Gaming off the Beaten Path

A little known RPG , Star Ocean: The Second Story, was the sequel to a game released only in Japan. It followed the story of Claude Kenni , a young member of the intergalactic fleet of Earth. After his ship is attacked, Claude finds himself on an underdeveloped planet. There he meets Rena Lanford , a native girl from a small village. Players can choose to play from the perspective of either Claude or Rena, and will get a different sense of the events depending on which character they play. How you play will effect which party members will join you and which won't. You can enter into private actions to gain more insight on your party members and learn and perfect a variety of skills, from alchemy to forgery. The best part though is the combat system. Part active time battle, part action rpg , Star Ocean has quite possibly the most unique RPG gameplay of all time. Pros: Expansive quest, great battle system, strong and interesting characters, variety in gameplay , original

Heroes II appeared on thist list because it was a classic, epic strategy game. Heroes III appears in the top 20 because it improves upon its predecessor in just about every way. The graphic improvments are obvious, especially in battle. However, perhaps the most important is the improvment of the A.I. Computer players no longer seem to have such a huge advantage. The difficulty is a lot more balanced and managing your army is a lot less clunky. The two expansion packs add even more awesome features with new campaigns, classes, and artifacts. Speaking of the character classes, gone are the generic knight and wizard from Heroes II. Heroes III offers unique towns to keep players interesting. A random map generator puts this game over the top as one of the greatest strategy (and multiplayer) games of all time. Pros: Addictive gameplay, strong (but not cheap) AI, interesting campaigns, multiplayer Cons: Slow Pace, learning curve

Zelda's first foray into 3d produced one of the single most memorable adventures of all time. Players once again take control of Link. However, they begin the game with Link as a child. After a mysterious encounter with a Forrest spirit, the young Link is thrust into a quest beyond his wildest dreams. Players must shift back and forth between the world of child and adult Link in order to save Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Gannondorf . The revolutionary Z-targeting system made sure that the right enemy is always in your sight. The dungeons are brilliantly designed and expansive, if a little unbalanced. The graphics were excellent for their time and the game throws out all sorts of different challenges to keep the player interested. Really the game is hard to explain in words...so go find it and play it, you won't be disappointed. Pros: Epic Quest, High replay value, well designed levels, excellent controls, strongest storyline in the franchise Cons: Unbalanced

Mario was a gaming legend long before this game was released for the Super Nintedno . He had had his legacy cemented by the awesome Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES , but SMW took him to whole knew heights of gaming. Once again, Princess Peach (or Toadstool as she was known in those days) has been kidnapped and its up to Mario to rescue her. Unlike its predecessors, this game had a battery backed save function, and it was more than necessary with over 70 levels of side scrolling goodness. The level design is the best in the series and the bosses were challenging and creative. There are hidden exits everywhere, and even the hidden levels have hidden levels attached to them. The game also introduced Yoshi to the series. Shockingly, this game eventually came free with the SNES . Of course, the game would have been more than worth paying for. Pros: Awesome level design, Huge and Expansive, Traditional Mario action, Great Graphics, Overall fun Cons: Can Get Repetitive Photos courtesy of 7

Initially released as Final Fantasy 3 on the Super Nintendo, the game was the 6th installment in the series in Japan. The game follows the story of a mysterious young woman named Terra, who is a slave in the service of the empire. They plan to use her powerful magic to shape the world in their own image. After she escapes on a routine mission, it sets off a huge series of events which sees a group of heroes born, an empire fall, and one of gaming greatest villains come to power. In fact Kefka is so evil, he manges to succeed where some many other villains fail. That's right, he successfully destroys the world in an amazing, dramatic ending. What makes the game truly stand out though is that it is only the ending of the first half of the game. A truly great RPG with an awesome story, some weak character development is all that keeps it below some of its predecessors. Pros: Awesome story, ATB system, Graphics, Epic 40+ hour quest, Dungeon design, Several Legendary RPG moments Cons: W

Twisted Metal revolutionized the gaming world when it was first released. One of the first titles for the Playstation , it allowed players to travel around fully 3d environments with unique vehicles. Twisted Metal 2 improved upon its predecessor in every way. Designers added twice as many levels. The levels themselves were much more detailed, and allowed players to destroy all sorts of objects. You could blow up the Eifel Tower in France or destroy the Hollywood sign in L.A. Characters were much more balanced, a huge improvement over the first game which had several under powered cars. The drivers themselves all received much more in depth backstories , which were explained in the wonderfully drawn (and disturbing) endings. The game is as addictive and fun today as it was when it came out. That combined with awesome storytelling , superb graphics, and tight controls make Twisted Metal 2 a true classic. Cons: Could use more levels, lots of clipping, some weird camera angels, lacks a

Well, since I messed up on the 1st one, there will only be 9 games this time. As I said, starting with game 20 each game will get its own individual post. Here we go. 29. Legend of Legia ( Prokion , PS1) A little known game that follows the story of Vahn , a young man that is chosen by a mystical force to rid the world of the mind altering mist that fills it. Along with his allies, Vahn must revive sacred trees that drive the mist away and rescue the people of the world from their zombified state. Perhaps the best part of the game was its unique combat system. Players can choose to strike with their feet, hands, or weapons. Entering the correct combination will activate special moves, which themselves can be chained together. A strong sequel was released but it just didn't quite live up to the original. photo courtesy of gamespot .com 28. Madden Series (El

Finally, the list HAS COME BACK to VMVT .com! Okay, lets not get too dramatic. I said I was going to finish and I will. Besides, I need something to pick me up after my complete failure to jinx the New Orleans Saints last week. 39. Final Fantasy X (Square, PS2) Perhaps one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game, Final Fantasy X was the first in the series released for the PS2. It told the story of Tidus , a young man who has been sucked into a mysterious world. There, he meets the love of his life Yuna . He also learns that the people of that world are terrorized by Sin, the ultimate force of evil. In their 40 plus hour quest, Tidus and Yuna learn the true nature of Sin, and why their plans to live happily ever after may not work out in the end...

Well, we are sill going with the list. I hope that people have actually been reading this... 49. All Star Baseball Series (Acclaim, N64) Acclaim released the first installment of the All Star Baseball series in 1999 on the Nintendo 64. It revolutionized the way players swung the bat with its then-unique targeting reticle . Player batting stances and pitching windups were motion captured, another reason that this game felt like a true simulation. It was the first really good baseball game to include both the MLB and the MLB players association licenses. Even my dad was totally addicted to this game... it's a shame the series never truly evolved. photo courtesy of coolrom .com 48. Donkey Kong Country 2 (Rare, SNES ) Donkey Kong Country was more than good enough to make this list. Its sequel was even better, with bigger, better levels, more worlds and even great

It looks like I am going to have another good week with my NFL picks. I hope everyone else has a great week with my list. Here goes. 59. Pokemon Gold/Silver (Nintendo/ Gamefreak , Game Boy) If you claim to have never heard of this game, you are a liar. Everyone knows they gotta catch 'em all, and the gold and silver versions made that even tougher. 100 new monsters join the original 150. The graphics push the Game Boy to its limit, with some of the best graphics the handheld has ever produced. The quest is even bigger and more expansive. After beating the new masters, you must return to the gyms from the first game and conquer them again. Really though, Pokemon is just so addictive. photo courtesy of consoleclassics .com 58. WWF Smackdown 2: Know Your Professional wrestling was all the rage in the mid to late 90's. Ted Turner's WCW battled Vince McM