Key

Let's Talk About...SNES (A Bit More In Depth)



Otherwise known as Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the SNES came out in 1990 in Japan, and 1991 for North America. I figured since we were talking about video games, we could talk about the systems that came out with those games as well. Yes, the SNES. Perhaps one of my all time favorite game consoles to date. I remember years and years of enjoyment coming from this system and of course the systems that came after it, which we will of course be talking about. But yeah, the SNES. What made it so great? Was it the impressive amount of games on it? Or was it simply the games that it had on it that made it great? Well, it was a mixture of both.

Let's see. The SNES had titles like...


Batman Forever

I played this **** out of this game.


Donkey Kong Country


We will be talking about this game, so I'm just passively mentioning it here.

And so much more. But again, we're talking about games all month, so I'm not going to talk in depth about those right now. But yeah, not only did the SNES have some fantastic titles on its side, it also had one of my favorite controller designs I've ever seen.



Even though the design is simple, I've used this controller recently and it still feels super comfortable and slick to touch. If there's a USB version of this out there somewhere, I should definitely pick it up. Don't get me wrong, the NES controller is fine as well, but this one feels so natural to hold in your hand.

Quite the spectacular console, especially for its time. But of course, things tend to get outdated, and especially with today's standards, the console doesn't really hold up well. But again, I'd definitely take that controller design over anything else these days.

Key

The Start of Something Great [Pt. 1]

As I'm continuing to go through lists of games to put up for discussion, I'm realizing that there were a ton of games that launched an entire series of games that we know and love today. While I'll still be talking about some in the coming weeks, I figure as I'm doing this I can talk about other ones too. This is separate from the Honorable Mentions portion because this will specifically be talking about the games that started a great series.

So let's of course start off with:

Pokemon



I'm of course going to be talking about specific Pokemon games this month, but I want to talk a bit more vague at the moment. I can't think of many other video game franchises that have done as well and as consistently well as the Pokemon franchise has. Though, don't take that too literally. I'm talking more specifically the handheld side of gaming. The entire series of Pokemon games definitely dominated the handheld gaming scene. Hell, I'm sure it's what kept it alive for all these years. Don't get me wrong though, Animal Crossing is great. I just think Pokemon definitely delivered more, and more often.

Grand Theft Auto



Believe it or not, I didn't play a single Grand Theft Auto game until San Andreas. Even so, I haven't actually played through GTA V myself yet. I haven't had the time or motivation to start another massive world. Plus, too many games on the backlog right now. However, I give the series a lot of credit for going the route that the Mortal Kombat guys did. They made something a bit different and dare I say, ballsy, and it definitely worked. I'm excited to see what the next installment of the GTA franchise is going to be. I mean, GTA V is going to be a tough one to beat but I imagine if anybody can do it, Rockstar can.

The Legend of Zelda



I know, I know. The series of Zelda games actually started in 1986, but I'm making an exception here since not only am I humongous Zelda fan, I've definitely enjoyed as many Zelda games as I could have growing up. While I didn't play a whole lot of the later games other than Wind Waker and Breath of the Wild. I did play a couple of the handheld games as well, and I've mentioned this many times, but it's very rare for me to say that I hate a Zelda game. They're all very unique and fun in their own ways. And for it to start off back in 1986 and to evolve into what it is today, well, I imagine you can forgive my exception here. I don't know how much I'll be talking about The Legend of Zelda this month. It may be a lot, it may not be. But I figure I'd mention it now here just in case. But yeah, quite a start to a fantastic series if I've ever seen one.

Key

The Start of Something Great [Pt. 2]

Final Fantasy



Admittedly, Final Fantasy is one of those series that I never got into, but I respect a lot. Not only have I always heard about this series as its evolved, I'm also making another exception here because the Final Fantasy series for games actually started back in 1987, however the series definitely evolved more and more throughout the 90's especially when you think about the fact that not only was the first game released in this time, but moving all the way to the year 2000, you can tell there's been a new Final Fantasy game released at least a year or so between each other. Eventually it did get to the year 2000 when the world was evidently graced with:



I don't have a lot of reasons for why I posted this one, I just felt like posting the last Final Fantasy game before the 2000's era. Since we're discussing the 90's right now, I felt it'd be appopriate.

Definitely a series of games that I had wished I'd gotten into as a kid. There's far too many in the series right now for me to get into it, but i'll always respect the series for what it has done to the gaming world in general. I mean, i'd be surprised if somebody didn't at least feel like they remembered the games based on the names alone. Hell even the name is recognizable to almost anybody.

I could probably go on and on about Final Fantasty as there's a lot to discuss, but I'll keep it short (for now).

The next game we have on the list, although maybe not as successful or popular as Final Fantasy would definitely have to go to...

Lego Games



I'm doing almost exactly what I did for the Final Fantasy games where I'll be discussing the games as a whole, because going by the Wiki article I'm using, the Lego games started coming out in 1995, with Lego Fun to Build. Lego Island came after that in 1997, and then further on throughout history, we received more and more, with 2000 having a lot of releases. Notably Lego Land and Lego Stunt Rally. I would say I don't really have a big opinion on Lego games, but I know they're meant to just be all around fun to play. And I gotta admit, as the series has evolved, I've seen games being developed throughout the Lego franchise that are actually pretty amazing.

I mean, we'll touch on this more later, but in the 2000's era, there were games Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones, etc etc. I'm probably more familiar with the licensed properties obviously, but I can't say that I've never had fun playing a Lego game. They're legitimately a lot of fun to play, and certainly worth your time if you're into them.

The 90's are certainly delivering in terms of games and we can see that through this journal. Some of which I hadn't even realized had released until I looked them up. Part of what makes this fun tbh.

The Batlord

If you have a PS2 then you should get Final Fantasy 12. Seriously underrated and one of the best RPGs I've ever played. The world is just so big and vibrant.

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Key

I should. I should at least play through that one because I've heard great things. I've also heard I'd love the MMO they have. Never tried it. Wasn't sure if I really needed to know FF lore tho I imagine I do.

The Batlord

Final Fantasy doesn't have lore does it? They're self-contained games.

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Key

Ah. I dunno. That's why I asked. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to FF.

The Batlord

Yeah there's no link whatsoever between any of the games besides a couple direct sequels like FFX-2 and FFXIII-2.

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Key

Oh cool. Well that makes my decision much easier. Good to know

The Batlord

Oh yeah there's a guy called Cid who appears in all of the games but he's always a different character with a different role so he's more of an Easter egg for people who've played more than one FF game.

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