LoTR_Dan's Top 25 Games of All Time
by LoTR_Dan

This is one of my favorite console RPGs. It has everything I want. Interesting Characters? Check. Epic Plot that isn't too clichéd? Fun Combat? Check. Little to no Level Grind? Check. Kick Ass Soundtrack? Check. But what's even better is how all of these awesome elements come together to form such an incredible game. This was the first Console RPG I ever played, and it has pretty much spoiled me. Very few games even come close to the level of awesome that is Chrono Trigger. Now if only the sequel didn't suck.



I love Half-Life 1. It's a great shooter. But about 2/3 through the game, you get teleported into a weird alien world. And at this point, the game just starts to suck. Hard. It sucks so hard it blows. But not Half-Life 2. I love this game to death, Not only is it a solid shooter, some of the sequences in it are just amazing. The Boat Chase? The Army of Antlions? The Strider Fights? And that's not even mentioning the joy that is The Gravity Gun. And as icing on the cake, you have an incredible atmosphere and a great cast of characters, even if the story is a little obtuse. Don't listen to the haters. Half-Life 2 is sheer gaming goodness.



This is quite possibly the best damn adventure game ever made. The puzzles are great, tough but not incomprehensible, the interface is transparent, in a good way, the soundtrack was quality and the plot is amazing. Made up of equal parts Casablanca, Double Indemnity and The Mexican Day of The Dead, the epic tale spans 3 years in the life of Manny Calavera, travel agent to the land of the dead. Sadly, this was pretty much the last nail on the coffin of adventure games, 'cause despite the games awesomeness, it sold poorly. But seriously, track this down and play it if you haven't.



This is quite possibly the best damn adventure game ever made. Yes, I realize I have said that already, but it's still true. Gabriel Knight was the first adventure game with a plot that didn't just involve a bunch of puzzles with some story about slaying an evil. No, you're a writer living in New Orleans, investigating a series of murders in the city. The characters are all incredible, be it the slacker, ladies man Gabriel (played by Tim Curry!) the witty and sexy Grace (played by Leah Remini) and the sorta dorky police chief Mosely. (Played by mark Hamil!) While unfortunately some of the puzzles are a little obscure (mainly the writing on the grave one) the story is incredible and mature. And by mature I don't just mean people swear and talk about sex. Yet another reason why I mourn the death of the adventure genre.



CRPG's are always about fighting stuff. Sure, grand epic storylines often come into play, but when you come right down to it, you are still gonna be running around killing LOTS of stuff. Not so in Torment. In fact, combat is never really that big of a deal because you can't die. No really. You can't die. The plot is mostly figuring out why. And that is why it is awesome. The dialogue trees are almost mazes, and the writing is great, as you can debate philosophy with people or even convince someone that they don't exist, killing them. If you know anything about The Planescape universes, as I do 'cause I'm a D&D nerd, you'll know that the setting if pretty much insanely awesome. The world is full of floating talking skulls, Brothels for those with Intellectual Lusts, and a man who is constantly on fire. I can't say enough about how great the storyline is. It is far an away the best story ever told in a CRPG. That's why it's on this list.