#20. Metal Gear Solid (PS1)

I don't care what anybody says, this is the best Metal Gear Solid game. The story is well constructed with nice plot twists, great intrigue and amazing characters. The whole cast was fleshed out, even characters you never meet like Naomi Hunter (who still had her English accent back then) had a backstory , most vilains left a lasting impression, Psycho Mantis being the one that impressed me the most but Liquid Snake, Revolver Ocelot, Vulcan Raven and Sniper Wolf were all awesome in their own way.

The gameplay was unlike anything I had played before, you had to think your way through, avoid being spotted, enemies could follow your footsteeps in the snow but were totally fooled by you hiding in a cardboard box. While the focus of the game was to avoid confrontation, when you did get in a fight, the combat system was more than adequate and boss fights were innovative and constantly different. On your way to the end, you find yourself fighting a tank, a helicopter, a sniper, a cyborg ninja and a bullet bouncing Russian.

To me this game had the perfect balance between great gameplay and captivating story which the sequels never manage to recreate entirely (Snake Eater came close).

I agree with every word of this.  I now need to think of something original for when this game appears on my list later this month.

Sorry

If we were making a "most hated" list...this here would probably be my #1...I Can't remember too many games I hated, but this is definitely the one I hate the most.  Not becase the game itself is bad, but because it basically went against everything Final Fantasy stood for and sucked at everything it tried to do. 

Please tell me you got Lulu's final weapon :P 

Final Fantasy X is one of the only games I can claim to have gotten 100% on.  I Feel happy for that.  

The ultimate weapons I had were Lulu's, Yuna's, Rikku's and Auron's. The chocobo races prevented me from getting Tidus's, there was no way I was gonna play Blitzball to get Wakka's and I didn't bother with Khimari's (I've read the butterfly catching mini-game had the potential of being even worst than the Chocobo racing, that really scared me).

Yeah, you mind if I just link to your post here for info when this comes up on my list? You've basically covered everything I want to say!

#19 Final Fantasy VIII

My least favourite of all the FF numbered games I've completed but at the same time it has one of the best soundtrack I've ever heard. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=HPh1VoJ6TUg

So I've been going through and re-organizing the Sign up thread to get a count on who's keeping up... and it's not looking too good. I knew it would happen though... I guess filling in a top 50 is too much work for a lot of folks.

Guess I'll PM Spam them at the end of the month to just copy/paste their lists into their posts. XP

Alrighty guys... we're in the top 20! This is where the games start becoming our personal masterpieces. ^_^

#20: Pokemon Black/White (DS)
Release Date: March 6, 2011
Last Year: New

Every new Pokemon game is an event in our family. The three of us (Myself, my brother, and my sister) bought our specific Pokemon game on launch day (I chose Black version), drove back home, and all started up our DS' at the same time. We each had to choose a different starter (I chose Oshawott, it's tradition that I pick the Water type) and from that point on, we were on our own. I love Pokemon, but Black/White stands out for a couple of reasons. One is numerous new Pokemon (the most ever... even surpassing the original 151 Pokemon), and the fact that you'll never encounter an older Pokemon during your inital adventure makes this incredibly refreshing and engaging (no more Zubats... only now they're Wubats...). The story is also more prominant and more developed than previous Pokemon, making the adventure more than just a "get badges and beat the Elite Four" (Black/White has a great "ending" that shakes this up). Black/White did a lot to change things up and continue to evolve the franchise... and the result was one incredible game.

Favorite New Pokemon: Whimsicott (So huggable!)
It's a Shame: The gamrConnect Pokemon League never took off...

#19: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Release Date: March 9, 2008
Last Year: #21

Super Smash Brawl's hype train was absoultely massive. I checked SmashBrosDojo every night to see what new features Sakurai and Co. were implementing into Nintendo's newest brawler. Even before that everyone was giddy with glee when Snake arrived on the scene... and we all knew we were in for a treat. I knew the game was going to be something special when Sonic the Hedgehog was announced as a playable character... and when March 9th came around I was in line for the midnight opening, waiting to get my mits on the game. More than 500 hours later (my most played Wii game), Brawl is my favorite game in the series and my favorite fighting game of all time. Awesome new characters, a single player that was, while flawed, still a great experience, more stages (including a stage creator), an incredible soundtrack, and Final Smashes made this the Brawl to end them all. Yeah, tripping is lame, and the online was mediocre at best (all about the local multiplayer anyways), but Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a game of endless fun.

Main: Toon Link
Favorite Final Smash: Super Sonic