What makes them your favorite games?

[The_Liquid_Laser]

curl-6 said:

1. [Resident Evil 4] From the brilliantly desolate atmosphere to the pitch-perfect pacing to the intense combat to the epic bosses to the sheer attention to detail paid to every gameplay mechanic and every corner of the game world, it's just a masterclass in design and execution.

2. [Super Mario Galaxy] With its endlessly imaginative cosmic playgrounds, sublime soundtrack, and joyous controls, it captures the magic of childhood wonder and distills it into video game form.

3. [The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild] This is what I dreamed games of the future would be like when I was growing up; an intricate network of interactive elements woven together into a cohesive and organic whole from which almost endless emergent gameplay possibilities arise.

(referring to bold) That is also what I dreamed games of the future would be like growing up.  I thought games like Breath of the Wild would be the norm.  For me, my first console was the Atari 2600 and my second was the NES.  Just ignoring graphics, NES games are far more complex and better designed than Atari 2600 games in just about every way.  So I just assumed gameplay and design would continue improving like that.  After the NES though, it was really only the graphics that improved across the board and game design only improved on a game-by-game basis.  (I.e. every generation has its share of shovelware, and only a small percentage are truly great games.)  When we get a game like Breath of the Wild we have to count ourselves lucky.  Who knows how long it will be until we get a game this good again?

But if we want to talk about the next step in gaming...I'd start with Breath of the Wild, because that is an awesome place to start.  Then, make all the dungeons as fun and interesting as Hyrule Castle.  Add in some more sim elements to the world from Animal Crossing and also make melee combat more engaging.  (I like both Hyrule Warriors and Dark Souls for 3D combat.  A step in either direction would be an improvement.)  That's kind of the dream game in my mind at the moment.

Shiken said:

Chrono Trigger - It is a timeless Adventure and one of the few games out there that actually does time travel right. The art direction ages very well, the music is fantastic, the plot is interesting/fun, and the tech system is very well done. The cast is very lovable and their character development is top notch as well.  It really is close to perfection in my eyes.

Chrono Cross - Making the list for very different reasons, the sequel to Chrono Trigger itself is also included here. Though not a direct follow up to the original cast, it does advance the over arching state of that world very well. It has problems with pacing and a few plot holes left open to interpretation, but overall the plot is also very interesting. This time it focuses on multiverse theory and the concequences of time travel, rather than the use of it to defeat a foe. It has a darker tone overall, so while it is a direct sequel in world plot, it does not feel the same nor does it follow the same cast. The gameplay also differs, but it is also very fun. This time the element system, which actually can be deeper than many realize, takes the forefront of the battle system. Unfortunately, for me anyway, the difficulty is a bit too easy to make the player use it to its full potential. The art direction is different, but also very beautiful (some may actually prefer it). The music is every bit as good as Trigger and where Trigger remained light hearted, Cross tends to go very deep. Chrono Cross also features a very large cast of characters, over 40 in fact.  Some of them are hit or miss however in terms of plot relevance, but there are a good number of likeable characters to choose from.  The drawback to this however is that outside of our two main protagonists and a handful of others, character development is lacking this time around.  It has its flaws, but this game will always hold a place in my heart. Where Trigger was near perfection, I see Cross as more of a flawed masterpiece.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Now we all knew I would have a Zelda game on here, but the question was which one? I decided to go with ALttP because I feel it is truly one of the best entries in the franchise. BotW came close, but there are still some things I would like to see improved upon. Ocarina comes to mind for some people, but I feel it is overrated when compared to the original game that truly started the Zelda formula once nostalgia is removed. OoT is indeed a great game, just not as great as ALttP. The SNES adventure was just so compact and filled with content, great music, beautiful visuals for its time, and is just all around fun to play. IMO, it represents the pinacle of the classic Zelda games.

You didn't mention this, but I'm going to ask.  Is time travel something that really makes the game interesting for you?  All of your games seem to have either a time travel or dimension travel theme.  (Although ALttP implies time in the title.)  Obviously, it helps that these games are well made, but I was also wondering if the time travel component had any significance?