Top Ten Video Games

These are my top ten most enjoyed video games over the course of my life. It's not the what I think the top ten best games are or the top 10 games that I would like to be stuck on a desert island with. They are the top 10 games that I have played the most and given me the most enjoyment. They are not ranked.

Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox)

I played this game years after it first came out (a year after Xbox 360 came out actually). It was mind blowingly good. I don't know how to describe it other than saying when you get good, you really feel like a ninja... jumping around and doing crazy ass moves and stuff. The gameplay (combat and movement) is just amazing.

Soulcalibur (Dreamcast)

My friends and I logged thousands of hours playing this in college. We would fill our room with people and round robin all day and night. First 3D fighting game with near perfect hit detection, amazing graphics, deep and fulfilling combat system... it was perfection.

Quake 2 (PC)

Another game which I logged a ridiculous amount of hours with. First networked FPS with near perfect hit detection. This is the game that got me serious about modern first person shooters.

Super Metroid (SNES)

Great swan song for classic side scrollers. I think this game still holds up today.

Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)

This game is a masterpiece. Everything about it is fantastic: graphics, level design, character design, pacing, gameplay, sound, atmosphere.

Final Fantasy IV / II (SNES)

First game that really introduced me to video games as a medium for storytelling. It's like reading a book... you get attached to characters and there is a level of emotional investment. It's sad when it's over... like your adventure with close friends has come to an end.

Final Fantasy VI / III (SNES)

Like Final Fantasy IV / II except bigger and better. I'd say this is the greatest sprite based RPG ever.

Final Fantasy VII (Playstation)

Like Final Fantasy VI / III except even bigger. Spent upwards of 70 hours fully exploring this game. So much to do, so much to see.

Street Fighter 2 (arcade/SNES)

What can you say about the game that started it all?

Final Fantasy XI (PC)

I had to list at least one MMORPG. This was my favorite. It had a unique and fun combat system (chaining special and magic attacks with other players). MMOs are weird. It's so weird having a second life online complete with friends, a job, etc...

Video game music is beautiful

I'm sometimes known as the guy who doesn't like music. I usually tell people that when they inquire about my musical tastes. But it's not actually true. It's just that it's very hard for me to find music that I like. I tend to like very melodic music, which is hard to find on the radio or in modern popular music.

I do like classical music, but the really melodic pieces seem to be the famous ones that we've all heard a million times. I've tried listening to some not-so-famous classical music but still have a hard time finding those catchy melodies that I like so much.

You know what is really melodic and catchy? Classic 8 and 16 bit video game music! So I end up listening to Kohiha Radio most of the time which is more or less awesome!

It's been a secret fantasy of mine to be able to play an instrument really well... so I can play all my favorite video game music. Silly, I know... but if you're a gamer, how cool would that be??

I recently found on YouTube tons of videos of people performing live versions of video game music. I'm massively jealous. Here are a few choice picks. The first one is especially incredible. Bonus if you can name the game and song.

Ninja Gaiden II

I just beat it on Path of the Warrior. My save game time was 15 hours and total playing time 24 hours over a span of 3 days. Just for comparison sake, it took me 24 hours over two days to beat Ninja Gaiden Black.

First, let's address the difficulty. You know how Tomonobu Itagaki was saying that Ninja Gaiden II will be more accessible (read "easier") than its predecessors? It's a joke. It must be an inside joke for Team Ninja. I don't remember being beat down this badly in Ninja Gaiden Black and I didn't even know how to play properly back then (instant charge ultimate technique, what's that??), I'm supposed to be a seasoned veteran now!

So, what do I think of the game? It's the most frustrating and most satisfying game I have ever played.

Well, "frustrating" might be the wrong word. There are a lot of mechanisms in place to make it less frustrating than it's predecessors. Here's a nifty list.

• You regen health after you kill all the enemies in your immediate vicinity.
• There are many more save points.
• Save points fully regen your health.
• If you die on a boss, you start right on that boss instead of the last save point.
• If you die at the beginning of a new level, you start on the new level instead of the last save point.

So maybe I just mean "brutally difficult" instead of "frustrating", although the game does take quite a few cheap shots at you so there is some level of frustration baked in still. I suspect they use all the health regening as an excuse to make the fights more difficult.

The game is massively satisfying on multiple levels. First off, because it's so difficult, it's satisfying just to move forward and make progress. You really feel like you've accomplished something.

Second, the combat is truly amazing. The depth and the precision of the fighting system is unrivaled in this genre. There is no room for button mashing in this game. All the aspects of a dedicated fighting game are present:

• light and heavy attacks
• combos (including air combos)
• throws
• blocking
• dodging
• counters (like in Dead or Alive)
• super moves (called ultimate techniques)

They even added a little something extra that they call "obliteration techniques" which are stylish (cool camera zooming and angles) finishing moves on wounded enemies.

Third, the animation is spectacular. The moves are so crazy over the top (without being cheesy) that you never get bored with them. It also helps that there are so many of them. Each weapon has tons of moves, combos, ultimate techniques and obliteration techniques. What's even cooler is that the obliteration techniques differ according to what limb the enemy is missing, your orientation to them, and even the environment sometimes.

Lastly, it's disgustingly violent. Remember playing games back in the day and wondering, "I'm hitting this guy with a massive sword, why aren't his limbs coming off?" Problem solved. Any combination of the following can happen:

• left arm sliced off
• right arm sliced off
• left leg chopped off
• right leg chopped off
• head decapitated
• head smashed into goo
• body cleaved in half
• upper torso smashed into guts

Sometimes after a good combo, your enemy will just be arms, legs, half a body, and a rolling head on the ground. It's awesome.

So what's bad about the game?

• Really bad framerate issues sometimes.
• Camera can be frustrating at times.
• Story feels like an unnecessary vehicle to get to the action.
• Prerendered CG cutscenes feel dated.
• Graphics are not ahead of their time (like its predecessors' were)

But who really cares about that? It's all about the fighting and stylish violence!

Final thoughts... the rational side of me wants to give it 3 out of 4 stars because of the technical issues and absurd difficulty, but it's just too damn fun and entertaining. 4 out of 4 stars!

These pictures really don't do it justice. You need to see it on a high def tv at full 60 frames per second. It actually looks nothing like these pictures (where are the weapon tracers??)

Call of Duty 4

Get it?

I finally broke down and got COD4 (through GameFly, whoot). I had been resisting it for a long time because I'm very contrarian and was tired of hearing people go on and on about how perfect it is. It's just a first person shooter, people, how deep can it get? It's basically a glorified mouse accuracy program!

This is going to be a short review (cuz I want to go play it now). Here are my thoughts...

It has the highest production value of any game I have seen to date. Spectacular graphics, great voice acting, good level design, interesting missions, the list goes on... there is just so much polish.

The single player campaign is short, but maybe that's a good thing -- it ends right before getting boring and repetitive. Unlike most mediocre FPS games, COD4's missions are interesting and fun: there is a sniping mission, protect a tank mission, survive a sinking ship mission, air support mission (this one's pretty fun), then the normal "kill everyone" missions.

The "Death from Above" (air support) mission

My one complaint about COD4 is the same as all the other COD games. They all do a great job of giving the sense of chaotic battle - bullets whizzing by, people dying left and right, explosions, enemies here, there, everywhere! - but they implement this by having an infinite number of enemies (and allies) respawn until you push up to a certain point on the map. My complaint is that this mechanic doesn't occur all the time and I get confused when I'm suppose to "push up" or hang back and eliminate all enemies.

3 out of 4 if you're not into FPS games. You should definitely try this game -- it might be the one that does get you into FPS games.

4 out of 4 if you are into FPS games.

Oh, P.S... The multiplayer is pretty good... :P

Ninja Gaiden Black

Easily 4 out of 4 stars.

Best action game ever made (until Ninja Gaiden 2 comes out)!!

Pros...

• Incredible fighting engine.
• Spectacular graphics (even today).
• Tons of polish.
• Hard as hell.

Cons...

• Hard as hell.
• It is "last gen" now.
• 3rd person camera control is backwards from most other games and you can't change it.

I first played Ninja Gaiden Black last xmas and beat it in two 12 hour sittings, and it has been my favorite game ever since.

The story is good albeit relatively straight forward: You're a ninja tasked with protecting an ancient sword, some bastard steals it and kills your entire village in the process, you seek vengeance. There are a few plot twists and the game does a decent job at keeping you anxious to find out what happens next.

The graphics are amazing for an Xbox game. Hell, I'd say they are even better than most Xbox 360 games out there. Still, the fact that it isn't "next gen" is a turn off for some people.

What makes this game such a gem is the gameplay. It is phenomenal. Everything is so crisp and precise and the fighting engine is surprisingly deep for an action/adventure game, which actually isn't all that surprising considering this game is brought to you by the makers of the fighting game series Dead or Alive.

The gameplay and fighting are actually a lot like playing a bonafide fighting game. A lot of the moves' and combos' key sequences are taken straight from DOA. Now combine that type of fighting depth with jumping off enemies heads, flipping around like a crazy ass ninja, running on/up walls, and ridiculous super moves. That's what playing the game is like... :)

So you're gunna buy the game and have a blast, kicking ass crazy ninja style like I described above, right? Wrong!! The game is hard as hell. Most of you who attempt to play it will probably have trouble making it to level 2, much less finishing all 16 levels or playing it as gracefully as The Master Ninjas.

Sooo, here's a gameplay video of what it would be like if you actually had the skills to it play it well...

Holy crap, after watching that tribute I was reminded how this game is the greatest game ever made.

Mass Effect

3.5* out of 4 stars. (rating system explained)

Despite it's many flaws, I was actually upset that it was over.

Pros...

• Story is engrossing and intriguing.
• Graphics are outstanding, especially when it comes to character faces.
• Action is as good or better than any other 3rd person shooter out there.
• Combines RPG elements (stats, equipment, level ups, special abilities) with a 3rd person shooter.
• A real sense that the choices you make actually matter.

Cons...

• Low framerate and invasive loading give an overall choppy feel to the game.
• Maybe too much "talking" for some people's tastes.
• Inventory system is horrible.
• Weapon upgrading interface is horrible.
• Side quests are short, repetitive and reuse maps/textures/models.
• Too short.

I had written a big, long review about this game when I discovered this review and realized that I'd just be repeating everything that reviewer said. The short of it is this: the game is riddled with flaws, but we love it anyways. Hell, I'm going to play through it twice even.

My biggest complaint are the side quests. There are two kinds of side quests:

1. The ones that take place in a city or major area of the game.
2. The ones that require you to land on a remote planet to investigate or kill something.

The first type are great, it's the latter that are super repetitive and boring. You'll be able to differentiate between the two pretty quickly. I suggest avoiding the second type and sticking to the first type which will arise naturally if you just follow the main plot of the game.

* I hate straying from my simple 4 discrete star system where a game can get one of only four ratings, but I honestly feel this game warrants an exception for being such a great game that unfortunately has so many flaws.

4 Star Rating System

If you haven't noticed already, I'm quite an avid gamer. Not a fanboy or anything, but I do enjoy a good game on more than a casual level. I also read watch a lot of video game reviews on Gamespot, IGN and XPlay and often think about my personal spin on gaming.

Like I said before, I'm not a fanboy or hardcore game nerd. I have a girlfriend to tend to, a pup that's like a daughter to me, my Corvette to futz around with, a 9-to-8 (as opposed to 9-to-5) job, my personal blog and my software release blog (as in, I write software in my spare time). I'm somewhere between a casual gamer and an MMORPG addict. I'm looking to speak to gamers who fall into this demographic. I also believe this demographic will expand as gaming becomes more mainstream.

I guess this blog post is to announce that I'm going to officially start reviewing video games. I have done a couple of "reviews" already, but I'm going to try to standardize a format and rating system. I'll probably retroactively apply this system to the previous reviews.

I'm going to use a simple 4 star rating system...

1. Bad
2. Mediocre
3. Good
4. Awesome, outstanding, exceptional, go buy it right now.

The format will be a short list of pros and cons followed by in depth discussion of what stood out to me.

The Orange Box Rocks!!

With the disappointment of Halo 3 still in the forefront of my mind (damn thing cost $60), The Orange Box came at a great time to get that bad taste out of my mouth. For those who don't know, The Orange Box is a collection of five Value games (Half Life 2, HL2: Episode One, HL2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress), recently released on Xbox 360. The five games have previously been released for PC some years ago.

I played Half Life 2 on the PC in 2004 and it was awesome then and it's awesome now on the 360! In fact, it puts to shame most 360 games in the graphics department and definitely in the gameplay and fun factor departments.

Unlike Halo 3, Half Life 2 is a very submersive game. The environments are very interactive. The people not only talk, but react to you (try throwing some trash at them). The game won awards for it's ground breaking physics engine. Almost every object in the game can be picked up and thrown around (that gets really fun once you get the gravity gun). The "puzzles" are short, creative and rewarding; they usually show off part of the in-game physics capabilities. The pace of the game is also excellent; the levels never get repetitive or boring.

Speaking of physics, Portal is a trip. I'm not even going to bother explaining, so just watch this embedded video:

I beat Portal in one sitting (2h 50m). It was really fun.

I don't have much interest in Team Fortress. Online, competitive gameplay is too stressful for me.

Half Life 2 easily makes it into my top 5 video game list.

Halo 3... meh.

I got Halo 3 a few days after it was released. I bought it from Gamestop and the clerk there asked me what version I wanted. I kinda just stared at him until he started to explain. There is the normal version which is just the game. Then there is a special "limited edition" which comes in a tin case and cost $10 more. And then there is the "legendary edition" which comes with the pictured helmet and costs $130. I was offended for two reasons:

1. The clerk had the audacity to assume I am a big enough nerd to even consider either special edition, especially the "legendary nerd" edition with the helmet on a stand.
2. That MS is such a money grubbing piece of shit that they are charging over $70 for a plastic helmet which adds nothing to the gaming experience.

I guess that's what really pisses me off about Halo 3. It is so over-hyped and over-marketed that it's a massive success, despite the game actually being mediocre.

How is it mediocre, you ask? Let me rattle off a short list...

• The graphics aren't that great. I feel like I'm looking at a PC video game 5 years ago.
• The character animations are even worse. Their movements are so unnatural and "jagged". Walking up and down stairs, their feet don't properly fit the steps. When people hold their hands up to their faces, you can tell they aren't really touching.
• I can't tell when I'm hitting an enemy. Gears of War had blood spurting and Resident Evil 4 had enemies recoiling in pain. Halo 3 has almost nothing. Same with death animation in Halo 3, very weak. Sometimes I waste ammo on an already dead enemy.
• The gravity hammer is nothing near as cool as the chainsaw bayonet.
• Overall, the weapons aren't very satisfying (especially the shotgun, where is the feeling of brute force??).
• I don't know, it just doesn't have the polish that Gears of War has or Resident Evil 4 had (at the time).

I honestly think MS paid off a lot of reviewers in it's ultimate hype campaign. Check this out though, my friend Adam sent me this review, which I think is pretty good. :)