03/02/2021

The 851/1001 Milestone Awards

It's an Auburn 851 Speedster, says IGCD.net


It's one of my favourite parts of this blog, blathering on about video games for no real reason other than that I can, and you can't do a damn thing to stop me, insert maniacal laughter here, insert comedically timed loss of Internet connection here.

Rough times are almost inevitable, and mine aren't really that rough, considering. Staying indoors playing video games isn't exactly rough now, is it, and we're meant to be playing the very best, according to the fine folks of some point in 2010 or so - it's not like this is an absolute slog.

On the contrary, it's been a delight, for the most part, to check out some of these titles, be it for the first time in a long time or the first time at all. Some haven't received the warmest of reactions from me, but some have caught me by surprise and introduced me to new things.

Having just finished the latest batch of 50 games, fittingly ending with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, I get to look back and reflect on what I've seen and done these past few months in the world of video games for The 851/1001 Milestone Awards. This particular list goes all the way back to Wipeout Pulse, which isn't very far, but a lot can happen in between it and MGS4 on a list like this. Enough to churn out an awards post like this, in any case.

The end of the 1001 list is coming up to the horizon now. 150 games seems like a lot, but many I'll surely have played and many more are of an age where most video games knew how to control themselves properly. It should be plain sailing, and then I'll have to see what to do afterwards. I'm already forming some ideas, but who knows what will come in the future?

All we know for certain is what has come before, so to cut this dillydallying short, let's begin.



To kick things off as ever are The Indifferent 5, games that are there to fill a hole that may or may not need filling. They're usually small and replaceable, but almost always games.

Audiosurf, Dylan Fitterer
Bejeweled Twist, PopCap Games
Buzz! Quiz TV, Relentless Software
N+, Slick Entertainment, SilverBirch Studios, Metanet Software

Congratulations on being recognised for a second time, though this will likely be the last.



My favourite thing to do is moan, if you ask the right people, and moaning is what the next award is all about. What Was That 1 Even Put On The List For? was a tough question to answer this time out, believe it or not. You'd think Banjo would be a shoe-in from this batch of contenders, but my choice actually goes elsewhere. The death of Flash was not fast enough in my opinion.

What Was Fantastic Contraption Even Put On This List For?

If I want a video game to mock my lack of understanding with regards to physics and engineering, I'd at least prefer it to not be disguised as homework.



What takes its place? What game must be play instead of physics homework? There were probably quite a few choices that could have been made, including LEGO Indiana Jones, as you can see in the image up top. It's not the greatest LEGO game, nor is it the most revolutionary, but it showed us that the formula could be applied to any film license under the sun and still work. When you want to put seemingly every iteration of Mario Kart on the 1001 list, what's the problem with another LEGO game that's slightly different from Star Wars?

But I didn't go with Indy. Instead, after double checking the list both in print and on screen, I came to a staggering oversight that answers the question You Forgot What?!




Is Mirror's Edge seriously not on this 1001 list? First person parkour set in an incredibly artistic future city? Yes, it was a little cumbersome, but have you seen the speed runs, both glitched and glitchless? Clearly not. It has to be a better depiction of parkour than Free Running, surely...



Shouldn't dwell, though, should we? We know Mirror's Edge is worth a play even if an old book ignores it, just like we know the games that make up The Top Ten are worth a play too. Quite a few heavy hitters in this list, and even if they've got their flaws, they remain great games in my eyes.


10: Carcassonne, Sierra Online Seattle
Mostly included in the top 10 because of P2 and the board game, but as digital adaptations go, this is a good one. Since bettered, but still a thoroughly enjoyable game.

I could have given the PlayStation Portable some props for either LocoRoco 2 or Patapon, but let's face it, I'm going to get more enjoyment from button mashing sharp steel through hundreds of enemies in Ancient Greece, aren't I?

Not perfect, but ambitious and alternative in the right ways. Is there a sequel incoming, or are Battlefield games just going to borrow the mechanics some more?

7: Far Cry 2, Ubisoft Montreal
You're going to see a theme with these titles, "Not perfect, but". This first-person survival in the blistering heat of Africa isn't perfect, but I must have enjoyed it to play so much of it.

6: Fallout 3, Bethesda Game Studios
Flawed, yes, in many ways, but when I was putting up with those flaws I was enjoying my time in the wasteland, and there was a lot of time spent there, soaking up all that radiation.

5: Dead Space, EA Redwood Shores
A surprise for me to like a survival horror, but this one kept me hooked more than I thought it might, and is one I look forward to returning to. Its sequels probably not...

4: Critter Crunch, Capybara Games
It's already been so long since I've played this incredible looking gobble 'em up, I want to see what more it has to offer that I've not been introduced to yet.

3: Wipeout Pulse, Studio Liverpool
I actually forgot this was a PSP game too, it ran so well and looked so good. Sorry everyone.

It is an absolute mess of a game. A mistake. It shouldn't have been made. But damn, look at the lengths they went to to get it done, for better or worse. You can't deny it's a hell of a talking point at least.

But there's no way I could give MGS4 the number 1 spot. That's silly, even for an MGS fan. No, there can only be one winner of this top ten, and you know that it's going to be Grand Theft Auto IV. Again, following the theme, it's not perfect and isn't at the top of its series, but I just enjoy being in that world for hour after hour.



Can it, and any of the other 'not perfect, but' games get onto The Topper Than That Top Ten list? It's a tough nut to crack, this one. The top end has been rock steady for a long time, but Rockstar aren't strangers to it. What's changed at the top?


10: Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar North
This has changed, and it's changed at the bottom. I like it, a lot, but I like other games more. It's as simple as that.

9: Company of Heroes, Relic Entertainment
Like this one. I have since started playing some of the DLC for this, and need to find time to carry on doing so, whether it is repetitive or not.

8: Portal, Valve
Still a little short, but it has staying power. How much, though?

I think the first photos of the Uncharted film have come out since this found itself onto the Topper Ten. That'll be something to look out for in the normal times...

6: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
The game we shouldn't have got but are very glad we did. Unlike it's sequel, I guess.

5: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Rockstar North
I am going to have to have a GTA marathon or something soon, aren't I?

4: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar North
I mean, how else am I going to enjoy these games again? My fuzzy memories?

What's Link done recently, in terms of the 1001 list, I mean? Feels like he's missing in action. Not that anything would come close to this, though.

2: Front Mission 3, Square
You know, I haven't actually looking into any other Front Mission title on the back of my amazement regarding FM3. Does that need to change?

1: Metal Gear Solid, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Ah, the memories. War has changed, huh?



It's going to take something very special to break through into that list. I'm not even sure what could. There are still 150 challengers hoping to do so, but to be honest with you, I can't think what is yet to come on this list. There are so many titles from 2008, 2009 and a little bit of 2010 to go through. It must have been the golden age of video gaming - or merely recency bias on the part of the editors and selection committee.

Was there even a selection committee for this 1001 list? They forgot Crash Bandicoot, for goodness sake...

Anyway, let's look ahead to all the greats we're still to look back to. Up next is Midnight Club: Los Angeles, a racer I never played because I preferred my racing to take place legally, on closed circuits with safety standards. I guess I limited my fun considerably with that, didn't I?

Stay indoors, especially in this winter weather, doubly especially with these virus variants, and game the Hell on.
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