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Chemin

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My Favorite Games

The hardest list to compile, for obvious reasons. I'll keep a max-cap on 50~ish entries, just to keep myself from adding every good game I can think of (I've played quite a lot of games in my life). I will also keep some franchises short (2 at max), sometimes mentioning several games in a single entry, otherwise they might clutter things up pretty quick (Final Fantasy and Zelda, I'm looking at you).

The list is not really in strict order either, for the most part, but the higher a game is on the list the more it means to me. Probably. The absolute top bunch are the best of the best.

I edit this list often - I'll never finish it. That's a given. Still, it brings some insight into the world of my most beloved games.

List items

  • Perfection. Well, as close to it as a gaming experience can get for me. Superb story and writing, found in almost all questlines (which there are a ton of, mind you), amazing art-design, and an unbelievably detailed and interesting world to explore. The lore is absolutely fantastic. Even both expansions are of the same quality (heck, Bloodmoon is probably the best expansion ever made). They really found the perfect balance in scale, content, and gameplay. Granted, the combat could be better, but I never had any trouble with it like some people did. I found it to be enjoyable enough. Jeremy Soule of course did an amazing job with the soundtrack also, and what the songs lack in quantity they make up for in quality. Easily my favorite game of all time, and sadly the only amazing game in this whole franchise. I was too late to the Arena-party to fully enjoy it, and Daggerfall was on the unnecessarily large side in scope which made it rather annoying to play. I still enjoy them, for what they are, and for their time. Oblivion on the other hand is a disappointment in every sense of the word, with an awful (and broken) scaling/leveling system - something that makes the whole game pointless to experience, considering it has no story (ok, the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves' Guild are fine) or interesting environments worth a damn to weigh that up with either. Only the Shivering Isle expansion is somewhat redeeming in those aspects. Skyrim is fairly good, but still has several major flaws left over from Oblivion. Nothing can beat Morrowind. They don't make RPGs like this anymore. That's a sad fact.

  • The single most addictive game ever produced. I kid you not. This game is always installed on my computer, or close at hand, for whenever I need a quick fix. Easy to play, hard to master, and has unlimited replay value. There are a ton of campaigns to plow through, especially if one has the expansions (who doesn't nowadays?), and pretty much all of them are really interesting. Sure, the storytelling might not be especially involved, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Once the campaigns are completed, unique scenarios await. And when those are completed? Well, the random map generator is your friend, and works like a charm. I prefer the campaigns and scenarios, but I still spend a lot of time with random maps when I just want to play a quick game.

  • The most disturbing and absurd game in existence. Also one of the best. Has one of my favorite stories and settings of all time, in any media, with an extremely creepy and mysterious atmosphere. And amazing sound design and music. The soundtrack is one of the most fitting to any game, ever. Just brilliant. Weird, emotional and obscure storytelling in games just doesn't get any better than this.

  • Both the first and second games are absolute masterpieces. Easily among the best games ever made. This here is the definition of a post-apocalyptic setting in my eyes, and how to do it right, in any media. Heck, both games are probably also the definition of the role-playing genre as a whole in digital format. I tend to sometimes put Fallout 2 slightly ahead of the first game, quality-wise, because I find it to have a few slight improvements, such as more to do, higher resolution and no time-limit. Even when taking the messed up tribe trial into consideration. The atmosphere isn't as perfect as in the first game though, and of course the first one had more of an impact on me. Still, both games are equally amazing experiences.

  • The most emotional and mature game in the series, without a doubt. While I do think Ocarina of Time is worthy a spot slightly above this, I actually have a stronger emotional attachment to this game. It might be hard to believe; it's not because of nostalgia, but because it resonated with me more for some reason. With themes such as misery, death and hopelessness, this game is not happy-go-lucky in the least, and it makes everything a bit more serious and foreboding. Which I enjoy, a lot. I also, on the contrary to every other person on the planet, really liked the 3-day mechanic. And I HATE time pressure in games otherwise, fancy that? I just found it to be a breath of fresh air, and really well implemented - a great fit. I guess I'm weird like that. The fact that only 4 temples are present never bothered me either. You had to do a lot more to get to them, which made them feel more special, and I loved the side-stuff. Staggeringly under-appreciated game, to be honest. Honorable mentions goes to A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening and The Wind Waker. Each and every one pretty much a flawless piece of entertainment.

  • This series is full of games worthy a spot on this list. Too many, in fact, and that's why I only have two of them on here. This game is an amazing milestone in game design, especially in the third dimension. It's not one of the most famous games of all time for nothing. To be honest, there really isn't that much to criticize. Great environments and temples, story, gameplay, music, content - you name it. It's a full package. I even loved the Water Temple, which seemingly everyone else hates, and I never had any trouble with it. And the graphics were mind-blowing at the time, something that left my childhood self in awe the whole time.

  • Some say this is the start of the western RPG downfall. And I'm actually willing to agree, somewhat, when it comes to gameplay, non-linear storytelling and exploration. This game is extremely linear. But also extremely good. The 'dumbing down' in this case doesn't bother me in the least. The story, dialogue, characters and voice acting are easily among the best there is. The gameplay is satisfying and the music is incredibly well-done (thank you Jeremy Soule for making a Star Wars soundtrack almost as good as John Williams himself). Overall it's an incredible game that I can't stop to love. Immensely. Also, the major twist of the game left my jaw hanging. I suppose most people nowadays have had that spoiled for them beforehand though, which is sad, because it's a powerful moment. And I'm a sucker for Star Wars in general, which probably enhanced the experience quite a bit. It's not just the same old random offensively bad fanservice either, like all Star Wars-related shit is nowadays, it's a legitimately well-told experience. That goes a long way in my book.

  • More Knights of the Old Republic, with a few minor additions. While I do prefer the first game, the story and characters in this second installment are enough to make it amazing on its own, and the new features are a nice touch. Especially the influence system and the new powers (oh the fun I had with Force Crush - the power I wielded...). Kreia is one of my favorite video game characters of all time, and makes this game so much better. I could listen to her philosophical banter and lessons all day. Even if she's spewing bollocks, I will listen. Too bad Obsidian never was given the time or resources to develop the game the way they had in mind. But at least there are a few good restoration projects by fans out there - so, go hunt them down!

  • Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are easily among the best FPS games ever made, and absolutely my favorites in the genre. The pacing, level design and feeling is what makes it for me. Scripted events, both major and minor (adding details throughout the environments), are expertly utilized in these games. The non-stop action that most other games in the genre seem to fancy is nothing compared to Half-Life's perfect pacing. I love to walk around for a while, catch my breath, watch a few events unfold, engage in a bit of platforming or puzzle-solving, before encountering the battles, both big and small, lurking around the corner. And while I do enjoy the corny story of the first game, it's the second game that introduces a legitimately interesting story and superb characters, making this franchise even better. Half-Life also spawned Counter-Strike, the single best online-shooter ever created. So consider that game to be woven into this spot also.

  • I could've had the first or the third game here also. They are all amazing. But, something special lingered throughout the second game, and made it click even more with me though, but I can't really put my finger on it. Perhaps it's the environments, or general story, or just the time in my life when I played it, but I often mention this game in front of the other two if I have to choose one.

  • This game is such a visual orgasm. One of the best-looking games ever I reckon. I never got why people had trouble with this game. I turned off runner vision first thing out of the box, and never looked back. And I never got stuck more than a few seconds ever. How people could get stuck in the level design baffles me. The few mandatory combat parts are indeed rather disappointing, considering you otherwise haul ass through the game, but they never broke my appreciation of this game. They were puzzles in a way, you just had to find the right way to tackle them. Sure, trial and error in that sense isn't exactly preferred, but whatever. It's such a small part of the game. I really loved the design and setting, and would very much want to get my hands on a sequel. Also, the soundtrack is absolutely perfect and a blast to listen to while playing. Especially the theme song by Lisa Miskovsky. This game didn't have the potential alone to be one of the best games ever like some people say, it IS one of the best games ever based on what it was trying, and to a major extent succeeded, to do.

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Humanity

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Edited By Humanity

Great list really took me down memory lane with some of those titles and motivated me to make my own list!

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Chemin

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Edited By Chemin

Thank you. Glad to help!