Hey folks! Ya know, I never really got a chance to introduce myself, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to do so and share with you my top ten favorite games. To begin, my name's Eddie. I am 35 years old and have been gaming in some form or another ever since my dad brought home the Pong console when I was a youngster. From there, I enjoyed many of the early game consoles, starting with the Atari 2600 and moving on up the ladder from there. Eventually I got into PC gaming as titles like Doom and Quake became popular. In those days, I played my FPS's with a flight stick controller, if you can imagine that. My favorite game back then was Rise of the Triad. Man, I loved that game.
Anyway, as I got a little older, I found myself stepping away from the gaming scene and focusing on playing drums in various rock bands. A few years later, after my involvement in the music biz settled a bit, I found myself right back where I started and have been going strong ever since. I've even taken the strides to discover many of the games I missed out on. Today, I am a proud husband and a father of two little ones that I absolutely adore. While many of you might wonder how I find time to play, I believe that God knows my heart and has allowed me to successfully take on the roles of gamer and family man. While I do a good bit of PC gaming and try to keep my rig specs up to snuff, it's always been about the games for me. So I equally enjoy playing a lot of the cool stuff that comes out on the 360 and PS3. Now that I've told you a little about me, allow me to let you in on the ten games I've found to be the most intriguing. Here goes.
I absolutely love a good fighting game. While I've played many, only one had me throwing up my hands and shouting "YEEAAHH!!!" after taking down an opponent. Def Jam Fight for NY rocks hard and hits even harder. Utilizing any number of different fighting styles, the game allows you to create your fighter from the ground up and then throws your character into the story that puts you up against notable celebs from the music and film industry. What made this game stand out among the crowd was its no holds barred brawls, numerous fighting styles, and audio that sounded like a freight train hitting a brick wall when you land a finishing move. The fights only get better with all the unconventional objects you can snatch up and use as weapons. A tire iron to the jaw never felt so good! To date, I have not found a more enjoyable fighting game out there. That includes the follow up on the PS3 and 360 which sucked big time. What a shame.
On a lighter note, I've always found adventure games to be intriguing. Sometimes it's good to lay down your guns, sit back, relax, and experience a great story. Not having played a good adventure title in a while prior to picking up Dreamfall The Longest Journey, I was totally sucked in by its immersive story line and memorable characters. While playing the game, I fell in love with the main character, Zoë Castillo and her enchanting demeanor. I also find myself wanting to fire up the game again just to hear her voice. That may sound crazy, but I've talked with a number of FPS buffs who felt the same way after playing it. Dreamfall is the follow up to The Longest Journey that was released back in 2000. You don't have to have played the original to enjoy the game, but it does answer some questions you'll have if you choose to play Dreamfall first. In any case, you'll be compelled to play the other regardless of which game you start with.
I know what you're thinking. Killzone? Really? Really. I am a first-person shooter freak and try my best to play every one I can get my hands on. Of course, I do have to be interested in the game in the first place. When Killzone was released, I was expecting another cut-and-dried shooter. The game certainly looked good enough, better than any other shooter on the PS2 in fact, so I picked it up. Do you remember how every game used to tout itself as being a truly cinematic experience, yet none of them were? Killzone took that claim and ran with it in a big way. The game felt more like playing through a movie than any other game I had played at the time. Despite real actors playing convincing roles and an incredible story, Killzone did not get the credit it was due. I can't really even chalk up its mediocre reception to its gameplay either. It turned out really well despite the graphics being a little too big for the PS2's breeches. In my opinion, Killzone easily resides at the top spot among shooters on the PS2. Sure, there are plenty of better shooters out there, but I have to reflect on my enjoyment with the game back when it came out. In its day, there really weren't many console shooters could touch it. And on the PlayStation 2, there still isn't. If I had to choose one of today's shooters to fill this spot, I'd have to go with Resistance Fall of Man. Prey is yet another shooter that deserves a mention here.
What can I say about Beyond Good & Evil? Well, for starters, the game was truly unforgettable. These days, there is a lack of new IP's in the game industry; mostly because publishers simply do not want to chance risking loads of cash on a potential flop. While this is understandable, it really lessens the chances that you and I will get to play something truly unique. In Beyond Good & Evil, you play as Jade, a reporter of sorts whose ultimate goal in the game is to capture a story. Along with a host of colorful characters, Jade gets the job done by using all kinds of different gameplay elements like stealth, vehicle/melee combat, exploration, and puzzle solving. These, coupled with a fantastic presentation, made for a magical experience that hasn't been captured by many games since.
Back to the old school! No One Lives Forever is a game that every shooter fan should have played at one point or another. Rarely is it that one gets to laugh out loud while playing a FPS. NOLF provided plenty of laughs with its witty and sexually suggestive dialog. Today, you'll find heroine Kate Archer on the lists of the most enjoyable protagonists in gaming history. She's sexy, she's smart, and she gets all kinds of cool weapons to you to play with. Even after playing a game like Call of Duty 4, the game is still a lot of fun to play. And there's something to be said for that indeed. I do own the sequel, A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way, but I just haven't gotten around to playing it. Maybe I'll fire it up soon.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is another game you'll find on many gamers' top ten lists. To me, it is the ultimate platformer. I was a little disappointed when the Prince went all dark and grungy in the follow up, Warrior Within. While still very much a Persia game, it really took away all of the cartoon magic and overall mystical feeling you got with Sands of Time. The next game, The Two Thrones, did manage to tone down the hardcore theme a bit, but it was still out in left field. Even so, the series has managed to maintain its momentum with its fantastic combat and acrobatics. Needless to say, I'm very excited to see the new direction the developers are taking the series. From what I've seen, the upcoming Prince of Persia game scheduled to be released later this year looks pretty awesome.
I'm sure you knew this one was coming. Bioshock is another example of the new IPs that publishers weren't ready to get behind. The game was actually pitched to several big name companies who turned it away, saying that gamers just wouldn't go for such an outlandish theme and unorthodox style of gameplay. Man, I would hate to be in the shoes of the guys who turned it down! Bioshock was nothing short of incredible. Probably like you, I found myself just wandering around Rapture taking in every inch of the city's atmosphere. The game certainly gave new meaning to the term immersive. The one qualm I had with the game is not being able to talk to anyone. Sure, your guide on the handheld was full of instructional dialogue, but I just felt desolate at times. I'm not sure what it was either. I mean, I've played plenty of shooters where your character remained void of conversation, but I just felt the need for more contact.
My idea for the sequel would be to go back and experience the birth of Rapture and enter the city along with all of its inhabitants for the first time. I think it would be cool to witness the rise and fall of the city, and come in contact with a lot of the people whose messages you listened to on the recording devices you picked up during the game. But I'm ready for whatever the developers have in store. Meanwhile, I'm anxious to revisit Rapture and give the game a second play through.
God of War is simply my kind of game. While no game is perfect, it came close enough. I love a good challenge in my games and the ones Kratos was faced with were constructed very nicely. Bring on the carnage, I say. Bring on the blood. In God of War, there was carnage and blood a plenty, along with the coolest weapons for slicing and dicing. No matter what extra weapons the game offered, you always went with the chained blades whenever you could because they were just so much fun to use. I'm not a huge fan of developer David Jaffe and his tendency to murder the English language with F-bombs, but you've got to give the guy credit for making what I'd wholeheartedly call a true classic. If you haven't played God of War, it and its sequel are worth grabbing a PlayStation 2 for the weekend to play.
Ok, we're getting down to brass taxes now. As you all already know, the Grand Theft Auto series pretty much coined the whole sandbox aspect of games that has been imitated ever since. I remember playing GTA III for the first time and totally taking in the whole free roaming experience. But it wasn't until GTA Vice City came out that I was totally on board with it. I remember playing the game for weeks on end without playing another game in between sittings, which is what I often do. Vice City was one of those games you thought about all day at work and couldn't wait to get home to play. Not too long ago, I decided to take another spin with the game. Not to do any of the missions, but to just visit the old neighborhood. While I still enjoyed it, I have to say that I wasn't nearly as thrilled as I once was. But that's to be expected. Our top ten lists are all about looking back on the times we had with our favorite games when we had them, and I'll never forget how much fun I had with it originally. It was new then. And even though I'm enjoying the heck out of GTA IV, I believe that Vice City was the pinnacle of the series.
Half-Life 2. I really don't have to say much more then the title for many of you to agree that this was the greatest game ever created. When I played the original, I was taken aback at such a deep game filled with exploration and dark mystery. In 2004, I built my second PC in preparation for the sequel. Sadly, I had to wait until Christmas to play it due to my wife buying it for me as a Christmas gift. Filled with anticipation, I patiently (frustratingly) waited until December 25th to fire up the game. I think I spent four straight hours with it before I had to leave to visit my folks for dinner. I was blown away and ticked off at the same time when the game ended so quickly. Still, what was there was golden. I'd like to say that I felt the same way about the episodes that followed, but I guess Valve just waited too long to get the additional content out. Sure, they're both welcome additions, but I guess it was like the Vice City thing. The thrill was somewhat gone. No matter, I still hold Half-Life 2 in the highest regard possible when it comes to games.
Well, that's it. I've spilled my guts. I'll probably get flamed for one or two games on my list, but this is in fact MY list. Even so, my top ten is no more important than your top ten, so I'd love to see the comments section filled with your own lists. If you can only post your top 5, then go for it. Even reading about your one most favorite game would be cool. It's your turn now. Post away!
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
94 Comments
View All Comments
Savvin - Monday, August 11, 2008 - link
Geez, I think you might need to decrease your caffeine (or perhaps it's something else?) intake just a bit. Going by your comments it is apparent that you don't like this site so why even bother posting? Furthermore, while you may find his list "boring" at least he was able to give intelligible explanations as to why he chose them, unlike your childish nonsense. Then again, I guess you feel compelled to join the growing number of people on the Internet that thrive on trying to ruin things for others.Loknar - Friday, August 8, 2008 - link
Hardcore gamer, huh?We can't judge your top list. Everybody is different. Congrats for a true top list not influenced by propaganda and shiny graphics.
I rarely get to the ending of games. I get bored very easily. So when I finished "Mass Effect" 2 times (and felt good about it), I knew this game was special for me. I also finished Assassins' Creed. What do you think?
Thanks infinitely for the suggestions - games like 'Beyond Good and Evil' and 'Dreamfall' - which I never heard of before.
gaiden2k5 - Monday, August 11, 2008 - link
nice post my favorite games are simple - whichever that sticks with me the longest. most are pc games and they are 'aged' but definitely should be some kind of milestomes in game histories. here are a few in no particular order (o. and I played all these so it not a list of game i should have played but a list of games i played so much and enjoyed thoroughly)- WarCraft 3 (Online Mods) (it hits a 20 on a scale of 10 for creativity fun. my friends and i still go online to play the Mods together, the possibilities infinite. and Element TD rocks!)
- Counter Strike 1.6 (the good old good vs bad fun. and the very reason why i still have CS on every single one of my pcs is all thanks to steam, it's the future solution to pc games that acts like a console and you would have a place to see all the games on your pc, and thanks to Steam i can work on my aim once every week or two in dust2 :)
- Neverwinter Nights (the best adaptation of the original AD&D and Bioware did and awesome job in keeping the franchise running strong. the worlds the people make and run on their own server are fun at times and addictive in many others, i had some of the best TRUE 'online Role playing experiences' on NWN... still remember like it was yesterday)
- Star Craft (the true milestone in strategy games IMO, so different yet so balanced, big game hunter is definitely worth burning 4+ hours haha)
- Fallout 1 & 2 (this is one of those games that would just blow your mind at its time. the environment and game play were carried out in such a humorous yet unique way and by humorous i mean the traits and perks you get to 'improve' your character. everything in it was so random yet fall right into the storyline, it's probably one of my top 3)
- Elder Scroll 4: Oblivion (this is one of those vacation games for me, when i have days off or going somewhere where internet is not for certain, this would be the game to fall back to. i really enjoyed the level of details and all the possibilities of things your character can make or interact with)
- Deadlock (a simple turn based game that lets you play as one of the several races and work your way to conquering the rest of the world. My favorite part was the very beginning of each game where you get to select the type of world you want to play in and pick a land to start with. the original was the best! one of my favorite turn based strategy games and it plays on Windows 95, yep you heard it 95!)
- Command & Conquer Gold (The Grandfather of C&C series too bad none of its grandchildren are as good as before, yet.
- Diablo 1 & 2 (the dungeon that infinitely changes itself still blows my mind sure does hope D3 brings back all the goodness of 1 & 2 :)
- Farcry (awesome FPS with jar-dropping environment, i will always remember the gliding mission... so beautifully done)
- Portal (keeping my fingers crossed for the second one to out do the first b/c the first one is as good as you can get with a puzzle game, not to mention the Still Alive song :)
- Heroes of Magic and Might 3 (the good old 2D turn-based adventure games where you control a number of different heroes to fight off the enemies while discovering and collection treasures. The game play was the most successful of its kind and I must have installed it 3-4 times in the past 3-5 yrs alone, one word memorable)
p.s. i did not put WoW up there b/c though it's one of the best RPG online game I there were simply too many to take in given the time and money i have in hand. I would have continue if it was free like the other blizzard games like D2 and SC, but then again what do i know, i'm just greedy maybe :p
EddieTurner - Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - link
Indeed. Loved the gliding in FarCry. Definitely one of the high points in the game.insurgent - Friday, August 8, 2008 - link
I loved Mass Effect too, although it seems Eddie doesn't play RPGs. These days I rarely finish games because I lose interest quickly, the few games I finished are CoD4,STALKER and Mass Effect. Looking forward to finishing The Witcher in my free time.JarredWalton - Friday, August 8, 2008 - link
I like a lot of FPS games, but I'm probably the RPG gamer of the bunch. So for me, my "top ten" has to include some of the classics.The Baldur's Gate series was awesome. I grew up playing D&D, and this was such a huge leap in quality. I'll also lump the Neverwinter Nights games and expansions in here. I've played most D&D games over the years (and loved the Gold Box games from SSI like Pool of Radiance), but few have come close to BioWare. Temple of Elemental Evil and Pool of Radiance 2 were somewhat interesting, but that's about it.
The Fallout series - and I include Wasteland in here. If you've never played Wasteland or Fallout 1/2, you've gotta give those a shot! Especially with Fallout 3 coming. OMFG I can't wait! I'm going to do a blog on these at some point if I can find the time....
Bard's Tale series... but not the remake, which sucked. Actually, the only one I finished was BT3; BT2 had some areas that were just too convoluted for a 13 year old. (And yes, I played it on the original C64 - along with Wasteland!) Might as well lump Dragon Wars in here as well, since it used about the same engine. We could have called that Bard's Tale 4 if it had had more bards in it.
How about going really old school? I remember playing - but never beating - the original Ultima games. On the C64. It wasn't until Ultima VI that I actually played through and finished any of the Ultimas, and then they had a sequence of great games that I played and beat: Ultima Underworld, Ultima VII, and Ultima Underworld II, plus Worlds of Ultima: Savage Empire and Martian Dreams. I loved all of those, particularly Martian Dreams. You want to see where Warren Spector got started, go play Martian Dreams! Graphics are lacking today, but the story was really cool (IMO).
I also played most of the Wizardy series (yup, even the first one, though that was more watching "Uncle Dan" than playing). The only Wizardry game I actually completed was the last one, which was actually really cool I thought. Too bad that was the end of the series... although given there was a 9 year hiatus from Crusaders of the Dark Savant to Wizardry 8, perhaps in another two or three years some other company will pick up the rights and run with it? Hey, Bethesda! How about you do a Wizardry game after Fallout 3? (Kidding! Well, maybe.)
Might and Magic had some great moments before going downhill. I think M&M 3, 4, and 5 were the pinnacle of the series. I finished 6 and 7 as well, but that was as far as I got. The Clouds of Xeen/Darkside of Xeen/World of Xeen (4 and 5 plus the linked addition) was revolutionary for the time. Well, maybe not revolutionary, but *I* thought it was cool to get an extra 20 hours or so of questing if you had both games installed.
Going with the above, let's not forget the Heroes of Might and Magic series (and King's Bounty)... I don't know if any other series has used as much of my free time. HOMM3 (and the expansions) are still the best of the bunch, though HOMM5 does make up for some of the deficiencies in HOMM4.
Here's a couple sci-fi RPGs I bet few others played: Hard Nova and Planet's Edge. I don't think they'd hold up well in today's market (unlike Wasteland, which I can still play through on occasion), but they were a lot of fun back in the early 90s.
Let's not forget the cyberpunk scene: Neuromancer! Yeah, they made a game out of the book way back in the day (and there are still rumors of a movie being made circulating - they even had a script at one point but somewhere along the line it got the axe). I actually played the game before reading the book(s), and I still hope for some more games that can capture the psuedo-hacking fun. (I played Uplink too - that was fun. The original Shadowrun games on Sega and SNES were also pretty cool.)
Did I just pine for modern cyberpunk? Let's not forget about Deus Ex (but do forget about the sequel)! And while we're at it, toss in System Shock 2 (never did get into the original for some reason). The graphics are really painful today, but it's sort of funny to play them again. I mean, I remember thinking "wow this game looks so awesome!" and watching them chug on my 3dfx Voodoo.... or was it TNT2? One of those. Now, they run slicker than snot but you get all of what, five polygons per creature? (Okay, so it's more like 100 or something, but still.)
Lest you think that I *only* play PC games, I should also throw in one of the few console titles that I played that I really enjoyed: Chrono Trigger. (The sequel sucked, though.) Maybe it was being stuck in Granger, ID for two weeks back in 2000 after I slid off the side of the road (yeah, the $600 repairs took that long - rural Idaho runs on its own time schedule I guess), but whatever the cause I had a ton of fun beating this game.
Somewhere I also have to mention the Mechwarrior/Battletech games, which may not have that much RPG to them but still were a lot of fun. MW1 and MW2 in particular stand out, and MW4 was good enough that I finished. Never did play MW3 much for some reason. I also remember playing The Crescent Hawk's Inception and Crescent Hawk's Revenge... though I don't think many others will recall those titles. We need a modern true RPG using the Battletech universe....
Then there are the more recent RPGs like Mass Effect and The Witcher, both of which are excellent. I'm not sure how those will hold up long term, but they're still fresh in my mind. STALKER was also really cool, offering sort of a melding of Fallout and Deus Ex, but with more FPS thrown in. (Actually, there was very little RPG for the most part, but whatever.)
And how about a confession? For all the RPG geekiness, I *still* haven't finished Oblivion, and I never made it through more than a few hours of the other Elder Scrolls games. Oblivion is a great game, I think, but I just got sidetracked at some point and I guess with all the benchmarking I lost my way. I played it for at least 200 hours (with some of the user created content), and some time soon I need to actually go finish the main story. My first play through got nuked with the monster leveling, which is part of the reason I didn't finish. (I was level 18 before entering the first Oblivion gate, but I hadn't leveled in an intelligent fashion. The result was that I could barely take on one demon without getting killed; going into an Oblivion gate was incredibly difficult - so much so that I ended up sprinting through the place, grabbing the sigil, and making it out with barely any life/mana/potions left! Auto leveling of monsters is a BAD IDEA, dammit!)
So there's a lot of my favorites from the past 25 or so years. And that's confining myself almost strictly to RPGs. I'm also a fan of strategy games and FPS games and could easily put together similar lists for those genres. The only games I pretty much despise are the beat-em-up and sports genres. I don't think I've ever played an NFL/NBA/MLB/Soccer/etc. game that I liked. In fact, I figure Madden NFL is proof positive that 15 million people can in fact be wrong! (Flame on....)
yyrkoon - Monday, August 11, 2008 - link
Yeah, I remember the Gold box games from SSI, and liked them all until somewhere after the dragonlance sets. the Last two(the drow one, and dont remember the other) just totally broed me.I like RPGs too, but for some reason, NOTHING can come close to how it felt back in high school playing pen and paper . . . Played the goldbox game, baldurs gates games(still have the original CD set), the winter theme ones(dont remember the name off hand), and both Neverwinters, Oblivion, morrowind, daggerfall, Dark messiah Sacred, Divine Divinity, Ultimas since Ultima 5, and including Stygian abyss(that was creepy at times), and possibly countless others I can not think of at the moment.
Out of the RPG Arena, I forgot to mention some of my favorite flight/combat sims which include the Red baron series, Aces over the pacific/Europe, A-10 Warthog, F117 stealth fighter, all by Dynamix i think, and then a couple others like Falcon 2.0, and another F14 tomcat one possibly released by Dynamix(been way too freeking long lol). There was also another I dont recall the name, but it was a flight/combat sim with a theme of being a DEA pilot (finding drug labs, and blowing them up), as well as fighting the drug lords 'Aces'.
EddieTurner - Friday, August 8, 2008 - link
Good post! I got started a little later in the PC gaming scene than Jarred did, so naturally my favorites are gonna be a little more up to date. As I mentioned beforre, I'm a FPS freak, so I'll drop a few titles that I consider to be some of the greatest shooters out there.Chronicles of Riddick (PC)
Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
Tribes Vengeance (PC)
SWAT 4 (PC)
Doom II (PC)
Halo (PC)
Unreal 2004 (PC)
Chaser (PC)
Rise of the Triad (PC)
Half-Life (PC)
Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
Goldeneye (N64)
Timesplitters Future Perfect (PS2)
Black (Xbox)
Frontlines Fuel of War (Xbox 360)
R6 Vegas (Xbox 360)
Medal of Honor (PS)
When it comes to me games, I'm a sucker for a great story. Probably stems from me being a movie buff, but that's why Killzone landed on my list. At the time, the production value was just awesome. Anway, I'm equally into racing games, action/adventure games. Love the Resident Evil games I've played, the early Syphon Filters, the Ratchet & Clanks, the Tenchus, the Silent Hills, and definitely arcade style flying games like Crimson Skies and the Ace Combats.
I'm also a huge fan of the fantasy action/platformers like Psychonauts, Jak & Daxter, the Oddworlds, the Sly Coopers, the Ninja Gaidens, the Devil May Crys, and the list goes on. So, aside from being alienated from games that you can play for eons, I feel that I'm pretty well rounded in the stuff I enjoy.
StevoLincolnite - Monday, August 11, 2008 - link
Your right you are listing a bunch of fairly modern games, but my list for PC would have to be:1)StarCraft + BroodWars + Insurrection + Retribution Expansions.
2)Settlers 2.
3)System Shock 2 - probably claimed as the "Original" part of the Bioshock universe.
4) Sacred - Awesome RPG game.
5) Age of Empires 1 - The Rise of Rome, Probably one of my favorite Online RTS games before StarCraft burst onto the scene.
6) Final Fantasy 8 - Finally came to the PC and could run in all of 3dfx Glides glory without horrid giant pixels.
7) Stupid Invaders - The game that made me laugh constantly.
8) Dungeon Keeper - Probably one of the more original games of it's time, addictive as hell.
9)Homeworld - Finally an RTS's in Space!
10) Alpha Century - Civilization in Space, enough said.
BikeDude - Monday, August 11, 2008 - link
You mean "Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri"?Homeworld was great, and I also liked the sequel.
Dungeon Keeper was solid gold. Bullfrog made some damn fine games back in the 'day'. "Syndicate" -- anyone?
What really got to me, and still irks me to this day, is the demise of Sierra. I loved "Leisure Suit Larry", Space Quest and I even played through some of the King's Quest games. Heck, even Police Quest resulted in hours worth of joy.
Lucasgames' Sam'n'max was good. Monkey Island was a joy to play. Day of the tentacle... Ah... Good times.