Every once and a while I will come across a game so wonderful and beautifully made that will never be as awesome on the second play through as it was the first. Something about experiencing an awesome level, beautiful graphics, hearing the soundtrack, an amazing story line, or anything that makes a game great when it is fresh can rarely be duplicated. Here are my top 5 games I wish I could go back and play for the first time;
5. Metal Gear Solid 3
I almost picked MGS 1 because it was the first game I played in my early teens that showed me how a game can be much more than something to play. It had an interesting and political plot that was built with a cinematic quality I had not experienced in a game. However, MGS 3 took that element to a whole new level. I played through MGS 3 right before heading off to college, and I remember being wowed by the game play as much as the story. Hiding in the camo, eating to survive, the motorcycle battle, the End boss fight, and the last hour of the game were simply amazing. Never had an ending been so beautiful or touching to me. MGS 3 is a true journey, and I would love to be back in that field of white flowers for the first time.
4. Shadow of the Colossus
SotC was one of those games that is meant to be awe inspiring. While everyone pretty much knows about the game, where the only enemies are basically bosses, I did not know what to expect when I first sat down to play it. From the ethereal opening sequence and first battle, I was hooked. The sense of scale and raw determination of the protagonist made for a truly unique journey. Riding in the desert area with Argo while the colossus flew through the blue sky above me is a moment I will never forget.
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum
I have been a Batman fan, no exaggeration, for my entire life. My parents had to wrestle me out of my Batman pajamas when I was 1, and drag me out of the Batman Returns Batmobile at age 2. Batman was/is my hero. As a result, I played many Batman video games. Some were horrible, such as Batman Forever and Batman: Dark Tomorrow. Some of them were good, such as Batman: Vengeance and the Adventures of Batman and Robin. None of them, however, are even close to capturing Batman in the way Arkham Asylum did. For a fan, B:AA is truly a dream come true. Not only did they use my favorite iteration of Batman(Kevin Conroy) and the wonderful Mark Hamill as the Joker, but they made a game that is genuinely fun to play. I love the combat of the series, and the adventure elements are well done. On top of this, the sickly look of Arkham and its grounds only add to the fascination of Batman and his world. I have played through the game many times, but the sheer joy and wonderment of my first play through cannot be matched. The moment where I was walking down Crime Alley towards the tragic origin of Batman in the Scarecrow sequence will always go down as one of my favorite moments in any form of entertainment.
2. Red Dead Redemption
I am a big fans of the Western film genre, and this carried over into my video game habits. Every time a game was announced that was going to attempt to make an experience around the old west, it had my attention. Games like Red Dead Revolver, Gun, and the Call of Juarez series have all attempted to make a true Western experience and succeeded to some degree. When I heard that Rockstar was making an open world Western game, it was the first time I thought we would finally get a high quality Western game. Red Dead Redemption was that and so much more. The setting, story, music, and main character John Marston were pitch perfect to make for a truly epic journey. Tragic and inspired, Red Dead Redemption is probably my favorite game of all time. The moment when I was crossing into Mexico at night and "Far Away" kicks in took me completely off guard and immersed me in the game in a way no other game had. It was beautiful from beginning to end, and I would love to experience it for the first time again.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3
Not only is SMB 3 one of the greatest games of all time, but it also holds a special place in my heart. This is sort of cheating, because I not only wish I could play SMB 3 for the first time again but also because it was the game I played with my sister the most when we were kids. I don't just wish to play it like I never had before, I wish I could go back and bond with my sister over it again. We would sit for hours on our Nintendo that barely worked ,switching the controller back and forth so we each got a turn. My family didn't have much money to put towards things like a new console, so while every kid was getting Super Nintendo's and Sega Genesis's we got used Nintendo's that my dad bought from people at his work. Some of them lasted a while, others hardly at all. Each time though, SMB 3 was the game we would always play more than anything else. We weren't very good at it, I was very young and had a hard time with the more challenging areas. Yet, my sister was patient with me and let me play on whether we were winning or losing. My favorite gaming moment of all time is when we made it past the first map only to find out that it wasn't the end of the game. The look of surprise on my sister's face will stick with me as we played onward where we never had before. We never beat the game, I still haven't even with the GBA edition, but I would give a lot for one more night in front of that TV watching the screen blink from gray to black as we waited for the curtains to rise for the first time on Super Maria Bros. 3. That is what loving video games is all about.
So now that I have shared the games I wish I could experience for the first time all over again, what games fit into this category for you?
What game do you wish you could experience all over again?
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