2009, Sucker Punch Productions \/ Sony Computer Entertainment<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Infamous-cover.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInfamous is actually the only game on this list that I played on a console (PS3). Great graphics, powerful story and innovative mechanics are what I remember most about this game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Infamous stars Cole McGrath, a lowly bike courier who gains supernatural powers after a mysterious explosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world is fun to explore, with the player being able to use their powers to run, jump, climb, and glide around the fictional Empire city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most memorable aspects of the game is the \u201cKarma\u201d system: players can choose how to interact with the world and it\u2019s citizens. They can be ruthlessly aggressive, harming civilians, killing wounded enemies, and generally causing havoc, or they can be merciful, not using excessive force and helping the people around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This choice not only affects the games story, it also affects the players appearance, and even the very powers that they is given. On the \u201cEvil\u201d side, powers tend to focus more on area-affect damage and general destruction, on the \u201cGood\u201d side powers are more focused and surgical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Infamous\u2019s cutscenes are delivered in a stylish comic-book style format, which works extremely well and fits the \u201csuper-hero\u201d motif of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story is not spectacular, but it is solid, with several twists and turns and some emotional moments. In addition, the missions feature several moral choices which contribute to the players Karma score, although, unlike, for example, the Witcher, there is no ambiguity: The choice is simply \u201cGood\u201d or \u201cEvil\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
19: Uplink Definitely the most unusual game on the list. Uplink is a “hacker simulator”, with the player taking on the role of a fictional computer hacker doing jobs to earn both money and reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the course of the game, the player will gradually upgrade their \u201cGateway\u201d computer with new hardware and software allowing them to hack into more advanced networks, and therefore, take on more complex jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game is presented to the player as if they are accessing a remote computer terminal, and the player must create a secure connection to the server they wish to attack, circumvent its defences, and perform their illicit tasks without being detected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The types of jobs the player will find themselves contracted to do could be anything from framing someone for a crime they didn\u2019t commit, sabotaging computer networks, stealing or redirecting money from banks, or stealing research data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The latter ties in to the games story, which is actually quite rich and involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The cyberpunk inspired story focuses on two rival corporations: Andromeda Research Corporation and Arunmor, and an Artificially Intelligent computer virus that could destroy the entire internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The player can choose which of the two factions to side with, with each choice resulting in a very different outcome to the story. Despite the games simple presentation, the world building and immersion is very strong, and there are many easter eggs and things to do within the game that are not immediately obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite being a hacking \u201csimulator\u201d, the gameplay is fictionalised, using visual icons and a simple point and click interface which is easy to pick up and master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even so, missions are tense and players find themselves frantically scrambling to delete the last of their log entries before they are finally traced and caught by the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An innovate and very replayable game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 18: Soldier of Fortune 2: Double Helix Soldier of Fortune 2 competes with Duke Nukem for the title of best gory old-school shoot-em-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The players finger scarcely leaves the trigger from one end of the game to the other, with shotguns, pistols, machine guns and grenades being used to burn blast and dismember terrorists in locations spanning the glove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The combat in Sof2 is violent, bloody, loud, and unbelievably awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soldier of Fortune 2 was incredibly advanced graphically for it\u2019s time, and features a \u201cGhoul\u201d rendering system developed by Raven Software to allow for realistic \u201clocation based\u201d damage. Not only can limbs be severed, enemies will react to the grievous wound realistically: Blow off a leg and an enemy will limp or crawl, blow off an arm and they will be left waving a bloody stump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike many FPS games from this period, the story is actually very compelling. Rather than just \u201cgeneric bad guy trying to take over the world\u201d we instead get a disturbingly realistic story about a well-funded terrorist faction manufacturing a virus that they intend to use for high-stakes blackmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The player, John Mullins, is a mercenary, working for \u201cThe Shop\u201d and is tasked with investigating, and stopping, the terrorists responsible for the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scene where the player first investigates the viral outbreak is particularly well done, and reminds me a lot of the movie \u201cOutbreak\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n SOF 2\u2019s random mission generator is also a lot of fun, allowing the player to create semi-randomised scenarios with different parameters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have re-played Soldier of Fortune 2 again recently, and I can confirm that it still holds up very well today. In fact, few modern games can compete with the games adrenaline-fueled violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another gem from a lost era of gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 17: Hell Let Loose Hell Let Loose is the only multiplayer game in the list. I generally don\u2019t like competitive online shooters, preferring single-player story driven experiences instead, but this is an exception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hell Let Loose is a World War 2 themed team-based shooter, featuring a variety of authentic weapons, vehicles, items and of course, locations. The goal of the game is to gain control over various strategic positions on the map: The team with the most points in their hands at the end of a round, wins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I like about Hell Let Loose is the authenticity, both in the setting and weapons, and in the gameplay. There are no health bars, pickups, or powerups: one bullet will kill. Likewise, the game features realistic weapons, settings, and characters (No Battlefield V historical revisionism here!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hell Let Loose is not a twitch shooter. Gameplay is very slow compared to most online games, and players must not only use cover and concealment, but communication and tactics too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a mic is not required, but very strongly advised for this game: Charging blindly toward the next point is likely going to end in nothing but a quick trip back to the respawn screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Players gain experience as they play, which unlocks various cosmetics, as well as new loadouts. Crucially though, most of these loadouts feature new combinations of weapons and items, but not usually new weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means that a day 1 player can access the games most powerful weapons, like the Stg-44 or G-43, which creates a level playing field where skill, careful play, and team work matter a lot more than your character level or loadout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One final point is the community. Unlike many games, Hell Let Loose generally boasts a positive and welcoming community, which by itself is a strong selling point in today\u2019s toxic online world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n 16: MechWarrior 3 Giant robotic war machines fighting on an alien world, what\u2019s not to like? MW3 was my first experience with the Battletech universe, and it\u2019s still my favourite. The game features solid mechanics, powerful weapons, and a story that didn\u2019t need to be nearly this good for a 90\u2019s mech game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moving your mech really feels like you are controlling a lumbering armoured behemoth, and the weapons feel, look, and sound powerful. Sometimes in fact, too powerful. One of the most fun aspects of MW3 is the ability to extensively customise your mech. Not only can you select the chassis (With mechs from the lowly Owens to the mighty Daishi being present) and your weapons, you can also select the number of heatsinks and the amount of armour. These completely change the gameplay. Players can create a fast, lightly armoured missile boat, or a slow, heavily armoured brawler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The environment matters too: Mechs on Ice or Water maps dissipate heat more quickly, so players can pack their mech with Lasers of Particle cannons, while on a desert map missiles or autocannons might be a better option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n MW3\u2019s story, mostly revealed through multimedia mission briefings, is not exactly prize-winning, but, as I said, a lot better than you would expect from a mech game from this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plot concerns an attack by the inner sphere against Clan Smoke Jaguar on the planet Tranquil. This attack goes awry, with the player finding themselves and their comrades stranded on the planet fighting to survive against hostile forces. The player gradually reconnects with other stranded pilots, eventually controlling up to three squadmates in combat, culminating in a final showdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 15: Starlancer An immersive flight sim that punches well above its weight, Starlancer is a game that shouldn\u2019t have been as memorable as it was. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a space combat sim, you fly around shooting at enemies, fundamentally, there\u2019s not a lot going on there. The game features a diverse roster of ships and weapons, and solid, if somewhat unremarkable gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So why is it on this list?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starlancer features a complex story, presented in the form of news broadcasts, mission briefings, character interactions, and more. The story is engaging, with strong characters and worldbuilding, and is fully integrated with the world itself (Which isn\u2019t surprising, since Chris Roberts worked on Starlancer). The player will find themselves fighting alongside ships, squadrons or characters that they have heard about in mission briefings or seen on news broadcasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Missions contains a mix of objectives, from conventional space combat to infiltrating enemy carrier strike groups, to destroying orbital battlestations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between missions, the player is free to explore their star carrier and interact with their crew mates, whose reactions will vary depending on the players performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Immersion in the world is so complete that I often found myself repeating missions where I had succeeded but performed poorly just because I received a negative reaction from my shipmates. The players performance also affects the story, with cutscenes and mission objectives changing based on the players actions. Speaking of which, the cutscenes are action-packed and extremely high quality, and make the player feel like they are watching a movie (At least for the time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of my favourite Space-Combat Sims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 14: Tomb Raider Tomb Raider is one of the first games that cemented my love of gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a true 3D adventure, unlike the mostly sprite-based games that came before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only that, it features beautifully detailed environments, immersive sound design, complex puzzles, one of the most memorable hero\u2019s of gaming history, and a globe-trotting story that was ahead of its time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game takes the player through such varied locations as Peu, Greece, Eqypt, and even the lost city of Atlantis, combining real world enemies such as tigers and bats with mutants and mummies as Lara Croft embarks on her quest to find the lost artifact known as the \u201cScion\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story combines sci-fi elements with real-life mythology, and features CGI sequences and cutscenes with real voice acting, also quite rare for 1996.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomb Raiders gameplay combines exploration, puzzle solving, fully 3D platforming and action successfully in a way games often struggle with today. In fact, in many ways, Tomb Raider was one of the games that defined a new sub-genre: The Action-Platformer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lara Croft can run, jump, swim, climb and shoot through a beautifully rendered world, all in full 3D with a fully animated character. The platforming and puzzle sections are complex and challenging, but the games mechanics are solid, and the player soon finds themselves evading enemies, traps, arrows, and collapsing floors with practiced ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The depth of the world and setting, from the texture art, to the lighting, to the sound design, the enemies and the puzzles produces a uniquely well-crafted adventure that stands the test of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 13: Aliens Vs Predator 2 Aliens Vs Predator 2 is, in my opinion, the best of the Aliens Vs. Predator games, with three fully featured campaigns: Alien, Predator, and Marine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of the campaigns features a distinct but interweaving story, and completely different gameplay mechanics for the three characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Marine is focused on combat, with arguably the best weapon roster of the 3, as well as armour and items such as night vision goggles. This makes them a tough, if conventional, fighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Alien is actually the weakest combatant, possessing no ranged weapons and no armour. However, the Alien has the ability to walk on walls and ceilings, and has no fall damage, meaning they can attack from any direction. They are also by far the fastest of the three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Predator is the most interesting character. Their gameplay focuses on stealth, possessing a cloaking device and several vision modes (Including thermal vision, made famous by the original Predator movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger) allowing them to see enemies while remaining hidden themselves. They also possess powerful weapons such as the shoulder mounted blaster and wrist blades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The games story centers around a research colony on the planet LV-1201, and each of the three characters play their part in either causing, or responding to the incidents in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The graphics were solid for the time, and the story well-crafted, with the three story arcs building on each other cleverly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aliens Vs Predator also paid attention to the accuracy of its sound design, and the familiar alien screams, pulse rifle fire and blaster shots from the movies are all present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A strong entry for a 25 year old game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 12: Star Trek Bridge Commander Bridge Commander was a dream come true for any Star Trek fan: The ability to command your own starship, within the incredible Star Trek Universe! Bridge Commander promised a lot, but delivered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game allows players to command two vessels: The Galaxy Class USS-Dauntless and the awesome Sovereign Class USS-Sovereign. The player can control the ship directly through an exterior cinematic view, moving, steering, and firing it\u2019s weapons manually, or use the 3D bridge view, taking the Captains chair and issuing commands by interacting with the various crew members responsible for Helm, Tactical, Engineering, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The games story is engaging and well thought out, and features a new race called the Kessok, in addition to familiar races such as the Klingons, Cardassians, and Romulans. Bridge Commander features the voice talents of Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard and Brent Spiner as Commander Data, who both play their roles extremely well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The games graphics were excellent, particularly the damage modelling, with the player inflicting and sustaining damage in real time. Entire sections of ships can be damaged and destroyed during combat, with the bridge shaking violently and exploding in showers of sparks with each disruptor blast or torpedo hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bridge Commander also features a \u201cQuick battle\u201d mode, which allows the player to setup custom scenarios involving not only ships from the story campaign, but other ships from the star trek universe too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game can also be modded, and I remember installing many custom ships to the roster, such as the USS Defiant and USS Voyager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I had one criticism of the game it is that, as a Captain, the amount of options you have for actually fighting a battle are somewhat limited. You issue orders to your crew for manouvers, weapons, power, targeting, etc, but beyond that you are simply waiting for the enemy ship to eventually be crippled or destroyed. I think the game could have benefited from a slightly more complex battle system requiring more interaction from the player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Bridge Commander, even today, is a must play for any Star Trek Fan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 11: Bioshock 2 Dark, frightening, and oozing atmosphere, Bioshock 2 takes players back to the submerged dystopia of Rapture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This time, players play as one of the most feared enemies of the first game: The \u201cBig Daddy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bioshock 2 is one of the rare games where I felt the story was better than the gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s not to say that the gameplay is bad, (although I did feel that the player takes damage far too quickly considering they are supposed to be an armoured behemoth) it was more than the story atmosphere, and characters, were so good that it felt that the gameplay got in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bioshock 2 features a variety of weapons and, of course, plasmids, leading to some interesting and powerful choices and abilities during intense firefights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enemies are aggressive, and the AI is powerful, meaning that the player needs to think carefully and stock up on ammo before combat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bioshock 2 features a relatively simple but emotionally powerful \u201cchoices matter\u201d system, with the players decisions at key moments having a huge impact on the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The story is strong, and quite dark, dealing with topics such as suicide, socialism, and mercy vs revenge. The ending to the game is quite frankly fantastic, and one of the best endings to any game I have ever played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are at least 4 endings with radically different outcomes depending on the players actions. Without giving too much away, the emotional weight of these final moments really tugs at the players heartstrings, and it weighs heavily on you whether you choose to forgive or exact revenge on your enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s part 1! Part 2 will be coming in a few weeks, with the top 10!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As an avid, life-long gamer, I decided to honour my hobby by creating a list of my all time favourite games. Originally, the list was supposed to be a Top-10, but I simply couldn\u2019t pick just 10, there are too many games that needed to be on the list! So, I cheated a little, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-game-development","category-software-and-games","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"aioseo_notices":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11640"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11640"}],"version-history":[{"count":46,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11729,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11640\/revisions\/11729"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
2001: Introversion Software<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Uplink_box_art.jpg\")
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2002: Raven Software \/ Activision<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SOF2gamecover.jpg\")
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2021: Black Matter \/Expression Games\/Cover 6 Studios \/ Team 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Hell_Let_Loose_cover_art.jpg\")
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1999, Zipper Interactive \/ Hasbro Interactive<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/MechWarrior_3_Coverart.png\")
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Managing heat is a critical part of Mech games, and MW3 is no exception: Firing weapons too often, or without adequate cooling, will result in your mech shutting down, leaving you defenceless. The damage modelling is also well developed, for both the player, and enemy mechs. During combat, individual components can be damaged, and even entire limbs can be shot away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2000: Warthog Games \/ Digital Anvil \/ Microsoft Games \/ Ubisoft<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Starlancer_cover.jpg\")
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1996: Core Design \/ Eidos Interactive<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Tomb_Raider_1996.png\")
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2001: Monolith Productions \/ Sierra On-Line \/ Fox Interactive<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Aliens_vs._Predator_2_Box_Cover.jpg\")
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2002, Totally Games \/ Activision<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Star_Trek_-_Bridge_Commander_Coverart.png\")
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2010: 2K Marin \/ 2K<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phoenixgamedevelopment.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Bioshock2_cover.png\")
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