Many people have asked what my top 10 games of all time are so, I thought I'd make the

list now. A few rules first. 1. This list is subject to change. 2. Only one game per franchise (otherwise there would be nothing but the same couple Nintendo series listed and even if I had a top 100 list, it would be much the same). 3. I must have beaten the game, so no Super Meat Boy on here... yet! In fact with the exception of #10, I have beaten them multiple times (but that almost goes without saying since they are my favorites). 4. No free to play games (unless there was a paid collectors edition or something), sorry Seedling. These games must be games that really define me as not only a gamer and developer, but as a person. While there are games that may not be perfect, they hold an undeniably special place in my heart. Games that I can play hundreds of times over and never need to be in a specific mood to play (sorry Arkham Asylum). So without further ado, here's my top 10 favorite games of all time: 10. Soul Calibur 2 - This game is certainly the weak link when stacked up among some of its more prestigious brethren on the list, but as the first game I bought on my own merits (by trading in some of the higher contenders on the list at a GameStop for SC2's used price, unfortunately), it certainly holds its own in my heart and is held aloft by amazing controls, fun characters (including everyone's favorite Hylian for the good version) and great difficulty curve. Couple all that with the fact that my friends and I played this tournament-style almost as much as Halo and it's a definite winner in my book. 9. Cave Story There's not much to say about this little indie darling, but with some of the best characters I've seen in gaming (indie or otherwise), Metroid-vania-style gameplay that would make even the most jaded of retro gamers weep with joy, references to many of my favorite franchises on and off this list and a soundtrack that just won't stay out of my head, this is certainly a game worth falling in love with. 8. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes It took everything about the first Prime game (which was Metroid in 3D done right) and perfected it. Amazingly atmospheric and surprisingly dark, Aether was a place that you weren't sure whether or not you wanted to get lost in but kept coming back for more. Just one thing though: it's not a shooter. It's first-person Zelda in space. 7. Minecraft Do you like Legos? Do you like Zelda? If so (and even if not), you already know Minecraft, so just go play it already! 6. Tetris DX There's just something satisfying about Tetris. There's something inherently visceral about matching lines with Tetrominoes. I can't really explain it. It's a puzzle game without being casual that has at its core one of the best single mechanics I've ever seen in a 2D game, and for my money this Gameboy Color masterpiece may not be the definitive version, but it's certainly my favorite. 5. Pokemon Silver It's the best generation. Period. You know it. I know it. We all know it already. I don't care if you preferred Gold or Crystal over this, or even the two DS remakes, but Pokemon, while amazing in almost any form, even today, doesn't get much better than generation 2. It had both Johto and Kanto as well as the Elite Four and Mount Silver. It was a simply massive world with so much to do. On top of that, it was truly the proper way to cap off the story from Red and Blue. Plus, it had Joey's Rattata... now that's truly a top percentile game! 4. Majesty: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Why haven't you played this? Trust me, I know you haven't played this! The only people who've played this who are even going to see this list are either people like Thorne Penn and Ryan Lehr (who were playing when I first picked up the

game) or people I've forced to play at near-gunpoint, who always turn to me repentantly for their crimes against gaming for not picking this up when it first came out. It's Warcraft 3, Sims 2, Manchester 0 (sorry, I had to). It's the perfect blend of RTS, RPG and Sim and you should feel ashamed for not having played this to begin with. 3. Portal When most people preordered The Orange Box, I literally just preordered the singlebox copy of Portal after seeing its trailer on G4 back when they were good. Portal has amazing characters, clever writing, dark humor and the single best 3D mechanic ever to grace PC or console alike, and while the cake jokes wore thin after hearing them 50 million times, the only thing I can say is that Portal is truly a triumph... you monster. 2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Awwwwwww, yeah! This just got real! There are only two types of people in this world: LttP fans and OoT fans. This is where I draw my line in the sand: LttP is a masterpiece unlike none ever before or since and I literally can't say more. Okay, maybe I can... with this one little anecdote: one time Thorne was borrowing my copy and got stuck on one of the later dungeons. He called me and without a copy of the game on my end, I navigated him through the entire dungeon over the phone... BLIND... completely in one go. For at that time I had every map of the game completely memorized and was even able to help him beat the boss by counting out loud the rhythm of its attack. Yeah, I'm a nerd, but I love this game! 1. Super Mario World I lived in Dinosaur Land for no less than five years. No, I'm serious. Those who went to school and/or church with me at the time knew that I never left my GBA copy of World more than a foot away from me at a time. I played it in class, I played it in church, I played it in cars, in restaurants and in the bathroom. I played it late at night until I would fall asleep with it next to me; and this is only because I sold my SNES copy for the #10 spot on this list (LttP also). There is nothing I can't do in that game. The score and life counter cannot go higher. Not meaning to brag, but I am actually a contender for the world record speed run on the SNES version, and as soon as I submit my time for the GBA one, that position is mine! Seriously. Like, by several seconds. Last dude was a chump. There was a time where I could literally do this run blindfolded. Mario 3 may be more classic and 64 may be more innovative, but I don't care... Yoshi! So that's my top 10 list of my favorite games of all time. I hope you guys enjoyed and to answer some questions: yes, I'm a nerd; yes, I'm a Nintendo fanboy; and yes, some of my tastes are weird. Let me know what you guys thought of the list, though to be quite honest, no one ever reads my posts anyway, so I could've just put Barbie Horse Adventure and ET 2600 at every alternating spot here and still retained my credibility, but I'd like to be proven wrong.