Protector's Top 10 Games!

I know it is only August and you are probably wondering why I am doing a Top 10 list in the middle of the year.  I have had many conversations with new gamers and veteran gamers about games we just love.  It doesn't matter if you have played the game a million times or one time.  There is something about it that just stays with you forever and you will never forget it.  That is why I came up with this list of 10 games and some honorable mentions that are my favorite games of all time.  These games of imprinted a memory in me that will never go away.  I hope that those reading this will give these games a chance especially if you have never played them.  Now, in the voice of Mario, "Here We Go!"

Protector's Top 10 Games of all Time!



#10
Luigi's Mansion - GameCube

This was the first game I ever played on the Nintendo GameCube and boy did it ignite a fire in my love for this system.  Many gamers were used to Luigi always being the second player and if you were a younger brother, like myself, you were always stuck playing as Luigi.  The games that have been released, over the years, where Luigi is the main character are a lot of fun and have always been different compared to the Super Mario games where Mario is your main character.  Being the younger brother, I have always had a soft spot for Luigi and love the games he is a part of and love that Nintendo has given him a chance to be in the spot light.

#9
Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Nintendo DS

The Curious Village is the initial game to be released in the Professor Layton series of Puzzle games on the DS and 3DS.  For those that have not played the series, The Curious Village is not the first game in sequence for the series.  There were actually a couple of games that take place before The Curious Village and all the games are enjoyable and a bit challenging with the amount of puzzles in each game.  I like to think about myself as a pretty intelligent guy.  I always did well in school and like to think outside the box.  The puzzles hidden within The Curious Village test your mind in over 130 puzzles.  There are some fairly easy puzzles and some challenging ones.  The vast amount and difficulty of the puzzles is why I love this game so much.  Any puzzle game is worth a try in my book and this was the first puzzle game to really challenge me for a good amount of time.  My initial run through of the game was about 11-12 hours and that was completing over 120 puzzles.  If you like puzzle games definitely play this one.  You will see why its a top game for me.

#8
Tomb Raider - PlayStation 

There are quite a few PlayStation games that stick out to me as great games and I am sure that they will be on many top 10 lists.  Tomb Raider on the first PlayStation is a game that took me a bit of time to complete especially when it came to the last couple of levels.  Yes I know the graphics are not fantastic but that is something that I loved about the older generation of games.  Some of the best games made had horrible graphics but they also challenged the gamer.  We are so used to games saving every couple of minutes that we forget about games being challenging.  With Tomb Raider, I remember having to figure out puzzles, timing, fights, and doing it in a set amount of time.  Not having a save point all the time made it more challenging because you tried to complete something in one try so that you didn't have to do it all over again.  Tomb Raiders story, gameplay, and excitement of a challenge has given me reason to love this game so much.

#7
Metal Gear Solid - PlayStation

Here is another game that had horrible graphics, compared to today's standards, but was an iconic game in video game history and for the Sony PlayStation.  For all those that played this game, there is one boss fight that will go down as the most confusing yet exciting fight once you figured out how to beat him.  Psycho Mantis' fight made this game so much more amazing than it already was and to add to that you had to utilize items like the back of the Disc case and manual to figure things out as well.  I loved the challenge MGS gave to gamers and commend it on its gameplay as well.  MGS has become a series that has a huge following and it is for good reason.  If you haven't played it yet, please do so.  You will not be let down.

#6
Super Mario RPG - Super Nintendo

First let me start this part off with I am not a big RPG fan.  I have tried numerous times to get into it by playing Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger.  Sadly the only RPG games that I do enjoy are the Pokémon series and the Paper Mario Series.  Since Super Mario RPG was the game that started the Paper Mario Series, it is on my Top 10 because I have been playing Super Mario RPG since it's release and I enjoy every minute of its gameplay.  I recently picked it up since I never actually owned a copy and I am so happy I did.  This game has brought back so much Nostalgia of me being a kid, sitting on my couch until 2 in the morning just playing through it.  Some of my favorite characters in the Mario franchise are in this game and I have yet to see them brought back.  Those characters are Mallow and Geno.  The music and sounds is just amazing and the story is definitely cool because Bowser is part of your team.  I know that this game is expensive to buy if you can find it, but I advise to search for it.

#5
Gears of War - Xbox 360

Here is my only game, I believe, that is part of the new Gen games that are out because it is an Xbox 360 game.  The story of Marcus Fenix and Dom has been a great story and I have loved to see it develop through the Gears of War franchise.  Even though the games are all good, the initial part of the series being Gears of War is amazing and I can play through this story numerous times and still not get bored.  I grew to love and hate some of the characters in the game and this emotional tie in is why it is my number 5 in the list.  I will always play this game no matter what.

#4
God of War 2 - PlayStation 2

Kratos!  Sparta!  Zeus!  I love God of War!  Should I even go on?  I have always been a huge fan of Greek Mythology and playing through every single God of War game has been an amazing experience.  God of War 2 though was my top of the list game because of fights, boss battles, and story.  The Fates were so much fun to fight and you really had to think about the fight.  I did die a couple times but once I knew what to do it made the completion of the fight so much more enjoyable.  God of War has always been a great series of games, well almost but I don't count Ascension.  The whole franchise is amazing and once again I tell all to the play the series but God of War 2 had so much more enjoyment for me and is why it is ranked higher than any other God of War game.

#3
Donkey Kong Country 2 - Super Nintendo

I am just not a big Donkey Kong fan.  Don't get me wrong Donkey Kong Country was a great game but I just felt like the mobility of Donkey Kong was lacking and he was slow.  Having Diddy and Dixie, who were both more mobile and seemed to move faster, made the series a bit more enjoyable.  I loved the levels in DKC 2 more than any other in the series and I thought it was great to actually transform into the different animal characters for a level.  The boss fight against King K. Rool was another that was more enjoyable than the boss fight in the original DKC.  I have probably played through DKC2 more than any other game I have ever played.  I was even able to 100% complete it by collecting everything needed.  I don't think I have every tried to do that in any other game.

#2
Monster Hunter - PlayStation 2

For those that have read my articles on the site, you already know how much I love the Monster Hunter series.  I am not going to ramble on too much about it, but I do want to say why the original is my favorite.  I have many memories of being online playing Monster Hunter with my nephew and his best friend.  The game had no voice chat so we had to type everything.  This became annoying, so we would three way call on our phones and talk that way.  We beat the entire offline game by ourselves since it was single player and beat every quest online for the multiplayer.  We had the exact armor we wanted and weapons and would just have fun hanging out together.  This love of Monster Hunter goes beyond the game and more about the relationships I have established with friends and family.

#1
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Super Nintendo

My favorite character is Link.  My wife and I were going to name our son Link but we never had a boy.  This game brings back so many memories and I believe it was the second game I have got after getting a Super Nintendo.  The series has left a huge imprint in my heart and soul.  I have yet to find a game in the series that I hate.  Even the ones that people say are horrible, I like to give them a try because Nintendo has done such an amazing job with the series that I want to be the judge for myself on whether a game is good or bad.  I have played through this game probably 2-3 times and am planning another playthrough really soon.  The music is the most iconic soundtrack for me and I wish I could find it on Vinyl record because I would love to play it on my record player.  I will never part with any of my Zelda games and the reasoning is because the series holds a place in my heart that can never be released.

Honorable Mentions:

Here are some great games that just fell a bit short from making it to my list.

Mega Man 3
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Castlevania