First and Last Letter is the Same - Video Games Quiz

Answer: Excitebike

"Excitebike", releasing as a launch title for the NES console in Japan in 1984 before hitting the U.S. in 1985, became a bit of a beloved title for the Nintendo library, appearing time and time again with no real provocation as the generations plodded on. Making an appearance on the Nintendo 64 (as "Excitebike 64") and then evolving into "Excite Truck" for the Wii, it became apparent that the series could take on nearly any form as long as it incorporated down-and-dirty racing.

Answer: Amnesia

Both "Amnesia: The Dark Descent" and "Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs" were sleeper survival horror games that were progenitors to later PC releases like "Outlast" which focused on the true terror behind the story instead of the beat-em-up-and-get-me-away Western horror tropes in later console genre releases.

The series, by Frictional Games, was preceded by the "Penumbra" trilogy ("Overture", "Black Plague", and "Requiem") and followed by "Soma"; all of them were for PC.

Answer: Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

"Super Mario Bros." (NES) and "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels" were actually some of the earliest games in the "Mario" series, both appearing on the NES in the mid-1980s and sparking a cultural phenomenon on Nintendo consoles. The Game Boy game "Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins", meanwhile, ended up being a game released in 1992 (and was the first to feature Wario). "Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam" never showed up until 2015 on the Nintendo 3DS.

Answer: Resident Evil Survivor

"Resident Evil Survivor" was probably one of the earliest flops in this horror series, though one Capcom would remedy in later years (on the Wii) with "Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles" and "Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles". Modelled after old school light gun games like the arcade classic "Time Crisis", you still had to face off against zombies created by the Umbrella Corporation, though in a different storyline running parallel to the events of the early games.

Answer: Pokémon Snap

"Pokémon Snap", bringing an alternative adventure for Pokémon fans, may have only featured about sixty of the original one hundred fifty one Pokémon in the series, but it ended up creating a memorable game in which--yeah-- Pokémon were caught, but on film. You would be scored for better shots of game favourites in their natural habitats, some of whom needed to be coaxed into better behaviours for the camera.

The game ended up being a surprise hit upon release in 1999.

Answer: Rock Band VR

"Rock Band VR", created by the developers at Harmonix, was one of the earlier efforts at bringing the genre into the burgeoning world of VR. Backed by Oculus Rift, the game put you in the role of the guitarist, getting you onstage to perform one of five dozen tracks in-game (most of which were new to the platform).

It was considered by many to be a well-created and original take to make things interesting for even the most seasoned music game players. The original "Rock Band" hit the gaming scene in 2007, ten years before its VR version.

Answer: Snowboard Kids

Published by Atlus, "Snowboard Kids" turned out to be a surprisingly fun take on a genre that had only seen realistic fare on the Nintendo 64 (with "1080 Snowboarding") at a time when Microsoft and Sony were just beginning to break into the console market.

Although there was only a handful of lengthy tracks playable in "Snowboard Kids", its "Mario Kart-esque" items and unique locales made the game a colourful treat, and it was popular enough to warrant a sequel two years later, also on the Nintendo 64.

Answer: Yoshi's Story

"Yoshi's Story", releasing in 1997 in Japan and 1998 in North America, was one of the first games in Nintendo's library to feature Yoshi, front and center, without Mario needing to be around. In this platformer, Yoshi could make his way through twenty-four levels across six stages to fight his way to the end and save the Super Happy Tree, a frighteningly-cheerful plant that brings joy to the Yoshis of all colours. Yoshi's mechanics in this game would later carry into his appearances in the "Super Smash Bros." series.

Answer: Spirit Tracks

"The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" may not be the first game in the series to cross anyone's mind, but after the popularity of "Phantom Hourglass" on the DS, Nintendo's in-house team revisited the Link of the future with this DS game, which saw link using a Spirit Flute and calling on the powers of a steam train to travel from dungeon to dungeon. Because of the series' tendency to move back and forth through an extensive timeline, when "Spirit Tracks" was released, it ended up being the latest in the entire timeline, following "Wind Waker". Unsurprisingly, the game was well-received.

Answer: Halo: Reach

"Halo" was originally created by Bungie and became Microsoft's first flagship title on the Xbox console back in 2001. "Reach" ended up being one of the earlier titles in the series on the Xbox 360, showing up in the canon on an earlier adventure in the storyline, away from Master Chief's tale.

The game received critical acclaim, expanding the beloved "Halo" universe for fans and drawing in material from the literature being built up around it.

Answer: Digimon World

"Digimon World" was not too well-received when it came out in 1999, around the same time the show was already well underway. It worked similar to "Pokémon" in that you fought with your Digimon and levelled them up (though in a 3D-rendered world on the Playstation), but it wasn't quite fleshed out. You could begin with TV show mainstays Agumon or Gabumon.

Unfortunately, none of the game's half dozen sequels really improved on the original, though they were popular enough to warrant Player's Choice designations.

Answer: Kirby Mass Attack

Yup-- that little, pink puffball capable of sucking up foes and taking their powers? He's back in "Kirby Mass Attack" on the Nintendo DS. Because of evil magic, Kirby is split into ten smaller versions of himself and, fortunately for him, there's strength in numbers. You control the Kirbies, regardless of how many, with the stylus on the DS' touchscreen. You can flick Kirbies at foes or attack en masse.

The game ended up being popular, much like its handheld predecessor "Kirby: Canvas Curse".

Answer: Ninja Gaiden

"Ninja Gaiden" was as you would expect an NES game to be-- fairly simple in concept and in old-school graphics. Still a hack-and-slash game, the original "Ninja Gaiden" took place in a side-scrolling platformer world akin to "Castlevania", only you played as ninja Ryu. Tecmo followed through with more games on early consoles but rebooted the series in later generations with 2004's remake and others, many of which were highly successful in their own rights.

Answer: Silent Hill: Origins

Only on the PS2 and PSP, "Silent Hill: Origins" (also known as "Silent Hill: Zero") preceded some of the more famous entries in the series (think "2" and "3") and brought a new protagonist to the foggy town to come to terms with the demons of their past and their psyche.

The game, of course, features many of the hallmark enemies of the series, but without shoehorning them in like later releases. It was regarded as one of the last highly-reviewed titles in Sony's time with the series. It was followed by "Homecoming" and "Downpour".

Answer: Metroid: Other M

"Metroid: Other M" may seem like an odd title, but it ended up being quite the popular offering in the series upon its release on the Wii as a unique adventure game in the main series (following "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption"). Developed by Nintendo and Team Ninja, the game pulled away from the successful first-person perspective seen in the "Prime" trilogy, instead incorporating more of the side-scrolling in line with the series' earlier titles (on the NES and SNES).

While the game sold well and had good reviews, the decision was polarizing.