My History With Games
My first introduction to games was with the Playstation 1, where the most memorable game I played was Crash Bash. This was a party game based on the popular series Crash Bandicoot, and allowed a number of players to partake in a wide variety of mini-games. I don't recall the gameplay specifically (I played this when I was very young, I believe when I was 4 or 5) but the mini-games that I vaguely remember included a pogo-stick game where characters jump around tiles painting the map, and a mode that involved a polar ice cap and attempting to knock people off. The reason this particular game had an impact on me wasn't because of the gameplay though, it was because I could never play the game to unlock new stages since I never had a memory card to save my progress. Being forced to play the first bunch of mini-games repeatedly left an impression on me.
The Youtube video shown here portrays the first boss fight in the game, which is one I always came back to since I had to restart every time I launched the game. I also had to play solo since there wasn't a spare controller available, which ramped up the difficulty. As a result, this game is one of the most memorable to me.
Another game that stood out in my childhood was Pokemon Emerald. This was a part of a series known by many, even by those who don't involve themselves with games, as the TV show and trading card game were incredibly popular in the early 2000's. I had always enjoyed Pokemon, but the TV show was where my fascination originated - not the game. However, I had received the game Pokemon Emerald for my birthday (I believe it was my 5th or 6th) and I immediately fell in love with the game. It was the reason I invested myself further with games, as the Pokemon franchise was heavily tied into the Nintendo platforms, which opened the door to other games.
The final game I'll talk about in regards to my past with games is Halo Reach. Within the games community, Halo is regarded as one of the most popular and beloved shooter games of the Xbox and the 360 generation. The series hit its peak popularity with the 3rd installation in the series, Halo 3, but at the time I wasn't involved with this series. However, after trying Halo 3 towards the end of its popularity, Halo Reach was announced, and I was determined to try it when it launched. Me and many of my primary school friends picked it up and we all enjoyed making and playing our own customizable gameplay experience, which was one of the many things Halo was known for.
Halo Reach was a game focused around a "spartan" nicknamed Noble 6. A spartan is a supersoldier within the Halo universe, and Halo Reach focuses on a squad of spartans that partake in operations against a threat to the planet called Reach by an enemy faction called the Covenant. The covenant is a group of many alien races that have come together to achieve their goals, and in this case the goal is to destroy Reach, a fortress planet designed to be a safe haven for humanity in the space age, aside from Earth. The gameplay itself offers a singleplayer campaign of many levels to play through, a mode called 'Forge' which allows the player to make their own game maps and objectives, multiplayer that allows people to fight with or against each other, and a theater that lets the player make and edit videos highlighting their favourite gameplay moments. Me and my friends invested many hours into the different gameplay modes, which cements Halo Reach as a cornerstone of my gaming history.