Top 100 Single Player PS3 Games: Part 7 (40-31)

Well we’re back and into the Top 40 now!

If you’ve missed the previous installments, catch up here!

Part One (100-91)

Part Two (90-81)

Part Three (80-71)

Part Four (70-61)

Part Five (60-51)

Part Six (50-41)

Please bear in mind this list doesn’t take into account multiplayer aspects of games, it’s based solely on single player experience.

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40. Just Cause 2

Just Cause 2 is like the evolution of Mercenaries 2 – it excels in many ways and also has the added bonus of the carnage you can create with Rico’s grappling hook, which can hook enemies as well as grappling to walls etc.

With a story featuring rebels and dictators, Just Cause 2 doesn’t tread any new ground in terms of narrative but you probably won’t care as a mountain of explosions gather behind you. As well as the main story missions you’ll need to complete lots of side missions to create as much Chaos as possible.

As an example of how crazy this game is one of the side missions involved me stealing a fighter jet and then using it to shoot down a recently launched SPACE SHUTTLE!

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39. Mirror’s Edge

Mirror’s Edge wowed everyone with it’s crisp, clean graphics and it’s unique first person perspective. The view takes a while to get used to and it had a few really annoying parts where it was difficult to time jumps etc because of the view.

However, Mirror’s Edge is certainly worth playing through as it offers a style of gameplay that is totally unique in the current games market.

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38. Rainbow Six: Vegas

If you like your first person shooters with a bit of brain behind the brawn then Rainbow Six Vegas may be the game for you.

With a good old fashioned SAS vs Terrorists style plot and lots of fun set pieces Rainbow Six Vegas is definitely worth a shot.

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37. Spec Ops: The Line

Once in a while a game will show up out of the blue and knock your socks off. Spec Ops: The Line is one of those games but maybe not for the reasons you might think.

I won’t spoil the story for you here as it is the best thing about the game – this isn’t a title you’ll come out of brimming with joy and with a smile on your face but it really is one of the best stories I’ve played through in the last few years. And while a couple of the twists were a touch obvious, for the most part I didn’t anticipate many of them.

Spec Ops: The Line might not be for everyone and the gameplay might not be anything special but it has a great, interesting story and makes a decent comment on today’s shooter genre.

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36. Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins sees you create a fantasy character to take on an epic journey – starting with your very own prologue. After playing the backstory your character is enlisted to become a Grey Warden – an elite group of fighters whose main role is to destroy the Darkspawn – evil creatures that have begun to overrun the world.

I really enjoyed the storyline of Dragon Age: Origins and it was nice to see characters develop over such a large amount of time – of course I understand that this may be the norm for you regular RPG players but for me it was a nice change of pace.

This is a mammoth game (over 25 hours) but it is certainly worth your time if you’re willing to lose yourself in it.

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35. Borderlands 2

In Borderlands 2 you have a selection of characters to choose from: Salvador (Gunzerker), Zer0 (Assassin), Maya (Siren) or Axton (Commando). Each of the characters brings something different to the playing field and mixing in the variables for shields/weapons/relics etc means that it’s unlikely two people, even playing the same class, will have similar characters.

The story isn’t the best narrative experience out there but it’s funny, well written and does the job it needs to… giving you a reason to travel to different places, kill stuff and pick up loot.

The reason this isn’t higher on the list is that to enjoy it at it’s best you really need to play it online with friends. It can be played alone, and is still a blast, but co-op is where it’s at. Still even on your own this is better than a lot of games out there!

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34. Sleeping Dogs

Sleeping Dogs is hugely fun. It’s been a while since I played an open world game so over the top that I had a grin permanently attached while playing (that honour goes to Just Cause 2). The combat feels good, once you get into the rhythm needed for counters you won’t look back and some of the more brutal moves you can learn will make you wince on behalf on your victim. Then there are the environmental kills – activated by using items around you (an electric fan or the protruding nose of a dead swordfish) to impale, maim or just downright kill enemies.

You play as Wei Shen, an undercover cop in Hong Kong trying to bust the triad gangs. The game floats between Wei taking down bad guys as a cop and dishing out some pretty brutal beatings as a triad.

Sleeping Dogs is a fantastic game. It does lack a little bit of polish – there are some jagged edges here and there – but I found it to be an engaging and hugely fun to play game.

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33. Alpha Protocol

Alpha Protocol is a glitchy mess of a game on the whole – bugs, enemies not loading or getting stuck in walls, it’s all here.

And from reading those initial negative points you may be thinking you’ll give Alpha Protocol a miss, that it may be too annoying to play through? Well in my opinion that would be a mistake. And here’s why.

The game Alpha Protocol reminds me of the most? Heavy Rain.

Unlike a game such as God Of War 3 or Mafia II where your character’s destiny is predetermined and you are playing through *their* story, with Alpha Protocol you are creating your own version of Michael Thornton’s life. And if you stick with it and can see past the glitches you’re in for a treat.

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32. Heavenly Sword

Another game that didn’t garner the respect it deserves, primarily because it didn’t live up to the pre-release hype.

If you like God Of War you will like this game as it’s similar in style but it looks gorgeous in HD and I believe did a few bits (combos/blocking etc) better than the first two God Of War games.

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31. Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters: The Video Game’s plot is essentially the third movie – set in 1991 you’re a rookie who’s been drafted in to help with the ever increasing ghost workload. A huge paranormal blast sets off a chain of events that only one group of guys can deal with…

For me Ghostbusters was a short (5 hour) game that had me chuckling and geeking out despite it’s flaws – it won’t be to everyone’s tastes but it has a good single player storyline.

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So there we go, as we glide into the Top 30 we’ve already had some top titles – anything you were surprised to see on the list already?

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GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: The Top 5!

Well, we have finally arrived at the last installment of GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 games and it has been a pleasure (plus a lot of hard work 🙂 ) to compile this list and share it with you.

Usual system applies:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the last few games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices 🙂 ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 😆

Like some of the rest of the Top 10 each game will also have a video for your viewing pleasure and I’ll recap the Top 100 in full before I reveal No.1.

So let’s get it going on!

 

5. KILLZONE 2 (Playstation 3)

I’m sure a lot of you have read my review of Killzone 2 so this isn’t completely unexpected but I was a touch surprised that a game released in February of this year made the Top 5. The explanation for this is as follows: multi-player. The single player story mode of Killzone 2 is immense and I’m sure the game would easily have made the Top 20 based on that alone (and you can read why in the full review). But for me this is the most fun I’ve ever had playing online.

The sense of achievement in ranking up is unreal and playing with friends is great. I never thought I would get a headset but Killzone 2 made me cross that line – and often the conversation and banter between me and my friends in our own game room is some of the funniest stuff I’ve heard in a gaming environment. Even in multi-player the graphics are superb and the sense of panic created by the fantastically well designed levels is just amazing. If you own a PS3 you need to own this – even if you don’t like first person shooters you should give it a whirl, I know several people who were never into them before that are now dedicated recruits. Mr Veitch I’m looking at you.

 

4. METAL GEAR SOLID (Playstation)

Metal Gear Solid is one of those few games when all the crazy feature ideas and over the top story come together to make an absolute classic. Taking on the role of Solid Snake you had to stealth your way through the levels with an array of gadgets and skills – including the infamous cardboard box disguise.

Metal Gear Solid broke the mould – not only for bringing Stealth as a genre to the forefront but for showing that games could match Hollywood movies for plot and substance. The list of characters was brilliant and the boss battles were legendary – the Pyscho Mantis battle still makes me smile just thinking about it. What other game would have a look at the other saves on your memory card and then use it to taunt you?! It freaked me out completely – then there was the whole control pad thing… anyway he was one of many great boss battles: Revolver Ocelot, Sniper Wolf and of course Liquid Snake, were all highlights. The best Playstation One game, without a shadow of a doubt.

 

3. RESIDENT EVIL 4 (Playstation 2)

Resident Evil 4 marked the beginning of a new chapter for the franchise. Gone were the bumbling, shuffling (but still pretty lethal) oafs of previous Resident Evil games who were replaced by a very more ‘human’ threat: “Los Ganados.” Essentially humans infected with the La Plagas virus as opposed to mindless zombies – these guys can attack you with weapons, run, dodge attacks. It takes everything to a whole new level.

They are fast and usually attack in numbers, often leading to you retreating as they swarm your way. The level design was brilliant and you were shepherded through lots of different environments, with the inital village setting one of the most impressive. Some of the boss battles; the giant fish and El Gigante being two that were particularily memorable. The monk-type dudes in the citadel freaked the hell out of me with their weird chanting… I was too scared to move at first then realised they weren’t going anywhere so I’d better get on with it 😆 Resident Evil 4 really is a great game and everyone should have at least played the opening village level – it really is mind-blowingly good. Maybe less so now but at the time it was simply the best thing I’d ever played.

 

2. GRAND THEFT AUTO III (Playstation 2)

Was this really released almost EIGHT years ago?! Our first trip to the three dimensional Liberty City was something none of us will forget. It was a unique experience on the Playstation 2 – you can steal cars? Buy guns and shoot people? Out run (and out gun) the cops? But it wasn’t about the controversy – this was a solid game with an involving storyline. Sure your character never speaks but there is plenty said by the other characters to keep things ticking over. So many classic characters: Don Salvatore Leone, Donald Love, Phil Cassidy (the One-Armed Bandit), 8-Ball and Toni Cipriani to name but a few.

It was a whole new way to play – you could do whatever you wanted. Fancy ignoring the story and taking on some cops for a bit. Go for it. Wanna make some money? Steal a cab and do some work as a Taxi Driver. There was so much to do it was almost overwhelming. Eventually people just got down to it and did whatever the hell they wanted. As long as you knew the basic controls you didn’t have to touch the story – you could just mess around for hours.

But that would’ve been a mistake because the plot of GTA III was excellent and certainly worth playing through. The comedy was close to the mark but spot on – no-one was safe from a jibe. The game also featured the car radio system for it’s music content, which was great and all the songs were really good, if little known. As the game progressed you certainly found yourself tuning the radio to your favourite station as soon as you got into a car.

GTA III was a groundbreaking title for many reasons but the main one has to be that it completely raised the bar for every other game out there. Us gamers had been given a glimpse of the future – what gaming could be like… a sense of freedom married with a concise, funny and involving storyline. The trip to Liberty City was a great one and the journey got better and better…

 

Which brings us to the finale. Before I reveal my top game, here is a quick run down of the 99 that preceeded it:

 

100 Ghostbusters

99 Splatterhouse 2

98 Ghouls N Ghosts

97 Lethal Enforcers

96 Golden Axe

95 Hard Drivin’

94 WWF Royal Rumble

93 Chase HQ

92 Singstar

91 Resistance 2

90 Destruction Derby

89 Pacman

88 RockBand

87 Syphon Filter

86 Tomb Raider

85 Red Dead Revolver

84 Out Run

83 Resistance

82 Time Crisis

81 Toejam and Earl

80 Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior

79 Donkey Kong

78 Super Punch Out

77 Final Fight

76 Micro Machines

75 Manic Miner

74 Donkey Kong (SNES)

73 WWE Legends Of Wrestlemania

72 Twisted Metal

71 Kane And Lynch

70 Black

69 Resident Evil 5

68 Space Harrier

67 Motorstorm: Pacific Rift

66 Goldeneye (N64)

65 Football Manager

64 Mario Kart (N64)

63 SOS: Final Escape

62 WWF Smackdown 2

61 Track And Field

60 Paperboy

59 Rainbow Six Vegas 2

58 Heavenly Sword

57 Street Fighter IV

56 Desert Strike

55 Captain Commando

54 Mirror’s Edge

53 Robocop

52 Space Invaders

51 GRID

50 inFAMOUS

49 Alien Trilogy

48 Resident Evil 2

47 Alien 3

46 Robocop Vs Terminator

45 Super Monkey Ball

44 Horace Goes Skiing

43 FIFA 95

42 Gauntlet

41 Speedball 2

40 Assassin’s Creed

39 Roadblasters

38 Streets of Rage

37 Sensible Soccer

36 Premier Manager 98

35 Manhunt

34 The Warriors

33 Hitman Blood Money

32 Theme Park

31 Fahrenheit

30 Grand Theft Auto

29 Rainbow Six Vegas

28 Bioshock

27 LittleBigPlanet

26 Road Rash

25 Shadow Of The Colossus

24 Mad Dog McCree

23 Operation Wolf

22 Football Manager

21 GTA San Andreas

20 God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

19 Guitar Hero

18 Mortal Kombat

17 God Of War 2

16 God Of War

15 Uncharted

14 Pro Evolution Soccer 5

13 Metal Gear 3

12 Dead Space

11 Metal Gear 2

10 Sonic The Hedgehog

9 Street Fighter II

8 Resident Evil

7 Metal Gear Solid 4

6 GTA IV

5 Killzone 2

4 Metal Gear Solid

3 Resident Evil 4

2 GTA 3

 

So there you go, I’m sure a few of you have already guessed by it’s absence on the list so far but I can confirm that GregHorrorShow’s Game List No. 1 is…

 

1. GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY (Playstation 2)

We wondered what on earth Rockstar would do to follow up GTA 3 – how could they come back with a new game after that? Well, they went away and raised the bar even further! Setting GTA Vice City in the 80’s was a stroke of genius and including some of the characters from GTA 3 as their younger selves was truly inspired. You see these guys with their hopes and dreams – and you know what they end up like from seeing them in GTA III, truly brilliant.

This setting also meant a chance to do everything bigger and better – fast cars? check. Lots of neon? check. Cheesy music? check!!! The music on this game was amazing and they did such a good job of picking the tunes. There was a radio station for everyone as they upped the content. One of my fondest memories of this game is driving beside the beach at sunset with “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson playing on the radio.

But it wasn’t only the music and setting of course, the storyline was great, borrowing from plenty of great gangster films and the game had plenty of new features – allowing you to buy property as you earnt more money, each one having different side missions attached to it. There were helicopters for you to fly and your character actually spoke and took a bigger role in the plot.

It also featured my favourite ever GTA mission – the bank job. Just amazing. I won’t spoil it with details for people who haven’t played it but my word what a mission! If you’re not worried about SPOILERS then watch the glorious 10 minute clip below and appreciate a work of gaming genius!

I remember having to go to a gig with work a couple of days before GTA: Vice City was released. As we went past HMV they had a sign up saying they were selling it early. I didn’t hesitate. I had the game on me all through the gig and I couldn’t wait to get home. Once I got back at the end of the night I couldn’t resist and stuck it on – it was so good I played it until about 4am before what little perception of reality I had after a night on the beers saw me get some sleep.

 

Even as a big gamer that is something that happens to me very rarely with a single player game and so it’s with a large smile and a lot of happy memories that I confirm Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as Number 1 in GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games List! 😎

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 10-6

Here we go, The Top 10 begins!

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices 😆 ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

Let’s crack on with the Top 10…

 

10. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (Sega Master System)

Sonic The Hedgehog was a legendary game – sadly it’s been let down recently by some terrible games that while having the Sonic name don’t have the heart of the original. This was truly groundbreaking stuff – we’d never seen anything so fast! We had the Master System version and it was so good we played it for days on end. It could be finished in about half hour but the replayability was immense. This really is a seminal game – the music, the graphics, the gameplay… it all still stands up today and the blue hedgehog was a worthy adversary for Mario.

 

9. STREET FIGHTER II (Arcade)

Well if it isn’t the arcade classic that is Street Fighter II. This was one of those games everyone went crazy for. I remember playing it in the arcade and the only move I knew was Blanka’s electricity (just keep hammering punch). Once it got a home port and the games mags gave out the move lists I spent hours, literally, reading and learning the moves with no copy of the game.

That in itself is pretty sad – but on the other hand it meant by the time I got a copy or went to the arcades again I was a very good player. I remember pulling off my first Dragon Punch in the local chip shop (where the nearest arcade machine was) and hearing a little gasp from the kids behind me – geeky but awesome 😆 Guile was always my favourite character though – it was the hair! 😎

 

8. RESIDENT EVIL (Sony Playstation)

Resident Evil was a groundbreaking title in that it was the first mainstream survival horror game. Limited ammo, slow characters – it wasn’t something gamers were used to and that really made it stand out. That and the appalling dialogue. 🙂 Seeing Jill Valentine narrowly escape being crushed to death in a trap where the ceiling was lowering Barry quips: “You were almost a Jill sandwich!” Cue laughter from both characters. Erm… what? But what a game though – everyone who’s played it will remember finding ‘Kenneth from Bravo Team’ or the moment that made gamers everywhere jump like never before… the dogs through the window 😆

 

7. METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS (Playstation 3)

We had to wait three years for the return of Metal Gear Solid after MGS 3: Snake Eater and when it did arrive Solid Snake was an old man. I kid you not. 😮 He had prematurely aged what with being a clone and all that (like Dolly The Sheep) and was left with no choice but to enter the fray with old age fast approaching. And what a fray it was, warring factions and the ongoing arms race provided the backdrop for MGS 4.

As we expected this was no ordinary game – with the ability to listen to his ipod to relieve stress and hiding in barrels added as well as the old classic – being able to hide in a cardboard box, MGS 4 took things even further than previous games. A complex moveset and a major storyline with some cutscenes lasting an near enough an hour might have been enough to put some people off but the reward was great. Even though I felt the ending was a cop out 😦

 

6. GRAND THEFT AUTO IV (Playstation 3)

The move to next gen was a great one for the Grand Theft Auto brand and the fourth game in the series clocked up plenty of amazing reviews when it was released. Liberty City is as close to a fully realised city as we’ve seen within a game. You could stand on the street and listen to people getting on with their (virtual) lives. I’m not saying it would be fun but the fact that it’s possible is testament to the dedication of the makers. Niko Bellic was a fun character to control and his motley crew of friends and girlfriends kept us all entertained long after they should have.

The choices you could make that impacted the story were great and the ending, well I won’t spoil it but it was certainly a fitting end to the Bellic’s story. But it was the random happenings that make all the GTA games great and this one was no different. When I first fired it up I went for a joyride as you do. Ran a red light and smashed into the side of another car. As we both came to a halt I could hear the other driver holding down his horn at me. I jumped out my car in a moment of road rage and ran over to his car. The side was caved in, the window smashed and the guy was unconscious with his head on the steering wheel – hence the horn. I was so shocked for a second I didn’t know what to do. 😎 Moments like that make games and there were plenty in GTA IV.

 

So we’re down to the final 5 – all will be revealed in the next, and final, installment of the Top 100 Games!

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 20-11

We’ve made it down to the Top 20!!

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I thought, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them.

This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices 🙂 ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 😆

So here’s number 20!

 

20. GOD OF WAR: CHAINS OF OLYMPUS (PSP)

Quite simply the best PSP game out there. This hack n slash is a prequel to the previous two God Of War titles (on PS2) and sees Kratos halfway through his service to the Gods. The thing that impressed most about this title were the graphics – for a PSP game they were brilliant. The development team really squeezed everything they could out of the hardware. As usual with these titles the story was great and it was brilliant to step back into the character of Kratos. It was short, 5 hours or so, but I’d rather play an amazing 5 hour game than a mediocre 8 hour one.

 

19. GUITAR HERO (Playstation 2)

I remember first playing this and being blown away. This soon became an office favourite and with the arrival of the second game it was cemented as lunchtime fodder. I’m sticking with the first game here though as it was groundbreaking and, despite the fact most of them are cover versions, I prefer the tracklist. Bark At The Moon? Cowboys From Hell? They really found a great mix of tracks and the joy at nailing songs 100% is very satisfying. Activating ‘star power’ by tilting you guitar upwards? Absolute genius! 😎

 

18. MORTAL KOMBAT (Sega Mega Drive)

I still remember the date clearly: September 13th 1993 – ‘Mortal Monday.’ The day Mortal Kombat was released on the Sega Mega Drive. We arranged to go to a mates after school as he was getting a copy (no idea if his parents knew what they were buying him?). We were only 13 but that didn’t stop us. We played it and played it and played it. With the aid of a move list from a game magazine (this was pre-internet for me folks) we got stuck in. I think we all nearly wet ourselves with joy when the first fatality struck. Scorpion burning someone to death. Never mind video nasties – with this we could beat the hell out of each other and then finish the match in style. Sub Zero pulling someone’s spine out? Ouch. Particularily gruesome but this wasn’t just about the shock value – Mortal Kombat was a well designed beat ’em up that threatened the crown of Street Fighter II for some time.

 

17. GOD OF WAR II (Playstation 2)

God Of War II followed the events of the first game, set a while afterwards. It was the sequel we’d all wanted. The first game was epic and the follow up didn’t disappoint with plenty more carnage and lots of new enemies. The battles seemed even bigger than before. The descent into hell is such a great sequence and overall this is a game that is reminiscant of a Hollywood blockbuster but doesn’t suffer for it. With the third installment coming soon, I’d recommend anyone who hasn’t played this to give it a whirl.

 

16. GOD OF WAR (Playstation 2)

Coincidentally both PS2 God Of War games came in right next to each other, with the original just pipping the follow up. Both these games really pushed the PS2 in terms of graphics and running on the machine. Some of the epic landscapes and battles were like nothing I’d ever seen. And while QTE’s (Quick Time Event) are common now, they weren’t back then and God Of War used them superbly. The beginning of the game set everything up perfectly. Kratos commits suicide by jumping off a cliff. What a way to start a game! 😎 The combat was awesome and the use of Greek mythology was well handled – a must play.

 

15. UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE (Playstation 3)

One of my favourite PS3 games. Forget the dodgy demo and get stuck in from the start. The tale of Nathan Drake hunting the treasure of El Dorado is fantastic. The game uses all the tricks possible and you really feel a part of it. The cover and shooting mechanic work well and the puzzles are just the right side of annoying. The production values are really high and the voice acting is briliant. On the easier difficulty settings this is a perfect game for someone who doesn’t play much to enjoy and on the harder settings it’s a real challenge for the hardcore gamers. Uncharted is like an Indiana Jones film, in my opinion this is the game Tomb Raider wanted to be.

 

14. PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 5 (Playstation 2)

We knew it’d be in here somewhere and I’ve plumped for PES 5 as my favourite in the series. This version had just the right mix – the AI was clever but not too clever, the shooting was excellent and it felt a lot like hard work (for the right reasons) to bag a great goal. The series as a whole has been great for me (PES 2008 on PS3 pushed it’s luck though) and the hours I’ve ploughed into Master Leagues, Become A Legend Mode and playing with friends has to be the majority of my gaming time. Here’s hoping PES 2010 can regain some of the magic they had with those last few games on the PS2.

 

13. METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKE EATER

We wondered where Hideo Kojima would go with the series after Metal Gear Solid 2 and we were pleasantly surprised to find out the third game would be a prequel, set way back in 1964. It follows the exploits of Naked Snake (the man Solid Snake was cloned from – don’t ask 🙂 ). This setting and the fact the action took place in jungle areas meant that players had to get used to whole new way of playing. Less gadgets more foraging for food and laying basic traps/camoflage. Featuring some legendary boss battles: The End, The Fury and of course The Boss. Not my favourite in the series but a great game nonetheless.

 

12. DEAD SPACE (Playstation 3)

This is one of my favourite games ever. Check out my full review for an indepth look. The story of Dead Space is so cool that I love discussing it with others who have played it. No spoilers here so I’m not going to talk about the story more than I need to! Graphically the game shone in HD – for some of the bits outside the spaceship I actually stopped what I was doing to take it all in. The makers could’ve gone for the jugular with jumps and shocks (of which there are some) but chose the braver and more impressive route of creating a real sense of tension and unease. There were plenty of times I’ve have preferred a shock than something that completely creeped me out. The dismemberment combat – going against everything you’ve ever been taught in games (ie headshot = kill) – leaves you panicking: “Yes! Headshot!… It’s…. it’s still coming at me WITH NO HEAD.” *crys like a baby* If you can stomach games of this genre this is up there as one of the best. I’m looking forward to the sequel already…

 

11. METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY

Ah the return of Solid Snake… for about two levels before we switch to whiny ass Raiden. After the success of Metal Gear Solid on the PSOne everyone was clambering for the follow up and while it teased us with Snake what we actually got was a new ‘hero’ that pretty much everyone hated. Raiden was a blonde haired fop compared the Snake’s Kurt Russellesque character. However it says a lot about Metal Gear Solid 2 that even with a badly chosen lead character the game was still excellent. Although the story was somewhat confusing this was the first game to feature Vamp as well as some other great boss battles. It sure felt great to be back in the MGS universe.

 

And now we get to the Top 10! Games 10-6 up next!

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 30-21

Right, here’s another installment of GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games.

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

Let’s go!

 

30. GRAND THEFT AUTO (Playstation)

I remember picking this game up after hearing good things and just loving the absolute comedy of it all. As you try to make your way up the criminal ladder in this top down action/adventure game you come across all kinds of weird and wonderful sights. The squeaky voice they used for talking always used to crack me up. I seem to recall it being a bit of a pain to control the vehicles occasionally but most of the gameplay was spot on. Paved the way for future trips to Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City.

 

29. RAINBOW SIX VEGAS (Playstation 3)

I thoroughly enjoyed this tactical first person shooter. It made a change from the usual run and gun – In Rainbow Six Vegas if you went in all guns blazing you were usually dead in about 5 seconds so you had to think things through and use your team to the best of your ability. Controlling two other characters as well might sound daunting but it was easy and really helped shape your tactical ideas. Also it meant you cared a bit more about their well being as it was you who was telling them where to go. Some of the set pieces the game designers led you to were awesome spectacles and I still have my fingers crossed for a third game in this great series.

 

28. BIOSHOCK (Playstation 3)

Having had this recommended by a friend (cheers Oggy 🙂 ) as one of the best games he’s played I picked myself up a copy and immersed myself in the underwater world / hell of Rapture. Bioshock is a dark, dark game. While you always feel like you’re just trying to survive there is a really nasty undercurrent running through the game world. The plot is immense and I won’t even try to get into here but needless to say this is gaming at it’s finest, taking a chance on some outlandish, yet astoundingly brilliant, story ideas. The Little Sisters 😦

 

27. LITTLEBIGPLANET (Playstation 3)

I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this game as I helped with the music on it and it was so much fun, so addictive that I’d completed it before it even came out in the shops. Sackboy has become a wonderful mascot for the Playstation 3 brand and this game really shows why. Customising your character and playing through the various crazy levels (loved Uncle Jalapeno!) Is great fun. That’s not even mentioning the comedy of multi-player or the fact you can build your own level and upload it online for everyone to play. *Shameless Plug* My created level is called ‘Kitchen Kaper’ by GregHorrorShow. Had a lot of compaints it’s too hard, let me know what you think.

 

26. ROAD RASH II (Sega Mega Drive)

Where do I start? I suspect most people reading this will have played this game (or at least the first one). This was in my Mega Drive for a very long time back in the day. What I loved about the sequel was that it had more freedom with regards to buying and selling the bikes. So it really felt like a choice when you rolled up to the start line. Nitros were awesome and I think everyone and their mum wanted to bag the chain as a weapon. Man if you could time that swing, you could almost take people down in advance. I’d love to see this updated for the next gen or even give us a fully online version of the old game – would love to play my mates at this online.

 

25. SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (Playstation 2)

When people talk about games as art two names invariably crop up. Ico is one (I have yet to play it) and Shadow Of The Colossus is another. To bring your sweetheart back from the dead you are tasked with defeating the massive beasts known as The Colossi. Off you go on your trusty steed with a bow and arrow & sword to fight monsters which are in comparison as tall as skyscrapers. The tragedy of all this is that it’s you waking the Colossi up to kill them. They aren’t on a murderous rampage. Essentially you’re taking their lives to get your girlfriend back. Harsh. This is a beautiful game that is quite rightly revered as one of the best gaming experiences out there.

 

24. MAD DOG MCCREE (Arcade)

This one takes me back. Everytime we go near an arcade I’m on the look out for this bad boy. Me, my dad and my brothers love Mad Dog McCree. The hammy Western acting is unparallelled and the Undertaker… Absolute classic. The premise is simple. Using a light gun blast your way through the wild west. You even get a choice of where in town you want to go (by shooting the wooden signpost 😎 ). Heard a rumour it’s coming to Wii – if the motion sensor is up to the task maybe we’ll all chip in and get one 😉

 

23. OPERATION WOLF (Arcade)

“You have sustained a lethal injury. Sorry but you are finished here.” Another light gun game but again what a stunner. Operation Wolf had you busting into enemy territory S.A.S style in an attempt to rescue hostages. The best thing about this was that the gun a) was attached to the cabinet not held in your hand, b) had some sort of recoil as you fired and c) wasn’t a pistol it was a MACHINE GUN 😎 We had this on the ZX Spectrum as well but obviously it was better in the arcade – just wasn’t the same using the cursor keys and the space bar to fire 😦

 

22. FOOTBALL MANAGER (PSP)

Football Manager on PC has never really been one for me as I never had a PC at home and our laptop now isn’t used for gaming really. However when this dropped on PSP I was onboard straight away. I don’t think I need to pick a particular version but if pressed I’d go for Football Manager 2008 as it’s the latest one I have and it has some cool features – such as interacting more with players/media. The stories this game creates are unreal and it’s always great to get stuck into. Guided Wycombe Wanderers from League 2 to the Premiership (it did take 20 years though!) And we just won the Carling Cup 😎 It’s 2027 on the game. Oh happy days.

 

21. GRAND THEFT AUTO: SAN ANDREAS (Playstation 2)

Definitely the weakest of all the 3D Grand Theft Auto games, San Andreas was nonetheless still a great game. In my opinion it might have been too big – I’m all for a sense of scale but at times it became a chore getting from place to place. The story line was pretty good and the music was spot on. It certainly had it’s moments and this is one of those games a lot of people started but never finished. It was certainly worth finishing to see the plot play out and the last few missions were cool. I liked it when you got to the last island with the casinos etc. Great stuff.

 

And so another ten games pass us by as we head into the Top 20!

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 40-31

Another round of games as we get to the business end of the list.

You guys know the drill by now:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

 

40. ASSASSIN’S CREED (Playstation 3)

At one stage I stopped playing this as I was bored of the whole ‘climb up a tall building to unlock more of the map’ gameplay. I came back to it months later and boy am I glad I did. When I finally got to the actual proper assassinations the game took off. This was like a medieval version of Hitman, only with less choice of how to kill your victim. Nevertheless as you gain more weapons/skills Assassin’s Creed comes on leaps and bounds. Not to mention the parkour style gameplay. The complex story was really enjoyable and I look forward to the sequel later this year.

 

39. ROADBLASTERS (Arcade)

An old arcade favourite of mine – getting behind that futuristic steering wheel in the arcade cabinet… Oh man, it wasn’t hard to believe it was actually the future. 🙂 You were driving a really cool car but fuel is low and you have to pick up fuel orbs to keep going. But the absolute reason this game ruled? An aeroplane floated above you and dropped weapon based power ups that attached themselves to the top of you car 😎

 

38. STREETS OF RAGE (Sega Mega Drive)

“What was once a happy, peaceful, productive city, full of life and activity, has fallen into the hands of a secret criminal syndicate…” 🙂 Streets Of Rage was the Sega Mega Drive’s ‘Final Fight.’ A brilliant side scrolling beat ’em up you could take on the role of Adam Hunter, Axel Stone or Blaze Fielding (Blaze ftw) – three former cops who set up their own strike force as the police network crumbles. The co-op play was brilliant as you crunched and punched your way through wave after wave of thugs. And if it all got too much a tap of the ‘A’ button would activate one of the coolest special moves in gaming history. A sleek police sports car would arrive as back up, with an officer firing a shot from a rocket launcher to kill all the enemies onscreen 😎

 

37. SENSIBLE SOCCER (Sega Mega Drive)

Well I certainly love a football game don’t I? Sensible Soccer was all about having fun. 4-4 draws, 10-1 wins – it was all fair game as the concept of a ‘banana shot’ was taken to the extreme. For me though it was also the flexibility of the editing mode. You could edit any of the teams or players – literally hundreds of teams. It was possible to recreate the lower leagues of English football yay! I managed to near enough perfect the lob shot from just inside your own half – lethal from either side of the pitch, if you timed it right the ball would bounce over the stranded keeper and into the net. Good times.

 

36. PREMIER MANAGER  (Sega Mega Drive)

After Football Manager on the ZX this was my next dalliance with management. This had a great two player option and me and my brother both tried to take third division teams to glory (me Wigan, him Preston). This was a good game with a solid management base that allowed you not only control of the playing side of things but also the corporate side. You could sell advertising hoarding space within the ground, hell you could even build a new ground. A really nice console management sim that I played a lot of.

 

35. MANHUNT (Playstation 2)

Can you say controversy? Manhunt is one of those games that people who have never played it seem to have the strongest opinion on it. You play as James Earl Cash, a death row inmate who awakes to find himself not dead but being offered a shot at freedom by a voice in his ear. Effectively this ‘director’ wants Cash to take part in a cross between The Running Man and a snuff film. There are several ways to kill opponents with various implements that are shown in context of how the finished film will look. It’s a nasty game but the way the story plays out – it has you committing these acts to try to survive… It’s brutal but ultimately very very clever.

 

34. THE WARRIORS (Playstation 2)

I was pretty excited when I heard there was a Warriors game coming. That excitement went through the roof when I found our Rockstar (makers of GTA) were doing it. While it didn’t break any barriers in the game world and the spray can bits were a chore this was a very enjoyable game. Fleshing out a bit of backstory and some of the other gangs. 3/4’s of the story takes place before the events of the film and then you play through the film’s plot in the last quarter of the game. Ah, the Baseball Furies!!!!

 

33. HITMAN: BLOOD MONEY 

Well I mentioned him earlier and now everyone’s favourite bald hitman makes his own appearance on the charts. The thing that got me about this game was the wealth of options you could use to kill the victim. I know of two other people who played this game and often when discussing missions the three of us all had done it a different way: “oh I shot him from the opposite balcony”, “really I snuck in and poisoned his drink” or “I dropped it from the roof and strangled him.” It really was versatile.

 

32. THEME PARK (Sega Mega Drive)

Ever wanted to run a Theme Park? Of course you have, choosing the rides – building a rollercoaster. It’s all here in this classic along with the more sinister side of business. Workers striking over pay? You seemingly extending the hand of a wage rise then retracting it at the last minute so they get a minimal increase 🙂 Adding tons of salt to the meals on the food stand then hiking up the price of the drinks next door 😆 A very fun lesson in taking advantage of your staff/customers 😉 but also it’s hard to match that feeling of pride when you completed your park, opened it to the public and they all loved it!

 

31. FAHRENHEIT (Playstation 2)

This was one I played recently (see my review for full details) – another Oggy recommendation so cheers for that mate. 🙂 This is more than just a game, it’s an interactive film that you control. Having control over more than one character was excellent and led to some great situations. For example you control Lucas Kane after a murder and getting away, then you controlling the cops investigating the murder. The story lost it’s way toward the end but I still thoroughly enjoyed this title. Every gamer should try it.

The Top 30 is up next!

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 50-41

So we’re into the Top 50 already!!

You guys know the drill by now:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

Let’s crack on with No. 50…

 

50. inFAMOUS (Playstation 3)

inFAMOUS is a great game that sees you take on the role of Cole MacGrath – a man who develops mysterious electrical superpowers after being caught in an explosion while delivering a package. From there on out it’s up to you how you go about finding the people who caused the explosion to get answers / revenge. Throughout the game you’re greeted with good or evil choices that shape your powers and the way the general public view you. The story in this game was one of the main highlights for me. Brilliant, brilliant gaming.

 

49. ALIEN TRILOGY (Playstation)

This was a brilliant game. A first person shooter based on the first three Alien films. Although I don’t think you actually played any of the plotlines from the film, it was just the settings etc. Best bit was if a facehugger got you – it actually took up the whole screen, leaving you unable to see where you were going/what was going on. And it even had the scanner with it’s creepy bleeping, signalling imminent danger. Great stuff.

 

48. RESIDENT EVIL 2 (Playstation)

Ok, ok so I never finished this (I hardly finished any games back in the day, content to just play until something new came out 😥 ) but it was all about the opening anyway. After the slow paced survival horror of the first game being dumped in amongst lots of zombies right at the start of this one and effectively told to ‘get on with it’ was something of a shock. Certainly a big ‘what the hell’ moment and the game grows in strength from there.

 

47. ALIEN 3 (Sega Mega Drive)

 

Another Alien game in the same ten game stretch? What madness is this? Well that’s just the way the list worked out and Alien 3 certainly beats Alien Trilogy on merit. Despite being based on only one film this side scroller for the Sega Mega Drive was really impressive at the time. The “photo-realistic” shots of the Aliens between levels was a highlight and I simply never got tired of using the flamethrower to fry the critters! It was a pain to keep rescuing the cocooned hostages though 😮

 

46. ROBOCOP VS TERMINATOR (Sega Mega Drive)

I wrote a piece on how Robocop deserves a decent next gen game and after playing Terminator Salvation I wasn’t impressed with the latest Terminator effort. Looking back this was the last decent game for both franchises. And what a game. The story was pretty convoluted – basically Robocop’s cybernetics hold the key to building Terminators or something 🙂 Going round shooting Terminators as Robocop. COULD THIS BE ANY COOLER? Yes it could – you also faced off against ED-209 😎

 

45. SUPER MONKEY BALL (Nintendo GameCube)

Many an hour spent perfecting Monkey Target (Hi Hollow Snake! 🙂 ) and Monkey Golf made this a favourite during my short time as a Gamecube owner. Super Monkey Ball featured monkeys in big balls and you were tasked with navigating them through several tricky puzzle like courses. Or various multi-player ‘sport’ events. All great fun but there was something tragic about not closing the ball on Monkey Target – which left your monkey friend terminally injured, twitching on the floor 😥

 

44. HORACE GOES SKIING (ZX Spectrum)

Another old classic. This was requested by myself and my brother every time my Dad busted out the ZX. “No money no ski’s” became a family catchphrase. In this gem of a game you had to guide Horace across a busy road to hire some ski’s, get back across the road and then actually navigate the slalom on the ski’s. Such a simple concept but we got literally hours of fun out of it.

 

43. FIFA 95 (Sega Mega Drive)

I think this has to be one of the games I’ve played the most in my gaming life. I used to rack up the seasons on this quality title. The follow up to the original FIFA game this was the beautiful game at it’s best. Even back then EA was all about the presentation – whenever you scored each button corresponded to a celebratory noise like fireworks or a klaxon. The best by far was a commentator saying ‘Gooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaalllllll!!!!!!!!!!’ For as long as you held the button down. A lot more arcadey than the football games these days but certainly as much fun.

 

42. GAUNTLET (Arcade)

“Wizard needs food badly” – If there is a sampled piece of speech in a game that raises the blood pressure this is it. That booming voice. You felt like you were being told off the whole time. Heaven help anyone who shot the food by accident! This was 4 people multi-player action at it’s best and it literally ate 10p pieces for breakfast in the arcades. I always went Wizard as he looked pretty badass on the arcade artwork but in reality he was a bit crap. Oh well maybe I’ll just shoot some food. 😆

 

41. SPEEDBALL II (Sega Master System)

No top games list would be complete without this seminal classic. Brutal Deluxe – it brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. I remember when a friend and I got them to the playoffs. God this game was bloody hard. It was violent and addictive – you could have your opponents stretchered off seriously wounded if you hit them hard enough. All you had to do was chuck the ball in a goal – sounds easy right? But there were all sort of multipliers dotted around and power ups available. We’d never played anything like it and I doubt we will again.

 

So there you have it, another ten games down and plenty more to come!

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 60 – 51

Here we go, 60-51 in GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games!

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices 😆 ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

Let’s crack on with the next ten…

 

60. PAPERBOY (ZX Spectrum)

I reckon most people in the world have played Paperboy, with it’s near crushingly difficult streets and inhabitants. This is one of those games that will have you screaming in frustration one moment and celebrating a perfect delivery in the next. There are objects flying at you from every direction and all you’re trying to do is deliver the papers. Also loved the training sections at the end with the ramps etc. A nice slice of gaming history.

 

59. RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2 (Playstation 3)

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 was a great follow up title featuring more of the same tactical SWAT style shenanigans. If you like your shooters fast and furious (ala Killzone 2) then this won’t be for you. Methodical planning and several ways to strike make this a tactical dream. But it’s still a FPS at heart and there are a few frantic firefights waiting for you as you return to the Strip.

 

58. HEAVENLY SWORD (Playstation 3)

Heavenly Sword was supposed to be THE game to showcase the power of the PS3. But somehow everyone got caught up in how good Nariko’s hair looked and the game got itself some lukewarm reviews, with it’s short length (5 Hours) cited as a problem. For me this was a fun hack n slash that actually did a few bits better than the genre defining God Of War games (combos for a start). Yes it was short but it was really enjoyable and the cut scene graphics still rank up there as among the best I’ve seen. Worth checking out, especially as you can get it for about a tenner now.

 

57. STREET FIGHTER IV (Playstation 3)

As comebacks go Street Fighter IV has to be up there with the best of them. Other than Mortal Kombat  nothing had come close to touching Street Fighter II for years – Tekken on the PSOne was the most fun following SF II but we all knew Ryu and co. wouldn’t be beaten. So imagine our surprise when the trailer for SF IV turned up. Sweet artistic graphics? Check. Decent roster of old and new characters? Check. Same move sets but with a few added extras? Check. Street Fighter IV is one of the best looking fighting games ever. And the fact they retained the move sets means anyone who has ever played Street Fighter II can pick this up and get involved straight away.

 

56. DESERT STRIKE (Sega Mega Drive)

Desert Strike sees you piloting a helicopter on covert missions in the Middle East. Whether it’s blowing up satellites or rescuing M.I.A’s (soldiers Missing In Action, not the pop star 🙂 ) you will have a blast. Using a mixture of machine gun, rockets and hellfires (big rockets 😆 ) you will be tasked with all sorts of missions. The ‘copter was a bitch to control most of the time but that only made it more fun; seeing yourself bounce off a building as you reverse at full speed always raised a chuckle. Memories of my Dad being up until 3am playing this also raise a smile 😀

 

55. CAPTAIN COMMANDO (Arcade)

For years this was known as the ‘game with the baby, y’know, the baby in the robot suit’ by me and my brother – much to the confusion of 99% of people we were trying to explain it to. This arcade machine suddenly appeared in a local shop one day and once we played it we were hooked. It’s essentially a re-skinned Final Fight but with the added bonus of being able to use ED-209 style bots throughout the levels. Oh and did I mention the BABY IN A ROBOT SUIT! 😎

 

54. MIRROR’S EDGE (Playstation 3)

I completely applaud EA for putting this title out and trying something new. This is a game that is totally first person (while you play) but involves very little shooting and lots of parkour and hand to hand combat. It’s not often a company will take a punt on something as ambitious as this and it has it’s problems but Mirror’s Edge has a lot of heart and it was a great gaming experience – possibly one that might shape future first person games so that they aren’t all shooters.

 

53. ROBOCOP (ZX Spectrum)

Man, I loved Robocop on the ZX Spectrum. Shooting criminals, then putting together photofit ID’s of them. Then shooting some more… This was one of those games that looked amazing in the arcade and… quite frankly didn’t on Spectrum. However the gameplay was there and I spent a lot of time on the streets, trying to wipe out the OCP scum 😎

 

52. SPACE INVADERS (Arcade)

Another classic like Pacman – the gameplay of this title is almost ingrained in our pysche. Defending yourself from the hoardes of aliens, while trying no to shoot at your own shields is one of the most basic yet fulfilling gaming experiences. This was back in the days when there weren’t levels as such, or an end to the game. It was all about the points. And they were there to be racked up in Space Invaders, as you faced huge numbers of enemies. There’s something almost tragic in the fact that basically you can’t survive the invasion – it’s just a case of fighting them off for as long as possible before dying as they take over 😥

 

51. RACE DRIVER: GRID (Playstation 3)

Race Driver GRID is one of the best driving games on the market and featured a revolutionary new gameplay mechanic enabling drivers to rewind the race (up to 4 times) and effectively have another go at that tricky corner or overtaking manouvre. It really does bring a whole new dimension to the gameplay, making people more likely to take risks and therefore have more exciting races. The graphics of the game itself are really impressive and the crash mechanics are up there with the Motorstorm series. The World Tour mode is very deep and offers plenty of different options. Definitely one to pick up if you don’t already own.

 

So there we go, we’re at the halfway stage!!

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 70 – 61

Here we go, 70-61 in GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games!

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices 😆 ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

Let’s get going…

 

70. BLACK (Playstation 2)

Black was the first real ‘Hollywood’ first person shooter. Presentation took over from gameplay as they squeezed every last drop of graphical power from the PS2 – proving the console wasn’t quite on it’s last legs as predicted. This game packed in some amazing set pieces and at times it honestly felt like you were playing a film. The level in the shower room was among the best I’ve played in a FPS and I was always surprised a follow up never emerged.

 

69. RESIDENT EVIL 5 (Playstation 3)

Chris Redfield returns, only this time he’s scooted across to Africa to deal with an outbreak. Teaming up with Sheva the player has the option to play co-op or with an AI buddy in tow. That’s the main addition to the game following on from Resident Evil 4. That and the fact a lot of it takes place in the sunlight. The game was well paced and finally the zombies got machine guns 😆 I really enjoyed getting back into the Resident Evil universe but I wasn’t really blown away by the fifth in the series.

 

68. SPACE HARRIER (ZX Spectrum)

I used to love Space Harrier on the Spectrum. Flying round with your awesome rocket / jet pack shooting stuff 😎 Again same as the other Spectrum games you had to casette load between levels 😦 Not really sure if there was a story but you’d blast through serious amounts of enemies while using flight to avoid incoming enemy fire. I remember playing this for ages on a little black and white TV and then seeing it in the arcade – it was soooo colourful! Not that a colour TV would’ve helped at home, the Spectrum version didn’t quite have the same look as the arcade one 😉

 

67. MOTORSTORM: PACIFIC RIFT (Playstation 3)

One of the best racing games I’ve played. This truly is fun. The risk/reward of the boost adds a lot to the game and the addition of heating up/cooling down your boost bar makes for some tactical driving. Sadly the online part has never really worked for me so I haven’t had quite the happy experience I did with the first Motorstorm. But this is an improvement in almost every way, on an already impressive game.

 

66. GOLDENEYE (N64)

Often called the ultimate first person shooter Goldeneye revolutionised the genre to such an extent it’s often the first game on many lips when talking multiplayer. I never owned an N64 but I had plenty of long sessions at mates houses during university. They really struck a near perfect balance between the weapons and the level design was brilliant. This is a game everyone should have played and it has helped shaped FPS’ers ever since.

 

65. FOOTBALL MANAGER (ZX Spectrum)

Oh the joys of a football (soccer for my US chums) management game. 🙂 This was the first major management sim I remember and regardless of the (loveable) stick men graphics the gameplay was addictive as any title out there now. I don’t recall having much success, despite several signings and no real save feature meant a season usually had to take place in one sitting *gulp* But that was cool with us! Good times had by plenty with this one and despite being wholly unsuccessful it whetted my appetite for further spells in football management 😎

 

64. MARIO KART (Super Nintendo)

Mario Kart was a staple of most kids gaming lives in the 1990’s and I was no different. The vibrant cartoon graphics and the wonderfully thought out weapons made this a stand out title. How many of us have been leading only to be hit by a red turtle shell? Or indeed benefitted from a burst of invincibilty? Many others have tried, and failed, to replicate this formula – in fact Twisted Metal probably came closest and that is way too dark for kids 😆

 

63. SOS: FINAL ESCAPE (Playstation 2)

A fantastic idea and one I feel disappointed didn’t make it to a wider audience. Effectively your character survives an earthquake and it’s up to you to help him get back to civilisation without succombing to the many death traps the disaster has left in your way. There are no guns or violence here, you’ll be using your wit and puzzle solving skills. I’m not a big fan of puzzle games but this was presented really well and it felt like a proper adventure.

 

62. WWF SMACKDOWN 2 (Playstation 2)

As I mentioned earlier I was into WWF when I was a kid in the late 80’s / early 90’s but it was a wrestling game in the late 90’s that I ended up playing the most. WWF Smackdown 2 had one of the deepest career modes I’ve ever seen. It was great fun creating your wrestler and seeing them go through the various stroylines etc. It was almost like a role playing game. I had no idea who most of the other wrestlers were tbh, other than the famous ones like The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin but that didn’t matter because it was all about your created guy. And that made this a quality, fun title.

 

61. TRACK AND FIELD (Arcade)

This was an absolute arcade classic – hitting the buttons as fast as you can while taking part in various athletic based events. I’m sure more than a few kids were left with crippling hand/finger injuries after extended sessions on this! And how cool was the guys moustache 🙂

 

Our next batch covers 60-51 and then it’s time for the Top 50 GregHorrorShow Games!

Stay tuned…

GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games: 80 – 71

It’s time for games 80-71 in GregHorrorShow’s Top 100 Games!

A quick recap on how I decided who came where:

I decided, as so many games mean so many different things to me, I should come up with a fair way to judge them. This is what I came up with:

Time Spent Playing

Storyline

Difficulty

Fun

Ground Breaking?

A few provisos before we hit the next ten games…

Firstly this is my list of my Top 100 games. I certainly don’t expect you guys to agree with it (though hopefully you’ll agree with some of the choices 😆 ) and would welcome any comments.

Secondly, I’m not planning on putting the scores or totals up, just listing the games in the order they came out in.

Lastly, I never owned a Nintendo or Microsoft console so my experiences on these games were limited to friend’s houses etc – bite me 🙂

So here’s number 80!

 

80. WARHAMMER 40,000: FIRE WARRIOR (Playstation 2)

I was never really into Warhammer as a kid. I had the Space Crusade board game they put out but made up my own rules and that was as far as I went. However I was quite excited by the prospect getting into Space Marine gear and… Oh you’re not a Space Marine 😦 Despite that disappointment the game was great fun and it made a refreshing change to blast people with lasers as opposed to bullets. A good game with some nice shootouts as the story progresses.

 

79. DONKEY KONG (Arcade)

The game that made Mario famous. Donkey Kong was really difficult. Trying to get the little plumber up to the top without being hit by the numerous barrels thrown by Donkey Kong was a major challenge. Add in fireballs and elevators and it becomes nigh on impossible. One of the first real platform games and a real coin eater in the aracde.

 

78. SUPER PUNCH OUT (Arcade)

Another arcade classic – I’ve got lots of happy memories of this gem. In particular my nan playing it on one holiday and doing pretty well! 😆 This was a great game that put you squarely in the shoes of a boxer trying to win the world title. Your opponents were a ragtag bunch of cartoon-esque characters – after Glass Joe the rest stepped up the difficulty and kept you coming back for more.

 

77. FINAL FIGHT (Arcade)

One of my favourite games EVER. Final Fight was absolutely brilliant… limted but brilliant. The mayor’s daughter has been kidnapped and her friends Cody and Guy set off to rescue her. Oh, did I forget to mention her Dad is MIKE HAGGER 😎 He also goes along to rescue her. You had the choice of controlling either of the three men before dishing out some vigilante justice on the streets of Metro City. Awesome, just awesome.

 

76. MICRO MACHINES (Sega Mega Drive)

Man, the hours I piled into this game are never coming back 🙂 Stonking multi-player racing, especially with the Mega Drive cartridge itself housing two extra pad ports for four player mayhem! Everyone always picked Spider but we all know if he was angry enough Walter probably could’ve taken him 😆 Seriously good racing, very well thought out courses and the hazards were brilliant.

 

75. MANIC MINER (ZX Spectrum)

Manic Miner was a mainstay of my young gaming life as we had it for the ZX Spectrum when I was a kid. Boy was this a toughie! I think I only made it a few screens in. This was the ultimate in hardcore gaming for me for a long time. Frustrating but fun and it was a real challenge to see who could get the furthest.

 

74. DONKEY KONG COUNTRY (Super Nintendo)

I used to get to my mates house early before school every morning to play this at one stage. The comic style 3D graphics were like nothing else at the time and some of the gameplay was brilliant. This was one of those games that everybody was playing and it was one of the few decent games to do 3D properly.

 

73. WWE LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA (Playstation 3)

All your favourites from the WWF era (excluding Macho Man Randy Savage) come together to battle it out in WWE Wrestlemania. What I love about this game is the fact it’s so easy to play and the quick time events for bigger moves/finishers is a brilliant addition. The best wrestling game in years.

 

72. TWISTED METAL (Playstation)

Rumours abound that Twisted Metal will be making a return to PS3 in the next year or so and I welcome it. The first game saw you enter into a competition against other drivers with the mysterious Calypso, who promises the winner whatever they desire. Vehicles are armed and it’s a fight to the death. Remembered for demonic ice cream van driving clown Sweet Tooth, my favourite was Crimson Fury or Spectre – brilliant characters.

 

71. KANE AND LYNCH (Playstation 3)

I know Kane and Lynch got a lot of stick upon it’s release but for me, while it was broken in terms of camera and controls, it had enough great moments to see it through. Some of the levels were brilliant – the bank robbery, the jail break etc. I really liked the storyline and the online mode Fragile Alliance was one of the best concepts I’ve encountered for online multiplayer gaming. Essentially there is a pot of money for your team to rob from the building. Facing off against the police is one thing but only surviving members get a cut of the cash. So if there are three of you left when the police are dealt with do you split the money three ways? Or try and take out the other guys and keep it all for yourself? Absolutely fantastic.

 

So another lot wrapped up, we’re edging towards the Top 50!! Games 70 – 61 up next…