Video games are an amazing means of entertainment for people of all ages. Both men and women alike spend hours and hours a day playing video games for fun. With all the different genres, everyone can have fun playing a game that satisfies their needs. These are 10 of the most amazing video games.
10. Spyro : The Dragon
Developed in 1998 for the Playstation system, this game holds a special place in my heart due to the fact that it was my first video game for my first console. The game follows the quest of a young purple dragon named Spyro and his duty to free all of his dragon brethren from being captured by an arch nemesis. Players collect gems and jewels for points, use Spyro’s ramming and flame abilities as well as gliding in order to complete each board. The aesthetic art, groovy music and childish essence make it a unique experience to play.
9. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3
The third installment in the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series, allows players to create and customize their own skating character or choose an existing famous skater to maneuver through various stages collecting points by doing tricks. The game itself has simplistic gameplay that allows players to experience a skateboarding lifestyle through a digital skater taking all the painful injuries of skateboarding for you. Each game in the series includes a long list of songs from many different genres of music playing in the background while you skate. The playlist featured on this game happens to be my favorite out of all the games in the series, including songs like “Wish” from the band Alien Ant Farm and “If You Must” by Hip Hop artist Del The Funkee Homosapien. With such an extensive list of music, it encourages players to branch out in musical taste and listen to genres they may have never given a chance otherwise. Each game in the series is similar, except for the features to create characters with increasing in number. With all the tricks that you can do in the game there, is no excuse to not have fun playing it.
8. Mario Kart : Double Dash
Critically acclaimed for the Nintendo Gamecube, Mario Kart : Double Dash is one of the most well-known racing gaming series around, Mario Kart allows players to play with all the way up to 15 other people in a race against each other through stages with many twists, turns and pitfalls to end up in first place ahead of fellow players and computer steered players. The game features 20 characters from various Nintendo game series that you must select two to form a team and race with. You pick up different items along the way to slow down other players. Each character has their own unique special set of items that they acquire when a special item is chosen at random. With all the traps and unpredictable outcomes, racing to the finish is a fun experience for many friends simultaneously for hours.
7. Pokemon Red
An adventure plenty of children embarked upon in high hopes of becoming a Pokemon Master in 1998 for the Nintendo Gameboy Color. The game allows players to travel around regions in the Pokemon world collecting a variety of animals with elemental techniques, battling them against other collectors known as Pokemon Trainers, acquiring items and ultimately battling gym leaders for badges in order to further their chances of a higher rank in the world. The player begins the journey by choosing one of three main Pokemon (Fire, Grass and Water). Each starter is stronger than one type and weaker than another. Fire defeats grass but is weak to water. Water is weak to grass but defeats fire. Grass is weak to fire but defeats water. Whichever the players choose, their rival will choose the opposite. A player is allowed to only carry up to six Pokemon on hand and an abundance of items. However they are allowed to catch as many Pokemon as they would like. All others that are caught aside from the six on hand are sent to a holding center that allows you to select which ones you want to keep in your party at the time to train and make stronger. The game leaves many possibilities, almost endless, for players and delivers entertainment for as long as anyone is willing to play.
6. No More Heroes
A one player RPG for the Nintendo Wii that follows the story of Travis Touchdown, a bounty hunter competing for a No. 1 spot using a Lightsaber look alike amongst famous assassins. It is incredibly violent, bloody, suggestive, satirical storyline. The player must use the Wii nunchaku in the fashion of a sword to control movement of attacks. Revolutionary for interactive gaming experiences, No More Heroes forces players to move manually in order to play instead of the normal button mashing. Starting out as the eleventh top assassin in the world and players compete with ten fighters in numerical order to become first place. Each assassin has an extremely difficult stage to travel through, collecting currency, clothing items to customize Travis with and defeating hundreds of enemies along the way. The unique saving feature shows the protagonist using the bathroom as a save point. The game is filled with comedy, anime references and explicit themes that are enjoyable for adult audiences.
5. Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts is critically acclaimed and developed by Square Enix for the Ps2. The game follows the adventures of a young boy named Sora traveling with the famous Disney characters, Goofy and Donald, to defeat a race of monsters called Heartless plaguing Disney worlds. The game features many similar abilities and attributes of past Square Enix Final Fantasy games, however it allows the player to manually attack and and defeat enemies. After traveling in a ship, you arrive at a realm of a Disney character and assist them personally to defeat Heartless to continue the plot of their original storylines. In addition to the Disney character’s plots, Sora’s personal story is based on trying to get back in touch with his two friends he’s been separated from, Kairi and Riku. With the innocence of the Disney storylines mixed with the serious demeanor of the conflict focuses on, the game creates a unique mixture only offered in the Kingdom Hearts series. Although the game seems innocent and childish, it is no simple task. Each stage has specific missions that need to be achieved with no hints or clues as to what to do. Guaranteed to squeeze hours of gameplay out of anyone who enjoys intense RPG action.
4. Megaman X6
The difficult sixth installment of the Megaman X series continues the story of X and Zero, “Maverick Hunters,” in the distant future of the Megaman universe. X’s partner Zero dies in a final battle with their arch nemesis Sigma in Megaman X5. It is now X’s duty to revive him and defeat Sigma once and for all. The two androids travel through very difficult side scrolling stages finding secret items, saving fallen comrades, collecting armor parts, defeating small enemies, mini bosses and maneuvering through the difficult stage to fight the boss for each specific realm. It is such a difficult game to play with such interesting features. Once a boss is defeated for each stage an ability is given to the player, a mimicry of their special weapon reminiscent of the boss for X and a special sword technique for Zero. Each new weapon or technique acquired is essential for defeating another boss. The secret items to collect and the timing involved with getting through each stage makes the game into a puzzle for many. It takes many tries to get through entire stages because of all the traps and damaging enemies along the way.
3. Street Fighter 3 : Third Strike
The third installment of the Street Fighter series, Street Fighter 3 : Third Strike is prolific in fighting game history. Third Strike is a very popular fighting game that was originally an arcade game brought to the online gaming consoles of PS3 and Xbox 360. The digital version features purchasable new sets of colors for the characters and allows players to fight other players online using their Gamertags. Third Strike continues the Street Fighter story adding in a plethora of new characters, a revolutionary parrying system and a grading system that grades the the skill performed by the winner of the fight. The game also features the ability to only choose one special technique to be used for the match that must be performed in perfect timing to receive proper points. Many critics argue that it may be the most fair and evenly balanced fighting game of all time. There is also contemporary music for every part of the game itself including menus and stages. Edgy and competitive, Third Strike allows fighting game connoisseurs to pursue all dreams of putting in their best efforts to prove their skill and receive a good letter grade.
2. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 : New Age Of Heroes
The second installment of the Marvel Vs. Capcom series. With a cast of 56 characters, MVC2 delivers all the three-on-three action that a fighting game enthusiast could ask for. The game features 28 characters from each universe of Capcom and Marvel and allows players to create teams of three to fight against other teams. Each player has its own unique set of combos and moves, as well as assist techniques from other characters in their roster and combined team techniques. Combos can reach more than 100 hits if performed correctly. The special feature of air combos was introduced to this game that has not been seen in many games before it’s debut. The game features an easy mode to make button configuration easier for novice players and a normal mode for experienced players. Each character has six different costume colors and three different types of assist techniques they can perform when not in action. Simplistic yet complicated, the game itself is viewed as a classic amongst many gamers and a very fun experience. The game was originally an arcade-based playing experience that transferred to many consoles including the Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation 2 and both the PS3 and Xbox 360. With jazzy tunes, three original characters to the video game and endless hours of fun, MVC2 is a milestone in video game history for fighting games.
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee
The second installment of the Super Smash Bros. series. The playfully violent fighting game is packed with items and difficult boards to maintain on. Considered a classic for the Nintendo Gamecube, Melee has acquired a huge fan base and is still used for tournaments at gaming events. Fights can have up to four players and players also have the ability to choose teams. Fights range from many different rules such as being timed, scrambles for the most of a collected item, a predetermined count of lives to kill off and many other special conditions to fight under as well as a humongous quantity of items and weapons to use to your advantage. The Super Smash Bros. series is known for the origin of party gaming that allows players to be competitive in a more fun and less intense multiplayer fashion. Consisting of 25 characters crossing over from famous video game series produced by the Nintendo gaming company, players select a character in whatever color they choose to fight against other players for first place in a match. A player wins the match by falling off of the stage the least amount of times than anyone else. Falling off of the stage is contributed by a magnitude of different circumstances including the moving or dynamics of the stage, too much damage taken to the character, items abilities or clumsiness. At the end of the match, players are ranked by their gameplay for the round and given statistics of how many kills received and other achievements as well as downfalls. Each character contains a unique move set that they use to damage other opponents as much as possible in order to knock them out of the ring. The last player standing wins. The balanced roster of characters makes Melee praise worthy. A group can play such a game for hours on end based on the fact that the game was made for entertaining multiple guests and setting personal conditions and features for the player’s select tastes. Fun effects of stages and items create completely unique outcomes and effects every match differently each time it is played. Super Smash Bros. Melee offers a different experience each time it is played and is innocent enough for people of all ages to play.
