Favorite Games Ever (Besides Ninja Gaiden, Obviously)

[Rynnec]

I'd say DMC 3/5, Bayonetta and especially Metal Gear Rising have much better stories than what I've seen of God of War, but I will fully admit to being heavily biased against the type of narrative Dad of Boy is going for. Regardless it should not be anywhere near that list as it's not even in the same genre as far as I'm concerned.  Might as well put Zelda, Soulsborne, Darksiders and Nioh if you're going to include it. And if nu God of War does count as a hack'n slash then I would still put titles like No More Heroes, Killer is Dead, God Hand and even a Musou (particularly Sengoku Basara) over it.

[Mustang]

Fair enough, and I need to revisit MGR someday (along with Bayonetta). All I can remember is loving Jetstream Sam. Everything else with other games, I 100% agree with you. GoW shouldn't be on this list, but I'd excuse it, just not in front of these other games.

[Mustang]

01 - Metal Gear Solid series
02 - The Legend of Zelda series
03 - Mass Effect series
04 - Halo series

The pinnacle. I expect greatness when it comes to these games here. I can always go back to these games and still have a blast playing them. These games probably won't ever come off the list. I hold these games in an echelon where very few can get in so when I saw how disappointing Mass Effect Andromeda turned out it hit me pretty hard, and started a downward spiral for every other game after it.

05 - Nioh series

When it comes to these type of games this is probably my preferred way to play these days. I do wish there was a jump button but whatever. I'm still not fond of the stamina bar, but I'm kinda over it these days.

06 - Ninja Gaiden series
07 - Devil May Cry series
08 - Batman Arkham series

Will always be in my heart. But these days for these kind of games it's one and done. Replay value is there but I'm not looking to get better or trying to attain high ranks and whatnot.

09 - Assassin's Creed series
10 - Uncharted series

In it specifically for its story and nothing more. Anyway, 5-10 depending on my mood can be interchangeable or can come off if I ever find a series that I enjoy more. I didn't mention Persona or Trails of Cold Steel which can takeover the 5th-6th spot but I only played 1 or 2 games in the series.

Will probably do a fighting game list update in a bit.

[Avaitor]

I wanted to toy around with my new blog today, and I decided to look through Easy Allies Hall of Greats titles, and go through my general feelings on them.

I'll do a second part later this week, but this is a good start. Have you played through any of these titles?

[Avaitor]

So I found this greatest games of all time list.

I don't hate it! The top half isn't full of recent AAA titles that'll be forgotten in two year's time like a lot of these lists tend to do, so that's cool. Most of the titles that make it that high more or less deserve it.

But I don't love it, either. This is super full of the usual suspects. It seems like most lists have a Mario and a Zelda in the top 2, and add at least 2 of the Big 3 SNES games (Super Mario World, A Link to the Past, Super Metroid). And I mean, those games are just as good today as they were when they came out 30 years ago. Frankly, most of these choices feel... safe.

And I think that's what I want to avoid if possible when making a list like this. Part kill your masters, part think ahead. Yes, the classics are held to a standard for a reason, but it can't be hard to find less heralded series of equal or greater value, right? And similarly, think real hard about what's hot today, because tastes and standards change all the time, and what was cutting edge even just a few years ago isn't guaranteed to slap as hard today. As much as I loved it back in the day, for instance, I couldn't put GoldenEye in the top 10 now.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I don't have much of an issue with the so-called obvious choices being in their obvious spots of they are still well-deserved. Something like Super Metroid or Super Mario World are still as top-notch today as they were when they came out. That said, I do think that it's OK to have some more obscure or at least less popular choices in high positions if they genuinely deserve it and not just to stand out from other lists. Like, I'd a million times have Devil May Cry 5 represented for modern action games over the new God of War, and I'd back it up with my rationale as well. And in some cases we could keep a game from the same series in the same spot but challenge the norm with a different title from the series that we achieve does it better. Super Metroid is excellent, but maybe somebody could make a better case for Metroid: Zero Mission. Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past are superb, but it could be argued that both of their respective direct sequels managed to surpass each of them individually (Majora's Mask and A Link Between Worlds). And hell, maybe go out on a limb and give F.E.A.R. a nod over Half-Life and Halo despite being a less influential title because of how perfectly that first game was executed (as in it offers a level of gameplay that no other title before or since can really match in style).

And it also wouldn't hurt to have some unique oddball choices that don't fit into the specific genre norms or at least happen to be extremely unique takes on their genre, such as a Katamari game or The Wonderful 101 as an action game representative. Titles that excel at what they do and just as importantly are arguably the only titles in the genre to even do what they do.

[Mustang]

Yeah, about Hall of Greats. In the latest Hall of Greats (this past Tues.) Huber's "confessional" explained exactly why I stopped watching HoGs. All the fun was sapped out of it by roughly the 3rd year since EA started. The presentations and the games I have no problems with, but the actual voting is where I have a problem at. All the presentations go right out the window when you know everyone is going to vote for the obvious picks and at that point I'm like why even bother presenting anymore when you ignore that because _____ is/was the popular pick.

[Mustang]

01- Street Fighter 3: Third Strike
02- Ultra Street Fighter 4
03- Marvel vs Capcom 2
04- Street Fighter x Tekken
05- Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2
06- Tekken 7
07- King of Fighters XIII
08- Guilty Gear XXAC+R
09- Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
10- ?

2021 Update

01 - Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
I've said a billion times now. If it wasn't for USF4 there would be no 3rd Strike for me. Compared to other Street Fighter games this one plays completely different and I enjoy it. The parry system just makes everything else go nicely once you got parries down. There are low tiers in every fighting game, but in this one I'm scared to face them. Probably won't come out of the #1 spot ever.

02 - Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
A complete 180 on this game since it's resurgence. Other people would tell you about the freedom this game allows and I agree to a degree. That being said this game is pure fun and chaotic when you actually get to play lol.

03 - Street Fighter x Tekken
04 - Guilty Gear XXACR+
05 - Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2

06 - Ultra Street Fighter 4
Will always be in my heart.

07 - Tekken 7
08 - Marvel vs Capcom 2

09 - Dragon Ball Fighterz
Love hate relationship with this one. I will say I love this game now because of the recent changes. Made the game feel completely different compared to when it first came out.

10 - King of Fighters 13

As much as I love MvC2 I cannot make it any higher than 6 because I don't have access to the game. If this #FreeMvC2 actually happens and get released on newer consoles than I can, for sure, put back in top 4.

[Mustang]

I'm a little bored so please excuse me. I'm updating both series and fighting games.

01 - Metal Gear Solid series
02 - The Legend of Zelda series
03 - Mass Effect series
04 - Halo series
05 - Nioh series
06 - Ninja Gaiden series
07 - Devil May Cry series
08 - Batman Arkham series
09 - Assassin's Creed series
10 - Uncharted series

01 - Metal Gear Solid series (Metal Gear Solid 4)
02 - Legend of Zelda series (Breath of the Wild)
03 - Mass Effect series (Mass Effect 2)
04 - Halo series (Halo 3)

I'm very tempted to put MGS5 as my favorite game of all time because I love how the game plays so much. But MGS4 etched it out because of some impactful moments. I shouldn't need to speak on BotW or ME2 anymore. As for Halo, Halo 3 and Reach honestly are neck and neck for my favorite Halo. Next week it can be Reach.

05 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel series (ToCS4)

Now here's a new entry. I love Trails. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on Sky and Zero. This series is like you're playing an actual anime. That being said, the customizing they allow is just fun once you get the hang of everything (specifically ToCS4), and truth be told I still haven't gotten the hang of it. I enjoy the cast. There's not a single character that annoys me (1 borderline). The battle system is interesting. Formations and stuff fly over my head, but it's whatever.

06 - Persona series (Persona 5 Royal)

It's about time this got on the list and truth be told it's really just P5R. I'd love for the older games to get ported to the newer consoles but whatever. I've seen enough of the older games to know that I would like them. Probably not as much as Trails, but it's there.

07 - Ninja Gaiden series (Ninja Gaiden 1)
08 - Nioh series
09 - Devil May Cry series (Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition)
10 - Assassin's Creed 2 series (Specifically Ezio series)
Not much else to say on this list.

01 - Street Fighter III 3rd Strike
02 - Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
03 - Street Fighter x Tekken
04 - Guilty Gear XXACR+
05 - Guilty Gear Xrd Rev2
06 - Ultra Street Fighter 4
07 - Tekken 7
08 - Marvel vs Capcom 2
09 - Dragon Ball Fighterz
10 - King of Fighters 13

01 - Street Fighter III 3rd Strike

02 - BlazBlue Central Fiction
It was just a matter of time. All I've been playing lately has been BlazBlue and have been enjoying every minute of it despite getting my ass handed to me in trials (and this is just trials). Haven't even gotten to the point of playing against other people yet (unfortunately, no PC yet)

03 - Ultra Street Fighter 4
04 - Guilty Gear X2 Accent Core +R
05 - Street Fighter x Tekken
06 - Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
07 - Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2

08 - Street Fighter 5 Championship Edition
I've had a renewed interest in this game. I like where the game is now. It's tough to say if I have a character or not but I'm eyeballing Karin (of course), Ken and Zeku, but from what I can remember the game is fun and what I mean when I say the game is fun, I'm specifically talking about the game play (that's across everything I play). I'm not talking about how a game runs online. I'm talking specifically if I pick a character and push some buttons, I enjoy what they do. Did Capcom dumb it down from USF4, you better believe they did, but that's in response to all the complaining people did in USF4. So there's no more FADCs, but because this Street Fighter is a more aggressive Street Fighter is the reason I have fun with it. I do wish they left certain things alone (throw loops, unblockables, etc), but in the end it turned out to be a fine game.

09 - GranBlue Fantasy Versus
The simplest of simplest games to pickup and play. I've been using this game as a stepping stone to helping helping me develop footsies and work on my neutral.

10 - Street Fighter Alpha 3
Yeah, my nephew helped me rediscover my love for the Alpha games. Cody and Karin all day.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Nice picks.

For some of those series, I can chime in on my own favorites:

Halo: Reach- This is an unpopular opinion but I honestly believe it has the best campaign mode in the entire series, with all levels being genuinely good. There isn't a single bad or sub-par level in this game, and the lack of Flood is only a bonus.

Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition- I recently got DMC5SE for the PS5, so this may change, but I have such a strong attachment to this game and it's combat. While DMC4 did bring even more layers of depth to the combat, I largely prefer the weapons from DMC3 as well as other more horror-themed tone to it's world and enemy design. Taking my own personal bias out of the equation, though, DMC5 is definitely the best overall game in the series.

Ninja Gaiden Black- It's my favorite version of the first game and still my personal favorite action game of all time.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons (2D Zelda)- I'm counting these as one game since technically the true ending to either requires you to play through both. These to me are the pinnacle of the top-down style gameplay of 2D Zelda games with arguably the best puzzles and some of the best dungeons in the entire franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (3D Zelda)- Yes, I know how popular it is to turn on thus game these days. I'll fully admit that there have been better games since this one. But when it comes to personal taste, this game still holds the most value for me, and I'd argue it actually holds up a lot better than I think some people realize, especially with the 3DS remake.

Nioh 2- Both games are pretty similar in quality, and while I do prefer a few aspects from the first game, I think Nioh 2 makes some small but pivotal tweaks to the combat, as well as adding more enemy variety, to keep the experience feeling just that little bit tighter, which is why I prefer it overall.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Got bored and thought I'd try my hand at a list like this. Basically I wanted to list my favorite games from every year since I was born. I'll try to stick to one per year but will list more if I basically think it's a tie. I also intend to cheat a little bit and list a later re-release of a game for a different year if I think that's the best version (but also sneakily to avoid having to exclude it from another year with very strong contenders). Anyways, here goes....

1989- Ninja Gaiden (NES)

1990- Super Mario World (SNES)

1991- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

1992- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis)

1993- Mega Man X (SNES)

1994- Super Metroid (SNES)

1995- Yoshi's Island (SNES); Donkey Cong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)

1996- Super Mario 64 (N64); Metal Slug (Neo Geo); probably Quake takes it definitively if I ever get around to beating it

1997- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1); Star Fox 64 (N64)

1998- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

1999- Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (Arcade)

2000- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64); Paper Mario (N64)

2001- Max Payne (XBOX), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons (GBC);

2002- Resident Evil Remake (GC); Metroid Prime (GC); The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC)

2003- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (XBOX)

2004- Ninja Gaiden (XBOX); Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2)

2005- Resident Evil 4 (GC); Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PS2)

2006- F.E.A.R. (XBOX 360); Yes, the PC version from the prior year is obviously going to be superior, but this is the version that I'm familiar with and it's still excellent

2007- The Orange Box (XBOX 360)

2008- Ninja Gaiden II (XBOX 360)

2009- Bayonetta (XBOX 360)

2010- Vanquish (XBOX 360); Alan Wake (XBOX 360)

2011- Sonic Generations (XBOX 360)

2012- Darksiders 2 (XBOX 360); To be honest, this is a bit of a stretch as I didn't necessarily love the game, but I honestly didn't play many other games from this year and what I did play to completion either disappointed me or left a lot to be desired

2013- The Wonderful 101 (Wii U); The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)

2014- Bayonetta 2 (Wii U)

2015- Bloodborne (PS4)

2016- Titanfall 2 (XBOX ONE)

2017- Super Mario Odyssey (NS)

2018- Dragon Ball FighterZ (PS4)

2019- Devil May Cry 5 (PS4); Resident Evil 2 Remake (PS4)

2020- Nioh 2 (PS4)

2021- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (PS4); Again, I just didn't play much from this year so consider this a placeholder (though I do really enjoy this game for what it is), but I'm sure Metroid Dread would easily take it once I finally get around to playing it

2022- Tunic (XBOX Series X); Signalis (XBOX Series X)

2023- Hi-Fi Rush (XBOX Series X); Resident Evil 4 Remake (XBOX Series X)

[Mustang]

I wouldn't be able to do a list like that. There would be a lot of blank spaces. I do have a list coming though. I just bought Bayonetta 1-3 on the Switch and still have to get through the God of War games as well as the Nier games. So I got some adjustments to make. Fighting games will be on it and whatnot. Guess it'll be a definitive type of list in a way.

[Mustang]

This could change at any time because my current mindset. FGC stuff kind of ruining moods and whatnot. Getting fed up with the community, but as of right now this is what my list at the moment.

01 - Street Fighter 3rd Strike / Ultra Street Fighter 4
It's about time I put this back in. The seperate list is mainly because it seems like fighting games will never be able to get into anything other than it's own category and, even if they did make a goaty list, it's always SF2. Anyway, Street Fighter has always been the #1 for me. It's also here to show that fighting games are first and foremost. I've spoken on both 3rd Strike and Ultra Street Fighter 4 so many times. I've even repeated how it was USF4 that got me into 3rd Strike (although it was Super Street Fighter 4: Arcade Edition at the time). There's really not much else for me to say. I do have a couple things, though. I don't hate it, but it feels strange seeing people say they like 3rd Strike today (especially on the media side of things) considering the amount of hate it got back then. Like, if you were to tell me you like USF4 I'd understand because of the resurgence that it did at the time. Hearing people say they like 3rd Strike almost feels like they're trying to be hip for some reason, like they're obligated to like it. It's weird. And then I'm seeing a lot more hate for USF4. I understand people have their issues with the game, but to call USF4 a bad game? Really now. It's subjective in the end, but lets be real. How often did you run into a Vortex character? There were more Ryu's than Akuma's. That's a fact. There were more Ken's than Ibuki's. Hell, I'd argue you would see more Balrogs, Bisons, and Sagats over most as well. The only legit Vortex I'll give you are Cammy (and Akuma, he is still a shoto)

02 - Metal Gear Solid 5/4
As I get older, I am starting to accept games for what they are (sort of). That being said, I'm leaning towards Metal Gear Solid 5 as my favorite. Anytime a game basically dumps you out on a playground and tell you "have fun" I'm for it, and MGS5 basically does that, does it so, to the point where I'm like "damn the story. I'm here just to play and have fun with the game". I will almost tell you that the story drags the game down, but because Kojima was rushed, and whatnot, well, we know the story. And then there's MGS4. I don't care what people say. Yes, Kojima is full of himself with these cutscenes but dammit, I love them. An hour worth of cutscenes and all. Screw you, it's still Metal Gear.

03 - Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/ Majora's Mask
Of course, Tears will be here (once I get to it) considering what I've been hearing about this game.

04 - Ghost of Tsushima
So what happened for this to suddenly skyrocket up the list. First and foremost, I love all things samurai. It is my favorite genre (martial arts is right behind) in everything. I find the culture and history fascinating. No the combat is nowhere near as good as Ninja Gaiden or DMC, but it's good enough to keep me engaged. If I actually pay attention to story I'd prefer, but the presentation is where it's at for me. It's no God of War, but I like it. The characters are not Dante and Vergil (no one will ever compare to them outside of Sephiroth) but they don't have to be. Speaking of characters though, it's been a long time since I've been able to relate (even if its just a small bit) to a character. The last character I found myself relating to was Squall in Final Fantasy 8 and back then I was going through a phase, let alone getting over grief. Now I find myself relating to Jin a little bit. No where near the most exciting guy in the room, but does enough to stand out in his own way. Open world is a plus. Very long. Got my money's worth, and plus some. The exact same reason I had Batman: Arkham City listed at one point is the same reason. Anger management. Having a bad day? Pop the game on and cut some fools up or just take in the scenery. Drip factor as well. The clothes look good. I wish I could color them myself, but it's all good.  Is it perfect? Absolutely not (Few hiccups and glitches here and there). Haven't had any crashes or whatever. But it's the perfect single player experience for me.
 
05 - Guilty Gear XX: Accent Core Plus R
06 - BlazBlue: Central Fiction / Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
07 - Trails of Cold Steel 4
08 - Persona 5

09 and 10 are open spots.

Honorable Mentions
Ninja Gaiden
Devil May Cry 3 / Devil May Cry 4
Nioh
These games still have a shot to get on, but I have a backlog that consists of Nioh 2, Tears of the Kingdom, God of War 2018/Ragnarok, Nier Automata/Replicant, Bayonetta 1-3 as of right now, and I still have other fighting games that I have to get to as well. On top of that there are a few potential's right out the gate next year and I'm playing catch up on the Switch (I don't have it yet, but Astral Chain is on my list to get along with Fire Emblem Three Houses). I won't dwell on it too much but the gist of it is the type of games I've been gravitating towards lately. These are still great games but at this moment I want more in my games. I don't necessarily need a story, but if I'm captivated by it, that's a plus. Ninja Gaiden is still king when it comes to combat, and Devil May Cry 4 is the flashiest of them all, but like Vergil, "I NEED MORE POWER", but in my case, I just need more. It don't necessarily have to be open world, but if you can make it feel like it then that's better for me. Presentation is also whatever, but it ties in with story, but together with okay combat, and an attempt at customizing, well you see why the God of War's has a shot lol (on top of why Ghosts is in). Nioh is here because it could be a placeholder for Nioh 2. Nioh is probably the outlier to be honest. Team Ninja has proven that they can compete with anybody when it comes to combat, but everything else is lacking. I've had way more fun trying to fight the human size enemies than the giant demons (Rise of the Ronin is on high alert)

So what's happening here? What's going on to see such games that I've once held to such a high standard fall off? Games like Shenmue, Halo, and Mass Effect (although, ME is a different case) I once held as the pinnacle of games fallen to not being mentioned at all. Well, a couple of things. 1 My love for fighting games. 2 I'm not one that bases things off of nostalgia (If I did, you'd see games like Rock n Roll Racing, Saturday Slam Masters, Snake Rattle and Roll and Goldeneye007 since I have more fond memories of those games) or what influenced what. I'm all about can I still play and enjoy the way I want to here and now (be it retro or modern, I don't care. If I have access to something that lets me play it on what I currently have then I'd probably have something entirely different). That being said, retro has no chance LOL. Nah, let me be more precise. JRPG's from the SNES-Genesis days are the only games that have a chance. Halo on the other hand needs to do 1 thing and I'd be back on board. Go over the shoulder. I don't hate FPS's but I can't play nor watch them anymore. They cause me to get vertigo and weird headaches to the point where it's hard for me to deal with them, so it's more of a me problem. Now for Mass Effect. I loved Mass Effect. That crew was awesome. I didn't care about the ending. Hell, I barely had the guts to play through the last portion of ME2 because I didn't want to see it end. What happened? An-freakin-dromeda happened. This one game was probably the biggest disappointment I've ever came across in my life. This big disappointment caused the biggest gaming funk I'd ever go through. From the time Andromeda came out to about March of this year, I was in a funk with games. Other stuff happened of course, but Andromeda was definitely the start of everything (It took for Spider-Man and Miles Morales to break me out of it which I played earlier this year, but I wouldn't say I'm fully out of it either). That's a long ass funk lol.