I'm going to go off on a tangent here and talk about a different subject that is not necessarily Art but nonetheless has given me lots of inspiration back in the day. Different, but yet it's still pretty artistic in a way if I may. VIDEO GAMES!
If you ask some of my friends and colleagues today about me and gaming, 99% of them will tell you that they have NEVER seen me play. However if by some form of magic or lucky chance you end up meeting some of my childhood friends they will most likely take up at least a couple of hours of your time describing how fierce and pretty much brutal our gaming days together were.
Back when I was 12 or 13 Video Games were just starting to take shape and get more advanced. More 3-D platform games (which were my preference) were becoming available each and every day. The first Sony Playstation came out. Even though I never stopped playing my Sega Dreamcast, I decided to give Sony a try. Let me tell you my friends, "Hooked" is Not the best word to describe my situation. I prefer the phrase "Gaming took over my life for a limited period of time". I must admit, I have never been so competitive in my life and full of imagination as I was during that period.
So I thought I'd gather up some of the top games I played during my "Charmed" years. I'm pretty sure if you were old enough in the mid 90's to play games you've probably heard of most of these.
1) PANDEMONIUM
* This game was the first one I played on my new SP when I got it. Good story. Interesting humorous characters and pretty cool music. I've passed it numerous times but kept on playing it over and over until the day I told myself I need to buy a New game.
Story and Characters: 5 out of 5 Gems!
3-D Quality: 4 out of 5 Gems!
2) GEX: ENTER THE GECKO
* Years before the Gecko became famous for selling Cheap Car Insurance he used to be the SH*T. This specific one confused me at first, mostly because it was in French. A few tweaks and language changes later it got more interesting. What's better than a Lizard Spy that likes to make smart ass comments throughout the game trying to save a hot babe from the crazy villain? The next game could be a contender but I still love me some GEX.
Story and Characters: 5 out of 5 Flies!
3-D Quality: 4 out of 5 Flies!
3) CRASH BANDICOOT
* Oh the good Ol' Crash! How can anyone resist playing this game! In fact I believe the game was extremely appealing. I think that's the reason they made so many versions of this one throughout the years. The old one is still the closest to my heart though. And No, I never finished playing it to the very end. This game is extremely Long and Hard, but Way Fun.
Story and Characters: I give it 5 out of 5 Apples!
3-D Quality: 5 out of 5 Apples!
4) ODDWORLD: ABE'S ODDYSEE
* This one had an Amazing appeal and made me sooo damn curious. I wish they made this into a feature film. UNFORTUNATELY I never owned the Full Version of this game just the demo. Trying to find it in a former Soviet country was pretty much impossible in the mid 90's. I still had loads of fun playing the only round of this game that I had in my possession. The best part of it were the characters. Up to this day I still imitate some of the words and phrases from this game. My favorite was the Slig.
Story and Characters: 5 out of 5 Bombs!
3-D Quality: 5 out of 5 Bombs!
**This game reminds me so much of Alien 3 (directed by David Fincher). Similarity in the setting and backgrounds is extremely apparent.
5) EARTHWORM JIM
* Last but not least is Earthworm Jim. Up to this day I still prefer the Sega 2-D version to all the other ones. 3 Things: Cows, The Moonlight Sonata, and a Super Buff Worm that shoots a Big Ass Gun. That's all you need to know about this game! Super Fun!
Story and Characters: 5 out of 5 Cows!
Graphics: 5 out of 5 Cows!
