Top 10 Video Games of
All Time (Part 1)
I’ve never considered myself a hard-core gamer. I don’t play
as many video games as some of the people I know. But despite this they keep
coming back. I will go through long periods of barely playing and games, even
as recently as last summer but the time always comes where a new game comes
along, or maybe I’ll replay and old one and I will become as enthralled as
ever. Many of us find ourselves more attached to our favourite video game characters
than we ever are to movie or television characters. Whether you prefer Mario or
Sonic, or whether you see yourself as hardcore or casual, there is no denying
the impact they’ve had on today’s society. So here’s my top 10 personal
favourites.
I don’t think I can discuss these game properly without
spoilers so that’s a spoiler warning. Before I start I’d like to give
hounarable mentions to Sly 2 Band of Thieves, Infamous 2 and Super Smash Bros
Melee. Now onto the list:
10. Yu-Gi-Oh!
The Duelists of the Roses
Starting
off this list is a game that is far more interesting than you would expect at
first glance. Set loosely on the events of the war of the roses, you play as a
character who must decide whether to side with either Yugi Motou, who is shown
as Henry Tudor, head of the Tudor Dynasty or Seto Kaiba, head of the Yorkist’s
who assumes the identity of Christian
Rosenkreuz. You then set out to defeat many more characters from the original
Yu-Gi-Oh anime in order to obtain the precious rose cards.
This game is more
like a boardgame than a card game, each duel takes place on a 7 x 7 board. You
move you’re cards around the board in order to destroy your opponent’s cards
and deplete their life points in order to win. Each player has one monster
called a deck leader. This monster acts as a representation of your life points
as well as your means to place cards on the board. In this surprisingly complex
game you can try to take advantage of different terrain to power up your cards
as well as attempt to fuse different monsters together to attempt to form a
more powerful one.
While it
admittedly isn’t the most balanced game as your opponents will often have
boards entirely covered in terrain to power up their monsters and you will
sometimes feel like you are just discarding your entire deck until you get
those 2 cards that can fuse into something powerful this often makes you have
to strategically place your cards and move them intelligently rather than
simply attacking outright. Also different opponents will have completely
different terrains and they will use completely different strategies, some will
be more defensive, some are more offensive, some have only one type of monster
while some use a variety. There are many different approaches you can take to
each duel with hundreds of cards and strategies to use.
There is a lot more to this game than a simple
recreation of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game. While it is catered more towards fans of
Yu-Gi-Oh I had a lot of fun with this game back in the day and it is definitely
deserving of a place at number 10.
9. Batman Arkham
Asylum
In this game you play
as the Batman, I think that alone deserves a spot on this list. The fun and
interesting gameplay, intriguing characters and excellently dark and sometimes
creepy atmosphere are hardly worth mentioning.
There were
thousands of gamers waiting for years for something to come along to make us
feel like Batman. Arkham Asylum did just that. From the slick and free flowing
combat to the stealth sections where we can use a group of thugs fear against
them we truly feel like the Batman. The combat is simple, one button to attack,
one to counter and one to stun. The makes you react quickly to attacks and look
for the moment to strike. The stealth sections let you use far as a weapon as
Batman uses his surroundings as well as him array of gadgets to take down armed
foes. Batman’s gadgets play a key role in traversing the environment as well as
for finding the secrets the Riddler has hidden throughout the Asylum plus they
can also be integrated into combat.
The voice acting
in this game is superb, the two standing out to me being Batman and The Joker.
They are both played by the voice actors from Batman the animated series and
they do a fantastic job here. The plot of the game consists of The Joker taking
over Arkham Asylum and releasing all the criminals held captive.
Where this game
truly excels is atmosphere. Arkham Asylum is an eerie and at times horrific setting.
It feels almost like a horror game at times, a place far from the civilized
world we live in and a place full of some of the most devious and outright
cruel human beings on the planet. This is exemplified by the Scarecrow segments
where both yours and Batman view on reality is twisted as the Scarecrow uses
Batman’s greatest fears against him.
This was the
Batman game we were waiting for. While it’s not perfect, the boss fights being
particularly disappointing as most consist of tricking someone into running
into a wall and an anti-climactic ending this still excels at almost everything
else and is definitely worth your time.
8. Frogger
This isn’t just
the classic Frogger this is a version of Frogger I played on a computer as a
young child. The disc I had just said Frogger although I have seen the game
called Frogger He’s Back. It seems fitting for me that there’s a game on this
list that no one has ever heard of or
played and whenevr I mention it they think I’m talking about the arcade game.
The game kept
similar gameplay to the classic version of Frogger and did use five retro
levels with Frogger crossing first a road and then a river but Frogger visited
many creative locations from sewer levels to levels inside machinery to a level
in a garden full of lawn mowers that tear you to shreds. The objective was to
search the levels for the five different colored frogs hidden around the levels
without being killed by the various obstacles and hazards.
This game was hard. Some of the levels in this
game were ridiculously frustrating, anyone who played the level Big Boulder
Alley will sympathize completely. Sometimes this game feels unfairly hard it is
occasionally down to luck whether the obstacles will align in such a way that
you can evade them. Or maybe I just wasn’t very good. Either way it feels
immensely satisfying every time you complete a level. Each level has a creative
layout with different challenges to overcome. The game while looking slightly
dated does still look great, using bright colours to create lively and
interesting levels that were a joy to explore. Even the repeated levels don’t just feel like
cheap re hashes as they are usually significantly harder than their previous
version as well as the hazards and obstacles being moved into different places.
It’s hard to
describe why I like this game so much. Perhaps childhood nostalgia plays its
part but for a nostalgic colourful game with a fair helping of challenge it
doesn’t get much better than this.
So we move on to
a game which is on just about every top 10 games list ever made. This is for
good reason. This game is a stunning example of what video games can be, a true
high point in the History of video games.
This isn’t just
any action adventure. This is the good vs evil plot, the one where the hero
must overcome all odds to save the world and it is done to perfection. We not
only witness Links coming of age in this game, but it feels like we are link
and we are the one undergoing this epic journey. As you traverse a wealth of
environments and come across loads of interesting and diverse characters we
feel like we’re on the great adventure we always dreamed of as children. At
first playing as young link is like a game. While it is dangerous it’s more
like a child exploring and finding new things rather than setting you out on an
incredibly important journey. Of course all of us who have played the game know
that we’re just being prepared for the true dangers that lie ahead.
The first time we
properly encounter Ganondorf when he is chasing Princess Zelda he is truly
menacing. We are fully aware from just a few lines and an evil stare that we
are looking at the most evil and powerful man in the whole of Hyrule. But he’s
not all brawn, he tricks link into unlocking the sacred realm and not only does
he take the triforce of power for himself but in seven long years he take
complete control of Hyrule. When you awaken as adult Link and you see the
despair Ganondorf has bought to the market district just outside you realize
how high the stakes have become.
The game has
classic Zelda gameplay. You crawl though dungeons, solving puzzles to advance
acquiring new items as you go and fight off a variety of monsters as well as
fighting some of gaming’s best and most intense bosses. This is a large game,
littered with secrets, most of which you could very easily miss. It’ll make you
want to explore every inch of Hyrule to discover what secrets are hidden
within.
I haven’t even
scratched the surface of what this game can offer. Each dungeon is different to
the last with its own different story, every character you meet has a distinct
personality and when you play this game you truly are on a great adventure,
carving out a new legend as you go, the legend of Zelda.
6. Metal Gear
Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
How do you conclude
a saga? This is how. Solid Snakes final mission for me sticks out as the most
memorable he has ever been on. Are you ready for an adventure full of twists
and turns that will right Snake into gaming folklore forever?
How can a game
that is literally about half cut scenes be on a top 10 games list? Seeing this
story come to a close was completely worth the large quantity of cut scenes.
Despite this though the gameplay here is better than ever. What’s great about
this game is it gives you the choice of how you want to play. You can use the
new Drebin points to construct a powerful arsenal and take on the game in a
flurry of bullets and explosives. Or you can stick to a more traditional metal
gear solid method and stealth your way through the game with your trusty
pistol. The strange yet superb bosses return with a host of new villains as
well as some retuning favorites. With snake aging now and old man and every
boss physically superior to him (Ignoring the supernatural elements many
possess) like always you’ll have to use your brain to defeat these powerhouses.
I could not
possibly sum up the plot of metal gear solid 4 in a blog post. The plot is as
complex as ever and you’ll need to have played the other games to have a clue
about what’s going on. Even though it leaves just enough up to interpretation
but simultaneously tying up all the loose ends. Each character in Metal Gear
Solid has their own motivations and goals, it makes each character not only
interesting but believable. It makes them very human which is the message
behind the series, that there is no right or wrong, only people fighting for
what they believe in. Guns of the Patriots epitomizes this to the fullest.
Despite its
serious tone it still refuses to be like anyone else with it’s at times silly
dialogue and fourth wall jokes. Being unique and unlike anything else is
certainly a draw to this series and the fourth installment does it better than
ever. This game is full of memorable moments. From the bike chase with EVA to
the return to Shadow Moses Island this game is the perfect end to a fantastic
series.
Since this is
already getting long I will post part 2 in a few days.
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