Every game I've Played

A computer-generated memory bank of Silver Mongoose's experiences

[everygameiveplayed]

To me, one of the most powerful things about games is the story the player can put into the game. The more story you put into a game, the less ownership of the story you give to the player. The less story you put in a game, the more the player feels they can create their own story.

John Romero, id Software

[everygameiveplayed]

Super Paper Mario (Wii)

~ Experience Level: Completed once. Never again. ~ First Played: May 2019 ~ Last Played: Today Super Paper Mario is an exercise of time wasting filled with lengthy exposition, needless backtracking, layered menu navigation, and a slew of half-baked gimmicks. Let me share one small portion of the game with you:

-Arrive in new town -Follow baddies outside town to rescue kidnapped townsfolk -Reach dead end -Travel back to town to learn how to pass dead end -Travel back to dead end and continue travelling -Reach second dead end -Travel back to town -Type out “please” 5 times to learn code -Travel back to second dead end -Use 25 step code to pass second dead end

This does not include the switching characters and sidekicks (both of which require opening menus) required to traverse the landscape, defeat enemies, or search for clues and secrets. This is a hard left turn in the series that even abandons the turn-based battles and paper aesthetic which was once core to its identity. 

[everygameiveplayed]

In my backyard I had concrete, I had stone, I had brick and I don't know how to skateboard. I fell off the skateboard literally hundreds of times. I still have the scar... so when you fall off the board and you hear that 'Eugh', 'Eough', 'Aaah', that's me actually falling off the board.

Tommy Tallarico describing the sound design of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater

[everygameiveplayed]

Sonic 3D Blast (GEN, GCN)

~ Experience Level: Completed a number of times ~ First Played: 1997 ~ Last Played: 2017 Growing up, new gaming tech rarely impressed me. “16 bit? Cool, I guess.” “CDs? So what?” But 3D Blast really struck home. Everything was so crisp and vibrant and THREE DEE. I had never seen anything like it. It changed the series gameplay, was pretty fun, and though the jumping controls did kill from from time to time, it was a solid experience. Playing those first few levels never got old and is still a joy to just look at. The soundtrack is a departure; pleasantly upbeat, somehow emphasizing the joy of experiencing the third dimension. Unfortunately they changed the soundtrack for the Saturn version and I am continually shocked that anyone could deem that change an improvement.  All in all, this game was a ... BLAST to play. *wink*

[everygameiveplayed]

Fireworks and ice cream are a lot alike. ... You feel kind of sad at the end.

Popuri, Harvest Moon 64

[everygameiveplayed]

Kingsley’s Adventure (PS1)

-Experience Level: Approximately 7 hours or 3/5ths of the game -First Played: April 2019 -Last Played: September 2019 A cross between Spyro and Zelda with some Rare flare, I had hoped that Kingsley’s Adventure was going to be a gem. It is clear that some talented people poured a lot of love into this game. It has some nice environmental touches such as a singular sandcastle on a beach or the titular fox turning his head to watch birds, but unfortunately this game was more style than substance. It suffers from some common PS1 issues like clunky controls, low draw distance, frustrating camera, and screen tearing which perhaps would have been manageable if it were not for the precision platforming demanded of the player, combined with the severely limited savepoints. The colourful characters and high-quality soundtrack kept me coming back, but in the end I was too frustrated to complete this game. You can only be saw-bladed into a pit of acid surrounded by scorpions so many times.

[everygameiveplayed]

The world's best storytellers aren't working on games, and until that's the case, we're not done.

Seamus Blackley during the birth of the Xbox, Microsoft, 1999-2002

[everygameiveplayed]

Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)

-Experience Level: Once completed (with girlfriend assistance)  -First Played: February 13, 2012 -Last Played: 2014 In University I was very careful with my money. I set myself a limit of $40/month that I could spend on non-essentials and seeing as I spent $80 every 5 weeks on a bus ticket to visit my girlfriend in another city, I was often left with… $0. Just as my finances improved slightly, the recession hit leaving me with negative funds. I remember holding a childhood treasure of a game in my hands at a local game store, priced at $2.99 and, with a heavy heart, having to put it back. Rhythm Heaven Fever is important to me because it was one of the first times in my life that I recall being fiscally irresponsible. After graduating and moving across the country, and only shortly working a minimum-wage job before being laid off during the holiday season I had a mere $35 to my name but in an action that - at the time - seemed gleefully rebellious I spontaneously spent $34.48 on Rhythm Heaven Fever on its release date, partially justifying it with the fact that my girlfriend was also excited to play the game. This uniquely carefree purchase paired perfectly with the crisp, bouncy, silly nature of the game itself. Thinking of it now makes me smile. Important note: if you haven’t played this title yet due to the Wii’s waggley nature, fear not as the game uses no motion controls. A great little game with heaps of style and addictive, simple gameplay for the whole family.

[everygameiveplayed]

I'm sleepy, and you should sleep whenever you're sleepy!

Abra, PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure

[everygameiveplayed]

Lookit all these video games. [...] Whether you like Rugrats or Harry Potter, semi trucks or shooting non-specific terrorists in the face... there's something out there for you.

Jacob Christensen (ie. “Nakey Jakey”), 2018

[everygameiveplayed]

The people here are all warm and friendly, but I bet they all have problems of their own...

Nami, Harvest Moon: It’s a Wonderful Life

[everygameiveplayed]

I believe in a universe that doesn't care and people who do.

Angus Delaney, Night in the Woods

[everygameiveplayed]

Time to mix drinks and change lives.

Julianne Natalie Stingray,  VA-11 HALL-A

[everygameiveplayed]

Dag yo! It's the amped freestyle guide to snowboarding

AMPED: Freestyle Snowboarding Commercial, 2006

[everygameiveplayed]

Duke Nukem (PC)

-Experience Level: Aprox. 30 minutes -First Played: Aprox. 1993 -Last Played: Aprox. 1993

Experienced for the first and only time alongside Police Quest (see previous post), Duke Nukem was amazing to me because it was on a computer: a device which was, until that time, fairly unknown (if you can even remember a time when everyone wasn’t carrying all of human knowledge in their pocket). I mean, my school only had a couple computers and those were in the office. This was a time where a computer was a highly specialized tool, not a cornerstone of our culture. The game itself was less remarkable. It was basic, chunky, and music-less, but you at least got to shoot things, which at the time was somewhat novel for me. It didn’t capture me and we decided to spend the remainder of our computer time with Police Quest instead. 

[everygameiveplayed]

Conglaturation  !!!  You have completed a great game. And proved the justice of our culture. Now go and rest our heroes  !

Ghostbusters (NES)

[everygameiveplayed]

FEZ (PC)

-Experience Level: Once completed -First Played: Dec 2016 -Last Played: Still playing

During my holiday break I was admittedly in a bit of a game rut. Most things I played didn’t bring me much joy but I felt I should be playing games because I was on vacation. Then, one night, with a generous rum and eggnog in hand, I decided to boot up FEZ for the first time. (It, like 300 other steam games, was purchased on the cheap during some sale or bundle but had gathered dust since.) What greeted me was exactly what I had been needing; Beautifully crisp and charming pixel graphics, lovely animation, a self-contained cubic world, thoughtful puzzles, and another enthralling soundtrack by Disasterpiece. I assume if you are reading this you already know about Fez due to either “Indie Game:The Movie” or creator Phil Fish’s controversial opinions and combative public presence so I won’t go into the game’s specifics. I will say, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed my 3 day journey into the world of FEZ and think it is a brilliant title unfortunately marred by twitter wars and Youtube warriors. For me, getting lost in FEZ’s platforming puzzles was exactly what I needed. If you kept your distance upon it’s initial release due to the aforementioned controversy, I recommend you give it a shot. 5 years later, it still stands up remarkably.