History Gush / VideoGames

* ''VideoGame/PunchOut''. NintendoHard as it might be, it's nonetheless a very fun and addictive franchise. The Wii version gets special mention for its novel modes (Title Defense, Exhibition, Head to Head, even the unforgiving Champions).

* I'm going to say this out loud. I. Love. {{Borderlands}}. You can say what you want about the ''plot'' but everything else is ''absolutely perfect''. Perfect controls. Perfect gameplay. Perfect [[RPGElements RPG Elements]], for christ's sake! ''Gearbox have taken everything good about an FPS and transferred it into this game''. And the thing I love most? The thing that I absolutely ''adore'' about Borderlands? ''It has a sense of what is fucking fun.'' FPS's today (I'm looking at you, ''Modern Warfare'') have gotten ''far'' too caught up in making things ''gritty'' and ''realistic'', well let me put this in ways you can understand, ''Infinity Ward''. FUCK. THAT. SHIT. When ''I'' play an FPS, I don't want it to simulate ''realistic combat''! That's just boring. I. Want. To. Have. A. Revolver. That. Shoots. Alternating. Elemental. Effects. On. Each. Bullet. Terrorist plot? FIRELIGHTNINGACIDEXPLOSION, ''MOTHERFUCKERS''! I want a reference to ''nearly every work of note in the last hundred years'', all with quests and red text! I want to have a person over my intercom, not shouting "''Ramirez! Take down that AC-130 with your knife!''", but instead informing me that "''SWEET JEESUS TITTY CINNAMON THAT IS A MAWN-STER! THIS IS GON' BE SWEET!''". I want to be informed by the ''final boss of the next DLC'' via ''Twitter'' that my player character should "Dude, ''eat something.''" I want a game that, specifically, does ''not'' feel like a chore to play. And I think that every single game developer out there can learn something from gearbox: Realism does NOT always equal fun.

** In all fairness to ModernWarfare, it's not nearly as realistic as the mainstream media wants you to believe. Its tactical FPS fore bearers - like the original RainbowSix, DeltaForce and GhostRecon games; all of those series' first installments released before the PS2 era - slanted much further in realism than any of the Modern Warfare games. In fact, a late 2011 issue of GameInformer brought up several realistic PC FPS games as an antithesis to ModernWarfare3, just to dismantle this myth. Hell, even {{Counterstrike}} has more realism than ModernWarfare, and no one mistook that game as anything beyond a more arcadey RainbowSix. ModernWarfare is more MisBlamed than anything, thanks to its [[ItsPopularNowItSucks popularity]] pigeonholing it into TropeCodifier territory for gritty, realistic FPS games, even though this clearly isn't true. Sure, the ModernWarfare series has plenty of legitimate faults, but being too realistic ain't one of them.

* While we're on the subject of [[BioWare Bioware]], this fangirl needs to squee about ''[[DragonAgeOrigins Dragon Age: Origins]]''. Here's a game that took everything cool about BaldursGate and [[UpToEleven cranked it to eleven]]. And it took the few dumb things about it and fixed them (I maintain [[EstrogenBrigadeBait Alistair]] is a massive, much-appreciated and long overdue apology to dude-fancying fans everywhere for [[TheScrappy Anomen]]). I can't remember the last time I played an RPG where every single party member was someone I loved to pieces. The combat was fast-paced, tactical and fun, and the character development system deep and engaging, despite some of the bugs. And the writing--dear god, the writing. Always the shining point of a Bioware game, but this just might be one of their best. Tropes lampshaded, deconstructed and played straight for much win and awesome, some of the funniest goddamn dialogue ever in video games (anything involving Zev, Oghren, or both), plenty of heartwretching moments, pants-crapping NightmareFuelUnleaded, probably the most realistic portrayal of religion in a video game, passing Bechdel's test six ways from Sunday and arguably having the most gripping RP experience come with playing a female PC...Andraste's knickers, I could go on for days. Most of all, it is truly an RPG for grown-ups, and say what you will about the now-classic Bioware formula, ''it just works''. This game is the best damn fantasy Western-style RPG of its generation, and arguably one of the best {{RPG}}s ever made. Seriously folks, if you call yourself an RPG fan and haven't played this game by now, your life is much poorer for it.

* I love the fact that things taken for [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality granted]] in most video games have a plausible reason in ''{{Portal}}'', even if it isn't explicitly mentioned. Tutorial? You're there to test the gun. Respawning? [=GlaDos=] has your [[BrainUploading brain scanned]]. [[FollowThePlottedLine Following the plotted line]]? [[http://www.game-ism.com/2008/04/13/the-clone-the-cube-and-the-construct-part-1/ [=GlaDos=] wants you to kill her]]. It's a [[MindScrew Mind Heavy Petting]], and I like it.

** After FinalFantasyVI, {{Portal}} comes as [[{{@/Fishsicles}} this troper]]'s number two favorite game. The gameplay is intuitive but not overly simplified. The core mechanic is brilliantly done, a highly original idea not diluted with overuse; the introduction of new mechanics, such as the cubes and energy balls, seems perfectly integrated with the central idea. To top off the excellent puzzle-platforming was amazingly-written dialogue, rife with [[BlackHumor amusing and yet disturbing]] tirades from the resident [[AIIsACrapshoot evil computer]], [=GlaDoS=]. Sorry, [[TwoThousandOne HAL 9000]], you are no longer my favorite evil computer.

** Oh, I agree so much! Half-Life 2 was the first full-length "real" video game I ever played ({{Portal}} was the first, but it's much shorter) and... it was absolutely awesome. The entire Half-Life series is amazing, but [=HL2=] is hands-down my favorite. There's an {{Adorkable}} old scientist with big glasses and a pet headcrab, a giant robot "dog", the two most fun weapons ever (the gravity gun... and the ''blue'' gravity gun! The crossbow and pheropods should be on the list too...), an incredibly fun airboat, and one of the best female video game characters of all time. Seriously, Alyx Vance is my hero. She's smart, funny, can kick your butt, and looks good while doing all of the above. Is there really any criticism that can be made of this game?

** Oh man, this has got to be the best online FPS game ever made. I love the concepts of the teamwork and communication based gameplay it has on display as well as how they're executed. The teamwork comes from all of the separate little things that you don't always notice, but are still important to the game. Every class has it's strengths and weaknesses, as well as a goal they are meant to be working towards in the map. This means that you need to communicate with other players in order to have them cover your weaknesses and have you cover theirs. When 2 or more classes combine their strengths and cover each other's shortcomings, they can do some serious damage in the map, much more than either of them could have alone. Another factor that makes it my favorite game is that the game has probably the best sense of humor I've ever seen in a game. Everything about each character is funny, interesting, clever and unique. From their exaggerated visual designs to their ridiculous and purposely fake accents to their over the top and hilarious dialogue ([[MemeticMutation SPAH SAPPIN MAH SENTRY!!!]]). Just watch some of the Meet the videos Valve has released on the [=TF2=] blog or listen to some of their domination dialogue on YouTube. If they don't at least get a chuckle out of you, you must not have a sense of humor. There's so much self consciousness and [[BreakingTheFourthWall 4th wall breaking moments]] in the game that it's almost as if it's a parody of an FPS than an actual FPS. I love how the Sniper drives a "Camper Van", and how Scout tells someone that he just killed to ragequit, like the characters know that they're in a video game. The icing on the cake [insert bad ''{{Portal}}'' joke here] is the added fact that Valve still consistently updates and gives constant attention to the game! For FREE! after 2 YEARS! IN A CAVE, WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS! When anyone asks me why I like Valve so much, I point them to this game

* ''BatenKaitos Origins'' is nothing short of awesome. The visuals are just as good as the first game, if not ''better''. The character interactions are downright hilarious, especially when they involve Guillo, who is such a magnificent DeadpanSnarker that you can be assured there will be a CrowningMomentOfFunny ''every time Guillo speaks''. I can say without exaggeration that Guillo is better than [[VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss Jade Curtiss]], [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Tenebrae]], and [[{{Portal}} GLaDOS]] '''''COMBINED'''''. Speaking of speaking, the voice acting in that game is absolutely incredible, especially after the [[Horrible/VoiceActing voice acting in the first game]] had me expecting very little. And then there is the plot. It doesn't seem spectacular at first...[[WhamEpisode but then you get about two-thirds of the way through the game]] and "[[HolyShitQuotient NO FREAKIN' WAY!]]" To top it all off, the soundtrack is ''[[BeyondTheImpossible even better than the one its predecessor had]]''. Seriously. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXe7TKScGmc&fmt=18 Just]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMIlxFS1LVc&fmt=18 listen]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUMfjKX867k&fmt=18 to]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfRJ-3tNnMc&fmt=18 a]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6BQv8litzQ&fmt=18 mere]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU5ekqBk1zE&fmt=18 fraction]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmG3f3g-AN4&fmt=18 of]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxCOV8DtYfs&fmt=18 it]].

* ''{{Recettear}}'' - You know those JRPG's where you go to item shops in further cities to beef up your stats? You're one of those shopkeepers, and you get to gouge the customers for what they got and can allow, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and hiring an adventurer of course]]. This game has charmingly funny moments, plenty of replayability after beating the main story, and [[{{Woolseyism}} a top-notch localization by Carpe Fulgur]].

* {{Breath of Fire II}}. Full. freaking. stop. Not only was the first game [[@/ThatOneGuyNamedX This Troper]] played, it was one of the most tearkerkingly awesome ones too. The setting, the characters, the surreal amount of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Crap that got Past hte Radar]]... is delightfully beautiful. and {{Needs More Love}}, too. Damn you, {{Capcom}} for terminating the series'

* ''{{Braid}}'' is absolutely amazing. The innovation in game mechanics is... dare I say it... equal to ''Portal''. It makes you think, and it makes you feel like a total genius (or a total idiot) when you finally figure out the puzzles. The world needs more games like this.

* On a related note - AmnesiaTheDarkDescent. ThisTroper, who's fairly hardened when it comes to Surv-Horror games, had to take a half-hour break after the infamous water section.

* ''[[PrinceofPersia Prince of Persia: Sands of Time]]'' was the best, most touching and beautiful ArabianNights fable I ever played.

** Much like the troper below, [[{{@/Electrosa}} I]] could not agree any more. MOTHER3 is the best game I have ever come across - it even beat out Ocarina of Time for me. No other game has gone straight to my heart like MOTHER3 has - it's just... amazing, and that's not even a strong enough word. It's really changed how I see the world. Shigesato Itoi, you are a god.

** This troper does love ''Ocarina of Time'' more, but considers MM a strong second. It's one of the most beautifully emotional games ever, despite having no voice acting, cheesy polygon graphics, and other artifacts that one might think would make it {{narm}}ful. It's made her cry than any other game has to date, closely followed by the second ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' game and ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil.'' It remains to be seen how ''{{Mother 3}}'' ranks up.

* ''{{Mother 3}}'' is, without a doubt, awesome. But not just the game--full MadeOfWin points must also be given to the folks at Starmen.net, who turned out a majestically professional, funny, touching, fun-to-read fan translation that puts a lot of ''official'' game scripts to shame. But to the game itself. The ActionCommand[=/=]combo system is ''brilliant--''lots of people already press buttons to the tune of the game music, so making it an official part of the game was a fantastic idea. And what music it is! The soundtrack blew this troper out of the water, and it's remarkably high-quality for a GBA soundtrack. The graphics are slick, colorful, and pretty fantastically animated for their simplicity. It's also ''fantastically'' emotional, being laugh-out-loud funny, [[TearJerker tear-jerking]], shocking, and lots of other big words, even in the tiniest moments. The optional scene you see if you [[spoiler: return to Wess with Duster in your party]] moved her more than something that out-of-the-way ought. And it's a nicely paced RPG to boot, and manages to avert the "everyone's levels are diiiifferent!" problem that plagued ''EarthBound'' and--well, pretty much every other RPG ever.

* Oh, gods, [[KatawaShoujo Katawa Shoujo.]] Who could've thought that the brainchild of [[TheImageBoardThatMustNotBeNamed that image board]], and an [[{{Eroge}} eroge]] no less, could be something so... so beautiful. If I had seen a description before downloading it, I would probably have never played, but this is pretty much the definition of [[BetterThanItSounds Better Than It Sounds.]] Seriously. [[http://katawa-shoujo.com/download.php Go play it.]]

* ''{{Pikmin}}'' and its sequel. Does this even need an explanation?\\

** I also love the ''KingdomHearts'' games. The new games coming out might be iffy (due to Square messing up canon) but the first ''KingdomHearts'', ''ChainOfMemories'', and ''KingdomHearts2'' are pretty much the most amazing games ever made! They combine the Disney of my childhood with stuff I'm into now almost perfectly. Major awesomeness!

* The {{Xenosaga}} trilogy. Although ThisTroper doesn't find it as good as the first half of {{Xenogears}} in terms of story, she personally doesn't mind the long cutscenes because the lovable cast of characters easily makes up for it (sans [[TheWoobie Shion]]). And the music is absolutely gorgeous, 'especially' in the first and third games. The fact that my opinion of the series hasn't degraded in the slightest ever since I played Episode III is impressive, considering that my opinion of VideoGames tends to degrade over time. The only other [=JRPGs=] that I've played that come close are Persona3 and ValkyriaChronicles.

* Oh, gods, [[KatawaShoujo Katawa Shoujo.]] Who could've thought that the brainchild of [[TheImageBoardThatMustNotBeNamed that image board]], and an [[{{Eroge}} eroge]] no less, could be something so... so beautiful. If I had seen a description before downloading it, I would probably have never played, but this is pretty much the definition of [[BetterThanItSounds Better Than It Sounds.]] Seriously. Go play it.

* Oh, gods, [[KatawaShoujo Katawa Shoujo.]] Who could've thought that the brainchild of [[TheImageBoardThatMustNotBeNamed that image board]], and an [[Eroge eroge]] no less, could be something so... so beautiful. If I had seen a description before downloading it, I would probably have never played, but this is pretty much the definition of [[BetterThanItSounds Better Than It Sounds.]] Seriously. Go play it.

* This page needs more Castlevania! Especially, Symphony of the night.
* I love the Sonic games, and must say how silly I think the Broken Base is. After the Sonic Adventure games, people asked for the classic style back. They got it in Sonic Heroes, and then complained they wanted the Adventure style back. They got it in Sonic 2006, and complained... I, on the other hand, enjoy it all(Okay, not Sonic Labyrinth but what the hell). Shadow the Hedgehog, both character and game, are great. The game, it's fun. I enjoy doing Hero missions...and having Black Doom's Eye tag along. It's funny, making that asshole whine. Shadow himself is badass. And he seems to be mellowing back out. Here's an aspect from the old days I miss: Going Super in regular levels. That, I really want to have back. I love foe-tossing charges. And Hyper Sonic. The Hyper transformation was great, and imagine it in 3D. And Metal Sonic is one of the greatest Evil Counterparts ever. Because he can Actually. Measure. Up. Also, the Sonic series has one of the few non-sucky Video Game Based Movies. The Sonic OVA film was cool, drawing a lot from the games. It's the only adaptation to use Eggman's Genesis-era costume. And the battles between Sonic and Metal Sonic... Pure awesome. I think the Mewtwo vs. Mew fight in ''Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back'' contained a bit of homage. And Sonic 2006, the hatedom will remember that this is Sugar Wiki and hold their fire. A cool game. Heh. Silver's gameplay is interesting, because Silver isn't a super-runner like we're used to. Also, Amy pwning Silver when he tried to kill Sonic(Stupid Mephiles, but he gets his thanks to Shadow). There's a reason Amy's on the Beware The Nice Ones page. I like the more serious cartoons, including Sonic Underground (the Hatedom will again be reminded that this is Sugar Wiki). I think it fits. Sonic a rebel? Oh yeah. Sonic also a rock star? How the hell does that NOT fit? Sonic having known relatives, and siblings and one parent at that? Neat. Manic, the Surfer Dude with a Hover Board. I think that Sonic Riders was a bit of a Fandom Nod to lovers of Sonic Underground. And...Gosh, I can be rather long-winded when typing this stuff.
** I... have nothing to say. You've taken the words right out of my mouth. Well, perhaps BRILLIANT! is aplicable. Seriously, why does the fanbase hate all the new stuff? I can understand 06's hatred because of all the glitches, but even then, it's a decent game. Worst part is? Sega's going to release the first part of {{Sonic the Hedgehog 4}} (which contains no extra stuff, no other charactures, just Sonic and Robotnik [although he's called Eggman like in the newer games, but get OVER IT FANBASE.] duking it out) and the fans are planning to boycott it... because of such things as the homing attack's inclusion (a step in the right direction if you ask me) and the fact that THEY USE THE NEW STYLE FOR SONIC. When I heard of that, the first thing I said was "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR * cut out, kids might read this* MIND?" Here's hoping the boycott goes the way of Modern Warfare 2!
* ''FinalFantasyV Advance''. [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/V92.jpg Best]], [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/P.jpg translation]], [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/D.jpg ever]].
** Bartz + pirates = [[CrowningMomentOfFunny epic, epic hilarity]].
* ''SecretOfMana'' has been touted by numerous players and reviewers as a pinnacle in gaming design - the ring system, the well-developed characters and motivations, the ''non-silent'' protagonist... hell, it's one of very few ''multi-player'' RPG's to come out pre-MMO! Someone else take over, since there's ''far'' too much greatness to mention about this game in one sitting!
** BEST RPG EVER!!!
** The sequel ''SeikenDensetsu3'' is one of the more unfortunate examples of NoExportForYou. This game has excellent replay value. There are six heroes to choose from and three possible final dungeons and {{Big Bad}}s depending on your choice, and each story is well presented. It has twenty-four final classes and makes them all viable by averting the AntidoteEffect. The music is also great, with a South Asian flair on several tracks.
* ''FinalFantasyIX''. If this game was a woman, I'd make sweet love to her. If it was a man, I'd tearfully tell him what an inspiration he has been to me ever since I got to know him. If it was a child, I'd adopt it and treat it with all the love it deserves, and more. But since it's a videogame, I'll stay content with calling it the best part of the series and the best RPG ever made by anyone, with one of the most touching plots and some of the most sympathetic protagonists. ''Dreadfully underrated'' does not even begin to describe it.
** Agreed! it remains this one's favourite ff game, for it had the most moments that moved me to tears. The music is also this one's favourite of the whole series, what with its melancholy medieval setting and all. AND Vivi need more love <3
** Agreed as well. Even if the characters, story, setting and gameplay don't do it for you, if you don't like the music you have no SOUL. And Nobuo Uematsu is coming back for XIV, which is going to be MMO... Ho boy...
** This game was my first for a lot of things. My first Final Fantasy game, which made me absolutely in love with the entire series (and of course, it's still my favorite). The first RPG that I beat by myself. The first game where I realized that magic users are amazing. The first game where I was utterly in awe at the cutscenes. The first game that I played that had a real, deep, heartwrenching story. And the first game to make me want to be a better piano player. When I discovered the sheet music online for free, I instantly printed out Melodies of Life and tried to learn it. I wasn't very good at the piano, but that opened up an entirely new genre of music for me to learn. Around 8 years later, and I'm a damn good piano player, with video game songs making up a large portion of my collection (in fact, I'm learning Eternal Harvest from FFIX right now, and it's tough but incredibly fun to play). This game impacted my life much more than I thought any game ever could.
* No mention of TheWorldEndsWithYou? You guys are [[MemeticMutation so zetta slow.]]
** This troper loves TWEWY for many reasons (its characters and capacity for self-parody, etc.) but particularly gushes over its style: from the music to the stat-boosting items to armor to the cellphone-menu to monster designs to the pins as weapons to the character designs, everything worked together to form one seamless urban fantasy aesthetic. It's a thing of beauty.
** Insert shriek of glee here. Definitely one of the most thought provoking games I've ever played, and one of the first games where I actually ''cared'' about the characters. Even if Neku was a bit of an emo prick. Plus, some of the most gloriously human villains I've seen in a video game in a good long while. Too bad there's never going to be a sequel. We'll miss you, Minamimoto.
** TWEWY is the only game this troper has ever pulled a 100% percent completion on. He easily spent 100+ hours on that game, more than he did on KOTOR, [=KOTOR2=], FFIV or Chrono Trigger. The only one he might have spent more time with is Fallout.
** Another 100%-er? Right on! TWEWY is easily one of the best games I've played or will play. It has the quality you expect from a big name like Square, but it pushed boundaries and is one of the few games in the current market that was ''new'' and ''fun'' and wasn't just another FPS or a rehash of an old success. It has high production values, an excellent soundtrack and voice cast, a distinctive art style, clean animation. A lot of heart and soul went into this game, and it comes out in the characters and in the atmosphere. Not to mention the revolutionary battle system and the one big enormous lampshade that is the ''AU bonus chapter''. There's nothing I don't love about this game.
* FinalFantasyVII. Look past the rabid FanDumb and [[PanderingToTheBase the compilation]], people. This masterpiece of a game well earned it's immense success and popularity! It's got a deep story, well developed characters, outstanding music, great gameplay, etc. It's simply got everything. ''Everything!''
** While I have no argument there, even the Compilation can be great. CrisisCore has a story almost as deep as the original, and it feels like the stage is being set for a rather epic story that can diverge from the original, include elements from it, and still turn out okay.
*** Heavily disagree on the story in CrisisCore being on the originals' level (it could've done without the Project G/cloning stuff) but the gameplay is excellent. Fighting enemies in CrisisCore is even more fun than fighting in the original!
**** Say what you will about the Compilation, the ending to Crisis Core is one of the best moments in the whole series. It was playing Crisis Core that introduced me to he world of Final Fantasy VII and got me interested in playing the original game.
** Furthermore, Sephiroth. Greatest. Villain. Ever. Say what you want about him, he absolutely ruined Cloud. You know you're a great villain when you can completely break the hero. He was regularly screwing over the protagonists, tossing them about like rag dolls, & manipulating them for no reason other than the fact that he could. He also had the first well-explored backstory of any main villain in the series. His plan would have worked if he hadn't been so busy messing with the heroes, & ''Advent Children'' had him soar to further MagnificentBastard levels by conquering death & ressurrecting himself via Geostigma & mere fragments of Jenova. He was a rather unique mix of CosmicHorror, SerialKiller, FallenHero, & some parallels have even been drawn between him & Satan. Every piece of this character is extremely thought out. His name, his themes, his demeanor, everything.
** Off the subject of Sephiroth, I found the materia system to be absolutely brilliant. Abilities weren't Gotta Learn 'Em All, the focus was on setting up strategic combinations that would also keep your stats in balance. The way it was reintegrated into Crisis Core was just beautiful. You CAN go through the whole game just button mashing, but if you want to get through the missions, you'll have to try a variety of materia & stat-balancing.
** Dirge of Cerberus is another "say what you want about it" moment. I normally hate shooters, but found myself thoroughly enjoying the gameplay. While the story was the weakest in the Compilation, it was still decent, & every single Tsviet is a derivation of Vincent's characteristics. It also added a nice touch to the mysticism of the Lifestream, making it almost analogous to the human body. Now light was good & dark was evil--but those were rather arbitrary distinctions, & the forces could be manipulated by the other characters, as they were all parts of nature.
* ''Sonic Chronicles'' is amazing. It takes the stupidest combo ever- Sonic the Hedgehog and turn based RPG- and makes it ''work''. It's got a great, genuinely funny script, it manages to have an interesting plot ''without'' it making no sense or being too serious, and it takes the tell-don't-show approach of many of the games in regards to characterisation (Knuckles, Amy, I'm looking at you) and turns it on its head. (Seriously, they fix every complaint about how the characters act you could have.) And the battle system is genuinely good, too! BioWare, I salute you.
* ''FinalFantasyVIII'' will be loved by me until I die and [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] and the rest of the {{Hatedom}} can take a hike. I love the love story, I love the non-traditional concept of a main character (he's not "I'll just go and save the world now, tee-hee!"), and I love the character-driven story. I love the Junction system too.
** I am with you all the way!! See this one was my first FF and still remains my alltime favorite, I loved everything about it--over-the-top special attacks, magic and breathtaking summon spells, the bittersweet story, the characters, the whole enchilada. I spent YEARS trying to get HundredPercentCompletion on everything (though the whole pocketstation thing made that near impossible). I hate to say like this but...the Spoony One can suck it. This game is fantabulous.
* ''FinalFantasyX''. This was my third favorite Final Fantasy. The cast was one of the best, & you could really see how they developed. Wakka got over his hatred of the Al Bhed, Yuna learned that self-sacrafice wasn't the only way to help Spira, etc. Plus, there's Auron. Need I say more? And while Seymour wasn't my favorite antagonist, he had understandable motives, & a well-covered past. He managed to be both menacing & sympathetic. Lastly, there's Sin, who became my favorite non-human enemy in the series. This thing could kill you. It could create monsters that killed you. Monsters would follow it around to kill you. It emitted a substance that messed with your head. It could even fly with gravity magic, & recover within a few minutes of having its arms chopped off, which were the source of its entire locomotion.
** Or how about the battle system? A relatively new spin on turn-based [=RPG=]s, the battle system of FFX allowed you to focus on strategies, and the box that shows the turn order allows you to have some insight as to the consequence of the next action you will take and what you should do with your current turn.. Boss turn coming up? Let's bust out those protective spells. A decisive character's turn coming up? Time to buff him up. A summon's overdrive resulting in massive turn delay? Okay, better not do that. I've played through five different FF games, and FFX's battle system remains as my favorite.
** Ya'll got the characters and the battle system, but what about the soundtrack? It is easily one of the most gorgeous soundtracks for anything I've ever heard; I seriously never get tired of listening to it. Each track amplifies the beauty of the environment of Spira. That's another thing!! The world of Spira was just incredible, from its tiny seaside villages to its scorching desert island to its lonely, snowy mountain that shrouds a city dead for 1000 years. Everywhere you went was like an orgasm for your eyes. Also, the story was amazing. It weaves in so many different things so well and integrates action, romance, suspense, and surprise twists into a nice little package. And the story and the characters in it really make you feel what they're going through. I've never played a game that made me feel so angry or happy or sad or ANY emotion. Easily my favorite Final Fantasy, AND GAME, of all time.
* ''FinalFantasyTactics'' didn't have the best cast ever. However, it had an amazing story of medieval political intrigue, an ominous group of antagonists in the form of the demonic Lucavi, & just a breathtaking battle system, that relied upon strategic moves in 3D environments. "Extreme Chess," as I like to call it. Furthermore, the way it was set up eliminated any possibility of having a general strategy, reliable for every battle, until you got Orlandeu.
* ''{{Terranigma}}'' is a truly amazing game that sadly gets far too little recognition. The story is great, the gameplay is enormously fun, the music is excellent, and it has possibly the most touching BittersweetEnding of any game out there.
* The freeware fangame [[http://horrorquest.altervista.org/ Castlevanie II: Dracula's Shadow]] is a strong candidate for most underrated game of all time. The author spent 5 YEARS on this remake, keeping all the good things about Simon's Quest, removing all the bad, and then adding so very very much more. Item crashes, 3 playable characters, a boss-fight at every levelup, and on and on. It's everything you ever loved about the NES castlevanias. If Dracula's Shadow had come out on the NES in the early 90s it would have been an instant classic, but released in 2005 for dos and windows it hardly made a ripple. Even after 5 years it's still obscure beyong all reckoning. A youtube search will turn up only a single ''LetsPlay'' and a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QouE-JHDq0 parody/review]] both of which were posted within the last 4 months.
* This Troper will say it, I loved VideoGame/SonicHeroes when it came out, first there was the many levels that it had and even the hard levels aren't frustratingly so, long story short, I loved VideoGame/SonicHeroes.
** I'll step up to the plate and second that notion. I don't care what "they" say-- being able to play as whichever character you wanted for most of the gameplay rocked, and the music got stuck in my head for hours... [[TemptingFate and I just invited the Casino Park theme...]]
** The beauty of Heroes was really in the team mechanic-- you got to choose how to play the game depending on the character you chose. Speed characters were the best way to breeze through a level (possibly putting one's self in harm's way in the meanwhile), flight characters allowed you to hang back, stay safe, and enjoy the view/music... and power characters got shit done. [[StuffBlowingUp Oftentimes with several explosions]] [[CatharsisFactor and a definite sense of catharsis.]] [[FridgeBrilliance This is probably the way the main trio is viewed, to boot.]]
* FinalFantasyX2, I don't care if you call it {{Fanservice}} incarnate or CharacterDerailment, I truly deeply love this game! It has it all. [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome And]] I [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome mean]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming all!]]
* ''SonicColors''. Just... ''SonicColors''. Take the best aspects of the already-good ''SonicUnleashed'', remove the worst parts of it, and add in exploration elements from ''SonicTheHedgehogCD'' and a powerup gimmick system that actually ''improves'' the overall gameplay, a lighthearted story with a hilarious script penned by the writers of ''{{Reboot}}'' and ''HappyTreeFriends'' ''and'' good voice acting, and you'll have ''the'' best ''{{Sonic}}'' game since [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog the]] [[SonicTheHedgehog2 Genesis]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles titles.]]
* ChronoCross is definitely one of my favorite games and the shining example of EvenBetterSequel in video gaming, ChronoTrigger. First off, the battle system is unique from anything I've seen in any other RPG while still being fun in its own right. The characters manage to be mostly unique and interesting (though, I am a sucker for RPG with [[FinalFantasyTactics large casts]] [[{{Suikoden}} of characters]]). The backgrounds are, in a word, stunning and the art style is one of my favorites in a game. The music, if anything, is even better than Chrono Trigger's. I literally cried when I first heard [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome The Stars, Wind, and Waves]]. In fact, the ''only'' major criticism for this game I can think of is the plot, which is endlessly confusing and has some pretty big plot holes. Still, Chrono Cross remains one of my favorites.
* HalfLife. The first one on PC is one of the best first person shooters ever made! It was this troper's first FPS, and at 5 years old, no less! It had some of the best levels, best enemies([[GoddamnedBats Stupid headcrabs...]]), enviroments, music, sound effects (Yes. Those brilliant beeps when you scroll over those brilliant shades of orange are awesome as well.), and my god. [[MemeticBadass GORDON FREEMAN!]] One of the most famous {{HeroicMime}}s ever! Oh yeah, he's also a [[BadassNormal PHYSICIST.]] And the [[BeyondtheImpossible second game...]]this troper found a PS2 port of Half Life 1 and bought it and played it, and it is STILL one of the best first person shooters ever made IMHO! Except for [[ThatOneLevel Blast Pit...]]
* Haters gonna hate, but I ''loved'' FinalFantasyXIII. The music (not Uematsu, but still good), the story (confusing but epic once you get into it), the character development--holy hell, the ''character development''--the top notch voice acting, the absolutely obscenely gorgeous graphics, the fun and challenging battle system... Heck, I even think the linearity is a great change. The main characters feel like an actual [[{{Nakama}} family]] for once, something the FinalFantasy games consistently have difficulty achieving. The ending makes me cry every time I watch it.
** I'll admit that I hadn't played a ''FinalFantasy'' since [[FinalFantasyIV IV]], but I too loved [[FinalFantasyXIII XIII]]. Especially the soundtrack. Oh good gods, the soundtrack... And the characters! And, and, the plot! ''And the soundtrack!'' * flails arms*
** Late to the party, obviously, and in spite of all the flaws that I can see and the fact I'll probably get stoned to death, {{Final Fantasy XIII}} is my first true love. It is not the first great game I've played, but I have a completely irrational love and attachment to the game. I love the world, the music (THE MUSIC! To me, Masashi Hamauzu is more than a worthy successor to Uematsu), the characters (even if there was potential for more development) so much. Special mention to the game mechanics - I love the Paradigm Shift system, especially all the names they give to your paradigms, even the roles themselves. Even if and when a better game comes by, it will be fondly rememberd as my first love, and nothing will ever change that.
** Oh yes the battle system was amazing once I got used to it, and what is a first for me I loved all the main characters (even if Hope did annoy me at first) and it's just so incredibly beautiful to look at. Screw what the haters say about it's linearity, I thought it was incredible. Edited to add: I have hesitated in making my opinion because it is pure FlameBait, but: FFXIII has the best FF soundtrack ever. The incredible quality and sheer DIVERSITY of the music is amazing. There is dance/J-pop {{EarWorm}}s, beautiful orchestral music, interesting and layered electronica, awesome Jazz to go with EnsembleDarkhorse Sazh and the best arrangement of the the chocobo theme ever in Pulse de Chocobo. There's even rock and BLUES. Plus the masterful use of the piano as Masashi Hamauzu's signature instrument, it's not just good VGM, it's just plain good, nuanced music that sounds all the more amazing on your stereo system. Hats off, Mr. Hamauzu.
** Story-Wise, I was really skeptic about ''XIII''. ''Reaaaaally'' skeptic. Since the series shifted from the medieval, steam punk settings for futuristic ones, I thought the overall plots had taken a dire hit. I was very surprised when I realized that... I ''really'' liked ''XIII'''s story! Sure, it isn't the ''best'' plot of the series, and it takes some cues from past games and all, but it is well done. For example, after [[spoiler: the first confrontation with Barthandelus]], where the BigBad explains lots of things to the main heroes that supposedly he ''shouldn't'' be telling then, I was ready to cast the "bad story telling" stone when, gasp! [[LampshadeHanging The characters themselves addressed this fact]]! And those who played the game will understand the reasoning behind this. In any case, I support the above tropers' opinion wholeheartedly.
* ''Team Fortress 2'' has to be one of my favorite games ever. To me, it's the best multiplayer [[FirstPersonShooter FPS]] I've ever played in my life, and especially the best class-based shooter. Each class is so lovingly designed to fit its role. Hell, it's almost like you can play a different kind of game just by changing your class or your loadout. You can sneak around as a spy, build strategic defenses as an engineer, ambush as a pyro, set traps as a demoman, you name it. The development team is awesome at working out bugs and adding new content without destroying the game's balance. Even if the balance does go to hell, Valve is right on top of their game, ready to fix it at a moment's notice. Honestly, I've never seen such good developer-community interaction in my life. Not to mention 2fort2furious is probably the best server I've ever played on, but that's another story. Another cool part about the game is that the developers brought the Team Fortress series back to its class-based roots. The original game was turning into a huge StopHavingFunGuys marathon, with physics glitch-abusing and grenade-spamming becoming the standard. I'm pretty sure that [=TF2=] alone has made me a Valve fan.
** [=TF2=] is my favorite game right now! What gets me is how often they update a game that's MORE THAN 2 YEARS OLD!!
** [=TF2=] is an amazing game. Those were 9 years well spent to put this together: the mechanics, the details, the various character personalities and backgrounds. Valve might troll every so often, but this pales in comparison to the love they lavish on this creation. But what possibly even better than the game is the {{Fandom}}. The ratio of good to bad games I've played definitely tips towards the positive side. So many people know how to just roll with the game, having fun by either working together to complete a mission or to just dick around doing silly things. And even outside of the game, so many people have shown their love for it by cobbling together some of the [[WMG/TeamFortress2 most hilariously awesome fan-theories]] or making some great {{Cosplay}}s. It's so cool how this whole enterprise has held together for so long.
** Oh man, this has got to be the best online FPS game ever made. I love the concepts of the teamwork and communication based gameplay it has on display as well as how they're executed. The teamwork comes from all of the separate little things that you don't always notice, but are still important to the game. Every class has it's strengths and weaknesses, as well as a goal they are meant to be working towards in the map. This means that you need to communicate with other players in order to have them cover your weaknesses and have you cover theirs. When 2 or more classes combine their strengths and cover each other's shortcomings, they can do some serious damage in the map, much more than either of them could have alone. Another factor that makes it my favorite game is that the game has probably the best sense of humor I've ever seen in a game. Everything about each character is funny, interesting, clever and unique. From their exaggerated visual designs to their ridiculous and purposely fake accents to their over the top and hilarious dialogue ([[MemeticMutation SPAH SAPPIN MAH SENTRY!!!]]). Just watch some of the Meet the videos Valve has released on the [=TF2=] blog or listen to some of their domination dialogue on YouTube. If they don't at least get a chuckle out of you, you must not have a sense of humor. There's so much self consciousness and [[BreakingTheFourthWall 4th wall breaking moments]] in the game that it's almost as if it's a parody of an FPS than an actual FPS. I love how the Sniper drives a "Camper Van", and how Scout tells someone that he just killed to ragequit, like the characters know that they're in a video game. The icing on the cake [insert bad ''{{Portal}}'' joke here] is the added fact that Valve still consistently updates and gives constant attention to the game! For FREE! after 2 YEARS! IN A CAVE, WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS! When anyone asks me why I like Valve so much, I point them to this game
** [=TF2=] convinced me that not only online FPS, but also FPS in general, is fun.
* The {{Xenosaga}} trilogy. Although ThisTroper doesn't find it as good as the first half of {{Xenogears}} in terms of story, she personally doesn't mind the long cutscenes because the lovable cast of characters easily makes up for it (sans [[TheWoobie Shion]]). And the music is absolutely gorgeous, 'especially' in the first and third games. The fact that my opinion of the series hasn't degraded in the slightest ever since I played Episode III is impressive, considering that my opinion of VideoGames tends to degrade over time. The only other [=JRPGs=] that I've played that come close are Persona3 and ValkyriaChronicles.

* Okay, so we've gotten this far, and the only reference to [[TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]] is one comment claiming that it's a rehash of Phantom Hourglass. ''How have we accomplished this?'' Not to knock on PH or anything-- [[Tropers/{{Blazichu}} I'm]] one of the tropers gushing about WW/PH Link, after all-- but even ''I'm'' not willfully blind enough to overlook some of the flaws, and and I definitely fit into that particular branch of FanDumb. Spirit Tracks fixed almost every one of the issues that people had with Phantom Hourglass, like the Temple of the Ocean King-- and did it in a ''very'' troper-friendly, BetterThanABareBulb way. ''Everything'' in the standard Zelda formula is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] or subverted. Princess get kidnapped? Well, yes [[spoiler: but that doesn't mean she's a useless DistressedDamsel]]. ClothesMakeTheLegend? Yeah, but-- as was the case in Wind Waker-- Link doesn't like them, either, and the logic behind wearing them is completely reasonable. There's more to say, but I have other angles to gush about. Like the music. How can you go wrong with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iscr5Bx__3c tracks]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArYATx19u0I like]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk_xjIFlfZA these?]]
* SinAndPunishment will always be this Troper's favorite game. Despite the confusing plot and the fact that no one seems to have heard of it, it'll always be on her top ten list. The sequel managed to somehow make the game even better, with more characters, longer gameplay, and a slightly less confusing plot. Everything from the giant monsters to the fast and furious BulletHell gameplay style just makes this Troper squee forever.
* {{Breath of Fire II}}. Full. freaking. stop. Not only was the first game [[@/ThatOneGuyNamedX This Troper]] played, it was one of the most tearkerkingly awesome ones too. The setting, the characters, the surreal amount of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Crap that got Past hte Radar]]... is delightfully beautiful. and {{Needs More Love}}, too. Damn you, {{Capcom}} for terminating the series'

** I... have nothing to say. You've taken the words right out of my mouth. Well, perhaps BRILLIANT! is aplicable. Sereously, why does the fanbase hate all the new stuff? I can understand 06's hatred because of all the glitches, but even then, it's a decent game. Worst part is? Sega's going to release the first part of {{Sonic the Hedgehog 4}} (which contains no extra stuff, no other charactures, just Sonic and Robotnik [although he's called Eggman like in the newer games, but get OVER IT FANBASE.] duking it out) and the fans are planning to boycott it... because of such things as the homing attack's inclusion (a step in the right direction if you ask me) and the fact that THEY USE THE NEW STYLE FOR SONIC. When I heard of that, the first thing I said was "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR * cut out, kids might read this* MIND?" Here's hoping the boycott goes the way of Modern Warfare 2!
* ''VideoGame/MarioKart, dangit''. I can play the Time Trial mode in ''Double Dash'' and ''Super Circuit'' again and again. And then you've got Battle Mode, which is one of the best multiplayer experiences in video gaming.
* Nintendo in general. Screw everyone who says they only make kiddy games. There is no other company that has provides this much consistant quality.

* DonkeyKongCountry. This was the first game this troper seriously got into and is still today one of her favorite game series. Everything about them is awesome. The music, the levels, and just the overall feel of the games makes them super fun and replayable.
** Seconded. The second game was probably [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies my]] favorite game of every SNES title, despite [[NintendoHard its difficulty.]] Remember, you can't have Bramble Blast without having a Blast. The [[AwesomeMusic/DonkeyKongCountry music]] probably trumped most of the ones in the other games, too. And the whole Lost World ordeal really gave you a sense of accomplishment when you finished it. ''Especially'' [[ThatOneLevel Animal Antics]].
** DonkeyKongCountryReturns: Never before have I been blessed with a sidescroller platformer brimming with pure creativity in each level.
** This is probably really silly...but besides these, I also grew up playing Donkey Kong 64. And I absolutely love it!

* Screw [[FanonDisContinuity what supposed 'fans' say]], ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' is this troper's favorite quest game. Great visuals, a cohesive, complex, yet easy to follow plotline, puzzles that are challenging but not frustrating, developed characters, fabulous worldbuilding, and great voice acting in a series that's not exactly known for it. This troper has played it the whole way through multiple times without getting bored. Plus, ''dinosaurs''!
** [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies This troper]] seconds that and raises ''Assault''. It does get flak for deriving from the formula that 64 set (such as with on-foot missions), but all in all, it is still an awesome title. The orchestrated music really pumps you up, especially Space Battleground, the atmosphere is generally beautiful, such as in the Aparoid Homeworld, and let's face it, it keeps the StuffBlowingUp aspect we've all come to know and love.

* KaizoMarioWorld is a pretty decent game. Sure, it has enough floating munchers to give SMW Central cancer, but it's fun to play, gives you something to do and is a great challenge.

* [[MemeticMutation OBJECTION!]] How can this page be what it is without [[AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]]? You get to be a lawyer without all the boring parts. Add in the writing, the humor, and giving Ensemble Darkhorses their own spinoffs, and you get a heck of a series! So TAKE THAT!
* ''{{Pikmin}}'' and its sequel. Does this even need an explanation?\\
** It doesn't, but I'm going to give one anyway. There's plenty of games with depth, but none with this much ''surprising'' depth. Not just in the gameplay (it gets pretty damn tactical at times), but also in the characters. Every Pikmin death crushes your soul, I assure you.

* VideoGame/{{Marvel vs Capcom 3}}!! It is one of the greatest and fun fighting games in recent years. Where else could you pair [[MegaManX Zero]], [[ResidentEvil Wesker]], and [[DevilMayCry Dante]] on one awesome [[PlanetEater Galactus]] murdering team? No where else, that's where! And it is just plain awesome. Oh, [[DistractedByTheSexy Hello,]] [[MsFanservice Morrigan]]... [[MetaPhorgotten Where was I?]] Oh yeah, one more thing...[[DeadPool I'M]] [[NoFourthWall IN THE GAME]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCHES!!!]]
* I love everything about AdvanceWars Days of Ruin. First of all, it had the balls to deconstruct a trope it ''pretty much created''. Second of all, it is possibly the best subversion of CerebusSyndrome I've ever seen. It manages to have a post-apocalyptic setting that manages to have both sad, touching scenes and laugh-out-loud silliness ("Sweet corn casserole! They've got freakin' ROCKETS, man!!") without feeling forced. Not to mention completely revamping the combat, making air combat and naval combat a lot more interesting and fun, and having a lot of variety in the ground combat instead of just having 1,564 different kinds of tanks.
** AdvanceWars Black Hole Rising deserves just as much recognition. Between the excellent [[BestLevelEver single best final CO]], the hilarious dialouge, entertaining characters, and [[AwesomeMusic horribly addicting music]], the game never gets old. It's currently the first game I'd like to see an updated release of, just to include Days of Ruin's experience system, naval combat, and map system...but they're all just minor points. Even just a graphics update would make it amazing.

* [[{{Chibi-Robo}} Chibi-Robo]] is an overlooked gem for the [[{{Game Cube}} Gamecube]] which provides a quirky artstyle and a fun world to explore, definately worth it if you happen to own a Gamecube or Wii.

* I love everything about AdvanceWars Days of Ruin. First of all, it had the balls to deconstruct a trope it ''pretty much created''. Second of all, it is possibly the best subversion of CerebusSyndrome I've ever seen. It manages to have a post-apocalyptic setting that manages to have both sad, touching scenes and laugh-out-loud silliness ("Sweet corn casserole! They've got freakin' ROCKETS, man!!") without feeling forced. Not to mention completely revamping the combat, making air combat and naval combat a lot more interesting and fun, and having a lot of variety in the ground combat instead of just having 1,564 different kinds of tanks.
** AdvanceWars Black Hole Rising deserves just as much recognition. Between the excellent [[BestLevelEver single best final CO]], the hilarious dialouge, entertaining characters, and [[AwesomeMusic horribly addicting music]], the game never gets old. It's currently the first game I'd like to see an updated release of, just to include Days of Ruin's experience system, naval combat, and map system...but they're all just minor points. Even just a graphics update would make it amazing.

* Haters gonna hate, but I ''loved'' FinalFantasyXIII. The music (not Uematsu, but still good), the story (confusing but epic once you get into it), the character development--holy hell, the ''character development''--the top notch voice acting, the absolutely obscenely gorgeous graphics, the fun and challenging battle system... Heck, I even think the linearity is a great change. The main characters feel like an actual [[{{Nakama}} family]] for once, something the FinalFantasy games consistently have difficulty achieving. The ending makes me cry every time I watch it.
** I'll admit that I hadn't played a ''FinalFantasy'' since [[FinalFantasyIV IV]], but I too loved [[FinalFantasyXIII XIII]]. Especially the soundtrack. Oh good gods, the soundtrack... And the characters! And, and, the plot! ''And the soundtrack!'' * flails arms*
** Late to the party, obviously, and in spite of all the flaws that I can see and the fact I'll probably get stoned to death, {{Final Fantasy XIII}} is my first true love. It is not the first great game I've played, but I have a completely irrational love and attachment to the game. I love the world, the music (THE MUSIC! To me, Masashi Hamauzu is more than a worthy successor to Uematsu), the characters (even if there was potential for more development) so much. Special mention to the game mechanics - I love the Paradigm Shift system, especially all the names they give to your paradigms, even the roles themselves. Even if and when a better game comes by, it will be fondly rememberd as my first love, and nothing will ever change that.
** Oh yes the battle system was amazing once I got used to it, and what is a first for me I loved all the main characters (even if Hope did annoy me at first) and it's just so incredibly beautiful to look at. Screw what the haters say about it's linearity, I thought it was incredible. Edited to add: I have hesitated in making my opinion because it is pure FlameBait, but: FFXIII has the best FF soundtrack ever. The incredible quality and sheer DIVERSITY of the music is amazing. There is dance/J-pop {{EarWorm}}s, beautiful orchestral music, interesting and layered electronica, awesome Jazz to go with EnsembleDarkhorse Sazh and the best arrangement of the the chocobo theme ever in Pulse de Chocobo. There's even rock and BLUES. Plus the masterful use of the piano as Masashi Hamauzu's signature instrument, it's not just good VGM, it's just plain good, nuanced music that sounds all the more amazing on your stereo system. Hats off, Mr. Hamauzu.
** Story-Wise, I was really skeptic about ''XIII''. ''Reaaaaally'' skeptic. Since the series shifted from the medieval, steam punk settings for futuristic ones, I thought the overall plots had taken a dire hit. I was very surprised when I realized that... I ''really'' liked ''XIII'''s story! Sure, it isn't the ''best'' plot of the series, and it takes some cues from past games and all, but it is well done. For example, after [[spoiler: the first confrontation with Barthandelus]], where the BigBad explains lots of things to the main heroes that supposedly he ''shouldn't'' be telling then, I was ready to cast the "bad story telling" stone when, gasp! [[LampshadeHanging The characters themselves addressed this fact]]! And those who played the game will understand the reasoning behind this. In any case, I support the above tropers' opinion wholeheartedly.
* [[{{Chibi-Robo}} Chibi-Robo]] is an overlooked gem for the [[{{Game Cube}} Gamecube]] which provides a quirky artstyle and a fun world to explore, definately worth it if you happen to own a Gamecube or Wii.
* {{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...
* ''Team Fortress 2'' has to be one of my favorite games ever. To me, it's the best multiplayer [[FirstPersonShooter FPS]] I've ever played in my life, and especially the best class-based shooter. Each class is so lovingly designed to fit its role. Hell, it's almost like you can play a different kind of game just by changing your class or your loadout. You can sneak around as a spy, build strategic defenses as an engineer, ambush as a pyro, set traps as a demoman, you name it. The development team is awesome at working out bugs and adding new content without destroying the game's balance. Even if the balance does go to hell, Valve is right on top of their game, ready to fix it at a moment's notice. Honestly, I've never seen such good developer-community interaction in my life. Not to mention 2fort2furious is probably the best server I've ever played on, but that's another story. Another cool part about the game is that the developers brought the Team Fortress series back to its class-based roots. The original game was turning into a huge StopHavingFunGuys marathon, with physics glitch-abusing and grenade-spamming becoming the standard. I'm pretty sure that [=TF2=] alone has made me a Valve fan.
** [=TF2=] is my favorite game right now! What gets me is how often they update a game that's MORE THAN 2 YEARS OLD!!
** [=TF2=] is an amazing game. Those were 9 years well spent to put this together: the mechanics, the details, the various character personalities and backgrounds. Valve might troll every so often, but this pales in comparison to the love they lavish on this creation. But what possibly even better than the game is the {{Fandom}}. The ratio of good to bad games I've played definitely tips towards the positive side. So many people know how to just roll with the game, having fun by either working together to complete a mission or to just dick around doing silly things. And even outside of the game, so many people have shown their love for it by cobbling together some of the [[WMG/TeamFortress2 most hilariously awesome fan-theories]] or making some great {{Cosplay}}s. It's so cool how this whole enterprise has held together for so long.
** Oh man, this has got to be the best online FPS game ever made. I love the concepts of the teamwork and communication based gameplay it has on display as well as how they're executed. The teamwork comes from all of the separate little things that you don't always notice, but are still important to the game. Every class has it's strengths and weaknesses, as well as a goal they are meant to be working towards in the map. This means that you need to communicate with other players in order to have them cover your weaknesses and have you cover theirs. When 2 or more classes combine their strengths and cover each other's shortcomings, they can do some serious damage in the map, much more than either of them could have alone. Another factor that makes it my favorite game is that the game has probably the best sense of humor I've ever seen in a game. Everything about each character is funny, interesting, clever and unique. From their exaggerated visual designs to their ridiculous and purposely fake accents to their over the top and hilarious dialogue ([[MemeticMutation SPAH SAPPIN MAH SENTRY!!!]]). Just watch some of the Meet the videos Valve has released on the [=TF2=] blog or listen to some of their domination dialogue on YouTube. If they don't at least get a chuckle out of you, you must not have a sense of humor. There's so much self consciousness and [[BreakingTheFourthWall 4th wall breaking moments]] in the game that it's almost as if it's a parody of an FPS than an actual FPS. I love how the Sniper drives a "Camper Van", and how Scout tells someone that he just killed to ragequit, like the characters know that they're in a video game. The icing on the cake [insert bad ''{{Portal}}'' joke here] is the added fact that Valve still consistently updates and gives constant attention to the game! For FREE! after 2 YEARS! IN A CAVE, WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS! When anyone asks me why I like Valve so much, I point them to this game
** [=TF2=] convinced me that not only online FPS, but also FPS in general, is fun.

* The {{Xenosaga}} trilogy. Although ThisTroper doesn't find it as good as the first half of {{Xenogears}} in terms of story, she personally doesn't mind the long cutscenes because the lovable cast of characters easily makes up for it (sans [[TheWoobie Shion]]). And the music is absolutely gorgeous, 'especially' in the first and third games. The fact that my opinion of the series hasn't degraded in the slightest ever since I played Episode III is impressive, considering that my opinion of VideoGames tends to degrade over time. The only other [=JRPGs=] that I've played that come close are Persona3 and ValkyriaChronicles.

* Okay, so we've gotten this far, and the only reference to [[TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]] is one comment claiming that it's a rehash of Phantom Hourglass. ''How have we accomplished this?'' Not to knock on PH or anything-- [[Tropers/{{Blazichu}} I'm]] one of the tropers gushing about WW/PH Link, after all-- but even ''I'm'' not willfully blind enough to overlook some of the flaws, and and I definitely fit into that particular branch of FanDumb. Spirit Tracks fixed almost every one of the issues that people had with Phantom Hourglass, like the Temple of the Ocean King-- and did it in a ''very'' troper-friendly, BetterThanABareBulb way. ''Everything'' in the standard Zelda formula is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] or subverted. Princess get kidnapped? Well, yes [[spoiler: but that doesn't mean she's a useless DistressedDamsel]]. ClothesMakeTheLegend? Yeah, but-- as was the case in Wind Waker-- Link doesn't like them, either, and the logic behind wearing them is completely reasonable. There's more to say, but I have other angles to gush about. Like the music. How can you go wrong with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iscr5Bx__3c tracks]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArYATx19u0I like]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk_xjIFlfZA these?]]
* SinAndPunishment will always be this Troper's favorite game. Despite the confusing plot and the fact that no one seems to have heard of it, it'll always be on her top ten list. The sequel managed to somehow make the game even better, with more characters, longer gameplay, and a slightly less confusing plot. Everything from the giant monsters to the fast and furious BulletHell gameplay style just makes this Troper squee forever.
* {{Breath of Fire II}}. Full. freaking. stop. Not only was the first game [[@/ThatOneGuyNamedX This Troper]] played, it was one of the most tearkerkingly awesome ones too. The setting, the characters, the surreal amount of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Crap that got Past hte Radar]]... is delightfully beautiful. and {{Needs More Love}}, too. Damn you, {{Capcom}} for terminating the series'
* This page needs more Castlevania! Especially, Symphony of the night.
* I love the Sonic games, and must say how silly I think the Broken Base is. After the Sonic Adventure games, people asked for the classic style back. They got it in Sonic Heroes, and then complained they wanted the Adventure style back. They got it in Sonic 2006, and complained... I, on the other hand, enjoy it all(Okay, not Sonic Labyrinth but what the hell). Shadow the Hedgehog, both character and game, are great. The game, it's fun. I enjoy doing Hero missions...and having Black Doom's Eye tag along. It's funny, making that asshole whine. Shadow himself is badass. And he seems to be mellowing back out. Here's an aspect from the old days I miss: Going Super in regular levels. That, I really want to have back. I love foe-tossing charges. And Hyper Sonic. The Hyper transformation was great, and imagine it in 3D. And Metal Sonic is one of the greatest Evil Counterparts ever. Because he can Actually. Measure. Up. Also, the Sonic series has one of the few non-sucky Video Game Based Movies. The Sonic OVA film was cool, drawing a lot from the games. It's the only adaptation to use Eggman's Genesis-era costume. And the battles between Sonic and Metal Sonic... Pure awesome. I think the Mewtwo vs. Mew fight in ''Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back'' contained a bit of homage. And Sonic 2006, the hatedom will remember that this is Sugar Wiki and hold their fire. A cool game. Heh. Silver's gameplay is interesting, because Silver isn't a super-runner like we're used to. Also, Amy pwning Silver when he tried to kill Sonic(Stupid Mephiles, but he gets his thanks to Shadow). There's a reason Amy's on the Beware The Nice Ones page. I like the more serious cartoons, including Sonic Underground (the Hatedom will again be reminded that this is Sugar Wiki). I think it fits. Sonic a rebel? Oh yeah. Sonic also a rock star? How the hell does that NOT fit? Sonic having known relatives, and siblings and one parent at that? Neat. Manic, the Surfer Dude with a Hover Board. I think that Sonic Riders was a bit of a Fandom Nod to lovers of Sonic Underground. And...Gosh, I can be rather long-winded when typing this stuff.
** I... have nothing to say. You've taken the words right out of my mouth. Well, perhaps BRILLIANT! is aplicable. Sereously, why does the fanbase hate all the new stuff? I can understand 06's hatred because of all the glitches, but even then, it's a decent game. Worst part is? Sega's going to release the first part of {{Sonic the Hedgehog 4}} (which contains no extra stuff, no other charactures, just Sonic and Robotnik [although he's called Eggman like in the newer games, but get OVER IT FANBASE.] duking it out) and the fans are planning to boycott it... because of such things as the homing attack's inclusion (a step in the right direction if you ask me) and the fact that THEY USE THE NEW STYLE FOR SONIC. When I heard of that, the first thing I said was "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR * cut out, kids might read this* MIND?" Here's hoping the boycott goes the way of Modern Warfare 2!
* ''VideoGame/MarioKart, dangit''. I can play the Time Trial mode in ''Double Dash'' and ''Super Circuit'' again and again. And then you've got Battle Mode, which is one of the best multiplayer experiences in video gaming.
* Nintendo in general. Screw everyone who says they only make kiddy games. There is no other company that has provides this much consistant quality.
* ''FinalFantasyV Advance''. [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/V92.jpg Best]], [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/P.jpg translation]], [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/D.jpg ever]].
** Bartz + pirates = [[CrowningMomentOfFunny epic, epic hilarity]].
* DonkeyKongCountry. This was the first game this troper seriously got into and is still today one of her favorite game series. Everything about them is awesome. The music, the levels, and just the overall feel of the games makes them super fun and replayable.
** Seconded. The second game was probably [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies my]] favorite game of every SNES title, despite [[NintendoHard its difficulty.]] Remember, you can't have Bramble Blast without having a Blast. The [[AwesomeMusic/DonkeyKongCountry music]] probably trumped most of the ones in the other games, too. And the whole Lost World ordeal really gave you a sense of accomplishment when you finished it. ''Especially'' [[ThatOneLevel Animal Antics]].
** DonkeyKongCountryReturns: Never before have I been blessed with a sidescroller platformer brimming with pure creativity in each level.
** This is probably really silly...but besides these, I also grew up playing Donkey Kong 64. And I absolutely love it!
* ''SecretOfMana'' has been touted by numerous players and reviewers as a pinnacle in gaming design - the ring system, the well-developed characters and motivations, the ''non-silent'' protagonist... hell, it's one of very few ''multi-player'' RPG's to come out pre-MMO! Someone else take over, since there's ''far'' too much greatness to mention about this game in one sitting!
** BEST RPG EVER!!!
** The sequel ''SeikenDensetsu3'' is one of the more unfortunate examples of NoExportForYou. This game has excellent replay value. There are six heroes to choose from and three possible final dungeons and {{Big Bad}}s depending on your choice, and each story is well presented. It has twenty-four final classes and makes them all viable by averting the AntidoteEffect. The music is also great, with a South Asian flair on several tracks.
* Screw [[FanonDisContinuity what supposed 'fans' say]], ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' is this troper's favorite quest game. Great visuals, a cohesive, complex, yet easy to follow plotline, puzzles that are challenging but not frustrating, developed characters, fabulous worldbuilding, and great voice acting in a series that's not exactly known for it. This troper has played it the whole way through multiple times without getting bored. Plus, ''dinosaurs''!
** [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies This troper]] seconds that and raises ''Assault''. It does get flak for deriving from the formula that 64 set (such as with on-foot missions), but all in all, it is still an awesome title. The orchestrated music really pumps you up, especially Space Battleground, the atmosphere is generally beautiful, such as in the Aparoid Homeworld, and let's face it, it keeps the StuffBlowingUp aspect we've all come to know and love.
* ''FinalFantasyIX''. If this game was a woman, I'd make sweet love to her. If it was a man, I'd tearfully tell him what an inspiration he has been to me ever since I got to know him. If it was a child, I'd adopt it and treat it with all the love it deserves, and more. But since it's a videogame, I'll stay content with calling it the best part of the series and the best RPG ever made by anyone, with one of the most touching plots and some of the most sympathetic protagonists. ''Dreadfully underrated'' does not even begin to describe it.
** Agreed! it remains this one's favourite ff game, for it had the most moments that moved me to tears. The music is also this one's favourite of the whole series, what with its melancholy medieval setting and all. AND Vivi need more love <3
** Agreed as well. Even if the characters, story, setting and gameplay don't do it for you, if you don't like the music you have no SOUL. And Nobuo Uematsu is coming back for XIV, which is going to be MMO... Ho boy...
** This game was my first for a lot of things. My first Final Fantasy game, which made me absolutely in love with the entire series (and of course, it's still my favorite). The first RPG that I beat by myself. The first game where I realized that magic users are amazing. The first game where I was utterly in awe at the cutscenes. The first game that I played that had a real, deep, heartwrenching story. And the first game to make me want to be a better piano player. When I discovered the sheet music online for free, I instantly printed out Melodies of Life and tried to learn it. I wasn't very good at the piano, but that opened up an entirely new genre of music for me to learn. Around 8 years later, and I'm a damn good piano player, with video game songs making up a large portion of my collection (in fact, I'm learning Eternal Harvest from FFIX right now, and it's tough but incredibly fun to play). This game impacted my life much more than I thought any game ever could.
* No mention of TheWorldEndsWithYou? You guys are [[MemeticMutation so zetta slow.]]
** This troper loves TWEWY for many reasons (its characters and capacity for self-parody, etc.) but particularly gushes over its style: from the music to the stat-boosting items to armor to the cellphone-menu to monster designs to the pins as weapons to the character designs, everything worked together to form one seamless urban fantasy aesthetic. It's a thing of beauty.
** Insert shriek of glee here. Definitely one of the most thought provoking games I've ever played, and one of the first games where I actually ''cared'' about the characters. Even if Neku was a bit of an emo prick. Plus, some of the most gloriously human villains I've seen in a video game in a good long while. Too bad there's never going to be a sequel. We'll miss you, Minamimoto.
** TWEWY is the only game this troper has ever pulled a 100% percent completion on. He easily spent 100+ hours on that game, more than he did on KOTOR, [=KOTOR2=], FFIV or Chrono Trigger. The only one he might have spent more time with is Fallout.
** Another 100%-er? Right on! TWEWY is easily one of the best games I've played or will play. It has the quality you expect from a big name like Square, but it pushed boundaries and is one of the few games in the current market that was ''new'' and ''fun'' and wasn't just another FPS or a rehash of an old success. It has high production values, an excellent soundtrack and voice cast, a distinctive art style, clean animation. A lot of heart and soul went into this game, and it comes out in the characters and in the atmosphere. Not to mention the revolutionary battle system and the one big enormous lampshade that is the ''AU bonus chapter''. There's nothing I don't love about this game.
* FinalFantasyVII. Look past the rabid FanDumb and [[PanderingToTheBase the compilation]], people. This masterpiece of a game well earned it's immense success and popularity! It's got a deep story, well developed characters, outstanding music, great gameplay, etc. It's simply got everything. ''Everything!''
** While I have no argument there, even the Compilation can be great. CrisisCore has a story almost as deep as the original, and it feels like the stage is being set for a rather epic story that can diverge from the original, include elements from it, and still turn out okay.
*** Heavily disagree on the story in CrisisCore being on the originals' level (it could've done without the Project G/cloning stuff) but the gameplay is excellent. Fighting enemies in CrisisCore is even more fun than fighting in the original!
**** Say what you will about the Compilation, the ending to Crisis Core is one of the best moments in the whole series. It was playing Crisis Core that introduced me to he world of Final Fantasy VII and got me interested in playing the original game.
** Furthermore, Sephiroth. Greatest. Villain. Ever. Say what you want about him, he absolutely ruined Cloud. You know you're a great villain when you can completely break the hero. He was regularly screwing over the protagonists, tossing them about like rag dolls, & manipulating them for no reason other than the fact that he could. He also had the first well-explored backstory of any main villain in the series. His plan would have worked if he hadn't been so busy messing with the heroes, & ''Advent Children'' had him soar to further MagnificentBastard levels by conquering death & ressurrecting himself via Geostigma & mere fragments of Jenova. He was a rather unique mix of CosmicHorror, SerialKiller, FallenHero, & some parallels have even been drawn between him & Satan. Every piece of this character is extremely thought out. His name, his themes, his demeanor, everything.
** Off the subject of Sephiroth, I found the materia system to be absolutely brilliant. Abilities weren't Gotta Learn 'Em All, the focus was on setting up strategic combinations that would also keep your stats in balance. The way it was reintegrated into Crisis Core was just beautiful. You CAN go through the whole game just button mashing, but if you want to get through the missions, you'll have to try a variety of materia & stat-balancing.
** Dirge of Cerberus is another "say what you want about it" moment. I normally hate shooters, but found myself thoroughly enjoying the gameplay. While the story was the weakest in the Compilation, it was still decent, & every single Tsviet is a derivation of Vincent's characteristics. It also added a nice touch to the mysticism of the Lifestream, making it almost analogous to the human body. Now light was good & dark was evil--but those were rather arbitrary distinctions, & the forces could be manipulated by the other characters, as they were all parts of nature.
* ''Sonic Chronicles'' is amazing. It takes the stupidest combo ever- Sonic the Hedgehog and turn based RPG- and makes it ''work''. It's got a great, genuinely funny script, it manages to have an interesting plot ''without'' it making no sense or being too serious, and it takes the tell-don't-show approach of many of the games in regards to characterisation (Knuckles, Amy, I'm looking at you) and turns it on its head. (Seriously, they fix every complaint about how the characters act you could have.) And the battle system is genuinely good, too! BioWare, I salute you.
* ''FinalFantasyVIII'' will be loved by me until I die and [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] and the rest of the {{Hatedom}} can take a hike. I love the love story, I love the non-traditional concept of a main character (he's not "I'll just go and save the world now, tee-hee!"), and I love the character-driven story. I love the Junction system too.
** I am with you all the way!! See this one was my first FF and still remains my alltime favorite, I loved everything about it--over-the-top special attacks, magic and breathtaking summon spells, the bittersweet story, the characters, the whole enchilada. I spent YEARS trying to get HundredPercentCompletion on everything (though the whole pocketstation thing made that near impossible). I hate to say like this but...the Spoony One can suck it. This game is fantabulous.
* ''FinalFantasyX''. This was my third favorite Final Fantasy. The cast was one of the best, & you could really see how they developed. Wakka got over his hatred of the Al Bhed, Yuna learned that self-sacrafice wasn't the only way to help Spira, etc. Plus, there's Auron. Need I say more? And while Seymour wasn't my favorite antagonist, he had understandable motives, & a well-covered past. He managed to be both menacing & sympathetic. Lastly, there's Sin, who became my favorite non-human enemy in the series. This thing could kill you. It could create monsters that killed you. Monsters would follow it around to kill you. It emitted a substance that messed with your head. It could even fly with gravity magic, & recover within a few minutes of having its arms chopped off, which were the source of its entire locomotion.
** Or how about the battle system? A relatively new spin on turn-based [=RPG=]s, the battle system of FFX allowed you to focus on strategies, and the box that shows the turn order allows you to have some insight as to the consequence of the next action you will take and what you should do with your current turn.. Boss turn coming up? Let's bust out those protective spells. A decisive character's turn coming up? Time to buff him up. A summon's overdrive resulting in massive turn delay? Okay, better not do that. I've played through five different FF games, and FFX's battle system remains as my favorite.
** Ya'll got the characters and the battle system, but what about the soundtrack? It is easily one of the most gorgeous soundtracks for anything I've ever heard; I seriously never get tired of listening to it. Each track amplifies the beauty of the environment of Spira. That's another thing!! The world of Spira was just incredible, from its tiny seaside villages to its scorching desert island to its lonely, snowy mountain that shrouds a city dead for 1000 years. Everywhere you went was like an orgasm for your eyes. Also, the story was amazing. It weaves in so many different things so well and integrates action, romance, suspense, and surprise twists into a nice little package. And the story and the characters in it really make you feel what they're going through. I've never played a game that made me feel so angry or happy or sad or ANY emotion. Easily my favorite Final Fantasy, AND GAME, of all time.
* ''FinalFantasyTactics'' didn't have the best cast ever. However, it had an amazing story of medieval political intrigue, an ominous group of antagonists in the form of the demonic Lucavi, & just a breathtaking battle system, that relied upon strategic moves in 3D environments. "Extreme Chess," as I like to call it. Furthermore, the way it was set up eliminated any possibility of having a general strategy, reliable for every battle, until you got Orlandeu.
* ''{{Terranigma}}'' is a truly amazing game that sadly gets far too little recognition. The story is great, the gameplay is enormously fun, the music is excellent, and it has possibly the most touching BittersweetEnding of any game out there.
* KaizoMarioWorld is a pretty decent game. Sure, it has enough floating munchers to give SMW Central cancer, but it's fun to play, gives you something to do and is a great challenge.
* The freeware fangame [[http://horrorquest.altervista.org/ Castlevanie II: Dracula's Shadow]] is a strong candidate for most underrated game of all time. The author spent 5 YEARS on this remake, keeping all the good things about Simon's Quest, removing all the bad, and then adding so very very much more. Item crashes, 3 playable characters, a boss-fight at every levelup, and on and on. It's everything you ever loved about the NES castlevanias. If Dracula's Shadow had come out on the NES in the early 90s it would have been an instant classic, but released in 2005 for dos and windows it hardly made a ripple. Even after 5 years it's still obscure beyong all reckoning. A youtube search will turn up only a single ''LetsPlay'' and a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QouE-JHDq0 parody/review]] both of which were posted within the last 4 months.
* [[MemeticMutation OBJECTION!]] How can this page be what it is without [[AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]]? You get to be a lawyer without all the boring parts. Add in the writing, the humor, and giving Ensemble Darkhorses their own spinoffs, and you get a heck of a series! So TAKE THAT!
* ''{{Pikmin}}'' and its sequel. Does this even need an explanation?\\
** It doesn't, but I'm going to give one anyway. There's plenty of games with depth, but none with this much ''surprising'' depth. Not just in the gameplay (it gets pretty damn tactical at times), but also in the characters. Every Pikmin death crushes your soul, I assure you.
* This Troper will say it, I loved VideoGame/SonicHeroes when it came out, first there was the many levels that it had and even the hard levels aren't frustratingly so, long story short, I loved VideoGame/SonicHeroes.
** I'll step up to the plate and second that notion. I don't care what "they" say-- being able to play as whichever character you wanted for most of the gameplay rocked, and the music got stuck in my head for hours... [[TemptingFate and I just invited the Casino Park theme...]]
** The beauty of Heroes was really in the team mechanic-- you got to choose how to play the game depending on the character you chose. Speed characters were the best way to breeze through a level (possibly putting one's self in harm's way in the meanwhile), flight characters allowed you to hang back, stay safe, and enjoy the view/music... and power characters got shit done. [[StuffBlowingUp Oftentimes with several explosions]] [[CatharsisFactor and a definite sense of catharsis.]] [[FridgeBrilliance This is probably the way the main trio is viewed, to boot.]]
* FinalFantasyX2, I don't care if you call it {{Fanservice}} incarnate or CharacterDerailment, I truly deeply love this game! It has it all. [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome And]] I [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome mean]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming all!]]
* ''SonicColors''. Just... ''SonicColors''. Take the best aspects of the already-good ''SonicUnleashed'', remove the worst parts of it, and add in exploration elements from ''SonicTheHedgehogCD'' and a powerup gimmick system that actually ''improves'' the overall gameplay, a lighthearted story with a hilarious script penned by the writers of ''{{Reboot}}'' and ''HappyTreeFriends'' ''and'' good voice acting, and you'll have ''the'' best ''{{Sonic}}'' game since [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog the]] [[SonicTheHedgehog2 Genesis]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles titles.]]
* ChronoCross is definitely one of my favorite games and the shining example of EvenBetterSequel in video gaming, ChronoTrigger. First off, the battle system is unique from anything I've seen in any other RPG while still being fun in its own right. The characters manage to be mostly unique and interesting (though, I am a sucker for RPG with [[FinalFantasyTactics large casts]] [[{{Suikoden}} of characters]]). The backgrounds are, in a word, stunning and the art style is one of my favorites in a game. The music, if anything, is even better than Chrono Trigger's. I literally cried when I first heard [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome The Stars, Wind, and Waves]]. In fact, the ''only'' major criticism for this game I can think of is the plot, which is endlessly confusing and has some pretty big plot holes. Still, Chrono Cross remains one of my favorites.
* HalfLife. The first one on PC is one of the best first person shooters ever made! It was this troper's first FPS, and at 5 years old, no less! It had some of the best levels, best enemies([[GoddamnedBats Stupid headcrabs...]]), enviroments, music, sound effects (Yes. Those brilliant beeps when you scroll over those brilliant shades of orange are awesome as well.), and my god. [[MemeticBadass GORDON FREEMAN!]] One of the most famous {{HeroicMime}}s ever! Oh yeah, he's also a [[BadassNormal PHYSICIST.]] And the [[BeyondtheImpossible second game...]]this troper found a PS2 port of Half Life 1 and bought it and played it, and it is STILL one of the best first person shooters ever made IMHO! Except for [[ThatOneLevel Blast Pit...]]
* VideoGame/{{Marvel vs Capcom 3}}!! It is one of the greatest and fun fighting games in recent years. Where else could you pair [[MegaManX Zero]], [[ResidentEvil Wesker]], and [[DevilMayCry Dante]] on one awesome [[PlanetEater Galactus]] murdering team? No where else, that's where! And it is just plain awesome. Oh, [[DistractedByTheSexy Hello,]] [[MsFanservice Morrigan]]... [[MetaPhorgotten Where was I?]] Oh yeah, one more thing...[[DeadPool I'M]] [[NoFourthWall IN THE GAME]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCHES!!!]]

* [[MemeticMutation OBJECTION!]] How can this page be what it is without [[AceAttorney Phoenix Wright]]? You get to be a lawyer without all the boring parts. Add in the writing, the humor, and giving Ensemble Darkhorses their own spinoffs, and you get a heck of a series! So TAKE THAT!

* ''{{Pikmin}}'' and its sequel. Does this even need an explanation?\\
** It doesn't, but I'm going to give one anyway. There's plenty of games with depth, but none with this much ''surprising'' depth. Not just in the gameplay (it gets pretty damn tactical at times), but also in the characters. Every Pikmin death crushes your soul, I assure you.
* This Troper will say it, I loved VideoGame/SonicHeroes when it came out, first there was the many levels that it had and even the hard levels aren't frustratingly so, long story short, I loved VideoGame/SonicHeroes.
** I'll step up to the plate and second that notion. I don't care what "they" say-- being able to play as whichever character you wanted for most of the gameplay rocked, and the music got stuck in my head for hours... [[TemptingFate and I just invited the Casino Park theme...]]
** The beauty of Heroes was really in the team mechanic-- you got to choose how to play the game depending on the character you chose. Speed characters were the best way to breeze through a level (possibly putting one's self in harm's way in the meanwhile), flight characters allowed you to hang back, stay safe, and enjoy the view/music... and power characters got shit done. [[StuffBlowingUp Oftentimes with several explosions]] [[CatharsisFactor and a definite sense of catharsis.]] [[FridgeBrilliance This is probably the way the main trio is viewed, to boot.]]

* FinalFantasyX2, I don't care if you call it {{Fanservice}} incarnate or CharacterDerailment, I truly deeply love this game! It has it all. [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome And]] I [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome mean]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming all!]]

* ''SonicColors''. Just... ''SonicColors''. Take the best aspects of the already-good ''SonicUnleashed'', remove the worst parts of it, and add in exploration elements from ''SonicTheHedgehogCD'' and a powerup gimmick system that actually ''improves'' the overall gameplay, a lighthearted story with a hilarious script penned by the writers of ''{{Reboot}}'' and ''HappyTreeFriends'' ''and'' good voice acting, and you'll have ''the'' best ''{{Sonic}}'' game since [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog the]] [[SonicTheHedgehog2 Genesis]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles titles.]]

* ChronoCross is definitely one of my favorite games and the shining example of EvenBetterSequel in video gaming, ChronoTrigger. First off, the battle system is unique from anything I've seen in any other RPG while still being fun in its own right. The characters manage to be mostly unique and interesting (though, I am a sucker for RPG with [[FinalFantasyTactics large casts]] [[{{Suikoden}} of characters]]). The backgrounds are, in a word, stunning and the art style is one of my favorites in a game. The music, if anything, is even better than Chrono Trigger's. I literally cried when I first heard [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome The Stars, Wind, and Waves]]. In fact, the ''only'' major criticism for this game I can think of is the plot, which is endlessly confusing and has some pretty big plot holes. Still, Chrono Cross remains one of my favorites.

* HalfLife. The first one on PC is one of the best first person shooters ever made! It was this troper's first FPS, and at 5 years old, no less! It had some of the best levels, best enemies([[GoddamnedBats Stupid headcrabs...]]), enviroments, music, sound effects (Yes. Those brilliant beeps when you scroll over those brilliant shades of orange are awesome as well.), and my god. [[MemeticBadass GORDON FREEMAN!]] One of the most famous {{HeroicMime}}s ever! Oh yeah, he's also a [[BadassNormal PHYSICIST.]] And the [[BeyondtheImpossible second game...]]this troper found a PS2 port of Half Life 1 and bought it and played it, and it is STILL one of the best first person shooters ever made IMHO! Except for [[ThatOneLevel Blast Pit...]]
* VideoGame/{{Marvel vs Capcom 3}}!! It is one of the greatest and fun fighting games in recent years. Where else could you pair [[MegaManX Zero]], [[ResidentEvil Wesker]], and [[DevilMayCry Dante]] on one awesome [[PlanetEater Galactus]] murdering team? No where else, that's where! And it is just plain awesome. Oh, [[DistractedByTheSexy Hello,]] [[MsFanservice Morrigan]]... [[MetaPhorgotten Where was I?]] Oh yeah, one more thing...[[DeadPool I'M]] [[NoFourthWall IN THE GAME]], [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCHES!!!]]

* Okay, so we've gotten this far, and the only reference to [[TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]] is one comment claiming that it's a rehash of Phantom Hourglass. ''How have we accomplished this?'' Not to knock on PH or anything-- [[Tropers/{{Blazichu}} I'm]] one of the tropers gushing about WW/PH Link, after all-- but even ''I'm'' not willfully blind enough to overlook some of the flaws, and and I definitely fit into that particular branch of FanDumb. Spirit Tracks fixed almost every one of the issues that people had with Phantom Hourglass, like the Temple of the Ocean King-- and did it in a ''very'' troper-friendly, BetterThanABareBulb way. ''Everything'' in the standard Zelda formula is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] or subverted. Princess get kidnapped? Well, yes [[spoiler: but that doesn't mean she's a useless DistressedDamsel]]. ClothesMakeTheLegend? Yeah, but-- as was the case in Wind Waker-- Link doesn't like them, either, and the logic behind wearing them is completely reasonable. There's more to say, but I have other angles to gush about. Like the music. How can you go wrong with [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iscr5Bx__3c tracks]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArYATx19u0I like]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk_xjIFlfZA these?]]

* {{Breath of Fire II}}. Full. freaking. stop. Not only was the first game [[@/ThatOneGuyNamedX This Troper]] played, it was one of the most tearkerkingly awesome ones too. The setting, the characters, the surreal amount of [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Crap that got Past hte Radar]]... is delightfully beautiful. and {{Needs More Love}}, too. Damn you, {{Capcom}} for terminating the series'

* Screw [[FanonDisContinuity what supposed 'fans' say]], ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' is this troper's favorite quest game. Great visuals, a cohesive, complex, yet easy to follow plotline, puzzles that are challenging but not frustrating, developed characters, fabulous worldbuilding, and great voice acting in a series that's not exactly known for it. This troper has played it the whole way through multiple times without getting bored. Plus, ''dinosaurs''!
** [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies This troper]] seconds that and raises ''Assault''. It does get flak for deriving from the formula that 64 set (such as with on-foot missions), but all in all, it is still an awesome title. The orchestrated music really pumps you up, especially Space Battleground, the atmosphere is generally beautiful, such as in the Aparoid Homeworld, and let's face it, it keeps the StuffBlowingUp aspect we've all come to know and love.

* ''FinalFantasyIX''. If this game was a woman, I'd make sweet love to her. If it was a man, I'd tearfully tell him what an inspiration he has been to me ever since I got to know him. If it was a child, I'd adopt it and treat it with all the love it deserves, and more. But since it's a videogame, I'll stay content with calling it the best part of the series and the best RPG ever made by anyone, with one of the most touching plots and some of the most sympathetic protagonists. ''Dreadfully underrated'' does not even begin to describe it.
** Agreed! it remains this one's favourite ff game, for it had the most moments that moved me to tears. The music is also this one's favourite of the whole series, what with its melancholy medieval setting and all. AND Vivi need more love <3
** Agreed as well. Even if the characters, story, setting and gameplay don't do it for you, if you don't like the music you have no SOUL. And Nobuo Uematsu is coming back for XIV, which is going to be MMO... Ho boy...
** This game was my first for a lot of things. My first Final Fantasy game, which made me absolutely in love with the entire series (and of course, it's still my favorite). The first RPG that I beat by myself. The first game where I realized that magic users are amazing. The first game where I was utterly in awe at the cutscenes. The first game that I played that had a real, deep, heartwrenching story. And the first game to make me want to be a better piano player. When I discovered the sheet music online for free, I instantly printed out Melodies of Life and tried to learn it. I wasn't very good at the piano, but that opened up an entirely new genre of music for me to learn. Around 8 years later, and I'm a damn good piano player, with video game songs making up a large portion of my collection (in fact, I'm learning Eternal Harvest from FFIX right now, and it's tough but incredibly fun to play). This game impacted my life much more than I thought any game ever could.
* No mention of TheWorldEndsWithYou? You guys are [[MemeticMutation so zetta slow.]]
** This troper loves TWEWY for many reasons (its characters and capacity for self-parody, etc.) but particularly gushes over its style: from the music to the stat-boosting items to armor to the cellphone-menu to monster designs to the pins as weapons to the character designs, everything worked together to form one seamless urban fantasy aesthetic. It's a thing of beauty.
** Insert shriek of glee here. Definitely one of the most thought provoking games I've ever played, and one of the first games where I actually ''cared'' about the characters. Even if Neku was a bit of an emo prick. Plus, some of the most gloriously human villains I've seen in a video game in a good long while. Too bad there's never going to be a sequel. We'll miss you, Minamimoto.
** TWEWY is the only game this troper has ever pulled a 100% percent completion on. He easily spent 100+ hours on that game, more than he did on KOTOR, [=KOTOR2=], FFIV or Chrono Trigger. The only one he might have spent more time with is Fallout.
** Another 100%-er? Right on! TWEWY is easily one of the best games I've played or will play. It has the quality you expect from a big name like Square, but it pushed boundaries and is one of the few games in the current market that was ''new'' and ''fun'' and wasn't just another FPS or a rehash of an old success. It has high production values, an excellent soundtrack and voice cast, a distinctive art style, clean animation. A lot of heart and soul went into this game, and it comes out in the characters and in the atmosphere. Not to mention the revolutionary battle system and the one big enormous lampshade that is the ''AU bonus chapter''. There's nothing I don't love about this game.

* FinalFantasyVII. Look past the rabid FanDumb and [[PanderingToTheBase the compilation]], people. This masterpiece of a game well earned it's immense success and popularity! It's got a deep story, well developed characters, outstanding music, great gameplay, etc. It's simply got everything. ''Everything!''
** While I have no argument there, even the Compilation can be great. CrisisCore has a story almost as deep as the original, and it feels like the stage is being set for a rather epic story that can diverge from the original, include elements from it, and still turn out okay.
*** Heavily disagree on the story in CrisisCore being on the originals' level (it could've done without the Project G/cloning stuff) but the gameplay is excellent. Fighting enemies in CrisisCore is even more fun than fighting in the original!
**** Say what you will about the Compilation, the ending to Crisis Core is one of the best moments in the whole series. It was playing Crisis Core that introduced me to he world of Final Fantasy VII and got me interested in playing the original game.
** Furthermore, Sephiroth. Greatest. Villain. Ever. Say what you want about him, he absolutely ruined Cloud. You know you're a great villain when you can completely break the hero. He was regularly screwing over the protagonists, tossing them about like rag dolls, & manipulating them for no reason other than the fact that he could. He also had the first well-explored backstory of any main villain in the series. His plan would have worked if he hadn't been so busy messing with the heroes, & ''Advent Children'' had him soar to further MagnificentBastard levels by conquering death & ressurrecting himself via Geostigma & mere fragments of Jenova. He was a rather unique mix of CosmicHorror, SerialKiller, FallenHero, & some parallels have even been drawn between him & Satan. Every piece of this character is extremely thought out. His name, his themes, his demeanor, everything.
** Off the subject of Sephiroth, I found the materia system to be absolutely brilliant. Abilities weren't Gotta Learn 'Em All, the focus was on setting up strategic combinations that would also keep your stats in balance. The way it was reintegrated into Crisis Core was just beautiful. You CAN go through the whole game just button mashing, but if you want to get through the missions, you'll have to try a variety of materia & stat-balancing.
** Dirge of Cerberus is another "say what you want about it" moment. I normally hate shooters, but found myself thoroughly enjoying the gameplay. While the story was the weakest in the Compilation, it was still decent, & every single Tsviet is a derivation of Vincent's characteristics. It also added a nice touch to the mysticism of the Lifestream, making it almost analogous to the human body. Now light was good & dark was evil--but those were rather arbitrary distinctions, & the forces could be manipulated by the other characters, as they were all parts of nature.

* ''SecretOfMana'' has been touted by numerous players and reviewers as a pinnacle in gaming design - the ring system, the well-developed characters and motivations, the ''non-silent'' protagonist... hell, it's one of very few ''multi-player'' RPG's to come out pre-MMO! Someone else take over, since there's ''far'' too much greatness to mention about this game in one sitting!
** BEST RPG EVER!!!
** The sequel ''SeikenDensetsu3'' is one of the more unfortunate examples of NoExportForYou. This game has excellent replay value. There are six heroes to choose from and three possible final dungeons and {{Big Bad}}s depending on your choice, and each story is well presented. It has twenty-four final classes and makes them all viable by averting the AntidoteEffect. The music is also great, with a South Asian flair on several tracks.

* ''Sonic Chronicles'' is amazing. It takes the stupidest combo ever- Sonic the Hedgehog and turn based RPG- and makes it ''work''. It's got a great, genuinely funny script, it manages to have an interesting plot ''without'' it making no sense or being too serious, and it takes the tell-don't-show approach of many of the games in regards to characterisation (Knuckles, Amy, I'm looking at you) and turns it on its head. (Seriously, they fix every complaint about how the characters act you could have.) And the battle system is genuinely good, too! BioWare, I salute you.
* ''FinalFantasyVIII'' will be loved by me until I die and [[TheSpoonyExperiment Spoony]] and the rest of the {{Hatedom}} can take a hike. I love the love story, I love the non-traditional concept of a main character (he's not "I'll just go and save the world now, tee-hee!"), and I love the character-driven story. I love the Junction system too.
** I am with you all the way!! See this one was my first FF and still remains my alltime favorite, I loved everything about it--over-the-top special attacks, magic and breathtaking summon spells, the bittersweet story, the characters, the whole enchilada. I spent YEARS trying to get HundredPercentCompletion on everything (though the whole pocketstation thing made that near impossible). I hate to say like this but...the Spoony One can suck it. This game is fantabulous.

* ''FinalFantasyV Advance''. [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/V92.jpg Best]], [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/P.jpg translation]], [[http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i212/Kerrah_photos/D.jpg ever]].
** Bartz + pirates = [[CrowningMomentOfFunny epic, epic hilarity]].
* DonkeyKongCountry. This was the first game this troper seriously got into and is still today one of her favorite game series. Everything about them is awesome. The music, the levels, and just the overall feel of the games makes them super fun and replayable.
** Seconded. The second game was probably [[Tropers/DeathToSquishies my]] favorite game of every SNES title, despite [[NintendoHard its difficulty.]] Remember, you can't have Bramble Blast without having a Blast. The [[AwesomeMusic/DonkeyKongCountry music]] probably trumped most of the ones in the other games, too. And the whole Lost World ordeal really gave you a sense of accomplishment when you finished it. ''Especially'' [[ThatOneLevel Animal Antics]].
** This is probably really silly...but besides these, I also grew up playing Donkey Kong 64. And I absolutely love it!

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart, dangit''. I can play the Time Trial mode in ''Double Dash'' and ''Super Circuit'' again and again. And then you've got Battle Mode, which is one of the best multiplayer experiences in video gaming.
* Nintendo in general. Screw everyone who says they only make kiddy games. There is no other company that has provides this much consistant quality.

* ''FinalFantasyX''. This was my third favorite Final Fantasy. The cast was one of the best, & you could really see how they developed. Wakka got over his hatred of the Al Bhed, Yuna learned that self-sacrafice wasn't the only way to help Spira, etc. Plus, there's Auron. Need I say more? And while Seymour wasn't my favorite antagonist, he had understandable motives, & a well-covered past. He managed to be both menacing & sympathetic. Lastly, there's Sin, who became my favorite non-human enemy in the series. This thing could kill you. It could create monsters that killed you. Monsters would follow it around to kill you. It emitted a substance that messed with your head. It could even fly with gravity magic, & recover within a few minutes of having its arms chopped off, which were the source of its entire locomotion.
** Or how about the battle system? A relatively new spin on turn-based [=RPG=]s, the battle system of FFX allowed you to focus on strategies, and the box that shows the turn order allows you to have some insight as to the consequence of the next action you will take and what you should do with your current turn.. Boss turn coming up? Let's bust out those protective spells. A decisive character's turn coming up? Time to buff him up. A summon's overdrive resulting in massive turn delay? Okay, better not do that. I've played through five different FF games, and FFX's battle system remains as my favorite.
** Ya'll got the characters and the battle system, but what about the soundtrack? It is easily one of the most gorgeous soundtracks for anything I've ever heard; I seriously never get tired of listening to it. Each track amplifies the beauty of the environment of Spira. That's another thing!! The world of Spira was just incredible, from its tiny seaside villages to its scorching desert island to its lonely, snowy mountain that shrouds a city dead for 1000 years. Everywhere you went was like an orgasm for your eyes. Also, the story was amazing. It weaves in so many different things so well and integrates action, romance, suspense, and surprise twists into a nice little package. And the story and the characters in it really make you feel what they're going through. I've never played a game that made me feel so angry or happy or sad or ANY emotion. Easily my favorite Final Fantasy, AND GAME, of all time.
* ''FinalFantasyTactics'' didn't have the best cast ever. However, it had an amazing story of medieval political intrigue, an ominous group of antagonists in the form of the demonic Lucavi, & just a breathtaking battle system, that relied upon strategic moves in 3D environments. "Extreme Chess," as I like to call it. Furthermore, the way it was set up eliminated any possibility of having a general strategy, reliable for every battle, until you got Orlandeu.
* ''{{Terranigma}}'' is a truly amazing game that sadly gets far too little recognition. The story is great, the gameplay is enormously fun, the music is excellent, and it has possibly the most touching BittersweetEnding of any game out there.

* I love the Sonic games, and must say how silly I think the Broken Base is. After the Sonic Adventure games, people asked for the classic style back. They got it in Sonic Heroes, and then complained they wanted the Adventure style back. They got it in Sonic 2006, and complained... I, on the other hand, enjoy it all(Okay, not Sonic Labyrinth but what the hell). Shadow the Hedgehog, both character and game, are great. The game, it's fun. I enjoy doing Hero missions...and having Black Doom's Eye tag along. It's funny, making that asshole whine. Shadow himself is badass. And he seems to be mellowing back out. Here's an aspect from the old days I miss: Going Super in regular levels. That, I really want to have back. I love foe-tossing charges. And Hyper Sonic. The Hyper transformation was great, and imagine it in 3D. And Metal Sonic is one of the greatest Evil Counterparts ever. Because he can Actually. Measure. Up. Also, the Sonic series has one of the few non-sucky Video Game Based Movies. The Sonic OVA film was cool, drawing a lot from the games. It's the only adaptation to use Eggman's Genesis-era costume. And the battles between Sonic and Metal Sonic... Pure awesome. I think the Mewtwo vs. Mew fight in ''Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back'' contained a bit of homage. And Sonic 2006, the hatedom will remember that this is Sugar Wiki and hold their fire. A cool game. Heh. Silver's gameplay is interesting, because Silver isn't a super-runner like we're used to. Also, Amy pwning Silver when he tried to kill Sonic(Stupid Mephiles, but he gets his thanks to Shadow). There's a reason Amy's on the Beware The Nice Ones page. I like the more serious cartoons, including Sonic Underground (the Hatedom will again be reminded that this is Sugar Wiki). I think it fits. Sonic a rebel? Oh yeah. Sonic also a rock star? How the hell does that NOT fit? Sonic having known relatives, and siblings and one parent at that? Neat. Manic, the Surfer Dude with a Hover Board. I think that Sonic Riders was a bit of a Fandom Nod to lovers of Sonic Underground. And...Gosh, I can be rather long-winded when typing this stuff.
** I... have nothing to say. You've taken the words right out of my mouth. Well, perhaps BRILLIANT! is aplicable. Sereously, why does the fanbase hate all the new stuff? I can understand 06's hatred because of all the glitches, but even then, it's a decent game. Worst part is? Sega's going to release the first part of {{Sonic the Hedgehog 4}} (which contains no extra stuff, no other charactures, just Sonic and Robotnik [although he's called Eggman like in the newer games, but get OVER IT FANBASE.] duking it out) and the fans are planning to boycott it... because of such things as the homing attack's inclusion (a step in the right direction if you ask me) and the fact that THEY USE THE NEW STYLE FOR SONIC. When I heard of that, the first thing I said was "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR * cut out, kids might read this* MIND?" Here's hoping the boycott goes the way of Modern Warfare 2!

* KaizoMarioWorld is a pretty decent game. Sure, it has enough floating munchers to give SMW Central cancer, but it's fun to play, gives you something to do and is a great challenge.

* This page needs more Castlevania! Especially, Symphony of the night.
* The freeware fangame [[http://horrorquest.altervista.org/ Castlevanie II: Dracula's Shadow]] is a strong candidate for most underrated game of all time. The author spent 5 YEARS on this remake, keeping all the good things about Simon's Quest, removing all the bad, and then adding so very very much more. Item crashes, 3 playable characters, a boss-fight at every levelup, and on and on. It's everything you ever loved about the NES castlevanias. If Dracula's Shadow had come out on the NES in the early 90s it would have been an instant classic, but released in 2005 for dos and windows it hardly made a ripple. Even after 5 years it's still obscure beyong all reckoning. A youtube search will turn up only a single ''LetsPlay'' and a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QouE-JHDq0 parody/review]] both of which were posted within the last 4 months.

* ''{{Persona 3}}'' and ''{{Persona 4}}''. [[{{@/Excel-2009}} This Troper]], normally impatient with [=RPG=]s, finds the plots, systems, characters (oh dear lord the characters), music, presentation, ''the entire package'' something that cannot be missed. Even though my religion finds everything about ''{{Shin Megami Tensei}}'' objectionable and my sensibilities rage at the [[NintendoHard difficulty]] being unreasonable (Two hour long final boss fights? Forget it), I can't turn away.
** I can't think of any other series that allows you to have Metatron, Shiva, Amaterasu and Cu Chulainn in one big party of kickassery.
** The most awesome characters ever like Aigis, Akihiko and Junpei, and damn, everyone is awesome after awhile. Most social links have downright heartwarming and redeemable backstories, like fascist dictator disciplanary man or elementary school kid Maiko. Hell, there are places where the game lags...that combat system is atrocious and the personas look like they fell straight off the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. The boss battles are awful. I hate the use of Japanese suffixes in an English localization. But then there are moments like September 23rd when you take Shinjiro out to the Film Festival and it warms your heart that you guys just bro'd out and watched 2 hours of Little Pet Adventures. I can't say enough good things about this game. The characterization and overall feeling of immersion makes this one of the best [=RPG=]s ever.
** ''{{Persona4}}'' is such a happy game that the theme color is ''yellow.'' Like all of ''ShinMegamiTensei'' it has a ridiculously complex storyline but it manages to accomplish this without the usual "emo" mood. You will get so attatched to every character playing this game that you will want so badly either to live in their world or for them to be real just so you can be friends and hang out with them. Besides all the supernatural/heroic stuff, there are so many fun slice of life stories about you and your friends' adventures in ordinary life; cooking competitions, camping trips, shopping, and field trips. As mentioned above, it really feels like you are in the game.
*** ...And then there's Teddie.
** {{Persona 2}} is somewhat different in comparison with later Persona titles: Social links are nonexistent, the whole team thing works in a smaller scale, and yet you can't help but feel the same awe and wonder as Tatsuya and co. as they march for the truth, when they first summon their personae, and ''everyone'' has their great moments. Even ThoseWackyNazis, Nyarlathotep, the {{Quirky Miniboss Squad}}s...
** The whole series, both ShinMegamiTensei and Persona, are made twice as awesome with the intricate attention to detail Atlus gets for each game and make it awesome. And Kazuma Kaneko, Atlus' master artist, gets bonus points for having drawn and brought to life so many mythologies and pantheons with such care and details for years.
** DevilSurvivor, a relatively new spinoff, has some weird mechanics, but the result is par for the course for Atlus: they never settle for anything but the best.

* [[SuperMarioBros SUPAH MARIO BROTHAHS]]!!! It's THE game that started us down the path to awesomeness and a life-changing experience in and of itself!
** ''Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels'' is one of the great video game challenges. It tests your brain about as much as your thumbs, which is impressive for an early Mario game.
** This troper considers Super Mario Bros. 3 to be the greatest game ever created.
** While this troper doesn't consider it as good as Mario 3, Super Mario World is easily one of the best games in the series. It has nice control, nice stages, and neat power-ups. The introduction of Yoshi definitely elevates it, I felt that this mario expanded the control from the previous games to make it a more enjoyable experience.
** While Super Mario is rare in that the main series has no bad games at all, [[@/DrFurball This Troper]] believes that it doesn't get enough credit for its main character. For someone just starting out in gaming, Mario's cheery, friendly personality is perfect for welcoming someone into the medium. And for those familiar with him, Charles Martinet's voice acting constantly reminds us that Mario's having just as much fun as we are. The greatest gaming character ever.

* TraumaCenter deserves a spot on here. It's definitely a unique experience... instead of killing people left and right, you save them. Plus, Derek is adorable.