In honour of #NationalVideoGamesDay the FFFN staff have revealed their favourite video games OF ALL TIME. Behold the insanity – the pixels, the controversy – THE GAMES. One staffer – one pick only. Those were the rules – this is the outcome.
Terraria
Chosen by Mark
“My favorite game ever would have to be Terraria. I bought it on special for $2.50 and have logged more time on it than any other two games combined (except World of Warcraft, which counts as a part-time job). I loved the exploring and crafting and the 2D side-scrolling (I kept getting lost in Minecraft).”
Bioshock
Chosen by Sean
“From storytelling, to visuals, and concept, BioShock set the standard for single player video games. Right from the get go, BioShock sets the tone for a journey into an underwater utopia full of darkness, intrigue, and memorable characters. Along with a story worthy of a film adaptation, BioShock’s gameplay is bonkers fun, whether it’s shooting a gun or using one of the handful of abilities that turn you into a metahuman, as you battle foes like Big Daddies, which are arguably the best video game bosses in quite sometime. BioShock has been remastered for current generation consoles and is packaged in The BioShock Collection (which also comes with BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite), which will be available tomorrow. If you have never played BioShock, now is the time to experience a game that people still talk about almost a decade later.”
Perfect Dark
Chosen by Keven
“Goldeneye can suck it. Perfect Dark was and will always be MY shooter of choice. I played this game longer than any of you psychos have ever played World of Warcraft and I’m not ashamed to admit it. The futuristic weaponry, including a laptop gun which you could throw on a wall and use as a sentry, to the bouncing grenades that didn’t explode until they dinged off someone’s head — everything was sublime and loads of fun. My friends and I would splitscreen the shit out of by Nintendo 64 to this thing and what also made it profound was the injection of ‘sims” – aka the game’s AI characters which you could equip with various whacko traits. Like PeaceSim – who runs around stealing your weapons, or MeatSim – who spins in circles, pops up to smile in your face just waiting to die.
Perfect Dark is a chaotic and crazy amount of fun that still holds up to this day and I urge you to grab the high-res re-release on XBLA. The multiplayer stat records are so damn weird and cool too – it actually keeps track of how much blood from your enemies that you spill. I’m pretty sure I could drown most major American cities with mine – the hours logged into that game’s multiplayer is insane – I don’t even want to go hook up my N64 to check if I’m being honest.”
Grand Theft Auto V
Chosen by Ashton
“Since its release in 2013, Grand Theft Auto V: Online has been my go to. I’ve always been a huge fan of free roam games; my early days were spent with my PlayStation 1 and ‘Driver 2,’ driving around aimlessly for hours on end. However ‘GTA V:Online’ took free roaming to an entirely new level. With the regular in-game map at your disposal, the major and minor interactions with that massive world, the visual aspect, and the fluidity of the gameplay made it even better to appreciate every detail inside of the game.
I love the storyline, following Michael, Franklin, and Trevor’s path of destruction while taking part in multiple part heist type missions, however the options in the GTA:Online’ world was a huge factor for me. The ability to purchase safe houses with garages to store your vehicles in and the introduction of a garage that allowed you to enhance your vehicle’s performance and visual appeal was a major step up from the GTA IV “Pay & Spray” which was nothing more than a random coloured paint job and a hideout from cops. The ability to dress your character has been available for a long time now, but the plethora of different outfits, styles, and customising you can do has exceeded anything Rockstar had done before with the franchise.
It took a while for the groove of things to get figured out online, but when the game was re-released for the next generation consoles, XBOX ONE and PlayStation 4, a year later, the game adapted a first person view that made the already massive world seem bigger and more beautiful. It is widely known that obtaining ‘GTA Dollars’ was a huge pain in the ass and purchasing items like, clothing, and vehicles would bankrupt you in one session. Rockstar keeps bringing people back by introducing a steady flow of new DLC, in-game sales on gear, and with the addition of Heists and the C.E.O. option in the game now, players are finding it a lot easier to obtain money to buy their ridiculous shit. Who doesn’t want an armoured limo with a Gatling gun on it? Whether Rockstar continues or ceases the DLC’s, GTA V:Online is going to stay on the top of my game’s pile.”
Portal 2
Chosen by Troy
“Firstly I have to say that picking one favorite game is impossible. But if I’m forced to give mention to just one game I think it would have to be Portal 2. I love solving puzzles and Portal 2 had the perfect balance of creative, challenging, and fun levels to test my brain power on. It was genuinely funny, had likeable characters and had a story that was far more interesting than I originally expected. The co-op campaign was just as good as the single player and with the ability to create and share your own levels, the game has a never ending supply of fun.”
Tetris
Chosen by Scott
