My Top Video Games Over the Years

I was raised in a household of video games.  Having two older brothers, I was exposed to most gaming consoles that existed anywhere from the 80s to the current consoles.  My oldest brother is 31, so he has been around for most of the development of video games ever since the first 1 v 1, 2 dimensional tennis game was created.  My other brother, who is now 25, was exposed to those games just as I was, except he really enjoyed them.  He enjoyed them more than the next guy.  So not only did I grow up with a brother old enough to experience most of the old game consoles, I grew up with a brother who was infatuated by them.  Therefore, I have played a wide variety of games and used a wide variety of gaming consoles in my life.  So, I will list my favorite video game for each system I have used in my life, from oldest to newest.

The oldest system I have used is an Atari 2600.  This device is just a box that plugs into a TV via RCA cables (the red, white, and yellow ones).  The box has a single joystick for controlling movement and a few buttons on the top and side for various reasons.  I remember playing pong which is pretty much the first video game created (Atari was sued by the original creator of the game).  However, my favorite game was called Adventure.  You pretty much roam around a world looking for a chalice that you return to the yellow castle.  I never actually beat this game (I was too young), but I always enjoyed searching the different areas and fighting the enemies.

The next system I have played on is the Sega Genesis.  This game system is similar to the typical system today where there is a main system (like a box) that plugs into the tv and is connected to the building's power outlet, and then there are controllers that can plug into the main system.  The system has an input for game cartridges because video games on discs didn't exist yet.  This is a more difficult decision to make between NBA Jam and Terminator 2, but I have to go with Terminator 2.  Terminator 2 is a great movie and the game is very entertaining.  Again, I have never beaten the game because the driving levels get insanely difficult, but its still fun.  I also enjoy the music of the game a lot.  This is a game that my brothers introduced to me heavily, so I'm sure that had an effect.  

After that is the Nintendo 64, which is just about the most iconic game system that my family has owned.  This system is very similar to the SEGA Genesis, but the controllers are very unique.  These controllers have three handles on them (as opposed to only 2).  There is central joystick on the middle handle, buttons A,B and 4 C buttons on the right, and then a direction pad on the left side.  On the back, there is a Z trigger, and there are two bumpers on the top of the controller.  My favorite game for the N64 is Mario Party 2 (close 2nd is Super Mario 64).  I have played Mario Party 2 against my brothers and friends all my life, it just has a special place in my heart.  The various mini games and maps are just so memorable to me.

Next is the PlayStation 2.  This was the first system we had that took discs as an input rather than cartridges.  My favorite game for the PS2 is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.  I haven't even played this game all that much; just watching my brothers play it is fun.  This is the first open world game I have seen/played, so it's always something new with this game.  The dialogue between the characters is priceless, and it has a timeless soundtrack.

After the PS2 is the GameCube.  This is another creation of Nintendo, and is the first system of theirs to use game discs.  My favorite game on the GameCube is Mario Superstar Baseball.  This is another game that I always played against my brothers and their friends (and usually lost).  Also, being a baseball player myself, I have a bias for this baseball video game.

Next is the XBOX 360.  This was just about the biggest console (popularity-wise) to ever be used in our house.  We used it for around 10-12 years before we finally stopped playing the games on it.  This console yielded probably my favorite video game of all time: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.  I spent years playing this game, from when it came out when I was a second grader to my freshman year in high school.  As long as the servers were still up and I had XBOX live, I was going to come back to that game.  The multiplayer was ahead of its time (when I was older I got really good at it) and the campaign was legendary.  Keep in mind that I also spent years playing Halo 3 with my brothers, but MW2 still tops my list.

Finally, we switched sides of the console wars and all got PS4s.  The PS4 ran so smoothly when it came out and was truly state of the art.  The only issue is that I haven't really thought of a favorite game that I played on this console.  Right now, I would have to pick between Minecraft (I consider this more of a PC game but PS4 is my main console that I play it on) and Fortnite.  I know people rip on Fortnite now, but that stupid game provided me with so many memories that it will always have a place in my heart.  To be honest, I would still play it today if I had a PS4 with enough space to keep updating it and time to play video games at all.

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