Top 5 Games That I Would Play If I Were Stuck on a Desert Island

I'm sure you've seen it before. The "what X would you take if you were stuck on a desert island?" or "What X would you Y if that was the only thing you could Y?" Or something of the sort. Those silly, annoying questions that ask you to pick a few things, not even considering the fact that picking a favourite X may cause you great emotional distress, turmoil and mental unrest and ARRGRGHRGHH...

Sorry about that.

Still, they are interesting sometimes. Trying to think of article subjects the other day, this one was a potential topic. Instead, I went with the fruitless "hidden music track" quest. That quest showed me one thing - my Dreamcast collection is surprisingly small. This top 5 would represent almost 1/4 of my collection of 23 games! Fortunately, this is a hypothetical scenario, so I can give myself all the Dreamcast games, even the unreleased ones. I could even give myself a Dreamcast 2!

Deciding this list depends solely on one thing: replayability. (Or replay value, if you want to be a hater.) Can I play this game many times without getting bored? Can I learn speed-running techniques to learn and master the game? Can I find some wicked glitches to totally break the game? Also, soundtracks are an important consideration. Despite this, it's still rather difficult to imagine that scenario, given that I have over a dozen systems plus a robust emulator on my Mac.

So, in no particular order, here we go:


Number 1: Sonic Adventure 2
First things first. Why not Sonic Adventure, since that game is my favourite Sonic?

Well for starters, it's my favourite - but far from perfect. It still has Big the Cat's fishing segments, relatively short play-through, and unskippable annoying cut-scenes. Sonic Adventure 2 may or may not be longer, but it eliminates the fishing portions, still has the E-102 style shooting segments (I like them, personally) and features 5 different missions for each level, as opposed to the original's 3. Additionally, the Chao Garden provides a distraction from the main story and another element of longevity for the game. Gather cores, raise boss Chao, and destroy the other Chao in merciless competition.

OK, so it's not as intense or involved as that, but it's still something to do.

Number 2: Star Wars Episode I: Racer
One of the best things to come out of the prequel trilogy is this game. Admittedly, it's not a Dreamcast exclusive, but I grew up playing it on the DC and always thought of it that way.

Here, the sheer number of tracks and racers available allows for much time well spent. As the courses get VERY difficult towards the end, there's opportunity for intense practice and perfection of skills. Maybe the music would get repetitive sometimes, but then, there's always options to lower it. (I think. I haven't played it THAT much yet.) I've always wanted to be good at racing games, and being stuck on a desert island with this game would give me that opportunity.

Number 3: Marvel vs. Capcom 2
There's no doubt that crossover fighters are simply wonderful. Smash Bros lets you put the smack down on Ganondorf with Kirby, and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale does similarly for Sony characters. However, Marvel vs. Capcom games join together two different worlds - here being those of comic books and video games. MvC 2 allows you to see which real American would win in a fight - Guile or Captain America? Or a battle the metal men - Mega Man against Iron Man. Etc, etc...

With combo systems to learn, different characters to master, and fun combinations to try out, Marvel vs. Capcom 2 would be an excellent addition to a desert island roster. Plus, Wikipedia says that the Dreamcast port is the most faithful! I don't own this game (yet), but in this hypothetical scenario, I already have it and an arcade stick - probably the official one WITH the garish green buttons. I have no idea where MvC 2 ranks with the other Dreamcast fighting games - I just want to beat up Capcom characters with Marvel superheroes! That, and my fighting game game is pretty bad. Like, "I can't even win in Smash Bros" bad.

Moving on!

Number 4: Grandia II
Thanks to the likes of Paper Mario, Final Fantasy, and (most recently) Chrono Trigger, I have a great love for the genre of RPG. I actually own this game, but haven't made much progress in it, owing to getting too distracted by Minecraft and iTunes U...

Anyway, I'd bring this along for a few obvious reasons: RPGs usually give a good bit of play time, story and music to explore. Plus, it has several of the voice actors from Metal Gear Solid in lead roles, and I just can't get enough of Cam Clarke's silky voice ("Brother..."). I've arbitrarily chosen this one, I admit, as I've never had the chance to play Skies of Arcadia. It may not be the "Final Fantasy VI" of the Dreamcast, but it still has some promise.

Number 5: Soul Calibur
This one was difficult to decide. Do I choose another racing game, and go for Daytona USA with its neat-o "Game Over" jingle? Do I chose MDK 2 for its different, quirky play styles? Or do I cheat a bit and chose a demo disc. In the end, I decided to take a chance and chose SoulCalibur.

Another fighting game, but this time with swords! Even as I read up on it now, it seems very cool. Freedom of movement? Cool weapons? Another game that's "easy to learn, but difficult to master?" Yes, please.

Honourable Mention: Toy Commander
Toy Commander is one of my all-time favourite Dreamcast games, let alone games in general. However, I wouldn't necessarily want to bring it to a desert island. There are a great number of missions per room, but once done, there's little replayability. Sure I can try to get better times, but the only benefit from getting all the high-scores is a secret level that grants a weapon - with unlimited ammo - for the final boss fight. Plus, the multiplayer would be difficult to do on an island where I'm presumably the only person around.

Honourable Mention: Metal Gear Solid (!?)
Heh. DREAMCAST Junkyard, you say? Well, thanks to the fine people behind Bleem!, I could. Metal Gear Solid is a series I've come to love, even if I've only played one or two of the games. However, since it is a PlayStation title and not a Dreamcast one, it's an honourable mention only. Anyway with Grandia II above, I'll get my Cam Clarke fix regardless.

So there you have it. My arbitrary list of games I'd take to a hypothetical desert island that somehow has electricity and a nice TV to play on - but no internet, otherwise I might try to escape! This list took a surprisingly longer time than I had anticipated, as the first few games were no-brainers, but the games I haven't played required more thought. What games would you take? It's interesting to think about. Maybe you could play a few rounds of MvC 2 with Wilson?
He cheats.

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