Everyone of us has a game or list of games that will always be near and dear to our hearts. They aren’t always the games we were exceptionally skilled at, or the games we are currently playing. Sometimes they are games that we have a special memory of or we really found something “special” about. The list dates us as players as well, at least in my case it does, as my favorites list still includes games from from the second generation consoles. Just as a side note to help point out why that generation is telling, with the PS4, WiiU, and Xbox One, we are entering the eight generation of console systems. So for this posting, I’d like to share my top 10 and talk about what makes each game special to me, as an individual. This list will cover Console, PC and Arcade Cabinets my friends so be prepared!
No. 10 Suikoden
This game didn’t get all the credit it deserved, most RPG’s have you going out gathering 8-10 companions for the main character. Not this game, in Suikoden and each of it’s sequels there were 108 characters to be found, discovered and recruited. Known as the “Stars of Destiny” you even go so far as to early on in the game capturing a castle to use as a headquarters to house them all. This game also doesn’t use the standard Warrior/Mage/Cleric type classifications for those companions either. Some are warriors naturally, others range from scholars to cooks and librarians.
No. 9 Skull Monkeys
Believe it or not claymation used to be a big deal, and this game’s cut scenes were all done in that style. Game play in this platformer felt the same with great graphics for the time, and a what is quite possibly the funniest game I’ve every played. When the ultimate special ability of a character is called the “Universe Enema” you should get some idea of the type of humor that is present in the game. Bonus stages are quite amusing as well as you shift into “The 70’s” and listen to bonus stage song sung as a lullaby. Even the final boss in the game has a humorous name “Evil Engine No. 9”.
No. 8 Contra
Finishing this game as something to brag about, it was so difficult the famous “Konami Code” is rumored to have been created so the developers could survive long enough to test segments of the game. I can’t count how many hours I spent on this game, and how much I still enjoy it. Currently the game is getting a rebirth on the mobile platform, so check it out.
No. 7 Pacman
Anyone who grew up in the late 70’s and 80’s has probably played this at least once. While inferior to the arcade version, Pacman on the Atari 2600 devoured hours of our lives as we collected those dots. Believe it or not 94% of American’s can identify Pacman, that’s more than Mario or any other video game character. The arcade version released in 1980 made over $2.5 billion in quarters by the 90’s making it one of the most profitable games ever, it is no wonder it has a place in the Smithsonian.
No. 6 Diablo
Who can forget their first excursion into the depths of the burning hells. And why did we listen to that old man Deckard Cain? This game has spawned one of the most loved franchises around, and it’s still going strong with Diablo III eating up players time. The random layout dungeons and ability to play with or against other players via Battlenet earns this one a spot on my list, not to mention nightmares from facing the hacked characters you would find there.
No. 5 Dungeons and Dragons : Tower of Doom
I loved this arcade cabinet, as a table top player in my youth this game was one of my first real experiences with D&D in a digital format. I’d played some of the SSI released titles, but none of them brought the feel of adventure that Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom did. Raise your hand if you spewed forth some juvenile profanity laced rants at the Red Dragon boss at least one in your youth? This title can be relived modern consoles and PC’s as part of the Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara downloadable title on Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and Microsoft Windows. This was one of the better 4 player co-opt titles in my opinion.
No. 4 Altered Beast
“Rise from your grave”, that was one of the first voice samples used in an arcade cabinet. Ported to numerous console, and handheld systems this is still an excellent game and was even bundled with the Sega Master System for a time before Sonic hit it big. I burned through a lot of quarters on this one, and still play it every time I see a dusty cabinet sitting nearly forgotten in some store or pub. The controls were simplistic with just punch and kick along with the 8 way control stick, but man was it fun to collect the power up orbs and watch your character transform and start mowing through zombies.
No. 3 Mortal Kombat II
This is the game, the single game I probably spent the most money playing. Dropping quarter after quarter into an arcade cabinet mastering every character, even Reptile. You know you’ve played an arcade fighter too much when your turn in vs matches comes up at the arcade and people simply walk away from the machine. It seriously got to the point I was given a job at the local arcade simply so I’d have less time to play this game. I still feel this one is superior to most of the later titles in the Mortal Kombat franchise in terms of character choice, balance, and playability. Sure some of the later titles like the Ultimate MK III had a ton of characters to select from, and some were fun to play and work out awesome combos with, but this one was the pinnacle in my opinion.
No. 2 Chrono Trigger
This time traveling RPG is one I still play from time to time. It’s just simply fun. The story is excellent as is the choice of characters taken from from throughout the fictional worlds history as you travel back and forth through time to stop an apocalypse. If you haven’t played it. Find a way… FIND A WAY! It’s that good.
No. 1 Final Fantasy VI (released as Final Fantasy III in the US)
No RPG or other game in my opinion eclipses this one. I will go to my grave claiming this to be the best of the Final Fantasy series. I hear people claim Final Fantasy VII had a better story and villain, well they are wrong. Sephiroth can’t hold a candle to Kefka. Where Sephiroth threatens the world, Kefka over the course of the game, conquers and literally reshapes the game world while being chased by the heroes. I hear people tout Final Fantasy X as being a great achievement and it was a good game, but still didn’t live up to Final Fantasy VI. This 16-bit SNES title holds a higher score on Gamerankings.com than any other Final Fantasy Title for an initial release and second only to Chrono Trigger for the SNES when comparing RPGs. I still play this game, I still love playing this game.
That is my list, love it or hate it let me know, comment below.