Pick 5: Best Video Games Ever

“Pick 5” is going to be a gimmick that I run here, to try and get some good discussions going. I’ll pick 5 of whatever I want, and you can pick your 5 or comment on my five…

Okay, so here’s my picks for some of the best video games ever. These are based on my personal experiences and purchases, so this is in no way fact and are in no particular order. Keep reading after for a little bonus.

• Ducktales (NES) – This was one of the first games I ever played that had an entire plot and a non-linear storyline. You played as Uncle Scrooge and your goal was to collect all of your money which has been stolen from your vault. You could jump and pogo onto ememies using your cane, and also use your cane to hit stationary boulders into the sky. The best part about this game is that you could play the levels in any order you want, and that the ending is customizable based on how much money you decide is worth collecting. I love how if you dedicate yourself to the game enough, you can get enough money in the vault to swim around in it. I probably beat this game over 50 times.
• Final Fantasy II (SNES) – Yes I know this was really Final Fantasy IV, but to me and Anibal, it will always be Final Fantasy II. We loved this game so much. It had an intricate plot, and it was our first real experience in role playing games (other than Dragon Warrior). Anibal and I were sick enough to play this game long enough for Rydia to learn Meteo and Anibal has an awesome story about a glitch that created 99 Excaliburs. The memory of this game was recently rekindled in the GBA release of Final Fantasy IV Advance. There are a few changes, mainly the names of stuff, which kind of annoyed me, but it was a great dose of 1993 nostalgia.
• Mortal Kombat II (Arcade) – I was addicted to this game. So much, in fact, that I would act sick and make my mom take me to the mall to play. Once it was released for SNES, I learned everything: all of the fatalities, friendships, babalities, pits, and juggle combos. It was the only game ever I truly mastered. I still remember alot of those moves.
• Katamari Damacy (PS2) – This game is a direct translation from Japan, who obviously like to have lots of fun. It’s a back to basics game that is basically the logical evolution of the Pac Man gaming experience. It utilizes both analog sticks to control a ball (katamari) which attracts objects it rolls over. The catch is that your katamari needs to be a certain size to pick up certain objects. It’s something that I could play over and over.
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (PS2) – I picked this one based on how much fun I had in playing it. The gameplay was fresh to me, and I loved the music. Truth be told, I disabled every song in the playlist except “Ace of Spades,” “96 Quite Bitter Beings,” and “Papparazi.” Since you had to go through the game with every character to unlock everything, the replay value was extremely high.

BONUS- Pick 5: Best Video Game Moments I created

• Dick Tracy (Genesis) – When I reached the last level, I would make everyone get out of the room so I could concentrate. It turns out that ended up doing this with alot of games, but Dick Tracy was the first really annoying game that created this.
• All games – Throwing controllers. Sometimes, it became an art, especially when the act of throwing the controller was mimicing the act of throwing a boomerang.
• Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 (PS2) – OFF THE LIST! I never bothered to actually disable any of the songs in THPS4 because I liked the novelty of all of them. I sang along sometimes when I played. When I became frustrated, I would substitute “Off the list” for choice lyrics or riffs in the songs. Even though I threatened to take songs off of the list, I never actually did, which made this even better.
• Mortal Kombat II (SNES) – I made my neighbors pay to play. They had a tendency of never buying video games and coming over to our house to play all of the new stuff, so, in classic arcade fashion, I set up a system where you would insert a quarter to play a game of Mortal II. I had this drawer that my SNES sat on top of, and I’d open it just a crack — enough to fit a quarter — so that a quarter could be inserted. I didn’t make millions, but I got by.
• Metal Gear (NES) – At the end of the game, when you use the plastic explosive to destroy the plant, I used to make everyone jump and duck for cover. It added to the effect of the explosion simulated at the end of the game.

Post some comments with your favorite video games and why or your favorite things that I did while playing a video game (if you’ve seen any of this awesomeness).