411 Top 5 Games Edition 12.226: Week 22

Posted by Steve McHugh on 12.22.2006

Top 5 Games Bought as Gifts

Hi and welcome to Week 22 of Top 5. This week we're going to take a fond look back at our favorite games we received as gifts.

Before all the niceness though we've got some feedback and this week it's dealing with the fact that Sonic was not a launch title as was portrayed in last weeks column. I got a LOT of feedback from this and I picked the first 3 e-mails that I came across that didn't involve swearing.


Brian Cloar

Hey I just wanted to give you feedback on your 411 article and say that Sonic the Hedgehog was NOT a launch title.

Thank You,
Brian


Richard Mimms
Not trying to be a jackass or anything, but neither Sonic nor Legend of Zelda were launch titles. Both games came out about 2 years after the system launch. Kind of a glaring mistake.
Rick

Christopher Pineo

How is Sonic for the Genesis a launch title as it was released two years after the Genesis?


I just want to thank everyone who sends feedback correcting us as we don't always get everything right and if you see mistakes then its better we learn and move on then make them again. Well I figured that I'd go straight to those who had put Sonic down and get Ramon and Sean to say a few words:


Ramon Aranda:

Twilight Princess came out on November 19th, 2006. How is that 2 years ago?!

Sonic the Hedgehog... my mistake. It did not launch with the Genesis. (I was 11...selective memory)

Sean McCabe

Well, in the case of Sonic, I just assumed it was, but I suppose that was my mistake.

In the case of Twilight Princess though, I am amazed they didn't remember it being a launch title for Nintendo's new console... and that's been 4 years the Gamecube's been out, not two.


Well there you have it straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Occasionally even people as great as us make mistakes.

Now as there are no forum users this week, we'll get straight on with it with the staff's picks.


Steve McHugh

5. Final Fantasy 9 (PS1)
Okay this is a great game and all but that's not why it's here. I got this for a gift from my, at the time, girlfriend. At one point I was playing it and I realized that I actually preferred playing the game to being with her. A few days later I broke up with the little psycho but I still got to keep the game (I lost a lot of other stuff but that's a whole other story).

4. Megadrive/Sonic (MD)
I got this from my Grandparents for my 13th Birthday and as my first console it impressed me no end. It's ended up being one of my favorite consoles of all time but for those first few weeks I must have played through Sonic a dozen times over.

3. Shining the Holy Arc (SAT)
This was actually brought by my parents for my birthday on a whim along the logical lines of that I liked a previous Shining game so I must like this one. Thankfully they didn't see Shining Wisdom first or I may have been a bit upset.

2. X-men 2 (MD)
When I was 15 my family was going through a bit of a crisis, my mum was in hospital as she was very ill and my sisters were both very young and had to go away to stay with family. On top of that our house was being renovated so we had to move out. During this period I was meant to be studying for my GCSE's, unfortunately they took a back seat as I helped my Dad deal with stuff around the house and my younger brother whilst he went to the hospital to be with mum. When everything calmed down and my mum came home he took me to the shop and brought me this as a thank you for all I'd done. It's not the greatest game in the world but it's a lot of fun and it's one of the most important gifts I ever got. And I passed all my GCSE's too so it all ended up ok.

1. Shining Force 2 (MD)
Okay a bit of back-story first. For years I'd been telling my parents what games to get me for birthdays and Christmas and for years they'd got it wrong (Last Battle anyone?) well when this came out I made every attempt to get them to realize that this was the game I wanted. So nearly three months before hand my parents got it for me, which was great as I finally got the game I wanted. But torture because I had to wait so long to actually play it.



Will Scott

5. Mario Kart Double Dash (N64)
Well, this one was a Christmas present, but I don't particularly love it. But my girlfriend does...and it was pretty much the hook I used to get her in to gaming. It was only a little hop from that to Guitar Hero or Hunter: The Reckoning. Don't love the game, but I've loved the effect. Bless you, Nintendo.

4. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (the Series)
A perennial Christmas gift...I've received an iteration every year since the first title came out. I have no clue what prompted the purchase of the first game, but they've been a treat each and every time.

3. WWF No Mercy (N64)
I got this bad boy for Christmas, and started playing it immediately that morning. This was the last video game I got for Christmas that I could play obsessively all day, before I encountered responsibilities like work or a girlfriend.

2. 2Xtreme (PS1)
Yes, it's a piece of crap extreme sports game. But it was my birthday present (along with the good old PS1) for my 13th birthday (or was it 14th? I have no clue). I played that freaking game all night with my friends...just before I moved away, never to see them again.

1. Double Dragons
So...this game was bought for me for no good reason at a flea market. I never got past the third level, but the game meant a lot because I almost always played it with my dad. Good gift, that.



Andrew Mellick

5. Jet Moto (PS1)
I got this game for Christmas from the parents. My brothers and I played it non-stop. It's an original racer with unique tracks and super fast action. Plus, head on collisions. You can't go wrong with head on collisions.

4. Mechwarrior (SNES)
This was a gift from my Godparents. They said they just asked a guy at the videogame store what was good. I know all those Mechwarrior games have gotten lame, but back in the day this game was sweet. It had a really compelling story as you battle other warriors as a Mech for hire; you pick up clues to answer the questions of your past.

3. Mario kart (SNES)
This wasn't a Christmas gift but my brothers and I were in the car with my mom and she pulled into Funcoland (remember that store?). Well, she went in and came back out with this game. My brothers and I were psyched. She said that my dad and she decided to buy it because it is one of the few games that had seen us play without fighting. A good lesson to all you kids out there.

2. SNES w/Mario world
Imagine, being young with a small allowance trying to save up for a Nintendo. Your parents have told you they weren't going to buy you one. Then imagine Christmas morning that there is a gift under the tree for you and your brothers. You tear into it to find a brand spanking new SNES!!!! That Christmas break I bet I put in 20 hours on Super Mario World and Final Fight. One of my fondest memories.

1. Xbox w/Halo
Ok this one is my favorite. My girlfriend at the time and I had just gotten engaged. Since I bought her a ring she wanted to get me an engagement gift. So she gave me the present and I ripped into it to find a brand new copy of Halo! Well, I felt bad because, my fiancé, trying to do something sweet actually got me a game for a system I don't own. So I said "Oh honey, thanks but it is for Xbox and I have a PS2". She said "Oh well waits in the front seat of my car?" I looked in to see a brand new Xbox! I spent the next two days skipping college and playing Halo until my fingers were raw.



Ramon Aranda

5. No Mercy (N64)
I wanted this game BAD, especially since I had just moved out to LA for school and was low on funds. I got hooked up for Christmas and I played the HELL out of it. Thanks B!

4. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES)
Needless to say, during the NES era, video games were my favorite birthday presents (and still are lol). What else can you say...I mean...who DIDN'T want this game when it came out? My parents had me covered.

3. Bases Loaded (NES)
I was so hooked on this game that I had to ask for it for my 9th birthday. My dad obliged and I played it non stop with my cousins who ended up spending the night that weekend. Thanks dad!

2. The Legend of Zelda (NES)
Even though this game is one of my favs, it doesn't rank #1 simply because I didn't know at the time how awesome it was going to be. In the end however, I was stoked when my dad bought it for me and I just started at that golden cartridge for hours.

1. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
I nearly cried when my parents told me they wouldn't buy me the game when it came out. I was told "next time", ya know...the whole we don't have money right now thing. As we get home, I near shit my pants when my dad pulled out SMB3 from a shopping bag. Damn that was awesome!



Chris Kovatsh

5. King's Quest VII (PC)
My family always had this big thing for Sierra adventure games such as Police Quest, Space Quest, Laura Bow and lastly King's Quest. I didn't even know the game had come out yet and as a family gift we all got to play King's Quest VII.

4. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)
A bunch of my friends who never get me gifts all pitched together for my birthday one year and bought it for me the day it came out. It was more special to me than they know. Don't tell them that though.

3. WCW vs. NWO (N64)
I got this and an N64 for Christmas one year. See we were used to WWF Raw for SNES so this game was about ten thousand times better. I only had one yellow controller but me and my friend played that game late into the night.

2. Yoshi's Island (SNES)
This was another big gift. My dad got me a game called Adventures of Dr. Franken and said that he thought this was the one I wanted. I played it for two minutes and turned the garbage off. Then outta nowhere he pulls out Yoshi's Island. Still one of my favorite games ever.

1. Battletoads (NES)
I didn't get any videogames for Christmas and I was absolutely devastated. I was getting all sad and mopey but then my dad tells me to look near the top of the tree, it was Battletoads. Definitely one of the best moments of my life concerning videogames.



Sean McCabe

5. Vectorman (MD)
I got this for Christmas a long, long time ago, when it was pretty new out. And damn did I love this game. Mario and Sonic were both overrated in my opinion (blasphemy, I know) and to me, this is where 2D side scrolling was at for many, many years.

4. Goldeneye (N64)
Got this with my N64 for Christmas, and well, I must have played it constantly for over 2 years. A venerable classic that everyone loved (and so they should)

3. Streetfighter 2 Turbo
Got this with my SNES back in the day, and it would kick-start my love for one on one fighting games. It's still perfectly playable today, which is why people really don't bitch too much about the million re-releases it's had over the years, because it will always be a game of timeless quality.

2. Shadow Hearts: From the New World (PS2)
Ha-ha, I haven't even played this yet. I'm getting it for my birthday tomorrow though, and that makes it the best game I've received as a gift for a good number of years.

1. Streets of Rage 2 (MD)
Oh God. I love this game so much. It's the only game more than 6 years old in my top 10 ever list and that is what makes it so special. I could put this game on at any time and just enjoy it, savor it, know that I am playing a game of true class. The American Dragon of the games world.



Joshua Richey

5. Boogerman
Oh yes, the game that essentially ended my parent's marriage... Boogerman. I remember wanting Mortal Kombat that Christmas, after my mother had ruled that out for not being 'kid friendly', Santa (aka my father) got me this gem. Basically, you ran around flicking boogers and farting at all of your enemies.

4. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
Got this as a birthday present from a girl that I 'went out with' while I was in middle school. Those middle school relationships never work out, but I've still got that FFVII to show for it.

3. Grand Theft Auto (the original) (PS1)
There was a day and age when Grand Theft Auto wasn't popular. For my birthday one year, I received a disc set that included Grand Theft Auto & Grand Theft Auto: London. I had no idea what they were, hadn't even heard of them. My friend just told me to play them. I had hours and hours of fun with it, and this was even before Grand Theft Auto 3 became the hit that it did.

2. Resident Evil 2 (PS1)
I rented Resident Evil 2 and my religious die-hard mother forbid that I play it anymore. Well my birthday approaches and I tell my dad what I want (Resident Evil 2). He knew how against my mother was, she even told him not to get it for me. What he did do, however, was take me to Best Buy, handed me $100.00 and told me to go get whatever I wanted (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I bought RE2 and concealed for a good 14 months before my mother ever found out about it. Speaking of sneakiness...

1. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
I remember reading the previews of MGS in magazines like GamePro and just not ever really caring about it. Upon its release, my Dad and I were playing it at Unclad, and my dad really got into it. He was a lot more amused with it than I was; enough so that he bought it right then and there. It wasn't but a few hours later that I fell in love with MGS, and have been a huge fan every since.



And that's it for another edition. Next week we'll be taking a look at the Top 5 Most anticipated games of 2007 in the mean time please feel free to send feedback or indeed your own Top 5. Until then have a good Christmas and we'll see you in a week.