Last Update - 12/20/2009
As I've played many video games and interactive software pieces in my time, I've decided to compile an alphanumeric listing of recommendations for you to mull over and contemplate. (It is worth noting that the vast majority of these recommendations are based solely on their single-player offerings.)
You may notice that I generally avoid giving out bad scores. This is because I rarely bother playing bad games to completion. I have no desire to waste my time on things I do not enjoy. Additionally, most media nowadays is at least somewhat competent. As such, I rarely see something I outright loathe.
Please note that my ratings are subject to change. (Many ratings that lack a corresponding Retrospect may be heavily based on memory. As I slowly replay older games, I may see fit to lower or raise a game's rating.) For instance, take a look at this Psychonauts review I created a long time ago. Currently, Psychonauts rests in the Sublime category of highly recommended games. You can easily see the discrepancy between my moderate recommendation in the past and my top recommendation in the present.
Additionally, you should note that I use some terms in a specific way. For instance, I do not think that there is some ultimate good or bad form of any aspect of any game. Rather, I really think of entertainment in terms of "enjoyable" and "not enjoyable".
* If I am familiar with a series, I tend to judge subsequent releases in that series differently. I am often harsh on a sequel (or subsequent release) if it doesn't live up to my expectations and/or if it doesn't fix (what I consider to be major) flaws from previous releases. (*- denotes Retrospects affected by this and *-- denotes Retrospects strongly affected by this.) If a subsequent release does live up to my expectations and/or fix flaws, I often judge it more favorably than a newcomer to the series might. (*+ denotes Retrospects affected by this and *++ denotes Retrospects strongly affected by this.)
Games that fall in the Sublime category are highly recommended by me. All (or at least almost all) of the games in this category are considered my personal favorites, "hidden gems", and/or "cream of the crop". Although no game is perfect, I feel that games in this category contain only a few minor flaws. I can't guarantee that you'll like this game, but I do think you should at least try it.
Games that fall in the Excellent category are moderately recommended by me. These games perform well in many ways, but certain aspects I dislike prevent me from awarding them a Sublime rating.
Games that fall in the Great category can have flaws, perhaps even noticeable flaws, but I feel that the overall experience they provide is worthwhile.
Games that fall in the Good category are considered fairly enjoyable by me. Flaws prevent them from being Great, but enjoyable aspects position them beyond the pits of mediocrity known as Decent and Bland. Games in the Good category tend to be "above average".
Games that fall in the Decent category can have many flaws and shortcomings, but I feel that they tend to be an occasionally entertaining experience.
Games that fall in the Bland category are run-of-the-mill. I would call them simply "playable" and/or "functional". These games do nothing spectacularly good nor do they do anything spectacularly bad. You should still consider checking them out as varying opinions and tastes could trigger you to enjoy a game in this category.
Games that fall in Ambiguous category generate mixed opinions from me. I feel that some parts of the game are brilliant while other parts are terrible. I can't assign a more definitive overall rating for games in this category as I feel that these games are inconsistent with their quality of entertainment.
Games that fall in the Refuse category are games that I recommend that you avoid. These games may have some good aspects, but I feel that the overall experience is weak and not entertaining. (By the way, this category title is a noun that is a synonym for trash, not a verb that is a synonym for reject. In light of that, Refuse is still something you should refuse.)
This link explains some things about my retrospects.
You may notice that I generally avoid giving out bad scores. This is because I rarely bother playing bad games to completion. I have no desire to waste my time on things I do not enjoy. Additionally, most media nowadays is at least somewhat competent. As such, I rarely see something I outright loathe.
Please note that my ratings are subject to change. (Many ratings that lack a corresponding Retrospect may be heavily based on memory. As I slowly replay older games, I may see fit to lower or raise a game's rating.) For instance, take a look at this Psychonauts review I created a long time ago. Currently, Psychonauts rests in the Sublime category of highly recommended games. You can easily see the discrepancy between my moderate recommendation in the past and my top recommendation in the present.
Additionally, you should note that I use some terms in a specific way. For instance, I do not think that there is some ultimate good or bad form of any aspect of any game. Rather, I really think of entertainment in terms of "enjoyable" and "not enjoyable".
* If I am familiar with a series, I tend to judge subsequent releases in that series differently. I am often harsh on a sequel (or subsequent release) if it doesn't live up to my expectations and/or if it doesn't fix (what I consider to be major) flaws from previous releases. (*- denotes Retrospects affected by this and *-- denotes Retrospects strongly affected by this.) If a subsequent release does live up to my expectations and/or fix flaws, I often judge it more favorably than a newcomer to the series might. (*+ denotes Retrospects affected by this and *++ denotes Retrospects strongly affected by this.)
Games that fall in the Sublime category are highly recommended by me. All (or at least almost all) of the games in this category are considered my personal favorites, "hidden gems", and/or "cream of the crop". Although no game is perfect, I feel that games in this category contain only a few minor flaws. I can't guarantee that you'll like this game, but I do think you should at least try it.
Games that fall in the Excellent category are moderately recommended by me. These games perform well in many ways, but certain aspects I dislike prevent me from awarding them a Sublime rating.
Games that fall in the Great category can have flaws, perhaps even noticeable flaws, but I feel that the overall experience they provide is worthwhile.
Games that fall in the Good category are considered fairly enjoyable by me. Flaws prevent them from being Great, but enjoyable aspects position them beyond the pits of mediocrity known as Decent and Bland. Games in the Good category tend to be "above average".
Games that fall in the Decent category can have many flaws and shortcomings, but I feel that they tend to be an occasionally entertaining experience.
Games that fall in the Bland category are run-of-the-mill. I would call them simply "playable" and/or "functional". These games do nothing spectacularly good nor do they do anything spectacularly bad. You should still consider checking them out as varying opinions and tastes could trigger you to enjoy a game in this category.
Games that fall in Ambiguous category generate mixed opinions from me. I feel that some parts of the game are brilliant while other parts are terrible. I can't assign a more definitive overall rating for games in this category as I feel that these games are inconsistent with their quality of entertainment.
Games that fall in the Refuse category are games that I recommend that you avoid. These games may have some good aspects, but I feel that the overall experience is weak and not entertaining. (By the way, this category title is a noun that is a synonym for trash, not a verb that is a synonym for reject. In light of that, Refuse is still something you should refuse.)
This link explains some things about my retrospects.
Sublime
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (PlayStation 2)
Okami (PlayStation 2)
Psychonauts (PlayStation 2)
Spelunky (Personal Computer Executable)
Excellent
1213: Special Edition (Personal Computer Executable)
Bully (PlayStation 2) *+
Burnout 3: Takedown (PlayStation 2)
Cave Story (Personal Computer Executable)
Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PlayStation 1) *++
Crash Twinsanity (PlayStation 2) *+
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PlayStation 2) *+
Hλlf Life 2 (Xbox 360)
Heavenly Sword (PlayStation 3)
Hitman: Blood Money (PlayStation 2) *++
LittleBIGPlanet (PlayStation 3)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PlayStation 2)
Portal (Xbox 360)
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (PlayStation 2) *+
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PlayStation 2) *+
Rayman 1 (PlayStation 1)
Super Karoshi (Internet Browser) *++
The Path (Personal Computer)
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (Xbox 360)
Viewtiful Joe 1 (PlayStation 2)
Zone of the Enders 1 (PlayStation 2)
Zone of the Enders: The Second Runner (PlayStation 2) *+
Great
Amplitude (PlayStation 2)
Ape Escape 1 (PlayStation 1)
Areas (Internet Browser)
Banjo-Kazooie (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Braid (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Canabalt (Internet Browser)
Castle Crashers (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (Personal Computer)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge (Personal Computer)
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (Personal Computer)
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun: Firestorm (Personal Computer) *+
Crash Bandicoot 1 (PlayStation 1)
Crash Team Racing (PlayStation 1)
Crazy Taxi (Arcade Machine)
Dead Rising (Xbox 360)
Dead Space (Xbox 360)
Destroy All Humans! (PlayStation 2)
Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future (PlayStation 2)
Fancy Pants Adventure: World 2 (Internet Browser)
Final Fantasy X (PlayStation 2)
God of War (PlayStation 2)
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PlayStation 2)
Hλlf Life 2: Episode 2 (Xbox 360) *+
Hitman: Contracts (PlayStation 2) *+
House of the Dead (Arcade Machine)
House of the Dead 2 (Arcade Machine)
House of the Dead III (Arcade Machine)
Hydro Thunder (Arcade Machine)
inFAMOUS (PlayStation 3)
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PlayStation 2)
Jak II (PlayStation 2) *+
Karoshi 2.0 (Personal Computer Executable) *+
Kingdom Hearts (PlayStation 2)
Luminara (Internet Browser)
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (PlayStation 2)
Mr. Bounce (Internet Browser)
N (Personal Computer Executable)
N+ (Xbox 360 Live Arcade) *+
Ocean Hunter DX (Arcade Machine)
Portal: The Flash Version (Internet Browser)
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy (PlayStation 2)
Ratchet & Clank 1 (PlayStation 2)
Spider-Man 2 (PlayStation 2) *++
Sprout (Internet Browser)
Spyro the Dragon 1 (PlayStation 1)
Spyro the Dragon 2: Ripto's Revenge (PlayStation 1) *+
Stuntman (PlayStation 2)
Talismania Deluxe (Personal Computer)
Team Fortress 2 (Xbox 360)
The Fancy Pants Adventure (Internet Browser)
Time Crisis II (Arcade Machine)
Time Crisis 3 (Arcade Machine) *+
Treasures of the Deep (PlayStation 1)
Ultimate Spider-Man (PlayStation 2) *-
Upgrade Complete! (Internet Browser)
Virtua Cop 3 (Arcade Machine)
Virtual Silence (Personal Computer Executable)
War of the Monsters (PlayStation 2)
Whiplash (PlayStation 2)
Worms 3D (PlayStation 2)
Good
Achievement Unlocked (Internet Browser)
AirBlade (PlayStation 2)
Beyond Good & Evil (PlayStation 2)
Burnout 4: Revenge (PlayStation 2) *-
Command & Conquer: Generals (Personal Computer) *-
Command & Conquer: Generals: Zero Hour (Personal Computer)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1 (Personal Computer)
Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360)
Destroy All Humans! 2 (PlayStation 2) *-
DRIV3R (PlayStation 2)
DUI (Flash File)
Factory Balls 1 (Internet Browser)
Factory Balls 2 (Internet Browser) *+
Final Fantasy X-2 (PlayStation 2) *--
God of War II (PlayStation 2) *-
Grand Theft Auto III (PlayStation 2)
Innoquous (Personal Computer Executable)
Jak 3 (PlayStation 2) *-
Karoshi (Personal Computer Executable)
Karoshi Factory (Personal Computer Executable) *-
Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman (Internet Browser) *-
Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2) *-
Meat Boy (Internet Browser)
MicroMachines V3 (PlayStation 1)
MindScape (Internet Browser)
Mort the Chicken (PlayStation 1)
Overlord (Xbox 360)
Painajainen (Personal Computer Executable)
Peggle (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Prince of Persia [2008 Reboot] (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked (PlayStation 2) *-
Revolt (PlayStation 1)
Seven Minutes (Personal Computer Executable)
SHIFT 1 (Internet Browser)
SHIFT 2 (Internet Browser)
SHIFT 3 (Internet Browser) *-
Spyro the Dragon 3: Year of the Dragonfly (PlayStation 1) *-
The Incredible Machine: Contraptions (Personal Computer)
The Simpson's Hit & Run (PlayStation 2)
Worms 4: Mayhem (Personal Computer)
Z-Rox (Internet Browser)
AirBlade (PlayStation 2)
Beyond Good & Evil (PlayStation 2)
Burnout 4: Revenge (PlayStation 2) *-
Command & Conquer: Generals (Personal Computer) *-
Command & Conquer: Generals: Zero Hour (Personal Computer)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 1 (Personal Computer)
Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360)
Destroy All Humans! 2 (PlayStation 2) *-
DRIV3R (PlayStation 2)
DUI (Flash File)
Factory Balls 1 (Internet Browser)
Factory Balls 2 (Internet Browser) *+
Final Fantasy X-2 (PlayStation 2) *--
God of War II (PlayStation 2) *-
Grand Theft Auto III (PlayStation 2)
Innoquous (Personal Computer Executable)
Jak 3 (PlayStation 2) *-
Karoshi (Personal Computer Executable)
Karoshi Factory (Personal Computer Executable) *-
Karoshi: Suicide Salaryman (Internet Browser) *-
Kingdom Hearts II (PlayStation 2) *-
Meat Boy (Internet Browser)
MicroMachines V3 (PlayStation 1)
MindScape (Internet Browser)
Mort the Chicken (PlayStation 1)
Overlord (Xbox 360)
Painajainen (Personal Computer Executable)
Peggle (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Prince of Persia [2008 Reboot] (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked (PlayStation 2) *-
Revolt (PlayStation 1)
Seven Minutes (Personal Computer Executable)
SHIFT 1 (Internet Browser)
SHIFT 2 (Internet Browser)
SHIFT 3 (Internet Browser) *-
Spyro the Dragon 3: Year of the Dragonfly (PlayStation 1) *-
The Incredible Machine: Contraptions (Personal Computer)
The Simpson's Hit & Run (PlayStation 2)
Worms 4: Mayhem (Personal Computer)
Z-Rox (Internet Browser)
Decent
Alien Hominid HD (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
Crash Bash (PlayStation 1) *--
Hλlf Life 2: Episode 1 (Xbox 360) *--
Spider-Man: The Movie (PlayStation 2)
The Maw (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
TimeShift (Xbox 360)
Crash Bash (PlayStation 1) *--
Hλlf Life 2: Episode 1 (Xbox 360) *--
Spider-Man: The Movie (PlayStation 2)
The Maw (Xbox 360 Live Arcade)
TimeShift (Xbox 360)
Bland
Van Helsing (PlayStation 2)
Ambiguous
Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360)
BioShock (Xbox 360)
BLACK (PlayStation 2) *-
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PlayStation 1) *--
Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) *--
GUN (PlayStation 2)
Indigo Prophecy (PlayStation 2)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (Xbox 360) *+
Mirror's Edge (Xbox 360)
Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2)
BioShock (Xbox 360)
BLACK (PlayStation 2) *-
Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PlayStation 1) *--
Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) *--
GUN (PlayStation 2)
Indigo Prophecy (PlayStation 2)
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames (Xbox 360) *+
Mirror's Edge (Xbox 360)
Shadow of the Colossus (PlayStation 2)
Refuse
