My list is console heavy as I didn’t get a computer until way late in the scheme of things. I started off with games I loved and played so much I played them to death or games that had the most influence on my gaming history, followed by games I liked a lot, in no particular order, descending into games I mostly just remember playing. I could spend the rest of the day rearranging the order, but here it is:
World of Warcraft (PC): Has to be #1 - my first online game. I started playing a few month before the first expansion - such a new experience, wandering around, playing with other people. I was such a noob, knew nothing about stats and rotations and DPS - no pressure to “win”. It was an experience that I’ll never get to experience again.
Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past (SNES): Everyone’s favourite Zelda game. Amiright?
Super Mario Brothers 3 (NES): This felt like a gift from Nintendo just before the release of the SNES. Unbelievably great graphics. Arguably the best Mario game in the series.
Halo - Combat Evolved (Xbox): I loved this game so much. I may even dig this out tonight and play it again.
Silent Hill 2 (PS2): Loved the ending music. Probably my favourite survival horror game.
Ico (PS2): My favourite PlayStation game. Such a sweet story. My husband used to get vertigo if he watched me play.
Fire Emblem (GBA): Sword beats axe beats lance with permadeath to up the ante. My favourite turn based strategy series.
Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivian (PC): My first open world type -untold hours searching out every cave and every quest.
Space Armada (Intellivision): My introduction to console gaming as a 17 year old girl - back when it was almost true that girls didn’t pay video games (and probably where the addiction started).
Deus Ex (PS2): A classic of its type, installed several time on PC since.
Portal (Xbox): Someone else said this is a perfect game! I agree.
Mario Bros. (NES): Just imagine a game where you got 3 lives. When you died 3 times, you started over from the beginning. Talk about replay value!
System Shock 2 (PC): My first FPS with mouse and keyboard. I was so nervous I accidently threw my weapon on the ground whenever a monster got near me throughout the game. I don’t think I finished it. A Steam version sits un-played in my backlog.
Myst II - Riven (PS1): This was the first game I bought for my brand new PS1 because I didn’t have a computer and wanted to try Myst. I couldn’t believe a video game could look so beautiful.
Half Life (PS2): Another game I couldn’t wait to play. Didn’t disappoint. Well, except the last level. I’ve played through on PC a few times since and never bother with the last level.
Fire Emblem (3DS): Did I say I love this series. They are all the same game pretty much, but still…
Advance Wars – GBA: Fire Emblem with guns.
Yoshi’s Island (SNES): My mom played this when she was in her 60’s and was so pleased with herself that she “won”. She only managed to get through the first level. Now I.m approaching my 60’s… that’s so weird to think of.
Katamary Damacy (PS2): So this king gets drunk and loses everything in the universe. Your mission as the prince is to retrieve it all. Who thinks up this stuff?
Tetris (NES): A classic. Bet I’d be terrible at it now though.
Tetris 2 (NES): Its Tetris, but with a difference (in a good way).
Alice - Madness Returns (PC): I hear we may get a 3rd installment - here’s hoping!
Magic the Gathering 2014 (PC): My first introduction to Magic the Gathering. I still play with far-away friends regularly.
Minecraft (PC): Perfect when it was just a building game but I logged in a while ago and starved to death. Not fun anymore.
Metal Gear Solid (PS1): Snaaaaaake!
Half Life 2 (PC): What the hell was that ending about?
Bioshock (X360): Great atmosphere, great start to the series.
Fallout 3 (PC): Oblivion, many years later.
Animal Crossing - DS: Cute game with no ending - just keep helping your neighbours and paying your mortgage.
Tomb Raider - 2013 (PC): One of the instances where the reboot is more fun than the original.
Rift (PC): Has to be here - way too many hours in it and still playing.
The Walking Dead - Telltale (PC): Story driven games don’t usually affect me, but this one made me cry at the end.
Machinarium (PC): Delightful point and click puzzle game with the sweetest characters.
Silent Hill (PS1): So much atmosphere. Played this before online hints were everywhere and nobody I knew played video games - I had to figure EVERYTHING out myself.
Resident Evil 6 (PC): This wasn’t all that well received but I liked this it. Memorable for the loading screen logo which, as my co op partner pointed out, looks like someone fellating a giraffe. Can’t unsee that.
Chronicles of Riddick (Xbox): Way better than the movie!
Dead Rising (X360): Making weapons out of anything and killing hoards of zombies in ridiculous outfits - who cares about the story!
Spy Hunter (PS2): chickens!
Prince of Persia - Sands of Time (PS2): Still one of the best mechanics to restart after you die.
Pyschonauts (PS2): So much fun except for the meat circus.
Indigo Prophecy (Xbox): Great game kinda ruined by the last quarter.
Einhander (PS1): My favourite shooter of all time.
Hot Shots Golf (PS1): Where I learned why you need more than one club.
Spyro the Dragon (PS1): Loving games like this when you are an adult is kind of embarrassing. But look, cute dragons!
Portal 2 (PC): Such great commentary. Worth a replay just for that alone.
Deus Ex - Invisible War (PC): Everyone had the highest of hopes. There wasn’t a chance it could live up to that.
Resident Evil (PS1): It’s the first one. It has to be here.
Dead Island (PC):** Silly zombie killing madness, fun to play co op.**
Borderlands (PC): Funny dialogue, great for co op.
Candy Crush (Android): Sadly, too many hours on this to leave it off.
Far Cry 3 (PC): Never finished solo, but a great co op game.
Planescape Torment (PC): I know this is beloved by all, but it just an ok game for me. I only included it because I’ve reinstalled it so many times to try to figure out why people think its so great.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega): Spinney legs and rings, what’s not to love.
Devil May Cry (PS2): Button masher with the corniest story.
Amnesia (PC): Damn, this game made me tense. Why do we play games that make us feel life that?
Dark Souls (PC): YOU DIED
Eternal Darkness (GC): Best “made you jump” ever.
Dino Crisis (PS1): Dinosaurs!
Bioshock Infinite (PC): uhh… I’ve run out… I don’t know how you managed all of them Gordon_Cameron!
I started my list the last time this thread was bumped, but lost interest. @divedivedive’s challenge in the introduction thread inspired me to finish it over the weekend. I wrote comments for each entry. Comments riddled with typos, inaccuracies, and run-on sentences I’m sure, but comments none the less. Mostly, I’m into strategy games and RPGs, but also enjoy platformers, sports games, and am always down for weird indie titles. I like board games too—the dry German ones mostly—but that’s a different topic.
Civilization series [PC] – I guess I would lean IV if I must, but V had some nice quality of life improvements and I spent untold hours with II as a kid. I have not quite embraced VI, but I recall being slow to take to IV and V too.
Out of the Park Baseball series [PC] – I can lose myself absolutely in this series. The customization options are what do it for me.
XCOM series [PC] – The original had a horror element that the reboots don’t, or at least not to the same degree, but there’s no way I’m going back to the original now. The strategic layer in the new ones is so much more manageable and interesting, though I wish they would go with a hex grid for the tactical bits.
Imperialism II [PC] – I love how board gamey it is. Maybe the best designed video game I’ve ever played—every system fits so neatly together. It’s still functional after all these years, with crisp 2D graphics, a sensible UI, and a fierce AI.
Deus Ex [PC] – So here’s the thing. Deus Ex was a landmark game for me (cliché, I know). It changed my perspective for what I wanted from games, especially ones with a narrative and a quasi-open world. Trouble is, I have not played Deus Ex in years and have little faith that it has aged well. Until that replay, it sits at five.
VVVVVV [PC] – Perfect mix of insane difficulty and joyous gameplay that keeps me smiling no matter how many times I die—and my deaths are frequent. I come back to it about once a year.
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines [PC] – Sure, it goes off the rails at times, but it does so many things so well I forgive it. The haunted hotel is probably the best level / quest I have ever played; tellingly, it did not have any combat.
Super Smash Bros. series [Nintendo] – I love the simplicity of Smash Bros., from its sumo-esque combat to its control scheme. In fact, I wish more fighting games would take up a standardized control scheme for all characters. Instead of having to memorize combos for each fighter, you pretty much know all the moves for everyone immediately. The GameCube version is the one I spent the most time with and its character roster feels more balanced than the Wii version (no cheesy metal knight). Anxiously awaiting the Switch version.
Sid Meier’s Pirates! [PC] – The remake. Nothing quite like sailing around a cartoony Caribbean as a pirate, or trader, or privateer. Big world to explore, lots to do, fun mini-games (I liked the dancing just fine, thank you very much).
The Witcher 3 [PC] – Not sure what to say about this one. Massive open-world, good writing and characters, memorable set pieces. It’s great, but then everyone already knows that.
Mario Kart series [Nintendo] – I have more fond memories with multiplayer on the N64 (which had some killer tracks) and GameCube versions, but might have spent most of my time with the series on the DS. These days, I’m loving the Switch version, even if I’m not too keen on seeing some of the newer characters zooming around tracks with Mario and Luigi.
Desert Golfing [iPhone] – Minimalistic golf game. No menus, no high scores, no fail screen. . . just golfing through the jagged peaks and valleys of the endless desert.
Super Mario Odyssey [Switch] – Some levels feel underdeveloped and I question the placement of the fabulous New Donk City in the middle of the game (nowhere to go but down from there), but otherwise it is among the most fun I’ve had playing a game in ages.
Rez HD [Xbox 360] – Missed it on the Dreamcast but found the HD remake on the 360 to be stunning.
Tennis Elbow [PC] – Indie tennis game that feels like actual tennis with a career mode that follows the real ATP and WTA tours. Badly in need of a sequel, but easily modable.
Audiosurf [PC] – Music-based game centered around collecting blocks (or avoiding them) on a procedurally-generated track based on the song you have selected. Spent lots of hours on this, but never played the sequel.
Super Mario World [SNES] – Yoshi was a nifty addition and the game world felt massive to me (still does). I played it a few years back and it’s still wonderful.
Race 07 [PC] – Long-in-the-tooth racing game that I have not found a suitable replacement for.
Tetris [PC] – The most agreeable game ever made, but while normally that would be something of an insult, in Tetris’ case it’s because it’s basically perfect.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Switch] – I cannot believe I like a Zelda game this much. I dislike the way level-scaling works in it and generally think there are too many enemies roaming about. So, yes, it has serious some flaws, but I’ve had so much fun simply being in its world. From mundane stuff like fishing and hiking mountains, to the fantastical like shooting a massive, dragon’s horn to get shards to upgrade my armor.
Mario 64 [DS] – It gave a greater sense of exploration than any Mario game I had played prior or since. I loved roaming the castle for new paintings and secrets and it was all as charming as ever. The DS version is what really made me fall in love with it.
Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura [PC] – It took me years to get into this game, but the stellar worldbuilding made it worth the effort. Like Deus Ex, I’m docking it a few positions because I’m not sure how well it holds up. I last played it about five years back and I doubt a slightly older me can tolerate it these days.
Pokémon: LeafGreen [Gameboy Advance] – Catching Pokémon must be one of the most influential game mechanics of the last 20 years. Maybe the Gold/Silver remake is better, but that one might be too long. If I’m replaying a Pokémon game, it’s going to be this one, which is much tighter is focus. The story is mercifully light, but it captures that exhilarating feeling of striking out on your own as a teen away from your parents and exploring a wide world of caverns, ghost towers, dilapidated power plants, and safari parks.
Murder Dog IV: Trial of the Murder Dog [PC] – You play as the Murder Dog—the “terror of the bourgeois state”—standing trial at The Hague for crimes against humanity in a simple point-and-click adventure game with multiple endings. The writing is cheeky and superb.
Tecmo Bowl [NES] / Tecmo Super Bowl [SNES] – I have better memories of playing Tecmo Bowl (the original with only 12 teams, super short quarters, and where if you threw a pass into coverage it was almost always intercepted) for the NES multiplayer than any other edition, but I recognize the SNES version is more polished and is the one I would most want to play right now.
Final Fantasy Tactics [PS1] – I used to like this one more back in the day but replaying it a few years ago revealed some glaring flaws, most notably the fact that the story battles did not scale to level and were therefore processional in nature (excepting that super-annoying one where you must protect someone who immediately runs into the fray). That said, the systems are great fun to play around with, mixing and matching skills from different classes.
Heroes of Might and Magic III [PC] – The doom stacks can be a problem and the AI can’t handle certain victory conditions, but I’ve probably logged hundreds of hours with it and find it holds up okay as of a few years ago.
College Hoops 2K8 [Xbox 360] – 2K Sports’ evergreen basketball gameplay at the college level. Its soundtrack of underground hip hop and roster of 100s of teams made it connect to me more than any of their NBA games did.
The Curious Expedition [PC] – Exploration-centric rogue-like. Push-your-luck while managing sanity and supplies. Great in short bursts.
Massive Chalice [PC] – Turn-based tactical combat with a strategic layer involving breeding generations of future soldiers. I think it lasts maybe 50 years (in game time) too long, but there are enough variations of the items and the enemies to keep me engaged through most of it.
Space Funeral [PC] – JRPG deconstruction. Intentionally ugly art, overly-easy gameplay (a commentary on the genre I reckon), adept worldbuilding, and a great soundtrack give it a winning aesthetic that more than justifies spending the hour or two it takes to beat it.
Bandit Kings of Ancient China [NES] – Had great fun rolling for your main hero and recruiting others to your cause, hunting bears, building up your province and military, slowly expanding until you can take out the evil Gao Qiu (heaven knows that weak-ass emperor is not up to the challenge). Probably had the best KOEI soundtrack too, but I remember all of them had some top-rate 8-bit bangers.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II [PC] – Same gameplay as the first, but with better characters and a less generic story whose beats I actually remember (I mean the first had that twist, but what else?).
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series [PS2] – Lots of people go for 2, but 3 had improved graphics, controls, and, frankly, better skate zones than 2 (suburbia, the airport, the cruise ship, must I go on?). I’m dumbfounded as to how this series got so bad with its new iterations.
Fire Emblem: Awakening [3DS] – Supplanted Path of Radiance as my favorite Fire Emblem, despite its silly story involving time traveling future children. There’s a subdued elegance to the Fire Emblem series’ design. It is pure math that is easily understood (damage = atk - def, double attack if spd difference is 5 or greater) so nothing is obscured from your decision-making process.
Victoria II [PC] – The best Paradox game. It seems you have less control, but that’s the point: managing mass politics to balance your citizen’s desires with your vision for your nation state.
Alpha Protocol [PC] – Deeply flawed spy-themed RPG with choices that seem to have actual consequences on how your story plays out. I love hearing about how differently other people’s games played out from mine.
Persona 4 [PS2] – I never thought I could like a JRPG again, but this one proved me wrong. I hated its anime tendencies, but I found something enthralling about a Japanese high school student simulator where you balance your school and social life with fighting monsters and unraveling a mystery on the side.
l’Abbaye des Morts [PC] – Platforming throwback recalling games on a system I never owned, less you think it’s here via mere nostalgia. Unique setting (you play a Cathar monk hiding out in a cursed abbey from the Inquisition) and tight controls make it a favorite.
Nobunaga’s Ambition [SNES] – Japanese daimyo strategy game. The combat was simple but effective—turn-based on a hex grid with different unit types. It saddened me to learn that the newer version of the game abandoned this in favor of real-time combat, which I’m sure invites negative comparisons to Total War: Shogun 2.
Katamari Damacy [PS2] – I love how Zen Buddhism (or is it nihilism?) informs the game design. Has maybe my favorite video game story ever: your father, the King of the Universe, goes on a bender and loses all the stars from the night sky and tasks you with replacing them.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl [PC] – It made me feel like I was inhabiting an actual world rather than levels of a video game. Yes, it was brutal, but it fit the aesthetic of the game so well. In my mind, it’s the most punishing, oppressive game there is. I’ve played more difficult games—at least I could beat this one—but the atmosphere coupled with the gameplay challenges puts it over the top.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim [PC] – Despite my preferring certain aspects of Oblivion, Skyrim’s got too many other improvements to not list it as my favorite Elder Scrolls game.
Mass Effect 2 [PC] – My favorite of the series, with the most interesting cast of characters and the best quest progression and level designs. The suicide mission thing was kind of dumb—not a single person died on mine—but then the Mass Effect series never could stick its landing.
Neverwinter Nights 2 [PC] – My go-to D&D game largely since it uses the 3.5 edition rules rather than the janky second edition of the Infinity Engine days.
Darkest Dungeon [PC] – It overstays its welcome after 20 hours or so, but what hours those are!
NBA Jam [SNES/Genesis] – For the iconic announcer phrases and tight gameplay.
Valkyria Chronicles [PC] – A turn-based tactics game where you activate a unit and then move them in real-time wherein the game becomes more of third-person shooter. The story is awful, which is fine—it’s a video game and to be expected—until its silly superpowered magic girls start crashing the actual gameplay and I lose interest. Up until then, it is awesome and innovative.
Minecraft [PC] – I don’t know that I will ever go back to it but playing this in the early days was quite the experience.
Advance Wars: Dual Strike [DS] – Until Awakening, I gave this long-abandoned series’ best moment the edge over its favored sibling Fire Emblem, I suppose because I prefer strategy games to JRPGs. I still might prefer it to Awakening, but I haven’t played it in so long and Awakening is so good that I assume not.
EverQuest [PC] – This is the only MMORPG I ever got into. I don’t think I could stomach its grind now, but it gave me some fantastic gaming memories.
Mini-Metro [PC] – Hectic as it gets, this is one of my favorite ‘chill-out’ games. I adore its score and minimalist art design.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion [PC] – My first Elder Scrolls game, so it has a special place in my heart. I prefer the more generic setting to Skyrim’s since it had more variety. It had more memorable side-quests too and the magic system in Oblivion is way better than Skyrim’s. However, the Oblivion Gates were repetitive and harder to avoid than Skyrim’s dragons.
Virtua Tennis series [various] – It never had the most robust career mode or the most reasonable player roster, but it’s actual gameplay was pure arcade bliss. I reckon 4 on the Xbox 360 was my favorite of the series, but I played the PS2 one constantly.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance [Gamecube] – Something about the level design makes this Fire Emblem standout from most of the rest, even if the main character becomes too godlike toward the endgame.
Uncharted Waters [NES] – I enjoyed reading about Age of Sail explorers when I was a kid, so imagine how psyched I was to learn that my father had a game that let me pretend to be Vasco da Gama.
Oxenfree [PC] – Charming ghost-adventure game with believable dialogue and lots of choices. I play it around every Halloween since it gets ghost stories so right.
Realistic Summer Sports Simulator [PC] – The best party game.
Galactic Civilizations II [PC] – Space 4x. Always seemed very balanced across the board to me, but I maybe I just suck at it.
Disgaea 5 [Switch] – Bonkers tactical JRPG. Over-the-top story and characters (but in a good, self-aware way), the ability to grind near infinitely (I think level 9999 is the max, not that I’ll ever get there), with a deep-as-you-want-it-to-be combat system. I dislike some of the character animations (the cutesy, half-naked anime girls), but if a game does 100 different things, it’s going to have some flaws.
The Sims [PC] – Another game where I assume the sequels improved upon the original, but I never got around to them, but this one was life-consuming on release (and for years after).
Plants vs. Zombies [iPhone] –Tall-Nut is my favorite, stoically sacrificing itself so that its squishy brethren might live.
Madden NFL series [PS2] – This is for the games from the PS2 generation. 2004 added the expanded franchise mode and had the game-breaking Michael Vick with the ability to control his lead blockers as he ran (which is fun, but not sporting). But, I have better memories playing 2003 against my friends and brother and it felt more balanced, so it’s probably my favorite.
Links 2004 [PC] – I mean, it’s just golf but Links did golf so well.
Night in the Woods [PC] – A college-dropout returns home to her economically distressed mining town. While she’s stuck in a prolonged adolescence, all her old friends are growing up and soon to leave her behind, her hometown is on the brink of collapse, there’s a possible murderer running amok, and her parents are about to lose their house in part because they took out a predatory mortgage to finance that education she pissed away. All the characters are animals, so it’s super cute ya’ll (I suppose “yinz” would be more setting appropriate).
Europa Universalis III [PC] – I have several objections to this game’s take on history, but I still played 100s of hours of it and prefer III to the feature-creep nightmare (and even more problematic take on history) that is EUIV.
SimCity 2000 [PC] – Like the first game, with expanded options. Better than the sequels, because it knew when to stop adding stuff.
Age of Empires II: Age of Kings [PC] – My favorite RTS, featuring lots of factions with unique units and play styles.
FreeCell [PC] – How many hours have I whittled away playing this I wonder?
World Soccer Winning Eleven series [PS2] – Like with Madden, this is for the entire Winning Eleven series during the PS2 generation. The gameplay was fluid to the point of near perfection. I wish more sports games would embrace Winning Eleven’s concept of players developing at different rates during career mode. In Winning Eleven, some players peak early but decline quickly as they age, others develop slowly but improve well into their 30s. I do not know if I’ve ever seen this mechanic used anywhere else.
Rome: Total War [PC] – I played this one more than any of the series. I’ve enjoyed some of the others, but none of them ever stuck with me like Rome.
Peggle [iPhone] – Aiming marbles and watching what happened when I shot it was an oddly satisfying experiencing that I have a hard time putting into words, though I’m sure my fellow Peggle PhDs understand.
Portal [PC] – Great puzzler with the famous gravity gun. Assumed the sequel was more of the same and never got around to it.
Dragon Age: Origins [PC] – The first and still my favorite of the Dragon Age series. I don’t have much to add other than note how awful its romance minigame was.
Sid Meier’s SimGolf [PC] – Featured an interesting balancing mechanic where you had to create an interesting, challenging course without making it too difficult because your members would become frustrated and leave your club if you did.
Unreal Tournament 2004 [PC] – Loved its crazy weapon arsenal (link gun 4ever) and fun map selection.
Grand Theft Auto 3 [PS2] – The freedom blew my mind back in the day. I should probably get around to playing 5.
Masq [PC] – Early choose-your-own adventure narrative game where you’re a fashion designer who gets framed for your partner’s murder. Seem to recall it being a big deal back in the day and I had never played anything like it before, though something in its genre must have eclipsed it by now.
Solium Infernum [PC] – A game I like more than I’ve been able to play. Multiplayer is the way to go, but I’ve never been huge on PBEM. That said, when I have managed to finish a multiplayer game, it’s always been sublime. Inviting a host of angels to rampage across the board is probably my favorite dick move in all of gaming. But what I would really like is a stream-lined board game adaptation.
Donkey Kong Country [SNES] – Donkey Kong is one of my favorite Nintendo characters. Not quite on par with Super Mario World, but DK Country has an edge when it comes to score and water levels. It still looks great visually.
Quadriga [PC] – Tense turn-based chariot racing management game.
Super Hexagon [iPhone] – Quick playing, tactile action game that has you avoiding bars by moving a triangle in a circular motion around a hexagon.
Jamestown [PC] – Ludicrous bullet-hell set in colonial times, except Jamestown is a British colony on Mars rather than in Virginia, and you must protect it from the Spanish as well as assorted Martian creatures.
Mario Tennis [N64] – Had many great times playing this one with my family. Boo and his dominating serve on a grass court was my go-to.
Roller Coaster Tycoon [PC] – I liked roller coasters as a kid and being able to play a SimCity game where I got to design them was like a dream come true.
The Binding of Isaac [PC] – Love how grotesque it is. Can’t play it after eating though.
The Witcher 2 [PC] –This was very impressive before Witcher 3 came out and eclipsed it, especially considering how lukewarm the first game left me.
Counter-Strike Source [PC] – Great level design. I only wish I were better at it.
King’s Bounty: The Legend [PC] – HOMM-like, but with you acting as a hero rather than a ruler. Great until you run out of units to replenish your forces and must start grinding and waiting around for a new month.
Inside a Star-filled Sky [PC]– I have a conceptual interest in infinite art projects, so this retro-action game hits a sweet spot for me.
Ikaruga [Xbox 360] – Hard, bullet-hell from Treasure with a color-swapping gimmick. Can be great fun with a partner, assuming your skill levels are comparable.
Castlevania Symphony of the Night [PC] – I’d rather play as a whip-happy Belmont than the son of Dracula, but Symphony’s level design is more interesting than the other Castlevania’s.
Braid [PC] – Satisfying puzzle-platformer with a time rewind mechanic.
Vangers [PC] – The less you know about Vangers going in the better. It’s kind of a driving game, but also, it kind of isn’t and classifying it as such does a disservice to how weird it is.
Battle for Wesnoth [PC] – Free PC tactics game. It’s mostly good, but eventually runs into a problem of scale in most campaigns where I’m managing far too many individual units for my taste.
Bushido Blade [PS1] – Sword fighting game with one-hit kills. Fun, Fast, and brutal.
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale [PC] – Worth a slot here for the concept alone—you manage an item shop in an RPG, with heroes coming in to buy and sell goods before embarking on an adventure. I was bummed by its required dungeon-crawling bits (going on your own adventures is a betrayal of the celebration of the mundane at the game’s heart), but the gameplay in those segments is solid so I can’t complain too much.
Tempest [Arcade] – My favorite classic arcade game. I’m sure the Jeff Minter redesigns are better, but I don’t think I’ve ever owned the right console for them.
Half-Life [PC] – Great level-design. I mostly remember the elevator part with the face huggers in pursuit. I doubt it holds up too well though. Unfortunately, I never finished the sequel. One of my top video game shames up there with not playing BioShock.
Even though you have Sid Meier’s Sim Golf too low, I love this list, Dissensus. Some real deep cuts here (l’Abbaye des Morts!). As is my tradition, I have to ask about a game I have never heard of before: Bandit Kings of Ancient China.
I played Nobunaga on the NES. How is Bandit Kings similar/different? Is it the same basic engine that they used for NA and Romance?
Bandit Kings is like Nobunaga’s Ambition in many respects (my memories of Romance are hazy, so I won’t comment on it). I’m almost positive it’s the same engine. Like NA, you develop your province by training/recruiting troops, improving your fields and towns, stuff like that. The combat is also pretty much the same, with the exception that you can have more units in a battle (up to 20 I think) and each is controlled by a different named hero character. Two things set it apart. First, the heroes. During your turn, you have the option to try and recruit a hero to your cause, they join depending on how strong your provinces are (better characters require you be stronger). You must have a hero to lead a unit in battle and to manage your other provinces, so they’re important. Second, it’s basically a co-op game. You and the other players are trying to free the emperor from the influence of an evil minister, who is the de facto ruler of China. All the imperial provinces are in the center of the map, and the PCs start in provinces on the edges. You can fight each other, but that’s usually counter-productive (certain regions can get cramped though). The minister’s armies are strong with some of the best heroes, so it helps to have other players attacking different flanks.
Edit: The combat in Bandit Kings is probably deeper. I’m thinking that terrain has much more of an effect than in the other Koei games. For example, your hero has to have a certain skill to cross rivers successfully (otherwise the current can move them farther than you want) and you can set fires in forests to burn the enemy or create a buffer between you and them.
A lot of those Koei games have a gimmick that distinguish themselves from each other, and Bandit Kings’ was the concept of uniting the bandits to kick the evil guy’s ass, like @Dissensus said. Sort of the concept that may have inspired Microprose’s Colonization.
Kick ass post, Dissensus. You’ve got a bunch of stuff that I already recognize as classics in there, plus some that I know but haven’t really played, and then a couple I’ve never heard of. Nice mix.
Makes me want to seek out a copy of the DS version, which I never played. I had it on N64 way back in the day, but never beat it. I tended to just wander around and look at stuff, I remember how blown away I was by early 3D games like this and Tomb Raider.
I like your write up here, it’s almost more interesting to me to hear defenses of flawed games. It’s easy to love something like The Witcher 3 or The Last of Us or whatever. It’s the games that strive so hard and almost make it that seem to have a little more personality to me.
Been meaning to pick this one up for a while, need to bump this one up the list.
Anyway, nice one! Thanks for sharing your list, I mean it when I say each one is a revelation.
I’d be ok with a top 67 personally, to me it’s just good that people post the games that shaped their lives. Actually if we want to roll that whole “four games that made you” game into this thread too, whatever gets people sharing I’m all for it.
Now then: wow, you really dig the Blackwell games! Which is cool, I’m a fan too, but I’ll be honest, I don’t know if they’d even crack my top ten point and click games list. Can you elaborate on why you like them so much?
Hey, Shimarenda, great list. (I mean, I bounced hard off Deus Ex, but I can definitely get the appeal if it works for you!) I love that you have Taipan on your list!
Also fascinated by this:
I have had this game in my backlog for a long time, and always loved the look of it. Why should I play it?
Wallace and Gromit have a video game? When did this happen? Why was I not informed?
Very good call. I was just saying the other day in another thread how this was the most reliable game for me whenever I went to the arcade.
By the way, I love the mix of old and new on your list. Having Fallout 3 up there so high, and then also having HOMM2 (the best of the series!) so high. And NOLF. And then also XCOM2, which just came out.
This one is perplexing though. This is your favorite space sim? One that you control with mouse and keyboard. I’m sorry, we can’t be friends anymore.
It’s been an interesting journey; I learned a lot about myself in the process. Who says video games can’t enrich one’s life?
Vendetta Online 2004 PC (Guild Software)
World of Warcraft 2004 PC (Blizzard)
Dwarf Fortress 2006 PC (Bay 12 Games)
Escape Velocity 1996 PC (Ambrosia)
X-Wing 1993 PC (LucasArts)
Myst 1993 PC (Cyan)
Sim Earth 1990 PC (Maxis)
Cosmic Osmo 1989 PC (Cyan)
Realmz 1994 PC (Fantasoft)
Master of Orion 2 1996 PC (MicroProse)
Lode Runner 1983 PC (Broderbund)
The Ancient Art of War at Sea 1987 PC (Broderbund)
Starcraft 1998 PC (Blizzard)
Morrowind 2002 Xbox (Bethesda)
Super Mario Bros. 3 1988 NES (Nintendo)
Marathon 1994 PC (Bungie)
Half Life 1998 PC (Valve)
Glider 1994 PC (Casady & Greene)
Halo 2001 Xbox (Bungie)
X-Com: Terror From The Deep 1995 PC (MicroProse)
Civilization 3 2001 PC (Firaxis Games)
Chrono Trigger 1995 SNES (Square)
Crystal Quest 1987 PC (Casady & Greene)
Afterburner 1987 Arcade (Yu Suzuki)
Golf 1980 Atari 2600 (Atari)
Falcon 1987 PC (Spectrum HoloByte)
Out Run 1986 Arcade (Sega)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 PC (LucasArts)
PT-109 1987 PC (Spectrum HoloByte)
Phantom Dust 2004 Xbox (Yukio Futatsugi)
The Void 2008 PC (Ice Pick Lodge)
Massive Chalice 2015 PC (Double Fine)
Botanicula 2012 PC (Amanita Design)
Machinarium 2009 PC (Amanita Design)
Final Fantasy VI 1994 SNES (Square)
Hyper Light Drifter 2016 PS4 (Heart Machine)
Space Quest 1986 PC (Sierra)
RimWorld 2013 PC (Ludeon Studios)
Warlords III 1998 PC (Red Orb Entertainment)
Goldeneye 64 1997 N64 (Rare)
Tetris 1984 Xbox (Pajitnov, Pokhilko)
Psychonauts 2005 Xbox (Double Fine)
SimCity 2000 1993 PC (Maxis)
Kairo 2012 PC (Locked Door Puzzle)
Far Cry Instincts 2005 Xbox (Ubisoft)
Starfox 1993 SNES (Nintendo)
Land’s End 2016 Gear VR (Ustwo Games)
Dreadhalls 2016 Gear VR (White Door Games)
The Journeyman Project 1993 PC (Presto Studios)
Super Smash Bros 1999 N64 (Nintendo)
Street Fighter Alpha 1995 Arcade (Capcom)
Mario Kart 64 1996 N64 (Nintendo)
Darwinia 2005 PC (Introversion)
Tekken Tag Tournament 2000 PS2 (Namco)
Minecraft 2009 PC (Mojang)
Super Bomberman 1993 SNES (Hudson Soft)
Avatar MUD 1991 PC (Snikt)
Alpine Racer 1994 Arcade (Namco)
Toribash 2006 PC (Nabi Studios)
Virtua Fighter 2 1994 Arcade (Sega)
Virtua Cop 1994 Arcade (Sega)
Black 2005 Xbox (EA)
Perfect Dark 2000 N64 (Rare)
Kirby’s Dream Course 1994 SNES (Nintendo)
Galaga 1981 Arcade (Namco)
Millipede 1982 Arcade (Atari)
Return to Kroz 1990 PC (Apogee)
X-Men 1992 Arcade (Konami)
The Banner Saga 2014 Mobile (Stoic Studio)
Fez 2012 PC (Polytron)
Amped 2 2003 Xbox (Indie Built, Inc.)
Battletoads 1991 NES (Rare)
Duck Hunt 1984 NES (Nintendo)
Marble Madness 1984 NES (Atari)
SSX3 2003 Xbox (EA)
Contra 3 Alien Wars 1992 SNES (Konami)
Jurassic Park 1994 Arcade (Sega)
The Scarab of Ra 1988 PC (Semicolon Software)
Mortal Kombat 4 1997 Arcade (Midway)
Bloody Roar 1997 Arcade (Activision)
Zelda: Link’s Awakening 1993 Gameboy (Nintendo)
Wolfenstein 3D 1992 PC (Apogee)
Amnesia: The Dark Descent 2010 PC (Frictional Games)
Silent Hill 4: The Room 2004 Xbox (Konami)
Fallout 1997 PC (Interplay)
Road Rash 1991 Game Gear (EA)
Ecco the Dolphin 1992 Game Gear (Sega)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Arcade (Konami)
Space Lords 1992 Arcade (Atari)
Sunset Riders 1991 Arcade (Konami)
Rampage 1986 Arcade (Midway)
Joust 1982 Arcade (Williams Electronics)
Gooball 2005 PC (Ambrosia)
Virtual On 1996 Arcade (Sega)
Bubble Bobble 1986 NES (Taito)
Desert Golfing 2014 Mobile (Blinkbat Games)
Dig Dug 1982 Arcade (Namco)
Daytona USA 1994 Arcade (Sega)
Tales from the Borderlands 2014 PC (Telltale Games)
Terraria 2011 PC (Re-Logic)
Honorable mentions:
The Ancient Art of War 1984 PC (Broderbund)
Chrono Cross 1999 Playstation (Square)
Elder Scrolls Legends 2017 Mobile (Bethesda)
Full Throttle 1995 PC (LucasArts)
Halo 2 2004 Xbox (Bungie)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis 1992 PC (LucasArts)
Kirby’s Dream Land 1992 Gameboy (Nintendo)
Mario 64 1996 N64 (Nintendo)
Marvel vs Capcom 1998 Arcade (Capcom)
Riven 1997 PC (Cyan)
Starfox 64 1997 N64 (Nintendo)
Street Fighter II Turbo 1992 SNES (Capcom)
Super Mario Bros. 1985 NES (Nintendo)
Super Mario Land 1989 Gameboy (Nintendo)
Tekken 5 2004 PS2 (Bandai)
Warcraft 3 2002 PC (Blizzard)
When your character died in the medical freighter mission, or was captured, did you start the whole campaign over, like you were meant to do, or did you cheat and copy over an old pilot file?
Yeah, same here. I made backups of what I found in the directories, and then copied them over after I died. And yet, when I went back into the game, my pilot was still dead (or captured). After the 10th time it happened, I got so desperate, I copied it to a floppy disc, and ejected the floppy disc. My theory was that the game was somehow finding the backup pilot files even though I had renamed them, and modifying them to tell the game I was dead (or captured).
So I copied them to a floppy, and ejected the floppy and put it away from the computer. Then I did the medical frigate mission again, and when I died, I brought back the floppy, which I’d put in Read-Only mode, and copied over the current pilot files with the ones from the floppy.
I went back into X-wing, and loaded up my pilot. Still Dead. Arrrrrrgh!
See I could swear there was just some file, like a “pilot.dat” or something, and I just backed up to a floppy after every couple missions or something. Because I definitely lost some pilots in X-Wing, and I definitely restored from something.
I should mention that I don’t think there’s anything special about the DS version. It was the one that I ended up spending the most time with since, like you, I never beat it on the N64 and it was more practical for me to play it on the DS when that version came out.
