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#10
Above everything else, Psychonauts is just extremely creative - designing physical landscapes and level structure from the way we commonly talk about our minds and memory (cobwebs & repressed memories), in addition to the exaggerated character design itself. I recall enjoying the abilities on offer, and I still fondly recall the "road crew" level. I still can't listen to Motorhead's "(We are) The Road Crew" with a straight face.
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#9
The most prominent memory I have of Quake 4 is the protagonist's "transition" into a Strogg. The assembly line was rendered as brutally as my graphics card at the time was capable of, and it seemed (although in retrospect I'm not so sure) that my character moved faster and had more health afterwards. At the time, I couldn't remember any other game providing an experience like that, so it left a lasting impression.
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#8
Although it was one of Infinity Ward's earlier efforts, you could see the beginnings of what Call of Duty games have come to be known for - warzone chaos amongst beautiful and majestic set-pieces. Call of Duty 2 also featured series regular Captain Price and the super-satisfying M1 Carbine, which ejects its clip after the last bullet with a loud "TING!"
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#7
Though I didn't actually have a PS2, I was eventually able to go back and play through the God of War series. And unlike some old franchises that you experience after the fact, God of War holds up! From the excellent camera work and cinematic boss fights to the raw, wild chaos blade swings and brutal executions. Santa Monica also really nailed the pacing, inserting a few thoughtful puzzle sequences between intense combat sections.
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#6
It's likely hard to explain the appeal of Doom 3 to some folks. I think it helps if you played Doom & Doom 2 while growing up. Seeing those blurred 2D sprites translated into complex 3D models was astonishing. However, some folks didn't like the way that Doom 3 was more measured, atmospheric, and moody. They preferred the original's relentless, industrial-rock fueled energy. But I've always been a fan of slower-paced shooters, so Doom 3 was exactly what I wanted from the series.
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#5
I enjoyed all of the games in the Prince of Persia series. In a way, you could consider it a 3D platformer, but there is a cinematic aspect to the experience that just makes navigation that much more exciting. Let's say you execute a difficult sequence of jumps in an average platformer. You might say "whew, that was tough!" And you might say the same thing at times in Prince of Persia, but it might be followed up with, "wow, that looked awesome!" The Prince's flips, swings, jumps, and wall runs just have an acrobatic elegance to them that is so satisfying to behold. Half of fun is figuring out what to do, while the other half is watching the Prince execute it.
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#4
Although I did play Resident Evil 2 & 3 growing up, 4 was the first game in the series that really got my attention. I loved the enhanced capability that came with the transition to a moving camera and a behind-the-back viewpoint from fixed camera angles and tank controls. Taking down zombies became a tactical exercise, as shot placement mattered more and Leon could save ammo with impactful kicks. I liked the game's upgrade system as well, allowing you to further enhance your favorite weaponry.
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#3
Guild Wars marketed itself well, as a counterpoint to World of Warcraft. I did play a bit of WoW but I just didn't enjoy myself. The majority of quests felt inane, it seemed to take absolutely forever to get anywhere, and I didn't feel like I really had much agency with my build. Guild Wars keeps it moving, and has just so many smart design decisions. The maximum level is 20, and it doesn't take very long to get there. Your effectiveness is determined more through the combination of skills you have equipped (you can only equip 8 at a time) than your gear or level. There are many collectors in the game, that collect tokens that are dropped off of specific enemies. With just 5 of these tokens (that aren't particularly rare), you can get the best weapon for your build. There is no end game grinding for anything that isn't cosmetic (armor skins, dyes, etc.). Guild Wars has dual-classing, and you can equip skills from either tree in your slots. I always felt that I was creating something unique in Guild Wars. Lastly, I thought that the Elite skill system was great. Players could only equip one "Elite" skill at a time, and Elite skills must be "learned" from specific enemies out in the world. Guild Wars was the MMO for me.
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#2
I loved Condemned. As FPS games became more and more common, I found it refreshing and visceral to engage in first-person hand-to-hand (or pipe-to-board, for that matter) combat. The grunts of your enemies and whacks of board against noggin' were just so intense. It helped that I also enjoyed the investigation scenes, where Ethan used a variety of high-tech tools to find evidence. I doubt that I did anything approximating actual police work, but I loved the spectacle of it all. Lastly, I actually found the story of Serial Killer X compelling, and I was curious where it would end.
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#1
What a feat! My top two games of 2005 were from the same studio, Monolith, back before they were saddled with seemingly-permanent Lord of the Rings duty. My favorite aspect of FEAR was its take on bullet time. The "Point Man" has a meter that ticks down as he engages the ability, which recharges again when the ability is not in use. A key component of playing the game well is managing the use of the meter - certain encounters will absolutely demand it at higher difficulties. In addition, everything is gorgeous when the ability is engaged - enemies ripple backwards from the force of your weaponry, and you can physically observe the shockwave from thrown grenades. The game is made more engaging because of the impressive AI (there are written and video essays about this feature), with enemies seemingly coordinating and effectively flanking the player. Lastly, I liked the story and the way it was told. Alma and Paxton Fettel were very memorable to me, and the final boss "fight" was such a creative and effective breath of fresh air. The player could also learn about the situation through the answering machine messages that could be played from various desks in the Armacham HQ, a great method of storytelling that did not remove the player from the action.
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