Impressed by video games

There are times when playing video games that I am completely blown away by some aspect of a game. Whether it is the first time this aspect has been utilized, or the first time I have noticed it, a lasting impression has been made. The following are five such examples.

Thrasher: Skate and Destroy for Playstation (1999) This game was generally neglected due to the ease of play and popularity of the Tony Hawk games. Thrasher adds more realism and it's more relateable as the player plays a amateur skaters instead of pros. What really impressed me about this game was the music. When reading Thrasher magazine I would always see ads for punk music. The soundtrack for the game however is nothing but hip hop. And it's the good stuff too. It includes greats like Sugarhill Gang and RUN DMC. This game was actually intrumental in getting me into rap (this was before I found the wonder that is metal). If you like hip hop and skateboarding, this is the perfect game for you.

Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation (1998) There is no one who can deny that MGS is a great game. What really got me about this game was the story. When I first played it I didn't understand a great deal of it. This was the first time I had played a game that was over my head. Prior to this I had no trouble understanding the entirety of a games story. Princess gets captured and you have to save her. Got it. Your bananas have been stolen, you have to get them back. Check. It seems like every time I play this game I discover something new about the plot. As far as story goes, one would have to go into RPGs to find something to compete with MGS.

Devil May Cry for the Playstation 2 (2001)

Some people absolutely love this series while others can't get past the high difficulty and Dante's cocky attitude. What impressed me so much about this game was the graphics. With the jump to Playstation and N64, graphics had certainly improved but it wasn't really impressive as it was also then that a transfer was made from 2d to 3d. One can look at the cripness and vibrant colors of the Donkey Kong Country series on the SNES and be blown away. When one looks at Donkey Kong 64 however, even though it was presented in 3d and on a much more powerful system, it's not spectacular. When Playstation 2 came out, all that changed. The first game that I owned for the PS2 was Devil May Cry. I didn't believe that video game graphics could be this good. I was particularly impressed with the fight with that shadow cat. That looked superb.

The Elder Scrolles 3: Morrowind for the XBOX (2002)

As opposed to Devil May Cry, the graphics in this game disappointed many. One has to admit that the sky and water are portrayed beautifully in this game, but everything else falls short. It's obvious then that it's not the graphics that impressed me with this game. What truly impressed me was the size of the world in Morrowind. It is for this reason that I chose the map from the game as a picture (it can be clicked for a larger image). The area that this game takes place in is huge. There are a large number of cities and towns scattered across the map as well as countless caves and camps. There are ways to travel intantly from one city to another, but if you are short on money you can always walk. Walking from one city to another takes quite a long time because the world is so big. I have often wondered how many hours it would take to go from the southern coast to the northern one.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64 (1998)
This game is an undeniable classic. I would say that it is overrated, however, it is no less a classic and it is truly a great game. What impressed me so much when playing this game was the ability to ride the horse Epona. I had never done that in a game before. I saw how large the map was (not anywhere as big as morrowind) and I was so glad to have been given a fast form of transportation. Not only can you ride Epona, you can shoot your bow while riding. While riding! This blew my mind! It's true that you don't really utilize it that much in the game but it's inclusion was still very impressive. In the game Gun I feel that riding a horse was near perfected and that the ability to shoot while riding was incorporated much more during the games missions. It was in Ocarinia of Time however, that I first experienced such a thing, and to it goes the credit.