March 5, 2009

Year Of The Dragon

Everyone has their own way of rating games. Mine is pretty straight forward - sucky, so-so, good, great, and awesome. But there are certain games that I feel that "awesome" just doesn't do them justice. These games have great graphics and killer gameplay but they also possess something more. An amazing story that sucks you in, a soundtrack that draws out so many emotions, and characters that you fall in love with. These are the games that molded me into the gamer I am today. These are the games that have forever changed my outlook not only towards gaming in general but in life as a whole. These games, I can only describe as Qwarktastic.

My first video game console was the original PlayStation that I received for my birthday. I have to say that I wasn't happy about getting it at all. The only reason I received it was because my brother talked my parents into getting it for me so he didn't have to wait the extra six months until his birthday. In spite of him, I played it, and played it a lot. At the time though I only thought that video games meant racing and fighting games . . . that's it. No shooters, no RPGs, nor adventure games. I wasn't a gamer then, I wasn't even a PlayStation fan. Gaming was something I did to pass the time, not the hobby I have come to love. My transformation from some kid that just wanted to waste a few hours to a full on gamer girl who loves every part of the video game industry is accredited to one game that I received on Christmas 1998.

I was pretty surprised when I unwrapped Spyro on Christmas morning. I immediately popped it in and began my first adventure. I was so surprised by the vibrant colors and world designs but I was most surprised by the character details. Spyro was funny and sarcastic while the other dragons were a bit stupid and gullible. Even Sparx was spunky and entertaining. The worlds that you traveled to were all unique and complex. This was my first taste of open world gameplay and I loved it. The platforming sections were fun and I greatly enjoyed running around the worlds headbutting sheep and other various creatures.

I have to credit Spyro with a lot of things - helping me fall in love with video games, introducing me to the platformer genre (which is still my favorite genre), introducing me to Insomniac Games (one of my top three developers), and keeping me interested in video games as a whole. Spyro is one of those games that I enjoyed so much that I still go back and play it from time to time. I find that even though the graphics are old, its still so vibrant and fun that I don't really notice the drop in quality unlike some PlayStation games. If you have never played the game, you really have no excuse since it is available on the PSN Store for $5.99. I definitely believe that this is one of those games that is a must to have in any game collection.

Qwarktastic Qwest!

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