Nerdy Stuff

New on YouTube

We’ve been doing a lot on YouTube lately. Or, rather, Hungry has been putting a ton of work into it! We’ve done some together, but at the moment, it’s mostly Hungry rocking the camera. Did you even know we had a YouTube channel?! The topics range from swimming tips to food to fitness talks and more! Take a look at some below:

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The #4 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We are now at our #4 Greatest Video Game of All Time. Two people have the same game today! We are getting down to the nitty gritty. If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9#8, #7#6, and #5

Kai – Mass Effect 2  As I’ve said before in these posts, I love science fiction, especially grand space opera.  No game has made me felt more like I was living in a space opera than Mass Effect 2.  It’s an action RPG with an epic story, detailed worlds/locations, and interesting characters.  The settings and writing alone make it worth playing as an interactive novel, but the combat and characters make it even more fun without getting in the way of the story.

I felt Mass Effect 2 stood out specifically for its darker story and improved combat (although I really enjoyed all three games).  If you’re looking to spend a month or two living on a starship and saving the galaxy with a crew of friends, I can’t recommend anything other than the Mass Effect series.
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The #5 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Today, we arrive at a biggie. #5 of the Greatest Video Game of All Time! We’ve traveled many months to get to the Top 5 and we have finally arrived! Will there be any similarities? Will they all be different? What game company is going to be the most loved? You’ll just have to read on! If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9#8, #7 and #6

#5 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai – Civilization II – One of the first games I really got into, Civilization II is an epic game spanning all of human history.  I haven’t played every iteration of the series, but I played 2, 4, and 5 heavily.  I love them all, but have the fondest memories of Civilization II.  

Civilization II was similar to SimCity 2000 in its massive impact on the computer gaming world.  I distinctly remember during 4th grade YMCA summer camp reading the strategy guide and making an ordered list of all 90 technologies.  My cousin and I would play it every summer (along with the related game Colonization), conquering continent after continent.
 
It played like an epic game of Risk, starting in 4000 BC and ending with humans headed to Alpha Centauri (or total nuclear war).  You built cities, controlled armies, researched technology, and constructed wonders, all to prove that your civilization was the greatest.  I’d recommend any of the versions of Civilization if you haven’t tried any, but if you’re looking to jump into world conquest right away, Civilization 5 is probably your best bet.  Just don’t blame me when you can’t stop playing one more turn.
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The #6 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Here we go–with each entry more epic than the next! We come to the #6 Greatest Video Game of All Time! If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25,#24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9#8, and #7

Kai – World of Warcraft – World of Warcraft was the first massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) I ever played.  Fit had been playing it for a little while and encouraged me to join.  I created a Gnome mage named Norqueatus and started exploring the frozen tundra of Dun Murogh.

World of Warcraft is the most approachable MMORPG I’ve played, due to its rock solid engine/controls and the slow growth of your character’s powers.  Initially you’re sent on very simple quests with only a single spell, but by the end you’re fighting dragons with dozens of spells and twenty-four other players.  It has a very balanced learning curve.
The art and lore are also top quality, provided a cartoonish world with every imaginable type of scenery.  Quest storylines are complex and your character can really change the way the world looks and acts.
 
I don’t play much anymore (other than purchasing and leveling up with every latest expansion), but that’s mostly due to feeling like there’s nothing new for me to try (not to mention the amount of time that is required at high levels of play).  If you’re looking to live in another world for a few months, no other game has the combination of an easy learning curve and massive scope.
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The #7 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Number 7. Hungry and Fit’s favorite number! This is a big one for the Greatest Video Game of All Time countdown.  If you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25, #24,#23,#22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, #9, and #8

#7 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – One of my favorite RPGs ever, KOTOR and KOTOR II are two of the finest Star Wars games.  They capture the core of Star Wars, making you feel like you’re really living in the space opera’s universe.

It’s a fairly linear RPG, with most of the exposition happening in dialogue and resolved in combat (with force powers, sabers, and blasters).  There’s also card games, pod races, and space travel.  You pick up all kinds of interesting allies along the way who serve as the party members on your adventures.
 
Perhaps the most innovative component to KOTOR is the dark side/light side aspect.  As you play, the choices you make affect your character’s force attunement, changing how people treat you and the types of force powers you can use.  I never managed to be much of a Sith, but there are real moral choices to be made.
 
If you’re looking to live in the Star Wars universe for a week, I can’t recommend anything other than KOTOR and KOTOR II.  Their graphics may not be quite up to par, but the story and characters are well-written and well-acted, so it still really holds up today.
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The #8 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We continue our way down the top 25 video games of all time! Our choices are weighed quite heavily now as these games that have been in our hearts for many years must be decided upon. You have now seen the same game pop up for multiple people. I can’t wait until the end when we list them all out for everyone and see what stacks where. We could even weigh the games with the most and highest picks! And if you missed the others on our countdown, please check them out: #25, #24,#23, #22,#21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11#10, and #9.

Kai – Rise of Nations My favorite RTS (real-time strategy) game ever, Rise of Nations is a historical RTS spanning all of human history.  You pick a civilization and start with a small settlement in the Ancient Age, build farms and buildings, conduct diplomacy and trade, raise armies and research technologies, and eventually end up in modern times with stealth bombers and nukes.  

Rise of Nations combines a great theme with really solid mechanics, getting rid of a lot of the tedious elements of earlier historical RTS games.  In addition to fun multiplayer, the Thrones & Patriots added some fun historical campaigns, allowing you to play as either side of the Cold War or Alexander the Great.
 
My best memory of Rise of Nations is my friend Jason and I stay up all night playing game after game (each one lasting 45 to 90 minutes).  We put in dozens of hours in both multiplayer skirmishes (usually allied against the AI) and single player campaigns.
 
 I haven’t played it in years, but I can’t imagine it’s any less fun now than it was then.  There’s a new “Extended Edition” on Steam, so there’s no excuse not to pick it up and give it a try if you’re looking to spend an afternoon taking over the world.
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#9 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Striving into the top 10–we arrive at #9! If you have no clue what this post is about, please read here. And if you missed the other on our countdown, please check them out: #25, #24,#23, #22, #21,#20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12#11, and #10. This list was created by the video game brain trust–please enjoy!  

#9 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai – Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight Coming out in 1997, Jedi Knight was a revolutionary shooter that took the Dark Forces world and applied the lessons that Quake had brought to the FPS scene.  It created a real world within the Star Wars universe with evil Sith, hapless stormtroopers, and lots of drama.  Mysteries of the Sith (an expansion) came along and really filled in the detail, with extraordinary level design.

Even better than that, it had great multiplayer (played on the Internet Gaming Zone, Microsoft’s foray into online gaming).  Only 4 players could play at a time and there were lots of hackers, but it was my formative online gaming experience, and was really a lot of fun.
 
The game has not aged well and there are few benefits of playing it today (other than seeing the laughable live action cutscenes).  If you want to play similar game today, I’d recommend the sequel Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast.
 
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#10 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We’ve finally cracked the Top 10 of our 25 Greatest Video Games of All Time list! How exciting! This list comprises all of our favorite games from 5 different people with different backgrounds. If you are unfamiliar with this list, then check the following out:  #25, #24,#23, #22, #21, #20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13#12, and #11. Let the top ten start…now!

Kai – The Secret of Monkey Island: Monkey Island Monkey Island is hilarious.  Ron Gilbert and Tim Schafer created a world that is a parody of every pirate movie ever made.  As the best game released during the “golden age” of (now defunkt) LucasArts’ point and click adventures, Monkey Island is a perfect representation of the fun, laid back attitude of those SCUMM-based games.  

In terms of gameplay, you have a set of adjectives you can apply to the environment and anything you pick up along the way.  It’s a puzzle/exploration game that forces you to try and think logically about the world and come up with interesting solutions.  
 
It has a great theme as well, with wonderful writing and expressive 2D pixel art.  Maybe it’s because of when I played it (I was 9 or 10), but the game is iconic in a way that few games have replicated.  So many distinct images and moments stick with me from it.  Each character made an impression, despite being a collection of pixels and a few written sentences.  
 
If you’re looking to spend a week in a hilarious pirate adventure I can’t recommend Monkey Island highly enough.
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#11 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We apologize for the huge lack of posts this last week, but we are ramped up and ready to go now! In comes #11 of the Greatest Video Game of All Time! If you are unfamiliar with this list, then check the following out:  #25, #24,#23, #22, #21, #20#19#18#17#16#15, #14#13, and #12. Enjoy #11! 

Kai – SimCity Series – For those few of you who haven’t heard of it, SimCity is the city-building game by Maxis that started the entire “Sim” franchise.  I played the original in elementary school (patiently waiting my turn as my school only had a couple Macs).  It was simple but straightforward. As mayor, you zoned the city and managed police, fire, education, and tax revenue.

The next game of the series was the amazing SimCity 2000, which switched the perspective from top-down 2D to isometric and really expanded the depth of the game.  It added city advisors, alien attacks, scenarios, and new city services.  

Several iterations followed, culminating with SimCity 4 (released in 2003).  EA and Maxis followed that with SimCity (2013) which basically killed the franchise due to bugs and a very small city size.  Since then Cities: Skylines has admirably taken up the mantle and made a city-building game worth playing.

I can’t recommend any of the previous games over Cities: Skylines, but they’ve provided awesome memories and created an entire genre of nonviolent, creative games.

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#12 Greatest Video Game of All Time

I know we are one day late, but hey, we are still in the same week! Three weeks in a row–yes!! This countdown is on a roll and dangerously close to the top 10. As a refresher, this is the video game brain trust’s list of the top 25 greatest video games of all time and we are now down to #12! These are the ones you’ve missed so  far: #25, #24,#23, #22, #21, #20#19#18#17#16#15, #14, and #13

Kai – Master of Orion II In my opinion, Masters of Orion II is the best space-based 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) ever made.  I love science fiction and this game really makes you feel like you’re running an alien empire, but doesn’t overwhelm you with options.  There’s lore, multiple victory conditions, colonization, building, and space battles.  You design your ships, decide which technologies to research, and can even create your own alien species.

It’s a turn-based game like Civilization and definitely shares that “one more turn” compulsion.  It still holds up today as nothing in the genre has really come close (the sequel was probably the most disappointing game of all time for me).  If you’re looking to conquer the galaxy in an afternoon, I can’t recommend anything other than Masters of Orion II.
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