I grew up a Mario/Nintendo kid. I beat the original Super Mario Brothers when I was just getting out of diapers. I was hooked on video games. I went from Mario and found The Legend Of Zelda & Metroid. These 3 games I will forever remember playing in my Grandparents basement in my stuffed Mario chair. As I got older I soon discovered the Sega Genesis and Sonic The Hedgehog. I grew up on "Team Mario", now I'm on "Team Sonic".
What makes a great game? Not a "good" game, a GREAT game. For me, what makes a great game is the connection I have with the story and the characters. A great game makes you want to play it over time and time again and still find something new about it. To me, the story and characters are what make games great. Great video games to me are also fun and exciting. Take Mortal Kombat. It's a fighting game with 4 commands and a handful of characters. However, Mortal Kombat is a classic, fun game because if you still play it today, it still holds it's own with modern day fighters. I also look for that "X" factor. I know saying "X factor" is pretty lame, but it's true in this case. Some games you play have that little something about them that for reasons you can't explain, you just love it. All of these factors combine into great games. This list is my five favorite games of all time.
HONORABLE MENTIONS (IN NO ORDER)
Sonic The Hedghog 2
Mortal Kombat 2
Super Smash Brothers
Final Fantasy IV
Gran Turismo 5
God Of War
V: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Xbox 360)
Sure, this game is relatively new, but this game had a lasting impression on me. The original Assassin's Creed was an innovation and a monumental success that spawned an entire Assassin's Creed saga with numerous titles and sequels. "Brotherhood" to me, perfected everything the original title introduced.
I spent many sleepless nights trying to unlock all of the secrets and side quest items before I finished the main story. Needless to say, after a month of playing this game I only got 60% of total items putting in over 40 hours of game play.
The game takes place minutes after "Assassin's Creed 2" ended, and once again you play as Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I wondered how the game will have you upgrade your already perfect armor from AC2, making this an all new game. Enter epic cannon battle...
This game has everything from huge, epic battles, to a great storyline, to amazing side quests and an even more amazing online multi-player experience.
IV: Final Fantasy VII (Sony Playstation)
What can I say about this game that hasn't already been said by the millions of fans who still play this game to this day? It's considered by many to be the flagship of the Final Fantasy series and I don't see any reason how it couldn't be.
Graphics like this were unheard of back in 1997. This was a leap forward in what was possible. Besides the game play, character development and amazing boss battles, you had one of the baddest villains in gaming history, Sephiroth.
This dude was just mad. He lost his mind after he realized he was nothing but a science experiment. The final confrontation at the end of the game is one of the best I ever played, partly because Sephiroth has one of the most recognizable and most popular theme songs ever, "One Winged Angel".
Metal bands cover this song. Orchestra's cover this song. Some people just play the game to just fight Sephiroth and hear this song. Final Fantasy has the best soundtrack in game history. Even if you didn't have the music, Final Fantasy 7 is still a masterpiece.
III: The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (Nintendo 64)
This game is what Zelda games are all about. It's better than "A Link To The Past", it's better than "Twilight Princess", it's better than any other Zelda game ever made. It's one of the greatest games ever made. Whether you find a N64 and play this or download a ROM of the game, your going to experience not only the best Zelda game ever made, but argued by many as the greatest game ever made.
First off, before I say anything else, you were introduced to the ultra badass ADULT LINK!
This game has one of my favorite boss battles of all time in the Spirit Temple, Twinrova.
This game also has a boss where I had a lot of problems with, Bongo Bongo.
This game also has one of the toughest levels in gaming history, the Water Temple. It's the first time I used a player's guide since Final Fantasy IV. That's how hard this dungeon was.
The final confrontation with Ganondorf was amazing. It still holds it's own with games of today.
"Ocarina Of Time" is a masterpiece. There is no other word for it. Play. This. Game.
II: Super Metroid (Super Nintendo)
"The last Metroid is in captivity. The galaxy, is at peace"
Those words I will never, ever forget. What the original Metroid introduced, not only did Super Metroid improve it, but this game blows the original out of the water. That's how good this game is. The graphics and gameplay took side scrolling adventure games to an all new level. You really do feel the sense of exploration when your on Planet Zebes.
Still gives me chills when I watch it.
Even though you can beat the game in 3 hours if your good enough, it's one of the best 3 hours you will spend playing a video game.
You like awesome boss fights? Yea, this game has them...
It's a shame Nintendo ruined the reputation of Samus. "Other M" would have been a decent game if they didn't make her into such a woman. Yes, although she is a woman, she was a badass. Samus reminds me of Ripley from the Alien movies.
If Nintendo would have modeled Samus after Ripley in "Other M", the game wouldn't have been that much of a disappointment. Anyhow, Super Metroid is perfect in every way possible. It's a close call, but it falls to #2. My all time favorite video game is...
I: Final Fantasy VI (3 in the US) (Super Nintendo)
Words cannot express just how good this game is. Many Final Fantasy fans say VII is the best. Not to me it isn't. Sure, VII may have the more popular characters and the better graphics, but nothing compares to how amazing Final Fantasy VI is.
I wanted to get into battles just so I can hear this.
Final Fantasy VII may have Sephiroth, but Final Fantasy VI has Kefka, the greatest villain in gaming history.
Evil. Pure. Evil.
Kefka is not only an evil bastard that enjoys killing, destroying and laughing when people suffer, but unlike almost all villains, he actually accomplishes his goal in destroying the world! He has the powers of a god. Sephiroth is a crying child that's upset about his life. Kefka is a mastermind of pure evil.
The entire story with Locke, Terra, Shadow (unlockable, but still badass) and everyone is the greatest story I ever saw in a video game. With beautiful music, great characters, great character development, great graphics, an amazing villain and a lot of optional extra side quests you can accomplish during the main story, only one word can describe this game: Perfection.
That concludes my list of my favorite 5 video games of all time. All 5 games are games you should all play. These games will forever be remembered for years to come and will still hold their own in future generations of games. What makes these games so well is the lasting factor they have. No matter how many times you play them, they are still as brilliant as they were when you first played them.
WRITTEN BY: Hammy
TWITTER: @BrainstuHammy
