Well, got the urge to do this, so here's my 20 favorite games of all time. There's absolutely nostalgia at play here, and definite bias. My number 1 game may not be the best actual game of all time, it's the one that made the most impact.
As a teenager, Lunar was just one of those games that clicked with me from the word go. From the cheesy opening theme to the villain reveal you see coming from a mile, this game is filled to the brim with cheesy anime and I love it. The boat song still pops into my head from time to time.
Mario 3 vs World was a tough call. Sure they could both be on here, but that's no fun. Where World opens the levels and maps up, Mario 3 remains a super tight collection of some of the best level design in gaming. Also some of the worst, I concur.
Mario 3 rewarded your exploration, and challenged you as you neared the end. I'll always remember world 6 being a fucker and I loved it, while World never really pushed me. Even the secret levels weren't that bad.
Surprising no-one, A Link to the Past remains a classic game that stands the test of time. Loved it as a kid, love it today.
There's an age-old debate between Mega Mans 2 and 3, and having played it first I fall right into the 3 category. There's not much more I can say about Mega Man 3. Whichever is your favorite, the classic NES titles are still fantastic.
Spelunky is an easy choice for this list. When you achieve something in Spelunky, you feel it. Your progression is inherently tied to how much you're willing to learn from your mistakes. While there are shortcuts to unlock, the true progression of Spelunky is in your own head and the capability to pull it off. Coupled with rock-solid gameplay, and this is easily one of my favorite games ever.
Earthbound is a trip of a game, and for 10 year old me, it was perfect. It had some of the coolest music a SNES could produce, still some of the best writing in video games, and a nonsensical story that goes places.
Not many games were an active part of nearly half my life. WoW is one of those. There's not much to say about such a classic game, especially one that just has so many memories attached to it.
Haven't regularly played in a while, but all it would take is one person asking me to make an alt with them and I'd be right back in. Such a great experience.
Majora's Mask may be one of the first games that got its hooks deep into me so I couldn't stop until it was 100% done. Learning how the world ticked over those 3 days was incredibly engrossing for me, and I love the dark atmosphere that seeps into every corner of the game.
I'll absolutely concede that it plays badly sometimes and hasn't aged well in looks, but I'll never forget my time in Termina.
I wouldn't blame anyone for liking the original more, Advance is just where I fell in love with tactics games. I also remember spending many fall nights cuddled up with my GBAsp fighting battle after battle.
A charming puzzle game that takes the groundhog day mechanic like Majora's Mask and sets it in an exotic casino.
While I'm a sucker for that type of gameplay loop where you learn the routines and stories of npcs through exploration, the story of moving on and facing your own penances will stick with me for a very long time.
Might be a controversial pick for sure, but easily lands in my favorites. The original Dark Souls 2 is what finally hooked me into Souls, after dabbling in 1 and Demon's. I put Scholar on here because I actually like the changes they made, and it's the one I strove to complete.
I prefer 2 over all the others because of your build diversity. You could do nearly anything you wanted, and people did. It's also the only one with twinblades. wtf From.
When people talk about games they wish they could forget and play again blind, Terraria is the easy choice for me. I thought this was a boring minecraft clone that was 2D with a cool style. Little did I know of the bosses or equipment that waited for me.
Terraria loses its gleam the moment you realize how far it goes. While it's still a good game, that time where you're not sure what to expect makes this one of my favorites.
Arkham Asylum caught me and seemingly a whole lot of others off guard. I wasn't expecting a Batman game to be good, he's kind of a bad superhero. Yet they did it.
Revolutionary combat, fun stealth sections, and metroidvania-like progression cements my love for this game.
I considered putting Odyssey in this spot, but the original has too much nostalgia attached to it. Yeah, it looks like garbage. Yeah, the camera is terrible.
Still, the game controls like a buttery dream still, and I'm still in love with the idea of going into worlds and getting named stars, like a scavenger hunt.
64 hasn't aged the best, but it blew my mind as a kid.
Oblivion and Skyrim fit here as being actual better games, but Morrowind is what got me hooked. I lost a good summer immersed in this on the Xbox, and even after properly beating the game I got dozens more hours of enjoyment tinkering with spells and pushing at the boundaries.
The Elder Scrolls as a whole will always have a special place in my heart.
I couldn't have a list of my favorite games and not include Pokemon Blue. I couldn't get enough of this as a kid, and that nostalgia beats out Sapphire for the spot.
Not much to say about Pokemon.
An odd pick for someone who worked nearly 15 years as a cook, this game scratches itches for me no other can.
Yeah, I know. The thing is, I got 8 alongside my Playstation, and didn't go back to 7 until after 9 - which was hard to do! 8's story is nonsense, I agree. Readying a synopsis of 7 and playing a bunch of other ones? They're all nonsense.
9 could have easily taken this spot since it's the better game with the better story, but as far as games go for me personally? 14 year old me related with Squall on a level only a 14 year old could.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band 2 were important to me for getting my interested again in music theory (after falling off after leaving high school.) However, it's The Beatles: Rock Band that kickstarted me into actually learning instruments and composition.
It also introduced me to what may be my favorite band of all time, so that's something.
You might see this as a weird choice. It's kind of a weird choice, but man, did I spend a LOT of time playing this. PC, 360, Vita, etc... PvZ was the game before Spelunky where I could just lose a few hours by doing the motions.
The difficulty had a great curve, it oozed style. It's just a shame it got so big we couldn't get a proper sequel. No, PvZ2 doesn't count.
