Overwritten.net
Games => General Gaming => Topic started by: PyroMenace on Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 01:10:53 AM
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I totally ripped this thread off of K-Man, but I am really wanting to know this myself now that many years have passed, has your favorite games of all time changed at all? So basically the rule to follow is no games can be listed older than 1997. Here goes:
1. Deus Ex
This is what I would define as the pinnacle of my PC gaming experience. Tie Fighter comes as a close second but that game is too old to be on the list so it gets at least a mention. While the sequel seemed to have failed miserably in giving the player a sense of freedom, merely only giving the sense of a delusion that you have a choice, Deus Ex nailed this perception perfectly. Allowing the player to really breath in a world of futuristic conflict and political struggle and creating a character that could change this world as they saw fit as objectives were thrown to the player and were always rewarded for their choices.
2. Freespace 2
Im a pretty big space action sim nut so this one really deserves some kudos. While its one of the most hardest games I have ever played through its simply the best you can experience a real space battle with death beams tearing through giant capital ships right in front of your eyes. Probably its defining moment with me was my first encounter of the Shivan dreadnaught, flying blindly through a nebula and witnessing its sheer size uncover before you, my genitals coward in fear. By the end of the game I had memorized every single hotkey and was forced to use each one as I banked on sheer luck that my wingmen would come out victorious for their objectives as I struggled to blast away freight ship after freight ship in time. I was way too absorbed into that game.
3. Metroid Prime
I don't think I've played a first person shooter on a console that was done as good as this... well save maybe Goldeneye, and it happened to be Metroid. From the glorious boss fights to the gorgeous environments. You could believe that the planet actually exists somewhere in our universe because the atmosphere felt so real. While Zelda OOT was a good translation from a 2d environment to a 3d one, I think Metroid Prime pretty much beats it.
4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
I don't think I have ever played a game that oozed as much charm as this one. A straight up console RPG with some really nice mario hilarity touches. My favorite chapter and probably one of the greatest times I had in a RPG was the 3rd Chapter: Glitzville, the arena fighting, that was all just a pure gold gaming moment. Plus after you beat the game, you could go back and check out how all your pals made out at the end and even do some more extra stuff.
5. Fallout
Well as far as the whole post apocalyptic universe thing goes, Fallout takes the cake. This type of environment has always been a fav of mine so I think it deserves a high spot. The amount of exploration and story to uncover is ridiculous, but first you had to learn to survive which made you feel like a real man even if you were just a scrawny ass gamer.
6. Metal Gear Solid
Movie cinematics and gaming collide in no better fashion. This one started the twist filled story of Snake and his badass adventures for the next gen consoles. The story was its main grip on the player to move the game along, the stealth action and awesome boss fights were just frosting on the cake.
7. Shadow of the Colossus
I think this is the best looking PS2 game out there. I absolutely loved its visuals. I think it was the third colossus you fight, the tall one with the massive sword. Climbing to its head and watching the world around you sway and turn as the colossus tries to throw you off, I was just in total awe. That one and just so many other moments fighting the various colossi were just pure gold.
8. Final Fantasy VII
I never did play all through FFVI, I'm sure alot of want to smack me for that, but I never really got into the console RPGs until I played this one. I had quite the marathon going when I played through it. Eating became a much lower priority. I just thought to acknowledge this one as it is really the very reason you should own a playstation console.
9. F.E.A.R.
Half Life had some pretty sweet AI in its day, but I think F.E.A.R. just totally blew me away with its AI. Its too human, it actually scares the shit out of me, as if the creepy red dressed little girl appearing at will was bad enough. The atmosphere was amazing and it had a pretty cool story to boot, and the guns felt just right as they shot off great amounts of debris off of walls and shelves with awesome visual effects, but the AI... my god... amazing.
10. World of Warcraft
I have to throw this one in here because no game have held my attention longer than this. Its really the best MMO ever created. My first attempt at this genre scene was with Anarchy Online, it was cool but it didnt do enough to keep me addicted, not like WoW did. Theres really nothing else to mention because I think everyone has played it before. Its created such a ripple in MMO gaming that it would be a crime not to mention it.
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1. Deus Ex
2. Baldur's Gate II + Expansion
3. Civilization IV
4. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
5. Diablo II + Expansion
Those are pretty much my all time favorite games. Oblivion has been my recent edition, and I love it to death. Most of the games on that list are interchangeable, and I've played Civilization, Baldur's Gate, Diablo II and Oblivion a lot more than Deus Ex (which I've only finished twice), yet Deus Ex for me remains the favorite.
Other notables are:
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (One of my favorite games, but the replay value was hindered by the slow initial 30 minutes)
Knights of the old Republic (It is pretty amazing, but when compared to deeper RPGs like PS:T and Baldur's Gate feels light and consolized)
F.E.A.R. (Was superb, but a bit of a one trick pony)
Neverwinter Nights 1 (Was great, but lacked party based gameplay)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (Had party based gameplay, but was flawed)
Splinter Cell games (Excellent, but restrictive.)
Rainbow Six series (All of the games were fantastic, yet none touched greatness)
Halo
PS:T (Watched my sister enjoy it)
Games that could appear on my list, once I get to them:
1. Jade Empire
2. Company of Heroes
3. Supreme Commander
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I reserve the right to post my list last so I can see how the land lies, becausse my list doesn't look to fit in so far.
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The only game I agree with so far is Deus Ex, when I played that game it completely blew my mind. I can easily say that the Hong Kong level is the best level of any game ever.
Postal 2: Say what you want about this game, but its a lot of fun and actually well thought out. There is no deep story about saving the world, its only about some loser and a window of five days of his shitty life when he finally snaps. When it first came out it had some problems, but the patch fixed all of that and added more to an already awesome game. The jokes are dead on and the attention to detail is amazing. Theres just so many things you can do in this game whether its looking for secrets, killing everyone, killing no one, pissing on donuts and feeding them to cops or playing fetch with your dog. However, I think I'll skip the movie.
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Postal 2 is one of the few things nick and I agree on. While I certainly wouldn't list it in *any* of my top lists, I don't think it was treated with any fairness at all. The game was wonky and such, but I had a good time with it.
But it's 4 AM right now so I dont' think I'm up for a list...
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1. Oblivion
2. Rainbow Six 3
3. Deus Ex
4. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
5. Final Fantasy VII
7. Jade Empire
8. NFS 3 Hot Pursuit
9. Neverwinter Nights
10. Bejeweled 2
Right off the bat, those are the first 10 games I think of when I think "top 10 since '97" I really wanted to add Pong, bu the rule was nothing before 1997.
Other noteworthy titles:
Prince of Persia series
Jedi Knight 2 Outcast
Crimson Skies
Rainbow Six 1, 2, and Vegas
Splinter Cell, Pandora Tomorrow
Half-Life 1 & 2
F.E.A.R.
Quake 4
Hitman series
Call of Duty 1 & 2
Medal of Honor Allied Assault
Prey
Psychonauts
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Advent Rising
American McGee's Alice
KotOR 1 & 2
The Sims 1 & 2
Ground Control 1 & 2
Darwinia
... and many, many more.
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Oh, I'm gonna have to think about this one. Deus Ex is definitely at the top of my list though, but I'll have to make the list of ten.
So I've given this some thought, and here's my list.
1. Deus Ex
Simply amazing game design and storytelling. Really draws you into the world and is really good.
2. Mafia
Another great game. Heavily story driven and one of the best gaming experiences I've had.
3. Rainbow Six
The first one ever that introduced the genre of tactical shooters. No shooter would ever be the same with the concept of tactics introduced instead of just mindless shooting. The game had tons of bugs and overall Red Storm showed themselves as a pretty mediocre coder, but the game was nonetheless amazing.
4. The Longest Journey
One the most amazing adventures ever. This is an absolute must play.
5. Resident Evil 4
I've never really played an RE game before this one, and this one is nothing like the originals so I decided to give it a shot. It would turn out to be one of the most amazing games I've ever played. Just completely action packed and really challenging. Exactly what I look for in a game.
6. Hitman Series
Not really just one game, but the entire series itself is quite amazing. I just really dig the fact that the game is open ended enough to allow you to approach the mission and your target with whatever means you feel necessary. The first one was a pretty mediocre game, but the second improved the whole series a lot and the third and fourth one, Blood Money would continue to improve the series and the gameplay by finetuning. Overall, this is one of my favorite franchises available on the PC market today.
7. Ikaruga
Need I say more? This game is simply a mix of ingenious gameplay with ultra challenging. Those who get stuck or throw this one aside because of its difficulty really need to take a deeper look at this game and realize that there is actually quite a lot of depth in this game, which is quite rare from a shmup.
8. World of Warcraft
This game is so addictive and such a time sink. I have intentions of returning to the game in the near future.
9. Gears of War
A very new game but it has such amazing gameplay that it deserves a mention.
10. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
A great adventure involving Mario, which the Gamecube was missing.
These are just some of my favorite games. Here's a list of games worth mentioning though:
Splinter Cell Series
Metroid Prime Series
F-Zero GX
Rainbow Six: Vegas
FEAR
Half Life 1 and 2
Oblivion
Diablo II + Lord of Destruction
Dreamfall
Jedi Knight Series
Knights of the Old Republic
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I'm terrible at the top-10 game. I started writing down post-97 games I really enjoyed until I got to 10. Then I sorted them in what I think is my order of preference/merit. That might change tomorrow, or even an hour from now. I may also think of other games which I might prefer to something I already listed. If I do, I'll just add it as an honorable mention or something.
1 Oblivion
2 Okami
3 Metroid Prime
4 System Shock 2
5 Dead Rising
6 Zelda Twilight Princess
7 GTA San Andreas
8 Psychonauts
9 Doom 3
10 Crackdown
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Really, this is impossible. There were so many great games since '97, and the more I think about it the more I think I could absolutely never choose a top 10. It just wouldn't be possible. If you look at my game library it should be pretty obvious to you why I'm just going to not participate.
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Since '97, eh? Well, hell....this could be a tough list for me.
Well, I can't come up w/ TEN yet for all, so I'll do SEVEN for each....
Okay, here's my Top SEVEN Games-- not order important.
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1. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
2. Planescape: Torment
3. Deus Ex
4. The Longest Journey
5. BG II: Shadows of Amn
6. Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines (one of the few games I always seem to go back to!)
7. F.E.A.R.
Some notable mentions below, no order importance
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1. Fallout 2
2. Jade Empire
3. KOTOR
4. NWN: Hordes
5. Gothic I
6. GTA: Vice City
7. The Sims
8. Max Payne 2
9. Mafia
Here are some of my Favorite SERIES, not order important
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1. Elder Scrolls series
2. Neverwinter Nights series
3. Baldur's Gate series
4. Hitman series
5. Half-Life series
6. Thief series
7. Quake series
8. Max Payne series
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I'm not going to go into specifics and these aren't in any real order but here are mine, I'm like Que and I'm having a really hard time narrowing this down and probably missed a ton:
1. Xenogears
2. Final Fantasy XII
3. Final Fantasy VII
4. God of War
5. Silent Hill
6. Xenosaga (all 3 episodes since it does tell one story)
7. Metal Gear Solid
8. Shadow of the Colussus
9. Okami
10. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Also I'm surprised at the lack of God of War on these lists, even in notable mentions, have any of you guys (besides Que) played it?
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Really, this is impossible. There were so many great games since '97, and the more I think about it the more I think I could absolutely never choose a top 10. It just wouldn't be possible. If you look at my game library it should be pretty obvious to you why I'm just going to not participate.
Well no one is going to be strict on you. You can just throw up ten titles without numbering them that you though had a great influence.
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I used to have a top ten list in my head, but it's sorta fallen apart in the past couple of years. I do know it would include Homeworld, Sacrifice, Metroid Prime, Freespace 2, Symphony of the Night, Ico, and probably Metal Gear Solid. Filling out the remaining ten would be easy since I, like Que, have plenty that I loved that I could choose from, but narrowing that list down would be tough. Order would also be a toughy since I liked all this stuff for very different reasons.
No one's really mentioned it, but I wouldn't have a problem with Prince of Persia on any of these lists. The game just managed to stick to me in a nice way that doesn't happen all that often. I went back through it not to long back and it was like nice old sweater.
God of War is worth mentioning too, so don't feel bad Tet. The problem is it's easy for it to get pushed out of the shuffle when you look back ten years and see all the great stuff that's happened.
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The sad thing is that I made this thread over at ufck nearly a month ago and have still yet to post my full top 10 list.
Ah well, i'll save it for a rainy day
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I'm surprised I'm the only one to mention Planescape: Torment...
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That and Baldur's Gate 2 are games I could never stick with. I tried, really I did. I know they're highly regarded by some.
I didn't realize that Castlevania SotN would qualify for this list. It would have been in mine.
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That one would be in mine as well, I think. Then again, maybe not. That's why I'm not doing this. ;D
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Okay, here's my list. These games are not necessarily cool, or respectable, but they're the games that I've got the most enjoyment out of in the last ten years, and isn't that what this list should be about?
Max Payne (PC)
Perfect Dark (N64)
Sonic Adventure (DC)
Trauma Center (DS)
Megaman Zero (GBA)
Dead Rising (360)
Zelda: OOT (N64)
House Of The Dead 2 (Arcade/DC)
Super Smash Bros: Melee (GC)
Mafia (PC)
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Yea I kinda forgot Max Payne. :P
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Oh shit, Katamari!
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See? It's impossible. I completely forgot about Katamari.
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I think my favorite four or five always remain the same but you are right it is easier to forget about other titles.
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Okay, here's my list. These games are not necessarily cool, or respectable, but they're the games that I've got the most enjoyment out of in the last ten years, and isn't that what this list should be about?
Max Payne (PC)
Perfect Dark (N64)
Sonic Adventure (DC)
Trauma Center (DS)
Megaman Zero (GBA)
Dead Rising (360)
Zelda: OOT (N64)
House Of The Dead 2 (Arcade/DC)
Super Smash Bros: Melee (GC)
Mafia (PC)
Fuck -- how'd I forget Max Payne series for the "series" list???
And oh yeah -- Mafia ruled. Nuff said. Outstanding game.
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3. Final Fantasy VII
From IGN.
This is an interesting article discussing whether FF7 is overrated or not. (http://retro.ign.com/articles/958/958466p1.html)
"Perhaps, for hardcore fans like Colin, it would be more appropriate to say that in comparison, Final Fantasy IV and VI are underrated," Clements counters. "There's no doubt that the games are fondly remembered and franchise-favorites according to a vast number of Final Fantasy enthusiasts, but they're often forgotten in favor of the flashier, more groundbreaking seventh iteration."
I would agree about FF6 being underrated.
I definitely do think FF7 was a great game, though -- even though it probably isn't one of the best RPG's of all time in my own opinion. I think FF6 and 7 are probably the two best in the FF series, though -- keep in mind, I ain't played an FF since FF9. So, no -- I ain't played FF10 and beyond (PS2 FF's and beyond).
Just for starters, I'll take PS:T; FO series; BG series; The Witcher; Vamp: Bloodlines; Elder Scrolls 3 & 4 -- all over FF7 any day.
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Games that could appear on my list, once I get to them:
1. Jade Empire
2. Company of Heroes
3. Supreme Commander
Jade Empire... Supcom? What the hell was I smoking?
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I think Jade Empire was an excellent game, although I doubt it would make my top 10. It certainly was my game of the year in 05
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I thought it was an average game at best, but when compared to the rest of Bioware's works, it was quite poor. A massive disappointment personally.
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I thought it was an average game at best, but when compared to the rest of Bioware's works, it was quite poor. A massive disappointment personally.
I liked Jade Empire quite a bit, myself. It was pretty good, but it was not their best.
But, really -- what game of Bioware's is going to ever top BG2?
Games that could appear on my list, once I get to them:
1. Jade Empire
2. Company of Heroes
3. Supreme Commander
Jade Empire... Supcom? What the hell was I smoking?
Well, all three of those were being hyped to be the greatest thing since sliced-bread...
A lot of games, no matter how great they might turn out, often don't live up to the insane ridiculous amounts of hype shoveled forth to us.
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I should be beaten with a hammer for not putting Chrono Trigger or Chrono Cross on my list, but like I said in the the previous post, it's too hard to make a top 10.
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Too hard? Julia beat Chrono Trigger with no issues a few years ago. She had a hell of a lot more trouble with Persona 3 and 4.
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From IGN.
This is an interesting article discussing whether FF7 is overrated or not. (http://retro.ign.com/articles/958/958466p1.html)
I would agree about FF6 being underrated.
I definitely do think FF7 was a great game, though -- even though it probably isn't one of the best RPG's of all time in my own opinion. I think FF6 and 7 are probably the two best in the FF series, though -- keep in mind, I ain't played an FF since FF9. So, no -- I ain't played FF10 and beyond (PS2 FF's and beyond).
Just for starters, I'll take PS:T; FO series; BG series; The Witcher; Vamp: Bloodlines; Elder Scrolls 3 & 4 -- all over FF7 any day.
I remember I was at Miami University at the time of FFVII's release. I remember the commercials being pretty amazing, but looking back I think it was cheating quite a bit. I mean the commercials were 100% CGI at resolutions the PSX couldn't even display. I think it's possible that a large reason for the game's success is that many people bought the game just from how amazing the commercials looked. The gameplay portions ended up being a far, far cry from those videos in terms of visual wow-factor.
I never really played the game though, so I don't have an opinion on if it is or is not overrated.
Jade Empire... Supcom? What the hell was I smoking?
I just thought it was interesting that you listed that they could possibly be on there without ever playing them.
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Despite not so much being a fan of turn-based RPGs with random encounters, I do have to say that Final Fantasy VII story and setting are entirely unique. The story gets convoluted and strange toward the end, but the characters are original and endearing, and the setting is fantastic. Even despite it being old and not a kind of game I generally like as much, I've gone through the game about twice. I haven't actually beat it, but I did get to the very end on my 2nd run, and the first time I tried I didn't succeed because of a problem playing it on PC when my HDD crashed and lost my save.
Is it overrated? Most assuredly yes. However, it is a fantastic game that achieved a lot, especially for the time, and even to this day remains something that, depending on your preferences and what you feel are the best aspects of a game, can still be very much worth playing.
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I do have to say that Final Fantasy VII story and setting are entirely unique. The story gets convoluted and strange toward the end, but the characters are original and endearing, and the setting is fantastic.
Agreed.
Even despite it being old and not a kind of game I generally like as much, I've gone through the game about twice. I haven't actually beat it, but I did get to the very end on my 2nd run, and the first time I tried I didn't succeed because of a problem playing it on PC when my HDD crashed and lost my save.
Oooh, that really stinks, Que. :(
I really liked FF7 and its end, for the most part.
Is it overrated? Most assuredly yes. However, it is a fantastic game that achieved a lot, especially for the time, and even to this day remains something that, depending on your preferences and what you feel are the best aspects of a game, can still be very much worth playing.
I think you said it best here.
I think it came at the right time, when gamers were lookin' for a console RPG that actually had great graphics. Let's face it -- RPG's weren't known for their graphics before FF7 really. With its excellent CG-work that looked like those seen in CG animated films; pretty good technical in-game graphics for a RPG; and excellent artistry that was off the charts here, FF had evolved in the category it never had evolved before. Sure, all the FF's before FF7 were known for having pretty good character depth, good turn-based combat systems, and a great story -- but FF7 took the graphics thing really to another level.
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Too hard? Julia beat Chrono Trigger with no issues a few years ago. She had a hell of a lot more trouble with Persona 3 and 4.
No, the game isn't hard. It's too hard to make a top 10 list in general, I wasn't referring to the games' difficulty. Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross are fairly easy RPGs.
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I remember I was at Miami University at the time of FFVII's release. I remember the commercials being pretty amazing, but looking back I think it was cheating quite a bit. I mean the commercials were 100% CGI at resolutions the PSX couldn't even display. I think it's possible that a large reason for the game's success is that many people bought the game just from how amazing the commercials looked. The gameplay portions ended up being a far, far cry from those videos in terms of visual wow-factor.
I never really played the game though, so I don't have an opinion on if it is or is not overrated.
That's about how I feel about it. I did try to play it, though I didn't get very far. It felt like a fancy CGI movie with a subpar game forced on it for advancing chapters. I thought then and still think now that it should have been a movie (along with Spirits Within and Advent Children, which bolstered my opinion at the time about Squaresoft's slant toward mostly passive entertainment with limited user interaction). It wasn't until XII that I felt the game itself came close to matching the implied promise of the CGI in FF games since VII. The next iteration may finally see a convergence?
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1.) Vagrant Story
10.)Vagrant Story
The middle doesn't really matter except that i'd probably put Jedi Outcast and NHL 94 (Sega motherfucking Genesis) in there.
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I remember I was at Miami University at the time of FFVII's release. I remember the commercials being pretty amazing, but looking back I think it was cheating quite a bit. I mean the commercials were 100% CGI at resolutions the PSX couldn't even display. I think it's possible that a large reason for the game's success is that many people bought the game just from how amazing the commercials looked. The gameplay portions ended up being a far, far cry from those videos in terms of visual wow-factor.
I never really played the game though, so I don't have an opinion on if it is or is not overrated.
I just thought it was interesting that you listed that they could possibly be on there without ever playing them.
Yea it was one of those posts that I read and thought,"Wow, did I write that?"
I think it may have been that I had bought those games and was trying to gee myself up to actually installing them.
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Just because an RPG has a lot of cutscenes doesn't mean there's no game there, Cobra. Get your ass handed to you by a boss you can't figure out how to beat and you'll realize that quickly. JRPGs always have a focus on story, and while I hear what you're saying because I really don't care for games of that ilk when compared to what I consider better games (they have improved much in recent days), it doesn't mean that what's there isn't a game. It just has more story, so you spend a bit more time watching/reading stuff.
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I'm talking about my own experience, Que. If yours said something else to you, I can accept that. As I said, I did play the game, even if not all the way through. I'm not making uninformed comments.
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No, I understand that, and I don't even know why I'm sort of defending the game since generally a lot of the limitations of that style bug the hell out of me, but... I guess I just think it's odd given that you enjoyed FFXII, and while the control and flow of the games have obviously changed a great deal, a lot of the basic mechanics are practically identical. I guess that's what throws me, because to me the game seems fine, it just seems like the interface and lack of fluidity are the huge problems, not that the core game sucks.
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Remember I was replying to Scott, whose comment was about the almost false-advertising nature of the CGI and CGI-based commercials. I also don't feel that the mechanics are anywhere near identical between VII and XII, so it's not just a graphics whore thing. I feel the world is at my disposal in XII, and even knowing that dice are still being rolled in the background, the combat feels very much real-time and immediate. (Approaches, retreats, and positioning all involve real timing.) There is no separate combat world from the roaming world either. This is a huge improvement on immediacy, don't you think?
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Of course, but it has nothing to do with the dice being rolled, the concepts of most spells, the nature of many abilities, the nature of the status effects, or even the concept of gauges filling up before a character can actually take a turn (FFXII isn't quite as "real time" as it feels). I mean, that's exactly my point. There is added depth and certainly a crap ton of improvements to how things move and feel, but FFXII's core gameplay doesn't really revolve around positioning and such. That's a new element that can certainly be used to one's advantage, but a lot of what FFXII really does is simply put a better mask over the same mechanics as previous FF games, which is part of the reason it's so good. It's got the mechanical, statistical strength of those games, but a much greater sense of flow, less rigidity in the minute-to-minute gameplay and movement.
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Yea, Que is right. Though JRPGs require a taste to really get into them, turn based combat has been around since the NES days and has continued to be slightly changed, refined, and polished. FF6 and 7 were pretty much as good as it's ever have gotten for it's time and even some would argue it still is. I would never call those gameplay mechanics subpar. And FFXII is really just another rendition of this refinement.
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I never played FFXII, but the timing system almost sounds like what is in Grandia II. Only JRPG I ever liked.
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That was a good one, scott, and I think really underrated. I actually got to review the PC version of Grandia II for AOG back in the day, and at that point I was still very anti-JRPG. But I liked that one a lot. But FFXII isn't really like that. It's sort of hard to explain.
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I felt combat in FFXII was a little closer to NWN or KotOR actually. It is definitely a different mask over the original FF style though, as Que said.
Grandia II was awesome; I know I've got the PC version somewhere around here. Actually it encouraged me to pick up the original Grandia on the PSX too. Speaking of JRPGs, I really miss Skies of Arcadia, that was another great one.
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Grandia II was awesome; I know I've got the PC version somewhere around here. Actually it encouraged me to pick up the original Grandia on the PSX too. Speaking of JRPGs, I really miss Skies of Arcadia, that was another great one.
Oh man, Skies of Arcadia. I remember G2 and SoA came out about the same time. I got them both for Dreamcast. Most people regarded SoA as the better of the two, but I played them back-to-back, with G2 first.
I really liked G2 and SoA is so different from it. I really enjoyed the battle concept that G2 had and SoA had a more traditional ducks-in-a-row type of system. Due to that, I didn't like SoA at first and didn't get very far. Eventually about a year later I picked it back up again and was able to get more into it without the G2 experience fresh in my mind. I was actually really into it but for whatever reason the game would lock up on a specific turn against some boss every time. I called Sega about it but they said the games only have a 90 day warranty. I actually ended up ordering it for the GCN at some really low price once, but it was on backorder and I guess never got restocked. My order eventually got canceled.
I feel like I missed out, but at the same time I know that I would never make it through the game today.
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I kind of have a love-hate relationship with JRPGs. On one hand i hate the concept and find them boring as shit....on the other i play a lot of them because i like the potential of the strategic battle system and the progressive (maybe the wrong word) story development.
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Damn. I could make a list and spend weeks revising it, constantly remembering games I should have included. I'm going on a trip for the next couple days, maybe this will give me something to do (since I get motion sickness when I play games or read in the car. I really hate that.)
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I managed to give this almost no thought whatsoever, so here's what I can come up with off the top of my head, mostly based on amount of time spent with the game. In no particular order:
Diablo 2 - The first one started the whole thing, but the second one streamlined it. The neverending feeling of wanting gear upgrades kept me going, and probably helped prepare me for MMOs. (not saying this is an MMO, but the gear search is what keeps me playing those too)
World of Warcraft - I've played it so much I hate it, but keep coming back to it. I don't like the direction it's taken, but damnit no other MMO comes close to the polish and just plain smooth "feel" of the game.
Day of Defeat - I guess it was a balance of accessability and realism that got my attention in DoD. It was iron sights and aimed for authentic WW2 environments and weaponry/sounds, but it felt way more accessable than more hardcore realism games that turned me away, like early Tom Clancy games with pre-level planning. I used to play DoD for hours every night, and even made custom textures for most of the guns, plus a full custum map pack that covered even the maps hanging from the buildings.
Shadow of the Colossus - Climbing up on top of the giants was fucking amazing, and the scale of them was impressive. Then instead of wading through thousands of useless enemies and level design puzzles, you travel to the next on in a carefree manner and take in the scenery. The contrast of the fights and the travel varied the game up enough to keep in from being monotonous, and you got a nice relaxing rest between challenges.
Goldeneye - This game is so hard to go back and play because of what modern FPS have done with controls, but damnit it was amazing back in the day. I went through so many controllers because of this game, and it wasn't even from throwing/abusing them. I just played the game that much. I don't remember it really doing much new, it just did it really well. I'd say the only major downfall the game had was the one single player escort mission. Of course, when you log 100x more hours on the multiplayer than the campaign, I guess it's not a big deal.
There's probably tons more games I could be adding. I don't even know what systems/games were out 10 years ago. I know the DC came out on 9/9/99, so we're talking about some PS1/N64 games, but that doesn't help with the PC side of things.
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I realize this thread is almost two years old, but I guess I'll post up. There is no way I can come up with a top ten, so I did my top five. The following fiver games really gripped me, and had my jaw dropping the whole time.
1. Goldeneye - I imagine this game will remain the only FPS game I liked on consoles forever. The game just oozed class and attention to detail. It's visual quality was unmatched at its release. It's old-school level-based design allowed for tons of replayability in the single player game. For a reason I have never nailed down, this is one of the only games I have ever actually tried to complete on the hardest difficulty level, an endeavor that ultimately was successful. I also spent quite a bit of time trying to earn all the cheats. I never was able to get the invincibility one, and some others.
It also was a phenomenal multiplayer game and one at which I excelled. Some of the levels were bad for multiplayer gameplay, but others like Complex, Stacks, and Temple ensured that you would run into each other often. The different weapon sets made for different "feels" in multiplayer. I commonly played with pistols (one hit kill mode), SMGs, grenade launchers, and proximity mines. They all were great fun. I was so much better than my peers at this game that they always wanted to play me 3 vs 1, something they didn't realize gave me the advantage (it's a lot easier to find any other person than one specific person).
2. Deus Ex - I've only ever beaten this game once, but I've tried to play through it more times than any other game. This game was unparalleled at its release. No other game seemed to have such an engrossing story or allow you the choice to play it different ways with all of those ways being potentially successful methods to reach the end. To date there have been a few pretenders to the throne, but nothing has come close to topping what Deus Ex has done.
3. Starcraft – Everyone loves this game for its slick multiplayer. The races are vastly different from one another yet they are all equally powerful (well, I could make an exception for the Protoss... espeically in Brood War they have an edge).
But I loved the game for its single player campaigns. It wasn't so much the levels or even really the gameplay, both of which were quite good; I loved the game because the original story was so phenomenal. I think Tassadar's sacrifice to defeat the Overmind was easily the most powerful story moment in gaming that I'd ever experienced.
4. Half-Life 2 - Que always says this game feels to disjointed, that each level has a different gimmick. He's definitely got valid points in that regard. People say the game has no story. I completely agree. But despite these flaws, or maybe even in an odd way because of them, I absolutely love this game. I was heavy into gaming at the time, spending hours every day playing Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, but this game broke me out of that trance for three solid days. I faked sickness for three days so I could play this game. I played it for hours and hours each day until I beat it. I just couldn't stop. I think part of it was the level design, how the levels always seemed to end in the middle of travel to the next part rather than completing the goal of that level. In any case, disjointed or not, I couldn't get enough of this game.
5. Wolfenstien: Enemy Territory - This game sucked up a couple years of my life and was paritally responsible in one failed relationship and a lost job. I lived and breathed this game every day for two years straight. There were only ever six maps released, but those six maps were incredible. I loved the class and objective based gameplay, how each class plays an important role in any team's success.
It helped that I lived with two guys that loved this game as much as I did. We would all play on a public server together and just dominate as a nice little three man team, since teamwork was all but impossible to find on a public server.
I like a lot of other games, but they are all on a tier that is separate from the aforementioned five games.
- Silent Hill 2
- Ico
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Okami
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
- Freespace 2
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Metroid Prime
- Shenmue
- Soul Calibur
- Star Wars Rouge Squadron II: Rogue Leader
If there was no release year limit, X-COM: Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense would easily have been on this list. Probably a few of the Space Quest games as well.
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It should be noted that I don't contest the quality of Half-life 2 despite my bitching. It was a good game, I just thought it could have been a lot better, and often felt the reasons that people claimed to like it were ridiculous (like saying it has a great story, etc.). I was certainly compelled to play through the majority of it, and it was good fun for the most part, except when the gimmicks got old. Not that you were calling me out or anything, but I jut thought I'd note that I don't actually consider it weird for it to end up in a list of your top games despite some of the conversations we've had about it.
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It should be noted that I don't contest the quality of Half-life 2 despite my bitching. It was a good game, I just thought it could have been a lot better, and often felt the reasons that people claimed to like it were ridiculous (like saying it has a great story, etc.). I was certainly compelled to play through the majority of it, and it was good fun for the most part, except when the gimmicks got old. Not that you were calling me out or anything, but I jut thought I'd note that I don't actually consider it weird for it to end up in a list of your top games despite some of the conversations we've had about it.
I think the worst thing about the HL games is they don't tie-up loose ends in their story. They still haven't closed-up some plot-holes from the first HL, for crying out loud -- nevermind the plot-holes in any of the HL2 games and HL2 episodes.
That's really all I can complain about for HL series.