Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 54

54: Oblivion (PC/PS3/360)
Developer: Bethesda
Year: 2007

No one ever beat Daggerfall. It was impossible. And Morrowind, while fun, was ugly as hell and mostly boring with little direction and mostly uninteresting action. And, having never played Arena, I can’t say much to its credit, but I have to imagine that the game was an attempt at the same stuff the other Elder Scrolls games tried, as such, it likely sucked. With a series that sucks, why are the games so much fun to play for hours on end? Well, the answer is because we all hoped for one that would be perfect, and we got it in the form of one 30-hour game: Oblivion.

Nothing is ever more epic than the ultimate destruction of everything, everywhere, within an instant. That’s what you are fighting for in the 4th Elder Scrolls game. After watching the Emperor die in front of you (or behind you if you weren’t paying any attention at all, you ass*) you start on a quest to stop the evil Mehrunes Dagon, one of the princes of the plains of Oblivion. Along the way you’ll meet some interesting people (including a vampire duke, or, something…!) and solve all kinds of problems. Ultimately, though, the main storyline will draw you back in and you’ll find yourself traveling through large demon gates to Oblivion time and time again until eventually you find yourself looking up at the towering Dagon himself. Will your actions lead to a peaceful ending for everyone? Only you can decide that! So, while some of the quests are kinda lame and repetitive, the main story is enough of a powerhouse narrative to keep things interesting during your 40-hour game.

But let’s look into the reason why Oblivion is ten times better than any of the other games in the series; enjoyability. While the other games, too, offered random quests, sword fighting, and horseback riding, Oblivion is the first one to really nail this down in a fashion that is both enjoyable and fun to play. Quests are now better organized in your journal, the map system has been made better for quick traveling, and, while the NPC’s don’t have golden !’s over their heads, finding people to get quests from is easy thanks to an engaging and deep conversation tree. And the sword fighting and magic system, something inherently flawed in any First Person game, is advanced and made better across all versions of the game, allowing for innovative and – get this – exciting battles to take place during your 50-hour game. And if you don’t even like magic, don’t worry; Oblivion has this covered by having a leveling system dependent upon your chosen class and its attributes (thief levels from use of Sneak, Lockpicking, Acrobatics, etc. for example). This means that, if you aren’t supposed to use a mace, you never have to.

But here’s the real deal; when this game came out, the pictures made it look gorgeous – huge, wide open areas to travel through, giant cave systems and castles, and so many locations across an enormous map that meant you could spend literal days trying to find everything. Having just played this 60-hour game recently, there are locations to be seen, still, that make the jaw drop. And the very first time the character you spent way too long making in the character creator exits the sewers and sees the world for the first time, its an experience unlike any other (aside from Fallout 3’s first look at the world). Other things have diminished over time, but character models, towns, and weapons/armor all look great and have awesome looking textures mapped over their frames. One of the things I really dig, though, is the fact that every town looks different, from the architecture of the buildings to the style of clothes and types of things grown in the farms outside the walls. This helps make the world seem huge and alive and, in a 70-hour game like this, thats really cool.

All in all, Oblivion is a game that will be remembered for making RPGs from the US of A cool and a lot of fun to play, especially on consoles. In a time in which the words “Square” and “Enix” are required to even get role playing games off shelves in this country, having another company introduce a more “American” RPG (and I use quotes because, well, an FPS RPG with swords? How American can you get?) paves the way for other like-games to come out. And, lets be fair, without a game like this, a huge, open world game, we would never have gotten our hands on (the vastly superior) Fallout 3. And what kinda piss-pot world would we live in if we didn’t have Fallout 3? So bless you, Oblivion, and your 80-hour gameplay!

Classic Moment:
I love the quest that puts you inside a painting to find a woman’s missing husband. The design of that world is awesome and the art style shifts to make everything look like the strokes of a paintbrush. Even the enemies in this world, Paint Trolls, look different and painted. Plus, it introduces something cool into the game: circumstantial weaponry. A sword with turpentine on it which kills paint monsters? Awesome, and well thought out, Bethesda. You and your 90-hour game can have a cookie.

*in reference to myself; i never saw it happen, on either play through.

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Added February 20, 2017
Not better than Skyrim, but still very good. And it has some of the best DLC I’ve ever played for a video game with the Shivering Islands expansion. Worth the (likely, at this point) cheap price tag to get in.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 55

55: Contra (Arcade/NES/every console ever, pretty much)
Developer: Konami
Year: 1987

Yep, I’m going to hell for this. If there’s any problem with creating a list like this, its that – once you get high enough – you start to really hate yourself for putting great games so far down. Contra in the 50’s is an injustice, some of you will say, and you might be right. But, as will be the case with many games coming up (and especially once we get into the top 30/20 area), the games have to fall SOMEWHERE and Contra just happens to fall here. Don’t let this make you think I hate this game, though. No, if there’s any one game that defined side-view (and sometimes half-top-down view!) action shooters, it was Contra.

Depending on which version of this damn game you’re playing, you are either Bill or Lance and you’re waging all out war on either Red Falcon the military organization or Red Falcon the invading alien force. It doesn’t really matter, as all version take you across a number of levels until you end up in some creature’s hive and destroy the thing (which clearly has alien spawn shooting off it at the end). In no version of the game does the manual really set the stage for any grand narrative, and that’s fine. All you really need to know in order to enjoy the hell out of this game is that you have a gun and the other guys have guns, too, and they’re shooting at you. Likely you should kill them, and kill them dead.

Now, while it would be difficult to talk at length about Contra’s storyline with any great depth, anyone claiming the game’s narrative punches as the reason they play it is a damn liar and joining me in hell. No, we all come for the amazing fun of the gameplay which is at the same time both simple and brutal, but always addictive. You go from side-scrolling to a pseudo-dungeon crawl to a climb up a mountain, over and over again. And while this doesn’t sound that fun in text, with levels so well designed and recognizable that they can be created with love and care in brick form…
…you know you’ve got something great. Enemies litter these levels, both in men-on-foot and automated turret form, things fly at you and guys jump out at you. To say that shit is constantly trying to kill you would be an understatement. And these things aren’t hard to kill, really: typically, enemies take one shot to kill, turrets take some extra emphasis, and bosses sometimes move about in annoying ways, but are fairly routine in regards to the methods needed to eliminate them.

But the difficulty comes in the form of having only one shot in the chest being enough to kill you. This causes some panic in situations where, while ducking, you’re fine, but can’t move; you want to stand up and shoot the enemies in plain sight, but there are too many damn bullets and you only have one life left. And, in the case of some of the bosses, you will feel like you never have a chance to stop moving to avoid heavy fire from destroying either Bill or Lance and ending the game. This creates great tension and some asshole moments where your friend steals your last life just as you are about to die. Dick.

All in all, Contra is a damn fine game, addictive as fuck, and really at its best when played with a friend. I ignored talking about the game’s music much simply because I already commented on it in a previous list a week-or-so ago. Its not hard to come across this game, though, as the original, arcade (lesser, in my opinion) version is available on 360 Arcade and, I believe, the NES version is on Virtual Console, but perhaps its not. Who can say? (someone that checks into it, that’s who) At the end of the day, though, Contra is a game that is still enjoyable these days and with good reason; its a timeless classic that maintains its difficulty and fun factor, all these years later.

Classic Moment:
So hard to really nail down a specific “classic moment” from this game, but perhaps its fair to comment on the Konami code. While not introduced in this game (that right goes to Gradius), Contra did popularize the 30-lives code in a time when looking up cheats on the internet was, well, impossible. Word of mouth got gamers those much needed lives and allowed some people to get past that first wall-boss at the end of level one. And, these days, every gamer can recite the code without much thought. How many button combinations introduced in gaming history are memorized and so widely used?

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Added February 17, 2017
Contra is and will forever be one of my all time favorite titles across any console and one of the few games I can plop down and start playing through to the end immediately, at any time. It is rare that I can just boot up a game and fall in love all over again, and this is one of the greats.

Facebook – To Tide you Over

guess what this is, zak.

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Added February 16, 2017
It was supposed to signal the return of the book I was writing, “The Legend of Trash Can Man” – but I never got around to completing it. Alas!

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 56

56: Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)
Developer: LucasArts
Year: 1997

 

John Flowers, don’t kill me.

I love this game. I really do. I know, I know, its in the back 50 titles and that’s a dirty shame. Its great fun and even its expansion pack is really fun. Sue me. But rather than say I love it, let me prove to you that this game is one that has a place in my heart, won’t you? This sequel to a game so old its pixel/sprite-based rather than filled with polygons is a damn fine entry into a damn fine series of games, all falling under a franchise of games that is hit-or-miss for the most part. And even though its at #56 on this list, don’t let that keep you from reading on, sir. Let me explain my love.

The first Dark Forces game was just an excuse to shoot at Storm Troopers in a Doom-style setting. It DID have a plot, yes, but it was lacking in any real depth or interesting narrative choices. Jedi Knight, on the other hand, took the same style of gameplay and introduced a story in which Kyle becomes a Jedi. A friggin’ Jedi. After discovering  his father was one, Kyle sets out to stop a new Empire from taking form under Jerec, a blind dark Jedi intent on discovering the location of – and powers residing within – the Valley of the Jedi. Kyle must learn the ways of the Force if he’s to overcome this, all the while he must learn about his love for Jan, his cohort in his recent activities. The plot is thin, here in this paragraph’s interpretation, but its shockingly interesting and full of cool Star Wars universe tidbits. Understanding more about the Jedi Knights and their ancient lore (which is canon, by the way) is awesome, too.

But no one comes to this game to understand the story. No, they come because its an FPS with a fucking lightsaber. Gun battles are all great and good, but the use of Force powers and a laser sword make those “random, clumsy” weapons rather… “uncivilized” so to speak. The worlds that inhabit the gameplay of Jedi Knight fit so well within the Star Wars universe, too, not counting the simple things like Storm Troopers and the like. Each level is huge and provides for a great amount of action, saber or no. And this game throws every kind of asshole the Star Wars universe has at the player. As such, level exploration, while fantastic, is second-seat to combat mechanics which utilize the lightsaber and force powers well, keeping you from simply running through the levels with ease, cutting every thing in your path in half. This is especially true in regards to the games (sparse, thankfully) lightsaber battles. I say “thankfully” (in parentheses) not because they suck – they are difficult, however – but because they are awesome and unique. One of the things this game has over follow-ups like Force Unleashed is that the time for lightsaber battles is only for big moments, not random boss fights.

The graphics, too, were stellar for their time. While muddy and ugly, now, the jump from pixel-shooter to full 3D, polygon FPS-blast-fest was incredible. Few games did this well, at least within the confines of a few years from each other (Doom 2-to-Doom 3 for example was awesome looking, but over a decade in the making). As stated, the levels are huge and well constructed to look like Star Wars locations. Star Destroyers look like Star Destroyers, cantinas look like cantinas, etc. And the music helps present these world perfectly, too, offering classic SW tracks over the battles and levels, intermingled with new cues to help run the narrative forward the whole game. And the enemies that populate the worlds are great, too, leaping up in graphical presentation since Dark Forces; Storm Troopers were first seen in 3D here, and being able to cut their arms off was awesome and something missed from further, better looking games since (although SW:TFU2 promises limb removal!). But, one thing this game makes the mistake of doing is creating a Water Temple level before Ocarina of Time could do it. No one wants to move water levels up and down to solve puzzles. Anyone saying they do is a liar. And going to hell.

All in all, Star Wars: Jedi Knight (….Dark Forces 2) offers everything a fan of Star Wars could want in a game. While some would argue – fairly – that the game is influential enough to be higher up this list, the fact remains that it has beat out tons of other games that other might say are even better yet. The fact remains that this is a brutal, fast-paced action shooter with inspired design choices and great fun to be had. There was even multiplayer, but everyone wanted to be Jedi Boba Fett so it got old fast. So, John, when you see this, I hope you don’t judge me too harshly (even though this post is, admittedly, poorly written – not that I’m saying the others are any better, really). Just trust that the game is great fun and I recognize it for what it is: not as timeless as other, greater games.

 

Classic Moment: “MINE TOO!”

No, seriously, the cut scenes in this game are hilarious and poorly acted. They looked great, considering, but were overly ridiculous and amusing to watch, overall. They DO, however, keep the game down in my opinion. Even in the first Resident Evil game, I don’t think live-action cut scenes belong in video games. You can argue that it helped make the game feel like a part of the Star Wars universe, and you’d be wrong. Dead wrong.

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Added February 15, 2017
I am not certain that this game would be on my list if I was to make a new one, today. Honestly, I don’t remember it very well at this point and what I do remember isn’t very well regarded.
This game ain’t no System Shock 2, is what I’m sayin’.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 57

57: Patapon (and, by extension, Patapon 2… is this cheating? Maybe) (PSP)
Developer(s): Pyramid/Japan Studio
Year: 2007(and 2009)

When a game is merely a continuation of the first game, its hard for me to not include it as one game on a list like this. Especially since neither one is any better than the other one. With the case of other games that are simply the “next part” rather than a “sequel” (Mass Effect, Xenosaga, etc. and their respective sequels) they usually contain enough differences to make it its own game. With Patapon, you get more of the same, great gameplay experience with very little that’s new. And, while you could easily say “Skyler, then why is it good if its just more of the same? Why play the same game twice?!” and the answer is: because its still addictive and awesome to play.

The story of Patapon is full of heart, as are the characters. You must act as the Patapon god and use war drums to guide the oppressed Patapon people against their enemies in an attempt to reclaim their former glory, as well as reach Earthend so that they may gaze upon “IT” – the Patapon’s sacred artifact from ancient lore. Along the way, they’ll investigate dark evils, deal with the demon-powered Zigoton empire, and eventually conquer giants of beastly origin. Eventually you learn that your enemies fear you, for their prophecies differ largely from your own, signaling the end of the world upon the Patapon’s viewing of “IT” and they’ll stop at nothing to kill you, every step of the way selling their souls to gain the power to stomp you down. Its simple, yet effective story telling that is deep with its own silly lore and amusing character development.

While the story is cute, nothing is better than this game’s play mechanics. Leading the army with your standard Playstation buttons (square, cirlce, x, triangle) as various drum beats, you – the Patapon god – must drive the beat of war and keep your army in line and formation as they march across the world to vanquish the evils before them. Each stage has a simple 1-2-3-4 beat you must keep in time with and each button combination results in a different kind of attack. Each button is also attributed to a specific drum, the “PON” drum being used the most. The goal is to stay in time as much as possible, as it unlocks “FEVER!” mode, increasing attack strength and speed, defensive capabilities, etc. Learning when and where to use these abilities and marches is of great importance, as the wrong move could easily destroy an army.

Of course, it wouldn’t matter how much fun it was if a music/rhythm game didn’t present itself well. Thankfully, the simple nature of the graphics paired with the delightful music creates a 2D world worthy of scrolling across, left-to-right. The Patapons you control are tiny and numerous, but feature enough distinction between archers, sword wielders, etc. so that you never get them confused for anything else. And you can tell when an enemy is nearby or your troops are in position to strike, as they alter their “facial expressions” (really, they simply squint their one eye), meaning you have a lot to pay attention to, but you’ll find it easy to focus on the right things at the right time. And with a gentle learning curve that starts you off with easy monsters but leaves you fighting devils of great strength the by end, you’ll be ready to and capable of finding what you need and seeing what you need to see at a moment’s notice.

All in all, Patapon is easily the best PSP game I’ve played, to date. Its almost impossible to put down and is catchy enough to keep me playing long after each game has come to its conclusion. With the third chapter about to come out in the near future, the Patapon series isn’t going anywhere and may someday venture off the handheld system and make a console debut at some point. For the time being, though, there is no better bathroom or car-ride game on the planet, with quick levels to blaze through to search for items or materials for strengthening your army, preparing yourself for a time in which you can invest a few hours to further the narrative. Without a doubt, Patapon is a fantastic little game that you should play at your first chance.

Classic Moment:
The very first time you come across something 10x the size of a single Patapon, you will fear for your little men. And  you should; you’ll likely get butchered before you take the monster down. But enough grinding will result in better equipment for your troops and the next time you strike out against the creature, you’ll be prepared. Nothing feels better in this game than taking down a beast you had such difficulty even hurting, and doing so in less than two minutes. Especially since it took you ten to die the last time!

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Added February 14, 2017
I never got around to that third game in this series. I was always hoping for a huge, blow-out console version someday in the future. Here’s hoping.
Having said all of this, I can hear the little guys in my head, now… “Pon… Pon.. Pata… Pata!”

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 58

58: Dragon Age: Origins (360/PC/PS3)
Developer: Bioware
Year: 2009

Another relatively new game, Bioware’s “Other RPG” is less space and lasers and more castles and swords. Dragon Age places, you, the gamer, in a world completely different than the (insanely superior) Mass Effect series. And while the fact that I played this game in the past 365 means it earns a high spot on the list, here, something about the game makes it higher than other games I’ve played in recent history. Let’s examine that, shall we?

Origins starts you off by providing you with its namesake: an origin. One of the things I love most about this game is the fact that you create your character entirely. This means that you spend a ton of time developing the character you’ve created. Mage characters have their own story, as do different humans, dwarfs, and elves. These stories lead into the main narrative and can help create greater understanding of the world over multiple, different playthroughs. The main story, though, is just as impressive. In a deep, immersive world like this, its easy to get lost in backstory, lore, myth, and folklore. Luckily, the major stuff – about evil Darkspawn and an Archdemon trying to take over the world – is ripped from classic Tolkien, its true. But it doesn’t matter; the characters and the world around you evolve as you play, so even though the storyline is simple as can be, the interactions you’ll experience and the way the world changes around you will drive you forward. Plus, there is enough political intrigue and betrayal to make the narrative flow well.

The gameplay is less like Mass Effect and more like (the insanely superior) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. You control a party and can switch from member-to-member, all the while flinging spells and hacking away with swords and axes. Its “turn based” in a sense, in that you don’t control the swing of your sword – the speed of your character and weight of the sword drives how often and hard you swing it an your enemies torso. In this, it borrows from MMO’s in recent history, both in equipment and stat raising. The different classes and their branching abilities are also borrowed from WoW and the like, allowing for full customization of characters as you play through. Dungeon crawling, shopping in towns, and quests for holy relics keep the game firmly within the realm of standard RPG fare and never gets boring.

While the graphics were a bit dated and the Mass Effect engine had started to show its age, the music keeps the presentation aspect from being dull or lame. A soundtrack that would find itself right at home within one of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films, DA:O’s musical moments are breathtaking and, in moments of intense action, provide an exciting pace-builder for your slaughtering needs. Heading down into the huge, majestic, and totally-stolen-from-the-Dwarf-city-in-WoW lair of the dwarves, for example, provides for a triumphant and loud blaring of horns that signals the pride of the denizens under the surface of the world. Likewise, time spent in the woods creates far more airy numbers and cues, complimenting the surroundings that much better.

All in all, Dragon Age: Origins, while not the greatest RPG in the world, offers enough creative license on the part of the player, while also providing enough of a high fun factor to keep the game interesting. And with a full expansion and tons of DLC available for download already, the game isn’t slowing down at all. And a sequel is on the way, too, meaning the world of Ferelden is due to be visited at least a few more times in the coming years. I feel its a worthwhile time to take a visit at your earliest convenience; should you do so, you’ll find a world of adventure and excitement waiting for you to save it from total destruction.

Classic Moment:
You have to make a decision; enlist the help of your greatest enemy to this point, or slay him. Oh, the prince of the entire kingdom will only stay if you kill the man before you. What do you do? Well, if you’re a huge dick, you make the bastard a Grey Warden, like yourself, and say bye-bye to that waif Alistair. Why keep that guy around? He falls over all the time because he sucks so much. Seriously. I hated that guy more than I can even say. What a pansy.

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Added February 13, 2017
Here is a series that has only progressively gotten better and better as the franchise has rolled on. I am at once both hopeful for a sequel and afraid of it, going off it its possible quality.
Also, eff that waif, Alistair.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 59

59: God of War II (PS2)
Developer: SCE Studios (Sony Computer Entertainment)
Year: 2007

Another sequel. Most times video games have a benefit over films; the second game usually stands a chance of being the better game (so long as the first game was good, that is…). The first God of War is a perfect button-masher with heavy emphasis on chaos and monster-based murder. While the plot was interesting and the puzzles and level design were fairly interesting, at the end of the day the original title suffered from the same thing almost every action game falls to in the end, and that is over-the-top levels of repetitiveness. While the second game has this flaw as well, it makes up for it in more than a few interesting ways.

When they made the first game, they ended it by giving Kratos all the power of Ares and left the game with him on that throne. They didn’t know a sequel was going to happen until after it sold so damn well, so they had to find a way to strip the new god of War from his powers and Zeus found all the right ways to do that. Now, hell-bent on revenge (and having to climb out of the Underworld for a second time), Kratos must undo events in time by slaying everything and traveling to a magical island, while also enlisting the help of the Titans. Its pretty regular, overall, but the thing that works about it is the level of kickass moments in the narrative. The nasty part, though, was the lame-ass ending (which keeps this game from being higher up the list, actually) which was a real let down cliffhanger thing. Meh.

If there’s one thing this game did nail, though, it was the combat and puzzle. Further refined from the first game, the new powers and weapons at Kratos’ disposal really helped pace the game better. In the first one you could simply level up your Athena’s Blades and never use anything else. In this game, the new weapons and powerups (items equipped to Kratos that help him throughout the game while changing his appearance) are actually useful and integrated into the plot with ease, making them both essential to moving forward and also fun to use. The button-mashing timed events and puzzles are still here from the first game, but neither feel as forced. Some boss fights actually take on more interesting and action-packed turns with the QTE’s, making an epic showdown that is in real-time, not a cinema. And a number of the puzzles (most of which involve the Icarus Wings) are a headache to destroy.

The visuals are also better; while maintaining the look (and engine!) from the first game, the creative team really nailed the locations and created a much larger world for Kratos to kill things in. And what things to kill! I do believe every monster from the first game is back, with some new ones featured as well. But its the less normal looking people and places that look fantastic. Discovering the world Atlas lives in, for example, is awesome, as is the giant Titan himself. Overall, the way the world looks and the fluidity of the monsters, especially paired with the motions Kratos goes through to murder them, create an engaging play space to bloody up.

All in all, God of War II follows the trend of this list, and that is that the sequel is almost always better than the original in many ways. By taking everything that was great about the first game and refining those elements, the team at Sony crafted a gaming experience that is simple to understand and a great, fun ride to kill shit through. While I haven’t played the 3rd one (I don’t own a PS3 and I really want to boycott the game on principal), I can’t imagine its better than this game, just prettier. God of War II is a perfect game for what it is; mindless fun. And, sometimes, that’s all we ever really need from a video game.

Classic Moment: I would be an awful fool for not mentioning the battle with Perseus. Its epic and simple in its own way (especially since he’s human sized and one of the only boss characters that is), the real treat is that Harry Hamlin – the original Perseus from the first Clash of the Titans movie – provides the voice. Why? Who cares! Its a great call back and an awesome way to honor the work done with these myths in the past, all the while placing the game’s tongue firmly in its cheek.

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Added February 11, 2017
Man, look how muddy those visuals are. The textures on the walls and floors, my God. Time hasn’t treated some PS2-era games very well, huh?
Hope the new PS4 sequel-boot (?) is good. Love this series despite its overwrought nature and silliness.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 60

60: Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2/Xbox)
Developer: Konami
Year: 2001

A ton of people hated this game. And why? The primary reason was that it wasn’t as good as the first one. And no duh, the first MGS game is more than a classic, its a standard. Oh, wait, was the primary reason that you play most of the game as someone other than Solid Snake? That’s fair, no one is quite as cool in any game made thus far. Or, no, the primary reason had to be that it felt like a rehash, thematically, of the first game. Oh, wait, that’s a section of the plot though, isn’t it? Hm. Well, there you go. Three gripes right off the bat with decent reason to dislike this game. But why like the game? I’ll tell you.

Taking place a few years after the events at Shadow Moses, Snake and co. find themselves face to face with a new threat: more Metal Gear models. Otacon and he try to stop Ocelot from taking over the world or something and end up causing a huge problem involving oil. Years after THAT INCIDENT Raiden, a new member of the now defunct FOX HOUND has to infiltrate the oil clean-up base built over it. Here he uncovers the plot behind everything that was started by the ex-President who just so happens to be Solid and Liquid’s brother (the latter of which lives on in Ocelot through a grafted-on arm, no less). Of course, Raiden is the son of the patch-eyed Snake, like Solid before him, and the entire thing was a test to create someone like Solid Snake. Or was it? No, of course it wasn’t. It was actually an attempt to control information instigated by the Patriots, a bunch of long-dead guys who are alive in a computer? Or something. I don’t know, I haven’t gotten around to MGS4 yet. But yeah, the story is convoluted as all fuck. But paying attention will get you through it with relative ease.

The visuals have been upgraded since the first game in a substantial fashion. The textures (Snake’s sneaking suit looks awesome), effects (rain drops and that stupid blowing tarp thing on the boat are of particular note), and the fluid character animations (Ocelot’s gunplay always looked good) really help nail down the “next-gen” aspect of the game. I remember seeing photos from the game in magazines long before the game even came out and thinking that it was enough reason to buy a PS2 (Kingdom Hearts ended up being the game I got one for, though!). The levels and maps were much larger, too, thanks to the PS2’s new capabilities and the music was also improved ten-fold, providing for great battle sequences with a soundtrack to match.

Speaking of boss battles, one of the best parts of any Metal Gear game – period! – are the boss battles and this game nails it, yet again (somewhat, that is; Vamp’s second battle is rather “meh” overall). While not as good as the original and nowhere near as inventive as some found in the third game, MGS2’s boss fights are interesting and unique in their own right. Fatman’s boss battle involves less hitting of the boss and more time spent searching for and disarming bombs. Fortune’s fight – one of my favorites from the series – is real cool, forcing you to dodge everything and never waste a shot (considering the fact that you CAN’T hit her, no matter what you toss at her). The final battle with an army of Ray’s stands out, though, as the crowning achievement in the game. While pretty simple, overall, the game boasts as many as three Metal Gears at a time on screen for you to combat. Its impressive and awe-inspiring the first time you experience it.

All in all, MGS2 gets a bad rap, I feel. It has plenty Snake action in the start of the game and also showcases some really great sequences when the player controls Raiden. The shock factor was there, sure, but for a Kojima-directed title, of course there’s some goddamned shock factor. But it doesn’t matter one bit: the game played, sounded, and looked like a Metal Gear title and those three elements add together to total something special every time. Who cares who you play as so long as the story is engaging and the action is intense. That’s what this game brought to the table.

Classic Moment:
There is a point near the end of the game where you meet up with Solid Snake and Otacon. A bunch of stuff comes out about Hal’s relationship with his step mom and the death of his sister, E.E. makes things awkward. Snake consoles his friend while Raiden just sits there, unaware of any of the shit they’re talking about, really, creating further awkwardness. But once he’s fine again, Otacon stands up and the trio depart, walking in slow motion and creating this really epic image of the team as they progress with their plan to stop the bad guys. Why is this awesome? The visual of them leaving that awful section of the narrative is enough of a reason, man. Plus, its cool.

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Added February 10, 2017
As time moves ever onward, my appreciation for this game only grows. Time will tell how the series as a whole measures up now that Kojima and Konami have split up, but until then we have a collection of six-seven amazing 3D titles and no one on Earth should miss any of them.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: “The Music Man”

Every game has a soundtrack, whether its the screeches of metal against metal in Silent Hill 2 or the gorgeous orchestral arrangements of Oblivion. They should help to create an experience unlike any other and, at the very least, should assist in helping make emotion come to life from the pixels and polygons.

For this list, I’m using a specific song I feel really helps sell the idea of my top 10 list. While each game featured here contains more than one great track, I’ve reserved myself to only posting one track from the game. I’ll provide a reason and also a link to a version of the song I found on YouTube or something, which I suggest you check out (all of them!). As always, feel free to find reason to argue with me over this.

PS: I decided I could only include one game per series, meaning the Final Fantasy games (which would otherwise have taken most of the spots on this thing, anyhow) only have one title and I had to pick the best song from the whole damn series, more or less. It was difficult. And I cheated. You’ll see why.

10: Guitar Hero 2 (YYZ)

It might be kinda unfair to really rank this here, but the music of a game is what gets it on this list and I can’t think of any better game to include from the series. The soundtrack featured here is far better than the others, overall, and has YYZ. YYZ. Name me a better guitar/bass song from the entire series and/or Rock Band. I challenge you.

9: Half-Life 2 (Triage At Dawn)
Half-Life and the sequel have great music, overall, but usually in short doses. Triage at Dawn is a song that brings out emotion at a critical time in the second game’s narrative. Its moody, and also one of the few tracks on the soundtrack that isn’t overly electronic and fast-tempo-d up. Really touching, in my opinion, and so short.

8: Homeworld (Adagio for Strings)

This is more than a little unfair, as the game uses a song that is already old and well known, but my God does it use it well. The sweeping nature of this bit of wonder suits the game and its vast, open space perfectly, while capturing the majesty of the giant ships you must navigate through treacherous places.

7: Mega Man 2 (Wily’s Castle – Stage 1)

While you won’t find a single Mega Man game on the 100 games list, it would be stupid of me not to mention this game for its incredible and catchy-as-fuck soundtrack. Getting to this final level is a challenge and this fast-progression track really helps build the mounting tension toward reaching the end of the game and stomping Wily out for good. Over all other songs in the game (yell at me for this, Zak), this level’s theme really compliments the high energy needed to finish it.

6: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Metropolis Zone)
Sonic 2 is maybe my favorite Sonic game. But what song is the best? The thick-ass-bass-rumbling of the Metropolis Zone. The manic nature of the song lends itself well to yet another of the fast levels of the game. The world this song comes from is huge, both in presentation and in the fact that its the only level to have an Act 3 instead of just the normal 2. This song helps create, in my opinion, that sense of openness.

FOR AWESOME REFERENCE: An awesome cover of this level in which they nailed the drum line 100%:

5: Katamari Damacy (Lonely Rolling Star)
For a strange ass game from Japan they utilized a strange ass soundtrack. Of all the songs that fit the style of the game, Lonely Rolling Star really nails the simple and fun nature of the game, being catchy and lighthearted, just like the gameplay. And I really dig the hook of the chorus, despite the fact that I don’t understand any word aside from “Katamari” in the whole damn song.

4: Super Metroid (Brinstar)

The jungle-like underbelly of Brinstar features this great song that creates a solid feel of exploration and adventure, all the while Samus is killing and jumping and finding new ways to be better in the game. I like the bass line the whole way through, and the second half pulls away a bit to reveal a semi-choral vocal(ish) section that adds to the maze-like nature of the entire game.

3: Contra (Base Theme)
Any fool that argues against this being the best song from the game is… maybe right. In a game that has nearly 0 losers in the soundtrack (hate that Snow Field theme, though), its hard to pick. But the tension-creating Base Theme lends itself well to the up-scaling design of the level and helps maintain the action of the game, perfectly.

2: Chrono Trigger (Battle with Magus)

Working your way to this point in the game is a great ride and you think you’ve reached the end boss. His theme, here, is perfect, as Magus employs some nasty magic and epic attacks all the while you unleash some special moves of your own. The excitement starts softly and mounts until you hear that “dark wind howling” and then its all business from there.

1: Final Fantasy IV (DS Intro theme)
Yes this is cheating; the DS intro combines a number of the game’s best tracks in fantastic ways, creating a medley of sorts that works well with the CG intro they created. It brings about emotions from the scenes depicted and helps to set up the amazing adventure the remake promised (and delivered upon). From about 2 minutes in its all gold, though. Listen and you’ll understand upon the triumphant nature the song takes on.

Honorable Mention: Fallout 3 (Butcher Pete)

HE JUST HACKS! WHACKS! CHOPPIN’ THAT MEAT!

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Added February 9, 2017
Updated with new logo images and some fixed links.
I think this is a great list and I challenge you to come up with better.
Man, that FFIV opening, though.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 61

61: Ico (PS2)
Developer: Team Ico
Year: 2001

Gamers who find themselves only loving “niche”-style experiences may scoff at my ranking of Ico and, to be fair, I kind of scoff at it, too. Such a classic game in the back 40 titles? Later on I may look at this and think to myself “what on Earth was I thinking?” – but don’t let this make you think any less of me (than you already do?), because this game is still amazing and worthy of a place on anyone’s 100 greatest games list, for a number of reasons.

Let’s start with the story, here; you play as the titular character of Ico, a boy with horns, sent to a castle to be sacrificed to a dark Queen, a lecherous ruler of the empty fortress. There, you find Yorda, a young girl who speaks a language you can’t even come close to understanding yourself, but that Ico seems to be able to interpret. Shadow creatures try to capture her for the Queen, but they can’t hurt you, so you must ward them off, all the while making your escape from the confines of the castle’s high walls. The basic premise of the plot is very, very simple and that’s great, because it allows for the characters to really become a single unit together and for you to care for Yorda’s safety the entire time.

The gameplay is another reason to love this game to death. Also simple, you must take Yorda by the hand and guide her through room after room, waving a stick at any shadow that comes in your way. Most video games of the “adventure” sort have puzzle solving and boss fights, in that order, until the end of the game. If Shadow of the Colossus is entirely boss fights (see where that game falls on this list, later on!), Ico is all of the puzzles. Each room presents a new challenge you must face and overcome in order to gain ground in the Queen’s castle. Some of them are simple “leave Yorda on a switch and open a door” events, while others will require split-second timing, jumping, bomb tossing, and defending of your lady-friend in order to keep going forward. The nice part, though, is that the difficulty increases at a nice rate, meaning you are faced with harder and harder puzzles as you go (with the exception of the obnoxious wind-mill jumping puzzle half way through the game).

The way the game is set up is also perfect. You are alone, for the most part, from the start of the game to the finish. The only person you see until the final (and only!) boss fight is Yorda, who YOU can’t understand. This leaves you and her alone in a giant castle. Each room is a wonder to look at, with each chamber looking more and more interesting as your progress through the puzzle rooms. Some of the tower rooms along the walls of the castle are simply gorgeous to look at and you may find yourself spending some time simply staring at your surroundings from time to time. Of course, not when you have simple-yet-effective looking black specters chasing after you. This game, along with is spiritual successor, tears up Roger Ebert’s claim that video games can never be art.

All in all, Ico is a beautiful game and an amazing single-player experience. It may be hard to come across, these days, but a remake is coming up (better resolution only, its the same game otherwise) which means more access before Team Ico’s new PS3 title. While some would be upset at my placement of this game, here, at 61, the fact remains that the game is too short. Many times, puzzle games carry on for far too long or, in the case of Portal, they go on to just the right length. Ico can (and was, for me) finished within 8 hours. A shallow reason to give it a lower place? Sure. But my reasoning, all the same.

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Added February 8, 2017
That PS3 Team Ico game became a PS4 Team Ico game, instead. And it was great.
Didn’t put a Classic Moment on this one for some reason, so here it is, now:
Classic Moment: As mentioned earlier, the final boss is the Queen of the castle, and she’s a nasty customer. You use a lot of the skills you’ve developed through the game to reach and attack her, but she has some moves and patterns that are so unique to the fight that you almost have to develop new skills just to keep up.