Top 10 Games

I decided to make a list of my top games, and explain why they are so. Listing them with number one as the best, was difficult, as there are so many which are so good.


THERE WILL BE SPOILERS


1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - After much thinking, I believe that Knights of the Old Republic is the best game I've ever played. Many games are very good in a particular area, good graphics, good story, good music, good plot, good characters...however KotOR just doesn't quit. With the most enthralling storyline I've ever played, amazing force powers, the fight for good versus evil, a mysterious past, beautiful scenery in a breathtaking 3D environment, KotOR will draw in just about all audiences. Even if you're not a fan of Star Wars, you can still rely on it as a guilty pleasure, because it's just so good. The game took a universe that already had millions of fans, and showed us that there were still some Jedi Mind Tricks up it's sleeves. It gave us "lore" where we hadn't even thought of it, introduced a new viewpoint on the villains of the Star Wars universe and put us behind the wheel of a game that changed the way many would look at Star Wars. Overall, the only weak point was the fighting. It's not much fun to tell someone to go kill a guy with a lightsaber, when compared to the gameplay of Jedi Knight 1 or 2, KotOR falls a bit short. However, this means that it takes more tactics than pure "skill", and besides, JK1&2 were both pretty clumsy in the area of combat anyway. However, the game offered so much that other Star Wars games didn't have, and was augmented greatly by epic, atmospheric music that didn't simply steal from John Williams, superb voice acting and free choice of what you want to tell everyone. Allowing you to rescue orphans, or perhaps burn down their orphanage.
What really sticks it as number one for me is the amazing reveal when you finally confront Malak. I was absolutely flabbergasted! I was Darth Revan the entire time? No way! It's not true! It's impossible! Overall, the best game I've ever played is one I've played many, many times. I encourage everyone to play it themselves, and at least give it a chance.
2. Mass Effect - Mass Effect, made by the same people who made KotOR. When I first saw this, I was expecting it to be KotOR with some new aliens. I hadn't really played games by Bioware except KotOR, though I've been deeply interested in Jade Empire I could never find a copy when I had the money. Mass Effect knocked me off my feet, picked me back up again, and carried me to saftey, using only its feet. I was stunned! Amazed! Astounded! A game that feels NEW, in an old Genre? Absurd! How could this be? What's more, it's interactive, barely requires any strategy in combat has amazing voice acting exciting, interesting music and sexy sleek graphics that you just wanna lick. Mass Effect had so many similarities to a game I played in my youth called Protostar: War on the Frontier, that I think Bioware might have also played it. My suspicion is further enhanced with the information I've read and watched for the second installment of Mass Effect, however I doubt I will ever know. The point is...that Mass Effect is almost number one, and is probably only number two because I consider KotOR to be an integral part of gaming history, and a classic at this point. Mass Effect takes everything from KotOR that was good, and enhances it. And then it leaves behind the archaic fighting system and replaces it with something that feels like Gears of War combined with Ninja Gaiden. The powers and abilities you have as a biotic don't simply feel like a cheap knock off of Star Wars force powers, and the characters, camera angles, music, voice acting and movement of everything make the game feel more like an interactive movie than a video game. On the downside, traveling on planets is painful, though it can be fun, and sometimes one must question why characters are able to live in space with their suits on, but there are planets where they can land which will harm characters through their suits because of things like cold and heat, yet the Mako is fine in all of these conditions until it runs into too much water or lava. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I guess it's really only a minor issue. Most other issues you may have with the game pretty much work themselves out if you pay enough attention to what you're doing.
3. Final Fantasy VI(3)- This game is simply classic. I know many prefer the next installment, however FF6 holds a special, emotional place in my heart. An older game, yes, but the story moved me to tears at least twice. The characters were so in depth and interesting, you can't help but sit on the edge of your seat waiting for more. The standard RPG leveling system at the time may seem outdated...but that's because it is. The game is old, there's no doubt, and with better combat systems like Seiken Densetsu 3 and even Chrono Trigger, this amazing tale would have almost been replaced on the list, but there's just no way to truly compare it. Simply an amazing tale, which I believe would have made a much better story than the environmental and tragic story they chose to make into a CGI movie instead.
4. Thief 2: The Metal Age - Atmospheric. There's no better way to describe the second installment of the Thief series. Set in the dead of the night, our Anti-Hero, Garrett, the cocky badass master Thief is back to prove to us all that he has not only what it takes to steal your ass right out from under you, but also to save the entire city while he's at it. Honestly, what fun would it be for a master Thief if the entire city was full of boring metal slaves and red dust? The voice acting alone would have qualified this game for top 15, but throwing in the moody, dark lighting, amazing (for it's time, folks) AI, creepy places and memorable characters and cutscenes and you've got a recipe for sexy. The gameplay focuses on stealth, one of the first of it's kind. Killing people is strictly prohibited in hardmode, and your objectives are to steal everything you can, while casually accomplishing other goals, voiced over by Garret, a gruff, but sexy cyclops. The entire feel of the game is so perfect that it cannot be denied a top spot here, I'm honored to have even played such a fantastic game.
5. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Oblivion. What can you say about a game so epic. Epic music. Epic voice acting. Epic gameplay. Epic epic epic. The game is so entrancing that it pissed people off. What? Oh, those were just the people who liked Morrowwind better. Well, they can suck it, because I didn't play Morrowwind much. Oblivion took the best elements you can get from a first person shooter, an RPG and a Tolkien-like world and smashed it all together in masterpiece. One of the most addictive games I've ever played, Oblivion has a huge number of different things you can do. Now, I know compared to the previous games, it doesn't have as much ground to cover, but it's a stunningly beautiful game with feature that anyone can appreciate. The gameplay is completely adaptable to any playstyle, and just like real life the more you do something, the better you get! Isn't that cool! The downside of this game (apart from it stealing you soul) is that there is so much to do, it can be a bit overwhelming to even decide where to start. Not to mention, for some of us lazy people who are also OCD, completing every quest is a lot of work. Hell, just finding many, many of the quests is a lot of work. As it with any game, but Oblivion is so much more realistic than many games, that it can be more of a challenge. Another part of it that I did not like is the reuse of voice actors. I'm a firm believer in Voice Acting, and I understand what a pain it must be to have so many characters acting, but really, did they just cheap out? So many characters with the same voice...ugh...
6. World of Warcraft - The multi-bajillion dollar franchise continues to eat my entire life. Having played the game since just before the first expansion, I consider myself a long-time player (of course, there are others who would disagree, because their e-peens are huuuuge). The game is great. I will admit that. Fantastic lore, thousands of quests, huge dungeons, a billion different pieces of armor. So much to do. All of these new things added, pets and titles and mounts and mounds of money and all of these crazy things. Getting geared is an endless battle against an unbeatable foe. Because your foe is the game itself. The only way to win is to not play. WoW will eat your soul, and while it does, it'll talk to you about it. WoW is here for your money. WoW loves your wallet. Why am I still playing this game. I've got more 80's get. I've got more gear to get from ICC. I want Shadowmourne. Why God, WHY?! Cataclysm comes out...another expansion to keep me going more and more and more. Thank the lord I've been playing Mass Effect instead, as of late.
7. Half-Life - Half Life is classic. It's not like other games. Is it a first person shooter? Yes. Yes it is. But you play a silent protagonist named Gordon Freeman. The poor guy finds himself in the middle, and unwittingly responsible for an alien invasion. I almost made this about Half Life 2, but really, HL1 was groundbreaking. It brought in things that pretty much no one had done before. Mainly I'm referring to the 3D environment. The game itself has a plot, which is not weak, but it's simply outdone by the incredible action you find. Much like it's successor, you're going to play to shoot zombies and stuff in the face, not for the great plot. Half Life stuck it to the man, saying "You've drawn the line, and I'm stepping over it" and so it did. Creating one of the most amazing games ever, that has since sprung up countless modifications, that are all fucking amazing. Yaaaay.
8. Hitman Blood Money - I love Hitman. 47 is such a cool guy, sure he's a hitman, but really, he's never really killed any good guys. I don't think he would care if he did, though. Poor cloned 47. Anyway, this game is beautiful, and really the culmination of the series. It has the best AI of the games, and it's just done so well, it has to be on my list. I have posters on my wall of Mr. 47. It's too bad the movie was pretty pathetic. Hitman is a bit of a sneaker game. 3rd person, which was way cool back when the first game came out. Ragdoll physics and smooth, sexy gameplay make this a game I still come back to after having beaten it a bunch of times.
9. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - This probably should've gotten a higher ranking. Great fucking game. Best Zelda game ever. This game was simply classic, and beautiful and great. The main problems I had with it was that many cutscenes could not be skipped (a frequent problem in games, but made more excruciating in this game due to repetition) and some rather annoying bosses, but really, they weren't that bad. Ocarina may not have been that original as far as the plot goes, but it didn't matter, because in it's complete lack of trying to be new and different...it succeeded in being different from other games of the time. Take that, other games!
10. Geneforge - Never heard of it? I'm not surprised. Geneforge is the ultimate in plot-based gaming. Why, you ask? Well, because it's recent, but the graphics suck. These days, people are so graphic hungry that all they care about is when the next explosion will happen. When the next splurt of blood will appear. Geneforge takes these people (mostly Gears of War and Halo fans) and confuses them into a coma with WORDS! Oh no! They try to skip all the words, but they keep coming! So confusing! Finally, they're passed the words, and they try to get into some action, only to find themselves dead, because what they don't realize is that they just told some guy to smash them in the face with a mallet or something. Geneforge turned me onto games where you get to choose what you get to say. It takes place in a completely new world, which is so very different from completely cliche Tolkien-worlds that they have in games all the time, you can't help but love it. It's new, it's funky fresh and it's here to kick your ass! Yeah! Geneforge 1 is the best of the lot, I think. Having played 2 and 3, I liked them...but they got a little too political for me, and I lost interest. Maybe I'll play the latest one. I dunno, but Geneforge 1 was amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Some things that were almost on this list.

Freespace 2 - Fucking great game, but not as good at the rest.
Chrono Trigger - Just about replaced FF6. Fucking awesome game, but not quite as good as FF6.
Protostar: War on the Frontier = Protostar...ah...this would probably take the 11 spot. So good...soooo good. Great game. I suggest everyone find it on Home of the Underdogs.
Fallout 3 - I liked Fallout...but never finished it as I found the environment to be very depressing. Also, I preferred the "the more you use it, the better you get with it" approach found in Oblivion. Still, another amazing game.
Bioshock - Bioshock was fun, but the faces were poorly rendered, and it was creepy as hell. Not really my bag. I'm not into creepy stuff. Bioshock is interesting and unique, but not in my top 10.
Super Mario 3 - Classic game, but tedious, and feels like a time waster, just like any Mario game, really, haha. I love 'em to death, but there's no real plot to most of it, and the man chases mushrooms for fucks sake.
Warcraft 3 - Warcraft 3 drew me in because of the interesting plot. Something incredibly important to me. But the monotonous gameplay got to me, and I'd often end up cheating just to get the level over with so I could see the cutscenes or what not. Still, great voice acting, it's too bad so many of the voice actors were replaced in WoW.
Assassins Creed - Assassin's Creed was incredibly boring when you're doing side missions. All I could think was "god, haven't I done this before?" but the amazing parkour moves, swordplay, and other such things, combined with the beautiful graphics and heart-pounding action pulled this game into my top 20.
Secret of Mana 2 - This is like the love child of Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger and Zelda. How can you not love it. I guess it's not on the top 10 because of a somewhat boring and cliche plot.

Recent return, and move

I've moved to Manti, which is a mere 7 miles from the town I was perviously living in, Ephraim.

I've still got stuff in my car, since I'm too lazy to move it all. In other news, this keyboard sucks, and I recently (about a week ago) got back from a 10 day trip to Seattle and other places, visiting relatives, mostly.

Starting from the tiny town of Ephraim, myself, my sister Naomi and my niece Juliah, traveled through several states to get to northern Washington, where we stopped in Monroe, which is where my Aunt lives. My father, step-mother and step-brother traveled with us, in a separate vehicle.
I'll spare the details of staying at her house and such, but I visited with a lot of family on my dad's side (it was my Grandfathers 85th birthday), and ended up going on a harbor tour of the Puget Sound, the Space Needle, the Seattle Aquarium, the famous Puget Sound Locks, the Zoo and the Jimi Hendrix Memorial Museum/Science Fiction Museum, Alki Beach and a Mariners game. The Mariners are the Seattle baseball team, and they lost. I'd never been to a baseball game before, well, not a really one. It was quite the experience. It was all very interesting, and took place over the course of about 4 days. While in Alki Beach, I found this little gem:



More pictures later. Mostly of the zoo.

After all this, on Friday, my sister, niece and I traveled to Crescent City, California, through the Redwoods, and we spent the night there, and visited the beach. We then headed to Sacramento. We didn't actually have time to visit the Fisherman's Wharf in San Fransisco, but California was still mostly pleasant, though we were not used to the traffic. My mother told us that in California it's considered a sign of weakness to signal. At any rate, we spent the next day with my other grandfather, and he was very happy to see us, and discussed the current economy and how we should get out of Utah, and other various things. That was Saturday, we left Sunday morning, and headed across the border, to Carson City, Nevada, where my mother lives (and her mother had previously lived, while she was still alive). After hanging around there until yesterday, I left so that I could be back for work today. And so here I am. My mother decided to give my sister a car, so I came back earlier than my sister.

So, now that I'm back, I'm feeling a little weird. I don't go on trips often, and it was an interesting experience. Driving for 12 hours straight yesterday was strange, and I got lost a few times. Visiting people, seeing things. It was all very interesting, and in many ways, surreal.

At least I got to listen to more of Blood of the Fold while I was in the car. Also, I ended up breaking down and buying an iPod.

Woo!

Who's goin' on a date after more than a year out of the game? Me. That's who! Don't try to pretend you're not jealous. I know you are.