My 100 Favorite Video Games of All-Time: #60-41
Blah, blah, blah. Here is numbers 60-41 of my 100 favorite video games of all time. The previous 40 can be found in other posts on here.
60. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: San Andreas was a good game, hot coffee mod or not. It had all the signature GTA play style, but a unique storyline that was fun to play. It might be most well known for the mod, which is a shame, because it's a classic game. It also had some features all its own that made it stand out just a little from the other GTA titles.
59. NBA Jam: I've never really been a fan of basketball video games, with the exception of NBA Jam. My first experience with it was on the Sega Genesis at the home of a friend, where we, and his brothers, played it relentlessly. It was nothing like actual NBA action, but the simple mechanics and exciting dunks made it even better. And who didn't love to hear "OH MY! HE'S ON FIRE!"
58. Genghis Khan: I'm willing to bet that most people will have no idea what this is. One night, I spent the night with a cousin, and we wound up at the video store to rent a game. We settled on Genghis Khan, and I was hooked. It's a strategy game, where you play as the title character, or three other historic leaders, and try and expand your empire to take over the "world". We played it often, and I ended up buying it and playing it myself a lot over the years. I'd play it now, but I lent it to somebody and never got it back. That bastard.
57. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: This one might be a lot higher on other lists, and I wouldn't argue with it. A Link to the Past had everything that made so many of the Zelda games great. The ability to travel between the dark and light worlds was a cool idea, and the mechanics were easy to use. The various locations had their fair share of puzzles as well, another trademark of the series. After the changes of Zelda II, A Link to the Past moved things back to the style of the first game, which stuck for the rest of games that came after.
56. Resident Evil: Resident Evil is one of the most iconic games of all-time. It's really video game royalty. Every survival horror game is inevitably compared back to this one. The graphics look dated now, but at the time, the zombies, and other assorted creatures, were pretty horrifying. Combine that with creative camera angles, limited ammo, and creepy soundtrack, and you have an all-time great game.
55. Mario Kart: I don't want to limit this to a single game in the series, because each has its unique charms. The original one kept me entertained for hours and set the standard, but each of the others has been fun as well. There are cool tracks, a plethora of weapons to use, and more and more characters and cars to work with. I played the first one as a kid, and my kids love the newest entry. It's a series that's just plain fun.
54. Mega Man 2: This was one of the first NES games I ever owned, given to me as a birthday gift. From the start, I was enthralled. The enemies were cool, the music was awesome, and the boards were hard, but interesting. This was another game that gave me a sense of accomplishing something once I finally managed to beat it. Yay for childhood memories.
53. Saints Row IV: If the third game in this series was over the top, then the fourth was on a completely other level. They added aliens, super powers, and more of what made Saints Row a good series. This was a pretty easy playthrough, but it was tons of fun being able to run super-fast, jump super-high, and just generally kick alien ass.
52. Assassin's Creed: The Assassin's Creed series, first of all, is one of the best ideas a game company has had in a while. It can be argued that they've jumped the shark, but I haven't played most of the newer ones, so I can't comment on that. The first game had its flaws, but the concept was clear, and it was awesome.
51. Tecmo Super Bowl: Another game that killed a lot of time for me over the years was Tecmo Super Bowl. It wasn't a technical masterpiece, but all the players and stats were cool. I played through season after season, over and over again. Whether it was by myself, or with my brother, this game got tons of mileage at my household, and even though it didn't last as a series, it has a special place for me.
50. Final Fantasy VIII: The Final Fantasy series is the gold standard for RPGs. There are plenty who would argue that the last few have been less than great, but the Playstation 1 and 2 years were a golden age. Final Fantasy VIII was the only one I didn't own, and I played it after borrowing it from a friend. So, the fact that I didn't get to experience it at my own pace might be why it's a little lower on this list than some of the others.
49. Silent Hill 2: The Resident Evil franchise is the model for survival horror games, but the Silent Hill games are pretty good too. I picked this one up a few years after it came out, and it's just as good, if not better than it's more famous counterpart. The atmosphere was well done, and Pyramid Head was as creepy a villain as you'll find in any game, period.
48. Final Fantasy: The original Final Fantasy game was kind of a weird one for me. When I first played it, I played through it, but it wasn't something that blew me away. A few years later, I found it at a yard sale, and started it again, and I loved it. I've played through it a few more times since, and it's a classic. Bonus points for being the game that started it all.
47. Mass Effect 3: The Mass Effect games, as an idea, were ingenious. The freedom to play with whatever personality I wanted was cool, and the sci-fi storyline was well done. The third part of the series was a beautiful game, and nearly a great end to the trilogy. Unfortunately, they broke the hearts of gamers everywhere with the finish, which left a flat note with me.
46. Suikoden II: Take the fantastic elements from the first Suikoden, build on that story, and add new elements and you get Suikoden II. Once again, the cast is huge, with over 100 you can recruit. You've got regular fights, huge battles, and everything in between. I enjoyed both of the first two games in this series, but give a slight nod to this one.
45. Nobunaga's Ambition: This is another strategy game in the vein of Genghis Khan. It has the same goal of taking over the "world", but this time, instead of choosing from four leaders, you can pick any one of 50. This is another game that my brother and I played relentlessly for a long time. I still own it, and would have no problem firing it up from time to time if I had a working Super Nintendo.
44. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: This took all of the things that made Morrowind great, and amplified them, taking advantage of the XBox 360's power. The story was excellent, the graphics were a step up, and there were the ever-present side quests and huge area to explore. The evolution of the Elder Scrolls games has been fascinating, and each one takes a huge leap forward.
43. Mortal Kombat 3: I could have really just said the Mortal Kombat series in general, but it was Mortal Kombat III that I played the most. My friend had this for the Sega Genesis, and we spent a lot of time beating the crap out of each other. They added several new characters, and new finishers for the third installment, and it playing this was some of the funnest times of my teen years.
42. Final Fantasy IX: I don't really need to say a lot about this. I love the Final Fantasy games during this particular time period. Final Fantasy IX had the normal terrific story, and added a fun mini card game. Square stuck to what made the games great, but added enough to make it stand out from the rest. Sorry Bethesda, Square is still the all-time king of the RPG.
41. Batman: Arkham Origins: The Batman: Arkham games are very well crafted, and fun games. However, by this third game in the series, it got slightly repetitive. Now, this may have hurt it in reviews, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the hell out of it. Sometimes it's best to not try and fix something that isn't broken.
60. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: San Andreas was a good game, hot coffee mod or not. It had all the signature GTA play style, but a unique storyline that was fun to play. It might be most well known for the mod, which is a shame, because it's a classic game. It also had some features all its own that made it stand out just a little from the other GTA titles.
59. NBA Jam: I've never really been a fan of basketball video games, with the exception of NBA Jam. My first experience with it was on the Sega Genesis at the home of a friend, where we, and his brothers, played it relentlessly. It was nothing like actual NBA action, but the simple mechanics and exciting dunks made it even better. And who didn't love to hear "OH MY! HE'S ON FIRE!"
58. Genghis Khan: I'm willing to bet that most people will have no idea what this is. One night, I spent the night with a cousin, and we wound up at the video store to rent a game. We settled on Genghis Khan, and I was hooked. It's a strategy game, where you play as the title character, or three other historic leaders, and try and expand your empire to take over the "world". We played it often, and I ended up buying it and playing it myself a lot over the years. I'd play it now, but I lent it to somebody and never got it back. That bastard.
57. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: This one might be a lot higher on other lists, and I wouldn't argue with it. A Link to the Past had everything that made so many of the Zelda games great. The ability to travel between the dark and light worlds was a cool idea, and the mechanics were easy to use. The various locations had their fair share of puzzles as well, another trademark of the series. After the changes of Zelda II, A Link to the Past moved things back to the style of the first game, which stuck for the rest of games that came after.
56. Resident Evil: Resident Evil is one of the most iconic games of all-time. It's really video game royalty. Every survival horror game is inevitably compared back to this one. The graphics look dated now, but at the time, the zombies, and other assorted creatures, were pretty horrifying. Combine that with creative camera angles, limited ammo, and creepy soundtrack, and you have an all-time great game.
55. Mario Kart: I don't want to limit this to a single game in the series, because each has its unique charms. The original one kept me entertained for hours and set the standard, but each of the others has been fun as well. There are cool tracks, a plethora of weapons to use, and more and more characters and cars to work with. I played the first one as a kid, and my kids love the newest entry. It's a series that's just plain fun.
54. Mega Man 2: This was one of the first NES games I ever owned, given to me as a birthday gift. From the start, I was enthralled. The enemies were cool, the music was awesome, and the boards were hard, but interesting. This was another game that gave me a sense of accomplishing something once I finally managed to beat it. Yay for childhood memories.
53. Saints Row IV: If the third game in this series was over the top, then the fourth was on a completely other level. They added aliens, super powers, and more of what made Saints Row a good series. This was a pretty easy playthrough, but it was tons of fun being able to run super-fast, jump super-high, and just generally kick alien ass.
52. Assassin's Creed: The Assassin's Creed series, first of all, is one of the best ideas a game company has had in a while. It can be argued that they've jumped the shark, but I haven't played most of the newer ones, so I can't comment on that. The first game had its flaws, but the concept was clear, and it was awesome.
51. Tecmo Super Bowl: Another game that killed a lot of time for me over the years was Tecmo Super Bowl. It wasn't a technical masterpiece, but all the players and stats were cool. I played through season after season, over and over again. Whether it was by myself, or with my brother, this game got tons of mileage at my household, and even though it didn't last as a series, it has a special place for me.
50. Final Fantasy VIII: The Final Fantasy series is the gold standard for RPGs. There are plenty who would argue that the last few have been less than great, but the Playstation 1 and 2 years were a golden age. Final Fantasy VIII was the only one I didn't own, and I played it after borrowing it from a friend. So, the fact that I didn't get to experience it at my own pace might be why it's a little lower on this list than some of the others.
49. Silent Hill 2: The Resident Evil franchise is the model for survival horror games, but the Silent Hill games are pretty good too. I picked this one up a few years after it came out, and it's just as good, if not better than it's more famous counterpart. The atmosphere was well done, and Pyramid Head was as creepy a villain as you'll find in any game, period.
48. Final Fantasy: The original Final Fantasy game was kind of a weird one for me. When I first played it, I played through it, but it wasn't something that blew me away. A few years later, I found it at a yard sale, and started it again, and I loved it. I've played through it a few more times since, and it's a classic. Bonus points for being the game that started it all.
47. Mass Effect 3: The Mass Effect games, as an idea, were ingenious. The freedom to play with whatever personality I wanted was cool, and the sci-fi storyline was well done. The third part of the series was a beautiful game, and nearly a great end to the trilogy. Unfortunately, they broke the hearts of gamers everywhere with the finish, which left a flat note with me.
46. Suikoden II: Take the fantastic elements from the first Suikoden, build on that story, and add new elements and you get Suikoden II. Once again, the cast is huge, with over 100 you can recruit. You've got regular fights, huge battles, and everything in between. I enjoyed both of the first two games in this series, but give a slight nod to this one.
45. Nobunaga's Ambition: This is another strategy game in the vein of Genghis Khan. It has the same goal of taking over the "world", but this time, instead of choosing from four leaders, you can pick any one of 50. This is another game that my brother and I played relentlessly for a long time. I still own it, and would have no problem firing it up from time to time if I had a working Super Nintendo.
44. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: This took all of the things that made Morrowind great, and amplified them, taking advantage of the XBox 360's power. The story was excellent, the graphics were a step up, and there were the ever-present side quests and huge area to explore. The evolution of the Elder Scrolls games has been fascinating, and each one takes a huge leap forward.
43. Mortal Kombat 3: I could have really just said the Mortal Kombat series in general, but it was Mortal Kombat III that I played the most. My friend had this for the Sega Genesis, and we spent a lot of time beating the crap out of each other. They added several new characters, and new finishers for the third installment, and it playing this was some of the funnest times of my teen years.
42. Final Fantasy IX: I don't really need to say a lot about this. I love the Final Fantasy games during this particular time period. Final Fantasy IX had the normal terrific story, and added a fun mini card game. Square stuck to what made the games great, but added enough to make it stand out from the rest. Sorry Bethesda, Square is still the all-time king of the RPG.
41. Batman: Arkham Origins: The Batman: Arkham games are very well crafted, and fun games. However, by this third game in the series, it got slightly repetitive. Now, this may have hurt it in reviews, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the hell out of it. Sometimes it's best to not try and fix something that isn't broken.
Comments
Post a Comment