Your Top 50 Games: 2011 Discussion Thread

[Runa216]

20 - Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (PS2, Xbox)

Where Grand Theft Auto: Vice City may have had the best character and setting of all the GTA games, San Andreas had by far the best gameplay and value. Three cities, each almost as big as Vice City, connected by open country roads, highways, and even a full mountain to dive off. Three different types of collectibles, RPG stat building, and territory minigames that actually didn't suck, and you have here the best the series has to offer. Too bad GTA IV basically threw everything that made Vice City and San Andreeas great out the window.

19 - Assassin's Creed II (PS3, 360)

While the first game was pretty and the story sucked me right in, the gameplay was messed up and uneven (seriously, guards attacking you just for being there? Forget that.) Luckily, Ubisoft took the time to refine everything about the first game into a game that was actually fun to play! They elaborated on the already fantastic story, they added more stuff to do, more collectables to collect, and better characters to interact with. The perfect sequel, though it still had a few gameplay related refinements to work on.

18 - Super MarioWorld (SNES, GBA)

Oh man, what a fantastically nostalgic experience that just doesn't stop being awesome. Dozens upon dozens of levels, an intricate world that has many, MANY secrets to explore, and some of the best level design to ever grace a platformer. In my opinion the apex of the Mario series. While others have beat it in individual categories, no game in the series ever brought all those elements together in such a way. Hell, any game that can be beaten in less than half an hour through exploiting secrets is awesome. I've been playing this game for two decades now and I STILL haven't found everything. That's replay value. (for the record there's only one room I can't get into, I have in fact gotten the coveted 96* score)

17 - Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)

This is where the series really skyrocketed into the stratosphere for me. While the first two had flimsy plots and frankly lame character development, Up your Arsenal introduced us to what would become Ratchet's main nemesis: dr Nefarious. In turn the story actually mattered, Quark was less of a douche, and the sheer variety of gameplay in this is outstanding. Flying, shooting, platforming, puzzling, RPG elements, even a little RTS if you know where to look. They even added a multiplayer that didn't suck. Wasn't great, but it certainly didn't suck! When I'm arguing in favor of unified genre theory, this is one of the games I use as an example.

16 - Rock Band 3 (PS3, 360, Wii)

While I admit this game's release really pissed me off (No PS3 keyboards in Canada, no bundles, STILL no Pro guitars), and I ended up loathing most of the setlist on-disc (seriously, I'm a guitarist who hates chordfests), this really expanded what a Rythm game could be. Almost doubling the potential players from 4 to 7, adding a keyboard, and incorporating better RBN support made this a real winner in my eyes. Plus, the continued DLC has proven to be a steady source of entertainment. While I feel the game itself was a touch lackluster compared to the pristine Rock Band 2, it has since fixed itself and proven to be the de-facto Rock Band experience. Oh, and since Rock Band 3's release, we've been treated to some of the best DLC ever, most notably Meat Loaf's Paradise by the Dashboard Light and Dream Theater's On the backs of Angels, both perfect full-band experiences. There's also been 4 rush songs and 12 songs by The Doors. Shit, I best stop, because this game is awesome.

15 - Red Dead Redemption (PS3, 360)

After the debacle that was Grand Theft Auto IV, I was incredibly hesitant to buy into the hype of another Rockstar game. Well, I ended up waiting a while and getting this for cheap ('cheap' being 40 bucks) thanks to getting a gift card. Well, I was blown away. I didn't really know Rockstar for their storytelling ability, but Red Dead Redemption's story was amazingly well-told from beginning to end, revolving around likeable and believable characters in a gloriously realized world. Hell, if you just did the story it'd last you 20+ hours, that's not including the many, MANY things to do on the side as you explore around Texas and Mexico. Red Dead Redemption showed what a sandbox game could be, and in my opinion is what a sandbox game should be.

14 - Final Fantasy IX (PS1)

I have a confession to make: I don't remember most of this game. It keeps getting overshadowed by FF games I liked better (VI, VII, X, XII) and often gets left out when compared to the more controversial FFVIII, so I haven't played it as much as some of the others in the series. All I know is that what I did play of it I absolutely adored. I loved the characters, the plot, the fact that GASP terrible things happened a LOT! Not to mention I was fond of the battle system and the world they lived in. It was precicely what Amano wanted: a 3D version of a classic Final Fantasy. Now if only they'd return to their roots and quit with the stupid FFXIII sequels, we could get more great games!

13 - Final Fantasy VIII (PS1)

This one had it's fair share of controversy, from the Emo-poster boy Squall to the complicated but easy to abuse junction/draw system, this game reeks of weird decisions...and yet it worked. Squall may have been emo, but it made for one of the best-developed character arches in videogame history when he manned up and fell for Rinoa. The junction system may have been cumbersome, but once you learned it, it was remarkably deep and fun to use. Drawing still sucks, but if you know how to refine things then it becomes less necessary. Oh, and it has arguably the best minigame to ever grace Final Fantasy: Triple Triad. It had its faults, but I think it's strengths greatly outweigh them.