GameCola fans and writers describe their favorite (and sometimes least favorite) games of all time.
Matthew Loriso’s Top 10 Favorite Games
10. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES): Hands down, the best boxing game ever. Instead of trying to keep realism, Nintendo has you playing as a midget (kind of) fighting some of the strangest characters ever created. The combination of reflexes and memory needed to beat the game makes this game truly spectacular.
9. Banjo-Tooie (N64): Though it is the sequel to the game that blatantly ripped off Super Mario 64, there is no denying that BT is the best game in the “treasure collecting” genre. Interesting characters, intriguing puzzles, and stellar graphics occupy this N64 cartridge.
8. Metroid Prime (GCN): Thinking that my fondness of Metroid Prime was mostly due to the fact that I had just recently played it, I was originally going to put Super Metroid in this slot. However, after comparing the two games side by side, it is obvious that Prime is number one (pun intended… maybe). Both games had great graphics, originality, sweet gameplay, and great control, but Prime beats Super by a nose hair.
7. Resident Evil 2 (PSX): While not as scary as the original (or the remake), this game does everything else better. Puzzles are better thought out, weapons are bigger, and monsters are more interesting to face off against. To top it all off, there are two characters to play as, and playing as both is necessary to see the entire story. It is a pleasure to play through two times, or 3 times… or 8.
6. Panzer Dragoon Orta (MXB): The most recent installment to Sega’s “trilogy” (originally, it was thought to have ended after Saga), Orta fully utilized the power of the Xbox to create the most beautiful shooter available. Luckily, this game is as fun as it is pretty. It combines classic Panzer gameplay with the ability to momentarily speed up or slow down, and adds strategic elements with the inclusion of three dragon types to switch between as quickly as you can press a button. To keep gamers playing, there are multiple side missions as well as the original Panzer Dragoon in its entirety.
5. Super Mario World (SNES): Not much can be said about this game that people do not already know, so I will say just one thing: woozle wozzle. Okay, I know that was not related to the game, but I did not want to sound clichéd by saying something like “play this game or you will regret it”…
4. NiGHTS Into Dreams (SS): While most people think of Sonic the Hedgehog when they hear the development team name Sonic Team (heck, his name is in the title!), I now associate them with NiGHTS. It can best be described as a pseudo 3D flying time trial. As odd as it may seem, NiGHTS is really quite endearing, though hard to explain. The game’s theme song, Dreams Dreams, is the most memorable song in any video game that I have played, and there is an unlockable version of the song sung by different people by getting an A ranking on every level. The fact that complete mastery of the game is worth this different version is a testament to the song’s greatness. (The game is amazing too, but Dreams Dreams is the proverbial icing on the cake.)
3. Jet Grind Radio (DC): Well, this is a cel shaded game where you play any one of a number of street thugs on roller blades as you spray paint the town. Oh, and your eventual goal includes 
stopping an evil corporation who uses a magical album to summon the devil’s powers… definitely not for casual gamers, but the hardcore will eat this up. On a more personal note, this game’s soundtrack introduced me to an awesome Japanese indie punk band, Guitar Vader. Look into them.
2. The Legend of Zelda (NES): Very few people will deny that the Legend of Zelda series is one of the best series ever. I picked the original solely on the fact that it is the original. It is also the easiest to pick up and play for a while without getting bored. There really is not much else to say, so if you don’t know of the greatness of which I speak, then please, do yourself a favor and find some way to play this amazing game.
1. Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse (NES): Most people know of the Castlevania series because of the recent success of Symphony of the Night and the GBA titles. There is one Castlevania game more worthy of recognition, however. CV3 predates the free roaming, RPG installments of the series, but does give the player some level of freedom: multiple paths and the ability to choose any one of three unique “friends” to aid you on your quest to defeat the nefarious Dracula (one of which is fan-favorite Alucard in his debut). It is entirely possible to pay the game for more than a few times and get a different experience. Despite the technological limits, this game has some of the best music ever, and very possibly the best graphics to that date. All this in addition to class, difficult but always fun, gameplay makes Castlevania 3 the number one game of all time.
