System: Nintendo Gamecube
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Release date: November 14, 2003
Mario earned his racing stripes on the SNES and N64, but it wasn’t until Mario Kart: Double Dash on the Gamecube that Nintendo go-kart racing reached its pinnacle. Double Dash is the fourth Mario Kart game, but the first to feature two characters per cart: one to drive, one to use items. Not only does this system of two interchangeable characters make Double Dash insanely perfect, but it introduces a cooperative mode previously unseen in Mario Kart. Players can choose from 20 playable characters, 11 of whom are new to the series. Each character has also been given a special item unique to him or her, like Mario’s fireballs or Donkey Kong’s giant banana. The only weakness in Double Dash is its battle arenas, which never quite match those in Mario Kart 64.
System: Xbox 360
Developer: Epic Games
Release date: November 7, 2006
Third-person shooters tend to get overlooked in favor of their first-person cousins, but it’s difficult not to be impressed with a game as technically sound and thrilling as Gears of War. Released roughly a year into the lifecycle of the Xbox 360, Gears of War was the first game to truly justify the purchase of Microsoft’s expensive hardware. Gears of War is the story of a deadly, protracted war between humans and a subterranean menace called the Locust Horde. The battles between the game’s hero, Marcus Fenix, and the Locust, which come in all shapes and sizes, are exhilarating, terrifying, and emotionally exhausting. Gears of War features dazzling graphics and special effects and an intuitive battle system that places an emphasis on moving in and out of cover.
System: PC
Developer: Bethesda
Release date: May 1, 2002
Although Final Fantasy VII went a long way towards pushing the RPG into the mainstream, the genre still repels those gamers uncomfortable with the complexities and minutiae of hardcore RPGs. Consequently, ambitious titles like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind are not for everyone. For those who love the endless customization, huge variety, and epic storytelling of hardcore RPGS, however, Morrowind is a dream come true. Although Morrowind has a central storyline, it allows players to explore freely the expansive and richly detailed game world, interacting with people and events that have only a marginal connection to the main story arc. This level of freedom and open-endedness, criticized by some, is what makes Morrowind so special.
System: Sega Saturn
Developer: Team Andromeda
Release date: May 11, 1995
Every video game system has at least one game or franchise unique to it and representative of its processing power and philosophy. For the short-lived Sega Saturn, that game was Panzer Dragoon, one of the titles released during the Saturn’s accelerated launch on May 11, 1995. In Panzer Dragoon, players assume the role of a young hunter entrusted with a vital mission and a powerful blue dragon. Panzer Dragoon is a rail shooter, not unlike Star Fox, and thus movement is limited along vertical and horizontal axes. Players can attack enemies with a rapid-fire rifle or with a lock-on energy blast that can seek out several targets at once. Panzer Dragoon also allows players to rotate the camera around 360 degrees to fight off enemies coming from the north, south, east, and west.
System: Playstation 2
Developer: Capcom
Release date:October 17, 2001
Action game fans need look no farther than Devil May Cry, one of the most frenetic and dynamic video games ever made. Developed by Capcom, Devil May Cry borrows a lot of atmosphere and gloominess from its cousin Resident Evil, but introduces a brand-new demonic storyline and mythology. The game follows the half-human, half-devil Dante who travels to a far off island to confront a growing evil. Although Devil May Cry has a fair share of puzzle-solving and inventory management, the core of its gameplay are the fights between Dante and the demonic agents he encounters on Mallet Island. Armed with several weapons, special attacks, and the ability to transform into a super-powerful demonic creature, Dante is an indomitable fighting force.
System: Nintendo Wii
Developer: Sora, Game Arts, Monolith Soft
Release date: March 9, 2008
Hardcore fighting fans no doubt point to the Street Fighter, Tekken and Soul Calibur series when discussing the industry’s best one-on-one fighters, but the Super Smash Bros. brand has slowly but surely inserted itself into the conversation. Uncomplicated compared to more serious fighting games, the crossover Smash Bros. franchise reached its peak in 2008 with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Like its predecessors, Brawl uses a simple battle system and features a huge assortment of Nintendo mascots. Brawl for the first time also introduces non-Nintendo characters: Sonic the Hedgehog and Solid Snake. Apart from supporting excellent offline and online multiplayer modes, Brawl features an incredible one-player adventure mode called “The Subspace Emissary.”
System: NES
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Release date: August 22, 1987
Within three years of its existence, the NES had produced two of the most important video games ever made and, in the process, introduced the world to what would become two of Nintendo’s most popular and profitable franchises: Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda. Although both were developed by a team led by Shigeru Miyamoto, The Legend of Zelda was a far cry from its cousin Super Mario Bros. Set in a fantasy world of swords and sorcery, The Legend of Zelda is a nonlinear action-adventure game that introduced a quest so large that new technology was needed to support it. It was the first console game to feature an internal battery that allowed players to save their progress; no longer did would-be adventurers have to complete a game in a single sitting.
System: Microsoft Xbox
Developer: Bungie
Release date: November 9, 2004
Bungie Studios described Halo as "Combat Evolved." And although it didn't redefine the rules of war, it certainly redefined a genre. Halo 2 could just as easily have been called "Multiplayer Evolved." Its multiplayer modes and networking options were second-to-none when it arrived in homes in late 2004; it’s still a blast to play today. The one-player campaign is shorter and more episodic than that in its predecessor, but to call it an afterthought would be wrong. Although brief (somewhere between 10 and 15 hours), the campaign in Halo 2 is nothing short of brilliant, with inspired level design, incredible production values, and top-flight mechanics. The most exceptional and unexpected feature of Halo 2 is the ability to play as both Master Chief and a disgraced Elite (a Covenant infantryman).
System: Gamecube, PS2, PC, Xbox
Developer: Ubisoft
Release date: November 11, 2003
Tragically ignored by consumers, Beyond Good & Evil was a financial disappointment despite critical acclaim. Set on an alien world, Beyond Good & Evil follows the exploits of an investigative reporter named Jade, who stumbles upon a massive conspiracy. Stealth is an important component of the gameplay in Beyond Good & Evil: while Jade does carry an offensive weapon, she often has to embrace a clandestine approach when faced with overwhelming enemy forces. One of the most engaging and immersive elements in the game is the ability to take photographs with Jade’s camera. The camera can be used to photograph evidence of the conspiracy or simply to snap pictures of the fauna on Hillys.
System: Game Boy Advance
Developer: Nintendo
Release date: February 9, 2004
The Game Boy Advance made a living off its enhanced remakes and ports, from Super Mario Advance to Final Fantasy VI Advance. Its best, however, is Metroid: Zero Mission, a retelling of the events of the first Metroid game. As in the original, Zero Mission takes place on Zebes, where Samus has tracked the Space Pirates, scourge of the galaxy and abductors of Metroids, highly dangerous parasitic life forms. Because of its familiar storyline and geography, Zero Mission is a treat for fans familiar with the Metroid mythology who wish to relive one of the most important games on the NES; it’s similarly a perfect starting point for those new to the franchise. Although Zero Mission closely follows the chronology of the original, it does not quite finish where Metroid ended.
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