My favourite games

I was sent a thing on Facebook which got me thinking about my favourite video games. This is by no means a definitive list, and is probably more of a reflection of my mood at this particular moment than anything else. It is also not objective (there are a number of games which I'm sure you think are better, but this is my list... make your own in the comments section).

Anyway, here is my definitive list of games that mean the most to me when I think of games which mean the most to me at this particular time:


Chrono Trigger (SNES) - I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy games, but Chrono Trigger beats all FF games in my opinion. This game pushed the SNES to its limits - it looked amazing, it played beautifully, its gameplay and story were innovative and so much about this game has stuck with me. Chrono Trigger is my benchmark for deciding whether a game is any good - if it comes close, then I know it is a good game. I do the same thing with music, I listen to a song or album and think to myself "is this anywhere near as good as Jimi Hendrix live at Filmore East in December 1969, if it's not anywhere near as good I tend not to bother.





Micro Machines 3 (PS1) -In particular, the level Brake Fast Bends. I must have played this level hundreds of times on multiplayer mode. The level is short and perfect for competition. You could go round the track for an hour without a winner, with the victor only being decided when the other person lost his or her nerve or made the tiniest mistake. There is a real spiritual, Zen-like element to this game which most people won't realise.



Super Mario 3 (NES) - this game is perfect. I must have played this game through more times than I can remember, and each time I play it, it fills me with a real sense of joy. In terms of mechanics and gameplay, the game is flawless. But alongside this the game is witty andfull of suprises. It may not look as slick as the multitude of games being released today, but if today's games had half the playability of Mario 3, it's doubtful that I'd be married.



Fallout 3 (Xbox360) - If you've not played Fallout 3, then you are in for a treat. One of the deepest, most satirical and darkest games I've ever played, this game takes immersion to a level I've never experienced in a game before. It is not for twitchy gamers who see the FPS genre as the be-all-and-end-all of gaming. I think the sign of a good game is one which you can discuss fondly with people over a pint... and I've done this, on a few occassions... and heard about vast sections of the game I hadn't even come across. I love Fallout 3 because it reward patience and curiousity, and VATS is awesome... and because the owls are the hootiest.



Grand Theft Auto (PC) - I'm a bit old school when it comes to games. I never really got into GTA IV the way I did Vice City, and I never got into Vice City the way I got into the original top-down Grand Theft Auto. The original GTA made robbing and killing seem almost charming and daft. The game had a lot of humour and charm, the colour pallette was brighter, and damn it, the game was faster-paced and funner (shut up, funner's a word now).



Disgaea (PS2) - This little-known turn-based strategy-RPG is possibly more addictive than crack mixed with Pringles. If you were to watch someone play this game, you'd probably fall asleep in your own waste, but playing it is just brilliant. It's kind of like a complex version of chess, in which the characters evolve and develop... it also has a quirky Japanese humour running through... you might not think it's the most engaging game you've ever played, but then you notice that you have clocked up few hundred hours...



Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past (SNES) - I know that Ocarina of Time is a better game, it is. Link to the Past is the game I got with my SNES so it will always occupy a special place in my heart. Nostalgia aside, Link to the Past is still an amazing game, and judging by all of the proceeding Zelda games which have followed, it has also become the template for them (see Minish Cap on GBA for definitive proof!).



Street Fighter II Turbo (SNES) - My preference for this particular version is due to fact that this is version I had on my SNES. I had Super Street Figher II, but it never felt quite right. Although Street Fighter IV is a much better game (arguably one of the best fighting games of all time), I've gone back to SF2 Turbo again and again for almost 2 decades. That's a pretty good sign of quality, if you ask me.



Mario Kart Double Dash (Gamecube) - Mario Kart is gameplay heaven, especially in multi-player. This is a game which I've owned every version of (SNES/GBA/N64/DS/GC, not Wii, because I'm not 8), and love each version in its own way. The SNES version will always have that nostalgic thing for me, I played Ghost Valley I with my friend Kieren countless times as a teenager (the Brake Fast Bends effect), and the DS version seems to bring together the best elements of all the Mario Karts in what is technically the ultimate version. But Double Dash is a game I've played with Claire and my friends coutless times. Whether its the ambiguity of what or who a Daisy Cruiser is, or just going mental in Baby Park, this game has ended up being dug out during countless drinking sessions.




Braid (Xbox360) - I would urge anyone who has not played this game to stop being stupid and get yourself a copy. From the outset, this game looks pretty dated. It looks like a bog-standard 2D playform game, and on first play doesn't seem that interesting. But after a short time, something clicks and you realise that this might be the most innovative game of the last decade (if you see the manipulation of space and time as innovative). The game is complex and rewarding, it's a bitch at times and makes no concessions to the player. This was the first game I've ever played where I found it useful to stick post-it notes all over my TV screen while playing it, I'm not kidding... If you're idea of a good video game experience is waggling a remote control to make a balloon inflate, I'm not conviced this will be the game for you.



Bust-a-Groove (PS1) - my final official selection is Bust-a-Groove. Before music games had to have arrows for your feet or little toy guitars, there were two titles which defined the rhythm game genre (at least for me they did): Parappa the Rapper and Bust-a-Groove. Although Parapper the Rapper had better game mechanics, Bust-a-Groove was a much better gaming experience. Shorty and the EZ Mouse, a giant voguing robot, Capoera aliens and Kitty N gave this game oodles of charm. I've not played the game in years, but I can still hear the songs in my head... "I would never ever run away..." "I'm the natural playboy in town..." "very very very very very very goood..." "Everything is fine with me, if I'm with my EZ mouse..." I'm still not sure what a Bugger Dog is though....