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Four off white walls surround me, a mattress just resting on the floor ghetto style, a television turned on with white noise on the screen. I sit in front of the TV with a Nintendo Entertainment System between us, my small finger pushes the button, and before I know it I'm running and jumping as Mario. I was at my uncle's house, my cousins being much older than me. I was a small child left behind and I discovered this wonder on my own accord.
This is one of my earliest completely vivid memories, and my first experience playing a video game. No surprise, it was Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and I was 3 or 4 at the time. I remember the events as they happened, usually not the exact time they happened, my memory has always been that way. Now I would be personally gameless until I was 5, this is one case I remember the exact time as well as the events. Its hard to forget what is perhaps the most important Christmas gift I have ever received and most likely will ever receive. On Christmas of 1994 I unwrapped a Super Nintendo with Super Mario World and Super Mario Kart as the pack in games. My game life wouldn't really spiral out of control until the PS2 was out in force, so for now let's just take a look at the most important games I ran into growing up. But, real quick before we start, I am not saying these games are inherently good or not, they were just important for me, opening a door to a new genre or series. Thanks Crabmaster2000 for mentioning this idea you had done before on the Collectorcast, I'm stealing it.
Number 10: Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
[img width=700 height=494]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-044/bf/U-044-S-05770-A.jpg[/img]
I was a fairly ignorant young gamer back in the SNES days. I didn't read many magazines or publications to get a really good idea of what the system really had to offer, and still didn't know until years later with easy internet access and a constant barrage of fan reviews, my own adding into that mix. What makes this game special was because it was a major victory against the parents. I knew about this game primarily because I had the first one, and seeing that a sequel was on shelves gave me shivers and pure joy up and down my spine. I begged and begged everytime I went with my parents to the store for anything and there were games there. Finally they bought it brand new back when SNES and Genesis games were $60-70 new most commonly. Yoshi's Island remains one of my favorite games on the Super Nintendo, I was a bit disappointed after playing the DS sequel but that does not take away any amount of importance the first game had on me.
Number 9: Grand Theft Auto 2
[img width=550 height=488]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-061/bf/U-061-S-04700-A.jpg[/img]
Back in my day (the mid-late 1990's) we used to go to stores, not vending machines, that would allow you to rent video games and movies for a few days. This is the game I rented the most, to tell the truth if I could remember exactly how many times I rented GTA2 for PS1 it would probably tell me that it would have made much more sense to buy the damn game. But instead I found myself renting it when nothing new caught my eye on the shelves. This game is just simple, mindless fun. Not only do you have the ability to steal cars, but those bastards in the red shirts would steal YOUR stolen car. The green shirted dicksnots would sneak up behind you and try to rob your ass blind. Don't stand for that shit, kill everyone, but most importantly, Taxi Drivers Must Die.
Number 8: Deus Ex: Invisible War
[img width=640 height=889]http://pics.mobygames.com/images/covers/large/1089040116-00.jpg[/img]
I have a feeling I know what you're all thinking, "Why is a forgettable sequel to one of the greatest games of all time on this list?" So to answer it I guess I just have to tell the story. I upgraded my family's video card back in the day and this game came with it, without my experience with it I never would have played the first game, nor really cared too much about Human Revolution until I would have probably bought it cheap on Steam and tried it for like a couple hours before forgetting I even own it. All I could think about while playing this game for the first time was, "Its not bad as everybody's making it out to be," and truth be told, its not. Its not a bad game, the mechanics and graphics for its day were quite incredible, this public sentiment is more of a testament to how much better of an experience the first game was than its sequel. This one gets double points for not only introducing me to one of my favorite series, but being one of the gateways to more modern PC gaming in general for me because of that blazingly fast and powerful ATI Radeon 9250 PCI card.
Number 7: Tomba!
[img width=550 height=482]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-061/bf/U-061-S-12620-A.jpg[/img]
Before Tomba!, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and Klonoa came around there was a severe shortage of 2D platformers on the PS1. A lot of studios were going 3D just prior to and in the wake of Super Mario 64. Out of the three I listed the only one I had as a kid was Tomba! I would not own this game today if it were not for my sister, who bought this game for me as a birthday present. Given its current online price I think she did good spending $40 or less. Tomba! is about as childish of a platformer as you can get, but with its mixed in quest system (called Events), circular world exploration, tight controls and gameplay, and humor it is easy to see this game's current status as an uncommon, in high demand cult classic.
Number 6: Final Fantasy VIII
[img width=629 height=550]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/games/U-061/bf/U-061-S-04170-A.jpg[/img]
I really don't want to put this game on this list. I really really don't. As a kid I enjoyed this game, why? It was my first RPG. Ever. Final Fantasy VIII being a first RPG feels like losing your virginity to a toothless, peg legged, one eyed, graying hooker and being really happy you didn't catch anything. As a kid I enjoyed this game, somewhat, most likely because I had never played anything remotely like FF8 and being a young, naive, and ignorant gamer I wasn't able to immediately see the countless ways there are to completely break the game, nor did I understand literary analysis and how much FF8's storyline blows Taco Bell out of its ass.
Next week we'll be counting down 5-1. Stay tuned! While you wait why not check out the previously mentioned RFGeneration Collectorcast on Youtube?
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