Apple II text adventures were life-changing. I played through 2088: An Oval Office Odyssey dozens of times to experience every permutation of the story -- and then I typed up walkthroughs for them. That was when I was a little older, though. When I first started these I was so young that it was a struggle to read and understand all of the words. I remember longing for the day when reading would be as effortless for me as it was for my parents, and I worked so hard at deciphering the text on my own in these games to help get myself to that level.
I wouldn't want to erase my memories of Microzine games, though. I just wish I could teleport back for a little while and re-live my first experiences with them.
Heck, just mentioning the Apple II gets you respect. Used to hang out at the library every summer and play all the educational games they had all day, including this one called The Oregon Trail
Xeogred wrote:The obvious answer is that it's time for the Dreamcast 2.
Too many to remember, and I'm not in the mood for making a long list. However, I'll mention the first couple of games that popped into my head. These games were magical experiences for me when I first played them.
Starfox 64 - I first played this at a friend's house. I was hooked on it like crack and nobody in the room could grab my attention from that point on
Viva Pinata - I've never played anything like it. It's endearing and surprise filled in ways that no other games are. This was the kind of experience for me that lived up to the whole "next gen" propaganda.
Mega Man X4 - I rented this and became so obsessed with it that I traded in some good games at Gamestop just to buy it. Zero was always my favorite thing about this series and having him fully playable with a freaking light sabre was awesome. I don't think I even touched X until beating the game with Zero four or five times
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - What else needs to be said about this game. It's a masterpiece
Simpsons Arcade Space Channel 5 Ico Beyond Good and Evil - If only to experience this for the first time again:
The Lord of the Rings Return of the King - Totally felt like you were playing the movie. It was also one of the best designed action rpgs I've ever played and had some of the most epic battles of any game I've ever played Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - My first taste of Bioware, and it was amazing Dynasty Warriors 3 - Dynasty Warriors is so awesome the first time you play one and this is arguably the best entry Marvel Super Heroes and X-Men vs Streetfighter - Made me passionate about fighters again. They totally redefined the Street fighter formula. People in my local area went nuts for these games and their follow ups as well and it was awesome to see all those Marvel characters Resident Evil 4 - I would need to play it with my old friend who I originally played through this with. Sharing the experience with him made the game even more memorable Grand Theft Auto III - I don't care much for GTA games now, but this game was so different when it first came out. I was amazed by it All the 16-bit Sonic games - Still nothing in the platform genre quite like a good Sonic game. The graphics and sound on the first Sonic game on the Genesis really blew me away
and way too many others games to list or remeber. It's hard to find a modern game with the kind of magic these titles once gave me
RyaNtheSlayA wrote:
Seriously. Screw you Shao Kahn I'm gonna play Animal Crossing.
Final Fantasy VI - One of my favorite gaming experiences ever. I played this in middle school, and remember dreaming about the game and thinking of what I would get to do next during class. The first FF I played and beat.
Shining Force 2 - Played this in 6th grade, and it helped me befriend one of my best friends throughout the remainder of middle and high school. I was stuck somewhere, and knew he liked games, so I asked if he knew how to get past this certain part of the game. Sure enough he did as it was one of his favorite games. I was so engrossed in this game, I kept renting it each weekend and beat it in one weekend once.
World of Warcraft - While I am have grown tired of it these past few years and have finally quit it for good, it was one of my greatest experiences. The first exploring of the world and seeing what the game has to offer is an experience I will probably never get again with a game. I was so hooked from the get go. My first group dungeon and then first raid are all memorable experiences. And then I have to mention all the in game friends I met along the way.
Mass Effect - This was HD RPG done right. Great story and it was like playing through a space opera movie.
Baldur's Gate 1&2 - I think these were very advanced for its time, and I loved all the freedom of action. I could do whatever I wanted, but also knew where I had to go to further the story. Perfect blend of open ended and story driven RPG experience.
Tactics Ogre - The tight Tactical RPG gameplay and then the mature and engrossing story had me hooked within the first few minutes and remains one of my favorites of all time.
All of my favorite horror games. Resident Evil 1-3, Silent Hill 1-3, the Fatal Frame games, etc. None of those games are anywhere near as incredible an experience as they are they first time you play them.
Replaying Super Metroid for the first time would be nice too. Such an awesome game.
Three words, Ocarina of Time. I love this game. I know it's cliche' to love it, but I don't care. The music takes me back to being a kid every time I step foot on Hyrule Field.
lisalover1 wrote:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for sure. The joy I experienced when I first played that game was unmatched; it just seemed to click immediately with me. This inclusion is doubly true because since it is an adventure game, it has replay value approaching zero. *sigh* Why won't Capcom localize Ace Attorney games anymore? I used to trust them...
AA games just aren't the same once you already know all the twists and who the real criminal is.
Yep, but when you're playing that first time through, it really is a total blast.
Bubsy is pretty much the quintessential mediocre '90s platformer that everyone's played but no one likes
Truer words have never been said.
*looks around*
Yes, I rented the first one quite a few times
So what they tried to cash in on Sonic? I could not get to the end of level 9 to save my life! And the stupid passwords only took you back to Level 7 when you died! I was determined to get to level 10, and never did. Many wasted weekends *shudders*
Xeogred wrote:The obvious answer is that it's time for the Dreamcast 2.
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 3
Sonic the Hedgehog
Lunar: The Silver Star
Civilization
Fallout
Other's that blew me away at the time that I would like to have the feeling/experience again at the first time are:
Pac-Man
Centipede
River Raid
Pitfall
Hang-On/Safari Hunt
Duck Hunt
Metroid
Mega Man 2
Shadowgate
Contra
Life Force
Blades of Steel
Golden Axe
Castle of Illusion
Sonic the Hedgehog
NHL Hockey
Shining Force
Phantasy Star IV
Sonic CD
Sonic & Knuckles
Super Mario World
Zelda III: A Link to the Past
Final Fantasy III (aka. VI)
The Need for Speed (3DO)
Virtua Racing
Virtua Fighter
Daytona USA
Panzar Dragoon
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
WWF Warzone (the graphics blew me away at the time)
Mario 64
Waverace 64
Civilization II
Sim City 2000
Wolfenstein 3D
Doom
Terminal Velocity
Duke Nukem 3D
Heroes of Might & Magic II
Fallout 2
Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate II
Shenmue
Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (I'd say TES IV, V or Fallout 3, but they are all extensions of this)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Super Mario Galaxy
