Almost to the end. From this point forward these games are all my perfect 10/10 scored games.
4. Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime looked like it could be something special from the start but the first person viewpoint gave me some concern. At this point in time I had just experienced the amazing Super Metroid for the first time and couldn’t wait to see this game be taken into 3D. Prime was announced as part of the GC triforce, Mario Sunshine, Zelda Wind Waker and Metroid Prime. The three pillars of Nintendo’s best, I had no clue that I would like Metroid Prime the best of the bunch, honestly it was no contest. Metroid Prime came out on a day where Nintendo released both that and Fusion on the same day, I even got that connectivity cable (CONNECTIVITY!) to get the fusion skin in prime. I ignored Fusion at first and dived head first into Prime.
The first thing that stood out were the controls as I was never a big fan of FPS twin stick controls. Prime controlled like a normal action adventure game, you don’t really aim, a lock on does that for you. Your job is to maneuver around the game world like a platformer and strategically use your powers in combat to beat the enemies. It wasn’t about quickly moving the cursor on the screen to get a headshot, it felt like a standard action adventure game, not a FPS. That alone made me feel extremely comfortable playing it, it was super Metroid, it just took place from the eyes of Samus.
After the riveting intro aboard the space station Samus arrives on Tallon, exits her ship into a rainy forest and the metroid theme subtlety plays. It was one of those wow it’s in 3D now moments the 32bit era was filled with. And then I set out to explore, to find new powers and shoot my way through one of the greatest games ever made.
The level design is perfection. A perfect recreation of the metroid interconnected level design in 3D space making use of everything the third dimension offers. Much like how Zelda benefited from going to 3D, I felt Metroid’s gameplay took a big leap forward by going into 3D. The game world is more complex, it offers more ways to interact with it. Puzzles ended up being more elaborate, combat encounters more strategic, exploration obviously far more engrossing. All the elements that make Metroid great were enhanced in Prime but that wouldn’t matter if Prime didn’t have such incredible pacing and world design.
Every moment of this game pushes you to find a new power, a new threat, a new area to explore. It unfolds perfectly, giving you a giant boss battle at the end of a tricky new area. It slows things down when you enter a new space to allow you a moment to just get lost. It explodes into a massive battles with space pirates when the story reaches its climax. I loved nearly every second of this game. Yes I know about the key fragment quest kind of makes the player backtrack a lot but I was already exploring every area so I had found plenty of them already, honestly going through the areas to sweep for 100% is always a Metroid tradition so I welcomed it.
I loved the variety in locations, from the Chozo ruins leading into the icy cold of the phedrana drift and eventually leading to the lava filled Magmoor Caverns where the amazing music from norfair playing. I remember being in awe of battling that giant monster in the ice, the sheegoth. The excitement of battling Meta Ridley near the very end.
It’s a game filled with incredible moments. Filled with moments that make you think. Moments that make you feel at peace as you explore and get rewarded for it. Moments of sweaty palm excitement. It’s what I want from my action adventure games. None of the sequels lived up to the perfection of the first Prime, few games ever have, but I always have hope for this franchise because the formula lends itself so well to everything I like about gaming.
And Metal Gear.....
People complain about backtracking in Metroid Prime? 
I remember taking the day off to play this. Easily the best reason to take a day since this became my favorite game of all time. This is Nintendo's finest, all gameplay bliss. I remember reading EGM's review after I played it ( all 10s of course). I remember one quote saying it was like a game from six years in the future dropped down for us to play. The Wii version is even better since you can use the Wiimote to bounce as a ball. It made for some cool boss fights.
Metroid Prime......
If it came out for the Switch tomorrow, I would buy it for the fourth time.
Foolz said:People complain about backtracking in Metroid Prime?
Carnage never shuts up about it.
SupremeAC said:I haven't really compiled a list of what games we've already seen, but it's gonna be all zelda from here on out isn't it? If not: for shame!
My list is in the first post.
3. Metal Gear Solid 1, 3 and 4
The second greatest video game franchise of all time according to me. Hideo Kojima's masterpiece series has been extremely consistent with its high quality games, groundbreaking gameplay and wild ideas that most games never have. My history with Metal Gear started back in the NES games with the NES version of Metal Gear which I remember mostly cause it had a cool cover. I never got far in that game but even I could appreciate how different it was. A stealth game where hiding and escaping was more viable than combat, it was unique. Years go by and that title just gets forgotten till around 96-97 when at the TGS a trailer for a new Metal Gear game for the PS1 was shown. I first got word of this through EGM and I remembered "hey thats that old NES game". I dont even remember seeing the trailer (remember, the internet was not what it was now) but the desciption from the magazine was enough to have my interest hugely peaked. What they descrbed was a cinematic stealth action adventure with incredible gameplay, the hype for MGS1 had just begun.
MGS got a demo in OPM a few months before release which let you play the first two areas, the dock and the outdoor helipad area. I could not believe what I was playing, a game with so many options and natural reactions from enemies. Footprints are left in the snow! Enemies notice those footprints and follow them! This blew my mind. You can knock to get enemies attention. Grab them and use them as a shield. Knock them out or use leathal force. And if you are caught then the fun begins, the incredible alert theme begins and its a race to find a new hiding place or just go rambo on everybody. I played the demo countless times, tried evey action I could do. Listened to different codec conversations. It was like a game from the future, this was what gaming would become.
In late 1998 Metal Gear Solid released and I had it day one. The N64 was about to get Ocarina, the highest rated game of all time, but PS1 had MGS1, it was their Ocarina. In the span of a months gaming would get the two greatest games ever made up to that point in time. MGS1 was a roller coaster ride of an experience, one I will never forget. Meeting up with Meryl and having to find the codec on the back of the literal box, that moment where it dawned on me what I had to do, genius. The constant new gameplay situations that would come up, lasers, snipers, hidden mines, tanks, helicopter attacks, it just never relented.
Then there was the star of the show, the boss battles. Psycho Mantis will go down as one of the most clever battles in gaming history. He accesses your memory card to read what you played, moves your controller with his mind and to beat him you have to break the fourth wall and change the controller port, amazing stuff. Thats the genius of Kojima, gameplay ideas no one would ever dare try. All the bosses were amazing for its time, all accompanied by the best cutscenes ever put in a game. It was a true hollywood movie experience in game form wraped with some of the best gameplay we had ever seen. What a finale; the metal gear battle, the fist fight, the car chase, thats how you create memorable moments.
Metal Gear Solid easily became my favorite game up to that point. It was my first 10/10. It is the best PS1 game ever without question. It started my love for this franchise and the man behind it. It could have easily been a one trick pony but each game kept evolving into something new. While MGS2 was not as good as the first, the next game after blew away all expectations.
The lead up to MGS3 was something. There were a series of trailers that highlighted a new time period, no more Solid Snake, you play as Big Boss and we get to see his origin story. I remember being very upset that we were not seeing the continuation of MGS2, I was convinced this was some trick and part of the game would be with Solid in the present time. But I am happy I was wrong because Kojima went for a stylized period piece of a game, making his own version of a James Bond like espionage game taking place in the 60s. The gameplay looked to be completely overhauled as well. No more pac man like radar watching as you navigate hallways, now you are out in the open and you must use camo to stay hidden. Survival elements were introduced where Snake must eat to keep his stamina up, manage his health from the natural and human dangers lurking in the world. New gameplay systems all working together to create a living world that is an incredible playground for the player to mess around in.
Like MGS1 there was a demo, this demo was of the prologue section so it was rather long but gave a great introduction into all these new mechanics. First thing that was very noticable is that the top down camera was rather limited, switching to first person just to see what lies ahead was necessary, thankfully this was fixed in Subsistance with the over the shoulder camera which is the way this game should be played. MGS1 feels like a prototype in comparison to the gameplay possibilities offered in MGS3. CQC is introduced so that the player now has many options with melee and grabbing like knocking an enemy down and subduing them. You can now interrogate enemies by placing a knife to their throat, this is useful to get information about the game world. Animals and enemies act naturally in conjunction to one another, want a distraction throw a life snake at an enemy and watch them get bit and posioned. I tried out so many strategies in that demo, played it countless times as it was better than most anything I had played up till then.
The full game did not disappoint, from the opening sequence with the Snake Eater song I knew we were in for something special. The story is easily Kojima's most focused, a straight line of action and suspense with none of the weirdness that bloated MGS2. The game world was far bigger, this is probably the longest of the series not counting 5. I was engrossed in ways few games have ever gripped me. In nearly every new area I was blown away by some new gameplay idea. In one area I learned there was a storehouse and an interrogated enemy told me that destroying it would hurt supplies to enemies, so I blew it up and a few areas later enemies were weak and hungry. Hungry for food meant an oppertunity where you as the player can find rotten meat, throw it in their path and they would eat it and get sick and get knocked out. That kind of sequence of actions just unraveled naturally from learning the game world. What action games have this level of depth, its insanity.
MGS3 has the greatest collection of bosses ever put in a video game. These take all of Kojima's wild ideas and magnifies them. Bosses can be tackled in a multitude of different ways, some that are so crazy that it still impresses me that it exists in a video game. The star of the game is the battle with The End which to me is the best boss battle in gaming. This can play out like an epic hour long sniper battle across multiple areas using every skill at your disposal. You can listen for breathing using your mic, you can watch for birds being disturbed in a location. You can tire him out and leave quality food at locations as a trap. But dont walk around or make too much noise because he is always watching you and at any moment a shot can come from anywhere. It is the most tense and interesting battle I have ever experienced. And its something that doesnt even have to happen because at an earlier point in the story the player can snipe The End during a small window that no one really noticed because what game would ever let you kill a boss before you reach him?! Oh and there is another way to win the fight, dont play for a week and The End dies of old age. Easter eggs like that are why these games are so special.
This game is PACKED with so many little things. Hidden radio stations that heal the player. Totally optional codec conversations, one that leads to a crazy mini game in a dream. The game keeps pushing for awesome new scenarios like disgusing as an officer in an enemy base. Getting captured and having to escape jail only using a fork. It ends with the greates final two hours in gaming history, a non stop parade of boss battles and setpieces that where better than ANYTHING in gaming up to that time. That car chase, that music, the way the story all builds and builds to the final battle with The Boss, its masterful. Its the stuff of legends, it was Kojima's finest narrative and most would argue his finest game ever. Quick mention of the online mode in Subsistance which I loved so much. I had a blast playing with friends and randoms, this was the kind of interesting non traditional online modes I loved.
MGS4, it is controversial and I understand why. The game has a wild story that covers way too much and tries to close every loose end, even those that didnt need to be addressed. I game with far superior gameplay than its predeccesors which is mostly abandoned halfway. A game that might be too Kojima for its own good, and I love it because of that. To me this is Kojima's Magnum Opus, an epic game in every way, an experience I feel that is unforgettable. Yes the story is ridiculous at times, bloated beyond belief with multiple hour long cutscenes. Still when you boil it down this is the story of a man at the end of his life, a man who is still looking for meaning. Throughout the game he is constantly battered, beaten, insulted; many times by his own side. "You are too old", "leave this to us", "why are you still fighting", through all that he continues to do the one thing he is good at, the thing he was designed to do, fight. He fights and fights and fights ultimately for his friends and himself. It is nowhere near as focused as MGS3 but the story of MGS4 is larger in scope and meaning and by the end (not the after credits end, that was dumb) when you are mashing that button that represnts the very last ounce of strength Solid Snake has in order to save the damn WORLD, its hard not to be emotional. Few games even try to create a grand story like this and even if they do its not presented with such style.
Like all MGS games the real reason I love them is not the story, its the incredible gameplay that comes with them and MGS4 was a massive leap forward. MGS3 did not control easy, it used antiquated Japan third person design that was outdated as the world shifted toward twin stick aiming. MGS4 plays like a modern action game, the gunplay finally at the levels of its peers. Snake's move set is enhanced with far better mobility, transitions between prone, croutch and sprint. CQC is enhanced with even more takedown possibitliies. It played so much better than MGS3, it made combat as engaging as the excellent stealth.
The theme of MGS4 was about being in the midst of an active battlefield. Motars would fall from the sky and explode around Snake. Private armies would engage local militia in active combat, combat you can avoid or take part in, aiding the militia for your benefi, again all optional. Giant robot gekkos would patrol the streets which requires snake to be at his most stealthy. Gone is the clumsy menu driven stealth of MGS3, now we have active octo camo which simply adapts to the area you are in. Jus be still for a moment and your suit hides you dpending on your position and lighting. There were still ways to increase your stealth manually so this streamlines camo system wasn't totally automatic, it was a great system which leads to the best stealth the series has seen. Everything is better gameplay wise, outside of MGSV, MGS4 is by far the best playing MGS game and unlike MGSV it still has all the fun structure and pacing that made us fall in love with these games.
MGS4 is wildly ambitious taking place over five totally different locations, the first two being massive war zones. Each area introduces its own gameplay possibilities and situations. Again the masterful way the gameplay scnearios keep changing is why these games are so special. One moment you are hiding in the middle of a massive shootout, the next you are navigating a crumbling building avoiding troops, then you end up in an all out defense as a FROG unit attacks. Thats just one location, others have their own bosses and vehicle chases, its non stop awesome. I know some of these bosses get some shit but I found them to be great, this game is a love letter to the entire series. Each boss is a taken from ideas of past bosses and made to bring back those feelings of playing them while introducing new gameplay elements. The octopus battles is probably my favorite as it plays out like some creepy horror movie in a lab where this thing is hiding in camo and can be any object. Crying Wolf is a mix of the end and Sniper Wolf out in a snow storm in the same field you battled Sniper Wolf years ago. Psycho Mantis returns with more gameplay fuckery that can be done to win. They are still creative, still better than most anything from other games.
That was just the traditional squad bosses, this game has so much more. Halfway through we get tje controversial decision to ditch the war gameplay that was fantastic and take the game a totally different direction. One far more linear and less experimental, so yes I get that we lose the best gameplay BUT I loved the idea of variety, of trying bold new things. Act 3 which is unlike anything the series has done gets shit on a lot but I loved it. You stroll around a Prague town wearing a disguse as you need to trail a suspect while avoiding the patrolling guards. Sure you can engage with all your weapons but that breaks the spirit of what was trying to be done there, you should try to be a spy. You should be pretending to be a statue grabbing a penis to avoid detection. There are so many fun weirdt things you can do in this section, I feel most just brute forced through it. I remember the game having a camera system and I used that to create my own little story starring the ring of fire members who loved to troll the game, I made a little picture show by using the different emotion tranq rounds that let you manipulate enemies in fun ways. Even when the game gets linear the gameplay possibilties remain. It then explodes into an even better bike chase than the one in MGS3 and leads into one of the best cutscenes in series history.
The nostagia trip leads you to Shadow Moses, in glorious modern graphics. Its now a tomb of a mission long past, the game plays sounds from MGS1 to show how Solid and the player reminisce about their old experience. I loved this section, it has incredible moments and bosses. It ends with an incredible split screen boss battle and the you pilot METAL GEAR REX!!!! Its all fan service to the highest degree, a game so bold it doesnt care how different its gameplay can get. Act 5 could have used some more time but even that has its highs. The final battle is a glorious fist fight that transitions from past game to game, again a total celebration of everything Metal Gear and a grand send off at the same time.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is epic gaming at its peak. Naughty Dog has taken up the mantel of the cinematic game but their gameplay isnt as bold or interesting as this series. MGS4 to me was the last game I ever gave a 10 to. Something has been lost as games become a little too formulaic. MGS4 had all the spirit of creating new gameplay experiences, incredible production values and surprising the player around every turn. Again quick mention of Metal Gear Online which was included, again a unique and surprisingly deep online mode that I spent many many hours enjoying. MGS4 is my favorite MGS game and it is the best PS3 game ever and my game of that generation.
I'd be with you in defending MGS4's story if not for the total cop-out of an ending.
I absolutely love Hideo’s crazy storytelling which is why I get so enthralled with the MGS games. I thought MGS4 was bloody fantastic, I even wasn’t bothered at all with MGS2 and having Raiden as basically the main character.
MGS3 is the best of the series. It's has my favorite story, bosses, music and ending. I loved that ending so much. It even has an amazing theme song.
Let's not forget one of the most ridiculous parts of MGS.
travo said:MGS3 is the best of the series. It's has my favorite story, bosses, music and ending. I loved that ending so much. It even has an amazing theme song.
Best. Ladder. Climb. Ever.
Snaaaaaaaake Eateeeeeeer
2. Resident Evil 4
There are no perfect games... but the closest one to perfection is Resident Evil 4. Coming off the heals of RE0, a series low point, a series seemingly stuck in its ways came a vision of a game unlike any other. Then it was canceled. Then months later it resurfaced again on the cover of Game Informer magazine revealing to the world the bold new take on Resident Evil. Gone are the static camera angles, the pre rendered backgrounds and the survival gameplay that made the series popular. This new RE was going to be about unrelenting terror, what do you do when you are always being assaulted by monsters at every turn?! You SHOOT EVERYTHING!!!
Yes RE4 went full on action and revolutionized the third person shooter in the process. The first thing that stood out to me in the GI article was the camera, tight and right above the shoulder of Leon at all times, aim and you get a pefect view to aim at specific parts of the enemy. In reality RE4 controls exactly the same as past RE games, its still tank controls, the camera is simply different and that makes all the difference in the world. Sure Leon cant move and shoot but the entire game is built around that premise, every single time you decide to fire you are weighing that choice against the ability to move.This means the game becomes about choosing your spots to fire, using the environment to create space between you and the enemy. This is no cover shooter, you don't get generic waist high walls all over; instead you get intricately designed combat arenas that make perfect use of all of Leon's moves. When you do fire EVERY SHOT COUNTS. Every shot can slow down an enemy with a perfect shot to the leg or head, it can be your defense by knocking away a weapon, it can save your ass by opening an enemy up to a melee attack. This is a game where every action you do feels important, you dont just get to hide behind cover and spray on a whim.
RE4 had a demo, some Gamestop pre-order bonus thing that I was all over. The demo was of the opening of the game through the village. That village I will hold up against ANY video game first level as the best intro level in game history. Screw 1-1, the RE4 village presents everything you need to know about the game in a 5 minute sequence that is more intense than practically every RE game that came before it. Enemies rushing from all sides (but never hitting you off screen without a verbal warning, essentially giving you a radar), a bunch of buildings to jump into, windows and doors to barracade, shotguns to find, ladders to kick down, chain saw man breaking through doors to kill you, jumping out of windows like a badass. Throwing grenades into crowds, killing chickens for health, finding secret rooms with locked chests, finding a secret second chainsaw man, learning that killing the chainsaw guy gives you a bonus. All this happens in 5 minutes in what is probably the best designed section of the entire game and maybe the entire series. I could not stop playing that demo, it was a revelation, action games would never be the same again.
Yet the game was just getting started, for all the groundbreaking mechanics, the perfect feel of every gun; it is the pacing and non stop insane encounter design that makes this the greatest designed action game ever made. Every single location introduces something new, and it does not stop for about 12-14 hours of PERFECTION. New enemies come just at the right moment. A new weapon is introduced with an amazing level that makes perfect use of it. A memorable boss fight hits just when the game needs it. New traps around every corner, crazy new locations, an endless parade of incredible setpieces. Never for a second was I bored. Never for a second did I stop and think, man I wish something new would happen. Cause this game NEVER STOPS. I can do an endless list of memorable moments, but it would just be a list of every room! The cabin defense! The battle against del lago! The village at night and finding out what lives inside the heads of the ganados! Maning huge catapaults! Doing a creepy hedge maze! The gigantic open hall of the castle where you must protect ashely while battling hordes of enemies! A crazy lava room! I can go on and on and on. There are some that say the island is not as good as the rest, to them I say sure, there has to be a ranking and one location has to be the worst but the island is still filled with incredible moments, dare I say the best moments of the game. Fighting the regenerators for the first time! The incredible IT boss battle! MIIIIIIIIKE!!!! The best boss in the entire game and one that rivals MGS boss battles, the fight with Krauser.
Playing the game I could not believe how good it was, how every room I was like "OH MY GOD". To this day RE4 has ruined every action game for me because none of them can match what was achieved in RE4. And its not just in the gameplay that this game excels. When this game hit RE4 was up there as maybe the best looking game ever. It was a graphical marvel, totally bug free, polished to perfection. When you beat the perfectly lengthy campaign you unlock Mercenaries mode which that alone was better than many full games. Mercs was mindblowing with this combat system! WIth five characters to unlock, four levels and WESKER! There was Assignment Ada, a pro mode and later the Ada expansion, the game just kept on giving. Its a perfect package. Oh and the story was straight enjoyable cheese, all the voice actors making their best hammy action movie impressions and it worked perfectly. It wont win any story awards but it was a fun time.
One day I plan to do a massive breakdown of every aspect of this masterpiece. Shinji Mikami can never top this, he should have just retired, once you do this your job is done. RE4 set every standard that action games should strive to be and no game has matched it since.
I remember snickering when Iwata said "Don't pee your pants!" during an E3 preview. I thought there was no way this game was that good. It was also released in January past the Christmas season. A sign to me that it wasn't good enough. I was so wrong. The game was truly revolutionary and so fun.
Great game, but far from perfect. I wonder if I'd have been more impressed if I'd played it with the worse aiming of a thumb-stick, though.
Also, it was the winner of the 2007 Gamespot General Forum players choice award.
robio said:Despite the reviews, I had no interest in this when it was first released. Then I was at GameStop and played the Village demo. Yep, I was fucking sold. That was an amazing experience. The way it ramped up as you had to run into the first house was artful. One of my favorites without question.
Also, it was the winner of the 2007 Gamespot General Forum players choice award.
A game from 2005 won a 2007 award! awesome! 
It won neogaf game of the generation award when they did a poll for the best game of that gen.
I love Mario Galaxy, maybe my favorite of all the Mario series. It's definitely the best of the 3D platformers.