After finishing a game that I liked, I often wished for a sequel.

After countless bad spin-offs or sequels to good games, I've refined that desire a bit. No matter how much I loved Shining Force I and II or how bad I want a Shining Force III port or compilation, it doesn't excuse the other games that share the SF moniker from their atrocities. Same goes for you, Mana games; the Seiken Densetsu series has been dead a long time in my mind, and I still get chills when starting a new game file in Secret of Mana.

So if I shouldn't want a brand new game that destroys the memory of the games I love, what should I be excited for? Downloadable Content? DLC can extend a game further, but oftentimes it feels tacked on. The Prince of Persia Epilogue was great at extending the gameplay further and creating more of a challenge, but it didn't have quite the same production value or polish as the main game. If DLC isn't gameplay tacked onto the end of a game, it often ends up being something like Bioshock's extra plasmids: a neat addition, but the game itself doesn't change much. DLC works with games like Burnout or Rock Band where it offers substantially "more", but not all games are designed to be bolstered in quite the same way as Rock Band.

For me, my dream games are mostly divided into three groups: games that expand into different genres (the Mario Theft Autos, if you will), games that are fresh, untapped IPs, and games that crossover with other games. There are three games that would make my day if they were ever made; these are their tales:

Pilot Wings MMO

I have always wanted the ability to fly- to soar through the air with ease. My favorite parts of Pilot Wings 64 were the birdman segments. With complete control over his bird-like wings, I flapped and glided birdman around the world taking snapshots of its natural beauty. I would try to capture every picturesque mountain, sunset reflected off the ocean's surface, or even the oil refineries that were constantly aglow in the light of their flames. Everything had a beauty all its own, whether man-made or natural. My dream game would be set in a vast world dotted with a stunning variety of geographies, much like our own.

Many would disagree with the choice of it being an MMO, but I stand firm (it's my dream, damnit! Also, no subscription fee because I said so). It would control just like a standard Pilot Wings/ flight combat game in spite of it being an online experience. The franchise would thrive in a persistent setting, day/night and weather cycles constantly changing the environment, gaggles of bird-people flying in formation high above canyons and sparkling rivers. Every player has a camera which uploads screenshots directly to a central website where players rank the screens.

The other vehicles would be available; people can travel between cities by shooting out of a cannon (or attempt to knock another player out of the sky), areas that require more flight precision (such as caves or urban environments) can be traversed with a jet pack, and players who want to pvp can dogfight in their gyro-copters. All the vehicles would be fully customizable and upgradable from their stats to their appearance.

The closest game to this dream:
Aion: The Tower of Eternity

MMO? Flight-based? Aerial PVP? Ding-ding-ding! While not fully based on flight, flying plays a very large role in the game. Man-cannons and helicopters aside, this game captures my birdman fantasies. No cameras, (unless you count the print screen button) but Aion is home to some of the most beautiful, scenic environments I've seen in a game.

Flocks of players take to the skies and soar amongst the clouds in a stunning fantasy world, albeit only for a short time. Wings can only be used for a set period of time which increases at specific experience levels. And for anyone that's curious, that's my Spirit Master in the pic.

My second dream game:
A David Eddings Game

Many fantasy books have been made into games: the numerous Lord of the Rings games, the Wheel of Time, and a soon to be made Song of Ice and Fire game. Some of my favorite books have been written by David Eddings, and very nearly any of them would make a great game. My choice would come from either the Elenium or the Belgariad. The Elenium is set in a dark middle age setting where brothels are as commonplace as corrupt clergy, and the only way to survive is to keep your wits and blades about you.

In my dream game, you'd play as either Sparhawk (a badass who would fit well up against the likes of Solid Snake and Altair) or one of his companions as you sneak, outsmart your enemy, and bust skulls as a church knight of the Pandion order. The Queen has been poisoned, but magic preserves her health. She has twelve months to live, but every month that passes, one of the knights that engaged in the magic spell will die until the knights and the Queen are all gone, unless you find out who did this and find a cure. Sparhawk and pals aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, as long as it's done in the name of the Queen. The game would also have you be stalked by a Seeker: an insectoid with a bite that causes you to become its slave (forfeiting all free will). The seeker would be akin to the Nemesis from RE3, showing up at random times and terrifying the player.

The Belgariad is also host to a lot of ideas that could translate to gaming pretty well. Set in a sword-and-sorcery fantasy setting, these books follow a boy from his farming ignorance to his days as a master sorcerer. Highlights would include quests involving Barak and Silk, burning a stalker in the face, being seduced by a serpent Queen, and learning to shape-shift. The only thing better than a game version of the Belgariad might be a game version of A Wizard of Earthsea, but as far as "people sailing around the world in a one-person boat" games it's hard to beat Wind Waker.

The closest game to this dream:
The Witcher (or Dragon Age Origins)

Set in a dark middle age world much like the Elenium, the Witcher stars a slightly older, more mature main character (much like Sparhawk). Corruption is as familiar to the world of the Witcher as it is to the world of the Elenium. Bloodshed is the way to resolve issues, and the main characters shed blood efficiently. The more fantasy novels that are made into games, the more I want a David Eddings game.

And finally, the crossover game:
Power Stone vs. Darkstalkers

I will be perfectly honest, I'm not sure quite how to envision this, but I know it would be awesome. Since Power Stone 3 doesn't seem like it's coming out ever, why not breathe life into both of these amazing franchises? And let's face it, Lord Raptor with a flame thrower guitar would make me squeal with glee. I love the 2D animation of Darkstalkers, and I love the 3D worlds of Power Stone, so would it be Darkstalkers with Power Stone characters or Power Stone with Darkstalkers characters?

Easy- Set it in 3D, otherwise the thrill of scrambling for power stones would be lost, and with it all the excitement of the constantly shifting stages. In Power Stone, the levels are almost more of a threat than the other players. Items are constantly dropped, turrets can be manned, and falling from the sky is a regular occurrence. When players gather all three Power Stones, have a quick animated transformation snippet be displayed in the corner.

The game would be playable online in hi-def, and each player would have a tag team partner character with which they could swap. Just picture the combos of Gunrock and Sasquatch, Felicia and Rouge, or Bishamon and Jack. Everything would be frantic and flashy, but have a structured balance underlying it all. The Darkstalkers' stages would make an appearance in full 3D with dangers around every corner, beware the Soul Train!

And what we have instead:
We Love Golf (featuring Morrigan)

So that's what the Darkstalkers characters are up to these days (while breaking from their stint in Cross Edge). Power Stone fans have the port/compilation on the psp, and Darkstalkers fans have cameos to look forward to. C'mon Capcom, bring us a crossover that can compete with Brawl! These characters are itching for a fight anyway. But like I said, this is my dream, so I don't expect anything to come of any of these 'games', but as long as they're in my head, they live on. Do you have a dream game?

I'll be the first to admit that many video game characters simply scare the bejeezus out of me. Floormasters in any Zelda game make me jump, Pyramid Head makes me terrified of the fog and air-raid sirens (not to mention hospitals), and Tub-a-Tummy from Little Ninja Bros. makes people into meatballs and eats them. While all these 'creatures' terrify me, there a few that (through a mix of bad-assery, ability to kill without consideration, or pure evil) I would dread encountering without a hasty exit or a trusty crowbar.

I begin simply with a master of darkness, and a killing machine:
1.) Richard B. Riddick

Riddick can kill a man with any available object, and in The Chronicles of Riddick, he kills a man with a teacup. No stranger to the dark, Riddick's vision only improves the darker it gets. Richard B. Riddick is a convict through and through, merely moving between cells and living between crimes. The goal is to avoid being in Riddick's way, which would make being in a narrow alleyway problematic. He's a natural survivor, however, and he leaves a trail of bodies several feet deep in his wake.

Verdict:
If you see this man in an alley, go the long way around. And bring a flashlight.

The next character up is a literal killing machine:
2.) The Cyborgs of Cyborg Justice

This classic Genesis game doesn't have much of a plot- two cyborgs begin to regain memories from their previous lives as humans and escape a factory, causing an army of robots to pursue. The cyborgs in this game will stop at nothing to escape, tearing their opponents limb from limb before ultimately ripping them in half. If the enemy has a better weapon for an arm, these cyborgs will rip it off and attach it to themselves, meaning they become fully customizable death-machines. Among the limbs they can acquire are crusher arms, buzz-saws, rocket arms, lasers, and flamethrowers.

Even after they have completely disassembled an enemy combatant, they can rebuild them from their lifeless husks, kick-start their emergency power supply, and proceed to torture them for a few minutes more. While Riddick plays the part of the escaped con quite well, the cyborgs one-up him with superior firepower and even more sadistic tendencies than the most wanted man in the universe.

Verdict:
Scratch away the part of your license that says you're an organ donor.

The next fellow's looks may disarm you, but watch out!
3.) The Happy Mask Salesman

He hides in dark passages. He shows children how to play the organ. He never stops smiling. That is, you had better hope he never stops smiling, for when his 'mask' is pulled away, the true salesman is revealed. Quick to judge, quick to flare his temper, and quick to throttle children at the first sign that things are not going his way, the "Happy" Mask Salesman is a threat to our children. He frequently loses artifacts containing world-dooming powers to small children, which may be his way of luring them in. I bet you'd look cute in this voodoo mask he might have said to Skull Kid before the events of the festival that might have killed every citizen of Termina. This man is a terrorist through omission, and an abusive pedo. He peddles his wares out of dark alleys, making him one of the most likely characters to be encountered.

Verdict:
If you see this man, call the cops immediately; he's not supposed to be within a hundred yards of Clock Town anyway.

Speaking of terrorists:
4.) Purple Tentacle

Purple Tentacle wasn't always so bad. He and Green were just regular old disembodied Tentacles until Purple encountered some toxic waste. This mishap caused Purple to sprout arms, and the rest is history. The future is no longer safe for humans because of this Purple pest. Purple's evil knows no bounds, and it takes three time travelers of questionable to Mensa intelligence to put an end to his schemes. Want further proof of his evils? Try his facebook page.

Verdict:
Look for a flag to wear as a disguise, Tentacles are more concerned about shape than color.

As for shapes, this man is a round peg in a square alley:
5.) Dou Niu

Seeing as Shenmue III is no longer even an inkling of a possibility, who cares about Lan Di? Dou Niu is the real end boss of the Shenmue franchise, and all of your training playing OutRun at the arcade can't prepare you for the final fight. After struggling to the top of a decrepit building, Ryo Hazuki encounters his most ferocious opponent: Dou Niu. Dou Niu threatens to drop a kid off of a sky scraper, but is abandoned by his boss, only making him angrier and more dangerous. His deadly charge spells a short merciless death for an unwary Ryo, but his massive size makes the fall more satisfying.


Verdict:
This guy's not getting into any alleys, but if he manages to, he's not getting out.

Six video game characters I wouldn't want to run across in a dark alley? That's easy:
6.) FoxHound from Metal Gear Solid

All six are terrifyingly good at what they do in their own right, but working as a team? Forget it. Only one man can possibly best these six, and even he can only do it one at a time. Mantis can make any lucid mind melt into a writhing bowl of tapioca, Raven can obliterate anything that moves, Wolf picks her prey and thinks of nothing else until he is dead, Octopus can be anyone at anytime, Ocelot has impeccable aim and a vast knowledge of torture methods, and Snake is a sadistic psychopath hellbent on destroying the world through nuclear holocaust. At any given time, at least three of the six are packing heat, while the other three are formidable without firearms. Needless to say, FoxHound very nearly started World War III, they wouldn't think twice about starting a fight.

Verdict:
Direct confrontation should be avoided at all cost; this is a sneaking mission!


Not every encounter in a dark alley is a bad one, though. Personally I wouldn't mind running into these folks:

A.) The Merchant from Resident Evil 4

We may have started off as 'strangers', but we grew to be friends. The first time I saw you, I thought you were another creep like the mask salesman. You wore that long coat; how was I to know what was (or wasn't) underneath? I was all alone until you came along, and you realized I didn't need masks to make me happy, just a gun or two. You asked me "Whatcha buyin'?" when I was looking to purchase a rifle, and you even "bought it at a high price" when I couldn't carry it anymore. That's what real friends do. You taught me that even sketchy looking people can be kind at heart.

Verdict:
When are we going to be on a first name basis? I think I'm your only customer.

B.) Millenia from Grandia 2

Right when I start getting close to you, you disappear. Who am I supposed to flirt with when you're gone, Elena? She's clearly not my type. Millenia is a night owl with a tendency to appear in front of the full moon, burn down a church or two, and pick fights with your main cast. So what if she's mostly evil? Her special attacks are amazingly bizarre, and she fits almost too neatly into the standard love triangle schematic. Deep down inside she's just looking for a little love, and who's to say where she might find it?

Verdict:
She'll find it in a dark alley.

C.) Robo

The Merchant proves that not all peddlers of wares are evil creeps who believe that you owe them favors, much in the way that Robo proves that not all robots are soulless killing devices. Some are killing machines with infectious theme songs (that can have good friends and help save the planet). Robo knows how important it is to hold the door for a lady or plant a tree or two. He would never disembowel a human (humanoids are fair game however). If I saw Robo's shiny glowing face in an alley I'd walk up and shake his hand.

Verdict:
Gato may get you the silver points, but there's only one robot for me.

These are not my Top Ten games, in fact some of these choices are downright bad. These are just ten games that influenced me as a gamer. While there are other games that are more influential, these ones have a special place in my heart for various reasons. Also, note that I am a Genesis kid, this affected the list as well

and, because everyone loves lists:

TEN GAMES (in close to chronological order)

10.) The Black Cauldron Apple II


I started reading when I was young, fascinated by the world of books. What I craved most was fantasy, so the worlds of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Lloyd Alexander were where I immediately turned, followed shortly by David Eddings and Ursula K Le Guin. The Black Cauldron (released by Sierra and played on my Apple IIe) was based on the movie, which in turn was based on the book by Alexander. The movie was a Disney classic, with adult themes (the self-sacrifice of a certain character), decent animation for the time, and a story (torn from the book) that lent itself for an adventure of epic proportions.

The game was designed in the style of classic Sierra adventure games. There was a set order to do events, but players explored the map they had access to and figured out different ways to set the events in action. The scale of adventure in the game was also impressive for the time. I had just as much fun figuring out how to avoid getting charged by the farm's goat as I did climbing the castle's wall, avoiding falling debris and hungry alligators swimming the moat below. This game makes a place on my list simply for being a quality movie-based game. If developers put as much love into tie-ins as Sierra put into this game, I'm sure the stigma would turn into a boon.

9.) Chip's Challenge PC


As a distant precursor to the movie "Saw", you awake in a room and must go through all sorts of torture to find the key and escape.


But seriously, Chip's Challenge is a game many of you might have played. It came pre-installed on most personal computers for years, and for some (myself included) it was one of the first addicting puzzle games that many experienced. The goal was simple: find all of the computer chips and escape the room before time ran out. It was a game that became challenging (hence the title) at the higher levels through devious level design, placement of enemies, and power-ups. Though other pre-installed games that came with windows were also addicting (the multiplayer remake of Lode Runner with the level editor included), this had the benefit of being released first.

8.) Fist of the North Star Game Boy


I will admit: I had never seen the show or movie when I picked up this game for my grey brick of a Game Boy, but still the tiny characters with their interesting back-stories drew me in. In hindsight, this game is not a quality game by any means, but it was my introduction to a genre I had no experience in: fighting games. Games for me had been all about overcoming the challenge of level design; I needed to traverse the traps in Prince of Persia in one piece, find the best place to land in Choplifter, and figure out the solution to puzzles in various adventure games. This was the first game I owned where the level did not come into play, it was just me versus the AI. I wanted to know as much as I could about each of the characters, and the only way to do so was to beat the game from each perspective. Fighters I loved playing as soon became my enemies, and I had to learn techniques to fight against myself. As a game, it does not hold up, but I wouldn't have SSF2THDR or Tatsunoko vs Capcom without it.

7.) Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge Game Boy


I see you like Castlevania.. My introduction to the series came from this bizarre entry. Ray Bradbury quotes Jaun Ramon Jimenez in his book "Fahrenheit 451": 'If they give you ruled paper, write the other way'; this game does this in a literal way by scrolling form right to left. While including subweapons, a Belmont, Dracula, and the whip- it doesn't feel like Castlevania in the traditional sense. The character moves too slow, you can select which level you want to tackle and in what order, and it includes a password system to retain your progress.

This game, however was my first Castlevania, and sent me down a long road of Belmont successors and offshoots. Several times I've contemplated picking up SOTN on PSN before remembering I have it on psx/xbox live/and psp (via Dracula X). Without this entry on my list, I would never have played the fantastic GBA Castlevanias or the three on DS.

6.) Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis


*Sigh* Any mention of Sonic the Hedgehog isn't complete without a reference to the franchise's current state. SeGa simultaneously gives me joy with titles like Skies of Arcadia, Valkyria Chronicles, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, and even the daytime levels of Sonic Unleashed, while inflicting the pain that is the last 7 years of the Sonic franchise. Honestly, if the OutRun team can be content to rerelease the same content with updated graphics and features, why must Sonic Team feel the urge to "improve" the games by alienating the fanbase.. but I digress.

The main reason I have Sonic on here, is that it was the first console game I owned. I had many friends with NES or even Ataris, but Genesis was my first console love. A close second for the reasons it makes the list is the music. Listen to the video above with its smooth blues influenced sound, and then listen to Scrap Brain Zone's frenzied electronica. Video game music did not have to just be blips and bloops, and games like this prove how varied it could be in spite of limited technology. Now there are almost no limitations, and I feel that developers need to take full advantage of that (games like Every Day Shooter or Flower come to mind).

5.) World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Genesis


This is a game that allowed me to literally plunge into adventure. From magic carpets to Atlantean worlds, from capes that froze things in place to living cards ripped straight from Alice in Wonderland, this game had it all. More importantly, this game had cooperative play. When my brother and I were tired from playing wiffle ball or catch, we'd team up to conquer these fictional worlds together. More often than not, it would devolve into a bout of who could freeze the other and use them as a platform, which ended poorly (especially in the canyon level, where to stay still signified a certain death).

When people scoff at the inclusion of Disney characters in Kingdom Hearts, I look back on this game and smile. More games need the charm of this little title.

4.) Chakan: The Forever Man Genesis


Here's one for the comic book fans: Chakan. Think action/platformer close at heart to Castlevania, but slower in pace. Chakan was a great sword fighter when he was mortal. In his arrogance he challenges Death himself, and wins. Granted eternal life, he is tormented at night by the evils of the world and finds no respite. Chakan dual wields swords that can be imbued with elemental powers. First game I ever played with lightning swords.

Chakan was a darkly themed game, ahead of its time. If any game deserves a sequel, it's Chakan.

3.) Shining Force Genesis


Aside from being an excellent title, Shining Force was my first strategy RPG, and in many ways spurred my love for the genre. I had played some RPGs, but SF pulled me in, causing me to spend late nights invested in the characters. Having never played the Phantasy Star games on genesis, I didn't have much else that stood out in the Role Playing department. This game changed all that. Without this game, I wouldn't have gotten into Final Fantasy (tactics or otherwise), Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Legend of Zelda, Illusion of Gaia, and all the titles that Nintendo had that Sega didn't. I regret never playing SFIII, and hope some day it may be rereleased on a different platform. If I had to place one entry at number one in terms of influence, it would be Shining Force. As a pioneer of the genre, it still holds up to this day on GBA and Virtual Console.

2.) Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64


Games were 2d. Not that there was a problem with that, it's just the way things were. Level design in platformers were based on a 2-dimensional plane. Characters were sprites. Even in 3d games like Doom or Wolfenstein, characters and enemies were 2d. I remember playing the original Crash Bandicoot and saying "This is 3d. My character is a polygonal model, the enemies as well. I can move forward and backwards, left and right on a 3-dimensional map. How can anything be more 3d than this?" And then I got my N64. I couldn't even fathom what I was playing- no scrolling screen, I had control of the camera. An enemy could approach me from any direction! I could even swim in the fountain- in a 360 degree path. Anything that came out after this on the system was impressive, but Mario blew my mind.

1.) Shenmue I&II Dreamcast


My brother got me a NOT copied version of this game right after it came out, neglecting to include the second disc. After days spent repeatedly playing through to the finale of the first disc (looking for Chinese, and buying a delivery guy a soda), I finally ran out and bought the game. I enjoyed everything you could do in Shenmue, from playing Space Harrier to working as a forklift driver at the docks.

I liked the genre blend of the game: practicing my fighting styles in the parking lot at night, racing forklifts in the morning, building a relationship with the people of Dobuita, taking care of a kitten, and exploring environments like an adventure game. When I finished the game, I was psyched for the sequel. Unfortunately, I live in America. When Shenmue II was cancelled for a North American release, I was sad. Naturally I "imported" the UK version in order to play through to completion. Shenmue II was action packed, taking the faults of the first game and fixing them up for a more streamlined experience. The game culminated with a massive fight through a large decrepit building in a decaying city leading to a boss fight on the roof. It was challenging and took seemingly forever, and then it was finally over.. but I still had a disc left. Disc 7 of the Shenmue Saga is my favorite part of the entire game. All the urban and suburban influence is stripped away, leaving just a forest environment. Ryo saves Sha Hua (the literal girl of his dreams) from drowning, and proceeds through woods and fields, rivers and waterfalls, caves and bridges to get her back home. It is here that I finally met the titular 'Shenmue', a great tree growing on her yard. Somehow this sequence has influenced me more than the other six discs of the game.

Thanks for reading, guys!