My Life in Video Games

I have now reached my favorite summer activity: staying inside away from that pesky sun and playing on mu computer for hours on end. It makes me nostalgic, so I figure what the hell I'll make a list of all the video game heroes that have accompanied me since I was a youngin'. So here we go, starting with the earliest I can remember:

1) Mario (and friends) Super Mario Bros (NES)

 I know, I know, how original. But what can I say? Mario was my first video game love. My Nana and Grandad lived away from me at the time, and my aunt lived with them and had a Nintendo (I never actually owned one myself). I loved playing Mario Bros on it, I would actually play as Mario and Luigi and switch controllers whenever the other brother died. It was the beginning of an addiction.

Mario stayed popular with me, mostly for the Mario Party series (which apparently, on easy mode, plays itself) and the many sports titles. And, of course, cannot forget tearing up the tracks with Princess Peach in any version of Mario Kart. I don't have a Wii (and don't want one) so I haven't seen the Bros in quite a while, but they hold a special pixel place in my heart (and the hearts of many, including this talented guy).

2) Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA)

  Another classic, but for good reason. Again, I never owned a Sega but my cousins did and I could spend hours on it playing Sonic the Hedgehog. Racing through super fast tracks as little old Tails flew behind me, not really adding anything to the situation, but somehow being a comfort. Like Mario I never got very far in terms of progress (this was before you could save games, you know) but I MASTERED the art of not blinking while playing. The Sega really knew how to make your eyeballs sweat.

Unlike Mario and friends, the Sonic gang didn't stay strong with me. Countless titles popped up, but I think the last one I played was Sonic Heroes, which was a fun time but didn't really stick with me. While I like the wide amount of characters in the Sonic universe (Dr. Eggman is one of the best villains ever), a lot of them were pretty one-note.

3) Toejam and Earl, Toejam and Earl (SEGA)

Earl (left) and Toejam. They're from Funkotron. They rap too...it's a beautiful game.

Sweet wounded Jesus. I loved these two. In one of Sega's biggest hits, you played these two aliens as they wandered around earth looking for pieces of their wrecked spaceship. Along the way you fought the evil Earthlings, which included a woman pushing her baby in a shopping cart, a crazed dentist who poked you with his drill, the terrifying BOOGIE MAN, and a group of intellectuals called the Nerd Herd.

Toejam (center) wears a pool floatie while being ambushed by Cupid (left) and a Shopping Cart Lady (right).

This game is what I think of when I think of 90's video games, especially ones that weren't afraid to go for comedy instead of gameplay. But the game was fun and addictive. That being said, I never won. But I tried, god how I tried. What happened to these two? Well Sega released a side-scrolling sequel that I never played, but others seemed to like well enough. Then the Xbox released a third in the series and....well that's best forgotten.

4) Crash Bandicoot (and friends) Crash Bandicoot 2 (Playstation)

Alright, this series is hands down one of my favorites, and I never owned (but did complete) the original game. I started with the sequel and my love affair continued for years. The gameplay was simple and fun: take Crash, this genetically modified bandicoot, as he travels through jungles, temples, and castles to defeat his evil creator, Dr. Neo Cortex. Like Mario, the series evolved to include spinoffs like multiple racing games, a rather poor party game, and crossovers with another Playstation mascot, Spyro the Dragon.

Dr. Neo Cortex, mad scientist and antagonist of most Crash games.

Dr. N Gin, another villain who has a rocket stuck in his head. He started off as an Igor-like villain but grew into on of the series funniest characters.

 The Bandicoot went through many developers: the original, Naughty Dog, created the classic formula, giving us a likable hero and fun obstacles for him. Then Traveller's Tales took over, and after a mildly fun fourth game, unleashed Crash Twinsanity. In addition to fun gameplay, comedy and characters were amplified as in Twinsanity Crash had to team up with Cortex to save the world from The Evil Twins, who were Giant Birds. This new comedic feel (combined with an awesome soundtrack by acapella group Spiralmouth) breathed fresh life into the series.

 5) Mega Man Volnutt and Tron Bonne, The Megaman Legends series (Playstation)

The Mega Man Legends series is often forgotten about by most die hard Mega Man fans, because it is so radically different from the classic side-scrolling 2D games Mega Man is famous for. In Legends, we follow a young boy who is part machine as he flies around in an airship with his foster family, digging for treasure. Among the obstacles that stand in his way are underground robots, called Reaverbots, and all sorts of Pirates who want to get to the treasure first.

The most popular of those Pirates in the Bonne family, composed of Tiesal, Tron, and baby Bon. They battle Mega Man in a variety of different robots, as well as order around their Lego-like henchmen, the servbots. Tron became so popular they created a prequel game The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, and she is still around in the Marvel vs. Capcom fighting series.

Art of Tron as she stands over her battle armor, the Gustaff.

Honestly, while I still have the games I don't play them a whole lot. While they are still crazy fun, the graphics are a little blech and the voices are that over dramatic Japanese dubbing that got so popular. However once in a while I will pick up the games and revel in the great science fiction world they created, and will regret Capcom's decision to cancel Mega Man Legends 3.

6) Pokemon, Pokemon (Gameboy)

 I'll be quick about this. Yep, I played Pokemon. Yep, to this day my best friend and I will play Pokemon Puzzle League on her N64. I only got as far as the Silver/Gold series and I always had Bug type Pokemon in my roster (unless I had to fight someone who liked, ya know, fire). I have little else to say. Sometimes I wish I still had my Gameboy to play this once in a while. Pokemon was a gigantic hit for my generation and I feel like you can't really call yourself a child of the 90's if you didn't play it.

7) Sora (and friends), Kingdom Hearts (Playstation 2)

 Alright, I'll admit it: I'm like seven years old. I never played a Final Fantasy game, but when the creators of that series teamed up with Disney to create an epic adventure game, SIGN ME UP. The series follows Sora, a young boy chosen to wield a weapon known as a Keyblade, as he travels to different worlds to prevent them from disappearing into darkness due to the evil Heartless. The twist? The worlds are locations of different Disney movies, and Sora works with the characters we love and fights the villains we love to hate.

Fun gameplay (especially in the sequel) combined with great writing made this an awesome experience for me. With Goofy as a tank and Donald as a mage, the fun never ends. The series has kept going, making games for the Ninendo DS, PSP, and 3D (whatever that is). I only hope they'll make a third, and I hope I can put it in my dusty PS2.

8) Jimmy Hopkins, Bully (PS2)

Jimmy (left) defends a nerd.

  From the people who brought you Grand Theft Auto: GTA Jr. Also know as Bully, this fun yet controversial game followed young badass Jimmy Hopkins as he gained a reputation at his horrid new boarding school, Bullworth Academy. The "cliques" operate more like gangs: nerds hang out at the library and have fun weaponry, greasers hang by the garage, and jocks will tackle you if you mess with them.

Not all mission were as fun as others, but Bully gave us a great protagonist with Jimmy. He wasn't afraid to let everyone know what he was thinking and always stood up to anyone who handed him shit, student and teacher alike. Basically he was the guy you wanted to be in a rough school like this. He was also a unique character in the way that his sexuality was fluid, as he could flirt and kiss select male students as well as his "girlfriends", something yet to be featured in a GTA game. Get on that, Rockstar.

9) Alice, American McGee's Alice (PC)

This is a poster in my room. No joke.

 Better late than never, I got into the dark computer game American McGee's Alice. In this twisted version of Alice in Wonderland, Alice was a mental patient and Wonderland had transformed into a nightmarish hell infested with evil beings. Armed with her trusty knife and aided by the skeletal Chesire Cat, Alice sliced her way through card soldiers, banshees, the Mad Hatter and others before finally having a confrontation with the dreaded Queen of Hearts.

I'm not a big fan of action games on the computer, but this game is so freaking gorgeous it doesn't matter. Seriously, the design factor alone is enough to overlook a few of the more difficult portions and the tricky camera work. Alice is deliciously dry and sarcastic though, so that's always a plus. I own the sequel but have not gotten around to playing it a whole lot yet. But I have time...

10) The Grey Warden and Hawke, Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2 (PC)

A Mage Warden casting a lightning spell.

 My latest craze has been the Dragon Age series. I never played a real RPG before and it took me a while to get into it, but I am officially hooked. In the first game you played the Warden, a character you design and name and pick an origin (they can be an Elf from the woods, or Dwarven royalty, among others). Then it's your duty to save the Kingdom of Fereldan from the impending blight. A fun cast of characters, both good and evil, contribute to epic battles and literally hours of fun.

Hawke kills an enemy in Dragon Age 2.

In the sequel, you play Hawke, a young man or woman who flees Fereldan during the events of the first game. While the backstory is always the same, more or less, you hero is fully voiced (unlike the original), giving a more movie-like feel to the series. While the party members may not be AS fun as the original cast (Sebastian downright sucks) the game is still wicked fun. I've already given it one playthrough and cannot wait to return.

Whew! Alright, so that's my life in video games. And I've got years left to go! Cannot wait. I should mentioned I have an on/off addiction to The Sims which has been "off" for a few years now. Still, they lay around the house taunting me sometimes. But I resist. Thank you.