Gaming off the Beaten Path

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...