[ALL] Leftwich's Top 100 Games of All Time

[SethMode]

This makes the top 5 even more interesting to me because I feel like I remember you saying that ME1 was your favorite of the series (before ME3), and it just seems nuts to me that your favorite series, despite the caveat of not being your favorite games, wouldn't have the 2nd part in the top 100. Maybe I'm just not remember properly. Either way, good stuff.

 

[JeremyHight]

I'm getting worried, I still haven't seen FFX and if it isn't in the top 100, I will throw a fit of hissy proportions.

 

[SethMode]

I'm getting worried, I still haven't seen FFX and if it isn't in the top 100, I will throw a fit of hissy proportions.

Blech. Why? It's good for a "modern" JRPG, but other than that, most of what I've seen him put on his list I would agree with before FFX.

 

[Leftwich]

This makes the top 5 even more interesting to me because I feel like I remember you saying that ME1 was your favorite of the series (before ME3), and it just seems nuts to me that your favorite series, despite the caveat of not being your favorite games, wouldn't have the 2nd part in the top 100. Maybe I'm just not remember properly. Either way, good stuff.

I hate to spoil it but ME3 is my favorite of the series followed by 2 and 1. At the time i compiled the list I hadn't played the series in quite some time but after playing through it i could properly rank it. ME2 is somewhere on the list but had i played ME3 before i started this i might have a different number 1.

It's not that I think ME3 is the greatest game i've ever played its just that i feel like it did a great job of closing the story and like I said in many of the game write ups, story is my absolute favorite part of a game. Sports games and things without a story get in because of how much time or fun i had with the game.

 

[Buzzman]

FYI, Saren is my all time favorite villain for a video game.

 

[SethMode]

I hate to spoil it but ME3 is my favorite of the series followed by 2 and 1. At the time i compiled the list I hadn't played the series in quite some time but after playing through it i could properly rank it. ME2 is somewhere on the list but had i played ME3 before i started this i might have a different number 1.

It's not that I think ME3 is the greatest game i've ever played its just that i feel like it did a great job of closing the story and like I said in many of the game write ups, story is my absolute favorite part of a game. Sports games and things without a story get in because of how much time or fun i had with the game.

Oh no worries, I was just kind of confused because I felt like I somehow remembered you saying ME1 was your favorite.

Anyway, carry on :cano:

 

[Leftwich]

Oh no worries, I was just kind of confused because I felt like I somehow remembered you saying ME1 was your favorite.

Anyway, carry on :cano:

RPG Elements of ME1 > All Other Mass Effects

Plus like I said in my write up, you can't ever replace the feelings you get the first time you play Mass Effect, it's also why its hard to really rank the series because to be quite honest, Mass Effect hit me on an emotional level like no other game has. Movies don't even do that for me unless of course its Marley and Me.

 

[Maynard]

Platform: Xbox 360/PC/PS3

just to rag on you and your list a little more and to show how completely bitter i am at this lists total fail......mass effect 1 was not and is not available on the ps3

 

:yao:

 

[JeremyHight]

Blech. Why? It's good for a "modern" JRPG, but other than that, most of what I've seen him put on his list I would agree with before FFX.

The International Edition of FFX is arguably the most innovative and expansive RPG in the last 15 years. The American version was amazing, but the International Edition added in new ways to level up, more sub-quests, and basically a much deeper experience that was free flowing and had an amazing story line.

 

[SethMode]

The International Edition of FFX is arguably the most innovative and expansive RPG in the last 15 years. The American version was amazing, but the International Edition added in new ways to level up, more sub-quests, and basically a much deeper experience that was free flowing and had an amazing story line.

Eh...didn't play it, but I did play through the American version and thought it was mediocre at best (ho-hum story, lame characters and bad voice acting). I would be curious how the International does things so different that makes it the "most innovative and expansive RPG in the last 15 years". Perhaps JRPG, but unless they literally changed the entire game, I don't see how it innovated anything (and I thought Persona 3 and 4 were both WAY better than FFX American edition).

 

[Goober]

Top five finish for Bioshock. :fap:

 

[SethMode]

Top five finish for Bioshock. :fap:

Bioshock is a very good game, but considering it is a complete story copy of the developing studio's previous game...I would be sad to see it make the top 5 (particularly since the previous game, System Shock 2, was better in pretty much every way but atmosphere and even there I'd say it's arguable).

 

[Goober]

Bioshock is a very good game, but considering it is a complete story copy of the developing studio's previous game...I would be sad to see it make the top 5 (particularly since the previous game, System Shock 2, was better in pretty much every way but atmosphere and even there I'd say it's arguable).

Didn't play the systemshock games so this is irrelevant to me. Shame Bioshock 2 is crap.

 

[SethMode]

Didn't play the systemshock games so this is irrelevant to me. Shame Bioshock 2 is crap.

Well, the Bioshock developer didn't do Bioshock 2, so it's no surprise that it's crap. The Bioshock Infinite guys though, ARE the ones that did Bioshock and System Shock 2.

And I was just offering my opinion on why I think Bioshock is a little overhyped and hopefully wouldn't make any person that makes a top 100 list's top 5.

 

[j.hen]

I remember getting the RROD while playing the first Mass Effect and using the towel trick to allow me to finish the game. My first 360's final 3 hours were probably the best I've had on any "next"-gen console.

 

[Leftwich]

just to rag on you and your list a little more and to show how completely bitter i am at this lists total fail......mass effect 1 was not and is not available on the ps3

 

:yao:

Oh i made a mistake. And you don't like my list, guess i should just give up and not do the rest.

 

[Bomberooski]

LEFTWICH!!! Are you EVER going to post #5?? I feel like I've been waiting since yesterday.

Still pulling for "Wargames" from PSX to make an appearance :shifty: (stupidest game but I loved the co-op)

 

[Leftwich]

LEFTWICH!!! Are you EVER going to post #5?? I feel like I've been waiting since yesterday.

Still pulling for "Wargames" from PSX to make an appearance :shifty: (stupidest game but I loved the co-op)

Yes sir. I'll wait till later today.

 

[Leftwich]

5

Grand Theft Auto 3

Platforms: Every God Damn Thing

What a jump this series did. Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2 both had that top down perspective with nothing too amazing to look at. October 22nd 2001 rolled around and the game changed. Sandbox games would never be the same again. Sure critics panned some things about the game such as graphics, controls and the aiming but the complete package we got left with was nothing short of amazing. Now you can get this gem on the Ipad, Iphone or your Android device. Hell of a thing done by Rockstar. This is the top 5 of my list and I couldn’t think of a better game to start the thing.

As I said before, Grand Theft Auto 3 is a sandbox game. It is the first Grand Theft Auto game to also make the jump to 3D which automatically makes it the biggest game we could play at the time. The game takes place in the fictional city of Liberty City which is eerily similar to New York City. In my personal opinion this game saw a lot of success because it came out a month after 9/11 but I have my personal reasons for that and I will not start a debate over that so don’t ask me. You take control of Claude; I never knew his name till years later, partly because I didn’t pay enough attention. He is double crossed by his then girlfriend and spends the majority of the game trying to get to her to enact his revenge. Now that I’ve given you a brief synopsis on what its all about, let me dive right into the gameplay. At it’s core Grand Theft Auto 3 is just like the first two in the series, you steal cars, shoot mother fuckers and complete the storyline. The major difference this game has than those two is obviously the jump to a full 3-D environment. You control on foot very well, you can kick someone’s ass in hand to hand combat, jump over stuff, jack a car, pull out your gun and blow people away. It’s a much better experience than the previous Grand Theft Auto entries. The only irritating thing about being on foot is if you go in the water, you’re dead. Claude can not swim. Just like in every other Grand Theft Auto game, you can commit crimes such as killing pedestrians, carjacking and simply aiming a weapon at someone. These will all increase your wanted level. A few cops will pursue you the lower your level is but as you increase it you will attract the attention of the FBI and ultimately the Army. Let me tell you, The Army is a huge thorn in your side and even trying to drive down the road becomes impossible. Eventually the wanted level will go away but you have to hide or be pretty slick to outrun them. Liberty City is rather large and when you first start the game most of the city is locked. As you complete the story mode you will unlock more and more of Liberty City. One thing I have to say here, GTA 3 and GTA 4 have two totally different looking Liberty Cities. I know that it’s not that big of a deal but I always wished they had some sort of co-op in GTA3 with at least a friend being able to drive while you shoot or whatever. In no way, shape or form is that a game killer for me, just something I wanted at the time instead of passing around the controller. There are 2 types of missions in Grand Theft Auto 3. You have your main storyline missions that are required to beat the game and unlock more of the city and then there are your side missions. You do not need to complete the side missions to complete the game and are usually boring things like being a Taxi Driver, picking up people who are injured in an ambulance or vigilante missions. I can’t say that I hated doing them but after a while the side missions get tedious.

Graphically the game was on par with other Playstation 2 games at the time. The reason this game did not have superior graphics was because of how much they had to add in the game. If you look at the shear size of Liberty City and figure how much they had to render, what we got as graphics was as good as it gets. Sure some characters looked a little boxy and there was very little hardcore detail in the game but like I said, If you look at the big picture it’s very satisfying. Rockstar also did a very good job of duplicating the look of New York City and really having their liberty with it in making Liberty City. Everything is instantly recognizable and the transition from night to day really gives the city a whole different feel. Hell they could have just let us play with no day-night cycle but they went above and beyond it to make sure we had a realistic thing going on. There isn’t much more I can say about graphics that you can’t see in the videos and pictures I will post so judge for yourself. Like in all Grand Theft Auto games, they pride themselves on their voice acting and radio stations. First and foremost I want to point this out. If you are in a Spanish part of Liberty City and you jack someone’s car, 9 times out of 10 the station will be Spanish. Same goes for Italian or a predominately black area having a rap station. I really thought that was showing Rockstar’s attention to detail. This game came out a while ago and I was 14-15 years old and didn’t know any of the bands or artists that well but they were still catchy. Now that I’m going on 26 I know a lot of them and can appreciate them better. A 14 year old me was not Rocktar’s target audience so I understand now. But my real favorite part about the radio stations was Chatterbox. Having Lazlow as the DJ was probably the best thing in this game. He had constant debates with callers, and just had one of those voices that just sounds so damn good. Shoutout to Bomberooski. Sometimes I would just sit in the car and listen, it was that good. Another thing I really liked about the radio stations was the commercials. Liberty City Survivor, petsovernight.com and Pogo The Monkey were some of my favorites and got a chuckle out of me most of the time. Now to stray away from the radio stations, I want to talk a little about the voice acting. Just like every game in the series, incredible voice acting. Claude, the main character, doesn’t say a damn word the entire game so he doesn’t count. GTA 3 is full of B-List actors but it seems to work very well as a whole. Debi Mazar, Vinnie Chase’s Publicist from Entourage, does a very good job as Matia Latore and is a very big character throughout the game. Frank Vincent from Goodfellas and Casino fame does a great job as well as the Don, Salvatore Leonne. But the absolute best voice actors of the game are Michael Madsen as Tony Cipriani, Michael Rappaport as Joey Leonne and Joey Pants as Luigi. Those three guys alone make this game so pleasing to the ear.

Last but most certainly not least is the story. This is the shortest section of the write up but as always, I hate to spoil this for you guys and I know a lot of you reading this have played a large chunk of the game but not beaten it. Claude is a petty bank robber and his girlfriend at the time, Catalina, is his accomplice. As the two are running from the scene of the robbery they are within the grasp of the police. Catalina shoots Claude in the leg and leaves him there to get captured by the cops. Claude is arrested and during his transfer there is an attack on the police vehicles transporting Claude. The attack was not meant to kill Claude but to free someone else. Claude escapes along with another prisoner named 8-Ball, played by the late rapper Guru. After Claude can get his poop in a group he starts to work his way up from the bottom in the crime syndicates of Liberty City. He meets a lot of thugs and bosses along the way and his ultimate goal is to get revenge on Catalina for screwing him over. That is the story in a nutshell but I don’t want to tell you all you have to go through to get there. Play it for yourself. If you like drama, sex and comedy this game is for you.

What more can I say? If you haven’t played Grand Theft Auto 3 then there is obviously something wrong with you. Watch the video below and see what you’ve been missing out on.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E39FSeJudRM"]GRAND THEFT AUTO III 10th Anniversary Trailer - YouTube[/ame]
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[Bomberooski]

GTA III!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally. You are dead on with this one Lefty