Topic: That One Special Game

As some of you might know the PSBoat World Cup (which was wonderfully hosted by @themcnoisy) ended on Sunday with Final Fantasy VII being the worthy winner. I wanted to start this thread to give some of you to chance to express why above all others, one particular game stood out? If you look at the PSBOAT thread you will notice that I voted for Metal Gear Solid as my number one game of all time, now I will tell you why, this could get lengthy so forgive me here. It was July 2000, I was sitting in the back of my dad's car as we (along with my mother) were on our way to Suffolk on the south east coast of England for our regular 2 week holiday/vacation. I was 13 and bored out of my mind on the long trip down the motorways, so I started reading that month's Official PlayStation Magazine that I brought with me. The front cover featured artwork of Metal Gear protagonist Solid Snake as part of a big blowout of that year's E3 coverage which of course included the newly announced sequel Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty for the PlayStation 2. When I got to the said feature my mind was blown of the imagery on show, from Snake getting drenched on a tanker near the Manhattan coast yet to how incredibly detailed everything was. I knew at that moment that I HAD to get the first Metal Gear Solid. It was a few days later on a hot day in Great Yarmouth when I popped into a GAME to purchase the game (which happened to come packed with the Special Missions add on pack) now I had the agonising wait till the holiday was over till I can begin Snake's mission deep in Alaska. After the holiday had finished I of course couldn't wait to start playing it (even though I came home with no less then 12 games that summer) little did I know that what I was about to experience was to change how I looked at video games forever. Before this time I had dabbled with more mature games like Resident Evil (too scary) and Tomb Raider 2 (too hard) but for various reasons I gave up on them. But MGS was the first that I dedicated my time fully too and really tried to master it's mechanics, it all seemed a long way away from the press right and A button jump of Sonic now. But what compelled me to keep going was it's incredible story, never have I seen a game that had such an epic plot with a protagonist that grew over the course of the game and some of the most memorable boss fights ever commuted to software. Not to mention gameplay that taught you to NOT engage with enemies and to think outside the box (and sometimes in it). Then there was the whacky Kojima moments from the CODEC code on the actual box to switching dualshock ports to fight Psycho Mantis. Once completed all I wanted to do was play it again, my focus from that point on was to keep up to date on all the news on MGS2 and knowing that I NEEDED a PS2, this led me to go on websites (we not long after holiday got a computer) such as GameSpot and IGN. And that is why I am literally here on this very site because my love for the PlayStation platform and Videogames came from that one game, put simply Metal Gear Solid was a watershed moment for me, it was the moment I felt gaming was growing up and I wanted to grow up with it. And that's why for Metal Gear Solid is that one special game. If you made this far then thank you for reading my total dribble of a forum post. Now I would love to hear your stories, why does one particular game stand head and shoulders above all others?

Persona 5..... I just know it.....
As for games that are currently out, I'd have to go with Radiant Silvergun.. The amount of times I have played that is insane, I even built a dedicated arcade cabinet for it!

All the times I saw the PSBGOAT thread and I had no idea what it meant. Play Station...Battle Goats? Iunno. Probably could've been named better to get people to view it, or more heavily promoted as a thing that was happening.

Anyway, Sonic Colours. Not because it's a Sonic game (Though it is a good one) and not because it has to do with Nintendo. This game was the first game I played after I lost a sibling. I got my PS3 a month after, played it a little, didn't care. Got given other games, didn't care. I didn't want to play anything. Bullying, that loss, my new sister driving me mad, I just didn't care about games anymore.

Then one day, March 10th 2011, my grandparents had a game delivered. Sonic Colours. First Sonic game I had played since Black Knight in 2009, and the first main series title since Unleashed earlier in 2009. I figured, why not, pop it in for half an hour, then go back to studying. I never looked back.

The gameplay, the presentation, the soundtrack (Oh god the soundtrack) but most importantly just how fun it was to play. How down to Earth and to the point everything was. How the level design complemented the character's abilities and the power-ups from the Wisps allowed new areas to open up and collectables to be found. The insanely high scores you can achieve, the Red Star Rings you can find to unlock the 21 bonus stages, and getting the Chaos Emeralds to use Super Sonic in 3D for the first time. Everything was fun. A game, not on PS3, not on the Wii, not even Ratchet and Clank was entertaining and then I played this gem.

And yes, I'm one of a few, but I don't give a damn because I never looked back. Well I do, to remember and think "Wow I had a lot of spare time back then" but that's it. This game reignited that passion when nothing else could to the point gaming became a career, it was all I played for weeks on end, and above all else it was the first game I played with my sister. She's 4 and turning into a little gamer in her own way, one step at a time.

And for that, I cant thank this game enough.