The Top 10 video games of All Time

1. Star Wars (Arcade) - Yes, I'm a big Star Wars fan! But the appeal of this game goes far beyond that... it provides an incredible test of the reflexes using it's unique and repsonsive controller. The vector graphics are still appealing today, and the game's use of sound is uttterly amazing. It still holds up very well... so much so, that I had to get a cabinet of my own!
2. X-Wing (PC) - I've played and replayed the missions in this game dozens of times. For me, nothing else can come close to this game's challenging approach to space combat. The graphics in the original version are hopelessly dated, but LucasArts was kind enough to update the game to a Windows 95/3D accelerated version that leaves the orignal awesome gameplay intact while adding new 3D graphics. The sequels to this game (TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance) are also extremely good, but there's just something about the original that has an enormous appeal to me. By the way, this was the game that made me buy a PC!� I spent hours monopolizing a friends computer, utterly mesmerized with this first true simulation of Star Wars space combat.� When I was finally unable to bum any more computer time from him, it was time to finally get a machine of my own (a 486 SX/25!)
3. Kaboom (Atari 2600) - Utter simplicity - catch the falling bombs in the three buckets. To excel, you must enter an altered state of perception in which you are moving those buckets faster than thought... doing it consistently can be one of the greatest rushes available in video game history! The game only had 2K of memory, yet it remains today as the ultimate test of one's reflexes.
4. Doom (PC) - Not the first 3D shooter, but it was the first PC game I saw to really make my jaw drop with it's incredible graphics, sounds, and gameplay. The market is now hopelessly cluttered with 3d shooters, but for my tastes, none of the new can match the fun and excitemet provided by the original Doom.
5. Missile Command (Atari 2600, Arcade) - Missile Command was among the first group of games I got with my Atari VCS (later renamed the 2600) on Christmas, 1981.� It quickly became my favorite.� It wasn't until a few years later I actually got to play the arcade version. Both are excellent games in which you desperately defend six cities from enemy missile attack with an all-too limited supply of anti-ballistic missiles (this long before Reagan dreamed up his 'Star Wars' defense plan!) There's a real feeling of power and responsibility that comes with protecting those six cities! And in higher levels, there is an amazing sense of accomplishment that comes from repelling the computer's merciless attacks. Another game that I loved so much that I bought the original arcade game!
6. Master of Orion (PC) - The ultimate space strategy game. Be a genocidal tyrant, a cunning diplomat, or a stealthy spymaster... the style of each game can be entirely different. The game most likely to make me lose all track of time.
7. Donkey Kong (Arcade) - The game that started Nintendo's rise to the top of the videogame industry.� Even playing it now, you can see why it was such a quarter-grabber!
8. Guitar Hero (PS2) - While I my skills at playing a real guitar are sadly limited, I can feel like a rock star playing on plastic guitar with 5 buttons! This game and it's sequels have given me many hours of pure rockin' fun.
9. Enchanter (multiple) - Back in the 80's, graphics simply were not able to convey a sense of a large, living gameworld... so a company caled Infocom created games that simply used text to describe vast worlds to explore. They did very well, until the inevitable day came that graphics caught up. Still, there was something very magical about many of Infocom's adventures, and in my opinion, Enchanter was the best of them all.
10. Smuggler's Run (PS2) - There's a real thrill in spending hours attempting to outrun and outmaeuver a very determined foe.� And Smuggler's Run lets you do this in a great looking 3D environment. This was one of my first PS2 games, and is still a big favorite.