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OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD - What are your top 20 games and why?

teezzy

Banned
Redundant thread, I know. I don't care

What's your top 20 games? Don't think too much about it. No honorable mentions. Nobody is gonna call the video game forum police if you forget about Killer 7 or something.

Just list the first twenty that come to mind. It's okay to leave something out.

Oh also just a brief sentence or two, or even a paragraph about each game would be aces.

Here's mine:



1. Chrono Trigger



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There's not much which can be said about Chrono Trigger which hasn't already. It's still the king imho, and I don't think it's the nostalgia talking. My cousin tells me he taught me to read while we played Chrono Trigger "together" when I was a kid. Might even be the first game I ever beat, probably with his help. Characters are all super memorable, the main storyline refuses to drag and the battle system is just simple and complex enough. Chrono Trigger also easily features my favorite OST in gaming to this day. There's just like a perfect balance here. I wouldn't mind Secret of the Forest being played at my funeral one day.



2. Tekken 7


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Even with my small nitpicks - Tekken 7 is the best Tekken, hands down. It's rare when a game can override my near impregnable sense of nostalgia for prior entries - but Tekken 7 is the one. Game is insanely well balanced despite having a roster which is nearly as large as the first Tekken Tag Tournament. The mechanics are slick, and the game plays very fast. One wrong move and your opponent is gonna eat out your butthole straight up. I will admit, I'm not a fan of gaudy-ass out of place DLC characters like Noctis and Negan... but I hope newcomers like Lucky Chloe and Lidia are around for a long time moving forward. They're super fun to fight against (I'm an Asuka/Paul player). Tekken just rules, man, and this is the best one. Easily. I'm assuming they're gonna reboot the series after this. Just call it "Tekken" and call it a day. Tekken 7's story mode's plotline is convoluted as heck, and being forced to play as characters I don't like is a total no-go for me. I love that they continue to support the game years after initial release.

3. KOTOR


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Knights of the Old Republic is the game which made me fall in love with the original Xbox. Between this, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and Morrowind - I had just never seen games like this before. My dialog options affecting the plotline directly, and Kotor had the extra benefit of being able to run around and wreak havoc in the Star Wars universe. For some reason, this still feels more engrossing than say - Jedi Fallen Order. The writing is stupidly funny at times, and I just always have such a blast playing this. Idk man. Never even bothered with Kotor 2 for whatever reason. I just love this game lol. I'm actually playing Mass Effect right now, and sorta wish it was this game instead, ha.

4. FF6


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Final Fantasy 6 is my first Final Fantasy... and also the best. I really don't get all the hype around FF7 to be honest... even as a kid I liked 8 and 9 more, as far as the PS1 games go. Once again, a super memorable cast. Larger than what you got in Chrono Trigger, and dare I say that this game was more... atmospheric? It was certainly moodier. So many aspects of this game just cemented my love of the franchise for years to come. The skill system was so tight, dude, and I think Kefka may be my favorite video game villain ever. The opera scene and the ghost train, Terra, Locke, Edgar, and Gau... everyone was so unique and so fun to play as. Just visually stunning and so thematic for what the SNES had to offer. I kinda wanna play it now just writing this.


5. Earthbound


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I grew up on these Super Nintendo RPGs. They shaped me, man. My cousin had them all, it seemed. None had quite the amount of personality and charm as Earthbound. It's just so damn weird, funny, and trippy. Oddly, I wouldn't say the cast was super memorable, but as a kid, it was sooo cool being able to roam around a modern setting like you could in this game. Earthbound was probably the second game I ever actually completed to finish. If there were a game which shaped my personality as a I got older - it'd probably be Earthbound. Something about it still bleeds cool to this day.


6. NHL Hitz 2003



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Hockey is my favorite sport and the NHL HItz franchise is my favorite representation of it in video game form. The hockey equivalent of Blitz, the series played fast and loose with the rules and kept the fighting and checking as a key component to every period. They're all fantastic - but Hitz 2003 is the peak of the series, easily. Hitz Pro may have had Lidstrom on the cover, but it was missing all the sick Nu-Metal bops, the fun customization options... and frankly, 5 on 5 just didn't feel as exciting as 3 on 3 did for whatever reason. I still fire this up more than I do the modern NHL games. Top tier sports game here.

7. Simpsons Road Rage



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It's Crazy Taxi... but way better. I'm not even a huge Simpsons fan or anything, but I have tons of fun playing this with friends still. People always praise Hit & Run which was the GTA clone... but this is my jam right here. I could go all night playing this with people tbh, even flying solo and unlocking things over again can be fun. It's pure chaos, man. I dont think this formula gets old. I always play as Moe or Abe. I don't even have much to say here, but this game is always a blast for whatever reason. Even the repetitive lines like "I have no insurance!" "I'm afraid of the future!" still crack me up. Maybe I'm braindead lol


8. FF9



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As a kid, Final Fantasy 8 was my favorite of the PS1 games in the series. I'm old enough now to see the error of my ways. 9 is the clear winner here. Played through it recently when my mom was terminally ill at my house here, and this little game was just enough to keep me sane and pushing onward. Between this and a re-watch of Buffy... I was grasping at straws for my sanity. It's because of this, I'm going to place this above FInal Fantasy X on my list here. It's hard to sorta talk about this game without getting choked up, because I reflect so much on that time period I was playing it last. I'm just gonna assume you all already know how fantastic this is. Awesome characters and storyline. Just lots of fun with twists and turns abound. Very pretty for a PS1 game too.


9. FFX


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Final Fantasy X is the game which made me want a PS2. Sorta the end of an era for the franchise I came to adore growing up too. The storyline actually got me emotionally a bit here which is rare for a game to be able to do, and I'm impressed still by just how modern this game still feels per the HD remaster or whatever.. Levelling up via the grid system was fun for a change, and made me feel more involved and aware of how I was developing my party. The soundtrack is bitching, and the characters are strongly developed too. I low-key have Tidus and Luna action figures shamefully hidden in a drawer in my home, a rare guilty pleasure. Final Fantasy X may be the last Final Fantasy to really feel like a Final Fantasy, and was a perfect swan song imho.

10. Super Mario RPG



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It feels silly to admit that Super Mario RPG is my favorite Mario game. It's not a platformer, nor is it even developed by Nintendo. I was a huge Nintendo fanboy growing up, with my first game ever being Super Mario Bros 3. This was different though. Mario and friends looked like claymation, and they actually all seemed to have full-fledged personalities. I got to explore the world where Mario lived! Also that damn Space Invaders clone mini game in here would just waste full blown evenings after school for me after my homework was done. Lots of little jokes and stuff in here too. I need to replay this one day. I feel like it may even deserve to be higher up on my list. I don't know. These SNES RPGs were the peak of gaming imho, it was so weird to me how they'd fit these huge worlds on a cartridge like that.

11. Tekken 5



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I'm going against popular opinion here, but Tekken 5 is better than Tekken 3. I'm an Asuka main, and this is her debut - so I may have a slight bias. The game is faster, the roster is larger, the stages are cooler, and you can even play the arcade version of Tekken 3 on here if you want. Some of the best graphics on the PS2, hands down, and this all feels surprisingly modern. I've clocked hours in the practice mode alone. Such a better story mode than Tekken 7 too fwiw.

12. Tekken 3



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A lot of people cite Tekken 3 as the best Tekken game, and while I don't necessarily agree - I also wouldn't want to argue against this either. I get it, y'know, I get it. It's fantastic. It's the debut of Jin, there's Tekken Force, and then you got Gon. There's also King wearing what is my favorite fighting game character design of all time:


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You just can't beat that man. The soundtrack is a banger, and Tekken 3 is the core of what every other game in the franchise after it built off of. It's when Tekken grew up, and I truthfully don't have too much affinity for the first two entries in the franchise beyond the base elements. Tekken 3 still feels fantastic, and I do boot it up every so often to give it a go, often attempting moves which with Paul which weren't implemented until later games. :ROFLMAO:


13. Golden Sun



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I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Super Nintendo RPGs are my favorite kind of games. 16 bit JRPGs with turn based combat. I don't know what it is. Golden Sun gave me that on the go, even moreso than Pokemon Red had a generation prior. Golden Sun was the real deal. Beautiful sprite work, awesome music, and the Djinn system was so neat, man. I still need to play the other two games in the franchise, but I always come back to this one, take a break, and forget to grab my dumb code at the end to carry my save info over. I've often rocked an Isaac avatar online. I've never rocked a Crono, Frog, or Magus avatar. Idk why that is. 🤔


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14. Dark Cloud 2



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I first fumbled onto the Dark Cloud franchise when I read that it was supposed to be a Zelda killer. Dark Cloud 1 was not that. It was a sweet dungeon crawler with town building elements - which is totally dope in its own right. Dark Cloud 2 though was so much more colorful and expansive in every way. The cel-shaded art is arguably my favorite visual stylings on the PS2, and the endless dungeon crawling, crafting, fishing, photo taking with a much tighter story structure than Dark Cloud 1 ever had cemented this as one of my all time favorite PS2 titles ever. Dark Cloud 2 is just so cool man. I don't know if it's a "Zelda killer" - they're different games - but I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer this game to anything in the Zelda franchise.


15. Devil May Cry



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I love just how unapologetic Devil May Cry is. It oozes early 2000's energy like few other games. The combat is top tier, despite the camera fighting against itself every so often and the game feels so moody throughout the campaign , with sparks of that nu metal, Underworld/Matrix energy that only Devil May Cry seems to get. This and Monster Hunter are probably my favorite Capcom franchises, and I'm going to take this one overall. I'm not even super good or anything, far from it, but I've never played anywhere near as big of a smile on my face as I have Devil May Cry. Short campaign too. I always appreciate that. This game vibes.

16. Ape Escape 2



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For my money, Ape Escape is the greatest 3D platforming franchise of all time. Eat my nuts, Miyamoto. No game in the trilogy (I ignore the spinoffs) did it better than Ape Escape 2. Ape Escape 1 and 3 are great games themselves but there's just something so much more charming about the second game in the franchise. I think it's the writing, because there's lots of little hidden nuggets as you scan the apes and get extra info on them. I love the tools, the controls, and the level design. I honestly haven't had much more blissful fun gaming than I have had with Ape Escape 2. This one rules.


17. Chocobo's Dungeon 2


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I used to be a major pothead in my late teens up until my early twenties. Won't touch the stuff now, or any drug really, but no video game was more fun for me to smoke a few bowls too, eating crap food, and suckling a 2 liter of Diet Pepsi than Chocobo's Dungeon 2. Yes, it's repetitive. Yes, it's an isometric dungeon crawler. Yes, I'm sure there are better ones that I'm not aware of - but screw you, this is what I played. I would just zone out for hours playing this game. I'd be lying if this one didn't make the list. Also yes, apart from Final Fantasy 9 - I'd say this is the best Final Fantasy on PS1. Lick my pecker, nerds.


18. Deus Ex Human Revolution



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I once went mountain biking with a friend. The kind with the crazy dirt trails and wild jumps and stuff. I took a jump the wrong way, flipped over the handlebars and totally botched up my right wrist. It still kinda freezes up on me every so often to this day. I didnt have insurance, or a proper job at the time, and had just gotten out of a real bad fling with a super hottie. I was a pothead, and I was injured, and hella-depressed. I just zoned out and booted this game up and was fully absorbed. This was my first foray into the franchise after loving Invisible War as much as I did on original Xbox and it didn't disappoint in any way. Was so much better. This game carried me through a real rough patch, and I'm grateful for it. I'd spend hours on end forcing my way through this. Heck, I even loved the Wii U version when it came out. The gamepad stuff was neat! Bosses were a bitch lol. Shame how this franchise was handled, ultimately.

19. Vexx


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Vexx is superior to Super Mario 64, and I'm standing by that. There's no way Vexx could exist without Super Mario 64, even paying direct nods, but it absolutely took the ball and ran with it. Far superior combat, controls, and camera; way better graphics, and the cryptic riddles in collecting all of the wraith hearts were legit mind benders at times. This is the tier of gaming which Super Mario Sunshine should have been. It's a dark and brooding 3D platformer, which some may not like - but it's so legitimately underrated that it's comical. Such a shame this never got a sequel or any appropriate acclaim. Hidden gem, hands down.


20. Buffy the Vampire Slayer



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Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm clearly biased, but Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite original Xbox exclusive game. This, and its multiplatformed sequel, Chaos Bleeds, are so much better than most licensed games have any right to be. Sorta like that X-Files Resident Evil Clone on PS2. Either way, this game is a strong 8/10 with the Buffyness of it all forcing it into my top 20 overall. Combat is fun, and rarely boring, despite it not being as diverse as other action titles may be. Dusting vamps is ALWAYS so satisfying - I don't know why. Boss fights are a blast, and conferencing with the Scooby gang between levels really does make me feel like I'm in the show staight up. For someone who loves an old WB teen show a little too much, this game is a treasure, and I can't leave it off my list. A genuinely strong entry.

HOW ABOUT YOU?!!
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
I'm just going to list mine I don't feel like writing. In no order of course

1. Uncharted 4
2. Nier Automata
3. Resident Evil 2 remake
4. TLOU
5. Final Fantasy 7 PS1
6. Spider-man
7. Mario Bro's 3
8. The Witcher 3
9. Shenmue
10. Ghost of Tsushima
11. Days Gone
12. Killer Instinct SNES
13. Tekken
14. Mortal Kombat
15. Metal Gear Solid 1
16. Ratchet and Clank
17. Shenmue 2
18. Demon Souls remake
19. Resident Evil 1
20. The Order 1886

I'm sure I probably forgot a few games
 

envyzeal

Member
1. Chrono Trigger
2. Pokémon HG/SS
3. Pokémon RBY
4. Final Fantasy VII
5. Lineage II (Up to C4)
6. Mass Effect II
7. KOTOR I
8. Donkey Kong Country 2
9. Final Fantasy VI
10. Ni No Kuni I
11. Persona 4
12. Bloodborne
13. TLOU I
14. Megaman X
15. Persona 5
16. Diablo II (Classic)
17. Super Mario Bros 3
18. Super Smash Bros Melee
19. Red Dead Redemption I
20. Street Fighter II

Probably forgot many games but I'm pretty happy with this list.
 

Bwesh

Member
Posting why would be too long but here's mine. Only the top 5 is in order.

1. Suikoden 2.
2. Shadow of the Colossus.
3. Dota 2
4. Bloodborne
5. Final Fantasy IX
-
6. Tekken 3
7. Rimworld
8. Metal Gear Solid 3
9. Final Fantasy VII
10. Final Fantasy VI
11. Super Mario Bros. 3
12. Final Fantasy Tactics.
13. Command & Conquer Red Alert 2.
14. Age of Empires 2.
15. Starcraft Brood War
16. Diablo 2 LoD
17. Radiata Stories
18. DoDonPachi SaiDaiOuJou
19. Castlevania SotN
20. Twisted Metal 2
 

ACESHIGH

Banned
In no particular order:

Half Life 2
PC Futbol 6.0 Español or 7.0
Super Mario World
Doom
Mortal Kombat 9
GTA SA
Street Fighter Zero 3
NFS Underground 2
Gran Turismo 2
Dark Souls
Skyrim
Metal Gear Solid
Batman Arkham City
Legacy Of Kain Soul Reaver
FF VII
The Witcher Enhanced Edition (actual best Witcher game)
Silent Hill
Resident Evil
Resident Evil Code Veronica X
PES 3 (Any of the sixth gen golden era will do)

Why? Because I spent a lot of time playing them. Some of them I would not play today at all like FFVII or GT2 or MGS. But I still acknowledge they shaped my gaming tastes

EDIT: JEEZ I forgot about the Witcher!! Ok Sorry DMC 3 Special Edition you have to go...
 
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san andreas
destiny 2
mgs3 snake eater
mike tysons punchout
bubble bobble
red dead redemption
batman arkham asylum
uncharted 2
assassins creed 2
botw
super mario bros 3
soul calibur
wwf no mercy
ocarina of time
mvp baseball 2005
madden 2007
tekken 5
tony hawk
halo
skyrim

cuz thats just how i feel today. Ask again in a month u get a different 20
 

Neff

Member
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Resident Evil (PSX)
Super Mario 64
Bubble Bobble (arcade)
Resident Evil 4
Final Fantasy VII
Resident Evil 2 (PSX)
Space Harrier (arcade)
Ghouls 'n' Ghosts (arcade)
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Super Mario World
Street Fighter II (arcade)
Snatcher
The Wonderful 101
Super Metroid
Final Fantasy VI
Phantasy Star
Shinobi (arcade)
Rolling Thunder (arcade)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (arcade)


Because they're good
 
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TexMex

Member
1. Ultima Online
2. Warcraft 3
3. Ocarina of Time
4. MGS
5. A Boy and His Blob (NES)
6. Metroid Prime
7. Mario 64
8. StarCraft
9. Hot Shots Golf
10. Advance Wars
11. Wind Waker
12. PUBG
13. RE2 Remake
14. Breath of Fire 2
15. Dark Souls
16. Black Ops
17. Tomb Raider
18. Wild 9
19. Lumines
20. Bloodborne
 

Heimdall_Xtreme

Jim Ryan Fanclub's #1 Member
1.- Gravity rush 1 and Gravity rush 2 (Oficially Gravity rush 2)
2.- Chrono trigger
3.- The legend of Zelda (Ocarina of time, Majora Mask, Links awakening GB, A link to the past)
4.- Valkyrie Profile
5.- Yoshi island SNES
6.- Mario bros 3
7.- Resident evil 2
8.- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of liberty
9.- Castlevania Symphony of the night
10. Megaman X (X, X4)
11.- Shadow of the Colossus
12.- Super Mario RPG
13.- Parasite eve
14.- Ninja Gaiden Black
15.-Mario kart 64
16.-Metal gear rising
17.- Perfect Dark
18.- Conker (Bad fur day, live and reloaded)
19.- Tekken 3 (Tag tournament and Tekken 4)
20-. Xenogears
 
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Off the top of my head? That's difficult. So the list might have lots of omissions.

In no particular order:
Half life
Half life 2
GTA VC
GTA SA
Mass Effect 1
Mass Effect 2
Mafia
Dragon Age
XCom2 WOTC
Deus ex HR
Splinter Cell CT
Hitman series
NFS MW 2005
Yakuza 0
Witcher 2
Witcher 3
Dark Souls
SW Jedi Knight 2
Stalker SOC
Stalker COP
 
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Plantoid

Member
In no particular order

World of warcraft (old-school) - greatest online experience ever, the feeling of downing a 25man heroic raid when it was peak end content was glorious

Skyrim - best rpg ever, sometimes I get a urge to play it again, having put 900hours+ in it, always find something new..

Super Mario world - best platformer ever

Shadow of colossus - epic journey, must play for everyone

God of war 2 - everything god of war introduced, but better

GTA: san Andreas - I don't think this game needs introduction.

Pacman

Tetris

Doom infinite (fight me) - best fps ever

Assassin's Creed 2 - same as God of war

Mortal Kombat 9 - how revivals should be done.

Dark souls 3 - greatest combat ever in a videogame

Dark souls 2 - see above

Far cry 3 - love me some old-school Ubisoft open worlds...

Dota 2 - genre defining.

Mario 64 - first time I was impressed with graphics in a videogame

Jedi fallen order - I'm a star wars fan, this game was what I always asked, it has some flaws but to me one of the best I've ever played

Quake - best physics in a competitive fps ever

Guitar hero 3 - some people forget this bad boy but it was incredible to play it, especially at parks and malls with friends

Half life
 
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Artistic

Member
No order:
GTA: Vice City
KOTOR 1
Halo 3
Pokemon Gold
Final Fantasy X
Mass Effect 2
Burnout 3: Takedown
The Last of Us
Jak II
Kingdom Hearts
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga
Tony Hawk Underground
Skate
Gears of War 2
Assassin's Creed 2
COD 4: Modern Warfare
Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow
Dark Cloud
Soul Calibur II

HM: Unreal Tournament 2004
 

Vagswarm

Member
It would probably look something like:

Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Metroid Prime
Diablo
GTA: Vice City
Half Life
Half Life 2
Red Dead Redemption
Zelda: A Link To The Past
Halo
Mass Effect 2
Super Mario World
Batman: Arkham City
Fallout 3
Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
Warcraft 3
Doom 2
Starcraft
Resident Evil 4
Goldeneye 007
Metal Gear Solid 2
 
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Tschumi

Member
One of those threads into which i'll put a lot of thoughtful effort that nobody will read!

1. The Witcher 3.
Diss de jour about combat means zip to me, I loved the combat - I took it as it was and adapated - but that's the slightest sliver of why I love the game... Sound? Best ever. Atmosphere? Best ever. Exploration? Best ever. Amount of content? Best ever. Quality of content? Best ever. Graphics? At the time of release, best ever. Colours? Best ever. Story? Best ever. I mean, these are all internal 'best evers' but this is why this is my #1 OAT.

2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director's Cut.
It's the Director's Cut because, as everyone should know by now, the original build didn't have non-lethal/indrect boss fight resolution options so a stealth character had to use guns to beat bosses - I did this, but it was a bitch. This game is gorgeous, hyper detailed, super long, really deep, with great level design and clutter, a lovely visual design and a fantastic sense of exploration. The story is fantastic.

3. World of Warcraft: Vanilla.
This is a technicality, I have to put it here because I played it so much and had so many good times in it, but really I don't feel the same about this game as I do about other games on this list.

4. Age of Empires 2: The Conquerers Expansion.
Perfect gameplay, gorgeous graphics, awesome campaigns and a robust random map engine, I've logged countless hours on the OG build of this game (I hate the HD remasters, etc, apparently the Ensemble scripting is either gone or doesn't work as smoothly on later windows iterations) This game actually helped me develop my touch typing because I was typing 'robin hood' and sundry ad nauseum for the first few years (I was young, ok? i didn't realize games could be fun without cheats - the real question here is how anyone past the age of 12 still thinks cheating is fun?)

... it gets hard to order from here on out.

5. Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain
This game was fantastic from start to finish. Maybe the finish portion was slightly less intense on the 'fantastic' front but it was still fantastic in its own right. I loved the pitch-perfect gameplay, the fantastic PDA mechanic, the music, the weather, the radio chatter... The graphics are timeless, maybe they're ageing a little bit in terms of open world environments, but the characters, Mother Base, it's all fucking amazing. I love graphics that achieves as much through smoke and mirrors as it does raw power. I love this game big time.

6. Warcraft 3.
I can't find the words to describe what this game meant to me. I have a torrented version of the original game on external hard drive because I paid for that original game and I'll be damned if I'm going to play the hot mess that Blizzard have put up on their store. This game is art... Beautiful sound, amazing atmosphere, fantastic story, wonderous characters and settings... I only loved Vanilla WoW as much as I did because of the precedent this game set. For months when I was about 12 or 11 I had a pirated copy of this game that my elder brother's friend gave us.. I had no idea what a crack was, so all I could do was watch the opening cinematic over and over again.. Eventually the dude came and moved the crack and my mind exploded.

6. Half Life 2
This part of the list is getting a bit weird, because I'm putting games here based on playthroughs I experienced, you know, well over a decade ago. But still, Half Life 2 is an incredible game. Amazing graphics, fantastic levels, gorgeous atmosphere and style, with an incredible story and what an ending sequence. Just a flawless FPS experience.

7. Persona 4 Golden
This one's pretty new, and it's very amazing that a JRPG has cracked into my top 20 games, so yeah gotta respect that. I played this game 'co-op' with my wife (she looking over my shoulder) and consequently got the most joy out of it that I've ever got from a JRPG. The characters are insanely good, the persona and social links systems are out of this world, the combat in the dungeons is a chore yes but every other part of this experience is fantastic. And the precedent of this title is the sole reason why Persona 5 will make an appearance later in this list.

7. Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2 - Jedi Outcast
I don't think anyone is going to notice that I have two #7s so I'll just put this in here because I like it this much but I like the other titles too. This game had a fantastic storymode, sure, but it also had insane multiplayer with remarkably low lag and some epic maps. It also had bot multiplayer - including on my GAMECUBE which was fucking awesome. When you own a gamecube you don't really appreciate that you will have access to a fantastic, gritty, epic Star Wars FPS with giant bot-filled multiplayer maps, to boot!

8. Dishonored 2.
Any game that overrides my association of older games with happier childhood times has to be good. This game is god-tier Thief, and I'm not surprised at all that its descendant Death Loop is a new benchmark in its genre. I have chosen D2 here, but it could easily be Dishonored 1. I love the graphics of this game most of all - not so much the character models, but all of the environments are amazing - ironwork and carved wood seems photorealistic. The story is pretty fantastic (I prefer D1's low chaos ending) and the replayability is titanic.

9. TES 3: Morrowind GOTY Edition
Again basing this off old playthroughs, but Morrowind was the first really 'moderm' RPG as I conceptualise them, and once you got in a groove which allowed you to really appreciate whati t was doing behind the technical shortcomings you became totally absorbed and really swum through the whole experience. The two expansion pack elevate the whole deal hugely.

10. Empire: Total War
Empire: Total War is probably my favourite Total War RTS game. Okay, I probably loved Rome longer and more hotly, but Empire improved on Rome on so many counts and that's why I love it more. I love the timeline, I love the graphics, I love the scale, I love the pacing, I love the diplomacy, I love the difficulty, I love that you can play the Maratha Confederacy and found India... I love it.

11. Civilization 3
I know later Civ games have improved on the formula, but there is something about the more restrained, scholarly, slow paced and beautifully drawn elements of this game that really stick with me. I love the music. I love the animated faces of world leaders, I love the way the overworld looks... Alpha Centauri is a better game in many, many ways, but I have to base this of sheer play time and Alpha Centauri didn't hold my attention for quite as long.

12. Dungeon Seige
Explore a giant fantasy world, full of caves and forests and deserts, in one single, mostly seamless load. That's the magic of Dungeon Seige, its immersion and sense of slow growth and development lies in the fact that you tred every step of the way, that every swing or cast levels up your skill.. You really feel as though you're another member of your party.

13. Operation Flashpoint GOTY Edition
This was a really unique proposition back in 2001 when it first came out. A realistic war sim, FPS or 3PS, Cold War conflict (and later two fantastic expansions) with a great story and, well, a huge open world (set across multiple islands) for you to explore. IT also had a really robust map editor, and some excellent side missions. My friend and I were desperate to make our own campaigns using the map making engine, and we adapted that stitched-toghether radio chatter - "I say again... TWO... BMPs... 3 C'CLOCK" - for our play radio chatter when we ran around the woods with sticks for guns. For those who don't know, ARMA 3 is a direct descendant from Op Flash, and in my mind they still haven't topped the original and its expansions.

14. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
This game has always meant so much to me, compared to other titles in the series it is more narrow and I don't really like the ending, but the content, drama, story and visuals of this game elevate it above the other linear MGS titles for me. It means the most to me. I've completed it on a bushel of different consoles.

15. Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction
Act 3 alone ensures this game its place on my list. Can you say 'glumpth'? It's a term from gothic horror novels of a 100-150 years ago indicating oppressive negative atmosphere... This game fucking drips glumpth. I've never played it online, I don't need to iterate the experience, playing it through once (every few years) is enough. The levels have such character, the enemies such savage integrity, the bosses such power... It's an epic achivement of a game. I'm always a Paladin but Necromancer was probably my favourite.

16. TES 4: Oblivion
This is my favourite TES experience. I loved the setting, the historical moment they were riffing on, the music and the environments... The graphics were gorgeous... I loved the caves and ruins. Great story. Okay it has aged poorly in many departments but it still stands up in my mind. Morrowind is higher on this list because it came first and has better expansions.

17. Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
I've written a giant thread on why I love this game so much, read it yerself. (NOTE: I played it on PC, and I never - not even once - manually fought naval battles. I hear they're bad, but I wouldn't know, I always auto-resolved them, looking back I'm not sure why I was so decisive on that count) THIS IS MY PICK FOR MY FAVOURITE RTWP GAME, it doesn't mean I don't love Baldur's Gate 2, NVN 2, or even PoE 1, it just means that this one best captured my imagination.

18. Far Cry 2
I'm firmly in the camp that the change in tone meant that anything after FC2 is not as good as FC2. And, before any smartass tries to undermine a love for a game I've had for over a decade now, in my mind the aggressive environment is part of the immersion and part of what makes this game so great. So shut it.

19. Persona 5 Royal
Full disclosure, I haven't actually completed this yet, because I keep getting distracted by other games or travel. But I've loved it to death so far and I will continue working towards completing it just as soon as I'm reunited with my PS4 Pro.

20. Total War Warhammer 2
Yes, incredible, the best in its class of all time, a near-flawless game. Only it doesn't have a good end game... The fun is in the first, I dunno, few hundred turns, but when a handful of factions start dominating all the character of the map starts to evaporate away and it gets pretty boring. I've never finished it, I just love re-rolling in it.

EDIT: fuck, you know what? For whatever reason I completly forgot about Metroid Prime, Wind Waker, SSX 3 and Gladius from my gamecube, but I like this list already so fuck it. THOSE GAMES ARE IN MY TOP 15 TOO.
 
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Rubik8

Member
Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Dark Souls (Xbox 360/ps3)
Yoshi's Island (SNES)
Super Mario Bros 3 (nes)
God of War (2018) (ps4)
Binding of Isaac rebirth
Super Metroid (SNES)
Zelda BotW (NSW)
Mario Odyssey (NSW)
Marvel's Spiderman (PS4)
Streets of Rage 2 (gen)
Ninja Gaiden (nes)
Last of us (ps3)
Mega Man 2 (nes)
Castlevania (nes)
Horizon Zero Dawn (ps4)
Super Mario World (SNES)
BioShock (Xbox 360 / ps3)
Contra (nes)
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)

I’m too drunk to type out why. They are just great games.
 

Deerock71

Member
Goldeneye 007
Fairy Fencer F
Skies of Arcadia
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario 64
Halo
Love Esquire
Bulletstorm
House in Fata Morgana
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Ocarina of Time
Twilight Princess
Rogue Squadron: Rebel Strike
Pac-Man
Defender
Super Mario Bros.
Battlezone
Conker's Bad Fur Day
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater
Perfect Dark

These are all games I beat to conclusion or poured hundreds of dolars of quarters into.
 

GreatnessRD

Member
  • Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  • Metal Gear Solid
  • WWF No Mercy
  • WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2006
  • Def Jam: Fight For New York
  • Sonic 2
  • Street Fighter Alpha 3
  • King of Fighters '99
  • Mark of the Wolves
  • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
  • Grand Theft Auto 3
  • Zelda: Ocarina of Time
  • Goldeneye 007 (n64)
  • Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Not this bitch ass shit y'all play today!)
  • Mortal Kombat 9 (PS3)
  • Mortal Kombat (Sega)
  • Smackdown 2: Know your role
  • Street of Rage 2
  • Madden NFL 2005
What a fucking time to be alive.
 

intbal

Member
Twenty is a lot. The distinctions begin to blur after the top 5.

1. Pool of Radiance (C64)
2. River City Ransom (NES)
3. Gunship (C64)
4. Deus Ex
5. Half-Life
6. DisciplesSacredLandsQuake2UnrealFallout2Fallout1MorrowindJetSetRadioFutureEnslavedOdysseytotheWestYieArKungFuBruteForceCliveBarkersUndyingBlackDishonoredDeusExInvisibleWarDaytonaUSA
 

TLZ

Banned
I'm not sure I can reach 20, but off the top of my head, without thinking too much, just the first games that come to mind that left an everlasting positive impact:
  • Super Mario Bros 3 (Famicom)
  • Double Dragon 2 (Famicom)
  • Rygar (arcade)
  • Daytona (arcade)
  • Street Fighter II (arcade)
  • Captain Tsubasa II (Famicom)
  • Final Fantasy X (PS2)
  • Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2)
  • Grand Theft Auto III/Vice City/San Andreas (PS2)
  • Contra (Famicom)
  • God of War (PS2)
  • Gran Turismo 2 (PS)
  • Sonic The Hedgehog (MD)
  • Winning Eleven/Pro Evolution Soccer Series (PS1-PS2)
  • Medal of Honour (PS1)
  • Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
  • Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 (Wii)
  • Batman Arkham Series (PS360)
  • Zelda Breath of the Wild
  • Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor
Well won't you look at that. There's your 20! (many more if you count all the games in a series :messenger_grinning_sweat: )

These are off the top. If I had to look more I'd change one or two most probably.
 

Bakkus

Member
This is tough. We should make a collective weighted best games of all time list like we had 10 years ago. I'm honestly not completely sure on my list and I think some games I've yet to play might actually crack it, but for now, here is a top 20:

1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
5. Chrono Trigger
6. Kid Icarus: Uprising
7. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
8. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
9. Chibi-Robo
10. Super Mario Odyssey
11. Okami
12. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
13. Pokemon Black/White
14. EarthBound
15. Banjo-Kazooie
16. Resident Evil 4
17. Mother 3
18. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
19. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
20. Super Mario Galaxy


The bottom half of this list could've easily been changed up a lot. It was hard to choose between them and Portal 1 & 2, Mario Galaxy 2, Diddy Kong Racing, F-Zero GX, Persona 4, Ace Attorney T&T, Pokemon Platinum or even Sin & Punishment 2 could've entered the list.

Edit: Damn, I see that I forgot Super Metroid. That would defnitely be on the list!
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Not in any order. Looking at my list, looks like nothing the past 10 years hits my list (unless you count updated Skyrim).

Arcade
1. Gyruss - Fast paced action. Great looping music. Harder than it looks later
2. Operation Wolf - Real feeling rumble Uzi

Genesis
3. Streets of Rage 2 - Best beat em of the era. Incredible everything. That's what happens when a game is boosted to 16 megs
4. Shinobi III - Not as flashy as SoR 2, but my second fav Genesis game. Great music
5. NHL 95 - A console sports game with some good stats and GM options. Better than 94. Not sure why everyone likes 94 betrer

SNES
6. Contra III - First game I bought. Aside from Axelay, nothing else equaled it. Too short though
7. Axelay - My fav SNES game. Superb mode 7 special effects. A tough game on harder skill levels

PC
8. Wayne Gretzky Hockey II with sim disk - Lots stats (though glitchy), very buggy gaming (Bethesda!), but one of the best hockey games I played where you can easily adjust player ratings to make a balanced game vs. the cpu (make cpu players shoot 6+ and goalies 7-9, while you dumb down your players to 3-5 shooting and goalies at about 5-6)
9. Ultima Underworld 1/2 - While many PC gamers played Doom, I played this. Overall had the best 3D tech at the time wrapped into an RPG. Had a creepy vibe to it even though I dont think they meant it due to the darkness of the game
10. Heroes of M&M 3 Complete - My fav PC game. Played it 100s of hours. Make sure to get the Complete Edition for the random map generator. Never even touched the campaign

PS1
11. Castlevania SOTN - A simple side scroller on paper. But it was so much better than Castlevania 4. Not the hardest game. Best music I heard that era. Don't seek out cheat guides if you never played it yet. There's some cheese tactics you can do to make it easy

PS2
12. Gran Turismo 3 - Not really a racing fan, but this game blew me away. The first game I bought. Awesome 60 fps gaming (even rocking replays) and sweet old school 80s-90s rock music
13. Ace Combat 4 - Sweet 60 fps air combat. Played missions over and over again. Destroyed missions 2's Riley Airforce Base a million times
14. NFL 2k4 or 2k5 - Not really a footie fan, insane 60 fps visuals and best play by play commentating wrapped into an ESPN presentation

360
15. COD 4 - Aside from playing some Unreal Tournament on PC in the early 2000s, this game made me an online gamer. Probably put 500 hours into it. My go to game after dinner. Had tons of kills (and deaths!)
16. World at War - First COD game I ever played was COD 2. That game is shit compared to WAW. Most gritty COD game out there with cussing, blood, gore, and the best maps during these early COD games
17. MW 2 - On paper, better than the CODs above. Amped up production values and AC-130! Hated the Commando/Sprint mechanic some gamers used running around
18. NHL 09 - First modern day hockey game that really looked and played great. EASHL was great
19. Fallout 3 - Sunk a lot of time clearing about 80%+ of the map. Loved real time gaming + VATs + gory kills
20. Skyrim - Similar to F3. The core mechanic gets repetitive, but the scope is so cool it's worth playing a long time. Best open world WRPG. Series X (4k + 60 fps boost + mods) makes this game incredible. Much better than "up to 30 fps vanilla" console Skyrim
 
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Dark Star

Member
Yeah there’s no way I’m writing 20 paragraphs OP LOL what is this? College?

1. Bloodborne
2. Dark Souls 3
3. Dark Souls
4. Demons Souls
5. TLOU
6. Uncharted 2
7. Uncharted 4
8. Resident Evil 2 remake
9. Resident evil 4
10. Resident Evil 7
11. Detroit become human
12. Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets
13. Silent Hill 2
14. Alien isolation or outlast
15. Friday the 13th
16. COD (cold war, black ops 3, etc)
17. Skate 3, SkaterXL, etc
18. THPS 2 remake, project 8, etc
19. Atv offroad fury 2 or NFS underground 2
20. the evil within

I’ll admit I have a dull C-tier taste in gaming haha. I’m just not into the colorful Nintendo stuff, or the open world stuff or whatever you cool kids play
 
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teezzy

Banned
This is tough. We should make a collective weighted best games of all time list like we had 10 years ago. I'm honestly not completely sure on my list and I think some games I've yet to play might actually crack it, but for now, here is a top 20:

1. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
2. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4. Super Smash Bros. Melee
5. Chrono Trigger
6. Kid Icarus: Uprising
7. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
8. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
9. Chibi-Robo
10. Super Mario Odyssey
11. Okami
12. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
13. Pokemon Black/White
14. EarthBound
15. Banjo-Kazooie
16. Resident Evil 4
17. Mother 3
18. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
19. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
20. Super Mario Galaxy


The bottom half of this list could've easily been changed up a lot. It was hard to choose between them and Portal 1 & 2, Mario Galaxy 2, Diddy Kong Racing, F-Zero GX, Persona 4, Ace Attorney T&T, Pokemon Platinum or even Sin & Punishment 2 could've entered the list.

Yeah, there's a reason I decided to make this just sort of a "top of your head" fun thing

Stressing out about the list is way too easy to do. I made the intro to the post because I made my list, and legiterally went "Oh crap! What about Killer 7!" :messenger_grinning_smiling:

I'm sure there's others. I'm not thinking about it lol
 
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BaneIsPain

Member
1. Metal Gear Solid 2
2. Tales of Destiny 2
3. Final Fantasy IX
4. Silent Hill 2
5. Yakuza 5
6. Chrono Cross
7. Final Fantasy X
8. Xenogears
9. God of War
10. Ghost of Tsushima
11. The Legend of Zelda: Botw
12. The Witcher 3
13. Persona 5 Royal
14. GTA Vice City
15. Shadow of Colossus
16. Clock Tower
17. Fatal Frame 2
18. Resident Evil 4
19. Suikoden 2
20. Uncharted 2

A lot of honourable mentions like DMC2, Onimusha, GT2 and etc.
 
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DForce

NaughtyDog Defense Force
Not in Order:

Chrono Trigger
Super Metroid
Turtles in Time
StarFox 64
Tekken Tag Tournament
Resident Evil 2: Remake
Final Fantasy X
Twisted Metal 2
Resident Evil 1: Remake
CounterStrike 1.6
The Last of Us
The Last of Us: Part II
Soul Blade
Soul Calibur
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Dead or Alive 2
SSX (2012)
Megaman X
Metroid Prime
Street Fighter 3: Third Strike
 

Y0ssarian

Banned
Resident Evil 0 - 8 + Code Veronica X
Silent Hill 2 + 3
The Evil Within 1 + 2
Pokemon Omega/Alpha, Ultra Sun/Moon
Alan Wake
Doom 3
 
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Pantz

Gold Member
Put list through a randomizer, so in no particular order:

zicSoBW.jpg

Command & Conquer: Red Alert
It was so cool filling an APC with troops then letting them out. Cool cutscenes and music. Still fun to play.

9OYuqCu.jpg

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Nice world and dungeons. Pretty cool game.

mm0A249.jpg

Halo 3
Fun campaign, fun multiplayer. Maybe the most fun launch of a game.

UayREKt.jpg

Counter-Strike
Countless hours played. It's fun seeing the green numbers go up when you get a kill.

dtuWC0F.jpg

Final Fantasy VI
Cool that you can get so many characters and they all have their stories that you can explore. Just so much fun stuff to do and explore.

QbnEjuD.jpg

Gran Turismo 2
It had really good progression from buying a used car and upgrading the muffler in order to earn enough to win some races. The racing upgrades were very cool that gave your normal car a racing paint job and stickers. I was disappointed with GT3 because of how good GT2 was.

yi07eT9.jpg

Super Mario World
Pretty top tier jumping game. It's good.

hkKE5UD.jpg

Final Fantasy IV
The story is really solid and fun to follow all over the world, up and down. Final Boss is tough!

XgOjeZH.jpg

Team Fortress Classic
I prefer this over TF2. It's fun playing sniper on 2fort or playing a pyro and harassing the snipers on 2fort.

2CMzqTl.jpg

Halo 2
I think I liked Big Team Battle best in Halo 2 over all the rest. Good all around in all modes.

KSzYp2E.jpg

Super Mario Bros. 3
Another good jumping game with nice colors, fun items and enemies.

qbOqlLx.jpg

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Cool game to explore and find new things and fight cool bosses and it keeps getting bigger and bigger.

HogQJJm.jpg

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Yeah the multiplayer and maps and kill cams were cool. I like dual P90's with extended mags, just holding down the triggers as soon as I spawn and try to get a kill before they run out of ammo.

XwS2aEO.jpg

Parasite Eve
There's really no other battle system like it out there that I know of. We need more JRPG games like this with guns.

SlCi3S2.jpg

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
The ambiance is sooo good in this, it really pulls you into the world of the game.

wGT6Ood.jpg

Final Fantasy VII
Best game of all time. Better than the Remake, not that they should really be compared.

bk7DMnX.jpg

Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
They took the gameplay seriously. The volleyball and the jet skis were really good. It was cool to have good gameplay mixed in with the bikini fun.

iGqDnTV.jpg

Snatcher
Still the best Cyberpunk game? It captures the cyberpunk feel and can get pretty scary. Fun investigation game that felt close to the feel of a rated R movie.

sdmka8O.jpg

A Plague Tale: Innocence
This game had such a nice balance for what it is. It can be depressing and oppressive at points and then you find sections of calm. Walking by a creek listening to the ambiance on headphones really made me like it. It's nice that it used it's own game engine when every other game is looking the same on Unreal engine.

Wx1T5H0.jpg

EverQuest
One of those games where you had to be there and play it at the time. Everyone worked together and it wasn't about a quest check list.
 
I'm just gonna list my top 100. The top 20 are in order but the rest aren't. Me and my friends do top 100 lists of games every year to see if things change. This is my updated list.

1. Bloodborne
2. Ghost of Tsushima
3. Dark Souls 3
4. Battlefield 4
5. Demon's Souls
6. WWF No Mercy
7. Resident Evil 2
8. Deatgloop
9. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
10. Dark Souls
11. EVOLVE
12. Injustice: God's Among Us
13. Kings Field
14. Sekiro
15. WCW/NWO Revenge
16. Modern Warfare 2
17. Bioshock
18. Resident Evil 3
19. Dark Souls 2
20. Mortal Kombat X
21. Dead Space 2
22. Destiny
23. Black Ops
24. Sunset Overdrive
25. Borderlands 2
26. Nioh
27. Gears of War 2
28. Resident Evil 7
29. Left 4 Dead 2
30. Metal Gear Rising: Revengence
31. Star Fox 64
32. Dead Space
33. Battlefield Bad Company 2
34. God of War 3
35. Assasins Creed
36. Devil May Cry 5
37. Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowwind
38. Mortal Kombat 2
39. F.E.A.R.
40. The Last of Us
41. Halo: Combat Evolved
42. Mass Effect 2
43. Modern Warfare
44. Dead Rising 3
45. Ryse
46. Borderlands
47. Dying Light
48. Ori and the Blind Forest
49. Eternal Darkness: Sanitys Requiem
50. Metal Gear Solid 4
51. Doom 2016
52. Bioshock 2
53. Killer Instinct
54. World at War
55. Splinter Cell Conviction
56. Mario Kart 64
57. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
58. Pokemon Yellow
59. Fable
60. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
61. Friday The 13th
62. Resident Evil 5
63. Tony Hawk Pro-skater 1+2
64. Star Wars Battlefront II
65. Street Fighter 3: 3rd Strike
66. Tom Clancy: Rainbow Six Vegas
67. UFC Undisputed 3
68. Tenchu: Stealth Assasins
69. Army of Two
70. Aliens vs. Predator
71. Red Dead Redemption
72. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel
73. Destiny 2
74. Anthem
75. Splinter Cell Blacklist
76. Mario Sunshine
77. Dead Rising
78. Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Battle 22
79. Resident Evil
80. WWF Wrestlemania 2000
81. Ratchet and Clank
82. Uncharted 2
83. Max Payne
84. Call of Duty World at War
85. Gears of War
86. Little Big Planet
87. Halo 3
88. Zombie Army Trilogy
89. Battlefield 3
90. Legend of Zelda: Majoras Mask
91. Saints Row 2
92. Super Mario World
93. Medal of Honor
94. Fable 2
95. Super Smash Brothers
96. A Way Out
97. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
98. SOCOM 2
99. WCW/NWO World Tour
100. Doom 3
 

tommib

Member
Fun. Let’s see what I come up with (in no particular order):
  • Quake
  • D
  • Tomb Raider (1996)
  • Metroid Prime 2
  • Demon’s Souls
  • Resident Evil 4
  • Returnal
  • Half-Life
  • The Evil Within
  • Disco Elysium
  • Inside
  • Another World
  • Prince of Persia (1989)
  • Super Metroid
  • Under a Killing Moon
  • Bayonetta
  • Phantasmagoria
  • Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes
  • Silent Hill 2
  • Zelda 2: Adventure of Link
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
I forgot Mass Effect 2 and Elder Scrolls Morrowind
ME 2 was a beauty.

Never played Morrowind, but Oblivion was the first open world RPG I played with solid 3D production values. Played many during the 90s on PC, but was pretty janky or shitty pixelly visuals as that was the era.
 
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Damigos

Member
FFVII
FFVIII
FFX
MGS1
MGS2
MGS4
Gran turismo 2
Gran turismo 4
WoW
Diablo 2
Dark Souls 1
Dark Souls 3
Bloodborne
God of War 1
God of War 2
God of War 2018
Wipeout 2097 and XL
Driveclub (yes)
Unreal Tournament
Red Alert 2
 

Hobbygaming

has been asked to post in 'Grounded' mode.
ME 2 was a beauty.

Never played Morrowind, but Oblivion was the first open world RPG I played with solid 3D production values. Played many during the 90s on PC, but was pretty janky or shitty pixelly visuals as that was the era.
Mass Effect 2 was like the perfect game if I ever played one, a true masterpiece. I didn't get into Oblivion as much as Morrowind but I might have been burned out when it released. I had hundreds of hours in Morrowind
 

Handel

Member
1. The Legend of Zelda : Majora's Mask : More then anything else, this game has a world that I care about saving, as it's inhabitants feel more real than in any other game due to the nature of the three day cycle and how it allows you to see people process the coming doom. It's chock full of themes of racism/specism (dumb Gorons, distrusted Deku), the benefits yet responsibilities of age (free but constrained Deku child, coming into manhood teen Link, married adult Zora, wise elder Goron), trappings of revenge (Majora's corruption of Skull Kid, Ikana Valley wars), but unlike most modern games does this without being too in your face about it they're just part of the narrative as it goes along. The atmosphere is oozing melancholy, from the moon bearing down on you from above it's face twisted in an expression between anger and sadness, to how the bells toll the destruction of the world in the track Final Hours as time begins to run out. It's gameplay is one of the best in the series as well, with the transformation masks adding many layers to the already stellar Zelda formula (swimming as Zora Link is a thing of beauty), and whilst it has only a few major dungeons they're among the very best in the series (especially Stone Tower Temple).

2. The Last Guardian : The bond formed with Trico over the course of the game is the strongest I've ever experienced with an AI companion, and by the end of the game he truly felt like a pet of mine own that I would fight tooth and nail to protect, which in-game came about as me frantically shoving down any of the guard statues that dared to harm him and ripping off their helmets. Staring out over The Nest near the end of the game with Trico sitting beside you really captures how amazing a journey you've had climbing up from the bottom to the top of the ivory tower.

3. Ico : A classic tale of a boy and a girl escaping the clutches of an evil queen, told in the most minimalistic way possible that gives it all a surreal realism. Story and gameplay are at harmony in Ico, with the titular Ico's connection to the girl Yorda strongly tied to the mechanic of holding her hand by holding the R1 button, helping her traverse the terrain. The castle you explore throughout the entirety of the game is a character all it's own, keeping the children from escaping with it's myriad of traps and puzzles, and it's interconnected design (a big inspiration on Dark Souls) makes it feel like it could be a real place as you look about and see a place you were an hour ago across the way.

4: Final Fantasy VI : Tied for my favorite cast in any game, even the more minor characters like Gau are endearing with their own subplots to find. FFVI is a tale of two halves, with both being distinct from each other and brilliant in their own ways, with the World of Balance telling a very tight linear fantasy story with an evil empire, only for the script to be flipped on it's head by a crazed clown, and in the World of Ruin we have a wealth of options to flesh out the characters and world lore but can ignore it all if we choose. Like Majora's Mask, FFVI's World of Ruin makes you care about saving the world by showing you how it's denizens deal with the threat of the end of the world, finding purpose in continuing to live even when all seems lost.

5. Zelda : Link's Awakening : Even knowing the twist when I first played the game, it pulled me in with how well it sets up that twist in little character dialogues and how the world doesn't feel right with it's strange enemies. Marin is an endearing character with her songs and dreams, but her story is a tragic once you know what's going on, and knowing that makes it all the harder to go through with what you must do. With a rather unique kit of items that can combo off each other, solid dungeons and fun side quests, LA is a great mix of more traditional Zelda and the darker story elements found in MM.

6. Dragon Age : Origins : Tied with FFVI as my favorite cast of characters, they're all well fleshed out especially Alistair and Morrigan, with the ambient dialogue system making it rewarding to take different party make-ups to see what interactions they'll have between themselves. The main quest is a LOTR level epic story, with great twists on the classic races found in LOTR such as dwarves, elves and orcs aka darkspawn. As unbalanced as it makes the class system, playing a mage in DAO feels great and shows in gameplay why people are so afraid of their power.

7. Okami : The best argument for style is substance in the gaming medium, Okami makes up for it's long length and not too challenging combat by just oozing charm all over the place. The gibberish speech the characters use went from being annoying at first to utterly endearing by the time of the endgame cutscenes, the art style is the most beautiful in all gaming with great little touches like how flowers sprout up behind Amaterasu as she runs, the OST is a contender for the best ever. Okami's world is whimsical and would be a joy to live in, but we have to settle for merely controlling a sun goddess in the form of a wolf through our journeys in Nippon.

8. Psychonauts 1/2 : Both Psychonauts games excel at creating unique levels that stem from the personality and trauma of the person whose mind you enter, making them a character study on top of a playground to explore and conquer. Psy1 has the advantage of a more unique storytelling method where the lives of your fellow campers keeps progressing as you complete the early missions giving them all their own subplots that you can engage with or completely miss, while Psy2 has a superior central narrative where the worlds feel intertwined just as the characters whose minds create them are intertwined. Both share the same brave good-hearted goofball of a protagonist in Raz, my favorite in all of gaming.

9. Divinity Original Sin II : While not mastering any particular aspect of the RPG genre, DOS2 is great in all the most important criteria. It's combat is strategic and challenging even on normal difficulties, it's origin party members if you choose to take them have compelling character arcs especially the likes of The Red Prince, it has a wealth of side content, it's quest design allows for a myriad of approaches to most obstacles (nine or so different ways to escape Fort Joy alone), it's main plot doesn't pull it's punches upending the player with the horror of what they face. All this while being a game supporting up to four player coop, with my friends and I going through the entire game together having a blast.

10. Resident Evil 4 : A masterclass in pacing, enemy design, boss design, upgrade systems, weapon variety...RE4 is nearly a perfect game and the single player game that I have replayed the most. It's a gamey ass game and it revels in it, the corny story/characters fitting the mold of the game just right and making for some great laughs.


Ten is good enough for providing details on, the rest I'll just list :


11. Disco Elysium
12. Pikmin
13. Super Smash Bros. Melee/Ultimate
14. Zelda : Wind Waker
15. Golden Sun/GS The Lost Age
16. Legend of Dragoon
17. Civilization II
18. KOTOR II
19. Mass Effect 1
20. Halo Reach
 

levyjl1988

Banned
In no particular order:

Dragon Age Origins
Tales of Arise
Dark Souls 1
Dark Souls 2
Mass Effect Trilogy
Destiny 1, not 2.
Dragon’s Dogma
Tera
Halo 3
Halo Reach
Halo 4
SoulCalibur 2
SoulCalibur IV
SoulCalibur V
Tomb Raider (2013) not definitive edition as they fucked up Lara’s face model in that one.
Diablo 3
Pokémon Y
Pokémon Soul Silver
Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
Lost Planet 2
Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 6
Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
Fallout 3
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Mass Effect 2 was like the perfect game if I ever played one, a true masterpiece. I didn't get into Oblivion as much as Morrowind but I might have been burned out when it released. I had hundreds of hours in Morrowind
I totally understand.

Oblivion I beat it but played it a ton too. There was a time I printed off a website a list of all the locations thinking I'd clear them all out one by one. It was something stupid like 200+ places and after dabbling clearing out random ruins and caves and said fuck it and bee-lined for the final quest. lol

When I played Skyrim on 360 I never completed the game. I cleared out maybe 1/3 of the map randomly roaming around then quit. Bought the Xbox One Special Edition and started over with various mods including that one where you start with a random life at a random location. Played for a bit and quit. Then with Series X, the loading times and visuals are so improved I got back into it and loved it. Such a different game at 4k, 60 fps and ultra mod textures. Plowed through the rest of my progress continuing from my Save #400 (cloud saves!), cleared out shit, did tons of quests, the DLC scrolls quests and beat the game by like Save #600. I'm a save scummer.

I played Fallout 3 to death, but when F4 came out it was a better game, but I cleared out maybe only 1/4 of the map and called it quits. Fallout Burnout. Even F4's 60 fps wasnt enough. I was thinking of getting into it again after Skyrim, but had too much Bethesda.

Anyone with a next gen system should give Fallout 4 or Skyrim a chance again if the deal breaker in the past is janky slow console performance. Much better games running fast and smooth and quick load times.
 

Perrott

Gold Member
I'm not gonna bother putting them in order, but here are the 20 games I thought of off the top of my head:
  • Age of Empires 2
  • Batman: Arkham City
  • Battlefield 4
  • Bloodborne
  • Catherine
  • Death Stranding
  • DriveClub
  • Heavy Rain
  • L.A. Noire
  • Metal Gear Solid V (as a whole)
  • Minecraft
  • Persona 5
  • Portal
  • P.T.
  • Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • Silent Hill
  • Tetris Effect
  • The Last Guardian
  • The Last Of Us: Part II
 
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Yoboman

Member
This is hard

1. Rocket League - with thousands of hours in the game id be lying to myself if it wasn't number 1
2. Metal Gear Solid 3 - felt like gaming perfection to me
3. Metal Gear Solid - played it after MGS2 but it was still incredible
4. Metal Gear Solid 2 - my first MGS game and it blew my mind
5. GTA3 - an absolute earthquake of a game and truly one of the GOATs
6. God of War 2018 - one of my favourite games ever made
7. The Last of Us - so impactful
8. Bioshock - nothing else like it
9. Half Life 2 - only just below Bioshock
10. Final Fanasty VII - introduced me to RPGs and was my GOAT for many years
11.World of Warcraft - I never even hit level 60 and did raids or stuck around for expansions but I have very fond memories of WOW Vanilla
12. ICO - hard to to really speak to how unique and different it was to everything else at the time. A lot of games have been inspired by it
13. Shadow of the Colossus - i think still unmatched for epic scale
14. Chronicles of Riddick - this game blew my mind at the time and I just love prison settings
15. Batman Arkham Asylum - similar to above
16. Demons Souls - my first souls and still my favourite
17. Jak and Daxter Precursors Legacy - my favourite platformer of all time everything about it vibes with me
18. TMNT Turtles in Time - I was a bit young for any SNES and NES games to really impact me but this game was my jam
19. Devil May Cry - I find character action games mostly tiresome these days but I can't deny the first DMC just blew me away. I rented it not knowing anything about it and the control of the character just felt unreal
20. GTASA - need to fit this in. Was probably the most hyped I ever was for a game release and it totally delivered
 

laynelane

Member
Demon's Souls, Dark Souls 1-3, and Bloodborne. These titles have occupied so much of my time over the years. Whether it was trophy hunting, lore searching, trying new builds - I always find new reasons to jump back in and always discover new things each playthrough. I love the world building, lore/story, music, atmosphere, gameplay, and challenge these games have.

Final Fantasy 7, 8, 10, and 12. I like every FF game I've ever played and wind up sinking 100s of hours into them. Music, characters, creature design, world building, gameplay mechanics, and the artwork are some of the things that draw me to these titles. I also enjoy the stories and lore, but some of it can get lost over time since I get so caught up in acquiring ultimate weapons, armour, aeons, and side quests lol.

Resident Evil 4 and Code Veronica. I like all the RE titles I've played but these two are the standouts for me. RE4 for the gameplay, consistently fresh and entertaining environments, enemy design, and Leon. Code Veronica for its wonderfully over the top storyline, music, and characters.

Persona 3 and 5. The themes explored in these games greatly interest me and I love the music, boss fights, and characters. Also, to my surprise, I ended up enjoying the mixture of social/everyday living and dungeon crawling.

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne. Possibly my favourite game of all time. The themes and concepts the game explores are right up my alley and the atmosphere and environments, while sometimes oppressive, really make this game stand out from the rest. The gameplay and boss fights are challenging and I enjoy thinking my way through the battles.

Shin Megami Tensei Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2. Fascinating story, great characters, and compelling themes. Plus, the music is amazing.

Darksiders 1 and 2. I loved the world building, characters, and mechanics. 1 also has some really fun boss fights and 2 has really fun and rewarding exploration and side quests.

Nioh. Gameplay is amazing and I wound up enjoying the quest for better and better loot more than I thought I would. I have no doubt Nioh 2 will be on this list, based on the strength of the first game, but I have yet to play it (it's in the backlog).

Dead Space 1 and 2. Damn you, EA! :messenger_pouting:
 
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kyliethicc

Member
No particular order.

The Last of Us
The Last of Us Part 2
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption 2
Grand Theft Auto 5
God of War
Death Stranding
Helldivers
Gran Turismo Sport
Rocket League
Rainbow Six Siege
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Super Smash Bros Melee
Mario Kart Double Dash
Civilization 6
FIFA
 
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93xfan

Banned
Mario 3
Mario 64
Final Fantasy 7
Zelda
Zelda Link to the Past
Zelda Ocarina
Halo CE
Socom 2
Halo 3
Smash Ultimate
Metal Gear Solid
Mario 2 (USA)
Metroid Prime
Illusion of Gaia
DKC2
Hollow Knight
SSX3
THPS3
F-Zero
Shadow of the Colossus
Mario Sunshine
Skyrim
Castlevania: SotN
R&C: Going Commando
C&C: Red Alert
Rage Racer
Jumping Flash 2!

All of the top of my head. Not all in order and probably exceeded 20. Too lazy to count them
 
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Roufianos

Member
MGS Series
Witcher 3
God of War
Mass Effect Trilogy
Fallout 3
Socom 2
Oblivion
Bully
GTA3
RDR2
Demon's Souls Remake
Dark Souls 3
Star Wars Battlefront
Tony Hawk's 1 and 2 Remake
Pokemon HG
Mafia II
Gears of War
Death Stranding
Resident Evil 4
Yakuza 0

Sure there's some others I'm forgetting
 

paparazzo

Member
1. Metal Gear Solid 3

No particular order:
Fallout 3
Skate
Skate 2
Burnout Paradise
Uncharted 2
Uncharted 4
GTA IV
The Last of Us
Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Mario 64
Tony Hawks pro skater 3
Red Dead Redemption
Goldeneye 007
Banjo Kazooie
Half Life 2 Episode 1 & 2
Far Cry 4
Assassins Creed 2
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
Skyrim
 
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DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Genuinely difficult to name 20 without forgetting some of the best games. Here are 20 games in no order

Zelda Link to the Past
Zelda Ocarina of Time
Zelda Breath of the Wild
Super Mario World
Mario 64
Super Mario Galaxy
Dragon Quest VIII
Final Fantasy VI
Xenogears
Doom 2
Borderlands 2
Castlevania Symphony of the NIght
FZero 1
FZero GX
Castlevania IV
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy VII
Zelda 1
Wind Waker
Street Fighter II
 
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