Regardless of what FPS games you prefer, be it Counterstrike, Fortnite, Overwatch, or CoD, one skill you’ll need to master in order to even hold your own, let alone excel, is aiming. Being able to get a bead on your target quickly and accurately could mean the difference between securing the kill with a nice headshot, or getting gunned down as you give away your position with a few missed shots. Here are a few things to consider if you really want to rack up your kill streak and improve your aim.

Hardware

Your aim is only as good as your mouse and mousepad, so ensure your hardware is up to scratch for 2019. Thanks to mouse sensor technology being as advanced as it is, you can likely get a decent mouse without breaking the bank and if you’re looking for a FPS mouse check out icontrolpad.com. Since speed is essential, you’ll want something light weight, that way you can whip your cursor around the screen without too much effort. Investing in a mouse with at least one or two side buttons to map either abilities or grenades to will help also, so your keyboard hand can be entirely dedicated to movement. You also want a mouse with the lowest possible response time. If your mouse cursor or the response to your mouse input is slower than the physical movement of your mouse, even if its just slight enough to be noticeable, it will definitely throw off your aim, and form bad habits as you’ll learn to compensate for your mouse’s response time. This will definitely come back to bite you once you upgrade to a better mouse, as your muscle memory will be trained with the delay in mind. As for mousepads, you’ll want one that covers the entire mouse area. The last thing you’ll want is to have to pick up your mouse mid firefight because you ran out of mousepad. While there are plenty of desk sized mousepads, if you want a more personalized touch, look into purchasing a custom play mat. Play mats are usually used for CCG games like Magic and Yu-Gi-Oh, but they are made of the same material as mousepads, and should cover your entire keyboard tray or desk space.

Posture and Grip and Sensitivity

While it may not seem like a big deal at first glance, your posture and your grip can play a massive role in your performance. If you’re not comfortable while you play, it will have a negative impact on your performance, as you’ll be constantly readjusting. Try not to slouch, as your forearm will take up prime real estate you could be using for mouse movement, and you might end up dragging your arm as you move the mouse, slowing you down dramatically. There are multiple ways of holding the mouse, as well as moving it around the mousepad. You can either use broader sweeping motions if you prefer having a lower sensitivity and DPI setting, making the cursor move the same distance as the mouse across your screen. Alternatively, you can keep your hand fairly stationary, using a higher sensitivity and move the mouse across the screen using subtle shifts in your hand’s position using your wrist. There’s no magic setting that will make you a better shot, so play a few practice games or games versus AI where applicable to find your personal sweet spot. Also, don’t go overboard changing the sensitivity every time you have a bad game. A large part of performing better comes down to muscle memory, which takes time. Only change your sensitivity from your usual comfort zone if you have a stretch of bad games and you really think the issue is either over or undershooting targets due to the sensitivity.

Gameplay and Awareness

While all the settings in the world can help get the speed and accuracy you need from a technical standpoint, it won’t do you any good without building good habits in game. Depending on your playstyle, there are generally two types of aiming when it comes to FPS games. There’s tracking, where you keep your sights trained on a single target while firing. This is usually used with automatic weapons or DPS weapons like Heavy’s mini-gun in TF2 or Pyro’s flamethrower. Then there’s flick shooting, where you flick the mouse over a target to fire and then reset to a neutral position or a position where you expect your next target to be. This is more useful for sniping or single shot high power weapons that benefit more from precision, dealing more burst damage. Regardless of your playstyle, it’s important to keep a few things in mind when playing in general. Always try to predict where your enemy will be coming from, and try to keep your crosshair trained accordingly. If you’re winding through corridors, always keep your crosshair trained on the next corner in case an enemy is near. If you’re scanning an area from a sniper spot, keep your crosshair centralized in the middle of the most commonly used entry points. The more you have to react to enemies rather than predict them, the worse your aim will be.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice is essential to improving your aim. You aren’t going to magically get better just by changing a few settings, and all the tech in the world can’t make up for low skill level. The good news is that skill is something that can be improved, it just takes time. It’s best to practice in your game of choice, rather than using browser games that test reflexes and such, as the mouse movements down always line up with the in game sensitivity settings. If you’re just starting out, it’s best to use custom games against AI and play with the settings, dropping damage modifiers down and setting bots to at least hard so that their movements are somewhat realistic. From there, practice strafing and keeping the crosshair trained on them for tracking, or if you’re practicing flick shots, try to score as many headshots as possible. The important part is don’t get discouraged and just keep at it. Soon enough, the muscle memory will kick in and the aiming itself will become more and more natural, until you’ll barely have to think about the actual aiming and can focus more on strategy and tactics, but that’s a topic for another day.

The post How to Improve Your Aim in FPS Games first appeared on Henshin Engine.

Has Valve truly given up the ghost of what is arguably the most iconic FPS in video game history?

Some answers are harder to find than others. What you find may surprise you more than the cliff hanger at the end of Half Life 2.

The internet abounds with memes and tantalizing tidbits about the game that never was. Easily as beloved as Firefly (the short run Fox TV series that had fans so dedicated they actually managed to create enough of a stir to get their cancelled show finished off as a feature length film) Half Life brought new life to FPS. Is it possible that gamer fans could pull off a similar trick? The answer is… Maybe. Don’t hold your breath yet though.

The 20th Anniversary

Hopes were high last year as the 20th anniversary of the original loomed. There was a stir among the loyalists and more mentions of Half Life 3 than usual from everyone except Valve itself. The anniversary came and went without any announcements about the one game fans wanted to hear about. It was anticlimactic, like a final boss who looks like a floating baby. Disappointment was the word of the day for a while.

Mum’s The Word

Valve doesn’t want to talk about it. Perhaps because they have been asked the same question so many times, they have nothing to say on the subject of HL3. Over the years there have been leaks, prototypes, possible mistakes or dead ends. The diehards hold on to the idea of this game like a pirate holds on to a treasure map.

It has as much as been said repeatedly, by Valve, that, while a handful of unsuccessful attempts have been made, “There is no Half Life 3.” The failed storylines and aborted art that have leaked are not meant to give hope. Yet, surprisingly enough, many of Half Lifes players are still waiting for more.

A Light In the Dark

Oddly there is one, small, indicator that might give real hope to those holding on to Half Life. Valve is working on VR. Leaked in 2018, plans for a new headset are said to include a new Half Life prequel. They’re also hoping to debut some great innovative glove controls. Sure, a prequel is not the same as finally getting the game we’ve all been waiting for two decades to play, but it is the first reliable whisper of a new Half Life game in quite some time.

With the leap to a VR format new possibilities open up. Doubtless there are plenty of game developers lined up to take their classics and make them immersive in a way they only dreamed of in the past. The recent rise in popularity of retro gaming makes it a profitable genre again. Companies that want to stay alive need to make a profit, so they go where the money is.

At the end of the day what fans should take away from all of this is that Valve does not have anything to say that indicates the anticipated HL3 is ever coming. However, unless Valve drops the ball on this one as well, there is a new Half Life game coming.

Take some comfort in these final thoughts: history and practicality do argue in favor of more Half Life yet to come. While the specific expected game may or may not ever be released, there are almost certainly new Half Life stories to tell in VR.

Here’s also a joke for Valve is making half life 3.

The post Will Valve Make HL3 first appeared on Henshin Engine.

10. Bioshock

The original Bioshock, which relatively new compared to a lot of games to come on this list, was revolutionary even for a game making it’s debut in the PS3/Xbox360 generation. Taking a lot of design cues and acting almost as a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, Bioshock has you exploring the underwater city of Rapture, what once was hailed to be a utopia now overrun by its now insane and horrifically deformed residents. While the moral choice system implemented where you can either save or harvest the little sisters is a bit heavy handed and has very little impact by today’s standards, the atmosphere is where the game really shines. It gives the perfect blend of action and horror, providing just enough resources to get by comfortably on normal difficulties if you pick your battles, while making every shot count when cranking things up a notch, making the dark and sunken corridors all the more daunting as you wonder what lurks around the corner.

9. Super Mario All-Stars

Okay so this one might be cheating a bit, but the first four Mario games are at least must tries. Nintendo’s flagship franchise played a huge role in pulling the video game industry out of the massive hole that so many copies of E.T. on the Atari 2600 were dumped into, it would be a crime not to put at least one on the list. If I had to recommend just one, I’d have to go with either Mario 3 or Mario World, but they’re all worth a try if you’ve somehow missed out on these gaming classics.

8. Megaman 2

While some aspects of the second installment of the Blue Bomber’s adventures haven’t aged spectacularly (I’m looking at you Boobeam Trap), overall the gameplay is still just as solid, and difficult, as it was back in the glory days of the NES. While the difficulty might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it certainly offers a great old school challenge for gamers looking for something that’s not afraid to kick you to the curb a few times before you learn the best approach to tackling the platforming obstacles ahead. One of the first tough but fair games, it’s widely considered one of if not the best Megaman game in existence.

7. Super Metroid

Arguably the best of the 2D Metroid titles, there’s something about Super Metroid that never gets old. Thanks to a hand full of exploits, the game lends itself to a variety of playstyles. You can explore this classic game blind and the way it was intended, or you can start using sequence breaks and aiming for speed running the game once you learn the lay of the land, or doing minimum percentage runs, where you get the fewest necessary items possible. Wile first time players might get a bit lost until they learn what to look for, exploring the expansive planet Zebes and uncovering all of its secrets is where most of the fun lies anyway.

6. Myst

Myst is a bit of an odd one, in that most people either absolutely love the game, or despise it. Considering the nature of the game though, it’s not surprising the game can be so polarizing. In Myst, you explore a series of worlds in search of pages, following the instructions of two brothers who have been imprisoned in books. The game is a point and click adventure using FMV clips and still images to portray beautify yet somewhat abstract and sometimes slightly unnerving atmospheres as you solve incredibly cryptic puzzles, and when I say incredibly cryptic, it’s no exaggeration. These puzzles are the reason the game is as polarizing as it is. I barely made any progress when I first played the game when I was young, but the scenery and immersive world at my fingertips to explore and experiment with alone left a lasting impression. While it might not be a game you’ll enjoy playing to completion, or even finish, it’s worth experiencing just for the sake of it.

5. Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid is for many the start of the Metal Gear franchise. While there were a few Metal Gear games for the MSX and NES, Metal Gear Solid is what truly perfected the formula and threw the series into the limelight. With an emphasis on stealth, but enough leeway in terms of its combat to recover from a few slip ups, MGS offers tense yet forgiving gameplay that allows a variety of options to any given encounter. While the gameplay is solid, lets face it, the complex and over the top story combined with incredible fourth wall breaking moments like having to look on the back of the actual disk case to solve a puzzle is what the series is truly famous for, and these moments only get better and better as the series goes on, well, up until MGS4 anyway. While the series has gone a bit downhill now that Hideo Kojima is no longer at the reins, the original Metal Gear Solid remains a classic must play, especially for those just getting into the series.

4. Final Fantasy 7

While not my personal favorite of the Final Fantasy series (that honor will forever go to the 6th installment), Final Fantasy 7 undoubtedly revolutionized the franchise and gave it the breath of fresh air it needed, as well as making waves among the community as the first 3D Final Fantasy game. Fully embracing the futuristic aspects of the setting only touched upon in the steampunk setting of Final Fantasy 6, Final Fantasy 7 does away with the traditional medieval fantasy tropes and plunges the player into an almost futuristic setting, pairing the new setting with one of the most complex and somewhat convoluted plotlines in the series. While I’m a bit too fond of the older 2D style Final Fantasy games, I can certainly appreciate the leaps and bounds 7 made for the series, and is definitely a must play for any RPG fan.

3. Chrono Trigger

Yes, another Square/Enix (or Squaresoft at the time) title makes the list. Chrono Trigger did for RPGs in the 2D era what Final Fantasy 7 did at the start of the 3D era. With up to about 12 endings (depending on which version or remake you play), Chrono Trigger offers a thrilling story where your party of would be heroes travels through a handful of time periods to save the world from its eventual destruction, even visiting the post-apocalyptic wasteland more than a handful of times throughout the story. A perfect blend of fantasy and science fiction, Chrono Trigger offers a variety branching story paths and a multitude of side quests, along with those endings to provide hours upon hours of replay value.

2. Silent Hill 2

One of the best surreal horror experiences, Silent Hill 2 takes a unique approach to horror. While most horror games today focus on jump scares and cheap tricks to get a fleeting yet powerful reaction out of the player, Silent Hill rarely uses any of those techniques. The closest thing to a jump scare the game had was an odd and loud audio cue here or there that was more unnerving than anything else. Silent Hill doesn’t attempt to scare, it’s main goal is to unnerve the player, through the use of symbols, dimly lit areas, fixed camera angles, and creating an environment and monsters that are horrific and alien (especially in the other world sections), but just familiar enough to make a mental association regarding what the player experiences there. This approach does make sense, as Silent Hill does shape itself and morph to fit the psyche of the main character in most games in the franchise. Silent Hill 2 is definitely a must play for any horror fan, especially those like myself who absolutely hate those pesky jump scares. Just try to stay away from the HD remake version if you can, that one’s scary for a ton of other reasons, like performance issues and somehow having worse fog effects and draw distance than the original.

1. Deadly Premonition

Deadly Premonition is… special. This game made the list for a different reason than all the rest on this list. It didn’t do anything revolutionary. While the story was interesting, it wasn’t anything groundbreaking, and the gameplay is… passable at best. Deadly Premonition is a must play because its one of those games that’s just so bad, where the voice acting and graphics are always off kilter and just absurd enough where you can never really take things seriously. It’s the penultimate ‘so bad its good’ kind of game, and can be one of the most entertaining experiences because of it.

Here’s also a relevant post about top 10 video games.

The post Top 10 Videos Ever Made, Like, Totally… Ever first appeared on Henshin Engine.

The concept of this game was simple, but still fun and challenging and it entailed running around the levels, climbing ladders as well as moving across poles with the primary objective being to collect all the gold. Furthermore, you can dig holes in the grounds to either or make a hasty escape trap guards as they try and obstruct you from finishing your level. However, you should never let the guards come to close to you since they will deter your efforts and consequently you will lose a life. Therefore, this game is 8-bit gaming at its best, and we are forever grateful to its creator, Douglas E. Smith.

2. Archon

Archon, Dark vs. Light is a quite like a chess game and with the goal being you either taking control of the five ‘power square’ on the board or destroying the opposing side. Thus, a fight starts when two pieces ‘meet’ on the same square and only piece comes out alive, with every piece having its characteristics. Moreover, some pieces are much stronger in comparison to others, thus making their available a different combination of fights.

3. Impossible Mission

In this game, you play as Agent 4125 who is sent to crack Elvin Atombender’s secret code who has plans to destroy the world. Therefore, your mandate is guiding Agent 4125 down the elevator shafts into rooms, searching for clues and finally using all the clues collected to create the code word. Additionally, its gameplay is amazingly smooth and was among the first 8-bit games which provided you with a decent digitized speech.

4. Boulder Dash

In this game, you will be guiding ‘Rockford’ through a maze-like Cave, dodging and pushing boulders, digging dirt and evading different adversaries. Moreover, while you are doing this, you still need to be collecting the needed amount of diamonds required to open the doors to the next level before running out of time, with this game being another classic.

5. Into The Eagles Nest

Preceding First-Person Shooting games such as Wolfenstein and Doom was Into The Eagles Nest, which was played like Gauntlet, that is, from a top-down perspective. In this game, your goal was to rescue three hostages who got captured during the WWII and are being held hostage in Eagle’s Nest, which was a German fortress. Therefore, your mission is to destroy the fortress after you have rescued all the hostages, and because this game is fast and, in some cases, frustrating, ensure you make use of your keys.

6. Wizball

Wizard Wiz, along with his cat Nifta set out on a mission to restore the world’s color after Zark deprived The World all its colors. Nevertheless, The World, which is made up from layers through which you move via craters and tubes has foes who are trying to halt your efforts to save The World. Therefore, to ensure that color is restored, the wizard must shoot drops which then the cat subsequently collects, with these drops in some cases necessitating to be mixed to create the correct color. The trouble usually is that you begin by first controlling the Wizball which you can only bounce and spin since there is no cat to collect the colors. However, after shooting, the enemies leave the powerups behind thus allowing you to upgrade and eventually make use of the cat. Thus, this game is unique and challenging.

7. Curse of the Azure Bonds

In this game, you construct a team of up to six players and making use of different skills and ‘races,’ for instance, Dwarf Fighter, Elf Mage and Human Cleric. Consequently, you need to guide these players through the Forgotten Realms looking for the magical bonds, and if you have played this game, you must remember the Black Dragons, the Drow in the Castle and the Bits O’ Moander. It is an exciting and addictive RPG game.

8. World Class Leaderboard

Despite the original Leaderboard only comprising of greens, fairways and water hazards, it was quite enjoyable. The addition of bunkers, trees and rough and the ability to play few real-life gold courses makes this game even more interesting. To this day, play-ability of most golf games are still based on these Leaderboard games with this game still fun and approachable to play.

9. Microprose Soccer

It is the forerunner to other excellent football game Sensible Soccer and changed the way in which football games were seen and to this day still stands up well. Also, it incorporated features which have never been seen before in football games during those times. Some of these features include ‘aftertouch’ which allowed you to swerve the ball just after kicking it, allow you to plan passing moves, a bird’s eye view of the field view. Lastly, it was the first football game to have lousy weather included in the game.

10. Hardball!

Due to its decent graphics and is easy to play, this game was fun even for individuals who did not quite understand baseball, while providing you with a view behind the pitcher view just like on TV. To pitch, you push in the direction specified to choose the kind of pitch, push the fire button, then the position of the aim of the pitch above the plate. By pushing right or pressing the fire button, the batter tries to hit the pitch as well as pressing fire to bunt. Additionally, fielding is simple, and you do this by just moving towards the ball and pushing in the direction of the base you wish to throw to while you are pressing fire to throw that specific base.

If you’re interested in reading more about the C64, check out this article about the history of the C64.

The post The Best C64 Games Ever Made first appeared on Henshin Engine.

With the point and click adventure genre back on the rise thanks to indie developers and studios like Telltale Games, it’s important to remember the classic games that inspired these new upstarts back in the golden age of adventure games. Names like Sierra and Lucas Arts solidified themselves initially with the point and click genre, and while the games themselves could be a bit hit or miss depending on your tastes, here are some absolute must play classic point and click adventures.

1. King’s Quest VI

While the first few King’s Quest games have not aged very well, the sixth installment is where the series really took off, before plummeting right back down in quality with the final two installments in the series. While it still has some unfair moments, it more than makes up for it with it’s charm and interesting cast of characters. Some puzzles even have multiple solutions, some of which sometimes make other puzzles unsolvable though (pro tip, don’t eat the pie). All in all, while it still has some of the classic and frustrating aspects of Sierra’s design philosophy, as well as Cedric the owl, the bright and charming atmosphere as well as Sierra’s classic humor makes for a fun and entertaining experience despite its flaws.

2. Monkey Island

It’s hard to pick just one game from the series, but since there is a bit of an overarching plot between games, where better to start than the beginning. Monkey Island has you controlling Guybrush Threepwood, a pirate wannabe. The game has you explore many locales, solving somewhat obtuse puzzles, and is filled to the brim with a colorful and humorous cast of characters. Straying a bit from Sierra’s approach, Lucas Arts followed the philosophy of making their games impossible to make unwinnable, and also impossible to die in. While the puzzles can sometimes be just as obtuse, you don’t have to worry about dying, losing progress, or getting in a hopeless situation. They even poke fun at this in the second game if you stay underwater long enough for Guybrush to drown.

3. Gabriel Knight

When discussing the Gabriel Knight series, most people’s minds tend to jump to that horrible moustache puzzle from the third game. While the series had gone down hill quite a bit in the later installments, the first game was incredibly solid. You play as Gabriel Knight, an investigator looking into a series of murders in New Orleans, who ends up in way over his head as he uncovers more and more about the true motives behind everything. At first, it does seem like Sierra strayed from their normal formula of making their games littered with death traps at every wrong move, but surprisingly, the first possible death in the game doesn’t come until about halfway to three-quarters of the way in, as you start getting too close to the truth. Without a certain item, it may also become unwinnable at that point, but at least you have a good three plus hours of gameplay without worries, or more on a blind play through. Being one of Sierra’s more forgiving games, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a game with a more modern plotline.

4. Waxworks

More of a horror adventure game than anything, Waxworks is not for the faint of heart. It has some of the most detailed, and gruesome graphics for an old point and click adventure game that I’ve ever seen, but that’s also part of the charm. The game has you travelling through different time periods, attempting to break the curse placed on your family by a witch, cursing every set of twins born to the family to have one child being pure evil. You have to travel through the time periods hunting down the evil twin in each time period, ranging from the trap filled pyramid in ancient Egypt, to hunting down Jack the Ripper while not getting caught by the townsfolk yourself.

5. Quest for Glory

Another Sierra series makes the list. Quest for Glory takes what made the King’s Quest series great, and tweaks the formula. Quest for Glory implements a stat system which determines your success rate at certain tasks, as well as implements a combat system. While you can still make your game unwinnable, and death is still around every turn, the pseudo-rpg system regarding the stats adds a layer of depth to the game, and the slightly more serious tone as opposed to the Kings Quest series makes it the game at least a must try.

6. Leisure Suit Larry

Definitely directed more towards an adult market, the Leisure Suit Larry series follows Larry Laffer’s escapades in seeking out passion, sex, and lovely ladies. This can, and will, go horribly awry, even as quickly as being run over by a car on the second screen of the game (this is another Sierra game we’re talking about, are you really that surprised by this point)? While the game is more adult in nature, featuring nudity and tons of crude humor, it still has the brutally challenging puzzles and dead end scenarios Sierra is famous

7. Myst

Myst is a bit different from the previous entries on this list. It focuses more on its atmosphere and surrealism to draw the player in. The plot simply drops you into the island and sets you to your own devices, sprinkling tidbits of exposition here and there, usually through FMV sequences involving the two brothers trapped in their book-like prisons. The puzzles rely less on explicit clues and more on inference and out of the box thinking, recognizing patterns and using intuition. There is no death, and with the exception of maybe an overlooked bug or two, no intentional dead ends or unwinnable situations, so it also has that going for it.

8. Zork: Grand Inquisitor

Zork takes the Myst approach to puzzles and problem solving, and injects it with a healthy dose of humor. Using lateral thinking and some obtuse logic, you can solve some puzzles in some incredibly strange ways. The most infamous of these is escaping an infinite corridor by blasting of the ‘in’ part of the sign, making it a ‘finite corridor’. While a bit too outlandish and somewhat random for some people’s tastes, it’s definitely at least worth trying out.

9. 7th Guest

The 7th Guest has you exploring an old haunted estate, learning of the sordid past of the guests invited to stay, as well as the residents and staff. Unlike most point and click adventures, The 7th Guest has you solve mini puzzles to unlock new areas, such as pipeline puzzles or unscramble the soup cans. While it comes off as a bit hokey nowadays, it’s become part of the games charm and unintentional humor.

10. Grim Fandango

Grim Fandango has one of the most charming and engaging visual designs out of all the games listed above. The Mexican Day of the Dead style skeletons used for the characters, as well as the Aztec theming make for a colorful and immersive world. Grim Fandango is definitely a cult classic, and the story is extremely heartwarming as well, giving a real sense of adventure. The downside is the puzzles can be bad… really bad… but as long as you’re not opposed to looking up a walkthrough every so often, it’s definitely a must play for the story and character design alone.

Here’s also a relevant post about The Best Retro Adventure Games.

The post The Best Retro Adventure Games first appeared on Henshin Engine.

In the 68 years since the the first video game ever created ( Bertie the Brain, 1950) there have been many epic and unforgettable moments that shaped video game history. Perhaps the opening screen of Bertie the Brain itself should be considered the most unforgettable of all. It was the moment video games became a part of our world. However, most modern gamers may not be familiar with the games of the 1950s-70s. The present day equivalent would be the moment each player first takes the controller in their own hand.

Every player has their personal favorites, the moments that tore their heart out, the triumph and tragedy that make gaming so immersive and compelling. The most well loved moments of video game history could fill a book. Let’s look at some of the most beloved game moments in each decade.

1950-1979

While many gamers will argue that the first true video game was Spacewar! (1962) or Pong (1972), the first known game was indeed Bertie the Brain. Each of these three games will go down in history as the early ancestors of modern gaming. The first three decades of video game history gave rise to video game competitions. Arcades with video games became a common sight in many cities and towns during the 70s.

The first video games were not plot heavy. Simply putting your quarter in the machine and playing games like Pac Man was the reward and most memorable event in this gaming era. Older generations of gamers recall those days nostalgically, but it was the next decade that began to offer the sort of heart stopping, gut wrenching or laughter inducing moments that most of us will never forget.

The 1980s-

As home video game consoles became more popular and the games became more complex, technology seemed to be at the top of it’s game. Companies like Nintendo and Atari were making more money than ever before in history until the great Video Game Crash (1983-1985). In two years the game companies lost 90% of their revenue and it seemed that the reign of the video game would soon come to an end.

In 1985 Nintendo released an unexpected game about two plumbers who found a magical world in the sewer pipes. Super Mario Brothers spawned one of the most successful and long standing game series in history, with new games due to be released this year for the switch and no end in sight.

It was however, another Nintendo classic game of the 1980s that spawned one of the most unforgetable and often used quotes in the genre of video games. The original Legend Of Zelda featured a nameless old man who counsels Link, the protagonist, with these words, “It’s dangerous to go alone. Here, take this.” That quote can be found in songs, videos, internet memes and on shirts to name just a few of the places it has popped up over the years. That moment is the best known example of an unforgettable moment in a video game. That simple yet compelling phrase has echoed down the years, repeated over and over until it is canon in the world of gaming.

The 80s also saw the rise of Lynx and Gameboy (1989), the first handheld portable video games. Gamers could now take their quests everywhere they went. It was another new frontier for gaming. Fortunately for us all, the temporary hiccup of the Crash was left behind as ever more complex and beautiful games were being created.

The 90s-

The 90s was the era of Duke Nukem, Sonic the Hedgehog and many other memorable and lasting characters. Sid Meyers’ Civillization came out on PC and dominated the strategy game field. More tv shows were being made about games and gaming than ever before. Video game based movies were on the rise and the eSports teams gained popularity adding a new dimension to competitive gaming. The internet was getting faster, the broadband wider and the access more universal.

Silent Hill, one of the first truly stunning horror games, provided players with an unforgettable moment in game history. In the opening sequence Harry, the protagonist, swerves his car to avoid hitting a child in the road and awakes to strange world of horror where his own adopted daughter is missing. The terror and sorrow of that moment in game history is a large part of the reason many gamers claim to this day that the original Silent Hill is the best example of the art of horror gaming ever created.

The New Millenium (2000s)

Gaming after the year 2000 has come a long way from the original 8 bit games that started it all.

Who can forget the frustration and adrenaline of playing the original Call of Duty (2003)? Facing off against other players worldwide and being shot in the head over and over to respawn and start again. The CoD series has been intensely popular from day one, and deservedly so. From storyline to graphics, online or alone at home, it is well rendered and action packed.

Portal (2007) was a surprise hit. Those lucky gamers who made it to the end and defeated GlADoS were in for a twist worthy of M. Knight Shamalan. Discovering that the whole experience was merely a simulation and the evil machine lived on testing other unwary victims confused some and upset others, but no one who has played it through will ever forget that ending.

The 2010s-

As the gaming universe continues to expand ever further into realms undreamed of by the first giddy creators of days past, our options and technology move at the speed of light. More games come out every month than any one gamer can play through in a year, or so it seems.

The most stunning and overlooked video game moment of the 2010s may belong to a game that was considered a complete failure. Those who never played Kingdoms of Amalur (2012) missed waking up on a pile of bodies only to discover they had died and yet somehow revived with unique abilities as the ‘Fateless One,’ in a complex and riveting world. This immersive and extensive fantasy rpg had the misfortune of bad marketing and a ton of very famous competition. Batman: Arkham City was released just months before the February debut of KoA. Dragon Age 2 also preceded and overshadowed Kingdoms of Amalur to name only two of the best known competitors. For those who played this lost and buried classic, awakening alone, scantly clad and confused atop a pile of bodies on the edge of the stunningly animated Well of Souls is one experience that you will never forget.

After reliving so many classic moments in game history there is only one question worthy of asking…

What will you play next?

Here’s also an example of unforgettable video game moments.

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