Number One - Mega Man Battle Network 3: White

Probably the former.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?

You probably don’t know what the Battle Network series is about. That’s fair - I don’t know many people who do. It’s a spin-off of Mega Man, in a world where humans control “NetNavis.” (Not Avatar.) In this world, the Internet is practically a tangible thing: you can “jack in” your Navi to transfer it into the ‘net where you fight viruses. There’s different areas of the Internet that can correspond with certain areas in the real world, and corresponding elements/types as well. You can also jack in to various electronic devices, usually to bust some viruses as a favor for someone else, or look for upgrades or chips. 

Ah yes, chips. “Battle Chips” to be precise. They let you pull off different attacks in battle. You can have 30 in a “folder,” which is like a deck of cards. At the start of each battle, you are able to select 5 chips at random, as well as at the start of each successive turn. However, you can only select chips with the same code - a letter like “J” or “L.” This is to, obviously, prevent you from picking all the chips and devastating your opponent without planning out your deck beforehand.

You are Lan Hikari, a strapping young teenager. Your Navi? Mega Man. Over the course of the game (and all the other games) you fight some familiar faces from the franchise like Guts Man, and some new ones. Of course, or it wouldn’t be a Mega Man spin-off, would it?

Typical “Some-guy-wants-to-take-over-the-world-and-you-the-teenage-boy-must-save-it-from-destruction-because-nobody-else-can” shenanigans ensue.

But enough about that. There’s so many other aspects that I won’t go into it any further. Check out the wiki page if you want to learn more.

Anyway, I have a bunch of memories with this game. My friend owned the other version, too, so we’d play together all the time. We’d share secrets, tips, stories, anything about the game. When the other versions came out, we got opposite versions for maximum content. We argued over which one was better.

Boy, that’s a general statement.

Huh.

You know, I can’t remember why it is, exactly, that I love the Battle Network games.

I just do.

But...

...do I need a reason?

Don’t we all have a game that, no matter what anyone might say, we just love?

Don’t we all have a game that we would defend if anyone insulted it?

Don’t we all wish they had kept making games like it?

It’s not one aspect of the game, but the game as a whole. 

It’s sad, then, that sometimes some of us walk in to a Best Buy or Game Stop, or get on Steam, and buy a game just for a certain part of it.

“It’s got really great graphics!” one might say.

“I heard the combat mechanics are awesome!” says another.

“The story’s fantastic, but the gameplay is horrible.” says the last.

I wish we could buy more games for what they are as a whole, that’s all. I’m not saying there’s not games like that out there right now, I’m just saying it’s a bit of an issue.

Why would you buy Just Cause 2? Not for the story, that’s for sure.

But I’m getting off track. Let’s wrap this up.

I got Mega Man Battle Network 4, 5, 5DS, and 6. I played 1 and 2 later.

But Battle Network 3 was where it all started, and that’s why it’s number one on the list.  

 It has awesome title music, too.

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What’s the game that means the most to you? What game do you love, while everyone else hates?

Number Two - Paper Mario

So, when I was playing a game this good at such a young age, you can imagine my standards for this series were set pretty high. After all, like Banjo-Tooie, I had filled up every save slot. I was quite young at the time, and still needed someone to watch me when my parents left the house, so I would just play Paper Mario. I’m pretty sure I even asked the sitter if he wanted to play. Multiple times.

Having said all that, I think it’s safe to say the Paper Mario series never disappointed me. It’s interesting, then, that I missed Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Now, I still went back and played it, but only because a close friend of mine reminded me of its existence. He even let me borrow it. Then came Super Paper Mario on the Wii, which was great as well.

One of the things that makes the Paper Mario series hold up so well is the Action Command system. Now, if you’ve never played Paper Mario (Or Mario & Luigi), the Action Command system works like this: Basically, you get bonuses for timing button presses with actions on-screen. For example, hit the A button right before you stomp on an enemy and do extra damage. Or, right before an enemy hits you, press the B button to reduce the damage taken. This syste

Most of my memories lie with Paper Mario on the N64, though. Once again, kudos to Nintendo for bringing so many titles to the Virtual Console. As soon as I heard Paper Mario was one of them, I went back to play it again. Still good.  The quirky characters, the awesome sidekicks with their cool powers, the attention to detail...

Ah, I’m getting off track here. My point is - I love Paper Mario, and that’s why it’s number two on the list.

I almost picked Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga for this, but I decided that Paper Mario was a better choice for me. Don’t get me wrong, though, Fawful is hilarious.  

Number Three - Pokemon (Yellow)

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Number Four - Super Smash Bros/Melee/Brawl 

Just about everyone has played this series. I’m sure everyone has a little story like the one I’m about to tell you involving this game.

The thing about Super Smash Bros is its wide appeal. It’s essentially a staple for anyone who owns a Nintendo 64, GameCube, or a Wii. I’ve never walked into someone’s house who owned one of these and not seen a Smash Bros game. They might as well bundle it with the console!

Enough preface, it’s story time.

About seven or eight years ago, my Grandma moved away from her old house in North Dakota. I was quite sad, because I realized I’d never see that house again - I had a bunch of memories there. Across from this house lived an average family. They had three kids: a girl, and two boys. Now, I was a bit shy, so I typically ignored them whenever I saw them. However, one day, I think I was forced into going over to their house. I stood around, awkwardly, in their living room area, not knowing what to do or say. Then, I spied a Nintendo 64! Saved! We immediately hit it off, and started talking as if we had known each other forever. Of course, they had Super Smash Bros. So, we popped that in, and started playing.

That’s the thing about Smash Bros (and video games in general). They connect people. It doesn’t matter if the game’s good or bad - it’ll break the ice anyway.

I played with them almost every day since then. That is, until my Grandma moved. 

You’ve probably experienced the hype surrounding the Smash Bros series, if you have a Nintendo console. 

Super Smash Bros Melee came out, and, like everyone else, I went out to buy it. Like everyone else, I played it and loved it (I’ve never met anyone who hated it, but I’m sure they’re out there). Like everyone else, I unlocked every single character. Since it was such a popular game, you could hear someone say “Man, it was awesome! Last night, I totally unlocked Darth Vader in Super Smash Bros!” and believe them. Then you’d try it out, and find out they were just lying. 

I bought four Wavebird (Wireless) GameCube controllers in preparation for Brawl. They weren’t selling them anymore, so I had to search on ebay. (Two points in a row for ebay.) I was ready. It would be awesome. 

Almost unanimously, everyone in the entire world who ever cared about the Smash Bros series shouted “Snake and Sonic are in BRAWL?!”

That’s right. Your dream game just went to a whole new level. With the addition of online multiplayer (albeit hindered by Friend Codes), this was set to be a game for the books.

And it was.

 I think I still get Christmas cards from those kids back in North Dakota.

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 Intro

Number Five