Memorable Gaming Moment 2002: The Network Adapter

Memorable moments don’t always have to be super positive and this particular article will prove it. 2002 was the big year for online console gaming (sorry Dreamcast, you were ahead of your time and you suffered for it). I’m sure everyone has fond memories of the launch of Xbox Live, but as I didn’t own an Xbox; I was pumped to play games online with my PS2 …while using my dial-up connection. My lack of a high-speed connection would greatly limit my online capabilities, but I was good at ignoring the fact that playing the PS2 online totally sucked.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2002: Animal Crossing

You may be asking yourself this: Why is Kush sharing another memory of 2002? The simple answer is that I am God and I can do anything I want, such as punching infants and baby animals in the face. Now that I got that out of the way, it’s time to move on to memorable moment numero duo. You may have already read my Morrowind moment, but that was not the only game that grabbed me in 2002. 2002 was also the year I finally bought a Gamecube; the first Nintendo system I bought (excluding handhelds) since the NES. I bought the system solely for Metroid Prime, but to my surprise, the game that really sucked me in was Animal Crossing.

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Pocket-Sized Castle Crashers: I'm Not Happy To See You

That's a lie. I'm actually quite happy, but sadly that's just a knight in my pocket (no bananas here). I figured I’d treat myself to something special and that “something special” is finally home. This post will surely bore 69% of you (optimistic much), but maybe you’ll like the pretty pictures. I was a rather big fan of Castle Crashers and I especially loved the art style; I’m a huge fan of The Behemoth in general. With all that said, I recently ordered some little fellows to call my own and you should clickity-click for the glamour shot (there’s no better stereotype than whoring for clicks).

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2002: Morrowind

2002 would mark the beginning of the end of PC gaming for moi. Those who know me nowadays would probably be surprised to hear tales of my “hardcore-ness” in the PC gaming crowd, but there was a time when I played PC games exclusively. 2002 featured quite a few great games, but it never felt quite as crowded as 2001. That may be a true statement, or it may be due to the fact that I only played a few titles during the entire year. The game I played more than anything else (and likely more than any game in my short lifespan) was The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I can safely say I spent well over one thousand hours in the game; a game with absolutely no multi-player component at all.

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BioShock 2: A Rapturous Conference Call

I originally contacted 2K Games to see about getting someone to interview for Distributed Failure and I was surprised when I was invited to be a part of a developer's conference call the next day covering their newest game, BioShock 2. I was asked to send three to five questions in advance, which a mediator would then ask the team; and if there was extra time, there would be an open Q&A for questions not answered. It was a very rewarding experience and I’ll try my best to summarize all the newfound information.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2001: Grand Theft Auto III

2001 was an amazing year for gaming; it may have been the greatest year of all time. The list of games is staggering: Final Fantasy X, Gran Turismo 3, Devil May Dry, Ico, Silent Hill 2, Jak & Daxter, Halo, Metal Gear Solid 2, Sonic Adventure 2, Twisted Metal: Black… I could go on for a while, but I don’t want to bore you. The year also gave us two brand new consoles: the Gamecube and the Xbox. It’s hard to think of a year that featured more content than 2001, but none of what I mentioned is more memorable than one key game: Grand Theft Auto III.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2001: The Xbox

During my life, I have never had the newest or best of anything, not until 2001. I saved up a lot of money and decided to sell a lot of my older games in anticipation of Microsoft’s venture into console gaming: The Xbox. A lot of the gaming community was weary of buying the new machine; afraid that the Xbox would fail because of the Playstation 2’s strong sales.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2001: The Gamecube

When I think of gaming in the Year 2001, I think of Nintendo's little lunchbox: the Gamecube. I can remember when Nintendo announced the name and my first time seeing the console; it was so tiny. Also, the games themselves were tiny, but the system packed a lot of power. The Gamecube was released three days after the Xbox and I didn’t give a damn about the Xbox; Microsoft did not belong in the game biz. Nintendo was a powerhouse and had a history of bringing us some of the best games ever made. I couldn’t wait for Super Mario Sunshine, but day one I was getting Rouge Squadron II.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2001: Halo

2001 was not only a great year for hardcore gamers, but it was also a year when the world started opening its eyes to gaming as a very real entertainment industry; one that was starting to make billions and was slowly creeping into every household in America. Sony got its production issues with the PS2 taken care of and units were flying off the shelves. Sure, there were bad things that happened; specifically, I spent most of the year mourning the slow death of the Dreamcast (but I already talked about that).

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2000: The Dreamcast

Most gamers remember the year 2000 as the year the Playstation 2 was unleashed upon the world, but I don’t. This is mostly because; well… that whole “unleashing” thing didn’t work out very well for Sony. Manufacturing problems meant that a PS2 was hard to come by for a little while and the system didn’t have any particularly stand-out launch titles. Besides, I was far too busy playing the Dreamcast and tinkering with my PC to turn my attention to a new console. I was convinced that the Dreamcast was the future of gaming and that anyone who didn’t have one in their living room (with a Dreamcast internet disc and keyboard right next to it) was missing out on the revolution. And you know what? In a very painful sort of way, I’m still convinced. Even though I spent hundreds of hours that year playing revolutionary PC games that would end up defining who I am as a gamer, the single biggest memory I have of the year 2000 is clear: the Dreamcast. The whole system; all of its games; every time I looked at that little system, I thought, “This is the future, and the future? It’s a fucking blast.”

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