Video games have been a source of entertainment that has gathered the minds of many fans and put them down a rabbit hole of what could never be a real-life experience. An excuse for escapism that allows players to relate themselves with the lead character exploring places that only a few would dream off.
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Just like Cinema, video games take the rules of liberty and bend them to their wish toallow narratives to be one that would stand the test of time. A good mission in a bad game and a bad mission in a good game are all about the experience that it provides when played, and mostly, the critics received are due to the settings in which they are played. Some of them can be on the moon, a distant galaxy, or something as simple as being on a ship!
5Tomb Raider - Endurance Ship
The 2013 reboot of theTomb Raiderfranchise had high expectations riding upon it, and it delivered a never-beforeLara Croft experience. The game is set in a time when the beloved dual pistol-wielding icon has just started her story en route to her first adventure at Yamatai.
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During a mission in the game’s latter stages, Lara’s crew member Alex volunteers to recover Reyes’s tool kit from their wrecked ship, Endurance. However, as minutes turn to hours, Lara takes it upon herself to find Alex and the tool kit. As she makes her way into the various sections of the ship, the game throws in challenging puzzles to reach Alex, after which fierce combat with the Solarii Brotherhood and mini-boss sets the mission ablaze.
4Contra Force - Naval Fleet
Even before action game franchises were a thing,Konami took pride in making various sequels and spin-offsto theirContraseries. One of whichwasContra Force, the third installment in the series and was released in 1992 as a spin-off introducing four new playable characters, each with their own unique traits
Just like any other games from the ’90s, the game features only 5 levels, of which three (Levels 1,3,5) sport a standard side-to-side arcade view, while two (Levels 4 & 5) use the top-down view. In one of the top-down views stages, the player(s) are to survive atop a naval fleet of aircraft carriers, cruisers, and destroyers and travel on Dinghy boats while dodging bullets and firing at the enemies.
3GoldenEye 007 - Frigate
Nintendohas been the forerunners and pioneers of making exciting video games in the 90s, and theGoldenEye 007is another feather in their cap. The single-player FPS shooter was developed and published for the Nintendo 64 and was based on the live-action movie of the same name.
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Players take control of James Bond, helping him bring down a criminal syndicate that aims to use a satellite weapon on London and cause a global-level economic meltdown. In one of the missions - Frigate, Mr. Bond is assigned an undercover operation aboard the Frigate ship where he would need to rescue hostages, disarm bombs in the captain’s bridge and engine room, and plant a tracking device on the syndicate’s helicopter. Although the mission is not a complete stealth genre, players found the scenario intriguing, pulling them right into the mix of action and giving them a sense of the MI6 action.
2Mafia 1 - Happy Birthday
Mafia is probably thebest gangster gamethat the video game industry has to offer. The game was released first for PC in 2002 and later had its console releases in 2004. The game was received with such positivity from the fans and critics alike, while some still regard it as a rare once-in-a-while classic. The game was remastered and released in 2020 with superior graphics, although fans still regard the original with commendation.
In the latter part of the game, amidst an all-out war between the two factions, Don Salieri decides to wipe off all of Morello’s contacts, starting with the City Councilor.In the mission"Happy Birthday," Tommy Angelo is to disguise himself as a sailor and infiltrate a steamboat where the Councilor has planned to throw his birthday party. The mission sets a tone completely different from the rest of the missions in the game and is one of the iconic levels that aged well.
1Uncharted 3 - Sink or Swim
Naughty Dog Studioshave been known for changing the action-adventure genre with their iconic franchises,andUnchartedis one of them. Even though the series is fantastic as a whole, it is the 2011 gameUncharted 3: Drake’s Deceptionthat took the action play to a whole new level. Be it air, sea, or the sand, the game had it all.
In an attempt to find and save Sully, Nathan Drake finds himself in a lot of trouble at Rameses' ship. However, upon knowing Sully’s true whereabouts, Drake sets off a grenade and blows up a set of propane tanks which invariably opens up a huge hole in the ship. Fighting waves of enemies, solving puzzles, and climbing ladders in a drowning ship is something only Nathan Drake could do!
