Hello again Empire! It's the Johnos! I've been busy the last few days, so I thought I'd make it up to you all by giving you a little something I was saving for a special occasion. I'll be giving a short explanation of why each game made it on the list, so you'll get a small glimpse of my poetic and passionate side. I will give you the system it is on too, and if it is on more than one system, I'll just give you my personal preference of platform. I will warn you that most of these games are pretty old, because many were games I grew up with(As a kid I had an SNES and an N64), so alot of sentimental value there. Also, I must state right here and now that this is an opinion, and should be taken as such. With all that out of the way, lets get to the countdown.
#10: Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360)[]
The newest game on the list. This game takes what we love about the franchise and adds a new twist: a plot. A damn good plot too. The story is the best part, but many will say that the massive open sandbox, countless side-quests and collectibles, and the three different characters are the best part. This game has humor, heart, and more free-roamin' carnage than you could possibly ask for and then some. Great game.
#9: Super Mario 64 (DS)[]
I know that a lot of people will give me grief for putting this game so low on my list, but there are simply better games. Not saying this game is bad though. This game is an undeniable masterpiece. I prefer the DS port because of polished graphics, less bugs, and more content, not to mention portability. I do currently own the N64 version, but I never actually played it as a kid. My dad rented it, along with Mario RPG, but my brother wouldn't let me play Mario 64. Both versions are great. Check it out if you get a chance!
#8: Mechwarrior (SNES)[]
Whats better than building your own robot to drive into battle? This game is very unique, one of the first games in the FPS genre to have customizeable loadouts, the first if I'm not mistaken. The game allowed you to buy and manage your mechs, put your own weapons, armor, hover enabling Jump Jets, and engine on it, select a mission with a unique objective, and even negotiate to get a better paycheck out of it. The restaurant/bar area is a good place to get tips on which missions are highest paying and/or easy to complete. The combat is easy to understand and fun. This game was truely ahead of its time in terms of size and mechanics. No pun intended.
#7: Micky Speedway USA (N64)[]
This game may surprise some, because of my utter hatred of Disney. This game may come off as a rip-off of Mario Kart 64, but it has a unique style and polished mechanics. I grew up with this game. As a kid, this was the first game I actually witnessed being bought. The rest were bought before I could really remember. It was also the only game I saw bought new before we upgraded to GameCube. Overall, this you can say that this game is a Mario Kart clone and I wont argue with you, but this is just another game I grew up playing. Its mostly sentimental value. Disney can still go die in a hole though!
#6: Minecraft (PC)[]
This game has to be on here. Why? If you don't know why, then you should climb out from beneath your rock and look at the popular gaming tab on YouTube. There you go. No explanation needed.
#5; Terraria (PC)[]
I bet you're thinking "Minecraft is sooooo better than this lame knock-off!" Well, to both my surprise and yours, this game actually predates Minecraft by at least a full year. That's right. If anyone here is a knockoff, (not saying it is though) Its Minecraft. Mind blown? Good. I prefer this game because it looks like the games from my childhood, The creative building of things from blocks is just as good as Minecraft, if not better. This game has so much more to offer in the gameplay department, with massive bosses that take up entire screens, tons of helpful people that you can build a home for in your own little makeshift village, better platforming/parkour, and thousands upon thousands of cool items to find, gather, and use to your advantage. Not much more to say.
#4: Banjo-Kazooie (N64)[]
Yet another nostalgia rush. This game takes the mechanics that were introduced to us by Super Mario 64, and totally perfects it, adding an interesting story and filling its diverse and colorful world with quirky and lovable characters. The villain Gruntilda the Witch is one of my favorite villains of all time, speaking only in pun-filled rhymes and constantly taunting you as you roam the castle hub. Seemingly everything has a face, which kind of adds to the silliness of the game. Instead of someone else telling you how to help certain characters within the levels, they tell you of their problems themselves in hilarious dialogues. From a simple pail with a hole in the bottom, to a giant mecha-shark chained to the bottom of a cave, you help them all out and it makes you feel good. This game does go a little overboard with collecting things though, so total completion of the game will take you ages. Even I haven't done it yet, and I've been working on the same profiles for at least a decade.
#3: Doom 3 (PC)[]
My favorite shooter ever. This game is terrifying, gory, and epic in every way all at the same time. Beating the game is no simple task, and even if it was it'd still take you a while to finish. This game is loaded with easter eggs, which I love to hunt for(no pun intended) and plenty of firepower to obliterate your demon foes into a pile of brains and guts(referred to in the command prompt as "Pork"). Using the command prompt is like another game entirely. you can do pretty much anything. The only limits are your imagination and your computer's power. For lots of eerie moments, jumpscares, guns, guts, ans the occasional joke easter egg, give this game a try. May Carmack be praised.
#2: Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)[]
This game came in a very close second. This game takes what the previous game started, added some complex story elements, a few new mechanics, and is the darkest installment in the franchise. If you fail, the entire land will be destroyed, and all of the characters you have come to know will die painfully and in sorrow. You have three days to stop the moon from crashing. If you ever lose sight of your primary goal, all you need to do is look up to see the moon hanging only a few meters for the mountaintops. But do not despair, you have the ability to turn time back to the first day and try again. Everything about this game is great. The atmosphere was nailed. It almost seems like it was unintentional, it was so well crafted. There is only one game that is greater, and it is only by a tiny margin...
#1: Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)[]
This game is absolutely perfect in every single conceivable way. The mechanics are flawless, bugs are rare unless triggered on command, the story, the characters, the adventure, the music, the Legend. This game has been almost universally accepted as the greatest game of all time. There is no stopping this game. You will love it the more you play it, and I guarantee that myself. If you've never played it, then you have to, or you can't say that you're a gamer worth his salt. Nobody can bash this game without making up stories or mentioning its controversial E rating by the ESRB. No game compares. No game will ever compare. Those who try to capture this lightning in a bottle are bound to fail. People who try to copy this game deserve to fail. It is untouchable. A modern masterpiece in its purest form. I don't wish for more games like it, because that would take away from its impact. The only game to ever come close was the direct sequel, Majora's Mask. and it was basically made with all of the same sprites, textures, and mechanics, but it was made unique by the addition of another excellent story and new and interesting mechanics. But this game still stands taller. One last thin I should mention, This game was released almost exactly 1 month before I was born. Therefore, I have a special kinship with this game. I loved this game my entire life, and I always will...
Honorable Mentions[]
A few more games I liked that almost made the cut, but in the end didn't(in no particular order).
- Super Mario All-Stars + Mario World (SNES)
- Resident Evil 4 (GameCube)
- Super Mario Sunshine (GameCube)
- Super Godzilla (SNES) this one is an EXTREMELY close #11. Almost made it!
- Contra (NES)
- Dragon - The Bruce Lee story (SNES)
- Mortal Kombat 3 Ultimate (SNES)
- NASCAR Thunder 2003 (GameCube)
- Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (Wii)
- Godzilla Unleashed (Wii)
Afterword[]
So there you have it. I spilled my guts a little on #1, but you needed to see that. I had to wipe a few tears from my eye just thinking of the game. After this I'll be getting back on a daily schedule. This list is my best work, and will be for some time. This list is part of my being. All of these games are a part of my soul. If you want to truly know how I feel about them, try them yourself and see. I'll be doing gameplay videos of most if not all of these games in the future on my YouTube channel. Tell me about your favorite games in the comments below and hopefully I get some nice and passionate responses from you. So with that I'm out. Have a great day out there you guys. Thanks a bunch!