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Most influential video games in one geek's life

By · June 26, 2010, 1:48 AM PST

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  • The Legend of Zelda

    My love for games started at a young age, when I would play board games from Strategy & Tactics magazine with my father. Board games soon led to video games. I played Pong within a few years of its release in 1972, but my favorite games have historically been adventure games.

    Of the games that I played in my younger years, I was most blown away by The Legend of Zelda, which at the time had the best graphics and gameplay that I had ever seen. Then, Nintendo just kept putting out title after title in the Zelda series, and each one seemed better than the last.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was the first adventure game I ever played all the way through. (It was text based, so I'm not certain that it technically counts as a video game.) The object of the game was to collect the four kinds of "fluff" (navel, pocket, etc.) and get to the mythical planet of Magrathea. There is a Java remake of the original text-based game if anyone cares to play.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Donkey Kong

    Donkey Kong is the arcade beast that chewed up a good percentage of my newspaper route and lawn mowing money. The goal is simple: rescue the princess at the top of a series of girders without being crushed by the barrels that Kong keeps hurling at you.

    Photo courtesy of Video Game Museum.

  • Donkey Kong Jr.

    Donkey Kong Jr. still had you trying to climb to the top, but the setting was in the jungle and the goal was to free Kong from his cage.

    Photo courtesy of Video Game Museum.

  • Red Baron 3D

    I played the Red Baron card game with my father over and over again, so when this beauty showed up, I couldn't wait to take my turn flying against the greatest fighter ace ever.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • My first sports game: Dr. J vs. Bird

    When I was growing up, the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird was the talk of everyone who followed the NBA. Eight out of the 10 years in the '80s, one or the other of these guys won a title. The game Magic vs. Bird was extremely primitive compared to what we have now, but it was state of the art at the time.

    Photo courtesy of Video Game Museum.

  • Before Tiger Woods, there was Links

    Links was the first golf game I ever got into, and I ended up buying several course packs (my favorite was Mauna Kea, an extremely difficult course).

    Photo courtesy of Video Game Museum.

  • Robotron 2084, another quarter sucker

    I had a friendly rivalry with a buddy in the arcade where I used to play, and Robotron 2084 was our game. I got to the point where I could play between 45 minutes and an hour on a single quarter with this one. One joystick to run, one to fire, and no other controls were necessary.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • NBA Jam, for those who like to suspend reality

    I loved the animated dunk sequences in NBA Jam, but my favorite part of this game was, after making three shots in a row, you would be "on fire" and unable to miss from pretty much anywhere on the court. Talk about raining down threes!

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Wolfenstein 3D - FPS FTW!

    Wolfenstein was my introduction to the first person shooter (FPS) genre. I remember thinking "these graphics are amazing," but maybe that was due to the fact that I had the version that someone hacked.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Civilization - The true test of time

    I have spent more time on various versions of Civilization than any other game, though Halo is probably approaching that record by now. In the game, you build your civilization from a single settler unit to a global powerhouse; then you work through technological advancements and build the wonders of the world as you go. As far as turn based strategy games go, this one is the gold standard.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • MechWarrior - Massive, armed robots in combat

    This title was copied recently in the X360 game Chromehounds, but MechWarrior was truly awesome in 1989.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • MechWarrior's robot browser...

    ...allowed you to see your Mech and outfit it according to your needs.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

    Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri was basically Civilization with advanced technology on another planet. You are colonizing a planet orbiting Alpha Centauri, and you must race to secure the resources you will need to expand. This is another great game.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Ultima Online, my first and last MMORPG

    After playing Ultima Online, I was convinced that I don't have time for an MMORPG anymore. I didn't even have children then, but I did have a full-time job. Since then, WoW has come onto the scene, taking the MMORPG genre to the next level, but I won't be able to justify playing that one until my wife or kids get into it.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Madden - the premier football simulator

    The version that I started with didn't have the realism that today's version does, but Madden has long been the best football simulator on the planet -- as long as you have the option to turn the annoying Madden commentary off.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • NFL Blitz - for those who think football isn't rough enough

    NFL Blitz is more of an arcade game than a football simulator. There are seven man teams, simplified plays, and fast action; in addition, you have the ability to engage in "late hits" or hit the opponent after the play is over.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Twisted Metal - You've got to love cars with guns and missiles

    The Twisted Metal franchise is my second favorite series of games, and it all started with this one for the original PlayStation.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Twisted Metal 2...

    ...improved the graphics and AI of the original title.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Twisted Metal 3...

    ...continued the carnage.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Twisted Metal 4...

    ...saw a large improvements in graphics, but it's still widely regarded as the worst of the series.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Twisted Metal: Black

    In my opinion, Twisted Metal: Black is the best game in the series. Each character has a different storyline developed in the cut scenes throughout the campaign mode. Once the network adapter for the PS2 came out, this title was one of the first to offer multiplayer combat.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Halo: Combat Evolved, an FPS revolution

    Halo: Combat Evolved was the flagship launch title for the original Xbox and was the first person shooter that actually hooked me on the genre. I played Wolfenstein, Doom, Unreal, Call of Duty, and other games, but I never got into them the way I did Halo.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Halo 2 - A multiplayer revolution

    Halo 2 was a multiplayer phenomenon. This was one of the first games with an easy to use matchmaking interface that (generally) pitted you against people of your own skill level. I put in 7,490 matchmaking games on this title.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

  • Halo 3 - Still a multiplayer powerhouse

    I got to travel to Seattle to play Halo 3 at a press release before it was released. I wrote a review of Halo 3 for TechRepublic.

    Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.

The Legend of Zelda

My love for games started at a young age, when I would play board games from Strategy & Tactics magazine with my father. Board games soon led to video games. I played Pong within a few years of its release in 1972, but my favorite games have historically been adventure games.

Of the games that I played in my younger years, I was most blown away by The Legend of Zelda, which at the time had the best graphics and gameplay that I had ever seen. Then, Nintendo just kept putting out title after title in the Zelda series, and each one seemed better than the last.

Photo courtesy of GameSpot, a CBS Interactive site.
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