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Top 10 Favorite Video Games...GO!
2007-03-09 23:14:48
I'm a firstborn, and according to my sociology class last year, firstborns love to make lists. And I do love to make lists. And seeing as I'm bored shitless and could only nap for about twenty minutes, I figured hey, why not make a journal entry. And then I thought hey, why not make a list of my top 10 favorite video games of all time. So here you go:
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10. Pokemon Red/Blue (GameBoy)
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Let me start by saying that I never played gold/silver/crystal/turquoise/black/grass green; in fact, the only Pokemon games I've played besides RBY are Snap and the GBC version of the card game (both of which are also rather good, I might add). With that in mind, I do have to say that Red and Blue definitely deserve a spot on this list, if for nothing else than because they were pretty much the first RPG-style games I ever played, and I have tons of fond memories of wasting hours leveling up and generally just joining the world in one of the biggest Japanese phenomenons ever. The games themselves are brilliant; I don't think I need to explain the gameplay, seeing as this is an anime-based website, but let me just say that it is one of the most addicting games ever to hit the GameBoy. It's harder to play today, because the game was definitely more fun when all my friends played it with me and I could battle and trade with them, but I could definitely see myself coming back and replaying both these games over and over in the future, simply because of how much FUN it is to run around and catch as many Pokemon as you can. This was the start of an epic series, and in my opinion they're both still worth playing today (but screw Yellow).
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9. Final Fantasy VIII (PlayStation/PC)
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Yeah, FFVIII came out on PC, and that's the platform I played it on. Simply put this is the best FF game I've ever played (though again, my experience with the series is rather limited), and it easily beats out FFVII, if nothing else for the slightly more down-to-earth and emotional storyline. The relationship between Squall and Rinoa is probably the best video game romance of all time, and this game is full of epic, memorable moments and some rather beautiful cutscenes. The gameplay is incredibly unique (although for the most part the game has the FF trademark of being a bit on the easy side) and fun to work with, and there are enough sidequests to keep anyone entertained for hours on end. Add in a spectacular soundtrack and you've got one helluvan RPG, and definitely one of my personal favorites.
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8. Tribes 2 (PC)
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This game gets no love. As far MMOFPSs go, this is hands-down the best. The gameplay is incredibly difficult to master because it's so different from every other FPS out there, but once you get it down playing the game is one of the most satisfying experiences ever. It took me almost a year of playing off and on to really become good at the game, but now I haven't looked back and I don't regret any of the time I've put into it. It's one of the more strategic FPSs on the market as well; this isn't a simple run-'n'-gun kinda game, this one takes thought. Do you go for the flag? Do you attack the enemies' generators? Do you get in a tank and bomb the other team? Do you defend your own base? There are so many roles you can play that the game simply never gets old; I'm going on two-and-a-half years now and I haven't gotten bored with the game at all. Truly a classic, and one of the best FPSs ever to grace the market.
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7. Half-Life (PC)
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Tribes 2 is surpassed only by Half-Life, and only just barely. This game is intense and revolutionary; even today it's regarded as one of the greatest games of all-time, and it's really no wonder. The way this game combines the platforming, puzzle-solving, survival horror and first-person-shooter genres into one game is truly remarkable, especially because all these elements flow together so smoothly that at times it's hard to tell what kind of game you're playing, exactly. With constantly shifting settings (you start off in a lab, and make your way through a mineshaft, a missile base, a canyon, and even another planet) the game never gets stale and the environments are beautiful and immersive. The atmosphere this game generates is spectacular, and it is always tense. The first play through will undoubtedly have you jumping out of your chair more than once, and at the same time you'll keep playing just for the sake of advancing the wonderfully crafted story. All in all this game is fantastic; if it has any downfalls, it's that the novelty wears off on subsequent playthroughs, although it's still a very entertaining experience.
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6. Homeworld: Cataclysm (PC)
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I was stuck between whether to put Homeworld or this game higher on my list; in the end I think the fact that Homeworld's story is ever so slightly better than this one is what pushed it over the edge, though truth be told both games are extremely fun and should both be checked out. This game went sadly unrecognized by both gamers and reviewers alike, but If eel it deserved just as much attention as the first game did. The story here is excellent; if you're familiar with Homeworld's universe, this one feels like a great sequel that starts off more or less right where the first one left off. As you as the captain of a Hiigaran mining vessel are forced to help defend against a gang of raider craft, you get pulled further and further into the mystery of a conspiracy against your people, as well as a frightening alien race that has the power to "infect" other vessels and take control of them. The story is absolutely top-notch, the voice acting is superb, and the dialogue is believable and absorbing. I'd give this game honors enough for the story; on a gameplay level this game also shines. It's refreshingly different from Homeworld's while still maintaining an air of familiarity. Research, for example, is handled differently (and much better, in my opinion) than in the first game, but in essence it feels the same and there's nothing jarringly new or scary about the interface. You get a ton of new ships (in fact, almost all the ships are new in this game) and battle is, if anything, prettier than it was in Homeworld. The main gripe I have is the same problem Homeworld had: skirmishes against the computer are not nearly as strategic as in other RTS games; you can follow the same basic pattern every game and win. Although I rarely play against the computer; for once in an RTS, the campaign is the main attraction here, and the game succeeds wildly in bringing a strategy game as close to cinematic as ever one will get.
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5. Homeworld (PC)
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This game was revolutionary in the world of RTS games. It took a traditionally 2D genre and integrated the third dimension, and succeeded in being one of the most addicitng and beautiful (at the time, at least) games ever to grace the computer screen. The story (which, if you haven't realized by now, is probably the most important aspect to me when it comes to whether or not I'll like a game) is breathtakingly original and fresh; after finding an odd map on a stone beneath the surface of their planet, the Kushan realize that the planet they currently live on is not truly theirs; they have been exiled, so they build a "Mothership" with the intent of finding their true homeworld, Hiigara. The way the story advances is brilliant; you get thrown quite a few loops on your way back to Hiigara, and the difficulties you encounter make the game challenging yet incredibly fun. The game is a very traditional RTS at heart; harvest for resources, build big army, fight bad guys, rinse and repeat, but somehow it never gets stale. Maybe it's because the story (my God, the story!) is just so damn interesting (the backstory in the game's manual is particularly fun to read, at least for me, a sci-fi nerd), or maybe it's because the game is absolutely gorgeous, but whatever it is I keep playing, and I keep wanting to come back and play more. Like I mentioned in the Cataclysm synopsis, the skirmishes vs. CPU are kinda boring, but that's not what makes this game. For one of the hands-down greatest single-player experiences in the history of video games, this one's a must-buy.
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4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3/Sonic and Knuckles (Sega Genesis)
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Sonic and Knuckles had the ability to "lock-on" to other Sonic games. There was a slot on the top of the cartridge, and if you plugged in, say, Sonic 2, you could play as Knuckles in Sonic 2. Fun stuff. But the best part was when you plugged into Sonic 3, because together they make ONE FUCKING EPIC GAME. I played through this game (I consider it one game when the two are locked on to each other) so many times as a kid. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it. And having recently picked it up on my computer's emulator, I now remember why I played it so much as a kid. It's drop-dead gorgeous to look at, it's massive, it's just plain FUN. But no, those aren't even the things that make this game. To me, the quintessential element in Sonic 3 and Knuckles is the music, the MUSIC. This game has, without any shadow of a doubt in my mind, the BEST soundtrack ever written (followed closely by Chrono Trigger, but that's another story). Icecap Zone, Lava Reef Zone, Mushroom Hill Zone, Sky Sanctuary Zone...the music just lends such a MOOD to a game, which is saying something seeing as it's a 2D platformer. Sure, it's not very difficult, and there are a few crappy zones that just aren't fun (ahem, Carnival Night Zone, I'm looking at YOU), but the rest of the game makes up for it and then some. These two games locked into one another pretty much define my childhood, and are far and beyond the best platformers ever.
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3. Fallout 2 (PC)
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Regarded by CRPG purists as quite possibly the greatest game of all time, this one's pretty darn close in my book. This game paints a future of a strangely diverse post-apocalyptic world; you come from a small village and are sent out to save said village armed only with a spear, but as you progress through the game you'll come across all sorts of different weapons, from knives and brass knuckles to sniper rifles and plasma guns. Played from an isometric viewpoint (not unlike Diablo), this game definitely isn't very pretty to look at. Despite this, though, the game showcases some of the absolute best and most addicting gameplay ever. In fact, I'd go so far to say that this is probably the most addicting game on this list. Dressed in a nostalgic '50s getup, the game has a twisted sense of humor that you either find hilarious or just weird, but this isn't a game you play for the dialogue. This is, so to speak, the GTA3 of 2D CRPGs. You can play however you like - you can be a do-gooder that's renowned by the whole world, or a complete bastard who'll kill anyone just for a little extra chump change. You can specialize your stats so that you're strong with melee weapons, or you can be a physically pathetic character who can hit a fly with a pistol from 100 yards away. The game is never the same twice, making it incredibly fun to play over and over again. There are a TON of sidequests, all of which are logged so you can see what you've completed and what you haven't. Plain and simple, RPGs do not get any better than this, period. The atmosphere, the superb gameplay, all the subtle jokes and social references...yeah, this one is definitely worth your time. If you can find it, don't even think twice. Oh, and the first one's almost as good. It'd probably be #12 or #13 on my top 20. Pick that one up too, while you're at it (same basic gameplay, way smaller game, better story).
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2. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
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I have a feeling that if you've been reading this far, and have cheated and looked to see what my all-time favorite game is and realize that Ocarina of Time isn't on this list but Majora's Mask IS, you're probably going "WTF?" I mean, who out there thinks MM is better than OoT? Well, I do. And if you don't see what's coming next, then you've only been skimming: The STORY. Yes, the STORY is so much better in this game than in any other, and is one of the most internally dark stories for a game I've ever played, and is definitely the darkest Zelda game out there (although I haven't played TP). On the outside, yeah, this seems light and even happy, but really this game explores some really deep human emotions; as the Moon falls closer and closer to Clock Town, you see people's reactions change and their whole "personalities" (as far as two-sentence personalities go) change completely. People who start off in utter ignorance of their impending fate are turned into muttering cowards; brave swordsmen by the end are scared shitless; and then there are the sad cases where some characters just sit back and accept their fate, coming across by the end as numb and completely disconnected. Even outside of how the people of Termina view their fate there is quite a bit of emotion as you take on the forms of those who have passed away. Getting the Goron's Mask is a sad thing to have to do, and this game, more than any other Zelda game, really connects you to Link and the world around him. This feels more real than any other world in a Zelda game. The story would put this on my list anyway, but what puts this at #2 is the fact that the game is mostly sidequests and minigames. This is what turned many people off from this game (besides the time-travelling save system, which doesn't bother me at all) - the fact that the main quest was almost in the background, ironically enough. You spend more time doing minigames and sidequests to get masks and heart pieces than you do actually fighting your way through the game's four (yes, FOUR) dungeons that many people felt the game strayed too far from its Zelda roots. I couldn't disagree more; I feel like this game is the quintessential Zelda game, and what all other LoZ games should aspire to be. In my mind, Majora's Mask succeeds in every single aspect, and should be a part of any N64 collection.
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1. Independence War (PC)
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Ah, here we are. And it's probably a game you've never heard of: Independence War. It's an old (circa 1998) space flight sim that got almost no attention whatsoever; I myself was lucky to have gotten it at all, and now I couldn't be happier that I did. The story is, again, the thing that attracts me most to this game - it starts off rather disconnected, but as you pilot the Dreadnought spacecraft you get pulled into a war against the secessionist Indie forces; as the game progresses the story arc becomes much more political and personal, but you're never left in the dust and the game ends up right where you don't expect it to. It's cinematic. It's believable. It's brilliance. But a good story does not a good game make, and that too is where I-War succeeds completely. This game follows Newtonian physics to a fault - when you stop accelerating, you won't just stop. Reverse thrusters are automatically applied and you slow down and then stop. This makes combat extremely intense and very difficult to master - although once you figure out all the controls, you'll find yourself using the lack of friction to your advantage to pull off some especially cool moves. You go through the game mission by mission - it's pretty linear, but there are a couple missions that allow you to choose a certain path. These are too few and far between to really make this game anything BUT linear, but the game itself is fun enough for that not to really matter. The missions are varied and there are quite a few in which you don't engage in combat at all; instead you have to sneak a probe into a ship, or play a game of "hotter-colder" to figure out where a ship is hiding, are repair a communications relay...these are all fun, but the combat shines. And the game is no cakewalk, either; the learning curve is steep enough, but often in later missions you'll find yourself against an entire army with no backup. These missions are quite difficult to beat; I myself have never beaten the game without cheating, but it's one of the few games out there that I've had this long and still to this day challenges me. This is a masterpiece of sci-fi shootery, and most definitely the best game I have ever played (it's a shame it won't run on XP...). If you like space flight sims...this is the mother of them all.
*Whew*
So there you have it. A comprehensive listing of my ten favorite video games of all time. Can you tell I'm a primarily PC guy? Yeah, and for good measure, here's a short list of games I wanted to include but got beaten out; you can call if a list of "Honorable Mentions", if you like:
-Independence War 2 (PC)
-Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation/PC)
-Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
-Jet Force Gemini (N64)
-Fallout (PC)
-Roller Coaster Tycoon: Loopy Landscapes (PC)
-TIE Fighter (PC)
-Perfect Dark (N64)
-Desert Strike (Sega Genesis)
Although I'd be willing to bet that NONE of you read every single word of that entry, I had a lot of fun writing it, and it cured my boredom. It really made me want to play pretty much every game I wrote about...shame I'm going on break :( Oh well, hope you enjoyed my musings! Later.
-sKy- -
2007-03-09 15:19:55
Hay Kariudo, I had a dream this morning where you punted a cat.
Seriously. Stop being mean to teh animals |:<
-sKy- -
This entry might get emo, I don't know yet
2007-03-08 01:56:51
So tomorrow I have this test in my Christian Ethics course. It's a test with ten short-answer/essay questions about, obviously, what we've learned thus far. Our professor gave us a study guide kind of thing which told us what to expect on the test. From looking over this study guide, I can't even say with any kind of confidence that I'd be able to get two of the ten questions correct. It's all on stuff we were supposed to read from multiple books (I read two and a half of the six or seven passages) and lecture notes (I took notes the first day, and every day after that I just wrote in my journal instead).
So I'm not even going to go tomorrow. What's the point? I'd just embarrass myself, and I decided today that I'm going to drop the class anyway. According to my friends (who've had experience with dropping classes), it won't count against my financing unless I go below 12 credits, and this semester, assuming I pass my other classes I'll have 12 credits without Ethics. I hate the class, it doesn't make sense to me, and I don't care. I AM a Christian, but the material is absolutely the dullest and most pointless stuff I can imagine. My mind doesn't work that way anymore.
I even enjoy anatomy more, which is saying something (since I hate all forms of biology courses).
I feel, though, like I'm wasting my life here. All I do every day is go to class, work if I have to, then come to my dorm and sit at my computer ALL DAY. I have about six friends on campus, and none of us ever go out and do stuff. It's just the same thing every day. As much as I enjoy talking to people from here online, or playing golf, or editing, or whatever, I just can't help but feel like I'm not making myself a better person, like I'm wasting my time in this college. I have more friends online than I do at this school, and while I'm grateful for each and every one of you, it just feels like I'm letting real, tangible experiences slip by. I'm sure I'd have more fun if I didn't refuse to go out drinking or whatever, but even so...this just feels so dull.
If you asked me right now where I'll be in two years, my guess would be not in college. I think I'll end up dropping out, unless I start to get more disciplined. I actually think that's possible, though; the gen ed courses we're forced to take here really and truly suck, and I have yet to really enjoy any of my classes here. Hopefully when I start taking math/physics courses, I'll be more motivated to learn. As it stands, almost none of what I've learned here so far interests me at all, and it makes it hard to really be interested in staying.
I mean, you have no idea how badly I want to get into spacey stuff. I bought a book two weekends ago with a ton of photos of stars and nebulae and stuff, and it's so beautiful. I love just looking at it. I don't even have to read the undoubtedly interesting text, the pictures stimulate me more than anything. THAT'S what I want to do with my life. Study the stars. BUT I HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YEEETTTT. Ugh. It's frustrating sometimes.
Sometimes I think that the people I've met here are the only things keeping me from giving up completely. It's cool that you're all so nice to me, and some of you are like my best friends. I appreciate it, I really do. I don't even come here for the videos as much as I do the people. You're all great.
*Sigh*
I can't wait for Spring Break. I mean, I really can't. I'm going to go home and freakin' RELAX. I really want to read a book or two. I never have motivation to read here, at home there's nothing else to do. Hopefully I can get that done. And I'll probably watch some anime too...ah, it'll be great.
So yeah. Just had to get all that off my mind. Later kiddos.
-sKy- -
I almost missed class, but it was worth it
2007-03-06 16:22:15
EPIC two-hour battle last night. Me, aesling, Prodigi, and Nessephanie vs. Wheee_It's_Me! Oh man. It was the funniest shit I've seen all week. Screenshots for anyone who wants them.
-sKy- -
Defending the newbs
2007-03-06 03:36:51
I've become a lot harsher with my opinions and star ratings. In the past month or so my standards have shot way up, and when viewing AMVs I've come to expect a LOT more than I used to. I rarely give out tens in ops anymore, besides sound quality. Fives for star ratings are also much harder to come by. For me, at least, these are high standards (although there are those around the .org who are much harder to impress than that, believe me).
Yet, paradoxically, there are more than a few videos I've downloaded since I started downloading AMVs when I joined here back in August that, despite all the editing and quality flaws they may contain, I can't help but like or even love. This video is a good example:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=71960
Just look at the average op scores and you'll know what kind of video we're dealing with here. It's a Naruto/Linkin Park video, yet for whatever reason I really like it. To be fair, the song "My December" has not been used nearly as many times as other LP songs, and is in my opinon one of the bands best songs, but even so there's something here besides the song that makes me really dig the video. It's not the beat sync (as there is practically none)...I really don't know. The song, for some reason, just seems to fit the scenes the editor chose.
Would I recommend it? No, definitely not; the visual quality is about a three or four out of ten and there are a ton of editing mistakes throughout the whole thing. I think it's more of a personal thing that I like it - I doubt many others would.
Here's another one that's actually one of my favorites:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=60311
This was one of the very first AMVs I downloaded from the .org, so that may have something to do with why I'm clinging to it and refusing to take it off my Top 10, but either way I watched it again today and it still struck me as a very emotional video. Still, it's not a video I'd recommend to people, just because I know there are all sorts of mistakes in it - poor visual quality, very loose beat sync, orphan frames...it's below average in almost every category besides sound quality, probably. But it has emotion. I think that's what keeps this one close to my heart - I was nearly crying the first time I watched it, and that was before I even knew what was going on in the video (for those of you who haven't watched this video, it's about the Ayato/Asahina romance in RahXephon, portrayed as well in my video World Taken Apart and norskotaku's Priceless). Editing-wise, it'd probably get a two, MAYBE three out of five stars from me now, but I still love it.
And the final video I have to mention is a more recent one:
http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=137037
This was interesting, because as I was watching it I KNEW there were all sorts of problems - subtitles, wacky aspect ratio, extremely long, dragged-out clips, mouth flap...but at the same time I watched it and couldn't help but feel like the mood was so perfect. Again, probably not a recommendable because of its obvious, glaring flaws, but it really hit me personally because I'm a sucker for videos that really bring out the emotion of a song, no matter how poorly-edited they are. As blade_komoto so perfectly put it the other day over AIM:
[22:18] Yukirinkonoko: i like AMV's that gives me chills down my spine. it doesnt realy matter how good the editing graphics are
[22:18] Yukirinkonoko: lol
[22:19] wayAway2419: Well duh
[22:19] Yukirinkonoko: xD
[22:19] Yukirinkonoko: it can have subtitles and be a crappy quality
[22:19] wayAway2419: Yep
So true.
So. My point here is that just because you're new to editing or can't sync correctly or can't make a particularly pretty video does NOT mean you won't touch someone out there. WMM videos can be just as effective as After Effects ones (if you actually want me to make a recommendation to prove this, look at aerialesque's Weight Of The World, which is quite possibly the best WMM creation on the .org), so don't listen to people who say that if you're new to editing you can't make shit. Well, you CAN make shit, but you can also make something great. I've seen it done before.
-sKy-
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