Ethan has already begun his stupid countdown, so it’s time to begin mine.
Which, for the record, is even MORE stupid.
Regardless, we’re gonna do this. I’m a sucker for snow scenes, as I’ve mentioned previously. That being the case, I’m a sucker for snowy videogame locales. And because I own a website, I’m going to take the liberty of counting down my five favorite “snowscapes.” Be excited. Or better yet, be disgusted. As the title suggests, the first shout-out goes to the immortal Metroid Prime.
I haven’t talked much about Metroid Prime on Riddlethos, despite how much I adore the game. It is, quite simply, one of the most atmospherically masterful games ever created, and will probably remain so until the end of time. But given the nature of the list, I must restrain myself and skip to the point - The Phendrana Drifts. This picture should help with some of the explaining:
Pretty as the screen might be, it doesn’t do the Phendrana Drifts justice. Metroid Prime’s Phendrana Drifts is a cold, hostile place, composed of heavy snowdrifts and frozen lakes. The natural inhabitants are nasty enough, and that’s to say nothing of the “visitors” who have taken residence. Veterans of the original Metroid Prime will recall that Samus’s first contact with the Space Pirates – as well as the titular Metroids – is made here, in this snowy wasteland. Beautifully rendered on Nintendo’s GameCube, and dripping with atmosphere, the Phendrana Drifts is not a place to be forgotten.
For many people, Metroid Prime is a difficult game to get into – and that holds true for myself as well. When I first stuck the disc into my GameCube at the tender age of… er… 12 or so, I gave up less than three hours in. The punishing difficulty, slow pace, and unremitting bleakness was enough to turn me off.
A year or so later, I gave the game a second try. I picked up where my last save was, and soon found myself in the snowy plains of Phendrana. And I didn’t touch another game until I had beaten the final boss.
Winter is a nostalgic time of year by nature, and I hope to reflect this in my silly countdown. Be here tomorrow for more. And if you haven’t played Metroid Prime, then for the love of Christ, give it a go.
Tags: Metroid Prime, Winterscapes
Haha, I expect both uncharted 2 and FFX to make the list.
south park N64
Man, Riddles, way to make me feel old. I know I played MP a few years after it came out (can’t remember the exact time frame), but I finished it after my freshmen year in college. Thanks a lot, loser :D.
The game really was a testament to what good art can do for a game, though. Even though it was running on last-gen hardware, I’d take an upscaled version of those graphics over a lot of the crap that’s been put out this gen graphically.
@SN: Gagazet was a great environment, but I’m not really sure if it’s top-5-list worthy, especially since you weren’t there for that long if memory serves. Wouldn’t object to seeing it on the list, though.
@Abe: Why do I have such a fond memory of that game? I played it for something like 1 weekend with my friend in gradeschool, but I remember having an absolute blast with it!
Plus, I just put FFX on MY list, that’s enough of that game. But we’ll see what Riddles pulls out of his ass.
@Darth – Abe LOVES that game. It’s all he talks about at work.
… Ok what about FFVII’s glacier maze bit?
@SN: Yeah, I’d think the area between the City of the Ancients and the actual Northern Crater itself (which, despite being further north and at a higher elevation is, inexplicably, snow-free), I think you’ve got a pretty meats chunk of the game, since it could include stuff like snowboarding minigame and such.
@Ethos: Like I said, I remember that game being awesome, just can’t particularly remember why.
Also, if there’s a game that both you and Riddles want on your lists, I recommend a live-streamed no-holds-barred cage match to determine who gets to use it.