Well, after weeks of planning (and slacking), I finally present the inaugural post in my blog, All Systems Go! This blog will mainly focus on the video game industry, but I reserve the right to post on whatever has caught my eye, be it music, movies, politics, or whatever. I'm going to post as often as I can depending on what has peaked my interest and when.
I suppose I should start off with a little introduction...
About Me:
My name is Paul Squire and I'm a journalism student at Syracuse University in New York. I've been gaming since the age of 11 or so (the first game I owned was Yoshi's Story). I mostly play PC games, but also indulge in Nintendo when they put out a new first party title. I also get around to playing the occasional Xbox or PS3 game by mooching off my buddies' systems. I currently own a Nintendo Wii that has been gathering dust since the last Super Smash Bros. Brawl match. I enjoy RTS's, the occasional FPS, and every once in a blue moon, an RPG. In addition to gaming, I'm also somewhat of a movie fanatic and have a love for playing the piano.The Greatest Games:
I could go on and tell you more about myself, but since this is a gaming blog, I think the best way to introduce myself further is give a bit of insight into what I think are the best games I've ever played. A nice little peek into my gaming psyche, no? And so, in no particular order:1.) Half-Life 2
Valve hit this game out of the park by far. The story is engaging, the physics engine was revolutionary, the voice acting is great (I'm looking at you, Alyx Vance), and most importantly, the gameplay is phenomenal. From that first step off the train, to boating through canals and getting the piss scared out of you in Ravenholm, to the final assault on the Citadel, Half-life 2 nails every element of gameplay, and does so while immersing you in a beautifully created and completely believable world. When you could swear you heard a Fast Headcrab Zombie howl as you walked home last night, you know a game has sucked you in. An excellent game, and easily one of the best I've ever played.
2.) Portal
I've already kissed up enough to Valve, I know. But you cannot say Portal is anything less than spectacular. The gameplay, in typical Valve fashion, is spot on. The thrill of shooting yourself out of a portal across a bottomless pit and landing safely on the other side is one of a kind. But what truly made Portal stand above the rest was the script. GLADOS, the smarmy supercomputer who acts as your companion and later your enemy, is both hilarious and unsettling. On too many occasions I would run straight in front of a gun turret for no other reason other than to hear its adorable/creepy voice: "There you are.....are you still there?" Say what you will about how the intro puzzles were far too easy; it's instantly overcompensated by the incredible and funniest script I've ever heard in a video game. The cake is a lie.
3.) Starcraft
Enough cannot be said about Starcraft. After over a decade, it still stands toe to toe with any strategy game. Starcraft's gameplay set a high standard for the RTS genre that in many ways has yet to be matched. Blizzard (before indulging in the addictive powers of World of Warcraft) was the king of the RTS, and Starcraft stands as it's crowed jewel. Zergling Rush be damned, this game was an absolute gem. Now with Starcraft 2 right around the corner, Blizzard has set a high standard for itself. I hope they can catch lightning in a bottle twice. Seeing as they've put it off for 10 years, they better.
4.) Rome: Total War
When only the sunrise can snap you out of a game, it's beyond addicting. Rome: Total War is one of those games I would start playing at 10 o'clock and not stop until 6. It plays like a far more complicated, ancient version of Risk, where instead of countries there are provinces to be upgraded, and instead of die are huge armies of bowmen, legionaries, and cavalry going at it on the field of battle. Even if the game were not as polished as it was, there is a certain sophisticated joy that comes from amassing a legion of Roman troops to march on your enemies. The battle mode is really a blast to play, but includes an auto-resolve function for those, less blood-thirsty gamers. One of the most enjoyable parts of the game comes not from the strategy, but purely from the polish. In battle, you can zoom in to the troops and watch as they individually fight. It's easy to get distracted from the larger strategy of the battle when you're watching your calvary charge out of the forest and expertly flank that phalanx unit to send your opponents flying. There's really no story to speak of: essentially you're an ancient faction and you have to take over everything under the Mediterranean sun. But there's almost a maniacal pleasure that comes from watching your grand strategies work and cities fall to your might.
5.) Super Mario 64
See: the perfect platformer. Nintendo struck gold in this Mario adventure and single handedly invented the 3d platformer. No attempt, even by Nintendo, has ever been able to live up to the perfection of Super Mario 64. While the story is nothing to speak of (it's Mario...what did you expect?), the game is a classic, through and through. 120 stars and hours of fun, Super Mario 64 is the pinnacle of platforming, and remains the greatest of the genre.
6.) Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia is an RPG...and not only that, but a JAPANESE RPG. And a damn good one. The Gamecube was very lucky to nail this exclusive title from Namco. Symphonia solves one of my greatest criticisms of RPGs, no turn based combat. I always found it silly to think that in this huge boss battle, everyone just stands around and takes turns beating the snot out of each other. But Namco went a different route, and using it's fighting game credentials, came up with an unique battle system based on real time combat. Your character battles in real-time to build up combos using special techniques or you could pause the game to use items and order your teammates to cast spells. While the plot was a bit convoluted and filled with enough sappy morality lessons to cause seizing, Tales of Symphonia is still a 50 hour game that breaks the mold a bit from other more traditional RPGs.
7.) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Kudos to Infinity Ward. While everyone and their grandma was hyping up Halo 3, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out of nowhere and shocked many by being *gasp* a better FPS. Call of Duty 4's success was so surprising partly because of the series' history. Call of Duty had become synonymous with the World War II shooter, and along with the Medal of Honor series, had thoroughly beaten that horse until it was bleeding from every orifice. CoD4, however took things to the present day, with nukes, air strikes, and AK-47s. And it succeeded in almost every way. Infinity Ward crafted a gem out of what was once a mediocre FPS franchise. CoD4 didn't really revolutionize the FPS, but it is one of the sharpest. The controls were tight and comprehensive and the multiplayer was the real kicker, with a system of unlockable and customizable weapons and perks that made Halo 3's multiplayer look juvenile and unsophisticated by comparison. While Halo 3 was on everyone minds at first, CoD4 quickly stole the spotlight and the accolades, turning "the best selling video game of all time" into the runner-up. CoD4 is really the story about how a gaming David toppled the Halo Goliath.
(cue Halo fanboy flaming......now!)
8.) Beyond Good & Evil
I'll file this under "The Best Game No One Played". After almost no marketing from Ubisoft, BG&E was a commercial flop of epic proportions. It's truly a shame though, because the game itself is a diamond in the rough. You play as a photojournalist named Jade, who has her suspicions while trying to protect her world from an evil alien race called the Domz. The story is first class, and the constant twists and turns makes this a game I never wanted to put down. The supporting cast are a group of characters that you won't soon forget. If you've never played it, get off your computer and get out there! You can find it on Steam or in a bargain bin for about $10....TEN DOLLARS! I don't want to hear excuses, just go out and buy this game.
9.) Roller Coaster Tycoon
I normally don't like Sim games. Sim City confused me. The Sims were far too annoying (You have to go to the bathroom, SO WHY ARE YOU WATERING THE PLANTS?!). Zoo Tycoon never sparked my interest. But Roller Coaster Tycoon... designing roller coasters and trying to build that perfect theme park was perhaps one of the most addicting experiences of my childhood. I'd play for hours, tweaking my coasters to just make it over that second hill and fulfill those sometimes challenging mission objectives. Micro-managing your own version of the ideal amusement park never got old; on the contrary, each new scenario was a challenge in designing and placing your rides in just the right place on your plot of land so your peeps could seamlessly hit ride after ride, then relax in the food court after blowing their chunks.
10.) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
That little woodwind instrument was never again so famous. Not only did it put ocarinas on the map, but OoT was adventure perfection. Earlier I said that Super Mario 64 revolutionized the 3d platformer; OoT revolutionized video games in general. At a time when most games were light on story and heavy on pick-up-and-playability, OoT broke the mold. Amazingly, Nintendo took an entirely new genre, the 3d platformer, and defined it with the greatest game ever made. Link's adventure from the Kokiri Forest to Hyrule Castle was epic in every sense of the word. This really was a Legend you were creating as you saved village after village and region after region from Ganon's evil grasp. There are just so many parts of this game that are forever cemented in gaming history: The Water Temple, the Fishing Hole, Lord Jabu-Jabu, those damn Golden Skullutas, and of course, gaming's greatest horse, Epona. The musical score was also top notch. Every little ditty that was whistled out of Link's ocarina instantly became a classic universally recognized by gamers across the globe. Simply put, OoT was not only a fantastic game, but it redefined gaming forever. It showed that games could deliver the epic story of a fantasy world while remaining fun to play and engaging. Since then, no game has come close to the revolutionary excellence of OoT. It was, and still is, the greatest game ever made.
Well that's it for the first post. I'll be posting again
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