My favorite top 10 games:
Honorable mentions:
- Either Elder Scrolls: Oblivion or Skyrim (PC) - I don't usually play RPGs, but the Elder Scrolls games are very easy to pickup and play (especially Oblivion). The stories are also great, and the amount of content and attention to detail is exceptional.
- Half Life 2 (X-Box 360 and PC) - Great story, clever gameplay and level design (constantly changing up the action and pacing), and the introduction of brilliant gameplay mechanic: physics-based puzzles. Also had an array of fun weapons, including the iconic Gravity Gun and the ability to weaponize the Antlions.
- Perfect Dark (N64) - Back in the day I absolutely loved this game - creative levels, great sense of humor, awesome soundtrack and a wide range of awesome weapons (it had some of the most unique and creative guns to date, many including with auxiliary or tertiary modes). I had so much fun playing this game with friends as well, thanks to the various "Simulants" or bots you could enable. Perfect Dark also had some throwbacks to Goldeneye which was cool (both made by Rare), and had fun / challenging easter eggs to find as well.
- Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube) - I loved Super Mario for the Nintendo 64, and when Sunshine was announced, I was exciting to embark on a new adventure with the famous Italian plumber. This game was so unique - Mario had to clean up graffiti with a spray gun carried on his back, which had unique modes and variations. It didn't have the same array of unique levels as the previous game, but I absolutely loved the tropical environments, as well as the unique floating mini-levels introduced off an on. The graphics were also great (especially the water effects), as well as the soundtrack, and a lot of attention to detail was given to the atmosphere of each level. The only weak part of this game for me was the story and opening movie, but otherwise an amazing game.
- Age of Empires 2 (with expansions) (PC) - Well balanced, fun gameplay, great enemy A.I. and procedural level generation, and a lot of fun to play with friends. An updated version was also released on Steam recently, with updated graphics and Steam Workshop support as well.
- Star Fox (N64) - An iconic game that was so much fun and had added replay value as well (thanks to the various paths you could take per level). There was also multiplayer support which was fun, as well as fun easter eggs to explore as well (including one to let you battle against friends in multiplayer as the characters themselves). I remember this game and the story well.
- Goldeneye (N64) - Another iconic game, based on the movie. A wide range of interesting weapons, good level design, fun gameplay, and awesome multiplayer. My only gripe with this game was with the that after awhile the gameplay and graphics felt bland and uninteresting.
- Banjo Kazooie (N64) - Also an iconic game, which was very unique and so much fun - right before the final boss battle, you basically face off against her in a game show lol. Well done platform-based level design, great sense of humor, unique enemies, colorful color scheme, good soundtrack, and fun cheats / easter eggs to explore. Another game I remember very well.
- Halo 2 (X-Box and X-Box 360) - It's hard to find someone who hasn't at least heard of the Halo franchise. After the impressive success of Halo, the sequel was announced to massive fanfare. Bungee knew this game had to live up to high expectations, and for me this game exceeded expectations. Awesome story and lore, impressive level design, great graphics and soundtrack, well-balanced weapons and the ability to dual-wield different guns, new unique vehicles to try out, the ability to have A.I. soldiers drive you around or use vehicle turrets, and more. The story did end on a cliff-hanger, but the incredibly addicting multiplayer kept fans content until the closing sequel game out years later.
- Portal 2 (PC) - Awesome / humorous story, unbelievable level design and puzzles, great graphics, top-notch voice acting and so much attention given to detail / atmosphere. The sequel introduced new mechanics that introduced added complexity to problem-solving, and challenged each player to really think outside the box. Plenty of plot-twists as well that kept you guessing, and a satisfying ending. The gameplay is also buttery-smooth, thanks to how the game was designed.
- Minecraft (PC) - Nothing like it at the time. Technically impressive (due to advancements in procedural generation), near-endless replayability and exploration, and overall just fun and perfect for casual gamers - you make your own adventure. The main drawback to it's procedurally generated worlds however is that it eventually becomes old and boring, since there's no real story or goal to pursue besides surviving. However, the added multiplayer and modding community have helped to supplement this with custom content, that has kept it alive to this very day.
- Metro 2033 Redux (PC) - Very immersive, challenging, great graphics, unique environments and interesting story.
- Burnout 3: Takedown or Burnout 4: Revenge (X-Box) - Overall both games are just a whole lot of fun, thanks to arcade-style gameplay, various gamemodes, unique cars to unlock and fast-paced action. Burnout 3 was one of the highest-rated racing games of all time.
I've definitely heard a lot about it, and want to check it out. Oblivion was my favorite Elder Scrolls game, and one of my favorite games of all time, but Morrowind seems very interesting as well.Have you played Morrowind? If not, you should. It's the best Elder Scrolls game IMO.
I've definitely heard a lot about it, and want to check it out. Oblivion was my favorite Elder Scrolls game, and one of my favorite games of all time, but Morrowind seems very interesting as well.
Love ff7 played forever
Xcom...trying to beat on classic with ironman permadeath and it's kicking my butt
Skyrim
Mgs all of them...other than survival
Doom the original one
This subforum really needs more activity, and I'm honestly surprised that a "ranking" thread isn't already here and near the top.
Tell me what your top 5 favorite games are, and why.
SWKOTOR2: a truly epic story with more depth than you can probably reach in several playings of the game.
FF7 was a great game back in the day. They're remastering it, and it's due to come out on PS4 in April of this year. I'm a PC only guy so it's 2021 for me.
XCOM? You mean the oldschool original? If you still like the original, and still don't mind the graphics check out OpenXCom. It requires the original game which you can get on Steam for a few dollars, but it's great. They recreated XCOM from the ground up, and modernized it internally while fixing a lot of the original bugs. If you're more into the newer XCOMs I love War of the Chosen for XCOM 2.
As for Doom. I'm sure you know Eternal Doom just released? It looks pretty good, but I'm in a place where a download of that size would take days so I won't bother until I'm back in the states. Otherwise Doom 64 just came out on Steam for 5 bucks, and it's great.
What did you think of Doom 2016? Doom Eternal is basically more of that with a few tweaks and a dose of not taking itself seriously.
In no particular order (platforms I played the games in parenthesis):
Times of Lore (C64) - it was the first game that blew my mind. Plenty of immersion, big world, no loading times at all after the game started, even a save feature!
Armalyte (C64) - best side-scrolling spaceship shoot-em-up I ever played. It looked great and I still remember the music. Great weapon system, you could switch "supers" in a fly too.
Fallout 1&2 (PC) - I count them as one game, they're so similar. Great RPG mechanics, plenty of meaningful freedom, interesting in so many ways.
Dark Souls (Xbox) - Very punishing to the point of almost turning me away from it, but once it clicked, it was great. The atmosphere is unparalleled, it's never boring, and the air of looming threat is almost anxiety-provoking. Very interesting multiplayer aspect as well. Dark Souls had so many amazing design choices. Easy to see why it is so treasured. Git gud!
Sekiro (Xbox) Great atmosphere, amazing combat system, intense battles. My game of the year for 2019. Very hard, but very rewarding. I almost had a heart attack playing it.
Civilization (Amiga, PC) - I count most of them as one here. If Civ 1, 4 and 5 were combined into a game where all the best parts were kept and bad parts dropped, there would be no reason to play anything else ever again.
Turrican 2 (Amiga) - if you survive the great opening sequence with one of the best pieces of game music you've ever heard, then it's time for the actual game which is pretty much pure quality. Very polished 2D shooter with neat mechanics, beats most Amiga action games by a mile.
Gabriel Knight 3 (PC) - best old-school(ish) adventure game I have ever played. Incredible story, imaginative and captivating in a way I hadn't experienced before this. Neat mixture of Christianity and mythology. If you don't count a few bad puzzles, most of them are great, especially one long one which drives home most of the story and its intrigue. Also, the opening title piano theme sounds amazing to this day. Seriously, go listen to Gabriel Knight 3 theme right now on Youtube. Right now, do it. Now.
System Shock 2 (PC) I never finished it, which is strange because I loved it. Atmosphere is amazing and the RPG touches mostly work. You really feel like you're wandering down dangerous hallways in some spaceship. This is one of those games where recordings and flashbacks actually drive the story forward in a good way, instead of being just a lazy solution or filler. Immersion goes through the roof, and the sound design is haunting.
Portal 1&2 (Xbox, PC) - pure joy, absolute blast. If some of you, for whatever reason hasn't played these, it's time to fix that problem. If you have a friend to play with, P2 has a co-op campaign as well, and it's a really good one. Easy to pick up, easy to learn, fun to come up with solutions.
Those that didn't make the list deserve a mention, so I'll list everything that comes to my mind as one bunch: Prince of Persia (original), Doom (original), The Darkness, Rainbow Six Siege, South Park: Fractured But Whole (forgive me), Paradroid 90, Dragon Age Origins, Mass Effect 1, Witcher 3, The Dig, Blade Runner, Deus Ex games, Metro Exodus, Bubble Bobble, Wings, Archimedean Dynasty, Freespace 2, I-War, X-com (original), Eye of Beholder 2, OH MAN THERE ARE TOO MANY
What did you think of Fallout New Vegas? Have you played it?