Thursday, June 19, 2008

Top Trio: Games that changed my view on gaming

I love videogames. I have always loved videogames. But there were a few moments where gaming changed from something to pass the time to a way of life; to a different way I view the world; a way a think about things... These are the three games that changed my view on gaming.

Metal Gear Solid - This goes for all of them. Videogames used to be only for playing. Games were then given plots so that the player would be given a story to act out. Then Metal Gear Solid came along and took story telling to a whole new level. Gameplay was on an equal plane as the storytelling, and for me it was more enthralling than playing the game. Most recently with MGS4 (LOVED IT) the storytelling was bigger than the gameplay. It was a cinematic experience with never a dull moment, and I truly do mean never.

Metroid Prime - One of the most beautiful games visually. In fact, I played this game at a Best Buy for maybe a half-hour, and after the first five minutes I decided that I needed a Gamecube. It was an adventure game hidden underneath a FPS; a "first-person adventure" per se. It was perfectly paced and challenging at the same time. You are always on the move, always with objective. Acquiring power-ups came often so there was always something new you could do and somewhere new you could go. This was one of those games where you can get lost just looking and not really doing much of anything.

Fire Emblem - I have been a fan of RPGs for as long as I can remember (which pretty much traces itself back to Super Mario RPG for the SNES). Hell, I even include Pokemon. But Fire Emblem took way too long to reach the states from Japan, and I was ready when it arrived. Being a strategy RPG was something really new to me though. If somebody fell in battle, I did not have the luxury of healing or reviving them. They died. It meant planning two, three, or even more steps ahead. What I really loved was taking the smaller units and making sure they got a piece of the action, because once leveled up, they became the best units available. They are one of the most challenging games around. As a closing note, Marcus you suck you EXP whore!!!

It was hard and easy at the same time to narrow the list to three. I did think of other games, like Half Life, Guitar Hero, Killer 7 (it's freakin' sweet still), Resident Evil 2, and Knights of the Old Republic. However, I am most proud of the fact that I even got around to writing this article.

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