Now how's this for a start? As you probably already know, Shiny created the beloved Earthworm Jim series. I didn't actually own this game, but I borrowed it from a friend and played it a bit. I never finished it, but I remember it being quite fun and just a little...off. In a good way.

What can I say, it's more Earthworm Jim! I haven't played this one, but it seems to be more of the same platforming goodness that the first one had.

During the late '90s, I had sort of a resurgence of gaming desire and started to buckle down with it for the long haul. As part of that process, I purchased many gaming magazines that were released at the time and there was no shortage of advertisements for MDK. The game received solid reviews, but I really had no idea what it was about.

Flash-forward MANY years later and I finally bought the game on GOG. I tried it out and thought it was neat, but felt the controls and compatibility might present an issue for me. And so it sat in my library for many additional years. Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I installed it on a whim and took the time to iron out my control issues. I was a little concerned about the difficulty since it seems to have a bit of a reputation as being very difficult. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was just the right amount of difficulty for me and no frustration occurred. I was left with the feeling that I had waited FAR too long to finally give this game a go, and ultimately, it was my inspiration for putting together this stack!

I often refer to games that have been on my backlog for a really long time as "white whales". This is one such whale. I remember reading about this game when it was being developed and it just seemed so cool and fun! I don't remember what it was from, but I received a promo VHS (yes, VHS!) tape with gameplay footage and stuff about this game. I was pumped. Then I didn't buy it :(

I wound up buying it many years ago and while I've played it a little, I've never sat down to really try and beat it. It will happen though.

Much like Wild 9, this one is a PS1 exclusive. It really stands out to me, considering where it falls in Shiny's timeline. I mean, you have wacky stuff like Earthworm Jim and MDK, then this, then back to unusual things like Messiah and Sacrifice. Nevertheless, the game did receive some decent reviews at the time, including an 8.8 on IGN. This is one of the two Shiny games I don't actually own.

I remember the hype surrounding this one. It was plastered over just about every magazine and website at the time. And why not? Shiny was a reputable company and this seemed like an intriguing premise. You play a "baby" and possess various lifeforms to solve puzzles and survive action encounters. It's very similar to the GameCube exclusive Geist, though Messiah is in third-person.

The game received decent reviews, but it seemed like the game was a disappointment, given the hype. I've only played a little bit of the game and I couldn't get into it. It's still on my radar though and I'd love to give it a proper try.

And here we have my favorite Shiny game! I remember seeing the advertisements for this game and being utterly amazed at the graphics. I picked the game up a couple of months after its release and my amazement continued. The game was absolutely gorgeous and it ran super smooth.

The gameplay is sort of like a real-time strategy meets tug-of-war with all sorts of interesting creatures and spells. The campaign is very replayable due to the various Gods that you can choose to follow / not follow. I found the later levels turned into pure attrition as you would slowly encroach on the enemy's area, but it was always a blast to play. Challenging, but fun.

I would consider this to be one of the most underrated games of all time, much like another Interplay-published game from about the same time, Giants: Citizen Kabuto.

I was working at EB Games at the time of this game's release and boy was it hyped! We had all sorts of marketing material for this one and while it seemed to sell well enough, we sure got a lot of trade-ins on it. Pretty much all I know about the game is it takes place during the time of the sequels, but you control characters as they're doing stuff off screen. This is the second of two Shiny games I don't actually own.

As you probably gathered from my extremely vague description of Enter the Matrix, I don't really know much about it. Well, I know even less about this one. The only thing I know is it's in The Matrix universe and it involves Neo. And the only reason I know that is because of the title. I picked this one up used a long time ago and still haven't tried it out. I kept saying I'd at least try Enter the Matrix first.

Sadly, Shiny didn't go out with a bang, but rather a whimper in this widely-panned video game adaptation of a poorly received movie. I have a copy of this game for PS2, but I've never even opened it. I keep telling myself I will try it one of these days, but it's a tough sell.