By Alex Martin

One of the best things about the modern gaming is the ability to trade in games after you have beaten them and grab a little cash towards your next purchase. Only a few times have I regretted trading in a game and only once have a felt the need to buy back one I had retired. That game was Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit II for the PS2. In my eyes, it perfected the genre of arcade-style racing. Beautiful cars, distinct tracks and smart cops made this game thrilling and challenging. Games like this I long to play again as if it was my first time ripping off the packaging.

We love to discuss our favorite moments in our respective video game histories because it makes us feel like the town crier yelling, “Come one, come all and listen to the time I killed one hundred and two storm troopers without taking a single bullet!” A friend in college once joked that you can always tell, even without knowing the context of a story, when someone is talking about video games because the details are so outlandish and unbelievable that it could have only been seen through the eyes of a controller.

Certain trends in modern gaming have shifted genres new directions and although there are some positive experiences, I believe we have lost elements of games that brought a richer experience. Free roam, or sandbox, took the gaming community by storm. While the first to use this idea is still debated, I remember when this concept starting appearing consistently because it was taking over teo of my favorite series,  Need for Speed and SSX.

While the ability to access an entire world and travel through the game as you please was innovative, there were certain flaws that could not be avoided. Numerous times I would find myself on one side of town only to discover that I needed to be on the other side to continue the game. What I particularly missed, especially in the racing genre, was how distinct tracks would be before free roam. Like each Mario world, you could easily identify a track as the desert one or the tropical one. It just does not have the same swagger when you say, “My favorite part is racing in the southwest corner of “Metropolis.” Especially when “Metropolis” and its “tracks” all look the same save for a turn here or a bridge there.

Free roam was only the beginning of a trend that saw the gaming experience become more realistic. Inherently, this ain’t bad and you can argue that since video games were first made, they have been hurtling towards this direction. That being said, I believe that  the reason video games are so popular is because they are not like real life at all. Only while playing a video game can I swerve in and out of traffic in a Lamborghini Murciélago, avoid cops while a helicopter throws barrels of dynamite from above. Again, there was never a finer racing game.

But this is not to slam where gaming is headed. Instead, this is a call to reflect on how your own gaming history progressed and to remember those games that you saved up for weeks to buy. The perfect game is one that was not only exceptional in its presentation but also its gameplay. It provided hours of replayablity and created stories that you and your friends could not wait to brag about later. The list that follows contains just a few of the games that I wish I could play again as if they were brand new.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (1999)

In the same way that Tony Hawk legitimized skateboarding, Activision’s first release in the Tony Hawk series redefined action sports. You can make a strong case that later entries, most notably Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, were superior games but nothing would have been there without the original. The tracks were distinct and memorable and the tricks were out of this world. I still ask every skateboarder I meet if they can do a Christ Air.

A few years ago, I was dleighted to find that a friend down the hall still had this game. I played with Rune Glifberg and beat all the levels within two hours. Amazingly, I still remembered where all the secret tapes and S-K-A-T-E letters were after nearly ten years. Although I have not kept up with recent Tony Hawk games, I was sad to hear that sales have declined and the franchise might be soon coming to end, but I will always remember that first time.

Madden 2004 (2003)

Although I do not agree with the way Madden has monopolized the football gaming industry, they still know how to turn out a heck of a game. Madden 2004 brought the greatest innovations to the series, many, like franchise mode, that are still staples today. Playmaker mode allowed you to change direction of a play without giving it away to your, or tell a receiver to switch direction in mid route allowing you complete control. My own Madden 2004 story included eight seasons of franchise mode with the help of a friend’s NCAA Football 2004 draft classes. Although the Philadelphia Eagles might still be searching for a Super Bowl in real life, in my own world, they were champions for years.

 God of War (2005)

God of War was a defining moment in my video game history. I still consider this the hardest game I have ever played. Before God of War, my gaming collection consisted of sports, racing and RPGs. I discovered through God of War that action games can be exciting and memorable. I remember specifically battling a giant cyclops, defeating him, and wiping the sweat from my brow only to discover two more had taken his place. God of War always one upped itself in a way that made you say, “No, can they do that!” It challenged you to be a better gamer. Exceptional graphics and a great story made this a game for the ages.

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