With 2009 coming to a close I have decided to review my favorite games of 1989, 1999, and 2009. I decided on doing these three years instead of just 2009 because the Leet and Luscious blog reviews games from all different generations. You might see some of these games as a real review from me later, but for now, here’s a short synapsis of why they are my favorites of each year.
1989 –Mother
I have not played very much of Mother (released on the Famicom), but it is often called EarthBound Zero (as it is the prelude to Earthbound) and EarthBound is, without a doubt, in my top three favorite video games of all time. Mother is an RPG that, unlike most RPG’s, takes place in modern time, fighting with things like baseball bats and psychic powers instead of swords and magic. Mother is a fun twist on a much loved game style filled with funny dialogue, likable characters, and atypical RPG elements.
1999 – Harvest Moon 64
Harvest Moon 64 is arguably the greatest in the Harvest Moon series. The game (found on the N64) starts off with you waking up to find you have been left with your grandfather’s wake which is full of weeds and is quite unsightly. You start by cleaning all of the junk on your plot of land, and then you start farming, gathering livestock (for the winter months) and renovating your h ouse. You also have to plant a flower garden because you want to make one of the girls in the town fall in love with you (my favorite girl from all of the Harvest Moon games is Elli, and she is one of the girls you can marry in Harvest Moon 64). There are town events such as dances, races, and festivals that you can go to as well. Although not for everyone, this game is very addicting, and if you’ve got the urge to build a farm, Harvest Moon 64 is a much better choice than FarmVille!
1999 – Crash Team Racing
Crash Team Racing was probably my favorite game as a child. It was released for the original Play Station, and contains five different playing styles: adventure, time trial, arcade, versus (my favorite), and battle. This racing style game has fifteen playable characters, and your job is to race for Earth so that Nitros Oxide (the villain) doesn’t turn Earth into a concrete parking lot and enslave all the Earthlings. Although this game is very similar to games such as MarioKart, I find Crash Team Racing especially fun because of the characters, the maps, and the power ups.
2009 – Trials HD
This game, that can be found on the Xbox 360 arcade, is a physics-based motorcycle game. You have to conquer balance and skill with Trials HD, and even though you’re on a 2-D plane, you end up all over the map. One of the best parts of this game is all the random hidden goodies. I’ve run into squirrels falling on top of my head creating an instant crash, gigantic bowling pins randomly placed in a room (knocking them down is an achievement) and a hidden door that if you land in a specific cart you end up falling into a dumpster full of explosives. Trials HD is an experience, in physics, time trials, explosives, and skills. This game is probably the most worth-while arcade game the Xbox 360 has to offer.
2009 – The Sims 3
Sometimes called a virtual dollhouse, The Sims is a game that you virtually “play God” and control the lives of families that you have created on your PC and (now!) Mac. I have enjoyed The Sims since I was about 10, and The Sims 3 is a really cool upgrade from what the original Sims used to be. Now Sims can go wherever they want in town without pause which adds a cool aspect of not having to stare at the same house for the whole duration of game play (this used to cause me to cheat for money and just re-do my Sims house over and over again). There are more infrequent bathroom breaks, skills that they can acquire, an online marketplace, greater customization, and a more sophisticated psychological system. I can’t wait to get the expansion packs for this game – they truly made one of my favorite classic games modern and more fun. It’s a wonder how we used to play The Sims the old way!
2009 – Gardening Mama
About 3 months before this game came out, I thought to myself “I would love a gardening game, I wonder why they haven’t released one yet.” Although, I was considering one more educational than Gardening Mama, I was ecstatic when I found out about this game. I am a sucker for anything that has to do with Mama and the adorable style of games she hosts, but Gardening Mama, for me, tops them all. In Gardening Mama (found on the DS), you are in charge of maintaining a garden, and when things start to wilt, need pruning or just need some love, Mama’s friends alert you so you can tend to your plants. Gardening Mama has so many fun unlockable customization features like different clothes for Mama and different decorations to place around your garden. This game is especially fun to just pick up as you do not have to remember a story line and your plants don’t go bad when you’re away from the game. Gardening Mama, for me, is not only my favorite game of 2009, but quite possibly one of my favorite games of all time.
I hope everyone has a great New Year's and a fantastic decade to come!
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