History Gush / VideoGamesQToZ

* VideoGameMoviesSuck...except for ''[[Film/SpiderMan Spider-Man 2]]'', the ultimate Spider-Man simulator.

* Why isn't ValkyriaChronicles on here? The game is incredible! Awesome plot, quirky characters, and unique gameplay are an understatement.

* ''SuperRobotWarsOG'' is the most amazing and badass strategy game I have ever seen, every playable character does something awesome, every playable character gets developed, you have romance, you have drama, you have comedy, you have a character who wants to make love to two robots! The plot is deep, the enemies characters don't all meld together, the plotting makes sense, the character designs are varied so even with a huge cast its easy to tell characters apart. That's not even getting started on mechas, even the grunt suits are badass, the Gespenst Mk II M is more badass than most protype mechas in other series. Then we have the music, the sheer amount of music you get is amazing, I love the themes for the characters like Sanger, and Lune, and with each new game they just keep adding them.

* ''TouhouProject'' is a great series, especially considering that nearly everything is made by just a single man. The gameplay is simple to learn, yet takes immense skill to master. The multitude of characters are all charming in their unique ways, the spellcard patterns and backgrounds are gorgeous (if distracting) to look at, and the music is simply fantastic. The fandom is bustling with vitality and creativity, and the many unofficial Touhou spin-off games like Megamari and Touhoumon are a treat to play as well. So, despite the countless times I've been frustrated on my 1CC attempts, I can't help but gush about Touhou.

** [[Tropers/Prinzenick I]] think the original Rayman was already a fantastic side-scroller, but ''Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' not only completely defied {{Sequelitis}}, but improved on the original in many ways without rehashing it, and it resulted in one of the finest linear 3-D platformers of the late 90's. It does everything right--the difficulty, the pacing, the level layouts, the characters, the presentation, the boss fights, the gimmicks, the music, it is a masterpiece of 3-D platforming. I loved it so much as a kid, when my N64 save battery broke, I played through the entire game in one sitting, up until the wee hours of the morning, just so I could beat the game for the first time!

** The original Rayman was already a wonderful side-scroller, but ''Rayman2TheGreatEscape'' not only completely defied {{Sequelitis}}, but improved on the original in many ways without rehashing it, and it resulted in one of the finest linear 3-D platformers of the late 90's. It does everything right--the difficulty, the pacing, the level layouts, the characters, the presentation, the boss fights, the gimmicks, the music, it is a masterpiece of 3-D platforming.

** Then there's RaymanOrigins. The game not only successfully returns the franchise to its side-scrolling roots, but adds its own unique embellishments such as being able to run on walls and bounce off enemies, not to mention its lush hand-drawn sprites and artwork, amazing stage layouts, addicting gameplay and catchy music. Its also rare to find a side scroller than can make ''swimming'' seem truly enjoyable! And it even brings back the [[NintendoHard insane difficulty]] of the original game in several levels!

** The original Rayman was already a wonderful side-scroller, but Rayman2 not only completely defied {{Sequelitis}}, but improved on the original in many ways without rehashing it, and it resulted in one of the finest linear 3-D platformers of the late 90's. It does everything right--the difficulty, the pacing, the level layouts, the characters, the presentation, the boss fights, the gimmicks, the music, it is a masterpiece of 3-D platforming.

* Screw the segue about being disappointed that {{Ratchet and Clank}} isn’t here, yet—I’m glad to have the honor of adding it myself! The early games were awesome in their own rights, but the Future trilogy never fails to bring out the squealing fangirl in me. Tools of Destruction was an absolute joy when it first came out and hasn’t gotten old, yet. Quest for Booty was short, but it carried the fans over until A Crack In Time, which would have been worth the wait, even without QFB. It’s hard to decide what the best part is: characters or story. Tachyon, Sigmund, Orvus and Alister were all ''great'' characters, but if [=ACiT=] is, indeed, the last Ratchet and Clank game we’re going to get (barring spinoffs and crossovers) the series ended on a [[{{CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming}} perfect note]].

* {{Red Dead Redemption}}. Rockstar did it. They made a game genre that was rapidly dying out and made an amazing, wonderful game out of it. The story, the characters, the dialogue, the gameplay, it's all been perfectly implemented into simply the best Western game ever made. It can be, in turns, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome,]] [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious,]] [[NightmareFuel terrifying,]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] and [[TearJerker incredibly sad.]] The dialogue is always witty and frequently poignant, and the music is unparalleled. Whether riding through Mexico listening to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IkvAb6THQY Far Away]] and feeling like king of the Goddamn world or watching the end credits while [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkAvVqjbUG8 Deadman's Gun]] plays in the background and actually ''feeling'' for the main character, which so few games manage to do, what with silent protagonists and all. The gameplay is as smooth and elegant as activating Dead Eye, lining up a bunch of headshots and watching the fireworks, and to top it all off, [[spoiler: the most wonderful, beautiful [[DownerEnding downer ending]] you could ever have hoped for.]]
* {{Red Steel}} 2 can be best described as a roller coaster, while the ride is kinda short, it´s one of the most exciting and funtastical things on the planet, and after it´s over you´ll definitely want another ride,and another, and another...

* {{Shadow of the Colossus}}. Where to start. Epic Boss Battles, Epic [[{{Crowning Music of Awesome}} Soundtrack]], insanely well done [[{{Scenery Porn}} Scenery]] that one could get lost in, a very well developed world, a hero given a sword at the beginning and, for once ''isn't'' an InstantExpert with it upon acquiring it, well done bosses that make her quiver in both being in the shadow of pure awesome, and seeing a creature so massive, that it could possibly knock over the [[HubLevel starting shrine]] with ease, 'victory' music that makes the players think 'Dear God what have I done?', a plot that runs deeper than the game itself... [[{{ArsonMurderAndJaywalking}} Oh, and a loyal horse]]. [[{{@/Serenade}} I]] would like to know one thing. ''How has this not been gushed about yet?''

* TheSims = Pure crack in video game form, and it's so fun in the process. Sure, the constant line of expansion packs are annoyingly expensive and the game's glitches can drive you crazy, but there's something just so fun about guiding a pack of computer people into a happy life (or ruining it, if that's your thing...). You really get attached to these guys, even when they do the most phenomenally stupid stuff.

* Proud to complete the triad of Sony mascots (the others being {{Jak and Daxter}} and {{Ratchett and Clank}}), the ''SlyCooper'' games are amazing. The characterization is deep and complex, the heists are a joy to pull off, and I love the the intro and outro scenes for every level. Add it all up and you get my most favorite game series. The only problem is the fact that development on ''Sly 4'' is indefinitely postponed.

* Why in the world is [[SpiralKnights Spiral Knights]] not on this list?! It is a lot of fun to rush through the clockworks with all the good people you meet in the Havens, watch your equipment become bigger and better every time you upgrade it, [[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne laugh at everyone who burns to death in Firestorm Castle]]...

* The ''{{Suikoden}}'' series. Sure, it's not as graphically flashy as the ''FinalFantasy'' series, and when its bad it tends to ''really'' suck, but when it's good, it's like {{Shakespeare}}. Rarely is there a game that let's you invest so much into your characters or which lets you feel just how high the stakes are when you're fighting a war. This game does ''not'' pull its [[PlayerPunch Player Punches...]]

** And then, of course, there is the main series. Each game is an expertly crafted MassiveMultiplayerCrossover with well done FixFic pieces. Good shows are cherished, bad shows are RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap, and obscure shows get that much needed ColbertBump. Simply put, every ''SuperRobotWars'' game is a CrowningMomentOfAwesome.
* ''[[SystemShock System Shock 2]]''. I played this before VideoGame/{{Half-Life|1}} -- I couldn't be bothered beyond the part with the stacking-crates 'puzzle'; [=SS2=] had spoiled me. Why would I want to be limited to standard weapons when I could have PsychicPowers AND three[[spoiler:/four]] different types of weapons? Why did I have to be left to work out "stack crates to reach a ventilation shaft" when my mysterious MissionControl or a log or a ghost could have told me? Why couldn't I upgrade my abilities to hack the security system or improve my weapons? Where's my inventory with all the items with funny and plausible descriptions? Is the BigBad just going to wait there until I get to it? What it had over its contemporaries,more than anything else,was ''atmosphere''. The story (your character has no other clues apart from the logs of the vanished crew; superlative voice acting and sound editing),the soundscape (the everpresent hum of the ship,the skin-crawling chittering of the spiders,the unnerving whir of a security camera) and the not knowing what was behind the next corner all conspired to reassure you that they '''were''' out to get you and ''you were never safe'' (see [[NightmareFuel its entry in Nightmare Fuel Unleaded]]). [=SS2=] just had ''more''.

** OHMYGOD YES. I only ever played pieces of Undefined Fantastic Object (and stopped quickly- reports of its difficulty are not greatly exaggerated), but the music of the WHOLE SERIES is nothing short of brilliant. ZUN is a musical genius.

* ''{{Warcraft}} II'' is one of the most atmospheric games ever, with its awesome music, fantastic voice acting and compelling (for it's time) plot. ''Warcraft III'' is the best RTS ever made, with the greatest story ever told in a videogame. The only reason [=WC1=] is not here is because I've never played it.
* ''WorldOfWarcraft''. No other game has kept me entertained for four years. Especially the expansion pack worlds are so incredibly varied and beautiful that sometimes I just want to move permanently to Nagrand or Terokkar Forest.

** Say what you will about it. Say that something missing, a class is messed up, the system is outdated, the graphics are bad, etc. [[@/ShadowStainedSky I]] still enjoy playing {{World of Warcraft}}. The regions each have a different personality and section of lore, where any adventurer/myth-fan/histroy-fan/general wanderer could simply lose themselves in. The water-ways of Howling Fjord? The Shimmering Flats at night? ''[[GhibliHills The Hinterlands]]''? It all seems beautiful. The playable races have their own part of lore and own culture. Playing as a Troll ''is'' more fun. I ''enjoy'' making new characters and going through those 80 levels again. (I do groan when it comes time for Outland, but that's a different story.)

* {{X-Com}} UFO Defense (or Enemy Unknown, depending on where you're from) is one of the greatest games of all time. It was released in 1993, and it is still regarded as one of the best PC games ever. Everything about it is ahead of its time: fully destructible terrain, complex stats for your soldiers, awesome base building, etc. Also the research system is impressive and it is very fun to see what cool new weapon or device your scientists have unlocked now. The best part is that X-Com delivers an incredibly enjoyable challenge, and is very difficult at times, but it manages to be fun enough to prevent you from smashing your computer in frustration, and instead to keep trying different tactics until you win. It's a shame that there have been no remakes of this game that fully capture its glory.

* [[{{@/Cherry}} This troper]] is completely obsessed with RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy. It's not perfect, but then again, who wants perfect? She found most of its imperfections to be quite charming. The main character is a silent protagonist with at least three character interpretations for each action (The fourth bullet in the random thoughts section on my contributor's page has the implied interpretation as well as being possibly his brand of humor - sort of a "I wonder how she'll react" form of amusement.), thus giving him character while leaving it open for the player at the same time. The [=NPCs=] are far, ''far'' from the WelcomeToCorneria types, having full-blown character development while at the same time providing information, and sometimes-painful LampshadeHanging (The Daidouji butler, Nakamura, says at one point that he "must have fainted from overwork" and he "would be ashamed to face the spirits of the Daidouji ancestors", which jars rather lightheartedly yet painfully with the conditions of game over.) There isn't a character in the game I dislike (even those I don't ''like'' I feel would detract from the game if absent), and each location has its own charm. I seem to find something new every time I pick up the game. On top of all that, the 20's-style localization is very charming - I would take it over Atlus's normal honorific use any day. ...Sorry, did I gush a bit too much? My page has more, even...

* Screw the segue about being disappointed that {{Ratchet and Clank}} isn’t here, yet—I’m glad to have the honor of adding it myself! The early games were awesome in their own rights, but the Future trilogy never fails to bring out the squealing fangirl in this troper. Tools of Destruction was an absolute joy when it first came out and hasn’t gotten old, yet. Quest for Booty was short, but it carried the fans over until A Crack In Time, which would have been worth the wait, even without QFB. It’s hard to decide what the best part is: characters or story. Tachyon, Sigmund, Orvus and Alister were all ''great'' characters, but if [=ACiT=] is, indeed, the last Ratchet and Clank game we’re going to get (barring spinoffs and crossovers) the series ended on a [[{{CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming}} perfect note]].

** This has been one of {{this troper}}s favorite series for as long as I can remember. The weapons are unparalelled, the sstory is epic and the characterization is amazing. All hail the R.Y.N.O (and II, 3, IV, V) weilding lombax.

* [[{{@/Albertosaurus}} This troper]] used to love the original ''VideoGame/{{Rayman}}'' game so much that he played it from start to finish ''sixteen times.'' While he still enjoys it, he doesn't love it quite as much these days - but he sure has warm and fuzzy memories of the time it was the greatest game ever.

* ''Rock Band'' advanced this troper's interest in and understanding of music a hundredfold. It showed me how the different instruments fit together, and it made me ''want'' to learn how music works. That, and it's the perfect stress reliever: it being a music-playing-simulator-thing (with music I'm actually ''familiar'' with, an attribute that most rhythm games cannot claim) makes it more engaging than any fun-but-insubstantial casual game, so it actually holds my interest, but quickplay mode requires no commitment to a larger goal, so there's no pressure. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Also it has a nifty character creator.]]
* RuneScape is easily this troper's favourite game. Yes, really. It has the best quests of any MMORPG, and they are my favourite part of the game. The quests are funny, awesome, heartwarming, (often in rapid succession), and the team making them obviously ''cares'' about them. No quest is just a half-assed thing thrown together in 10 minutes, requiring you to kill a bunch of monsters or collect a bunch of items. Even the quests explicitly about killing monsters in their names (Dragon Slayer, Vampire Slayer, Demon Slayer) have a story, and the content of them isn't just 'go kill the dragon/demon/vampire'. And these are just the low level starter quests. Some of the tougher quests can get to the degree of immersion that you react and feel as your character does. For example after the [[BloodKnight War God]] that the cave goblins used to follow announces that he will destroy them utterly, I felt a real sense of urgency as I went around their city, collecting things to put in a time capsule so that some remnant of their civilisation survives. The entire time, the music playing sounds so urgent (and it's called Demise of the Dorgeshuun (the name of the cave goblin people), no less), really adding to the atmosphere. When I was done with that, I teamed up with Zanik, the [[ChosenOne Chosen Commander]] of the War God to [[ScrewDestiny fight against him]]. In the throne room of the Big High War God, he gave her, (and by extension the entire Dorgeshuun people,) one last chance to join him or die. She denied him, and then the obligatory boss fight started. We slowly whittled down his health, and just as she was about to fire the crossbow that would disrupt his divine energy flow (effectively banishing him), he broke it with his mace, and as she tried to gather up the pieces, the [[UpToEleven statues themselves]] came to life and attacked us. I kept fighting the War God, hoping she would be able to fend off the statues and reassemble the crossbow. [[OhCrap Then her health bar hit zero and she keeled over.]] Despairing, I killed the rest of the statues, picked up the pieces of the crossbow and remade it, got the War God's health back down to zero, and as he gloated about how easily he had defeated the Chosen Commander, and I stood no chance, I fired the crossbow at him, banishing him. Easily the most intense (in-universe) boss fight I've ever had. And Zanik was still on the floor. [[OhCrap I tried talking to her, but she gave no response.]] I selected the 'wait' option in the dialogue options box, and eventually she woke up. I told her we had won, and she destroyed the pendant that gave him power on our plane. We left the Throne Room though the portal, back to the goblin city, and were hailed as heroes as the TriumphantReprise / CrowningMusicOfAwesome played. An amazing end to an amazing quest series.

** ''GrimFandango'': a film noir/black comedy set in the Mexican afterlife, and a puzzle adventure game to boot? Kickass! Wonderfully scripted,challenging puzzles, masterly atmospheric, and beautiful graphics... this troper could go on and on.

*** The thing this troper finds most impressive about it? It's one of the most irreverent, darkly-humored, hilarious, not-a-moment-of-it-too-serious-for-its-own-good games ever... and it manages to pull off one of the most genuinely moving and [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] game endings this troper's ever seen. It beautifully subverts one of the [[DeadHorseTrope more overused]] plots (and itself!), and does so in a way that perfectly fits both Raz's character and doesn't break the tone of the game. It's kind of funny that it's not a kid's game, because its [[AnAesop aesop]] wouldn't be out of place in one. [[spoiler: Y'know, even when your parents punish you and "stop you having fun," and even if they make mistakes, they still love you to death. They're probably ''not'' evil.]]

* {{Shadow of the Colossus}}. Where to start. Epic Boss Battles, Epic [[{{Crowning Music of Awesome}} Soundtrack]], insanely well done [[{{Scenery Porn}} Scenery]] that one could get lost in, a very well developed world, a hero given a sword at the beginning and, for once ''isn't'' an InstantExpert with it upon acquiring it, well done bosses that make her quiver in both being in the shadow of pure awesome, and seeing a creature so massive, that it could possibly knock over the [[HubLevel starting shrine]] with ease, 'victory' music that makes the players think 'Dear God what have I done?', a plot that runs deeper than the game itself... [[{{ArsonMurderAndJaywalking}} Oh, and a loyal horse]]. [[{{@/Serenade}} This Troper]] would like to know one thing. ''How has this not been gushed about yet?''

** ShadowOfTheColossus will always be [[{{@/Thebazilly}} this Troper's]] favorite game of all time. No matter what.

** ThisTroper couldn't agree more; for those who want visuals, the buildings have very realistic designs to them, plus you must not forget being able to see them at night. For those who want to know about the challenge, there's plenty. Also, with the help of Rush Hour, the expansion pack, you can do more to enhance your cities and even drive in them.

**** Except when the expansion packs are made up of things that was taken out of the main game before release. The only thing that stops Spore from being one of the best games of 2008 is all the [[ExecutiveMeddling meddling]] on the part of EA. This Troper can't understand the reasoning behind screwing around with such an awesome game.
*** This troper agrees. Although it isn't mind-blowing, the Core game is a nice distraction. The real appeal of Spore, however, is the Creators, especially the Adventure Creator. You wouldn't believe what kinds of things people have made in that game.

* This troper's first game was the original ''SpyroTheDragon'', and after all these years it's still fun. That has to count for something.

* ''SuperRobotWarsOG'' is the most amazing and badass strategy game ThisTroper has ever seen, every playable character does something awesome, every playable character gets developed, you have romance, you have drama, you have comedy, you have a character who wants to make love to two robots! The plot is deep, the enemies characters don't all meld together, the plotting makes sense, the character designs are varied so even with a huge cast its easy to tell characters apart. That's not even getting started on mechas, even the grunt suits are badass, the Gespenst Mk II M is more badass than most protype mechas in other series. Then we have the music, the sheer amount of music you get is amazing, I love the themes for the characters like Sanger, and Lune, and with each new game they just keep adding them.

* ''TouhouProject'' is a great series, especially considering that nearly everything is made by just a single man. The gameplay is simple to learn, yet takes immense skill to master. The multitude of characters are all charming in their unique ways, the spellcard patterns and backgrounds are gorgeous (if distracting) to look at, and the music is simply fantastic. The fandom is bustling with vitality and creativity, and the many unofficial Touhou spin-off games like Megamari and Touhoumon are a treat to play as well. So, despite the countless times I've been frustrated on my 1CC attempts, this troper can't help but gush about Touhou.

* This troper absolutely loves UmJammerLammy. The game is incredibly addicting, and even though I got frustrated with it sometimes I never gave up because it was so fun. And plus the music is awesome, too.

* In a world where most first-person shooters are realistic and tactical, ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'' (emphasis on ''Unreal'') stands counterpoint. This troper's personal favorite in the series is ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'', but the others are certainly worth a look. Lightning-fast action, ridiculously awesome weapons, humongous battlefields, full bot support, a metric ton of excellent ''and free'' user-made content, and several wildly diverse game modes make this a truly [[JustForPun Epic]] [[EpicGames game]].

** Say what you will about it. Say that something missing, a class is messed up, the system is outdated, the graphics are bad, etc. [[@/ShadowStainedSky This troper]] still enjoy playing {{World of Warcraft}}. The regions each have a different personality and section of lore, where any adventurer/myth-fan/histroy-fan/general wanderer could simply lose themselves in. The water-ways of Howling Fjord? The Shimmering Flats at night? ''[[GhibliHills The Hinterlands]]''? It all seems beautiful. The playable races have their own part of lore and own culture. Playing as a Troll ''is'' more fun. This Troper ''enjoys'' making new characters and going through those 80 levels again. (He does groan when it comes time for Outland, but that's a different story)

* The ''Franchise/{{Rance}}'' Series. Let's see, the titular [[DesignatedHero "protagonist"]] may be a [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] [[HaremSeeker serial]] [[RapeIsLove rapist]], but CrazyAwesome and insanely BadAss. Many characters of the Rance World are likable or at least [[CompleteMonster memorable]] and avoid falling into cliche. The Rance World itself is a FantasyKitchenSink WorldOfBadass. The plots of the games themselves are actually pretty good and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments emotional]] even if they don't usually take themselves [[BlackComedyRape seriously]]. The gameplay [[EvenBetterSequel (especially in the later installments)]] itself is good enough to [[IReadItForTheArticles justify playing the games for the gameplay]] (though no one will believe you if you use that excuse). Lastly, in what other videogame series, HGame or not, can you rape women to [[AwesomeMusic A ROCK REMIX OF]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMIWcJSEWY EAST GERMANY'S NATIONAL ANTHEM?!?!]]

* {{Red Steel}} 2 can be best described as a roller coaster, while the ride is kinda short, it´s one of the most exciting and funtastical things on the planet, and after it´s over you´ll definitely want another ride,and another, and another...

** ''[[StarTrekVoyager Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force]]'' deserves special mention. Despite being based on the underdog of the StarTrek verse, it manages to include a compelling plot, top-tier graphics for its era (which are still visually impressive even today), and was very well received. All this, and it was a Star Trek ''FPS''.

** This has been one of {{this troper}}s favorite series for as long as I can remember. The weapons are unparalelled, the sstory is epic and the characterization is amazing. All hail the R.Y.N.O (and II, 3, IV, V) weilding lombax.
** Here's the first poster back to add more to the pile: as someone who had been around the media block a few times, I was automatically suspicious of Azimuth, and expected him to pull a FaceHeelTurn or die. Upon going through the game again, it's only ''just'' occurred to me how ''brilliantly'' [[spoiler: the predicted face heel turn]] was carried out. I was watching that lombax like a hawk the entire time, and [[spoiler: simply let my guard down after defeating Nefarious, assuming ''him'' to be the final boss and, by extension, expecting the game to end directly after his not-quite-death.]] The fact that they managed to surprise even a few of the (slightly) GenreSavvy players makes it even ''more'' awesome than it already was.

* {{Red Dead Redemption}}. Rockstar did it. They made a game genre that was rapidly dying out and made an amazing, wonderful game out of it. The story, the characters, the dialogue, the gameplay, it's all been perfectly implemented into simply the best Western game ever made. It can be, in turns, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome,]] [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious,]] [[NightmareFuel terrifying,]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] and [[TearJerker incredibly sad.]] The dialogue is always witty and frequently poignant, and the music is unparalleled. Whether riding through Mexico listening to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IkvAb6THQY Far Away]] and feeling like king of the Goddamn world or watching the end credits while [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkAvVqjbUG8 Deadman's Gun]] plays in the background and actually ''feeling'' for the main character, which so few games manage to do, what with silent protagonists and all. The gameplay is as smooth and elegant as activating Dead Eye, lining up a bunch of headshots and watching the fireworks, and to top it all off, [[spoiler: the most wonderful, beautiful [[DownerEnding downer ending]] you could ever have hoped for.]]
* {{Red Steel}} 2 can be best described as a roller coaster, while the ride is kinda short, it´s one of the most exciting and funtastical things on the planet, and after it´s over you´ll definitely want another ride,and another, and another...

* ''SimCity 4 is the best of the SimCity games ever! I mean, check [[http://nycj.blogspot.com/ this out!]]

** Indeed sir indeed! Seconded most emphatically! The fact that every game is set in the same continuity with a plethora of little easter eggs for the committed fan is merely icing on the cake! It's the closest thing to an interactive fantasy book, which in my mind is a strength of the series. The story telling is refreshing as well, no saving the world from evil gods here, its plots are grittier and more down-to-earth then the surface appearance would have you think.

* The TotalWar series is one of the finest PC game series around. The strategy involved in real time battles with thousands of units is fantastic and the campaigns are seriously addictive with a lot of options, not to mention the graphics for both have been pretty darn impressive in the later installments. And the latest installment will finally allow naval battles as well. It is going to be awesome, even though the earlier games are already awesome. The development of your faction characters through your actions is great as well, with a hugely diverse bunch of traits, negative and positive, that can occur through inaction as well as action.

* TheWitcher. It was one of the few games when I really had to think about my decisions as the main character. I literally spent 5 minutes thinking about who might be right at the end of the first arc, leading to a very satisfying scene when I learned that the decision was right (but others can find the other choice to be equally satisfying...). Also the BigBad had the most convincing arguments I've ever heard in a video game.

* The ''{{Rance}}'' Series. Let's see, the titular [[DesignatedHero "protagonist"]] may be a [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] [[HaremSeeker serial]] [[RapeIsLove rapist]], but CrazyAwesome and insanely BadAss. Many characters of the Rance World are likable or at least [[CompleteMonster memorable]] and avoid falling into cliche. The Rance World itself is a FantasyKitchenSink WorldOfBadass. The plots of the games themselves are actually pretty good and [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments emotional]] even if they don't usually take themselves [[BlackComedyRape seriously]]. The gameplay [[EvenBetterSequel (especially in the later installments)]] itself is good enough to [[IReadItForTheArticles justify playing the games for the gameplay]] (though no one will believe you if you use that excuse). Lastly, in what other videogame series, HGame or not, can you rape women to [[AwesomeMusic A ROCK REMIX OF]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMIWcJSEWY EAST GERMANY'S NATIONAL ANTHEM?!?!]]

* The ''{{Rance}}'' Series. Let's see, the titular [[DesignatedHero "protagonist"]] may be a [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] [[HaremSeeker serial]] [[RapeIsLove rapist]], but CrazyAwesome and insanely BadAss. Many characters of the Rance World are likable or at least [[CompleteMonster memorable]] and avoid falling into cliche. The Rance World itself is a FantasyKitchenSink WorldOfBadass. The plots of the games themselves are actually pretty good and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome emo]][[TearJerker tio]][[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming nal]] even if they don't usually take themselves [[RapeAsComedy serio]][[DeadBabyComedy usly]]. The gameplay [[EvenBetterSequel (especially in the later installments)]] itself is good enough to [[IReadItForTheArticles justify playing the games for the gameplay]] (though no one will believe you if you use that excuse). Lastly, in what other videogame series, HGame or not, can you rape women to [[AwesomeMusic A ROCK REMIX OF]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMIWcJSEWY EAST GERMANY'S NATIONAL ANTHEM?!?!]]

* ''TimeSplitters 2'': Everything you love about GoldenEye, TurnedUpToEleven combined with RuleOfFunny.

* {{Red Dead Redemption}}. Rockstar did it. They made a game genre that was rapidly dying out and made an amazing, wonderful game out of it. The story, the characters, the dialogue, the gameplay, it's all been perfectly implemented into simply the best Western game ever made. It can be, in turns, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome awesome,]] [[CrowningMomentOfFunny hilarious,]] [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel terrifying,]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming heartwarming]] and [[TearJerker incredibly sad.]] The dialogue is always witty and frequently poignant, and the music is unparalleled. Whether riding through Mexico listening to [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IkvAb6THQY Far Away]] and feeling like king of the Goddamn world or watching the end credits while [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkAvVqjbUG8 Deadman's Gun]] plays in the background and actually ''feeling'' for the main character, which so few games manage to do, what with silent protagonists and all. The gameplay is as smooth and elegant as activating Dead Eye, lining up a bunch of headshots and watching the fireworks, and to top it all off, [[spoiler: the most wonderful, beautiful [[DownerEnding downer ending]] you could ever have hoped for.]]

* [[{{@/Albertosaurus}} This troper]] used to love the original ''{{Rayman}}'' game so much that he played it from start to finish ''sixteen times.'' While he still enjoys it, he doesn't love it quite as much these days - but he sure has warm and fuzzy memories of the time it was the greatest game ever.

* ''[[SystemShock System Shock 2]]''. I played this before VideoGame/{{Half-Life|1}} -- I couldn't be bothered beyond the part with the stacking-crates 'puzzle'; [=SS2=] had spoiled me. Why would I want to be limited to standard weapons when I could have PsychicPowers AND three[[spoiler:/four]] different types of weapons? Why did I have to be left to work out "stack crates to reach a ventilation shaft" when my mysterious MissionControl or a log or a ghost could have told me? Why couldn't I upgrade my abilities to hack the security system or improve my weapons? Where's my inventory with all the items with funny and plausible descriptions? Is the BigBad just going to wait there until I get to it? What it had over its contemporaries,more than anything else,was ''atmosphere''. The story (your character has no other clues apart from the logs of the vanished crew; superlative voice acting and sound editing),the soundscape (the everpresent hum of the ship,the skin-crawling chittering of the spiders,the unnerving whir of a security camera) and the not knowing what was behind the next corner all conspired to reassure you that they '''were''' out to get you and ''you were never safe'' (see [[NightmareFuelUnleaded its entry in Nightmare Fuel Unleaded]]). [=SS2=] just had ''more''.

* The ''{{Rance}}'' Series. Let's see, the titular [[DesignatedHero "protagonist"]] may be a [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] [[HaremSeeker serial]] [[RapeIsLove rapist]], but CrazyAwesome and insanely BadAss. Many characters of the Rance World are likable or at least [[CompleteMonster memorable]] and avoid falling into cliche. The Rance World itself is a FantasyKitchenSink WorldOfBadass. The plots of the games themselves are [[BetterThanItSounds actually pretty good]] and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome emo]][[TearJerker tio]][[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming nal]] even if they don't usually take themselves [[RapeAsComedy serio]][[DeadBabyComedy usly]]. The gameplay [[EvenBetterSequel (especially in the later installments)]] itself is good enough to [[IReadItForTheArticles justify playing the games for the gameplay]] (though no one will believe you if you use that excuse). Lastly, in what other videogame series, HGame or not, can you rape women to [[AwesomeMusic A ROCK REMIX OF]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMIWcJSEWY EAST GERMANY'S NATIONAL ANTHEM?!?!]]

* The ''{{Rance}}'' Series. Let's see, the titular [[DesignatedHero "protagonist"]] may be a [[LoveItOrHateIt polarizing]] [[HaremSeeker serial]] [[RapeIsLove rapist]], but CrazyAwesome and insanely BadAss. Many characters of the Rance World are likable or at least [[CompleteMonster memorable]] and avoid falling into cliche. The Rance World itself is a FantasyKitchenSink WorldOfBadass. The plots of the games themselves are [[BetterThanItSounds actually pretty good]] and [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome emo]][[TearJerker tio]][[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming nal]] even if they don't usually take themselves [[RapeAsComedy serio]][[DeadBabyComedy usly]]. The gameplay [[EvenBetterSequel (especially in the later installments)]] itself is good enough to [[IReadItForTheArticles justify playing the games for the gameplay]] (though no one will believe you if you use that excuse). Lastly, in what other videogame series, HGame or not, can you [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome rape women to]] [[AwesomeMusic A ROCK REMIX OF]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knMIWcJSEWY EAST GERMANY'S NATIONAL ANTHEM?!?!]]