Top Five Video Games
Doing this list just hit me one day, and it was a great little trip down memory lane… Growing up in the ‘80, I spent a lot of time seeking out the video games in malls and hotels… That is when I wasn’t playing them at home or in the respective homes of friends…
5. Bioshock – this is a game I wrote about a while back [link]. I don’t usually like FPS (first person shooters), but this game was different enough and compelling enough to get me more than just plain interested.
4. Conquest of the World (Odyssey 2) – This was a signiture game for this system that got most of it’s lasting fame from being sued by NAMCO for infringing on the PacMan copyright with the KC Munchkin game. But Conquest was a collection of games that almost felt like you’re playing different aspects of military simulations from War Games. Of course if you went and played the game now, you’d realize how pathetic it is compared to even the most basic games available free online. But it’s still completely awesome.
3. Super Tecmo Bowl (NES) – this was a game that friends and I played for years. It was the first sports game I got that actuallly had athletes (thanks to licensing from the NFLPA). Friends and I would sometimes playing a season over a weekend and keeping stats to compare our godly stats to the players in real life. I always had the best luck playing as the Chiefs or Oilers…
2. Gran Turismo Series – What can I say? While there are dirving simulators getting better all the time, this series has always been way ahead of the curve. In terms of the early versions, the games stayed that far ahead of the curve for years in a technical field usually changing by the week.
1. Tetris – it doesn’t matter the platform, I can waste hours making lines or whatever unique aspects another version may have (especially “The Next Tetris” on N64)… It’s also something I’m fairly confident in my abilities to do. Quite the skill to be confident in, eh?
Honerable Mention: Galaga, Oregon Trail, NHL 94 (Genesis), Dune 2, Red Alert 2, Lemonade Stand, Grand Theft Auto Series, Karate Champ, and Bust-a-Move (aka bubble bobble).
Defending the Weekend
Hank is is the first person to register to comment here on the new blog. Can’t say I’m surprised. So in honor of his achievement, he’ll be receiving a private seminar from Dr. Wane W. Dyer.
I finally succumbed to all the talk here and there for the past many months. I let it take up more than a few hours this weekend. I’m of course referring to Desktop Tower Defense. It is quite the addictive game. It’s not new by any stretch… Nevertheless, I highly recommend it.
Has anyone else played it or have any thoughts on the matter? It’s such a simple concept and wonderful game. I’ve been playing it tonight, and I need to stop in order to try and get some sleep…
Bioshock of Wii (and 6 gunshots outside while writing this)
I can’t sleep. And hearing gun-play outside never does my sleeping any good. So I take the opportunity to blog about something I have yet to touch. Usually about once or twice a year, I get a new video game for the computer or whatever old console I have around. My PS2 bit the dust a long time ago, so the only console to make an appearance in the past 2 years has been the N64 for Conquer and Tetris (2 of the best games of all time)…
Anyway, I did finally make the foray into a “next generation” console with the Wii. While the console doesn’t have next-gen guts, the user interface is the reason to get it. And wow is it both fun and a good way to test the ligaments in your dominant arm. The next best thing about it is that it’s included games are enjoyed by everyone, not just video game lovers. Everyone loves it, and it’s lots of fun. I haven’t even opened Metroid because we’re having so much fun playing the included Wii Sports.
But a few weeks before that, I was exposed to a game through a co-worker enough so that I had to go out and get it. It’s the increasingly popular Bioshock. Check out it’s site… The Flash site is amazingly well done. I have Flash-envy…
It’s a first person shooter of the mature variety (horror and such). That’s a genre of game that I’ve never really liked. The last similar thing I remember getting was Quake 1 (which I mainly bought for the Trent Reznor soundtrack). But Bioshock not only compelled me to want to play for the story (something akin to Lost meets Atlas Shrugged / Fountainhead), but the design and game play are second to none in many ways. It’s so unique.
Lets put it this way… I finished it on “easy” within a week, and it’s the only long-story game I know if that I know I’ll go back and play again because of multiple endings and the vast number of ways you can customize your experience. It does require a decent computer to see all the awesome programming (water effects are so well done), but it is also available for the XBox 360.
The biggest thing I love about Bioshock is the aesthetic. It’s an Art Deco explosion, and it’s done so wonderfully. This is apparent in the aforementioned website, but the game is just so unbelievably good. I can’t say enough positive things about it.
There’s always been a few game series’ that I’ve looked forward to. Grand Theft Auto,Gran Tursimo, Command & Conquer and Tetris… The Wii experience and Bioshock remind me that games can be a nice distraction and one that takes up a little too much time. It’s a matter of balance I guess. I do want to play Team Fortress 2 in a multi-player environment though. May have to take a step back. Then a step forward. Then a step back… And then we’re cha-cha-ing!
