Pinoy Idol Begins April 5

The worldwide Idol craze has finally arrived in the Philippines.

The Philippines' number one TV station, GMA Network, Inc., recently acquired the Idol franchise from Freemantle Media Asia. Auditions for the top-rating reality show were held throughout the archipelago as hundreds of thousands of hopefuls flocked to the venues to try their luck, aiming to be the first Pinoy Idol.

Talent manager Wyngard Tracy, singer-song writer Ogie Alcasid and concert princess Jolina Magdangal reprise the roles of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul as judges in the reality talent search. Raymond Gutierrez hosts.

Pinoy Idol debuts this Saturday, April 5 on GMA 7.

Ramiele Malubay makes it to Top 9 of "American Idol"

See Source

Filipino-American Ramiele Malubay was declared safe again in the latest elimination of American Idol Season 7.

Chikezie was eliminated while Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro were in the bottom three.

On the fourth week of the final round, the Top 10 finalists sang songs from the year they were born. Ramiele, who was born on September 6, 1987, picked "Alone" by Heart—a song already performed by American Idol Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood and Ramiele's co-finalist Carly Smithson.

Ramiele, who was under the weather during the performance night, surprisingly got favorable reviews from Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell but not from Randy Jackson saying the diminutive Fil-Am's rendition was "a little pitchy all over the place" and the song was "too big" for her.

Ramiele, Syesha, and Jason are joined in the Top 9 by David Cook, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Michael Johns, and Kristy Lee Cook.

Despite Ramiele's not-so-good performances and dead-last ranking in ew.com's power list, she has yet to be at the bottom three along with the two Davids, Brooke, and Michael. Because she had made it to the Top 10, Ramiele will also be part of the Idol Tour.

Next week, the remaining Idol finalists will sing country songs and they will have country legend Dolly Parton as mentor.

Downloads:

Ramiele Malubay - Alone

Jason Castro - Fragile

Syesha Mercado - If I Were Your Woman

Chikezie - If Only For One Night

Brooke White - Every Breath You Take

Michael Johns - We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions

Carly Smithson - Total Eclipse Of The Heart

David Archuleta - You’re The Voice

Kristy Lee Cook - God Bless The USA

David Cook - Billy Jean

Hana Yori Dango: Korean Version

According to one article posted in the Philippine Entertainment Portal website, GMA 7 secured the rights to the Korean version of the hit teeny bopper series.

And I quote:

As an example on how fast Ms. Gozon-Abrogar works, while talking about new Korean soaps, napag-usapan na may official announcement na sa South Korea na magkakaroon din sila ng version ng Meteor Garden, ang Japanese manga na unang pinasikat ng Taiwan featuring F4 (Translation: it was discussed that there was an official announcement from South Korea that there will be a Korean version of Meteor Garden, the Japanese manga first popularized in Taiwan and featuring F4). It was reported that the girl in the Coffee Prince ang gaganap na Shan Cai.

Narinig na rin pala ito ni Ms. Annette and while talking, she sent text messaging her connections/buyers of South Korean soaps. (Translation: Ms. Annette has already heard about the news and while talking, she sent a text message to her connections/buyers of South Korean soaps). It was done and go sa GMA-7.

More about this article and the equally controversial remake of a Charo Santos-starrer on GMA 7 here.

My friend Genevieve has confirmed the tentative title would be Boys Over Flowers.

The question now is, will there be a Philippine remake of the story? Your answer is probably as good as mine.

Pokémon Walkthroughs

A friend of mine requested to post walkthroughs for all Pokémon games. Request granted.

Right-click on the links and select Open in New Tab (Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 7.0) or Open in New Window (Internet Explorer 6.0) so you may continue reading my highly-entertaining blog and enjoy the other articles posted here! :)

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Pokémon Gold and Silver

Pokémon Red and Blue

Many thanks to the people at gamefaqs for posting these walkthroughs!

Pablo Neruda

One of my favorite poets is Pablo Neruda (July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973) . I first found interest in his works when we studied magical realism in a college literature subject. Ninotchka Rosca used the same technique in her novel State of War.

Nowadays, his works can be found everywhere. Together with other Hispanic authors, his works may be read on the trains of the LRT. Sponsored by the Instituto Cervates, a Spanish language school, Spanish poems translated into Tagalog are posted inside the trains and become a worthwhile read for the passenger. The aim of the project is to remind our youth of our Spanish heritage, while inviting commuters to learn the Castillian language at their center.

I am posting here one of my favorite Neruda love poems. I hope you enjoy it just as I did.


I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You

I do not love you except because I love you;
I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;
I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume
My heart with its cruel
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who
Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Top 80 Korean Dramas

Thanks to my friend imbestigador, and to my friends in soompi.com, I hereby present the top 80 Korean dramas of all time.

1. The First Love/첫사랑 [KBS Two,1997] 65.8
2. What is Love?/사랑이 뭐길래 [MBC,1992] 64.9
3. The Sandglass/모래시계 [SBS,1995] 64.5
4. Hur Jun/허준 [MBC,1999] 63.7
5. A Sunny Place of The Youth/젊은이의 양지 [KBS Two,1995] 62.7
6. You and I/그대 그리고 나 [MBC,1998] 62.4
7. Son and Daughter/아들과 딸 [MBC,1993] 61.1
8. Emperor Wang Gun [KBS One,2001] 60.2
9. Eyes Of Dawn/여명의 눈동자 [MBC,1991] 58.4
10. Jewel In The Palace/대장금 [MBC,2004] 57.8
11. Lovers In Paris/파리의 연인 [SBS,2004] 57.6
12. Can’t Take My Eyes Off You/보고또보고 [MBC,1998] 57.3
13. Honesty/Truth/진실 [MBC,2000] 56.7
14. Jealousy/질투 [MBC,1992] 56.1
15. Blowing of the Wind/바람은 불어도 [KBS One,1996] 55.8
16. Men at the Bath House/목욕탕집 남자들 [KBS Two,1996] 55.6
17. Kuk Hee/국희[MBC,1999] 53.2
18. Trap Of Youth/청춘의 덫[SBS,1999] 53.1
19. Tomato/ [SBS,1999] 52.7
20. M [MBC,1994] 52.2
21. Stormy Season/폭풍의 계절 [MBC,1993] 52.1
22. The Book Of Three Han-Jumong’s Chapter/주몽 [MBC,2006] 51.9
23. The Rustic Period/야인시대 [MBC,2003] 51.8
24. Mom’s Ocean/엄마의 바다 [MBC,1993] 51.6
25. My Name Is Kim Sam Sun/내 이름은 김삼순 [MBC,2005] 50.5
26. The Legend Of Ambition/야망의 전설 [KBS Two,1998] 50.2
27. Woman Republic/여인천하 [SBS,2002] 49.9
28. Woman’s Son/아들의 여자 [MBC,1997] 49.7
29. Tears of the Dragon/용의 눈물 [KBS One,1998] 49.6
30. A Wish Upon a Star/별은 내 가슴에 [MBC,1997] 49.3
31. Ambition/야망 [MBC,1994] 49
32. Moon of Seoul/서울의달 [MBC,1994] 48.7
33. 정때문에 [MBC,1997] 48.7
34. The Final Match/마지막 승부 [MBC,1994] 48.6
35. 이브의 모든 것 [MBC,2000] 48.3
36. 댁의 남편은 어떠십니까 [SBS,1993] 48.2
37. Cinderella/신데렐라 [MBC,1997] 48
38. Miss Mermaid/인어아가씨 [MBC,2003] 47.9
39. All In [SBS,2004] 47.7
40. 사랑할때까지 [KBS One,1997] 47.1
41.Famous Princesses/소문난 칠공주 [KBS Two,2006] 44.4
42. My Rosy Life/장밋빛 인생 [KBS Two,2005] 47
43. Pilot/파일럿 [MBC,1993] 46.2
44. Daughter Of a Rich Family/딸부잣집 [KBS Two,1995] 45.9
45. The Last War/마지막전쟁 [MBC,1999] 45.5
46. Conditions of Love/Terms of Endearment/애정의 조건 [KBS Two,2004] 45.4
47. Mister Q [SBS,1998] 45.3
48. 사랑을 그대품안에 [MBC,1994] 45.1
49. Love In Heaven/하늘이시여 [SBS,2006] 45
50. 겨울새 [SBS,1992] 44.7
51. The King and Rain/왕과 비 [KBS One,2000] 44.3
52. Roses and Beasprouts/장미와 콩나물 [MBC,1999] 44.1
53. Shingo/신고합니다 [KBS Two,1996] 43.4
54. Love and Success/사랑과 성공 [MBC,1999] 43.3
55. 이 여자가 사는 법 [SBS,1995] 43.1
56. Jang Hee-Bin/장희빈 [SBS,1995] 42.9
57. Korea Gate/코리아게이트 [SBS,1995] 42.5
58. Stairway to Heaven/천국의 계단 [SBS,2004] 42.4
59. Autumn in My Heart/가을동화 [KBS Two,2000] 42.3
60. Premonition/예감 [MBC,1997] 42.3
61. That Female in your House/그여자네 집 [MBC,2001] 42.1
62. 전원일기 [MBC,1993] 42.1
63. Autumn Woman/가을여자 [SBS,1993] 42
64. Pure 19/열아홉 순정 [KBS One,2006] 41.9
65. 엄마야누나야 [MBC,2001] 41.7
66. Promise/약속 [MBC,1992] 41.5
67. 좋은걸어떡해 [KBS One,2000] 41.5
68. The Successful Story of a Bright Girl/명랑소녀성공기 [SBS,2002] 41.4
69. Palace of Dreams/꿈의 궁전 [SBS,1997] 41.2
70. I’m Still Loving You/사랑해 당신을[MBC,1999] 41
71. 산다는 것은 [SBS,1993] 40.8
72. What Happened in Bali?/발리에서 생긴 일 [SBS,2004] 40.4
73. Happy Together/해피투게더 [SBS,1999] 40.4
74. 억새바람 [MBC,1992] 40.1
75. 모래위의 욕망 [SBS,1993] 39.9
76. General Hospital/종합병원 [MBC,1994] 39.8
77. The Third Republic/제3공화국 [MBC,1993] 39.7
78. The Legend’s Hometown/전설의 고향 [KBS Two,1996] 39.7
79. Everyday is a Happy Day/날마다 행복해 [MBC,2000] 39.5
80. Be Strong,Geum Soon [MBC,2005] 39.5

Pokémon Animated Series

Taken from Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia

Pokémon (abbreviated from Pocket Monsters in Japan) is a Japanese anime series, which has since been adapted for the North American television market. It is somewhat based on the Pokémon video game series and a part of the Pokémon franchise.

In the United States, Pokémon is the fifth longest running animated TV show time wise, only beaten by The Simpsons, Arthur, King of the Hill, and South Park. Pokémon, however, has more episodes than any of these shows and is the longest running and most successful television show based on a video game series. However, one factor in this multiple episode record is due to the fact that the Japan television season has a longer duration than the American television season, and Pokemon has aired many episodes throughout their ten seasons as well.

Originally a single series, Pokémon, it has since been spun off to three: Pokémon: Advanced Generation, and subsequently Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, continue the story of Pokémon, while Pokémon Chronicles or known in Japan, Pokémon Sunday (formerly Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku) is a series of stories revolving around some of the recurring characters.

Airing and production

The English adaptation of the series was produced by 4Kids Entertainment and video distribution of the series was handled by Viz Media for the TV series for the younger generation as well as the eighth movie forward, Warner Bros. and Nintendo for the first three movies and the first special, Miramax Films, and Buena Vista Home Entertainment for the fourth movie through the seventh. The series and all feature films are directed by Kunihiko Yuyama, with English adaptations originally written by Norman J. Grossfeld and Michael Haigney for the first eight seasons. However, starting with the ninth season, the American branch of The Pokémon Company, Pokémon USA, and TAJ Productions, who worked with 4Kids on the show before taking leave after Season 5, replaced 4Kids as the show's non-Japanese producers and distributors. Most of the original voice cast was also replaced, causing controversy among fans who admired the original voice actors. TAJ was replaced by DuArt Film and Video for the tenth movie and Season 11 of the anime series.

The show (as of September 28, 2006 in Japan and June 4, 2007 in the United States) started its first season of Diamond and Pearl. An English version of Shūkan Pokémon Hōsōkyoku has now been made, titled Pokémon Chronicles which premiered in the UK on Toonami on May 11, 2005 at 4:30 p.m. ET, and is currently airing the 10th season on YTV in Canada. Each season also brings forth a Pokémon feature-length film, and each film up until the seventh is preceded by a Pokémon animated short. Pokémon CD's have been released in conjunction with the anime. The tracks feature songs that have been shown in the English dubbed version of the anime. However, some CDs have been released to promote and profit the anime.

In Japan, both series are shown on TV Tokyo, with Diamond and Pearl airing on Thursday nights (previously Monday) and Pokémon Sunday on Sunday mornings. In the United States, Advanced Generation could previously be seen on the air on the Kids’ WB! cartoon block on Saturdays, but in April 2006, Kids WB!, which continues on the CW Network, announced the fall schedule and Pokémon was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the WB-created series Legion of Super-Heroes. The rights for Battle Frontier were picked up by TimeWarner’s corporate sibling Cartoon Network instead, and aired on CN starting September 9, 2006 at 9 a.m. US ET/PT, with a special prime-time episode having been aired the night before (September 8 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT, following the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon special. The fourth season of the Advanced Generation series, titled Battle Frontier has been airing in the United Kingdom from February 5, 2007, the show also airs in Canada.

Cartoon Network’s India service, along with their Toonami UK service, also carries Pokémon episodes. As of October 9, 2006, Cartoon Network’s online service, Toonami Jetstream, featured Pokémon episodes starting at the Orange League episode “The Pokémon Water War”.

The newest series of Pokémon began airing in Japan on September 28, 2006 with a three-episode arc introducing the new series' main female character Dawn (known as Hikari in Japan), based on the playable female player in the games. The new series aired with a sneak preview on April 20, 2007 in the USA. The sneak preview aired on May 5 in Canada. A dubbed version of the 90-minute preview done in Japan, takes place in the Sinnoh region, based on the new Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games. The new series aired in prime time on Cartoon Network starting June 4 at 7:30 PM ET/PT as part of the Cartoon Network Summer 2007 programming promotion. Currently, it airs on Saturday mornings with newer episodes airing at 9:30 AM ET/PT. The summer run was confirmed in the Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea DVD released on April 2 of 2007. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl has also been airing on YTV in Canada since September 8, 2007. It airs Saturdays at 12:00pm. Ash, Pikachu, Brock and Team Rocket have all returned, Misty, will be returning soon in a later episode of the new series, as confirmed by her Japanese actress. May will appear in the 76th episode for Wallace's contest. Max's status is still unknown. Dawn is taking their place, while a new rival for Ash, Paul, is also featured along with new villains such as Hunter J and Team Galactic.

The Pokémon series

The first series tells the story of Ash Ketchum (Known as Satoshi in the Japanese version, he is named after Pokémon's creator, Satoshi Tajiri) and his quest to become a Pokémon Master. However, unlike in the video games, he is given a Pikachu as his first Pokémon under unusual circumstances. Much of the series focuses on the friendship between Ash, Pikachu, and the various Pokémon and Trainers along the way.

The other two series continues to follow the adventures of Ash. However, starting with the Advanced Generation series, he is no longer a main character, but rather a co-star. He shares his starring role with a female protagonist, May. This character travels with Ash, Max, and Brock through whichever region that they are in, and competes in Pokemon Contests, which are set up in a similar manner to Pokemon Gyms (many throughout the region, and ending with a large tournament), although immensely different. However, due to Ash being on the show for much longer, continued emphasis on Ash in advertising (mostly seen outside of Japan), and May's departure at the end of the Advanced Generation series, many assume that this character holds a supporting role, such as the role that characters like Misty and Brock hold. This role was covered by May throughout this series, and was replaced by Dawn in the Diamond and Pearl series.

Throughout the run of the show the subject matter changes. In the original series, the show is more comical and whimsical (light and airy). It uses “goofy” humor (or “cute” humor when it comes to Pikachu, who does wacky things in between important scenes). In the Advanced Generation series as Ash becomes more of a mature and leader-type character, the main course of the show becomes more serious, as it deals with love and death, and its previous comical nature (for the most part) changes into comic relief, attributed mostly to Team Rocket and Brock's love of girls, though the Diamond and Pearl series seems to have returned to using the original comical nature (mostly Ash being the straight man to his Pokémon's antics and Dawn taking the role of the naive beginner).

Pokémon

The original Pokémon games were Japanese RPGs with an element of strategy, and were created by Satoshi Tajiri for the Game Boy. These role-playing games, and their sequels, remakes, and English language translations, are still considered the "main" Pokémon games, and the games which most fans of the series are referring to when they use the term "Pokémon games". All of the licensed Pokémon properties overseen by The Pokémon Company are divided roughly by generation. These generations are roughly chronological divisions by release; every several years, when an official sequel in the main RPG series is released that features new Pokémon, characters, and gameplay concepts, that sequel is considered the start of a new generation of the franchise. The main games and their spin-offs, the anime, the manga, and the trading card game are all updated with the new Pokémon properties each time a new generation begins. The franchise is in its fourth generation.



The Pokémon franchise started off in its first generation with its initial release of Pocket Monsters Aka and Midori ("Red" and "Green", respectively) for the Game Boy in Japan. When these games proved extremely popular, an enhanced Ao ("Blue") version was released sometime after, and the Ao version was reprogrammed as Pokémon Red and Blue for international release. The games launched in the United States on September 30, 1998. The original Aka and Midori versions were never released outside of Japan. Afterwards, a further enhanced remake titled Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition was released to partially take advantage of the color palette of the Game Boy Color, as well as to feature more elements from the popular Pokémon anime. This first generation of games introduced the original 151 species of Pokémon (in National Pokédex order, encompassing all Pokémon from Bulbasaur to Mew), as well as the basic game concepts of capturing, training, battling, and trading Pokémon with both computer and human players. These versions of the games take place within the fictional Kanto region, though the name "Kanto" was not used until the second generation.



The second generation of Pokémon began in 2000 with the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver for Game Boy Color. Like the previous generation, an enhanced remake titled Pokémon Crystal was later released. It introduced 100 new species of Pokémon (starting with Chikorita and ending with Celebi), for a total of 251 Pokémon to collect, train, and battle. The Pokémon mini was a handheld game console released in December 2001 in Japan and then later in 2002 in Europe and North America.



Pokémon entered its third generation with the 2003 release of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire for Game Boy Advance and continued with the Game Boy Advance remakes of Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and an enhanced remake of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire titled Pokémon Emerald. The third generation introduced 135 new Pokémon (starting with Treecko and ending with Deoxys) for a total of 386 species. However, this generation also garnered some criticism for leaving out several gameplay features, including the day-and-night system introduced in the previous generation, and it was also the first installment that encouraged the player to collect merely a selected assortment of the total number of Pokémon rather than every existing species (202 out of 386 species are catchable in the Ruby and Sapphire versions).



In 2006, Japan began the fourth generation of the franchise with the release of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl for Nintendo DS. The fourth generation introduces another 107 new species of Pokémon (starting with Turtwig and ending with Arceus), bringing the total of Pokémon species to 493. The Nintendo DS "touch screen" allows new features to the game such as cooking poffins with the stylus and using the "Pokétch". New gameplay concepts include a restructured move-classification system, online multiplayer trading and battling via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, the return (and expansion) of the second generation's day-and-night system, the expansion of the third generation's Pokémon Contests into "Super Contests", and the new region of Sinnoh, which has an underground component for multiplayer gameplay in addition to the main overworld. Spin-off titles in the fourth generation include the Pokémon Stadium follow-up Pokémon Battle Revolution for Wii, which has Wi-Fi connectivity as well.

Welcome, 99.5 Campus FM!

Last Sunday, 99.5 Campus FM formally made its debut. The resurfacing of Campus FM which used to belong to the RGMA umbrella was highly anticipated by the followers of the now defunct Campus Radio. The jobless WLS-FM disc jocks have finally found a new home for their music and their fans.

Here are some of the comments posted by the station's first listeners:

Happy Easter! Welcome back to radioland! Hello Campus FM 99.5!
- wandering

Welcome back 99.5 Campus FM! Keep rockin'!
- Meechshane

Congrats and good luck. At least, there's no Mike Enriquez to look over you there.
- James Ty III

Welcome back again guys matinding station 'to pati brewrats kasama pa din YEHEY!!!!!!!!!!
- kyosukenanbu

Welcome Back 99.5 CAMPUS FM!!!
- cybermyx

campus radio is dead! say Hello Campus FM!
- radiojingles

well, ladies and gentlemen, now it can be told...welcome to radio-landia, 99.5 campus fm...and welcome BACK to radio-landia, the original campus (radio) air force! klasmeyts, hanap na ng upuan!
- sirloin_steak

The same old brand new 995 Campus radio...Goosebumps na ko nito..De ja Vu...hahaha
- isahchen

THE OFFICIAL SCHOOL OF POP! Way cooooool! Welcome back!!!
- archerguy

The stingers, the announcers, everything! "The number one hit music station in Metro Manila...bringing back the Campus in your radio."
- nikobatallones

Well, as a fan of quality radio, you have my ear, too. I was out of the radio loop for a while, so I found out about this just this morning. Needless to say, it was an awesome Easter's "present" for me. Hehe.
- mistervader

Congratulations sa resurrection! Buong araw ako nakinig yesterday at punung-puno ako ng goosebumpbs; it's like seeing your long lost friend again after several years.
- ex deo scientia

Full House Remake on GMA

GMA 7 has confirmed that there will be a remake of the most popular Asian series of all time shown on Philippine television and that they have secured the rights to the show. Full House has kept Filipinos glued to the screen because of the light, funny and love witty story of an aspiring writer and a childish actor. The question now is who will reprise the roles that we Filipinos have come to love so much?

An online petition has suggested two names: Richard Gutierrez and Marian Rivera. After their successful team-up in My Bestfriend's Girlfriend, fans are already requesting for a follow-up. It seems as if GMA 7 has plans for their tandem, and there is a possibility that this would translate to a remake of the successful Koreanovela.

To include your name in the petition, please visit the GMA-7's Full House (Philippine TV Remake Series) thread at PinoyExchange.

My Top 20 Games (10-1)

Here's a continuation of my top 20 favorite games of all time.

10
Bomberman
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System



Bomberman is an arcade-style maze-based video game developed by Hudson Soft. It was first released in 1983 for the MSX, NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-6001, Sharp MZ-700 and FM-7 in Japan, and for the ZX Spectrum in Europe (under the English language title Eric and the Floaters, Spanish Don Pepe Y Los Globos). Bomberman spawned the long-running series with many installments building on its basic gameplay.

The original Bomberman is a robot forced to work at a bomb factory. He is the best bomb maker there. Bomberman starts growing bored of making bombs in a factory day in and day out. He hears a rumor that any Bomberman that makes it from the underground factory gets a wish. Bomberman, desperate to escape his job, sets out on a journey to the surface and to turn Bombermen into human bombermen, using his wish. The only thing standing in his way is the factory security guards who will do anything to keep the factory working.

The eponymous character, Bomberman, is a robot that wants to be free from his job at an underground bomb factory. He must find his way through a maze while avoiding enemies. Doors leading to further maze rooms are found under rocks, which Bomberman must destroy with bombs. There are items that can help improve Bomberman's bombs, such as the Fire ability, which improves the blast range of his bombs. Bomberman will turn human when he escapes and reaches the surface. Each game has 50 levels in total.


9
The Legend of Zelda
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System



The Legend of Zelda is a video game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and developed and published by Nintendo. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to rescue Princess Zelda from the primary antagonist, Ganon, by collecting the eight fragments of the Triforce, a powerful artifact.

As the inaugural game of The Legend of Zelda series, it was first released in Japan as a launch title for the Famicom's Disk System peripheral, a year and five months before it was released in the United States. Because the Famicom Disk System was not released outside Japan, the game was published internationally on the Nintendo Entertainment System's cartridge format in 1987, with an internal battery to facilitate data saving. Nintendo released the game in Japan in 1994 on cartridge format for the Famicom.

When The Legend of Zelda was released, its gameplay defied categorization. The game incorporated elements from action games, adventure games, role-playing games, and puzzle games. The game begins with the player controlling Link from an overhead perspective, armed with a small shield. A sword becomes available to Link if he ventures into the cave, accessible from the start screen. When the game starts, Link spawns in the overworld, a large outdoor map with varied environments. Throughout the game, merchants, gamblers, old ladies, and other people guide Link with cryptic clues. These people are scattered across the overworld and hidden in caves, shrubbery, or behind walls.

Barring Link's progress are creatures he must battle to locate the entrances to nine underground dungeons. Each dungeon is a unique, maze-like collection of rooms connected by doors and secret passages and guarded by monsters different from those found on the overworld. Link must successfully navigate each dungeon to obtain one of the eight pieces of the Triforce of Wisdom. Dungeons also hide useful items, such as a boomerang for retrieving items and stunning enemies, and a recorder with magical properties. The first six dungeons have visible entrances, but the remaining three are hidden. Except for the final dungeon, which cannot be entered until the previous eight have been completed, the order of completing dungeons is somewhat arbitrary, but many dungeons can only be reached using items gained in the previous one.

Nonlinearity, the ability to take different paths to complete the game, separated Zelda from its contemporaries. Link can freely wander the overworld, finding and buying items at any point. This flexibility enables unusual ways of playing the game; for example, it is possible to reach the final boss of the game (but not defeat him) without taking a sword. Nintendo of America's management initially feared that players might become frustrated with the new concept, left wondering what to do next. As a result, the American version of the game's manual contains many hints, tips, and suggestions for players.

After completing the game, the player has access to a more difficult quest, officially referred to as the Second Quest, where dungeons and the placement of items are different and enemies stronger. Although a more difficult "replay" was not unique to Zelda, few games offered a "second quest" with entirely different levels to complete. Entering "ZELDA" as the player's name starts the second quest immediately. The Second Quest can be replayed each time it is completed.

8
Tetris
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System



Tetris is a falling-blocks puzzle video game, released on a vast spectrum of platforms. Alexey Pajitnov originally designed and programmed the game in June 1985, while working for the Dorodnicyn Computing Centre of the Academy of Science of the USSR in Moscow. Pajitnov has cited pentominoes as a source of inspiration for the game.[citation needed] He derived its name from the Greek numerical prefix "tetra-", as all of the pieces contain four segments, and tennis, Pajitnov's favorite sport.

The game (or one of its many variants) is available for nearly every video game console and computer operating system, as well as on devices such as graphing calculators, mobile phones, portable media players, and PDAs. It has even been played on the sides of various buildings, with the record holder for the world's largest fully functional game of Tetris being an effort by Dutch students in 1995 that lit up all 15 floors of the Electrical Engineering department at Delft University of Technology.

While versions of Tetris were sold for a range of 1980s home computer platforms, it was the hugely successful handheld version for the Game Boy launched in 1989 that established the reputation of the game as one of the most popular ever. In 2007, Tetris came in second place in IGN's 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time.

7
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
Console: Gameboy Advance







Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Ruby and Pocket Monsters Sapphire, released on March 17, 2003 in North America for the Game Boy Advance, mark the beginning of the third generation in the Pokémon series of RPGs. Ruby and Sapphire were succeeded in 2004 by Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and in 2005 by an enhanced remake titled Pokémon Emerald. The games feature 386 species of Pokémon.

Ruby and Sapphire feature a number of distinct differences from the previous set of games.

Because of numerous changes in the battling system, these two games aren't compatible with the first and second generations. New battling mechanics include Abilities and Natures. Abilities add certain characteristics that add strategy to battling. Natures raise and lower two stats (Attack, Defense, Sp. Attack, Sp. Defense, and Speed). Another new mechanic is double battles, where the Pokémon trainers send out two Pokémon at once. There are also more hold items than there were in the first two games. Like in FireRed and LeafGreen, the berries have also been renamed. The new names are similar to names of actual fruit, instead of being names which symbolized what each berry did.

These two games also have Pokémon Contests and Pokéblocks. Pokémon Contests are most like beauty contests, where Pokémon perform moves before a judge. Pokéblocks are synthesized from berries, which the player plants, waters, and picks. The player uses a tool called a Berry Blender to make Pokéblocks. Each Pokémon can eat up to 12 blocks, and each block enhances a characteristic (Cool, Cute, Smart, Beauty and Tough). Some Pokéblocks increase two stats, but half of the amount each stat gets. Feebas is the only Pokémon that is affected by these stats outside of Contests; it will evolve into Milotic after achieving a maximum Beauty stat.

Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire are also the first two Pokémon games where the player does not name the rival, as the name for the rival has already been reset to Brendan or May, depending on whether the player's character is a girl or a boy.

6
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Console: Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console, and is the third installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America and Europe. Shigeru Miyamoto and his team were solely responsible for the development of this game.

A Link to the Past uses a top-down perspective similar to that of the original The Legend of Zelda, instead of the side-scrolling format that Zelda II: The Adventure of Link uses. It added many mechanics and concepts to the series that have become commonplace, including multi-level dungeons and a variety of new equipment (such as the Hookshot and the Pegasus Boots). It has been well-received since its release, and has been listed by GameSpot as one of the best installments of the series. To date, A Link to the Past has sold more than four million copies, and has been re-released for the Game Boy Advance and the Wii's Virtual Console.

Instead of continuing to use the side-scrolling perspective introduced to the series by Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, A Link to the Past reverts to an overhead perspective similar to that of the original. Despite using many mechanics and concepts from the original, A Link to the Past introduces a number of new elements and innovations. For instance, although there are whole Heart Containers, which are usually obtained after defeating a boss, Link can also collect four Heart Pieces in order to form additional Heart Containers. Arrows are now separately replenishable (as bombs were in the original) instead of using a Rupee to fire an arrow. A Link to the Past also takes some concepts from The Adventure of Link, such as the magic meter, which is used by several items, including the Lantern. Control of Link is more flexible than in previous games, as he can walk diagonally and can run with the aid of an obtainable item. Link's sword attack was improved to slash sideways instead of merely thrusting forward; this gives his sword a broader range and makes combat easier. Link slashes his sword as the default attack in future Zelda games, although thrusting is also possible in the later 3D incarnations.

Several recurring items and techniques were introduced for the first time in A Link to the Past, such as the Hookshot, the Master Sword, and the Pegasus Shoes. Heart Containers that increase the player's maximum health (hit points) in the earlier two games are present, but many are split into "Pieces of Heart", four of which comprise one Heart Container. Most of them are well hidden, adding replay value to the game. Many dungeons are multi-level, requiring Link to walk between floors and sometimes fall through holes to land in lower levels.

A Link to the Past is the first appearance of what would subsequently become a major Zelda trademark: the existence of two parallel worlds between which the player travels. The first, called the Light World, is the ordinary Hyrule where Link grew up with his uncle. The second is what was once the Sacred Realm, but became the Dark World when Ganon acquired the Triforce. The Dark World is a corrupted version of Hyrule; the water is a dark, unpleasant color, the grass is dead, skulls replace rocks, and trees have faces. People change forms in the Dark World based on their nature; without an item to prevent it, Link turns into a pink rabbit. Each location in the Light World corresponds to a similar location in the Dark World, usually with a similar physical structure but an opposite nature (e.g. a desert in the Light World corresponds to a swamp in the Dark World).

Link can travel from the Dark World to the Light World at almost any outside location by using a magic mirror (and back again from the same location using the portal left where he reappears in the Light World). There are also several hidden warp locations throughout the Light World. This enables a variety of puzzles that exploit slight differences between the Light and Dark Worlds.

5
The Sims
Console: PC





The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game created by game designer Will Wright, published by Maxis, and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is a simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual persons ("Sims") in a suburban household near SimCity.

The Sims was first released on February 4, 2000. By March 22, 2002, The Sims had sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling PC game in history. Since its initial release, seven expansion packs and a sequel, The Sims 2 (with its own expansion packs), have been released. Another sequel, The Sims 3, is currently under production. The Sims has won numerous awards, including GameSpot's "Game of the Year Award" for 2000.

Instead of objectives, the player is encouraged to make choices and engage fully in an interactive environment. This has helped the game successfully attract casual gamers. The only real objective of the game is to organize the Sims' time to help them reach personal goals.

In the beginning, the game offers players pre-made characters to control as well as the option to create more Sims. Creating a Sim consists of creating a "family" (identified by a last name) that can hold up to eight members. The player can then create Sims, by providing the Sim a first name and optional biography, and choosing the gender (male or female), skin complexion (light, medium, or dark) and age (adult or child) of the Sim. The personality of the Sim is dictated by five attributes and a specific head and body (bundled with a specific body physique and clothing). The player cannot change a Sim's face, name, or personality once they have been moved onto a lot.

Each family, regardless of how many members are in it, starts with a limited amount of cash (§20,000) that will be needed to purchase a house or vacant land, build or remodel a house, and purchase furniture. All architectural features and furnishings are dictated by a tile system, in which items must be placed on a square and rotated to face exactly a 90 degree angle with no diagonals permitted. Walls and fences go on the edge of a "square" and can be diagonal, whereas furniture and Sims take up one or more squares and cannot be diagonal. There are over 150 home building materials and furnishings for purchase.

Sims are directed on the basis of instructing them to interact with objects, such as a television set, a piece of furniture or another Sim. Sims may receive house guests, which are actually based on the Sims of other game files. The player cannot control 'visiting' Sims, although it is important for Sims to interact with one another in order to develop a healthy social life and gain popularity.

4
Diablo II
Console: PC



Diablo II, sequel to the game Diablo, is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game in a hack and slash or "Dungeon Roaming" style. It was released for both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment. Diablo II was developed by Blizzard North.

By April 2001, Diablo II had become one of the most popular online games ever. Major factors that contributed to Diablo II's success include what fans found to be addictive hack and slash gameplay and free access to Battle.net. Diablo II may be played as a single player game, multi-player via a LAN, or multi-player via Battle.net, with the latter being the most popular. It has also become one of the top thirty best selling computer games ever. Including Diablo II, the Diablo series has sold 17 million copies.

The game was conceptualized and designed by Stieg Hedlund, with Blizzard North founders David Brevik, Max and Eric Shaefer acting as Project Leads for the other disciplines (Engineering, Character Art and Environment Art, respectively). The main Production roles were handled by Matthew Householder and Bill Roper.

An expansion to Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, was released in 2001, and is now at version 1.11b.

3
Pokémon Gold and Silver
Console: Gameboy Color





Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver, released in Japan as Pocket Monsters Kin and Pocket Monsters Gin, are two Game Boy Color video games. Released in 2000, these games started the second generation of the vastly popular Pokémon video game series. These games feature a new region called Johto, 100 new Pokémon and many more additions. They are also backward compatible with the first generation of games (Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow).

Pokémon Gold and Silver introduces a separate region from the one in the original Pokémon titles (Kanto). This new region, named Johto, offers one hundred new Pokémon for players to capture and discover with a new version of the Pokédex; other new features include the Pokégear, Berries, a full-color world, special Pokéballs, and breeding Pokémon to produce Pokémon Eggs from which baby Pokémon hatch.

More specialized Poké Balls were introduced in this game. A Lure Ball is more effective if used against a Pokémon caught with a fishing rod, and a Friend Ball will make a Pokémon more comfortable and friendly to its trainer much more quickly. To obtain these balls, Apricorns must be picked from special plants found throughout Johto, and Kurt in Azalea Town will fashion these into the different balls based on their color. However, Kurt can only make one ball at a time, and players must wait until the next day for Kurt to finish the ball. Although these specialized Poké Balls and Apricorns were not in future generations, there were other specialized balls.

The game introduces shiny Pokémon, i.e. Pokémon which have a different coloring than normal Pokémon of their species, and which appear very rarely (estimated to be a 1/8192 chance). In this second generation of games (though not the third generation which followed on GBA), these Pokémon often have better stats than regular non-shiny Pokémon, but can never get the maximum stats for that species. There is one exception to the shiny Pokémon system: A Red Gyarados can be found at the Lake of Rage. Since it is part of the storyline, it is impossible not to encounter this Pokémon.

Pokérus (Pokémon virus) was introduced. The virus is even rarer (about a 1 in 32768 chance) to get than a “shiny” Pokémon, and doubles the Special Experience (a concept adapted to later installments of the Pokémon series as effort values) that the player’s Pokémon gain each time the infected Pokémon participates in battle (provided the battle is won and the infected Pokémon does not faint).

2
Diablo
Console: PC



Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment in December 1996.

Set in the fictional Kingdom of Khanduras (located in the Diablo series fantasy world of Sanctuary), Diablo has the player take control of a lone hero as he or she battles to rid the world of the eponymous Lord of Terror. Beneath the town of Tristram, the player journeys through sixteen dungeon levels to ultimately come face to face with Diablo and his demon minions.

Diablo was a best-seller and following the first game's popularity an expansion pack, entitled Diablo: Hellfire, was released in 1997, although it was not created by Blizzard Entertainment. This was followed by a true sequel, Diablo II, in 2000.

The story of Diablo is based on the premise of a war between Heaven and Hell. The town of Tristram has come under attack by demons, and the player must save the town and, in effect, the world, by ridding it of the Lord of Terror. As the player delves into the underworld, some of the history behind the war between Heaven and Hell, as well as knowledge about Diablo himself, are revealed through large tomes that are found throughout the levels.

Diablo is the Lord of Terror and one of the Three Prime Evils of Hell, the most powerful lords of demonkind. Long before the events of the game, he was captured by a secretive order of mortal magi known as the Horadrim. The Horadrim imprisoned each of the Prime Evils in a Soulstone; Diablo's red stone was buried in caverns deep beneath the town of Tristram, and as the generations passed, was forgotten. Though his imprisonment was meant to be eternal, the power of the Soulstone weakened over centuries, eventually allowing Diablo to use limited power from within the stone. He telepathically turned an inhabitant of Tristram, the Archbishop Lazarus, into his pawn. In order for Diablo to actually leave the Soulstone, Diablo needed to possess a host. Through his minion Lazarus, he initially tried to gain control of King Leoric, the local ruler, but Diablo, in his weakened state, was unable to overpower Leoric. Abandoning the idea, he caused Lazarus to kidnap King Leoric's son, Prince Albrecht. He inspired such terror in the child that the boundaries between the realms were broken and parts of Hell appeared in the mortal world, taking root in the labyrinth beneath Tristram. Diablo then chose to bide his time and wait for the opportune moment to strike.

Soon afterwards King Leoric was driven to madness by the loss of his son. With Lazarus whispering in his ear, he ordered a foolhardy attack on a far stronger neighboring realm - a campaign to which Lazarus made sure to send all of the King's most loyal and good-hearted heroes. The campaign proved a suicide mission, and soon the King had only the lies of Lazarus for counsel. Leoric began brutally executing the subjects he once protected, suspecting everyone of the kidnapping of his son. Lazarus led groups of townsfolk into the labyrinth in supposed pursuit of the missing prince - but Lazarus's only purpose was to deliver the innocents up to death at the hands of the demons. At length, the few survivors of the army returned home, led by the noble Sir Lachdanan. Leoric immediately ordered their execution, and, seeing the King for the tortured soul he was, Lachdanan killed his King with a mercy stroke. Upon his dying breath, Leoric cursed those who were close to him that they should serve him in the underworld for all of eternity, creating the horrific undead knights of the labyrinth.

Shortly after, the time period of the game begins as the player's character arrives. He or she has to fight their way through sixteen levels to face Diablo, encountering various monsters and quests to challenge them. The labyrinth descends from a simple dungeon to dark caves and catacombs and finally the firey pits of Hell. The player finds a portal to Archbishop Lazarus' lair, slays him, and makes his way to Diablo. At the end of the game, the player character has killed Diablo's mortal form, and left Diablo once more with just a soulstone to inhabit. Now rather overcome with Diablo's influence, the hero then pierces his or her head with the soulstone, attempting to contain the Lord of Terror. This, of course, was exactly what Diablo wanted. Diablo II later confirms that Diablo indeed possessed the hero who slew him.

And my most favorite game is...

1
The Sims 2
Console: PC

The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on December 14, 2000. Mark Mothersbaugh composed the music for the game.

The Sims 2 essentially revolves around the same concept as its predecessor. Players are free to control their Sims (as they interact with their virtual surroundings) engaging in various mundane activities and forming relationships in a manner similar to real life. Like its predecessor, The Sims does not have a defined final goal; gameplay is open-ended. Sims 2, however, has life goals, wants and fears, the fulfillment of which can produce both positive or negative outcomes. All Sims age, and can live up to eighty-five Sim days depending on the degree of which their aspirations are fulfilled (although one item can extend a Sim's lifespan further).

The Sims 2 builds on its predecessor by allowing Sims, the simulated human characters, to age through six stages of life and incorporating a more powerful 3D graphics engine. It was first released on September 14, 2004 and became an instant success, having sold a then-record one million copies in its first ten days. In addition to its commercial success, The Sims 2 was well received by critics. As of July 26, 2007, The Sims 2 has sold more than 13 million units worldwide and is the best-selling PC game of 2004. A sequel, The Sims 3, was announced by EA in November 2006.

Player Sims

Sims can experience a life generally reflective of reality through activities such as working, marriage, child rearing, pursuing interests, attending school, learning new skills, engaging in relationships, ending relationships, partying etc.

Sims may also experience more fantastical events such as seeing ghosts, being abducted by aliens which may result in a male pregnancy, or being visited by the Grim Reaper, which usually appears after the death of a Sim.

Life stages

Like humans, Sims operate based on certain drives: they have needs, develop dreams and goals, and exhibit personality. They can progress through six life stages: baby, toddler, child, teen, adult and elder (the expansion pack The Sims 2: University adds an additional life stage, Young Adult, for Sims who choose to attend college). Sims die naturally after a certain number of days in the elder life stage, determined by how high their Aspiration Score was when they first became Elders. The different life stages present different challenges, such as the reduced mobility of elders, children not being able to cook, and the constant care of infants.

Needs

Similarly to its predecessor, Sims are driven by their Needs. Sims have up to eight needs (or "motives") depending on their age, ranging from tangible needs such as "Bladder" (the need to urinate) and "Energy" (the need to sleep), to more ephemeral qualities such as "Social" contact and a pleasant "Environment". These needs are displayed graphically with meters that change from green (full) to red (low), and a Sim with an empty meter will either require or insist on an action which fulfills it (for instance, if the Hunger meter is low, a Sim will open the refrigerator and "stuff [his/her] face", or the user may direct them to cook an item of their choice). Some empty meters also cause actions. A Sim with an empty energy meter will pass out; a teen, adult, or elder Sim with an empty Hunger meter will die. These Needs are compiled into an overall "mood" meter, which is displayed by a diamond (called a "plumbbob") that hovers above the active Sim's head. The needs of babies (which are hunger, social, hygiene & energy) are not shown as with other Sims, but their portrait on the right hand side of the screen indicates their need levels as it does with other Sims (red (low), green (full)).

Personality

Personality is a quantified way of measuring a Sim's behavioral characteristics. There are five personality traits, which players can allocate 'points' to control that Sim's personality; for example, a Sim can be active, lazy or somewhere in between the two extremes. These traits determine how fast a Sim learns skills, the rate at which specific needs decay, the types of interactions a Sim will autonomously engage in, the likelihood of accepting certain interactions and the likelihood of bringing home a friend from school or work. All Sims communicate in a language known as "Simlish", first introduced in the original The Sims game. Simlish is a mix of fractured Ukrainian and Tagalog that communicates a Sim's emotions or reactions using tones of voice.

Career

Children and teenagers may attend school from Monday to Friday. Homework completion and mood affect their grades (high grades generate cash or skills). Parents may enroll their children in private schools, after success in a minigame of inviting the headmaster for dinner.

An adult sim can find a job from either a newspaper or computer, and be promoted if they go to work in a good mood, and they have the required skill points and/or sufficient quantity of (non-family) friends. Each career contains ten jobs with increasing salary, each with its own uniform, hours and carpool.

The careers are Athletics, Business, Crime, Culinary, Law Enforcement, Medicine, Military, Politics, Science and Slacker. A sim reaching a critical career level receives a career reward, an exclusive household object, most of them useful for improvement of a skill that is critical to the career. When reaching old age, a sim may retire, and receive a daily pension. Teenagers and elders may also seek employment, however only three jobs are offered in each career track for the teen/elder age groups.

Aspiration

New to The Sims 2 is the "Aspiration" meter, roughly analogous to self-esteem or life satisfaction. As toddlers and children, Sims aspire only to "Grow Up", but upon becoming teens, the player must assign Sims one of five life aspirations: Family (befriending family members, marrying and raising a large family), Fortune (wealth and prestige), Knowledge (skill enhancement and life experience), Popularity (making friends and socializing) and Romance (frequent and varied romantic relationships and interactions); with the Nightlife expansion, a new aspiration was added: Pleasure (wanting to live an enjoyable life). Each Sim has wants and fears that correspond to his or her aspiration, stage of life and present circumstances. When a want is achieved, such as to "make a friend", aspiration points are allotted to the aspiration meter; conversely, when a fear is realized, such as the death of a spouse, aspiration points are decreased. There are six levels to the meter: the highest is platinum, then gold, two levels of green and two of red, with the meter depleting a small amount every few hours. Aspiration levels, along with "mood", determine complaisance: Sims with a platinum meter are fulfilled, docile and more willing to perform tasks they dislike, in addition to having their mood meter full ("Platinum Mood") regardless of their individual needs; Sims with red meters will often experience nervous breakdowns and require treatment from an automatically-summoned psychiatrist who is invisible to nearby sims. Aspiration levels also determine the length of time a Sim will live as an Elder before death. Finally, the Sim's lifetime total of Aspiration points are recorded by the game, and can be used to 'purchase' special objects that possess unique effects, such as providing free money or altering lifespan, but only if the aspiration meter is at "gold" or "platinum" level; if not, the chance of success decreases and negative side effects may occur.

In The Sims 2: FreeTime, a new lifetime aspiration meter was added. As you a you achieve very important lifetime event such as marriage or a birth of a child, you will gain a little lift in the meter and for every section you complete you get rewards, e.g choosing a secondary aspiration. Getting to the top of the meter will get you a chance to get a special gift, the genie lamp!

Relationships

Romantic relationships can happen in a number of ways. Constantly flirting with another sim, regardless of sex (sims are effectively bisexual) will make them have a crush on one another and eventually fall in love. This allows more intimate interactions such as making out or sex (called "WooHoo"). Sims can simply remain in a de facto relationship or they can get married (called "Joined Union" for same sex sim couples). The sim who did not initiate the marriage will move into the household of, and take the surname of, the Sim who did initiate marriage. With the addition of The Sims 2: Nightlife, sims can also date each other, as well as taking part in many romantic themed interactions. Sims also have chemistry towards each other, which is affected by what they find attractive in another sim, which can be personality, aspiration, or appearance (hair color, clothing, fitness, etc.).

Death

Sims can die in a variety of different ways. If a Sim reaches the end of the Elder life stage, he or she will die of old age. Sims can also meet premature ends by various means, such as electrocution, starvation, disease, fly swarms, fright, fire, drowning, being struck by lightning, hit by hail or death by satellite. Sims leave behind tombstones or urns, which are typically possessed by their ghosts. As long as the memoriam is left on the lot, ghosts will haunt the household. Ghosts may wake up easily frightened Sims, and may also scare a Sim to death.

After death, a Sim is no longer controllable and will be removed from the control interface. Death is carried out in The Sims 2 by the NPC Grim Reaper. Sims can be saved from any premature death if a friend begs the Grim Reaper for mercy.

With the The Sims 2: University, dead Sims can be resurrected via the Grim Reaper's phone, which is a career reward unlocked in the Paranormal career path. Players select the Sim to resurrect and then pay a price ranging from $0-$10,000. The higher the amount paid, the better quality the resurrection will be. Paying between $0-$1,000 will result in no resurrection, paying $1,000-$5,000 will result in the Sim being resurrected as a zombie. $5,000-$10,000 will result in a near perfect or perfect resurrection.

With the The Sims 2: FreeTime, the genie can resurrect as one of the wish options (It will automatically be a perfect resurrection).

My Top 20 Games (11-20)

Since I have been posting my favorite games of all time in my previous posts, I decided to come up with a list of my top 20 games of all time. These games are my personal favorites; others may have different ranks for these games in their own personal lists.

20
Super Mario Brothers
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System

Super Mario Bros., sometimes referred to as Super Mario or SMB, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo in late 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Mario Bros. featured gameplay that changed the way video games were created. It is the first console original in this genre to feature smooth-scrolling levels, which made it a landmark in home video-gaming. In Super Mario Bros., Italian plumber Mario must save Princess Peach (Princess Toadstool in the US version) of the Mushroom Kingdom from the evil Bowser, king of the Koopas. Mario is aided in his quest by his brother Luigi in two-player mode. In order to save Princess Peach, the Mario Bros. must conquer the eight worlds that comprise the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario (or Luigi) must make his way to the castle in each world and defeat one of the Bowser's evil minions, thereby taking control of that world. In order to reach the castle, however, Mario or Luigi must battle through three "sub-worlds" by either destroying or avoiding Bowser's henchmen. If Mario or Luigi successfully fights his way through the castle and defeats the evil minion, a Mushroom Retainer (later called Toad), is freed. Inside the eighth castle, the Mario Bros. will find Princess Peach.

19
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Console: Gameboy Color





The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld console. It was released in Japan on June 6, 1993 and in North America on December 31 of the same year. It is the fourth official installment in The Legend of Zelda series, and the first for a handheld game console.

Link's Awakening is one of the few Zelda games that does not take place in the fictional land Hyrule, does not feature the fictional relic the Triforce or the primary antagonist of the series, Ganon. Instead the player's character Link begins the game stranded on Koholint Island. Learning that the island is watched over by a mysterious creature known as the Wind Fish, Link fights monsters and solves puzzles in order to find eight instruments which will awaken the Wind Fish— if the sleeping creature isn't awoken, Link will be trapped on Koholint Island forever.

18
Command and Conquer: Red Alert II
Console: PC



Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a 2.5D real-time strategy computer game by Westwood Studios, which was released for Microsoft Windows on September 28, 2000 as the follow up to Command and Conquer: Red Alert. Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 is the sequel to the RTS Computer Game Red Alert. The game picks up from the Allied ending of the previous game but this has led to debate amongst some fans. The game is centered around a Russian invasion of the United States of America and the American Military response to the threat. The game features several real-world monuments, including the World Trade Center, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. The game has received immense popularity in real-time strategy field over the past few years. A year after the release of Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2, an expansion pack was released entitled Command and Conquer: Yuri's Revenge.

17
Star Soldier
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System


The first game in the series to create the name, Star Soldier is clearly the sequel to Star Force. And not much has changed - there's still plenty of stuff to shoot, including lots of blocks with insignias of skulls, dragons and other creatures for some reason (most of which seem to be based off the four Chinese gods.) And, for the first time, you can finally power up your weapons, introducing the famous multi-direction cannon that became the staple for the rest of the series. There's also a unique mechanics where you can fly underneath certain parts of the scenery. You can't be killed, but you can't attack either. It's an interesting idea, but it leads to confusion more than anything else. Unfortunately, Star Soldier is still very dated, with quite repetitive backgrounds (there's only so much flying over outer space girders that one can take.)

16
Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty
Console: PC

Commandos: Beyond the Call of Duty, a set of new Commandos missions issued as a standalone game, was released on March 31, 1999. Despite it being much shorter than Behind Enemy Lines, it is much more difficult game containing levels on a far greater scale to the extent of being comparable to those that were to be seen in Commandos 2. It has 8 missions, with locations including Yugoslavia and Greece.

15
Command and Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
Console: PC



Command and Conquer Yuri's Revenge is an Expansion pack to Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 developed by Westwood Studios. The game was released in North America on October 10, 2001 by EA Games. The game is centered around the idea of a shadowy figure named Yuri being able to establish a secret army of his own and pose a threat to the security of the world.

The gameplay of Yuri's Revenge is very similar to that of its prequel, Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2. The object of the game is to gather resources while training an army of your own to do battle. While this is going on, you must attack your enemies and defend against their attacks This game, like Real-time Strategy games in general, requires much multi-tasking to ensure a victory.

14
Pokémon Red and Blue
Console: Gameboy Color



Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue are the first two installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games, first released for the Game Boy in Japan in 1996, later released to the rest of the world in 1998 (North America) and 1999 (Europe and Australia). Set in the fantasy world of Kanto, the game's stories follow the progress of the central character in his quest to master Pokémon battling. Both games are independent of each other but feature largely the same plot and, while both can be played separately, it is necessary for the player to trade among the two in order to fully complete the game. Pokémon Red and Blue have subsequently been remade for the Game Boy Advance into Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. These, being advanced generation games, allow the player to obtain all of 386 then-available Pokémon species created by the franchise. The original two games, along with Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon Stadium form the first generation of Pokémon, also called the "primary generation". At the beginning of the games, players can choose Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle as their starter Pokémon from Professor Oak. They cannot catch any of the starters or their evolutions in the wild or by trading with in-game NPCs; therefore, to complete the Pokédex with all 151 Pokémon, the player must link games and trade with other players, as well as attending Nintendo Events. The basic point of the game is to become the best trainer in all of Kanto; this is done by raising Pokémon, defeating the eight Gym Leaders for Gym Badges, and eventually challenging the Elite Four and the Champion, the player's rival. Also, throughout the game, the player will have to battle against the forces of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that uses Pokémon for evil, and will eventually face off against their leader, Giovanni. The player has a childhood rival, who happens to be the grandson of Professor Oak. This character's default name is the opposite color of the version owned (i.e. in Red version, the character's default name is Blue). He will battle the player at certain points in the game to test the player's Pokémon; being defeated is an indication for the player to level up his or her team. He will always choose for his starter a Pokémon that has a type advantage over the player's chosen one. For example, if the player chooses Charmander, a Fire-type Pokémon, he will choose Squirtle, a Water-type Pokémon, giving it an advantage over the Fire-type Charmander.

13
Super Mario Brothers 2
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System



Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, known in Japan as Super Mario Bros. 2, is a video game produced by Nintendo, first released in Japan on June 3, 1986 for the Famicom Disk System. The game is very similar to Super Mario Bros., both graphically and in terms of gameplay. Because of the game's difficulty level and its similarity to the first Super Mario Bros., Nintendo originally decided not to release it in the United States. Instead, they localized an original Japanese game, Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, replaced the characters with those of the Mario universe, and released it in the U.S. under the title Super Mario Bros. 2. The Lost Levels was not released outside Japan until a remake was included in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super NES. Super Mario Bros. 2 was released for the Virtual Console in Japan on May 1, 2007, and in Europe and Australia on 14 September 2007. In both Europe and Australia, it was withdrawn from sale on 1 October 2007 and cost 600 Wii Points. It was released on the North American Virtual Console on October 1, 2007. The game has been in the Top 20 Most Popular Downloads on the North American Virtual Console since its release and was the Number 1 download from October 4 to October 21, 2007. It replaced and was displaced by Super Mario Bros.

12
The Legend of Kage
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System



The Legend of Kage is a 1985 arcade game by Taito and was released for several contemporary home computer systems the year after. The NES version was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on December 19, 2006, and in the United States on February 19, 2007. The arcade version also appears on the PS2 game, Taito Legends 2. A 3D remake of the arcade game is included in Taito Legends Power Up for PSP.

The object is for a ninja named Kage (pronounced "KAH-geh") to rescue Princess Kiri from mystical villains. Kage must fight his way through the forest, along the secret passageway, up the fortress wall and through the castle, rescuing her two times (three in the NES version) in order to win the game. Each time she is rescued, the seasons change. The player is armed with swords and star knives. Grabbing a crystal ball causes Kage's clothes to change to the next level in colour and thereby attain certain powers (red: normal, green: bigger shuriken, orange: bigger shuriken and faster speed). If Kage is hit while in green or orange clothes, he does not die but revert to his normal red clothes. Grabbing a scroll causes Kage to stand still and meditate for several seconds while approaching enemies drop to the ground dead (note that although the scrolls appear in the arcade version, the crystal balls do not).

11
Sim City
Console: Nintendo Entertainment System



















SimCity is a city-building simulation game, first released in 1989 and designed by Will Wright. SimCity was Maxis' first product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and enhanced into several different versions including SimCity 2000 in 1993, SimCity 3000 in 1999, SimCity 4 in 2003, and SimCity DS & SimCity Societies in 2007. The original SimCity was later renamed SimCity Classic. Until the release of The Sims in 2000, the SimCity series was the best-selling line of computer games made by Maxis.

SimCity spawned an entire series of Sim games. Since the release of SimCity, similar simulation games have been released focusing on different aspects of reality such as business simulation in Capitalism.

On January 10 2008 the SimCity source code was released under the free software GPL 3 license under the name Micropolis.

The objective of SimCity, as the name of the game suggests, is to build and design a city, without specific goals to achieve (except in the scenarios, see below). The player can mark land as being zoned as commercial, industrial, or residential, add buildings, change the tax rate, build a power grid, build transportation systems and many other actions, in order to enhance the city.

Also, the player may face disasters including: flooding, tornadoes, fires (often from air disasters or even shipwrecks), earthquakes and attacks by monsters. In addition, monsters and tornados can trigger train crashes by running into passing trains. Later disasters in the game's sequels included lightning strikes, volcanoes, meteors and attack by extra-terrestrial craft.