1. General ChaosType: Action, Strategy
Platform(s): Genesis
Championing in at the number one spot is the little known but monolithic General Chaos. There really are no words that could adequately describe my love for this game, but I will make my best attempt. First off, let me just say that categorically there are no comparisons to General Chaos. It literally was in a class all its own. Featuring a unique blend of action and strategic elements, the cart was so perfectly crafted that you couldn't understand why no one had thought of this before. It felt like it was a crime that you had been denied such a pleasure until that moment. Like its name implies, General Chaos was overflowing with entropic spirit. As General Chaos, or conversely General Havoc, you were set upon the not so easily
accomplished task of overtaking your opponent's land and subsequently holding him prisoner for his insolence. The game unfolded with a small map that gave you the choice of several areas to attack. After one skirmish was won you moved on to the next region and so on until you invaded your enemy's capital. Battles were fought in a deceivingly simple manner. Before a duel you were given the opportunity to select your troops. In all, you had a total of 5 different classes of soldier and it was quick to find your favorite among them. There was the Flamethrower, MachineGunner, Grenadier, Dynamiter, and my personal favorite the BazookaMan. The character design for the game clearly lifted a page from the SNK portfolio and was incredibly reminiscent of the plush Metal Slug line. As such, you got highly unique looking sets and actors that when put together was both appealing to the eye and decidedly hilarious in execution. As for the actual gameplay, it was both incredibly simple on the surface but once one dug deeper it boasted unnoticed depth. Terrain and obstacles had great effect on the outcome of a battle as units behav
ed according to set laws. Bazookas and gunnery couldn't go through hard obstacles but one could throw a grenade or satchel of dynamite into the nest. Similarly if a man with a flamethrower went into the water it would be rendered useless for a short period of time. Additionally the characters could get into close quarters combat that was as capricious as the rest of the game and even if you thought you had won, your opponent could whip out a sidearm and blow you away if lucky. The use of medics added another layer to the already wild hysteria on the screen as your characters scrambled to help each other out. Though the game truly came into its own when played multiplayer. Being one of the few games at the time capable of having 4 people playing at once, General Chaos truly lived up to its name with this bonus. If there was ever a game deserving of a rerelease it would be this one. Never has another name come along bearing even the slightest resemblance to this timeless classic. And with the possibilities of just a simple facelift and easy to find multiplayer scenarios it would be more than justified.
Honorable Mention: WizardryType: RPG
Platform(s): Macintosh
I spent a good portion of my childhood life playing this game. And while it has been given countless sequels over the years, the original that I played on my Apple Macintosh has left an indelible mark upon my psyche. This was most definitely the first RPG I ever played and still one of the more memorable. Being one of the earliest forms of RPGs on one of the earliest forms of home computers, playing the game was as basic as you could get. Most of the time you spent clicking one of the arrow keys as you weaved your way through a 10 level maze in search of an evil wizard that you were destined to destroy. Other than this you had no other objectives. There were no sub-bosses or sidequests to accomplish yet it was incredibly addictive thanks to its character classing system. At the onset your first job was to create a party of characters. Following along with the non-structured storyline you could make them out to be anything you wanted. And the only thing set in stone were your race and alignment. For a race you could choose Human, Gnome, Dwarf, Elf, and Hobbit. Each race had certain classes they were better aligned to for instance Gnomes were good priests, Dwarves excellent fighters, Elves made well equipped wizards, Hobbits were given over to thieving, and humans were the jack of all trades and were neither good nor bad at anything. The best part of the game, which is what made it so addicting, was the ability to change your class when able. Upon reaching a new level your stats (IQ, Piety, Strength, Vitality, Agility, and Luck) would rise or fall and if they did so in the right way you could choose to be a new class. Only Fighter, Mage, Priest, Thief, Bishop, and Samurai were initially selectable upon character creation and it was nearly impossible to create the last two right off the bat. There were only two other classes in the game: The Lord and Ninja. I myself have never seen either of these classes in the game. Even after years upon years of level building my characters were never able to acquire these jobs. I'm actually partially convinced it was all a farce and it's all together impossible. Also, I never was able to find the The Evil Wizard Werdna even though I had successfully mapped and explored the 10th and final level. Sadly, I no longer have my Apple Macintosh (even though it worked until the day we gave it away, which now seems to be a horrible mistake as I would love to still have it if not just for its collectability) and finding a suitable Emulator for the OS is proving to be more than difficult.
-RaiNny
hk_newbie said...
Okay. You have redeemed yourself.
RaiNny said...
Please biotch! How could you ever doubt my infinite gaming wisdom???
The Salvage Bar said...
I have to go pick up that ROM again. I remember trying to get into it without a manual, and just being really confused by everything.
RaiNny said...
"I have to go pick up that ROM again. I remember trying to get into it without a manual, and just being really confused by everything."
Well, there's only three buttons in the game (and the cursor so I guess four) I believe A was to shoot, B to place your characters, and C to switch characters. I'd imagine that without a controller the game would be fairly impossible to play so it probably isn't worth it on your comp. Oh and the game really is meant to be played multiplayer.