I feel that, since I now have a gaming website, I’m obliged to share my opinion of the TOP TEN GAMES of all time. In the future I’m sure I’ll write more top ten lists, specific to various genres, but the following games are my top ten favorite in general. I will include what system I played the game on.

10: Fallout 2 (PC)

Fallout 2 was a dark and creepy imagining of a post-apocalyptic future in which the protagonist finds himself in a race against time to find the mysterious “GECK” (Garden of Eden Creation Kit) and save his village from certain peril! On the way he gains several allies, makes several enemies, and causes some delicious destruction and mayhem. This Western RPG experience is definitely a gem worth keeping polished.

9: The Dig (PC)

The Dig is a lesser-known title from Lucas Arts, directed by none other than Stephen Spielberg. You see, there was a time when Lucas Arts was devoted to creating Adventure games that didn’t completely revolve around Star Wars… but sadly this era has passed. This game comes from that era, and was one of the best in its class. It’s a point and click adventure title that’s full of mysterious plots, twists, and secret alien cults. If you can find this, and enjoy adventure style games, then it’s a must-buy.

8: Earthbound (SNES)

Earthbound (a.k.a., Mother 2) is a quirky, colorful, and playful RPG that features a cool cast of crazy characters. The protagonist, Ness, meets several allies on his journey who he teams up with to help save the world from a nasty alien named Giygas. This odd and interesting game is really fun to play through, due to the charismatic cast and overall trippy nature of the game-world.

7: Myst III: Exile (PC)

Myst 3 was, of course, the third installment in the Myst series, and one of the best in my opinion. This point and click adventure game featured clever and fun puzzles, and awe-inspiring graphics. The story seemed less “Mystish” in this game, and more like a weird Sci-Fi drama, but nonetheless the game was great. It seemed like the easiest Myst game to me, next to the original Myst.

6: Riven (PC)

Riven, the sequel to Myst, was easily the best Myst game in the series. The puzzles in this game were difficult and intriguing, and certainly gave your brain a workout. The mystery and foreboding surrounding the plot augmented the power of the story in this game. The villain, Ghen, was chilling and sinister, and the heroes, Atrus and Catherine, were lovable and realistic… especially if you played the first Myst.

5: Half-Life 2 (Xbox 360)

One of many things that distinguishes Half-Life 2 from other first-person-shooters is that it has character. You care about the people in this game, and you care about what happens to them. You’re willing to do anything you can in your power to protect them. Luckily for you, you have a LOT of power. With one of the best arsenals in any shooter, Half-Life 2 provides you with a lot of creative guns to help you “blow away” the competition. It introduces the Gravity Gun… a device which allows you to manipulate anything not bolted down and use it as a weapon… including, but not limited to, saw-wheels. The gravity gun is probably the second best video game gun ever.

4: Portal (Xbox 360)

Portal is a puzzle game that takes place in the Half-Life universe. It allows you to harness the power of the Portal gun… a device that is capable of shooting two “portals” that will instantly teleport you to your intended destination. The puzzles are clever, and the characters are lovable. The script is hilarious, and the lines are delivered perfectly from the various characters you meet during the game. Portal is a very short game, ranging from 2-4 hours, but it includes a great deal of replayability, and is enjoyable from start to finish.

3: Morrowind (Xbox)

Morrowind is the third game in the Elder Scrolls series, and it is definitely one of the best. It’s a western RPG that features hundreds of hours of content… even more if you play on the PC and can download the user-made mods. This game is fun because it allows you to custom-tailor your character to be exactly what you want it to be, and it lets you do just about whatever you want to do. The downside to this game is that it’s bogged down by framerate issues and insanely long load times, which really hamper the immersion. Other than that, it’s an excellent title.

2: Rock Band (Xbox 360)

Rock Band is a rhythm game that offers you the choice of playing four virtual instruments: Guitar, Bass, Vocals, and Drums. The game is great because it allows you to play all of these instruments in all of the songs, and so just about everyone can enjoy it. The list of songs in the game is not extreme in number, but the amount of downloadable songs is incredible. There’s well over a hundred songs available for download, and so there should be something for everyone.

1: Oblivion (Xbox 360)

Oblivion is the sequel to Morrowind, and it offers just as much content, if not more than Morrowind. With the Downloadable Content available on Xbox Live, this game should last you easily 200 hours or more just to get through everything. The graphics are incredible, and I believe that they are some of the best this generation. Not much could make this game better and, for now, it will remain in my number 1 spot on my top ten games of all time.