Do you know what's really pointless? Definitive "Best Thing Ever" lists. If that's what you're after... walk away now. Go do something else. Go and look at some sales data, you stupid robot. You know: 'cause sales are always a definitive way to gauge the goodness of a thing aren't they? Tsk.
"TSK!"
You see, it's very hard - if not impossible - to be objective about anything when, ultimately, we all have our own subjective experiences, likes, dislikes, and opinions. Yeah, you might be able to have a fair crack at a list of the most influential or important games, but... a list of The Best Ones? It's always going to come down to individual preference, no matter how much you may claim to be taking yourself out of the equation.
So here, then, because it's long overdue, is MY list of the best games ever. At least, this is where I'm at today. Tomorrow it might change. Or I might remember ones I've left off. That's how people work, stupid: we're fallible! Stop trying to think we all have to be perfect. God's sake.
Do I really think all of these games deserve to be on such a list? No, but their inclusion is down to a myriad of factors; how did they affect me? How did they make me feel? Did they stay with me long after I finished playing them?
And were they the first games which sprung to mind when I thought I should do a list like this?
"TSK!"
You see, it's very hard - if not impossible - to be objective about anything when, ultimately, we all have our own subjective experiences, likes, dislikes, and opinions. Yeah, you might be able to have a fair crack at a list of the most influential or important games, but... a list of The Best Ones? It's always going to come down to individual preference, no matter how much you may claim to be taking yourself out of the equation.
So here, then, because it's long overdue, is MY list of the best games ever. At least, this is where I'm at today. Tomorrow it might change. Or I might remember ones I've left off. That's how people work, stupid: we're fallible! Stop trying to think we all have to be perfect. God's sake.
Do I really think all of these games deserve to be on such a list? No, but their inclusion is down to a myriad of factors; how did they affect me? How did they make me feel? Did they stay with me long after I finished playing them?
And were they the first games which sprung to mind when I thought I should do a list like this?
HALF-LIFE 2
Admittedly, there are few Best Game Ever lists which wouldn't include Half-Life 2, and those lists are written by The Sillies. Nevertheless, it's here - in my very own list - as well.
There's little I can add to the plaudits which have already been smeared upon Half-Life 2's barren, dystopian, loins, but for me the reason it really stands proud are two-fold. Firstly, it revolutionised storytelling in video games in a way which - regrettably - few games have built upon. There are no cut-scenes; dialogue, exposition, and world-building, are all kept within the game itself.
Secondly, what it really achieves for me is a sense of space. It's a remarkably restrained experience.
There are bursts of action and noise, but it's a very quiet game, where for long periods you're simply exploring a brilliantly-realised environment, in the early stages of decay. It builds atmosphere like no other shooter. In fact, you know what it reminds me of? The latter-day output of the band Talk Talk; quiet, sometimes unsettling, punctuated by occasional bursts of chaos.
Spirit of Eden would've made the perfect soundtrack album.
There's little I can add to the plaudits which have already been smeared upon Half-Life 2's barren, dystopian, loins, but for me the reason it really stands proud are two-fold. Firstly, it revolutionised storytelling in video games in a way which - regrettably - few games have built upon. There are no cut-scenes; dialogue, exposition, and world-building, are all kept within the game itself.
Secondly, what it really achieves for me is a sense of space. It's a remarkably restrained experience.
There are bursts of action and noise, but it's a very quiet game, where for long periods you're simply exploring a brilliantly-realised environment, in the early stages of decay. It builds atmosphere like no other shooter. In fact, you know what it reminds me of? The latter-day output of the band Talk Talk; quiet, sometimes unsettling, punctuated by occasional bursts of chaos.
Spirit of Eden would've made the perfect soundtrack album.
CRACKDOWN
Crackdown makes it onto my list for one reason alone: it's the only game with a collecting element - in this case, glowing orbs - which has driven me to want to collect every single thing.
Why? A combination of their placing - often atop massive skyscrapers and the like - which can only be accessed via your character's steadily-increasing superpowers.
Few games - with the exception of, perhaps, Saints Row IV and inFamous - have made the player feel so powerful; literally leaping tall buildings in a single (or, at least, three or four) bound. Crackdown 1 and 2 are ridiculous, over-the-top, games, but the collecting of the orbs for once feels essential, rather than just padding.
Why? A combination of their placing - often atop massive skyscrapers and the like - which can only be accessed via your character's steadily-increasing superpowers.
Few games - with the exception of, perhaps, Saints Row IV and inFamous - have made the player feel so powerful; literally leaping tall buildings in a single (or, at least, three or four) bound. Crackdown 1 and 2 are ridiculous, over-the-top, games, but the collecting of the orbs for once feels essential, rather than just padding.
CALL OF DUTY 3
Probably not the best Call of Duty - that might be the original Modern Warfare - but Call of Duty 3 is one of the few games I've played online to the point of boredom. I was going through a bit of a rough time in life, and logging on in the evenings to play with my mates really helped me through it. Therefore, I have retained something of a wet patch for it.
SKOOL DAZE
Games don't have to be set in fantastical environments to be fantasy. Skool Daze occurred in a regular British school that was all-too familiar, except... you got to live out your dreams of ill-behaviour, bunking off lessons, drawing things on the boards, and shooting teachers with catapults.
I'd say that Skool Daze potentially inspired more bad behaviour from me - and a generation of school kids - than any hyper-violent game.
Case in point: I once drew a penis on a roll of overhead projector acetate, and then reeled it back so that Mr Maddison wouldn't see it until he was in the middle of a lesson. Also, I put a rubber in his cup of tea, and got thrown out of his classroom when I replied "Oyez! Oyez!" after he attempted to control his unruly students by shouting "Now hear this..."
I'd say that Skool Daze potentially inspired more bad behaviour from me - and a generation of school kids - than any hyper-violent game.
Case in point: I once drew a penis on a roll of overhead projector acetate, and then reeled it back so that Mr Maddison wouldn't see it until he was in the middle of a lesson. Also, I put a rubber in his cup of tea, and got thrown out of his classroom when I replied "Oyez! Oyez!" after he attempted to control his unruly students by shouting "Now hear this..."
PEGGLE
Yeah, I know. It's weird for me too that this - and its sequel Peggle Nights - should be in this list, but man... I was hooked on them. Dangerously so in the case of Peggle Nights, which milked me dry with its micro transactions.
Why it's particularly frustrating that I played so much Peggle is that there's a huge random element to its bagatelle-style gameplay. I knew I wasn't necessarily being rewarded for my silky skills, and yet somehow... somehow... I couldn't stop.
I hate myself for playing so much of it, but it'd be disingenuous of me not to include it in this list. Nonetheless, I can't help but feel it's a bit like including "heroin" on a list of "Best ever snacks".
Why it's particularly frustrating that I played so much Peggle is that there's a huge random element to its bagatelle-style gameplay. I knew I wasn't necessarily being rewarded for my silky skills, and yet somehow... somehow... I couldn't stop.
I hate myself for playing so much of it, but it'd be disingenuous of me not to include it in this list. Nonetheless, I can't help but feel it's a bit like including "heroin" on a list of "Best ever snacks".
GEOMETRY WARS: RETRO EVOLVED
Geometry Wars appealed to the part of me which loved vector games, but brought them right up to date with an astonishingly addictive twin-stick shooter that was maddeningly chaotic and tough, but just fair enough to keep me playing. Breaking through your own high score offered an uncommon high.
You can forget the sequel, though. That messed about with the formula too much, transposing the 2D action onto 3D environments. Why do they always think that 3D is going to make things better? You don't get that with books. JK Rowling hasn't re-released Harry Potter with 3D words that jump out of the page at you.
You can forget the sequel, though. That messed about with the formula too much, transposing the 2D action onto 3D environments. Why do they always think that 3D is going to make things better? You don't get that with books. JK Rowling hasn't re-released Harry Potter with 3D words that jump out of the page at you.
THE STANLEY PARABLE
A short game, with multiple endings - all of which could be seen within a couple of hours - The Stanley Parable is nevertheless like nothing else. It looks like a first-person shooter (albeit without any shooting), features a constant voice-over narration, and addresses the nature of free-will - both in real-life, and in video games. Quietly profound. To say more would give away its surprises.
STAR WARS
It's weird how - even as graphics have improved to near photo-realistic levels - no modern Star Wars game has ever impacted on me as much as the original vector arcade game. Yes, that sit-down cabinet had something to do with it, but it still holds up today as THE premiere Star Wars game.
I still go peculiar if I think of blowing up the Death Star and Obi-Wonky Nobby whispering in my ear, telling me that "The Force will be with you... always".
I still go peculiar if I think of blowing up the Death Star and Obi-Wonky Nobby whispering in my ear, telling me that "The Force will be with you... always".
STAR WARS DARK FORCES
The promise of Star Wars "Doom clone" was enough for me to fork out for my first PC, and Dark Forces didn't disappoint. Like the arcade shooter above, Dark Forces captured the feel of Star Wars better than so many try-hard efforts since.
By not assaulting the player with constant action, it allowed the environments to breathe. It's biggest success was being familiar enough while also broadening the Star Wars universe with new ideas, that nevertheless felt profoundly authentic.
By not assaulting the player with constant action, it allowed the environments to breathe. It's biggest success was being familiar enough while also broadening the Star Wars universe with new ideas, that nevertheless felt profoundly authentic.
THE LAST OF US
Mixing Naughty Dog's own Uncharted with the same eerily empty real-world atmosphere of Half-Life 2, The Last of Us was always going to be a win... but what it also achieved is something no other game has ever done before or since; it made me care about the characters.
Again, by placing most of the story and character interaction within the gameplay, it allows the player to forge a connection with the characters. Indeed, I howled when Joel fell of that balcony and got impaled on a length of rebar.
See also the Left Behind mini prequel DLC, which achieves the same in an even more focused and concise fashion. This is how games should be telling stories; enough with your cut-scenes and leaving dozens of journals around the place. Who even keeps written journals these days?
Hipsters, probably.
Again, by placing most of the story and character interaction within the gameplay, it allows the player to forge a connection with the characters. Indeed, I howled when Joel fell of that balcony and got impaled on a length of rebar.
See also the Left Behind mini prequel DLC, which achieves the same in an even more focused and concise fashion. This is how games should be telling stories; enough with your cut-scenes and leaving dozens of journals around the place. Who even keeps written journals these days?
Hipsters, probably.
SUPER MARIO GALAXY 1 & 2
I feel the two Galaxy games are underrated entries in the Mario canon, yet for my money they do a better job of translating the traditional 2D Mario gameplay into three dimensions. Yes: better than Mario 64, Sunshine, or Odyssey. They're a tad mind-bending at times, but never off-puttingly so, and I'd also argue that they're better-looking games than Odyssey.
How do you like them apples?
How do you like them apples?
REVENGE OF SHINOBI
This was the game which finally convinced me that my Mega Drive had been a worthwhile purchase. It was deeply frustrating - oh, how I cursed at times - and yet, the levels (and bizarre bosses) were sufficiently compelling that I kept playing until the end. I played it again the other day, and though it wasn't quite as playable as I remembered, the visuals, sound, and action all came together to give me a funny turn.
OUTLAWS
The second Lucasarts game on this list, Outlaws remains for me one of the great lost first-person shooters. Like so many of the other games I've included here, it was the atmosphere which grabbed me; a real sense of the dusty, musty Old West.
It was also incredibly tense at times. Outlaws is responsible for my favourite ever gaming moment; being trapped in a tunnel beneath a fort, down to my last smidge of health, almost out of ammo, while my enemies circled me, calling out my name. I've had flashbacks to it recently while playing Far Cry 5, in the best way imaginable.
It was also incredibly tense at times. Outlaws is responsible for my favourite ever gaming moment; being trapped in a tunnel beneath a fort, down to my last smidge of health, almost out of ammo, while my enemies circled me, calling out my name. I've had flashbacks to it recently while playing Far Cry 5, in the best way imaginable.
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