My Favorite Games
These aren't the best games of all time, just my favorites, in no particular order.
List items
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A midway arcade racer/shooter from way back. There was a S.T.U.N. Runner machine at a resort I used to go to every year, and I used to play it all the time. It's fast paced, challenging, and visually slick. The only way to play it today (outside of actually finding one of these machines) is Midway Arcade Treasures 3, which I think was only available on the PS2.
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Now this is a true classic. I know a lot of people opt for SMB 3 over 1 as the better game, but I don't think they're right. I know why so many people hold SMB 3 as a classic, but come on. This is goddamned Super Mario Bros.! It doesn't get more classic than this.
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Specifically, the NES version. My favorite Beat 'Em Up of all time, for sure. Double Dragon is notable for two things: kicking ass, and having an ass-kicking soundtrack. That's right, you can both kick ass, AND have your ass kicked! What more do you want?
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Of course, Tomb Raider. While the series has basically plunged to it's death at this point, the original had quite an impact on me. I can still remember every moment of level three. It opens with a jump down a waterfall, and quickly moves to a huge Jurassic Park-style environment when you fight a blood-thirsty T-Rex. My favorite part of the game was just exploring the tombs.
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My first video-game. I still remember my sixth birthday when I un-wrapped the N64 and popped in Super Mario. I was greeted with Mario's huge, polygonal face; two button presses and an "Okey-dokey!" later, I was dropped into a virtual world. Wide-eyed, I messed with the buttons until I realized how to control Mario. I executed my first triple jumped and watched, in growing amazement, Mario gracefully landing with a cheerful "ha-ha!". This is where it all started. No game is more valuable to me than Super Mario 64.
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The standard for 3D fighting games. Gon and Dr. Boskonovitch aside, it doesn't get better than Tekken 3.
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My favorite Sonic game. I recently bought the Sega Genesis Collection for the PSP, and I now have Sonic 2 everywhere I go. This is something every living person should have, always.
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There's only one puzzle game better than Lumines, and it's Tetris. Lumines is the perfect 'modern' puzzle game. Its art, soundtrack, and fast-paced gameplay suit virtually all of my gaming taste-buds. It's also the reason I have a PSP.
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My favorite Zelda game. Wind Waker features what could very well be the best art I've ever seen in a game. It's bright, vibrant, and mixed with a powerful orchestral score, and every time I play it I'm almost filled with a desire to explore. It's endlessly creative and engaging; except, of course, for those damn parts of the game where you actually have to travel by boat. Why does that have to take so long?! It's like playing Fallout 3 without getting fast-travel right away. Anyway, for those of you who actually had the gall to complain about Wind Waker, I'd like to extend my fists to your faces. You're the reason why gamers can't have nice things.
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I'm always a little puzzled as to why people have the debate about whether a video game could make you cry, because that's something I had no problem doing at the end of MGS3. The end-game salute is one of the most iconic images in any kind of fiction that I've ever seen. The CQC system is needlessly complex, but awesome once you get the hang of it, and the boss fights are some of the best in Metal Gear history.
P.S. Big Boss is cooler than Solid Snake.
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Hands down my all time favorite multiplayer shooter ever, complimented by an amazing single player campaign that takes you from the Wild West to a mob-run 20's Chicago to a far-flung future full of aliens. Play the Wild West level in the campaign and then try the infected game mode (Left 4 Dead before there was a Left 4 Dead) to understand why the game is so awesome. Did I mention that TS2 is by the guys that made Goldeneye? When Free Radical shut down I felt a great pain in my gut, like a knife-wound.
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You know what Grand Theft Auto 4 is. I like to call it this generation's Ocarina of Time, which is a bit of hyperbole, honestly. I do think that GTA4 is having an impact on games, though, and I DO think it will be remembered far after the current generation has come and gone.
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A very mature game for it's time, Final Fantasy IV packed everything you could ever want in an RPG into this game. It's soundtrack is among the best of all time.
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Man I LOVE Star Fox 64. It's SO GOOD. I don't even know what to say about it other than IT'S PRETTY GOOD! YAY!
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For whatever reason, Fusion continues to be my favorite Metroid game. I love the fast-paced gameplay, soundtrack, constant tension, story...it's a perfect on-the-go kind of game as well. As far as villains go, the SA-X wasn't the most original, but man was it terrifying. I typically hate villains that are "shadow" versions of the main character, but this is how you do it right. Ironically, Metroid Prime 2-3 is how you do it wrong.
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Persona 4 has some of the best characters ever in a video-game, and has endless emotional value for me. Like Jeff and Vinny, I have completely fallen victim to Persona 4's ever attractive clutches. I put about 148 hours or so into two playthroughs. I pity the people who watched the Endurance Run before playing the game, because they missed out on something really special. However, it was the first 20 episodes or so that got me to buy the game in the first place, so it's not like I'm complaining about it.
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I haven't actually played Ultimate Match, but I can't find regular old KoF '98, so I guess this'll do.
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The best light-gun shooter of all time. I'll always stop and play this if I find it in an arcade. "Remember, there's no such thing as a second chance." These, truly, are the words of a wise sage.
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The best horror game ever, and one of the smartest, as well. It's absolutely beautiful, easily one of the best looking games of all time that holds up even today. It's also host to one of my favorite protagonists of all time. Coincidentally, Heather is also one of my only video-game crushes, something that weirds even me out. Heather ain't no Chie, though.
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I consistently and faithfully played Animal Crossing every day without fail for a full 6 months, and having it on my DS was invaluable for me.
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Metal Gear Solid is another one of those landmark kind of games in my game playing career. It was also my first M game.
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This is another choice that might seem weird to new-school gamers, but trust me, Tony Hawk used to be incredible, with the third game of the series being one of the only games to earn a perfect 10 on GameSpot.
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NFL BLITZ 2000!!!!! The old Blitz games are the only sports games I enjoy, and Blitz 2000 is the best of the bunch.
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Another one of those games that I poured an endless amount of quarters into at the arcade.
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My jaw dropped while playing Condemned and stayed there for the entirety of the game (which was inconvenient and painful. I had to see a doctor. I don't want to talk about it.). It's also a pioneer for a budding genre: the first-person action game.
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Man, remember playing the original Guitar Hero and how crazy that was? My favorite moment was conquering Bark at the Moon on Expert, which was one of the most satisfying moments I've ever had with a game. I nearly broke my friend's guitar in excitement.
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