An indefinitive list

Game reviewers can sometimes have this kind of nebulous list of games that they turn to when they're reviewing a game – a list in the back of their heads of their favourite games, the games that inform their approach to game criticism, exemplars of the experience they're hoping for. I don't think it's necessarily a terrible thing to make that list a transparent document. Sure, all games should be assessed on their own merits, but that's an impossible task. Games, like any other form, don't exist in a vacuum, and acknowledging the games that have, in one way or another, shaped us as humans and game critics is a rewarding task, I'd say.

What I'm listing below is by no means a definitive list (hence this post's title). These aren't necessarily the "greatest games of all time" – obviously, that discussion is too subjective to ever be definitive. But these are the games that made me who I am. These are the kind of experiences that only come along every once in awhile, the kinds of things that have changed me.

I'm going to be listing the top 15 games below. Now, lists are pretty arbitrary, and I've written before about the perils of ordering things so subjective, but I can't help but love lists. I really do think they engender some pretty fantastic dialog. What makes a #3 better than a #5? Why wasn't #15 actually #1? It is, like anything, based partially on careful consideration and partially on a scattershot approach. All of this is to say that the order doesn't matter so much.

What DOES matter, however, are the descriptions which follow each game. Hopefully, it'll provide some context for my picks. As well, I avoided choosing more than one game from a particular series for the sake of variety. My love of Zelda knows no bounds, and I didn't want that to dominate this list. And because I couldn't bear to not include some games, there will be an "in no particular order" honourable mentions list at the bottom.

#15 – Sim City 2000 (PC)

It might seem odd to list this game, rather than its far more influential forebear, but Sim City 2000 took those simulation fundamentals from the first game and made them feel alive and real. The idea of turning an invisible, but unbelievably influential profession (city planning) and turning it into a game was a brilliant conceit. This is a game that forces the player to not only examine the world of the game, but the world around them as well. It taps into that childlike sense of discovery and play in a pure sense, and the freedom to create, refine, or destroy is ultimately pretty liberating. Sim City 2000 made good on all of the promises that video games could offer, allowing players access to a living, breathing world of their own creation. It's also the first game that made me truly think about things I take for granted, like water and power, and created a lifelong interest in the world around me.

#14 – Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis)

Treasure's Gunstar Heroes is a triumph of design and polish. While I'm not generally a fan of games with shooting in a realistic sense, the way in which Gunstar Heroes fills the screen with candy coloured bullets and obstacles almost takes on (as in most Treasure games) a surreal quality, pitting the player in a competition between reflexes, action and perseverance. That could describe a lot of traditionally arcade-y games, but Gunstar Heroes does it with an excess of style and most importantly, polish. This game would be nothing if not for its controls and the way that that plays into the design, and not only does it satisfy that requirement, it makes the entertaining aspects of the game into an art form.

#13 – Final Fantasy VI (SNES)

Some may argue that the formula laid down here was refined or perfected in later installments of the franchise, but what Final Fantasy VI did that still gets me is it combines the epic scope that Final Fantasy was known for with endearing characters given as much idiosyncratic personality as could fit on a 16-bit cartridge, tied to an interesting structure and story that pushes and innovates in a way that has been seen only a few times since in the JRPG format. Playing the game becomes a beautiful exploration of a well-told story, and while it might be "linear," that's not a particularly bad thing, especially when a game is able to make you care so thoroughly about its charming cast of characters. Add in the ways that Final Fantasy VI pushed the boundaries of interactive storytelling, and you have a game that stands at the top of the heap in a series that often does quite a bit right in the areas I've just discussed.

#12 – Okami (PS2/Wii)

Sure, some might think of Okami as simply "Zelda with a dog," but it's so much more than that. The game may borrow elements from the Zelda franchise, but it comes off as homage rather than outright creative bankruptcy. And the way that those familiar elements – that is, exploration, dungeon crawling, collecting items to open up the world – are integrated into the game's themes, which are wholly un-Zelda, is amazing. Restoring the world to its natural beauty is a fundamentally engaging process, and the charm and wit of the script helps to sell this world that is both beautiful and totally unlike anything else seen in video games. Add in the game's gorgeous aesthetics and ties to Japanese folklore, and Okami is a completely amazing experience that could only be done as well as it could here with the power of an interactive genre.

#11 – Rez (Dreamcast/PS2)

Rez may use the barebones structure of the shoot-em-up as a template, but the way in which this engenders synaesthesia (that is, an overwhelming sensation wherein one sense triggers another sense) was both groundbreaking and an experience that was never really done as well as it was here. The way in which the various elements – sound, visuals and vibration – all have an interplay is really the essence of what good video game design should be doing, albeit foregrounded much more clearly in Rez than most anywhere else. This is a game where all of the elements matter, and that's something that should be championed.

#10 – Metroid Prime Trilogy (Gamecube/Wii)

Taking the fundamentals of a 2D series and formatting them perfectly in a 3D (first-person!) scenario is brilliant in its own way; making the progression through a world feel so invigorating is another. But the way in which the entire Metroid Prime Trilogy creates a sense of isolation, a need to use your brain to survive, and conquering a hostile world while never having a "god complex" is what puts it into the upper echelon. But what really makes the Metroid Prime Trilogy stand out from almost every other game is the way that this narrative-based game actually makes your interactions matter. There wouldn't be a story without your interaction. You construct the narrative yourself based on clues from the developers, level designs, and the embedded history of the destroyed civilizations that you investigate. Metroid might be a series concerned with space pirates and lizard beings, but the themes it explores and the way it forces the player to participate is actually unbelievable.

#9 – Dragon Quest IX (DS)

Dragon Quest IX proves that being hugely successful, influential and weighed down with the expectations that such a popular franchise carry doesn't mean that a game has to play it safe. Indeed, while this game is built upon the rather sturdy JRPG foundations that the Dragon Quest series essentially created, the way in which DQIX innovates in terms of narrative is downright masterful. Narrative perspective is turned on its head; the characters you play as have no voice of their own, putting the focus squarely on the characters you interact with. The "short story anthology" structure of the game is something that is rarely seen in video games, and the way in which the structure of the game and the way you interact with it plays into the themes of faith and redemption is brilliant. There's never any theological bullying in the game, nor any dogmatism, and the way that the game explores notions of faith (by placing you right into these moral quandaries) makes Dragon Quest IX one of the most powerful games I've ever played, and that's in spite of (or maybe even because of) its charming, witty approach to dialog and characterization.

#8 – Killer7 (Gamecube/PS2)

I'll admit that Killer7 is a straight-up insane experience, but that's one of its greatest qualities. Like most Suda51 games, concept often comes before execution, but here, that execution is so off-the-wall that it becomes part of the concept. By forcing extreme linearity, Suda51, as always, is deconstructing the form of video games themselves, making Killer7 a true piece of art. The dark and actually-mature themes that this game investigates also makes Killer7 one of the most controversial pieces of media ever created, and though controversy itself doesn't qualify for greatness, the overwhelming aesthetic of the game and its willingness to follow narrative threads to their deepest, darkest recesses make Killer7 an unforgettable experience. Gamers don't expect games to seriously grapple with concepts such as terrorism, international hegemony and cultural identity loss, but Killer7 does all of this while constantly keeping the player on the brink of madness. Most people view games as wish fulfillment and empowering, but Killer7 turns that on its head. It's often said that entertainment satisfies while art creates cognitive dissonance, and while that might be a little simplistic, Killer7 certainly creates cognitive dissonance, and is totally amazing for doing so.

#7 – Fallout (PC)

The original Fallout straddles an impressive balance – it tells a more-or-less linear story while allowing the player the agency to go on their own path, to discover the world around them. And that world is one of the most amazing in video games, a blown out, farcical version of post-apocalypse America. Often turning to satire and social commentary, playing through Fallout makes one consciously aware of their own morality and belief system, while also delivering on the promise of true interactive freedom. While it's not entirely free (obviously – video games can't let us do everything, after all), Fallout is a great piece of interactive fiction. The characters, the dialog, the situations, and most definitely the world are all brilliantly delivered, and it's all tied to a gameplay system that actually works. Most of all, Fallout sustains a tone throughout it that is wholly unique and unlike anything I've ever seen outside of this series. I'd argue, though, that that indescribable tone was captured in the first game better than anywhere else.

#6 – Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)

Man, what to even write about this game? The original Super Mario Bros. could be said to have laid down a basic template for every video game ever created in its wake, but it's Super Mario Bros. 3 that takes what Super Mario Bros. created and refined and polished it into one of the most rewarding video games to play, ever. There are few games that delight simply on the grounds of how they make you feel, and what Super Mario Bros. 3 does is it takes every element of its design and makes it so that they all point towards one goal: sheer, unadulterated fun. Now, fun isn't something that needs to exist in every game, but it makes sense for Super Mario Bros. 3's candy-coloured worlds, and when a game can do that one thing so well, so inexhaustibly perfectly, it's hard to find fault. To use a cliche, Super Mario Bros. 3 would be my "desert island" game. It's endlessly rewarding.

#5 – Cave Story (PC/Wii/DS)

The temptation of any game reviewer is to try to assess a game based entirely on its own merits. Whether millions of dollars or no money at all have been poured into a game, it doesn't matter as long as a game is good. But games don't exist independently of the world around them, and the fact that Cave Story is one of the best games ever made AND was made by only one person is an inextricable element to its success. This is an auteur's vision, a brilliantly told video game narrative told in a dystopic world that, despite its 8-bit homages, is as fully crafted as anything I've ever seen. It's also tied to, like Super Mario Bros. 3, brilliant mechanics that make playing the game a joy in and of itself. Mostly, though, this is a game that has it both ways. It forces the player to think, to really think about the surreal aspects we take for granted in platformer/shooter games just like this; but it also is mechanically perfect, making the game pleasurable to play regardless of context.

#4 – Grim Fandango (PC)

The idea of games and cinema being interlocked has become a popular way of thinking of games in recent years. Normally I have a problem with it, but really, it's because in the back of my mind, I know that no other game has thought as cogently about the impact of cinema on gaming as Grim Fandango, the masterwork of the masterful Tim Schafer. What Grim Fandango boils down to is a brilliant idea tied to a brilliant world tied to brilliant writing that stands as one of the greatest stories ever told… ever… seriously, ever. There's an irreverence, a playfulness to the game that makes exploring this world of the dead unbelievably satisfying, and the way that the game plays with film noire tropes is a brilliant satire and deconstruction of those same tropes while being ultimately pretty faithful to that storytelling method. Mostly, though, it makes the player care. It invested me so fully in its world that I'll never be able to shake it from my mind.

#3 – Chrono Trigger (SNES)

This is the apotheosis of video game narrative storytelling. A grand world to discover, an amazing plot to fly through, endearing characters, and brilliant gameplay – Chrono Trigger represents the synthesis of good game design done to the utmost degree. It pushes boundaries in interesting ways while also being a compendium of every good idea to have come before in video games. If there's one game that's absolutely required playing on this list to gain an understanding of video game design, this is the one.

#2 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

What more can be said about this game? It's a game that inspires such amazing reactions from gamers. Everyone has their own personal Hyrule, their own world that they've carved out of this game. Moreso than its amazing developments in plot and character, moreso than the game's impressive and daring approach to its "Legend" signifier, moreso than the veritable patent office of gameplay innovations that it pioneered, moreso even than the amazing transition into 3D, what Ocarina of Time does is make a deep, personal connection with the player. In those moments on Hyrule field, in Dodongo's Cavern, at the apex of Ganon's tower, you are Link, and you're having an amazing adventure. The formula may have been refined in later years, but Ocarina of Time still stands as one of the most important experiences that everyone in gaming should have. I think, anyways, that you've literally had a worse life if you haven't played this game than if you have.

#1 – Loom (PC)

There might be better games on this list, but no game has ever as deeply impacted me as Loom. It's a strange, beautiful, perfectly crafted world that creates a completely beautiful interplay between all of its elements. It's so elegant, so masterful, that it feels more like a symphony than a game. This is one of the most daring and well-told stories I've ever seen, so very different from any piece of fiction that it stands all on its own. This game left such a deep, personal impact on me that it's changed the very foundation of who I am as a person. I'd be doing myself a disservice to ignore that feeling, that indescribable elixir that is Loom.

Honourable mentions:

Super Metroid (SNES)
Earthbound (SNES)
Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)
Descent:  Freespace (PC)
Portal (PC/XBox 360/PS3)
Retro Games Challenge (DS)
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (Gamecube)
Deadly Premonition (XBox 360)
Pikmin 2 (Gamecube)
Star Fox 64 (N64)
Pool of Radiance (Commodore 64)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
Diablo II (PC)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis)
Metal Marines (SNES)
The Curse of Monkey Island (PC)
Mega Man 2 (NES)
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (DS)
The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall (PC)
Bit.Trip Series (Wii)
Half-Life (PC)
Blades of Steel (NES)