New Topic. Starting...now.

Games. So many games. Actually, recently my time has been consumed by one game, and I think you know what I'm talking about.

DJ Hero.

I kid. Modern Warfare 2 is a demanding mistress. The seemingly endless amount of unlocks demands that I go back and back to earn more XP so that my weapons can meet their full destructive potential. And the Bling perk...it's like in COD4 you were driving a Ferrari wirh only one gear and someone just handed you the full gearbox. What a difference. Anyway, the media blanket that encompassed us all leading up to MW2's release got me thinking about games in general and titles I've really enjoyed in the past. I thought I would reminisce a bit here and see if I can whiddle down to a list of top 10. Let's begin.

Above is the box art for the game that ruled my life for about 2 years. Back in the Dark Ages before the coming of the Great Internet, I had no idea what games were coming out until they arrived at my local Electronics Boutique. Which actually might have been for the best, because had I known about this, I probably would have been a nervous ball of anticipation for the months beforehand.

I can't prove that this game was designed to be a life-consuming time sink, but there is evidence to indicate this is the case. The historical missions were a lot of fun, but the heart of the game was in the Campaign Mode. This mode allowed you to play as either the US or the Germans. When playing as the US, you conduct a campaign of strategic bombing against the Reich. When playing as the Germans, you direct the fighter defense of aforementioned Reich. The ability for a 13 year old to design and then execute a strategic bombing campaign against the most evil regime in history was a pretty compelling experience. Since the campaign played out differently every time, you revisit it over and over and over and over. Combined with an array of great planes, the ability to record your missions, and an extensive manual that appears to have been written by the entire history staff at Harvard, and you have a deep, addictive, flight combat sim that hasn't been replicated since.