Score: 10
The irreplaceable first moment I realized that games were art. The music, visual style and gameplay all come together perfectly in this delicious enchilada of awesome. An amazingly creative, subversive, offbeat experience that can be found nowhere else... except maybe the sequel.
Jet Set Radio Future
Sega (2002)
This sequel took everything awesome about Jet Set Radio to the next logical step, by making it even more insane. You could move around more freely, grind into infinity, do more elaborate tricks, tag in half the time and kill airplanes with spray-paint. The soundtrack is once again amazing. It's a bigger game but feels ever-so-slightly less focused than it's predecessor.
Skies of Arcadia
Sega (2000)
Score: 10
This top notch JRPG is a thing of wonder. The vast airborne world is more interesting and beautiful than anything seen in a Final Fantasy game, the characters and storyline are heartwarming and memorable, and the gameplay is strategic and deep. This game is a grand, lush adventure that you will find yourself longing to return to again and again.
Halo: Combat Evolved
Bungie Studios (2001)
Score: 10
If you're speaking in terms of good, plain fun, Halo is an unparallelled experience. A thrill ride from start to finish, this sci-fi first person shooter single-handedly upped the ante for all shooters to come. It's cinematic, epic, and just gigantic feeling. This Xbox launch title was kick in the pants that the game industry needed at the time.
GoldenEye 007
Rare (1997)
Score: 10
The first great console shooter may not hold up so well today, but for its time it was an superbly crafted experience the was completely unparalleled. Always good for a fun-filled nostalgia trip.
Silent Hill 2
Konami (2001)
Score: 10
The best story ever written for a video game and indeed one of the best stories ever written period. Poetically understated and tinged with sadness and despair, this twisted story is the type of thing that may haunt you for the rest of your life. One of the very finest video game experiences of all time.
Silent Hill 3
Konami (2003)
Score: 10
The last truly great Silent Hill game gives us the most vivid look into the hellish Otherworld. This is actually one of the very best looking games ever made. With darkness, blood and rust covering most of the game world, the things that do pop into focus are beautifully rendered. The story gives some closure to the thread started in the first Silent Hill, wrapping up one of the greatest trilogies of games ever made.
Silent Hill 4: The Room
Konami (2004)
Score: 7.5
Team Silent's red headed stepchild is still measurably better than most survival-horror games. Ditching the familiar gameplay of the first three Silent Hills for a more "experimental" approach proved to be a mixed bag, but when the game is at its best, it contains some of the most frighteningly bizarre imagery of the series and one of the most engrossing plots.
Silent Hill: Origins
Climax Group (2007)
Score: 7.0
This compact Silent Hill adventure feels the most like the original Silent Hill out of any other game in the series. As a result, it feels like a bit of a rehash. If you like the other games in the series, you will probably like this one too, just be warned that it is probably the least compelling entry because it's the least ambitious.
Silent Hill Homecoming
Konami (2008)
Score: 8.0
The sixth Silent Hill game is the strongest since the original trilogy. A very welcome change was made to the combat, and even made sense in the context of the story, which is full of great moments that longtime Silent Hill fans with either greatly appreciate or relentlessly bash. There are some pretty glaring flaws, (slider-box and wire puzzles, I'm looking at you) but overall, this is a scary yet entertaining journey even if it does lack a certain element of Japanese insanity.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories
Climax Group (2009)
Score: 7.0
This strange entry into the Silent Hill saga masquerades as a remake of the original, although in reality they look, feel and play nothing alike. There's nothing wrong with that though, as this game ends up feeling like the most unique, far removed experience of any of the games in the series. There are some brilliant mechanics at work here, like psychologically profiling the player- I just wished it was pulled off a bit more smoothly. The biggest problem with this game is that it isn't very scary and focuses entirely on puzzle solving, as opposed to combat. In the end, It's still a recommendable game because of its sheer uniqueness.
Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly
Tecmo (2003)
Score: 8.5
Possibly the most frightening video game ever made. The game is designed to mercilessly torment the player, who is constantly forced to confront horrific apparitions up close and personal, thanks to the ingenious implementation of a camera-lens view. The story is also very intriguing, concerning extremely disturbing Japanese sacrifice rituals.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Ninja Theory (2010)
Score: 6.5
Enslaved feels like a genuine effort on the part of its designers, and in some ways it comes together magnificently. However, an extra layer of polish would have been greatly appreciated. On the positive side, the dialogue and mo-cap acting is really superb. The characters have a very human quality to them and you end up caring quite a bit about the plot. The world and atmosphere is great. The problem with this game is that it feels unfinished- there are some janky glitches, frustrating restrictions on movement and a pretty atrocious frame rate when things heat up. This is definitely a case of a game that looks more visually impressive when it's not moving. That being said, it is still a relatively fun, if simple and short experience.
Beyond Good & Evil
Ubisoft (2003)
Score: 6.5
I remember being turned off by this game's art style back when it was released, but after eight years of hearing about what I was missing out on, I took the plunge. I still feel the same way about the art. The cool green color palette does not work for me and the character design are downright laughable in many cases. Anyway, I digress. The game itself is fun, if short and kind of generic feeling. Button mashing, puzzle solving, sneaking, photography and driving all play a part in the experience, some more interestingly than others. There are certainly moments when you realize that you are having a great time, but by the time you are really getting into it, it just ends. Glad I haven't been waiting for the sequel these past eight years.
Vanquish
Platinum Games (2010)
Score: 9.0
Platinum Games strikes again! In similar fashion to Bayonetta being a perfected revision of the Devil May Cry formula, Vanquish is a perfection of the Gears of War formula. This game is one pulse pounding encounter after another, taking on waves of increasingly insane amounts of enemies. Pay no attention to the retarded story, and just enjoy it for the thrill ride that it is. It's very rare that you feel quite this powerful in a game, given the ability to slow down time and rocket boost all over the battle field, and the game encourages you really take risks and go balls to the wall. The game is stunningly produced, with graphics and frame-rate never taking a hit, even when there is pure mayhem occurring on-screen in this amazing shooter.
Alien Front Online
Sega (2001)
Score: 6.0
One of the very first online console games and a fun, if simplistic, one at that. That microphone attachment for the Dreamcast controller was hilariously dumb looking.
inFAMOUS
Sucker Punch (2009)
Score: 7.5
By far the most violent T rated game I can think of, this game lets you unleash a torrent of destruction on helpless citizens. Of course, this all factors into whether you are good or evil but trust me when I say that it is far more fun to be evil. Anyway, Infamous gives you an impressive amount of freedom. I have not seen any other sandbox game that lets you feel like a legitimate superhero (or villain) like this one does. It's a fun romp not to be taken too seriously, as the plot and characters are nothing noteworthy.
Resistance: Fall of Man
Insomniac Games (2006)
Score: 6.0
When I think about how I rate games, I divide the quality into two categories: how well the programmers did their job and how well the artists did theirs. In other words, one part is how the game plays and the other is how the game looks, sounds and tells a story. From a gameplay perspective, there is nothing really wrong with Resistance. It's your standard sci-fi first person shooter. Artistically, this game is about as interesting as the crumpled up piece of tin foil so many of its environments look like. And this coming from the minds who created the lush and colorful worlds of Ratchet and Clank seems like a huge misfire. The only part of the Insomniac flavor that remains is some creative guns, but even they are tame in comparison to R&C.
New Super Mario Bros.
Nintendo (2006)
Score: 7.5
Damn. I guess I didn't realize how difficult the 2D Mario games are compared to the 3D ones. This tight platformer requires nearly scientific timing and precision to complete 100%. It's a fun and addictive game that utilizes many of the more recent additions to Mario's skills with the original Mario gameplay. It may not do anything particularly awe-inspiring, but it has solid, time tested mechanics and character to boot.
Demon's Souls
From Software (2009)
Score: 9.5
The sense of accomplishment one receives from progressing through this game is unparalleled. The journey is dauntingly perilous and not for those who have little patience, but the asymmetrical multiplayer component adds a unique twist that elevates this game into the stuff of legend. When the book is closed on the PS3, this will without a doubt be remembered as one of its finest games.
Shadows of the Damned
Grasshopper Manufacture (2011)
Score: 8.0
It's a bit rough around the edges, but what Shadows of the Damned lacks in finesse, it more than makes up for in creativity. Lake Suda51's previous games, this one will be polarizing, but if you are a fan of Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Killer 7, and No More Heroes, you owe it to yourself to check it out. It's like a smoothie of all of those things. Steering away from full-on horror into grindhouse territory, it is every bit as fun and stupid as the movies it tries to emulate. Add that to some of the most bizarre imagery and great music found in any game these days, and you have something that feels unique and full of character. So here's to Suda51 and his gang of freaks. May they continue being the wild card in gaming for a very long time.
Dead Space 2
Visceral Games (2011)
Score: 8.5
Dead Space 2 is an extremely polished, intense sequel to a game that was already those things. Dead Space 2's main weakness would have to be its lack of innovation from the original. It literally felt like a continuation of the first game. That okay though, since Dead Space was an extremely enjoyable modern survival horror experience. While I might bemoan the death of the classic survival horror genre, the fact of the matter is that I have a lot of respect for the Dead Space series carrying the torch for survival horror in the modern age. Sure, it's not as scary as the old Silent Hills, Resident Evils or Fatal Frames, it's a bit to easy, and many areas look identical. However, It's a thrill ride that's full of great (and gory) moments.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Nintendo (2007)
Score: 7.5
Although I'm not a Zelda completest, this is without a doubt the blandest the series has gotten for me. Basically a side story to Wind Waker, this game takes place in a similar ocean-like world. Even the art style, while greatly simplified is very similar Wind Waker's. Obviously if you hated that game, don't even bother with this one. It's not like you are missing a fundamental piece of the Zelda saga. There are clever uses of the DS hardware like having your map present and editable at all times, weird quirks like having to blow into the system to put out flames, and a bit of variety to classic Zelda gameplay. What bothers me most is the childishly simple dialogue and the devilishly difficult and repetitive Ocean King Temple. Still, Zelda!
Catherine
Atlus (2011)
Score: 9.5
Yeah, at its core it's a relatively simple puzzle game, but there is so much love put into every inch of Catherine, it feels like so much more. Like the Persona games, this gem is full of great characters, witty dialogue, and a story that gets progressively weirder and more entertaining. The anime inspired Persona visuals really come into their own here too, a stunning mix of bold graphic colors, creative and disturbing monsters, expressive characters and atmospheric environments. What's really amazing about Catherine though, is that what would appear to be a repetitive rinse and repeat cycle of puzzle solving and character interaction never, for a single second, gets old, a testament to the clever pacing of both the story and gameplay.
Resident Evil (GC)
Capcom (2002)
Score: 9.5
Along with Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill 2, the Resident Evil Remake on the Gamecube deserves the very highest honors bestowed upon a survival horror videogame. As a remake and overall improvement of the game that single-handedly invented the genre itself, this should be considered absolutely essential to anyone interested in survival horror. It is the one Resident Evil game that can honestly be considered terrifying and features the tightest version of the "old school" Resident Evil game mechanics. Before Resident Evil became a phenomenon, spawning a plethora of dubious and campy diversions, it was a story about about one extremely creepy mansion and the struggle to escape.
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