Nintendo 64: Snowboard Kids
Brenna Kelly
I don’t play many video games. As a child I would watch my brothers play Halo, and I went through an Angry Birds phase a few years ago. And so my favorite video game isn’t one that’s wildly popular or incredibly realistic—it’s one that reminds me of my childhood.
Snowboard Kids. It’s almost as old as I am. I’ve played it nearly every Christmas with my ten siblings for over a decade. There’s so much nostalgia associated with it that I’ve stopped noticing the poor graphics and obscure noses.
Seriously, though. Look at their noses.
The game’s plot is perhaps comparable to Mario Kart. It involves racing against other characters in various climates, using weapons and skill to advance one’s self. Fast-paced and unpredictable, Snowboard Kids guarantees some excitement on the slopes.
The N64 is not a superior station. The games compatible with it are usually outdated. However, it rarely malfunctions and is significantly cheaper than many other stations.
Super Smash Brothers: Melee
Skyler Higley
For this article I considered choosing my top game from one of the newer, critically acclaimed masterpieces such as Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock Infinite, or Mass Effect. But no, the pinnacle of the video game universe is none other than Super Smash Bros. Throughout all the incarnations, Melee shines as the paradigmatic means of sitting in a room with your friends deprived of daylight for hours on end.
This game belongs to the fighting genre, the type of game unburdened by plot, character development, strategy, or finality. Smash Brothers is never over, you can never “win” the game.
It isn’t even a game, it’s a lifestyle. Everyone knows the nostalgic feeling of playing Smash Bros with your bros for fun, but many of us know that this game can be used for a variety of purposes such as settling disagreements, making bets, and expressing your emotions about your 7th grade sweetheart dumping you.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Taylor Funk
While violent games with blood, strategy, and guns are fun and exciting, I suck at them. The games that involve musical skills where you can just jam out to music are where it’s at. Battles to see who is the better guitarist and seeing your skills improve each time you start the game is amazing.
While it battles you battle for the title of Rock Legend. When you play the victory song at the end it’s like the end of a long war. Each song mastered is a battle leading to the war.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Brandon Casper
Let’s be honest – what video game column would be complete without mentioning this one? I am sure a lot of people agree when I say that this game integrated itself into my daily life. Because who wants to hang out with their friends in real life? Hanging out with them over a bluetooth headset while pwning noobs together is a WAY better bonding experience. Back in these days, earning golden guns was more fulfilling than winning an Oscar, and you weren’t known by anything other than your prestige count. Also, in case you didn’t notice, I purposefully put the first Black Ops, and not the second one, because the first one was way better. Everyone knows that.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Josh Sales
This is incredibly biased, but Need for Speed: Most Wanted is the greatest video game on this earth. I spent so many hours of my teenhood on the couch with my dad sipping vanilla cokes playing this game, one of us driving and the other one watching the map for sharp turns and cops. Whenever I head back for Thanksgiving or Christmas, my dad and I always throw this in for a couple hours and remember old times. It had the ultimate mix of fast, smart racing, and intense cop chases, knocking down pillars of doughnut shops so the cops get a giant doughnut crashing through their windshield.
Catherine
Cody Scott
Catherine (maybe with the exception of Eternal Sonata, a game that takes place entirely within the psyche of 17th century composer, Frederich Chopín) is the most bizarre game I have ever played. It is the story of a thirty-something burnout named Vincent who finds himself in the middle of an awkward love triangle with his long-time, overbearing girlfriend, Katherine, and a cute, 19-year old temptress, Catherine. The actual gameplay comes as Vincent is trapped in a reoccurring nightmare in which he must climb a tower to free himself from his dreams. It’s like BlockDude (that game you used to play on your calculator in Math class) meets the most quirky soap opera ever. The game excels in its diabolical puzzles and storytelling ability. You really won’t want to miss the way the story wraps up and the challenge of the final puzzle. It is, to this day, the only game that has made me scream in frustration, jump in fright, and cry in anguish.
