- Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood (Xbox, 2005)
I've
already written at length about the Brothers in Arms series
(back in March 2016) so I won't go too much into detail here, but
suffice it to say I think BIA is a great underrated series for fans
of tactical shooters. Road to Hill 30 (2005) was a good debut
but it was just a bit too linear. Hell's Highway (2008) had a
great story but wasn't challenging enough. For me it's the second
game, Earned in Blood, that holds the trilogy's crown. It
upped the ante in terms of smarter enemies, enthralling storytelling, and more
open-ended levels that made you think more. Not to mention it had
more multiplayer modes and even multiplayer bots. All three BIA games
are fun but if you're thinking of just getting one, Earned in
Blood is my recommendation.
- Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Xbox 360, 2013)
If
you've read my Splinter Cell game rankings (January 2016) then
this shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. While Blacklist
isn't a perfect game it is hard to deny the amount of effort put into
it, not to mention the amount of fun you'll get out of it. In a
return to the series' signature form, it combines the fluid gameplay
of Conviction (2010) with the stealth and level design of the
original trilogy (2002-05). A strong contender for most replayable
game in the series, Blacklist is bursting with content: in
addition to the single-player campaign, there's a coop campaign and
an additional twelve levels that can be completed either solo or
coop. Combine this with the three different playstyles and you've got
a game you'll be playing for a long time. Overall, Blacklist
is a fun and accessible game that I would recommend to anyone curious
about the stealth game genre.
- RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC, 1999)
And
now for something completely different. I mean, this list can't all
be console action games! RollerCoaster Tycoon is an addicting
game that I still get out and play from time to time. There's so many
fun things to do, it's a game that you can easily lose yourself in.
By customizing the names of the park/rides I would make parks with
ridiculous themes like King of the Hill quotes or a cyborg revolt
against humanity. Whenever guests would die in a roller coaster crash
I would build a statue and plant tons of flowers around it, rebuild a
new roller coaster in its place, and give it a name that had the word
“memorial” in it. Sometimes I would hire about 20 or so guys in
animal costumes and have them all patrol the same little strip of
footpath, mobbing any guests who tried to pass through. I'd always
make at least one ride that was called “Pooping my pants” so that
when the guests got off it they'd all say “Pooping my pants was
great!” And sometimes if time was running out and my guest count
wasn't high enough I'd dig a hole, wrangle up all the people who were
thinking “I want to go home”, and drop them into the hole from
which they had no means of escape! And all this stuff is just the tip
of the iceberg. RollerCoaster Tycoon is a timeless game that
never gets old. If you've never tried it before, consider picking it
up sometime. You will not be disappointed.
- NHL 2002 (PC, 2001)
Like
most Canadian boys, I grew up playing a healthy amount of hockey...
video games. I'm not particularly good at sports in real life so
instead I kicked ass on virtual ice with the NHL games -- or "chell" as I like to call it. I've played NHL 98,
99, 2002, Hitz 2003, 2004, 2005,
07, 12, and 17 in varying amounts and out of all
of those I've gotten the most enjoyment out of NHL 2002
(with 99 as a close second). This was back when the NHL games
weren't trying too hard to be realistic. The players didn't move
around slugishly and lethargicly and the contols weren't overly
complicated. 2002 is a fast-paced game, just as a hockey game
should be. The movement is fluid, the hits are devastating, and the
slapstick colour commentary featuring Don Taylor is amusing. For (I
believe) the first time in the NHL series you could choose which
jersey each team would wear, which as a fan of both retro hockey and
the Vancouver Canucks (the NHL team with the most uniform changes) I
found to be awesome. Another awesome thing was the trading card
system – which if it was done in today's NHL video games, I
guarantee it would be tied into loot boxes or other such
microtransaction BS – which allowed you to unlock mods and cheats.
These mods included silly things such as sumo suits, big heads,
higher/lower pitch voices, and my personal favourite, Shrink n' Grow.
In this mode players shrink when they're hit and grow when they score
goals, and after a few minutes it makes for a hilarious match. It's
this whole arcade style of gameplay and presentation that is so
sorely missing from recent games in the NHL series. But if you ever
want to go back to a simpler time when sports games didn't have to
take themselves seriously then NHL 2002 has got you covered.
- Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360, 2011)
From
a purely objective point of view Batman: Arkham City may be
the best video game I've ever played. It's definitely the open world
game I've played through the most and one of the very few games in
which I found every collectible. In this game Batman takes on Arkham
City, an open-air prison full of common crooks, political prisoners,
undercover cops, and of course a whole bunch of supervillains. This
open world isn't terribly large but it is amazing how much stuff is
packed into it including collectible Riddler trophies, Riddler
riddles, AR challenges, side missions, destructible objects, hostages
who need rescuing, crime scenes to investigate, mysteries to solve,
and prisoners to beat up. And the world you're playing in is really
fleshed out with all sorts of characters who each have their own
backstories. Also the progression system is rewarding since it
unlocks new combat moves and gadgets, encouraging further exploration
and replays. And did I mention that Catwoman and Robin each have
their own campaigns too? The developers' attention to detail in
Arkham City is commendable; they've made a game you can spend
a ton of time with. If I was stranded on a deserted island and I
could only have three games to play there, Batman: Arkham City
would easily be one of them.
- Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox, 2005)
I've
written about this game before (January 2016) and everyone seems to
agree that Chaos Theory is easily the best game of the
Splinter Cell series. So let me tell you about why I rank it
as one of my favourites. It's a game that makes you think for
yourself. The most obvious path to your objective is often the most
dangerous and difficult and so you must learn to find your own way
through the levels and make use of things in the environment that you
normally wouldn't notice. It encourages you to explore for hidden
paths. In short, it makes you think like Sam Fisher would. It's what
makes completing a level with a 100% success rating feel so
satisfying. Chaos Theory was the first Splinter Cell
game I played and I'll admit I got stumped a lot. But I persevered,
eventually beating it and all the other SC games. Looking back I have
to say that this was the Splinter Cell with the best
soundtrack, the best level design, and the fairest challenge. It's no
wonder why this game is liked by so many people.
- Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360, 2008)
What
can you say about Gears of War 2? It's just a good game, as
simple as that. I've played all games in the Gears series
except 4 and I believe that Gears 2 was the best of them. It
was more refined, varied, and graphically impressive than the first
Gears. It was more hardcore, serious, and fun than the third
Gears. (For the record, I really liked GOW: Judgment, I
just thought it was a bit short.) GOW 2's campaign can accurately be
described as a badass simulator, chainsawing vicious foes, firing
powerful-sounding weapons, and delivering brutal execution moves all
along an interesting plot that takes you to unexpected places. And
then there was the multiplayer which I sunk a ton of hours into;
seriously, GOW 2 is one of the two games I've spent the most time
playing (#1 on this list is the other game). The maps were great and
the game modes were even greater. My personal favourite was King of
the Hill on Ruins. Gears of War 2 was my introduction to the
Gears series back in 2008 and I've been hooked ever since.
- Civilization III (PC, 2001)
Strategy
is a genre I don't play all that often but when I find a good
strategy game I stick with it. Just like RollerCoaster Tycoon,
Civilization III is a highly addicting game that I've been
playing on and off for a decade and a half now. In Civ 3 you build up
an empire by establishing cities, controlling resources, trading with
other nations, managing productivity, keeping your people happy, and
defeating opposing civilizations in battle. It's a game that is rich
in detail and deep in terms of gameplay. Each civilization has its
own distinct personality thanks to unique military units, historical
leader figures, and civilization traits. For example France – the
one I played the most because I seemed to do the best with – is an
industrious and commercial society led by Joan of Arc and can produce
musketeers. It's also really fun to see your empire progress through
eras of history, learning scientific advancements which can support
new city improvements and military units. Declaring war gives you a
rush like nothing else, but it's not a decision to make lightly.
Getting into the wrong conflict can have serious consequences! There
are several different ways of winning the game, which supports
different play styles and strategies, making replays a must. It's a
game that never stops giving.
- Halo 2 (Xbox, 2004)
My
first few exposures to Halo 2 were always as I was hanging out
at friends' houses playing the multiplayer. The game's presentation
was the first thing that struck me: the jaw-dropping sound effects,
the captivating music, the crisp blue menus, the multiplayer voice
guy, the cool weapons, and the heavy-duty looking player characters
just blew my mind. When I got around to getting my own copy of the
game I quickly came to the conclusion that Halo 2 is the
coolest game ever made. Though I hadn't yet played Halo: Combat
Evolved (2001) I found Halo 2's story and universe to be
fascinating. With such likeable characters, interesting enemies, and
great locations I found the experience quite immersive. And the
gameplay was fantastic also. The Legendary difficulty setting on Halo
2 was notoriously hard – full retard, basically – but after
years of learning the intricacies of combat and all the right tactics
I eventually beat the sucker on its most challenging setting.
Conquering one of my favourite games on an infamously brutal
difficulty: that made me proud. Although Halo 2's multiplayer
mode was technically outclassed by its successor it is still a
phenomenally awesome multiplayer suite, one that my friends and I
still play occasionally.
- Star Wars: Battlefront II (Xbox, 2005)
Please
note, I said 2005, not 2017, as if that greedy pile of vomit deserves
to share the name of this gem of a game. No, son. This is the classic
Star Wars shooter game that deserves your attention, money and time.
And that it has gotten; Battlefront II, along with Gears of
War 2, is one the games I have played the most. My disc has got
so many scratches on it it's a miracle my Xbox still runs it! I grew
up during the prequel age of Star Wars and it was pretty awesome. The
movies weren't the greatest but we still liked them. The video games
were even better and we ate them up. In 2005 there came along an
intense third-person shooter that put you into the boots of the
soldiers fighting in all the franchise's big battles from episode I
to VI. It was busy, chaotic, and fun. You had so many maps, several
game modes, space battles, and even heroes from the movies one could
play as. You could be Darth Maul cutting down clone troopers by the
hundreds with your doublesaber like a one-man army, but sometimes it
was more fun to just be an ordinary engineer sneaking behind enemy
lines capturing command posts, trying to survive on your own with
nothing but your shotgun, your health packs, and your wit to keep you
going. You could hop in the AT-AT walkers on Hoth and blow up
everything and everyone, or you could be a sniper holding out as long
as you could at the shield generator base on Endor. In space battles
you could land a squad aboard the enemy's flagship and destroy its
systems from the inside or you could get in a starfighter and just
fly around and shoot down enemy ships. In addition to multiplayer
there was also the Risk-like strategy war game Galactic Conquest
(which I don't think I ever completed when played against my
brothers, we were just too good to fail!) and the undercooked but
still enjoyable singleplayer campaign. With so many things to do and
so many different ways of doing them it's no wonder I spent so much
time having fun with Star Wars: Battlefront II. It's just that
good.
Thanks for reading