30 Games That Made Me Who I Am: 1991

In the last five years, we’ve made it from Final Fantasy I all the way to Final Fantasy IV. Dang, they sure could churn those things out back in the day. In contrast… to the more recent development cycles. Final Fantasy IV (or what we in the US knew as Final Fantasy II) was the first of the series on the SNES, a system that eased a ton of the limitations imposed on the previous games. Those black backgrounds during the battles that seemed so horrifying to me back then? Gone. More things could be going on in a scene, the colors

30 Games That Made Me Who I Am: 1990

Here we are at the end of the NES’ reign. The final NES game on this list is also my absolute favorite on the system, and in my opinion maybe the greatest action RPG ever. The visuals might be dated, the mechanics might be way simplistic, but to this day there are only a handful of videogames that can bring me to tears by the end — and one of those games is Crystalis. Final Fantasy and Mario 3 made me feel fear, sure. But fear is primal, and scaring a child is easy. How many games, on the other

30 Games That Made Me Who I Am: 1987

I was born in November of 1987. I opened my eyes on a world where Star Trek: The Next Generation had just premiered. RoboCop, Predator, and Spaceballs were brand-spanking-new. The Princess Bride was still in theaters. And the Zelda, Metroid, and Castlevania franchises had all debuted their first installment in the US within just the last few months. What I’m saying is that 1987 was a magical time for a nerd like me, even if I wasn’t old enough yet to know it — old enough to watch TV, play videogames, or… to lift my own dumb head, actually. To me though, 1987 is,

The First Fantasy

We started right here, videogames and I. Seems like the proper place to begin the journey into blogging as well. You see, the first videogame I ever remember seeing — in fact, one of the earliest experiences that I can remember with any sort of clarity — was this one: Final Fantasy. It was the first chapter of a love story. Maybe just the prologue, actually. Let me paint you a picture. I’m four years old — maybe five. I’m sitting cross-legged at the edge of my brother’s bed while he and our older brother huddle around a tiny TV.