The Fantaverse Members Top 20 Games of All-Time

[numbersix]

Socom2: Never played, though I like the idea of adding more strategy to a first-person-shooter.

Age of Empires 2: Have it for the DS, although I'm sure it's a very different game, it's a great turn-based-strategy.

Civ 2: A classic, addictive experience. Loved it. And while I agree about sequels in gaming (arguably 9 in my top 20 are sequels), it's funny how Civ 3 was such an unenjoyable game for me.

[NSpan]

#5
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
(LucasArts) - PC
(1991)

Oh, the glory. When it comes to adventure games, (Sierra, aside...) LucasArts was a big part of my childhood. Maniac Mansion, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the original Monkey Island, my aforementioned Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, my aforementioned Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Mix Hit the Road, Full Throttle, and even Grim Fandango. All brilliant works of interactive-art. Unparalleled humor, intriguing storylines, FUN (and forgiving) gameplay set these games aside from the rest.

Monkey Island 2 is another great example of videogames possessing the capacity to match and exceed their predecessor. Monkey Island 2 was bigger, better written, funnier, and all-in-all a better adventure than the first (and that's saying something, because the original is a stone-cold classic).

I have no problem with the recent "special editions" released. They updated the graphics and the sound without causing any detriment to the original gameplay. If you haven't played the originals, go ahead and try the new versions. Same old concept, more modern experience.

[NSpan]

PS. FFVII and Mario Kart Wii were contenders for my list. Both are incredible gaming experiences.

[W]

Actually, I've never played the Rainbow Six franchise. I'm not really a PC gamer much. SOCOM is like the CoD franchise, just more team based, less individual, more social, and more stealthy.

I haven't played any Half-Lifes either, but I've heard they're pretty good.

I don't think I can talk about turn-based strategy without giving up a top 3 game. I've played Civ II enough to know that your screenshot is a mod, though. Which is actually one of the good things you didn't mention about it.

And I think a sequel can be both a cash grab and better than the original. Final Fantasy VII is easily one of the best games ever made. But only one (I think) of the FF games is a true sequel. Uncharted 2, for me, is the best game so far for this generation of consoles. Call of Duty is at the teens, I believe. If you need 14 titles (I'm guessing the number) to get your point across, I don't know what to tell you. When a shooter needs an update every single year, you gotta know they're going a little quicker than they need to. I can't complain. I love sequels. 11 of my top 20 are sequels and eight of the other nine (all but Dr. Mario, which is a part of the biggest franchise of all time) have spawned sequels.

My last 4 left are two sequels and two non.

[numbersix]

Love Monkey Island 2. Again, if I had played it more recently I would probably have it in my Top 20

W, you need to check out Half-Life 2. Amazing game.

[Ron Burgundy]

I will definitely give Halflife 2 a go, maybe just get the Orange Box

Socom 2 looks pretty good, but i dont like going back to older shooters now, after playing COD Black Ops and COD modern warfare 2.

Monkey Island 2, Never played

Civ 2, good game, but somehow i liked 3 better. Im playing Civ 5 at the moment, its great.

And in repsonse to your question NSpan, im not even sure if ive played that many Strategy games but heres my favs:

Civilization (series)
Age of Empires 2
Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun
Total War: Shogun 2 (even though i havent played that much of)
Stronghold Deluxe/Crusader
Tower Defence Games Online
Heroes of Might and Magic 2/3
The Sims? (is that a strategy game?)
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2
Hmm cant think of any more right now

And i just got Empire Earth from a mate

[numbersix]

The best tower defence game is Desktop Tower Defence. You should check that out if you haven't already. Tough game to beat.

[silversurfer19]

6. Premier Manager 3 (Amiga) 1994. Football Management.




While I was growing up I played a series of football management games, but this was always my favourite. You begin in charge of lowly Halifax Town down in the old fourth division and begin your quest to win the Premier League. It was challenging, had great playability in regards to controlling both aspects of management (training, team selection, buying/selling players) and controlling the day to day running of the club (sponsorships, ground improvements etc) and to top it off it had a little in game match animation, which for it's time I though awesome considering most were text only formats. I also really liked that you have to start from the bottom, it makes it much more challenging than the usual start with Man Utd/ Liverpool etc, and helps you get to grips with the game. It was also incredibly addictive. I would end up playing well into the early hours of the morning sometimes, eventually suffering the wrath of my mum as she'd see the faint glow of a monitor emitting from my bedroom one morning. At the age of 12 this was very bad for me, but it was totally worth it!!

[numbersix]

I remember my friends were crazy about Championship Manager and its various editions, which came after Permier Manager. I tried playing it for a while and got nothing out of it. Seemed like a whole load of spreadsheets to me

[numbersix]

As for sequels, for my Top 4 2 are sequels, one is a mod, and one is an original.

I guess the difference between sequels for games and movies is that idea of "art". I simply don't see art in video games, even if the artwork can be interesting or different, whereas in a way that's mostly what I want from cinema. So the idea of repeating its theme in a bigger/better format doesn't matter with a game. Perhaps a good way to explain how I seperate is that I see a film as an end for something profound, where I see a game as a means for some distraction.

[silversurfer19]

Six, I love spreadsheets and writing lists and budgets, so this game sat perfectly well with me!!

5. Star Wars Lego:The Complete Saga (Wii, XBox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo DS) 2007.






Obviously most of you know I'm a Star Wars fan by now, and so bringing the whole bloody affair together into another of my favourite franchises, Lego, it was always going to be a winner in my books. But little did I know just how well it would work. Brilliantly devised puzzles and gameplay intrinsically weaved into each chapter of the Star Wars universe, where you get to play with pretty much every major character (through unlocking each stage) each with their own skills and abilities. Incredibly easy to play, but highly addictive also, it's a game which can appeal to everyone and you can enter and leave the game at will. The game is pretty much infinite, you can play it in order (from Episode I to VI) or individually once unlocked, and the lush animation of each environment makes each stage a delight to play. And on top of that you can unlock Bounty Hunter missions with bonus levels to further take you into the Star Wars Galaxy. This pretty much ensures that you never really get bored playing the game, as there is always something new to see and play, but really most of my enjoyment comes from just how fun it all is. Perfectly balancing the Star Wars mythology with the entertainment factor of Lego, its always imaginative and creative, and works well either in single player mode or as part of a team. The controls are quick to master and the sound of hearing the lightsaber go "whaum!" as you swish your wiimote around just fills my nostalgic heart with joy.

[numbersix]

I have played lots of Star Wars games and only 2 of them have ever given my a satisfying Star Wars experience. The first was the flight simulator action game Tie Fighter on the PC, and the second was Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, also for the PC.

[W]

It depends on what you call "art". To me Transformers is as much "a distraction" as Call of Duty. And Red Dead Redemption has every single thing that you'd call "art" in a good western, the struggle with morality, beautiful scenes, some great character, a really good story, hero, villain, etc. What makes one "art" and the other a "distraction?"

And can a TV show be art? Books? Other media?

[numbersix]

I think TV shows, books can of course be art, but funnily I've never considered video games to be so. Although they say that's changing, I've still to experience a game that in any way comes close to the "artistic" impact of films, novels, music, etc. I've never ever had a true emotional connection to a story. Maybe if the stories weren't so awful and the characters and voice acting so poor, I might have a different opinion. Or perhaps if I've experienced a game that truly has, as you say, a struggle with morality, I might change my mind. But I sure as hell haven't. I guess that's because I don't see games as conveying a theme of any sort.

[W]

Once again it depends on what you play. They've used Portal in a college course that explored what it's like to be human. Flower is like an interactive painting. Like I said before, RDR is like a great western. I would call Myst art. They're few and far between, but so are major films nowadays.