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I'll third Eternal Darkness, that game is fantastic. I'd be curious to see what anyone thinks of it these days. has it aged well?
As for other Gamecube games, I've been singing the system's praises for years, so here goes...
Resident Evil 4 rules the roost as far as I'm concerned. Flawless pacing and some of the best action/adventure gameplay ever (I honestly believe this and I've been playing video games since the Colecovision) combined with characters and story that are schlocky but involving make for a fantastic experience that every gamer should check out. It's also available for Wii and PS2, although I can't vouch for the quality of either port. The only downside is that it popularized the "timed button-press" cutscene-minigame, which I have come to despise.
Both Metroid Prime games are excellent, although I favor the first one, because I hated the fact that you took constant damage in the dark world of Echoes. Not a big fan of that sort of forced difficulty. Think of the Prime series as an FPS crossed with Zelda. That may sound weird, but it works brilliantly. If you're a fan of the 2D Metroids, be assured that Retro absolutely gets the atmosphere and structure of the series and makes the transition to 3D flawlessly. Each new skill and weapon you find will allow you to access areas and items that were previously inaccessible, and you'll slowly uncover a vast and intricate world. The main complaint people have with these games is that there is a lot of backtracking. I dismiss these complaints as the whining of spoiled brats, but be aware. The boss battles are epic.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is a personal favorite, and a game that I think gets a bad rap. It has flaws, specifically a rushed ending and some irritating fetch quests, but it's beautifully and charmingly drawn, totally immersive and has a massive, mysterious world that I loved exploring. Compared to the soulless, dull Twilight Princess, it's a masterpiece.
I always give my old game systems away when I get into the new generation, so I can't browse my library for gems that I've forgotten. I know these picks are pretty standard fare, but the 'Cube didn't have a lot of great third-party stuff. These were good, though:
I loved Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, but you need four Gameboy Advances, four link cables and three friends to get the most out of it. MVP Baseball 2005 is still the best baseball video game ever made, but I know there's not a lot of interest in baseball around here. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is a really great remake of the PS1 game which I would recommend to anyone, but it's definitely a niche thing. I'll probably remember a bunch of great games right after I post this.
As for what I'm playing, Barkley Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden, The Hoopz Barkley SaGa Chapter 1 gave me a craving for classic JRPGs, so I went looking for some good ones I missed during the 16- and 32- bit eras. I found a lot of stuff, but I specifically found Xenogears for the PS1. This game is amazing. The story is fully adult and will not ever insult your intelligence, the characters are unbelievably deep and the gameplay is fantastic turn-based JRPG stuff, with your characters splitting their fighting time between martial arts and giant robots. It's fucking awesome, I can't say enough good stuff about it. It's a really early PS1 game, so the primitive 3D areas take some getting used to, visually and gameplay-wise, in our brave new HD era. I recommend emulating it, honestly, because there are some jumping sequences that absolutely require freeze states to keep you from throwing your PC across the room. The story is just so good, though, you'll forgive it it's technical inferiorities. It's about why people love each other, fuck each other over, stand up for each other and acquiesce to something they don't even understand. It touches on so many aspects of life, in such a smart and caring manner, all tied together with a fantastic plot that delves into the reasons why humans are so gaga for organized religion and what the consequences are (Square supposedly wasn't going to release it in North America because the religious themes were too controversial for the Bible belt). It's fucking fantastic allegory and rock-solid gameplay. It might even be my favorite RPG of all time. On the downside, the translation is kind of weak. I watch a lot of anime so I'm used to it, but you might need to adjust. Seriously, play this game if you haven't yet.
After Xenogears I had the itch to get into some multiplayer stuff, so I tried COD4 and hated the hell out of it so, so, so much. I have no idea why this generic FPS with absolutely no innovation at all gets so much acclaim. It's 2008 and there isn't even any sort of cover mechanic. Rainbow Six Vegas came out like a year and a half earlier and is better in every way except graphics. God, I hated that game.
So, after that colossal disappointment I am, naturally, back into the World of Warcraft after a ten month hiatus. I transferred my main from PVP to an RP server where people actually speak in complete sentences and are polite to each other (for the most part, anyway). I'm on Thorium Brotherhood as Aivaniel, a 64 Blood Elf Paladin currently speccing Shockadin, which is turning out great for soloing. Give me a holler if you're in the neighborhood. |
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