FLIGHT

Braid.

It's amazing how Jonathan Blow tied the game mechanic with the theme of human relationships. Plus, David Hellman, of "A Lesson is Learned But the Damage is Irreversible, brings the game to life with his breathtaking illustration.

Plus, the lateral thinking puzzles are genius.

And Beyond Good and Evil. I'm a journalist, so having a reporter as the hero obviously resonates with me. Plus, Michael Ancel's world is brimming with creativity and life.The mixture of dark and positive themes is also present in much of my work.

Star Ocean Two's story, characters, and atmosphere really appeal to me, too.

The Pikmin series has a fantastic sense of exploration, plus I totally feel bad when I let the little guys bite the dust.

And Kazu's right about Shadow of the Colossus. The AI is absolutely stunning. Nothing beats frantically whistling for your horse while stone feet crash about you, and seeing Aggro gallop towards you as fast as he can. And the doubt that hangs in the back of your mind the whole game: are these goliaths really the bad guys?

_________________
"Many can Bullshit; few can write."
-- Dr. Gardner, Associate Professor of English, University of North Alabama

I got into the videogame scene a bit later than my peers, but I had a few truly imprint on my brain and that I always return to:

Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn): I first saw this game when someone else was playing it, and was drawn to just watch it being played. I searched high and low for a Saturn years later just so I could play it again. A truly beautiful game, with an engaging storyline. I could be wrong, but I think it was one of the first games to use cinema to further the storyline?

FF7: Oh this classic. I was actually given this game, and had no idea what I was getting myself into. It cemented my love for RPGs.

Parasite Eve (Playstation): This was the first videogame I owned. It creeped me out a bit, but I found the way the battles were structured kind of fun, not to mention the weird biohistorical angle.

_________________
www.tumulystudios.com

Oh wow, I totally forgot about P.E. I remember seeing my cousin playing that game when I was younger and just being amazed by it. I thought he was playing some big X-Files movie. I need to check to see if I can find a copy of that in Microplay now that I have a PS2.

_________________
I'm my own breed of eccentric.

I'm going to go with Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. The environments plus the really inquisitive game play in each of the releases made them both cerebral hits.

_________________

I got an NES when I was 5, and I've been hooked ever since. I love adventure games and RPGs the most. I've gotta like the characters and be interested in the story or there's just no point. It doesn't matter how gorgeous the graphics are if the plot makes my brain hurt or the main character annoys me.

First and foremost, Zelda. Forever. Just about every gaming system I've bought has been purchased because of a new zelda game.

Startropics: I still play this when I'm stressed. Nothing like hitting monsters with a yoyo to make you feel better. Although suddenly being in a space ship after 6 levels of fighting monsters and ghost pirates in underground cave always struck me as odd.

Starfox: This is problably the only non-story driven game I've really loved. Though I admit I wouldn't have liked it nearly as much if the heroes weren't cute little animals.

Final Fantasy Tactics: Holy crap the STORY. I cried and cried, but oh it was worth it. Though I cried harder when Aeris died in 7. Man, I'm a girl.

Chrono Cross: Beautiful game. Incredible world. And awesome, awesome characters. Though I really wish Kid had some pants on.

Monkey Island (Escape from, Return to, etc.) Sierra games always thrilled me as a kid. I wish I could get my hands on some of those old ones again. I adore the style of these games and they've definitely influenced my own artwork and interests.

Morrowind: I play this one far more than I should. But there's so many different ways to go and people to be.. not to mention all the crazy mods people have made for it. Maybe I'll stop playing it once I've found and done everything, but that's gonna take me a while. And then there's Oblivion...

Lunar Silver Star Story Complete: This was the first game that absolutely sucked me in story wise. I was so engaged with the characters and the over arching story. Strangely enough, I bought the second and wasn't all that into it..

Shining Force: Was the first RPG game I ever played and it was the first time the story played such a central part to what I was doing.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: The best Star Wars games ever.

Legend of Zelda - The Ocarina of Time: I had never really played Zelda until this game and it was so addicting, just exploring those worlds.

Super Mario Galaxy: My current addiction. Mario really has adapted so well as things have progressed and this game is proof of just how fun that story and character are.

_________________

Okay so I'm going to have to agree with the ICO/SotC people, the FF people, the Zelda people, and heck even the guy who played Flashback (I just had the demo and that still sticks with me), but what it really comes down to are three simple words:


Super.

Mario.

RPG.

as an serious game addict, I have to list some fav's of mine...

HEXEN! I just love the world, also the sounds and atmoshphere is awesome considering how old game it is. Hexen has been huge source of inspiration to me with my fantasy/steampunk project.
I'm actually going to play the game this weekend with a friend via net

Master Of Magic. one of the best strategy games I've ever played. it still outmaches any modern relevants with it's huge amount of content(spells, races, units, buildings etc.) Master of Orion 2 is great too, but it never had such a impact on me than MOM did

Severance: blade of darkness. awesome soundtrack and combat system, and ah! brutal, sooooo brutal

Fallout games, all three. I just bought all DLC's for FO3, haven't completed the latest two yet though.

system shock 2, the-scariest-game-ever.

Thief I & II, the-sneakiest-games-ever.

finally, gotta agree about SotC, which is only single player PS2 game I have.