Every February on whatever message board I'm hanging out on, I try to have a little stupid fun and do a theme month. Didn't pull it off last month, but usually it works out. Anyway this year, I'd like to present my Top 28 games of all time. This is a list I've been thinking about during a lot of down time at work for the past week, and I'm actually pretty proud of it. It's just my list of favorites, so there will be several games you've never heard of or at least never played. And there will likely be some that you'll go, "seriously? you like that turd?" Well, fuck you in advance. It's my list and I love it.
Anyway, I'll be posting one game a day with a blurb about why I love it so until the month is over, with my number 1 game being presented on Feb 28. Before we begin here is a semi-sorta sneak preview. Just a quick list of the honorable mentions. The ones that came so close and yet..... not good enough.
- Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess
- Fortune Street
- NiGHTS Into Dreams
- Final Fantasy Legend II
- Lemmings
The top 28:
28. Super Mario Bros. 2
27. Dig-Dug
26. Hero's Quest/Quest for Glory: So You Want To Be A Hero
25. Scorched Earth
24. The Saboteur
23. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
22. Azure Dreams
21. Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant
20. Legend of Mana
19. Harvest Moon: Magical Melody
18. EverQuest
17. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
16. Rune Factory Frontier
15. Street Fighter Alpha 2
14. The World Ends With You
13. Pokemon Snap
12. Mother 3
11. Heroes of Might and Magic III
10. SimCity
9. Super Mario World
8. Chrono Trigger
7. Tetris
6. Red Dead Redemption
5. Persona 3
4. Resident Evil 4
3. Final Fantasy Tactics:
2. Valkyria Chronicles
1. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
#15. Street Fighter Alpha 2
When I began this list there was no question that a Street Fighter game would be recognized. It was only a matter of which one (or only one). Street Fighter II, the game that introduced me to the genre and revitalized an entire industry? Super Street Fighter II, the perfected version of the original series and my serious introduction to what gamer hype was? SF3 Third Strike, the greatest competitive fighter ever? SF4, the game that got me into the world of HD gaming? No, it was Alpha II, the dark horse or the dark horse installment. It's a game that gets overlooked, and only gets recognized by the diehard fans of the series who managed to track it down. It was near perfectly balanced, with dozens of distinctive fighters, and completely unique experiences for each of them. It had a polish that the next installment of the series missed, and I'd argue that none other than 3rd Strike have had since. And it's a close to perfect as any fighter as ever come.
#14. The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You, is one of those rare games that pretty much throws every single gaming convention right out the window, and still manages to be excellent. It takes so many chances with how it implements the touch screen, the battle system, leveling up, even the art style. Nothing here is traditional, and yet it all works perfectly. It's a tribute to thinking outside of the box, and a reminder what truly creative developers can do.
#13. Pokemon Snap
The very best on-rails shooter ever made doesn't have use a gun, there is no violence (on the part of the player anyway), and it's cuter than all hell. It is Pokemon Snap. It's the ultimate safari game, probably because it recognized taking pictures of Pokemon is inifinitely more fun than antelope. Shooting pictures, and figuring out what you'd need to do to trigger them into a more interesting post wasn't exactly a difficult task, but that's part of the reason the game was so much fun. It was a relaxed game, where you were never in danger so you could simply take your time, enjoy the sites, and get that perfect picture. We're in dire need of more games like this today, and moreso we need a sequel to this.
"The very best on-rails shooter ever made doesn't have use a gun"
Not even, but a great game nevertheless, and often overlooked. Good to see it on the list.
I am guessing you are saying HOTD Overkill is best ORS ever. But you are also wrong. Dead Space Extraction beetches!
Lexi for life:
Your guess is wrong, and your selection for best-on rails shooter is probably wrong too.
So Foolz what you're talking about? A Time Crisis game?
#12. Mother 3
In 2010 I read a Destructoid piece about the top 50 games of the decade and the writer insisted that Mother 3 was a top 5 game. I assumed it was just a cheap ploy to throw a controversial choice into the list, but a year or so later I played it.... and he was entirely justified. Mother 3 is one of the greatest RPGs I've ever played. The story is brilliant. It's funny, but never as meaninglessly bizarre as it's predecessor Earthbound. At the same time, it's surprisingly mature. Lots of issues regarding loss, death, and the question of what is happiness. Themes that normally I shake my head it or completely go over my head, but somehow it really managed to connect with me. Plus you throw in one of the cooler time/rhythm based attack gimmicks into the usual turn-based battles and you've got a game that stands a lot higher above most games in its genre.