Sheryl wanted a gaming article for her big second anniversary issue, and
who am I to say no? Especially after she begged. I think she begged; it's
difficult to tell with Sheryl. So I took a moment away from churning out pages for my
website (hint, hint) to give a little something back to the woman who's
given me so much.
I tried to think of something to write about that could relate to the
past two years, but after several seconds of brainstorming, my head hurt, and I
wanted to go play SNES. So I coughed up a list of games that have really
impressed me over the past few years, then played some Mario Kart. I listed
them by category, so y'all can skip past the ones you don't care to read
about (or, just skip to the email link at the bottom and send me mail telling me
that I'm retarded).
CARD GAMES
While I lived on campus, I developed quite a taste for Spades and
Hearts. Both games are fast but complex enough to challenge the mind. There were
always enough people avoiding class/homework to assemble a game. Nowadays, there
aren't enough people around. I'd give a slight edge to spades, because I
really like the team aspect.
I also enjoy LORD OF THE FRIES, a Cheapass game in which you play a
moronic fast food employee trying to fill orders for increasingly impatient
customers. Reminds me of Target! The cards represent ingredients, and each player also
has opportunities to confound opponents with complex, sometimes impossible
orders. Check it (and many other quality games) out on the Cheapass web page:
Once upon a time, I also enjoyed Collectable Card Games. But over time I
got thoroughly annoyed with the steep collectability schemes and proliferation
of too limited to be worthwhile cards. With what I have, I enjoy playing
Babylon 5 (a game of sci-fi intrigue), Tomb Raider (Indiana Jones type exploration),
and Doomtown (old west with a lot of really cool twists).
BOARD GAMES (defined as games where pieces follow a set path, either a
linear path or an infinite loop. It's important later)
I'm not much for infinite loop games, but MONOPOLY is a lot of fun. I
personally play the Star Wars-opoly variant most often. I also lose a lot.
And how come they never change the corners on the variations? They make the
board look tacky.
As for linear games, I like Life the best. It's fast, and something is
always happening based on the space you land in, so it's never boring. Good
family game, especially if you have an open-minded family (who don't mind if
you try to fill your car up with little blue male pieces).
RPGs
Probably my favorite of the genres. These, more than any other type of
game listed, encourage imagination, wit, and wisdom. That said, very few such
games really appeal to me. Perhaps I'm just a picky little freak. Still, a few
have a special place in my heart...
The AMBER DICELESS RPG, is based on Zelazny's wonderful novel series,
starting with "Nine Princes in Amber." It doesn't use dice, and is very
statistic and rules light. No tables or charts, and a wealth of characters,
and dangling plotlines from the series, plus an entire multiverse to explore
and use make this game a personal favorite. The whole game encourages
imagination, from the moment you begin the open-ended character creation
process.
WEREWOLF: THE APOCALYPSE, part of White Wolf's World of Darkness line,
is an really interesting game about werewolves, who (mostly) fight against the
destruction of nature. The werewolves are portrayed as killing machines with
strong spiritual ties. I like that idea, it's fun to think about and play. I
also enjoy MAGE: THE ASCENSION to a lesser degree. The new edition makes me
sad, though.
My favorite super hero RPG is the second edition DC Heroes RPG. Because
I'm stupid, I accidentally donated my copy to charity, last time I cleaned up my
room. I'm still banging my head against the wall over that one.
VIDEO GAMES
In my whole life, I've played two video games far more than any other.
One is GOLDENEYE, based loosely on the James Bond movie. The single player mode
is a fun challenge, and the multi-player mode has to be played to be believed;
it's a unique gaming experience (as unique as massive gun battles with three
friends can be, anyhow). The other is MARIO KART, for the Super Nintendo. By
today's standards, it seems dated and almost ugly, but to me it will always
be driving action at its finest.
I also really enjoy WORMS 2, a turn based blow-em-up strategy game, with
a large enough variety of weapons and funny noises to keep me happy for hours.
This one's on sale at Target for $15 (packaged with three other games), and
I highly recommend it; moreso than any other game on this list.
Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention SUPER SMASH BROTHERS. Put four
popular Nintendo characters in a small space (sometimes not so small) and
make them fight. Simple, wild action. What more could you ask for from a simple
video game?
STRATEGY GAMES
Finally, we come to strategy games. At the last second I separated it
from board games, even though most are played on a board-like surface. Unlike
board games listed above, you don't follow a set path, rather you make your own
way around the playing field, based on your strategy.
KILL DOCTOR LUCKY is the flip side of Clue, in which players must run
around a mansion and attempt to murder evil old Doctor Lucky, while nobody
else is looking. Simple, wild fun from Cheapass games.
RISK was another game I was turned on to while living on-campus. A
strategy game about dominating the world with strategy, player interaction, and a
dash of randomness to keep players on edge. Another game that I never win, but
the fun of playing more than makes up for it.
I have two other favorites, but I gave them away when I gave away the DC
Heroes RPG, and I really hate myself for doing so. I miss my copies of White
Wolf's TRINITY: BATTLEGROUND and Agents of Gaming's BABYLON 5 WARS. I hope
they bring happiness to someone more deserving than I.
Do you have a favorite game? Feel free to write me, and let me know
about it. I always like to receive mail. DrNate@hotmail.com