So here we are, my top five is finally upon us. It's going to be pretty predictable if you know me, but that's sort of what makes me, ME. But first, I thought I would discuss a little on the games that you didn't see on the list -- they just missed the cut.
Close, but no cigar
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)
I really put a lot of time into this game, and it's first on my list for "new" games that might have been included on a "top" list. I've played through it numerous times, investing 40-60 hours each time. I absolutely love The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild quest-lines.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Cue the upset fanboys. I loved this game, and it was probably my favorite N64 game ever, but even that's not enough to make it. I regardless had a wonderful time playing through this game multiple times.
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES)
My second-favorite Castlevaina, and not quite enough for this list. I remember the super-difficulty and the wonderful soundtrack, and the different characters and paths you could take through the story.
In The Hunt (PS1)
This game was a great metal slug clone except for the fact that you were in a submarine the whole time. I really enjoyed this back in the day and would love to find a copy of it, but it fell just short of this list.
Clock Tower (PS1)
This is a similar case to Silent Hill, in that I didn't really enjoy the game at all. I was always on edge, and a crazy man with giant scissors was chasing me around everywhere. Probably the scariest game I've ever played.
...and now, on to the show!
05. Rainbow Six: Raven Shield
PC, 2003
There is nothing quite like this game, and there probably never will be. This is my counterstrike essentially, albeit much more tactical, and even less noob-friendly. I don't really like MP shooters that have a respawns, I probably will always hold a grudge against what Rainbow Six has become because of this. The single player let you completely plan out every action your team was going to take, but it was the multiplayer that brought me into competitive gaming. It didn't require ridiculous reflexes, just a steady shot or two and a bit of patience. Memorizing the map layout and learning of the advantages of each teams spawn, peeking around corners, switching to single shot, all of this is just too much to type here. I was in some clans over my long tenure with Raven Shield, made tons of friends, had a great time...it was one of the coolest moments in my life. I almost feel sorry for all the people who played this on the Xbox. Almost.
04. Final Fantasy VIII
Sony Playstation, 1999
A lot of people will say FF6 or 7 was where it was at, maybe even 10. But they're wrong of course. Final Fantasy VIII was such a huge step above its predecessors it's not even funny. No more popeye arms, shallow main characters, or magic points. The Junction/Draw system of FFVIII was one of the most criticized elements, yet it probably contributes to the sheer amount of fun I had playing this game. I loved being all powerful, junctioning 100 full-lifes and 100 ultima's to my stats to make me absorb every magic type. I loved the massive story and the emotional stages that the main character Squall went through over the course of the game (I could somehow relate in 1999), and man -- I LOVED the card game. I still can't get enough, I still play the game through once or twice a year, it's still THAT GOOD. The music was probably the absolute best thing however, and is Uematsu's best work to date for sure. Lots of warm melodies complete with acoustic guitars, and hard-hitting synths for those intense moments. The entire atmosphere of this game is just great. <3
03. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Sony Playstation, 1997
You knew it was coming, but you didn't know when. This is probably (one of) the most replayable game(s) of all time. I love pretty much everything about Castlevania, I even will go as far to say that I really liked both N64 incarnations. But Symphony of the Night just can't be beat on any level. The great second-castle twist was a nice surprise when you thought you had beaten the game, and Alucard's badass persona made every minute worth it. The game controls like a dream, there's tons of secrets to be found, and I just feel awesome knowing the game like the back of my hand. There was a great musical score to accompany all of this, and I'll be damned if that colosseum music doesn't make you want to dance. The fact that this game still looks good today and can be completed in 8 hours makes it so easy to keep playing, which I probably will for the rest of eternity.
02. Diablo II
PC, 2000
Did you forget about Diablo? How could you?! This was the first PC game I bought when I got my Pentium III 933 Mhz Dell back in 2000, and man what a great choice. I had played and near-beaten the first game cooperatively on PS1 back in the day, but that game was almost a pile of shit in comparison to the sequel, despite it still being amazing. There's just something about the Diablo universe that compells me, to return over and over again. The ominous Tristram theme grabs you the instant you enter the world, you get to choose from five very different classes, fight your way to the depths of hell, and kill satan. Pretty awesome. The multiplayer was where it was at, where I'd take my Necromancer and duel Barbarians to the death (thanks Iron Maiden) and eventually started running an underground trade with duplicated Stone of Jordans (I played open b.net, fo sho). And overall, I just had a great experience with my real-life friends, which is irreplaceable at this point in my life.
01. Final Fantasy Tactics
Sony Playstation, 1998
Other games on this list may shift up or down over the course of my life, but I can pretty much guarantee that FFT will be my favorite game of all time, for all time. My infatuation with tactical RPG's has grown tremendously over recent years, and I owe it all to the best one there's ever been. I play this game pretty often, even today, starting up new files -- and I outfit my guys the same way every time. I just build everyone to that Knight/Samurai/Ninja hybrid class that seems to walk all over everything in this game (Ninja two-sword ability + Knight Swords + Draw-out Samurai ability). The music is once again one of the high points, introducing me to a great composer who would go on to make music for Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII. I really loved the story, even though everyone says it was translated badly and made no sense on the PS1, I understood it completely. It was also where I got my old game handle "Velious" from. Wiegraf transformed into a demon named Belias, but the mistranslation was Velius, which I misspelt by adding an O, which then people online would call me an Everquest nerd, despite me never playing it. It's sort of like my name LordofUltima, where people think it has something to do with the Ultima games, but sure enough I couldn't care less about them.
So here we are, my top five is finally upon us. It's going to be pretty predictable if you know me, but that's sort of what makes me, ME. But first, I thought I would discuss a little on the games that you didn't see on the list -- they just missed the cut.
Close, but no cigar
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)
I really put a lot of time into this game, and it's first on my list for "new" games that might have been included on a "top" list. I've played through it numerous times, investing 40-60 hours each time. I absolutely love The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild quest-lines.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Cue the upset fanboys. I loved this game, and it was probably my favorite N64 game ever, but even that's not enough to make it. I regardless had a wonderful time playing through this game multiple times.
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse (NES)
My second-favorite Castlevaina, and not quite enough for this list. I remember the super-difficulty and the wonderful soundtrack, and the different characters and paths you could take through the story.
In The Hunt (PS1)
This game was a great metal slug clone except for the fact that you were in a submarine the whole time. I really enjoyed this back in the day and would love to find a copy of it, but it fell just short of this list.
Clock Tower (PS1)
This is a similar case to Silent Hill, in that I didn't really enjoy the game at all. I was always on edge, and a crazy man with giant scissors was chasing me around everywhere. Probably the scariest game I've ever played.
...and now, on to the show!
05. Rainbow Six: Raven Shield
PC, 2003
There is nothing quite like this game, and there probably never will be. This is my counterstrike essentially, albeit much more tactical, and even less noob-friendly. I don't really like MP shooters that have a respawns, I probably will always hold a grudge against what Rainbow Six has become because of this. The single player let you completely plan out every action your team was going to take, but it was the multiplayer that brought me into competitive gaming. It didn't require ridiculous reflexes, just a steady shot or two and a bit of patience. Memorizing the map layout and learning of the advantages of each teams spawn, peeking around corners, switching to single shot, all of this is just too much to type here. I was in some clans over my long tenure with Raven Shield, made tons of friends, had a great time...it was one of the coolest moments in my life. I almost feel sorry for all the people who played this on the Xbox. Almost.
04. Final Fantasy VIII
Sony Playstation, 1999
A lot of people will say FF6 or 7 was where it was at, maybe even 10. But they're wrong of course. Final Fantasy VIII was such a huge step above its predecessors it's not even funny. No more popeye arms, shallow main characters, or magic points. The Junction/Draw system of FFVIII was one of the most criticized elements, yet it probably contributes to the sheer amount of fun I had playing this game. I loved being all powerful, junctioning 100 full-lifes and 100 ultima's to my stats to make me absorb every magic type. I loved the massive story and the emotional stages that the main character Squall went through over the course of the game (I could somehow relate in 1999), and man -- I LOVED the card game. I still can't get enough, I still play the game through once or twice a year, it's still THAT GOOD. The music was probably the absolute best thing however, and is Uematsu's best work to date for sure. Lots of warm melodies complete with acoustic guitars, and hard-hitting synths for those intense moments. The entire atmosphere of this game is just great. <3
03. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Sony Playstation, 1997
You knew it was coming, but you didn't know when. This is probably (one of) the most replayable game(s) of all time. I love pretty much everything about Castlevania, I even will go as far to say that I really liked both N64 incarnations. But Symphony of the Night just can't be beat on any level. The great second-castle twist was a nice surprise when you thought you had beaten the game, and Alucard's badass persona made every minute worth it. The game controls like a dream, there's tons of secrets to be found, and I just feel awesome knowing the game like the back of my hand. There was a great musical score to accompany all of this, and I'll be damned if that colosseum music doesn't make you want to dance. The fact that this game still looks good today and can be completed in 8 hours makes it so easy to keep playing, which I probably will for the rest of eternity.
02. Diablo II
PC, 2000
Did you forget about Diablo? How could you?! This was the first PC game I bought when I got my Pentium III 933 Mhz Dell back in 2000, and man what a great choice. I had played and near-beaten the first game cooperatively on PS1 back in the day, but that game was almost a pile of shit in comparison to the sequel, despite it still being amazing. There's just something about the Diablo universe that compells me, to return over and over again. The ominous Tristram theme grabs you the instant you enter the world, you get to choose from five very different classes, fight your way to the depths of hell, and kill satan. Pretty awesome. The multiplayer was where it was at, where I'd take my Necromancer and duel Barbarians to the death (thanks Iron Maiden) and eventually started running an underground trade with duplicated Stone of Jordans (I played open b.net, fo sho). And overall, I just had a great experience with my real-life friends, which is irreplaceable at this point in my life.
01. Final Fantasy Tactics
Sony Playstation, 1998
Other games on this list may shift up or down over the course of my life, but I can pretty much guarantee that FFT will be my favorite game of all time, for all time. My infatuation with tactical RPG's has grown tremendously over recent years, and I owe it all to the best one there's ever been. I play this game pretty often, even today, starting up new files -- and I outfit my guys the same way every time. I just build everyone to that Knight/Samurai/Ninja hybrid class that seems to walk all over everything in this game (Ninja two-sword ability + Knight Swords + Draw-out Samurai ability). The music is once again one of the high points, introducing me to a great composer who would go on to make music for Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII. I really loved the story, even though everyone says it was translated badly and made no sense on the PS1, I understood it completely. It was also where I got my old game handle "Velious" from. Wiegraf transformed into a demon named Belias, but the mistranslation was Velius, which I misspelt by adding an O, which then people online would call me an Everquest nerd, despite me never playing it. It's sort of like my name LordofUltima, where people think it has something to do with the Ultima games, but sure enough I couldn't care less about them.
Final Fantasy Tactics? Another unusual choice for the number one spot. It's a good game, but your favourite game ever? Wow. Although who am I to argue, my number one game ever would probably be... I'm not telling, because I'm currently working on one of these lists. I think I'll have the first installment up tomorrow.
Lol, its pretty easy to see which consoles you've had over the years. Started out with a NES, got a PS1 (maybe a Genesis before that?) and a PS2 and you stuck to the PS1/2 and PC from then till now! Maybe you should've just done a best playstation games ever.
Not meant to be mean or anything, just found it funny.
That's why it's a favorite thread. Everyone grows up with different games. If I did one of these (and I'm thinking about it, I love doing lists) it'd probably be infested with Nintendo games.
@AgentJ The only thing I didn't have out of the major consoles was a Super Nintendo, so obviously that's why there's no SNES games on this list. The PS1 was the sweet spot for me, just so many firsts involved with it that make it my love.
Games beyond PS2 really haven't struck that chord with me, hence them not being on the list. Tough to believe I know.
Good choices! I would have to agree with OoT not being quite good enough. FFT is awesome! I remember how everyone tried to unlock Cloud, even though he sucked ass.
By the way, do you know of any good recent Tactical RPGs that've come out? Just reading about FFT makes me want to play one again. I wish I had Disgaea 3, but I don't have a Playstation 3. >_<
@AnimZero It's a bit of a dry well for Tacital RPG's these days without a PS3, but I'd suggest going back a little to other titles that you haven't played, or at least not in a while. Tactics Ogre (PS1) and Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (GBA) are great, as well of Jenne D'Arc (PSP).
Let do the count for titles on the list: PS1 - 12 PC - 7 NES - 5 PS2 - 2 Arcade - 2 GEN - 1 GC - 1
"@AgentJThe only thing I didn't have out of the major consoles was a Super Nintendo, so obviously that's why there's no SNES games on this list. The PS1 was the sweet spot for me, just so many firsts involved with it that make it my love.Games beyond PS2 really haven't struck that chord with me, hence them not being on the list. Tough to believe I know."
Not having a Super Nintendo, how sad. I wasn't born in that era (my first game system was a GBC, my first console was a Cube) but through remakes and the Virtual Console, I have played so many Super Nintendo games that I have determined it is the best console ever made. (followed by the PS2)
AnimZero said:
"lordofultima said:
"<his list>"
Good choices! I would have to agree with OoT not being quite good enough. FFT is awesome! I remember how everyone tried to unlock Cloud, even though he sucked ass.By the way, do you know of any good recent Tactical RPGs that've come out? Just reading about FFT makes me want to play one again. I wish I had Disgaea 3, but I don't have a Playstation 3. >_<"
There are a metric fuckton of tactical rpgs on the DS right now. Would you like me to give you a few recommendations?
"@AnimZeroIt's a bit of a dry well for Tacital RPG's these days without a PS3, but I'd suggest going back a little to other titles that you haven't played, or at least not in a while. Tactics Ogre (PS1) and Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis (GBA) are great, as well of Jenne D'Arc (PSP).Let do the count for titles on the list:PS1 - 12PC - 7NES - 5PS2 - 2Arcade - 2GEN - 1GC - 1"
Well the one cube game, Killer 7, was also on PS2, and i'd be shocked if you didn't play it on there. SFIII was also on the PS2
Good choices! I would have to agree with OoT not being quite good enough. FFT is awesome! I remember how everyone tried to unlock Cloud, even though he sucked ass.By the way, do you know of any good recent Tactical RPGs that've come out? Just reading about FFT makes me want to play one again. I wish I had Disgaea 3, but I don't have a Playstation 3. >_<"
There are a metric fuckton of tactical rpgs on the DS right now. Would you like me to give you a few recommendations?"
Final Fantasy VIII, huh. Whenever this game is brought up, I just have to rant, so frogive me. No game has really disappointed me as much as FFVIII. The first disc set things up to be the greatest thing in the history of the earth, but it went straight downhill from there. I agree on Squall, I really enjoted the depth he had as a character. I've never understood all the Squall hate. I also was a big fan of the music. The junction system was cool at first, but for the same reason you loved it, I hated it. I felt like it took all the effort out of it. I junctioned 100 ultimas to my stats and in about a day had 100 of all the best magic junctioned to all my characters who were at the game's peak level, and I wasn't even through with Esthar. As for the story, you described it as massive, I'd say a more correct description would be massively ridiculous. It's right alongside Metal Gear Solid 4 for my least favorite stories.
I can understand you liking it, though. Despite all my hatred for Final Fantasy VIII, a part of me just can't help but want to love it.
Anyways, Symphony of the Night is of course a classic. I put it at #5 on my list. Diablo II is a fun one, I was never really into it though
Interesting choice with FFT. I really wasn't expecting that. I loved the sequels, so it's cool with me.
"Lol, its pretty easy to see which consoles you've had over the years. Started out with a NES, got a PS1 (maybe a Genesis before that?) and a PS2 and you stuck to the PS1/2 and PC from then till now! Maybe you should've just done a best playstation games ever.
Not meant to be mean or anything, just found it funny.
"
If you don't like PlayStation focused lists, I'd steer clear of my list when I do it.
@AgentJ No, much like RE4, I played the superior version of Killer7, that of the gamecube.
@BoG Well, other than the main villain who I had no interest in I'd say that the whole space scene in the Ragnarok is poetically beautiful, as well as the endgame.
"Lol, its pretty easy to see which consoles you've had over the years. Started out with a NES, got a PS1 (maybe a Genesis before that?) and a PS2 and you stuck to the PS1/2 and PC from then till now! Maybe you should've just done a best playstation games ever.
Not meant to be mean or anything, just found it funny.
"
If you don't like PlayStation focused lists, I'd steer clear of my list when I do it."
Hey, like i said in my post, i dont have any problems with the list being focused on the playstation or PC, just saying that he might have been better off simply making a total PS list, like I did with the gamecube list a while back.
It wouldn't by my top 30 if it was just PS1 games then, would it? I don't know if you're understanding the purpose of an "all time" list. Meaning, the 30 best games in existence, according to LordofUltima.
"It wouldn't by my top 30 if it was just PS1 games then, would it? I don't know if you're understanding the purpose of an "all time" list. Meaning, the 30 best games in existence, according to LordofUltima."
I know, and i respect your list. I'm saying "go out and make a PS1 only list". I think you'd enjoy it. Leave this list as is, but go and make a PS1 only list. then go and make a PC only list.
The only game I played in your top five is Castlevania and I sucked at it. I do respect the diversity of everyone's lists and I've read many good things about the games you played.
Castlevania: SOTN over Super Castlevania IV is blasphemy but then again you didn't own a SNES hence probably never played it thus I'll let it slide. :P I really enjoyed SOTN even though I only played it for the 1st time 2 years ago on XBLA and have it on the PSP as part of the Dracula X Chronicles. I love the Vania Series also as you can tell from the no of games I have of the series in my collection.
FF VIII to tell you the truth I didn't like. But I played it during a time that I was still pretty new to RPGs and thus still had to get used to certain elements that I would become accustomed to in RPGs nowadays. I know people love this one and prefer it over IV, VI and VII and X and that is their opinion. I have only finished VII and IX and really enjoyed those ones hence why they were on my list.
I can probably say the same thing you did with my favourite game of all time, Legend of Zelda: ALTTP in that it will always be my no 1 game no matter what comes out these days or what other masterpieces I play from the past, it will be there. Its just a game I can never tire of and to this day, I can still play it and never get bored. I never played FFT but I ain't really a big fan of tactical/strategy RPGs so I will probably not be fond of it anyway. Good list as it was quite different in that you have games that I have heard of for the most part but never played and that a lot of people will probably haven't either.
I have to say, the Castlevania series didn't mean much to me until they went to the more exploration style. I actually preferred Dracula X to Super Castlevania IV, as well.
Strangest thing for me is that FFVIII's music is near the bottom of my list of post-NES FF soundtracks (only FFV irks me more). There was so much about it that disappointed me, and while I saw how "Man With The Machinegun" could be very appealing to others, I never shared the same sentiment. Strangely enough, I do absolutely love the boss battle music. It ranks among the top for me along with Zeromus' theme from FFIV, the fiend battles from FFIV, the regular boss music from FFVI, and JENOVA battles from FFVII.
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