So this may require a bit of thought if you want to respond, but essentially, if you were to look back at your gaming past, what ten games (rough, chronological order) would you say define your timeline? These are
not necessarily your OMG 10 FAVORITE GAMES of all time. Well, these 10 certainly aren't my "favorites", but from when I started playing video games (age 6ish, 1982ish), these 10 certainly had an impact on me. A few of them were the reason I wanted/bought a system and may not have turned out great, but still hold a place with me.
#1. Combat (2600)
My friend Joe had a 2600 before me. I always played at his house and I can't tell you the countless hours we spent with the tank-pong game. It was exhilarating at the time. I remember wasting a ton of time flipping the 2600 switches to see what other variations were on the cart and being surprised when we found planes. Combat was my first foray into home video games and I needed a 2600 badly.
#2. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
When I was 12, I played soccer after school. There was a pair of twins (Andy and Doug) on my team that were a year older than me. During a game, they talked about how they just couldn't wait to get home and play Nintendo. Nintendo Nintendo Nintendo. I asked them..."What's Nintendo?"
The answer at the time..."Atari but better". Ok, I need one.
Anyway, we are all familiar with SMB, but that Christmas was literally like the day I climbed out of the womb and felt heat for the first time.
By the way, Joe (from above) ended up hitting one of the twins with his car years later in high school and broke his knee.
#3. Megaman 2
I am NOT a Megaman fan. Let's start there. Now lets back up a bit. The Christmas of (I want to say) 1988 my Dad was in the hospital. When we went to visit him, he muscled up the energy to reach into the drawer next to him and pulled out two Christmas presents. They were Double Dribble and Track & Field. I loved both of them. The following summer was when Track & Field 2 was scheduled to come out and I was dying for it. Anyway, we went to the local Good Vibrations (music store back in the 80's) and I said "Give me Track & Field 2". Response was "We're out."
Dad looks at me and says "Pick something else". Megaman 2.
#4. Bonk's Adventure (TG-16)
Ever heard of it? Joe (from above) and I used to go to the mall almost every weekend. There was a JVC store that had Bonk on display. We would play it for long stretches until somebody kicked us out for not buying anything. I already had a turbo when Bonk came out, but this game really did punch me in the tits at the time. I was tired of Mario, sonic wasn't out yet (not that it really mattered) and I loved the subject matter in Bonk at the time. Easy cake walk of a game at the time was actually refreshing to me because so many NES games were hard as nails and I hardly ever got to see most of the good stuff that came much later in many games. (I never said I was a great player of video games, just a fan)
#5. Dick Tracy (Genesis)
I loved the Warren Beatty version of Dick Tracy in 1989(?). I remember seeing the Genesis game on the rack and thinking "whoa, cool". That was the first time I wanted a Genesis. I love this game. If you aren't familiar, DT plays like a cross between original Shinobi (shoot straight, jump on/over crates) and Cabal.
You are fighting goons on two plains. The baddies are running right at you that you have shoot/punch (shinobi style), but in the distant background (think "accross the street") there are also fedora fighters that you can shoot with a tommy gun (cabal style). It keeps the action moving at a good pace as there is a lot you have to pay attention to. I highly recommend it, even though many think it's crap. If anybody has any suggestions for a DT clone, I'm all ears.
#6. Cosmic Fantasy 2 (TGCD)
Joe (from above) and I played Cosmic Fantasy 2 for something like three days straight during a high school winter break. Literally, didn't leave the TV for those three days until we finished it. Mind you, we must have explored every inch of that game and wasted so much time grinding levels but we didn't care. There were no guides, no internet access for us and pretty much nobody I knew even knew the game existed. So there was no help, just us and that CD. Still one of my favorite gaming memories of all time
#7. NHL (Genesis)
Just straight, addictive, head to head fun. It was the perfect sports game for a group of friends that thought you couldn't get any better than Blades of Steel. NHL blew me away.
#8. Battle Arena Toshinden (Playstation)
I was in a funny place from a gaming standpoint in the 1994-95 timeframe. I was a junior in high school, doing other things (skateboarding many hours a day) and lost a bit of interest. I enjoyed the fighting game craze at the time because they were quick, pick-em-up and play, no commitment fun. Battle Arena Toshinden is the game that made me want a Playstation (along with MK3 port). I couldn't believe what the Playstation was promising to do graphically when I saw that game box at the store and subsequent commercials. As I slowly got out of gaming, I never did play it until a few years later, and the game plays like crap now (kind of always did), but I will always have a copy in my collection.
#9. Tony Hawk Pro Skater (Playstation)
The Playstation era really is like two bookends of my gaming past. I got out of gaming not long after the Playstation hit it's stride, and THPS is the game that got me to jump back in. After playing it at a friends house, I bought the game and didn't even have the system, but I knew plenty of people that did. It came out somewhat late in the PS lifecycle, so technically it had all the bells and whistles. It played like a dream for a skateboarder since we really had nothing that even came close to matching it. Skate or Die 2 Halfpipe was as close as you were getting. THPS had real pro's, real moves, real locations, and real music. This game actually was responsible for a skateboarding renaissance in the early 2000's which died a few years later when people realized they couldn't really do 30 trick combos and it's hard enough to learn how to ollie. I love the entire series, and I think I have 5000% all of the games with my eyes closed. R.I.P. THPS, you are sorely missed.
#10. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
I love the Wii and I'm not afraid to say it. I do. Remember from above, I got out of gaming during the N64 era, so I totally skipped Mario 64. Super Mario Galaxy was really my first experience with anything 3D Mario and I just couldn't put down this acid trip. SMG was the first "new" game that came out in a long time where I couldn't wait to get back to it after work, on weekends, when wife went out, etc. I thought the controls were spot on, the puzzles were great without being frustrating, and just all around a very polished game. I still pick it up once in a while, and I enjoyed 2, but SMG is probably my favorite game in my Wii collection.
Obviously, this thread is not for everybody to post 10 pics and write a novel on each game. But what 10 games over the years and console generations would you say visualize your timeline?
