- I have spent far too long being far too negative for the last couple of weeks. No more. Let's take a look at my favorite games on the various consoles that I've owned. I'm not including any version of the Playstation because I never invested much in those consoles.
- Intellivision: Pitfall - Once upon a time, the name Activision on a game meant that you were in for an amazing experience. And my favorite game was Pitfall. I never got that great at it. I didn't break out the graph paper and map the perfect path. But somewhere in a box at my parents' house with our Intellivision and a tally of all my high scores. The moment I learned that running left was much easier was a revelation.
- NES: Mega Man 2 - I've owned and played the first three games, but Mega Man 2 was the perfect match of platforming and puzzle solving. Sure, the puzzles were always which gun to use on which guy, but the weapons were all unique and it made you feel smart to figure the right combinations. The opening theme is still one of my favorite bits of game music to this day.
- N64: Super Mario 64 - I just noticed that my first three games are all evolutions of the platformer. Super Mario 64 is the game that took the genre into three dimensions (not stereoscopic) and set the standard for every 3D platformer after. Also, I would occasionally load up the underwater level and listen to the music loop over and over again. Sublime.
- Dreamcast: Phantasy Star Online - I was a huge fan of the original Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System (which I didn't own, so it's not on this list). So when this new game was announced, I knew that I had to buy a Dreamcast. Yes, PSO sold me this console. I'm almost embarassed to admit that I never took PSO online, even though that was the whole point of the game. But that never stopped me from playing the single player game over and over again. If only the follow up games hadn't stumbled so badly.
- Xbox: SSX 3 - There are those who believe that SSX Tricky was the pinnacle of the series, but I disagree. SSX 3's combination of race, trick, big air, and half pipe events made the mountain feel like a virtual world with a grand competition and the option to freeride and take to the back country as I saw fit. And to cap if off with a run from the top of the mountain to the bottom that took a half hour was a capstone expereince that I haven't felt in a sports game again.
- Xbox 360: Red Dead Redemption - No other game fulfills the promise of the GTA games like Red Dead Redemption. Melding an open world game with the western genre was masterful. Yes, the Mexico section dragged a bit. But there was so much to experience in the game that I did not want to leave it. And how can not mention the ending. I don't think that there has been a more masterful ending to a video game. Just writing about it make me want to start a new game tonight.
- Now it's your turn. Comment and tell me exactly how wrong I am and which games I missed.
© 2012 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.
While I readily agree that SSX 3 is a fantastic game, I liked Burnout Revenge a wee bit more on the PS2. Well, that and FFX, but that's a different animal.
ReplyDeleteChrono Trigger for the SNES, of course.
Puzzle Quest for the DS.
Valkyrie Profile for the Playstation. Yes, over classics like FFVII and IX (VIII was merely OK).
I don't have a standout on the XBox 360 yet... though I really like PURE and Prince of Persia (2008).