OK I finally got Civ5 installed and running now - I think I will certainly need to include this one.
In considering which games I enjoyed the most, I noticed a couple of common threads:
(i) All of these games have outstanding performances by the voice cast, even Leonard Nimoy's thunderous "voice of God" narration in Civ4 is riveting; and
(ii) in the RPGs, the story is compelling enough to make me actually care whether the main character succeeds at whatever the primary goal is, or what sort of relationships the character has with the rest of the cast, particularly how the MC's choices affect those relationships.
1.
Elder Scrolls - Oblivion. Perhaps the most massive open world RPG I'm aware of, I've played it on occasion for a couple of years and never completed all of the quests. I recently installed it again on a new laptop with 1080p display and it was like an entirely new experience with HDR and max detail settings.
2.
Civilization (4 and 5) - simply the greatest strategy gaming experience out there.
3.
Dragon Age (1 and hopefully 2) - outstanding voice acting, gorgeous art direction and thrilling story with compelling characters
4.
Fallout (3, hopefully NV as well) - the art direction and the concepts that went into developing this world is breathtaking, unlike any game I had experienced previously, and of course, great performances and compelling characters
5.
Mass Effect (1 and 2) - again excellent art direction, compelling characters and vocal performances, in particular, Jennifer Hale's performance as the female Commander Shepard elevates the medium to a new level.
If there were some sort of Emmy or Golden Globes for voice performances in a video game released last year, I would hope to see some recognition for actors like Jennifer Hale, or Claudia Black, who portrayed Morrigan in DAO.
Honorable Mentions
Bioshock (1, 2) -
KOTOR (1 and 2)
The Witcher
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
