Good old games.
Ah, those were the days. Your first steps into the MMO multiverse with Ultima Online, the first time you picked up an N64 controller with Goldeneye locked and loaded, or perhaps even the horror at the demonic natures of the Imps in Doom.
I've had a great time in my past, playing a 'brand new' game, and seeing it flourish into a great game. This post is directed at this genre of "oldies, but goodies", the games you've played that have stuck with you through the years, even if the cartridges or floppies had died since.
Homeworld (1999) PC
The best RTS game I've ever played. Sci-fi in its nature and effing awesome in its delivery, you felt a true kinship for each little fighter you built, each skirmish you survived, and every super capitol broadside's concussive blast. In a genre where 2D RTS's dominated, this 3D space RTS was, and is in some aspects, ahead of its time.
Star Wars: TIE Fighter (1994) PC
True Star Wars games are few and far between. This isn't Pod Racer. This isn't like that craptastic Ewok spinoff movie. This game is three dimensions of "Holy shit, graphics don't make a game good" game. This has the most delicious plot in nearly all of the SW genres.
Aliens vs Predator (1999) PC
Ah, Aliens. Those cute and cuddly little creatures from space that Signorney Weaver lost her sanity falling in love with. To this day, nearly being 30 years old, I continually have nightmares of them, these naturally perfect killers. I hear a motion sensor, and I feel the same anxiety-laden fear as the characters in the movies. Playing AvP is, to me, the scariest moment of gaming I have ever pissed my pants in appreciation for.
Parasite Eve (1998) Playstation
You felt this game. This wasn't a cheesy Resident Evil, this is what Resident Evil should have been. You kill evil shit, and you think that's fine. It is, really, you're a killer. A chick with a bad-ass hairstyle that I would die to see IRL, but a good killer nonetheless. Then things start changing. Shit gets weird. Then you start changing, and become weirder.
Gran Turismo (1998) Playstation
I learned to drive off this game. I learned what it takes to be a race car driver, and I appreciated the hell out of the authenticity it took into detail. This isn't Guitar Hero for guitar enthusiasts, this is a tool, built around a game.
Ultima VII (1992) PC
Some of you reading may not even have been born yet, but this is where it started for me. This is an old game, but you'll see the graphics of it and think "Man, that game's shit. The graphics are horrible", and you'll get laughed at by a lot of RPGers. This was the sandbox. THE sandbox, RPG. If I still had my 3.5" floppies, and an emulator to run it, I would STILL be finding new things hidden in this dusty old game. I found a ring that was under a wall once, a wall that couldn't be opened, moved, or destroyed. I had to hack the wall using my sparse knowledge of coding to move it out of the way. This ring was like Tolkein's ring. It had an unlimited 'supply' of reagents for my spells. I wasn't looking for this ring, I found it by mistake. There wasn't a Gamespot or IGN guide for the game back in 1992. There was hardly an internet.
Diablo (1996) PC
Replayability. Randomness. Two simple words that made this game nearly more fun than masturbation. People still play it. It's still fun for them. There aren't many megamillion DAY 1 selling games that can say that.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) PC
I hate people. I used this to my advantage as I took my governmentally-funded hacks (
www.goarmy.com) and stressed out the bunny-hopping teenagers, whining children, and exceptional bad-asses that the game is still crowded with. Then I played on a Hardcore server. I cleared rooms with enemies in the double digits, my friend(s) backing me up/saving my ass, forcing myself to use as
little ammunition as possible. 1-2 rounds, engage next target, repeat. I never went back to "Softcore". Loved the shit out of it. Still do. (Also, thanks Infinity Ward and Treyarch for killing CoD. I never liked you anyway, die in the fire where failed games go)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, KOTOR (2003)
This is what the fans of Star Wars always wanted. They wanted to be the Jedi, the bad-ass energy blade-wielding cutlery master of doom for each hive of scum and villany (c wut i did thar?). This gave them that chance. And the fans loved the hell out of it. You talked to your fellow meatbags (did it again) at work/school/FOB about it, and they knew. This was THE guilty pleasure of Star Wars RPG's.
Thanks for reading guys, if you enjoyed the reminiscing feel free to give me a small ego boost so that I can come up with more of the "Good Old Games".
-Edwards
Now that's an interesting game concept!
Linear Mode
