20-Mass effect
I never understood the appeal of Star Wars, at least not until I played Mass Effect. The complete immersion in a world a universe that Star Wars fans feel is what they experienced after my first two missions.
19-Minecraft
Yes, someone is trying to recreate the continent of Westeros from Game of Thrones in Minecraft. Yes, someone else made a scale replica of the starship Enterprise, but I think it’s more fun to do something more humble in your private or shared world.
18 – Half Life
Half Life 2 managed to both create the blueprint for the modern single-player shooter and be the highest mark in the genre. He was the first and possibly still the best at what he does.
17- Half Life 2: Episode 2
Episode 2 just does everything perfectly. You have an adventure in a mining complex with a hilariously tame Vortigaunt companion, a final frantic battle against hordes of antlions, an ambush where Combine troops destroy a mansion around you, and finally a battle with a legion of Striders.
16-BioShock
To this day, horror games remain little more than jump scares and sudden sound explosions, Bioshock’s submerged tomb of forgotten dreams and broken promises constantly generating an environment far more uncomfortable than any blood-soaked wall or a corpulent zombie could wait.
15 – Devil II
I love the aesthetic of Diablo II, it makes me feel like I’m living in a world of miniature models like the one once used to create movie effects.
14 – Portal 2
It’s more fun and even more endearing than its predecessor, and it inverts several new types of puzzles that make the Porta gun look even more amazing.
13 – Earthquake
Quake is not, it is a phenomenon. Without him, TF2 would not exist. Drilling fields with nine-inch spikes and blowing up Shamblers with quad rockets is just as much fun now as it was in ’96.
12-Mass effect
Two years have passed and I still cannot hear the name of Shakespeare or any reference to his work without the voice of an Elcor reciting Hamlet’s most moving lines popping into my head.
11- Counter-Strike: Source
It’s one of the few modern multiplayer shooters that doesn’t ring bells and whistles when you walk – no cover system, iron sights, kill streak rewards, air strikes, vehicles or anything unlockable, just you, something ballistic . weapons, level geometry and some grenades.
10 – Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty
The way armies animate and express player intent shows Blizzard’s careful thought and Frankensteinian craftsmanship; they imbue life and true personality in unitary models. Without 5C2’s ease of viewing, it would simply be a game, not a rising culture that anyone can participate in.
9 – Civilization 4
. It’s still the pinnacle, and it’s just as good today thanks to two things: several satisfying paths to victory, and the modability that gave us gems like Fall From Heaven. As Civilization V demonstrated, Firaxis broke the mold after making this one.
8 – Weapon 2: Operation Arrowhead
What’s more PC than an open sandbox that honors your ideas? Arma loves freedom as much as Minecraft, demands more synchronized teamwork than Classic Rainbow Six, and, with a native quest editor, is more moddable than Half-Life.
7-Elder Scrolls IV
There are those that boast of freedom and player choice, and then there is Oblivion. Freedom” says it too lightly. Want to ignore the main quest and slaughter every single person in Cyrodill? Go ahead. Want to spend 300 hours collecting Daedric weaponry to display in your corpse-resistant mansion? No problem.
6- World of Warcraft
There was a time, during the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, when raids were the most fun you could have in any game. Delving into Ulduar, still the best dungeon the WoW team has ever created, was an adventure he looked forward to all week. The fights felt harsh but the mechanics understandable. One had to split his team: half to maintain a gladiatorial arena, the other to run a gauntlet of baddies to knock a boss off his perch.
5 – Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age took all the clichéd fantasy motifs and twisted them delightfully. Instead of beautiful castles full of nobles, we got dirty, racist cities populated by selfish elves and morally corrupt dwarves, and it was amazing. Each of your fellow party members had their own agenda and motivations, and would often introduce opposing characters just to hear them joke around and pick each other up.
4 – Fallout 3
Most people watch the puppet show, but I just watch the strings. Fallout 3 brought the magic back to gaming for me. It gave me this giant, characterful universe to live in. I still go back and wander the landscape when I need an escape. More importantly, though, it taught me a very valuable life lesson: the tunnel snake rule.
3 – Team Strength 2
TF2 is Valve’s invincible lab rat. It was released as an expensive reboot. Since then, Valve has made it free, quintupled the game’s arsenal, added item crafting and trading, opened it up to community-designed items, hosted two Australian Christmases, and updated it 267 times.
2 – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim is a paradise for role-players. My current character is a bit crazy and loves punishing NPCs. I love the way Skyrim feels like an immersive collaboration between me and the world.
1 – Gate
Many games can be described as “innovative puzzlers,” but Portal’s clever mechanics aren’t the crux of its greatness. It exploits the unique qualities of interactive media to tell a perfectly paced story with original aesthetics and a nuanced mix of humor and gravitas.