Tropes Media Browse Indexes Forums Videos Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Tools
Cut List New Edits Edit Reasons Launches Images List Crowner Activity Un-typed Pages Recent Page Type Changes Changelog
Tips
Creating New Redirects Cross Wicking Tips for Editing Text Formatting Rules Glossary Edit Reasons Handling Spoilers Word Cruft Administrivia FAQ
Tropes HQ
About Us Contact Us Advertise DMCA Notice Privacy Policy Report Bug
Go Ad-Free Changelog
  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Highlight Links
 

Follow TV Tropes

Following

Tropers / Sarysa

Go To
Sarysa's Edits Avatar Gallery Send Message

Ohai. I've been a troper since 2013, a lurker since before that, and TV Tropes may have ruined my life. (it absolutely ruined my vocabulary)

I'm also one of the older tropers in terms of years alive, so expect me to drop a number of very dated pop culture references, outdated meme references like "ohai", and I sometimes use outdated shorthand like ::actions::.

Very minor contributor to TLP, I prefer to start works articles since there is far less bureaucracy involved.

Fan of RPGs (my nickname is corrupted from one) but I'm a gamer in general. Love FPSes, but purely as PC Master Race.

I started the following pages:

and some drive-time radio entry I forget the exact link for. :p

I'm also on a bit of a mission to make at least stubs for all the old games I remember fondly, out of desire for historical preservation as well. The red links below can be regarded as spoilers for that project. In that vein, I've added the following:

  • Super Pitfall: Distinct enough from its predecessors to be worth mentioning, actually moreso than a lot of sequels of the era.
  • Rambo: Quirky and notable.
  • Hard Drivin': Another trailblazer that went unnoticed.
  • Neverwinter Nights (AOL): This game was too important to too many people to be a mere footnote on the Gold Box page.
  • CyberStrike : I sunk a lot of hours into this game.
  • The Realm Online: Forgotten, but popular in its time...even if it was mostly a stepping stone.
  • Realms of Kaos: Took me way too long to add this given how much of my life I sunk into this game.

Now for some narcissism, the stuff I grew up and then got old-ish with section!

VIDEO GAMES (WIP)

1980s

  • Yars' Revenge: Putting this one first because I have little memory of it other than that I most definitely played it. I don't remember what order I played these games in.
  • Haunted House: Second of four Atari 2600 games that I can remember playing as a wee little one. A bit more vivid, I remember somehow making it to level 9 (where everything's invisible) and even beating it once or twice.
  • Asteroids: Despite being from The '70s, I played this one in the mid 1980s around when the NES came out. I played it a lot, actually. I remember playing almost exclusively on games 17 and 50, because you could keep your ship immobile and shoot everything while also being able to flip your ship. I overscored twice in 1986 and had to quit due to my thumb getting sore, which remained so for at least a day. Among the earliest memories I can corroborate, even though I couldn't paint a picture of it if I tried.
  • Combat: The easy way to keep two of your kids busy for hours. (and the last Atari game I remember playing before our system broke down in 1986) I didn't know it was the pack-in at the time, because what do 6 year olds care about finances? Being a 1977 game, it's also the oldest game I've ever played in its original format.
  • Super Mario Bros + Duck Hunt: About a year or two later, in comes an NES...   and so it begins...   
  • Super Pitfall: The first game I remember enjoying mainly because of its glitches. I mean I love the open, non-linear exploration style, but escaping from glitch world like this person occupied a lot of my time. The second quest was fun as well. :)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Was a major favorite. I played through both quests many times, memorizing the locations of everything, trying to get perfect and completionist games, but failed the latter. (so many secrets...)
  • Super Mario Bros. 2: I remember being super thrilled about finishing it in 4 days. [lol] Ah, the times they are a changin'...
  • Zelda II: The Adventure of Link: I have a fondness for black sheep, and it starts with this one. I think I've managed both perfect and completionist runs of this one, albeit not together. It's another of the six I have cartridges for.
  • Contra: Pew pew. I played this one way too much, from a Konami Code cheater, to a legit player, to a lucky one-time no-hit run (over a year later)...to be a kid again and have the time for frivolous achievements.
  • Rambo: I actually liked this more when I found out it was a lot like Zelda II, and played through it a number of times.
  • Dragon Quest: Back when it was Dragon Warrior. I got the free Nintendo Power copy, of course! I loved it then, but it has not aged well. No Nostalgia Filter can hide how grindy it was, but it got a pass because it came first. It's great for obscure references, though, and it taught me Ye Olde Butchered English.
  • Ultima III: I remember getting the NES version late, possibly on sale. Had a lot of fun exploring it...Ambrosia was my first exposure to the concept of the Alternate World Map, which had an air of mystery before it became bogstandard and cliche. Still remember the trick to safely adventure — simply fight weak monsters until exp is maxed, and do it all at once — monsters level with you.
  • Hard Drivin': Played this at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia of all places, never owned but greatly enjoyed. For a game I only played a few times, it had a lasting impression.
  • Tetris: ELORG version, not Tengen. Possibly the first game I'd ever gotten within a month of release, and my last for the 1980s, it was an addictive one for sure. I could never get past level 23, not even as an adult. I have a SNES controller clone and I could emulate NES Tetris, but would it be the same? (also have a legit cart, but nothing to play it with...and probably needs cleaning, being 28 years old as of 2017)
  • There are a bunch of minor and rental games that I mostly won't bother listing, but mention goes to: Rad Racer (played often), along with Breakthru and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, all getting mention because those are the other three I have the carts for.

1990s

  • Super Mario Bros. 3: Without the (literally bad) Power Glove, of course.
  • Game Genie: Talk about breathing new life into old games. I had this for both NES and SNES. I used it more for game-breaking codes than cheating.
  • Mega Man 3: If there ever was a proof of Nostalgia Filter, this is it. The only of the series I've ever owned (other than 9), I still treat it as best overall, best soundtrack, and easiest because I STILL have the muscle memory for it.
  • Dragon Quest II: Technically came out before the below, but I got this first. Found it was more enjoyable, still grindy AF (but child me still didn't care), loved the Malroth monster at the end along with its foreboding music. A shame that I never did get III, as it was such a huge step up.
  • Commander Keen: Although I didn't have a computer (except an old 1970s junker that belonged to a sibling) until 1994, I was able to play this via a friend. Eventually played through most games decades later.
  • Final Fantasy: I still have my copy of this too! I could hardly play Dragon Warrior 1 after this one...it was such a huge leap in comparison.
  • Startropics and Startropics2: One of the rare instances where I think Japan missed out, its tiled action-adventure style gameplay with jumping made it a unique experience. As a first-time buyer, 747 wasn't a problem for me.
  • Clash at Demonhead: Alas, I only got this as a rental, but I loved its gameplay style and quirky humor. I did find the easter egg with the dead guy, too.
  • Super Mario Land: Honestly, didn't get much into Game Boy until getting the adapter years later, but this was a fun little oddball. Too short, though.
  • Ninja Gaiden: 1-3, probably was a rental, but I remember managing to finish the second one.
  • Super Mario World: The standard SNES pack-in did not disappoint, even though it wasn't until Christmas of that year that I got to play it. I remember being annoyed (in a childish way) about it not being on the NES I actually had. [lol]
  • Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles: Practically the same game if you think about it, albeit with increasingly improved mechanics. I was neutralish in the Sega vs. Nintendo wars, getting action games mainly on Genesis and RPGs from SNES.
  • Kid Chameleon: I really liked this one...the many MANY paths through the 100 levels gave it a lot of replayability, and it was fun trying to find secrets and glitches with all the different powers.
  • Kirby's Adventure: Living on a budget, of course I still had my NES when it came out.
  • Final Fantasy Mystic Quest: I honestly have no idea why I got this, maybe it was on sale. I had enough RPG experience to not need a beginner RPG, but maybe it was due to the drought before the hurricane of RPGs at the time. Still doesn't explain why I never got Final Fantasy IV at the time, but I enjoyed this quirky title nonetheless.
  • Sonic Spinball: A pinball game! A platformer! Critically panned? I thought it was okay, and managed to finish it.
  • Final Fantasy VI: Back when it was III, I remember getting this early enough that I believe the copy I have includes the sketch glitch. I used it on an early playthrough, too, winning the lottery with a bunch of Ragnaroks and Paladin Shields by sketching either Behemoth or its undead form.
  • Secret of Mana: The music...oh, the wonderful music. Letting the final boss just sit still so I could listen to its theme in a loop...and the relatively easy Action RPG gameplay is pretty cathartic.
  • Chrono Trigger: Third in the holy trinity of SNES RPGs, and apparently the three that Square was working on simultaneously. By this time, I had "internet" (AOL)...and the fandom was real, and intense. Magus was everyone's husbando (before that was a term), though my nerdy self liked Robo. :p
  • Shining Force II: The game that both got me into tactics and kind of ruined the genre for me at the same time. I loved the story, I loved the gameplay, until the difficulty plateaued. Since tactics games tend to not allow backtracking, it ended up being Unwinnable by Mistake.
  • Sega CD: I had this, but hardly played it. Maybe finished Sonic CD once or twice, couldn't hope to get the good ending in a pre-GameFAQs world. (still never have) Only had The Adventures of Batman and Robin and Sewer Shark otherwise...and never finished either. (or even passed level 1 of the latter)
  • Secret of Evermore: MURICA!
  • Super Mario Land 2: More true to the original, got a lot of hours out of this one thanks to finally having an adapter. Also enjoyed certain glitches that broke the game.
  • Neverwinter Nights (AOL): I loved experimenting with my crummy Performa 030 Mac, and found ways to optimize its emulation of a 286 PC. Through this, I was able to play the ORIGINAL NWN for AOL. A tactics game done right, while admittedly the mechanics left much to be desired, as an MMORPG capable of handling 500 players it was impressive for its time. Its demise came around 1997, and it has been missed.
  • Super Mario RPG: Loved it, did multiple playthroughs.
  • Sonic 3D Blast: Had the Genesis version, did not play it much. My focus drifted toward RPGs and AOL at this point.
  • Marathon: I had a Mac, and 286 emulation was still pretty slow, so my gaming choices were limited. It wouldn't be until 1997 that I started picking up the many PC games I missed out on. Of course, I only played the shareware levels of Marathon. :P
  • Doom: As soon as I got a PC, the first game I had to play was the one everyone talked about. It wouldn't be until years later that I got the full version, but I managed a Nightmare run of the first act, secret level included, once.
  • DragonRealms: Originally played via AOL, I dumped a LOT of hours into this text RPG with its scary perma death and where roleplaying was mandatory. Ah, the good old days. Like the other AOL exclusives below this one, eventually they became open to the rest of the internet. Particularly notable because I managed to sell my top-tier character for over a grand, back before the character economy tanked.
  • CyberStrike: Another game that I found on AOL and followed after I ditched the service. Dating back to '93, it's a simple polygonal tank battle game which I seriously enjoyed. Even took part in a tourney.
  • The Realm Online: Back when it was called Sierra's The Realm, it was one of the early graphical MMORPGs and even predated Ultima Online. By modern standards, it was never particularly popular. Near my end days in the game, I remember large numbers of high level players standing around in their underwear as they waited for EQ to come out. Still, I attach some fondness to it, and amazingly it still runs to this day.
  • Silencer: Played the beta for this one, had fun with it, then stopped around the time EQ came out I think? It was a quirky little multiplayer sidescroller game with objectives other than killing (such as hacking terminals) and was one of the earliest multiplayer games to have this. Since it came out when 2D games were considered cancer, it never really took off.
  • Realms of Kaos: A text/graphical mix which never really had a high simultaneous user base, it gets a mention because I spent a lot of time working on it: I was the admin with the quirky name You, and I built areas of the game. The game itself was created by Lance "DungeonMaster" Hoskins. It still runs today, but went through changes in management and development, so I don't know how much of my old work is still around.
  • EverQuest: Played it from day 1, spent a couple months addicted to it, burnt myself out, sold my character for a grand. Can't do that anymore, I'm afraid.
  • Final Fantasy VIII: I got the PC version, and like many who had such, I find it hard to listen to the PSX soundtrack...especially the boss theme.
  • Quake: I don't remember when I started playing this, I just know it was late. The simple multiplayer is still endearing.

2000s

  • Final Fantasy V: One of, if not THE first in a series I sampled by what I assure you was perfectly legal means. My first playthrough was a multi-day binge (was before I knew frame skip existed), and my current nick is a corruption of Faris' real name, which I've used since 2001.
  • Tales of Phantasia: I got into the Tales series all thanks to the fan translation. This is easily my all time favorite SNES game, as its Linear Motion Battle System is just the right Action RPG hybrid mix for me.
  • Crystalis: One of the more impactful games I sampled in the early 2000s, its Ys style gameplay and post-apocalyptic storyline work well, if you exclude the apocalypse happening in 1997.
  • Seiken Densetsu 3: Another in the series of games denied to my childhood, played through multiple times to see multiple characters' stories. I'd buy a remake of this in a heartbeat, if anything just to have a version with fast menus.
  • Terranigma, Illusion of Gaia, SoulBlazer: My earliest exposure to eastern philosophy and spiritualism came from these games. These ActionRPGs were fun, challenging, and yet made me look at extistentialism in a different way. The enormous Terranigma is the one I most want to see remade, but the others had their own charm.
  • Spelunker 2: Not particularly notable, but I made the fan translation for it. Seriously, google it.
  • Dragon Quest VI: Having last played II, I didn't realize how much the series had truly advanced. Legitimately speaking, ignoring the grinding and all, VI is easily the longest SNES game. Involving a bunch of mini-arcs encompassed by an overarching "save the world" plot, it introduced me to the fantastic characterization and depth that go into modern Dragon Quest games.
  • Dragon Quest V: Easily the best storyline out of any Dragon Quest game, past and present. With the unique romp through the life of the player character, literally growing old with them, it presented a unique form of video game storytelling that has seldom been matched.
  • Dragon Quest IV: I tried it, but having no control over my support characters kept me away for years...until playing the DS version which resolved this oversight. I have no tolerance for idiot AI doing most of the work.
  • Dragon Quest III: I actually did go through these backwards. Played through both the NES and SNES versions, which are quite interesting. You start out on the Mu continent on a more or less normal Earth, solve the world's problems, and then fall down a volcano in the Antarctic and land in Alefgard. A beautiful end to a trilogy that deserves a true remake, given the short lengths and grindiness of I and II.
  • Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy II: Had to play them to say I did. Got the DS remakes of III and IV as well. I just could not get into II's battle system...never got far until doing a cheat run in 2016.
  • Sailor Moon: Another Story and Magic Knight Rayearth: Two RPGs based on Magical Girl series released around the same time and then fan translated in quick succession years later. I found MKR enjoyable much because I'd never seen the anime, and it got me to watch said anime years later. (though the gameplay was bog standard turn-based) As for SMAS...I honestly need to watch through the original Sailor Moon in full and try it again.
  • Live A Live: Late into my romp, after exhausting some of the more obviously missed titles, I found Live-a-Live. It has an amazing presentation and one hell of a twist. Then suddenly in 2015, it becomes relevant again thanks to Undertale sharing some DNA with it, particularly in the song Megalovania. This is one of few games that I'd recommend to others, and don't read up anything on it...major spoilers can be flippantly made.
  • Earthbound: I like its weirdness, but I struggled with the soundtrack at the time. I have frequent headaches, and something in the soundtrack triggered them. It wouldn't be until years later that I finished this one.
  • Lufia: Standard Dragon Quest clone, but with a twist. It also had a lot of banter between characters, and in fact was one of the first to do so. This made Lufia's characters seem far more relatable than any other SNES RPG.
  • Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals: Not-spoiler, they die at the end. This predictable prequel took Lufia's positive qualities Up To Eleven, put all monsters on the map (a welcome addition, given the original's high encounter rate) and had puzzle-packed dungeon. This formula is where the series has always been at its strongest, a shame they never repeated it excluding the reboot.
  • Breath of Fire II: I've played I through IV, but this one gets special mention due to its use of Anime Catholicism...for the villians. It's remarkable that this wasn't severely canned entirely given Nintendo of America's reputation at the time.
  • Uncharted Waters: New Horizons: I could never finish this one, but I kind of enjoyed just mucking around and exploring in this very non-linear game, set in the real world during the Age of Exploration.
  • Ys IV and Ys V: I could swear I played Ys 3 as a rental, but I got into these series through...totally legal means as well. Seven plus games with the same protagonist, along with a side story or two, and still going strong.
  • Star Ocean: The fan translation of this one came late, but when it did...just wow. While I found the 2D style of Phantasia less chaotic, this is still in my top ten regardless. As a trekkie, I picked up on a lot of things as well.
  • A mountain of other NES/SNES cut for space (lack of personal significance) or not wanting to complain about lackluster titles.
  • Wyvern: Another low-key MMORPG that I worked on, this one was graphical and made entirely in Java. I used this as a springboard for learning Java as well as making nifty features for the game, including automated invasions. My admin name was Janica, which I corrupted for my WHABP character here.
  • RPG Maker 2000: Well before ASCII ever made an official release stateside, a Russian modder made a fan translation in English and a whole community sprouted around it. The two games I made with it were...embarrassing, the names ripping off a major franchise as well, the second only being notable for awkwardly emulating Chrono Trigger style battles before the APIs necessary were in place. (I heard scripting vastly improved in the 2003 edition) That said, I was around for the release of logorrheic Phylomortis series, the aborted A Blurred Line trilogy, along with many others.
  • TODO more...

2010s

TODO

TELEVISION/WEB SERIES

This is actually a really incomplete list. For whatever reason, the science fiction series are more burnt into my consciousness.

1980s

1990s

  • Tiny Toon Adventures: First of many Warner Bros. offerings.
  • Star Trek: The Next Generation: Not out of order. I didn't get into TNG until Best of Both Worlds. (1990)
  • Darkwing Duck: Second of the five Disney toons I enjoyed. Let's get dangerous.
  • Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: It continues...
  • Batman: The Animated Series: The beginning of a 14 year universe of masterpieces that put their live action counterparts to shame...and targeted to kids to boot. Poor Mr. Freeze.
  • Aladdin: Pretty much enjoyed this entire series, and the movies.
  • Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: It wouldn't be until over a decade later that I'd watch this through. I didn't particularly like the shift to a static location at the time. Moaned about the "wormhole they never used".
  • Goof Troop: In before I started feeling I was aging out of Disney.
  • Animaniacs: Like this one needs explanation.
  • Star Trek: Voyager: I adored this series. Missed a number of episodes but caught them in a rewatch decades later.
  • Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: I just gravitate toward weird. It's official.
  • Sliders: Fun dimensional travel scifi dogged by casting problems. I'd love to see this rebooted.
  • Sailor Moon: Before I became picky and bitter about dubbing, also my first ever non-gag dub anime.
  • Samurai Pizza Cats: I'm having a Mandela moment with this one. I thought it came out before 1996, but nope. I'm senile.
  • Pinky and the Brain: Also needs no introduction.
  • Superman: The Animated Series: I missed the later seasons...will need to catch up. RIP Dan Turpin.
  • King of the Hill: Disturbing in its realism, and yet I couldn't stop watching.
  • Histeria!: First in the series of "too old for this", but I watched it sporadically. It reflects a later enjoyment of history.
  • Pokémon: Honestly, I was too old when it started airing, and only watched 1 season, but I cried when Butterfree left. (didn't believe Pikachu's Goodbye for a second)
  • Family Guy: Neh...neh...fam...ily...guy! I'm a sucker for animated sitcoms.
  • Futurama: I wish science fiction weren't such a hard sell to average audiences.

2000s

  • Star Trek: Enterprise: Barely. I didn't truly get into it until a decade later. I regret falling into the They Changed It, So It Sucks trap.
  • Smallville: Though I only kept up with it for about 4-5 seasons.
  • Happy Tree Friends: Probably the main reason the 2000s are so empty on my list is because I watched a LOT of early Flash content. I was huge into Newgrounds as well, before they whored themselves out to every disreputable ad provider possible.
  • One Piece: I got into the Kaizoku Fansubs version by chance in the early 2000s.
  • South Park: I had no cable before 2003. Eventually binged the entire series and have kept up with it since.
  • Justice League: Also its follow-up series, I loved the DCAU.
  • FLCL: I enjoyed it more for the spectacle, as the themes no longer applied to me at my age.
  • American Dad!: MacFarlane's own sci-fi offering does not disappoint.
  • Inuyasha: It was on
  • Angry Video Game Nerd: Releasing all the game-rage we all pretend that we kept pent up as children. ;P
  • The Boondocks: Talk about propping up a network...this was a masterpiece.
  • The Sopranos: Woke up this mornin'...got in on this late.
  • Breaking Bad: When non-premium television took a leap in quality...this was mandatory watching for the time.
  • Mad Men: Two thirds of AMC's "big three", and at the forefront of the retro trend.
  • Star Trek: It wasn't until Netflix that I could get into this series in earnest. At least I watched it at an age I could truly appreciate it.
  • Ranma ½: Truth be told, I'd seen bits of this for like a decade prior. But I binged it on someone's You Tube channel as it's next to impossible to find now.

2010s

Future

FILMS: TODO

  • Show Spoilers
  • Night Vision
  • Sticky Header
  • Wide Load

Important Links

Ask The Tropers Trope Finder Media Finder Trope Launch Pad Tech Wishlist Reviews Go Ad Free!
Crucial Browsing
Resources
Top