BioShock is a 2007 first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K. The first game in the BioShock series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 platforms in August 2007; a PlayStation 3 port by Irrational, 2K Marin, 2K Australia and Digital Extremes was released in October 2008. The game follows player character Jack, who discovers the underwater city of Rapture, built by business magnate Andrew Ryan to be an isolated utopia. The discovery of ADAM, a genetic material which grants superhuman powers, initiated the city's turbulent decline. Jack attempts to escape Rapture, fighting its mutated and mechanical denizens, while engaging with the few sane survivors left and learning of the city's past. The player can defeat foes in several ways by using weapons, utilizing plasmids that give unique powers, and by turning Rapture's defenses against them.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius is a video game based on the 2001 Nickelodeon movie of the same name for Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and PlayStation 2.

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed and published by Mojang Studios. Formally released on 18 November 2011 for PCs following its initial public alpha release on 17 May 2009, it has been ported to numerous platforms, including mobile devices and various video game consoles. In Minecraft, players explore a procedurally generated, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain made up of voxels. Players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures, earthworks, and machines. Depending on the game mode, players can fight hostile mobs, as well as cooperate with or compete against other players in multiplayer.

Minecraft was one of the most, if not the most formative games during my childhood, by now having multiple thousands of hours total across nearly every system the game has been released on, except for the Playstation. For reference, I still expect zombies to drop feathers, a feature that was removed in Beta edition 1.8, released September 14, 2011.

September 5, 2013

Portal consists primarily of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player's character and simple objects using the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device", also referred to as the "portal gun", a device that can create intra-dimensional portals between two flat planes. The player-character, Chell, is challenged and taunted by an artificial intelligence construct named GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) to complete each puzzle in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center using the portal gun with the promise of receiving cake when all the puzzles are completed. The Source Engine's physics system allows kinetic energy to be retained through portals, requiring creative use of portals to maneuver through the test chambers.

Robots is a platform video game released in 2005. The game was developed by Eurocom and published by Vivendi Universal Games to coincide with the film of the same name.

Spore is a 2008 life simulation real-time strategy god game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Designed by Will Wright, it covers many genres including action, real-time strategy, and role-playing games. Spore allows a player to control the development of a species from its beginnings as a microscopic organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture. It has drawn wide attention for its massive scope, and its use of open-ended gameplay and procedural generation. Throughout each stage, players are able to use various creators to produce content for their games.

Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D platformer game in the Super Mario series. As Mario, the player embarks on an extraterrestrial mission to rescue Princess Peach and save the universe from his arch-nemesis Bowser, after which the player can play the game as Luigi for a more challenging experience. The levels consist of galaxies filled with minor planets, asteroids, and worlds, with different variations of gravity, the central element of gameplay. The player character is controlled using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and completes missions, fights bosses, and reaches certain areas to collect Power Stars.

Yoshi's Island DS is a 2006 platform game developed by Artoon and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in North America and Australia in November 2006, in Europe in December 2006, and in Japan in March 2007. It is a sequel to the 1995 SNES game, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The game's story focuses on the Yoshi clan as they attempt to rescue newborn children who have been kidnapped by Kamek. Yoshi's Island DS uses the same updated graphical style as Yoshi Touch & Go, but retains the same core gameplay as its Super Nintendo Entertainment System predecessor; but whereas the SNES game featured only Baby Mario and Baby Luigi, DS introduces Baby Peach, Baby Donkey Kong, and Baby Wario, while allowing the player to control Baby Bowser. Each baby bestows a different ability upon Yoshi. The objective of the game is to use these abilities to progress through various themed worlds.

Wii Sports Resort is a 2009 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. It is the sequel to Wii Sports (2006). It is the first first-party Wii game to support the Wii MotionPlus accessory and the first game overall to require it, which was bundled with the game. The first time a player starts the game, several instructional videos will play, then the strap usage screen and the Wii MotionPlus test. Finally, the player will skydive to Wuhu Island. Twelve different sports are available; like the original Wii Sports game, the sports are each played by holding the Wii Remote (and in some cases, the Nunchuk) like the actual sport being replicated.