Contrary to what people on the internet may say, there comes a day when all Hard Drive writers move out of their parent’s homes. I tend to keep all the video games that I get with me, both good and bad, but for one reason or another, some got left behind.
These are the Top 10 Games still at my parent’s house. Waiting for the day they might join their comrades in a much smaller apartment.
10. TimeSplitters
TimeSpliters 2 gets all the love, but the first game has a special place in my heart. Specifically, the Chinese (1970) level in Deathmatch mode versus bots. I poured hours into this game, but barely even glanced at any other part. It may not be the best game, but it sure did scratch that FPS itch.
9. Sega Saturn Bootleg Sampler II
This demo disk has it all: demos for Viruta On, Dayton CCE, Bug Too!, Three Dirty Dwarves, Baku Baku and videos for Mr. Bones, Sega Worldwide Soccer ‘97, Fighting Vipers, Virtua Cop 2, and Dark Savior. Not only that, it has some of the best menu screen music. I spent hours playing these demos and watching the videos, dreaming of when I would be able to play the full versions. Years went by, newer systems grabbed my attention, and now most of the games on this disk are way too expensive to buy.
8. Super Mario Land
One of the first video games I ever owned. As a child, beating Super Mario Land seemed like an impossible task. Hours were spent trying again and again to beat the World 2 boss. World 3 seemed like the pinnacle of difficulty and World 4 could only be reached by a stroke of luck. On a recent trip back home I beat the game in 40 minutes.
7. An Unopened Copy Of Shenmue II
So I’ve never actually played Shenmue II, but I have heard good things about it (sort of). Eitherway, it fits the criteria for this list. It’s still at my parent’s house and it’s an (apparently) good game. Maybe one day I’ll release it from its plastic wrapping, but until that day, it’ll remain a perfectly sealed good (or bad) game.
6. Kingdom Hearts
The ranking of Kingdom Hearts on this list is specifically for the version still at my parent’s house. It’s just a regular PS2 copy, but has something special about it: a 20+ hour save file where I never left Destiny Islands. Did I find the beach setting soothing? Maybe. Did I want to build an overpowered character to start with for subsequent playthroughs? Nope. Did I think it would be cool to beat Tidus and Wakka in one hit? Absolutely.
5. Jazz Jackrabbit 2
Before Epic Games became the creator of gaming chimera Fortnite, they were releasing cool and creative games. One of their best was Jazz Jackrabbit 2. A colorful and weird side scrolling platformer that plays like Sonic with guns. I doubt we’ll ever see another Jazz Jackrabbit game, but maybe we’ll get a Jazz Jackrabbit skin in Fornite and the chimera will continue to grow.
4. Three Dirty Dwarves
Eventually, playing the demo of Three Dirty Dwarves on the Sega Saturn Bootleg Sampler II wasn’t enough and the full version had to be acquired. It was one of the few games I was able to get off that disk before prices for retro games went crazy. What other game do you get to play as three dirty dwarves (duh) that use weapons such as bowling pins, baseballs, and a shotgun to defeat enemies such as an entire gym building being held up by the beefy legs of its members?
3. SSX Tricky
One of the first games I truly sank my teeth into and one that shaped my music tastes for the rest of my life. More importantly, it’s a game I utterly stomped my friend’s sibling in because they thought I couldn’t possibly be good at it since I was much younger. Little did they know I had gotten gold medals on every level with every character. “This is going to be very, very interesting” indeed.
2. A Bootleg Copy of Quake III: Arena
With a taste for fast paced FPS games already in my system from TimeSplitters, it was time to move on to the harder stuff. During an art class, I slide my backpack under the table to receive a freshly burnt disk with “Q3” written on it in sharpie. The bell rang and the deal was done. That night, by the glow of my PC, I loaded up Quake III: Team Arena and never looked back.
1. Age of Empires 2
The strategic gameplay, the deep technology tree, engaging campaigns, all things that made Age of Empires 2 the enduring classic. Not once did I bother with any of those. Maybe for a couple of hours, but the real way to play Age of Empires 2 was to load into quick play, put in cheat codes, and launch the largest army possible onto an unsuspecting computer opponent, or an army of Cobra Cars. It was the best game ever.
