Tropical Island Video Game Draft -- Pending playoffs

[Jespher]

Well as with the last 4 posters, with Ocarina taken from me....I'll grab its little brother.

The Legend Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

I have internal debates as to whether this or Ocarina of Time is the best Zelda game ever. Ocarina wins out by a hair because of the whole changing through time awesomeness that it was, but this is a REAAAAL close second in my book (with the whole changing through worlds awesomeness).

I've got this on my computer right now and I still don't remember where everything is, and I've played it more times than I care to count. Its truly one of the early epic games.

Nice pickup. I actuly had this Zelda ranked above Ocarina of Time, because the SNES version reinvigorated the series and is still very playable today. I still never got the 4th bottle!!!

 

[AleksandarN]

My pick probably will not win me alot of votes. But it is the most addictive game I own.


Football Manager 2008(also known as Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008,in the US and Canada)

This is a game where you can practically manage any club in world or any country in the world. Buy and sell players and scout for new hidden talents. I love this game. I have taken 6 different clubs to Champion League title and I still have not bored of this game. It comes with an editor so if you're bored(which I have not been) you can add yourself in the game.

 

[Gary]

best game ever.

I am actually looking into buying a standup arcade of the "champion edition" version of SF2.

I have Tron, and Frogger already Tron was hardest to find.. It also set me back about 1500.

 

[SLAB]

My first pick, The ultimate party game...

And here's to hoping pick 1A slides a few more to my next pick.

Rock Band --- PS3 --- 2007

Spoiler

In my experience this game happens to be the life of every party I've been to. You get to start your own band, and tour around the world winning fans to allow you to play larger gigs at other venues. You get to choose either Vocals, drums, or guitar/bass to live out your childhood dream of being a rockstar.

Seriously. Who at one point didn't dream of being a rock star?

 

[Bricklayer]

Seriously. Who at one point didn't dream of being a rock star?

Er....[raises hand]

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

:: raises hand ::

 

[SLAB]

Er....[raises hand]

Okay...Maybe a *slight* generalization.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Rock Band --- PS3 --- 2007

Best game ever, but the 360 version is slightly better.

 

[kingsfan916]

I pick HALO 3 XBox 360 2007

even without online this game is pretty good

 

[Warhawk]

I'm glad that even though HL2 is gone, the original is there. I'm taking:

Half-Life (1998) - PC

Half-Life rocked the gaming world upon release for the graphics, the story, and the immersive environment. Scripted scenes, including your arrival at Black Mesa, almost made it feel like a movie at times. This game was the first to use background loading of levels at a large scale, eliminating the load times when passing from one part of the game to the next, removing that break that often serves as a stopping point and creating a seamless gameplay experience.

From wiki:

In Half-Life, players assume the role of Dr. Gordon Freeman, a recent MIT graduate theoretical physicist who must fight his way out of a secret underground research facility whose research and experiments into teleportation technology have gone wrong.

On its release, critics hailed its overall presentation and numerous scripted sequences, and it won over 50 Game of the Year awards.[5][6] Its gameplay influenced first-person shooters for years to come, and it has since been regarded as one of the greatest games of all time.[7]

 

[SacKings7]

I'm glad that even though HL2 is gone, the original is there. I'm taking:

Half-Life (1998) - PC

Half-Life rocked the gaming world upon release for the graphics, the story, and the immersive environment. Scripted scenes, including your arrival at Black Mesa, almost made it feel like a movie at times. This game was the first to use background loading of levels at a large scale, eliminating the load times when passing from one part of the game to the next, removing that break that often serves as a stopping point and creating a seamless gameplay experience.

From wiki:

Shouldn't have fell this low IMO, one of the best games ever created. The next pick is yours too, in case you forgot.

 

[tradepeja]

I would have picked it sheerly for the ground-breaking factor of it. But, I knew it was one Warhawk wanted and I can already tell this isn't a huge classic, or otherwise, FPS draft so far (only non HL FPS's taken are two titles that haven't even been out a year). Plus, I liked HL2 much better anyway.

 

[Warhawk]

For the first pick of the second round, I choose:

Unreal Gold (1999) - PC

This game incorporates the original Unreal and the expansion pack (return to Na Pali). It also uses the Unreal Tournament engine for faster gameplay and better graphics.

A game that was among the first to fully utilize 3D graphics card capabilities and rendering amazingly beautiful and immersive outdoor environments for the time. A first-person shooter, it also featured truly advanced opponent AI (dodging capability, etc) and great sound (both in effects and music - in fact, I considered taking the Unreal CD to the island in the album draft).

From wiki:

Compared to its peers in the genre, such as Quake II, Unreal brought to life not only highly-detailed indoor environments, but also easily the most impressive outdoor landscapes ever seen at the time.

The Unreal engine brought a host of graphical improvements, including colored lighting. Although Unreal is not the first major release with colored lighting (see Quake II), it is the first to have a software renderer as feature rich as the hardware renderers of the time, including colored lighting and even a limited form of texture filtering referred to by programmer Tim Sweeney as an ordered "texture coordinate space" dither.

Unreal was one of the first games to utilize detail texturing. This type of multiple texturing enhances the surfaces of objects with a second texture that shows material detail. When the player stands within a small distance from most surfaces, the detail texture will fade in and make the surface appear much more complex (high-resolution) instead of becoming increasingly blurry.[4] Notable surfaces with these special detail textures included computer monitors and pitted metal surfaces aboard the prison ship, and golden metal doors and stone surfaces within Nali temples.

Upon release, Unreal was praised for not only for its graphics and environments, but also for above-average AI and gameplay. Enemies would dodge out of the way of projectiles and pose a competent threat. Headshots would do more damage as well, and the player could even decapitate enemies with weapons such as the Razorjack and the Sniper rifle. The planet of Na Pali was rich in atmosphere compared to many other FPS out at the time—outdoor levels were populated by many small creatures and birds, who did not attack the player. Its engine was considered revolutionary at the time, boasting huge environments and colourful lighting available in software as well as hardware-accelerated mode.

But in addition to all this, it was just an awesome game. Fun to play, great environments, hard enemies, great music, and great graphics for the time make this choice a no-brainer. The sniper rifle was a blast to use plinking off enemies at long distance.

 

[Warhawk]

Shouldn't have fell this low IMO, one of the best games ever created. The next pick is yours too, in case you forgot.

I too thought it would go quick and was glad it was still available.

In addition to the SP game, the multiplayer rocked on this game. I would go to a friend's house every weekend with my computer and we'd play LAN deathmatch half the weekend.

I didn't forget, I was doing some research and trying to pick between a couple different games. It's going to be a while until I pick again.

Now everyone, go out and pick all those sports games. Shoo.

 

[SacKings7]

I too thought it would go quick and was glad it was still available.

In addition to the SP game, the multiplayer rocked on this game. I would go to a friend's house every weekend with my computer and we'd play LAN deathmatch half the weekend.

I didn't forget, I was doing some research and trying to pick between a couple different games. It's going to be a while until I pick again.

Now everyone, go out and pick all those sports games. Shoo.

That's cool, I wasn't trying to rush you or anything.

Not a bad first round, I didn't lose as many of my top picks as I expected to.

 

[Bricklayer]

For the first pick of the second round, I choose:

Unreal Gold (1999) - PC

Hmmm...Warhawk immediately putting pressure on the entire FPS genre with back to back picks.

 

[kingsfan916]

I pick Grand Theft Auto Vice City PS 2 2002

 

[Bricklayer]

I pick Grand Theft Auto Vice City PS 2 2002

It was obvious of course that the whole GTA series was going to get taken, but if I had decided (and ahd the chance to) throw my hat into that ring this would have been the one I chose -- the soundtrack alone was priceless.

 

[Löwenherz]

It was obvious of course that the whole GTA series was going to get taken, but if I had decided (and ahd the chance to) throw my hat into that ring this would have been the one I chose -- the soundtrack alone was priceless.

I enjoyed all of the GTAs and Vice City was excellent, but I still liked San Andreas better. Felt the targeting system was a little less convoluted, liked being able to head to different cities ... and of course, I always hated that the biggest badass in Vice City, could drown in two feet of water.

PLus, the soundtrack for the latter was more of my generation I suppose.

One thing I've always wanted from the series though is a less linear storyline, kind of a choose your own adventure/ cause and effect aspect.

Does IV do that at all?

 

[Bricklayer]

I enjoyed all of the GTAs and Vice City was excellent, but I still liked San Andreas better. Felt the targeting system was a little less convoluted, liked being able to head to different cities ... and of course, I always hated that the biggest badass in Vice City, could drown in two feet of water.

PLus, the soundtrack for the latter was more of my generation I suppose.

One thing I've always wanted from the series though is a less linear storyline, kind of a choose your own adventure/ cause and effect aspect.

Does IV do that at all?

Well the whole point was NOT to have the soundtrack be of your generation. That's what my damn IPod is for. But Vice City was just a hoot bringing the 80s cheese big time. Gave the whole thing a wonderfully goofy glam. Of course for the milions of wannabe PlayStation tough guys out there that maybe broke their delusion that they were really a badass banger blowing away people to the hardcore gangsta rap, but I appreciated the ironic contrast.

As for IV, can barely tell you. Know people who have it, including my brother across the country. have seen enough to jsut go *whoa* about them basically recreating the entire greater NYC area street by bleeping street -- you can see where the $100 million went. They must have had 1000 graphics people. But can't tell you much about the storyline, other than that you are a Russian immigrant working your way up through the Russian mafia...and that I am sure it involves committing multiple felonies.

 

[tradepeja]

I enjoyed all of the GTAs and Vice City was excellent, but I still liked San Andreas better. Felt the targeting system was a little less convoluted, liked being able to head to different cities ... and of course, I always hated that the biggest badass in Vice City, could drown in two feet of water.

PLus, the soundtrack for the latter was more of my generation I suppose.

One thing I've always wanted from the series though is a less linear storyline, kind of a choose your own adventure/ cause and effect aspect.

Does IV do that at all?

There are a few sequences in GTAIV that allow you to change (slightly) the course of your storyline. They aren't huge, but it is a step in the right direction and something Rockstar will definitely be improving on for GTA: China, GTAV, etc.

As for what Brick said, Liberty City in GTAIV is based on NYC but it is in no way a street-by-street copy. Actually, the placement, shape, and size of all the respective boroughs is completely different and many big sites (like GTA's Coney Island, Firefly Island) are in completely different spots. It is still the most impressive in-game environment ever.

Thing I don't like about the game is its incessently repetitive missions and minor bugs (sometimes there are just SOME rails you cant jump over, god it pisses me off so much). I actually am near the end but haven't played in a few weeks because every mission is "Hey this guy is annoying me/has my money/is competition/is a squealer/said something about my mom/is blackmailing me take my car/boat/helicopter to him and kill him using a knife/car/gun/malotov cocktail/sniper/traffic cone or we'll turn you in to the mob/cops/feds/your own people."

 

[SLAB]

My second pick is most definitly my favorite classic game of all time.

Secret of Mana --- SNES --- 1993

Spoiler

An Action/RPG game game that stepped away from the Final Fantasy turn-based system and went to a live-action combat system. And boy did it capture my heart. I remember as a kid playing this game non-stop, and to this day playing my ROM on my computer just yearning for the day it gets released on my DS. graphics were great in their prime, and all the choices of magic and weapons were phenominal. Considered by the masses to be one of the better games of all time.

The wiki-page

 

[mcsluggo]

Fortunately for me, I'm not participating in this draft, otherwise that would have been my exact sentiment.

yes, civ IV is actually the ONLY game I would taken (hence my absence from the draft)... although I suppose I coulda taken III II or I without much heartache, really.

 

[Jerryaki]

My second pick is most definitly my favorite classic game of all time.

Secret of Mana --- SNES --- 1993

i just started in on children of mana on the DS. it takes some getting used to since i'm more familiar with turn based RPGs, never got into the whole zelda action RPG thing. have you played children of mana?

 

[mcsluggo]

I remember your dominance in the game. And, if I recall, you weren't exactly humble about it, either.



I miss the Arcade, although my puny scores were no match for those of any of you kids.

At one point I was so Tetris-fried, I would see buildings, etc. and immediately start spinning pieces in my mind's eye to fit between them. Not good, especially while driving.

I used to play civ (I think it was civ II, but I don't remember for sure) in the grad lab at school

one morning, around 4 am, the gentleman next to me made the following cuttingly incisive statement (well more of a grunting than a statement)

"you ever notice how....
.....when you are playing civ.......
.... you don't have to eat."

it should be noted that this truism was grunted out without a single hint of irony (none was intended, nor inferred)

 

[JoMama]

This thread is just plain freakin' fun to read.

 

[Löwenherz]

Of course for the milions of wannabe PlayStation tough guys out there that maybe broke their delusion that they were really a badass banger blowing away people to the hardcore gangsta rap, but I appreciated the ironic contrast.

Wow Brick, you pegged me exactly

 

[Löwenherz]

My second pick is most definitly my favorite classic game of all time.

Secret of Mana --- SNES --- 1993

Awesome game. Even better with the multiplayer option.

 

[GoGoGadget]

Well the whole point was NOT to have the soundtrack be of your generation. That's what my damn IPod is for. But Vice City was just a hoot bringing the 80s cheese big time. Gave the whole thing a wonderfully goofy glam. Of course for the milions of wannabe PlayStation tough guys out there that maybe broke their delusion that they were really a badass banger blowing away people to the hardcore gangsta rap, but I appreciated the ironic contrast.

I liked both soundtracks because they almost exactly mirrored what I listened to during the respective time periods. I was a little Kajagoogoo girl in the 80s, and a Dr. Dre teen in the 90s.

 

[AleksandarN]

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II

will comment later