(8) The Sims (Maxis/ Electronic Arts), PC - When at first I heard about this game I was a writer for Pipe Dream, and I was asked to write a review on it. There didn't seem to be any appeal in feeding little digital people and watching them pee, or finding them jobs and dealing with their emotional baggage for them. But after playing this game for ten minutes I was hooked and walking around the office speaking gibberish to my colleagues. If you somehow have missed the Sims Phenomenon, I suggest you run out and pick up a copy before you even read the seventh game on the list. It's addictive, it's fun, and it's from MRO Hall of Famer Will Wright!
(7) Fallout (Interplay), PC - The world has been apocalypsed (is that how you say that?). You are a survivor who lives in an underground Vault, protected from the nuclear winter since birth. But when your Vault's water supply becomes endangered, you must head out into the wastes to locate a computer chip that can save your people. The world is a big desert now, with little villages that are havens for crime and filth. In this epic RPG you'll come across a variety of individuals and creatures, including giant mutated scorpions and dinosaur- like monsters. This game is as funny as it is action- packed with enough pop- culture references to pop out five editions of Trivial pursuit. Did I mention how much it rocks? Alot. This game rocks alot!
(6) Syphon Filter 2 (989 Studios), PS1 - This highly- anticipated sequel to the game no one expected to make the best seller list pushed the Playstation to its limits with impressive graphics, an incredibly fun multiplayer mode, and the continuation of the oddly drawing story of Gabe Logan, an international spy battling his employers and other interested parties who are all searching for a virus called "Syphon Filter." Even though this game is a blatent knockoff of the Metal Gear series, it's original enough to have, for me anyway, an eight- time replay value.
(5) Finally Fantasy III (Squaresoft), SNES - Of the twelve Final Fantasy games in existence, this was the best, based on it's captivating story, massive landscape (a particular credit since it was created within the limiting boundaries of the SNES), and unfathomable creativity. Once I learned you could drive a castle under a desert I was incredibly impressed. And the improvements in the combat system, interaction system, and methods for delivering the story are still unmatched by even the most modern FF games.
(4) Metal Gear: Solid (Konami), PS1 - Whenever someone say's "innovative" and "game" in the same sentence, I'm brought back to 1998 when Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear: Solid was released to a global welcoming. When they'd announced MGS at E3 prior to the games release, it turned Konami's booth into the most popular one at the gaming expo. In fact, someone once said MGS drew more attention that year than the booth- babes... but that may be questionable. Anyway, MGS broke new ground in too many ways to list. Knocking on walls to draw the attention of an enemy, putting an enemy in a headlock and snapping his neck, needing to utilize drugs to calm your body while using a sniper rifle... just a small handful of the groundbreaking features MGS had offered to its public. And lets not go without mentioning the captivating techno-thriller story and the use of cinematics to further blend the game into its movie- like vibe.
(3) Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (Redstorm), PC - In my opinion, this game is the epitomy of FPS (first- person shooter) games. Characters take realistic damage and get fatigued. The weapons and maps are based on reality, as well as the immaculate physics engine. And the multiplayer can offer years of entertaining gameplay... I've been playing this game online since it's release in 1998 and I've never gotten sick of it. Whenever a game comes from world- acclaimed, best selling author Tom Clancy, you can expect it to be original, realistic, and ultimately pleasurable from start to finish. |
