Games I Loved Back In The Day - Part 1

And now for something completely different from the man usually talking movies. This lockdown period, away from friends, away from work, away from any social interaction, has led to me reflecting quite a bit on things, as I am sure many of you are too.

One of the less grave reflections during this time came as I thought back to one particular video game I enjoyed playing when I was a kid. And that was it! What followed that one thought was a whole night spent Googling and YouTubing clips of game after game, all of which I used to love “back in the day”.

But when I say “back in the day”, for me I mean back in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Our perception of what “back in the day” is obviously depends on our age. So with that in mind, when someone asks you, “What were your favourite games back in the day”? The usual suspects tend to crop up.

For those raised on a strict diet of Atari 2600 it might have been Pacman, whereas for the Sega Megadrive crowd it was perhaps Sonic the Hedgehog, then you have Crash Bandicoot for the PlayStation peeps or Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 enthusiasts, moving on through to more recent years of Halo (Xbox), Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2) and Bioshock (Xbox 360).

In my younger years I remember renting the likes of Spyro The Dragon from Blockbusters to try out, before you made that leap and purchased the game - back when buying a game meant buying a whole game, not just a £60 taste of one before shelling out for everything else piece by piece in downloadable content (a sad reality today). But hey, I’m dating myself...

The days of local rental store joys have sadly passed in favour of online trials but the memories remain. For instance, I once remember my dad renting PlayStation’s Alien Resurrection (2000) and us playing it with the lights off one night. I was so creeped out I ran and switched the lights on! Also as a huge WWE wrestling fan (to this day), I remember spending ungodly amounts of hours on WWE Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth! (Playstation 2). In fact I created my teachers from school as characters in the game and had them do battle in the ring!!

But while I was sat here in isolation, reminiscing on these days, it got me thinking of a number of games I used to play a lot and let me tell you, some pretty strong memories came flooding back!

Now of course some of our most cherished games we played remain stone cold classics to this day, in my case stuff like Star Wars Battlefront 2, WWE Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain and Crash Team Racing but for you it might be something else entirely. However, what about those other less obvious choices? Come on, you know the ones. Video game you used to love don’t necessarily have to be held up as classics and sometimes they really aren’t. It can be a mighty culture shock when you check up on them years later and find they are either forgotten by time, mixed reviewed or pretty panned!

Nostalgia is indeed a heck of a drug and sometimes it can cloud wise judgment, but time can never erase those amazing memories you had joyously joysticking. No matter what they got rated in such and such magazine, how well they sold or how remembered they are, sometimes a game gives you more than just an escape, it becomes a part of your experience growing up, so here are some games (of widely different quality and reputations) that made me.

Across this two part feature, I’ll talk about games I loved, from forgotten gems to just forgotten, all of these hold a space in my heart. Hmmm, maybe it’s time to dig out that controller and dust off the old console once again? So, without further ado, here is part 1...

Spider-Man (2000) and Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro (2001)

Spider-Man was well received on its release but gets unfairly forgotten about and it's ridiculously underrated 2001 sequel Enter Electro even moreso. As the years have gone on Spidey’s video game output has delivered it's fair share of crackers, from Activision’s decent Spider-Man and its critically acclaimed 2004 open world sequel, to the under-appreciated Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (2010) and, of course, the immensely successful Marvel’s Spider-Man (2018). However, the 2000 game is the one I remember most of all. Littered with extras and unlockables suited to please Spider-Man fans of all ages, with great writing, boss battles, voice work, action and graphics. Its sequel made less of an impact but acted as a super continuation using even more baddies (many of whom were less A-list) and gave fans more of everything that made the first game soar. Best of all though, both games featured the late great creator himself Stan Lee on narration duty...and it was very cool.

Star Wars: Republic Commando (2005)

Acting as a prequel of sorts to the - at that point - upcoming Revenge of the Sith, LucasArts’ First Person Shooter put you behind the visor of an elite clone trooper commando unit and it was excellent. Battling hordes of frightening Separatist enemies and with select story details from the upcoming film (we actually got a sneak peak at baddie General Grievous), Republic Commando is a strategy-based blast. Short but intense and very repayable and as fun solo (as you command your unit in battle) as it is with friends, a balance many modern games don’t come anywhere close to achieving!

WWE RAW 2 (2003)

When it came to WWE games, PlayStation seemed to be king of the ring. Xbox owners especially got the short straw (WWE Raw & WWE WrestleMania 21), however 2003’s WWE Raw 2 is one I fondly remember! The simplistic Season mode could not compete with PlayStation’s releases but this was a lot of pick up and play fun. Fantastic visuals, a splendid array of match types and a fabulous roster of playable stars! With an expansive creations site, which allowed you a wide range of moves, create-a-superstar options and - at the time - the best ever create-an-entrance on any WWE game (you could even upload you own theme music!). This still has an accessible warmth to it and, to my knowledge, is still the only WWE game ever that allows you to leave the ring during a Royal Rumble match and fight outside/get weapons - just like they often do on the real thing!

Star Wars Racer Revenge (2002)

“Now this is podracing”! A great many movies that have jumped into games have received a racing game. Be it Toy Story, Shrek, The Muppets or even Antz, so Star Wars was a shoe-in and after Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, it just had to be podracing. The first to the finish line was the beloved Star Wars Episode I: Racer in 1999, which received an arcade spin-off in 2000. Super Bombad Racing then followed...yeah, moving on. But it was with PS2 release Star Wars Racer Revenge that I whiled away the hours with. A sequel to Star Wars Episode I: Racer, Racer Revenge was endless fun, with a host of playable podracers from the film, as well as good graphics, challenging tracks, and fast and furious action. This was rather addictive and a heck of a rush to play, alone or with a friend/rival.

The Simpsons Road Rage (2001)

Can anybody say Crazy Taxi? Ok, so this one was a complete piggy back of that simple but addictive formula, with the added bonus of it being set in the world of The Simpsons but c’mon, it’s The Simpsons. Criticised for graphics and gameplay, this was an unfairly maligned heap of fun, as you picked up classic characters and angrily drove them around Springfield, causing destruction and mayhem, making money and unlocking other playable characters. The wrap-around story even involved Mr. Burns and nuclear buses. I had hours of fun with this one: simple but oh so gratifying.

Star Wars: Bounty Hunter (2002)

Long before Rocksteady made us feel like Batman in their classic Arkham series, LucasArts had their answer to that empowering feeling in Star Wars: Bounty Hunter. If any idea is ripe for a remake or revival it’s this one. Players assumed the Mandalorian mantle of bounty hunter Jango Fett in this action blast ‘em up. Acting as a prequel to events of Attack of the Clones, the story saw how Jango came to have his cloned son, meet fellow bounty hunter Zam Wessell and acquire the iconic Slave I ship and gave you more insight into his past and the overall Star Wars lore. The gameplay allows you to unleash an array of arsenal (from flamethrowers to saberdarts), fly with the jetpack and even scan and mark active bounties (dead or alive) during your main missions. This one has aged so well and was even re-released digitally for Playstation Store on PS3 and PS4. It remains ridiculously cool to play and I still pick it up even to this day.

Deathrow (2002)

UbiSoft’s futuristic violent hybrid of Hockey and Basketball, by way of Death Race 2000 and The Running Man, was an under-appreciated Xbox classic. It saw you compete in a disc-lobbing combat sport called Blitz in the 23rd Century, as your team rose the ranks to win the championship. Victory was attainable by throwing the disc through the opposing team’s goal the most times or by knocking them all out! Your credits earned could be spent on upgrades, new team members and such, and the themed teams were creative and varied. You could play on your own controlling a team or - as I did a few times - with friends (who brought their own controllers!) and this is one overlooked game that deserves a re-evaluation, as it is a fantastic concept well executed, akin to Tron Legacy’s disc battle years later. It apparently won IGN’S 2002 Best Game Nobody Played award...well I played it. And loved it!

Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! (1999)

More than just an adaptation of the movie, Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue is a forgotten platform puzzler classic. As you control Buzz on his mission to rescue Woody (as in the film), you encounter your pals (like Hamm, Rex, Bo Peep, etc.) who offer up side-quests, as you play through colourful and beautifully rendered levels, each of which culminate with a fun end boss, some from the film and some original creations which are truly barmy (a mad tin toy robot, an evil Zurg kite). The tasks were often really challenging and there was so much to do as you embarked on your rescue mission. The game matched up to the film well but also expanded areas of it to make it a more rounded, exciting and difficult gaming experience. I got stuck a time or two with this one let me tell you, as a matter of fact I still remember my dad having to lend me a hand.