(Note: I originally published this article on Bits ‘n’ Bytes Gaming on March 10, 2011.)

If you read my article about being a Pokémon Master, you know that I am well-versed in the field of Pocket Monsters. I’ve poured hundreds of hours into each game, catching over 493 monsters, beating thirty-four Gym Leaders, and becoming the Champion of four different regions. I know what I’m talking about when it comes to Pokémon. Therefore, you can take it on good authority when I say that Black and White are by far the best entries in the Pokémon series.

Anyone who immediately brushes these games off as more of the same is sorely mistaken and will be missing out on the biggest leap forward the franchise has taken since it first prompted us to catch ‘em all over fifteen years ago.

By now you’ve read reviews discussing things like the Triple Battles and Rotation Battles… I’m not going to bother covering that. They’ve been detailed countless times since the Japanese launch and I’m not going to be able to tell you something you don’t already know. Both add a fresh take on the battle system and are certainly fun, but I don’ t really see them being embraced by the hardcore battling community. However, if you’re the kind of person to whom the words “No items, Final Destination” mean anything, then you’ll get a kick out of them. They’re a blast.

Staying with the battles for a moment, I have to say that the addition of animations to the battle system completely surprised me. I didn’t think they’d add very much to the experience, but having the Pokémon move around a bit really makes the battles more dynamic. They’ve also added a panning and zooming camera and sped the battles up a bit, so battles are now more intense and a lot more fun to look at.

They’ve also gotten rid of the annoying “low health” beep and had the music change when your Pokémon’s health is in the red, which, again, is a small detail, but it really just makes everything feel that much tighter.

The social aspects of the game have also been GREATLY expanded, giving you more multiplayer options than ever before. Now, as an added bonus, you don’t even need to be in a Pokémon Center to access multiplayer content; the new C-Gear, located on the touch screen, allows you to go into Infrared, Wireless or Wi-Fi options from anywhere in the game world.

Pokémon Black and White take place in the Unova region, a brand new region filled with never-before-seen Pokémon. Unlike the previous regions, which were based on different parts of Japan, Unova takes its inspiration from New York City, and as a result Unova feels very different from any place you’ve ventured before in the Pokémon world. They’ve really amped up their field design, because Unova feels so much more alive than Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh.

The cities are much more convincing than in the older games, which usually had about five buildings and four people walking around outside. The cities are much larger and vary in architecture and have plenty of NPCs milling about, giving Unova a very distinct personality and culture. From the suburban feel of Striaton City to the bustling metropolis of Castelia City, each stop on your journey provides a unique flavor.

Even the external designs of the Gyms themselves differ from city to city, and each one is housed inside a different establishment. Striaton City’s Gym is also a restaurant while its Leaders are waiters, Nacrene City’s Gym Leader is a curator whose Gym is in the back of a museum, and Nimbasa City’s Gym is inside of a roller coaster.

It’s no secret that the Pokémon games aren’t going to be winning any awards for graphics, but the artists at Game Freak have really done well for themselves this time around. The first time I crossed Sky Arrow Bridge and entered Castelia City, my jaw dropped the entire time. Dynamic camera angles coupled with some simply brilliant music make Black and White the most cinematic games in the series.

The storyline of the games has been a very pleasant surprise as well. Sure, you pick a starter Pokémon, earn eight Gym Badges and challenge the Elite Four. It’s not all you have going on this time, though; an organization called Team Plasma is wreaking havoc along the way, but not in a bumbling Team Rocket manner. Headed by mysterious sages and a man known only as N, Team Plasma is out to free Pokémon from their human masters.

I found it very interesting that the Pokémon games, which are built on the idea of catching them all, would challenge the morality of that very concept in their games. I also found it a bit amusing that this storyline takes place in the games colored Black and White, since the issue at hand is anything but.

(One nitpick, though: Team Plasma, who are against the ideas of humans catching Pokémon? Guess what: they’re all Pokémon Trainers as well! I know they have to be from a gameplay standpoint, but still…)

The playable characters are also older this time, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old rather than the traditional ten-year-old Trainers of the past. I never had a problem with the characters before, but aging them a bit did make them more relatable for me.

You’ll also run into two recurring characters frequently, your best friends Cheren and Bianca, who start their Pokémon journeys the same time as you. Cheren basically serves the “rival” role this time around, but he’s much more supportive than antagonistic (and he reminds me of Uryuu Ishida from the anime Bleach). I found Bianca to be perhaps the most endearing character in the entire franchise, and her personal story about growing up and how we deal with what is expected of us is surprisingly touching and profound for a game series that has, until now, focused little on character development.

Of course, with a new Pokémon game comes new Pokémon, and 156 new creatures are making their debut, the most since the original 150 were introduced in the original Red and Blue duo, bringing the grand total up to 649 monsters.

The main draw of any Pokémon game is, of course, the new Pokémon themselves, and the designs this time around are awesome. Of course, there’s the three cute starters (who grow substantially less cute as they evolve) Snivy, Tepig, and Oshawott, but there’s tons more. Game Freak wisely made the decision to include ONLY new Pokémon until you beat the game, making it really feel like a fresh experience, forcing you to get to know the new roster without stubbornly sticking to your old favorites. Some of my personal favorites (and this list is abbreviated, I like a whole lot of them!) include Woobat, Crustle, Lillipup, Golurk, Gigalith, Seismitoad, Darmantian, Trubbish, Garbodor, and probably my new top favorites, Scraggy and Scrafty.

Game Freak and Nintendo said they set out to create a Pokémon game that would not only attract new players, but entice players who had perhaps not played a Pokémon game since Red and Blue to give the series another go, and I think they nailed it. They got rid of a lot of the annoying “artificial challenges” of the old games and added little things here and there to keep you going (certain trainers, when defeated, will now heal your Pokémon when you talk to them, saving you a long hike back to a Pokémon Center), and of course the storyline and new Pokémon will be exciting for older players.

I can’t say enough good things about this game. Even I, the huge fan that I am, was almost expecting Black and White to be another verse in the same song, and I was blown away by just how fresh it feels. If you have any interest, even the tiniest inkling, in Pokémon at all, you owe it to yourself to pick up Pokémon Black or Pokémon White. There’s never been a better time to jump back in and start your journey anew.

So for a long time now I’ve been wanting to get a group of people together to play Pokémon. I’ve missed having a group of people to swap strategies with, discuss different movesets and lineups, and battle with. An informal Facebook and Twitter poll later, and I introduce to you, the PK-Mon League.

(C’mon. You know that title is awesome.)

Taking place on the forums, it’s going to be a way for Pokémon fans to enjoy the finer points of the game with other people who are just as into it. With Black and White a little over a week from release, now is as good a time as any to jump back in!

I want to write about Dragon Quest IX, because Dragon Quest IX is awesome.

I’ve never been super into the Dragon Quest series. I’ve always appreciated it from afar, mostly because Akira Toriyama is my favorite artist and I’ve always loved his character and monster designs. I was always more of a Final Fantasy guy, because I got into Final Fantasy first.

I found a GameCrazy that had Dragon Quest VII used and I planned on buying it until they handed me the game in a sleeve and told me that they threw away all their game cases to save room. When Dragon Quest VIII came out for the PS2, I bought it, played it and loved it, but I never finished it because it was LOOOOOOONG. I was younger and a bit more impatient then, anyway.

Now that Dragon Quest IX is out, I am so into it it’s not even funny. I usually hate portable RPGs, Pokémon and Final Fantasy III DS aside, but I honestly can’t put the game down. To give you an idea of how hooked on it I am, it’s actually made me stop playing World of Warcraft. Yeah.

Plotwise, it’s your typical Dragon Quest fare. You have a goal pretty much from the outset of the game, and by going to a town, solving its problem, and moving to the town to solve THEIR problem, you get yourself closer to whatever’s threatening the world (I’m only about 20 hours in with a lot of exploring so I don’t even know who’s threatening the world at this point). The battles are traditional and turn-based, and the skill system is nothing to write home about.

And therein lies Dragon Quest IX’s appeal: in an age where games are trying to be so sophisticated, so heavy and so complex, Dragon Quest is familiar. It’s a love letter to the days when an RPG was about stats, not mastering a battle system that requires you to learn about 20 new words made up just for the game and manage another five point systems. If you’ve played a JRPG before, you’ll have no problem getting into DQIX.

People will moan about how the Dragon Quest series refuses to evolve, but the people who are complaining aren’t really the people that the series is made for. If you want an RPG series that reinvents the wheel with every installment, play Final Fantasy. If you want traditional, time-honored gameplay mechanics, play Dragon Quest. As I grow increasingly detached from the Final Fantasy series, I find myself inching closer to the Slime-filled side of the fence.

Like I said before, Akira Toriyama is my favorite artist, so I love the character creation system. It’s very easy to use the tools given to you to create some of his famous characters (It’s really easy to make about half the cast of Dragon Ball) but I really enjoyed creating a party that was unique. I’m always much more engaged in a game when I can design the characters myself (which is part of why I enjoy MMOs) and it’s definitely made my copy of DQIX feel like it’s my own specific adventure.

There are a variety of classes to choose from as well, from RPG staples like warrior, mage and priest to things like minstrel, martial artist and superstar. Each character can switch jobs whenever they like, so you can build up characters with a variety of skills.

Piggybacking on top of that is the fact that you can see all armor on your character. Whatever you equip is actually what your character will be wearing on the world map and in battle. This is cool, because as you level you’ll be coming across better and nicer looking armor, but at the beginning of the game you look like Ye Olde Gap exploded all over you.

My party: Zeth the hero, Quan the martial artist, Starsha the priest and Kyte the mage. Forgive the bad quality, you can’t expect much taking pictures of a DS screen with a cell phone.

One big addition to DQIX is the multiplayer. It’s kind of weird to be playing a turn-based RPG in a multiplayer setting, but it’s actually pretty fun. Christina and I would hook up and go hunting for Metal Slimes, monsters that give a huge amount of experience points when you defeat them. The great part about multiplayer is that the players don’t need to stay together, so we could split up to cover more ground, then when one of us found one, we’d regroup and reap the rewards.

The Dragon Quest series has never caught on in America the same way it has in Japan (where each new installment has to be released on a weekend to keep people from calling out of school or work), so it’s nice to see Nintendo putting so much effort into advertising it. Unlike in Japan where Square Enix is publishing it, it’s published by Nintendo here in the States. I’ve seen two different TV commercials starring Seth Green, and both of them were funny. The Nintendo Channel on the Wii also has a series of videos, including two “Iwata Asks” segments with series creator Yuuji Horii and two full episodes of Nintendo Week dedicated to discussing the game.

It’s a really solid game that does everything right. I played my copy for about an hour before Christina decided she wanted it too (she’d never played a Dragon Quest since the first one on the NES) so it’s definitely got appeal to series newcomers. I really have a hard time putting it down, so if you’re on the fence, definitely pick it up.

I am going to try, most likely in vain, to use mere mortal words to describe Nintendo’s E3 press conference today.

Ahem.

It was freakin’ awesome.

It was nothing but absolute wonderful news from start to finish, the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles full to the rafters with amazing and exciting announcements. They made Microsoft look like a joke. Well, more than Microsoft did by themselves.

We saw the new Zelda for the Wii, Skyward Sword. Gorgeous, colorful worlds, blending the design of Twilight Princess with the cel-shaded color of Wind Waker. Mario Sports Mix, a compilation of volleyball, hockey, dodgeball and basketball all starring Nintendo’s plumber and his colorful cohorts. Wii Party, which is Mario Party minus Mario plus Miis. The return of Goldeneye. Disney’s Epic Mickey. The irresistibly charming Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Retro studios taking the reigns of Donkey Kong Country Returns.

All amazing games with literally something for everyone. This was before they even whipped out the big enchilada.

The Nintendo 3DS.

What’s it launching with?

A NEW KID ICARUS GAME. OH HELL YEAH.

The 3DS itself looks absolutely slick. The DS Lite and DSi are both great designs for a handheld, and the 3DS manages to look just as good. This time around we have an analog stick, which is a welcome addition. It even has a 3D camera on the outside, allowing you to take a picture of something and immediately view it in 3D on your screen.

Unfortunately, the 3D effect can’t be conveyed through video or pictures, but hands-on reports from the show all confirm that it works, and it works very very well. I can’t wait for the chance to see it hands-on. They didn’t announce a release date, but the document leaked a few months ago said holiday 2010. I doubt it’ll be that early, but I imagine it’s going to be sooner rather than later.

What games have been announced and shown for the 3DS? Metal Gear Solid. Resident Evil. Nintendogs + Cats. Animal Crossing. Mario Kart. PILOTWINGS. A remake of Star Fox 64. Professor Layton. Kingdom Hearts. Many others.

Including a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time!

I am DYING for a 3DS right now. They set out to make it a must-own device and they have succeeded in SPADES.

The entire show was just spectacular. There was nothing that didn’t leave me impressed. This wasn’t like last year where they wasted time having Cammie Dunaway show off James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club for the DS. Oh no. Nintendo was swinging for the fences on this one, and they knocked it out of the park.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword really doesn’t need me to explain much. It’s Zelda, we all know we’re going to love it. The graphics are amazing, though. The thing with Twilight Princess was that it was just too drab, all brown and yellow and gray. They’ve taken the older Link and put him in a colorful world more akin to the Zelda titles of old, and I think it works much better than their previous release. It requires the Wii Motion Plus, which they’re using in very cool ways. Enemies will block your attacks from certain angles and you’ll need to adjust your swings accordingly. Deku Babas will have mouths that open either horizontally or vertically, and you need to slice the direction of their open maw. It all looked well put together and I can’t wait to play it.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn was the surprise of the show for me and honestly it might have been the game that impressed me the most that wasn’t 3D. Kirby, as a yarn outline, jumping around a world made out of cloth and fabric that he can manipulate via zippers and buttons? He can change into things like a car, a UFO, and a giant robot? Yes please.

I was super stoked to see Donkey Kong Country Returns, and even more stoked to hear Retro Studios was behind it. They far exceeded everyone’s expectations with the Metroid Prime series and I expect they’ll do the same with Donkey Kong. The familiar music and sound effects went very well with the updated visuals, and I liked the new team-up moves that DK and Diddy were performing in the trailer.

Really, Nintendo absolutely won E3 this year. Who said they forgot about their core audience? In one E3, we have new Zelda, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Star Fox, and Kid Icarus games, plus a fantastic new piece of hardware. What more can you ask for?

Okay, so yesterday I downloaded the best game ever to my DSi. Photo Dojo is the raddest thing to ever rad its way out of radtown. Photo Dojo is the simplest of beat-em-ups, but what makes it so great is you play as yourself!

Photo Dojo is available on the DSi shop right now for free, and will go up to 200 DSi points soon, which is still a fantastic bargain. Seriously, go download this right now.

I’m 26 years old. I walk around with a Pokéball clipped to my pocket.

Well, not a Pokéball per se, but a Pokéwalker, the Pokémon-themed pedometer Nintendo has packed in with every copy of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver for the Nintendo DS. You send one of your monsters from your DS game into the Pokéball-shaped device, and as you walk you earn experience points as well as Watts, which you can use to try to find rare Pokémon and items. There are numerous courses you can walk, each one with different Pokémon and items to find.

I had been VERY eagerly awaiting HeartGold and SoulSilver for a very long time leading up to their release, and I never really thought much of the Pokéwalker. I thought it was a neat little device, but I didn’t really plan on using it much, if at all, because I didn’t think it would really add much to the game.

Heh, was I wrong. Now I never leave the house without it.

I’ve used the Pokéwalker every single day since about two days after I purchased the game. I turned it on just to test it out, and try to level my Cyndaquil when Christina and I went into the city for the day. It was fun, and I always enjoy having a gadget to fiddle with whenever my immediate surroundings aren’t keeping me entertained.

When we went to PAX, though, we realized just how fun and social the Pokéwalker is.

EVERYONE had one. Enforcers. Panelists. Men. Women. Boys. Girls. EVERYONE.

I wasn’t aware of it at first, but you can link Pokéwalkers with someone else. You get a little animation of your two Pokémon playing together, and you each get an item based on your course. When you link your Pokéwalker back to your DS, everyone you linked with appears in the Trainer House in Viridian City, where you can battle the team they had on them when they last connected to their Pokéwalker.

Huge groups of people would converge when they would spot other people with Pokéwalkers, and the resulting web of arms reaching over and across other people seemed weird at first, but I like to think of it as some kind of special embrace we all shared.

Until PAX I kept my Pokéwalker in a small cloth bag in my pocket, because I’m a huge loser and I’m always afraid my stuff is going to get scratched up. When we got ready to attend Anime Boston last weekend, I attached the belt clip to my Pokéwalker and kept it clipped to my shorts pocket, so I could be more easily identifiable as a Pokéwalker-carryin’ cool guy.

While we were on the train on our way to Boston’s Hynes Convention Center, a guy probably about my age sitting next to me (I was standing, since the train was packed, which is pretty much always the case whenever you take the Green Line) was like “Hey, you’ve got a Pokéwalker!” He reached into his backpack and pulled out one of his own. My Koffing and his Bellsprout had an adventure. He linked with Christina too, and we both got good items.

Then when we actually got to the convention, it was just like PAX. Two people would pull them out to connect, passersby would notice and pull out their own, and soon it was the typical arm spaghetti as everyone tried to make sure they linked with everyone else. Hey, we even linked Pokéwalkers with Missingo!

What I figured was an afterthought and a cheap gimmick has turned out to be one of my favorite features of the new Pokémon games. Now whenever I go out, I have my Pokéwalker clipped to my pocket (except when I’m at work, then it’s INSIDE my pocket because hey, I gotta be professional) so everyone can see, and I can hopefully catch the attention of someone else in our Awesome Pokéwalker Club.

Everyone, wear your Pokéwalkers with pride!

So Nintendo announced a new handheld today. The world recoiled with shock!

Not really. Nintendo is always releasing a new handheld. Honestly though, they’re really good at making handhelds, so it’s okay.

If you’ve been paying attention to any of the gaming news blogs today, you know that Nintendo announced via their Japanese web site that there’s a new handheld on the way, tentatively titled the Nintendo 3DS. The console is going to use its two screens to create a 3D effect without the use of glasses. It’s going to be an all new line of handhelds, similar to how the Game Boy Advance was the successor to the original Game Boy.

If you remember a while back, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata was quoted in Asahi Shinbum that their next handheld would feature rumble and motion sensing technology, which Nintendo vehemently denied afterwards. Both of those features are to be included on the 3DS.

Now, when Nintendo first announced the DS way back when, I thought it was a horrible idea. I thought the two screens would be a gimmick at best, but once the system launched I quickly ate my words. I’ve bought the Phat, the Lite, and last week, the DSi. It’s a fantastic system, and between cargo pockets or a messenger bag, it goes everywhere with me.

That’s why I’m looking at the 3DS with a lot of optimism. Nintendo is not the kind of company to half-ass a new piece of hardware. If they’re going to replace the DS, they’re replacing it because they’ve got something amazing.

Kotaku posted a short video today of Japanese DSiWare titled 3D Hidden Picture, a game that uses the Dsi’s cameras to track movement and shift the perspective of the image accordingly. It’s very impressive, and the thought of an entire system built around something like that is very impressive. Imagine the environment not being a box like in the video and playing something like Zelda, where you can rotate your system to take in the scenery. Or even something like a stealth game, where you need to rotate the system to peek around corners. Holy crap, imagine linking the system to a stealth game on Wii, and using the 3DS as some kind of gadget to let you look around corners and hack into security cameras. THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.

People are already yelling “GIMMICK GIMMICK” and saying it’s going to fail, but let me remind you that people are stupid and I’m always right. Nintendo has come out with some ideas that have been pretty bonkers and outside the box these past few years, and they’ve all worked. Ignore the people who say things like “My Wii has an inch of dust on it” because those people are apparently too cool for school and forgot how to have fun. They’re too worried about what Johnny Internet is going to think if they’re not hardcore.

We don’t know much about the 3DS now, and we won’t until E3. Until then, I’m pleased with what I know so far, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how it’s all implemented. I’d suggest everyone put down their torches and pitchforks until then.

Anyway, these are 25 games that I feel encapsulate everything that was great about the 2000s (what the hell ARE we calling those years, anyway?). It’s weird, because some of my favorite games are pretty low on the list, or not on the list at all. I tried to be somewhat objective and choose games that brought something new to the table and advanced the medium in some way, not just games that I thought were rad.

These games are pretty rad, though.

Anyway, on with the list. I’m detailing #25 through #11 tonight, with the top ten coming tomorrow. Let me know what you think!

Rayman Raving Rabbids – Ubisoft, Wii, 2006

Rayman Raving Rabbids is pure, unadulterated fun. It’s fun boiled down to its purest essence, as if you were to take it to a refinery and then inject it directly into your veins. Yeah, it’s a minigame compilation, but it was one of the first for Wii and it just WORKS. The games are diverse and fun, and all use the Wiimote to its fullest potential, which is an impressive feat for a launch game. Plus this game is what introduced as all to the Rabbids, who have already cemented themselves as Gaming Icons™. The game should be on this list due to that alone.

Okami – Clover Studios, PlayStation 2, 2006

Okami does Zelda almost as good as Zelda does. Take a fascinating story based on Shinto mythology, add some very innovative special abilities, and dress it all up in graphics that make the world look like a living, breathing painting. It’s a shame Capcom shut down Clover studios shortly after its release, as that team could have done some amazing things in the future.

Super Smash Bros Brawl – Nintendo, Wii, 2008

While it’s not exactly innovative, Brawl is the ultimate Nintendo fanwank. Gobs and gobs of Nintendo characters new and old (some playable, some as cameos) take the solid gameplay and dip it in liquid gold. Then it fills it with chocolate. I don’t really need to describe Smash Bros. You know it and you love it.

I made sure to put Brawl on this list and not Melee for the SOLE PURPOSE of annoying the “true fans” who whine and moan that Brawl is “too slow” or whatever, when really it just fixed all the glitches they’d exploit to show off in front of their loser friends. Bite me, jerks.

Kingdom Hearts – Squaresoft, PlayStation 2, 2002

Disney is the chocolate and Final Fantasy is the peanut butter in this delicious mashup. So many people cried foul when this game was announced, claiming it was “too kiddy,” but what they finally got was a solid action RPG with a deep, surprisingly dark story that no one would expect from the House of Mouse. Then Kingdom Hearts II came along and effed it all up with its trenchcoat nonsense.

No More Heroes – Grasshopper Manufacture, Wii, 2008

If someone told me to describe No More Heroes in one word, I would punch them in the face because who the hell are they to impose restrictions on me? Then I’d hand them a dictionary, tell them to look up every word that means the same thing as “incredible” (which I guess would be easier if I gave them a thesaurus, but whatever), then add all those words together. Seriously, No More Heroes has so much style I think my Wii overheated. Over-the-top action and one of the best damn casts of characters video games has ever seen make this a game you CANNOT ignore.

BioShock – 2K Games, Xbox 360, 2007

BioShock made me have to pee. It’s because of all the water, not because it’s scary.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – BioWare, Xbox, 2003

BioWare’s name is now synonymous with the western-style RPG, and it’s because KotOR was such a fantastic game. The game is set 4,000 years before the movies so the plot wasn’t restricted by any continuity issues, and oh man did they craft a great story. Every character has a life story to tell you if you’re interested, and the moral choices that have become BioWare’s calling card affect the plot so much the entire story will be different depending on how you talk to people. Plus it has Wookiees! Grraaaaarrrrggghh.

Pokémon Gold/Silver – Nintendo, Game Boy Color, 2000

TECHNICALLY these came out in 1999, but they didn’t come out in North America until 2000 so I’m counting them. Nintendo took a mega successful game, created a vastly improved sequel, and turned it into a franchise. G/S added so many things to the mix – genders, breeding, the day/night cycle, held items – that it blew its predecessor away. While the Pokémon train is still barreling along at top speed, no game has managed to improve on its predecessor the way G/S did. Here’s hoping the upcoming remakes for the DS recapture some of their spirit.

Resident Evil 4 – Capcom, GameCube, 2005

What do you do when your zombie series is starting to die a slow death and rot away like the monsters it features? Do a complete reboot! Resident Evil 4 ditched the problems that plagued the first few games in the series, like the controls, and made a game focused more on action and tension than cheap scares. As a result, Resident Evil 4 was one of the few games to ever be released in the beginning of any given year and still be remembered at the end of the year when all the awards are given out.

Silent Hill 2 – Team Silent, PlayStation 2, 2001

THIS is survival horror. It’s so hard to describe Silent Hill 2… it’s like a beautiful nightmare. It’s genuinely frightening, and as you delve deeper into the twisted town and learn more about the haunting plot, it’s an internal struggle between putting the controller down because you’re scared, or pressing on and solving the mysteries laid before you. The bitter tale of James and Mary Sunderland is STILL praised as one of the best gaming has ever seen, nine years later. Plus, hey, Pyramid Head.

The World Ends With You – Square Enix, Nintendo DS, 2008

Originality? From Square Enix? I know, I was surprised too. But TWEWY, as the cool kids call it, is unlike anything else ever released. It captures the hip, fashion-centric culture of Shibuya and blends it with a supernatural story starring genuinely likable characters. The battles make use of both the DS’ screens, and you control the top screen character with the d-pad and the touch screen character with the stylus. It’s absolutely crazy, but the game is as solid as they come.

Super Mario Galaxy – Nintendo, Wii, 2007

Super Mario Galaxy isn’t as good as Super Mario 64, but it comes pretty damn close. Much better than Super Mario Sunshine, Galaxy recaptures the essence of exploration and freedom that define the Mario series. The music and graphics rival the Wii’s HD competitors as well.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – Nintendo, GameCube, 2003

“ZELDA? MORE LIKE CELDA AHAHAHAHA” was all you heard in the year leading up the release of Wind Waker, once again proving that people who don’t like Nintendo are stupid jerks. The cel-shaded graphics of Wind Waker added a fun, playful aesthetic to the game, recalling the feel of the first Zelda and A Link to the Past. Sailing everywhere sucked, but the rest of the game was fun.

Phantasy Star Online – Sonic Team, Dreamcast, 2001

PSO introduced the unwashed console masses to online gaming. So what if it was full of cheaters, hackers, perverts and assholes? It was SO MUCH FUN. I have NEVER had so much fun repeating the same four levels for hundreds of hours like I did with PSO. Sometimes I still wish I could plug my Dreamcast into the phone line and forget about everything else…

Jet Grind Radio – Smilebit, Dreamcast, 2000

Jet Grind Radio had style before video games even HAD style. The first game to ever use cel-shaded graphics, JGR combined gorgeous visuals, unforgettable music, and a wacky story and cast and blessed all Dreamcast owners with the result. It was the first video game soundtrack I ever hunted down online, and that’s saying something now that literally two thirds of my iPod is filled with game music. There was a sequel for Xbox that was supposed to be pretty good, but I never got into it. The original was too special. C’mon, it had “Dragula”!

Whew. That was intense! I’m not even done. The pictures are cool, huh? I made those.

The thrilling conclusion tomorrow! BOOYAH.