Interesting idea
1.
The Secret of Monkey Island &
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
Although the first game had had some kind of build-up before it with through titles like Maniac Mansion and Loom, the first Monkey Island game may have been the first truly accessible adventure game of it's kind (point n click). It had humour, an awesomely funny story and loveable characters. However, I slightly prefer the second game to the first. The humour is more sinister, you have more in-jokes, the story's twists and turns are still out there and the ending had me wondering for years before the third game finally was released (the third turned out to disappoint, but whatever). Either way both are exceptionally brilliant and everyone should play these two, gamers or not.
2.
Half-Life 2 + episodes 1 & 2
After Half-Life, Valve sure had their work cut out for them if they were gonna top their first game which was absolutely groundbreaking. However, they were able to replicate their success. The second game had gorgeous graphics, real physics and truly excellent gameplay. What's more interesting is that while the first game's setting had more substance than any other FPS at the time, Half-Life 2 took Gordon out of Black Mesa/Xen and put him in a real world conquered by the extradimensional civilization called Combine - a brilliant setting which is way more interesting than the first. The story and setting of Half-life 2 and it's episodes are so enthralling, for me it raised the franchise to new heights of splendor. It's my favourite FPS ever and I can't wait for episode 3! By the way, I'm still out there kicking ass in HL2 Deathmatch-land.
3.
Fallout 3
Yep, the latest Fallout 3 game has a few faults but it's still brilliant way beyond by far most games released the last many years. What's nice about it is I had faith in Bethesda all the way and I'm so happy they didn't disappoint. I've spent many hours of my life trying to survive out there in the capital wasteland and I've enjoyed each and every one of them. Thank you Bethesda!
4.
GTA : San Andreas
I can appreciate that GTA 3 was the game that truly revolutionized the gaming industry. Liberty City was a sandbox for the player to have fun in so many ways, but San Andreas improved on the success formula in so many ways. The game is
huge and they made some real expansions on gameplay. You start out in a crummy hood and the game's all gangstah attitude, then suddenly I'm driving tractors and listening to country around the farms and in the end, I got my own airstrip and I'm terrorizing the general populace in my f-ing harrier jet. Instead of one city, you have a few and driving from one end of the world to the other takes quite a while. Add to that a brilliant, funny story and an excellent port to the PC and it's a great game!
5.
Fallout &
Fallout 2
No PC RPG can measure up to the fallout franchise, particularly the first two games. Not even classics like Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 or Planescape come close.
6.
GTA IV
Awesomely brilliant and the only disappointment for me was that I missed the wide-open feel of San Andreas. IV is less sandboxy, but more polished and oozes of quality. It was a better game than the (more sandboxy) copies like Saints Row 2 because it had a strange kind of integrity and quality which all rockstar fans look forward to and enjoy and it has way better gameplay which, in a game like that, is important.
7.
Zelda : A Link to the Past
My favourite game for the SNES - and I've played many of them. It is absolutely wonderful in every way. As you go through the game, you gain more things and more options open for you gameplay-wise allowing you to do new things and reach new places. It's a success formula. I played through this game
so many times when I was a kid, it's amazing I didn't get sick of it.
8.
Batman Arkham Asylum
I just finished this game like a week ago and I'm still thinking about it. I wanna play it again, but wouldn't that be a waste of time? I didn't expect this game to be as good as it was, but it was brilliant - BRILLIANT I TELL YOU! It's down here because of lack of sentimental attachment, but it's a classic that will be remembered for many years to come. Aside from graphics, great story, great villains, great atmosphere - the game has a gameplayability on par and not completely unlike the best of the Zeldas. Progressing through the story gives you more stuff which opens up new gameplay options and take you new places - in typical Zelda fashion. Boo, you have to play this one.
9.
Super Metroid
This is probably my second favourite game for the SNES and what a game it is. What really sets this apart is that it's a 2D platform game that still manages to communicate the spooky isolation and loneliness that Samus Aran by all logic should feel when she's fighting her way through the caves of the mysterious alien planet Zebes. Of course I eventually completed it in less than 4 hours and got the prize at the end.
10.
Bioshock
Yeah, another new game and it's an FPS and it's not Call of Duty: Modern Warfare! Instead, it's Bioshock which - although it didn't have the gameplay of Modern Warfare or perhaps Crysis - was genuinely spooky now and then but which above all had an absolutely fascinating setting. The underwater city of Rapture, the history of the characters there, the big daddies and the little sisters .. everything was right up my alley. Eagerly awaiting the next one!
11.
OpenTTD (yeah, I know there's no prize for 11 - but I had to push this one off the list
)
Transport Tycoon and Transport Tycoon Deluxe (a sort of expansion) are management games in which you have your transport company and you have to make money. You build docks, canals, railroads, airstrips, roads and send out your busses, trains, lorries, boats and planes to make money. Doesn't sound funny? Well - this game can easily keep you happily occupied for hours a day, consider yourself warned. In the 90s, I played this one so much on our 486 until there were so many planes, boats and trains around in the game world that the computer crashed.
OpenTTD is an open source remake of the old TTD which
feels exactly like the original. It's even got the same brilliant music. All they did was iron out a few annoyances and add some stuff along with a neat multiplayer option. Recommended for everyone!
There are some games I feel could be in there depending on what day it is, for example Blizzard titles like Warcraft II or Starcraft, but what the hey. I guessed that MMORPGs were out of the question, otherwise I would've included norwegian sci-fi MMORPG Anarchy Online for sure!
Anyways, I think I can stand by this list.
