So my ranking will be based on several key elements. As I've just eluded to the biggest definer for me is a great story. However I also value overall gameplay structure, graphics, features, music, characters, setting, difficulty level, etc. A truly great game not only provides a great escape but also a good challenge that makes you feel invigorated. All of the games on this list sent me thru roller coaster of emotions; from frustration to total joy in achieving a task or defeating a boss. The games on the list were total emergence experiences for me where I truly felt transported and inspired by every aspect of the game.
Honorable Mention
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (Xbox 360)
Mario Tennis (GameCube)
NBA Jam (Super Nintendo)
Mario Golf (GameCube)
Mortal Kombat 3 (Sega)
Goldeneye (Nintendo 64)
NFL Quarterback Club 98 (Nintendo 64)
Mario Sunshine (GameCube)
Top 25 Games
25. Street Fighter II
- Release Date: 1992
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: I remember this being among the first video games I ever played for the Super Nintendo alongside the Mario games. The format was quite simple just an all out fighting match with a health bar status at the top. What I especially enjoyed about the game was the cultural array of fighters from Japan, USA, Russia, China, to Brazil. Each fighter had their own special abilities and persona, yet even more so their catch phrases. For example Ryu would shout out, "All You Can" when he did his trademark uppercut. Or Chun-Li's "Spinning Bird Kick" and her iconic giggle when she won. The game was fun with multi-players and I would consider this game and Mortal Kombat III as my all time favorite fighting games.
24. Batman Arkham Asylum
- Release Date: 2009
- Console: Xbox 360
- My Gaming Experience: It was in the fall of 2009, when I was juggling 3 jobs and living at my parents that I stumbled upon this game. I believe the format was a 1st-person action game, but still had lots of freedom for Batman to explore. The graphics were incredible, probably some of the best most detailed graphics I had ever seen at the time. The story was also very engaging as it put Batman in the midst of a planned coup at the Arkham Asylum that held all of Gotham's most notorious villains. The game featured pretty much all of the Gotham villains, with the Joker as the mastermind behind it all. Batman had great fighting abilities as well as many of his iconic weapons including his grapplehook which I enjoyed the most. I remember playing this game in the evenings was a great escape for me after a busy day of work. Here is my full review on the game when I played it in the fall of 2009 (see Arkham Asylum Review). I understand the sequel to this game Arkham City is even better however I have yet to play that game.
23. Bounty Hunter
- Release Date: 2002
- Console: GameCube
- My Gaming Experience: I remember this was the first game I really got into for the GameCube during high school. It was right around the time Star Wars Attack of the Clones was released. I thought Jango Fett was the coolest character ever and when I heard about this game I knew I had to get it. The game was very similar to Shadows of the Empire (just with better graphics). The story revolved around Jango Fett, once again as a first person shooter, traveling across the galaxy hunting targets. He has a very impressive arsenal of weapons including blasters, flamethrowers, and missiles. He also has a jetpack that gives him great mobility across various towns in the Star Wars Universe.
22. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Release Date: Oct 2013
- Console: Xbox 360, Xbox One
- My Gaming Experience: I played this game last year right at the onset of summer as it was the ideal time for a pirate game. The setting was one that I was not very familiar with, the Golden Age of Piracy during the late 1600s. The protagonist was Edward Kenway a Welsh privateer who took on to piracy and the Assassin's Brotherhood in the Caribbean. The game offered quite a unique structure focused more on naval combat and sea exploration. While there were still many mainland missions on the islands of the Caribbean the real appeal to the game was piracy on the open sea. To be able to raid, board, and loot ships was exhilarating and essential to upgrade Edward's power. Edward could even dive deep into the oceans to explore sunken ships and treasures. The graphics and setting were very enjoyable and it was nice to have free open-map exploration of the Latin American islands.
21. International Superstar Soccer 64
- Release Date: 1997
- Console: Nintendo 64
- My Gaming Experience: Right around the time I was obsessed with the Nintendo 64 I also developed a new love for the sport of soccer thanks to the 1998 World Cup. I remember watching every game of the international tournament that summer and just loved the whole passion of this international game. So naturally I rented an international soccer game before I really knew about the FIFA series. This game was International Superstar Soccer 64 and I spent so much time playing the game. Even though the players were all made-up the game included around 30 international teams. I usually played as Brazil and loved to play full seasons. I remember some nights on the weekends I would stay up all night playing this game. I also remember playing it with my classmate and soccer teammate Greg Messick at his house several times. It was thru this game that I really got to understand and interact with the tactics of the sport.
20. Shadows of the Empire
- Release Date: 1996
- Console: Nintendo 64
- My Gaming Experience: I played this game during the glory days of my Nintendo 64 phase and discovery of Star Wars. I think it was one of the first games I played after Mario 64 and was also a full submergence experience. I remember reading the book, yet don't recall if this was before or after playing the game. The story was set between Empire Strikes Back and Return of Jedi in which the protagonist was a rebel fighter named Dash Render. He essentially teamed up with Luke, Leia, and Chewie to save Han Solo and defend Luke against the wicked Prince Xizor. The game was a mixture of 1st-person shooter with some flying missions on the planet Hoth and in deep space. I've never cared for 1st-person shooters, but I couldn't miss out on this great Star Wars game. Dash had an arsenal of guns, blasters, bombs, and even a jet-pack. The gameplay, story, and graphics were a very enjoyable experience for me.
19. Assassin's Creed III
- Release Date: Oct 2012
- Console: Xbox 360, Xbox One
- My Gaming Experience: I played this game last summer in the midst of my AC phase, and loved everything about it (See Assassin's Creed III). Luckily I had purchased the re-formatted version with updated graphics and features. The game is set during the American Revolution, one of my favorite historical eras. It also features a Native American hero, Connor, which I thought was pretty cool. Aside from the main quest of hunting the Templar Order, Connor gets to explore Boston and New York City, and there is also a great Frontier map. Connor has the ability to hunt unlike any of the other games and with his catch he can trade and upgrade his equipment. I loved this wild aspect of AC, and also enjoyed the side quests of building a homestead community.
18. Super Mario All Stars
- Release Date: 1993
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: Since the NES was before my time, I didn't really get to experience the releases of Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, and Super Mario Bros 3 in the late 80s. These three games were the original Mario games which launched the franchise to iconic recognition. The games were later re-formatted and re-released for the Super Nintendo with updated graphics in the Super Mario All Stars. This combo package allowed the player to partake in the 3 original Mario games as well as the Lost Levels game. This was how I first experienced all the original Mario games. Even though I don't remember fully engaging in the games, I still enjoyed the side-scroller and whenever Mario had star power. I especially remember enjoying part 2 and part 3 with the abilities to unlock secrets to skip ahead in the game. Mario's ability to fly in Part 3 was also very cool.
17. Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Release Date: 2006
- Console: GameCube
- My Gaming Experience: I recently just wrote about this gaming experience in my Nintendo history (see Twilight Princess Review). Once again this was after my video gaming days during college where I made a full immersive dive back into Hyrule. I think I had been interested in the game via previews and hype but it was Gabriel once again who convinced me to play it. I remember I played and beat the game during my 3 week Winter Vacation between 06-07. I played it in Gabriel's room and spent many late nights unlocking puzzles, exploring the map, and defeating bosses. It was a great game with a great story and I enjoyed the support of Midnas, and Link's transformation into a wolf.
16. Mario Kart Double Dash
- Release Date: 2003
- Console: GameCube
- My Gaming Experience: This was our undisputed game of choice during my college years with my friends (aside from a little bit of FIFA here and there). I think it was the 2nd semester of my freshman year where I established a key group of friends much thanks to this game. I remember EJ, Karlan, and myself would visit the girls at the Teter Dormitories; Lauren, Sarah, Lizzie, and sometimes Lindsay. We would have major competitive matches of Mario Kart usually in Sarah's room. Since there were usually more players than controllers we made a rule that whoever finished last had to give up their controller for a round. This bond we shared kept us close all throughout college. We even started a Facebook group and competed with my brother's friends at Purdue. I also enjoyed playing this game with my younger brothers whenever I visited my parents in Fort Wayne.
15. Roger Clemen's MVP Baseball
- Release Date: 1992
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: In the early 1990s, my first favorite sport was baseball. I loved playing it and I loved following the Major Leagues. I remember playing this game quite frequently as a kid. Once again the teams and players were all fictional, however the baseball was front and center. There were several different styles of pitches to throw and the batter could be adjusted throughout the batter box. Timing was key when it came to batting. Fielding and throwing were fairly easy, just a matter of tracking the ball and throwing to the right base. I remember most playing this game with Reggie either at their place or at our place. The music was unforgettable as was the main menu where the umpire yelled "Strike!". The game was about the only baseball video game I ever really got into.
14. Mario Strikers
- Release Date: 2005
- Console: GameCube, Wii
- My Gaming Experience: This is about the only game that I really enjoyed for the Wii console. It was after my video gaming phase had passed that Gabriel had introduced me to it. Since I already loved the sport of soccer and the franchise of Mario it was the perfect mix. I believe it was in the summer of 09 that we played the game obsessively at my parent's house. I enjoyed how each of the players were put into one of three categories; defense, power, or speed. They also had the ability to shoot items, just like in Mario Kart. The game was total chaos, and yet still somehow featured the basic structure of the sport of soccer. Some of the stadiums were far more difficult then others with various obstacles. Power shots also made for an interesting dynamic, which were very difficult to stop. This game required virtual motion with the Wii-mote which often made it all the more intense and fun playing against my younger brothers.
13. Star Fox 64
- Release Date: 1997
- Console: Nintendo 64
- My Gaming Experience: This was a great sci-fi piloting game that I enjoyed at the height of my Nintendo 64 emersion. I did not play Star Fox for Super Nintendo and was hardly familiar with it, but after getting introduced to Star Wars I was all about the sci-fi genre. This game was the coolest game ever, an all out intergalactic war fought on planets and deep in space. Fox McCloud was the captain of the Star Fox team with his 3 other teammates of sharp shooting pilots; Falco McCloud (the cocky ace), Peppy Hare (the elder rabbit), and Slippy Toad (the mechanical engineer). The Star Fox team was working together for General Pepper to save the galaxy of Corneria from the evil Andross. I remember Andross also had a team of ace pilots known as Star Wolf which made for an interesting dynamic. I remember this game being action packed and was even more exhilarating with the new rumble pack insert. The story was great and there was also a multi-player battle mode, which allowed players to fight against one another. I loved everything about this game and it reminded me very much of Star Wars or Independence Day. I'll never forget Peppy Hare giving tips and advice to Fox, such as "Do a Barrell Roll".
12. Assassin's Creed Valhalla
- Release Date: 2020
- Console: Xbox One
- My Gaming Experience: This is the most recent of the Assassin's Creed games, that I just spent the entire previous winter player. Here is my review on the game, (Valhalla Review).The game pertains to the Viking Age and the conquest of England during the 800s. The story and setting were interesting, but the graphics and gameplay were even more enjoyable. The gameplay was open format and non-linear with the option to chose how to progress thru the game. The map of England was enormous, and also included a very detailed map of Norway and Canada (known as Vinland). The main hero Eivor had a vast array of weapons, armor, and skills. One of the favorite parts of the game was being able to build and upgrade my homestead throughout the game.
11. Mario Kart 64
- Release Date: 1996
- Console: Nintendo 64
- My Gaming Experience: This was another great game for the Nintendo 64 that I spent a lot of time on. When I think of the 4-player games for the Nintendo 64 I think of GoldenEye, Mario Party, Star Fox, but especially Mario Kart. I never played Mario Kart much for the Super Nintendo however loved it for the Nintendo 64. I think what it made so fun for us was to race against family members. We would often have Mario Kart tournaments during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. I remember I got so good at the courses in the game, I knew all the shortcuts and had several track records. I always preferred the Grand Prix races, but there was also the option to have multiplayer races and battle modes. Toad was my racer of choice at that time, who was the smallest yet also the fastest.
10. Donkey Kong Country
- Release Date: 1994, 1995, 1996
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: Aside from Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country was probably the next game we played most as kids for the Super Nintendo. The character of Donkey Kong was first introduced as a villain in an arcade game of 1981, where Mario had to save the princess. For the Super Nintendo console the character of Donkey Kong was completely revitalized. The game of Donkey Kong Country now provided Donkey Kong as a hero in a swampland, fighting against the wicked crocodile pirate King K. Rool. He was aided by a team of gorillas and monkeys including his side-kick Diddy Kong, his love interest Candy Kong (who granted save points), his friend Funky Kong (who provides travel points), and his elder grandfather Cranky Kong (who provides tips). The game provided a similar side-scrolling format as Super Mario World, with 8 worlds, with various stages, and bosses. The graphics were far superior then Mario with more 3-dimensional characters and villains. The soundtrack was also very enjoyable. It was in my opinion without question the best of the Donkey Kong games. Donkey Kong 2 was quite similar and enjoyable however this time it provided Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong as the playable characters. In Donkey Kong 3, the playable characters were Dixie Kong and Kiddie Kong.
9. Super Mario World
- Release Date: Nov 1990
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: Super Mario World was the first game I most remember playing as a kid, back in a time where we all awaited turns to play the console. The Mario Series arrived for the NES in the late 80s as the iconic mascot of the Nintendo console. Mario 1, 2, and 3 came before my time however I did get to experience all of these games in the joint release of Mario All Stars. However Mario World was a great side-scrolling journey through the colorful Mushroom Kingdom. One of the greatest features was that Mario now had a loyal stead, in the green dinosaur called Yoshi. There were 8 worlds in the game without about 4 or 5 stages in each world. At the end of each world Mario had to fight one of Koopa's children, and face Bowser at the end of world 8. This was a very enjoyable game and no doubt my first and most iconic experience of the iconic Mario series.
8. Super Star Wars
- Release Date: 1992, 1993, 1994
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: These games were very special experiences for me as it was thru these games that we discovered the Star Wars movies. I remember we actually rented them from a grocery store called Scott's and my mom explained the Sci-Fi movies to us. I remember we did not really know the order of the movies however and first played the Return of the Jedi game. We later watched all the movies in proper order to become familiar with the story, and instantly became obsessed with the franchise. I remember in those days we would often rent the games from a grocery store or a video rental store called Eye-on-Video. Video game rental stores were such a cool place in the mid 90s, and renting all 3 Star Wars games was one of the many experiences there. I remember each of the 3 Super Star Wars games consisted of side-scrolling and space flying stages. Throughout each game you could play as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, or Chewbacca. I remember each of the games was quite challenging, but also very exciting and inspiring.
7. Super Mario 64
- Release Date: June 1996
- Console: Nintendo 64
- My Gaming Experience: This was the first game we played for the Nintendo 64 as it came with the console Philip and I purchased. The game was very special to me, as it was the first experience into the new Nintendo 64-bit graphics. I remember the setting was quite unique in that Mario would enter paintings within a castle to explore a 3-dimensional world. Each world had about 7 or 8 stars which Mario had to collect by performing unique tasks, puzzles, or defeating enemies. I remember facing Bowser in 3d with the evil organ music, felt all the more intimidating and satisfying to beat. The game was just a very fun and new experience at the start of my video game immersion.
6. NFL Quarterback Club 95
- Release Date: 1995-2002
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: Before Madden NFL became the most popular NFL game, there was competition from NFL Quarterback Club during the mid-to-late 90s. Around this time I was getting more into football (over baseball) and had begun following the professional league. My teams were at first the Miami Dolphins and then the Detroit Lions. It was thru the game NFL Quarterback Club 95 that I learned every team and star player in the NFL. I became very playing the game, calling up offensive plays and defensive plays. I also enjoyed the quarterback challenges that included so many star QBs such as Brett Farve, Dan Marino, Steve Young to name a few off the top of my head. Couple years later I bought the more recent NFL Quarterback Club 98 for the Nintendo 64. I still enjoyed this game but didn't put nearly as much time as I did for the Super NES game.
5. Super Mario RPG
- Release Date: March 1996
- Console: Super Nintendo
- My Gaming Experience: I remember Super Mario RPG being about the last game I really got into for the Super Nintendo and was so amazed by the new 3d graphical format. Unlike most Super Nintendo games, Mario RPG was not a side-scroller but rather gave the player the ability to go almost anywhere on the screen. The combat was also quite different and offered an RPG format, that was turned base. Although this was my least favorite aspect of the game, I was just so blown away by the graphics and the story. In this incredible story Mario acquires a team of all stars to defeat the wicked Smithy Gang (including the Princess Toadstool, Mallow a cloud-boy, Geno the Wizard doll, and even his arch enemy Bowser). I don't think I actually beat this game, but still remember being so inspired by the gameplay, the medieval setting, the soundtrack, and the incredible fantasy story.
4. Assassin's Creed Odyssey
- Release Date: October 2018
- Console: Xbox One
- My Gaming Experience: I played this game last year around springtime, and was fully inspired by the gameplay, story, and the map of classical Greece. This game was the 2nd of my AC phase, and probably the one that really influenced me to play every game in the series. I wrote a full review here Assassin's Creed Odyssey Review. What I loved about this game so much was the historical premise of the Peloponnesian War (431-422 BC), and the freedom to navigate on land or sea. The heroic Alexios (or Kassandra) is a character who is character who evolves throughout the game, with constant upgrades to his weapons, armor, ship, and fighting skills. What I loved about this game more than the other AC games was the special fighting skills Alexios had. So aside from his usual sword/shield combat who has godlike abilities that can be called upon. He has limitless endurance and is not affected by impossible jumps from high buildings or mountains. There is so much to do in this game aside from the main story arc, which includes many ship missions and hunting wicked members of the Cult. The graphics, story, gameplay format, soundtrack are all incredible, but what I especially enjoyed about this game was the freedom to explore the historical (and mythological) setting of Classical Greece.
3. Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- Release Date: March 2017
- Console: Nintendo Switch
- My Gaming Experience: I just recently wrote a full review on this game, (see Breath of the Wild Review) so I'll keep this summary pretty brief. After over 10 years with the Xbox, I switched back to the latest Nintendo Console just to play this Zelda game. I had seen my brothers play it for some time and after my Assassin's Creed phase I was ready for a new open-world experience. I of course had great memories playing Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess so I knew this game would not disappoint. It entirely exceeded my expectations, and I quickly lost track of time as I was once again encapsulated by the world of Hyrule. The game was quite challenging and several of the bosses and puzzles really took some strategical gameplay. The story was also quite riveting full of so much backstory. The map was enormous, full of great detail with so much to do and explore. The array of options and freedom Link has in this game is why I feel it is superior to the AC games and among my all time favorite games.
2. FIFA
- Release Date: (1993-present)
- Console: Xbox 360, Xbox One
- My Gaming Experience: I became a huge world soccer fan by 1998 and my first soccer game I really enjoyed was International Superstar Soccer 64. I did not really discover the game series of FIFA until later in high school and college playing against friends. I remember excelling at the game and playing at our college apartments in Maxwell and Beech Tree. What I really loved about it, was that unlike the sports games I played before the FIFA series actually had the real rosters, players, teams, leagues, and stadiums. So not only was I enjoying the sport I love I was learning about the professional clubs and leagues in Europe. My first purchase of the series was not until 2010 for the Xbox, and I pretty much bought the game every other year after that (since the roster and players are always changing). I think I own at least 8 FIFA games, the most recent being FIFA 20 for the Xbox One.
1. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- Release Date: Nov 1998
- Console: Nintendo 64
- My Gaming Experience: This was at the height of my video gaming passion where the Nintendo 64 was one of my favorite hobbies. I'm not sure whose idea it was to take on this game, but I believe there was hype all around it (most likely from my magazine subscription of Nintendo Power). I did not play the previous A Link to the Past, so this was my first Zelda experience. I was instantly consumed by the medieval fantasy setting of Hyrule and the heroical story of the young Link. This was a game that I shared with my three younger brothers and we worked as a team to beat it. Everything about it was quite groundbreaking from the story, the gameplay, but mostly the 3 dimensional open-world format. To be able to explore and take on the game freely was what I loved most about it. The story was also one of my all time favorites still to this day (See Ocarina of Time Review). What I especially found very powerful about the game was how Link had to grow up in order to take on his adventure, defeat Ganondorf, save the princess Zelda, and then go back to his previous age as kid. He had so much support yet still this was quite an undertaking for a young kid and even a young man to take on the evilness of Ganon. It was such a heroic story, (on par with a romantic legend of King Arthur) and the character of Link is the true definition of a humble chivalrous hero who lets his courage speak for itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment