look at meeee! EEEEEAGLEEEE!

12 - Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii)

I know it's going to sound weird, but Smash brothers has always been one of those games I can pick up any day and play for hours. I was once a tournament player, but instead opted to be more casual with my gaming so I'm given this: an amazing game in every right. The combat physics are (in my opinion) the best in the series, there are more characters, secrets, and unlockables than ever before, a level creator, and above all else a co-op campaign mode that's honestly worh the price of the game on its own. This game fires on all cylinders and is one of the only games this generation I find myself returning to on a regular basis. you have no idea how much this excites me for the announced Smash brothers 3DS game.

11 - Donkey Kong Country (SNES, GBA)

Platforming at its best. the original Donkey Kong Country was what some would say the perfect blend of gameplay and presentation (and in its day it was more than worth the money you paid for it.) Dozens of unique levels, hundreds of bonuses and collectibles to find, and all along the backdrop of what was at the time the best music and graphics any system had ever seen. The remarkably well-rendered backgrounds and characters still look better than many games today, not to mention the game itself is still as fun as it ever was. this is how you make a classic.

10 - Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)

If you've been paying attention, you'll see that I absolutely adore the Ratchet and Clank series with a passion. Its blend of platforming, action, shooting, puzzling, and even RPG elements has really made what I Feel is one of the best examples of genre-blending in histoy, and A Crack in Time is the best in the series for many reasons. The story is better and longer, the weapons are more fun, the action is greater, the comedy is better, and the extra content/exploration elements are welcome addition. So much to do, so much fun, and in spite of being a relatively cheap game, production wise, has proven to have more polish and sheen than most. Awesome game.

09 - Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES, GBA)

It may have had its fair share of detractors due to the saccharine aesthetics and the minor changes in enemy design, Donkey Kong Country 3 still proved to be an amazing game and in many ways superior to its prequels. In addition to all the things the previous entries introduced (bonus levels, kong letters, bananas, spending money, hidden worlds), this time we also get the banana birds, vehicles, and the brothers bear miniquest to conquer. Plus, in spite of the enemies being silly and not what you've come to love, the level design was easily the best in the series up to that point. Now that you're older, I urge you to give a shot and ignore the aesthetic changes, you'd be surprised how well it's held up.

08 - Final Fantasy XII (PS2)

Here we go...hooo boy. I just want everyone to know that this entry and the next two are tied equally in my books, but I had to order them so I did so chronologically. anyway, WOW what a game! I really don't know what to say, really, I mean, the characters (save Vaan and Penelo) were some of the best developed in the series, the sheer scope of the world, accent on exploration, and volume of content/sidequests meant that even for the most eager of gamers, truly completing this game was remarkably challenging and a hell of a fun time. The story is peculiar in that the plot that's fed to you is pretty basic, but if you're the type that likes to explore and unearth more (through sidequests or whatever), it proves itself to have one of the richest stories of any game, ever.

7 - Final Fantasy X (PS2)

I didn't like that they took away the world map, but everything else about this game fired on all cylinders! The plot was moving and poignant (religion is bad, yo), the characters were deep and had meaningful character arches, the combat made for some incredibly tactical decisions, and there was just SO much to do, in spite of the fact that exploration wasn't really all that viable due to the lack of worldmap. Plus there's Blitzball (what is arguably one of the best minigames ever), and stuff like deciphering a language, and you have one hell of a game. also: Tidus being whiny was his character arc, he went from being a spoiled brat to a mature adult. That was kind of the backdrop of the whole story.

6 - Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

What can I say? It's overrated but it's still phenomenal in every way! sure the graphics haven't aged well (See: Donkey King Country for graphics that aged well), but the story is as powerful as it ever was, the characters still as nuanced as ever, and the world as fleshed out as any game. Yeah, the game has its detractors, but the the combination of what was the most impressive visuals at the time and a scope far beyond what anyone had accomplished really shows that there's something special about this game, and it will always have a place in my heart. I have this on my PSP and still play it from time to time!

I believe the word is character "arc" not "arch"

#7 Okami played on PS2, released 2006

Okami outdid Zelda for me in every way. The artstyle is amazing and never disappoints. It keeps surprising you with its beauty to the very end. The cleansing the land effect is simply amazing.

Not only does it have an amazing artstyle, it also has great story and gameplay to back it up. It's hard to believe a lot of people dismissed it when it came out because of it's lenghty wordy start. 15 minutes to setup the world and story isn't much in a game of this scope. The first time I thought I was at the end of the game after an epic boss fight, it turned out I was only 1 third of the way. Best surprise ever.

The celestial brush offers great gameplay both during fights and while exploring. Quests are all fun with lots of variety including crazy things like going inside the body of the emperor. Sidequests are well done too, and the 2D digging mini game was an instant hit.
Characters are all memorable with plenty of humor along the way. The star, Amaterasu, is one of my favorite video game characters of all time. What an amazing adventure.

This is definitely a game I took my time with, letting it all soak in. This game is on the top of my wanted list for HD remakes.

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7. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

My favourite in the series, even after the release of Uncharted 3. I thought the first one was already a great game, but Among Thieves improved upon it with its' memorable characters, interesting story and amazing setpieces.

07: Wipeout HD/Fury
In my opnion? THE BEST WipEout game EVER amd Fury just made that game sssooo much better.

#9) Super Mario Bros. (NES/SNES/GBC/GBA/Wii)

#8) Metal Slug X (NG/PS2/PSP/Wii)

Aliens. Slapstick humor. Mummies. Hilarious Engrish. Fat people. Invigorating music. Half-naked men with flamethrowers in their pants.

2D shoot 'em up perfection.

I love the living shit out of this game.

Happy Christmas to all, and Wario Land II for today's update at number 7

06: Valkyria Chronicles PS3

My 2nd favourite SRPG of all time. This game was quite bold in many ways. a 3rd party exclusive game on the ps3 when back then it seemed suicidal to release an RPG on the ps3 especially as an exclusive. It also tackled the theme of war but didn't pussyfoot around it, went hard into it head first and was quite grim in many ways. But sadly, some lacklustre sequels (lacklustre when compared to the original) have ruined the prestiege of the Valkyria name but the original is still a masterpiece.

 

#6 Half-Life played on PC, released  1998

This game felt special right from the opening scene. The first game with a true cinematic opening, also the first game I played in surround sound. I played the opening sequence 3 times before moving on. Arriving at Black Mesa and getting on with daily business was completely different from what came before it. Getting briefly transported to the alien world during the malfunction was a great glimpse of what was to come.

Level design and in game story telling were revolutionary for it's time. So were the realistic environments that continue on in a believable sequence. No more running to the end of level switch. The gameplay is still great by todays standards with the enemy soldiers working together to flush you out with grenades.
The game is filled with all kinds of great moments taken from movies, like falling out of an airduct after it gets riddled with holes or ducking underwater to avoid the fire blast from a bomb.

Besides from being the best single player fps experience it is also my all time favorite multiplayer fps. We used to play this pretty much daily at the end of the workday on the office lan network. It never got old thanks to the near unlimited supply of great user made levels and mods.
One of my best friends made a level of the office we were working in at the time. Taking out a double barrel shotgun or a crowbar and tear up the office at the end of a tough programming day is the best way to relieve stress.
The original multiplayer levels were favorites as well. Small levels quickly turned into bloodstained messes. Another great feature, the game remembered a whole lot of the carnage before it started to fade out again.

The energy weapon was one of our favorites. Useful to shoot someone hiding in the bathroom straight through the wall, or to use the reverse jump to launch yourself from ground onto a roof top. Trip laser wire bombs could be attached to all sorts of interesting places at different heights and angles. Great fun to chase someone into your pre-made door triggered trap.
Sound design was excellent. I still hear all the sound effects playing in my mind like it was yesterday. Playing in LAN was the best since you could instantly recognize were people were by the sound coming from all the different computers.

An awesome game which set the standard for modern fps games. Often copied and imitated but never completely matched in the total package that HL1 offered.

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