Top 10: The Best Rides in Gaming
While most of the most iconic vehicles that we know and love originated in film, TV, and comics, gaming has started to carve out its own pantheon of killer rides. So with that, let's get to my (and I do emphasize my, here) top ten best rides in gaming.
HALO: The Ghost
If you say "Halo," two vehicles will undoubtedly come up: The Warthog and the Ghost. While the Warthog might more popular, the Ghost is the better vehicle. Its silky smooth controls and accompanying plasma cannons make this my go-to vehicle in a game full of great options (one of which we'll get to later in this list). While not the most durable, its agility more than makes up for it.
MASS EFFECT: The Normandy
The Normandy is one of the few vehicles that isn't just used to get you from point A to point B. The starship is also your home base of operations, and even though it sees a few redesigns along the way, you still grow attached to it over all three games. Sure, there are tons of sci-fi ships out there, but few have the relationship with the player that the Normandy does.
TWISTED METAL: Sweet Tooth's Ice Cream Truck
In the 90s and early 2000s, there were fewer games more popular than Twisted Metal, and while there are certainly more “out there” vehicle designs in the game, my favorite was always Sweet Tooth. To turn a beloved vehicle like an ice cream truck into a killing machine takes a certain disregard for childhood memories, and the character's chaotic and evil nature sealed the deal.
MARIO: Yoshi
Of all the characters featured in the Mario universe, I think Yoshi has to be the most grounded - not to mention patient of the bunch. The lovable dinosaur has headlined several of his own games and become massively popular in his own right, yet come new Mario game release time still has to put the damn plumber on his back to trot him around from star to star. Luigi hasn’t sold half the games Yoshi has, and he doesn’t have to do that. Such a shame.
FINAL FANTASY VIII: Ragnarok
While you can’t do as much on this ship as the Normandy (though it does contain save and draw points), the design is much more intense, with no trace of subtlety. Made to look like a spaceship was inhaled by a dragon, this ship is ingrained in my memory, even if other parts of FF VIII are harder to remember.
MARIO KART: Bowser's Kart
Bowser is king of the koopas, but if you don’t know what a koopa is, just imagine that Figment and Raphael had a baby, then gave it no love or attention, and BOOM: you have Bowser. As such, he deserves a vehicle no less outlandish, and this variation of his Kart (from Mario Kart, of course) is the bee's knees. Giant tires, spikes, and some big ol' teeth complete the package.
And yes, I am aware I used “bee's knees” in an article, and hopefully you can forgive me for my grievous error.
METROID: Samus' Gunship
One of the coolest ship designs, period. From its beautiful collage of Samus-style colors to its distinct shape, this thing is instantly recognizable. This makes it hard to avoid the paparazzi when it's in for servicing, but if you’re going to be famous, guess you take the good with the bad. It remains one of the slickest spaceship designs in video games.
ZONE OF THE ENDERS: Neith
Even though Jehuty is the main star of Zone of the Enders, Neith is the more stylish and original design. The Tron-like lines combined with the in-your-face red color palette, all bouncing off that slick visor, make this my favorite mech design of recent memory.
HALO: Brute Chopper
Yeah yeah, I know. The first comment will be "SERIOUSLY! Over the warthog?!" To that I say yes, and mostly due to a particularly fun gaming memory involving Halo Reach and, well, a picture is worth a thousand words:
(This fellow out in front represents the rest of my team.)
Heh heh - didn’t say it was a fair experience, but damn, it was fun. These things are so all over the place and unwieldy they make even the most boring skirmishes a blast.
SKIES OF ARCADIA: The Bloodlust
Rounding out our ships category is The Bloodlust. There are many stellar ship designs in Skies of Arcadia, but this one stuck out to me, mainly because it makes me think of barbecue, even with all the spikes and guns. The eyes on the side are hilarious, yet somehow still kind of imposing. Don't lie, if your local barbecue place had this as their catering truck, you would order from them anytime.
So that’s it, that’s my list. If you have others you think should be on here or just want to dicuss your favorites, let me know in the comments.