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JGPM

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Games: All-Time Favourites

A list of some of the most treasured titles in my collection, roughly in order of preference. For games with multiple versions, remakes and re-releases, I tried to pick the one that struck me as the most "definitive".

List items

  • By no means the first game I ever played, nor the first Metroid one and certainly not the one that got me into gaming. However, there has never been another game to come along and recreate the experience I had playing Metroid Prime. Except Metroid Prime Trilogy. The first Prime was a profoundly transformative game for me: The pure atmosphere that permeated the game and the subtle details Retro Studios used to make players feel like they were inside the Power Suit made it for me possibly the most immersive game I have ever played. To top it off, I related a little too well to the story about isolation and loneliness and by the end I would get so involved I caught myself almost thinking I WAS Samus. The Wii upgrade with the brilliant Corruption control scheme makes an already deeply immersive game even more so.

  • Quite simply put, Super Mario Bros. was the game that made me realise what video games were really about. Maybe it was because it was the first console game I played (on my cousin's NES) or the first one I played in colour, but for whatever reason while I had played many games before it wasn't until SMB that I really discovered my appreciation of the medium. I fell in love with the game instantly and nearly died of joy when the Game Boy remake arrived. Adding so much content to the original game made plowing through it a fresh experience and the nostalgic atmosphere it was lovingly wrapped in was beautiful. The original Super Mario Bros. entrances me and teleports me to a place and state of mind other games can't (except, perhaps, the rest of the Top 4 or 5 here), and the Deluxe Edition simply makes the whole transcendent experience all the more vivid. To this day if I play Super Mario Bros., this is usually the version I reach for.

  • This was the very first console game I ever owned: I have vivid memories of huddling over my cousin's Game Boy as he bounced around looking for bananas and also of my ecstasy when I finally got a copy. To this day it amazes me this game was squeezed onto the original Game Boy. The music, art design and gameplay are simply classic, bringing back joyous memories of childhood nights of gaming.

  • One of the most hilarious, and riveting, games I have ever played. The snowboard mechanics are tight, nuanced intuitive and fun and the whole game feels like a wacky, 'round-the-world-snowboard-BMX-themed pinball game. I mean, in what other game can you ride a stream of glacial melt from a volcano down to the coast of Hawai'i? None that I can think of. However, what, or who, really sealed the deal for me was lovable wannabe sex icon Elise Riggs, whose offbeat and endearing personality (brought to life perfectly by Lucy Liu) allowed her to leap right out of the screen and into my heart as soon as I stepped into her shoes.

  • Sonic the Hedgehog was always a presence in my life, even if I didn't always get the chance to play his games. I enjoyed the shows in the mid-1990s and back then it was kind of hard to NOT notice Sonic. With Sonic Mega Collection, the fact that I now had Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles all on one disc and on my GameCube (later Wii) plus a wealth of bonus goodies was enough to score this as one of my most beloved titles ever.

  • It took me awhile to leap on the Pokémon bandwagon, but when I did finally get Red/Blue it was a type of game I had never seen before. Its compelling and streamlined RPG system latched onto my love of nature and made me feel like I was a little kid again traipsing through the woods behind my house and identifying all the animals I saw. The massively enhanced remake of Red and Blue, Pokémon FireRed/LeafGreen, brought that joy right back again. Since then I've made a point to follow the Pokemon series and while all the games have been consistently excellent, none of them can really match my love of this one. The Pokémon world is a world of its own, and, to me, Kanto, the land featured in the earliest games, was my gateway to it and remains the perfect microcosm to this day.

  • Just as the original Pokémon Gold and Silver brought a close to one hero's journey and bookended the story told by its predecessor (the classics Red and Blue), thus its remakes, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, do it again, ending the tale of Kanto and Johto begun in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. This is a tale of maturation, transience and torch-passing: These are all themes touched upon in the originals, but Gold and Silver perfected their exploration. Now, with HeartGold and SoulSilver, we can experience it all again. Not only that though, but the story has never been told better. Nostalgia keeps it just below the first part of the tale, but this is an incredibly deep and spiritual adventure that rightfully earns its place as one of the most addictive, challenging, deep, robust, haunting and meaningful games ever made.

  • The original Super Mario 64 was just as much an eye-opener for me as the original Super Mario Bros. was. Bringing Mario into 3D flawlessly was one thing, but the other thing that really struck me about 64 was the recognisable, unique and charming art style and level design, clever nostalgic throwbacks to the old Super Mario Bros. games and the memorable music. Control issues aside, the full game, plus a wealth of new areas to explore and items to find as well as the ability to play as four different characters (bringing the "Bros." back into Super Mario again) makes this DS remake just about perfect in my eyes.

  • There were a number of Carmen Sandiego games to come out of the mid 80s before the franchise went global when TLC picked it up. Of them, this one is probably my favourite: Dressed to the brim with sumptuous European imagery and intrigue. Until characters like Luke Warmwater showed up, of course. It was sort of like Murder on the Orient Express or an old European spy novel, except with goofier names and stories. This title, as with all Carmen Sandiego games, offered me a quirky and helpful look at history and geography as well as a revealing look at the complexity of the human psyche. 1985-1994 were important years.

  • For me these three Zeldas form a kind of trilogy: Each one seems to lead nicely into the next and the tonal shift the series takes with each is appropriate and compelling. Perhaps it's because I first played them in this order. Either way, I love them all just about equally and taken together they form to me an epic narrative recounting the history of Hyrule. Ocarina of Time really needs no introduction, so I'll just add it was one of the first games, along with the aforementioned Super Mario 64, that helped show me how a 3D adventure game could work. The art style was as important here as it was in Mario 64 and helped bring Hyrule to life.

  • Of the three Zelda games here, this is the one that may actually be my favourite. It's dark, foreboding and moody (as evidenced by its truly depressing and disheartening TV spot) which is a stark contrast to its predecessor, but Termina feels more alive then Hyrule because of the way all its inhabitants move about and live their lives according to the clock. I was more emotionally invested here than I was in the last game by becoming privy to the lives of these people and it was tragic to know in three days none of it would matter. The thread of hopelessness and pain that seeps through the game is lifted at the end, however, if Link can complete all his tasks.

  • This game is sort of a closure to the Hyrule story in my mind, but as much as one story is ending, another is beginning as Link and Tetra go off in search of uncharted land across the vast ocean. The oceanic exploration was riveting to me, and the lush art style and beautiful score helped perfectly brought the world of the Great Sea to life. Additionally, by building on the social system of Majora's Mask, there was now an entire ocean full of people to meet, get to know and help out. Plot-wise this one suffers from some bizarre narrative lapses (I'm still not thrilled about how Tetra's arc was resolved, or not as the case may be) which unfortunately makes it the weakest of my "Zelda Trilogy" as far as story goes, but ultimately it does successful bring the Hyrule Epic to a close in my opinion. So well, in fact, that I had a hard time seeing how Zelda could continue after this game. Unfortunately, Nintendo have done little to show me in recent years.

  • The bright art style, sense of humour and double nostalgia factor (both for the games it pastiches and it itself) make this one my de facto Smash choice of the three.

  • One of the games I have the earliest memories of. This was one of the cartridges my cousin always carried around with him and his Game Boy and the game that introduced me to Mario. Although I didn't become a fan until I finally got to play Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land is still a landmark portable experience and an important game in my development as a player. With the game now on the 3DS Virtual Console, I've developed a whole new appreciation for it.

  • Of the four Super Mario Bros. games to come in the wake of the original, Super Mario World, AKA Super Mario Bros. 4, is probably my favourite and this is the definitive version of that classic. This is about as perfect as a 2d platformer gets, in my opinion: The original version gave us Yoshi to mix up the gameplay and a plethora of huge, creatively-designed levels swimming in a beautiful art style and musical score. The GBA remake gives us on-the-fly player switching with a non-pallet-swap Luigi, an addictive remake of Mario Bros. with Super Mario USA's controls and EVEN MORE LEVELS AND SECRETS. I really don't know what else you could ask for, to be honest. Those looking to remake a classic game would do well to look at this wonderful pack and the two Pokémon titles above for reference.

  • Sonic arrives on Nintendo consoles for the first time, serving up a classic sidescroller just like the revered Genesis/Mega Drive trilogy. One thing I really like about this game (and its sequels) is the way the multiple character dynamic was used to give different play styles. I think it worked better here than in some of the other Sonic games and I'd love a full co-op Sonic title to come along again.

  • Final Fantasy XII was probably the first game I played that came the closest to giving me the feeling of truly exploring a living, breathing world with nuances and uniqueness geographically, biologically and culturally. Combine this with charmingly memorable characters, near-perfect (in my opinion) RPG gameplay, a rich and epic historical narrative and a hilarious (yet subtle), self-aware deconstructivist sense of humour and FFXII becomes an all-bases-covered perfect success in my grimoire.

  • What I think I remember (and like) most about this game is the sunny art style and the killer musical score. That, and it's goofy sense of humour. The gameplay is, of course, engaging and rigorous. Advance Wars is a very "feel-good" type of game for me: The characters are fun, the artistic level design, while limited, I find really charming and the music is a blast.

  • All the fun of the original on two screens with touch control. I do wish there were more combined air/ground maps though, there does seem to be a bit of faux choice and faux difficulty tossed about here and the music isn't quite as memorable this time around, making this one fall a little short of its predecessor.

  • My representative for the "Classic" Metroid series: Sure, the original is timeless and Super is the fan-favourite (though you should know my feelings on Metroid games by now), but this was the first one I played and the one that first introduced me to the world of Samus Aran.

  • I am a huge Deep Space Nine fan and this is the best game based on the oft-overlooked TV series ever made. The story was well-written enough that it fit in with the tone of the show and the Unreal engine brought the world of the show to life like never before: At the time, being able to wander around the big open areas of DS9 as Sisko and Kira was like a dream come true. The only downside is that for whatever reason FX was unable to get Avery Brooks and Colm Meaney to reprise their iconic roles from the show: Everyone else made it on, so I'm not sure why they couldn't. Maybe a schedule thing. Either way, it's only a minor blemish on an otherwise great game.

  • The first game based on one of my all-time favourite TV shows. I have great memories of this game, opening up the world of the show to me for the first time. The Fallen gets a slight edge over this one in my rankings due to FX getting (almost) the full voice cast, the jump to the more realistic (and evocative) polygonal graphics and tighter more epic script. Nevertheless, Crossroads of Time is a fantastic side-scrolling adventure game for the Genesis and Super Nintendo with clever levels and challenges and a diverse mix of gameplay styles. In my opinion, it's simply one of the best licensed, let alone Star Trek licensed games, ever made.

  • A rather large pleasant surprise for me: I bought it on a whim not expecting much but was treated with an incredibly deep and engaging gameplay style and positively charming music and art design. Don't let the cute hamster fool you: This is an overlooked gem for sure that won't disappoint.

  • The largest, most expansive and most exploration-heavy Sonic game of the bunch with an interesting story and a clever time-travel mechanic.

  • Despite what fans say, there HAVE been decent Sonic games made in the past 15 years. The Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush games have been consistently strong. What makes Sonic Colours different is that, for the first time, Sonic Team figured out how to break the Polygon Ceiling and bring Sonic to post-Gen 4 home consoles properly. Aside from the competent controls, Colours features an astounding soundtrack and art design that makes the game a joy to hear and see. There's also a humorous Saturday Morning Cartoon veneer pervading the whole thing which makes the script and dialog a riot.

  • Possibly the hardest game I have ever played, but my love of the original Super Mario Bros. and the intriguing gameplay additions in this one keep me coming back for more time after time.

  • Sonic's feel-good Australian adventure is a total blast: By perfecting the gameplay of the previous Rush title, bringing back the incredibly cool Blaze the Cat and adding a new twist with sailing exploration a la Wind Waker made this my favourite Sonic game in years. Until Sonic Colours came out.

  • Mario Sunshine is often considered the weakest of the Mario platformers due to its admittedly embarrassing story and perceived lack of gameplay inspiration compared to both Super Mario 64 and the Galaxy games. While a solid case could be made out of those complaints, Mario Sunshine makes my list due to its truly beautiful art design and soundtrack and the realisation of both factors in the graphics and music. It remains the best representation of a tropical fantasy environment ever in a game in my opinion. It may not be the greatest or most inspired Mario game to date, but it is one of the most evocative. Plus, those Piantas are hilarious.

  • The Alice diptych is one of my favourite, most treasured book series and this may be the definitive video game adaptation of the story: A surprisingly functional little platformer with a lot of gameplay variation with an unexpected amount of challenge wrapped up in an atmospheric 8-bit art style. Not many games can get Alice right, but this one does.

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