Blog:Grust's Top 10 Favorite Games of All Time

A while ago I made a list of my favorite game without it being a top 10 list as at the top I didn't think I could do a top ten list of my favorite games do to having so many great games in my collection. However last year one game was abe to do something for me which made it my all time favorite so I figured if it could that, it had to be my all time favorite so I decided to finally make this list. Due to my collection and very high number of great games I will make things easier for myself. Only one game per franchise and only one JRPG from Square-Enix and one not from Square-Enix. However that also means this won't be my definitive top 10 favorite games but it'll be the best I can do, so here are my top 10 favorite game of all time.

10. Seaquest: This stays in my Atari 2600 at all times. I love it that much. You play as a sub and as you attack sharks and other subs, scuba divers appear to collect. Once you have all 6, you head to the surface to start a new level of increasing difficulty. You lose scuba divers when you surface for air or get destroyed which adds some extra challenge. It's also from Activision before they went to crap. The best way to describe Activision in the Atari age, they were the equivalent of Capcom or Konami during the NES age. With other classics like Pitfall or Kaboom in their mantle, it's a shame Seaquest is so obscure.

9. mh:awesomegames:7 Days to Die: While it has its flaws, 7 Days to Die at least to me is a pretty good game. Starting after World War 3, you play as a survivor in the county of Navesgane, one of the few areas not hit with radiation. As a survivor you must fend of the undead with your technical knowhow and combat skills. It's made even harder because every 7 days, the blood moon hits and the zombies senses are heightened and they know where you are at all times. I've gotten so good at this game that on average, I'll have the Forge made by Day 2. One time (actually it happened the day I made this blog. I got my base set up and the Forge done on day 1.  I usually save the Forge for day 2 and my base for day 1, but lady luck was on my side.  The one thing I really do hate about the game is there is no end game goal, just survive.  Because of that, I make my own rule.  Die once, delete everything start anew.  If I ever wish to add this to my Games I Beat Blog, my own goals to do so would be to make it to day 200 without dying once, and no treasure.

8. Final Fantasy 10: While some may hate this game for the title character Tidus (don't blame them, he's pretty annoying at the beginning), this is my favorite 3D Final Fantasy game. The main reason for this is the gameplay. This is the only JRPG I know of where you can switch characters in and out of battle which is very helpful since most enemies can only be harmed by certain characters. Tidus is good for agile enemies, Auron takes down armored enemies, you name it. It also has a kickass soundtrack (which I happen to own). If you've beaten this game, you probably know already what my favorite song is, if you haven't the answer is Battle With Seymour, which I think should have been used for Braska's Final Aeon or Yu Yevon.

7. Fatal Frame 2: Probably my all time favorite survival horror game, you play as Mio who is searching for her twin sister in the Lost Village which according to legend disappeared on the night of a ritual. What was the ritual? One sister kills the other. This was meant to seal the gate to Hell. But one night the ritual failed and everyone died. Problem was, they didn't go peacefully. Under the grip of the evil infesting the town, the spirits of the dead are unable to leave. Though tragic, these spirits are the enemies and must be exorcised through the Camera Obscura. This game offers several improvements that I think the first game didn't age well because of it (though I wouldn't call it a bad game either). And believe it or not, Fatal Frame 3, comes ridiculously close to being tied with this game. If you enjoy survival horror and haven't played these games, you're missing out.

6. Contra:  My all time time favorite NES game, Contra is a run and gun game with extremely fluent controls and rewarding challenge. This is proof that challenge can come from the enemies and environment and not from clunky controls. It's also famous for the Konami code Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A. However, to call yourself a true retro gamer, beating this game without the code is a requirement as far as I'm concerned. Beating this game without it was one of the happiest moments in my life as a gamer. It's a real shame Konami went the route it did, because they produced a ton of great gems, including this.

5. The Legend of Dragoon:  This has easily my all time favorite gameplay mechanic in any JRPG anywhere, the additions. Instead of simply pressing the attack button, you hit the attack button at the right moment to chain several slashes together to create combos to do more damage or to charge your dragoon power. Leveling up takes a while to do and only usually happens after a boss fight, but it's not your levels you seek, it's the points you acquire to level up your additions to do more damage or build up power for your dragoon transformation. The additions are so good I look forward to every fight in the game as I don't feel like I'm grinding but having fun.

4. Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon:  It's a real shame this never made a classic status for the N64 as it's one of the best games on the system. Combine the secondary items from Zelda with some platforming, boom, now you got MNSG. The plot is silly and nonsensical, the villains aren't very threatening but are treated as such and the ending makes me laugh and laugh. Throughout the game, your characters also receive magical powers that can be used to progress and collect hidden items and encourage backtracking. But what really cements this as one of my favorite games are the giant robot battles. At three points in the game, you take command of giant robot Impact to take down kaiju sized robots. Plus Impact's theme song is so good. I don't speak Japanese, but I can almost sing this perfectly. It's also the first game I beat when I got my Tribute 64 controllers.

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum:  My favorite in the franchise is still the first game. For me I think it's because it's a bit more linear and clear on the goal; stop the Joker. The only sidequest in the game are the Riddler trophies which doesn't sidetrack from Batman's ultimate goal. As you progress, Batman gets numerous items to progress and collect Riddler trophies, which gives the game a Zelda like style. Plus it's actually the only real game where the Joker is the final boss. (Nuh-uh Grust, what about Origins?) That was just a bunch of very easy QTEs. The final boss of that game was Bane.

2. Super Mario 64:  I said this about a million times right now, but I hold a lot of love and appreciation for this game for what it did for 3D gaming. Very fluent controls and multiple worlds to explore and inventing the mission system which was originally created because of hardware limitations but was so well received that it became a staple in many games ever since. And I know that Sunshine Galaxy and Odyssey are bigger and better I won't deny that but each of those games also have a gimmick to them. Sunshine has FLUDD, Galaxy has the spin jump and star shooting system and Odyssey lets you possess items and enemies. With Mario 64, there is none of that. It's just Mario, with just his skills and his skills alone. Fun fact I got 100% game completion with the DS remake before I got 100% completion with the original. Weird huh?

Honorable Mentions

 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: This is the only game in honorable mentions I really want to talk about for good reason.  It's a simple JRPG with Mario but even though it's made with kids in mind, it's not super overly tutorialized, it doesn't hold their hand, it even asks you if you know something before explaining so time is not wasted.  It also has hidden items, a hidden casino, silly characters and I see this as a very good gateway game if you haven't played a JRPG but wish to.  In other words, THIS IS WHAT FINAL FANTASY: MYSTIC QUEST SHOULD HAVE BEEN.


 * Basically if a game has great controls, good story, likable characters, fun or relaxing gameplay, awesome music, and not made by jerkoffs who insult their own customers, I'll end up loving it. As I said before this was NOT an easy list to make as I have a ton of games I love.  This doesn't even come close to scratching the surface.

And my number 1 all time favorite game is:

Well before I say let me tell you a story. It was November of 2018 and I had got done voting and I wanted to take my mind off of it. Thankfully November also marked the 20th anniversary of my number 1 choice's U.S. release and I was looking forward to playing it in honor of that. Almost immediately after hearing the nostalgic music, all thought of politics actually left my brain. It was that moment I knew without any doubt that this is my all time favorite game. And that game is....

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: The Zelda franchise's first 3D game and it has aged very well even after 20 years. The world was so massive at the time but it also kept you on the right path. A ton of treasures to find like pieces of heart and the Gold Skulltulas. One reason I still prefer this game over others like Twilight Princess or even Breath of the Wild is the stylish deaths of the bosses. Say you eat a boss in Twilight Princess or Wind Waker, they writhe and turn to smoke that's it. Meanwhile King Dodongo gets woozy from the fight and rolls into lava. The lava hardens as his body is encased leaving only his smoking head. I love these death animations as they were and still are some of the most creative. The gameplay is fun, the puzzles are good to solve. I'm even one of the few who doesn't even mind the Water Temple. The only negative I have is Navi, but if you ignore her, this game is still awesome and easily my all time favorite game.

As I said, this wasn't easy and there's a one trillion percent chance I didn't add a game you like. But as I stated, I own a ton of great games and there's not enough room to fill them all in. And like I also said this likely isn't my definitive list. You got a better shot at your top 10 favorite games of all time. Let me know in the comments or make your own blog.

