So, I kind of like games. And by that I mean I like games. Okay, I REALLY like games. I’ve been playing them since elementary school. I’ve owned every major Nintendo console, the first two Playstations, a Genesis, a Dreamcast, an X-Box 360, multiple kinds of Game Boys, a DS, and a Playstation Portable, and pretty soon I intend to get a Playstation 3 as well. And while I like some genres more than others (I’m partial to Platformers, Third Person Action-Adventure and Tactical Role Playing Games) I’m hard pressed to think of a genre that doesn’t have a title I like in it.
So yeah.
This page is here to give you an idea of my widely varying tastes in games. Here I represent some of my favorite series, games which have impacted my outlook on game design and storytelling, and in general just things I like.
Super Mario Series
Like most young’ns whose first console was an NES, the impact of the Super Mario series on me cannot be understated. Shigeru Miyamoto’s most well known franchise set me on the path from a simple wide eyed kid into the gamer I am today. I’ve played every almost every game in the franchise, and have loved them all. There really isn’t a whole lot to say, other than without Mario, I don’t know if I would be the same person I am now.
My favorite games from this series would be Super Mario Bros 3, Yoshi’s Island, and Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario Bros 3 remains one of the most impressive 2D side scrollers ever, Yoshi’s Island managed to create an entirely new experience out of the franchise, and Super Mario Galaxy is one of the most awe-inspiring, fun experiences I have ever had.
The Legend of Zelda Series
While I wasn’t one of those kids who had a magical Christmas morning finding a gold NES cartridge under the tree, the influence Zelda had on my gaming tastes cannot be overlooked. The epic adventures to be found in Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time adjusted my gaming aesthetic to epic length adventures, and their emphasis on puzzle solving as a part of dungeon navigation further tilted my compass to the Adventure and Role Playing genres.
My favorite games from this series would be Link to the Past, Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker. To this day, Link to the Past remains one of my favorite games, period, and it created an almost unbreakable formula for success that is still a joy to return to even now. Majora’s Mask took the foundation created by Ocarina of Time and transplanted it into an impressively dark world with more than enough twists to the gameplay to make it a challenging, immersive and engaging experience. Wind Waker is one of the most epic titles I have ever perceived, and its handling of Cel Shading gave me a taste for expertly crafted stylized graphics over realism.
Metroid Series
My adventures with Samus Aran didn’t begin until the Gamecube era, and so when I wax nostalgically about adventures through alien worlds, I can only think of Metroid Prime. Since first taking that foray, I have played through the rest of the franchise as well, and their handling of a large persistent world and emphasis on exploration always make for a strong gaming experience.
My favorite title in this series is Metroid Prime; it was the first I played, and it served to open me up to the notion of first person perspective games through its highly immersive handling of the UI, atmospheric storytelling, and allowing the user to find the story by scanning the environment. The gameplay is exciting and the world deep, and so I can always point to this game as my personal choice for the pinnacle of First Person Gaming.
Secret of Mana
The first RPG I ever played, and it remains to this day to be a personal favorite. Its emphasis on action keeps the game fresh, the world is bright, colorful and mesmerizing, and the story, while simple, remains endearing. Some will point to Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger as the RPG to play on the SNES; I will only point to Secret of Mana.
Mother (Earthbound) Series
The first game to ever have a profound impact on my mind as I played, Earthbound (Mother 2), while being a fairly simple RPG in form, manages to transcend its barriers through both some humor and some incredible tricks of storytelling. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the game to me back then, and still to this day, was its removal of the fourth wall and turning that into a story point at the end.
And then Mother 3 came out for the GBA, and proved that narrative for games could be powerful and heart wrenching with one trick: allowing you to name every member of your main character’s family, only to tear it apart through the course of the story. Tear jerking and powerful, and yet also strange and amusing at times, and with a few fascinating gameplay ideas to keep combat entertaining, Mother 3 is in my eyes one of the finest JRPGs ever produced.
Final Fantasy Series
While Secret of Mana created my interest in RPGs and Earthbound solidified it, I cannot deny my enjoyment of some of the earlier Final Fantasy games as well. I’m personally partial to IV, V, VI, and IX. The story of IV was the first strong story I had encountered in a game, the gameplay of V I found to be engaging and deep, the world of VI was enchanting and unique, and IX exemplifies what I consider the best of Fantasy-genre Japanese Role Playing Games.
Metal Gear Solid Series
Some criticize MGS for its overly long cutscenes breaking up its gameplay, but for me, the experiences crafted by Hideo Kojima have made a lasting impact on how I view video game narrative. The stealth action always provides an excellent challenge, and the stories range from enjoyable to existentially mind blowing.
I am especially fond of Metal Gear Solid 2 (in keeping with the contrarian viewpoints on this series.) Much like Earthbound, its treatment of postmodern themes and the connection between player and avatar blew my mind in a number of ways. I could talk for ages on why, but I want to keep these notes small.
Resident Evil 4
The first (and so far only) Resident Evil title I have played, Resident Evil 4 introduced me to third person over-the-shoulder shooters, and its remarkably intense gameplay kept me playing. I describe the feel of a good over the shoulder shooter as having a strong PUNCH to it; it controls tightly, and every action and impact feels like it carries a little bit of weight. With this PUNCH, the third person perspective becomes extremely immersive, even though the player isn’t seeing the world directly through the eyes of the character.
Okami
If Wind Waker opened my eyes to the glory of stylized rendering, then surely Okami is the light that it opened my eyes to see. Okami is a visual tour de force, still in my eyes one of the best looking games ever. The fact that the game is still an incredibly solid action adventure helps alot, as well.
Zone of the Enders 2
The first Zone of the Enders game was a prototype for something greater. That something was Zone of the Enders 2, one of the most spectacularly epic and fun action games I have ever had the pleasure to play. Unlike other games which have you piloting a giant robot, this game throws away all pretensions of realism in order to make the player feel as much like an anime-styled giant robot pilot as possible. Combat is exciting and fast paced, and the scenarios, especially the “You against the enemy air force” and “you supporting the resistance in a massive battle” are incredibly well designed.
Shadow of the Colossus
Perfection through imperfections. Everything about Shadow of the Colossus is an experiment in creating a realistic fantasy world, and that means manufacturing something perfectly imperfect. Everything is unbalanced and a bit awkward, from the movements of the main character, to the control of the horse, to the movement and nature of the colossus; everything feels realistic because it is awkward. And of course, one cannot deny the power of the game’s nearly wordless storytelling; with less than 100 real lines of dialogue recorded and all of it in a synthetic, unfamiliar language everything about the world is told not through words but through actions. Truly a remarkable piece of gaming.
Fire Emblem Series
I feel that in games focusing on tactics and strategy, every move should have consequence; every action is a choice, with good choices rewarded and poor choices punished. The ur-example of this out of all games is Chess, but when it comes to video games one of the closest is Fire Emblem. With its strategic gameplay putting you against incredible odds, and the consequences for poor moves being incredibly strong (no ability to revive dead characters), Fire Emblem is without a doubt one of the best strategic thinking video games in existence.
Shin Megami Tensei Persona 4
While I am not ordinarily fond of the Shin Megami Tensei series, for reasons of “punishingly difficult” and “oppressive atmosphere,” I make an exception for Persona 4, which not only has a strongly positive atmosphere, but its difficulty as a turn based RPG is refreshing rather than punishing and its transforming its story presentation into a game mechanic through the Day-to-day calender system and Social Links system makes it an exceptional game in its own right. Oh, and it’s story is astounding.
Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue
2009 was the year that got me truly in to 2D fighting games. I had enjoyed some of the 2D fighters before, but Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue were the games that solidified my interest. With fast pick up and play gameplay and surprisingly deep mechanics to both games, these games proved to be the reason to enjoy 2D fighters in this day and age.
Fight Night Round 4
Fight Night Round 4 proved to me that I can even enjoy sports simulators. Playing this game against my friends/coworkers proved to be an intensely enjoyable experience.
Gears of War 2
Probably my favorite multiplayer shooter, due to its emphasis on team-based tactics. Even in a deathmatch, it is at its best when at least two players are watching each others backs.
Rock Band
Guitar Hero was an amazingly fun game, but when I took it to friend’s houses only half the room would play, and the other half would want to play Karaoke Revolution instead. Rock Band was the first music game to get the other half of the room off the couch, and its emphasis on being a fun party game over a challenge for hardcore players has enabled it to remain my favorite music game franchise.