Picking just four games is such a difficult thing to do. On my Atari I had Pac Man, Yars Revenge, Combat and some lame Star Wars game where you just swung lightsabers around. On Nintendo SMB was #1 but over the life of it I played and loved so many games. Super Nintendo's star game was Link to the Past but Chrono Trigger was the best game released for that platform. I also played Street Fighter II on it for hours and hours. I had a Nintendo 64 (nothing special to report) and shortly thereafter, my first gaming PC. I thought I was a big FPS player with Quake and its sequels then Half Life and its sequals/spin offs but Oblivion on the XBox 360 I won changed my thinking. I'm now an RPG player and I love Bethesda games (and New Vegas). I'm going to try The Witcher 2 after I leave Skyrim a dessicated corpse. Great thread. Big surprise to find out how young people are but it shouldn't be.
Yeah, I found it really, really difficult to nail down four titles. In fact, I had a folder sitting on my desktop for over a MONTH with images of games from my past. It took me that long to settle on my picks and to make this thread.
When I got down to it, I tried to think of 'defining' as what my fondest, primary memory of gaming from that time of my life was. So not necessarily the best, or even favorite game, but the one that changed how I played games, or how I spent my time in those years. I think my picks accurately reflect that.
@primesuspect. You are seven years older than me. That would make sense that our childhood and adolescence would be far enough apart for that to be the case.
@UPSLynx, I started playing it again on my PSP recently and it's just about how I remember; fun and intriguing. You can get it for $9 as a PSX Classic through the PS store. I bought Xenogears and Final Fantasy 9 that way.
@Silverel, I built a PowerPC Power Mac from loose parts a few months ago to replay Escape Velocity. Ditto on it catching on like wildfire in middle school because we only ever had Macs. I learned a lot about how games work internally from my EV modding forays. Did you ever play the Frozen Heart plug? It's my favorite and the author went on to write the stock universe for EV Nova.
I almost listed some MUDs as my defining games, but that wouldn't have generated any discussion.
Lemmings was the SHIT. I played it on an Amiga Commodore with gigantic 5.25" floppies that were actually floppy. Ah, the good ol' days. Note: though Duck Hunt was the first game I played, I never owned it. I played it one time at a friend's house. I didn't own a game console before 8th grade.
I'm going through this weird phase where no game can command my attention for more than a few hours before I tire of it. Because of the way I view games, and digest their metagame, I end up reducing every game to its constituent mechanics, which sucks the life right out of them.
Mass Effect 2 is a perfect example. While it should be the sweeping narrative of one soldier returning from the brink and saving the galaxy against unimaginable odds, all I've grown to see is a game that forces you to play minigames and conduct side-missions until you've done a sufficient quantity to trigger a crew mission. After completing the crew mission, the plot is advanced slightly, and you're tossed back into the doldrums of side missions. Sprinkle with predictable romance options and equipment upgrade events, and you have the distilled essence of Mass Effect 2.
I have over 200 games on Steam, and none of them overwhelmingly grab my attention. From Minecraft to Terraria and Dungeon Defenders to Skyrim, all of those games were met with sudden burnout on my part, and I have not touched them in weeks or months.
The last game I played to completion was Portal 2, which was recently, and it was utterly mesmerizing. I completed it in a single sitting. I wonder what it was about that game that captured my attention in a way few other games have as of late.
Portal was different, that's what it was - it was a familiar mechanic turned on its side and then injected with a ton of dry, nerd humor. I can relate entirely to your post because you've just described me.
I feel like I've burned myself out with gaming because I do it so much. I had nearly the same issue with soccer, and I'm getting the same feelings. I played the sport year round, 365 days a year for 6 years - sometimes the passion of it just gets sucked out after a while.
I need to keep finding my 'crack' hit with a new, different game to keep my interest. Portal 2 happened to be the perfect score.
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HumerusMegSomething, something medical professional, Fitness bitch, Sexy chefAustin Icrontian
edited January 2012
So as a child, I learned to play games early with my Dad, in fact they had to mute Mario so I wouldn't crawl out of my crib and come downstairs whining for the controller. Little did I know, I wasn't really playing, just my dad was
I grew up playing Mario, Duck Hunt, and Tetris which I still have the original NES at my apartment that I pull out from time to time When my dad and I built my first gaming PC, when I was in my adolescence I was addicted to Heretic and Doom I and II until bored. Then I went on a hiatus until last July when I got another gaming PC. I must admit I love being back into gaming, it is nice. I started playing Border lands, and recently plowed through Portal I and II. Which I must admit, Portal was perfection, kept me hooked and interested all the way through. Now, I am just waiting for the next hook to drag me back in.
Yep, loved Hexxen as well. That game was so sweet.
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RahnalH102the Green Devout, Veteran Monster Hunter, Creature EnthusiastNew MexicoIcrontian
Now to explain why I copped out. Year of Birth: And here I thought I was the second youngest. First Game: I'm not sure on this because I do believe that I was way to young to remember my first video game. Childhood Defining: I was able to play SO many games across SO many systems it's very hard for me to pick one that stood out in those naive years. Teen Defining: Same as childhood. Current Fav: I'm leaning towards Skyrim but I've been away from friends and family so long, I don't really have anything that has given me as much fun as previous games have.
I've played many games across many systems. Name one for a system that's been around since about when I was born and I could probably give a list. I have been able to play a few older system and the like but they never really seemed to be in my area at all.
@Canti, rofl. Thank you, I needed a good few seconds of laughing.
Portal was different, that's what it was - it was a familiar mechanic turned on its side and then injected with a ton of dry, nerd humor. I can relate entirely to your post because you've just described me.
I feel like I've burned myself out with gaming because I do it so much. I had nearly the same issue with soccer, and I'm getting the same feelings. I played the sport year round, 365 days a year for 6 years - sometimes the passion of it just gets sucked out after a while.
I need to keep finding my 'crack' hit with a new, different game to keep my interest. Portal 2 happened to be the perfect score.
Also consider that it has a much more condensed playtime and style. The fact that many of the games that @Thrax listed have initial play through times well into the double digits and you'll see why Portal 2 was easier to consume.
After further consideration this update is entirely necessary.
Ocarina is necessary because although not nearly as important to me as AOE2 I did lose many, many hours to that game.
It appears that Eidos Interactive (Publishing) and Ionstorm/Looking Glass have had the greatest impact on me as an adolescent, an idea which may explain my fascination with both Cyberpunk and Steampunk stories, games, movies, etc.
Comments
High five for Zaxxon. That game was tight.
I feel pretty frigging old.
On Nintendo SMB was #1 but over the life of it I played and loved so many games.
Super Nintendo's star game was Link to the Past but Chrono Trigger was the best game released for that platform. I also played Street Fighter II on it for hours and hours.
I had a Nintendo 64 (nothing special to report) and shortly thereafter, my first gaming PC. I thought I was a big FPS player with Quake and its sequels then Half Life and its sequals/spin offs but Oblivion on the XBox 360 I won changed my thinking. I'm now an RPG player and I love Bethesda games (and New Vegas). I'm going to try The Witcher 2 after I leave Skyrim a dessicated corpse. Great thread. Big surprise to find out how young people are but it shouldn't be.
When I got down to it, I tried to think of 'defining' as what my fondest, primary memory of gaming from that time of my life was. So not necessarily the best, or even favorite game, but the one that changed how I played games, or how I spent my time in those years. I think my picks accurately reflect that.
@UPSLynx, I started playing it again on my PSP recently and it's just about how I remember; fun and intriguing. You can get it for $9 as a PSX Classic through the PS store. I bought Xenogears and Final Fantasy 9 that way.
@Silverel, I built a PowerPC Power Mac from loose parts a few months ago to replay Escape Velocity. Ditto on it catching on like wildfire in middle school because we only ever had Macs. I learned a lot about how games work internally from my EV modding forays. Did you ever play the Frozen Heart plug? It's my favorite and the author went on to write the stock universe for EV Nova.
I almost listed some MUDs as my defining games, but that wouldn't have generated any discussion.
Lemmings was the SHIT. I played it on an Amiga Commodore with gigantic 5.25" floppies that were actually floppy. Ah, the good ol' days. Note: though Duck Hunt was the first game I played, I never owned it. I played it one time at a friend's house. I didn't own a game console before 8th grade.
It was terrain destruction before terrain destruction was cool.
Mass Effect 2 is a perfect example. While it should be the sweeping narrative of one soldier returning from the brink and saving the galaxy against unimaginable odds, all I've grown to see is a game that forces you to play minigames and conduct side-missions until you've done a sufficient quantity to trigger a crew mission. After completing the crew mission, the plot is advanced slightly, and you're tossed back into the doldrums of side missions. Sprinkle with predictable romance options and equipment upgrade events, and you have the distilled essence of Mass Effect 2.
I have over 200 games on Steam, and none of them overwhelmingly grab my attention. From Minecraft to Terraria and Dungeon Defenders to Skyrim, all of those games were met with sudden burnout on my part, and I have not touched them in weeks or months.
The last game I played to completion was Portal 2, which was recently, and it was utterly mesmerizing. I completed it in a single sitting. I wonder what it was about that game that captured my attention in a way few other games have as of late.
I feel like I've burned myself out with gaming because I do it so much. I had nearly the same issue with soccer, and I'm getting the same feelings. I played the sport year round, 365 days a year for 6 years - sometimes the passion of it just gets sucked out after a while.
I need to keep finding my 'crack' hit with a new, different game to keep my interest. Portal 2 happened to be the perfect score.
So as a child, I learned to play games early with my Dad, in fact they had to mute Mario so I wouldn't crawl out of my crib and come downstairs whining for the controller. Little did I know, I wasn't really playing, just my dad was
I grew up playing Mario, Duck Hunt, and Tetris which I still have the original NES at my apartment that I pull out from time to time
Now to explain why I copped out.
Year of Birth: And here I thought I was the second youngest.
First Game: I'm not sure on this because I do believe that I was way to young to remember my first video game.
Childhood Defining: I was able to play SO many games across SO many systems it's very hard for me to pick one that stood out in those naive years.
Teen Defining: Same as childhood.
Current Fav: I'm leaning towards Skyrim but I've been away from friends and family so long, I don't really have anything that has given me as much fun as previous games have.
I've played many games across many systems. Name one for a system that's been around since about when I was born and I could probably give a list. I have been able to play a few older system and the like but they never really seemed to be in my area at all.
@Canti, rofl. Thank you, I needed a good few seconds of laughing.
This is kind of like a emotional rollercoaster, except with videogames.
shit, forgot to add Pikmin 2 and Sonic adventure 2
Ocarina is necessary because although not nearly as important to me as AOE2 I did lose many, many hours to that game.
It appears that Eidos Interactive (Publishing) and Ionstorm/Looking Glass have had the greatest impact on me as an adolescent, an idea which may explain my fascination with both Cyberpunk and Steampunk stories, games, movies, etc.
I couldn't figure this out so I just choose the games I've played that I've dedicated the most time to in life.