09-01-2015, 02:25 AM
Geez not a small list to choose from ...
In no particular order:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64): I absolutely adore this game. When it was released, not only was it one of the first 3D exploration games, but it set the damn standard. A big world where you could go wherever you wanted, with fantastic music, interesting puzzles and combat, and perhaps the quintessential good vs. evil trope. Loved it 17 years ago, love it now.
ChronoTrigger (SNES): Nips at the heels of OoT. The characters were individual and fleshed out, each having their own stories going on in the background. The combat, while pretty standard, was great and I always loved the multitude of different combo attacks that each pairing had. But its story ... OH ITS STORY. Ahead of its time. Not to mention that there are about 16 different endings, depending on the things you do or don't do as you travel through time, and when you decide to face the boss. First game I can remember where choices actually affect the world. An absolute classic and the best thing the SNES produced.
Mass Effect 2: I enjoyed ME1 but always felt like I should've liked it more than I did. ME2 fixed that. Better combat (IMO), an interesting story (loved the inclusion of the Collectors) and one of my favourite RPG cast of characters from any game (Grunt, Legion, Mordin, Thane, etc). Also the ability to pull a split second paragon/renegade choice was pretty cool, and the fact that your favourite people could actually die in the last mission? It made me care. One of the first games to do it and do it so well. Edges out ME3 for me because while the third game shows everyone's fate, ME2 is where I bonded with them.
Halo/Halo: Reach: Hard to choose here. I am fully aware that they're pretty much just standard shooters, but the first Halo (other than Goldeneye) really cemented FPSes on consoles. While simple, I loved Halo's story, cast of characters, and the epic moments that filled it, especially the desperate escape at the end of the game. And the music! Halo: Reach to me is the culmination of the Halo franchise, and also its ending was very clever and emotional.
Dynasty Warriors: Didn't mention a particular instance because I've loved them all. Initially I just found the concept of slaughtering weaklings en mass a lot of fun and very cathartic (and still do), but strangely the games endeared me to the story and the characters as each iteration focused more on the story and all the little nuances it has. So much so that I actually bought the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the books that the games are based on, and have an idea for a novel because of this game. I'll be supporting this series until it dies.
Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: This one took me by surprise. I was really into Morrowind but hated Oblivion. Skyrim was Morrowind x 1000 for me. The unparalleled freedom to explore, traipse through caves and crypts and dragon dens, run into all sorts of wild creatures both natural and supernatural, loot treasure and hunt powerful relics ... this game scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. Story was pretty meh though. I really hope Elder Scrolls Online bombs soon, because I want a proper sequel to this amazing series.
Secret of Mana (SNES): I tend to think of ChronoTrigger and Secret of Mana in the same thought, mostly because they remind me of sweeping JRPGs of the 16 bit era that were simply brilliant. SoM had the story (and a sad ending too, I actually cried when I beat it) and I much preferred its combat over CT. Lots of weapons and magic skills to power up. Loved it to pieces.
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: A masterpiece. The effort and love that went into this game really shows. This to me builds on Skyrim but actually has a good and deep story, but for the first time in the series, I actually felt like a witcher. Hunting monsters, finding out their behaviours and weaknesses, preparing for a fight with potions, oils and signs ... just brilliant. Not to mention the incredible detail given to the smallest side quests, where you actually give a shit about some woman hawking on about a missing son because the writers MAKE you. A deep, engrossing experience as awesome as it is long. Spurred me on to read the witcher novels.
Pokemon Blue/Yellow: What's there to say? I was absolutely obsessed with Pokemon when I was younger, and the game was the fantasy come to life. I have absolutely no idea how many times I replayed these games, but it's sufficient to say it's my most replayed game ever. I actually got all 150 Pokemon in Yellow (no Mew, unfortunately) and still remember the trainer ID of that file. That's dedication. That's love.
Diablo II: Took everything great about the first Diablo and improved it. Better story, more worlds to explore, loot to collect. Dungeon crawling at its finest, and the lore beats the shit out of D3. Also, cow level.
Honourable mentions: Super Metroid, Super Mario 64, Earthworm Jim, Starcraft, Mario Kart 64, Warcraft 3, KoToR (this is too hard).
In no particular order:
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64): I absolutely adore this game. When it was released, not only was it one of the first 3D exploration games, but it set the damn standard. A big world where you could go wherever you wanted, with fantastic music, interesting puzzles and combat, and perhaps the quintessential good vs. evil trope. Loved it 17 years ago, love it now.
ChronoTrigger (SNES): Nips at the heels of OoT. The characters were individual and fleshed out, each having their own stories going on in the background. The combat, while pretty standard, was great and I always loved the multitude of different combo attacks that each pairing had. But its story ... OH ITS STORY. Ahead of its time. Not to mention that there are about 16 different endings, depending on the things you do or don't do as you travel through time, and when you decide to face the boss. First game I can remember where choices actually affect the world. An absolute classic and the best thing the SNES produced.
Mass Effect 2: I enjoyed ME1 but always felt like I should've liked it more than I did. ME2 fixed that. Better combat (IMO), an interesting story (loved the inclusion of the Collectors) and one of my favourite RPG cast of characters from any game (Grunt, Legion, Mordin, Thane, etc). Also the ability to pull a split second paragon/renegade choice was pretty cool, and the fact that your favourite people could actually die in the last mission? It made me care. One of the first games to do it and do it so well. Edges out ME3 for me because while the third game shows everyone's fate, ME2 is where I bonded with them.
Halo/Halo: Reach: Hard to choose here. I am fully aware that they're pretty much just standard shooters, but the first Halo (other than Goldeneye) really cemented FPSes on consoles. While simple, I loved Halo's story, cast of characters, and the epic moments that filled it, especially the desperate escape at the end of the game. And the music! Halo: Reach to me is the culmination of the Halo franchise, and also its ending was very clever and emotional.
Dynasty Warriors: Didn't mention a particular instance because I've loved them all. Initially I just found the concept of slaughtering weaklings en mass a lot of fun and very cathartic (and still do), but strangely the games endeared me to the story and the characters as each iteration focused more on the story and all the little nuances it has. So much so that I actually bought the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the books that the games are based on, and have an idea for a novel because of this game. I'll be supporting this series until it dies.
Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: This one took me by surprise. I was really into Morrowind but hated Oblivion. Skyrim was Morrowind x 1000 for me. The unparalleled freedom to explore, traipse through caves and crypts and dragon dens, run into all sorts of wild creatures both natural and supernatural, loot treasure and hunt powerful relics ... this game scratched an itch I didn't even know I had. Story was pretty meh though. I really hope Elder Scrolls Online bombs soon, because I want a proper sequel to this amazing series.
Secret of Mana (SNES): I tend to think of ChronoTrigger and Secret of Mana in the same thought, mostly because they remind me of sweeping JRPGs of the 16 bit era that were simply brilliant. SoM had the story (and a sad ending too, I actually cried when I beat it) and I much preferred its combat over CT. Lots of weapons and magic skills to power up. Loved it to pieces.
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: A masterpiece. The effort and love that went into this game really shows. This to me builds on Skyrim but actually has a good and deep story, but for the first time in the series, I actually felt like a witcher. Hunting monsters, finding out their behaviours and weaknesses, preparing for a fight with potions, oils and signs ... just brilliant. Not to mention the incredible detail given to the smallest side quests, where you actually give a shit about some woman hawking on about a missing son because the writers MAKE you. A deep, engrossing experience as awesome as it is long. Spurred me on to read the witcher novels.
Pokemon Blue/Yellow: What's there to say? I was absolutely obsessed with Pokemon when I was younger, and the game was the fantasy come to life. I have absolutely no idea how many times I replayed these games, but it's sufficient to say it's my most replayed game ever. I actually got all 150 Pokemon in Yellow (no Mew, unfortunately) and still remember the trainer ID of that file. That's dedication. That's love.
Diablo II: Took everything great about the first Diablo and improved it. Better story, more worlds to explore, loot to collect. Dungeon crawling at its finest, and the lore beats the shit out of D3. Also, cow level.
Honourable mentions: Super Metroid, Super Mario 64, Earthworm Jim, Starcraft, Mario Kart 64, Warcraft 3, KoToR (this is too hard).
![[Image: jimsig.jpg]](http://www.cytokineindustries.com/chevereto/images/2017/07/07/jimsig.jpg)