Top 10 Video Games of All Time (Part 2)

Top 10 Video Games of All Time (Part 2)

So after what I’m sure was a much anticipated wait I move on to part 2, my top 5. These are the 5 games that I remember most that meant the most to me. A lot of games battled it out in my head to be on my list and these are the last 5 standing. Without further ado here they are:

 

5. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

At number 5 lies a game containing a world full of awe and wonder. A game that can make you completely forget about what you do and where you are. A game that allows you freedom to be and do whatever you please.

 

The great thing about Skyrim is that it doesn’t make you choose how you want to play as right at the start. You use whatever you want to and then you level up in that skill. This isn’t like Oblivion where you have to choose a class right at the start of the game. The duel wielding system the game uses is a great way of letting the player choose, you put whatever you want in each hand, whether it be a weapon, a shield or a spell and you create your own gameplay style. There’s no sticking to the standard warrior, rogue and mage templates here where anything can be viable.

 

Skyrim’s world is beautiful. From snowy tundra’s, to lush green forests there are many sights on offer here. But it’s not all show and no substance. All these amazing places you can see you can go to. Skyrim is full of secrets and hidden treasures, many you could quite easily miss with your first time playing the game. It never feels like a world that revolves around you, it feels like an actual world, one where every person you talk to has their own traits and problems. It feels like a world that existed long before you arrived and that will exist long after you’ve left.

 

Skyrim is a land in turmoil. Civil war rages and now what were thought to be just creatures of legend dragons have begun terrorising the land. These may be the main two quest lines in the game but there are hundreds more. You can become a thief or an assassin, you can go to the College of Winterhold and train to become and all powerful mage. Or you can just wander the lands and see what adventure awaits.

 

Skyrim gives you an adventure in another world. This is a game where you make your own choices and be whatever you want to be. I think back to the first time I explored this world as Girrr the Argonian mage. I looked around as I stood outside the gates of Whiterun and I saw limitless oppurtunities for adventure, battle and fun. Any criticisms I have of this game or completely outweighed by praise and after the many hours I invested into the world of Skyrim I could not leave it off this list.

 

4. Donkey Kong County

Most of us have a video game that we look back into our childhood and see. For me this was it. I was concerned when I went back to it when I was older, scared it wouldn’t hold up. Not only did it hold up but it got even better.

 

When I think Nintendo Donkey Kong Country is what I think. This is the ultimate 2D platformer. My issue with Super Mario Bros that while it was fun, it was too slow paced and everything looked like it was made of blocks. This game blew the Italian Plumber out of the water.

 

This was a fat paced game. It wasn’t fast like sonic but instead there was a tempo to this game that wasn’t in other games at the time. This game is the freest flowing game I have ever played. The gameplay was platforming at its finest.

 

This game however wasn’t going to hold your hand and let you gently progress. It was hard. The free flowing gameplay meant you had to be quick and precise with your platforming and jumping. But it was never unfair. Whenever I died while I was frustrated I was even more determined to grab my controller and try again. I would not be beaten and I would never want to give up, partly because the game was so enticing and partly because it never felt like a dumb trial and error exercise. If you died it was your fault and if you did well you would progress onto the next level.

 

Speaking of levels, each one was unique and entertaining. Even to this day the game still looks good with its bright colour pallet. No two even were even remotely structured the same. On top of that there were a variety of type of level, from the standard platforming to the signature mine cart levels to some of the best underwater levels of any game I’ve played. In some levels you could call upon one of the Kong’s animal friends and give the level a whole new dynamic.

 

What I love about this game is quite simply it has some incredibly fun gameplay. It isn’t bogged down by over complex plot, it gives you fun and interesting levels to complete with enough challenge to prevent you from getting bored. This Nintendo classic easily makes it into my top 10 and if you ever want a fun sequence of colourful and challenging levels to give you the satisfaction of completing then this is definitely the game for you.

 

3. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

Really any Pokémon game could have been here, it’s the Pokémon part that’s important, not the HeartGold and SoulSliver.

 

Pokémon being this high up is strange because in any other game I do not like turn based combat. Here however it’s different. Turn based combat works here because it makes it so you are commanding your Pokémon. These are the creatures we found a raised. We trained with them and we watched them learn new moves and evolve into what they are now. You have constructed your own team and together you are ready to take on anything the world has to throw at you.

 

I can think back to the great moments Pokémon gives us all, whether it battling an all-powerful legendary Pokémon, or finally reaching the elite 4 and taking on the toughest opponents the game has to offer and it doesn’t just feel like it’s you alone. You have your Pokémon with you. These aren’t just random creatures, they’re your teammates. They are going to give their all to win just like you have to get this far on your journey,

 

Pokémon’s battling system is far more complex that it looks at first glance. It may from an outside view look kind of like rock, paper, scissors where you pick the best type and win. Thinking like this is completely ignoring the plethora of support moves available and the different stats each Pokémon possess. Each one has its own strength and weaknesses and while some are more powerful than others, very few Pokémon are completely useless.

 

Each region in Pokémon from the original Kanto to the more recent Kalos is packed with unique environments and people. Each new area in Pokémon contains its own unique Pokémon and has its own feel and atmosphere. Whether it’s the optimism you feel as you first leave Pallet Town or the infamous creepy atmosphere you get when you enter Lavender Town.  

 

I will briefly mention why I picked HeartGold and SoulSilver. These two games were crammed full with content, giving you not just one but two regions to explore each with its own set of gym badges to earn. While not relevant to gameplay I liked that the first Pokémon in your partly followed you as you walked around, this is a feature I really hope they bring back. Finally each Pokémon game has their own mini games but none I found as entertaining as the Pokéathlon. The joy this gave me was very similar to that of battling as you progressed with your very own team to the top. It had some excellent touch screen controls making it a blast to play and something I’d love to see return someday.

 

After all this time I still return to Pokémon when a new one comes out, despite how some will tell you that it’s just the same game over and over. But we know that’s not true, every time you play you a new Pokémon game you can expect a brand new journey. It’s now wonder we are till trying to catch them all. 

 

2. Shadow of the Colossus

The word epic is used way too much. Here though is where it is completely appropriate. This game is epic in everything it does. After I finished this game I thought about it for weeks afterwards, even now I tell people about it, even if they don’t like games. This is an experience anyone could go through and be amazed, be inspired.

 

Shadow of the Colossus has some of the most unique gameplay I have ever seen. You start by riding your horse across this beautiful world, simply called the forbidden land until you reach your destination. Awaiting you there will be a Colossus, a magnificent creature, far more powerful than you. You then have to figure out how to bring this mighty best down, with nothing more than a bow and arrow, sometimes your horse and a sword that they would barley register as a splinter. You have a grip metre which shows how long you can hold onto something and then you will fall. This creates some of the best moments when you try to stand on a moving Colossus without falling to replenish your grip metre to return to stabbing its weak point. Each Colossus has weak points and you must somehow climb onto these creatures and stab them until they’ve taken their last breath.

 

The music of this game is a joy to listen to. Traveling through the world there is no music, instead in the silence your imagination runs away with you as you wonder what the next Colossus will be. When you first see the beast and try to figure out how to take it down, the music evokes how hopeless your situation seems. Then you begin to scale the Colossus and once the game realises you’ve figured out what to do the music picks up, like an epic anthem to a great hero. But then you kill it. Each time you realise this Colossus wasn’t doing anything when you found it, it wasn’t causing any harm. As it dies you feel sad that you did this when you’re not even sure what for.

 

You are in the forbidden land to bring a girl back to life. An entity only known as Dormin who has no physical being tells you if you bring down the 16 Colossus he will repay you by bringing this girl back to life. We have no idea who this girl is or whether Dormin should be trusted but our hero goes anyway, pondering whether it’s the right thing to do in the silence of the world.

 

I could say so much more about this game but I think it deserves a post all to itself. I will instead simply say that this is without doubt the best game I have ever played.

 

1. Professor Layton and the Lost Future

Shadow of the Colossus is the best game I have played, however it is not my personal favourite, this one game stands above it. Here we have a game that is if nothing else, charming.

 

It has an intriguing array of puzzles just waiting to be solved, forget cutting edge graphics, the hand drawn backdrops and characters in this game are beautifully done. Each character is a wonderful mixture of charm and personality. It is impossible not to become attached to these characters simply because they are so damn likeable.

 

Professor Layton is a true English gentlemen but he is by no means one dimensional. He has a tragic backstory, which is more apparent in this game than any other but he still thrives to do good in the world, to be the best he can be. He is truly an inspiration and a gentlemen which explains why his apprentice Luke looks up to him so much. Luke isn’t an annoying child character, he’s endearing and we want him to succeed for he has such a kind nature.

 

The villains in this game are not one dimensional villains who are evil just because they are. They all have reasons for doing what they do and while we may not agree, we can certainly understand why they do what they do, just as the Professor does. Every plot in a professor Layton game has huge amounts of intrigue and this one is no different as a fascinating plot that revolves around time travel and Layton’s past grabs us from start to finish.

 

As what is really happening is revealed it feels like multiple bombs are being dropped onto out laps.  It got to a point where I could just not stop playing, it made me want to know what would happen next far more than any film I’ve ever seen. I’m not one to cry or get emotional at games and films, but this is the one time I actually teared up. The one game that made me shed a few tears is a game consisting of fun little logic puzzles.

 

What’s so great about the Professor Layton series and in particular Lost future is that is makes you relax and forget everything going on in your own life. Instead you are whisked away into this other world, with puzzles and good, charming people, a world where people believe in the best in other people. Playing a Layton game is a magical experience and Professor Layton and the Lost Future is without any shadow of a doubt my favourite game of all time.