by whitehowler
Everybody's doing it, so why can't I?
I've been gaming since the 80's (my first real game was Radar Rat Race on the Commodore VIC-20), so I've had the opportunity to experience some pretty awesome games over the years. These are my personal all-time favorites.
Showing 1-10 of 10 items
Is it a roguelike or a puzzle game? Who cares! FTL is soul-crushingly difficult, but fair. As your ship breaks up for the umpteenth time, you immediately know why you failed, and you reach for that "New Game" button again. And winning -- especially for the first time -- is one of the most rewarding feelings in all of video games.
Great story, thrilling combat, stunning visuals. Oh, and robot dinosaurs. Horizon does just about everything right, and Aloy is one of the greatest action heroes in the history of games. The game is pure fun, and even after finishing it, I didn't want to stop playing. I immediately started a new run and unlocked all the remaining achievements!
An absolutely amazing game. I'm a sucker for "4X" strategy games, and Alpha Centauri did everything right: tons of different strategies, many ways to win, and unique but balanced factions. The unit customization is among the best I've ever seen in a game. Over a decade after Alpha Centuri came out, I still haven't tired of it -- that's a claim I don't think any other title can make.
This is a better puzzle game than Portal. There, I said it. Take a beautiful world with a rich backstory, add a bunch of ingenious puzzles with the perfect level of difficulty, and you have one of my favorite games of all time.
I wasn't sure whether to choose the original X-Com here, or the excellent reboot -- or its even better (once it was patched and expanded) sequel. They're all great games, and I'd unconditionally recommend them to anyone who enjoys strategy games. The original though, that's the one that really changed the way I look at games, and it's why it makes the list.
On paper, this game isn't for me. By the time you finish saying "roguelike, isometric action game", my mind is already thinking about puppies playing in a field. And while I understand why Supergiant Games is beloved by its fans, their games have just never grabbed me -- and I've played 'em all. But Hades... Wow. I don't know if you can call a game "perfect", but every design decision, every balance tweak, and every artistic choice is 100% brilliantly planned and executed. The game is flat-out fun to play, and even when it cruelly crushes your run (and it will!), it always feels fair and satisfying.
I really miss old-school adventure games, and Day of the Tentacle is the best of the bunch. The writing and humor are hilarious, the puzzles are deviously clever, and the characters (and the voice acting in later editions) are superb. Not content to sit back and offer an "open world" adventure, DotT gives the player the ability to jump between time periods, adding an extra dimension to an already deep game. Even though I have a permanent mental "walkthrough" stored in my head, I find myself wanting to reinstall and play this every couple of years.
I love classic-style RPG's, and I've played virtually everything from the old Ultima and D&D gold box series all the way through present-day games. While Baldur's Gate and Placescape: Torment are certainly excellent games, I feel like Dragon Age: Origins has refined the genre into perfection. Pity about the sequel.
The story isn't the game's strong point, but the gameplay just oozes raw, idiotic fun. You want a plot? Here: There's an island. On this island, there are things that are unexploded. Your job is to fix this problem. The huge explosions, the grappling hook, the parachute, the insane backwards physics -- everything adds up to a great game.
There's not much to say about this entry. Starcraft is still the be-all, end-all real-time strategy game. Over a decade later, it remains the best in its genre. Even Starcraft 2, which is a good game in its own right, couldn't measure up to the original. Insanely well-balanced factions, a slick interface that feels natural even today, and a solid storyline make Starcraft an all-time classic.
