A while ago, #fav7games became a very popular trending tropic on Twitter. It completely took over my feed, so I spent a good amount of time reading about the games that meant so much to so many people. It made me realize just how wonderful a hobby gaming is, and I began to reflect back on the games that I love so much. But no matter how hard I tried, I simply couldn't curate my own personal list. I kept adding and subtracting titles, trying to think about the ones that had the biggest impact on me as a person and as a gamer. I've been playing video games for a very long time, so needless to say, this was not an easy task.
Inspired by that popular trending topic, I've come up with seven games that have been burned into the back of my brain forever. If the video game industry collapsed today, these are the games that I could play from now until the end of time and never get bored.
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog - 2013
There's no use in denying it any more: The Last of Us is my favorite game of all-time. If this list was numbered, it would firmly be placed on the top without a doubt in my mind. Prior to its release, I was considerably excited for it, as I was a huge fan of Naughty Dog and the games they had released previously (especially the Uncharted series). But nothing could prepare me for the final product: a stunningly powerful, thrilling, and emotional journey that no game had ever given me before. I wish I could have my memory of this game erased so I could experience it all over again. The gameplay, characters, story, pacing, score, and visuals are all top-notch (what else would you expect from Naughty Dog?) and is essential playing for every gamer. It has fundamentally changed the way game narratives are presented today, and turned the zombie apocalypse genre on its head. I've played through it four times, and came to appreciate it more and more each time. It's a masterpiece.
Red Dead Redemption
Rockstar Games - 2010
If The Last of Us is ranked #1 on my list, Red Dead Redemption would be right there behind it at #2. As much as I liked the GTA series, they never anything more to me than a big, digital playground in which I could run wild. Oddly enough, RDR was a slow burn for me at first, as I played through the first 6 hours and then put it down. When I came back to it after about a month, everything suddenly clicked. It was around the part where John Marston goes to Mexico, and you ride your horse through the wide-open Mexican expanse, and "Far Away" by Jose Gonzalez plays in the background. It was just such a perfect gaming moment, and from that point on it took over my life. I blazed through the rest of the main story, completing every side quest along the way as I could. The ending (as well as the secret "true" ending) still ranks among the most gut-wrenching I have ever experienced in any game. I could get lost in that wilderness for years and never get bored.
Star Fox 64
Nintendo - 1997
Christmas morning, 1997. A nine-year-old version of me races down the hall and into the living room where multiple presents await me. I grab the biggest one, sure of what's inside. I tear through the wrapping paper to reveal what I had been so anxiously awaiting for months: a Nintendo 64. I got two games with it: Cruisin' USA and Star Fox 64. Cruisin' was fun and all, but Star Fox was the main event. Once all the present opening and family time was over, I took my treasures to my room and turned on that beautiful black machine for the first time. For the rest of Christmas vacation, it became my mission to scour every little secret and visit ever last planet Star Fox 64 had to offer. To this day, it remains the easiest game for me to just pick up and play (thanks in most part to the 3DS remake). It's a fantastic game as well, with perfect level design and shooting/flying/driving mechanics, as well as all of those classic lines ("Step on the gas!" remains my favorite). Star Fox 64 is the reason why I cherish video games so much today.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 2
Infogrames - 2002
When I was growing up, my dad had a PC that was powerful enough to play most games, so I would spend a fair amount of time on it playing things like SimCity and Command and Conquer. Though I'm not, by any means, a PC gamer, I cannot discredit the death grip the RollerCoaster Tycoon games had on me. I lost days/weeks/months building and perfecting the theme park of my dreams. As much as I loved the original, I have to place its sequel on this list, as it took everything I loved about the first game and added new rides, more design options, and real-life theme parks I could mess around with. I became quite the expert in roller coaster building, even going so far as to replicate some of my favorite real life coasters like The Incredible Hulk and Space Mountain. Of course half the fun was building evil death machines to viciously main and murder my park guests, as well as a special corner of the park where I would punish unhappy patrons (and by that I mean drown them). Thinking back on all the games I've played throughout my life, perhaps none became as much as an obsession as RCT2 did for me.
Portal 2
Valve - 2011
In 2007, the original Portal came out of nowhere to blindside the entire gaming industry. It was a brilliant experience, with ingenious puzzle design and biting humor. I debated for a long time whether to put the original or its sequel on this list, but in the end Portal 2 won out. If the first game was just a slice, Portal 2 was the whole cake. It's Portal pushed to its full potential; bigger, longer, and (somehow) funnier than the original. The introduction of gels to the game give puzzles an new wrinkle, forcing you to shift your brain into overdrive. The new characters, especially Wheatley and Cave Johnson (voiced by Stephen Merchant and J.K. Simmons, respectively), give the story much more depth and emotion. You're no longer just solving puzzles and trying to escape death, you get the whole backstory on Aperture Science and its long and rather dark history. GLaDOS is back and just as passive aggressive as ever, and of course there is a fantastic song my Jonathan Coulton during the end credits. In addition to the fantastic single player, Portal 2 has a pretty substantial co-op campaign. Fun Fact: I beat the co-op campaign all by myself, alternating between controllers. It remains my greatest nerd achievement to this day. Portal 2 hurt my brain and ribs simultaneously, and I can't say any other game ever did that to me.
Transistor
Supergiant Games - 2014
I'll rarely, if ever, claim a video game to be "perfect", but in my eyes, Transistor comes very close. As hard as I try, I can't really think of anything bad to say about it. There are just so many things about it that I absolutely love: it' art design, the way its narrative is told, the soundtrack (oh my GOD the soundtrack), the combat depth, and its hands-off approach to teaching the player its mechanics are just a few of the reasons why Transistor is such a special game. It's been just over two years since it was released and the fact that it's almost always in the back of my mind says a lot about its quality and impact on me as a gamer. Supergiant Games has the uncanny ability to meld different genres into a very compelling final package; Transistor is a deep turn-based RPG wrapped in a high-octane action game. Its combat options are incredibly varied, as they let the player approach fights form multiple angles. Every facet of Transistor has amazing depth, and you learn something new about it each time you play. It's as close to perfect as gaming can get for me.
Journey
thatgamecompany - 2013
While art can take many forms, many people exclude video games from that distinction. They obviously haven't played Journey. Clocking in at just around 90 minutes, Journey houses such amazingly beautiful complexity in a deceptively simple premise. You are a nameless wanderer, and it is your goal to traverse a vast desert to reach the towering mountain that rests in the distance. Themes of loss, going home, finding your place, and survival against all odds come to play here, all without a single line of dialogue. On your journey to often run into other players; you don't know their names nor can you communicate with them (outside of a little chirp you can emit with the press of a button). This reliance on one another based solely on necessity is such a beautiful mechanic. There's no arguing, no name calling, no trolling (well, maybe a little), just harmony. And that's exactly when Journey gives me every time I go back to it: peace. It proves that video games are more capable than people give them credit for, and can provide experiences no other form of media can.
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