Top 50 Games
A lot of people say that games are the medium for those with low attention spans, but that is an unfair statement. A film is easy to sit through and ignore, but games require constant attention and because of that, this list contains a lot of entries I've simply given up on. With that in mind here is my disclaimer...
1. I give up on a lot of games
2. I am very bad at games
3. I generally stick to single player story driven action adventures.
4. This is the most subjective list I've written so far, full of nostalgic favourites
5. 1 entry per series. This freed up a lot of room and saves me repeating myself.
So with that all out the way I've tried to keep the commentary funny and easy to read, if you've got any suggestions or problems, send me a message or leave a comment.
Big work in progress, I usually write up about 3 a week, so keep checking back if you're desperate to hear what I think of punch-out or whatever.
1. I give up on a lot of games
2. I am very bad at games
3. I generally stick to single player story driven action adventures.
4. This is the most subjective list I've written so far, full of nostalgic favourites
5. 1 entry per series. This freed up a lot of room and saves me repeating myself.
So with that all out the way I've tried to keep the commentary funny and easy to read, if you've got any suggestions or problems, send me a message or leave a comment.
Big work in progress, I usually write up about 3 a week, so keep checking back if you're desperate to hear what I think of punch-out or whatever.
List activity
154 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
50 titles
- DirectorDavid SpeyrerStarsRobert GuillaumeRobert CulpLouis Gossett Jr.Dr. Freeman is taken out of stasis by his "employer" to help rid the planet of invading aliens forces known as the Combine that entered through the portals he helped create.Half Life 2 is so staggeringly good it makes playing anything else exceptionally difficult. Even if a game is great or even perfect in a particular field it will still fall down in a place where Half Life 2 excelled.
It holds all the positive aspects of a modern triple A game such as the graphics, story and depth, but it also came out the right side of cod4, so you can carry ten weapons, jump all over the place like a madman and although the game is linear it still has a load of optional bits to discover and explore.
Valve's current focus on multiplayer seems misguided because they've clearly got some great writers and they weave a narrative that is both simple on the surface, but complex when the surface is scratched. I've encouraged everyone I know to play it, because it both sets the groundwork for everything else while pummelling everything else into the dirt. - StarsYoung MaylayFaizon LoveYolanda 'Yo-Yo' WhittakerCarl "CJ" Johnson, a member of the Grove Street street gang, comes home after a family tragedy to find it overtaken by crime and corruption, which he must take back before things become worse.Of all the Grand Theft Autos, I've sunk the most time into San Andreas. I like the sequels very much, but they are a classic example of why shiny HD graphics often mean drawing back on insane scale. GTA: SA has 3 cities to explore, along with a huge amount of desert and country side. The vehicle selection is HUGE; Sports cars, Jets, Golf Buggies, Bikes, Go-Karts, the list goes on. Not to mention the extraordinarily long time it takes to complete even it's core story. It is just PURE ambition and I still prefer messing about in it over GTA 5.
- DirectorFumito UedaStarsKenji NojimaKazuhiro NakataKyôko HikamiA young man brings a deceased woman to a forbidden land inhabited by colossal beings said to house the power to revive the dead.Shadow of the Colossus is always used as a Games are Art argument. However anyone who says Games are Art should shut the *beep* up. Games are games and to compare them to something else, some other guy has deemed a worthy medium does them a disservice.
I do believe that the name 'Game' does bring to mind the wrong connotations. It brings to mind playgrounds and thoughts of various board games. Calling this list interactive Story telling experiences does seem mind bogglingly pretentious however, so I dunno. Maybe we need a new word I guess we're stuck with it now. Anyway where was I... Shadow of the Colossus.
Like Half Life 2 this was made just before the Indie Market shook story telling up, so what we have here is a rich in-grossing and moving story but one that was backed up by some incredible, original and ground breaking game play.
You play as a young boy who is tasked with the murder of 16 mysterious and gigantic creatures. In return a banished god will return his deceased lover to life. You have simply not played games until you have played this. It is superb in every way. - DirectorNeil DruckmannBruce StraleyStarsTroy BakerAshley JohnsonHana HayesIn a hostile, post-pandemic world, Joel and Ellie, brought together by desperate circumstances, must rely on each other to survive a brutal journey across what remains of the United States.Zombies and their constant reinvention is by this point so groan worthy that actually calling them zombies rather than a pseudonym is seen as somehow post modern and innovative, well it was when Shaun of the Dead did that gag ELEVEN YEARS AGO.
Anyway here comes The Last of Us,exploring a post apocalypse which comes about after the 'infected' start causing havoc, oh and there's also a resistance group fighting against a nasty regime, just in case the zombie bit was too innovative.
The reason this premise works however is because the writers are as embarrassed about it as they should be and it simply provides a backdrop to quite a rich character study. It also works because it is coming from Naughty dog, the absolute KINGS of ripping stuff off and doing it better. (See Crash Bandicoot/Uncharted) The story still makes me emotional thinking about it now and it's pretty hard to elicit that kind of reaction from someone as cynical as I, so kudos. - DirectorAmy HennigJustin RichmondStarsNolan NorthRichard McGonagleEmily RoseTreasure hunter Nathan Drake embarks on a quest in search of the Atlantis of the Sands while battling an ancient, sinister organization.Uncharted 2 was already pretty much perfection, so to improve on that standard is a massive achievement. The overarching story is a bit of a mess, but it has some great little character moments throughout. What we're really here for are the HUGE set pieces. This time round we're jumping out of a plane with no parachute, scrambling from a sinking cruise liner and escaping from a burning mansion. Even without the Co-op mode and on-line multi player this would be insane value for money.
- DirectorShinji MikamiKuniomi MatsushitaStarsPaul MercierCarolyn LawrenceRino RomanoSix years after the events in Raccoon City, Leon Kennedy, now a federal agent, is sent to a rural part of Spain to rescue the U.S. President's kidnapped daughter, Ashley Graham from a sinister cult.I remember playing Resident Evil 4 for the first time and realising that it was just so much better than anything else I was playing. What a hell of a campaign, emphasis on hell. As well as some hugely memorable boss battles including Ogres, a sea serpent and evil exploded demon Napoleon (don't ask) it's minute to minute game play is an exhilarating mix of lateral thinking and extreme violence.
- DirectorCory BarlogStarsLinda HuntTerrence 'T.C.' CarsonMichael Clarke DuncanAfter being betrayed by the gods of Olympus and annulled of his divine powers, Kratos must embark on a journey to meet the Sisters of Fate and take his revenge on Olympus.Opening unforgettably by fighting a giant colossus statue, God of War incredibly manages to keep up the insane pace it sets itself. Primarily a revenge tale, our protagonist Kratos slaughters his way through thousands on his quest to kill Zeus. Looking back on it now what really sticks in my memory is the scale of the game. Pushing the PS2 too it's limits, it rendered huge landscapes, titans and gods. A myth in it's own right.
- DirectorHideo KojimaStarsDavid HayterSuzetta MiñetJim PiddockIn 1964, a U.S. government operative codenamed "Snake" must infiltrate mountainous Soviet territory to rescue a scientist building a weapon of terrible power.I love Metal Gear Solid, but it is somewhat of an acquired taste. An absolutely bonkers plot, long cut scenes and a unique, initially alienating game play style would put many off from the outset. If you get past this however you'll find some of the best games ever made. 1,2 and 4 are all classics in their own right, but Snake Eater, the prequel game, was the one that's always stuck with me. Set in the 1970's, it sidesteps having to build off 2's mental ending and can generally tell a straight forward (in MGS terms) story. The boss battles are each designed to be unique and the sniper stand off with a character called the end is just one of this games many highlights.
- DirectorFumito UedaStarsKazuhiro ShindouRieko TakahashiMisa WatanabeOn a distant island, there is a legend that anyone born with horns will bring about calamity. When such a boy is locked away in a fortress, he must work together with a girl named Yorda to flee before they can be claimed by the spirits.You play as a little boy, your weapon for most of the game is a stick and you spend nearly the whole time escorting around an air-headed teenage girl. Ico does indeed sound like the worst game ever but if you give it's minimalist approach a go, you'll find it deeply engrossing. The lack of fat means that the game is focused like no other and it paved the way for the arty indie games that followed. the Stark 'Journey' owes it a huge debt.
- DirectorAndrew S. GavinJason RubinStarsMax CasellaWarren BurtonDee SniderJak tries to help his friend Daxter after he transforms into a hybrid of an otter and a weasel. With the help of a Sage, the pair learn that they must save their world from the antagonists Gol and Maia, who plan to flood it with Dark Eco.When the makers of Crash Bandicoot decided to harness the PS2's open world possibilities they created my favourite platformer ever. Jak and Daxter is set in a world of sages and demons and it all looks like a Saturday morning cartoon. It's deep world and lore had you exploring Mountains, caves, volcanoes, jungles, beaches, swamps, underwater cities and citadels. All on the same MASSIVE open world map. It is basically an open world Crash Bandicoot (Jak shares his double jump, spin and punching attacks to the button.) and that is not a bad thing. It is platforming perfection and it is one of the few games I have 100% completed.
- StarsJames Arnold TaylorDavid KayeJim WardAfter saving the galaxy two years ago, Ratchet and Clank are recruited by the director of antother great enterprise, called Megacorp, in order to recuperate a robbed experiment in a far away galaxy.Built on the engine of Jak and Daxter, the original Ratchet and Clank was an attempt to bring heavy firepower to the Jak formula. The first game is an interesting one, but it wasn't until the sequel that Insomniac made a masterpiece. We follow Ratchet, the last Lombax (sort of a giant fox) and his side-kick Clank as they explore different planets to try and track down a stolen experiment. This game's combat plays a bit like Tomb Raider on steroids. So we have the standard machine guns and shotguns, but then we also have a gun that turns people into sheep or a gun that shoots lava etc, etc. I have played this game and all it's sequels to death. I think I could probably do the whole script from memory. I was that obsessed.
- In a violent future, a professional warrior takes part in a legal public gladiatorial tournament where leagues of professional warriors battle to the death.Arena shooters seem to be making a bit of a niche comeback now with games like Blue Streak and Toxikk, but back in 1999 they reined supreme! For those too young to remember the genre, it's like if call of duty was ten times faster and you were allowed to carry eleven weapons and one of those weapons was a guided nuclear missile. It was WAY better back then.
- StarsShelley BlondNathan McCreeLara Croft, archaeologist and daughter to a rich aristocratic English family ventures across the world in search of three mysterious artifacts known as Scions. During her journey, she stumbles across the lost continent of Atlantis.Tomb Raider is a game I returned to with eyes glazed with nostalgia. I do this every few years with various things I liked as a tween, Linkin Park, being another prime example, before remembering that my 12 year old self wasn't actually that bright.
That's not to say Tomb Raider is bad. It's just aged pretty badly, early 90's 3D makes Lara look like she's been carved out of wood and she always tends to be trying to merge with the scenery. Environments aren't much better, in the back of your head, you're always vaguely aware that the whole game seems to be built on a grid, (every block the same size, etc). So aesthetically it's crap, but how does it play?
Moderately badly now you mention it. To be fair Lara does control extremely well for running around, making huge leaps, somersaulting and shooting. It's when the game gets into the second act and the fiddly jumps come in that the controls become a problem. If you, like me, played Tomb Raider back before the iPod was invented then you probably remember with fondness the screaming masogynistic curses you would yell at Lara as she dived into a spike pit instead of the desired ledge. It is not actually that fun reliving said experience.
My final gripe is actually hard to describe. (some background) I got all the old Tomb Raiders in a steam sale and binged on them over a weekend off, (this is the best of the lot) and I started to get this nagging feeling. The same feeling I got while playing too much Diablo 2: 'it's all the same.' you are doing the same thing over and over. Theres not much game here really, just a series of levers you have to pull in the correct order. That combined with the ugliness and the frustration drove the final nail into the nostalgia coffin.
Having said all that, it's still a great game and definately worth £4.99. The reason for this is similar to the reason I like similarly hideous game 'Deus Ex'. Because it's ugly as sh*t the designers could make pretty much whatever they wanted. The game is loooooooong, the variety is fantastic and the different locales are great. the game is packed with highlight set pieces, like the T-rex attack, the colosseum fight, the Sphinx, a statue turning Lara into gold, Atlantis city and a certain (very vertical) level in which you must pass the challenges of the gods. That's the reason I kept coming back to the shoddier sequels. For that sense of adventure I shared with a woman with an extremely impractical set of mammary glands. - DirectorKen LevineStarsTroy BakerCourtnee DraperKiff VandenHeuvelA man is sent to the flying city of Columbia to find a missing girl. However, upon arrival he discovers that the city, its people, and his objective are all not what they seem.In my opinion the best first Person shooter campaign since Half Life 2.
- DirectorAgnes LarssonStarsPierre CoffinKatie CrownCW21Welcome to the world of Minecraft where you can build, brew potions, enchant your armor and tools and adventure other biomes. Visit the Nether, or even defeat the Ender Dragon in the End.
- DirectorDavid DoakStephen EllisStarsHeidi AndrewsJune AndrewsKevin BullockIn 2401, humanity is at war with relentless aliens, TimeSplitters. Space marines Cortez and Hart travel through time to stop the aliens in various spots, including Wild West, zombie-infested Gothic church and Blade Runner-esque future.
- DirectorKosuke YabukiStarsTomo AdachiNate BihldorffDavid CookeMario and the rest race against each other for the gold cup again. Underwater and air gliding returns. Mario Kart 8 introduces zero gravity, and has a total of 48 race tracks.
- DirectorTodd HowardStarsMax von SydowChristopher PlummerJoan AllenAfter escaping execution, the last living Dragonborn must grow in strength and power to defeat the dragons that have once again begun to plague the land of Skyrim.
- StarsEllen McLainStephen MerchantJ.K. SimmonsMany years after "Portal," Chell reawakens at Aperture Science and tries to stop GLaDOS once again with the help of Wheatley, who has his own plans for the historical facility.
- DirectorWarren SpectorStarsJay Anthony FrankeBrent AndersonRalph BarbagalloIn a dark cyberpunk future where poverty, disease, oppression and terrorism are widespread, J.C. Denton, a new cybernetically-enhanced special agent, finds evidence of a massive conspiracy when his brother, also an agent, goes rogue.
- The third installment in the Burnout series, introducing 'Takedowns', which allows players to slam their opponents until they crash. Each game variant is featured in a single-player campaign mode called World Tour.
- DirectorAkihiro HinoStarsRicky GroverEmma OwenBlake RitsonThe game begins with the court jester of the kingdom of Trodain, Dhoulmagus, stealing an ancient scepter and casting a spell on Trodain castle.
- DirectorKeita TakahashiStarsJulia YermakovRyan DreesTowa McCauleyPlaying as the royal son of the Prince of All Cosmos, you are sent to Earth with orders to roll its contents into several oddly-shaped balls to be used as replacements for the missing stars and constellations in the sky.
- StarsRob WiethoffJosh BlaylockSophia MarzocchiA former outlaw is forced by the federal government to hunt down the members of his old gang.
- StarsTony HawkSteve CaballeroKareem CampbellPlay as a professional skater or create your own and skate around different maps. From foundries to airports, all you need to do is complete your goals.
- DirectorKensuke TanabeMario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad enter a mysterious door to save the people of Sub-Con from the evil frog Wart and his minions.
- DirectorHidetaka MiyazakiStarsAdam SoppAndy GathergoodBlake RitsonAfter narrowly escaping a doomed fate in an asylum, an undead warrior fights his way through the desolate remains of Lordran, once a sprawling utopia lead by the gods, to seek his purpose and fulfill a centuries old prophecy.
- DirectorJenova ChenA robed figure in a desolate world undertakes a journey towards a distant, glowing mountain.
- DirectorEiji AonumaYoichi YamadaYoshiaki KoizumiStarsNobuyuki HiyamaFujiko TakimotoJun MizusawaA young Kokiri boy discovers that his destiny is to free the Seven Sages and save the land of Hyrule from the treacherous sorcerer Ganondorf.
- DirectorDavid CageStarsPascal LangdaleJacqui AinsleyJudi BeecherAs a child goes missing, his father tirelessly works to rescue him, while a journalist, an FBI agent, and a private detective try to identify his kidnapper known only as the "Origami Killer".
- DirectorDavid CageStarsDavid GasmanPaul BandeySharon MannA man is forced to go on the run after he unwillingly becomes involved in a series of supernatural crimes that have haunted New York City.
- Sequel to RollerCoaster Tycoon, introducing a more robust system for building structures, greater flexibility by allowing pieces of scenery, rides, and other structures to be placed at varying heights above and below ground.
- DirectorTodd HowardStarsLiam NeesonMalcolm McDowellRon PerlmanCenturies following nuclear war, a teen leaves the safety of an underground vault in order to find their father, who left in hopes of creating a water purifier.
- StarsGerry RosenthalPeter VackMatt BushA troubled teen is dropped off at the worst school in the country and must survive by rising through the rankings of the school system.
- StarsDavid BatesonUlle Bjørn BengtssonJoost Alexander Van Der BergAfter a failed job, 47 hides in a dark room and while delusional, he dreams about past assignments.
- DirectorTakayuki KobayashiMasashi TsuboyamaStarsGuy CihiMonica HorganDonna BurkeAfter receiving a letter from his late wife, from Silent Hill, James Sunderland heads towards the town to search for her, only to come across a terrifying road of truth and redemption.
- DirectorKatsura HashinoStarsKôichi YamaderaKotono MitsuishiMiyuki SawashiroVincent Brooks, who is being pressured into marriage by his current girlfriend, is plunged into a surreal nightmare world every time he falls asleep after having an affair with a mysterious girl named, Catherine.
- DirectorHideaki ItsunoStarsAdam D. ClarkReuben LangdonLarry LeongA young Dante is opening up his Merc Agency when he receives a challenge from his twin brother Vergil. The following events exponentially shape his future and make for one hell of a party.
- DirectorChris SeavorStarsChris SeavorLouise RidgewayChris MarlowThe vulgar adventures and exploits of a squirrel with a hangover, just trying to get back home while being forced to save the world.
- DirectorKen LevineStarsKemal AmarasinghamLaura BaldwinMatt BoyntonAn agent is deployed on a mission to explore a distant planet, but instead wakes up from his cryosleep five months later only to discover that the ship's artificial intelligence has been corrupted and the humans infected by an alien race.
- StarsTimothy GibbsJames McCaffreyJonathan DavisThe brooding cop has left the DEA and returned to the NYPD. When his latest case ends up involving the thought-dead femme fatale Mona Sax, he finds that his journey through the night is far from over.
- DirectorJun KobayashiRez is a musical rail shooter set in a futuristic computer network called Project-K, where a virus named Swayzak invades the mainframe of the Project-K system.
- DirectorShinji MikamiOlivier DeslandesOrine FukushimaStarsKen'ichirô MatsudaChieko HondaTeruyuki TanzawaIn the near future, Sam Gideon and a team of soldiers are hired by the president of the United States to recover a space station that's been taken over by a Russian ultra nationalist.
- DirectorTim SchaferStarsRichard Steven HorvitzNikki RappStephen StantonRaz, a young psychic, must battle forces greater than he if he is to save his new-found friends at the Whispering Rock psychic camp, where children are having their brains mysteriously stolen.
- DirectorDavid JaffeStarsMichael SorichMary FlemingMaria BradyTwisted Metal: Black features 15 psychotic mental patients competing in the Twisted Metal tournament for one wish that will grant them anything they want.
- DirectorKazunori YamauchiTatsuya MatsueTakamasa ShichisawaGran Turismo 4 has over 700 cars, more than 100 courses, and uses an all-new physics engine. New and enhanced racing modes encompassing more than 200 championship races and highly detailed car customization.
- DirectorCasey HudsonStarsShohreh AghdashlooMaggie BairdAdam BaldwinAfter being revived from death and having to join a pro-human organization without a choice, Commander Shepard must assemble a team, battle a new threat, and make tough choices in order to save the galaxy from total annihilation once more.
- DirectorAndrew S. GavinJason RubinStarsClancy BrownBrendan O'BrienHaruna IkezawaCrash Bandicoot, Aku Aku and Coco travel through time to stop Dr. Cortex and Aku Aku's evil twin brother Uka Uka from enslaving Earth.
- DirectorArnt JensenA boy wakes up in a forest and sets off to find his sister.
- StarsKurt BauccioSean R. LynchJon BernthalDeath-row inmate James Earl Cash awakens from his "execution" to discover that prison officials were bribed to fake his death and deliver him into the clutches of a snuff film ring that wants to use him as its newest star.