Talha's Top 50 Video Games

Science & Technology Information Technology, Gaming, Machines, Gadgets
61

*5. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (DC - Fighting) *

[thumb=H]mvc218751_2653404.JPG[/thumb]

This game swept me up like almost nothing before -- i played it all the time for such a long time that it borded on nutty. Against the computer, against friends, against strangers visiting suitemates. It didn't matter -- i just had to get in a few rounds every day.

Okay, it wasn't that crazy -- i did play the game for at least a few minutes seemingly every day, but i didn't have to. I wanted to. It was just that fun that it took years for me to truly get tired enough of it to decide to move on. Not that I "moved on" in the traditional sense -- I just started playing a couple times a week instead of every day. Even today, some four years after I first picked it up -- i still find a couple of days a month to fire off a round or two.

There's little to dislike about this one. Characters have so many wild attacks that the game is very button masher friendly -- you and an equally inexperienced pal will have a blast playing each other even if you don't know a super cancel from an anti-air assist. If you do happen to have any idea what that last statment means, the system also is incredibly deep, something I haven't come close to mastering in all my time with the game. Sure, I could whip up on just about anybody I've ever seen play, but after watching some of the pro tournament players ... let's just say i would be lucky to knock off a quarter of one of their three lifebars.

The coolest thing in this one is the whopping cast of characters. You have 56 total to choose from, almost all of which play differently from one another. Even those that appear similar on the surfact (Bone Wolverine/Adamantium Wolverine, Iron Man/War Machine, etc) have key differences that make them very different to play. You'll find every possible type of fighter you could want to control. There's in-close beaters like Zangief and Shinobi. There's keep-away projectile shooters like Mega Man and Blackheart. There's 100 piece combo killers in Magneto and Iron ron Man. There's life chippers in Storm and Sentinel. There's even crap characters who you only use for a challenge or laughs in Servbot and Roll. Maybe it seems like I've listed a lot, but there's still some 80% of the roster I haven't mentioned.

A word of warning to anyone who hasn't tried the game that some day might: cover your ears. If elevator music and jazz aren't your idea of fighting game tunes ... you've been warned.

62

*4. Final Fantasy Tactics (PS - Strategy) *

[thumb=H]fft18751_2653404.JPG[/thumb]

Just thinking about all that goes into this one is getting me interested in starting up another quest -- there has never been battle system that I enjoy like this one -- that's probably a necessity, as some 80% of the game is spent battling, but that doesn't make it any less great.

The fights are just tough enough that you do have to pay attention to what you're doing, but not so complex that you're going to have to spend twenty minutes micromanaging in between every move -- that's really what i always thought seperated this one from a lot of other stategic games. Others I've spent time with are either so easy that you don't even have to think about what you're doing, while others are so complicated that you spend just as much time crunching numbers as you do watching the action unfold. This game was a perfect happy medium.

This is also a great example of using a franchise's name in a good way and not just to sell more copies of some random mediocre game. Doesn't matter if you replace every last Final Fantasy reference with something generic, the actual game would be just as wonderful as it is now. However, if that were the case, far fewer people would've been inclined to pick this one up -- i can assure you i probably wouldn't have. In fact, if i remember correctly, the main reason I bought this game in the first place was the fact that i was quite disappointed in VII, and I read that this was a strategic and more importantly 2D followup title. A Final Fantasy with less emphasis on weepy anime pretty boys and more emphasis on actually playing? Excellent stuff.

Storyline is just about as in-depth and on another level as you can find in a game, even if you won't begin to understand it all until your third play through. Length is very nice; 20+ hours is probably plenty possible if you really want to, or you could go 60+ (even on replays) if you're a level up junkie like myself. Graphics certainly aren't what you'd use to show off the PSOne's power, but they were more than adequate. Music is a mixed bag -- i absolutely loved the songs used while I was playing the game, but it took about two minutes after shutting off the system for me to forget about them.

Final Fantasy Tactics is a game that transcends things like graphics and sound though -- i could've been just as happy playing this on DOS using a simple text interface -- Am I too in love with the battles in this one? Don't answer that.

63

**3. No One Lives Forever (PC - FPS) **

[thumb=H]nolf18751_5929237.JPG[/thumb]

Seriously, go out and buy these games now – You could probably buy a two pack containing both parts of the series for $20 – No way you regret it. Not a single person I’ve convinced to play them has so far – and my bet is no one will in the future.

This game is every last bit as charming as the second installment i talked about a few days ago. Same characters, same wonderful humor, same creative level design, same everything I glowed about before – Why’s this one higher? Simply put, it came first. It’s a bit more memorable – a bit more familiar. It probably isn’t quite as good as the sequel – this one features more dialogue than many would like in an action game, contains no skill point system, is a bit too easy for those that know their shooters, etc – but it is still a blast. Just the pure definition of what gaming should be.

Heheh it’s tough thinking of too much to say when i basically already covered everything just a few days back – i will simply reiterate that every person who enjoys games should give this one a chance - The demos are free, and after a quick check on Amazon, i see you can buy both titles for a combined $16.97 – two game of the year winning titles (yes, this one was nominated for and won awards too) for less than the cost of a single greatest hits PS2 game. Unless you have some sort of mental block that makes playing shooters impossible – i promise you’ll find no better value.

64

*2. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (DC - Sports) *

[thumb=H]thps218751_5929237.JPG[/thumb]

Marseille, France. Those two words do a little something for me like nothing else in the video game world -- i havee often mentioned how this or that is one of my favorite parts of gaming. Well, this particular level of this particular game is the favorite.

The setup: I had been playing some game on the Playstation, couldn't remember what -- i turned on the system expecting my game to still be in. However, I discovered that at some point my brother had put in the latest demo disc from Official Playstation Magazine into the system. Now I'm not one for demos, but for whatever reason I decided to check this one out -- I saw Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on, remembered the good reviews the first one got, and figured I'd give it a whirl. I was hooked no more than ten minutes later.

The demo consisted of two skaters and one level, Marseille. All you did was pick your skater and try to get a high score over a two minute run. Not a single bit more. Man alive though, did I take that simple goal to the extreme -- i don't know how many hours I logged on this demo, but it was a lot -- i could easily play 20 runs in a sitting -- and i was at it most days for at least a couple of months. The only thing that stopped me was the actual game's release (for the Dreamcast, not the Playstation).

That whole demo run is something that is a landmark in my video game career. It may be insane, but the demo alone would have found its way somewhere on the countdown -- Once i started with the full game though, forget about it. It was just the demo times ten. Same quality, just more of it.

Along with MvC2, this single handedly kept the Dreamcast alive for me well after most people had set their's aside -- i brought it with me to my first year of college -- and I hooked all five of my suitemates on the game. Only one was what i would call a person who would normally play video games, yet it felt like there wasn't an hour that could pass without someone coming in my room to play a little bit of Tony Hawk. They weren't exactly the best, and approximately five times a day it was requested that i help them with a goal (high score in Philly was very common), but the point is that they were hooked.

This game is just flat out near perfection. 99% scores on both IGN and Gamespot can attest to that. So can the fact that i managed to hook four non-gaming friend onto it like some kind of drug -- i thought long and hard about putting Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 at the number one spot -- Alas, it'll have to settle for second best.

unkil Falker MWAhahahahaha
65

*1. Final Fantasy VI (SNES - RPG) *

[thumb=H]ff618751_6426493.JPG[/thumb]

Man, that is so not the party i would be using against Kefka -- the only one with a shot of making it would be Sabin -- the rest were not for me. Edgar somehow always wound up being my main magic user in the fight, though i m never quite sure how that comes about -- Locke is my offensive character of choice, the one that will have the fabled Offering-Genji Glove combination equipped. Sabin would generally make it in, although unlike pretty much everyone else in the world -- i would ignore his blitzes -- Why Bum Rush for 9999 when you can give him a Genji Glove and have him swing twice for 8000 each hit? Final spot had to go to Gogo, who was simply the (wo)man. Nothing beats chainsawing one turn, bum rushing the next, grand train-ing the next.

There is absolutely zero i don't like about this game. Not a thing. It's like everything i said about Tony Hawk 2, except innovations in the genre since its release haven't had an effect on its playability in the current day in the least -- i like the battles; every character is unique -- and just having something to do besides mash the attack button is something not nearly enough games take advantage of -- i like the story; good amount of emotional content that manages to be told without me having to bang my head against the wall. I like the characters; they're all nice and balance and chock full of little touches that make you never able to not pay attention.

The music in this game is almost untouchable for me. My belief on music is that it can't really hurt a good game and it can't really help a bad game, but it can help a good game. Hope that made sense -- this game is packed with memorable tunes, songs i listen to on my playlist right along with "real" music. The 2D Final Fantasy games always had quality battle themes -- Town songs get no better than Figaro and Zozo -- i can't picture any possible better theme for Locke than the one they picked out. Ditto for Shadow. Absolutley any and everyone who has come into contact with this game knows and loves the opera chapter. I love the music, oh yes I do.

This has been my favorite game pretty much since i very first played it -- i debated a bit with Tony Hawk 2 when i was doing the list (note: those two are the top two, there's a good drop to number three), but really, it was no contest. When i think of what's good about games, I think of Final Fantasy VI -- Graphics are bright and expressive without stealing the focus. The pace is brisk but never feels rushed. Tons of side quests are available, but i can't think of any that would require you to own a strategy guide to figure out how to complete. Nothing about actually playing the game is overly complicated, assuming you have the ability to read.

Final Fantasy VI is my favorite game of all time -- It had but one other game competing (weakly) with it at all for the title -- If i did this list again a year from now from scratch, many things would slide around i have no doubt. Some new games would be on, some bottom feeders would be off. However, Final Fantasy VI would no question still be at the number one spot. That's the way things are -- and very possibly the way things will always be!

....and that's that - the conclusion of my top 50 Video games!

66

Re: Talha's Top 50 Video Games

dude u dont have the sims 2, it's the most addictive game i've played to date :(

NOLF2 was soo sooo

67

after a week - i got bored playing Sims -- dunno whether i would even try The Sims 2..

68

Re: Talha's Top 50 Video Games

Two dreamcast games in top five. Excellent!
Runs away, brings DC console out, wipes the dust off and starts playing Shenmue

69

Re: Talha’s Top 50 Video Games

u got all of the FF series in ur top 50, but the best of them all isn’t here: Final Fantasy 7 :eek: that was by far the best overall package of them all: gameplay, fights, plot, character options etc

And of all games, where is Super Mario 1 or 2 or 3? those were better and more original than the N64 versions.

And two other major fighting games I miss are the Mortal Kombat series and Tekken(3). wat about those?

Finally, Double Dragon was a killer game as well, esp DD2

70

Talha’s Top 50 Video Games

A good game that came out under perfect circumstances to make it greater than it ever should have been. So much emphasis on pretty graphics and one of my least favorite types of character, the tortured soul. In case it hasn’t been made clear in the past, nothing makes me roll my eyes quicker in an RPG than a character like a Sephiroth. Give me Cid or Yuffie or Reno any and every day; I can actually read their conversations without feeling like I’m looking at a depressed nutjob’s book of poetry. I generally liked FF7, but no more than a Wild Arms or a 7th Saga – worth a play, but not much else

Ninetendo runs in my blood. :smiley:

Future list, will make it later