What's that? Do I regret this nonsense about trying to tie each Milestone Awards into a video gaming related number however tenuous the link? Yes, very much, but look how far we've come! They've not all been bad, have they? They've gotten worse, I can say that for sure.
Anyway, here we are, once again, rounding up the latest games to feature on the 1001 list for this, The 951/1001 Milestone Awards, an excuse to make me feel like I've accomplished something, and to spur me to continue doing it for at least 50 more games.
Fighting to appear in the Top Ten and desperate to avoid the Indifferent Five in this batch are everything from Half-Minute Hero to Shatter. I don't think it was too difficult to dish out awards this time, but there may well be some that raise an eyebrow. Which ones? Better get started and find out.
The Indifferent Five is a list of video games. Nothing more, nothing less.
Fuel, Asobo Studio
geoDefense Swarm, Critical Thought Games
LostWinds2: Winter of the Melodias, Frontier Developments
MLB 09: The Show, San Diego Studio
One-Dot Enemies, Studio Kura
Well done, or not, games.
Now then. Eyebrow raising time. What Was That 1 Even Put On The List For? could have been asked of a fair few games in this batch. LostWinds 2, Assault on Dark Athena, Left 4 Dead 2, and so on, but these sequels were better than their original games, so I'd have preferred to put the first games on instead, but they're not in this batch.
"What about Pikmin 2?" I hear a tiny corner of my brain shout. I strongly disliked its inclusion in the list at the time but, perhaps having mellowed over the years, I would also want to go back and replace it with Pikmin itself.
I'm not too sure, but the gist of the argument is that if a sequel is so similar to the first game, why not pick it for the list instead of the original? Well, the answer is probably the historical significance of the first game and running out of ideas to hit that 1001 target. With another decade of video gaming to wade through, any 1001 list written today would, I'd hope, have a much easier time of shouting at you to avoid earlier titles in a series.
But we're not in that lovely sounding world, oh no. We're in 2010, where I've got to play far too many bloody Guitar Hero-like games.
What Was Guitar Hero: Metallica Even Put On The List For?
Give me a break! And not the musical break.
So, what game is infinitely better than Guitar Hero? That'll be the answer to the question You Forgot What?! and once again, little eyebrow-raising, perhaps.
We've got to acknowledge the position the editors of the first release of the 1001 list were in. It's 2010, or thereabouts, and Minecraft is publicly available but not in a finished form. It won't see an official release for a few years, and even then it's a Beta release. 12 years later it's still only v1.18, and the thought of it being 'finished' doesn't seem to apply.
Minecraft is its own thing, part game, part tool, but there had to be some rumblings, even in 2010, that it was going to be something special - or at least something you ought to check out, right? It's not like this 1001 list hasn't had its misses.
But it's not here and Guitar Hero is. Mistakes have been made and I am here is correct them. You're welcome.
Now that that's sorted out, we've got a Top Ten list to fill, and let me say once again that this one is going to be skewed. Recency bias. Favouritism. Nostalgia. It's got the lot. Objectivity makes a brief appearance. See if you can spot it.
10: Halo Wars, Ensemble Studios
It surprised me, and lite games that allow me to get stuck in without any hassle are more appealing as I age. Come at me, covenant. Are we fighting the covenant in this one? Halo lore isn't my thing.
9: Demon's Souls, FromSoftware
Am I ever going to get good at it? No. Do I admire its gameplay and the patience and skill of those that do get good at it? Very much. Would I love an easy mode? Are you kidding me? Of course I would.
8: Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, AlphaDream
I was scrolling through the latest batch of 50 and it stood out. Simple as that.
7: inFAMOUS, Sucker Punch Productions
Now look, I hear you, inFAMOUS isn't going to command the kind of attention that Demon's Souls gets, but while I was playing it way back when, I was having a blast, and I was having fun, and fun trumps frustration.
6: Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2, Infinity Ward
Similarly, you have a blast in CoD: MW2 as well. A shorter blast that blurs with all the other CoD blasts, but it's guaranteed entertainment.
5: Need for Speed: Shift, Slightly Mad Studios
Bias, definitely, and I'm not afraid to say it. I'm having fun, damnit.
4: Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City, Rockstar North
Oh, look, an eyebrow. If you want me to separate the two games, it's Ballad all the way, but these expansion offerings to the great city of Liberty are wonderful.
3: Forza Motorsport 3, Turn 10 Studios
I like going around and around in circles, what can I say? I needed a Gran Turismo fix and the 1001 list wasn't going to give me anything after GT3, so here we are.
2: Colin McRae: DiRT 2, Codemasters
Hook, line, and sinker. I've latched onto this entire series over the course of doing this 1001 list, and I've been all the more entertained because of it. How do you not smile driving sideways on a narrow dirt road, or flying through the front doors of a stadium?
What could possibly be better than all of those games? What could be number 1 in the Top Ten list? The greatest aesthetics in all of video gaming/my memory/my nostalgia, it is of course Killzone 2. How could it not be? That little squealing electronic blip when you kill someone in multiplayer brings delight to my ears.
How strong is that nostalgia, though? Will The Topper Than That 10 list be broken into? It's looked pretty solid for absolutely ages, hasn't it? Not long to go before the list finishes...
10: Portal, Valve
Clinging onto the last spot as though a portal linked to one on the surface of the moon has opened behind it.
9: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Naughty Dog
The sequels were better, but the sequels didn't kick this series off, did they? Nate came out with a bang, and that bang is mighty enjoyable.
8: Assassin's Creed II, Ubisoft Montréal
Unlike ACII here, which did bring a load more eyeballs to the AC series, introducing us to one of the greatest characters in Ezio. I'll get around to playing Valhalla when it's cheap enough, and I'll enjoy that too, but just not in the same way as this.
7: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
I was watching a let's play of this recently and was still learning new things about the game. How is that even possible? Don't we know everything about MGS3 by now?
6: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Rockstar North
Where are we with those GTAVI rumours? Are we going back to a parody of Miami? I wouldn't mind.
5: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar North
All of a sudden, the music for the bouncy car minigame has popped into my head. Couldn't tell you why.
4: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Nintendo EAD
Sums up this 1001 quest, really, this book being my link to video gaming past.
3: Front Mission 3, Square
If there are any board games like this, let me know. I want all the mechs.
2: Killzone 2, Guerrilla Games
You damn right it broke into the Topper 10. Did you know Edge gave this a 7/10, where everyone else was correct in giving it at least a 9? Madness. Edgy, you might say.
1: Metal Gear Solid, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan
Rumours and rumblings of remakes just aren't exciting me, partly because I'm not going to be able to get hold of the PS5 they'll inevitably be released on, and partly because MGS belongs in the past, where we can cherish it as it was. But for the love of all that is holy, someone please get in touch with Emerson Matsuuchi regarding the board game. We need it, and we need it to have the MGS license.
There you have it. The penultimate Milestone Awards. The final stop before the end of the line that is The 1001/1001 Milestone Awards. Don't know what'll change for that one. Nothing, I suspect. Change requires effort, and I've got something to finish first...
Fifty games. That's all that stands between me and finishing this thing. UFC 2009: Undisputed has got its nose all up in my face first. Can we knock that one down and out quickly?
Here we go...