The Five games that define you as a gamer
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Ha! You said "games" not "video games" in the OP. Don't worry, video games are included, but my choices are more expanded.
Yay.
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#5 Dark Souls
Still playing. Still beating my head against the unfairness of it all. This game represents my unwillingness to give up easily.
#4 Golf
One of the least social "social activities" out there, and I'm good at it. It's indicative of how I treat the world: Out there with everyone, but only participating with a small amount of people or even just by myself.
#3 Fallout 3
I played that so often, that my sister, who had been working at an old-folks resort, found that she was seeing the VATS aiming system on her customers whenever the radio was playing. It represents me because I was nailing all the best paths without having to look anything up.
#2 Final Fantasy Tactics
Alright, time to stop being subtle real quick: There is a parallel drawn between the Church of Glabados and Christianity. Controversial as it is, the whole "you're really worshiping a demon" thing is just an analogy for the pitfalls of being told what to believe. This game represents me well because the main character didn't want to follow any of his corrupt leaders and I don't want to follow any of mine.
#1 Mage the Awakening
No matter what kind of power and skill I think I have, I know I'm a part of something bigger that I can't even fathom. Mage the Awakening embodies that pretty well. They give you fantastic magic powers but with the trade-off of having to deal with a larger scarier world. Suddenly, you're "stronger" than most people out there, but can still get smacked down like an upstart child.
Yay.
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#5 Dark Souls
Still playing. Still beating my head against the unfairness of it all. This game represents my unwillingness to give up easily.
#4 Golf
One of the least social "social activities" out there, and I'm good at it. It's indicative of how I treat the world: Out there with everyone, but only participating with a small amount of people or even just by myself.
#3 Fallout 3
I played that so often, that my sister, who had been working at an old-folks resort, found that she was seeing the VATS aiming system on her customers whenever the radio was playing. It represents me because I was nailing all the best paths without having to look anything up.
#2 Final Fantasy Tactics
Alright, time to stop being subtle real quick: There is a parallel drawn between the Church of Glabados and Christianity. Controversial as it is, the whole "you're really worshiping a demon" thing is just an analogy for the pitfalls of being told what to believe. This game represents me well because the main character didn't want to follow any of his corrupt leaders and I don't want to follow any of mine.
#1 Mage the Awakening
No matter what kind of power and skill I think I have, I know I'm a part of something bigger that I can't even fathom. Mage the Awakening embodies that pretty well. They give you fantastic magic powers but with the trade-off of having to deal with a larger scarier world. Suddenly, you're "stronger" than most people out there, but can still get smacked down like an upstart child.
Hmmm... Now this is rather tough, to be honest. After some thought, here happens to be my five:
(1): Starsiege
An old, probably very obscure mech piloting game that I fell in love with. I loved the fact that you could customize your mech to the extent of choosing the innards, and the mechanics of actually piloting them were fun. And yes, it is part of the Tribes series, though I still think today that it was a crime to go into a First-Person Shooter aspect instead of the mech piloting itself.
(2): Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
The first game I ever finished, and my favorite Zelda game to date, though I left off on Twilight Princess, before moving to the Xbox. It was lighthearted in its visuals, colorful in setting, and very interesting in terms of story to me. I loved the way it played, the characters, the story, it was just generally very fun.
(3): Halo 2
I got into the Halo franchise late, and before I got into Halo 2, I avoided First-Person Shooters like the plague. Then, I started playing friendly multiplayer with some buddies of mine, got addicted, then got the original Halo for the PC. I have been a Halo fan ever since, and while my favorites so far are the original, Reach, and ODST, Halo 2 has a special place, simply because it was what got me into the series in the first place, and started the trend where I get into a series with the second installment.
(4): Mass Effect 2
Like Halo, I got into Mass Effect a wee bit late. In fact, while the first Mass Effect interested me somewhat, I didn't see how it would be fun with the various skills and powers, along with the strange (to me at the time) guns. Oh, how wrong I am when it comes to game judgement. I fell in love with Mass Effect, and by extension, its characters, Garrus and Tali specifically. They were the two I instantly liked, and really, have continued to like even now. And like Halo, after getting Mass Effect 2 and loving it, I had to get the original too.
(5): Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
My first jaunt into a Modern Military Shooter, one that I also normally wouldn't have gotten at first, and while part of me wishes I didn't get it, I know that it refined my tastes, though a bit too late: I hate Modern Military Shooters that treat multiplayer like it does. Put simply, I think there's too much bullshit that takes away from the two things that ought to be in a multiplayer shooter: Skill, and dumb luck. Too bad I had to go through Black Ops, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and all of the collective frustration involved thereof to get the damn picture.
(1): Starsiege
An old, probably very obscure mech piloting game that I fell in love with. I loved the fact that you could customize your mech to the extent of choosing the innards, and the mechanics of actually piloting them were fun. And yes, it is part of the Tribes series, though I still think today that it was a crime to go into a First-Person Shooter aspect instead of the mech piloting itself.
(2): Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
The first game I ever finished, and my favorite Zelda game to date, though I left off on Twilight Princess, before moving to the Xbox. It was lighthearted in its visuals, colorful in setting, and very interesting in terms of story to me. I loved the way it played, the characters, the story, it was just generally very fun.
(3): Halo 2
I got into the Halo franchise late, and before I got into Halo 2, I avoided First-Person Shooters like the plague. Then, I started playing friendly multiplayer with some buddies of mine, got addicted, then got the original Halo for the PC. I have been a Halo fan ever since, and while my favorites so far are the original, Reach, and ODST, Halo 2 has a special place, simply because it was what got me into the series in the first place, and started the trend where I get into a series with the second installment.
(4): Mass Effect 2
Like Halo, I got into Mass Effect a wee bit late. In fact, while the first Mass Effect interested me somewhat, I didn't see how it would be fun with the various skills and powers, along with the strange (to me at the time) guns. Oh, how wrong I am when it comes to game judgement. I fell in love with Mass Effect, and by extension, its characters, Garrus and Tali specifically. They were the two I instantly liked, and really, have continued to like even now. And like Halo, after getting Mass Effect 2 and loving it, I had to get the original too.
(5): Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
My first jaunt into a Modern Military Shooter, one that I also normally wouldn't have gotten at first, and while part of me wishes I didn't get it, I know that it refined my tastes, though a bit too late: I hate Modern Military Shooters that treat multiplayer like it does. Put simply, I think there's too much bullshit that takes away from the two things that ought to be in a multiplayer shooter: Skill, and dumb luck. Too bad I had to go through Black Ops, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, and all of the collective frustration involved thereof to get the damn picture.
Final Fantasy VII - Still the greatest gaming experience of my time.
Earthbound - Introduced me to story-driven RPG style gameplay.
Counter-Strike - The first (and really only) online multiplayer I enjoyed.
Super Mario Bros. - My first video game.
Silent Hill 2 - Gaming in an artful, meaningful, beautiful light.
Earthbound - Introduced me to story-driven RPG style gameplay.
Counter-Strike - The first (and really only) online multiplayer I enjoyed.
Super Mario Bros. - My first video game.
Silent Hill 2 - Gaming in an artful, meaningful, beautiful light.
It seems to me that the most defining games we play are during our developmental stages, at least those are the things I look back on with my nostalgia goggles.
1. The game I will always have the fondest memories of are Mario 3, and I would have to say I was just fortunate to have such a stellar platformer as my first video game. It's just that I'll never know how I would have taken a really terrible NES game at 4 years old.
2. My second selection is another NES title I played Friday the XIII I believe it was called, and while I am willing to concede this was an awful game looking back, I must say it was the scariest thing I've ever played. I simply could not figure this game out and the near invincible Jason coming to kill me had 6 year old me so unnerved, that I've been chasing that feeling with every Silent Hill and Slender Man nonsense out there.
3. In the 90s I played this game Final Fantasy 6 and it totally blew my mind, and to think coming from the console ages of little to no story and I was eating this shit with a spoon. I had never played Final Fantasy before this and now I've played every Final Fantasy to date, and I didn't like any of them as much as this one!
4. I think top honors need to go to Goldeneye 64 for being the most fun I've ever had gaming. Not only do I consider it to be the greatest shooter of all "time" given its competition at the time. But it was a fantastic multiplayer game, and that may be why I dislike online multiplayer. I always find it's better to play games with other people.
5. I will forever look back on the Ocarina of Time as fondly as my first love, or maybe just that perfect day. I put this baby into my N64 the day after Christmas and everything was just right in the world.
Of course everybody says it's one of the greatest games of all time but they are often fanboys, and I'm more often then not pretty cynical about everything. All that I am certain about is the feeling I get when I have a need to game, or I'm anticipating something I've preordered. That feeling is the exact same as when I look back on a 13 year old boy on Christmas. Not a care in the world, comfortable, happy, and optimistic.
There you have it, what shapes me as a gamer is basically growing up with games. A common trend is also pretty obvious that I've been chasing one high or another with every game I play. And I know I'll never catch it again because I'm not young anymore. The perfect example is that I'm playing Pokemon Black 2 right now, which is without a doubt the finest Pokemon game to date. However, I enjoyed Pokemon Red on my crappy GB color a hell of a lot more because I actually cared about Pokemon when I was 10.
1. The game I will always have the fondest memories of are Mario 3, and I would have to say I was just fortunate to have such a stellar platformer as my first video game. It's just that I'll never know how I would have taken a really terrible NES game at 4 years old.
2. My second selection is another NES title I played Friday the XIII I believe it was called, and while I am willing to concede this was an awful game looking back, I must say it was the scariest thing I've ever played. I simply could not figure this game out and the near invincible Jason coming to kill me had 6 year old me so unnerved, that I've been chasing that feeling with every Silent Hill and Slender Man nonsense out there.
3. In the 90s I played this game Final Fantasy 6 and it totally blew my mind, and to think coming from the console ages of little to no story and I was eating this shit with a spoon. I had never played Final Fantasy before this and now I've played every Final Fantasy to date, and I didn't like any of them as much as this one!
4. I think top honors need to go to Goldeneye 64 for being the most fun I've ever had gaming. Not only do I consider it to be the greatest shooter of all "time" given its competition at the time. But it was a fantastic multiplayer game, and that may be why I dislike online multiplayer. I always find it's better to play games with other people.
5. I will forever look back on the Ocarina of Time as fondly as my first love, or maybe just that perfect day. I put this baby into my N64 the day after Christmas and everything was just right in the world.
Of course everybody says it's one of the greatest games of all time but they are often fanboys, and I'm more often then not pretty cynical about everything. All that I am certain about is the feeling I get when I have a need to game, or I'm anticipating something I've preordered. That feeling is the exact same as when I look back on a 13 year old boy on Christmas. Not a care in the world, comfortable, happy, and optimistic.
There you have it, what shapes me as a gamer is basically growing up with games. A common trend is also pretty obvious that I've been chasing one high or another with every game I play. And I know I'll never catch it again because I'm not young anymore. The perfect example is that I'm playing Pokemon Black 2 right now, which is without a doubt the finest Pokemon game to date. However, I enjoyed Pokemon Red on my crappy GB color a hell of a lot more because I actually cared about Pokemon when I was 10.
fallout
future wasteland stuck in the 50's, open world RPG..one of my modern fav games.
grand theft auto
''open world self aware crime drama'', Rockstar can do no wrong.
resident evil
where i found survival horror (and see it die), horror is my fav genre of film.
super mario 64
almost like an open world mario game, spent many hours on this classic.
the warriors
grity coop beat-em up and the greatest film game ever, period.
worthy mentions:
assassins creed
elder scrolls
halo/COD
mass effect
uncharted
future wasteland stuck in the 50's, open world RPG..one of my modern fav games.
grand theft auto
''open world self aware crime drama'', Rockstar can do no wrong.
resident evil
where i found survival horror (and see it die), horror is my fav genre of film.
super mario 64
almost like an open world mario game, spent many hours on this classic.
the warriors
grity coop beat-em up and the greatest film game ever, period.
worthy mentions:
assassins creed
elder scrolls
halo/COD
mass effect
uncharted
1. Warcraft 3: I played this game for years. I think it may have been one of the games tht really made me a gamer. I could not get enough of this game. I loved every single second of it(other than the undead campaign in frozen throne). The custom map ability was amazing. I can't tell you how many maps I made.
2. Dragon Age: Origns: This is my first M rated game and the game that got me into rpgs. I loved this game. The only part of this game that was bad was the fade after playing it once or twice. This game will always be in my memory.
3. The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion: When I got this game I sat down in front of my ps3 and played this for hours and hours and hours. If you told me I spent 500 hours on this game I would be the least bit surprised. I will never see the hate for this game and will always remember it.
4. World of Warcraft: Well I mostly played this because of number 1 on my list. I love WoW and will never think of the time or money spent on it a waste. I still play it and still love it and I will be very sad when it eventually shuts down.
5. Super Smash Bros: I remember whenever me and my friend would hang out we would go up stairs, turn on the Super Nintendo(or was it the n64? I can't remember) pop in SSB and play and play and play. I will always remember that
2. Dragon Age: Origns: This is my first M rated game and the game that got me into rpgs. I loved this game. The only part of this game that was bad was the fade after playing it once or twice. This game will always be in my memory.
3. The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion: When I got this game I sat down in front of my ps3 and played this for hours and hours and hours. If you told me I spent 500 hours on this game I would be the least bit surprised. I will never see the hate for this game and will always remember it.
4. World of Warcraft: Well I mostly played this because of number 1 on my list. I love WoW and will never think of the time or money spent on it a waste. I still play it and still love it and I will be very sad when it eventually shuts down.
5. Super Smash Bros: I remember whenever me and my friend would hang out we would go up stairs, turn on the Super Nintendo(or was it the n64? I can't remember) pop in SSB and play and play and play. I will always remember that
While classic games are all well and good I have a strong love of newer games who's art made it through even though the technology for gritty brown realism was there.
Half-Life 2:
Possibly my favorite game of all time, there's just so much to love. The mix of human and alien architecture is one of my favorite things to look at as, sure, chunks of the game qualify as gritty brown realism, the fact that there's usually some dark blue Combine tech jammed in there still gives it a unique feel. Not to mention the writing and the weapons.
Fallout 3:
Fun to explore and fun to play. Another on my list of nearly gritty brown realism, the difference being it's all so 1950's what-if charming is what sets it apart. All this impossible tech powered by the atom.
Dragon Age: Origins:
Just fantastic. As far as I knew this game came out of nowhere and blew me away. Mostly for the writing, some of the best moments are spent in camp talking to characters like Shale and Lelianna.
Morrowind:
One of the few games where you never feel like you were meant to be the hero, but somehow managed to save the province just by following the steps. Made you feel like you had control instead of just being the chosen one.
BioShock:
A masterpiece of writing, bought it because I liked the TV-spot and now I have Jack's chains on my wrists. Andrew Ryan may also be my favorite character in existence, he's totally insane, yet (nearly) always so calm.
Honorable mention to Dishonored as well. I am truly enjoying even my second play through of this game, it's refreshing to see publishers send out a new single player IP set in a bizarre world and let people have so much freedom in each mission in an age of way points and health regen.
Half-Life 2:
Possibly my favorite game of all time, there's just so much to love. The mix of human and alien architecture is one of my favorite things to look at as, sure, chunks of the game qualify as gritty brown realism, the fact that there's usually some dark blue Combine tech jammed in there still gives it a unique feel. Not to mention the writing and the weapons.
Fallout 3:
Fun to explore and fun to play. Another on my list of nearly gritty brown realism, the difference being it's all so 1950's what-if charming is what sets it apart. All this impossible tech powered by the atom.
Dragon Age: Origins:
Just fantastic. As far as I knew this game came out of nowhere and blew me away. Mostly for the writing, some of the best moments are spent in camp talking to characters like Shale and Lelianna.
Morrowind:
One of the few games where you never feel like you were meant to be the hero, but somehow managed to save the province just by following the steps. Made you feel like you had control instead of just being the chosen one.
BioShock:
A masterpiece of writing, bought it because I liked the TV-spot and now I have Jack's chains on my wrists. Andrew Ryan may also be my favorite character in existence, he's totally insane, yet (nearly) always so calm.
Honorable mention to Dishonored as well. I am truly enjoying even my second play through of this game, it's refreshing to see publishers send out a new single player IP set in a bizarre world and let people have so much freedom in each mission in an age of way points and health regen.
Man, that's a tough list to narrow down to five. There are a lot of games I would consider "defining", as far as my gaming tastes go. Regardless, I'll give it a shot:
1: Super Mario Bros - SMB was, essentially, the first video game I had ever played with any interest. For all intents and purposes, it was the game that started my interest in the medium of video gaming.
2: Doom/Doom 2 - These were the games that showed me the potential of multiplayer and "online gaming", as it were. In a way, they are what got me into playing games like Quake 3 Arena, Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, and so many others in the competitive and pro-league arenas. I can't count the number of hours I likely spent playing with friends over a dial-up modem. I can recall vividly, and happily, those moments loading up Doom 2 in DOS. Starting the multiplayer menu. Hearing that "beep...beep....beep...booooooooo" as the modem dialed my friends computer. Good times.
Also, on a side note, Doom 2 was the game that showed me what "modding" was. I learned how much fun it could be to alter, tweak, and modify your games to extend their longevity or make for an interested change-of-pace. I recall creating a "Christmas" mod with a friend. We reworked and re-drew almost all of the sprites in game to make them "Christmas-y". Right down to Cyberdemons where wool hats and Imps tossing snow-balls.
Though, Half-Life was the game that made me appreciate the modding community and the potential therein.
3: Half-Life - This was the game; game series in fact; that cemented my love-affair with gaming. It showed me the vast potential within the medium to tell stories, some we'd likely heard before, in ways impossible via any other medium. It also showed me that video games could be so much more than a passing distraction. It was probably the first game that truly immersed me in it's story, characters, setting, and story-verse. By the time I had finished the game I was not only enamored with it, I was also fascinated by the potential in gaming.
4: Homeworld - An RTS that was truly ground-breaking and unique, at least for it's time. Homeworld attempted something virtually no other RTS dared: It tried to make a 3D RTS that actually used all three dimensions. Fully free movement within the 3D space. It also did something else most RTS attempted, but often failed at: It told a very well written, very immersive story. One that has stuck with me long after other games stories have faded into memory.
5: MechWarrior 2 - This was the game that started my fascination with mech-lore, Battletech, simulators, and, in a way, technology. The unbelievable graphical fidelity the 3D engine presented, at a time when 3D was usually a gimmick, and the high-degree of realism present in regards to the mechanics and functions of the 'Mechs, made me very interested in technology; both because of the themes present in the game-space and because of the upgrades my computer need to play the game. Basically, for better or worse, MechWarrior 2 is responsible for me being the sci-fi-loving computer nerd that I am today. [sub](though, I can probably also thank Issac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Michael Crichton for that as well)[/sub]
Oh, it's also the game that lead me to such classics as Freespace, Freelancer, and the space-sim genre as a whole.
Honorable mentions go to:
Wipeout/F-Zero/Mario Kart - for showing me the joys of racing games
Banjo-Kazooie - for cementing my love of action-adventures
Metroid Prime - for making me appreciate exploration in games
Donkey Kong Country - for allowing me to learn to appreciate art-direction in gaming
Zork/Earthbound - for showing me that not all RPGs need be "super-serious" narratives that are overly derivative of Tolkien
Diablo 2 - for, unfortunate or not, making me love dungeon-crawling and "grinding". to a certain degree.
1: Super Mario Bros - SMB was, essentially, the first video game I had ever played with any interest. For all intents and purposes, it was the game that started my interest in the medium of video gaming.
2: Doom/Doom 2 - These were the games that showed me the potential of multiplayer and "online gaming", as it were. In a way, they are what got me into playing games like Quake 3 Arena, Counter-Strike, Unreal Tournament, Starcraft, and so many others in the competitive and pro-league arenas. I can't count the number of hours I likely spent playing with friends over a dial-up modem. I can recall vividly, and happily, those moments loading up Doom 2 in DOS. Starting the multiplayer menu. Hearing that "beep...beep....beep...booooooooo" as the modem dialed my friends computer. Good times.
Also, on a side note, Doom 2 was the game that showed me what "modding" was. I learned how much fun it could be to alter, tweak, and modify your games to extend their longevity or make for an interested change-of-pace. I recall creating a "Christmas" mod with a friend. We reworked and re-drew almost all of the sprites in game to make them "Christmas-y". Right down to Cyberdemons where wool hats and Imps tossing snow-balls.
Though, Half-Life was the game that made me appreciate the modding community and the potential therein.
3: Half-Life - This was the game; game series in fact; that cemented my love-affair with gaming. It showed me the vast potential within the medium to tell stories, some we'd likely heard before, in ways impossible via any other medium. It also showed me that video games could be so much more than a passing distraction. It was probably the first game that truly immersed me in it's story, characters, setting, and story-verse. By the time I had finished the game I was not only enamored with it, I was also fascinated by the potential in gaming.
4: Homeworld - An RTS that was truly ground-breaking and unique, at least for it's time. Homeworld attempted something virtually no other RTS dared: It tried to make a 3D RTS that actually used all three dimensions. Fully free movement within the 3D space. It also did something else most RTS attempted, but often failed at: It told a very well written, very immersive story. One that has stuck with me long after other games stories have faded into memory.
5: MechWarrior 2 - This was the game that started my fascination with mech-lore, Battletech, simulators, and, in a way, technology. The unbelievable graphical fidelity the 3D engine presented, at a time when 3D was usually a gimmick, and the high-degree of realism present in regards to the mechanics and functions of the 'Mechs, made me very interested in technology; both because of the themes present in the game-space and because of the upgrades my computer need to play the game. Basically, for better or worse, MechWarrior 2 is responsible for me being the sci-fi-loving computer nerd that I am today. [sub](though, I can probably also thank Issac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Arthur C. Clarke, Mary Shelley, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, and Michael Crichton for that as well)[/sub]
Oh, it's also the game that lead me to such classics as Freespace, Freelancer, and the space-sim genre as a whole.
Honorable mentions go to:
Wipeout/F-Zero/Mario Kart - for showing me the joys of racing games
Banjo-Kazooie - for cementing my love of action-adventures
Metroid Prime - for making me appreciate exploration in games
Donkey Kong Country - for allowing me to learn to appreciate art-direction in gaming
Zork/Earthbound - for showing me that not all RPGs need be "super-serious" narratives that are overly derivative of Tolkien
Diablo 2 - for, unfortunate or not, making me love dungeon-crawling and "grinding". to a certain degree.
Spyro the dragon
It was probably one of my very first games, that I played through a few times and loved. It also lead me tobuy convince my parents to buy the other spyro games and the first Ratchet & Clank game. I really like Insomniac, their games were fun to play and with humor that made me laugh. Unfortunately I couldn't afford a PS3, so I haven't played any of the latest games they've made. I will probably try to do that sometime in the future.
TES III: Morrowind
I think this was the first roleplaying game I ever played. I fucking loved it, even if I spent most of the times playing it with cheat codes and it had some long loading screens. Still, RPGs are now my favorite genre.
GTA: San Andreas
Probably the first sandbox game I played and the first game which had a darker mature story. My mother disapproved of me playing it, but I still played it a lot. GTA hasn't really been good since that game, but Saints Row filled it's place and I've loved those games. Sleeping Dogs was great too.
Hitman: Blood Money
I bought this game twice, for different platforms. I've finished it at least five times. I haven't experienced many games that were as enjoyable to play. I tried different approaches for each mission, on different difficulties. A great stealth game. I still think AC is pretty meh, but Dishonored made me think of this game and I loved playing that one too.
Guild Wars 2
I'll choose a more recent game for my last one. I was kind of hyped for this game, and thought that it wouldn't live up to my expectations, but it surpassed them and I played this game for three weeks straight. I've not done that with any game before. If MMORPGs goes more in the direction of what GW2 is in the future, then I will be there. Also, I really love how they're still updating it.
Honorable mentions should go out to Kira Kira and Muv Luv Alternative. I didn't really care about what a visual novel was before I played these.
It was probably one of my very first games, that I played through a few times and loved. It also lead me to
TES III: Morrowind
I think this was the first roleplaying game I ever played. I fucking loved it, even if I spent most of the times playing it with cheat codes and it had some long loading screens. Still, RPGs are now my favorite genre.
GTA: San Andreas
Probably the first sandbox game I played and the first game which had a darker mature story. My mother disapproved of me playing it, but I still played it a lot. GTA hasn't really been good since that game, but Saints Row filled it's place and I've loved those games. Sleeping Dogs was great too.
Hitman: Blood Money
I bought this game twice, for different platforms. I've finished it at least five times. I haven't experienced many games that were as enjoyable to play. I tried different approaches for each mission, on different difficulties. A great stealth game. I still think AC is pretty meh, but Dishonored made me think of this game and I loved playing that one too.
Guild Wars 2
I'll choose a more recent game for my last one. I was kind of hyped for this game, and thought that it wouldn't live up to my expectations, but it surpassed them and I played this game for three weeks straight. I've not done that with any game before. If MMORPGs goes more in the direction of what GW2 is in the future, then I will be there. Also, I really love how they're still updating it.
Honorable mentions should go out to Kira Kira and Muv Luv Alternative. I didn't really care about what a visual novel was before I played these.
So in no particular order:
-Final Fantasy VIII (PS1): My first official RPG ever. At first, I was skeptical about this game because it was a type of game I had never seen before and it wasn't the typical no-story platformer that I was used to. I enjoyed everything about it and RPGs soon became my favorite genre. Bonus points for teaching me English while I played and motivating me to pick up a translator just to understand the game.
-Little Samson (NES): This wasmy first favorite game ever. This game taught me that you can have a rich palette, simple but accurate music (If that makes sense), fun characters, an original gameplay and a simple story, all in a single platformer. Even after all these years, that game still is one of my favorites.
-Legend of Dragoon (PS1): Probably because of similar reasons as the one listed above, except this is an RPG. And how did it define me as a gamer? Well, it helped me come up with my namertag that I use everywhere now. I did it out of pure respect and love for that game. Can't get more defining than that.
-God of War/Assassin's Creed: It made me realize there are still game developers out there who try to think outside the gray, dull, repetitive, FPX of a box. Sure, these games might not be historically accurate or flawless, but I enjoy the fact that they've both taken two of my favorite eras, ancient Greece and the Renaissance, and somehow made a game out of it. I can now show off to my friends about it. They don't know any better either so its cool.
-Kingdom Hearts: Because it showed me a couple of things: 1. Disney doesn't suck, 2. Square Enix CAN make a fun game even with Disney characters, 3. There is such thing as a fun action/RPG, 4. Game companies can keep you hanging for decades and you can whine and complain all you want but you're still gonna be waiting for that one awesome game that may or may not come to exist one day.
I've learned so much from them.
Runner-ups:
-Devil may Cry
-Dragon Age: Origins (My obsession)
-Portal
-Metal Gear
-Every other Final Fantasy game out there
-Final Fantasy VIII (PS1): My first official RPG ever. At first, I was skeptical about this game because it was a type of game I had never seen before and it wasn't the typical no-story platformer that I was used to. I enjoyed everything about it and RPGs soon became my favorite genre. Bonus points for teaching me English while I played and motivating me to pick up a translator just to understand the game.
-Little Samson (NES): This wasmy first favorite game ever. This game taught me that you can have a rich palette, simple but accurate music (If that makes sense), fun characters, an original gameplay and a simple story, all in a single platformer. Even after all these years, that game still is one of my favorites.
-Legend of Dragoon (PS1): Probably because of similar reasons as the one listed above, except this is an RPG. And how did it define me as a gamer? Well, it helped me come up with my namertag that I use everywhere now. I did it out of pure respect and love for that game. Can't get more defining than that.
-God of War/Assassin's Creed: It made me realize there are still game developers out there who try to think outside the gray, dull, repetitive, FPX of a box. Sure, these games might not be historically accurate or flawless, but I enjoy the fact that they've both taken two of my favorite eras, ancient Greece and the Renaissance, and somehow made a game out of it. I can now show off to my friends about it. They don't know any better either so its cool.
-Kingdom Hearts: Because it showed me a couple of things: 1. Disney doesn't suck, 2. Square Enix CAN make a fun game even with Disney characters, 3. There is such thing as a fun action/RPG, 4. Game companies can keep you hanging for decades and you can whine and complain all you want but you're still gonna be waiting for that one awesome game that may or may not come to exist one day.
I've learned so much from them.
Runner-ups:
-Devil may Cry
-Dragon Age: Origins (My obsession)
-Portal
-Metal Gear
-Every other Final Fantasy game out there
Atelier Totori
It's the game that made me go 'Hey, this JRPG stuff isn't so bad after all'.
I used to hate them solely out of my hatred of the turn-based system and pure stupid prejudice against JRPGs.
I loved the interactions between the characters and how adorably innocent the protagonist was. Playing the game made me feel so... content and relaxed.
Faraway Dawn [http://muvluv.wikia.com/wiki/Muv-Luv_Alternative_Faraway_Dawn]
This is the game that practically eliminated my hate of turn-based games.
Now I honestly don't understand why I was so against them.
Each mission was like an uphill struggle of fighting back the despair of seeing all those goddamn BETA on map while making sure every single one of my units survive for the next mission.
And I absolutely enjoyed it.
MechCommander 2
I think my undying love and devotion to mecha was probably from playing this game.
I still remember the murderous grin I had when I had after seeing my assault classes --all armed with multiple gauss cannons-- destroy opposing mechs almost flawlessly.
Bastion
End-game spoilers:
Shadow of the Colossus
I don't even want to elaborate. This game is perfect. Everything about it was completely amazing.
It's the game that made me go 'Hey, this JRPG stuff isn't so bad after all'.
I used to hate them solely out of my hatred of the turn-based system and pure stupid prejudice against JRPGs.
I loved the interactions between the characters and how adorably innocent the protagonist was. Playing the game made me feel so... content and relaxed.
Faraway Dawn [http://muvluv.wikia.com/wiki/Muv-Luv_Alternative_Faraway_Dawn]
This is the game that practically eliminated my hate of turn-based games.
Now I honestly don't understand why I was so against them.
Each mission was like an uphill struggle of fighting back the despair of seeing all those goddamn BETA on map while making sure every single one of my units survive for the next mission.
And I absolutely enjoyed it.
MechCommander 2
I think my undying love and devotion to mecha was probably from playing this game.
I still remember the murderous grin I had when I had after seeing my assault classes --all armed with multiple gauss cannons-- destroy opposing mechs almost flawlessly.
Bastion
End-game spoilers:
Words can't describe the rush of emotion I had at the end of the game; discovering Zulf lying on the ground being beset and assailed by his own people, and then making the choice: leave him, or get him to safety, sacrificing your only weapon.
I have never chosen to leave him behind, ever.
There's no way I could do that.
It's further hammered in by the song that plays when you return back to the Bastion with him on your back.
What I'm trying to say is, that the end-game of Bastion was pure art.
I have never chosen to leave him behind, ever.
There's no way I could do that.
It's further hammered in by the song that plays when you return back to the Bastion with him on your back.
What I'm trying to say is, that the end-game of Bastion was pure art.
Shadow of the Colossus
I don't even want to elaborate. This game is perfect. Everything about it was completely amazing.
You got some fantastic taste there.Wenseph said:
1) Metroid series: I love exploring the unknown in games.
Metroid has largely managed to attain that sense of haunting, organic ambiance through its musical score and superb level design. The gameplay is pretty damn awesome too, and ties everything together.
As a matter of influence, the original Metroid was the first video game I ever played.
2) Chrono Trigger: This game has the most directly "epic adventure" feel to it of any single game I can imagine. Others have tried, but very few games have ever managed to reach that specific sense of overall ambiance, let alone do it so well for the entire game.
See, you don't need Michael Bay explosions or shiny set pieces to make something "epic" and memorable. They help when placed correctly, but above all you need consistent tones that simultaneously inspire the player to action while making them feel very small in the grand picture of things.
If Chrono Trigger were remade today, I imagine the game would start with a CGI video dream sequence where Chrono gets into a badass swordfight with actions and abilities the player can not perform in-game.
(This was a painful decision between Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, but I feel that Chrono Trigger better represents what I consider "ideal" in game design)
3) Mega Man X series: This is all about mechanics, action and some of the best controls in gaming. It's amazing how fun (most of) this series is without being really overly complicated.
4) Deus Ex: I believe DE is the near-perfect marriage of gameplay mechanics to both story and problem solving, nevermind that DE is the closest we've gotten to a "perfect" spy-game.
It's refreshing to see a game where blasting the other dude's head off isn't the only real solution to a given problem (though you can if you want).
5) Baldur's Gate 1 & 2: Strong contiguous story. Fantastic characters. Great mechanics.
This is still the best unified story I can think of in gaming.
Honorable mentions include Diablo 2 and Unreal Tournament 1. Going outside of video games, there's also Magic the Gathereing and Shadowrun.
Metroid has largely managed to attain that sense of haunting, organic ambiance through its musical score and superb level design. The gameplay is pretty damn awesome too, and ties everything together.
As a matter of influence, the original Metroid was the first video game I ever played.
2) Chrono Trigger: This game has the most directly "epic adventure" feel to it of any single game I can imagine. Others have tried, but very few games have ever managed to reach that specific sense of overall ambiance, let alone do it so well for the entire game.
See, you don't need Michael Bay explosions or shiny set pieces to make something "epic" and memorable. They help when placed correctly, but above all you need consistent tones that simultaneously inspire the player to action while making them feel very small in the grand picture of things.
If Chrono Trigger were remade today, I imagine the game would start with a CGI video dream sequence where Chrono gets into a badass swordfight with actions and abilities the player can not perform in-game.
(This was a painful decision between Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, but I feel that Chrono Trigger better represents what I consider "ideal" in game design)
3) Mega Man X series: This is all about mechanics, action and some of the best controls in gaming. It's amazing how fun (most of) this series is without being really overly complicated.
4) Deus Ex: I believe DE is the near-perfect marriage of gameplay mechanics to both story and problem solving, nevermind that DE is the closest we've gotten to a "perfect" spy-game.
It's refreshing to see a game where blasting the other dude's head off isn't the only real solution to a given problem (though you can if you want).
5) Baldur's Gate 1 & 2: Strong contiguous story. Fantastic characters. Great mechanics.
This is still the best unified story I can think of in gaming.
Honorable mentions include Diablo 2 and Unreal Tournament 1. Going outside of video games, there's also Magic the Gathereing and Shadowrun.
1. Battlefront 2- made me love the shooters, but I am extremely picky about them. The only ones I have really loved since was battlefield bad company 2 and 2142.
2. Age of Empire 3 got me into the rts genre. I recently bought SC2 and I am playing it to death.
3. Minecraft realy got the creative juices going.
4. Bastion my favorite game of all time because of the story. Before this I only cared about game play Bastion made me realize story is just as important
5. Witcher 2 made me love complex dark games. It also made me love RPGs, after playing it I am going back and playing older games.
2. Age of Empire 3 got me into the rts genre. I recently bought SC2 and I am playing it to death.
3. Minecraft realy got the creative juices going.
4. Bastion my favorite game of all time because of the story. Before this I only cared about game play Bastion made me realize story is just as important
5. Witcher 2 made me love complex dark games. It also made me love RPGs, after playing it I am going back and playing older games.
Super Mario World
Was basically the first game I ever owned and got me into gaming. The SNES cartridge actually contained about 7 Mario games, but this one was the best and the one that caused me to get into...
Pokemon Red
After Mario gave me a taste of the gaming lifestyle, I requested a Gameboy Color for one of my birthdays. I think Pokemon Red was a bundle game or something, but it was the only game I got at first. It must have been a pretty influential game because I've owned every Nintendo handheld since then, as well as the PSP and PS Vita.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Up until this point, no game had ever been so immersive as this game. It has the first sandbox RPG I had ever enjoyed, I ended up spending hundreds of hours with it, as well as the game which got me into several other RPG franchises.
Call of Duty: World at War
A weird one that makes it onto my list, since it's by far not one of my favourite games. I was hooked on it for about a month before I got bored with it and moved on. The reason it makes it onto this list is because it was my introduction to online multiplayer. It would lead to me Team Fortress 2 and PC gaming itself.
And most recently, Mass Effect 2
About 7 or 8 months ago, I was looking for some games that I could get into since I was getting bored quite a lot. My friend first told me to play through the Assassin's Creed series, so I did and found them to be pretty damn fun. I was then told to get Mass Effect, and so I followed his instruction once again. I thought that that to, was pretty damn awesome (even if the gameplay was hardly the best I've seen). It wasn't until I played Mass Effect 2 that I knew this series was amazing. It showed me how a story as good as those found in TV and film could be put into a game, and never before have I been so attached to a group of characters.
These aren't my favourite games, but they have all turned me onto the path I'm on now, so I guess I thank them for that.
Was basically the first game I ever owned and got me into gaming. The SNES cartridge actually contained about 7 Mario games, but this one was the best and the one that caused me to get into...
Pokemon Red
After Mario gave me a taste of the gaming lifestyle, I requested a Gameboy Color for one of my birthdays. I think Pokemon Red was a bundle game or something, but it was the only game I got at first. It must have been a pretty influential game because I've owned every Nintendo handheld since then, as well as the PSP and PS Vita.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Up until this point, no game had ever been so immersive as this game. It has the first sandbox RPG I had ever enjoyed, I ended up spending hundreds of hours with it, as well as the game which got me into several other RPG franchises.
Call of Duty: World at War
A weird one that makes it onto my list, since it's by far not one of my favourite games. I was hooked on it for about a month before I got bored with it and moved on. The reason it makes it onto this list is because it was my introduction to online multiplayer. It would lead to me Team Fortress 2 and PC gaming itself.
And most recently, Mass Effect 2
About 7 or 8 months ago, I was looking for some games that I could get into since I was getting bored quite a lot. My friend first told me to play through the Assassin's Creed series, so I did and found them to be pretty damn fun. I was then told to get Mass Effect, and so I followed his instruction once again. I thought that that to, was pretty damn awesome (even if the gameplay was hardly the best I've seen). It wasn't until I played Mass Effect 2 that I knew this series was amazing. It showed me how a story as good as those found in TV and film could be put into a game, and never before have I been so attached to a group of characters.
These aren't my favourite games, but they have all turned me onto the path I'm on now, so I guess I thank them for that.
1. Prince of Persia
The game that first got me into gaming. My dad brought it home with the first home computer our family had.
2. Wolfenstein 3D
This game sunk most of my cousins' and my own childhoods. We'd play for hours, skipping several meals and showers.
3. Metal Gear Solid
Made me stealth nut I am today. Also taught me pixel butts are pretty hot.
4. Final Fantasy Tactics
Showed me how story in videogames can be pretty complex and interesting. Also made me realize RPGs can be fun sometimes (if they ditch the goddamn JRPG standard battle system).
5. Deadly Dozen
I've always loved WW2 games, but this one made things pretty interesting with its difficulty and the introduction of permadeath.
The game that first got me into gaming. My dad brought it home with the first home computer our family had.
2. Wolfenstein 3D
This game sunk most of my cousins' and my own childhoods. We'd play for hours, skipping several meals and showers.
3. Metal Gear Solid
Made me stealth nut I am today. Also taught me pixel butts are pretty hot.
4. Final Fantasy Tactics
Showed me how story in videogames can be pretty complex and interesting. Also made me realize RPGs can be fun sometimes (if they ditch the goddamn JRPG standard battle system).
5. Deadly Dozen
I've always loved WW2 games, but this one made things pretty interesting with its difficulty and the introduction of permadeath.
1 Mega Man X
The game that got me into the Mega Man X (and by extension, original and Zero) series, back when I first played it in 2000. It's always been among my favourite series, and I've beaten pretty much every Mega Man game in the Original/X/Zero collections countless times.
2 Exile 3: Ruined World
My first RPG. It was a confusing game at first, especially considering that when you start the game, you have 6 pre-made characters with a bunch of stats that you can customize as you see fit. And I was only 8 when I first played it. Not many games like it. There's a huge, open world to explore, there's long paragraphs of text explaining your various encounters, with bits of humour, like "the angry sailor makes several harsh comments regarding your race, ancestry, and the availability of your mother."
3 Devil May Cry 4: The game that got me into the Devil May Cry series, which has the most awesome action ever.
4) Starcraft: I used to have so many matches with my friends. Loved the campaign. Seeing the last cinematic ending of Brood War was awesome.
5) Street Fighter 2: The first game I ever played in an arcade, when I was about 5. The first time I played, I picked Ryu, then got promptly destroyed by a hadoken-spamming, CPU controlled Ken. Bastard.
The game that got me into the Mega Man X (and by extension, original and Zero) series, back when I first played it in 2000. It's always been among my favourite series, and I've beaten pretty much every Mega Man game in the Original/X/Zero collections countless times.
2 Exile 3: Ruined World
My first RPG. It was a confusing game at first, especially considering that when you start the game, you have 6 pre-made characters with a bunch of stats that you can customize as you see fit. And I was only 8 when I first played it. Not many games like it. There's a huge, open world to explore, there's long paragraphs of text explaining your various encounters, with bits of humour, like "the angry sailor makes several harsh comments regarding your race, ancestry, and the availability of your mother."
3 Devil May Cry 4: The game that got me into the Devil May Cry series, which has the most awesome action ever.
4) Starcraft: I used to have so many matches with my friends. Loved the campaign. Seeing the last cinematic ending of Brood War was awesome.
5) Street Fighter 2: The first game I ever played in an arcade, when I was about 5. The first time I played, I picked Ryu, then got promptly destroyed by a hadoken-spamming, CPU controlled Ken. Bastard.
Mass Effect 1-3/Fallout 3, NV games that take a lot of time to complete and when I say complete I mean COMPLETE, like 100%, I'm mad like that.
C&C all of them, in my univerese C&C 4 does not exist, I just like RTS games where you can just select all and steamroll over the map and still win.
Half-Life/Bioshock good story driven FPS games, they are like some books I read over and over again.
Borderlands, Brderlands 2/Torchlight, Torchlight 2 glorious, gloorious loot.
And I can't think of a fifth one.
C&C all of them, in my univerese C&C 4 does not exist, I just like RTS games where you can just select all and steamroll over the map and still win.
Half-Life/Bioshock good story driven FPS games, they are like some books I read over and over again.
Borderlands, Brderlands 2/Torchlight, Torchlight 2 glorious, gloorious loot.
And I can't think of a fifth one.
That sounds quite a lot like Brony logic there.LiberalSquirrel said:
'Tis a dangerous road to walk down. Start taking professional interest in a game and it could lead to over-analyzing, writing essays, and perhaps even a career as a critic. And we all know how horrible that would be.LiberalSquirrel said:
Have to agree with this. There aren't quite as many games which focus on making a fantastic new world to see these days, and Dishonored did a fantastic job at setting the stage.Leximodicon said:
Anyways, my defining games? Hoo boy, this is gonna be a trip down memory lane. My defining games will be, for the most part, the first ones I ever played. So, here we go.
1. LEGO Alpha Team
This was the first actual game-game that I ever owned or really played. Before, I had just fiddled around with various titles at friends' houses. But my love of LEGO convinced my parents to let me get a computer game, and this is what I got. And I loved it. Still do, as a matter of fact; I'm very upset that I can't get it to work on my current computer. It's what introduced me to gaming, and in retrospect, taught me that a game doesn't necessarily have a deep plot, intriguing characters, or really good graphics to be a lot of fun. Hell, even this challenge I see some gamers obsessing over doesn't need to be present. A game can be highly enjoyable without any of that.
2. Age of Mythology
Out of all of my hobbies, being a mythology geek is probably one of the oldest, next to LEGO. I've been obsessed with the old stories since before I was old enough to read, and here was a game with story and gameplay marinated in ancient Greek, Egyptian, and Norse Teutonic myths. I was pretty much a goner. This one was what introduced me to the concept of having a good story in a game, and encouraged me to seek out more like it. It led me to BioWare, and I've never regretted it.
3. Metroid Prime
Ah, this game. It was what introduced me to shooters, and it took me an embarrassingly long time before I was actually any good at it. It trained me on the controls for the vast majority of the games I play these days, but it was also the game that showed me that apart from story, games could have incredible world-building. That's another concept I'm a sucker for, and it has encouraged me to keep an eye out for games with interesting concepts behind their settings.
4. Knights of the Old Republic
As a Star Wars fan, I felt obliged to pick this up, and I had heard good things about the story in the game. What I turned out to love the most was the characters and how they all interacted with the player and each other. This was the game that sparked my love for RPGs in general and BioWare in specific, for whom I have held a fanboy torch ever since.
And, last but not least...
5. Dragon Age II
Yes, I loved Dragon Age: Origins as well, but this specific game taught me something about myself and the gaming community. Never before had I liked a game that attracted so much hate from other gamers around me, people who condemned it and couldn't seem to understand why I liked it. What I took away from the experience was this: everyone has opinions. These opinions are valid, to themselves at least, often to others who like them or debate with them. But when it comes to whether or not I like a game, the first, last, and only opinion that matters is my own. Others can rant and rave about how much they hate something, and try their best to convince me why I should hate it too, but that doesn't matter. If I enjoyed something, I enjoyed it. End of story. It's the reason I like games that seem to attract bile such as Dragon Age II, Mass Effect 3, Fallout 3, Crysis 2, and the Gears of War, Force Unleashed, and Overlord series. I loved the gameplay, story, setting, or characters, or any combination of the above, in all of those series, and no amount of persuading will convince me that I did not enjoy them.