My Top 25 Most Notable Video Games Evar
I have had a lot of hobbies and interests over the years, but none that even come close to my interest in video games. It's kind of sad to reflect on this, but I've probably spent more total time playing video games over the years than I have spent doing almost anything else (except work, school, and sleep). I always enjoy reading, listening to music, and watching TV shows or movies, but not one of those endeavors pleases me as much as some good video game time.
Many people who do not "game" operate under the assumption that video games are for kids. Twenty to thirty years ago that was probably true, but as our generation has aged and matured, so have video games. If you can believe that fictional books, TV shows and movies are all just mediums for story telling then you can probably also believe that video games offer by far the most dynamic and often personal means of conveying a story available. The "player" has the ability in a game to affect the outcome of the story, and through direct interaction is drawn further into the story than is possible with other forms of media.
Video games today have all the components that other forms of entertainment contain that make them appeal to and often restricted to an adult audience: strong language, nudity, violence, complex themes (politics, racism, religious debate). They have a rating system (similar to the G, PG, and R of movies) which is printed on their packaging to indicate the age range the game is marketed to. It is an ever growing medium in an industry that nets billions each year.
Just like other forms of entertainment the video game industry produces a ton of games each year that are pure garbage. But behind all that refuse it’s not hard to find some pure gems that have really helped to make the industry as a whole such an incredible one to be a part of. Below is my personal list of the top twenty five games that have been the most memorable, most innovative, most infatuating, and overall most fun that I have ever had the privilege to play.
25. Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football (Sega Genesis – 1991)
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The only sports game to make my list is still one that I’ll gladly play anytime. Sports games as a whole have to include great controls to allow the player to control the actions of an entire team. This has always separated the good games from the bad. Joe Montana II definitely had great controls for its time allowing for some incredible plays to break a tackle, block a catch or a kick, dive for extra yardage, call an audible, or to hit hard for a fumble.Worth noting, modern gamers take for granted that a sports game will have three things: real players, real stadiums, and real teams. Back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s most sports games only met one of those criteria. JM II: STF was no exception. The teams were modeled after real NFL teams, but no mention was ever made of player or stadium names. A nice side effect of this is that the game maintains a sense of timelessness.
Most import however is that this was the first game I ever played that included real time voiced commentary on the action. While the vocals sound somewhat robotic by today’s standards, they offered an element of realism at the time that was impossible to ignore. Most gamers today think of the Madden series of football games as being in the forefront of NFL video games, but this game is from a time period when the Madden series was the underdog for a reason.
24. Professor Layton and the Curious Village (Gameboy DS – 2008)
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This title is essentially a puzzle solving game that is wrapped inside of a mystery game which is presented using early 20th century Anglo-French themed Anime. You read that right. I’ll give that a second to set in.Still reading? I’m glad, because you don’t want to miss this game. I like puzzle games, but I’m not in love with them. This game, however, dangles a carrot in front of you. Each puzzle you solve advances the story line and brings you closer to uncovering the answer to a mystery within a mystery. Combine this with the physical interaction the stylus and touch screen allow, well animated cut scenes, lovable and loath-able characters, and some surprisingly “not so irritating” French music and it ends up being a game you can’t put down.
A positive result of playing this game is that you actually feel smarter. Solving the roughly 100-150 puzzles it presents you is not easy, but always remains obtainable with some thought. If you are lucky enough to play this game you’ll actually find yourself trying to figure out the answers to some of the puzzles even when you’re not in front of your DS. There is already a sequel available, and both games offer free weekly puzzles for download... so even once you've finished, you haven't finished. It’s a rewarding experience.
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