My 100 Favorite Video Games of All-Time: #80-61
If you need an explanation of how this works, I refer you back to the first part of these rankings. Basically, here are my 100 favorite games of all time, based on criteria that is my own. Here is number 80-61.
80. Fable II: The entire Fable series was a novel idea, and a good one as well. Like most RPGs, there is an overall narrative, but along the way, there are so many things you can do. Get a job, get married, become a hero or a villain. The makers went all out to add realism to the game, and it shows. Depending on choices you make, your looks can change. You even gain weight if you eat too much. It was the best game of the series, and one that has great replay value.
79. Blue Dragon: When I started playing Blue Dragon, I thought I was in for a childish game, and almost sent it back to GameFly. I'm glad I decided to ride it out. It has a bit of a cartoonish look to it, but it is a nice RPG anyway. Once I got into it, it ate up hours, and wound up being a pretty long story, but in a good way. The fights are fun, but not too easy, and there's plenty of exploring to be done. This was a pleasant surprise.
78. LEGO Lord of the Rings: I'm a fan of the LEGO games, for the most part. I haven't played many of them, but I've had pretty good luck. The first one I played was Lord of the Rings, and I had a great time with it. The funny dialogue, the secrets, the puzzles, it all works so well within the LEGO framework. It definitely made me want to play other games in the series.
77. Saints Row III: I was late to the Saints Row games, only playing them after finding them on sale at Gamestop. They obviously are a lot like Grand Theft Auto, but they different enough to stand on their own. Saints Row III was over the top. The main character was violent, cocky, and an asshole of the highest order. That only made it more fun.
76. Alpha Protocol: I use GameFly, when I have it, to go back and play games that I missed the first time around. Alpha Protocol is an example of this. I rented it on a whim because it sounded interesting. It combined RPG and the spy game in a pretty fun way. It had agents and double-agents, gunfights and romance. It wasn't the longest game, and some things were frustrating, but I had a great time with it, and I'm glad I stumbled on it.
75. Shadowgate: I love puzzles, and therefore, a game like Shadowgate, which was just one big puzzle, was right up my alley. I am not generally a patient person, and games that I can't figure out start to lose me, but when I played this one, I was determined to finish it, and do so without cheating. It was rewarding when I finally pulled it off.
74. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: I had never played the first two Elder Scrolls games, as they were computer games only. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I loaded up Morrowind for the first time. Graphically, it was decent enough, but the story was terrific, and that was the most important thing in this case. Like future games in the series, there are plenty of quests, and plenty of places to explore. It was nice entry into the world of Tamriel.
73. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: As I previously mentioned, I enjoyed the LEGO games I've played. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is my favorite, though. With a humongous roster of characters, plenty of collectibles, and the trademark humor found in the LEGO games, it had everything one could ask for. It's not only my favorite LEGO game, but it's one of the better games in the superhero genre.
72. Tiger Woods PGA Tour: I've enjoyed playing golf in my life, so why wouldn't I enjoy playing a golf video game? I've played more than one good golf game, but the Tiger Woods games are the gold standard. Like other EA sports games, you get plenty of options in customization, as well as plenty of courses and golfers to choose from. I haven't played the most recent versions, when Tiger Woods name was no longer on it, but it earned its spot on the list anyway.
71. Star Ocean: Til the End of Time: I played a different Star Ocean before this one, which we'll get to later, but this one was pretty damn good as well. The entire Star Ocean series is highly underrated, in my opinion. Think Final Fantasy as a science fiction game, and that's where this falls. It had a very cool story, with a solid combat system as well. It also featured one of the great character names in video game history: Fayt Leingod.
70. Bioshock 2: I need to note here that I haven't played Bioshock Infinite yet. Once I do, this will likely come in below that one, but part 2 isn't bad. It's just not as good. Still, there's the creepy underwater atmosphere, the super-violent bad guys, and the weird little girls that you can save or not. It might be the least popular of the three games, but it's not a bad game by any means.
69. Deadpool: I can't say whether or not my person love of all things Deadpool figured into this ranking, but I did like the game regardless. One thing is for sure, it's definitely an apt game for the character. There's plenty of humor and tons of excessive violence, hallmarks of the Merc with a Mouth. It didn't break any new ground, but was a fun game for Deadpool fans.
68. Suikoden: If you like a large number of characters in your RPG, you gotta play Suikoden, where you're looking for the 108 Stars of Destiny. The entire Suikoden franchise, at least the ones I've played, are good games and worth a playthrough. There is plenty of originality, and this is the one that kicked things off for the series.
67. Resident Evil 2: The most famous survival horror series of them all has more than one quality entry in it. Resident Evil 2 was a solid follow-up to the original, with plenty of the signature terrifying ambiance. It also featured the debut of the best character in the series, in Leon Kennedy. The early games were definitely the best Resident Evil games.
66. DC Universe Online: When I bought my Playstation 4, I had no games. I've never been an big multiplayer guy, but i went looking for free-to-play games to fill the time. DC Universe Online was a natural choice because of my love of comics. The game was definitely worthwhile. It features tons of DC characters, a massive world, a cool story, great graphics, and plenty of missions. It's difficult, especially without putting money into it, but it's definitely a good time.
65. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: More Superheroes. I liked the first Ultimate Alliance game, but the second one ramped up everything. It had more characters, better graphics, and better action. Wolverine and Deadpool are the best characters because of their healing factor, but using all of them, and unlocking their various costumes adds even more to the game.
64. Tecmo Super Baseball: As far as games go, this one isn't considered one of the all-time great baseball games. However, my brother and I spent countless hours playing through seasons of Tecmo Super Baseball. It had real players, and real teams, and games went quickly. Technically and graphically, this wasn't a very good game, but personally, it provided way too much enjoyment to not make this list.
63. Chrono Trigger: Hey, it's Square again. To be honest, there's not much than needs to be said beyond that it was produced by Square. Every RPG they put out was gold. Chrono Trigger had a great story, and solid graphics, with enough innovations to make it stand out on its own. There's a reason it's such a celebrated game, even now.
62. Dragon Warrior: I actually played Dragon Warrior before Final Fantasy, and it was probably the first RPG I ever played, which might be why it has a special place for me. It's exactly what you'd expect from those early RPGs, with lots of fighting to level up, and random encounters. However, it was a challenging affair, that caused me to spend tons of time in order to finish it. It also spawned yet another great series.
61. Chrono Cross: A follow up to the awesome Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross was great in its own right. This one featured a large cast and alternate dimensions, and had terrific graphics to go along with it. I became really involved in this one, and played it nearly every waking hour that I wasn't working. I'd love to sit down and go through this and Chrono Trigger back-to-back.
80. Fable II: The entire Fable series was a novel idea, and a good one as well. Like most RPGs, there is an overall narrative, but along the way, there are so many things you can do. Get a job, get married, become a hero or a villain. The makers went all out to add realism to the game, and it shows. Depending on choices you make, your looks can change. You even gain weight if you eat too much. It was the best game of the series, and one that has great replay value.
79. Blue Dragon: When I started playing Blue Dragon, I thought I was in for a childish game, and almost sent it back to GameFly. I'm glad I decided to ride it out. It has a bit of a cartoonish look to it, but it is a nice RPG anyway. Once I got into it, it ate up hours, and wound up being a pretty long story, but in a good way. The fights are fun, but not too easy, and there's plenty of exploring to be done. This was a pleasant surprise.
78. LEGO Lord of the Rings: I'm a fan of the LEGO games, for the most part. I haven't played many of them, but I've had pretty good luck. The first one I played was Lord of the Rings, and I had a great time with it. The funny dialogue, the secrets, the puzzles, it all works so well within the LEGO framework. It definitely made me want to play other games in the series.
77. Saints Row III: I was late to the Saints Row games, only playing them after finding them on sale at Gamestop. They obviously are a lot like Grand Theft Auto, but they different enough to stand on their own. Saints Row III was over the top. The main character was violent, cocky, and an asshole of the highest order. That only made it more fun.
76. Alpha Protocol: I use GameFly, when I have it, to go back and play games that I missed the first time around. Alpha Protocol is an example of this. I rented it on a whim because it sounded interesting. It combined RPG and the spy game in a pretty fun way. It had agents and double-agents, gunfights and romance. It wasn't the longest game, and some things were frustrating, but I had a great time with it, and I'm glad I stumbled on it.
75. Shadowgate: I love puzzles, and therefore, a game like Shadowgate, which was just one big puzzle, was right up my alley. I am not generally a patient person, and games that I can't figure out start to lose me, but when I played this one, I was determined to finish it, and do so without cheating. It was rewarding when I finally pulled it off.
74. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: I had never played the first two Elder Scrolls games, as they were computer games only. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I loaded up Morrowind for the first time. Graphically, it was decent enough, but the story was terrific, and that was the most important thing in this case. Like future games in the series, there are plenty of quests, and plenty of places to explore. It was nice entry into the world of Tamriel.
73. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: As I previously mentioned, I enjoyed the LEGO games I've played. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes is my favorite, though. With a humongous roster of characters, plenty of collectibles, and the trademark humor found in the LEGO games, it had everything one could ask for. It's not only my favorite LEGO game, but it's one of the better games in the superhero genre.
72. Tiger Woods PGA Tour: I've enjoyed playing golf in my life, so why wouldn't I enjoy playing a golf video game? I've played more than one good golf game, but the Tiger Woods games are the gold standard. Like other EA sports games, you get plenty of options in customization, as well as plenty of courses and golfers to choose from. I haven't played the most recent versions, when Tiger Woods name was no longer on it, but it earned its spot on the list anyway.
71. Star Ocean: Til the End of Time: I played a different Star Ocean before this one, which we'll get to later, but this one was pretty damn good as well. The entire Star Ocean series is highly underrated, in my opinion. Think Final Fantasy as a science fiction game, and that's where this falls. It had a very cool story, with a solid combat system as well. It also featured one of the great character names in video game history: Fayt Leingod.
70. Bioshock 2: I need to note here that I haven't played Bioshock Infinite yet. Once I do, this will likely come in below that one, but part 2 isn't bad. It's just not as good. Still, there's the creepy underwater atmosphere, the super-violent bad guys, and the weird little girls that you can save or not. It might be the least popular of the three games, but it's not a bad game by any means.
69. Deadpool: I can't say whether or not my person love of all things Deadpool figured into this ranking, but I did like the game regardless. One thing is for sure, it's definitely an apt game for the character. There's plenty of humor and tons of excessive violence, hallmarks of the Merc with a Mouth. It didn't break any new ground, but was a fun game for Deadpool fans.
68. Suikoden: If you like a large number of characters in your RPG, you gotta play Suikoden, where you're looking for the 108 Stars of Destiny. The entire Suikoden franchise, at least the ones I've played, are good games and worth a playthrough. There is plenty of originality, and this is the one that kicked things off for the series.
67. Resident Evil 2: The most famous survival horror series of them all has more than one quality entry in it. Resident Evil 2 was a solid follow-up to the original, with plenty of the signature terrifying ambiance. It also featured the debut of the best character in the series, in Leon Kennedy. The early games were definitely the best Resident Evil games.
66. DC Universe Online: When I bought my Playstation 4, I had no games. I've never been an big multiplayer guy, but i went looking for free-to-play games to fill the time. DC Universe Online was a natural choice because of my love of comics. The game was definitely worthwhile. It features tons of DC characters, a massive world, a cool story, great graphics, and plenty of missions. It's difficult, especially without putting money into it, but it's definitely a good time.
65. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2: More Superheroes. I liked the first Ultimate Alliance game, but the second one ramped up everything. It had more characters, better graphics, and better action. Wolverine and Deadpool are the best characters because of their healing factor, but using all of them, and unlocking their various costumes adds even more to the game.
64. Tecmo Super Baseball: As far as games go, this one isn't considered one of the all-time great baseball games. However, my brother and I spent countless hours playing through seasons of Tecmo Super Baseball. It had real players, and real teams, and games went quickly. Technically and graphically, this wasn't a very good game, but personally, it provided way too much enjoyment to not make this list.
63. Chrono Trigger: Hey, it's Square again. To be honest, there's not much than needs to be said beyond that it was produced by Square. Every RPG they put out was gold. Chrono Trigger had a great story, and solid graphics, with enough innovations to make it stand out on its own. There's a reason it's such a celebrated game, even now.
62. Dragon Warrior: I actually played Dragon Warrior before Final Fantasy, and it was probably the first RPG I ever played, which might be why it has a special place for me. It's exactly what you'd expect from those early RPGs, with lots of fighting to level up, and random encounters. However, it was a challenging affair, that caused me to spend tons of time in order to finish it. It also spawned yet another great series.
61. Chrono Cross: A follow up to the awesome Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross was great in its own right. This one featured a large cast and alternate dimensions, and had terrific graphics to go along with it. I became really involved in this one, and played it nearly every waking hour that I wasn't working. I'd love to sit down and go through this and Chrono Trigger back-to-back.
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