Top 10 Games Thread

[K2]

[quote author=ScottyGrayskull link=topic=525.msg18436#msg18436 date=1215049453]
[quote author=Luinbariel link=topic=525.msg18372#msg18372 date=1215036055]
1. One Must Fall: 2097. Fuck yeah, themesong! Also, I had a lot of fun with this game when I was younger.

Fuck yeah! Such a good game! ^_^ Played the absolute shit out of that years ago, and now it's available for free!

Shame that OMF: Battlegrounds was so bad. I had high hopes for that game. I still have it though... maybe I'll give it another try.
[/quote]

Yeah I agree; when I heard about Battlegrounds I just about shit a brick but the actual game itself put any masonry I could have expelled on hold.

But, there is always the nostalgia of playing the original. *sniff*
[/quote]

1000 times fuck yes to all of this. OMF is the first game I remember really playing a lot as a kid, and it was so awesome. I also agree on the disappointment that was Battlegrounds. It's been so long since I've kicked giant robot ass; I should find the original and play it once more.

[KarthXLR]

This thread needs to be bumped.

now

[Scary Womanizing Pig Mask]

Lolnecro



10. The Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil (PC): A slightly weird choice, but very much a worthy one. TEotSD is blessed with some of the greatest music in gaming period (as is all of the Touhou series,) as well as some of the best Shump gameplay available, as insanely impossible as it looks, bullet hell can be done (seriously, if I can playhtough it anyone can ;3) and nothing can top the rush you get when avoiding certain death by literally just a pixel. Also this.



9. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice For All (DS): Simple, addictive gameplay, amazing stories, beloved characters and fantastic music and art are all staples in all of the AA games, so picking favorites really comes down to personal preference. For me, I loved 2 mainly because of the character interactions. Phoenix, Maya and Pearl are all gold on there own, and even more so together, capable of some truly hilarious humor, and of some of the genuinely sweetest and happiest moments you'll ever see. Plus the last case is all kinds of awesome. Seriously, it's quite honestly the greatest thing evar.



8. Pokemon Crystal (GBC): Ahhh, G/S/C. It's when the series achieved the perfect balance of depth and complexity, when the new Pokemon were unilaterally awesome and when the plots were epic tales of Red Gyradoses and epic duels on Mt. Silver. Of the three 2nd gen titles, Crystal is particularly noteworthy because of it's ever so awesome new feature, The Battle Tower, a challenge that has proved a key part of the series future and adds even more replay value to the already limitless fun provided by this amazing adventure.



7. Chrono Trigger (SNES): Like so many great stories, CT starts out so simple, with a boy going to his town fair, only to evolve into a struggle for the very survival of humanity. It's absolutely gorgeous, in terms of both visuals and music, and in the games scope. The time travel mechanic is perfect, and makes for a vast an all encompassing adventure that few RPGs, games or even works of fiction in general can rival.



6. Super Metroid (SNES): Not only is it some of the greatest gameplay you'll ever experience (nothing will EVER top exploring Zebes to it's fullest,) it features a shockingly moving story that's told with out a single word, save an intro at the games beginning. As awesome as "Metroidvania" always is, Symphony of the Night, Zero Mission and Cave Story, as great as they are (and oh god that last one is. Seriously, if this list had 5 more spots you'd be hearing me rave about it :3) can never top the godfater of the genre, and one of the pillars of gaming as a whole.



5. Metal Gear Solid (PSX): Call shenanigans on it all you want, but the MGS series is damn good stuff. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, Kojima crafts some brilliant stories in his games, and as fantastic as the latter ones are (if this list was 10 longer they'd all be making appearances) it's hard to top the first. From the opening infiltration, to the shoot out with Ocelot, to Pyscho Mantis and then a sniper duel with Wolf, from having to make the choice whether to try save a beloved NPCs life, and potentially lose a huge amount of progress in the process, or to take the easy way out and pay the price. From shooting Liquid's helicopter down and taking down his Metal Gear to fist fighting him on top it, and finally defeating hiOH SHIT HE"S BACK and shooting him down in one final chase. MGS is chock full of some of gamings greatest moments and continues to demonstrate the fantastic capacity for stoytelling in this medium.



4. Persona 3 FES (PS2): A fantastic atmosphere (I wish I could describe it, but the best I can come up with is quasi-pseudo horror which just makes it more confusing XD), superb gameplay (visual novels and rpgs are my jam ;3) amazing music and some of the best characters I've ever had the pleasure to experience; every one of the 100+ hours I sunk into it were well, well rewarded, whether it be from the utterly incredible final act, that builds on all the emotions you can't help but build up though out the months, or just from every bit of story up to then. Be it from plot, slink or even in battle dialogue, I've grown far more attached to SEES then I'd care to admit, and this epic of a story is unlikely to ever leave me.



3. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (DS): Controversy! Yeah, this "game" is flawed, and it's really more a visual novel then anything else, but it's my list, and I love it like no other :3 An incredible story with some of the finest characters ever crafted; it's the perfect conclusion to Phoenix's trilogy and has some of the most emotional and epic scenes of any medium, and certainly of games. So, Take That!



2. Earthbound/Mother 2 (SNES): Big surprise. Earthbound is really an indescribable experience. It switches from a lighthearted farce full of hilarious references to an absolutely terrifying tale of sacrificed humanity and battles against evil personified, and back again so seamlessly, it's hard to put a lock on how to describe it. What starts out as a simple, quirky diversion becomes oh-so much more, and tells one of the greatest stories in gaming with such a unique charm that your sure to be as wowed as I was :3



1. Mother 3 (GBA): Tell me you didn't see this coming ;P To quote from tag line "Strange, funny, heartrending" It's quite honestly the greatest game ever made. Intuitive yet deep gameplay, beautiful graphics and sound, and one of the greatest and most powerful stories in ANY creative medium, Mother 3 is simply perfect, and I'll take anyone on who says otherwise :3

[cbre88x]

As usual, SWPM going above and beyond with his list. Well played sir.

[Valentine Wiggin]

10. planetside - my current obsession, thanks a lot caff 
9. little big planet - i think it's a visual masterpiece, plus i get to play dress up and it has a good score
8. geometry wars 2 (360) - this game has induced more yelling at the tv than any other
7. carcassonne (360) - countless hours spent getting my ass kicked
6. super mario 3 - hello tail
5. goblin's quest 3 - favorite puzzle adventure game
4. harvest moon - who wants to do real chores when you can do them virtually
3. animal crossing - my god the hours spent on this game.  and now i get to go to the city and get my hair done?  sheeeit
2. team fortress - quit sapping my sentry.  played classic back in the day, my then-b/f bought a second computer b/c i was always hogging his to play
1. final fantasy III (VI) - oh my hero

not sure i <3 my list but i already spent more time thinking about this than i should

[Dave]

semi updated list

10) Kotor



was awesome you got to run around as a guy on a plane, then you were a jedi for a DECENT REASON the story was awesome, the combat was fun to watch unlike any of the other shitty click and wait games that piss me off so much.

9) Age of Conan



this game was a fail on release, but ist truely fixed now, its the best mmo combat system around and the mele classes actualy feel like the mele in L4D, you feel the oomph as you skewer the enemy with a halberd.

8) Crysis



This game was good, regaurdless of how you played, i prefered to climb to a good spot and snipe everything to hell.

7) runescape



shut up, when we were all 7 this game took a good part of our life out, and we werent complaining at the time

6) survival crysis Z



best zombie survivial game around, the main killer with zombies is not zombies themsaelves, its peoples reactions.

5) Guild wars



best pvp in an mmo, was creative and i used to dabble with competative tournaments, never won any of the cash prizes though.

4) comand and conquer red alert 2


allthough it taught me stupid tactics like build up an impenetrable base then launch a massive army all at once (does not work online.) it was awesome.

3) pokemon red/blue



the first time i was every at shock in a game was when i struggled through the elite 4 for the first time, finaly beating lance, i was like YESSS!! MUUUUM COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!! then oak was all like, whoahh hold on cowboy, someone beat you to it.... what? yeah gary oak, my grandkid or some shit..... fuck you oak i used all my full restore...

2) team fortress 2



i dont know why this game is the perfect shooter, but it is.

1) the elderscrolls III morrowind



massive game, i would still play it now if i hadnt spent 4 years trying to complete everything like a massive autistic twerp.

[Scary Womanizing Pig Mask]

1. final fantasy III (VI) - oh my hero

semi updated list

10) Kotor
was awesome you got to run around as a guy on a plane, then you were a jedi for a DECENT REASON the story was awesome, the combat was fun to watch unlike any of the other shitty click and wait games that piss me off so much.

3) pokemon red/blue
the first time i was every at shock in a game was when i struggled through the elite 4 for the first time, finaly beating lance, i was like YESSS!! MUUUUM COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!! then oak was all like, whoahh hold on cowboy, someone beat you to it.... what? yeah gary oak, my grandkid or some shit..... fuck you oak i used all my full restore...

I can dig 'em

[cbre88x]

[quote author=Valentine Wiggin link=topic=525.msg96896#msg96896 date=1247405390]
1. final fantasy III (VI) - oh my hero

semi updated list
10) Kotor
was awesome you got to run around as a guy on a plane, then you were a jedi for a DECENT REASON the story was awesome, the combat was fun to watch unlike any of the other shitty click and wait games that piss me off so much.
3) pokemon red/blue
the first time i was every at shock in a game was when i struggled through the elite 4 for the first time, finaly beating lance, i was like YESSS!! MUUUUM COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!! then oak was all like, whoahh hold on cowboy, someone beat you to it.... what? yeah gary oak, my grandkid or some shit..... fuck you oak i used all my full restore...

I can dig 'em
[/quote]

I miss those games..sigh.

[Valentine Wiggin]

[quote author=Scary Womanizing Pig Mask link=topic=525.msg96950#msg96950 date=1247422536]
[quote author=Valentine Wiggin link=topic=525.msg96896#msg96896 date=1247405390]
1. final fantasy III (VI) - oh my hero

semi updated list
10) Kotor
was awesome you got to run around as a guy on a plane, then you were a jedi for a DECENT REASON the story was awesome, the combat was fun to watch unlike any of the other shitty click and wait games that piss me off so much.
3) pokemon red/blue
the first time i was every at shock in a game was when i struggled through the elite 4 for the first time, finaly beating lance, i was like YESSS!! MUUUUM COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!! then oak was all like, whoahh hold on cowboy, someone beat you to it.... what? yeah gary oak, my grandkid or some shit..... fuck you oak i used all my full restore...

I can dig 'em
[/quote]

I miss those games..sigh.
[/quote]

my snes died so i bought ffIII for my ds

[Scary Womanizing Pig Mask]

[quote author=cbre88x link=topic=525.msg97113#msg97113 date=1247455489]
[quote author=Scary Womanizing Pig Mask link=topic=525.msg96950#msg96950 date=1247422536]
[quote author=Valentine Wiggin link=topic=525.msg96896#msg96896 date=1247405390]
1. final fantasy III (VI) - oh my hero

semi updated list
10) Kotor
was awesome you got to run around as a guy on a plane, then you were a jedi for a DECENT REASON the story was awesome, the combat was fun to watch unlike any of the other shitty click and wait games that piss me off so much.
3) pokemon red/blue
the first time i was every at shock in a game was when i struggled through the elite 4 for the first time, finaly beating lance, i was like YESSS!! MUUUUM COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!! then oak was all like, whoahh hold on cowboy, someone beat you to it.... what? yeah gary oak, my grandkid or some shit..... fuck you oak i used all my full restore...

I can dig 'em
[/quote]

I miss those games..sigh.
[/quote]

my snes died so i bought ffIII for my ds
[/quote]

!! Like FF6 FF3 or the real FF3?

[Valentine Wiggin]

[quote author=Valentine Wiggin link=topic=525.msg97118#msg97118 date=1247458076]
[quote author=cbre88x link=topic=525.msg97113#msg97113 date=1247455489]
[quote author=Scary Womanizing Pig Mask link=topic=525.msg96950#msg96950 date=1247422536]
[quote author=Valentine Wiggin link=topic=525.msg96896#msg96896 date=1247405390]
1. final fantasy III (VI) - oh my hero

semi updated list
10) Kotor
was awesome you got to run around as a guy on a plane, then you were a jedi for a DECENT REASON the story was awesome, the combat was fun to watch unlike any of the other shitty click and wait games that piss me off so much.
3) pokemon red/blue
the first time i was every at shock in a game was when i struggled through the elite 4 for the first time, finaly beating lance, i was like YESSS!! MUUUUM COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!! then oak was all like, whoahh hold on cowboy, someone beat you to it.... what? yeah gary oak, my grandkid or some shit..... fuck you oak i used all my full restore...

I can dig 'em
[/quote]

I miss those games..sigh.
[/quote]

my snes died so i bought ffIII for my ds
[/quote]

!! Like FF6 FF3 or the real FF3?
[/quote]

i have the real ffIII on ds, and i have ffVI (III) for game boy advance (edit: i should have said gba the first time)

[Blues]

My top games are varied between games that I feel have incredible replay, or games that really changed things for me. I'll do more later.

10) Sonic the Hedgehog/Super Mario World (Genesis/Nintendo)
I have to tie them, seeing as my family got both a Genesis and a Nintendo at the same time and I got both games at the same time. Games that I can still pick up and enjoy today are very few, and these are ones that not only can I pick up and enjoy, but can still be challenged by sometimes. The third title in both of these series was what really jump started my love of platform gaming.


9) Zelda: Link's Awakening (GB)


8) Total Annihilation - Command & Conquer/Red Alert(PC)
Total Annihilation

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

Again, I have to tie these, as I picked them up and played them simultaneously. They were my first foray into the RTS genre, and to this day they are my favorite games in it. While I love a good game of Starcraft or Warcraft, C&C and TA just felt like they had a lot more depth to them.

The strategies and pacing are insanely different when compared to Starcraft and Warcraft games. Unfortunately, while I loved them to death, I never got past the mediocre level in them because I just didn't put enough time in, so I really can't even begin to describe what sets these two titles apart from other RTSs in terms of strats or metagame. However, playing them for any amount of time allows anyone to feel the difference, it's apparent right from the start in these games, and they might catch your fancy a bit better than SC/WC titles.

This would have been further up on my list, but I just don't play RTS games with the interest I once held. Whether it's time constraints or just lack of originality, I don't feel that I'll ever play an RTS that held me as much as these did. (Granted I fucking love C&C:RA3, it's like they just remade the original Red Alert and for that I'm pleased, but not enough people are around to play it with me).

7) Half-Life (PC)


6) Diablo 1+2 (PC)


5) Resident Evil (PSX)


4) Final Fantasy 9 (PSX)



3) Counterstrike (PC)



2) Rogue (PC)



1) Command & Conquer: Renegade (PC)
God is angry you're not playing right now

I have no choice but to put this game on the top of my list. While I played Doom and Quake 2 a lot when I was younger, Renegade was the FPS that got me into online play. Without it, I would have forever been the dick who plays FPS games on his console or single player on the comp and thinks they're the godliest shit ever.

Not limited to FPS games though, the effort I put into playing Renegade online is really what got me to put more effort into doing more computer and online related activites, from forum browsing to pick up strategies, to looking at hardware and software updates to help me play better, to learning about mods and game cracks. Renegade is probably the single reason I spent all the time I did learning about every aspect of PCs I could.

After playing online a few times, I couldn't stop. Every day after school I would go over to my buddy's house and we'd bust this shit out on his AOL connection. When summer rolled around and he was gone, I used one of those AOL free trial disks every month to keep playing while I stayed with my grandmother. The game itself is still pretty unique even by comparison to today's games, I'd still play it if it weren't on the terrible Gamespy server system and only like 3 servers still existed.

The various game modes were WORTH playing, as opposed to one being an almost unanimous favorite like is the case with most FPS games today. Based on what mode you played, games were anything from the typical Unreal 2004 type deathmatch, to a standard semi-strategic CS/COD type match, to something akin to a true merge of RTS-FPS games, with your team strategizing and working out plans in a way TF2 pubs can only dream about. The class balances and weapons, along with the vehicles, were simply amazing.

Mod servers were god tier as well, with shit from new classes to tanks that had spinning saw blades on the front specifically for running over infantry.

That *boink* death noise makes me smile to this day.
TigerKris his first minitage :: Boink !

[Scary Womanizing Pig Mask]

Heh, I got all excited for a second that there was a DS remake I wish I had bought the GBA version when had the chance.

@Blues: Fuck yeah, Link's Awakening Also, glad to see you like FF9. As soon as I get my PS3 back I'm gonna planning on playing it.

[ZargonX]

How did I miss this thread?  Finding images now...

[Squishy3]

FF9 is fucking sweet. Playing through it again on my PSP right now.

[JoKeRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR]

1. tf2 sucks
2. quakelive is awesome
3. pokemon silver because gold is good damn ugly looking in my gameboy
4. pokemon gold
5. pokemon yellow
6. pokemon blue
7. pokemon sapphire
8. pokemon ruby
9. counter-strike
10. herdy gerdy i fuckin love that shit
9. jak and daxter
8. jak 2
9. jak 3 sucks so much
6. sly cooper
5. crash bandicoot 2
4. crash 3 warped~~==!!
3. banjo kazooie
2. mario
1. yoshi


my list owns

[Duck, Duck, Goose]

Spoiler Warning: my number 1 is spoiled if you read things.

10. Dragon Warrior III [NES]

This goes back to a world called BYOND playing Dragon Warrior Online with my friends in grade 4. Not only did I love the fanmade Dragon Warrior games, but I loved the Dragon Warrior 3 Hero sprite, and it was MINE. > So anyways, I eventually played Dragon Warrior 3 and it was awesome (making your own entire party ftw). Definitely one of my all-time favorites and one of the best RPGs ever. But this list is almost full of RPGs...

9. Pokemon Sapphire [GBA]

What do you get when you add awesome graphics, an awesome story and awesome new Pokemon to the greatest games in existence? No nostalgia value, but the game where I caught my only level 100 Pokemon (Swellow). I still have that Swellow.

8. Golden Sun [GBA]

This, honestly, is the best traditional-style RPG (you know, magic, and all that stuff). Not only was the storyline epic, but just about everything was. The music, the artwork, the graphics, the spells, the game dynamics... Honestly, the only RPG I've beaten three entire times and saved at the final boss fight just to keep fighting it (them). Honestly. I may have a man-crush on Ivan. Or I may be Ivan. I mean, he's got a Russian name, awesome blonde hair, and his element is air. I want to be Ivan.

7. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars [SNES]

The best non-traditional, non-Pokemon RPG in existence. I mean it's Super fucking Mario in an RPG. Not to mention Geno is hands down the second coolest video game character ever (behind Kirby). I used to play this game all the time as a kid, and if emulators (on phones) would fucking work properly, I'd still play it all the time. >

6. Super Mario World [SNES]

So there's only two more RPGs on the list now, so here's one of the greatest non-RPGs ever. How many times have I beaten this? Three, four, eighty-seven times? One of the funnest games ever, I think it's impossible for me to get mad and throw the controller even if I die against Bowser. That's how fun it is.

5. Pokemon Blue [GB]

OH YEAH, FIRST POKEMON GAME EVER. I took Squirtle fyi (although I've had about 52 files now, so I might be mistaken...). Doesn't help that I got Red version about 2 weeks later, either... ???

4. Pokemon Puzzle League [N64]

What do you get when you combine my two favorite games? A great damn game ruined by some new 3D mode shit (thank god you don't actually have to play it) and shitty controls on the N64 and worse ones on the Virtual Console. I should buy a classic controller... This game had the best music ever. Ever. EVER.

3. Team Fortress 2 [PC]

Why else am I here, dickbutt? :

2. Pokemon Gold [GB]

It's a crime. My favorite Pokemon game is ranked #2. Gold beats Silver because Scyther, Ho-oh, and Diglett don't look like losers.

1. Halo 3 [Xbox 360]

Is halo 3 the greatest game ever?
yea, reasons why.
1) guns
2)cars
3)planes
4) multiplyer owns all games
5) forge, create your own maps (can play on them while creating them.!!!)
6)easter eggs. ( hidden weapons, and the infamous SUPERBOUNCE. in which you
crouch in a certain spot and jump onto a certain spot and you do a super high bounce.
none found in halo 3 but later there will be some.i asked a bungie guy about it.)
7)gameplay pwns
8)good storyline.( already 6 novels have been written about halo. haven't seen that for
gears of war. i'm not sayingthat GOW is a bad game but just that it sucks compared to
halo.
8)bungie has a website that people go to everyday. talk chat, ask questions and just
chill.
9) accept that it is the best game already.
10) over 1,0000 preorders.(not to mention the people who are going to buy it from
stores.
11) many things to do in the vast online entity we know as
XBox Live!!!!!!!!!!!
12) my gamertag is
slow supermario
13)go get the game already!



































1. Tetris Attack [SNES]

Hi, I'm a Mac. And I'm a MOTHER FUCKING PUZZLE GAME. Tetris + Yoshi = unique awesome cool game that I beat about 7 gagillion times (I even beat Endless, explain that). I've played it so much that I beat Bowser, on Very Hard, in 22 seconds. Not to mention this series turned to POKEMON after that. HOW COOL IS THAT!? YEAAAAAAAH. If I wasn't at work right now, I'd probably turn on my SNES and beat Very Hard about 7 more times. And then play it on my SNES emulator for DS. And then on my phone. In fact, I have my phone. I'm going to play it now.

Protip: I'm kidding about Halo 3.

[Scary Womanizing Pig Mask]

Did you ever try the Dragon Quest III remake on the SNES? It's absolutely gorgeous, and the translation patch is pretty solid. On a related note, Pokemon Puzzle Challenge? It was portable Tetris Attack/PKMN Puzzle League and it was awesome Good list! (Got love #7)

[Duck, Duck, Goose]

Did you ever try the Dragon Quest III remake on the SNES? It's absolutely gorgeous, and the translation patch is pretty solid. On a related note, Pokemon Puzzle Challenge? It was portable Tetris Attack/PKMN Puzzle League and it was awesome Good list! (Got love #7)

Naw, but I played the GBC remake. Although I should try the Dragon Quest version...
Never played Puzzle Challenge tbh. Always wanted it, never found it after I was going to buy it. I should get it for my GB emulator on DS.

[shoopfox]

10: Starsiege
http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Shoop/m...2684.phtml

9: Digital Devil Saga
I <3 Persona 3 so much. And as a game, P3 (and P4 even more) is better. But Digital Devil Summoner has this atmosphere to it that makes it so, so good. The whole game is very melancholy. Everyone in the Junkyard, which is visually similar to some of the areas in Nocturne, is fighting in gang battles to ascend to Nirvana. One day a mysterious girl appears on the battlefield between 2 gangs, and they promptly all turn into demons. In addition to their newfound powers, everyone in the junkyard also gains the power of emotions, and many of them have issues dealing with that. As the game progresses relations with your party members (Heat especially) get increasingly more and more tense, and bad stuff happens. Bad stuff happening is really DDS's leitmotif, and it only gets worse in DDS2. The game is depressing and outright sad in places, but it has a lot of soul to it that makes me love it.

8: Megaman Battle Network
It's a good RPG on GBA with a CCG element. Also the series has pretty good music.

7: Civilization III/IV
Both really good in their own way, and both pretty different. I'd probably like III more if it wasn't for the issues with how the game calculates corruption in a city.

6: Valkyrie Profile
I never played it until the PSP port came out, because PS1 copies were super super expensive, but this is one of the best PSX games. It's very pretty, it has awesome music, and it's addictive. I'll still boot it up and dick around in the Seraphic Gate just for fun, and to listen to my characters yell random poorly translated battle cries.

5: Final Fantasy VIII
Most people really hated this game, and I can kinda see why. It's very different than most other FF games, and while it started out pretty cool storywise (at least for a JRPG), that went right out the window once all the sorceress bullshit came on heavy.

But as a game it's awesome. The game actually punishes you for leveling up-- you get close to no stat growth from it, but enemies scale to your level and they get disproportionate stat increases. (you can eventually get around this with some special abilities that let you get stat growth for specific stats on level up). Also, there's no MP in the game. You 'draw' spells from enemies and stock them (up to 100 castings per spell). Once you have magic stocked, you can junction the magic directly to your stats, making your characters incredibly customizable. You can even junction magic to give your character elemental or status effect attacks/defences. And once you can junction to speed (and equip the auto-haste skill) you can get like 5-6 turns to every normal enemy's turn.

So if you really like spreadsheeting characters and min-maxing, this is a pretty cool game. If not, FFIX is probably the best main FF game ever.

4: Team Fortress 2
TF2 is one of the only FPSs I can even claim  being halfway decent at. It's got a great art style, cool characters, and it's really really fun And pretty much everyone here plays it too <3

3: Heroes of Might and Magic III
Heroes III is probably the best in the series. It's a turn-based strategy that revolves around your Hero units. They galavant across the map, picking up resources and taking over cities as they go. However, your heroes don't actually participate in battle-- they lead stacks of units on a tactical grid.

Battles are very strategic and fun, and there's a wide variety in unit types, each with their own special ability and stats. Some are great, like the unicorn's Blinding abiilty, and some are pretty retarded, like the trogladyte's Immunity to Blind (They're also the second weakest creature in the game, so who would blind them?).

It also has a pretty decent economy model that forces you to make tough decisions. You can only build one structure a turn per city, and in the beggining of the game you could forgo econonomic structures and focus on creature dwellings to produce units. If you're not quick to expand, though, you'll fall behind everyone else in terms of production. You can also try to play very defensively and focus on building your empire one city at a time, as holding a city against a siege is usually easier than attacking one.

2: Star Control II/ The Ur-Quan Masters
Star Control II is pretty much the best game in space. No matter what.

SC2 is a game that's hard to define in one genre. You play as a human captain of an ancient alien mothership unearthed from a planet in the backwaters of the galaxy. You return to Earth only to find that a giant 'slave shield' has been erected around the planet, and the only humans left in space are a small group of scientists and workers on a monitoring station in orbit. You talk to the base commander and find out that humans, along with several of their allied species, have been enslaved by the Ur-Quan in their conquest of the universe.



So the story starts out a little generic, but eventually it becomes one of the best things in the game. Every line is voice acted, and every voice actor is great, and very fitting to their race. The Spathi are cowardly mollusks who became battle thralls to the Ur-Quan on accident (every race had a choice to become a battle thrall to the Ur-Quan, or become a fallow species under a slave shield. The Spathi were so incompetent that they chose the wrong one by mistake). The Orz are extradimensional fish whose lines all get hilariously mistranslated by your computer.



Star Control II is also one of the only games, even today, where you have absolute freedom to go anywhere and do whatever. You have a finite timeframe to beat the game (about a decade or so, but you can extend it), but other than that, there's no limitations. You can explore and mine planets, find strange new life forms to sell to the jews Melnorme traders, or just putter around the galaxy and take in the scenery.



Or you could fight.

SC2 has a really fun combat system. It's a top-down 2d spacewars kinda deal, except every race has its own unique battleship. The crystal-worshipping hippie race even got a ship that had a relatively decent chance of reincarnating itself after it died. There's even a 2 player hotseat included that I used to play all the time with my sisters.

Anyway, there's not really any reason you shouldn't all be playing this right now. It was re-released for free as The Ur-Quan Masters, so if you've never played it DOWNLOAD IT RIGHT NOW . Just make sure you get the remixed music and voice acting modules.

1: Master of Magic
http://www.destructoid.com/blogs/Shoop/m...1636.phtml
This is one of the best games evar and I really wish there was like a DS port with multiplayer.