My Guilty Pleasures - Video Game Edition

Written by Shae Rufe

​Have I done a video game edition of this yet? Yes? No? You know what guys, I probably haven't. I've mentioned video games before, but I doubt I've ever had a full blog dedicated to the awesome games that have captured my attention over the years. Well, it is summer, and I've got some more free time than I used to. Or maybe I have less free time? That's the confusing part here, now isn't it? Man, being an adult is hard! Let's all play games and nap!

Like many, my first exposure to video games was that of the awesome and amazing Mario games. Now, many had an NES first. But my mom wasn't big into gaming. Honestly, neither was my dad, but he had an NES and an SNES! Super Mario World was my childhood. To this day, I can play that game for hours on end. Though, I'm lacking in owning an NES, but I do have the wonders of the internet. Okay, they also have transfigured that game into DS versions and I've just happened to own and play them at various other points in my life. Super Mario World was something I loved to play, and watch my dad play. We'd often play together. While I was always Luigi, it was still fun. Even when I would get stuck on certain levels, I would still adore it. Actually, I used to make my dad finish the entire game, except for the last castle, so I could go through and freely play all the stages without having to worry about passing them or not. Sadly, now as an adult I don't have the fortune of making my dad finish levels for me. Even so, we also owned the original Super Mario game on the NES. You know, the one that came with Duck Hunt. Now that game, was one of pure awesomeness.

As awesome as Mario was, Mortal Kombat was even more awesome. Dad and I had the first, second, and third game on the SNES and we used to play them constantly! It was so fun being able to fight one another. Granted, dad never let me win, but I eventually learned (years later) how to kick his butt. Eventually the movie came out…and it was awesome. I must have watched that a billion times. So much, in fact, I think I wore out the tape…anyway! The games have continued to come out. From the N64 to the PS3, I've always loved playing Mortal Kombat. Granted, the games have always been filled with blood and gore, but that's the fun in them. Especially when they were on the SNES! What's more fun than fighting each other and watching two-dimensional blood splatter everywhere in its 16bit glory?

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Now, you've heard (read?) me rant endlessly about my love of Assassin's Creed, so I won't bore you with that again here. Just know that the Ezio trilogy is my top favorite game of recent years. But, it's not the only favorite game. In my list of top games, of course, is Kingdom Hearts. This series came out when I was in high school, and I begged so much for a PS2. Well, just as the game came out my parents got me a PS2 and the first ever Kingdom Hearts game for Christmas. I was so excited. The story line of Sora searching for his friend Kairi, while his friend Riku battles with the darkness inside of him was captivating. The fact that you got to visit various Disney themed worlds, like Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland was something completely mind blowing. My favorite, however, was going to Nightmare Before Christmas world and playing endlessly. Mostly because the character's changed to fit the world, mostly. Which meant Sora got a really awesome look. You also got to fight alongside Goofy and Donald Duck, which was cool. When KH2 came out, I didn't do anything productive for two weeks straight. Literally, I stopped what I was doing and played that game endlessly until I beat it. Kingdom Hearts is the only game series where I have bought specific gaming platforms in order to play it. Like for Birth by Sleep, which is technically a prequel, I went and got a PSP just to play that game. I have played all the KH games so far, and while some were not as amazing as others, they are all worth playing at least once.

Now, you know I can't talk about video games and not mention Final Fantasy VII. That's like the game of all games! Okay, maybe not. Some people do not care for this game as much as I do. Now, I have owned a copy of it since my dad brought it and an original PS1 back from England. Yes, England, but they were both US compatible (he bought them while there for work…for 4 months). I played it a bit, but for whatever reason, it didn't stick with my younger self. However, the older I got, the more appealing RPG's became, and one day, boom. I played from start to finish. All three discs. This game has it all, mystery, character death, surprise finishes, and quirky sidekicks. What I love is how you can swap out who's fighting with you. That was pretty awesome. One of the best spin off games was Crisis Core. Also, a prequel, we got to learn about the origin of Cloud's sword, who Zack Fair was, and possibly the single, most heart wrenching, and saddest game ending in the history of game endings. I cried like a baby when I finished this game. I'm talking, heart wrenching sobs! Guys, this game really just…broke a part of my heart that will never be the same. As did Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which was fantastic in and of itself. It's needless to say, that FFVII was one of the best games I've ever played. I even made my sister Cosplay with me once. She was Cloud and I was Reno. It was utterly ridiculous and not a lot of photographic evidence exists of that period in my life. Thankfully, though, the game has nestled into my heart. I also eventually discovered Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. I had not known about this until years after it came out. But when I found it, I played it. I finished it in two days. And I played it again. Now, I've heard mixed reviews on this game, but really, you get to play a game as Vincent Valentine, and discover his story in depth. There's nothing I hate about this first-person shooter. Even if I am terrible at first person shooters. If you're a Vincent fan, then you'll love this game.

Well guys, that's it for now. If you've got any games you majorly love, please tweet them to me @SoraLostSoul (which was not remotely inspired by Kingdom Hearts). Or drop a comment down below! As always, I love hearing from you guys and I am always excited to geek out over video games.

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