My Favorite Games
List of games that I think are great, in no particular order. A work in progress
List items
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A strange little kart racer that was the first game I learned to play well as a child. With the hub-world and a variety of challenges and extras to find; Diddy Kong Racing feels a lot more open than any other game of the genre, along with this DKR has a relatively meaty single player experience. In a more just world Mario would be a guest in Diddy's newest racing game.
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The player is tasked with bringing down a North Korean despot, in the best sandbox shooter of it's era. Mercenaries gave the player a huge amount of freedom in completing their objectives. If you brought outside equipment to a mission you could generally use it, creative play styles were rewarded with satisfying moments. The point of the game was to capture the "Deck of 52" which were all members of the aforementioned regime; and all but the top members could be found through exploration of the map, I was more motivated to explore Mercenaries' bombed out countryside than any current gen city.
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Persona 4 is a game about highschoolers trying to solve a murder case by fighting inside humanity's collective psyche. Surprisingly, it's the more mundane part of the game that makes it great, whiile the mystery was compelling, and the combat cool, I loved getting to know the residents of the game's small town setting more. I've never felt more attached to a group of videogame characters, and I doubt I ever will.
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The protagonist's hometown being destroyed is a common tragedy in RPGs. In Dark Cloud however, you can repair it. In Dark Cloud your hometown, and other communities, have been scattered and condensed into orbs. You progress through dungeons finding homes, rivers, trees and even people. This lends a much more personal motivation to the hero's journey. Throw in some other interesting mechanics, like evolving weapons, and you get a very memorable RPG.
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Dragon Quest V is the ultimate example of the hero's journey I've seen in video games. You follow the protagonist from childhood through adulthood, and adventure with three generations of his family. Dragon Quest V manages to have a grand sense of scale, but is driven by a very personal narrative; The protagonist is constantly journeying to find his family and that takes him, quite literally, to every corner of the world. This was the game that hooked me on JRPGs.
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