You can't call yourself a gamer if you haven't played...

primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
edited September 2011 in Gaming
Inspired by Gnome Queen.

She said to me that Spencer has never played HL2 and thus cannot call himself a gamer. I called BS on her, because HL2 is the ONLY game she's played on a list of games I would consider "critical" for the pastime.

So, that said: What games would you consider absolutely imperative for any self-respecting gamer to have played and beaten before they can truly call themselves a gamer?
«13

Comments

  • GnomeQueenGnomeQueen The Lulz Queen Mountain Dew Mouth Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I was going to post this myself, but it appears that Mr. Primesuspect has beaten me. So, what games must you have played to call yourself a gamer? Brian submits:

    DOOM
    Quake 3
    Beyond Good & Evil
    Command & Conquer
    Wing Commander
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I & II
    Dragon Age: Origins
    The Mass Effects
    Fallout 1
    Any Final Fantasy (Preferably US VII or Japanese III)
    Sim Tower
    Sim City 2000 (or newer)
    Super Mario Brothers 3
    StarCraft
    Warcraft 3
    Diablo II
    The Elder Scrolls IV
    Any Commander Keen
    A classic FPS (Blake Stone, Corridor 7, Rise of the Triad, DOOM, whatever)

    //EDIT:
    Pokemon (Any)
    Kirby's Dream Land
    Donkey Kong
    Sonic the Hedgehog (Any)
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    On a side note: That's not my full list, that was me giving her some quick examples in gchat. I'll have a full list soon.

    I like Thrax' list, but some of the newer games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect are... well, too new to be considered "must played" to call yourself a gamer.
  • NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    Sim Tower

    "SHOPS ARE TOO CLOSE"


    ...are you kidding me? They're 8 floors away! Give me my damn rating already!


    To keep from repeating the above, two new contenders:
    Marathon
    Spyhunter
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    On a side note: That's not my full list, that was me giving her some quick examples in gchat. I'll have a full list soon.

    I like Thrax' list, but some of the newer games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect are... well, too new to be considered "must played" to call yourself a gamer.

    Hear me out. I know they're new, and I was very hesitant to put such new games on a "classics" list, but I have absolute faith in the fact that they are amongst the best RPGs in the last 10 years. BioWare has truly elevated the genre with amazing voice acting, compelling plots and great dialog.

    Ten years from now, I don't think anyone would question whether or not they're classics.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Any classic Super Mario Brothers (NES)
    TMNT Arcade (or any of the four-player, quarter-destroying beat-em-ups in arcades, like the Simpsons or Battletoads, etc.)
    Chrono Trigger (SNES)
    Final Fantasy VII (PSX)
    Any 2D fighter (Super Street Fighter and its ilk)
    DOOM (single player FPS)
    Quake III (multi-player FPS)
    Diablo or Diablo II
    Star Wars: KOTOR (either)
    Half Life 2
    Duke Nukem
    Oblivion
    Fallout (II)
    A "Gold Box" AD&D game (Secret of the Silver Blades, Pool of Radiance, Champions of Krynn, etc.)
    Something "Sim"
    Beyond Good & Evil
    Any classic RTS (Warcraft, Starcraft, C&C, Age of Empires, etc)

    //EDIT:
    Sonic the Hedgehog
    Altered Beast
    Golden Axe
    Any SRPG (Ogre Tactics, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy Tactics especially)
    Metroid (any)
    Mario Kart
    Mega Man (any)
    Zelda (any)




    I'm basing this list on stuff that will give you the background you need to speak intelligently about gaming to other gamers. Like, if you've never played Duke Nukem, you really don't have a connection to why DNF is such a big fucking deal right now. Or why the upcoming Old Republic MMO is so highly anticipated. Or why Diablo III is making people change their graduation plans.

    And I firmly believe that FF7 is absolutely a must play for anyone who considers themselves a gamer. If you've never been to Midgar, you don't know why [redacted] is so important.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon Baron von Puttenham California Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Midgar.

    Also, this is kind of tough. I mean, this sort of thing is going to get into 'my favorite game needs to go on this list!' Like, I'd agree with Super Mario brothers and a River City Ransom type game, but Duke Nukem? The original Duke Nukem was a side-scrolling platformer with guns - and that shit had already been done. Commander Keen, or Metroid.

    Furthermore, then you have to decide why to include both Chrono Trigger AND FFVII. I mean, I loved both games equally, but other than graphics, these were cut from the same (mesmerizing) cloth! Why both? Why not just one? And if KOTOR and the Mass Effects are so similar, why both? See what I'm getting at?

    By both of these lists, I can't be considered a 'true gamer.' But come on, baby! I grow tired of these disingenuous assertions: off course I'm a bad enough dude to save Princess Angelica for great justice on any given red letter day!

    u c wut i did thar? :D
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I'm gonna pull a Thrax and say that was a typo
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon Baron von Puttenham California Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I'm gonna pull a Thrax and say that was a typo

    You know I love you, baby. :)
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I'm not saying you have to have played EVERY game on the list, but in order to speak the lingo, you need to know the history; and yes, any gamer would be able to get a laugh from your clever sentence ;D

    New criteria: If Myrmidon's sentence makes sense to you, you're a gamer :D
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    And I don't think this is a list of "my favorite games" either. I don't particularly like a lot of games even on my own list; I'm saying it's important to be familiar with them.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I like a lot of the games on my list, but only a few of them are my favorites. In fact, most of what I would consider my favorites aren't even on the list.

    You've probably never heard of them.
  • portzebieportzebie Arteest Utah, USA Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Pac-Man
    Donkey Kong
    Zelda (original and Link to the Past)
    Super Mario Bros. 1 & 3
    Sim City
    Monkey Island
    Street Fighter 2
    Mortal Kombat 2
    TMNT or The Simpsons arcade
    Final Fantasy VI
    DOOM
    Duke Nukem 3D
    Warcraft 2
    Half-Life
  • ZenModeZenMode Royal Oak, Mi Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Final Fantasy (NES)
    Final Fantasy IV (SNES)
    Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
    Secret of Mana (SNES)
    Bionic Commando (NES)
    Ghosts & Goblins (NES)
    The Legend of Zelda (NES)
    The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
    Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
    Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
    Xenogears (PSX)
    Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall (PC)
    DOOM (PC)
    Warcraft II (PC)
    Shining Force - Any (Genesis)
    King's Quest - Any (PC)
    Base Wars (NES)
    Descent (PC)
    Discworld - Any (PC)
    Duke Nukem - Any (Multi-platform)
    Star Wars: Dark Forces (PC)
    Street Fighter - Any (Multi-platform)
    Diablo (PC)
    Diablo II (PC)
    Starcraft (PC)
    Balder's Gate - I or II (PC)
    MechWarrior - Any (PC)
    Sim City - Any (Multi-platform)
    Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX)
    X-COM UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep (PC)
    Half-Life (PC)
    NetHack (PC) - Not necessarily beaten, but played at the very least
    AD&D: Stronghold (PC)
    Dungeon Keeper (PC)
    Theme Hospital (PC)

    I wouldn't say that one would have to complete all the above games, but at the very least they would've played or observed them at one point for some extended period of time.

    Also, I agree with Rob's assessment of the newer titles on his list - they've definitely contributed something big to gaming as a whole, just like many of the older titles did when they were still fresh.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon Baron von Puttenham California Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I just realized I didn't post a list. Might as well put mine out there if I'm going to critique other lists, right?

    Tetris. At least once.
    Pac-man. At least once.
    Super Mario Bros (pre-N64)
    Zelda (pre N64)
    SMB OR Zelda (post N64). I feel it's important to have witnessed their evolution, but that the real evolution of both can be exhibited in just one specimen.
    Sonic the Hedgehog
    One of the Final Fantasies (pre- FFVIII). Alternatively, Chrono Trigger. If you played it and stopped because you didn't like text, that's MARGINALLY acceptable.
    Battletoads.
    Contra - or at least know where the konami code came from.
    Any Gradius-type game. Life Force, whatever.
    Any space simulator. X-wing, TIE-fighter, Descent, whatever. Note this applies to PC gamers only (there was a whole gaming ERA of space sims, ffs! YOU HAD TO EXPERIENCE IT).
    Any mainstream WWII FPS. The genre is old and tired, but it caught on so well that to have missed this is to have missed a LOT of the gaming industry in the 2000s.
    Half-Life 2.
    One of Blizzard's RTS games. Warcrafts I-III, Starcraft.
    Any Sim game (simcity 2000 or earlier, I would suggest).
    One of the games that really broke ground with the 'pseudo-sandbox' barrier: something like Mass Effect or Oblivion. Should I include KOTOR here?

    I'm missing things. I want to say things like 'pokemon,' but I think I can find something a bit more encompassing in what pokemon established.

    Also, I need to play Beyond G&E. I won't even argue that point.
  • djmephdjmeph Detroit Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    OK, here is a list of all the games I have played. You tell me if I'm a gamer or not.

    Wolfenstein 3D
    Duke Nukem 3D
    Descent
    Doom
    Doom 2
    Lemmings
    Sim Tower
    Sim City
    Sim City 2000
    Super Mario Bros
    Kirby's Adventure
    Tetris
    Halo
    Halo 2
    Counterstrike
    Half-Life 2
    Warcraft 1-3
    Age of Empires
  • AlexDeGruvenAlexDeGruven Wut? Meechigan Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    I like a lot of the games on my list, but only a few of them are my favorites. In fact, most of what I would consider my favorites aren't even on the list.

    You've probably never heard of them.

    Thrax: Gaming hipster

    I think the original Donkey Kong needs to be on this list, as well as HL1.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon Baron von Puttenham California Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Oh man, I can't say straight "yes" or "no" to a list like that. This is hard.

    Also, wouldn't you say it's acceptable to say you must have sought out and played a game labeled "indie?" I mean, hipster cred aside, that DOES go a long way to say you're interested in the subject matter...

    A really interesting list would be what games you must have played to be a gaming hipster. "The Void," anyone?
  • djmephdjmeph Detroit Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I spent a lot of time playing Bible Adventures for Nintendo. That game wasn't even sanctioned by Nintendo and it was the buggiest shit ever.
  • CBCB Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Der Millionendorf- Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Thing is: to 'get' a lot of those games, you had to have played them in context. If you try to go back now and play Duke Nukem 3D, for example, you won't get. You had to play it in its own time.
  • WinfreyWinfrey waddafuh Missouri Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Commander Keen, motherfucker!
    csimon
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon Baron von Puttenham California Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    CB wrote:
    Thing is: to 'get' a lot of those games, you had to have played them in context. If you try to go back now and play Duke Nukem 3D, for example, you won't get. You had to play it in its own time.

    That's a really good criteria for games on the list, right? They gotta be timeless. You can go back and play Super Mario Bros. and still have a damn good time. And make a drinking game out of it. Same with the Final Fantasies or Battletoads. Believe it or not, I would argue that something like Doom, while unforgettable, isn't timeless. You can't get the same 'holy shit' factor playing it that you used to get back in the day.
  • djmephdjmeph Detroit Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I would disagree with you about Doom. I still love that game. I think it's the music and sound effects though, for me.
  • colacola part legend, part devil... all man Balls deep Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I believe that, to be considered a gamer in any sense of the word, you must have played at least one of the Zelda games for the Phillips CDI, Crazy Taxi, Superman 64, and own multiple hats in TF2 (regardless of weather or not you've bought TF2).
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon Baron von Puttenham California Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    djmeph wrote:
    I would disagree with you about Doom.

    Heh, I figured it'd be an unpopular stance.
  • djmephdjmeph Detroit Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    Also, there was a file in Doom called DWANGO
  • RootWyrmRootWyrm Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    djmeph wrote:
    Also, there was a file in Doom called DWANGO

    Smashing Pumpkins Into Small Piles Of Putrid Debris. :rockon:
  • waxwax the neroberg Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    where are the adventure games!!??!!
    no monkey island?
    no kings quest, space quest or leisure suit larry?
    what is wrong with you people!?
  • djmephdjmeph Detroit Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    I know this isn't the case for a lot of people here, but I never got into RPGs, adventure games, etc. Not even Zelda.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited May 2011
    didn't see either of these on anyone's list, and therefor y'all ain't no gamer

    Pitfall
    King's Quest

    exception: wax
Sign In or Register to comment.