Gunz The Duel: (2006-2013)

Gunz the Duel was a massive multiplayer online 3rd-person shooting game created by a company called MAIET Entertainment.  It was first released in the US in November 2006.  Gunz was unlike any shooting game that previously came out before it.  Players could run on the side of walls, block bullets with their sword, and tumble around the map like a gymnast.  Best of all, the game was free-to-play, although there was an online shop where you could spend real money and buy fashionable clothing sets and weapons.

These outfits cost real money.  But the fun was for free.

Surprisingly, what made Gunz widely successful and popular was due to a glitch in the game.  People were able to exploit the sword mechanics in the game, and thus "K-Style" was born.  K-Style, which stood for Korean Style, consisted of advanced keyboard combinations using a sword.  The discovery of K-Style allowed players to learn highly effective moves and combinations that greatly increased their skill and chance of killing their opponent.

The Online Shop in the game where you could buy items and dress up your character.

There were many game modes available to play, such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Assassination.  But by far my favorite mode was the Quest Mode.  In Quest Mode, you team up with your fellow players to defeat monsters and collect treasure chests, which contain items inside.  Players would sell the items for money, which is used to buy new weapons and clothing. 

Aneramon Boss in Gunz, the one I hated the most.

On rare occasions, you would find a boss item inside the treasure chest.  By combining certain boss items and sacrificing them, you were able to face Bosses.  The Boss Battles were always a lot of fun, even if you lost.  There were certain bosses that were extremely difficult, such as Aneramon, shown above.  Only experienced players with good communication skills were able to emerge victorious at the end.

The Boss known as "Lich".

What made Gunz the Duel fun to me was because it was a unique aspect on a genre.  There have been plenty of shooting games that have come out, but there hasn't been anything like Gunz.  Gunz takes the shooting aspect, and adds a Matrix-like dimension where you can perform moves like running on walls.  It was a shooting game on steroids.  The discovery of K-Style added a whole new element to the game that took everyone by storm.  If you didn't learn K-Style, you feel behind and became easy fodder.  Below is the original trailer for Gunz the Duel.  This is a small sample of what is possible in the game. 

Gunz is a game of Mastery, a game with a steep learning curve that requires patients and hours of practice.  This can be a turnoff for some people, but it was motivation for me.  There was a period of time when I was addicted to the game.  I remember coming back home from school and going right to my computer to play Gunz.  Homework could wait, there were more important matters at hand.  There were some days where my parents had to yell at me to get off the computer because I was playing Gunz.

A personal screenshot of mine I found online.

However, I have to point out one of the negatives about Gunz: Hackers.  Hacking was prevalent in Gunz.  Oftentimes, while in a game, a hacker would join and ruin all the fun.  It's not cool facing someone with super speed and infinite health with the ability to kill you in one second.  Thankfully, there were options that allowed you to kick the hacker from the room.

A Hacker using the "Lawnmower" Hack.  If you touched the yellow orb you automatically died.

Despite all this, Gunz was overall a very fun game to me, and I spent hundreds of hours playing it.  Therefore, I was saddened when I found out that the game was to be cancelled at the end of May 2013.  It is currently March 2015, and it has been almost 2 years since I have played Gunz.  There are some private servers available where people recreated the game, but I have not joined any.  I think it is for the better.  I do not want to get addicted again, not when I am about to graduate in two months.

Runescape: The Glory Days

*Disclaimer: This post will deal with Runescape as it was played years ago, not the new Runescape that most people play now.  Some people call this Old School Runescape.  I call it the Glory Days.*

I first started playing Runescape in September of 2003.  This was way back in the day, long before Runescape became the most popular free MMORPG of all time.  The plot was simple.  You created your own character, and did whatever you want. 

Runescape Classic: When things were Simple

There was no clear objective to do, rather you could do whatever you wanted.  If you wanted to kill monsters and enemies, go ahead.  If you wanted to chop down trees, catch shrimp, and cook yourself a nice dinner, be my guest.  If you wanted to just walk around and talk to other players and meet people from around the world, do it.  Nobody is stopping you. 

A bunch of players hanging out.

As time passed, the game evolved.  A year or two after I joined, Runescape 2 came out.  Runescape 2 made Runescape 1 look like a Beta version.  The graphics engine was entirely revamped, and so was the combat sytem.  It was like an entirely different game in itself.  It took a while for me to adjust, but when I did, I found it a lot of fun.

Runescape 2: A complete Graphical remake of Runescape 1

The best part of Runescape for me was the fact that it was an MMORPG.  I found it a revelation that I could talk to random people from the comfort of my bedroom.  There was a friends list where you could add people you have met.  Adding people to your friends list would give you an alert whenever they logged on.  Therefore, you would know when your friend was playing, and could coordinate hanging out with them online.

At the height of Runescape popularity.

It didn't take long for Runescape to become very popular.  At the height of popularity, there would be over 200,000 people online during peak hours of the day.

My favorite part of Runescape was playing a mini-game called Castle Wars.  I have easily spent over 2000 hours playing Castle Wars, and I do not regret it one bit.  Castle Wars is basically Capture the Flag.  There is a flag in each castle, and you have to steal the enemies flag and bring it back to your own base.  At the same time, you have to prevent the enemy from stealing your flag and running back to their base.  A game lasted 20 minutes long, and the team that scored the most points was declared the winner.  Even though the game seemed simple, there was a high amount of strategy involved.  There were specific Clans people made that you could join that were dedicated to Castle Wars, and I was a part of one of them.   

Two opponents meeting each other in Castle Wars

You may be wondering: Do I still play Runescape?  Sadly, the answer is No.  I stopped playing in May of 2012.  The next question to ask: Why?  Is it because you grew up?  No, that is not the reason.  The reason I quit Runescape is I did not like the updates and changes that the company was making to the game.  Starting in 2011, Runescape became more "money focused" rather than "content focused".  It seemed like the content that they were required you to spend real money to fully enjoy them. 

This picture shows the graphical improvements of Runescape

In addition, the community changed.  The days of people playing Runescape for fun and enjoyment was over.  Now, it was all about "Who can get to the highest level in the fastest amount of time?"  People were complaining about how long it took them to level up, and how boring it was doing the same thing over and over again.  To these people, it was like playing Runescape was a chore, not something to be looked forward to.

Monster Hunting in Runescape: Killing the King Black Dragon

Having said all that, Runescape still was a great and amazing game.  The concept of an Adventure game, where you can explore and do whatever you want: killing monsters, go on Quests, talk with people from around the world, was revolutionary for me.  And all those hours I spent playing Castle Wars, playing until my eyes hurt from staring at the computer screen.  Those were the days...

 

Grand Theft Auto 3

R2, R2, L1, R2, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP 

Those were always the first combination of buttons I would press whenever I played Grand Theft Auto 3 (GTA 3).  Pressing the buttons in the order above would unlock all the weapons in the game.  Basically, you had every single gun and could go on a one man killing spree.  

It's hard to believe that it's been over 13 years since GTA 3 released.  Taking place in a fictional place called Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto 3 is mainly known for being one of the first Open World games.  Instead of being forced to do things in an A-B-C format, the player was free to roam around and do whatever they desired.  Interested in playing by the book?  Complete the missions and see the story unfold.  Walk past a really nice looking car?  Steal it.  Don't like the look the old lady gave you as she walked past you?  Beat her up.  When the game released the only limitation in GTA 3 seemed to be your own imagination.

"Excuse me, sir.  Your car looks nice.  It's mine now."

Driving a Car on water.  Only possible in Grand Theft Auto.

Of course, you can't do anything you want in the game without consequences.  Killing someone usually attracted the attention of the police.  They would try to arrest you and bring you down.  Usually, the easiest solution would be to kill them.  Which is what I would do.  One of my favorite things to do in the game is steal a car, run over a bunch of people until the police started chasing me in their vehicles, and try to outrun them "Fast and Furious" style.  The purpose was to see how long you could survive before you got caught.  I would think I got pretty good at it.

Once you are are caught, or "busted", you are sent to the nearest police station.  

GTA 3 is one of my favorite games because of the freedom you have.  My friend was the one who owned the game, and he lived 2 doors down from me.  95% of the time when we played, we just went around exploring and killing people.  On the rare occasion, we attempted a few missions, but oftentimes would get sidetracked by a nice car.  There was also the "Mature" aspect of the game that appealed to me.  I was 9 when GTA 3 came out.  Playing a "M" rated game with blood, guns, and killing, a game I was technically not supposed to be playing, definitely added to the enjoyment.  

Walking around Liberty City like a boss, Rocket Launcher in hand.

Years later, I feel that GTA 3 still holds up well compared to the games available today.  Sure, the graphics might be outdated, but the open world experience and fun you can have never gets old.  If you gave me a PS2 and GTA 3 right now, I would happily spend a few hours immersed in the world of Liberty City.  But first, R2, R2, L1, R2, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, UP.

Pokemon Crystal

The Pokemon craze hit when I was in elementary school.  Pokemon was everywhere you went, it seemed impossible to escape.  Walking around school, I would see my classmates with Pokemon T shirts, Pokemon Hats, Pokemon Backpacks, even Pokemon Lunchboxes.  It was crazy, and I was a victim of the craze.  I had the Pokemon Trading Cards, but what I really coveted was my own Pokemon Video Game.  I wanted to be like the other people who could train and raise their own Pokemon pet.

The Pokemon craze was everywhere.

It took a few years, but I finally got my opportunity.  My neighbor had a copy of Pokemon Crystal, and I had a copy of Super Mario Bros: Deluxe.  We traded games for a day.  He liked Super Mario Bros.  I liked Pokemon Crystal.  I asked him if he wanted to trade games.  He said yes.  Success!  It was painful to let go of Super Mario Bros: Deluxe, because I really did like the game, and I hadn't beaten it yet.  The only way to remedy this was to take full advantage of the Pokemon Crystal Experience.

The most important decision you will make in the game: Which Pokemon do you choose?

Pokemon Crystal continues with the classic Pokemon format where you get to select your own Pokemon (out of 3) and go on an adventure, meeting cool people, battling familiar foes, and discovering new Pokemon creatures.  When I received the game, my neighbor had already started a save file, so I just continued from where he left off.  But thankfully, he was still in the beginning stages, so I didn't miss much.

A Map of the Radio Tower.  Buena is on the bottom right (Red Hair)

One of my favorite memories from the game was a Radio Quiz called Buena's Password.  At a certain time in the day, if you tuned in to Buena's radio station, she would announce a password.  After hearing the password, you could go to her location in the Radio Tower and recite the password to her.  Doing this would give you points, which you could cash in to get sought after prizes, such as a gold nugget.  I often would get up early before school just so I could listen to Buena on the radio and accumulate points.

A Gold Nugget: Worth 5000 coins.

Pokemon Crystal was one of my favorite games because you wrote your own adventure.  If you wanted to, you could breeze through the game in 20 hours.  But for people like me, who wanted to catch Pokemon, explore new places, and just walk around the virtual world, it offered a lot more.  It allowed me to escape from my house in New Jersey, and transport me to the Pokemon Johto region.  It was there where I didn't have to focus on stuff in real life like trying to learn Chinese, the only thing I had to focus on was trying to find rare Pokemon.

To this day, I still would rather search for hours trying to find rare Pokemon than learn Chinese. 

Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped

What is a Bandicoot?  For a long time, I thought it was a made up species of animal.  But it turns out that they actually exist (see picture below).  Google defines a Bandicoot as "a mainly insectivorous marsupial native to Australia and New Guinea."  To me, they look like a cross between a squirrel and a rat.  But it is what it is.

Crash Bandicoot vs A real bandicoot

Crash Bandicoot Warped is the 3rd entry in the series of Crash Bandicoot games made by NaughtyDog.  This game is similar to the second game in the sense that your goal is to go through a set of levels and collect the crystals, which would open up a portal where you could fight the boss.  When you succeed, you were granted access to the next set of worlds, where you would do the same thing. 

The first world hub in Crash Bandicoot Warped

Unlike the second game, beating a set of levels would grant you a special ability.  These ranged from a Double Jump to carrying around a Laser Guided Bazooka.  These special abilities greatly enhanced your ability to finish levels, and finish them efficiently.  My personal favorite is the Bazooka.  Instead of fighting enemies face-to-face, you could just sit back and snipe them away.  Because the Bazooka had unlimited ammo, you didn't have to worry about being accurate.  Just fire away!

Crash holding a Bazooka.  It's as awesome as it sounds.

Perhaps my favorite part about the game was the music.  Crash Bandicoot Warped has one of the best soundtracks out of any game I have played.  As soon as you see the Title Screen pop up, you are greeted with the Crash Bandicoot theme song, which is my favorite out of any video game.  The beat is catchy and is easy to get stuck in your head, not that I minded.  In addition, the music of the levels really added to the experience while playing.  In fact, I have a majority of the songs downloaded onto my phone, so I can listen to them anytime I want.

Below is a YouTube Video of a cover someone made of the Crash Bandicoot Theme song.

Crash Bandicoot Warped is one of my favorite childhood games because it was just a fun game to play.  Yes, there were levels that were hard and frustrating, but when you finally beat them it makes you feel really good.  Add the introduction of special abilities, it adds a whole new dimension to the game where you can tackle levels in different ways that were impossible before.  And last but not least, the amazing soundtrack.  Whoever came up with the music for the game should win a Grammy award.  I really do think the music is that good.  I'm serious.