Still more [geek] lists

1up.com has its list of 50 essential video games. Smells like . . . childhood. And also . . . everything since. It's bittersweet to realize the staggering amount of time I've spent with these games over the years. More bitter than sweet are my bizarrely passionate opinions about 1up.com's choices.

They're mostly on point. Most, even, are above reproach, beyond dispute etc, etc. Some, however, are just moronic. Like Halo coming in at number 50. If they couldn't think of a game more groundbreaking/influential than Halo since Grand Theft Auto III--a span of three years--then they should have just made it the 49 essential. . .. Even the article offers more caveats that praise. It's not as intellectually challenging as other Bungie titles, it's shorter, more linear, etc etc. It essentially boils down to this: Halo made the XBox a viable platform. And hell rode with it.

Then there's the dreadful omission of Final Fantasy III/VI [depending on your preferred numbering system]. Final Fantasy VII is on there for it's graphical advancements and [wha?] astronomical cost. But such window dressing is pointless without the gameplay and story innovations brought by III/VI, none of which has been duplicated by any console role playing game since. III/VI represented Squaresoft's zenith, frankly. FF VII was great by proximity.

In brief browsing, I noticed three FF III/VI screenshots when talking about other games, which is more props than they gave some games that made the list. They obviously felt bad about leaving it out, but they had more popular fish to fry.