#18 - Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun Firestorm (PC)

I've put my entry as the expansion pack, 'Firestorm', as that is by far and a way the version of the game that I spent the most time with, but I suppose I'm also including the original game in this entry as well.

Tiberian Sun followed on from the first RTS I ever played, the original Command & Conquer.  We got the enjoyable Red Alert in between, but that never quite caught my interest in the same way that the tiberium universe did.  So dipping back into it with familiar units but a whole host of new stuff, new tactics, new bases and a fantastic new plotline was an absolute blast.

Speaking of plot, despite C&C's bashing it gets for live action cutscenes and melodramatic plot, Tiberian Sun actually told a really interesting story.  Firestorm improved on it even more - fighting against CABAL genuinely terrified me when I played this game as an 11 year old.  Aside from that, the tiberium universe was more atmospheric than ever with new types being discovered; men turning into mutants; remnants of the last game left scattered around the battlefiend and so on.  Mix this in with some of the most solid and enjoyable RTS tactics I've ever played and you've got a real winner of a game.

Clue for my #17 - Not good at one of the boss fights in the game? Save it, wait a week (or change your console's time to a week in the future) and the fight will 'complete' itself.

#18

Metal Gear Solid

Before the blurring of the line between video games and movies was a fait accompli, Metal Gear Solid arrived on the scene and revolutionized the industry by presenting itself in an unparalleled cinematic way. Metal Gear Solid unfolds like a billion dollar blockbuster, with first-rate voice acting and masterful camera work. Set in a remote nuclear facility in Alaska, Metal Gear Solid follows the adventures of elite soldier Solid Snake, lured out of retirement and asked to liberate the facility from members of his former squad. Apart from its ground-breaking cinematography, Metal Gear Solid effectively invented the modern stealth action game, which has become a popular sub-genre. Its descendents include Splinter Cell and Hitman.

I believe that that's The End from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

It is indeed!

Now that you say it, it's so obvious! Well done Mister, well done.

18. Super Smash Bros Brawl, Wii (2008) Nintendo/Sora
Another objectively-better game that loses to others in its franchise due to nostalgia (namely losing to Melee in this case), Brawl balanced what Melee had unbalanced, creating mechanisms to deliberately mess with those dreadful tournament players, and yet making a game that was incredibly balanced (closest thing to a broken character is Meta Knight, but i contend that he does not have enough launching power to be truly unbalanced). My mains were and remain: Kirby, Mr. Game and Watch, Ike, and King Dedede

#18: Okami (2008)
Last Year: 17

Not having a PlayStation 2, I did not have the oppurtunity to play this newfangled Zelda-clone back when it originally released in 2006. But that art direction (Ooooh that art direction) and the immense amount of praise left me wanting to at least try the game out. Fast forward to April of 2008, where the game was (thankfully) released for the Wii, and I finally got to get my hands on it. Let me say that Okami provided one of the most magical gaming experiences I've ever played. Of course the graphics are amazing, but there's so much more to this game than that. The music is heavenly, the combat is always fun and engaging, the use of the celestial brush is intelligently implemented, the cast of characters are immensely likeable, the boss battles are epic, and the world of Nippon is full of life and wonder. Sometimes there's nothing better than to just watch Amaterasu run across Nippon, taking in the sights and realizing what a wonderful world this game has to offer.

I really have to play this game. I've been putting it off for too long.

17. The starting location in this game became the subtitle of this game's "sequel."