Top 50 Videogames: 49 and 48
Thing the first: I've decided to do two games a day at least until I'm near the end, because that'll slightly cut down on the self-indulgent nature of this thing.
And second: I forgot to mention that in order to keep a very vibrant list, only one game from each series will be represented. Should've done that in the TV list, huh?
49. Donkey Kong Country (1994, Super Nintendo)
Difficulty from 1 to 10: 7. It wasn't impossible to beat or anything, but getting everything, something that I'm obsessed with doing, is pretty tough.
Played it with: Nick, Ben Mullaly, Nate Nicholson, Nathan Jacobson, Rory Rohloff (my stepbrother), and probably many others. I played this a lot at the time, and a lot while high.
Did I complete it?: Yes. It took a long time to get the highest completion rate, though.
Other games in the series that could've made the list: Oddly, I never played any of the others...perhaps because I burned myself out on this one.
I spent countless hours with this game. Don't quote me on this, but I'm fairly certain this was one of the first games to offer a completion percentage, starting a new trend for the obsessed to get absolutely everything in the game. It worked; if anything, it made me save a little more money because I spent so much time with every single game, a trend that continues for me to this day, so long as I like the game in question.
Donkey Kong had been dormant for nearly a decade, since his pants-crappingly repetitive debut on Atari (just for fun, bet people at the bar that they can't tell you who the good guy was in the original Donkey Kong. It was Mario, and almost nobody will know that). This game added several dimensions to the character, tacking on a token story to what was a beautifully-animated game for the time that still holds up as a big achievement.
48. Fable (2004, XBox)
Difficulty from 1 to 10: 2. It's fun, but a breeze. I did every possible sidequest, and died a total of maybe four times. I think I beat Jack of Blades, the final boss, on the first try with absolutely no problem. That's almost as annoying as being unable.
Played it with: I played this alone. Cathy and her brother Andy were in the house, but I played this over the course of three obsessed days and didn't really notice anyone else.
Did I complete it? Everything, yep.
Fable was hyped for about three years before its release: it would be a game where your character aged, where a scar you got in youth would stick with you if it was particularly bad, and the path of the story was ultimately yours to decide. It largely disappointed: the aging is way too fast (about a year for every game-hour) and the only real thing to change in the story is whether your character is a good guy or a bad guy, neither of which changes who the final boss is or any major plot points.
Still, it's fun as hell, and beautiful. You can accessorize/tattoo your character however you see fit, and the choices affect the way other people perceive you (for instance, to get the absolute biggest amount of notice possible from females, shave your head and get tattoos on it; I'm not making that up). The fighting is brutal and satisfying, even if a surprising amount of it--like, ninety percent--is against humans.
Ultimately, it's probably too short. I knew I only had three days to play it since I was playing it in Austin, Texas at Cathy's brother's house in the days leading up to Austin City Limits Music Festival 2005, and didn't entertain thoughts of beating it, but I did. Oh well. There you go--the only XBox game on the list.
And second: I forgot to mention that in order to keep a very vibrant list, only one game from each series will be represented. Should've done that in the TV list, huh?
49. Donkey Kong Country (1994, Super Nintendo)
Difficulty from 1 to 10: 7. It wasn't impossible to beat or anything, but getting everything, something that I'm obsessed with doing, is pretty tough.
Played it with: Nick, Ben Mullaly, Nate Nicholson, Nathan Jacobson, Rory Rohloff (my stepbrother), and probably many others. I played this a lot at the time, and a lot while high.
Did I complete it?: Yes. It took a long time to get the highest completion rate, though.
Other games in the series that could've made the list: Oddly, I never played any of the others...perhaps because I burned myself out on this one.
I spent countless hours with this game. Don't quote me on this, but I'm fairly certain this was one of the first games to offer a completion percentage, starting a new trend for the obsessed to get absolutely everything in the game. It worked; if anything, it made me save a little more money because I spent so much time with every single game, a trend that continues for me to this day, so long as I like the game in question.
Donkey Kong had been dormant for nearly a decade, since his pants-crappingly repetitive debut on Atari (just for fun, bet people at the bar that they can't tell you who the good guy was in the original Donkey Kong. It was Mario, and almost nobody will know that). This game added several dimensions to the character, tacking on a token story to what was a beautifully-animated game for the time that still holds up as a big achievement.
48. Fable (2004, XBox)
Difficulty from 1 to 10: 2. It's fun, but a breeze. I did every possible sidequest, and died a total of maybe four times. I think I beat Jack of Blades, the final boss, on the first try with absolutely no problem. That's almost as annoying as being unable.
Played it with: I played this alone. Cathy and her brother Andy were in the house, but I played this over the course of three obsessed days and didn't really notice anyone else.
Did I complete it? Everything, yep.
Fable was hyped for about three years before its release: it would be a game where your character aged, where a scar you got in youth would stick with you if it was particularly bad, and the path of the story was ultimately yours to decide. It largely disappointed: the aging is way too fast (about a year for every game-hour) and the only real thing to change in the story is whether your character is a good guy or a bad guy, neither of which changes who the final boss is or any major plot points.
Still, it's fun as hell, and beautiful. You can accessorize/tattoo your character however you see fit, and the choices affect the way other people perceive you (for instance, to get the absolute biggest amount of notice possible from females, shave your head and get tattoos on it; I'm not making that up). The fighting is brutal and satisfying, even if a surprising amount of it--like, ninety percent--is against humans.
Ultimately, it's probably too short. I knew I only had three days to play it since I was playing it in Austin, Texas at Cathy's brother's house in the days leading up to Austin City Limits Music Festival 2005, and didn't entertain thoughts of beating it, but I did. Oh well. There you go--the only XBox game on the list.