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

[azoo]

And just as Celestia posts about it's sequel... I'll get to that game someday. Heard it's wildly different than what I've played, but still fantastic.

 

DAY TWO : FAVORITE GAME

that isn't a Sonic game

 

(custom logo made by me, myself and I)

 

Here, take this song to last you through this:

 

When I first heard of this game, it was really just through Super Smash Bros and word of mouth. I always thought Ness was a really charming character and I played as him semi-regularly in all of the Smash games, and I always thought that the levels based on locations from his games were amongst the most inviting and wonderful in the series. 

 

When I was young I remember seeing trailers for Mother 3 for the N64 as well and hearing people say EarthBound was a really good game that deserved more attention, but I didn't really know what to think at the time. As the years past, I kind of forgot about playing it even though it lingered in the back of mind. By around 2012 I'd realized a lot of my friends / fellow artists up my alley were massive fans of the game and drew frequent fanart, so I kind of did wonder what the hubbub was all about.

 

So, reluctant as I was (due to not liking turn-based RPGs for a while there), I pulled out an emulator and started going at it.

 

I had no IDEA what was in store.

 

EarthBound took me on an adventure I'd never expected to have in a game. Games are always somewhat predefined, running on standards they either set for games ahead of them, or on cliches and stereotypes that make the next move either predictable or tedious. This game, however, threw me through a loop again and again, breaking expectations and raising the bar to another level continuously.

 

As one may see from booting up the game, it's already weirding/creeping you out to maximum levels, with an incredibly foreboding, photorealistic picture of a town being demolished by UFOs mixed with sounds of static-y white noise and roaring doomsday guitars and loud hums and screams. The sound gets louder and more hectic, the sounds rushing out at you..

 

And then the game's title screen blows you away. You're in for the ride of your life.

 

You start off on an adventure as Ness, where he wakes from his sleep from his friend Pokey knocking on the door. From there you discover a meteorite that carries a soldier bug-alien from the distant future who ensures Ness that he and three other people will stop the ultimate evil: Giygas, and you must do that by collecting the melodies of the 8 "Your Sanctuaries" with your gift from him, the Sound Stone. You end up leaving your mother and sister out to travel the world, on your own, with little to nothing with you (besides your dad's ATM card)..

 

The game only continues to get weirder (and funnier) from there. You end up fighting hippies that have "Johnny B. Goode" playing behind them while they drop rulers after battles, strange animals and inanimate objects taking offense to you, bikers invading arcades and Blues Brothers knockoffs that help you along the way, cultists (yes, cultists), and don't even get me started on Magicant and the Mr. Saturns. The events keep getting crazier as it goes.

 

But strangely enough, it feels so real. Ness doesn't see his father much if ever, and sometimes he gets homesick enough to have to call home in worry of his family.. The NPCs are all so naturally and humorously written, the events that happen in the game and the way it all comes together makes it feel like you're really in Eagleland with Ness and his friends.. I mean really, you feel like you're right there with them. And it's amazing.

 

You're given just enough information, misinformation, knowledge and background info to understand the characters and everyone else, but also just enough to leave it to your imagination (this also applies with the art style and the music). Because of this, you get the jist of your party beyond yourself (being Ness and all), and you get to imagine the type of bonds the four have with each other, making the experience all the stronger.

 

There's also a lot of relatability I have from this game as well..

 

You see, for a personal bit about me, around 2011 my mom passed away. It was around that time all the way up to now that I've progressively had to get out of my comfort zone of living dependently and progressively moving out and on my own, making my own decisions and meeting many friends along the way.

 

Because I also love really funky weird things and those things combined, this game hit me on a majorly emotional level. Many moments in this game felt nothing short of bittersweet, and they left me bawling like a baby. Particularly the ending (which I'm not gonna go into, since spoilers).

 

Featuring an endlessly endearing art style and a SUPER beautifully robust soundtrack, EarthBound is probably one of the best games I've ever played and I doubt there will be one that replaces it. It'll make you bust a gut laughing, it'll make you scared/uncomfortable out of your wit, and it will make you cry your heart out. It takes your emotions and twists them in ways you didn't know could be done.

 

And best of all, the game makes you feel like you have a purpose to continue. That you, the player, matters. You're important as the rest of them, and the game makes you feel special for being along for the ride in ways I cannot describe to you. You just have to play it.

 

There's nothing quite like it. I encourage everyone to play it. Everyone.

 

god I'm such a babby I'm tearing up a little just listening to the music and typing this out lmao

 

- Day 2 is THROUGH -

[Tori Himemiya]

DAY 2 OF PRESIDENT CROW'S FAVORITE GAME!

This is a no brainer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxnho1yTjRo

BRUTAL LEGEND!

This game so fucking glorious I will dedicate everything to talk about it. This game is all about METAL and how awesome it is. Our unlikely hero is Eddie Riggs, the world's greatest roadie who's stuck with a band that he hates. He gets his big break after being shot back in time to the Age of Metal and fights through hordes of demons. Eddie eventually meets with the resistance force at Bladehenge and decides to join their cause to free humanity.

The gameplay is quite different from what you expect. Its an action RTS where you can command your troops to wreck shit up while you can join the battlefield at anytime to join the fight and support your allies. There is a combo system for you hero unit and they all have guitar solos that have very unique effects from buffs to summoning a giant burning zeppelin to crash down on your enemies. And if you really feel like it, you can drive your car into enemies for major lulz. In single player its more open world with various missions to complete as well which include driving and hunting local wildlife.

I absolutely love this game so much. It has so much humor and charm to it that it makes up for its flaws. It celebrates metal with a whole lot of love to the point that the Glam Metal fraction doesn't even feel like a take that towards the genre. Its great and I can go on about it forever if I wanted to. But that's enough from me. UNTIL NEXT TIEM SSMB! SAME METAL TIEM! SAME METAL CHANNEL!

[Conando]

Day 2-Favorite Game

 

I'M GONNA CHEAT.

 

 

Mario Galaxy series

I'm of the mindset that you can't take one of these with the other now. Also yes, Mario Galaxy 2 is still a favorite 2 years later. Galaxy introduced the space mechanics while trying to merge old Mario with the new. While Galaxy 2 perfected the second half of that, Galaxy 1 was the one that blew me away with its gravity physics. Together, they make a complete package of absolutely awesome level design (Galaxy 2) with a wonderful world (Galaxy 1). I almost changed my mind to 3D World this time, but Galaxy just changed so much about the game, well, that I have to give it its dues still. They're absolutely lovely games, a pure joy from start to finish with the added bonus of an epic space setting allowing for odd worlds made up of things like giant fruit, cubes of grass, and floating space junk.

[Xtremer Sadiqachu]

Favorite Game? That kind of escalated quickly. I'm not really one at picking favorites, especially video games, but I'll try. No, it's not gonna be a Sonic game either. 

I have a lot of favorite video games for multiple consoles, so I'll pick my favorite game from my very first system.




I was a little kid watching Pokemon Advanced on Kids WB at the time, so that was my first introduction to Pokemon (same way for Sonic and Sonic X). A couple of years later, I acquired Pokemon FireRed, my first Pokemon game, and finally Pokemon Emerald, my favorite game. I love everything about this game, the music, the gameplay, the feel, the characters, I could never get tired of it. The one thing this game had that Ruby and Sapphire didn't, besides Rayquaza, was the Battle Froniter, and I had alot of fun with that too. Although I never did get the chance to play with other people, which was something I've always wanted to do.

Maybe someday...

 

[Boomer]

Day 2: Favourite Game





This game. This game was revolutionary. It proved that FPS games could be done on consoles and it still hasn't been topped. Where do I start? The amazing music done by none other than Grant Kirkhope? The complex level design which allows you to progress how you want?

Or how about the fantastic multiplayer that was mindblowing for something that only got added a month or so before release. Facility is my favourite multiplayer map of all time, it had a bunch of memorable locations and the music, oh god the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQbm_hCiG2I

At first I thought choosing my favourite game would be easy but it turned out to be an odd job.




Fuck Oddjob!
 

[Serperior]

I probably wrote about this game a bit too much last time, but I can't answer this question without bringing it up.

 

Day 2 - Favourite Game

 

 

((This was the same answer as the one I gave before, and I apologise for that, but I really can't say I like any other game on the level that I like this one. I'm not going to look at the way I previously answered this question and try to make a new writeup though, and I'll try to keep my mentions of this game minimal after this, unless I really can't answer without mentioning it again.))

 

I could list a multitude of reasons why this game is my favourite.....and that's exactly what I'm going to do because that's what this day demands. This game is honestly as close to perfection as you can get from a game in my eyes, and it will most likely stay that way.

 

Before I write about the gameplay, I need to write about the feature of the gameplay that really shapes it up to what it is, the Celestial Brush. This feature is nothing short of amazing, and I honestly don't think I'll ever like any game's gimmick as much as I like this one. The Celestial Brush's many applications, both in the overworld and in combat, is a large part of what keeps the gameplay interesting from beginning to end. The designers had to vary up a lot of things to make sure you would be using this utility in many different ways, from enemy patterns and weaknesses, puzzle solutions, and even just allowing you to interact with different elements of the world in a multitude of ways with them. It is a really fun feature that they used to the absolute best of it's ability.

 

Now on to talking about the actual gameplay. Outside of the combat sections, this game plays pretty similarly to your normal 3D Zelda game for the most part, giving you a large world to run around in and explore, throwing in dungeon areas filled with puzzles from time to time. The game handles this very well, littering all kinds of secrets all over the place, making exploring the various areas interesting and rewarding. As said before, the overworlds allow you to interact with it via the Celestial Brush in a multitude of different ways which makes finding all of these different things more enjoyable and varied, and they keep the different puzzles you're faced with varied, both in concept and in the solution, in most cases. The areas you are put in are vast enough to be fun to explore, but not vast enough to where you'll get lost and have no way of getting yourself back on track again.

 

The combat takes place in an arena type area, which is initiated by running into scrolls that float around in the overworld, which are for the most part avoidable, which is a feature I'm always fine with. In these arenas, you are usually faced with several enemies. While the game does fall victim to the typical trope of re-using enemy types but more powerful at later stages in the game, there are still a good number of different enemy types, all of which with disctinct attack patterns and methods of needing to be taken down, and even the re-used enemy types usually have different weaknesses, which keeps what would otherwise be somewhat repetetive interesting.

 

Outside of normal encounters, the boss fights are, for the most part, pretty entertaining fights, but I'd rather not go into to much depth without spoiling what they are and how they work. The normal boss fights are all usually pretty fast paced, requiring you to be a bit smarter with your weapon usage, as they can usually shrug off most of the brush techniques. The larger scale boss fights are some of my favourite parts about the game, as they're all pretty unique and fun fights.

 

Your combat repetoire is actually pretty large. You have three weapon types available, all of which have different strengths, weaknesses and applications, and different techniques that can be pulled off with each of them. You can also equip a second weapon as a sub weapon, allowing you access to techniques such as a non-brush based projectile, a counter attack and attacks that allow you to cover angles that your normal attacks won't otherwise cover. Aside from that, the Celestial Brush is available for use in combat too, and it's just as useful in combat, if not more so with the unlockable techniques you can get. Pretty much all of the different brush techniques have different and useful applications in combat, and it's fun to see just how much you can do to the enemies you're faced with with it. There are a few other techniques you can eventually get too, and while there aren't that many, the ones that are there are pretty interesting.

 

Now then, onto things that aren't gameplay related. Let's start off with the thing that everyone talks about when mentioning this game. The visual style. The visual style in this game is simply stunning, and it makes everything in this game a wonder to look at. I remember when I played this game for the first time, I looked forward to seeing each new area just to see what this game would pull with the visuals next, and it never disappointed. It makes for some beautiful moments that only something with this look could produce. This game really utilised this style to it's fullest, and it's easily my favourite visual style in gaming history. The game's soundtrack is another part of the game I really enjoy. Each track fits really well with whatever it is being played over, be it a setting, a character's appearance or even story moments, each song really helps build up the atmosphere of everything you come across.

 

And finally, let's top it off with the story. It's hard to talk about the plot itself because of how long it is. Okami is a very long game even if you do nothing but the main story related objectives, so I'll just go into the very basic details. The game follows the story of Amaterasu, a god who has been revived after her death 100 years before to find that the land of Nippon has been thrown into chaos by Orochi, a powerful demon that she defeated before her untimely but temporary death. Amaterasu has to go on a quest to restore the land to it's former glory, meeting many people and encountering many obstacles along the way. The story manages to throw in twists and turns throughout it's duration to keep it interesting through the whole run, and the cast of characters are all fun and interesting, and the world is built well enough to make you want to see more. The game borrows a lot from a large number of various Japanese stories, but puts it's own spin on all of them to make sure everything fits together without problems, and it pulls this off extremely well. A large portion of the characters in the game, even down to minor NPCs are based on these myths, and you can never really tell what they're going to draw from next.

 

Overall, I think Okami is an amazing experience in near enough every regard from start to finish. It still honestly kind of saddens me that this game did so poorly in the sales department. It is truly a wonderful game that I think anyone who is a fan of adventure games should at least give a try.

 

....I wrote a bit much, didn't I?

 

 

Honorable mentions:

 

Bayonetta - What I would probably call the best character action game to date, sporting extremely fun and action packed gameplay that, despite the game's overall somewhat short length, is always fun to go back and play.

 

The main series Pokémon RPGs in general - A very solid set of RPGs with a lot of mechanics that make it surprisingly in depth and keeps me coming back to them.

 

Mega Man X4 - I'm a huge Mega Man fan, and bad voice acting aside, I would say this is probably the best game in the series. Memorable levels, fun weapons, good boss fights, introduced Zero's gameplay that wasn't just a clone of X.

 

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - I really enjoyed the first Super Mario Galaxy and I felt this game improved on the groundwork that the first one set with superior level design while keeping what made the first Galaxy game a blast.

[Debug Ring]

Day 2: Favourite game

 

So I talked about Crash 2 yesterday...

 

But I think this is my favourite game (at the moment, anyway. These things change a lot with me) Just, everything about this game gels with me. I love the opening level, and play it countless times, and actually I love the majority of the levels (Though the Scuba-diving ones are a pain on occasion) I think my favourite themes for the levels are either the Dino ones or the Egyptian Tomb ones. Those were great fun. The motorbike levels, while not great, were certainly an improvement over Crash Bandicoot 2's Jetpack levels, so that's good stuff. I also loved the Coco levels, riding on Pura or the jet ski.

 

All in all, I can play the hell out of this game over and over... And I love it.

[Kuzu]

Wait, is it still too late for Day 1? I got caught up in shit. I want my badge D:
 
 
 
Anyway; 
 
 

DAY 2: FAVORITE GAME

 

 

 

 

Surprise, surprise right? Me liking Blazblue, who woulda guessed.

 

 

So yea, if you've paid attention to my posting habits for about the last two years or so, its no secret I kind of love Fighting games and this series is the reason why. 

 

I dunno, there was just something about Blazblue that clicked with me; the controls, the flashiness of the moves, and lovely sprite work on the characters. All of that just endeared the series a lot to me, and its by far the game I've spent the most time with on my PS3. 

 

Its really more of a community thing too, I've met and played so many people because of this game and even when I know I'm good, I know that there' s always room for improvement. 

 

And above all, its just a really fun game to play, not unlike its predecessor Guilty Gear. So yea Blazblue's awesome.

 

Now if shitty arc would just learn how to rebalance.

 

Also, it was really hard to come up with a favorite game as I've got so many, but a really close runner up would be Batman Arkham Asylum. While I've put nowhere near the amount of time into that game, the atmosphere is just so amazing and captures the spirit of Batman like no other game has before it.

[Senator NinjaShark]

Day Numbero 2 May Cry, Ninja's "keep on playin' Nintendogs on Easy Mode, Kami" Favourite Games ever

 

 

so, last year, I mentioned stuff like Mario, Pokemon, Smash, TF2, and so on, and not much has changed

 

so lets talk about two games I didnt touch upon too much, from a grenre I didnt touch upon too much either

 

 

Character Action Games.

 

 

 

you know that Genre, your God of Wars, your Marlow Briggs, and so on. They're fast paced, skill based, and can be paired up with just about every other Genre!

 

I mean, Vanquish is a Third Person Shooter plus Character Action Game, Wonderful 101 is a Pikmin styled game plus Character Action Game, it goes with everything!

 

 

 

so, lets dive into two games, wich I belive have perfected this Genre, one of wich is from a series that even more or less created it, wich is.....

 

 

 

you thought I was gonna say Dantes Inferno? Foolishness Members...Foolishness...

 

Jet Stream, into Fireworks into Million Stabs on a Hell Vanguard? Sweet!

 

Jam Session, into Windmill, while Doppelganger is up? SShowtime!

 

the Fucking Vergil Fights? All three of them?  SSStylish!

 

 

this is Devil May Cry 3, one of the Best games period. Many, Many Combinations on how to play, with many different Melee weapons, Guns, and Styles, wanna Parry the Living shit out of the Legion of Hell? Go Nuts, just fucking do it, the Sky's the Limit, except its just the Beginning set all to Ballin Music wich gets you pumped from start to Finish and then all over again.

 

 

 

so DMC3 came and went, DMC4 came out and while it was a Great game still in some parts even surpassing DMC3, the Third game was still King and set a Bar for Character Action games wich Probably wouldnt be touched in forever

 

 

 

.....until THIS game came around

 

 

 

Platinum Quality, repre-fuckin-sentin' Baybe!

 

Hooo, Hooooo Momma this game

 

Everything DMC3 did above? the Insane Combos? The Stylish Action? Bayonetta did all that and Above!

 

it didnt have any Styles but it didnt need to because you had Millions (and Millions) of weapon Combination plus a set of items at your Disposal wich more or less are styles anyway, wanna strap a Pair of Bazookas to your Feet while your cut up Angels with a Pair of Claws that can channel both Fire and Electricity? Fuckin' do it!

 

You wanna Whip fools into Oblivion and then summon clones of yours to copy your Movement? Fuck yeah you can do that and even more, like with DMC3 you get some Awesome tunes to help you keep your Rythm up as you Pole Dance Angels into the Depths of Hell they Belong to.

 

 

Bayonetta is everything a Game needs to be and more, and thats why it deserves to be one of my alltime Favourite Games, and one of the best Character Action games ever.

 

 

 

Honorable Mention as always goes to, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance (wich as the Above is one of the best Character Action Games ever) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (by far the best in the series in literally every way) Super Metroid (still the best Game of its Genre) and Kid Icarus Uprising (one of my Favourite 3DS games and a excellent reimagining of the series), Earthbound and Mother 3 (both of wich are my Favourite Non-Pokemon/Mario RPG's)

 

and of course the aforementioned Okami (wich I might add I consider a Zelda-clone plus Character Action game, further proving my Point!)

 

 

 

 

[Starman Swift]

Day 2: Favorite Game

 

 

I'm probably a little biased since I played this only last year, but I'd have to say one of my favorite games is Mother 3. I thought Super Smash Brothers Brawl had spoiled me on a whole bunch of the major plot points, but I've gotta say that a majority of the game went unspoiled, especially some particular twists that I didn't see coming. I won't go any further into the plot though, it's something you have to experience yourself. It's sometimes silly, sometimes sad.

 

If there's one thing I love in RPG games, it's when there's a little more to the combat than just selecting an attack or skill. the Mario RPGs are the best at this, but Mother 3's combo-to-the-rhythm was pretty fun too. Especially since I absolutely sucked at it at first. It really shows how much better you've gotten when you can actually pull off a 16-hit combo late in the game. Helps that the battle music can be pretty catchy too.

 

I'm sure whoever else has played has had trouble comboing to this beat for a long time. The music in this game outside of battles is pretty good too.

 

Plus, there's not really a need to grind in this game, outside of maybe at this one particularly tough early boss, which is always a huge boon in RPG games. There is a bit of a need for strategy at bosses though, you gotta use your skills wisely to keep everyone alive and defeat the boss, which I like. Skills like shields and stat decreasers are incredibly important this time around. Other than the gameplay, the sprites are pretty nice, and they kinda inspired me to start doodling sprites for myself and friends after who knows how long. They were that nice.

 

So to sum it up, interesting plot, fun, sometimes strategic battles, good music that might've made my eyes a little watery at parts, nice sprites, nice game. You should probably grab the translated ROM of it if you like this sort of thing, because it's probably not gonna get localized anytime soon.

[Nast]

Oh man, talk about an abrupt step up from the previous question. I generally have a very hard time picking a favorite anything... but all things considered, I'm gonna have to go with this one:

 

Day 2: Favorite Game (excluding Sonic)

 

In my opinion, when you think of games that get you hooked for hours on end, this one takes the cake. This, for me, is that game that you expect to play for 30 minutes, then you say to yourself "just one more game", and the next thing you know you've played another 20.

 

I actually didn't grow up with this game, like most people here probably have. In fact, I played Brawl for years since it came out, and only played Melee for the first time last year. Still, that was enough to convince me that it was the much better game. As much as I still like Brawl, being able to do fast combos with Ness in Melee was amazingly fun, and something I could never do in Brawl. Well anyways, I don't want to focus too much on the Brawl vs Melee subject.

 

 

So yeah, being a game I only discovered recently, I don't really have any stories to tell about it, or childhood memories, compared to a lot of other games that I did play when I was little and would have plenty of memorable moments to talk about. Still, Melee is probably the most fun game I've ever played, and one that I probably won't get tired of anytime soon.

[Indigo Rush]

DAY 02: FAVORITE VIDEO GAME

 

 

PLAN B, PLAN B!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Aw yisssssssss

 

Wind Waker is, to me, is probably my favorite non-Sonic game out there. The HD version made it even better, too. The gameplay is silky smooth and fluid, the controls are tight, the level design is creative and challenging, the graphics are beautiful, the music is fantastic, and I could probably play this game 100 times and never get tired of it.

[StaticMania]

Favorite Video Game:
 
An unsurprisingly hard question to answer for one such as myself...its already been 3 classes since I've been thinking about it.
 
So my choice today is...
 
Super Mario Galaxy 2:

Currently at the top anyway.

 

This game is just amazing all around to me. I mean, I've played the original Galaxy...and its a great game it really is, but I just like Galaxy 2 so much more. The music, the level design, the straight forward-ness. Its just that good. I had so much fun with this game and I rarely ever got angry when playing it. Collecting all 242 stars was very satisfying, the green stars really weren't that annoying to deal with, in fact I had just as much enjoyment in getting the green stars as I did the regular stars. I think the bosses are great, but not all as good as Galaxy 1's bosses. Oh well.

 

For a runner up, I'll give a small shout out to...

 

It was a good first jump back into traditional Kirby formula and its a really fun game in itself. The music, the new abilities and new moves in old abilities really make this game fun to play. Every now and again I go back just to the copy rooms and True boss rush mode just to see how well I can use the copy powers.

 

Wow...this really was difficult to answer. It was like a colossal tie between Galaxy 2, Return(s), Rush Adventure, Sonic 3, Super Mario World, and Kirby's Amazing mirror. Fortunately I could just dwindle it down by a strict "no Sonic rule" and which game I enjoyed the most when playing it.

[gato]

Day 2: Favorite game

 

 

 

because really, I still feel Starcraft is the best game I've played.

 

 

 

But if I had to píck a close second it would be this one:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow4cC-Cz5l8

 

Age of Empires II

 

 

 

Like Starcraft, this one is an RTS with a bit of city management thrown in it, simple enough on both sides of the spectrum to not be Total War nor Sim City and really, the mix of a little of each thing is the kind of RTS I enjoy the most.

 

The game puts you in command of many many nations of your choice similar in many ways but each with it's perks and bonuses that makes them worth exploring, also while Starcraft's world depicts a pretty gritty realm, the world of Age of Empires II is full of color and beauty (or at least it was by the time it was made)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The game can be played in 2 ways, playing against the AI or other humans in randomly generated maps (tho they might as well count as one per each different setting you can pick, still, don't feel discouraged as there are a lot of setting to chose from) or custom made scenarios by the community (and there are a lot of them), or play in the campaign mode when you'll be put in command of some historic heroes during their most notable campaigns (with... Some artistic licenses mind you)

 

 

 

Constantinople! The bane of my days playing as Barbarossa (though the pic shows the very nerfed version on the Atila story)... And still no nearly as bad as Paris.

 

 

Actually, something interesting about the "story" of the game is that almost every single thing in the game has a story, there is an option in the title screen where you can get historical description of pretty much everything, it serves no purpose whatsoever other than to give players some nice tidbits of trivia to read but it certainly helps you a lot to get immersed into the era this game takes place.

 

 

 

Wouldn't want to be the blue guys right now...

 

 

So yeah, I love a lot of things about this game! The visuals are nice to look at, the game is simple enough for everyone to get into, the story is very interesting (being our own), the amounts of post game content is massive thanks to a more than 10 years old community (and the fact most of this content still works in the HD re-release), and while not as balanced as Starcraft this game is still one of the most fun in the genre for me.

 

I'm not a fan of the soundtrack tho (something both the Starcraft and Command and Conquer series are really good at).

 

 

 

[Komodin]

Day 2: My Favorite Game

 

My all time favorite game? Already? Well, gosh, that one’s easy…

 

 

Yes, folks, my favorite game is Super Mario 3D World.

 

I know what you’re probably thinking: “... Seriously, Komodin? Why that game? Isn’t it a bit early to pick THAT game, brah? What’s makes it better than, say, Super Mario Goddamn Galaxy?!” Well, Imaginary Incredulous Guy, I love both Super Mario Galaxy games quite a lot, actually--more so the first, but still! Why did I pick this game over them, though? Allow me to explain…

 

You see, ever since it was initially revealed back in E3 2013, I was already on board with it. I was already a big fan of its immediate predecessor, Super Mario 3D Land, with my having played far more of it than I ever did any of the other 3D Mario games. Seeing what looked to be a console game version of it was just peaches for me. As more and more was revealed of it, my hype levels grew exponentially, accordingly. With its spoiler reveal in a Nintendo Direct, I made it a duty to get my hands on the game as soon as possible. When I finally got my hands on it, I even waited until Christmas before I opened it and played it, just to keep the element of surprise with it that I kinda squandered with other games in recent Christmas past. 

 

So, at this point, I bet you’re wondering: “Was it really worth all the hype and hoopla?” … Yes. It really was!

 

For starters, let me talk about the gameplay. Let me get this out of the way: I’m one of those “gameplay” gamers. While I’ve always--and always--appreciate a good and engaging narrative, when it comes to video games, gameplay is my absolute top priority. I’m the sort of person who would, in the event of a sadistic choice, sooner choose a game with great gameplay, but average narrative over one with a great narrative, but average gameplay. With all that said, I really do think that this game was practically made for a gamer like me. As a big fan of the 2D Mario games, the fact that this game is pretty much one in a 3D format really appeals to me. It’s precisely why I more easily gelled with it (and 3D Land) than the other 3D Marios. I just really like the whole “get to the goal in a certain amount of time” thing--I’m not one to dilly dally with my video games. What also helps me with choosing this over the Galaxies is the lack of motion controls. Not to say that the Wiimote controls of the Galaxies were bad or anything, but they get kinda tiring after a while. With 3D World, on the other hand, that isn’t an issue at all. In fact, with the Wii U’s main feature of being able to play games entirely on the GamePad, it actually enhances the game exponentially for me by virtue of it essentially allowing me to play a semi-portable console Mario game, with its sheer gorgeous visuals and all.

 

As a 2D Mario game in spirit, it also has various power-ups that enhances Mario and co’s abilities--in fact, I think it has more power-ups than any other 3D Mario games, which I really like. The Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, Super Leaf, and Boomerang Flower all work exactly as one would expect, though being able to play as Fire Mario without a time limit is simply tops. The Super Bell is pretty  nifty, too, with it giving you the ability to turn you into an adorable cat that can scale walls. The Double Cherry made for some interesting levels, especially near the end. The Mega Mushroom made for some destructive fun with its 3D debut here, although I really think it should’ve been used in more levels. 

 

The support items were also pretty interesting for the most part. The Propeller Box is pretty much the Propeller Suit, which works quite well, while the Cannon Box brought down the pain with its chargeable cannon shots. The Coin Boxes work just like in its previous two appearances, for better or worse. The Goomba Skates are pretty much the Kuribo’s Shoes of the 3D Marios, so their coolness goes without saying, with the Piranha Plants were actually pretty useful. Finally, while it hasn’t really been utilized much, the Light Boxes allowed me to kill ghosts, so I’m cool with them, too. The Goomba Head thing…

 

 

... eh, it just creeps me out a bit.

 

Anyway, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about this game’s lovely music! It goes back to a more general big-band swing style that makes it quite distinct from the other 3D Marios. From the jaunty Super Bell Hill to the bombastic Bowser’s Highway Showdown; from the lullaby-like Footlight Lane to the jazzy as heck Hisstocrat; from the cheery Double Cherry Pass to the surprising ominous Battles of the Great Tower, the music selection here is simply PHENOMENAL! There are even some musical throwbacks here and there, between the Super Block Land’s lovely rendition of the main theme from 3D Land, the bombastic remix of the Legend of Zelda theme in Color Panel de Link, and the sheer glory that is the remix of the Gusty Garden Galaxy theme in Champion’s Road! To this day, this game’s soundtrack is one of the very few where I actually keep the entirety of it--a claim not even many Sonic games can attest to!

 

Ultimately, though, what makes me love this game more than any other 3D Mario title, even the Galaxies, is the character selection. Seriously, not since Super Mario 64 DS have I seen such a genuinely diverse selection in a Mario game! Mario controls like he did in every 3D game ever, but it’s the others that I find myself playing as more, to my surprise! Luigi’s basically a better Mario, with his higher jumps and slightly faster, though slippery, speed. Toad takes some cues from Sonic the Hedgehog, being the fastest out of all of them, although his jumping leaves a bit to be desired. Using Peach and her floatiness to just go over everything really appeals to me, as well, especially considering that I am a big fan of her solo game. Even Captain Toad, with his little Find the Green Stars levels, is pretty controllable, his negligible jump aside. What I really like the most, though, is the chance to play as my current main character, Rosalina, and use her combination of high jumps and her Super Mario Galaxy-inspired moveset to just quash everything. 

 

The story of the game is pretty much equal parts standard fair and slightly twisty. Instead of Peach, Mario and co (including Peach) have to journey into the Sprixie Kingdom and save the seven Princesses from Bowser, who wishes to use their powers to take over everything, ever. It’s nothing subversive, but for what it is, it works. While the first six lands (or worlds) of the Sprixie Kingdom are pretty standard Mario fare, there are some very unique and fun levels here and there, from the carnival-esque Switch Scramble Circus, the GamePad focused Puffprod Peaks, and the shadowplay-inspired Shadow-Play Alley to the creepy Spooky Seasick Wreck and the Mario Kart tribute that is Mount Must Dash. By the seventh land, World Castle, things take a little shift. After rescuing the Red Sprixie Princess, the final one, from the clutches of Bowser, you’re led into a false sense of completion with their and your PC celebrating… but! Bowser actually moves back the level complete screen, captures all seven of them at once again, and saunters off to what I think is his best base of operations ever: 

 

 

Ah, yes, World Bowser! Clearly taking some pointers from Dr. Eggman during one of their collaborations, this land is one giant amusement park, a la Eggman's very own Eggmanland and Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, set high above the Sprixie Kingdom and using the kingdom’s very own royalty as essentially batteries for the place. I’m being quite serious when I say that every single level here is awesome! From the dramatic Spiky Spike Bridge and the snazzy Bowser Express to the surprisingly fun Deepwater Dungeon and the unique A Beam in the Dark, this world is pretty diverse in its level selection. What I like the most is the final level, The Great Tower of Bowser Land, where you must ascend Bowser’s Great Tower while fending off Bowser’s--or, should I say, Meowser’s--powerup-using(!) behind in order to save the princesses for good! As final levels go, only Bowser’s Galaxy Generator and World 8-Bowser Castle measures up in its sheer awesomeness!

 

The post-finale worlds are pretty neat, too. World Star is pretty cool with its mostly Galaxy-inspired levels, while Worlds Mushroom and Flower is basically Super Hard Mode of some of the main campaign levels. World Crown, the FINAL final world, is on its own caliber of sheer difficulty. Let’s just say that there is a very good level that its main course, Champion’s Road, always sounds off a heartbeat before you enter it.

 

All in all, Super Mario 3D World is my all time favorite game ever. The gameplay’s tops, the music’s paroxysmic, and the character is the best the Mario game have ever seen, and the levels are fun to play. So, in conclusion: Super Mario 3D World? NOT EVEN REMOTELY MEH!

[Mania Pipe]

Day 2: Favorite Video Game:

 

 

I love this game to death and back. This was one of the first person shooter games that I enjoyed playing, next to Doom or Duke Nukem 3D, but Halo: Combat Evolved was something more to me than just "Go around and shoot people," but it was exploring the lands. Halo was something that expanded upon its universe with its worlds and characters.

 

The characterization of the people were endearing and you actually cared about them, story narrative about the threat of the Covenant planning  and figure out their obsession with Halo, or as they call it the "Holy Ring" and why they're protecting it and explore the ring and discover its many secrets. The action can get really frantic and wild The difficulty can really test your skills, especially when you're on Heroic or Legendary; that's when you really start thinking on how deal with the situation with enemies. It's also a blast having fun with your friends, then again that can be any game with Multiplayer.

 

Plus, the music is some of the absolute best that I've ever heard in video games. Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori are fucking geniuses when composing music together. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6DdRv6NIyY

 

Seriously, this shit is just beautiful.

 

I always go back to play this game and never get bored with it. I've always fond memories of playing Halo: Combat Evolved with my dad.

[Nepenthe]

Day 2: Favourite Game

 

That's easy for me. It has to be the only long adventure game I've played twice out of my own volition just for the sake of experiencing it again (and without the influence of a file corruption):

 

 

This game is really special to me. It's the first time I ever seriously considered jumping into the Zelda franchise and subsequently it was in a genre I had little experience in at all. People were hyped for it, my Wii needed dusting off, so I put it and the Wii Motion Plus remote as an expensive chance Christmas gift.

 

And the funny part of it all was, when I got to Faron Woods' temple I was kinda bored. I didn't think it was a bad game but the temple design just put me off, and I wasn't sure if this franchise was for me and was thinking perhaps I had wasted people's money. I put the game down for a long while, to nearly mid-2013. Eventually, I decided one day to just power past it, and the temple's first boss snapped me out of the stupor. Nintendo pit me against this strange man who revealed himself as the Demon Lord (Nope # 1) who could catch most of your strikes like a Saiyan (Nope # 2) and this occurs when you're nowhere close to being a skilled swordsman (Nope # 3; that's it I'm done).

 

I felt angrily betrayed and subsequently determined to kick this foppish dude's ass, because clearly the boss was surmountable. That moment felt like the point when the game really started, and I began asking questions. If I'm beating self-proclaimed demon lords, what were the rest of the bosses like? Will I actually fight that worm thing? What other untamed lands do those stone tablet thingies unlock? Can I get that Master Sword thing everyone goes on about? Oh yeah, and where is Zelda anyway? And the marvelous bit is that everything was answerable by just going forth and playing.

 

Scaling volcanoes, riding in sand sail boats (sand sailboats exist, this is awesome!), climbing huge trees, swimming in cramped underwater tunnels, flying in super storms, meeting giant flying whales, killing other giant evil things, going to alternate dimensions, going back in time, going down to Hell- this game was a smorgasbord of ideas that weren't just one or two quirky stages but fully-fleshed out areas to conquer with my sword, my wits, and my trusty crystal spirit AI girl thing. It was exciting stuff for me, an actual adventure, culminating in the perfect revelation of villainy that unnerved the shit out of me (I did all that struggling against the sword? For fuck's sake...) 

 

And when it was all said and done I was actually sad to the point that I teared. My trusty crystal spirit AI girl thing had to go. Regardless of what she may have done to annoy me at times, she had been genuinely helpful at times and was a constant companion throughout. Nearly everything I'd seen she'd been there for, which in its own way took some of the edge off at times. When she retreated, the Wii Remote itself just kinda became lifeless and useless. It had been rarer and rarer over the years for a game to evoke this much emotion in me throughout the entire thing: anger, confusion, aggravation, epiphany, joy, satisfaction. And I don't shun the negative ones either. I feel they were directed in the right places- more towards circumstances than mechanics- so ultimately I came out of it happy.

 

Skyward Sword singlehandedly launched both my interest in Zelda and interest in adventure games and dungeon crawlers. It ran me through a wonderful gamut of challenges, locations, and characters that I hadn't even thought about experiencing before much less thought existed. It was perfect in all of its own little ways, and time willing, I will probably play through the whole thing a third time.

 

And then you top all of that off with a beautiful scored soundtrack like this? Get the fuck out:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSZBcPRQpO8

[buba]

Day 2 - Favorite Game

 

Well, this one's easy.

 

 

Yup, it's Persona 3.

To tell the truth, I'm not very proud of the way I found about this game. Some years ago, I started hearing about Persona so I searched about it and found that the newest game was released for the PS2. My brother had a softmodded console and I obviously pirated it. After playing it for like two hours, I fell in love with it, deleted the pirated copy and bought the real deal some days later.

Now about the game. Persona 3 is a JRPG from Atlus that adopts the Shin Megami Tensei style of gameplay and modifies it while bringing visual novel elements into the mix. Just like the rest of the games in the series, Persona 3 is story/character heavy and while the gameplay is rather "simple" it can be pretty addictive.

When I started playing, I didn't really know what to expect from it, but like I already said, two hours later I was in love with the game. I really liked the characters that are rather "distant" and not what you would actually call friends during most of the game giving them a realistic feel, especially one called Junpei.

When it comes to the story, it's kinda hard to explain. While the narrative was good, there are times where nothing happens and others where you are bombarded with plot.

Fusing Personas was quite addictive to the point where I would spend hours trying to get certain skills in a certain demon or trying to get it perfect and you have to constantly do this through the whole game.

A new thing that was added to the game and would latter become a staple for the series where Social Links. While some of them wheren't that great since they where a first for the series, most where pretty enjoyable.

The music had a strong emphasis on rap and was amazing becoming also one of my favorite video game ost.

All this mixed made Persona 3 my favorite game and Persona as a whole my favorite series.

[Sonictrainer]

Day 2 - Favorite Game

 

 

 

OK, so we've had 3D Pokémon games before but instead of copying the sprites from those games, they redid all of them and the attack animations for X and Y. The result is this cool stylized 3D that works for the Pokémon Battles and Pokémon-mie, the Nintendogs feature that can give bonuses in battle.

 

However, it's not just the graphics and animations that bring out the game, it's also the great selection of old and new Pokémon to choose, new features such as Mega Evolution, Super Training, and Pokémon-Amie, updated items and abilities, a new Fairy Type to shake things up, and other things.

 

After playing X and Y, I'm wondering what's coming up next for the Series besides that Detective Game and Art Academy spinoffs.

[Pawn]

 

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

 

Not the most unique choice maybe, but I had to go for my most recent favourite or I wouldn't know how to decide. There are very few games that I've spent so many hours with in a relatively short space of time. I may have clocked in more time over a longer period in Pokemon Red or Phantasy Star Online, but games like those have aged too much for me to enjoy now in the same way.

 

 

I love this game enough that I've actually sat watching my dad play for at least half of his playthrough. It combines a lot of what I liked about AC2 with fantastic naval gameplay and a vast open world to explore. It kind of reminds me of roaming the seas back in Wind Waker on Gamecube, only more fun. The game really makes you feel as though you're experiencing the life of a pirate, thanks to the inclusion of famous characters like Blackbeard, the sea shanties sung by your crew and the swashbuckling music that plays as you board other ships.

 

 

When you're not boarding or simply wading through other vessels, you can hunt on land or at sea; dive underwater for treasure; upgrade your ship; loot warehouses; take over forts; navigate through dangerous storms and of course carry out the usual parkour moves and assassination across coastal towns, beautiful beaches, tiny islands and lush jungles. There's just so much to do and I loved almost every minute of it. I say almost since a few of the series' more tedious elements (the best example being tail missions) have still not been significantly improved. That said, it was still brilliant fun overall and I can see myself returning to it at some point this year.

[Captain Fun]

Day 2: Favorite Game. 

 

 

Ocarina of Time: 3D. 

 

Yes, yes, I sort of just did this but I can go on. The game is timeless but the 3D version does a good job of updating it, so I consider this the definitive version. Why is it my favorite? Well nostalgia certainly plays a part, but other than that, it has some of my favorite bosses (Ganon, Phantom Ganon, Twinrova) in the Zelda series, and some of my favorite music ever scored for a videogame. Although I know Hyrule like the back of my hand by now, the element of exploration is also one of the reasons I like it. The 3DS version added more awesome features, like allowing Link to revisit boss fights in his nightmares. OoT, in my opinion is a very well rounded package. Some may claim it's overrated but the reason it's so loved by fans is because of its place in the industry.

skyward sword stuff

I am now reminded that I need to play hero mode.

[Yoko/葉子]

I  got too many to list, so off the top of my head: I summon- er.... pick Eternal Sonata for PS3.

 

The game had a great bit of philosophy I could relate to, beautiful music, terrible music puns and a reimagining of an existing song. I was really happy to hear Patrick Seitz play such an important person from our world. The unique method of turn-based gameplay made me want to keep playing even though some bosses were brutally hard. I am now on the game's hard mode, trying to see if I can beat it, quite hard so far.

[Solly]

Day 2: Favorite Game

Ocarina of Time is still a fantastic game, and its remake is even better.

 

This game is what sparked my interest in fantasy lore and introduced me to actual storytelling in games. It's a basic, yet epic adventure filled with memorable characters. Yesterday I mentioned that as a kid, it felt like anything was possible in a game. Well that goes double for something as big and involved as Zelda. You can argue that there are better games out there, even within the same series, but I feel like none of them are so well-rounded. You never have to collect tadtones, or turn into a wolf against your will- it has a narrative that's ever-present without taking the control from your hands for way too goddamn long, and it holds your hand a lot less than the other 3D Zeldas.

It's not totally perfect, but the remake covers a lot of its problems, and it still holds up really well today.

[Rusty Spy]

Day 2: Favorite Game

 

 

If there were ever a game that just 'got it right', it was Just Cause 2. One of the biggest appeals to sandbox games is dicking around and doing whatever you want, and this game makes that it's bread and butter. Having one of the biggest sandboxes ever, an extremely versatile grapple-hook mechanic, and tons of stuff to blow up, this game draws you in by abandoning all notions of realism and letting you run wild with it's almost garry's mod-esque gameplay.

[Danj86]

Pretty simple for me, this one.

 

Favorite Video Game: Persona 4: Golden - PS Vita

 

From the original Persona 4 on PS2, which wasn't broken. A Freakin' fantastic game! They somehow made it even better!! A new character, a new dungeon with a twist and additional story scenes added that continues with the lighthearted humour it originally had. You even learn new things about the beloved characters that weren't in the original, like Yukiko loving scary stories and Chie being afraid of lightening. Plus the otaku in me gushed over the new animated scenes.

 

The story is still fantastic and the new additions made it even better. One new addition reminded me of how the story ended in Persona 3 fes, (which pissed me off, by the way.) without giving away any spoilers, a situation was pretty similar with a character, except you can actually change the outcome.