Games That Blew My Mind

When I first started this blog, one of the categories I wanted to include was game reviews. Unlike movie reviews, however, it's difficult to be timely because a) I'm a busy man and can't afford to buy new games very often, b) in order to do a proper review I need to have played the full game first, and c) no one is going to use my opinion as a basis for any purchase, anywhere, ever. And so, much like my articles on movies will no doubt become, my articles on games will probably be more or less commentaries on games I like and that have already been out for awhile. And so, to start 'er off, I present my top five favorite games of all time. Much like my top ten movie list, this is a list of my favorites, not what I consider the greatest games ever. These games hold a special place in my heart for various reasons.


5) Fallout 3

This shouldn't be too much of a surprise, because everyone loved this game. I currently own a PS3 and do most of my gaming on it, but there was a time when I solely had a Nintendo Wii. I had always been an ardent Nintendo supporter, which bit me in the ass stupendously. After the honeymoon phase was over I began to realize that the best the Wii could offer was drastically lacking to a gamer of my demographic. Before I abandoned Nintendo for Sony, I explored my options and found that my computer was actually capable of running pretty high-end games due to a graphics card upgrade I had done years earlier then swiftly forgotten about. Fallout 3 was the first game I subsequently purchased.

And of course, it was amazing. The atmosphere, the degree of choice, the fact that I sank over seventy hours into it without feeling like a crazy person . . . it's an unbelievable experience. And having Liam Neeson voice your father was like adding cherries on top. You could play as you wanted, accomplishing as much or as little mission objectives as possible, and you could help people, ignore them, or shoot them in the face because you don't like how they look at you with that blank expression. Regardless, Fallout 3 was a phenomenal experience.


4) Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

When the great game exchange did occur in my life (when I traded in my plethora of Nintendo stuff while simultaneously selling my soul to Sony) this was the only game I regretted handing over. What blew me away about this game wasn't the gameplay or the graphics, but the story. I've never been so engaged by a video game story before; it plays out like an intricate novel. Radiant Dawn was a sequel to GameCube's Path of Radiance, and continued that game's narrative in spectacular fashion. Path of Radiance introduced you to a world filled with interesting characters and an intriguing war brewing between humans and half-humans who could transform into animals. There were whispers of gods and prophecies, but it was all simply a tease. Then Radiant Dawn was released and shit hit the fan.

It would be pointless to try and explain the entire plot, but the series managed to accomplish something that few franchises do with credibility, and that's to get me so invested in their stories that when something happens within the world of the game that breaks established lore/mythology within the game's world, it comes as a genuine shock. There were plot twists up the ass, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire 40+ hours of gameplay. This game was truly epic.


3) Resident Evil 4

Again, not much of a surprise here, because a ton of people loved this game. I had never played a Resident Evil game before and I only picked up this game in passing because I was disappointed that another game I'd been looking forward to was cancelled. This was the GameCube days, and I had heard Resident Evil 4 was good, so I got it on a whim and the rest is history.

I'm pretty sure I've played through this game more than any other. What sets it apart from most games for me is that every element is just straight up fun/entertaining. I've done multiple playthroughs playing the exact same way just because of how much I enjoy it. There's a wealth of weapon customization options so you can try new things out each time, the characters and writing are cheesy but loveable, and the most difficult portion of the entire game occurs in the first ten minutes and grips you straight by the balls. This game is pretty much available for every system, so there's no excuse not to have played it.


2) Mass Effect 2

Like Resident Evil 4, I had only initially heard about this game in passing and only picked it up because I was bored and disappointed over something else. I originally purchased this for my PC and hadn't played the first one, but frankly that didn't matter. The entire trilogy is excellent (even if the third one shits the bed a little near the end) but the second installment is my most fondest because it was the first I played and it seemed to balance the best of all elements. I love the relationships you build with your crew, and the story is a science fiction opera in the grandest sense.

Years from now, when people are still debating the merits of whether gaming should be considered an art form/credible way of storytelling, the Mass Effect series will be Exhibit A. The chance BioWare took constructing a trilogy under an entirely new IP was a major risk, but it payed off in spades. Transferring your character and all the choices they'd made through each game gave a sense of grandness other franchises just haven't been able to match, and there's nothing quite like witnessing the fallout in the third game from a decision made years ago in the first.
  

1) Starcraft

I originally played this game on the Nintendo 64, which frankly was like trying to pilot a jumbo jet while wearing oven mits. Years later when I played it on PC, it blew my mind in every conceivable way. I love the mythology of this series, even though the subsequent sequels started to dip into the cheese a bit. What struck me about the first entry though, was how goddamn difficult it was. This game was truly challenging. You could play through the first few levels with ease, but as things gradually got more difficult (especially into the later portions of the expansion, Brood War) each mission became a frenzied, full-night affair.

Completing the more difficult missions was incredibly satisfying. Narrative-wise there were a few hiccups, like building up an empire in one campaign only to swiftly destroy it in the next, but that was the nature of the plot for a game that told the intricate story of aliens and gods and men. Unfortunately, it's difficult to play this game on newer machines due to hardware specifications (although I'm sure there are fixes I'm not aware of) but it shall forever be a shining example of amazing storytelling melded with excellent gameplay and (for its time) cool graphics and freakin' sweet cinematic videos. Blizzard Entertainment, I salute you.