by diggler
Showing 1-10 of 30 items
Not just the best Star Wars game...but the best game of 'em all, period. For such a long, epic experience, I've played through it a worryingly large amount of times too. I dug Bioware prior to this - Neverwinter Nights introducing me to 'em in a big way - but KOTOR elevated Canada's finest up to the ranks of my fave devs in the business today. A true videoogame masterpiece.
I'm a huge frickin' cyberpunk nerd (as this list demonstrates), and Deus Ex is the dream cyberpunk game I always wanted as a kid. Freeform first person roleplaying, that still houses THE most potent and engrossing atmosphere of any gaming world you will find. Love it.
Not to be mistaken for the awful 360 title of recent times, and also along the cyberpunk tip, Shadowrun on the SNES holds up amazingly well for a game over 15 years old. A sorta prototype for Deus Ex up there in many ways, albeit from an isometric perspective, it had a fab story, great dialogue, and fast-paced real-time combat far more interesting than the Final Fantasy clones at the time. Still worth a bash on the PSP via a bit of cheeky emulation.
More SNES antics, and undoubtedly Mario's finest outing of them all. A hundred levels. Yoshi. The cape. Dragon coins. Secret worlds. Amaze.
Playing Ico for the first time was one of the most captivating and moving gaming experiences I've ever had, with a subtlety and understated tone a zillion times more stylish and mature than anything Hollywood manages to shit out each and every year. Surprisingly plays host to the best love story to be found in all of gaming.
Back on the sci-fi tip. The originator of the FPS/RPG hybrid, that since spawned a whole new sub-genre - including a spiritual sequel in Bioshock - System Shock 2 was one I only actually got around to playing last year. With some fancy user mods and texture upgrade packs, it looks and plays stunningly modern though. I couldn't put it down.
The game that got me back into consoles. I was Mr PC Fanboy when Halo came out, but one go on that opening level and I was pulled straight back in. It wasn't just the amazing physics, ace vehicles, and jaw-dropping AI though. Nope, it was all about the co-op. A 2-player mode that's still about as fun as you can get in any damn game going. Oddly enough, I really dug playing on a pad too. At a time when PC FPS' ruled supreme, it was a bizarre change of pace for me.
Always been a sucker for the old skool PC point 'n' click games - and have been super psyched to see the genre's return in recent years - and this was the best of the bunch for me. Not only a fantastic, fun, and - well - FUNNY title, but also three damn games in one, depending on which path you took. I never finished it though oddly enough.
Neocron was the game that awake the MMO addict within me. I'd tried a couple prior to this, but not seen the appeal. That all changed here. As a game, it had its probs. Bugs, lag, boring quests...all the usual failings that MMOs enjoyed at the time. But make no mistake, Neo made up for it in a whole host of other ways. Not only was it basically a Deus Ex MMO in everything but name - including hacking, cybernetic implants, and gritty Blade-Runner-esque cities - but it had truly stunning PvP combat intertwined into the traditional MMO world, with base capturing, real-time FPS combat, and even bloomin' vehicles. A very ambitious game, that I felt was criminally overlooked. Miss it.
I love the PoP series. From the original rotoscoped classic, to the insanely pretty Gameboy version, to the amazing SNES remake (my fave), right up to Sands of Time, the Prince has always struck a chord with me. Well, perhaps not since then. The Sands sequels had issues, and next-gen Prince was a bit of a baby game, but my whining speak more to how damn good this series has been over the years, rather than those various outings being particularly bad. Can't wait for the new one.