History Gush / VideoGamesAToF

* ''VideoGame/{{Axelay}}''. It combines the best things about the 16-bit era into a [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Game of Awesome]]. It's a visual showpiece, and a treat to listen to, especially if you like jazz. (Yes, jazz in a [[ShootEmUp shmup]].) Case in point: Stage 2. You start by flying into a space station from space. The whole station rotates, and at one point, you can see your home planet, poking through an opening in the walls. Then it goes away. All the while, a piece of music fit for a {{Determinator}} swells in the background, building to the point where you see the planet in the background. Finally, you reach a part of the space station that appears torn and blasted apart. Then the music changes to a panicky electronic beat. At the end of the tunnel is a HumongousMecha, with a distinct ''Franchise/{{Robocop}}'' style, and gorgeously rendered. As the fight continues, the music from the first part of the stage breaks out of the beat, and the robot starts using a big charging crush laser. Now imagine this, plus five other stages of {{UsefulNotes/SNES}} shmup glory. Words cannot describe how great this game is.

* The [[http://www.aksysgames.com/bittripbeat Bit]] [[http://www.commandervideo.com Trip]] [[http://www.explorethevoid.com Series]] for UsefulNotes/WiiWare. These gems combine wonderful retro-styled visuals, catchy music and stupidly addictive points-based rhythm-action game play. Buy any one of these games and you won't need another game for months. They may be NintendoHard, but the feeling of pure accomplishment you get when you master them is the pinnacle of gaming for me.

* BRICKS by Andreas Rottler. Best. {{Klotski}}. Clone. Ever.

* BRICKS by Andreas Rottler. Best. Klotski. Clone. Ever.

** And not only that, but this game has such many other excellent aspects to it besides its gameplay and difficulty that when put together reveal an incredible masterpiece. It has unique and inventive multiplayer interactions that integrate themselves so well in the adventure that serve mainly to enrich your base experience with the game rather than to act as an separate 'extra' mechanic, story and mythology that is so rich and deep that you have to [[JustForPun dig hard]] to piece it together rather than having it spoonfed to you through cutscenes and both level and visual design that creates an wonderful atmosphere while making the fans of {{Metroidvania}}-style games squee in amazement. It's truly an awesome game in every aspect of the word.

* Hear now the tale of ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'', a video game series focusing solely on the art of item crafting. Americans didn't get the series until the Atelier Iris games came out, but those who have played any game in the series can find something to like about it. It's unfortunately a rather niche game series that seriously SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove, as the gameplay is fun and addictive, the characters are all amazing and well-rounded--save for a select few in each game--the artwork is beautiful, the stories are charming and fun. Special mention goes to my two personal favorites, ''VideoGame/AtelierEschaAndLogyAlchemistsOfTheDuskSky'' and ''VideoGame/ManaKhemiaAlchemistsOfAlRevis'', the former for having a likeable cast and a fun battle system, the latter for its addictive gameplay, fun use of alchemy, and the amazing story that gradually gets deeper and more layered with each chapter. Seriously, if you want to play a game series that's fun and light-hearted and is just plain sweet, take a chance on an Atelier game!

** ''Oblivion'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' are the two games this troper has sunk the most hours into since discovering them, the sheer amount of stuff to do in both games just staggers this troper and despite having played it near non-stop for near enough a year and a half, this troper still is not bored of either game -- no mean feat considering this troper's case of AttentionDeficitOohShiny. There are just so many different ways to play the elder scrolls that it literally never gets boring, from being a heavy armor-clad LawfulGood paladin to a sneaky bow-weilding ChaoticEvil vampiric assassin and literally everything in between, this game just has everything a man or woman needs for a game that will just eat time and shit fun. Bonus points go to the pc versions of both games for the insane amount of modding, where this troper has put some more immersive weapons into oblivion -- if anyone knows of any immersive armor mods for oblivion that'd be A+ because all this troper has found is chainmail bikinis and stuff that makes it look more like ''[[Videogame/CorruptionOfChampions Corruption Of Champions]]'' than the elder srolls and that is a major pet peeve of his.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' is my SugarWiki/MostTriumphantExample of RTS, with a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic kick-ass soundtrack]] to boot. And ''Red Alert'' is even better, taking everything good about the original, turning it UpToEleven and adding magnificent amounts of LargeHam-osity. [[SugarWiki/GushingAboutCharactersYouLike And don't even get me started on]] [[MagnificentBastard Kane]]...

* ''VideoGame/CrimzonClover'' is by far the best shmup since sliced ''[[VideoGame/DonPachi DoDonPachi]]''. And that's saying something, considering it's '''{{doujin}}'''--developed for 5 years mainly by one person, with a little outside assistance and another person doing the music. As for the game itself, it puts as much emphasis on [[StuffBlowingUp destruction]] as it does on [[BulletHell dodging]], [[SuperMode BREAK MODE]] and [[UpToEleven DOUBLE BREAK MODE]] are hilariously fun, and the stages are intense, ''especially'' starting with Original Mode Stage 4. The game in general is just so polished that you'd be forgiven for mistaking it for a commercial game (although it being a PC game kinda gives away the fact that it's a doujin game).

* ''VideoGame/FreeSpace'' is the series that inspired the plot of ''Franchise/MassEffect'' and helped make a name out of Volition, Inc. Yes, [[VideoGame/SaintsRow THAT]] Volition, Inc. What's more is that it's not the first game you should go and play--it's the SECOND one you should really get. While the first one was awesome and all (much like ''Franchise/MassEffect''), the second one took the good points of the first game and amped them UpToEleven and then took some of the more [[ScrappyMechanic scrappy]] gameplay elements and improved them to create something awesome and beautiful (much like ''VideoGame/MassEffect2''). If nothing else, this game is the best SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' I have EVER seen, and the second game DESERVES its almost immovable place in PC Gamer's list of the 100 best PC Games of all time. OF ALL TIME.

* ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' After the dismal flop that was Aliens Colonial Marines I was hesitant to play this game but I'm so glad that I did. Alien Isolation is a legitimately good game with an interesting cast of characters,The sevestopol space station is legitimately creepy and the xenomorph and working joe androids are both equally terrifying, the former even gets better at hunting you down the longer you play.

* ''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' After the dismal flop that was Aliens Colonial Marines I was hesitant to play this game but I'm so glad that I did, Alien Isolation is a legitimately good game with an interesting cast of characters, the Sevestopol space station is legitimately creepy and the Xenomorph and Working Joe androids are both equally terrifying, the former even gets better at hunting you down the longer you play.

* The ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'' series is Internet famous for a good reason. Beyond the jumpscares, there's an amazingly creepy atmosphere that pervades every one of the games, and the story that gets doled out a little more each game is compelling and tragic, a classic GhostStory of the highest caliber that plays on juvenile and AdultFear at the same time, with a BittersweetEnding in [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys3 5NaF3]] that is as heartwarming and tear-jerking as they come. And the entire series was designed and built by ''one person''.

* There's a damn good reason [[@/FreezairForALimitedTime I]] EntryPimp ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil''--it's frickin' amazing, and, like ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}'', is one of the best games never played. On a technical level, it's a really fun, heavily experimental, and really short, ActionAdventure game--but it's all the ''details'' that wowed her. [[YouALLLookFamiliar Each NPC being completely unique.]] The [[CanisLatinicus really real Latin creature names]]. [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic The epic soundtrack.]] And the ''characters!'' The three main characters are wonderfully realized, with fantastic, unique, likeable personalities. Their relationships are excellently written, too--the love between Jade and Pey'j doesn't need to be an InformedAttribute; it's undeniable and obvious yet never {{Anvilicious}}. And the growth of friendship and trust between Jade and Double H is organic and touching, culminating in the [[TearJerker tear-jerking]] TakeMyHand and "lighthouse" scenes.

*
''VideoGame/AlienIsolation'' After the dismal flop that was Aliens Colonial Marines I was hesitant to play this game but I'm so glad that I did, Alien Isolation is a legitimately good game with an interesting cast of characters, the Sevestopol space station is legitimately creepy and the Xenomorph and Working Joe androids are both equally terrifying, the former even gets better at hunting you down the longer you play.

''VideoGame/AlienIsolation''
After the dismal flop that was Aliens Colonial Marines I was hesitant to play this game but I'm so glad that I did, Alien Isolation is a legitimately good game with an interesting cast of characters, the Sevestopol space station is legitimately creepy and the Xenomorph and Working Joe androids are both equally terrifying, the former even gets better at hunting you down the longer you play.