What games are you "loud and proud" to be a fan of?

[Nexxis]

Many of the Sonic Games, with Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic Unleashed being my favorites. I started off with Sonic stuff ever since I was a kid, and I loved them, even though I absolutely sucked at them. For the Sega Genesis and Game Gear, I had most of the games that were released in the US. I've never beaten a single one of them. I didn't find my footing until the 3D games came out. The Sonic fandom has a notoriously bad reputation, but I don't care. It hasn't stopped me from loving the franchise and it never will.

 

[VladG]

Dragon Age 2. I actually liked the story and especially the fact that it isn't the same tired "you are the ONLY ONE who can save the world, *insert epic quest here*" I can get in basically every other game out there. I liked the idea of a more "personal" story. Gameplay was pretty solid, I personally found it a bit more engaging than the first game, while the characters are some of the best Bioware has ever penned. Sure, the recycled levels were shitty, but in the end, it didn't detract THAT much from the game.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (the first one. Just the first one). People enjoy hating this franchise so much nowadays that they seem to forget it was built on a foundation of genuinely good games, with the first MW being a shining example of MMS done right.

Diablo III (sort of). Yeah, as a whole it doesn't live up to Diablo II. Yeah, the RMAH (and regular AH) were abominations unto god and pretty much ruined the game. Yeah, femDiablo is something I try to pretend never happened (not because it's a female diablo, but because of the awful story that led to it).

BUT the combat and skill system are by far the best in the series, and genre as a whole. I've played every diablo clone out there and none has come close to matching the impact and awesome kinetic feel of pretty much every skill in Diablo 3. Even the regular weapon swings feel powerful and visceral instead of the usual floaty combat you see in pretty much any other game in the genre (including it's predecesors). This game makes you feel like a legendary badass engaged in mortal combat against vicious foes while every other game in the genre makes you feel like you're having a slap-fight with a conga line of bad costumes.

And at least D3 tries to make combat more than just "click everything to death" and add a little more depth to it (which it only partially succeeds, but that's still more than other game manages). You do have put a little thought and skill into how you approach some encounters (once you get to max-level content that is, everything up to that is a cakewalk)

As for the skills, well I'm just going to compare it to the 3 big contenders: D2, Torchlight 2 and Path of Exile: D2's tree skills are plagued by cookie-cutter builds (an inherent problem with that kind of skill trees) and a reliance on 1-2 core abilities and pretty much nothing else. Spamming the same spell for the ENTIRE GAME is not that fun. Not to mention having to hoard skill points so you can have a proper build was a massive design flaw. D3 on the other hand gives you more options in terms of skills (as you pretty much have to use all your available skill slots, and even then it feels like you could use a few more) and ability runes and gradual progression actually mean that you change up your builds every now and again, which breaks the monotony (especially true with loot 2.0 which introduces a ton of items that can totally change your builds). Also the problem of cookie cutter build is reduced significantly.

Torchlight's 2 skills and combat are just... boring. I never unlocked an ability and went "oooh, this is cool", or "ooh, this will significantly change the way I approach encounters". True, I haven't tried every class and every skill so I might be wrong (though I feel I've played enough to have a valid opinion) but I have no desire to find out (and thereing lies the biggest issue with Torchlight 2. It's just not fun enough, especially compared to it's peers.)

As for PoE... well, that massive skill tree looks interesting, but once you delve into it and realize it's mostly just flat stat upgrades it loses much of it's appeal. +10 STR is NOT interesting. Having your character explosively fart every 3rd swing of your axe is interesting. And I really wish they hadn't just carbon-copied the combat of D2 (which was fine and fun 14 years ago) and instead tried to innovate a bit. Don't get me wrong, I like PoE, and I think it's monetization system is a shining example of F2P done right. But I don't think it's gameplay is as good as D3.

 

[Racecarlock]

Call of duty. I like the arcade shooting mechanics that remind me of light gun games in arcades but even more intense. And now you have full control of the soldier. I only have the first modern warfare game in full and the other two in demo form, but I like it.

Saints Row IV. "Oh it's a DLC made into a full game" "Oh it's too wacky" "Oh it's not in accordance with brutal urban gangster life." . So fuckin' what? It's fun as hell. I love messing around with the super powers, hell, I sometimes still drive a car around a bit just for the hell of it. When did every game suddenly need to be oscar bait? what about the comedy awards? Hell, one of the objectives in the game just straight up tells you to be a badass. I love that. Finally I have a game that isn't trying to take on political issues for once in this generation of games.

 

[thesilentman]

Sonic Unleashed.

Despite the hate for the night stages and the almost too easy day stages, I absolutely love this game. I assume that it's mostly because I love speed and platforming. The day stages are almost too good in that regard. As for the night stages? I think that it's pretty well designed, but just out of place. Doesn't stop me from enjoying the game either way.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Halo 3

And I swear, I will internetz fight anyone who says it's terrible. To the death! Except for the campaign. That was rather meh.

Also, Black Ops. CoD in general gets so much heat for even existing.

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

Spyro the Dragon. Favorite game I've ever played and it still brings me extreme amounts of joy and fun when I play it.
The stage designs, the enemy designs, the simple but fun platforming and fighting were all great and who can forget the fantastic music?
Yeah I'm 20 and I'm still in love with a children's game that came out when I was 4 so what?
I still have the original disc and it still works (though sometimes the music just cuts out) but I mostly play my digital copy.

Other than that I'd say the Halo series. It used to get a lot of flak around here but I don't care. I love the gameplay and even the story. And multiplayer with my buddies on Halo 2 gave me some of my best multiplayer memories ever.

Didn't dig 3's campaign though and I dislike everything about 4.
Only fun 4 gives me is fighting my buddy with bottomless clips turned on and our speed and jumping height set to max.
And even then I'd rather be playing a different Halo game.

 

[StriderShinryu]

Yeah, Dragon Age 2 here as well. It has its flaws, of that there is no doubt, but I look at it based on how it made me feel to play it instead of looking at the shopping list of "right" and "wrong." All told, it was such an enjoyable experience that I can't help but be a big fan of it.

Also, fighting games in general, and actually as designed by their developers. I like the fact that they largely don't bother concerning themselves with in depth single player modes or with offering too many ways that dilute their intended experience (that being a skill based player versus player competition). I like the fact that they demand the player actually put in time and effort to "get good" while at the same time being extremely rewarding when you put in that time and effort.

 

[ChorltontheDragon]

Mass Effect 3 - overall it was a very good game and I didn't think the ending was as bad as people said. I get that it didn't reflect the choices made in the game but it still made me cry (but then I played the whole trilogy of games, one after the other).

Assassin's Creed - I am a fan of the series as a whole. Although AC3 was not my favourite (Connor was a bit dull and I was not keen on the historical setting), overall I do love it. It is open world, it has stealth aspects, I did like the main story thread running through it and you learn a bit of history along the way.

I was also going to say Dragon Age 2, but others have already summed up good points. Yes, it's not as great as Origins, but the combat was so much better. Plus I do like snarky/sarcastic Hawke, Aveline and Varric and his amazing chest hair!

 

[Drummodino]

DmC: Devil May Cry. I don't care what the internet says, that game is a hell of a lot of fun. The combat is very satisfying, the art style is beautiful, the music is fantastic and I liked the story (even if it was undeniably dumb). The characters were cool and Vergil in particular had a great design. The only problem I have with it is the boss battles are far too easy.

 

[Andy Shandy]

Sonic Unleashed.

Despite the hate for the night stages and the almost too easy day stages, I absolutely love this game. I assume that it's mostly because I love speed and platforming. The day stages are almost too good in that regard. As for the night stages? I think that it's pretty well designed, but just out of place. Doesn't stop me from enjoying the game either way.

My man!

Going through it again recently for 100% completion, and it is really fun.

Although saying that Eggmanland can go fuck itself D:

 

[Squilookle]

This game right here:

I've been playing it on and off more or less constantly since 1998. By not leaving it for a long time, I've avoided nostalgia backlash by keeping it fresh in mind, able to compare it to new releases as they come out.

I will freely admit that the game's multiplayer (which for a lot of you was all you ever chose to play of it) has aged terribly.

The singleplayer, however, is right up there among the greatest FPS singleplayer experiences ever created. Goldeneye does some things that are still ahead of the curve, outdoing even the latest games. And Perfect Dark that followed it? Some of the stuff in that game remains today the high water mark for console shooter technical achievement.

So in a nutshell, Goldeneye remains today every bit as fun and challenging as it was back when it released.

End of Story.

 

[FPLOON]

-Monster Girl Quest
-Corruption of Champions
-Kingdom Hearts
-Tales of ________
-Hyperdimension Neptunia

Honorable mention goes towards Rayman in general... because I don't see how anyone would try to argue with liking the games one way or another, in my opinion...

 

[Mossberg Shotty]

I choose the Dark Souls series, like any self-respecting masochist. It's not exactly the best introduction to gaming, but it's enjoyable on multiple levels. Also it's one of the most dedicated fanbases there is.

 

[Candidus]

I choose the Dark Souls series, like any self-respecting masochist. It's not exactly the best introduction to gaming, but it's enjoyable on multiple levels. Also it's one of the most dedicated fanbases there is.

It's great that you're into Dark Souls, but I don't think the minor backlash that comes from a few people who're sick of haadou-modo elitism and/or hearing about how great Dark Souls is are enough to attach a stigma to it.

Now, the list above you... Hohoh...

-Monster Girl Quest
-Corruption of Champions
-Kingdom Hearts
-Tales of ________
-Hyperdimension Neptunia

THAT is a list under such a dark cloud that it's hard to read! Excellent.

How could I forget CoC?! Probably too late in the day to amend my post.

The only question mark is the Tales of series. Is there really a stigma associated with that?

 

[FPLOON]

-Monster Girl Quest
-Corruption of Champions
-Kingdom Hearts
-Tales of ________
-Hyperdimension Neptunia

THAT is a list under such a dark cloud that it's hard to read! Excellent.

How could I forget CoC?! Probably too late in the day to amend my post.

The only question mark is the Tales of series. Is there really a stigma associated with that?

In terms of the Tales series, not really... However, I must still be caution of saying that Symphonia is better than Abyss, let alone Vesperia... (Opinion-wise, I guess...)

 

[Lugbzurg]

http://vividgamer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/serious_sam_w1.jpeg
Do I have to say it? (The title's on his shirt!)

This is pretty much what happens when you combine ID Software's Doom with Zun's Touhou. You get Serious Sam. And last man alive, is it ever ludicrously-awesome!

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-o32oCsutNmI/T-9kQG6TvOI/AAAAAAAAFsI/r4Bml1Q5Bho/s1600/SeriousSamHD_PAX4.jpg

I just can't seem to get tired of this. It takes a very oldschool approach with its gameplay mechanics, incorporates a somewhat "Schwarzenegger" atmosphere, and then applies modern advances where it makes sense. Such as how it's powered by The Serious Engine, which is designed to process massive environments, massive objects, and a slewton of things onscreen at once. Seriously, the amount of enemies they throw at you in these games is insane.

Serious Sam is one of my absolute favorite videogame franchises on the planet. It's not particularly famous, even among the kinds of people who adore these kinds of games (they usually go for Doom and Duke Nukem 3D). But it's always going to be special to me!
http://cdn2.dualshockers.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Sam-is-Seriously-Serious.jpg

Heck, these games have inspired a concept of my own. Someday, I'm going to create videogames. And I believe that one day, I'll be able to take this style of gameplay and make it even better. And I intend to do that with a hero I call "Reginald Noble".
http://th04.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2013/071/2/1/reginald_noble__packing_the_heat_on_by_lugbzurg-d5xsyjs.png

 

[Guffe]

The Zelda series. No I don't think it started sucking after Majoras Mask / Wind Waker. No I didn't have trouble with the Wii controlls. No I don't find them repetetive. I enjoy them.
Althou, those 3 are the main things I hear people whining about. The series isn't, in my opinion, controversial otherwise. Just a minority who dislikes them.

 

[Adeptus Aspartem]

Armored Core series. Because Piloting 2-digits tons of steel up to the speed of sun while being more armed than a tank batallion is just "fugg'n awsum"! The designs are great, the versatility is huuuuuge and has some crazy thought out concepts - though that also makes it a little stat heavy while constructing your death robot of annihilation.
I like "For Answer" the most in the series because of it's sheer ridicolous speed, imo that version captured bad-ass mech fights the best - fuck realism

Then of course the Saints Row Series starting at #2. I like each of the games for what it is and 3+4 are easily part of the most wacky, zany and over the top games i've ever played. But it's done well. It didn't only adapt to madness it embraced it, rolled around it and probably had some sweaty love with it too.

And newer to the list: Darksouls Series. Because after beating that game you feal badass. Aaaaand i noticed that it's from the same guys who did Armored Core (*cough* roughly 20 hours into the game while seeing their logo a bajillion times *cough*) that explained alot of the mechanics and the loads of diffrent stats there are
Currently playing the 2nd iteration and it's neatly handing me my ass on a silver plate. Personally i feel the newer game is even harder but that's maybe also linked to the fact that im currently playing with KB+M and not with a controller since the game has an issue with mine - KB+M is alot better than controllers in some aspects of the game, mainly while not locked on but due to the limited button mapping i'm currently unable to perform reliable parries and not able to do jump attacks at all, but maybe i can figure out a mappin' that makes sense for those too.

There are some more, but i won't explain each and everyone just a quick rundown:
Civ Series 1-5 (no 4, but count Alpha Centauri instead)
Monkey Island. No cut that. All the classic Lucas Arts Adventure games. They were probably my first games i've ever played +20 years ago. MI, Zakk, Loom, Indy, The Dig (a lil later) and the Maniac Mansion.
Diablo 1+2. 3 can die in a fire.
DotA, Binding of Isaac and Mass Effect.

PS: Also im a crazy Freelancer fanatic, but i tend to avoid to talk about it because then i remember this game is already ~10 years old, there was never another game like it (Dark Star One was shite) and OMGSTARCITIZENWILLPROBABLYBEAWSUMIHOPEITDOESNTFAIL*gasp* Also Freelancer has a special place in my heart since it's the birthplace of my nickname and i haven't changed it since and used it in every online/Mp game there after.

 

[Caiphus]

Loud and proud?

I don't really know what that would entail. Telling my parents about it? Wearing a t-shirt? Cosplay?

In that case: Boob Wars: Big Breasts vs Flat Chests