I don't recall us ever having a thread like this so thought it'd be fun to start one!. Should be interesting seeing how much our lists differ from one another and may also give some of us some a few different games to look into which we've never played before and probably should
I do tend to find it difficult trying to play old titles unless they're something I'm replaying and already have fond memories of unfortunately. I wouldn't consider myself a graphics whore or anything but if a game looks or plays very outdated I do struggle to motivate myself to play through as I find it too distracting, because of that I don't usually bother trying tbh.
That being said if there are some games listed which don't look too dated enough to put me off It'd be great to try some when the upcoming release schedule quietens down again enough to fit them in, hopefully there will be some games listed that you guys haven't played either ^^
So here's my list.
#1 - Final Fantasy VII
Surprised?
I'll always have a soft spot for FFVII as it was the first Final Fantasy title which introduced me to the series and one of the first RPGs I experienced too. Awesome story, one of the best casts of characters and my no1. video game soundtrack too. Bloody brilliant.
Oh and the materia system was the best out of all the FF titles I've played, don't care what anyone else thinks!
#2 - Metal Gear Solid
This game pretty much redefined the genre on its own.
I remember playing a copy of this before it came out over here on a little portable tv and in black & white too. None of my friends had ever heard of it at this point but all of them wanted to play it once they'd seen it. Absolute masterpiece.
For me the MGS series is probably one of the only game series which has always continued to impress me and I've been a fan for nearly 15 years. As much as I have loved other franchises like Final Fantasy, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Splinter Cell etc over the years the same can't be said for those. Resi Evil brought it back with the amazing RE4 but nowadays they're not what they were.
#3 - Shenmue
Amazingly innovative game which was years ahead of its time. Those of you who were wise & lucky enough to play this (and Shenmue II) back when it released will no doubt hold it dear to your heart. - Shenmue also held the title for being the most expensive video game ever created up until that time and for nearly a decade afterwards, this was until GTAIV dethroned it in 2008.
Sadly this shares a similarity to Bloodlines. Far too few people experienced it at the time and it suffered poor sales. It is a travesty that this series hasn't been completed and that some gamers probably haven't even heard of it let alone played it. Very sad but I will never lose hope that we may, one day, get a Shenmue III heh.
#4 - Silent Hill 2
Genuinely unsettling, incredibly atmospheric and with one of the best mature stories you're likely to find in a video game.
Yes it is part of the horror genre but for those who never played it this was not some dumb zombie shooter like you'd find today, far from it.
Also noted for its amazing soundtrack by Akira Yamaoka. One of these pieces of music runs through the intro above, have a listen. The game just would not have been the same without his genius imput.
#5 - The Witcher
From my favourite game developers, CD Projekt RED. For a long time a lot of people overlooked this one or gave up on it before the story really got going but I happen to think it's one of the best RPGs there is personally.
Ofc it had a few flaws, like it wasn't the most optimized title ever and there were a few bugs here and there but it was a masterfully written & told story which only got better as it went on.
I found it quite hard picking between TW 1 or 2 for this tbh as I consider both games masterpieces and both are 2 of the best when it comes to story and choices as far as I'm concerned. Decided on TW1 mainly because of the different size in gameworld but the twist near the end was pretty epic too.
I won't list any notable mentions as I could go on forever but these are what I consider to be my top 5 without listing several games from the same series (MGS3, FFVIII etc too for example).
Don't be offended if some of your favourite games are nowhere to be seen btw, maybe they are in my top 10 or further up my list. Either that or maybe I haven't played them ^^
What are yours?
(Note to Anny: emoticons are still not all appearing for me in Firefox when youtube vids are included in a post, unless I force refresh)