My 5 All-Time Favorite Video Games

Since I got my first ever console (a Playstation 2) for my 9th birthday I have played a lot of games, but there are five games that have just stuck with me since. These five games are just so nostalgic to me, even after years and years, and I have never gotten tired of playing them.

5. The Sims Bustin' Out
This was my first ever Sim's game, and the only problem with Sims games is that they take over your life. I would just sit playing Bustin' Out all day every day, and when I discovered the cheat codes for it, well... not even my parents heard from me. The cheat codes made me pretty power hungry. I would tear down Mimi's house and Dudley's trailer and build huge houses in their place. Any Sim I didn't like I would build a fence around them and keep them in the corner of the land until they died, although I'm pretty sure everyone has done that at least once.

My favorite places were the Gothic mansion, the Octagon (which I've only just realized is a parody of the Pentagon), and Club Rubb. I had so many adventures on there, and even though the new Sims games have more options and more things to do, Bustin' Out is still going to remain my favorite game of the Sims franchise.

4. Beyond Good and Evil
I loved the cover of this game and demanded it for Christmas, even though I had no idea what it was about, but I got it and I loved it. I loved the story line, the characters, and the settings were just beautiful. I spent many hours glued to this game and I'm pretty sure it was the first game I've ever managed to fully complete. When the remastered version was released for the Playstation 3 years later I downloaded it instantly. Playing it now, even though some of the character's lines are so cheesy, I still enjoy it, and remember how it felt to first play it. My only complaint is when is the damn sequel going to be released?! Some of us have been waiting years!

3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
When it comes to the Grand Theft Auto series, a lot of people rave about San Andreas, but no, that one is not for me. Vice City was the first GTA game I ever played, and I just loved everything about it. I loved how bright and colorful the city was, the soundtrack on the radio, and I just loved how the whole city was yours to explore. I had never played a game like it.

I actually never ended up completing it, because I could never finish the mission where you had to beat Hillary in that damn race, but committed as I am, I decided to play it like a year ago, and I finally beat him (with the help of a YouTube video to show me how) and after that I finally managed to complete the game's story line! While GTA 4 and GTA 5 are pretty great, they'll never be as nostalgic to me as Vice City is. I even managed to find the soundtrack on Spotify! Can't wait to learn to drive so I can listen to it while driving (not as chaotically as driving in GTA though)!

2. Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
The amount of grief this game got offends me. Yes, it was buggy and glitchy, really buggy and glitchy, but it was still an awesome game. The graphics were amazing and each level looked so beautiful! The story line was great, and even the introduction of Kurtis wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. His character and the creepy levels you played as him actually impressed me!

This game had so much potential and I wished that it hadn't been forced out early. If they had taken the time to make sure everything was perfect, then I think that this game would have been one of the strongest in the entire Tomb Raider franchise! This game was also supposed to be the first of a trilogy, but this was cancelled because of the bad reception, and that will just haunt me forever. I would have loved two more games like this!

1. Tomb Raider III
I'm not ashamed to say that I am a Tomb Raider girl at heart. Tomb Raider III was the first video game I ever played and its what made me a fan of the Tomb Raider franchise, and gaming itself. While Lara Croft is out of the tombs in this game, exploring India, the Pacific, Nevada, the Arctic, and London, it doesn't disappoint. You get to explore places like the Natural History Museum, and my personal favorite, Area 51.

Lara's mansion is also at its best in Tomb Raider III, with more rooms and hidden areas than the other two previous games, but you're still able to lock Winston away in the freezer if he gets too annoying.

Out of all five games, this is the one I played the most. It's the game that got me to appreciate video games, and Tomb Raider III will always have a special place in my heart. But if they ever decided to create a remastered version, I would be all over that, too.