Yeah I'm a boy, is playing video games so surprising? Okay maybe you will be surprised to find that there are no new-gen games here, well sorreyh for not being rich enough to afford a PS3/Xbox 360/Nintendo Wii/powerful enough computer. Anyway....
5. F.E.A.R
The front cover for the game is scary enough, wait till you play it. You play as a point man given the task to eliminate a telepathic commander, however the detailed plot of this game is so twisted and complex I cant possibly summarise it. Nonetheless, it's the first ever game that genuinely scared the shit out of me (the Fatal Frame series looks even scarier, but I havent been able to grab hold of it) with it's use of dark, quiet settings, elements of surprise and horror, and a little girl named Alma to make your hairs stand on edge. It's got some shooting action too, but it's the fear factor that puts it up here.
4. Burnout Revenge
An arcade racer where you race cars, smash your opponents off the road, create carnage in it's trademark Crash Mode in which you cause as much damage as possible by crashing (and even exploding) your vehicle at busy streets and intersections. You can even ram same-way traffic into opponents (the only game in the entire series to have this feature, which is a big bonus since I hit them a lot), and there are heaps of ultra-sleek cars to unlock (and of course, CRASH!!!) This game is more fun than 2 barrels of monkeys!
3. God Of War 2
The sequel to the first G.o.W game, Kratos seeks revenge on the gods that have shunned and Zeus who betrayed him. An excellent mix of action, adventure, puzzle solving, and plot, with some cool-ass weapons and attacks and boss battles and and and its just an awesome game!!!!
2. Gran Turismo 2
Ahh... memories... The first ever game that I played, and very well the game that gave such a big and early boost to my automotive endeavours. Hundreds of cars, a wide mix of real and artificial tracks, the ability (the only game in the series too if I'm not mistaken) to upgrade your standard road car into a race car by means of racing body kits and paint schemes, although performance parts sold separately. I really liked that feature, even if current games let you fully customize your ride to make it look like your own. And this game came out in 1999. Great nostalgia.
1. Shadow Of The Colossus
Quite literally a David vs Goliath game. You play Wander, a young man who is on a mission to revive a young girl named Mono (wife, girlfriend, sister, it's not known in the game) who was sacrificed due to having a cursed destiny. To do that, he has to slay 16 behemoths called Colossi as instructed by Dormin, a bodiless entity. *Spoiler alert* Sadly however at the end of the game, Wander was sacrificed, but Mono was resurrected.
Maybe by telling it like this the game doesnt seem interesting, but when I played it, it was simply captivating, making me want to keep on playing non-stop. The colossi gradually get harder, yet more interesting to defeat, the use of strategy and your surroundings becomes more and more vital, as some of them tend to attack. Having to search for the colossi is already an adventure in itself, and even though most of the plot unfolds only at the beginning and end of the game, the way the story is presented is just absolutely breathtaking, despite being rather short and simple. A case of quality over quantity. A scoop of Hagen Dazs over a tub of Walls ice-cream. The soundtrack is truly epic, so is the graphics. The one and only game where the words "amazing" and "beautiful" don't quite do it justice.
So close...
Games that just barely missed out on the top 5, but deserve mentioning:
Front Mission 4
In the year 2096, there are 2 separate incidences of unrest going on; one in Venezuela and the other in Europe. The 2 main characters from both events eventually come together as they battle their way to seek justice using giant weaponised piloted-machines called wanzers. Equip your wanzers with giant shotguns, rifles and missile launchers, personalise them with an array of colours, and even setup their computers to give you that winning edge in battle. Awesome orchestral music is a nice touch. Turn-based fighting games arent usually as exciting as real-time ones, but this one's an exception.
Kingdom Hearts 2
Now, this is a really really REALLY big game. The storyline is much longer than FEAR's (although it is very interesting if you manage to keep up with it), but to put it simply, you and your Disney (yes, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, etc) sidekicks are out to save the universe from darkness and evil. A lot of fighting, a lot of puzzles, a lot of accessorising for your characters, a lot of characters in itself, the list just goes on. Very in-depth, very immersive, and despite it's looks as if it's meant for kids, teens will be just as engrossed in it as well. As I type this I begin to wonder why it's not in the top 5..... Hmm.
Black
A first person shooter which has you hunting down a terrorist leader. Although the plot (for me) was rather hard to follow (I probably didnt follow it at all!), the intensive gunfights are sure to keep you on your toes.
Resident Evil 4
You play Leon, a US Secret Service recruit sent to rescue the President's daughter who has been kidnapped. Lots of blood, gore, zombies, monsters and puzzles await you. Never have I played a game that sets your heart racing and your brain working to complete it. Yes, it is scary with the zombies and all, but it wont scare the pants off you like F.E.A.R does. It's more adventure-ish, but still a good game nonetheless.
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