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.
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