If you’re reading this, then the supposed Rapture scheduled for May 21, 2011, has not ended the world as we know it. That, or it’s happening as you read this and you really should be doing something other than reading this post, like trying to live or accepting your fate.
The apocalypse has been subject matter in video games for about as long as video games has existed as a medium. I bet you can’t count the number of times you’ve saved the world, tried to save the world, or tried to survive in a world that has already been ravaged by the apocalypse. Let’s take a look at some of those games and see if these games can prepare us for the real-life Rapture…if it isn’t already too late.
Missile Command
This arcade classic is one of the first games notable I can think of to have an apocalyptic theme to it. I’m not sure who is shooting all of these missiles at the world, but they must be really mad at you if they’re not going to stop until your world has been decimated. Missile Command is still a great game to play, though there’s definitely something lost in the experience if you can’t play it with a trackball.
Lesson to Learn: Having a missile defense system is great, unless you’re fighting a foe with infinite missiles. Then you’re pretty much screwed.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
The direct sequel to the Ocarina of Time is not one I can speak intelligently about based on my personal experience. I played this game for about an hour on the day it came out and never played it again for whatever reason. In any case, in Majora’s Mask, Link has only 3 days to stop a giant (and ugly-looking) meteor from decimating Earth. If it helps any, Link does have the ability to travel back in time repeatedly until he can get everything just right.
Lesson to Learn: Bill Murray in Groundhog Day has already laid the foundation for the future saviour of Earth.
Mortal Kombat
The original Mortal Kombat trilogy tells a story about Shao Khan and the Outer Realm’s numerous attempts at taking over the Earth Realm. In Mortal Kombat 3 (and again in the new Mortal Kombat game), Shao Khan disregards the formalities of the Mortal Kombat tournament and decides to straight-up invade Earth instead.
The new Mortal Kombat has a great story mode that’s pretty fun, until you run into a boss. Their crazy damage output and hyper armor make them really annoying and not fun to fight. I guess fighting other-worldy beings in real-life wouldn’t necessarily be fun, either.
Lesson to Learn: In the event that Earth has to fight a super-powered being from another realm, stand really far away and throw projectiles at them until they die. Your fighting tactics may be judged as cheesy or cheap, but getting the win is all that matters when Earth is on the line.
Left 4 Dead
Of all the apocalypse scenarios that humans have come up with, none have been more played out over the last few years than the zombie apocalypse. I was sick of the zombie apocalypse before Left 4 Dead and even more sick of it after I was done playing it. However, during my time with Left 4 Dead, no apocalypse was cooler. Though the sequel couldn’t recapture the magic of the original for me, the first Left 4 Dead is one of my favourite games of this console generation.
Lesson to Learn: Never face the apocalypse alone. Especially one that deals with brain-eating zombies. Also, if Valve can finish two Left 4 Dead games and two Portal games before they show anything for Half Life 2: Episode 3, that game is probably not gonna get here before the apocalypse does.
In Third Person 
Its 3:40 pm in Australia on the East side right now so I guess I can say WE MADE IT JETT! WE MADE IT… so far…. I hope this day didn’t give you a scare because I know what this does to people when they take it too seriously. Why can’t religious speakers give some thought behind their words because they are clearly oblivious to human emotion and faith in their words, I would hate to offend someone by saying this but Holy Crap is this an issue to deal with.