i figured one day i would write a blog about my top 5 video games so i guess that day is today.  I guess i’m doing this cause video games have been like the nerdy part of my childhood so i wanted to pay homage to them.  So here we go:

5. Mario Kart 64

This game is like the quintessential game of my childhood.  Mainly because my brother, my sister, and even my dad played this game with me.  THe game is simple: you pick a character from the Mario universe and race everyone else on various tracks using items and shortcuts to try take first place.  This game was the reason i ended up getting a Nintendo 64 and i still think it is the best one in the series, even though i have lost my touch over the years.  There are so many memories tied to this game and I will always remember them.  By the way, i played as Yoshi cause he’s the coolest character ever in the Mario series.

4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The title pretty much says it all and if you do not know the game, you really need to go out and get it.  This is considered by many to be the best game ever made by Nintendo and there is very good reason for it.  I got this game because one of my friends would talk about it, even though i didn’t even know the series at all at the time.  I’m so glad i did cause otherwise i would have missed out on one of the most challenging adventure games I have ever played.  It had one of the coolest storylines, 8 or so epic dungeons, multiple sidequests, and some of the best video game music i have ever heard (Koji Kondo FTW). I can play a lot of the music on piano, figuring most of it out by myself, but that is besides the point.  It is hard to find a game out today that has as much gameplay as this one does and that is saying a lot considering it was released over 10 years ago.  Also, i think it is the only game i have ever been terrified of playing because of these zombie monsters called Redead.  They still kinda creep me out to be honest

3. Super Smash Brothers Melee

Some of you might be wondering why this isn’t first on my list considering i have played it more than any other video game i own.  To be honest, I don’t really have that great of a reason other than the fact that i generally find games with a story more compelling.  Aside from that, this game may very well be what i am most associated with among my friends because we have just gotten too good at over the years.  I started playing this game competitively on 2006 and was completely oblivious to the depth that this game had to offer from a competitive standpoint.  Learning advanced techniques such as L-cancelling, wavedashing, chain grabbing, etc. completely redefined how i played this game and there are so many memories of going to tournaments and playing around with my friends that have come with it.  Unfortunately, compared to most other competitive players, i am terrible, but that just makes me want to play more to get better.  I do not really have a favorite character but i guess as of right now i would say Samus.  Come and play me sometime if you want.

2. Tales of Symphonia

I would argue that this game has one of the best stories of any video game out there and it was a shame that its sequel couldn’t match up to it.  Since most people don’t even know of this game, you are basically on a quest to “regenerate the world” and stop the bad guys called “Desians.” While that sounds simple enough, there are so many plot twists in this game that you will never be sure of what is about to happen next.  This game plays like a story book.  There is a lot of dialogue and an awesome looking cut scene every now and then in a manga like style.  The story is heavily rooted in Norse mythology too which is the coolest kind of mythology out there.  Also this game was had to be fit onto two discs (at least in the Gamecube Version) and it is just sooo good.  It’s one of those things that you have to play to understand, but trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

1. Banjo-Kazooie

Is this a surprise to some people? I’m sure a bunch of you have never even heard of this game, but it was made by Rareware and came out on Nintendo 64.  The basic plot of the story is that you are a bear (Banjo) and a bird (Kazooie) and you go on an adventure to save Banjo’s sister, Tooty, from the evil witch, Gruntilda.  It sounds fairly childish, but it still is my favorite video game.  The main reason for this is that the levels in this game are the most creative levels in any video game i have ever played.  You play on a mountain, at a beach, in a desert, and a snowy mountain to name a few, but the are all the most unique places with a life of their own. The most notable level, which i think is the coolest level in any video game, is one by the name of Click Clock Wood.  Essentially, you start out in a room with 4 doors, each door representing a different season for the same, larger area that you enter when you go through them.  I think this is so clever because you not only get to see how certain levels of video games can be re-imagined, but you also see how the characters in the level change depending on each season (keep in mind that all of them are woodland creatures).  Anyways, i love this game a lot and you should go out and play it if you haven’t already.

That’s all folks!

I have seen names hurt peoples feelings, but I have never seen sticks or stones break anyone’s bones.

Has anyone ever wanted to do more than they are capable of doing?  I get this feeling all the time and it sucks cause i sometimes find myself getting upset over it.  I just hate being told by people that there is nothing i can do about something or things of that sort because i really do think i can.  I also find that it sucks when you do put your heart into trying to help someone or something and it doesn’t.  For example, today was my mom’s birthday and i called her and everything to wish her a happy birthday.  She then told me how her and my dad were going to go out to eat tonight and how she wished that her kids could be there with her and so i thought to myself, why couldn’t we?  I mean sure, we would have to travel far from different places, but it is technically possible.  Now if there was someway we could like magically fly around at really fast speeds like Superman or something, i could have been there for my mom on her birthday.  I get the same kind of feeling when people get sick as well.  If you don’t know, I hardly ever get sick and even when I do, i have the will power to fight it and not let it bring me down really in any way.  This being the case, why can’t it be possible for me to let someone temporarily borrow my immune system to fight their disease and cure them?  Maybe it’s just the fact that i enjoy helping people and seeing them happy because of something i have done that i think about this a lot, but no matter what, i will always want to do more for people than i seem to be able to.  I’m just waiting for that radioactive spider to come along

When he was 2 years old, he fell out of a second story window and fractured his skull

When he was 6 years old he mistakenly drank boric acid

When he was 9 years old, he fell over a small cliff and broke his leg

When he was 11 years old, he contracted measles and was in a coma for 9 days

When he was 14 years old, he broke his arm when he caught it in a carriage door

When he was 19 years old, he was struck on the head by a falling brick

When he was 23 years old, he almost died from the effects of tainted wine

When he was 29 years old, he invented the saxophone

Happy Birthday Adolph Sax!