ALL TIME TOP TEN!!! (Of what I can remember, anyway)
To avoid a list of mostly the same franchises, I only allowed my self one (maybe 2) per franchise.
10. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2006
I am a big wrestling fan. I have pretty much all of the WWF/WWE games out there, and while I probably like playing Wrestlemania 2000 better, when playing these games I prefer to create my own character and play through a story mode. I never use the existing roster. So in SvR 2006, this has a HUGE story mode spanning both shows and great voice acting, even for your own character. And decisions made effect the outcome of the story. Wins, losses, etc. Every game after this has had a slowly dwindling story mode for CAWs, so this was the last great create a wrestler game.
9. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Wow. This game (along w/ Halo 2) is what compelled me to buy an Xbox. I have always been a Star Wars fan, and this game was so involved with the SW Universe that I really felt pulled in. It's story was also compelling. While this is a little long for me to pick up and play, once every few years I sit down and relive the adventure, altering my gameplay from the last time played (Jedi, Sith, etc) to get a different outcome.
8. Silent Hill 2
It was hard for me to put 2 over 1, however I think everything that the first game set up, 2 improved upon. I also like how it was its own unique story. It didn't delve into some of the deeper cult/religious aspects of the first game, and instead became its own separate entity. While not as scary as the first IMO, it was far more twisted. The monsters represented a perverse, twisted take on a man's mentality, and it introduced the ever awesome Pyramid Head
7. A Link to the Past
What can I say about this game? Even when I didn't have a Super NES I always made time to play this at a friend's house. While the first two Zelda games made me fall in love with the series, this game solidified it as my favorite game series. Because of THIS game, I would go on to play and collect every edition of every game in this series I could get my hands on. Link became my favorite hero, and Ganon my favorite villain. This game made me seek out and rewatch all of the Super Mario Bros Super Show Legend of Zelda episodes...which in 1992/1993 was not an easy thing to do!
6. Halo 3
I knew I wanted a Halo game on here, but I had trouble deciding which. Halo 2 is probably my favorite single player campaign in the series, but 3 did what I swore I would never do...convinced me to pay for Xbox Live. This multiplayer was freaking amazing. I am not a multiplayer gamer. I prefer the campaign and almost never go online...accept for Halo. It should be noted that the game that first made me consider it was F.E.A.R. I had a week trial card, and really got into F.E.A.R.'s MP. Halo 3 came out about a month after I played F.E.A.R. and it was H3 that helped me make a full transition from campaign to multiplayer.
5. Mega Man 3
I am often conflicted about whether I prefer Mega Man 2 or Mega Man 3. 2 was the first I played, but 3 was the first I beat. WHen given the option in 1991 to get one for my birthday, I also opted for 3, not getting 2 until a few years later. I think it comes down to gameplay. I like the music and robot masters in 2 much better, but 3 is just a much smoother ride. The controls, the sliding, everything just feels better. Also, the addition of Protoman and having to face all of the robot masters from 2 in the form of the X-O robots was really awesome.
4. Final Fantasy VII
This is the game that returned me to RPG love. I didn't have a Super NES yet, so games like FF2, FF3, Chrono Trigger, etc had passed me by. I had played them a bit, but my main exposure to RPGs was the original Final Fantasy, the Dragon Warrior series, and the Shining Force series on the Genesis. I gave this game a shot on a whim rental in October 1997, and I was floored. I had no memory card (and no money to buy one) so I played this game over and over and over, getting a little further each time before eventually dying and having to start back at the beginning. For the time the graphics and gameplay were epic and the story hooked me deep. It took me almost a year before I was able to buiy my own copy, a memory card and finally
beat it, but it was time well spent.
3. Ocarina of Time
I really didn't want two games of the same series...but I couldn't help it.
While I don't think this is the best entry in the series, Ocarina of time came out at the right time for me. I was in 10th grade, and the last major Zelda game was in 1991 (not counting Link's Awakening) so this game was huge for me. This game was the reason I bought an N64. Along with Goldeneye, I must have spent the next 3 or 4 months playing this non stop. It was my goal in life to find every heart piece, every secret, every chest without a guide.
2. Resident Evil
While a lot of people have 2 or 4 as their favorite entry in the series, this original survival horror game is what solidified the Playstation as my new favorite system (at the time). I loved the story, as simple as it was, and Wesker was by far my favorite villain for years to come. This game was such a struggle for me because I didn't have a memory card at the time...meaning you die once and it was game over. Thanksgiving Day, 1997, is when i finally beat this - no memory card, no cheats, just straight up victory. I later found out that there was a way to bypass a boulder, something that often killed me with instant death every time I played.
1. Mass Effect.
Never have I ever had the "true experience" like I had with the original Mass Effect. In November 2007 i was totally blown away by this game. I remember doing every single side quest, BEFORE the main missions of the game because I just didn't want the story to end and tried to prolong it as long as possible. While the sequels have been technically superior, nothing has ever replicated the experience and joy I had playing this first game in the series. It even eclipsed the Zelda franchise as my favorite series of all time, a record held for almost 20 years.
