#9: X-COM: UFO Defense (1994)

Also known as UFO: Enemy Unknown but I always knew it as X-COM. This was truly one of Microprose's masterpieces.

I have Wynand to thank for introducing me to this gem in around 2007. It was his favourite game. Good thing I never tried in the day, because for a kid, this would have been way too unforgiving. It's not much better for an adult, but the reward it provides for a job well-done is just about unparalleled. The first time an alien eliminates your entire squad, and then you reload, only to teach him the meaning of being spanked and completely blow them away on a retry feels like a video-game orgasm.

Wynand had his own strategy, nicknamed "Mounted Rifles". He would move forward quickly and hand out a beating without exposing his troops unnecessarily. He didn't care too much if a single soldier died, and for me it was unbearable. Not surprising that he was a lot more successful at the game than I was. He could move forward without spending 100000000x billion minutes on a turn. The tactical nature of the game was just so so deep, and the feeling of losing a veteran soldier you have dedicated training time and effort to, so damn painful, it felt necessary. It was, of course, turn-based, but that just made the fear more real. You had a fixed limit on how much you could do (action points) and it was never enough.

The amount going on for a game as old as this was truly surprising. You could duck to take cover, set up cover fire for team-mates, throw various projectiles, duck behind doors...the list goes on. If you ever got tired of the insatiable action sequences, of course you had the near equivalent of "Civilization" running on top of it. Dissecting and analysing aliens, building plasma rifles, intercepting rogue alien craft, dealing with panic alert levels of the nations sponsoring the X-COM program, discovering outposts or "cockroach nests", as we called them, you NEVER ran out of stuff to do in this game.

I remember, for the first time, discovering exactly how deep the rabbit-hole was, or how extensive this "game" was. It quickly became a real and breathing entity almost. I can say that the recent remake was brilliantly done, and Wynand would have enjoyed the hell out of it, but I just can't really play it alone. It just brings back too many memories of the late night "research", or the alien funeral services we operated.

Honourable Mention: Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995)

This game began when I thought it was ending, just as you defeat someone (I won't spoil too much). I was well-familiar with Square's utterly brilliant Final Fantasy series and loved it, but I wasn't prepared for the genius of Chrono Trigger. Genius layered on top of genius. Maybe this should have made the list. With its amazing soundtrack, helluva fun gameplay, deep strategy, mind-blowing visual effects and team attacks, what's not to like here? Nothing, that's what. So why didn't it? I don't really know, just that I consider the magnitude of what X-COM and other games did, as slightly more rewarding. This one is open for debate. If you really feel Chrono Trigger should have made the list, drop me a comment. In all my years on the planet, I've only personally met 2 people (I think) who have indeed played it, I'd love to hear from others.