Your Gaming Timeline in 10 Games

[BlueBMW]

<3

Just to touch on my feelings on modern stuff...  As I stated Mario 3d World grabbed me (as did Mariokart 8 to an extent)  I also play call of duty with friends (blasphemy!!)  But overall I don't have the same kind of gaming time as I used to.  Which is really sad since there are so many good games out there to play.   I tend to mix it up with new and old.  I'll keep one old console hooked up at a time and play that console until I'm ready for something else and switch it out.

[Miracle_Warrior]

<3

...But overall I don't have the same kind of gaming time as I used to.  Which is really sad since there are so many good games out there to play...

.

This is my problem as well.  I did play through Oblivion, Skyrim, Dragon Age 1 and 2, and Dishonored, but that took several years to accomplish.  I may not be looking hard enough, but there aren't many games that you can just pick up and play anymore, which is why I tend to play some of the older stuff instead.  Time is the biggest factor for me.  I have been trying to start Dragon Age 3 for months now, but haven't had a chance to and I know that each time I sit down to play it, I'll likely have to commit at least an hour to it in each sitting, possibly more. 

[_joshuaTurbo]

Excellent thread mate-

10 game timeline over the years. 

*(Of course, plenty of excellent games did not make the cut, but I still love them!  They know who they are....)

**(I think we should do a separate list for arcade games over the years, because I could easily tell stories of the first time I saw a Neo Geo cab or Street Fighter II or DoubleDragon in the arcades and what years I played them!)

***(This should also in no way be considered my top 10 games.)

1984- Downland - Tandy Color Computer-

My first gaming experience in my own home was the Tandy CoCo and this is the first every game I owned.  I remember that Xmas morning like it was yesterday (even if it was over 30 years ago!!)  It's a little pitfall a little Donkey Kong and a TON of fun!  Even today!! 

1989- Batman (NES)

This is probably my favorite action platformer of all time. I find myself playing through it every couple months at least.  For a little while I was attempting to do speed runs of this game after watching some of the great games played quick live streams, but could never get any better than around 18 minutes.  LOL  Such a wonderful game.  First NES game I ever got outside of the Mario/Duck Hunt pack in.  Not much story here other than I remember renting it and just pausing the game from time to time to listen to the music.  I just had to have it!

1991 - Super Mario World (SNES)

It's either this or Mario 3 as my favorite Mario platformer.  I just think the open world map and parallax scrolling are what bumps it up to #1 for me.  The first time I played SMW was at my cousin's place where they wound up getting it for Xmas.  I was utterly blown away by the SNES' graphics and music.  I was super jealous when I went back home that night and I only had my 'last gen' consoles.... lol... kids.

1994 - Ys Book I&II - OBEY

Completely melted my brain.  No other gaming experience can match the feeling of playing through this classic. This was actually the SECOND game I ever played on the Turbo.  When I got home my friend and I grabbed "SONIC SPIKE" out of a big bag of games I got that day and we tried it first.  I still have a soft spot for that silly volley ball game, but man.. The first time I heard "Ys, the Ideal Utopia". I just couldn't believe that this was a VIDEO GAME!

1995 - Rondo of Blood/ Dracula X OBEY

One of the best games I've ever played.  I love the Castlevania series and this one just so happens to be on the best system ever made.  I finally got the SCD game 2 years after it was released and spent a whopping $179.99 from a place called "G&G" or Gadgets & Games.  They were listed in the back of an EGM and I just happened to have some money put away for it.  Good times.

1996 - Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn)

VF2 was what made me choose to purchase a Saturn over the PSone and N64(Coming that holiday season).  A local rental shop was running a special on Saturn rentals (Saturn system + 3 games for an entire weekend Fri-Sun for $9.99) And I picked up VF2, Virtual Hydlide (LOL) and Gex.  Gex was a great time and I knew full well that it was available on all the competitors consoles and Hydlide was perhaps less than stellar, but VF2 completely sold me on going in head first with the system.  I liked everything about it, but I had a friend that was convinced that Battle Arena Toshinden was a better game.  He was begging me to try it.  He said once I did, I would go Playstation for sure.  Then I found out that BAT was also available on the Saturn, so he said "Nevermind, get a Saturn so you can have both games!"  LOL

1998 - Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn)

Panzer was, at the time, the best RPG game I've played.  I know it's not the longest game in the world, but I think that's what I love about it most.  I can get the entire story over a weekend marathon.  The first time I played this it was a game I reserved at GameStop and took home for a measly $49.99 and I played through it in a couple weeks playing it a few hours here and there.   After I sold it off for considerably more money on an offer I received on the spot at MGC in 2007.    I've reacquired the Imported version and have gotten a copy of disc 2 in US, lol.  When I play through it now, It's a bit harder without the Japanese knowledge, but once I get through disc 1 I can play a portion of the game in English thanks to the Saturn's memory saves allowing me to continue through the game from region to region!

2000- PSO (Dreamcast)

PSO was the first ever MMORPG I ever played on a console and had me truly believing that the Dreamcast/SEGA could make a comeback in the market just due to how awesome this game was!  I played the HELL out of this game via our dial up modem!  Such great memories that continued through the GameCub update of Episodes I&II with local multiplayer and today with BlueBurst on PC.  Heck, I used the Dreamcast browser a lot back then!  It was actually how I discovered the first time -PCenginefx.com back in 1999!

2003 - Final Fantasy Crystal Chroncles (GameCube)

This was the best game I've played on a Nintendo Console since the SNES days and brought together a total ratpack of friends that I haven't seen in ages.  We wound up spending most Friday nights playing "Last one to the house is the bucket bitch" for months on end!  I still think it's an impressive game and it's pretty sad that we never got a true follow up. 

2006 - Wii Sports (Wii)

The Wii was the last console I ever purchased on launch day and getting an actual FUN pack in day made it a treat!  Wii Sports is still something to this day that is so fun and easy to play, it has me coming back to it all the time!  I remember waiting in line at a big box super store for 14 hours just to get this home and play it all night. A great memory and a super fun game!

[poponon]

Wish I had a chance to be part of PSO when it first came out on the dreamcast. I've always wanted to get a few dreamcasts and play on the private server with some friends

[BlueBMW]

It's crazy that wii sports is almost 9 years old now....  man time is flying by fast!

[bob]

It's crazy that wii sports is almost 9 years old now....  man time is flying by fast!

vintage.

[Necromancer]

This is a tough one to whittle down to just ten games (I refuse to do it), especially since there's so much overlap.  I never really moved on from the OBEY goodies; they remain my favorites and get the most play time, even when I've 'moved on' to PC and PSP games.

1.  MASH (2600) - much like Combat, it's got good variety and is fun with a friend, but you get the added bonus of yelling "Ferret Face!".
2.  Double Dragon II (NES) - beat this one dozens of times at my neighbor's place (interchangeable with Contra and Super Mario Bros. 3)
3.  Tetris (Gameboy) - GB was the first system that was mine (the 2600 was the family's), and I played the shit out of Tetris.
4.  Cosmo Tank (Gameboy) - a fun mish-mash of varying game styles, with overhead action, first person cave exploring, shewty travel stages, and light rpg elements tossed in for good measure.  What's not to like?
5.  Final Fantasy Adventure (Gameboy) - some peeps hate it for being too kiddie and easy, but I loved it.  Along with the FF Legend series and Sword of Hope, I was hooked on RPGs for life.
6.  Ys I & II (Turbob) - a big part of why I bought the ol' Duo.
7.  Soldier Blade (Turbob) - another reason. 
8.  Quake 2 (PC) - in college, many hours were spent blasting away others in this one, time that should've been spent studying.
9.  Command and Conquer (PC) - a few Red Alert skirmishes were played in college too, but mostly I was playing the story missions.  I love 'em all - the original, Red Alert, Tiberian Sun, and the Dune games too.
10.  Dracula X (Turbob) - kick ass all the way around.
11.  Xanadu I & II (Turbob) - they're like Ys I-III mixed together with the visuals cranked up to eleven.
12.  Ys remakes (PSP) - all the fun of the originals and then some.

[Desh]

Necro, I love your list, especially the mention of Command and Conquer.  Red Alert was probably my favorite and I used to get so pissed if someone picked up the phone while I was playing online.  It would disconnect me every time.

Also, I have never heard of Cosmo Tank but you sold me on it so I just ordered a copy.

[Jibbajaba]

11.  Xanadu I & II (Turbob) - they're like Ys I-III mixed together with the visuals cranked up to eleven.

Crank this up to eleven.

[VenomMacbeth]

This might be the neatest thread I've yet seen here.

Well, the very first video game I ever remember playing was Sonic the Hedgehog 2.  I had to have been about 4-5, meaning the game had only been out for about 3 years, and I remember never being able to make it past the first drill boss guy.  Then I went several years without really caring about video games, until my parents' friend moved in with us, along with his awesome collection of video games & vintage toys.  'twas then that I first experienced the N64, and I remember the first time I saw/fought King Bob-omb in Super Mario 64.  When I got my own 64, however, I spent most of my time with Star Wars Episode 1 Racer as my 7th year of life was when I first became a Star Wars buff, but it was also the unfortunate beginning of my die-hard Nintendo fanboy-ism.  However, I do have very fond memories of playing Galaga, Bosconian, and Pole Position on Namco Museum Vol. 1 for the PS1 (probably the reason I'm into retro games/shooters) in the years that followed.

Fast forward a bit, to when I got a GameCube for my 11th/12th Christmas.  I spent lots of time with Pikmin & Star Wars Rogue Leader, but I friggin' worshipped Super Smash Bros Melee.. I can still remember drawing smash scenes on the covers of my binders at school.  I'll include F-Zero GX, Metroid Prime, and Star Fox Assault as honorable mentions because those are the titles that reeeeally kicked my Nintendo love into high gear, but the next mose prominent gc game in my mind was Super Mario Sunshine.  i practically pissed my pants with anticipation when it came out, and my grandmother just randomly bought me a copy from Circuit City for my birthday, probably so I'd shut up about it.  i loved that game, but holy Christ was it frustrating.

Anyway, my Nintendoism lingered for a few years, then my interest in video games tapered off after Smash Bros Brawl came out.  However, I was gifted an XBox 360 for Xmas when I was 16, and while I didn't spend tooo much time with it at first, I made some friends in high school that were fanatical about Halo.  Myself, Rupert, and Larry would meet up Rupe's house, tank up on candy bars & ham and cheese hot pockets, then spend hours playing 3 or Reach.  My fondest memories are of running through the co-op campaigns of each game, and of going to the midnight release of Reach. I hate GameStop with a flaming passion now, but at the time, it was great fun eating pizza & watching Arby & The Chief with the guys, waiting for release hour.

Anyway, that endured for a long time, but I graduated high school, Rupert became an asshat, and Larry's lucky ass went to Japan for the Air Force.  My Xbox became a DVD player for the most part, although that was about the time I figured out that Half-Life 2 is my favorite FPS game ever. Such a memorable experience.  So now we're getting into more recent times, and my heart was yearning for a simpler, less douchey experience than what was given me on the Box.  So my stepdad's father passes away, and I went & bought an atari 2600 for him as I'd heard him speak of his nostalgia for them.  It was then that I first played Asteroids, and I had no idea how addictive such a simple game could be.  From then, my retro gaming interests fanned out into all categories, though it took me awhile to catch on to Sega or NEC.  It's hard for me to pick a #10, as there are currently many games I consider significant to my gaming timeline.  In the past couple years, I've experienced such titles as Alien Soldier, Thunder Force IV, Metal Black, Metroid Mother (hack of the original NES game), Panzer Dragoon, Soldier Blade.  Every game I own has made an impression on me in some way, so that list could go on forever.  However, instead, for my final game, I pick Dr. Mario on the NES.  The grandmother that bought me Mario Sunshine passed away a few years ago now, but it was this year that I inherited her NES game collection, complete with Zeldas, Marios, Metroid, every Mega Man game but the first one, and of course,  Dr. Mario, which is the only video game I actually remember her playing...and DAMN could she play that game.  If Mario's the doctor, then she'd be the chief of medicine.  Needless to say, anytime I see or play that game, I think about her. 

[glazball]

Yea cool thread! Here's my list, though I'm too lazy to find pics

1. K.C. Munchkin (Odyssey^2) [~1980] - The first console I/our family had circa 1980, my first exposure to video games along with my TI99/4A

2. Space Invaders (Atari 2600) [~1982] - Even my grandma played Atari (she only played Video Pinball though)! Too many games to list but I played the hell outta Space Invaders on my handed-down black & white TV.

3. Legend of Zelda (NES) [1986-7] - Here's where shit gets real.  Of course SMB revived video games, but Zelda won me over like nothing else.  In fact, this game probably made me into the obsessed video game fan I am today.

4. Golden Axe (Genesis) [1989] - Bought the Genny at launch and it's still one of my fav consoles.  Phantasy Star II probably belongs here, but friends and I played SO MUCH Golden Axe, we could play through without dying.

5. Goldeneye (N64) [1997-8] We spent so much time playing we invented the term "goldeneyed" after having played for hours at a stretch.  Perfect Dark probably belongs here (a Perfect Game imo), but N64 was dying by that point and I just have SO MANY memories of Goldeneye.  Everyone then played it.

6. SoulCalibur (Dreamcast) [1999] - DC took games to the next level, still waiting for a Dreamcast 2

7. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2) [2001] - I realized after approx. 2 days that 9/11 was an inside job and with the world seemingly crumbling around me, I picked up this game at launch in Oct 2001.  The satire and pure enjoyment of GTA3 filled a void like no other game before or since.

8. World of Warcraft (Mac) [2005-8] - Played a priest in a guild with some RL friends and loved it (though my friends soon quit and moved on).  I shunned friends and roommates for years to play WoW.  On weekends, I would rarely leave my computer.  Incredible game, but after meeting my s.o. I had to just quit cold turkey after our guild finished the Lich King expansion.

9. Fallout 3 (PS3) [2009] - This game blew me away.  Never before had I played a game with such huge cajones.

10. Rayman Legends (Wii U) [2013] - Video gaming at it's most fun, esp. couch co-op with my 10 year old stepson.

Edit: Updated because I had cheated and listed 2 games for some, expanded text.

[bob]

Also, I have never heard of Cosmo Tank but you sold me on it so I just ordered a copy.

desh, i just purchased too.  i bet the "trend followers" will see two purchases of this game so quickly and the next listed BINs will be $20+. 

[esteban]

11.  Xanadu I & II (Turbob) - they're like Ys I-III mixed together with the visuals cranked up to eleven.

Crank this up to eleven.

Crank this up to Canadu. Skaterz. Great North.

 

[dingsbums]

Really interesting to see all your picks.
I have to reply to this:

Really interesting to see how everyone's different tastes have developed. I've noticed not alot of people have been explaining the current state of their gaming though.

That has to do with the fact the OP wanted to hear the games that had the most impact on us. I can only speak for myself but games impressed me way more at a younger age - nowadays I have my "gaming taste" - I love Arcade style games, preferebly in 2D. Sadly 2D games are way to few nowadays - which is a shame since todays consoles are so powerful you could do awesome / beautiful 2D games easily. Of course I play newer games also - Rayman Origins/Legends, Bayonetta 1/2, Super Mario 3D Worlds and Dragon's Crown are a few examples and they are great games but they didn't have an impact on me as the titles I listed  .

PS: Cosmo Tank on the GB is great  .

[MrBroadway]

PS: Cosmo Tank on the GB is great  .

Make that three who bought it on ebay today.