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5 Games That Stole My Life

by Nick Ahrens on Nov 25, 2009 at 08:25 AM

Originally, I was going to try and write my top 10 favorite games of all time. But I could not pick. I just kept changing my mind and I will end up editing this post a million times. So instead, I looked back at a few of the games that took a lot of time up in my life. I figured it’s a great way to build a solid list based on stats rather than trying to choose. I’ve also included some memories of that time spent with each title.


The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox)

Ahh yes. While I cannot be totally sure, I’m thinking this is the game I’ve logged the most amounts of hours in. I’m pretty sure I explored every nook and cranny that world had to offer. Sometimes I was good, doing noble quests and helping my fellow citizens. I even cleared a rat or two out of some cellars for a modest price. But let’s be clear, I was also a huge turd. I even murdered a poor old orc lady for her house so I could store all of my crap. The sheer amount of content in the game not only meant that I had plenty to do and see, but also plenty of items and customization to obsess over. I’d also like to give Oblivion a special shout out for sucking me back into the same world of time burning.


Battlefield 2 (PC)

Really for me, BF2 is the apex of multiplayer awesomeness. I don’t mean this to sound like I think it’s the greatest multiplayer game of all-time, but more that for me as a fan of FPS games online, this had the biggest effect. A close friend of mine and I would spend hours, upon hours running as our faux gaming clan known as The Handsome Male Actors or and I played as GeorgeClooney and he played as Brad Pitt.


Final Fantasy VII (PS1)

As cliché as it may be, this is my favorite JRPG. I love it. Everything that made this game a success like the epic story, innovative graphics and great battles cause me to become an instant fan. I even played hooky from school for a pretty long time just to play it. Sorry Mom!


Super Mario World (SNES)

II think the Super Nintendo is probably my favorite game system. And when I got one with a copy of Super Mario World, I could have just played that forever and been fine. The platformer was never outdone in my mind. There have been many greats since but in the end, it all comes back to 16-bit Mario.


SimCity 2000 (PC)

How could this not be on there? The hours upon hours I spent tweaking every aspect was insane. And that doesn’t count the times I would leave it running to earn tons of cash while I slept (it usually ended in disaster). I always named my cities something like Nickland or Nickville. Pretty original, I know. I’d also always take my mayor’s house and put it on a private island surrounded in trees with a moat. Only the best for the emperor of Nickland I guess.