Your gaming timeline in 10 to 15 games

[RoyalT | 161]

I tried to do this in 10 games, but got a little carried away with Street Fighter.  Show the community here your evolution as a gamer. 

Here's mine:

I was born in '81, so my first experience with video games would have been the Atari 2600.

1. Missile Command (Atari 2600)



Simple, but highly addictive.  My uncle purchased an Atari 2600 for us back in the early 80s and he brought two games with it, Missile Command and Pac Man.  I didn't care much for Pac Man myself, but Missile Command was a lot of fun.  I still remember the night we unpacked the Atari and spent the entire night taking turns with Missile Command; the adults were right in to it as well.  We had played other games on the console of course, the best of which being River Raid, Smurfs, Vanguard, Frogger, Spiderman and Bowling.  Nothing brings back fonder memories of the Atari though than Missile Command.

2. Black Belt (Sega Master System)




I could list so many games for this amazing system, but I want to go back to my absolute roots on the console, I can't look any further than Black Belt.  My parents purchased a Sega Master System for us shortly after it's release as a total surprise.  We were toothless (literally, I am pretty sure I was losing my teeth at the time), and we unboxed it early that Saturday morning. 

This particular version of the console came with Hang On and Safari Hunt, as well as a hidden Maze game, which was all we played on it for quite a while.  My parents did not have a lot of money, so we were just happy to have the console with a few games.  My cousins on the other hand were pretty spoiled and they too got a Master System, but with quite a few games.  My aunt was headed to the US for a shopping trip and before she left she came by with a Sega Master System catalogue and asked us to pick ANY game from it and she would bring it back for us.  My brother and I scrolled through it and we agreed on Black Belt, it just looked so cool, and we loved martial arts, so it was an obvious choice for us. 

She brought it back for us as promised and we played it endlessly.  It was my first experience with any from the Hakuto No Ken series, though I didn't know it was Hakuto No Ken at the time, but I loved it.  The boss fights where the sprites became much larger always got us excited.  Struggling to beat ONI and RITA is also something I'll never forget.  I still play through Black Belt often. 

From there we did acquire a couple of other games, Shinobi and Rastan.  To this day, the Sega Master System is right at the top of my list of most favorite consoles.   

3.  Revenge of Shinobi (Sega Genesis)



Our first experience on the Sega Genesis came in the form of Revenge of Shinobi, one of the early releases for the console.  We had owned Shinobi on the Master System, so Revenge of Shinobi was something familiar to us, but man, the graphics were incredible!  We were especially wowed by the appearance of Spiderman, Batman, Godzilla, and the Terminator.  We loved everything about this game.  We were definitely a Sega family.

4.  Search for the King (DOS)



A bit of a deviation from console gaming for a moment, but Search for the King was an Adventure game that I couldn't put down.  I was so intrigued by this game, along with Leisure Suit Larry, Space Quest, King's Quest and Police Quest.  I had to settle on Search for the King though because it would be the game that first got me in to text/point-click type adventure games. 

5.  Street Fighter II: Champion Edition (Arcade)



This game basically took over my childhood.  I would spend countless hours playing Street Fighter II at a local Laundromat that had this machine and Mortal Kombat.  Mortal Kombat was fine, but I had always preferred Street Fighter II over it.  Street Fighter II Turbo/Hyperfighting is my favorite Street Fighter II game, but Champion Edition is probably the game that really got me in to Street Fighter.  I did often watch my brother play the original Street Fighter growing up, but I wasn't at an age were I could competently play it.  When Street Fighter II came out though, I practiced and practiced and practiced, and to this day, I would consider myself to be a very very good Street Fighter 2 player.  It wasn't until I started playing Street Fighter online through GGPO that I really blossomed as a player, but that's a story for another time. 

6.  Street Fighter II - Turbo (SNES)   

I know I know, I've already mentioned Street Fighter, but it's a game that had to appear twice on my list.  I never did own an SNES growing up, but my best friend did and I probably spent more money renting Street Fighter II - Turbo and taking it to his house to play than it would have cost me to buy the game three times over.  We would spend hours and hours on weekends playing this game, never getting bored of it.  I've got through many phases with street fighter, but I felt it was important to distinguish between the Arcade phase and then the console phase.

7.  Legacy of Kain - Blood Omen (PSX)



My experience with the PS1 started when I participated in Mortal Kombat 3 tournament, but I didn't actually acquire the console until much later.  I did however rent a PSX in order to practice for another tournament (Battle Arena Toshinden).  That rental came with three games that I could include for the week, so I grabbed some game I can't even recall at this point and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain.  I knew nothing about the game, but it looked cool on the back of the case and the description seemed like something I would enjoy.  I was not prepared for what was to come with this game.  I didn't play the other two games.  I didn't care much for Battle Arena Toshinden and the other game I rented sucked, so Blood Omen was it.  Boy am I glad I got this, because the experience of playing through the game is one I will always remember.  The story was so engaging, the characters were badass!  Kain and Vorador in particular.  It was the first game I had played on the PSX that made me want to purchase the console.  I would eventually scrape together enough money to get one and play Soul Reaver when it came out. 


8. Phantasy Star - Sega Master System



Taking a step backwards in evolution, but it was definitely one of the better gaming decisions I've made.  At this point I had started my first part time job, and took up interest in collecting video games.  I wanted to get those games that I had heard about growing up, but had never played or even saw.  Rumor had it that there was a game called Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System that was as good as any RPG that had been released to date, and being a Sega Master System fan, I was a little surprised that I had never played it.  The only RPG I played on the Master System growing up was Miracle Warriors, and that game, while being really challenging (at least for me at the time), was apparently nothing compared to the mighty Phantasy Star.  I managed to track a copy of the game down, which also happened to be my very first online purchase.  I still remember going to the post office to get a money order to send to some person I had never met, in hopes they would send me Phantasy Star. 

Weeks later, it arrived, and that game now holds a very special place in my heart.  I spent the entire summer it seems playing through it.  It was really really tough, and although it was being played on a console that had been all but forgotten by most, it was better than any game you could purchase at the time, at least in my books.


9.  Shenmue (Dreamcast)



My list couldn't be complete without the Dreamcast being represented.  Shenmue was the one game I probably spent the most time with on the console, and it was deserving of every minute of it.  I felt like I was a professional fork lift driver after all was said and done, but aside from that, there was just SO much to do in the game.  I especially loved all the throw backs to the Sega days of old in the game that I really appreciated as a Sega fan.   


10. Ninja Gaiden (XBOX)



My brother purchased an Xbox for me while I was in University as a gift and got me Ninja Gaiden.  We had actually played Ninja Gaiden quite a bit on the NES, and I was really excited for this title.  In my opinion, Ninja Gaiden on the XBOX is as close to a perfect game as you can get it.  If you haven't played it, you owe it to yourself to give it a shot.

 

11. Street Fighter II - Hyperfighting (Xbox 360)

The 360 had already been out a a while by the time this was released to the Xbox Live Arcade was set to release Street Fighter II Hyperfighting for the xbox live arcade.  I had caught wind of the release and bought a 360 on the day this dropped because it would allow me to test myself against people all over the world via ranked and quarter matches.  I was hooked.  I played this regularly from the day it was released until it completely died.  The community stayed active for years on this game, and the competition was fierce.  I credit this version of the game for really pushing me to the next level of competitive play.  I had a chance to play many EVO contestants on a regular basis, some of which are still at the top of the competitive Street Fighter scene today. 

 

 

12. Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion

When I had purchased my 360, it did come with two physical releases - Oblivion and Fight Night.  These two games got ZERO play, they sat for a good two years unopened on my shelf.  I did finally fire up Oblivion and it was my first experience with the Elder Scrolls series.  What the heck..is that Sean Connery doing some of the voice work??  I was immediately hooked.  As soon as I escaped from the prison I believe I took it upon myself to murder the inhabitants of the first farm I stumbled across including their livestock   What can I say?  I had some pent up anger I suppose.  Might have been a rough street fighter night or something.  Anyhow, I was recruited by the Dark Brotherhood like 30 minutes in to my playthrough and I never looked back.  I don't believe I touched the main story line much at all until I was already pretty much through the Dark Brotherhood questline.  Oblivion paved the way for me to really embrace Skyrim when it was released and I still play Skyrim today, but I have to credit Oblivion for opening my eyes to this incredible series of games.

[Nesmaster | 402]

Great post. I might revisit this after I can give it some serious thought.

[SoleGoose | 95]

Great OP, it'll take a while to write a response that touches the level of description and reflection. Seeing Black Belt on there forces me to re-think things too! Those defining, but largely forgotten games, hmm...

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

Fantastic idea!  I hated limiting myself to 15 games, so I added an "honorable mentions" area to the bottom of mine.  I don't have the time to go into the depth and soul searching that your original post did, but I can always come back and edit this later to flesh it out a bit.  Here's mine, laid out by year.

The List:

1982 - Odyssey2 - Pickaxe Pete - The first game that kept me coming back to keep trying for a higher score and level.

1985 - 2600 - Pigs In Space - The first game that my friends and I really competed in, playing it near daily for years.  High scorer got to go first in other games or pick what we played.

1987 - PC - Pirates! - A fantastic, "realistic" simulation that still occasionally drags me back in, even today.  I played hooky from my job once due to playing the Xbox version too long.

1987 - NES - Contra - My first platforming shooter and another that my friends and I played near daily.  Most days weren't complete without a full playthrough!

1988 - PC - Wasteland - The first RPG that I paid any attention to and another game I still come back to today.  My dad played this consistently for more than 20 years.

1989 - PC - Space Quest III - The first adventure game that I played own my own, by myself, versus watching family play.  I love all the Sierra games, but had to put this one on top!

1989 - Arcade - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - My first beat 'em up, likely where most of what could have been a college fund went based on the number of quarters my dad gave me!

1991 - PC - Civilization - The first strategy game I got caught up in, and the first to feature multiple end scenarios which weren't just "kill everybody else."

1993 - PC - X-Wing - The first flight simulator that I ever loved.  Played this, its addons, and sequels for years until I could no longer connect my old school joysticks to a system.

1994 - PC - Doom ][ - The first addictive FPS for me, primarily because of the polished multiplayer.  We commonly had 4-10 people local deathmatches using serial connections!

2000 - PC - Diablo - A step up for dungeon crawlers and the first to capitalize on random loot grinding.  Too many hours spent grinding through dungeons hoping for matching set pieces.

2001 - PS2 - GTA III - I'd heard about it, but was hooked from the moment I snagged a car and began barrelling down a sidewalk (uncontrollably giggling maniacally).

2008 - 360 - Fallout 3 - My first FPS RPG experience, and one that I kept coming back to, at least until I finished the plot.

2012 - 360 - Minecraft - Solo, I didn't get it, but with friends?  Still playing to this day!

2016 - PS4 - 7 Days to Die - While not perfect, one of the first survival horror games to do it right.  Open world + crafting + zombies = fun!

Honorable Mentions:

*1985 - 2600 - Seaquest - Played daily by nearly all members of my family, together or separately.  The first game to require a plate for the joystick to be stuck to.

*1990 - PC - Pool of Radiance Series - The first RPG series that I played and the first to allow you to keep using the same party time and again, keeping their stats and traits.

*1991 - SNES - SimCity - The only thing for the SNES that really interested or impressed me after it launched.  I got a console only SNES bundle and this the Christmas after launch.

*1992 - PC - Dune II - The second RTS game ever released, which established most of the "rules" used by those that followed.

*1993 - SNES - Mortal Kombat - I wasn't much of a SFII fan but got caught up in the MK hype and had a ton of fun with friends.

*2001 - PS2 - Frequency - One of my group's go-to party games and the first music/rhythm game that hooked me.  Still got rotation even after its sequel (Amplitude) came out!

*2011 - PS3 - Skyrim - Open world, first person, and an RPG?  Sign me up!  It literally took years from launch before I actually went up the mountain and started the plot.

Edited November 14, 2019 by darkchylde28
Spacing.

[AstralSoul | 502]

Nice list! I've always tried to do this but it's near impossible to narrow it all down to just a handful of games. But here goes nothing....

I was born in 1983 and my first experience with video games was my dad's Atari 2600 he pulled from the attic in 1988/1989. I played Pitfall, Combat, Pac-Man and a few others I can't remember but I never enjoyed the 2600 so I'm not counting any games from it as part of my list, but it is where I got my first gaming experience from.

1. Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt (NES) - 1985
My first true gaming experience that was my own, I got an NES and Super Mario Bros / Duck Hunt for Christmas in 1989 at 6 years old. It took me forever to beat the first world but I was so proud of myself when I finally did. I didn't even beat this entire game til 1999.... Even now I struggle with it sometimes. But regardless it was the first game that I owned and the first one I played a lot.

2. Super Mario World (SNES) - 1991
One of the first games I ever beat. I didn't own a SNES til 1995 but my friend in elementary school got one at launch and I was simply blown away by this game. We shared a save file for whenever we would hang out we would play it together and eventually beat it together. It felt like such a huge accomplishment back then. I will forever associate this game with that one friend from elementary school and memories of getting through the game together and imagining the feeling we had when we finally beat it - few games have felt more satisfying to finish than this game back in the early 90s.

3. Donkey Kong Country (SNES) - 1994
Before this game, I liked games but it wasn't my main hobby. I love drawing, playing outside, and reading comics more. But when this game came along... this game blew me away to the point where all I wanted to do was play games. (Which in retrospect may have not been the best thing for me lol) But this game struck a serious chord with me when it came out. The commercials completely grabbed me, and I borrowed this game from a friend in elementary school because my parents wouldn't buy it for me. But eventually I did get it and I did play the crap out of it and beat it fairly quickly. I found the game pretty hard but like Mario World it felt like such a huge accomplishment to finish. This game kickstarted my obsession with platformers and the Donkey Kong franchise. I prefer Donkey Kong Country 2 & 3 more so I have to mention those, but the original DKC is what got me into the series.

4. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (SNES) - 1996
My first RPG ever. Prior to this game I didn't even know what an RPG was. I only wanted it because it had Mario in the title. Plus the commercials made it look so good. Eventually my dad surprised me with this game one day and I was ecstatic. I found this game very very hard at the time (being new to RPGs I didn't quite understand the mechanics). But once again this game was one that felt like a huge accomplishment to finish. After I beat this game RPGs became my main priority. I sought out every RPG I could find - the next one I came across was by pure chance at a Blockbuster - EarthBound, my favorite game of all time. Without Super Mario RPG I might have never gotten into RPGs or found my favorite game of all time EarthBound.

5. Super Mario 64 (N64) - 1996
It's impossible to make a top ___ list about gaming and not include Super Mario 64 as this was most likely the biggest gaming influence of my lifetime. Never in my life have I been more impressed and more blown away and more obsessed with a game than I was with Super Mario 64 in 1996. A bit of backstory leading up to it - I only just got a SNES in 1995 so I really didn't get to enjoy that system til late in its life, so when I saw N64 was coming out the very next year I was outraged. I had only just got a SNES and now my current favorite system was being shoved out the door. When I first saw Super Mario 64 on a demo unit in Blockbuster I was like "why is Mario's head a square? This looks so stupid." But being curious about it, I ended up giving it a try anyway. And within seconds my hate for the N64 and 3D games turned into pure joy. I was overwhelmed with ecstasy when I played this game for the first time. My parents wouldn't buy me an N64 so I had to at least beg them to let me rent an N64 and the game, which I did get to do over Christmas break in 1996 and it was the most magical time in gaming for me. Nothing compares to that week even today. It wasn't until March 1997 I would be allowed to buy an N64 (but no games, so I was forced to rent a lot) and eventually later that year I finally got to own my own copy of Super Mario 64 - my second favorite game of all time.

6. Final Fantasy VII (PS1/PC) - 1997
After the RPG craze I felt after Super Mario RPG and EarthBound, my friend at the time approached me with talk of Final Fantasy VII. The game was about a year old at this point and I didn't own a PlayStation so I didn't really know anything about it. He invited me over to his house one day to play FF7 on his PC. I was simply blown away by everything - the graphics, the music, the gameplay, and the story. I loved the characters, the battle system, and everything about it. I knew I had to have this game ASAP. I got it on PC and got a graphics card just for this game, since I didn't play PC games before this really. I played the crap out of this game, maxing out my characters in my first playthrough, completing everythign 100%, and even playing the game over and over 3 times in a row. This game was my first Final Fantasy and is what got me into the series, but on top of that, it also inspired me to write. This was the first game I played that had a more elaborate story. I started out writing bad fanfic of this game, but later grew into writing my own stuff. I still try to write fiction today although with my busy schedule it's very hard to just sit down uninterrupted. But no matter what I write, as original as I try to be, I can still feel FF7's influence coming through. It simply had that much of an impact on me. Final Fantasy IX went on to become my favorite entry in the series but FF7 holds the most special place in my heart.

7. Pokemon Red/Blue (GB) - 1998
When I got notice of Pokemon in Nintendo Power back in 1997/1998 I became obsessed with the games before they even came out. My friends and I all planned on getting the games and trading and playing together. We raced home after school everyday to watch the Pokemon cartoon and read everything about Pokemon that we could find in our Nintendo Power magazines. At this point, it was rare for me to ever get a game on release day but we begged our parents to take us to the store and get the games. I got Red and my friend got Blue. We picked up a link cable while we were there and hung out every day and played Pokemon together. It was an amazing time. This game was the first and only game in the series that I managed to get every Pokemon in the Pokedex. This game also started me on the franchise that I still love til today. At the time it was extra special because even when I would bring my Game Boy to school to play on lunch, I would be consistently asked to trade or battle by other classmates that I probably wouldn't have talked to otherwise, so there was a weird sense of unity all throughout my school when these games released. Everyone was playing them and it was the first time I felt like I was part of something bigger that was game related.

8. Super Smash Bros. (N64) - 1999
It was a toss-up between the original Smash Bros and Super Smash Bros Melee. But the original had the bigger influence on me, whereas Melee I just played more of. Like Pokemon Red/Blue there was a weird sense of unity and belonging in my school when this game came out. Everyone I knew was obsessed with it. We even had a recreation room in our high school where I would go to on lunch and play people in this game - and I was pretty damn good at it at the time. But it was just wonderful to have a place to go and play games with other people since this was my first big multiplayer experience. Prior to this I had only played GoldenEye 007 with my one friend a bunch of times, and played Super Mario World with my elementary school friend. Super Smash Bros is still a series I love so much, Ultimate being my favorite, but Melee is the one I've played the most.

9. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox/PC) - 2002
Prior to this game, I could've only dreamed of a game with a giant open world that I can explore and truly feel like I am roleplaying. For the first time I actually felt like I was the character I was playing - not some scripted character that was just there to tell a story. I got so much immense enjoyment out of exploring the world and just doing whatever I wanted all the time. I never actually completed the main story but still managed to clock in over 200 hours in this game. I just loved being the wandering adventurer and doing side quests and stuff. The total freedom is what I truly loved about this game. This game also introduced me to the open world concept that I desired so much before this game and led me on the path to enjoying other similar games like Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and more recently the Outer Worlds.

10. Animal Crossing (GCN) - 2002
It feels weird including this game here because it's less of a game and more of a social experience. I never got to play this game with anyone, as all my friends thought it was incredibly lame, but reading about this game in the months reading up to its release had me extremely excited. I never played anything like this except for The Sims on PC, but a game where you just talked to your neighbors and did favors for them and just lived your life how you wanted - that sounded right up my alley! I would obsessively seek out news, screenshots, videos, etc online for months until this game came out. I had the game pre-ordered already but Blockbuster got it in for rent a week or two early and I rented it anyway. I was so overjoyed by the simple fun this game brought. I continued playing this game for years, starting a new town up every few months or so. It was just a super satisfying and comforting game to spend time in. This game has been eclipsed by newer games in the series but the first entry is always the most nostalgic for me. I am still super into the series and similar games today.

11. World of Warcraft (PC) - 2004
Oh boy...this one. I don't even know where to begin with this game. Basically I've played it on and off since 2004 when it released...still play it every now and then today. It was my first big MMORPG experience and for the first time I got to play with my friends online. I never got to play D&D and always wanted to but this was the closest thing to it. I met some pretty cool people because of this game, and managed to talk to many more people I worked with that I ended up playing with in-game. Even in the years where I mostly played alone I still enjoyed my time with it. There is just something about this game, despite being super repetitious, that sucks me in every time. I have tried a dozen or so other MMOs but all have failed to capture me the way WoW did and still does.

12. Resident Evil 4 (GCN) - 2005
The remake of the original Resident Evil was my first experience with the series and the survival horror genre, and while I loved that game (and every game in the series I tried aftewards) I wouldn't say I truly loved the games til Resident Evil 4 came out. I loved the reinvention of the series and though it was the last new entry in the series that I truly loved (aside from the remake of RE2) this game alone just marks a special place in my gaming history. I still replay it every so often as it is just a super comfort game for me since I know it so well. This game wasn't the one that started me on the survival horror genre but it did make me much more of a fan of it.

13. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - 2005
This game may have been my first foray into the adventure genre - not really the Zelda-type adventure, but rather the Journey/Ico/Limbo kind of way. Sure this game had combat but it was mostly an empty open world and it was exciting to explore despite that. The thing that drew me to this game was that it was just figuring out how to beat each giant colossi. It was as much a puzzle game as it was an action/adventure one. I was so blown away by this game. I didn't want it to end. Luckily it started me on another genre I was fairly unfamiliar with, and went on to play many other greats like the aforementioned Ico, Limbo, Inside, Unravel and the Last Guardian.

14. BioShock Infinite (PS3) - 2013
I don't typically pick games up on a whim when I know nothing about them, but I was bored one weekend and just remember reading rave reviews about this game so I figured "why not?" and it turned out to be one of the best $60 I dropped on a game I knew very little about. On top of that I wasn't even into FPSs at the time. Turns out this was the best FPS I played (at this point). The story gripped me like nothing else I'd ever played. The gameplay was fast and fun . The world was immersive. The soundtrack was fantastic. But little did I know that the entire BioShock series would become one of my favorite trilogies of all time. Infinite was my first game in the series but the original and 2nd game in the series are my favorites. BioShock 2 specifically is one of my favorite games of all time. Plus Rapture turned out to be even ore beautiful and immersive than Columbia in Infinite. But This game gets the honor of being one that helped ease me more into FPSs and made me realize that even games in a genre I don't typically like can have a wonderful world to explore and super interesting story to tell.

15. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) - 2017
Finally we come to this game. As you may have noticed the amount of influential games have grown less frequent the newer the games we get. This was only the 2nd game this entire decade that had a tremendous impact on me. This being the only Zelda game on the series doesn't mean I don't love the franchise but few of the games managed to be truly inspirational. When I played this game in 2017 I was in a gaming slump, especially coming off the heels of the Wii U, a system I had little love for. On top of that, I was newly married, just bought a house, and working a lot and had little time and motivation to even play games, and was almost ready to accept that I'm just not that into games anymore - or that games just aren't what they used to be. I knew I was getting a Switch and this game from the moment they were both announced but I wasn't super excited about them. Even in the opening hours of this game I wasn't convinced this game was one I needed to play. I was ready to call it quits and just accept that gaming just wasn't a hobby I was into anymore - at least not with new games. However somewhere along the time - this game just clicked with me. It became the biggest and most expansive game I ever played. The true sense of freedom was almost unprecedented in my gaming history. Sure I've played big open world games like Skyrim and Fallout 3 and the like. But this game was on a whole nother level. On top of that I was also under the impression that Zelda was a franchise I had fallen out of love - with the DS entries being less than stellar and Skyward Sword being one of my least favorite games in the series. This game was a true breath of fresh air. Despite having dwindling free time to put towards games, I somehow managed to clock in 120 hours in a month and a half. Not only that, this game reminded me of why I loved games in the first place and gave me something to look forward to everyday after work. I have not felt that daily anticipation to get home and play a game like that in a long, long, long time. If not for this game being so amazing...I don't even know where I'd be right now. I might not have bought a PS4 on account of just falling out of love with games. I might not be looking forward to each new release anymore. Maybe I would've fallen out of gaming completely, who knows? At any rate this game was a true comeback for gaming in my eyes and that is why it remains the most recent influential game on my list.

 

Honorable Mentions (because I easily could've made a top 30):
DuckTales (NES) - 1989
Super Mario Kart (SNES) - 1992
EarthBound (SNES) - 1995
GoldenEye 007 (N64) - 1997
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) - 1998
The Sims (PC) - 2000
Resident Evil (GCN) - 2002
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN) - 2003
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) - 2005
Catherine (PS3) - 2011
Dark Souls (PS3/PS4) - 2011
Hollow Knight (Switch/PS4/PC) - 2018
 

Edited November 15, 2019 by AstralSoul13
Added honorable mentions

[nrslam | 474]

Interesting topic.  I'll post what I think are 10 milestone games for me, but I'll skip pictures for now.  These are dated by when I encountered them, not when they were released.

1965 Pinball.  Little fuzzy on the date here but it seems about the right age for my first trip to an arcade.  Don't remember what table either, but I played a lot of pinball over the next decade or two.

1972 Pong.  Our local bowling alley got one of these early on, and I was mesmerized at the idea of "interactive TV"

1978 Space Invaders.  This game ate more quarters of my allowance than any other and is probably what got me hooked on video games.

1978 Atari (X-O) Football.  The first 2-player game I ever played, and the first that provided actual physical exercise (and bruised palms).  It was also the 1st time I encountered a game you could cheat on. <edit> Well, duh, Pong was obviously 2 player, but we played it casually. The football game was serious business with betting, tournaments, and the like. It was the first truly 'social game I played.

1979 Colossal Cave Adventure.  The only game (I know of) on the mainframe computer at work.  Spent many a late night navigating thru "a maze of twisty tunnels, all different" as there were only two terminals available to over 100 engineers and I could only get time after midnight.

1979 Atari Video Chess.  I spent one of my 1st adult paychecks on a used Atari 2600 and a handful of games, mainly because I wanted to try out the chess game.  Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the program cheated (or had a bug, depending on your point of view).  That, along with the flickering ghosts of Pac-man turned me off of console gaming for a long while.

1980 Horse Racing.  Our lab had just gotten a new HP-9825 calculator/computer and one of my jobs was to learn how to program it.  So I put together a little horse racing simulation.  Nobody else ever saw it, but it was the first game I ever wrote.

1983 Gridrunner.  A Commodore 64 was my 1st home computer.  I got a couple of fairly lame games (Pakacuda and Escape MCP are two I remember), but Gridrunner was the 1st game for it truly loved.  Centipede on amyl nitrate indeed.

-there was a long break here as I focused on other things.  I still played with my Commodore on occasion but generally wasn't doing any gaming.  Then, in the mid '90s, I started finding oodles of cheap computers, consoles, and games at thrifts and yard sales that I had missed and this reignited my passion.

1995 Ms Pac-Man (Genesis).  Holy cow, a home game that played just as well as the arcade.  When did this happen?

1995 Tetris (Gameboy).  And my first exposure to a hand held console.  Still my favorite way to play games.

2001 Pikmin (GameCube).  I think this was the first game that hooked me in such a way that I started pining for sequels, and Pikmin 3 became the first (and so far only) time I bought a console just to play a specific game, though I found plenty of other good games for the system.  Now where's Pikmin4???

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by nrslam

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

Fun idea for a thread. Hard to block multiple years into a single game. Feels like leaving so much out!

Commander Keen in Goodbye Galaxy / Kaboom! - I'm not sure what the first game I played was but Keen on my grandpa's 286 or Kaboom on my Dad's 2600 are two very fun ones that stick out.

Sonic 2 - Genesis was my first console of my own, and I played Sonic 2 throughout its life. This period was also defined by me jealousy of my friend's NES and SNESs.

Wolfenstein 3D - The first violent game I remember. PC-13! The last game I remember my dad ever playing.

Doom - It defined my taste in FPS going forward as I still very much prefer open, labyrinthine games over linear shooty shoot ones.

Ocarina of Time - Yep.

Unreal Tournament - One of the only online multiplayer games I was deep into.

Runescape - From 2001-2004 I sunk ungodly amounts of time in Runescape. I was there at the very start. I remember "camping out" for the gate opening for the Kingdom of Asgarnia! I quit with the RS2 graphics change.

Diablo II - Pretty standard PC gamer life-ruiner. Easily over 1000 hours over a decade of playing, rivaled only by Runescape in my life for what I've dumped the most time into.

Metroid Prime - As a PC gamer, console FPSs have always been a joke to me. Metroid Prime was a game that decidedly wasn't just a bad version of a PC FPS.

Morrowind - I'm one of those people. Fuck quest markers.

FEAR - Graphics reached a "holy shit" point with FEAR. This also kind of happened with Battlefield 2, Crysis, and Bioshock, but I haven't been truly wowed by a game in the same way since those.

In The Groove 2 - I played arcade rhythm games religiously for a long time and this was the best at the time.

Metal Gear Solid 4 - My favorite modern game. After Uncharted 2 and MGS4, my interest in linear story games and open world busywork games steadily declined.

Twilight Zone Pinball - I took a long break from video games because modern gaming got so boring and got almost exclusively into competitive pinball and pinball collecting for a few years.

Ninja Gaiden III - The past 4-5 years I've been back in the vintage collecting scene. I'm waiting for modern gaming to grab me again and stop being what it is. I play lots of older games now, and have much more patience/appreciation for challenging games than when I was a kid.

 

[jonebone | 1,307]

Love the topic idea, I'd like to partake when I can dedicate the time.

Also props to you for mentioning Xbox Ninja Gaiden.  Ninja Gaiden Black was even better (increased difficulty / made it less easier to spam enemies) and definitely one of my favorite games all time. 

[RoyalT | 161]

1 hour ago, darkchylde28 said:

1993 - PC - X-Wing - The first flight simulator that I ever loved.  Played this, its addons, and sequels for years until I could no longer connect my old school joysticks to a .

Oh, X-Wing brings back SO many memories for me too!

[RoyalT | 161]

32 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

Ninja Gaiden III - The past 4-5 years I've been back in the vintage collecting scene. I'm waiting for modern gaming to grab me again and stop being what it is. I play lots of older games now, and have much more patience/appreciation for challenging games than when I was a kid.

 

I am right there with you - we seem to be coming full circle.  Played through Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 recently, but 3 had me rage quitting about halfway through the game.  Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge, but that game requires max level patience.

[darkchylde28 | 1,546]

1 minute ago, RoyalT said:

Oh, X-Wing brings back SO many memories for me too!

Honestly, it was the game that made my brother and I into "expert" pilots of the day.

He bought a FlightStick for us to play with, which was a lot better than the generic PC joysticks we had around the house, but the game was still incredibly tough.  So, we went through and completed all of the training missions to work up some skill at the game and get an idea of what was to be expected.  Once completing them all (I want to say at top level, but I could be misremembering there being qualifying levels on those), we had a better time of the game itself, but it still wasn't a walk in the park light a lot of flight simulators were.  Then, the unimaginable happened.

During a particularly hairy mission, one of us (I can't remember who was flying and who was playing R2, lol) got to dodging so erratically that the screen spun.  Luckily, the TIE chasing us ended up smashing into something, so the moment of us looking at one another going, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" didn't harm anything.  Even if it had, weighted against the unbridled glee of discovering that the top button on the controller rotated your ship would have drowned it out millions of times over.  We'd thought it just wasn't compatible with the game and wasn't mapped when setting everything up, so we went through all of those training missions at OMG unbelievable angles, since, without rotating, there wasn't a lot you could do most of the time regarding which way you were drifting.  After the revelation, the game was almost too easy and neither Jester nor Maverick had anything on us.  

[doner24 | 1,195]

Super Mario Bros-first game I remember 

Oregon Trail-gaming while in school and the library 

Sonic the Hedgehog-first console we ever owned

Super Mario World-my fave of all time 

Mortal Kombat 2- consumed me and my bro, first game we ever bought 

Earthbound-started a love for RPG’s, still have my original CIB bought for $20 at KB

Mario Kart 64-late high school to early college

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3-only game I bought during college

Fallout 3-got me back into gaming

Super Mario Odyssey-got me back into Nintendo after a long drought 

 

 

some honorable mentions that made big impacts

Geosafari

Number munchers

RBI Baseball

Super Mario 3

Braid-first intro into awesome indie games

Doomspire Brickbattle-gaming with my niece 

[Br81zad | 629]

If I can get through all the work I need to get done today, I'll come back and add my timeline. Great topic idea!

[AlfPogs | 29]

Trying to keep it at 1-2 per system. 

1. Montezuma's Revenge - IBM - When my dad bought our family's first computer, he got this game with it. I was young and didn't know what the heck was going on, but I did know that I liked it.

2. Arcade games - No specific game. I just know that before we got our NES I would beg my parents for quarters to play whatever arcade game I could get my hands on wherever we were. 

3. Super Mario Bros. - NES - My older sister got an NES for Christmas in 1987 and it wasn't long before it was more mine than hers. I was hooked.

4. Double Dragon - NES - First game I bought with 'my own money.' Used change and everything. 

- There are lots of NES games I could include here. But in the interest of making it a timeline that goes all the way into the present, I will move on. - 

5. Kid Chameleon - Sega Genesis - Forget Sonic. This is the real Genesis icon right here. Can we please get a modern KC remake already???

EDIT ADD 5.5 - Mortal Kombat / Eternal Champions / Street Fighter II - Genesis - How dare I forget the holy Genesis fighting game triumvirate?

6. Night Trap - Sega CD - God this game sucked. By I somehow talked my parents into buying it for me. A friend and I played through it using a guide. 

7. Final Fantasy 7 - PS1 - The game that changed everything for me. Before this it was mostly platformers, beat 'em ups and sports games. Playing this game changed my views on what a video game could and can be. 

8. Resident Evil - PS1 - Hello, Survival Horror... where have you been all my life?

9. Shadow of the Colossus - PS2 - I mean...

10. Bioshock - PS3 - (Chef's kiss)

11. Fallout 3 - PS3 - First game I ever platinumed. (Honorable Mention in the spot: Skyrim, Oblivion and New Vegas)

12. The Last of Us - PS3/4 - Probably the best video game story. 

13. Destiny - PS4 - First time I fully embraced online gaming. 

14. Horizon Zero Dawn - PS4 - Just an awesome game. 

Edited November 15, 2019 by AlfPogs
Added 5.5

[BriGuy82 | 768]

Early 80's, starts with kangaroo and jungle hunt on atari.

Mid 80's Duck hunt on nes demo at Crazy Eddie's in NJ.

Late 80's early 90's ducktales on gameboy.

Early 90's LTTP and Ken Griffey Jr. on snes.

Then back to nes again. 

Mid 90's Resident evil, twisted metal, and GTA on PS1. 

Then back to nes again.

Late 90's early 2000's. GTA3 on PS2 and UFC on Dreamcast.

After that about a 10 year drought. No games played...

2011-2012ish back to nes again. And windwaker on a zelda gamecube my wife bought for me in 2003 that I never played. 

2017 Breath of the wild on a Switch my wife bought me. My first current gen console since PS2.

Right now,  mega man 11 on the switch. 

[Californication | 1,477]

1. Oregon Trail - elementary school - early 90's

2. Super Mario 3 and Life Force early  90's at home at home.

3. Doom and Wolfenstein on Dos, mid 90's grandparents house. 

4. Starfox 64 - Friends house middle school late 90's.

5. Red Faction 2 -owned PS2 early 2000's. We used to multiplayer the heck out of this game. One shot sniper rifle all day. No call of duty auto aim needed.

6. Bio-Shock - owned PS3, 360, and PS2, but Bioshock was mind blowing at the time especially on the firstbplay through.

7. Ninja Gaiden ll, I bought 25 or so NES games around 2005, but only played them here and there. Ninja Gaiden ll cut scenes, music, and gameplay was so mind blowing, as I was just starting to really experience the NES library.

8. Dr. Mario and Tengen Tetris - In college staying up late playing round after round with girlfriend.

9. Sky Force Anniversary - I picked this for two reasons because I love shoot-em-ups and because it is one of the many sealed ps4 games that I own because I am not starting the library until the PS5 is released. - 2017

10. Castlevania Bloodlines - I picked this game because I made the move over to Genesis for the first time and although I own many Genesis shoot-em-ups I love platformers and this game is just such a well balanced, challenging, experience. (Minor gripe, the guys on llthe factory level didn't need to wear military helmets.) - 2019

Edited November 14, 2019 by Californication

[jonebone | 1,307]

Finally had a chance to get to this.  I'll go by release date, not necessarily when I actually played the game (born 1984).  Forced myself to stick to 10 games with some honorable mentions.

1) King's Quest DOS - July 1983 - Didn't know what I was doing at an early age but loved walking around and typing random words.  Later got a guide from a PC store and actually figured out how to beat it.  No way could anyone have beaten this by themselves with no hints!  Many of the Sierra PC games were great (Space Quest, KQ, Leisure Suit Larry, etc.), but this started it all for me.

2) Contra NES - Feb 1987 - Fave NES game of all time, I remember beating it co-op with the Konami code as a 2nd grader.  Just so easy to sit down and play, catchy tunes, simple gameplay.  Perfect NES game to me.

3) Sonic Genesis - June 1991 - I was NES -> Genesis kid and Sonic made me forget about Mario at the time.  Fast gameplay, nice boss battles, killer soundtrack, perfect mascot for Sega.

4) Mario 64 N64 - June 1996 - Got it Xmas 96 with an N64 and was utterly amazed at the evolution of gaming to 3D.  It was WOW inspiring.  Played it thoroughly, got all 120 stars and enjoyed every moment.  Tons of powerups, all sorts of things to do and the Bowser battle was epic.  All time great.

5) Twisted Metal 2 PS1 - Oct 1996 The first one was good, and this one was an absolute masterpiece.  More characters, more moves, better graphics, better levels, just tons of fun.  Vehicular Combat was a relatively unproven genre until Twisted Metal put it on the map.  Tons of 2 player battles until 4 AM with friends sleepovers and you wanted to beat the game with every character to get their story ending.  Mr. Grimm is still my fave!

6) Goldeneye 007 N64 - Aug 1997 - Surprised everyone, movie video games sucked up to this point.  Not a lot of hype at release but quickly gained a huge following when people realized it was an amazing FPS, really cemented the FPS genre on the console.  Tons of replayability chasing all of the cheats and I'm proud to have unlocked them all on my own in a time before Youtube videos.  Tons of hours spent playing multiplayer too.  My single favorite game all time.

 

7) Zelda Ocarina of Time N64 - Nov 1998 Had to put a Zelda on here and this is it. After Mario brought platforming to 3D the hype was enormous for what Zelda could be.  And boy did it not disappoint.  Tons of time playing this game and for the first time the amount of extras in a game felt just as encompassing as the story.  The songs, the fishing, the skulltulas and so much else.  A game you never wanted to end simply because it was such a masterpiece. 

Red Alert 2 PC - Oct 2000 I've always liked RTS games and this was the pinnacle of them.  EA killed Westwood and C&C was never the same after Generals but RA2 was perfection.  Tons of expansions, tons of hacks, people still play it to this day.  I went through a phase of life where I played this online for several hours every night, sometimes even all day.  Or you try to get in "just one match" which turns to 2, then 3... you know how it goes. NOD all the way!

9) Halo 2 Xbox Nov 2004 - This game defined my college days. All kinds of 4 player local matches, sometimes even 4 v 4 with 2 Xboxes in 2 separate rooms. Plenty of time spent playing online as well, but local multiplayer was where it was at.  Everyone played Halo it seemed.  Even casuals who didn't play would call "next" and the 3rd or 4th player would pass up the controller for the next round. Great maps, great balance, tons of improvement from H1.  The pinnacle of the series to me.

10) Grand Theft Auto 5 Nov 2014 - If I had to boil it down to one game defining the modern era, this would be it.  Each successive GTA has added so much stuff and really broadened the game.  GTA IV was amazing, didn't know how GTA V could top it.  Then they completely blow it out of the water and GTA IV looks like an after thought.  Heists, larger worlds, infinitely possible sidequests and one of the best damn story modes in a game.  This game did it all and very worthy of all of the accolades it received.

Honorable mentions that would get my list up to 15 games:

1) Final Fantasy NES - Tons of memories spent using the NP player's guide and game genie for infinite gold.  One of the first games I remember actually "beating" even though I had to consult help all along the way. 

2) Super Mario Bros 3 NES - Amazing that SMB1 and SMB3 run on the same hardware, SMB3 really was as beautiful as NES games get.  So much to do, the giant world was awe-inspiring and the castles were great.  The bosses, the minigames (card matching, toad house, hammer bros), the overworld map, just a great game.

3) Mortal Kombat 2 / Street Fighter II (SNES / Gen) - Okay, so cheating a bit here and picking two games, but I simply cannot choose one.  I love them both equally and everyone has spent some time playing something in the fighting genre. These games were a blast for two player and the first time I really had to practice controller moves to learn them.  First time I felt like I really had to practice a game. 

4) Mario Kart 64 N64 - The N64 multiplayer favorite next to Goldeneye for me, and I spent tons of time racing the ghosts on each level.  I still think Diddy Kong Racing was superior from a 1 player perspective but in terms of nostalgic significance / influence, I give the nod to Mario Kart.

5) Last of US PS3 / PS4 - Another one of the modern games that is a true masterpiece. The story is riveting, the controls are perfect and the balance is just right.  If you have any interest in modern games you owe it to yourself to experience this one. 

[doner24 | 1,195]

14 minutes ago, jonebone said:

Finally had a chance to get to this.  I'll go by release date, not necessarily when I actually played the game (born 1984).  Forced myself to stick to 10 games with some honorable mentions.

1) King's Quest DOS - July 1983 - Didn't know what I was doing at an early age but loved walking around and typing random words.  Later got a guide from a PC store and actually figured out how to beat it.  No way could anyone have beaten this by themselves with no hints!  Many of the Sierra PC games were great (Space Quest, KQ, Leisure Suit Larry, etc.), but this started it all for me.

2) Contra NES - Feb 1987 - Fave NES game of all time, I remember beating it co-op with the Konami code as a 2nd grader.  Just so easy to sit down and play, catchy tunes, simple gameplay.  Perfect NES game to me.

3) Sonic Genesis - June 1991 - I was NES -> Genesis kid and Sonic made me forget about Mario at the time.  Fast gameplay, nice boss battles, killer soundtrack, perfect mascot for Sega.

4) Mario 64 N64 - June 1996 - Got it Xmas 96 with an N64 and was utterly amazed at the evolution of gaming to 3D.  It was WOW inspiring.  Played it thoroughly, got all 120 stars and enjoyed every moment.  Tons of powerups, all sorts of things to do and the Bowser battle was epic.  All time great.

5) Twisted Metal 2 PS1 - Oct 1996 The first one was good, and this one was an absolute masterpiece.  More characters, more moves, better graphics, better levels, just tons of fun.  Vehicular Combat was a relatively unproven genre until Twisted Metal put it on the map.  Tons of 2 player battles until 4 AM with friends sleepovers and you wanted to beat the game with every character to get their story ending.  Mr. Grimm is still my fave!

6) Goldeneye 007 N64 - Aug 1997 - Surprised everyone, movie video games sucked up to this point.  Not a lot of hype at release but quickly gained a huge following when people realized it was an amazing FPS, really cemented the FPS genre on the console.  Tons of replayability chasing all of the cheats and I'm proud to have unlocked them all on my own in a time before Youtube videos.  Tons of hours spent playing multiplayer too.  My single favorite game all time.

 

7) Zelda Ocarina of Time N64 - Nov 1998 Had to put a Zelda on here and this is it. After Mario brought platforming to 3D the hype was enormous for what Zelda could be.  And boy did it not disappoint.  Tons of time playing this game and for the first time the amount of extras in a game felt just as encompassing as the story.  The songs, the fishing, the skulltulas and so much else.  A game you never wanted to end simply because it was such a masterpiece. 

Red Alert 2 PC - Oct 2000 I've always liked RTS games and this was the pinnacle of them.  EA killed Westwood and C&C was never the same after Generals but RA2 was perfection.  Tons of expansions, tons of hacks, people still play it to this day.  I went through a phase of life where I played this online for several hours every night, sometimes even all day.  Or you try to get in "just one match" which turns to 2, then 3... you know how it goes. NOD all the way!

9) Halo 2 Xbox Nov 2004 - This game defined my college days. All kinds of 4 player local matches, sometimes even 4 v 4 with 2 Xboxes in 2 separate rooms. Plenty of time spent playing online as well, but local multiplayer was where it was at.  Everyone played Halo it seemed.  Even casuals who didn't play would call "next" and the 3rd or 4th player would pass up the controller for the next round. Great maps, great balance, tons of improvement from H1.  The pinnacle of the series to me.

10) Grand Theft Auto 5 Nov 2014 - If I had to boil it down to one game defining the modern era, this would be it.  Each successive GTA has added so much stuff and really broadened the game.  GTA IV was amazing, didn't know how GTA V could top it.  Then they completely blow it out of the water and GTA IV looks like an after thought.  Heists, larger worlds, infinitely possible sidequests and one of the best damn story modes in a game.  This game did it all and very worthy of all of the accolades it received.

Honorable mentions that would get my list up to 15 games:

1) Final Fantasy NES - Tons of memories spent using the NP player's guide and game genie for infinite gold.  One of the first games I remember actually "beating" even though I had to consult help all along the way. 

2) Super Mario Bros 3 NES - Amazing that SMB1 and SMB3 run on the same hardware, SMB3 really was as beautiful as NES games get.  So much to do, the giant world was awe-inspiring and the castles were great.  The bosses, the minigames (card matching, toad house, hammer bros), the overworld map, just a great game.

3) Mortal Kombat 2 / Street Fighter II (SNES / Gen) - Okay, so cheating a bit here and picking two games, but I simply cannot choose one.  I love them both equally and everyone has spent some time playing something in the fighting genre. These games were a blast for two player and the first time I really had to practice controller moves to learn them.  First time I felt like I really had to practice a game. 

4) Mario Kart 64 N64 - The N64 multiplayer favorite next to Goldeneye for me, and I spent tons of time racing the ghosts on each level.  I still think Diddy Kong Racing was superior from a 1 player perspective but in terms of nostalgic significance / influence, I give the nod to Mario Kart.

5) Last of US PS3 / PS4 - Another one of the modern games that is a true masterpiece. The story is riveting, the controls are perfect and the balance is just right.  If you have any interest in modern games you owe it to yourself to experience this one. 

10 wasn’t enough as I totally forgot to put either GTA 3 or 5 on my list. 

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

The late 90s/early 2000s had so many revolutionary games. I'd have a hard time picking between GTA 1-3 because I played the heck out of all of them. GTA3 probably should've made my list. I remember playing Driver, so I was used to just always being in a car automatically. After you run over the bridge and realized you can actually just get into whatever car you want in 3D, my head basically exploded.

[Californication | 1,477]

@doner, Red Alert was a good pull. I probabaly should have found a spot for that. We used to go to the Boys and Girls Club just so we could play that in the computer lab before we got our own copy.

[jonebone | 1,307]

4 minutes ago, Californication said:

@doner, Red Alert was a good pull. I probabaly should have found a spot for that. We used to go to the Boys and Girls Club just so we could play that in the computer lab before we got our own copy.

Hey that was my comment, Doner just quoted me, lol. RA2 was epic... I didn't play much RA1 but I did play C&C, Tiberium Sun and Generals extensively. 

[jonebone | 1,307]

28 minutes ago, DefaultGen said:

The late 90s/early 2000s had so many revolutionary games. I'd have a hard time picking between GTA 1-3 because I played the heck out of all of them. GTA3 probably should've made my list. I remember playing Driver, so I was used to just always being in a car automatically. After you run over the bridge and realized you can actually just get into whatever car you want in 3D, my head basically exploded.

Forgot about Driver, played that a lot on PC too.  It was quite a fun game back in the day.  Also played a lot of Rainbow Six (the original) on PC.  Some Diablo II of course but it didn't quite consume my life as it did some people. 

[B.A. | 1,139]

Limiting it to 10 is though, but I think I have it pretty well narrowed down to real milestone games.  Here it goes

1. Space Invaders - 2600

The first console I have at home was a used Atari 2600, I remember playing a lot of Space Invaders with my dad. 

 

2. Mike Tyson's Punchout - NES

Tough to pick out a single NES game, but I will go with Iron Mike.  I remember talking to friends at school each day about how far we got the night before.  Getting up and running around my basement when Doc was training Little Mac after winning a belt.  The first time I finally got Bald Bull.  Good times! 

3. Zelda: Link to the Past - SNES

I rented a Super Nintendo one weekend with Zelda and I was hooked.  This was when the game counselor line was up and I probably spent a months worth of allowance calling those guys like 20 times over that weekend.  

4. Final Fantasy 2 - SNES

Yeah I called it 2, because that's what it was to me!  Another weekend rental (though I had my one SNES by then).  This is still the game I have probably replayed the most in my lifetime. 

5. Quest for Glory - DOS

This would have been around the time we got our first computer at home.  This game was really fun. 

6. Snake on the TI-85

Yep, here is one out of left field.  I was in high school at this time and got a TI-85 graphing calculator.  It could play rudimentary games which I thought was the coolest because I could get away with it in class.  

7. Mario Kart 64 - N64

This game was college.  Playing 4 player in the dorm was the best.  We played so much of this with the speakers blaring.  Toad was my go-to. 

8. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance - Gamecube

My first Fire Emblem game.  Fire Emblem has become my favorite franchise. 

9. Dragon Age Origins - Xbox 360

This game holds a spot as being the first game I really gave a chance on a non Nintendo system since the sega master system.  I am a huge Nintendo fanboy.  I really liked this game though.  

10. Dragon Quest Builders - Switch

Love this game.  I can pick it up and play it and get sucked in over and over again making new cities.  Definitely the switch game I have sunk the most hours into.  

[RoyalT | 161]

13 minutes ago, B.A. said:

Mike Tyson's Punch Out and Dragon Age Origins

 

These two were special for me too.  The first time my brother and I beat Mike Tyson is was in the wee hours of the morning and it was by decision!  We had played all night  - 007 373 5963.  I can input that code so fast it'll make your head spin.

Dragon Age Origins was one RPG that I picked up on boxing day for like 15 bucks and heard nothing of it.  50+ hours later and I'm a blood mage wrecking havoc the world.  There were so many memorable moments with this one, but what sticks out for me was when I finally encountered Gaxkang the Unbound after a twisted and easy to miss side quest. 

[Californication | 1,477]

22 minutes ago, jonebone said:

Hey that was my comment, Doner just quoted me, lol. RA2 was epic... I didn't play much RA1 but I did play C&C, Tiberium Sun and Generals extensively. 

Those were all good. But I agree RA2 was definetly the best. I remember geting so excited the first time I saw someone get Natalia to dodge a bunch of gun fire before blowing up a set of structures. It was great.