The Videogame top 10 thread. (1 Viewer)

[Paul__A]

Top Ten Games that defined my Gaming Experience
10.Blazing Lasers (TG-16)
-First time I'd heard voices in a videogame. Sound suddenly became a major factor in my subsequent gaming experiences.
9.Double Dragon (NES)
-Loved the way you earned more moves as you beat up more guys. Huge back then.
8.Ghosts and Goblins (NES)
-Probably the hardest game I've ever played. I love a challenge.
7.Tetris (Gameboy)
-Level 9, Height 5. Had to see the space shuttle.
6.Ninja gaiden (NES)
-"The wall climb." Jumping away from a wall only to go back at a slightly higher position. Saved my butt many a time. Probably killed me more though. But once I had it down, it increased my enjoyment of the game tenfold. Made me feel like a ninja, heheh
5.Super Smash Bros. (N64)
-My favorite party game ever.
4.Virtua Racing (Genesis)
-I didnt think it could be done on the Genesis, but Sega never ceases to amaze.
3.Sonic the Hedgehog (Dreamcast)
-The first time I saw Sonic chased by a killer whale crashing through the pier, my jaw dropped. And then I ran inside the tornado...
2.Contra (NES)
-First time I beat the final boss I jumped up and cheered ecstatically. I was a fanatic when it came to this game, eventually got to the point where I could beat it without dying once.
1.Street Fighter 2, All editions. (Arcade)
-This game pretty much sums up what I did in junior high school .

 

[Dave Falasco]

Did you ever get 100 coins in Rainbow Ride?

No, I never did get all 120 stars. I try to tell myself that I've still "beaten" the game because I beat Bowser, but deep down in places I don't like to talk about I know that I really haven't... :frowning:

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I'll do a simple Top Ten Experiences so I can sum it up. Been playing/owning since the NES, but played plenty of Atari before that!
10) Soul Caliber - the most worthy fighter I have ever played - still brings enjoyment today.
9) Dragon's Lair - didn't play it much, but stared in awe for hours - amazing stuff, and EXPENSIVE!
8) Afterburner (Arcade, sit down) - just a bit after Top Gun, this game was a buck a play, but it was a ride as well...a great, great shooter.
7) Silent Scope (Arcade, of course) - what can I say...great idea and great game (like the above, untranslatable to a home system).
6) Doom - enough said.
5) Super Mario Brothers (Arcade and home) - burned more quarters on this than anything else, prior to getting a NES. Many hours followed...
4) Panzer Dragoon - my first 32-bit game. I was out of the loop, and saw a bit on this (and the Saturn) in a magazine. I promptly bought the newly released Saturn and PD - and went home to be amazed that I was playing this IN MY HOME.
3) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - easily my #1 game of all time. I waited patiently for several months after a BIG Gamefan article...the final product caused me to play for 15 straight hours. I lost more sleep over this game than any other. Simply beautiful, although I have two experiences that rank higher...
2) The Legend of Zelda/TLOZ: A Link to the Past - the reason I wanted an NES - a gold Zelda. I played and played, and planned and shared (with friends) until I beat Ganon. I was the first to do so in my little town at the time, and it was a BIG DEAL! The sequel (NOT Zelda II) for the SNES was a HUGE favorite of mine, and the last game I loved for a long while (I was a senior in HS when it came out).
1) Resident Evil: Code Veronica - There were TWO moments when I played this where it transcended being a mere videogame. One was a cutscene, the other was in-game play. I am a huge fan of the series, and it has several signature moments. Neither of my two are "shock" jumps, although I'd really like to try SH/SH2 (a different flavor, I know) a try after reading some of your comments.
- Cutscene: When Chris cuts his sister loose in the Mansion recreation in Antarctica, I felt the first true honest dramatic emotion I have felt in a game, due to the images onscreen. She falls into his arms and it was like it was REAL.
- In-Game: The biggest videogame moment for me occured during a late night session on my first go-through of this masterpiece. It came about due to a combination of events that made for one brilliant, cinematic moment that I'll never forget...
I had just gotten a nasty beatdown by the whip-armed lackeys in the study. I was going down the secret pathway to the Ashford House on the isle - in the tunnel, at night, during the storm (lightning and thunder). I was low on ammo, and had no healing power (I was at Caution). The game switched to a low view of the hallway as I limped, carrying the shotgun onward, when some lightning lit up the scene. It was very dramatic, very film-like, and very atmospheric. I was engrossed, and I think about it often. Great game...
Honorary Mentions:
Goldeneye
Spy Hunter (Arcade)
Street Fighter II (in all forms...but the film)
Metroid (NES)
Halo (my current obsession - almost made the list, we'll see)
Take care,
Chuck

 

[Chris Bardon]

Interesting thread. To add one to the "scary moments" list-the basement maze in 7th guest. Playing that game with the lights off late at night, wandering around and hearing Stauf's "Feeling...Lonely" echo was a shock at first, and then just creepy afterwards. Actually, the whole game was nice and creepy.

As for a full top 10, I'll have to think about it a little. Too many years, too many games...

 

[Dave Falasco]

Oh man, good one, Chris. I can still hear that "Feeling...LONELY?!?!" echoing through the room when I would hit a dead-end in that maze.

 

[Andrew_Sch]

Top Ten Experiences:

1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Before playing this, I thought Zelda was just another "geeky loser RPG." Boy how pleasantly surprised I was when I found out it was my favorite game of all time. I've played no other game with such a deceptively simple control scheme, yet so much depth. Oh yeah, and the boss battles are some of the best ever.

2. NFL2K: My thoughts when I first played it: "Holy shit, are those actually holes in the guy's jerseys. And actual embroidery around names and numbers? Wow, you actually have something to do with whether or not your receiver catches the ball." The first batch of DC games was the last time that any game has made my jaw drop graphically. The improvement over the 32-bit gen is one that the current systems haven't been able to match.

3. Sonic Adventure: In terms of actual game quality, probably not even in my top ten, but again, the graphics were just so incredible. Right from the first level on the beach, I knew that video game graphics had evolved for the better.

4. Grand Theft Auto 3: What can you say about this game that hasn't already been said? There's nothing better than being able to carry out your darkest wishes in a consequence-free environment. And then there's Chatterbox.

5. Ken Griffey Jr's Winning Run: Baseball perfection. Incredible graphics for the time. The best thing though was that, at least in two-player games, there was narry a cheap home run to be found. My friend and I spent many long hours with this game in his basement.

6. NBA Jam TE/Extreme: TE provided hours of fun head-to-head play with the Griffey friend, and my other friend, who beat like thirty straight times on ridiculous clutch shots until I finally beat him last summer. Me and the Griffey friend spent months trying to win ONE SINGLE GAME on the easiest level in Extreme because the AI was so damn cheap. The kind of thing that's infuriating when you're alone, but tons of fun when you experience it with someone else.

7. The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Series: I rented the first not knowing what to expect, by being blown away by the simple complexity of the game. I spent countless hours trying to better my two-minute score in Marseilles when the second one came around. The third combined the manual with the revert for endless combo goodness. The series has always amazed me with its ability to make a seemingly perfect game even better every time.

8. Metal Gear Solid: A movie/game that, unlike its succesor, had an engrossing storyline that I actually understood and cared about. And there's just the infinite cool factor of being a secret agent. And the one advantage I think this has over MGS2 that really stands out is location, location, location. MGS's locations were cold, dark and desolate, while MGS2's were just, BLAH.

9. Yoshi's Island: Some call it a disgrace to the Mario Brother's series, I call a damn great platformer.

10. Resident Evil: Code Veronica: I remember the first time I played this, I was actually SCARED, due to how much the first two messed around with my mind. So many great moments, from the lightning mansion scene, to Alfred's weirdness, and the most frighteningly atmospheric game I've ever suffered through (in a good way, of course)

Honorable Mentions:
Goldeneye
Doom
Quake III Arena (DC)
Syphon Filter

 

[paul_v]

My first memorable experience with a game was Dungeons of Daggorath on the Tandy Color Computer. This game is probably the most impressive use of 16k of memory ever.

 

[LaMarcus]

Andrew, I love you for your statements about MGS, I totally agree.
MGS2 I still haven't recovered from the heartbreak I experienced with that game. I think being gang raped in the shower at a max security prison may accurately describe what they did to my emotions, when they butchered the sequel.
MGS made you wanna play that game longer than you were supposed to (i paid for it at work the next day, so sleepy), you rushed home to see what was going to happen next.
I never could put my finger on it exactly, I knew I hated Raiden, but there was something else that made the game suck besides the him and the story.....the freaken location!
MGS made you feel like the whole game was at night, it was just that dark and full of mystery , MGS2 was bright, looked like Disney designed it, a disappoint entirely.

 

[Paul_D]

My Top 10 Gaming Experiences
10) coming soon
9) Turok: Dinosaur Hunter/Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (N64)
I was probably the only person to rate this higher than the immortal Goldeneye 64. One of the N64's launch titles, coupled with my newly purchased 42-inch Sony TV, made for an amazing gaming experience. The jungle environments were rich and well-rendered. The characters had spectacular death animations and the game weapons were varied and satisfying. Nothing like nuking a rampaging triceratops. The second one was really good too, but I think they really dropped the ball with thethird. One things for sure, Turok Evolution WILL be mine.
8) Alone in the Dark (PC)/ Resident Evil (GC)
A seriously scary game. I know Resident Evil popularised the genre, but the father still packs a horrific punch. I'm an amateur Resident Evil player copmpared to others here, but I still love it.
7) Alien vs. Predator/2 (PC)
The first movie-spin off games to truly capture the mood of the films. The first one had some genuine scares. Though rather short, the 3 different characters provided nicely varied gameplay. The second game was no where near as scary, but it made up for it with a tightly plotted story, complete with numerous scripted sequences that really draw you into the action.
6) Super Mario Allstars (SNES)
A true collection of classics. Super Mario Bros. 3 could easily win the title of best side-scroller EVER! The other 3 games ain't too shabby either.
5) Return to Castle Wolfenstein/Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC)
Two games with more or less the same central theme couldn't be more different. Aesthetically, both are superb, but even though they share the same engine, on the screen they appear polar opposites. Wolfenstein is impeccably designed. the environments are bleak, cold and dark. But textures, character models amd lighting effects are amazing! Also benefiting from an effective soundtrack and very good SP length, the real highlight is the multiplayer. Addictive as hell. Necessity for squad coordination and the distinction between characer classes makes this a cut above the standard deathmatch dross. Sublime. MOHAA is contrastingly bright and colourful. Heavily scipted and benefiting from a consistent first-person view, the game is impeccably crafted. Featuring adrenalin-rush after rush, the action is unrelenting and amazingly varied. Best in-game soundtrack for any game I've ever heard, and a great selection of weapons. Muliplayer is weak, but SP more than makes up for it. They essentially christened my second wave of PC gaming (having only just upgraded from an ancient P1 to a P4 last September), together, they are the cream of the Q3 games.
4) Grand Theft Auto 3 (PC)
I was instantly hooked when I first picked up this game. As soon as you've mastered the handling of the faster cars, you can have some serious fun. The missions are exciting and varied, yielding some genuinely cinematic moments. The graphics are other-worldly and the sense of immersion in the world is incredible. The necessary car and pedestrian disappearing does get annoying if you play for long-enough. Nevertheless, instant classic.
3) Banjo Kazooie/Banjo Tooie (N64)
These two titles made NOT owning an N64, practically a crime. Cute graphics, grown up gameplay. Huge expansive worlds, fun script, and one of my favourite soundtracks for any series of games, ever! Is there gonna be a Cube incarnation?
2) The Legend of Zelda - Link to the Past (SNES)/Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask (N64)
Summer of either 92 or 93, I was all over this. I couldn't get enough. Impeccable game design. Perfectly balanced puzzles. Cool soundtrack and great gameplay. This is one of the high-points of Nintendo's rich history. The two N64 incarnations were perfect translations of the characters and setting to 3D. Jaw-droppingly gorgeous environments, amazing sound effects and music, and addictive gameplay. Nintendo is God.
1) Day of the Tentacle/Sam and Max: Hit the Road (PC)
DOTT: My very first foray into PC gaming, and the world of CD-ROM. There was something about the game design, the graphics, the dialogue and the setting that inspired me. I've never been so awe-inspired by a game. S&M: Adult, crude humor and wonderful cartoon graphics made this a real treat. Though back in the 2D era, with static backgrounds, I remember being really immersed in their world, full of bizarre characters and wacky adventures.
Honorable mention: Star Wars: Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast Multiplayer level: ffa_episode1=serisouly cinematic fun. Awesome stuff. Rivals AVP for capturing movie magic.

 

[Mark Wielgosz]

Well, it seems now that I have to alter my Top Ten Favorite of all time list after recently playing and beating this one sweet game. Here it goes:
Top Ten Favorite Games of All Time (revised)
10. Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
See previous list.
9. Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
See previous list.
8. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
See previous list.
7. Galaxian and Galaga
See previous list.
6. Sonic the Hedgehog II
See previous list.
5. Silent Hill (Sony Playstation)
Holy sauerkraut, this game freaked me out. If it was not those demonic flying creatures, then it was those little dudes who walked around in the dark that were armed with daggers. Throw in good voice acting and a plot that puts most films to shame and you have got yourself one big sparkling gem of a game.
4. Resident Evil: Code Veronica
See previous list.
3. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
See previous list.
2. SoulCalibur
See previous list.
1. Freespace II
And one more time with feeling, see previous list.