Caroline's Top Video Games of All Time! OF ALL TIME!

[ladyofshalott06]

I have only included games I've played or at least watched my husband play all the way through, so that limits my perspective a bit.

In no particular order:

• Mass Effect 2 - Mass Effect, as a whole, is an incredible journey, an unbelievable story, and a significant addition to science fiction in general. Mass Effect 2 is the best of that world. While I can complain about the gameplay in ME1 and the story (read: ending) in ME3, I can make no significant complaint about Mass Effect 2. This game is the best of what we expect from Bioware--lovable and hateable characters, humor, plot, and meaning behind it all as well. The end of this game is so good I've never seen anything that compares. From the Omega 4 Relay to the end, this game is practically perfection. The parting shot of thousands of reapers blotting out the stars gets me every single time, no matter how many times I've played this game. (Spoilers: It's a lot.) 



• Chrono Trigger - This game basically did everything Bioware does well (read above), but in 16-bit. They do incredible things with the music, especially considering what they had to work with. The characters are fleshed-out and lovable. The story is gripping, and it's really, really fun. This game shows that you don't need those amazing graphics to make the story real.



• Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Now, I expect many people will take issue with this. I can't begin to tell you how many times I've heard that Ocarina of Time is the superior game. But, having actually gone through both games recently and not just when I was a child, I disagree. I believe that Majora's Mask has stood the test of time (and will continue to) better than Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask has all of the puzzles and features that make a Zelda game what it is. Ocarina of Time is considered the perfect example of this. But Majora's Mask isn't just a Zelda game. There has never been a game like Majora's Mask, either before or since. What makes this game amazing is the atmosphere and the story. They managed to create the perfect unsettling, creepy atmosphere. It isn't as immediately obvious as in some games, but it will get to you. Repeating the same three days over and over, a sense of running out of time, the music, the dopplegangers, everything is put together to form that something that this game has that no other game has quite managed since.



• Portal - This game may be the most "perfect" game I have ever played. It does not have the emotional depth or length of most games, but there is, essentially, nothing bad I can say about it. Maybe a desire for more GlaDOS? It's a perfect combination of humor and 3D puzzles with a unique mechanism that has never been done before. GlaDOS is a fantastic character, especially considering how little you see/hear of her. Though she does not speak that much in the grand scheme of things, her character permeates the entire environment. This isn't your average puzzle game.

Honorable mentions to: Dragon Age: Origins, Uncharted 2: Among Theives, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Mass Effect 1 & 3, The Sims, Bioshock, Knights of the Old Republic