Top 30: Games#(20-16)

20) Sonic Generations (Xbox 360)
Sonic the Hedgehog...Has there ever been a fall from grace so famous? So harsh? So difficult to forget? Maybe. But you'll have a hard time coming up with another example. This little blue guy used to be the biggest icon, not just in gaming, but in general. He had commercials. TV shows. A slew of popular and profitable Genesis games. He even gained a reputation that was bigger then Mickey Mouse himself (go look it up, it's true). But just like the fall of Rome, Sonic tripped up. Sega released a slew of games that brought Sonic lower and lower. The descent wasn't over until Sonic was placed in what most people recognize as one of the worst games ever made. Talk about rock bottom, right? How could he come back from that? Will he ever? I can't answer that for everyone. As for myself? I say Sonic has fully redeemed himself. He's loop-de-looped over his past and sped on through!

He did that thanks to Sonic Generations. This game proved that Sega still cared about their little blue mascot. And they knew how to do justice to his 20 year legacy. The game focused on Sonic. 2 Sonics, to be exact. The classic Sonic we all know and love, and the modern Sonic who is the face of the franchise today. Using the game as a time-travel vehicle, we were taken through Sonic's entire history. There were levels dedicated to his glory days in the Green Hill Zone. Levels showing off his unusual twists and turns in games like Sonic Colors. Sega even made sure to look back at his worst moments by putting 2 game segments in settings of Sonic '06. And Sega made it all better. The good places were still good, and the bad places were changed into something better. Classic Sonic framed these levels through a nostalgic lens, and brought gameplay that we hadn't seen since the beginning. Modern Sonic threw everything into high gear, and maintained Sonic's name as the fastest thing alive. It was a well-made game. It was a worthy offering to the monster known as the Sonic fanbase. It was everything it should have been, and more. Sonic may not be out of the woods yet, but he's rolling around them at the speed of sound.

19) [Prototype] (Xbox 360)
Prototype isn't the most beautiful game on the Xbox 360. It isn't the longest. It isn't the best, nor the worst. It doesn't have the best story (far from it). The characters could be better then they turned out. Even the gameplay suffered from several flaws. Yet this game made it on my list. Why is that? Because it is the best super-powered open-ended game I've ever played. There are few games that allow you so much freedom, and so much supremacy at the same time. Alex Mercer, the main character, is an all-powerful force of nature. And once you've played enough of the game, you're allowed to unleash every aspect of that power. It's a regular power-fantasy on steroids! Who doesn't enjoy something that cathartic? People looking for a deeper experience, perhaps? There are other games that provide that. I'll respect Prototype for letting me become the ultimate biological weapon, and all the fun and chaos that brings. It is simple, demented fun. You get to karate-kick a helicopter out of the sky. What the heck else do you want?!

18) Portal 2 (Xbox 360)
There are those who say that Portal 2 is inferior to the first Portal. They say it went on too long, the puzzles weren't as good, or that the jokes weren't as funny. Other people say the first Portal isn't much of a game at all, compared to Portal 2. They claim that the first game is more of a demo, then anything. You know what I think?

Portal 2 is fantastic. The comedic timing and sense of whimsy are constantly maintained. New characters like Wheatley and Cave Johnson are some of the best examples of character writing from any videogame, ever. The story is a believable expansion on the world that Portal 1 set up. It has splendid events that unfold nicely, and plot twists that keep the player guessing, laughing, and maybe even crying. Even taking the cynics into account, I can't imagine that many people would hate on the co-op play. That is simply genius, and an absolutely perfect fit for a game like Portal. This game expanded in every way expected, and in unexpected ways as well. As far as I'm concerned, Valve can do no wrong when it comes to game development. And this game continues to demonstrate that.
What happens when I compare both games? I say Portal 1 and 2 are both great in different ways. Portal 2 is really, really amazing.

17) Plants vs. Zombies (Xbox 360)
The only example of a tower defense game you'll ever see on my list, Plants vs. Zombies is quite enjoyable. It's easy to pick up, but offers dozens of hours in content and strategy. After you learn the in-and-outs of the game, there is nothing better then heading over to endless mode. Choose your plant protectors, then dig in to fight the zombie invasion! By the time you've set up your frozen watermelon catapults, pumpkin-protected Wallnuts, and your corncob cannons, almost nothing can stop you. Not even the Gargantuar. Despite the minigames included with the main game, I can't say this game is the biggest, most engrossing experience you'll find in gaming. It isn't the most memorable, and it doesn't do anything revolutionary. But that doesn't matter. Plants vs. Zombies has earned its place in the sun, on my list.

16) Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360)
Like a lot of gamers from the early 90s, I've got good memories of the original Mortal Kombat. I couldn't really play them, myself, but I enjoyed watching them. After the first 2 games, this franchise mostly passed me by. I hadn't really heard about it, or payed attention to the few tidbits that came my way. I'm not sure why. But it didn't really matter, seeing as the franchise took a gigantic nose-dive in quality after the original trilogy. I got my feet wet with the ridiculous Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. But that was a small sign of what was to come.

Mortal Kombat, AKA MK9, is the best fighting game I've played in generation 7. I understand there is a certain stigma that comes along with that. “Oh, you don't really play fighting games. MK doesn't count. You have no skills. Bla bla elitism bla bla joy kill” Yeah, whatever guys. This game is just more fun. Deal with it! The character selection is stocked up well. And not with junk, most of the time. Many of the characters have their own pros and cons, and are all powerful in their own ways. Where other fighting games failed to provide an interesting story to accompany their fighting (which is something I am very disappointed about with Soul Calibur 4 and 5), MK provided. It's like a B movie you can play! The game comes with everything else games should have, as well. It's got plenty of different modes, online play, secrets, cheat codes, and a butt-load of unlockables. It gets everything right, and is a blast to play. I would question the controls, but I'm not sure if it's the game's fault I didn't complete that uppercut, or my own faults. (It's probably the game.) There's also the fact that every woman in this game is a puffed-up barbie doll in skimpy clothes. But besides those bust-ups, Mortal Kombat still earns a flawless Victory.