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Greatest (or your favourite) Video Game of all time!
- Thread starter Ninja-persian
- Start date
_Tonks_
Guest
Resident Evil 4 because It taught me that even if you don't know how to speak a language, as long as you yell stuff that sounds like it, you're pretty much speaking it.
_Tonks_
Guest
I absolutely hate it when people say Dark Souls sucks because it lacks plot.
Cumquat
Banned deucer.
Except that it does suck. It uses its "difficulty" as an excuse for not having anything else of substance, and I'd hesitate to call its slipshod narrative progression even a "story" let alone a coherent plot.
_Tonks_
Guest
So you're saying it revolutionizing the way RPG games work is meaningless? No game prior to Dark Souls has functioned the same way. You realize there are Side quest to do in Dark Souls? Most people get over 200 hours on a character before even finishing all there is to do. Not to mention It's Lore. People have made hour long videos and hundred page videos talking about individual points in the lore. Every Character has their own past, present, and future, Every Item, place, Weapon, Enemy, they all have a purpose in the world.
Cumquat
Banned deucer.
I can tell you're smitten by this game but honestly the lore is an afterthought, fanfic-tier at best. I've played ever Souls game since Demon's Souls and they seem to be relying more and more on grim-dark "backstory" than any actual central plot. Sure, there are side quests, but those are inconsequential and don't add up to any main plot progression. They're little vignettes. You'd think if they put so much effort into backstories and sidestories they could've put at least some effort into the main story - but nah, the budget must've been too restricting.
_Tonks_
Guest
It wasn't a big budget game. It wasn't about the plot, the plot's all there in the lore. It's about Player Development and making you feel like you've achieved something. I can understand your point of view, It's a game that requires you to dump 200+ hours into and pretty much dedicate yourself to, lol. But in my opinion it's totally worth it.
Burnout 3: Takedown
The first time I ever played Burnout 3 I ended up playing for around 5 hours straight. The game more or less leaves you in a trance since one slight interruption can cause you to crash spectacularly and you need absolute focus. An excellent racing game.
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back
Crash 1 was a bit too unrefined, and Crash 3 has a bit too many non-platforming levels, but Crash 2 strikes an excellent balance with good level design and has plenty of obscure secrets to find (although it is much easier than Crash 1 and some of the backtracking is a bit frustrating).
Crash Team Racing
To this day I don't think CTR has ever been topped in the kart racing genre (MK64 certainly didn't do it back in the day). The mechanics are just so much more enjoyable than Mario Kart's (special mention goes to the powerslide system) and the unlockable characters/tracks/other bonus goodies give it good replayability. It might be a shameless rip-off of Mario Kart but it outdoes it in basically every way.
Dota 2
I played League of Legends for about a year and a half before I gave it up for this game. I really enjoy the mechanics and depth this game has in comparison, and the characterisation, writing and vocal performances all of the heroes have is terrific. Game modes like Ability Draft are a lot of fun and the inevitable custom map support in the future will give the game a theoretically infinite lifespan, although the base game is excellent as is.
Earthbound
I don't normally like JRPGs but Earthbound sticks out to me due to its absolute mastery of tone. The game goes from a funny, goofy parody of America and JRPGs as a whole to a genuinely creepy cosmic horror story. Features such as the instant kill on weaker enemies really do help the gameplay out as well, and the soundtrack is wonderful.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
San Andreas is a whole heap of fucking around in a huge world, which is something I really enjoy (special mention goes to Just Cause 2 and the multiplayer mod). It might look very ugly by today's standards (shit, it looked ugly back then) but San Andreas is still very explorable. CJ is a very likable main character and the soundtrack is excellent (although Vice City has an arguably better soundtrack due to having the best of the 80's at its disposal).
Pokémon Crystal / HeartGold / SoulSilver
These three games are excellent due to Johto being a very fun place to travel around. They're certainly flawed games (the level curve is horrendous and Kanto is very bare, even though HGSS does fix this a bit) but they have an excellent amount of content (especially HGSS, which is bursting at the seams with stuff to do) and they're always good for a nostalgia run.
Team Fortress 2
I run #tf2 (which is a League of Legends/Dota/video games/complaining about Australian right-wing politics channel these days) so this had to pop up on this list. I honestly haven't played it for a while and it's a shame that the focus slowly moved onto cosmetics (although things do look a little more promising in the future) but the game is still extremely refreshing compared to the mass of modern military FPS games that came out a few years back.
Really tough question, but if I had to choose, I'd go with either Metroid Prime 2 or Borderlands.
Lol, Dark souls does not suck, it is deep, drenched in atmosphere, with a great combat and level up system, the storytelling is great aswell, the setpieces tell the story.
For me, I don't think anything will ever come close to the Tales series, Tales of Symphonia in particular. I've never gotten so enthralled in a game before, I got invested in the characters, the puzzles were hard, the fighting was phenomenal and is still the best battle platform of any RPG imo, and there's so many secrets and sidequests but still possible to 100% it though it requires multiple playthroughs (which are totally worth it). Me and my brother played the whole game through (like seriously 60 hours worth) and then had to go right back through it immediately afterwards buying shit with our Grade we accumulated, it was that good.
In the other genres I play:
Fighting - Super Smash Bros. Melee (and 64, not Brawl though :/) is definitely another top one and another one me and my brother have played nearly to death. Just phenomenal gameplay (note: we are not competitive players though)
Adventure - nothing will have a place in my heart like the first 3 Spyro games. Great music, great platforming gameplay, good graphics. I still play through it probably every other year.
Racing - Crash Team Racing (CTR) is hands down the greatest racing game of all time. Mariokart64 has nothing on it. Amazing physics, good graphics, great characters, good dynamics, great weapons. A little buggy, but still amazing.
Strategy - This could probably go under adventure, but my favorite is Pikmin 2. It's a simply beautiful game that requires you to think to beat the boss battles which is so different from most other adventure games that require you to either grind or try to muscle through with luck/skill. YuGiOh Duelist of the Roses is a really close second and is purely strategy, and has incredible depth when it comes to trying to get all the cards and the fighting board, but at the same time extremely shallow due to a short adventure mode. I've still yet to get all the cards a.a
In the other genres I play:
Fighting - Super Smash Bros. Melee (and 64, not Brawl though :/) is definitely another top one and another one me and my brother have played nearly to death. Just phenomenal gameplay (note: we are not competitive players though)
Adventure - nothing will have a place in my heart like the first 3 Spyro games. Great music, great platforming gameplay, good graphics. I still play through it probably every other year.
Racing - Crash Team Racing (CTR) is hands down the greatest racing game of all time. Mariokart64 has nothing on it. Amazing physics, good graphics, great characters, good dynamics, great weapons. A little buggy, but still amazing.
Strategy - This could probably go under adventure, but my favorite is Pikmin 2. It's a simply beautiful game that requires you to think to beat the boss battles which is so different from most other adventure games that require you to either grind or try to muscle through with luck/skill. YuGiOh Duelist of the Roses is a really close second and is purely strategy, and has incredible depth when it comes to trying to get all the cards and the fighting board, but at the same time extremely shallow due to a short adventure mode. I've still yet to get all the cards a.a
It's a toss-up between Skyrim and Super Mario Sunshine for me.
Advance Wars
Personally,my favorite game of all time would be Shadow the Hedgehog,because Shadow has always been my favorite character in the Sonic series,so I was thrilled when this came out.I am also a fan of shooter games(COD),which made this game even better.
Link's Awakening DX is my all-time favorite, followed by the Oracle series and Banjo Kazooie.
Despite the criticism it gets, Sonic '06 is fun as balls. You move super fast AND you can see more than 3ft in front of you! That's rare for a Sonic game. I love the free-roam aspect of it too. Also, while glitches and controls make it difficult to play, I thought it made things way more fun and interesting. And don't get me started on the townsfolk... "Ey!" *crazy hand gestures* - freaking hilarious. If you don't take this game too seriously, you find a lot more enjoyment in it. I really think this could've been an amazing game if it were polished more. They had the speed and free-roam parts nailed down, anyway.
Despite the criticism it gets, Sonic '06 is fun as balls. You move super fast AND you can see more than 3ft in front of you! That's rare for a Sonic game. I love the free-roam aspect of it too. Also, while glitches and controls make it difficult to play, I thought it made things way more fun and interesting. And don't get me started on the townsfolk... "Ey!" *crazy hand gestures* - freaking hilarious. If you don't take this game too seriously, you find a lot more enjoyment in it. I really think this could've been an amazing game if it were polished more. They had the speed and free-roam parts nailed down, anyway.
TheValkyries
proudly reppin' 2 superbowl wins since DEFLATEGATE
If I could like posts I would like this and unlike this about 10 times minimum to show how much I love it.
Top 15 Best Video Games
#15 Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware Edmonton 2009
Bioware proves as usual that a western RPG can be immersive without sacrificing storytelling capability. However unlike the still excellent Knights of the Old Republic, where becoming a Jedi allowed you to cut through opponents with ease, Dragon Age requires players to master a complex tactical system using three classes as opponents are often given the upper hand in fights. While this could be said about a dozen Dungeons and Dragons inspired games from the 1990s, by stepping out of the d20 system Bioware could handcraft a system that was more balanced and user friendly than ever before. They were also able to craft their own fantasy universe that felt familiar in a broad sense but could surprise you with its thought-provoking details.
#14 Chrono Trigger, Square 1995
If Chrono Trigger is the oldest game on this list, it is because the game was years ahead of its time. Many loved it for its elimination of random battles and the lengths it went to in order to convey turn based combat in a more visually provoking manner. However it was the pacing and lack of grinding that amazed me with the game. Simply by fighting each opponent you encounter, you would level up enough that each boss fight seemed to end right as the battle was turning sour for the player. This inspires a thrilling sensation during every boss fight, and I still look back at Chrono Trigger in awe and try to determine how they got their math so precise.
#13 Ape Escape, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan 1999
There are many underrated Playstation games from the years 1999-2000, slipping under the shadow of the Dreamcast. However while the Dreamcast was a graphics powerhouse, Ape Escape brought to Sony what would help knock Sega out of the console race for good. Without the success of Ape Escape, we might not have dual analog first person shooters or the great camera control we have today. Still, while this game is important it still needs to be good in its own right to make my list. What made each dual analog function of this game feel so great is the same thing that made it one of the best platformers of all time; the devil is in the details. Each monkey that you must capture possessed its own personality, they carried themselves in different ways and even in the earliest levels there are very creative monkeys to defeat. We didn’t need gamer score back then to want to 100% complete a game. Some games just oozed with fun content, and Ape Escape is one of the prime examples.
#12 Final Fantasy X, Square Product Development Division 1 2001
The Final Fantasy series once stood out among JRPGs for having fast and fun gameplay, while also telling immersive stories. Final Fantasy X stepped up the gameplay in a profound way by not being about how you gear your characters, but how you use each of their unique and fun roles. Final Fantasy X teaches you that sometimes you need magic, sometimes you need big strong swordsmen, sometimes you need fast ranged attacks, but it teaches you these things by assigning visual archetypes to the monsters you face. You can extrapolate these techniques and apply them to each unique boss battle. The final grace is that you aren’t screwed over if your thief isn’t in your active party when you need her; you can switch party members mid battle to take maximum advantage of this new tactical gameplay. The bosses near the end of this game are some of the most fulfilling moments in my gaming experience because they are just sweet puzzle battles.
#11 Super Smash Bros. Melee, HAL Laboratory 2001
Fighting games are my favorite genre of video game. However, they are not my favorite for what they presently are but for what they could become. They represent a man to man battle. No distractions, no tricks. This works out spectacularly for multiplayer, but we’ve never spread out of an arcade mindset and tried to tell a strong narrative. Shadow of the Colossus uses solely boss battles to tell great story, why can’t we have a fighting game equivalent? Super Smash Bros. Melee makes the list because, aside from being a most badass fighting game and great fun for four friends, it has made the most strides to include fulfilling single player content. Adventure mode was great, I loved collecting trophies and learning tidbits about Nintendo’s history, but trial mode really sets it apart by giving a fun and challenging single player mode with a decent length.
#10 Metroid Fusion, Nintendo R&D1 2002
For years I had Metroid Prime in this slot. It has a good case, being an excellent example of a 2D series jumping to 3D. It’s also in my opinion the best game to study if you want to learn how to make good boss fights. However when dabbling in the study of music, I came across one Richard Wagner. Wagner was a 19th century composer and opera director known for the Ring Cycle, often considered in music academia as the most influential artwork of all time. He also had this ideal he called Gesamtkunstwerk. Wagner felt that for a multimedia art form like opera (or video games!) that you couldn’t properly judge them by isolating just the music, the story, or the costume design. When all elements worked together in cohesion, an artwork is worth more than the sum of its parts. When stripped of its story, music, and visuals, Metroid Fusion is mechanically like any other 2D Metroid, if more linear. However the plot, inspired by the movie The Thing, pits Samus in a thrilling cat and mouse game where she is sometimes the hunter and sometimes the hunted. Video game tropes such as power up stations and door access codes are initially taught to the player only to be subverted by an intelligent and deadly foe, and this is only scratching the surface. Combine this with creepy music and surreal visuals, and you get a game that truly worth more than the sum of its parts.
#9 Deus Ex, Ion Storm 2000
Deus Ex has an exceptionally high learning curve, for that reason it wasn’t on this list for a few years. However even twelve years later, Deus Ex only becomes more increasingly relevant as more and more companies develop first person shooters with RPG elements. Unfortunately, they always feel just a little dumbed down. Ultimately Deus Ex continues to rise above its peers for its level design. Game developers know that players want games with multiple paths and choices. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a very good game with sprawling hub worlds and levels had a variety of ways to get through via air ducts. However, the levels were still linear hallways with a few branching paths as opposed to the complex science megafacilities that made the original so memorable. Games like Hitman and Dishonored will highlight really cool alternate ways to accomplish your goals, the game developers want you to know how clever they are. In Deus Ex on the other hand, the sheer variety of ways to accomplish any task let the player own that creative spark. “Can I do this in this way? Really? Awesome!” By studying what games like Deus Ex accomplish, we can make even better games in the future.
#8 The Sims 3, The Sims Studio 2009
A simulation game series that simulates (somewhat) ordinary life, it’s not a series for every type of gamer. The Sims 2 was a huge step for the series (which in spite of numerical convention had eight games at the time), ditching the isometric view and making everything much more user friendly and natural looking. If The Sims 2 didn’t make someone a fan of the games, they would probably look at The Sims 3 and think that nothing has changed. This could not be further from the truth. As a fan of the series I will readily say that the first and second games could often be chores to play. Keeping Sims happy was work, and getting them to just go to work on time felt like taking care of small children. Then you realized there were actual small children in the game. However in The Sims 3 a Sim’s happiness is not a function of their needs being met, but rather is determined by their overall quality of life. In layman’s terms, in order to have a fulfilled Sim you needed only to be a fulfilled player. Here’s the game development lesson; The Sims is a niche series and they could get away with changing very little. Instead, they took a good hard look at everything that didn’t work and tried to change them into things that do work.
#7 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo EAD 1998
Some people look back at the Playstation/Nintendo 64 generation with disdain. It had come after the Genesis/SNES, the height of 2D gaming, and before the PS2/Gamecube, in my opinion the current height of 3D gaming. However I look back and see the generation for what it was; an exciting new frontier. Each developer was racing towards 3D gaming, and everyone had a different idea for what that meant. Resident Evil and Tomb Raider used tank controls, Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot experimented with different sorts of platforming, and lots of odd games existed, like Tomba which used multiple 2D planes. The Z-Targeting System made Ocarina of Time one of the most unique adventures ever, and to this day 3D Zelda only really draws comparisons from games in its own series. That isn’t why Ocarina makes this list however. Ocarina includes the best characters in any Zelda game; the temples themselves. Beyond being associated with different elements, geographies, fantasy races, and characters, the temples also each had their own distinct soundtrack and associated melodies from the Ocarina. In music theory we learn that different types of songs are made to elicit different reactions; minuets, boleros, and nocturnes all have very different cultural connotations. I feel each temple also elicits different feelings; the forest temple feels lonely, the water temple maddening, the shadow temple frightening. I can extrapolate as far as to compare the five temples to the five stages of death. I’m certain the designers did not intend this, however when the game is layered with so much symbolism it invites all sorts of interpretation.
#6 Half Life 2, Valve Corporation 2004
Valve is another game developer that are invaluable for their ideas on game design. I’ve learned a great deal from them, and their commentaries are an asset that more developers should put into their games. What makes Half Life 2 a great game is its pacing; Valve understands that too much action can overwhelm a player, while too many puzzles will bore some. The right combination of shooting, puzzles, platforming, and story sequences make Half Life 2 one of the highest quality games ever made. Further, the series tends to teach players game concepts through a three step process; seeing the mechanic in action, allowing the player to interact, then layering the challenge rating. Valve also heavily listens to its testers, sometimes making heavy changes to ensure that a game feels absolutely right. Finally, Half Life is often well regarded for its use of story segments that don’t take control from the player. For Half Life 2 the appeal isn’t just novel, Valve employs many techniques to draw the player’s attention or to gate a player without them noticing.
#5 Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar San Diego 2010
With vast and beautiful open environments and top notch gameplay missions handed out by fascinating characters, Red Dead Redemption shares many of the same qualities that make the Grand Theft Auto series of games a critical smash. However, Red Dead begs the question; what idiot ever invented the car? Grand Theft Auto 4’s attempt at increased realism often came at the cost of player fun. With Red Dead Redemption, horses make open world gaming feel better than ever before. They handle better, you can shoot while riding them better, they even come when you call them. In spite of the downgrade in technology, revolvers and repeaters also feel much better than SMGs and assault rifles. The deadeye aiming makes you feel more like a cool gunslinger than absolute realism would have. Combine these elements with an open world sandbox multiplayer mode, and I’ve had more fun with friends than with almost any other multiplayer game.
#4 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan 2004
Hideo Kojima single handedly made popular stealth action and cinematic storytelling. The novel idea you could play through a video game and be rewarded for being less violent was complemented by solid gameplay and creative boss fights. With the fifth installment in the franchise the story was brought back to solid ground with a different setting and all new characters. To capture the feel of the new wilderness setting, many new systems were created and the development team knocked them all out of the park. I would have never thought it would be so fulfilling to capture and eat snakes, meticulously take care of my wounds, or manage camouflage in varied environments, but everything works well and goes a long way to making the setting believable. The best new sub system was CQC, a complex melee interaction system with opponents. CQC inspired me to play through the game several times using guns as little as possible.
#3 Dead Rising 2, Blue Castles Games with Capcom 2010
When pressed, people will often invoke “feelings” when saying that The Legend of Zelda series are roleplaying games. While tabletop roleplay is often associated with fantasy, that is scratching the surface. If one series of games “feels” to me like a tabletop rpg, that series is Dead Rising. See your average dungeon is not about fighting the same basic enemy before facing “the boss”. In a detailed rpg, almost every room is filled with interesting events or villains that each have their own personality and backstory. This is how I feel playing Dead Rising. I am in a big dungeon, my quest is to rescue as many people as possible, and around every inconvenient corner the dungeon master is throwing psychopaths at me to foil my best laid plans. The game doesn’t even wait for you to recover from such setbacks; time passes just like in the real world. It all leads to an immersive zombie survival game, but its not just for hardcore gamers who like difficulty. The game is also loaded with goofy weapons to craft and use, fun fighting moves to use when brawling with zombies, and tons of customizable outfits in a truly breathtaking resort city.
#2 Shadow of the Colossus, Team Ico 2005
Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most lauded art games of all time. Proponents of video game art often point to its stunning visuals, epic soundtrack, and subtle storytelling. I on the other hand am going to prove the artistic merit of its gameplay. How do you make a game with only boss battles? Two words; stamina and grip. The player is taught about the grip gauge when just dealing with simple ledges. You can only hold on to a surface for a short time before you must let go and regain your strength. This is extrapolated to the first fight against one of the game’s smaller colossus. While the titan tries to shake you off its back, you must learn when to hold on for dear life and when to catch your breath. In a tough and thrilling battle, holding the button down to grip tenses your muscles in real life. Letting go releases that tension, and the brain relaxes you because subconsciously that makes it easier to focus on a task like balancing. In this way, the player and the character sync up in terms of tension and relief. This is thrilling on the smallest colossus, so imagine being on a monster as tall as a skyscraper. Imagine being dragged underwater, or flying through the sky. Or don’t imagine it. You don’t need to, because you can play Shadow of the Colossus and live it.
#1 Resident Evil 4, Capcom Production Studio 4 2005
Shinji Mikami invented survival horror with the release of Resident Evil in 1996. Mostly an executive producer after that point with a few games of mixed reception, Mikami would return to the franchise he created in order to convince Hideki Kamiya to release Devil May Cry (the original RE4) as its own franchise. Resident Evil 4’s connection to DMC probably explains all the work that went into new controls and camera, an emphasis on weapon upgrading that rewarded level exploration, and an abundance of creative enemies to fight. What makes Resident Evil 4 unique to this day is its emphasis on tactical action. Within the first level the player is trained to reinforce the door in a small house with a bookcase. This leads to enemies trying to climb through windows, setting up ladders for alternative entrances, and sending in the chainsaw man (a “siege engine” if you will). This scene is microcosmic of how the rest of the game would play out. “Where are my enemies coming from, how can I use the environment to my advantage, how will my enemies do the same?” The cherry on top? Resident Evil 4 is mostly one big escort mission, a type of gameplay almost universally hated. However, the game handles this so well players are likely to forget this fact. In art academics, it is fallacious to refer to any work as “perfect”. However, Resident Evil 4 is so above its contemporaries that it feels that way.
Top 15 Favorite Video Games
#15 Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Team 1994
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were always meant to be the same game. They were released in the same year and their cartridges can be combined into a single game. Still, maybe it would cheating to call both games one of the best platformers ever. So instead I will say that they are certainly one of my favorites, and I always play the two together. The speed, creativity, and art style of the Sonic games are always riveting. With the amount of content in the combined cartridges, the player just feels spoiled.
#14 King’s Quest VI, Sierra Entertainment 1992
King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow was one of the most ambitious games of its era. The game had a million dollar budget back when that was unheard of. As a point and click adventure, my opinion is going to be pretty subjective based on the story. I love the voice cast, with Robby Benson of Beauty and the Beast fame, Bill Ratner, and the always excellent Tony Jay in multiple roles. Some of the settings are very memorable, like fighting a minotaur in the catacombs, or going to the underworld itself. I also enjoy creating magic spells in this game.
#13 Devil May Cry, Capcom 2001
Devil May Cry helped to cement the Playstation 2 as the dominant system of its generation. It also brought back beat em’ up games in a big way, we would see future games like Ninja Gaiden and God of War follow its formula almost to the letter. Also the game is just amazing, with a rewarding style progression system and level design that progressively gets more intense. Devil May Cry could have easily fit into my Top 15 Best Games, though it does have stiff competition from God of War, Bayonetta, and Devil May Cry 3. What I cannot deny though is that out of all those games my favorite is easily the original. The character is awesome, the banter with bosses is something sorely missing from other games, and I even love the story themes at play here. Often regarded as a joke, I truly love the scene “I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with light.”
#12 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo 1997
When every game developer was moving to 3D, Konami did not bend under pressure with the follow up to Rondo of Blood. Which is pretty fortunate, when taking their 3D attempts later into consideration. They did however revolutionize their series in a different way by borrowing the exploration and power up mechanics from the Metroid franchise, inadvertently lumping the two franchises into a single recognizable subgenre. While later handheld games like Aria of Sorrow would improve on this formula, they don’t star three of my favorite characters in the series; Richter Belmont (who I will name my firstborn son after), Maria Renard, and Alucard. The use of Dracula’s son gives a rare chance to instill pathos and empathy into the main villain. The game is also endlessly quotable, being at times cheesy and at other times thought provoking.
#11 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Square Product Development Division 4 2003
Both Tactics Advance and its predecessor have pros and cons in terms of gameplay. Advance feels a little dumbed down in areas, and the laws are a chore to deal with. However, I prefer Advance for having one of my favorite selections of fantasy races ever. I also am a staunch proponent of the story. Often compared to The Neverending Story, Advance is actually quite dark. Important plot elements include an albino girl’s inability to fit in and a boy’s depression over his single father being a drunken loser. The main character’s brother is crippled and can walk in this fantasy world, a plot point only given to you well after you have committed to restoring reality. The game does not say it out loud, but when you examine Marche closely you realize that his wish is the only one the grimoire could not have fulfilled; moving into a new town shortly after the death of his father, he only wants to go home. This is a wish he must fulfill himself, and he and his friends must all learn a lesson about escapism in the process. The original Tactics might have been an earnest attempt at following the success of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, but I guess I just have a soft spot for children’s stories that have the same amount of layers to them.
#10 Skies of Arcadia, Overworks 2000
Set sails for adventure! This RPG’s basic combat may have been a little on the repetitive side, and it was certainly easy to abuse. However, Skies of Arcadia is fondly remembered for its airship battles. These boss fights required quite a bit of tactical thinking, plus they had a cinematic flair and great music. Skies takes place in a world inspired by the works of Jules Verne. Continents float through the sky, separated by rifts of solid cloud. There are hundreds of optional discoveries to make, but the story basically takes you through every major discovery for this fictional world. The world is round, the south pole, new and exotic cultures, all discovered by the player. This is a rare example of a game that deserves a sequel, but you couldn’t really make one. Everything was covered in the original.
#9 Tomb Raider: Last Revelation, Core Design 1999
The Uncharted franchise is one of the most critically lauded of this generation. Extensive use of set pieces make the player feel like they are playing an Indiana Jones movie. However, it was the Tomb Raider games that made you feel like you were Indy himself. Criminally maligned by the gaming press at the time, Last Revelation features multiple unique traps per level and a meticulously thorough look at a great variety of Egyptian ruins. The notion that the series had changed nothing is a bold lie; Last Revelation brought more creativity to the series than the previous three games combined. It is uncaring at times, but it all serves to really put you into the shoes of a person exploring a dangerous tomb.
#8 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar North 2004
Three cities. Forests, mountains, deserts. Why does this game feel so much bigger than the Elder Scrolls series? Maybe because I was interested in every square foot of it. In between almost every mission I would find myself riding out into the countryside and taking a motorcycle up some mountain. I would find some ramp at the top, and jump my bike over it only to land in a lake below. As I spent five minutes slowly swimming out, I had time to reflect. “Why have I done this? Why have I done this for the tenth time?” And to think, in any previous GTA I might have passed the time by shooting people. Also, I love the Robin Hood story and the overwhelming amount of content here.
#7 Street Fighter Alpha 2, Capcom 1996
Maybe I am biased. Alpha 2 was not the first video game I ever played, but when I got it with a Playstation for Christmas (it had been a year or more since my parents got rid of my Genesis) it was the first time I was old enough to really put an effort into experiencing a game. You better believe I played through each character’s story and tackled even the hardest difficulty. Alpha 3 may have more characters and better balance. Third Strike might be more advanced. Street Fighter 4 might be more accessible. However, Alpha 2 will always have a place in my heart for its presentation. The levels were detailed and interesting, the music was a melodic jazz that suited each character. I will never understand why later games in the series adopted such generic music, or how they could have such uninspired backgrounds. Each character’s story ending had its own music track. Some characters got several, and they used the character’s melodies. That’s right, Alpha 2 is a fighting game that employs Leit Motifs. This is why I accept nothing but the best from the genre.
#6 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Capcom 1999
This was originally meant to be a spin-off game but changed due to contract issues. It’s funny, because most players will say that the problem with Code Veronica (the original RE3) was that it felt like a step down from Nemesis. Each Resident Evil game had a campy style that payed homage to B horror movies, with this game they went with a sort of art house horror where everything is melodramatic and taken far too seriously. I simply adore this. But what really makes the game great is its namesake. The nemesis is a single boss monster chasing you throughout the whole game, instilling a sense of fear and dread in the player every time he shows up.
#5 Metal Gear Solid, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan 1998
With Snake Eater being a better game, I still couldn’t stomach keeping Metal Gear Solid off of these lists. So I didn’t. I already gushed about the high quality of these games. However, there was also a time when Hideo Kojima wrote far more down to earth stories. Metal Gear Solid wasn’t just movie like, it surpassed many movies in terms of the emotion we could take out of it. The characters were all so great that even the villains are some of the most sympathetic characters in game history. Can true love bloom even on a battlefield? When this is over, I’ll tell you.
#4 Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, Capcom 2004
The series that puts you into the role of a defense attorney happens to be one of the most thrilling and heart pumping video game franchises of all time. The humor is amazing, the characters are loveable, and the twists are stellar. Ace Attorney Investigations would greatly improve the pacing of the series, but I still gotta say my favorite is Trials Tribulations due to one of the greatest plot twists of all time.
#3 Fate/Stay Night, Type-Moon 2004
Fate/Stay Night is a visual novel that was never brought over to America. It uses video game conventions like death and multiple paths in order to tell its story, so I don’t feel too bad about listing it. Still, if it wasn’t a visual novel it would probably be even higher. FSN is with no exaggeration my favorite story ever. It is an epic tragedy that draws influences from Don Quixote, anime, American Superhero comics, and mythical tales throughout history. All while being as layered as Ulysses and as thorough an exploration of a high concept as humanly possible. I’d go into detail but, have you read the novel? If not, I highly recommend it.
#2 Final Fantasy 7, Square Product Development Division 1 1997
We always refer to nostalgia as a pair of glasses. So why is it that just hearing Nobuo Uematsu’s musical tracks sends chills down the back of my spine? Final Fantasy has had great games more often than not. I won’t tell others which game is supposed to be their favorite, but I first played FF7 in 2000 several years after the hype. I still loved it for its materia system, which offered endless gameplay options. As an adult, I find that I look at the story in a very different way than I did as a child. Originally a quest of good vs. evil, the story has become a character piece about Cloud. Typecast as an emo “cool guy” by subsequent games, by fans and haters alike, in the original Cloud was really just a loser who gets forced to take up this huge mantle. His personality fractures under the pressure, and the game is about coming to terms with who he really is.
#1 Okami, Clover Studio 2006
Okami is not a game without problems. It loads the player with items that you don’t feel like using (but that can make the game far too easy), battle transitions take the player out of the game, and for the most comparable game to The Legend of Zelda the dungeons leave something to be desired. Having said all that, even after seven years Okami is still the best looking video game ever made (getting an HD update recently certainly doesn’t hurt either). It is proof that art style beats out graphics power any day of the week. Everything looks beautifully painted, which goes great with the fact that painting is one of the main gameplay mechanics. Steven Spielberg once said "I think the real indicator [that games have become a storytelling art form] will be when somebody confesses that they cried at level 17." I cry during the ending of Okami every time.
#15 Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware Edmonton 2009
Bioware proves as usual that a western RPG can be immersive without sacrificing storytelling capability. However unlike the still excellent Knights of the Old Republic, where becoming a Jedi allowed you to cut through opponents with ease, Dragon Age requires players to master a complex tactical system using three classes as opponents are often given the upper hand in fights. While this could be said about a dozen Dungeons and Dragons inspired games from the 1990s, by stepping out of the d20 system Bioware could handcraft a system that was more balanced and user friendly than ever before. They were also able to craft their own fantasy universe that felt familiar in a broad sense but could surprise you with its thought-provoking details.
#14 Chrono Trigger, Square 1995
If Chrono Trigger is the oldest game on this list, it is because the game was years ahead of its time. Many loved it for its elimination of random battles and the lengths it went to in order to convey turn based combat in a more visually provoking manner. However it was the pacing and lack of grinding that amazed me with the game. Simply by fighting each opponent you encounter, you would level up enough that each boss fight seemed to end right as the battle was turning sour for the player. This inspires a thrilling sensation during every boss fight, and I still look back at Chrono Trigger in awe and try to determine how they got their math so precise.
#13 Ape Escape, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan 1999
There are many underrated Playstation games from the years 1999-2000, slipping under the shadow of the Dreamcast. However while the Dreamcast was a graphics powerhouse, Ape Escape brought to Sony what would help knock Sega out of the console race for good. Without the success of Ape Escape, we might not have dual analog first person shooters or the great camera control we have today. Still, while this game is important it still needs to be good in its own right to make my list. What made each dual analog function of this game feel so great is the same thing that made it one of the best platformers of all time; the devil is in the details. Each monkey that you must capture possessed its own personality, they carried themselves in different ways and even in the earliest levels there are very creative monkeys to defeat. We didn’t need gamer score back then to want to 100% complete a game. Some games just oozed with fun content, and Ape Escape is one of the prime examples.
#12 Final Fantasy X, Square Product Development Division 1 2001
The Final Fantasy series once stood out among JRPGs for having fast and fun gameplay, while also telling immersive stories. Final Fantasy X stepped up the gameplay in a profound way by not being about how you gear your characters, but how you use each of their unique and fun roles. Final Fantasy X teaches you that sometimes you need magic, sometimes you need big strong swordsmen, sometimes you need fast ranged attacks, but it teaches you these things by assigning visual archetypes to the monsters you face. You can extrapolate these techniques and apply them to each unique boss battle. The final grace is that you aren’t screwed over if your thief isn’t in your active party when you need her; you can switch party members mid battle to take maximum advantage of this new tactical gameplay. The bosses near the end of this game are some of the most fulfilling moments in my gaming experience because they are just sweet puzzle battles.
#11 Super Smash Bros. Melee, HAL Laboratory 2001
Fighting games are my favorite genre of video game. However, they are not my favorite for what they presently are but for what they could become. They represent a man to man battle. No distractions, no tricks. This works out spectacularly for multiplayer, but we’ve never spread out of an arcade mindset and tried to tell a strong narrative. Shadow of the Colossus uses solely boss battles to tell great story, why can’t we have a fighting game equivalent? Super Smash Bros. Melee makes the list because, aside from being a most badass fighting game and great fun for four friends, it has made the most strides to include fulfilling single player content. Adventure mode was great, I loved collecting trophies and learning tidbits about Nintendo’s history, but trial mode really sets it apart by giving a fun and challenging single player mode with a decent length.
#10 Metroid Fusion, Nintendo R&D1 2002
For years I had Metroid Prime in this slot. It has a good case, being an excellent example of a 2D series jumping to 3D. It’s also in my opinion the best game to study if you want to learn how to make good boss fights. However when dabbling in the study of music, I came across one Richard Wagner. Wagner was a 19th century composer and opera director known for the Ring Cycle, often considered in music academia as the most influential artwork of all time. He also had this ideal he called Gesamtkunstwerk. Wagner felt that for a multimedia art form like opera (or video games!) that you couldn’t properly judge them by isolating just the music, the story, or the costume design. When all elements worked together in cohesion, an artwork is worth more than the sum of its parts. When stripped of its story, music, and visuals, Metroid Fusion is mechanically like any other 2D Metroid, if more linear. However the plot, inspired by the movie The Thing, pits Samus in a thrilling cat and mouse game where she is sometimes the hunter and sometimes the hunted. Video game tropes such as power up stations and door access codes are initially taught to the player only to be subverted by an intelligent and deadly foe, and this is only scratching the surface. Combine this with creepy music and surreal visuals, and you get a game that truly worth more than the sum of its parts.
#9 Deus Ex, Ion Storm 2000
Deus Ex has an exceptionally high learning curve, for that reason it wasn’t on this list for a few years. However even twelve years later, Deus Ex only becomes more increasingly relevant as more and more companies develop first person shooters with RPG elements. Unfortunately, they always feel just a little dumbed down. Ultimately Deus Ex continues to rise above its peers for its level design. Game developers know that players want games with multiple paths and choices. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was a very good game with sprawling hub worlds and levels had a variety of ways to get through via air ducts. However, the levels were still linear hallways with a few branching paths as opposed to the complex science megafacilities that made the original so memorable. Games like Hitman and Dishonored will highlight really cool alternate ways to accomplish your goals, the game developers want you to know how clever they are. In Deus Ex on the other hand, the sheer variety of ways to accomplish any task let the player own that creative spark. “Can I do this in this way? Really? Awesome!” By studying what games like Deus Ex accomplish, we can make even better games in the future.
#8 The Sims 3, The Sims Studio 2009
A simulation game series that simulates (somewhat) ordinary life, it’s not a series for every type of gamer. The Sims 2 was a huge step for the series (which in spite of numerical convention had eight games at the time), ditching the isometric view and making everything much more user friendly and natural looking. If The Sims 2 didn’t make someone a fan of the games, they would probably look at The Sims 3 and think that nothing has changed. This could not be further from the truth. As a fan of the series I will readily say that the first and second games could often be chores to play. Keeping Sims happy was work, and getting them to just go to work on time felt like taking care of small children. Then you realized there were actual small children in the game. However in The Sims 3 a Sim’s happiness is not a function of their needs being met, but rather is determined by their overall quality of life. In layman’s terms, in order to have a fulfilled Sim you needed only to be a fulfilled player. Here’s the game development lesson; The Sims is a niche series and they could get away with changing very little. Instead, they took a good hard look at everything that didn’t work and tried to change them into things that do work.
#7 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo EAD 1998
Some people look back at the Playstation/Nintendo 64 generation with disdain. It had come after the Genesis/SNES, the height of 2D gaming, and before the PS2/Gamecube, in my opinion the current height of 3D gaming. However I look back and see the generation for what it was; an exciting new frontier. Each developer was racing towards 3D gaming, and everyone had a different idea for what that meant. Resident Evil and Tomb Raider used tank controls, Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot experimented with different sorts of platforming, and lots of odd games existed, like Tomba which used multiple 2D planes. The Z-Targeting System made Ocarina of Time one of the most unique adventures ever, and to this day 3D Zelda only really draws comparisons from games in its own series. That isn’t why Ocarina makes this list however. Ocarina includes the best characters in any Zelda game; the temples themselves. Beyond being associated with different elements, geographies, fantasy races, and characters, the temples also each had their own distinct soundtrack and associated melodies from the Ocarina. In music theory we learn that different types of songs are made to elicit different reactions; minuets, boleros, and nocturnes all have very different cultural connotations. I feel each temple also elicits different feelings; the forest temple feels lonely, the water temple maddening, the shadow temple frightening. I can extrapolate as far as to compare the five temples to the five stages of death. I’m certain the designers did not intend this, however when the game is layered with so much symbolism it invites all sorts of interpretation.
#6 Half Life 2, Valve Corporation 2004
Valve is another game developer that are invaluable for their ideas on game design. I’ve learned a great deal from them, and their commentaries are an asset that more developers should put into their games. What makes Half Life 2 a great game is its pacing; Valve understands that too much action can overwhelm a player, while too many puzzles will bore some. The right combination of shooting, puzzles, platforming, and story sequences make Half Life 2 one of the highest quality games ever made. Further, the series tends to teach players game concepts through a three step process; seeing the mechanic in action, allowing the player to interact, then layering the challenge rating. Valve also heavily listens to its testers, sometimes making heavy changes to ensure that a game feels absolutely right. Finally, Half Life is often well regarded for its use of story segments that don’t take control from the player. For Half Life 2 the appeal isn’t just novel, Valve employs many techniques to draw the player’s attention or to gate a player without them noticing.
#5 Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar San Diego 2010
With vast and beautiful open environments and top notch gameplay missions handed out by fascinating characters, Red Dead Redemption shares many of the same qualities that make the Grand Theft Auto series of games a critical smash. However, Red Dead begs the question; what idiot ever invented the car? Grand Theft Auto 4’s attempt at increased realism often came at the cost of player fun. With Red Dead Redemption, horses make open world gaming feel better than ever before. They handle better, you can shoot while riding them better, they even come when you call them. In spite of the downgrade in technology, revolvers and repeaters also feel much better than SMGs and assault rifles. The deadeye aiming makes you feel more like a cool gunslinger than absolute realism would have. Combine these elements with an open world sandbox multiplayer mode, and I’ve had more fun with friends than with almost any other multiplayer game.
#4 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan 2004
Hideo Kojima single handedly made popular stealth action and cinematic storytelling. The novel idea you could play through a video game and be rewarded for being less violent was complemented by solid gameplay and creative boss fights. With the fifth installment in the franchise the story was brought back to solid ground with a different setting and all new characters. To capture the feel of the new wilderness setting, many new systems were created and the development team knocked them all out of the park. I would have never thought it would be so fulfilling to capture and eat snakes, meticulously take care of my wounds, or manage camouflage in varied environments, but everything works well and goes a long way to making the setting believable. The best new sub system was CQC, a complex melee interaction system with opponents. CQC inspired me to play through the game several times using guns as little as possible.
#3 Dead Rising 2, Blue Castles Games with Capcom 2010
When pressed, people will often invoke “feelings” when saying that The Legend of Zelda series are roleplaying games. While tabletop roleplay is often associated with fantasy, that is scratching the surface. If one series of games “feels” to me like a tabletop rpg, that series is Dead Rising. See your average dungeon is not about fighting the same basic enemy before facing “the boss”. In a detailed rpg, almost every room is filled with interesting events or villains that each have their own personality and backstory. This is how I feel playing Dead Rising. I am in a big dungeon, my quest is to rescue as many people as possible, and around every inconvenient corner the dungeon master is throwing psychopaths at me to foil my best laid plans. The game doesn’t even wait for you to recover from such setbacks; time passes just like in the real world. It all leads to an immersive zombie survival game, but its not just for hardcore gamers who like difficulty. The game is also loaded with goofy weapons to craft and use, fun fighting moves to use when brawling with zombies, and tons of customizable outfits in a truly breathtaking resort city.
#2 Shadow of the Colossus, Team Ico 2005
Shadow of the Colossus is one of the most lauded art games of all time. Proponents of video game art often point to its stunning visuals, epic soundtrack, and subtle storytelling. I on the other hand am going to prove the artistic merit of its gameplay. How do you make a game with only boss battles? Two words; stamina and grip. The player is taught about the grip gauge when just dealing with simple ledges. You can only hold on to a surface for a short time before you must let go and regain your strength. This is extrapolated to the first fight against one of the game’s smaller colossus. While the titan tries to shake you off its back, you must learn when to hold on for dear life and when to catch your breath. In a tough and thrilling battle, holding the button down to grip tenses your muscles in real life. Letting go releases that tension, and the brain relaxes you because subconsciously that makes it easier to focus on a task like balancing. In this way, the player and the character sync up in terms of tension and relief. This is thrilling on the smallest colossus, so imagine being on a monster as tall as a skyscraper. Imagine being dragged underwater, or flying through the sky. Or don’t imagine it. You don’t need to, because you can play Shadow of the Colossus and live it.
#1 Resident Evil 4, Capcom Production Studio 4 2005
Shinji Mikami invented survival horror with the release of Resident Evil in 1996. Mostly an executive producer after that point with a few games of mixed reception, Mikami would return to the franchise he created in order to convince Hideki Kamiya to release Devil May Cry (the original RE4) as its own franchise. Resident Evil 4’s connection to DMC probably explains all the work that went into new controls and camera, an emphasis on weapon upgrading that rewarded level exploration, and an abundance of creative enemies to fight. What makes Resident Evil 4 unique to this day is its emphasis on tactical action. Within the first level the player is trained to reinforce the door in a small house with a bookcase. This leads to enemies trying to climb through windows, setting up ladders for alternative entrances, and sending in the chainsaw man (a “siege engine” if you will). This scene is microcosmic of how the rest of the game would play out. “Where are my enemies coming from, how can I use the environment to my advantage, how will my enemies do the same?” The cherry on top? Resident Evil 4 is mostly one big escort mission, a type of gameplay almost universally hated. However, the game handles this so well players are likely to forget this fact. In art academics, it is fallacious to refer to any work as “perfect”. However, Resident Evil 4 is so above its contemporaries that it feels that way.
Top 15 Favorite Video Games
#15 Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Team 1994
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were always meant to be the same game. They were released in the same year and their cartridges can be combined into a single game. Still, maybe it would cheating to call both games one of the best platformers ever. So instead I will say that they are certainly one of my favorites, and I always play the two together. The speed, creativity, and art style of the Sonic games are always riveting. With the amount of content in the combined cartridges, the player just feels spoiled.
#14 King’s Quest VI, Sierra Entertainment 1992
King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow was one of the most ambitious games of its era. The game had a million dollar budget back when that was unheard of. As a point and click adventure, my opinion is going to be pretty subjective based on the story. I love the voice cast, with Robby Benson of Beauty and the Beast fame, Bill Ratner, and the always excellent Tony Jay in multiple roles. Some of the settings are very memorable, like fighting a minotaur in the catacombs, or going to the underworld itself. I also enjoy creating magic spells in this game.
#13 Devil May Cry, Capcom 2001
Devil May Cry helped to cement the Playstation 2 as the dominant system of its generation. It also brought back beat em’ up games in a big way, we would see future games like Ninja Gaiden and God of War follow its formula almost to the letter. Also the game is just amazing, with a rewarding style progression system and level design that progressively gets more intense. Devil May Cry could have easily fit into my Top 15 Best Games, though it does have stiff competition from God of War, Bayonetta, and Devil May Cry 3. What I cannot deny though is that out of all those games my favorite is easily the original. The character is awesome, the banter with bosses is something sorely missing from other games, and I even love the story themes at play here. Often regarded as a joke, I truly love the scene “I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with light.”
#12 Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo 1997
When every game developer was moving to 3D, Konami did not bend under pressure with the follow up to Rondo of Blood. Which is pretty fortunate, when taking their 3D attempts later into consideration. They did however revolutionize their series in a different way by borrowing the exploration and power up mechanics from the Metroid franchise, inadvertently lumping the two franchises into a single recognizable subgenre. While later handheld games like Aria of Sorrow would improve on this formula, they don’t star three of my favorite characters in the series; Richter Belmont (who I will name my firstborn son after), Maria Renard, and Alucard. The use of Dracula’s son gives a rare chance to instill pathos and empathy into the main villain. The game is also endlessly quotable, being at times cheesy and at other times thought provoking.
#11 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Square Product Development Division 4 2003
Both Tactics Advance and its predecessor have pros and cons in terms of gameplay. Advance feels a little dumbed down in areas, and the laws are a chore to deal with. However, I prefer Advance for having one of my favorite selections of fantasy races ever. I also am a staunch proponent of the story. Often compared to The Neverending Story, Advance is actually quite dark. Important plot elements include an albino girl’s inability to fit in and a boy’s depression over his single father being a drunken loser. The main character’s brother is crippled and can walk in this fantasy world, a plot point only given to you well after you have committed to restoring reality. The game does not say it out loud, but when you examine Marche closely you realize that his wish is the only one the grimoire could not have fulfilled; moving into a new town shortly after the death of his father, he only wants to go home. This is a wish he must fulfill himself, and he and his friends must all learn a lesson about escapism in the process. The original Tactics might have been an earnest attempt at following the success of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire, but I guess I just have a soft spot for children’s stories that have the same amount of layers to them.
#10 Skies of Arcadia, Overworks 2000
Set sails for adventure! This RPG’s basic combat may have been a little on the repetitive side, and it was certainly easy to abuse. However, Skies of Arcadia is fondly remembered for its airship battles. These boss fights required quite a bit of tactical thinking, plus they had a cinematic flair and great music. Skies takes place in a world inspired by the works of Jules Verne. Continents float through the sky, separated by rifts of solid cloud. There are hundreds of optional discoveries to make, but the story basically takes you through every major discovery for this fictional world. The world is round, the south pole, new and exotic cultures, all discovered by the player. This is a rare example of a game that deserves a sequel, but you couldn’t really make one. Everything was covered in the original.
#9 Tomb Raider: Last Revelation, Core Design 1999
The Uncharted franchise is one of the most critically lauded of this generation. Extensive use of set pieces make the player feel like they are playing an Indiana Jones movie. However, it was the Tomb Raider games that made you feel like you were Indy himself. Criminally maligned by the gaming press at the time, Last Revelation features multiple unique traps per level and a meticulously thorough look at a great variety of Egyptian ruins. The notion that the series had changed nothing is a bold lie; Last Revelation brought more creativity to the series than the previous three games combined. It is uncaring at times, but it all serves to really put you into the shoes of a person exploring a dangerous tomb.
#8 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar North 2004
Three cities. Forests, mountains, deserts. Why does this game feel so much bigger than the Elder Scrolls series? Maybe because I was interested in every square foot of it. In between almost every mission I would find myself riding out into the countryside and taking a motorcycle up some mountain. I would find some ramp at the top, and jump my bike over it only to land in a lake below. As I spent five minutes slowly swimming out, I had time to reflect. “Why have I done this? Why have I done this for the tenth time?” And to think, in any previous GTA I might have passed the time by shooting people. Also, I love the Robin Hood story and the overwhelming amount of content here.
#7 Street Fighter Alpha 2, Capcom 1996
Maybe I am biased. Alpha 2 was not the first video game I ever played, but when I got it with a Playstation for Christmas (it had been a year or more since my parents got rid of my Genesis) it was the first time I was old enough to really put an effort into experiencing a game. You better believe I played through each character’s story and tackled even the hardest difficulty. Alpha 3 may have more characters and better balance. Third Strike might be more advanced. Street Fighter 4 might be more accessible. However, Alpha 2 will always have a place in my heart for its presentation. The levels were detailed and interesting, the music was a melodic jazz that suited each character. I will never understand why later games in the series adopted such generic music, or how they could have such uninspired backgrounds. Each character’s story ending had its own music track. Some characters got several, and they used the character’s melodies. That’s right, Alpha 2 is a fighting game that employs Leit Motifs. This is why I accept nothing but the best from the genre.
#6 Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Capcom 1999
This was originally meant to be a spin-off game but changed due to contract issues. It’s funny, because most players will say that the problem with Code Veronica (the original RE3) was that it felt like a step down from Nemesis. Each Resident Evil game had a campy style that payed homage to B horror movies, with this game they went with a sort of art house horror where everything is melodramatic and taken far too seriously. I simply adore this. But what really makes the game great is its namesake. The nemesis is a single boss monster chasing you throughout the whole game, instilling a sense of fear and dread in the player every time he shows up.
#5 Metal Gear Solid, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan 1998
With Snake Eater being a better game, I still couldn’t stomach keeping Metal Gear Solid off of these lists. So I didn’t. I already gushed about the high quality of these games. However, there was also a time when Hideo Kojima wrote far more down to earth stories. Metal Gear Solid wasn’t just movie like, it surpassed many movies in terms of the emotion we could take out of it. The characters were all so great that even the villains are some of the most sympathetic characters in game history. Can true love bloom even on a battlefield? When this is over, I’ll tell you.
#4 Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations, Capcom 2004
The series that puts you into the role of a defense attorney happens to be one of the most thrilling and heart pumping video game franchises of all time. The humor is amazing, the characters are loveable, and the twists are stellar. Ace Attorney Investigations would greatly improve the pacing of the series, but I still gotta say my favorite is Trials Tribulations due to one of the greatest plot twists of all time.
#3 Fate/Stay Night, Type-Moon 2004
Fate/Stay Night is a visual novel that was never brought over to America. It uses video game conventions like death and multiple paths in order to tell its story, so I don’t feel too bad about listing it. Still, if it wasn’t a visual novel it would probably be even higher. FSN is with no exaggeration my favorite story ever. It is an epic tragedy that draws influences from Don Quixote, anime, American Superhero comics, and mythical tales throughout history. All while being as layered as Ulysses and as thorough an exploration of a high concept as humanly possible. I’d go into detail but, have you read the novel? If not, I highly recommend it.
#2 Final Fantasy 7, Square Product Development Division 1 1997
We always refer to nostalgia as a pair of glasses. So why is it that just hearing Nobuo Uematsu’s musical tracks sends chills down the back of my spine? Final Fantasy has had great games more often than not. I won’t tell others which game is supposed to be their favorite, but I first played FF7 in 2000 several years after the hype. I still loved it for its materia system, which offered endless gameplay options. As an adult, I find that I look at the story in a very different way than I did as a child. Originally a quest of good vs. evil, the story has become a character piece about Cloud. Typecast as an emo “cool guy” by subsequent games, by fans and haters alike, in the original Cloud was really just a loser who gets forced to take up this huge mantle. His personality fractures under the pressure, and the game is about coming to terms with who he really is.
#1 Okami, Clover Studio 2006
Okami is not a game without problems. It loads the player with items that you don’t feel like using (but that can make the game far too easy), battle transitions take the player out of the game, and for the most comparable game to The Legend of Zelda the dungeons leave something to be desired. Having said all that, even after seven years Okami is still the best looking video game ever made (getting an HD update recently certainly doesn’t hurt either). It is proof that art style beats out graphics power any day of the week. Everything looks beautifully painted, which goes great with the fact that painting is one of the main gameplay mechanics. Steven Spielberg once said "I think the real indicator [that games have become a storytelling art form] will be when somebody confesses that they cried at level 17." I cry during the ending of Okami every time.
I own about 700 games (collector) but the ones that I keep coming back to are Shining Force 1 and 2 on the Genesis (there are also WiiWare ports, Shining Force 1 is on IOS and they are both on Ultimate Genesis Collection on 360 and PS3). They are SRPGs and basically, if you likes the Fire Emblem series you will love these. The combat is insanely addictive I've played through them so many times.