Video Games Tag
I have seen variations of this tag floating around social media (namely Twitter) and I wanted to take part but the format for Twitter isn’t the best for me (I tend to use lots of words haha!) so I decided to adapt the tag for my blog instead! FYI: this is the 1 like = 1 video game answer tag!
1. Very first Video Game
Aside from occasionally playing my older brother’s ZX Spectrum and the Merlin handheld console (anyone remember them? 1970s/1980s tech for the win!) and smashing it on Tetris, Space Invaders, and Packman, the first game I can remember playing (over and over again) was Chips Challenge. Ah, the good old days of early Windows (Windows 95 in my case!)
2. Your Favourite Character
If you had asked me this question a year ago I would been so torn between Garrus Vakarian from the ME trilogy and Fenris from Dragon Age 2 (both BioWare games, incidentally) but I have a new contender: Prompto Argentum from Final Fantasy XV. It took me a while to play the game but once I did I totally fell in (platonic) love with this sweet boy. VA Robbie Daymond is a treasure and really brings Prompto to life!
3. A Game that is Underrated
I am going to have to give this one to The Technomancer by the French developer Spiders. This game is so good even though it does have rough and janky moments. It has a lot of heart and it didn’t get a fair shake at all since most people wrote it off very quickly. I have played this game 5 times – the only games I have played more are ME trilogy, the Dragon Age games, and Knights of the Old Republic.
4. Your Guilty Pleasure Game
This is going to have to be Fallout 4. I’ve only played the full game to completion once but I have sunk many (many!) hours into wandering the Wasteland picking up loot and completing the various side quests. The main storyline itself isn’t necessarily the strongest but the game is very addictive all the same. I feel the same way about Skyrim – you could wander the open sandbox forever… BTW, I’m not saying that F4 is a bad game – just a guilty pleasure for me because I fart about so much and rarely do the main quests! 😀
5. Game Character you feel most like (or wish you were)
I feel such an affinity for Max Caulfield from Life is Strange. She is a bit of a shy nerd; and remains so across the game despite her awesome power. I might want to be a Chloe or a Rachel but I’m definitely more of a Max. I get why some people find her annoying – she can be a bit clueless and passive and she isn’t really a dynamic character. She is also a little selfish. However, these are reasons why I relate to her. I share some of these flaws and it makes her very real to me.
6. Most Annoying Character
This has hands down got to be the Disciple from Knights of the Old Republic 2. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a more bland character. Even all these years later he still tops my list. It’s a shame because he could have been a great character but he pales in comparison to the other companions in the game (especially Kreia and Atton who are both given a lot of depth and nuance).
7. Favourite Game Couple
I really want to pick Aerith and Cloud from Final Fantasy VII but they never actually become a couple so my choice is going to be Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly from my favourite old school game in the Final Fantasy series (number VIII – so underrated!) The game is very romantic by nature and I actually really like both Squall and Rinoa as characters and as a pairing so they get my vote (I would have picked Shakarian or FenHawke but I pick BioWare games a lot so giving these guys a break here). 😉
8. Best Soundtrack
I have to go with Final Fantasy VII – it still gives me chills listening to it again all these years later. The remake brought back so much nostalgia for me – it was great to hear that familiar score get an upgrade (and some snazzy new tunes too!)
9. Saddest Scene
Now, this might still be a spoiler even though the game the game is almost over 25 years old so look away if you don’t want to be spoiled but [highlight to view] *** Aerith’s death in Final Fantasy VII *** still gets me right in the feels. I bawled when I first played the game, like full-on weeping… 😭
10. Best Gameplay
I’m probably not the best person to ask here because I am not someone who really notices the gameplay side of games (I am generally playing for the story and characters) but I personally really enjoyed playing the Final Fantasy VII Remake – it combined all the features I loved from FF15 and made it even better. So much fun to play and it wasn’t just my nostalgia goggles that made me enjoy it so much.
11. Gaming System of Choice
I tend to play my Xbox Series X console more than anything else. Given the choice I always gravitate towards this console and will buy the games I want on it. That’s not to say I don’t play the Playstation (up to PS5 now) because some games I want to play only come out on it but generally the Xbox gets my attention more.
12. A Game Everyone Should Play
I may get flack for this but I am going to say Cyberpunk 2077. The game is flawed and was released too early (IMHO) but it is balls to the wall crazy and everyone should play it just to experience it for themselves!
13. A Game You’ve Played More Than 5 Times
I think I’ve played the Mass Effect trilogy the most out of any games (and the original Mass Effect the most of all). When Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (MELE) came out I replayed them all again and it demonstrated to me that the love I have for this series will never wane.
14. Current (or most recent) Video Game Wallpaper
I created so many of these custom MELE wallpapers but this one was my wallpaper for a while (right now it’s not game-related – it’s my Untamed boys haha).
15. Post a screenshot from a Game you’re playing right now
I’m replaying Final Fantasy XV and I’m nearing the end so feeling quite emotional right now, not gonna lie… 😭
16. Game with the best cutscenes
I really cannot ignore Mass Effect (in particular Mass Effect 3) for its gorgeous cutscenes – this one is a particular favourite – no surprise there!
17. Favourite Antagonist
Oh, this is a toughie because there have been so many awesome antagonists (Saren from Mass Effect, Ardyn from FF15, Sephiroth from FF7 to name but a few) but I am going to have to say The Outsider from Dishonored (especially in Dishonored 2). He’s a great one because he kinda is and kinda isn’t an antagonist – he does help you a lot through the games but he has his own agenda. I really think he is one of my favourite game characters because he is so mysterious.
18. Favourite Protagonist
My favourite protagonist to play is FemHawke from Dragon Age 2. DA2 is my favourite DA game and it doesn’t get enough love. It has the best story, the best setting, the best squad and the best main character. I will fight to the death for this game – yes, it was rushed out and it shows – but I think it really is BioWare’s strongest story. Hawke isn’t a super-special hero/heroine destined to save the world. They are just an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, trying their best to survive (and the crap they have to endure is something else).
19. Picture of a game setting you wished you lived in
It has to be Skyrim – it’s one of the most beautiful games from a visual perspective and the setting is particularly incredible. It for sure gets my vote!
20. Favourite Genre
It’s definitely going to be fantasy (specifically fantasy RPGs). I love a science fiction setting a lot too but fantasy is my ultimate favourite and is almost guaranteed to suck me in right away.
21. Best Story
I am going to go with an outlier here but I think it has to be GreedFall for me. I just really like the historical fantasy setting and the story was just pretty darn excellent. I love the colonial aspect – so true to our own history in some ways and it really makes you think. Spiders as a studio have such interesting ideas and though they are a fairly small studio their games are very ambitious in scope.
22. A sequel that disappointed you
I really love the Shadow Hearts games, I have been a fan since Koudelka (which was sort-of the predecessor of Shadow Hearts, the studio that produced Koudelka disbanded and the setting was picked up by a separate studio and spawned the Shadow Hearts series). The first two games were spectacular but I couldn’t get into Shadow Hearts: From the New World. It could be because it followed different characters or the location changed but it didn’t work for me.
23. Best Art Style
The best art style I’ve found in a game is the Dishonored series; hands down. I just think it is such a visually stunning game and the design is just the kind of aesthetic style that I love; a bit gritty and gothic with a darkness to it that just works for me.
24. Favourite ‘classic’ title
Not sure if this counts (it was a classic Playstation title) but it would have to be Parasite Eve 2 for me. I adored this game and I credit it for making me the gamer I am today. I will forever be bitter that the first Parasite Eve game was never released in Europe PAL region but at least we got the sequel which was bigger and better and mixed two of my favourite genres: fantasy and survival horror.
25. A Game on your list to play
Persona 5 is a game I have put off playing. Not because I don’t think I will enjoy it (I know for sure I will since I love the other games) but because I’ve wanted to have something to look forward to playing (if that makes sense?). Still, I feel the time is coming near for me to finally get around to this game.
26. Best Voice Acting
You know, I love a lot of voice actors but probably my favourite VA performance is Gideon Emery voicing my favourite DA character Fenris. I’ve long been a fan of his other works but Fenris is just the best; his voice is like sexy, molten chocolate (doesn’t make sense but it’s how I feel so oh well…) 😉
27. Most Epic Scene
Again, this might be a spoiler (though the game came out in 2003 so not a new one!) but the reveal that [highlight to view] *** you find out your MC is Revan! *** is just beyond epic! Biggest twist in a game for me (though on hindsight it does make a lot of sense and the game is clearly signposting this throughout).
28. Favourite Game developer
This just has to be BioWare for their backlist of titles that count among my very favourites but Spiders is another strong contender for me (and Arkane is another favourite too).
29. A Game you were surprised you liked
Until Dawn was a game I didn’t have high expectations for but I ended up liking quite a bit! It was a nightmare trying to get all the endings and scenarios to play out but I did persevere so it was a worthwhile gaming experience.
30. Favourite Game of all time
As much as I want to say DA or ME I am going to have to pick the original Knights of the Old Republic (the sequel is equally awesome and could have overtaken the first as my favourite but was sadly so unfinished – though the restored content mod has rectified a lot of the problems). The game holds so much nostalgia for me and was my first BioWare title so it can be credited for me getting into the later BioWare games.
pin it!
This tag makes me want to play more video games lol. Don’t have a ton of extra time, though, but the desire is there!