June is Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) month! Since I was a kid, video games have been a big part in my life. The stories told have impacted me a great deal, and I have even formed strong friendships with people I have played with over the years. E3 is a time to celebrate not only the new games and titles being released, but to look back on video game history in appreciation of the work that game studios like Naughty Dog, Bungie, BioWare and SquareEnix have put into their games. Ready, set, GO! To celebrate the Electronic Entertainment Expo and video games in general, this week I’m doing a countdown of my top 5 favorite console video games of all time, with a few honorable mentions. Ready, set, GO!
#5 – Uncharted
What do you get when you take the concept of mythic treasure hunter/ladies man Indiana Jones and base a video game around him? The answer to that question would be Nathan Drake from the Uncharted Series. Exclusive to PlayStation consoles, Uncharted tackled stories spanning from El Dorado, to the great civilization of Shambhala. Myth came to life in this series, and the gameplay got better and better as each sequel game was released. Uncharted 4, the last to be released is by far the culmination of the series greatness. They managed to wrap up the story in ways that other games have failed countless times, and the replay value is almost unmatched with other exploration and adventure games in its genre. 5/5 highly recommended to those who have yet to play it.
#4 – Final Fantasy X
I am a huge fan of the Final Fantasy RPG. Final Fantasy X is by far one of my most favorite of the line. The cinematic aspect of this game was impeccable. It looked so good for Playstation 2 that it felt more like an interactive movie than anything. In my opinion, it has one of the best video game scores of all time. The music, complexity of the story, plot twists and character development all make this game the giant that it is in the RPG world. In the game, you play as Titus, a famous blitzball player from Zanarkand who is thrown into the world of Spirta. There he meets a beautiful Summoner named Yuna who is on her own pilgrimage, and Titus tags along while trying to find his way home. A turn based game, it was challenging at times but I never seemed to grow bored with it. FFX was ported to both PS3 and most recently PS4 because of its replay value. Fans love this game, and it will forever be cherished as one of the best final fantasy games ever made.
#3 – Mass Effect
The scope of mass effect to this day baffles me. BioWare, probably my all-time favorite game studio put so much thought into this game it rivels the galaxies created by Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas. Mass Effect takes place in the Milky Way Galaxy. Humanity has been elevated by the discovery of hidden technology on Mars. It allowed us to travel across the galaxy, and with that technology we took our first steps into an established galactic community of multiple species. You play as N7 Commander Shephard, the best and brightest of the Earth Systems Alliance Navy. He is nominated to become a SPECTRE, one of the highest military positions in the galactic community, but something lurks in the shadows that threatens humanity and the rest of the Galaxy. What BioWare did was they created multiple species in the Milky Way, then they gave them thorough backgrounds, with rich histories speckled with wars, discoveries, religions and evolutionary backgrounds. There were beings that were amphibious in nature, others that were reptilian, and others that traced their lineage back to fish. The depth that BioWare went into with this game absolutely blew me away. Again, this again also has tremendous replay value. I actually will play through the entire trilogy at least once a year. If you want to delve into a new story with so much to learn and explore than this game is for you.
#2 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
You really can’t beat a game that puts you in a roll of a Jedi. One of the titles that made the original XBOX what it is today, Knights of the Old Republic was the Star Wars game fans had been waiting for, for decades. What makes KOTOR so incredible is its ability to immerse the player in the lore of Star Wars. You really get a feel for what it was like to be a Jedi in the time of the Old Republic. In the game, the galaxy is in turmoil as it is embroiled in the Jedi civil war. Two rogue Jedi, Revan and Malak who were once the heroes of the Mandolorean war, return after having been missing since the war as Sith and wage war against former Jedi brethren and the Republic. You play as your custom character who is caught up in the middle of the fighting and must aid the Jedi in their fight against the Sith. The story is so deep and has one of the best plot twists I have ever seen in a game. If you have a desire to play, KOTOR is currently on Steam or you can download it on your phone and play it via mobile.
#1 – Final Fantasy VII
No shocker here. Many people will tell you that the greatest RPG ever made is without a doubt Final Fantasy VII. This game changed the RPG genre forever in the late 1990s, and its influences can be seen in countless games since its release. Although crude ad blocky by today’s standards, FFVII was a breakthrough in what video games could become. The story was unlike any video game before it. It was dark, and immense. The game was original 3 disks on the original PlayStation system. It seemed to go on forever. The character development was the stuff of legend. Forming your party and going through each character’s backstory was incredible. You play as Cloud Strife, a former member of SOLDIER, an elite military force that is enhanced with the planet energy Mako. Cloud joins a rag tad team of terrorists who are trying to stop the Shinra Corporation from sucking the planet dry of Mako and inadvertently killing it. Cloud’s shady past (pun intended lol) catches up with him thought and he ends up on a larger adventure than he ever could’ve imagined. Gameplay was turn based but it was so incredibly fun and never seemed to get old. I could play this game an infinite amount of times and I don’t think I would ever get tired of playing it. A must play for RPG lovers, check it out on Steam of find it in the PlayStation store. It is also worth noting that they are REMAKING this game for current gaming consoles. The remake of FFVII is by far the most sought after remake in all of video game history, if you doubt me then look up on youtube the announcement for the remake at last years E3. Below is a teased image of what we can expect graphic wise.
Alright folks, there is my top 5 favorite video games in honor of E3 last week. I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what your top 5 are and if you agree with any of my picks. Here are some honorable mentions that were just shy of making the list:
6 – The Last of Us on PS4 (Best Zombie game I have ever played)
7 – Halo Reach on XBOX 360 (Bungie’s goodbye to the Halo series, and best game of the saga)
8 – Gears of War on XBOX 360 (Literally made me cry I was so invested in the characters)
9 – Assassins Creed a cross platform game (Complex story, incredible gameplay of historical periods)
10 – Jak and Daxter on PS2 (Replay value is insane, incredible story and character development, some of my favorite characters in video games)
