2002 marked the first full year of the 6th generation of gaming. This year also marked the beginning of something that gamers had always dreamed about, but never knew would happen. G4, a supposed network for gamers, was launched. I remember wanting to watch G4, because it was a channel that would show things I wanted to see (how naive I was). G4 started out as a channel that brought gamers shows about gaming, but over time, the eventual downfall of the network would happen. Now G4 is known for only a few shows, as well as reruns of shitty shows, such as, Cops and Cheaters.
2002 was the year that laid the groundwork for Blizzard's eventual takeover of all of my free time. The game Warcraft III came out, and I played the campaign and played my brother over LAN. This game got me addicted to RTS, and introduced the Warcraft lore to me. I think you all know where I will be going with this one tomorrow.
Also, 2002 was the year that introduced me to Grand Theft Auto. I had never played any of the games prior, but the hype was enough to make me try out the series. This game made me realize that an open-world game is something that I don't have the attention span for. After about 2 hours of playing the story mode, I would get bored and just go on rampages. To this day, I have not beaten ANY GTA game.
2002 was a year that brought more great titles. It was also a year that made me realize that gaming TV was not the best idea, at least for 2002.
Noteworthy Games:
- Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
- Kingdom Hearts
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Metroid Prime
- Ratchet & Clank
2003 was a year where an influx of console games would be hitting the market, it was the first year in my life where there were so many games that I wanted to play, that I didn't have time to play them all. This is the year where my backlog started.
Right when I thought I had loosened Blizzard's grasp on my soul, they go and release an expansion for Warcraft III. Frozen Throne followed the story of Arthas as he traveled to Northrend to merge with the Lich King, also it followed Illidan Stormrage, as he pursued Arthas. If there was one thing I loved about this game, it was the cut scenes. Those cut scenes were AMAZING.
The biggest announcement of 2003, for me at least, was the absorption of Square Co. by Enix Corporation. For an RPG enthusiast, this was an announcement that made the earth shudder. Two of the most influential Japanese RPG makers would become one unit.
Although the merger was good news, 2003 was the year that brought me the first Final Fantasy game that I was embarrassed to play with the speakers up. Final Fantasy X-2 was shameless. It was an Otaku dream come true. Three female characters that you can dress up while you travel the world doing the usual Final Fantasy stuff. This was also the first Final Fantasy release that I could not focus on long enough to actually beat (Final Fantasy X was the last one I beat). Also, I received Final Fantasy XI for Christmas this year, but I didn't have internet still... This was my first run in with an MMORPG. My goal for 2004 was to show my mother that the internet was useful for more than porn, and also, I would need a job to pay the monthly fee for Final Fantasy XI.
Noteworthy Games:
- Devil May Cry 2
- Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
- Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
- Mario Kart: Double Dash