View: My top 50: Games #10-1

10) Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)
We're getting to the really good stuff, now! Melee is just so, so great. It is one of the best competitive multiplayer experiences I've ever encountered. This game is pretty much endless fun. While I wasn't as hyped for Melee's release as I was for Brawl's, you better believe I was still plenty hyped. Sadly, I couldn't talk about it on the internet much, since I was stuck with crappy dial-up back then. Nonetheless, Melee was greatly enjoyed once it arrived. I have sunk years of play into that game, and maybe close to a thousand hours of total playtime. I might be over-estimating on that last part, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. I can't know for sure, because my original game save has since been lost to some unknown circumstance. But it doesn't matter, I just keep coming back for more Melee!

Ultimately, I chose Melee over Brawl not because it's a better game, objectively speaking. No, Brawl is pretty much better than Melee in every objective way. More stages, more characters, more single-player stuff, etc. Honestly...I just like Melee better. The fighting is faster, the classic mode is better, adventure mode is better than Subspace Emissary, in some ways, and every character got their own Break the Targets stage, instead of just 5 measly stages. I also found many characters I like to use in Melee. Once those characters got to Brawl, their physics or attacks were changed so much, they pretty much suck now. Just look at Link, or Samus, or Mario (ugh, FLUDD instead of the tornado). Brawl did some things to the core fighting experience that I just didn't like. All of the characters are kind of floaty, a lot of the attacks are hard to make combos with, and they added random tripping for no good reason. Melee doesn't have to deal with all this crap. Melee gives you plenty of characters, most of which have a great chance of winning. Then they let you go nuts, tearing people apart limb from limb. Please understand, I like Brawl very much. But, if I'm going to be honest with myself, and with you, if someone asks me which game I want to play, I will say “Melee” twice as much as I say “Brawl.”

9) Metroid Prime (Wii)
Until this game came along, the First Person Adventure game did not exist. Yet, I think I speak for all of us when I say that I'm so glad it does. The original Metroid Prime is a joyful masterpiece of a game. As far as I'm concerned, it's also the king of atmospheric gaming. When you pick up the controller, you're not just playing a game, clicking buttons, and shooting aliens on a screen: you have been transported to a mysterious planet, your hand has become a part of an arm cannon, and you are on a mission to save the entire galaxy from an inhospitable threat. Never has a fictional world seemed so real, and so interesting. I can't help but get wrapped up in every little detail of this game every time I play. From that first step on that awesome space station, to that final shot in Metroid Prime's face, I never want to stop playing this game once I start. It's just so compelling and fun.

This game gets everything right. The weapons. The levels. The semi-hidden story. The secrets. The boss fights. The not-boss fights. Just...everything. I will never forget the fear and tension I felt the first time the lights shut off in the Research Lab. Those Metroids almost made me crap my pants! Likewise, trekking through Magmoor Caverns will always be a great example of being in the hot, stinking belly of the beast. Just the general feeling of isolation makes for perfect immersion. I love it so much! Something in particular that MP gets points for is it's penultimate boss fight. The fight against the Metroid Prime Exoskeleton is my favorite example of a final boss. This boss actually requires you to use every single skill and weapon you have gotten during the game. You must use all 4 awesome beams, and make use of each beam combo if you want to do well. You have to drop into Morph Ball mode quite often, in order to dodge this giant monster. Of course, the final, final battle is great too. But I will always love fighting the Exoskeleton the most. But really, this is just one of those games I will never get tired of. I do my best to play it once a year, and I don't think that's going to stop anytime soon. I'm going to keep listening to that mind-blowing soundtrack, collecting missile expansions, dodging corrupted ghosts, and blasting metal space dragon pterodactyls. And I'll be happy.

8) Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
What an unstoppable juggernaut Halo 3 was. The hype for this game was unbreakable. Besides Brawl, I've never been so excited for a game in my entire life. What's more, Halo 3 actually managed to keep up with most of the hype. Well, as much as possible, anyways. No game can ever truly match the hype it gets, when it gets crazy like this. But yeah, hype, this game really had me going. This game led me to my first midnight release, the first of the only 2 midnight releases I've ever been to. I simply couldn't wait to get my hands on this game. Neither could my friends, which is what made it even better. Nothing was cooler than all of us getting the game together, driving home quickly, connecting our 360s together, and playing campaign co-op for the rest of the night. What an awesome night that was!

This game made for an exciting conclusion to the legendary and epic Halo story. We finally got to finish the fight. No surprise, Master Chief and the humans won. Yet it certainly came at a high cost, didn't it? I can't say I was completely happy with some of the campaign choices Bungie made. The monitor, 343 Guilty Spark, should have never killed Sgt. Johnson, and pretended to be a final boss. That was silly, and undignified. At least that amazing escape sequence with the Warthog (or maybe Ghost) made up for it. But still, campaign isn't what Halo is about. It's the multiplayer, no duh. And it was fantastic. It was 99% better than Halo 2 in ever way. There were plenty of great levels, cool vehicles, great weapons, old and new, as well as new toys to play with (equipment). I spent a great deal of 2007 working on my ranking. And even though my excitement kind of dropped during the next 2 years, I still played Halo 3 online regularly right up until Halo: Reach was soon to arrive. We're talking about hundreds of more hours spent shooting up little halo noobs. For the hype, the multiplayer memories, and for letting me finish the fight, Halo 3 deserves to be called the best Halo game, and the best FPS ever made.

7) Mega Man 2 (NES)
A legitimate childhood classic, Mega Man 2 makes for simple, skill-based platforming. From the intro to the final boss fight against Dr. Wily, this game is something special to me. I was first introduced to it when I was about 7 years old, in a day care center. They had an NES for us kids to play in between snack time. One of the games they had was this, along with Mega Man 6. While 6 was also fun, as is the entire classic Mega Man series, it was Mega Man 2 that won my heart, and garnered a great deal of my nostalgic admiration.

Not many NES games can age as well as Mega Man 2. It still does so many things well. The controls are still response and the music never gets old. (One of the best game soundtracks ever!) The levels are short, sweet, and the designs remain a fun workout to this day. The weapons earned from the robot masters are here and there, with Metal Blades being one of the best and most over-powered weapons in any Mega Man game. They were the weakness of several robot masters, they had a ton of ammo, and they let Mega Man shoot in 8 different directions, including...up. Yes, up. Once he could shoot up, Mega Man became unstoppable! And so...yeah. Not much else to say. This game is one of the best retro platfomers. I can't really complain about it. All of the difficulty is skill-based, and I can't think of anything I don't like or love about this game. I suppose that's why it's a favorite of mine.

6) Rock Band 1/2/3 (Xbox 360)
As the only music game on my list, the Rock band series gets a lot of applause from me. This game can reach pleasure centers in my brain that no other game can reach. By combining some of my favorite songs into an addicting color-matching mechanic, Harmonix made what I believe is the ultimate co-op multiplayer game. It is simply better than everything else. Now, you might have noticed that I haven't picked a game in particular, here. But do I really need to? They are all pretty much the same thing, after all. If I had to, I would obviously pick 3, since it's the most well-developed one, and has the most options (like Keyboard, and harmonies).

Rock Band is the one and only game that me and all of my friends can agree upon playing together. To this day, this is no other game that we can all equally enjoy together. We will play Rock Band together every single time we hang out, no exceptions. I can't say that about any other multiplayer game. Not Halo, not Mario Kart, not Kirby. Not even Super Smash Bros. gets such an honor. Only the irresistible call of Rock Band refuses to be ignored. Just when you think you're getting tired of the whole deal, Harmonix is smart enough, and awesome enough to release brand new songs week after week after week! How can you say no, when a brand new song from your favorites list is just waiting to be played? It's a winning combination. What I love the most is when it's late at night. I'll be playing with all of my friends, and we'll pick a great song (like The Game, from Disturbed). As friend #1 is singing (awking?), friend #2 is drumming, and friend #3 is bass-ing, I'll be thrashing my heart out on guitar. As that music hits that special place in my mind and soul, I'll forget about playing a game. My mind will transport me into a special zen-like state. My body is a slave to the music, and I'll bob my head uncontrollably. My hands will match the rhythm all on their own. I'm pretty much in heaven, at that point. For these unforgettable, almost indescribable moments of multiplayer bliss with friends and family, Rock Band (3) truly deserves to be called one of my favorite games.

5) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64)
One of the highest-rated games of all time, OoT gets praised left and right. Sometimes, there are games that are quite overrated, and don't deserve the praise. You get to play those games, finally, and you find out they're not as great as everyone says they are. Well, rest assured, OoT is not one of those games. Every bit of praise and hype you've ever heard about the game is absolutely true. The things it did for video games were revolutionary. The quest structure, the focus on story and characters, the Z-targeting system, the connection between worlds, and more have all been used, in part and in whole in hundreds of games since then. And this is for good reason. OoT is just one of those timeless wonders. It never gets old. It never gets boring. It's art-style always looks good (even if the graphics themselves don't age as well). With ever other Zelda game on this list of mine, I've always focused on a specific aspect of the game that I found better than the others. I can't do that with OoT. Do you know why? It's because every single thing in this game is the best.

The overworld is cool, and well connected. There is a balance between large spaces, and secrets to find. Along those lines, almost every temple is really fun, and clever. This isn't like Wind Waker, where you can't really remember where you've been, or what you've killed. Each dungeon is iconic. Heck, almost every room of every temple is memorable. There are some places I know like the back of my hand. The music is the best to find on the N64, and most any game ever. Then there's the characters and story. They are still so very great. Saria, and Malon, and Darunia, and Zelda, and the graveyard keeper, and everyone else involved. Even Link himself. The story is an epic tale of greatness, telling the origins of Hyrule, and showing off Ganondorf and his evil quest for power. I also enjoy every item in this game, and love how useful they are, in and out of dungeons. The Biggoron Sword is the ultimate reward, as far as I'm concerned. Love that thing. Some of my favorite places in this game include the Forest Temple, Zora's Domain, Kokiri Forest, the first Hyrule town, and Ganon's Tower. My memories of this game defy time just as much as the game's plot does. OoT is absolutely wonderful, and deserves all the praise it gets, and more.

4) Kirby Superstar Ultra (Nintendo DS)
For certain, this is not only the best Kirby game, it is also one of the best platformers on the SNES, or any game system period. I freaking love KSSU! Just love it. Someone might question how I can love such an adorable protagonist, or such a cutesy world. Then I would answer that person by putting on a red bandanna, multi-punching them by tapping B, and finishing with an up-B upper cut. This game really knows how to make an open-ended experience. I'm willing to bet that, comparing game length to replay length, I've replayed this game more than any other game I've picked for this list. Granted, this game comes in parts, and I've played some parts more than others. But nevertheless, I've worn out this game, and the game it was remade for completely. I know pretty much anything you'd want to know about this game, and I love every bit of it. The music is amazing, the gameplay is tightly perfected, and the colors and variety are plentiful. The story isn't that developed, per se, but it does exactly what it needs to do. And hey, it even has a twist here and there!

For a while, I was considering whether to put the original game from the SNES on my list, or the remake. I decided on the latter, mainly because it's better in every way, 99% of the time. The graphics are much better (making an already good looking game gorgeous), there is more content (which is great fun, and not just thrown together junk), and it makes one of my favorite games portable! What's not to like? It still has a great multiplayer as well; helpers are so much fun! What I love most about this game is the copy abilities. Most Kirby games have them, but none have ever done them as well as KSSU. You see, there are plenty of abilities to use, but they're also more developed. Each ability has multiple moves and uses. This makes them fun to find, but also fun to use.

With most other Kirby games, it's a case of one happy thing or the other, but never both. KSSU gets it right, by giving quantity and quality! I really enjoying playing with Sword, Fighter, Ice, Hammer, Suplex, Yo-Yo, Ninja, and other abilities. What I love to do is start a new game, and just play using one single ability as much as possible. Doing so lets me play the game I love in a new way, making it fun all over again. It's amazing to me how well it works. The game truly doesn't get old, no matter how many times I see the same level, or how many times I rematch King Dedede. It's just great, every single time. This is truly an awesome game, and I'd recommend it to almost anyone. Just thinking about it makes me happy.

3) Super Mario World (SNES)
Knick-knack, the plumber's back! (I'm sorry, that came out terrible.) This is one of my earliest gaming memories, and it has a metric ton of nostalgia backing it up. For many people, this may have been their first game, or their first...something. While that isn't the case for me, it certainly felt like something that important. (This might have been the first game I beat, I'm not sure.) SMW is a delightful platformer with a fantastic collection of secret paths and hidden specialties. It also has the great gameplay to back it up, and an iconic charm. Is there a story to speak of? Not really. It's basically focused on kidnapped princesses and dinosaurs. That doesn't matter, though. The gameplay speaks for itself. There's Fire Flowers, super capes, big green dinosaur friends, and rideable dolphins. You've also got secret paths, hidden levels, and the elusive star world to discover. Even the switch palaces will give you a ride for your money! (Coins?)

I have spent so many hours with this game. I found just about every secret I could. Then, I found the rest of them once I knew how to use the internet (lol). I didn't just play this game seriously, either. Sometimes, I'd just goof around, for fun. I'd grab a cape, and sail up high in the open sky. Does anyone remember just playing games for fun, and not because you're desperately trying to beat the game, get an achievement, or become a higher rank in some meaningless online scoring system? I certainly do. Now, I'm not saying that all modern games are like that, or that they can't be fun too. But It really goes to show with games like SMW how far a game can get with simple, good gameplay. Just give me a cape, a back-up fire flower, and a blue yoshi (he can fly!), and I'm ready to take on the world!

As you might recall, I've described how many Mario fans compare Super Mario World with Super Mario Bros. 3, and how they often pick Super Mario Bros. 3. Well, that's not me. And no, you can't blame that on which game I played first, because I did play SMB3 first. The reasons that I think SMW is the better game is, for one thing, secrets. They're much better designed, and they feel way more rewarding than some warping whistle, or a bouncing shoe that's in one level. I flipped out when I first discovered the Star World. What an awesome secret world! But it got even better. There was the mystical Special World! Good gravy, it was like magic! Yeah, it was friggen difficult to find that place, and even harder to beat it. But it was incredibly rewarding, especially once you came back to the regular levels, and saw such a crazy change in the enemies. On a different note, I simply like the Cape better than SMB3's leaf. Hmm, would I rather be a super hero (like Superman with a cape), or flying as an animal that can't even fly in real life? No brainer. Yep, this game seems better to me than SMB3 in every way. Better secrets, Yoshi, much better music (Bowser's castle music especially), and much more make this game the best Mario game I've ever played.

2) Sonic 3 & Knuckles (Sega Genesis)
A god among platformers. A game with a fantastic sense of speed. The single-best reason to own a Sega Genesis. Sonic the Hedgehog's finest gaming performance. One of the best gaming soundtracks I've ever heard. A nostalgic example of blissful memories. A pioneer of simultaneous co-op platforming. A game with the best secret reward ever created. A yearly tradition.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is all of these things, and more.

What an unbelievable game this is. S3&K means a lot to me. And when I refer to it, I mean the whole experience. I'm not talking about Sonic 3. I'm not talking about Sonic & Knuckles: I'm talking about the real game. The fully-realized sequel to Sonic 2. If you're familiar with Sonic's history, then you might know about this game's back-story. During a time when episodic gaming was unheard of, a game was created that was too large for a Sega Genesis game-cart. That game, obviously, was S3&K. What was Sega's solution? Split the game into two, and capitalize on revolutionary gaming technology. This tech was called Lock-On technology, and it was so freaking cool! How this worked, was taking the Sonic 3 game, and the Sonic & Knuckles game, and literally putting both games together, one on top of the other. S&K had a special slot on the top, which allowed for the insertion of Sonic 3 (or the other two Sonic games, providing separate bonuses). But just the concept alone was so awesome to me. I imagined it like a Power Ranger, combining together to form an unstoppable force, defeating any competition that stood in its way. Corny? Maybe, but it rocked my socks, back in the day. You just have to play the game this way. If you play one part or the other, it just doesn't feel right.

Once you've got everything together, this game is fantastic. It's got 3 playable characters, each of which plays mostly the same, but features special in-game bonuses. Sonic gets to make use of 3 shield power-ups, and their special abilities. Tails can't use them for anything besides protection. To compensate, he can fly, finding special secrets and hidden routes. Knuckles, meanwhile, is slightly handicapped with lower jump height, in order to offset his awesome abilities. One was to glide in the air, another was to climb up almost any wall, and the final was to break special walls with his...knuckles...and find new parts of levels that Sonic and Tails had never seen before. So you take these awesome characters, and put them in these sweet levels. They were all so great. My absolute favorites would include Angel Island, Ice Cap, Flying Battery, Lava Reef, and the unforgettable Death Egg zone. That last one was set in space, with the earth as a background! How cool! The last thing I'll reference is the Chaos/Super Emeralds. Not only do they give you awesome, game-breaking powers: Sonic gets an extra level flying in space, like a crazy rocket! It was awesome! It's still awesome. The whole game. It's just great. A great game. I will love it always. Kind of like...

1) Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
The final game on my list is something special. Yeah, I know, I said the same thing about all the other games on my list. But this one is especially...special. It is near and dear to my heart. Nothing is perfect, that might be true. However, when it comes to games, DKC2 comes this close to perfection. I can't really think of anything really wrong with it. I'd probably have to pick something worthless like...menus, or something. I really do love everything about this game. No, really, everything. Think of something that describes a game, and I love it. Characters? Yep. Levels? Oh yeah. Music? The best ever, bar none. Secrets? Especially awesome. Multiplayer? Great. Yeah, like I said...everything.

This is the absolute creme-de-la-creme of gaming. It is completely nostalgic, and at the same time, perfectly aged and continually fun. What helps this so much is the level design. It is friggen top-notch! The absolute best. Every single level feels a little different from the last one, and is always fun. Some have gimmicks, some don't. It doesn't matter. Because they're always different, the game never gets old. You will always find some new kind of challenge waiting in each level that you never experienced before. It's that kind of challenge that is supremely compelling. You just can't wait to see what the next level holds in store for you. One thing's for sure: each one will look and play great. Every stage flows together. Nothing really feels clunky, or out of place. Meanwhile the ambiance and atmosphere is flawless. While this was a game made primarily for kids, the art wasn't made cutesy, or overly colorful. The game has a somewhat dark look to it, but it's offset by the goofy characters. Then you have the music. The mind-blowing music. Quite honestly, it's beautiful. Yes, it's true. It almost has the power to move me, in ways I can't describe. It's not just nostalgia, or simple happiness. It's something more than that. So you take the music, the levels, and the atmosphere, and it all works together for a game that takes itself seriously, but not too much so.

When you take the above into account, you also have to remember the gameplay. The tight, enjoyable, frenzied, flowing, compelling, splendid gameplay. It just hits this mysterious gaming nirvana pleasure center in my brain. You have 2 playable characters, one that's fast, and one that can glide. You can toss each other to greater heights. That's not bad, by itself. But it's all supported by so many other great things. You've got the animal friends, like the awesome rhino, Rambi, the cool swordfish, Enguard, the sweet egg-spitting parrot, Squawks, and the friendly neighborhood spider, Spitter. They can all help you reach the many secrets in this game. Oh, that's right: secrets. This game has loads of them, and they're so well-designed, I can't think of any better secrets ever made for a game. Bonus barrels and DK Coins, so cool! These secrets are so great because they're not quite impossible to find, like how some games do it. You kind of know where they are before you find them. The developers almost lead you to them. But it's still up to you to figure them out, and collect them all. That's how you do it, my friends. It's simply genius, I tell you! The entire game is an amazing example of game design, for every reason conceivable. As far as games go, Donkey Kong Country 2 means everything to me. I will treasure it always, staying content with happy memories.
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And that, my good readers, is My top 50 favorite video games of ALL TIME!!! I really hoped you enjoyed reading it, just as much as I enjoyed writing it, and remembering these awesome games. Tell me what you think. Did I miss any games? Is there something about a certain game I forgot to mention? Do you have your own list? Let me know. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later.