Here we go -

1Super Mario World - I've run out of superlatives for this game. It's a game I got with my SNES way back on Christmas Day 1992, and one that took me two years, on and off to beat. Ridiculous highs, such as the music / greenery of Donut Plains level 3, or the Forest's map screen, to lows of secret star level Mondo (fuckapballoon) and frustration mixed with elation when I figured out a secret route.
Add to that sprites that still look great today, great level design, and for my money it's a game I can jump in or out of at any point. As soon as this lands on the 3DS store, my life is complete. Perfection.

2. Metal Gear Solid 3 Still the PS2 one for me. When this came out in 2004, I had only just purchased a PS2 and had recently burned through MGS2. 3 hooked me immediately because of the jungle, which looked amazing for me on a 19 inch CRT, combined with fantastic sound design. Having moments of revelation such as killing The End at the start of the game and then running through his maps, to not knowing how to save Snake when he "dies", will stay with me. The final boss fight is one of the most beautiful and poignant events ever. All of the MGS games are very powerful and important to me in different ways, but living in student halls, on my own and locking myself away for extended periods just got me into the world of Snake.

3.We Heart Katamari - from the same era, again being in student halls. In the mid 00s I had my first real disposable income and was only beginning to dip my toe into Japanese games (aside from FF and Secret of Mana, I was foolishly "fuck Japanese games"). I also was starting to do "web posting" and signed up to Edge around this time. We Heart Katamari was the first one released in the Uk and I just remember having a shocked, amazed reaction that this mental title even existed. For that shock and subsequent hilarity, this game will be always right up there for me. Yes, the releases since are laws of diminishing return, but I'll always enjoy that Katamari magic.

4. Blast Corps - right before I moved to America in the late 90s, one game captured my attention while everyone else was involved in Goldeneye, Zelda, or even Mario 64. I loved those other ones, but Blast Corps was an open world, of sorts, while I was sneaking plays of the demo of GTA on my pc. The precise nature of a perfect truck slide or a J Bomb through a collection of buildings was magical. Then I discovered speed runs, and platinum medals. It was the first game I ever got competitive with - not Mario Kart 64.

5. Resident Evil 4 – I have a lot of love for all the RE games, but somehow I’ve never ended up playing them on the proper consoles they’re designed for. My first adventures through RE1 and RE3 were on PC, 2 was on the N64, and 4 was on the PS2. Once again, this comes from the golden age of the mid 00s, but unlike the others, this was one that was very social. My flatmates and me at the sticks used to sit for extended periods playing this ‘together’ (them watching while I rattled the sticks) – they compared it to watching an action movie, and that’s what this game still is for me – the most ridiculous action movie ever – better than Gears, Halo, and the rest. It’s a fun, fast, exciting and thrilling ride. Ace.

 

6. Fallout 3 – I’m including all the DLC in here because why not. Fallout 3 was the first game I bought myself when I moved to Edinburgh. It was the first time I was living on my own, and I had a salaried job etc. Most of my ‘real’ friends were in Glasgow, so I found that my evenings would fairly regularly revert to Fallout 3 – leading to something like 90 hours spent exploring the wasteland. The sense of scale, the thrill of finding a new place, or the fear of realising you’re buggered against five super mutants who are chasing you is amazing. Of the DLC, two of the four sets were fantastic. Broken Steel helped you to keep playing the game, obviously, but it was Point Lookout that presented a magical gothic southern world that made me happily stick another 12 hours onto that. The first time my life really got taken over by a ‘hardcore’ game.

 

7. Left 4 Dead – YOU WILL BECOME THE TANK – If you read that and don’t smile, then you don’t quite get L4D. In 2008, this, along with the above, kept me talking to people when I was in Edinburgh – organising runs and versus evenings was a social calendar for me, and I loved to take on the horrendous boss role, telling people when to move etc. Maybe they didn’t like it, but I got a lot of fun out of that. The thrill of escape from the rooftop of No Mercy has never become dull, and although 2 was a great game, it doesn’t have levels with the charm of the first. And then there’s Zoey.

 

8. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 – On Gamecube. That lovely big a button for Ollies? Amazing. Right at the age I was listening to ska, punk and the like and dressing like a tit, this game captured all of that, put in some awesome and ridiculous levels (yo my airport scores would destroy you) and added some skate videos to the mix. For my money, this is the one that they got ‘right’ as far as possible – none of the running stuff from 4, and the revert is well and truly the greatest addition to the series. Score attack crack.

 

9. Diablo 2 – I’ve clicked more times than you’ve had hot dinners. Possibly. In the late 90s, I built my first PC and Diablo 2 has real memories of living in the states, sitting at the PC in my bedroom with the air con up because it’s too fucking hot to go outside, and just clicking constantly while speaking with people on the phone, or 
listening to punk pop. There’s a fair amount of nostalgia attached to 2, that 3 didn’t quite spark with me, and even my return visits to 2 haven’t really captured – but for 16 year old me – it was the shit.

 

10. Borderlands – fucking Borderlands, eh. Possibly the most time I’ve ever spent on a game, and one of the most social experiences I’ve had. The humour didn’t quite get me the first time, and the shooting is functional, but not the best I’ve ever experienced (that’s probably the game above). It’s the music, the visuals, and the sheer insanity of the quests that keeps me playing it. Along with this, I’ve worked along with several lovely people on here, from Curtis taking me to the end of the game the first time, to DS farming Crawmerax, to yesterday’s slog through Moxxi with Elm, Wookie, and by proxy, Gav. This is what I want from social / online gaming. Roll on 2.

 

 

Honourable mentions – Starfox 64, Donkey Kong Country 2, Mass Effect 2 (probably sitting at number 11), Diddy Kong Racing, Zelda Wind Waker, Metroid Prime 2, Red Alert, Civ 2, Team Fortress 2, Thief 2, Max Payne, Half Life, Company of Heroes

Dark Souls. Don't need the other 9.

regmcfly wrote:

8. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 – On Gamecube. That lovely big a button for Ollies? Amazing. Right at the age I was listening to ska, punk and the like and dressing like a tit, this game captured all of that, put in some awesome and ridiculous levels (yo my airport scores would destroy you) and added some skate videos to the mix. For my money, this is the one that they got ‘right’ as far as possible – none of the running stuff from 4, and the revert is well and truly the greatest addition to the series. Score attack crack.  

Yes Reg Yes!
Will add that this one had the best hidden characters too.

I'd reckon Uncharted 2 would have a shot in a top 20. So would Warioware GBA.

Well do it  and stop bitching.

No, resist.

Surely it's time to hit this motherfucker with some feisty graphs.

Don't forget SF3.

Which I have nothing against, in truth. They're just benign.

regmcfly wrote:

Well do it  and stop bitching.

Ok, here's what I've got so far:

1.

curses - forgot to have the "cathode ray tube entertainment device" in my list.

Tempy wrote:

The beauty in these lists isn't what's in them (especially for lists full of well known franchise greats) but of what isn't in them. What elevates certain titles above others, apart from just forgetting them when weighing them up?

That's truth. Putting Half Life 1 on I was wondering to myself "So why on earth do I prefer this to HL 2?" Good way of consolidating your own opinions.

Mouldywarp wrote:

Should I pick games based on how good their unique "gamey" elements are, or should I include one based on non-interactive elements alone? I don't really even view RPGs like Final Fantasy VII as pure games at all - more like mixed media, a game cross-bred with a comic or something. In this light, FF7 was a pretty dull game that just so happened to be cellotaped to the best comic I've ever read.

That's quite an interesting look at FF VII. And by extension I guess the JRPG in general.

Haha, WHICH LIST THOUGH

Why though?

Erm... I enjoyed it more?