Man, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is where it's at, get on my level.Andy Shandy said:
OT: My Steam times are all awhack because it doesn't sync up properly when switching between online and offline modes, so I think I'll have to leave that list out since I don't keep track of how many hours I've really put into a game, and if I did Diablo III would probably be right behind World of Warcraft as the top two on the list regardless.
Please bear in mind these are all my personal opinion and do not reflect the position I believe these games should hold in the greater gaming community.
This Gen:
Mass Effect franchise - A bit of a cop-out, but I don't think it's fair to really take any of them individually since they all have separate strengths.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The few complaints I have about the game are quickly washed away by how gorram awesome I remember it is while actually playing.
Mirror's Edge - It gets blasted for how short it is, but honestly I think that really helps it be more replayable than most games these days; When you don't have to sink in a good twenty hours to really feel satisfied with something, it's a lot easier to just pick it up and enjoy it.
Sonic Generations - Sega, Y U NO RELEASE DLC LEVELS? You did it for Unleashed for god knows whatever reason!
Persona 4 Golden - Sublime experience all the way through. Another title where whatever flaws it may have just pale in comparison to how amazing it is once you give it the time it deserves.
Mass Effect franchise - A bit of a cop-out, but I don't think it's fair to really take any of them individually since they all have separate strengths.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The few complaints I have about the game are quickly washed away by how gorram awesome I remember it is while actually playing.
Mirror's Edge - It gets blasted for how short it is, but honestly I think that really helps it be more replayable than most games these days; When you don't have to sink in a good twenty hours to really feel satisfied with something, it's a lot easier to just pick it up and enjoy it.
Sonic Generations - Sega, Y U NO RELEASE DLC LEVELS? You did it for Unleashed for god knows whatever reason!
Persona 4 Golden - Sublime experience all the way through. Another title where whatever flaws it may have just pale in comparison to how amazing it is once you give it the time it deserves.
All Time:
Final Fantasy IX - Tied with Persona 4 for my favorite JRPG ever.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - Even back in the day on the Xbox I preferred it to the first one, though I have to admit the opening has far worse pacing and playing it without the Restored Content mod now really hurts it.
Okami - Now, technically this could go in with "This Gen", but either way so long as it's on the list everything is good. It's a better Zelda than Zelda.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence - I pick the re-release in all of these because the addition of a shoulder third-person camera just makes everything so much better. Metal Gear Solid is the franchise that got me interested in stealth games in the first place, and 3 is absolutely fantastic.
Bioshock Infinite - Now, this is why I put that disclaimer up there, since I'm sure a bunch of people are going to see that and be like "Ugh, so overrated, he's just still in the hype period with it!" It's true that I was hyped like hell for Infinite (I had it preordered for over a full year), but even with that it still managed to completely outstrip all of my expectations. It's incredibly rare for a game to make me feel like I should play through it twice back-to-back, but I did it with Infinite and enjoyed every second of it (except the final encounter on 1999 Mode...)
Final Fantasy IX - Tied with Persona 4 for my favorite JRPG ever.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - Even back in the day on the Xbox I preferred it to the first one, though I have to admit the opening has far worse pacing and playing it without the Restored Content mod now really hurts it.
Okami - Now, technically this could go in with "This Gen", but either way so long as it's on the list everything is good. It's a better Zelda than Zelda.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence - I pick the re-release in all of these because the addition of a shoulder third-person camera just makes everything so much better. Metal Gear Solid is the franchise that got me interested in stealth games in the first place, and 3 is absolutely fantastic.
Bioshock Infinite - Now, this is why I put that disclaimer up there, since I'm sure a bunch of people are going to see that and be like "Ugh, so overrated, he's just still in the hype period with it!" It's true that I was hyped like hell for Infinite (I had it preordered for over a full year), but even with that it still managed to completely outstrip all of my expectations. It's incredibly rare for a game to make me feel like I should play through it twice back-to-back, but I did it with Infinite and enjoyed every second of it (except the final encounter on 1999 Mode...)
