all time favorite video games 34-31

Welcome to the Friday edition of Northern Comfort's special video game countdown. Some good titles again today (at least in MY opinion!) ranging from the early days of the NES to a recent title for the PC...

34. Super Mario Galaxy (WII)
Gorgeous graphics and a new theme met Mario in his debut for the Wii. A single land like Super Mario Bros.? Too small. An entire world like Super Mario World? Still not big enough. In this game Mario and pals graduate into an entire Galaxy. A really, really, fun Galaxy. The game dynamics were completed overhauled allowing you to run around planets, fly, walk on walls, walk upside down, go inside a planet, and anything else you can think of. I hadn't enjoyed a Mario game anywhere near this much in a long time. And the game introduced some new concepts to the series as well: new characters(!), the ability to find hidden challenges within the stages, unlockable challenges later in the game, and the ability to complete the game a second time on harder difficulty with Luigi as the star. How they managed to cram all of this into a game and still make it feel nostalgic and comforting to old school Mario players speaks volumes about Nintendo's ability to handle their flagship franchises.

33. Tetris (NES)
Tetris was designed by some guy in Russia who probably was good at organizing the boxes in his closet and cashed in on a good idea. Certainly not the most intellectually stimulating game on the market two decades ago, your Tetris skills still represented your reputation as a video game player. Could you break 100 lines? How about 150? 200? As the pieces went faster and faster the difficulty intensified. Accompanied by frenzied music that doubled the tempo when you were about to lose, finding that elusive four long straight block could drive you nuts. I remember as a kid being confused renting video games when it came to Tetris. In a move that would never happen today, there were not one, not two, but three versions of Tetris on the market at the same time. I liked to call them the "gold version," the "purple version," and the "blue version." To my recollection they were all the same exact game--but I own one, so maybe my memory is clouded here.

32. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (N64)
Two questions assaulted gamers when Ocarina of time debuted. The lesser question--how would Zelda work as a 3rd person, fully 3-D adventure game? The bigger question--what the hell was an Ocarina? My friends and I used to joke about a commercial that was playing on TV at the time involving some chap named "Yablo" who was, as the commercial professed, the master of the ocarina. Master? Master Sword, anyone? Ocarina? Ocarina of time? Hmm... I suspect either this is one of the most random coincidences of all time--or NINTENDO WAS BEHIND THIS YABLO CHAP AND WERE SENDING OUT SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES!
It worked. Ocarina of time was the first game I would call an immersive adventure. The world was so large you couldn't fathom that it could take 10-20 minutes to go from corner to corner of the overworld. The ability to go back in forth in time to Link as a young kid meeting Zelda and then morph to present day to see Link as an adult allowed for an engaging storyline. The introduction of Gannon as Gannondorf, who was more human than previously imagined, which only made him even damn cooler. Amazing and breathtaking graphics and more hidden things than you could possibly find (skulltellas, anyone?), this game had it all. The age of 2 1/2D Zelda games was dead and 3D was here to stay. (And before anyone says it, Four Swords Adventures does not count) Just as Metroid, I have to wonder if we will ever get another old school Zelda game.

31. Civilization IV (PC)
If you own a computer, and I'm guessing if you are reading this you do, go out and buy this game. Come back in a week and keep reading for you will probably play Civ IV nonstop for about seven days. This is a simply wonderful game. The mechanics of programming must be a nightmare for the amount of stuff that is going on both on the screen and in your cities. Whereas in old Civ games you could win either A-conquering the world or B-being the first to land a spaceship on a planet near Alpha Centauri, this game upped the ante and provided at least six ways to win the game. Can we dominate with culture? Yes we can! Can we dominate with religion? Yes we can! Can we dominate with trade and commerce? Yes we can! How about a diplomatic victory? Yes we can! Methinks Obama would like this game's attitude towards freedom. For me the biggest thrill was the culture. Imagine a game where you could concentrate on building your city to be the best it can be. I know, been there done that. Now, imagine that if you city is doing well you should begin to exert some influence around the lands around you, yes? That is exactly what the fun mechanic of this game is all about. You can convert other cities and surrounding lands to your cause simply by using theaters, mass media, and other devices. A game that allows you crush your enemy without throwing a single punch is pretty special. Of course that doesn't mean the Mongolians are going to sit by idly while your free society preaches its values to their people. Maybe we should build some soldiers just in case. Oh yeah, and there's that whole relive time through the ages/build world wonders/explore the world for the first time aspect as well. This game rocks. Buy it.

UP NEXT: Wow--how did the greatest game of all time get seeded with two survival horror games? No idea, but should be an awesome entry in the next edition!

Some other dude's number 1. The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time (LIVE ACTION)
Boy do I wish I had the balls do this and put it on the Internet. I mean I love the Zelda games and all, but damn. All you Playstation, XBox and Sega fans just look on the ideal citizens that are Nintendo fans. Feast your eyes upon his awesome shield. Turn your gaze to his sword of power. Set your stare on his amazing...tights? Yikes. Moving on.