Reader here!
Over the years, I’ve definitely been a big video game fan, and my brothers and I started with an old Pong machine my parents had, moving up to the Atari 2600, then to the original Nintendo Entertainment System, followed by the Sega Genesis, and then the Sony Playstation 2.
We played a lot of fun games, and even the odd dud (we own the E.T. Atari game that is universally known as the worst game ever made)!
Well, Rolling Stone magazine just released a definite conversation starter (or debate fuel, depending on your point of view), with their list of the “50 Greatest Video Games of All-Time.” If you want to check it out, here’s a link:
I won’t spoil the list for you, but one of my favourites was the runner up…
Indeed, Tetris rocks, and it got me thinking about some of my other favourite games that I played, both as a kid and as an adult (and sometimes both)!
If I had to pick one favourite game (or series), it’s be Sega’s “Yakuza” series.
It’s based on the Japanese underworld, centred around the main character, Kazuma Kiryu. Once a high ranking mafia boss, time and time again, it’s the old adage… “just when I try to get out, they pull me back in.”
Its a free roaming world with a ton of side quests, a ton of fights, with great characters and fantastic storytelling.
Japan has always been at the top of my bucket list when it comes to where I want to travel, and this game is so real it’s almost like being there myself!
Shifting gears to something a little less serious, when it comes to the squared circle, my favourite wrestling game is probably “WWF Smackdown! Know Your Role,” for the original Playstation.
It’s one of the first games that made you feel like you were inside their weekly TV shows, with the full roster, ring entrances, specific movesets with finishing maneuvers, and match types like Hell in a Cell and Ladder matches. You could even fight backstage!
Check out this vintage commercial, featuring the Olympic Hero, Kurt Angle!
Such a fun game!
Now, a game that came out in my early adult years, and still scares the beejeezus out of me, is the original “Silent Hill,” from 1999.
Survival horror games were really getting big at the time, with the zombie series “Resident Evil” really blowing up big.
But “Silent Hill” was totally different. Twisted and atmospheric. It’s hard to describe – you really have to play it yourself!
And I’ll finish off with a couple of awesome sports games.
First, “NFL 2K5” for the original Xbox.
This was the last pro football game that came out before EA Sports acquired the exclusive rights to the NFL license.
It’s a shame, because to this day, many people still consider it the greatest football game ever made, with gameplay and presentation rivalling or bettering the EA’s “Madden” franchise.
You could even play in “first person mode,” which puts you right in the game, long before VR technology became widely used. Very cool for its time!
It was an awesome game, and what’s even better… the price upon it’s release? $19.99.
How do you top that?
Finally, a game my brothers and I used to play non-stop on the Sega Genesis, EA Sports’
NHL 96.”
It’s NHL hockey on the Genesis… what more needs to be said?
I kid you not… the fights in the game weren’t enough. When we’d battle it out, when one of us scored on the other, the fisticuffs would ensue! But it was so much fun!
Once you found the sweet spots for unstoppable one-timers and mastered the spinarama, the fun really began!
So those are some on my absolute favourite video games of all-time.
What do you think of Rolling Stone’s list? What are your gaming go-tos?
