My list of past favorites I look back on with fondness. This is a nostalgia list. I'm not listing games based on technical merits or what I think are the best games ever. These are just favorite games that contributed to fond memories of my past. Games I will always love.
Here it is, my favorite game. After a PC game hiatus that lasted years after playing the Quest and Leisure Suit Larry games, I returned when this gem was lent to me by a friend. I've never been more fond of the art direction of a game like I am with DotT. The game had humor that appealed to me, quirky yet likable characters, and the puzzle solving was the best I've experienced in P&C adventure. DotT got me back into the genre and introduced me to Lucas Arts, as well as the many other fantastic titles that followed DotT. I love this game more than any other.
My favorite FPS, and obviously one of my favorite games. It's an FPS that doesn't take itself seriously, and parodies many things. It has just about everything you could imagine in a FPS, including stealth, puzzle-solving, loads of gadgets, over the top cast, good humor, and of course the lovely Cate Archer. This game went above and beyond my expectations of a sequel.
The third Final Fantasy title I had the pleasure of playing, and still my favorite offering from the franchise. Everything you love today about Final Fantasy, this one had it, or in some cases started it. The large ensemble cast of characters, and the tale weaved has yet to be matched. My favorite in the franchise, and RPG genre. I sold a total of 8 mint boxed SNES games to get my hands on this one, and while I regretted it walking home, when I was finished playing FF VI, I thought to myself how it was all worth it.
One of the last titles we saw of Lucas Arts famed adventure games before all focus went towards redundant Star Wars shit. Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars, but seriously, DAMN YOU Lucas Arts and your choice to go in a direction you determined to be more profitable.
Much like Maniac Mansion DotT, the art direction is flawless. The atmosphere of this game will suck you right in. This game is so close to perfect, it shows lack of quality was not a reason for Lucas Arts to give up on this genre. If anything, looking at quality, GF could have been the start of a truly amazing future for adventure titles. The genre went on life support after this fantastic game.
I love this game to death. Is it the best Zelda game? Probably not, but it is my favorite NES game period. It was the first Zelda I played, and it gave me the push needed to purchase the original. I love the overhead map exploration, addition of side-scrolling, Dungeons, the secrets (invisible walls), utilizing your weapons/thrusts and inventory at the right times. Zelda II is pretty much my perfect Nintendo game. I can understand it might not be the most popular Zelda, as this one deviated from the original in many ways, but I honestly like the changes from the original.
Next to Zelda II, Metroid was a NES title I played constantly. Just the right difficulty and memorable gameplay makes it deserve this spot on my list. Nostalgia..perhaps, but I could start it up right now and get right into it as I did decades ago.
Games like Syberia satisfied my craving for the P&C adventure genre when Lucas Arts left its fans behind. It's European developers like the French team that brought us obscure titles like Syberia that leave me eternally grateful. This isn't Lucas Arts, but damn, they did a Sierra/LA job with this and its sequel Syberia II. The settings I experienced in the two Syberia games, and the sounds, I will never forget.
A top tier Point & Click Adventure title. Above average voice work peppers a staggering amount of dialog. A truly interesting fantasy tale rivaling the greatest video game fiction. April Ryan is a genuinely likable protagonist. This game was a pleasure to play from start to finish. This game, as well as Syberia are two reasons the adventure genre is my absolute favorite. While also a top notch game, the Dreamfall sequel just fell a touch below the high bar that TLJ raised.
This is interesting of me to choose this title, as I found System Shock 2 to be better at its core as a game. What makes BioShock make my list, and not System Shock 2? Well, two things: Story, Setting, and its characters. To experience the downfall of a perfect underwater utopia, and the decade they chose, is all too haunting and perfect. The cast is fantastic, and I found myself listening to the audio logs more than once, hanging on every word. Hauntingly brilliant.
Now that's some hideous box art.
Street Fighter II was a memorable experience for me. I remember always getting destroyed by a close friend, and it drove me insane. It also drove me to play it in the Arcade. I practiced the moves until they were etched into my brain. I eventually became good enough to match my friend. Eventually me and my friend grew apart, and I would play countless other people in Street Fighter II. Turns out my old friend really had a special talent for this game, as I had practiced a little too much, and I never played another person that matched me. I made a lot of people angry, much like my friend made me angry with all those butt kickings I experienced. "Just practice", I'd tell people.
I still know every character's move, but I grew out of Street Fighter after the Turbo Edition's release for the SNES. This game holds so many memories that go beyond what was experienced in-game.
