My Top 10 Video Games of All Time: #9.

At the end of my third article discussing why gaming is leaving me behind, I promised to make a list of my top 10 games to show that I am not bitter toward gaming itself. I full-heartedly believe video games can be an art form regardless of what critics say and my list contains a number of gaming’s greatest masterpieces. A thing to remember about this list is that it is a record of my personal favorites and not a list of the objectively greatest games of all time. If you disagree then that’s fine with me, we all have different tastes.  So, I invite you to sit back, relax, put on your Power Glove and Mind Link (little known Atari reference for the uninitiated), and get ready for a discussion of some of my favorite video games of all time…

Just for your information, all of these articles may contain spoilers…

9. Super Smash Bros. Brawl

In Geek circles, there is always that ridicule for picking anything new as a favorite; but, in this case, Brawl is most assuredly the best out of the trilogy. The first Super Smash Bros. was an amazing and ground breaking game on the Nintendo 64 and brought many a gamer’s dreams to life by pitting everybody’s favorite Nintendo characters against each other in a fighting game. No longer were arguments about who would win in a fight between Link and Mario fought with words and dissipated by the changing of the subject, now these characters were placed in a virtual arena to determine the winner. Every gamer I knew played this game until their thumbs ached and then they played it some more.

Then, along came Melee which was an improvement on the original in every way. More characters, arenas, mini-games, and challenges were added to fuel gaming addiction everywhere. It really was a perfect game; however, it was not perfect enough and this idea was perpetuated by the release of Brawl on the Nintendo Wii. This game did what the other games were incapable of doing: allowing for the battle between Mario and Sonic.

Modern day gamers who grew up in the era of Playstation and Xbox do not understand the epic nature of such a battle. Sonic and Mario were, for the longest time, bitter enemies on two competing consoles never able to meet. The seven year old in me went berserk with the prospect. In addition to fulfilling one of my gaming desires, Brawl really is a great game with a lot of replay value. The traditional gameplay and modes are there in addition to the extremely entertaining Subspace Emissary. Super Smash Bros. Brawl might be one of the newest games on the list but it definitely deserves be counted among the best.     

Check out #10    

A Review of "God's Not Dead"

This last week I saw a movie that I had not heard much about prior. The movie was God’s Not Dead and it was definitely a pleasant surprise. It turned out to be a film that was right up my anti-atheist ally and it was a shame that I couldn’t have written a couple posts about it leading up to the premiere. The first thing I noticed was the quality of the production. Long gone are the days of the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) style productions of The Time Changer and The Omega Code (however, both movies I thoroughly enjoyed) in favor of the movie theater quality we see from Sherwood Pictures and the company in question: Pure Flix Entertainment.

Something else I took away from the movie is the caliber of acting exhibited by most of the main characters. Kevin Sorbo acts against type here as the antagonistic atheist professor, Professor Radisson, and you can tell he enjoys it thoroughly. He really nails the pomposity, condescension, and vitriol these types of men are known for. Any Christian college student can tell you about that one professor who was just like Kevin Sorbo in the movie. Shane Harper does a good job as Josh Wheaton, the somewhat green college freshman who decides to challenge Radisson on the existence of God. Even though the debate is technically the main plot, many subplots are generated throughout the story with the reverend of the local church played by David A.R. White serving as the common thread. He even has his own subplot involving the inability of his car to start.

I was getting ready to play the “six degrees of Reverend Dave,” wondering how all these subplots would eventually be resolved and all of them were with satisfying conclusions to each. However, the main event was the debate and I thought the arguments from the Christian perspective were mostly sound and should give anyone who might consider following in the protagonist’s footsteps a good spring board by which to explore and research more. Though the end of the debate was purely a feel good moment and not one that would be seen in reality, it’s good to see God lifted high and His Word given respect on the big screen.

I recommend this movie to any Christian and anyone who has faced these types of militant atheists (I have seen plenty myself). They really captured the professor’s reasoning for his beliefs well as I have heard that ex-Christian speech many times in my debates and discussions. While my understanding about God and His Will might differ slightly from some of the messages portrayed, I want this movie to do well because it deserves all of the Christian support it can muster.

P.S. There was a Dean Cain sighting in this movie and he portrays a real jerk.