Favorite vs. Greatest

I stand by the principle that there is a difference between what your favorite game is, and what the best game of all time is. Somehow, I think that people get the two confused.

My favorite game is Jet Grind Radio for the Sega Dreamcast, though it is by no means the greatest game of all time. Just because it is my favorite does not mean that it is the best. I do not hold other games to the standard of what Jet Grind Radio is.

Jet Grind Radio is a game about a group of kids on roller blades who go around tagging up the streets of Tokyo with graffiti, all the while listening to the amazingly awesome pirate radio Jet Set Radio. This game is my favorite because it holds a very special place in my heart. It's nostalgia. I grew up playing that game. I first played it when a friend of my brother brought it over and put it up on our TV. I was so wowed by the vibrant colors and the loud boisterous soundtrack and the voice shouting "JET GRIND RADIO!!!" that I was completely captivated. This was unlike anything I could ever play on my N64. The game isn't perfect. The controls can be frustrating at times and the camera can be even more so. Even still, I love it. It's got soul. It has personality.

Now on the other hand, there is Half - Life 2

I don't always talk about this game. Normally I talk about Mass Effect, and that whole franchise. I guess because I just know. I know that Half - Life 2 is the greatest game of all time. I know that Half - Life 2 makes great use of the technology that it had at the time, and that it's gameplay is fast, fluid, and incredible. It slows down when it has to, and picks right back up after you've taken that momentary breather. The firefights and locations are intense, and they stick with you even it's been forever since you've played the game. But it isn't memory, and the fact that the game sticks with you that makes it the best. it's the feel of it. That indescribable element of the game that makes it what it is. the controls are tight, and everything flows well together. The enemies are challenging and varied. Players are so immersed in the game, and they get a sense of what they are fighting for. They form bonds with the characters, and become familiar with them. They understand them and relate to them. Even the random freedom fighters that you pick up along the way. Throughout the game you get an understanding of what these people have suffered through, and why they are fighting, and why you'll make such a difference. It's as the G-Man says with his haunting monologue at the beginning of the game "The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." That's another thing that the game does well, and that's having the feeling that you're always being watched, monitored by this mysterious overseer that doesn't even have a name. Half - Life 2 is a fantastic game because of all of it's elements working together to tell an immersive story that you feel apart of, and giving players an experience that will last a lifetime.

But, I suppose that it's just a matter of opinion, and I'm completely wrong by making these statements. After all, video games are works of art, and you really can't classify one piece of art as the end all be all best. I mean, the Mona Lisa is pretty good, but I really like Starry Night. Perhaps if we all just gave our opinions, rather than forcing them on one another, we might enjoy the medium as a whole.