The 411 Games Top 5 07.31.09: Week 22 - Top Reasons Why We Love Gaming

Posted by Todd Vote on 07.31.2009

This week the Games staff gives you our Top 5 reasons We love being a turtle we love games. From fun factor, to stress relief, come in to get to know what makes us play.

Welcome kids to the Top 5. Last week we covered 2-D shooters, and as per usual, some of you thought our lists just completely blew ass because some of your favorites weren't mentioned. I don't think I need to explain to most of the readers again that these lists are our favorites, not yours. In fact we encourage that you use the comments to bring new and exciting titles to our attention; Games we may not have played before. But remember if you want your opinion to hold a bit of salt with any of us, be constructive. Don't get me wrong, I find all the comments amusing, especially the ones that accuse us all of being 15 year-old basement dwelling chronic masturbators. Either way, keep the great stuff coming.


Comment Time with Toddo!
I'm going to start with a comment that stems from nowhere. I say this because none of us writers knew what the heck this guy was talking about.

First up is iomis2001, now keep in mind that last week's column was about 2-D shooters when reading this comment, then let it soak in for a moment.

I didn't know Sonic was a 2-D shooter.
Yeah, let that sink in. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see Sonic on any list last week. WTF?

Our next comment let's us know that the Top 5 has finally arrived, and comes from Bolabear:
Good column as always but why do we have to endure Salmela with his tired Target Terror shtick and limited vocabulary?

If you are going to contribute an interesting list then all your swearing is tolerable but this is just childish and detracts from an otherwise good column.

I'm just glad I don't own a PS3 and have no reason to read B3yond the Report!
When someone uses your column to basically complain about another, does that mean you have arrived on the Internet? Bola, I don't know what to tell you except that had you read B3yond last week, you would have had an opportunity to express your discourse with Mark's style of writing. He asked the readers if they enjoyed Shaq and Vince, and the majority of them either liked it, or were indifferent to it. Sorry about the missed opportunity pal, but Shaq stays... for now.

Now, some lists. Thanks to Commie, Chris Scott, and Wade McG for submitting lists of your shooters…
Commie
Todd saved the list. Gun Smoke, Gradius, Ikari Warriors and Contra (plus extra points for properly writing the Konami code--those who think Select comes after B A--fools, all fools!)--Now there's a batch of games to be proud of.
Don't you use select if you want 30 guys for a 2-player game?

Chris Scott
5. Commando (NES) - Get an NES Advantage, turn up the turbo, and fire away!
4. Satan's Hollow (Arcade) - One of my faves on Midway's Arcade Treasures
3. Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis) - Too bad the weapon hybrid system didn't make it's was onto the GBA version
2. Smash TV (Arcade) - The 2 joystick system + the cheesy game show feel = classic!
1. Galaga 90 (Turbo-Grafix 16) - Or as I like to call it, Galaga evolved!

Wade McG
Honorable mention: Geometry Wars series.

My top five:
* Armalyte - C64.
* Gradius V - PS2.
* UN Squadron - SNES.
* Contra 3 - SNES.
* R-Type.

Keep the lists coming everyone. Also, thanks for the commenters who pointed out how I neglected to include half of the konami code when I originally posted the column. Now let's get on with the show.



This week, to break away from the genre type lists we've been doing lately, I thought we could discuss the reasons we are gamers. What was it that first turned you onto gaming? Do you remember what it is that keeps you coming back generation after generation? Was it a really great arcade game? Was it perhaps that very first time you played pong at home? Perhaps it was the release of the original Super Mario Bros. game that got you hooked. Either way, this week the 411 Games staff presents you with our Top 5 Reasons We Love Gaming.

Up first this week, first off a guest spot on Monday Night Raw, we have 2/3rds of the B3yond team with us. Vince some how ended up in jail again, and Shaq won't cough up the cash to bail him out. We know you have the money Shaq, what's the hold-up? Anyway, this is the part where I would normally tell you to check out B3yond the Report, but since Mark didn't write that this week, I'm sure most of you did read it.


Your local B3yond the Report Super Friends: Mark Salmela and Shaq



HONORABLE MENTIONS *Mark Salmela in black, Shaq in blue, and Vince is in jail*:

Backstage at Monday Night Raw after Shaq finished guest hosting - *throws headset against the wall* GOD DAMMIT SHAQ~! What?

5.) How the hell did Vince end up in jail again? - Don't you what me you piece of shit! I nearly got my ass kicked backstage at Raw while you were out fighting the Big Show. Get in my face, you gonna get fucked up. I'M IN YOUR FACE RIGHT NOW YOU BIG IDIOT!

4.) I like Banana's - You better back the fuck down Salmela. I gave you strict orders to keep your hands to yourself. I told you to be on your best behavior. The crowd loved it Salmela. So what? You didn't even wear the B3yond the Report shirt I made for you.



3.) Target Terror is awesome - That's because you made me a single XL shirt. I know you know I can't fit into that tiny thing. Maybe if you lost a few pounds you fat bastard. That's right you hypocrite, you're the fat bastard. Why we always gotta sit here fighting Salmela? Why don't we just go out for ice cream?

2.) Shaq you messed up on Raw - Because Shaq, this was my one chance at glory. This was my one chance to get out of this hellhole and move onto the big time. But instead you ruined it and spent the entire time promoting your versus reality show and fighting 7 foot monsters who are now coming after me! Speaking of which, I have some bad news, apparently the episode of Shaq Versus where I challenge you to become the best Sony writer has been regulated to a DVD extra. WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, apparently the exec's of the show didn't enjoy an episode where you and I bitched back and forth about how stupid Sony's E3 was while playing Shaq-Fu. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO….

1.) To have fun - I play games to have fun, end of story. There is no other reason to play games. If I'm not having fun I do something else. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to have some fun beating the living tar out of a certain someone…

Well... that was... interesting. So the number 2 reason you like games is because Shaq messed up on RAW? Eh, who am I to judge, thanks B3yond team. We'll see you next week…Hopefully back in full force. Up next is the master of Working Title, Jordan Williams. Jordan also recently reviewed Treasure World for the DS. Check that out when you get a chance.

Jordan Williams

5.E-Penis Waggling - I'm going to openly admit it. I pride myself on my e-peen. If that means getting all of the achievements in a game or being a game before any of my friends then so be it. Part of the reason I love gaming so much is because it lets you wag your e-peen around like a motherfucker. And now with online gaming being such a huge part, you can actually back up some of those claims.
What.The.Fuck?!?

4.The Cutting Edge - As much as people want to fight it, gaming always tends to be on the cutting edge as far as technology goes and what we expect to see in the future. From the technology that goes into high end gaming PCs to the technology that goes into home consoles. The industry is always being seen as the next big thing. 3D modeling in movies was around way before it was being done in video games, but when you saw games in full 3D like Mario 64 for the first time you got a definite idea of "Whoa". You've seen all of the 80's Sci-Fi movies bad attempts at trying to show what the future of would look like in video games and now it had finally happened. It's still happening today. Most of the time when you look at huge advances in computer technology and what it can do, the first thing you hear some say is "I wonder how we can fit this into video games".

3.Fanboys - Fanboys make me love gaming. and I really mean that. I don't care if you are the hardcore console war fanboy or the genre fanboy or you are just an annoying fucko who always wants to be right. The fact that gaming has such a colorful (and somewhat sociopath) collection of fans is a great thing to have. Many stars, TV shows, and movies always claim that they have 'the best fans' in the world. But how many fans of True Blood do you see having epic 68 page long rage wars on forums? How many fans of The Big Bang do you see making fan episodes from scratch they are on par (or in some cases better) than the original game? Fanboys are the glue that holds the world of gaming together.
Fanboys may be the glue, but that doesn't mean I have to like It.

2.Stress Buster - A lot of people put this one, and it's true. There is nothing more (legal) and fun than I want to do after a day of dealing with annoying people, snotty cell phone customers, and idiotic neighbors then sit back, get with my crew and kill the fuck out of zombies, capture flags, sap some sentries, or do whatever. Games are my personal way of keeping me sane. That might sound like some sort of addiction like thing talking but everyone has one. Some people drink to unwind, some smoke weed, some people even do something called 'jogging'. My form of stress release is to sit down in my living room, get in my favorite chair and play for a few hours with my joystick.


And then I'll play some video games.

1.Interactive Storytelling - I like to read, I like music, I like to watch movies. And for me video games are the one thing that ties all of those loves into one giant mixture of goodness. There are literally tons of games in the world and some might only touch on a small segment of these three things, but others might hit all three. Gaming still has a long way to go before it is ranked as art much like books, film, and music are. But when you play games like Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto and Ico you start to get the idea that it might be very possible in the future.

Thanks Jordan, excellent list if I do say so myself. I can most definitely relate to your second choice. Playing games keeps me sane after a hard day at the office. And did he actually use the term e-peen... more than once?

Next up we have the man from the 10th Hour, who last Friday listed his favorite xbox live arcade games.

Adam Larck

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Competition - I always like to compare my skills to see if I ever actually improve on games I play. It lets me keep improving my skills, which is fun.

Achievements - These use to be just an afterthought for me in Xbox 360 games, but I love to try to go for Achievements now, just to have a competition with my friends on score.

I whore on occasion. I used to be okay with my Gamerscore, as long as I was the top dog on my friends list. I have some work to do now to get back on top.

5.Exploring - I can spend hours upon hours in games just mindlessly walking around. Seeing new areas, uncovering every, finding secrets programmers put in the game. This is all great fun for me. I especially like open-world games for this freedom. Crackdown is probably my most explored game, while trying to find all of the orbs.



4.Puzzle games - I'm a big fan of puzzles. From crosswords to brainteasers, I like to play games that make you think. My first games on both my Game Boy and NES were Tetris, and I still play Tetris today on 360 (I actually have one of the top 100 scores on the Go Low mode in the game, I'm damn proud of that). I normally try to check out most puzzles games when they come out still, just to give my brain a challenge and to unwind with.

3.Fun - This was the main reason I got into gaming. It was fun to just lose myself for a few hours in games, and was fun to playing with my family. Don't get me wrong, I still play most of my games just for fun and enjoyment. But there are a few bigger reasons I have started to play games for now.
EXACTLY!

2.Stress relief - Games help hugely with stress anymore. I just sit back and relax with a multitude of games, from shooters to RPG to puzzle to action. It's just nice to unwind and forget about problems with games.

1.Catching up with friends - Whether it be in person or online, I find gaming the easiest way to catch up with old friends anymore. People I don't see much anymore in person still play quite a bit online, so I can hop into a party with them and just catch up with them on what's been going on while gaming. You can't be everywhere at once to see people, but with gaming you can still continue doing what you used to like doing all the time in person, and catch up while across the country.

Next up is the new kid on the block. Last week he took a look at Banjo-Kazooie in Retronomicon. I'm still waiting to find out where he took the name of his column from; so until I find out, I will continue to blindly think it is a man crush on Bruce Campbell.

Lee Price

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Addiction - What can I say, I think this applies for most people here. Sometimes I play games just because, seems like addiction to me.



5.Challenge - Sometimes I feel like achieving something, and there's nothing quite like the feeling of finally beating a tough game. All of the frustration and failures are made worth it just by the simple act of reaching the end credits or beating that difficult boss. After all there has to be some reason to stick with a game when it hits the occasionally difficulty spike, and I think its the feeling of elation at finally managing something that gets us to keep going, even when a game feels like its kicking seven shades of shit out of you.

I used to game on easy. Now I only do that on renters that I want to get finished. So the challenge is a big part of it for me these days. Maybe that's connected to the achievement whoring.

4.Exploration - This is a big one for me because I love open game worlds. My Oblivion save (before my 360 bricked on me and I had to send it off only to find MS had wiped the HD) consisted of nearly 40 hours doing side quests and no story. This is solely because if I'm offered the chance of going somewhere other than where the game tells me I have to, I'm going to go there. Whether its because I think I'm going to miss something or because I think I'm gonna get something special is beyond me.

3.Stress Relief - Ever had those days where the entire world is just pissing you off mightily? Ever noticed how a game like GTA or Dead Rising can cool those urges to break things/people? Exactly. Stress balls are worthless when compared to smacking a zombie in the face with a baseball bat, and without these games around to calm me down, a lot of people would probably hate me right now.

2.Fun - I think this is probably the number one reason why most people originally get into gaming, though it isn't my number one reason for playing anymore. But I think we could all recall how much fun it was when we first got a control pad in our hands and broke our gaming cherry. For me it was Streets of Rage 2, and I was entranced from start to finish. That warm happy feeling that really good games give me are worth all the money I've spent on them.

1.Escapism - This probably goes for any form of entertainment; books, movies, whatever, and thus should definitely be number one. Games provide and escape from the monotony of reality, if only for a couple of hours, and allow us to inhabit another world, or be another person, for as long as we want. This is especially prevalent in the more immerse games out there (I'm looking at you Bioshock) which can pull a player in to the point where the outside world seems irrelevant while that little light on the console is shining.

Excellent list Lee, thanks again. Next up is Sam Pow! Sam dabbles in strategy, and helping you maximize your gaming experiences each week with Game Pow. This week he covers the open world of Crackdown, so if there were any questions you ever had about Crackdown, check out his column and you may be able to get those last few orbs.

Sam Pow

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Clans - The very idea of joining an online clan in a video game really enticed me. The thought of being in a sort of club that you could team up with to fight alongside was cool. Like a virtual A-team.

Clans are lame, friends are awesome.

Letting Out Anger - You've had a stressful day at work, things just aren't going your way, and you come home mad. It's happened to all of us. Video games are a great way to let out anger, whether it's challenging your mind with a puzzle game or cutting to the chase and running down pedestrians in GTA.

5.Console Wars - While some wish for the death of them, I personally enjoy the console wars. Knowing which side you'll join in the war is a big part of picking a console. It also helps to create competition and improve the quality of games.

4.Downloads - I big reason why I sided with 360 instead of PS3 was because of XBLA. All the downloadable games, content, updates, videos, and everything else really strengthen the console, and give me tons to do with left over cash. The DLC is great too, and it means that even after I beat a game I could still be coming back to play with new missions, weapons, or songs.

3.Engaging Storylines - A story that really sucks you in makes games so much more interesting and easier to get into. Games like Bioshock, GTA IV, and pretty much anything made by Bioware can take you through an amazing adventure by using smart and well written narratives. While I admit that I wasn't a big fan of Bioshock, the excellent story kept me playing when I otherwise wouldn't have.

2.Exploration - I love games that have well laid maps or environments. The games that get me are the ones whose scenery is so beautiful that it's almost distracting. Games where you can have fun just by exploring the map and seeing what it has to offer. This is one of the main reasons I got Far Cry 2.

1.Living Out Fantasies - What real reason does anybody buy games rather than to live out fantasies? The most alluring part of gaming to me is the fact that I can go somewhere and do something that I will probably never get the chance to in real life. Come on, everyone has thought of what they would do if aliens invaded or if they turned to a life of crime, but the truth is, most of those things are never going to happen to us. And that is why I play video games. People naturally love things that are new and exciting, but are cautious by nature, and sometimes never attempt those things. But luckily, games are here to help us experience those without ever leaving the comfort of our homes.

Todd Vote

Honorable Mentions

Bad-ass gameplay - As in Prototype. Sometimes it's just fun to be unstoppable.

Mortal Kombat - I know, I know... I love it so much, why is it just an honorable mention? Because the reason we play games is a bit different than the games we love to play. But MK has been a big part of which system I chose in the early days, so it makes the HM's.

Great Story-telling - I wouldn't go out and call video games the greatest story telling medium of our generation, but they have certainly come along ways, and it's no longer out of the realm of possibility for a game to be seen as a work of art.

5. Way to pass the time - This was when I first started playing games, back in the day of the Odyssey 2. Games weren't much to look at back then, but the addictive factor they would come to possess was already evident in such games as Smithereens, and KC's Krazy Chase. If I'd known then what I was in for in the future…

4. Mario - To be more specific, the first Super Mario Bros. game. This game was the reason for me to get a Nintendo. It's funny how nowadays we talk about replay value of games, and how many hours you can put into them. The original Mario still gets played today. How's that for replay value?

3. Online Play - I'll admit, I was one of those "I'll never play online, it's so stupid" types of people. But then of course the Xbox 360 was released. Let's face it, if your system is not online nowadays, you are missing half the experience. So in 2006 I got online, and now I wonder how I would play games without my friends on Live.

2. Escapism/Avoid Murder/Stress Relief - Long day at work? Come home throw in some UFC, and beat the tar out of Tito Ortiz. That family reunion have you ready to slaughter your loved ones? Throw in a little GTA, and take your frustrations out on an unknowing hooker. Some people choose to drink to relax, others choose to smoke the ganja. I choose to play games, and I don't see anything wrong with taking an hour for yourself after work to relieve some stress, no matter what your method of doing so may be.

1. Fun - Let's face it. There is no way in Hades that any of us would still be playing games if they were all dull and boring. For every Undertow out there, there are usually a couple of Bioshock's and a Street Fighter IV. So we have far more good to look forward to than bad.



Bonus Video
barelydigital.com presents: Left 4 Dead Beatles. Now this is a Beatles game I would buy.



I hope you all enjoyed our lists this week. I think this week, more than any other has shown how passionate we can be about our beloved past-time. Some play for competition, some play for stress relief. Still others play for solid stories, but the one common thread here is that we all love video games because they are fun. That is the common theme amongst us all. I'd like to apologize for the lack of images this week. As you can see the subject material wasn't really picture friendly. I'll make it up to you next week.

So... Why do you love games? What was your first gaming experience? Where were you when you realized that you were officially a gamer for life? Let us know in the comments. We'll see you back here in 7 for the Top 5 Downloadable games. Take care.