These aren't necessarily what I consider the greatest games of all time, but they're the ones that I find myself either coming back to constantly or with the fondest memories of. Warts and all, these are some of my favorite games of all time.
Not the most original. Not the best looking. Not the deepest. But DAMNED if this game doesn't make me smile every time I play it. It's like it was specifically designed to be charming, but with this strange, horrifying undertone. Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw put it best: "It's like if the Cthulhu mythos were crossed with Charlie Brown." Also doesn't get enough credit for how innovative it was then and even now in some ways (instantly winning weaker battles for instance).
The game that taught me what "replayability" meant. Also: character death. One of the first games I really cared about the characters as more than just avatars.
The first game where I really cared about the characters. Also: the last Final Fantasy to make a lick of sense.
I can't put this game down. Exemplifies everything a sequel should be.
Yeah, I love it, ending and all. I sometimes feel like I played an entirely different game from everyone else. While people endlessly debated the pros and cons of the ending, I was enjoying listening to Garrus and Legion compare notes on calibration, enjoying the SHOCKINGLY effective multiplayer, and hearing about Blasto's latest exploits. Oh and having some of the most emotionally resonant moments in any videogame I've ever played.
Again, not the most polished game (I actually bought the original and the Enhanced Edition was announced the next day, so I just waited for that to come out), but incredibly revolutionary. "No good, no evil, only choice...and consequence."
Yeah, those cut scenes were long. But remember all the cool shit that happened in them? This game resonated with me on a lot of different levels.
First game I really played online and had a blast with. Never got quite good enough to get too far up the grades, but still had a blast.
I have spent well over 40 hours on this $3 game. A game that revolutionizes old-school JRPG mechanics (encounters in dungeons are limited to a set number), tells and intriguing, yet hilarious, story and has multiple different modes of play along with creator commentary.
HARD HARD HARD HARD HARD game. But also tons and fun and visually stunning at the time. One of the first games I ever played to have real and proper side quests. Also did major character death before FFVII made it cool...
