I can’t really give you a solid reasonwhy you should care about the video games that dominated my younger years, but I can tell you that they vary greatly and are all great games in their own way. Therefore, you should care by default.
I had a limited gaming experience as a young child, since my father was still hoping I’d “grow out” out of video games eventually and didn’t want to buy me multiple consoles. But I did have a Sega Genesis, a PlayStation and a PS2, and that was all my little brain needed at the time (a stark contrast to my current gaming preferences, which only include the 360 because I can’t afford a PS3). The following games defined my childhood, and maybe a few of them defined yours, as well.
1. Aladdin (Sega Genesis)
“Aladdin” was a game that became synonymous with long car trips for both me and my younger sister. My father would MacGyver-rig a small tube TV in between the front seats of the car and plug my Genesis into the cigarette lighter, and I would play this game for hours while my sister looked on. Considering I used to make my pregnant mother dress up as the Sultan, “Aladdin” was a game I emotionally connected to as a young girl, despite my obviously inability to play it. I could never get past the second level.
It was one of the first games that taught me about frustration, and I gave up playing it after one long road trip that was an endless desert level.
2. Duke Nukem: A Time to Kill (PlayStation)
My older cousin Jason gave me this game in secret when I was at a very young age, definitely too young to be playing a Duke game, as I had no idea why there was a strip club a few steps away from the start of the first level, or why the strippers were there if they weren’t meant to be killed. My parents (both police officers) were not too fond of the pig cops and were even less fond of me murdering strippers, but I managed to keep my Nukem playing to a minimum whenever they were near. I also struggled with this game, as I was more accustomed to non-shooters and couldn’t wrap my brains around the controls.
Plus, the aliens terrified me and I would scream in terror whenever I saw them and ultimately end up dying. Duke Nukem taught me that strippers are not meant to be killed and shooters are not as easy as they seem, two valuable life lessons, IMO.
3. Crash Team Racing (PlayStation)
As a rare specimen whose childhood was completely devoid of any Nintendo console, “CTR” was my version of “Mario Kart,” and the two are very similar. The characters race around in little go-karts, make funny noises, and attempt to derail the others’ success by throwing objects at rivals. Crash Bandicoot’s insane noises always kept me entertained, and I really honed my unrealistic racing skills playing “CTR,” because when I finally got my hands on Mario Kart, I realized they were virtually identical.
I loved how you could drive Crash around to different races and choose them at will, unlocking new ones as you went on. It was a unique way to navigate the menus, and a great interactive way to choose races. The music was fantastic, so Crash-esque, that I logged countless hours racing that crazy Bandicoot around.
4. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (PlayStation)
While I certainly played other Tony Hawk games with more fervor (I was always a huge fan of creating my own character in any game, as I would make bitchin’ girl characters with crazy hair and pretend they were me and live vicarously through them), “Tony Hawk Pro Skater” began my obsession with all things skateboarding. “Tony Hawk Underground” remains my favorite TH game to date, but the original “Pro Skater” opened my eyes to the wonderful world of punk rock music and anarchy.
It didn’t hurt that the one female character had the same name as me (albeit spelled wrong, Elissa Steamer), and that the game allowed you to make your own word up for games of Horse (my sister and I frequently used the word “butthole” to stick it to the Man). This game molded my childhood, as I grew into a preteen phase of black eyeliner, pop punk and Vans, and I bought every Tony Hawk game that came out afterwards, reveling in playing “Grafitti” or landing a pop Shove-It into a 50/50 grind into a kickflip into a manual back into a 50/50. And I could barely ollie in real life…
5. Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)
This game was one of the few truly “childish” games I owned. I had an unabashed love for Rugrats (as did any 90′s baby), and this game was just pure fun. There were myriad different mini-games to be played, all featuring different characters and taking place in different places in the Rugrats universe. You could ride Spike in order to chase after Chuckie who was stuck sitting the wrong way on a wild goose (yes, a wild goose chase). You could stomp around town “Rampage”-style as Reptar, or play a round of mini-golf, or help the evil Angelica and her backyard circus. It was pure, child-like fun and it occupied hours of my time as a kid.
6. Enter the Matrix (PS2)
My obsession with all things Sci-Fi began at a very early age and with the Wachowski brother’s “Matrix” movies. I was enthralled by Neo’s world and the idea of the Matrix, and feverishly researched the philosophy behind the trilogy, spewing facts and ideas to anyone who would listen. It was my first taste of fandom, and when “Enter the Matrix” was released for PS2 I snatched it up immediately, desperate to discover the parallel storyline to “The Matrix: Reloaded,” and play as the bitching Niobe. I beat her storyline countless times, but never beat Ghost’s, solely because I couldn’t fight a damn helicopter by myself.
The most interesting aspect of “ETM” for me was how quickly I became accustomed to playing a third-person shooter when I was emotionally invested in the game. I could play for hours, and soon became quite good at it, and I firmly believe this game built the foundation for my love for shooters.
The “Focus” aspect of the game was brilliant, and really made me feel like I was in the Matrix, something that I had hoped and wished for since watching Neo take that pill in the original movie.
7. WWF SmackDown (Playstation)
I think I’ve already made it clear that I was not your average young girl, but perhaps my love for wrestling will cement that fact. I wasobsessed with the WWF (which was still the WWF in my day, not the WWE, so don’t correct me), and I lived and breathed for The Rock. So when I learned that a game was to be released using the same title as one of the Rock’s most famous catchphrases, I had to have it.
And “SmackDown” proved to be a fantastic game, allowing gamers to customize their own character with a bevy of famous moves and taunts and fight matches in the backstage area of arenas and beat superstars with shopping carts. The season mode was addicting, and I found myself feeling the same shivers of excitement whenever the Rock’s theme music began, just as if I were watching a night of SmackDown on television. It perfectly captured the excitement and electricity of late 90′s/early 2000′s wrestling; electricity which many can argue was thanks in large part to Duane “The Rock” Johnson. Wrestling was never the same after him, and I only own the games named in his honor.
8. Ghost Recon (PS2)
This may have been one of the first legitimate purchases of my young gaming career, allowing me to bridge the gap between the fun, frivolous games of my youth and the more serious games of my adulthood. “Ghost Recon” took over my life in 2002, and I soon discovered the awesomeness that is Tom Clancy games. I played that game from beginning to end countless times, basking in my eventual ability to to complete each mission with robot-like precision. I had favorite hiding places, favorite weapons, and favorite maps. I had the game guide that I kept open on my lap the entire time I played like some sort of “Ghost Recon” bible, and I discovered glitches and secrets quite frequently and with overweening pride.
This game nurtured the competitive shooter aspect of my personality, and may very well be the reason why I scream bloody murder when I play “Call of Duty” today.
9. Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PlayStation)
Yes, there were other “Spyro” games that came out for the PlayStation and yes there were even ones that came out for the PS2 (and spin-offs that came out for other consoles after that, etc.), but “Spyro: Year of the Dragon” was and is my favorite “Spyro” game of all time. Why?
Well, for a few reasons. First, “YOTD” was my first ever experience with cheat codes, as I found a code online that allowed me to change Spyro’s color from purple to pink or red or blue or green. What did I do with that ability? Well, like any good fashionista, I changed Spyro’s color to match whatever world he was in, making that feisty little dragon utterlyFABULOUS.
Also, “YOTD” introduced fans of the series to entirely new playable characters, including an intellectually superior Yeti that called people “duplicitous larcenous urcines” while bashing people over the head with an ice mallet.
And there was a skateboarding aspect to Spyro, which really just brought two of my favorite games together in one awesomely hilarious world in which a miniature dragon scoots around on a skateboard and performs tricks while a dragonfly trails behind him. Spyro was feisty and hilarious and his enemies were silly and varied, giving players a world of variety and humor that went virtually unmatched in the gaming world for some time.
10. Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation)
Here it is, ladies and gents. The Holy Grail of my childhood. The diamond in the rough, the heart of the ocean locked away in a safe that sunk with the Titanic, the Kate Upton of video games. “Kingdom Hearts.” This game does not just resonate amongst children, and it is certainly not something that one can just grow out of, as I’m sure many gamers and game reviewers alike would willingly pray at the altar of “KH.” A game in which Final Fantasy and Disney had a love child? Um, please sir may I have some more!?
“Kingdom Hearts” was the game that changed my life as a young girl. My sister would sit next to me while I played it for hours on end, cringing with fear and anxiety while I fought giant heartless and a fire-breathing Maleficent-dragon. The idea of taking Disney worlds and making them their own planets was brilliant and the idea of taking Disney villains and making them not only the bad guys, but in-game BOSS BATTLES was so brilliant that tears form in my eyes just speaking of it. Following Sora as he journeys through mysterious worlds all in an effort to find his friends was so emotionally enthralling it became almost easy to ignore the incessant, “Riku’s” and “Kairi’s!” Sora spews throughout the first game. Not to mention there is an absolutely stellar cast of voice actors from both Disney history and Hollywood itself, which is magical in its own way.
The game is gorgeous, heart-rending, and philosophical. It’s addicting and whimsical and unparalleled. It’s so good, you canalmost forgive SquareEnix for doing nothing with the franchise for the past 10 years aside from creating ridiculously stupid handheld games with names like “Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days” (DA F&#$?).
While it seems I have a long time to wait before “KH3,” I can still replay the first two games and feel that childish awe setting in almost immediately, without fail. It’s an absolute gem, and the best video game of my childhood BY FAR.