GameGemini – Video Gaming Heaven

5. Gran Turismo 3

The thing about GT3 is that if you get into the second part of the game (the Professional Races) you’ll find yourself enduring races of between 10-15 laps, for a single event. Combined with the fact that most of the cup competitions are between 6-10 laps, you’re talking about a lot of racing. This becomes intense when
you’re in a race, and there’s not much in it between you and your rivals. You don’t dare lose, and put all of your time and effort to waste, so you’ve got to keep absolute concentration the entire time. There’s nothing like tearing round the last corner of a 10 lap race, followed closely by another car, who’s just aching to overtake you, to then finally cross the finish line, and breathe a sigh of relief.

4. Metal Gear Solid

Unlike MGS4, in the first game you couldn’t solve all of your problems by unleashing a few rounds of machine gun bullets upon enemy soldiers. Guns and ammo were scarce. If you got seen, you better run like hell and find a damn good place to hide. The fact that you lose your radar if you’re spotted just adds to the tension. There’s nothing like watching an enemy solder walk past as you hide under a table. I even find myself whispering in real life, for fear that he might see me. Then finally, after what seems like hours, they finally decide to resume their positions, and forget about you for a while.

3. Super Smash Bros

In particular, the sudden death mode. For the entire round, you’ve knocked the stuffing out of your opponent, only to somehow manage to draw. Then the immortally feared words sound; “Sudden Death!” You both reappear on the screen with 300% life. One hit will surely finish either of you off for good. Cue sweaty palms and nervous joysticks.

2. Street Fighter 4

In particular, the end fight against Seth. My God, what a bitch this can be! Even completing the game on medium is a real difficulty. The worst part is that Seth seems to get better then lower life he has. Then after a while he’ll unleash his ultra ‘become a part of me’ move that sucks you into his stomach and smashed you against the screen (It’s not as weird as it sounds). Rant over.

1. Silent Hill

I remember playing the original demo of this game when it was first released (the demo was included with Metal Gear Solid) and it was truly terrifying. For the ultimate experience, try playing this in the dark, with headphones on and turned up to the max. Many people might disagree here, and wonder why I’ve not picked a Resident Evil game. The simple reason is that when it comes to atmosphere, nothing touches Silent Hill. The game is just so creepy and disturbing, and you feel so paranoid the whole time. As the game unfolds, and you learn more about the story, it gets even worse. The basic story is this: You are driving down a road with your daughter in the middle of nowhere. All of a sudden, someone is standing in the middle of the road. Your swerve to avoid and end up crashing your car. When you wake, your daughter is gone, and you set out to look for her in a small town. You see your daughter, but she keeps running away from you. As you continue to chase, things start getting weird, and before you know it, devil babies are crawling at you.