Your top ten games and why
Just curious, you know?
1: GMod
Insanely fun when played online, regularly updated, lots of user-created content to muck around with. Truly the best $9.99 I have ever spent in my life, and that is no lie
2: Conker's Bad Fur Day
Rare's last and best N64 game and also their last truly good game (Ooh, controversial!) Despite being very crude and immature, the gameplay is solid, the graphics brilliant and the music? Well any game that has an operatic section about poo clearly can't be considered poor in the audio department
3: Majora's Mask
Took everything that made Ocarina of Time great and improved on it. The gameplay elements added by the masks, the improved graphics, the better plot, the brilliant dungeons, fun minigames. Truly great
4: Ocarina of Time
Although I think MM is the better game, nothing will beat the excitement I felt as navi zoomed across the forest in the opening cutscene, or when I first stepped onto Hyrule field and the camera panned across. Or when Epona first jumped the gorge. So many happy, happy memories.
5: Perfect Dark
Another case of taking a great game, namely Goldeneye and making it better. Better plot, graphics, great levels, cheeky sense of British humour, great guns, the list goes on. If this ever ends up on XBLA or Virtual Console I will literally be unable to whip out my credit card fast enough.
6: Resident Evil 4 (Wii edition)
Incredibly satisfying and nervewracking at the same time. Nothing beats playing this at 1am with the lights off and a pair of surround sound headphones on. Don't believe me? Try it. It puts the fear of God into you whenever a Las Plagas jumps out in this scenario.
7: Banjo Tooie
Rare's third and last foray on my list. This game was wonderful, with a cool sense of humour, huge sprawling levels and just out and out fun. It was cheeky too, very cheeky.
8: Link to the Past
The best of the "classic" Zelda games and the only one I have been able to beat (Those Zelda 1 and 2 channels on my wii's homescreen serve only to mock me
). It is a gorgeous game and the dungeon's were a wonderful mix of puzzlers and action based.
9: Secret of Mana
A fun but under-appreciated gem on the SNES. Also exceedingly pretty, it had a cool party attack system and the gameplay mechanics in general were very fun
10: Final Fantasy II/IV
I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Final Fantasy games, but I really enjoy Final Fantasy IV, it's well-written, fun to play and overall a brilliant game to use as a palate cleanser, not too quick-paced and engrossing.
You might notice most of my top-ten are from the N64, well that is because it is the first console I actually properly owned, plus it was the last console I owned where I could unabashedly come home and literally play games all night without worrying too much about homework. By the time the Gamecube came along all that had changed
1: GMod
Insanely fun when played online, regularly updated, lots of user-created content to muck around with. Truly the best $9.99 I have ever spent in my life, and that is no lie
2: Conker's Bad Fur Day
Rare's last and best N64 game and also their last truly good game (Ooh, controversial!) Despite being very crude and immature, the gameplay is solid, the graphics brilliant and the music? Well any game that has an operatic section about poo clearly can't be considered poor in the audio department
3: Majora's Mask
Took everything that made Ocarina of Time great and improved on it. The gameplay elements added by the masks, the improved graphics, the better plot, the brilliant dungeons, fun minigames. Truly great
4: Ocarina of Time
Although I think MM is the better game, nothing will beat the excitement I felt as navi zoomed across the forest in the opening cutscene, or when I first stepped onto Hyrule field and the camera panned across. Or when Epona first jumped the gorge. So many happy, happy memories.
5: Perfect Dark
Another case of taking a great game, namely Goldeneye and making it better. Better plot, graphics, great levels, cheeky sense of British humour, great guns, the list goes on. If this ever ends up on XBLA or Virtual Console I will literally be unable to whip out my credit card fast enough.
6: Resident Evil 4 (Wii edition)
Incredibly satisfying and nervewracking at the same time. Nothing beats playing this at 1am with the lights off and a pair of surround sound headphones on. Don't believe me? Try it. It puts the fear of God into you whenever a Las Plagas jumps out in this scenario.
7: Banjo Tooie
Rare's third and last foray on my list. This game was wonderful, with a cool sense of humour, huge sprawling levels and just out and out fun. It was cheeky too, very cheeky.
8: Link to the Past
The best of the "classic" Zelda games and the only one I have been able to beat (Those Zelda 1 and 2 channels on my wii's homescreen serve only to mock me
). It is a gorgeous game and the dungeon's were a wonderful mix of puzzlers and action based.9: Secret of Mana
A fun but under-appreciated gem on the SNES. Also exceedingly pretty, it had a cool party attack system and the gameplay mechanics in general were very fun
10: Final Fantasy II/IV
I'll admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Final Fantasy games, but I really enjoy Final Fantasy IV, it's well-written, fun to play and overall a brilliant game to use as a palate cleanser, not too quick-paced and engrossing.
You might notice most of my top-ten are from the N64, well that is because it is the first console I actually properly owned, plus it was the last console I owned where I could unabashedly come home and literally play games all night without worrying too much about homework. By the time the Gamecube came along all that had changed
Comments
This game sort of gave me a new perspective on video games. Before playing this game, I sort of thought as video games as a thing to do when you're bored, just as simple entertainment. This game introduced me to the complexity of video game storylines, and really got me interested in buying more in-depth games.
2. Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64)
I'm gonna have to copy Bruce and put this as my number 2, I loved this game and first played it when I was entirely too young for the mature (/immature) content. My best friends from down the street and I used to play this game ALL the time, and it brings back wonderful memories of me further corrupting my young mind. Brilliant game.
3. Super Smash Brothers Melee (GC)
First real game I ever bought for my gamecube, and it's without a doubt the game I have spent the most time playing overall. Since it's such a social game, I have so many good memories of playing this with my boyfriend or best friends and laughing and congratulating and cursing at one another while hanging out. I've owned the same copy for... 8 years now? I've played that game with soo many different friends, and had fun every time.
4. Guitar Hero (Whichever version)
My group of best friends from high school were all in orchestra with me, and we all loved to get together to play video games; this game was great for us. Even though we only ever had one controller for the first 3 games, my friend Jonathan got SO good at the game that it became more of a competition than anything else, and every time we met up it was to show off our mad skills at guitar hero. Rock Band should be counted in this group too, since that's even more wonderful; hearing my friend sing in falsetto is one of the funniest things I have ever heard in my life. Good times.
5. Majora's Mask (N64)
This was the first zelda game I ever played, even before Ocarina of Time, I remember getting the game for Christmas and thinking "Oh, okay, thank you, but I'm not really familiar with Zelda..." and then thinking it was SO hard, haha. Led me to playing Ocarina of Time, and also was part of the reason my best friends 4th-6th grade started talking to me, since their younger brother was friends with my younger brother, and when he saw me playing he was like "Oh, my brothers have that game!!" ...I still talk to them to this day, all cuz of our bond with video games.
6. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2)
I actually have no idea where to put this on my list, I actually forgot about it and then tried to put it in here whereever. I loved this game though... it's like a mixture between the Sims and Vice City. Relationships, what clothes you wear, you can work out, gain respect, win over territories, up your skill levels... WONDERFUL game. Never got to beat it because every time I've tried to play it the game file is somehow corrupted (even without cheats) and the game will crash at a certain part of the game. So sad.
7. Aladdin (SNES)
I'm pretty sure this was the first game I ever beat, but I more remember playing it ALL THE TIME, to the point where I could sit down and beat the game without losing any lives and with getting all of the secret red gems in one sitting. It was wonderful! I still have an appreciation for this game.
8. The Neverhood (PC)
It's really a shame more people didn't find out about this game, the sense of humor in it was lovely and the storyline a hoot. Also brings back good memories, since me and my friend Sarah would always try to figure out the puzzles, and be completely baffled by how bizarre the answers would be
9. The Sims (PC)
Sort of a girly game, since it's like virtual barbies (without so much storyline), but I loved it. I was a bit.. dedicated.. to the first version of the game, with a few expansion packs, and I bought The Sims 2 last May but haven't really had that much time to play it. I bought the University expansion pack, and just little things in the game remind me how hilarious it is. Like, sleeping with professors gets your GPA to go up. Hilarious? Wonderful. Nothing like running peoples' make-believe lives.
10. Bioshock
Putting this on here is kind of cheating since I never finished the game, but it's only because I've never had the system to play it on! Not a nice enough computer and no next-gen console, so I've only ever played it on other people's gaming systems. From what I've played of it so far I love it, and I doubt my opinion of it will change the farther I get into the game.
That was really hard.
You're nine short, mate...
As fantastic as the first two games were, this is the only Oddworld entry in my top 10. I give it preference because it maintains the humor of the rest of the series, and then unexpectedly morphs into a really touching story. The gameplay is phenomenal, the storyline stays fresh and interesting throughout, and I LOVE the main character.
9: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2
This game, in my opinion, ties for best storyline of all the games on this list, and this installment of the series is when the turn of events hits you the hardest. When I beat the game, I just had to stare at the screen motionless for a minute... it really took my breath away. Unfortunately, the gameplay left much to be desired, so it goes near the end of my list.
8: Harvest Moon: Back to Nature
This is one of the few golden games in my collection that I'll keep going back to again and again as I get older. There's just so much to do! The game gives you a very rewarding sense of progression and accomplishment, and it's RELAXING. I still haven't beaten it because I invariably get distracted in my 2nd year (game time), but I still love starting a new file, fixing up my farm, and beginning to build my empire.
7: Shadow of the Colossus
Talk about a game of indescribable beauty. Ambiance oozes from every corner of this game, and the colossi are fantastic puzzle bosses. In addition, this is the only game for which I've read literary criticism, and it really improved my opinion of the game. The developers did a lot to get across a myriad of subconscious reactions in this game. The only downside is that it's really short... generally about 8 hours to beat.
6: Dark Cloud 2
This is the other golden game that I will come back to again and again. Sure, the storyline is pretty weak, and yeah, the voice acting can be cheesy at times, but the large branching paths of weapon upgrades combined with tons of fun minigames and an overall relaxing atmosphere make this my video game soul food.
5: Crono Trigger
This is undoubtedly one of my favorites from the SNES era. The branching endings, the multiple optional sidequests, and the vast sprawl of landscapes and time periods certainly make this memorable for me. The combat system is slightly dated, but still fantastic. And the music! I still listen to it when I’m sitting around the house sometimes.
4: Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
This is my favorite installation of the series. The darker tone works really well, especially if you read that lengthy interpretation. The masks are really fun as completion sidequests, and morphing into a Goron and Zora are extremely fun. The crowning moment for this game, though, is the Kafei-Anju sidequest. It’s the most involved mask sidequest in the game, and the storyline is worth the effort. It still sends chills down my spine when I think of the lovers’ final scene...
3: We Heart Katamari
How can I possibly leave this out? Katamari Damacy took a huge bold step in a new direction, giving us a game no one would ever have expected to be fun, much less a huge hit. Roll around a ball and pick shit up? Sounds stupid, but in practice it’s AMAZING. The sequel, We Heart Katamari, improves on the original in almost every way. What a fantastic variety of levels and goofy dialogue!
2: Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow/Portrait of Ruin
I can’t choose between these two. Each one has features that the other lacks. If you could take both games and smoosh them together and get all the good elements of both, it very well might be the greatest game ever created. The art style and soul system of Aria of Sorrow are its primary advantages over Portrait of Ruin, while PoR has the double character mechanic that functions wonderfully, as well as more sidequests, weapons, spells, and shit to do than Aria of Sorrow. Both provide hours of exploration, followed by hours of grinding. And it never gets tedious (except for maybe Peeping Eye...)
1: Final Fantasy III/VI
I first played this when it was on the Super Nintendo, and I absolutely fell in love. The atmosphere, storyline, and characters blew me away. I recently played through it again, and I loved it... it all seemed so amazing to me. You might argue that a lot of this is just nostalgia, but I really do feel like Final Fantasy VI has moved me more than any other video game. Especially the second half of the game, the characters’ struggle to find meaning in their existence has always made me feel so sad, yet hopeful. And has there ever been a better villain? I think not. This game has been in the top spot for most of my life, and I don’t know if it’s ever going to leave.
Its PORTAL, nuff said
2. LBP (PS3)
We just rented this one, and so far it’s been really good. The motion control for moving the head/hips looks soooo weird when you just shake the controller just randomly. I like playing the game with my brother, until he starts covering me in flowers and seaweed.
3. TF2 (PS3)
The one and only online multiplayer game I have ever liked, let alone took the time to get good at. Go pyros and engineers!
4. Assassins Creed (PS3)
I loved the storyline of this one. I appreciate the easy learning curve, that’s what normally forces me to stop playing a game.
5. Spore (PC)
A fun little time waster. Creature thru Civilization stages were fun, but I got board at space age.
6. Age of Mythology (PC)
I learned to play this with cheats, but now I can’t stop using them. But I like the way this one is laid out, because the way they id it with Age of Empires just seemed silly.
7. Half Life 2 (PS3)
I love this game despite the fact I can’t get very far with out my brothers help. The immersion and storyline are great; I just wish I could learn to play it.
8. Prince of Persia (PS2)
I like this one for the same reason I like HL2 and I can get farther in the game, but I still end up having to ask for help.
9. Mario Party 3 (N64)
I played this a lot when I was younger, and I still love it. I like the fact that you can play with more than 2 people at a time, which you can’t do with most of the games above.
10. Sims 2 (PS3)
I’d be much happier if I didn’t have this on my top ten, but it’s just so addicting!
EDIT: Wow, mine are so short compared to everyone else...
The first tactical RPG I had played, later got me into Final Fantasy Tactics Advance and Fire Emblem. It had a great battle system, non-linear plot, and an insanely difficult final boss. I feel like I definitely spent at least 40 hours on this, a pretty decent amount of time for a handheld RPG.
9. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (GC, PS2, Xbox)
A very short game, but it feels much longer than it is. The combination of puzzle solving, platforming, and combat, all done with that acrobatic talent that The Prince possessed, combined with the unique storytelling style and time-controlling abilities made it a wonderful game.
8. Super Double Dragon (SNES)
Co-op games were pretty much the one thing me and my sister could play together when when were little without getting into a fight. I loved the music and environments, and of course the fighting. I only ever beat this game once, when a glitch or an accidental code or something resulted in 99 lives.
7. Harvest Moon 64 (N64)
I always wondered how they were able to make a fun game out of farming. Raising animals, getting all of the house expansions, mining in the winter, getting little trinkets from sidequests, and of course, getting one of the five girls to marry you. I always went for Karen.
6. Kirby Super Star (SNES
Another co-op. This game had 5 or 6 games in it, and some were easy (Spring Breeze), while others we could not beat for so long (Great Cave Offensive). None were quite as good as Double Dragon, but together, it was better.
5. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (SNES)
The first video game I ever played, up at my cousins house in Vermont when I was five. That Christmas, I got an SNES and some games, this being one. Since I was so little, almost every session would end with me in a rage at my brother for beating me so mercilessly, a practice he continued when we got an N64 and Smash Bros. But really, that’s how I was able to get good at them.
4. Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening (GB)
The first Zelda game I ever played, and my personal favorite of the series. Originally, I played my brothers copy, and I remember being so careful with it, spending hours exploring the island of Koholint. I never even beat it until pretty recently, when I got my own copy.
3. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
I didn’t even get this until my last birthday (February), and barely played it until I quit WoW in August, but I guess this means I can look at it without wondering if its all nostalgia like a few other forumites have mentioned. Like every good RPG, the main draw was the story, and I loved the multiple endings. Also, when it comes to long haired Goths as RPG villains, Magus>Sephiroth.
2. Super Smash Bros (All) (N64, GC, Wii)
I’ve spent so many hours playing this; solo, with my siblings, friends, and a few people that I barely knew. Even if they aren’t really good at it, almost anyone seems to be able to have fun playing these games. I added them all together because they would have just occupied the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spots for all identical reasons.
1. Tales of Symphonia (GC)
Despite having so many clichés and some mediocre voice acting at a few points, I love this game. The real time battle system not only made the battles interesting, but a test of skill instead of a test of patience, and the story drew me in deeper than most movies or shows ever managed to. My first time through, it took me 46 hours to beat, without doing any sidequests, and I spent over 60 hours when I beat it just recently, completing all of the sidequests except for gaining all character titles and all item/monster data. I also just beat it’s recently released and not quite as good sequel a few hours ago.
1. EarthBound (SNES): This game is too awesome. Funny dialogue, a great ending, cool graphics style (I think so, anyway...), hilarious enemies, and above all my favorite video game soundtrack ever. The game has an incredibly dedicated fanbase and a large chunk of my library is filled with their EarthBound remixes. Nintendo's ignorance of this game really only adds to its interesting appeal.
2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES): I was three years old when we got this game, and it was amazing. The level design was much more interesting than the somewhat repetitive Super Mario Bros., it had good graphics for the NES, and good music too. I liked the differently-themed worlds and multiple paths. To me, the picture of the definitive "Mario Universe" falls somewhere between this game and Super Mario World. Maybe because I used to watch this game's TV series when I got home from school every day. I considered replacing this rank with the GBA remake, because of level selectability and those awesome e-reader levels, but this one has too much nostalgia value in its original form. I think if Nintendo were to make a new version with a level editor, though, it would win.
3. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES): This game is an "epic sidescroller". Long levels, good graphics, great music, and some really interesting elements. The 3D was well-used and pretty incredible at the time. The funky art style made the game really unique. This game is my favorite portrayal of Yoshi: More personified than Super Mario World, but way less cutesy than Yoshi Story. Also he still looked rideable, which I thought was the point of Yoshi in the first place. My favorite level in the entire game was the first level of the snow world. I loved watching the snowflakes gradually pick up, first filling the background, then the foreground, and finally becoming an entire blizzard, completely obscuring vision. The graphic effects in Touch Fuzzy, Get Dizzy were amazing, too.
4. DDRMax2 (PS2): The game that got me started on DDR was actually Disney Mix for the PS1, but this is the first one I owned and had the best tracklist. It's ranked way high up because I've been addicted to the DDR series ever since I first started playing it, and I still play one of my games almost every day. DDR Extreme for the PS2, my second favorite, almost broke the top ten as well. DDRMax2 was unique among most of the PS2 versions in have no songs that I really didn't want to play. You could pick something at random and I'd be happy to do it. The newer versions have their outstanding songs, but they're surrounded by more and more mediocre tracks every year. This version also had a lot of the best classic DDR songs from the PS1 versions, now with better graphics and Nonstop Mode.
5. Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (DS): I debated putting Red and Blue here instead, but Diamond and Pearl just outdo them by a long shot. There are a ton of new and returning features, and lots of side-quests and things to do that have nothing to do with actually training pokemon. The 3D is used well without cluttering the screen like most 3D handheld games seem to do. There is backwards compatability with a whole ton of different games. Look, there's enough stuff to do in this game that I actually bought the other version so I could start a new file without losing all the stuff I'd accomplished on the old one. Sure, there are a lot more crappy pokemon and dumb TMs and HMs than there were back in 1997, but I'm willing to look through the muck (Muk?) and see all the improvements the series has gone through. Right now, though, it's looking like Platinum will be even better.
6. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GCN): This game improved on the N64 version in every single way possible. Great graphics (most Wii games don't look this good), more characters, stages, and modes, and cool trophies. And so much replay value. Especially when you get an Action Replay involved, you can access the debug menu and play literally almost any way you want. Brawl had more characters and better graphics, but I like the style of this game more. Specifically, I like Bowser, Yoshi, Ganondorf, and Link better in this game. And Brawl got rid of Pichu. Actually, Melee is the reason I got to like pichus in the first place, so if you think about it this game is the reason I started drawing pokemon, using them as avatars, putting them in comics, and so on and so forth. The only thing I didn't like much about Melee was the music. Everybody else loves the "epic orchestra" thing the newer Smash Bros games have going on, but I was a fan of the lighthearted party atmosphere in the N64 version. Oh, forgot to mention: This is probably the best multiplayer/party game of all time.
7. Super Mario World (SNES): Like I said above, this game combined with SMB3 pretty much form the Mario Universe in my eyes. This game also seemed to have formed a large chunk of my SNES experience, seeing as the sprites were reused in Mario Paint and Mario's Missing. Super Mario World introduced a bunch of fun new elements to the Mario sidescroller, and despite mostly being comprised of remixes of the exact same tune, had pretty good music. But I think my favorite part is the exploration and scale. Looking for all the hidden exits and paths adds a lot of fun and replay value, and there were just a TON of levels. I don't think I've seen another sidescroller with that many levels before or since, and... I think that's why I don't buy too many sidescrollers anymore. How can I justify spending thirty bucks on a game that advertises "Twenty levels in five fun worlds!" when Super Mario World was blowing that out of the water sixteen years ago?
8. Super Mario 64 (N64): 3D. It's in 3D! The N64 is my favorite console of all time. You can't tell from this list, but 11 through 20 are almost entirely N64 games. Banjo-Kazooie might've had tons of moves and content, but Mario 64 beat everybody else with its smoothness, simplicity, and fun. You didn't even have to go after stars, it was fun just jumping around and exploring the levels (and laughing at Mario's voice). This game also comes in above Rare's plaformers because you didn't have to learn new moves. If you already knew the game, you could jump right in and get the harder stars right off the bat. I haven't totally beaten Mario Galaxy yet, so I can't put it up on the list, but one thing I like about 64 over Galaxy is that 64 is more open to exploration. You can almost always select one star and grab another instead. Galaxy usually sets you on a single path depending on which star you pick at the beginning.
9. Gran Turismo 2 (PS1): When I first got it, this game blew my mind with the sheer number of cars. A lot of people like the newer Gran Turismos better, but I think this one had the right balance between fun and reality. GT3 was fun, but there were so many fewer cars, and most of them were race and sports cars! I loved Gran Turismo 2 for letting me race a station wagon or a Dodge Intrepid sedan. Gran Turismo 4 brought a lot of the 'common' cars back, but the game was, well... work. Particularly license tests. GT2 had short license tests, and instant-gratification prize cars after nearly every race! And the fact that every race had a different horsepower limit meant I could keep my junkers around and still use them, whereas Gran Turismo 4 eventually forced you to use insane supercars after awhile. GT2 also had Racing Modifications and a pretty good soundtrack. If they remade this game with GT4's level of graphics, it would surely be a few spaces higher on the list. The other unique feature I liked was that Arcade and Simulation Mode were each on separate discs. I could bring Arcade to my friend's house so we could race, while my brother stayed home with the Simulation disc and worked on his career mode.
10. Goldeneye 007 (N64): This is the only shooter game I've ever really enjoyed. The N64 controller was perfect for it, in my opinion. Multiplayer was fun, single player was fun. I liked the way the difficulties were set up, where you could switch to a lower difficulty if you needed to of work your way through on the hardest. Rare's knack for cheat options added a ton of replay value. Me and my brothers created so many little minigames and new ways of playing the levels, and we even had names for every soldier face that would show up. I may have spent way too much time playing this game, but I'd totally do it again. I don't care what people say about "not aging well", this game's a classic.
Honorable Mention: Graffiti Kingdom (PS2): This was actually #14 on my list, but I wanted to give a shout out to this little-known, terribly translated budget title. It was a bit too short and there weren't nearly enough multiplayer levels, but this game had one of the coolest character creation tools I've ever used. Basically, you'd just draw a picture of your character, and the game would make it so. In 3D. It worked surprisingly well. You could make animals, cars, robots, or just about anything. If you were really dedicated, or Japanese, you could make some insane characters. But like I said, the game was way too short and had far too few features to do the system justice. I just wanna see a new, better version someday.
You should know why this is number one.
2. Freespace 2
This is the definitive space combat sim. Even though it came out in 1997, the graphics still more or less hold up today. The controls are very tight, and I don't even have any issues just using the keyboard for everything. The game also portrays scale amazingly well. There are capital ships well over 100x bigger than you, which fire laser beams that are wider than your ship. You really feel like you're part of a much bigger fight all the time. The story is also long and immersive. (54 missions. All with voice acting and cg briefing.)
3. Rock Band 1/2
Guitar Hero 1 and 2 fall in this category also. I've always loved playing music, and playing video games. Put the two together and you've got one of my most played games of all time.
4. Super Smash Bros Brawl
When you get four people of roughly equal skill, this game can last all night. What's nice is that even if theres someone with less experience, they can still have fun. (Just last night a friend of mine beat all 3 of us on her first time playing the game.)
5. Team Fortress 2
There is style oozing from everywhere in this game. This is one of the best examples of how good art direction can drive a game. Its also incredibly funny, and always varied, since all 9 classes play totally differently but are all just as fun.
6. Warcraft 3
Its one of those games that, no matter how old it is, I will just keep going back to eventually. Playing LAN with my brother rarely gets old, and there's so many custom maps that there's always something new to play. Starcraft gets an honorable mention here too, but Warcraft 3 wins out because of the added freedom allowed in the map creator.
7. Company of Heroes
I think the biggest reason this game makes the list is because its one of the few games my brother can regularly beat me at, so its always a challenge. The fact that its the most immersive RTS game ever made doesn't hurt either.
8. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
Really I love all the genesis sonic games, but 2 was the first one I beat, and is largely responsible for getting me into gaming. I was obsessed with Sonic as a kid, and even today I still love him, despite Sega's best efforts.
9. Ocarina of Time
When I first started playing, I had never heard of Zelda, and was really upset when I found out you couldn't jump whenever you wanted. (This was right after Super Mario 64 for me, so I was used to leaping everywhere in a 3d game.) Soon though I realized how amazing the game was.
10. Earth 2150
Yep, another Real Time Strategy game. The very first fully 3-D one. I loved it because of the amount of customization, and the fact that you could have a huge amount of units at once and control them with some degree of responsiveness. Many an epic battle was had in this game.
Seriously, I love this freaking game. Starting the game with either Rena or Claude affects some aspects of the game, like what characters you are able to recruit. Furthermore, you get to see the story unfold through different points of view. The Private Action concept was so much fun, because it let you try to interact with your party members one on one. You could choose how to interact and respond, and this in turn would affect the endings. And, the Ten Wise Men are my favorite villains hands down. The backstory of Indalecio is fantastic.
2. Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time
Power leveler's wet dream. For like two years on the forums my little subtitle was 300% Cancel Bonus. That was from this game. The real time combat setup, the strategies you could use, and crafting your own ultimate weapons based on your play style make this game a long time favorite for me. Fayt's Ethereal Blast at 300% is the end-all attack. The End.
3. Chrono Trigger
What else needs to be said?
4. Final Fantasy Tactics
I have dumped hundreds of hours of my life into this game. This is a game that I love leveling up in. There is always so much to do, and everybody plays the game a little differently. I can still remember the first time I discovered the 100 Brave and Blade Grasp combo.
5. Final Fantasy VI
Kefka is one of the best villains out there, and he always has been and always will be better than Sephiroth. Sephiroth was an insecure pretty boy who wanted to destroy the world so he could become a god. Kefka wanted to destroy the world just because he fucking could. Fanboyism aside, the game's unclear focus on one single main character gave the game a unique feel to it, and I personally think the character theme songs here are among the best. Relm's is so beautiful I can almost cry.
6. Pokemon (all main Game Boy/DS versions)
When I think back at the probably thousands of hours I have spent on this game ever since Red/Blue, I think about how much more accomplished I could be in my life. I could have spent that time to learn another language or three, gotten fit and buff to have sex with lots of beautiful women and catch lots of exotic diseases, or discovered a cure for cancer and AIDS. Nevertheless, if I had to do it all over again, I'd do it the exact same way twice. Anyone remember when Burger King did Pokemon promotions way back for Red/Blue? I still have my Dragonite keychain, and I still use it. I've had it for at least 8 years, and it's traveled the world with me.
7. DDR (anything after Max)
Way back in the day I used to be decent. Andrew's and my best memories of freshman year of college were the big DDR parties we held in the lounges. The game changed my life. I was on the fence about bringing my DDR pad to college, but I decided to do it anyway. Because of the pad, Andrew and I met some of our closest friends, I met my first girlfriend, and I lost like 40 pounds. But then I stopped playing a few years back and gained it all back. Ah well. I used to enter local tournaments in both Indiana and Iowa, and I did decently there most of the time, but I was never good enough for the NY or Cali crowd. I still had a life. Oh, and bar huggers and modders are pussies. I beat PSMO no bar, no flatfooting once. Course, it was only a C, but I beat that fucker legit.
8. Taiko no Tatsujin (Taiko Drummaster)
I just loved playing this when I lived in Japan. I remember when Adam and I used to go to the Heiwado and play. Of course, I think we only did that twice, but that was like 100 yen, and it was a good machine. Still a good time. My host brother's wife had a PS2 and this game, but she couldn't play it when I lived there, because she just had a baby. So she gave the game to me, and I used to play in my room when I didn't want to study.
9. Breath of Fire III
This is kind of odd, but the thing I remember most about this game is the scale of the world. The game constantly expanded its borders, and when you thought you reached the end of the world, you were wrong. Then you'd be sure you reached the end, but then you would be wrong again. This happened many times. The world seemed very vast and open to me. And of course, splicing Dragon genes to form different dragon transformations is sexy as hell.
10. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
In the beginning of the game, there is a video of two rival factions in some post-apocalyptic like world getting ready to fight, because there's some odd giant egg thingie that appeared out of nowhere in the middle. All of a sudden the egg explodes into beams of light, and it transforms everyone into savage, bloodthirsty monsters. It's a real wat moment. Everyone starts devouring each other. The game progresses as rival factions try to beat each other out to reach Nirvana, which is some tangible, physical place out of the desolate Junkyard the all inhabit. At the same time, different characters approach the ethical and humanitarian dilemma of needing to transform into a monster and devour your enemies to stay sane. The game has fun Buddhist overtones as a nice change of pace, and the game is hard as fuck, so it'll keep you on your toes.
Putting together a list of 10 and ranking them is very hard, and it depends on my mood as well. Other notable games include Earthbound, Portal, Wow, Bioshock, and Diablo II. I'm sure if I sat down and thought about it harder I could come up with a lot more, but I'm going to drink instead. Toodles.
Classic! Never could get a goddamned perfect score on any of them.
9. Maniac Mansion (or any Lucasarts SCUMM game, really)(PC/NES)
I love all of their games, but Maniac Mansion holds a special place in my heart for deftly synthesizing four decades of pop culture into a single offbeat, witty, and complex environment. There was a summer where I rented this game for about 8 weeks straight, if I remember correctly.
8. Goldeneye (N64)
Oh, the hours I’ve burned with multiplayer. NO ODDJOB! Solo mode is ok. Really the only FPS I can tolerate.
7. Legend of Zelda – Link’s Awakening (GB)
I still hum the Ballad of the Wind Fish mindlessly. Lots of fun little quirks shot throughout. What is real?
6. Final Fantasy VII (PSX)
How I ache for Tifa. FUCK YOU RUBY WEAPON
5. Sim City 2000 (PC)
I think I got this for Christmas ’95 or ’96, and I was never the same. My computer with Windows 3.1 didn't have nearly enough RAM, it took literal minutes just to lay a section of road. St. Jacob, Jacobville, Jacob City, Jacobtowne, Jacobton, Jacob’s Landing, I was a narcissistic kid.
4. Earthbound (SNES)
Surprisingly original. One of the most inspired, whimsical games I’ve ever played.
3. Mega Man 2 (NES)
Great music. The last time that there wasn’t an outright, heavy handed Robot Master weapon order. (Yes, Adam, it doesn’t really matter for hardcore fuckers like you, blah blah blah)
2. Dragon Warrior IV (NES)
The best RPG of all time, hands down. Great story, great score, the Chapter system is what really does it for me. The shining jewel of the NES.
1. Legend of Zelda – Ocarina of Time (N64)
What can I say?
(N64) Zelda: Occarina/Mask
(Xbox360) Fallout 3
(N64) Bomberman Hero
(N64) Mace
(Pc/Mac) Load Runner: Mad Monk's Revenge
(N64) Super Mario 64
(Snes) Populace
(Snes) Super Mario World
(Snes) Donkey Kong Country
(Nes) Balloon fight
-California Games. This is probably on of the first games I got into. I wasn't even in school yet. I was probably about 4. It was a party game though consisting of several minigames. It'd be a couple neighbors and the younger two of my sisters and we'd sit and play it for hours. Great fun though I can tell you I was better at the game at the age of 5 than I am now. Crazy.
-Mario 3. What is there to say? I was young and this game is just that awesome that you just can't ignore it. I played many very good old NES games but this is the one I think of most when I think NES. It really defined a level of quality that didn't previously exist in my mind for games.
-Final Fantasy III/VI. Nostalgia be damned. This game is timeless. For real. If it was nostalgia the game would feel a bit tired and dated if I played it today. It doesn't. It's like some epic play in its presentation. Character theme songs, sometimes the roles are overplayed and a little corny but in a good way. Its just in a class by itself.
-7th Saga. I don't know that this needs to be in the list. It's no match for FF6 really, but I almost certainly played it more as I actually was able to own this rather than simply borrow it. Really I think maybe it's a stand-in for all the other really good SNES RPGs out there. The SNES was and I feel still is the king platform for the RPG. Lufia (I/II), Breath of Fire (I/II), Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, Earthbound, Robotrek, and several others... Just wow. If you like RPGs, then the SNES should be the first system you look to. Those games aren't about graphics and let me tell you I think the jump to 3D systems did more harm than good to the RPG genre. I've played so many SNES RPGs and the remain some of the best games I've ever played.
-Megaman X. It's Megaman. How can I not plug it? Megamn X reinvented the Megaman series, and the new mechanics totally rocked. I loved this game and still do. I think like so many other games, it really fell apart after it left the SNES, though. It lost focus of the classic megaman formula, which might well be the most solid game formula ever concocted. How many megaman games have followed that same formula exactly?
-Mechwarrior II. Hells yes. As a young boy what could be more awesome than piloting 100 tons of anthropomorphic machine equipped with freaking lasers? Simply put I couldn't think of a thing at the time. It's as simple as that.
-Diablo series. As a series I don't think anything has gripped me more than this one. It's probably the game to blame for a change from a "get to the next level" mentality to a "find the next better thingamajig" mentality. No longer was the goal to overcome an enemy or obstacle but to perfect you avatar by randomly finding the right item. So...addicting. I will spend more time building charts in excel to plan out the most perfect character build than actually playing characters. Games like this are like virtual crack for me.
-Mario Kart 64. Holy hells. I played this game a lot. I played it to death, and then back to life. And then back to death again. It got so the only person I could play it with was the one friend I always played it with. I was so good at it I'd effortlessly kick anyone else's ass at it so bad they'd never beat me. At least unless I tried to lose to them which pretty much made their victory a hollow one, so they never liked playing me. Or my other friend who was also too damn good at it.
-Unreal Tournament. This is a really sweet LAN game. Screw Counterstrike. Where's the fun when you get shot and have to sit there and wait. This game on the right settings is impossibly fast paced and gets some life in the crowds. The CPU opponents are hard enough that it's almost inhuman to be able to do well against them on the highest setting, so you can play coop with many people and still have a challenge. More than that this game really got me into modding games. Bruce brought up GMod, but you know what? Been there. Done that. Make it yourself and it'll be a ton more fun.
-Age of Empires II. I play this game sometimes. I have a sister and her husband along with me and 2 of my friends will play this at times. It's just a really well made RTS, and playing cooperatively with other people is extremely satisfying. We got a bit too good at it though and can always beat the hardest computers.
Well I'll stop there. I could name more but I have ten entries now.
I mean, seriously, how can this not be your number one? I got the original Smash Bros and had my first all-nighter alone (All-Nighters are better with friends) unlocking everyone. Melee has everything the original lacked, and despite the fact I have brawl, I love taking melee out and playing it, for I loved Young Link. I also heard somewhere that there might be a fourth smash bros for the DS. http://art3.server05.sheezyart.com/image/165/1651197.jpg. I also heard they might release expansion Brawl packs over the shop channel.
2: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
This could be my number one, but it only supported one player. A big turn off when you live in a neighborhood when many of your friends are a bike ride away. I don't like FPS games, but in my opinion, this game actually made FPS games great because it invented Z-targeting.
3: Super Mario 64
Absolutely beautiful 3D game. Has led to two sequels, but none could outpace the first. Hands down one of the best games of all time. Set a standard that all 3D games now have to live up to, as many of these 3D games rip off the camera system made famous by tis game.
4: Pokemon Diamond/Pearl
Pokemon is one of the best RPGs of all time. It loses appeal due to the hideous mass marketing, but they are finally adding complex strategy and appeal. Emerald originally added the complex strategy portion with the Battle frontier area, but these two games perfected it. http://prcomics.pennyracers.frih.net/003.shtml
5: The Mario Kart Console games (except SNES version)
I am absolutly obsessed with Mario Kart. My one big dislike, as I've stated before in other posts, is that I hated the coin system. Nintendo however, just seems to fail at bringing back the truly good historical tracks in the new mario Karts. The Blooper item is always a letdown.
6: Mario Partys 1, 2, and 3: I don't like many of the new Mario Party games, but the first three are my favorite classics. If I had to pick one, the first one would be it. It was a new idea for Nntendo, who teamed up with Hudson for the series. Surprisingly, I think that on the broken star level, Bowser Jr. was first introduced, as you had to beat him in various activities to claim stars. Classic maps are the highlights of the first three, and they should bring back classic maps on new mario Parties.
7:Super Mario Sunshine: Unlike Galaxy in that it is actually hard, Sunshine was the reason I first bought my Gamecube. Despite being a sequel to Super Mario 64, it has many differences, and is not simply a revamped version of the original. FLUDD's dialogue doubled the humourousness of the game.
8: Star Fox Command
The only truly good Star Fox game, in my opinion. The dogfighting leaves almost nothing to be desired, and the game actually lasts pretty long. The nice diversity of crafts and playable characters (Go Panther Caruso!) add to the gameplay experience, along with a new and complicated addition of marriage in the Star Fox storyline.
9: Mario Strikers Series
Bought the first one during the world cup in 2006. I play goalie in real life, but there is just something about the no rules version of soccer that I truly enjoy. My friends who have never played soccer regretabbly first learned how to play from this game. I had to show them Tunisia vs. Turkey to show them that soccer doesn't allow people to do head on tackles. My friend's commentary on a real game after playing strikers was hilarious!
10: Rollercoaster Tycoon 1 & 2
I love these two games. It was srprisingly simple to pick up and play, but could last forever in terms of perfecting the coasters. I often lean towards wooden roller coasters. The third one just seems to abandon verything good about the series.
Honorable Mentions: Pokemon emerald/Ruby/Sapphire, Kirby Air Ride, LoZ: Majora's Mask (For some reason, I just didn't like it as much as the Ocarina of time.) Sim City Series, Mario Baseball Series, and Starcraft
Worst Video Game I've ever played: Glover for N64. It seemed like a total rip off of every good 1-Player 3D N64 adventure game.
Seems like It would be cool......However I think Nintendo would be able to spell "Wherever" Correctly.
:takethat:
That may have been a little too 'wrighty', I apologize
Yeah, you're right. Actually, taking a closer look at the picture, many of the fight screenshots appear to be images from other Smash Bros. Games, specifically the character select screen in the middle.
1. Brawl is an Ryan party game but not much else, so for someone like me who has friends over once a week at most it could easily be just off the list.
2. Cool people don't use Z-targeting.
3. Well, Gauntlet invented the player controlled camera.
8. I'm inclined to say "Best star fox" would be a tie between Assault and Command. Funwise (I'm making words up) they're about the same.
That said, Glover sucks.
Edit: And the orange box should be considered a bundle, no?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glover_(video_game)
Read about the travesty to video gaming Glover was here.
Edit: Gauntlet invented the 3D camera, but Super Mario 64 showed it to everyone by showing how it can be applied to make games such as itself amazingly better.
Damned kids.
Also, did the SSB:B screenshots, the typo, the dodgy font on the ESRB rating, the fact that it has an ESRB rating it all and no one else had heard of it, etc. not give away the fact that it was fake?
You run up to it, throw the boomerang at the right angle and run away. With any luck it will swing right into it. I'm not gonna lie, its hard. But not as hard as going through the game with three hearts.
Star Ocean 2 - The crafting and skill system was fantastic. Quoth the Ashton, "AH! The Almighty Tri-Ass!"
Shadow of the Colossus - Stunningly beautiful, yet sad. It had the ability to somehow be both massive and short.
World of Warcraft - Even though I no longer play, I'll always have the memories to raiding Molten Core and Blackwing Lair. I was an obsessive key-master, and was often called upon simply because I was one of the few people on the server who had the Seal of Ascension. This was all pre-Burning Crusade, mind you.
Phantasy Star IV - The End of the Millennium! Wherein the guardians of the Algol star system take the fight to the profound darkness, and end the evil that has been haunting them for 4000 years. Like Shadow of the Colossus, funny and epic. Every Phantasy Star after this game is not cannon.
Ocarina of Time - You've all mentioned enough about it.
Half Life 2 - One weekend I decided to download all the half life games and play through them; I had never touched one before. The sharp contrast between HL1 and HL2 was amazing. I ended HL1 with the G-man in my face, and started HL2 in the same manner, except this time the game was fantastically gorgeous. PHYSICS ENGINE!
Aquaria - Shows what a talented artist and xenophobic programmer can do when they put their minds to it. I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It was beautiful.
Ms. Pac-Man - The gameplay of Pac-Man with cutscenes! Plus she had a bow.
Starcraft - zerg rush, kekekeke. I'm not the best at this game. I'll admit that. I don't mind, but before I went to basic training my friends and I played it for a week straight. I had never played before that, and the only time since when I fired it up was when I was deployed to ############## for a month. I was on night shift and this game really got me and my coworkers through the 12 hours.
This list wasn't in any particular order.