Oh hello there, MyIGN. I guess it's been awhile. Almost half a year I think. Heck, I'm sure most of you have forgotten who the heck I am and are about to hit the back button. Whether that's you or you're one of my original, loyal followers, I just felt compelled to write something while I have a moment to ensure that I'm still here, I still comment from time to time, and may even post some more blogs.

So what have I been doing? Mostly school, as I had an incredibly full fall semester. It ended up being one of my best though, so I'm glad I put in the effort and hours, rather than writing blogs like the year before. However, I do miss writing so this little blog will have to do for now.

I mostly write about gaming stuff on this blog so I'll stick to that I guess. Gaming-wise it has mostly been Battlefield 3, quickly going through what ended up being an awful campaign and then hitting the online battles. I have to say I'm mostly quite satisfied with the game. There really is no other shooter out there that can capture the awe-inspiring battles and there's simply no end to things to unlock and gain, keeping me coming back. However, they really did miss it when it comes to things like the horrific spawning, and some very unbalanced weapons. It's not game breaking but is moment breaking, leading to times of frustration which really shouldn't be in a game. There's also the huge number of technical problems from Origin, to battlelog, to the way too frequent disconnects for no good reason. It's just made the game a pain to play sometimes which is unfortunate given the game's incredible experience when everything is flowing smoothly.

The most intense battles you'll ever play...if you can stay connected.

That was mostly at school, so as soon as I came home for Winter break, I hit the consoles, most notably Skyward Sword of course. I'd like to do a dedicated blog to this game, with my thoughts, but all in all, I really enjoyed the game and it really has set a new bar for the franchise, but it just lacked the awe and magic sometimes that was constantly present in pretty much all other Zeldas. I really have no idea how to rank it because it is so much better in many respects than any other Zelda, but is also very very different in a few ways making it hard to compare. I'm playing through Twilight Princess now for comparison's sake, and have yet to play Hero mode, so I guess any type of conclusion will have to wait. It's an absolute requirement to play by any gamer though. Incredibly full experience so unlike anything else out there, but retains the solid design of every other Zelda. It's hard to describe so you just have to play it I guess.

An incredibly different Zelda experience. You just have to try it yourself to see how.

The other high profile game I played was Uncharted 3. This is another very difficult game to gauge. Essentially, I'd say it's the opposite of Battlefield 3. The single player experience once again sets the bar higher, containing some absolutely incredible sequences that I dare not spoil. It's just insane sometimes. On the other hand, the multiplayer is just a frustrating mess. While they righted the serious wrong of Uncharted 2 of not including local multiplayer, it's just a really lame and frustrating multiplayer experience. It's pretty much nothing new, standard 3rd person shooting with a couple different modes, but it's just annoying to play. You can be doing everything right, and then randomly get killed by somebody with a rocket. You can fire on someone first, but they win by randomly throwing a grenade and running in circles. It seriously does not reward strong, strategic play but rather just being dumb and getting lucky with explosives. The melee is broken, sometimes missing, sometimes not, always gluing you to the floor for some reason. And cheaters are just too common. I've run into plenty of people doing way more damage, taking forever to kill, etc. The whole thing is a mess, slightly alleviated by some co-op modes, that just end up being really repetitive and boring. So try and find this one cheaper as the single player experience is a must play, but little else, and if you've played Uncharted before, you'll know there is little incentive to play again as the combat is still annoying and the fun lies in the crazy action sequences that once played, lose their fresh appeal.

You won't believe what leads to this crash....

I've also been digging into Skyrim and have to say it's fun, but really just feels like a new Oblivion. Everything is pretty much constructed the same and just looks better, has slightly better and more diverse combat, and oh, well, nothing else is different. It's fun, a huge time suck, and the small but detailed world is great to explore, but... it's really just a fancy expansion to Oblivion. Which was already not that huge of an upgrade to Morrowind (though much bigger than this sequel). So while it's good, Morrowind/Oblivion still remain the high point of the franchise.

The biggest Oblivion expansion pack yet! Oh wait...

I've also begun Shadow of the Colossus. It's definitely an "experience" but lacks much of a game. Also, it's just a port so it's very rough when compared to today's games when it comes to controls, animation, and presentation in general, but even then, just trying to ride your horse is a pain, and unfortunately you have to do it a lot with the huge overworld with nothing to do in. The fights range from incredible and breathtaking to an absolute pain. Luckily more reside in the former category. I'm about 2/3 done so we'll see how I feel once it's completed.

It's more of an experience than a full game, but some of those colossi are dang awesome! A couple are plain annoying though....

That's about it for gaming. Otherwise, I've just been busy with school, work, a mission trip, and family time during Christmas and New Years. I've got some time before school starts again so hopefully I can write some more blogs with more details about these games and other things I've been doing. And I'll always be commenting on stuff so feel free to leave links on my wall if you so desire!

Hello My IGN!

All summer I've been looking for some type of programming job to do until the school year starts, and out of nowhere, I got one at my school! (UC Berkeley) And as an awesome bonus, I'm getting paid 20 bucks an hour and the first thing on my list to do with extra money has been to finally make my own desktop. So I've been scouring the internet for parts the past couple days and thought I'd share what I have so far. None of this is finalized, since I won't be ordering anything for awhile, and things sell out, go on sale, etc. However this is what I'm working with and so far, I'm liking it! I've been holding myself to a $1000 dollar budget so far, but if I really feel like it, I have no problem going a bit over.

First off, the Motherboard. I've never had to buy one before, and so I really had no idea what exactly to look for. I knew what processor I'd like though, so I went off the socket type, number of PCIe 2.0 slots (at least 2) and just looked for some good deals (and good ratings). This is what I'm going for right now:

Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 ATX Intel Motherboard

$139.99 ($20 off)

It sports 2 PCIe 2.0 slots which is plenty if I ever consider doing SLI, 3 PCIe x1 slots which probably won't be used except for a possible sound card, and basically everything else you would expect on any mobo. It does have 2 USB 3.0 ports, not that I have anything that uses that, as well as a Firewire 1394 port which may come in handy if I ever get a decent video camera one of these days. 4 memory slots of course and plenty of hard drive support. Pretty basic stuff. If you've got some awesome suggestions, that'd be great as I'm not very well versed in motherboards, but for now, I think this is a pretty solid choice.

Next, is the CPU. This has always been a weak spot on my computers as they get very expensive, very fast, and I just can't afford something better. Once again, I'm holding back a bit, but this time with good reason:

Intel Core i5-2500K

$219.99

Now, I'm you're sure aghast that I'm not getting an i7. The simple fact is, I have no need of one. The only difference between i5 and i7 is that i7 supports hyper-threading, essentially doubling the number of cores you have. Right now, only high end video editing software supports it extensively, and games aren't even close. Most don't even support 4 cores, let alone, 8. While I do enjoy video editing, I don't do it a lot, and there's not too much help of additional cores unless your RAM usage is maxed per core (After Effects, for example can use up to 8 GB of memory per core when rendering). There's the obvious slight increase in frequency, but over 3.0 GHz, the difference is negligible, especially for games. Besides, this chip can easily be overclocked to 4.4 GHz, so I'm not missing out on much at all. At the end of the day, I save $100 dollars, and get just as much bang. Really, I'm actually considering looking for a lower end i5 just to save some money. I'll still most likely get this model and I'm confident it will support all my needs.

And you always need some RAM, so here's a quick look at what I'm thinking of getting.

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB DDR3 1600

$84.99

Not much to say, really. 4GB chips have gotten incredibly cheap in the last couple years and I'd highly suggest that anyone thinking about upgrading their RAM should switch up to 4GB DIMMs. Just 2 years ago, this would have been priced close to $800 dollars. Now it's a 10th of that. I haven't really looked at 8GB chips but I really don't see a need for 16GB in the near future, let alone 32.

And now the juicy part: the GPU.

Galaxy GeForce GTX 465 1GB

$129.99 ($40 off)

I bet you're freaking out once again. "465?? What the heck kind of card is that?" The best performance vs. price card on the market, that's what. It's a slightly slower clocked model of the 460, but with more core processors, and runs a little hotter. However, it's cheaper than any 460 I could find, let alone a 500 model. It's got solid ratings all around and I'm confident it'll serve my needs. I am definitely looking around in this category though, such as this funky looking 560 and this HUGE deal on a 480. It all depends on when I get my money, and how much I'm willing to spend. Right now, my go to one is the 465 though.

Now, the Power Supply:

Corsair Enthusiast Series 650W ATX 12V

$94.99 ($25 off)

This is a pretty important one to get right, since plenty of bad things can happen without sufficient power, and there are plenty of bad power supplies out there. Thus, I decided to just go safe and get the highest rated, most popular one. The 650 Watts may seem a little over kill for an i5 and a 465, but with upgrading an intention of building a computer, I just want to have plenty of power for the future. And if I do decide to get that 480 if it's still 300 bucks off, this is about the minimum I would need.

And the final important piece I think I've nailed down is the Hard Drive.

Western Digital Caviar Black WC1002FAEX 1TB 7200RPM

$89.99

Other than the motherboard, this has been my most difficult part. Basically everything I look at seems to have plenty of bad reviews or is simply way too expensive. Hopefully, this one doesn't die on me or anything drastic. Another issue is that I'm heavily considering getting 2 to utilize RAID 0. While I know the performance will be much better, I don't really know if that justifies another 90 bucks. Disk performance can be crucial or completely trivial depending on the rest of your system and the program you're using. Usually, having plenty of RAM means you won't go to the disk very much, but it's certainly not a full-proof method. For now, I'm sticking with one, and we'll see how much money I have, or if I'd rather spend it on a better GPU. Obviously, I'd love to get an SSD, but I just don't have the money, and the loss of space simply wouldn't be worth it at this point. Perhaps in the future.

That's all the important stuff so far. Please leave your thoughts in the comments, and any suggestions would be much appreciated. I've never built something from scratch and advice would be great (especially on a case, as you noticed I haven't decided on). Also, if you want some advice on upgrading or computer parts, I'll gladly help. Hope you enjoyed this look into my project so far, and hopefully I'll have an update soon.

Perhaps a week after my in depth look at the recent Skyrim images, Bethesda has been kind enough to release an epic new trailer, and I must say, just from a video standpoint, this is one of the best I've seen, and it's not even at E3. Here it is to for you to view, if you haven't yet.

Now that you've got a shiver down your spine from it's epic-ness, let's get into the nitty gritty! First, I'm just gonna focus on the game itself, and not any of the story or narration (even though that was very well done). And as much as I'd love to do a Video Rewind, IGN style, I just don't have the time. I'll try to use timestamps for specific things I find interesting in case you're not sure what I'm talking about. I'll also be going in roughly chronological order.

Anyway, the first thing I noticed was how great this game looks in motion. First with the sweeping scenes from the sky, to the first person running, it just looks fantastic. The shadows really add depth to the lighting, and the screen shakes give a visceral feel. It's quite possible that the screen shakes were done just for the trailer. While everything but the scenes of the stone wall are indeed with the game engine, it's very much possible for developers to script out scenes in engine for these trailers nowadays, but more on that later. Again, the game looks spectacular, and the view distance is as amazing as ever. Environmental detail also looks great such as in the first person scenes at 0:17 and 0:27. Rocks everywhere and the occasional snow covered bush really add to the scene. And the huge number of trees visible in the distance really gives you a great sense of scope.

Then, of course, things really heat up with the dragon. And I can say fairly confidently that most of the combat that's seen with the dragon is pre-animated for the trailer, at least of the character. You can just tell that many of his actions were very unique to this particular scene. Not all of it is canned animation though, and I must say, it looks great. The animations have always been the worst part of Bethesda's games. They're always robotic and have absolutely no life to them. However, especially when we get to the in game scenes after the amazing climax in the music, you can definitely see that animations have been improved. A look at 1:19 is especially evident as you can see a many cutting wood in the lower right hand corner, and others walking.

Also, from 1:10 to 1:25, we get an incredible overview of the environments, and it's truly breathtaking. While the screens from a week ago were good, to see green forests, absolutely huge mountain ranges, and open villages all in motion is amazing. While discussing the trailer with 00JohnD, he noted that towns appear to be open like in Morrowind again, which is definitely a plus. Also, I just can't get enough of the scene from 1:19 to 1:22. The view is just so spectacular. The huge, arching rock formation and the trees in the background really bring the world to life, at a level even Oblivion could not match. Also, the river scene at 1:24 is very cool, showing a river that is actually flowing and quite aggressively.

Next, we get an awesome montage of scenes all synced to the music. I can't go over everyone but much of it is finally some video of combat, including some of the new finishing moves. Unfortunately, not much is really revealed about the combat system itself, and there's definitely a lot of sword swinging still, but man, those killing moves look great, and should add some much needed variety to the fighting. We also see a couple of cool spells as well as a number of enemies. Even though we probably get a grand total of 5 seconds of video of it, I must say, the enemy animations look much better as well. Hopefully this also translates into more dynamic AI with a larger move set.

I'd also like to attract your attention to 1:35, where on the ground, you can actually see a small stream of water moving down the hill. This is one of the many environmental improvements that Bethesda promised, and it looks like they weren't pulling our leg. 00JohnD Also showed me at 1:40 a short scene of the powerful Ebony armor. However, it's a whole suit which brings us to another thing we discussed. Bethesda has continually been limiting the amount of clothing customization in it's games. First, Oblivion was reduced to only armor or clothing, the Fallout 3 was even worse, only having headgear and whole suits of armor. Skyrim definitely needs to go back to the Morrowind system where there were literally dozens of things you could where at once, including combinations of armor, clothing, headgear, and jewelry. Unfortunately, I just couldn't find a single scene where it appears a character has a unique combination of  clothing.

Anyway, finally, the main character slays the dragon at 1:49, and we see another interesting thing: blood sprays onto the character. While this is completely visual, I certainly hope this is in game. Oblivion had it at a low level (a single blood splatter would stay on you, and for about 10 seconds) but I think it'd be great for blood to stick to you and your weapons for a good amount of time. It's completely useless to the game, and just a performance drain, but this kind of game is all about atmosphere, and not having blood fade away in a few seconds really adds to it.

And I have to say, the last part is my favorite of the trailer, as we get to see a number of little tidbits, not to mention, it's an epic ending. First, at 2:04 on the right side, we get a really great view in the distance. I just can't get enough of how far you can see. Then at 2:05 to 2:10, if you look closely, you can see the trees behind the character swaying in the wind. Not only that, be each branch and even leaf appears to have it's own movement which really looks great in motion. And then of course, we get a grand view of more sweeping forests and mountains. I'm quite curious as to how you're going to navigate these huge mountains, since it wasn't very well done in Oblivion or Morrowind. Regardless, it's quite a scene, not to mention the huge dragon in the air. Unfortunately, we really don't get too much info as to how the heck we're going to fight the behemoths (unless they do just land on the ground for you) but they're definitely a sight to behold.

Finally, we're left with the awesome release date of 11/11/11. Hopefully they do it at 11:11:11.11 but I somehow doubt it .

Anyway, it certainly is a spectacular trailer, with some amazing moments and incredibly powerful music, and I have to say I'm super excited for this game. Let me know what you think!

IGN recently did an article looking at the various screen shots of Skyrim and the implications of the game that follow. However, it was a bit short and sparse on details so I decided to go a little more in depth on the screens myself.

First off, I just want to discuss the graphics and art direction. As far as I know, these are PC screens (the article was in the PC section), but regardless, this game is being hailed as using a fresh new engine so big differences from Oblivion/Fallout 3 are expected. The first thing to note is that this definitely is a completely new engine and they aren't just pulling our leg. I can assure you, none of these assets were in Oblivion and there are a number of new, key, graphical features.

Be sure to click and see it full size

The first thing I was looking for in these screens was real shadows, and sure enough, they're there. Click the image above to see it in more detail. Oblivion/Fallout 3 simply did not have shadows except for characters and some pre-rendered ones. Trees had a general "tree" shadow, and really, compared to recent games, this utter lack of shadow to contrast the incredible lighting in the game was rather stark. The sun would be setting, yet there were no shadows to move and contrast the difference. Characters would be lit even when behind a hill or under outcroppings. This, of course, was all technical since at the time of Oblivion, really no one had global, dynamic shadows, especially considering how large the world is. Another big improvement is that there appears to be actual 3D leaves and foliage. Oblivion actually completely cheated in this department and had 2D, animated images for leaves and some bushes. This looked fine from afar, but to always have the leaves on the trees facing you as you approached was certainly weird. The waterfalls are also a bit better looking.

Remeber to check out the article for the unmarked images.

These pictures give us a couple more insights into the graphics and art. As you can see, the shadows are in full force again, yet you can see some jagged edges. This definitely is for performance reason so I think it will be reasonable to assume your PC doesn't have to be ridiculous to run this. Also, there appears to be no self-shadows in the top picture, yet another performance sucking effect (just turn it on in Oblivion and see). The foremost character definitely does not have any (her face is just darker due to facing away from the light. Self-shadows would have an actual shadow from her head darkening her shoulder etc.) But if you look close enough, I believe you can see it on the chair leg and I think it's plenty evident in the second picture, so I'm not sure exactly what's going on here. It may be dynamic so in more graphically intensive areas, the game shuts some shadows down. Another important facet of these couple screens is that we're not getting art that's completely off the walls from Oblivion and Morrowind. Though Skyrim is in the North and very snowy, it looks like the good old forests will still be there and we can expect plenty of rugged, cabin-like houses. Detail also looks to be at the same level with plenty of bowls and stuff on the shelves.

This one with the zombies definitely shows that the graphics are improving. The details on the rocks are impressive, and even the texures on the zombies themselves are fairly high in detail. Another thing I found interesting was that zombie with its mouth open. Perhaps much more dynamic character animations are here, rather than the static, cookie-cutter ones from Oblivion/Fallout. The way they are holding their weapons is also fairly distinct. Hopefully these aren't just staged screens and these animations are real, since that is something that definitely needs to be improved from Oblivion.

Menus!!

This one doesn't show all that much but it is nice to know the menus aren't going to be as drab as usual. This is just plain nice to look at. Also, it looks like skill levels are back, allowing you to improve on specific skills based on what you actually do, not just when you level up and you put random numbers in places. Also, magic appears to be fairly the same, with the same abilities as usual. Even the same spells are used in destruction which certainly is a shame. I want something new!

And of course, there will be plenty of snowy mountains to explore, not to mention, dragons! It will be interesting to see how you can fight these beasts (not to mention combat in general), but anything with dragons has to be good.

So as you can tell, these first few screens definitely show that this isn't just another Oblivion copy like Fallout 3/New Vegas. This engine is brand new and looks a lot better. At the same time, I don't really see anything ridiculously new. Even the art is fairly consistent with the usual Elder Scrolls. Hopefully there's a ton of new things yet to be revealed, but time will tell whether the gameplay matches the new looks. Let me know what you think! Are these fresh screens looking good to you or does it look like too much of the same?

Well, here we are in the top 15 now! I can promise a lot of Nintendo from here on out, but I think there will be a few surprises as well. Just as a reminder, I'm from the N64 generation and onwards, so don't expect any of those NES, SNES, Genesis, etc. gems that you older gamers would likely put here in these top stops. Now, onto the games!

And if you missed any of my previous entries, click the appropriate link below:

50-41 40-31 30-26 25-21 20-16

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15: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii)

I can't tell you how many days, weeks, months, years I waited for this game. It was way back in 2004, I believe when it was revealed at the end of E3, adult Link riding Epona through Hyrule, swinging his sword. While I wasn't like some who shed a tear when they saw this amazing trailer, I was definitely excited for this game like no other. This was possibly the first time I was ridiculously anxious for a single game, and would do anything to get my hands on it day 1. And then, it was delayed....I didn't lose hope however; I was going to get this game! And of course, after a bunch of twists and turns, it was coming during the launch of the Wii. After much deliberation, I decided to get the Wii version...unfortunately, not a Wii could be found, and so I spent Christmas playing Gamecube as usual, my copy of Twilight Princess for Wii, sitting on the shelf unable to be played.

Eventually, I did get a Wii, and began one of the greatest adventures in gaming to this day. To call this game massive is an understatement like no other. And while being in development for 4 years usually does that to a game, I still was not expecting as much content as I got. And while I had sky high expectations, (I had been waiting for nearly 3 years!) almost every bit met my expectations, then threw them out the window. Every part of the game was just so polished, so perfect. The many dungeons incredibly varied, along with most of the new items. I remembering going through the Fire Temple/Dungeon, and just being in awe of how just, perfect it was. The Iron Boots' many new functions, including giant magnets, just worked beautifully, allowing for some magnificent level design and environmental puzzles. To this day, it is one of my favorite Zelda dungeons. And the Twilight Realm did not fail to impress. The screen shots looked great, and in motion, that dark world was absolutely beautiful, in an evil kind of way. The excessive bloom lighting and low contrast color formed a world never before seen in video games. I almost missed the place as I purged it from Hyrule.

Unleash the beast inside of Link

Additionally, I have to say, this is by far the best and most fleshed out story in a Zelda game. Midna never failed to provide some great dialogue as well as some absolutely amazing revelations and plot twists. Also, just the number of amazing action sequences in this game is astounding, from the horseback combat scene, to leaping off of the bridge into Lake Hylia. There was no end to the special little sequences, keeping the pace of the game perfect. No longer did you just get a list of dungeons/temples to go to and had to just beat them. There was story in between each one, and little quests to keep things varied. This is probably one of the games greatest strengths, since it could use the gargantuan over-world to full potential. Never was there a dull moment in the 40+ hours it took just to beat Ganon which is quite a feat in and of itself.

The ultimate Zelda adventure

Of course, there were a few annoyances, such as ridiculously easy bosses (despite their amazing model designs), wolf combat being rather repetitive, and in general, a huge sense of the familiar. In the end, however, I could forgive the familiar, since it was absolutely perfect familiar. This is definitely the ultimate Zelda game, and anyone new to the series should check this one first.

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14: Civilization II (PC)

Man, this game brings back some memories. Definitely one of the first games I ever saw, I actually didn't play all that much, being how I was around 5 years old. I primarily watched my dad play until I finally decided to give the game a go myself. I'd sit next to my dad for hours as he'd zip through menus, controlling all his cities, lead his armies to victory, and ascend up the science tree. I even have the fond memory of going to bed one night as my dad played, only to wake up the next morning to find him still at the computer. He definitely was one to fall into the trap of "just one more turn". And when I finally started playing myself, I did as well.

I wasn't into games at that age, so I couldn't really compare it to games at the time (as I said in my previous blog, I didn't get a system till I was 8). However, all I needed to know was how much fun it was to create your own society, expand your nation, build armies and conquer the world. Being a little kid, I of course started off really bad. But in later years, once I was into gaming, I would still go back to this masterpiece of strategy, always wanting to do "just one more turn". While I never gave in to my desire to keep playing as badly as my dad, I did spend many hours on this game, leading countless nations to world domination, usually by war, since that always seemed more fun. Many of my current gaming joys stemmed from this game as well, such as my love for strategy (as long as it's not real-time), and planning. I just find it so satisfying when a well though out plan works out. Of course, I learned to change up tactics on the fly since all too often the AI would throw a wrench into my plans for conquering them. Much of my love of gaming comes from this classic title.

Of course, now looking back, Civ II was also a masterpiece at its time in general. It basically set the standard for pc gaming, and gaming in general as the industry moved into the 90s. IGN even named this the number 3 game of all time back in 2007. One place above the universally acclaimed Ocarina of Time. And while that is only IGNs opinion 3 years ago, I'd say that's quite an achievement to beat out OoT on any list. While this is definitely not as complex or nit-picky as later iterations of Civilization, it's definitely the best, impacting not just the series, or even the genre, but gaming as a whole.

One of the most influencial games not only for me, but for gaming as a whole

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13: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)

This was my first Zelda game. *gasp* I got my N64 around 1999/2000, and this game soon came out before I had heard the many great things about Ocarina of Time. So while at Target, wanting to get this "Zelda" game my friend was raving about, I listened to my mom who said the newer one must be better. And while looking back, I'd say she was incorrect, there was definitely no going wrong with this game.

Unfortunately, my initial experience with the game was not that great, as I couldn't figure out how to beat the first part and get back to being human. I don't know how many times I saw the moon crash into the ground. I had never played Zelda before, and really had no idea what the heck I was supposed to do. Finally, somehow, I figured out whatever I was missing, and was unleashed into the greater world of Zelda. I had never seen such a large expanse in a game and instantly was in awe of the world, and the secrets it held. And though I didn't know it at the time, the repeating 3 days was quite possibly the most ingenious game design in the history of gaming. To this day, I have no idea how they came up with such a bizarre system. But it worked like a charm, and kinda wish some game would bring it back.

Other than the time hook, there was most definitely some more great things about this game. The dungeons were huge, taking more than an hour to navigate. And the bosses were a sight to behold. Especially combined with the transforming masks, these battles were quite amazing. Especially the final one. Man, that was crazy. And while some of the masks were kinda meh, just the variety of abilities and designs was quite impressive. But what I think I loved the most about the game was the living, breathing Clock Town. The way everyone had a schedule for the three days was very impressive at the time, and you really felt like you were in a living place. Especially just the number of people in the town and how everyone had their own story for those three days. Nearly everyone played a part somewhere in some type of quest and the way you changed peoples behavior through the three days depending on what quest you were doing was very cool. And while many games these days can extend this daily schedule and human behavior to any game they want to, none have yet matched how personal Majora's Mask was, which is quite a testament to a game made over a decade ago.

An amazing adventure through the same 3 days

But how could my first Zelda game be placed down at 13? First, I'd say 13 is a very impressive position and shows just how much I loved the game. However, I must say looking back, especially after playing Ocarina of Time, I found a few annoyances, most notably the grand total of 4 dungeons. While they were massive, I just found that small number to be a bad alternative to a larger number of small dungeons since only 4 definitely limits the variety. However, I'd say that's quite a small qualm compared to the ingenuity of the rest of the game. Really, my greatest complaint is that I was stupid and sold the game a couple years after getting it :'( Worst decision ever.

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12: Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)

This one may or may not surprise you. Not sure exactly how it's viewed by the community. However, I can say this is by far my favorite Mario RPG, which is saying something since I've loved every one I've played.

The reason this one wins is quite simply because of its ridiculous charm. The developers had a ton of fun making this, and you can't help but enjoy it yourself. Whether it be the silly Italian chatter the plumbers spit out, to the hilarious writing, everything about this game is hilarious; something very few games even try, let alone pull off correctly. This is definitely one of my favorite gaming stories, not because of its deep characters and epic plot twists, but because of its absolutely hysterical characters and plot twists. You never know what's going to happen next because for all you know, the world's gonna explode. That doesn't happen by the way, but it certainly isn't out of possibility. Too few games go for comedy, most likely because it's tough. It's very hard to make people laugh in a game, especially without voice acting and cut-scenes. Mario and Luigi needed none of that; only superb writing and the best villain in recent memory (possibly of all time). Seriously, who can compare with Fawful?! Every word that comes out of his mouth is ingenious, in a stupid kind of way (if that made any sense). I mean, his intro is this:

"I am the great Cackletta's most best pupil, who is named Fawful! I am here, laughing at you! If you are giving us the chase, just to get your silly princess's voice, then you are idiots of foolishness! Princess Peach's sweet voice will soon be the bread that makes the sandwich of Cackletta's desires! And this battle shall be the delicious mustard on that bread! The mustard of your doom!"

I don't think I've ever seen such silly writing before, but it doesn't fall flat. It's hilarious in context, and you just can't help from laughing. Superb writing right there.

Of course, it is a game, and so needs solid gameplay. This RPG does not fail here either, taking the usual interactive turn-based Mario combat system, and taking it to new heights. The Bros. attacks aren't just special attacks that do more damage; they actually take skill to pull off, and the better you do, the more damage. This is what I love about Mario RPG's combat system. You're not just navigating menus, pressing a button, and watching an attack. You have to get button presses right, time things, and actually hit your enemy. And this game took that system and raised the bar with some extravagant attacks. To go with such a solid fighting system were some fantastic bosses, full of personality (ridiculous ones of course) and some hilarious attacks. They could definitely be tough as well, providing a good challenge and satisfying victories.

In the end, this will stand as one of those amazing experiences for me, that I think all people have through gaming. This game was an incredible adventure, from the fantastically funny writing, to clever characters with no end in personality, to the fantastic battle system. This game just did it right, at least for me. Thanks to this game, I'm always on the look out for a funny game from time to time, cause I know it can be done and done well.

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11: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PC)

I was first introduced to the Elder Scrolls when my friend got Morrowind for the Xbox and I played a few hours. And in every bit of those few hours, I was just in awe at how detailed the game was. This was the first game I saw where you could pick up basically every item you saw in the game, could do literally whatever you wanted with all those items, could talk to every single person you saw, and even kill them if you wanted, eliminating them from the world for good. The only thing I disliked was the rather odd real-time dice-rolling combat. A couple years later, however, I got wind of Oblivion which had everything I liked about Morrowind, plus a real sword-swinging combat system. However, it was announced for the 360 and I didn't know a thing about gaming PCs so I just let it pass by.

Yet another couple years later, I had a pretty good gaming rig and Christmas was on its way. Oblivion was finally mine and it was every bit as good as I had imagined and even more. I had never played a true, open world game before, and man did I love it. There really is no end to the things you can do thanks to the absolutely gargantuan world. But with the quick-travel system, this huge world never posed the problem of being too big to get from point a to point b. However, I soon realized I usually preferred just to walk, since it allowed me to really explore and find some amazing secrets whether it be a cave or Aylied ruin. There was just so much stuff in the world. And what a world it was. The nearly infinite draw distance never failed to impress as you could see mountains and forests in the distance that you could actually go to. And every part of the continent was just beautiful and full of life. One of the main reasons I put this above Fallout 3 is that you can just tell where you are by looking at your surroundings. Every part is unique and quite a sight, whereas Fallout 3 is just gray and more gray. Really, to this day, this is one of the best looking games every made, technically and artistically. The textures are just so detailed and the bump mapping is perfect. Sure the lighting and shadows just can't compare to modern engines, but this game just looks great, beckoning you to go out and play in the amazing world.

Talk about a beautiful world

Really, I could probably talk about this game for as long as I've played it (about 300 hours). The AI is amazing in terms of how personal every character is, with their own schedules, habits, jobs, etc. Everyone is just so unique (and in such a huge world there's over 1000 unique people!). The number of different weapons and gear is just staggering, each one delicately modeled to perfection. And of course, the number of quests is innumerable. I just found a new one the other day. And as if that wasn't enough, the expansions add a ton of new content, especially Shivering Isles. There is just no end to this list of amazing. And the mods....man so many mods, some great, some total garbage. This is definitely one of the most modded games of all time, and I've got so many installed, I don't even know which is which. I've got one adding even bigger textures (looks absolutely fantastic), another increases LOD at longer distances, another adds environmental effects and ambiance, one that improves the UI with custom fonts and a bigger map view....the list goes on. If you want it, this game's got it.

This is just a fraction of the world that's open for you to explore

While definitely not everyone's style of game, if you enjoy freedom in your game, this is the ultimate experience. With one of the most detailed, beautiful, and fun worlds ever made in a game, you can just go on and on in this masterpiece. Now when the heck is Elder Scrolls V coming out.....?

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And there you have it. Let me know what you think! And I'll have the next 5 up perhaps tomorrow or the day after.