The 10th Hour 05.16.08: Top 10 Games (As A GameFAQs User)

Posted by Derek Robbins on 05.16.2008

This week, 411's Derek Robbins brings us an interesting list. He takes on the persona of an entire user base and sees what they would have to say are the top 10 best games ever.

Hello and welcome to the 10th hour! I have returned from a one-week absence! I hope Drew's presence wasn't too much of a downer, hah. Anyhow, as always…there are a couple of things that I would like to hit on before I get started.

-My beloved Cubs have signed Jim Edmonds. Ugh. I can't wait to see him slow down and dive at routine fly balls and act like a club-house cancer on a team that has one of the best records in the league. It'll be just what the doctor ordered! I think St. Louis is purposely sabotaging our season. Like usual.

-I love GTA IV – it's almost worth its scores – but I'm having a bit of an issue here…is it just me or are there a lot of chase missions? I mean, it's fun for a while but it can just get fucking tedious. Maybe I'm impatient, but…that's just how I feel.

-There is a vacant title, somebody holds the money in the bank briefcase, and there is a pay-per-view coming up. Not saying that it's going to happen, but it's looking awfully coincidental right about now.

Reader Feedback

Let's see what some of you had to say about my brother's top-10 DS game list.

Mark Salmela- the man behind B3yond the Report – has an interesting comment:


Hmm... Drew Robbins... Derrick Robbins... No no no, this isn't adding up at
all.

This is a hoax, this is not only Derrick Robbins, but also a coalition of some
of the greatest villains you've ever seen, such as the cast of the breakfast
club.

And if you two actually are real people, then I declare war on the both of you!
In fact I'm declaring war on anyone with the last name Robbins, and anyone who
was involved in the making of the breakfast club.


Hah, how did you know we were evil? I thought it was a secret! Consider the war on, Salmela! My armies of various Robbins (all of whom share the first letter D) will overcome your Salmela ways.

WadeMcG likes a quality franchise

I personally preferred the Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! (Japan market games from same
developer*) games over EBA, which is odd considering that I'm not usually a
follower of J-Pop (I have a marked preference for Metal).

I also have to ask about the lack of Advance Wars or Castlevania on the list.

* Come to think of it, these guys did Gitaroo Man for the PS2.

I know for a fact he's played Ouendan 2. That said, a general rule of the 10th hour is that it has to have received a release over in the Americas. So it was DQed. Sadly.

As for the others, he's not a fan of Castlevania and I'm disappointed as well with the lack of Advance Wars. Both of the DS Advance Wars games were really good and probably would have earned a spot on my list. Then again, I'm a tactical RPG junkie.

R.A is here with:


Where's the love for Hotel Dusk?


Neither of us have played Hotel Dusk, but I plan on it rather soon.

Sean McCabe checks in now:


Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations is largely the best in the series, but
really I do think there's not enough to pick between them, they should be
featured together as a series.

Also disappointed in the lack of Hotel Dusk, Ninja Gaiden DS, and even though I
got bored of it rather quickly, The World Ends With You deserves a mention, it
was easilly a better RPG than Pokemon or Mario and Luigi 2 which was nothing on
the first one. And do you know how hard it is to be nice about any game Tetsuya
Nomura designed!?


Phoenix Wright 3 is probably one of my favorite games ever. Such a wonderful story and Godot is a great character. As you say though, I generally agree with Drew's decision to lump the franchise together.

TWEWY definitely deserved some love – it's a great game – but he hasn't played that yet, norhas he played Ninja Gaiden DS or Hotel Dusk. So I guess it'd be impossible for him to place those games. On TWEWY though…I wasn't expecting what I got. It's an un-expectedly amazing game with a great plot and awesome art. Nomura really…well…out-did himself. He's nowhere near as good as what we get here. I think he was taken over by something.

natedoggcata on EBA:


Elite Beat Agents.... GREATEST GAME EVER! Why hasnt a sequel come out yet :(


I wish the sequel would come out! The only problem is that the game isn't very popular for some reason. Apparently DS owners would rather play franchises they've seen rehashed a thousand times before. Not that this is any surprise – in the United States if it isn't an establish franchise or a shooting franchise…it's not going to sell. Pft.

Vincent Chiucchi of the Select and Start news report has excellent taste –


Clearly this man has never played Jump Superstars or Jump Ultimate Stars.

And Hotel Dusk FTW.


I assure you that he's played both. Sadly, they never received (and won't ever) a release over here, so they were ineligible. I happen to own Jump Ultimate Stars and I think that game is about as rich of a fighting game experience as you can get on a portable. Well…except for the Online Community. JUS's online community is just horrible.

Mike Minotti of the Exploding Barrel Podcast is next with:

Couldn't agree more with EBA being #1. Well, The World Ends With You may take
its spot after I finish it, but we'll wait and see. Phoenix Wright, Mario Kart,
and Pokemon definitely deserve to be on the list.

The only game I question is Sonic Rush Adventure. I didn't play it, but I
wasn't a big fan of the original. Too fast for a Sonic game, and the story
elements drove me crazy.

Besides that, great list.


I think Sonic Rush Adventure is a tad speedy but I am such a Sonic fan that I was just happy that Sega kept the tradition of portable Sonics on Nintendo consoles being good. With the exception of the third Sonic Advance, they have all at least been playable. Seeing all the love for TWEWY makes me feel that I need to push the game on him. That title seriously has "cult following that will beg for a sequel years down the road" written all over it.

JP is next


THANK YOU for not putting Phantom Hourglass as #1.

I agree it's a great game, but definately not the best game on the DS and no
where near close to the top in the Zelda series.

I have yet to play Elite Beat but have heard nothing but good things, so this
may put me over the top to go buy it.

Partners in Time is an awesome RPG, you hit it right on that you can almost put
it in the Paper Mario series as it plays the same way with the same sense of
humour.

Pokemon Diamond was my reason for getting a DS, and Mario Kart is my most
played game.

Honestly great list, but I do at least think Hotel Dusk should have gotten an
honourable mention.


I probably would have placed Phantom Hourglass higher than it deserved, so it's probably a good thing that I didn't write this list. It's a good game but far from the best Zelda. I am admittedly in love with the graphical style.

You seriously need to play EBA. Even though your purchase now won't help them bring a sequel over…it's certainly worth a play. Once you get the rhythm down there isn't quite an experience like it.

Partners in Time continues the Mario RPG trend of being humorous and Pokemon Diamond is a pokemon game so you know it'll be quality. Pokemon Diamond was one of my main reasons for getting the DS as well. Of course, it should be obvious by now I'm a Pokemon junkie.

twf's sdc wants to talk now:


Yay my Ness art! Not too bad for having not drawn anything for several months
before that. I am an admittedly verrrry distant third best artist in my
immediate family.

Onto the games! Certainly a list of renowned games to be sure, though I haven't
gotten to play nearly enough of them. I'm intending to get at least three of
them in the near future though. EBA, New Super Mario Bros (which I should've
had already), and Pokemon. I kind of want to try Phoenix Wright too.

Phantom Hourglass is great, and the placing is good. It does have it's flaws.
Mario Kart is good and highly regarded, and I liked it well enough, but racing
games just ain't my cup of tea.
The little of New Super Mario Bros I've gotten to play was outstanding.
If Partners in Time is like Superstar Saga, it must be hella difficult.

Hmm... in a couple months I'll be much better equipped to comment on this list.


Just goes to show you – if you submit art to me it will get posted, even if I am not the one writing this week! Again, thanks for sending that to me! If you have anything else video game related you would like to hand over, I'll post it as well.

YOU don't have Pokemon yet? Ah man, you gotta be kidding me! Get that game right away. I can give you some really great stuff if you step on it. I'll even give you level 100's! That's how nice I am. As for the other games – I feel New Super Mario Brothers was a tad disappointing and EBA, of course, is a must play.

Phantom Hourglass's only problem in my opinion was…that stupid cave on your home island you kept having to trek through. It was okay the first couple of times but eventually it got tedious. The game itself was fun, but…ugh. That bit really bothered me.

DSFan wonders where the love has gone

No love for Metroid Prime Hunters?


Neither my brother nor I liked that game in the least. Sorry. Also, the online community makes Jump Ultimate Stars look good by comparison.

Finally Toddo wants to touch on Mortal Kombat

I will admit that it was the blood and fatalities that initially got my
attention about Mortal Kombat, but believe it or not it was the games story
that held my attention through the entire series. (the only two I didn't
purchase were Deadly Alliance, and Armageddon) Again, I will admit that even
this has become a joke in later installments of the game. For me, as the series
progressed, and the story became convoluted, and it became more fatalities and
5000 characters, the gameplay of the series really took a new direction. With
Deadly Alliance and later Deception, the series became a solid fighting game.
The multiple styles system was great.
I guess I am getting off track now, the original Mortal Kombat, and subsequent
versions that appeared on the Genesis were not all blood and guts, for me there
was a really good story based on, from the best that I can tell, several
different mythologies.
So from someone who has never been a big fan of Street Fighter, yet absolutely
loves fighting games, I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment that
Mortal Kombat was garbage.


I agree that Mortal Kombat had an interesting storyline, but I don't really play fighters for stories. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they are cool to see…but the fighting genre isn't normally one I would associate with lore. So when my brother or myself evaluate that game, we don't really consider the story.

I also agree that later on Mortal Kombat became a competent fighter. Early it was anything but that, but right now it at least isn't a joke.

I think my brother's statement that the game is garbage is a bit of a stretch, but I do think the series – as a whole – is over-rated.



Top-10 games if I was a typical GameFAQs user

This will be an interesting list. Basically what I am doing is taking over the mind of your typical, list-writing GameFAQs user and writing a "favorites" list from their point of view. Though I am writing this, I would like to point out that this is not my personal list. So before you call me an idiot for having [insert game here] on my favorite game list, please remember that these aren't my actual views. Also, I will poke fun at games that I LOVE on this list, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. After I assembled this list, I looked at the GameFAQs top-100 and found that I was…shockingly close to their actual consensus top-10. Perhaps they are too easy to predict? Anyhow, I will now use my evoker and take on the persona of your typical FAQer. So you'll notice that I'm not writing how I usually write. No rules for this list.

10-) Kingdom Hearts II (PS2) Remember when the first Kingdom Hearts title came out? People were freaking out! Disney? Square? Together! It was madness! No way could you combine the kiddy-ness of square with the super deep characters of Square…but here we are! The first one was a surprise hit, but the second one took it a step further with an even deeper story and even more fun Disney Worlds! I loved taking Sora on a journey to vanquish the various heartless of the world! My only problem with this game, as was my only problem with the original Kingdom Hearts, was that you were forced to bring Disney characters along with you. Don't get me wrong, I really love Donald and Goofy but I think it would be so much cooler if you could bring Cloud and Tifa with you! Imagine how amazingly epic that would be!? Sora, Cloud, and Tifa going all out against the likes of Scar and Barbosa…now that would be awesome. Ahh, but here I am nit-picking! Kingdom Hearts II does a lot of things really well, especially the combat. You have these super awesome events where you play a game like "Simon-says", I think they're called Quick-time events? Yeah, you use most of these during boss battles so it's almost like you don't even have to think while fighting! Just obey the on-screen commands, jam on the X-button, and you'll be okay! It's soooooo much better than games like Contra where you have to be precise or you die. Ahhh, but anyhow…great Square characters teaming with Disney characters, that's what this game is all about and I totally love it. OH! Did I mention that Sephiroth is in this game? Oh yeah, Sephiroth is in this game. He is the most amazingly difficult boss battle ever! You don't even get your partners to help you! I mean, I don't usually play terribly difficult games but I figure that just about nobody can beat Sephy-kun! I know that I can't. Anyhow, whatever you say…Kingdom Hearts II was one of the best games released on the Playstation 2 – from the music, to the super deep and complicated story – and I think that you, like, really need to pick it up!

- Lion Sora! So cute!

9-) Halo: Combat Evolved (X-Box) - Oh man, I feel that I need to don the armor of flames for this one! Don't get me wrong guys, I didn't forget about a different First-Person-Shooting title(You'll see it later!), but I figured that this one deserves a little love too! What I love most here has got to be the multiplayer…when I was growing up, the very first multiplayer game I experienced with more than four people was this one, and it was such a blast! Chaos was going on everywhere, and when my buddy said: "GET IN THE WARTHOG, GET IN THE WARTHOG!" I hopped on in with the opposing team's flag and proceeded to get blown to smithereens. I didn't care though! I didn't care because I was having so much fun! They have other modes like Slayer (you kill people) and team slayer (you kill people…ON A TEAM), but what I really like is CTF because I have never personally experienced anything like this in another videogame ever. Now you may be asking: "Why isn't this Halo 2 or Halo 3?" and all I have to say is…the other Halos just didn't show any improvement. They feel like the exact same game to me, so I just went with the first one. On top of that, I also like the first Halo's campaign the best! The AI is so smart! I tried playing the game on legendary once and had my guns ablazin' and all of a sudden I found myself on my ass! Who knew you actually had to think while shooting? This is what I call innovation my friends! Some people may complain about the library and its repetitive backgrounds, but I find it nice and refreshing! Really, almost every game allows you to distinguish each and every room…it's good to know Bungie took a big risk by changing things up and keeping so many rooms similar! Getting lost just adds replay value and helps get me lost in the world. Halo is just about the perfect First Person shooter and I think if you have friends and have a pulse you should totally try this game out.

- Master Chief is a real man!

8-) Super Mario RPG (SNES) - Now everyone reading this should be familiar with both Mario (Nintendo's mascot) and Square (THE MASTERMINDS BEHIND FINAL FANTASY)…so what happens when you combine the best of both worlds? Pure awesomeness, that's what! Super Mario RPG is perhaps one of the finest games on the Super Nintendo thanks to its usage of humor and unique story. It also introduces one of the best characters of all time…Geno! He's a little puppet that's possessed by an alien-like-creature from the stars. He has such a neat personality that really drives the plot home. When I think of characters that need a revival, the first name I think of is Cloud Strife…but the SECOND name I think of is Geno. Honestly, I found this game's other original characters (such as Mallow) to be totally lame…there really wasn't much of a backbone to them. Geno really helped to drive the plot and that's why I love him so much! What I think really puts this game over the top is the impressive Squaresoft (it's Square Enix now, lol. Not like Enix could put out a good RPG compared to my beloved Square!) storyline. I would have preferred something a little deeper with more meaning, but I'll take what I can get. I mean, this IS a Mario title after all! We can't expect plots that we would have to sit and comprehend now can we? Even though it's not the deepest, most thought-provoking plot of all time I find it fun and figure that it's a nice change of pace. I like it, I really do! This game has amassed quite the following for a reason, and it's a damn good reason – it's a great, great game. It's a shame that Nintendo took the reigns of the franchise from Square and the only Mario RPGs we see are of the paper variety.

- Geno is the best Mario character ever!

7-) Sonic Adventure 2 (DC/GCN) - This game originally came out on the Dreamcast, but since that system was a failure and nobody with any brains bought one (that's why I stayed away from it! It was just too different!) it ended up being re-released on the Gamecube. Since I ended up purchasing the Gamecube for Smash Brothers Melee, I figured I may as well get this game too and I was not disappointed! Personally, I never got to play Sonic when I was growing up…I didn't own a Genesis. The only thing I had was a Super Nintendo. So I never understood what was so cool about this blue hedgehog, but now I do! If the Sega Genesis Sonics were like this game – with the awesome plot and the introduction (? This is his first game right???) of Shadow the Hedgehog – then I really need to try them out! Anyhow, back to the topic on hand…without a doubt, the best thing about Sonic Adventure 2 is the plot. You can choose either to be the good side or the bad side. Since most every game in the history of existence forces you to play as the good side, the first side I ever played as was the DARK side, and let me tell you…that side is the way to go! As I mentioned before, you play as Shadow the Hedgehog. He's like Sonic but he has a back story which is totally awesome! I can feel his pain. It's a shame that Shadow the Hedgehog was so bad though…because this character really deserved his own GOOD game! I like him a lot more than I like Sonic. That said, no matter which side you choose you're going to get a good story and I really like that. Sure, the game would be better if every level was a Sonic or Shadow level, but I'll take what I can get. I can tolerate the Knuckles are Rouge stuff as long as I get to play more Sonic! Really…I think I need to hunt down that Sonic Mega Collection game, because if Sonic titles had great plots such as this game, I think I could have found my new second favorite franchise ever (the first being Final Fantasy, of course). I can't recommend this title enough, and if you have a Gamecube or Dreamcast (LOL) you need to pick this one up right away.



6-) Super Smash Brothers: Brawl (Wii) - Oh man do I love this game! You may question me by having put a recently released game on my favorites list, but believe you me…when you PLAY this game you will really love it! Of course, you probably know very well how great this game plays…so I would like to touch on something else: The roster. Oh man, the roster could have been so much better! Don't get me wrong, I love the roster…but it throws in nobodies and clones like Lucas and Ness (Who the hell is Ness, anyway? He's been in every Smash Brothers game for some reason. Lucas is from a Japanese game called Mother 3…but who would want to play a game about your mother?). Those character slots are WASTED! Imagine if you could take out people like that and put in…Cloud! Or Crono! Or Geno! Or Sora! Or Shadow the Hedgehog! That would have been really awesome and may have even moved the game up the list…but it's too late now and the roster has been set. So we have to deal with all those starfox characters, Lucas, Ness, and JIGGLYPUFF (AGH TOO MANY POKEMON! I AM TOO OLD AND MATURE FOR THAT!). Whatever. What this game does well is it has a lot of extra content. There are over 300 songs there for your amusement, and a lengthy single player game! They didn't even need to include that one because most of us are going to be focused on the multiplayer and don't care about the single player! Whatever the case, I really love the cut scenes featuring my favorite Nintendo characters. Hell, I even found the one featuring Ness saving Lucas from that Random Stone Baby to be super awesome. A lot of people seem to be complaining about this portion of the game, I really love it! Smash Brothers is a really fun game and is better than Melee in most ways (except for the removal of wave dashing! I mean, I didn't know how to use it, but they shouldn't have removed it!) so if you are lucky enough to own a wii you better own Smash Brothers. GET YOUR BRAWL ON! I have a feeling that I will be playing this game for years to come.

- The brawl lineup make me want to sleep, too.

5-) Goldeneye 007 (N64) - When I played this game on the N64 I instantly fell in love. This was my very first console shooting experience and to this very day I remember it fondly! To be honest, I can't remember very much about the single player experience but I remember that it was objective based and new objectives popped up when you did certain things, so that's pretty neat…but really, who needed that? The single player campaign is great and all, but we all know the real reason you came here was for the multiplayer! Now this was a pure fun shooting fest…and was made even more fun when you cheated your friends! They used to get so mad at me when I kept choosing Oddjob, but I would just laugh and laugh as they would shoot at the floor and miss me entirely. Hah! I guess you could say that my only complaint regarding the multiplayer is the fact that it lacks bots! Now I know what some of you are thinking: "Why do you need bots for?" Well the answer is quite simple…sometimes you really need mindless, thoughtless drones to practice on or build kill counts over when you're playing with more skilled friends. I think bots would have made this experience all the more worthwhile! Now some of you may be asking me: "If you prefer bots, why don't you have Perfect Dark here?" and the answer is quite simple! I got into Goldeneye first and that's the one I remember the most fondly. I figure they're probably at about the same level of greatness but Goldeneye came first so it gets the benefit of the doubt. Sorry PD fans! This reminds me of why I miss RARE so much. Even though they haven't really released anything great for Microsoft, I bet if they teamed up with Nintendo again they'd be releasing great games and Banjo Kazooie three wouldn't be a vehicular shooter!

- Takin' you back to the past, to play the awesome game that kicks ass.

4-) Super Mario Brothers 1 (NES) - Every single list needs a classic game, and I can think of no classic better than this one. Now don't get me wrong! I never got to play this one on the NES, but I did get to play it on Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES and I got to see what all the fuss was about first hand! It was so…so…amazing! Honestly, this game is really great and features eight worlds of perhaps the best side-scrolling you'll ever see. To be honest though, I don't have much of a reason to put this game on my list other than the fact that it is a classic! I really want people to respect my old-school cred, so I thought for sure putting the first Mario game on the list would really show that. Sure enough, the game is wonderful on its own merits – from level design to classic music to to actual gameplay – but there is just something keeping it away from the top-3 of this list. I don't know what it is, but I think this title is just lacking that pizzazz. Yes, it is a great title from years ago and we should learn to respect our elders and those that came before us, but…as far as mastery goes, Super Mario Brothers just isn't quite there! I mean the story is so cliché…saving a princess!? PLEASE! If I wanted to see a story about saving a princess I would just read a book or something! Dahhhh but I am just being picky. Despite what I say, not every game in this history of the universe needs a gut-gripping story. This is just good simple fun and sometimes it's good to just have fun instead of being lost in deep thought over a complex story told by good old Square Enix. That reminds me, do you know how awesome this game would have been is if it had been made the same but with a story by Square? Princess Peach (she was Toadstool back then, how weird!) could have been Mario's daughter from the future that came back to the past to warn Mario about the future! Such a twist! Alas, this is just a dream. Super Mario Brothers is just a fantastic game and nothing will change that. It's just not a top-3 title. Give it time, maybe I'll grow into it.



3-) Chrono Trigger - When I was really little I rented Chrono Trigger on a whim. Honestly, I couldn't tell you why I did it…perhaps it was the awesome box art? Perhaps it was the fact that I found it at a rental store shortly after I played FF VII for the first time, I knew it was an RPG, and I also knew it was made by glorious Square? Perhaps it was the awesome art by that genius of a man Akira Toriyama? Did you know that he also made DBZ!? The same guy made Dragonball Z and Chrono Trigger, how awesome is that? He must be really good at what he does to make such diverse and different looking characters. Whatever the case, I ended up playing this title and I instantly fell in love! It has everything I totally love in a videogame – a deep plot, turn-based battles, and interesting characters. Seriously, a week after playing this game I was still thinking about what actions I take now have an impact on the future of our race. How awesome is that? Chrono Trigger got me concerned about the future! I'd like to see any other game do that! The plot could not have been as deep if it wasn't for the unique cast of characters. Every character is great, but I've got to go to one in particular as the absolute best of the game. Crono! Crono displays such a barrage of emotions and even sacrifices himself for the good of the team (and the world). Did I mention that he doesn't even talk? The fact a character can unleash such emotions in me without even uttering a word proves how good they are! As if that wasn't enough, the music is pretty interesting too! Though to be honest, I rarely factor music into how I think about a game. Can you imagine a whole gaming experience being aural instead of visual? It'd be madness! (No this is Sparta lol XD)That said, I highly enjoy the songs here. From the story, to the music, to the characters, to the fighting system…this title oozes awesomeness and I think that if you call yourself a gamer you need to pick this thing up. If you don't, you may as well just stop playing videogames. It's such a shame this game didn't sell more when it was first released.

- Man, he doesn't even look like a Dragonball Z character. not at all!

2-) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - I remember seeing the advertisement for this game in theatres and being super excited! This looked really awesome. I had never actually played a Zelda game before – they seemed too complex for me – but I was now super excited! It just looked so fun…but little did I know that the movie advertisement did very little justice to the actual game itself! You take control of our favorite Hylian Link, but you start the adventure as a kid. (This is why I hated Majora's Mask! Screw playing as a kid, I want to play as the super cool Adult Link!) Don't worry though! That part doesn't last long. As soon as you finish the first three dungeons you pull out the master sword and warp through time…you become an adult and that is where the REAL adventure begin. Old Link just seems to ooze cool and I love to see him hack and slash through the enemies, really…it's just neat! While the story is hardly anything that you would find in a Square game, I think the story is actually really, really good. It doesn't make me think, but it seems to flow and it makes sense. This is more than I can say for most first-party Nintendo titles. Plus, the story actually made me despise the super-cool looking Ganondorf! Anything that could make me hate that man is automatically good in my book. So I've touched on the awesomeness of Adult Link and the great story…and a bit about the gameplay (which is Zelda! I guess if you don't know how Zelda plays you have lived under a rock). Well, ah, I guess I should talk about the puzzles – the puzzles are really thought provoking! The water temple in particular is a bit of a head scratcher. As I was making my way through it, I kept getting confuse. Which floor do I turn the water onto? What do I do from here? It was really intense and really difficult. Honestly, I've never seen a dungeon so difficult in my life. I've played two Zelda since this one (Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess. Screw Windwaker and that stupid looking cartoon Link! Also, I don't want to play the NES/SNES Zeldas…I can't imagine what this game would be like in the second-dimension!) and I have to say…out of the three, this one is still my favorite. The gameplay is the best, the storytelling is the best…and it will always live on in my heart as the very first Zelda game I played. Of course, such a wonderful franchise deserved to get recognized on this most prestigious list.

- Adult Link is so cool.

1-) Final Fantasy VII - Are you really surprised that the finest gaming company in the world is behind my number one favorite game in the world? Before Final Fantasy VII came out I didn't even know what an RPG was! This game actually turned me onto the genre and onto my beloved Squaresoft. Let me tell you…this is a good thing! I can't even tell you how many hours I have sunk into Square's wonderful masterpieces, so thank you FF VII! Anyhow, let's get onto the actual game…the story is just spectacular! It follows Cloud Strife and the struggles that he goes through. Really, it doesn't bother me at all that most of the game he's just living the identity of this dude named Zack…he has a REALLY big sword and that makes up for most any character flaws he has! When I think of FF VII, I think of that sword and it makes me smile. Cloud's main enemy is Sephiroth and he is a thing of beauty. He actually BURNS DOWN A TOWN out of anger. Villains talk about doing mean things, but you rarely see them do it. Sephiroth summons his inner pyromaniac to burn down a town! How cool is that! As if Sephiroth wasn't cool enough, he has probably the best music ever. One Winged Angel is a song that is primarily in Latin and even though I don't really understand what it is saying it just sounds really great! I find myself humming it or singing it as I write this very piece! I think that may be what inspires me to write this very entry! How lucky of you! Well that covers the basics of the story – it's Cloud versus Sephiroth – but it's much deeper than that, trust me! FF VII totally has the deepest cast in videogame history. Sure, most of the characters aren't well defined after their introduction but that doesn't mean they aren't cool. I mean look at Vincent! He's hardly defined at all in the game and he is one of the most badass guys out there! Well, we've covered the story and the music, so let's get onto the combat – it's wonderful! The combat is turn-based and while many feel it's the same as other Turn based games I totally disagree! Not only do your characters actually run up to hit enemies this time (They don't stand back and slash like in other games!) but they also introduce the materia system which is like equipping magic! It's really neat and unique and probably my favorite feature about the game. It allows you to customize your characters to the fullest! If I want my super bad-ass big sword Cloud to be a magic specialist he sure as hell can be! I really like that. So everything about this game is pretty much perfect. From the cast of characters, to the story, to the music, to the battle system, to even all the little extra minigames that you can do (I spend hours in Golden Saucer and even more hours breeding Chocobos)…it's perfect. Final Fantasy VII is the best game ever and if you haven't played it yet, drop what you are doing and play it RIGHT NOW!

Honorable Mentions: Xenogears, FF VIII, FF VI, FF IX, FF X, Super Mario 64, FF Tactics, Twilight Princess, etc.

- Cloud is the coolest dude ever, look at that sword!

Okay, well, that's it for this week. If you're wondering how I REALLY feel about these games, here is a short guide: KH II is okay, I hate Halo: Combat Evolved, I love Super Mario RPG, Sonic Adventure 2 is average at best, I love Smash Brothers Brawl, I'm not too fond of Goldeneye (I don't know what to say about Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts), I love Super Mario Brothers, I like Chrono Trigger pretty good, I think OoT is great, FF VII is an average game. For the games I liked, I used reasons I didn't necessarily agree with to validate them

Outside of that, if you have any comments or feedback send an e-mail to [e-mail] or simply comment below. Hell, if you have any art you want me to use for the 10th hour, feel free to send it to me. I love posting non-official game art.

Before I go…here are some other great articles by my fellow 411 games crew members.

Mark Salmela write B3yond the Report, but this isn't that. This is a SPECIAL report featuring a look back at the Metal Gear Franchise. This is a really interesting look back and a must read.

Owain J. Brimfieldwrites The Wonder Years. This week he discusses Forgotten Worlds. This is another game I haven't heard of. Man, I really need to try some of the stuff out he mentions

Theo Fraser writes the Nintedophiles and he always does a wonderful job. This week what really jumped out at me was the fact that there is a Skies of Arcadia sequel in the works perhaps? Fuck yeah!

Tommy Coloma writes the Negative Edge Report and one of the things he mentions is the new game, Mirror's Edge. He raises a decent point about how it may not play that great (though it looks fun). I don't know…I liked Assassin's Creed and many – including Tommy – felt that Assassin's Creed was a game that looked fun but wasn't. We'll see

Chris Vicari is a new 411 columnist and he writes "The Forgotten PC Games". He shows EXCELLENT taste in discussing Deus Ex, System Shock 2, and Serious Sam. Seriously, you have my respect.

Chris Scott writes the Red Snifit and this week he discusses pinball games! This one is particularly interesting and I would recommend you check it out

Vincent Chiucchi writes the Hall of Shame and this week he has some fun with the old fortune telling game Taboo. The battle of the ages between Vincent and Mark Salmela has started again, according to this!

John Curry – Curry Man – writes The Checkpoint and this week he nitpicks GTA IV. He makes a lot of solid points about it…but I have to be honest – GTA IV has a wonderful story. So I disagree with that point in particular. Sorry about that! If you put me on the spot, I'd say I'd give it a 9/10

Rod Oracheski writes Achievement Unlocked. We go up on the same day, but you should check this one out anyhow. This week he wrote about the changing trend in achievements – we seem to HAVE more of them then we did back when the 360 launched

I am linking to Mark Salmela's B3yond the Report this time. I linked to his Metal Gear report and this? I am so nice! Anyhow, he works really hard on this, so it's worth your time

Well that's all for this week. Next week will probably be a positive one since this one was bursting with negativity.

Til' the crossroads

- Believe in me, who believes in you.

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