illustrious system. I still remember my tiny 6 year-old arms opening up this masterpiece of an fps on christmas day and going on to play my older brother and various friends in split-screen for years to come. This game not only made shooters on consoles viable, but also was the exception to the movie-to-game rule. To come out as one of the best games of all time on top of those feats is truly amazing. But most importantly, this game turned me into a hardcore gamer and set my preferences for years to come.
2. Perfect Dark - N64
Simply put, this is my favorite game of all time. As the spiritual successor to the famed Goldeneye, this game set a standard for console shooters that a lot of games haven’t lived up to even today(Why was dual wielding such a huge deal in Halo 2 when it was done 5 years earlier?) The multiplayer combat was refined to such a tightly balanced optimization that it boggles the mind. The AI option was a great way to make a match more intense in addition to 3 other pals, and the ability to program the behavior of the bots is just insane considering the generation this game came out. It had more weapons than one could ever dream of and they all proved useful in some situation or another. The number of customization options and the number of stats tracked is indescribable. The levels were great. Most importantly though, it was just pure fun. I still remember the franticness of throwing poisoned knives at foes through the chaos of an n-bomb…good times. But that’s just the multiplayer! The single-player campaign featured a great story(At least I remember it that way, the details are blurry now) and the highly-tuned AI provided a great challenge. It hurts me to say that I’ve never beaten my favorite game– I could never get past that final boss. Perhaps being 9 years old had something to do with that. I need to beat that before I die. But yeah, this game was about as close to perfect as I’ve ever seen.
3. Grand Theft Auto III - PS2
When I was trying to decide what to move into the next generation with(Let’s forget my Dreamcast) I was really leaning towards the Gamecube based on my experiences with the N64. But after playing this revolutionary title at a friend’s house, I knew the PS2 was the way to go. Unfortunately, that ended up being my least favorite console of that generation, but that’s not important. This game was amazing because it was like nothing before it. The very concept of being able to do what you want, when you want was foreign to me when it came to video games. To be able to heal up with a hooker in the back seat of my stolen car full of illegal firearms and then proceed to murder her with a baseball bat seemed pretty damn cool to an 11 year old- hell, it still seems cool! There was nothing particularly great about this game, just that the sum of it’s parts added up to a new kind of freedom that’s been copied ever since. GTA3 will forever hold a place in my heart for that(Not so much for the others though).
4. Halo 1 and 2 - Xbox
After I bought my PS2, and my Gamecube, finally, I came around to the best console of the last generation. And the first game I bought for my box-that-rocks was Halo: Combat Evolved. Perhaps its mechanics weren’t quite up to the lofty standard of Perfect Dark, but there was something about the combination of solid shooting, crazy-fun driving, and a hero for the ages that made this game a classic. The Master Chief is one of the all-time greatest video game characters, and when you take the wheel of a hog loaded up with ODSTs you really feel like a super-soldier bad ass. Halo 1’s campaign was probably the best I’ve ever seen in an fps with a perfect balance of wide-open vehicle levels, dark corridor crawls, and intense combat the entire time. The story was superb and I really liked the dash of horror. That said, the Library was garbage. Halo 2 took the concepts of Halo 1 and ran with them. It expanded on them and refined them. Unfortunately, that only carried over to the multiplayer. The single-player had a decent story, but it was a drag to play through. The multiplayer however, was and still is the best online console experience there is. I can’t count how many hours I’ve lost to my first xbox live experience. If it wasn’t for the cheaters and little kids the online would be flawless. As a whole, I’ve played through the Halo franchise multiple times and intend on giving it a few more goes before I kick the bucket.
5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Xbox
Now if you haven’t noticed by now, my list is kind of shooter heavy. Well that’s because I’m a bad person who didn’t like RPGs until this game(Dark Cloud may have come first, but this kind of takes the cake). I often regret missing out on so many classic RPGs of the past simply because I had nobody to introduce me to the genre. But I managed to seek this game out on my own and it introduced me to an amazing world that I remember fondly today. I’ve been in love with western RPGs ever since but none has quite matched the stellar experience that was KOTOR. Combine one of the most fascinating and fully fleshed out fictional universes in the world(Star Wars) with the ability to play the role of a bad ass of the up-most proportions, add a dash of an incredible story with a twist for the ages, and mix thoroughly with addictive leveling up, and you have the formula for a captivating RPG. The amount of work that went into making interesting and fun quests, believable NPCs, real character relationships, and fun, intuitive combat make this one of the all time great RPGs. Let’s hope for a KOTOR3!
6. Deus Ex: Invisible War
Maybe it’s not as critically acclaimed as every other game on this list, but it should be. Unfortunately, I’ve never played the original, so I don’t really know if this sucks in comparison. What I do know, is that if the upcoming 3rd one is anything like this awesome adventure, I’ll be a very happy gamer. This game had solid mechanics all around and featured many of the same traits that made KOTOR so great. I especially liked the portrayal of the seedy underworld with black market Omar dealers. The NPCs were great, and the story was really exceptional too. Customization options were terrific as well. But what really makes this game stand out in my memory is the moral greyness and the “there is no right or wrong” approach. I really wish games would follow Invisible War’s example here. Too many games today only feature extreme sinner or saint type choices, and that really doesn’t make one think about his actions too much. Not to mention, giving achievements for absolute devotion to one moral side is a terrible idea because it taints your logic while making important choices. That’s why games should take Deus Ex’s approach and provide like 4 very different endings that are all simply a result of your ROLE PLAYING choices. As Ash Williams once said, “Good, bad…I’m the guy with the gun.” Also, the secret developer quote room was hilarious!
7. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Xbox 360
What can I say? This is the first game that truly felt “next-gen” to me. It had a massive and believable world that felt very lived in. It had an insane amount of NPCs(although many were very shallow) and fostered real relationships with a few of them. The quest variety was incredible, with the guilds seeming like games unto themselves. There was great enemy variety. There were consequences for your actions. There weren’t a whole lot of limits. But where this game really shined was just in the way it played. Riding your stallion through the immensely detailed wilderness as day changed to knight and running into all sorts of foes in a very real feeling first person melee combat was indescribably fun. And there was more than one way to play it. Up-close and personal, from afar with the bow, using magic, avoiding fights through stealth, etc, etc…This game was just sooooooo deep! How many games let vampires prey on while you sleep so you begin to develop into a creature of the night as well!?! As I lit my torch and walked into a dark and dreary dungeon, this game just felt like a session of D and D.
8. Bioshock - Xbox 360
This game was a major step forward for story telling in games. I’m not saying this game had the best story of all time, but it did introduce a deep and engaging story to a mainstream audience. You could attack a goal in any number of ways and it almost played like an RPG without level-ups. The shooting was adequate and everything looked great. Man, did it look great. More games should take place under water. That place really looked like it was falling apart. Too bad there was nobody normal left- just a bunch of splicer junkies. But they’re people too! But what made this game great was it was as deep as you wanted to make it. Collecting all the extra audio-tapes really gave me a greater sense of the already terrific story. The characters were fleshed out and could make you feel for their cause even if it was a little despicable. The world had it’s own ecology. This game just added up to a great experience that could feel very much like a good book if you weren’t having so much fun gunning down big daddies all the time. The only real down fall was the illusion of moral choice(Two choices? Come on 2k) and a sort of anti-climatic ending. The franchise holds promise though. And with the man who designed the best level in the game(Fort Frolic) heading up Bioshock 2, I’m already stoked.
9. Portal - PC
The only PC game to make my list, mostly because the Orange Box is the only PC game I’ve ever owned. Simply put, portal had a vision of what it wanted to do and did it flawlessly. The puzzles are both challenging and rewarding, making for a very addictive experience. On that merit alone this is a great game. But what pushes this over the top into the territory of best games of all time is a little lady by the name of GLADOS. Well, she’s really more of a computer network, but she’ll feel like a person to you…a very evil person. Throughout the course of Portal, GLADOS provides zinger after zinger with her adorable sarcasm that just hides her love for you. “But wait, she tried to kill me!” you say. Well, it’s kind of a love-hate relationship she has with her test subjects. Why else would she be promising cake? Oh that illusive cake! But anyways, my point here is that Portal is probably the funniest game I’ve ever played because of a black humor that no other game touches. I hope that’s not the case for long. Hopefully this franchise has some potential for the future.
10. Call of Duty 4 - Xbox 360
We began it with a shooter, so we’ll end it with a shooter. It’s hard to think of a war game as being a memorable masterpiece as most are just recycled concepts living in the same old decade like the old hippie you see talking about his day at Wal-mart. Call of Duty 4 is different. First off, it’s campaign is not so cut and dry. For once, America is not the world’s savior. We’re actually portrayed as a country at war; we do our best to act on what we believe is right but maybe we’re making a decision we’ll regret. After a nuclear bomb goes off, I’d say the fictional America of CoD4 probably does regret that decision. This moment of the game had an opportunity to be very poignant as well, as the very character you play as dies. However a total lack of dialogue or character building makes it impossible to care. Still, the campaign was different and refreshing while providing Infinity Ward’s staple intensity in combat. This intensity carries over to the multiplayer which is probably the deepest since Perfect Dark(But I still have yet to see a game surpass that masterpiece’s depth). Simply put, it’s addictive. That’s all I can say. It’s fun and addictive. Go play it.
So in conclusion, those are probably my top ten favorite games. 5 shooters, 3 RPGs, a puzzle game, and an open world game. I think that reflects my preference for FPSs and RPGs pretty well, and shows that I’m a fan of all games as well. I think the order of the games also shows my growth as a gamer. I’d certainly say RPGs are the tell-tale sign of a true hardcore gamer. And on a console to console comparison, I’ve become much more selective of what I buy with each console I’ve owned. The only non-AAA title I own for my 360 is Madden 2006…damn you Madden. I’ve also observed a pretty good balance between each generation, but I have a feeling that games are getting better and we will begin to see more classics in our own generation. So to wrap things up, I can’t really tell how this list will change in the future, but I think it represents the state of me as a gamer and the state of the current gaming industry pretty well. All we can do is keep on gaming and see what gems fall into our disc trays.
Top 10 Favorite Games
In order to showcase my great taste in games, and to allow you, the reader, the opportunity to learn a bit more about me, I have decided to compile a list of my top 10 favorite games. This list is entirely subjective and does not indicate what I think are the best games ever made. These are simply the games with which I have the most vivid memories playing, games that I have enjoyed the most (though it can be argued that a lot of these games are some of the best games ever made…). That’s enough of that. On to the List!
In no particular order, my 10 favorite games:
10. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Ah yes, Ocarina of Time. A great game in almost every respect. Gamespot gave it a perfect 10/10. OoT is a game I remember playing late into the night when I was about 10 years old. I have quite a tumultuous history with this game, though. During my initial play through my N64 was stolen. I got all the way to the last temple, and then the game and the N64 were both stolen! But perhaps that is why I have such strong memories of OoT. Considering this was my first foray into the Zelda Universe, it was not a bad impression at all.
9. Final Fantasy VIII (PSX)
Final Fantasy VIII would probably be at number one on this list if it were in any order. The first RPG that I ever played, this game was simply awe-inspiring to my 12 year old self. From its combat system (which I could barely make an attempt at fathoming its complexity at the time) to its story and great characters (which I also couldn’t truly appreciate) this game was the total package for me. I remember back in those days I used to rent many different games, and I enjoyed FFVIII so much that I simply kept renting it week after week until, 4 weeks after I initially rented it, the clerk told me that I couldn’t rent it for another week and that I had spent enough money to buy it. I eventually found it in some sort of bargain bin for $20 and purchased it for myself. Some may say that FFVII is the best Final Fantasy ever created, but I would respectfully disagree with them, simply because I have such a deep connection with FFVIII.
8. Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Yes, another Final Fantasy game, and it’s not FFVII either… What can I say about FFX other than it was a great game that I enjoyed immensely. It’s another one of those games that I played when I was 12 or 13. Yet again I didn’t fully comprehend the leveling up system (the “Sphere Grid”) until a good ways into the game. (Man, I must have been retarded then, or something… At least it seems that way.) So I played about a quarter of the game without leveling up my characters. Good times. And then I realized other people were actually doing that on purpose. Something they called a No Sphere Grid Challenge. I actually failed a Social Studies project because of this game… But I regret nothing!
7. Halo (Xbox/Xbox 360)
You may notice that I’m including franchises as well as individual games in this list. That’s either because I haven’t played every game in a franchise, or because I have, but didn’t enjoy them all. Anyway… Halo is one of those games that I feel I must mention. A great FPS with a good story, awesome multiplayer, and one of the most recognized characters in video game history. I’ve played all of the Halo games multiple times and, for the most part, enjoyed each of them. They all have their quirks but they’re all great games. Halo 1 had its repetitive environments, Halo 2 had that horrible cliffhanger ending (Legendary Campaign is also the Devil’s spawn… impossible!), and Halo 3 has a multiplayer that I’m less than satisfied with. I enjoy these games so much that I actually decided to marathon all three in a row with a friend of mine. Check out his blog on Gamespot for more info on that.
6. Metal Gear Solid (PS1/PS2/Ps3)
I actually thought about including MGS 1 and MGS 2 as two seperate entries in this list, but then decided against it. I have distinct memories of playing through both games, but I figured I wouldn’t cheat like that. I was first introduced to MGS when one of my older brothers bought it for his Playstation. I remember watching him playing that game and just wishing that he would let me play. So a couple years later when I found it, I immediately bought it and played the hell out of it. By this time I was actually old enough to understand some 0f the story (maybe it helped that I saw my brother beat it once before I actually played it)!
MGS 2 was the first game I owned for my Playstation 2. I unwrapped both on Christmas morning. What I failed to find under my Christmas tree that morning was a memory card for my shiny new PS2, so I was left to only play through a limited part of the game, because of the inevitability of eventually having to shut the game off without saving. I was sufficiently old enough to start comprehending most video game stories these days, but the finer details of MGS 2’s plot still allude me to this day. I have a theory that Hideo Kojima himself doesn’t even know what the game’s about.
MGS 3 I wasn’t so impressed with, so I won’t talk about it. However, I wait with gleeful anticipation for MGS 4 (bought a PS3 specifically for it).
5. Grand Theft Auto 3-4 (PS2/X360/PS3)
Grand Theft Auto 3 was actually the second game that I bought for my PS2 (bought it rather than a memory card, actually). Although I did own GTA 2 and had played some of GTA 1, I really don’t have many good memories of those games, so that’s why I’ve included GTA 3-4, and when I say “3-4″ I mean Vice City and San Andreas also. I first played GTA 3 when I was about 13 years old, which, now that I think about it, could possibly have been a bit young, but, contrary to what some people may lead you to believe, I turned out to be a well adjusted person. GTA 3 was simply one of the best games that I had ever played. With its staggering amount of freedom, and the open world that it presented before me, I could do anything I wanted to. There was no predefined mission to mission type gameplay. I was free to do what I wanted to do. Even though I may have been a bit young to understand all of the jokes, I’ve been indoctrinated into the style of gameplay that GTA has to offer, and I’ve bought everyone since.
4. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
This game was actually released the year I was born, so I can’t really tell you a nostalgic story about spending my youth playing Super Mario Bros. and its many iterations. However, my brothers did, indeed, own an NES, and I vaguely remember playing some type of Mario game with them (I actually remember Mario Paint pretty vividly, but that was on the SNES). But I didn’t let the fact that I grew up with, at the earliest, the SNES, stop me from enjoying some Mario. About 4 years ago, I bought a used NES (and a shitload of crappy games) from an acquaintance of mine. Included among the games I purchased were the original Super Mario Bros., the original Zelda, Zelda II, and about 3 copies of SMB 3 (I’ve no idea why there were so many copies). Super Mario Bros. 3 is a classic game that just so happens to be one of my favorite Mario games. When I bought this game, I sat down with my older brother and he waxed nostalgic as we beat the entire thing in one sitting. Good times indeed.
3. Portal (X360/PS3/PC)
Portal is the only individual game on this list that has come out during the current iteration of consoles. Having completed this game, I see no reason not to include it on my list. The wonderful mind-boggling puzzles and great (read: hilarious) dialog make this one of the best games I’ve ever played. I don’t think that it’s too short either. It’s the perfect length for a puzzle game, the only reason we think it’s too short is because it’s so good. Portal is a game that everyone should experience at least once, and if, for some reason, you find yourself unable to obtain a copy of this wonderful game, at least go play the Flash version.
2. Star Wars Galaxies (PC)
So far, this list has consisted of AAA titles that have received critical acclaim from almost everyone, but now I bring you a game which I enjoy for purely subjective reasons. Mind you, I am talking about the SWG that existed prior to SOE destroying it. I’ve played a few MMOs in my day, but this seems to be the only one that I look back on fondly. Perhaps it’s my somewhat anti-social nature that keeps me from actually playing with other players, combined with the lack of actual gamer friends, that keeps me from enjoying MMOs the way that they should be enjoyed. I was actually introduced to SWG by a couple of friends. I eventually outgrew my simple group of friends, joined a guild, and actually made some friends within the game. I have fond memories of raiding neighboring Rebel cities on my nice AOL dial-up connection. I probably would have continued playing and enjoying the game (at least until SOE killed it) had it not been for that connection. Updates and patches started to require days worth of downloading and I just couldn’t keep up.
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)
Super Smash Bros. Melee is a game that I spent a whole summer playing. I skipped the last day of school in order to play this game. If only I had had a few other competent players to play with, I may have spent much more time with the game. I remember trying to download or stream videos of other “professional” players playing. I looked up tips and tricks to improve my game. I probably was never very good at it since I could only play with computer opponents, but I still spent quite a bit of time with this game.
Honorable Mentions:
StargateWars(Browser Based)
StargateWars is a browser-based MMORPG set in the Stargate universe. I played it for about two years from basically the day that it was released. It was a fun little game for awhile, but definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.
Tales of Symphonia (Gamecube)
I bought ToS on a whim. I think I actually thought that it was a different game when I bought it…, but it ended up being a great game. One of my favorite RPGs actually. But I got stuck at a part in it and stopped playing and never picked it up again. Still haven’t finished it…
Perfect Dark (N64/X360)
Perfect Dark is another game that I enjoyed as a kid. It really was a great game. I would force my brothers to play against me in the multiplayer, and I would just destroy them. I played through Perfect Dark Zero at a friend;s house and I didn’t think that it did justice to the Perfect Dark name, and I don’t have too many fond memories of Joanna Dark, so this gets an honorable mention.
Well, there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Just plain hate me? Sound off in the comments.
