Gaming

Because of a number of podcasts I've listened to lately, I've been thinking about the games I've loved playing (or watching someone play) the most over the years. I'm definitely a JRPGer as I love games that allow/reward me being obsessive-compulsive. And I think I might become even more so if the 360 can get some more titles out that are less FPS (as I suck at that >_<). The whole Achievement points thing is "collectible" enough to satisfy my JRPG nature in games I would normally never try.

Anyways, here's a list of my all time favorites (mock away):
1. Chrono Trigger - Chrono Cross sucks if you go into it hoping it's a long awaited sequel...
2. Final Fantasy VII - It rocks. 'Nuff said.
3. Super Smash Bros. - Me vs my bros vs a fam friend = wonderful times!
4. Mario Kart - Same equation, same result, house rules.
5. Arc the Lad (1 and 2) - The anime kinda sucks...
6. Most of the Zelda series - Link to the Past / Ocarina of Time / Majora's Mask / Phantom Hourglass. I've played and beaten all of them and liked them as a non-sequential whole.
7. Mass Effect - This one I've barely played but have watched enough times to still want to try to play it (damn you, stupid camera!!!).
8. Battletoads - The game is janky, I won't lie, but the most fun is seeing who can get the farthest cause it's so hard.
9. Viva Piñata T.I.P. - It's my Pokemón. In my defense, I've not seen the Viva Piñata tv show.
10. E.V.O. - I know my memories of this game are better than it was because I tried to play a port. This is sheer nostalgia.
11. Sim City - The original crappy graphics one. I build this world as a test to all the humans in it. Then I catastrophe you for no real reason.
12. Harvest Moon - I love the entire series. Moo.
13. DDR - Which I am no longer fit enough to play. Happy college memories...
14. Super Mario Bros. - Platforming at its simplistic best.
15. Final Fantasy IV - Replay on the DS if at all possible.
16. Portal - The cake is REAL!!!
17. Legend of Zelda - I still haven't beaten this one but loved it anyways.
18. Final Fantasy VIII - I liked the play after we finally figured out how to best utilize it.
17. Metroid - Not Prime. Classic.
18. Rune Factory - I loved the first one and am liking the second one.
19. Final Fantasy XII - Aside from some enemies being way harder than their levels would indicate (of course from side quests) the story is decent and the play great.
20. Dead Space - There are whole sections of this game I was too weirded/grossed out to watch but it was an overall great game that I will NEVER play. EVER.
21. Fable - It has some downsides to it but is relatively fun.
22. Super Mario 64 - That was one of the best games, definitely, of the time and showed the Mario team can do more than just regurgitate stuff they've done before.
23. Rock Band - What? DDR is on this list too.
24. Ecco the Dolphin - That game is SOOO tree-hugger type stupid but I loved it anyways. Swim free!!!
25. Pokemón (Diamond/Pearl) - There is no redeeming quality to any portion of this series. But, Gotta catch them all!!

And that's enough of that. ;P

Most of the games I still love from childhood are simply because it was me and my bros grinding through levels or competing. Others, like VII, we had one play while the others were helpful watchers with one reading the map (usually me drawing one as we went along) and the other writing down keypoints from the story so we knew what was going on (can you say ADD + OCD = clusterfusion?) and made most one player games into things we could all enjoy.

*sigh* Memories...