So this will be my top 10 most fun and best overall video games (all consoles, gameboy and computer) and what I like about each one. Criteria I will use is overall fun playing, time spent playing the game over the years and overall quality of the game. Each one will be relative to the time I played it as opposed to scrutinising it from today (February 2026) where obviously some games will look severely dated (graphics, depth, amount of sidequest content etc).

1. Sid Meier’s Civilization 4

This first game I have played for thousands of hours over the years. I first took a punt on it for my birthday in my teenage years, I didn’t particularly like it initially as it was quite complex and the learning curve was steep compared to some other games. However I purchased the expansion packs (Warlords and Beyond the Sword) and I must have persevered because this computer game is arguably THE computer game of my life. The basic premise of the game is you start in the stone age and build cities and acquire techs all the while exploring and competing with the other AI factions. In terms of fun, the AI controlled factions are well run, there is a historical immersion factor, there was also always an online community of fans willing to talk about the game (Civ Fanatics). There were always mods and scenarios to explore and experiment with. The most fun I ever had was typically when the AI declared war on me and I managed to stop their advances by the skin of my teeth and then I’d go on to defeat them and the rest of the AI. Specifically I loved the 1000AD scenario which was set in the medieval era and then went into the modern era in an alternate history timeline. In terms of the time this game was ahead of a lot of the competition in terms of quality of AI opponents and gameplay and replayability.  Rating 10/10

2. Rome total war

This game was among my first addictive computer games. I remember being given some Amazon credit on around my twelfth or thirteenth birthday and purchasing this for around a tenner. I was so engrossed I would forget to eat. What a fantasy world! To rebuild the Roman Empire! There was two maps: a campaign map and a battle map. And a player had a lot of control. Unfortunately however the AI, although decent, could often be rushed and I would often get bored with this game late in the campaign when I had become sufficiently stronger than most of my neighbors. In terms of time played I’ve played probably hundreds of hours in this game since it came out and including its expansion packs. However overall I don’t think the quality of this game is as good (even factoring it the time it came out) as compared to some other titles. 7.5/10

3. Europa Universalis

I’ve already written another blog post on this game. My steam play count alone at the time of writing is 6000 hours. The achievements, the replay ability, the DLC, the community engagement online (Youtube and Reddit) is excellent. I was even playing this in the last few days. One criticism I have of it is although addictive it doesn’t feel as fun as some games I’ve played in the past. There is no story campaign in this game. It’s very much a sandbox historical simulator. 9/10

4. Vampire Masquerade bloodlines

For this spot I had a few titles I could have chosen. But Vampire Masquerade is an extremely fun game. I’ve also already done a blog post on this game. A bit dated now in terms of bugs and graphics. But the main missions and the game play and characters are just so fun (I’ve also done a blog post on this game already) that I had to include it in my list. The backdrops are so fun too (Santa Monica, Hollywood, Downtown, Chinatown). The game reminds me of the Nineties. 8.5/10

5. Pokemon Blue

In terms of today’s video game standards Pokemon Blue on the Gameboy Colour is a bit of a joke. The game play was repetitive and artificial, even annoying at points. However when you look at the other games on the Gameboy Colour at the time, this game blows its competition out the water. You could pick any set of 6 Pokemon you liked and train them up and pick their battle moves. The game was very customizable. As a primary schooler at one time this game was my whole world. There were no smartphones or internet back then in the Nineties (I know the internet existed then but my house didn’t have access at the time). My friends in school and outside of school played this game. Everyone had a different set of Pokemon (in the gameworld). You could roleplay like you were a real trainer from the TV series. I genuinely remember being attached to my in game pets! There was so much replayability. However of course the game was limited by the gameboy’s computing power and the graphics of the time. 9/10

6. Call of duty modern warfare 2

Call of duty modern warfare 2 was initially a bit of a boring game for me. I initially bought an Xbox 360 for Call of Duty world at war for the Nazi Zombie mode. However over time I came to enjoy CoD multiplayer more and more. It was also similar to Pokemon Blue in that all my friends were on it (on multiplayer). Xbox brought the 360 out a bit before Playstation brought out the PS3 and everyone got an Xbox. The online servers were largely free of cheaters. The maps were largely well balanced. There was a massive competition of skill. There was Youtube videos giving advice on how to play. There was a customizable element were you could pick perks and attachments for guns. You could play the maps your way. There were achievements to be gotten. There was a lot of replayability. My playcount on the Xbox 360 was in the ‘days’ (so probably hundreds of hours). However one criticism as with first person shooter online games there was always someone who played the game more who dominated. It was frustrating getting repeatedly killed and having to watch till the end of the round. 7.5/10

7. Half life 2

I know I haven’t spent anything near the amount of time playing Half Life 2 as other games on this list. I’ve completed it maybe 4 times. I’ve played it on Xbox 360 (with the Orange Box) and on Steam (computer) many times. There are no side quests (its not open world). There are achievements. The main thing that holds this game up is a) the quality of the game and b) the fun factor. Half Life 2 is set in an alternate science fiction timeline. It’s a first person shooter with a variety of different environments. You evade stormtroopers like soldiers at the beginning, you shoot zombies in Ravenholm, you assault a prison in another, you shoot down gunships in another (and so on). It’s also widely acknowledged as one of the best games of all time (on the internet and on Steam reviews). 

8.5/10

8. Alien versus Predator 2 (on the computer)

This entry is another retro game that sadly can’t be played at the time of writing. I played this game as a teenager in multiplayer in my bedroom in the Noughties. The game had already been out for a few years when I got it. It was a first person shooter where you could hunt and kill your prey as the alien from the films, and the predator from the Schnarzwegger film was in there too. I actually never played the main campaign. The main mode of play, I played, was ‘survivor’ on multiplayer and it was a lot of fun. You would start as a marine and one person would be Alien. Then anyone who died would become an Alien. This went on until there was only 1 player left who won. The marines had a massive arsenal of guns including the smartgun and pulse rifle and flamethrower from the James Cameron Alien movies. The chain gun in particular felt reminiscent of the films. There was a lot of satisfaction to be had mowing down alien after alien with a chaingun (from Predator) who leaped at you. (8/10)

9. Alien Isolation

While AvP2 was the perfect game in the spirit of James Cameron’s Aliens, Ridley Scott’s Alien had a game called Alien Isolation that came out about a decade ago. I decided to include Alien Isolation as opposed to another strategy game like Age of Empires 2 for a bit of variety. This is the only horror game in the list. The gameplay and plot are quite unlike any other game on the list. Alien Isolation is absolutely terrifying. The whole game is spent evading and sneaking around the Alien (who is invincible). The Alien stalks the player across the spaceship where this game is set. Even at the time of writing I need a bit of guts and to be in the right mood to boot this game up. The DLC scenarios even let the player play out the scenes from the films with modern graphics. This game is quite unlike any other game I’ve ever played. I’ve played it on Xbox 360 and Steam (PC). 9/10

10. Deus Ex (original)

Last and not least is Deus Ex. I’ve also already done a blog post on this game. But its an extremely well designed game with lots of replayability. The plot is very engaging and interested, drawing from conspiracy theories and science fiction lore. I haven’t spent as much time playing this as say Civ 4 or Europa Universalis 4 but NPC characters are fantastic and once your character gets nano augmentation upgrades you feel like a superhero from Marvel.  8.5/10

Computer games have been a part of my life since I was in primary school. As an autistic person I’ve always needed to recharge my batteries, so to speak, by being away from the expectations and demands of other people. Over the years, growing up, this has typically been in my bedroom as opposed to the living room where the TV was and where I would have to share my space. As someone who was born in the Nineties, I think my generation grew up in a sort of golden era of computer games, and now many of those games are being remastered to get us all back at the keyboard or at the console remote. Computer games are a part of my growing up. The internet has been fun for my generation (with games like Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and Alien versus Predator 2) in a way it hasn’t been as fun for the original people who invented the internet (earlier generations). The cinema and films was a sort of golden age in the 70s and 80s (for kids growing up then). My generation has universal access to the world wide web and powerful home computers.