I speak about my childhood a lot here on the blog, not necessarily because I want to but rather because gaming was such a big part of my growing up that it’s hard to speak about one without the other. I was an only child to two really happy and young “gamers”, a title that I doubt either of my parents would give themselves but yet when I look back at my youth some of my very best memories are of us together and playing games. To be completely honest, it was more them playing and me just watching or putting my hand over theirs and pretending I was playing, but still. I remember the excitement I felt every time I would see them take the SEGA console out of the drawer and I knew that for the rest of the day we would all just lie together, on the floor, playing TV games and laughing.
It’s never been about the games themselves to me, it’s about the moments that games can help create and the memories that come along with it.
This is my third “Games From E3 2018” post and by now I’m pretty sure you know how this goes, I give you the games that stood out to me, tell you why and then you get to watch the trailer and share in my joy. This post is no different. However, this time, I’ve chosen the games that I think are perfect to share with your children, siblings or friends – games that are about creating the moments that will last for a lifetime:
Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo Switch
This is one of the games that needs no introduction. Chances are, if you’ve ever played on any form of Nintendo console in the past you’ve played a Super Smash Bros. game. BUT, if you’re one of the really unlucky ones (like me) who never laid hands on a Nintendo console before you were already an adult, let me fill you in:
Super Smash Bros. is a crossover, fighting game. You play as one of more than 65 different characters ranging from Nintendo classics like Mario and Pikachu to Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy and Sonic the Hedgehog.
The aim? To knock your opponent off the stage. This is one of those games that’s easy enough for anyone to play and enjoy but is really challenging to master.
Kingdom Hearts 3
PS4; Xbox One – Single-Player
If you don’t know this game, minimize this post at once and go search for Kingdom Hearts, you can thank me later.
If you don’t want to go and search for yourself, let me try to catch you up:
Kingdom Hearts is a crossover of various Disney characters set in one fictional universe, the series focuses on Sora and his quest to stop Xehanort and all the incarnations of him. Throughout the game, you will encounter characters from Final Fantasy, Pixar, Frozen and many more. In my opinion, it’s the most ambitious and well-made crossover series ever. This may be called Kingdom Hearts 3 but it’s actually the 12th Kingdom Hearts game. It’s a direct sequel to Kingdom Hearts 2 and it finishes off the Dark Seeker saga.
If you’re a fan of… anything really.. then you will definitely enjoy this game.
Pokemon: Let’s Go
Nintendo Switch – Single and Multiplayer
Whether you’re a fan or not, there is just no denying the success that is Pokemon. When Pokemon Go first launched there was so much wrong with the game: the servers would hardly connect, Pokemon would escape when they shouldn’t, Pokemon wouldn’t show up for you, and yet, everyone and their grandma was playing it. I used to do weekly drives through the neighbourhood with as many friends as my small car would fit just so that we could catch a ‘new’ Pokemon that someone saw. My mom walked around Croatia, on holiday, catching. Through all of its flaws, it just had a way of waking up the child inside of you.
Pokemon: Let’s Go (Pikachu! or Eevee!) is a Pokemon role-playing game for the Nintendo Switch that integrates with Pokemon Go!
You start playing with either Pikachu or Eevee, depending on the version you buy, sitting on your character’s shoulder throughout the game. As for the game itself? Well, it’s pretty much a remake of the traditional Pokemon games with some motion elements of Go! mixed in, you walk around training at Gyms, catching Pokemon and battling them against other Pokemon.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, or how much/how little you play games, Pokemon is bound to entertain you.
Ghost Giant
PS4; PlayStation VR
There isn’t much I can actually tell you about Ghost Giant other than what it’s about and what you can see in the trailer below. Ghost Giant is a puzzle story game for VR, you play as the Ghost Giant, an invisible friend and the proctor of a lonely boy named Louis. You spend the game exploring Louis’ world and helping him and the other citizens of a town named Sancourt.
It’s a game about friendship, imagination, and compassion – and judging from the art style, it’s everything that I would have loved as a child and still love today.
Dreams
PS4 – Single and Multiplayer
This isn’t really a game that’s easy to explain in a few sentences, the closest comparison I can think of is to compare the idea behind Dreams to Little Big Planet. Dreams is a sandbox game where you control an “Imp” which you use to create new items and characters to interact with the worlds (dreams) around you. Each “Dream” has different puzzles and challenges that you need to solve using your created characters and objects. As with Little Big Planet, a big part of the charm of this game is in creating and customizing the world around you and then sharing it with others.
This is a game that’s perfect for those lazy weekends and cold winter nights.
There you have it, my third E3 post is done and we are nearing the end of this journey together with just one more post to go.
This is usually the part of the post where I ask you if you agree with my list and what games you think I missed, but this time I’m mixing things up a bit, this time I have a completely new question for you guys:
What is your favorite gaming-related memory? Let me know below and let’s all get super nostalgic together!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a sudden urge to see if my SEGA console still works…
