Mik’s Top 25 All Time Favorite Video Games #5-1

#5  The Witcher

It might seem surprising but this is one of the best looking games I’ve ever seen and it affected the game play greatly. I love how it looks like an artist carefully painted the surroundings, especially in the middle sequences and the different loading screens. Instead of trying to make it look as realistic as possible, they went for a more art-y atmosphere, which I really appreciate. I play for escapism, not to be reminded of how things are in real life. Here, the tone/attitude/mood in the game is completely different from other games, maybe because it’s based on a story from a different culture? It sounds fantastic, it looks fantastic. It’s dirty, violent and rough, mixed with some humor and silliness.  Lots of action, likable characters, magic, a little strategy, a bit of sex (the main character is quite the pimp…), gambling and fighting. I don’t have anything to complain about, this was a pure pleasure to play.

.

Mik’s Top 25 All Time Favorite Video Games #10-6

#10 Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty

I want to build, build and build. Huge masses of troops. Organize them, line them up, build more and place them out. And then I want to admire my frightening army of mighty Void Rays, enormous Colossi and powerful Archons for a good, long while, before I scare the shit out of my enemies and crush them like tiny ants under my feet. That’s how I imagine it anyway. Even though it’s a pure strategy game, I’ve never been much of a strategist in this game. But I guess that adds a surprise element; I never know what to do or how it will end, I never had a plan A or a plan B, I just improvise. I also really enjoy playing the campaign or a tower defense map.

Mik’s Top 25 All Time Favorite Video Games #15-11

#15  Secret of Mana

A nice mix between Final Fantasy and Zelda for Super Nintendo. Cozy colors, nice environments and some really odd features here and there. I like that you can switch freely between the cute little characters and there’s real time combat, which provides variation and freedom of choice. It’s not a hugely original game, or not the most difficult one, but it has this special charm and atmosphere that makes me go back to it over and over again.

.

Mik’s Top 25 All Time Favorite Video Games #20-16

#20 Brütal Legend

A country in distress needs a saviour. That’s nothing new when it comes to game concepts. But this part of the world needs more than a savior, it needs a fixer. In the country of Rock and Metal you need… A roadie. The “He can build every stage, he can tune any guitar and fix anything” – kind of roadie. I love the freedom you have in Brütal Legend. To just be able to go wherever you want, hack and slash enemies, do anything or nothing at all, while fixing an in-game playlist and blasting some really good metal through the speakers of your car stereo, is awesome. Beer grows on trees and bass strings is made from spider webs. Ozzy Osbourne is The Guardian of Metal and Lemmy is some kind of shaman. The many references to the metal world is extremely entertaining and it includes original songs from Enslaved, In Flames, Black Sabbath, Slayer, Marilyn Manson, Judas Priest, Dragonforce and many more. The only bad thing about this game is that it’s way too short.

Mik’s Top 25 All Time Favorite Video Games #25-21

25. Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne

This is a game that never gets too old and never gets boring. It’s simple, it’s good looking, it’s loads of fun. I love strategy games and when it’s combined with fantasy characters and imaginative worlds it’s very entertaining. With funny characters, four different “races”, intriguing plot and heroes that you can level up as well as gear up there are lots of things to do. The only thing that is more fun than the different worlds and campaigns in Warcraft III are the many tower defense-maps you can find on the internet. Build and destroy, build and destroy.