Hi, I'm Dave. I'm from Southern California, but I used to live in Chicago so that's how I know Damon. At first I didn't want to follow the trend and write up a list, but then I figured it was probably the best way for us gamers to introduce ourselves.
However, Top 10 lists are not static. Damon can attest to how many times we've written top 10 lists and how they've never been the same. For many reasons, it is never really possible to perfectly rank all those amazing choices in any subject. Favorites are never fully based on logic, because they are not those that are necessarily the best. That having been said, the most accurate way to describe the following list would be to call it a reflection of my personal tastes for the Winter of 2006. I'll keep it short.
1. Super Smash Bros. Melee
No matter what, I've always been down to play this game. I've played Smash more than some people have played WoW, and that's saying a lot. True, recently I've found some good competition and I've been playing a lot more, but even before that I've never gotten bored with this game, even if it's just practicing on level 1 computers or trying to get a new record in the Home Run Contest. It's easy to understand, yet impossibly deep and complex with a damage and movement system decades ahead of its time, and everybody can enjoy it.
2. Chrono Trigger
Best RPG ever. This used to be my all-time favorite game, but Smash is just too good. The music was the biggest factor, but also its unique battle-system and time-based gameplay are things that have yet to be implemented in current RPGs.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
To be honest, I've never completed this game all on one cartridge, but I can safely say I've played every bit of the game, despite it being in different places. This was the first Zelda I could fully appreciate, and the massive world, all the sub-quests, and cool items you could obtain blew me away. There was just so much to do and explore. Ocarina of Time also has the best lineup of bosses I've seen for a game.
4. Paper Mario
I played this again on my friend's N64 and it was seriously like better than I remember it. This game will never receive as much credit as it deserves. Espionage missions with Princess Peach? Too good. Shy Guy's Toybox? Awesome bosses? Jumping through mirrors, tricking guards in Bowsers Castle, star powers, Tayce T. My God that guy was amazing... :ahem: You get the picture.
5. Super Mario World
Not much explanation needed here. I don't know if this happens on the SNES version, but on the GBA version, if you get absolutely everything and find every secret gate and all that, your game file will read as ** and all the sprites change for enemies. Pretty sweet.
6. Pokémon Red/Blue
I've always wondered why saying Red first had to flow better than saying Blue first, because I played Blue first, and it was my favorite. The very first time I picked up this game, I was playing on Blue version at Kyle's house. I said I just wanted to see what it looked like, but a few hours later I had gotten my pokemon up to levels way higher than they needed to be and I beat a gym leader or so before I had to turn it off without saving. I then swore to buy this game as soon as possible. This led to a lot of money spent on various Pokémon products, and I have to say, none of it was money wasted. The simple fact that many people continue to pick up recent versions of Pokémon just goes to show that it stands the test of time.
7. Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
I've always loved the Advance Wars series, and if they ever make an online Advance Wars for DS I'm seriously going to play that game competitively. This game is way deep and it would be deeper if it was easier to compete against real people. In my opinion, Black Hole Rising was the hardest (Dual Strike was the easiest to me for some reason). Also there are tons of unlockables and each CO forces you to change your strategy completely. I like the addition of power ups in DS, where if you level up your CO you can give them extra bonuses. I doubt I'll find another individual who loves the series as much as I do though.
8. Final Fantasy VI
Another SNES RPG that is amazing for similar reasons. Acclaimed music, great storyline, unique and memorable characters, and an interesting twist on the battle-system. Not to mention the opera scene is the single greatest scene ever made for a game.
9. Final Fantasy X
I still think it's better than VII. Sphere Grid system looks cool and functions well. The License Board is a slightly worse version than this in my opinion. I really liked the turn-based system, as it allowed for more strategic boss fights even though most people just abused summon overdrives. My first PS2 purchase turned out to be my best one.
10. Mega Man X
Sadly, this game has gone down from its previous 3rd place slot. I don't like it any less, so you could say that other games have just gone up in my opinion. But this is definitely the coolest game on my top 10. All I have to do is mention Zero, and that debate is over.
Special shoutout to all music-based games (PaRappa, Guitar Hero, etc.) as they are so addicting and all kinds of people can appreciate them.
Just some extra things:
The Wii is incredible. I'm not too far in FFXII. I like it, but everybody here just keeps raving about it. I would've played more if it wasn't for Twilight Princess. I'm finding it hard to believe I'll enjoy FFXII more than TP but I'm definitely giving it a chance. Zelda was so damn addicting it took me 1 week (30 hours) to finish. That's probably the fastest I've completed something of that scale. I want to buy a 360 just for Halo 3, which I am unbelievably excited for. The only reason I'd buy a PS3 is for FFXIII which also looks incredible. And it's late so I'm done.
No comments:
Post a Comment