The Greats of Gaming

There are some games that you play that stick in your mind forever – they are the ones you go back to over and over, and occaisionally cherish.

I think i’ve mentioned before somewhere that I sold my Nintendo 64 in order to afford my PlayStation2, and i’ve regretted it since. Recently I downloaded Nemu64 (a N64 emulator, duh) and i’ve been playing what has to be the greatest platformer of all time again – Super Mario 64. That game is the penultimate of 3D platforming – and it was one of the first to come out.

To explain things more, Mario (to me, at least) has always been about completion. You could finish, say, Super Mario World fairly easily – go through all the levels and kick Bowser’s butt – but the game isn’t over then. No, you’ve still got the secret exits from levels, the 5 Dragon coins, the hidden Yoshis, the Star Road – the list goes on, and on. Ultimate replayability, and excellent level design.

With Super Mario 64, Miyamoto did something that I don’t think many people are capable of – he translated a 2D experience into a 3D one. In Super Mario 64, there are tonnes of things to do – just on the ‘world map (Peach’s Castle)’. The levels are insanely designed, but perfectly so – you notice little touches like when you fall from a particularly hard puzzle, you land in water so you don’t get hurt – but if you fall from an easy bridge, you tumble into the abyss. It’s perfect level design, and with 120 stars to collect, its replayability is just as good as Super Mario World.

Now, i’ve got other 3D platformers – and sure, I enjoy my Crash Bandicoots, and Jak and Daxter – but none of them share the same brilliance with the N64’s launch game.

Now this is just one of many games that I feel has gone ‘above and beyond’ so to speak – but instead of hogging this thread, I want to hear what you think are the ‘gaming greats’, and why.

Ever since I played it, Gitaroo Man has shocked me with just how great it was. Even the parts of it that really shouldn’t matter much in the rhythm action genre (plot and voice acting) are done with such style and panache that I can’t help but love it.

That, and it’s fiendishly hard. I mean that. Master Play mode is ridiculous. Like, a button press for a beat on a song that is stupidly fast. I love it.

That, and Gitaroo Man himself is voiced by the announcer from VF4.

Any time I think back on my most memorable and greatest video game experience, it all goes back to a NES game called Bad News Baseball… a cartoony, but extremely fun, baseball game that I played with my dad.

My dad would kick my ass every time we played, but my greatest moment in gaming is when I beat him for the first time, and he has never beaten me at a game since. That game got me into gaming, and is still, to me, the greatest baseball game ever made.

A game that doesn’t get its props often enough- or at all, for that matter- is Powerstone 2 on the dreamcast. I don’t think I’ve ever had even half that much fun with another multi-player game.

It makes the fact that I am currently sans dreamcast even more depressing. ; ;

During the glory days where I would be playing NES all day long, and nothing else, there was always one game that stood out above the rest for me: Blaster Master. This game was so much fun to play, and I could never get enough for it. I remember back when Nintendo Power had a chart of the top NES games, and whenever Blaster Master wasn’t in the top 3, or around there, I would start yelling "This is so stupid!", and other such remarks.

But yes, I will always love this game. Upgrading your vehicle to be able to swim was something that was the coolest thing back then. I think the music to the final boss (The music is the same in level 7), is one of the best gaming music pieces ever. And, the final boss was so difficult and challenging, that it was well worth it when you beat him. Just be extrememly careful when you destroy his shield though.

every few weeks me and 3 friends would get together and play wrestlaemania 2000 on n64 for hours. we all had created characters saved on the cartridge and had match conditions like-the first player pinned has their character deleted. probably the best multiplayer experience i’ve had.

the games i enjoy most always take me by suprise when i play them. onimusha may be a huge blockbuster style game with real actors and fireworks parties and wotnot. but the best adventure games i’v eplayed for ages are broken sword-sleeping dragon and beyond good and evil. both of which are absurdly under hyped.