In 2000, I was 9 years old, (10 after October) and I was still playing PS1 games, but I also had a N64 and a Dreamcast. I'll never forget the days of coming home from school and playing Sonic Adventure without a VMU. Basically, trying to beat the game in one sitting. Little did I know that Sonic wasn't the only character in the game. When I finally got a VMU, I easily beat the game. Later in 2000, I played Shenmue for the very first time and found it groundbreaking. I never played anything like it. That's one game I never replayed and I regret that. Skies of Arcadia came out in 2000, but I didn't play it until 2001, when I first played GTA III. Yes, I was only 11, but I loved the fact that I could do ANYTHING I wanted. I never had that much freedom with a game EVER. I loved SOA when I first played it. It was pretty difficult for me and a little scary at some points, (that black abyss place!) and it was one of the RPGs that made me a lifelong fan of the genre.
2002 was the year I got a Gamecube. The first two games I got was Sonic Adventure 2 and Super Smash Bros Melee. Melee was my favorite game on the system and I loved unlocking everything. Also, in 2002, I really got into Final Fantasy X. It came out at the end of the 2001, but my brother hogged the game until he beat it. It was the first FF game I really got into and it was crazy awesome. Thanks to that game, I became a huge fan of the FF series. I played FF 1-9 in the years to come. 2003 was the year for Zelda as I got the Wind Waker the first day it came out. Whatever your opinion is, I loved the game. The graphics were eye opening and it was pretty funny as well. Anytime a Zelda game comes out, it's always good. That is one series that has NEVER disappointed me. Can't say that for FF can I? Skip to 2004, a life changing year for me. Two games that stick out are Paper Mario 2 and Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne. I loved the first Paper Mario, so I was really excited when they decided to do another one. It surpassed the first one one every point and was so funny. The game was pretty tough and the last boss was one of the hardest in Mario history, it's probably my favorite Mario and GC ever. Nocturne. What can I say about the game that I haven't already? I saw it in Game Informer magazine and I noticed Dante was in it, but I already told my Mom I wanted Paper Mario for my birthday. I guess it was meant for me to play that game, because my uncle, who I NEVER talk to, gave me 65 bucks for my birthday, which was more than enough. I still remember the guy behind the counter telling my mom that this game was a little dark and that I should reconsider buying it, but, my awesome mom knows that I can tell the difference between what's real and what's not, so see bought it. I didn't play the game the first day I got it (which was a Sunday) because I had some work to do for school, but I TORE into it when I got home on Monday. I instantly saw that this game was not easy. 5 hours into the game, I met Matador, the boss from Hell. I tried everything to beat the stupid guy, but nothing worked. After 3 levels later, I won the battle by luck. My first save data for the game was ERASED BY THAT STUPID PS2 HOLIDAY DEMO DISC, so not only did I lose my SMT data, but my GTA San Andreas data. I went crazy and asked my mom to buy me the strategy guide for the game for Christmas. On my 2nd playthrough, I was ready for everything and anything. I know that a guide can ruin a game, but it didn't ruin it for me. Without out it, I couldn't face Lucifer or get through some of those dungeons (the park and the last dungeon were CRAZY confusing). Overall though, this experience made me not only a better gamer, it made me much more patient with things in life. The next four years were also exciting!
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