In light of the recent Gamespot feature Pick 5, I figured I would copy the GS Editors and my buddy Amer and post my own five games in my collection that I think make me cool. 'Cool' is of course a relative term... Cool and video games rarely find themselves in the same sentence in the mainstream. That being said this is Gamespot, and we're all video game geeks here, so cool is an appropriate term to use in this company. So here are the five games which I think give me indie-nerd cred.
1. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)
This seminal FPS ****c was the reason I started playing PC games online. From the amazing single player campaign which I played through more times than I can count, to the frantic multiplayer action on the Microsoft Internet Gaming zone and all the fun clan life in between... Jedi Knight was a blast. I own 5 copies of the game: 2 legit, 2 burned and 1 collector's edition which was packaged with Jedi Outcast. The first Dark Forces was a decent Doom clone set in the Star Wars universe, but the sequel was very original. It let you switch between first person shooting and third person melee combat with your lightsaber. That may not seem impressive now... But to a 13 year old kid in 1997 it was awesome. Jedi Knight was the first PC game I took the time to get really good at and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
2. Captain Skyhawk (NES)
I cut my gaming teeth on this game, truly a Nintendo hidden gem. After the death of my dog Gator I was given a NES as literally a consolation prize... I remember it fondly-- Toys R' Us with my Dad. We bought The Legend of Zelda, Captain Skyhawk and Cobra Triangle. I had just read The Hobbit and loved aircraft so it was a natural combo... I don't know if I liked speed boats and giant sea dragons, but Cobra Triangle was fun in any event. Captain Skyhawk quickly became my favourite, second only to Zelda of course. With amazing graphics, amazing sound and highly entertaining and varied gameplay Captain Skyhawk was just one of those games you could play over and over again. I spent many a lunch hour playing this game and mastering it. The fact that nobody else seems to have played it gives me indie-nerd cred. I mastered a game that no one ever played or had even heard of.
3. System Shock 2 (PC)
I scoffed at those who championed the deeply psychological and frightening gameplay of Doom 3. "It's been done.", I said as I turned up my nose in disgust. It had been done before, and better; in System Shock 2. I briefly played the original System Shock when I was younger, but quickly grew bored with it and went back to IDDQD/IDKFA killing zombies in Doom 2. The sequel however was far from boring, it was terrifying. The FPS/RPG always had you looking over your virtual and real-life shoulder. Best played with the volume turned up and in the dark, System Shock 2 is guaranteed to scare the crap out of you, it gets in your head and won't let go. So if you played System Shock 2 back in the day, and someone says Doom 3 is a good game; laugh at them, and then spit in their face.
4. Katamari Damacy (PS2)
Screw indie-nerd cred... This game gets you real cred! I've introduced this game to many non-gamers of all ages and the reaction is always the same, they love it. Katamari Damacy's strange and original gameplay can bring a smile to even the most jaded gameplayer. And let me tell you gentlemen, the ladies love it. Screw roses, screw chocolates, screw expensive dinners... The real way to a woman's heart is a Playstation 2 and a copy of Katamari Damacy. I'm not saying this game got me laid, but if you meet the right girl Katamari Damacy may do just that.
5. Blaster Master (NES)
Blaster Master gives me Indie-nerd cred because until five minutes ago I had gone my entire life calling it Master Blaster. Blaster Master is the story of a young boy who loses his pet frog and while searching for said frog stumbles upon a cool robo-suit and crazy jumping tank. He just finds them... And proceeds to use them to try and find his now mutated pet frog. Thanks to this game I broke one of my NES controllers and got a terrible blister on my thumb from playing so much. The week I beat the game was the same week I had one of the worst cold's of my entire life. Between vomitting, hallucinating and shivering violently, I somehow managed to beat the game. An all around awesome 2D platformer. I know I wasn't the only one who felt like he was having a seizure during the boss fights with the bright flashing pink lights.
And those are my five games.
- Will