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At my school in Melbourne, I was part of the chess club. As the club grew, there weren't enough boards for everyone to play so the teacher who ran the club, who also happened to be the Indonesian teacher, brought this game out for students not playing chess. The mechanics are simple, take seeds from pits in front of you, and collect as many in your vault as possible. There is a certain level of interplay with your opponent, but I found counting out the seeds therapeutic between chess games
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This absolute gem is no longer on the BBC website, which is a crying shame. Big Al was a game based off of the Walking With Dinosaurs series where you would play as an Allosaurus and progress from hatchling to adult. When I played this game I would never get passed juvenile before dying to one hazard or another. At the time I would only be able to play when my dad let me use his computer, as mine wasn't connected to the internet, which was always a fun treat.
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For most of my early childhood I wasn't allowed to own any consoles. So when my neighbour let me play Pokemon Crystal on his GameBoy Colour, I was enraptured.
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This website ate up so much of my time. While I wouldn't single any one game as being revolutionary to me, this collection of flash games absolutely built the foundation of game design that allowed me to start my own journey as an indie developer.
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Out of all of the PC games I borrowed from the library, Dino Defender by far was my favourite. A platformer based around the third instalment in the Jurassic Park franchise, you return power around the island and recapture escaped dinosaurs. I recently bought a copy of the game and replayed it, and while it no longer posed the challenge it did in my younger years, the nostalgia of it all was quite refreshing.
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While living in Malaysia, I had a lot more access to computers, and Worms World Party was a mainstay whenever friends came around. I am pretty sure that the version that I was given was not a legal copy, but I won't tell if you don't. The quick setup and frantic back and forth always lead to fits of laughter, especially whenever anyone managed to get off a solid holy hand grenade and the speakers serenade us with 'HALLELUJAH'!
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My first console! I absolutely adored my GameBoy Advanced (SP, because a backlight is necessary for under the covers gaming sessions). The first game I played on it was Pokemon Ruby, and absolutely cemented my adoration for the Pokemon world. I still maintain the the third generation is the best, between the solid additions to the roster, some of my favourites among them, and the feeling of the world really expanding out, I really don't think any of the other games has captured that again.
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My first foray into the world of RTS and still my favourite. The LAN party I found this at I got absolutely creamed in. I asked if I could get a copy of the game to practice and eventually found the campaign mode. While I was playing the same mechanics I had been up until then, I was learning exciting stories from history through this lens that I hadn't even considered. I still suck at anything approaching competitive play, but I am always having fun... up until they start up the trebuchets!
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Plants v Zombies is not a complicated game. You set up a defence, and you barely keep it standing as wall upon wall of adorable undead slam into it. This game really lifted the bar of a lot of the flash defenders that I had played on AddictingGames before and is a format I very much enjoy. The difficulty steadily progresses so you never fall into a rut using the same strategies over and over. Though I think my favourite part might actually be the Zen Garden. I'm just a sucker for collectables!
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I don't think there is a single gamer who hasn't at least heard of The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. It needs no introduction. While I'd flirted with AAA games, this is the first that I fully immersed into. Probably a little too much, as my studies definitely took a hit from the hours sunk into this RPG. Even so, Skyrim also gave me a reason to hold onto life as I was struggling with the hardest times I've had with my mental health and silly as it sounds, I doubt I would still be here without it.
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Some don't count mobile games as "real games", I say poppycock. I've spent as much time in fun on my phone as with a controller, the effort and passion behind each clearly displayed. DragonVale is a collector I've invested much time(and a fair bit of cash). I love the ability to feasibly breed every dragon just using the free mechanics, nothing hidden behind a pay wall. The trap I fell down was the seasonal events. I don't regret it, I firmly believe that money for a well made game is only fair.
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My Aunt and Uncle have a shack in Second Valley that we sometimes visit. Always nice to get away from the day to day and soak in the sun and sea air. There's also a PlayStation 1 set up. The sizeable collection kept my brother and me busy, but when I could, I would always continue Dino Crisis. Playing in short bursts, so long apart definitely made this game challenging, finding where to go next with virtually no context. Only recently have I gotten to the end and now I don't know what to play!
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When we bought a flat screen, Harvey Norman were giving away Nintendo Wii with them. My parents justified the console because it was 'healthy' with games like Wii Sport and Just Dance, but the game I was itching to play was Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Unlike most people my age, I hadn't played Ocarina of Time yet, but knew the reputation. This game lived up to the hype of its predecessor. While no longer my favourite entry in the series, Twilight Princess will always be special to me.
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Having finally bought a PlayStation of my own, a PS2, I amassed a collection of my own, not the least of which being this classic. This was my first proper JRPG, the closest before being browser dating sims. The descendent of this game has been praised loudly, and rightly so, much of what is admired has roots in this game. I really fell for the attention spent on fleshing out each of the characters, and weaving their struggles well into the narrative. An equal mix of novel and action game.
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My absolute favourite game in my PS2 collection. This series is the reason for my choosing PS4 when upgrading. The pacing is spot on, jumping from enemy to enemy is exhilarating, and the narrative(while simple) really sells the premise of arrogant gods toying with mortals while Kratos kills his way across Greece on his revenge quest. On top of that, learning how much effort the developers put into squeezing every bit out of the PS2 they could, really enamoured me to pushing the limits of gaming.
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I initially played this game up till the second region was unlocked. Having grinded through the world so far I couldn't cope with more of that stretched out and put the game down. What I didn't realise was that along with the second region the ability to brand Uruuk and control them which completely changes the play style and freshens up the game. Looking at it from a design perspective the nemesis system is also a feat unto itself, giving each play through a personal touch.
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Finally, nearly 20 years after release, I booted up Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. What a ride! While the graphics don't stand up, the story is timeless. Seeing mechanics, trickled down to the newer titles, in their original game is something special; I can't believe it took me so long to open the game. Even longer to finish, as the emulator had a program convolution making the Water Temple impassable without altering joystick code. While not a perfect game, Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece.
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Another console, another Pokemon game. I hadn't bought another handheld since my GBA, and when I saw that Ruby was coming back on the 3DS I was very tempted, but couldn't justify paying for a new console and game. However fates aligned and someone was looking at selling their copy with a 3DS within my price range. Everything I loved about Ruby was there in Omega Ruby and more, the graphical update to the region was astounding to see, mega evolution to some of my favourites filled me with glee!
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I saw the promotion for Pokemon Go a year before its launch and I was HYPED. After launch, I was out in my neighbourhood every day looking for new 'mons. While AR games existed before, none were nearly as ubiquitous. Pokemon's "Gotta Catch'em All" fits so smoothly into AR, and I don't know a Pokemon fan who hasn't wanted to go out into the world and hunt for Pokemon. While Niantic may have dropped the ball with fixing bugs and rolling out functions, what they delivered is still very impressive.
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This is it. This is my all time favourite game. Legend of Zelda has seen many different games, but Breath of the Wild is far and above the most ambitious, immersive, open, brilliant entry to the series. This title is a primary motivator for my purchasing the Switch, the first console I purchased for full price, let alone at launch price. I could talk for hours about this game, but I will leave you with this, Breath of the Wild is a must play game. If you haven't played it, you're missing out.
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While I have a strained relationship with Blizzard at the moment, due to ethical concerns, I cannot deny that Overwatch has been a huge influence on me these last few years. I have never really been interested in First Person Shooters, but the incredible character design of the roster won me over completely. From the seductive Widowmaker to the built-like-a-truck Zarya to Junkrat the unhinged Aussie, the drive to represent as many peoples is something I will always get behind.
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I am late to the party on this one as well. One of my best friends invited me to play in a game he was running, and I've been hooked ever since. At this point I've played in at least a dozen campaigns and run a handful as well. Between rulebooks, dice and Kickstarters I have sunk more money into this game than all other games and consoles put together. I've begun writing a campaign world of my own and I have ideas of incorporating it into a video game in the future potentially.
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Assassin's Creed is a franchise that I have flirted with, but never really sinking my teeth into. That is until this game. Helped by my love of Egyptian lore, Origins does an outstanding job recapturing the majestic time of the pharaohs. While battling the Gods is entertaining, my favourite part was exploring the world and finding I could break into THE Pyramids. The attention to detail, the care to recreate the past with respect. This game displays all the traits I hope to in my own creations.
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Is this entry a mistake? It in fact is not, Sony Interactive Entertainment just decided that thinking of a new title was too difficult. That is the only example of laziness in the entire game though. The story takes a much more central place in this re-imagining of the PlayStation classic, and though this creates a slower pace, still holds the weight and power of the God of War. Showing influences from some of the games of this era, the combat is a lot more unforgiving, and in turn rewarding.
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2018 was absolutely Spider-Man's year. Starting off as a huge part of Infinity War and the world bending Into The Spiderverse capping off the year, this game slotted right between and would not be out done. This game is an absolute masterclass in animation and storytelling, the city of New York feels alive, the combat is tight. However I think the biggest strength that Marvel's Spider-Man has is that when you're playing, you really feel like you ARE Spider-Man swinging across the city.
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I think it is pretty clear at this point that I am quite enamoured with dinosaurs and their scaly kin. Jurassic World Evolution was going to be on this list. The game gives you the chance to try and do what no one in the movies could, open and run a successful park. The interface is a bit convoluted, there are some weird restrictions to what you can do and when, but there is a child like sense of glee every time a dinosaur comes out of the incubator.
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I did not expect to enjoy a life simulator so much, but Animal Crossing New Horizon has absolutely enraptured me. The experience is extremely polished, and has a plethora of activities you are encouraged to come back every day to do. I have only just been impressed to learn that the in-game flowers have a complex breeding mechanic that uses realistic genetic models to determine what hybrids you will get. An adorable addition to Nintendo's growing catalogue of games on the Switch.
