Top 10 Favorite Video Games

Top 10 Favorite Video Games

1.                Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Turnabout Trial)

            I love this game mainly because of its adorable characters. Phoenix Wright specifically is so easy to relate to because (even though he always wins) he's never completely certain of himself and relies on his friends a lot for support. He has a perfect sense of right and wrong, but sometimes his immense compassion leads him to take big risks. Also, the game play is better than that of most games because, despite the fact that it is pretty much an interactive anime, it provokes a lot of thought and analysis in order to build a good case to defend the client. It sound very nerdy, but I love it. It's a lot of fun.

2.            Final Fantasy VII

            This game is a common favorite among Final Fantasy players because it became a major turning point in the series. The graphics were greatly improved over those of Final Fantasy VI and the characters were well developed and very diverse. Plus, it has one of the most impressive antagonists (Sephiroth) of any of the video games I've played before. The story is interesting and keeps you wanting to see more. It was hinted that Square Soft was going to remake this game, but unfortunately they did not want to put the time and effort into it after the length it took them to make Final Fantasy XIII.

3.             Kingdom Hearts (All)

            I love the entire Kingdom Hearts series because it is such an interesting concept for a game and was so well pulled off. As it is a mix of Disney characters and Final Fantasy characters (two very different groups), at first I had some doubts that it would actually be any good, but as it turns out, the protagonist, Sora, was a perfect blend of the two and helped to give them a common ground on which to appear. In addition, the battle system, though there are slight variations from game to game, is my favorite of any I've played. It's very easy to get into and simple to alternate to prevent boredom when powering up.

4.          Final Fantasy VI

            Though I've never actually completed this game, I love it mainly because of its outrageous antagonist, Kefka, a completely messed up, cross dressing (not that I think there is anything wrong with that), psycho clown intent upon doing everything in the most sadistic way possible. Though effects were still rather poor when the game came out, Kefka was given a chilling laugh that just makes your skin crawl and makes him all the more creepy to encounter in battle. When the game begins, Kefka is an army general, who, though in a position of power, is rarely respected. As the story progresses, however, he starts to lose his sanity more and more, eventually becoming a flamboyant terrorist, devil-god... In comparison to those of the previous five games, this character was hugely abnormal, but highly entertaining. It was a good idea to put him in, if you ask me. It added more spice to a series that was beginning to get old.

5.          Halo (All)

            My favorite thing about Halo is it's amazing multiplayer experience. Almost everyone in my family is into video games in one way or another, but we usually come up with the issue that most of the games we like do not have cooperative modes. Halo, though, has many different ways to play with friends or family, including co-op story mode or various battle modes. You can team up or go all on one, and you can fight in number of different locations from world to world. Plus, the variety of weapons available makes it easy to choose your own strategy for taking down the enemy. My personal favorite is sniping.

6.            Final Fantasy I

            As the first of the Final Fantasy series, FFI obviously does not have the same character development, graphics, or multi-layered story that the rest of them do. That said, it is definitely a classic. It began the series on its pattern of four warriors of light setting out to restore the world's crystals and save it from a terrible darkness. It's cheesy to the point of being awesome. Plus, unlike other games from the time, it doesn't have too many points in which it hands you a pile of busy work in order to lengthen the story. The plot keeps moving as you go along, and despite its simplicity, has enough twists to keep you interested. It's a nice game to play on a long car ride.

7.             Xenosaga (Episode I)

            What I enjoy most about Xenosaga (Episode I) is probably the anime-style graphics and the characters. Starting off the series, Episode I showed the best sides of all its protagonists before Episode II could distort them. Plus, the introduction to KOS-MOS (the protagonist's android bodyguard) was epic and made you adore her instantly. The game has a lot of very long cut scenes, which, of course, I appreciated for the beauty of the animation. The story is interesting, but it lost me at a few points and it takes too much leveling up to actually be able to get anywhere fast, hence why the game is at such a low point on this list.

8.             Dynasty Warriors IV

            There isn't too much for me to say about this game because, to be honest, I haven't actually played through its whole story. What I like about it is that it is a lot of fun to do multiplayer and it really makes you feel like you're kicking butt as your K.O. count in the corner sores into the hundreds. Unfortunately, you are fighting as part of an army, and most of the time this army isn't very good at holding its own, so it's easy to lose quickly. Also, many of the characters you can play as (though there is a surprising amount) resemble each other in personality. Only a few stand out as very interesting or cool.

9.          Streets of Rage

            Streets of Rage is an old game for a now dead console, the Sega Genesis. A long time ago, when my brother got his very first set of video games for Christmas, this game came in a six-pack with the Genesis. Pretty much it is about three young cops who decide to team up and go out to bring down the ultimate crime boss in a corrupt city. Once again, this is a game to play two-player. It is incredibly difficult to complete otherwise. What I like about it is that it is sufficiently challenging, but short enough to finish in a night if you happen to be playing with friends. Also, the fighting is very satisfying, especially as you begin to pick up weapons.

10.             Pokémon (Any for Gameboy/DS)

            Pokémon is a very simple game, even as they come out with more and more of them. The originals on the Gameboy are by far the best. I enjoy it because it introduces you to the game with the adventure story, but even once you complete that, it's never quite over. There are so many Pokémon to collect, and once you have them all, you have to power them all up to max as well. Personally, I have never even come close to collecting all of the Pokémon available, despite how long I've had the games. There are so many different strategies you can use as you attempt to find them all too. It's a great game to carry around with you because you can play it anywhere and it doesn't take too much concentration.