Happy Video Games Day, everyone!
Yeah, who knew there was an “official” Video Games Day. But heck, if there’s a National Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 12, why not?
In case you didn’t know about today or forgot to plan festivities, there’s ANOTHER video games day on September 12. Yay!
Today was also special because at 12:34 am and 56 seconds, it was 7/8/09. Get it? 12:34:56 7/8/09. Although nothing else particularly magical happened.
I’m spending a quiet Video Games Day at home. I began the day by beating Wesker again on Resident Evil 5.
[Sidenote: I think that's probably the 5th time I've shot him with rocket launchers into that volcano. What a terribly cliche defeat (Darth Vader, T-1000, Gollum, Kazyua Kazama); I wonder if he'll come back as an angry "I used to be beautiful" attitude like that one villain in the Punisher: Warzone (don't watch that movie). He was shirtless when he fell in...and I'm sure volcanic lava isn't best for the (infected) skin.]
Anyways, as a humble, slightly more public celebration, I wanted to celebrate some of my favorite often overlooked video game characters.
- Mei Ling and Otacon from the Metal Gear Solid series.
(Uh, in this one, Mei Ling has that wierd stereotypical “Asian girl” accent–not clearly Chinese or Japanese, and most likely not authentic. It bothers me a little.)
Before the recent days of auto-save and checkpoints, we used to have to call Mei Ling and Otacon to save the game. And let’s face it, save points are probably the most important parts of the game. Without them, we might as well be playing an arcade game. Mei Ling and Otacon aren’t just any ol’ save point either–Mei Ling is most known for sharing short proverbs and bits of wisdom at each save–and in Hideo Kojima’s spirit of meta-video gaming, even suggests that perhaps one day people will be able to participate in “interactive movies”–which is essentially what video gaming is these days. Otacon functions both as a save point plus quirky quotes and support crew for Snake. He is even more involved and developed as a character in the story lines of both Metal Gear 2 and 4. He often suffers heartbreak and bad luck in his romantic life, and proves to be a father-figure to Sunny and a loyal friend to Snake. - Moogles
Kupo! Moogles are among the most consistent recurring characters in the Final Fantasy. And they serve as the most adorable save points in the series. Awwww… - Mario’s Mushrooms
Uh, yeah, these aren’t exactly characters in the traditional sense, but hey, it’s got eyes. These little status boosters come in handy for gamers like me who lack in hand-eye coordination, a handicap that proves extremely difficult while playing older platformers. - Lulu, Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X is all about leading lady characters. Tidus may be the main character, but the women really run the show. Yuna, the main leading lady, and Rikku, her cutesy and scantily-clad gal pal often take the limelight, but Lulu is probably the least annoying women in the game, and thus my favorite. She’s a very strong feminine figure who is poised, thankfully more mature, and maternally protective. She is a little dark, but is full of kindness and love, especially towards Yuna and her romantic interest and husband, Wakka. Though she ultimately (if I recall correctly) retires to a quiet, domestic life as a wife and mother, she remains a consistently capable, powerful character. And just look at her–she’s smokin. - The Computer, Portal
Portal wouldn’t be half as eerie without the increasingly disturbing narration by the computer. The computer isn’t completely an antagonistic force throughout the game, but it certainly isn’t quite as good a friend as the good ol’ Companion Cube. In any case, that ending song is just too catchy!
Anyways, the list runs dry for now. More to come on that in September.
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