Gallery: 9 Mandatory Missions All Gaming Geeks Must Master
01adventure
*Over the next nine weeks, Wired.com is presenting a collection of galleries intended to help people become better geeks, nine items at a time. This is the second in the series.* [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/rawfile/wireds-9-for-9-galleries/)Do you have gaps in your gaming career? Have any non-gamers in your life who want an education in the pleasures of electronic entertainment? There's a whole wide world of games out there, and narrowing it down to a handful is an impossible task. So when Game|Life's contributors found ourselves tasked with picking nine essential games, we didn't just want to tell you to go play everything. We wanted a more manageable task list. So here are nine goals you should attempt to attain at least once in nine landmark videogames. Some won't take very long. Some involve finishing the whole game. But all of them are experiences that any gamer geek should have at least once, just to know how it feels. __Above:__ *Adventure* ----------- __Task: Find gaming's first Easter egg.__ *Atari, Atari 2600, 1979* In the early days of Atari, the company didn't credit its designers, even when they produced exceptional one-man efforts like the sprawling *Adventure*. Rebelling against company policy, this game's designer [hid his name in a secret room](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_%28Atari_2600%29#Easter_egg). If you want to see a landmark moment in the history of videogames, you've got to seek it out. Just watch out for the duck. *—Chris Kohler*
02super-mario-bros
*Super Mario Bros.* ------------------- __Task: Trap the turtle and become a god.__ *Nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment System, 1986* If *Mario* were a Facebook game, you could just buy extra lives with your Visa card. But back in the day, extra chances to save the Princess couldn't be bought. The idea that one could rack up over 100 extra lives [by jumping on a turtle descending a staircase](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUx66ZEDjnQ&noredirect=1) was the kind of rumor that spread around recess with lightning speed, especially because it wasn't easy to do. Pulling it off for the first time made you feel like The Wizard. If you've never done it before, it's time to give it a try. *—Chris Kohler*
03tetris
*Tetris: The Soviet Mind Game* ------------------------------ __Task: Create perfection.__ *Tengen, Nintendo Entertainment System, 1989* Of the dozens of different versions of this seminal puzzle game, this rare one — [pulled from shelves after only four weeks over a licensing dispute](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris:_The_Soviet_Mind_Game#Development_and_history) — is the *Tetris* you've got to own to establish your geek cred. You don't need to be a master of falling blocks, but you should definitely learn to play it enough that you can build an unbroken stack of blocks and make a Tetris. Your next challenge: Try to stop. *—Chris Kohler*
04super-metroid
*Super Metroid* --------------- __Task: Get off the planet.__ *Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 1994* *Super Metroid* never lets you take a breather. Even after a thrilling final boss battle — and an emotional sacrifice by one baby Metroid — you have one final challenge: Escape the planet you're on before it explodes in mere minutes. It's not particularly difficult but the intense music combined with a constant flashing graphical effect makes this the most heart-pounding scene in a game packed with them. The game is available on the Wii's Virtual Console service for cheap, so if you haven't played one of the greatest games ever made, you no longer have an excuse. *—John Mix Meyer*
05quake
*Quake* ------- __Task: Take off like a rocket.__ *id Software, PC, 1996* Using the rocket launcher to lay waste to Lovecraftian bad guys (and your best friends) is one of the singular pleasures of this groundbreaking first-person shooter. But advanced players also use the weapon as a form of transportation: If you aim at your feet and fire just as you jump, the force of the blast launches you high into the air. The benefits of taking flight must be weighed against the damage it does to your health. *Quake* wasn’t the first game to allow rocket jumping, but its hard-core fans raised the technique to an art form, using it to make combat even more frenetic or to shave precious seconds off speedruns. *—Chris Baker*
06the-legend-of-zelda-the-ocarina-of-time
*The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* -------------------------------------- __Task: Witness the devastation of time.__ *Nintendo, Nintendo 64, 1998* Nintendo's classic 3-D action-adventure is full of memorable moments, but its best one by far is when you travel seven years forward in time. You emerge and discover that everything you loved about the old world is gone: An evil demon king has taken over and an atmosphere of gloom and despair is felt everywhere. It's as powerful today as it was 13 years ago and with a fully updated remake being available on Nintendo's 3DS, now is the perfect time to experience the moment that blew 1998's collective minds. *—John Mix Meyer*
07grand-theft-auto-iii
*Grand Theft Auto III* ---------------------- __Task: Hit rock bottom.__ *Rockstar, PlayStation 2, 2001* A game that defined an era, the open-world *GTA III* allowed you to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting city. To name one notorious example, you could pay for sex with a hooker, then kill her and take the money back. Vile? Absolutely. Disturbing? Quite. An odd guilty pleasure, to act out a scenario so unimaginably violent and depraved in a make-believe world with no consequences? Somehow, yes. *—Chris Kohler*
08portal
*Portal* -------- __Task: Power GlaDOS down.__ *Valve, various, 2007* As you solve your way through the challenging physics-based puzzles that make up Aperture Science, your only constant companion is the steely, sardonic voice of *Portal* antagonist GLaDOS. This rogue artificial intelligence never stops laying on the caustic charm, even as she makes fun of your weight and parentage. To end her existence, you must tear her to pieces, then throw every piece into a fire during a lengthy battle that puts all of your portal-opening and insult-ignoring skills to the test. *—Jason Schreier*
09bioshock-2
*BioShock* ---------- __Task: Unravel the secrets of Rapture.__ *2K Games, various, 2007* George Orwell and Ayn Rand are just some of the inspirations behind Rapture, the underwater dystopian paradise that sets the stage for first-person shooter *BioShock*. Prowling the city's depths and shooting down monsters is satisfying enough on its own, but the game's true appeal lies in discovering all of its hidden secrets. Why was Rapture created? How was it destroyed? Who are the mysterious Big Daddies? And how does your protagonist fit into the picture? Join your fellow geeks and find out for yourself. *—Jason Schreier*
