Our Favorite Games: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening

Platform: Nintendo Game Boy, Game Boy Color Released: 1993, 1998 (DX version)
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening was one case of a game undergoing a dramatic face lift, and all for the better. Originally released in 1993 to rave reviews on the original monochrome Game Boy, its DX version was released for the Game Boy Color five years later. The DX version not only added full color to the entire game, but also added a couple new features only available when playing on a GBC. This game veered away from a few typical Zelda concepts: Link's quest doesn't take place in Hyrule, there is no Triforce, Ganon isn't the main boss and, aside from one mention at the beginning of the game, Zelda isn't included in the game at all. Instead, a shipwrecked Link wakes up on Koholint Island, and the only way off the island is to wake the Wind Fish, who is sleeping inside an egg on top of a mountain (Don't look at me, I didn't write the story). To wake said Wind Fish, Link must gather eight instruments, which (keeping to Zelda tradition) must be obtained by fighting his way through eight dungeons, each with a main boss at the end. There were a couple things I found strange about this game: For one, several characters from the Super Mario Bros. series make appearances in the game. Secondly, I was very disappointed in the ending to this game (but I won;t spoil it for you). Nevertheless, if you love Zelda, but get tired of having to kill Ganon all the time, give Link's Awakening a try.

On a side note, this is the final entry for the "Our Favorite Games" series at this time. I hope you have enjoyed this look back at some of the most popular games from yesteryear. I plan to have another "Favorites" series sometime later on, so if you have any suggestions on what games you'd like to have featured then, your suggestions are always welcome. Thanks again for reading!

Our Favorite Games: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Platform: Sega Genesis Released: 1992
Sonic returned to the gaming scene in 1992 with this sequel, and a friend tagging along. Sonic 2 took a successful model and improved upon it, making the game graphically better and faster (if that was even possible). Sonic's second quest to take out Dr. Robotnik introduced us to Tails, his partner in crime (er) and ongoing character in the Sonic series. Though most of the zones were cut down to no more than two acts (except the Metropolis Zone), the abundance of zones made the game seem much longer than the original Sonic. And while the game features continues that can be earned, the lack of a save feature makes this game difficult to sit through after spending all day at work then coming home to take care of your family before having time for yourself. (On a side note, there is a save feature in later titles in the series.) But even with it's time-consuming length, the ever-changing landscapes and great music make this a great title for a weekend gaming sit-down. The game is so popular (at least six million copies sold), it's the biggest seller for the Genesis (Mega Drive in Japan), all-time. This sequel is a great example of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

Our Favorite Games: Donkey Kong Country

Platform: Super Nintendo Released: 1994
Donkey Kong Country changed the way we looked at the primate's franchise. He was no longer a single-screened platformer, he wasn't involved with anything to do with Mario and he wasn't designed by his creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. But it still managed to sell more than 9 million copies, making it the third-biggest-selling SNES title ever behind only, well, that Mario guy. DKC utilized pre-rendered 3D graphics to create its outstanding-looking world. Donkey Kong and his partner, Diddy Kong, were on a mission to get DK's bananas back from King K. Rool. You had to make your way through six different worlds to accomplish this in a side-scrolling format. Collecting 100 bananas along the way got you an extra life (sound familiar?), as would finding the four letters that spelled "KONG." Both Donkey and Diddy (long before Diddy was Diddy) were both on-screen at the same time, and you could be either one. To switch to the other character you just had to "tag" him. Despite its popularity when released, DKC has become the focal point of some criticism, with some calling the game one of the most overrated of all-time.

Our Favorite Games: Out Run

Platform: Sega Master System Released: 1987
Remember back in the days when you'd spend a Saturday night at the local arcade feeding quarters into dozens of video game cabinets to flex your gaming muscles? I sure do, and one of those games I fed numerous quarters to was Out Run. Now Sega Master System owners were lucky - they didn't have to keep feeding quarters to get their Out Run fix. The idea of Out Run was simple - drive to the checkpoints before time runs out. Of course, dodging other cars and making your way through several different landscapes makes this much harder than it seems. Out Run was just plain fun. Its 3D effects and graphics were some of the best of its time. You just hopped in the car with your girlfriend and put the pedal to the metal. Another thing that made Out Run great was it was always changing - You could choose your route, giving the game 16 different route variations. And where you end determined your ending. Out Run has been called by some not a "racing" game, but a "driving" game instead.

Our Favorite Games: Super Mario Bros. 3

Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System Released: 1990

Raise your hand if you packed into a movie theater to catch the Fred Savage movie The Wizard just to see a glimpse of SMB3. Or do you remember chants of "Mario! Mario!" coming from your TV? It doesn't matter how you were introduced to its 8 bits of glory, because the game speaks for itself. Fantastic graphics, gameplay and sound make this, in my opinion, the greatest original NES title ever. And there must be some people who agree with me, since SMB3 is the biggest selling game of all-time not originally bundled with a console (18 million copies sold). The game featured the same storyline - Bowser kidnapped the princess, so go get him - and yet so much more. There were world maps to explore, mushroom houses and new power-ups, oh, the number of power-ups. My personal favorite was always the Tanooki suit, even though the Hammer Bros. suit kicked serious butt, too. Eight worlds, each packing more than the four standard levels each, awaited you on your quest. There were some world-specific items (remember Kuribo's Shoe?), and each world was completely different from any other. In a nutshell, this game is fantastic. And it set the stage for another epic 2D Mario game, Super Mario World, which helped launch the Super NES. Many of SMB3's innovations (power-ups, world maps) were transferred to Mario's 16-bit quest, a testament to how groundbreaking this game was.

Our Favorite Games: Lemmings

Platform: Commodore Amiga (PC) Released: 1991
Ah, Lemmings, those gullible, green-haired beings that jumped, dug and built their way into out homes in the early 1990s. Just about everyone has heard of Lemmings. The idea of the game was to get the required number of Lemmings (drones) to the door at the end of the stage. You helped make your way through the stage by jumping, digging, bashing or blowing your way through numerous terrains, everything from dirt to rock to concrete - just don't fall into the water or lava! You assign a Lemming a specific task, and he's (or she's - I'm not quite sure) supposed to do it, so as long as you timed your assignment right. The game had four difficulty levels, each with a set of included levels. On each level, there was set number of Lemmings you had to save in order to move on. Now I don't know exactly why, but even though the concept of this game was simple, it was still a lot of fun. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly suggest you do.

Our Favorite Games: Pitfall!

Platform: Atari 2600 Released: 1982

Anyone who came within a hundred miles of an Atari 2600 in the early 1980s has heard of Pitfall! It's Activision's adventure featuring Pitfall Harry and his journey through the jungle. You ran either left or right (your choice) dodging snakes, scorpions, rolling barrels and crocodiles as you tried to find all the hidden treasures before the 20-minute timer ran out. You could stay above ground to complete the game, or you could utilize the underground passageways that let you skip through multiple screens at once. Pitfall has sold around 4 million copies since its release, second on the 2600 only to the lackluster port of Pac-Man. This was just one of several great titles Activision developed for the 2600, such as River Raid and Commando, two other challenging but fun games. Pitfall's graphics, animation and sound were top-notch for the 2600, and the game remains a classic today.