Mike Bantick
Sunday, 08 February 2009 06:09
Opinion and Analysis
Page 3 of 4
Best White Knuckle Inducing Experience: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC and a bunch-o-consoles)
Infinity Ward 2007
Oh look kids, a relatively new game. Not only did both the single player and multiplayer deliver some of the most intense battle experiences away from real life, but also some of the more poignant moments. Shooting at the thermal image of enemy infantry from the safety of an AC-130 gunship showcased the detached horror of modern warfare.
A close second in this field was the 2001 release of Operation Flashpoint from Bohemia Interactive Studio. Once again a heart stopping, sphincter clenching, fictional look at modern day high tech warfare.
Most Played at a Mates Place: Star Raiders (Atari 400)
Atari 1979
Taking on aliens (Zylons) in 3D for the first time took place a good 20 minute push bike ride away from home, over at a friend’s place on his Fanta-spill-proof Atari 400.
Whack in the 8-bit cartridge, fire up the galactic chart, dock with star-bases, take on the enemy fighters and manage your ships energy and then hyperwarp away.
The only downside, being scored as a “Garbage Scow Captain” in front of your friends dad, who actually thought we had been doing home-work all the time.
Most Time Wasted On: Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC)
Origin Systems 1992
A full year before Doom took us further into the third dimension; the Stygian Abyss had already buried us in a 3D labyrinth that required a quick trigger finger, and equally quick mind.
Lord British took us into an underground Ultima adventure that had me hooked from the first time Avatar was trapped underground. The first game I felt compelled to buy a guide-book to help complete what I had started. Richard Garriott, you owe me a large proportion of my life.
Close second to stealing large swathes of life, are the WestWood series of Real Time Strategy games. From the Command & Conquer series through Red Alert and even Emperor: Battle for Dune. Sometimes it is just fun to direct little soldiers around screen real-estate for hours on end.
An even closer third is the mega Mech stomping fun of MechWarrior 3 – the pinnacle of first person Mech combat – before the series ultimately went flat, and not to mention third person with the Mech Assault titles.
Following the adventures of Roger Wilco in the Space Quest series worked off some kilo-joules in the form of mouse finger clicks and believe it or not, both the follow-up Xbox game as well as the original Apple ][ code of A Bards Tale, consumed many hours of seat-time.
Speaking of the seminal Apple ]{, mention should be made of Load Runner and Chop Lifter - classics that still bring a nostalgic tear to the eye and a flick of muscle memory from keyboard fingers.
CONCLUDED on PAGE 4 With the best game of all time.
