My Top 10 Favorite Video Games

This is my favorite video game of all time, and personally speaking it doesn't even come close. It's one of the best platformers ever made, and one of the perfect sequels to any game. DKC2 built upon a strong foundation crafted by the first entry by making the gameplay more dynamic and the characters/stages more visually compelling. Simply put, the atmosphere created by this game is second-to-none, aided by one of the best scores composed for a game ever. DKC2 also ingeniously implements multiple endings for the game, placing in-stage collectable items (which require a bit of creativity to sniff out) that build up to the game's "true" ending. Simply put, DKC2 is top to bottom one of the most well-thought out video games ever created.

This is my favorite Mario game ever, and came very close to nailing the top spot on my list. Super Mario World follows in the tradition of gaming's greatest franchise by maintaining the familiar concepts that were introduced in Mario's first game, while building upon the template with a host of new aesthetics and collectibles. The design and colors in this game are simply incredible, the levels are creative and challenging, with several levels featuring hidden exists that unlock other levels and areas. But two memorable aspects stand out the most: the cape, which introduces controlled flight into the series, and Yoshi, who has become as iconic a Nintendo character as any other. What makes Super Mario World so great is how so many simple aspects come together to create a vibrant, fluid, entertaining experience that stays with you long after its over. Very few games can scratch the level of fun this game is able to create.

Just when you thought the zombie apocalypse had run its course, Last of Us breathes new life into this concept for one reason and one reason only: it understands that zombies are not the threat. Like all the great zombie stories before it, The Last of Us understands that zombies are merely a circumstance of an epidemic, they are things that are what they are and can't reason for themselves. It's therefore the human element that not only helps us to stay grounded, but reminds us the human are potentially the most dangerous things on this planet; to the planet, to each other, and to themselves. I could talk about the amazing graphics or the (much appreciated) emphasis on stealth and survival, but this is a game that makes it this high on the list based on the quality of its narrative and the potency of its drama. There really are no other games like this one walking around.

Would it be too much to say that I think Minecraft is a masterpiece? For a game that has very little built in goals, if any, that might be a surprise, but to me this is a game that is driven purely by the creative impulse. You can build anything, functional or otherwise, with an endless supply of materials at your disposal (given that you find and craft them). You can explore and venture anywhere you wish to, hoping to accomplish the goals you've laid down for yourself (and not what the game imposes on you). Holding this all together this an endearing visual style that's simplistic and familiar friend in look and feel, but can turn dark and frightening when you least suspect it. No wonder gamers find themselves getting lost in this game for hours at a time....Minecraft isn't a game that doesn't demand you complete a strict list of tasks in order to beat the game. Minecraft is fueled by the creativity and imagination of its users, and as a result it's a game that can stretch as far as that imagination and creativity will take them. It's as user driven/user friendly a game as there ever will be.

This is my favorite 3D platformer of all time, more so than Super Mario 64 because it not only builds on what Mario 64 started, but it's significantly more challenging in almost every aspect. It's plot is fairy tale-esque, it's characters quirky and self-aware, it's colors beautiful and its level design full of character and creativity. Like most games, Banjo-Kazooie offers up a lot collectables in each level, but what makes it so different is that you actually need to collect virtually everything you see in order to progress through the game. Whether it's collecting jiggys, notes or mumbo tokens, or secret hidden rooms that activate switches and open doors on the other side of maps, this is a game that's as challenging and unforgiving as it is funny and endearing.

It's another entry from the male answer to Tomb Raider, but what an entry it is. Aside from the fact that it's a beautifully rendered game, what Uncharted 3 is is arguably the best action spectacle to ever be put in a video game. It's literally every disaster movie rolled into one, with set pieces that range from the desert to planes to ships and back again. It's a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish, and while I could take or leave the story, I can't ignore the level of excitement I enjoyed wile playing this game. It's insurmountable fun.

This might be the most beautiful game ever developed, and in an age where games have become excessively bloated with plot and side quests, it's nice to come back to a game like this that functions in the exact opposite direction. There are no side quests, no items to collect or secret passages to discover, all the game is is what the plot offers to you: destroy the Colossi in hopes of resurrecting a sacrificed girl. It's simple in plot and direction, but in every sense it's a pure interactive fair tale like no other.

The best multiplayer game of its generation, and the best adaptation of the James Bond character. GoldenEye literally forces you to become James Bond as you surge your way through interactive levels based on settings from the movie, with an array of weapons and objectives at your disposal. The game not only incorporates varying difficulty levels to test your skills out on, but time trial settings that encourage gamers to complete all objects under a certain time limit in order to unlock various cheats to use in the game's famed multiple mode. The game tests your skills as a Double-0 Agent, but it's also one of the most entertaining experiences when you have three other friends hooked up and ready to play, as well.

Another creative platformer and the best entry in the initial trilogy PlayStation set up for their mascot, Crash Bandicoot 3 produced a game full of creative, thematic level design that seemed like it was always thinking about which setting to place you in next. Its time period concept aside, this is a game that takes you from simple platforming concepts into other creative arenas. This includes outrunning dinosaurs, riding polar bears and motorcycles, flying in airplanes, swimming in the ocean depths. The types of settings the game employed kept the tasks fresh and fun (which mainly consisted of collecting crystals), but the gems (for breaking every box in a level) and time trial relics only added another layer of detail and speed to a game that was every bit of fun without it.

This is an entry that is fueled primarily by nostalgia for me. I remember when this game came out and going to the store and seeing line-ups of people at the game kiosk waiting for their turn. It was a revelation of a game, and in a lot of ways it still handles very well. It introduced Mario's athletic jumping ability into the series, as well as new power ups in the Wing Cap, not to mention star as a collectable item and the game being Mario's first venture into the 3D arena. That said, there are some things about this game that don't hold strong for me Not only is the game too easy to beat, but the level design left a lot to be desired. In a lot of ways it doesn't hold up too strong, but I just can't forget the feeling of playing this game for the first time as a kid. It was an unreal experience, and the fact that the game is continuously referenced and played to this day is evidence of that.