Top 10 Favourite Video games.

[Laguna Loire]

So yeah it's been a looooon time since i last did this and many people would have played more games since then but still. Anyway for my top 10 list i'm going to only give one per franchise, in no order they are:

1). Final Fantasy VI - Nothing was really bad with this game, it has a great story, great moments, great characters and the best villain ever so yeah.

2). Dead Rising - The first one to me will always be the best i liked the physcopaths better then on the sequels and frank west was better in this one me tinks.

3). Disgaea - Again the first one will always be the best, the characters were original and didn't become overused yet, i liked the humour the battles and everything else about this game.

4). Fallout 3 - Great Story, epic world, morality in this game just owned.

5). No More Heroes 2 - Between 1 and 2 i had to go with 2 just. I like the ranked battles, good cutscenes, amazing music, and epic sense of humour.

6). MGS3 - Because it's MGS3

7). Tales of Symphonia - Epic RPG, combat system was fun, excellent story, characters and the co-op mode wasn't terrible.

8). Saints Row the Third - Giant Pink Dildos.

9). Assassin's Creed 2 - Although i love Altair a lot more then Ezio AC2 took the series to a whole new level, shops, renovating, glyphs and best of all the Assassin Tombs. AC Brotherhood and Revelations have seemed to attempted to improve it but taking away the fun, i don't want assassin recruits!

10). Pokémon Yellow - Yeah no other Pokémon game can beat this, 1st gen was the best, it had amazing music (Sure Black and White had amazing Gym leader battle music but still) I loved having Pikachu following me around it was probably one of the best games of my childhood.

Honourable Mentions - DMC, Castlevania Series, Crash Bandicoot Series, Oddworld Series, Gta Vice City, Skyrim, Twisted Metal 2 and RE3.

 

[Durga]

1) FF6/FF10. Both tie for the top.

2) Soul Reaver 1 & 2

3) Shadow Hearts 2

4) Suikoden II

5) Vagrant Story

6) Legend of Dragoon

7) Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

8) Shadow of the Colossus

9) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

10) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Honorable mentions go to Chrono Cross, NieR, Secret of Mana, Silent Hill 2 and 3, Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3, Assassin's Creed II, Parasite Eve, Resident Evil 4, Soul Calibur 2, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Wild Arms, Drakengard, Xenosaga, Guilty Gear, and Odin Sphere.

 

[greenyxi]

Ok, I'm not sure about the order of my top 10, so I'm just gonna chuck up my top 10 at random. I'll go with Laguna and only put one game per series on this list too:

• 
  Final Fantasy 9 - this could easily be switched with FF10. The story, music, art style, characters, battle system, pacing and locations all seem perfect to me.

• 
  Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Again, this could be switched with Wind Waker. It really was the best N64 game and had such memorable songs and game mechanics. When even the ocarina songs are highly memorable, you know you've got something great.

• 
  Tales of Symphonia - I'm repeating myself here, but the characters are great. Raine, Genis, Colette and Presea are great fun. The music and locations, especially that snowy town, are such great eye candy. The graphics are also a nice change from all the browns and greys that are destroying the gaming world lately.

• 
  Silent Hill 2 - This could be replaced with Homecoming. The many layers of interpretation that's hidden throughout the game make it an interesting "read". The music is typical brilliant Silent Hill. The scare factor is high, to say the least.

• 
  Golden Sun - I can remember being awe-struck by the footprints in the snow and the music throughout. While I dreaded the end of each lighthouse, because I always found the bosses extremely hard in them, there was a sense of accomplishment in them. The puzzles were very well thought out too.

• 
  Resident Evil: Code Veronica X - Resi 4 could possibly replace this. The villains are superb in this one, what with the twins' relationship and how bizarre they are. Some of the music is plain awesome (check out the last boss music). Opera music always builds tension during bosses, in my opinion.

• 
  Killer 7 - Now this was a completely spontaneous purchase on my part, but I never regretted it. The utter strangeness of it all, the characters each having unique moves and all of them having to be used, the dark cel-shaded style and the most tense gameplay I have ever experienced make this one of the best horror games out there.

• 
  Alundra - this is hands down my favourite Zelda-style game. It's very similar to LttP, but with a dark twist and a much better story, along with the ability to jump whenever you want. The way that everything revolves around a tiny, rural village (which holds an addictive song) makes it feel very pulled together like stories should be. Words can't describe properly why I love this game and think everyone should try it.

• 
  Mario Sunshine - Now, not many people seem to like this one, but I can't find a better Mario game. The holiday feel is perfect and the worlds are different enough from each other to give variety. Also, that soundtrack in the secret mario sections is just one of my favourites of all time.

• 
  Banjo Kazooie - An old game yet again, but who can deny the charm that this one provides? The humour between the characters along with the music that is the same throughout the entire game (but being switched up in each world) makes it extremely enjoyable. Little things like the notes and jigsaw pieces having eyes and being able to talk makes this one soar high above the likes of a similar game such as Mario 64. Damn you Rare for making BK3 a lego game

There are so many games I could have replaced some of these with it's unbelievable. Thanks for reading

 

[Vincentnl]

my list

1. Shadow Hearts
2. Suikoden 2
3. Final Fantasy VIII
4. Breath of Fire III
5. Star Ocean: The Second Story
6. Heavy Rain
7. Chrono Chross
8. Uncharted 2
9. Rayman
10. Mass Effect 2

 

[Lirael]

My list will end up with a few more than 10 since some games of the same series are tied.

1. Final Fantasy VIII, X and XIII-2 tied. They all have a fantastic story with characters to whom I can relate - they're dedicated to one another and their cause - and their individual battle systems are all pretty good too. If I had to rate the games in terms of gameplay, however, X would by a firm favourite, followed by XIII-2 then VIII.
2. Pokemon Crystal and the remake Soul Silver. Crystal was my first Pokemon game and one of the few games I became truly involved in before the age of 14/15. I absolutely loved collecting Pokemon and became gradually fonder of the gameplay over time. I love how the elemental type of each Pokemon affects the strength of their attacks...
3. Zelda: Wind Waker proved me wrong. I had originally disliked Zelda; I had found Majora's Mask to be dull and pointless and had hated the gameplay. I was a fan of Spyro and hence wanted to jump, to run and play it as a platformer. Around the age of 12, I bought a Gamecube and Zelda:WW came with it as part of a package. I had intended to avoid it, but when Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly became dull, I decided to try it out...thinking that I'd put it back immediately. However, the art style and music had be hooked instantly. I gave the game a real chance and fell in love. I have since played most of the games in the series. I even like Majora's Mask.
4. Portal 2 is witty, atmospheric and the puzzles are suitably challenging. I have always said that I hate FPS...that remains true. Despite what I had originally believed, this game is NOT a FPS.
5. Spyro: Gateway to Glimmer and Spyro: Year of the Dragon
6. Uncharted 3
7. Knights of the Old Republic 2
8. Beyond Good and Evil
9. Red Dead Redemption
10. Valkyrie Profile: Silmera...which is probably tied with Baten Kaitos. I haven't played these in years but I really enjoyed them when I did. I need to complete them sometime soon.

 

[Martel]

This is...somewhat tricky, because I keep feeling like I've missed out on something. But...eh. This is by no means a conclusive list~

1. Xenoblade Chronicles [Wii] - Of course, this would come first. Xenoblade Chronicles is, shortly put, the greatest RPG ever conceived. Nothing in the last ten years have even come remotely close to measuring up to it: certain games have done things better, but nothing else has been quite so flawless. An engaging and fast-paced story with plenty of twists, a brilliant cast with an even better set of voice actors, atmospheric soundtrack, and a proper length reminiscent of the old days when you weren't paying for about eight hours of gameplay. This game by itself is reason enough to purchase a Wii, and this game by itself justifies the Wii's existence, which before it, was little more than a waste of space.

2. Tales of Symphonia [Gamecube] - My favourite game up to . Tales of Symphonia is THE Tales game; everything that came before was average, everything that has come after has tried and failed to recapture its greatness. Symphonia has a wonderful story that goes from standard to exceptional to without peer (before Xenoblade, anyway) and the real-time battle system remains one of its highest points. It's also notable to me for being the first cel-shaded game I ever played.

3. NieR [PS3] - A fitting send-off for the demise of Cavia. A dark storyline with some very dry humour that somehow isn't out of place, a wide variety of gameplay - including text events, of all things - and, of course, the greatest soundtrack in video game history. NieR deserves far more praise than it gets. A talking book, a foul-mouthed hermaphrodite, a man out to find his daughter - something you hardly ever see in games - and a child monster. Find me a more diverse and disturbing cast than that (excluding Drakengard, which takes disturbing to entirely new levels) if you can.

4. Baten Kaitos: Neverending Wings and the Lost Ocean [Gamecube] - I waited WEEKS to get this game. When I finally got it, I was hooked. As much as I enjoyed Lost Kingdoms, Baten Kaitos is the only game I've played that actually proper utilises cards in its battle system. Not only that, it was a bloody hard game: the trio of Giacomo, Ayme and Folon still give me nightmares, and outside of The Last Remnant's delightful Curse ability, I don't think I've played a game that has no many dirty tricks in it. Still, it was immense fun, filled with surprises - plus a psychotic girl controlling the rotting corpse of an evil god, can't go wrong with that - and the soundtrack makes up some of Sakuraba's finest work.

5. Resonance of Fate [PS3] - One of the better JRPGs on the PS3, that was completely overlooked. RoF was a new experience; the easiest way to describe it would be "Valkyrie Profile with guns" but it was much more than that. It was considerably more challenging, being brutally unforgiving of even the slightest mistake, and whilst the story was lacking a bit, the character relationships made up for it. Leanne, Vashyron and Zephyr were all genuinely likeable characters, and they carried the game by themselves. A steampunk game was a nice change of pace, as well.
Plus, Leanne goes both ways. How many characters these days go both ways? It's good to know

6. Golden Sun: The Lost Age [GBA] - I remember how excited I was for this. The original Golden Sun had a better antagonistic presence - Karst and Agatio were never as good as Saturos and Menardi - but TLA opened the whole thing up, being double the size and length of the original, and making it feel far more...epic, I guess. Plus revealing Alex at the end to be the mastermind of the whole thing was AWESOME. If only they hadn't ruined it all with Dark Dawn...

7. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver [DS] - Given the sheer number of hours I've put into Pokemon games, I figured I had to have one on my top ten, but I wasn't sure which. In the end I went with HG/SS, because they represent the pinnacle of the series to date, and are remakes done right, something you hardly ever see these days. None of the magic of HG/SS lost, yet what few enhancements that have been made to the series fully incorporated for what I would regard as the definitive Pokemon experience, with some wonderful little additions - such as your lead Pokemon following you - that just made it that much more fun to play. Plus a free Pokewalker.

8. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness [PS2] - I very nearly put Disgaea 4 here, but...well, nothing competes with the original. Fantastic humour, with more references and fourth wall smashing than any other game to date (granted, many of the jokes in this game have become series staples, but I'll never forget the first time I heard them) and an extremely painful yet highly satisfying number of hours in this. You've got a "hardcore gamer" and then you've got Disgaea, which puts the former to shame for its level of content.

9. Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria [PS2] - This had to come on here somewhere, for being the only game that actually does Norse mythology justice. An intuitive battle system, some impressive visuals, a nice orchestrated soundtrack, and, of course, Lezard Valeth. Lezard alone gets Silmeria a place on my list.

10. Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland [PS3] - A few games could have come in here, but I went with Totori purely because it's the most unique (and, unlike Rorona, always enjoyable) games I've played this generation. It's simple and highly addictive, requires a totally different set of skills (mostly time management and planning) to other games, and it's overwhelmingly charming. It's like playing an anime. Despite a few overused voice actors and stereotypes, the quality of voicework and character development both is exceptional, the soundtrack is wonderfully folksy, and despite being a direct sequel to Atelier Rorona, it's entirely its own game. I expect Meruru to displace this (and bump a few other games down) when it's released over here. But for now, Totori has earned a place in my top ten.

 

[Linnaete]

Mmmkay. I had to actually think about this, and I've had to regrettably throw one or two games off the Top 10, but here's my lot:

• Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) - I second what Martel above me has said. The JRPGs this generation have been a momentous disappointment, and one or two have had me throwing them away in disgust. Then something like Xenoblade comes along and renews some of my faith in the genre. I say some, because I doubt any other developer would come up with anything as wonderful as this for a long time to come. To people who say the Wii has nothing worth playing, get off your arse and play this. It has one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard, its British voices are very enjoyable to listen to, and the game itself is just vast. Sidequests get samey, but the story itself if you choose to ignore the sidequests will still set you back 40-50 hours or so.

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES) - Yes, I had to put up a Zelda game here somewhere. It could have been Twilight Princess. It could have been Ocarina of Time. No, I chose this one because it's still my favourite installment and the one I have had the most memorable time playing, going back to when I was a little girl. Later Zelda games have tried to recapture the magic of this game, but I never felt that any have succeeded in surpassing this. It's inventive in terms of the dungeons with neat little twists - Thieves' Town comes to mind - it's rewarding to finally find a way to access areas on the map you have never been to before - enlarging the scale of the world and what you can do in it.

• Uncharted 3 (PS3) - I could have put in Uncharted 2, but I definitely prefer UC3's writing. Seeing Nate and Sully get fleshed out with meaty back stories and a deeper insight into the relationship between the pair of them is just fantastic, and it's great to see the little clash between Nate and Elena. Finishing Uncharted 3 felt very rewarding - not because I suck at it per se (though apparently I aim like a drunk person, so said my brother), but because I could barely make out who or what I was shooting at on my dinky TV. But it didn't destroy the thrill. I still had quite an epic time with the story, even if Ramses's shipyard and cruise ship levels managed to frustrate me. It was a challenge, but in a good way.

• Assassin's Creed 2 (PS3) - I went into this game with low expectations. I'm not a fan of stealth and the idea didn't seem to thrill me, but wow, how wrong was I? Stealth is barely involved, and even then, it's a simple case of blending in and jumping into a haystack while tunnel-visioned enemies hop around astounded. The game itself is pretty damn easy as it turns out, but I enjoyed nearly every minute of it, bar the occasions when I had to do some silly minigame-like missions in order to carry on and find my target to kill. I enjoyed the non-linearity of its structure, being able to assassinate some random targets, infiltrating Templar tombs and fixing up Monteriggioni during my spare time.

• Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2) - The humour and the characters of the first game are still the best, though subsequent entries in the series haven't done a bad job of it. I love how niche this is - it really is not for the faint of heart, with the ridiculous number of hours of gameplay it can entail - though often or not you can find yourself getting sucked into the game as it bleeds around 30 hours from your life in a relatively short space of time. With how many serious RPGs there are out there that love to reuse the same clichés and plot devices, Disgaea just tramples over them. It does its share of satirising them, while kicking the fourth wall down from time to time. Video games need more Etnas and Flonnes.

• Hogs of War (PS1) - Ahh, I remember how much I've had with this old and criminally underappreciated classic. To this day, I wish there can be a sequel made for it, or at least an updated version of the game. The people who rated this game poorly can go eat from a trough, because this was the most fun I've had for quite a while when I was young. It's basically a turn-based strategy game, though think of it like a 3D Worms, and involving pigs in a WWI-style kind of war, only with less trenches and horrific Battle of the Sommes and a ton of wacky weapons, collectibles, vehicles and national stereotypes. The multiplayer back then was what you would get this game for. I remember my brother and I often competing to see who could poach the most enemy pigs in a round of attrition.

• Any PS1 Spyro (PS1) - I loved Spyro. And I still do. The days of Spyro on the PS1 made it perhaps one of the most compelling and best platformers I've ever played. It was bright, it was atmospheric with its music, and it was most importantly, a ton of fun. It's sad that since Insomniac stopped working on the Spyro games, the PS2 installments have never managed to capture that magic or quality. Later installments have had them change Spyro quite radically into something I felt wouldn't really work with this IP, especially with the newer emphasis on combat and a more ferocious Spyro the dragon.

• Just Cause 2 (PS3) - I'll be honest here. I never expected to like this game. I tend to find that once the novelty of the new playground wears away, sandbox games become utterly dull. Just Cause 2 doesn't completely avoid this, yet it's managed to keep me entertained for around an impressive 100 hours. The main story itself if you choose to just do the missions and ignore everything else, is remarkably short. You will get the game done in a few hours. To explore the entirety of Panau though, tackle the side missions and attempt to cause as much chaos as possible by wrecking government properties, however, the game is just a vast beast. There are issues with the size of the island though. There are villages and towns that look too similar to one another and roads often become really quiet, but they're not that much of an issue.

• Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (PS2) - The best Tri-Ace game I've played, and one of the best PS2 RPGs. Seriously, FFX can fade in the background for all I care, because Lezard Valeth can kick Seymour's arse into the Farplane for all eternity on his own. And also because I have enjoyed this game a lot more than FFX, and maybe FFXII to an extent. Playing this game really made me appreciate the voice acting involved, the endearing cast of characters, the intricate battle system and the 2D style dungeon layout. I love the relationship between Alicia and Silmeria, and between Alicia and Rufus - and yes, Lezard Valeth and Hrist feature very prominently in this game. It was all I could possibly ask for. So how, Tri-Ace? How did you manage to turn around afterwards and make Star Ocean 4's lot so bloody unbearable?

• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (PSP) - I do love Yasumi Matsuno's work. He has that style to his games that just sits right with me, and I don't care what the haters say. What makes me game stand out for me is the fact that there is one fundamental choice in this game - well, probably two. And these one or two choices affect nearly everything in the story, as it can land you down the Law route, the Chaos route, or the neutral route. And with these routes, circumstances change dramatically. You get different scenarios for each, so one of your allies in the Law route can easily be an arch-nemesis in the Chaos route. As a tactical RPG on its own, it's very solid. The added physics dynamics of how weather and altitude affects battle, as well as being able to rewind turns whenever you feel like you've screwed up make this all the more interesting to play.

Honourable mentions go to:


+ TimeSplitters games, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Ico, Odin Sphere, the Jak and Daxter games, the PS1 Tomb Raider games, Vanquish, Rogue Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII.