A look at what pushes my gaming buttons.

I have written about video games for over three years, and while I certainly do delve into my personal preferences in gaming once in a while, it has never really been the main topic of any of my blog posts. The closest I have gotten was when I wrote about my top twenty-five favorite games of all time, but that is only a small subset of the games I love, and there are certainly many more left unmentioned that deserve a place in the spotlight.

Before I begin, I would like to thank RCC97 for tagging me in this viral blog and BlackArachnid41 for the great blog idea!

Personal Gaming Preferences:

Now that I think about it, I do play a rather wide variety of games, at least much more than most other people. That said, my tastes are very distinct and it is difficult to nail down an accurate definition of exactly what types of games I liked. I prefer not to play competitively, either because I am simply not very good at most video games or just that I dislike people (though playing with friends is always something I value). Thus, you will not find me playing League of Legends or Call of Duty, because I do not have the patience nor desire to sit down and master the techniques required to be successful in those titles.

There are some aspects of video games I love that transcend genres. I tend to gear towards games that are more colorful; Wind Waker’s art style is perhaps one of my favorites, though admittedly I have never completed it. Music is also an element in games that I treasure, and so titles like Dance Dance Revolution and Rhythm Heaven appeal to me. I appreciate games that attempt to tell a story insofar as I am willing to excuse lacking gameplay if the story the relatively interesting and engaging (for example, The Walking Dead or To the Moon), though it certainly is not a requirement for a great game. In terms of linearity, I honestly do not have much of a preference; there are ways to do both types of games well, and I have played my fair share of games that I would rather see more linear (Burnout Paradise) and those that I prefer to see more open-world (Super Mario Galaxy 2).

Platform of Choice:

Those who have read my gamer story know that I grew up with Nintendo and have continued to stick with them to this day. Somewhere in the middle, I got my hands on a PlayStation 2 and a PC, the latter of which remains my favorite platform to play on today. Although my Steam library is nowhere near as monstrous as many other people’s, it is by far the platform I return to the most, from the early days of RollerCoaster Tycoon to today’s Tomb Raider and Grand Theft Auto.

Returning to Nintendo, most of my favorite games of all time live on Nintendo platforms, many of which were created by Nintendo themselves. Mario is perhaps my favorite of Nintendo’s franchises, though I do enjoy many of their other offerings as well. As a university student, I tend to play more of my games on the go, and so my 3DS continues to get much use despite its relatively shallow library of games. On the home console front, my Wii U continues to sit at home while I am away, and at this point I am not sure how much I am willing to invest in it for the years to come (though games like Xenoblade Chronicles X will certainly occupy me for dozens more hours).

Favorite Genres:

3D PLATFORM GAMES

Examples: Ape Escape 3, Banjo-Tooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Super Mario 64

Once one of the most popular video game genres in the industry, it seems that 3D platform games have all but been forgotten in today’s gaming landscape, much to my chagrin. Many of the genre’s biggest stars – Ape Escape, Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, Rayman, and Spyro – have either disappeared completely or moved on to something else. Even Mario has not seen a 3D platform outing since 2010’s Super Mario Galaxy 2 (although I do enjoy Super Mario 3D Land a lot). It is a shame, because 3D platformers are easily my favorite video game genre. The freedom of movement it affords gives these games a direct sense of control, something many games today – especially those that depend on quick-time events – seem to lack. Exploring and scaling large environments in an effort to hunt for treasure is an exhilarating experience, and though many would be quick to criticize the collect-a-thon aspects of many of these titles, I find them an integral part to the 3D platforming experience.

2D PLATFORM GAMES

Examples: Cave Story, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario World, Yoshi’s Island

Although I far prefer its three-dimensional brethren, 2D platform games continue to hold a special place in my heart. My first 2D platform game was Super Mario World, and I have played every 2D Mario game ever since (and vehemently claim New Super Mario Bros. Wii to be one of the best 2D platformers ever created). Of course, not every 2D platformer tickles my fancy; the Donkey Kong Country series, for example, makes me want to pull my hair out. Nowadays, indie games such as Dust: An Elysian Tale and Knytt Underground continue to add new things to the genre and ensure that one of the oldest genres in gaming continues to thrive.

RACING GAMES

Examples: Burnout 3: Takedown, Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart 8, Wave Race 64

The earliest I remember picking up a controller was to play Mario Kart 64. Since then, my love for the genre has only grown. Much of this is due to the fact that most racing games have some sort of multiplayer component built into them; growing up with a brother who basically only plays racing games means many of my childhood memories were of titles like Mickey’s Speedway USA and Wave Race 64. Even today, games like Mario Kart 8 and Burnout Paradise bring me joy like no other, regardless of whether I am playing against friends or alone.

ROLE-PLAYING GAMES

Examples: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, Mass Effect 3, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Xenoblade Chronicles

I have a rather interesting relationship with role-playing games. I very much enjoy the mathematical part of it – stat collecting and number crunching – but many of the genre’s traditional tropes irritate me to the point where I will not pick up any game with the words “final” or “fantasy” in the title. Among my annoyances are random encounters and grinding, two things that really only existed due to hardware limitations but are kept in modern RPG’s for the sake of “tradition.” Thankfully, many franchises have decided to branch off of this beaten path and carve new sub-genres of their own, such as shooter-RPG’s with the Mass Effect series. The Mario & Luigi games allow for a more action-oriented approach to turn-based RPG’s, which is part of the reason why the first game, Superstar Saga, is my favorite game of all time.

That is it for me. Thanks for taking the time to read my gaming preferences, and I hope to continue the discussion in the comments below! I would also like to tag Exelement, unoclay1, and shmuga9 to make a blog about their tastes in gaming as well. Happy gaming everyone!