My Top 5 Games of All Time
Over the years, I’ve played a lot of acclaimed games, especially during the pandemic, where the isolation caused me to explore a lot of stuff I had missed out on. As such, I find it difficult to list my all-time favourites, as they wouldn’t be able to fit on this page. What I can do, though, is give you the top 5 favourite games of mine, Letterboxd-style.
NO 5 - Valiant Hearts: The Great War
This is easily one of the most poignant, tearjerking, realistic games I’ve ever played. Played back in 2023, this 2D adventure game from Ubisoft, under it’s hand drawn guise, explored the first World War through the eyes of normal people, whether it’s a dog, a father and son on opposite sides of the war, a nurse looking for her father, or a man seeking revenge after everything has been taken from him. But as the events unfold, we all learn, nobody is immune to the consequences of war.
NO 4 - Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Now this is directed towards Mass Effect 1, 2, and one half of 3, but since they’re all part of the legendary edition, I’m counting the entire trilogy as one game. The entire trilogy (barring the ending of 3) is honestly one of my favourite games ever made and will always trump Halo in my opinion. The story, the dialogue, the characters, the visuals and atmosphere, the setting, everything about it is masterfully done. Just………don’t finish 3.
NO 3 - The Last of Us
tied with
Grand Theft Auto IV
This wasn’t easy, as I hold these two games in similar regard. Eventually, I decided “screw it” and put them both in as number 3, both tied together. Firstly, The Last of Us is a masterpiece from start to finish, and it’s no wonder that HBO managed to adapt it successfully. The storytelling by Neil Druckmann is masterful and showcases how Naughty Dog, a studio that did the acclaimed Uncharted Trilogy (which is also just as good), managed to outdo themselves with this one, especially considering that Grand Theft Auto V got released around the same time.
Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, the series itself is monumental and crucial to how open-world games have progressed (despite what moral guardians think of it), but my all-time personal favourite is Grand Theft Auto IV. Set in a fictional version of New York City, we follow Niko Bellec searching for revenge while settling in with his cousin, Roman. Darker in tone and more realistic than the other games, especially V, which has a slightly more comedic and wackier tone, the game has not only the best gunplay in the franchise, but also the best physics and driving mechanics, which were, in my opinion, too softened when V came around.
NO 2 - Red Dead Redemption II
Set in the American Frontier, the sequel to Rockstar’s hit western focuses on Arthur Morgan and the criminal gang that he rolls with, as they go from town to town for their next big payday. Along the way, Arthur struggles with his morality and mortality as the relationship with his gang changes; some will not last, others will strengthen. Besides the utterly excellent story, which is Rockstar’s best writing to date, the mechanics throughout and the visuals and the gameplay bring a sense of immersion that pushes the envelope further for the gaming industry in general, proving that Rockstar has still got it, even years after Grand Theft Auto V got released. Shame it lost to God of War, which is still a good game, don’t get me wrong, but this deserved the GOTY award more.
NO 1 - Assassin’s Creed II
This was one of the earliest games I played, played around the same time as Portal 2 and the like. But this stuck out to me more; as an introduction to the franchise in general, it was the best introduction I could get. This is just as masterful as all the other games on the list, but it takes the number one spot due to sheer nostalgia, and personal memories I had with this game. It’ll always be engrained into my mind.
