Best Games You've Ever Played

[Jester]

5. F-Zero (SNES: only racing game I ever liked and I loved this one)

Another one of those games where I can still whistle all the themes. Mute City! Port Town! Big Blue! And that accursed Fire Field!

We had some good times, didn't we, Fire Stingray...

-Jester

[Zyn]

BIG BLUE FOR LIFE!

-Z

[Bolty]

In no particular order:

1. World of Warcraft
2. Sacrifice
3. Star Control II
4. Deus Ex
5. Grim Fandango
6. Tie Fighter
7. Mass Effect series
8. Civilization series
9. Planescape Torment
10. Diablo

No way I can list just 5.

Also, see the various other threads on this topic.

[Kevin]

Let's see.

1. American style football ... oh wait we want video games.

I think there are two categories for me. There are games I played a lot and games that I maybe didn't play a lot but really had a lot of fun with for various reasons (wouldn't work on the new OS, newer innovations made something about feel clunky, it was multiplayer and I didn't have anyone else to play with, etc).

The games I've logged the most time on are probably the following.

1. World of Warcraft - even though I've quite that game for at least a few months in every "version" (i.e. expansion pack). It's always had flaws, grinds, balance problems, other annoyances that just didn't merit the monthly fee, but I still had fun with it.
2. Civ III/IV/V - I'm lumping these together 4 probably got the most play time, but I have been playing 5 again recently. It was actually the original Colonization that got me started on these. I know 5 has issues, but I actually like the single units better than stacks of doom, and sense I seem to get pleasure out of making things happen way out of whack with actual history I still quite like it.
3. MoO II - I didn't play one that much even though in ways it was better because the interface just bothered me. I still play MoO II from time to time, but again the interface can be bothersome and the end game can get very tedious at times too. I could lump this with the Civ games, it's the same idea, just in space.
4. Diablo 1/2 - Both of them got played a lot, both of them probably saw more play time in multiplayer than single player. I only really got one build through Diablo/Hell difficulty completely solo in D2. I did get all the classes through Hell in D1 solo. D1 was a much better solo game than D2 for me. D2 I wanted other people around. When the other folks I liked playing with stopped, so did I.
5. FreeSpace / FreeSpace 2 / FS2 Open - I still play FS2 Open and some of the mods for that. I tried some of the X-Wing and Tie Fighter games but I just like the FreeSpace games better as space flight sims. Yeah no gravity or inerita or anything like that but I still liked the game play, I liked the storylines in single player and I even have fun with the multiplayer enough that I got into FRED and made some of my own missions.

First runner up might be M.U.L.E. for play time. My Dad and brothers would play that on the old C-64. I continued to play it in middle school and high school just to unwind after a football/swimming/track practice sometimes. I've fired it up on emulators and even messed about a bit with Planet M.U.L.E. a few times. This would be followed by the Warcraft / Warcraft 2 / Warcraft 3 / Starcraft games. Again I'm lumping them together even though the warcraft games all played differently. I did all the single player missions in them. I played a fair bit of War 2 & 3 in co-op multi, and I played SC co-op and competitive multi (I did pretty well in some of the earliest ladder seasons even). There were LAN parties where sometimes the multiplayer would be Treesh + someone else both vs me in that one.

Oh and Wizardry did get a lot of play time when I was in grade/middle school. Loch covered that one well. We didn't have an Apple and I don't think there was a C-64 version (besides most of our C-64 games were pirated or typed in from a magazine) but I would play it at the local library (and the university library) on one of the computers. They didn't care as long as I got off immediately if someone else wanted to use the computer.

Some of the games that I really enjoyed but didn't get as much play time. Just going to list them.

Re-Volt - It was a very fun little racer and the LAN games were a blast, but it just got to be too much of a pain to get to work nicely and we ended up moving onto some of the Need for Speed games when we wanted multiplayer racing games but they weren't the same.
Mass Effect 1 & 2 - I played through 1 at least three times, and finished two with my favorite imported character. I'm going through two a second time with a fresh character. But I'm not sure they'll get much more replay.
Baldur's Gate 1 & 2 - I never played through these solo, but they worked very well to go through the campaign co-op with another person, a lot of other multiplayer games at the time just didn't work well for doing the campaigns co-op. Icewind Dale did well too, but playing them now just doesn't work for me with the graphics. I've tried the Neverwinter Nights games but they just don't hold me like BG1&2 did.
DoA 3 - I've played other fighting games, but this one felt more natural to me. I was able to get the characters to mostly do what I wanted by just hitting the buttons and pressing the directions that felt right, learning some of the combo moves was easier for me because of that too. Had fun single player, multi co-op and multi versus in that one. But I don't have an X-Box of my own so it doesn't get played anymore.
Shining Force 1 & 2 - Old Sega genesis games that I played through again on an emulator a few years back. Dunno what I liked about it so much, but I did.


There a wall of text for you folks.

[vor_lord]

We had some good times, didn't we, Fire Stingray Blue Falcon...

[Taem]

You cheated! It was a top-5 list!

No way I can list just 5.

Besides, it's my sly way of seeing who likes what games, and if those people have enough game I also enjoy, then I can see what "other" games they enjoyed and give those games a try since I'm in a bit of a gaming stint.

I wanted to say yes to Civilization also. 2 and 3 were by far my most favorite of the series. Had I of remembered them, I might have altered my top-5. We played hot-seat quite a lot back then...

[kandrathe]

... it was multiplayer and I didn't have anyone else to play with,...

... There were LAN parties where sometimes the multiplayer would be Treesh + someone else both vs me in that one. ...

Gamers should always marry gamers if at all possible, because the rest of the world just don't understand.

My wife's idea of coop game "play" is much different than mine.

[Pesmerga]

In no particular order. And this list might not be a list of BEST games, but they're certainly the ones I've enjoyed playing the most.

Suikoden Series (in particular, I, II, and V): I think I've played through the first game 15 or so times. I just don't get tired of the characters and storylines. And it doesn't hurt that it's my favorite turn-based RPG battle system. I love this series so much that I've reboxed them every time I get a new system, so they fit on my shelf with all my newer games. Even the online handle I've used since 2001 is stolen from this series.

World of Warcraft: Not much more can be said on this topic. But for me, the number of friends I've made, as well as the friendships rekindled via playing this game puts it up there. It doesn't hurt that I had tons of fun while playing it (although it was hard when I came back 15 levels below everyone else)

Mass Effect 2 / Dragon Age: Origins / KoToR: I lump these three together, mainly because they're made by Bioware, but I love the stories and universes they've created here (Even if KoToR's universe existed prior).

Final Fantasy VI, IX, VII, X, XII (in that order): FF VI was my introduction to RPGs. I've been hooked since. To me, many of these games were similar (I wouldn't say the same) as playing through one of favorite novels. Sure, I wasn't making many decisions, but to experience the sights and sounds and stories of these characters while maintaining some semblance of control was cool.

Uncharted / Uncharted 2: The only non-RPG to make this list, and it makes the list not so much for it's gameplay (which I liked) but because I enjoyed the story so much. I look forward to the 3rd installment (but can't buy it, since the Halloween purchasing embargo has gone up in my household)

[Zyn]

We had some good times, didn't we, Fire Stingray Blue Falcon Golden Fox!...

C wut I did thar!?

-Z

[Treesh]

I see WoW mentioned a fair bit. I played it, played it for years, but it wasn't the game that did it for me it was the people. There were far too many issues with the game for me, but I LOVED playing with the folks I played with. Once my schedule changed and I couldn't play with my folks, there was just no interest in it at all so while I played it for 5, 6 years (whatever it was), I just couldn't put it as a "best" game. I can put the people as best people though. =D

[Jester]

I see WoW mentioned a fair bit. I played it, played it for years, but it wasn't the game that did it for me it was the people. There were far too many issues with the game for me, but I LOVED playing with the folks I played with. ... I can put the people as best people though. =D

You were always the best person.

-Jester

[DeeBye]

I'm a little disappointed that there is no mention of Ocarina Of Time here.

To be honest, I thought Ocarina was overrated. Fun to play, and definitely a remarkable game, but the kinds of "best evar" kudos it got were too much.

Now, Majora's Mask? That was a game. The "3 days" mechanic was amazing, and the game was so carefully thought out. Also, A Link to the Past was also better, IMO.

I think we have to decide on whether a "top 5" game is looked at from today's perspective or from the perspective of when the game actually came out. Today's games are definitely a lot better than those of yesteryear (for the most part), but I prefer to look at it with the thinking "what was the most fun I ever had playing a videogame?"

OoT blew me away when it came out. It was all the fun of classic Zelda, but made 100 times more epic. I can't honestly say that it's "better" than some of the more modern games, but by 1998 standards it was incredible.

For what it's worth, the most fun I ever had while gaming was playing the WoW beta. Other games that are in the same boat are Resident Evil 2, Super Metroid, FF7, Rogue Squadron, Portal, and Bubble Bobble in the arcade. I also had an incredibly fun night playing Combat with my brother on an Atari Flashback. Beer was involved with that last one, so my memory might be hazy.

P.S. Majora's Mask was sort of "meh" for me. Wind Waker was much better.

[Taem]

I think we have to decide on whether a "top 5" game is looked at from today's perspective or from the perspective of when the game actually came out. Today's games are definitely a lot better than those of yesteryear (for the most part), but I prefer to look at it with the thinking "what was the most fun I ever had playing a videogame?"

That's exactly what I had in mind. You can't compare older games to newer games, but that does not make older games any less fun. On a personal note, I didn't care too much for any Zelda game on the N64. I felt the feel of Zelda was somehow perverted on that system, but I really couldn't explain why. A lot of my friends think Majora Mask and Ocarina are the best games every made, and even have N64 emulators with new high-def skins just for those games.

[Zarathustra]

I have to make some of my five encompass series rather than individual titles. In no particular order...

Chrono Trigger - love this game, and I still hook up the SNES to play through it from time to time. I always looked at it as the story of Magus more than that of Crono.

Zelda Series -I received The Legend of Zelda as a gift for my 7th birthday and never looked back. I had the entire game memorized (still do!) and carried that over as a completionst in all games since. I've played all the console installments plus Link's Awakening on the old Gameboy (which I hold is a moving, beautiful game at the end).

Metroid Series - The exploration of Zelda with an all new setting. I choose to neglect that Other M exists... Babybabybabybaby. Zoid & Co.'s translation of the 2D game into 3D was handled masterfully.

Thief Series - groundbreaking, immersive, and just damned fun. The depiction of chaos vs order drew me in, the second game amazed me with the expansive City, and the third surprised me by bringing the story full circle.

Diablo Series - Needs little in the way of explanation. The community at the DSF and then the Lounge contributed greatly to my years playing these games.

[SoulEdge]

Games that I truely enjoyed, in no particular order:
- Lode Runner
- The Ancient Art of War
- Diablo 1 (DII is okay, but DI is... classic)
- Starcraft 1 (multiplayer)
- World of Warcraft (when I had the time and was in a decent guild with decent players)

[Concillian]

In no particular order:

Ancient Domains of Mystery
Descent II
Baldur's Gate 2
Quake
Warcraft II (Starcraft was more balanced, but I didn't play it nearly as much)

All my top 5 are relatively old. I don't think this is completely nostalgia. I think this is an appropriate video for this thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ZtBCpo0...r_embedded

[Taelas]

In no particular order:
Planescape: Torment
Mass Effect
World of Warcraft
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Knights of the Old Republic

[FireIceTalon]

D1 - I still have all my lvl 50 chars with near perfect gear. Play mostly for PvP but now I rarely play at all. But yea, this game will be impossible to top, Blizz outdid themselves with it.

[Tris]

Hmmm... had a level 50 LAW, but he got lost to the sands of time/multiple systems. He's probably languishing on some CD, but haven't found him yet. Nice char. Had almost near perfect gear. Em/Tiger shield; Obs/stars (+11) mail; Dragon/Zod ring, Drake/Zod ammy, and I can't remember the prefix on the other Zod jewel; KBSoH.

Still play a heavily modded version of D1, thanks to the KP's. Say hello to Goat archers in hell. Added some 4x immune critters, raised the Mlevel of all non-unique hell critters by 10. Changed the melee attacks of some bosses, and added packs with the same attack speeds, etc. Added new monster types, including two types of hidden monsters in hell. Added new affixes, removed some affixes. Altered item characteristics for 2H weapons. Made many critters resistant to stone curse. Added auto-equip, gear sets, something similar to monster "aggro," auto-unload.

Now, if we just figure out how to make Haste work on bows; fixed the attack speed bugs, but haste seems problematic on bows.

Bow DPS, even with Swiftness is too low. When I accidentally hit one of the KP's chars with a four shot burst, supposedly registered about 400-420 damage in 0.5 seconds. Guessing there were latency issues, bow speed is not that fast at 104-108 damage/shot or so.

TDL is a 4x immune fast attack/fast recover Mlevel 100, due to the program itself. Laz is a 4x immune MLevel 115, and the two succubi with Laz are Mlevel 113 IIRC.

Current D1 main is a Clevel 44 LAR. S/S Rogue, the ultimate TDL tanking solution Bow rogue, the ultimate 4x immune ranged critter killing machine

[whyBish]

1) Chess
2) Tennis
3) Touch Rugby
4) Badminton
5) Life

(Hopefully not in order)