The Digital Home

In the next week, a new Sonic game, called Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood will hit store shelves for the Nintendo DS. Some are anxiously waiting for the title to be released, while many don't care all that much. Why is that? Probably because Silent Hill: Homecoming will be released during the same week and, well, Sonic has lost his stride over the past decade.

Practically any poll you search for on the Web about the most popular video game characters will say that Mario is tops. In fact, a recent survey in Japan [Google translation warning] returned similar results showing Mario as the popular game character in the country, followed closely by other big names like Cloud from the Final Fantasy series and Yoshi.

Other surveys feature Sonic in the Top 10 -- usually around the middle area -- and the vast majority of people I surveyed on my Twitter page agreed with the public: Sonic isn't the best video game character of all-time, but he's certainly up there.

So what happened to Sonic? A decade ago, the blue hedgehog was at the top of his game and battling it out with Mario for the top-spot as the world's most popular video game character. Since then, even though he has been featured in a number of titles, his popularity has dropped significantly and his money-making potential has fallen with it.

All the while, stalwarts like Mario and Link have clung to the top spots with nary a drop in popularity.

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Mario Super Sluggers has been out for a couple weeks and now it's time I tell you about it. I've had the opportunity to play it since before its release, so I decided to perform a hands-on today. See how many "Dons" it receives.

And as always, drop me a line or follow me on Twitter!

When Mario Kart Wii was delivered to my doorstep, I wasn't sure what my reaction would be to the latest in the popular franchise. Would I love it? Would I hate it? Would it be just another title that couldn't live up to the hype? After playing it for about four hours yesterday, I can say with full certainty that Mario Kart Wii is one of the best games I have played in quite some time.

Now I'm sure you're wondering how I can make such a statement after playing the game for four hours and I can understand that viewpoint. But until you actually play the game and have the opportunity to use the Wii Wheel and interact with this game, you won't truly understand.

And let's also not forget that the true beauty of Mario Kart Wii isn't necessarily found in the amount of time you play, but in the quality of your experience. And so far, after playing through 20 tracks, I can say that Mario Kart Wii is easily the most fun game I've ever played on the Wii and certainly is up there with other titles as one of the most entertaining games of all-time.

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After sifting through a host of reviews calling Nintendo's new Super Mario Galaxy game "one of the best Mario adventures yet", I decided to head down to my local Gamestop and pick up a copy.

Now, it should be noted that I have played each and every Super Mario game dating back to Super Mario Bros. and have always been a fan of the series. In fact, to this day, I still consider Super Mario Sunshine to be one of the better games in the Mario franchise. Further, Super Mario 64 was simply a marvel of its time and easily one of the best experiences I've ever had gaming.

But after playing through Super Mario Galaxy for the past week, I simply don't get all the hype surrounding the game. Is it a good game? Sure. Is it a great game? No.

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If you haven't had the opportunity to take a look at my previous post, I suggest you do so to see what prompted me to make this list.

I'm tired of not playing video games as often as I wish and I would like nothing more than to spend a week and tackle the following games just one more time. Unfortunately, doing so would involve going into my basement and finding the dusty consoles that have been left dormant for years with nary a mention -- until today. It's finally time for me to drag my NES, SNES, Genesis and Dreamcast out of the basement and get down to the task at hand: conquering worlds like I did in my youth. So, without further ado, here is my top 5 list for the best games of all time.

5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

More often than not, I find that Legend of Zelda is tops on the list of most popular video games. And while I can't argue with the rationale, I'm forced to say that it's not my favorite of all time. But rest assured, this will be the first game I tackle in my trek to get back in touch with video games.

4. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Another Zelda classic, Link to the Past is probably the best game ever made for the SNES. I still marvel at the battle atop the pyramid and even the beginning of the game when you need to make your way into the castle. That game was simply marvelous.

3. Shenmue

Somewhat of a cult classic, Shenmue made my life just a little better when I tackled the grand task of avenging my father's death as the great Ryo. Who can forget ol' Lan Di and his gang taking Daddy to task for something that will probably never be solved? Rumors have been swirling about the fate of Shenmue, but it's looking more and more like Ryo will never avenge his father's death. Sad.

2. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete

With an endless supply of gameplay and charming graphics that will either make you vomit or melt, Lunar: SSSC is, without a doubt, my favorite PS1 game of all time. Who can forget Alex, Luna and the gang saving the world from its domination? I can still remember sitting in front of an old 27-inch RCA while becoming immersed in a world that calls for me to this day. Not only that, but it was a challenging quest, too! I spent many-a sleepless nights trying to build my characters up to face the next boss.

1. Super Mario Bros.

It may be the safe choice, but it was also my favorite game of all time. Try to find me one person who wouldn't be more than willing to pick up a controller and play this game all night and I'll find you a liar. Super Mario Bros. not only broke the mold of what a good game should be, it made me proud to be a plumber. And for that, I will always be thankful.

So there you have it -- my list of the top five video games ever made. Now it's your turn. Either drop me an email or discuss in the comments which games would make your all-time list.

In a recent poll conducted by Edge Magazine, readers were asked to pick their favorite video games of all time. And while it didn't surprise me that Nintendo games dominated the top 10, I was appalled at what I learned: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time finished first.

As an avid video game purist, I consider some of the games from my storied youth to be the best ever. And while Ocarina of Time warrants a 9.5 out of 10 on my made-up scale, I can think of at least three games that warrant a 10 rating. But first, let me tell you why Ocarina of Time should not be called the greatest game of all time.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was one of the most important games to ever impact the video game industry. Released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, it was the first Zelda game in 3D. A small boy with dreams of becoming a hero was summoned to the Great Deku Tree to be told of the problems plaguing the land. From there an epic adventure takes place that guides young Link through the perils of evil and helps adult Link save Hyrule and sweet Princess Zelda once again. According to analysts, Ocarina of Time sold 7.6 million copies in all. Not bad.

While the story was truly a masterpiece and the gameplay wonderful, Ocarina of Time is not the best game ever. I found the gameplay mechanics a but sluggish at times and like most Zelda games, the side quests you need to complete in order to get where you're going became a bit of a nuisance after a while. That said, Ocarina of Time is still one of the finest games ever created.

So now the question is, which game is actually the best ever? Well, I don't just judge video games on how well they played or if the storyline was better than another. The best video games are those that shape an entire industry and help make the video game business progress from its periodic years of no growth. So, with that framework in mind, I think Super Mario Bros. is the greatest game of all time.

Super Mario Bros.

Released in late 1985, Super Mario Bros. was the first game that put the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) on the map, and it was the first game to leave an indelible mark on the entire video game industry.

For a frame of reference, Super Mario Bros.--according to the Guiness book of world records--is the best-selling video game of all time. Period.

In order to understand the impact this game had on the video game industry, you must first understand the state of the industry before the game was released. In 1983, the American video game industry crashed. With a boatload of companies going out of business and others filing bankruptcy, the second generation of video games quickly came to an end. During this time, retailers were both scared and unwilling to sell video game consoles, and a slew of video game titles already in production prior to the crash were shipped out and relegated to bargain bins.

There are a number of reasons attributed to the crash, but none are more convincing than the success of the video game industry prior to it. For a while, companies and start-ups were enjoying success and venture capitalists were willing to take a chance on a group of people who wanted to make it big in the booming video game industry. So as the market became flooded with young people creating (mostly crappy) games and consoles, consumers were left with far too many choices. With so many choices and the impending U.S. computer pricing war, consumers were forced to spread their money around. In just a few short years, the crash that so many had been fearing finally happened, and video game dominance shifted from the U.S. to Japan.

During the years between the crash and the release of Super Mario Bros., people still played their games, but sales were dropping each month. Then, a young man named Shigeru Miyamoto created the game that, for all intents and purposes, saved the United States gaming industry: Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. ushered in a new era for video games. The days of stick figures running around on the screen while they shot at another illegible object had finally given way to an Italian plumber named Mario and his twin brother Luigi. The Super Mario Bros. gameplay was truly second to none, and if you were to pick up the game today, you would still consider it the most rock-solid gameplay experience of your life. The story was, well, Mario-ish, but we didn't play that game for the story; we played it for the experience. In one fell swoop, one video game (one!) raised up a crippled video game market, and set the stage for an entirely new experience playing video games.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is truly a masterpiece that should be thought of as one of the greatest games ever created. But to call it the greatest game of all time is a serious misstatement. Unlike Super Mario Bros., Ocarina of Time was released in an era where video games were booming and sales were on the rise. Simply put, everyone was playing video games, and the game was the best of its time. But no other game in history--Ocarina of Time included--was able to save an entire industry from almost guaranteed destruction the way Super Mario Bros. did, and it is for this reason that we should all give ol' Mario and Luigi credit where it's due.

(oh and by the way, Super Mario Bros. isn't even in the top 10. Sheesh.)