Mike's Recommended Games List

By Michael Hernandez

Published: 15 July 2023


Introduction

It's no secret: I like video games.

I have played many games over the years.

Some were great.

Some were alright.

Some were a complete waste of time.

Among all those games, there were some real stand out titles. Titles that I enjoyed playing and think that others would enjoy. These would be my go-to recommended games.

Keep reading to find out which games I highly recommend that everyone experience at least once in their lives.

Recommended Games

Metroid

Metroid screenshot

As a last resort, the Federation Police have decided on this strategy: to send a space hunter to penetrate the center of the fortress and destroy Mother Brain.

Pair challenging yet fair platform-adventure game play with the compelling tale of a solitary hero taking down murderous space pirates to save the galaxy, and you have the recipe for success.

Metroid is one of those games that delivers an atmospheric experience within its confines: the graphics and sound design meld perfectly, with music devolving from epic themes to technological bubbling to keep things interesting.

The back-tracking and power up progressions help create a sense of growth throughout the game, leading up to the ultimate confrontation with the mechanical life-form, Mother Brain.

The Secret of Monkey Island

The Secret of Monkey Island screenshot

How appropriate. You fight like a cow!

The Secret of Monkey Island tells a tale of aspirational piracy, forbidden love, and voodoo mysticism - all delivered with the charm and convenience of a point-and-click adventure.

It's also features hilariously written dialogue and story beats wrapped in amazingly executed artwork accompanied with swashbuckling tunes.

The puzzles in this game range from logical sequences that need to be broken down and the ubiquitous collection of important items to traversing mazes and the execution of exquisite word play. You will do well to guide Guybrush Threepwood through his lighthearted quest of becoming a mighty pirate.

Special Note: I recommend playing the original version of the game over the Special Edition. If you only have access to the Special Edition, don't fret! LogicDeLuxe provides a most wonderful tool that extracts the original assets and implements a number of retro enhancements: The Secret of Monkey Island Ultimate Talkie Edition

Doom

Doom screenshot

Tough as a dump truck and nearly as big, these goliaths are the worst thing on two legs since Tyrannosaurus rex.

Doom from id Software is a game with serious attitude.

From the nameless, direct-order-disobeying Space Marine protagonist and menacing selection of weapons to the sadistic level designs and host of enemy monsters, Doom delivers an intense experience that's complimented with a soundtrack that combines the disparate genres of metal and ambient to perfectly match the game's action and horror elements.

Get ready to rip & tear your way through a host of monsters and demons as you enjoy all the wonders that Doom has to offer.

Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001

Metal Slug: Super Vehicle-001 screenshot

Go home to mommy.

Metal Slug provides intense run-and-gun game play action from the moment the narrator heartily announces "Mission 1, Start!"

The concept is simple, easy to pick up, and a real challenge to master. The beautifully designed levels quickly become hosts to hectic combat with bullets, missiles, bombs, and all matters of explosions mixed with viscera. It truly is a work of art - just imagine Bob Ross landscapes juxtaposed as the backdrop to a Michael Bay directed battle sequence.

Words cannot begin to describe the fun game play, excitingly catchy music, and subtle humor that permeates Metal Slug.

Pro Tip: make sure you bring plenty of quarters if you check this one out at a real arcade.

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back screenshot

If we don't have any friends left on the surface, then we need to find an enemy.

I feel that Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is in the Goldilocks Zone of the series; It refines the 3D platforming foundation laid out by the preceding Crash Bandicoot while providing an overall experience more focused than its seemingly mini-game distracted successor, Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped.

Be prepared to platform your way through jungles, sewers, space bases, occasionally riding a polar bear and always on the mission to bust some crates and collect the ubiquitous Wumpa Fruit strewn throughout levels like they were jettisioned from a failing plane.

The levels ramp up fairly in difficulty and the boss battles provide enough variety to make Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back feel fresh from start to finish.

Vigilante 8

Vigilante 8 screenshot

You ready to roll the dice, bro?

Imagine, if you will, a grounded mix of Mad Max, Disco, and the X-Files; The resulting mess is the essence of Vigilante 8, a game that drops players into an alternate-timeline 1970s where police are preoccupied with riots in the city leaving the defense of the innocent up to strong willed vigilantes of the American West.

In this game, you must brave your way through an onslaught of vehicular combat - armed with everything from machine guns and cannons to killer bees and pyrotechnic mirror balls, truly living up to the tagline: "Fully Loaded. Fully Loco."

This game is a jam, and its combination of arcade style combos and eclectic character roster really shine in bouts of multiplayer. Go move to the groove with Vigilante 8; You won't regret it.

Pokémon: Red Version

Pokémon: Red Version screenshot

Smell you later!

There is a reason that the first games in this series spawned a massive money making titan-of-a-franchise whose reign has withstood the passing decades. This inaugural venture found in Pokémon: Red Version laid out the foundation that has survived the tides of fads and evolving fashions since the late 1990s.

The cutesy monster designs belie the game's true nature: a brutal, grind-ridden RPG tale that celebrates meritocratic effort like Wall Street did greed. The player is tasked with several goals on his quest to become a Pokémon Master - first is to catalog all Pokémon in an electronic encyclopedia, or Pokédex - second is to complete the Gym Challenge, gain entrance to the Indigo League, defeat the Elite Four to become the very best. Along the way, players face countless challengers, foil the criminal gang activity of Team Rocket, and encounter legendary creatures of unknown power.

Play Pokémon: Red Version and put yourself to the test: do you have what it takes to be number one?

Pokémon: Silver Version

Pokémon: Silver Version screenshot

There's a movie on TV: Stars dot the sky as two boys ride on a train... I'd better get rolling too!

Pokémon: Silver Version takes everything that its predecessor did right and takes it up to another level while incorporating a number of upgrades: full color support, larger map, new set of additional monsters to collect, real-time clock day-night cycle, sorted inventory system, and expanded scope of story; All while carrying what is ostensibly a stealth remake of the first game that revisits the past events with a satisfyingly connected conclusion.

In many ways, I think that this represents the best - the pinnacle - of the Pokémon game series, maximizing use of all available resources on the Game Boy Color no like sequel has since with their more capable systems.

Play Pokémon: Silver Version now if you have yet to experience this game.

BioShock

BioShock screenshot

Would you kindly pick up a crowbar or something?

BioShock feels like a game from a bygone era; The player is forced to manage their limited health, energy, and ammunition reserves while attempting to take on the many denizens of a crumbling utopia, the underwater city of Rapture.

The game play is tight. From shooting and puzzles to stealth and progression, the mechanics pose a fair yet tough challenge. This is supported by an engaging narrative of politics, mystery, and revenge with some surprising twists along the way. World building goes a long way and a consistent approach among normal enemies and boss fights feels right- all of the characters in BioShock adhere to the rules of the universe that they inhabit.

The game starts by dropping the player, quite literally, into the deep end and frequently offers the opportunity to humble you just as you start to feel confident. Whether it is the introduction of a new enemy type, or the encounter with one of Rapture's more eccentric citizens, there is enough to keep players alert as they play through BioShock.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Batman: Arkham Asylum screenshot

Not so tight, boys; You'll crease the suit!

Batman: Arkham Asylum does for video games what Batman: The Animated Series did for television; It provides the ultimate depiction of the eponymous caped-crusader in the medium. It certainly helps that they ported over key figures from the animated series, including Paul Dini, Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill.

Game play is balanced between fluid combat, careful stealth, and exploration of the Arkham Island compound that plays host to all the action. The combat system feels unique, like a mix of Guitar Hero and Dragon's Lair, where you can chain attacks in a series of rhythmically linked quick-time-events to unleash special combo moves. The game delivers on demonstrating Batman's ability to confront overwhelming crowds of enemies as he often did in the comics.

Take up your cape and cowel, and step into the world of Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Honorable Mentions


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