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

[Leftwich]

62

Excitebike

Platform: NES

How could such a simple game be so much fun? I can’t answer that. Although this game came out a year before I was born, I have fond memories of watching my dad play it in the living room and when I was old enough to hold an NES controller I had an absolute blast playing it.

The one thing I’ll always remember about Excitebike is the sound. Such a simple array of sounds that was absolutely beautiful to me. Other than the “errrrrrrrr” noise the motorbikes made the gameplay was what really sucked me in. You could play one of 3 ways. You could race solo and try to beat the best time; you could race against the computer and try to come in first or my absolute favorite mode in the entire game was Design Mode. Design Mode was insanely in depth for such a primitive game. I used to put mud, speed bumps and all sorts of crap on the track to make it as hard as possible. I must have spent hour’s just designing tracks knowing damn well that I was going to struggle to actually race on them. Unfortunately that’s about all there was to the game. Only about five tracks to race on and once you came in first on all five you really had nothing else to work for other than building tracks to challenge yourself. The game did end up spawning a sequel on the Nintendo 64 and a half ass game called Excite Truck on the Wii but nothing will live up to the rare fun you get out of such a simple game.

This review may be a little short but Excitebike isn’t exactly the most in depth game but it is still a game I play on my Wii from time to time and that’s saying something for such an old game. As always a video is posted below for you younger guys.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=543dG0EWcYM"]Excitebike - NES Gameplay - YouTube[/ame]
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[Leftwich]

61

NBA Street

Platforms: PS2/Gamecube

Oh man, I was never a huge basketball game fan until I played NBA Street. It was the absolute perfect mixture of real NBA players and the street ball culture. If I still owned this game I’m sure I’d still pop it in my PS2 and have some epic 3 on 3’s.

NBA Street came out before the Xbox did when I only had my Playstation 2 so I’d imagine it would have probably looked slightly better on the Xbox but we’ll never know. Anyway back to the game. NBA Street was 3 on 3 basketball. You could pick three players from any NBA team and go against any other team you felt like. As a Wizards fan I tended to stray away from them because they did not have the talent like the Lakers, Sixers or Spurs. Those were the best teams in the game in my opinion. NBA Street did feature “Street Legends” although they weren’t real players they were based on some former players and Legends in the NBA. But the pinnacle of this games fun comes from the “story” mode. You create your own baller and you go around the country recruiting random people, NBA players or street legends after you beat them of course. I was the best white boy to ever take it to the streets. The street moves were for the most part easy but they could get complex depending on how much you want to fill up your gamebreaker meter. The more points you acquired through fake outs or whatever your move was you would inch closer and closer to getting your gamebreaker which in the first NBA Street was guaranteed points. Some of them were freaking amazing and the best thing was it added points to your scoreboard and subtracted from the opponents. Before I end this I have one last thing to say. NBA Street had an ok soundtrack but they did something I’ve never seen in a game before. As the pace sped up or slowed down so did the music and it really sucked you in… it’s hard to explain but if you’ve ever played the game you would understand.

NBA Street pretty much took the arcade style from NBA Jam and improved it for the next generation. It paved the way for games like NFL Street and FIFA Street as well. As always if you’re looking for a video it is posted below.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmmL02YycEA"]NBA Street Gameplay 1 - YouTube[/ame]
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[IamMedellin]

NBA Street Vol.2 better be in the top 50 as it's gameplay and soundtrack blew its predecessor out of the water in terms of gameplay,graphics style, AND soundtrack...

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Nothing beats the original NBA street. I got so many hours out of that game.......and I just checked and I still have it.

 

[Leftwich]

60

Fable II

Platform: Xbox 360

Some people would say that Fable II was a letdown but I consider it to be a very good game that didn’t fully live up to expectations. I still enjoyed the hell out of the game because of the refined gameplay, the story and one of the few early Xbox 360 games to take full advantage of DLC.

Fable has the unfortunate moniker of failed promises but head designer Peter Molyneux learned from his mistakes the second time around by not promising the moon and just keeping his mouth shut. Fable II takes place a half a millennium after the original events of Fable and as always you take control of an unnamed hero. It’s evident that the game takes place much further in time by the introduction of guns. Guns do take a prominent role in this game but you can still choose to use a sword, bow or magic. Hell you could use all four if you wish. Fable II is a very story driven game and if you are a gamer like me it takes a toll on your heart when a lot of things that are unexpected in this game happen. I won’t spoil them for you but if you haven’t played this game and you are a big story fan I highly recommend it. Fable II has a definitive hero and villain which is common in games but Fable II did it in an old school way. Become a hero of your people and take down a truly evil villain. A nice addition to the game is the introduction of your Dog who helps you out a lot on your way be it digging spots or assisting you in taken down enemies. The sound in this game makes you feel like you are truly in a mystical land from the soundtrack to the spot on sound effects when you are casting magic or something as simple as opening a door. Albion, the land you play in, is expansive and makes you feel like you’re in a real world. Although the graphics aren’t exactly revolutionary, they did give you the feel of being in a fantasy land which is something a lot of adventure games don’t get right now a day.

Fable II in my opinion was a landmark game that should have been a killer app on the Xbox 360 but with the failed promises for the first game a lot of former Fable gamers would be turned off from it. If you haven’t experienced the adventures in Albion I recommend you watch the video below to tell for yourself if it is a game for you.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTVzJZCVVV4"]Fable 2 - Official Trailer - YouTube[/ame]
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[hackett]

Excitebike - Hell Yea!!! Just dl'ed and played Joe Danger today for the first time. My son went to build mode within the first hour. Made me think of my days of playing Excitebike. Thanks for including on your list.

 

[Leftwich]

40 Games down and i'm happy i have such a great following for this thread. I appreciate all of your guy's comments and criticisms. Hell there may be more lists after this one. Top 100 Heros, Villians and stuff like that.

 

[Houston]

How long did it take you to make this list? I don't know if I'd be able to come up with 100 different games that I've really played.

 

[Leftwich]

How long did it take you to make this list? I don't know if I'd be able to come up with 100 different games that I've really played.

I came up with the initial list in one drunk/high night. I woke up to find it open in Word on my computer and had no idea what it was. So i looked over it for about a week making changes to it.

About a day later i started writing it. It took me roughly 3 weeks to finish it in its entirety. I spent a lot of time taking shits and writing it. I read over everything before i post it and either make changes or post as is. Some games like GTA Vice City keeps moving down my list. It was initially 69 but still hasn't been posted yet.

 

[Len B]

So much win in this thread with Pitfall, Skitchin', Double Dragon.

Now if only River City Ransom made the list...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfwLBk1zvrw"]River City Ransom (NES) - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Leftwich]

So much win in this thread with Pitfall, Skitchin', Double Dragon.

Now if only River City Ransom made the list...

River City Ransom (NES) - YouTube

I think you'll be happy or sad?

 

[Juggernaut]

Disliked Fable 2, loved Fable 1. Looking at your signature and avatar, wondering how low that game will be.

 

[Leftwich]

59

Skyrim

Platform: Just about Everything current

Sorry to upset most of you guys by having this game only at 59 but a current game won’t crack my top 50 because of two reasons. I haven’t beaten it yet and it’s too new to unseat a lot of my games on my list. Yes I would consider it my favorite game of 2011 but favorite of all time… no.

Skyrim may have improved on almost everything Oblivion did but unfortunately I haven’t beaten it yet and is the only game on my list that I had to rewrite more than twice. Skyrim puts u in the shoes or boots if you will of a person from an outside land. You are arrested for trespassing for lack of a better word. The land of Skyrim sees the return of Dragons and it is your job to uncover the truth. Skyrim is an absolutely beautiful game. From the changing landscape of each area to the look and feel of the inhabitants. It is not a game you could ever complete in just one sitting. You can play this game at your own pace and do as you please. It’s an ambitious game that for the most part got everything right. I’ll admit sometimes it feels like you are constantly fetching things and talking to people but that is part of the fun and it isn’t for everyone. I did not buy this game the day it came out. I used the people of VSD to gauge my interest on the game and was more than happy to make the purchase. I have maybe played a quarter of the main quest but spent most of my time playing side quests and smithing new weapons and armor. You really get sucked into this game. From the vast environment to the beautiful sounds and soundtrack. Maybe if I do another top 100 games this will be closer to number 1 than it is right now but that’s to see how much different games impact my overall favorite game experience. I know a lot of us have popped this game in and said you were going to play for an hour or so but before you know it, six hours have passed and you’ve lost a good portion of your day doing absolutely nothing. As I complete this game I may update this review but as of now I’m not playing this game. I am engulfed in my backlog and unfortunately Skyrim has become a casualty.

This may be a short review of such an epic game but I feel as if I’ve cheated you by even having this on my list as an uncompleted game. It is saying a lot that I have this game as high as I do and I haven’t even come close to beating it. If you are one of the few to never play this game watch the video below and tell me you don’t want to play it.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjqsYzBrP-M"]Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Official Gameplay Trailer - YouTube[/ame]
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[KNUBB]

I can dig it

 

[Leftwich]

58

Mortal Kombat

Platforms: A LOT!

Round 1. FIGHT! Those three words are synonymous in spelling out what a fighting game is all about. Mortal Kombat changed fighting games forever from its brutal moves to its gruesome fatalities. Everyone I’ve known grew up playing this game in some way shape or form and changed the landscape of fighting games and video gaming forever.

Mortal Kombat is one of those timeless classics every fighting gamer has played and beaten more than once. Before Mortal Kombat came out fighting games were basically kick, punch and occasionally a special move or two. Mortal Kombat came out and literally changed the game in more ways than one. Arcades were already very popular in America and oversees but when Mortal Kombat came out it put more gamers in Arcades than at home. Although it only featured seven playable characters, Liu Kang, Kano, Sonya, Scorpion, Sub Zero, Johnny Cage and Raiden, those few characters garnered millions of hours of gameplay. All seven characters played very differently and catered to different play styles which was a fresh thing in the fighting genre. Instead of what Street Fighter did, Mortal Kombat chose to use motion captured actors as opposed to sprites. Matches went usually two rounds but occasionally three if the player split one and one. If the player won both matches they were given a chance to use a fatality by punching in a button combination to perform a gruesome finisher that appalled politicians and angry mothers. In a regular match you could punch, kick, uppercut or use a projectile move such as Scorpions spear or Sub-Zero’s ice move. It was something unseen in gaming before and really made Mortal Kombat it’s own game. But in my opinion the best addition to Mortal Kombat never seen before in a fighting game was the juggling feature. You could kick, follow it up with an uppercut and finish him off with a throw if you wish. The possibilities were endless. The game featured a story mode which was basically a difficult gauntlet to reach the games final two bosses. Goro and Shang Tsung were some of the most difficult bosses in a fighting game to date. Many hours of frustration and thrown controllers made it feel like you really accomplished something when you beat the game. Mortal Kombat is considered the one game that caused the ESRB to be formed. Many petitions and angry parents caused this all to go down and it is one of the many things that Mortal Kombat is credited for. Mortal Kombat is also one of the first Western games to untie the stranglehold the Japanese developers had on the gaming Market.

I could go on and on about how great Mortal Kombat was and still is but there are many more games to continue on this list so I’d rather not dwell on it. For the 2 people here that have never played it, please watch the video below.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPyIK_Vnbl4"]Mortal Kombat 1 Fatalities - YouTube[/ame]
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[Leftwich]

57

Grand Theft Auto 4

Platforms: Xbox 360/PS3/PC

The first iteration of Grand Theft Auto to hit the next gen consoles received universal praise from the media but to the actual gaming community it got mixed reviews at best. While it was a beautiful game that featured great online play, it didn’t offer much anything new or revolutionary to the series.

Don’t get me wrong, when I first played the game I was amazed. At the time it was my favorite game on the Xbox 360 but after the glitz and glamour wore off it was nothing I hadn’t seen before. The story in my opinion was probably the worst since the very first few Grand Theft Autos came out. I didn’t feel for Niko at all which is really saying something. As I got further and further into the game I just wanted it to be over just to say I beat it. Granted Liberty City looked great and the voice acting was some of the best in the series, the graphics and sound could only carry the game so far. It was a fairly long game featuring the same elements from previous games. You had the normal escort missions, cab missions, shooting targets and what not but really nothing I hadn’t played before. The gameplay on the other hand was very good. The driving took a while to get used to which gave me a reason to refine my skills. The shooting mechanics were considerably better than previous games and the variety of weapons was good but not great. The different cars handled differently as well which also gave me a reason to figure out which would be the best for certain missions. Nothing gave me a greater thrill than getting my notoriety up and just trying my hardest to keep from dying. Also the variety of mini games such as bowling and darts kept me occupied but once I beat them I really didn’t have much else to do with them. Sure there was downloadable content to continue the story but after I initially beat the game I really had no desire to play as other people. Maybe I missed out on some very good DLC but I really have no need to go back and try to beat those. Now the online play was one of the saving graces of this game. Nothing felt better than getting a group of friends and free roaming the vast land of Liberty City. I didn’t even have to accomplish anything to have fun. I always had a blast playing with Bones, Point Blank, Rush and Stealthshot as we flew to the top of the tallest skyscraper and having an all out melee as we trying to knock eachother down to the ground.

Grand Theft Auto 4 was a great game but lacked a lot of freshness to keep me playing when better games came out. This may excite people or may not but this just means that GTA3 and Vice City are closer to number 1 than this game is. As always watch the video below to judge for yourself.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGzSOpEDJQM"]GTA 4 Gameplay - 1 (Good Quality) - YouTube[/ame]
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[Buzzman]

If you included the DLC into GTA IV I am sure it would end up being higher on the list.

 

[Houston]

The rare times that I could find a full party for Cops and Crooks it was some of the most fun I've had online. Unfortunately the lobby set up was horrible, sometimes I'd have to wait 10-15 minutes to start a game.

 

[JBregz]

59

Skyrim

Platform: Just about Everything current

Sorry to upset most of you guys by having this game only at 59 but a current game won’t crack my top 50 because of two reasons. I haven’t beaten it yet and it’s too new to unseat a lot of my games on my list. Yes I would consider it my favorite game of 2011 but favorite of all time… no.

Skyrim may have improved on almost everything Oblivion did but unfortunately I haven’t beaten it yet and is the only game on my list that I had to rewrite more than twice. Skyrim puts u in the shoes or boots if you will of a person from an outside land. You are arrested for trespassing for lack of a better word. The land of Skyrim sees the return of Dragons and it is your job to uncover the truth. Skyrim is an absolutely beautiful game. From the changing landscape of each area to the look and feel of the inhabitants. It is not a game you could ever complete in just one sitting. You can play this game at your own pace and do as you please. It’s an ambitious game that for the most part got everything right. I’ll admit sometimes it feels like you are constantly fetching things and talking to people but that is part of the fun and it isn’t for everyone. I did not buy this game the day it came out. I used the people of VSD to gauge my interest on the game and was more than happy to make the purchase. I have maybe played a quarter of the main quest but spent most of my time playing side quests and smithing new weapons and armor. You really get sucked into this game. From the vast environment to the beautiful sounds and soundtrack. Maybe if I do another top 100 games this will be closer to number 1 than it is right now but that’s to see how much different games impact my overall favorite game experience. I know a lot of us have popped this game in and said you were going to play for an hour or so but before you know it, six hours have passed and you’ve lost a good portion of your day doing absolutely nothing. As I complete this game I may update this review but as of now I’m not playing this game. I am engulfed in my backlog and unfortunately Skyrim has become a casualty.

This may be a short review of such an epic game but I feel as if I’ve cheated you by even having this on my list as an uncompleted game. It is saying a lot that I have this game as high as I do and I haven’t even come close to beating it. If you are one of the few to never play this game watch the video below and tell me you don’t want to play it.

Elder Scrolls V Skyrim: Official Gameplay Trailer - YouTube
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Only at 59? Wow I'm shocked.

 

[KNUBB]

Yo GTA4 was ass cheeks