Video games used to be a fringe activity people were embarrassed to admit they took part in. Now they're a multimedia and artistic industry struggling to find a legitimate voice to back up the money they're making. The last 30 years has seen a lot of games and consoles come and go. Here's the best of the best from video games past...
20 – NBA Street Vol 2 (Xbox, PS2)
NBA Jams started a
phenomenon in the gaming world. Two-on-two arcade-style video gaming was fun.
It didn’t have to be real. Over-the-top is exactly what we needed in arcades. EA’s
NBA Street took over the reigns in
the 2000s because of their sports licensing prowess. With a great soundtrack,
announcing by DJ Bobbito Garcia, and rim shattering dunks, NBA Street II is the most entertaining basketball game ever made. The
pro simulators may have it trumped in a lot of categories, but street ball is
where the heart is at.
19 – Starcraft II (PC,
Mac)
Blizzard is known for making amazing games. Warcraft and Starcraft are their flagship titles. Starcraft II quelled nearly a decade of anticipation from PC gaming
nerds worldwide. Upon its release, we were satiated. Single player mechanics
were amazing. Multiplayer is still epic to this day. Starcraft is one of those builder-RTS games that can take up a
night with no problems. If you want bang for your buck, there are few options
that can provide as much entertainment hours than Starcraft II.
18 – Worms Armageddon
(Xbox Live, PS Store)
Worms is based on
some very simplistic mechanics. It’s a turn based Smash Bros. When I was first introduced to the game, I was a bit
hesitant. After a couple of games with friends, I finally started getting the
hang of it. My friends aren’t the type of people to let you win at anything. By
the end of the weekend, I was utilizing my 15 seconds of movement to swing my
customized Phoenix Suns worms into just the right spot to hit a homing missile,
sheep, or banana bomb. Worms Armageddon
is addictive fun for groups and parties of all age and skill levels.
17 – Guitar Hero
(various PlayStations and Xbox platforms, mobile, etc)
Raise your hand if you have a pile of useless plastic
guitars and other assorted instruments in your house. The musical genre was
definitely over saturated, but you have to admit, it was fun while it lasted. Guitar Hero gave everyone a chance to
rock out to their favorite rock tracks. It spawned a slew of imitators that
leaked into karaoke, DJ-ing, and more. If we spent as much time playing the
guitar as you did playing Guitar Hero,
we’d all be rock stars by now.
16 – Wii Sports (Wii)
Wii Bowling is the
most fun I’ve ever had on the Wii. Nintendo’s groundbreaking system featured a
lot of innovative gaming ideas, but the Sports
title they bundled with the system was fantastic. Many hours could be spent
playing golf, boxing, baseball, or bowling. Each was only a mini game, but they
were fantastic mini games, and they taught people how to use the Wii within a
fun game rather than a dry instruction manual. Wii Sports launched the world on a gaming trend. Families
everywhere bought video game consoles for the very first time. Nintendo scored
with this game.
15 – Unreal
Tournament (PC, Mac)
There have been so many games based on the Unreal gaming engine that it’s nearly
impossible to count. There’s a reason for that. Unreal spawned an amazing array
of games because of the smooth graphics, amazing physics, and fast paced action.
Tournament allowed customized levels
and a large variety of multiplayer content. Weapon and vehicle selection is
key, as everything has it’s good and bad points. Some levels are so expansive
that sniping took a level of skill that translates well to other First Person
Shooters. Unreal Tournament vets can
be found in FPS games across the board. This game is epic.
14 – Final Fantasy X
(PlayStation 2)
Square is well known in the video game industry for their
big budget Japanese anime-based Role Playing Games. While they didn’t invent
the genre, they’ve definitely maintained a stranglehold in RPG-land with their Final Fantasy series. While FF VII is my personal favorite, Final Fantasy X is the best game as a
standalone. The upgrade system, mini games, and side quests (including Chocobo
racing) made this an instant classic. Graphically, X pushed the limits of the PS3 beyond what anyone had at the time,
and many developers still can’t do. Final
Fantasy X is so good, it spawned a movie and a sequel, being the first FF title to do either.
13 – Mario Kart
(Every Nintendo system since SNES)
If you want to have some fun, play Mario Kart. Even non-gamers will love it. Current iterations have
programming put into place so you can come back from last place at any moment.
It randomizes some of the action and makes it easier to play with beginners.
Hardcore gamers will appreciate the items and strategies involved. Mobile
versions of the game are just as much fun as console versions, which is a
rarity. If you’ve ever played Mario Kart,
you know Rainbow Road on Mirror Mode is hellish, but once you finally overcome
that devil’s path, you’re rewarded with a sense of accomplishment. Mario Kart is one of those games that
never goes out of style.
12 – Resident Evil
(Various)
I remember my first time playing Resident Evil. I was terrified by the time a crow was attacking me
while I crossed a hallway and mixed herbs. Inspiring both a successful game and
movie franchise is no easy feat. Maintaining relevancy throughout each
generation of gaming consoles is a feat in itself, but Resident Evil does it expertly. Shooting hoards of infected has
gone through many iterations, although my personal favorite is Resident Evil 5. There’s something about
voodoo that adds a little something.
11 – Metroid (Super Nintendo)
Ahh, Samus…the armored hero of the Metroid series that turns out to be a woman. These games were so
expansive that they inspired Action, Adventure, Puzzle, Arcade, and Shooter
games everywhere. Metroid is
remembered for a reason. Weapon upgrades, rolling into a ball, dropping bombs,
this was the pinnacle of programming in the video game industry for a long
time. Metroid is one of many reasons
Nintendo created the console wars and survived when tech giants Microsoft and
Sony entered the space.
10 – Super Smash Bros (N64)
I failed out of ASU for Smash
Bros. This game, and every Bros since,
has been amazing. The fighting mechanics in this free-for-all brawler are
deceptively simple, but they allow for some very complicated strategies.
Lightning quick reflexes are needed for any kind of progress. If you don’t know
how to time throws, down kicks, and counters, all the items, special moves, and
button mashing in the world won’t help you against a Smash Bros blackbelt. I could spend hours playing homerun contests,
earning trophies, and refining my Smash
Bros skills. This game is truly smashing.
9 – Team Fortress
(PC, Mac, Consoles)
What Smash Bros is
to fighting games, Team Fortress is
to first person shooters. Turning the FPS into a cartoony free-for-all (literally
free cost-wise in a lot of cases) sounds like it won’t end well, but Fortress pulls it off on a level unseen
since Banjo & Kazooey. Playing
this game recreates the fun moments in FPS history prior to everything having
to be online. The gaming mechanics have hints of Goldeneye and some of the Tom Clancy shooters. If you’ve somehow
not played this game yet, you should be able to find a cheap copy on Steam.
8 – World of Warcraft
(PC, Mac)
If you’ve ever been broke and played World of Warcraft to save money, you’re not alone. WoW inspired an entire real-life economy
based on the in game economies across their servers. My main was a Night Elf
Rogue (although eventually, I much preferred playing as my heal-specced Shaman,
since it was easier to get invited to instances as a healer), and I withered
away many a tick on my clock leveling up every job and skill I could (including
Fishing and Pickpocketing). MMOs are a bit wonky for the average gamer, but if
you’ve ever wanted a way to kill a large amount of time, you’ll find few better
places than Azeroth.
7 – Tekken Tag
Tournament (PlayStation 2)
The pinnacle of fighting games is Tekken Tag Tournament. There has been a sequel that can hold its
weight, but neither Tekken 4 nor 5 can compare, nor can Dead or Alive, Mortal Kombat, or any Capcom fighter you can think of. Tekken Tag is a brilliant fighter with
unsurpassed depth. My personal favorite fighters were Jun and Wang because I
loved countering. Grappling and strikes are mixed in more complicated ways on
this fighter than real life MMA (nor the UFC
Undisputed series). No fireballs or projectiles are used (ok, there’s a
few, but they’re easily countered), and button mashing is not possible in this
game. Tekken Tag Tournament is for Hardcore players only.
6 – Dead Trigger
(Android, iPhone)
Working for an Android review site, I’m inundated with
mobile games. For the most part, these games tend to be a disappointment.
Electronic Arts has proven they know how to make a great mobile game with Dead Trigger. The controls are intuitive
and very easy to customize. You can actually move the buttons anywhere on the
screen. The variety of weapons is comparable with console FPS games. The
variety of zombies is great. It felt like playing an ever-evolving variation of
Zombie Mode on Call of Duty. If you’re
a serious gamer with a smartphone (or an OG who can’t fit gaming into a busy schedule),
Dead Trigger is a game you want to
own.
5 – Tetris
(Everything)
If you’ve never played Tetris,
you’re probably lying. This game is everywhere. Not only is it one of the
oldest video games, it’s also one of the most addicting. Nothing much changes
in each installment of Tetris, and
nothing much has to. Even Jay-Z sampled a Tetris
beat for Superugly, his diss track
against Nas. Matching different shaped tiles to clear lines is a simple idea
that made a splash on nearly every electronic device with a screen. Tetris is king.
4 – Madden (Consoles)
Football games have come and gone, but Madden has consistently turned out great games year after year.
There are a lot of variations that I could call my favorite. Features such as
the end zone dances and various jabs in both the commentary and halftime
reports make each iteration interesting. Roster updates are the reason we come
back for more. It’s not necessary to own every Madden, but you want to update it at least every 3-4 years to stay
current. Otherwise you may trash talk someone and get smoked trying to prove
your pigskin prowess without the proper practice.
3 – Grand Theft Auto
IV (Xbox 360, PS3)
Few games have redefined video gaming like Grand Theft Auto. The GTA series was fun for the first few
games, with an overhead view on an open sandbox mode still unmatched on mobile
devices. GTA III, however was a game changer. Vice City and San Andreas
improved on the formula, but much like the many Street Fighter IIs, it wasn’t until Rockstar moved on to create Grand Theft Auto IV that they finally
nailed everything. This game is flawless and shows why Rockstar is nothing less
than a legend in the video game industry.
2 – Modern Warfare
(Consoles)
Although Call of Duty
started the ball, it wasn’t until Modern
Warfare that Activision struck gold. The weaponry and levels were made more
modern. The storylines easily stand against any action movies Hollywood has
ever put out. The multiplayer mode shines, forcing players to earn their
weapons and upgrades through arduous practice before offering them the chance to
throw it all away and try again for more prestige. Modern Warfare has drone strikes, dog attacks, Nazi zombies, and
everything else you can think of to love a video game for.
1 – Super Mario World
(Super Nintendo)
If video games are art, Super
Mario World is the Mona Lisa. Over twenty years have passed since this
defining game was released on the SNES system, and it’s still fun to play.
Offering short bursts of fun with enough depth for a long haul, Super Mario World showed us what gaming should
be like. Unfortunately developers aren’t always listening to us, as we see
Facebook casual-style games (and their many clones) filling our consoles and
devices. If Super Mario World were
made today, you’d be prompted to share every time you found Yoshi, got a cape,
or completed a stage, and you couldn’t move on to the next world or enter a
pipe until you convince enough of your friends to send you the necessary keys.
If ever you wonder whether or not you should be playing a video game, give it
the Mario test. If it doesn’t make you smile as much as a Mario game, its
garbage…
Brian Penny is a former business analyst at Bank of America turned whistleblower and freelance writer. He's a frequent contributor to Mainstreet, Lifehack, and HardcoreDroid and an affiliate of Manduka and Tazo. He documents his experiences working with Anonymous, practicing yoga, and fighting the banks on his blog.
