Any Gamers?

Gaming has been a part of my life since I was 5 and I’ve decided to share my top 10 favorite games. This is really difficult to pick out and they’re in no particular order. I may have forgotten a few games I’ve really liked but anyway, here goes.


10. Monster Rancher (Playstation 1)

It’s like a tamagotchi except it isn’t portable and there’s a huge variety out there. This PS1 game won me over with its many monsters and it even has a storyline of sorts. You have to take note of your monster’s likes and dislikes, personality, and health (they can die. There are funerals.) What made this game stick out was the method for getting monsters. In the game’s “shrine” you can switch out the CD for any other CD-ROM (that includes audio CDs) and it would read the data. The mystery was intriguing. Imagine kids with stacks of CDs around them. Our parents never got it.




9. Fatal Frame(PS2, XBOX, PS3)

This game holds a place in my heart for being the scariest game ever. I’ll only talk about the first. The japanese always know what they’re doing with these. You are a young, defenseless kawaii japanese girl and you are thrown into this big haunted japanese mansion (which, in my opinion, are much more terrifying than western mansions) searching for your missing brother. You are completely alone. Well, not completely. Angry, malicious ghosts roam the grounds and you are only armed with this.



Oh, and you need film. So, you can run out of film and yeah.


”Oh god, oh god, oh god.”

I can’t ever play this game alone and even during the day, I find myself frightened by any little sound. The soundtrack of the game sometimes includes demonic voices and grumbling through silence. Yikes.




8. Final Fantasy VIII(PS1, PS Vita)

I do love the FF series especially 9 and 10 but there is something about 8 besides it being the first Final Fantasy game I played. Released in 1999, its graphics were considered cutting edge and a huge leap from the great success that is FF7. I loved the story but I was too young to appreciate its battle system. And now I do. It’s a story about military mercenaries who go on missions and an evil witch who threatens the peace. The main character’s sarcasm is also awesome except he can be really sulky. FF8 also holds one of my most favorite game weapons ever.


<3




7. Heavy Rain(PS3, PS4)

This is my first game from Quantic Dream and a mystery/thriller that will put you on the edge of your seat. What makes Heavy Rain stand out is its ability to have you make decisions that will affect the outcome of the game. No pressure. In Heavy Rain, there is a serial killer on the loose who targets young boys. Your son is the next victim. The killer leaves you various clues to his whereabouts. All you know is that he’s stuck in a drain and you’ll have to save him until the rainwater accumulates and he drowns.

This is a huge improvement from the already successful Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy game in terms of graphics and voice acting. I still believe the voice acting could still use some work since it sounds bland at times and could get annoying but they remedied this in their next game Beyond: Two Souls. (Another awesome game that could have been way better had they not botched the story up.)


”Friendzone? No friendzone?”




6. Pokémon Emerald(Gameboy)

By this point I’ve played Pokémon Blue, Yellow, Crystal and then here comes this beauty of a game. In Emerald, not only are the graphics much better, (Come on, you guys also ran around puddles and stared at your reflection in the water.) the story and the other features they added just made this game complete. Aside from raising and battling Pokémon, you can create secret bases and furnish them, go berry crushing and there’s even a pageant of sorts for them. And a lot of odd people.






5. Mario Kart Double Dash(GameCube)

Sometimes, the best games are the ones that make you scream bloody murder. Playing this game with family or friends is amazing. Double Dash has outdone the original Mario Kart and it’s a whole lot of fun. Imagine racing around the track then suddenly this gigantic shell is coming at you. Or you’re about to win the race and a blue shell zips to your location and boom. Bloody murder! Highly recommended.




4. Assassin’s Creed Ezio Trilogy(Playstation 3)

I love history and this game just takes you far back into the past. You’re an assassin in this era and you’re sent on missions to eliminate some very notorious people that you may have read of in history books. How cool is that? The game’s storyline can sometimes be really mind-boggling but it’s a great game nonetheless. Ezio would be my favorite assassin though but it’s because they let you grow up with him.

Also, who hasn’t thought of maybe learning how to do some parkour after playing the game?






3. Metal Gear Solid 3(PS2, Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita, PS3, Xbox 360)

This is, so far, my most favorite Metal Gear game. Set in the Cold War, an era with a lot of espionage and tension, the original Snake is out to make himself a legend and gain the title of Big Boss. The storytelling is great and can be heartbreaking even. The characters are amazing and there are tons of humor in it.



Since you’re in the wilderness a lot here, you’re supposed to learn camouflage and how to hunt for your food. You get back up and one running gag is Snake always asking how something tastes.

Metal Gear 3 also has one of the best characters ever, The Boss. She’s an empowering female character in a video game which is … kinda a big deal.






2. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4(PS2, PS Vita)

You’re a bunch of high schoolers trying to solve a series of murders because people are getting thrown into TVs and dying and you have the help of mythical beings which would be your Personas. Sound bizarre enough? Persona 4 is a rare game in the sense that it has great graphics with its own distinct design, great characters with amazing voice acting, a decent script that doesn’t make you cringe and is relatable and a decent story too.

The idea is to try your best to solve the murders while still doing your everyday high school student duties and forging deep bonds with the people around you to help you grow stronger. Did I mention the humor?





(If you want a darker storyline, I’d recommend Persona 3. And if you haven’t played this yet, I recommend the Vita version as it has an extended storyline.)




1. The Last of Us(PS3, PS4)

There is no doubt to how much I love this game. I can’t even count the times I’ve replayed it. This game is just everything I want in a game. The character depth, the professional acting, the amazing story, how it makes you feel the reality of the situation, little things you can find around the game like letters of loved ones to each other separated by the crisis. It’s not just about killing zombies (the infected as they call them), it’s about survival and finding hope. I don’t want to spoil the game for people who haven’t played it but if you have a PS3 or PS4, you really need to get this.

Amidst all the chaos, there are moments of light-hearted humor. Like Ellie’s awful book of puns.





So that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my list. That was a lot harder to make than I thought. See ya and always keep gaming.

 

My nephew is in love with that.

 

Introduce bloater to molotovs/flamethrower. Never fear them again.