Honorable Mention
Mass Effect Trilogy
First Year Played: 2013
Number of Playthroughs: 3
The Mass Effect Trilogy is a compilation I picked up about a year ago on Riley's request. I never anticipated how much I would come to adore these games. In the past year, I have played through the series three times and enjoyed it each time. This was one of the few games this generation that actually got me attached instantly, and I am so glad I did. I decided to include it as an honourable mention because I absolutely adore this series, and I included it as the "Trilogy" because that is what I purchased it as and I always play it through together, so it is almost like one gigantic game for me.
Number 10
Animal Crossing
First Year Played: 2003
Number of Playthroughs: 5
Animal Crossing was my first game on Gamecube (aside from the Zelda compilation that included older games). I remember my Mom telling me that a clerk at Wal-Mart recommended it, saying it was a surprisingly good game. I thought I'd give it a shot when I received it for Christmas. I played it for a bit but didn't really see the appeal and tossed it in a corner for a while. One day, my cousin came over and saw it and wanted to try it out. She instantly became hooked, and as I watched her play it, I started to realize how fun it looked. For years after that, I played Animal Crossing like crazy with my cousin and my sister, constantly going to each other's towns, getting upset over villagers moving, making home renovations, and simply creating the giant world of Animal Crossing. I could have never expected how fun such a laid-back game could be if my cousin never decided to put it into my Gamecube.
Number 9
Assassin's Creed II
First Year Played: 2009
Number of Playthroughs: 4
The first Assassin's Creed was my first game for my Xbox 360. I remember playing it for 20 minutes, hating it, and leaving it to collect dust for almost a year. Finally, I was bored and decided to try it again and this time, I absolutely adored it. Shortly after, Assassin's Creed II was announced and was shown to have an Italian setting, which is my heritage. When I picked up this game on release, I was in awe. Italy was absolutely beautiful in the game and I actually just felt nationalistic playing it. I loved everything in the game, the portrayal of Italians (my culture), the portrayal of Catholicism (my religion) and just the gameplay in general. Assassin's Creed II will always remain one of my favourite games of this generation.
Number 8
Super Mario World
First Year Played: 1998
Number of Playthroughs: 2
Super Mario World was literally the very first video game I ever owned. When I turned four in 1998, my Dad came home with a SNES and I was so excited. Even though I was never actually good at the game and never got passed the third world for most of my childhood, I would play through those first three worlds all the time and enjoy it. I remember the first time I discovered Yoshi could fly with a blue shell in his mouth, I went absolutely crazy. And then I discovered the different coloured Yoshis and was just ecstatic. I could not have asked for a better game to raise me into my video gaming career.
Number 7
Banjo-Tooie
First Year Played: 2001
Number of Playthroughs: 5
Banjo-Tooie was one of my first games for N64 and easily my favourite. I had played the first level of Banjo-Kazooie at my cousin's and really liked it, so when I got an N64 for my 7th birthday, I decided to get Banjo-Tooie along with it. I kid you not when I say this, but Banjo-Tooie is the first game I actually remember finishing. I had played so many games throughout my childhood, but Banjo-Tooie was the one that had me determined enough to beat it. Although I did skip over some tough parts like the Lord Woo Fak Fak boss fight.
Number 6
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
First Year Played: 2008
Number of Playthroughs: 3
This list would not be complete without a Super Smash Bros. game. I was a huge fan of Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is partially why Brawl is on here instead of it. I played Melee so much as a kid, that when Brawl was announced I went absolutely crazy. This game was easily the second-most hyped up game I have ever hyped in my life. I stayed up till midnight every single weekday to see the updates on Super Smash Bros. Dojo, and on the day that Sonic was announced I nearly screamed. Unfortunately, when the release rolled around, I was one of the unlucky ones whose Wii would not read the game. I kid you not, I was almost in tears. Luckily, my friends had working Wiis so I played it for almost five days straight with them, loving every single moment. The biggest reason Brawl appears on this list instead of Melee is because of the characters. While game speed and stages and all that are important, nothing can get you like a few good characters. Brawl introduced some of my favourite characters in gaming such as Sonic, Meta-Knight, Lucario and Wolf, so I tend to favour it.
Number 5
Kingdom Hearts II
First Year Played: 2010
Number of Playthroughs: 2
Kingdom Hearts is one of those games that I saw the commercial for, was very interested in it, but never actually owned the system to play it on. One day when I was 16, I randomly decided to go buy a PS2 and both the Kingdom Hearts games. I guess my intuition as a kid was correct, because Kingdom Hearts was a perfect match for me. I love Disney. I love Final Fantasy. I love RPGs. Kingdom Hearts was my kind of game. Even with all its cheesy plot elements and occasionally annoying voice-acting, Kingdom Hearts felt so fresh and refining to me. Instantly, Kingdom Hearts became one of my favourite series of all time, and since Kingdom Hearts II was my favourite in the series, I decided to put it on this list to represent this fantastic series.
Number 4
Chrono Trigger
First Year Played: 2008
Number of Playthroughs: 2
I had read a lot about Chrono Trigger and was always intrigued by it. I had just started to become a big RPG player in early high school, so I decided to pick this game up when it was released for DS. Wow. Just wow. Not only is this one of my favourite games, but I also believe it is one of the finest games ever created and definitely one of the best stories in gaming. The way the gameplay and the story is so perfectly crafted around the time travel elements is just unbelievable. The characters are unforgettable and all received such deep and satisfying development. And I'll be honest, there were multiple occasions where I wanted to throw the game at the wall because a boss fight was too difficult, but I perserviered and I am so happy I did because Chrono Trigger is one of the world's finest games and definitely worthy of being called art.
Number 3
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
First Year Played: 2004
Number of Playthroughs: 6
The first Paper Mario and Super Paper Mario are also some of my favourite games, and likely would have been #12 and #13 respectively if this list were larger. However, The Thousand-Year Door was just leagues ahead of them. I was extremely excited for this game, and I remember when I first got the game I had a huge race with my friend on who would beat it first, as is tradition with us whenever a new Paper Mario title is released. We both, however, got stuck on the final boss and could not beat it. I remember there were almost ten kids in my class who had gotten stuck on the final boss and nobody could figure out how to beat it. I was so happy when I was the first one to actually vanquish and beat the game. Now this is the strange part I like to call "The Thousand-Year Curse." Almost immediately after beating it, I stupidly left the game vulnerable on the floor and my dog stepped on it and snapped the disc in half and I think I may have cried. That was copy #1. I bought another copy, of course, and beat the game several times through before losing that copy. That was copy #2. About five years ago, I ordered it off the internet, and the game was so scratched up that I could barely start it without it displaying an error message. That was copy #3. I had all but given up until about a month ago when my friend saw the game at a store and called me and bought it for me. Hopefully copy #4 lasts me until the day I die, because I never want to be separated from this amazing game ever again.
Number 2
Pokemon Gold
First Year Played: 2001
Number of Playthroughs: 6
When I was six years old, I really wanted a Gameboy and a Pokemon game, because I had Pokemon Stadium for N64 and loved it. Around October 2001, I broke my leg for the third time in my life and was condemned to a cast. I remember my parents going out one day and coming home, telling me they "talked to Santa and he gave them my Christmas present early." There in front of me was a green Gameboy Color with a copy of Pokemon Gold. I cannot express how happy I was. Since I had broken my leg, I played this game ALOT. And not just once, multiple times. I beat this game numerous times and absolutely adored it. I still regard this game as the greatest Pokemon game of all time and will never change my mind, because Pokemon Gold is my childhood and nobody can ever take that away from me.
Number 1
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
First Year Played: 2007
Number of Playthroughs: 8
Twilight Princess is my hands-down, no doubt favourite game of all time. I strongly believe it will always remain such. When I talked earlier about Brawl being my second-most anticipated game of all-time, Twilight Princess was my first. Apparently it only took about 2 and a half years for the game to come out after it was announced, but to me as a kid, it felt like decades. Every time I felt like it was getting close, it got delayed. I literally thought this game was never going to see the light of day. Even when it finally came out, I didn't have a Wii to play it on and I didn't want to get the Gamecube version because I knew I was getting a Wii soon. When I got my Wii for Christmas, everyone was sold out of the game, and I was actually depressed. I remember one of my friends had it but never played it, and I kept bugging him to let me borrow it. Finally, he caved and gave it to me at school. To my surprise, when I got home I found a new copy of the game and the strategy guide sitting on my bed, courtesy of my mother. I don't think I was ever happier. I loved this game in its entirety. My favourite boss is in this game. My favourite dungeon is in this game. My favourite character is in this game. This game simply had everything, and I'll admit, I shed a tear when it was all over because I felt like an era of my life was completed. Since then, I have played this game AT LEAST 8 times through, and I'll generally play it every year at least once to remind myself of the what I am looking for when it comes to gaming.
Article By:
Giuliano V.
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