Raiden's Top Games List: 10-6

Since the writeups are longer now, I've decided to split the top ten into two days (no worries, the writeups for the top five are already done!).

10.) Final Fantasy IV (SNES)

I think I own every one of the remakes they’ve done for this game. I like to say it’s because this is an outstanding game and not because I’m a sheep, but it’s probably both. I like the SNES/GBA/PSP/Playstation version a LOT more than the DS/iOS versions. The voice acting is nice, but the game looks terrible and the control is pretty blah. But anyway, enough about the inferior version. The story of this game had a lot of clichés, but was still very good. It also had a great cast, and some hilariously bad dialogue (YOU SPOONY BARD). I was listening to "To the Moon and Back" by Savage Garden when I started the final dungeons on the Moon, and every time I hear that song (which isn't often, but still) it reminds me of this game.

9.) Dragon Age (Playstation 3)

I tried several more “modern” RPGs on Playstation 3, and they all bored me and I was never able to get into them. Then I saw this one as part of a 50% off sale at Gamestop, and figured it was worth a shot. That was an excellent decision. I’ve started a character using pretty much every possible build, and even with that I still find myself being drawn back into this game. I really enjoy the battle system, there are so many different variations in the characters and builds, the story is great, and there are so many random quests (especially since I have Origins.)

8.) Ninja Gaiden 2 (NES)

This is one of the most difficult games I’ve ever played (it even referenced the difficulty on the game box), and finishing this one for the first time without use of a Game Genie or something like that was one of my proudest moments in my years of playing video games. I was so excited (and lame) that I saved the time that I beat the end boss, and still have that in a text file to this day (August 16, 2003, 1:35pm). There is so much to love about this game. The music is outstanding (The Parasprinter  is still one of my favorite tracks), the difficulty is very high, the story was great (by NES standards), and I really like the between level cinematic scenes. There were so many cool things they did with the level design as well (the wind in 2-2, the screen going from light to dark in 3-1, etc). I got this game from my parents for Christmas and I had never heard of the series before that time. For people who didn’t know much about video games, they hit that one out of the park.

7.) Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (SNES)

This game and the next two were all very close, and it was tough to separate them. I really enjoyed Donkey Kong Country, but this game was superior in every way. The additions of Dixie and her helicopter spin and Squitter the Spider made searching for the bonuses and DK coins that much more fun. There are a few music tracks that stand out in Mining Melancholy and Stickerbrush Symphony (which is one of the most soothing pieces of music I’ve ever heard). I spent hours going through Chain Link Chamber trying to find one of the bonuses, and when I finally did get it I wanted to kick myself. Web Woods is one of my favorite levels in any platformer. There’s also Animal Antics, which would have been a forgettable level if you didn’t have to try to navigate the brambles as Squawks the Parrot with the wind changing direction (which would send you into the walls, and your doom). The first time I played the level I kept dying and probably would have been really frustrated if the music wasn’t so relaxing.

6.) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)

This game came with my Super Nintendo, and I figured I’d like it since I liked the original and Zelda 2 so much, but I didn’t know what I was in for. This game is amazing from start to finish. It gave Link the ability to jump off of hills, the light and dark worlds allowed for a lot of interesting little puzzles as far as where to use the Magic Mirror. I really liked the magic bottle concept too. There was the waterfall of wishing, the fairy in the Pyramid, the Gold sword, pieces of heart, and I could go on and on. The orchestral version of the Dark World theme is an amazing piece of music.