I think I'll go into some detail since it's been a page...or half a page...since my original post. So here we go:
So after composing all of those explanations I think I can compile a list of my top 20 favorite games as of right-stat-now.
20: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
19: Final Fantasy IV
18: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
17: Super Mario World
16: Ninja Gaiden
15: Zelda 2: Adventures of Link
14: Voodoo Vince
13: Dynasty Warriors 3
12: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
11: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
10: Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
9: Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
8: Fallout 3
7: Duke Nukem 64/3D
6: Final Fantasy VIII
5: Pokemon Soul Silver
4: Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage
3: Saint's Row 2
2: Final Fantasy IX
1: Otogi: Myth of Demons
I love The Legend of Zelda and have played through many of the games to completion [sub](origin, 2, awakening, Link to the Past, Ocarina, Majora's Mask, Wind Waker and, Twilight Princess are all beaten by myself with Skyward Sword being played and Four Swords also being played)[/sub]. I'm going to keep them in the spoiler-tag order though. Zelda 2: Adventures of Link is greatly criticized and for good reason but you know what? Zelda 2 is the most satisfied I ever felt in terms of beating a game. For satisfaction alone, it's a top 3 for me.
Wind Waker is another kettle of fish entirely[sub][sub](pfft, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)[/sub][/sub]. I'm one of those strange people who really like the new visual style of Wind Waker; it's vivid and still holds up by today's standards kinda like the original Okami. Unlike Skyward Sword, navigating the sea is easy (conduct the winds as opposed to flapping the Wii-mote) and there's stuff to do while sailing (like fighting giant squids and, exploring islands). Skyward Sword however features birds that steal your rupees and floating pebbles...also a roulette wheel. I also love the Ganondorf fights in Wind Waker...then again all Zelda games have pretty interesting boss fights but the Ganondorf boss fights were especially fun. There's something about fighting man-on-man...man-on-boy...eww.
Link to the Past is my number one mainly because it was the first Zelda game I've ever beaten. Shigero Miyamoto has even said it was a better successor to the original Zelda than Zelda 2! Anyway, word of God aside, this was the first Zelda that got me into adventure gaming, RPGs, etc. I know Zelda isn't technically a RPG but that won't stop me thinking of it as one.
Wind Waker is another kettle of fish entirely[sub][sub](pfft, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)[/sub][/sub]. I'm one of those strange people who really like the new visual style of Wind Waker; it's vivid and still holds up by today's standards kinda like the original Okami. Unlike Skyward Sword, navigating the sea is easy (conduct the winds as opposed to flapping the Wii-mote) and there's stuff to do while sailing (like fighting giant squids and, exploring islands). Skyward Sword however features birds that steal your rupees and floating pebbles...also a roulette wheel. I also love the Ganondorf fights in Wind Waker...then again all Zelda games have pretty interesting boss fights but the Ganondorf boss fights were especially fun. There's something about fighting man-on-man...man-on-boy...eww.
Link to the Past is my number one mainly because it was the first Zelda game I've ever beaten. Shigero Miyamoto has even said it was a better successor to the original Zelda than Zelda 2! Anyway, word of God aside, this was the first Zelda that got me into adventure gaming, RPGs, etc. I know Zelda isn't technically a RPG but that won't stop me thinking of it as one.
I don't think I'm going to keep these in Spoiler order so I'll keep it numerical.
IV - Plain and simple, I really liked the story for this one. I loved the hero's quest which lead Cecil from being a mother-murdering Dark Knight to a Paladin. I'm actually replaying this so...I don't remember much beyond this...I do remember a final battle on The Moon though. Yeah, I'm kinda lame.
VIII - As much as I disliked most of the characters (except Quistis and, Selphie who I loved). What I really loved about VIII is the level up and, junction system which was used in this entry. Basically, a neurotic maniac like myself can grind up to Godhood before entering the prologue dungeon of all places and I love it when that kind of exploit is in play. I also love how many Guardian Forces are in play even if some of them are kind of useless in combat, like Siren.
IX - This one was a battle of attrition for me because I never had a proprietary memory card (this resulted in my never being able to keep save-game info for more than a week maybe). When I finally beat this game (first FF game I beat by the way) it was like...well it was indescribable because I was fairly young when I managed to do it (13 or 14 I think). Anyway, there wasn't a single character I disliked in this game; I even liked Queen Brenah, Zorn and, Thorn! The writing was really good in this one too, adding in some great character moments (tinkle-tinkle), a romantic sub-plot between Steiner and Beatrix that I loved to death and, managing to make the more serious moments leave an impact without inducing tonal whiplash. I loved the return of specialized abilities too; it just doesn't make sense for everyone to be able to do everything after all. I loved the card game, the summons and how they were integrated into the story and...well I just loved this game.
Mystic Quest - This is the easiest Final Fantasy I've ever played and was made from the ground up to be that way since it was made in a time when stupid Americans like myself were still uninterested in role playing games. This is another childhood favorite of mine which I could never figure out as a kid. I made it to the Ice Area and just...got stuck. Then I figured it out as a 24 year old and cursed my poor, atrophied, childhood brain. Anyway, the main thing that this game probably did for me is ingrained in me not only a love of Final Fantasy and JRPGs but also a love of Metal. I mean listen to this RANDOM BATTLE theme! (not a boss theme, just a random ass battle theme)
It's an easy game to get into and beat but despite that I still enjoy the game. It's fun for me! It's also the only JRPG that I can think of that shows enemy sprites which degrade as their HP drops.
IV - Plain and simple, I really liked the story for this one. I loved the hero's quest which lead Cecil from being a mother-murdering Dark Knight to a Paladin. I'm actually replaying this so...I don't remember much beyond this...I do remember a final battle on The Moon though. Yeah, I'm kinda lame.
VIII - As much as I disliked most of the characters (except Quistis and, Selphie who I loved). What I really loved about VIII is the level up and, junction system which was used in this entry. Basically, a neurotic maniac like myself can grind up to Godhood before entering the prologue dungeon of all places and I love it when that kind of exploit is in play. I also love how many Guardian Forces are in play even if some of them are kind of useless in combat, like Siren.
IX - This one was a battle of attrition for me because I never had a proprietary memory card (this resulted in my never being able to keep save-game info for more than a week maybe). When I finally beat this game (first FF game I beat by the way) it was like...well it was indescribable because I was fairly young when I managed to do it (13 or 14 I think). Anyway, there wasn't a single character I disliked in this game; I even liked Queen Brenah, Zorn and, Thorn! The writing was really good in this one too, adding in some great character moments (tinkle-tinkle), a romantic sub-plot between Steiner and Beatrix that I loved to death and, managing to make the more serious moments leave an impact without inducing tonal whiplash. I loved the return of specialized abilities too; it just doesn't make sense for everyone to be able to do everything after all. I loved the card game, the summons and how they were integrated into the story and...well I just loved this game.
Mystic Quest - This is the easiest Final Fantasy I've ever played and was made from the ground up to be that way since it was made in a time when stupid Americans like myself were still uninterested in role playing games. This is another childhood favorite of mine which I could never figure out as a kid. I made it to the Ice Area and just...got stuck. Then I figured it out as a 24 year old and cursed my poor, atrophied, childhood brain. Anyway, the main thing that this game probably did for me is ingrained in me not only a love of Final Fantasy and JRPGs but also a love of Metal. I mean listen to this RANDOM BATTLE theme! (not a boss theme, just a random ass battle theme)
It's an easy game to get into and beat but despite that I still enjoy the game. It's fun for me! It's also the only JRPG that I can think of that shows enemy sprites which degrade as their HP drops.
- It's Pokemon. I've played Pokemon since Red and Black/White 2 is the only entry of the main series that I've skipped out on with no plans to visit. I ultimately chose Soul Silver though because while I loved my copy of the original silver and I'm really enjoying Leaf Green and all the others I've played [sub][sub](Red, Silver, Sapphire, Diamond, White)[/sub][/sub] I chose Soul Silver because of a mix of Nostalgia, the fact that your starter follows you and, I like the Johto/Kanto Pokemon more than any of the other regional Pokemon. Also when it comes to starters, Totodile has been my all time favorite since I saw a preview of it in a magazine back in the 90's.
I would probably rank this one as my 19 or 20. I really, really like this game after all but I haven't revisited it in a long while. I love how back in the PSX era every other game went 3D while this game (like Yahtzee said) opted to continue on as a 2D platformer with Metroid-style exploration and just pack in as many monsters and, as much music as that PSX CD could handle. Like fans of other recent Castlevania titles (excluding LoS) I really liked the leveling up and the fact that you're not limited to using a whip. I also loved the variety in the monsters you have to fight against although there are some odd moments where a boss monster isn't as threatening as some of the standard ones in some way or another. Legion for example has never been a threatening boss and to me is just a floating stress-ball that you beat on until it falls apart and dies.
Grand Theft Auto is fun but a problem I've had with later incarnations is how serious it's gotten. Vice City is still pretty silly even if it borrows a bit heavily from Scarface at points. Unlike 3 though, it has a memorable player character and, unlike San Andreas you aren't bogged down with tutorial-after-tutorial.
Ya know what game I play while I wait for other games to load? Ya know what game I can always put on and blow through (to a point) whenever I have 5 spare minutes and don't know what else to do with myself? Ninja Gaiden on the NES is my go-to game when I have a minute to spare. The last time my 360 was able to get online and update, I got up to level 3-1 and really enjoyed my time murdering thugs only to be killed by gravity again and, again and, again. This game is made out of fun, frustration and, satisfaction once you pass by those more annoying milestones. Screw 6-2...
Saint's Row 2 is made out of whacky fun. It's easier to play than the original, has more context and better character moments than The Third...and also has better character customization than The Third...and better side missions than The Third...
On the Super Nintendo, this was the very first game I ever beat. I've played this game since I was a kid and I've been able to jump back into this game really easily throughout my life and really enjoy this entry in the Mario series. I like just about all of the 2D Mario games but, unlike the newer ones, you don't need to collect the Yoshi coins and, lives aren't superfluous.
Vince the Voodoo Doll is a hero who's only 4 inches tall...or is it three? Anyway, you know how everybody went gaga over Psychonauts? This was my Psychonauts. Voodoo Vince is a game about the third best Voodoo Doll in Madame Charmayne's shop but unfortunately she has been kidnapped by Cosmo the Inscrutable so it's up to Vince to rescue her! To do so, Vince must travel through New Orleans, The Bayou, a demented carnival, etc. The big selling point of the game is that Vince can use his body as a weapon to take out huge groups of enemies and some really cool bosses too. Boss kills are unique but some of the random Voodoo powers repeat but anyway, the powers are all pretty entertaining to watch overall so even if you don't see your favorite all the time there's a lot of variety to be seen. This game was on Xbox and PS2 so please try and grab this one! It's an awesome game!!
I've talked about Duke Nukem 64/3D many, many times before so you know my main reasons for loving this game if you follow my posts. There are a ton of levels, there are a lot of great weapons and, MULTIPLAYER IN THE N64 VERSION HAS SPLIT-SCREEN AND BOT MATCHES!!! I kinda wish there were more bosses to fight though...
I live in The DC Metro area so a lot of the appeal this game held for me comes from the fact that I actually live within a 10 minute drive of Olney FOR REAL. I LITERALLY WORK in Germantown. I know the representations of those places in the game are a bit...green and bombed out but still, I've been there! I LIVE THERE!! Also, I love popping this game on for just long enough to blow a villager's head into several small, squishy pieces. I loves me some ultra violence, especially when it's presented to me in the form of an RPG. If only you could do that in Elder Scrolls...
I love Dynasty Warriors. There's something about killing 1,000+ enemies in a single level that really smears a smile across my face. I chose 3 specifically for the number of hours I've poured into that specific entry in the core Dynasty Warriors titles. Also, I don't remember there being a Lubu meme in DW4...
This is Dynasty Warriors. This is Fist of the North Star. This is to gaming what Tiramisu is to deserts (I think I messed up that... simile?) I love playing any game wherein I can kill 1,000+ enemies in a single level and Fist of the North Star is the anime I watched as a kid when I was fed up with how talky Dragon Ball Z got. Fist is probably the only anime that makes sense (in my mind) for a dynasty warriors adaptation based on the number of bodies you get out of that show (Berserk is another that would work as a DW). I almost never go for 100% completion in games but for Fist of the North Star, I've got 98% and I'm going back into it for 100. Also It's a game that lets me play as Rei who is the all time best anime side-kick of all time. No offense to Wolfwood fans but Wolfwood couldn't slash people into pieces with his fingers.
Yahtzee introduced the term spectacle fighter years ago and I think that term would best fit Otogi. In Otogi, you go from level-to-level killing demons using a combination of weapons like swords, magical attacks and, the environment around you. The main character Rikou was brought (back) to life by a figure known as 'The Princess' to not only kill demons but save the souls of people who were killed by them and you do this by breaking things. Every level boasts a huge amount of structures, monuments, houses, etc that can be and indeed MUST be destroyed if you want to save every soul on each level. What's more, Otogi features really organic boss battles. Yes, there are bosses who are gigantic but most of the time you fight bosses as if they were you which almost never happens in a lot of games. I don't know how there are only two Otogi games when there are countless versions of Onimusha, Devil May Cry, etc. It almost hurts me but then I remember that this game was made by Sega but dammit, this has to be the best game they have ever made and I'm being 100% dead serious.
It's a game where you play as Atton Rand flying around steam-punk/WW2 style (I think) fighter planes, getting into dog fights and blowing zeppelins out of the sky. There is nothing about that previous sentence that needs expanding upon because the only way to make it sound more appealing to me is to add update the graphics and splice in Dark Void. I originally got this for my cousin years ago but then he turned into a bastard so I kept it, played it, beat it and, greatly enjoyed it. I liked getting newer planes and don't remember if there was an upgrade system or not but...that would be neat if there was one...ya know, for a sequel that won't ever happen because reasons that are probably stupid. Why aren't there more Crimson Sky games?!
So after composing all of those explanations I think I can compile a list of my top 20 favorite games as of right-stat-now.
20: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
19: Final Fantasy IV
18: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
17: Super Mario World
16: Ninja Gaiden
15: Zelda 2: Adventures of Link
14: Voodoo Vince
13: Dynasty Warriors 3
12: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
11: Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
10: Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
9: Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge
8: Fallout 3
7: Duke Nukem 64/3D
6: Final Fantasy VIII
5: Pokemon Soul Silver
4: Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage
3: Saint's Row 2
2: Final Fantasy IX
1: Otogi: Myth of Demons
Nice and varied, no doubt im forgetting some classics but i get a tingly feeling from looking at this list, its full of great gaming memories.
