MacLeod
New member
Excellent idea for a thread. My nominations:
Batman Arkham City.
I consider this to virtually be a perfect game. The story is superb, the atmosphere is so dynamic and realistic you almost feel like you're there. The voice acting is among the best ever in a video game and each character is done so well. This is the quintessential version of Batman and all his characters. The combat, controls and action are also excellent and become 2nd nature really quick with a pretty easy learning curve that never takes away from the action. I honestly can't come up with anything negative to say about AC, it literally checks all the boxes especially if you're a Batman fanatic like me.
Mass Effect 3....yes 3! I know I know, the ending. Yes it was a dud but Bioware put out an extended ending DLC and it was good enough. Even with the original dud ending the game is still my favorite game ever. For one, atmosphere, I'm really big on that. All the levels especially in the beginning and most especially the Turian moon were incredible. I spend most of that level wandering around looking at the scenery from the Reapers in the background to the view of Pallevan on fire, just awesome! The story is the best in sci-fi IMO and all the side quests are so cool most of all curing the genophage and the Reaper/Maw fight is the greatest cut scene in video game history! Speaking of the ending, the "control" ending is so good, gut wrenching and emotional. The music is perfect, sad and heartfelt and when Shepard grabs the handles and is knocked back to one knee and struggles to stand back up all with the flashbacks of other characters as you watch a character you've spent 90+ hours with fade away... Well if that doesn't hit you right in the feels then you have no soul.
Borderlands 2. Maybe my favorite shooter. The combat is flawless, the weapons are super fun, really cool atmosphere and Handsome Jack steals the show. There's plenty of the game too. Do all the side quests and you easily get around 25 hours in one single player campaign. Just an excellent game on every level and one that none of the other Borderlands games have been able to recapture.
Dead Space 2. The Dead Space games are on my Mount Rushmore of games along with the Batman Arkham and Mass Effect games. The 1st game couldn't have been any better so 2 kind of went a different direction but still nailed it. It's still creepy and scary and it still has the most satisfying gun to shoot in all of video game history but it's more open and there's more of a story and it is avery cool story. The characters are cool, well written and well acted. The combat is a little smoother than the first game and it's got a few tweaks I prefer like the recharging stasis energy.
Honorable mentions would be:
Crysis 2. The most breathtaking graphics I'd seen since the 1st game. Just blew me away. Combat was a lot more fun where stealth and armor actually lasted long enough to use.
Max Payne 3.
Needs to be a movie. Combat and control were great but it's the story characters and acting that set this game apart. I replay it once a year usually on easy just for the story.
Batman Arkham City.
I consider this to virtually be a perfect game. The story is superb, the atmosphere is so dynamic and realistic you almost feel like you're there. The voice acting is among the best ever in a video game and each character is done so well. This is the quintessential version of Batman and all his characters. The combat, controls and action are also excellent and become 2nd nature really quick with a pretty easy learning curve that never takes away from the action. I honestly can't come up with anything negative to say about AC, it literally checks all the boxes especially if you're a Batman fanatic like me.
Mass Effect 3....yes 3! I know I know, the ending. Yes it was a dud but Bioware put out an extended ending DLC and it was good enough. Even with the original dud ending the game is still my favorite game ever. For one, atmosphere, I'm really big on that. All the levels especially in the beginning and most especially the Turian moon were incredible. I spend most of that level wandering around looking at the scenery from the Reapers in the background to the view of Pallevan on fire, just awesome! The story is the best in sci-fi IMO and all the side quests are so cool most of all curing the genophage and the Reaper/Maw fight is the greatest cut scene in video game history! Speaking of the ending, the "control" ending is so good, gut wrenching and emotional. The music is perfect, sad and heartfelt and when Shepard grabs the handles and is knocked back to one knee and struggles to stand back up all with the flashbacks of other characters as you watch a character you've spent 90+ hours with fade away... Well if that doesn't hit you right in the feels then you have no soul.
Borderlands 2. Maybe my favorite shooter. The combat is flawless, the weapons are super fun, really cool atmosphere and Handsome Jack steals the show. There's plenty of the game too. Do all the side quests and you easily get around 25 hours in one single player campaign. Just an excellent game on every level and one that none of the other Borderlands games have been able to recapture.
Dead Space 2. The Dead Space games are on my Mount Rushmore of games along with the Batman Arkham and Mass Effect games. The 1st game couldn't have been any better so 2 kind of went a different direction but still nailed it. It's still creepy and scary and it still has the most satisfying gun to shoot in all of video game history but it's more open and there's more of a story and it is avery cool story. The characters are cool, well written and well acted. The combat is a little smoother than the first game and it's got a few tweaks I prefer like the recharging stasis energy.
Honorable mentions would be:
Crysis 2. The most breathtaking graphics I'd seen since the 1st game. Just blew me away. Combat was a lot more fun where stealth and armor actually lasted long enough to use.
Max Payne 3.
Needs to be a movie. Combat and control were great but it's the story characters and acting that set this game apart. I replay it once a year usually on easy just for the story.
