The #2 Greatest Video Game of All Time

We are down to the SECOND greatest video game of all time! I can’t believe we only have two games to review left! There are some really spectacular games in this list and each of you should consider playing all of them if you haven’t already! It’s funny that all the top games are RPGs, but hey, we’re kind of awesome so it’s to be expected. 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, #5, #4, and #3. Enough talking…check these awesome games out!

#2 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Kai- Half-Life series – Half-Life changed everything. It took the Quake engine and created an entire universe out of it. No longer were you moving level to level, killing everything in sight. Instead the entire experience is a seamless journey through the life of a scientist in a top-secret lab the day everything goes wrong. In fact, the first 30 minutes of Half-Life involve no violence whatsoever. It was the first FPS to succeed at immersing you fully in an alternate reality.

Not only that, but Half-Life also was extremely friendly to the modding community, producing the world-famous mod Counterstrike, as well as Day of Defeat and many others. Its lifetime was extended many times over by such mods, as well as several expansion packs exploring the story from other’s perspectives.

When Half-Life 2 was released it again revolutionized FPSs. It continued the trend of a seamless artificial world (this time a futuristic and alien Earth). It also had an amazing physics engine and multiple mini-sequels (“episodes”) which extended the story. I have no hope for a Half-Life 3, but the originals still stand up due to the quality writing, gameplay, and professional voice acting.

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May122015

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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Mar172015

#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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Mar022015

#14 Greatest Video Game of All Time

Yet, again, there has been a big gap between this series! We apologize, as sometimes it takes a bit to get everyone’s entries in. If you are new to this countdown, it’s just a top 25 list of our most favorite video games! These are the ones you’ve missed so far: #25, #24,#23, #22, #21, #20 #19, #18, #17, #16, and #15. Let’s dive into #14!

Kai – X-COM – I’ve played three versions of X-COM: The original, X-COM UFO Defense, the third version X-COM Apocalypse, and the latest offering from Firaxis XCOM: Enemy Unknown/Within. The original was revolutionary in scope, with everything from morale to technology research, and still holds up very well today.

X-Com is half real-time strategic base management and half turn-based top-down tactical squad management. The basic story is that aliens are real and are terrorizing human cities. You’re put in charge of defending earth from this alien threat.

During the base management phase, you train/recruit soldiers, build weapons/vehicles, dispatch people on missions, and research alien artifacts to get new technology. When a mission happens, it switches to the tactical mode, where you explore alien wrecks, kill/capture alien soldiers, and rescue civilians.

The games are difficult but addictive, enticing you to complete just one more mission with your squad of veteran troops. You care deeply about your veteran soldiers as you’ve played with them for multiple hours and it’s very painful to lose one (or a whole shipful). The theme is well-integrated and the gameplay is very tight, where every action you take is meaningful and possibly dangerous. If you’re looking to blow an afternoon tracking down aliens and defending earth, I highly recommend picking up something from the X-COM series.

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May012014

Video Game Brain Trust

Before we start the countdown of our 25 favorite video games of all time you should be introduced to the individuals that will be participating! This group will be know as our Video Game Brain Trust and will in time provide our readers with more countdowns and other content pertaining to video games (and other nerdy stuff!). On the surface there may not appear to be a great amount of diversity in the members, but everyone is very opinionated and the lists will reflect just how different we are. So, in no particular order, here is a introduction to the Hungry & Fit Video Game Brain Trust.

Kai Powell – The oldest in the group, Kai favors playing games on his computers that he builds himself. While he currently does not own or play any consoles regularly, Kai has plenty of experience with them, especially GameCube. He also has experience in the video game industry, having worked on the Transformers game for the first live-action movie release and X-Men Legends. (We all want to thank him for the latter.) Kai has extensive experience on the PC having played many MMORPGs in depth, including WoW, ToR and ESO. His list might reflect his love for the computer but it will certainly show his decades of high level gaming. It will also reflect his great level of intelligence, patience and composure. Expect to see some games with high levels of thought process on his list.

Scott Polhemus – “Po is not one to deny his Nintendo fanboy ways. He suckled on the mustached teet of Mario, due in large part to his older brother’s playing of Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo in the early 90’s. But, that was only the beginning. Over the years, he’s played (and owned) Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo’s entire handheld family (except for the 3DS), Nintendo 64, Playstation, Dreamcast, Playstation 2, Gamecube, Xbox, Wii, Xbox 360, and PS3. Po spent a semester abroad in Tokyo and managed to play a great deal of arcade and Japanese games as well. He admits his tastes are big on RPG and action/adventure…so, basically he’s big on story and plot. He’s limited his list to Console gaming. And frankly, these aren’t the 25 best games of all-time, but they’re the 25 games that expanded his mind and made his heart roar…so, naturally, they’re very dear to him.” (This bio was provided directly by Po.)

Andrew Tucci – Andrew boasts both an extensive collection of games and an insane amount of hours played. When Andrew beats a game, he beats it multiple times, on every difficulty rating, until he unlocks every achievement possible. He has spent time on virtually every console since the release of the NES but he also has a great deal of experience in both the arcade and on the PC. His current collection of systems include Wii, Xbox 360, Xbox, PC/Mac, N64, Gamecube and more. If there is a lack of anything, it’s clearly Sony, but he most likely has more hours logged on Microsoft consoles then every other member of the brain trust combined. He is extremely opinionated and has no problem disagreeing with Metacritic and other experts. If he thinks a classic is garbage, he will let you know. If he thinks a piece of trash is pure gold, you will hear about it. His decades of experience, ability to replay games until the discs no longer work, and his strong views make Andrew a wild card in this group. I have an idea what to expect from him but he can be highly unpredictable.

Alana Powell – Like her older brother, Alana is an avid PC gamer, being so bold as to claim the superiority of the PC over consoles. While she has been exposed to more consoles lately, the frustrations of the different controllers brings her heart back to the mouse and keyboard of a PC. Alana favors games that give the player control over their character and world, so expect to see some BioWare games on her list. She also has been playing Elder Scrolls games for as long as she can remember, so those may also make an appearance. Nevertheless, Alana has been playing for years so her list will reflect PC games that are both new and old. She does not think a game needs to have been out for decades to be consider great, so newer and less known games might slip onto her list. It will be interesting to see if any console games even crack her top 25!

Chris Tucci – Soundtracks. Epic stories. Character development. All aspects that heavily influence how Chris feels about a game. Like Po, Chris favors JRPGs and action-adventure games, however, he has weaker feelings for Nintendo and that will dictate the major differences in those two lists. Chris admits his favorite systems of all time are NES and PS2 but after having owned nearly every console until the release of the newest generation, it is hard to predict what his list will exactly include. There will most likely be a mix of every console, Nintendo handhelds, 1990s arcade games, and PC games around the Millenium. Don’t be surprised to find a lot of games from a few key companies and one game that highlights an entire franchise.

Well, there you have it. A short introduction about what to expect. I am sure the members of the brain trust are most interested to find out what their fellow members release throughout the countdown. You can start to see what lists will be the most similar, but will anyone pick the same games the same week? The suspense continues to build and next week you will find out what games crack the top 25 countdown! And as always…stay hungry and fit!