Gushing About Shows You Like (Sugar Wiki)/Video Games/G to P


 * You wouldn't believe me, but Gears of War is one for me. The music is astounding, the plotline is done beautifully, and dear god, I cried so hard when
 * Gears of War is one of a select few modern series that makes absitively, posolutely no apologies for being a testosterone-filled killfest. Intricate, physics-based puzzles? Nope, too busy blasting monsters into chunks with an ORBITING SPACE LASER! Sympathetic, deep characters? Sorry, I can't hear your boring backstory over the sound of my FREAKISHLY HUGE MUSCLES! Creative weapons that require finesse and skill? CHAINSAW BAYONETS!
 * Glum Buster. Just... Glum Buster. This game is pretty much a dream in video game form. The backgrounds are jaw-droppingly gorgeous, the soundtrack sets the atmosphere perfectly, and the gameplay has just the perfect amount of surrealism. One of the things that sets this game apart is that it only gives you the most basic of tutorials and lets you figure out the rest as you progress. Because of that, most of the puzzles rely on How Do I Shot Web?, which leads to some surprisingly difficult parts. Even so, it only adds to the dreamlike experience. Best of all, Glum Buster is charityware, with most of the proceeds going to The Starlight Children's Foundation. This troper intends to write a TV Tropes article for it in the near future, because this game definitely Needs More Love.
 * God. Of. War. The biggest, baddest, most epic blood-and-guts-Roy-Harryhausen-if-the-censors-were-not-admitted Ancient Greek pile of badassery ever. A rare case where linear gameplay turned out to be a blessing; the entire thing is like playing a movie (and a really good looking movie too). Also; the soundtrack.
 * But the second game... Ooooh baby. Everything got bigger, but not just that - the game served you up a who's who of the best opponents possible from Greek Mythology and had you rip them limb from limb, the extra weapons leading to different playstyles, the time distortion, just improved on everything
 * But that its all that, plus a deep and meaningful exploration of guilt, rage and revenge, of mans own bestial nature. That it can be both fun as hell gore fest as well as deep and meaningful at the same time, just shows that it is truly the greatest action series ever made, ever.
 * Where to begin with God of War 3? Ah yes, the most Epic beginning to any game EVER. From fighting on top of Gaia to spilling a centaur's entrails to killing FUCKING POSEIDON, through HIS EYES. All set to an even MORE epic sountrack than the other games.
 * Gothic 1, 2, and even 3 to an extent are all under-known gems of a today forgotten era of RPGs. The expansive worlds (2, with the addon, came with 3 distinct worlds!) to explore, the characterization of the main cast, the real sense of character progression that most RPGs lack, make the series one of the best RPG experiences around.
 * The online Grow games take an unique concept and make it utterly cute and fun. Grow Island is probably the best out of them, but Grow Cube and RPG run a close second and third. Did I mention that the game animations are so cute and fun to watch, even if you get the order of things all wrong?
 * There is a new game that is a Spiritual Successor of sorts to Grow Island, called Grow valley, it is just as epic or even more epic than Island.
 * This Troper loves Guild Wars! It has beautiful graphics, especially in Pre-Searing! The gameplay is also fantastic! Plus you have a bajillion skills to choose from, so you can make pretty much anything you want. Oh, and with max armour ratings for each profession type and max base damage for each weapon type, it isn't based on "I beat you because I have the Infinity+1 Sword!" Thus, the stuff that costs a lot are weapons with rare skins, not weapons that can one-shot other players. They do the same damage as other weapons. But they do it more prettyfuller! And, PvP is separate from PvE. I love this, since I don't have to have my PvE characters PvP-ready and such. And also, all this actually has lower specs required than you'd expect, and the memory it takes up on your computer is a lot smaller than you'd expect, too! Oh, and I like how each campaign and the expansion have a story to them, like a single-player RPG, instead of the "yeah just wander around a bit and kill stuff, do some quests, whatever" that you get in most online RPGs. And... Best of all... IT'S FREE! No subscription required! Just buy it, install it, update it, and you're set!
 * Not only is the above all true but the story is both funny and interesting, and even after four years and a squeal in the making the staff at Arena-net have devoted a small team into making sure people who still play it are entertained and the bajillon skills are relatively balanced and are one of the most open and honest (within Reason) bunch of developers you'll find. Nt only that but in Guild wars you don't -have- to spend every day on it, you can take a break for however long you want and then come back whenever you want.
 * Going on just about 5 years now and ANet is STILL adding new content to the original Guild Wars even as they continue work on Guild Wars 2. Last year (2009) they did a huge update at anniversary time which added a new NPC (Nicholas the Traveler) who asks for a certain "collector's item" (obtainable as drops from defeated enemies) every week for which he will give you gifts in return, including rare weapons and "miniature pets". Also in 2009, "Zaishen Missions", "Zaishen Bounties" and "Zaishen Combats" were added for which you can earn various denominations of coins redeemable for rewards which can include backpacks (to provide extra storage space on your characters) or elite tomes (for acquiring elite skills). The addition of "Zaishen Missions" and "Zaishen Bounties" did a lot to revitalize the game because it gave players additional incentive to do various missions and quests. Now, in 2010, with the game's 5th birthday coming up, something just about as big seems to be in the works. This Troper doesn't know yet exactly what's going to happen, but from advance hints being dropped it's possible that a Factions-style system is going to be set up in Prophecies where you can take the side either of the White Mantle or the Shining Blade. If you've finished both Prophecies and Eye of the North, this means the area in the Prophecies campaign known as Kryta is likely to get much more interesting, and much more challenging!
 * I have to say, I like WoW much, much better. I haven't played Guild Wars in something like 6 years, but the biggest problem with it that I had was the 8 ability maximum you could have on your bars. Nothing sucked quite so much as getting an awesome new ability and realizing that you had no room on your bars for it. I'm the kind of person who loves having a ton of options, and GW just wasn't working for me with the extremely limited bar space. Honestly, if it wasn't for that, I would have loved the game.
 * Currently, this troper, is completely infatuated with Gungrave. The bizzaro tale of a murdered man now called "Beyond the Grave" raised from the dead and given the chance to go on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against his former comrades, including the man who murdered Grave in the first place. While the games do not have the combat depth of Devil May Cry (it's all about shoot, shoot, shoot some more)--honestly that's all I need, as Grave is basically a purple-clad undead cowboy assassin that carries a coffin that doubles as a weapon of mass destruction and wields Guns Akimbo and blows everything in his way up, in the most over-the-top ways simply because it's cool (really, the series gets quite OTT) And in Overdose? You get to choose between the original hero, the Blind Dual-Wielding Swordsman, or the Rockabilly Ghost Who Possesses His Own Guitar That Shoots Lightning. And the ability to slow down time. I've just watched the entire anime series and it was just as awesome--and bought the artbook. >.> <.< * goes to look up that Brandon Heat bobblehead on Ebay* To quote from the Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot page, "Did I mention it's all designed by the creator of Trigun?"
 * Never mind the bobblehead, I want Grave's Nice Hat!
 * Halo has everything a great first-person shooter needs - an epic, well-crafted story with some great characters, absolutely gorgeous graphics and scenery, and most importantly, ridiculously fun gameplay. I can play for hours, both online and offline, because shooting Brutes and Grunts in the head, blasting an opponent with the shotgun, blowing shit up in a Tank or Warthog, and sticking someone never gets old.
 * Halo. Just... HALO. I know that it's cliched, but the story is cool, and you can't help but like some of the characters. It also change FPS games, and started the trend that video games aren't just for geeks.
 * Hearts of Iron is like playing history. And it is glorious.
 * Heavy Rain is brilliant. A bit cheesy, but it is a pioneer in interactive storytelling, the narrative is amazing, it dares to traffic in unbelievably universal themes, and it goes places no game before it has dared to. It's not BioShock (series), but it is undeniably a step forward in the artistic development of the medium.
 * I don't find the game cheesy at all. I find it very exciting, thrilling, moving, and emotional.
 * The Hitman series of games. There are just so many ways of completing each mission and so many Self Imposed Challenges to try out. This troper will never get bored of the Hitman games.
 * Homeworld. I grew up watching my dad play this (one of the few games he would ever play), so I'm probably a little biased, but still. Quite likely one of the best real-time strategies ever made, got at least one game of the year for 1999, and the first (and one of the very few) strategy game to use 3-D models and motion tech for actual gameplay instead of just eye candy - which it had more than enough of anyway. The ships look simple now, but they're still beautiful, and the backgrounds as well. Paul Ruskay's wonderful soundtrack communicates the emptiness of space just as well as the rush of fleet-to-fleet battle, blending in Middle Eastern sounds perfectly before Battlestar Galactica ever did - and their use of the Agnus Dei, given context and how awesome the song itself is, is perfect; their rendition of it remains this troper's favorite. The storyline, as well, is as grand and epic as any other Space Opera while maintaining a sense that it is racial myth, a long-held history. And it is dark, and very sad. The multiplayer is so well made that there are still players, 12 years later. In short, this game is made of concentrated awesome. The sequels aren't that bad either. Do yourself a favor, get this game, and try not to read or watch anything to spoil it. It's worth it.
 * And what about the Spiritual Successor to Shadow of the Colossus, Ico (Well I guess if you want to get technical, Ico came before Shadow of the Colossus, but whatever...) It's radically different from Shadow in terms of gameplay, but no less awesome--when you bond with a character that you can't even understand what they're saying. While this troper personally thinks Shadow is better, Ico is amazing in its storytelling, puzzels, and that feeling of aloneness that carried over to Shadow of the Colossus.
 * Iji. probably the only game I didn't want to complete because I knew I'd miss the characters and would never have that experience again. now that's good characterisation.
 * But if you don't complete it, you miss the most utterly heart-rending and devastating ending a game ever had. It reduced me to tears the second time I played when I already knew what was coming. Now that's good characterisation.
 * It's the only shoot-em-up game where to truly win you don't kill ANYONE. More than that, you save people who you have every right to kill. Oh then you figure out how to get the Scrambler... and you spend the next playthrough cracking up with laughter every time someone speaks!
 * You owe it to yourself to get Ikaruga for the 360, if you have one. Awesome music, great mechanic, beautiful design, all-around awesome. My only complaint is shared with other games of this type, like Triggerheart Exelica, namely that you can't rotate the screen and remap the stick, thus getting full screen, if you can't rotate your TV. Patch please!
 * I actually miss that game. Hey, Nintendo! Get on a Virtual Console release of EarthBound! Great humour, a nice and simple battle system, and some moments that are genuinely freaky.
 * There's no way a game as deep in legal crap as Earthbound can ever be ported without changing a whole bunch of stuff within it. Sorry.
 * Pretty much any game by Infocom. They revolutionized the Interactive Fiction genre, proving once again that the best graphics are the ones you create inside your own head.
 * Ah... This Troper is shamelessly bragging about Irisu Syndrome, and how great the game itself is. You got Great (not to mention cute) Characters, a shocking and subtle Story, addicting Gameplay despite being Nintendo Hard, and best of all, Irisu Herself. Then you have Metsu, in which there is great quality in music, and creates a (even more) well developed storyline, which explains what motivations the Characters have. You have to keep reading the text files to understand the entire plot, but once you do, you'll be treated to an amazing storyline.
 * I Wanna Be the Guy is just plain neat. It's this brilliantly insane nostalgia-fest packaged in a game that challenges you like no other. It's packed with neat tributes and Easter eggs ("It's dangerous to go alone! Take this." ""), not just to the old standbys but to games that for the longest time I thought I was the only one to have ever heard of, and did I mention it's hilarious? The entire game is basically one giant Crowning Moment of Awesome with a generous sprinkling of Crowning Moment of Funny.
 * The Jak series is the greatest series of platformers this troper has ever played. Darker and Edgier done right, funny jokes, great story, fantastic graphics that stand up to this day (The Palace sequence high up above the city in the second one still takes my breath away), and best of all, brilliant platforming, which is a rare thing these days.
 * You forgot to mention the interesting, well-developed characters! While TPL didn't have the most original story, it was the characters (specifically, Daxter) that made me fall in love with the series. Later characters were also interesting and had Hidden Depths! Sig, despite being the Token Black Guy, has real depth and likeability, being a gun-toting mercenary on the outside and a cuddly teddy bear on the inside. Tess, the Dumb Blonde, is also a talented gun designer and loyal freedom fighter. Ms. Fanservice Ashelin is one of your more competent allies and can hold her own in the fight. The gruff, initially-suspicious Rebel Leader Torn cares very much about the Underground and his men, but he cares just as much, if not more, about Ashelin, leading to a Sadistic Choice that affects the outcome of the story. Veger and Praxis are generally unlikable douchebags, but they mean well on some level, making them more rounded than the villains whose motivations are "take over" and "kill shit".
 * Story time: It was my 11th birthday. I was in the car with my mom and sister driving back to our house, and I asked for a video game for my birthday. My friend at the time was there with me, and I mentioned how stupid the Precursor Legacy looked (I saw commercials for it on TV and thought it looked dumb at the time). Then my mom and sister looked at each other all concerned, so I knew they got it for me, but I still tried to be grateful when they actually gave it to me. Thank God my mom and sister picked up that game over all the other ones in the store.
 * Madden NFL was what got me into football. Say what you will about EA, but these games are almost consistently fun, innovative, and allow those of us too lazy or frail to experience the joys of physical competition.
 * Knights of the Old Republic II is one of the best RPGs I've ever played, and my hat goes off to Obsidian. Even without Team Gizka's restoration project.
 * To play La-Mulana is not just to play a game. It's to go on an epic adventure.
 * Unfortunately, FFVII has lost its appeal to this troper, due to the fact that it overshadowed the gem of Legend of Dragoon. Epic story? Check. Great graphics (for the time) - check. Intuitive, inventive, and engaging combat sequences? Triple-check! Yes, it has its share of narm, but that doesn't prevent it from being one of the most engaging stories that came out in the new millenium - that and Lavitz' death effected me far more than Aeris', since he was used more in the party.
 * How could FFVII overshadow a game that came out four years later?
 * The LegoAdaptationGames. Yes, this troper knows he's too old for them, but they're done so well! I got hooked starting with Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy, and I even played the original. I logged many, many hours on both of those games, trying to reach True Jedi, collect every minikit and Gold Brick as if my life depended on it, as well as unlocking all the characters, even if most of them are either carbon copies with different faces or completely useless. Then came Lego Indiana Jones. This troper rented it during arguably the roughest summer of his life, but couldn't put it down, even when his stepmom was telling him to get ready to go out to dinner. Again, every Gold Brick, Red Brick, Minikit, et cetera. Then Lego Batman. I got it for the DS, and even if it didn't have those awesome Lego cutscenes, the comic book visuals weren't bad, and it was pretty much the same game, same collecting shit. This troper has just recently received Lego Harry Potter for Christmas, and he's spent the better portion of his days just wasting away at them. The lack of dialogue in the cutscenes is interesting. It's more of a "seen but not heard" type of thing. Even if there's some cheap slapstick thrown in here and there, I don't care! This troper, despite being not very fond of the Pirates of the Caribbean series (except for the first one. Not so much the others), the announcement of that series being LEGO-ized is pretty cool. If only we could see LEGO Rocky or LEGO Die Hard, or better yet, LEGO Back to The Future... that would rock! Especially seeing that the last one is having a video game made out of it. LEGO Terminator? Nah, that's pushing it.
 * The Longest Journey / Dreamfall, anyone? I love it. I love it so much. The characters are incredible, the music is wonderful, and the scenery makes me want to cry tears of joy. It is the most immersing quest I have ever played.
 * LucasArts adventure games. Monkey Island, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango are all absolutely amazing. It's the perfect blend of humour and puzzles.
 * The same goes for Telltale adventure games.
 * This Troper loves the Lunar games. Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete is to this day still this Troper's favorite game. The strongest point of the games are the characters who you just have to love.
 * This troper prefers the original Sega CD release, because it's even funnier than the "enhanced" remake.
 * The Lunar fanbase considers Lunar Legend the black sheep of the three versions of Silver Star, yet it's this editor's favorite RPG on the Game Boy Advance. The music is incredible and the story is just beautiful.
 * Machinarium. The most beautiful indie adventure game I've ever seen, with a touching storyline and puzzles the equal of any Lucasarts point-and-clicker. Everything about this game is fantastic. The built-in walkthrough that also has a built-in deterrent from using it. The animated memory/thought bubbles. All the character designs are unique and delightful! See also Samorost, the previous game made by Amanitas Design.
 * Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven: Still stands as a masterpiece. Fantastic touching story, well written characters and great performances. Some of the levels will never go away. Also has among the most alive and realistic cities in a videogame.
 * Magical Starsign is THE best RPG ths troper has ever seen. The Plot's suprisingly well done, the characters and NPCs are hilarious, AND it doesn't take itself too seriously! Everything is this game is great.
 * This troper would like to nominate Marathon as the best sprite-based First Person Shooter ever. It's storytelling was simply unheard of then and even now, with a richly crafted sci-fi world and believable characters. The text-based terminals combined with stellar shoot-em-up gameplay captures the essence of both genres, imploring the player to use his/her imagination. The result: a world that truly seems breathing and believable despite (and perhaps because of) the simplistic technology. Marathon proves that you can don't need amazing graphics for an immersive experience. Frankly, it deserves much more attention than it has.
 * I absolutely agree, especially with regards to the story. Forgive me if this sounds too grandiose, but the Marathon storyline is my favorite fictional story EVER, of all time, in any form of media. I truly think of it as my The Lord of the Rings in terms of how it impacted my life. It was the series that introduced me to the entire concept of Wild Mass Guessing (ok, actually Halo was, but they were both made by Bungie, and Marathon as a story has aged better in my own humble opinion). My mind was set on fire by all the "nonsense" terminals, the weird, surrealistic subplots, and the fact that Bungie didn't try to spell out everything, instead keeping everything vague and leaving the true meaning of the games up to the players. These games are not for people who demand answers. They are for people who love mysteries. And all this was done BEFORE Half-Life came along, mind you, during a time when most other FPSs were still about mindless carnage and not much more. These games never get the credit they deserve. (Btw, if anyone cares, check out the Marathon's Story page for hours upon hours of story dissection).
 * I would also like to add that Rubicon is one of the best fan sequels ever made, period.
 * Attention, Shoot'Em Up fans: Go play Mars Matrix.
 * I really like Mechwarrior 3. It had great graphics for the time (but still look good), a compelling story, and you really felt like you were stomping around in a 90 ton machine of destruction.
 * Mechwarrior 2 was the first computer game this Troper ever bought, and still plays till today. The entire BattleTech universe has a magnificent storyline, and the game has great gameplay and use of tactics. The graphics are extremely obselete for now, but at the time they were great. This is all topped off with a Crowning Music of Awesome.
 * Meteos and the Xbox 360 sequel Meteos Wars are, without doubt, this troper's favorite Falling Block games. Meteos was great not just because it was thoroughly entertaining, but in that it was one of few games I found that utilized the DS's touch screen as a primary control mechanic without it feeling like a stupid gimmick. Meteos Wars has been my newfound addiction, in addition to rediscovering the original. The lack of a touch screen actually doesn't hinder the game too much - the button controls don't take too long to adapt to, and overall it's easily as fun as the original. It's well worth the money-price and time needed to adapt to the 360 controller if you loved the original game, as this one includes loads of throwbacks to it, including many of the original planets (or all of them if you get both DLC packs), a handful of which include their entire original soundtracks remixed to reflect the 360's higher operating output. The rest all have absolutely superb and satisfyingly addicting new audio to go with them. The game does have its flaws - the controls can stick sometimes, and if you're just a little colorblind (like me) then differentiating between similar pieces on certain planets may be tough on a SDTV. But it's certainly not deserving of the flak that it gets (most of which is directed at its lack of touch controls and lack of being on a Nintendo platform).
 * How more shall I second the awesomeness that is Meteos? Shall I describe thee as the greatest puzzle block game since Tetris and the most frantic upon frantic of multiplayer experiences? Shall I expound upon thy incredible variety of planets and harmonic music? Yet only those who have played thee know thy greatness; only those who have saved the alien races from extinction upon thy screen would eagerly await the announcement of your return as 3DS sequel, which would bring forth such awesomeness indeed.
 * Metroidvania. Metroid for it's ambience, it's bajillion powerups and new abilities, and it's cool bosses, and Castlevania for it's rpg depth, whips, subweapons, dracula, and all that good stuff. The Metroid Prime games and the DS Castlevanias are just bliss.
 * YES!!! I've played many of the games from both series, and they remain my favorite games even after I've played hundreds of other titles.
 * Thank you Might and Magic for providing 9 seven games of role-playing bliss. The series is great, the plot arcs are great, and it's always lots of fun to play. This troper still gets replay value from them despite the fact one was made in 1986. That is a compliment.
 * Oh come on. Eight was brilliant. How many other games let you recruit dragons as party members?
 * I know it's the popular thing to gush about Minecraft these days, but honestly? It deserves it. There's something strangely addictive about Minecraft. I don't know if it's the heady rush of pure creation, the excitement of discovering new worlds, or what, but it is FUN. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to building my to-scale recreation of the Death Star out of obsidian...
 * This needs more gushing. In what other game can you make a city entirely out of wool, dye it all the colors of the rainbow, burn it to the ground, make a diamond monument that spews out lava in memory of the city, blow it up with tnt, and replace it with a minecart system? Granted, it takes a lot of time, but it is awesome.
 * It's wonderfully addicting, suitable for all ages, and can be played any time. Have your parents grounded you from the internet? Play Beta offline. Bored at work? Build some structures on Classic. The game also has a lovely soft piano soundtrack.
 * Say what you will about the graphics, but everything else is awesome. Even the Nightmare Fuel is so perfectly done that this troper finds himself deliberately looking for it. Wow
 * Mirror's Edge. Because it was fun to be a modern-day Ninja in a strangely beautiful police-state. If only for a few hours. Here's hoping the rumored sequel gets made, so DICE have a chance to crank out the Even Better Sequel the franchise deserves.
 * No matter what you say, there's ONE Call of Duty game you will LOVE from both Treyarch and Infinity Ward. Despite the acid reaction to Modern Warfare 2, this troper (Also a Tom Clancy lover) absolutely loved it. Black Ops will probably be the Treyarch favorite (Again, Clancy lover seeping through [read Without Remorse: They plan a mission that's on-par with Black Ops that CoD:BO might cover]).
 * This (lady) troper admits to first playing Modern Warfare 2 for one reason, and one reason only... Soap McTavish. He's hot, bad ass, and has a sexy accent. However she found that the story was awesome too! Lots of people knock the story, but it makes perfect sense once the end is revealed.
 * I've never been a big Mortal Kombat fan, until 9 kame out. I got it as a graduation present, and it ended up replacing Marvel vs Kapcom 3 as my fighter of choice. It has an impressive kast of klassic kombatants, all of which are reasonably balanced ( save for Kung Lao ) and fun to play as. The story mode was the most well done story mode in any fighter I've played ( save for maybe BlazBlue ). It really says something about the game when even people who don't like MK will admit that they respect how much effort NRS put into it.
 * Muramasa: The Demon Blade is quite possibly This troper considers it to be THE best game on the Wii, and one of the best games to be made in the past five years. Between utterly gorgeous visuals, interesting, cool, well-voiced, well-designed, badass characters, incredibly fluid and epic battles, and a soundtrack to die for, this is one hell of a game.
 * Mushihhime-sama Futari. A great Shoot'Em Up with amazing graphics, bullet patterns that are challenging enough to make you sweat (but most of the time are fair enough and have a way out of them if you play your cards right), and very fun scoring systems. Every time I play, I find or learn something in the game that makes the game even more awesome, whether it's learning how scoring works in Maniac mode, or the unique Arrange mode, Black Label's God mode (which manages to be Harder Than Hard while still being actually fun and reasonable), or even the stress reliever that is Novice Ultra mode. And the 360 port is region free. I paid $85 for the game ($70 for the game itself, $15 for the Black Label Expansion Pack), and with an arcade stick, the port is worth every dollar. All I'm missing now is a rotated TV so I can play the game the way it was meant to be played.
 * The My Sims series. The characters are adorable and amusing, and the building and customization is fun for my creativity.
 * Myst. This series of games is masterful, every installment is brilliant (yes, This Troper even likes Myst IV), with wonderful puzzles and absolutely stunning visuals, threaded together by a very creative storyline and charming aesthetics. These games are awesome.
 * Oh yes. This troper remembers playing the original Myst as a kid, back at the beginning of the millenium, upstairs, in the dark, and never managing to get far past Sirrus and Achenar's books because they would scare me off, but still loving the freedom of it. Coming back to it years later and managing to get through the whole game, then moving on to the rest of the series: perfect. I still think the first one may be the best, simply because of how completely alone you are: it IS the indirect Trope Namer for Beautiful Void, after all, and boy is it beautiful. Don't forget Robyn Miller's Crowning Music of Haunting. You can just sit somewhere, stare at the world and hear whatever sounds it's making, and be totally at peace...
 * Myth: The Fallen Lords, by Bungie. Even though the game is 14 years old, This Troper maintains that it's the best realtime tactical game ever made. It's challenging and awesome while remembering to be actually fun. Soulblighter may not have been as good, but Bungie packaged the tag editor for the game with it, and there's an active online community for 3rd party material even to this day.
 * It boggles the mind that these games never became more popular. Not only was there awesome multiplayer, but the entire campaign was available for co-op! I can't tell you how many times I tried to beat the level "Gate of Storms" on legendary difficulty with all my buddies, only to get to the end and accidentally blow up my entire army with the explody spell. Casualties.
 * Nethack. Not many games can become more fun every time you die less than 10 floors down. What is possibly the most expansive free game ever is done entirely with keystrokes on your keyboard (actions and graphics), proving that good graphics are not the biggest deal in the world. And it's funny, too.
 * Complete agreement on this one. In addition to Nethack proving graphics aren't all that important to a game, Nethack also proves that minor things like characterization, story, and a learning curve are also not important in making an amazing game. Nethack ftw!
 * The Neverhood competes with Psychonauts for best game never played. Extraordinary puzzle game, with 100% clay animation. The music is strange and funky and absolutely perfect. It's a wonder to behold, and is a true gem in the genre. It even has it's own lore, if you have a spare three hours to read it in.
 * Ninja Gaiden Black. It's got a lame story, even by Excuse Plot standards. However, it's got one of the most complex combat systems out there, with it's only present rival being Devil May Cry (Bayonetta may become a new addition). The enemies are more vicious than any I've ever encountered in my gaming life, who throw Mook Chivalry into the winds, and are smart enough to use various strategies that keep a player guessing their move(sometimes they attack you all out, sometimes they defend and wait to counter, other times they will have their buddies attack you, and when your vulnerable after blocking a strong attack, they'll strike). On harder difficulties, every mook is a boss and every boss is accompanied by extra mooks. And you know what? It manages to throw all that at you with no Fake Difficulty. This makes it a hundred times more satisfying when you win because you know that it's because of actual skills you had to take time to hone. The best feature (which I am infuriated that no developer ever copied) is when you up the difficulty, the enemies don't just get more health and hit points. They get whole new abilities. This forces the player to change their playstyle, and it plays like a whole new game, and fresh. Ninja Gaiden Black. It is win.
 * No Nippon Ichi yet? You people make This Troper sad. All Disgaeas feature witty characters, an enticing storyline, and a fantastic battle system. Phantom Brave's lack of a grid and method of unit deployment makes it one of the most unique TRPGs out there. I have yet to play Makai Kingdom or La Pucelle, but I imagine they're just as good.
 * Nippon Ichi is just so awesome.
 * No More Heroes. I don't know a single person who can't resist the sheer bloody madness of walking around with a beam katana and slicing people open, only to hear them scream "My spleen!" as they die. Plus the graphics are pure cell-shaded orgasm. It's just a great game. It's why I bought the Wii, actually. (And while we're at it, let's throw in MadWorld for the heck of it.)
 * Odin Sphere. So. Amazing. This game is a 2D side-scrolling brawler that takes place inside a book, in the words of Penny Arcade. The graphics are gorgeous, hand-drawn. The game play changes with each of the five characters you play and love and cry for, learning more about the sinister plot that will bring about Armageddon. And you eat fruit that grows from souls and grow sheep fruit. Need I say more? You don't want more than sheep fruit. ...fine. You also get to fight as a gliding Valkyrie with a spear, a Pooka Prince who does spin attacks with a powerful sword, a black knight who can do massive damage within a second with his sword, a flying Fairy who uses a crossbow that shoots energy, and a last Princess who uses chains to swing around and bash her enemies with tons of amazing combos and ways. This game. Is. Amazing.
 * This dates back quite a while, but this troper has always been fond of the original Perfect Dark for the Nintendo 64. The music, the multiplayer, the weapons, the story, the levels, just about everything was as Perfect as the title would lead you to believe. It's just such a shame that it wasn't as widely acknowledged as Golden Eye 1997, and part of me thinks that it only became known because of the prequel released on the Xbox.
 * Planescape: Torment is one of the few games that can be thought of as literature and visual art. It's like what would happen if Neil Gaiman and Guillermo del Toro got together and made a game. It's disturbing, it's moving, it's hilarious. It's absolutely beautiful.
 * I daresay that this is one video game that everyone, and I do mean everyone needs to play. It's something that challenges the boundaries of what video games are, with absolutely masterful writing on par with some of the best novels in existence. More than a video game, it's a beautiful, amazing, heartrending, moving story told in an absolutely unique format - and more than anything else, it has sucked This Troper in, moved him to laughter, tears, and cheering, and left him, in the aftermath of the fantastic ending, absolutely stunned from the brilliance of the concept and its flawless execution. No, he isn't even exaggerating. You need to play this game.
 * Thirded. My favorite game of all time. You can play it five or six times over and still find something new, some revelation that was hidden just out of the corner of your eye or some obscure dialogue path that leads to something you never suspected. It was the game that finally convinced me that games could become an artform the equal of any other.
 * Prince of Persia: Sands of Time was the best, most touching and beautiful Arabian Nights fable I ever played.
 * @/Tombcannon: Seconded. I have never been so willing to overlook game breaking glitches as I have for Sands of Time. Restart the entire game because somehow Farah didn't register as being with me, ending in an automatic game-over five seconds after starting? Well, since it's you, Sands of Time... Such a pity that the sequels didn't keep the same tone.
 * Prototype. Just freaking Prototype. I don't know why, but I just find it so enthralling. Randomly blowing stuff up in helicopters, sneaking about bases eating everyone, and running around the place and flying around firing blood out of your wrists like a demented emo jet...Who could say no to all that?