Yeah, it's a cliche, but I figured if I was going to make any list on this website, I might as well make a list of my beloved games. Now, these aren't necessarily the games that I think are the best, these are simply the games that I get nostalgic beyond reason over.
My favorite western RPG. I think I beat that game a total of 7 times, each time getting a fresh experience. Plus, it has MacGyver in it.
The first real adventure game I ever beat... its clever story and exotic, imaginative locales, combined with a grim sense of humor really captivated me. It instilled a deep love of adventure games and I picked up other LucasArts classics simply because of my experiences with The Dig. I know somewhere I still have the denim baseball cap I got for preordering it. I wore that thing to death.
One of my earliest memories is being amazed that my mother could get past 1:4. I always died at the first Bowser. Now when I play with my parents, the tables are turned. Time sure is strange.
Some games are good because they have a great story. Some games are good because they have an inspiring and vibrant world. But some games are good simply because they embody everything a game should be. These games tap into the most basic and primal concept of gaming. Orta does have a beautiful and vibrant world, and it does have a story... but the reason it's so great is that its gameplay is simply sublime. It harkens back to that same fun simplicity of Pac-Man, Galaga, Donkey Kong, etc. without feeling derivative. It's old school without trying.
Before going off to college my parents wouldn't allow me to buy a console. In standard teen defiance, I purchased a dreamcast, some controllers, and DOA 2 for a total of 60 bucks. My first "next gen" console, and my first title for that console, DOA 2 became more than a game, it became an odd part of the culture back home. When I left, my friends picked up a copy for a dreamcast. To this day, they'll still ask me if I've found anyone to play DOA with.
Karras is the greatest villian in video game history. Enough said!
The twisted level design coupled with the incredibly interesting psychology that went into the game made Alice an exceptional experience. Ultimately it had rather conventional gameplay but the story as well as the execution of the concept was spot on. Kind of like Psychonauts.
This space is reserved for both Max Payne 1 and 2. It took me awhile to come to grips with Max Payne 2. Originally I hated it. Now I love its story and I just don't entirely approve of its gameplay. Still, both games work together to tell one story and clever use of Red Herrings (symbols without meaning) in which the symbols evolve and change depending upon context, until we finally find out what the symbol means to Max. Plus, these games are some of the most stylized and unique video games I have ever played. Any game that attempts to be a slow-mo action game just can't compete with Max Payne's unique style, which crafted its own little identity. Even John Woo's Stranglehold merely comes off as a soulless, inferior Max Payne clone. There's irony for you.
Honestly, I don't know who the hell thought this one would sell. First, its a turn based console style RPG (a genre hated by PC gamers) hyrbidized with an adventure game (a genre that was thoroughly dead at the time) running the quake 2 engine (at the advent of the quake 3 engine). Second, it had no marketing thanks to the fact that the company Ion Storm was busy backing their "sure fire hit" Diakatana (OOPS!). That being said, it had a great plot (with both humor and pathos), wonderful characters, excellent dialogue, wonderfully crafted cutscenes, fun (although argueably overly complex) combat and item creation systems, and an inventive yet oddly believable world . Pity there will never be a sequel.
Cleverness is rarely rewarded. Giants was clever. I'll leave it at that. If you like Giants, play Armed and Dangerous. It's the spiritual sequel. And, although Armed and Dangerous is more conventional... there are shadows of the cleverness of Giants mixed in (LAND SHARK!!!!).
Rarely has a game so effectively blind sided me with its plot and structure. The game establishes a basic framework for its first act and then rather abruptly abandons it to serve the plot. Plus, the core shooting and 3rd person platforming was engaging and entertaining.
Back to the Future meets Dragon Ball... what else is there to say. Play this goddamn game.
That stupid 8 bit intro music still gets me pumped up to this day. My favorite game in a series of amazing NES games.
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