Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 8

It pains me, it really does. Getting down the final games is soul crushing because I can’t believe these final games aren’t in the #1 slot. Some of these games have been my all time favorite before, so for the to move around or not be in the top slot is heartbreaking, until I remember they’re still really, really damn close. So, without further ado, I give you the #2 game from my last completed list:

8: Half-Life (PC/PS2)
Developer: Valve Software
Year: 1998

If you know me at all, you know of my love for the Half-Life games. Its uncanny, really, how much space there is in my heart for anyone or anything else, when you examine how much of it is filled with love for this game and its sequel. In fact, my first list was done in a rage-fueled protest to a list IGN had done, placing Half-Life in the 30’s, behind Wave Race on N64. Wave mother fucking Race. Seriously. At that time, I hadn’t had as many great video game experiences as I have now, and the game rested neatly at the #2 position. Since then, I’ve had amazing game experiences, but few to really rival this game’s sheer majesty and thrill-power.

To put this into perspective, the only real time I’d spent with an FPS was Doom, Doom 2, and Goldeneye. All great games, but my old Gateway 2000 really couldn’t handle any of the things coming out on PC. When my best friend in school, Steve, started blabbering on and on, showing off this “Half-Life” game, I had to see what it was all about. All he really got to show me was the game’s opening tram ride. From that day on, I knew I had to get my hands on this amazing looking game. And, fortune smiled upon me because my family invested in a “top of the line” (in 1998) Dell computer and – with enough prodding – I convinced my parents to get this game for me. What happened next was a whirlwind of excitement, enjoyment, and all around explosive entertainment at my fingertips. My time spent with Gordon Freeman, trying to escape Black Mesa Research Facilities was unmatched in any game I’d played up to that point and, for years, was unmatched in games that followed.

I could drone on and on about specific experiences I’d had playing this game at home, replaying the shit out of it time and again (because I got good enough to run through it in near-record time), buying the hell out of the expansion content, shooting people online, playing the various mods and conversions against classmates and teachers alike at my high school, and writing awful poetry about this game for class (note: true story… true… story…), but the major thing to note here isn’t really about my experiences with the game while I played it, but my love for the game when I wasn’t playing it. To put that into perspective, let’s just apply it to my nearly 8-year wait for the sequel. The first game was so perfect that the mere mention of a sequel was almost too enticing for me to bear. The second that stupid “next month” crowbar teaser hit the internet, I was immediately rabid with anticipation for any news at all.

the crowbar in question

In the inbetween time I wrote a journal about my experiences prior to getting the first game, how I spent my time trying not to think about the second game, and about how much money I was going to have to make to play the game on a computer that would even run the damn thing. During this time, Half-Life 2 was the only thing I cared to talk about. How I had friends remains a mystery.

While this might seem like a rant about Half-Life 2, I would like to note that it was because of the first game’s insane level of perfection in my mind. Had this game not been as goddamned great as it was, people wouldn’t have tolerated the protracted development cycle the second game ended up going through. I wouldn’t have been batshit crazy about more Half-Life. People would have invited me to hang out because I could have talked about something aside from bespectacled men in bright orange hazard suits (no, they wouldn’t have). Had Half-Life not been a 10/10 game, the release of Half-Life 2 – nay! – the very idea of Half-Life 2 would have been inconsequential. But, god bless, we got what we got, and I’ve been pleased since that day.

All in all, Half-Life ranks as one of my all-time favorite FPS titles, all-time favorite franchises in gaming, and is my all-time favorite game when it comes to minimalist storytelling. Its a run-and-gun shooter with few tactics and a ton of great action. For its time, it was the best, the game everyone copied and wanted to imitate. Its influence reached far and wide for years to follow and, without it, we would likely be in a different place in regards to shooters, storytelling, and how scary some things can be in a game. While I didn’t spend a lot of time talking about the core gameplay elements, please don’t let that deter you from taking away how much impact the game had on me; I love the game, always will. I’ll never “Forget About Freeman” for as long as I live.

Classic Moment:
For me its all about “Blast Pit” which, while not a “moment” in the traditional sense, does present the gamer with one of my favorite boss battles (if you can call it that); the tentacles. You can’t kill them with conventional weapons, so you have to turn on all the various elements of a giant test rocket to blast, burn, and fuck-up the three-headed mother. Its interesting because, even in modern games (like Gears of War, for example), you never really do anything but shoot monsters in weak spots until they die. Half-Life put players into a situation that was different, interesting, and scary, to boot!

PS: I elected to refrain from talking about how crazy insane I was while playing Half-Life 2 for a reason. One I’m certain you already know.

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Added April 12, 2017
If you like Half-Life at all and haven’t purchased and played through the Black Mesa mod, you are doing yourself a huge disservice. Get on that, immediately. It is worth revisiting the world of Half-Life just for the thrill of seeing it all again.

Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 9

As we near closer and closer to the finish line on this huge ol’, stupid-as-hell list (that’s gone on FOREVER by now, I might add), I’d like to really take a moment to appreciate everyone for any and all comments. I mean, I will really enjoy re-reading my thoughts in the years to come, but I really am doing it for others to read, see some love for games they too enjoy, and just as a forum for people to talk about nerdy things that isn’t on their own personal site. So, thanks for chiming in!

9: Super Metroid (SNES)
Developer: Nintendo
Year: 1994

Super Metroid is one of those games I feel I wouldn’t have to talk about at all. All that would be required is me putting up the title, saying its #9, and people would nod their heads, thinking “Yep, that’s a great game” (or, alternatively: “what the hell, #9?! Why not just make it #75! You fool!”) But, if anything would do this game little justice (aside from my write-up, that is!) it would be to not talk about the game at all, and why its so damned important to me.

As stated, my experiences with Samus and her quest to kill all Metroids originate in the first Smash Bros. and not in any game featuring her adventures. Now, I don’t know which came first: my playthrough of this game or my playthrough of Metroid Prime (my first Metroid purchase). But what I do know is that this game is the clear victor, the easy answer for “Best Metroid game in history”, and an sure-fire contender for “Best Nintendo Game of All Time” (matter of fact, this is the last Nintendo game on the list, period). Why such high praise? What has the game done to deserve it? Well, that’s a huge deal to kinda explain. The first reason would have to be the simple idea of “size” realized in this game.

Game worlds can be huge, but they have to flow well. This game flows well. Even though there’s tons of backtracking to be done in this game, every new area to explore is an adventure in and of itself. The crashed ship that houses Phantoon, the jungle underbelly of Brinstar (with its kickass theme), the final battle with Riidley, etc. All of this time spent gaining new powers amounts to one thing: furthering your quest. There was always drive to keep going, always a desire to see which batshit insane thing would be behind the next domed door. If you ever grew bored playing this game, you were foolish, in my opinion, because there was always something new to do. If the game world had been huge but without fresh experiences, it would have stunk. Super Metroid nailed the balance of finding things and using things, through and through.

what a bitch

But, really, if I had to pick any real reason I have such love for this game, it would be the animation. I don’t know why, but this game (I think… the final sidescroller on this list, too, if I remember correctly…) seems so lush, so alive. The eeriness of the vast emptiness of Zebes would be nothing without quality animation and design, and the sprites found in this game are the best the SNES ever produced, with clear differences between everything to be seen, a wide variety in terms of enemies to do battle with, bosses to topple, and hazards in the world to avoid taking damage from. It just seems so fully realized, like the final product is exactly what the designers had in mind. Few games present themselves this way, at least to me, and its one of the major reasons this game is so loved.

All in all, a short statement on this game isn’t enough, but to go on too long is too much, so its best to comment on my love and appreciation for the game, then allow you – the reader – to comment on the things that make it special for you. To me, Super Metroid is a prime example of how great “old school” gaming could be, without compromising anything in the creation process. These days, it seems that – with the need for HD graphics, short load times, and cutting edge cinema sequences – games have to let something go in order to attain peak quality. Super Metroid left nothing on the cutting room floor once completed, giving a 100% kickass experience to every player, every time.

Classic Moment:
For me, it was simple: fighting those consarned “ninja space pirates” late in the game. They block everything, jump around like a-holes, and can deal massive damage. But, while they were pains to deal with, they were a treat to do battle with because of how radically different their tactics were. Fighting two at a time, for example – while frustrating – was awesome because it caused you to immediately change your fighting style to beat them. I mean, once you learned their moves and how to avoid them and deal damage… they got pretty easy. But if there’s one thing this game nailed, it was the balance of your strength vs the strength of your enemies. These guys are dickish examples of that.

<insert easy “open wide!” style joke here>

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Added April 12, 2017
As stated here (https://skylerbartels.wordpress.com/2016/05/12/super-metroid/) I just got through this game recently and it was a hoot. If Zero Mission and/or Fusion become available on Switch’s Virtual Console, I’ll be there like shareware, homestar!

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 10

As we enter into the top 10, I’ve decided not to reveal – at least, by image – the title of the game taking this spot. The Top 10 games for me haven’t really changed that much, I don’t think, but the inclusion of a few here and there have mixed it up somewhat. For example, the last time I produced a list like this, the game in the #10 slot was the original Resident Evil. The game in the slot, today, was #14. Again, that was six-to-seven years ago. Anyhow:

10: System Shock 2 (PC)
Developer: Irrational Games/Looking Glass Studios
Year: 1999

To explain my love for this game, you have to understand a few things about me, as a gamer. First, I love to be scared, if I can be. This means shit jumping out, creepy music, good sound effects, and – of course – a tight, horrifying plot. In this first regard, System Shock 2 had everything in spades. The narrative was awesome, even if you hadn’t played the original game (I hadn’t, the first time I’d played this game). And there’s a reason why I love Shodan so damn much; she’s a great villain with creepiness and intelligence. To compare, President Eden in Fallout 3 is – in the end – like a human. He has opinions, ideas, and other things that can be changed. Shodan doesn’t. Add to her eeriness the fact that the monsters sometimes talk to you (the half-nude Midwifes tell you to “come to mother”), the audio logs are terrifying in their own right, and the scenery (particularly near the end of the game) is gross and downright disturbing. Overall, the game does its scares justice.

just the coolest bitch in cyberspace

But without a tight plot, no game’s scares would be enough. Silent Hill 4 would have made this list for scares alone if there weren’t better storylines to be found elsewhere. No, the narrative must be strong, and SS2 – again – produces its scares through great scripting. Forget Shodan (well, who can really?). The game that really started the audio log craze, System Shock 2 features hours upon hours of scripted logs you collect and listen to, delving yourself deeper into the story about what happened aboard the military/science ship, the “Von Braun” and – eventually – the “Rickenbacker”. Its a terrible series of events that lead to murders, deaths, suicides, and the worst of humanity being shown in both man and monster, machine and computer, all with Shodan at its core. Eventually “meeting” with those last few that aim to help you results in the now famous twist which Bioshock stole outright. While touching, the shock of finding out that nothing is what it seems is far better pulled off in space than under water.

The gameplay mechanics – i.e. the thing that makes the game fun – are also important for a game to be considered great and/or Top 10 material, and thankfully… this game makes the grade for a number of reasons. Its not the in depth RPG elements, the gun customization and upgrade system, or the awesome balance between powers and weapons. No, its the fact that all of these things are balanced well with each other. Say what you will about Deus Ex, Bioshock, or any other FPS-style game with upgrades and power-ups and RPG elements… they all aspire to be System Shock 2. You’ll have 100 different ways to make your character indestructible as he hacks (both with melee weapons and technical and computer prowess). Of all the innovations System Shock 2 brought to the table, balancing these finely tuned elements is the top of the pops (top of the pops? Jesus).

All in all, System Shock 2 redefined what a FPS could posses in regards to overall awesomeness. Ahead of its time in nearly every way, SS2 scared the pants off me a few Christmases back when I replayed it for the second time (with the kickass reskin job the mod community put forth for lovers of the game, everywhere). The fact that people still love this game, still rank Shodan at the top of best bad guy lists, and still remake this game over and over again lends itself to greatness. If you haven’t played this game, find yourself a copy. You’ll be the king of the universe, immediately.

Classic Moment:
The moment Shodan reveals herself to you is immensely awesome. You go forward the whole game thinking the lady talking to you is your friend… but when it comes around that its actually Shodan (spoilers, by the way) you are left with no choice but to continue on, thinking you’re going to save the world, all the while knowing she’s going to keep backstabbing you over and over again. Why? Because you simply must.

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Added April 12, 2017
I love this game and am hyped for the remake of the original. I hope it ends up on PS4 (just read it IS going to make it, there!) and then there’s OtherSide’s upcoming System Shock 3 to look forward to. Should be a great string of titles in the coming years and I for one endorse being excited about all of it.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: “Just Us Justice Ducks”

So, this is a list of my top 10 protagonist characters. Its simply a list of the people that you have in your party, are the lead characters in their respective games, or the person you play as the most. In my experience, a good game can only be carried by a strong, interesting character. The following 10 folks are – in my opinion, anyhow – the best of the best in regards to character development, involvement in the plot, and joy to play as. So, here we go.

Top 10 Protagonists in Video Games:

10: Ramza (Final Fantasy Tactics)

tiny head, big heart

I love this guy for two reason: first, he’s so dedicated to his quest. By this, I mean he’s got a clear drive and focus, despite the overwhelming things in his path. Second, he’s so nobble about it all. His reasons are his own, but they are not selfish. He’s a great example of a hero who puts his interests before nothing, letting his mission determine his actions, not his heart. This is not to say, of course, that his heart isn’t in it, though.

9: Duke Nukem (most notably Duke 3D)

i’ve got balls balls balls balls balls. balls balls. balls of steel.

Yes yes, he’s nothing but an amalgamation of witty one-liners and male bravado, but that is what makes him what he is: a great action hero. Think about Duke Nukem 3D and how many action films the game rips off. The thing that makes that game so great is Duke’s unflinching bloodlust and ability to quip at just the right moment. Every time you blow someone up to the sound of a “Daaaamn!” is a great moment in the game, and it happens all the damn time. A silent protagonist wouldn’t work and having too much to say or do outside of shooting things bogs down the experience. Duke’s ego and sense of indestructibility make him a great character to shoot monsters through.

8: Commander Shepard (Mass Effect series)

i’m commander shepard and this is my favorite picture on this list

Yes, its true that the man (or woman… Rachel) can be anyone you want, but one thing remains true: Shepard is a goddamned hero, through and through. Some criticize the fact that, no matter what side you pick (Renegade/Paragon), you end up saving the galaxy. Why is that a bad thing? I really like that the universe is in such peril that we look to someone that can handle things for salvation, regardless of his/her moral standing. Sure, Shep can be a regular dick, but he gets the job done every time. The Reapers might be coming weeks or months or years from now, but here’s someone who is shooting us now to get what he/she wants. No bother, though, because he’s/she’s going to stop those evil machines.

7: Samus (Metroid series)

quote from metroid 2: “………..”

Its easy to disregard Samus as a nothing character with little-to-no real development, and that’s (half) fair, I suppose. Not counting her expository dialogue in Metroid Fusion or the new voice work for the character in Other M, Samus has only really been described in game manuals (referred to as male the first time out). So, why the place on this list, then? She’s a thrill to play as. Her story lacks depth during the first decades of her narrative, but that doesn’t matter as much, because you know she stands for justice, and does so with a ton of ass-kicking awesomeness. Her adventures are always breathtaking and full of excitement and, in an action-exploration game, all you need is motivation to get from A-to-B, and Samus provides.

6: John Marston (Red Dead Redemption)

after shooting a saddled horse: “sometimes i feel like a sad, lonely man…”

The biggest surprise in gaming this year was how great John Marston was to get to know. What a damn treat. The uneducated-but-seemingly-educated language, the smug attitude toward people, the high morals he had regarding prostitutes, and his devotion to his family are so well broadcast through the game its kinda ridiculous, but awesome. Saying hilarious things all the time doesn’t make a character stand out, but saying interesting things and having reason behind his actions goes that distance, and John’s character development throughout the course of the game goes from awesome to more awesome as you progress and get him closer to saving his family. His dark past, which is only hinted at, comes through loud and clear as he hunts down his former brothers-in-arms, and the pain he feels for his actions does, too.

5: Zack Fair (FFVII – and Crisis Core)

lvl 10 sword of compensation

A throwaway character whose only real point of existing is to provide some light reason and backstory for Cloud to be who he is, Zack has come through as being twice as interesting as his “legacy” in the end. By the time you’ve finished Crisis Core, you stop caring about Cloud’s “love” for Aeris, his need for answers, or his vendetta against Sephiroth. All of that is useless in comparison to the trials and tribulations Zack has to overcome. Square managed to squeeze more tears out of me with the FFVII franchise by having the end of the game take place with an honest to God action sequence, rather than be fully played out in cinematics. While his interactions with the cast in the main game, his involvement in the sequel film, and development everywhere else is limited, Zack has become a character that is starting to be more loved than he really should, considering his origins.

4: Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil 2/4)

don’t know why i picked this one. oh, no, i do: because its awesome

Chris and Jill suck in comparison to Leon in Resident Evil 2. No one cares about Claire, either. Everyone loves Leon. That’s why his games are the best in the series, because even the makers over at Capcom know who the favorite is: Leon. A devoted action hero and just tough-as-nails and all hell, too boot, Leon comes across as human in an inhuman world. Unlike Chris in Resident Evil 5, he’s not strong enough punch boulders out of the way and he can’t pull of a mini skirt like Jill. He has no involvement with series baddie Wesker, and really was in on the whole thing due to bad timing on his part. But the fact remains that this everyman in the RE universe takes the prize as far as coolest and most awesome characters go. Also, that stupid gangster costume in Resident Evil 4 makes him look totally badass.

3: Harry Mason (Silent Hill)

a man with a mission… and a pipe

The primary reason this guy is so damn high on this list is because of one thing: he isn’t a hero. He’s just a father looking for his daughter amongst the fog and sirens of Silent Hill. He has no experience fighting anything, let alone giant, leathery beasts. He has no idea how to aim a gun properly. He has no ability to comprehend the things that are happening around him. No, he’s just a man who is dealing with supernatural bullshit by the bucket load while he hunts down his daughter. He ends up solving a ton of problems, causing a few others, but all in the name of fatherly love. When all is said and done, and he retires to his home and is murdered before his daughter can save him (in Silent Hill 3), you get to know more about the man through the notes he’d left behind. His tragic story will never be forgotten by me. RIP, man. RIP.

2: Solid Snake (Metal Gear franchise)

“eeeenghgn”

I had a whole paragraph about him written, about how he takes a ton of shit (and not just from missiles and bullets and cyborg ninjas and the like) but that he has to deal with all the backstabbing, lying, cheating, double and triple and quadruple-crossing and overall general dickery that surrounds him and fills every game in the franchise. The fact that he does all this stuff is amazing and he just keeps going – even as an old man – proving his is mostly unstoppable. Having said that, the previous attempt at this paragraph was much better, but it got deleted in an accident and I don’t remember what I’d said so, here is this, instead.

1: Vivi Ornitier (Final Fantasy IX)

orko’s cousin

Vivi is the best protagonist in video game history for two reason. First, he’s just so damn charming! You never hate the guy or disagree with his stance on anything. He’s just a delightful little guy with a big ol’ heart that is always always always in the right place. The second reason he’s so damn great, though, is because he’s the most useful character in any FF game, period. Yes, yes, it would be fair to argue this point, but you’d be oh so wrong. His magic is destructive, his bonus abilities (like imbuing swords with magic power!) are awesome, and his limit only makes him twice as powerful with half the cost. If well utilized and cared for, the little bastard is the most powerful black mage in FF history, let alone the most powerful character to grace any title. Stack the little guy against any RPG character, actually, and I’ll just call you an idiot for thinking – for a moment – that Vivi would lose. You fool.

Honorable Mention: Ziggy (Xenosaga series)

(david bowie/ziggy stardust joke)

Why not KOS-MOS? While a great character to have on your party, she’s not that interesting a character. Not like Ziggy, here. He’s tough as nails and has no reason to be emotionally attached to anything, but his sense of justice wins out every time (being a former officer of the law) and he feels strongly toward helping right the wrongs of the series’ plot. His past is deeply troubling, his desire to die (after centuries, I believe, of living in cyber-hell every day) is tragic, and his love for Momo is heartwarming. He just wants to be human or be dead, but can’t accomplish either thing. His tale is a true drama.

 

 

 

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Who are YOUR favorite guys and girls that lead the fight for truth, justice, and overall good? Sound off, yo!

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Added April 11, 2017
I’d have to seriously spend some time thinking about it, but I wonder what my list would like, these days. Definitely no Ziggy in the HM spot, that’s for damn sure.
In the comments I say I used an image of Shep with no face to display the genderless quality of the character’s role, but I couldn’t find it – so instead I just used one with the default Male and Female models.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 11

11: Starcraft (PC/N64 for some reason)
Developer: Blizzard
Year: 1998

Here we are, at the threshold of the top 10 games, and Starcraft didn’t make the cut. Its a travesty, I know, and its one I hope you will come to understand in the following few weeks left for this list. But, in the meantime, there’s a very important game to discuss, here, that deserves the proper treatment. And so, let’s talk about Starcraft, the game that single-handedly revolutionized the RTS gameplay mechanics and turned an entire generation of gamers into ass holes over Battle.net. Let’s talk about Starcraft, the game that is still played today, even over the sequel which came out earlier this year. Let’s talk about Starcraft.

I got into the game late, after having played Warcraft for a billion or so years. Spying screens and articles in PC Gamer (is that around anymore?) led me to know real decision about the game’s greatness. In fact, it wasn’t until after the game was out and the Brood War expansion was released and I’d borrowed them from a friend and rented them on the Nintendo 64 via an awful (but spirited) port that I really got into it. So, dropping all of my “hard earned” money, I picked up the battle chest that contained all of the games and was met with quite a surprise: Starcraft is a prince amongst games, in general, but the king of all RTS titles.

I can’t really explain how many times I’ve blasted my way through this game, or – at the very least – the Terran campaign. I couldn’t. Sometimes I get a nostalgic feeling for simply playing that one level where you have to survive for 30 minutes and then get rescued. Sometimes I like to see how good I can do there and how far into the wilds I can get in an attempt to thwart the evil Zerg from even stepping into my over-fortified base. That level is my Tricks and Traps (from Doom II) in that I can play it over and over and try different things each time, all in the hopes of bettering my run through.

But one level isn’t enough to love the entire game, is it? I mean, everything has been said that can be said about the epic story line, the interesting characters, and the revolutionary three-race mechanics that set the game apart from the word “go!” and changed how RTS’s are made. Everything has been said about the wonderful implementation of Battle.net’s online interface, the trees, and the awesome fun of toppling someone with your Zergling rush or – better yet – stopping a rush of their’s with a force of your own. Everything has been said about the soundtrack, the voice work, and the level/map design. What’s left to be said, then?

How about the personal experience of playing this game over my high school’s LAN, against friends and family members? I can’t count the number of days and afternoons, hours and hours of class time and after school time designated for homework completion that were wasted playing this game. I simply can’t. But the fact that I could lay down into my classmates time and time again without having to worry about getting bored meant one thing: the balance of the awesome single-player experience was masterfully implemented into the multiplayer aspect, as well. One thing many games don’t do right is get this balance right; Half-Life 2’s deathmatch sucks in comparison to its single player… likewise, once you’ve played enough of the multiplayer aspects in a game like Red Dead Redemption, parts of the single player experience seem empty. Starcraft balanced this divide perfectly, marrying both the awesomenss of the game with that one thing that makes multiplayer work, in the end: fun.

All in all, Starcraft – like the past few games, and all those left to come – is a game that I could talk about forever. But, if you’re following this list to this point, you likely are already aware of how much talking could be done about any of these games. No game will ever really be done justice in these short paragraphs, but the fact remains that these games – Starcraft included – are the best of the best (in my opinion) and likely to be around for years to come. Never will another RTS game come out and topple my love for this one, nor should it: a game based around pure innovation turned out to be a blast to play, as well, and continues to be for years to come (I hope!).

Classic Moment:
The moment in which you discover Kerrigan is in that cocoon happens before the game tells you via cinematic, but only if you’re paying attention (i.e. you’re intelligent at all). But while you’re guarding her you are issued six Hyrdalisks that are tougher than shit. In fact, they’re stronger then the normal ones unless those are upgraded all the way to the top in attack and defense. So these guys hang out and just stay being awesome. If you take your time, they can even take minimal damage, resulting in kill counts for each one that become staggering if you keep track of such things. I wish those bastards would have stuck it out and been The Queen of Blades’ personal bodyguards through the whole game. Alas…

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Added April 11, 2017
There is an HD remaster of this game coming in the near future but I don’t know. StarCraft II soiled me on the franchise, somewhat. We’ll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, playing this game is still a treat and I treasure the memories.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 12

12: Resident Evil 2 (PS2/N64/PC)
Developer: Capcom
Year: 1998

Resident Evil 2 came into my life through some magazine article in a gaming mag whose name I could never remember. I recall all of the images, I remember the bloody stumps and hungry zombies, the photos of little girls and tough-as-nails cops, and the maps of the Police Station, but never knew anything about the game aside from the fact that you shot a ton of monsters and it looked great. I tried, in my youth, to save the money necessary to purchase a Playstation and buy the game, but – like anything else I’d tried to save money for – I failed, time and again. I figured I’d never play the game.

Then the Nintendo 64 got the game for some reason. Why, I don’t know exactly. But a rental was necessary. And so, sitting alone in the basement of my grandmother’s house, I plowed my way through hours and hours of horror, guts, decapitations, conspiracies, and Leon S. Kennedy being a total badass. When all was said and done, I’d have beaten the game twice over, once as Leon and the other time as Claire. I remember thinking, then, that it was really cool to have the same game to play with two different characters and two completely different events happen to both of them. I always remember, also, playing with Claire, being hunted down by the Tyrant Mr. X. It was a fascinating series of events, to be sure, for someone that didn’t know anything about the Resident Evil universe.

Going back and playing older games in the series and, inevitably, playing the rest of the games that take place after this one, was a treat, but not one of them topped the awesomeness and broad scope of this game. The original takes place entirely in a mansion with some underground labs to fiddle about in. 3 takes place all over the damn place, but much of it – aside from the awesome intro moments taking place in downtown Raccoon City – looked the same. 4’s castles and countryside were cool, but very familiar after time, and 5 took place entirely in a world where plot coherency wasn’t important. Resident Evil 2’s police station, underground labs, outside moments, sewer systems, and train tunnels were epic, for me, because of the diversity. It was the first time – and, in my opinion, the only time – you see that these events have fucked it all up, everywhere.

The thing about this game, though, is that its being dated doesn’t hinder my love for it at all. In today’s games, I can’t be bothered to read unless I have to. Fallout: New Vegas, for example, has tons of text I skimmed or skipped entirely because I don’t wanna read… I wanna shoot robots and mutants. But Resident Evil 2’s insane amount of text and images and other notes’n’things to discover are a treat to read through and organize, yourself. The series has always been good at this, actually, even including the later games in the franchise. And, on the top of dated things, even the muddy-as-sin graphics and models don’t bother me. While 4 and 5 feature some great visuals, why can’t they just be zombies, now? The look of the zombies – the raising of the arms, the lunges, the shuffles and sounds in the hallways – trumps the villagers and African tribesmen in the later games. Crummy, but creepy.

All in all, Resident Evil 2 holds a special place in my heart as one of the most beaten games I don’t own. I think I was always waiting for a remake, a la the Gamecube’s revamp of the original title. I’ve rented the game probably a dozen times, twice in the past few years for the first Playstation. I should just go get the better textured rerelease on the Cube from a few years ago, but I can’t be bothered to, really. Its so important that its always there, but worth the adventure to find it. I guess. I don’t know. But what I do know is this game, with its nods to the original, awesome weapons, inclusion of the Licker into RE fame, and the awesomeness that is the character of William Birkin is epic.

Classic Moment:
In the Claire section you have to play as the young and defenseless Sherry Birkin, the daughter of this game’s primary antagonist. During this section you simply have to complete some basic level pulling and box moving puzzles, but there are zombies present and there’s nothing you can do to kill them, Claire isn’t there to help, and you’re quick to die should you get attacked. In a game that suggests careful ammo utilization and strategy in clearing rooms, providing you with a slower character that has no method of attack is frightening and stressful in a totally different way. They did the same thing with the president’s daughter in Resident Evil 4, but she could easily avoid bad guys. Sherry was a tiny little girl with no hope but to flee every time a zombie even came on screen.

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Added April 11, 2017
They’re making a remake, a la the first game, and I can’t wait for more info. Primarily because I hope we get more broken English with the next big reveal:

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 13

13: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Developer: Nintendo
Year: 1998

Maybe my most cherished memory of this game is the easiest one to talk about; having received this game as a Christmas present, my older brother and I dashed and slashed our way through the temples over the next few days and finally went face-to-face with Ganondorf, only to be destroyed time and again by his awesome attacks. Defeated, we retired for the night, only to awaken – without plan and without one of us waking the other – early the following day, sit down, and topple the bastard once and for all. The joy of seeing that game’s ending washed over us, having put entire days into the game and finishing it in under a week. We were gods.

Of course, that’s just one moment in a game that is made up of solid gold (a joke, considering the cartridge could come in gold, itself) sequences, one after the other. I still remember the awesome-ness of the Spirit Temple, having to revert back into young Link to conquer the first few rooms and then become adult Link to tackle the others. I remember traversing the ugly and gross interiors of Jabu Jabu’s belly (which featured cows stuck in the walls if you play the Master Quest version). I remember duking it out with Dark Link in the Water Temple, only to beat him and suffer the intolerable water-level-changing puzzles even more. I remember the laughs, the frustration, and the copious amounts of good times had messing around, getting the Big Goron Sword, figuring out you could knock Ganondorf’s blasts back at him with a bottle instead of your sword, and making up Scarecrow songs.

Some might feel that this game’s exclusion from the Top 10 is controversial, and that’s fair. It really ushered into the world the understanding that a game that worked perfectly as a 2D title could in fact be equally awesome in 3D. It introduced us all to the now legendary “Z-targeting system” – and I say legendary because, let’s face it, its still used. And not only in Zelda games. It was epic, everyone was talking about it, and everyone had to play it. It balanced, perfectly, the action, adventure, and exploration we all longed for, better – I’d say – than in any other Zelda game (before, or since). And its easily the best game in the entire Nintendo 64 library (marred, a bit – in my opinion – by the atrociously over-celebrated Majora’s Mask being made from the same engine).

While TOoT doesn’t make it into the Top 10, take away the knowledge that I have ranked it as the second best game Nintendo ever made (“Oh, Jesus! What could be better than this in his opinion?!” is what you should be thinking to yourself, right now). And, to be really straight with you, I feel like the next four games are really interchangeable within the list. So, take some solace in that, too.

All in all, this is the best Zelda game ever made. Yes, yes, this is a list of my “Favorites” and what have you, but I really don’t think anyone would argue that any game is much better than this one within the franchise. At least, not seriously (I await, now, someone coming in and saying “ZELDA 2!” so that I can go “Taken” on their ass). Memories are formed, expectations have been raised, and stories can always be told. Some video games represent, for me, pure examples of love and greatness. This is one such game.

Classic Moment:
Aside from the one I listed, I love Bongo Bongo. I don’t even know why. For some reason that fight sticks out in my mind as one of the best the franchise has ever produced. He’s creepy as sin, has an interesting arena do battle him in, and is actually challenging. While he isn’t as funny as Twinrova, odd as Morpha, or epic as Ghoma, Bongo Bongo has real character. I love that bastard and his whole damn Temple.

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Added April 10, 2017
I tried to get through Master Quest about a decade or more ago and it didn’t go my way. Got to Water Temple and just wanted to die. Flat out die. I hate that place.
I’ll get around to replaying it, eventually, but for now, just know that this is a great title and one of the best Zelda games ever made.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 14

14: Star Wars – Knights of the Old Republic (PC/Xbox)
Developer: Bioware
Year: 2003

“I only got 3 words for you,” I said to a friend today when he asked which game would be featured today. “H. K. 47.” He immediately smiled and nodded his head, and I knew I’d said all I’d need to in order to convince him of this game’s worthiness.

I could sit here, in my home, and type paragraph after paragraph about why this game deserves this spot. It’d be easy to talk about the awesome thing Bioware gave the world, about the cool characters, about how this is a game with lightsabers that doesn’t suck, or about how no Star Wars game will ever be better than this. It’d be really easy. But pointless.

I say pointless because no one needs to be told this game was awesome. If you’ve played it, you know all about this pre-Mass Effect giant. If you haven’t played it, you probably don’t care and, should you feel its my job to convince you, then nothing I say in this note will really do the game  justice. I think you can download it just about everywhere, so just go get it.

But if you need some points to tide you over until you get it, just know this: after I installed this game, it ushered into the world my longest single sitting during any game. I think I put in a full day’s worth of gameplay with only one small nap in there, likely 17 hours in one sitting. Granted, I beat the shit out of Metal Gear Solid 3 in one sitting my first time through it, but that only took me 11 hours. After 17 straight hours I was only three planets into this game, with tons of content left to go, levels to gain, and party members to recruit. Soon after this, I had a snow day that saw me put in the final 10 hours in one sitting. Its one of the fiercest run-throughs of any game I’ve ever done. Period.

All in all, KOTOR AM LOVE KOTOR DEMAND REPLAY. If you don’t get that joke, don’t worry; it wasn’t really that funny the first 100 times I used it.

Classic Moment:
Everyone talks about the Revan reveal, and that’s cool. But, for me, the best moment of the whole damn game is the fact that it finally allows for two different games based on your choice of Light Side or Dark Side. Should you decide to be evil, there’s a fight right at the end of the game vs all the Jedi who think you should be put down, including a cat girl and Mace Wind… Jolee Bindo. This fight, if you were unaware, is hard as shit if you’re unprepared. One of the only good things about it is that you can have HK-47 on your side the whole, a guy who never cares if you hate someone or want to kill everyone (actually, he really likes it when you kill everyone). Case in point, when you convince everyone involved in that big family feud on Dantooine to massacre each other. I guess what I’m trying to say is that this RPG did the Light/Dark decision right, something that hasn’t been topped in any Star Wars (or, hell, any Bioware) game, since. Disagree? Pfft.

PS: toyed around with only posting the first paragraph, so there’s that

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Added April 10, 2017
Broken record time: COME TO THE SWITCH, YOU FOOL.
All joking aside, I can’t wait for the day they do a full remake of this one.
Pete and I devised a way to over-power a character. This is a game where you have to go to a menu to level up a character, it doesn’t force you to do it at any given moment. So if you’re good, you can never level up your main character and then – when you get Jedi powers – you can finally level up and get nearly twice as many points to spend as a Jedi/Sith. It is cheap and effective, but it requires you to get really good at the game in the early sections.
PS: Fuck Taris.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Games: 15

15: Metal Gear Solid (PS1/Gamecube… technically)
Developer: Konami
Year: 1998 (seriously?!)

This game is 12 years old. Think about that, for a second. Think about how old you were 12 years ago. I, for instance, was 13. I was into Zelda and the occasional Turok. I thought this game looked like some kinda crummy Star Wars ripoff game, based on the art on a cover of EGM. I had no idea what to expect from it, didn’t care much, either. Funny how 12 years of hard core gaming can change a man.

Possibly the funniest part about getting to play this classic is that I got it from a classmate of mine for nothing. He basically gave it to me, in exchange for a burned copy of The Sims, on PC. I got one of the greatest games ever made, he got a 25-cent CD with a copy of a game that was still cheaper than this one. Prior to this, I’d only played a demo in a Wal-Mart that featured – to the best of my knowledge – just the intro room, when Snake comes out of the water and has to sneak to the elevator. It could have been the whole game, for all I know, though… I sucked so much I got shot and killed every time. I didn’t know how to use a PS1 controller! But, upon placing the disc in my PS1 and booting it up, I got an experience that was more cinematic than any other game I’d ever played.

Metal Gear Solid is one of those games that I can now play without problem, and I can probably recall every step of the game from memory. Both the original and the remake (with its over-the-top, Matrix-style antics) feature the same action sequences, the same layouts for rooms, and the same boss battles to topple. And I’ve run through the game on both systems, total, enough times to make anyone shake their head and go “where did you get that much time in high school, Skyler?”- and you’d be right to. I got so good at this game that I actually video taped a run-through I’d done for the friend who’d “traded” the game to me, simply because he missed the game and he knew I was great at it.

But these are all personal things. About the game itself, it was and is one of the best stealth games in the history, of this there can be little real doubt. And while the sequel really took things to a ridiculous and kinda stupid level with the plot, this game’s epic narrative, interesting and deep antagonists, and breathtaking action sequences (for the time, mind you) provide me enough reason, even today, to go back again and again to thwart Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, and the rest of Fox Hound special forces. I mean, the Psycho Mantis fight alone is awesome enough to necessitate a second play-through of the game, right? Right.

Its easy, now, to complain about lengthy codec conversations, cheesy accents, and cheap and sudden trap door deaths. And, I mean, these are things that – if nothing else – the series has only made more that a little bit more present (MGS2’s codec conversations took up over half the game. Seriously. When I skip those, I can beat the game – on hard – in about 3, 3-and-a-half hours), so to some degree that’s fair. But at the time these things weren’t as big a problem because when it was released, this game was the perfect example of how to make a stealth game. How many clones have we seen since then?

All in all, Metal Gear Solid is a game that stands on its own as a pillar of excellence. The remake, while fun, only really adds the excellent inclusion of a First Person mode for gun fights. But even without those things, this game is memorable sequence after memorable sequence. Is it taxing to toss grenades into Raven’s tank and miss, half the time? Is it tedious to go back and forth to change the PAL key from warm to cold? Is it stupid that – even after you kill him and FoxDie claims him, Liquid Snake is alive? Yes. Yes to all of these. But ask yourself this: do any of these things keep the game from being a classic? The answer is, of course, no. If you said yes, fuck you.

Classic Moment:
People always talk about this, but it really was genius; putting the codec code for Meryl on the back of the box and no where in the game was just cool and started the series longstanding 4th Wall demolition by actually informing the player of the fact that you have to get the code from the packaging. They carried this idea over to the Gamecube version, too, which is cool. Of further note, sneaking in on Meryl in the bathroom before she has a chance to change her clothes results in spotting her in her underpants. Why are the Japanese so messed up?

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Added April 6, 2017
I stand by my claim that 3 is better than the first one, but man… this is a great series of games. The biggest shame is that a chronological playthrough of the series would be difficult to stomach due to 5’s increasingly disappointing narrative.
Haven’t touched the original in many, many years. It’s always a good time for a return trip, though.

Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 16

16: Kingdom Heart II (PS2)
Developer: Square Enix
Year: 2005

Some of you will need to be immediately reminded of the fact that this series is called “Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games” – with “favorite” in all caps for a reason; these games aren’t necessarily posted in an order showcasing which games are better, but more like which games I love the most, have the most connection to, or are the most important to me. In that respect, Kingdom Hearts 2 easily earns its place in the top 20 by being one of the most anticipated games I’ve ever played that completely lived up to my expectations.

While the first game was my very first title on Playstation 2, Kingdom Hearts 2 is likely the most important of all the purchases, or – more accurately – the one which I value the most. It came to me in a stupid and strange time of my life: my Wal-Mart adventure. Yeah, yeah, for those of you who don’t know, just Google my name and you’ll see it all. That happened before, during, and after the release of KH2. So, during a time that saw me doing school work, trying to maintain a relationship, and balancing that all out with 5-seconds of fame, only one thing calmed me 100%, and that was this game.

I loved the first game a ton (its featured on this list, even) and its one of the reasons I bought a Playstation 2 in the first place. So I craved more of the game. Chain of Memories, while a cute and fun little diversion, left only further desire for a full fledged game to flesh out the ideas of the wider KH universe. I scoured webpages, looked in every magazine, and visited just about every forum I could to glean any new info on the game off of those that already had it. I wanted the game so bad that, actually – and I’m sad to admit this, despite the fact that I am going to admit it – I cried during the opening cinema because of the song and the animation. I know, I know… pathetic. But, keep in mind, I was really tired and stressed out, so any glimpse of beauty was all it took.

Everything fun about the first game was even better, too, and not just the cinema quality. Button mashing was improved, the fucking awful gummi ship levels had been replaced entirely, and even the time spent swimming around was replaced with optional miniquests that one only needed to complete in order to get the secret ending (more on that in a few). And, best of all, the narrative took no damages in presentation, actually presenting a better told story throughout. To say the few-year-wait was worth it all was an understatement.

I remember beating the game one night at my at-the-time girlfriends place. She was tired as hell and falling asleep, I was sitting there mashing buttons for the final few blows to Xemnas’ final form. When it was all over, she said something like “congrats on beating your game”, clearly happy that I’d finished it. And, while turning the thing off, I said something along the lines of “Oh, I haven’t finished it yet.” Few games have demanded I complete them 100%. In the day and age of Achievements and Trophies, things that make players go back and forth, I really don’t spend that much time collecting everything after I finish the game, once. But Kingdom Hearts 2, a game in a series known for providing “secret movies” to those that complete the game entirely, claimed my soul for 70ish hours. Collecting every piece for weapon synthesis, getting every hard-to-reach treasure chest, and beating every secret boss – sometimes within crazy time limits, even! – was a necessity. Could I have just scoped out the vid on YouTube? Yeah, duh. But it was an accomplishment I wanted to see through, for myself. And it was worth it.

All in all, the Kingdom Hearts series offers up good, old fashioned action adventure with quality RPG elements and baseline customization of your party. The new worlds in 2 were a treat (with Tron, pictured below, being the standout) and even the music was a blast. Some may hate these games, and that’s fair; Square and Disney shouldn’t have made an excellent pair, but somehow they did… for me. Should KH3 be announced as a PS3 exclusive, I’ll immediately buy a PS3. That’s silly, I know, especially since tomorrow’s game (#15, seriously?! Time flies…) is another Playstation exclusive that I swore I’d follow but have so far failed to do, but its true. Insult the franchise all you want; I love it.

Classic Moment:
Sephiroth shows up in the first game, and he shows up in this one, too, showcasing all new moves and a fuck-ton of instant kill attacks. But his fight isn’t as much fun as the Final Fantasy brawl against Tifa, Yuffie, Leon, and Cloud… at the same time! Round 49 of the Hades Paradox Cup is a monster to finish (and you have to do it within limits to get that secret ending! Again, I wasted just as much time getting a 100% complete game as I did beating it, once) and not even the final battle! Each character is a fucker, with some of them helping and healing each other. Figuring out who to beat up first is tough, and its even more difficult getting one alone long enough to kill before Cloud flies around and starts swinging that giant sword of his. Best battle in the whole damn series.

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Added April 6, 2017
I have the HD collection on PS4 and the thought of trying to complete that final challenge in the Hades Paradox Cup is just a murderous concept that makes me sick thinking about it.
Hope KH3 has those Cups because while they are daunting and horrifying to think about, I loved every minute of them back in the day.