Why is ________ so amazing?

[Strain42]

Pick a game to fill in the blank, and tell the rest of the board why it's amazing. Please, lets keep this argument free. Even if someone says something you disagree with, kindly shove an appropriately sized cork in it. This isn't an argument thread, it's an opinion thread.

Legend of Mana: The artwork was gorgeous, the soundtrack was lively, the world had a unique feel to openness to it, the level of customization was incredible, the monsters were fun to raise, it had a great sense of side quests, the multi-player was functional and the game was just a lot of fun. I've beaten the game, without hyperbole, over 100 times and it feels like every time I do, I discover something new, even if it's just a single line of dialogue from having a certain NPC with me during a certain mission.

 

[Neverhoodian]

Tie Fighter is amazing because it casts some genuine moral ambiguity in what was previously a very black-and-white setting. It turns out your typical Tie Fighter pilot believes he is fighting for a just cause, much like his Rebel counterparts. He regards the Empire as protectors of order and stability, while the Rebels are seditious terrorists hell-bent on spreading anarchy and chaos.

What's even more impressive is how the game manages to entice the player to embrace this alternate take on the Star Wars universe. You'll find yourself muttering "Rebel scum" as yet another X-Wing disintegrates under your guns.

 

[mikey7339]

Tie Fighter is amazing because it casts some genuine moral ambiguity in what was previously a very black-and-white setting. It turns out your typical Tie Fighter pilot believes he is fighting for a just cause, much like his Rebel counterparts. He regards the Empire as protectors of order and stability, while the Rebels are seditious terrorists hell-bent on spreading anarchy and chaos.

What's even more impressive is how the game manages to entice the player to embrace this alternate take on the Star Wars universe. You'll find yourself muttering "Rebel scum" as yet another X-Wing disintegrates under your guns.

I...um....I always just loved playing as the big dog for once. And this was the first (and most addicting) space combat sim I ever played but...sure I'll go with this.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Tribes: Ascend beta is amazing because the developers actively involve the community in the design process. They show up to toss ideas back and forth in competitive scene podcasts, incorporate ideas from the board, and put a lot of thought into balancing mechanics. Also the game is fun because you go fast.

 

[GigaHz]

Tetris is amazing because it was one of the first video games that appealed to non-gamers.

Also, there is nothing hotter than a girl who loves Tetris... nothing.

 

[Hal10k]

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is amazing because it serves as a perfect postmodern expression of disillusionment in life & the existential viewpoint. It serves as a brilliant metaphor for an unfulfilling life. As the game starts, you are given the option to pursue the course laid out for you or set out on your own path- but only blackness awaits you if you deviate too far from the path laid out for you. You can go backwards as fast as you can, but will always immediately stop if you wish, symbolizing how as much as we might want to reflect on our lives, we must inevitably return to our journey, only now we are set behind. You may try to let others reach the end before you, but they will always stop, waiting for your mark. You will eventually cross the threshold into oblivion, and you can only delay the inevitable crossing over.

Spoiler: Gaze into the horrors of the abyss, my friends.

 

[Nouw]

Aliens versus Predator 2 is amazing because you feel like a colonial marine in a day in the Corps. You shit yourself when you hear the terrifying beeping of your motion detector and feel glorious when mowing down bugs with your smartgun. And that's just one third of the game.

 

[scorptatious]

Why is "Shadow of the Colossus" so amazing?

It's an epic tale of a young boy who takes on 16 colossi just to bring his loved one back to life.

The colossi are huge, they require thinking in order to figure out how to get onto them, and once you do, it feels really epic as you climb on their constantly shaking bodies, searching for their weak points.

The land is also really vast. It's large and empty sure, but the land is forbidden, so it makes sense. You really get a feel of loneliness as you and your faithful horse trek across it searching for your next colossal quarry.

The music is also amazing. It really conveys the mood of each colossi battle. If the colossus is passive, the music is calm and somewhat peaceful. If it's aggressive, the music is loud and booming. When you find your way onto a colossus, the music becomes hopeful and epic.

In my opinion, it's a fantastic game, and is one of(if not my most) favorite games.

 

[Racecarlock]

Pinball is amazing because you could make a table about being an office worker or going furniture shopping and it would still be intense and engaging and fun.

 

[Erttheking]

Halo is amazing, filled with diverse enemies, a variety of weapons, vehicles that keep things fresh and a massive universe.

 

[LiquidSolstice]

GTA IV is amazing because of how much detail went into it and how believable it all was. I loved the radio debates about health insurance and the "modern-day" issues they had. Seeing New York through the eyes of the stereotypes of the rest of the world was amazing.

 

[NerfedFalcon]

Wildcard entry.

To me, Touhou is amazing for doing something that not many games do any more: it has a definite story instead of just "it's all in the manual", but leaves gaps for your imagination to fill in. And it's not even in the same way as Braid: story details rather than missable symbolism.

While this might not seem amazing, it's certainly not an approach that's done very often any more. Everything that most people have to go on are what the characters say to each other and the approximate order of events, based on the places they occur. You'd be surprised what people manage to infer from that. My own observation: the time-dilation effect in Imperishable Night weakens as "normal" time passes. I'll leave you to work out how that works.

Spoiler: Solution:

How far apart (in km/miles) would you say the start of the forest path and the human village are? Now how far apart are the bamboo forest and Eientei? One 'hour' passes between both of those transitions, meaning the effect must be getting weaker as it's stretched - regardless of who's doing the stretching; even Yukari isn't perfect.

Sure, there's probably other games that do this better, but I don't know about any of them. And they probably don't have as good music.

 

[TheCommanders]

Just Cause 2 is amazing because you have a physics defying grappling hook and fart parachutes.

Also other, more boring reasons.

 

[stinkyrobot]

Fire Emblem is amazing, because when your units are dead they're dead. BYE BYE

 

[gostlyfantom]

Arcanum of steamworks and magic obscura is amazing because of its beautiful setting, wonderful music, and interesting characters.

 

[Vanilla_Druid]

Fire Emblem is amazing, because when your units are dead they're dead. BYE BYE

I also like how the player can calculate damage done and various percentages like: Avoid = (Speed x2)+ Luck + triangle bonus + other bonuses, or Hit = (skill x2)+ weapon accuracy + triangle bonus + other bonuses. The random number system is kind of like running a slot machine with a jackpot of all stats increasing.

 

[Hazy992]

Crash Bandicoot: Warped is amazing because you play as giant bandicoot in jeans and trainers who spins really fast and shoots apples at people with a bazooka. Oh and the gameplay is really fun