Winter break is coming. Which to me means no studying to deal with when I get off work; no bus to have to catch; and no textbooks for five weeks. Time to turn up the heater, order some pizza, drink some dark beer and play way too many video games.
Not just any games though. There are a handful of games that are universally adored by the gaming world that I have either never finished, or for some, never even touched.
And some of these blind spots are a bit of an embarrassment to me. If you were to walk in my apt. you would see how me and my partner are pretty obsessive about games.
So yeah, I feel that it is my civic duty to fill in these holes in my history, and have a good time in the process.
Five weeks, Five games. Or at least, that’s the goal.
Here is the list I have come up with:
#1.
(Chrono Trigger)
Growing up, I never had any friends that were into Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs), so it is a genre that I did not get into until I played through Dragon Quest VIII a few years ago. I have now been going through as many of the classic JRPGs as I can, and Chrono Trigger is supposed to be the grand-daddy of them all.
#2
(Super Metroid)
This is one that I chose not to play for a long while. I had played Metroid fusion as a kid, and had heard that this one was really, really similar. So although I loved Metroid fusion, I typically would rather play something new than re-tread old ground. In recent years though, I have played the first few hours of Super Metroid, and I loved it. It feels so much more isolating than Fusion did. I have just never got around to finishing it, but it is going to happen this time!
#3
(Portal)
It is weird to think that this game only came out last console generation, because the fanfare of love around it makes it seem as if it is an all-time classic. Which it may very-well be now. But I was a Playstation 3 guy during last generation, and for some reason the PS3 copies were very rare to find. So I just never got around to experiencing the sensation.
#4
(Earthbound)
Yet another Super Nintendo entry to the list, and another JRPG too. This is one that I have always wanted to get around to. I love it when entertainment can be weird and goofy but still have something poignant to say, which is exactly what I have heard everyone say about Earthbound.
#5
(Zork)
The text-based adventure that Ernest Cline would not shut up about in Ready Player One. But I don’t think that was the first that I have heard it from, Zork is one of those names that I see pop up all over the place. And somehow even though it has been out for nearly 40 years, I still have no idea what it’s about or how it ends.
I also have a few alternative ones that I might throw in, in case I am just feeling something different:
–Half-life 2, Which just like Zork, I really don’t know much about other than it’s sci-fi and no one ever shuts up about it.
–Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Which I have played up to the third to last dungeon and I have beaten with a friend back in elementary school, but I still kinda feel like I haven’t personally gone through it all. Might be worth a true finish.
On top of all of these, I know that my wife really wants to play this new one called “Return of the Obra-Dinn”. And I will of course be playing a ton of the new Smash Bros. So yep, that’s my holiday plans. Fingers are going to cramp. Backs are going to be sore. It is happening.
Rs Gameboy 