In a way this is a special type of top 10list. Instead of making a general list of games for new collectors to consider or a best of, this is a list of video games currently missing from my collection I want to add in the near future. As always this list is not ranked.
1. Toe Jam and Earl 3- Xbox
This is quite literally one of the very reason I picked up an original Xbox. I already have a GameCube and PS2 collection so I never really gave the original Xbox much thought. However, there are a few games for the system, several exclusives, that made me want one. As a huge Sega fan I have a strong desire to own as many of their games as I can get. Despite grabbing just over 50 Xbox games early on, including Panzer Dragoon Orta, I still haven’t gotten around to tracking down a copy of this game. It’s equally disappointing because I absolutely loved the Genesis games, including the sequel.
2. Eye of the Beholder 2 Legend of Dark Moon- DOS
This is the very first PC game I ever played. I mean true PC game, not counting stuff like Carmen San Diego. I have no idea why I haven’t ever tried to track down a working copy of this game. It was also my earliest experience with the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game.
3. Wii Sports- Wii
I own three Wii compatible pieces of hardware. I own TWO original Wii consoles and a Wii U console. Yet I do not own a single copy of the signature sports game that made the console such a hit in the first place. No, it’s not because of some distaste for motion controls, honestly this was one of the few games I felt really sold motion controls. In fact it really wasn’t until much later I discovered it was really traditional games I dislike having motion in so this was one of those games I did have fun with. Honestly the only reason I don’t have one is I sold my Wii and picked these two up second hand years later. As a result I haven’t gotten around to picking up a copy of the game just because it’s not cheap.
4. Super Mario Maker- Wii U
Ask anyone who bought a Wii U and chances are Super Mario Maker is one of the reasons they will give for justifying their purchase. Unfortunately I was strapped for cash when Switch went up for pre-order so I sold my copy of Super Mario Maker and Splatoon thinking I could get them back pretty easy once Switch was out. I just haven’t had a chance to get these two games back yet.
5. The Last of Us- PS3
I spent the entire PS3/Xbox 360 generation knee deep in retro PC gaming. Aside from discovering emulation, I was going through my college years as well as getting heavy into PC gaming. The Last of Us was one of the few games that finally pushed me over the edge to needing a Playstation 3 console. Yet here I am now four years into having a PS4 which I got right after picking up my Ultra Slim PS3 and The Last of Us remains one of the elusive games still missing from my collection.
6. TMNT- PS2/GC/Xbox
There was a really fun TMNT game for the PS2-era that I enjoyed tremendously when it was new. It was one of the very first games I ever owned for my GameCube at the time. I have all three consoles so I would be fine with picking up any version but for some reason it remains one of those games absent from my gaming collection.
7. Mortal Kombat Trilogy- PS1
It was my 18th birthday. I took my paycheck, birthday money my parents gave me and all the tips I had saved up from my job as a bus boy in the buffet and went to the mall. Once there I bought me two brand new game consoles to take home and enjoy. They were the original Playstation and a Nintendo 64. One game I wanted so bad I bought on both systems, the exact same day, was Mortal Kombat Trilogy. Now, nearly 20 years later and I don’t have a copy of MK Trilogy anymore. I own 4 machines fully compatible with the game, 2 original PS1 consoles, a PS2 and a PS3, so not having one of my favorite video games of all time is kind of mind boggling. The main reason is none of my local stores ever have it and I just rarely buy used video games online.
8. Super Mario Sunshine- GameCube
Let me get this out of the way. I love Super Mario games. I own every single Super Mario game except 2, this GameCube masterpiece and the current Switch Odyssey. Odyssey is because of financial reasons, but Super Mario Sunshine I have no excuse this is a staple of any GameCube collection and somehow my GameCube library is devoid the one Super Mario game the console had.
9. Star Fox Adventures- GameCube
For many Star Fox Adventures as a let down, a disappointment or the end of an era. For me it was one of the greatest video games I have ever experienced. It was *the* game that sold me on buying a GameCube. It was the first game I got for the GameCube that was made for the console. I previously owned Legend of Zelda Collectors Edition, Sonic Adventure DX and Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliance, but those were all ports. Star Fox Adventures was the first GameCube exclusive I picked up and I had a blast with that game. Even when I bought a pair of used Wii consoles at a flea market recently it was literally so I could get back into GameCube gaming. For some reason despite owning the hardware, the controllers and memory cards to make it happen I continue to pu off buying the one game I miss the most from that purple lunch box.
10. Hulk Ultimate Destruction- PS2/GC/Xbox
I loved the PS2 era of gaming. I maintain to this day it’s probably the greatest generation of video games ever, hands down. One of the reasons for that is this absolute gem of a game. I didn’t care much for the movie, at all, but this game made it all okay. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe taking over Hollywood, it makes me wish I had a copy all the more.
I guess as I looked over my collection I realized the generation I was lacking the most is the one I proclaim as one of my favorites. This is just a few of the fantastic video games from years past that continue to elude me despite being some of my favorites of all time.
Stephanie Bri 