There’s a few games out there that I would recommend that everyone plays but it will be the same games that I’ve talked about during this thirty days of video games: Mass Effect, Dragon Age, KotOR, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Final Fantasy X, Indigo Prophecy, Halo, Final Fantasy VI, and so on. Instead of repeating myself I went to Twitter to find the games that you think gamers should play.
Super Mario Bros. – This game is the classic of classic retro games and one that should be mandatory to play, no matter which generation you are a part of. Super Mario Bros. was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985 and is the sequel to Mario Bros. which came out in 1983. The game is simple as you control Mario (Luigi if playing as player two) within the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue the princess from Bowser. For many 80’s gamers, this is the game that started it all.
Star Control 2 – Think Civilization but on a large scale. Star Control 2 was released for the PC in 1992 and later for the 3DO and the only way to play it today is via ROM. Published by Accolade, Star Control 2 is a sci-fi, action, adventure, RPG type game. It uses so many elements and many games after it has taken at least some sort of element from it. For example, the star map in the Mass Effect series seems to be loosely based off of the star maps in Star Control 2. The difference is that the star maps used in SC2 are massive in comparison and in order to progress in the game, each and every corner of the universe needs to be explored.
Portal – This game was suggested for this article by someone who doesn’t play video games that often. When a game can draw in non-gamers to play it, you know that the Valve Corporation is on to something good. Originally released in 2007 as part of the Orange Box, Portal made players think as they navigate through several puzzles in order to escape from the facility at Aperture Science. Your only weapon isn’t a weapon at all but a portal gun. You must use this device to fight your way past shooting torrents and to make your way past what seems like impossible obstacles.
Mass Effect series – From the minds at Bioware, this action RPG shooter first debuted in 2007 for the XB360. Since then it has gained a worldwide following and is now available for the Ps3 and PC. You take the role as Shepard where the mian character can either be male or female, who ends up trying to save the entire universe, if you will, from certain doom.
Katamari Damacy – From 2004 came a game that means clump spirit, which describes this PlayStation 2 game very well. The story is of a prince who needs to rebuild the stars by rolling a ball that collects random objects in the world. Pretty much any object can be added to this ball making the game experience a unique one. Since this game’s debut, there have been five sequels.
Final Fantasy VI – Originally for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System from 1994 and originally known as Final Fantasy III in Japan, this RPG game is a tale of a group or rebels trying to fight off an evil empire. This is a turn based game with a deep story and one of the greatest villains of all time, Kefka and needs to be played by any fan of the role playing genre.
SMB3 – The third installment of the Super Mario Bros saga came out in 1988 for the NES. In this adventure, the Mario brothers must restore order to the Mushroom Kingdom as Bowser and his minions are causing trouble. This was one of the first games to use power-ups that were animal related, such as turning into a flying raccoon.
Legend of Zelda: LTTP – From 1991, A Link to the Past gave gamers a story within an interesting environment. This is one of those RPGs that isn’t repetitive and gives you a reason to play it over and over again. Also known as The Triforce of the Gods in Japan, this game used over the top gameplay and intrruduced a parallel world to the world of Zelda.
Wing Commander 3 – This game was one of the first games on the PC to use full motion video and with the cast that took part in this game, like Mark Hamill, it was well worth it. It is regarded as one of the first interactive movies and paved the way for CGI effects in games and in movies. WC3 was first released for DOS and MAC back in 1994 on a CD-ROM instead of a floppy disk, which was common at that time. Later on, the game was released for the 3DO and Playstation in 1995 and 1996. Out of all the other Wing Commander games, the third installment is by far the best in the series not only for the boundaries in technology and gaming that was made but also for the story.
X-Wing – From the year 1993, this is the first PC game within the Star Wars universe by LucasArts. This game allows players to fly an X-wing series fighter, as well as other crafts. It parallels events from Star Wars A New Hope as well as MIDI music from the original trilogy. Even though X-Wing game is a very linear game, fighting in space within the Star Wars universe is worth the time.
Tie Fighter – A year after X-Wing, Tie Fighter was released for the PC as a flight simulator and space combat game and is the first game that allows you to play on the side of the Galactic Empire.
Metro 2033 – This is a game that I keep hearing good things about yet I haven’t played it myself. It is a survival FPS game that is based off of a novel. The game was released in 2010 and is set in a post-apocalyptic Russia. There are plans for a 3D version of the game as well as a sequel dubbed Metro 2034.
Pilot Wings – This flight simulator from 1990 was launched onto the SNES as a launch title in both Japan and in North America. It allowed players to fly in a simulated 3D world. This game will be given a proper 3D treatment as Pioltwings Resort for the 3DS.
Soul Blaze – Before Enix joined forces with SquareSoft, they came out with an RPG for the SNES in 1992 where the hero must fight off monsters to release their soul. For many, this game slipped under the radar due to the amount of other RPG games being released at this time. A possible sleeper hit that should be explored by classic RPG fans.
Black – The people over at Criterion Games don’t just deal with the Burnout series. In 2006 and published by EA a first person shooter by the name of Black was released. This is one shooter that needs to played by any fan FPS fan. It’s shame that the sequel to Black was never created due to issues at EA.
Gears of War – As far as third person shooters go, Gears of War from 2006 from Epic Games has the story and action to warrant at least one playthrough. If you’re not into online gaming, the story alone will grab hold of you.
I would like to thank my friends on Twitter for sharing their thoughts on the one video game that everyone should play.
