So instead of plain old 1-10 numbering, I guess I will make a clickbait list give some cathegories. So this is roughly my top 10 (with lots of honorable mentions I was thinking over) but I wanted to write something about each one of them and diversify. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to give a strict top 10 with judging "this one is better than that one". And I'm trying to not put in more than one game from each franchise.
Spoiler: The One I Replay The Most / Best Sandbox
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Hitman: Contracts. I have the most videos on my channel from that game. It's not, objectively, the best Hitman, but it just so happens to be my favourite, with its thick atmosphere, solid level design, improvements on the previous game which is already pretty good, and the fact that I played it for years now, since childhood, and still find cool stuff in it. I guess I could humblebrag on how I'm one of the best players of that game, though given the fair niche (Blood Money remains the king) it's not that much. The whole series could land here, but I want to make a nomination for this game in particular. Hitman shaped me up so much that I was exclusively a Spy main when playing TF2, which some ChHa members might remember.
Spoiler: The Best Online Game
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Starcraft: Brood War. Hands down. The most exciting thing to watch, the best hype, the best commentators, and also the best, most engaging gameplay. Happens to also have a great storyline and thrilling campaign that I find the game worth replaying for all the time. I played quite a fair bit of LoL and TF2, but BW is just the best. I don't like SC2 that much, though WoL campaign was really good, gameplay-wise.
Spoiler: The Best RPG
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It will be a Fallout game. And it was a toss-up between FO1, FO2 and NV, but FO2 wins because I have the most fun playing different builds in that game. It has some silly content and the changes to lore since FO1 trigger some grognards, but FO2 is just so much fun to play. FO1 has a more consistent, tightly-packed world, but not nearly as much fun to experiment with. NV is great, but held back by Bethesda's engine. FO2 shaped up my expectations of a great RPG. FO3 and FO4 are, well, uh, you know, your brand of fun.
Spoiler: The One That Made Me Reconsider Japanese Gaming
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Valkyria Chronicles. I thought that the best turn-based RPGs and games are western-exclusive and, while enjoying jRPGs, I thought their style was not nearly as deep in terms of gameplay. But VC changed that because it's a really good, Japanese X-Com-style with unique gameplay mechanics and substance, really cool personalities all around, a fairly gripping, politics-lite story, and a really, really good art-style. It's accessible enough that I recommended a lot of my otherwise not-so-inclined towards strategies friends, and they loved it.
Spoiler: The One That Shaped Up Everyone's Childhood In My Country
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Everyone and their mom in Poland played Heroes of Might & Magic 3. It's the best in the series, it's addictive as hell, it's still the only game I have the patience to play hot seat and finish, it has a great online still, it has new stuff coming over like the Cove town, it has a great storyline, it ties up to the M&M games which are also kickass, and there's a ton of great single player maps that really challenge you and/or tell a great story.
Spoiler: The Best 4X
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I like 4X games a lot, Master of Orion, Civ2, and Eldariel got me trying out Master of Magic, but my favourite remains Civilization IV. Well presented, refined mechanics from previous games, and it's tons of fun. The expansion pack added cool stuff and some meh stuff, but I can customize that very intricately so what do I care? It's awesome. And it's moddable.
Spoiler: The Best Indie Game
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Heroine's Quest: Herald of Ragnarok. I really like point'n'click adventures and this game is just beautiful. It's like Quest for Glory on steroids, or at least - a very good sequel. The pixel art is one of the few cases where it doesn't feel out of place in the current year, and the game is just well designed and great. Comes from a very passionate studio that is also making some very diverse games, including Leylines, a Master of Magic-inspired game.
Spoiler: The Best Party Based Fun
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Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn. Just a great game. I could keep on replaying it with different party compositions all the time. It has fun combat and a good storyline carried by amazing voice acting. It might not be a super-great-deep RPG with tons of choices and consequences and whatnot, but it's fun for just customizing your party and going to town on a plethora of epic quests and banter.
Spoiler: The Best Hack'n'slash
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Original Diablo. I played it a ton and it's the only game of its type where I was into the PvP. It's simple and barebones, but it gets pretty deep, and I'm always impressed by people who play it Iron Man. I really like playing Warrior for the challenge. It has amazing atmosphere and has the least of the "race for loot" appeal of the sequels (of which I really like Diablo 2, but still, D1 has that charm).
Spoiler: The One Where You Stick With The Prod. Prod With The Prod. But Sometimes You Have To Make A Silent Takedown. A Non-Lethal Takedown Is Always The Most Silent Way To Eliminate Manderley.
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Deus Ex.
I like replayability, I guess, and I mostly play on the PC.
Honorable Mentions Because They Made A List Of Their Own:
- Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
- Thief: The Dark Project
- Doom
- Duke Nukem 3D
- Serious Sam: The Second Encounter
- Final Fantasy 4
- Might & Magic 3: Isles of Terra
- Gothic (have yet to play part II)
- Ancient Domains of Mystery (great game, but honestly, f--- it)
- Unreal Tournament '99
