Top 10 Most Epic Video Games of All Time

Big games that make your blood boil. That make you cry. That make you lose sleep playing. The games with that make you write awful fan-fiction. Epic games. What are the top ten games that made you change the way you look at gaming. It doesn’t matter whether it was the storyline or the world that drew you in, as long as it blew you away. Don’t agree with the list? Tell us what your most epic experience in gaming is. We’ll listen.

10. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

It could have been just another cookie-cutter war game, but Infinity Ward decided to pull out all the stops on this one. As if deciding to stray the series away from the well-beaten dog that WWII is wasn’t enough, the developers added in enough plot twists to make the mind boggle. Who didn’t have their heart skip a beat during the Soviet sniper mission? Who can deny that the nuclear attack wasn’t one of the most epic scenes to ever be programmed in? Who can forget McTavish? Call of Duty 4 revolutionized war-based shooters.

9. Fable

Sure, I could have put another game here, like Bioshock (definitely an honorable mention for the list), but Fable is notably distinct in that it gives you the choice to be good or evil. The battle system was simplistic, but the scenario presented in the game was just on point in a way that hasn’t happened in a very long time. Give this game some credit where it’s due.

8. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Whoever didn’t enjoy this game hated Lord of the Rings, hated old stories about knights, and hated Heath Ledger for A Knight’s Tale (at least until his role in Batman made up for it). Fantasy worlds don’t get as complete as this one was. Sure, out of all the entries on this list, this game has the shoddiest fighting system by far, and the interactions can be very clunky, but as far as epic goes, this one ranks up there with the best of them. What other game allows you to be a kleptomaniac.

7. Grand Theft Auto IV

The crime masterpiece of the 21st Century so far for any type of media, including movies. Sorry Scorcese, The Departed wasn’t as good as GTA. What other game, save any in the GTA series, shows you main characters in a situation as cornered and hopeless? The storyline in the next-gen iteration of GTA is deeply interwoven and very real. This, mixed with the cartoonish physics and violence, and a healthy amount of humor as well assure this game will stand the test of time. That, mixed in with the infinitely deep, enjoyable, and extremely repetitive GTA gameplay, ensure that this game and this series has an incredibly bright future ahead of it.

6. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Perhaps you weren’t convinced that Shigeru Miyamoto was a genius from the Mario series, of the Donkey Kong series, or the latter Pikmin didn’t enthrall you. The Legend of Zelda‘s simplistic but fun gameplay, witty dungeons, beautiful art design, and (albeit) rudimentary but honest story, injected with enough irreverent humor to stay afloat, ensure that the series will always deeply respected. This installment upgraded the series to a free-roaming 3D world that blew people away with its deeply involved storyline and gameplay.

5. Halo

First-person Shooters, much like today, were on their last leg as far as ingenuity and creativity was concerned before this game came along, single-handedly ensuring the XBOX’s survival in the console wars. It offered an original take on the old alien warfare plotline, and expertly crafted characters. The completely novel game engine–the first to offer regenerative health in its genre– let you get lost in the world without finding health packs or pushing crates around.

4. Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid was one of the first games to offer a cinematic experience. The stereotypically overblown Hideo Kojima storyline was paired with a tense and engrossing war games scenario. MGS is wildly influential in the world of gaming–without its release, modern warfare (ahem…) video games wouldn’t have found a leg to stand on. Splinter Cell, most obviously, but also Gears of War, or Call of Duty, or Halo. They all owe their expertly crafted action movie presentations to this game in particular. The secret codec stations make the experience extra special in this game.

3. Starcraft

With the recent release of Starcraft II, gamers everywhere are recollecting back ten years to the time when the first game was released. This is the game that reigned when PC gaming reigned, and there are so many reasons why. Intelligent gameplay, a deep and thoughtful storyline, and the best crafted intergalactic warfare ever presented mark the features of this game. Starcraft created three convincing and very well-developed races, each with their own backstory and individuals.

2. Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger is the best made RPG ever. The story was lighthearted but very deep, and the characters were made to fall in love with again and again. Every character in this game is perfect (much like honorable mention Earthbound) and the storyline was a fresh take on a very old story of world domination. Epic.

1. Half-Life 2

This should be no suprise here. No other game combined a weighty, deep backstory of nuclear power gone wrong, mixed with an oppressive Big Brother type government, like the Half-Life series. Every other game that has ever been created since this one came out is trying to break out of its shadow. The best online multiplayer ever comes along with the most engrossing plot in video gaming history.

Tagged: chono trigger, epic games, half-life 2, metal gear solid, ocarina of time, starcraft, zelda

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