Games that defined your life Top10 - With honorable mentions

[o.pwuaioc]

Sonic the Hedgehog series

While I've played video games before I got my Genesis (chiefly Duck Hunt, Super Mario Bros, The Legend of Zelda, and Pole Position), this was the first game that was mine. My older sister bought it for me, and I played the heck out of it when I was six years old. I was engulfed. After playing Sonic, I knew that video games were a part of my life. Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles just solidified that.

Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter II

These two games, more than any other, defined my gaming experience with my friends. Sure, everyone loved the platformers and beat em ups, but MK and SFII saw more play than all the rest combined (when with friends, that is; alone, it was Mega Man X and the Sonic games for me). We had tournaments, grew super excited for the subsequent releases, spent money on magazines to find out all the moves, and even when not playing made up our own characters. Ah, to be 9 again.

Link to the Past/Secret of Mana/Final Fantasy II

I discovered the RPG late, and ironically my first RPG wasn't even a real RPG. I played these three games back to back: first Link to the Past which got me used to puzzles, talking to townsfolk for clues, super basic leveling up, and non-platforming action. It was great! I immediately was sucked into the world, and eagerly ate up all I could find about it, especially the monthly manga strip in Nintendo Power. Once finished, I needed something else like it, but more in depth. Luckily, I had Secret of Mana on hand to fulfill that need. It took me a very long time to figure out the basics - leveling up, not swinging until the meter is at 100% - but in time I was drawn into although not as compelling of a story, a far more complex one. I could do things in SoM that I only wish I could do in LttP. Amazing. Then I was shown Final Fantasy II (i.e. IV). This was also around the time I started reading Lord of the Rings, and my 11 year old mind exploded with fantastical settings. This game, more than any other, got my into high fantasy, and really set my imagination in motion. I probably would not have been an ancient historian like I am now if it were not for this game (well, it was interest in fantasy coupled with love of Greek mythology).

The Legend of Dragoon

Definitely not my favorite RPG, not even my favorite PS1 RPG, perhaps not even in the top 10 after I finish evaluating enough of them, but it really pushed me into enjoying RPGs more. I had only played (and beaten!) three RPGs before: Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy II, and FF: Mystic Quest, and this bumped me up into the next generation of RPGs. Unlike the modernized Final Fantasy VII, this kept me solidly in the medieval fantasy setting.

GoldenEye

I always liked Perfect Dark better, but for years GoldenEye was the go-to game for my small group of friends during high school and college. Three or four pizzas, a few two liters of coke, beer for those who wanted it, and some chips, and man what a way to blow the night away! It wasn't until 2006 that Red Faction and Red Faction II started to become alternatives, and Red Faction II ultimately replaced GoldenEye around 2008 as the game to play to with my buds. Yeah, I know, we were behind the times a bit.

Risk

The only other game that could make my blood boil so hot besides Risk was Monopoly, and the latter was rarely if ever fun! Risk caused so many heated arguments that after a while, we all decided never to play again. But man, so many great times were had during play! One game could be as short as 2 hours and as long as 6 or 7, although at least once it went longer.

Magic: The Gathering

This only lasted until my last year of high school, after which I sold most of my cards (except the rares). My best friend and I played this game more than even Risk! We played during lunch at school, at local tournaments, after work at his house, at Waffle House, just about anywhere you can think of that allowed for cards to be set out. Like Risk, I first started playing it in middle school, but not until my freshman year of HS did I really start buying cards, collecting them in earnest, and playing whenever and with whomever. I would never play again (well, maybe with someone else's deck), since it's too expensive to maintain.

Honorable Mentions:

Mario Kart 64 - My most played game on the N64, and the best party game ever, but not sure it quite defines me.

Rise of Nations - My great time killer: I don't know how many hours I've played this game, but for the past six years, I've spent way too much time on this game. But still, it's fun, and my girlfriend and I are always looking for other people who like this game to come join in our games. Still don't quite find it definitive, though.

[Goregasm]

Super Mario Bros : The first video game I ever played.. fond memories
Crash bandicoot : This was the first game I owned when I was actually old enough to complete video games. Spent many hours timing my jumps to perfection.
metal gear solid : Another childhood favourite and my first encounter with the stealth action genre. I never owned this game but I got my mum hire it for me over and over haha.
tomb raider : Such an epic adventure. It used to scare the shit out of me aswell, not sure why because looking back its not a very scary game.
resident evil 4 : I know this isn't really considered one of the classic res games or a classic survival horror game but the first time I played through this I was amazed. I found it to be extremely scary and each save point I reached was such a relief. resi 4 got my into the survival horror genre but I still think it is spookier then any game I have played since.. including the earlier resident evil games.

Ill just leave it that because I could go on forever.

[Key-Glyph]

In rough chronological order:

Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis). The moment I first laid hands on a Genesis controller and played this demo in the SEARS gaming section was so powerful that it has taken on an almost mythic quality in my memory. I was absolutely engulfed by the sheer joy of it. I was seven years old then, and such rapture was an overwhelmingly new feeling to be having toward a video game. We'd had an NES in our household since I was four, but most of the games we had for that system were -- as far as my underdeveloped motor skills were concerned -- unconquerable, spiteful behemoths. Sonic was beautiful, seamless, and fun. When he came bundled with my family's model 1 Genesis he sealed my fate as a gamer and a SEGA fan simultaneously.

Microzine TWISTAPLOT Adventures (Apple IIe). Microzine was an ongoing semi-monthly series of floppy disks put out by Scholastic. Each issue contained four games with varying play styles, and my favorite style was the TWISTAPLOT. These predominantly text-based choose-your-own-adventures were fabulously clever and imaginative, and I can recall exhausting myself in the effort to read at their advanced level on my own instead of waiting for Mom or Dad to sit with me and help with the difficult words. One particular TWISTAPLOT even motivated me to write up my own strategy guide, as well as my own choose-your-own-adventures in beaten-up composition books (which were usually about Sonic the Hedgehog. See above).

Karateka (Apple IIe). This game had such emotional power over me it was ridiculous. I identified with the main character so strongly, and took the scenario so seriously, that I felt motivated to succeed not because I wanted to win, but because I needed to rescue Princess Mariko. No game before this had made me feel this way. This was the first game to shake me deeply when my character died. I was terrified by Akuma, disturbed by the prospect of Mariko's endless languishing in her cell, and elated when I progressed far enough to earn a 0.5-second cutscene. The emotions felt so real, and as such the short musical bursts, the avatars, and the simple story stick in my head and periodically make me think, "I've totally got to go back there again."

Ecco the Dolphin (Genesis). This game charmed me, fascinated me, awed me, and ultimately scared the crud out of me. Believe me, Ecco and I have been through it all. Its mood, atmosphere, themes, and symbols embedded themselves in my imagination so thoroughly that I can no longer tell if, for instance, I have an affinity for time travel scenarios because of Ecco or if it's the other way around. This was the first game to give me chills. It's really become a part of me in a greater sense, as ridiculous as that sounds.

Day of the Tentacle (PC). The LucasArts point-and-clicks were an obvious next step in my evolution from the Microzine TWISTAPLOTs. Driven by brilliant dialog and puzzle solving, hilarious situations, and long game play, I spent hours exhausting every possible branch of any given character's conversation and was thrilled that for certain puzzles it was absolutely necessary to do so. Although I had seen one other game at a friend's house that allowed you to choose dialog -- Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Quest for the Genesis -- DotT was light years beyond that or anything else I'd previously encountered to the point of being incomparable. I would go on to play Sam & Max Hit the Road, the entire Monkey Island series, and most recently LOOM, with the same delighted giddiness. I also have nebulous plans to cosplay as Laverne someday because she is one of my favorite video game characters of all time.

Tamagotchi. This first digital pet to make my acquaintance clicked perfectly with two huge themes that were already looming large in my mind: 1) the illusion of life in an inanimate object (specifically something technological), and 2) the blurring of lines between technology and humanity. I love the concept of robots with a consciousness, and the Tamagotchi was the first toy to truly suspend my disbelief with nothing more than itself. I cried when my first one died; what an accomplishment for its programmers! I would become obsessed with these toys and collect about a dozen different types, eventually culminating in my purchase of Dogz 4 -- which I still play to this day.

I'm going to shove the rest into Honorable Mentions because my post is already far too long:

Pokémon Red/Blue (GB).
Legends of Cosrin (PC MUD).
Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix (DC).
Resident Evil (PS).

Now to go back and read everyone else's!

[Crabmaster2000]

It was really difficult to narrow this down to 10. Far to many honorable mentions to list and I spent too much time on this list as is so I'll just leave it with the 10.


10.

Frostbite (2600) - This game is my earliest memory of gaming, so its very possibly the first game I ever played. We also had a few other 2600 games at the time, but for whatever reason this is the one that I can recall first enjoy with my family at a very young age.

9.

Kirby's Dream Course (SNES) - When we moved on from the 2600 we traded our system and games to get an NES with a few games. Then traded our NES for a Genesis. Then traded our Genesis for a SNES. We always made due with whatever games we received with the initial package, occasionally supplementing them with rentals or trades. After getting our SNES I purchased a couple Nintendo Power mags and researched them relentlessly to learn about upcoming releases. For whatever reason I decided Kirby's Dream Course was the game for me.

It was the first game I ever saved up my own hard earned allowance money to purchase. The same day I purcashed it my Dad surprised up by taking us on a camping trip. I quite upset that I had to wait even longer to enjoy my hard work and patience. I ended up taking the manual on the trip with me and spent pretty much the entire trip memorizing it.

8.

Marvel vs. Capcom (PS) - During Highschool I lived about 2 blocks away from the school. One of my best friends used to wake up early to go to swim practice. He had some time to kill after his practice and before school, so he used to come to my place since it was close to school and we would beat the hell out of each other for nearly and hour every weekday. Played, and enjoyed, a lot of other fighters but because of the tight competition and daily events it holds a special place for me.

7.

Mario Kart 64 (N64) - This was my first 4 player experience and it was shortly after the system launched so it was super awesome at the time. A friend got the system with 4 controllers and Mario Kart for his birthday so we stayed up until like 4am just racing like crazy. We couldnt wait to get back to his house in groups of 4+ to keep the fun going. He eventually got other games like Goldeneye, which we also enjoyed a lot, but Mario Kart was always the go to game. This is still the best way to play Mario Kart in my opinion.

6.

Super Smash Bros (N64) - This was basically the next step after Mario Kart 64. A few years after our Mario Kart 64 fun was dying down another group of friends and I discovered Super Smash Bros. This was also during my highschool years. We just happened to have 4 of us that had the same flex block off in the middle of the day. That meant that every Mon-Fri at around noon-1:30pm you could find the same group of us kicking the crap out of each other.

Many years later my significantly younger brother picked up an N64 with Super Smash Bros. After me handing his ass to him many times he decided to practice up. Nowadays we still plug this one in whenever we get together and have some pretty epic death matches.

5.

Sonic 2 (Gen) - As mentioned above I had younger siblings. It was much easier to get some game time in if I was willing to play with my siblings, otherwise my parents seemed to end my games a lot earlier. This was very frustrating in many different games especially once they got to the age that they realized the second pad wasnt plugged in. Sonic 2 was the best solution for this since they could screw around with Tails as much as they wanted and the worst I had to do was stop running for a second for them to land. Sure it made the special stages pretty challenging, but it was a massive help over other multiplayer titles. Now that I'm a father this game is still a great multiplayer title.

4.

SMT Persona 3 (PS2) - I've never really been in a slump where I havnt enjoyed playing games. Since as long as I can remember I've always had some game going on at the time. I didnt realize it at the time, but I think I got to a point where I was just going through the motions. Persona 3, and then 4 shortly after woke me up again. It seemed like a lifetime since I enjoyed a game as thuroughly as I did when playing through those games. I feel like I'm having more fun playing games since coming out of Persona 3 than I did in the several years prior. Still having a blast gaming and I owe it partially to P3.

3.

Final Fantasy IX (PS) - Besides being the first RPG I ever enjoyed and the first PS title I owned there is long and probably boring story involving a girl. This one definitely holds a special place for me that is on a different level than anything else on this list.

2.

Guitar Hero (PS) - When this game first came out it blew my mind! Worked at a Roger's Video at the time and bought it immediately before knowing anything about it. Every spare moment I had for the next several weeks was spent trying to get myself ready to attack the Expert difficulty. I took it to our staff christmas party and set up a local contest at our store. I bought GH2 and Rock's the 80s both right away again. I was moving up skill wise and was now 5 starring the entire setlist and working towards Gold Starring some songs.

When Guitar Hero III launched I again bought it right away. Over the next year there were 3 local GHIII competitions which I knew about and participated in. Scored 2 wins and a second place victory. Made a litte prize cash (definitely not enough to pay for the games and definitely not the time I put into them), but just had an absolute blast competing and enjoying the game. Since the competitions I kind of burned myself out and havnt played much, but I have still been known to shred with some friends/family on GH:WT and Rockband from time to time.

1.

Wii Sports - This is not a game I particularly like, but it did make me come to a realization. After playing games for so many years, it slowly became less and less fun to play games with people locally. When the skill level isnt even close its often not fun for either person. Wii Sports and the Wii in general revamped my interest in playing with other people again. I dont play a lot of Wii Sports anymore, its evolved into other games like New Super Mario Bros Wii, Mario Party, A Boy and His Blob, Let's Tap, etc.. I like that I can finally enjoy a game with my wife or sister again.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Okay I'll bite. I'm only doing 7 though and then a list of a few honorable mentions.


7. Jurassic Park: The Lost World Special Edition

Um... what? You may be asking.

Simple, this game holds it's place in my mind as the very first game I clearly remember playing. I'm sure I played some DOS games beforehand. However, this game is really what solidified me into gaming. I loved dinosaurs (still do) and a game based on my at-the-time favorite movie was a dream come true. It wasn't half bad either. I played it recently and while the Saturn and PS1 versions are basically the same. The PS1 Collectors Edition is the one I had, and it had a brand new intro level of pure awesome. Some of the character play in the game is less than great (the Compy levels sucked) but the Raptor and the Human levels were great. The Raptor FMV always scared the hell out of me.

One of the more memorable levels in my memory.
Gameplay



6. Age of Empires 2

I spent a lot of time on this game. I don't have much to say about it, other than it's one of the greatest RTS games ever made and that I sunk hundreds of hours into it. Did I also mention the machine-gun Shelby Cobra cheat in the game?



5. Zoo Tycoon + expansions

This game really solidified my enjoyment of sandbox/software toy style games. It was just so fun to watch all your exhibits all while raking in the cash. Then, once your zoo got popular enough, you could unleash the dinosaurs and lions on the populous.

Gameplay



4. Sonic 3 and Knuckles

My daycare center had a Genesis with Sonic 2 and Jurassic Park, but I didn't have my own Genesis until my cousin got a PS1 around 2000. He, being the idiot teen he was, wanted to give his Genesis and accompanying games away. I was the lucky recipient. I had a box of about 20 Genesis games, most of which rocked. Road Rash, Comix Zone, Strider, and Earthworm Jim are all implanted in my memory, but none stands out like Sonic 3 and Knuckles. There's not a lot I can say that hasn't been said on this epic platforming adventure. I played it to 100% completion back then and I still do every year. Since the decade had turned, and I had never owned one, I guess you could say the Genesis was my first retro console as well. It stayed with me (sitting atop my PS2) until 2005 when I too, foolishly sold it.



3. Spyro the Dragon

I spent so many hours playing this game as a kid. While many of my friends were busy playing Mario 64. I was busy with this. Sure it was a collectathon from the collectathon platformer era, but, it was just done so well. The graphics have held up well due to their bright colors and cartoony style. I also want to mention just how awesome the music is. Nobody seems to bring it up much but, it has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time in gaming.

Gameplay

Awesome music



2. Doom

As I got a bit older, my dad gave me his old PC, and his games with it. Of these, Doom was by far my favorite. It's been a long time favorite of mine, and I've played it on practically every platform it's ever been ported too. Everything is just so right and tight about the game. The music, level design, and weapons are all satisfying and done extremely well. I still haven't found an FPS, aside from perhaps the original Quake that I've enjoyed so much. I'm currently playing through the GBA version right now! (meh)

CGRreview


1. Gran Turismo

This game absolutely defined gaming for me. It showed me how deep, complex, and rewarding games could be. I don't even know how to describe the impact it made on me. I can go on about how well done the graphics, physics, soundtrack etc. are done. That wouldn't accomplish what I'm trying to get across though. I had never seen a game try to do what this game did when I was young. No game let me own a garage of cars, and let me buy the cars I wanted. Tune them, race them, change their oil. More importantly, no game to my recollection before this one had tried to mimic the way cars work in real life. Sure it was still arcadey by today's standards, but it's still fun, and it's still an amazing game to experience.

Honerable mentions:

Tomba
Test Drive: Off Road Wide Open
Frogger
Galaga
SMA3: Yoshi's Island
Sonic Advance
Quake

*sigh*

for starters...

http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=15436
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... =15&t=6516
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... =15&t=2654
http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=10803

I guess these aren't about "defining your life"...but still...

Bah, I am in a bad mood today. Carry on and rehash what's been done countless times before and ignore me. I feel like the conversations around here are getting increasingly repetitive....

I'd call this one different enough from those and more interesting because it's "defining your life" which to me is quite different from favorite or top games. To me it's the list format which makes this thread feel like a re-hash.

I'd just like to throw my input that I think these threads are totally worth it if it generates interesting discussions and long explanations. I hate plain lists though, and I hope people will abstain from just making lists in this thread. I too feel this is different enough. Only two game on my list would make my top 20 games of all time. These games simply defined gaming for me, and really solidified the hobby for me.

[Gamerforlife]

1. Double Dragon (NES) - The reason I love beat'em ups.
2. Super Mario Bros (NES) - The reason I love platform games
3. Final Fantasy III for the SNES (using the American numbering system here) - My first real rpg, made me a life long Final Fantasy fan.
4. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - The first game to make me have some interest in western style rpgs
5. Balloon Fight (NES) - The first video game I ever played
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade) - It's the first arcade game I really remember playing. It made me love arcades and furthered my love of beat'em ups.
7. Sonic the Hedgehog - The first 16-bit title to really knock my socks off. It made me a Genesis fan
8. Street Fighter II - Started an obsession with 2-d fighters that lasted a few years
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Turtles in Time and Street Fighter II on the SNES - These were the two games that really made it sink in how amazing 16-bit games were. That's when I fully believed that consoles could bring the arcade experience home
10. Tomb Raider - This was the first 3-d game to make a lasting impression on me and get me interested in 32-bit gaming. This, along with Resident Evil(which I only played for like fifteen minutes but it still left an impression) felt "next gen" to me.

Honorable mention: Mega Man - There was no other platform game or series on the NES that I came back to more consistently. I liked the series, but that turned into love when I played Mega Man X.

Starcraft - I had played a couple of PC games years ago, but this one left an impression. It didn't convert me into a PC gamer, but it's a game I always think of just as a reminder of how great PC titles can be. I'm still a console guy though.

[avrame]

I'm up for the idea of retitling the thread, I look at it more as "defined your taste" rather than "defined your life"

Title
What it defined for me: comments
What it opened me up to

Without further ado:

1) Super Metroid
Free roaming 2D platforming adventure, ala MetroidVania - To my knowledge, this is the first game I played that offered this type of exploration and character progression. Granted Metroid 1 offered the same experience on NES, I was too young at the time to really appreciate it. Everything on this game hit its mark: the atmosphere, the music, the design, the graphics and the hidden tricks and paths that allowed users to approach bosses and situations from another angle. For example, I had a friend who beat Super Metroid without ever learning how to wall jump. It is useful and cool technique, but will not stop the player dead in their tracks if they are unabled to perform it.
Castlevania: SOTN, Castlevania GBA/DS series

2) Ocarina of Time
3D adventure games - Granted OoT was not the first high class game in the Zelda series, it opened my eyes on what to expect from the 3D adventure genre. Night and day transitions, mini-quests, dungeons, items, while not the first game to explore on each of these areas, certainly the first to present them all in a nice package in a way that hasn't been done before. Also, Z-targeting (lock on battles) may have been done in other games before this, but after OoT, I began to notice it missing it other games and frequently complain about games that are designed without a lock on targeting system.
God of War, Darksiders, Grand Theft Auto

3) Suikoden 2
Plot and character driven RPGs - Given MANY RPGs have done this before, I certainly felt that Suikoden 2 has done all of it perfectly, and in a way that compelled me to keep playing. Plot twists, memorable characters, despisable character and a vast country to explore, Suikoden 2 was grand in every sense of the word. 108 characters, each with background storys that you could continue to investigate further, time driven quests, multiple endings: everything about this game felt RIGHT.
Pretty much every RPG I've played after Suikoden 2 is held to this standard in my mind.

4) Chrono Trigger
Fast RPGs, New Game + - As with Suikoden 2, Chrono Trigger touched on many areas that several RPGs had touched on in the past, but in a way that clearly set the game away from the pack. For one, the game was extremely fast, and smoothly played out from beginning to end. Most set pieces (eras) take usually 3-4 hours to complete, offering the player a change of pace once you transition from one area to another. Grinding was set to a minimal ammount, allowing the player to skip unnecessary battles if they wanted, and rewarding their grinding with tech points for skills that make the game a breeze down the line. Most importantly, after the game is complete, it isn't. The New Game+ breathed new life into the RPG genre, allowing the player to retry the game to achieve different endings without the punishment of starting again from scratch. Freakin revolutionary.
'Tales of' games, Radiata Stories, Star Ocean, Infinite Undiscovery, Resident Evil 4/5

5) Final Fantasy 10
Linear RPGs - The minimalists RPG: focused on story, characters, set pieces and plot progression. In an age where adults can't find the time or don't want to invest 80+ hours into an RPG, FFX introduced a gameplay style that was far enough left-field that many initially didn't want to see RPGs go down this road. While the exploration element is clearly missing in this game (as the airship is not introduced until the 90% marker in the plot line) the game had a good feeling overall that didn't apply to all gamers.
Xenosaga, Infinite Undiscovery

6) Secret of Mana
Co-op, optional co-op, co-op RPGs - While SoM was a stunning game from a single player standpoint, the feature that appealed greatest to me was the introduction of drop-in, drop-out co-op. You could easily enjoy the game by yourself, but the game is much more fun and enjoyable when sharing the game with a friend or loved one (assuming they know what they are doing ). The game allow other players the chance to enjoy the game without having to 'build' their own character, without detracting from the experience that the single player felt as he played the game as an RPG. Finally, an RPG you could play at a party, and no one would get mad at you for hogging the TV
MMOs, Torchlight, Diablo

7) Diablo
Loot, l00t and LO0T - Diablo was my first experience to a loot heavy RPG. While the game had a solid feel and good mechanics overall, the loot was the most enjoyable aspect of the game. While the lack of inventory and the frequent trips to and from town got tiring, the sheer thrill of finding an item that was only slightly better than your current gear was enjoyable enough to carry me through the whole game. Gone were the days of grinding for levels and money to afford the next big weapon, or the games with a lack of weapon variety (here is your starting sword, later you'll find a good sword, and at the end you'll find the BEST sword!). I loved it, I'm not sure if it was the first to do it, but modifying weapons and upgrading equipment was a required staple for me in later games.
Monster Hunter, Phantasy Star Online, Borderlands, Dead Island

Half Life 2
First-person RPGs - Who said that RPGs had to be taken from a 3rd person point of view? I know that TONS of game have done it way before Half Life 2, but needless to say, the game made you feel like you were part of the game. Characters were lifelike, had their own personalitys, action scenes were breath-taking, environments were well-planned, everything in this game catered to the fact that you WERE Gordon Freeman. Great game from beginning to end, I don't believe it could have been pulled off from a 3rd person point of view.
Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3/NV, Metro 2033, Amnesia

9) SSX 3
Free flowing world - I know many games have pulled this off well, but I have to mention SSX 3 in my list somewhere. Part of the enjoyment of this game was the seamless transition from race to checkpoint to race, all without ever opening a menu or warp point. The game offered the users the ability to jump from area to area if they wished, but the endless flow from the top of the mountain to the base while taking part in races along the way just really stuck with me, long after the game ended.
Grand Theft Auto series, Fallout 3/NV, Oblivion/Skyrim, Burnout Paradise

10) Call of Duty : Black Ops
Online FPS - Don't flame me for this, this belongs on MY list, not yours. I've played TONS of FPS games over the last decade, yet none of them have stuck with me the way that Black Ops did. I've been into Quake, UT, TF2, CS, CS:S, but I have clocked more hours into Black Ops than I have with all of them combine. The thing that struck it off with me is the game is all about choice. No one is forcing you to play a set way, you can customize your character anyway you want. Every customization has its pros, as well as its cons; while a class can be considered cheap or lame, it can easily be countered with another class. Unlike the previous COD games, Black Ops mixed up the equipment system with the introduction of COD points. Equipment is unlocked for the player with the progression of levels, but the addons and attachments can be unlocked provided that you have the COD points needed. Nothing detracted from the fun of MW3 like having to use a gun in its crappiest state in order to unlock upgrades. Lastly, the community and playing ground. I play on Xbox Live, and take comfort that everyone (or at least the majority) are limited to the shortcomings of the controller. Unlike mouse and keyboard, one can only get so good with the analog sticks, so everyone has a chance on this field. And if you take the time to play on a less popular game mode, such as search and destory or hardcore TDM, you avoid almost all of the racist jerks and little kids.
TF2, Gears of Wars

[o.pwuaioc]

I'm up for the idea of retitling the thread, I look at it more as "defined your taste" rather than "defined your life"

Those are slightly different things, and my post would be almost wholly different.

[avrame]

I'm up for the idea of retitling the thread, I look at it more as "defined your taste" rather than "defined your life"

Those are slightly different things, and my post would be almost wholly different.

Haha, oops, my bad, I read the first couple pages of this thread and the links that dsh posted to other top 10 posts and got the idea that people were just listing their top ten and why it's their top 10. Looking at the LAST 3 pages, I see that the thread got on track later, and my post is totally off track

[pakopako]

I'm up for the idea of retitling the thread, I look at it more as "defined your taste" rather than "defined your life"

Those are slightly different things, and my post would be almost wholly different.

If I were to nitpick, I would say this might be a more "defined your habits" than your life or your tastes.