The Syndicate

Alright, The Syndicate, it's about time we had a video game subforum.

What are your top 5 video games and why?

1. Pirates Vikings and Knights v. 2.2, because it was the perfect blend of absurdity and competitiveness (and surely NOT because I was one of the best players in the world at it)
2. Quake 3 promode (aka CPMA), for being the pinnacle of what competitive shooters can be
3. Team Fortress 2, because I said so
4. Doom, because I said so
5. Hotline Miami, because I like hurting people

First of all, you really should have a name for this forum that fits in with the rest of the decor. "The Subspace Emissary" doesn't exactly sound like "The Speakeasy" and "Tinsel Town."

To answer the question proper, in no particular order:

I have always been a fan of the Total War series, but I think Medieval II was their crowning achievement. In many respects, Shogun II was an improvement, but the Shogun II campaign itself felt somehow small. Japan isn't as large as Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. The expansion pack, Kingdoms, quintupled the value of the game. Seven years on, and I still play it. There are even factions I won't allow myself to play until I meet certain (self-imposed) requirements. I want to add that Rome Total War was amazing in its own right, but I am highly disappointed in Rome II.

For me, this is the greatest first person shooter, incorporating great Art Deco scenery, memorable characters, an engaging and unforgettable story, and the freaking Circus of Value. Who knew that a vending machine could be so terrifying? While many shooters pride themselves on "frags" (do the kids even call it that anymore?), Bioshock was a game that challenged your sense of ethics. Who was right in all of that? I remember it took me seventeen tries to take down my first Big Daddy (full disclosure: my first Big Daddy was before I had explored several sections of the Medical Pavilion, and so I was woefully ill-equipped). I found the sequel to be much better than the critics suggested, and in terms of gameplay, was an improvement. Minerva's Den (DLC), for me, rivals the first game more than any other, Infinite included. The twist to Minerva's Den was one I did not foresee at all. I'm currently playing through Burial at Sea.

Mega Man is my favorite NES legend. Always was. Capcom did what they do best in this series: Churning out the same awesomeness over and over. And we held our mouths under it like kids at a buffet's frozen yogurt machine- and quite literally, I mean, since we had to blow into the cartridges to get them to work. I still struggle with which game in the series is my favorite, but in writing this, I've made up my mind: Five. My first was the second one, bought at an amazing used game shop where you could actually try out any game before buying. That place was my candy store, only I got to lick all the candy without buying anything if I didn't have any money. I also bought the third one there. The fourth one I rented (remember when you could rent games when your parents got movies?), but I was a little dumbass who rented it on a Sunday, so I only really got to enjoy it that day. It remained my favorite for some time. But the fifth one, I feel, was the NES pinnacle. The Mega Buster looked the greatest, they incorporated some anti-gravity elements, and you finally had a real go at Proto-Man. Wave Man's stage is one of the finest pieces of video game music in history.

Time travel, I find, is a narrative nightmare for a number of reasons. Chrono Trigger, in spite of that, was my favorite RPG on the SNES, with something like fifteen different possible endings. Despite a lighthearted look, it tackled some dark themes (witnessing the moment a mother became crippled, hopelessness, the fucking end of the world). The combat system was the first I had seen that involved double or triple-teaming enemies with technical and magical powers. I found the "End of Time" to be a strange and somehow poignant touch. Once in a while, I'll think of a scene from this game, and a wave of sadness and nostalgia washes over me. If only I had Epoch to go back to 1996...

The best thing I got out of my first year of college...

Awesome choices, guys! And yeah, Epi, Subspace was just a placeholder name while I thought of a better one. :P

As for my top 5... pretty much an impossible call, but probably:

Bioshock
Bioshock Infinite
Super Mario 64
Super Mario World
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

I like Apollo Square. That has both a modern and fanciful ring to it.

Epignosis wrote:I like Apollo Square. That has both a modern and fanciful ring to it.

Sid Meier's Pirates!
Crusader Kings 2
Baldur's Gate
Watch_Dogs
Telltale's The Walking Dead


1. What's not to like about a game about sailing the high seas, gathering riches and exacting vengeance. One of the first computer games I can remember playing AGAIN and AGAIN. Flawless apart from the FUCKING TERRIBLE dancing minigame.

2. I like it because I am not really a hardcore gamer, and the relaxed pace and atmosphere of the game suit my playstyle. It's a lot like Total War, but with a more political/personal focus.

3. One of the first and best console games I remember playing, back in the old days of the Playstation when local multiplayer was more prevalent. Speaks to how much I enjoy DnD these days.

4. Hacking.

5. Another easy going game with a great story. Even if it's only the illusion of choice, I enjoy the whole experience.

MovingPictures07 wrote:Awesome choices, guys! And yeah, Epi, Subspace was just a placeholder name while I thought of a better one. :P

As for my top 5... pretty much an impossible call, but probably:

Bioshock
Bioshock Infinite
Super Mario 64
Super Mario World
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

This looks like a Top 3 list to me.

DharmaHelper wrote:Baldur's Gate

This would make my top ten.

I have never ever finished it though.

Epignosis wrote:

DharmaHelper wrote:Baldur's Gate

This would make my top ten.

I have never ever finished it though.

I have probably finished it, but I haven't played it in probably over a decade so I couldn't possibly remember :P

I used to play as a Necromancer and Ace would be a dwarf warrior.

Something like this. Rather than single games, I seperated them by series.

The Legend of Zelda
Super Smash Bros.
Final Fantasy
Mirror's Edge
The Elder Scrolls

Ok I'm going to have to do this by series. So here is my top five.

1. Grand Theft Auto
GTA is amazing for so many reasons, story, the action, and the characters. If I had to pick I would save GTA 5 is my favorite because they made the word come alive and I really loved how the three main characters interacted with each other.

2. BioShock
These games are just amazing enough said. BioSock 1 would have to be my favorite because of the story and how dark and creepy it was.

3.God of War
I have always loved different mythologies, Greek mythology being my favorite and this game incorporates that in the story. The combat system in the series is flawless and the music and story are great and I could play these games over and over.

4.Assassin's Creed
I love how these games take you back in time and puts a new twist on historical events. I would say Assassin's Creed 4 Black Flag is my favorite in the series because you get to be a pirate in the the golden age of pirates you can jump on your ship and sail around the Bahamas looting other ships and seeing a lot of really cool locations .

5.Batman Arkham series
You get to play as the dark knight and the combat is great and I like how its free roam so you can find a bunch of hidden stuff. I liked Arkham city the most because the story was great and you got a bunch of really neat gadgets you could use and it reallyh made you feel like you were batman.

I have to pick only 5? Alas. Here we go!

1) Legend of Zelda: I'm gonna go ahead and lump the series together for the top one, but my two favorites are Ocarina of Time and Twilight Princess (yeah, I cheated). Ocarina of TIme was the game that got me hooked on the series. Twilight Princess is so beautifully dark and different from OOT and its other 3D predecessors (Majora's Mask comes close with the darkness, but not quite the same) and it brought back the same vastness (in other words, more actual dungeons) that OOT had. I could go on for days, but I won't because y'all are probably tired of my Zelda ramblings on this site :P

2) Super Mario World: I grew up on this game, as well as older Marios, but this is my favorite. I love the Koopa Kids. I love side-scrollers. I love Yoshi, even though I frequently sacrifice him for my own survival. And I'm a food nerd, and all of the Worlds are named after food. This game makes me hungry.

3) Super Mario Galaxy 2: First one was fabulous. I hadn't really gotten into the 3D Mario games much before. We (and when I say "we" I refer to me and my brothers) played Mario 64 on a rented N64, but since we had rented it, we never really got any continuity, and when we finally bought the system, we had OOT with it and never really went back to Mario 64. I tried Super Mario Sunshine but didn't care much for it. I think my love for the side-scrolling Mario got in the way, and I felt a bit overwhelmed by the 3D aspect. But I borrowed the first one from a friend and absolutely LOVED it. For the first time playing a 3D Mario, I didn't feel like I was drowning in so much space. The second Galaxy improved on just about everything that I found flawed with the first one (and they were minor flaws): timed levels stopped the timer when you actually unlocked the star, it was less tedious to get from one World/Level to another (no finding it on the spaceship - just scrolling like a 2D Mario), Yoshi (need I say more?), and the Green Star mode unlocked after beating the game the first time (instead of one flying level after all of your hard work). I will shut up now.

4) Age of Empires II: Are we counting computer games? Good. We are now. I love creating things. I loved SimCity as a kid (mostly loved spending all of my money in about 5 minutes and destroying my city with disasters and Godzilla. I think I was doing it wrong), so I of course love the town-building aspect of Age of Empires. The second one expanded on what civilizations one could build and what sorts of military technology you could have depending on your chosen civilization. I don't think I was particularly good at the game, but I loved playing it anyway.

5) Tetris: I love puzzle games. There is no subsequent Tetris or Tetris-like game that has been as good as the original, in my opinion. And I'm a beast at it. 'Nuff said.

I have written a novel. Sorry not sorry.

In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

I really enjoyed Age of empires.

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

The fact that they came out with an expansion for a decade-old game proves its excellence. And this looks cool as hell.

Now I need a computer that can actually play games. Life is hard.

If arcade games count as video games, then...

1) Grand Theft Auto III
2) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game
3) Star Wars: Dark Forces
4) The Simpsons Arcade Game
5) Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

The fact that they came out with an expansion for a decade-old game proves its excellence. And this looks cool as hell.

Now I need a computer that can actually play games. Life is hard.

Well, Eloh got a nice sum in a cake deposit. I have been authorized to sink $25 into Age of Empires II HD + The Forgotten. Downloading my prize now.

Lord Simon and I shall conquer the world.

Only five? Weird list but whatever:

1. Planescape: Torment
2. Shadow of the Colossus
3. Deadly Premonition
4. The Cat Lady
5. Harvester

Oh my god, I loved Age of Empires II SO MUCH. Not sure how that didn't make my list. I would love to start playing that again. I echo comments made by others in that I also did not play the game online; instead, I mainly played it with my brother and some friends, since we played it the more fun way.

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

The fact that they came out with an expansion for a decade-old game proves its excellence. And this looks cool as hell.

Now I need a computer that can actually play games. Life is hard.

Well, Eloh got a nice sum in a cake deposit. I have been authorized to sink $25 into Age of Empires II HD + The Forgotten. Downloading my prize now.

Lord Simon and I shall conquer the world.

As soon as he cleans his room.

You should finish Ocarina of Time while you wait

nijuukyugou wrote:You should finish Ocarina of Time while you wait

I lost because I forgot how to reseed farms efficiently.

I lost to the Lumbees. New faction.

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:You should finish Ocarina of Time while you wait

I lost because I forgot how to reseed farms efficiently.

I lost to the Lumbees. New faction.

In no particular order

1. Half life 2
2. Ratchet and Clank, the pussy destroyer himself
3. San Andreas
4. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
5. Counter Strike Source. (I never played 1.6 hop off my nuts)

XthAtGAm3RGuYX wrote:In no particular order

1. Half life 2
2. Ratchet and Clank, the pussy destroyer himself
3. San Andreas
4. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
5. Counter Strike Source. (I never played 1.6 hop off my nuts)

Welcome to the site and those are all great games.

No particular order

Smash bros (series counts as one game :P)

Minecraft

Mario kart(Series as a game)

Portal 2

Tetris


The games I picked (Aside from Portal 2) are not really the games that i'd say are the objective best games, but they're games that mean a lot to me personally They're games I can just pick up and play, and just have fun with some friends, and have been doing so since i was first introduced to the world of gaming.

Objective is probably a very different list.

I've actually been playing Age of Empires II recently a bit (no joke). I never could figure out how to play online outside of LAN, but I'd love to join someone for a game if there are any takers.

Metalmarsh89 wrote:I've actually been playing Age of Empires II recently a bit (no joke). I never could figure out how to play online outside of LAN, but I'd love to join someone for a game if there are any takers.

Just last night, we were discussing doing this. Stay tuned.

Epignosis wrote:

Metalmarsh89 wrote:I've actually been playing Age of Empires II recently a bit (no joke). I never could figure out how to play online outside of LAN, but I'd love to join someone for a game if there are any takers.

Just last night, we were discussing doing this. Stay tuned.

Awesome.

In no real order (but WoW is #1):

1) World of Warcraft - I've played it on and off (in recent years, mostly off, but still) since a little less than a year after it's release. So around 9 years? It's not the same anymore (all of my RL friends who have ever played are long past it, and in game friends are also mostly gone when I was playing briefly when the most recent expansion came out).

2) Goldeneye N64 - Don't give me any of that Perfect Dark is better crap. Also for the N64 (but not top games), Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Super Smash Bros.

3) Various other shooters - They're all pretty equal, but stuff like Halo, Gears, CoD (of the Modern Warfare 1 and 2 variety, plus a few others) for the PvP. For single players, I enjoyed the Bioshock games, but the only one that from a FPS perspective that I actually liked was Infinite, the others were to clunky).

4) Mass Effect series - I can live with the ending to 3 without hating them.

5) There's lots more, but Civ 3 deserves a mention. I didn't like 4, and 5 is fine (although I prefer 3 because unit stacking 50 tanks is awesome), and I haven't played the most recent one (I suppose I'll get it during a steam sale at some point, but probably not until there's lots of DLC for it, since I made that mistake with 5).

1. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo
2. Intelligent Qube
3. Full Throttle
4. Mega Man X
5. Out of This World

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/JaggedJi ... deo_games/

i made a big list here of rankings by genre. my favorite new-era games are Pillars of Eternity (which is based on old-era games, heh) and the Mass Effect series.

MovingPictures07 wrote:Oh my god, I loved Age of Empires II SO MUCH. Not sure how that didn't make my list. I would love to start playing that again. I echo comments made by others in that I also did not play the game online; instead, I mainly played it with my brother and some friends, since we played it the more fun way.

Is that the one where you dominated me with your invention of gunpowder? I brought arrows to that fight

As for my list, I'm mainly a modern game fanatic. However, there are a few oldies that hold a place in my heart.

1. Bioshock 1 and Infinite (2 was alright but it doesn't compare).
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition - Fell in love with the story and customization almost immediately. (I must confess to logging over 100 hours into this game. And I plan to play it again eventually.)
3. The Doom franchise - Best fps series ever, imo.
4. AC Blackflags - Incredible open world game play and great story.
5. Spyro franchise (with the exception of Skylanders) - I have a weird thing for purple and dragons This was a childhood favorite of mine.

Honorable mentions:
Mass Effect series - This has some of my favorite recruit-able characters of all time. Garrus is probably number 1.
Destiny - Currently obsessed with playing this game. The repetitiveness doesn't bother me one bit, lol.
Fusion Frenzy - My all time favorite competitive arena style game. I have fond memories of my brother and I bonding over kicking each others asses in this game.

That's all I can think of right now

Devin the Omniscient wrote:As for my list, I'm mainly a modern game fanatic. However, there are a few oldies that hold a place in my heart.

1. Bioshock 1 and Infinite (2 was alright but it doesn't compare).
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition - Fell in love with the story and customization almost immediately. (I must confess to logging over 100 hours into this game. And I plan to play it again eventually.)
3. The Doom franchise - Second Best fps series ever, imo.
4. AC Blackflags - Incredible open world game play and great story.
5. Spyro franchise (with the exception of Skylanders) - I have a weird thing for purple and dragons This was a childhood favorite of mine.

Honorable mentions:
Mass Effect series - This has some of my favorite recruit-able characters of all time. Garrus is probably number 1.
Destiny - Currently obsessed with playing this game. The repetitiveness doesn't bother me one bit, lol.
Fusion Frenzy - My all time favorite competitive arena style game. I have fond memories of my brother and I bonding over kicking each others asses in this game.

That's all I can think of right now

Just noticed my contradiction.

Devin the Omniscient wrote:Fusion Frenzy - My all time favorite competitive arena style game. I have fond memories of my brother and I bonding over kicking each others asses in this game.

That is a fun party-style game.

Devin the Omniscient wrote:As for my list, I'm mainly a modern game fanatic. However, there are a few oldies that hold a place in my heart.

1. Bioshock 1 and Infinite (2 was alright but it doesn't compare).
2. Dragon Age: Inquisition - Fell in love with the story and customization almost immediately. (I must confess to logging over 100 hours into this game. And I plan to play it again eventually.)
3. The Doom franchise - Best fps series ever, imo.
4. AC Blackflags - Incredible open world game play and great story.
5. Spyro franchise (with the exception of Skylanders) - I have a weird thing for purple and dragons This was a childhood favorite of mine.

Honorable mentions:
Mass Effect series - This has some of my favorite recruit-able characters of all time. Garrus is probably number 1.
Destiny - Currently obsessed with playing this game. The repetitiveness doesn't bother me one bit, lol.
Fusion Frenzy - My all time favorite competitive arena style game. I have fond memories of my brother and I bonding over kicking each others asses in this game.

That's all I can think of right now

#TitanMasterRace

My top five favorite video games are Punch out, Mega Man, Worms World Party, Mortal Kombat, and Mine craft.

I also like to watch my dad play computer games.