Favorite Game, Yours, What is it? Why?
- Thread starter Olas
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Fallout 3 for a few reasons, the main one being that the Capital Wasteland is huge and even though I've done every quest multiple times and played over 300 hours I'm still discovering things. It also has a great transition from being the clueless vault dweller to ruler of the wasteland. You're not cowering away from raiders one minute and destroying deathclaws the next, you've gotta work for it. I also really liked some of the characters, like Moira and I had Charon for a follower and for some reason I grew attatched to him even though he hardly says anything. Plus there's dogmeat and he's just plain awesome.
I'm going to have to go with Doom 2. It was released coming on 2 decades ago, and I still have a massive amount of nostalgia glasses on it. But even 20 years later, there's still a constant release of new levels and megawads that replace some or all of the levels in it. And other mods that change gameplay, change weapons, or completely alter the game. There's still a thriving community of people around it, and I can't think of any other 20 year old game that has that.
And that's aside the fact that it's just good. People refer to Doom as a mindless slaughter-fest, and that's wrong. Yes, you play as a single person shooting demons. But you play it as you choose. When you're running low on shotgun ammunition you can switch to your brass-knuckles and play Super-Punchout with a Baron of Hell as long as you can dance and dodge his fireballs. You can double-tap your chain gun to stop the Cacodemon advancing at a distance instead of waiting for it to get closer and fire in it's face with a shotgun. If 10 Revenants are released, do you use the BFG and waste cells, or do you backtrack to a doorway and take them off with the double-barrel, but risk being hit with heat-seeking missiles?
So yeah, just playing the game on Ultra-Violence can feel like a game of Chess. Deciding which weapon to use against which enemy in a given situation, given that you have other enemies with a completely different method of attack, and what your method of advance or retreat is. Especially with the 20 years of user made maps and mods, I can always find a new way to play it, and it still feels just fun after all these years. They really balanced the variety of enemies and weapons exceptionally well. No gun is quite the same, they all have their uses, and no enemy is quite the same, they all have their uses.
And that's aside the fact that it's just good. People refer to Doom as a mindless slaughter-fest, and that's wrong. Yes, you play as a single person shooting demons. But you play it as you choose. When you're running low on shotgun ammunition you can switch to your brass-knuckles and play Super-Punchout with a Baron of Hell as long as you can dance and dodge his fireballs. You can double-tap your chain gun to stop the Cacodemon advancing at a distance instead of waiting for it to get closer and fire in it's face with a shotgun. If 10 Revenants are released, do you use the BFG and waste cells, or do you backtrack to a doorway and take them off with the double-barrel, but risk being hit with heat-seeking missiles?
So yeah, just playing the game on Ultra-Violence can feel like a game of Chess. Deciding which weapon to use against which enemy in a given situation, given that you have other enemies with a completely different method of attack, and what your method of advance or retreat is. Especially with the 20 years of user made maps and mods, I can always find a new way to play it, and it still feels just fun after all these years. They really balanced the variety of enemies and weapons exceptionally well. No gun is quite the same, they all have their uses, and no enemy is quite the same, they all have their uses.
I would have to divide it up to give everything its due:
FPS: Halo CE and 2 (played these as a kid, the nostalgia is strong with me)
RPG: Fallout 3
Stealth: Batman Arkham City(because the brawling is a satisfying alternative)
Strategy: Xcom: Enemy Unknown (the new one. We need more games of that type)
Trilogy: Mass Effect (the ending was good, stfu)
Characters: Dragon Age: Origins and Walking Dead (don't make me choose)
I'm probably forgetting something...
FPS: Halo CE and 2 (played these as a kid, the nostalgia is strong with me)
RPG: Fallout 3
Stealth: Batman Arkham City(because the brawling is a satisfying alternative)
Strategy: Xcom: Enemy Unknown (the new one. We need more games of that type)
Trilogy: Mass Effect (the ending was good, stfu)
Characters: Dragon Age: Origins and Walking Dead (don't make me choose)
I'm probably forgetting something...
Honorable mentions: Hero's Quest 1: So You Want to Be a Hero; The Space Quest series; the original Prince of Persia. That selection makes me sound older than I am...it was more a case of coming from a poor family and not having access to premium hardware. You made the best of what you had (anyone remember phix.exe?)
If I had to choose a console game, I would have to say:
At this point, there are two games that are just competing for my number one spot and I just can't seem to give it to either, so I'll just give both of them:
There just aren't many games I'm driven back to as strongly as this one, partially because the second contender is so long compared to this one. Even though its graphics are obviously aged, the art style used in this game still makes it look fantastic even a decade after its release. From a gameplay perspective, even though it was a little behind Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, it was still a fantastic experience and I have a lot of fun with it every time I go back to replay it. The platforming and puzzles were solid and, while simple, were still an enjoyable challenge. The same can be said of the combat, which, regardless of it seeming repetitive, never got old for me. Not to mention, climbing the tower at the end was possibly the best experience I've had in a platformer in terms of gameplay.
What really sells me on this above its successors and other great platformers is the story and characters. Very few games tell an actual romance story as the main plot, generally having it as just a side plot. This game, however, makes it the main plot, and everything else--the concept of time, the struggle with the Vizier and the sand monsters, etc.--all point to the relationship between The Prince and Farah, and the end result is easily the best romantic relationship I've seen in a game (only contested by their continued relationship in The Two Thrones). It also develops these characters wonderfully. The Prince is arguably at the most lovable he's ever been, and Farah still remains my favorite female character in any game. Also, as they develop, there is an excellent mixture of seriousness and humor between them. Also, unlike so many other games with a side character like Farah, the two actually have to work together throughout the game to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles. They are both obviously competent in their own right, but there are some challenges that just need their combined skills to overcome, unlike some games (not mentioning any) that really just make the companion useless in gameplay except as someone who gives you aid without you ever having to give back. This emphasis the nature of the romance between them, and also makes the connection felt between The Prince and Farah much stronger than any other male/female relationship of the same nature (i.e. where the whole story is focused almost solely on those two characters).
Ultimately, even though the gameplay of the series got better as time went on, there's just something special about this game's merging of artistic beauty, wonderful storytelling, character development, and enjoyable gameplay that makes it special. I guess it also helps that it had the best atmosphere and soundtrack of the three games. Not to mention, The Prince's narration of this game's story gives it an appealing storybook feel, which only adds to the connection I felt to the game. It didn't just feel like a game, it felt like I was actually away from technology (sort of ironic) being told a story as I rooted for the characters to overcome their struggles, except that this time I could actually interact with those struggles.
Yeah, this one was probably more obvious. Still, it's got to be mentioned.
What drives me to this game is just the experience on the whole, and there is very little I can point out as being what really sold me on it. For being a Wii game, it still looks amazing, using beautiful landscapes and massive backdrops to make the game look absolutely stunning, regardless of its low-resolution textures. It's soundtrack quite possibly the best I have ever heard in a game, and it always brought out the atmosphere and tone of the game to being much greater than it would have been without the music. The gameplay was also a major plus, having the simplicity of the traditional auto-attack/talent-bar system, but also adding a few features to make it more complex and thoughtful than what I traditionally see in games such as World of Warcraft or Dragon Age: Origins.
However, if I were to say anything about what really makes the game stand out, it would be that the developers just put a lot of love into making it an experience you want to continue having. So many things are thrown into the game where they let you know it is unnecessary but just there for your enjoyment. The thing is, doing these things just makes the world come alive more, as if it even needed help given the landscapes and soundtrack. I came to care about the world enough that I just didn't want the game to end (brought it to 150 hours my first time). It also brought out a greater connection to the characters, from the well-written main characters to the more minor characters, so that I cared about their relationships, their internal and external troubles, and just who they were as people. It helped that all the main characters had their own distinct personality but also was complex enough so it felt like they were actual people, not just someone thrown in to fill a stereotype, and their interactions felt organic and worth your time to follow. Speaking of the characters, they were all fantastic. If anyone can compete with The Prince and Farah in terms of best character in gaming, it is the main cast from this game (the whole cast!), and Egil is actually my favorite villain in any game (even though his nature as a villain is sort of nullified towards the end of his story).
Also, the story tying everything together was truly fascinating. Even though it jumps around a lot, it is actually interesting to go back and see how many end-game plot points there were that were foreshadowed within the first ten hours of the game. It also managed to juggle multiple themes--the nature of time and our relationship to it, the relationship between biological life and technology, transhumanism, and the nature of gods and religion to name a few--while still managing to tie all the themes together by the end. Also, even though the writer had some obvious biases regarding certain themes, most notably time and our relationship to it, it never felt like he was preaching to us, especially since he left some of the more controversial topics, primarily transhumanism and religion, open to interpretation. But it wasn't just the handling of themes, it was just the way the story developed, appearing like a traditional revenge quest focusing on a young, angst-ridden boy before turning into a story about the world itself and all the philosophical questions surrounding it.
In the end, I guess it was really just all the ideas coming together into one wonderful experience that was both diverse yet surprisingly coherent and connected. This game just understood what it was doing and made everything--the story, the characters, the artwork, the soundtrack, the gameplay, etc.--come together to bring out the fullness of that experience.
Well, those are the two that are really competing. However, I do have to give honorable mentions to Super Mario Bros. 3 and Civilization V, as both are about on the same level as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Xenoblade Chronicles, but they just don't have as strong of a special touch, even though both of them certainly have one.
There just aren't many games I'm driven back to as strongly as this one, partially because the second contender is so long compared to this one. Even though its graphics are obviously aged, the art style used in this game still makes it look fantastic even a decade after its release. From a gameplay perspective, even though it was a little behind Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, it was still a fantastic experience and I have a lot of fun with it every time I go back to replay it. The platforming and puzzles were solid and, while simple, were still an enjoyable challenge. The same can be said of the combat, which, regardless of it seeming repetitive, never got old for me. Not to mention, climbing the tower at the end was possibly the best experience I've had in a platformer in terms of gameplay.
What really sells me on this above its successors and other great platformers is the story and characters. Very few games tell an actual romance story as the main plot, generally having it as just a side plot. This game, however, makes it the main plot, and everything else--the concept of time, the struggle with the Vizier and the sand monsters, etc.--all point to the relationship between The Prince and Farah, and the end result is easily the best romantic relationship I've seen in a game (only contested by their continued relationship in The Two Thrones). It also develops these characters wonderfully. The Prince is arguably at the most lovable he's ever been, and Farah still remains my favorite female character in any game. Also, as they develop, there is an excellent mixture of seriousness and humor between them. Also, unlike so many other games with a side character like Farah, the two actually have to work together throughout the game to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles. They are both obviously competent in their own right, but there are some challenges that just need their combined skills to overcome, unlike some games (not mentioning any) that really just make the companion useless in gameplay except as someone who gives you aid without you ever having to give back. This emphasis the nature of the romance between them, and also makes the connection felt between The Prince and Farah much stronger than any other male/female relationship of the same nature (i.e. where the whole story is focused almost solely on those two characters).
Ultimately, even though the gameplay of the series got better as time went on, there's just something special about this game's merging of artistic beauty, wonderful storytelling, character development, and enjoyable gameplay that makes it special. I guess it also helps that it had the best atmosphere and soundtrack of the three games. Not to mention, The Prince's narration of this game's story gives it an appealing storybook feel, which only adds to the connection I felt to the game. It didn't just feel like a game, it felt like I was actually away from technology (sort of ironic) being told a story as I rooted for the characters to overcome their struggles, except that this time I could actually interact with those struggles.
Yeah, this one was probably more obvious. Still, it's got to be mentioned.
What drives me to this game is just the experience on the whole, and there is very little I can point out as being what really sold me on it. For being a Wii game, it still looks amazing, using beautiful landscapes and massive backdrops to make the game look absolutely stunning, regardless of its low-resolution textures. It's soundtrack quite possibly the best I have ever heard in a game, and it always brought out the atmosphere and tone of the game to being much greater than it would have been without the music. The gameplay was also a major plus, having the simplicity of the traditional auto-attack/talent-bar system, but also adding a few features to make it more complex and thoughtful than what I traditionally see in games such as World of Warcraft or Dragon Age: Origins.
However, if I were to say anything about what really makes the game stand out, it would be that the developers just put a lot of love into making it an experience you want to continue having. So many things are thrown into the game where they let you know it is unnecessary but just there for your enjoyment. The thing is, doing these things just makes the world come alive more, as if it even needed help given the landscapes and soundtrack. I came to care about the world enough that I just didn't want the game to end (brought it to 150 hours my first time). It also brought out a greater connection to the characters, from the well-written main characters to the more minor characters, so that I cared about their relationships, their internal and external troubles, and just who they were as people. It helped that all the main characters had their own distinct personality but also was complex enough so it felt like they were actual people, not just someone thrown in to fill a stereotype, and their interactions felt organic and worth your time to follow. Speaking of the characters, they were all fantastic. If anyone can compete with The Prince and Farah in terms of best character in gaming, it is the main cast from this game (the whole cast!), and Egil is actually my favorite villain in any game (even though his nature as a villain is sort of nullified towards the end of his story).
Also, the story tying everything together was truly fascinating. Even though it jumps around a lot, it is actually interesting to go back and see how many end-game plot points there were that were foreshadowed within the first ten hours of the game. It also managed to juggle multiple themes--the nature of time and our relationship to it, the relationship between biological life and technology, transhumanism, and the nature of gods and religion to name a few--while still managing to tie all the themes together by the end. Also, even though the writer had some obvious biases regarding certain themes, most notably time and our relationship to it, it never felt like he was preaching to us, especially since he left some of the more controversial topics, primarily transhumanism and religion, open to interpretation. But it wasn't just the handling of themes, it was just the way the story developed, appearing like a traditional revenge quest focusing on a young, angst-ridden boy before turning into a story about the world itself and all the philosophical questions surrounding it.
In the end, I guess it was really just all the ideas coming together into one wonderful experience that was both diverse yet surprisingly coherent and connected. This game just understood what it was doing and made everything--the story, the characters, the artwork, the soundtrack, the gameplay, etc.--come together to bring out the fullness of that experience.
Well, those are the two that are really competing. However, I do have to give honorable mentions to Super Mario Bros. 3 and Civilization V, as both are about on the same level as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Xenoblade Chronicles, but they just don't have as strong of a special touch, even though both of them certainly have one.
I have quite a few games that I love, but here are my absolute favourites:
Phoenix Wright: Ace attorney, Phoenix Wright: Justice for all, Phoenix Wright: Trials and tribulations and Miles Edgeworth: Ace attorney investigations I am psyched about Phoenix Wright: Dual destinies but I didn't like Apollo Justice, I just preferred Phoenix as the main character and I loved his friendship/rivalry with Miles Edgeworth. To hear that Phoenix is back as the main character and Edgeworth is returning was music to my ears.
Psychonauts: This game brings back many fond memories and the characters still make me laugh to this day.
Deadly premonition: The controls and the graphics are horrible, but the story and the characters make this game worth it. The ending made me cry the first time I completed it.
Disgaea 4: A promise unforgotten: This is such a fun game with funny and engaging characters. My favourite in the Disgaea series without a shadow of a doubt.
Phoenix Wright: Ace attorney, Phoenix Wright: Justice for all, Phoenix Wright: Trials and tribulations and Miles Edgeworth: Ace attorney investigations I am psyched about Phoenix Wright: Dual destinies but I didn't like Apollo Justice, I just preferred Phoenix as the main character and I loved his friendship/rivalry with Miles Edgeworth. To hear that Phoenix is back as the main character and Edgeworth is returning was music to my ears.
Psychonauts: This game brings back many fond memories and the characters still make me laugh to this day.
Deadly premonition: The controls and the graphics are horrible, but the story and the characters make this game worth it. The ending made me cry the first time I completed it.
Disgaea 4: A promise unforgotten: This is such a fun game with funny and engaging characters. My favourite in the Disgaea series without a shadow of a doubt.
There are a handful of games that I bust out annually or every couple of years.
On the PC:
Diablo II - It still remains the King of Hack 'n' Slash Adventure RPGs!
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - It's my goal to play it through with each different clan. So far, I've gone through with four of them and it's been a different gameplay experience with each.
Sid Meier's Pirates! - I've already gone through two copies of this game. I even broke down on the XBox. Sadly, it's just not the same. Yes it's a string of mini-games, but a little imagination can fill in the gaps for a pretty unique pirate adventure.
On the XBox360
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - Yes the gameplay is somewhat simplistic But the lush storybook atmosphere and creative level designs are still fun to experience.
Assassin's Creed II - As weird as it sounds, this is becoming one of those perennial games for me. As with Prince of Persia, the gameplay mechanics are a blast and there's just something immersive about that Renaissance Italy landscape.
On the PC:
Diablo II - It still remains the King of Hack 'n' Slash Adventure RPGs!
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines - It's my goal to play it through with each different clan. So far, I've gone through with four of them and it's been a different gameplay experience with each.
Sid Meier's Pirates! - I've already gone through two copies of this game. I even broke down on the XBox. Sadly, it's just not the same. Yes it's a string of mini-games, but a little imagination can fill in the gaps for a pretty unique pirate adventure.
On the XBox360
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time - Yes the gameplay is somewhat simplistic But the lush storybook atmosphere and creative level designs are still fun to experience.
Assassin's Creed II - As weird as it sounds, this is becoming one of those perennial games for me. As with Prince of Persia, the gameplay mechanics are a blast and there's just something immersive about that Renaissance Italy landscape.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64) and Twilight Princess (GCN)
Both of these titles are just nostalgic as hell for me and played a large role in my childhood. Ocarina of Time was the first video game I ever owned and my god, what a hell of an introduction. The land of Hyrule was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every room, town, dungeon and region brimmed with creativity and life. Hyrule felt like the fantasy world every 10 year old boy wants to escape to: far removed from reality with enough action, adventure and fantasy tropes to stimulate the imagination while at the same time never being so threatening that it wouldn't be a place a child would want to actually live in. Everything from the deep forests of Kokiri to the vast deserts of the Gerudo were just beyond anything I had experienced in gaming or any other medium (as along with being one of my first video games it was one of my first introductions to High Fantasy). Ocarina's plot and characters were deceptively simple but contained enough subtext to stay with me from childhood into adulthood (as can be seen through the various fan videos and essays on the game). I could honestly go on for hours about all the great memories I have connected to this game. With that said however I could best sum it up by saying that the game will always be incredibly special to me for the way it stimulated my imagination in the most impressionable period of my life.
Twilight Princess on the other hand is nostalgic for many other reasons. As mentioned before The Legend of Zelda series consumed the later years of my childhood (around ages 9-13). In that time I would fantasize over my dream Hyrule adventure. The boss fights would be bigger, the locales more exotic and memorable, and the quest long and exhausting. I would battle Orc's on horseback and traverse lands unlike any seen before. Both Majora's Mask and Wind Waker were released, but nether would scratch that itch. Then it happened. In 2004 Nintendo unveiled what would be known as Twilight Princess to the world. I was ecstatic. I was hyped more than I have ever (and will ever) be for a work of fiction. The aesthetic decision to make a game that looked to be the spiritual sequel to what was one of the most defining experiences of my childhood enraptured me. I remember coming home from school and spending hours scouring my dial up internet for new information and rewatching the debut trailer over and over. However, as time went on and Twilight Princess was no where to be seen, I started to drift away from gaming and took on other hobbies and aspects of life(being 14/15 my hobbies started to shift towards music, girls and my social life). My time spent using video games as a form of escapist entertainment had come to a close. However that Christmas (2006) I would recieve a gift that would change all that - a neatly wrapped DVD case entitled: "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". After all these years, it was finally there. All my childlike enthusiasm for Zelda instantly flooded back to me. I was brimming with excitement to return to Hyrule once more. It felt like the kind of Christmas I had as a child getting Ocarina for the first time. I quickly loaded it into my Gamecube and got lost in Hyrule all over again. I was far from disappointed. Everything about this game is exactly what I wanted from a Zelda title growing up - the sense of adventure, the larger than life boss battles, the many different locations you must traverse through and people you meet across your quest - it was all there. It satisfied both the child in me who had been waiting half a decade for a return to the heroic fantasy land of Hyrule while also appealing to my teenage self whose tastes were drawn to the darker aesthetic design of the game and creative level design. It blended the familiar and the new so astoundingly well; providing an experience both comfortingly familiar and excitingly new. To this day, I hold my memories of this game in the same esteem to those of my earlier experiences with Ocarina of Time.
Although the series is not necessarily to my current tastes , I doubt any work of fiction (film, literature, game, etc) will ever have the sort of resonance that The Legend of Zelda series had on my childhood - with my love for Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess to this day standing as testament to that.
Both of these titles are just nostalgic as hell for me and played a large role in my childhood. Ocarina of Time was the first video game I ever owned and my god, what a hell of an introduction. The land of Hyrule was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Every room, town, dungeon and region brimmed with creativity and life. Hyrule felt like the fantasy world every 10 year old boy wants to escape to: far removed from reality with enough action, adventure and fantasy tropes to stimulate the imagination while at the same time never being so threatening that it wouldn't be a place a child would want to actually live in. Everything from the deep forests of Kokiri to the vast deserts of the Gerudo were just beyond anything I had experienced in gaming or any other medium (as along with being one of my first video games it was one of my first introductions to High Fantasy). Ocarina's plot and characters were deceptively simple but contained enough subtext to stay with me from childhood into adulthood (as can be seen through the various fan videos and essays on the game). I could honestly go on for hours about all the great memories I have connected to this game. With that said however I could best sum it up by saying that the game will always be incredibly special to me for the way it stimulated my imagination in the most impressionable period of my life.
Twilight Princess on the other hand is nostalgic for many other reasons. As mentioned before The Legend of Zelda series consumed the later years of my childhood (around ages 9-13). In that time I would fantasize over my dream Hyrule adventure. The boss fights would be bigger, the locales more exotic and memorable, and the quest long and exhausting. I would battle Orc's on horseback and traverse lands unlike any seen before. Both Majora's Mask and Wind Waker were released, but nether would scratch that itch. Then it happened. In 2004 Nintendo unveiled what would be known as Twilight Princess to the world. I was ecstatic. I was hyped more than I have ever (and will ever) be for a work of fiction. The aesthetic decision to make a game that looked to be the spiritual sequel to what was one of the most defining experiences of my childhood enraptured me. I remember coming home from school and spending hours scouring my dial up internet for new information and rewatching the debut trailer over and over. However, as time went on and Twilight Princess was no where to be seen, I started to drift away from gaming and took on other hobbies and aspects of life(being 14/15 my hobbies started to shift towards music, girls and my social life). My time spent using video games as a form of escapist entertainment had come to a close. However that Christmas (2006) I would recieve a gift that would change all that - a neatly wrapped DVD case entitled: "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess". After all these years, it was finally there. All my childlike enthusiasm for Zelda instantly flooded back to me. I was brimming with excitement to return to Hyrule once more. It felt like the kind of Christmas I had as a child getting Ocarina for the first time. I quickly loaded it into my Gamecube and got lost in Hyrule all over again. I was far from disappointed. Everything about this game is exactly what I wanted from a Zelda title growing up - the sense of adventure, the larger than life boss battles, the many different locations you must traverse through and people you meet across your quest - it was all there. It satisfied both the child in me who had been waiting half a decade for a return to the heroic fantasy land of Hyrule while also appealing to my teenage self whose tastes were drawn to the darker aesthetic design of the game and creative level design. It blended the familiar and the new so astoundingly well; providing an experience both comfortingly familiar and excitingly new. To this day, I hold my memories of this game in the same esteem to those of my earlier experiences with Ocarina of Time.
Although the series is not necessarily to my current tastes , I doubt any work of fiction (film, literature, game, etc) will ever have the sort of resonance that The Legend of Zelda series had on my childhood - with my love for Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess to this day standing as testament to that.
Picking a single all time favorite is hard. But the three that come to mind are:
Metroid Prime
MGS2
Pokemon Sapphire
Metroid Prime has got to be one of my favorite games to date. It is interesting the way they did the story progression with almost completely optional scanning. You aren't required to scan a great many things to progress. But it was done in such a way that it wasn't tedious or meaningless (like Dishonored) but I actually wanted to find more things to scan. The atmosphere it builds all the way through your lonely exploration of an old civilization wracked by tragedy and the mood it builds while doing so is amazing.
As for MGS2 that would be a Prime example of 20 minute cut scenes I actually enjoyed. Sure it was convoluted as hell and had a movie like quality about it and to my shame I was only able to finish once but looking back it stands out in my memory as one of the best experiences I have had with a game to date.
And yes I know "emerald was better than sapphire" and people tell me Ruby was as well. But I thoroughly enjoyed my many play throughs of that game over the years. Yet nothing will ever match my first one. My pokemon, my first time through the story, and the long hours I spent building my team just the way I wanted. I played the subsequent generations but this one really stuck out as my favorite.
Metroid Prime
MGS2
Pokemon Sapphire
Metroid Prime has got to be one of my favorite games to date. It is interesting the way they did the story progression with almost completely optional scanning. You aren't required to scan a great many things to progress. But it was done in such a way that it wasn't tedious or meaningless (like Dishonored) but I actually wanted to find more things to scan. The atmosphere it builds all the way through your lonely exploration of an old civilization wracked by tragedy and the mood it builds while doing so is amazing.
As for MGS2 that would be a Prime example of 20 minute cut scenes I actually enjoyed. Sure it was convoluted as hell and had a movie like quality about it and to my shame I was only able to finish once but looking back it stands out in my memory as one of the best experiences I have had with a game to date.
And yes I know "emerald was better than sapphire" and people tell me Ruby was as well. But I thoroughly enjoyed my many play throughs of that game over the years. Yet nothing will ever match my first one. My pokemon, my first time through the story, and the long hours I spent building my team just the way I wanted. I played the subsequent generations but this one really stuck out as my favorite.
I love a lot of old-school RPGs, for a lot of different reasons. But when all is said and done, there is one game I will always, always, ALWAYS come back to.
Chrono Trigger.
Between the multiple endings, the clever story, time travel, the cast of memorable characters, excellent music, and some damn gorgeous graphics (I like pixels, sue me), it's just a wonderful game to play.
It was the first game I ever played that said "Great, you won! Wanna try again, with all the stuff you already earned?" (aka New Game+). And there was good reason to do so, repeatedly. The characters were all distinct, with their own personalities (and considering one of them is apparently a telepathic mute, that's saying something) and excellent designs (a talking frog with a broadsword? a gold robot from the future that isn't a whiny *****? a cavewoman who's FIST is more powerful than another character's GUN?) make it fun to play with them all and very difficult to choose just three to go with!
It's also got the creepiest/scariest Final Boss sound I've ever heard (Don't believe me? > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_2KCMu5lj0 See for yourself). I went for a decade without hearing that and the next time I did, not only did I recognize it instantly, it sent chills straight down my spine.
Chrono Trigger.
Between the multiple endings, the clever story, time travel, the cast of memorable characters, excellent music, and some damn gorgeous graphics (I like pixels, sue me), it's just a wonderful game to play.
It was the first game I ever played that said "Great, you won! Wanna try again, with all the stuff you already earned?" (aka New Game+). And there was good reason to do so, repeatedly. The characters were all distinct, with their own personalities (and considering one of them is apparently a telepathic mute, that's saying something) and excellent designs (a talking frog with a broadsword? a gold robot from the future that isn't a whiny *****? a cavewoman who's FIST is more powerful than another character's GUN?) make it fun to play with them all and very difficult to choose just three to go with!
It's also got the creepiest/scariest Final Boss sound I've ever heard (Don't believe me? > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_2KCMu5lj0 See for yourself). I went for a decade without hearing that and the next time I did, not only did I recognize it instantly, it sent chills straight down my spine.
It's like a tie between Skies of Arcadia and Dark Souls.
Bright, pretty, happy, adventuring through the skies as a pirate.
Or, dark, foreboding, hope crushing, soul eating struggle fight against gods, dragons, and everything in between that simply wants you dead.
I loves them both so much
Bright, pretty, happy, adventuring through the skies as a pirate.
Or, dark, foreboding, hope crushing, soul eating struggle fight against gods, dragons, and everything in between that simply wants you dead.
I loves them both so much
I always fall back on one of either two games when I'm asked this:
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
or
Final Fantasy VIII
Sonic 3 & Knuckles, despite it being overshadowed in some ways by Nintendo titles like Super Mario World, and of course by it's two predecessors, is my all time favourite platformer. I think it's the soundtrack that does it for me. I recently lost my cartridges, but made sure to keep a copy on Steam and an emulated one on my Android incase I get the itch.
Final Fantasy VIII got me into RPG gaming, after Pokemon Blue/Silver pretty much introduced me to the concept. I played this around the same time I finished the first Metal Gear Solid, and both games blew me away in terms of depth, having just made the jump from Sega Mega Drive to Playstation. The only reason I list FFVIII over MGS is because I met one of my longest standing best friends through playing the game.
But maybe I'm being too sentimental about it.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
or
Final Fantasy VIII
Sonic 3 & Knuckles, despite it being overshadowed in some ways by Nintendo titles like Super Mario World, and of course by it's two predecessors, is my all time favourite platformer. I think it's the soundtrack that does it for me. I recently lost my cartridges, but made sure to keep a copy on Steam and an emulated one on my Android incase I get the itch.
Final Fantasy VIII got me into RPG gaming, after Pokemon Blue/Silver pretty much introduced me to the concept. I played this around the same time I finished the first Metal Gear Solid, and both games blew me away in terms of depth, having just made the jump from Sega Mega Drive to Playstation. The only reason I list FFVIII over MGS is because I met one of my longest standing best friends through playing the game.
But maybe I'm being too sentimental about it.