#ja2

I just finished DQ7, which I enjoyed, but it got me thinking that I still liked 5 better, so now here’s a list of my Top 10 Games that I can think of right now. No numbers because I hate quantifying stuff like that. It’s hard enough picking 10 games, let alone putting them into any actual order. Dragon Quest V: Hand Of The Heavenly Bride - This game just oozes charm and the story is still one of my favorites. Dragon Quest games hold a special place in my heart because despite some raw-ass shit going down the world is still optimistic and cheery, there’s still room for heroes to do hero shit and for people to be happy! And as a dad, the emphasis on being a parent (and starting out with your dad) really helps too.  Diablo 3 - I love all the Diablo games, but I have put more than a few hundred hours into Diablo 3, especially after the addition of Reaper Of Souls and the new-old loot system. The story may be trash, but I’ll never tire of demons exploding around me and me being showered in loot.  Terraria - Minecraft is great and all, but when I fall into a Terraria hole, I typically don’t get out for a while. The fact that you gather various villagers to your ramshackle homestead made me enjoy building more than the strictly utilitarian residences I normally do. Plus, the music is very good. It’s a great game to listen to a podcast while playing due to the general lack of focus on story. Just... build. And enjoy. All The Classic Lucasarts Games - Okay so maybe this one is cheating, but I can’t think of a series that really informed my sense of humor as much as the various games this company made. That’s something to be remembered for. Baldur’s Gate 2 - The ultimate culmination of the often-fantasized idea of being a hero who starts out as a nobody and ends up deciding the fate of the world. Baldur’s Gate 1 was a great start, but BG2 really kicked it up a notch by introducing you to some real-ass stakes in the world that you’re a part of. And then Throne of Bhaal goes even further with your character finally meeting their destiny. It’s got a load of memorable characters, and also Valygar. Sorry Valygar, but you are kinda boring.

Assassin’s Creed 2 - After the game that was full of promise but a not-great payoff, that was AC1, I have to admit I was doubtful of Assassin’s Creed 2. But after playing it, it was an amazing evolution of the game that improved basically every lacking aspect of the first. More mission variety, actual rewards for collecting the collectibles (also significantly less collectibles), a move forward with the modern-day story... It was an amazing step up for a game that really deserved it. I know Brotherhood is a better game overall, as it finally gave you the ability to run your own Assassin’s guild, but AC2 was such an unbelievable improvement over the first game.

Jagged Alliance 2 - I loved the first Jagged Alliance but I never got terribly far in it. My love for the game was mostly rooted in the cheesy voice acting and the fact that you could hire a huge variety of mercenaries - some of whom were actually entirely useless in most respects. JA2 took that and ran with it, adding copious amounts of customizability, new mercenaries, returning old mercenaries, hell, even explaining what happened to the mercenaries that didn’t make it into the game. The 1.13 patch adds even more, probably way more that’s needed, but the ability to turn various new features off and on adds a lot to the game. Although the game trades excessively heavily on stereotypes (which might make it understandably hard for some people to play), I feel like since the game is so reminiscent of 80′s and early 90′s action films that it would seem weird if the characters had much actual depth to them. 

Overwatch - Gonna be honest here, I’m only level 15 in Overwatch. But man, the fact that I can continually come back to this multiplayer-only game and play a few rounds, and feel like I still did okay despite not playing obsessively? That is a rare, rare feeling for me. Blizzard made so many smart decisions in the design of this game that I can’t help but applaud them for it. I’m never going to be good at Overwatch, but the fact that the game makes me feel good when I do well is completely laudable. 

Fallout 1 & 2 - There was a summer where I essentially played nothing BUT Fallout 1 and 2 for hours at a time. That’s not something I can do nowadays, I don’t really have the time for that, but at the moment then it seemed like there was a limitless amount of things to do in those games. I was definitely too young for them at the time, but man. MAN. I even have fond memories of some of the bugs in the initial bug-ridden release of Fallout 2 - specifically the one that made your car disappear but left the trunk, and it followed you around from area to area like The Luggage from Discworld.