When I was a kid, I had a 13" television and a PlayStation 1. Before that, I had a SNES and before that the only gaming access I had was at my grandma's house, where I could play games like Duck Hunt, Mario & Contra on the NES.
As far as I'm aware, most people rely on their childhood to make up most of their entertainment interests, even as an adult. Think about it, we most all still love SpongeBob, the original Power Rangers and I personally still love Eek The Cat even though very few people even know what that is:
Regardless, I said all this because the top 5 list I have for greatest games of all time, is pretty predictable and clearly based on my childhood influences.
Final Fantasy VII | |
 | I was first introduced to this game through a shop called "Funco Land" (I think it was called that). I was in 6th grade, 11 years old, and a man told me I "had to" preorder the game through his shop because it was basically the greatest thing, I would ever play... so I did, and he was right. I loved that video game more than anything else because the main character shared a lot of my ambitions. He was a little boy who wanted to grow up and become a soldier. He wanted to be the person he looked up to, and save people... As a child I had the same complexes Cloud Strife (the main character) did... but what I didn't exactly realize is that I would have similar issues later on as well... it was like the game was foretelling my own future in a lot of ways. |
Metal Gear Solid | |
 | This is another game that heavily influenced my mind as a child. I was maybe 12 when I first played it and the game fed into a lot of my conspiracy interests. The game revolves around the US government, it implies that the president is more or less a talking head, and that the real people in control are something called "The Patriots" (but maybe that isn't revealed till later). Anway, I really enjoyed being, again, a soldier of sorts. The relationships Solid Snake (main character) had with other people was cool to me. He was a lone wolf, and I felt like I was too in real life as I didn't have too many friends. The characters in this game were overwhelmingly iconic and I truly loved the Alaska-based environment. So much depth and beauty to this world. |
Super Mario RPG | |
 | Super Mario RPG was the first game that made me really care about the series at all. In Super Mario RPG, it's like normal Mario games on instead of just jumping on heads and overcoming obstacles, you actually have to level up your character and really strategize. I of course, with my hero complex, loved the idea of saving the princess from the "evil" Bowser, then save the world from the "evil" giant sword which fell from the sky (silly I know). I really connected with the character who was possessed to help return the seven stars, his story felt magical, and I related with a lot of the characters in the game, even Bowser when he wound up begging Mario to help him get back his castle. Ultimately, it was an enriching game and I loved being a part of that world. |
#4 | Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain |
 | I wasn't sure what to expect with this game, and I was really disappointed that David Hater was not included. I had a sit down with the voice actor and he explained to myself and a couple others what happened, ultimately the conclusion was, the man simply was not valued enough/deserved much more than what he was being given. So? They wound up going with a very famous actor, to play Big Boss instead. Anyway... despite that shortcoming, and despite the game actually not really being complete, the storyline was fantastic, and the gameplay was a miracle. For a newer game to take over my nostalgia and make the list, that's truly impressive. The ability to build armies, while also being an independently controlled soldier in the battlefield... it's a real shame Hideo Kojima did not push to make more games in this series. |
Fallout 3 | |
 | I don't really feel passionately about this game, but it has a number of beautiful elements that interest me. I played the earlier Fallout games, and they were ok, but Fallout 3 completely blew them away. While I would say Grand Theft Auto 5 deserves to be up here, I'm already typing for Fallout 3, so let's just let that be it ok? Honorable mention to GTA5, lol. Fallout 3 has (1) Messed up daddy issues (2) A highlight of the 60's which are fascinating (3) Aliens, robots and robot aliens (4) The ability to nuke a whole town (5) Fallout zombies (6) A dark look into what would happen if everything got nuked (more or less) and (7) SCOOMA! ...just kidding, that was The Elder Scrolls IV... lol. Anyway, it's a great game and totally worth the time of anyone interested in a post-apocalyptic world infused with a dash of humor. |
But long story short, I don't know what life would be like without me having come across these games... just kidding, I would have been FINE without Fallout 3... gosh, I really should have put one of the Grand Theft Auto games up there because those ACTUALLY made a difference in my life, but oh well, list is done. Metal Gear, FFVII, Super Mario RPG, those three games changed my childhood and life forever. I am so grateful for the lessons in them, although I'm pretty sure those games gave me a few hangups as well... oh well. Haha. Hope you all enjoyed today's blog :) Thanks to everyone who recently became ELITES and IMMORTALS!