Oy - Celebrating ONE YEAR on the web!

Yeah, so, it’s been awhile since I last continued my video game countdown. I’ve been busy (translation: I forgot.)

#5 - Halo: Combat Evolved (PC)- Released: 2001 - Publisher: Microsoft - Rating: M

What it is

You are super-soldier Master Chief stranded on the Halo, a large ringworld, where you fight against the Covenant and then, something more sinister….

Why I like it

The graphics are great, the environments are immersive, and for being labeled a first-person shooter, it’s more of an adventure with a very engaging storyline than just pure elimination of aliens (though it’s a large part of it.) I actually read the first book based on the game series before playing the game itself, and got hooked.

Is it still available?

It’s available on PC, Xbox and is backwards-compatible with Xbox 360. As is it’s sequel, which I have yet to play. And if you’re not into FPS games, at least read the novels. The 3 out of 4 written by Eric Nylund are excellent reads by themselves, whether you care about the games or not.

My first original YouTube video, check it out…

In an epic battle, the Green Army Men attempt to claim The Stump, which is overrun with Tan Army Men.

#4 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)- Released: 1998 - Publisher: Nintendo - Rating: E

What it is

Potentially one of the, if not THE best video games ever made. You are “Link” (you can enter your own name, which adds to the immersion) a young boy with a mysterious past who must set out on a quest to save the kingdom of Hyrule.

Why I like it

This was the second 3D console game I had ever played (after Mario 64) and I was blown away by just how GREAT it was! This was no run-of-the-mill game. This was, in 1999, the most immersing virtual experience I had ever partaken in. After beating the game the first time, I have played through it 4 more times, and it’s never gotten old. Of course, I’ve played it different each time….

The first time I played purely to complete the game.

The second time I played the “Three Heart Challenge” (you can choose to not take health upgrades! This gets more difficult as some bosses hit you once and you’re dead. Two words: “pink fairies”)

The third time, I got EVERYTHING (every item, heart, side quest, the works!)

The fourth time was just for the fun of reliving the experience.

And the fifth time, I got to play the gold cartridge version, which features different music on a certain level that I think was superior to the version I played, but apparently it offended a certain group of people so in version 1.1 it was replaced.

And that is what’s so great about this game (or virtually any normal Zelda game) is you can decide HOW you’re going to play, and if you beat the game, you can try it a different way, and so on.
Is it still available?

It’s available used on original N64 cartridges, on a special disc for GameCube as well as Nintendo’s Virtual Console for Wii. For the best experience, I would recommend obtaining an original N64 cart (preferably a gold one) as the Virtual Console version lacks rumble support (my single favorite feature of the game, and N64 in general) and some graphics rendering is different (some for the better, some worse.)