Favorite Games Ever (Besides Ninja Gaiden, Obviously)

[Foggle]

It could be a Wii-U shot since it has WAY better video output than the Wii did.

I didn't think about that. It actually up-rezes Wii games like a blu-ray player does to DVDs? I use a component cable on my Wii since it doesn't do HDMI, and the games look pretty good, but there's still lots of aliasing.

Not a bad list, but I still really didn't like Fallout 3. I think Borderlands pretty much did everything I wanted from it.

I can see preferring Borderlands to Fallout 3 (I do as well), but they're pretty different games IMO.

SMG2 was very nearly #1. I basically used nostalgia as a tie breaker to give MM the spot, as I go way back with that game. I know people might take issue to "letting nostalgia get in the way" like that. But I don't see a problem with it, especially if you like two games 100% evenly and feel the need to use a tiebreaker of some sort.

Nostalgia isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you have recent experiences to back it up. Wind Waker and R&C1 have humongous nostalgic value for me, but they still hold up perfectly whenever I play them. Meanwhile, revisiting Rareware's N64 platformers proved my nostalgia could lie to me in certain cases.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Since I play my Wii-U on an SDTV (mostly the gamepad, actually) I haven't seen much difference but it looks much clearer picture-wise, and I assume it would look sharper on an HDTV. Next time you get to play a Wii-U on an HDTV set try a Wii game.

As for Fallout 3... I didn't really have any fun with it. The combat was total jank (and busted), the missions were boring, and the story didn't go anywhere. The humor was also not very funny. As a full package they might be different, but Borderlands blew past all my problems with Fallout 3 that shouldn't have been there in the first place. But if talon likes it, then good on him since clearly a lot of people also did.

[Foggle]

Since I play my Wii-U on an SDTV (mostly the gamepad, actually) I haven't seen much difference but it looks much clearer picture-wise, and I assume it would look sharper on an HDTV. Next time you get to play a Wii-U on an HDTV set try a Wii game.

I've played Brawl with John on his Wii-U, but that doesn't really tell me much of anything since I never played that game much on the Wii in the first place, so I didn't notice a difference. Will probably have to wait until I get one for myself to truly know. Between Pikmin 3, W101, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Wind Waker HD, it's already shaping up to have a better than average first year, so it's becoming more tantalizing by the month. Once there's a significant price drop, I think I'll go for it.

The combat was total jank (and busted), the missions were boring, and the story didn't go anywhere. The humor was also not very funny.

I agree with you; that's why I played it as a stealth-based lootin' n murderin' survival simulator (New Vegas was far better in the latter regard). In Bethesda games, you pretty much have to make your own fun. They're very good in a sandbox-y way, but not as traditional games.

[talonmalon333]

Great list. I REALLY want to play some classic RE and Silent Hill games, one of these days.

I always forget you haven't played much RE outside of 4. You seem like you have a decent amount of RE knowledge (but if I remember correctly, the actual reason is that you've actually seen a great deal of footage on those games).

But anyway, you said one time you'd like to borrow your brother's PS2 or something, right? That's all you really need for Silent Hill. SH1 is for the PS1 (therefore playable on the PS2) and 2 and 3 are on the PS2. Silent Hill 2 and 3 were re-released in an HD pack on the PS3 and 360, but I highly recommend against it. Because, being that those HD consoles are so powerful, Konami thought it would be a good idea to completely remove the fog in those games, thinking that they no longer need to "hide the lack of graphical power". What they didn't realize is that the fog was a massive part of those game's atmosphere, and it doesn't feel nowhere near as good without it. It's something you'd have to see, but the game is no longer the same, and it just damages the immersion so much.

Not a bad list, but I still really didn't like Fallout 3.

I think, for me, I just really loved the world of Fallout 3 so much. And I enjoyed being a part of it. The central story was good, but the reason it works is because you write the story yourself, essentially. And I liked the combat enough, as well as the humor. I actually took screenshots of various points in my playthrough, and it feels like a photo album.

Nostalgia isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as you have recent experiences to back it up. Wind Waker and R&C1 have humongous nostalgic value for me, but they still hold up perfectly whenever I play them. Meanwhile, revisiting Rareware's N64 platformers proved my nostalgia could lie to me in certain cases.

That about sums it up. And I do have recent experience with MM. So I just used that nostalgia to rank it at #1, as a sign of respect even though I honestly like both games the same. You can just pretend my #1 spot was a tie between SMG2 and MM, cause that's really what it was.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Being that I've always said that my top 10 list is constantly changing, here's how it is for me right now, based on my current gaming interests (and in honor of my last list on this thread, I'm making it a top 12):

12. Rocket Knight Adventures



This one just took me by surprise. I swear that I had never even heard of it before Derek did his HVGN video or this game, but man, once I tried this thing out I became a fan for life. It's sad that Sparkster didn't become a household name the way that other platforming icons such as Mario, Sonic, and Donkey Kong did, but at least he has a game that can match up to any of the best in the business. On that note, this edged out Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles for me by just a little bit, but really I like both games just about as much as each other.

11. Halo: Combat Evolved



Now, I have stated that I think Reach has the best campaign mode in the entire series, and I still hold true to that. However, there's really only that one level in this game that I don't like, and I'm sure you can all guess what it is. What really gives this game the edge over Reach for me, though, is that it delivers on both the single-player AND multiplayer front. Online or not, the multiplayer in this game is still excellent, and IMO holds up just as well as Halo 2's multiplayer does, albeit for different reasons. I think Reach really dropped the all on the multiplayer component of things, which doesn't bother me that much since I'm not much of a multiplayer guy to begin with, but considering that previous Halo games had mutiplayer so good as to actually get someone like me hooked on that aspect of them, I definitely have to say that Combat Evolved is still my favorite game in the series to this day.

10. Mega Man X



Admittedly, my experience with the Mega Man series is still very limited. But, I think it's safe for me to say that I probably won't find any games in the franchise that can surpass this one. This game is excellent as both a platformer and an action game, and to me this is honestly the most appealing Mega Man game. Others can be a bit too challenging for their own good to the point of being a bit off-putting, while some just have so-so level design. I really think that Mega Man X has the perfect formula for everything, and the entire game is just executed as close to flawlessly as humanly possible.

9. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons



Hands down my favorite 2D Zelda game. What I've played of Minish Cap is great, but it doesn't quite stack up to these games, IMO, and while I respect the old-school Zelda games a lot, I just couldn't get into a lot of the early ones that much, including the original two games on the NES as well as A Link to the Past and Link's Awakening. It wasn't really until these gems came out together that I truly understood the appeal of a fully realized 2D Zelda game, and although they are separate titles, I do really count these as one giant adventure, hence why I rank it as one game. If I had to pick between the two, it would be hard since they each have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, however I find that Seasons generally has stronger gameplay and level design, whereas Ages has a much richer story and over-world, so in the end they are pretty close to an equal level of quality. If Ocarina of Time didn't exist, these would most certainly rank as my favorite Zelda game of all time.

8. Resident Evil 4



This is one of the few games ever in which I went into it was a lot of hype surrounding it, and still came out of it completely blown away. Granted that, it's not the type of game that you'd realize you really love right away. It starts out slow, and takes some time to get used to, but man is this one of the most expertly crafted games I've ever played. I would say that this should be ranked as one of the top 5 most quint-essential games to be used as an educational tool for good game design, because when you get down to it, every element of this game that truly excels only does so because of tremendously professional execution in its design. The atmosphere is also incredibly effective, and the game just works whether you're a Resident Evil fan or not (take it from someone who still has yet to play any other RE games). I'll definitely try the classic games, someday, but as good as some of those may be, I doubt that any of them will hook me quite as much as this game did.

7. Max Payne



Excellent gameplay. Excellent story. And, I honestly never had any problems with the controls; some dumb-ass on some other board once said that the controls in this game hadn't aged well. The writing and voice-acting are among the best I've ever seen in a video game, with the serious aspects of the story and characters coming off near perfectly, and the intentionally cheesy stuff being legitimately funny. There really isn't too much else to say about this game other than the fact that I just love it. I can't explain my love for it as well as some other games, but sometimes you don't need to be able to explain it. If the game just "works for you," then that in and of itself is very telling of its quality.

6. F.E.A.R.



Hands down the best FPS ever made. Despite being a popular title in its day, it has slowly become more and more forgotten by gamers, thanks in no small part to the over-saturation of FPS games from last-gen. I also hate when people criticize that this game is not scary and call it a mediocre FPS for that (yet another reason why I can't stand Sage from Blistered Thumbs). Those people are missing the point. This game nails down both atmosphere, and something else that most FPS games seem to just forget is really such an important element of the genre, and that's actually having good gun-play. So many other games in the genre these days are fixated on having you either mow down weak enemies to feel like a bad-ass, or have tons of scripted events to make the gameplay seem more sophisticated. A game like F.E.A.R. has superbly intelligent enemies that really act like how you might at least expect a highly skilled gunman to act: which is to say that they actually fucking shoot back at you. They take cover, try to flank you, and will also do their best to not fall for your tricks, so you can't just take out your opposition with really simple strategies. The slow-mo mechanic is also used really well in this game, and while it was far from anything original as a gameplay mechanic, this is one of the few games aside from Max Payne to actually know how to pull it off right AND not make it feel completely overpowered at the same time. Really, this game just gets everything right for me. The story isn't anything spectacular on the level of BioShock, but its competent enough, and really I've always stated that I'm a guy who's about gameplay over everything, and this game really nails that down.

5. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (Special Edition)



Yes, Kamiya may have started the series (and the hack n' slash genre) with the original DMC, and hey, I think that's a fantastic game that still holds up to this day. It also has the best level design in the series. That said, I came to realize just how much I love excellent combat in an action/adventure game, and DMC3 was the first game to really trump the original in that aspect. And on top of that, I don't care what anyone else says, I like most of the enemies and bosses in this game. People go on about how the original DMC game's enemy design was so spectacular, and it is, but if we're going to play that game, then Ninja Gaiden Black/Sigma has even more interesting enemy design, IMO. As for DMC3, though, the enemies are a bit more simplistic, but by no means are they dull or boring to fight. They can get rather aggressive on the higher difficulty settings, and it take more than just recognizing one or two of their attack patterns to get good at fighting most of them .If anything, the only bad enemies in this game are the ones that are too frustratingly hard, but once again, that only comes into play on the harder difficulty settings. And speaking of level design, with the exception that the last quarter of the game recycles a bunch of locations, I think that the levels look great and really inspired, and the level design itself is actually pretty decent for the most part (not as lazily slapped together as DMC4's environments were, for sure). And, this is also my favorite version of Dante in the series. While it'll raise some red flags against me, Kamiya's version of Dante was a bit flat as a character despite some decent humor (really, its the same for Bayonetta as well), DMC4 Dante gets shadowed by Nero getting way more exposure in DMC4, and the less said about DMC2 Dante, the better. Also, DmC Dante is just a punk, and there's really nothing else to his character. I think that DMC3 Dante had the right combination of being just so insane that he was fun, yet at the same time he had an honorable side to him that came into play with his more serious confrontations. Also, Vergil is hands down the best villain in the DMC series, and screw the people who say that Mundus was the best boss fight in the entire series. I think the final fight with Vergil easily takes the cake in that department. Really, though, I could go on and on about DMC3, so I'll just stop. The bottom line is that this is by far my favorite game in the series, and this is easily one of the best games in my favorite video game genre.

4. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest



I'm starting to get tired of typing so much, but thankfully I don't need to explain why this game is on my list. Everyone on this board knows its one of the best games ever made, so that saves me the trouble of having to go through each and every reason why.

3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time



To me, this is the pinnacle of everything that appeals to ME (and ME specifically) about the Zelda series. For me, this game has the best dungeon design in the series, the best boss fights in the series (OK, I haven't played any 3D Zelda games past The Wind Waker yet, so cut me some slack here), the best gameplay "gimmick" in the series, the best music in the series (if you disagree, then tough shit, that's my opinion), the 2nd best story in the series (I'll give Majora's Mask its dues, here), and it pretty much has the best compilation of my favorite enemies in the series. It also introduced some of the most essential and useful gear for 3D Zelda games. To me, this game was so insanely popular for a very good reason, and i still find it to be the best game in the series that I have played. Its really the first Zelda game that I truly got into, so without it, I wouldn't even be a fan of the series.

2. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island



Before anything, I must say this: Fuck Jeff Gerstmann! As someone who genuinely loves Super Mario World, I think this is definitely a better platformer than that game, whether it was labeled as a sequel to that game or not. I would go on about how I love everything about this game, but I'd just be repeating what I said about the other games, at this point. Let me put it this way: you know all of those great things I used to describe the excellent execution of all of the other games in this list? Well, basically just apply that to this game, except ten-fold.

1. Ninja Gaiden Black



Yeah, I'm done explaining this one by this point in time (also, partly because I don't want to type anymore). I really don't think that anyone else is going to bother playing this game, besides those of you who already have, so there's really not point in going into anymore detail here. I will just say that, contrary to my previous entries, this game actually (surprisingly) does NOT have the best execution of everything. This game is also, however, the perfect example of a game that is worth WAY, WAY, WAY more than the sum of its parts. While many other games are great because of how well they execute each and every aspect of their make-up, this game is great for its assembly of so many engaging aspects into one amazing overall package. And, that's really all I'll say about it. If any of you are the least it curious about it, then go give the game a serious shot for yourself. Maybe it might not be your cup of tea, but I know that I certainly have yet to play a game that just downright feels like it was made specifically for me. And, that's essentially why I love this game so much. It's the difference between what makes a game one of the best games of all time from what makes a game my favorite, and this game is certainly my personal favorite game that I have ever played.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I really think you'll dig the Mega Man Zero series. I know you're tired of hearing that by this point, but if you're a fan of Mega Man X (and the first 4 games as well as X8 are great) and hack n' slash games then you'll probably have a ball.

Anyway, I bet anyone here could guess my top 10 (or 12) by now since I constantly talk about my favorites all the time in this thread. My gaming habits are fairly predictable.

[talonmalon333]

Great list, E-K. I actually would've expected your #2 Zelda to be Wind Waker. However, it's always nice to see a fan of Oracle of Seasons and Ages. They are perhaps the most overlooked games in the series, but I really do think they are equal to the best 2D Zelda has to offer.

Also, Spark, I'd be interested in seeing your list. It can't be much more predictable than mine.

I was considering adding two more games to extend my list to a top 12 as well. But I couldn't decide, so here are just a few honorable mentions. Games that could've made it.


The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
A step down from the N64 games in my opinion, alongside Wind Waker. But it's still a tier 2 Zelda game, which is easily enough to make it deserve a mention. Great gameplay, level design, story, atmosphere, etc.


Resident Evil 4
Don't need to comment on this one. Refer to E-K's post on why it's so good. Belongs in the "100 Games to Play Before You Die" book if that ever gets made.


Dragon Seeds
Probably the most obscure game this forum will ever see. Funny enough however, it's a childhood favorite of mine, and I happen to think it holds up very well today. Good rock-paper-scissors gameplay and phenomenal soundtrack.


Super Metroid
Easily my favorite in the series. Everyone knows why it's a classic. In fact, thinking about it gets me wanting to pick it up again for another go.

I might also consider mentioning another obscure childhood classic, King's Field (known as King's Field II in Japan), which was a spiritual predecessor to Demon's Souls (I guess......?). It's not a personal favorite, as it has aged a lot (the gameplay is quite sluggish and the 3D graphics are primitive). But it has to be the most atmospheric game I've ever played thanks to the visuals and sound/music. If it were to get a perfect remake, retaining this atmosphere, while improving the gameplay, it could potentially be the best game ever to me.

[VLordGTZ]

Here's my top 10:
10.  Halo Reach
9.  Bayonetta
8.  Fire Emblem: Awakening
7.  Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
6.  Metroid Prime
5. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
4. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
3. Donkey Kong Country 2
2. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2

Honorable Mentions:
Xenoblade Chronicles
Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Ninja Gaiden Black
Rayman Origins

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Since you guys are all doing it, here are (some of) my honorable mentions:

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Super Mario World
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
Ninja Gaiden II (XBOX360)
Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Soul Calibur
Soul Calibur II
Dead Or Alive 2 Ultimate
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Jet Set Radio Future
Halo: Reach
Mega Man X 2
Sega Soccer Slam
SSX Tricky
NBA Street Vol. 2
Star Fox 64
Alan Wake

And, I can keep going on, but I'll stop with that.

As you can see, there are a shit-ton of games that I like.

10.  Halo Reach

This easily has the best solo campaign mode of any Halo game, IMO. It's short, but it's incredibly replay-able, and there's not a single bad level in the whole game (even Combat Evolved has an atrocious level with The Library). I also think that this game has some of the best music in the series, as well.

Honorable Mentions:
Ninja Gaiden Black

Glad to see yet another Ninja Gaiden fan on this board!

[Spark Of Spirit]

1. Super Mario Bros. 3
2. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
3. Mega Man X
4. OutRun 2
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
6. Shinobi III
7. Double Dragon Advance
8. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
9. Contra NES
10. Yoshi's Island
11. Donkey Kong Country 2
12. Sonic The Hedgehog CD
13. Mario Kart Double Dash!!
14. Super Monkey Ball
15. Rocket Knight Adventures
16. Gunstar Heroes
17. Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
18. Klonoa
19. Viewtiful Joe
20. GUN*NAC

I tried to mix it up that time, but it's still not very surprising.

[Foggle]

Since it's never coming out in the west, I've been watching this guy's gameplay of Yakuza 5. Apparently, he wants to practice his English, so he interprets the cutscenes out loud and explains some things about Japanese culture and society. It's really cool! I've actually learned some things from it.

One awesome thing about this game that most people probably wouldn't notice is that you can read full chapters of manga at the shop's magazine rack, including Hajime no Ippo, Attack on Titan, and Kaiji.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

One awesome thing about this game that most people probably wouldn't notice is that you can read full chapters of manga at the shop's magazine rack, including Hajime no Ippo, Attack on Titan, and Kaiji.

Man, fuck GTAV! Yakuza 5 is where it's at!

[Foggle]

One awesome thing about this game that most people probably wouldn't notice is that you can read full chapters of manga at the shop's magazine rack, including Hajime no Ippo, Attack on Titan, and Kaiji.

Man, fuck GTAV! Yakuza 5 is where it's at!

That's what I keep saying, but Sega won't listen to folks like me! Really, though, nothing against GTA - I'll definitely pick it up before too long - but I'd much rather have Yakuza 5. Apparently the franchise was killed overseas by poor sales for the crappy zombie spin-off nobody wanted (because that totally reflects the demand for the main series). 1-4 didn't do gangbusters, but they sold well enough to justify the localizations and make Sega some money; Dead Souls bombed hard enough to cause Sega USA to lay off key members of the Yakuza localization staff. Of The End indeed.

[Spark Of Spirit]

They should have done Kenzan instead of the zombie one.

They just should have. 

[Foggle]

Agreed. Kenzan is one of the finest samurai games ever made. I'm not too sour about it at this point, though; you can watch every single cutscene and story dialogue with English subtitles on YouTube, there is a very comprehensive guide on GameFAQs, and imports of Kenzan's "PS3 The Best" re-release won't run you more than $25. It's a bit annoying having to pause the game and use a computer to watch the story scenes, but it's worth it in the long run.

The aforementioned translator is planning on subbing Yakuza 5 ASAP, while the guy who made the FAQ has already started writing one for it. They are truly amazing human beings and I love them with all my heart. Even if Sega refuses to do it themselves, the western fanbase is awesome, and will find a way to make it available for all English-speakers. Y5 is getting a The Best re-release this December for around $30, so I went ahead and pre-ordered a copy. Thank god the PS3 isn't region-locked.

And before you get on me for helping kill Yakuza in America, I did my part! I bought Dead Souls on release to support the series.