Despite the fact that it was originally designed as a Gamecube game, I loved Twilight Princess. The beautifully-crafted themed dungeons, the frequent story moment cutscenes, the varied gameplay, the mini-games, the music, I loved it all. And yet I never played Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker. Call me a late-to-the party Zelda fanboy.

I kept my copy of Twilight Princess. Maybe I’m hoping to get my wife to play it. Maybe I’d consider replaying it myself at some point if I ever got a huge amount of free time. It’s a long game.

4- Dragon Age: Origins (Bioware, PC, 2009)

Although I’ve never played the console version of this game, I heard that it was far inferior to the version I played on the PC. Maybe that’s why the game didn’t make a bigger splash: it was essentially a PC experience, and when ported to the console it lacked something. But there was so much that I loved about Dragon Age. First and foremost, it’s the closest thing to Baldur’s Gate that I’ve seen since… well, since 1998 when the last Baldur’s Gate game was released. Secondly, Bioware’s move away from a linear good/evil scale. Rather than your character’s alignment being affected by decisions that you make throughout the adventure, your companions’ opinions are affected. The same action can please two of your companions and piss off a third companion. I think it’s brilliant, as it steps away from the black-and-white systems of the past and simultaneously builds NPC character depth. Third, the game’s setting is the best fantasy world I’ve seen since Brittania, back in the days of Ultima V in the eighties. I love the fact that dwarves are unable to use magic and therefore are unable to dream. I love the Grey Wardens and the dark drama of The Joining. I love the story behind the creation of the darkspawn: The Fade and The Black City. And I love the background of the dragons, how archdemons come to be, and how they can be defeated. It’s a pity that I haven’t yet had time to finish DAO: Awakening.

3- Baldur’s Gate (Bioware, PC, 1998)

I’m grouping both games here. After all this time, Baldur’s Gate may still be my favorite computer role-playing game. There’s something about the old Infinity Engine and about the makeup of these old games that no other CRPG since has been able to capture. Baldur’s Gate had more character customization options, more spells and magic items, more obscure side-quests, and more areas to explore than any other game since. It’s amazing that twelve years later, Baldur’s Gate is still setting the bar for computer role playing games.

2- Half-Life 2 (Valve Software, PC, 2004)

Valve’s development of the Source engine was an amazing achievement. But aside from that, the story and gameplay in Half-Life 2 were breakthrough accomplishments on a number of levels. Innovative enemies, physics-based puzzles, and the best facial animation ever included in a video game. All of this, and a excellently-written science fiction story about an alien occupation of planet Earth and the unlikely underground rebellion led by a voiceless protagonist who may be backed by a mysterious otherworldly businessman. I’m currently replaying Half-life 2 for the fourth time.

1- Beyond Good and Evil (Ubisoft, PC, 2003)

You knew this was coming. Beyond Good and Evil remains my favorite game of all time. I’ve ranted about it so often and for so long that I won’t repeat myself here – you can go read any of a number of other rants I’ve written about how good the game is. I’ve replayed it five times now, from start to finish, and unlocked every hidden item in the game. I’m ready now for Beyond Good and Evil 2. Bring it on.

If you want to hear it, download episode 14 and skip ahead to 58:00. I’ll paraphrase here.

There’s a painting down here in Atlanta. It is stunning. I stood there at looked at it for ten minutes straight. I just could not believe that anyone could make something that looked this amazing. To me, if a game can do that – that kind of emotional moment – I feel that that would be considered art.

What he said here struck a chord for me. There have been very few games that have had this exact effect on me. I could tell you that a number of difficult moral decisions in Dragon Age and the tense scenarios in Heavy Rain have brought about  emotional moments for me, but to hit the truly good ones, I’ve got to go back a bit further.

My continual references to Resident Evil 2 must have gotten trite to those theoretical few who read this blog regularly, but the terror I felt in this moment, being chased by the T-103 zombie was potentially the most exciting game moment of my life. Similarly, the rooftop chase in Beyond Good and Evil made me sit back after completing it, take a deep breath, and just say “wow.”

 But if I’m looking for a truly emotional moment in a game, the one I’d have to use is the very ending of Half-Life 2, episode 2. It’s made entirely possible by the “acting” of one Alyx Vance, which is of course a combination of excellent voice acting and excellent character face modeling. I swear – that scene just about made me cry. And a video game has never before done that.

So what about the game settings I do like?

Ultima
I first entered Sosaria when I got a copy of Ultima III for my tenth birthday. Sosaria was a crude world, like the worlds of Ultima I and Ultima II before it. Later, I played Ultima IV, which introduced the world of Brittania. Somewhere between ultima IV and Ultima V, I fell in love with Brittania. Between those two games, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that I’d spent a thousand hours in Brittania. Don’t be shocked – I’ve heard of at least one person who took 15 years to finish the game. On summer vacations, I’d spend all day playing, and stay up until well after midnight.

The game’s crude graphics didn’t exactly lend a vivid sense of realism, but they forced me to use my imagination in the same way that reading a book does. As I travelled south down the coast from Britain to Paws, I imagined the seashore, and envisioned what that must look like. When I exited the eighth level of a dungeon into the Underworld, I thought of just how dark the sunless world must be, and imagined the dank smell of stagnant air. Travelling through the poisonous swamps near the village of Cove brought to mind visions of The Swamp of Sadness from the Neverending Story, except with more disease and rotted overgrowth. The game’s poor graphics forced me to use my imagination. To me, that was a vivid world, and I grew to know it well.

Starcraft
Starcraft doesn’t have much in the way of landscape – just different maps that you fight on. But somehow, the setting calls to me. It’s a space opera, and the races are far more interesting than Klingons, Wookiees and Sebacians. When Starcraft: Ghost was annnounced, I was very excited to enter that world and see Mutalisks and Ultralisks up close. Walking amongst Protoss pylons in top-down Starcraft is one thing, but to envision a Terran Command Center lifting off or a zergling ambush from first-person perspective is fairly exciting. I would absolutely love to see a game in the Starcraft setting that is not a RTS.

Beyond Good and Evil
It’s not the geography of Hillys that calls to me, but rather its inhabitants. In real life, we think of ethnic diversity in terms of Caucasians, Asians, Africans, and Hispanics. On planet Hillys, the inhabitants aren’t only the human descendants of Apes. They’ve also descended from pigs, rhinos, cats, sharks, and hippos. The notion seems so wildly creative.

Half-Life 2
The opening of Half-Life 2 expresses so effectively the oppressive atmosphere that exists in City 17. The people of planet Earth have been conquered by an alien invasion, and the cities are nothing more than internment camps – even the names of the cities have been taken away. This is an excellent example of the “showing rather than telling” technique of authorship. They show you the horribly oppressed people and then put a crowbar in your hands and let you fight for them.

The story is as epic as the Star Wars trilogy and the setting as rich as any I’ve seen. This page does a fantastic job of laying out the timeline, filling in the backstory, and putting forth theories as to the motives of the mysterious G-Man. I’m eagerly waiting for Half-Life 2 episode 3, mainly to see where the story goes.

Oblivion
I never played Morrowind or any of the other Elder Scrolls games before Oblivion. But when I heard all the buzz about Oblivion on a discussion board I frequent, I had to try it. Oblivion is one of the most atmospheric games I’ve ever played – from the sunny mountain peaks to the swampy villages to the eerie Ayleid ruins.

Tamriel is one of those game worlds where I can easily envision the routes from place to place. The game locations seemed like real places to me. The game’s landmarks and road signs are distinct, and the terrain is varied such that I can find the way from Bruma to Chorrol without even having to consult the map.

Dragon Age
Perhaps more than any of the other game worlds listed above, the world of Dragon Age has been fleshed out wonderfully. The circle of mages that are watched over by templars to ensure that their magic doesn’t enable them to be posessed by demonic forces. The dwarven caste system, so rigid, so unfair. The seven old gods being gradually corrupted by the darkspawn, leading to blights. The enslavement of elvenkind by humanity, which has been abolished, and which has lead to the current split in the elven race. It’s all so intriguing – I’m totally absorbed in this world and its story.

I’d be interested to hear comments from other readers – what is your favorite video game setting?

Early on, I found that one of the themes that came up in many of my favorite games was atmosphere. I remember the first time I played Half-Life 2. At one point, I came to a beach with the sun setting over the water. The scenery was so amazing that I had to stop and just stare for a few seconds. In those few seconds, I got shot.

The amazing outdoor scenery and realistic run-down East European urban landscapes make Half-Life 2 an incredibly atmospheric and immersive game, but it’s by no means the only one. I had similar reactions to many areas in Oblivion. The snowy peaks of Bruma’s Jerall Mountains, the swamps around Bravil, and the softly glowing depths of Aleid ruins all stood out to me, made me feel that I was truly there.

The final pair of games in my immersive/atmospheric collection, which I feel I need to hit in tandem, is Dead Space and Doom 3. Both take place on dark spaceships filled with hideous demonic creatures. And while each does certain things better than the other, both make excellent use of light, darkness, and sound to create a tense and threatening atmosphere. They’re best played in the dark. Muahahahaha!

In examining my favorite games, I found that much of what made me enjoy various games was gameplay related: very atmospheric or innovative games, games with a lot of variety, or just games that are excellent examples of their genre.

The one element I was able to identify that seemed more thematic was conspiracy. Perhaps that’s not the right word. Let me explain. The two games I pinpointed here are Beyond Good and Evil and Half-Life 2. In Beyond Good and Evil, you’re a photographer working to destabilize the obviously evil government by obtaining photographic evidence of their wrongdoings. In Half-Life 2, you play Gordon Freeman, a human freedom fighter battling an occupying extraterrestrial army. Without gushing, I absolutely love both games.

While the government conspiracy in Beyond Good and Evil is clear, classifying The Combine in Half-Life 2 as a government may be a stretch, as may be label of conspiracy. Nonetheless, there are definite thematic similarities.

I suppose there’s something about taking on an enemy that’s so obviously more powerful that calls to me. Head-to head, the DomZ and the Alpha Sections would destroy Jade. That’s why it’s largely a stealth game. Head to head, Combine armies would overpower even the mighty Gordon Freeman. That’s why he so often has NPC companions and never fights more than one helicopter, airship, or strider at a time.

Perhaps it’s all about freeing oppressed people. In a totalitarian envoronment, a member of the populace arises to become the classic unlikely hero. Maybe that’s the lure for me.

Resisting a powerful government or occupational force is a theme we’ve seen in movies like Red Dawn and V for Vendetta, but not nearly as often in video games. I suppose the same could be said of Red Faction: Guerilla, but I haven’t yet played that game. Perhaps I should.

Keepers is a weekly segment in which I discuss games I’ve played that I’ve seen fit to keep after playing. I generally sell a game that I’ve finished, so the only reason I keep one is because I plan to replay the game some day. Classifying a game as a “keeper” is generally a badge of merit.

While waiting for the release of Borderlands, I’ve been re-playing Half-Life 2, Episode 2. I think I’d forgotten what amazingly good games the entire Half-Life 2 series is. Beginning with Half-Life 2, and continuing in Episode 1 and 2, Valve tells shows a deep story about the invasion of planet Earth by an extradimensional race known as The Combine. They defeat humanity in what’s later called The Seven Hour War, and quickly subjugate the human race. Gordon Freeman returns with the help of the mysterious G-Man, and with aid from the human resistance and some members of another enslaved alien race, “vortigaunts”, he manages to escape from City 17 and go on to aid the resistance in fighting The Combine.

While the original Half-Life was an amazing game for its time, what really grabs me about Half-Life 2 is the story, the setting, and the characters. I’ve probably played through the man game two and a half times, and I know that I will again someday. It’s probably my second favorite video game, close on the heels of Beyond Good and Evil.

There is more to say about Half-Life 2 than I can fit into this small non-review, but I’ll try to fit it all concisely. Half-Life 2 still has the best graphics I’ve seen in just about any game, yet will run on an old machine with a 700mhz processor, 128 mB of RAM and a 64 mB video card. Half-Life 2 has the absolutely best voice acting and character animation I’ve ever seen in any game. Alyx Vance and Professor Kleiner might as well be real people. A scene at the end of episode 2 very nearly made me cry. And I don’t think I’ve ever cried at a movie. Half-Life 2 has such a fantastic storyline and setting that I always want to know more about what happens in that world and how the war between the Combine and the human resistance is going.

Half-Life 2 and every bit of extra content they put out for the game is a keeper if I’ve ever seen one.

From what I’ve heard, the Purchase brothers made this film on a $500 budget, which is really impressive.

For years, I’ve been following the work being done by the talented folks over at Black Mesa: Source. What they’ve been working on is a full remake of the original Half-Life game, using the source engine. Most importantly, they’re re-creating all game assets. Voice tracks, music, character models, textures, multiplayer maps, artificial intelligence, everything. Plus, you’ll be able to play Half-Life in co-op mode. Amazing.

Now, they’ve released a trailer. And it is also amazing. Check it out.

For as long as there have been video games, there have been ridiculous and stupid video game bosses. From the FBI Agent in Atari’s E.T. to Letz Shake in No More Heroes, who blew himself up before you ever got to fight him, ludicrous game bosses have a long and rich history. I’ve taken it upon myself to list my own personal bottom five video game bosses.

Number Five: Tarjan, the mad god, from Bards’ Tale 3

Back in 1990, Tarjan was the original blob of hit points. Final Fantasy later became known for this type of boss, but I’ve never played the original Final Fantasy, which was released the same year.

After a grueling dungeon, you managed to open the door at the center where the mad god had walled himself in. Three climactic battles later, you were ready to face Tarjan and his minions. Each round, he summoned ten new Black Slayers, nasty creatures that automatically kill you on any hit. Even with your adventuring party at full health, you had to have at least two characters cast the spell that resurrected the entire party every round, because you could be certain that by the time the spell was cast, a few of them would be killed. It wasn’t uncommon during this fight to have a character die once or twice per combat round. And Tarjan himself probably had upward of a million hit points. Even if you had multiple characters doing 9999 damage to him every round, the fight took quite a while. Although Tarjan is less ridiculous than the other bosses on this list, the over-the-top nature of this fight slides him into fifth place.

View video of Tarjan Boss Battle

Number Four: Gozer the Gozerian, from Ghostbusters

Although Gozer is like Tarjan in that they’re both gods, they’re on this list for opposite reasons. The Commodore 64 version of Ghostbusters wasn’t a bad game for its time – you’d drive around town blasting ghosts with unlicensed nuclear accelerators, earning money to upgrade your gear while keeping the city’s psychokinetic energy down to manageable levels. At the end, you had to dodge through the legs of the Staypuft marshmallow man to enter the building where Gozer’s gate opened. At the top, you faced Gozer the Gozerian. To beat Gozer, you had to… brace yourself… press the joystick either left or right. This caused the Ghostbusters to move towards each other and cross the streams. Then you’d win. Talk about anticlimactic. It was literally impossible to lose to Gozer. So congratulations, Gozer – you win the award for lamest boss I’ve ever seen in a game.

View video of Gozer Boss Battle

Number Three: Jen, from Prey

In a poorly-executed attempt at creating emotional conflict, the creators of Prey decided to kidnap your girlfriend and make her a boss. Halfway through the game, you’re ambushed by a four-legged alien with Gatling gun arms and your girlfriend’s head and torso. You’re only given a second to wonder whether you’re supposed to attack before your girlfriend starts unloading hot lead and lasers into you. It’s seriously freakish, but her cries for help as she’s attacking end up coming off more comical than sympathetic.

View video of Jen Boss Battle

Number Two: John Romero’s severed head on a stick, from Doom 2

This is the only game on the list that I haven’t played, but the very notion of having one of the game creator’s decapitated heads as a final boss is so out there that I couldn’t pass it up. As I understand it, the original intent was to place an object behind a wall, and have that object take damage through the area impact of a rocket launcher. When it was killed, the character would win. That object, of course, was John Romero’s head… on a stick. After Romero himself found out, he recorded himself saying “To win the game, you must kill me, John Romero” backwards, and the game was changed so that you had to turn clipping off and travel through the wall to fight him in order to beat the game. Freaking weird.

View video of John Romero’s Head Boss Battle

Number One: The Nihilanth, from Half-Life

After surviving a military attack from the guys you thought were on your side and trekking through an alien landscape in search of the alien leader, you eventually find… wha? A massive mutated infant with a flip-top head and tentacles for legs? Although the game was fantastic, the Nihilanth earns the top spot on my list for sheer absurdity.

View video of Nihilanth Boss Battle