The Sci Fi Catholic Yak Module
I'm not much of a gamer myself, even though I'm old enough to remember the original NES and such classics as "Legend of Zelda" and the original "Super Mario Bros."
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo64 is still one of my all time favorite games; given that it's been twelve years, the graphics really shows its age, but get this game if you can; the storyline and gameplay still remain one of the best in the action/adventure genre.
Another game I think you'd be very interested in, is the much more recent God of War and God of War 2 for the Playstation 2 and 3. It incorporates Greek mythology very well into its story and gameplay, and the character you play, the anti-hero Kratos (who is a Spartan general, by the way), is one of the most complex characters you'll ever see in a game. Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God...28video_game%
29 and the sequel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God...i/
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Be warned though, this game is very violent, even by today's standards. One of the aspects of fighting in the game is executing a brutal and unique fininshing move to kill the different monsters you face; for instance, you can kill Gorgons (yes, *those* Gorgons), by either hacking away with your weapons, or ripping off their heads in a fountain of blood when they've weakened.
I could give more recommendations, but I'll stop to let you guys wax nostalgic about your own favorites. I'm eager to see what games I've missed in my wasted youth 
Come to think of it, I was lucky to be born in a year (1987), when many great video game franchises got started, including Mega Man, Street Fighter, and Zelda. However, I still feel jealous of my little brother because he's grown up with games whitch only run on a 3-D graphics engine.
Video games have improved by leaps and bounds on the technical side of things, especially within the last fifteen years. It always amazes me every time I remember the days when every kid wanted a Sega Genesis or a Super Nintendo.
I also just learned today that one of the lastest installments of the Zelda franchise (Twilight Princess), is supposed to be even better than "Ocarina of Time". I didn't think it was possible, but I hear this sequel is absolutely amazing. If any of you guys have a Nintendo Wii, might want to check this review: http://wii.ign.com/articles/746/...6/
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Hello, I've been reading this blog for awhile but this is my first time commenting. I just wanted to say that your good story detector couldn't be more on target. Kingdom Hearts has, in my opinion, one of the greatest storylines I have come across, and as for execution, I think it is done splendidly. The gameplay is also excellent and there is really no objectionable content, though I would think that would be obvious.
Bioshock was also an excellent game, but it's a bit darker and more mature, in both rating and themes, though that's not necessarily a bad thing. Interestingly, it was this blog that got me to finally play it. After reading about the game here and over at Catholic Media Review I all but rushed out to buy it, and I must say thank you because it was as good as it sounded, probably better.
O, and Thomas, I was inclined to agree with you, that no Zelda game could match Ocarina of Time, but my brother and friends who played Twilight Princess say it's amazing. I played some of it but stopped after awhile, so I can't exactly say, but I should probably pick it up again.
I must add my voice to the chorus of those who like Zelda: Twilight Princess. It's a fantastic game, one of the best I've ever played. It's available on (the older, cheaper) GameCube as well as on the Wii. Zelda: The Wind Waker" was also very, very good.
I find I go through phases where video games seem like a utter waste of time, and then phases where I can't get enough of them. They can help a person get through Manitoba winters.
Video games have become an artform and it will be interesting to see how they keep on evolving. Marier expresses it well in the last three paragraphs of his piece.
As for his comment that some games are 'almost Christian,' that's true - and what's more, there are some excellent game designers out there who are actual Christians. Sid Meier and Rand Miller, to name just two.
PS. I recently came across this interesting list of the top 25 computer games of all time, by IGN: http://pc.ign.com/articles/772/7...2/
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The games I've played which are on the list were very well-designed (though of course some, like Unreal Tournament, were morally problematic) therefore I imagine their other choices are worth investigating too.
PPS: I forgot - at the end of the article there's a video which discusses the best games for various console systems - God of War is their favorite for PS2, Metroid Prime for GameCube, etc. And they mention the runners-up too. Worth watching.
Out of those games you linked to Elliot, I own Warcraft 2, World of Warcraft, Starcraft and Civilization IV. Strabgely enough, I never got into Civ IV because I couldn't work the turned-based style gameplay. I'm much more into RTS (Real-Time Strategy) games. I'm also a big fan of Blizzard Entertainment; any game they make is always well-thought out and brilliantly crafted. But man they take a long time to make their games. I waited 5 1/2 years for Warcraft 3 to come out, but it was well worth it.
I'm eagerly awaiting the release of Starcraft 2 http://www.starcraft2.com/
and Red Alert 3 http://www.ea.com/redalert/ two of my favorite RTS franchises.
Starcraft 2 is *long* overdue, but from what I've of the game demo footage revealed from BizzCon, the development team is making every minute worth it, in typical Blizzard fashion
Sorry, that should read "strangely enough..." curse these two-left hands of mine!
...some, like Unreal Tournament, were morally problematic...
I confess to having enjoyed bouts of Unreal Tournament. My biggest gamer nerd experience was a LAN party in college in which I and maybe twenty other geeks hooked our computers together to play a variety of games (this was back before the games got better and before I chose portability over computing power). The evening got off to a slow start with more strategy-oriented shooters like Rainbow Six, but when we finally loaded up Unreal Tournament, I finally had enough skill to play. The capture the flag game was awfully fun, but I had no particular use for the excessive blood and guts. Incidentally, the other geeks were still going strong at 3 A.M. when they loaded up Alien vs. Predator. That's about when I curled up on the floor and fell asleep.
Greetings on the Feastday of St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi (3rd Class):
I saw that you are new to the St. Blog's Parish Directory, so I wanted to welcome you to the group!
Dominus tecum! Laudetur Jesus Christus!
Thanks, Matthew! I was on the webring for quite a while, blissfully unaware that the webring had been replaced with the directory!
I liked Final Fantasy before it took on "teen angst" and "religion is evil, especially if it's monotheistic" as recurring themes. The 4th and 6th installments are particularly good.
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