My favorite Video Games of 2006, Part 4

Well, everyone, I guess it's probably time to let you know that I haven't dropped off the face of the planet yet. I'm finally finishing this series, partly because I came up with another couple of ideas for posts, but figured that I should do this one first. So, read on....

Another one of the best games I played in 2006 was Super Mario 64. (obviously for the Nintendo 64) It was one of the first, if not the first true 3-D platformer type games. It has a few camera issues, and the graphics aren't nearly as pretty as newer games, but it's a great game, nonetheless.

As it starts out, Princess Peach invites Mario to her castle for a party. Mario arrives, only to discover that the princess has been kidnapped by none other than their old nemesis, Bowser Koopa! And, of course, the castle is now crawling with Bowser's minions. So, Mario must explore each of the levels, collecting the power stars in each, to earn access to different parts of the castle, and eventually, Bowser himself. You are not required to collect all 120 power stars (which I did), but you are rewarded at the end of the game if you do.

I had a number of frustrating moments throughout the game-Mario can be a bit unsteady on his feet at times, first-gen 3-D graphics issues, and the horrible N64 controller among others, but was rewarded by a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment upon finally defeating Bowser. Thus, Super Mario 64 earns a spot on my top 5 list for 2006.

And, finally, Ratchet:Deadlocked also made my list. It was the fourth and last PS2 Ratchet&Clank game, and is very fun and entertaining, in spite of being a bit shorter and lacking quite the depth and variety of the previous games in the series.

The story starts as Ratchet, Clank, and their techno-geek/mechanic Al are kidnapped by an evil character named Gleeman Vox. Ratchet is forced to compete in Vox's latest holovision reality show "Dreadzone". This requires Ratchet, with the help of two newly-acquired combat bots, to compete in a series of gladiator-style arena battles and larger, more typical platformer-style challenges. Clank, who no longer rides on Ratchet's back, and Al provide Ratchet with new gadgets and upgrades, advice, and mission support. All three are required to wear "deadlock" collars, which, should the contestant refuse to compete, stray from the designated area, or simply become too boring, can be detonated, with predictable results.

As I said before, it's not as long as the previous games, but it still is very entertaining, fun, and has plenty of hilarious moments. (the folks at Insomniac Games have always seemed to have a great sense of humor) After having read reviews, and having it compared to the previous games, I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. So, Ratchet:Deadlocked earns the final spot on my list for 2006.

Also earning honorable mentions are-Metroid II:Return of Samus (Gameboy), Super Mario World (SNES), the original F-Zero ( the futuristic racing game that started it all for the SNES, and now on the Wii Virtual Console), and Psychonauts (PS2), which I started in 'o6, but finished the majority of this year, so it will probably be on my list next year.

Wow! That's finally over with. It took me four months to do this. at this rate, next year, I might get done just in time for 2008's list.

I am currently playing an XBOX futuristic racing game called Quantum Redshift. It's actually fairly similar to F-Zero. It has you racing futuristic hovercraft with weapons 100 years in the future at dizzying speeds of up to 1,000 mph (if I remember right). For some reason, it's the first futuristic racing game I've been motivated enough to play through with all the characters and beat and unlock everything. (I usually play racing games in spurts between other games) But, for some reason, I've really got into this one. The graphics are beautiful, the tracks exotic, and the competition frustratingly fierce at times, but I'm having fun with it.

Anyway, now that I've finally finished this series, I can finally move on to the other couple of ideas I have for posts. (hopefully before too long, though it's hard to find the time to sit on the computer and type up a post, especially since I don't even read other people's blogs very often)

But, to whet your appetites, here are my ideas- 1. Why I must be so much smarter than most of the rest of the world, and 2. My rant about email forwards.

Stay tuned....