Top five favourite games of all time, And WHY Options

[Dr Strum]

Simple. Post your top five favourite games of all time (Riviera is implied since you're here, so avoid listing it), and WHY they are your favorite games.

Mine (unordered):

• Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (GEN)
  I loved the first Sonic, and then this one came along and blew it away. Faster Sonic, larger, more diverse levels, bigger bosses and multiplayer. One of the earliest games I remember playing as well.
• Frequency (PS2)
  A music game, although Frequency is really indescribable. But any game that can put me into a trance with fast, rhythmic button mashing, beautiful visuals and great sound is a good game (and the multiplayer was insane).
• Advance Wars (GBA)
  My first Turn Based Stratey game, and probably one of the most balanced strategy games I've ever played. Great animation, likeable characters, some really difficult gameplay, and fun music makes for a game I keep playing, years after its release, and the release of the not-as-good sequels.
• Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons (GBC)
  Not my first Zelda, but the first one(s) I beat. I collected every ring, every weapon, every heartpiece and beat EVERY mini-game in Seasons and Ages. The bosses were fun, the puzzles were great (and many of the Ages puzzles involving lots of time travelling were downright maddening), and if you beat one game, you can link it up to the other to continue and get a different final boss. To COMPLETELY beat it, you had to play through each game four times (eg, eight times total). Hmm, maybe I oughta' go play through again...
• Feel the Magic: XY/XX (DS)
  A recent game, sure, but I spent months on this game. I beat normal mode the night I got it, but it took me a few months to finish hard mode, and I only finished hell mode a few weeks ago (more than a year after its release). Still haven't filled up all the games in Maniac... But, I can't wait for the sequel (coming out on Valentine's Day <3).

[Irysa]

lol, huge change.

Silent Hill 2

Mind boggling experience. This was my first Silent Hill game, and I can honestly say, this is one of those games that I feel extremely comfortable with calling art. The story and the way it unfolds is genius, the music is moving and atmospheric, the terror it creates is extremely unique, and the graphics are amazing. I honestly find it difficult to express what I loved about this game, because everything fits together so well.

Valkyrie Profile 2

A recommendation by Rhia, turned out to be one of the best purchases I've made in a very long time. The battle system is extraordinarily distinctive, the platforming/puzzle solving of the dungeons brings back many fond memories of old platformers ( although the difficulty can be frustrating ) and although in some ways, the story is badly paced, the ending is delightfully bittersweet and remorseful. The music as well, by one of my favourite VG composers, ranks very highly. The voice acting and graphics are both superb as well. (LEZARD <3!!!)

I also compliment it for being very streamlined. There is little wasting of time in Towns and the world map discussing irrelevant story hooks, as almost everything important happens inside of dungeons, making it a a throwback to the old school style of dungeon crawling.

Devil May Cry 3

How can I put this. The best hack and slash game ever made? Of course, DMC4 is likely to top that.
The sheer levels of freedom in this game to do what you want with the way you fight is absurd. It is incredibly slick and rewarding to pull off any of the combos, and the variety in how to play is reflected in the many weapons ( which can be swapped on the fly, for massive combos ), multiple styles ( all of which are independent and add their own level of play to the game ), and the insane difficulty level. After beating this game, the feeling of euphoria overcame me, and I can only imagine what it would be like on Dante Must Die mode.

Half Life 2

Holllllyyyy shit. Where to start. Although the story for this game has been oft done before, the cinematic level of presentation in this game is mind boggling. The physics engine ( Source ) is one of the best engineered systems I've seen PC developers ever come up with, as it is incredibly efficient and versatile, and still looks very pretty. The diversity of the levels, ingenuity of the physics, and the unforgettable epic moments ( Strider fights. X_X )...Valve outdid themselves on this series.

Homeworld Cataclysm

A sort of stand alone expansion to Homeworld, a critically acclaimed RTS title, despite not being made by Relic themselves, outdid the sequel and the original. The gameplay has been streamlined down, and more realistic limitations on your fleet size have been imposed. Your Mothership evolves as the story progresses, the ships are all varied and serve many individual and useful purposes. The graphics are incredibly detailed, and it is amazing how enjoyable it is to simply sit and watch your units engage in full scale 3d space battles.
The story and voice acting are absoloutely top notch. Whilst the burning rage against the Taidani that fueled my playthrough of the original Homeworld was not there, The Beast served to make me fear and empathize with the Somtaaw, in their impossible fight against an enemy within themselves. In some ways, it could be called a real time strategy with some influences from the survival horror genre.



Other notable games ( from different series's ) would include Pokemon Silver, Metal Gear Solid 3, Resident Evil 2, Baldur's Gate II, Rayman 2, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, Spyro 3, Crash Bandicoot 2, Final Fantasy VIII, Riviera, The Wind Waker, Super Metroid and Deus Ex.

This post has been edited by Irysa: Jan 21 2008, 10:07 PM