History Gush / VideoGamesGToP

* LucasArts [[AdventureGame adventure games]]. ''MonkeyIsland'', ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'', ''SamAndMax Hit the Road'', ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'', ''VideoGame/GrimFandango'' are all absolutely amazing. It's the perfect blend of humour and puzzles.

* ''HeavyRain'' is brilliant. A bit cheesy, but it is a pioneer in interactive storytelling, the narrative is amazing, it dares to traffic in unbelievably universal themes, and it goes places no game before it has dared to. It's not ''BioShock'', but it is undeniably a step forward in the artistic development of the medium.

* I really like ''MechWarrior 3''. It had great graphics for the time (but still look good), a compelling story, and you really felt like you were stomping around in a 90 ton machine of destruction.
** MechWarrior 2 was the first computer game I ever bought, and still play till today. The entire BattleTech universe has a magnificent storyline, and the game has great gameplay and use of tactics. The graphics are extremely obselete for now, but at the time they were great. This is all topped off with a CrowningMusicofAwesome.
* ''{{Meteos}}'' and the Xbox 360 sequel ''Meteos Wars'' are, without doubt, [[Tropers/PL7764 my]] favorite Falling Block games. ''Meteos'' was great not just because it was thoroughly entertaining, but in that it was one of few games I found that utilized the DS's touch screen as a primary control mechanic without it feeling like a stupid gimmick. ''Meteos Wars'' has been my newfound addiction, in addition to rediscovering the original. The lack of a touch screen actually doesn't hinder the game too much - the button controls don't take too long to adapt to, and overall it's easily as fun as the original. It's well worth the money-price and time needed to adapt to the 360 controller if you loved the original game, as this one includes loads of throwbacks to it, including many of the original planets (or ''all of them'' if you get both DLC packs), a handful of which include their entire original soundtracks remixed to reflect the 360's higher operating output. The rest all have [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome absolutely superb]] and [[EarWorm satisfyingly addicting]] new audio to go with them. The game does have its flaws - the controls can stick sometimes, and if you're just a little colorblind (like me) then differentiating between similar pieces on certain planets may be tough on a SDTV. But it's certainly not deserving of the flak that it gets (most of which is directed at its lack of touch controls and lack of being on a Nintendo platform).

* LucasArts [[AdventureGame adventure games]]. ''MonkeyIsland'', ''VideoGame/IndianaJonesAndTheFateOfAtlantis'', ''SamAndMax Hit the Road'', ''Day of the Tentacle'', ''GrimFandango'' are all absolutely amazing. It's the perfect blend of humour and puzzles.

* NetHack. Not many games can become ''more fun'' every time you die less than 10 floors down. What is possibly the most expansive free game ever is done entirely with keystrokes on your keyboard (actions '''and graphics'''), proving that good graphics are not the biggest deal in the world. And it's funny, too.

* ''TheNeverhood'' competes with ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'' for best game never played. Extraordinary puzzle game, with ''100% clay animation''. The music is strange and funky and absolutely perfect. It's a wonder to behold, and is a true gem in the genre. It even has it's own lore, [[TakeYourTime if you have a spare three hours to read it in]].

* This dates back quite a while, but [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies I]] have always been fond of the original ''PerfectDark'' for the {{Nintendo 64}}. The music, the multiplayer, the weapons, the story, the levels, just about everything was as Perfect as the title would lead you to believe. It's just such a shame that it wasn't as widely acknowledged as VideoGame/GoldenEye1997, and part of me thinks that it only became known because of the prequel released on the Xbox.

** @/Tombcannon: Seconded. I have never been so willing to overlook game breaking glitches as I have for ''Sands of Time.'' Restart the entire game because somehow Farah didn't register as being with me, ending in an automatic game-over five seconds after starting? Well, since it's ''you'', Sands of Time... Such a pity that the sequels didn't keep the same tone.

* The {{Hitman}} series of games. There are just so many ways of completing each mission and so many [[SelfImposedChallenge Self Imposed Challenges]] to try out. I will never get bored of the Hitman games.

* Pretty much any game by {{Infocom}}. They revolutionized the InteractiveFiction genre, proving once again that the best graphics are the ones you create inside your own head.

* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}''. Just freaking Prototype. I don't know why, but I just find it so enthralling. Randomly blowing stuff up in helicopters, sneaking about bases eating everyone, and running around the place and flying around firing blood out of your wrists like a demented emo jet...Who could say no to all that?

* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}''. [[Tropers/BentusiAvatar I]] grew up watching my dad play this (one of the few games he would ever play), so I'm probably a little biased, but still. Quite likely one of the best real-time strategies ever made, got at least one game of the year for 1999, and the first (and one of the very few) strategy game to use 3-D models and motion tech for actual gameplay instead of just eye candy - which it had more than enough of anyway. The ships look simple now, but they're still beautiful, and the backgrounds as well. Paul Ruskay's [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome wonderful soundtrack]] communicates the emptiness of space just as well as the rush of fleet-to-fleet battle, blending in Middle Eastern sounds perfectly before BattlestarGalactica ever did - and their use of the Agnus Dei, given context and how awesome the song itself is, is perfect; [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUxwEJ-GXI their rendition of it]] remains my favorite. The storyline, as well, is as grand and epic as any other SpaceOpera while maintaining a sense that it is racial myth, a long-held history. And it is dark, and [[TearJerker very sad]]. The multiplayer is so well made that there are still players, 12 years later. In short, this game is made of concentrated awesome. The sequels aren't that bad either. Do yourself a favor, get this game, and try not to read or watch anything to spoil it. It's worth it.

* OdinSphere. So. Amazing. This game is a 2D side-scrolling brawler that takes place inside a book, in the words of Penny Arcade. The graphics are gorgeous, hand-drawn. The game play changes with each of the five characters you play and love and cry for, learning more about the sinister plot that will bring about Armageddon. And you eat fruit that grows from souls and grow sheep fruit. Need I say more? You don't want more than sheep fruit. ...fine. You also get to fight as a gliding Valkyrie with a spear, a Pooka Prince who does spin attacks with a powerful sword, a black knight who can do massive damage within a second with his sword, a flying Fairy who uses a crossbow that shoots energy, and a last Princess who uses chains to swing around and bash her enemies with tons of amazing combos and ways. This game. Is. Amazing.

* ''[[http://www.glumbuster.com/ Glum Buster]]''. Just... ''Glum Buster''. This game is pretty much a dream in video game form. The backgrounds are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the soundtrack sets the atmosphere perfectly, and the gameplay has just the perfect amount of surrealism. One of the things that sets this game apart is that it only gives you the most basic of tutorials and lets you figure out the rest as you progress. Because of that, most of the puzzles rely on HowDoIShotWeb, which leads to some surprisingly difficult parts. Even so, it only adds to the dreamlike experience. Best of all, Glum Buster is charityware, with most of the proceeds going to [[http://www.starlight.org/ The Starlight Children's Foundation]]. This troper intends to [[EntryPimp write a TV Tropes article for it]] in the near future, because this game ''definitely'' NeedsMoreLove.

* [[{{@/Matrix}} This Troper]] loves GuildWars! It has beautiful graphics, especially in Pre-Searing! The gameplay is also fantastic! Plus you have a bajillion skills to choose from, so you can make pretty much anything you want. Oh, and with max armour ratings for each profession type and max base damage for each weapon type, it isn't based on "I beat you because I have the InfinityPlusOneSword!" Thus, the stuff that costs a lot are weapons with rare skins, not weapons that can one-shot other players. They do the same damage as other weapons. But they do it more prettyfuller! And, PvP is separate from [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]]. I love this, since I don't have to have my [[PlayerVersusEnvironment PvE]] characters PvP-ready and such. And also, all this actually has lower specs required than you'd expect, and the memory it takes up on your computer is a lot smaller than you'd expect, too! Oh, and I like how each campaign and the expansion have a story to them, like a single-player RPG, instead of the "yeah just wander around a bit and kill stuff, do some quests, whatever" that you get in most online [=RPG=]s. And... Best of all... IT'S FREE! No subscription required! Just buy it, install it, update it, and you're set!

** Going on just about 5 years now and [=ANet=] is STILL adding new content to the original Guild Wars even as they continue work on Guild Wars 2. Last year (2009) they did a huge update at anniversary time which added a new NPC (Nicholas the Traveler) who asks for a certain "collector's item" (obtainable as drops from defeated enemies) every week for which he will give you gifts in return, including rare weapons and "miniature pets". Also in 2009, "Zaishen Missions", "Zaishen Bounties" and "Zaishen Combats" were added for which you can earn various denominations of coins redeemable for rewards which can include backpacks (to provide extra storage space on your characters) or elite tomes (for acquiring elite skills). The addition of "Zaishen Missions" and "Zaishen Bounties" did a lot to revitalize the game because it gave players additional incentive to do various missions and quests. Now, in 2010, with the game's 5th birthday coming up, something just about as big seems to be in the works. ThisTroper doesn't know yet exactly what's going to happen, but from advance hints being dropped it's possible that a Factions-style system is going to be set up in Prophecies where you can take the side either of the White Mantle or the Shining Blade. If you've finished both Prophecies and Eye of the North, this means the area in the Prophecies campaign known as Kryta is likely to get much more interesting, and much more challenging!

* Currently, [[{{@/Cybele}} this troper]], is completely ''infatuated'' with ''{{Gungrave}}''. The bizzaro tale of a murdered man now called "Beyond the Grave" raised from the dead and given the chance to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against his former comrades, including the man who murdered Grave in the first place. While the games do not have the combat depth of DevilMayCry (it's all about shoot, shoot, shoot some more)--honestly that's all I need, as Grave is basically a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot purple-clad undead cowboy assassin]] that carries a coffin that doubles as a weapon of mass destruction and wields GunsAkimbo and [[DieChairDie blows everything in his way up]], in the most over-the-top ways simply because it's ''[[RuleOfCool cool]]'' (really, the series gets quite OTT) And in ''Overdose''? You get to choose between the original hero, the Blind DualWielding Swordsman, or the Rockabilly Ghost Who Possesses His Own Guitar That Shoots Lightning. And the ability to [[BulletTime slow down time]]. I've just watched the entire anime series and it was just as awesome--and bought the artbook. >.> <.< * goes to look up that Brandon Heat bobblehead on Ebay* To quote from the NinjaPirateZombieRobot page, ''"Did I mention it's all designed by the creator of ''TriGun''?"''

* The {{Hitman}} series of games. There are just so many ways of completing each mission and so many [[SelfImposedChallenge Self Imposed Challenges]] to try out. This troper will never get bored of the Hitman games.
* ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}''. [[Tropers/BentusiAvatar I]] grew up watching my dad play this (one of the few games he would ever play), so I'm probably a little biased, but still. Quite likely one of the best real-time strategies ever made, got at least one game of the year for 1999, and the first (and one of the very few) strategy game to use 3-D models and motion tech for actual gameplay instead of just eye candy - which it had more than enough of anyway. The ships look simple now, but they're still beautiful, and the backgrounds as well. Paul Ruskay's [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome wonderful soundtrack]] communicates the emptiness of space just as well as the rush of fleet-to-fleet battle, blending in Middle Eastern sounds perfectly before BattlestarGalactica ever did - and their use of the Agnus Dei, given context and how awesome the song itself is, is perfect; [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIUxwEJ-GXI their rendition of it]] remains this troper's favorite. The storyline, as well, is as grand and epic as any other SpaceOpera while maintaining a sense that it is racial myth, a long-held history. And it is dark, and [[TearJerker very sad]]. The multiplayer is so well made that there are still players, 12 years later. In short, this game is made of concentrated awesome. The sequels aren't that bad either. Do yourself a favor, get this game, and try not to read or watch anything to spoil it. It's worth it.
* And what about the SpiritualSuccessor to ShadowOfTheColossus, VideoGame/{{Ico}} (Well I guess if you want to get technical, Ico came before Shadow of the Colossus, but whatever...) It's radically different from Shadow in terms of gameplay, but no less awesome--when you bond with a character that you can't even understand what they're saying. While this troper personally thinks Shadow is better, Ico is amazing in its storytelling, puzzels, and that feeling of aloneness that carried over to Shadow of the Colossus.

* Ah... This Troper is shamelessly bragging about IrisuSyndrome, and how great the game itself is. You got Great (not to mention [[{{Moe}} cute]]) Characters, a shocking and subtle Story, addicting Gameplay despite being NintendoHard, and best of all, Irisu Herself. Then you have ''Metsu'', in which there is great quality in music, and creates a (even more) well developed storyline, which explains what motivations the Characters have. You have to keep reading the text files to understand the entire plot, but once you do, you'll be treated to an amazing storyline.

* The [[JakAndDaxter Jak series]] is the greatest series of platformers [[{{@/RandomFanboy}} this troper]] has ever played. DarkerAndEdgier done ''right'', funny jokes, great story, fantastic graphics that stand up to this day (The Palace sequence high up above the city in the second one still takes my breath away), and best of all, brilliant platforming, which is a rare thing these days.

* Unfortunately, FFVII has lost its appeal to this troper, due to the fact that it overshadowed the gem of LegendOfDragoon. Epic story? Check. ''Great'' graphics (for the time) - check. Intuitive, inventive, and engaging combat sequences? Triple-check! Yes, it has its share of [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Narm narm]], but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the most engaging stories that came out in the new millenium - that and Lavitz' death effected me ''far'' more than Aeris', since he was used more in the party.

* The {{LegoAdaptationGame}}s. Yes, this troper knows he's too old for them, but they're done so well! I got hooked starting with Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and I even played the original. I logged many, many hours on both of those games, trying to reach True Jedi, collect every minikit and Gold Brick as if my life depended on it, as well as unlocking all the characters, even if most of them are either carbon copies with different faces or completely useless. Then came Lego Indiana Jones. This troper rented it during arguably the roughest summer of his life, but couldn't put it down, even when his stepmom was telling him to get ready to go out to dinner. Again, every Gold Brick, Red Brick, Minikit, et cetera. Then Lego Batman. I got it for the DS, and even if it didn't have those awesome Lego cutscenes, the comic book visuals weren't bad, and it was pretty much the same game, same collecting shit. This troper has just recently received Lego HarryPotter for Christmas, and he's spent the better portion of his days just wasting away at them. The lack of dialogue in the cutscenes is interesting. It's more of a "seen but not heard" type of thing. Even if there's some cheap slapstick thrown in here and there, I don't care! This troper, despite being [[SoOkayItsAverage not very fond of]] the PiratesOfTheCaribbean series (except for the first one. [[Sequelitis Not so much the others]] ), the announcement of that series being LEGO-ized is pretty cool. If only we could see LEGO Film/{{Rocky}} or LEGO Film/DieHard, or better yet, LEGO Film/BackToTheFuture... that would rock! Especially seeing that the last one is having a video game made out of it. LEGO {{Terminator}}? Nah, that's pushing it.
* LegoIsland, the first one. While the gameplay is very simple compared to modern games, this is still a very fun game. It has very memorable characters, some brilliant writing, ''awesome'' music and the graphics are still quite good despite their age. The first Lego game, and in [[Tropers/TurboJ this troper's]] opinion, the best.

* This Troper loves the {{Lunar}} games. Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete is to this day still this Troper's favorite game. The strongest point of the games are the characters who you just have to love.
** This troper prefers the original Sega CD release, because it's [[Main/ComedyThroughSuperiorFirepower even funnier]] than the "enhanced" remake.

* ''MagicalStarsign'' is THE best RPG ths troper has ever seen. The Plot's suprisingly well done, the characters and [=NPCs=] are hilarious, AND it doesn't take itself too seriously! Everything is this game is great. [[spoiler:Except the Epilouge. Pretty much everyone agrees that it was epic fail.]]
* This troper would like to nominate ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' as the best sprite-based First Person Shooter ever. It's storytelling was simply unheard of then and even now, with a richly crafted sci-fi world and believable characters. The text-based terminals combined with stellar shoot-em-up gameplay captures the essence of both genres, imploring the player to use his/her imagination. The result: a world that truly seems breathing and believable despite (and perhaps because of) the simplistic technology. Marathon proves that you can don't need amazing graphics for an immersive experience. Frankly, it deserves much more attention than it has.

** MechWarrior 2 was the first computer game this Troper ever bought, and still plays till today. The entire BattleTech universe has a magnificent storyline, and the game has great gameplay and use of tactics. The graphics are extremely obselete for now, but at the time they were great. This is all topped off with a CrowningMusicofAwesome.
* ''{{Meteos}}'' and the Xbox 360 sequel ''Meteos Wars'' are, without doubt, [[Tropers/PL7764 this troper's]] favorite Falling Block games. ''Meteos'' was great not just because it was thoroughly entertaining, but in that it was one of few games I found that utilized the DS's touch screen as a primary control mechanic without it feeling like a stupid gimmick. ''Meteos Wars'' has been my newfound addiction, in addition to rediscovering the original. The lack of a touch screen actually doesn't hinder the game too much - the button controls don't take too long to adapt to, and overall it's easily as fun as the original. It's well worth the money-price and time needed to adapt to the 360 controller if you loved the original game, as this one includes loads of throwbacks to it, including many of the original planets (or ''all of them'' if you get both DLC packs), a handful of which include their entire original soundtracks remixed to reflect the 360's higher operating output. The rest all have [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome absolutely superb]] and [[EarWorm satisfyingly addicting]] new audio to go with them. The game does have its flaws - the controls can stick sometimes, and if you're just a little colorblind (like me) then differentiating between similar pieces on certain planets may be tough on a SDTV. But it's certainly not deserving of the flak that it gets (most of which is directed at its lack of touch controls and lack of being on a Nintendo platform).

* Thank you MightAndMagic for providing [[strike: 9]] seven games of role-playing bliss. The series is great, the plot arcs are great, and it's always lots of fun to play. This troper still gets replay value from them despite the fact one was made in 1986. That is a compliment.

** Say what you will about the graphics, but everything else is awesome. Even the NightmareFuel is so perfectly done that this troper finds himself deliberately looking for it. Wow

* No matter what you say, there's ONE Call of Duty game you will LOVE from both Treyarch and Infinity Ward. Despite the acid reaction to VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2, this troper (Also a Tom Clancy lover) absolutely loved it. Black Ops will probably be the Treyarch favorite (Again, Clancy lover seeping through [read Without Remorse: They plan a mission that's on-par with Black Ops that [=CoD:BO=] might cover]).
** This (lady) troper admits to first playing Modern Warfare 2 for one reason, and one reason only... Soap [=McTavish=]. He's hot, bad ass, and has a sexy accent. However she found that the story was awesome too! Lots of people knock the story, but it makes perfect sense once the end is revealed.

* MuramasaTheDemonBlade is quite possibly [[@/SuperFush This troper]] considers it to be THE best game on the Wii, and one of the best games to be made in the past five years. Between utterly gorgeous visuals, interesting, cool, well-voiced, well-designed, badass characters, incredibly fluid and epic battles, and a soundtrack to die for, this is one hell of a game.

* {{Myst}}. This series of games is masterful, every installment is brilliant (yes, [[{{@/Sylocat}} This Troper]] even likes Myst IV), with wonderful puzzles and absolutely stunning visuals, threaded together by a very creative storyline and charming aesthetics. These games are awesome.
** Oh yes. [[Tropers/BentusiAvatar This troper]] remembers playing the original Myst as a kid, back at the beginning of the millenium, upstairs, in the dark, and never managing to get far past Sirrus and Achenar's books because they would scare me off, but still loving the freedom of it. Coming back to it years later and managing to get through the whole game, then moving on to the rest of the series: perfect. I still think the first one may be the best, simply because of how completely alone you are: it IS the indirect TropeNamer for BeautifulVoid, after all, and boy is it beautiful. Don't forget Robyn Miller's [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome Crowning Music of Haunting]]. You can just sit somewhere, stare at the world and hear whatever sounds it's making, and be totally at peace...
* {{Myth}}: The Fallen Lords, by Bungie. Even though the game is 14 years old, [[@/AngryBob This Troper]] maintains that it's the best realtime tactical game ever made. It's challenging and awesome while remembering to be actually fun. Soulblighter may not have been as good, but Bungie packaged the tag editor for the game with it, and there's an active online community for 3rd party material even to this day.

* No NipponIchi yet? You people make [[{{@/EtherealFrog}} This Troper]] sad. All Disgaeas feature witty characters, an enticing storyline, and a fantastic battle system. PhantomBrave's lack of a grid and method of unit deployment makes it one of the most unique [=TRPG=]s out there. I have yet to play MakaiKingdom or LaPucelle, but I imagine they're just as good.

* This dates back quite a while, but [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies this troper]] has always been fond of the original ''PerfectDark'' for the {{Nintendo 64}}. The music, the multiplayer, the weapons, the story, the levels, just about everything was as Perfect as the title would lead you to believe. It's just such a shame that it wasn't as widely acknowledged as VideoGame/GoldenEye1997, and part of me thinks that it only became known because of the prequel released on the Xbox.

** I daresay that this is one video game that everyone, and I do mean ''everyone'' needs to play. It's something that challenges the boundaries of what video games are, with absolutely masterful writing on par with some of the best novels in existence. More than a video game, it's a beautiful, amazing, heartrending, moving story told in an absolutely unique format - and more than anything else, it has sucked ThisTroper in, moved him to [[CrowningMomentOfFunny laughter]], [[TearJerker tears]], and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome cheering]], and left him, in the aftermath of the fantastic ending, absolutely stunned from the brilliance of the concept and its flawless execution. No, he isn't even exaggerating. ''You need to play this game.''

* You wouldn't believe me, but ''GearsOfWar'' is one for me. The music is astounding, the plotline is done beautifully, and dear god, I cried so hard when [[spoiler: Tai killed himself, and Dom euthanized Maria.]]

* ''[[http://www.glumbuster.com/ Glum Buster]]''. Just... ''Glum Buster''. This game is pretty much a dream in video game form. The backgrounds are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the soundtrack sets the atmosphere perfectly, and the gameplay has just the perfect amount of surrealism. One of the things that sets this game apart is that it only gives you the most basic of tutorials and lets you figure out the rest as you progress. Because of that, most of the puzzles rely on HowDoIShotWeb, which leads to some surprisingly difficult parts. Even so, it only adds to the dreamlike experience. Best of all, Glum Buster is charityware, with most of the proceeds going to [[http://www.starlight.org/ The Starlight Children's Foundation]]. This troper intends to [[EntryPimp write a TV Tropes article for it]] in the near future, because this game ''definitely'' NeedsMoreLove.

* ''IWannaBeTheGuy'' is just plain neat. It's this brilliantly insane nostalgia-fest packaged in a game that challenges you like no other. It's packed with neat tributes and Easter eggs ("It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." "[[spoiler:You jumped into a sword. You retard!]]"), not just to the old standbys but to games that for the longest time I thought I was the only one to have ever heard of, and did I mention it's hilarious? The entire game is basically one giant CrowningMomentOfAwesome with a generous sprinkling of CrowningMomentOfFunny.

** Story time: It was my 11th birthday. I was in the car with my mom and sister driving back to our house, and I asked for a video game for my birthday. My friend at the time was there with me, and I mentioned how stupid the Precursor Legacy looked (I saw commercials for it on TV and thought it looked dumb at the time). Then my mom and sister looked at each other all concerned, so I knew they got it for me, but I still tried to be grateful when they actually gave it to me. Thank God my mom and sister picked up that game over all the other ones in the store.

** Thirded. My favorite game of all time. You can play it five or six times over and still find something new, some revelation that was hidden just out of the corner of your eye or some obscure dialogue path that leads to something you never suspected. It was the game that finally convinced me that games could become an artform the equal of any other.

* The {{LegoAdaptationGame}}s. Yes, this troper knows he's too old for them, but they're done so well! I got hooked starting with Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and I even played the original. I logged many, many hours on both of those games, trying to reach True Jedi, collect every minikit and Gold Brick as if my life depended on it, as well as unlocking all the characters, even if most of them are either carbon copies with different faces or completely useless. Then came Lego Indiana Jones. This troper rented it during arguably the roughest summer of his life, but couldn't put it down, even when his stepmom was telling him to get ready to go out to dinner. Again, every Gold Brick, Red Brick, Minikit, et cetera. Then Lego Batman. I got it for the DS, and even if it didn't have those awesome Lego cutscenes, the comic book visuals weren't bad, and it was pretty much the same game, same collecting shit. This troper has just recently received Lego HarryPotter for Christmas, and he's spent the better portion of his days just wasting away at them. The lack of dialogue in the cutscenes is interesting. It's more of a "seen but not heard" type of thing. Even if there's some cheap slapstick thrown in here and there, I don't care! This troper, despite being [[SoOkayItsAverage not very fond of]] the PiratesOfTheCaribbean series (except for the first one. [[Sequelitis Not so much the others]] ), the announcement of that series being LEGO-ized is pretty cool. If only we could see LEGO {{Rocky}} or LEGO DieHard, or better yet, LEGO BackToTheFuture... that would rock! Especially seeing that the last one is having a video game made out of it. LEGO {{Terminator}}? Nah, that's pushing it.

* And what about the SpiritualSuccessor to ShadowOfTheColossus, {{Ico}} (Well I guess if you want to get technical, Ico came before Shadow of the Colossus, but whatever...) It's radically different from Shadow in terms of gameplay, but no less awesome--when you bond with a character that you can't even understand what they're saying. While this troper personally thinks Shadow is better, Ico is amazing in its storytelling, puzzels, and that feeling of aloneness that carried over to Shadow of the Colossus.
* ''{{Iji}}''. probably the only game I didn't ''want'' to complete because I knew I'd miss the characters and would never have that experience again. now that's good characterisation.

* ''JohnMaddenFootball'' was what got me into football. Say what you will about EA, but these games are almost consistently fun, innovative, and allow those of us too lazy or frail to experience the joys of physical competition.

* [[GodOfWar God. Of. War.]] The biggest, baddest, most epic blood-and-guts-Roy-Harryhausen-if-the-censors-were-not-admitted Ancient Greek pile of badassery ever. A rare case where linear gameplay turned out to be a blessing; the entire thing is like playing a movie ([[SceneryPorn and a really good looking movie too]]). Also; [[http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=RUHpZaUUoGA&feature=PlayList&p=614EEFC26BB435CD&playnext=1=39 the soundtrack]].

** Say what you will about the graphics, but everything else is awesome. Even the HighOctaneNightmareFuel is so perfectly done that this troper finds himself deliberately looking for it. Wow

* LucasArts [[AdventureGame adventure games]]. ''MonkeyIsland'', ''IndianaJones and the Fate of {{Atlantis}}'', ''SamAndMax Hit the Road'', ''Day of the Tentacle'', ''GrimFandango'' are all absolutely amazing. It's the perfect blend of humour and puzzles.

* This troper would like to nominate {{Marathon}} as the best sprite-based First Person Shooter ever. It's storytelling was simply unheard of then and even now, with a richly crafted sci-fi world and believable characters. The text-based terminals combined with stellar shoot-em-up gameplay captures the essence of both genres, imploring the player to use his/her imagination. The result: a world that truly seems breathing and believable despite (and perhaps because of) the simplistic technology. Marathon proves that you can don't need amazing graphics for an immersive experience. Frankly, it deserves much more attention than it has.