30 Days of Video Games - BONUS: Why Do You Play Games Pg. 142

[Carbo]

Day 1: Most Nostalgic Game

It's the night of Christmas Eve. For a majority of the year, I'd been waiting for it with incredible anticipation. This was the night I was finally going to go into the next level in terms of video gaming. All I'd had known up to that point in life was playing my dad's NES every day, mostly Super Mario Bros which had influenced a huge part of free time back then. I would also dabble with the SNES whenever I got the chance to play it at my dad's work, getting to realize there were bigger stages for Mario to conquer, and Donkey Kong Country, which blew me away in terms of it's graphical prowess.

But that was all set to change that night when I knew what my parents were getting to me for Christmas, which was an N64. I had known very little about this console, but my first experience with it was when I got to visit my neighbor who was a good friend of my dad's, and I became good friends with his son. He had the console and there was only one game on it - Mario Kart 64. I had seen nothing like it. I would visit my neighbor on a regular basis simply to play that game, and it amazed me how the Mario series had gotten up to that point. Naturally, this was the game I wished for Christmas.

But that's not the game I got. At first, I was bewildered. The bundle I received was one that contained Super Mario 64, a game I hadn't even heard up until that point, which shouldn't come as no surprise since I never knew there was such a thing as a "gaming collective" that could fill me in on news of games. In any case, it was Mario still, so I was excited to boot it up. And that's when my gaming life took an irrevocable change for the better.

While one of my first instincts was "wow, it's Mario but like in real life", the second one was more closer to "wait, where is the stage timer?!". But nevertheless, I was completely stumped. This is one of the few games early on in my life I waited for in anticipation where I had no preconceptions on what was possible and what you could do. Traversing the exterior of Peach's Castle was an incredible moment for me, something which would just become even bigger once I got into the first stages, stomped the all-familiar Goombas, threw some bombs, rode around the levels on Koopa Shells, swam in the tranquil depths of Jolly Roger's Bay and went head to head with King Bowser himself in one of the most intimidating areas that I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.

But none of that, even remotely, compared to the ultimate elevation of my childhood, the sheer bliss, awe and amazement when I first got my hands on the Wing Cap. When I looked up into the spotlight shining onto the middle of the castle lobby, only to be taken by surprise when I triggered something, and Mario immediately came swooping down, flying through the skies, I immediately screamed and ran to my parents out of excitement. I didn't know that this was something possible to do. For a moment, I questioned the reality of this game.

Needless to say, it's an ingrained experience that got to teach me "sky's the limit" when it comes to not just imagination, but what games as a medium can provide. It sent me down the path where I am today and I'm forever grateful for it.

[The Deleter]

Day 1: What is your most nostalgic game you have?

 

 

 

Being the first Lego game I played, and possibly the first fully 3D game as well, this game was loads of fun to play as a kid. It gave me a compelling and humorous story, a fully explorable world, and the ability to build with Legos in a virtual world for the first time in my gaming days. It was just the bee's knees at the time. Even though I now see it tons of stuff wrong with it that have nothing to do with the restrictions at the time, I still love this game in all its outdated glory for giving me a real gaming experience for the first time.

 

Day 1: complete

[Exploder]

Alright, I guess I'll try participating in this thing.

 

Day 1: Most Nostalgic Game

 

For me, the answer is:

 

 

This sci-fi first-person RPG released for the PC in 2000 hardly seems like the kind of game that would be enjoyed by a 9-year-old like myself when I first played it, especially considering that its plot is filled with themes like conspiracy, dystopia, terrorism, betrayal and civil unrest, yet it remains one of the best and most memorable games to me. Reasons include:

 

Gameplay: The game combines elements of combat, stealth, exploration, hacking computers, and dialog with NPCs, and you can always use a multitude of ways to achieve your objectives, so there's a lot of variety. It helps that every level is generally pretty large and fun to explore, and the game is pretty long too. I guess one of the things about the game that really stayed with me is that there is just so much to do, such as look around for useful items, avoid enemies, kill enemies with impunity, talk with NPCs, fight with NPCs, or just plain mess around with weapons or superpowers, and you're never forced to do anything - it's all up to you, done at your own pace. Yeah, that's probably it.

 

Music: Oh yeah. Its by the same composers as in Unreal Tournament the year before, so it's pretty awesome. One of the cool things about each level is there are different tracks depending on the situation, such as ambient, combat or dialog, so finding out what each one sounds like is a small kind of exploration on its own.

 

Other: Some of the fun parts also come from the unintended moments, such as the hilariously awkward dialog at times (the two most infamous moments are "What a shame" and "A bomb!") or exploits that allow you to kill people by dropping small objects or closing doors on them, as well as others due to the game's old Unreal 1 Engine.

 

The other factors for the game's longevity even into the 2010s is its sheer modularity - many mods have been created for it and are available at moddb.com, and include anything from small changes to complete overhauls - some of the latter (such as The Nameless Mod) have won awards for their sheer scope and quality, including not just new levels and plotlines but even voice acting and custom-made soundtracks.

 

Overall, it's a game I'm very glad to have experienced in my life, and quite a few others - it has influenced modern titles such as the Bioshock series, Dishonored, and of course its 2011 prequel Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It may have aged graphics, AI and physics, not to mention occasionally wooden voice acting, but the mechanics and philosophical concepts in the game are still very solid, and besides the flaws actually form part of the fun too. It's available on Steam for just $5 (or is it $4?), and since its so old, even the cheapest laptops in the past 5 years or so should be able to run it. There may have been quite a bit of hype from its fans around the game throughout its life, but I still urge anyone to give it a try, at least.

[KrazyBean]

When is Day 2 going to start?

[Chaos Warp]

When is Day 2 going to start?

8AM EST approximately, so in like 7 minutes from now. 

[Sami]

Day 2 - Favorite Game

Demon's Souls

So this is a series you may have heard of. Brutally difficult, but also very fair and engaging from beginning to end. Souls. There's three games in the series, with Demon's Souls being the first. It was later followed by Dark Souls and the recently released Dark Souls II. Dark Souls is probably the most popular of the three, but despite it making some substantial and genuine improvements to the mechanics of the game, I've always felt that the design of the original resonated more with me.

Demon's Souls is a very bleak game. You play as yourself, a nameless wanderer sucked into the Nexus and tasked with saving the lost kingdom of Boletaria. Along the way, you see what's left of a world ravaged by monsters and demons, and the final remains of humanity. You travel through plague infested swamps, towers, shrines made in honor of the gods, a medieval torture chamber full of rotten corps- wait what?

The underlying theme of Demon's Souls is the fundamental question it poses with its lore and story - what is it, really, that distinguishes humans from demons? You see the corpses of humans brutally tortured and murdered by other humans. You hear of and even encounter fallen heroes who have come to Boletaria to conquer the demons for honor and glory. You yourself are forced to murder other humans in order to proceed, as a means of strengthening yourself in preparation for the final battle to cleanse Boletaria of the demons that have ravaged it.

Insanity. Obsession. Power. Corruption.

Demon's Souls tackles these themes with subtlety and maturity. Everything is seamlessly integrated into the gameplay and the environments you traverse, with expositional dialogue left very sparse. It's easy to get sucked into the world of this game, and there's very little else that's as compelling.

The gameplay is no joke either. Demon's Souls may be known for its difficulty, but to describe it as a difficult game alone is a massive disservice to the brilliance with which it was designed. Everything is fair, growth through stat upgrades as well as player experience feels substantial and important, multiplayer interaction is beautifully integrated into the single player scenario, and I could go on. The level design is dense and interesting, and the combat system is practically perfect, with a low skill floor and an astronomically high skill ceiling.

Demon's Souls is as close to perfect as I can really call a game. I have no problems with it at all. It's an amazing game that I would recommend to anyone.

[TearForFear]

So, is question number 2 "What's your favourite game?"

[KrazyBean]

Day 2: Favourite Game

 

 

Man, this game is just something I can never get bored off. I've 100% it about 5 times now and is still the only Wii game I've kept since I first bought my Wii about 4 years ago on Christmas Eve.

 

The main reason why I love this game so much is because of the impact it had on me. I've NEVER seen Mario like this before, it was a huge departure from Sunshine (which played like an upgraded Mario 64) and pretty much any platformer I've ever played. Nothing was and still is like it from back then till now.  Another reason why I like it so much is because it actually had a pretty decently presented story for a main series Mario game, and it also introduced my favourite Mario princess, Rosalina.

 

The graphics are amazeballs for a Wii game, hell I'll go as far as to say that it looks better than quite a lot of Xbox 360 and PS3 games. It's really astonishing what Nintendo accomplished with the limitations of the Wii with both resolution and power. The soundtrack too needs no further introduction I assume because you should all know how beast it is by now.

 

Super Mario Galaxy is the best platformer I've ever played and although its sequel does improve on some aspects, it lacks the pizzazz this game had. There is just something about this game which keeps me hooked. Every time I play Galaxy 2 I always end up going back to this game eventually. It's truly something special. 

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

Um...uh...this'll be easy. XD My favorite game, as stated in my previous entry, is...

Since I already went quite a bit into it yesterday, I'll make this brief. Super Mario RPG is probably one of the only games that I know front and back and could play for hours straight without getting bored. (As evidenced by last year's holiday gaming challenge where I played through the entire thing WITH CULEX, JINX, AND YOSTER ISLE from evening to the next morning without stopping. I was VERY sleepy. XD) I love the story, I love the characters, I love the music, I love the humor, I love the gameplay, I love just about everything containing within this little cartridge and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I'd love to pick up a boxed copy to collect some time down the line...

[Spin Attaxx]

Oh god, I don't really have any one favourite, I like a hell of a lot of them.

 

But if you want me to choose one...

 

 

I love Super Metroid a lot. It's the Metroid game I always return to, it's just so good. The controls are fluid, solid and just feel right. The music is very good (looking at Lower Maridia/Norfair) and atmospheric, which also carries over into the graphics. They do a good job of capturing the environment you're in. The abilities are all useful and cool (except for the fact that the Grapple Beam becomes useless once the Space Jump is obtained). The bosses are fun to fight (even the annoying as shit Ridley, it feels good to pump him fat with Super Missiles)... the fact that I aim to make a game just like it someday within this decade or so speaks lots for how much I like it.

[Brad]

I don't think I'll honestly ever be able to choose a favourite game above all others. But if I had to choose a game that I adore to talk about, it would be...

It's certainly not the greatest game ever, but when I bought Kingdom Hearts II as a kid after being enthralled by the concept of it by the adverts, I fell completely in love with it and the franchise. From the minute I put the disc into my Playstation 2, I refused to stop playing until my mum came to tell me it was my bed time - even then, I asked for an extension on that bed time to keep playing. Roxas' mystery initially captured me before I switched to Sora who became quickly liked by me as a protagonist alongside Donald and Goofy, and their adventures in various Disney worlds would go on to entertain me greatly with some brilliant graphics, fun combat mechanics (though now, clearly seen as quite button mashy) and some really good storytelling moments before everything became too complicated. Now this game is getting a HD re-release this year and I'm extremely excited to revisit it again. 

 

Also, dat music.

[Lady Soniko]

Day 2 - Favorite Game

 

  

 

Banjo-Kazooie

 

Why is it my favourite game? It's unbelievably fun, and whenever I play it I simply cannot put it down until I grow tired or I finish it! I can speed run this game in 6 or so hours. The game is a fantastic platformer with quirky characters and great British humour, It's one of Rare's ultimate games before they went to shit. The character's and missions are memorable and fun, and Kazooie's interaction always makes me smile, that sassy bitch... But why is it so good? For one the way Banjo & Kazooie handle is smooth and responsive, they've got a plethora of moves under their belt and you can unlock even more as the game progresses from the game's tutorial character Bottles the mole. It's not just the variety of things the characters can do, but the way they handle plays a huge part too, Banjo has weight, so he slides when you crouch which means you can chain together various moves in succession and it just feels great. Another reason to love it is because of the creativity behind the game, pretty much every character, enemy and item in the game talks and has personality and humour to boot.

 

But the 2 biggest reasons why this game rocks is the worlds, you can find yourself in a mountainous region and suddenly you'll be walking on golden beaches of treasure trove cove, then what's this? You're in a dank rusty sewer with a garbage eating shark the size of a whale that you can GO INSIDE, then the game plops you in a mossy swamp with giant crocodiles and piranha infested waters and so on and so forth. The crowning achievement of this game which lands it as my all time favourite is Grant Kirkhope's phenomenal work on the soundtrack, each song fits the world it's assigned to perfectly and every song is catchy as hell, my personal favourite being Rusty Bucket Bay!

[Gabz Girl]

Day 2! Favourite game! Well, there's quite a few but this one definitely made an impact on me when I first played it in Christmas 2007. It's...

 

 

 

 

Super Mariooooo Galaxyyyyy!

 

Yeah yeah another Mario game. BUT this is a 3D Mario game, and it's a 3D Mario that left my mouth hanging wide open when I first played it. Ho. Ly. Sheeeet was pretty much my reaction when I first popped this into my Wii and I got past the title screen and stuff. First off, graphically the game looks flippin' gorgeous! So it's no 360 grafix game, SO WHAT? This was (and still is!) one of the best looking Wii games by far. The beauty of space, the little details in the planet environments...everything about this game is beautiful! Even the character models and enemies look really nice. Then there's which is...I mean, well...listen to THIS.

 

 

That's what you hear when you play the first stage and it is GLORIOUS. The orchestral tracks are definitely the best thing about this game, and I remember thinking to myself "This isn't going to work with Mario!" Boy was I wrong, oh so wrong!

 

The gameplay in this is also great fun. Lots of gravity stuff and flying through space which makes it quite unique compared to other Mario games. Like most Mario games it can be easy too sometimes, but then other times it gets hard. Very hard. That doesn't mean it's not fun though even when it's too hard! It'll still make you laugh and smile throughout. Yes, even when Mario is fried and turns into a skeleton. Speaking of skeletons...

 

 

This is also the first Mario game to introduce us to the beautiful, the lovely and the adorable Rosalina! I love her more serious personality, her design is all kinds of awesome and she has a very sad yet bittersweet backstory too. I'm glad they didn't just make her a one off character, since she's appeared in a lot of Mario games since then and even as a playable character in Smash Bros 4 and Super Mario 3D World! Justified, since Rosalina is a great addition to the main cast. <3

[ElectricAngel]

Day 2: Favourite Game

 

Hot damn this is a hard one. Hrrmmm, if I really had to pick, it'd be:

 

 

Portal 2. This game to me just delivers on everything. Gameplay, music, story, voice acting, secrets, the works. I loved the first Portal game, and when I saw this sucker on a Steam sale for $7.50 I knew I couldn't pass it up. Best purchase of my life. I remember first playing it and being blown away by just how awesome it is. Heck, the first time I got it, I played through it 7 times. Yes, 7 times! They did what I thought was impossible. They created better, more clever puzzles, a humourous story, fantastic multiplayer, hidden secrets up the wazoo. This game had everything. They took everything that made the first Portal fantastic and improved upon it in every way possible. I really don't know what to say other than the puzzles and story are fantastic. I love the backstory they gave to GLaDOS, and how they expanded upon Aperture Science's history. And the gameplay is equally as satisfying. The new introduction of gels and hard light bridges opened up so many new possibilities for puzzles and I had a blast the whole way through. Not to mention you can even make your own puzzles, and the community has made some extremely fun maps to play. There's just so much to this game that I love, there's nothing that can top Portal 2 for me.

 

Edit: Honourable mention and runner up is Psychonauts. I had a real hard time choosing between these two as my favourite game, but what it came down to was Portal 2. However, I must say that Psychonauts is easily up there with Portal 2 for me as I found it extremely enjoyable from start to end and gave me an experience no other platformer had. 

Edited May 2, 2014 by SwiftWinds

[Solkia]

Take a guess

 

I'll give you a hint:

 

1. You play as a wolf

2. It's an Adventure game

3. One of the versions is a wagglefest.

 

That's right

 

You guessed it

 

I've made it very obvious at this point.

 

It is the one and only

 

[Dr. Homem]

Day 2: Favourite game.

 

 

I have never wanted a sequel to a game more than I have for this beauty.

 

The atmosphere in this game is phenomenal. The Mojave is a wonderfully realized world, each location felt realistic and coherent within the setting. The content is rich and diverse but massive enough to take up hundreds of hours. Dialogue from characters is superbly written.

 

The great thing about the writing is that the sadness, happiness, anger, etc. of characters isn't "sentimental" in the literary sense. As in, they do not feel forced or self-indulgent; there is no big sign saying "FEEL SAD HERE!" that a lot of video games like to have. Their motives, their dreams and their machinations are all true to the characters themselves which organically leads to their victories or defeats, and finally to the emotions you experience as you play the game.

 

Every time I make a character and play this game for hours upon hours, I leave feeling satisfied - then I can come back and play it again a couple months later. Of all RPGs I played, none has given as much freedom as New Vegas. Morrowing comes close, but still doesn't beat it. More choice, more dialogue, and an immense amount of quests. The game doesn't give you a role to play. You decide your own level of involvement; want to go after the guy who shot you? No problem. Want to join either side of the warring factions? You can do that to. Want to follow the 200 year old guy who controls the city? You can. Want to kill him instead? Easy. Don't want any of that and want to take over for yourself? Also available. There are so many ways of tackling the main story, and the game respects all of those choices.

 

Any flaws in this game are small compared to the incredible world, the wonderful cast of characters, the music, the locations, the experiences, the quests. I absolutely adored NV and can't wait for Obsidian to get another stab at the Fallout franchise. This game proves that open-world RPGs can be lovingly crafted to provide deep storylines and thousands of unique and wonderful locations. Other games in this genre can seem '"as wide as an ocean but as deep as a puddle" and don't come close to having the fullness of a game like New Vegas, which is why it will continue to hold the top place of my all-time favourites.

[The Tenth Doctor]

Day 2: Favourite Game

Had to pull out the Sonic card, sorry. Anyway, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle. A game that in my opinion has everything. A fantastic story that tries our heroes, gives interesting backstory to Shadow and even Eggman, great player types, fun speed levels, entertaining treasure hunts, fun shooting, memorable bosses, fantastic music and huge replayability. Oh to top it off, best multiplayer ever. I have people who don't like Sonic even enjoying this. So this is why SA2B is the best game ever.

[#AR]

Day 2 - AR's Faaaaaaaaaavorite Video Game!

 

I knew this was coming...so that's why for Day 1 I wrote about my SECOND Most Nostalgic game. Why did I do that? Well...because not only do both games hold extreme nostalgic value for me, but my actual most nostalgic game is also my favorite game of all time:

 

 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

 

Alright...I'm pretty sure some of you have probably seen me drool all over this damn game before, so I'm pretty much going to echo what I said in the

 

If I had to pick a favorite game ever, it would probably be this bad boy right here. This game's really special to me for various reasons: For one, it was one of my first PS1 games. I think it was actually the second one I owned. Two: the game was so much fun and got me into skateboarding (I actually had one, but my parents made me get rid of it after I chipped a tooth). And three and most importantly: THE SOUNDTRACK. If it wasn’t for the soundtrack of that game, I probably wouldn’t have been the person I am now. Not only was I introduced to punk rock, but also my favorite music act of all time, Public Enemy. PE made me expand my way of thinking about music, especially hip-hop. It just used to be that one thing that was cool to dance to. After listening to them, I realized music can be deeper than what’s shown on the surface.

But anyways, yeah. Shit ton of fun, amazing music, PLAYABLE SPIDER-FREAKIN-MAN. Yep, total 10/10 game for me here, although I will say that Pro Skater 3 and on spoiled me a bit too much with the revert haha

 

That's basically the gist of it. This game means so damn much to me and I owe a lot to it. It's definitely my favorite. I actually found a copy of it a couple months ago and now it's back in my possession. I was so elated, you have no idea.

Hell, the early days of my current YouTube channel was dedicated to this series. I love the franchise so much (Project 8, Ride, and Shred excluded).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGAPtkRIVXo

 

The soundtrack of my childhood.

Did I mention Playable Spider-Man? Because Playable Spider-Man.

[Celestia]

Day 2: Favourite Game

 
Let me tell you, picking favourites--whatever the category may be--can be difficult for me. But for this question, only one game immediately came to mind.

It's time.

 

 

That's right, MOTHER 3

(Yeah, I almost always all caps it, what are you gonna do about it punk?)

 

To explain this, I think I'll start by getting into a bit of backstory regarding me and the MOTHER series. For a long time, I had only heard whispers of Earthbound here and there when surfing the internet. I never really heard much about it except that it was a cult hit of sorts. When I finally got a decent computer and started emulating games, Earthbound was one of the first SNES games I tried out.

 
And I fell in love.
 
Gameplay wise, it was just an RPG. Granted, with one unique mechanic; your HP gradually goes down and you can heal from a fatal blow as long as you're fast enough...it's a bit tough to explain in text, actually. But yeah, gameplay wise, standard RPG fare, fighting enemies a bunch and talking to everyone while trying to figure out what in the world you need to do next.
 
But literally everything else about the game genuinely impressed me. The music (hnnngh), the art style, the atmosphere, the writing, the characters...it was just a whole lot of fun. Even as someone who played it for the first time in 2012, I feel like it holds up today. That being said, it did have it's issues that I would say demonstrate how it hasn't aged well in some aspects. For one, you can't run. That doesn't sound like a big deal on paper, but let me tell you, it can get frustrating, especially considering you can run in literally every other RPG I've played, first two Pokemon gens aside.
 
There's also the fact that while there's a lot of personality in NPCs, the four player characters don't get much dialogue (or, in Ness' case, none at all), which isn't too bad, but is a bit disappointing considering that, before each character joins Ness, they show a decent amount of personality. 
 

Then, a year or so later, I played Mother 3. And it was magical.

 
Considering M3 came out like...a decade later or something, I sort of expected that. But it was still really cool. The very basic gameplay remained unchanged, but there were some neat little changes to the battles. If you have good rhythm (it's based on the battle music and your timing!), you can use these neat combo attacks that can deal a ridiculous number of damage; hell, you can actually go on forever if you're really good. I can barely manage five...with the aide of one character's ability that makes it easier to pull off...otherwise I just mash A and hope for the best.

 

Mother 3 played with the usual silent protagonist trope. For example, at the very start you play as the "main" hero, Lucas. But you barely get much time to play as him before you're in his dad's shoes for a while, and Lucas actually gets a few lines. Essentially, the one you're playing as at any given moment is silent, but only when  you're in control; otherwise, they talk plenty in other chapters. It's actually quite interesting, and gives each of the party characters their time to shine!
 
Even with that aside, even once the whole party's together and Lucas admittedly remains silent, his friends get more moments to talk (in comparison to the party members in EB, anyway)...except one, but he's a dog. Long story, but not really.
 
The game's plot can be described very accurately as an amazing rollercoaster of emotions. The humour the series is known for is there, but things are certainly less happy right from the start, and it just keeps getting worse. One of the best themes in the story is how the antagonist was able to corrupt things. I'd be more detailed, but y'know, spoilers. There's quite a few twists and turns, and it's a very engaging story right up to the very end, which is quite possibly my favourite ending. In anything. Yeah, really. It helps that the final boss is even more memorable than Earthbound's (but for different reasons...), but the last cutscene(s) are amazing. As is one particular thing at the very, very end...but that's a surprise.

 
Just like Earthbound, every single NPC manages to entertain me, but this time around they're more unique due to the setting; the world of MOTHER 3 is more...small, in terms of population. So in terms of ordinary NPCs in the hometown at the beginning, they all have unique appearances, names, personalities, etc. It's part of the reason the theme of things getting worse for them over the course of the game works so well.
 
On an almost-related note, the enemies. All the games in this series had fun and imaginative enemies, but Mother 3 took the cake. Especially in creepiness, with a lot of creatures being fused together due to [spoilers]. 

And let's not forget THE MUSIC. I love MOTHER's music in general, but M3 is pretty great. Of course as usual for RPGs, my favourites are battle themes!
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPpyja4diqU
 
I also like how, while at first glance it seems to follow a similar setup of the main cast as the previous games, it switches things up a bit regarding character roles and personality traits. Kumatora is a very different character compared to Ana and Paula, despite playing the same role of "magic lady". 

With small changes to the battle system made me enjoy fights more than Earthbound, and every other aspect improved on it's predecessor as well, Mother 3 is a very important game to me. Possibly the most important game in my life, at that, making it the only game I can truly say is my absolute favourite. I can only hope the fan sequel manages to live up to it.
 
It probably goes without saying (at least after all those paragraphs of me throwing together a bunch of words trying to describe my love of this game), but my biggest dream is an official English release. Sure, the easily accessible fan translation is VERY well done, but playing Mother 3 legitimately would be one of the happiest moments in my life. Stranger things have happened, so maybe, just maybe, it'll happen someday...
 

In conclusion, please play Mother 3. That goes for all of you!! That being said, I won't act like it'll grow on everyone, at least to the same extent it did me, mind you. But hey, it is my favourite game. I want to share my love of it with everyone!

 

Also, you save the game by talking to FROGS. How cute is that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*hop* Save Changes?

Edited May 3, 2014 by Celestia

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

Day 2: Favorite game

 

Uh, oh, well it would technicly be Star Fox 64, despite the soft spot I have for all the classic fighting games I have on my Saturn and Dreamcast, but it could also fall to Jet Force Gemini or Banjo Tooie....

 

Actualy, I have to say Kirby 64 and the Crystal shards

 

I mean, it wasnt my first game, and I didnt even own it until last year when I got Kirby's Dream collection, but along with the other classic kirby games(havent played return to dreamland... YET) It just has this timeless wonder, and feeling of adventure and excitement with a bright colorful world, while never being too hard or too easy for any level of player

[Carbo]

Day 2: Favorite Game

Last time we did the 30 Days, I listed my favorite game of all time as Viewtiful Joe. While my opinion on that game hasn't dwindled in the slightest and still rests comfortably in my top game of all time, there is another game in the Capcom Five that's had the pleasure of squeezing itself into my favorite spot and caused something of a stalemate. The game that propelled Suda51 into the cult auteur status; Killer7.

Describing this game in detail is a venture of it's own but it's safe to say this - it's a game that has to be seen to be believed. In the central story you take control of a wheelchair-bound master assassin suffering from something described only as multifoliate personae phenomenon. He has seven distinct personas; all different people with differing personalities and exquisite talents of their own, with only one thing in common - they are master killers. This group, Killer7, are assassins for hire, notorious for doing the government's dirty work without fail. When a new terrorist threat is discovered in the form of a group known as "Heaven Smiles", who take the form of mutated, laughing suicide bombers and are out only to cause terror for the sake of terror and are impossible to kill through any human means, the Killer7 become the nation's only hope to stop them. What follows is a narrative taking place throughout multiple years that delves into conspiracy theories that decide the fate of multiple nations, social commentary, deconstruction of politics and pure insanity.

This is a game you play solely for the ride, and it is the best of the best in that regard. The genius of this game is it's amazing way to encapsulate it's narrative progression purely by it's simplistic means it approaches the game play. The basics are not very complicated; the game play is technically on-rails, the combat is relatively simple and the puzzles are easy. And the beauty of it is that it ends up becoming the perfect vehicle for all the insane situations that is to be experienced in this game. Shockingly enough, by the end of it, it seems to find the perfect justification for why it decided to shape itself the way it is. This narrative is strengthened by it's characters who are insanely memorable, and some of the most evil, insidious antagonists that exist in gaming.

Everything - from the bold cell-shaded style, to Masafumi Takada's incredible score, the bone-chilling Heaven Smiles and the conspirators that are orchestrating the downfall of a world in and of itself is told with such breathtaking intensity, at times making it feel more like a horror game than anything else on the market. It is a legitimately scary game a lot of the time, and the atmosphere is some of the most engrossing any game has to offer. The game has an insanely expansive lore that a companion book details a lot about, and multiple replays reward you with further context that serve to color your impressions on the plot and events as a whole.

The only way I can describe this game is it's a package that tells of pure evil, and the protagonists are not necessarily the better men in all of this. There's so much I could go into detail about this game and I could go on a tangent about why I feel this is a game everyone needs to play, but context is everything and I think it's safe to assume that I'll have plenty of opportunities to rave about it for another day in this topic, because there is a shit ton of ground to cover. But it's safe to say this is Suda51's magnum opus in more ways than one. It's a game that broke the mold in so many ways possible, livening up a video game scene that hadn't really seen much variety.

Also, there's a moment in the game where it brings out a Super Sentai group to justify politics and it makes perfect sense.

[Your Vest Friend]

So many games that can fill this slot, and have done in the past. CTR has been covered, Sonic 2 has been a past entry. Hmm.

 

 

Fur Fighters: Viggo's Revenge

 

Yes, the port of the cult classic that was on the Dreamcast. I own that version too, but not a Dreamcast to play it.

 

This game has quite an origin too; I was ten years old and looking around a Comet store while dad bought some appliance or other. At the time they had a tiny video game section, and this was amongst the usual sport game tart that gluts up these selections. I insisted to dad that I wanted it and, despite it being rated 11+, he agreed to it because it was cheap. When I got it home to play it, it taught me that 60hz was not something my TV could do, and it soon revealed its true colours.

 

And what cool true colours they are! The plot is taken straight out an action film and it does not shy away from the absurdity of it all, although the concept of mutated relatives is a pretty creepy concept in a good way. It's a TPS, but one that's easy to get to grips with, and likes to throw in more puzzle elements than making you having to brute force it (which is why I'd tell the non-apartment part of the Bad Place to go to hell...if it wasn't already there. The apartment part is one of the coolest bits in the entire game). It has more collectathon elements which end up mirroring Spyro: Year of the Dragon in its approach (I loved giving personalities to all 124 babies) with a twist of stratagem. The graphics are vivid and suited for the tone of the game (I honestly prefer it to what I've seen of the original), the voice acting is cheesy and fitting for the very entertaining characters. It's not super easy, but it's not frustratingly difficult either. I've completed it 100% once a few years ago (the circumstances for it were hilarious), but it's a great game even without aiming for that.

 

I do wish it could be ported to PSN, but since that's very unlikely, it gives a very solid reason for me to keep my PS2 around. 

[TearForFear]

I don't have an absolute favourite game (there are too many I like!).

 

So, just to pick one...

 

Eeny meeny miny moe...

 

 

This. Epic. Journey.

 

While Super Mario Land 2 didn't age very well in my eyes, this game didn't age PERIOD.

 

It's still enjoyable, it's still funny, it's still an awesome and refreshing experience (why do I say still? Because I still possess a perfectly functioning Super Nintendo with a copy of the game in the other room )

[MamboCat]

Day 2 - Mambo's Favourite Game (that's not Sonic!)

 

This changes regularly! If you'd asked me this question a few years ago I would have said Portal 2, the year before that Red Dead Redemption... if you'd asked me last week it would Bioshock Infinite because I have only just started playing it!

 

But a game I repeatedly come back to because I love it so much is:

 

Heeeeelloooooooo, ladies!

 

I bet this is a disappointing choice for many, since yknow... AAA gaming and all, but I enjoy Assassin's Creed II. More than any others in the series. I think they hit the formula just right with this one and ever since the games have just become more and more ridiculous.

 

As many of you know, this game continues immediately from the first game and introduces us to the walking sex new Assassin ancestor, Ezio Auditore. Ezio for me is the most believeable as an Assassin; he may have been born into the order but he chose to partake in it after his uncle (its-a-me, Mario!) reveals his heritage, and to me, he seems to be the one who understands it the most and takes it into his life more seriously.  I never really "got" Altair; sure, he's a cool character but to me he was born and raised with the Order, he knew nothing else and he certainly comes off as a bit of an ass (hur hur) at times. Connor I just was never convinced of him as an Assassin either; he just wanted a way to protect his people, considered throwing in the towel and allying with his Old Man rather than listening to his Mentor, and I doubt his commitment to the Order itself. And Edward, is well.. Edward! XD

 

Ezio starts off as a brash young kid and develops as the game progresses; you can see the guy maturing (although he never really loses his lady addiction!) throughout the game as he hunts down the men involved in a conspiracy which also cost him his family. You witness his training and how he learns of the Templars and the Borgia plot and you see him through until the end... or so you think... heh heh heh...

 

The music is just glorious; I love the soundtrack to this game. It has some fantastic themes! I have it on my iPod which my OH finds a little strange, but I think it's a really lovely soundtrack that evokes a number of emotions. Gameplay wise, different cities of Renaissance Italy feel great to run around in, and the new Notoriety system improves much upon the first game, which I remember finding very frustrating. Most of the missions are straightforward enough, although I might have lost it a few times with Leonardo's Flying Machine. Uuugh. The theme of flying over Venice is very nice, though. :3

 

So yeah, call me unoriginal but this is still a game I enjoy a lot even though it's starting to look its age...

[Nix]

 

Day Two

Favorite Game

 

 

Persona 4: Golden

 

When I picked up my Playstation Vita, Persona 4 wasn't really at the top of my list.  I was more in it for Killzone, Tearaway, and Uncharted.  

 

Persona 4 Golden is the game every Vita owner should own.  If you don't have a Vita and can't play Golden, then pull out your PS2 find the original Persona 4 and play it.  Turn on your damn PS3 and download the original and play it.  I don't care what you do, Persona 4 is one of those games that needs to be played.

 

Persona 4 is an RPG, a dating sim, a life sim, and a murder mystery with a focus on the supernatural.  You play as a nameless hero who is supposed to represent you as you travel far away to a town called Inaba. Here your journey starts as a string of murders and kidnappings happen, and you and your gaggle of friends come together to find out the truth; however the game hates you and will throw you off the path several times (complete with multiple endings and only one "true" ending).

 

The gameplay's pretty basic turn based RPG, and the dungeons are atrocious, but Persona 4 does everything else so well it's hard to be mad.  By hanging out with your friends and developing bonds with them you learn skills and increase your party's strength.  Seeing the pay-off for your efforts with your friends definitely is satisfying as you start to plow through enemies like they're nothing using high level skills that you normally wouldn't have.

 

Persona 4's bread and butter definitely is the daily life segments where you hang around and bond with your friends.  It's been awhile since I've played a game where I don't hate a single character.  Persona 4 has a little formula in regards to character arcs (for your party members at least).  It tends to show off their bad side right off the bat, and their character arcs from then on focus on what that means to them and how can they grow past it.  It works well and all the characters are likable and surprisingly relatable for it.

 

Persona 4 Golden was my first Platinum Trophy, and a spent over 200 hours and many restless nights playing it because it's so damn good.