I don't care what genre, what system, arcade or PC even, as long as it's a video game and it made a big impact on you and how you looked at games, then list it.
Be honest and even if you have a "guilty pleasure" game on your list, list it. Make it as authentic as you can.
It can be as old as Pong, and as new as Ikaruga.
I hope to see everyone's list. You don't have to explain the game's importance to you, but if you wish, be my guest.
Here is my list as best as I can recall and compile:
-Contra
Never will forget this sucker. Many nights in '88 and '89 were spent playing this with my brother and uncle. One which will never leave me.
-Godzilla (NES)
I was five years old, I loved Godzilla and this to me was a cool Godzilla game on the NES. I kid you not -- the music at certain points in this game scared me lifeless.
-Double Dragon II
I remember daydreaming about this game!
-Altered Beast
Just blew me away.
-Sonic 1
Ditto. I remember coming home from school one day, and I caught my uncle (the same one who played Contra with me) guiding Sonic through the second zone. At that point in time my uncle was beginning to age and he stopped playing games for the most part. But that day, for one minute it felt like the late 80s again. I'll never forget that sight of seeing his smile as I caught him in the act.
-Michael Jackson's MoonWalker
I actually have a tape that my uncle filmed, and it's hilarious looking back. A small room was crammed to the bone with me and 12 of my friends. We all sat down, our mouths in a euphoria state, as the various Jackson themes pumped through our Genesis into that tiny room.
-Streets of Rage
In a word, awesome. Atmospheric.
-F-Zero
First SNES game I ever played. Unbelievable... the sounds the sights the speed oh my!
-King of the Monsters
First arcade game I ever played, and beat... some odd 26 quarters later. As a kid I loved monsters and wrestling. KOTM? Perfect! Was also the first ever SNES game I bought...
-Street Fighter II
You can almost make a case of this where one could conceivably say, "Before anyone ever did anything, Capcom did everything."
-Mortal Kombat II
I really, really liked it. I even got a "backstage pass" at Target to play the SNES version against the store's employees... that was awesome.
-DooM
Yeah, this was the king. I loved it.
-Corridor 7
Anyone remember this Doom clone from around the same time Doom was released? This game was very sweet, I have a lot of memories with this game. Look out for those Ttocs! ("T"he "T"erminators "O"f "C"orridor "S"even was my little pet name for them, and seriously, they are named Ttocs! It's backward for Scott. Most the enemies' name were backward of the makers of the game. i.e. Janet became Tenaj, James became Semaj, Carlos became Solrac, etc.)
-Resident Evil
Whoa.
-Silent Hill
Wow.
-Clock Tower 1 (PSX US version)
Scissorman, Scissorman... my how I have missed you...
-Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo
Some of the best good stuff I'll ever play. Can never forget my late night marathons against my cousins who flew over from Texas... good times all right...
-World Heroes
First fighter I ever used was Brocken. I was hooked day one. My old best friend Nelson loved the series as well -- and it was some of the best years and gaming memories of my life.
-World Heroes 2
I about pissed my pants when I first saw this in the corner of my SafeWay grocery store in 1993. I spent more quarters on this game than probably any other arcade game in history.
-World Heroes Perfect
What can I say, this game renewed my passion for video games in general. It is a fine, fine fighting game. I still crack a gut when I see Rasputin's "Secret Garden" Super Special Finish on any male World Hero... ;)
Note. I didn't list Super Mario Brothers because that game really did not have much of an impact on me. It was all about Contra for me. WH2Jet was not listed because although I really liked it, it didn't have the same punch on me as 1, 2 and Perfecto did.
Not in chronological order!
Doom - There never was, and never will be, a more atmospheric game.
FinalFantasy7 - I literally lived in this game for months. I gave a fuck about ANYTHING in real life...all i wanted was revenge...and to wander the planet with the meteor ominously hanging overhead.
Sonic CD - This game showed me how important music was in a game. In my opinion, the best soundtrack to a game to date. [US version...jap soundtrack sucked my COCK, all you guys who say its better are nips!]
Gradius - This was the first game i ever played, and I think its what created my idea of a 'good game' Great music, great atmosphere, great locales, and a twist of the bizarre.
Super Metroid - jesus christ man. this game is fucking amazing.
HALO - This game actually makes the list. It's honestly, my second favorite game ever...next to:
THE MOST life changing, magical, spiritual and intense game i've ever played...
Legend of Zelda: A link to the past. im just going to go cry as i try to recall my carefree childhood.
peace,
ray
Super Monkey Ball - I haven't bought an RPG since I played this game. It made me remember how much I truly crave pure skills games, and how great it feels to master one. After this game I began collecting shooters fro my Saturn and then I got into the Neo-Geo after doing research on Metal Slug.
Final Fantasy II (US) - First time I ever saw a SNES game in action. The graphics and SOUND blew me away. Weirdly enough, I saw the very end of the game, ending and all, on this first time. Also the game that made me crave RPGs, which at that time were few. This would last til Monkey Ball. Granted, I never stopped playing all genres, but my RPG playing was ridiculous for a long while.
Super Mario 64 - One of the best 3D platformers of all time, and before I had even played it to know how good it was, I craved it. As far as I'm concerned, it alone is a good enoug reason to love the N64, though Majora's Mask is too.
Diablo II - I lived and died for this game about 2 years ago. On the final D2 ladder before the expansion, I was the 5th Amazon overall on USEast HARDCORE. I was level 86. Anyone who knows what D2 was like before the expansion knows that I was a crazy SOB to get to that level on hardcore.
Bubble Bobble NES
First game me and brother got for our NES, spent hours playing that game. We would play it until we were either told to stop, or we beat it.
Street Fighter II SNES/Arcade
Spent the day down at our local pizza shop, kick a little ass, run out of quarters, come home and play for free. First fighting game that I ever played for the sake of competition, Zangief user for life.
Chrono Trigger SNES
My favorite RPG of all time, its battle system has yet to be topped.
Final Fantasy II (US)SNES
I owned two games for SNES when I was younger, SFII and FFIII. I must have beaten this game at least 20 times over. A great RPG with an incredibly fun battle system, memorable characters, and a classic story.
Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis
A hedgehog that can run at sonic speeds, whats not to like. Showed us that platforming doesn't need to be a slow paced jumpathon, running 200mph and doing crazy loop-da-loops is where its at.
Mortal Kombat II & III Aracade
Crowd of 20 kids waiting their turn to play MKII, hell, even adult men were waiting to play. And who was the person that would be there all day long kicking butt, me. I owned MKII, no one could touch me. First game that I mastered, I knew everything about that game by heart (same goes for MKIII).
Final Fantasy VII PSX
See Kid Aphex
Goldeneye 007 N64
None of my friends are gamers, and you know what, that fucking sucks ass. This is the only game where my friends became like me, totally addicted to a video game. I would have 10 people at a time over, playing 4-player deathmatches all day. Go to school, come home, play Goldeneye till 11pm. OH!, HE'S GOT THE KLOBB! (classic line)
Subspace/Continuum PC
Old online space shooter game, friend introduced to me back in 1999. Didn't think much of at first, then it sucked me in. Sleep? Who needs fucking sleep when I got Subspace!
Neo Geo MVS
No, not just a single game. Yep, even the bad ones. I was empty until I finally had a job and the money to afford my own Neo Geo. The day my 4-Slot Dedicated cab arrived was a great day, I had finally owned something to put me on that next level of gaming nirvana (or dorkness, whichever). I love my cab like a brother, and all the games I have for it.
Ah, memories.
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: K9999 ]</p>
Metal Slug 1 - i picked up a PS port when it first came out and knew nothing of slug games or neo-geo, its the most fun i'ld ever had on a 2D game. Now Metal Slug is probably my favourite game series ever.
Street Fighter 2: Tournament Edition - this was probably the first fighter i ever played in the comfort of my own home. I owned it for the Mega Drive used to play it for hours.
Shenmue - I do now prefer the second version of the game but the original always has the biggest impact. I hate RPG games they bore the living hell outa me but Shenmue is different a completely unique game.
Final Fight - Probably my most played arcade game ever, when i was young i'ld play this for hours in the arcades. An all time classic.
Double Dragon 2 (Nes) - the game that got me into side scrolling beat em ups, funny thing is i still haven't completed it to this day <img src="graemlins/annoyed.gif" border="0" alt="[Annoyed]" /> .
Pro Evolution Soccer - made me see that all Fifa games are poor rehashs which rely on there licenses to sell games. THE GREATEST FOOTIE GAME OF ALL TIME.
theres loads more to (Sonic & Mario games spring to mind, not forgetting Streets Of Rage)
1.Galaga
2.Scramble
3.And the Metal Slug series on MVS
Contra - Super C was my first Contra game and I love it. I got gameboy version later. In 16-bit era, I bought SNES Contra III and Genesis Contra Hardcorp.
Double Dragon - Love Gameboy version so bad and it's one of my all time favorites. Of course, Double Dragon II is slightly better than the first ........
R-type - Simple but hard shooter. Let me see how many versions do I have in hand: PCEngine SCD, Gameboy, Gameboy color and Playstation. They are all the same game but I just want to play it on every platform (seems like I need to get SMS and Turbografx versions)
Street Fighter II - Father of the fighting game. I couldn't remember how much money did I spend on this game...
Final Fight - One of the best beat-n-up
MERCS II - Hot blood overhead action game
Ghouls'n Ghosts - Capcom's masterpiece
El Viento - One of Wolfteam's best works.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (megadrive)
- The game that made me want a megadrive. The speed, scrolling, music and boss encounters were untouched back in '92.
Altered Beast (mastersystem)
- the very first console game i had, i was blown away by being able to change into a beast, and kick of zombie heads. i remember waking up at 4 in the morning on boxing day just to play it.
Streets Of Rage Series (megadrive)
- OWWWWW YEAH!!!!! still play them regularly even now.
Mortal Kombat (megadrive)
- the first 'proper' one on on fighter i ever bought. amazing graphics at the time, and the fatalities were AWESOME! being the little gore-freak i was this game was a godsend.
wolfenstein 3d (PC)
- played it round a friend's house when the master system was still super-popular. needless to say we were well impressed with the graphics, and the 'GUTEN-TAG!' first boss was the icing on the cake. which lead to..
Doom (PC)
- the first 3-d bloodbath. Remember palying it when i was about 10 years old , and being drawn in by the total freedom of movement and all the cool weapomns to kill stuff with. still a revolutionary game
Lethal Enforcers (megacd)
- you could shoot stuff on screen? WITH A BLUE PLASTIC GUN?! i'm their!
Sega Rally (saturn)
- The original and best arcade rally game. playing the desert course for hours and hours to shave seconds of you fastestlap time was so much fun. the presentaion of the game was also superb.
Street Fighter Alpha 2 (saturn)
- rekindled the interest in 2d fighters, which lead to..
Fatal Fury Mark Of The Wolves (dreamcast)
- puts street fighter to shame, and then some.
Vigilante 8 (psx)
- one of the most addicitve and fun games of all time. car-combat with a combo system twist was simply hours of fun, i played it all summer. never have i gotten the price tags worth out of agame so much.
Resident Evil 2 (psx)
- reason i bought one.
Metal Slug (psx)
- the first neo-related game i played, metalslug was and is simply one of the greatest side-scrolling shooters of all time. the weapons, music, humor, and level design were all superb.
Sonic Adventure (dreamcast)
- the first sonic game in years, in total 3-d. an amazing sense of speed and awesome graphics,still a joy to play even now.
Shenmue II (dreamcast)
- the best adventure game of all time.
Genma Onimusha (xbox)
- capcom's best 3d effort. the samurai theme, the locations, the battle system, the 'tug of war' souls, the EVIL,EVIL,EVIL china doll, the hack and slash gameplay is so much fun it takes me back to the good old 16-bit days.
Goldeneye (n64)
- the best CONSOLE FPS till...
Halo (xbox)
- the amazing graphics, scope of the battles, being able to get in a truck while someone handles a gatling gun and the co-driver snipes for you while you powerslide into aliens and smash them up trees is very original for a FPS.
add some great weapons and enemies and music and it's the most original FPS since doom all those years back.
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: 10in2010 ]</p>
Ok, so most everybody knows I am one of the Old Timers here on the boards, so some of these may be a bit before your time.
I lived down the street from a tavern in Wisconsin called "Norton's Breezy Point Resort". They had a game room with pool tables and pinball. Then they got a couple of video games, the first arcade games I ever saw:
<a href="http://www.klov.com/S/Stunt_Cycle.html" target="_blank">Stunt Cycle</a>
and
<a href="http://www.klov.com/C/Carnival.html" target="_blank">Carnival</a>
Soon after that, they got Asteroids, Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and one of my all time favorites - Centipede. I own a Centipede game now, and it is the game I will never sell.
Then one of my friends got a TRS-80 (trash80) with the cassette tape drive. We spent hours playing a Zork like game, but I don't remember what it was.
On the 2600, Ice Racing. That game was aces!
After that not much until Gauntlet. 4 people on Gauntlet is too fun. "Warrior needs food badly!!!" I spent many quarters on that one.
Back to the PC for Wolfenstein, Xargon, and then Mortal Kombat and Doom. Then I hit on Myst. That was a totally different game experience. I was able to finish it without any hints except in the mine area. That part got me completely lost.
Then came MAME. Say what you want, but MAME is a gateway game. After seeing Metal Slug on MAME, I wanted a Neo Geo.
I found my first arcade game on a friends porch - I bought a non-working Stargate for $25. $300 later, it was working and looking great. After that I got my first Neo Geo MVS in a trade, and the rest is history.
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: Briggs ]</p>
Some WWI airplane game - I have no idea what it was called, but it was the first 'video' game I ever played. It didn't use a video screen - it used pictures of planes and explosions on semi-transparent film and some lights that would flash behind it. It only cost 10 cents at a local arcade that was otherwise filled with 25 cent pinball machines
Pong - What can I say? It's the first home system I ever played
Space Invaders (coin-op)
Combat (Atari 2600) - Hours and hours of two player fun
Adventure (Atari 2600) - Sure, you were one big square dot, but it was still fun!
Galaxian (coin-op) - Used to walk all the way to a local store to play this game -- it was like Space Invaders, only BETTER! :)
Space War (coin-op) - 2 player only, 2 minutes per quarter, one-on-one, arcade version of the DEC PDP1 vector graphics original
Pac Man (coin-op and (later) Atari 2600) - I first heard about this game as a rumor, and playing it blew me away! I remember being on vacation in Philidelphia when the Atari 2600 version was released, and I couldn't wait to get home and play it. The conversion sucked (It really wasn't much like the arcade version), but I didn't care-- it was Pac Man! ;)
Missile Command (coin-op) - The track ball and three tiny buttons were so much fun to use, and those explosions were very cool!
Jumpman (Commodore 64) - The first C64 game I played, and played, and played... ;)
Okay, this is getting too long, so I'll just list some other Commodore 64 titles: Raid On Bungeling Bay, Space taxi, Bruce Lee, Raid Over Moscow, Beach Head, Impossible Mission, Colonial Conquest and probably a ton of others I'm missing. That takes us up until I was 16 or 17. There are too many to list if I go any farther.
Stunt Cycle cab reminds me of the classic Paperboy.
Samurai Shodown II -
This was my first Neo game and I was in such awe over how amazing the graphics looked. The gameplay and secrets (fight Kuroko, play Kuroko, the Super Deformed Characters, super secret special moves, etc.) kept me hooked for years and I still come back to it. The game has spoiled all other fighters for me.
X-Wing (PC) -
I just loved this game to death and I hate PC games. I don't even like the Star Wars universe. Just something about this game hooked me and had me playing it for months and months.
Snatcher (Sega CD) -
The best RPG of all time IMO. It was really ahead of its time.
Final Fantasy III -
The best Square RPG ever. A fantastic game.
Flashback -
The best action/adventure game ever. I can't say enough about it.
[quote]Originally posted by Galford Forever:
<strong>
Snatcher (Sega CD) -
The best RPG of all time IMO. It was really ahead of its time.
</strong><hr></blockquote>
I'll call it Digital Comics/Action with a bit RPG element.
Actually Japan has so many digital comics games on PCEngine so it was really ahead of its time in US.
Here we go:
Mario 2 on NES- i can rememebr playing this down at my granparents shore house laying on the floor next to a small 13 inch TV. what a wonderful game taht was, i could play that sucker forever.
Golf on NES- played that downat the shore house to with my uncle (the golf nut), i remember teaching him to play when i was in 1st grade :)
Mario 3 on NES- this one i played all the timje at my house. one memory i'll neevr forget is when my friend john came over and then his sister cam to pick him up she saw us playing, so she sat down for a bit and got a shit load a stuff, hammer bros suit, the frog suit and that one that turns u into a full racoon (katooie suit?) and i told her dont turn it off and she did while she was leaving and i bust out crying for a whole day.
Sewer Sharks on Sega CD- i remember when i got taht system it came w/ sewer sharks and i played it for hours but not getting past the 1st level becasue i coudlnt understand what to do, it was allright though, i just kept watching the FMV intro over and over :D
Simpsons arcade game- nothign needs to be said about that game.
Doom on the Mac- oh what a wonderful game that was. i rememebr my friend and i playing, i would do the walking and he woudl shoot. hah that was great.
Sega Rally Championship on Sega Saturn- played that game for hours on end, what a great racer taht was.
i think that's it :)
Here you go, in chronological order.
VARIOUS NES GAMES - I was into games a little on the Atari 2600, however games weren't an addiction until the NES. It wasn't until I played something that had some kind of ultimate purpose (Contra, Super Mario Bros.), instead of simply racking up points, that games became an obsession.
Street Fighter II - This game presented something that had an depth unlike anything I had seen before. I played this one at home for about two years straight.
Final Fantasy VI - This is the game that got me into RPGs. The story was gripping, epic; the music was incredible.
Samurai Shodown II - Not only do I owe this game thanks for cementing me into the Neo Geo, but it was also the game which showed me that games can indeed be a very potent form of art.
DOOM - DOOM was the greatest addiction of my life. I played DOOM II, Ultimate DOOM, and even the related games Heretic and Hexen for YEARS straight, with little else.
I began with DOOM on the 32X. Even that version was addicting, but it was merely a foreshadow of what was to come with the PC versions, before I had experienced multiplayer, mapmaking, or monster fights.
To me, DOOM had UNLIMITED replay value. In fact I recently played through the PC Ultimate DOOM and DOOM II again, the latter of which is an INCREDIBLE challenge if you save only between levels. As Kid Aphex stated, DOOM did a better job at creating atmosphere than ANYTHING else.
Never before did a game even dare to be so raw or visceral. I didn't just play DOOM, I felt it. As one writer of GameSpy wrote, "In fact, it its best moments, DOOM was utterly terrifying."
The PSX version may have done an even better job at this, as the "music" was simply amazing, but sadly, the rest of the part was lacking in more than a few areas. DOOM 64 is also very well done in this respect, but in the end, nothing else has matched the feel of the PC original.
Valkyrie Profile - Never before had I found a game's story to be so interesting. This game is original and incredibly complex, and yet it seems so elegant on the surface. The music is, without a doubt, the best I have heard in ANY game, and that's a large portion of the experience for me.
That's all.
Most of my favs are mentioned except
Scorched earth
Hell of a lot of fun
Hidden & Dangerous
The original on pc
Combat Mission
Greatest turn-based WW2 stratagy game ever
Air Fortress
Damn, I played way too much of this as a kid :)
There has been a couple:
arcade
Splatterhouse - still the best sideways scolling beat em up ever and the soundtrack is amazing, the day i beat it for the first time - reigns as one of the best days ever
Double Dragon - another outstanding game
Rygar - this game really got me into games - absolute cracker and i still love it
Shinobi - possibly segas finest hour
home systems
Samurai Shodown(aes) - quite irresistable in its day, i couldnt believe i had this on a home system
Super Metroid - another classic by Nintendo
Super Mario 64 - Outstanding and even now i have been blown away again by Mario Sunshine
Monkey Ball - one of the best puzzlers around
Resident evil(ps1) - i remember seeing the Spiders for the first time - made all the hairs on my arm stand on end :)
System Shock 2
The first true FPS/RPG game before the market was fled with Dues Ex. Also the damn creepiest game in existence.
Metriod
Amazing for it's time, I can't really think of any other way to describe it.
Maximum Carnage
Great side scroller, one of the few were yo ucould actually do more then just pound on the "punch" button.
Puzzle Money Exchanger
My favirate puzzler, great with 2 players.
1943: The Battle of Midway
Alisia Dragoon
Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Art of Fighting 2
Bubble Bobble
Castlevania (All installments)
Ceaser II
Contra
Daioh
Doom (All installments)
Fallout
Fatal Fury (All installments)
Final Fight
Half-Life
Heavy Barrel
Hexen
The King of Fighters '96
Life Force
Lords of the Realm
Metal Slug
Metroid
Midnight Resistance
Planescape: Torment
Populous
Quest for Glory I: So you Want to be a Hero?
Quest for Glory III: Wages of War
Raiden Fighters 2
Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession
Realms of Haunting (Holy fucking shit, FIND THIS GAME NOW)
Resident Evil
Rush'N Attack
Scramble
Secret of Mana
Skies of Arcadia
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario 64
The Terminator: Future Shock
Two Crude
Virtua Fighter (All installments)
X-Com: UFO Defense
I am sure I will miss some that had an impact on me but here it goes.
Atari
Combat for Atari. I played pong but this game was the first I played with a friend back in 79 that I knew what was going on. I was four.
NES
Metroid. First time I played at home at night, I really was creeped out as what would be in this next door. It had a creepy atmosphere for a NES game.
Rygar. Great game. I still play it today.
Mario Bros. My first NES game along with Duck Hunt.
Cammando and 1942 for NES. These were the first games I bought myself with saved up money from chores. Great feeling.
Genesis
Altered Beast. Raise from your Grave!! First time my mouth dropped from graphics. I couldn't believe I was playing an Arcade game at home.
Mystic Defender.
John Madden Football.
Shinobi. Broke up with my first girlfriend because of this game!!
Super Nes.
Super Castlevania. I was a teenager and "Mario was for kids" (I was ignorant) But Castlevania was cool. this was the game I got when I picked up my Snes.
Actraiser. Still one of my most favorite games for the Snes.
Zelda. I fortunetly got chicken pox when this game came out so I spent the whole week playing this masterpiece.
Secret of Mana. Just a awesome game. I still play it.
Final Fantasy 3. This was my first real RPG that I played. After finishing it I remember saying to myself, how can games get any better.
Chrono Trigger. Because of certain family problems I had to quite normal High School and go to night school to finish High School. For those wondering, my brother came down with a mental illness so to speak and I had to spend most of my time taking care of him. I still am today but Chrono Trigger was my escape from all this change my life was going through.
Super Metroid. My favorite game. Everything just went right when this game came out. I have great memories with this game. One of the greatest times in my life, as sad as that sounds. But it brought me and my Mother closer. She was my best friend. Also made me realize that the friends I was hanging with was not a good thing. We were all starting to get in to heavy drugs. I just started a few weeks before but after playing this game and spending quility time with my Mother I quit doing the white stuff and have not touched it or any other drug since. This game really did change my life.
Street Fighter 2. I broke my bedframe as me and my friend started shouting hodocan "that's how we said it, at the time" as EB just called saying the game is in. We were jumping up and down like idiots and broke my bed. We stayed up till 5 in the morning playing.
Playstation 1-2
Final Fantasy 2. I still haven't finished it but am close. I think.
Castlevania the import and US SOTN. Best game music ever, along with FF3 and Chrono Trigger. My favorite Castlvania.
Doom for PSX. Most fun I have ever had with 2 players using a 2 player link cable.
ICO. Pure art.
Xenogears. Longest game I have played. Took me 68 hours and 23 mins. to beat. My favorite PSone RPG. One of the best, and most confusing stories in a RPG. It took me most of 1999 to beat.
Neo Geo
Samurai Shodown 1 and 2. Saved up all the money I could to buy a cart system for these games.
King of Fighters series. Great series of fighters besides the fact that some think it is stale.
3DO
Star Control 2. First time I made my own strategy guide and maps for a game. Still one of my favorites.
These are in no order and I am sure I am missing some.
Great topic Steve!
[ September 16, 2002: Message edited by: Shin Guile X ]</p>
Oh man...great topic...
Street Fighter II- First got me into Capcom
Fatal Fury Special- First time I ever played an SNK game, even thought his one was on the SNES, licensed by Takara. (I wrote a faq to it on Gamefaqs, under a false name, VHaalgard. Check it out!)
Capcom vs. SNK- The game that first got me into SNK, just by playing Vice!
Metal Slug 2- The first Metal Slug I played, and now I own the entire series. :D No doubt the greatest game series for the Neo-Geo...
King of Fighters '98- The first KOF I played. Holds a place in my heart, even though I play '97 more though...
Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World- The greatest collection of games in one SNES cartridge. I spent entire days playing this...sweet memories... :)
Street Fighter Alpha 2- (for SNES) Probably the least significant, this got me to buy a Dreamcast in the first place...and now I have SFA3...actually, not quite, I lent it to someone and they haven't given it back yet...
Final Fantasy III (VI in Japan)- The very first RPG I played and I still can't stop playing it, even though i beat it twice. I love this game... <img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[Crying]" />
Chrono Trigger- The latest game I got, and the BEST damn RPG I've ever played, THIS..this game is a work of ART! I still haven't beaten it, but I'm fairly close...this game is...I can't even begin to describe it...
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: ShikiMikoto ]</p>
I have a few of these titles.
The only one that immediately jumps out to me is Phantasy Star 2. I was completely enthralled with this title
nes
zelda- incredible game. i was four an i loved every moment of it to good to put own.
mario2-best platformer and mario game. too damn good to play just once.
snes
zelda link to the past- i spent eight years of my life playing this game, and now that i traded it off to riot of the blood. i realize how much i truely loved that game.
plok- hours of my life were spent on saving plok's flag, from the evil spider queen. i bought it back in 97 for $.50 at a garage sale. and it changed the way i thought a platformer could be.
sf2- my first fighting game and one of my favorites. at the arcade, and at home i would play forever. though i coudln't do a hadoken i played.
ff5- the first import game i ever bought, and thanks to my friend gary liu i could play it. he read everything off of the screen, and i listened intently. it changed the way i buy games and made me want to learn japanese. but to this day i haven't learned any.
neo geo
strikers 1945- incredible top down airplane flying i loved it. i wanted it i didn't know a home system existed. and i knew i couldn't have an arcade, so i was screwed.
kof95- i sauntered up to the big red neo geo in the summer of 96. and this was one of the games up for play. at first i thought it was street fighter, but at closer look i knew it wasn't. i almost walked away till i heard the words: "power wave!" come out of those speakers. terry was back and i was mesmorized. i stood there for hours playing it.
saturn
dragon force- incredible... all i can say is it's incredible. one of those games that when you start, you don't want to stop. and you can start at 7:00am, and in a time that feels like fifteen minutes it's 4:30pm.
dreamcast
sa1- soooooo cool. i was a nintendo fanboy throught the 90's until i saw this. loop the loops, snow boarding and everthing.
shenmue- i thought it was just another adventure title, until i played this gem. oh my god!!!! my jaw dropped to my knees, and i was in heaven. guiding ryo hazuki through this "real world" environment, driving a foklift and shit wow.
psx
re3- it changed me, i was scared shitless to play it. and when i finally did, i realized what a great game it was. jill and carlos trying to make that "last escape" from raccoon city. and all the cool guns that you can have.
i know there's more, but i'm forgetful.
Whoo, how much time do you have?
-Not in Chronological Order-
(Well, Almost)
Super Mario Brothers
Got me into video games, period. I just could not understand how someone could be CONTROLLING what happens ON THE TELEVISION! You WERE the main character. It blew my mind.
The Legend of Zelda
I taught myself how to read partly from books, but mostly from this game. No joke.
Street Fighter II
I remember staring up at the arcade machine and thinking how massive it was, and how the graphics just blew everything else out of the water. It was my first taste of one on one fighting, and real game competetion.
Super Mario World
Still my all time favorite, rivaled by a scant few. This was the reason I bought a SNES, and long after the system was dead, it was the sole reason I bought it again.
Seventh Guest
One of the fondest memories of my childhood is when my father brought home the first CD-ROM drive for our computer, and bought this, Mad Dog McCree, Maniac Mansion and Encarta (not a game, but pretty dang cool nonetheless for its time). None of them affected me more than this game. Laughably bad nowadays due to the horrible acting and how simple the "puzzles" are, but back when it came out, it was my new obsession and the CD was my new God.
Doom
Really pointless to comment, really. Made me fear my computer and the groaning that would inevitably come from the speakers.
Test Drive
The VERY first one. The one that you installed on a series of 1.44 MB disks. Games like this, Rocketeer, Need for Speed (again, the FIRST one), Teenage Mutant Turtles, and the swarms of other PC games that came out around 1987 - 89 really made me love games.
Chrono Trigger
Legend of Zelda got me into the whole "More-than-just-a-twitchfest" gameplay, but this game solidified my love for the RPG genre. It played a part in me realizing that video game could be an art form, but not as much as the next game...
Final Fantasy VI
Video games were a form of art to me, now. Probably affected me more than any other game save Super Mario Brothers and Doom.
PlayStation Demo Disk
The one that came with the system. It was the first time I had seen, much less played, 3-D graphics. Jumping Flash, Wipeout, Battle Arena Toshinden plus Madden clips all destroyed my sense of what a video game could be.
Final Fantasy VII
Sorry, playa haters, but this one was amazing.
Mario 64
Ummm, yeah. The best ever. Waiting in line to play this at Blockbuster and Toys R' Us only to be totally confused by the 3-D controls is a fond memory of mine. That and twirling Bowser around.
I'm forgetting a lot. Hexen, MegaMan 2, Day of the Tentacle, Sam N' Max: Hit the Road, Total Annihilation, NHL 96...ugh, there's a ton. After all that, though, I became pretty jaded and failed to be impressed by even the most Halo-ish of games. Project: Ego better be damn good Molyneaux! (EDIT: Oh yeah, and Metroid better be, too, Miyamoto!) I need to be knocked on my ass again, for old times sake.
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: Zeekade Zarathos ]</p>
Wow, that took a while to read. Here goes, no specific order:
Castlevania 3: This game got me interested in the incredible castlevania series and really sparked my interest in not only playing games but also collecting games. Also sparked me to get a Japanese Famicom recently to get the import version of the game only to find it far superior in graphics and sound. Damn Nintendo for not letting Konami use their own memory mapper for the US relese.
Super Metroid: Face it, this gem recreated the adventure game and gave way for new types of adventures even SOTN.
King of Fighters 94: Nothing impacted me more than playing KOF 94 after mastering Super Street Fighter 2 and finding how much more fun this game was and how much more you could do with it. Its been pure SNK love ever since. Total fanboy here.
Secret of Mana: This game sparked a general interest in RPG's that lasted until the SNES was dead.
Suikoden: This game was my new spark for RPGs and I have craved them ever since. Expecialy the second of the series, these games were pure inovation.
Sin and Punnishment: Wow, that is all I have to say on that one. Really showed what the N64 was capable of without that stupid memory expansion (which gave every game that had an option to use it slowdown oddly enough).
Mega Man 3: Its a classic and one of the best platformers of the classic era. I still have loads of fun with this game even today.
Final Fantasy 6: Face it, this game changed the face or RPGs as we know it.
The Soul Reaver series: I normaly abhore american made games, but both SR games have one of the best most intricate storylines to ever grace a video game coupled with great gameplay and graphics. These games really renewed my interest in 3D games as a whole. I cant really express my love for this series virbaly. Raziel is just a total bad ass, what is even cooler is that an old guy does his voice acting:-)
and last but not least
Tobal 2 and Virtua Fighter 4: Both of these games are examples of fun, fast, and incredibly deep 3D fighters that are easy to pick up, horribly difficult to master, but very rewarding when you do. Both are amazing games.
Oh yeah, almost forgot, Captian Comic: Anybody remember this atrocity of a game for the NES? I dont even think it got Nintendo's offical seal of quality. It had that baby blue cart, boy was it ugly. This goes down in history as one of the worst games ever made and made me realize that not all video games were good.
My list (cool topic btw):
Double Dragon (arcade)-The one that started it all. The slippery slope into VG madness if you will. Still remember the tramautic event of the guy I beat the game with turning on me to get the girl.
Contra-Just a another jewel in Konami's 8-bit crown. The 16-bit ones took "blow that shit up" to the next level. Who doesn't want a spreader for their ideal gun?
Mega Man 3-The best Mega Man game ever. Intro music rocked like you wouldn't believe.
Streetfighter 2-The magical game that made me a fighting game fanatic. Every company owes Capcom a royalty check.
Streets of Rage-The illest beat-em-up series ever. Yuzo Koshiro's soundtracks were GODLY. I think God had an actual hand in making part 2.
Samurai Shodown-This game makes me believe I was a samurai in a former life, I dig it that much. So much it made me a Neo Freak.
Virtua Fighter 2-It was like SF2 all over again. This time seeing the light of 3d goodness. Expert mode rocked.
The King of Fighters-Thought 94 was okay,'95 was pretty good, '96 made me into a fanatic, '97 was like the second hit '96, and like Jet Li '98 is THE ONE. Gameplay, Characters, and Style have never come together greater than KOF'98. SNK's best.
Shining the Holy Ark-Turned an RPG hater into a believer. Opened the doors of appreciation so I could enjoy 16-bit FFs.
Suikoden-Konami genius of old in rpg form. Suikoden 2 rocks beyond belief and it's my favorite traditional RPG of all time.
RPG Maker-If you're creative and love RPG's you MUST own this. It made me run out and buy a PS as soon as I heard about it.
Panzer Dragoon Saga-Beautiful game which would be the precursor to something greater. The bond me and my dragon Duke had was unforgettable.
Shenmue-My current game obsession. Simply put this spiritual descendant of PDS is the future of storytelling. You may not believe it but what better way to tell the story than to live it? This is the realest shit you will play until they come out with some next-level Holodeck shit from ST:TNG. I'll convinced Yu Suzuki is like Griffith from Berserk, a motherfucker so charismatic and good at what he does his workers (Am2) will follow him to the ends of the Earth. It's the only way I can rationalize people putting in the insane amount of work to make a game like Shenmue. Shenmue is the future transcending tradition gamedom.
In no order:
Shen Mue
Doom
Street Fighter 2
Streets of Rage 2
Flashback
Soul Calibur
Zelda OoT
Landstalker
Shining Force 2
Thunder Force IV
Sega Rally
Final Fantasy VII
Crazy Taxi
Lunar 2
Snatcher
Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solid 2
And possibly I'm missing a lot...
Final Fantasy
Street Fighter 2 WW
Final Fantasy V - first import
Samurai Shodown - every day after my min. wage job in Coney Island, I came back to this game.
Samurai Shodown 2
Samurai Shodown 3 - I'm not kidding here. I ran miles, literally, miles, to play this game. From Bethesda, Md to Rockville, Md.
19XX - made me fall in love with shooters
Final Fantasy Tactics - I lost interest in traditional FF style RPGs after this game. I became a strictly SRPG fan.
Asura Zanmaden - I sold it all for a game that everyone could now buy for peanuts. Life is special like that.
I can't believe I left out the Panzar Dragoon series. While not your typical shooter, it is my favorite series as far as shooter's go. I love the atmosphere these games have. I hope Smilebit does the series justice. Hopefully they can make a sequel to Saga.
I always love these topics.
In no particular order:
Tekken 2&3:
Many a class in college was skipped, many a case of beer drank and many a times it settled grudges in my apartment/dorm room because of these too. They are pretty much the same game, but It was THAT addictive. (even have the cab.)
Mortal Kombat:
first fighting game that I could never put down. Truly a gem.
Mortal Kombat 2:
Same as tekken, 2 years earlier
Killer Instinct:
My favorite fighting game of ALL time. Spent so many quarters, then hours with the SNES port in my house.
MG, MGS, SR:
The best 3 Metal Gear games. MG was the first NES game I ever beat, got it the day it came out, love it to death. I still remember codes for this game, 10+ years later. MGS was my most anticipated title of all time and it was INCREDIBLY innovative.
MvC:
Another incredilbe fighter.
LoZ:ALTTP:
First RPG I ever got into, and it was right after a gf dumped me in college. The only thing that made life worth living when I was 18. HAHAHA.
Duke Nukem 3d:
The BEST FPS for its time.
Halo:
Just got it not too long ago, couldn't put it down.
Marathon 2: Durandal:
My best friend went to drexel where LAN games were marathons and intense. THE BEST MULTIPLAYER GAME EVER. Find it, learn it, live it love it. The plot in the Marathon series is so deep, it puts most RPG's to SHAME.
MSR:
The only driving game I ever liked. Makes driving games FUN.
Aliens Vs. Predator:
One of the few well known Jag games. Doesn't hold up well over time, but a great mood game and harder than a coffin nail. A great challenge.
Super Metroid:
Do I need to say more than, THIS IS SUPER METROID. The best platformer EVER. Innovative, INSANE MUSIC, INSANE CHALLENGE, INSANE GRAPHICS. This may be the BEST game EVER made.
GTA3
TTT
I don't remember graduating, and my first sexual experience, I don't remember that either but I'll never forget those games ;) (If anyone find the movie line I quote at 90%...)
In no real order:
- Pole Position (Atari 2600, first videogame I've ever played)
- Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (Atari 2600, got me hook on my 2600 for a long time!)
- Metal Gear (NES, my first Metal Gear exposure and I couldn't stop playing it)
- Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX2, gave me basically a whole new vision of videogames)
- Metal Gear Solid (PS, innovative and extremely addictive)
- Mike Tyson's Punch Out (gave me a reason to get hook on the NES)
- Contra (who can forget that!)
- Super Contra 3 (WOW!)
- Castlevania (NES, loved it from the first time I've played it)
- Castlevania IV (I still play it today, awesome graphics and music score)
- NHLPA 93 (Genesis/Mega Drive, I was a hockey fan back then and this game made me buy a Genesis)
- Wing Commander 2 (PC, completely hook on it, wish I could play it again)
- Police Quest 3 (PC, see WC 2 ;) )
- Police Quest 4 (PC, A leap over the rest of the PQ series, innovative again and awesome to play)
- Lakers vs. Celtics (PC, first PC I've had, can't forget that and the wait I had to play it!)
- KOF 98 & 99 (DC port first, made me realize that the Neo was so awesome!)
I know there are others, I just can't think of anymore at the moment :(
Here's just a few: (not sorted)
Oil Imperium:
I liked this one a lot on my old Amiga 500, since I could not save on the disc I had to play through it at one time.
Mario Kart:
I loved this sucker, especially in Battle and 2P Cup Mode, of course.
Command and Conquer:
It was THE reason to get a PC, I love this game! (and hate what they did with part 2)
Mortal Kombat II:
Hard to believe how much time I have spent with this game, beating the shit out of my friend in Endurance mode.
Metal Slug X + 3:
2D-graphics and action overkill. If you didn't play this one, you didn't play at all.
:cool:
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: rayden ]</p>
Fucking shit, suddenly all the wonderful treasurable experiences of gaming that I've had are flooding through my thoughts and I am left with an overwhelming warmness.
For time sake though I will not be able to fully realize this post but I'll list the games that really stamped me "gamer for life" despite attempts of society trying to make me become more "mature":
Super Mario Bros.-
honestly speaking, this game is the first game I've played in the states and it is what made me become the addict that I am today.
Contra -
I look back now and I am still awestruck. Effortless gameplay with awesome bosses, and the kind of pace that leaves you breathless yet very satisfied.
Bionic Commando -
The BEST, most original concept ever. Awesome game design all centered around that "concept". For you people who don't know what I'm referring to, it's that retractable arm. Games in those days were magical!! Not even a handful today, despite the overwhelming technology, come close.
Street Fighter II Turbo -
The sole reason I bought an SNES. I alotted 2 hours of homework time each day to this game. You know those presents that you really wish for on Birthday's and holidays like Christmas, and you're not sure if you'll get it because it's just so overwhelmingly awesome that in the back of your mind you know it's just to much to have and not deserving - well this was it for me (an SNES system, an extra controller, and a brand new, still in the shrinkwrap copy of STREET FIGHTER II TURBO). I'm still in search of that "presents high" to this day and I've yet to duplicate it.
Tekken 1 - The 90's marvel for me. My friends and I would spend many a night playing vs. matches. 1st 3D fighter I've played. The characters were one of the most memorable I've ever seen - example PAUL PHOENIX!!
Tekken 2 - The first sequel that I myself overhyped and met with full expectation and then some! A magical game. The CG was fuckin amazing, and the graphics were leagues better than an already fantastic Tekken 1. This was a sequel that spoiled one not to play the original ever again. 2 things especially (there are hundreds of things that are still awesome about it) still stick out vividly in my mind about this game and make me want to come back to realize it again: 1. Yoshimitsu's forest stage (so serene), and Heihachi's power bomb (best representation of POWER I've seen in a game).
Goldeneye -
What a gem, let me repeat, WHAT A GEM!!! I agree with 10in2010 100% that this is still the best FPS ever to grace a console. Never have I heard so much praise about a game. I mean I would hear it from classmates during a calculus study group for GOD's sake!! The BEST movie game ever! The BEST injury mechanics ever! (I will never forget the first time I shot someone in the balls, LOL) This game broke the trend of me being a one console per generation gamer!! I would have been completely satisfied if this was the only game I had for the N64. The N64 IS GOLDENEYE!! I honestly think that they should call it the Rare64 System (maybe that was cheesy but who the fuck cares :D ).
Ridge Racer Type 4 -
Like I've said many times before, I hate sports games! This is the game that labels me a blatant hypocrite. But then again none of the cars are by real companies so... The race tracks are a thing of beauty with so much ambiance that it makes you want to sit by a fireplace in an leather easy chair wearing a velvet robe, with a pipe in your mouth!! My favorite opening CG, and favorite video game song. Add the JoGcon and NeGcon, and you're in video game heaven folks!!
Namco is the SHIT.
Radiant Silvergun -
NUFF SAID
Mark of the Wolves (Home Cart U.S., MINTY :D )-
I obsessed over it for what felt like 10 year :) and when I got it, I cried. Best characters and animation. Will never get sick of it. MY Street Fighter II turbo of the millenium if you will. Never had a game have so much awe around it.
Last Blade 1 and 2 -
Most Enchanting ATMOSPHERE thanks especially to the backgrounds and the characters.
Man I feel so renewed and energized towards video gaming. Thanks Steve.
I don't have this signature for nothin folks!!
Hey Shin Guile X, some good stories there. Especially the SFII and Super Metroid one, very cool. Your Shinobi one was interesting as well, may I ask what happened?
I forgot a few for games that made a lasting impression on me:
NES
----
-Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
-MegaMan 2
SNES
-----
-The Combatribes
This was the first ever import I played and rented. It's a colorful beat 'em up. I love the SNES version, even though it didn't maintain all of its arcade traits, such as being able to throw motorcycles at the bad guys.
I rented this game about 6 times, in different towns, different stores, spanning some 3, 4 years. Every so often, when the world got scary, I would go rent this game to take my mind off the world. It sounds corny, but this game meant quite a lot to me.
Long live Bullova!
EDIT: No prob, BakuretsuMutekiSid!
[ September 15, 2002: Message edited by: Steve ]</p>
Not by release order :
Fatal Fury Special
Wonderboy III / Dragons Curse
Street Fighter II CE
Phantasy Star IV
Zelda : Adventures of Link
Zelda : Link to the past
Sensible Soccer
Unreal Tournament
Alien Vs Predator
Streets of Rage 2
Turrican
Turrican II
Mega Turrican
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Super Mario World
F-Zero
F-Zero X
Mario 64
Zelda : Majora's Mask
Zelda : Ocarina of Time
Real Bout Fatal Fury
Final Fight
R-type
After Burner
Double Dragon
Samurai Shodown
Spellcaster
Super Mario 3
Metroid
Bubble Bobble
Tetris
Columns
Tiger Heli
Robo Warrior
Castlevania
Simon's Quest
Metal Slug 3
The King of Fighters 94
The King of Fighters 95
The King of Fighters 98
Super Street Fighter 2
R-Type Delta
Blazing Star
Shock Troopers
Thunder Force III
Thunder Force IV
Destruction Derby 2
Wrecking Crew
The Secret of Monkey Island
The Secret of Monkey Island 2
Pang
Toki
Hard Drivin
Daytona USA
Sega Rally 2
Scud Race
Daytona USA 2
Virtua Tennis
Dyna Blaster
Super Castlevania
Ironman's : Super Off Road
Apidya II
Super Frog
Machster United Club Football 2
Saboteur
The House of the Dead 2
Resident Evil
Max Payne
Serious Sam the 2nd Encounter
King of the Monsters 2
Windjammers
Enough ?? try to find more than 3 Playstation games... :D :rolleyes:
Real Bout 1/Special - Ok, ever since I played these games, I couldn't shut my mouth about how great they were. The music was great - Duck King's theme (RB1/RBS), Franco Bash (RB1), Billy Kane (RBS).
The backgrounds specially those in Real Bout 1 were incredible, they changed after each round, there was something happening consistently and there was obviously the out of bounds feature which spiced things up. I never imagined a 2D game could be this detailed. The characters were able to interact completely with the backgrounds.
Finally the linesway system has always been one of my favourite ideas, you would see characters fly into the screen in RB1, you could combo your opponent from plane to plane and in RBS you could choose which plane to fight in. There were also certain special moves like Mai and Andy's Phantom Shiranui (RB1), Krauser's Counter (RBS) and Duck King's Cross Head Spin (RBS) which really made you appreciate the linesway system.
I also liked the idea of string combos and pursuits. Real Bout 1 had an amazing ending. It really made an impact on Geese's demise. The final animation was incredible and damn well unexpected.
I have never seen a 2D game which has come as close to Real Bout 1 and Special in terms of innovation and graphic excellence. I thought Garou: MotW would beat it, but did MotW have the linesway system or linesway combos? NO. Did MotW have character and background interaction? NO. Did MotW have pursuits or string combos? NO. Did MotW have desperation attacks? NO. Was I disappointed? Take a guess.
Resident Evil 3 - Ok, I don't see why this game was rated so bad by many. It totally changed the way I looked at games. Unlike the previous games, you had to really conserve ammo. Taking out zombies was just pointless, what's more some zombies got a burst of speed. You had to struggle to survive.
Ammo mixing - Great idea, the game will always be different
Live selection - Adds replayability
The dodge button - Ok this is what I loved the most. It just looks great watching Jill push away zombies, duck under Hunter's head swipes, dodge multiple attacks from Nemmy.
Nemesis - The ultimate monster, nothing in previous games matched the Nemesis. Let's compare RE2's Tyrant (He intimidated you, kinda saying "I can walk up to you like this because there's nothing you can do to stop me"). Nemmy was like this except for one thing. Once you got a fair distance away from him, he'd give chase. He could outrun Jill, dodge Rocket Launcher and Grenade Launcher attacks and would return stronger than ever every time he was defeated. Nemmy would pick you up and throw you on the ground, at this point you are thinking "thank goodness now he can't hurt me, right?" - WRONG. Nemmy would pick you up off the ground and attempt the finisher. Nemmy was designed to destroy STARS members and anything which gets in his way. It wasn't uncommon seeing Nemmy take out zombies standing in his path. Nemmy couldn't give a shit about Carlos either, the moment you run away from him he will turn his attention to Jill. This for me was one of the high points of the game, the encounters with Nemmy, the dodging, the fear of being caught and the control pad simulating a hear beat all in one package made the game one hell of a ride.
NES:
Super Mario I & II
Gradius
Life Force
Snake rattle n`roll
SNES:
Super Bomberman
Zelda
Mario World
Super R-type
Star Fox
Street Fighter II
Arcade\Neogeo
Fatal Fury Special
SS II & III
KOF 95`-98`
Virtua Fighter 2
Viewpoint
Bust-A-Move
PC\Amiga 500\C64
Doom I & II
Pools of Radiance
Bubble Bobble
Parasol Stars
Nuclear War
Eye of the Beholder
[quote]Originally posted by Neo Rasa:
<strong>1943: The Battle of Midway
Alisia Dragoon
Alone in the Dark
Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare
Art of Fighting 2
Bubble Bobble
Castlevania (All installments)
Ceaser II
Contra
Daioh
Doom (All installments)
Fallout
Fatal Fury (All installments)
Final Fight
Half-Life
Heavy Barrel
Hexen
The King of Fighters '96
Life Force
Lords of the Realm
Metal Slug
Metroid
Midnight Resistance
Planescape: Torment
Populous
Quest for Glory I: So you Want to be a Hero?
Quest for Glory III: Wages of War
Raiden Fighters 2
Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession
Realms of Haunting (Holy fucking shit, FIND THIS GAME NOW)
Resident Evil
Rush'N Attack
Scramble
Secret of Mana
Skies of Arcadia
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario 64
The Terminator: Future Shock
Two Crude
Virtua Fighter (All installments)
X-Com: UFO Defense</strong><hr></blockquote>
No Galaga listed amoungst those gems ?
[quote]Originally posted by pyrokilla:
<strong>Most of my favs are mentioned except
Scorched earth
Hell of a lot of fun
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Have you ever played Death Tank or Death Tank Zwei on Saturn? They supported up to 7 players (only 6 in the original Death Tank), and are basically a real-time version of Scorched Earth. IMO, Death Tank and Death Tank Zwei are the best party games ever made!
Phantasy Star 1
Super Mario Brothers
Combat
Outrun
Quake 2
Asheron's Call
Samurai Shodown/Street Fighter 2
Pac-Man = got me interested in gaming way back in 1982 when I was in first grade. Such a charismatic character and great gameplay got me hooked on gaming for life.
Adventure = This classic Atari 2600 game was played constantly and I began to think about how this type of game could be improved and what adventure games would be like on other future consoles.
Early NES games = Too many to list, but back in 1987 - 1989 Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Warrior were played for hours and hours. Finally, there was a console powerful enough to generate the types of worlds and experiences I had hoped for since the Atari days.
Altered Beast I remember in 8th grade looking throught the Sears wishbook with my friends at study hall and seeing the Genesis for the first time. That Christmas I got the Genesis and played Altered Beast over and over. My perception of video gaming had been changed forever.
Sega Rally Best racing game of all the 32 bit consoles and the only reason why I still own a Sega Saturn. Never before have the physics of powersliding been conveyed so realistically in a video game.
Baseball Stars Professional This was the first game I saw and played for the Neo when the first MVS system showed up at a local arcade in the fall of 1990. Absolutely revolutionary.
super mario bros - first game i ever played
earthbound - got me in to rpgs
I'm confused. I thought that these games were supposed too be the ones that really "impacted" you. Not just the best games you liked for each system. Some of you guys have 2~3 games and list how they impacted you, and I think that's what was expected of the thread, but then the lists of 30 games with no explaination, not sure what happened there.
hmmn. grump because I'm hungry, and craving Roy Rogers, but Roy's is gone.
[quote]Originally posted by Steve:
Hey Shin Guile X, some good stories there. Especially the SFII and Super Metroid one, very cool. Your Shinobi one was interesting as well, may I ask what happened?<hr></blockquote>
Sure. She had to spend the day at her Mom's work and she was bored. I just picked Shinobi up and was really looking forward to it. Well put in the cart and my phone rings. I listened for her for an hour or so and I said I would really like to play this game I just got and she got all bitchy and all. So I handle it, and hang up with her and everything is fine. Fifteen minutes later she calls again and I am getting a little bit angry. So basically this goes on for the rest of the day, and I blew and we broke up.
It was a good thing though as I was with her the whole school year and things were on the decline anyway. I was trying to find a way to end it anyway but didn't want to be mean and was looking for a way to do it without being an asshole. So That's basically what happened. I still owe Sega a favor for that one ;)
Ok after much thought inbetween work I've come up with this, be careful it's gonna be a doozy!
Super Mario Bros. 1/3 - NES
When I was younger SMB1 was it cause well it's all we had. But eventually when I actually got my own NES it was all about SMB3 it was beyond the shit and I can remember the day I finnally beat that game, it was wonderful.
Mega Man 2 & 3 - NES
These two were gems as far as I'm concerned. I played the living hell out of these games and loved every second of it. They just kept me coming back for more with them.
Sonic 1/2/3/Knuckles - Gen
Early in the 16Bit era the Genesis was my machine of choice and Sonic, not Mario was my defining platformer and I don't regret it. All those sonic games on the Genny were heaven on earth.
Street Fighter 2: CE - Gen
I remember crying when this was a SNES exclusive and all I had was a Genesis. But eventually the incredible version came out and it was incredible. I remember buying a 6-button pad for this game and it handling way better than the SNES version. I cut my "Fighting game teeth" on this puppy.
Mortal Kombat 2 - SNES
Looking back MK2 was a guilty pleasure, but it was a fun one. I remember having the shitty Gen version and I went out and traded in my SegaCD to get a SNES just so I could hear the word "Fatality" at the end of the matches (not to mention the other improvements). I could kick all ass in that game, I knew every single character and it was all good.
Killer Instinct - SNES
A HUGE guilty pleasure back in the day, but after MK2 I went to this puppy. Sure it's shit by today's standards but back when you're a 13 year old kid it was like crack. I remember pulling off my first Ultra combo with Orchid back in the day, and I also remember getting a SNES pad with all 6 buttons on the face so I could really kick ass. I remember the summer it came out, I stood at home and waited for the game instead of going to the pool with my mom, sister and friends. Then when I finnally called the EB for the 4th time that day they had it. I rode my bike as fast I fucking could to go get my mom to drive me to the mall. When I got that game I played it for like 3 days straight, never leaving my room (except when necessary of course). I mastered like every single character in that game.
Chrono Trigger - SNES
My first RPG that I played through, and the beginning of my Square fanboyism. My cart had characters up to level 99 with ** for ability scores because I had played through the game so many damn times. I've gotten all 14 endings in that game, many many times over. Still one of the greatest gaming experiences in my life.
Final Fantasy VII - PSX
I got Chrono Trigger (see above) well past the SNES's prime, so my next RPG was FF7 on the PSX. And this my friends is where I knew I'd play this series till I died. I cried when Aieris died, and from that point I wanted nothing but revenge. I played that game to all hell just to get back at that mother fucker, and I did. I never got that into a RPG before and after this game.
Final Fantasy VI/3 - PSX/SNES
I played this one after FF7 and a few other RPG's, once on PSX and once on SNES (went back and got the cart). This game really was incredible. I didn't care what the GFX looked like (I played a bunch of 32Bit RPG's before this, remember) it was still in-fucking-credible. Still one of my favorite RPG's, and thats after playing a shitload of em.
Xenogears - PSX
I played this game's demo (that came with Parasite Eve) for months before finnaly getting the game for XMas that year. I remember getting all attatched to that town in the beginning of the game, and then it well blew up. I remember my jaw just staying on the floor for like 10 minutes after I saw that on Xmas morning when I was playing the game.
Mario 64 - N64
It was full 3D mario. What more do you need?
Soul Calibur - DC
Played this shit on import at a tournament Babbages was having the summer before the DC launched. It was god, I had to have it. I played the shit out of this game and just didn't stop till my thumbs hurt.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 - DC
Say what you will about this game, but it brought me out of my 3D platforming/RPG craze and back into the world of fighting games (well this and Soul Calibur). But I wouldn't be here or playing a Neo right now if it wasn't for this game bringing me back into the 2D fighting realm.
Capcom vs. SNK 2 - PS2
I love this game, it took all my favorite SNK chars and put them against my SF chars and I fucking love it. I almost exclusively use SNK characters, except well I have to have Akuma on my team a lot of the time because I can rock the house with him. Still it's an incredible game.
KOF 2k - Neo-Geo
It was my first KOF that I owned, I played the shit out of it and then some. I remember selling my AES and then selling the game, I got it immediately when I got my MVS setup up and running. Even though now I may play 98 and 2k1 more I still look at KOF2k as the game that hooked me on this series.
Doom - PC
I played this only in single player. It was incredible, it was fun, it was scary as hell. One of my first PC games and I still look back at it fondly to this day.
Quake 2 - PC
I remember playing this game on my Voodoo-1 Card, a 4Mb Monster 3D card I had. It ran at 640x480 and was very playable. This was the first game that I played online. I actually had the GamePro Quake 2 server IP for a long time and that's the server I learned how to play a FPS competitively on that server. Hell I even beat out a few of the Gamepro staff a few times when they were on (which wasn't as much as you'd think). Still it was an AWESOME server that really only some of the better people were on, and for a long time I was the scrub who'd always get knocked around. But when I left I would pull shit off on those maps that would tear all ass on most players. :D
Quake 1: Warefare MOD (TOGL homebrew Mod) - PC
When I got to college and "The Online Gamers League" (TOGL) was still playing Quake 1, I was liek WTF? This is a college gaming club? But what it really was, was a mod based off of Quake 1 Team Fortress that was further modded by the club. I spent most of Freshman and Sophomore year with this game, and even though I learned how to play a FPS online with Quake 2, I had to go to Quake 1 to perfect my skillz. I still say that this has to be one of the best mods ever made for a game. (Yes, Fuck you CounterStrike).
Delta Force - PC
Another game I learned from TOGL (see above). It's a little known realistic FPS that has really really bad graphics. But it's fun as all hell with the right people. It's more of a snipers game, that didn't go well with my Rambo-Quake style of play, but most of my sniping skillz originate from this game.
Quake 3/Unreal Tournament - PC
I lump these two together cause I play them the same amount of time and they're practically the same game with different styles of play to them. Still it's a Multiplayer centered FPS that is just balanced, fun, and adrenaline pumping. You just can't beat either of them.
Well, I've rattled on for most of my lunch break, and I doubt many are going to read all this but hey, it was nice to remember all these games!
Peace
JHendrix
[quote]Originally posted by EvilWasabi:
<strong>I'm confused. I thought that these games were supposed too be the ones that really "impacted" you. Not just the best games you liked for each system. Some of you guys have 2~3 games and list how they impacted you, and I think that's what was expected of the thread, but then the lists of 30 games with no explaination, not sure what happened there.
hmmn. grump because I'm hungry, and craving Roy Rogers, but Roy's is gone.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Each game I listed had a tremendous impact on my expectations and desires in the areas that said games excel in. The Terminator: Future Shock and Realms of the Haunting, for example, showed me how attention to detail and an overall good plot and often make for a creepier experience than spooky graphics, etc. Most of the games I listed impacted me in that they all in their own way changed how I look at video games and how I try to enjoy them. All of them influenced how I would go about making something "intense" on both a visceral and an atmospheric level while still keeping the overall product fun.
I'm not quite sure what the original question was but I guess I'll try...
Hmm...
One system that probably started my video-game addiction was a Radio Shack "Tv Scoreboard" it was a bunch of pong and light-gun games on one machine. There was a game selector, speed, paddle size selectors, reset button, speaker (on the back), two paddles (one on the main "console" the other on the end of a wire) and a lightgun DIN connector (w/lightgun.)
Games were: Tennis (PONG), squash (two paddles on one side of the screen, players alternatively had to hit the ball which would bounce off the side and far walls), hockey (pong with 2 extra paddles, one of which was in the opposing player's court), skeet and target shooting.
THe main problem was that most of the games required two players, but I used to try and play by myself. I also remember a few bugs in the games. You can use the lightgun to make the ball disappear when playing the pong games. It was fun for 3 or 4 player (the 3rd and 4th player would be teamed up with someone and would take turns shooting the ball in an attempt to make the opposing player miss.) There was also weird hybrid games when you selected "partway".
On the 2600, I think I wasn't able to stop playing Gyruss and Battle zone.
Vic-20 and TRS-80 CoCo 3. They had good games, but I think I had more fun making my own. I did a punch-out clone on the CoCo3 which I was proud of.
On the SMS, I still enjoy a bit of Vigilante (mostly because I can beat it everytime) and Golden Axe. Of course the same goes for Phantasy Star and Spellcaster, but being RPGs, you just can't pick it and start playing for half and hour and then pack it away for a while.)
On the Amiga, I can't resist a playing Turrican 2 (there are loads of classics, but for some reason I always load this one in.) In fact, I think Turrican 2 was probably one of the best games for it's time. You had sooo many weapons, the graphics, music and sound effects where great!
TurboDuo: Gates of Thunder redefined "shoot-em-up" for me (Lords wasn't released then). Y's 1&2 really impressed me in terms of RPG. Shockman and Soldier Blade showed me what HuCard's could do. Umm... For some reason everytime I plug in my Duo, I play "Riot Zone". (Of course I play some Dracula X, and others as well.) Vasteel was another game that I felt redefined a genre (or it's own genre Action/Strategy).
Then the 3D0 came on board. Crash N Burn, Shockwave and later Twisted, Need for Speed and Fifa Soccer all sort of redefined their respective genres for me. I remember playing Crash N Burn and just when I started to get tired of playing it, I select the shop after a race and was offered a piece of black-market gear. It perked my interest right away. I also realllllly liked "D", but I didn't own it. :(
Then came the Jaguar.... And after a while... Iron Soldier! :) OUt of the games I own, I usually play Burnout (I think that's the name). It's a decent Hang-on clone.
Next was PSX. Umm... The Toshinden series, "One" and "Circuit Breakers". Although the later was just a 3D'fied 2D top-down 4 player racing game. :p Not revolutionary in any case but loads of fun!
Dreamcast was next. Umm... Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive 2, Soul Reaver were games that caused my jaw to drop at first. I recently got a light gun, so I'm starting to play the light gun games on my DC again. Oh... I can't forget Looney Tunes Space Race. Great fun. :p (I still need to find San Fransisco Rush 2049!!)
Okay...
Hmm... Forgot a few other systems but that gives you and idea...
excellent post
My list is:
mario brothers
simpsons (arcade)
crime fighters
robo cop
mercs
aliens
tmnt
samurai showdown series
metal slug series
sunset riders (arcade)
pigskin footbrawl
sonic series
mike tysons punchout
super punchout
GTA3
tokyo extreme racer zero
tokyo extreme racer 2
driver 1 & 2
Streets of rage 1 & 2
raiden 2
heavy barrel
silent hill series
resident evil series
onimusha warlords
golden axe
dungeons and dragons
knights of valour
and more yet to play....
Almost every good RPG I've ever played, especially Chrono Cross.
Oh, and a little something I like to call... NiGHTS into Dreams!!!!