Winners Announced! The Top 150 Games That I Own and Have Never Played

[shipwreck]

Okay the results are in!

The top 5 vote getters were:

1. Resident Evil 4
2. Castlevania Symphony Of The Night
3. Legend Of Zelda: Link To The Past
4. Super Mario RPG
5. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

Overall Contest Winner: ryoga79

Secret Contest Winners:
I'm The Only One That Liked This Damn Game Award! (Given to a random person that recommended a game no one else did): frighugeorc

(For recommending Deus Ex: Invisible War.) You will be receiving a copy of Sphinx (one of my favorite games that others rarely recommend) for the system of your choice.

Random Drawing For Someone Who Recommended The #1 Answer: mcgavin27

You will be receiving a game of your choice from my list of 150 games that I can find locally for under $20. We'll work out the details.

Thanks to everyone for participating and congratulations to the winners.






I was looking through the list of games I own and just started picking out some that I've been meaning to play. Before I knew it, it was quickly adding up and a new list was born.

I just slapped them together in alphabetical order for the time being as I obviously can't rank them. That's where you guys can play a part if you so choose.

Just pick out the top 5 games that you think I should actually take the time to play and whatever game gets the most votes by the end of June, I will immediately start playing on July 1st. Feel free to tell me how much I've been missing out by never playing any of these games as well.

Contest Rules & Prizes

Update: Since my PC went down, I will be extending votes until the end of today. By that time I should have Excel back up and running and be able to declare some winners. Sorry about the slight delay.

Okay, I've decided to add a prize a day for everyday in June. Once July 1st hits, I'll randomly draw a user's name and they will win all of the prizes. There will be quite a wide variety of prizes when all is said and done. (There are also some secret contests going on in addition to the main contest which will also be announced on July 1st. This means that even if you don't win the grand prize, there's still a chance, as infidecimal as it may seem, that you may walk away with something).

Here's what is going to be given away so far (keep in mind the dates are just when the prizes are added, and have nothing to do with when they will be given away). One winner will walk away with all of this:

June 1st: Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks Kung Lao & Liu Kang action figures
June 2nd: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC) (New & sealed)
June 3rd: PowerStone Strategy Guide
June 4th: Irritating Stick (PS1) (Disc only)
June 5th: Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories Strategy Guide
June 6th: Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (PS1) (Complete)
June 7th: The Art Of Tekken Book
June 8th: Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman (PS1) (Complete)
June 9th: Resident Evil: Apocalypse DVD (used)
June 10th: Gallop Racer 2001 (No instuctions)
June 11th: Mario Party Card Game (New & Sealed)
June 12th: Spawn (PS1) (Complete)
June 13th: Bloody Roar: Primal Fury (GC) (New & Sealed)
June 14th: Star Wars Jedi Hunter PS2 Controller (New & Sealed)
June 15th: Bust-A-Move Millennium (GBC) (Complete)
June 16th: Tetris DX (GBC) (Complete, but has some marker on label)
June 17th: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Guide
June 18th: Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction Comic Book
June 19th: Metal Gear Acid Guide
June 20th: Sonic Adventure (DC) Complete
June 21st: Crazy Taxi (DC) Complete
June 22nd: Kameo Official Soundtrack
June 23rd: Tron 2.0 (PC) (New & Sealed)
June 24th: Homeworld 2 (PC) (New & Sealed)
June 25th: Bust-A-Move 2 Arcade Edition (N64) (Cart only)
June 26th: Streets Of Rage 2 (Gen) (Cart only)
June 27th: Xevious NES Classic (GBA) (New & Sealed)
June 28th: Mario Party 5 Guide
June 29th: Legend Of The River King 2 (GBC) (Cart only)
June 30th: A Random Japanese Import PS1 Game That I Don't Remember The Title Of (PS1) (Complete)

"The Top 150 Games I Should Play Before I Buy Another Game"

1 Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
2 Arc The Lad Collection (PSX)
3 Armed & Dangerous (Xbox)
4 Astro Boy (GBA)
5 Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (PS2)
6 Banjo-Tooie (N64)
7 Boktai (GBA)
8 Breath Of Fire III (PSX)
9 Castlevania: Chronicles (PSX)
10 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon (GBA)
11 Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (DS)
12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
13 Chronicles Of Riddick (Xbox)
14 Chrono Cross (PSX)
15 Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
16 Darkwatch (Xbox)
17 Deus Ex (PS2)
18 Deus Ex: Invisible War (Xbox)
19 Devil May Cry (PS2)
20 Disgaea (PS2)
21 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)
22 Doom 3 (Xbox)
23 Doom 3: Resurrection Of Evil (Xbox)
24 Dragon Warrior VII (PSX)
25 Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (Xbox)
26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
27 Fable (Xbox)
28 Far Cry Instincts Predator (Xbox 360)
29 Fatal Frame (Xbox)
30 Fatal Frame II (Xbox)
31 Fear Effect 2 (PSX)
32 Final Fantasy Anthology (PSX)
33 Final Fantasy Chronicles (PSX)
34 Final Fantasy I & II (GBA)
35 Final Fantasy IX (PSX)
36 Final Fantasy Origins (PSX)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
38 Final Fantasy VIII (PSX)
39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
40 Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox)
41 Gladius (Xbox)
42 Golden Sun (GBA)
43 Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA)
44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
45 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox)
46 Grandia II (DC)
47 Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Xbox)
48 Jade Empire (Xbox)
49 Jak II (PS2)
50 Jet Force Gemini (N64)
51 Killer 7 (GCN)
52 Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)
53 Klonoa 2 (PS2)
54 La Pucelle Tactics (PS2)
55 Legend Of Mana (PSX)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
57 Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
58 Legend Of Zelda: Minish Cap (GBA)
59 Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages (GBC)
60 Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons (GBC)
61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
62 Lunar (PSX)
63 Lunar 2 (PSX)
64 Magna Carta (PS2)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
66 Mark Of Kri (PS2)
67 Maximo Vs. Army Of Zin (PS2)
68 Mech Assault 2 (Xbox)
69 Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction (Xbox)
70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
71 Metal Slug Advance (GBA)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
73 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GCN)
74 Metroid: Fusion (GBA)
75 Nightmare Before Christmas (Xbox)
76 Nights (Saturn)
77 Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Xbox)
78 Ogre Battle 64 (N64)
79 Onimusha 2 (PS2)
80 Onimusha 3 (PS2)
81 Otogi (Xbox)
82 Otogi 2 (Xbox)
83 Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
84 Parasite Eve 2 (PSX)
85 Persona (PSX)
86 Phantasy Star II (GEN)
87 Phantasy Star III (GEN)
88 Phantasy Star IV (GEN)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
90 Pikmin (GCN)
91 Pikmin 2 (GCN)
92 Popolocrois PSP
93 Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones (Xbox)
94 Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox)
95 Rainbow Six: Black Arrow (Xbox)
96 Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
97 Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
98 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
99 Resident Evil 0 (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
101 Resident Evil Code Veronica X (GCN)
102 Rez (PS2)
103 Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PS2)
104 Secret Of Evermore (SNES)
105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)
106 Shadow Hearts (PS2)
107 Shadow Hearts 3 (PS2)
108 Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
110 Shenmue 2 (Xbox)
111 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga Volume 1 (PS2)
112 Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (PS2)
113 Shining Force II (GEN)
114 Shining In The Darkness (GEN)
115 Silent Bomber (PSX)
116 Silent Hill (PSX)
117 Silent Hill 2 (Xbox)
118 Silent Hill 3 (PS2)
119 Silent Hill 4 (Xbox)
120 Skies Of Arcadia Legends (GCN)
121 Sly Cooper And The Thevious Raccoonus (PS2)
122 Splinter Cell (Xbox)
123 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)
124 Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
126 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II (Xbox)
127 Star Wars: Republic Commando (Xbox)
128 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)
129 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GCN)
130 Steel Battalion (Xbox)
131 Stella Deus (PS2)
132 Suikoden (PSX)
133 Super Castlevania IV (SNES)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)
135 Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
136 Tactics Ogre (PSX)
137 Tales Of Destiny (PSX)
138 Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)
139 The Suffering (Xbox)
140 Thief: Deadly Shadows (Xbox)
141 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (Xbox)
142 Ultimate Spider-Man (Xbox)
143 Vagrant Story (PSX)
144 Viewtiful Joe 2 (GCN)
145 Xenogears (PSX)
146 Xenosaga (PS2)
147 Xenosaga II (PS2)
148 X-Men Legends II (Xbox)
149 Yoshi's Story (N64)
150 Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Story (PS2)

[basketkase543]

Jesus, you have about 186,056,869 hours of gaming right there alone! There's so many good games there I wouldn't even know where to begin. You'd better get started :D

[jerfgoke]

Here are my suggestions:

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
Beautiful, beautiful game. Always fun to play, even multiple times through. One of the best soundtracks I've heard.

Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
I'd say almost the same things about this one as above. One of the best examples of "next gen" gaming I know of.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Great story, great graphics. Innovative gameplay. Can make you feel like you are in a movie.

Metroid Prime (GCN)
Takes Metroid a degree further without ruining what made it great in the first place. Great graphics, soundtrack, and level design.

Disgaea (PS2)
A strategy RPG that never seems to get old. Memorable characters, cute and colorful graphics. It was a toss-up between this and FF Tactics, but had to go with this because of the virtually unlimited replay value.

[wbc1228]

Don't wait until July 1st.
Play them now!!!!!!!!!!!
There are a lot of great games listed BUT the 5 games below are legendary.


12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
143 Vagrant Story (PSX)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
145 Xenogears (PSX)

[RedvsBlue]

Zone of the Enders 2 should be one the first you knock out. Its a great game and is pretty short as well.

[waxHead]

That's a spectacular list, and this is a topic disturbingly similar to my own issues when I finally finish a game. From that list, one stands out above all others:

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)

Symphony of the Night is simply one of the most enjoyable, exciting, and fun games I've ever played. Along with Super Metroid and Zelda: Link To The Past, it's one of the only games I started playing again after I beat it.

Games that I loved (and have played!) from the rest:

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
102 Rez (PS2) - b/c it's just so damn fun to shoot things with that awesome soundtrack in the background :D
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
132 Suikoden (PSX)

Have fun!

[onetrackmind]

I pick games that either ive completed or have played a good portion of.

1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN) - My favorite GC game. If you want unique gaming experience this is it. Great story and the insanity effects are insane.

2. Gladius (Xbox) - Another one of my all time favorite games. Even though its a really long game i still played through it 3 times and that is something rarely ever done with me. Its a great strategy/rpg game with tons of room for customization.

3. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Xbox) - Once again one of my favorite games this generation. I couldn't put this game down. Everything from the humor to the controls are spot on. Add in some interesting gameplay mechanics and awesome story this one is without a doubt a must play.

4. Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2) - This game is absolutely amazing. I really felt like i accomplished something everytime i figured how to take down a colossi. The amazing story and excellent art direction are huge pluses. Its one of those games where you feel an emotional connection to the main character.

5. Super Mario RPG (SNES) - Probably my favorite SNES game, its old fashion rpg goodness but with mario and the mushroom kingdom. Definetly a must play.


__________________

[markholladay]

Here are my suggestions

1. Knights of the Old Republic (either one)
2. Phoenix Wright
3. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
4. Resident Evil 4
5. Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction

You have a lot of great games to play. Have fun.

[Vinny]

There are too many great games on that list... but I'd definitely put these above the rest:
Castlevania Symphona of the Night
Chrono Cross
Eternal Darkness
Legend of Zelda Zelda Wind Waker
Lunar Silver Start Story Complete
Metroid Prime
Nights
Resident Evil 4
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Super Mario RPG
Vagrant Story
Xenogears

IMO, each of these games are a materpiece and worth playing no matter what generation of games you're talking about.

[doubledown]

1. Doom3
2. Fable
3. GTA:SA
4. Mercenaries
5. Final Fantasy X

[wbc1228]

There are too many great games on that list... but I'd definitely put these above the rest:
Castlevania Symphona of the Night
Chrono Cross
Eternal Darkness
Legend of Zelda Zelda Wind Waker
Lunar Silver Start Story Complete
Metroid Prime
Nights
Resident Evil 4
Skies of Arcadia Legends
Super Mario RPG
Vagrant Story
Xenogears

IMO, each of these games are a materpiece and worth playing no matter what generation of games you're talking about.

You cheated by listing more than 5 games!!
:-)
BUT, you're right.
Those are all masterpieces (except for Lunar 1 which was only OK in my opinion).

[botticus]

:shock:

I stopped reading here:

105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)


Not July 1, now!

Anyway...

1. Secret of Mana
2. Super Mario RPG
3. FF1&2
4. Killer 7
5. Phoenix Wright

Other than Mana, I passed on a lot of the stereotypical good games so you can hopefully get voted into trying something different.

[Follandboy]

I have a similar situation except I only have like 50 games in backlog. My vote goes for:

NiGHTS

[dopa345]

Wow, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I would hesitate to name just five so as not to imply that the others aren't as good but I would suggest:

Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)
Jade Empire (Xbox)
Silent Hill (PSX)
Deus Ex (assuming the PS2 version is just as good as the PC version)

[xmrblondex]

10 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon (GBA)
-Highly underrated (when compared to the other handheld metroidvainias) and good for up to 7 or 8 playthroughs. The theif mode is great!

32 Final Fantasy Anthology (PSX)
-Final Fantasy 6 is one of the best RPG's I've ever played. I love the cast, the battles and the 3 party dungeons are the best unique play mechanic in the whole series.

37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
-Customization, customization, customization. Try anything you want, this game has it all. Much better than the GBA version.

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
-This game is difficult, but not so much so that it gets frustrating. There are some great puzzles and the dark/light world is a great addition to the game

134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)
-This game is really funny. If you have never played it before, you will laugh out loud. Try to play all the way through without looking at a guide or faq, it makes the experience much better


Those are my five, now these are the ones you should ditch immediately:

1 Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
-Didn't lke, but i am less of a strategy gamer, and more of a story kind of guy
3 Armed & Dangerous (Xbox)
-This game is kind of broken, I couldn't play it for long
18 Deus Ex: Invisible War (Xbox)
-Not as good as the original, and bland bland bland
31 Fear Effect 2 (PSX)
-I don't like this series, but you might if you are into RE games, as it is similar
55 Legend Of Mana (PSX)
-This game never goes anywhere. It is frustrating
94 Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox)
-No point really, Raven Shield is the way to go for R63
95 Rainbow Six: Black Arrow (Xbox)
See above
103 Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PS2)
-Yeah, God of War, Devil May Cry, and Onimusha all do this better
149 Yoshi's Story (N64)
Never played, but I heard it was baaaaad

So that's my suggestions!

[alonzomourning23]

So many of those games I have and have never played. I want to include them but I keep telling myself "you can't recommend a game you never played"

Here's my list:

lunar
lunar 2
ogre battle 64
nights
super mario rpg,

[ZForce915]

I'm going to do just one.

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)

This game needs your attention and is crying because you haven't played it. I won't say what has already been said but will second the notion that you need to play it.

[DT778]

109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
13 Chronicles Of Riddick (Xbox)
44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
27 Fable (Xbox)

[Trakan]

Chronicles of Riddick
Final Fantasy X
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Vice City

[O_o]

Super Mario RPG
Disgaea
Final Fantasy Tactics
Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons

[shipwreck]

Thanks for the comments and votes so far everyone. It's interesting to see that there is some variety in what people are suggesting (probably how I ended up with all those games in the first place).

I found it interesting that xmrblondex decided to point out the ones he thought were stinkers as well, so I figured I'd comment on why I have them.


Those are my five, now these are the ones you should ditch immediately:

1 Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
-Didn't lke, but i am less of a strategy gamer, and more of a story kind of guy

I'm not a huge strategy gamer either, but I like the occasional strategy game. I liked the art style and always heard good things about this series. I'm pretty sure I picked it up for $10 or less at that big KB Toys clearance last year.

3 Armed & Dangerous (Xbox)
-This game is kind of broken, I couldn't play it for long

I played a little bit of this at a kiosk one time and liked the sense of humor. I also like shooting a lot of stuff and this one seemed to fit the bill. From the 5 minutes I played it seemed to be somewhat difficult though, so I think that's kept me from playing it. I think I got this one for under $10 as well.

18 Deus Ex: Invisible War (Xbox)
-Not as good as the original, and bland bland bland

I'm not a PC gamer, so whenever a critically-acclaimed PC series comes to the consoles I generally try to check them out. I know it's not supposed to be as good as the original, but I play a lot of first-person shooters and the variety in this one sounded interesting. I definitely picked this one up for dirt cheap as stores have practically been giving it away for a long time now.

31 Fear Effect 2 (PSX)
-I don't like this series, but you might if you are into RE games, as it is similar

I absolutely loved the first Fear Effect and it was one of my favorite Playstation games. One of my friends in college rented it, I played through it, and then I went out and bought it and played through it again. By the time Fear Effect 2 came out though, I was well into Dreamcast gaming, and I only recently picked this game up at GameRush for $4.

55 Legend Of Mana (PSX)
-This game never goes anywhere. It is frustrating

Mrs. shipwreck has actually played through a good bit of this and she kind of had the same reaction. I still liked the artistic style of the game and it just seems like something that I'd be able to just relax and play through. I think I picked this up for around $10 before CAG was a glimmer in Cheapy's eye.

94 Rainbow Six 3 (Xbox)
-No point really, Raven Shield is the way to go for R63

Played a demo of it (maybe in OXM), and I thought it had some pretty impressive graphics. Squad-based games intimidate me for some reason though and I just got behind on the series. I'm sure I spent way to much on this one when it came out.

95 Rainbow Six: Black Arrow (Xbox)
See above

So, having never played Rainbow Six 3, I thought I'd be able to just jump into this one and play it online when it was the hot game. For whatever reason, (I could probably go back and see what was released at the time) it never happened. I think I got this one for around $15 fairly near launch.

103 Rygar: The Legendary Adventure (PS2)
-Yeah, God of War, Devil May Cry, and Onimusha all do this better

Well, I've beaten God of War and the first Onimusha and I liked the original Rygar back in the day, so this one seemed like a good fit. I think at the time I was slightly concerned that it might be hard to find later down the road. I picked this one up at a Sears clearance for around $8.

149 Yoshi's Story (N64)
Never played, but I heard it was baaaaad

I honestly don't know much about this one. I like Yoshi though (I always play as him in all the Nintendo conglomerate games) and I like platformers, so I picked it up. Plus it was only $5 from one of the GameCrazy "Classic Plastic" sales.

So that's my suggestions!

Thanks for the suggestions, and believe me, there are much worse games in my collection that I need to get rid of before the ones you suggested. :)

[coolsteel]

Zone of Enders 2
Knights of the Old Repiblic 1
Resident Evil 4
Rogue Squadron 2
Then cap it off with Final Fantasy X


I would go on and on about how much you've missed out not playing these but honestly you're a forum regular and have bound to have seen the thousands of posts bowing down to these 5 at one time or another so enjoy

[dark-star]

Since my direct experience of games on that list is limited to xbox, I'll give you these xbox faves in no particular order:

Knights Of The Old Republic I
Jade Empire (I loved this game)
Fable
Elder Scrolls III (might take months, nay, years to "finish"; I've barely made a dent)
Incredible Hulk Ultimate Destruction (this game is so much fun, it's ridiculous)

[Noodle Pirate!]

Splinter Cell series, Ratchet and Clank series, Gladius, and Fable as well if you haven't listened to all the hype around it.
What you have on your list though, is enough to last you a lifetime. Good luck playing them all.

[Supercake]

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)

Regarded as one of the PS's best games, and rightfully so. Fantastic soundtrack and plays just like Super Metroid, and it's GBA incarnates.

15 Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)

If you dig it, it can be very addictive and suck countless hours from ya, I spent around 65-70 hrs.

51 Killer 7 (GCN)

One big mindfuck, definitely an experience you need to try. I forget the connection, but I think the developer of Killer 7 is called "Suda 51". IT'S A SIGN! JUMP ON IT!

102 Rez (PS2)

See above, but not as extreme!

109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)

Ahh, beautiful game, this one will stay with you, trust me.


Let me start off by saying I hate you. So many great games that you haven't played yet, you are blessed! ;)

But yeah, I'm pretty sure you've heard countless great things about these games, so it's a no brainer. If you must play only 1 this summer, play Castlevania.

[Gpig]

Resident Evil 4
Pikmin 2
Pikmin
If you want to play GBA games Astro Boy is pretty fun as is Metroid Fusion. Resident Evil 4 is the easiest to recommend, but I really love the Pikmin series and Pikmin 2 is awesome. It also has a fun multiplayer. A lot of the games on the list I have and need to play. I just picked up Boktai and several other games this week. You can't go wrong with Resident Evil 4, I beat it twice and got the unlockables and I want to go back and beat it again.

[wubb]

I'll say

Ratchet & Clank trilogy - These games are one of the top 10 reasons to own a PS2 IMO. Play in order and you get bonuses in the subsequent chapters based on having a game save from the previous. Basically if you own a PS2 and don't play these games you are missing out. I love the Jak trilogy as well, but Jak II was my least favorite for some reason. Still a good game, though.
Final Fantasy Tactics - I absolutely loved this game. However it is a major time sink and with all of those games in your back catalog I might not want to start it...
Jade Empire - Really enjoyed this one. The combat system isn't terribly complex, but for some reason it never got boring for me. Excellent story (fully voiced) as well.

Fable is another quality RPG with an interesting hook. But it's not as strong as Jade Empire IMO.

Oh and if you want to knock one off pretty easily - pop in Yoshi's Story. That game takes about 3-4 hours to finish. It's reasonably entertaining while it lasts, but pretty easy and waaaay too short. The baby Yoshi song will liquify your brain, however.

[evilmax17]

4 Astro Boy (GBA)
26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
102 Rez (PS2)
120 Skies Of Arcadia Legends (GCN)
.

[shipwreck]

I'll say

Ratchet & Clank trilogy - These games are one of the top 10 reasons to own a PS2 IMO. Play in order and you get bonuses in the subsequent chapters based on having a game save from the previous. Basically if you own a PS2 and don't play these games you are missing out.
Final Fantasy Tactics - I absolutely loved this game. However it is a major time sink and with all of those games in your back catalog I might not want to start it...
Jade Empire - Really enjoyed this one. The combat system isn't terribly complex, but for some reason it never got boring for me. Excellent story (fully voiced) as well.

Fable is another quality RPG with an interesting hook. But it's not as strong as Jade Empire IMO.

Oh and if you want to knock one off pretty easily - pop in Yoshi's Story. That game takes about 3-4 hours to finish. It's reasonably entertaining while it lasts, but pretty easy and waaaay too short.

Thanks for the tip on Yoshi's Story. That might be one mrs. shipwreck would want to play through together on a weekend.

And yeah, I'm still not quite sure how I acquired all three Ratchet & Clank games and have yet to play any of them. I know I got the first two during that Circuit City glitch where $20 games were ringing up $5 and I got the third one using one of the trade-in deals on used games at GameRush.

Man, looking back at these games is like a scrapbook of all the great CAG sales from yesteryear for me.

[Pancake Rabbit]

1. Link to the Past (YOU HAVE TO PLAY THIS!)
2. Symphony of the Night
3. Resident Evil 4
4. Metroid Prime
5. Klonoa 2 (I love it)

Ton of good games on that list, enjoy them.

[kennistond]

1. Ratchet and Clank Series
2. Zelda Oracles
3. Resident Evil 4
4. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tommorrow (My Fav SC Game)
5. X-Men Legends II

Other Great Games in your collection:

Mercenaries
Star Wars Republic Commando
Metroid Fusion
Zelda Minish Cap
Spy Cooper

Have fun and maybe you should start now and play them ALL.
Just Kidding.
ALL but The Suffering:wall:

[defiance_17]

You need to play Castlevania: SotN, like NOW (then again, you've waited about nine years, so what's another month, right?). Certainly the best 2D action game since Super Metroid, and perhaps the greatest game on the original PlayStation.
In my opinion, A Link to the Past is the Zelda game. You're insulting yourself by not playing it.

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
116 Silent Hill (PSX)

[wubb]

5. Klonoa 2 (I love it)


Fun game, but WTF is with the storyline behind it?! That's another fairly short one, BTW.

Your ultimate goal is to bring sorrow (or is it sadness?) back into the world. Awesome!

[Roufuss]

I think with 150 great games like that, that haven't been played, it is a waste to keep on buying new ones.

Just my two cents, though.

I can't even pick a top 5, there's so many great games... I mean, you have an entire series of games unplayed ;)

Start with all the Zelda's.

[shipwreck]

You need to play Castlevania: SotN, like NOW (then again, you've waited about nine years, so what's another month, right?). Certainly the best 2D action game since Super Metroid, and perhaps the greatest game on the original PlayStation.
In my opinion, A Link to the Past is the Zelda game. You're insulting yourself by not playing it.

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
116 Silent Hill (PSX)


Would it kill you to know that I haven't played Super Metroid either? The only reason it's not on the list is that I've never come across a cheap copy. I know A Link To The Past is really good as I've seen mrs. shipwreck play most of it, but I've never played it myself. I'd just see bits and pieces of her playing and think, "Oh, that's where all this stuff in Ocarina of Time came from". :)

It should be noted that I was a Genesis guy during that generation, so that's how I missed out on some of the essential SNES games. I managed to play all the Donkey Kong Countries, Super Mario World, and a lot of the other really popular titles at friends' houses though.

[defiance_17]

Would it kill you to know that I haven't played Super Metroid either? The only reason it's not on the list is that I've never come across a cheap copy. I know A Link To The Past is really good as I've seen mrs. shipwreck play most of it, but I've never played it myself. I'd just see bits and pieces of her playing and think, "Oh, that's where all this stuff in Ocarina of Time came from". :)

It should be noted that I was a Genesis guy during that generation, so that's how I missed out on some of the essential SNES games. I managed to play all the Donkey Kong Countries, Super Mario World, and a lot of the other really popular titles at friends' houses though.

Sounds like you need to stop playing the "really popular titles" and start playing the good titles. Wink.

[Chrono72090]

I'm not in the mood to look through and pick (I might do it later), but MAN do you have a lot of gaming fun ahead of you!

[Pookymeister]

Hmmm - i wonder how long my list would be if i made one...

[jimbodan]

1. Secret Of Mana (SNES) - One of the abosolute best RPG's of the SNES era, if you have never played this before then you are definately missing out.

2. Nights (Saturn) - Very fun and unique game, it's pretty short too so you should be able to knock it out quick.

3. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - One of the greatest games of all time and one of the best 2-d side scrollers ever imo.

4. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox) - Great follow-up to GTA III, if you liked GTA III then you'll love this game.

5. Final Fantasy IX (PSX) - Really under-rated Final Fantasy game, not as good as FF7 but it's still really fun.

Some honorable mentions:

Devil May Cry (PS2)
Lunar (PSX)
Lunar 2 (PSX)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Final Fantasy VIII (PSX)

[ananag112]

Chronicles Of Riddick
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Jade Empire
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Resident Evil 4

[LostRoad]

Your list is insane on some of the great games you have yet to get to. Picking just five is a pain in the ass, but here goes:

1. Phantasy Star II
You said you where a Gen guy during the time, and never played this? You really should, it is a true classic, and alot of RPGs after it have copyed from it.
It really is one of the best hands down.

2. Kind of a tie with Chrono Cross and Breath of Fire III.
If you liked Chrono Trigger at all you should really play Chrono Cross, when this game came out I stopped playing it for a few weeks I got so pissed at one of the plot points, not because it was a bad twist, just that it was that big. As for Breath of Fire III, I really enjoyed this game, it was simple, but really fun, and something about the fishing in this game really drew me in. Both are great.

3. Super Mario RPG
You had a few good on SNES games on there, but this has to be one of the best. It's simple, with good humor and really kicked off the Mario RPG games. It is a lite game, so you can really sit back and enjoy it, and it also won't take up a load of your time to finish.

4.Fable
What can I say, even with a huge backlog of games myself I beat this game three times in a row when it came out and than twice in a row once Lost Chapters came out. Some people have added a lot of hype to this game and didn't enjoy it as much once they played it. It is short, but the music, plot ( while basic ) and gameplay really works in this one, making it a great game.

5. This is kinda hard and just want to point out a few thoughts on some of your games listed. Arc the Lad Collection will take a long time to go though all of them, and while not the best RPGs out there, it is worth it. Grandia II should be played because besides Grandia it is the only other game worth while in the seris IMO. Parasite Eve II I really enjoyed, and seeing as how it most likely will be the end of them it is more than worth playing if you like the first one.

Your " Orge " games are all fun and I enjoy them, but you stated you arn't that big into strat games so they can wait. Your Lunars and Shin Megami games once more are all fun, but something else I think you could wait alittle more on. Guess it really comes down to Xenogears, unlike the Xenosagas, this game is just great. The plot, gameply, music, graphics ( while dated now ) really make this game just wonderful. At least add it to on your to your top 10 games to play next. For Secrets of Mana and C: SotN both are also really fun to go though. SotN more because it touches back on good sidescrollers, with RPG elements added in, and great art and voice work. Secerts of Mana to me is the only Mana game that stands out.

Okay, before I start to go on about ever game, last two for shooters pick Doom 3, I love id games and its Doom soooo:lol:

And last something you might want to play that is on your list is Shadow Hearts 1 + 2 ( Did not like 3 at all ) It is a darker RPG that really stands out to me as something you have to play. It's not all bright and happy crap all over the place, I was at least able to relate a little more to the chars which made it that much better.

[I AM WILLIAM H. MACY]

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
Jak II (PS2)
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (N64)
Splinter Cell (Xbox)
Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

[SpreadTheWord]

TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
Splinter Cell
Fable
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath

[happy]

I'm going to just list one

Final Fantasy Tactics. Unless you don't like strat RPGs there should be no competition in my mind, except for the fact that you may decide to play it again instead of playing a second game after.

[IkilledLassic]

Other then the obvious aforementioned, may I suggest you try out Phantasy Star II and IV and Grandia II for DC Scratch that---- good stuff lostroad...

[YoshiFan1]

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Jet Force Gemini
Mario Kart Double Dash
Rez
Yoshi's Story

[coolcps]

i cant even begin to pick any, too many great games on there, just close your damn eyes and point to one and get this biatch started.

[rabbitt]

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

But I think OneTrack has got a couple you should definately play (For instance, Shadow of the Colossus will only take 10 hours).

[schuerm26]

I'm going to do just one.

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)

This game needs your attention and is crying because you haven't played it. I won't say what has already been said but will second the notion that you need to play it.

100% agreed. Play it now. Best Playstation game ever made.

Though you should also shoot yourself for having not played Resident Evil 4. In my opinion that is the best game i have ever played. No matter what system.

So my list is

1. Resident Evil 4
2. Castlevania Symphony of the night

You need to stop buying games though. That is a ton of money to just sit there.

[Whambamm]

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Just like everyone else has suggested, but it is for good reason. Great because you can just pick up and play for a little while if you want or play hours on end trying to do absolutely everything in the game.

Zelda: A Link to the Past - If you like other Zeldas this is a no brainer. Considered by many to be the best Zelda and rightfully so.

Suikoden - I happen to be a huge fan of this series so I am a little biased, but you should try this out to see if you would like the series as a whole. Relatively short too for an RPG, only about 20 hours first time through.

Shadow of the Colossus - Great, great game. Really no other game like it. My choice for top game of 2005.

Final Fantasy VIII - Not for everyone, but I vastly prefer it to VII.

[Javery]

Yikes this is tough... I can't believe some of the greats on this list you have never played... First let me say you should definitely play every single Zelda game on your list - twice. Here's the definitive list (in no particular order) no matter what anyone tells you (with only one Zelda on there for variety):

1. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - Quite possibly the greatest side scrolling adventure game EVER (Super Metroid might edge it out... might)

2. Metroid Prime (GCN) - My favorite game of ALL TIME. The greatest 2D to 3D translation for a series. The pacing, graphics, puzzles, story - everything about this game is perfect - and I don't even like first person shooters.

3. Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES) - The greatest 2D adventure game EVER. Just amazing (although the Oracle games were this close to being my pick - they're that good). I'm a little jealous that I can never go back and play this again for the first time but in reality you are missing out for never experiencing it.

4. Resident Evil 4 (GCN) - There's not much I can say about this that hasn't already been said. Easily the pinnacle of the series. It's just so freaking great.

5. Pikmin (GCN) - This is probably a little bit of an odd choice but it was a game I wasn't expecting to like at all and I fell in love with it - it's really neat and just a fun game to play - especially if you like problem solving.

Honorable mention: Sly Cooper And The Thevious Raccoonus (PS2), Metal Gear Solid 3 (PS2), GTA: SA (PS2).

[whoknows]

Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner
Devil May Cry
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Silent Hill 2
Resident Evil 4

[Wet Ninja]

Wow, you have some great games on that list. A lot of your unplayed games are unplayed by me as well, so it was easy to eliminate those as recommendations (I can't recommend them if I haven't played them). That said, out of the ones in your list that I have played, here are my top five recommendations (in order):

Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
Skies Of Arcadia Legends (GCN)
Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)

It was tough getting it down to five, and it was especially hard to eliminate Final Fantasy Chronicles from the list. I hope this list helps you tackle your backlog, and thanks for reminding me about all the great games in my backlog I need to play (no sarcasm intended).

[kill3r7]

1. Super Mario RPG
2. Zelda: A link to the Past
3. Resident Evil 4
4. Castlevania SOTN
5. Shadow of the Colossus

Also worth playing:
-Chronicles of Riddick
-Secret of Mana
-Phoenix Wright

On a slightly different note, you have at least 100 games that are must plays. I hope you find the time to enjoy all these games as I have yet to find the time to play most of my backlog.

[Otherguy676]

Final Fantasy Anthology!!!!!! FF6 is my favorite game of all time.

[PenguinMaster]

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox)
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)
Jak II (PS2)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

Those are in order and all 5 are in my Top 10 best games ever. What games are you playing?

[AK85]

125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
126 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II (Xbox)
26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
48 Jade Empire (Xbox)

[Sporadic]

Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (Xbox)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction (Xbox)
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (Xbox)
Steel Battalion (Xbox)

[Apossum]

1. Sell them all
2. Play the stock market game ;-)


----

real list:

1. MGS 3: Subsistence
2. Devil May Cry
3. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne


there are a lot of good games on that list...but these three games are in a league of their own in terms of fun, story, gameplay, strategy, etc.

[b3b0p]

You have to play the Zelda, Mario, Metroid, and Final Fantasy games. Admitting to not beating those is a disgrace and laughable. Whether they are good or bad, a true gamer just is not a gamer without playing such classic names. Even the non-hardcore play those regardless.

I would say play the classic names first that already have a long history of being great. Then move on from there.

If you have not played Mario RPG, I laugh in your face.

[FriskyTanuki]

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
- Absolutely an outstanding game that's just a compelling game to see what's next for Snake. Play the Ape vs. Snake missions, too, on the second disc if not just for the intro video.

Shadow Of The Colossus
- One of the most impressive PS2 games around. The sense of satisfaction that comes from taking the huge Colossi is like no other game around.

Metroid Prime
- An outstanding game for the Gamecube and the game looks great and plays very well.

Ratchet & Clank
- One of the best platforming series around and an outstanding game. Play this and follow up with the following games in the series to get the whole story.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
- If you're something of a Star Wars fan, you owe it to yourself to play through this game.

[WeaponX2099]

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)- The best game I've played so far in the last 3 years.
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)- Very good game. Still haven't beat it.

Other than those, I'm in a similar but smaller boat. Here's mine:

7 Boktai (GBA)
10 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon (GBA)
24 Dragon Warrior VII (PSX)
26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
32 Final Fantasy Anthology (PSX)
33 Final Fantasy Chronicles (PSX)
34 Final Fantasy I & II (GBA)
35 Final Fantasy IX (PSX)
36 Final Fantasy Origins (PSX)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
38 Final Fantasy VIII (PSX)
39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
45 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox)
47 Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Xbox)
53 Klonoa 2 (PS2)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
57 Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
58 Legend Of Zelda: Minish Cap (SNES)
59 Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages (GBC)
60 Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons (GBC)
61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
62 Lunar (PSX)
63 Lunar 2 (PSX)
76 Nights (Saturn)
78 Ogre Battle 64 (N64)
79 Onimusha 2 (PS2)
80 Onimusha 3 (PS2)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
99 Resident Evil 0 (GCN)
101 Resident Evil Code Veronica X (GCN)
102 Rez (PS2)
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
110 Shenmue 2 (Xbox)
111 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga Volume 1 (PS2)
120 Skies Of Arcadia Legends (GCN)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)
138 Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)
142 Ultimate Spider-Man (Xbox)
144 Viewtiful Joe 2 (GCN)
145 Xenogears (PSX)
146 Xenosaga (PS2)
148 X-Men Legends II (Xbox)
150 Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Story (PS2)

[Bloodbooger]

Play through Darkwatch in a weekend, that's a quick, fun, stylish game off your list. I love blowing up zombies!

[js1]

My choices are simple. You ask for five you get five.

#1. 12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
Why? Because it's one of the best games of all time.

#2. 70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Why? Because it's one of the best games of all time.

#3. 109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
Why? Because it's one of the best games of all time.

#4. 100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Why? Because it's one of the best games of all time.

#5. 56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Why? Because it's one of the best games of all time.

Those are five classic games,that you should have a great time playing.

[Mospeada_21]

26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
73 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GCN)
99 Resident Evil 0 (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)



If top 5, then those are my choices. However, let's just pick one......Resident Evil 4 'GOTY,' and the best 15-25 hours you'll spend on July 1st (weekend)! Second choice would be the first Metroid Prime.

[Ugamer_X]

Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Panzer Dragoon Orta

Get the point?

Ok now my real list, I made it as objective as possible.

Castlevania: SOTN
Panzer Dragoon Orta (seriously)
Shadow of the Colossus
Resident Evil 4
Last one is up to you, too hard to find an easy choice.

Edit: Ignore what I said about Chrono Cross, I was thinking Chrono Trigger.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

45 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox) If you were a kid of the 80's like me, the music is almost all here, the atmosphere smells like Miami in the 80's. Hell, ya even have Crockett n Tubbs come after you if you get a 3-4 star wanted level.

47 Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Xbox) The name is a bit misleading, but the game is just phenomal. Personally, I would've loved to be able to completely destroy the game world, take out city blocks by flinging cars, but eh, someone told me you can do this on the PC version. Still, even with that omission, it will eat up alot of your time, as I know it did for me. Great part is, if you're getting trounced, you can charge up your super jump and escape for a bit most times. Definitely lives up to the source material, though I wish they had you do more missions as Mr. Fixit in the game. Also has LOTS of fun mini games, like golf on the prarie.

68 Mech Assault 2 (Xbox) I played the original, most of it within the first night I had it, the second one has its tougher points, but in all reality, it has everything that made the original alot of fun. If you played the original, this is a must play sequel.

139 The Suffering (Xbox) Under rated game, imo, from Midway no less. They created one of the game series I still love to this day in Rampage. I picked this game up on a whim and couldn't put it down. The monsters, will creep you out from the start, giant ogrish lummoxes with guns attached to their backs, imps with needles for eyes, disemboweled hangmen who swoop down from the rafters to seep the life from you and 'swordmen who run on legs of steel blades who want to cut you to ribbons. These are all enemies you will run into in this game and you will relive parts of the backstory in flashbacks that are both haunting and important. Another game that I couldn't stop playing.

116 Silent Hill (PSX) The game that started the phenomenon, creepy monsters abound, darkness prevails and all you have to aid you in seeing the horrors before they attack you is a staticy radio. Use your ammo wisely, as you won't want to have to beat back the evil that comes at you from every crevice. Multiple endings make this game well worth the replays. It includes one of the weirdest endings in gaming history, I think.


117 Silent Hill 2 (Xbox)OK, so this game makes number 6, but I couldn't just put the original Silent Hill on this list without adding the second. Two words for the scariest creature in this game: Pyramid Head!!!! YES, the one from the movie, this guy SCREAMS mega-boss. Avoid his blade at all costs.......just trust me on this.

Don't know if I SHOULD add this or not, but I guess I will. A few hints, but no spoilers for the games.....

Vice City: Save in the 'shack' on the last island for easy access to a virtually limitless supply of uzi/tec 9 ammo right at the bottom of the steps near the shack.

Also, after you get the police outfit in the police station, use it when you want access to a military chopper at the army base 'behind' the airport.

Silent Hill: Once you complete the game once through, go to the options screen and press either L2 or R2 for a 'hidden' options menu, which includes blood color and an ammo multiplier.

These are my selections for the games you should play, I've played them all, loved them all and will definitely be going back through them again sometime soon. I did the 'Brown Thunder' missions in Vice City for about 3-4 hours one night, you fly the military chopper around doing vigilante missions. It makes it WAYYYYY too easy though. I must have 145 million on a game save for the copy I have for PS2.

[pete5883]

1. Xenogears - you'll probably find no better story in a console game, the music is excellent, characters and mechs well designed, and it's pretty much the only RPG that lets you fight in giant robots. However it is 50ish hours long, a generation old, and the text speed is slow (unless you use gameshark)
2. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN) - I don't really recommend this game too highly, but if I were you I'd just play the Hoth level and be done with it.
3. Zone Of The Enders: The 2nd Runner - great action game, not too long, with the greatest animated intro ever
4. Rez - take your recreational drug of choice first
5. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night - because after playing the portable ones this will feel like a step backwards.

[jPoD]

Riddick
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Sly Cooper
Time Splitters FP
Darkwatch
Killer7

[keithp]

Disgaea.

Play it.

Now.

[vietgurl]

All of the above?

I think maybe you should start with the shorter games first so that you can knock more of those games off your list. Most RPGs are long so I'm gonna ignore those for now...

I recommend these (in no particular order):
Jade Empire (decent RPG, not very long)
Fable (same reason as above)
Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (one of the best stealth shooters ever)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (it's Metal Gear and you just have to play Metal Gear!)
Resident Evil 4 (come on, after hearing all those nice comments and reading those great reviews, you just have to play it)

[Ma12kez]

1. Vagrant Story (A MUST)
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Resident Evil 4
4. Grandia II
5. Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic

[tiredfornow]

you have an awesome gaming list, i wonder what games you HAVE played :/

shining force ii
final fantasy viii
gta: san andreas
super mario RPG
secret of mana/evermore (both are good)

[io]

128 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)
135 Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
138 Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)

In that order. When I first got the GC at the end of 2003 it was the first console I had since my Colecovision. Rogue Leader blew me away - I couldn't believe how amazing it was. I still play it occasionally and I still think it's a great game - probably one of my top 5 this generation across all the GC/PS2 games I've played.

People like to bad mouth SMS, but I liked that alot too - much better than that 64 crap :D.

Metroid Prime is of course a classic, no need for more commentary.

Mario Kart Double Dash is fun and a bit challenging to get through all the races and unlock every character/kart. But it doesn't take too long to do so - probably a fairly short time to completion if you want to knock one game off that list fairly quickly :D.

I haven't played Legendia yet, but I've heard ToS is better.

Just wanted to give you a diverse opinion - I'm one of those wierd people that has absolutely no interest in playing Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, or Resident Evil. I don't care how great the reviews are, I'm simply not interested in those sorts of things. Many of the games on your list are also on mine, so I couldn't add those in (having not played them). The ones I want to get to soon are Disgaea, Final Fantasy X, R&C series, Shadow Hearts series, Shadow of Colossus (I got 3 of them then stopped), DDS 1, Skies of Arcadia, Xenosaga I/II, Stella Deus, Atelier Iris, and many others...

[Amnion]

20 Disgaea (PS2)
51 Killer 7 (GCN)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
106 Shadow Hearts (PS2)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)

All amazing games, definitely not to be missed.

[beerguy961]

Jesus, that list is insane...

[shipwreck]

Wow, the recommendations are really starting to go all over the place now. When I first made the list, I thought RE4 and Castlevania: SOTN would be neck and neck for first place. I haven't done any calculating of the results so far, so those two probably have still received the most votes, but it's nice to see a lot of these other games still have strong followings as well.


Oh, and I'm going to try and post the first prize sometime today. At this point, it just looks like whoever votes will be placed in a random drawing for the prizes. Stay tuned!

[dcfox]

Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid Subsistence
Resident Evil 4
The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
Phoenix Wright


And let me just add that you are a damn fool for not having played those several times over already. Those games, among others that were not listed in my top 5: Metroid Prime, Shadow Hearts, Skies of Arcadia, Eternal Darkness . . ., are easily some of the best games to have come out not only this generation but of all time! I would really like to see the list of games you have been playing just so I know what exactly you've been wasting your time on.

Edit: Sorry if I came off a bit harsh :lol:

[DomLando]

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night: Best Castlevania of all time.
Super Mario RPG: Amazing RPG. One of the best on SNES and that's saying a lot.
Resident Evil 4: Can't say to much because a lot was already said about it. But well worth your time.
Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past: One of the greatest games all time
Legend of Zelda Wind Waker: If you can deal with all the sailing, it's a great Zelda game.
Those are my five but you have so many great games on that list. I could make a top 20. I get backlogged all the time and I make sure I play great games before mediocre ones. Some of the games on that list, you MUST play.

[shipwreck]

Final Fantasy X
Metal Gear Solid Subsistence
Resident Evil 4
The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
Phoenix Wright


And let me just add that you are a damn fool for not having played those several times over already. Those games, among others that were not listed in my top 5: Metroid Prime, Shadow Hearts, Skies of Arcadia, Eternal Darkness . . ., are easily some of the best games to have come out not only this generation but of all time! I would really like to see the list of games you have been playing just so I know what exactly you've been wasting your time on.

Edit: Sorry if I came off a bit harsh :lol:

It would really take me quite some time to come up with everything I've beaten during the past generation of consoles. I'm sure there will be many more I'll have to add to this list as I think about it, but here's an example of what I've been playing (probably doesn't scratch the surface though).

Alundra
Amped 3
Animal Crossing
Ape Escape (PSP)
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II
Beyond Good & Evil
Bombastic
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance
Castlevania: Legacy Of Darkness
Champions Of Norath
Champions: Return To Arms
Dead Or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball
Dead To Rights
Destroy All Humans (on the last boss)
Dragon Quest VIII (Need to play a lot more of this still)
Drill Dozer
Friends: The One With All The Trivia
God Of War
Grand Theft Auto 3
Guitar Hero
Guitaroo Man
Gun
Gunstar Heroes
Halo
Halo 2
Ico
Jak & Daxter
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire
James Bond 007: Nightfire
Katamari Damacy
Kingdom Hearts (Never finished it)
The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
LEGO Star Wars
Lumines
Madden 06
Mario Party 4
Mario Party 5
Max Payne
Max Payne 2
Maximo
Mech Assault
Mega Man: Powered Up
Metal Slug 3
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks
Need For Speed: Most Wanted
Need For Speed: Rivals
New Super Mario Bros.
NFL 2K5
Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)
Odd World: Munch's Oddysee
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
Prince Of Persia: Sands Of Time
Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within
Psi-Ops
The Punisher
Shining Tears
Sphinx & The Cursed Mummy
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2 (Xbox)
Spider-Man 2 (PSP)
Stubbs The Zombie
Tomb Raider: Legend
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Tony Hawk's Underground
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix
Under The Skin
We Heart Katamari
X-Men Legends

[CocheseUGA]

"The Top 5 Games I Should Play Before I Buy Another Game"


97 Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
123 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
27 Fable (Xbox)

I can only pick ones I've played. Any on this list would be time very well spent. My reasons:

R&C: Going Commando: IMO, the best of the series, and the best platformer of this generation. You'll spend hours upon hours, and it's damn funny.

Chaos Theory: Best Tom Clancy game yet, IMO.

KOTOR: Wow, I couldn't believe how great this game was. Got to see Star Wars in a totally different light.

San Andreas: Yeah, it's GTA, but it's better. The bicycle nearly makes the game buyable itself. Great soundtrack and voice talent as well.

Fable: (I have TLC) This game was better than I could have imagined. I've spent days playing this game and I'm not done yet.

[xmrblondex]

Thanks for the comments and votes so far everyone. It's interesting to see that there is some variety in what people are suggesting (probably how I ended up with all those games in the first place).

I found it interesting that xmrblondex decided to point out the ones he thought were stinkers as well, so I figured I'd comment on why I have them.



I'm not a huge strategy gamer either, but I like the occasional strategy game. I liked the art style and always heard good things about this series. I'm pretty sure I picked it up for $10 or less at that big KB Toys clearance last year.



I played a little bit of this at a kiosk one time and liked the sense of humor. I also like shooting a lot of stuff and this one seemed to fit the bill. From the 5 minutes I played it seemed to be somewhat difficult though, so I think that's kept me from playing it. I think I got this one for under $10 as well.



I'm not a PC gamer, so whenever a critically-acclaimed PC series comes to the consoles I generally try to check them out. I know it's not supposed to be as good as the original, but I play a lot of first-person shooters and the variety in this one sounded interesting. I definitely picked this one up for dirt cheap as stores have practically been giving it away for a long time now.



I absolutely loved the first Fear Effect and it was one of my favorite Playstation games. One of my friends in college rented it, I played through it, and then I went out and bought it and played through it again. By the time Fear Effect 2 came out though, I was well into Dreamcast gaming, and I only recently picked this game up at GameRush for $4.



Mrs. shipwreck has actually played through a good bit of this and she kind of had the same reaction. I still liked the artistic style of the game and it just seems like something that I'd be able to just relax and play through. I think I picked this up for around $10 before CAG was a glimmer in Cheapy's eye.



Played a demo of it (maybe in OXM), and I thought it had some pretty impressive graphics. Squad-based games intimidate me for some reason though and I just got behind on the series. I'm sure I spent way to much on this one when it came out.



So, having never played Rainbow Six 3, I thought I'd be able to just jump into this one and play it online when it was the hot game. For whatever reason, (I could probably go back and see what was released at the time) it never happened. I think I got this one for around $15 fairly near launch.



Well, I've beaten God of War and the first Onimusha and I liked the original Rygar back in the day, so this one seemed like a good fit. I think at the time I was slightly concerned that it might be hard to find later down the road. I picked this one up at a Sears clearance for around $8.



I honestly don't know much about this one. I like Yoshi though (I always play as him in all the Nintendo conglomerate games) and I like platformers, so I picked it up. Plus it was only $5 from one of the GameCrazy "Classic Plastic" sales.



Thanks for the suggestions, and believe me, there are much worse games in my collection that I need to get rid of before the ones you suggested. :)


Heh, no need to explain yourself, because I have had all of the above (except for yoshi story) and every one except for legend of mana was a CAG-related purchase. You have quite an impressive backlog. My backlog is going on ebay soon, so good for you that you can play them. I'm envious!

[Bloodbooger]

Oh, and I'm going to try and post the first prize sometime today. At this point, it just looks like whoever votes will be placed in a random drawing for the prizes. Stay tuned!

There's going to be prizes too!? I totally missed that on the first post, I was probably bugging out on the list of games you haven't played. Do you understand the envy you've created?

[sying]

Techniclly if you just want to play it, open it and play it for a couple of minutes each. Still good luck with that. Good talking with you... see you in a couple of gaming years

[shipwreck]

Okay, I've decided to add a prize a day for everyday in June. Once July 1st hits, I'll randomly draw a user's name and they will win all of the prizes. There will be quite a wide variety of prizes when all is said and done.

Here's what is going to be given away so far (keep in mind the dates are just when the prizes are added, and have nothing to do with when they will be given away). One winner will walk away with all of this:

June 1st: Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks Kung Lao & Liu Kang action figures
June 2nd: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC) (New & sealed)
June 3rd: PowerStone Strategy Guide

[AngellicLulu]

5 Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (PS2)
39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
55 Legend Of Mana (PSX)
62 Lunar (PSX)
63 Lunar 2 (PSX)


Atelier Iris is probably the game this past year that I enjoyed playing the most. The characters were all loveable and I throughly enjoyed the battle system and gameplay.

FFX is probably the final fantasy I enjoyed the most thus far. I think the ability to change out the character in the battle was what cinched its victory.

Legend of Mana is one of those games that the art style is so beautiful you find yourself enjoying the scenery.

The Lunars are probably the best RPGs I've ever played. The storylines and the gameplay was most enjoyable.

[Warner1281]

My choices, in no particular order (except alphabetical of course):

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
Phantasy Star II (GEN)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Suikoden (PSX)
Xenogears (PSX)

Phtasy Star II is the only RPG I ver played on the Genesis and so it holds a special place in my heart (and it was pretty damn good too!). Besides that one, the rest of these are good for all the reasons mentioned in the past 50+ posts. Now get to work, you've got some gaming to do!

[lurknomore]

this is easy....

Castlevania:SoTN
Phoenix Wright
Metroid Prime
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario RPG

You might as well start off with some of the greatest games of all-time.

[CocheseUGA]

Power Stone strategy guide? Holy crap I want this...

[swetooth9]

1. Dark Cloud 2

very underrated RPG; i'm not even a super RPG fan, but i know what i like, and i loved this game...my favorite RPG this gen

2. Oddworld Stranger's Wrath

fun action/adventure type game, very unique, and enough challenge to make it fun without being frustrating

3. Golden Sun

again, i'm not a super RPG nut, but i really liked this game; the graphics for the battles are really good, and it's just a real good traditional RPG with lots of great presentation

4. Maximo Army of Zin

underrated Action game by capcom; brings back the "hardcore" old-school action from years back before games became "too easy" for the "hardcore gamer"; really responsive action and very rewarding when beating levels; not as hard as the first maximo for the ps2, but still challenging and fun; better than the first too

5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

awesome game (you probably already know this by now from the great reviews) that shouldn't be missed; single player is great, and multiplayer is surprisingly good...hurry up and play online when there are still a moderate amount of players!

[shipwreck]

Power Stone strategy guide? Holy crap I want this...

Yeah, I figured a few people might be interested in it. I'll try and get pictures of the prizes up at some point.

[swetooth9]

Yeah, I figured a few people might be interested in it. I'll try and get pictures of the prizes up at some point.

haha, nice!

thanks for the contest, shipwreck

[Yusuke-Urameshi-]

39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
97 Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)
130 Steel Battalion (Xbox)

[LaraCroftsLeftBoob]

of the ones i've played, i'd recomend: (in no particular order)


Deus Ex (PS2)
Final Fantasy Anthology (PSX)
Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (Xbox)
Vagrant Story (PSX)

[onikage]

Shadow of the Colossus
SMT: Nocturne
Breath of Fire III
Castlevania SOTN
FF Anthology

[Tyvan]

I can't believe more people aren't screaming ADVANCE WARS 2 at you!!
ADVANCE WARS 2 is the best game on that list by miles.

No other game out there has the replay value it has. There is so much to unlock in the game and the play balance can't be beat by any other game either.

Just play it now. Damn waiting on a date to get here. Open the damn gamenow and play it ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Don't include me in for a prize. I'm just here for good advice.

[RandyTsai]

Super Mario RPG (SNES)
Dragon Warrior VII (PSX)
Grandia II (DC)
Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)
Legend Of Mana (PSX)

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

I still laugh at the people who recommend KOTOR. I bought it on a whim on Friday night to use up some credit I had left at EB.

I may well take it back, so I can buy something I'll at least play. The whole mix of action and turn based kind of turned me off.

I'd rather aim and fire my own laser pistol or use my own 'vibrasword' or whatever weapon it is they gave you.

<gags at turn based anything in a game>

[Ikohn4ever]

11 Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (DS)

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)

57 Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)

61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)

72 Metroid Prime (GCN)

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)

125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)

133 Super Castlevania IV (SNES)

134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)


i know its more than 5 but all of these are must plays anyway

[io]

I can't believe more people aren't screaming ADVANCE WARS 2 at you!!
ADVANCE WARS 2 is the best game on that list by miles.

No other game out there has the replay value it has. There is so much to unlock in the game and the play balance can't be beat by any other game either.

Just play it now. Damn waiting on a date to get here. Open the damn gamenow and play it ship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Except that I think he should keep it sealed and sell or trade it, and then get Advance Wars: Dual Strike for the DS :D. I put over 100 hours into that and still have 100 medals to achieve. I finally had to put it aside so I could play other stuff that was piling up.

[io]

I still laugh at the people who recommend KOTOR. I bought it on a whim on Friday night to use up some credit I had left at EB.

I may well take it back, so I can buy something I'll at least play. The whole mix of action and turn based kind of turned me off.

I'd rather aim and fire my own laser pistol or use my own 'vibrasword' or whatever weapon it is they gave you.

<gags at turn based anything in a game>

I played KOTOR on the PC and loved it. I think I may have found my total and complete opposite (or my bizarro world twin perhaps) on CAG - and he is IAmTheCheapestGamer. I was going to comment on this earlier - every one of the games you suggested for Shipwreck you couldn't pay me to play :D. I don't mean that as an insult - obviously they are all highly-rated games and I'm sure are excellent to those who enjoy them. I just thought it was kind of funny how there would be NO overlap between our tastes whatsoever. :rofl:

[Tyvan]

Except that I think he should keep it sealed and sell or trade it, and then get Advance Wars: Dual Strike for the DS :D. I put over 100 hours into that and still have 100 medals to achieve. I finally had to put it aside so I could play other stuff that was piling up.

I do agree there. The ONLY game better than AW2 is AW:DS!

[Walt Jay]

17 Deus Ex (PS2)
A good FPS with some RPG elements.

27 Fable (Xbox)
Kind of like Oblivion-lite.

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
My favorite Zelda game to date.

80 Onimusha 3 (PS2)
Because part 2 was so awful.

116 Silent Hill (PSX)
The original and still the best one.

[mofo1115]

Nights,RE4, Devil May Cry, Breat of Fire III, Mario Kart: Double dash

go for it!

[GrimNecroWizard]

RE4
Mario RPG
Silent Hill2
Castlevania SotN
Either of the GTA's

[shipwreck]

Today's prize: Irritating Stick (PS1) (Disc only)

Should be good for a few laughs for whoever wins. :)

[mcgavin27]

disgaea
x-men legends 2
ratchet and clank going commando
advance wars 2
resident evil 4

[io]

Today's prize: Irritating Stick (PS1) (Disc only)

Should be good for a few laughs for whoever wins. :)

What is that? An educational game on the dangers of unprotected sex? :D

[Mattte]

Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
- Nothing beats some good old 2D Zelda

Super Mario RPG (SNES)
- One of the greatest RPGs, very fun and not really a dull moment

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
- Best Castlevania game I've played

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)
- Very fun game, very intuitive as well.

Legend Of Zelda: Minish Cap (SNES)
- Top it off with some more 2D Zelda awesomeness

[Broccoli Storm]

In no particular order:

Super Mario RPG
Castlevania Symphony of the Night
Pikmin 2
Resident Evil 4
and...Devil May Cry

[sarausagi]

"The Top 150 Games I Should Play Before I Buy Another Game"



39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
62 Lunar (PSX)
63 Lunar 2 (PSX)
76 Nights (Saturn)
88 Phantasy Star IV (GEN)
113 Shining Force II (GEN)
145 Xenogears (PSX)
146 Xenosaga (PS2)
147 Xenosaga II (PS2)


Don't even bother, please, don't even bother looking at the rest of the list. I realize I picked nothing but RPG's except for two games..but please..I know it's more than 5..but please...please...do I need to give reasons? This list is no particular order..

Final Fantasy X: quite simply, it's one of the few games that demanded the purchase of a Playstation 2. More than anything though, it's the first time the Final Fantasy series was ever able to achieve what it wanted to so many years. The gameplay is deeper and more thought out than any other Final Fantasy, the story is absolutely epic, and the presentation is still hard to beat even after somany years. If you enjoy Japanese RPG's as a whole, there's no reason you shouldn't play this gam. Plus, some of the most memorable charactersin Square's history are in this game..

Lunar: I'm lumping them both together, because I can't separate them at all. Perhaps it's strange that I hold the polar opposite of something like Final Fantasy X so high, but this is the RPG pure and uninhibited. Straight forward battling, dungeon crawling, happy inviting characters, set in a limitless magical world, with a simple but very well written story of good and evil. But seriously, in its time this was as good as RPG's got. So many concepts that defined RPG's in this generation show up here for the first time: on screen enemies, long cinematics, voice acting, opening and ending vocal themes, huge gigantic bosses, etc. It's an old one but a good one, and surprisingly, feels less dated than some PSX/PS2 RPG's.

Phantasy Star IV: I don't think there is a 16 bit RPG more epic [Lunar doesn't count because it was on Sega CD and 1 out of every 1000 people got to play it] but I know that back in the day, if you played this first, there was no way you could enjoy FFVI. Beautiful still story sequences done through anime frames, multiple worlds to explore, HUGE dungeons, TOUGH bosses, hundreds of spells and skills, COMBINATION ATTACKS, different vehicles, FPS style fights INSIDE the vehicles, wonderful music, a huge storyline. There's not one thing about this game that was done wrong, the best Phantasy Star.

Shining Force II: there's tons of people on this board begging you to play Disgaea. And I have to say, please, don't. This is the original. This is what defined strategy RPG's. This is what began to change them into more complex games. And for lots of people this is still the bar that today's games are measured up to. There's two ways to play this game, one is to simply enjoy all the great battles [and some of them are quite great, the battle against the Kraken, the battle at the Nazca lines, the battle crossing to Granseal] and focus on the gameplay, but another is to actually enjoy the sweet simplicity of everything else surrounding the game. The music, the art, is some of the best I've seen in an RPG. I still think the battle sequences look good every single time. The story is beyond simple but it has its charms and give it the right chance and you will enjoy it. However, what makes the game shine, is the gameplay. Multiple promotions, hundreds of items weapons, more than a dozen character classes, huge battle maps, well thought out terrain diffeeces and stat modifiers, plus a pretty long game time, make for an incredible game. Please, don't play Disgaea, play this. Disagea is a game that wishes it was this game, added a hundred million stats and pointless characters in a shameless attempt to make up for it, and got recognition only because of how starved America's been for strategy RPG's as a whole.

Xeno[-----]: once again, I'm lumping them all together, only because in my eyes there's no way to play Episode I of Xenosaga or Xenogears without playing the other, I don't see why anyone would put time into one and not the other. As for Episode II, I'm only including it because of the story, episode II is nothing at all compared to Episode I or Xenogears. In fact, play them in this order: Xenogears, Xenosaga Episode I, then Episode II. On to the games though: the story in the Xeno Saga is in my opinion [and that of many] the most epic, most well written, most thought out story in video gaming, anime, sci fi, fiction in general. I realize the story is not for everyone. I realize some people hate story in games. And I realize some people just don't like anything even remotely anime inspired. There is no reason why you shouldn't PLAY this game. I said it: play. People accuse Xeno series as a whole of lacking gameplay, but I don't know WHY people believe that. Sure, it's not a platforming game, and it's not a 45 hour dungeon crawl, but what game play there is is down right incredible. The stat management and skill trees of episode I, the great mech play and fun on foot battles of Xenogears, the dozens of little secrets and sidequests in both, the huge boss fights, magnified by the story and visual/aural presentation, quite possibly the best game of all time. See, here's the thing, Grandia II, even Grandia III, not so much Grandia I, the gameplay is incredible, but besides wanting to play it more, you have no other reason for wanting to play it: the stories are weak and the characters are dull. However, with the Xeno series, it's both. You want to play the actual game more, but you want the story more, it meshes into this one of a kind experience that I haven't found anywhere else. The cut scenes in Gears and Saga are both long, but they're epic, and grandiose, and meaningful. Saga also has the distinction of being one of the few games with a strong female lead not wearing short short shorts and DDD breasts. Gears is like Eva, Star Wars, and The Bible combined, only better. I can't say enough about these, you owe it to yourself to give them a chance, and I hope that chance turns out to be one of the better gaming experiences you've had

And lastly, just because I don't even feel right putting NiGHTS in the same list as the above, NiGHTS.

THIS
IS
THE
FIRST
GAME
YOU
MUST
PLAY
RIGHT
NOW.

NO EXCUSES, RIGHT NOW, BREAK OUT THE SATURN AND PLAY NIGHTS.

That list, all 150, don't even begin to touch the beauty and wonder that is NiGHTS. Naka's sheer moment of genius has no equal, no succesor, and definitely no superior. i don't even feel right, coherent, trying to put NiGHTS in the same category as any other game.

It's a complete and utter crime that so few people have played this game. It's a travesty that people will remember Tomb Raider and Mario 64 and most people never even heard of NiGHTS.

Why you have this game and never touched it, who knows.

If video games are not art, then NiGHTS must not be a video game.

If video games are art, then NiGHTS must not be art.

Please, for the love of God, play NiGHTS right now.

[Sk8erlink7]

Every Zelda game on that list... you need to play. Especially Wind Waker and Link to the Past.

[Machikunas]

oh sk8erlink7, I just put in at least a couple of hours of bionic commando tonight. I only have the original xbox, but hopefully you'll except a friend request from one BravestBurrito. Anyways, onto the task at hand.

Picking 5 is hard, but I'm going to stick with games I've played a ton of myself to make sure my votes are spent well.

In no particular order

Metroid Prime
Donkey Konga: Jungle Beat
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Resident Evil 4
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

I really do own systems that aren't nintendo, but these 5 games are simply awesome.

[doraemonkerpal]

my suggestions would be (in alphabetical order):

castlevania: symphony of the night

final fantasy x

grand theft auto: san andreas

star wars: knights of the old republic (or the sequel)

suikoden

i tried to vary my choices with different genres and games that would last you a long time. i chose a few action titles and three rpg's. castlevania: symphony of the night is the best of the castlevania series, and one of the best action games ever created. there is a reason why it used to go for so much on ebay :D. the gameplay is unparalleled for a side-scrolling action game.

final fantasy x was a great achievement for an early ps2 title. the graphics really push the ps2 to the limit and the story is intricate and emotional. there are a ton of things to do in this game and it will probably take a good portion of your time hehe.

i chose grand theft auto: san andreas b/c it's the best "sandbox" style game out there. if you can only choose five titles, you can already deduct games like mercenaries b/c san andreas easily eclipses the rest of the games in the genre. it provides many hours of gameplay and tries to vary the missions so that you won't get bored with the same thing over and over again. this game will also occupy a good portion of your time.

star wars: knights of the old republic (or the sequel) is not a typical rpg. you can play this game a few times and experience two totally different endings. the replay value of this game extremely high b/c you have many character types to choose from. the high production values, "choose your own adventure" gameplay/story and the high replay value makes this one of the best rpg's for the xbox era.

last but not least, i chose suikoden b/c it was one of the first rpg's i ever played, and i still consider it one of my favorites. this is also not a typical rpg. you can build your own army and recruit up to 108 people to bolster your forces! finding all the characters and utilizing all their talents is the best part of the game. you can spend hours just visiting all the different areas in your castle and experimenting with all characters in the game. if you can get your hands on the sequel for cheap, i would definitely buy it and use the save from your first games to continue the storyline.

good luck in choosing your 5 games! :D

[Death2Sanity]

Metroid Fusion
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy I & II
Disgaea
Tactics Ogre

But then, you'll probably die before you finish that list...ah well.

[moiety]

Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)
Golden Sun (GBA)
Metroid Prime (GCN)

Can't go wrong with any of these!

[lionheart4life]

1 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - start it off right with a shorter but definitely sweet game.

2 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2) - Assuming you've played the other 2, or even if not, this game will amaze you.

3 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX) - A long, challenging RPG with a great storyline and strategy.

4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox) - Another really fun game that will keep you busy for a while since there's so much to do in it.

5. Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES) - finish it off with a great classic, which is short but one of the greatest of all time. This will get you started on the next batch of 5.

[chimpian]

go play eternal darkness now, you wont be disappointed.
My wife actually WANTED me to play this with ehr in the room its so good

enjoy
and let them go nuts a few times.....its fun :-D


26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
1 Advance Wars 2 (GBA)
19 Devil May Cry (PS2)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

[Number83]

This is a unplayed list that rivals my own! Lots of great games for anyone's owned list, let alone unplayed.

My Votes:

1. Castlevania: SOTN - What's to say that hasn't already
2. Phantasy Star II - The best of the PS series and overall No. 1 on this list. Why haven't you played this yet?
3. Gladius - A great Tactical RPG and story. Once a team member dies, thier dead forever. You will get attached!
4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - If only the prequel movies were as good. Stay away from KOTOR 2!
5. Morrowind - Only Oblivion can rival it's depth. Play this last though, you'll easily consume July playing it!

[Wombat]

RE4
Fable
LoZ: Wind Waker
Eternal Darkness
Castlevania: DS

[MaxBiaggi3]

I didn't see God of War on there, so the other 2005 game of the year contender is obviously Resident Evil 4. This game simply must be played, hopefully sooner rather than later. I've played this through it more than a dozen times now and simply can't get enough of it.

[killswitch64]

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
Final Fantasy Chronicles (PSX)
Metroid Prime (GCN)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Shining Force II (GEN)

[DuelLadyS]

Phoenix Wright- just to tell me what's like. I can't find the damn game anywhere around here!

Final Fantasy VIII/X- two of my favorites in the FF series. Pick whichever one looks best to you.

NiGHTS- this game remains the 1 major reason I'd ever buy a Saturn.

Shadow of the Colossus- Too damn pretty to ingore. Plus, Agro rocks. I want that horse! (and if you don't own Ico, find and play it with this one. It's more fun that way, and Ico only takes like, 5-ish hours to beat- if that.)

Klonoa 2- One of my favorite games EVER. Go play. NOW.

[Xiados]

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
- Mmmm. Music is the best part.
Metroid Prme (GCN)
- T'was the best day I ever spent playing a game like this.
Golden Sun (GBA)
- Great RPG and not too long. And it's portable.
Shining Force II (GEN)
- Ancient tactical fun.
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
- Longest out of what I listed. Something good if you just want to throw in a couple hours a day for a long time.

[GunsGermsSteel]

In no particular order...

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - Not to bad-mouth all the other Castlevania titles, but to me, this entry in the series is the standard. Not only is the game MASSIVE, but there is so much to find and to do and the whole system just works perfectly in terms of leveling, equipping items, and just every aspect. This game will make you constantly wonder "Why doesn't Konami stop with the 3D Castlevanias and just give us an even bigger version of this 2D masterpiece?"

Final Fantasy X - While FF8 and FF9 are acceptable entries into the series, FFX is the only one that's even in the same league as FFX. The sphere-system is the best leveling device since Materia, the story is interesting (although it can be confusing to the point of parody), and it's the last new Final Fantasy game I've played (FFXI and FFX-2 never seemed worth it).

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Sensing a pattern here? While I've gradually come to accept Ocarina as the best entry in the Zelda series, I always remember that Ocarina is basically the 3D adaptation of this game. There are two worlds: light and dark. Actions in one world will affect the other. You must collect a red, blue, and green medallion/pendant/thingy in order to get the Master Sword. You must defeat seven dungeons to get to the final boss (I know Ocarina only has six) Still, despite the structural similarities in the story, both games are amazing and Link to the Past is still loads of fun after 14 years.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Any Star Wars fan owes it to him or herself to play this game. You can go dark side or light side, you have loads of options in customizing your character, but the biggest appeal is in building your own lightsaber and using force wave to toss your enemies around. Oh, and the story is about a billion times better than the prequel trilogy. I'd put it on par with the original trilogy. Fun game + awesome story = the game that finally pushed me to buy an X-Box.

Super Mario RPG - This is the game that got me interested in RPGs. I rented it from blockbuster four times before I finally figured that I should just buy the damn thing (which I then lost; something that depresses me to this day). The game is funny, full of great mini-games, and the gameplay is one of those few RPG titles that manages to understand that it's better to have timed-hits so that the player just doesn't tape down the attack button and walk away to go and catch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy while they level up.

This was fun. I look forward to seeing which titles win.

[pimpinc333]

Sorry Shipwreck but you have so many good games your missing out on I just can't list 5. No Particular Order.

37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX) - Awesome Game. The Strategy Combat is very fun. All the classes you can unlock and become(Ninja, Dragoon, etc.) Played this game through 3 times and played it different all 3 times. My Rating: 9.5/10

39 Final Fantasy X (PS2) - One of my Favorite FF games right next to FF7. Great Story. Memorable Characters. I liked the Level up system and the Aeons Summons. Anima or Bahamut anyone? Played this game 4 times through. My Rating: 9.5/10

61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN) - Can't say any more then IT'S ZELDA! Very Very good game. The Cel - Shading threw me off a little at first but this game was one of the best Zelda Games I played. The story line was great and the game had a lot of laugh to go with it. My Rating: 9.5/10

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN) - The Best game of 2005! Finally Capcom got away from the standard aiming and put in the Free Aim. Over the Shoulder 3rd person view is very cool and works with the aiming system well. The Story is different then regular RE games and it really action packed. My Rating: 9.5/10

104 Secret Of Evermore (SNES) - Awesome SNES adventure RPG. I loved this game since it got away from the Turned based battle system. Awesome story about a kid who goes into a telporter and gets sucked back in time at first. My Rating: 8.5/10

105 Secret Of Mana (SNES) - Same as above the free fighting mode. This game was better then Evermore since you can have up to 3 friends played along with you! My Rating: 9.5/10

109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2) - Great Game. Tring to take down the Colossus was very fun. Figuring out there weak points is challanging and fun at the same time. I loved the climbing in this game. You basically could climb anything that had a slight edge to it. My Rating: 8.5/10

113 Shining Force II (GEN) - The Best Strategy RPG ever made! Its uses Chess like combat ala FF Tactics. Thes best part of the game is the Story. Also you can use up to 12 characters in every fight. There are about 25-28 character you can get with secret hidden characters. Also once you get a single charcter to level 20 then you can do whats called a "Promotion" and make them turn into there upgraded class. My Rating: 10/10

[encendido5]

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
I haven't played it myself, but everyone else says it's great, and they can't all be wrong, right?

33 Final Fantasy Chronicles (PSX)
If you haven't played Chronotrigger yet, do yourself a favor and play it NOW! One of my all time favorites.

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
If you like action/adventure games with some puzzles thrown in, then definitely play this one. It's a classic that shouldn't be passed up.

89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
I started playing this game thinking it wasn't going to be all that. Boy, was I wrong. I didn't play a single other game until I had finished this one. It's just that good.

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
I haven't yet finished this one, but I played it for a long stretch. I'm not really into survival horror games, but this is almost like playing an interactive movie and is very hard to put down.

[shipwreck]

I didn't see God of War on there, so the other 2005 game of the year contender is obviously Resident Evil 4. This game simply must be played, hopefully sooner rather than later. I've played this through it more than a dozen times now and simply can't get enough of it.

I actually do play some games, God of War happened to be one of them. :)

June 5th Prize: Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories Strategy Guide

[kojubat]

In no particular order:

25 Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind (Xbox)
27 Fable (Xbox)
48 Jade Empire (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
126 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II (Xbox)

Okay, so I tend to play Xbox more than my other systems. ;)

[OuTrAgE]

I decided to go with 10, since I really couldn't leave some of them out. The first 5 will be the ones that count, while the last 5 will just be the extras. I'll number them from 1-10, with 1 being my highest recommendation.

1. Final Fantasy IX (PSX)
My favorite console game ever, hands down. It was one of my first RPGs, and what spawned my love for them. Amazing graphics for it's time, amazing story, and loveable characters.
2. Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Almost as good as FFIX. It's my second favorite console game, and second favorite RPG. Just like FFIX, it has amazing graphics, story, characters, gameplay, atmosphere, ect. The story is very, very deep and interesting.
3. Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
This game seems to be a hit or miss for everybody. I loved it, even moreso than Super Mario 64. The world's are amazing, just like in every other Mario game. The gameplay is fun, and it's a suprisingly lenghty game.
4. Golden Sun (GBA)
Golden Sun is, in my opinion, the best handheld game ever. There's just something about it that's extremely endearing and fun. The story wasn't the most interesting or original, but it's still good. Another lengthy game, plus you got The Lost Age to play next.
5. Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
One of the ultimate multiplayer games. It seems no matter what sort of games somebody likes, they always like mario kart. Me and my friends have a blast playing this together, and it's probably our most played game.

6. Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
One of my favorite PS2 games. There's so many things to do in this game, it's amazing. I'm not a huge fan of the gameplay, as it does get repetative, but it's not bad. It's biggest problem is the length. The dungeons seemingly go on forever, which can get very boring. But, if it can keep your interest, it's a very fun game.
7. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)
Addictive. I decided to try this game on sort of a blind buy, and I'm so glad I did. The story is interesting and funny. The gameplay is a blast. It's one of those games you pick up to play for a quick session, and end up playing for two hours. Lengthwise, it's long enough that you feel that you accomplished something, but not too long that it becomes boring or repetative.
8. Super Mario RPG (SNES)
A true classic. One of my first RPGs, and still one of the best. It's been awhile since I last played it, so I'm having a hard time remember everything about it. I do remember how fun and interesting it was, though.
9. Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA)
Same as Golden Sun. If you enjoyed the first, you will enjoy this one.
10. Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (DS)
Probably my favorite DS game, and that's saying something. I never played a Castlevania game before this one, but I love it. It's a very fast-paced game, with good gameplay, and interest puzzles.

[shieryda]

3 Armed & Dangerous (Xbox)
27 Fable (Xbox)
44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
48 Jade Empire (Xbox)
98 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2)


Enjoy!!!

[nefaquotek]

As a self proclaimed video game historian, I therefore know nothing. Still I have played or heard of many games.
Here is my list for your enjoyment
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Now I’m heavily biased towards this game. It’s my favorite personal game of all time. The story of tragedy, betrayal, maternity and loyalty it weaves is simply beautiful. No game can touch it’s magnificent storyline.
Now if you don’t care about the storyline just press the button to continue, you cold hearted person. I kid. Anyway the game play is fun as hell and if you want a real challenge I say go online and start getting lost in mindless battle. It feels great to have a guy’s neck snapped. Well unless it happens to you as it does to me.
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
This game used to be my favorite game till MGS3, it not only revitalized the RE franchise but it’s fun as hell to play. My friend hates the suspense of the Ganado circling you and surprising you. In terms of storyline this game lacks compared to other RE in my opinion but if you feel like shooting at crazy villagers and other insane monstrosities this game is for you.
Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
Now, I’ve never actually played this game. Just recently bought it and will be playing it very soon. I’ve heard it’s actually the best FF game out there next to FFVI, I can’t verify that. I’ve placed it as third in this list for the fact that I’ve heard that it was an absolute masterpiece. I trust my friends on the subject so go ahead and give it a try.
Killer 7 (GCN)
I love this game. I HATE THIS GAME! Why is this game on the list? Because Harman’s blood flows from the center of the dead man’s heart.
OKAY, let me just say this, THIS GAME IS WEIRD. You’ll love it and hate it. It’ll creep you out. It’s gameplay is insulting to you as a gamer, yet you still want to keep going. It’s like Salvador Dali made love to an orange. It wont be a classic or it might just be. I’m not sure. You must play this game because it will leave you saying….WTF?
I’ll leave Nintendojo.com to help you decide.
“Hello, my name is Harmon, and I’m looking for an identity, seven to be exact, with some blood and death. You don’t know who I am, and I don’t know who I am, so come play my psyche. Plot = character, and my gimped-out-Igor Iwazaru says we’re in a tight spot! Heaven smiles down on me, and I guess I better save the French Maid and go cut my wrists. Somebody’s laughing again. It’s time to kill.”
Super Mario RPG (SNES)
I started playing this game then it got erased. I’m going to download it when the Wii comes out. It was fun and quirky. The above games are either serious or disturbing so this game kind of contrasts the selection for further variety. Square should revisit this particular franchise.
Whatever you play, have fun. I’m in the same position but with far less games. I hate the fact that I have so many games to beat BUT WHOA! Do you have a lot to beat. Just have fun.

[mcelfour]

35 Final Fantasy IX (PSX)
61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
74 Metroid: Fusion (GBA)
48 Jade Empire (Xbox)
14 Chrono Cross (PSX)

[Machine]

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - this will probably get the most votes
53 Klonoa 2 (PS2) - this is an awesome game, everyone should play it
78 Ogre Battle 64 (N64) - another great game, highly replayable
83 Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox) - this game needs more love than it getes
130 Steel Battalion (Xbox) - this isn't a game, it's an experience: you owe it to yourself to set this baby up and play it

[Dijital]

Normally I'd say to start 1 game however in this case I must suggest you start 2 games, first game would have to be Lunar 1, it is an experience unlike any other you will ever have, trust me!! Followed by that once complete time to go on to lunar 2, you will not believe the story line between the two and in the end you will be asking yourself the same thing I have been asking myself for the last few years. Where is my Lunar 3??

[alive741]

44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
126 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II (Xbox)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
Super Mario RPG

You're nuts for not playing any of these games.

[kaw]

1. Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES) - This is still my favorite Zelda game.

2. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - This is my favorite Castlevania, the graphics and sound hold up well even by today's standards. It's relatively short, and you could beat it easily in a week (just play through both parts... you'll see).

3. Final Fantasy Tactics - Despite the convoluted story, it's a very good game with a lot of depth. The sprite based 3D graphics are very good, and this title has by far my favorite game soundtrack of all time. I had a good feeling!

Honorable mention - Phantasy Star II - I loved this game when it was released, and it captivated me for hours on end. However, I tried playing the GBA version a few months back, and it didn't hold up so well over time. Still if you've never played it before, for its day, it was one of the best 16-bit RPGs going.

[worx]

125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
100 Resident Evil 4

[willardhaven]

5. Super Mario RPG: The Legend of the Seven Stars
It's a really solid game, a little on the easy side, with a great cast and memorable story.

4. Onimusha 2 Samurai's Destiny
One of the best action games I've played in many years. Great branching story, and an all around fun time. It's the perfect summer game.

3. Resident Evil 4
Game of the year for 2005 in the action department, it's got an intriguing story and severely addictive gameplay. You should be playing it right now.

2. Castlevania Symphony of the Night
There is a reason behind this game's popularity: it's superb. The free-roaming gameplay, and nonstop 2d action reminded many why gaming will never die.

1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
I'm shocked that you haven't played this yet. Easily the greatest game in the Zelda series, it follows in the footsteps of the original Zelda, but adds more memorable characters and deeper, longer gameplay. One of the greatest games in history. Play it right now.

[Battman23]

You need to play these:

Chronicles of Riddick - Who knew fist-fights in an FPS could be this good?
Golden Sun - my 3rd fav all time RPG.
Super Mario RPG - my 2nd fave all time RPG.
Resident Evil 4 - just awesome.
Vagrant Story - great fighting system.

[Blade]

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
Super Mario RPG
Fatal Frame II
Final Fantasy X
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

No explanation is really needed for these, ship. They are amazing games.

[phreak5k]

Here are my suggestions:
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (GCN)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Shining Force II (GEN)
Super Mario RPG (SNES)


PS. Jungle Beat is a very fun and short game. It probably won't get as many votes but still worht a quick run through.

[wageslave]

In this order:

26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
Best story ever in any game / best "horror" game

14 Chrono Cross (PSX)
Best atmosphere ever in any game / second best music of any game

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
Best 2d Action in any game / Best Castlevania / best PSX game / best music of any game

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Best thrillride in any game & Night of the Living Dead homages

83 Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Best graphics of it's generation

Honorable Mensions: Personal favorites

74 Metroid: Fusion (GBA)
Under rated

125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
An RPG that is actually fun and not set in a swords and socerey type universe. Not fanboyish Final Fantasy crap.

[megabadd]

Final Fantasy Tactics
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Final Fantasy X
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Great great games. In fact, I beat FFT every year and it’s still a blast every time.

[erika1209]

1. resident evil 4 (PLAY ASAP!)
2. devil may cry
3. mario kart:double dash
4. metroid prime
5. zelda: majora's mask

[Sulik2]

1. Final Fantasy Tactics
2. Knights of the Old Republic
3. Majora's Mask
4. Metroid Prime
5. Steel Battalion (how can you have that controller and not use it?!?)

[baxterstockman]

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
-Probably the best in the series, with so much to explore you'll be busy for a while on this aone.

Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
-A great game with so many elements to it. A lot better than the first one.

Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
-A classic game, showed how zelda could grow and try a ton of new things even on next gen. You should definetely play this one before any of the other zelda's.

Silent Hill 2 (Xbox)
-Really you should play any of the silent hill's. I'm recommending 2 because it has a great stand alone story rarely seen in any other game.

Super Mario RPG (SNES)
-Just a great RPG.

[nadsofed]

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat -21 (something different)
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney -89
Resident Evil 4 - 100
Suikoden - 132
Xenogears- 145

[spree4567]

Metroid Prime (GCN)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Super Mario RPG (SNES)
Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)

[Indiana]

I thought I had a backlog of games. I think I have 40 still sealed.

Here's my vote. Although it's June now and I haven't seen a winner so here you go.

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
27 Fable (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)

[shipwreck]

I thought I had a backlog of games. I think I have 40 still sealed.

Here's my vote. Although it's June now and I haven't seen a winner so here you go.

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
27 Fable (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)

Thanks for voting, but I'm not quite sure what you meant by "Although it's June now and I haven't seen a winner." Maybe you just misunderstood the contest rules? I'll be adding a new prize everyday in June. On July 1st, there will be a random drawing to see who wins the whole lot of prizes.

[thorbahn3]

Man so many good games. I picked Boktai because July 1st is the perfect time to start playing this game since you need sunny weather. I picked Star Wars because it was the best of the GCN launch titles , RE 4 because, well it's RE 4 and Ages & Seasons because these games were sadly overlooked due to poor timing.


Boktai (GBA)
Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages (GBC)
Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons (GBC)

[ultradork8]

Final Fantasy Tactics
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Eternal Darkness

[KaneRobot]

1. Castlevania SOTN. I see it's listed a lot in this thread already...but there's a reason. The absurd voice-acting is the icing on the BLOOD CAKE.

2. GTA:VC. San Andreas was ok, but this was my personal favorite. By far the most stylized of the GTA games.

3. Hulk-Ultimate Destruction. I guess you could say it's similar to GTA:VC in that there's a lot of freedom, but I don't see much similarity besides that. One of the best "mindless fun" games in the current (or is that previous?) console era.

4. Knights of the Old Republic. I generally don't even like Star Wars and I thought this game was awesome. I generally don't even like RPGs and I played this game non-stop until I was through it. Currently working on the sequel, which is also really good.

5. Eternal Darkness. Highest possible recommendation - and I'm not a fan of the Gamecube. This one comes with a caveat, though - if you know the spoilers for this game it's not nearly as good. If you've managed to avoid reading about it for the most part, though...go ahead. If you've had it spoiled for you in the past, go with MGS: Subsistence.

[CocheseUGA]

It's nice to see so many different answers. But jeez it would be nice to win something for a change. Luck =\= my friend.

[Assigore]

TOP 3 PSX
32 Final Fantasy Anthology (PSX) - Mainly for Final Fantasy VI
33 Final Fantasy Chronicles (PSX) - For both Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IV
14 Chrono Cross (PSX)

TOP 3 PS2
39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
20 Disgaea (PS2)
54 La Pucelle Tactics (PS2)

TOP 3 XBOX
41 Gladius (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
141 TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (Xbox)

TOP 3 SNES
105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
104 Secret Of Evermore (SNES)

TOP 3 N64
78 Ogre Battle 64 (N64)
57 Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)
6 Banjo-Tooie (N64)

TOP 3 GCN
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
120 Skies of Arcadia (GCN)
129 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike (GCN)

TOP 3 GBA
34 Final Fantasy I & II (GBA)
74 Metroid: Fusion (GBA)
10 Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon (GBA)

TOP 3 GEN
113 Shining Force II (GEN)
88 Phantasy Star IV (GEN)
87 Phantasy Star III (GEN)

TOP 3 OTHER
76 Nights (Saturn)
46 Grandia II (DC)
11 Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (DS)

OVERALL TOP 10

Vote-Getters:
1. Final Fantasy Anthology
2. Final Fantasy Chronicles
3. Secret of mana
4. Gladius
5. Chrono Cross

Honorable Mentions:
6. Final Fantasy X
7. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
8. Shining Force II
9. Metroid Prime
10. Final Fantasy I&II

My lists are noticeably very RPG heavy, however, these games were the most memorable to me.

*NOTE*You may wish to relinquish Final Fantasy Origins, as it is the same game as Final Fantasy 1&II (Dawn of Souls) for the GBA, only the GBA version has added dungeons and better graphics. The PSX version does include three additional cinema scenes though.

[Danimal]

Amazing list of games, and an amazing contest. Stuff like this is why I love this site so much. Anyway, my suggestions, in order:

GTA: Vice City- I second what KaneRobot said above. I liked San Andreas a lot, but Vice City was the best of the series, IMO.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night- I only just played this game a year ago myself when a buddy let me borrow it. It's all you've heard it is.

Shadow of the Colossus- Such a great feeling whenever you take one of these giants down. Unlike any other game.

Klonoa 2- Lots of fun, really well designed. I don't care for anime at all, but the art style didn't bother me at all since the game was so good

Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction- For when you just want to blow stuff up. A lot.

[bluehalls]

Here is your 5 must play.

Astroboy GBA - shooters doen't get much better than this, and try to fill your omega factor with out any hints.

shining force 2 - i have loved this stragety game since i first played it.

Castlevania: dawn of sorrow- i'm picking this one over sotn because it already has enough votes, you need to play both of theses games. Castlevania done damn good!

metroid prime- fun atmospheric, visual impressive, i felt like a kid exploring stuff again playing thru. truly a treasure.

eternal darkness- fantastic!

honorable mention
just in case you need one more.

Panzer dragoon otra- this is a series that needs to be played, and otra impresses on all levels.



oh and shipwreck, my birthday is june 19th, i'd be happy to recieve any of your excess games:)

[BrerDan]

I love the idea of this thread....cuz I am in the same boat! I have always been a very casual gamer with little time to devote to games--but I read about so many great games that when I find them on a discount, I pick them up. I probably have over 100 good non-played games dating back to the SNES myself.

Here's my list:

5. Metroid Prime I'm not a first-person shooter guy, but this really is immersive and fun....solid gameplay and it lures you in.

4. Klonoa 2 I've only played the GBA version, but I love it--very relazing way to spend time. I just love the music and visuals--but it's the gameplay that just suckers me in.

3. DK Jungle Beat This REALLY IS a fun game. I didn't expect it to be at all...but it was fun and I found myself wanting to play just one more level. Plus, it's short enough that you can finish it and feel you've knocked off one from the list ;)

2. Pikmin Unique, fun, charming---just a real winner.

1. Zelda Link to the Past Tied with Super Mario World for my all-time favorite game. I just started Zelda Wind Waker this past week (doing the same-thing--realizing I should really play some games I own before I buy more) and it IS really fun.....but I just love the classic 2-D play of Link to the Past.....it's easier to control, and I found myself being challenged and having to think throughout--but in a really fun way.

BrerDan

[chalalite]

Quite the selection....

1. Final Fantasy Tactics: Still the best strategy game of all time.
2. Shadow Hearts 2: Great battle system. You will remain entertained.
3. Rez: Short and sweet.
4. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night: Like they said.
5. Secret of Mana: The best RPG from the SNES era is this one.

[SargeSmash]

Seriously, this looks about like my backlog. I've got stuff still hanging around from the Genesis / SNES, and even NES days. Of course, most of the good NES stuff has been beaten, but hey... And my PSX RPG backlog is horrible. So many games, so little time. Ah, the life of a Ph.D. student.

Anyhow, my top choices, from games that I have either beaten, or even re-beaten. In my book, if I stuck with 'em, they're good. Of course, there's a lot more that I'd like to add, but with only five choices, it's gonna be limited.

So, in no particular order...

1.) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

It's good. It's really, really good. Basically "Metroid-vania". I just played and beat this one again recently. I also highly recommend Dawn of Sorrow, but it's very similar, so the magnum opus that is SoTN must be mentioned instead.

2.) Tales of Symphonia

Seriously, this is the greatest RPG for the 'cube, and maybe the best of this generation. I actually liked the story, despite many reviewers' claims that it was rather trite, and the battle system is the smoothest thing this side of Soul Calibur. It kept me interested for 50+ hours, so by all means, go for it!

3.) Dragon Warrior VII

Wait, what the...? Yes, I know some will question my judgment, but hear me out. The game, graphically, looks horrible, not unlike many other PSX titles. It does manage to keep framerate most of the time, though. It also has one of the longest, most inane intro sequences in recent memory (3 hours to face a slime! Madness!). But once you start unlocking continents, and seeing what your effects have on each area that you save, it starts to get addictive, not unlike the Soul Blazer series. Couple that with a stellar class system, and you've got one of the most underappreciated RPGs around. I personally put in close to 100 hours on this one back in the day, so there was SOMETHING there.

4.) Phantasy Star IV

Another DW-style RPG, but with a much more sci-fi manga bent to it. I enjoyed this one tremendously as well, and highly recommend it to all those who want to see what Phantasy Star was BEFORE it turned into a pretty Diablo.

5.) Shining Force 2

As much as I'd like to put a ton of other games up here, Shining Force is still, in my opinion, the greatest strategy RPG of all time. No, it's not deep like Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics, but for overall balance of gameplay, this one really does it for me. Couple it with excellent graphics and a surprisingly decent soundtrack for Genesis standards, and you've got a winner. And to see Camelot's later work, check out Golden Sun 1 and 2!

Wow, the stuff I had to leave off... I still have Dawn of Sorrow, Golden Sun, Kirby 64, Metroid Prime, Zelda 3, Ratchet 3...

Anyway, this will mostly be good for old-school kicks. Enjoy!

Sarge out.

[Undertaker4eber]

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
Klonoa 2 (PS2)
Legend Of Zelda: Minish Cap (SNES)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

In no order....

[bowmanarmy]

Mario RPG
Shadow Hearts
Final Fantasy Tatics
Yoshi Story
Jade Empire.

[SDMeslow]

A Link to the Past. My fave game of all time! Not having played that is bordering on criminal.

[JosephD1014]

Must play SINGLE PLAYER (In Order)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
13 Chronicles Of Riddick (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)

Must play MULTI-PLAYER
105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
138 Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)

Honorable Mention
83 Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)

[marten]

That list looks like an excuse to get fired from your job and collect unemployment for the two years it'd take to clean up that backlog (of course, with Wii/PS3/Xbox360, it'd just create a NEW one in the process :applause:)

Top 5:

1. Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
2. Disgaea (PS2)
3. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
4. Tales Of Symphonia (GCN)
5. Secret Of Mana (SNES)

[radjago]

Getting into your backlog can be a pain, but you'll be glad that you did it. I'll start you off with some games that are relatively short and you can go from there.

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - One of the last great 2D games on a Sony platform. Music that stands out on its own.

26 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN) - Involving story, atmospheric, and excellent flow of gameplay.

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES) - Best Zelda game to date. This is the reason I bought the SNES. (I was a Sega guy too)

83 Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox) - One of the most beautiful games on the Xbox with a story that expands the PD universe and awesome rail-shooting gameplay to boot.

113 Shining Force II (GEN) - Greatest SRPG ever IMO. So many great characters, many of which are hidden. Fantastic replay value.

[jngx80]

I picked these games because mainly they aren't as long as some of the other games but they still offer great gameplay, often dipping into several types of genres and making them work. Plus unlike some of the other games mentioned, these don't bog down in levelling up, wandering around aimlessly, or areas where the gameplay just becomes boring. (I don't have an xbox or gamecube so none of those games made my list).

4 Astro Boy (GBA) - great sidescrolling shooter with outstanding graphics. Lots of variety in terms of special moves etc.

66 Mark Of Kri (PS2) - The control scheme makes this game stand out. Fight against multiple enemies with precision, without it becoming a button mashing fest.

67 Maximo Vs. Army Of Zin (PS2) - It's got adventure, action, platforming all rolled into one. Close pick between this and Sly Cooper but Maximo has a bit more depth.

105 Secret Of Mana (SNES) - The best rpg for the SNES. Possibly best action/rpg ever and it has multiplayer.

113 Shining Force II (GEN) - rpg/strategy. A bit simple but that's part of the charm. Great feeling when you find and recruit more and more characters, watching your force grow from 4 people to something like over 20 characters. I still love watching the battle animation.

Edit: How did I miss FFX and how can you not have played this game yet? The best FF game for me because it replaced the crappy ATB system with a more strategic system. Drop Mark of Kri from my list and play FFX.

[ITDEFX]

castlevania:SOTN......... hands down the best PSX game out there. I am sure many people agree that it is one of best games out there, even if its nearly 10 years old. :)

[ksuwild25]

Resident Evil 4
Silent Hill 2
Riddick
Jade Empire
Ogre Battle 64 (I got the last copy of this at Best Buy one time on clearance, and just my luck it was defective, and cuz it was the last one I couldn't exchange it for another)

I can't believe how many great games are in there. You could blindly pick 5 and be satisfied.

[cleaver]

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic - XBox
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - PS1
Resident Evil 4 - GC
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence - PS2
Final Fantasy X - PS2

I tried to pick the 5 games that I've played that would be the most fun to play now, without taking into account nostalgia or influence on subsequent games.

[maxgle]

Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
Disgaea (PS2)
Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)

[cheapfrag]

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Chronicles of Riddick
GTA:SA
Ratchet and Clank
Star Wars: KotR2

[frighugeorc]

K I broke out my TI99-4a from the attic and programed in all the games on your list then I had my TI play them all and debate with me (It has the Speech module attached) as to what it though where the top 5 games that you must play OR it will make you play Global Thermal Neucular War with it.

and here is the top 5 Hands down Best games on your list.

#1 Phantasy Star 4

#2 Silent Hill 2

#3 Fable

#4 Dues Ex: Invisable War

#5 The Suffering

Do not play these games in any other order or it will...
Fuck You Up for life.

Sincerely,
Orc

[mellowsmoothe]

1.) SOTN, first and foremost. Hurry, the fact that you haven't played it is hurting my feelings.

2.) Fear Effect 2. The visuals are a bit antiquated, but the story, intensity and universe are beautiful.

3.) Suikoden. My god, you have been busy, haven't you? One of the most fun RPGs around. Great style.

4.) Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Ideally, you should play Aria of Sorrow first, but DoS looks and plays beautifully on the DS.

5.) Grandia 2. Wow - thinking of how much fun I had with that game makes me want to cry. Kind of.

And I'm all about San Andreas, but that should be a continual work-in-progress.


edit:
Yikes. I don't know how I missed Shadows of the Colossus. That game is just. Epic. Replace DoS with SotC, please.

[ELUNO]

Resident Evil 4 for gamecube. Easy choice.

[the1brock]

Not in Any particular order though it might be

1. Super Mario Rpg (Easily one of my favorite rpgs ever though i am super biased because i love the mario universe...exceptions: petey the gay piranha, baby anything especially bowser, island delfino and its residents)

2. Final Fantasy Tactics (I could not get into this for the longest time...when I did finally get into it, I spent a couple of nights in a row staying up till well after sunrise)

3. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (It says Zelda in the title so I do not need to give an explanation)

4. Resident Evil 4 (I got this for ten dollars at TRU because I heard good things and thought it was a bargain...one of the biggest understatements ever...truly the best the current generation has to offer)

5. Metroid Prime (I actually struggled to pick another game because I had it narrowed down to this and like 4 others for you, I went with this because I beat it a month or two ago and really enjoyed it...besides battle with ridley=bliss no matter what metroid you are playing)

[thetshell]

1. Ratchet & Clank
2. Final Fantasy X
3. Metroid Prime
4. Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
5. Lunar


I'd also highly recommend the sequels to R&C and Metroid Prime...but you should play the originals first.

[Pookymeister]

My vote :

1. Silent Hill
2. Resident Evil 4
3. Shadow of Collosus
4. Pikmin
5. Zelda : Link to the Past

[PawnTakesKing]

Please play:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - You are MISSING OUT.

Final Fantasy IX - I know I'll get a lot of flames for saying this, but this was THE best FF on the regular Playstation. The characters are much more likeable and enchanting, and the storyline actually holds your interest more than "The planet is dying...lifestream...Aeris...blah blah blah."

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - I still say this is better than Ocarina of Time (although by a very close margin). Not only is it the best Zelda game, but it's one of the best games of all time.

Silent Hill 2 - WTF? Yes, Silent Hill 2 gets my vote for pure sentiment. It is this game, and not Halo, that caused me to go out and buy an XBox. I remember watching my college roommate play this with all the lights off in our dorm room at 1 or 2 in the morning. It is all kinds of creepy, and I loved every minute of it.

Super Mario RPG - Genius. Square and Nintendo at their best. Forget Crystal Chronicles. This is the Square game to beat if you own a Nintendo console.

[anomynous]

far cry predator

[ricdafric`]

Finally!, someone else out there that knows my pain! Brother, there are so many good games and they will take up years of your time. You are just like me. Man I haven't even opened HALO 2 yet! You just keep buying and buying and don't finish a damn thing. I have over 250 games and about 200 of them are still sealed. But the sad part is that I only finished about 5 of them. I have XBOX, GAMECUBE, GBA SP PS2, DREAMCAST AND PS1. That's not including the following which total over 2000+ games: SUPER NINTENDO, SEGA GENESIS, NES, SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, GAME GEAR, ATARI 2600, and COLECOVISION GAMES.

Just look at it the way I do, if you can't play them all, the longer you hold on to them, the more valuable they become. Eventually you will be sitting on a gold mine. Just don't unwrap anything else unless you intend on playing it through.

Damn the Videogame industry! They used to put out a couple of game a month. Then it was a couple a week. Then they would flood the market with a bunch of crap, and one or two gems a week. Now...It is total madness! Every week there is multiple hits coming out!

This is the one time in my life that I wish they would slow down the development of games for the sake of the Cheap Ass Gamer who can't catch-up.

I know your pain man. God Bless You.

My recommendations:
Gamecube-RE4
PS2-Ratchet and Clank
XBOX-Steel Battallion-Just because it costs more than the system itself!

[ricdafric`]

far cry predator
Yo! You are a perv! Take that sig off!

[Gothic Walrus]

In no particular order...

Astro Boy (GBA)
An absolutely amazing game. I've had a blast with it, and even though the storyline and cameos probably won't make sense to you unless you're a fan of the source material (I'm not and they didn't), it's still a darn good platformer/shooter and one of the best GBA games I've played.

I need to finish it someday. :oops:

Sly Cooper And The Thevious Raccoonus (PS2)
Beautifully animated, good voice work, and a ton of fun to play. A bit frustrating at times (just wait until you get to the racing levels), but the sheer goodness of the rest of the (platforming and stealth) based game makes up for the few dull spots.

Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
Along with Sly Cooper, one of my favorite PS2 games. This has some platforming elements (notice a pattern here? ;)) but with a heavy emphasis on the guns and weaponry you pick up along the way. It reminded me of Jet Force Gemini a lot, but since I've only got room for one on the list and because you've got some Ratchet sequels to play through too...well, the choice was obvious. :)

Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
There's a reason why this game is legendary. I have a feeling this one will do well in the rankings, and might win...which would be good, as it's probably one of the few "must play" titles that you could get a consensus on. Assuming you like RPGs (which I'd have to, going from the Final Fantasy games on your list), you won't regret this one at all.

And finally...well, I've never played this one (no Saturn), but I'd suggest giving...
Nights (Saturn)
...a shot. Again, the cult following is a sign that there's something there to warrant it, and I still haven't lost trust in Sega (though I have yet to play Shadow the Hedgehog, which might eradicate that by itself). Besides, I'd guess your Saturn doesn't get a ton of loving. Change that. :D

Since we're supposed to stick to five, don't count this as a vote, but remember one thing: you live in Ohio. If you're ever going to play Boktai (GBA), do yourself a favor and start it while there's plenty of sun ahead of you. It's a good game, according to my sister; I can't speak for it myself, but I know how weather in the Midwest works and I think you might want to seize your chance.

Here's hoping you enjoy whatever we pick for you. Now, get out there and play something! ;)

[Skylander7]

OK.. umm.. here's a recommendation of what NOT to play. Take that Dragon Warrior VII of yours.. then buy a bottle of Captain Morgans and some Cherry Pepsi or Mountain Dew. Make a fire pit. Wait until nightfall.. then, initiate a drunken ceremony of game sacrifice to ward off the evil random battle spirits. Seriously dude.. that game will cause you to begin taking Nexium for heartburn, and will destroy any desire you have to play a game with the dated random battle system in the future. Do yourself this favor.. trust me.

[miyamotofreak]

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Resident Evil 4
Metroid Prime
Wind Waker
Deus Ex

[chewster777]

Play these:
14 Chrono Cross
24 Dragon Warrior VII
70 Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence
109 Shadow Of The Colossus
134 Super Mario RPG

[Battousai1002]

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)

[Oktoberfest]

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
Xenosaga
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy VIII
Devil May Cry

[dubbfoolio]

here's my suggestion, in order:
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
73 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (GCN)


holy crap. you've got a decent collection of games! and these are just the ones you haven't played!?

[mozby]

#1 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2) - the fucking bomb!
#2 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
#3 Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)
#4 Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader (GCN)
#5 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)

[RaPtOrsIII]

Chrono Cross
Resident Evil 4
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Kirby 64
GTA: San Andreas

[jousley]

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
You CAN'T go wrong with this, the best game from that whole generation IMO

61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)
Yes its a BIT different from most Zelda games (My favorite series(, but DARN if its not awesome as well.

69 Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction (Xbox)
My most plesant surprize from the current/last generation. Lots of fun to be had with this title

76 NiGHTs (Saturn)
I remember playing the import version of this and the import version of Mario 64 in the same week so many years ago before they came out over here...I thought NiGHTS was more fun.

82 Otogi 2 (or Otogi 1) (Xbox)
One of the BIGGEST injustices in the PS2/GC/Xbox era. Only 30k copies of this game were bought? That just sickens me. Two of by far the most beautiful games the Xbox had to offer. It really had personality in spades. I impore anyone that doesnt have these two games to get them while they can.

[M1C13]

105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)
27 Fable (Xbox)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)
65 Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)

[dtcarson]

2 Arc The Lad Collection (PSX)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
46 Grandia II (DC))
96 Ratchet & Clank (PS2)
111 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga Volume 1 (PS2)

The only bad thing is three of those can be very long RPGs--I probably spent a total of 200+ hours on FFT, which is a lot for me, my interest usually caps out at 40-50 hours. FFT, apart from needing some major proofreading, is pretty much strategy RPG perfection in my eyes. Grandia 2 is a relatively short, linear RPG, and R&C of course is a very engaging action game. I say start with the first one, then move on to 2 and 3, because they're all great games.

[$hady]

You haven't played RE4? :-s I bought a system just to play that game. :D

my votes
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
116 Silent Hill (PSX)
99 Resident Evil 0 (GCN)


and 5A = Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2) I don't have a PS2 but that and God of War have my full attention when I get one.

[Hbomb5]

Advance Wars 2. Definitely Advance Wars 2. I loved it, and the only reason I bought it was because Best Buy had it for $10.

[trent82]

01 - Resident Evil 4
02 - Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
03 - Metroid Prime
04 - Pikmin 2
05 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence


near misses:

Riddick
Pikmin
Silent Hill 2
Eternal Darkness
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

you picked a good time to do this...this summer has absolutely nothing coming out. i tried to mix my top 5 up to avoid covering the same genre over and over. you have the best of the action, stealth, and adventure genres represented as well as a fantastic strategy game and an epic cinematic experience. i don't know about you, but i wouldn't want to sit around all summer playing rpgs...unless it's oblivion.

[Milkyman]

holy crap thats a lot of games

1) Resident Evil 4
2) Nights
3) Castlevania SotN
4) Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
5) Mario Kart: Double Dash

The only thing is, Mario Kart isnt that fun by yourself but if you get a bunch of friends together to play with you its awesome.

and dont bother with Golden Sun, I dont know about the sequel but the first one is full of every RPG cliche you can think of. if you ever played an rpg since the SNES days you've played this game.

[davegargamel]

If you're looking for a great game to play with your wife, Mario Kart: Double Dash is it. And it will only take one night to get a decent fill so you can then move on to Eternal Darkness. Then Resident Evil 4. Then Shadow Hearts Covenant. Then you can finally pull out Rainbow Six 3 and trudge through hours upon hours of agonizing lameness.

[jjmai]

I thought my backlog of games is bad.... damn, you got at least $2000 dollars worth of games just gathering dust.

Final Fantasy X (PS2) - best FF since FF7
Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Story (PS2) - best robot action ever
Resident Evil 4 (GCN) - it'll grow on you
Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - grandaddy of metroidvania
Final Fantasy Chronicles (PSX) - try Chrono Trigger - best RPG of 16bit era

[PINKO]

Riddick,RE4,Steal Batlion,And Kotor1,2

[smellhasreturned]

1. Resident Evil 4
2. Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence
3. Golden Sun
4. Metroid Fusion
5. Ratchet And Clank

[xtchuh]

122 Splinter Cell (Xbox)
123 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)
124 Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox)

You can see what I like

[Swift900]

Damn shipwreck, thats one hell of a backlog. If I were to pick one, I'd definitely go with Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. The game itself is incredibly short, but it's also one helluva ride.

Since you asked for the top five, here are my other four picks.

2. Steel Battalion I have not played this game myself; but if I had the controller, I'd be on it like a fly on shit... I wonder how the hell you have managed to hold out for this long without playing it.

3. Deus Ex Another game that I have not yet played, but have heard wonderful things about. The main reason I suggest this game is because it's graphics are aging. Get it out of the way.

4. Star Wars: KOTOR Best Star Wars game. Ever.

5. Shenmue II Couldn't leave one of my favorite Xbox games hanging.

[Minder]

Eternal Darkness
Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
Xenogears
Metroid: Fusion
Deus Ex

[cranguy]

Final Fantasy VIII may not have the cult-like following that is predecessor has, but I still think it's a solid entry in the series. Play it NOW!

FFX is possibly the best title in the series in recent memory, with a tear-jerking ending to boot.

Final Fantasy IV (FF Chronicles) is my favorite old-school FF. The game and characters have aged well.

Vagrant Story is possibly my favorite non-FF game on PlayStation. This late-gen title pushed the graphical capabilities of the PSX to its limit. Oh, and the end is decisively kick ass. I have to say this is one of the few Square games that had a solid "vision" from beginning to end. No "oh crap what do we do now" feeling from the designers at the end.

Metal Gear Solid 3 - The beginning is a bit slow, but the ending is one of the most exciting experiences I've had from a game.

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

How in the HELL do people consider KOTOR 'one of the best games ever', unless you genuinely like sitting there watching your character fire randomly until they kill your enemies in the game.

Turn-based wanna be RPGish games are horrid, imo. I bought the game on Saturday, after seeing it praised and lauded as the second coming here and elsewhere for about 6 months.

I returned it today and picked up a PS2 Jampack with some demos of games I might actually WANT to play.

Again, two games that I still can't understand HOW they are so praised as 'revolutionary' are Beyond Good & Evil and KOTOR. I've had both and dumped both within a couple days to a month of getting them.

[Gamrr4Life]

44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)

Assuming you haven't played the PS2 version, GTA:SA is an amazing game both for its storyline and the amazing fun you can have during free range roaming and exploring.

56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)

This is a classic action adventure game that requires both fast fingers and a nimble mind for its puzzle solving.

97 Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PS2)

The last great R&C game, it improves substantially upon the amazing original without losing the charming story and tight play control.

125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)

An RPG combined with action adventure combined with a compelling story. It is a little slow at first, only because it sets the stage for a very intricate plot.

134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)

This game made me start playing RPGs. It features many of the characters from the Nintendo universe, and is still the greatest Nintendo/Square partnership (IMHO).

[HiHuman]

I'm not even sure how you call yourself a gamer with so many classics going unplayed!!!! :roll:

1. Symphony of the Night: Castlevania

2. Chrono Cross

3. Silent Hill 2

4. Zone of the Enders: 2nd Runner

TIED FOR 5TH. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Resident Evil 4

Put your Xbox360 down and get schooled in the classics, son! ;)

[HiHuman]

How in the HELL do people consider KOTOR 'one of the best games ever', unless you genuinely like sitting there watching your character fire randomly until they kill your enemies in the game.

Well, the game gets quite better after the first 5 or so hours of gameplay. Just wait till you get your lightsaber. Oh wait, you sold it. Let's fill you in on what you missed. Great story, awesome characters (HK-47), crazy twists, nice music, massive interaction and player determined story arcs. It may not be one of the best games ever made, but its damn good.

Turn-based wanna be RPGish games are horrid, imo. I bought the game on Saturday, after seeing it praised and lauded as the second coming here and elsewhere for about 6 months.

Only 6 months? The praise has been goin on for years now.8-)

I returned it today and picked up a PS2 Jampack with some demos of games I might actually WANT to play.

Again, two games that I still can't understand HOW they are so praised as 'revolutionary' are Beyond Good & Evil and KOTOR. I've had both and dumped both within a couple days to a month of getting them.

To each his own I guess.

Toss out your top 5 that shipwrecked should play, and we'll pick it apart.;)

[zindsoros]

Here's my five,

Final Fantasy Tactics
Metroid Prime
Suikoden
Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Story
Legend of Mana/Secret of Mana(LoM if youre only playing one player, SoM if you have a friend or two to play with)

[Photomotoz]

Deus Ex : I played it for the PC and it was nothing short of amazing. One of my absolute all time favorites.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence : MGS, it's MGS! You play. Now.

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic: A great RPG, an absolute classic. Make sure to play it twice, once on the dark side once on the light.

X-Men Legends II : Co-op is amazing, play with friends.

Chronicles of Riddick : One of the best shooters out there. Very good atmosphere as well as kick ass game play. Really makes you feel like you are in jail. And you get to shank people too.

[k9homan]

Resident evil 4 - Best Game EVER!

Devil May Cry - You can fly through this one, you'll be having so much fun, next thing you'll know, you're through

Final Fantasy X - This one will take ya a while, but its worth it

Legend of Zelda - Wind Waker - Dude.. its a Zelda Game!!

Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III - Hard, but fun... and you get to control Luke...

Man, I wish I had all those games too play...
http://card.mygamercard.net/gel/j6snowman.png (http://profile.mygamercard.net/j6snowman)

[xrickyb86x]

im keepin my list current gen.

11 Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (DS)

Best game on the DS next to mariokart. i think it's better than symphony of the night... but than again that's just me. play it... love it.

39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)

If you like straight up turn based rpgs with a good ass story and lots of customization this one is obvious. You'll put a good 40 hrs into just completing the story.

61 Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker (GCN)

This game is awesome no matter what anyone else says about the cute graphics. Long, fun, hard, fun, sailing, fun. It's pretty fun.

100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)

Play it. Any fan of video games should love this game.

109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)

The horse riding may be slightly dull but the moment you take down one of those big fuckers you want to take them all down. Tons of strategy in beating each colossi and the story is amazing despite not having 40 minute cutscenes and tons of dialog.

[alongx]

My suggestions include:

Nights (Saturn)
Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Pikmin (GCN)
Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Metroid: Fusion (GBA)
Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
Metroid Prime (GCN)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Story (PS2)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Phantasy Star IV (GEN)
Shining Force II (GEN)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)

In that order.

[brianmoy]

Games that I picked are all old style RPG's. The new style and strategy stuff can always be played later.

Shining Force 2 - my fave of the series.
Chrono Cross - fun game and great graphics
Lunar 1 - so MUCH better/more fun than the sequel
Suikoden 1 - I'm a fan of leveling up
Arc the Lad collection - since you have it, you should play it

Noticed that games you listed as playing are all arcade style so maybe you might not be into my suggestions as they all take a pretty big time commitment each - 50+ (at least) hours each.

[escapekey]

Hey, shipwreck, I know how you feel. CAG has left me with a total of 187 currently unplayed titles.

Well, you certainly have a hard list to narrow down, but here it goes. I tried to pick games that offer a completely unique gameplay experience, but still it's hard to choose only five:

3 Armed & Dangerous (Xbox)
53 Klonoa 2 (PS2)
67 Maximo Vs. Army Of Zin (PS2)
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
150 Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Story (PS2)

[schuerm26]

what is winning?

[scp89]

Legend of Zelda Snes or any Zeldas that is

[youruglyclone]

damn you got a fine fine backlog,

Please note the numbers are not an indicator of preference

Logic for my choices
I kinda went with games that had the best experience overall that didn't spill over to sequels and such so games like the Sony Trilogies were out (although I am on course to going through them, I did the Sly trilogy and now onto Dax and Jaxter, then finishing up with Ratchet and Clank). Since I didn't know whether you played the prequels of some games I opted not to reccommend them, such as Prince of Persia TT (yes I'm well aware of the hypocrisy of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrows...I guess I liked it THAT much.) As much as I like a lot of the RPGs you have on your list, those games are a bit counter productive when it comes to clearing a backlog. Anyways onto the list and I hope you get to all 150+ eventually.

1] Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow (DS) / Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
perhaps the most interchangable of my choices, Symphony more or less was my first Castlevania game, and nothing really has compared (all the rondo of blood people simmer down...too lazy and not stupid enough to pay 200+ bucks for 1 game on a system I have nothing else to play)
Dawn of Sorrow recreates the Symphony experience the best out of the gba/ds castlevania game

2] Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Xbox)

do you like kicking people? do you like riding buses like a skate board? ever have the urge to run up a building and then drop an elbow on a pedestrian? all this and more in this game. I have to say this eclipses spiderman 2 as the best Super Hero Game out there!
However just remember this piece of advice...the cows are invulnerable!

3] Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)

You're in a barren land with your horse and the your task is to take down a bunch of colossi because a disembodied voice told you it can help your dead girlfriend(?) come back to life. You find the first one and then you look up...you realize you might be in over your head. I find myself just climbing onto the colossus and just listening to the soundtrack.

4] Steel Battalion (Xbox)
I'm sure you spent at least 100usd on this bad boy why not break it out and treat yourself to an experience a majority of your fellow gamers will never have. Trust me the VT start up sequence is worth the price of admission...for added ambience play it with a projector and a decent sound system...and turn off the lights. helmet optional.

5] Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (Xbox)
I'm a little bias on this one since I just picked it up up again (my backlog is pretty bad as well), trust me the feeling of calling in an airstrike to level a building where your enemy holed up makes you wonder why every game doesn't have this feature.

Honorable Mentions
-Disgaea: I would've recommended it, if it wouldn't affect your ablity to get to your other backlog games (all nippon ichi rpgs have this tendency...)
-Shadow Hearts Series: a lot of obsurd stuff goes on...looks like it would be a fun series to play through

BONUS CHALLENGER! Mario Kart: Double Dash (GCN)

it's Mario Kart, MAaaaaaaaaaaaario KAaaaaart! Giant Turtles! The Wii will retail for under $250 USD! EXCESSIVE STOMPAGE!
sorry I just really needed to type this...

edit: had to add my reasoning behind the choices

[shipwreck]

what is winning?

The top ten so far (in alphabetical order):

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)

Don't let this keep you from voting on games that aren't in the top 10 list though. There are still a lot of games in contention and it's early. Plus, I really want to know what people genuinely like (and there just might be a couple of secret contests going on as well ;)).

Prize for June 6th - Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (PS1) (Complete)

[CocheseUGA]

The top ten so far (in alphabetical order):

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
37 Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2)
72 Metroid Prime (GCN)
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)

Don't let this keep you from voting on games that aren't in the top 10 list though. There are still a lot of games in contention and it's early. Plus, I really want to know what people genuinely like (and there just might be a couple of secret contests going on as well ;)).

Prize for June 6th - Street Fighter EX Plus Alpha (PS1) (Complete)

Two Final Fantasy games, and no Ratchet & Clank? MUST, MUST PLAY or DIE!

:)

[botticus]

134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)

Surprised that's getting more votes than SoM. I love Mallow as much as the next guy, but... still not a bad choice, by any means.

[xorealix]

27 Fable (Xbox)
42 Golden Sun (GBA)
43 Golden Sun: The Lost Age (GBA)
134 Super Mario RPG (SNES)
135 Super Mario Sunshine (GCN)

Super Mario RPG is a must. You will not regret playing Golden Sun 1 + 2. Those are my 3 favorite RPGs ever.

[OpTiMaL]

Hard to pick because there are a bunch of good games in that list, but here goes:

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX)
Disgaea (PS2)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
Final Fantasy Tactics (PSX)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox)

[Thunderstud]

I love games that are new and different or at least pretty, especially if they involve lots of blowing stuff up and killing things. Hence, my eccentric list:

1. Rez - a complete different kind of shooter
2. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
3. Resident Evil 4
4. Jade Empire
5. Killer 7

[me2evil13]

Jade Empire (Xbox)
Chronicles Of Riddick (Xbox)
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
126 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II (Xbox)
127 Star Wars: Republic Commando (Xbox)

[ryoga79]

1. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (THE Castlevania game, imo)
2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (really f'in great game that I'm still playing)
3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (One of the greatest games ever)
4. Steel Battalion (If you have this, then by god man, play it for those of us who haven't paid the astonomical price for it).
5. Final Fantasy Anthology (FFVI is the best FF game imo) & Final Fantasy Chronicals (Chrono Trigger is a MUST play...perhaps one of the most perfect games ever made)

You've got alot of awesome games there. If you ever want to get rid of some out of the kindness of your heart, lemme know. *nudge nudge wink wink say no more, say no more*

[coldwine]

125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
27 Fable (Xbox)
123 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)
20 Disgaea (PS2)

That should keep you busy--!

[Visc]

Phantasy Star IV
Resident Evil 4
Thief Deadly Shadows
Mario Kart: Double Dash
Breath of Fire III
Grandia II

[zionoverfire]

With a list like that it's hard to choose just 5:

Morrowind
Phoneix Wright
Suikoden
Breath of Fire 3
Mercenaries

[IAmTheCheapestGamer]

<smh> I STILL don't get how KOTOR is so popular, its such a weird combination of action n turn based and that's what really turned me OFF of it.

Then again, I guess I'm just an old school kinda action gamer.

[Kerig]

Top 5 from me:

Resident Evil 4
I never liked playing RE 1,2, or 3, but I found 4 to be the equivalent of a room full of chocolate gold coins (sans the dilemma of deciding to eat it or swim in it).

Castlevania SoTN
Haven't played/bought/found it yet, but I have no doubts. One day I'll pick it up, and finally know what I knew I was missing all these years.

Timesplitters: Future Perfect
Currently playing this now (as in tonight, even). Being a die-hard fan of Perfect Dark (N64), I fell in love with this immediately. I've completed 25% of the game so far, but haven't even started the "game" yet. (just like Perfect Dark).

Shadow o/t Colossus
Simply because it would be a shame to not play if you bought it.

Resident Evil 4
I'd like to vote that one in twice :) I think you're getting the hint on RE4 by now.

[zman73]

Crazy... I am in the same situation as you Shipwreck... Im sure if I started a list like this... it would look similar to yours... my choices

Resident Evil 4... why this game is not #1 on most lists suprises me... took what I thought was a boring franchise and revolutionized it... awesome

Phantasy Star 2 since there was no Ph Star 1 here I have to pick this.. one of the first RPGs I played and still one of the best

Nights... something different, as long as you have the 3d controller for your saturn Id pick this

FF Origins... or the GBA version since it has improvements over the origins... although I learned to turn the leveling up health on FF2 to my advantage... its nice to play old school rpgs and not spend hours wasted on cut scenes

I guess I can put Castlevania SOTN there too... but Id pick the other 4 first

[getmeoutofjoliet]

I've put off doing this for a while so here it goes:

I decided to make the list by system so you wouldn't make such a big mess by trying to play across so many platforms.


XBox:
Steel Battalion ( Awesome game, the controller sinks you right in)
Knights of the Old Republic (Reason I bought an Xbox)
Oddworld Stranger's Wrath (I really like the art design of this series)
One of the Splinter Cells ( I couldn't choose since I like them all, I would probably go with Pandora tomorrow)
Gta: Vice City or San Andreas (San Andreas is HUGE, but I prefer Vice City's story)


PsX:
Castlevania Symphony of the Night (Classic Game that holds it's replay value)
Final Fantasy Tactics (I LOVE this game)
Tactics Ogre (I LOVE this one too)
Xenogears ( A good RPG if you're hankerin to play one)
Chrono Chross ^^^^ I'd pick this one over the other one tho


Ps2:
Final Fantasy X (I'm not a fanboy, maybe I am, but I do love the Sphere Grid system and Blitzball)
Disgaea (You will never tire of this game, at least I haven't)
Devil May Cry ( This game was/is great, Part 3 comes close but I prefer the original
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence ( It's MGS 3, with more shit, need I say more?)
Klonoa 2 or Sly Cooper ( Both of these are awesome platformers with 2 distinctive styles, If you ever decide to part with Klonoa, I'll take it :P )


GCN:
Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader (This game has some hard ass levels but you feel like you accomplished something when you beat it)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem ( this game is so awesome, play at night with the sound turned up, a memorable experience to say the least)
Resident Evil 4 (absolutely brilliant play at night, sound blaring, and prepare for gaming nirvana)
Mario Kart: Double Dash (hours upon hours of fun!)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes or Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker ( Both of these are solid titles, just pick whatever you're in the mood for)

I can't really help on the GBC/GBA games since I doubt I have completed more than a handful of 'em.
And as for GEN/SNES play 'em all. You won't be dissapointed.

Good Luck and Happy Gaming!

GMOOJ

[Consummate Canuck]

My Picks

12 Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX) - Have to agree with pretty much everybody on this one.
70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2) - Assuming you haven't already played Snake Eater this game should definitely get a play through.
56 Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES) - one of the best SNES games there is. Pretty much any Zelda game would be a good one to play but I'll give this one the nod.
110 Shenmue 2 (Xbox) - I recognize that this game isn't for everybody but I think that the style of it is great. A great play especially if you've played the first one or even if you haven't.
132 Suikoden (PSX) - I'm a huge fan of the series and this one is great.

[darkJester]

13 Chronicles Of Riddick (Xbox)
You could crank it out in a weekend, and what a fun weekend it would be!

39 Final Fantasy X (PS2)
You could crank it out in 100 or so weekends, and what a -- Nah, it's just a fun and engaging game. Like any FF game, it'll suck lots of hours out of your life.

69 Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction (Xbox)
It's lots of fun running around and blowing crap up, which is somewhat childish. It's also childish that there's added glee that this is game #69. :)

123 Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox)
Actually, you can't go wrong with any of the Splinter Cells. I'd actually recommend starting from the original and then going to Pandora Tomorrow and finally to this one, but if you just want to jump in to the latest, Chaos Theory is the way to go.

148 X-Men Legends II (Xbox)
How much fun was the first one? Just more of the same with this one.

[pinebarrens]

1. 100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
2. 44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
3. 69 Mercenaries: Playground Of Destruction (Xbox)
4. 109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2)
5. 93 Prince Of Persia: The Two Thrones (Xbox)

[eskimo]

Here are my votes:

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
Suikoden (PSX)

Thanks for the contest!

[Mr.Answer]

top 5 in no particular order I think you should really consider playing.

FFX (ps2)
Kotor 1 Xbox
timesplitters Xbox
Legend of Mana PSX
Mario Kart Double Dash GC..

[Tyga24]

Resident Evil 4
SW Knights of the Old Republic
GTA: San Andreas
Doom 3
Chronicles of Riddick

[judyjudyjudy]

I have a huge backlog too... a lot of which are in your backlog. If I was in your predicament, I'd play the following:

70 Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (PS2) - I recently checked out the Metal Gear Solid series (I can't believe I waited so long to play this great series), and I'm working on this right now. Great game so far.
90 Pikmin (GCN) - Pretty much the reason I got a Gamecube in the first place, and it's still my favorite game for the console.
100 Resident Evil 4 (GCN) - Haven't played it, but I buy into the hype.
109 Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2) - I just played it last month and decided it's my favorite game for the PS2. Beautiful game that's really quite an experience in terms of gameplay.
125 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic (Xbox) - Haven't played (don't have an Xbox), but from what it sounds, it'd probably be one of the first games I play if I ever do get an Xbox.

[shipwreck]

Oops, forgot to list the prize for yesterday.

June 7th: The Art Of Tekken Book
June 8th: Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman (PS1) (Complete)

[1modernboy]

Like a lot of the other CAGs, I can’t recommend a game unless I’ve played it and liked it. with that in mind, I humbly suggest –

Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night (PSX)
All of the 2-D Castlevania games on the list are excellent, but this is the one that set the bar.

Killer 7 (GCN)
Yeah, I know all the haters say it’s a just a fucking rail-shooter blah-blah-bitch-whine-moan-blah, but it’s a truly different gaming experience with impeccable art direction.

Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (GCN)
The first time your character suffers an insanity effect and you don’t immediately realize that it’s an insanity effect you’ll be hooked!

Resident Evil 4 (GCN)
It’s included in many of these posts for a good reason: It redefines the RE license! The control scheme is tight and intuitive, and it’ll have you asking your friends and family “What you sellin”? for weeks to come.

Astro Boy (GBA)
I’m a big fan of handheld games, and this is my favorite of the portable titles on your list. It’s as deep or as straightforward as you want to make it, and, though the whole time travel/paradox plot element is fairly hackneyed and the game can chug from time to time, the beauty and finesse of the title will leave you feeling that your time was well spent.

[urzishra14]

well.. seeing the list i see a few on there that are my all time favorite games

first is Knights of the Old republic.. the first game made me feel that i was actually in my own star wars adventure, I loved it and it made me play it until i finished it and made me play it again for the alternate path (light and dark) is a western style rpg in that you get points to put into feats like D&D rather then a very narrow Jrpg style, i loved this style and its hard for me to play JRPGs now.. character customization is amazing and its just a game that makes you feel in another world... highly recommended.

second, i don't know how much time you have for gaming, but Klonoa 2 was a great game and it is on the short side, but that doesn't take away from the 2d platforming experience, it gives enough variety in its gameplay elements that none of the levels seem like a "chore" to do like in other platforming titles.. its a little on the cutesy side, but it is an excellent game and very addicting and fun.

third, i would have to say Armed and Dangerous, it is an excellent shooter and the story is great and its just all around a great shooter, my favorite part of this game is how you can destroy literally everything for no other reason then you want to.. very good jokes in the cutscenes and the shark gun is freaking cool.

Forth, i would say A link to the past, it is the Zelda game that paves the way for all future ones, and i would say this one did the best job in gameplay especially if you loved the original on the NES, some of the dungeons are easy, some of the quests are challenging, and its a game that if you let it, it can consume you. I have played hundreds of games since and I still believe this to be one of the greatest games of all time.

and finally, Super Mario RPG, this has by far one of the best stories in the history of RPG stories, it also is decent length with plenty to do (but not too much) and it has all the lovable mario characters, and it is done right. it has a lot of pop culture jokes (the Axen Rangers) and Bowser kissing Mario.. it is definately a great game that is enjoyable and easy to get into.

i read a lot about your collection, and i understand that you usually only spend maybe a couple hours with each title. and you have a bazillion rpgs on your list.. here are some that I didn't think lived up to the hype:

any Tactical RPG (Ogre, FFtactics, Disgaea) seemed to me when I want to play a game, i want it to focus on battles not micromanaging everything, if you are into managing every single aspect of your army i would say you would love these games, but when you want to focus on "the action" i wouldn't suggest playing these

Persona and Phantasy star 1-4 .. Persona has terrible controls and you are better of playing Persona 2 if you want to be able to control your characters more intuitively, the RPG mechanics weren't bad, it was just really hard to control. Phantasy stars had Dungeon moments that were hard to navagate without a map, so they may be a little flustrating.

the GBA castlevanias, I'm not a big castlevania fan to begin with, but i didn't like them too much, maybe its just me though.

the only other game i wouldn't suggest is the splinter cell games, kinda felt like cheap MGS to me.. i don't know..

thanks for reading my suggestions and have fun.

[anthonyn]

here's the best:

1.Splinter cell

2.Splinter cell:pandora tommorow

3.splinter cell:chaos theory

4.knights of the old republic

5.Elder scrolls 3:morrowind

Those are my suggestions because they're amazing games.
Especially the splinter cell series,they're masterpeices

[rjpadin]

Suikoden and Splinter Cell

[MolsenMI]

Well, there are a lot of great games there. I'll try to narrow it down by picking some variety... although some categories will be tough to narrow down as there are a lot of viable choices.


free roaming/action
45) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (Xbox)- One of the better GTAs. Always fun driving around in cars listening to 80's music.

platform
50) Jet Force Gemini (N64)- Could also be classified as a shooter, but it has a very platform-esque feel to it. Probably one of the greatest games of all time, on N64 or otherwise. So much variety, so much to do.

strategy
78) Ogre Battle 64 (N64)- Maybe not as talked about as FFT, but I find it more enjoyable to play. Many branching paths, many different characters. Truely what the N64 needed at the time of it's release (there was a serious lack of RPG's and RPG influenced games.)

shooter
83) Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)- Panzer Dragoon is an amazing series as a whole. There may be other shooters out there that top it, but to find so many great games within a series is rare. The Saturn games are truely amazing and the Xbox sequel does them justice.

rpg
137) Tales Of Destiny (PSX)- A nice mix up in the RPG realm. I have always been a fan of this series ever since I played Tales of Phantasia for SNES. I truely enjoy the action packed fighting. It's a nice change from many of the turn based RPGs out there.

[jezebelseven]

I'm not going to tell you which to play based on which I think are best, but rather, picking out 4 that I, too, have in my collection, but have yet to complete (or even open.), and the one I've actually played and loved the most.

15 Dark Cloud 2 (PS2)
44 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Xbox)
89 Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS)
110 Shenmue 2 (Xbox)

And the one I actually recommend for a decent reason:

105 Secret Of Mana (SNES)