Fave Five Friday
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
More Snow Levels
By Syd Bolton - December 26th, 2008
When reading Shaun’s recent Fave Five Friday about snow levels, I was inspired to write about my own favourites over the years. It is true that many platform adventures games included a snow level as standard but that doesn’t mean we can’t cherish them or revisit them. Here are some of my most remembered slippery slopes.
The Legend of Kay is one of those games that got overlooked for one reason or another. It’s actually an excellent platform adventure on the PS2 if you can get past the awful voice acting (it actually becomes funny over time). The game takes you through many venues, including an ice covered one. This game has a decent combo melee attack system that you will grow to love over time and overall it’s just a lot of fun. It can be had for under $20 these days, so don’t miss out on picking it up to cuddle up during the cold winter months. You won’t regret it.
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
Snow Stages
By Shaun Hatton - December 19th, 2008
In celebration of the winter apocalypse that visited Toronto today (local news stations referring to the storm as the “Snowmageddon”) we figured we’d make today’s Fave Five Friday about snow levels in video games. In the days when platformers ruled supreme, it seemed every game had a snow level. Ice Climbers was all snow levels! We’ve come a long way since then but the way people drive in the snow would make you think we’ve not advanced as a civilization in any way.
All that fun ranting aside, here’s my list of favourite five snow levels, in no particular order.
Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader / The Battle of Hoth
In my previous Fave Five Friday post I mentioned that every Star Wars game seeks to re-create the Battle of Hoth. Rogue Leader got it right! The battle was split into several micro stages with the action heating up progressively with each one. Overall the battle is an easy one to conquer, but the game did have an interesting take on the battle by forcing players to finish it off in an X-Wing starfighter, fending off attacking Imperials while defending hapless Rebel transports.
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
Shaun Hatton’s Top Five Favourite Games
By Shaun Hatton - December 5th, 2008
One of the most difficult things for me to do is pick my top favourite anything, as my tastes change over time and I’m always concerned about short-changing something else by not mentioning it. This summer, when I asked the Toronto Thumbs staff and contributors to come up with write-ups of their top five games, I admit that I procrastinated. In fact, I procrastinated so much that I’m only finalizing the list right now, the day before it’s set to be published.
A journalist from Ryerson University recently interviewed me about video games and their place in our culture. One of the last questions he asked me, as things were winding down, was what my top five games were. I thought about it for a moment before giving him my answers, and now I truthfully could not replicate that list. I love too many games. Instead, as suggested by Jamie, I’m classifying these favourite games by how much quality time I spent with them. So let’s go!
Phantasy Star
I’ve had Phantasy Star since it was released on the Sega Master System. I received it shortly before I finished grade five. The first few times I played it, I didn’t like it. Walking around and talking in a video game was boring to me. I wanted to battle the giant monsters I had seen in the television commercial for this game. Where were they? All I saw were insects with names like “Sworm” and “Scorpion.” And these monsters killed me, repeatedly!
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
Jamie Love’s Top Five Favourite Games
By Jamie Love - November 28th, 2008
Maniac Mansion
When an evil meteorite on the lamb takes control of the local mad scientist and kidnaps your girlfriend, there’s only one thing to do – gather your friends and break into Maniac Mansion to rescue her! Along the way you’ll face disembodied tentacles with emotional issues, the Doctor’s S&M inclined Wife, and their unstable paramilitary son. Lucasarts’ original point and click adventure set the tone for the greatest games of my childhood. Sam and Max, Full Throttle, and Grim Fandango all had their roots here. These were the games that gave Lucasarts a rare status among a generation of gamers forever touched by the experience.
The game allowed for a party of three, chosen from a varied cast of memorable characters – each with unique talents for unlocking the game’s multiple endings. You could have the meteor arrested, feed him to a plant, banish him back into space, or even help publish his autobiography. I returned to the game countless times trying to solve every puzzle and make use of every random object littering the mansion. Want to open a sticky garage door? Of course you’d use the gym equipment first! Maniac Mansion is still a great play and constantly amazes me with just how much time it devoured. Should this remembrance cause you to return to the mansion, please don’t put the hamster in the microwave. It’s just wrong.
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
Jorge Figueiredo’s Top Five Favourite Games
By Jorge Figueiredo - November 21st, 2008
Battle For Middle Earth 2: Rise of the Witch King
I’ve always loved the RTS genre. I’ve also always loved Lord of the Rings with far more affection than any computer game. So when I found out that EA was going to be making an amalgam of two of my favourite things, I rejoiced. Battle For Middle Earth was a great introduction, and BFME2 built on the success of the first one. But Rise of the Witch King really added a lot to the whole package, rounding out all of the races and adding an astounding number of heroes from the books. The game looks and sounds great, drawing on voice actors from the movie and sections of Howard Shore’s unforgettable score. It’s also one of the prettiest RTS titles out on the shelves. Add a great multiplayer section to the cauldron and stir for a while and you have yourself a winning potion of videogamey goodness.
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
Michael Pugliese’s Top Five Favourite Games
By Michael Pugliese - November 14th, 2008
When asked to list my favorite games of all time, I thought it would be something I had to sit and think about. When I actually got settled and ready to write this however, I found that surprisingly the list came quite readily to me. The games I’m about to go through aren’t really in any particular order other then the order they popped to mind, but they all for one reason or another are very near and dear to my heart. So without further ado, and in my best Sound of Music voice: these are a few of my favourite things.
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. for the NES is probably the one game that makes everyone’s top list as, if you are like me, it was one of your first forays into the realm of gaming. One of my fondest memories of this game was actually getting to play it for the first time on my newly gifted Nintendo Entertainment System (thank you, Uncle Bob). This was truly a game that everyone in my family got into, even my Dad who kept telling me that games were just a waste of my time and his money. Seeing him wildly swing the controller to try and make Mario jump will always be something I remember, as will fighting with my brothers over who would be Mario and who got stuck as Luigi.
FAVE FIVE FRIDAY
Bill Stepec’s Top Five Favourite Games
By Bill Stepec - November 7th, 2008
5. Crysis
All jokes about this being a $980 game aside ($80 for the game, and $900 for a PC powerful enough to run it), Crysis offers a totally unique experience that I often equate to Call of Duty 4 on steroids. Sure, Call of Duty would be easy if you could pick up your enemies and literally throw them at approaching helicopters, but this is offset by the “army of one” mentality the game takes on, forcing you to use your wits and special abilities to their fullest.
