all time favorite video games 13-12

I'm back after an extended layover that included being sick, my parents literally being snowed-in to Marquette, Karen having someone hitting her car and of course the sled dog races. The UP 200 was a blast and I think my family enjoyed it. In other news, we debuted a new board game last night at WNSC called "Colosseum," which was pretty darn good. But, you probably want the games. Also you might notice that my CD's I'm looking for has went down by one as Karen rocked and purchased Kanye West's "Graduation" for me. Thanks to her for that... Here we go!

13. Mario Kart 64 (64)
Mario Kart 64 remains one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences ever. While the SNES debuted the Mario Kart series, it wasn't until the the awesome four player experience of the 64 that people really gave it the respect it deserves. The ability to select 8 people (remember kids, fat characters have the advantage in bumping other players) and drive on 16 tracks was enough to put gamers into heaven. Great level design on tracks such as Bowser's Castle, Koopa Troopa Beach and of course Wario Stadium allowed for many hours of racing fun.
But it wasn't just about the racing. Mario Kart 64 also contained worthwhile battle modes. One time, Joe Yang, Brett Schalk and myself once played 100 games of battle in a row. I forget who won, I believe we all ended up in the 30's for victory, so it must have been close. I do remember that I was grounded by my parents at the time (think of how long 100 three player games of battle mode takes), but it was worth it just to have the memory. Fun Fact: If you look at the picture of the character select, I just found out that Magikoopa was originally going to replace Donkey Kong in the series. Good thing they didn't...

12. Resident Evil: REmake (GC)
All the way up at number twelve comes the Gamecube remake of Resident Evil or more commonly called Resident Evil: REmake. Get it? RE stands for Resident Evil and "remake" starts with "re"! Oh the funniness ensues! Anyway, after you get done laughing about that, see what this game has going for it. The original Resident Evil for the Playstation One was a huge his and basically evolved the horror genre of video games. Capcom went all out for Gamecube owners. Not only did the game get a complete graphical overhaul (and a visual feast of one at that) but it also had branching storylines and the best feature of all--reincarnation.
If you've ever played a Resident Evil (0-3 at least) you know that there are basically two ways to kill the zombies: 1) either damage them enough that they simply "pass out" in death, or 2) destroy the head directly. When they redid this masterpiece they decided to make a slight change in system. Why would simply damaging the body do enough to put a zombie down for the count? After a while in the game you come across storerooms full of gasoline cans...but what could they be for? If you kill a zombie in REmake, you better make sure you destroy the head OR BURN THE FRIGGIN' BODY! If you fail to burn the body, the zombies come back as "Crimson Heads" zombies with red skin that are faster, tougher, and generally wreck havoc on the player. They are so scary--always carry your lighter and gasoline around the mansion if...you have the room to hold them in your inventory. Solid, solid game.

UP NEXT: The final NES game and the final PS2 game. What could they be?!