Side Quest: Escapism: Video Games Done Right: A list of personal favorites
Ah, video games. A constant source of distraction, of procrastination and of escapism- a media engineered to show us alternate worlds, to bring us face-to-face with our demons and heroes, to question our own morality and mortality, while giving us the infinite power of creation (or destruction). All this while we lounge in the safety of our living rooms. There truly is something magical about the media.
While every video game encompasses in itself a world of its own, some undoubtedly rise about the rest. And since I firmly believe that video games represent the modern cornerstone of art (however clichéd it might sound- given that every form of media is calling it that) it becomes a matter of subjective evaluation and hence personal preference on how one perceives the value of a game. Keeping that in mind, here are few of the games that have moved me enough in one way or other to mention them on this favorites list here on this forum (that and I was terribly bored lately reading and writing academic papers and wanted to reminisce on the excellent time I had playing these games).
Disclamer: As I said, this is a personal favorites list. I am no Pro-gamer, I enjoy games for what they are and what they provide: A deeply satisfying world where I can escape to or something so cool that it brings a smile to my face. This is highly subjective and differs from person to person. Plus, I am a sucker for stories and environment in a game- so expect my list to be unfairly tilted towards such games. Also, given that I might go on for pages if I start talking about games from the 90’s (Doom, Road Rash, Contra, Hopkins FBI etc.), the games here are mostly from the last decade or so.
Without a lot of ado, here they are:
1) Braid, Limbo, To the Moon: The Indie Bunch
"Our world, with its rules of causality, has trained us to be miserly with forgiveness. By forgiving too readily, we can be badly hurt. But if we've learned from a mistake and become better for it, shouldn't we be rewarded for the learning, rather than punished for the mistake?" –Braid
The indie games. Of course I have a soft spot for them. Unfettered by the requirements of appeasing a large audience and hence falling to the lowest denominator on what once was one of the most excellent ideas (I am looking at you, Call of Duty and EA), these creations show some of the most remarkable new things brought to gaming industry. And among the finest is Braid. And Limbo. And To the Moon.
Playing Braid was one of those moments of childish intrigue, to find something unknown within something that has been around in gaming since Mario. The idea of time manipulation and a psychologically unstable man bent on finding something he lost resonates with a lot of us as we long to correct the wrongs we have done in our pasts. By the time the adventure of Tim was at a close- I was so shocked at what it had achieved that I sat in front of the computer for a solid 10 minutes thinking of what I had done.
On the other hand, Limbo brings out the fear of the dark, of constant death and of the unknown in such a minimalistic way that by the time I finished the game the beauty of the noir background was seared in my memory.
Finally, to the moon, while being a highly personal story of a dying man trying to come to terms with his memories shows us a very fundamental need for humans to belong and to rise above the rest. What it lacks in gameplay, it more than makes up for in its story. The 8 bit format of the graphics may be off-putting to a lot of people but I feel that it adds to the charm of the game.
2) Dragon Age Origins
“I am a woman and I reserve the right to be inconsistent!” –Leliana from Dragon Age Origins
Dragons? Check. Middle ages and sword fighting? Check. Magic and creatures from the unknown? Check. A backdrop with kings playing a game of thrones with a deeply fleshed and satisfying set of characters? Check.
Dragon age (origins, the second one was good but not as great) may just be the best medieval fantasy game I have played. The story was strong, characters unique and the level progression system one of the best in any RPGs that I have ever seen. Yes, this was my favorite game for a long time.
3) Mass Effect Series
“I warned you. Control is the means to survival. Control of the Reapers… and of you, if necessary.” –Illusive Man (aka Mr. Chain Smoker) from Mass Effect.
Look, the ending was not that great- we all know that, it was alright but by no means bad. But does that make the rest of the series bad? No, absolutely not. This is the kind of game which I could play for the rest of my life without any reservations. Choices and non-linear story lines was what made this game the greatest of its kind. And the aliens (Mordin and Grunt may just be the most interesting characters I have witnessed in games). A great universe to roam around in and number of NPC’s to talk to. This was one heck of a universe built for us.
4) Deus Ex Series
“I never asked for this” –Adam Jensen from Deus Ex: Human Revolution
A vision of the future straight from the imaginations of Ayn Rand and George Orwell with a cyber-punk theme. This was the game (along with Crysis perhaps) that made me intrigued about the possibilities of AI and nanotechnology enough for me to jump into its research.
Conspiracy theories, amazing gameplay and action mechanics and a kick-ass protagonist (Adam Jensen and JC Denton) make this the best cyber-punk game. Plus the music in-game is absolutely sublime. Not to forget this trailer:
5) Half Life Series
"Welcome. Welcome to City 17. You have chosen, or been chosen, to relocate to one of our finest remaining urban centers." – Half Life 2
The father of all modern FPS games. Not much needs to be said except that I personally loved how they made an MIT graduate of theoretical Physics the protagonist in this game. Plus the crowbar. And the headcrabs. And the best AI and partner in-game- Alyx Vance (until the next game on the list came around). Now if only Half Life 3 ever comes around, that would be great.
6) BioShock Infinite
"The mind of the subject will desperately struggle to create memories where none exist..." - Rosalind Lutece from Bioshock Infinite
My personal favorite on this list. There are so many things about this game that stand out. It’s gorgeous setting in the sky, the unsettling themes of racism, religion and nationalism, dimensional travel, combat that makes you feel powerful and fragile at the same time. Oh, and her:
Yes, I called out an AI companion in a game as “her” and not it. Elizabeth shows us what AI can truly do to a character in game:
That is the kind of effort put into making her.
I agree with Adam Sessler’s review on so many points that it would be easier to just add it here than write it all out:
Not to mention the music is so sublime that it creates a world of its own. Bonus: The Luteces’- they are just unbelievably interesting.
7) Witcher Series
A terribly underrated game made for adults seeking games that break the barrier in terms of good vs evil theme so common in today’s games. This is the RPG that had a no-holds approach to storytelling with great combat mechanics.
Then there are conversations like this which make the game rise to the levels unseen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Xh_oeQ2-E
8) Heavy Rain
The only console exclusive on this list, which is here because of its jaw dropping story. 9 Hours of gameplay which would be hard to distinguish from a movie-you-can-play.
9) Mirrors Edge
Not a favorite among critics, but this is a game I thoroughly loved. The first person parkour mechanics have been a unique thing in this game and the shift away from shoot and kill everyone was also welcome. This was a game where strategic running has a whole new meaning.
10) Max Payne Series
The film noir look and the NY setting of the first two games (and the colorful setting of the third in Sao Paulo) had a unique way of story representation (comic-bookesque) while maintaining the high standards of shooting gameplay. Bullet time was also extremely fun.
11) Portal
Such excellence in a puzzle game, I did not think was possible. Quirky quips, crazy characters and science gone terribly wrong were all in the game. GLaDOS has been my favorite in game robot/sentient being ever since I played the first Portal. The second only made it better with puzzles so much fun that it was almost insane.
12) The Walking Dead Series (Telltale Games)
Point and click genre. Not everyone’s cup of tea. Some might not even call it a proper game. But this was a game that reminded the world why Telltale is an excellent developer. The five part story of Clementine and Lee along with a dozen or so characters was truly a masterpiece when it comes to storytelling.
13) Batman: Arkham Series
I was pleasantly surprised when Arkham Asylum turned out to be excellent. Every game I have tried originating from superhero movies has been a disappointment. Unlike this.
14) SimCity 3000
Creating and managing cities with a creators set of powers while being grounded due to budget cuts and high taxation rate in game. This game has taken up hours of my life creating and destroying cities.
15) Assassins Creed 2
Great Historic Setting. Wonderful characters. Gorgeous environment; Yes, AC 2 learnt a lot from its fumbling predecessor (AC 1) on how to get historic third person right.
16) Metro Last light
A recent game, with the best example of how a well-made environment can scare the living crap out of you. Great story too- Atleast the Russians aren’t the bad guys here like what every FPS seems to be doing. Post apocalypse never looked this good.
17) Gears Of War
A great first game with memorable characters. Wonderful music throughout the series. Too bad Microsoft got greedy and made it a Xbox exclusive on the second and third parts.
Worthy Mentions:
The upcoming games that I am personally looking forward to. Each does something right, and I am hoping that the games below may take me out of the depression of knowing that no other game can top the gameplay and story, following the completion of Bioshock Infinite:
Last of Us
Miegakure
The Witness
Watch Dogs
Which games would you call as your favorite?
