The medium of video games has grown tremendously in the past few decades. What was once considered something akin to children’s toys is now considered an art form. Many who grew up playing video games are now adults and fondly remember the games of their childhood and how those games defined them. Since E3 passed just last week, let’s discuss our favorite game of all time, and some of the runners-up. This list, of course, is entirely subjective and it’s okay if you disagree. But, for our buck, these ten games represent the very best gaming has to offer. Even if some of these games haven’t quite aged well, we’re considering their impact at the time of release. Alright, let’s get into it!
10. Half Life 2
Photo Credit: Kinguin
When Half Life 2 opens, you’re introduced to an Orwellian, dystopian nightmare. A brutal police state is in place, and the only person who can change things is you. Smashing the state has never been as fun as this 2004 masterpiece made it. While the gunplay is tight and frenetic, the most memorable thing about this triumphant game, other than the worldbuilding, was the gravity gun. When the game released in 2004, it had one of the most robust physics engines of all time. Using the gravity gun to slice zombies in half in the creepy Ravenholm level is exhilarating.
The game features smart writing and amazing worldbuilding. The game has no cutscenes, never taking agency away from the player. Yet it still conveys its story in a way that draws genuine emotions. It makes the player earn every victory. By the time you bring down the villainous Dr. Breen, you feel like you personally just led a resistance against a police state.
The series may never receive a proper conclusion, but this game was truly something special. It’s almost bittersweet to look back on the company Valve once was. These days the once-legendary developer is content to make skins for Dota characters and operate the ludicrously successful Steam platform. There’s currently a fan-made sequel to Half Life 2 in the works. Maybe that will give us a satisfying conclusion.
9. Super Mario World
Photo Credit: Nerdist
What is there to say about Super Mario World that hasn’t already been said? Released in 1990, Super Mario World was the synthesis of all the 2D platforming games that had come before it. The game rewards exploration and mastery in ways previous video games hadn’t dreamed of. Part of that was the new technological limits offered by the game’s system, the SNES. The biggest thing driving the game, though, is the drive and passion director Shigeru Miyamoto and his team brought to the game.
Every stage in every world is crafted with care. The sound design is crisp and catchy. The sprite animations are charming and inviting. Everything from running to swimming to flying through the air with the cape feels incredibly natural. To this day, nearly three decades later, no platforming game has managed to top the feel of control in this game. While some, like Donkey Kong Country, would go on to be as amazing in their own right, none would ever quite surpass Super Mario World.
8. Final Fantasy IV
Photo Credit: Final Fantasy Wiki
Released in America as Final Fantasy II in 1991, this entry in the series would come to define storytelling in RPGs. Featuring a sweeping, epic tale of heroism and redemption, Final Fantasy IV blends story and gameplay in exciting ways. When the protagonist redeems himself and swears off the darkness, his class changes to Paladin. When characters sacrifice themselves to save you, they’re gone from the party. Never before had an RPG managed to convey its story so well through gameplay mechanics.
While the series would go on to continue this trend with massive games like Final Fantasy VII, it was the fourth game that really introduced this kind of storytelling. The next time you boot up a story-driven single-player RPG, remember to thank Final Fantasy IV for paving the way.
7. Metal Gear Solid 3
Photo Credit: IMDb
The Metal Gear series has been around for more than 30 years and is responsible for some of the greatest games of all time. The greatest of the greats, though, is none other than the third entry in the Solid series. Metal Gear Solid 3 tells a Cold War-era spy thriller tale that also sets up the central conflict in the games that take place after it. Acting as a prequel to the first two games, MGS3 is a great stand-alone and excellent stealth game.
Enemies react to your presence naturally. You never feel unfairly targeted or caught. Using the game’s camouflage system is intuitive and natural. The voice acting is hilarious and awesome in all the right ways. The most memorable thing about the game, though, is the boss fights. Each of the primary antagonists gets a unique, drawn-out showdown with Snake, and their personalities define their fights. Each of the villains is named for an emotion, and each lives up to that emotion in their fight.
Cinematic, epic and gripping, Metal Gear Solid 3 remains one of the very best games of all time. If you haven’t touched the series before, at least try 3 and see what you think. If you fall in love, the rest of the series is superb and waiting for you.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Photo Credit: Zeldapedia
The first few notes of the title screen of this game still give me chills. Playing back through the game now, I see some of the cracks in the surface. However, back in the 90’s when it came out, this game was a revolution. Mario had just shown the world what a 3D platformer looks like when masterfully crafted. Now, it was Zelda’s turn to redefine the adventure formula.
The first time you pluck the Master Sword from its pedestal and find yourself transported forward in time, the game opens up. Suddenly, the heroic but childish quest takes a dark, mature turn. The world outside is bleak, and the villain has already won. In the past, Link is too young and inexperienced to fight Ganon. In the future, it’s too late. That twist, and the ensuing gameplay wrinkles involving time travel, still makes the game feel inspired and fresh.
While it’s been talked to death in recent years, the formula of 3D action-adventure games owes everything to Ocarina. If there’s anything to fault the game for, it’s the formulaic late-game dungeon structure. But, at the time, it didn’t feel formulaic at all! It felt like a natural progression of the kinds of dungeons seen in the 2D games. The legacy of Ocarina of Time is one still felt in modern Zelda games, even the dramatic departure represented by Breath of the Wild.
5. Pokémon Red and Blue
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The game that launched a mega-franchise, Pokémon Red and Blue is more than the sum of its parts. Video games, up to this point, had been relatively fringe. In the late 90’s, though, the advent of Pokémon led to a serious media craze. Trading cards, movies, TV shows and more propelled the series into a full-blown cultural phenomenon. The original games that started it all still stand as excellent examples of RPG design.
Featuring a unique collect-and-battle system, Pokémon was uninterested in what the player character could do. Instead of crafting your party from adventurers with swords and spells, you crafted a party of cute monsters. Catching, training and evolving those monsters proved rather addicting, and the rest is history. While the original games haven’t aged well graphically, they’re still a blast to relive. I actually like to go back through and beat the main story every year or so, just for the heck of it. This was my very first video game, so it means a lot to me. I’m pleased that the series has had such lasting impact, and look forward to seeing where it goes next.
4. Halo: Combat Evolved
Photo Credit: Halo Waypoint
There was once an era when shooting games on consoles were ridiculed. Mouse and keyboard control schemes were considered the only reasonable way to play first-person shooters. Then, Bungie released Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001. Featuring an aim-assist algorithm that makes the player feel like a crack-shot without holding their hand, Halo redefined console shooters. Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark, by contrast, had relied on design tricks that made the gun fights feel floaty and imprecise. Halo was revelatory, as the action was fast-paced, precise and brutal.
Multiplayer would be the bread-and-butter of future games, but the first Halo wowed audiences with its single-player. The score, the ambiance and the space-opera story all gave the game a monumental, mythical scale and scope. The enemy designs were intimidating and fun to shoot at simultaneously. Each level had a unique feel and challenged the player in new ways. The most memorable part of the game, though, was seamlessly piloting vehicles over soaring vistas. Hopping in and out of vehicles was tons of fun, and Halo provided a great open sandbox for gamers to play in.
3. Dark Souls
Photo Credit: Windows Central
Dark Souls is haunting, mysterious, and will probably kill you. While these might not sound like the hallmarks of a great game, rest assured, Dark Souls is one of the greatest video games ever made. How can this be? The controls and mechanics are largely awkward and not explained in game. The difficulty curve is absurd, throwing the player into a world of constant peril and oppressive despair. What about that makes it a masterpiece?
Well, Dark Souls, unlike games like Super Metroid, doesn’t succeed as a game, but as a piece of art. It forces you to grapple with it, to understand its world and mechanics intuitively. You are never guided or coached, and your victories are yours alone. As are your defeats. Dark Souls is a game that respects the player enough to not spoon feed them; the player is expected to rise to the challenge.
The game’s story and world reflect this: it’s a bleak place. If you back down, or stumble, you will die, and the world will be no more. If you rise up and ignite the fires, maybe things will get better. Maybe they won’t. This existential, brooding narrative pairs beautifully with the slow-paced, measured combat. Dark Souls represents a synthesis of story and mechanics that is truly moving.
2. Super Metroid
Photo Credit: Polygon
Super Metroid is a master class in atmospheric storytelling. Planet Zebes feels truly alive, and Samus’ badass solo mission always feels like it’s a breath away from failure. The world is foreboding and mythical, hiding secrets behind every corner. Super Metroid succeeds in every way as a video game: rewarding curiosity, exploration and mastery. Boss fights are white-knuckle romps, new abilities make you feel truly powerful, and the story is actually engrossing.
When Retro Studios took Metroid into 3D with Metroid Prime, they honored the legacy of what many consider to be the greatest game of all time. While Super Metroid is certainly amazing, it does suffer from slightly uneven pacing. It is easy to get lost in the game, for better or worse. Finding one’s way forward is quite difficult, but always rewarding. That said, there is no such thing as a perfect game, and Super Metroid comes closer than many others in getting there.
The Greatest Video Game of all Time: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Photo Credit: The Verge
If you’ve ever played a Zelda game, you know the formula. Link is called to save the Princess. He assembles three amulets, finds the Master Sword, and then conquers eight temples. He traverses between two worlds, and then defeats Ganon. All of these tropes began with 1991’s masterful Link to the Past. Representing a huge step forward in game design, Link to the Past stands as one of the greatest games of all time.
The music, the world and the enemies are all alive. Mystery and adventure await in every cave, behind every door. The dungeons are well-designed, thought-provoking and full of puzzles. Exploration is always rewarded with new secrets. If ever a game deserved to be called the very best, it’s this one. Every game wishes it could capture the same spirit of adventure and wonder as Link to the Past.
While the formula established here may have worn thin in subsequent games, it only got as popular as it did by being so darn fun. Few other games make you feel as much like the hero of your own story as Link to the Past. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go beat this game again.
Feature Image Credit: Sporcle
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