VYZNDR's 5x5
25 games that have been in some way important for my time playing video games, including a brief note on each one as to why they're included in the list. Can't say all of them are good, though.
Not sure how strongly I feel about some of them, but it's tough to think of 25 games!
Not sure how strongly I feel about some of them, but it's tough to think of 25 games!
25 Games
I had this from a very young age and I think it was one of the earliest home games to simulate 3D stereoscopy.
It's a pretty simple game, just avoid the cars in other lanes as you drive along, but I have a lot of nostalgia for it.
It's a pretty simple game, just avoid the cars in other lanes as you drive along, but I have a lot of nostalgia for it.
I can't remember when my family got a ZX Spectrum, but playing games on it is one of my earliest memories so Pac-Land may very well have been the first video game I ever played.
The ZX Spectrum version of the game is awful. Absolutely dreadful. But as one of the first games I ever played it kind of has to make this list.
The ZX Spectrum version of the game is awful. Absolutely dreadful. But as one of the first games I ever played it kind of has to make this list.
The first thing I ever won in a contest was a Game Boy with the Tetris pack-in, so I have fond memories of that alone. It helps that Tetris is basically a flawless game and it's unsurprising that it became such a phenomenon.
It's also the only game my mum has ever enjoyed playing, which I believe is due to the fact that it's a game entirely about tidying up.
It's also the only game my mum has ever enjoyed playing, which I believe is due to the fact that it's a game entirely about tidying up.
This was the first time I played a game that actually succeeded in trying to be funny and I've had a soft spot for point-and-click adventure games ever since, even if most of them have needlessly obtuse puzzle design.
I still hum the intro to the "King of the Creatures" song to myself sometimes.
I still hum the intro to the "King of the Creatures" song to myself sometimes.
I think this was my first game that made heavy use of FMV sequences and I've never stopped finding low-res FMVs charming ever since.
It was probably about fifteen years after playing this when I finally got the joke about Lance Boyle's name.
It was probably about fifteen years after playing this when I finally got the joke about Lance Boyle's name.
Doom 2 was kind of a big deal, not sure what else to write here.
A fun and campy action hero setting, well thought out enemy placement, fun boss fights and perfect music and sound effects. Time Crisis is good stuff.
Wipeout 2097 was one of the "killer apps" for the PlayStation and a solid reason for owning one. It really tapped into the EDM culture of the 90s and felt "current" in a way that few games, especially of the time, could manage.
I've generally not played a lot of space combat games. A couple of Wing Commanders and StarLancer, but I played Wing Commander Prophecy at the time.
I don't think I feel as strongly about it as some of the other games on this list but it is notable for being the reason I think of Mark Hamill as "the Wing Commander guy" and not "the Star Wars guy".
I don't think I feel as strongly about it as some of the other games on this list but it is notable for being the reason I think of Mark Hamill as "the Wing Commander guy" and not "the Star Wars guy".
The quality of the voice acting and the cinematography was like nothing else before and was hugely impressive.
The gameplay holds up extremely well and is still plenty of fun to play decades later.
The gameplay holds up extremely well and is still plenty of fun to play decades later.
I had played plenty of graphically impressive games before, but Ridge Racer Type 4 is the first game I can remember being stylish. It taught me that art direction is even more important than graphical fidelity in making something look good.
Look, I was a huge anime dork during the PS1 era and so of course I was going to love a game as anime as this one. It's not particularly good to play, but at least it's shallow enough where anyone can pick it up and immediately get the gist of what to do.
I'd be lying if I said that Shenmue was a great game, but it was immensely ambitious in a way that most games weren't - probably for good reason.
I was mildly obsessed with the game despite all its flaws and would happily play more in the series, even after the slight let-down that was Shenmue 3.
It's my genuine belief that open world games wouldn't be what they eventually became if Shenmue hadn't come out as a warning of what happens when the developers' effort is put into the wrong places.
I was mildly obsessed with the game despite all its flaws and would happily play more in the series, even after the slight let-down that was Shenmue 3.
It's my genuine belief that open world games wouldn't be what they eventually became if Shenmue hadn't come out as a warning of what happens when the developers' effort is put into the wrong places.
I had played some rhythm games before, but I never got obsessed with the genre until a local arcade got a Dancing Stage EuroMix (Dance Dance Revolution) cabinet.
From there, I got one of those awful soft mats along with PS1 versions of the game and then finally a home metal pad with Stepmania.
I was relatively fit during my late teens and I put that down entirely to the sheer amount of DDR I would play nearly every day.
From there, I got one of those awful soft mats along with PS1 versions of the game and then finally a home metal pad with Stepmania.
I was relatively fit during my late teens and I put that down entirely to the sheer amount of DDR I would play nearly every day.
I didn't have much experience with MMOs or other multiplayer loot games until I picked up Phantasy Star Online and I finally understood the appeal.
I played so much of PSO that I eventually downloaded the iso of the American version of Dreamkey so I could use our own ISP instead of Sega's one and connect online for cheaper - even if it would disconnect every 2 hours.
I've played plenty of other online games and MMOs since then, but none of them have captured my imagination the way Phantasy Star Online did.
I played so much of PSO that I eventually downloaded the iso of the American version of Dreamkey so I could use our own ISP instead of Sega's one and connect online for cheaper - even if it would disconnect every 2 hours.
I've played plenty of other online games and MMOs since then, but none of them have captured my imagination the way Phantasy Star Online did.
Easily one of the most atmospheric adventure games on the PS2, Ico was something special even if the controls were a little wonky at times.
I have no idea where I found out about Warning Forever, I just remember dipping into it very regularly during my school years.
Maybe my first example of a free game downloaded from some random indie dev on the internet that I got addicted to.
Maybe my first example of a free game downloaded from some random indie dev on the internet that I got addicted to.
OutRun 2 is super satisfying to play and I don't think I could ever get bored of it. It's pretty easy to pick up and the drifting feels great. I really wish they'd make a new one!
With the death of Flash, the only game I truly was sad to lose was Nanaca Crash. It was a perfect "just one more try!" game and for me the peak of the "flight" or "launcher" genre of games that were so popular on Flash.
The Ace Attorney games are rare in that I feel that "post-game blues" for every game in the series and just want to be back in that world and spend a little more time with those characters.
I thought after those initial three games that the series would be done, but thankfully it's been popular enough to have plenty of sequels to bring me back into the world of anime-lawyering.
I thought after those initial three games that the series would be done, but thankfully it's been popular enough to have plenty of sequels to bring me back into the world of anime-lawyering.
It feels like cheating to include both Ico and Shadow of the Colossus on this list, but SOTC keeps the mysterious fairytale atmosphere while also tidying up the movement controls and being a huge technical achievement for the time with the huge bosses, even if it did tank the frame rate.
Nonograms are probably my favourite grid puzzle format and Picross DS had a perfect user interface for doing them, so obvious I spent countless hours playing this.
I'd always had a passing interest in fighting games, but BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger was the first time I tried to take one seriously, to the point of being to at least not embarrass myself in the competitive scene.
I dropped out of playing competitively eventually but it was great to be able to attend tournaments and have a real shot at winning in Ireland, or placing well in the UK.
I dropped out of playing competitively eventually but it was great to be able to attend tournaments and have a real shot at winning in Ireland, or placing well in the UK.
After a long time playing barely any rhythm games I tried out Chunithm on a whim after seeing it in an arcade while on holiday in Japan. I was instantly hooked and fell in love with the genre all over again, eventually buying myself a Tasoller for home use.
After getting back into rhythm games with Chunithm, I really wanted something to scratch the itch since I obviously didn't have much access to Japanese arcades.
I happened to see Arcaea in a list of rhythm games on iOS so decided to give it try and it very quickly became possibly my all-time favourite game in the genre.
If it had a little more visual flair and was put on a giant screen, it would absolute fit in with the best touch-screen games in any Japanese arcade!
I happened to see Arcaea in a list of rhythm games on iOS so decided to give it try and it very quickly became possibly my all-time favourite game in the genre.
If it had a little more visual flair and was put on a giant screen, it would absolute fit in with the best touch-screen games in any Japanese arcade!