Top 5s Created 10 years ago2014-06-16 08:23:18 UTC by Archie

I play tested a new upcoming mod for HL1 not one hour ago and I was blown away for what must be the billionth time by this old little engine.

Heeey, I was also asked to playtest an upcoming HL1 mod.
So impressed with what people can manage with ol' GoldSrc. I'll never tire of it.

I actually had a bit of difficulty narrowing my top 5 down.

Half-Life
I don't even really need to explain this. Half-Life is the first PC game I can remember playing, and somehow I still continue to do so. I'll just continue with, it's one of the only games that I've completed dozens of times, and still have not gotten bored with.
Don't even get me started on mods. It's the game that got me into playing mods as well as making them. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Fallout 3
Everything from the theme, setting, humor, backstory, it's all some of the best I've experienced. Something about shooting psychos with a laser rifle in a decrepit elementary school while listening to good 50s-era music punctuated by a spunky DJ is just an amazing, dark yet somehow upbeat atmosphere that I've never gotten elsewhere. Bethesda really knew how to set the mood, here.

I don't usually like RPG elements, but Fallout 3 really nailed it for me. It never felt like something you just had to deal with in order to progress. Combine that with the replay value - even though the game has so much detail and side stuff that it seemingly never freakin' ends - There's no way this game wouldn't make the list.

Also, Three Dog.

Resident Evil 4
This is yet another game with obscene amounts of replay value. RE4 is just so fun and actually quite unique in playstyle, every time I start it up I just get hooked on it for a while. Granted, large amounts feel like a bit of an escort mission because Ashley is so helpless, but that doesn't damage the overall experience.

Portal 2
This is one of the few games that had me laughing as much as it had me thinking. The writing, humor and VA performances are all top-notch, and those alone could have kept me entertained for hours.

Atop all that, Valve manages to expand the simple concept of portals and use them in really clever ways. I'm sure everyone knows the feeling of finally solving a chamber. Not to mention the fact that the game allows for custom test chambers, so there's always more to play.

Bioshock Infinite
This was actually a hard choice because I could think of plenty of other games to put here. Then I remembered that I actually played through this one 3 times within a week and decided it deserved the spot.

I don't know what it is about the gameplay, but it feels just complex enough to remain fun throughout.

Special mentions:

• Half-Life 2 (Story, engine)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Fun, humor)
• Metro 2033 (Story, atmosphere)
• Sleeping Dogs (Story, gameplay)
• Rock Band (May not be a masterpiece, but damn if it isn't fun)

Abe's Exoddus
Aside from the Half-Life series this was a staple game from my childhood. What constantly gets me to replay this game after all of these years would be immersing myself with the universe of where this game sits in, the story, dark humour and the brilliant soundtrack that accompanies this gem.

Crash Team Racing
I never cared that this was just a Mario Kart clone as it was and still is a blast to play over and over again. After school would have my buds and myself rushing home to begin the barrage of insults from someone using the juiced up clock power to that guy who blocked the shortcuts with red beakers.

Future Cop: LAPD
After playing the demo 5000 times over, I can safely say I enjoyed the full game. Just ploughing through the crime ridden streets as a law enforcing mech gave me the most satisfying feeling.

Resident Evil 3
This was where I started in the franchise and while most say the second one was the better one, I enjoyed this one thoroughly. It taught me to conserve ammo after playing games that gave it in abundance and also to avoid combat whenever possible. Oh and it also gave my younger self nightmares.

SSX 3
The freeride mode is just something on its own when I do not wish to compete whether in a race or for a high score. It reminds me of the days of snowboarding (I haven't gone in about 5 years) when I had my music playing as I descended a mountain of fresh snow.

Honourable mentions:

• Abe's Oddysee (The soundtrack and atmosphere)
• Guild Wars 1 (Story and lore)
• Medievil (Playing as an undead protagonist)
• SSX Tricky (The cast and set of tricks)
• Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery (The soundtrack!)

Minecraft: The complete freedom to explore, survive, dig tunnels or build things that weren't preset in the game world other than the one basic building block and so few arbitrary limitations, it's about everything I ever wanted from a game since I knew games existed.

You should check out Space Engineers. It's like Minecraft mixed with DayZ in space. Minecraft got really boring for me really quickly. Space Engineers resolves this by having realistic physics and proper damage modelling.

I never posted mine even though I proposed the topic, because I will have massive trouble here. I've enjoyed games from all over the place, and now I'm expected to rank them?! They're like my children, I love them all! I'll just sort of group them, I guess.

5. Team Fortress 2
I suppose this should be on the list, given the horrifyingly exorbitant amount of hours I have in it. No other reason, really. It's fun, sure, but not OMG U MUST PLAY THIS.
I don't know.

4. Terraria (/ Starbound / Minecraft)
I'm a platformer fan, as lower entries will confirm. Terraria and Starbound are both damn good at what they do. I'm certain the only reason Terraria receives top billing over Starbound is that Starbound ain't finished yet. I don't think I'll play it again until it is, personally; I don't like being strung along an update period. Once it's done though, I'm sure it'll be fantastic.
Minecraft gets included despite its rather wildly different mechanics because I don't have anywhere else to put it, really. I'll admit the charm has worn off over time, but I still recognise it as a damn good game. Mods certainly help its longevity as well.

3. Serious Sam: The First Encounter (/ The Second Encounter)
I'm sure you heard enough already in my recent debates with the fellow Sam fans. TFE, good FPS fun. Also, levels are surprisingly hard to make fun, if you've ever tried making them. (TWHL should totes support SS maps )

2. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (/ Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate)
I could never get into Oblivion, and while Skyrim is good and all, it just ain't no Morrowind. I don't know why I enjoy Morrowind so much more, but it just wins me in every regard. The funny thing? I've never finished it.
Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate is in no way similar to Morrowind. But it needed to go near the top somewhere. So much fun.

1. Castlevania (Circle of the Moon, Harmony of Dissonance, Aria of Sorrow, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, Symphony of the Night (in no particular order))
What can I say? These games are incredible, and all different enough from each other to make each one a fantastic game. I was raised on this shit and I don't think I'll ever stop loving them. The art is always great, the gameplay fun... and the music. Oh, the music. There is no equal.
As an aside, I'mma count Rogue Legacy in this one as well, as it is in a number of ways a homage to Castlevania.

Honourable mentions: Too many to name (except Battletoads, which is my alternate number 1).

Weirdly I'm exactly the same with Morrowind. I consider it my favourite Elder Scrolls game, despite it being the only one I've played that I haven't finished.

Morrowind is a strange one as it's the first game of the true and epic feel of the Elder Scrolls. But seriously, stay with the nostalgia as I went back to it and encountered a "never meet your hero" feel; time hasn't done it any favors.

Plastic surgery?

Perhaps, but sexy plastic surgery. They don't call it "Overhaul" for nothing.
I think it smoothens out some small things gameplay-wise too, bugs and such... Been a while since I dealt with it, so can't be specific off the top of my head.

I guess so, if you want to remain playing it. I was aiming more towards having good memories and playing it may dampen that god-like status after playing Oblivion or Skyrim. But of course, that's all opinion.

I have the same approach with MGS1 in that I dare not play it again after playing the others so many times. For me, both series' get better as the they progress. I say this because MGS:Twin Snakes was a remake of the first game that ruined most aspects of it.

EDIT: Curse my slowness. I will be back in a month with my top 5 OST's.

Thief: The Dark Project/Gold
Absolutely my favourite game of all time. Tense, creative, emergent gameplay, and a beautiful, dark, mystical world. People say the sequel is better, but it stripped out a lot of chaotic supernatural elements in favour of mechanical villains, and a bunch of overall 'ordinariness' to the world design that just doesn't thrill me. Looking Glass were the best.

Metroid Prime
Die hard Metroid fans would probably be upset about anyone choosing this over the equally amazing Super Metroid. Oh well! I still can't believe how well this game translated the Metroid principles to first person, and also managed to be a good FPS game on consoles, because they usually suck. Probably had something to do with the lock-on dodging, scanning for weak points unique vision modes adding a stack of depth where it couldn't really exceed as a standard shooter.

Deus Ex
Not sure anything ever really needs to be said about this game that people don't already know. Developers should be using this game as a framework for the future: deeper simulation, better AI, more narrative agency. If I could make one game in my life it would be based on the principles of this.

STALKER
I hated this series when I first played it. They're buggly as hell, can feel cheap, and it's amazing your PC doesn't just explode when you launch it. Now I can't imagine not loving it. Being lost in a rainstorm, surrounded by a pack of ravenous pseudo-dogs then accidentally stumbling into some reality-warping anomaly that tears you to pieces. Chugging down vodka to fight radiation sickness while hunted by near-invisible humanoid freaks. Such is life in the Zone.

It was super hard to decide everything below my number 1 game. Runners up/equal 5th: System Shock 2, Wind Waker, Super Mario Sunshine, Quake, Half-Life (of course), Unreal, Vampire: Bloodlines....

Top 5 Game OSTs, Gentlemen.
Love this suggestion.

1. Homeworld (1999, Relic Entertainment) Sample
Homeworld is widely regarded to have one of the most chillingly beautiful environments ever. A huge part of this was down to the phenomenally sad and powerful soundtrack by Paul Ruskay. It simultaneously captured the excitement and adventure of the final frontier whilst adding so. much. weight. to the horrific tragedy that triggers the events of the game. SO. MANY. FEELS.

2. Mass Effect 3 (2012, Bioware) Sample
Not as chilling as Homeworld, but again this is a soundtrack that manages to keep up with the beautiful galaxy you're exploring and make each climactic moment seem so epic. This is also one of my favourite soundtracks to listen to whilst mapping. Something about it just gets my creative juices flowing.

3. World of Goo (2008, 2D Boy) Sample
This soundtrack is way better than it has any right to be. Kyle Gabler released all these tracks for free and they make such a great ambient playlist for working to it will double your efficiency. Some are bouncy and fun, some are cold and depressing, all are dripping with character (and goo).

4. Rayman Legends (2013, Ubisoft Montpellier) Sample
So stylistic and so much fun. This game, unlike any other I've played makes the soundtrack so much part of the action that they're completely symbiotic. Absolutely love some of the tracks from this, but there are so many that it feels somewhat thinly spread compared to the others on this list. Still, some excellent moments here.

5. Evil Genius (2004, Elixer Studios) Sample
Absolutely NAILED the James Bond parody styling that excellently surrounds this game. Every track has that familiar heroic crescendo, but it's always slightly off-kilter, hinting at the nefarious nature of the game. You're part of the same movie as the hero, but you're the villain. The music captures this suitably epically.

Honourable Mentions:

Feel bad leaving Hitman: Blood Money, Red Alert 3 and Theme Hospital off this list, but I just couldn't not include the others.

i was nearly done typing a wall of text and finding shit tonnes of links for easily over three quarters of an hour and i pressed backspace somehow and the browser went back i cant handle this

im almost actually crying out of frustration

^ Exasperating!

Good thing is you always re-write it much better.. Also extremely annoying are PMs that you forget to add a subject to...

Game OSTS (I'm an old man. Brace yourself for some 16-bit / MIDI stuff)

1. Final Fantasy 7 - PSX

Nobou Uematsu is a legend. The fact that a lot of his pieces stuff from FF7 is performed regularly by the Tokyo Orchestra just goes to show how amazing some of this stuff is.

Official Favourites:
1. Interrupted by Fireworks
2. Still More Fighting
3. Aerith's Theme

2. Empire of Steel - Sega Megadrive

A lot of the early stages of this game are fair generic in terms of BGM. Then you start getting into the thick of things and the plot (NOTE: This is a Japanese shoot em up with a steampunk style so for the most part is paper thin.) starts to ramp up to a big assault on an enemy city. The music from here on just get's you pumped up.

Official favourite
1. Assault on Kahn

3. Sonic and Knuckles - Sega Megadrive

Sonic games have always had amazing music in my mind. However, I remember playing this on Christmas day immediately after getting it. Shortly afterwards, my older sister came into the room to find out what I was listening to.

Some of the tracks had an amazing metal quality to them which I've since learned the Megadrive excelled at over the SNES.

Official Favourites:
1. Flying Battery Zone - Act 1
2. Act 1 Bosses
3. Sandopolis Zone

4. Puggsy - Sega Megadrive

An under appreciated Gem from British developers Traveller's Tales (making lego games now, urgh) and Psygnosis (now Sony's Pigs :P) The guys in charge of their BGM were fucking geniuses.

Official Favourites:
1. Water / Snow Stages
2. Aztec Stages
3. Redwood Stages

5. Alien Trilogy - PSX
One of the first, truely eerie sets of in game music I had ever heard at the time. Stalking the dark hallways in the game with this stuff playing in the background made this my first truely terrifying gaming experience. Doom never scared me. If anything, it was funny. But this? Fuck...

Personal Favourites:
1. Stage One
2. Theme

• - - -

Honourable Mentions
Mass Effect Series
Oddworld Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exodus
Final Fantasy X
Hitman: Blood Money
Deus Ex
Half-Life Series
Orcs Must Die 2

I'm reasonably qualified this time, considering I pretty much exclusively listen to game soundtracks
5 is an unreasonably low limit, though. I'm just going to ignore that restriction...

In approximate order, most favourite first:

Phoenix Wright - Ace Attorney
Did I forget to mention the fantastic music of Masakazu Sugimori and Noriyuki Iwadare when I listed this in the previous topic? One of the things that makes Ace Attorney so great is the music.
Pursuit Cornered (remix)
Scars Carved by Fire
Cross Examination 2004
Pursuit Caught

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (When the Seagulls Cry)
Umineko is a Japanese sound novel created by doujin circle 07th Expansion. It's got a pretty huge soundtrack with lots of different artists, but the ones I'm focusing on are the ones by ZTS. These are fantastic long pieces of music that I absolutely adore.
dreamenddischarger
resurrectedreplayer
liberatedliberator

Metal Slug
Toshikazu Tanaka is one of my favourite composers. The Metal Slug music he has created is some of the best I've ever heard. Even after listening to most of these way too much, I can still enjoy any of these tracks. The Metal Slug 3D soundtrack is absolutely amazing. Shame the rest of the game was terrible!
Windy Day (MS5)
Coal Mine Mark (MS3D)
Desert Town (MS3D)
The South Pole (MS3D)
Out of Control (MS3D)
Start from the Mountain Village (MS3D)

Golden Sun
Motoi Sakuraba contributes this fantastic GBA (and DS) soundtrack to an already fantastic game. The combination of the game and the soundtrack is absolutely glorious.
Walking Forward With Determination
Venus Lighthouse
The Elemental Stars
Track 79 (from Dark Dawn)

Fire Emblem - Awakening
Intelligent Systems should get a lot of credit for this amazing game and its extraordinary soundtrack. A bunch of people had a hand in creating this soundtrack: Yuka Tsujiyoko, Hiroki Morishita & Rei Kondoh. I enjoyed this soundtrack so much that I bought a copy from Amazon Japan. It's the only music-related purchase I have made in a very long time.
Destiny
Conquest

Ghost Trick
The second time Masakazu Sugimori (Ace Attorney 1 composer) features on this list. The Ghost Trick theme is a fantastic track, and everything else on the soundtrack is great too.
Main Theme
Intermission
Fate Updated

Final Fantasy XIII
Say what you want about the game, I enjoyed it. But regardless of whether you like or hate the game itself, you can't argue that the music isn't absolutely fantastic. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of XIII-2 and 3, which have very disappointing soundtracks.
Saber's Edge
Blinded by Light
Desperate Struggle
The Sunleth Waterscape

The World Ends With You
The soundtrack for this game is extremely impressive for a DS game. They had to use a special codec with greater compression, and even then it took up a full 1/4 of the 128mb game cartridge. Unlike most other soundtracks in my list, this one heavily features vocal artists.
Someday
Hybrid
Calling
Bonus Track
Deja Vu
Three Minutes Clapping

Advance Wars
A number of composers have done the music for Advance Wars over the years, but Yoshito Hirano has done my favourite tracks from the games.
Advance Wars 2 Ending Theme
Tag Power!
Flower Power!
Sonja's Theme

Mass Effect 1/2
Jack Wall is an amazing composer (and Jimmy Hinson aka Big Giant Circles is also excellent) and the soundtracks to Mass Effect 1 & 2 reflect that. ME3 had a decent soundtrack with some excellent composers, but mostly lacked the impact that only the Wall of Sound can provide.
Suicide Mission
ArmageddoN7

Bonus Round!
Uplink - Blue Valley
Clannad - Like Stars (ZTS remix)
Ace Combat Assault Horizon - "REBIRTH" From Sand Storm
Atelier Meruru - Astral Blader
Half-Life 2 - That Long Train Ride (DJ Dain remix)
Myst III Exile - Main Theme
Super Smash Bros Brawl - Dialga / Palkia Battle at Spear Pillar!

Top 5 Game OSTS

1. Twisted Metal Series
2. Zombies Ate My Neighbors
3. Saints Row Series
4. Crash Bandicoot Series
5. Doom I and II

Honourable Mentions:

Deus Ex Series
Hotline Miami
Killing Floor
SimCity
Max Payne Series
Half-Life Series
Serious Sam Series
Driver Series
and Ratchet & Clank Series.

I have quite a few honourable mentions.

Mine was going to be mainly honourable mentions. BUT NO. INSTEAD I'VE GOT NOTHING.

Good thing is you always re-write it much better..

I see myself as being more likely to redo it half-assed

Unreal/Return to Na Pali (Alexander Brandon & Michiel van den Bos)
Dusk Horizon
Surfacing
Infiltration (really pumps you up for fighting Skaarj)

Gunpoint (Various)
Cold Halls and Footfalls
Defenestraight To My Heart (also the best song title ever conceived)

Metal Gear Solid 3 (Norihiko Hibino & Harry Gregson-Williams)
Snake Eater (a bit obvious, but so very Bond-ish)
Ocelot Youth
Takin' on the Shagohod

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Amon Tobin)
Penthouse
Battery

Silent Hill Series (Akira Yamaoka & Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)
Theme of Laura
Promise (reprise version is also good)
I Want Love
Rain of Brass Petals (Three Voices Edit)
Room of Angel (I think every Silent Hill fan knows this one)
O.R.T.
One More Soul to the Call

Bonus songs:
Timesplitters 2 - Neo Tokyo
Metroid Prime - Underwater Frigate Reactor Core
Resident Evil (Remake) - Save Theme (strangely relaxing and haunting)
Unreal Tournament 3 - Firestorm
Vampire: Bloodlines - Vesuvius
Wind Waker - Dragon Roost Island
System Shock 2 - Med Sci 1

Yeah, most of it is Metal Gear related.

1 - Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
This song perfectly sums up all of MGS for me. Just tops the main theme and Snake Eater.
Calling to the Night

2 - Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes
Rescuing someone on your back through spotlights with this playing is one of the best experiences in gaming I have ever had.
Rescuing Paz

3 - Tomba 2!
Childhood, pls.
Pipe Area (Cursed Variation)

4 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
These two songs create a perfect atmosphere when either sniping or taking on mass produced RAY.
Twilight Sniping
Father and Son (MGS2)

5 - Borderlands 2 (DLC)
Two songs that give the levels a lot of character.
Hayter's Folly
Flamerock Refuge

Mentions
Machinarium - The Bottom
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - The Streets of Whiterun
Metal Gear Ac!d - Intermission
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Mission Select
Metal Gear Solid 4 - Old Snake
TimeSplitters - Chinese
TimeSplitters - Chemical Plant

is you press backspace and lose your stuff, just go forward (alt ->)

It doesn't seem to work on TWHL. Text boxes are cleared.

Works for me on Chrome :-/
Oh well.

Firefox remembers text on almost every site except TWHL. No idea how that works.

Anytime I know text is gonna take more than a few minutes to type out, I just copy it over to a Word doc.

I consciously thought "This is tempting fate way too much, I should really copy this over to notepad before I do something stupid" a minute or so before I did just that. I don't know why I didn't. Really didn't help the feels afterwards.

Scotch: My writing is always more concise and better the second, or third go-round, it's just my writing style I guess

In no order...

• Lego Island

• Age of Empires 1

• Sim city 4

• Jazz jack Rabbit

• Doom

Advance Wars 1 and 2!
Andy's theme in particular, as for the first year or so, I'd play Andy ONLY in the War Room

Metroid (NES)
The music and sound effects are I think what kept me playing this original title back in the day, and I will still occasionally playthrough the entire game on my trusty Gameboy Advance SP(the most perfect handheld of all time imo)

Original Starcraft and SC Brood WAR!
Great music and sound effects! I especially like the opera they made for the game!(Can't find a better-quality version atm, but it's awesome!)

Blaster Master!
Another game I kept playing, just for the music! Recently rewatched the entire playthrough, and even that was enjoyable.

The Secret Of Monkey Island!(SE versions also available)
One of the first PC ScummVM games I ever played, and a superb OST.. Awesome fun

Can you not just create larger posts in notepad and then copy it over? Once it's posted you can delete the .txt file.

[EDIT:]

Oh, it's been mentioned.

I plan on making some remixes with fruity loops of some game ost's. I'm thinking Zelda "temple of time" song. And I'm thinking of merging songs from different games like transitioning this song into some metroidish music.

I'll post when I make my first track.

Notepad, protect me!

Rather than even attempt the Top 5 like I did last time (curse you backspace), I'm just going to lay you down a wall of links to amazing pieces of music I've encountered throughout my gaming life. I know odds are a vast minority of you will actually click through these and listen through 'em, but I still strongly recommend it. Music does not get a place in my heart lightly. In no particular order (though generally older to newer, just because that's how I'm running through the list of games in my head):

NES (grouped for your convenience):
Kid Icarus - Underworld (non-PAL) (Apologies for the non-PAL link (and any that follow); I don't like the speed, but unforunately it seems much more common)
Kid Icarus - Overworld (non-PAL)
Kid Icarus - Skyworld (non-PAL)
Faxanadu - Ground
Faxanadu - Mist
Faxanadu - Branches
Faxanadu - [whatever that area is called]
TMNT - Bronx (Inside) (non-PAL)
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link - Palace
Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link - Great Palace

Everything else (ungrouped for your inconvenience):
Super Mario RPG - Forest Maze (Ahhhh...)
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time - Lost Woods (Gets old real quick, but still fantastic while it lasts.)
Super Smash Bros. Brawl - [whatever the Taboo fight music is really called]
Star Control 2 - Hyperspace (A great piece for lying back and relaxing to)
Command & Conquer - Act On Instinct
Stronghold - Under An Old Tree (Same as hyperspace, but an entirely different theme)
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind - Theme (Who can forget this?)
Octodad - Nobodoy Suspects A Thing (OCTODAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD)
Serious Sam - Credits (Who'd have thunk that one of the best pieces of music in Serious Sam would be during the credits? Where, if you always skipped past it, you might never hear.)
Serious Sam: The Second Encounter - The Grand Cathedral (The best level has the best music, of course. This is also the only thing I can play on a keyboard.)
Monster Hunter Tri - The Voracious Devil (If you've played it, you know that this music, when heard for the first time, is generally accompanied by a wholehearted "Ohhhhh, shIT!")
Monster Hunter Tri - Jhen Mohran (Part 3) (And to counterbalance, music that is great to hear when dealing such a vicious blow to Jhen Mohran.)
Monster Hunter Tri Ultimate - Dire Miralis
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance - It Has To Be This Way (I've not played any Metal Gears at all, but VGCW got me onto this one. Nanomachines, son.)
X-COM: UFO Defence - Intercept (I uploaded this, because the version I liked was nowhere to be found. It's great though!)
Jazz Jackrabbit - Diamondus (It might not have won any awards for gameplay, but Jazz Jackrabbit sure had some great music.)
Jazz Jackrabbit - Tubelectric (And this one is the best of it.)
Jazz Jackrabbit - Medivo
Lands of Lore: Throne of Chaos - Southland Forest
Lands of Lore 2: Guardians of Destiny - Savage Jungle
Lands of Lore 2: Guardians of Destiny - Huline Temple Battle (Lands of Lore 2 had a lot of great music, but I'll leave it at that sampling.)
Bio Menace - Sewer (I don't know why I like this so much. It's just catchy, is all. It's fun to try and tap out on your cheeks, too.)

If you know me, you know I've left out a huge section of music. The best section. One section to rule them all. This series has my favourite music, and that will probably never change. The hard part is, with all the great songs and better recompositions over the years, what the hell do I actually link to?!
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest - Bloody Tears (Best rendition of Bloody Tears, a Castlevania classic)
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest - Monster Dance (non-PAL)
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon - Clockwork
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon - Sinking Old Sanctuary
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon - Awake
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon - Clockwork Mansion
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon - Aquarius (<3 <3 <3)
Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon - Vampire Killer (Tied for the best rendition of Vampire Killer, THE Castlevania classic)
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance - Vampire Killer (The other one. What gets stuck in my head is some strange amalgam of the two >.<)
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance - Successor Of Fate
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance - Marble Corridor
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance - Clock Tower Casualty
Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance - Demonic Castle
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow - Castle Corridor
Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow - Heart Of Fire

Ugh, that'll do, methinks. And that's leaving out a whole bunch that only just don't quite make the grade for inclusion! If I think of anything I missed that definitely belongs here, I'll be back.

^ Yowser!

I'm definitely going to make a 'TWHL OST favourites' playlist on Youtube with everyone's suggestions. Some of these are truly great. I'll share the link when it's done.

Someone start a new topic, I've got a few ideas but I think it's about time someone else took the helm!

5th Top 5: Top 5 Top 5s.

No, don't.

Just realised I linked to some relatively weak Lands of Lore 2 tracks... Oh well. Here's some better ones.
Lands Of Lore 2 - Huline Jungle Battle
Lands Of Lore 2 - Dracoid Cemetery Battle
And holy shit, did I forgot Battletoads? The hell is wrong with me?!
Battletoads - Turbo Tunnel (Part 2)
Battletoads - Arctic Cavern
Battletoads - Volkmire's Inferno
Battletoads - Surf City / Terra Tubes
Battletoads - Rat Race (My favourite, music and level)
Battletoads - Surf City / Terra Tubes

Sorry to derail a bit, but just going back to the Avatar / Korra chat from before... Season 3 of Korra is so far shaping up to be great! They ended S2 on such a high note, and I fully anticipated it to get mediocre again, but it totally hasn't. Seven episodes so far, and only one or two aren't up to par. Awesome stuff.
You guys been keeping up with it? Every Tenzin and Bumi episode is fantastic.

Mmmmmmm dat new Korra. So good. They've gotten a lot better now, and all the back story is getting really interesting. I want them to bring back another certain old character, kept expecting her to show up. Not confirmed dead.

The new avatar great? I thought the Aircrafts, ships, cars, etc kinda ruined it , but then again, IT'S THE FUTURE there....

Things have changed... AND LOL Ihro sounds exactly like Zuko, couldn't they find anyone else??

The new season is great so far. The villains are fun in an evil A-Team kinda way, and the Beifong history is interesting.

Something they've been doing across all the seasons I really like is making it apparent that the original Team Avatar were pretty imperfect parents. Even after all the shit they've been through they still had a lot to learn. A common theme for all the adults, come to think of it.

The new avatar great? I thought the Aircrafts, ships, cars, etc kinda ruined it

Well it is 70 years on from a world that had snow tanks, immense rock drills, airships, submarines and barges.

I'll be more specific with my OST favorites as I think I can nail down my top 5 at the moment.

1. Twisted Metal: Small Brawl - Easy Death Oven
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Jensen's Apartment
3. Bobby Prince - Shawn's Got The Shotgun (Preferably on an SC-55)
4. Zombies Ate My Neighbors - Mars Needs Cheerleaders (SEGA Genesis version)
5. Going Home Again - Malcolm Kirby Jr.

1) Banjo Kazooie

• perfect transitions between themes

2) Metroid Prime

• The atmospheric music was almost the best part. The Phendrana Drifts (ice level) was my favorite

3) Grandia II (dreamcast)

• Music was top notch, well produced. Very catchy and the game came with the disc.

4) Ocarina of Time.

• I bought the Sweet potato ocarina and taught myself almost every track from that game.

5) Super Mario Galaxy

• Reinvented classics and new tracks are all masterfully produced and do wonders for the theme.

Honorable Mention (Single) One of my favorite tracks of any game is from Mario 64 - Hazy Maze Cave. Very relaxing and up-lifting. One of my favorites to play whenever I pick up a guitar

When i'm not at work I might go back and link to my favorite tracks.

Top 5 favorite pairs of nipples:
1. Archie's
2. Penguinboy's
3. Mine
4. Captain Terror's
5. Atom's

Of course, your mother gets an honorable mention.

I think what our bright young friend here is trying to say is that someone should really pick a new topic

I would, but I left it in my other pants.

Top 5 Mapping Techniques?

1. Use carve to create detailed, realistic terrain.

2. Select every brush in your map, then enter the face edit sheet and set all lightmaps to 1 for super real shadows. (Source only)

3. Instead of 2D textures, make all of your catwalks, rails, grates and vent grills out of multiple brushes for a more detailed look.

4. Sick of your world geometry being confined to the grid? Press SHIFT+W. Now you can put everything anywhere you want.

5. Creating cylinders with 64 sides avoids blocky round bits.

Honorable mention: When recreating real life structures, create all brushes by converting their real-life measurements to units. Ultra accurate representations, man!

Carve
It's as simple as that!

I basically use carve for everything so, it's my sole top-5.. Viva La Carve, Ole!

I don't know about five but I can certainly give up my all time top three. Mostly SP focused.

1. Everything should have a purpose. Even a facility as large as Black Mesa shouldn't waste space with their rooms and hallways. Also, these spaces would be used to transport things other than people. Water supply, power, ventilation, they all need to get around. Suddenly you'll find yourself piling on the detail!

2. Every character has a story. Not necessarily to be narrated to the player, but the level designer should consider every npc, corpse and decal. How did they get where they are?

1. Tetrahedrons: You can map just about anything with these buggers.

2. f9: Constantly do test renders to check for errors, scale etc.

3. Templates: example, make a cylinder and use it as a template if you're making an arch. Templates can get fairly complex depending on what you're making.

4. Vertex manipulation, gotta love it.

5. ctrl + I/ ctrl+l: flipping geometry vertically or horizontally, a total must!

Great stuff Urby and Zeeba! Once you decide on the story of an area, the details really do come into place. "What makes sense? What can I use to tell this story?"

Disregarding the Trolls ;), here's my Top 5.

1) 'Alt + Right-Click' Texturing: Great tool for wrapping the selected texture around an edge. This technique has collectively saved me, quite literally, days of texturing time.

2) Cloning (Shift + Drag): It's like copy pasta but without the carbs!

3) Arrow Key Nudge: It's super useful when VMing to prevent errant selections. Once your group of vertices is selected, just put your mouse on the current view and start nudging! Alt goes by 1 unit, and No alt goes by the grid. Gone are the days of moving just one vertex when 30 are selected.

4) Cordon Tool: Great for when you're trying to focus on a single area and you can't be bothered to actually use VisGroups. (I RARELY use visgroups)

5) Three Tier Level Design: If you look at nature, you can see a lot of things that have three tiers. Think of a tree for instance. Follow the trunk up until it splits. That branch will split an average of twice after the trunk. It's a natural power of three that starts from large basics and ends with small details.

Tier 1 - Basic Skeleton: Map out hallways, rooms, doors, and basic scripts.
Tier 2 - Add details per room, basic lighting, and start advanced scripting.
Tier 3 - Finalize Details, perfect scripts, tweak lighting.