I see these lists all over the internet and it’s always the same thing. Call of Duty.. League of Legends.. Counter Strike… blah blah blah. Video games today really don’t even compare to the video games of my younger days. The creativity and story lines of games on Super Nintendo had me coming back for more. Even my current steam list is filled with old PC games as a lot of the new ones are strait up terrible. Or they’ve added such a cut throat ranking system that everyone becomes so angry and miserable chasing a make believe rank.
Or they’ve added ridiculous money sinks with paid content and DLC. You pay full price for a game only to receive half the video game, as they sell back the rest of the game in chunks over time. Most of the time the game developer has already finished the content and places it on the disc, however it requires a code! They have turned into total thieves. Especially companies like RIOT that alter champion stats to sell more skins. Or CSGO that literally breaks the law with online gambling. Robbing users for thousands in some cases as they buy key after key.
CSGO is a tactical fast paced shooter with an extremely cut throat ranking system. I can’t remember the highest I got, my emblem had an eagle it in that’s all I remember. League of Legends is an extremely simple MOBA game that almost anyone can play. Again, a very cut throat ranking system. Both games filled with trolls, haters, angry players and more. Hardly ever do you find a game of fun and good times anymore.
It made me sit back in my chair and reminisce of all the times playing video games with my buddies. Even looking back on ranked multiplayer Halo as it first came out. There was none of this kind of shit talking. The old school shit talking was funny and creative. You had intense Halo battles for cool colored logo’s and rankings and stuff. It was nothing crazy but it was a lot of fun. So many endless nights laughing at crazy vehicle explosions or double taps with the goo gun and the rifle. So many bomb plants and crazy flag escapes in big team battles. It doesn’t even compare to these new COD and CSGO games.
The sad part is games like CSGO and COD make so much money. Steam milks the user base of CSGO to oblivion for silly things like gun skins. Why not make it customize-able? Why not allow players to simply design their own? Exactly. Steam, greed, and a terrible system destroyed another genre turning it into a cut throat silly ranking system filled with hackers, glitches, and CSGO lifers.
I thought I’d list my blast from the past list of video games. The best of the best from growing up from the days of dial up to mobile phones and clash of clans. They are not in order of favorite, rather time period.
Golden Axe
This game has been made for several platforms but I first discovered it on SEGA at a buddies house. We played this game until the cartridge ran out of life. I believe there was several in the series and all were a blast to play. One of the best multiplayer games of the time and was the root of some great memories. From riding dinosaurs and beating down thugs to using potions and magic it was a blast.
Earthbound
Earthbound was my first RPG style game. It was so unique and exciting. I even went back and played through again just a couple years ago. I was just as hooked as a kid as I was now. Beating down hipster hippies with a bat or slingshot. Poor little buzz buzz. The game had so much depth and creativity it is still one of my favorite games to this day.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Oh man. When I got my first video game system, the Super Nintendo, this game quickly became one of my favorites. Again, the creativity and hours of fun blasting giant babies and zombie monsters to save the beautiful cheerleader on the trampoline created an endless amount of good memories. Did I mention this game is multiplayer?! Exploring houses and cabinets, the first true zombie apocalypse game that still contends with games today such as H1Z1, Rust, and any of the others. Honestly, I had far more fun playing Zombies Ate My Neighbors than any of the above.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
This is another game from this time period that rains down great memories. This game was beaten so many times, by so many people, at so many pizza parties. This game is one of the best of all time. You notice me saying that but each one of these titles holds a classic value to it’s era. I loved the side scrolling action games where you beat down bad guys with your bro’s. Tackling shredder after staying up all night with your buddy is a great feeling that never dies.
Halo
Halo was one of the first games that brought together the concept of big LAN parties. I’m sure there are other games out there that did this first but Halo was the one that pulled me in. The game was all out fun in coop leaving countless nights chasing achievements and other mods and glitches. The multiplayer was the first sight of what Halo would become. We’d set up several X-boxes and a few TV’s and go at it. Red vs Blue style. The battles in this game were epic followed by good food and good times with buddies. These where the types of video games I loved. There was no true ranking system. Just a lot of fun and laughs. Even though everyone knew 1 on 1 I’d whoop there butt. They’d try to deny it but I’d drop them all and steal the flag running out the front door. Madden is another game none of my friends ever wanted to play with me. ;)
Driver
The anticipation for this game was almost too much to bare. I remember seeing the advertisements for this game and I was blown away. The idea of running from cops and doing crazy things with my car to complete missions sounded way to fun. I didn’t have a PlayStation so I was in the process of trying to get one. I remember a buddy saying his buddy just got it and we could go over and play. So there we were, old school big screen TV, PlayStation, and Driver. The game was the perfect play and pass game. You watch each other and laugh making fun of their mistakes. Then they’d crash or get busted and pass the controller. A way of turning single player games into multiplayer while having a great deal of fun in between. I compare this to modern games where you don’t have this face to face fun. There’s no controller passing or good food.
Perfect Dark
Of course everyone knows about Golden Eye and a few of the other big names from the era but Perfect Dark remains at the top of the list for me. It was the first real tactical shooter of its kind and another super creative game. The options and firearm choices made it endless fun. From customize-able setups and gun choices to character selection. It was a lot of fun multiplayer including the robot matches.
Mario Party Series
The Mario Party Series will always hold a special place in my video game heart. This game captures the very essence of what I love about video games. The fun and excitement in real time as you play the game. Mario Party was a board game, an action puzzle game, a quick wits tactical game, and also a silly funny game when everyone is making the motion of jacking off as they try to climb the monkey pole. You can’t help but laugh at the expressions and silly things everyone is doing. It’s all fun and games until a TV gets broke. Or an AlienWare laptop screen (before Dell bought them).
Medieval II: Total War
Well as you know from reading my website I have a great disdain for the history of the Vatican and Catholic Church. I know full well what they are responsible for in history and present day legal systems and government. I absolutely love this game because it gives me the ability to invade the Vatican. I can kill the Popes and wipe them off the map. I can then continue to destroy Christianity by splitting Europe with my endless supply of angry Byzantines that where used and abused by the Vatican. The game rings true to the tactics of the Vatican quite accurately. Upon invasion you will be hit with wave after wave of assassins, priests, and economic supply cut offs. Followed by a crusade and backlash of every Christian nation sending a full army at your capital. Little did they know I had taken over Scotland and launched an invasion from the North as well.
Age of Empires III
Every young man dreams of building his own castle. Well in this game you can do exactly that. You can build an entire village, a people, a way of life. If you can survive that long that is. This game is an all out build, survive, and war game that allows you to create a variety of units from various nations and tribes. As well as a customize able deck that is used in game that allows tricks and different boosts. This allows you to truly build out a the way you want whether it be turtle and defense or quick attack and horseman. A great multiplayer game from it’s time that is still played online to this day. I have had quite a few good battles online even within the last few years.
World of Warcraft Vanilla
No list is complete with out World of Warcraft. This game stole a few years of my life as a kid but it kept me out of a lot of trouble as well. This game was one of kind and truly the gate to the new age RPG genre. This was the first open world customize able, pvp, trade, skills, mounts, auction houses… the game had everything. I always played on a pvp server and found myself loving the entire concept of it. Leveling for me was one of the best parts back in the day. You’d be out with a group of friends in Stranglethorn Vale. THE JUNGLE! Minding your own business, and hey, wtf, 3 dudes run out of the bushes and start attacking you. Of course they are those gay girly looking Alliance type so you have no choice to fight back. Your buddy charges in unleashing a fury of amateur attacks and spin moves while another buddy heals from the bushes. I throw down a few traps and start running blasting arrows as Ace attacks furiously. We duke it out until everything goes quiet. We look around at each other and see 3 cowardly Alliance laying in the grass. VICTORY!!!
Battlefield 3
This is one of the most recent games I played that I enjoyed quite a bit. It reminded me of Halo a lot in it’s style and game play. Except it was more realistic as far as humans, tanks, and weapons goes. The game offered a great deal of fun in online multiplayer. The amount of crazy games and game player was quite amazing. I loved flying planes and heli’s but found myself enjoying the infantry life a bit more. Often times I had more fun doing crazy things to win than going for kills. One time I shot the enemy helicopter pilot out with my SKS, jumped from my bro’s little hawk and right into the enemy choppers driver seat. Blowing off walls from buildings or being the sniper sitting on a roof top… only to have half the building come crumbling down as you stare into the sights of a angry tank driver. The customize-able weapons and appearance made this game so much fun. BF3 Profile
In conclusion, after writing this I’ve realized how much modern games truly suck. They suck the fun out of the game turning it into a competetive nightmare. Sorry bro, I hit W when I should of S’d. That’s the reality of the hate in League of Legends. Woops, my bad dude, I hit my ult key, game lagged, dude ran out, and he didn’t freeze. Lets all cry about it. That’s what modern gaming has become. A coombi-a-cry fest.
As corporations slash and burn the creativity of the gaming industry, the corporate mouth pieces on Twitch sit back and collect, with their fake personalities and political correctness, they demand you follow a mold or get cast out in the cold, ever conforming for a bit of the spotlight. You wish with all your soul you’d be the next hot shot. Leaving your values to be adjusted like a MMO RPG as your chasing the illusion of stardom. Never realizing your constitution and wisdom had hit level 1.