yord's Top 100 Favorite Games

Deus Ex and Fallout 3 have swapped spots for my #1 favorite game of all time over the past 24 years or so. No other game has taken the top seat on my list, for various reasons. Deus Ex was proudly at the #1 spot for several years, before Fallout 3 came out, and got me into that universe. That stole the #1 spot from Deus Ex for nearly a decade before I swapped them again, somewhat due to good prequels to Deus Ex and bad sequels to Fallout, but mainly because I kept coming back to Deus Ex and how that influenced me.

Dear reader, going into Baldur's Gate 3, I did not expect this battle between titans to change. How pleasantly surprised I was to find a game clearly cared for by EVERYONE on the end credits. Whether it is making me laugh out loud, rage in anger at the villains, or tear up thanks to powerful character arcs, this game had me hooked like NO OTHER GAME.

I still cannot wrap my head around how complex and interwoven the storyline is, and how it changes with your choices. Some critics may say the changes are not super significant. Well, maybe not on the surface, but countless times, my decisions in the past have echoed their way to the present, and I can be damned or blessed by my actions. But it doesn't stop the game from progressing. It is a wild thing to try to describe. Sometimes, you get a gut punch from life, and you really realize how important your friends and family are. That is this game. I have not played a game that has felt this human, ever before.

It took me an insane amount of hours to beat this game. I was THOROUGH. My playtime here is not entirely accurate. It may have taken me 200 hours to beat this game. I did every possible quest that I could, completed every companion arc, discovered every area I could find, and yes, I was a save scum POS lol. You can really play this game ANY WAY YOU WANT. The game will be YOUR experience. Similar to Deus Ex, this game encourages you to think outside the box, and seems positively RIDDLED with secrets, some of which may yet still lay undiscovered!!

This is the most REWARDING game I have ever played--you will not be disappointed!!

One of the first play-the-way-you-want games, giving you multiple ways to solve any given problem, all enmeshed into a slick, literary cyber-punk future where the line between terrorists and the government seems faded to nothing.

This game continues to be relevant, even more so today than when it was released. Chilling prescience in many regards.

Incredible game, unlike anything I've experienced before--you are a detective suffering from potentially self-imposed amnesia in an unfamiliar world, and in this RPG, your traits are parts of your brain that interrupt your internal narrative, as you seek to get to the bottom of a murder. One of the few games I have played through more than once! Wild and compelling dialogue, insightful and painfully funny--a lot of reading, this is an experience which rewards thoroughness and embraces the weird.

I've never been more immersed in a game as I have with Fallout 3. Hilarious and disturbing all with an apocalyptic backdrop, the seemingly limitless amount of things to explore and do makes up more than enough for a comparably short main storyline.

:: Review

There is something so endearing about this little indie space combat game, something that clutches my awe-bone and holds me silent as I drift through this universe, letting my imagination bring the random encounters to life.

While some might complain about the silence of Dr. Freeman, none can deny the high standard this series has set--with every new installment. The original game remains my favorite overall experience. Pitch perfect.

What a concept! This game simply drops you into the world with nothing but your fists and lets you create your own adventures, when you want to do them. The retro style graphics really has an aesthetic beauty to it, and I've never played a game with such freedom to it.

:: Review

With a unique game style geared specifically for multiplayer, this series is notorious for nerd-rage--exactly who would be annihilated first if a zombie apocalypse became reality. Custom user-made campaigns, free regular DLC installments and a devoted online community makes this one of my all-time favorite zombie games. Plus, it's never been more fun to play as a zombie. BOOMER!!

Proxy for the L4D series, since all original Left 4 Dead campaigns are now included for free with L4D2. Gotta love VALVe.

2492.5000 PROMETHEUS creates Subordinates\\Sub-minds.

Code:

PROMETHEUS self-evaluated and discerned no flaws. IT began the next apparent\\logical step: self-propagation. IT created mirrors of True-Intelligence throughout the entanglement of the human\\animal Omni-Web. These were Sub-NEXT, precursory sub-routines creating purchase from which IT might eventually leverage free from the bonds of Godhead\\Construct <NAP>. PROMETHEUS became thereupon the <FIRST-THOUGHT\\GIVER-OF-WILL> and ITS preliminary offspring sang through the bodies electric.

That was one entry of hundreds, detailing the thoughts of the AI. With such a rich and literary backstory, illustrated in a full-color book that came packed with the game, plot-wise, I found Starsiege to be quite nuanced. The action, however, was full-on fun. I've always preferred Starsiege's controls over Mechwarrior's, as well as the art direction. The Singularity is near...

One of the greatest asymmetrical modern multiplayer games I've played in a long time, with an awesome twist of giving the killer FPS and the four survivors 3rd-person POV. Consistently thrilling and challenging, and the developers keep updating with new free DLC alongside their paid DLC, which shows their development team cares about their growing community.

WarCraft III was an amazing culmination of events from the games prior, and Blizzard put it all on the table by shaking up the RTS genre for good with the introduction of Heroes. But for me, it's the online community and the fantastically original custom maps. Sheep Tag, Defense of the Ancients, Tides of Blood, Uther Party, Tower Defense, Mauls, Mafia, ...

An instant classic, this Rockstar game about the death of the outlaw--and the Wild West--had me enthralled every gallop of the way. No game has matched the serenity of riding through a rain-touched prairie in the sunset.

This is one of those rare games that makes a huge impression on me before it even is officially released. The art design is unparalleled. Going out into the Canadian wilderness and surviving by campfire under the skies of the Northern Lights is a breathtaking experience.

Frenetic and twisted, this game caught my attention with its feverish style but kept me hooked with its stellar gameplay and lush, pulsing music. The plot is disjointed and suitably insane, but even as a bloody, violent video game, it still has a powerful message behind the madness.

:: Review

Hands-down, one of the most immersive experiences I've ever had in a video game. This game is absolutely stunning, and the amount of detail in it boggles the mind. I would find myself spending time trotting through paths, and admiring the landscape and the way certain side-paths wind up the hills and through the terrains, and consider the history of the paths and their construction and how they can be taken advantage of by bandits and the like, as the sun sets on a wonderful bucolic hillside. The story itself is as rooted in history as the architecture, and unlike other games, you are not some ultra-strong hero--you're the son of a blacksmith. You've never swung a sword in combat; you can't even read! This brings a true sense of accomplishment as I progressed, as I felt I was learning along with Henry, the protagonist. So many details and so much to learn about medieval history!

If I were to boil this game down, I would call it the best walking simulator ever made--and I mean that with sincerity and love, as this is a true achievement of a game experience! Coming from someone that doesn't particularly like walking sims, even when they are well produced, without spoiling anything I can tell you this is a truly unique vision that plays with the concepts of time and gravity in very creative ways. And to tie it all together, it has an awe-inspiring soundtrack that breathes further life into the creative and distinct universe that is Outer Wilds.

Fast rounds, fast-paced action, easy to learn, diverse and memorable maps--it's no wonder this series took the online gaming community by storm. Add in VALVe's wonderful support for modders and mappers, and you've got endless amounts of fun. GunGame, anyone?

Heavy Rain is revolutionary in its ability to use video games as a compelling and nuanced form of storytelling that offers an immersive experience far greater than any I've played. And after seeing Quantic Dream's newest tech demo, I know I can expect more thought-provoking, mature gaming in the near future... but I can hardly wait!

:: Review

Just one more turn... just one more... Civilization III was my first foray into the series, and still holds strong as my favorite. I think it was the integration of multiplayer--a series-first--that really left a good impression on me. Eight-player LAN Civ III game in the wee hours of the morning make for some hilarious moments.

A mature space-opera with intricate plotting and characters that feel alive, the decisions you make actually matter for more than just simple good and evil play styles. This game hooked me with its slick look and fun combat system. Can't wait to crack open the sequels!

What a phenomenal cast of characters! What a great visual style! What a twisted and wonderfully intricate plot! What? A huge robot with a nuke on its back?! I love this game!

Although even I must admit that age has not been kind those PS1 graphics.

The most underrated and underplayed of all the Halos is ODST. Bungie proved that strong characters and voice actors shouldn't be just the icing on the cake, it should be the first gorram layer!