BIGMercenary has 41 chronicles

1. My Top 20 Games Pt. 1
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Oct 06 2007

   
   
   
   
   I'll keep the intro short but the list long: These are MY top 20 favorites of all time. If you've got beef with'em: I don't care!
   
   
   
   20. Test Drive Off-Road 2 (PS1)
   
   __Hours spent: 80+
   
   One of the 5 games on the list that I've never owned. It was my brother's. It was just one of those games with trucks racing through locales and wrecking into things. The AI was completely stupid, the obstacles were flat, there were cracks in the level design, and some of the vehicles just plain sucked. But it was so consistent and interesting that you HAD to keep playing it. Roaring through the desert at 70+ mph in a Dodge T-Rex had it's appeal back in the day.
   
   19. Metal Wolf Chaos (Xbox)
   
   __Hours spent: 0 Another game that I've never owned. In fact: one that I've never really played. The reason I know about it is from a demo from Xbox Magazine. After one play through I was completely stunned by it. Sure it was subtitled in Japanese with (bad) English voice actors and never really released in the USA, but the game has a massive appeal about it. Mainly due to you playing as the President of the United States and whooping terrorists in your mech. Big boss in the way? Click the right thumbstick and he'll be gone soon.
   
   18. Tetris (various)
   
   __Hours spent: lol+
   
   Tetris: the granddaddy of all puzzle games. The once proud elite Nintendo game turned into a byproduct of THQ. Once they acquired the license for the game, it all went downhill. The original is the only one that I care about these days. Tetris Worlds is good if you need something to do while using the bathroom.
   
   17. Metroid 2: Return of Samus (GB)
   
   __Hours spent: 35+
   
   The only GameBoy game that I still have in my collection. I'll never get rid of it. It took the original Metroid on the NES and cranked it up by 5. The graphics surpassed the NES original and that blew people's minds. A massive adventure set inside a tiny cartridge. And don't worry about having to start over: the battery save function prevented that.
   
   16. M.U.S.H.A. (Genesis)
   
   __Hours spent 25+ (Thumb wear: 90%)
   
   I bought it in a pawn shop for $4 (I think). After playing a quarter of the way through the first level, I hated it. I wanted to return it. But my mom said no. So I kept playing it. Four months later it was one of the only games I cared about. A 2D top-down shooter, it was beyond any of the others I had ever seen. The ability to get side guns and adjust their position was something you had to watch out for, they could be destroyed and eventually you'd have none left. The secondary weapons got more powerful with each pickup, of course. But they were so powerful it got to be ridiculous. The blue shield was the best way to go: nothing hit you and it launched it's own weapon. As for mentioning Thumb wear: it takes a lot of holding down the fire button and avoiding enemy fire. By the end of the game you can barely feel either of your thumbs.
   
   15. Breakdown (Xbox)
   
   __Hours spent 5+
   
   Only 5 hours? This game made me break a controller, that's how mad it made me. At some moments it was way too easy and you knew instantly what to do. At some points it was ridiculous and the answers so vague you'd have to look online for a FAQ. The last moment I played this game I was up against 5 enemies that shot lasers, had shields, and kicked my rear so hard it made me wonder if I had the difficulty set too high. There is no difficulty setting. So why is it #15? Because of the innovation. First person action with mirror reflections, interactions, punches, kicks, guns, and amazing graphics. The gameplay was awesome, but it was presented so poorly that you couldn't help but cringe while playing. If the creators had put more thought into the game it would be higher on my list and on others.
   
   14. Ikaruga (GameCube)
   
   __Hours spent: 20+
   
   One of the two 2D shooters that I've got on my list. Ikaruga was something flying under the radar and by some odd reason I picked it up one day and bought it. Never regretted it. The formula is simple but with a twist: shoot everything that gets in your way and collect what they shoot at you so you can shoot back. The ability to switch between positive and negative polarities is something that makes this game unique. A sequel is something that is desired out of anybody who has ever played this game.
   
   13. Dark Reign 2 (PC)
   
   __Hours spent: 40+
   
   The first and only PC Real Time Strategy (RTS) game that has made me interested in the entire genre. An overlooked semi-epic that could seriouosly have had a sequel if not for games like Warcraft 3. The only way a sequel could be made today is if there were a third faction for the player to choose. Not a problem: The JDA took prisoners during riots and transported them off-planet. Make them the third choice, easy. A dark tale of the future with two sides opposing one another to make it off of Earth which is tearing itself apart. It's the JDA vs. the Sprawlers. Each side has strengths and weaknesses: JDA is actually stronger but Sprawlers are cheaper to create and can mass easily. As long as I can install this on Windows XP I'll keep playing it.
   
   12.Twisted Metal 2 World Tour (PS1)
   
   __Hours spent: 80+
   
   It's Twisted Metal 2. Really. Need I say more? Okay fine. Taking the action out of Los Angeles, TM2 went from Paris to New York, Holland to Hong Kong, and others. Destructible environments were unseen by me and my brother before this game. A collection of awkward cars with drivers made the game more interesting. In truth, I think this was one of the few games that turned me into a gamer.
   
   11.Vectorman (Genesis)
   
   __Hours spent: 30+
   
   One of the few Genesis games that was almost 3D. I completely forgot the storyline but all I know is you went from level to level shooting and blowing up anything that got into your path. The sequel, however, was too bland and too... tiny. There was a planned third game for PS2 but was cancelled for some reason. If it had been made though I would have ran out and bought a PS2 immediately.
   
   
   
   Be on the lookout for Part 2. Coming as soon as I can write something about each of them.

   
   

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BIGMercenary has 1 comment on this chronicle.

1. BEN
   Posted On Oct 09 2007

   Great list you've got started so far! I'll be looking for Part 2 very soon. I'd say Tetris and Twisted Metal are the two on your list that I personally have enjoyed the most.
   
   
   
   Congrats again, on taking 2nd place in this month's Chronicle Competition!