411 Games Top 5 02.04.10: Week 49 - Our Favorite Games Of All Time

Posted by Todd Vote on 02.04.2010

We've brought you our favorites by system, and genre, and about every other way possible. This week the games staff simply brings you our favorite games.

Let's get this week kicked off with a look at some of your feedback and lists.


Comment Time with Toddo!

"I didn't do a list because no one can compete with the cast of Target Terror.

Posted By: The Salms (Registered)"

Nobody asked you why you didn't do a list and nobody cares, Michael Scott.

Also nice to see that being head of games (now THERE'S a title you can be proud of...cough) has made Lansdell go from annoying to unbearable in record time.
Posted By:Guest#0357 (Guest)on January 28, 2010 at 03:56 PM

And this is a prime example that some people could be handed both a pot of gold, bag of money and still... Still they would bitch about it. I'm still not getting the Michael Scott reference, I watch the Office, and I've never seen Michael Scott mention Target Terror or Chris Lansdell. It'd be a lot cooler if he did though.

4 on 4
Team Over-exposed
Mario, Ryu, Scorpion and Sonic
vs
Team Actually much cooler
Luigi, Ken, Sub-Zero and Tails
Special Guest Ref: Yoshi
Posted By:Dr. Gamecube (Guest)on January 27, 2010 at 11:55 PM

All arguable points sir. I'm just sayin.

I'd have to imagine that my list would just be my personal favorite characters from the games I've played in intriguing match-ups.

5. Jak & Daxter vs. Ratchet & Clank
4. Samus vs. The Cast of Megaman X. I'd love to see how Samus would have fared in the exact same game with a different protagonist.
3. Link & Sheik vs. Megaman & Zero
2. Jecht vs. Tidus (FFX Father/Son No Overdrives Barred Match)
1. Sephiroth vs. Magus (from Chrono Trigger)
Posted By: Empire Of Ownage (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 01:49 AM

The lists were indeed of personal choices, and we would expect no different from you guys.

Niko Bellic vs Carl Johnson vs Vic Vance vs Claud

A GTA IV-way
Posted By: Loki (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 11:25 AM

Okay, I recognized every name you mentioned, but Claud.. Who is this Claud? Anyone care to explain?

I'm quite surprised no one has mentioned Kefka vs. Sephiroth at all. One psychopathic madman that actually did take over the world vs. a psychopathic emo pretty-boy with an Oedipus complex that attempted to take over the world.
Posted By: Galen H. (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 11:14 PM

I'm sure I don't have to explain why I didn't include this battle.

5.Kratos vs. Hayabusa
4.Mario vs. Sonic
3.Batman vs. Wolverine
2.Tommy Vercetti vs. Carl Johnson
1.Guile vs. Liu Kang

Have to put Mario & Sonic & SF vs MK cuz when I was growin up it was all we'd read about in EGM & Gamepro. They'd have the fan pictures of Sonic rippin Mario's head off and SF and MK kickin each others asses.
Posted By: JBass24 (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 09:13 PM

I think I might still have that copy of EGM with Scorpion ripping Mario's head off. I believe it was fan art after the announcement of no blood in the SNES version of MK. Those were the days...

LISTS!!

. Cole McGrath vs. Alex Mercer
. Ratchet & Clank vs. Jak & Daxter
. Snake & Raiden vs. Chris Redfield & Leon S Kennedy
. Faith vs. Lara Croft
. Batman vs. Superman
Posted By: BBM (Guest) on January 27, 2010 at 11:16 PM

5. Ganondorf Vs Kefka: (Two powerful Dark Magic users who have a talent for Manipulation and Shape Shifting going 1-on-1)
4. Albert Wesker (RE:5) Vs M. Bison: (Two mad dictators playing God and seeing who lives)
3. Kratos Vs Cole MacGrath (Evil): (Would Kratos' chains act as conduct? Would he care?)
2. Sephiroth Vs Nightmare: (Both known for badass blades, which would prevail)
1. Solid Snake Vs Batman: (Lock them in an abandoned warehouse and see who comes out)
Posted By: The Dutch (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 12:25 AM

Spyro vs Crash
Kratos vs MasterChief
Com. Shepard vs Nathan Drake
Cpt. Price vs Duke Nukem
Sonic & Knux vs Mario & Luigi
Posted By: JBL (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 02:13 AM

5. Ezio Auditore Vs The Prince (Two Thrones)
4. Nathan Drake Vs Niko (GTA:4)
3. Cole MacGrath Vs Raidan (Mortal Kombat)
2. Brock Lesner (UFC) Vs Triple H (WWE)
1. Woverine Vs Kratos
Posted By: Eibmoz Izan (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 08:41 AM

What, no Pokemon vs Shadow of the Colossus?
No Little Mac vs Starman for the Boxer vs Wrestler showdown?
Pac-Man vs Kirby in the eating contest of the century.
How about Sonic vs Megaman (since Sonic fights robots)?
One more... hmmmm...
alright, an obvious choice:
Zangief vs Mike Haggar.
Posted By: G-Walla (Guest) on January 28, 2010 at 04:40 PM

Cole McGrath vs. Starkiller
Max Payne vs. Jack Slate
Jackie Estecado vs. Bayonetta
Posted By: Guest#6007 (Guest) on January 29, 2010 at 06:58 AM

Great lists guys. Looking back I think I would have had Alex Mercer vs. Starkiller on my list. They had both escaped my mind. Pac-Man vs. Kirby!! FTW!



Well it's finally here. We've broken down our favorites in plenty of different ways. Whether it be by genre, game system, weapons, whatever. We've offered 48 weeks of lists. It wasn't until the end of last week that I realized we've never just detailed our overall favorite games. So I thought, what the hell, lets give that a shot.

That's what the games staff is bringing you this week, our individual favorite games. There is nothing restricting the lists this week. Consoles, and game genres don't matter this time out. Just each writer listing his or her favorite games of all time. Enjoy, and remember to leave us your favorites down in the comments section.

Adam LarckHONORABLE MENTIONS

Final Fantasy VIII - Even though people love FF VII, the best one in the series was VIII for me. I spent way to much time with this game.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - One of the best games in the series, it still holds up great today against other games.

Super Metroid - Whether it was finding new power-ups or taking on Ridley, this game has a lot of fond memories with me.

5.Halo 2 - Love or hate the series, this game was the first real start to my online playing. I met a lot of good friends from that game, many I've met in person and still play with today. The single player may have been a bit of a letdown, but multiplayer is still top notch for me.

4.Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy - Running fast to get through a level. Such a simple premise for this game, yet it worked so well. The trilogy on Genesis had some of the best levels at the time for variety and looks, and was great to breeze through. My favorite set of levels still has to be the Casino Zone.

3.The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - My favorite SNES game, I still love to go back and run through this game from time to time. The light and dark world was a great concept at the time, and it was an experience to see Link as a rabbit for the first time. The game offered a nice variety of items to get, and really rewarded exploration with some of the best items in the game. Definitely a must play game for gamers.


I'm not sure what Mario game he is playin, but this is hilarious!

2.Super Mario Bros. - One of the two first games I ever played, the original game is still one of the best to go back to. The simple platforming in it really worked, and such a simple premise is still seen in games today. Whether it was finding the hidden Warp Pipes or taking Bowser out just to discover you still hadn't found the princess, this is still an amazing game.

1.Tetris - Probably one of the simplest games ever played, I have put too much time into this game over the years. Just placing shapes into specific places is so much fun for me to see how long I can do it and see how high of a score I can get before messing up. This game also got my family into gaming as we competed against each other to see who the best was. I'll still bust out the classic NES version from time to time, or play one of the newer versions to try out different modes. Still an amazing game today.

Stephen RandleHONORABLE MENTIONS

Smackdown/SD vs Raw series (PS1/PS2/PS3/Wii) - Well, I keep buying them, I must like 'em.

World of Warcraft (PC) - Ate three years of my life, and introduced me to a great circle of friends. Had the side effect of ruining other games because my friends didn't play them. Sadly, we've all moved on now.

Mario Kart Series (SNES/N64/Wii) - It's Mario Kart, I don't have to explain it.

5.TMNT 2: The Arcade Game (SNES) - One of my best memories of childhood is spending hours and hours playing this game with my best friend in his basement. And yet, we somehow never beat the damned thing. Quick, somebody put this out on WiiWare or PSN so we can see if we still have the mad skills of our youth.

4.Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) - Not the usual game type I play, so when I tell you it is awesome, and I couldn't put the controller down while playing, you know that it has to be something special. Multiplayer adds hours and hours of fun and isn't just standard deathmatch, although it's a little limited right now. I can't call it my all-time favourite because I can't see myself replaying the single player many times, like I have with the games ahead of it.

3.Final Fantasy VI (SNES/PS1) - The best Final Fantasy, and screw VII, it's the one I'd wish they'd re-make in 3D. A deep storyline...actually, its multiple deep storylines, involving all 14 characters (well, maybe not Gogo or Umaro), inventive battles, beautiful music and graphics, and of course the greatest evil villain in the history of evil.

2.Chrono Trigger (SNES/PS1/DS) - I cannot stop replaying this game. I have played it on three different systems, completed it at least a dozen times, and I just cannot get over its quality. It is simultaneously the simplest and yet most complex RPG I have ever played, which means it has enormous depth, but never feels like a chore. And it has some of the greatest music known to video games, which I still use as a ringtone.

1.Diablo II (PC) - I decided I had to be honest. No game has eaten so much of my life and dedicated so much of my interest as the third and (I feel) often under appreciated member of Blizzard's trilogy of awesome franchises. I played this game from the day it was released right up until World of Warcraft came out nearly a decade later, and never, ever got tired of it. Sadly, I never did manage to get a lvl 99 character, but I did have at least a dozen at 70+. My fiancé has been warned: Diablo III is coming.

Lee PriceHONORABLE MENTIONS

Crusader of Centy/Soleil - A Zelda clone, but one I adore more than any Zelda game I have ever played.

Killer7 - We need more games like this. The art style and story kept me captivated for the entire time.

Gunstar Heroes - Best Run n' Gun game ever made. Bar none.

5.BioShock - I have never been as engrossed in a game as I was with BioShock. This to me is the perfect way to pull off narrative and immersion in a game. Granted the FPS mechanics weren't as perfect as the ones you see in games like the CoD series, but they didn't need to be. The whole world of Rapture was captivating. This is one of few games that I was physically unable to stop playing until I finished it.

4.Sonic 2 - The best Sonic game for me. What tips Sonic 2 over the top is the unparalleled level design, at least in comparison to the other Sonic games. Every enemy is in a fair place and it is almost always your fault if you get hit or lose a life. On top of that the game improves upon everything that made Sonic 1 great, but doesn't fall into Sonic 3's pitfall of trying to provide too many power-ups and interactivity with the background objects. This is just perfect, distilled Sonic.



3.Resident Evil 4 - I was always a huge fan of the Resident Evil series, and if this game wasn't here you would probably see the Resi remake from the GC occupying the same slot. Resident Evil 4 reinvented what was, in all honesty, a fairly antiquated control scheme. Couple that with placing the focus on action, which wasn't as much of a detriment as it could have been, and you have a series that morphed from one of the best Survival Horror series into one of the best and most influential action game series. The first time I played this game was a revelation for me.

2.Goldeneye 007 - I'm starting to feel as though my choices are a little cliche here, but I don't care. Goldeneye is the most fun I have ever had with an FPS. You can take all your online play, I'll happily have a few friends round and spend hours running around the facility level trying to kill them off. On top of that the single player game was a revolution in the FPS genre, providing story and context, as well as objectives, that went beyond the simple "KILL EVERYTHING" motif of the FPS games that came before. A truly classic gaming experience.

1.Final Fantasy VII - I can hear the groans from here, but nobody can deny the influence that Final Fantasy VII has had on a whole generation of RPG gamers. This was my introduction into RPGs, and it started a life long love affair with them. I have now played almost every one in the series, as well as a multitude of games that I wouldn't have given the time of day, or may not have even been released in the UK, if not for this game. Also, sorry FFVI fans, but as much as I loved playing through that game recently, for me it still doesn't compare to the mighty FFVII. Great story, superb cast of characters, under-rated battle mechanics and an enormous world full of secrets. Final Fantasy VII had it all.

Your Local Director of Fun The SalmsHONORABLE MENTIONS

Corpse Killer - Yes, the full motion Sega CD game that has dancing zombies dressed as wiggers. I love you Sega CD <3

5.) Target Terror - Someone once asked me what made me qualified to be an American? Why should I be considered a patriot? Well I learned over towards the hobo, put my hand onto his shoulder, and whispered into his ear, "Target Terror".

4.) PixelJunk Monsters - It's unbelievable how addicted I've been to this game. I've become addicted, quit, and started again. This is my World of Warcraft. I've beaten every level, beaten ever level perfect *rainbow*, and gotten every Trophy yet I still keep coming back for more. Hell I've gotten a rainbow on every level co-op as well. The fun just doesn't end.

3.) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - I've played and beaten Sonic 2 at least a dozen times on at least 5 different platforms and once again I still can't get enough of it. Hell I think I might just play it again after I finish this list.

2.) Metal Gear Solid 4 - This is one of the first games to ever make me actually care about the story. I love everything about MGS4. I'm nowhere near finished with the game either, I've never quite played the game through without ever killing someone. The game is just so much fun using the combat that I always degrade to using weapons. But one of these days I will tranquilize everyone, and that will be another great accomplishment for my second favorite game.

1.) Tetris - If I had one game to play for the rest of my life I would choose Tetris. It has no flaws what-so-ever, and continuously provides me the most fun I've ever had in a game.

READER VOICE Dominic HolleyHONORABLE MENTIONS

(I know I have a lot, but you do realize you are asking a gamer about his favorite games...right?)

Marvel Ultimate Alliance(not 2, just 1), Devil May Cry 3, Tecmo Bowl, Double Dragon (nes), Contra, X-men Arcade, TMNT Arcade, Ninja Gaiden (pick one, any one), Twisted Metal 2, Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, Spider-Man 2 (PS2), Mega Man

5. Mass Effect- It may be a little early to be including this in my all-time favorites, but the control you have over these games are unrivaled and well...Mass Effect is the shit. I don't really know what I can say that hasn't been said about it already, but I haven't been this involved in a game for a long while now, and it deserves placement on my list for just that, because I am not the biggest fan of shooters, or RPGs for that matter, and I kill hours upon hours Heavy Chargin' all kinds of shit.

4. Madden NFL series- Besides NFL 2k5, there is no other football games that can even compete with the realism and overall greatness of the Madden series. I am a football freak, and I love my yearly updates. While I have to admit, between the fact that the computer can all of a sudden whoop that ass out of nowhere after being dominated and also that playing on all-madden doesn't make the game any harder, it just makes your players shitty fumble machines, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Madden where my frustration has led to many Christian-esque temper tantrums, but I am a maddenite undoubtedly.



3. WWF No Mercy-The pinnacle of wrestling games for certain, No Mercy is as good as it can get when it comes to the genre. Branching storylines that don't force you to win or else, deep customization options, it introduced plenty of slick ass moves I hadn't seen yet (Burning Hammer, anyone?), you could even play as one of Godfather's Hoes! Ok so the latter is just retarded, but still, that just speaks on their supreme attention to detail, THQ was heavily focused when they worked on No Mercy, building on their success from the WCW/NWO hits that got the gravy train started and nearly perfecting their craft with No Mercy. It kinda makes you wonder, why the hell can they not do that now?

2. Resident Evil Director's Cut- This is when I began to emerge as a Capcom groupie. I remember seeing this in an issue of EGM for the first time (along with X-Men: Children of the Atom) and being absolutely taken aback by the massive tarantula roaming the halls, knowing I had to get my hands on a copy because I'm scared to death of the damn things. I was only 10 years old, and spiders would make me nearly shit my pants back then, hell, they still do now...but the point is, I had to have it, and I was gonna get it by any means, and to this day I can still play it like it was the first time and still be into it, never making speed runs, always trying to kill everything in sight and making sure I save Barry and Chris to have the Tyrant final battle on the heliport. Sure certain parts get easy after a while, but some parts still holds the same level of creepiness that they did from the beginning, between Hunters, spiders and Chimeras, even if I had the ammo I felt the need to run because it was easy to get fucked up if you weren't paying enough attention, and being the scary ass that I was, I would still play this alone at night, and I was not bout to face them muh'fuckas.

1. Street Fighter (including Vs. series)-This is my first taste of Capcom (not really, Mega Man was, but I didn't know shit about that then), and I was hooked from the first time I saw Bishop playing the Street Fighter machine in Juice (For one, if I lose, I'ma beat that ass). I don't know what it is about this game, but it was absolutely amazing to me and I could never get enough of Street Fighter 2 on SNES. Back then, my fingers weren't as nimble, so it was hard to pull off some of the not-so-simple special moves for some characters...it took me a while to execute a Spinning Pile-driver without jumping around recklessly while constantly getting kicked out the air. I remember the first day I learn to pull off the jumping RK cross-up to standing HP to Dragon Punch combo that owned the world with Ken on SF 2 and yes, I'm one of the many Ken faithfuls that you probably hated from SF4...at least I didn't spam dragon punches, but that's also probably why I don't win as often.

Drew RobbinsHONORABLE MENTIONS

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) - Due to the game just coming out a few months ago, I still want to give it a little more time to sit in the back of my mind before I place it among my all time favorites. The first Uncharted was a really great action romp, but the second one just turned everything up a notch. The stunning capacity of Uncharted extended beyond its graphics with unbelievable set-pieces and action sequences that are almost unrivaled in the history of video games.

Chrono Cross (PS1) - Surprise entry! After thinking over the debate between Square's Chrono games, I finally decided that it was the much less well-received sequel that was my favorite. Some people didn't like the overabundance of characters, but hey, since when was a good variety a bad thing? The real star of the show, like Chrono Trigger, was the game's soundtrack. The Chrono Cross OST is full of incredibly soothing tunes, and a crazy good boss theme which I currently can't remember the name of. Maybe if you're lucky I'll get Todd the link, and it will be below this pile of text, and you can forget about this mishap?

5 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) - Why is it that such a stand-out in the Metal Gear Solid franchise tends to get overlooked the most? It doesn't have the luxury of being the first game, nor being the sequel that ruined the game for many, nor was it the extremely pretty one that took several years to release. But it tells a darn fine story! The game delves into the relationship between Big Boss and his mentor, which leads up to quite possibly the saddest player controlled moment in any video game. I know it is several years old now, but I'm not one to spoil a game regardless of age. You will just have to find out for yourself!

4. Super Metroid (SNES) - The original Metroid was neat, I guess, but you knew Nintendo meant business when it put out Super Metroid. Within moments of starting the game you were escaping from a detonating space station in which your progress was impeded by legendary gaming villain Ridley. The next several hours are spent doing the usual Metroid chore, finding power ups, searching for upgrades, and downing the game's incredible boss fights. And like every game on my list, the music is nothing to scoff at. Just pull up the start screen and be blown away by the first of many incredible tunes.

3. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2) - I missed the boat completely on the hype for this game, but years have passed, and just last summer I was able to come to appreciate this game. A game composed entirely of boss fights, in itself, sounds like a great idea. But it is much more than that. The Colossus aren't just overly aggressive hostiles, instead they are shown more of as defenders of this sacred land, making each stab into their weak point raise the question: are you really the good guy, in this whole scenario? Killing 12 colossi in order to save the life of one human. Not many games are known for portraying a sense of guilt. Oh yeah, and going with the common trend, the music in this game is beautiful. The orchestral piece that plays whenever you've figured out the colossus's weakness is easily one of my favorite pieces in any game.

2. Elite Beat Agents (DS) - When you hear rhythm game these days it instantly conjures up one image: a piece of plastic shaped to resemble one of many different instruments. Elite Beat Agents is one of the last bastions of old-school rhythm, controlled entirely by taps on the screen. It sounds easy enough, but as you get further in the difficulty curve sends you directly into a brick wall. And I wouldn't have it any other way! Increasing the difficulty gives you more of a feeling of being completely in-sync with the music, which can be awesome once you've gotten to a certain skill level. Even after reaching the pinnacle of achievement in the game, I still derive great joy from going back through the campaign to play through its down-right goofy set-list, which is much more tolerable in the context of playing the game.

1. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Multi) - This game is, as Penny Arcade once dubbed it, "The Best Absolutely Everything." Sands of Time is by no means a perfect game, but it is probably as close as I've ever seen. Each shortcoming of the game is quickly overcome by something else that is mindblowingly good. Mediocre combat? Well, the platforming kicks ass. Insanely difficult acrobatic segments? Rewind time! All of the high-flying action comes to a close with what I'd say is the best ending of any game. Ever. Even better than Snake Eater's!

Derek RobbinsHONORABLE MENTIONS

Final Fantasy X - Probably my second favorite Final Fantasy title ever. Even the horribly cheesy laughing line makes me smile.

Final Fantasy IX - Something about this list you may notice is that I love RPGs. This is my favorite Final Fantasy.

Adventure Island - A purely nostalgic pick. I have great memories of playing this when I was a kid.

Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker - Graphically, this game is the most beautiful thing ever. Chrono Cross barely beat it out.

5.Chrono Cross - There are three RPGs on my list. This either means I have a shitty taste in video games or a REALLY shitty taste in video games, depending on who you ask. Chrono Cross makes it on my list over Chrono Trigger for owning the greatest soundtrack in video game history. It is one of the few games where I can hear a random piece of music from the title and go: "Oh, hey, that sounds like Chrono Cross." It is astounding. The fact that it also has one of my favorite JRPG battle systems doesn't hurt it either. Yes, Chrono Trigger has a superior story. I don't care. I like Chrono Cross better.

4.Banjo-Tooie - RARE sure had it going on with their N64 platformers, eh? Banjo-Tooie is the absolute best of the bunch. In my opinion, it surpasses even Mario 64 as far as N64 platformers are concerned. Yes, at its heart it is a collectathon, but what sets it apart from other Mario 64 clones is its sense of humor. Banjo-Tooie is a very goofy game that does not take itself seriously. In a world where most every game is demanding you to take it with a straight face, this is definitely a diversion. Bonus points for those of you who defeated Canary Mary without getting obscenely angry...or using a strategy guide to figure out the key to beating her was to not beat her by too much.

3.Mother 3 - I will freely admit that this game is a better overall game than Earthbound, but for nostalgic reasons I still prefer the SNES title. I wish I could give a better explanation, but I just grew up with Earthbound. It's hard to throw it aside, you know? With that said, Mother 3 is an amazing experience and definitely one of the best RPGs I have ever played. The story is very rich and leaves you feeling hopelessly depressed by the end. I am not ashamed to admit I shed a few tears after this baby.



2.Street Fighter III - As much as I would love to put "The Entire Street Fighter Franchise" as my choice, that probably would not go over well. So I narrowed it down to this baby. I love absolutely everything about Street Fighter III. The wonderful parry system is introduced, it features my favorite overall Street Fighter cast, and the artwork is simply breathtaking. To this day, I will say that I have never seen a 2D fighter that has looked as impressive as Street Fighter III. Games like Blaz Blue and Guilty Gear are very pretty, but SF III just takes the cake.

1.Earthbound - This is probably a shocking twist to every single one of you, but yes, my favorite game of all time is Earthbound. The story and unique humor of the game still draws me in after my probably 10 millionth play through. The game's incredible music and retro battle system just complete the package for me. Ever since I got the game in 1996, I have made a habit of beating the game every year. As long as I have a Super Nintendo, I will have Earthbound. I absolutely love it.

Mathew SforcinaHONORABLE MENTIONS

Peggle - Just one more level...

Tetris - Just one more level...

Paper Mario & The Thousand Year Door - Just one more level...

5.Saint's Row 2 - Sure, it's stupid. But this is one of the downright funnest times I've ever spent with a video game controller in my hand. This is the true sequel to the GTA games of old, back when realism took second place to pure fun. Plus, it's the only games I've ever been able to make a player character I felt a connection to and who was pretty damm hot, for a bunch of pixels in the shape of an Asian Female.

4.Portal - I really wanted to put this higher. But it's just too short. True, it's a perfect game, but still... There's not enough of it! I want more! More puzzles and more black comedy! MORE!

3.WWF No Mercy - The greatest (North American) Pro Wrestling Game Ever. No question. Best story mode ever in a wrestling game, character creation was simple yet deep, a huge roster, and Survival is just made of win. No question


It's in his contract to have a picture of Victoria in each column he appears in

2.Fallout 3 - I love this game, have played it a hell of a lot, and I've found maybe, what, 50% of the content? Being super generous? An incredible game, and probably my pick for best game ever. But this is my fav, not the best....

1.Civilization II - I. LOVE. THIS. GAME. The best mix between control and simplicity, before it got overly complicated. Getting a fully explored map still gives me a worrying level of excitement. This is clouded somewhat by nostalgia I'm sure, but this still ranks as my favourite game ever. And if they do put it on Facebook as has been suggested... Well, that's it for me. I'll be lost to all of you forever. You've been warned.

Todd VoteHONORABLE MENTIONS

Smackdown vs. Raw series - The series has fallen a bit, but it is still worth an honorable mention.

Darksiders - It is a new game, but if the series can continue like this game brought, we are in for good things.

Indigo Prophecy - Another game that just barely missed my Top 5. I've played through this game more times than I care to count. If you haven't played it yet, I beg you to download it from the Xbox Originals tab on the XBL marketplace.

No Mercy - Best wrestling game ever!!

5.Super Mario Bros. All Stars - The original NES trilogy, plus the original Japanese Super Mario 2. I couldn't decide which particular Mario game to include, so this game includes all my favorites.

4.Resident Evil series - If it is Resident Evil, and I have access to it, you bet your ass I will play it.



3.Mortal Kombat - There may have been better games in the series, but this one will always be my favorite. Up to this point, I had never seen anything like it. From the Mo-cap actors, to the fatalities. There was nothing I didn't like about this game.

2. Killer Instinct - Yeah, you probably expected to see this and MK here in my list. I've said before I feel KI is a better game, but MK is a better series. Really my top 3 could be interchangeable.

1.God of War series - My top 3 would be the three games series I rattle on about more than any others, easily. When it came down to it, I wasn't able to force myself to give the top spot to anything over my boy Kratos. Kratos has a unique story, and I'm sure I can't be the only one excited for God of War III?


Bonus Video:
Matt Damon talks iPad:



Well this week was a lot harder than I anticipated. I usually write up my list the night before the column is due. I figured I could easily name my top 5 games of all time. But then I started reading the lists of the other writers. Each time a new list came in I was reminded of something else I liked and was tempted to switch my list up. What I ended up doing was adding one more honorable mention for No Mercy. I knew what my top 3 would be from the second I announced this weeks topic in the forums. What I didn't know was what order the three would be in.

It's not as easy as one would think, listing 5 games you like more than the rest. Give it a shot down in the comments section, I look forward to seeing what your favorite games of all time will be. Till next week, take care. We'll see you back here in seven.

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http://www.twitter.com/411mma

Around the site:
The Silicon Valley 10 & 1 by Steve Gustafson

Retronomicon by Lee Price

Fact or Fiction with Mark Salmela

Four Player Coop with new host Stephen Randle

Origins of a Gamer by Chris Crowing

The Ultra Combo News Report by Armando Rodriguez

And I leave you to ponder this thought:

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