A little while ago Lizzo from Soulcial Dreamers included me in one of those Twitter tags that are always making the rounds. I usually ignore most of these, because the Twitter notifications for these can get into the triple digits… and they’re a pain to clear out. But, Lizzo’s prompt really spoke to me:
Name 5 Games that have had the most impact on your life?#Gamers #Nerdy #gaming pic.twitter.com/lfrwwrhglK
— Soulcial Dreamin' Entertainment (@SoulcialD_Ent) February 25, 2020
This one asked about the five games that had the biggest impact on my life and I really had to stop and think about that for a moment. I’m not really what you’d call a “hardcore gamer”, most would consider me a casual gamer at best and I’ve even had some folks call my gamer status into question because I tend to favor story based visual novels and otome games over other genres. But, I do love video games and over the years there have been a few titles that have shaped who I am, games that to this day I still have fond memories of and love going back and playing again and again.
But, the Twitter prompt didn’t give us the chance expand on our choices, so I figured why not bang out a post and do just that…
Pokemon Crystal Version
It’s no secret that I got my gaming start with the Pokemon, my love affair with the franchise is well documented in my Ode to Pokemon posts. But, Pokemon Crystal was my first ever video game. 11 year old me begged my mom for a copy of the game and after much fanfare from me the game and an at the time brand new Game Boy Color we waiting for me under the tree on Christmas morning.
I was the same age that most Pokemon Trainers start their Pokemon journey and something about that really resonated with 11 year old me. It was like I was really on my very own Pokemon adventure, exploring the vast reaches of Johto with my trusty Cyndaquil, Tracy as we tried to catch em all… sure the graphics aren’t amazing by today’s standards, but to 11 year old me everything was fresh and new- every new discovery was something to celebrate! Pokemon Crystal was my first video game experience and to this day I have fond memories of game and the franchise.
Ace Attorney
I can’t actually remember what turned me on to the Ace Attorney franchise, but it was one of the first adventure video games I’d played and started a love affair with point and click investigation games. Up until that point I was still primarily just a Pokemon fan, since I suck at platformers like Mario. But, some how or another I got my hands on a copy of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and it was love at first sight.
I love everything about this series the over the top characters, the cases… and my God the puns! It was like this game franchise was tailor made for me! I still remember staying up ridiculously late questioning suspects or searching for that last piece of evidence to make my case. The cases were pretty predictable, but that didn’t stop me from getting invested in Phoenix and Edgeworth’s courtroom showdowns! I have the whole series of DS/3DS games and I just recently bought the trilogy for Switch so I could relive all the fun again!
(P)lanets: The Life of Normalcy Has Ended
This one really takes me back, (P)lanets was one of the first otome games I ever played and while it’s not the most polished game, I still have really fond memories of the it. The game follows a young girl who falls down a flight of stairs one day and instead of dying, develops psychic abilities. Suddenly a boy appears before her and promises to take her to a school that will help her hone her new abilities, and so Marin leaves her life of normalcy behind and enrolls in (P)lanets –The Psychic Learning Academy for New and Exciting Tactical Studies.
This game was released before the “big otome localization boom” in the west and there were just a handful of games for English speaking fans and most were just your standard cutesy high school romance… and don’t get me wrong, (P)lanets has it’s cute moments, but it gets dark too! This game explores some interesting themes and Teacup built a really unique fantasy world full of fun dynamic characters, and I’d have loved to see this expanded upon in other games… but alas Teacup left the developing world a few years ago… But, we’ll always have (P)lanets…
Time Hollow
I may not remember a lot of things related to my gaming journey, but I sure as hell remember the first time I played Time Hollow! Picture it, 2010, my second high school band competition! We gave a phenomenal performance earlier that day and we’re waiting for the results… but, as the hours tick by and the light wanes our resolve starts to fracture and fatigue sets in… so my friend Tiffany offers to let me play a game she bought with her to pass the time. I was exclusively a Pokemon kind of gal, but the prospect of another second of absolute mind numbing boredom tipped my hand and happily took her up on the offer— I got so into it that she let me borrow the game! I played the hell out of Time Hollow for two weeks straight!
I LOVE THIS GAME!! There’s a lot going on in this game, but the basics are this: high schooler, Ethan Kairos is given a mysterious pen that allows him to draw portals in time that he uses to alter people and objects in order to change the present (and future). Each change you make in the past has drastic effects on Ethan’s life and range from minor stuff like the rug in his room changes color to major stuff like his friend dies… yeah… heavy shit! But, it’s o much fun! There are real stakes not just for Ethan, but his friends and family and you spend a majority of the time trying to “fix” things, but some of the changes you make are irreversible. Along the way Ethan meets a mysterious girl, Kori Twelves (the characters all have number themed names) who seems to be at the center of all the strange goings on in Ethan’s life. Time Hollow has everything, mystery, drama, comedy, suspense, romance, multiple endings, fun easter eggs! This game without a doubt sparked my love of visual novels and story based games… I just wish it had a console release…
A Knight’s Devotion
Aaaaand closing out this list is an otome game, of course. I know my timeline is a bit screwy, but my “first” otome game—at least the one I remember being the first— is A Knight’s Devotion. I like to credit Voltage for my descent into otome hell, their games are cheap and accessible—perfect for students or folks ballin’ on a budget.
I remember seeing the app in the App store, and I figured there was no harm in trying out the free prologue. What I didn’t expect was that I’d buy every route in the game… The premise is simple, your peaceful life in the countryside is disrupted when a group of knights arrive, revealing that you’re the long lost princess of the kingdom. What’s more, your father—the king—is missing and you must journey to the capital to assume your rightful place as heir. Along the way you get to know each of the knights in your entourage, developing feelings for one of them.
It’s not the best Voltage game by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s definitely entertaining. Even now, years later, I have fond memories of playing this on my lunch breaks with my coworkers giving me advice on which choices to make… and Lute will forever be one of fave otome guys.
Not gonna lie, it was kind of hard to pick just five games. I even switched up some of my choices a bit from the games I listed on the original Twitter tag:
- Pokemon Crystal
- Hotel Dusk
- Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
- Ace Attorney
- A Knight’s Devotion
But, that got me curious, what are some of the games that have had the biggest impact on your lives? So, I’m gonna spread the love and tag some folks here too!
- Matt-in-the-Hat
- Krystallina
- A Geeky Gal
- Meghan Plays Games
- The Sassy Scribbler
- Pinkie
- Tanteikid94
- Takuto
- Kapodaco
- Kat Sade
Thank you for reading and supporting Blerdy Otome! If you like what you see be sure to drop a like or a comment to let me know which games are near and dear to your heart! And if I missed you and you’d like to give this tag a try DO IT!
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Nice article
Wow, thanks for the tag! 🙂 I’ve only played Pokemon and Ace Attorney, but all seem like great choices. I’m gonna have to agonize over this for a while – how did you narrow it down to 5 games?!
LOL it was hard, I ended up going with the first games that came to mind. But, all of these games are great! Just writing this post made me want to play Time Hollow all over again… but, I’d have to find my 3DS
I feel like Ace Attorney and Pokemon are always the ones that most people feel have impacted them. I haven’t played Ace Attorney yet, and only sporadically have enjoyed Pokemon here and there. If I had to choose one, I think for me it’s definitely Animal Crossing and Tetris Attack (on the SNES).
Ace Attorney is so good! They have the trilogy as one game now, so it’s easier to enjoy it all in one go.
I’ve never played Animal Crossing, but I know a lot of folks are hyped for the new Switch game.
Oh!! A SNES game! I looove Tetris, I think I first played it on my uncle’s Gameboy when I was little, but that’s definitely a classic!
Thanks for including me in this post. I love video games and I am happy to share my top 5. Pokemon Crystal looks cool! 🙂
Of course Matt!! I definitely had to include you as a fellow video game fan!
I appreciate you thinking of me. Thank you noticing me senpai XD
🙏
Thank you for the tag! Pokemon Crystal was a great remix of Gold/Silver. It was so great to finally play as a girl!
Of course, I know you play games too!
Yeah I love all the gen II games, but getting to play as a girl was so revolutionary back then!
Thank you for the tag.. . I will do this one real soon! Spoler.. Pokémon is gonna be on there for me as well! Funnily Crystal is the only “upgrade” game I never played. (Not the only one I have not finished though)
Of course Pokemon is gonna be on your list (wouldn’t expect anything less from you) LOL
Oh crystal is my jam! I know Nintendo released it digitally a year or two ago ( the battery on the physical releases kept dying making the actual game useless after a few years)
Yeah the battery thing in those games sucked. If you are crafty enough you can replace them but never dared.
The other game I never finished was Platinum. It was the generation I intially skipped.. (everyone has one of those) and could only borrow Platinum during a holiday.
I came back to it and finished Diamond and I tried a randomiser of Platinum later on but the game is quite slow and for some reason always the one I can’t seem to finish (it did not help I nuzlocked it and lost)
I’m also curious, what’s the other pokemon game you never finished?
It’s quite incredible how everyone’s first childhood encounter with Pokemon ends up being a major event. I can still remember the day I started playing Pokemon Red.
Pokemon is such an iconic series, I feel like everyone has played at least one of the games at some point in their lives.
Oh, you’re a first genner. What was your first pokemon?
I am a first genner indeed. Pokemon Red was my first game. I had Charmander as a starter and I remember the first Pokémon I caught was a Weedle! I was quite excited!
Nice article, Thank for the tag.
You’re welcome! Can’t wait to see your choices!
Let’s see. The games that have impacted my life would be Rugrats: The Search of Reptar. This one is probably a little bit baby-ish, but I like the lesson of completing and solving something from the start until the beginning, which was taught by the puzzles. It also tells me not to let my imagination fade even though I’m not exactly a kid anymore. That’s what makes life pretty fascinating, among the daily routines that we do.
Dino Crisis 1 and 2 introduces me to dinosaurs and survival horror in general and I have loved them ever since. I like the mysterious atmosphere in this game. The second one also has tragic and bittersweet feel the end. This game is what makes me want to step into the writing world and write some stories. I want to make a compelling mystery (or horror) stories with some emotions.
The last game that helps me grow is Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series, especially Rescue Team and Explorers. As of now, I still think it’s better than the main series because of the story. This series teaches me the bitter truth that life and growing up are not always easy and pleasant. Sometimes you have to make sacrifice for the greater good, for yourself and everyone you hold dear, face every single hardships with head held high, but most of all… it teaches me to value friendship even more. Seeing my partner constantly trusts me in that game, even after all of the accusations thrown at me for the crime I didn’t commit, and even motivated me when all hope seems lost. It’s very touching and I unexpectedly cried when I first completed Rescue Team. Explorers hurt me even more. But I love it
I used to think this kind of friend was impossible to find in real life, but perhaps it’s not. They’re rare, but exist.
I also have to mention Coming Out on Top. The visual novel probably leans more into comedy with a bit flair of drama, but it resonates with my current life situation. It’s what made me think that I should at least come out to someone because such secret was too painful the longer I kept it. So much like that game, I came out to my two best friends… and they were fine with it. It felt like some of the weights on my shoulder had been lifted and I ended up with my boyfriend a few years back
Unfortunately since where I come from is not as friendly towards LGBT, I still need to ground myself, with my two best friends as my emotional support. We still keep in touch with each other, much like Mark, Ian, and Penny in their best ending scenarios. Sometimes I think what would I be like if I hadn’t met them…
Coming Out On Top has been recommended to me by a couple of friends and after reading this I definitely need to bump it up my list. I love seeing how games resonate with us and give us a the push we need to do things in our own lives.
I’m glad to see that you have a supportive group of friends in your life that you can rely on when things get tough.
Oh now you’re taking me back! My brother had the Rugrats games, so I remember playing them a bit with him.
I have never heard of Dino Crisis but it sounds cool!
Oh! Are you going to get the new Mystery Dungeon game? I played Red Rescue Team years ago, but I never finished (I borrowed it from a friend).
I love the stories you included with each of your picks! You can really see how personal these choices are to you and how they influenced you at differnt points in your life! Thank you so much for sharing!
Unfortunately, no. I don’t have N-Switch yet. I’ve been watching the gameplay vids and boy, the nostalgia is intense. So for the time being, while the visual is heavily outdated, I’m gonna play Red Rescue Team on GBA instead 😀
Totally worth revisiting the series! It was definitely one of the more fun Pokemon spinoffs
Oh, shit! Just getting around to this and saw that I was tagged. I’ll be sure to do my own version sometime after MotM ends; I appreciate it! I already knew this from following you for years, but Crystal is The Good Stuff™ #Gen2IsBestGen.
Wow, I’ve never played ANY of these. Perhaps it’s about time I gave Ace Attorney a go!
And thanks for tagging me–not sure when I’ll get to it, but I am very intrigued by the idea!
Taku!! You have to play Ace Attorney!! It’s so good and capcom released a compilation of the first three games in the series, so it’s the perfect time to give it a try.
Also, take your time!! I’d love to see what games you pick!