Not too long ago, GameFAQs released a survey that ranked the greatest video games of all time from your personal perspective. It works by presenting you with 2 games and you vote between them. Leaving you stuck in uncertainty when you have to decide between what your favorite Final Fantasy game is.
In the end, it compiles a list of your Top 20 video games of all time. So here is mine:
20. Bioshock
All the Bioshock video games have left me in awe after playing them. The first one to me is the beginning of the best franchise in gaming history. You have to pay homage to the one that started it all for you and for me this was that game.
19. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
I was waiting for the second game to come out for a long time. I know a lot of people didn’t enjoy it as much, but this game had me replaying it over and over again. The stealth is immaculate and all the weird easter eggs in the game make it one of my favorite games.
18. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
I love the Legend of Zelda franchise. However, I have played very few of the video games. I grew up watching my cousins play them and have vivid memories of how unique the game was. As a child, I loved Link and the Faces of Evil on the Philips CD-i.
17. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
This game, for me, was a beautiful change of pace from Oblivion. I was addicted to Morrowind but felt a little bored with Oblivion and was looking for more from the Elder Scrolls series. Skyrim came at a perfect time. It had an amazing storyline, and with a devoted community, the game never dies.
16. Halo 3
After the disappointing ending of Halo 2 (it won the worst video game ending award), this was a highly anticipated next chapter in the Halo franchise. Halo 3 is regarded as the best Halo Multiplayer game in the series. I really enjoyed the story of Halo 3 and thought it was the perfect ending to the first trilogy.
15. Pokémon Gold and Silver
The Pokemon franchise always kept me entertained when I was younger. Like everyone else, I wanted to be a real Pokemon Trainer. I spent countless hours outside with my friends imagining a world where Pokemon were real. As an adult, my family now plays Pokemon so it has had a monumental impact on my life.
14. Final Fantasy X
FF X was a video game I was obsessed with. It has a blockbuster story, and it was the game that got me interested in cosplay. After I finished the game, I just wanted to see me. Unfortunately, FFX-2 did not deliver in that department.
13. Kingdom Hearts II
This is where I actually fell in love with the series. I remember watching the trailer. It looked amazing, and the cinematics blew me away. Once I played through KH2, I quickly went back and played the first one. I immediately fell in love with the series and have been hooked ever since.
12. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Metal Gear Solid 4 wrapped up the franchise’s many plot holes into a neat little bow. Visually, this game was beautiful. This was the first video game I remember watching a trailer and instantly getting hooked. I quote this game a lot and almost named my first child Raiden after a character in the game.
11. Super Mario World
This is the game I grew up with, and it introduced me to gaming culture. Super Mario World is an absolute classic and is a blast to play through. I never owned a Super Nintendo, but I had a lot of friends who did, so I had plenty of Mario-binged weekends.
10. Halo: Combat Evolved
This franchise quickly became my favorite FPS of all time. The fact it has such rich lore behind it makes the story phenomenal. The Red vs Blue project also gave the video game a seemingly new life that I could follow, too.
9. Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics was a game my best friend and I bonded over. The gameplay and story were unique. It taught you to think about tactics when building your party and how you went into each battle. It was a great game all around.
8. Chrono Trigger
This game was ahead of its time. To have a game with such a compelling story while having battle mechanics that changed based on the position of your characters was a leap beyond the classic turn-based RPG. Another classic game that is just too great.
7. Metal Gear Solid
I had never played many stealth games before I picked up Metal Gear Solid. For the first time, I thought the graphics were amazing. I was obsessed with this game for a long time and was once my favorite game.
6. Super Mario Bros 3.
Super Mario Bros 3 is an absolute classic and just a blast to play through. I had a Nintendo and played so many countless hours of this game including countless all-nighters with one of my best friends. The game is legendary.
5. Bioshock Infinite
The end of BioShock Infinite was a psychological masterpiece. A visually stunning piece of art. This game honestly kept me questioing what’s real.
4. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
This game was such an amazing game and really got me interested in game development. This game had such a beautiful main story. The game was biblical in its epicness and the side quests for the guilds were equally as satisfying. The game also sparked 2 DLCs that were amazing in their own right.
3. Kingdom Hearts
This franchise is another one that will always capture my imagination with its story. I loved the gameplay and playing through my favorite Disney stories at the same time. It was the story of Sora and his quest to find Kairi that got me hooked in the end.
2. Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII is always going to be my favorite as it was the first game from the series. My best friend and I bonded over this game and played it together every day after school. It inspired me to write my own stories and eventually try my hand at making my own games.
1. World of Warcraft
No surprise here since most of my articles are written about WoW, but this game has me by my soul by this point. I will always play for the story because it does such a great job of capturing my imagination. The lore of this game is so expansive that I feel you can always learn more and it makes the world you play in feel immersive.
These lists are always controversial and these games won’t be everyone’s favorite. But these are some of the games that had a huge impact on my life and helped me through some tough times. Each game has a very special place in my heart!
What are your top 20 games? Leave your list in the comments!