Post by Dreamchild on Jun 26, 2011 22:00:29 GMT -8
Joe's Top 10 Favorite Games
Greetings, programs! To my friends, here are my top ten video games of all time. At least, these are my top ten for today. It wasn't easy to choose, and a lot of honorable mentions have been omitted. But, whatever! Here we go!
Greetings, programs! To my friends, here are my top ten video games of all time. At least, these are my top ten for today. It wasn't easy to choose, and a lot of honorable mentions have been omitted. But, whatever! Here we go!
10) Galaga (1981) would be my number 10. I'm a man who respects his elders. This game is about five years older than I am, but that's irrelevant! What mattdders is that Galaga is timeless and fun, and I have played this classic for years, since I was under 10. No matter where I find a Galaga machine, I will play it then and there. When I was in Disneyland last March with two friends, we were in the Star Trader. While I waited for my friends to make purchases, I played Galaga there. Why is that important? Because I will play Galaga ANYWHERE. I'm reminded of Galaga almost every day, because the game's start theme is one of my numerous ringtones.
09) The Dragon's Lair Trilogy, which comprises of Dragon's Lair (1983), Dragon's Lair II: Timewarp (1991), and Space Ace (1984), will be my last mentioning of arcade games in this countdown. If I had to pick my favorite game from this trilogy, it would have to be Dragon's Lair II: Timewarp. I know that a lot of people would find this blasphemous, because the first game is (rightfully) the true one to remember, and a classic. After all, Dragon's Lair is one of only three arcade games installed in the Smithsonian Institution (the other two being Pac-Man and Pong). But as a game I personally enjoy playing more, my choice is the sequel. It's linear, as opposed to the mostly random nature of the first game, and the game blatantly tells you what to do via yellow flashes. Yet, the first time I played the game was one of the happiest video game experiences of my life. I was in the Golfland/Sunsplash arcade in Roseville, CA, and I came across an arcade game that had high quality animation with Don Bluth's distinctive style. Don Bluth seriously made a video game?! I was instantly hooked, and I spent so many quarters on that damn thing. In fact, I ultimately broke the machine because of heavy use, and, to my knowledge, that particular machine never got repaired. Whoops! Thankfully, I can play Timewarp any time I want now, because of the wonders of Blu-Ray and the Wii. For the uninitiated, Dragon's Lair isn't exactly a game; it's more of an interactive animated film that requires on the spot input from the player. If you're too late, you'll die a comical demise, and you'll have to start over from a checkpoint. If you can clear every obstacle without error, you can beat the game in less than 15 minutes. Timewarp is no different, but it includes delightfully trippy sequences, with my personal favorites being the Beethoven level (pictured), and the Alice in Wonderland level (of course!). Some people might scoff at me, and deem this inclusion as inelligable. But I stand by the fact that, though there isn’t a lot offered in the gameplay, Timewarp is very nostalgic to me. Dirk the Daring! Stay put, don’t jump!
08) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (2005). This might sound odd, but of all the Ace Attorney games released, the first one is still my favorite. I do love the second and (especially) the third game in the Phoenix Wright trilogy, but none of them captured me as much as the first installment. Way back in October 2005, I read a positive review of an adventure game for the DS, starring a lawyer. I liked the concept, and I bought it. I was immediately hooked. I love the game. I love the characters, I love the music, I love the cases, I just love the game. I was thankful that I bought the game when it was first released, because for a long while it was very difficult to find due to shortages. It’s definitely a fan favorite, and I sincerely hope the Professor Layton crossover will be released in the United Sates. Speaking of Professor Layton, one of his games actually was on this list, until he was ultimately bumped below #10. Sorry, professor! As for Phoenix Wright, I sentence the game as one of my all-time favorites. Court is adjourned.
07) The Ghosts ‘n Goblins series is notorious for its brutal difficulty. The first game is so difficult that I have yet to beat it. Be that as it may, I do love the series as a whole, even if the games act as an abusive spouse to me. My favorite installment in the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series is Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts (1991) for the SNES, the first game in the series I played. When I was a kid, I couldn’t get past the third level in the game. I thought I was a terrible gamer. It wasn’t until later when I found out, no, the game is just damn hard. The jumping mechanics have driven many gamers up the wall, and the difficulty is unrelenting at times. The game is not forgiving, and I can only heartily recommend any game in this series to serious masochists… such as myself. It’s funny how this game made the list, considering how much it anguished me. I have shouted four-letter profanities at the game as I played. I have flipped off the enemies on the TV screen. I even once threw my controller down, shut off the game, and stormed out of the room in blind rage. This game is beyond challenging. Of all the games on this list, it’s definitely the hardest. Oh, by the way—when you beat the game once, you have to beat it again with a pretty crappy weapon a second time, in order to get the true ending. And keep in mind that the second playthrough is even more challenging than before! Yes, this game is an unfair, unforgiving, unrelenting douchebag of a video game. So, why the heck is it one of my 10 favorite video games of all time? Because when you beat a level in this game, there is nothing more satisfying. I have beaten this game on the hardest difficulty setting, and it took me so long. In that difficulty setting, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts was the hardest game I ever beat, but when I did, I felt so proud and accomplished. I did it. I do not claim to be a competitive gamer, or even an expert, but when I saw the credits roll after beating the game on its most difficult setting, I had never been more satisfied beating a video game. So, thank you, Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts. You are a stubborn, brutal jerk, but I love you. The music and visuals are great, too!
06) The Operative: No One Lives Forever (2000) is my favorite first-person shooter of all time. People often give me a weird look when I say I like NOLF more than Half-Life, but it’s true. When I first played the NOLF demo over ten years ago, I was immediately hooked. I loved the witty heroine, Cate Archer (eat your well-endowed heart out, Lara Croft), and the 1960’s UK setting. It was a comedy first-person shooter, and one of the first games that actually made me laugh out loud more than once. Of course, if you play the game now it’s very dated. The graphics weren’t pretty even in 2000—the characters only expressed convincingly through their top-notch voice acting, but they were otherwise completely emotionless puppets with bobbing heads and permanent faces. But lacking visuals be damned, I played this game almost every other year, I loved it so much. Unfortunately, I can’t get it to play flawlessly on my modern laptop. So, I sure hope it’s released on Steam sometime soon! Please? Fun fact: this game originally had a T rating, but the Game of the Year Edition was changed to M.
05) DuckTales is an awesome show. DuckTales (1990) is also an awesome game. You play as Scrooge McDuck, and the goal is simple: explore five exotic locations, obtain five different treasures, and become richer. The locations do not disappoint; Scrooge travels from Transylvania to the moon! The adventure is Scrooge McDuckish enough, and, sure enough, Scrooge makes for an awesome video game protagonist. While some liberties are taken (he can pogo-stick on his cane, lol wut), the controls are tight, the visuals are awesome, and it’s just a blast to play. It wasn’t easy to decide just one Disney game to include on this list, but, at the end of the day DuckTales is just a no-brainer. And the music? Plain awesome. While the Moon’s theme is my personal favorite, you gotta love the 8-bit rendition of the DuckTales theme. Nicole, if you’ve never played this game, rest assured—don’t f*** with McDuck.
04) Once upon a time in the year 2000 (Richie Rosenberg: “In the year two-thousaaaaaaaaaand…!”), I was flipping through a video game magazine while waiting to board a plane. I really don’t remember what it was; maybe it was Electronic Gaming Monthly, or something. I read through a truly bizarre feature for a gaming magazine: a feature that revealed the endings of games. And the ending I read was about a game called Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. SSSC is a remake of an old game, but I never heard of the series before, but I liked the images, and I like classic role-playing games. So, I bought Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (released in the US in 2000, though it’s technically a 1996 game) in a mall, went home, and popped it in the Sony Playstation. The opening song has tremendously silly lyrics that don’t make sense. I mean, come on. “In your dreams, magical thoughts, all things are real unless you dream they’re not.” Beg pardon? But I was nevertheless hooked. The game was often criticized at the time for having extremely dated graphics. But I find the pixilated 2D sprites endearing, and, in my opinion, the anime cutscenes are awesome even today. I love the characters, and I have replayed the game numerous times. Every time I give the disc a spin, I feel like I’m reunited with old friends, corny as that sounds. (I also had a major crush on Luna when I was in the 7th grade. *cough*) Regrettably, I’ve never played the original game, Lunar: The Silver Star. I’d like to someday, but for now, Lunar: SSSC is one of my favorites, and I like it even more than the widely regarded superior sequel, Eternal Blue. If you missed playing SSSC, you can buy Silver Star Harmony, which is yet another remake. It’s for the PSP, and the standard edition is still in print. Fun fact: I usually use the name Magic Emperor as a gaming handle. It’s also my e-mail address. Magic Emperor comes from this game!
03) The Monkey Island series is my favorite adventure game series of all time. From the puzzles to the humor, from Guybrush Threepwood to Captain LeChuck, from three-headed monkeys to insult sword-fighting, Monkey Island is timeless. My favorite installment in the series is the first game I played: The Curse of Monkey Island (1997). It features gorgeous 2D animation and backgrounds (though the art style itself won’t appeal to everyone), top-notch voice acting and music, and truly, truly funny jokes. In my humble opinion, Curse is the funniest game ever. Even throwaway supporting characters are delightful. Murray the All-Powerful Demonic Skull is unforgettable. I love great point-and-click adventure games, and this is my favorite of all of them! By the way, in the screenshot you'll see a cameo appearance. Manny Calavera, the protagonist of Grim Fandango. Grim Fandango is another favorite game of mine, but, unfortunately, it didn't make the top 10.
02) Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001) was one of the first games for the Nintendo GameCube, but it was also one of the best. In terms of frequent replayability in the Label household, Super Smash Bros. Melee is the most successful multiplayer video game of all time. Brawl is the best game in the series, but Melee is my favorite. I have played the game for almost a full decade, almost on a daily basis. It was the best game in high school, and I have so many happy memories with it. When I played Melee for the first time, I played in the Rainbow Cruise stage, and when I heard the rendition of the Underwater theme from Super Mario Bros., while kicking ass as Princess Peach (my main character), my heart melted. This game enchanted me, and I played it religiously for years, especially with friends. But my happiest memories with this game were the several New Year’s Eves: on those nights, three players and I would sync a timed match to the current time, in a way where the end of the match would mean the start of the New Year. It was an annual tradition for a few years, but a happy one. In fact, just now, I think I know my all-time favorite memory with the game: when I participated in such a New Year’s countdown, in Hawaii, with the back doors opened and the moon over the blue waves. That was the best time I ever played Super Smash Bros. Melee. … Damn, was I a spoiled kid!
01) Super Mario World (1990 in Japan, 1991 in America) is my favorite video game of all time. I wish I could have a grand buildup, but no buildup would be sufficient. There is no possible way in words I can accurately describe my love for this game, but I’ll try. Super Mario World is the first game I ever beat. It is the first video game I ever felt proud of myself for playing. Super Mario World is a game that everyone in my family knows about, even my non-gamer parents. My dad recognizes the theme music, even though he’s never played it. That’s because I have spent hours and hours and hours with this game. I probably haven’t played this game as frequently as Super Smash Bros. Melee, but rest assured this is my favorite game ever. I actually consider the Mario series in general as my personal favorite games, such as Super Mario Galaxy, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and, of course, Mario Kart. But I had to pick just one, and Super Mario World is definitely it. There really isn’t much more I can say, other than I frickin’ LOVE THIS GAME. You have no idea how excited I was when I first beat the game, when I wasn’t even over five-years-old. When I beat Bowser and saved Princess Peach, I jumped up and down, ran out to the living room, and proudly proclaimed that I saved the Princess and her kingdom. I was on top of the world, motherf***er! Super Mario World is a game I can play anytime, anywhere, any place. It really is a part of me, and I’ll treasure it forever. All those hours spent finding every secret, riding Yoshi and losing him to a bottomless pit (I felt so sad!), wondering where the hell I was supposed to go in the Ghost Houses… Thank you, Super Mario World, for giving me so many years of happiness.
That’s all I have to say. Thanks for reading!
