In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.

It is easy to forget in the shadow of its younger brothers just how revolutionary Super Smash Bros. was at the time of its release. It wasn’t that the gameplay was so unique (though it was in many respects), nor was it the graphics were mind blowing (though, again, they were pretty sharp). No, the revolutionary thing about Super Smash Bros. was that the game existed period.

Prior to Super Smash Bros., the idea of Nintendo characters crossing over into each other’s games was fairly unheard of. Yes, there were the occasional cameos here and there, but for the most part the worlds stayed separate. That all changed with Super Smash Bros., however, and it was perhaps no better showcased than in the television commercial that ran at the time. (more…)

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In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.

Sixteen years passed between the original Ninja Gaiden’s release on the NES in 1988 and the franchise relaunch on the Xbox in 2004. In those 16 years a lot of things changed in gaming, including the passage of three console generations and the arrival of 3D graphics as the norm. The one thing that did not change is Ninja Gaiden’s name standing for hardcore action.

Younger gamers may not be able to fully appreciate the way the gaming market used to work. Games arrived with little or no fanfare and were seemingly dumped onto the market. Yes, there were advertisements in magazines, but hardly the full media blitzes gamers are so used to today for even the most modest of releases. Amidst all this, a little game called Ninja Gaiden found a market. It probably didn’t hurt that it was very loosely based off a semi-popular arcade game (best remembered today for its Jason Voorhees look-a-like villains). (more…)

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In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.

Yoshi’s Island sadly often gets labeled as one of the ugly step-children of the Mario series along with Super Mario Bros. 2 (also known as Super Mario Bros. USA in Japan). The truth is that neither game deserves such mistreatment, but then again neither game is exactly a traditional Mario plaformer. That’s the genius of them.

Yoshi’s Island was the follow-up to Super Mario World, the game originally packed in with every Super Nintendo sold. While Super Mario World was an evolution of the Mario 1 and 3 with better graphics and sound, Yoshi’s Island was complete turning on its head of the series’ formula. It took chances where Mario World did not. It dared to be different, and it did so in spades. (more…)

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In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.

For many young gamers the Final Fantasy series began counting at seven. At times it seems many fans quit counting at six. Final Fantasy VI was originally released in the USA as Final Fantasy III. It was a weird numbering debacle that Square got itself into, but today the countless rereleases of the last SNES Final Fantasy have most fans corrected on their numbering.

Many fans consider every Final Fantasy a classic, so what makes this one stand out? The story begins with you in charge of a small group of soldiers setting out to investigate an unearthed ancient relic pertaining to magic. One of the members of your party is a mysterious girl. Upon arriving to the dig site there is a bit of a catastrophe before things go dim. The game then shifts you into control of a thief named Locke. Now, if you don’t already see the differences between this title and later entries in the series (hint: Locke does not look like a girl), then you haven’t played enough Final Fantasy. The rest of the story will take you across a vast world, to the end of the world (literally), and across another vast ruined world. (more…)

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In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.

ICO doesn’t begin all that spectacularly. You awake to find yourself inside a castle with little idea of what to do or where to go. In that manner, it very much mimics many classics such as the original NES The Legend of Zelda. There’s a story and a goal, but you’re going to have to figure that out as you go. It’s part of the brilliance of the game.

As you progress you discover a fair maiden who needs your help, and frightening black shadow monsters. Frightening is not an overstatement either, as the first time you encounter them and they begin to pull your companion underground you will shriek in horror. Each subsequent appearance is nerve rattling, especially as the level complexity increases. (more…)

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