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GAF Games o' the Generation (DC/PS2/GBA/GC/Xbox/PC 2000-2005) Voting Closed
- Thread starter AniHawk
- Start date
entremet
Member
1. Metroid Prime ; A fantastic transition to 3D and follow up to one of my favorite games. The atmosphere, a key to this game was nailed. Talon IV is a beautiful world to explore and the soundtrack sets the mood well. This game made me a believer in Retro.
2. Ninja Gaiden Black ; Itagaki's masterpiece. This game beats you down from stage one. However, it has the perfect balance of compelling gameplay and challenge. You are rarely at a point were you feel hopeless and as you play the game. Ryu becomes more competent, mostly as you get a feel for his attacks, movements and enemy patterns. The enemies are aggressive and ruthless unlike it's action game peers of the generation.
3. Rez ; As an EDM fan, Rez was a dream come true. I played the PS2 version and although surpassed by the HD version, the PS2 version made a strong impression. The game is short, but you're compelled to get higher scores per run. Miziguchi was inspired the concept of synesthesia, where all your senses are blurred into one. Sound, sight, touch--the latter available via the interesting Trance Vibrator controller.
4. Resident Evil 4 ; Resident Evil 4 was a drastic reimagining of a franchise that was showing its age. It's creator went more of an action route and it was a smashing success. RE4 broke many walls. Escort missions are usually boring, however, this game is an entire escort mission, and remains extremely well paced. The over the shoulder view was also an amazing addition to the series, giving it a fresh new look.
5. Super Smash Brothers Melee ; Coming from Super Smash Brothers, this game is almost a new franchise in and of itself. The game is massive in comparison, an expanded cast, new single player modes and a blazing new fighting engine.
6. Okami ; A common complaint is that game overstays its welcome. However, I enjoyed every minute. The art direction is still unmatched and the Eastern influence is clear from the art to the music to the folklore. Okami follows the Zelda formula, however, I'm perplexed why it's been on of the few games to do this, given Zelda's pedigree. Okami was a fun ride.
7. Dragon Quest VIII ; I remember seeing screenshots of this game and it looked like we had a playable Toriyama anime. Although its battle system is slow, the locales, the art direction, the orchestrated music and vast over world made this game a treat to explore.
8. Metal Gear Solid 2 ; I prefer this installment to the lauded Snake Eater. The meta commentary in this game is still very relevant to this game and the classic bait and switch is of legends. This beats out MGS3 due to its pacing, it's never stale, unlike Snake Eater, which takes time to warm up.
9. Katamari Damacy ; What a surprise this game was and what a joy it was to play. The quirky visual design, the iconic music, and the ridiculous premise. This game was a sleeper hit, but I felt the sequels watered down its original influence.
10. Resident Evil ; The remake to define all remakes. It not only featured the original director but it fleshed the game to his original vision on better hardware. After playing this game and playing the other high profile remake, The Twin Snakes, the latter seemed lazy in comparison.
2. Ninja Gaiden Black ; Itagaki's masterpiece. This game beats you down from stage one. However, it has the perfect balance of compelling gameplay and challenge. You are rarely at a point were you feel hopeless and as you play the game. Ryu becomes more competent, mostly as you get a feel for his attacks, movements and enemy patterns. The enemies are aggressive and ruthless unlike it's action game peers of the generation.
3. Rez ; As an EDM fan, Rez was a dream come true. I played the PS2 version and although surpassed by the HD version, the PS2 version made a strong impression. The game is short, but you're compelled to get higher scores per run. Miziguchi was inspired the concept of synesthesia, where all your senses are blurred into one. Sound, sight, touch--the latter available via the interesting Trance Vibrator controller.
4. Resident Evil 4 ; Resident Evil 4 was a drastic reimagining of a franchise that was showing its age. It's creator went more of an action route and it was a smashing success. RE4 broke many walls. Escort missions are usually boring, however, this game is an entire escort mission, and remains extremely well paced. The over the shoulder view was also an amazing addition to the series, giving it a fresh new look.
5. Super Smash Brothers Melee ; Coming from Super Smash Brothers, this game is almost a new franchise in and of itself. The game is massive in comparison, an expanded cast, new single player modes and a blazing new fighting engine.
6. Okami ; A common complaint is that game overstays its welcome. However, I enjoyed every minute. The art direction is still unmatched and the Eastern influence is clear from the art to the music to the folklore. Okami follows the Zelda formula, however, I'm perplexed why it's been on of the few games to do this, given Zelda's pedigree. Okami was a fun ride.
7. Dragon Quest VIII ; I remember seeing screenshots of this game and it looked like we had a playable Toriyama anime. Although its battle system is slow, the locales, the art direction, the orchestrated music and vast over world made this game a treat to explore.
8. Metal Gear Solid 2 ; I prefer this installment to the lauded Snake Eater. The meta commentary in this game is still very relevant to this game and the classic bait and switch is of legends. This beats out MGS3 due to its pacing, it's never stale, unlike Snake Eater, which takes time to warm up.
9. Katamari Damacy ; What a surprise this game was and what a joy it was to play. The quirky visual design, the iconic music, and the ridiculous premise. This game was a sleeper hit, but I felt the sequels watered down its original influence.
10. Resident Evil ; The remake to define all remakes. It not only featured the original director but it fleshed the game to his original vision on better hardware. After playing this game and playing the other high profile remake, The Twin Snakes, the latter seemed lazy in comparison.
there's no specific reason why 1999 pc should count, actually. the cut off for pc and arcades was always going to have to be something of an executive decision at the end of the day. i tested out a different time frame before this one, and the feedback i received made it the 2000-2005 date in the op.
entremet
Member
Do you still own one? Underrated exclusives.
synchronicity
Member
I'll never understand the difference. My favorite games of the generation ARE the best games of the generation, as far as I'm concerned. I'm making MY list- not someone else's or a list that I believe represents a collective consensus.
yes, I still have mine
but both of my controllers are fucked. I don't even know if they're expensive or not now. same with those games
There is still a lot of great games that I need to play from that generation but I haven't yet. But here is my list from the games that I have played already:
1) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
I read a lot about how great the first Metal Gear Solid was on the PS1 but never had really played it. When I got a PS2, I bought Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and thought it was a great game. But it was only after playing and beating Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that I really turned into a MGS fan. Up to this day I have only played and beaten this game one time but I consider it to be the best game of the generation. The story, the characters, the music, the graphics, the gameplay are just beyond great. Metal Gear Solid 4 was good but I don't think Kojima will ever come close again to making a game as good as Metal Gear Solid 3.
2) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
This is simply my favorite GTA released. The atmosphere of this game is amazing, I really liked to drive around listening to some great music. The gameplay was also very good and the story was nice. I have played every single main GTA since GTA 3 but none of them is as fun to play as Vice City.
3) Counter-Strike Source
On Christmas 2004 I got Half-Life 2 from my parents and with it came Counter-Strike Source. I still haven't finished Half-Life 2 but CS Source was the game that I played the most for some years. I easily played more than 1000 hours and I don't usually play more than 30 hours in any regular game. I still am a bit afraid of playing Counter Strike again because I don't want to get "trapped" into a single game again.
4) Final Fantasy X
Before I got my PS2 I went to Blockbusters to rent movies and I always kept staring at the PS2 game boxes. Final Fantasy X was the game that I wanted to play the most on the console and I even bought it before even having the PS2. I didn't finished it when I bought it (in fact I only finished it last year on the HD Remaster for the Vita) but the visuals were amazing for the time and I liked the story and gameplay. This is one of my favorites Final Fantasy.
5) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
When Persona 4 got released was summer here in Brazil and I went to the beach house for vacation but I took my PS2 and Persona 4 with me. I played this game every day for many hours and it had been so long since I had played a good RPG that I just couldn't put it down. After 64 hours I had beaten it and as Metal Gear Solid 3, I felt it was one of the best games of the generation. I have not played it again even though I own the Vita version but I clearly remember how good it was.
6) Rise of Nations
This is my favorite RTS game. I played it many many times and had a lot of fun with it. The only thing that I didn't liked about it was the population limit but after getting the Steam version this year I installed a mod that greatly increased this limit. Now the game is even better. But this is not to say that the original version wasn't great, it was and it is definitely one of my favorite games.
7) Mario Kart Double Dash
I know that some people don't like Double Dash but it is my favorite Mario Kart. The gameplay was really fun but what I think made it amazing was the fact that my parent, my brother and I played this game together every day for some time. It is one my fondest videogame memories.
8) Gran Turismo 3
I never played a Gran Turismo for so long like I played Gran Turismo 3. Gran Turismo 4, 5 and 6 are good game but none of them captured me like Gran Turismo 3. It was just an amazing game for it's time. I hope it has aged well.
9) Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
I'm a big Star Wars fan and I loved Rogue Squadron on the N64. When I saw the Gamecube game I knew that I needed it but I only got the console a few years after it's release. I bought it as soon as I found a copy in a store and even though I haven't yet beaten it, it is one of my favorite games. I plan on beating it this year.
10) Resident Evil 4
I was always a big fan of Resident Evil and was excited to play Resident Evil 4 on the Gamecube. While I recognize how good the game was and the impact it had on the industry, I don't like it very much. It is a great game but the direction it took doesn't appeal very much to me. The gameplay and the graphics are great and is the sound, in general I feel the game is great but I prefer the old RE style.
1) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
I read a lot about how great the first Metal Gear Solid was on the PS1 but never had really played it. When I got a PS2, I bought Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and thought it was a great game. But it was only after playing and beating Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that I really turned into a MGS fan. Up to this day I have only played and beaten this game one time but I consider it to be the best game of the generation. The story, the characters, the music, the graphics, the gameplay are just beyond great. Metal Gear Solid 4 was good but I don't think Kojima will ever come close again to making a game as good as Metal Gear Solid 3.
2) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
This is simply my favorite GTA released. The atmosphere of this game is amazing, I really liked to drive around listening to some great music. The gameplay was also very good and the story was nice. I have played every single main GTA since GTA 3 but none of them is as fun to play as Vice City.
3) Counter-Strike Source
On Christmas 2004 I got Half-Life 2 from my parents and with it came Counter-Strike Source. I still haven't finished Half-Life 2 but CS Source was the game that I played the most for some years. I easily played more than 1000 hours and I don't usually play more than 30 hours in any regular game. I still am a bit afraid of playing Counter Strike again because I don't want to get "trapped" into a single game again.
4) Final Fantasy X
Before I got my PS2 I went to Blockbusters to rent movies and I always kept staring at the PS2 game boxes. Final Fantasy X was the game that I wanted to play the most on the console and I even bought it before even having the PS2. I didn't finished it when I bought it (in fact I only finished it last year on the HD Remaster for the Vita) but the visuals were amazing for the time and I liked the story and gameplay. This is one of my favorites Final Fantasy.
5) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
When Persona 4 got released was summer here in Brazil and I went to the beach house for vacation but I took my PS2 and Persona 4 with me. I played this game every day for many hours and it had been so long since I had played a good RPG that I just couldn't put it down. After 64 hours I had beaten it and as Metal Gear Solid 3, I felt it was one of the best games of the generation. I have not played it again even though I own the Vita version but I clearly remember how good it was.
6) Rise of Nations
This is my favorite RTS game. I played it many many times and had a lot of fun with it. The only thing that I didn't liked about it was the population limit but after getting the Steam version this year I installed a mod that greatly increased this limit. Now the game is even better. But this is not to say that the original version wasn't great, it was and it is definitely one of my favorite games.
7) Mario Kart Double Dash
I know that some people don't like Double Dash but it is my favorite Mario Kart. The gameplay was really fun but what I think made it amazing was the fact that my parent, my brother and I played this game together every day for some time. It is one my fondest videogame memories.
8) Gran Turismo 3
I never played a Gran Turismo for so long like I played Gran Turismo 3. Gran Turismo 4, 5 and 6 are good game but none of them captured me like Gran Turismo 3. It was just an amazing game for it's time. I hope it has aged well.
9) Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
I'm a big Star Wars fan and I loved Rogue Squadron on the N64. When I saw the Gamecube game I knew that I needed it but I only got the console a few years after it's release. I bought it as soon as I found a copy in a store and even though I haven't yet beaten it, it is one of my favorite games. I plan on beating it this year.
10) Resident Evil 4
I was always a big fan of Resident Evil and was excited to play Resident Evil 4 on the Gamecube. While I recognize how good the game was and the impact it had on the industry, I don't like it very much. It is a great game but the direction it took doesn't appeal very much to me. The gameplay and the graphics are great and is the sound, in general I feel the game is great but I prefer the old RE style.
Hyperzephyrian
Banned
It's on quite a few lists.
entremet
Member
It would be on my honorable mentions if I had time. Same with ICO.
Shadow of the Colossus is fantastic but the performance issues dock it from greatness for me. And I'm only counting the PS2 version, which is the one a played and within the rules.
it's very high in the rankings.
what. look closer.
synchronicity
Member
fify
I know it's gotten some votes, but it is an all-time classic. I didn't really expect it to crack the top 10, given the genre, but it really deserves to be there imo.
Skid 4 Dead
Member
This was difficult. There are so many games that deserve so much more credit, but there can only be ten. WHY CAN THERE ONLY BE TEN?!
1) Max Payne ; This game broke the mold as far as I was concerned. It turned me on to a whole new style of everything. Irrefutably edgy with it's unique story and the first game I played with "Slow Mode" or time stop, I think it was called bullet time? I don't remember but, I loved it at the time. Max Payne had style, humor and it hit the creepy aspect pretty hard. I miss this series.
2) Jak & Daxter ; I could play this game any day, any year and have the same amount of joy I had the very first time I popped this disc in. A true Classic
3) Sly 2 ; The perfect game. I can't think of one bad thing to say about it. To me it hit everything a Sly Cooper game needed to be.
4) Shadow of the Colossus ; Beautiful, unique, some would argue majestic. I loved just about everything about SotC, and I remember it releasing 10 dollars cheaper than the standard game, bonus!
5) Star Wars: BattleFront 2 ; I still play this on pc every now and then. I'm too hyped for SWBF3 or the reboot, I don't remember what they're calling it these days but I'll be there day one, better believe! Playing on Mos Eisley with the all Jedi/Sith brawl was way to fun and those space battles! Blowing up ships systematically never got old, what other game can you infiltrate a giant spaceship with a rocket launcher?!
6) Smackdown : Here Comes the Pain ; I put way to much fucking time into this game and I loved every minute of it.
7) Jak II ; I honestly think this is the best Jak game of the series, but I'm only putting it lower than Jak & Daxter because I think this game will get less votes. Jak II had my favorite OST, just walking or hovering around the city with that creepy/darker ambient sound - just here and here - I love it! This might have been the first (more) challenging game I've ever accomplished beating. Gives me warm feelings just thinking about it. God I love you ND.
8) Ratchet & Clank ; This game was just pure fun, they really let their imagination get the best of them with this series. Something I really miss in today's video games.
9) TimeSplitter: Future Perfect ; Another game with spot on humor, not quite Psychonauts level, but greatly appreciated. This is one of the games i'd play hours on end with my buddys in what was my opinion the best couch co-op game I'd played! I'd absolutely love another installment, or reboot of this one of a kind franchise. Maybe one day.
10) Psychonauts ; Not to many games have got me to laugh out loud when I was younger, but the humor in this just clicked with me. Such a classic!
x - Resident Evil 4 ; The last few hours ruined this games top 10 status, for me.
x - Doom 3 ; My PC hardly ran it at the time and the game horrified me. It was awesome!
x - Red Faction II ; Another couch co-op game I loved.
x - Devil May Cry ; A serious classic, One of the best at what it does.
x - FEAR ; This game was ambitious and it was bloody
x - Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando
x - Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
x - Halo: Combat Evolved ; I played this game daily on PC. I loved this game daily, on PC.
x - Hitman: Blood Money ; It hurts me that this game didn't make my top ten.
x - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ; Even I was surprised this game didn't make my top ten.
1) Max Payne ; This game broke the mold as far as I was concerned. It turned me on to a whole new style of everything. Irrefutably edgy with it's unique story and the first game I played with "Slow Mode" or time stop, I think it was called bullet time? I don't remember but, I loved it at the time. Max Payne had style, humor and it hit the creepy aspect pretty hard. I miss this series.
2) Jak & Daxter ; I could play this game any day, any year and have the same amount of joy I had the very first time I popped this disc in. A true Classic
3) Sly 2 ; The perfect game. I can't think of one bad thing to say about it. To me it hit everything a Sly Cooper game needed to be.
4) Shadow of the Colossus ; Beautiful, unique, some would argue majestic. I loved just about everything about SotC, and I remember it releasing 10 dollars cheaper than the standard game, bonus!
5) Star Wars: BattleFront 2 ; I still play this on pc every now and then. I'm too hyped for SWBF3 or the reboot, I don't remember what they're calling it these days but I'll be there day one, better believe! Playing on Mos Eisley with the all Jedi/Sith brawl was way to fun and those space battles! Blowing up ships systematically never got old, what other game can you infiltrate a giant spaceship with a rocket launcher?!
6) Smackdown : Here Comes the Pain ; I put way to much fucking time into this game and I loved every minute of it.
7) Jak II ; I honestly think this is the best Jak game of the series, but I'm only putting it lower than Jak & Daxter because I think this game will get less votes. Jak II had my favorite OST, just walking or hovering around the city with that creepy/darker ambient sound - just here and here - I love it! This might have been the first (more) challenging game I've ever accomplished beating. Gives me warm feelings just thinking about it. God I love you ND.
8) Ratchet & Clank ; This game was just pure fun, they really let their imagination get the best of them with this series. Something I really miss in today's video games.
9) TimeSplitter: Future Perfect ; Another game with spot on humor, not quite Psychonauts level, but greatly appreciated. This is one of the games i'd play hours on end with my buddys in what was my opinion the best couch co-op game I'd played! I'd absolutely love another installment, or reboot of this one of a kind franchise. Maybe one day.
10) Psychonauts ; Not to many games have got me to laugh out loud when I was younger, but the humor in this just clicked with me. Such a classic!
x - Resident Evil 4 ; The last few hours ruined this games top 10 status, for me.
x - Doom 3 ; My PC hardly ran it at the time and the game horrified me. It was awesome!
x - Red Faction II ; Another couch co-op game I loved.
x - Devil May Cry ; A serious classic, One of the best at what it does.
x - FEAR ; This game was ambitious and it was bloody
x - Ratchet and Clank: Going Commando
x - Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
x - Halo: Combat Evolved ; I played this game daily on PC. I loved this game daily, on PC.
x - Hitman: Blood Money ; It hurts me that this game didn't make my top ten.
x - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ; Even I was surprised this game didn't make my top ten.
Megatron
Member
Poor 2005 PC games. They are drifters, belonging to no gen at all.
A Black Falcon
Member
The in-between years, where most of the focus was still on the previous generation but then new systems released somewhere usually later in the year, like 1987, 1993, 1998, and 2005 are the trickiest ones, yes. But yeah, whoops, should have noticed that...
I guess '05 should go in the 6th gen, the 7th is long enough already.XP released at the end of 2001, not in 2000. I should know, I got a new computer in September 2001 and it came with WinME, since XP wasn't out yet. (I kept WinME because I wanted an OS with real DOS, and XP didn't have that. Stuck with WinME all the way until I got a new computer in early '07. Never regretted it.)
On that note, one of the many nice things about Guild Wars was that it works on WinME, while other games in '04-'05 were starting to move to requiring XP...
Xbox shit is actually hella cheap right now. It's in that sweet spot where it's been an inactive console (in terms of releases) long enough for prices to go down low but not to the point where people have nostalgia for it and start collecting for the console causing prices to rise again.
thesaucetastic
Unconfirmed Member
The problem with this list is that I still haven't gotten through nearly half of the games I've wanted to play from this generation, and there's no feasible way for me to play them in time. Therefore, instead of pretending this is the definite list of games I think are the best of the generation, I'm just going to list the games that impacted me the most, from greatest to least greatest in comparison.
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker; It really felt like a coming of age story. Link, in whom no one has confidence in being the successor to the Hero of Time, ends up confronting a much more mellow, flawed, human Ganondorf. It helped that Link was the most relatable he has ever been due to his facial expressions. There were bad parts, yes, like the triforce quest and Tetra being locked up halfway through the game, but the scale of the adventure on the seas, the characters, the music, the art style, it all coalesced into something greater than the sum of its parts.
- Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean; The environments and music were killer. I thought the story was interesting, and it had a huge twist that I didn't expect at all. The poker-like battle system was creative and challenging, so much so that I cheered once I beat the final boss, both because he was a pain in the ass and because I felt so powerful. The voice acting wasn't the best, but I found it entertaining in a hammy sort of way. I really liked how you were incorporated as a character as well. Definitely one of the best games I've played.
- Tales of Legendia; The music was phenomenal: I didn't mind the sort of bland dungeons because the more I was in them, the more I got to hear the music. I got very attached to the cast, especially Chloe. The character quests just made me like them even more. The setting was pretty amazing, although I wish we could have seen the main continent, too. The battle system was nothing special, and Shirley was a complete blight upon this game, but other than that, it remains one of my favorites.
- Kingdom Hearts; Honestly, typing these out has made me realize that I'm mostly picking these games because of their soundtracks. Besides the great music, I really enjoyed the simplicity of the plot. It was something sorely needed when you had these many characters with such varied backgrounds. In retrospect, I also appreciated that the Disney villains were actually the villains here too, instead of being sequestered off like in the sequel. The environments were one of the game's strengths. The moment I stepped into Dive into the Heart was the moment I fell for the game. The End of the World was top notch, too.
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; This game gave rise to the best character designs in the series. Link has never looked as good, although Smash 4 and Hyrule Warrior's designs come close. Zelda's characterization was top notch; she really felt like a lofty ruler - not cold, but still distant. I would've liked to have seen more out of her in the game, but Midna stole the show, and hell, I can't fault her for that. She remains the best companion character. I loved how she totally disrespected you initially and probably wanted to dump you once she got what she wanted, but she ended up slowly warming up to you. Zant was an extremely promising villain: his first appearance was sudden, and his actions painted him sinister.
. Still, it was a decent Zelda game.It was disappointing that he turned out so goofy and got hijacked by Ganondorf
- Golden Sun; Another case of "boy, the music in this game is absolutely amazing". This game has the bonus of being my very first RPG. It felt like a grand journey, with so many towns to visit and dungeons to explore, but with the threat of the end of the world always looming over you. I really enjoyed setting and the plot of trying to prevent the lighthouses from being lit
. I loved Isaac as a silent protagonistand failing, and I really wanted him to save Jenna. The rest of the cast was pretty cool, too. It's one of those games that I know isn't that great, but fuck it, I still love it.(and I was miffed when he started talking in the sequel)
- The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords; It's only on here because it actually made me want to go to school, because then I could go to the cafeteria and play it with three of my friends (it also came with A Link to the Past, and obviously that game is great, but I can't list it here! Oh well, there's enough Zelda on this list anyway).
- Disgaea: Hour of Darkness; I liked how you could use the terrain and position of your characters to your advantage. Battles were always challenging, although sometimes the difficulty was too much for me (e.g., those maps that let you level up your weapons). The cast was the best part, especially when they started getting fleshed out. The chapter with
was especially poignant. The depth of the characters heavily contrasted the lighthearted tone and humor, but I loved the game for both.Laharl's mother
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance; I loved the concept of opening up a book, and bam, instant fantasy. Marche was a great character, with many facets to him. On one hand, he's dutiful and wants to return things to what they were meant to be, and I'm sure
was tough on him, too. On the other,breaking his friends away from what they've always wanted. The situation was complex, and it intrigued me. The battle system was really fun too, I remember feeling a lot of tension in the judge fights. This was the game that piqued my interest in Final Fantasy in general.he's a complete villain setting out to destroy the world in the eyes of the regular citizen of the fantasy
- Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga; The game was odd, from its cast to its story, but it was very good at making you curious. Why do they
? What is the Junkyard, and why do people remember what seems to beeat each other? Who is Sara? The whole world seemed like it was dying slowly in the first place, but Karma Temple's mandate just seemed to speed up the process. The hints that thetheir past deaths, just really made me want to play the sequel even more,cast knew each other from before the junkyard, and that they were not from this world. I liked how you could customize each character's abilities, although inevitably someone would get the short end of the atma point stick. In the end, it was a neat game, and it's not like you see Hinduism allusions in video games every day.although it ended up disappointing me with its sci-fi turn
- Baten Kaitos Origins
- Golden Sun: The Lost Age
- ICO
- Gladius
- Advance Wars
- Tales of Symphonia
- Tales of Phantasia (because I don't know if that counts since it's technically an SNES game)
- The Simpsons Hit & Run
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
NipplesAndToes23
Member
I want a new PS2 so bad.
I'll look into it some time this year
no way will those prices go up because silly old me is on the lookout >_>
Also I'll say that I wish I played PS2/Xbox games back then though I still can now, I just haven't gotten around to playing most of them yet. I don't think many games on those consoles have a chance of breaking into my top 10, though I think Dragon Quest VIII, SMT Nocturne, or one of the Suikoden games could potentially do it if they exceed my expectations by a decent margin.
updated through page 7
each game in the top five is close enough to the next that there could be a surge that it could topple the one above it, but five is a good deal away from one now. there's also a five-way battle for the #10 spot, which is coincidentally also battle for rpg of the gen.
the top 25 has one game that was voted entirely on #2-10 votes. it's the only one there that didn't top anyone's list.
also the dmc/ninja gaiden/god of war ... war raging on in its own little way is pretty fun to see. there was a time where one game reigned supreme, but now it's a matter of honorable mentions deciding the rankings.
each game in the top five is close enough to the next that there could be a surge that it could topple the one above it, but five is a good deal away from one now. there's also a five-way battle for the #10 spot, which is coincidentally also battle for rpg of the gen.
the top 25 has one game that was voted entirely on #2-10 votes. it's the only one there that didn't top anyone's list.
also the dmc/ninja gaiden/god of war ... war raging on in its own little way is pretty fun to see. there was a time where one game reigned supreme, but now it's a matter of honorable mentions deciding the rankings.
Get a new PC
thesaucetastic
Unconfirmed Member
Thanks for the hard work!
#1 is probably Resident Evil 4, I'd bet.
You didn't update this page yet, right? I just changed one of my entries so I'm just double checking.
right. i won't go through a page until 100 posts have gone by. the next time i'll update is at post 800.
TaroYamada
Member
1. Shenmue (Dreamcast) ; Quite simply one of the best games ever made, constructed the model open world games should strive for. Small world, high detail.
2. Shenmue II (Dreamcast) ; Depending on the time you asked me this would be number one, I really cannot think of putting most of this list in order though. I just end up doing it for the sake of these threads most times.
3. Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast) ; Along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Sly 2 I consider this one of the best 3D platformers of all time. In recent years I thought lesser of it but after playing through the HD re-release, which didn't add much (better image quality and right stick camera controls) made me realize the core game was much stronger than I remembered.
4. Sly 2 (PS2) ; Like I said about order on these lists, I'm not really sure. Sly 2 is at times the best 3D platformer I've ever played, it's only in the past few years that I've decided Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Jet Set Radio rival it.
5. Yakuza 2 (PS2) ; Shenmue is an Action Adventure title, with light action. Yakuza 2 is an Action Adventure title, heavy on the action. Also Kazuma Kiryu is one of the best gaming leads in the marketplace today, tons of character.
6. Cave Story (PC) ; The best indie game ever made and amongst the best games ever made. I forgot about it but I've played through the original game about three times and Cave Story + twice.
7. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2) ; The best 3D fighter, until VF5
8. Okami (PS2) ; It was a tad too long but it was gorgeous, unique and refreshing. Sad it never really took off, though if it had it probably just would have ended up on mobile given the current state of Capcpom.
9. Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox) ; Another game that never quite found the audience it deserved, I blamed Xbox exclusivity but in reality that's likely only partly responsible. Even on PS2/GameCube/Dreamcast I doubt this would have taken off well enough to keep the franchise moving forward.
10. Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Dreamcast) ; probably my favorite SNK fighter, maybe my favorite 2D fighter ever.
x. Sly 3 (PS2) ; More of Sly 2, I've seen it argued that it's better than Sly 2 and I understand that perspective but I still think 2 is better.
x. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) ; This game would have at one point been higher but a few things do push it lower for me. 1. the library is horrendous, 2. as I've grown older I've come to prefer single player centric content and a big part of this game was multi. It's still one of my favorite FPS campaigns ever, along with Duke Nukem 3D and Crysis but like Crysis it starts to fall apart a bit at the end while Duke maintains itself throughout. Basically Duke Nukem 3D is still the best FPS ever.
x. Yakuza (PS2) ; Why was there so much cursing? It made me cringe throughout it, not that I usually mind such things but it just sounded like it was trying super hard to be edgy in the english dub. Also the camera was worse than the second game.
x. Kingdom Hearts (PS2) ; I wish Square wouldn't have spread this franchise out so much, it made it really hard to keep up with. I'll probably still grab KH3, the franchise still holds some interest for me. You could tell the developers really cared about Disney given how lovingly recreated each respective universe is. The entire game is aesthetically pleasing and the combat felt different from most things in Square's stable at the time.
x. Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast) ; I remember hearing the Gamecube version was better but never got around to playing it, a great JRPG from SEGA's Overworks.
x. Red Faction (PC) ; This game is a better FPS than Half-Life. I realize it was released a few years later but if you like FPS games you should honestly check it out, the only reason I say that is because more people need to play it. It's so rarely discussed and it's a very strong entry in the genre for the time it was released.
x. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube) ; outside the huge opening tutorial I think it's really good and the best 3D Zelda since majora's mask.
x. Outrun 2 (Xbox) ; A phenomenal update to one of the best "driving" games ever made.
x. F-Zero GX (GameCube) ; my favorite entry in the F-Zero franchise, really stellar stuff and beautiful to this day.
x. Rayman 2 (Dreamcast) ; One of the best 3D platformers of the era, still one of my favorites in the genre.
x. Beyond Good & Evil (PC) ; Really great universe in this one, oppressive atmosphere but also light. If that makes sense.
x. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (GameCube) ; Often ignored title from EuroCom and THQ with some rather good gameplay. Wish it was on PC too.
2. Shenmue II (Dreamcast) ; Depending on the time you asked me this would be number one, I really cannot think of putting most of this list in order though. I just end up doing it for the sake of these threads most times.
3. Jet Set Radio (Dreamcast) ; Along with Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Sly 2 I consider this one of the best 3D platformers of all time. In recent years I thought lesser of it but after playing through the HD re-release, which didn't add much (better image quality and right stick camera controls) made me realize the core game was much stronger than I remembered.
4. Sly 2 (PS2) ; Like I said about order on these lists, I'm not really sure. Sly 2 is at times the best 3D platformer I've ever played, it's only in the past few years that I've decided Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Jet Set Radio rival it.
5. Yakuza 2 (PS2) ; Shenmue is an Action Adventure title, with light action. Yakuza 2 is an Action Adventure title, heavy on the action. Also Kazuma Kiryu is one of the best gaming leads in the marketplace today, tons of character.
6. Cave Story (PC) ; The best indie game ever made and amongst the best games ever made. I forgot about it but I've played through the original game about three times and Cave Story + twice.
7. Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution (PS2) ; The best 3D fighter, until VF5
8. Okami (PS2) ; It was a tad too long but it was gorgeous, unique and refreshing. Sad it never really took off, though if it had it probably just would have ended up on mobile given the current state of Capcpom.
9. Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox) ; Another game that never quite found the audience it deserved, I blamed Xbox exclusivity but in reality that's likely only partly responsible. Even on PS2/GameCube/Dreamcast I doubt this would have taken off well enough to keep the franchise moving forward.
10. Garou: Mark of the Wolves (Dreamcast) ; probably my favorite SNK fighter, maybe my favorite 2D fighter ever.
x. Sly 3 (PS2) ; More of Sly 2, I've seen it argued that it's better than Sly 2 and I understand that perspective but I still think 2 is better.
x. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox) ; This game would have at one point been higher but a few things do push it lower for me. 1. the library is horrendous, 2. as I've grown older I've come to prefer single player centric content and a big part of this game was multi. It's still one of my favorite FPS campaigns ever, along with Duke Nukem 3D and Crysis but like Crysis it starts to fall apart a bit at the end while Duke maintains itself throughout. Basically Duke Nukem 3D is still the best FPS ever.
x. Yakuza (PS2) ; Why was there so much cursing? It made me cringe throughout it, not that I usually mind such things but it just sounded like it was trying super hard to be edgy in the english dub. Also the camera was worse than the second game.
x. Kingdom Hearts (PS2) ; I wish Square wouldn't have spread this franchise out so much, it made it really hard to keep up with. I'll probably still grab KH3, the franchise still holds some interest for me. You could tell the developers really cared about Disney given how lovingly recreated each respective universe is. The entire game is aesthetically pleasing and the combat felt different from most things in Square's stable at the time.
x. Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast) ; I remember hearing the Gamecube version was better but never got around to playing it, a great JRPG from SEGA's Overworks.
x. Red Faction (PC) ; This game is a better FPS than Half-Life. I realize it was released a few years later but if you like FPS games you should honestly check it out, the only reason I say that is because more people need to play it. It's so rarely discussed and it's a very strong entry in the genre for the time it was released.
x. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GameCube) ; outside the huge opening tutorial I think it's really good and the best 3D Zelda since majora's mask.
x. Outrun 2 (Xbox) ; A phenomenal update to one of the best "driving" games ever made.
x. F-Zero GX (GameCube) ; my favorite entry in the F-Zero franchise, really stellar stuff and beautiful to this day.
x. Rayman 2 (Dreamcast) ; One of the best 3D platformers of the era, still one of my favorites in the genre.
x. Beyond Good & Evil (PC) ; Really great universe in this one, oppressive atmosphere but also light. If that makes sense.
x. Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy (GameCube) ; Often ignored title from EuroCom and THQ with some rather good gameplay. Wish it was on PC too.
Noisepurge
Member
1. Metal Gear Solid 2 ; One of the most intriguing games ever made, i play through it yearly
2. Yakuza 2 ; one of the last great exclusive PS2 titles! Great mix of RPG and Beat-em-up. Japanese voices and a better storyline topped the first game easily.
3. FEAR ; Still the best shooting mechanics and that actionmovie "feel"
4. Deus Ex ; Best FPS-RPG that still has not been topped
5. Tekken 5 ; So many hours spent playing this with friends, was eventually even made better with Dark Resurrection
6. Resident Evil 4 ; Easily the best entry in the classic series
7. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ; Most memorable GTA setting and characters
8. Contra: Shattered Soldier ; Great entry to the Contra series, still fun and challenging to this day
9. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield ; Last great tactical shooter, series was dead after this amazing game that added so much to the genre, only to see it being taken away in the next game
10. Shadow of the Colossus ; Something truely unique that still doesn't even have serious copycat contenders
x. God of War 2 ; An amazing swansong to the Playstation 2
x. Urban Reign ; A real hidden gem in the PS2 library, a fun brutal beat-em-up
x. The Punisher ; Another gem in the form of a license game, great action fun times that do Punisher justice
x. Mercenaries ; Great sandbox game with awesome destructability and huge explosions
x. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne ; Easily one of the best shooters, you can even finish the game using the handguns only!
x. SWAT 4 ; Another great tactical shooter, genre will be missed.
x. Hitman: Blood Money ; Best Hitman game by far
Unfairly snubbed:
System Shock 2 ; Come on, late 1999 release! Would have been my number 4 on the list.
2. Yakuza 2 ; one of the last great exclusive PS2 titles! Great mix of RPG and Beat-em-up. Japanese voices and a better storyline topped the first game easily.
3. FEAR ; Still the best shooting mechanics and that actionmovie "feel"
4. Deus Ex ; Best FPS-RPG that still has not been topped
5. Tekken 5 ; So many hours spent playing this with friends, was eventually even made better with Dark Resurrection
6. Resident Evil 4 ; Easily the best entry in the classic series
7. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ; Most memorable GTA setting and characters
8. Contra: Shattered Soldier ; Great entry to the Contra series, still fun and challenging to this day
9. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield ; Last great tactical shooter, series was dead after this amazing game that added so much to the genre, only to see it being taken away in the next game
10. Shadow of the Colossus ; Something truely unique that still doesn't even have serious copycat contenders
x. God of War 2 ; An amazing swansong to the Playstation 2
x. Urban Reign ; A real hidden gem in the PS2 library, a fun brutal beat-em-up
x. The Punisher ; Another gem in the form of a license game, great action fun times that do Punisher justice
x. Mercenaries ; Great sandbox game with awesome destructability and huge explosions
x. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne ; Easily one of the best shooters, you can even finish the game using the handguns only!
x. SWAT 4 ; Another great tactical shooter, genre will be missed.
x. Hitman: Blood Money ; Best Hitman game by far
Unfairly snubbed:
System Shock 2 ; Come on, late 1999 release! Would have been my number 4 on the list.
1- Half Life 2
One of the best Single player FPS of that time period that still holds up today.
2- World of Warrcraft
Turned the MMO from shouting LFG in chat for xp party and camp check into the themeparks of MMO's today
3-Quake III Arena
The arena shooter at the peak, still one of best in the arena shooter, also that game engine still being used today.
4-Deus Ex
Merged RPG and Role playing together well.
5- Ikaruga
A vertical shumps, that allows the player many ways to tackle the game mechanics or ignore them.
6- Shadow of the Colossus
Horse back, yea riding off into the distance on horse back for a boss fight
7-Resident Evil 4
Horror game turn third person semi shooter game.
8-Devil May Cry 3
One of the high points of the go for style action games
9- Metroid Prime
Made jumping on Platforms work well in first person, jump puzzles were rarely done well, the world design still holds up today
10- Halo
Show how FPS on controller can work with a bunch of assists on aiming
One of the best Single player FPS of that time period that still holds up today.
2- World of Warrcraft
Turned the MMO from shouting LFG in chat for xp party and camp check into the themeparks of MMO's today
3-Quake III Arena
The arena shooter at the peak, still one of best in the arena shooter, also that game engine still being used today.
4-Deus Ex
Merged RPG and Role playing together well.
5- Ikaruga
A vertical shumps, that allows the player many ways to tackle the game mechanics or ignore them.
6- Shadow of the Colossus
Horse back, yea riding off into the distance on horse back for a boss fight
7-Resident Evil 4
Horror game turn third person semi shooter game.
8-Devil May Cry 3
One of the high points of the go for style action games
9- Metroid Prime
Made jumping on Platforms work well in first person, jump puzzles were rarely done well, the world design still holds up today
10- Halo
Show how FPS on controller can work with a bunch of assists on aiming
Noisepurge
Member
1: Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo is my favourite game. It was the first game I loved to play, and one of the few older games I still play regularly. The gameplay experience is still almost unrivaled. Freedom of approach, combined with the sandbox of weapons, vehicles, one of the best enemy AIs ever, and a great physics engine created a unique experience with almost infinite replay value. Pistol, Assault rifle, Sniper Rifle, Rocket launcher. The names are common, but the weapons behind them are legendary. Shredding through a pack of Grunts with the Assault rifle, or dropping an elite with the pistol, every weapon had its place and role in the sandbox. And then there were the Covenant weapons, such as the homing, explosive needle throwing needler, and the dual-mode plasma pistol. Halo was an innovator in fps gameplay mechanics, creating the two weapon, regenerating health norm. It can be argued that this is the reason behind the decline of the shooter genre, but it fit Halo perfectly. Campaign had co-op, which was perfect for a sandbox-like shooter. The multiplayer component, while quite bare bones compared to later iterations, had some of the best maps and mechanics in the series. The graphics and art style were great and the soundtrack perfect. Halo's world was a special place. The contrast between distinctly low-tech humans and brightly coloured aliens was amazing, and the environments were interesting, part familiar part alien. The storytelling was minimalist, which hasn't really been the case later in the trilogy, and definitely not in Halo 4. There are the sequels, there are Halo killers and Halo clones, but there's only one Halo.
2: Halo 2
3: Half Life 2
4: Ace Combat 5
5: Burnout: Takedown
6: Deus Ex
7: GTA: San Andreas
8: God of War 2
9: KOTOR
10: Max Payne 2
1. Silent Hill 2; A perfect (and one of the few) example on how story, gameplay and music can fit together.
2. Persona 3; Brought me back to the genre when I was burnt out. It's extremely long but it keeps adding new stuff to stay interesting the whole way.
3. Disgaea; The perfect game for number fetishists like me.
4. Project Zero 2; One of the scariest games I ever played.
5. Star Ocean 3; I don't care about shitty characters or whatever the usual complaint is here, this game is just incredibly fun to play.
6. Warcraft 3; Spent so many hours playing this in LAN mode. I love to build my base slowly and surround it with an obscene amount of towers, so I never got into online play. This also gets my prestigious award of being the only RTS game of which I ever finished the campaign mode.
7. Final Fantasy X; Played this for over 100 hours, still didn't reach Penance. Then lost my save file (thanks to my stupidity) and played it for over 100 hours again. That should tell you enough of how much I liked this game. It gets some points deducted because of its extremely shitty PAL conversion, though. At least we got the International version out of it.
8. Gradius V; Brought me back to STGs after not having played them in years (and even in the PSX days the only one I played was R-Type Delta). Great level design, fun bosses and lots of fun in multiplayer. Probably the best game Treasure ever made.
9. Animal Crossing; Looking back, what have I actually done in this game? I played so long, but I basically did nothing. It's just a masterpiece of wasting your time.
10. Shenmue; Incredible attention to detail, and back then an incredible display of hardware power. Too bad it also was an incredible waste of money.
x. Donkey Konga; I had to put this here. It may not be all that special compared to other rhythm games, but this game first made my girlfriend get a Gamecube and then somehow also made her parents, who hadn't played video games since Tetris on the Game Boy, get a Gamecube. I still can't believe that.
x. Final Fantasy V Advance; I didn't want to put it on the actual list because it's just a port, but it was the first proper version of FF5 we ever got in the West and finally with a good translation. The music suffered a bit, but other than that it's the perfect version of the game. Don't forget to join this year's Job Fiesta.
x. Grandia 2; I may have put Shenmue on the actual list, but this was the game that defined the Dreamcast for me. Yeah, it was ported later on (like almost everything), but the ports never felt right.
x. Chibi Robo; You play a small robot that helps a family through a crisis. It's just a lovely and calm game. Too bad Nintendo didn't really know what to do with the series after this one.
x. Resident Evil: Code Veronica; The last of the "traditional" RE games that I love so much. It has some pacing issues and can really screw you over with ammunition in the end, but overall it's a great game.
x. The House of the Dead 2; Still the best light gun shooter I've played (and luckily I got to buy it before the BPjS got their dirty hands on it). And funnily enough it was one of the few games everyone in the family enjoyed playing.
x. Metroid Prime; It's a great attempt at a 3D Metroid. Though, when I've replayed it a year ago, I realized it just isn't as good as some of the 2D versions. Especially the later parts of the game can be so boring.
x. Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution; Probably the longest I played a fighting game in single player since Super Street Fighter 2. Those simulated arcade tournaments were a lot of fun.
2. Persona 3; Brought me back to the genre when I was burnt out. It's extremely long but it keeps adding new stuff to stay interesting the whole way.
3. Disgaea; The perfect game for number fetishists like me.
4. Project Zero 2; One of the scariest games I ever played.
5. Star Ocean 3; I don't care about shitty characters or whatever the usual complaint is here, this game is just incredibly fun to play.
6. Warcraft 3; Spent so many hours playing this in LAN mode. I love to build my base slowly and surround it with an obscene amount of towers, so I never got into online play. This also gets my prestigious award of being the only RTS game of which I ever finished the campaign mode.
7. Final Fantasy X; Played this for over 100 hours, still didn't reach Penance. Then lost my save file (thanks to my stupidity) and played it for over 100 hours again. That should tell you enough of how much I liked this game. It gets some points deducted because of its extremely shitty PAL conversion, though. At least we got the International version out of it.
8. Gradius V; Brought me back to STGs after not having played them in years (and even in the PSX days the only one I played was R-Type Delta). Great level design, fun bosses and lots of fun in multiplayer. Probably the best game Treasure ever made.
9. Animal Crossing; Looking back, what have I actually done in this game? I played so long, but I basically did nothing. It's just a masterpiece of wasting your time.
10. Shenmue; Incredible attention to detail, and back then an incredible display of hardware power. Too bad it also was an incredible waste of money.
x. Donkey Konga; I had to put this here. It may not be all that special compared to other rhythm games, but this game first made my girlfriend get a Gamecube and then somehow also made her parents, who hadn't played video games since Tetris on the Game Boy, get a Gamecube. I still can't believe that.
x. Final Fantasy V Advance; I didn't want to put it on the actual list because it's just a port, but it was the first proper version of FF5 we ever got in the West and finally with a good translation. The music suffered a bit, but other than that it's the perfect version of the game. Don't forget to join this year's Job Fiesta.
x. Grandia 2; I may have put Shenmue on the actual list, but this was the game that defined the Dreamcast for me. Yeah, it was ported later on (like almost everything), but the ports never felt right.
x. Chibi Robo; You play a small robot that helps a family through a crisis. It's just a lovely and calm game. Too bad Nintendo didn't really know what to do with the series after this one.
x. Resident Evil: Code Veronica; The last of the "traditional" RE games that I love so much. It has some pacing issues and can really screw you over with ammunition in the end, but overall it's a great game.
x. The House of the Dead 2; Still the best light gun shooter I've played (and luckily I got to buy it before the BPjS got their dirty hands on it). And funnily enough it was one of the few games everyone in the family enjoyed playing.
x. Metroid Prime; It's a great attempt at a 3D Metroid. Though, when I've replayed it a year ago, I realized it just isn't as good as some of the 2D versions. Especially the later parts of the game can be so boring.
x. Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution; Probably the longest I played a fighting game in single player since Super Street Fighter 2. Those simulated arcade tournaments were a lot of fun.
startyourengine
Member
1. virtua fighter 4: evolution; perfection, it would have been the game i play at arcade all day long if i was in japan.
2. counter-strike; oh my, i forgot about this game, so competitive, and so fun.
3. ace combat 5; enjoyed the variety of aircraft, mixed of present and fictitious models, good story, good pacing, i even like the cheesy songs.
4. world of warcraft; i play it for 5 years, met good people had a blast.
5. metal gear solid 2; enjoyed the wacky story immensely.
6. gran turismo 4; the racing game.
7. halo
2. counter-strike; oh my, i forgot about this game, so competitive, and so fun.
3. ace combat 5; enjoyed the variety of aircraft, mixed of present and fictitious models, good story, good pacing, i even like the cheesy songs.
4. world of warcraft; i play it for 5 years, met good people had a blast.
5. metal gear solid 2; enjoyed the wacky story immensely.
6. gran turismo 4; the racing game.
7. halo
1. Devil May Cry; The game that turned me onto to a different style of "hack-n-slash", and made the name of Hideki Kamiya into one I would always remember. Devil May Cry 3 (also on this list) may have the better combat engine, but this game felt like the better overall "game" to me, thanks to the atmosphere that this game has in spades.
2. Devil May Cry 3; Takes everything that I already loved about the original, and gives it a better combat engine to play around in. While I didn't like DMC3's take on Dante nearly as much as the original (much less the injection of butt-rock into the soundtrack), it's still one of the best games ever and certainly is the reason why I'm willing to give it so much praise.
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee; The sequel to one of my favorite N64 titles ever comes back with a sequel that's even faster, better-looking and, of course, has even more interesting characters and stages to boot. Before I even was made aware of the competitive following this game would have, I just loved it because everything seemed like such a huge leap over the original game, in ways that I still argue that Brawl or 4 were not able to match.
4. Guilty Gear XX; Spent a lot of time with my import of GGX on DC back in the day, but this sequel on PS2 (and its upgrades) were perhaps the only games that truly challenged the above Smash Bros. for my and my friends' time.
5. Viewtiful Joe; Another game designed by Hideki Kamiya, which instantly became another classic. I only weep that this "platformer-beat em up's" sequels were not nearly as well done as the one who started it all.
6. God Hand; Just when I thought that PS2-era Capcom couldn't do any more to sate my inner action junkie, comes Mikami's God Hand. It was quirky. It was funny. It made spanking into a stylish way of finishing off opponents! The only reason it didn't place higher was because I just loved some of the other games on this list THAT much more.
7. Gotcha Force; A rather unsung Capcom game for the GameCube. Those who are already fans of the modern Gundam Vs. series may already be familiar with this one. But even if not, it's a fun game that takes 3D arena style action with little toy robots (some could combine with others to form bigger ones) and marries it with a PKMN-style "collect-a-thon" that kept me playing for months on end.
8. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones; It was tough choosing just one FE game to represent the love I had for this series throughout this span of time. But if I had to pick one, it would definitely be the third GBA title. This game boasted a number of features that would end up in Awakening some years later, such as a world map that made it so that there was a bit less pressure to try and manage a whole team of characters that may have arrived late. Which I appreciated very much.
9. Soul Calibur 2; Tough picking between this one or its Dreamcast predecessor, but I give this one the edge. Easily the fighting game that had the most content this side of Smash. And hey, GC version had Link as a nice bonus!
10. Sengoku BASARA 2 (Import from Japan to US); During an era where I was getting pretty burned out on Koei's games, I happened to notice a random hype thread from GAF's own sprsk (aka sp0rsk back in the day) that was hyping this game up. "A Warriors/Musou-like game from the Devil May Cry team?!" I took a chance and imported after reading a number of positive impressions, and the rest was history.
x. Double Dragon Advance; Both this game and the below RCREX were solid remakes of two classic games from Technos Japan's 80s catalog. Seeing how these games were some of the most pivotal games of my younger gaming life and got me hooked on hack-n-slash/beat em ups/belt-scroll games? Needless to say, I was there for both of them.
x. River City Ransom EX
2. Devil May Cry 3; Takes everything that I already loved about the original, and gives it a better combat engine to play around in. While I didn't like DMC3's take on Dante nearly as much as the original (much less the injection of butt-rock into the soundtrack), it's still one of the best games ever and certainly is the reason why I'm willing to give it so much praise.
3. Super Smash Bros. Melee; The sequel to one of my favorite N64 titles ever comes back with a sequel that's even faster, better-looking and, of course, has even more interesting characters and stages to boot. Before I even was made aware of the competitive following this game would have, I just loved it because everything seemed like such a huge leap over the original game, in ways that I still argue that Brawl or 4 were not able to match.
4. Guilty Gear XX; Spent a lot of time with my import of GGX on DC back in the day, but this sequel on PS2 (and its upgrades) were perhaps the only games that truly challenged the above Smash Bros. for my and my friends' time.
5. Viewtiful Joe; Another game designed by Hideki Kamiya, which instantly became another classic. I only weep that this "platformer-beat em up's" sequels were not nearly as well done as the one who started it all.
6. God Hand; Just when I thought that PS2-era Capcom couldn't do any more to sate my inner action junkie, comes Mikami's God Hand. It was quirky. It was funny. It made spanking into a stylish way of finishing off opponents! The only reason it didn't place higher was because I just loved some of the other games on this list THAT much more.
7. Gotcha Force; A rather unsung Capcom game for the GameCube. Those who are already fans of the modern Gundam Vs. series may already be familiar with this one. But even if not, it's a fun game that takes 3D arena style action with little toy robots (some could combine with others to form bigger ones) and marries it with a PKMN-style "collect-a-thon" that kept me playing for months on end.
8. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones; It was tough choosing just one FE game to represent the love I had for this series throughout this span of time. But if I had to pick one, it would definitely be the third GBA title. This game boasted a number of features that would end up in Awakening some years later, such as a world map that made it so that there was a bit less pressure to try and manage a whole team of characters that may have arrived late. Which I appreciated very much.
9. Soul Calibur 2; Tough picking between this one or its Dreamcast predecessor, but I give this one the edge. Easily the fighting game that had the most content this side of Smash. And hey, GC version had Link as a nice bonus!
10. Sengoku BASARA 2 (Import from Japan to US); During an era where I was getting pretty burned out on Koei's games, I happened to notice a random hype thread from GAF's own sprsk (aka sp0rsk back in the day) that was hyping this game up. "A Warriors/Musou-like game from the Devil May Cry team?!" I took a chance and imported after reading a number of positive impressions, and the rest was history.
x. Double Dragon Advance; Both this game and the below RCREX were solid remakes of two classic games from Technos Japan's 80s catalog. Seeing how these games were some of the most pivotal games of my younger gaming life and got me hooked on hack-n-slash/beat em ups/belt-scroll games? Needless to say, I was there for both of them.
x. River City Ransom EX
Astral Dog
Member
So all the top games get points?
1); Resident Evil 4 A masterpiece that redefined the series, its an example of great game design on all its areas, bosses, atmosphere, music, one has to look at the boss battles compared to RE5 to see the difference that Mikami and his team made,, the game is filled with memorable moments and encounters, who does not remember Dr. Salvador cutting Leon`s head? the Lake battle, insane music, regenerator,spanish dialogue? it was great, its a very special game, the worst thing i can say about it is that there are better parts than others, and the QTE scenes were annoying, it still achieves an overall high quality through the whole campaign, considering its a long game for the genre.
2);Devil May Cry The original DMC game that basically invented the genre, i played it much later on my old SDTV, and PS 2, but, its incredible, amazing atmosphere, art direction,difficult boss battles, good, if a little outdated combat system,the game is a classic, filled with brilliant enemy design, i played it and could not put it down until i had all items, moves purchased, the difficulty makes killing every boss an achievment, RE 4 is above it because it was the series that introduced DMC, as this game evolves from it.
3);Metroid Prime Its Metroid fucking Prime, it was the perfect transition from the classic Metroid games to the modern FPS genre, its handled with such care that i cant believe Retro Studios, a developer that had many issues and not much experience, were given this series and released a title that is just unique,, runing at a flawless 60fps and still being one of the best looking Gamecube games, the soundtrack by Kenji Yamamoto deserves credit for enchanting the various levels through its beautiful music, the way the story is presented and written with the scanning mechanic is just unique, even if it can get a bit tedious, Creature designs were good too.
4);Devil May Cry 3 this game reinvented the genre and moved it forward, after the dissapointing DMC 2, the series came back better than ever with new mechanics, systems, new over the top cutscenes,insane new weapons, and just screaming "Devil May Cry is back!" The game just has a great variety of enemies and options, the boss variety is one of the game`s many strong points, who can forget the fights with Vergil, wich had completely new attacks as you damage him?
I have to mention the soundtrack and story too, the music having that unique tone and chorus through the game, the story being told with some of the best directed cutscenes of the generation, a tale about family responsibilities that fitted and expanded the themes of the first game perfectly.
There are just a few issues i have with it, few of the bosses are annoying or boring to fight, i had mixed feelings on the art direction and prefer DMC 1 and 4 to it , level design can be a bit confusing, enemy design could be better.
5)Ok i will try to be short , Metal Gear Solid 3 is the best game in the series,it tells the story of Big Boss perfectly and is filled with memorable characters and boss battles, each with their own gimmick, the ending is a strong point in the series, already filled with insane twists.
6);REmake, deserves credit as its the best videogame remake ever created, it added new content and enemies, upgraded the graphics and music to become one of the most gorgeous games of that generation, fleshed out the story and its just the standard for what a videogame remaster should be, a true classic.
7);GTA Sand Andreas, just pure fun. its GTA, while i only played parts of this game and GTA DS and V are the only ones i completed on the series, they are the very best of the genre, i also love the silly humor the games have.
8);Zelda Wind Waker i have to put this here as its a game of my childhood,while it has its flaws, its still a very good game, the new cel shading look was amazing to look and helped to create a very charming world, the combat animations felt good, and while filled with cartoony graphics and characters, it hides the darkest, most mature Zelda story ever made, it made me appreciate art stylistic art direction over pure realistic graphics
9);Metal Gear Solid 2, just an insane game, that was innovative and fresh, only this game could come from the mind of a madman, besides it gave birth to Metal Gear Rising.
10): I want to put a GBA game here, my favorites were Metroid Fusion and Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, Metroid was mentioned so i will just say that AoS is one of the best Castlevania games, it has my favorite cast, and even tried to mix up the story a little, gameplay is classic Metroidvania, but it introduced a new Soul System that added variety to your attacks, along with the possibility of using new weapons that arent the whip. one of the best handheld games.
I will write here games that im sure are great, but i never got the chance to play
X Ninja Gaiden Black
X Final Fantasy X
X Final Fantasy XII
X Kingdom Hearts I
X Silent Hill 2 and 3.
X Viewtiful Joe
X Meele would had made the list but i ended up liking Smash 4 more.
Lady sings on DMC 3? :O
1); Resident Evil 4 A masterpiece that redefined the series, its an example of great game design on all its areas, bosses, atmosphere, music, one has to look at the boss battles compared to RE5 to see the difference that Mikami and his team made,, the game is filled with memorable moments and encounters, who does not remember Dr. Salvador cutting Leon`s head? the Lake battle, insane music, regenerator,spanish dialogue? it was great, its a very special game, the worst thing i can say about it is that there are better parts than others, and the QTE scenes were annoying, it still achieves an overall high quality through the whole campaign, considering its a long game for the genre.
2);Devil May Cry The original DMC game that basically invented the genre, i played it much later on my old SDTV, and PS 2, but, its incredible, amazing atmosphere, art direction,difficult boss battles, good, if a little outdated combat system,the game is a classic, filled with brilliant enemy design, i played it and could not put it down until i had all items, moves purchased, the difficulty makes killing every boss an achievment, RE 4 is above it because it was the series that introduced DMC, as this game evolves from it.
3);Metroid Prime Its Metroid fucking Prime, it was the perfect transition from the classic Metroid games to the modern FPS genre, its handled with such care that i cant believe Retro Studios, a developer that had many issues and not much experience, were given this series and released a title that is just unique,, runing at a flawless 60fps and still being one of the best looking Gamecube games, the soundtrack by Kenji Yamamoto deserves credit for enchanting the various levels through its beautiful music, the way the story is presented and written with the scanning mechanic is just unique, even if it can get a bit tedious, Creature designs were good too.
4);Devil May Cry 3 this game reinvented the genre and moved it forward, after the dissapointing DMC 2, the series came back better than ever with new mechanics, systems, new over the top cutscenes,insane new weapons, and just screaming "Devil May Cry is back!" The game just has a great variety of enemies and options, the boss variety is one of the game`s many strong points, who can forget the fights with Vergil, wich had completely new attacks as you damage him?
I have to mention the soundtrack and story too, the music having that unique tone and chorus through the game, the story being told with some of the best directed cutscenes of the generation, a tale about family responsibilities that fitted and expanded the themes of the first game perfectly.
There are just a few issues i have with it, few of the bosses are annoying or boring to fight, i had mixed feelings on the art direction and prefer DMC 1 and 4 to it , level design can be a bit confusing, enemy design could be better.
5)Ok i will try to be short , Metal Gear Solid 3 is the best game in the series,it tells the story of Big Boss perfectly and is filled with memorable characters and boss battles, each with their own gimmick, the ending is a strong point in the series, already filled with insane twists.
6);REmake, deserves credit as its the best videogame remake ever created, it added new content and enemies, upgraded the graphics and music to become one of the most gorgeous games of that generation, fleshed out the story and its just the standard for what a videogame remaster should be, a true classic.
7);GTA Sand Andreas, just pure fun. its GTA, while i only played parts of this game and GTA DS and V are the only ones i completed on the series, they are the very best of the genre, i also love the silly humor the games have.
8);Zelda Wind Waker i have to put this here as its a game of my childhood,while it has its flaws, its still a very good game, the new cel shading look was amazing to look and helped to create a very charming world, the combat animations felt good, and while filled with cartoony graphics and characters, it hides the darkest, most mature Zelda story ever made, it made me appreciate art stylistic art direction over pure realistic graphics
9);Metal Gear Solid 2, just an insane game, that was innovative and fresh, only this game could come from the mind of a madman, besides it gave birth to Metal Gear Rising.
10): I want to put a GBA game here, my favorites were Metroid Fusion and Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, Metroid was mentioned so i will just say that AoS is one of the best Castlevania games, it has my favorite cast, and even tried to mix up the story a little, gameplay is classic Metroidvania, but it introduced a new Soul System that added variety to your attacks, along with the possibility of using new weapons that arent the whip. one of the best handheld games.
I will write here games that im sure are great, but i never got the chance to play
X Ninja Gaiden Black
X Final Fantasy X
X Final Fantasy XII
X Kingdom Hearts I
X Silent Hill 2 and 3.
X Viewtiful Joe
X Meele would had made the list but i ended up liking Smash 4 more.
Lady sings on DMC 3? :O
freethought
Member
1. Metal Gear Solid 2 - Must have played through it 30 times in a year
2. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas - I couldn't decide which to put in so I went for the biggest
3. Civilisation IV - So many hours lost
4. Half Life 2 - The physics, oh my god the physics
5. Devil May Cry - It was Stylish. It had Action. It was a Game.
6. Ico - The only enjoyable escort mission in the history of gaming.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Maybe the second had better writing but this was the first CRPG I ever played.
8. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - I'm not sure if I do prefer it to TP, but it was trying something different so I'll give it the nod.
9. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II Rogue Leader - I blew up the Death Star, a highlight of any generation.
10. Super Mario Sunshine - I was tempted to leave it off, the only gen I wouldn't put a Mario game in the top ten, but in the end those Secret of levels earned it a place.
2. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas - I couldn't decide which to put in so I went for the biggest
3. Civilisation IV - So many hours lost
4. Half Life 2 - The physics, oh my god the physics
5. Devil May Cry - It was Stylish. It had Action. It was a Game.
6. Ico - The only enjoyable escort mission in the history of gaming.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Maybe the second had better writing but this was the first CRPG I ever played.
8. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - I'm not sure if I do prefer it to TP, but it was trying something different so I'll give it the nod.
9. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II Rogue Leader - I blew up the Death Star, a highlight of any generation.
10. Super Mario Sunshine - I was tempted to leave it off, the only gen I wouldn't put a Mario game in the top ten, but in the end those Secret of levels earned it a place.
The Sarcastic Dude
Banned
Anihawk, just letting you know I updated my post (page 1, post 3) with my ballot.
strange guy
Neo Member
1.Devil May Cry 3:Special Edition; My favorite game, the first DMC i played, loved the boss battles, the setting, soundtrack, the crazy cutscenes,everything was great.
2.Devil May Cry; Started a new genre and still has the best soundtrack, enemy design and atmosphere of all the DMC games.
3.Resident Evil 4; True masterpiece, it's so good that even my dad played it.
4.Shadow of the Colossus; A very unique experience.
5.Burnout 3 Takedown; One of my most played games ever, amazing soundtrack and spectacular races.
6.Okami; Beautiful game with great cel shading.
7.Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal; Great plataforming game with very cool weapons.
8.God of War 2: Better overall than the first one with good boss battles and very good level design.
9.Twisted Metal Black; Very fun game with a darker tone, it was great in multiplayer too.
10. Prince of Persia The Sands of Time; Good adventure game with great plataforming.
x God of War; Still love the Pandora's temple and has some of the best moments of the series
x GTA San Andreas; Was a lot of fun to do silly destruction
xPES 4; was great with friends
2.Devil May Cry; Started a new genre and still has the best soundtrack, enemy design and atmosphere of all the DMC games.
3.Resident Evil 4; True masterpiece, it's so good that even my dad played it.
4.Shadow of the Colossus; A very unique experience.
5.Burnout 3 Takedown; One of my most played games ever, amazing soundtrack and spectacular races.
6.Okami; Beautiful game with great cel shading.
7.Ratchet and Clank Up Your Arsenal; Great plataforming game with very cool weapons.
8.God of War 2: Better overall than the first one with good boss battles and very good level design.
9.Twisted Metal Black; Very fun game with a darker tone, it was great in multiplayer too.
10. Prince of Persia The Sands of Time; Good adventure game with great plataforming.
x God of War; Still love the Pandora's temple and has some of the best moments of the series
x GTA San Andreas; Was a lot of fun to do silly destruction
xPES 4; was great with friends
After writing comments for my honourable mentions, I wish I could have done it differently. I've had so many good memories of some of those games. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat is pure unadulterated fun and WarCraft 3 is so good, possibly my favourite real-time strategy game. MOBA games just aren't the same. And Counter-Strike. Counter-Strike! Do I need to say more?
Putting this list together was a real pain in the ass because this generation was just so god damn fantastic, I even went a little overboard with the honorable mentions because a lot of them would easily deserve a spot on the top 10 list too. Games like MGS3 and REmake would definitely be there too but I gave myself a little rule that I would not put more than one game from the same franchise in the top 10.
1. Resident Evil 4 ; Even though this game was a direct influence on the direction which way the series went, (Haven't really enjoyed the later games like RE6 and Revelations) this one was just a near perfect game, awesome TPS mechanics with melee attacks, fun B-Movie action story, baller protagonist, the usual RE style puzzles and inventory managment coupled with possibly the the most well paced action from different enviroments to setpieces was just like a gift from the gods.
2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ; My favorite MGS with my favorite story told in game, it was an absolute mind bender even when I played it for the first time in 2010. Could not even imagine how the experience was back in 2001
3. Counter-Strike 1.6 ; Probably my most played game ever. Countless maps and mods with perfect competitive tacticool FPS mechanics guaranteed so many hours lost in this game. I still come back to it to this day over GO and Source.
4. Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction ; The perfect isometric ARPG, I just love dark fantasy and this gives it to me with too addicting gameplay. One of my guilty pleasures involving gaming was the hero editor with this game.
5. SSX 3 ; Easily my favorite "sports" game, it's just bonkers, it looks beautiful and it has my favorite licensed game soundtrack ever. The audio mix when you get to different heights and enter different stages in the levels still works better than in the new game too imo.
6. Persona 4 ; My favorite JRPG and pretty much my introduction to the genre. Lovable cast and it brought back some of the better memories of my own high school times.
7. Unreal Tournament 2004 ; Still doesn't beat the original UT for me but this was a huge improvement over the a bit lackluster UT 2003. It's still the high octane FPS action we all love UT for but with added bigger levels and vehicles which worked surprisingly well. It's also one of the last games of the better age in MP gaming on PC for me.
8. Ninja Gaiden ; I never got the Black version of this game, I wasn't aware of it until later when I pretty much played exclusively on PC. However I still enjoyed the fuck out of the original version and it's one of the most difficult games I've played and completed.
9. Burnout 3: Takedown ; One of the best racing games ever, the speed was crazy, the races thrilling and the crash mode was hilarious road carnage.
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ; Still my favorite GTA, it just captures the era so well and the soundtrack was perfect. I also played this on PC where a multiplayer mod existed. I spent a summer playing the MP on a 56k modem and even with the insane lag, it was still insanely fun.
x World of Warcraft
x Hitman: Blood Money
x Timesplitters 2
x Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
x Silent Hill 2
x Resident Evil Remake
x Marvel vs Capcom 2
x Need for Speed Underground
x Freedom Fighters
x Max Payne
x Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
x Deus Ex
x Mafia
x No One Lives Forever
x God Hand
x Killer7
x Halo: Combat Evolved
1. Resident Evil 4 ; Even though this game was a direct influence on the direction which way the series went, (Haven't really enjoyed the later games like RE6 and Revelations) this one was just a near perfect game, awesome TPS mechanics with melee attacks, fun B-Movie action story, baller protagonist, the usual RE style puzzles and inventory managment coupled with possibly the the most well paced action from different enviroments to setpieces was just like a gift from the gods.
2. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ; My favorite MGS with my favorite story told in game, it was an absolute mind bender even when I played it for the first time in 2010. Could not even imagine how the experience was back in 2001
3. Counter-Strike 1.6 ; Probably my most played game ever. Countless maps and mods with perfect competitive tacticool FPS mechanics guaranteed so many hours lost in this game. I still come back to it to this day over GO and Source.
4. Diablo 2: Lord of Destruction ; The perfect isometric ARPG, I just love dark fantasy and this gives it to me with too addicting gameplay. One of my guilty pleasures involving gaming was the hero editor with this game.
5. SSX 3 ; Easily my favorite "sports" game, it's just bonkers, it looks beautiful and it has my favorite licensed game soundtrack ever. The audio mix when you get to different heights and enter different stages in the levels still works better than in the new game too imo.
6. Persona 4 ; My favorite JRPG and pretty much my introduction to the genre. Lovable cast and it brought back some of the better memories of my own high school times.
7. Unreal Tournament 2004 ; Still doesn't beat the original UT for me but this was a huge improvement over the a bit lackluster UT 2003. It's still the high octane FPS action we all love UT for but with added bigger levels and vehicles which worked surprisingly well. It's also one of the last games of the better age in MP gaming on PC for me.
8. Ninja Gaiden ; I never got the Black version of this game, I wasn't aware of it until later when I pretty much played exclusively on PC. However I still enjoyed the fuck out of the original version and it's one of the most difficult games I've played and completed.
9. Burnout 3: Takedown ; One of the best racing games ever, the speed was crazy, the races thrilling and the crash mode was hilarious road carnage.
10. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ; Still my favorite GTA, it just captures the era so well and the soundtrack was perfect. I also played this on PC where a multiplayer mod existed. I spent a summer playing the MP on a 56k modem and even with the insane lag, it was still insanely fun.
x World of Warcraft
x Hitman: Blood Money
x Timesplitters 2
x Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
x Silent Hill 2
x Resident Evil Remake
x Marvel vs Capcom 2
x Need for Speed Underground
x Freedom Fighters
x Max Payne
x Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
x Deus Ex
x Mafia
x No One Lives Forever
x God Hand
x Killer7
x Halo: Combat Evolved
awesome. thanks!
woopWOOP
Member
Looking at the 2000-2005 PC releasedates there's suprisingly few PC games I played from that era. I guess that happens when your crappy PC can't run any fancy 3D.
Also thinking back there's not a lot of PS2 games I played either. Yep, it's gonna be a mostly Nintendo list, with a lot of honorable mentions:
Top 10:
1. Skies of Arcadia ; This might be my favorite jRPG game in general. I think mostly because the game feels so complete: you journey all over the globe during your adventures and your ship can fly through every nook and cranny where you can discover.. well, discoveries. At the end of the game no stone is left unturned basically, the world is completely free for you to explore. For this reason I don't think there's a lot they can do with a sequel, unless it involves a timeskip of sorts.
2. Super Smash Bros Melee ; Smash 64 made me wonder who Ness was, but I left it at that. Melee with it's trophies and Fire Emblem characters got me searching throughout all of Nintendo's history and had me discover games I didn't know of before. Thanks Melee! Not just the trophies, the Adventure mode had a nice way of referencing old games too. Classic mode was quick and fun to play through and 4-player VS-mode was multiplayer king. The upgrade the game got compared to the original is insane.
3. GTA San Andreas ; I didn't play this until the Steam release, but it's PC release was in 2004. One of few open world games I played through from start to finish. ..well, almost finish, I gave up on that last mission. Goofing around with the crappy police AI was fun too, as was just driving around the different landscapes. The last GTA I really enjoyed playing through.
4. Mother 3 ; Played through this one with a Gamefaqs translation side by side, before the English patch. Despite it's wackiness, it sure is a different beast compared to Earthbound. Much like Terranigma, after I finished the game the ending stuck with me for a few days. But that's what I love about it.
5. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II ; Never got the online to work, but 4-player local was a blast too. Discussing all sorts of tactics to fight the stage boss, only for half the team to just rush in like impatient barbarians anyway. Good stuff. The VS mode was rather silly, as your high level instant heal would heal both yourself and the nearby enemy player.
6. Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 ; It's basically an expansion of RCT1 with a less good title theme. Same graphics and everything, just a lot more attractions and theme objects to build. What makes this really better than the first however is that the game comes packaged with an scenario editor. I always wanted to make my ultimate parks and didn't like how a lot of RCT1's scenarios had limiting landscapes or didn't have certain rides. The scenario editor allowed me to goof around and have fun however I wanted.
7. Super Bust-A-Move: All Stars ; Known as Super Puzzle Bobble in the US I think. This game earned the 2nd spot in our Gamecube multiplayer group for a long time, as we usually booted it up as 2nd/last game of the day. Racing to be the first to remove all balls was always hectic and led to some entertaining rivalries.
8. F-Zero GX ; I finished Master mode with all 30 racers just to see each's ending movie. Story mode was impossible tho, hacked my way through that one many years later. Custom verhicle creation was another neat addition. Only thing it was missing was a random course generator like F-Zero X had, because I had an unfair advantage knowing all the courses compared to my friends. As such, not a lot of multiplayer with this one.
9. Pokemon Leaf Green/Fire Red ; Whenever I want to play generation 1 Pokemon, this is my go to game. It's pretty much the same, just a lot more appealing to the eye and.. well, stable. The islands thing is kinda stupid, but you can ignore and skip it anyway. Unlike the GBC original, this one also allows me to transfer my Pokemon party to the latest Pokemon games.
10. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance ; I spent over 200 hours on two savefiles, I believe. I loved the amount of customisation there was and leveling a whole guild of different classes for specific quests. The judge system was a bit frustrating at times (no melee penalty when you counter an enemy, blugh), but I had more fun with this one than the first Tactics game.
Honorable mentions, 11 to 20:
x. Civilization IV ; I spent over 1000 hours playing this game, but I didn't start until after all expansions were released and mostly thanks to the mods that only worked with the last expansion. Even tho the base game laid out most of the foundations, giving it points wouldn't be fair.
x. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance ; Imported it years later. Great addition to the FE series, with the hard difficulty being hard, but not too frustrating. It's too bad you miss out on certain events if a certain character bites the dust, so I reset my game more than I otherwise would have.
x. Advance Wars 2 ; Took the original and crammed it full with new CEO's and new CO powers, tho the Neo Tank was a little OP. Even had a few hotseat games with friends playing it on my Gamecube's Gameboy Player.
x. Sonic Mega Collection ; I never owned a Genesis, so this collection was my first experience with the early Sonic games. I booted up this disc surprisingly much, showing that even without the childhood nostalgia the Genesis Sonic games are a blast to play through.
x. Warioware Inc Mega Party Games ; Much quicker to play through than any Mario Party, just as entertaining.
x. Pikmin ; Traversing the areas of this game was such a relaxing experience, despite the looming death of oxygen running out.
x. Waverace Blue Storm ; Love the varying course locations, love the weather system and love that they brought back Southern island. Took me months to get through Expert, but when I finally beat that twerp Ricky Winterborn... man, that felt great.
x. Shining Soul II ; Never managed to play this co-op with anybody else, but it's pretty fun to play through solo aswell. A massive, massive upgrade compared to the first game with more classes, much better sprite work and music. The game is filled with many little secrets and easter eggs which almost gives it a bit of a Ducktales vibe.
x. Pokemon Sapphire/ Ruby ; IGN may get a lot of shit for it, but I hated the sea section back then too. Also it didn't have a day/night cycle (why?), the new Pokemon looked a little alien and you couldn't send over your old monsters. This entry killed my interest in the franchise at first... tho years later after retrying it once more it revived it again. Also now I prefer the open sea to the linearity of the 3DS games. And that's why it's on the list!
x. Konami Krazy Racers ; Pretty quick to play through, but the Diddy Kong Racing style secrets were a fun extra. Also it introduced me to Beartank, which made me import Rakuga Kids years later. Beartank's the best.
Also thinking back there's not a lot of PS2 games I played either. Yep, it's gonna be a mostly Nintendo list, with a lot of honorable mentions:
Top 10:
1. Skies of Arcadia ; This might be my favorite jRPG game in general. I think mostly because the game feels so complete: you journey all over the globe during your adventures and your ship can fly through every nook and cranny where you can discover.. well, discoveries. At the end of the game no stone is left unturned basically, the world is completely free for you to explore. For this reason I don't think there's a lot they can do with a sequel, unless it involves a timeskip of sorts.
2. Super Smash Bros Melee ; Smash 64 made me wonder who Ness was, but I left it at that. Melee with it's trophies and Fire Emblem characters got me searching throughout all of Nintendo's history and had me discover games I didn't know of before. Thanks Melee! Not just the trophies, the Adventure mode had a nice way of referencing old games too. Classic mode was quick and fun to play through and 4-player VS-mode was multiplayer king. The upgrade the game got compared to the original is insane.
3. GTA San Andreas ; I didn't play this until the Steam release, but it's PC release was in 2004. One of few open world games I played through from start to finish. ..well, almost finish, I gave up on that last mission. Goofing around with the crappy police AI was fun too, as was just driving around the different landscapes. The last GTA I really enjoyed playing through.
4. Mother 3 ; Played through this one with a Gamefaqs translation side by side, before the English patch. Despite it's wackiness, it sure is a different beast compared to Earthbound. Much like Terranigma, after I finished the game the ending stuck with me for a few days. But that's what I love about it.
5. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II ; Never got the online to work, but 4-player local was a blast too. Discussing all sorts of tactics to fight the stage boss, only for half the team to just rush in like impatient barbarians anyway. Good stuff. The VS mode was rather silly, as your high level instant heal would heal both yourself and the nearby enemy player.
6. Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 ; It's basically an expansion of RCT1 with a less good title theme. Same graphics and everything, just a lot more attractions and theme objects to build. What makes this really better than the first however is that the game comes packaged with an scenario editor. I always wanted to make my ultimate parks and didn't like how a lot of RCT1's scenarios had limiting landscapes or didn't have certain rides. The scenario editor allowed me to goof around and have fun however I wanted.
7. Super Bust-A-Move: All Stars ; Known as Super Puzzle Bobble in the US I think. This game earned the 2nd spot in our Gamecube multiplayer group for a long time, as we usually booted it up as 2nd/last game of the day. Racing to be the first to remove all balls was always hectic and led to some entertaining rivalries.
8. F-Zero GX ; I finished Master mode with all 30 racers just to see each's ending movie. Story mode was impossible tho, hacked my way through that one many years later. Custom verhicle creation was another neat addition. Only thing it was missing was a random course generator like F-Zero X had, because I had an unfair advantage knowing all the courses compared to my friends. As such, not a lot of multiplayer with this one.
9. Pokemon Leaf Green/Fire Red ; Whenever I want to play generation 1 Pokemon, this is my go to game. It's pretty much the same, just a lot more appealing to the eye and.. well, stable. The islands thing is kinda stupid, but you can ignore and skip it anyway. Unlike the GBC original, this one also allows me to transfer my Pokemon party to the latest Pokemon games.
10. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance ; I spent over 200 hours on two savefiles, I believe. I loved the amount of customisation there was and leveling a whole guild of different classes for specific quests. The judge system was a bit frustrating at times (no melee penalty when you counter an enemy, blugh), but I had more fun with this one than the first Tactics game.
Honorable mentions, 11 to 20:
x. Civilization IV ; I spent over 1000 hours playing this game, but I didn't start until after all expansions were released and mostly thanks to the mods that only worked with the last expansion. Even tho the base game laid out most of the foundations, giving it points wouldn't be fair.
x. Fire Emblem Path of Radiance ; Imported it years later. Great addition to the FE series, with the hard difficulty being hard, but not too frustrating. It's too bad you miss out on certain events if a certain character bites the dust, so I reset my game more than I otherwise would have.
x. Advance Wars 2 ; Took the original and crammed it full with new CEO's and new CO powers, tho the Neo Tank was a little OP. Even had a few hotseat games with friends playing it on my Gamecube's Gameboy Player.
x. Sonic Mega Collection ; I never owned a Genesis, so this collection was my first experience with the early Sonic games. I booted up this disc surprisingly much, showing that even without the childhood nostalgia the Genesis Sonic games are a blast to play through.
x. Warioware Inc Mega Party Games ; Much quicker to play through than any Mario Party, just as entertaining.
x. Pikmin ; Traversing the areas of this game was such a relaxing experience, despite the looming death of oxygen running out.
x. Waverace Blue Storm ; Love the varying course locations, love the weather system and love that they brought back Southern island. Took me months to get through Expert, but when I finally beat that twerp Ricky Winterborn... man, that felt great.
x. Shining Soul II ; Never managed to play this co-op with anybody else, but it's pretty fun to play through solo aswell. A massive, massive upgrade compared to the first game with more classes, much better sprite work and music. The game is filled with many little secrets and easter eggs which almost gives it a bit of a Ducktales vibe.
x. Pokemon Sapphire/ Ruby ; IGN may get a lot of shit for it, but I hated the sea section back then too. Also it didn't have a day/night cycle (why?), the new Pokemon looked a little alien and you couldn't send over your old monsters. This entry killed my interest in the franchise at first... tho years later after retrying it once more it revived it again. Also now I prefer the open sea to the linearity of the 3DS games. And that's why it's on the list!
x. Konami Krazy Racers ; Pretty quick to play through, but the Diddy Kong Racing style secrets were a fun extra. Also it introduced me to Beartank, which made me import Rakuga Kids years later. Beartank's the best.
I guess you meant Final Fantasy Tactics Advance?
thanks for propelling skies back into the top 50!
i will assume so, since he references the 'first tactics game'
Kevin Shields
Member
1. Shadow of the Colossus ; My favorite game of all time. There was a long when fighting the 5th colossus (the bird) where my jaw dropped to the floor and I said there is nothing else like this in video games. And that's when I played it for the first time in 2011, six years after it was released!! It has an amazing story, and amazing atmosphere and it is one of the most original games out there. I would give a kidney, a liver and my left leg to play The Last Guard. Lord, please!!!
2. Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory ; I'm a stealth nut, and this is my choice for best stealth game of all time. Music, level design, gadgets and setting are all top notch and it's just a flawlessly executed game. Every inch of it is fun and it puts me into the shoes of a spy like no other game does. In my top 5 of all time and the game I judge all other stealth games by...
3. Halo Combat Evolved ; Played the SP for the first time through Master Chief Collection and right away I could see what all the hype was about. Wonderful world, intriguing main character, excellent gunplay and surprisingly fun exploration. Set the bar for console shooters and not much has surpassed it since...
4. Metroid Prime ; Not quite as good as the almighty Super Metroid, but as good a 3d version as you could ask for. I want to pop it in again soon after replaying Super Metroid to see how it compares side by side. Although, I will say, the sunken ship section was bonkers good.
5. Gran Turismo 3 ; I know I make these grand statements with my picks but oh well, it's who I am. Best racer of all time for me. I got addicted to this when it first came out and I haven't been able to enjoy a racer as much since. The progression, the cars, the tracks and the sense of accomplishment is outstanding. Fantastic game.
6. Halo 2
7. Battlefront ; not what I wanted from a new Star Wars game at the time, but it's so much fun. Great multiplayer memories.
8. Ico ; Gameplay was perfected in every way by Shadow of the Colossus, but the mood, atmosphere and story still stands up today.
9. Half Life 2
10. Wind Waker ; Had the potential to be something special, but rushed production and some weird design decisions bring it down. However, it's still a fine game and the exploration and art direction are the best that the Zelda series has to offer. Hopefully Zelda U will surpass WW in those areas and come through on difficulty, dungeons, and pacing.
2. Splinter Cell - Chaos Theory ; I'm a stealth nut, and this is my choice for best stealth game of all time. Music, level design, gadgets and setting are all top notch and it's just a flawlessly executed game. Every inch of it is fun and it puts me into the shoes of a spy like no other game does. In my top 5 of all time and the game I judge all other stealth games by...
3. Halo Combat Evolved ; Played the SP for the first time through Master Chief Collection and right away I could see what all the hype was about. Wonderful world, intriguing main character, excellent gunplay and surprisingly fun exploration. Set the bar for console shooters and not much has surpassed it since...
4. Metroid Prime ; Not quite as good as the almighty Super Metroid, but as good a 3d version as you could ask for. I want to pop it in again soon after replaying Super Metroid to see how it compares side by side. Although, I will say, the sunken ship section was bonkers good.
5. Gran Turismo 3 ; I know I make these grand statements with my picks but oh well, it's who I am. Best racer of all time for me
. I got addicted to this when it first came out and I haven't been able to enjoy a racer as much since. The progression, the cars, the tracks and the sense of accomplishment is outstanding. Fantastic game. 6. Halo 2
7. Battlefront ; not what I wanted from a new Star Wars game at the time, but it's so much fun. Great multiplayer memories.
8. Ico ; Gameplay was perfected in every way by Shadow of the Colossus, but the mood, atmosphere and story still stands up today.
9. Half Life 2
10. Wind Waker ; Had the potential to be something special, but rushed production and some weird design decisions bring it down. However, it's still a fine game and the exploration and art direction are the best that the Zelda series has to offer. Hopefully Zelda U will surpass WW in those areas and come through on difficulty, dungeons, and pacing.
on ps2...?