(Fatal) Frame of Reference

I hope that this blog will someday in the not-too-distant future become a forum for people to say interesting and original things about video games. But before that can happen, I feel obligated to set some ground rules, so my faithful readers will know what to expect here at Neely’s. To that end, I’ll put up a post letting you know a bit about myself and my tastes in gaming.

I’m a 24-year-old professional who has been playing video games as a hobby since kindergarten. My first console was a Sega Genesis, which still works and is currently stored safely in my parents’ basement. Har har.

Since that time, I’ve owned a Super NES and each generation of the Playstation. I have significant experience with the N64 and Xbox, but less so with the Gamecube, Wii and Xbox 360. I’m not a pc gamer, and I have never pretended to be. Sorry if that hurts your feelings.

In college, I once missed several days worth of classes because I'd just gotten a Sega Genesis emulator installed on my laptop, and I couldn't tear myself away from ToeJam & Earl.

My tastes trend toward action games, RPGs and shooters with the occasional strategy game mixed in for variety. I don’t have much time for fighting, racing or sports games. There was a time around 5^th grade during which I played sports games almost exclusively, but that era has long ended.

I have degrees in political science and journalism, and I have real-world (even award-winning) experience in the newspaper industry covering government and breaking news.

I intend for this blog to contain real journalism that will require interviews, research and competent writing on my part. As a strong supporter of the First Amendment, I encourage any and all of my faithful readers to please post feedback and make suggestions for story ideas going forward. However, I stress that I’m getting paid for none of this. It’s just something I enjoy doing.

So, I’ve come to the part of this post I suspect you will find most interesting. Here’s my own personal Top-10 all-time video games list. Please feel to disagree and debate. I look forward to it.

1. Silent Hill 2 – The game that proved to me that video games are art. Gripping atmosphere, tragic characters and a powerful plot that took on mature themes and did them justice. A life-changing experience.
2. Metal Gear Solid – Stunning production for the time. A huge step forward in cinematic gaming. Plus the coolest hero ever to grace a game console.
3. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – Incredibly fast and incredibly fun. Mario never had a side-scroller as good as this. Boom, I said it!
4. Grand Theft Auto III – A whole city of possibilities. Plus hookers!
5. 007 Goldeneye – The only FPS on my list (Sorry, Halo). Wide variety of weapons and great multi-player. Also, I have a man-crush on Pierce Brosnan.
6. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – With the possible exception of the Capital Wasteland of Fallout 3, Cyrodil is the most impressive and beautifully rendered gaming environment I’ve ever encountered. It’s fun just to ride around on Shadowmere and go sightseeing.
7. Syphon Filter – Ballsy and over-the-top with some fantastic level design. Personal favorites: The expo center and Rhoemer’s base.
8. Final Fantasy III – Technically groundbreaking with a story that still resonates.
9. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Another huge step toward blurring the lines between game and cinema. Great characters and tight gameplay.
10. Mortal Kombat II – The only fighter on the list. A lot of people look back on MK as a slightly embarrassing relic of the 1990s, but what can I say? I was a sucker for fatalities and Raiden. This franchise was also the inspiration for the best game-to-film adaptation in the history of cinema.

So that's it. I hope that this was informative for my faithful readers. Maybe it will kick off a discussion or two. If nothing else, I think it helps you understand where I'm coming from as a gamer.