December 30, 2023 was the last Pixel Pints podcast episode that will be recorded for the foreseeable future. All of us founding members have decided to put the show on hiatus. It's been a good ride. I can't speak for the others, but I can speak for myself. Somewhat in honor of that, I thought it might be good to do another top 20 list. Don't worry I'll get into the titles on this list, but first, I'm going to muse and rant a bit on the gaming industry as a whole. More specifically about “journalism” and gaming enthusiast media.

Special shout out to MobyGames. I reached out to them last year when I was going through my frontend development course, and they provided me with API access. I haven't done much with it yet, but all of the links and images for this list (with the exception of the above image created with Topsters 3) are all from Moby. Maybe I can come up with a creative way to use the API that would be beneficial for the site and that community as well as offer some cool utility... I'm open to suggestions.

If you're so inclined though, and want to skip ahead to a specific title, just click the number next to it on the list above.

The “News” 📰

I used to spend a LOT of time following all the gaming news and culture pretty heavily, and even engaging with people on various forums and social media groups; SIFTD, Reddit, Twitter (RIP), etc. I was fascinated by the industry and the business of making games, but I'm starting to lose interest in that aspect of the hobby. The mainstream scene would rather concern itself with building multimedia empires; re-re-remastering already remade games and milking their IP for that sweet TV series and motion picture money, rather than just making good games. Everything that Sony releases is a “narrative focused third-person semi-open-world action game.” Their only competitor, Microsoft, owns half the world, and it's unclear as to what exactly defines them as a platform holder... other than maybe being the Netflix of games? Nintendo continues to just do it's own thing and be a weirdo who refuses to directly compete with the other two.

The things that drew me into following the AAA industry don't seem to be there anymore.

There also aren't any professional enthusiast media outlets I know of that focus on the things I'm interested in, or that seem to be able to make money covering indie projects. Video game “news” is not journalism. Rather it's “enthusiast media.” It's more tabloid than useful or important information (though Jason Schrier seems to be able to put together a good story every once in a while when he isn't busy blocking people on Twitter). Most outlets survive as publications by being a pseudo branch of marketing for the publishers... Obviously, no one is getting paid to give away 10-out-of-10 review scores or anything like that. But, it is very much a symbiotic relationship. Subscribing to EasyAllies, MinnMax, Kinda Funny, SIFTD, or Last Stand Media is really not much different than the PSM (PlayStation Magazine) subscription that I used to have back in the 90s. The landscape has definitely changed though, people don't want a magazine experience anymore, they would rather see people talk to one another, or stream their gameplay. My tolerance for that kind of entertainment has been worn thin with over-saturation of that style of content.

There are usually only one or two major stories that show up in the majority of gaming podcasts and on most major gaming sites in any given week, and everyone usually just parrots the same talking points. Assuming any one of the personalities has a unique or noteworthy opinion, the only way to suss it out is to subject myself to literally HUNDREDS of hours of people pontificating, and there are better ways to spend my time. As much as I really like Colin Moriarty and the way that he's handling LSM, I just don't have the bandwidth for it, so I don't give a shit about talking heads spewing the same bullshit about whatever the latest AAA release is going to be—especially considering I'm probably not going to play whatever said game is anyway.

There's so much more going on in the fandom of games that doesn't get highlighted or talked about in the standard news cycle. Thankfully I do have some friends who have their finger on the pulse, and they tend to share that stuff with me when they come across it. Beyond that, the stuff that interests me is “how-the-sausage-is-made”. Most prospective game buyers don't care to get that intimate with their escapism. As a consequence of that, developer interviews are watered down to talking points that fit a PR-approved marketing agenda. When real “how-the-sausage-is-made” information or content does come out to the public, it's usually regarding games that were made decades ago so that whatever is being talked about doesn't affect the profitability of the product. Anecdotally-speaking, some of my favorite YouTube videos right now are Tim Cain just reminiscing about the projects he's worked on and talking about how they did certain things back in the 90s. There are the occasional source code leaks, but no one in an official capacity with the victim company ever talks about it publicly. There might be some mercenaries out there who have the time to dissect stolen source code, but if they went public with their findings they'd be admitting that they have possession of the source code and subjecting themselves to serious legal liability.

If you are actually buying games as they come out, then the consensus from all the mainstream outlets in the form of reviews might be nice to have. The games I like though generally don't get a lot of coverage because they're niche. There are plenty of YouTubers out there catering to very specific audiences though, so I watch those guys. But even Meta/Open Critic aren't very useful sites for me because I'm not really paying much attention to a lot of the new games on day one.

So here we are, 2024, and I'm not looking forward to playing any new games that are slated to be released in the coming months. Instead, I'm attracted to digging into my backlog and clearing out some older games.

I realize all of THIS is a “me” problem.

On to the list!

Methodology 📋

Honestly, there was no real methodology for selecting these games. I hit my vape and just started picking titles. These are the most Berkough-ass games out there, as of 2023, and subject to change at a moments notice, in no particular order.

However, all the games on this list did at least one ground-breaking thing that I can point to—unique or notable at the time of release—that would qualify them for a greatest of all-time list. That's about it. Though, you could say a lot of these games also represent the stuff I think is missing from the modern AAA landscape.

Otherwise it's meant to just be a discussion starter, as is the case with all top-whatever lists i.e.:

• Why is this game on the list?!?
• Where isn't (insert game here) on the list?!?
• Why didn't you mention (x, y, or z) about (insert title)??

The List 📜

1. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

This game changed everything about what I thought an RPG was supposed to be. I wasn't really aware of Daggerfall when Morrowind was released. I had just saved up a bunch of money from a summer job I had cleaning carpets and I bought a new laptop. Amazingly it could play Morrowind (as well as Counter-Strike, but that's for another post). I became immersed in the world of Vvardenfell, the prophecy of the chosen one, the majesty of Lord Vivec, and the time that I was so engrossed that I forgot to save, accidentally killed an essential NPC and had to reload a save from 6-12 hours prior to that moment. The more I think about it, the more I'm almost certain it was Caius Cosades who attacked me for trying to steal his skooma pipe. I had no choice, I was trying to stage an intervention for the old drug addict. In any case, killing an essential NPC meant that you couldn't complete the main quest, and the game didn't guarantee that any of the other quest lines would work properly after an essential NPC was killed either.

“With this character's death, the thread of prophecy is severed. Restore a saved game to restore the weave of fate, or persist in the doomed world you have created.” ~ The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind

What is unique about this game?

The freedom. Elder Scrolls games have definitely been streamlined over the years, but Morrowind continues to hold its own as the title that combined real choice with hardcore RPG mechanics unafraid ostracizing players who didn't take the time to learn the systems. I think that's probably in part due to the fact that Bethesda didn't think the game would do as well as it did, and it was a bit of a hail Mary and a swan song for the company.

2. Mass Effect

Despite the fact that 3 is my favorite in the series, the original Mass Effect is probably BioWare's magnum opus. It really was the perfected formula they had been crafting, beginning with Baldur's Gate. I actually hadn't played Baldur's Gate until just a couple of years ago, but the DNA is absolutely evident. It's a perfect blend of stats, action, and choose your own adventure romance novel. IMHO, the first Mass Effect is also the perfect length. All of those elements combine to represent the temperature of baby bear's porridge, “just right.” ME2 is much darker in tone, it has that heist mentality, but that final boss is one of the stupidest ways any game has ever ended. Meanwhile, Saren is more like a Bond villain; seemingly limitless resources and power, but has an ethical and moral weakness that is ultimately his downfall. Whether or not you choose to address his shortcomings as a ruthless motherfucker or as a boy scout is entirely up to you.

What is unique about this game?

The dialog wheel! Well, that's part of it, it's not just the dialog wheel itself, but the fact that BioWare somehow managed to pull off Star Trek -meets- Star Wars with lore and universe all its own. Hindsight is 20/20, and sure, your choices at the end of the trilogy only amount to Red Ending, Blue Ending, or Green Ending. But, it's about the journey and being able to run around with your favorite companions, hearing their banter and seeing their reactions to your choices.

3. Final Fantasy VI

As I get older and I have more time to reflect on the best entries of the Final Fantasy franchise (IV through IX), the more VI stands out as the pinnacle of the series for me. I've definitely spent more hours playing VII and VIII—yet, VI has all the core elements which make VII and VIII so great. Additionally VI has a larger and more robust cast of characters, and it's a much deeper and darker story than VII or VIII. I could have chosen to go with IX, since that's the other fan favorite, but I decided to go with the one that refined the blueprint. As much love as I have for IX, the art style is really what kills that game for me. I've never enjoyed it. I'm not a huge Tetsuya Nomura fan, but his character designs are so far superior to the group they had working on IX. VI escapes that dilemma because they were limited by the number of pixels they could show on screen, so Yoshitaka Amano's concept and promotional art fills in a lot of the visual gaps.

What is unique about this game?

The sheer number of characters available to be put in your party, the largest number of playable characters in a Final Fantasy game. Along with that large cast of characters is quite an incredible tapestry of personalities that make the world feel lived in. There's also the fact that the villain wins half-way through the game. Effectively two games stitched together, VI is both it's prequel and sequel all in one package.

4. The Talos Principle

A criminally overlooked first-person puzzle experience that blew me away and left my wife and I with hours and hours of joyous puzzle-solving time spent together. Talos borrows from Portal and serves the same market niche, but much more than that, the game adeptly combines all the best parts of Portal and Myst then throws a little “immersive sim” into the mix with the way it delivers audio and text logs to fill out the story and lore. Although optional, if you do pursue the lore the game conveys a compelling narrative with serious commentary on the human condition and our effect on the planet. The game does not hold your hand either, but has a beautifully executed difficulty curve. Most developers don't even try to present increasing challenges with such a smooth evolution of complexity, other than maybe Nintendo.

What is unique about this game?

Everything. There aren't any other games out there quite like Talos. As mentioned above, it does owe a lot to Portal for paving the way for first person puzzle games, but so do games like Superliminal and The Witness, which are both entirely different experiences from what you get in Talos.

5. Bit.Trip Presents... Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

Another game that, for me, has the perfect difficulty curve. Runner 2 took a mobile genre that sprung up, they injected it with familiar platformer mechanics inspired by Mario and Sonic... What came out the other side is a bizarre yet complex game that is uniquely its own. This is a game that has to be experienced. That being said, everyone that I've had play the game has enjoyed it, even friends and family of mine who do not regularly play games. Old school couch co-op where everyone takes turns and the controller gets passed around.

What is unique about this game?

So much; the art, the narration by Charles Martinet, the quirky character and world concepts, and also how each level has it's own difficulty that can be toggled.

6. Missile Command

Atari had to have at least one entry on this list. This just happens to be my favorite. It's a simple game mechanically, but one that has almost infinite complexity because there is no determinable pattern to the missiles as they descend. The concept is also simple; defend the cities with your own missiles. While the arcade version is superior in a lot of respects to the 2600 port, I like the later because of it's simple one-button operation. The arcade version was even more difficult to manage because you had to parse out which of your three missile stations (left, middle, right) you needed to use. The middle missiles go faster, but the ones on either side might be closer if you're fast enough to calculate the trajectory and timing in your head.

What is unique about this game?

The theme. In the 70s and 80s games were relatively whimsical, this is the the first game like “Spec Ops”, if you sit to think about what's going on too much, you could very well have a serious existential crisis on your hands. An addicting quarter-muncher about nuclear warfare at the point of apocalypse. If there are no cities left to defend the game is over, and if you make it far enough you probably won't have enough missiles to save all the cities. There's also no way to “win”, you just stave off the inevitable destruction of the planet for as long as you can.

7. Super Mario Bros.

Quite often I'll cite Super Mario Bros. 3 as being my favorite in the series, and generally speaking that's true. I sort of waffle between Super Mairo World and 3, but the reality is that I've spent way more time playing the original than any other entry in the franchise. The original Super Mario Bros. doesn't need much of an explanation. More than a description of what the game is, it's the sounds and the visuals, and the feel of the corners of the NES controllers digging into your palms. The experience of playing this game is so ubiquitous in human society, it would be difficult to find someone who hasn't played this game at least once.

What is unique about this game?

Mushrooms and fire flowers.

8. Street Fighter Alpha 3

One fighting game, at least. That was my thought was when putting this list together. It could have been King of Fighters XIII(SNK stuck with sprites for much longer than Capcom did), but Alpha 3 has a lot of good memories for me. I would also consider it the height of Capcom's fighting game dominance. Late-90s Capcom was the era of “The Fighters Edge”, which was a mail-in club they started where you could earn points for buying each fighting game that was “Fighters Edge” branded, and they would send you exclusive merchandise in return. I think I had a Fighter's Edge cloth patch that I used to replace the Marlboro logo on a baseball cap my friend's mother gifted me one year for Christmas. The fact that Marlboro also had a mail-order catalog that you could send away UPC labels to in exchange for branded products is also just indicative of that time in the 90s.

What is unique about this game?

IMHO, this has the best super-move system, the different “isms” offered some flexibility in the way that you could play each character. This game came out the same year as Marvel Vs. Capcom, so it does share some of that DNA as well. The selection of characters was also top notch. My favorites were always Ken, Ryu, and Guile. But much like Mortal Kombat kept increasing the number of ninjas, Street Fighter kept adding more characters in karate gis. Akuma is my all-time favorite, and I always played with him, kind of a shame he isn't playable in more Street Fighter games.

9. Colony Wars

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who remembers this game. IGN gave it a 9.3/10, PSM gave it a 5/5, for that matter, it was reviewed favorably by EVERY magazine and website that I remember from that time. Minimal, yet fantastic, lore and solid space dog fighting mechanics with a little bit of choose your own adventure borrowed from Wing Commander combine to make a fantastic package. Easily as competent as Tie Fighter A port of this game to modern hardware would be great, and I would consider going back to the Sony ecosystem if it were available.

What is unique about this game?

In the 80s and 90s, space flight sims were primarily released on home computers. There was a port of Wing Commander for the SNES, but translating the controls to a gamepad didn't really work that well. They also tried with ports of Heart of the Tiger and Price of Freedom on the PlayStation as well. Colony Wars fixed the porting issue because it was designed from the ground-up as a console exclusive for Sony's PlayStation. Psygnosis were able to streamline the controls in a way that the Wing Commander games couldn't, and because of that they deliver a highly polished experience. Psygnosis would later go on to be SCE Studio Liverpool.

10. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

GTA3 blew people away. Vice City refined the formula and told a more complete story. But, San Andreas (IMHO) is the first game of what would come to define RockStar as a studio, as well as the formula for the franchise going forward. This is also probably the most experimental entry in the series.

What is unique about this game?

All of the RPG elements. Being able to make the C.J. in your game unique to your save file is really what sets this apart from all of its contemporary entries and competitors (I'm looking at you, True Crime).

11. Yakuza 0

The Ryu ga Gotoku / Yakuza series of games are often compared with GTA or described as a budget GTA with a smaller open world. The reality is that this series is more akin to Shenmue. The lead creative for the series, Toshihiro Nagoshi, worked under Yu Suzuki during the development of Shenmue. I found out about the series from a friend living in Japan who just kept recommending them to me. I finally broke down and bought this entry in the series during a Steam sale a few years ago. It took me several tries to get into the game, but once I was in, that was it, I've been hooked, and a fan of the series ever since.

What is unique about this game?

It's the wackiest “RPG beat-em-up” that I've ever experienced that is also simultaneously an amazingly crafted crime drama. Really ALL of the Yakuza games fit this description, but Zero is a perfect entry point since it's a prequel to all of the other games, and also a great standalone title with nice a resolution to its story.

12. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light

I've played and enjoyed a number of entries in this series (of which there are at least 20 different games). But when Nintendo announced they were going to be releasing an official localisation of the original game for the Swtich, I jumped on the chance to purchase it. I have yet to play Engage, but I have dumped well over a hundred hours into Three Houses, and have put dozens of hours into the various GBA and GameCube entries. The newer entries in the franchise certainly provide modern sensibilities and mechanics, but my favorite is definitely this one, and that's having played it for the first time after Three Houses. If you can get past its 8bit quirks, there's a real gem here. Shouzou Kaga doesn't really get the the recognition he deserves as a true peer to developers like Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata.

What is unique about this game?

It was the the progenitor of the “SRPG” genre as we know it today. Many of the games released in that genre draw direct inspiration from this title.

13. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

I could have gone with the original or even A Link to the Past, but there is something exceedingly special about Ocarina. I never owned an N64 when I was younger. Still, OoT was THE ONE game that I was jealous I couldn't play. It worked out though, my best friend at the time did get an N64 along with this game, so I was able to play it at his house (much like he was able to play Final Fantasy VII at my house). There's not much I can say about the game itself that hasn't already been said better by someone else. This is notoriously one of the highest rated GOTYs, and has a 99/100 on Metacritic.

What is unique about this game?

Moreso than any other franchise making the transition from 2D to 3D at the time, OoT perfectly captured the spirit of its predecessors and also ushered in a new style of action-adventure. Unlike some of the modern entries which feel bloated or padded with activities to artificially extend the play experience, OoT is a concise experience.

14. Tomb Raider

Platforming and puzzle-solving! As much as I liked the SquareEnix reboot, the original formula is a far more compelling experience. It's really quite a shame that they turned Lara Croft into a homicidal maniac. There are plenty of gorillas, alligators, bats, and other dangerous animals that she has to defend herself from in the original game to keep things interesting. That being said, combat is only a small portion of this game. Somewhere along the way the industry forgot how to make good games without exceedingly monotonous violence. Gorey first-person shooters are fun, but the violence that defines them doesn't need to be included in every other game.

What is unique about this game?

There have been plenty of strong female protagonists in video games, very few have elicited such a response from the general public; Lara Croft is the perfect storm of brains, brawn, and beauty. When you combine those features with the aforementioned platforming and puzzle-solving, it's a winning formula that appeals to a very wide group of gamers.

15. FEZ

It's hard to mention this game without talking about it's auteur, Phil Fish. One of the games that was the subject of “Indie Game: The Movie”, Fez was among the first class of independently made video games outside of the traditional publisher system that blew up and took over the gaming zeitgeist (thanks to Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade). Fez garnered a large following, it's a shame Fish let Twitter comments get to him, so much so that he quit the industry and is apparently no longer working on games. Fish's story is pretty interesting and I can't do it justice in a single paragraph, I recommend watching this video , which does a really good job of breaking down his career and explaining the events that led to him leaving video games.

What is unique about it?

Despite scoring 9s and 10s across the board, winning a bunch of awards, there haven't been any “Fez-likes” out there, which is rare for video games. When a title is popular and monetarily successful, there are always copycats or spiritual successors, and if those copycats are also successful a new genre is born that is usually a portmanteau of two games' titles (i.e. “Metroidvania”) or the most successful of the bunch getting “-like” slapped on the end to describe the new genre (i.e. “Souls-like”).

16. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Interestingly enough, while the first Sonic game does have most of the elements of what would come to define the franchise, it really wasn't until this game that a lot of the most memorable stuff was introduced; the spin-dash, Tails, two acts per zone, and “Super Sonic” (to name just a few of the series firsts here). In my experience, when most people think about Sonic, they're actually thinking about this game.

What is unique about this game?

All of the things that I mentioned above. It's also one of the first games to feature the ultimate younger sibling mode; the character of Tails is either controlled by the game's AI or by a second controller, however, while Tails can help or hinder, he doesn't distract from player 1 and the camera always follows Sonic. There may have been other games in the early 90s that had similar modes, but I'm not aware of them.

17. Pokemon Red

Technically I'm not just talking about the “Red Version”, I'm really talking about the entire first generation of Pokemon games. But Red was the one that I owned physically. That being said, I have played all four versions of the original game, thanks NO$GMB!... You may be saying to yourself, “but there were only two versions!” No, you'd be wrong. Red (Akai) and Green (Midori) were the original two released in Japan in early 1996, a Blue (Ao) version was released in late 1996 that included bug fixes and game balancing, and was used as the basis for our “Red” and “Blue” versions here in the US... Confusing, I know. I guess technically that's really five versions, or six if you count Yellow (which I also played). All of which is possibly just as confusing as the numbering of the Final Fantasy games prior to VII.

What is unique about this game?

Parents were not ready for another craze bigger than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but it happened, and it happened in a BIG fucking way. If you weren't personally obsessed with Pokemon in the late 90s, then you knew a kid who was. I was the youngest kid in my neighborhood, so I got made fun of, but I still didn't give a shit. I was a Pokemon nerd, and as much as I can say the game stands on it's own as a competent single-player JRPG, it's difficult to downplay the link cable and the ability to trade and battle with other players. No one that I knew had parents rich enough to buy them two Gameboys and two different copies of the game. I've actually never collected all 151 original Pokemon on a single save file/cartridge.

18. Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

Though I do remember when Nocturne came out for the PS2, I'm specifically highlighting the HD remaster that was released in 2020. I consider this the most complete version of the game that you can get, and it is easily available on all modern hardware. I also didn't understand SMT3 when it came out, and didn't really have time for it. It came out the year I graduated high school, I was too busy smoking weed and trying to get laid. Which is probably for the best that I got to appreciate it now that I'm older.

What is unique about this game?

For those willing to put the mental energy into this game, it's a rewarding experience that blends complex RPG mechanics (easily described as “Pokemon, but with demons”) with mature philosophical themes. There also aren't any other games out there that have the same feel. There's something about mixing hard rock and jazz soundscapes on top of a post-apocalyptic spiritual nether realm that isn't like any other fictional universe.

19. Metal Gear Solid

My favorite in the series. As far as I'm concerned, Kojima could have stopped making games after this... But I'll leave it at that, otherwise I'm bound to start ranting about Kojima rather than talking about this game.

What is unique about this game?

This game was generation-defining for home consoles. It set Sony's hardware on a trajectory that continues to influence the PlayStation brand and first party titles nearly a quarter of a century later. Metal Gear Solid really pushed the boundaries of in-game cinematics and storytelling. Despite the fact there were no facial animations on the character models, there was plenty of emotion conveyed by the voice acting, and the story that was being told was equal parts fantastical and grounded. A believable espionage setting with larger than life super villain bosses. Quite simply, this game is a master class in Japanese game design philosophy.

20. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

When Castlevania: Symphony of the Night came out, I completely ignored it, mainly because it was a 2D side-scrolling game in a world full of new 3D games. I was stupid and naive. About a decade later I decided to sit down and play SotN and I was completely blown away by how great that game is. I say all that because SotN was going to go in this slot, that was until I reminded myself that Bloodstained is effectively Symphony of the Night 2 in all but name. Sure, Koji Igarashi did direct the Gameboy Advance entries of the Castlevania series, and they did continue the same style of gameplay that was present in SotN, but sadly SotN never got an official sequel from Konami, and is still oddly treated like a red-headed step child, never receiving a proper remaster for modern hardware. Enter Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.

What is unique about this game?

There were a bunch of Japanese developers who broke away to do independent projects in the early twenty-tens, and when Iga broke away to do his Kickstarter for this game, I intently followed the development. Bloodstained looked horrible in all the dev diaries leadding up until the moment it actually came out. I was not expecting much, but when I sat down to play it, I realized it was everything I could have wanted from a full-blown SotN sequel. Easily the best Metroidvania that I ever played, and would be my first recommendation for anyone who hasn't played any game in that genre.

Conclusion

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading! Should you have any comments, feel free to hit me up on Mastodon.

The other night I was looking for something to watch. Specifically I wanted a movie where I could smoke a joint and really just sit back and relax, and get a lot of enjoyment out of the movie. I started off the search looking for a wuxia film. I came across The Assassin which stars Shu Qi, who I recognized from The Transporter... Maybe I should have smoked before checking out the first 10 minutes, but I wanted to make sure it was going to be worth it. While it might be a good movie, it was a bit too artsy for the GLP Tango I would be smoking.

After that I decided to go back to an older movie that I hadn't seen in a while that I knew would match the metal space. I found Planet Terror on Tubi. The opening sequence includes a trailer for a movie that Robert Rodriguez hadn't made at that time, Machete. I remembered very distinctly watching the movie with director commentary and listening to Rodriguez say that he wanted to do a trailer for a movie that didn't exist. When I went looking for the trailer from the beginning of Planet Terror to share with my friends, I found out that Rodriguez had in fact made not only Machete but a second one as well! I was sold at that point, and Machete was the movie I watched. I immediately knew it would get added to my list of favorite movies of all time. Thus, this list was born.

The Methodology

There isn't much rhyme or reason to this list. Just a bunch of movies that I would recommend to people... WAY back when, after I graduated high school, but before I moved back out to Vegas, I used to spend Friday and Saturday nights at my friend's house; we'd get stoned, smoke hookah and watch random movies. He was a big movie buff, and his DVD collection was pretty legendary. In the spirit of those days, this list is sort of a throwback to those times. Stuff that I might recommend that we watch.

The List

1. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

This movie is going to be on any list of movies that I put together. Dare I say, this is a stoner classic? If you're a 90s kid or a fan of Kevin Smith, for me, this is the quintessential View Askewniverse movie. The experience is enhanced if you've seen all the movies prior to it (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy and Dogma), I think it does just fine on its own thanks to the plethora of other pop culture references.

Why I recommend this movie:

One of the better road trip movies from the early aughts with a bunch of laugh out loud moments.

2. Hackers

Computers were something that interested me from a very young age, but it was never a cool thing to be into. It was nerdy and geeky. This movie changed that. It put a coolness veneer on being a computer nerd. Also, it was Angelina Jolie's first movie.

Why I recommend this movie:

Dripping with style, and despite being a goofy movie about a bunch of hacker kids that save the world, it has some great acting and character development.

3. Fight Club

If you weren't irrevocably changed as a person from watching this movie, I have to question whether or not you're an NPC.

Why I recommend this movie:

World class performances from an all-star cast; Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf, and Jared Leto. Also because the twist might be just as good as Signs and was surprisingly kept just as much of a secret (from what I remember).

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

IMHO, this is the first successful comic book movie. While definitely financed because of the success of the cartoon and action figures, 1990's TMNT is primarily based directly on the comics, which are far darker tonally and thematically. Most would probably cite X-Men as the first time Hollywood took notice that comics could be used as source material, but really comics were being used all throughout 90s (Blade, Tank Girl, Barb Wire, Judge Dredd, etc.).

Why I recommend this movie:

One of Jim Henson's last projects before he passed away. IMHO, the animatronics and puppeteering work still look amazing even 30+ years later.

5. Once Upon A Time In Mexico

Desperado was a great movie, but this is absolutely fantastic. Not sure if this was the first movie where Robert Rodriguez really honed his visual style, but for me, this feels like the first movie of his that has all of the hallmarks that would come to define all the movies of his that would proceed it. Agent Sands may also be my favorite Johnny Depp role.

Why I recommend this movie:

It's not a typical action movie. There's a sense that the story takes place in a greater universe, the type of thing you mainly find with good fantasy or sci-fi stories, and not necessarily contemporary settings.

6. A Scanner Darkly

Philip K. Dick is heralded as one of the most visionary speculative fiction writers... I hesitate to say “of all-time” because I feel like I've used that phrase enough in this list. This is my favorite feature film based on his work, and there are no shortages of movies and TV based on his writing.

Why I recommend this movie:

Fantastic cast and a unique animation style that hasn't been used in any other movies that I'm aware of.

7. American Beauty

When I was putting this list together, my wife said, “ew, but it's a movie about pedophilia.” She wouldn't be wrong... It's not entirely about that though. It's an interesting examination of tortured suburban psyches.

Why I recommend this movie:

The hook at the beginning. It's that simple. The movie begins by telling you the ending, and it's all the stuff along the way that makes it worth it.

8. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

“Listen, strange women lying around in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.” Pure comedy gold. A friend of mine from when I was younger, well, his brother had this moving on VHS, somehow I ended up with it.

Why I recommend this movie:

Pure comedy gold.

9. Star Trek

I had my reservations when I found out about this movie. I spent a lot of time re-watching original series episodes in anticipation of the movie even. While quite a bit different in tone and style, the only thing that I really don't like about this is how the phasers shoot “bullets.” Otherwise, this is an incredibly intelligent reboot for the films. JJ did a great job getting people interested in Trek again, even if he did use too much lens flare.

Why I recommend this movie:

It's Star Trek without being Star Trek. It's a good middle ground movie for people who are curious about the characters, but don't necessarily want to do any serious contemplation.

10. The Fifth Element

From a time when Hollywood used to take chances. Although fairly formulaic in terms of plot structure, and a predictably action-heavy movie with Bruce Willis being cast as the blue collar reluctant hero, still a fantastic space opera. There's a lot going on in this movie that got cut down to two hours. There could easily be a multi-series television show made from everything that is going on in this universe.

Why I recommend this movie:

Kind of hard to go wrong recommending a Luc Besson movie to someone. In my opinion, his films tend to have a little something for everyone.

11. Stargate

Zecharia Sitchin's The 12th Planet came out in 1976, but it wasn't until Stargate that the idea of “ancient aliens” really started to permeate the mainstream.

Why I recommend this movie:

A unique science fiction universe that uses an ingenious way to traverse the stars. And it's a method that isn't ever used in most other science fiction, Mass Effect is the only other property that has a similar system for travelling long distances.

12. Cool Hand Luke

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.” I must have heard that saying a thousand times before actually watching this movie. It's one of those phrases that enters the pop culture lexicon and just sticks around. Quite possibly Paul Newman's most well-known role next to The Hustler and Butch Cassidy.

Why I recommend this movie:

What seems like a story that could be about redemption turns out very differently than you might imagine.

13. The Transporter

The second Luc Besson film on this list... Well, the second movie that was written by him. As much as I hate German vehicles, if I had unlimited time and money, I would absolutely take a 1997 BMW 745i and put an M5 manual transmission in it. Normally a big ass sedan like that would not be a cool car, but the way the driving sequences are shot and the fact that Statham is driving the car just makes it look cool.

Why I recommend this movie:

The car and the insane plot line. You get about two thirds of the way through the movie and find out it's a crazy human smuggling operation. The martial arts sequences are really good too, well choreographed.

14. The Departed

Personally, I think this movie contains career-defining performances from everyone in this cast. Somehow Scorsese just fucking pulled it together for this epic story. I love how connect yet separate all the characters are too.

Why I recommend this movie:

As mentioned upon, career-defining performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin... I mean, those are all guys that have done plenty of impressive movies before this one, but they really showed up for this one.

15. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

No doubt I've watched this movie hundreds of times over the years. Well, at least 34 times. Pretty sure I've watched it ever year for Christmas since it's been out.

Why I recommend this movie:

I think Chevy Chase is sort of overlooked in the pantheon of comedians. There are tons of great moments, but when Clark loses it after Uncle Lewis burns down his Christmas tree is one of the greatest rants. But every joke just lands, the whole movie is a series of connected jokes.

16. Starship Troopers

“What's a matter, you apes want to live forever!” The sheer ardent fascistic nihilism of society portrayed in Starship Troopers is absolutely compelling. I actively avoided the military when I was younger because I couldn't get behind what we were doing in the middle east. I'm sure in a parallel universe there is a young Berkough who went into a branch of the service. IF we were fighting giant bugs in space, I would have been all about it.

Why I recommend this movie:

It's a beautiful satire of war, and while it doesn't do a good job of faithfully recreating the novel, in the process it makes something wholly its own.

17. Zombie Strippers!

As far as I know, this might be Jenna Jameson's only non-pornographic film appearance where she wasn't doing a cameo, but actually acting. I love this movie. It's campy and ridiculous, and it's self-aware of that fact. However, it's also pretty high brow at times without being pretentious.

Why I recommend this movie:

Robert Englund steals the show, such a great performance. Considering most people know him only as Freddy Kruger, it's fun to see how talented of an actor he really is.

18. Machete

If you didn't know any better, you might think that this was filmed after President Trump took office, but it was released 6 years prior to all of that. Robert Rodriguez employs such a skillful way of delivering political commentary without it being obnoxious, it's just a fun action movie with a human story.

Why I recommend this movie:

This one is still fresh, so I haven't developed the specific reason(s) why. But I do love the social commentary combined with the over-the-top 80s-style action and gore.

19. Matchstick Men

Pretty sure I like every movie that Sam Rockwell is in, he's a fantastic actor. While my favorite role of his is probably the feature film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke, there's something to be said for the dynamic he has with Nick Cage in this one. Also, I think Roy Waller is probably my favorite Nicholas Cage character, just barely beating out Yuri Orlov from Lord of War.

Why I recommend this movie:

What seems like a relatively straightforward plot quickly spirals into interesting territory.

20. Good Will Hunting

Primarily known for the fact that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wrote the script, Robin Williams absolutely kills it in his performance.

Why I recommend this movie:

It's an inspiring tale. Some great character moments between Chucky and Will, and obviously Will and Sean.

Driving home from my Dad's this past Sunday, I thought I would only be able to put together maybe 10 albums at most, and I thought there wouldn't be any that I would need to cut, but as I started digging through favorite artists of mine and whether or not they've released any live albums... I realized there are quite a few live albums worthy of being on a Greatest of All-Time list, and I don't think I've ever done a list like this before. Earlier incarnations of my website I used to do fantasy super groups of musicians, or playlists like I was doing with the last incarnation of the website. I might do more of those types of posts, but TOP (insert number here) lists are going to be a new thing going forward.

You may notice the numbers floating on top of the album covers, well, I'm using Topsters to generate the image, but I've also spent the past 3 or so days noodling around in JavaScript to come up with some reusable code that will slap numbers on top of a Topsters generated image, and since I've gone to the trouble of coding it, I may as well use it a few more times. Maybe I can refine it and add some more functionality to it down the road, will probably even do a separate post talking about the code (though, pushing it to github would probably be better). In any case...

On to the music!

The Methodology

Why live? There's something about performing for a crowd that is different from the album experience. But... what makes a good live album? Well I tried to stay within these confines, there are some exceptions to these rules though:

• Consist of a single band or musical artist, and not a compilation of multiple musical acts.
• Recorded and released during the height of a musician or band's commercial success and cultural relevance.
• Audio sourced from a single performance, and generally uncut.
• Professional mixing, and audio taken direct from the soundboard.
• Distributed primarily in an audio-only format (i.e. vinyl, cassette, or Compact Disc).

Already, if you're looking at the list, you know that there are tons of albums on this list that break at least one or two of these criteria... When selecting an album, if it had two of the five, then I considered it. Other albums may break two, three or all five of the criteria, but it has the same spirit as the others. Party! and How the West Was Won are the biggest elephants. More on that later though.

Anyway, this is from first to last, and in that order. I hate most “Top-Whatever” lists in that they always go from least important to No. 1... Try to keep the number one entry from you as a secret. I'm starting right from the best so you wonder why the last entry is last. I think that's a better framework.

The List

1. The Beach Boys – Party! This is sort of the antithesis of live albums. This was absolutely an album engineered from start to finish in the studio. But, Brian Wilson was a musical genius, so he gets to break all the rules. The reason that this stands above the rest—even though it breaks all the rules—is exactly because it understands the energy that people love about live albums, and is arguably the reason so many live and unplugged albums found audiences. 2. Pearl Jam – Live at Benaroya Hall A benefit show, this is a stripped-down and mostly acoustic performance that consists of a lot of songs from the period of their career after the band secluded themselves from the mainstream media. I had fallen in love with the Touring Band 2000 music DVD that they had put out, which was just a compilation of the best versions of each song on the set lists from that tour. Because of that, the DVD is a solid representation of what their live shows are like. Benaroya Hall is the complete opposite of all heavy rock and chaos of a stadium performance, and it's an incredible side of the band that I never thought would ever be preserved. 3. Bad Religion – 30 Years Live So, I was actually at one of the shows that was used as the source audio for this compilation of live performances. Which is primarily the reason it's number 3 on this list. Still a really good album though, and I highly recommend it as a solid Greatest Hits type of album even. Each show of that spring tour was a set of 30 songs spanning the entirety of their catalog. Recorded from several shows that took place in the spring of 2010, we went to the show that was on March 27^th. 4. Bryan Adams – Bare Bones Often overlooked, Bryan Adams was a staple in my house. My father probably liked him more than my mother, but we had a couple of cassettes of his, and they were always in the car. Friday night meant going to Sangertown Square, getting to eat Chinese food with chop sticks, and going to the comic shop and the video game store, but the drive from our house was at least an hour or so. Just good memories. The Bare Bones version of the song “I'm Ready” was the version I gave the DJ to play at our wedding. 5. Jimi Hendrix – Band of Gypsys Personally this is my favorite Hendrix album, period. The twelve minute and forty second “Machine Gun” is absolutely worth the price of admission alone. Also the first album on this list to be recorded at the Fillmore East. From what I understand, this was a last minute hailmary to fulfill a recording contract obligation. I can't even imagine what would have transpired if they had been able to develop these song ideas more in the studio. 6. Marilyn Manson – The Last Tour on Earth Manson was a bit too scary of a musical act for me when he first came out. I was raised Christian, and that was before I rejected the notion of organized religion. I was only thirteen when this album came out. It wasn't until I heard Mechanical Animals as an album from beginning to end several years later that I gained an appreciation for his music, and could understand what it was that he was doing artistically. Once I understood what he was doing and why he was doing it, I could get enough and ran through his entire catalog of music, and I continue to listen to his new music as it's released. I've never seen Manson live (he's still on my bucket list), but if I could go back in time, this absolutely would have been the tour I would have wanted to see him live at. 7. The Doors – Absolutely Live Honestly, what is there to say about the Doors... Or, for that matter, Jim Morrison's live performances? When I was younger I used to have a t-shirt with this image on it: I love the scene in Almost Famous where Lester Bangs says;

The Doors? Jim Morrison? He's a drunken buffoon posing as a poet. Give me The Guess Who. They got the courage to be drunken buffoons, which makes them poetic.

8. Free – Free Live! Paul Rodgers is probably best known as the vocalist of the band Bad Company, but before those days he was in a British Blues-Rock band called Free. Obviously there was quite a lot of competition in that space in the 60s and 70s; with bands like Cream, Led Zeppelin, Traffic, and probably thirty or fifty other bands. In my own personal opinion, I think *Free is overlooked, and they're sort of a deep cut band. It's not only Paul Rodger's vocals, but also Andy Fraser's bass that make this a special band from that large group of British bands all performing similar music. 9. KISS – Alive! For a lot of music snobs like myself, KISS sort of gets thrown to the wayside because musically they aren't as complex as a lot of other bands. To the contrary though, whatever people may say that they lack in musicianship, they more than make up for in theatrics. Personally, I think they have both. None of the lyrics of any of their songs are going to make you contemplate the nature of the meaning of life and what the fabric of reality is made of, but that's okay, because they're just a FUN and exciting rock band, and this album is amazing for capturing the essence of their live performances without having to rely on the stage antics. 10. Wu-Tang Clan – Live at Montreux 2007 Unless I just don't know where to look, live hip-hop albums are rare. I thought about maybe including Jay-Z's MTV Unplugged album, but I don't think it's really the best live experience of his music. The Reasonably Doubt Madison-Square Garden performance does a much better job of that, but it was only released as a video and not as an album. So I'm sort of left with this album. Now, I could have just ignored hip-hop artists all-together, but this album really is a great listen. I think hip-hop and rap acts sometimes have their live performances ignored, but I get it. Rap isn't necessarily the most exciting thing to see live if you're a fan of instrumentation, the Wu-Tang Clan excels by virtue of the sheer number of MCs in the roster. When you have multiple voices jumping in and out, each with their own parts, or harmonizing with the others on the choruses and background vocals, it makes for a good live experience. 11. Chris Cornell – Songbook One of the most recognizable voices in all of rock music, every band he's been involved with has done big things. He also had a couple of really successful solo albums. But this album is just him with an acoustic guitar, going through the hits and the favorites. Cornell probably doesn't get enough credit as a songwriter, and this album really shows off what he had accomplished over the years. 12. Frank Sinatra – Sinatra at the Sands The subtext of the album title says a lot for people who are familiar with respected musicians. Sinatra at the Sands with Count Bassie and the Orchestra Arranged and Conducted by Quincy Jones. If you ever wondered what Vegas was like when the mob ran it, just spark up a doobie and put this album on at a respectable volume in a dark room, close your eyes and let your mind wander. Surely nostalgia for old Vegas is a bit like all nostalgia, looking back in time with rose-tinted glasses. But there's nothing wrong with modern conceptualizations, that's how our own personal Americana mythology grows and influences future generations. 13. Led Zeppelin – How The West Was Won Released in 2004, this album is comprised of a couple of performances edited together, and I don't think the audio was taken directly from the soundboard. But, it is a much better package than The Song Remains the Same, IMHO. I'm probably one of the few people who thinks the MSG Led Zep performance isn't all that great when compared to other live performances whose recordings have survived throughout the years. 14. The Allman Brothers Band – Live at the Fillmore East While the venue only existed for under a decade, it played host to some of the most iconic rock acts of its day, and this might be one of the most notable live recordings to have been formally published as an album from that time (other than the aforementioned Band of Gypsys). The Allmans were a band where the albums and radio cuts didn't do them any justice, in much the same way that any serious Deadhead doesn't even bother to listen to any other than live recordings. The version of “Whipping Post” that ends this album takes up the entire D side of the second LP. 15. Alice in Chains – Unplugged There have been a whole host of MTV Unplugged performances. Apparently they're still doing them... I haven't watched regular cable television in probably 15 years, but that's a story for another time. This one makes the list because it has some haunting performances on it, and apparently Jerry Cantrell played the set after having gone through food poisoning. That's insane. Anyone who has had food poisoning knows that once the shitting and vomiting stops, the last thing you want to do is anything but sleep. 16. Neil Diamond – Hot August Night I'm a big Neil Diamond fan. I had always known his more popular tunes, but when Saving Silverman made it cool to like Neil Diamond, I was all-in. This particular album is unique not only because of where it was recorded, but also because the live versions of these songs have slightly different arrangements and Neil isn't bashful about vocally performing the songs differently as well. I grew up hearing mostly the UB40 version of “Red Red Wine,” but I still remember the moment I found out it was actually a Neil Diamond song, I realized that I had been incorrectly categorizing his music as Top40/Pop, and really stated to dig into all of his music. 17. All Them Witches – Live in Brussels I knew there had to be at least one contemporary stoner rock/doom metal band with a live album that would grace this list. The Sword does have Greetings From...(Live) and King Buffalo has a three song live EP, but unfortunately neither of those albums really compares with this album. It's a long set too, 90 minutes isn't for the faint of heart. Even top acts in their prime will often cut their sets to a tight 60 minutes. Even TOOL (my favorite band of all-time), usually only does a 90 minute set, and they are known for having a large catalog of songs that approach or exceed 10 minutes, routinely. ATW isn't exactly progressive in the same way as TOOL, and they aren't a jam band like the Dead or Phish, and they're from Nashville, but they aren't country. ATW is its own unique brand and experience unlike anything else I've really listened to. This album is why they're on my concert bucket list. 18. Prince – One Night Alone... The Aftershow: It Ain't Over! (Up Late with Prince & The NPG) [Live] This one is the winner for the longest title (though, it isn't quite as long of a title as that one Fiona Apple record). No, seriously though, Prince has a couple of live albums. I went with this one because I don't feel like Prince gets his due when it comes to greatest guitarists of all-time. Just listen to the first track, “Joy in Repetition”. That's it, the rest of the album is amazing, but you'll understand why he's one of the greatest guitarists of all-time. He lets the song breathe too, so there are times that he's not even touching his guitar, and other moments when you almost can't even hear the rest of the band because his guitar is screaming so hard. Overall, this has a decidedly more jazzy feel than a lot of his other more popular music. 19. Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive! Easily the single reason why most bands have a record published which is a live album. The story goes that so many copies of Frampton Comes Alive! were sold that the record company couldn't press enough records, and they started filling record sleeves with coupons for other records in the hopes that no one would notice. I also think this album is one the rare times that a live album has had some of the songs released as singles, single which also peaked on charts in their own right. The only other time I'm aware of that happening is with the Family Values Tour 1999 album and Aaron Lewis' impromptu version of the song he hadn't quite written yet, Outside. Anyway, if you haven't heard this album, or any of the songs on it, I would be shocked. But I'll let you get away with this not knowing this album if you were born after the first decade of the new millennium and your GenX parents couldn't bear the thought of letting you listen to such silly seventies music. 20. Charley Crockett – Live From The Ryman That brings us to the reason I started this list. It's last on the list for right now because it's still a fresh listening experience for me. It really is a fantastic live performance though. I honestly believe if it had been recorded in the pre-MP3 days that it would easily have a music video on MTV, and several singles playing on the radio. The much faster rendition of “Paint It Blue” that ends the concert in particular is an instance much like Eric Clapton's “Layla,” where the live version is superior to the original and gives the tune a new lease on life. Not that it wasn't a good song before, but the recorded version just doesn't have the same energy that it does here.