Video Games

Certain video games stand out from the crowd. Maybe the graphics are ahead of their time, or they’re just beautifully rendered. Maybe the gameplay is more fluid and realistic than other games of its time. Or maybe the game present a unique challenge or strategy, that no other game or console has presented.

Some video games have a particularly engaging character that captures your imagination, while others have a plot you think is good enough to become a book or movie. If you’re talking about the best video games ever, everything came together just right and the title’s greatness comes from some combination of what I’m talking about.

Even though it’s can be difficult to describe exactly what it is that makes some video games better than all the rest, it’s easy to recognize when you’re playing a good one. That’s why renting games has an appeal, because most people can tell if a game is going to be great in the first five minutes of gameplay.

Pac-Man (1982) – Atari 5200: For most of us, Pac-Man was the machine that first took our quarters at the arcade or convenience store. Pac-Man was the game we waited to have on the developing home console market. The Atari port may not have been as good as the arcade version, but I remember the day we brought Pac-Man home and it was still greatness to play the first Pac-Man on Atari.

Sure, maybe the screen looked squashed. Maybe the sounds were all wrong. Still, the magic was there. The story of modern home video games may not begin with Atari Pac-Man, but it’s where the story begins to get interesting.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (1990) – Nintendo Entertainment System: Super Mario Bros. 3 was a late addition to the NES cannon, but it stands out as being one of the best. The best gamers spent their childhoods learning how to beat this game in less than 10 minutes, but true fans know it’s more fun to play through the whole game, rather than taking the warp whistles.

Of course, I couldn’t talk about old Nintendo without giving a shoot-out to Super Techmo Bowl, the greatest sports video game of its time. The Madden Football Games have been great, and they’re about a million times more realistic, but Super Tecmo Bowl was just pure fun. Let’s give an honorable mention, then get back to the games with storylines and signature characters.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) – Sega Genesis: Sonic was Sega’s answer to the Mario Brothers franchise, but never proved quite as successful commercially. That doesn’t mean that any of the Sonic games were lacking. When Sonic appeared on the Genesis he looked bigger, better and, most important, faster than anything that Nintendo had to offer.

Sadly, it couldn’t last, but this intrepid hedgehog earned himself a lasting place in the history of video games.

Mortal Kombat (1993) – Super Nintendo: The controversy over the cartoonish violence in this 2D fighting game seems somewhat strange today, with the game’s silly, ketchup splashes of blood and pixellated “fatality” moves. Nevertheless, this was the original parental shocker, chock-full of enough spine-ripping out action to give Tipper Gore a heart attack.

Mortal Kombat launched a franchise that included several films and a well-known soundtrack. This game is still a blast to play, especially in two-player mode. “Get over here!”

Final Fantasy VII (1997) – PlayStation: There’s a legion of rabid fans that maintain the contention that Final Fantasy VII is the best game in the Final Fantasy series. Other fans claim it was Final Fantasy X. This would be a tough dispute to resolve, except for one key element: Sephiroth.

Sephiroth, the silver-haired baddie from Final Fantasy VII, is the most awesome video game villain…ever. FFX might have better graphics, but it simply doesn’t have Sephiroth. Anyone want to make the contention that “Sin” has anything on Sephiroth?

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) – Nintendo 64: This game brought “Link” into the third dimension, and lost nothing in the translation. The world of Hyrule was just as expansive as ever, the dungeons were gigantic, and the plot just as epic. Even the theme song was elevated into a work of sprightly orchestral beauty.

Soul Calibur (1999) – Sega Dreamcast: The Dreamcast represents the tragic downfall of the Sega empire. Actually a great gaming system, it suffered from a lack of titles, which caused it to eventually fail to compete. Nevertheless, the original Soul Calibur, a sequel to the arcade game SoulEdge, represents a grand technical achievement, for its time.

Take a look at the online polls and many gamers still list Soul Calibur the greatest fighting game ever, even over 10 years later. Soul Calibur had flawless visuals, super-smooth graphics and high frame rates. The movement was smooth and you could execute moves the way they were meant to be executed. Fighting to the death was never so beautiful.

Super Smash Brothers Melee (2001) – Nintendo GameCube: The king of the drunkenly childish party video game is Super Smash Brothers, which progressed to it’s powered-up descendent, “Super Smash Brothers Melee”. Smash Brothers features an all-star cast of Nintendo greats, from Link to Luigi to Donkey Kong hismelf. You could have Samus fight Pikachu, then have the winner take on Ganondorf.

Play Super Smash Brothers Melee and see. Yes, sir; all the classic Nintendo characters returned to do battle in those dramatic floating arenas. One word of warning, though: Watch out for Princess Peach, who glides in and attacks with a series of wicked kicks. But I can’t forget that oddly frightening Jigglypuff, who sings you to sleep before destroying you.

Halo: Combat Evolved (2001) – Xbox: This launch title for the Xbox showcased all the new console had to offer. The squad-based combat and extensive multiplayer options really set Halo apart from other first-person shooters. With the networking capabilities of the Xbox, Halo changed the way console games were played.

Halo is the one that started it all, and lead directly to Halo 2 and Xbox Live, where squads could communicate via an Internet connection. Those early Halo Deathmatch sessions were a glory to behold. I’m sure it was the same for you and your friends.

Shadow of the Colossus (2005) – PlayStation 2: One of the most haunting and strange games you’ll ever play, Shadow of the Colossus combined elements of adventure and puzzle games to create a true classic. With little to no help by way of expository dialogue, players take on the role of a knight hoping to rescue a cursed princess.

They do so by searching for and then slaying an array of ever-more difficult giants, hidden in an expansive, deliriously beautiful world. Shadow of the Colossus was a unique challenge for its players, because you had to locate a weakness for each of the Colossi, before you took them down. If you love originality, you’ll Shadow of the Colossus.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) – Nintendo Wii: A launch title for the Wii, Twilight Princess represents a return to form for Link, something that was needed after the love-it-or-hate-it Zelda: Windwaker. Twilight Princess presented gamers with a huge world that made brilliant use of the Wii’s innovative controls with gesture-based sword slashes.

With its eerie theme of a world turned to darkness, Twilight Princess is perhaps the best Zelda game to date. For those olders gamers who never got into the Zelda Series, “Twilight Princess” is the first of the series to receive a “T” rating for violence. If you ever considered playing Zelda, but wasn’t sure, this is the game I would recommend you play.

Rock Band (2007) – PlayStation 3: Superior to its earlier cousin Guitar Hero, Rock Band represents the best use of game peripherals to date. This game allows wannabe musicians to take on not just the lead guitar parts from decades worth of popular song, but the bass guitar, drums, and vocals as well, with specific peripherals for each. Later versions such as Beatles: Rock Band and LEGO Rock Band are even more entertaining.

Rock Band made the guitar easier than Guitar Hero guitar playing, while drumming was the most difficult part to master. Like in a real band, the Rock Band is only as good as its drummer. I still remember one of our friends, who’s made a living as a professional drummer for 20 years, freaking out when another friend’s 13-year old son got better scores at drumming on Rock Band.

Assassin’s Creed II (2009) – Xbox360: The sequel to 2007’s equally awesome Assassin’s Creed, this game moves the action from medieval times to Renaissance Italy. Featuring open-ended gameplay with multiple side-missions, this game is destined to become an instant classic.

Ezio, the main character, can interact with nearly every object in the game’s vast world. Assassin’s Creed II adds swimming, and even flying, to the protagonist’s many abilities. Also, money is an important factor as well, which is only natural for an assassin.

There have been great video games I haven’t mentioned, like a personal favorite of mine, Fight Night Round 3. In the next ten years, graphics and gaming worlds will only get bigger and more enthralling. But a great video game is about gameplay and the details, creating an immersive, entertaining game experience. The games we’ve listed put you in another world, which is what the great video games do.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 2:40 am and is filed under Video Games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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