NERD CULTURE – CADE’S PERSONAL TOP TEN VIDEO GAMES
Howdy everyone, Cade Here! Do you like to play video games? I sure do — they’re a part of my every day living. This last decade has been somewhat of a “Golden Age” for gaming in my eyes. Ranging from the usual PC games to great console exclusives to both the Playstation 3 to Xbox 360. Today I am going to share with you a laundry list of my PERSONAL favorite top ten.
Let it be known, this list is non-exhaustive; only titles I played personally are included. This is a console/handheld/PC list—I’ll talk about my favorite mobile games at another time. Same goes for Indie titles, which I think deserve their own separate list as well.
NUMBER #10: POKEMON YELLOW VERSION (RELEASED OCTOBER 19, 1999)
As a long time fan of the series, I feel like this series exists more to help us relive the epic campaign of a true Pokemon master through the different perspectives of multiple ever growing trainers; to provide a natural progression through the series. Although this being yet another Pokemon game, its just more of the same, although its taking a step in a different direction more closely following the anime in which I deeply enjoyed as one of my first Pokemon Handheld games. Overall, this game was well worth picking up. If it’s not the first title you’re not picking up, though, you might be better off with gold and silver versions, which promise to be more than retreads.
NUMBER #9: CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE (RELEASED NOVEMBER 5, 2007)
War – A state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. This definition is just such the case in Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Infinity Ward grabs you by the balls and take you BALLS DEEP (Sorry for my reiteration of male genitalia; This game was just super intense and I loved every moment of it!) into an intense, and gripping war of the new millennia. The enemies are adept and alert, the weapons are deadlier, and the grenades all too plentiful. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will definitely shake loose your fillings and have you begging for more. Modern Warefare had me engrossed every second I spend playing it with its witty Russian antagonists and dashing British/American protagonists tugging at your emotions left and right with every action of homicide and gripping close calls. As usual Captain Price is a complete BOSS in this addition to the Call of Duty franchise and one can really connect through the eyes and ears of Soap. “The hell kind of name is Soap anyways?”. The specific scene that made this game worthy of my top ten was the Barrett M107/M82a1 .50 Cal Sniper scene in “All Ghillied Up” (Actually a majority of this mission was freaking awesome) but when you line up that single shot with Imran Zakhaev and let that baby rip — All hell breaks lose; especially Imran’s body hahahaha. Certainly a nostalgic moment for me from the Call of Duty Franchise.
NUMBER #8: SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION IV: THE COMPLETE EDITION (RELEASED 2005)
Oh goodness, I cannot even begin to tell you how many days of playtime with friends as well as by myself, have gone into this almost flawless Real time strategy game. Let’s get it out of the way right at the start; the only reason to stop playing Civilization IV is to use attend to hygienic needs, have a snack and tell other people just how amazingly good the game is. My friends and I have been playing the game almost non-stop over the summer break and we have spent weeks at a time on this beautiful masterpiece just trying to finish a game. The first time I ever played this game hands on, I felt that Fireaxis was doing something special with the series. As newer, more complete way to create and rewrite history this game has certainly fed my hunger for more historically based series making this game all the more enjoyable. My expectations for the game only grew. I have always been a fan of RTS games but this one is by far on of my all time favorites; definitely worthy of its spot.
NUMBER #7: RED DEAD REDEMPTION: GAME OF THE YEAR EDITION (RELEASED MAY 18, 2010)
The American West inspired many stories of heroes and bandits, gold rushes and simple homesteaders have been fictionalized and romanticized to the point that they’re known the world over yet, videogame makers have either ignored the setting or attempted to squeeze it into existing game conventions with limited success.”We are rough men and used to rough ways.” Words from Bob Younger describe Rockstars Wild West take on Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar has done so much right with their GTA series but Read Dead Redemption for me at the time was the piece of resistance on the entire franchise. Red Dead Redemption was a fantastic new take on gaming and I really feel that this genre of ”Old West” should be more popular not only in gaming but in movies as well. Living life in the West through the eyes of Mister John Marston has taught me just how rough this time period was for America as well as how frighteningly crazy life was. With Rockstars addition of Undead Nightmare sold this for me along with engaging story. Any game with zombies is certainly worth a look. Hopefully in the coming years more games such as this will be released for us to play (:
NUMBER #6: ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD (RELEASED NOVEMBER 16, 2010)
Assassin’s Creed II is definitely one of my favorite games. It was a meaty gaming dish that took multiple steps towards fulfilling the promise of the original game, with new mechanics, more variety in gameplay, and an alluring new setting: renaissance Italy, just an example of Europes Golden Age. It was a huge leap, in other words: a worthy sequel in every regard. Once again, Ezio’s actions are driven by revenge, but serving up that cold and rough, but not quite as easy as finding a target and stabbing it this time around. The Borgia have overrun the territory of Rome, controlling its citizens with a totalitarian fist of steel and a few dozen tall, highly flammable towers full of blasting powder. In order to obtain Ezio’s vengeance, you will first need to cut the legs (and heads!) out from under (And over!) your enemies, toppling their control over the citizens of Roma and destroying the support of their like-minded allies. Forcing you to embark on a epic journey through Italy switching between the past and present all in the name of revenge and Desmonds quest to find the Apple of Eden. It’s a different storytelling approach from the usual decades-long revenge epic. Any way you slice it, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood is an absolutely exceptional game.
NUMBER #5: BIOSHOCK INFINITE (RELEASED MARCH 26, 2013)
“Booker are you afraid of god? No, But I am afraid of you..”. When I first heard these words they sent endless shivers down my spin with this game being one of THE BEST story driven epics I have ever laid eyes on. Following the dark grimy cold and wet splicer slaughtering predecessor Bioshock 1 & 2, Infinite aims higher. Its ambition almost cannot be contained in a simple shooter shooter, a very fine and magnificently designed shooter at that. But what Bioshock excels at is mind altering storytelling, done in such a way that’s so exceptionally mind boggling that its a completely different form from what we typically see while pushing joysticks and pressing buttons in a random sequential order. This entire game was and still is a masterpiece in my eyes; with the rough exterior of Booker DeWitt, the violently vibrant glow of Columbia, the insanely unexpected plot twists along the way of the story and the beautiful art of story — everything was amazing.
NUMBER #4: FALLOUT 3 (RELEASED OCTOBER 28, 2008)
“War, War never changes” — This quote is probably one of the most pertinent and well known quote in all of gaming (atleast in my eyes as far as RPG’s go) and just a small bit of Fallout 3′s amazing script and fantastic voice acting crew. Mixed with some astounding story plots and decision making matrix’s, Fallout 3 was one of the best Role Playing Games I have ever managed to play through dozens of times. It’s open-world role-playing style delivers an experience unlike anything we’ve seen. It’s a gripping and expansive showcase of how much depth and excitement can be packed into one game, and it does much justice to the growing Fallout franchise. This sequel is the first made by Bethesda, the developers responsible for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Oblivion was freaking amazing — why isnt it on this list? I’m lazy ;p Sorry guys!). You don’t need to play any of their past games or any previous Fallout games to enjoy this one. It stands on its own as a memorable and well-crafted epic of its time. Certainly making me excited for Fallout 4 — hopefully to be released with the launch of Next Gen consoles.
NUMBER #3: THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM (RELEASED NOVEMBER 11, 2011)
FUS-RO-DAH! I have easly played 100′s of hours in this game; it is among one of my top favorites climbing different skill trees with every character. A completionists paradise. Skyrim much alike Oblivion and Fallout is one of the most defined games the Elder Scrolls series as well as an RPG all on its own. That palpable feeling of freedom and adventure as you gaze across a immense, magnificent landscape of Skyrim; Nords Country. Skyrim is not a great leap from Oblivion, or even Morrowind, but it is among one of the finest chapters in the series to date: an unforgettable journey into a completely different world, and a bracing emancipation from the linearity that typifies modern gaming, providing us with many decision making choices that define and craft us as characters as well as people. An unmatched RPG series that I have had fallen in love with and am now anticipating their newest chapter — Elder Scrolls Online.
NUMBER #2: THE MASS EFFECT TRILOGY (RELEASED DECEMBER 4, 2012)
I have easily clocked in 100′s of hours of play time into the Mass Effect trilogy ; it is one of Biowares finest sci-fi masterpieces. Ever second I spent on the Normandy felt godly and then traversing the universe in the Mako or Firestorm was also just as mind boggling (Although I wasnt much for the Mako — It was like a Fat man on a unicycle.) Anyways the multiple decisions made effected EVERYTHING that is one of the things I loved most about Mass Effect as well as other rpgs alike — with decisions making ground breaking impacts on the overall outcome of things (along with its magnificent story) that is what earned it a spot on my top ten. Mass Effect is one of its kind and is definitely worth checking out. One of my all time – timeless favorites.
NUMBER #1: DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (RELEASED NOVEMBER 3, 2009)
Are you noticing a trend here? I am a proud RPG whore and a Bioware fan boy for sure haha. The age old tradition of creating a character, tailoring it to your specific liking, becoming a hero and saving the day is nothing new to Bioware games (Take Mass Effect as another prime example.). After all, this is the company that introduced classic rpg experience to gamers (Guys and Girls) across the gamign universe with titles including Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect. As far as Dragon Age: Origins goes, Bioware fleshed out and improved its customary design by including radically different characters with unique backgrounds for gamers to experience and come to know and love — such engaging characters like Morrigan: The Witch of the Wilds (A Personal favorite of mine) Allistar: A knights templar and a born king (Atleast in my game haha, another one of my favorites) and so on and so forth. The ending result is that Dragon Age: Origins (And the series as a whole) dwarfs other role-playing games in size and scale, and weaves in mature themes amidst a backdrop of chaos and destruction with perfect elegance. Opening up myself to the RPG world — this being one of my first console based rpgs I can proudly say it deserves mt number one spot in this countdown.
And that’s my list. I admit, there are many more candidates that could have made this list but top ten is a top ten not a top fifteen or a top twenty (Every game has its place in the world). Dragon Age: Origins wins one of my top favorites because it gave me the most pure enjoyment and also opened me up to the broader Role Playing Game genre, but Mass Effect is a close contender. So is Skyrim and I somewhat feel that Oblivion deserved a spot in this list (I had played endless hours of that game!) and even Pokemon Yellow, which is a wonderful game but for the tedious combat.
Any of these games is certainly worth checking out, and should give you an infinite amount of hours and days of fun, and it may all come down to which type of game you prefer.
Not a fan of shooters, or seriously violent games? Check out Pokemon Yellow Version
Want some good old-fashioned Western shootouts? Check out Red Dead Redemption!
Want an online RTS? Go for Civilization IV. Single-player only? Stick with Fallout 3
And so on and so forth.
