Sorry guys, real-life keeps getting in the way so I haven't been able to participate in the discussions as much as I would have liked.
So I've gone and posted my top 50 in the official thread:
http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/post.php?id=8148420
Rank |
Game Title |
Developer(s) |
System Played |
Year |
50 |
Starquake |
Bubble Bus Software |
Amstrad CPC 464 |
1985 |
49 |
Bioshock Infinite |
Irrational Games |
PC |
2013 |
48 |
Tomb Raider & Tomb Raider Anniverssary |
Core Design/Crystal Dynamics |
PC & PS1 |
1996/2007 |
47 |
Tekken 3 |
Namco |
PS1 |
1997 |
46 |
Shaodw of the Colossus |
Team Ico |
PS2 |
2005 |
45 |
Call of Duty |
Infinity Ward |
PC |
2003 |
44 |
Gran Turismo 6 |
Polyphony Digital |
PS3 |
2013 |
43 |
Metal Gear Solid 4 |
Kojima Productions |
PS3 |
2008 |
42 |
Age of Mythology + The Titans Expansion |
Ensemble Studios |
PC |
2002 |
41 |
Bomb Jack |
Tehkan |
Amstrad CPC 464 |
1984 |
40 |
Mirror's Edge Catalyst |
DICE |
PS4 |
2016 |
39 |
Final Fantasy X |
Square Enix |
PS2 & PS4 |
2001 |
38 |
Neverwinter Nights + Shadows of Undrentide + Hordes of the Underdark |
Bioware |
PC |
2002 |
37 |
Portal |
Valve corporation |
PC |
2007 |
36 |
Starcraft |
Blizzard |
PC |
1998 |
35 |
Fallout 3 |
Bethesda Game Studios |
PC |
2008 |
34 |
Starcraft 2 |
Blizzard |
PC |
2010 |
33 |
Assassins Creed 2 |
Ubisoft Montreal |
PS3 |
2009 |
32 |
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind + Tribunal + Bloodmoon |
Bethesda Game Studios |
PC |
2002 |
31 |
Portal 2 |
Valve corporation |
PC |
2011 |
30 |
Dishonored |
Arkane Studios |
PC |
2012 |
29 |
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare |
Infinity Ward |
PC |
2007 |
28 |
Dragon Age: Inquisition |
Bioware |
PC |
2014 |
27 |
Far Cry 4 |
Ubisoft Montreal |
PC |
2014 |
26 |
The Witcher 2 |
CDProjekt RED |
PC |
2011 |
25 |
Age of Empire II + Expansions |
Ensemble Studios |
PC |
1999 |
24 |
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain |
Kojima Productions |
PS4 |
2015 |
23 |
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas |
RockStar |
PS2 & PC |
2004 |
22 |
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater |
Kojima Productions |
PS2/PS3 |
2004 |
21 |
Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening |
Nintendo |
Game Boy |
1993 |
20 |
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic |
Bioware |
PC |
2003 |
19 |
Metal Gear Solid |
Kojima Productions |
PS1 |
1998 |
18 |
Uncharted 2 |
Naughty Dog |
PS3 & PS4 |
2009 |
17 |
Fallout 4 |
Bethesda Game Studios |
PC |
2016 |
16 |
Age of Empires + The Rise of Rome |
Ensemble Studios |
PC |
1997 |
15 |
Half-Life + Source + Black Mesa mod |
Valve corporation |
PC |
1998 |
14 |
Uncharted 4 |
Naughty Dog |
PS4 |
2016 |
13 |
Grand Theft Auto V |
Rockstar |
PS3 & PC |
2013/2015 |
12 |
Mass Effect 3 |
Bioware |
PC |
2012 |
11 |
Final Fantasy VII |
Squaresoft |
PS1, PC & PSN |
1997 |
10 |
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim |
Bethesda Game Studios |
PC |
2011 |
9 |
Super Mario World |
Nintendo |
SNES |
1991 |
8 |
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion |
Bethesda Game Studios |
PC |
2006 |
7 |
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided |
Eidos Montreal |
PC |
2016 |
6 |
Dragon Age: Origins |
Bioware |
PC |
2009 |
5 |
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt |
CDProjekt RED |
PC |
2015 |
4 |
Mass Effect 2 |
Bioware |
PC |
2010 |
3 |
Deus Ex: Human Revolution |
Eidos Montreal |
PC |
2011 |
2 |
Half-Life 2 + episodes 1 & 2 |
Valve corporation |
PC |
2004 |
1 |
Deus Ex |
ion Storm |
PC |
2000 |
I'll at least give a mini review of the 4 new entries:
40. Mirrors Edge Catalyst
This is much closer to the game I wanted the original PS3/360 to be. It still has its frustrating moments with a single minor screw up resulting in a complete mission failure, but it was simply so much fun to have the freedom to explore a city via the rooftops in first-person. It can still be better by removing those small frustrations, but this is the closest it's come to fulfilling the promise of the original first-person parkour concept.
17. Fallout 4
This game came out at just the right time for me to fall in love with it. Having just become a new father IRL the story of a character searching for his own son really gelled with me. I don't normally become too invested in Bethesda storylines (although I do tend to enjoy them), however the timing of this game's release meant I really became invested in the story which is why it's so high up the list. As a wRPG it also presented you with difficult and morally ambiguous decisions. No matter what option you pick at the end, there's always a part of you that will feel guilty. The added settlement building options (clunky as they are) just add to an already great wRPG.
14. Uncharted 4
This is the perfect ending to the Uncharted series. Although the addition of a brotherly Drake was a bit out of the blue, the story and characters had depth and explored themes that very few blockbuster games have even touched on. The larger and open environments allowed for more strategic gameplay and the removal of the spawning enemies that charcterised the previous games was a welcome move. Although the environments grew much larger the game never lost the intensity in the plot which sometimes happens when games give the player more freedom. All-in-all this is now my favorite Uncharted game.
7. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
I'm a huge Deus Ex fan and I really enjoyed Mankind Divided. The story was good, the themes explored were in-line with Deus Ex and relevant to the world today, and you can see that they're in the process of guiding the storyline to the start of the original game (which is my no. 1). The gameplay is classic Deus Ex with multiple routes and methods for achieving mission objectives. Truly emergent gameplay at its best with perhaps only Dishonored really offering any competition in this discipline.
I've rated it lower than Human Revolution (3rd) and the original game (1st) as it really only has a single international hub area (Prague) that you revisit multiple times over the course of the game (Deus Ex had 3 hubs whilst HR had 2). The overall game also doesn't feel like a complete package as it feels like the story is in transition and we've yet to get to the meatiest part.
However, whilst I was disappointed with only having Prague as the only hub area, what I've come to appreciate is just how detailed environment really is with off-journal storylines, extra charcters and smaller, detailed side quests that all have plenty of time to shine. Whilst many games are going open world and presenting massive areas with endless streets of nameless NPCs, Mankind Divided gives the player a smaller area to explore but absolutely packs every inch with little details pertaining to the world or even to the main characters themselves. You can literally run for 5 seconds down any one of the streets and have gone past multiple areas of interest (an apartment where a murder has been commited, a guy looking for a black market exchange, hackable storage areas, side quests etc.) that really expand on the game and the world.