Sound Voltex

Sound Voltex is a Japanese (vertically scrolling) rhythm game developed by Konami. Attached below is a clip I recorded from one of my sessions:

There are four white buttons for the white notes and two orange buttons below the white buttons for the orange notes. There are also two knobs: the left one is for the blue laser, and the right one is for the pink laser.

The goal of the game is to hit the notes and the lasers as they arrive at the judgement bar at the bottom of the screen as precisely as possible. The player chooses a song at some difficulty, and the notes/lasers are arranged in a manner that complements the song, which plays while the notes/lasers scroll downwards (the specific arrangement of notes/lasers constitutes a "chart"). Each song has three to four charts of different difficulties ranging from 1 (the easiest) to 20 (the hardest).

Sound Voltex determines how precisely the player hits the notes/lasers with the following timing windows: ERROR (missed notes), NEAR (±150.0 ms), CRITICAL (±41.6 ms), S-CRITICAL (±20.8 ms). Hitting notes increases the player score, and S-CRITICALs award the same number of points as CRITICALs.

This game has an excellent selection of music, the visual style is stimulating and clean, and the charts are high quality (in some sense the collection of charts is curated, and effort goes into making them).

Sound Voltex assigns players a Volforce (see sdvx.org for a detailed description), which is roughly a numerical measure of skill. One goal of mine is to reach at least Volforce 20.000, which is labeled by the rank "Imperial". I started playing Sound Voltex in August 2024.

Minecraft

Minecraft is a 3D sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. Attached below is a clip I recorded from a long time ago:

There are many ways to play Minecraft, but there are two primary "modes" the game provides by default. In Survival mode, players spawn in a world with natural resources around them that they must extract and use to survive from hunger, monsters that come at night, and nature itself. A common goal players have is to defeat the Ender Dragon as part of their quest to progress. In Creative mode, players have access to the full palette of blocks and entities present in Minecraft and can build whatever they please. In both modes there is some invisible impetus for creativity and self-expression.

While not being the first sandbox game, Minecraft has had a lasting impact on the gaming community and popular culture due to its unique style, relative accessibility, and its user-generated content. There is a vast collection of mods, servers, player skins, texture packs, shader packs, custom maps, player-built contraptions, merchandise, YouTube videos, and even a movie that chronicle Minecraft's success and ubiquity in gaming culture.

My Minecraft account was made on June 21, 2013, at 1:14:51 PM. In the early years, I was briefly interested in Redstone creations before spending quite a few years playing with command blocks. In later years, I developed an interest in playing modded Minecraft and playing Minecraft with friends in Survival mode. Nowadays I do not play often, but it has always been a dream of mine to create a dungeon crawler experience in Minecraft.

Xenoblade Chronicles (series)

Xenoblade Chronicles is a series of Japanese role-playing games developed my Monolith Soft, published by Nintendo. Attached below is an informative video Nintendo made for Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition:

Currently, there are four games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series. The first, Xenoblade Chronicles, was released in 2010 on the Nintendo Wii, notably reappearing as Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition on the Nintendo Switch in 2020. In 2015, Xenoblade Chronicles X released on the Nintendo Wii U, reappearing in 2025 on the Nintendo Switch as Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 released in 2017 on the Nintendo Switch, followed by Xenoblade Chronicles 3 in 2022 on the same console.

The combat systems across the games are similar: the player controls one member of a party, which at a fixed rate automatically attacks a targeted enemy. The player can make their controlled party member perform special moves, which are attached to a cooldown of some kind (other party members perform these special moves as well, but they are controlled by the game itself). The games also feature vast open worlds to explore, accompanied by several quests that non-player characters issue to the player.

The stories in each game are not directly connected to each other, and each story grows towards a grand conflict full of brewing subplots as well as dramatic reveals. As an example, the premise of the first game is as follows, quoting directly from its script:

Many years of conflict between the Mechon and the Homs living on the Bionis take place. Eventually Shulk inherits the Monado, a special sword that is the only weapon that can damage the Mechon, from Dunban who had used it in the past to defend the Homs from the Mechon. But Shulk seems to have some kind of affinity with the Monado: while it is in his possession he occasionally gets visions of a near future that he can change in his favor.

Shulk's childhood friend Fiora is killed in a conflict with the Mechon. Sworn to seek revenge, Shulk partners with Reyn, another close childhood friend of his, to defeat the Mechon. Along the way, Shulk joins forces with new and familiar faces in his quest to stop the Mechon's persistent assault on those living on the Bionis. The mysteries of the Monado and why the Bionis and the Mechonis fight each other linger, to be revealed...

The first game had a significant impact on my values and personality, since I first played it in the eighth grade. Specifically, Shulk's persistence and humanity inspire me deeply, and other characters appearing in this game have informed my outlook on life similarly. Returning to discussing all of the games in this series, I feel that these games are sometimes heavy-handed in expressing some themes, but otherwise they have been decent experiences. Despite some of these mixed feelings, each game has a special place in my memory.

Baba Is You

Baba Is You is a puzzle game made by Hempuli in 2019. Attached is the trailer Hempuli made for the game:

The player controls a creature (sheep?) named Baba (or sometimes other characters) in levels where the rules appear as sequences of tiles within the level. These rules may be changed by moving the tiles around using the controlled character, which will need to be done in order to meet the win condition (also appearing as a sequence of tiles).

The premise seems simple, but the game explores these ideas in depth, leading to very interesting emergent gameplay. On a personal level, this game is probably the only puzzle game I tolerate because it is so well-made. Typically I avoid puzzle games because my job is to think throughout the day, and I would typically try not to think too hard while taking a break.

I have completed all 231 levels in the main levelpack, Baba Is You. My favorite level is The Return of Scenic Pond.

Yakuza/Like a Dragon (series)

The Yakuza (now internationally known as the Like a Dragon) franchise is mostly developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. Attached is videogamedunkey's video on Yakuza Kiwami that might help the reader understand the franchise more (spoiler warning):

Typically, the plot of each game is some kind of crime drama involving yakuza syndicates, taking place in various locations modeled after real locations in Japan. The gameplay is typically 3D beat 'em up style, but more recently some installments have used turn-based combat as the primary mode of gameplay. There are several (really funny) side quests and minigames featured in each game, as well as many collectibles and sights to see.

In my personal opinion, the plots featured in many of the games are somewhat involved and are not easy to remember, but I think these games are fun because they are aware of how ridiculous some of their plot arcs are and capitalize on it. Despite my mixed feelings on the story writing, I think the important characters appearing in the games are well-written. Lots of side quests explore different aspects of these characters as well, which is always fun.

I have grown to appreciate characters like Kiryu Kazuma, Akiyama Shun, Goro Majima, among others since they exhibit meaningfully good qualities despite their involvement in some morally grey areas (some more so evil than others). In particular, the games have a focus on the values that each character holds and the conflicts that arise because of them. In different ways, Kiryu and other characters remind me to fight for my values.

Super Paper Mario

Super Paper Mario is a platformer-role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo in 2007. Attached is a clip found on YouTube showcasing some great writing found in the game:

Super Paper Mario is a story about love. A new antagonist, Count Bleck, captures Princess Peach and Bowser, and brainwashes Bowser's forces. He forces Bowser and Peach to marry despite Mario and Luigi's attempts to stop him, which births the Chaos Heart. The Chaos Heart is a large black heart-shaped object that opens an inter-dimensional rift in the sky that will eventually swallow all dimensions.

Count Bleck then randomly teleports Peach, Bowser, and Luigi to random dimensions and returns to his lair to fulfill the prophecy written in the Dark Prognosticus that began with the birth of the Chaos Heart. Mario is saved by a Pixl (basically a kind of helpful creature) named Tippi, who brings him to a town called Flipside, where Merlon explains that the Light Prognosticus predicts that a hero matching Mario's description will stop the inter-dimensional void from swallowing everything. It is up to Mario and Tippi to find Luigi, Peach, and Bowser, and with the help of the other Pixls they must find the eight Pure Hearts across different worlds to stop the Chaos Heart and the Void.

The story is organized into chapters much like the previous Paper Mario titles. The visual style maintains some of the paper-like aesthetic from previous games but takes on a more geometric and computerized style in this title. Mario learns how to "flip" into 3D, which adds more complexity to each of the levels in each chapter in the form of hidden platforming or more complex puzzles, for example. The greatest departure from previous titles is that the combat is not turn-based, but is in real time, closer to the usual 2D Mario platformers.

I think that the writing and the overall story are excellent, especially due to the pace at which the truth of the whole conflict with Count Bleck is revealed. The themes are heavier than one might expect, despite the colorful and stimulating visual style the game goes for. I first played this game when I was about seven years old and did not finish it until sometime later in elementary school, but it was only until I was older that I appreciated the story. I replay this game every few years. The soundtrack is also really fun.

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

Morrowind is an action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks in 2002, the third in The Elder Scrolls series. Attached is a video of a hilarious early-game encounter:

The game starts with the player exiting a boat in a small town, after being released from prison. The player is tasked with meeting Caius Cosades, a member of the Blades. The Blades are a secret group of spies working for the ruler of the Empire, Emperor Uriel Septim VII. Cosades gives the player more tasks involving finding out more about the Nerevarine, the reincarnation of the legendary Dunmer hero Indoril Nerevar, and of the mysterious disappearances of the citizens of Vvardenfell. Eventually the player finds out that the Emperor was responsible for the player's release from prison due to his suspicion that the player themselves was the Nerevarine. It is up to the player to fulfill the prophecies of the Nerevarine and ultimately stop the cause of the various problems around Vvardenfell - Dagoth Ur and his Sixth House cult.

This entry in this list was meant for one of the various Bethesda-developed games I have played. I strongly considered putting Fallout 3 instead of Morrowind, especially since I have played far more of Fallout 3 (completing most of if not all of the side quests in the game) than I have of Morrowind. However, I prefer the design of Morrowind to any other Bethesda game published thus far, even though Morrowind itself is by far the least enjoyable to play. The combat and movement mechanics are really outdated and incredibly clunky and slow. I would not recommend playing this game without serious modification.

My respect for Morrowind is due to its philosophy(?). So many aspects of the game really helped immerse me in the world and story. For example, what in modern games would be called a quest log is instead a journal with a list of tasks and some description of what is required. The difference is that there isn't any simple mechanism that tells you exactly where to go and what exactly to do; the player often can speak to different people to learn more details which would clarify the exact steps they need to take to fulfill these "quests". The in-game map is just a map and provides no fast-travel functionality. Some ways to fast travel in this game are to take a silt strider or boat. Dialogue with NPCs is usually brief, but often they are quite robust, which I appreciate a lot. There are over 300 books scattered throughout the game that provide lots of lore or are otherwise amusing to read. Overall, Morrowind is a rich game that does not hold the player's hand, which I cannot say of most role-playing games from my lifetime.

I may consider replaying this game, if it were not so miserable to actually play. It's likely by now enough mods and unofficial patches exist that make it enjoyable, but I imagine no amount of polish can de-age this title. I think it is due for a remake.

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 (TF2) is a multiplayer first-person shooter game developed and published in 2007 by Valve Corporation. Attached below is a video Uncle Dane made showcasing some "high-level" Engineer-class gameplay:

Players join matches where two opposing teams, RED and BLU, must reach certain objectives while trying to prevent the opposing team from fulfilling those objectives. Players choose from nine character classes to play as in these matches. Each class offers unique gameplay styles, as well as several unlockable weapons and gear that add variation to each class. Several game modes exist, such as capture the flag, king of the hill, or payload, to name a few.

I regularly play as the Engineer class, since I am quite bad at actually shooting people. The Engineer can build a sentry gun that shoots enemy players, which can be upgraded in three stages to increase its rate of fire and even shoot rockets. He can also build teleporters (an entrance and an exit) which can be extremely helpful for moving your team to the right places in order to secure victory (or to allow players to sneakily get behind the enemy team!). The last thing the Engineer can build is a Dispenser, which is typically used to heal other teammates. Overall, I find that playing as the Engineer is extremely interesting and nontrivial, even though my raw motor skills for shooting games are poor.

I don't have a favorite game mode, but I enjoy playing capture the flag, payload, and attack/defense modes. In all of these modes, it is likely that I can play more offensively as an Engineer despite being a support class. Specifically, I really enjoy using mini-sentries in place of the usual sentry gun to distract the enemy while I push forward with the team to capture the enemy intelligence/move the cart/capture the point. TF2 is also a relatively chill game with what I deem to be a relatively low amount of toxicity. Often times players in public lobbies are just goofing around, or showing off cosmetic items, or trying out crazy moves that get them killed anyways. It's a lot of fun as a casual player.

Fate (series)

The games in the Fate series are action role-playing dungeon crawlers, developed and published in 2005 by WildTangent. Attached below is a video of ancient gameplay from the first title in the series:

Without loss of generality, it is enough to speak about the first game in the series since the other titles are similar. The premise of the game is best summarized by just reading the introductory text crawl:

The player starts at the town of Grove and is given a quest to defeat an unusually strong monster somewhere between the 40th and 50th floors of the Dungeon. Accompanied by a pet, the player ventures deeper into the dungeon and gets stronger and can fulfill various quests given by townsfolk involving the Dungeon and the creatures that lie within. After completing the main quest, the player can continue to play the game (often called deep delving), or to retire their character and start over with a new one. The new character can inherit a magical heirloom from the original character, and its stats are augmented by 25 percent. As for deep delving, the player can continue descending into the dungeon, up to the 2,147,483,647th floor, after which the game cannot generate any more floors.

The floors of the Dungeon are randomly generated and so are the monsters on each floor. The overall gameplay is quite simple, where the player points and clicks with the left mouse button to move the player and to target and attack monsters. Essentially all of the other functions in the game, including casting spells, managing inventory, and feeding the player's pet can be done with the mouse. The player can use the keyboard to do some of these things as well. Notably, when the player dies, a statue appears (presumably of the main deity in the game) and offers three choices for how the player will return to life, each with different costs. There is also a fishing minigame that is extremely helpful for becoming wealthy, since sometimes the fish (which are originally used to transform your pet into various creatures) contain very valuable items in them. Overall, the game seems to be designed for a more casual audience, as if it was some less intense alternative to related dungeon crawlers like Diablo or Path of Exile.

I first played this game when I was seven years old, when it could be installed on Windows laptops with much ease. At the time it was very fascinating to me, and I really enjoyed how many weapons and monsters there were in the game. I since continued to play the games in this series for a long time, even to this day. Even though the gameplay can get stale, it is relaxing and nostalgic. It was the games in this series that inspired me to think about making a dungeon crawler experience in Minecraft.

Prince of Persia (series)

By the Prince of Persia series, I mean the trilogy of games developed and published by Ubisoft. Attached is IGN's review of the "HD" release of the trilogy for the Playstation 2:

Each game in the series is an action-adventure game with plenty of platforming, combat, and puzzles. The stories in each game are connected chronologically, so it is worth saying something about each one. The first title, Sands of Time, follows the unnamed Prince as he obtains an artifact called the Dagger of Time and is tricked by the Vizier into releasing the Sands of Time from a very large hourglass, turning everyone into sand monsters. The prince must find the Vizier, defeat him, and correct this mistake. After much strife, he is able to do so by rewinding time using the same hourglass from before.

The second title, Warrior Within, follows the Prince after seven years, where he is on the run from the Dahaka, an entity set on killing the Prince due to using the Sands of Time in the previous game to escape fate. The Prince goes to the Island of Time, where he hopes to prevent the creation of the Sands of Time in an attempt to stop the Dahaka's pursuit. Notably, this game is much darker and gloomier than the previous one. After many tribulations, the Prince manages to escape the Island of Time with the Empress of Time.

In the third title, The Two Thrones, the Prince returns to his home (and to a less edgy form), Babylon, which is now under attack by the same Vizier of yore. The Prince seems to have undone all of the events of the first game. The Vizier kills the Empress of Time, absorbs the Sands of Time, and becomes a powerful sand deity. The Prince is reunited with the Dagger of Time and must find and defeat the Vizier one last time, while struggling with his inner darker self.

In all three games, the player can tap into the power of the Sands of Time to turn back time for a short period at any moment. This is most useful for correcting errors; for example, the player falls to their death during platforming or if combat goes poorly. I think this is a fantastic concept that I wish the games could have explored some more. The platforming in each of the games is okay and provides a fun challenge amidst beautiful settings. The combat is also okay, notably very annoying and stale in the first game, but slightly more interesting in the latter two games despite introducing more room for stupid ways to die by flinging the Prince into the void. The plots are also just okay and are entertaining enough. They play more like movies with the platforming and combat bridging the story beats. I thought they were all decent experiences.

I started by playing The Two Thrones before I was in middle school. I did not make it very far into the game until after I returned to it in high school. But even as a child, it was a lot of fun since my dad would come and play the game with my brother and me. My dad helped me understand the timing aspect of the platforming and it seemed he was somewhat interested in the concept. I think he got a kick out of seeing a non-white person feature as the hero in a video game like this. Those were good times.