IGN's Top 10

[Yog Sothoth]

IGN is a joke. I've said it before... Go find their list of the top ten crime movies of all time if you want a good laugh...

Spoiler: IGN's #1 Crime Movie of All Time

Point Break

 

[yourbeliefs]

I strongly recommend that everyone look at the lists for each decade as well. It's quite amusing to try and figure out their logic and memory of things, like the statement, "Many consider Tony Hawk 2 to be the best entry to the series, and it isn't tough to understand why." Uh no... Tony Hawk 3 punted THPS2 all the way to the moon then pissed on the crater mark it made.

 

[HollywoodH17]

So IGN posted their top 10 games of the past decade.

You see what I did there?
It is their opinion.
THEIR.
You can't be dissapointed with their games of the decade. What should they do? "Oh, sorry, the majority thought WoW must be here - I guess will put it in somehow".

Can't disagree more. I am perfectly entitled to be disappointed with whatever I want, as well as post about it, and generate a discussion on whether other people feel the same way or not.

Okay, I must have misspoken.
I can be dissapointed sure but you can't tell them what to put in that list?
Better?

You're right, I can't tell IGN what to put in their list. I can, however, post my opinion to commiserate with fellow gamers!

I'm not saying that you can't. I am not saying tha you're doing something wrong.
However, most of the comments on this thread are "No game X? What the hell, IGN?"
That's just bullshit.

Oh you're right, that kind of feedback isn't productive or terribly useful. There has been some good discussion on here though.

 

[SpireOfFire]

i dont trust any website to tell me how good a game is, i play it myself and form my own opinion, as crazy as that might sound.

 

[Random Argument Man]

I think I'm going to go on a unleated note here. Did you ever noticed, when some gaming site post their Top 10 list, there's a thread about how the list didn't sastisfied the OP?

 

[Stranger of Sorts]

2 games that should be on there, Ico and Cod4

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Halo: Combat Evolved? What?! What did that do that say.. HL2 didnt do?

It made FPS accessible to console players.

No, id say Golden Eye did that with a controller not near made for FPS's
And timesplitters

Yes.
Why does nobody remember Goldeneye or Perfect Dark as the games that made console fps-ing possible?

 

[HollywoodH17]

Halo: Combat Evolved? What?! What did that do that say.. HL2 didnt do?

It made FPS accessible to console players.

No, id say Golden Eye did that with a controller not near made for FPS's
And timesplitters

Yes.
Why does nobody remember Goldeneye or Perfect Dark as the games that made console fps-ing possible?

They are, unfortunately, caught in Halo's shadow. Which sucks, because Goldeneye smashes Halo to bits.

 

[Sentox6]

Generalization much? If Half-Life 2 isn't a good game, there are no good games? Wasn't you who just called people out on expressing their subjective opinions as absolute universal law"?

Here's a few points that are, of course, my opinion, which is universal law (it's in the good book somewhere). F.E.A.R's A.I. beats HL2's down into the ground. Coordinated, intelligent, tough enemies with grenades and assault rifles beat ridiculously unthreatening and uncoordinated aliens hands-down. Bioshock boasts difficult combat as well as an intriguing story and an incredible amount of alternatives in battle from lighting your enemies on fire to electrifying them to death in water, to sending a Big Daddy after them. And let's not forget the one big point that makes all of these games better than HL2 and that is their transition between action and travel: traveling in HL2 is BORING. When you're in F.E.A.R, you're either in combat, or being terrified by Alma and her visions which ultimately lead you to the next firefight. In Bioshock, you are constantly in fear of being blindsided by a splicer while you try to move on to the next location. And in Modern Warfare, one mistake means instant death, which is pretty intense if you ask me.

Yes, there is the subtle implication that Half-Life 2 is better than those other games (which is my thought on the matter, but to each their own). What I am trying to communicate is that HL2 isn't way down the ladder from the rest of those shooters. I understand if someone likes Bioshock or F.E.A.R. more. HL2, however, is not definitively worse than that list. They all fit very snugly within the same archetype, so I consider it invalid to say one is horribly bad. Slightly inferior, maybe, but that's not what I'm arguing against.

Consider, that around release, competition was essentially DooM3 and Far Cry. The integration of competent physics was fairly groundbreaking at the time. The sense of pacing is still excellent. I personally didn't have any real issues with the short distances you had to travel; I found the occasional sense of a largely deserted wasteland supported the story and atmosphere a lot better that turning it into a non-stop Hollywood shooting gallery.

For the record: F.E.A.R. was a decidedly average shooter for me. It amounted to a generic FPS (with bullet time) attempting and absolutely failing to be scary. Whether it scares you or not, of course, is best example of subjectivity so far.

I notice you didn't bother trying to support Halo against HL2 on that list

Edit: there is one big reason why I like IGN more than most here. They didn't pander to the fanboys and make Joker #1 in their list of best comic book villains.

 

[The Buck Stops Here]

Any decade list is irrelevant if they don't have Cave Story as a Top Ten game. Cave Story was one of the most amazing, original, and overall -fun- classic arcade games I have ever played. The fact it was developed by one man, all on his lonesome, just makes it even more impressive. It's a shame the Wii version went through development hell, considering it was such a polished and fine piece of work.

And anyone who honestly -trusts- an gaming media source that takes ads such as IGN is a little silly in my opinion. The notion of bias isn't just relevant, it's notable apparent in the way they parade new releases across their site and give them good game reviews when they come out. It is the same way with most gaming reviewing companies.

 

[Sentox6]

And anyone who honestly -trusts- an gaming media source that takes ads such as IGN is a little silly in my opinion. The notion of bias isn't just relevant, it's notable apparent in the way they parade new releases across their site and give them good game reviews when they come out. It is the same way with most gaming reviewing companies.

Would these good reviews for new releases include MAG and Dark Void?

Still, I agree that "trust" should not be a feeling associated with a media source. They're not your friends, they're a source of information. Interpret and evaluate it. At the same time, I consider it erroneous to dismiss it all simply because of the nature of the institution.

 

[Retardinator]

HL2 shook the very foundations of the genre(or so I'm told). The thing about it is that it does some stuff differently than other FPS's. Most of the stuff is explained in the episodes in the commentary tracks. So I'll start picking on your ramblings.

I must be totally missing something here. I stopped playing Half Life 2 halfway through because of how god-awful boring it was.

-Pacing:
HL2 takes pacing seriously. After a fighting sequence you're sure to get a break during which the game will let you drive on for a bit in peace and quiet or solve some physics puzzles. This differs from constant-action FPS's which some people just like more.

Sure, there was an impressive physics engine, and lots of inside jokes that only people who played the first Half-Life series would get (which I didn't, so I missed all those), but after that, meh.

-Inside jokes(?):
Actually, I haven't played HL1 completely, but I'm having some trouble recalling the jokes you mentioned. The characters in HL2 were modeled after the NPC's in HL1, that's sure. They're there because it's the same world. A lot like MW2 has some of the characters from the original game. The whole 'beer' thing and the 'microwave casserole' are a simple nod that add to the character. (I finally wrapped my head around what you meant) They do not however affect character development that much. Which was done so that in case you didn't play the first HL, you won't miss anything. Black Mesa is constantly mentioned, however, but even without basic knowledge of the chronology you can make some assumptions, which brings me to my next point:

the storyline was lame

-The story:
Valve sticks to a policy "The best story is not told, but discovered". They develop most of their games in conjunction with this. Story bits can be found pretty much everywhere. A subtle touch of graffiti on a wall, some items, news clippings, photos. It's there for the folks who look around. I like this method much more compared to Hideokojimaitic hour-long cutscenes, or even cutscenes in general. The story itself isn't really all that special in presentation, but the backstory gives that immersive boost and reveals history. The characters relate to you in a realistic way; they won't explain what happened between the two games because they assume you were there to see it.

The guns were stereotypical FPS fare with the exception of the gravity gun, which wasn't even that great...

-Weapon balance and Pacing(again):
As is visible from the game's environment, HL2 is not set in a very distant future. This means all the weapons should (and probably would) be similar to what we have today. The weapons are also designed to be incrementally strong and useful, which adds to the pacing. The Gravity Gun... hm... so maybe it isn't THAT great, but what else have you seen in games before HL2? I only remember a constant array of machine guns and rocket launchers, which differ in firing rates and damage done (HL2 also has this). The Gravity Gun was probably designed to make innovative use of the physics engine, or at least that's my guess. It's still better than giving you yet another explody-blasting-projectile-rifle.

and every two levels you're made to do a long, tedious, pain-in-the-ass "riding" mission on an ATV or water jet thing, both of which control like semi trailers full of bricks. I was so unimpressed that I stopped playing it.

-The driving:
There are only two driving chapters in the game. One with the airboat and one with the buggy. And, mind I say, those were awesome for me. The airboat section is full of jumps and fast paced action, while the buggy section lets you drive or stop and explore a bit; you never know what you could find in that house next to the road. The airboat is a bit out of control, I'll admit that, but I still managed to feel good even if it was a bit clunky. The buggy was pretty good, though and I had no trouble adjusting to it.

Either way, Half-Life 2 is a unique, one-of-a-kind game. Not everyone can like it, but it's definitely very influential and a big hit for the foundations of the FPS industry.
you heretic

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Half-life 2 is my favorite FPS game ever created. I think you all have poor taste
It had great characters, great level design, amazing atmosphere and variation AND an actual story that was well written. The shooting mechanics were solid, the enemies were fun to kill and it was just a great game.

If you played it on a console... I pity you for having to suffer through a game that really shouldn't have been ported. Joysticks do this game no justice.

first off, the story was a massive meh, i was just running around shooting stuff, the physics were decent, but everything else was so boring, i fell asleep playing it, and i played it on pc first then played it on console at a friends, so i have no idea where you pc elitists are getting your "zomg better on pc, so much different?!@?!", its average, if that, i prefer other valve games, and even then they aren't the godliest games around

p.s. playing with joysticks? a complete pc fanboy, just because you can't use them doesn't mean they are bad, mouse has accuracy, sure, use the damn thing all the time, but doesn't mean it is better

 

[caprisun]

Well for me the fact that FFX isnt in the list is quite shocking, imo best rpg of the last decade. Its a pretty alright list thou, no games that you can rly go wtf at, but deffinitly missin a few

 

[HollywoodH17]

snip

you heretic

You got it! I'm a heathen.

Seriously, though, this post has been the most thoughtful one that I've seen yet. While I'm still not swayed on my standpoint, it's nice when someone can intelligently discuss a point rather than fanboisqueal about how Valve is awesome and I'm just dumb. Thanks for your input!

 

[Sentox6]

p.s. playing with joysticks? a complete pc fanboy, just because you can't use them doesn't mean they are bad, mouse has accuracy, sure, use the damn thing all the time, but doesn't mean it is better

So, uh, even though a mouse is more accurate than an analogue stick, that doesn't make it better for aiming at targets? That statement basically amounts to "even though it's better, it's not better".

 

[aPod]

List are very subjective they are based on the opinions and bias of those who compile it. You should not be upset not to see the games you think should be up there on the list even less so on the order.

The HL2 bashing is ridiculous though. I played the first one, it was great. I played the second one, it was even better. The only part i didnt like was the long boat sections which were just a smidge long for my taste but i awknowledged it for what it was "A change of pace to keep the game from being monotenous."

 

[DarkRyter]

That's actually a pretty good list, at least a bit predictable.

Most of the games on that list are games IGN has named Game of the Year at some point, so no wonder they picked them.

 

[Weaver]

Half-life 2 is my favorite FPS game ever created. I think you all have poor taste
It had great characters, great level design, amazing atmosphere and variation AND an actual story that was well written. The shooting mechanics were solid, the enemies were fun to kill and it was just a great game.

If you played it on a console... I pity you for having to suffer through a game that really shouldn't have been ported. Joysticks do this game no justice.

first off, the story was a massive meh, i was just running around shooting stuff, the physics were decent, but everything else was so boring, i fell asleep playing it, and i played it on pc first then played it on console at a friends, so i have no idea where you pc elitists are getting your "zomg better on pc, so much different?!@?!", its average, if that, i prefer other valve games, and even then they aren't the godliest games around

p.s. playing with joysticks? a complete pc fanboy, just because you can't use them doesn't mean they are bad, mouse has accuracy, sure, use the damn thing all the time, but doesn't mean it is better

yep I'm a PC fanboy which is why I have a closet full of console games since 1986 and 7 consoles hooked up to my TV. The console port of HL2 was just not very good - it's like saying starcraft on the N64 was just as good as the PC version. I play EVERYTHING and it's my opinion, as someone who played HL2 on both the PC and the xbox that the PC version was just far better.

Just like I wouldn't recommend anyone play DMC3 on the PC - it's just a bad port. The same reason I recommend everyone play HL2 on the PC - the xbox version was not a good port.

 

[Retardinator]

snip

you heretic

You got it! I'm a heathen.

Seriously, though, this post has been the most thoughtful one that I've seen yet. While I'm still not swayed on my standpoint, it's nice when someone can intelligently discuss a point rather than fanboisqueal about how Valve is awesome and I'm just dumb. Thanks for your input!

I try to be a fanboy while maintaining an intelligent discussion.
The problem with most people bashing the game is that they see their side of the world and their ideal FPS type. HL promotes some good game design values and is actually one of the rare games that have that kind of appeal. I was writing that for about an hour because I like to show people how it's not only their opinion that matters. (or at least that's how I felt with most HL haters out there and the whole 'quality discussion' aspect fell on deaf ears and, therefore, straight into water) Mostly the reason I constructed these points long ago in my head and kept them there until this very moment.