PixlBit

No one likes studying, but if you're reading this, chances are you do like playing video games. Here's a few Chessa's dying to play.

As many individuals may well remember, college is a curious time full of unnecessary homework assignments, pointless class time, and sadistic professors who intentionally schedule exams back-to-back on the same day. As one of the 120,943,454,985,713,481 students smashing their heads against the table in order to maintain a perfect GPA for the nursing program, I often find myself longing for something other than the inside of my textbooks.

Sure, I now know every muscle and bone in the body, as well as how the muscles contract and why Floridians become such crybabies when it hits a bone chilling 66 degrees. Yet I can't shake the feeling that I could be spending my time more appropriately, say…playing some video games perhaps?!?

So, while I'm still stuck in my last two weeks of school, I would like to share with all of you my daydreams spent with games that I really, REALLY want to play, but have to ignore in favor of dissecting a sheep's brain instead.

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2)

A MegaTen game on MY list? Oh, there's a big surprise.

As the third true title in the main Shin Megami Tensei line, Nocturne is the only title from that mainline series that has made it overseas. Sure, at any point I could download a ROM of the originals, but somehow I think information might get lost in translation since I'm not exactly an expert in Kanji.

The title implements many of the same concepts seen in other MegaTen titles, including demon negotiation, and rewards for exploiting an enemy's weakness, known as Press Turns in Nocturne. As someone who has played many of the titles in this series, I'm incredibly interested to check out the differences between Nocturne, and the other MegaTen branch-off series, such as Persona and Devil Summoner.

Folklore (PS3)

Over one year ago, I put many hours into Folklore, and the experience was simply amazing. The graphics were mind-blowingly good and the gameplay was no less impressive. Set against a twisted tale, players took the roles of two different characters, allowing players to experience the game through two very different points of view.

Hours within the game, however, it seemed as though the gameplay had come to a stand-still, and I worried that the rest of the game would remain exactly the same: use captured souls to defeat enemies in different worlds.

One week later, Okami fell into my hands, and I have yet to pick up Folklore since. After everything that I have read about Folklore, it appears as though the game becomes much deeper and twisted, steering away from the monotonous nature of the very beginning.

Fatal Frame 3 (PS2)

Ever since my first play experience with the original Fatal Frame, the series has become my favorite out of all the other survival horror series. While Resident Evil focused on company conspiracies, and Silent Hill focused on…something, Fatal Frame brought in a whole new type of unease and creepiness. The bloody and horrendous rituals used for plot in the game, along with the manner in which the game slowly unveils the terrible deeds, kept me hooked in each title from beginning to end.

Plus, I enjoy a good scare, and while I have become immune to the cheap frights of other survival horror titles, I never manage to find a pattern to the manner in which Fatal Frame will make me scream. Random ghost children popping out of nowhere, and the nightmare-inducing faces ghosts make, just in time for players to capture the Fatal Frame with the Camera Obscura, are all the little aspects that make the series so creepy yet endearing to me.

Fatal Frame 3, however, is the only title left (other than 4) that I have not had the pleasure of fully experiencing. I made it through the very beginning, and stopped merely two hours in, making me wonder what twisted tale I'm in for in this installment.

The Adventures of Lolo (All three on NES)

By far one of my favorite video games on the NES was The Adventure of Lolo. The game was one of a three-part series based around a little blue dude (Lolo), trying to save his little pink chick (Lala). These games were split into individual areas, where players had to solve a room’s puzzle in order to escape to the next. Lolo had several tools at his disposal, including power shots, ladders, and hammers, all the while having to avoid enemies that moved, spit fire, threw knives, and blocked him into a corner.

I spent hours with my father figuring out every level in the game, and it seemed as though each time we'd finish one, a new one would come out…much to his dismay.

Going back to these games today is a challenge for any puzzle lover, and an incredibly varied experience. The first one, while hard, is no match for its successors. One day in the near future, I will have time, and my brain back, to once again conquer these three amazing titles.

Kururin Squash (Gamecube)

This colorful little game was one of the first import titles I ever owned for the GameCube, and it was pretty much love at first sight.

Navigating through winding levels as a duck-like character inside of a helicopter may not seem like much, but it truly is a great experience that everyone should try. As I became familiar with the levels, it was easy to zoom through them at an incredible pace, collecting every coin in my path without ever losing life. It was incredibly satisfying to say the least.

It's been a good three or four years since I've played the title and I’d say it’s about time to revisit it. Sometimes a gamer needs some simple fun to round out their playtime. The only sad part about picking this title up once again is that I'm almost surely guaranteed to suck at it.

As an ending note, I was curious to know what games all of you have been wanting to play, but just haven't found the time to do so.