I could've simply reloaded the game and tried again, but I felt like that would reduce him to something less than he was. Mass Effect 2 proved that you could tell an affecting tale without sacrificing the adrenaline rush of a fantastic action game I managed to make it through the final suicide mission nearly unscathed, losing just one team member – my absolute favorite, Dr. Suddenly the RPG elements felt like they had purpose beyond enhancing the role play as those conversations with your shipmates improved your chances of living through your final showdown on the other side of the Omega-4 Relay. Side missions weren't there just to pad game time, but increase your crew's loyalty and bolster your ship's defenses. Mass Effect 2 had the usual BioWare staples of memorable characters and outstanding writing, but it included intriguing game mechanics to back up the fantastic story.

One of the greatest game intros of all time leading into one hell of an assignment: a suicide mission to stop the Collectors and maybe, in the process, save the universe. Really sorry about killing that unicorn, though. It's fair to say that Oblivion wasn't quite as good as Morrowind in some ways or Skyrim in others, but I was perfectly happy to put up with mechanical awkwardness in exchange for the opportunity to simply live in that land. It was a beautiful world, too, with each region's architecture reflecting differences in tastes and cultures, and rich color everywhere you looked. There was so much to discover in Oblivion that even running away from a ridiculously overpowered troll could lead to something exciting – a new ruin, or journal, or maybe an artifact tied to the gods. I wonder what's inside! Bandits, perhaps, or a lost treasure OH GOD IT'S A TROLL. The world of Oblivion is flawed, and yet I spent hundreds of hours there, content to simply wander the countryside, engaging in whatever adventure came my way. The main quest is pretty lame, the entire game has about five voice actors, and the people of Cyrodiil are oddly obsessed with mud crabs.

(Note: Persona 4 Golden is considered a re-release and therefore was not eligible for this list, but it's really the better version.)Įlder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – Bethesda Game Studios / 2006 Mastering Persona 4 requires achieving a balance between honing combat skills and social life – level up your armor all you like, but you won't get far unless you're keeping up with your homework, too. The game's young heroes struggle not just with exotic foes ripped from nightmares, but with questions of familial responsibility, sexuality, personal identity and life goals. At first glance, Persona 4 is just another amalgamation of JRPG tropes, with high school kids saving the world, bright colors and bizarre enemies, but at its heart lies something much more mundane – the everyday fears of becoming an adult. Each element of Persona 4 – the visuals, soundtrack, story, combat mechanics, pacing – is handled perfectly, but when combined they achieve a brilliance that is rarely managed in games featuring sentient bear suits. When someone expresses interest in JRPGs and asks where they should begin, this is where I point them. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 – Atlus / 2008

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