N4G Contest - Day 2: Your Best Time

For information on the "20 Days of..." contest, please see https://n4g.com/user/blogpo...

***

Congratulations to Arty84, our first day winner!

***

On the second day, the question we have for you is "What is your favorite game of all time and why?"

For me, as I've said many times on this site, it's still Planescape: Torment. A game I feel that is still utilized to make many concepts in modern games, especially those made by BioWare. Dialog trees, extensive class concepts, focus not on utilizing combat to accomplish goals, vast array of characters.

But, what truly pushed it over the edge for me where two concepts: death is not a bad thing and you could just swap classes freely. These were interesting concepts to me at that time. Death, normally a bad thing and requiring me to create a plethora of save files to prevent it and other decisions. But, in Planescape, it become a thing to not worry about as what you lost wasn't burdensome and, even more interesting, dying was a benefit at times when trying to reach certain areas of the game. And, not being tied to just the one class freed me of the constraints of having to play through the game multiple times to experience the different aspects of your character (hello older TSI games where I would spend hours designing the 'perfect' characters/classes/races/etc.) .

We've seen these elements utilized in many RPGs since them, some sloppily, some a good reflection of their intent of evolving the player's ability to roleplay as well as respecting the time, effort, and desire to experience everything the game has to offer without replaying it over and over.

Which is weird to say that last one since I tend to replay the game at least once every other year.

[ziggurcat]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Because it’s pretty much the best game ever made, IMO.

[XbladeTeddy]

Because?

[ziggurcat]

... it's my opinion... ?

[dedicatedtogamers]

Hard to say. Unless something better comes along, my answer must be Dodonpachi: Daioujou. I've sunk 100s of hours into it.

[Bourne414]

My favorite game is Splinter Cell Chaos Theory. I hadn't played a stealth game prior to the original Splinter Cell, and Michael Ironside pulled me into that universe with his calm yet threatening voice. Sneaking around in the shadows, hiding bodies from the enemy, climbing through and up buildings. It all felt tense too. Perfecting those levels became a goal of mine by Chaos Theory. Sure you can kill everyone, but clearing a level without killing added that extra layer of challenge to an already amazing game.

[phoenixwing]

Final Fantasy 7, loved playing it. I was young so all the graphical might at the time blew me away and I just wanted to keep exploring everything there was to offer. I loved the story as well. It was also the first time a main character died and left an impact on me. I used the dead character as a healer for the group so it was both in game and story wise that the impact was felt.

Edit: It also introduced me to jrpg's which is my fav genre of video games.

[TheGoodestBoi]

Witcher 3. It had everything: awesome story, side quests, and exploration. And one of the best side games ever: Gwent

[thorstein]

Finding the local game of Gwent became my primary goal to seek out new towns and cities.

[oasdada]

ok.. this is a very difficult choice, something i actively avoid.. but ummm.. im gonna go for Resident evil 2, as i have sunk in many hours into that game and must have completed it atleast 20times or maybe more, the mix of action and puzzles with an intriguing story just got me! my close second would be silent hill 2

[Angelin]

Counter Strike: Source because it’s very simple in concept while having one of the first cool looking physics engines in 3d.

[salmonade]

Demon's Souls. -- I played it when it first came out and had zero idea what I was walking into. I just thought it was a straight forward RPG lol. I very nearly gave it up and thought, 'this is just too damned hard', but my pride and my long history of playing games forced me to say to myself, "I'm going to finish this game, even if it's the last thing I do".. and what followed was the most greatest, tense and terrifying experience I've ever had in a game. Before I finished I knew that it was the best game of my entire life. It easily knocked off Final Fantasy 7 as my favourite game of all time, without a doubt in my mind. It also changed me as a gamer forever. I'll never forget the terror I felt when I had no idea where I was or how to get back to a safe zone, packed with souls and words on the screen that said, "You've been invaded by a Dark Spirit"... lol I had no idea the game was even multiplayer, let alone this savagery.

[metalgod88]

I saw a video of this game before it was officially released in the U.S. and was really close to having it imported and just deal with the fact that I can't read Kanji. But, then the Deluxe Edition was announced, so I was one of the few who pre-ordered. Much like you mentioned, Demon's Souls really impacted me as a gamer. It was incredibly difficult and made me question whether I could really beat this game. I didn't have the time to get the Platinum Trophy, but I did manage to beat the game.

The community was small at the time, but everyone was very helpful as some of the mechanics weren't really explained. Working with others in the game to take down some of the bosses, and reading helpful messages, or being invaded/invading others were some of the coolest features in a game I'd seen in a long long time. It kind of felt like a small family of hardcore rpg fans and was just a really neat experience.

IMO, Demon's Souls nailed it and pretty all the features in that game carried over to the Dark Souls/Bloodborne titles. It was an amazing experience and seriously, thank you From Software for creating such a masterpiece of a game.

[stefd75]

Dragons Lair is my fav game of all time manly because it took me years to finish it as I was only able to play it when I went for weeks away to Butlins however I do remember when I did complete it I had a crowd of people behind me and I felt like a God.

[bloop]

Gotta be GTA 3 for me. I've been gaming a long time (since the Atari 2600) and GTA 3 was the first game that truly, absolutely blew me away the first time I sat down to play it. That first night in Liberty City was mind blowing for me and no game has come close on first impression. I'd obviously rate V, VC and SA higher but man, those first hours (and the hundreds I put in free roaming causing chaos passing the controller with friends) in GTA 3, nothing has come close to that experience. It's one game I'd love to be able to go back and experience it for the first time all over again.

[TheLastHoorah]

GTA 3 definitely blew minds when released. I had to buy the trilogy for ps3 again for the nostalgia.

[Garethvk]

My favorite was the original X-Com. The game involved a level of complex strategy and gameplay which was not common for PC games of the era. The mix of turn based combat, scientific research, allocating budgets, base building, and politics made it a frustrating game at times but one I could not turn away from. I remember when funding was low how much I languished over sending unarmed Rookies into combat to draw Alien fire or strapping explosives to them so they could walk into a cluster of enemies and save resources for others.

[cl1983]

The countless hours that I spent in campaign and local multi-player I'd would have to say Halo CE.

If I looked at a game that I just have to play every so often I'd have to say the original Zelda.

[JaimeMaussan]

I'd have to say it's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Its main advantage is having mod support. Having such an active and talented modding community makes this game fit my definition of a perfect, in the sense that it has two main qualities: it gives you absolute freedom of doing virtually anything you want and it becomes endless. The fact that the base game already gives you an engaging story, sophisticated characters, an incredible lore and, in my opinion, the most interactive open world just adds to the already incredible qualities of the game. I only wish there were more games that made me feel as immersed and lost into this world. Its been a bit more than 5 years and I've sunk more than 1,500 hours to it since I started playing, yet I'm still not done with it (or have even finished all the quests or discovered every single location).

PS: Strangely enough, it was my first and the only Elder Scrolls game I've been able to get into; I did not like Morrowind or Oblivion... which just makes me feel that Skyrim was the game for me.

[Eonjay]

Kingdom Hearts 2. It was so much better when compared to the first in terms of gameplay, the Sephiroth battle was amazing and the story was gripping if not completely convoluted by games end.

[TheLastHoorah]

Its a tough one but GTA: San Andreas is my choice.

Simply because it was the first game that i played that seemed to have an infinite supply of mods and cheats. The game on its own was fantastic and spent alot of time playing it long after its release. When things started getting a little old the mods and cheats kept me playing for many years to come. Honorable mention: CoD MW2

[death83x]

I will choose Golden Axe III, since this one was my first game on Sega system and I really fall in love with Sega after that. I spent countless hours on it and it has best characters in game ever at least this is what i remember.

[aleccherkov]

My favourite game would have to be Emergency 4 because it gives you the feeling of going to emergencies and treating the victims and helping out at the scene and then going to the next job one after the other and you can control the situation how you want it to be attended.

[Theknightofnights]

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.

The sound track, the atmosphere, the Scarface and Carlito's Way references, and, of course, the never ending hellish fun. Honestly, I can't believe I was able to buy this game as a 13 year old, and I still go back and play it once a year.

[Darth_Apathicus]

It's a really tough question, while I could go with age of empires 2, KOTOR, mario bros 3, the one i have invested more hours, because i want to play it with everyone i know, is FFX. It might not be the best in the series, but it was the first truly FF i played without any kind of spoilers. For me it was addictive, it was charming, i really liked the characters and the story. It made me question some beliefs and being a writer constantly changing in my mind out of boredom the outcomes of stories i read or watch, i felt satisfied with its development and ending and wouldn´t change a thing. In retrospective, it's still a colorful experience before every palette in videogames became dark, greyish and brown.

[sagapo]

Mafia 1 on PC. This game had it all! Great story, insane graphics, immersion, sound,... I finished that game a dozen times.

[mockzer0]

Castlevania: symphony of the night

[ISHU]

Mine is Dark souls 3. I have completed the game 5 times now and still i sometimes feel like going back and playing pvp. It's just a complete experience. My personal favorite in the series and my favorite game of all time. If there's anything close to it....then it'd be witcher 3.

[william_cade]

D3 is an amazing game

[Cikatriz_ESP]

Same answer to the last question: Ocarina of Time. The reasons have been elaborated upon thousands of times before with considerably more eloquence than I’d be able to muster, so I won’t go there. Suffice it to say that game stirred something in me in ways that haven’t been matched since.

[xHeavYx]

Right now Spider-Man for the PS4. Can't put that game down

[annoyedgamer]

Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings

I was addicted at age 11. Hours and hours played on the demo alone.

Close second: Runescape

[LeeFender]

Bloodborne is my favorite game of all time. The sense of dread, artistic direction, sound design, amazing combat system and the immersive dark gothic world is just on a whole different level. Don't even get me started on the phenomenal level design either. Miyazaki is a god when it comes to creating and designing games. I actually also had the privilege to go into the bloodbrone live demo appointment at E3 2014 as well as Dark Souls III at E3 2016 and I actually met him again at E3 2018 by one of the meeting rooms. Very cool dude and he knows his games. I really love my job, because I get to meet amazing producers, designers and directors in this field.

[Godmars290]

Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Was like playing, being the main character, in a JP sci-fi movie.

[redniku]

The first Bioshock.
When I first tried playing it as a kid, I quit. It was too scary for my child brain. When I picked it up again years later, the story and setting was what made me forget how scared I originally was. Also, the ending of the game is my favorite of anything I've played since. Would you kindly agree with me?

[coolbeans]

Congrats to Arty!

I've always been torn by this question, especially when #1 and #2 are so close together. Current all-time favorite is still Star Wars: KOTOR, which I've detailed why in a past review of mine here (though I'd love to expand upon it someday).

It's a great marriage of the traditional Star Wars archetypes found within the early films/Expanded Universe and well-made RPG systems. It wasn't my first RPG experience, but it was the first I felt totally compelled to finish. Plus, Star Wars remains my favorite fictional universe of all time. There's more I'd like to expatiate on regarding it, but I'm stumbling upon this blog when I'm incredibly tired. Maybe I'll give a more-detailed response later.

(#2 is Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory btw)

[Christopher]

It's a good RPG system. Pulled mostly from the PnP d20 system. Good rules set is key to allowing for good action, and it did it well.

I kind of wish the movies addressed the Old Republic stories more than the future it has explored.

[coolbeans]

Yeah, that's been one of my biggest disappointments with the Disney acquisition: scorched-earth approach to EU with the exception of anything that leaked into Lucas's official work (The Clone Wars in particular kept some ties). And it's interesting how some little details could carry over from different SW series. Like how cortosis explains how swords can stand up to lightsabers in KOTOR and they're considered illegal in the prequel timeline (mentioned in Star Wars: Obi-Wan).

[captaincow]

Shining force I and II for the SEGA genesis. Great turn based strategy, great story, great music. Only game I faked on illness for to stay home and play. Holds up pretty well. I still play them from time to time.

[SegaGamer]

My favourite games for the Mega Drive. The first time I played these games was difficult though because I sprained both of my wrists XD

[TheGamez100]

Persona 4 Golden, just brings out the best in all catagories of a jrpg and even a game in general for me. Lovable characters, great story and gameplay. One of the only few games Ive played over and over and still love it with 100+ hrs for a singleplayer game. When the game ended, man did I feel like a part of me died seeing the ending and all the heroes' stories end. But a part of me also felt embraced. My most fave game of all time.

[King_Noctis]

My favourite of all time? GTA San Andreas. There were simply no games like it during that time. The openess and the freedom as well as the great story that it has had propelled this game to the top of many people’s greatest game of all time list.

[Vedo]

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. RDR1 comes close, but nothing transforms me into it's world like Ocarina does.

[Lore]

Kingdom Hearts, same as day 1 response

[luckytrouble]

My favorite game is easily Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. I have so many good memories with that game, and once when someone offered to buy me any game I wanted, that was my choice. To this day I can play it through and enjoy every moment as if it was the first time. A game that stuck with me far more than I expected it to years after I played the iconic experiences that shaped my gaming tastes today.

[Fluxour]

It has to be Pokemon Emerald, for both the memories I have attached to the game and how much fun and sheer value was present on that single cartridge. The sound of chiptune trumpets will forever be associated with pokemon for me. Emerald was my first ever video game on my video ever console (a GBA SP) and I was never able to put either down. I had no idea what game saves were so I'd end up keeping my SP tethered to the charging cable 24/7, never shutting it off for fear of losing my team of Sceptile, Aggron, and Swellow. How far I've come in the last ~15 years lol. The game itself still holds up to this day on its technical merits too. The battle frontier was revolutionary and only Platinum has come to rival emerald in the amount of postgame content in a pokemon game. The dynamic between team magma and team aqua had repercussions that felt more real than past and future pokemon villains, what with the crazy weather effects that affected the game world. It's a game I've always found myself gravitating back towards at least once a year as a kind of comfort food.

[-Ghost]

Donkey Kong County 3 for SNES. I was in elementary school and would play it during lunch time and after school until I beat it. The music was amazing!

https://www.youtube.com/wat...
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[blackblades]

Like the first one dk its to many of them. Overwatch maybe its the only game I go back to and most hrs.

[anonymousfan]

Never heard of Planescape but my favorite game is made by Bioware; Mass Effect (I love the trilogy as a whole but otherwise the 2nd game is my favorite)

[TheSaint]

Fallout 3, first time I stepped out of Vault 101 I was blown away. the game was so big, so fleshed out it was mind blowing. have put in over 1000 hours into it and will continue to play it.

[franwex]

Final Fantasy VII. Right up til you get to the snow area after snowboarding section.

I thought it looked strange even for its time, but I just love the world, the music, the little character interactions, their back stories as you visit each town after you leave Midgar. Leaving Midgar for the 1st time and realizing that you have just barely scratched the surface of the game and a whole world is out there. No other game has given me that feeling. On top of that the battle system is still very good with materia enhancing weapons and such while providing magic.

Right after the snow area I am not a big fan. The story gets strange with Cloud’s amnesia and all that. Still good though. But at least the entire 1st disc and part of the 2nd is fantastic and enough to make it my favorite game ever.

[arbi]

Oups, tough question! its very diffucult for me to choose between my top 3 ( MGS, World of warcraft and Skyrim). Have to go with Skyrim!

This game is awesome for so many reasons, amazing huge world with great graphics at its time, easy to get lost for hundrends of hours while discovering and searching Caves that goes miles down into the earth discovering ancient lost civilizations (dwemer) or simpler things like a small thug hideout, vampire toombs and staff like that. Great atmospheric ambient OST that make you feel this world is alive!

[URNightmare]

This one is hard! There are too many games I really like for different reasons. I'm just not gonna even bother thinking about it. Too hard!

[Newmanator]

Mine has to be Crash Team Racing, bring on the remaster!

[eNdeR_SiN]

Bloodborne

Awesome story setting, amazing combat, cool outfits and weapons

[UltraNova]

I've played many "game of the year" game of the generation" "best of all time" games like FF7, Ocarina of Time, tLoU etc...but none made so much impact to me than Dark Souls did. This game sucked me in its depressing, punsishing and magical world, and taught me one hard, very hard lesson - if you persevere through failure and harshness you will eventually get rewarded.

No other game left that lasting of an impression to me and that's why it managed to become my No 1 game of all time.

[HylianMigz]

the first and my favorite game world i remember totally engrossing myself in was the PS1 port Chrono Trigger. the FMV’s transported me there, and i can still see the intro in my mind right now. not to mention how Frogs Theme is probably the most honorable song ever written.

[ninsigma]

Final Fantasy 7. The scope of that game wowed me as a kid. The sound track was incredible, characters were so damn cool, it had great gameplay and the story was enthralling. Loved every bit of it.

[hercules_]

Very tough to pick, I've got quite a few. I am a huge fan of Rockstar's games. My favorite is Red Dead Redemption due to the compelling story, characters, and exploring the western landscape was an absolute joy.

[Jorjk]

The Last Of Us! It was the 1st time I get emotionally involved in the story and characters. The themes explored in the game were like a revelation to me, and no need to get into details, but jorj after TLOU is different than jorj before TLOU. And for this, it is definitely my favorite game ever, its more than a game, its an experience and a revelation.

[robtion]

Yep in my top 10 of all time. The prologue alone, insane.

[gigas]

Hollow knight. I've had perfect sense of exploration. combat is simple and has perfect weight to it.

[CP_Company]

God of War. This game's every part is from perfect to a masterpiece. It is full packed. This game is highest quality art form, Mona Lisa of video games. This game makes me proud to be a gamer.

[DarXyde]

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

For me, this game represents the perfect synthesis of gameplay, narrative, creativity, and mechanics to reflect the spirit of the game (e.g., face paint and camouflage in a jungle setting).

[EricLane]

Never played it for some reason. I wish they would remaster it. Looked great.

[Rob Hornecker]

Motocross Madness 2 for the PC ! My 1st foray into online gamming and I'm still friends with the 1st person I played it with!

[Stay-Toasty]

The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. I was young and I had borrowed it from my cousin and I fell in love with it. I remember using up all the ink in my dad's printer printing out text walkthroughs for certain parts, like Jabu Jabu's belly. It has great game design and still holds up today.

[Necron]

I'm going to have to say Super Mario RPG for SNES. Everything about it just felt awesome.

[milohighclub]

It's probably uncharted 2 for me, i love third-person adventure games and this game seemed to nail everything. The pacing was perfect, the story was engaging and the animations were like nothing i'd seen in and game prior. Also shoulder swap is life.

[Evolve]

Flashback: The Quest for Identity
This game was a true definition of a 2D game. The variety of game level design, infinite lives, and cool way to tell a story. I could play this game forever.

[BlackDoomAx]

Chrono trigger. Great story, great soundtrack, great characters, great replayability with really different endings, great game system. It's really a perfect game :)

[Jurat]

Elite: Dangerous

The original and best space sim. Backed the kickstarter in 2012 and Frontier Developments have stayed true to their original goal - to keep the game updated with ever changing expansions. I play this game full sim - a VR headset; a HOTAS system; a tactile transducer in my gaming chair. It truly feels like I'm piloting my own star ship; it never gets old.

[Plyzz]

Jak and Daxter: The Precurser Legacy is definitely my number one. The whole series is incredible games, but the first was such a new experience for me, having almost only played the very linear/small scale world types of games prior to this gem.

[Chris092]

Shadow of The colossus!

The music, bosses, art style are just so beautiful and I just love The lore of it. It Felt so sad to kill The colossuses and The one that could hide in The sand was really scary for me. It kinda gave The feeling of a shark stalking me.

[Dreamcatcher45]

MGS. With Heart of Darkness as a very, very close second.

[BioDead]

Resident Evil 2, because its such a classic

[aconnellan]

Favourite game of all time?

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

It was incredible at the time and still holds up well enough today. The univers of the Old Republic era had never been explored, so it was Star Wars but not like you knew it. Everything about it was new and fresh.

I had never really played RPGs before Kotor, and it was a great introduction to the genre. The combat was unique, the characters were great, and I still maintain that it’s one of the best Star Wars stories ever told.

Kotor will always hold a special place in my heart, and I still play through it at least once a year - not just to relive nostalgia, but to actually continue playing it for the the experience.

[robtion]

Such a tough question!

Tenchu, Beyond Good and Evil, Shadow of the Colossus, The Witcher 3, I could probably do a top 100 list without breaking a sweat.

That said I will say Bloodborne. I easily put 300+ hrs into it and I love everything from the gothic horror atmosphere to the subtle storytelling.

The combat system is deep and so well refined for those who delve into it. The game really provides a sense of mastery and achievement for those who take the time to discover all of its secrets.

My first souls game was demons souls which I imported on the ps3 as it did not originally release in Aus. While I like all of From Software's titles I think Bloodborne is the pinnacle of the series.

Looking forward to Sekiro.

[sinspirit]

Breath of Fire 3. I was about 7 years old when I played this game. And, I already beat FF7 and OoT. But, the artwork of BoF3 always resonated with me and I loved the character designs and the dragon gem system. There is a vast world of many different cultures and architectures. When I eventually started watching/reading One Piece I was instantly reminded of BoF3 and respected it much more then. We don't get many games with the same interesting concepts and areas that stand out from each other as much as this. It also made me respect when stories take you out of your comfort zone, and completely remove you from where you had begun to settle. It's not simply point A to B. Sure is at first, and then A is removed from the equation and now your making your way back to fix it. Many games just keep you adventuring forward, even with an overworld, with maybe an occasional retreat backwards.

[bluefox755]

Really underrated game, wish they'd remaster it or something.

[Relientk77]

I have such great memories playing Breath of Fire 3 and 4 on PS1. Great games

[EricLane]

Rainbow trouts...

[syedharoonbinmazhar]

Resident Evil 4 a game deserve to be called a classic also my favorite game of all time so many things are awesome in this game and still have replay value !!!

[THC CELL]

Best game of all time was over blood
Waking up and finding that bebo and it dying was first time a game brought a tear to my eye and was brilliant

[monkey602]

Metal Gear Solid is probably my all time favourite. All the small touches blew me away. Like CQC and using cigarettes to great smoke to reveal lasers, but the Psycho Mantis fight and how you had to switch controller ports to prevent him reading your mind gobsmacked me. That games boss fights are probably still my favourite of all time. It was also the first time I can recall discovering just how important sound design is to a game.

[slang201V]

Mgs3.Ahead of its time.Excellent gameplay,compelling story.Might the best mgs to date

[bluefox755]

Final Fantasy Tactics. When a friend first showed me the game, I was pretty disappointed. I had recently come off of FF7, and it felt like a downgrade. I'm glad I gave it a chance because I've went on to put in probably 1000+ hours over the years. The gameplay and story are still phenomenal to this day. A shame we never got a proper sequel.

[Blobfish69]

Secret of mana on the Snes. So much love for this game. Many a weekend spent playing this co-op with 2 friends. Replayed with younger brother when he was about 8 and he loved it too.

[Daoshai]

The greatest game I've ever received was TMNT II: the arcade game. It was the first time I really felt like I brought the arcade home and it was a blast to play with friends. I have several old photos with me posing with it, lol

[UNCHARTED2FANATIC]

You will look at my name and know. There are not many games i can think of that have both a legitimately amazing campaign and multiplayer, or really any at all but it's safe to say uncharted 2 is one of those very VERY rare games that delivers heavily in both. The multiplayer is deep and incredibly fun for those that give it a chance and it does so many things better than other bigger multiplayer juggernauts like CoD and BF. I am still to this day waiting for a multiplayer that can give me something close to the quality of uncharted 2's mp, and that's without mentioning the absolutely amazing campaign but everyone already knows about that

[Yi-Long]

That's a ridiculously difficult question to answer, because i have favourite games and experiences in different genres. I adored my time with Super Meat Boy, but was it better than Super Mario World? Is playing Sensible Soccer against your friends better than seeing the hours completely fly by while making an amazing city in Sim City 4?

Honestly, whichever answer I'll give, and I'll give an answer, it's not going to be the definitive answer, cause there are too many games I absolutely LOVE, that I couldn't pick one over the other.

That said, I pick Driveclub. Why? Because it's technically a perfect game that knows exactly what it does, what it needs to do, and it does it so very very well. More importantly, it's FUN.

Let me explain: I can pick up Driveclub, quickly set-up a race against the CPU, come in 5th or 6th, and it won't feel like I wasted my 3-4 minutes, because I had a blast playing it. The controls are tight, the gameplay is challenging but always fair, and you feel in complete control of your car, so when you somehow mess up somewhere, it's on you.

It perfectly fits that balance between the more serious racers like Forza and perhaps GT, and the arcade-genre which often is either ridiculously over the top in terms of 'spectacle', or simply to easy/unrealistic.
It's close to what PGR and GRID did. And while I love those games as well, I feel Driveclub just edges it in some areas.

The visuals still remain outstanding even to this day, years after release, due to the dynamic weather & lighting, and the incredible attention to details. The track design is consistently great. Original tracks designed to be visually interesting while also great fun to drive on.

It's basically all I want from gaming: The streamlined experience which knows exactly what it is (and what it isn't), technically near perfection, built to amaze and challenge, while still leaving the gamer in complete control, so while it might be difficult at times (and it will be difficult at times), it is always absolutely fair, thus pushing you to improve until you reach that next level, and thus feeling so much better about yourself when you do...

A crying shame Sony pulled the plug on Driveclub and its studio.

[matyicsapo]

Another tough question.
Shadow of the Colossus, Last of Us are the games I would advise everybody (including non-gamers) to play.
However my all-time favourite was the (as of now) pinnacle of the soulsborne franchise: Bloodborne.
Loved it even though I hated myself for it.

[Daeloki]

Kingdom Hearts. It was my first PS2 game, and for the first few weeks, I didn't have a memory card and I remember playing the beginning over and over and over, without getting bored of it. I usually made it all the way to Deep Jungle (Tarzan world) before I inevitably had to give up and turn off the console for the night. I thought the game was massive on that scale already (Deep Jungle was the last world in the first area of 4 worlds), I can't describe my feeling when I finally had a memory card and was able to go beyond, and discover 6 more worlds!

That game put me trough a rollercoster of emotions, which I first thought was because I was just a kid, but having replayed it last year, it still does. Discovering Riku and Kairi disappeared, finding Riku but he was going dark side, finding Kairi but she lost her heart, losing the keyblade to Riku, finding Kairis heart, only to lose Sora's instead, getting to play as a heartless for a while (so badass), Kairi restoring Sora's heart, and finally reaching the final boss and save the day!... only to lose both Riku and Kairi again, with no idea that there would be a sequel...

Kingdom Hearts opened up my mind to how great and versatile a story can be. How it can be happy and colourful one moment, scary and violent the other or dark and sad, all without loosing itself in the process. That is why Kingdom Hearts will be my all time favourite game.

[SNACK_SHARK_TROLL]

This is pretty much a repeat of the first post. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is my favorite of all time. Because it's a unique game, with all types of things you can do it, enter in contest(Hover bike racing, and battle arenas to win gadgets, and currency(bolts)), hacking puzzles, different types of weapons that can be upgraded, space battles where you can upgrade/customize your ship, different suits/armor you can buy, glide sections, boss fights, rememberable characters, replayability, and more but I just state the meat of things. This is a game you didn't really hear much about. But was killing it in the platform genre.

[Relientk77]

Going Commando is my favorite game in the series, and then Up Your Arsenal for pretty much all the reasons you said, and I just absolutely love the weapons in that game. Hope we get a new Ratchet and Clank game soon, or remake of Going Commando

[SNACK_SHARK_TROLL]

Yes sirrr, the whole series is a banger. Spin offs is alright, but the main lines are spot on.

[pabadamus1]

I've played a lot of games in my life but the one that always sticks out is GTA5 campaign. It took me about 3 months to complete that game because I found myself foregoing the story missions for simple side missions and activities. I didn't do this because the story wasn't interesting. In fact it was the opposite. The story was so well done and the characters were so well developed that I wanted to prolong the experience. The side missions were also very entertaining.

[FullmetalRoyale]

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. I was nineteen and had just moved out on my own. That game brought out of me some major issues I hadn’t dealt with. Namely my mother’s addiction. Idk when I would have started facing that stuff had I not had that game “trigger” me, but I probably wouldn’t be on the path I am now. I’ll never forget that final button input, and how it made me jump the first time I did it.

[XtreemGamer]

Best time was playing The Last of Us

[johndoe11211]

Gonna have to say final fantasy 10. I own that game on every platform it exist on. it's the best final fantasy game in my book. For me it has the best lineup of characters in the entire series, the best implementation of aeons where you actually get to control them, tons of side quests and one of the best ability building systems in the series with the sphere grid.

[solideagle]

1. I got PS2 as a gift from my uncle and me, my younger brother and friend started playing Final Fantasy X. we would wait for cut scene and our jaws will drop on every CGI or new summon. Playing FFX with friends was the best experience.

2. My best buddy came to my home and was clearly very upset. I asked him what happened and he said some guys bullied him in arcades (King of Fighters 98) and I want to defeat them. Luckily, I had 2 arcade sticks and Mame with Kof 98. We practiced for full week and after 1 week of training, my best buddy and I defeated every single one of them. An awesome feeling :D

[The 10th Rider]

Definitely Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past.

My friend had a cartridge with bad memory or whatever, so the game would always lose its save data and we had to learn how to play the game from beginning to end with almost no save. It made for a lot of late nights.

[bigmalky]

The Secret of Mana for sure. It got me through a lot of bad times as a kid/teenager... I honestly can't count the number of times I've played it.

I also have great memories of playing it in two player mode with my sister, who insisted on giving characters rude names haha.

It's a shame about the remaster, but I still have the SNES original to tide me over.

[Relientk77]

Final Fantasy IX, It was the first JRPG I ever played and introduced me into potentially my favorite genre. I've never played anything like it before, the characters, story, battles, traveling on the map, big cities with shops, and an absolutely amazing soundtrack. The game is a masterpiece. I rented it from Blockbuster, played it all weekend, then when I returned it went to Best Buy and bought it with my own money. One of the first games I ever bought with my own money.

[Nyxus]

I would have to say The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, because it showed me what videogames could be, and it has the perfect balance of exploration, combat and story.

[DarkOcelet]

While its hard to say a favorite game of all time cause each generations games evolve in terms of story, gameplay etc etc. I think the game that i would say to be my favorite of all time would be Parasite Eve 2. The gameplay is superb and holds super well to this day and the fact that each difficulty changes the locations of the enemies and weapons in the games makes each playthrough varied and entirely different especially when also each difficulty comes with its own set of rules when it comes to weapons and items you will acquire and you have different Health points and Magic Points to cast the powers that the protagonist have. The way the game is designed blows my mind to this day and it saddens me that developers nowadays don't implement those systems to make the replay value much better.

[Platformgamer]

mine is crash bandicoot warped, in a time when all kids bullied me and my family wasn't that rich, the only thing that made me smile was playing that game...
crash 3 wasn't just an awesome platform game, it was my happiness literally

[william_cade]

Bloodborne

Bloodborne is stylish and brutal. It's reminds me of a functional installation piece artistically, yet it's a grim puzzle mechanically, which cannot be separated from its design . By the time the last piece locked into place as though it were the puzzle box from Hellraiser, I sat back and said, "I've got to do this again."

[RebelWAC]

Final Fantasy 7. I got to borrow it from the owner of the videostore that I used to rent games from. He hand it to me and said "play this". After inserting the disc and playing for a day or two in midgar I'm totally swallowed by the graphics and story. I finally reach Shinra headquarters. The music sets the pace and in the back of my head I'm thinking "this is it, the final skirmish!". I make my way up the floors and encounter the cayote and as I name him something I also speculate for a second why I would encounter a party member at the end of the game..? But what did I know about JRPG's?
I keeps it moving and enter the motorcycle chase scene... I'm in awe. I finally defeat the boss, save midgar and thinking to myself (honestly) "this is the best game I've ever played omg" ... the characters keep talking about having to leave the city and as I'm getting ready for a end credit of some sort the screen switches to a little character standing next to a dome like structure.. I dont understand nothing at this point. I grab the controller start moving and after my first enemy encounter and reaching the first village to the west I realise a few things. How bad my English was, how much this game made me want to learn more and that I've just scratched the surface. *mindblown

Final Fantasy 7 isn't only the best game I've ever played but it also had the most impact on my life.. granted I was only a teenager it still did what few games can't replicate today. It had a personality for one, it encouraged you to play for hours without the use of filler and it was ahead of its time.

[Emilio_Estevez]

I'm so bad at picking a fav, there are so many.

Original Battlefront 2 is the one I probably have the most hours on.

[innocentrebel]

Super Metroid. Played through the game many times, and always wished there was more b/c I get so hooked. The music, sound effects, weapons, secrets, enemies, and the atmosphere of all the different locations you visit, And the final boss, are you kidding me? Has to rank up there as one of the greatest boss battles, and surprises, of all time. Blew me away in '94, still can't get enough in 2018!

[strayanalog]

This is an incredibly tough question, but I'll go with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. This game truly was the benchmark for me by showing me what should be expected in 3D games for that first play on. I could go on about how the free-roaming world and graphics were mind blowing‎ or how the heavily imitated Z-targeting anchored me to the experience and the thrill of a fight, but it was the story that crossed seven years - a lifetime then - that made sure it endured with me and intertwined with my own life about growing up as quick as I was in the uncertain world that I was being tossed into. Ocarina of Time truly not only is my favorite game, but the first time I can truly say art imitated life.

[XentaJones]

Super Mario Bros

When I was growing up, there was one game I seen on TV one system that I wanted and its was the NES with the game I mentioned. A simple game with a simple concept, run, jump and win each level,and rescue princess peach. I played the game over and over, and over and over. Even when I went on holiday I would find an arcade and still play this game, along with R-Type.

The game might have been simple but it was a game that brought a child hours and hours of fun for years and years.

[agent13]

A lot of people might disagree with me but the best game I've ever played is mafia 2 even though I have played a lot of games after finishing mafia 2, still none of them felt as good as mafia 2 for me it had an unique 50s atmosphere with a touching story and exciting missions. it had some issues on paper. but I just don't know why I love it so much. even after playing through it for 6 times i still wanna play it again. here are top 5 games i've ever played:
1-mafia 2
2-uncharted 4: a thieve's end (ultimate perfection in a video game)
3-The witcher 3
4-gta san andreas
5-the last of us

[Elwenil]

For me it was Battlefield 2 for the PC, specifically with the Project Reality mod. I was playing with a gaming community called Tactical Gamer at the time and we had a great group of players that would squad up pretty much every night. (TG-X) We had a terrific squad leader and each of us had a job and were very good at it. I mainly played an Engineer and my main role was anti-vehicle. Our specialty was defense so when our squad took a point, we generally held it for the entire match. So much that we became known for our defensive abilities and was used as such in competitions against other gaming communities. It was a great group of friends and games that still stick with me some 13 years later. I've tried many times to get a group together like that again but none have ever had that cohesiveness and dependability. Everyone was working for the squad and the objectives and not for K/D or personal glory.

[Cyb3r]

Final Fantasy 7 the most compelling story and it was not as toned down with language and death as most of the latest games in the series

[Razzer]

StarCraft. I've poured more hours into that game than any other. Still play it regularly today.

[ABizzel1]

It's a harc pick between The Last of Us, The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, and Pokemon. Pokemon easy access allowed me to enjoy it and play for hundreds of hours and it just appeals to my collectors habit. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time was the first cinematic masterpiece I've ever played.

However, I have to go with The Last of Us. This PS3 swan song, was by far one of the greatest if not the greatest cinematic masterpieces in gaming EVER in my opinion. Never before in a game have I cared for the cast of characters to the depths of me wanting to ensure I made it to the end and save both Joel and especially Ellie. While I have felt feelings such as joy, happiness, and fear (horror) in other games, there are few games that have made me embrace my emotional spectrum to the extent The Last of Us made me feel after each chapter.

And finally the mechanics of the game worked so well in the story with the crafting system and leveling system. These are ordinary people not master gunmen, so having to level up things like sway overtime to allow you to be more accurate was enjoyable, crafting items on the spot with no pause option added to the intensity, and being able to share this cinematic experience with someone I lost makes this game my all time favorite.

[I_am_Batman]

Final Fantasy VIII. It was my first FF game. Loved everything about it.

[Shadowtaster33]

I'll have to go with Dark Souls with The Witcher 3 as a close second.
Dark souls got me through some tough times despite it being rage inducing (Pikachu and Snorlax if you know what I mean) I just cant help but get lost in the interwoven map and deep lore as well as Solaire

PRAISE THE SUN

[PoopsMcGee]

My finalists (though I'm sure I'm forgetting a few):

Metal Gear Solid
Grand Theft Auto 3 trilogy (of the three VC is my personal favorite for many reasons, I can still remember every inch of that map and SOUNDTRACK)
Final Fantasy 7
God of War
Uncharted 2
Twisted Metal 2
Zelda: Link to the past
Bloodborne

And, the winner is...

Final Fantasy 7

This game blew open the industry and gripped me in a way few games ever have. Everything was a revelation and I didn't want it to end even after spending hours upon hours on it. The characters, story, exploration, game play and graphics were all top notch.

[PoopsMcGee]

Oh, and an honorable mention to Tony Hawk...

[crazyboom]

iIt's hard to pick a favorite game when I have played so many great ones over the years. If i have to choose i think i will go with persona 4 golden, even though i do think persona 5 is better overall. persona 4 was my first persona game and I was blown away by it. I loved that everything was a choice that mattered since you have limited time. i can spend time with a friend to build up my social link but then I'm not studying for the upcoming test and increasing my stats. The cast of characters were great and the bond you make with them throughout the game is unlike anything else. Then you take those guys in to the tv to fight monsters where every enemy is a actual threat which made me enjoy the combat even though I didn't like turn base games.

[septemberindecember]

I’m going to have to say Super Metroid. The back tracking, progression, and boss fights are all top notch. It has incredible level design, near perfect ambiance, and a satisfying arsenal. While it wasn’t the first of its kind it almost perfected the genre so early on that other Metroidvanias are still playing catch up to the entry.

[Fullmetalevolust]

Shining Force 3, the pinnacle of strategy JRPG. It had a strong political plot that anyone could follow with twists and turns no one would have expected. It had great level design with enemies appearing out of nowhere when you thought you were finally winning the battle. The magic casting was incredible. Recruiting new members for the Shining Force was beyond satisfying. The soundtrack is still the best I've ever heard.

[lxeasy]

Elder Scrolls Skyrim because it was the first time I ever played an open world game that made me for get I was playing a video game. I actually believed I was in this world because literally every decision I made matter including decisions that weren't bight up in dialogue. I bought the game the year it came out on 360 and I got the remaster for next gen. And I am still new things I didn't even know where possible in this game. This is in my opinion is undoubtedly Bethesda's best work of art.

[ThePsychoGamer]

Final Fantasy 9, Love the story, characters and gameplay.

[-Foxtrot]

Too many games to mention but one of my favourites has been Half Life because it was such a blast to play when I was younger and really showed me how good First Person Shooters could be after I had already exhausted myself playing Doom or Wolfenstein to death. I didn't think I could be so invested story wise but I was hooked from the moment I started playing.

[darthv72]

Strider for the arcade, genesis and all other ports. I have always loved the idea of being a super ninja type of character and it taking place in the future with giant robo gorillas, t-rex skeletons and amazon women, not to mention the final battle above the planet. Still a fun game to play.

[rchris]

I think this question could be answered multiple ways for me.... There have been a number of games that I have thoroughly enjoyed in my 20+ years of playing video games. I would say the game I spent the most time with as a child was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. My father used to let me play on Sundays at halftime of the football game and I would spend a lot of time with him figuring out the puzzles. This game is really what got me in to gaming in the first place and I cherish it still to this day.

The game I have spent the most time with recently and has easily become one of my favorites of all time is Persona 5. I put over 100 hours into the game and kept coming back for the deep mechanics, excellent story, and challenging gameplay..

Unfortunately, I haven't had as much time to game recently as I've recently been taking care of my newborn son with the help of my wife, but I can't wait until he gets older so I can share these great games with him and hopefully he experiences them similarly to the way my father and I did when I was a child. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say when he is my age and I'm an old man (if he takes an interest in playing games like I did).

[Goldby]

im gonna get hate for this.

But Diablo 3, it was the game that introduced me to my GF, and reconnected me with my little brother.
it isn't so much that the game is good (d2 much better game) but that I was able to positively change my life because of this game that I hold it so high.

after that, it would be journey and its message which helped me thru depression

[notachance]

Xenogears

It's pretty much the first game that made me realise a game can be so much more than mere fun pastime, still wish they properly make the disc 2 part.

[Tross]

I can't choose just one. Once or twice a gen, sometimes more, a title comes along that resonates deeply with me, but I have to have played hundreds of games over the course of my life and even my list of all time favourites is too large to pick a definitive winner. The PS1 had greats like the Tomba games, Tekken 3 and Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, among others. Fast forward to the PS4 and great titles seem to come out every year, from last year's Persona 5 to this year's Spider-Man. Also, my list of favourites spans multiple genres so I like them all for different reasons. As such, I choose not to pick an absolute favourite. If that disqualifies me from this particular draw so be it, but I had to post anyways.

[KevDro22387]

Super Mario Bros because it's the first game I ever played and it just hold that special feeling when played. Also it can be played over and over and never gets old

[Arty84]

lots of choices but gonna say GTA3 overall just for what it would start

[Fist4achin]

Halo 3. Some great MP, fun campaign, fun coop play, and still Bungie at the helm.

[gaffyh]

Metal Gear Solid. It was the first time I was completely blown away by a game and I what they could be capable of doing. I.e. movie quality. it cemented in my mind that games will be around for years to come and will do special things. AND I WAS RIGHT!

[The_DFO]

If I were to judge this simply in terms of the number of hours I've poured into the game, then I'd have to say No Man's Sky. I guess I have a thing for low-key exploration and survival games. In terms of overall enjoyment, though, I'd put that alongside Witcher 3, Portal 2, and Life is Strange, all for very different reasons.

[Fragger2k8]

The first things that come to mind would be RuneScape and Tanarus. I can't really say that I love one of them more than the other, but I suppose I'll go with Tanarus. =P

Tanarus was an amazing and very competitive arcade-like multiplayer tank game that came out back in 1997. My dad had bought a computer in 1998 and someone from his work told him about the game, and I think it was on the first day of having our computer that I was already completely hooked on it. I believe it was my first real PC game and the first game that I've played online.

The game was a lot of fun in any of the game modes, but my absolute favorites of them were Force Wars and Phoenix Wars. They were both actually pretty similar to each other, but Phoenix had Lighting tanks (which was the fastest of them) where you could chose a loadout of rockets (which allowed you to propel yourself upwards) and Phoenix missiles, that took two shots to take out a tank. Force Wars (I'd definitely say that I loved this the most), had teams of Lightning tanks with nothing but a loadout of (4?) force missiles (which do no damage). The maps in Force were designed to have a lot of ramps, drops and sometimes be without edges, and the point was to use these force missiles to launch other tanks to their death. Things in force could get very chaotic at times, especially when lag was involved, but I don't believe I have ever had so much fun in a game before.

I can't exactly explain why I'd chose Tanarus as my favorite, because it's hard to put it in words. The game just offered the most amazing and unique experience and rewarded teamplay, strategy, patience and cunning over "run and gun" type tactics. It was challenging and it always had me wanting to come back for more. I still want more..

The day that they finally took the servers offline really was one of the worst moments that I've ever felt. It was completely devastating to know that this game will never exist again. Nobody else will ever have the chance to play it, and, to this day, knowing that still makes me feel sick to my stomach. It truly is one of those games that just deserved to be around forever and played by everyone. There was nothing else like it, and nothing like it will ever be around again.

Here's some information on the game, and someones youtube video showing some Force and Phoenix Wars, for anyone interested.
https://gaming.fandom.com/w...
https://www.youtube.com/wat...

[Lasikiewicz]

Use to be Final Fantasy X due to all the added extras'. That has since been replaced with Red Dead Redemption 2. By far the greatest game ever made.

[Palitera]

Duke Nukem. Earthshaking for the time.

[Thatgrammar]

The Last Of Us is my favorite game of all time for its immersive/fun/challenging/inve ntive gameplay, its robust/interesting/real/intrig uing/well written characters, and fantastic/beautiful/engaging/w ell written narritive. It is the best form of mass media that I have ever experienced.

[Blackwalt]

In relatively recent memory (2014) my memorable experience came with "Hitman Absolution" which I only tried because it was a free games with gold on Xbox Live.
From a previous write up :

"This is how I started my own horror movie in the middle of Hitman Absolution. A scarecrow working his way through the field, killing one gunman after another.
Could anything make this even better? Dressed as a scarecrow taking down goons and nuns one at a time. Stealthily working my way through the cornfields leaving a trail of dead bodies to mark my path. Could anything possibly make this a better movie?..." ( http://bit.ly/2FVIWJD)

[Glphy77]

I would have to go with Tales of Symphonia. It was the first game that I had a dire need to play. I saw it constantly at Blockbuster but it was always rented out so I saved and saved and saved to finally buy my own copy. I remember playing that game for hours, over and over again just fighting monsters and loving the characters and story. I even go back to this day and just play it again in the GameCube for fun!

[vcoxiv]

Mass Effect: 2 for me because it was IMO the best Sci-Fi action RPG ever made. A fully realized and expanded universe. Great story. Great additions to the cast of characters along with bringing back fan favorites. Beautiful graphics for the systems it was introduced on along with scaling rather well when coming to the PC. Great DLC's and great replay ability. One of the few games I enjoy playing over and over again.

[DefenderOfDoom2]

For me , It is is DOOM 2 from 1994 and DOOM from 1993 . Hard to pick 1 over the other . First time i ever played a FPS , and was so freakin amazed and playing DOOM back then was very addictive for me.

[otacon68]

Shadow of the colossus because of the atmosfere and uniqueness.

[BrayanA]

I'm divided between Start Craft and Half-Life. Both games just brings tons of memories. Great stories, great graphics and great game mechanics. I couldn't think about anything else until I finished them. Very really a game can hit that soft spot in your mind and bring one wow effects after another. After finishing the campaigns several times I spent several hundreds hours on multiplayer.

[Tzuno]

Diablo II, because it's so damn satisfying to grind that very rare loot and slow progress making the end game so good plus the music, the atmosphere. Gold!!!

[Stanjara]

Shadow of the Colossus on PS2. I was totally blown away. I didn't know anything about the game at the time and I went in there totaly blind. I really enjoyed the remake. World, atmosphere, music and mystery. It's majestic! Best horse animations till this day!

[lathspell]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

[Dirtnapstor]

This is a tough call. It would be easier if the question posed was for each console generation.
I have had many sleepless nights due to the advent of gaming. Having to pick one (for now at least), it would be Metal Gear Solid on the PS1. It was a game ahead of its time. This game sucked you in with meaning and you could feel the tension while you cloaked and daggered yourself through the story from beginning to end.
I really, really hope Bluepoint Games is remaking this gem as they did Shadow of the Colossus.

[SaveFerris]

Dungeon Master on the Atari ST. A games I spent many hours on, battling monsters, trying to keep my characters alive, all to beat the final boss (Lord Chaos). I think it was the first dungeon crawler I ever played.

[DuckOnQuack35]

The Elder Scrolls III Morrowind. There was endless possibilities. So much armor and spells and loot and enthantments and thieving and telekenesis and OMG it was amazing.

[ThiagoMysterio]

LITTLE KING'S STORY - Played on ps vita

Because it was the first game that I have ever played mixing RPG and simulation and I absolutely fell in love with it

Little King's Story lies a deeply enticing kingdom simulation element that lets me add layer upon layer of cool expansions to my budding empire. Between enhancing my conquering capabilities, beefing up my command prowess, diversifying career roles for my peasants, and generally improving the quality of life for those under my command, there are a lot of different angles to tackle as I grow.

[DemonChicken]

Mine would be FF7

Childhood favourite and also my very first JRPG in my teens. Still recall my very first time with the Guard Scorpion while I spent hours against this boss because I couldn't read and kept attacking when the tail was up xD

Loved the atmosphere, characters, story and also the summons! Still recall the first time I watched a summon which blew me away entirely. The end game optional weapon bosses was also very challenging and kept me glued to the game. Graphics for that time also blew me away.

Had a hard time actually deciding between MGS and FF7 =/

[metalgod88]

My favorite game is and always will be Final Fantasy VII. For the first 5-10 hours, it's linear and story driven, but man, those first 10 hours were absolutely amazing. Once the world opens up, you begin to learn about the origins of the characters and mess around with materia. Then there's the absolutely brilliant musical composition by Nobuo Uematsu. It has some of my favorite music of any video game ever made, and is more often the reason why I come back to this game every year.

Funny story. I didn't get to play until I was about 14. My neighbor had it and let me play any game, but his wife got upset with him one day and destroyed half of his huge PS1 collection. Final Fantasy VII was destroyed, thus it wouldn't play. If it did work, I would have been able to enjoy it 4 years earlier.

Also, a side note on the remake, I'm happy a remake is (probably) coming our way, but I probably won't play it. I'd be too afraid of them changing too much and it not feeling like the original.

[thorstein]

Dragon Warrior (NES). It just opened a world up for me. I was already into D&D, David Eddings, anything to do with Fantasy Fiction and then, that dropped. Amazing cover art followed by one of the most iconic monsters of all time (blue slime.) and the story was just perfect.

[Parasyte]

Halo 3! Loved the story and the multiplayer. Plus, the LAN parties were awesome!

[milliniumstylz]

Yoshis Tetris attack

[Ninver]

Spread Freaks. This game had me hooked for months. I completed the game countless times just to see the outro for each character. Pure fun and insane adrenaline. Montgomery was that dude tho.

[Automatic79]

Halo 2 the game represents hours of enjoyment online and was the game that kept me out of the streets away from drama.

[SquidBuck]

Mario 64 really brought me and my father closer together.

[thepatientgamer]

Ocarina of Time.

Never was for me adventure so perfectly executed. The systems involved made me truly feel that I was in a lived in world.

And the story. My god, the story. The wonder of the world and its mechanics attracted my young self to the game. The depth of the story (especially its bittersweet ending *spoilers* with young Link being able to live out the seven years that he had lost in order to save Hyrule) made me appreciate it for what it really was as an adult: a masterpiece.

[Wrightylfc88]

The legend of zelda: Ocarina of time
I was blown away playing this game when i got my N64 it probably made me become a gamer. Even after i finished it, i started it again straight away because i loved it that much. The gameplay was great but the story was amazing. Final fantasy 7 is a close second and that game is the reason why my favourite genre of games is RPGs but Ocarina of time just edges it for me.

[zahdab]

Sonic 1 .. the game that made me fall in love with games .... a fast paced game with loads of routes and amazing graphics.
I kuat ve played daily for over a year...

[ninerguy1608]

Metal gear snake eater. Just amazing from beginning to that emotional ending

[EraGamer]

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hour Glass. I mostly had access to only handhelds growing up and that experience always stayed with me. Also GTA liberty city stories on the PSP deserves a mention.

[MasterofMagnetism]

Horizon Zero Dawn for me. I spent more time playing that game than any other and enjoyed every second of it.

[Vokun13]

It's so funny, because when I ask myself this question, my mind always jumps to Fallout 3 for some reason. I never really considered like "oh my God easily the GOAT" when I had first played it, but as time went on, I realized how special it really was.
The first time I had seen it, was just the cover art box. My friend and I (both of us roughly 10 years old) see it at his place, and he said it was his brothers and he was too scared to play it because it was too... well scary. So of course just by looking at the cover with the badass BoS soldier on it, we had to play it. And my God, was it scary.
We do all the vault stuff pretty easily, but when we got outside is when it got intense. Unlike previous cartoon open world games I had played on the N64, I had never played anything so open that was set in a realistic world, let alone a post apocalyptic one. We were so scared when we went out of the vault, we hid in some random broken down house with a baseball bat at night because we assumed there would be zombies coming after us! Just outta nowhere, we thought there would be zombies everywhere. Just to top it off, we didn't know about the wait botton that skips time to day time, so we just sat there all night waiting for our worst nightmares to find us!!! We had thought Fallout 3 was a straight up horror game!
Of course after leaving his house, I insisted to my brother that we had to get "this crazy scary game", because "it's amazing!" And after many all nighters, I just fell in love with the game. Pure nostalgia? Of course. Is it a bad thing? Probably, but not to me.

[EricLane]

TES III: Morrowind

Every time I hear someone say video games ruin lives or are a waste of time, I remember that my time with Morrowind was some of the best memories of my life. From deciding on my character to exiting the ship into the small town of Seyda Neen. Scoping out Fargoth hide his ring and then taking it. Leaving the town and encountering a wizard who falls from the sky and then looting Scrolls of Icarian Flight from him. I saved, jumped into the clouds and fell to my death. Reloaded and was glued to the game for hundreds and hundreds of hours. I created new character after new character and found the fastest method for a high rank character and of course the Blinding Boots of Speed.

My buddy and I would spend entire weekends hanging out and taking altering hour long shifts playing. We would swap seats, load our own character and play for an hour while the other watched from the seat beside. Crafting spells, trying to steal from shops and specifically trying to rob a vault in Vivec. It was a breathtaking game and I was at the perfect age to master it, appreciate every detail and be blind to most every flaw. My favorite game of all time.

[Hardiman]

Ocarina of Time for me. The anticipation leading up to it for me was palpable and it delivered an experience that left me in awe! I'd been playing since 85 at that point and I had enjoyed the hobby very much but that game made me care about the characters and the world that at that point I had not experienced at that level.

I was a senior and was in a play and after I would rush home to play it. On the weekends I would go to my cousins house and he and another friend would take turns playing it. Such good times and great memories!

Metal Gear Solid and RE2 are close seconds but I have to give it to The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time.

[SpaceRanger]

Star Wars Battlefront on PS2. I played the local co-op against my younger brother day-in and day-out. The game was so beyond it’s time when it came to fun and scale. So many memories of us even testing the game to its limits (could we hide the whole match and still win, what was the highest point we could climb on in every map).

My PS2 is in the closet right now, but man do I now have an itch to play SWBF right now.

[LOOK_AT_THIS_I]

Socom 2. The original got me into online gaming, the 2nd game got me addicted.

[optimus]

for me it would have to be Super Metroid. that game managed to keep me engaged level after level into the wee hours of the morning. very few games have managed to do that for me since then.

[TheFirstClassic]

Mario 64, also the first game I ever played. There's still so few games that can emulate the freedom of movement that game offered, the ways people developed faster and faster ways to speedrun the game shows how much depth it has.

[mkis007]

Bioshock

No matter how much I hate the combat, the presentation of Rapture and its denizens always makes me believe I'm there and this place exists. I always go back to it. One of the first games I saw as art.

[JRPGsAreTheBest]

Xenoblade Chronicles. That game blew me away the first time I played it. The world and scope of the world was amazing. The music, story, characters were all awesome too.

[0hMyGandhi]

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was one of those rare moments where Link and I were roughly the same age, and the promise of an adventure was super up my alley at that age. Steven Spielberg is often cited as the filmmaker that loves to showcase "childlike wonder" in the characters of his movies; the eyes-wide-open, mouth agape, not quite afraid, not quite comforted, but held in a suspended state of absolute awe, bearing witness to something truly spectacular, and potentially life-changing.

Ocarina of Time encapsulated this core concept and made a 40-hour interactive experience demonstrating it.

[gobluesamg]

Oh my that is almost impossible to answer. Grand Theft Auto III was my first real true open world experience but Fallout III might be my favorite all time open world game. The characters and the world just sucked me in for hundreds of hours and multiple playthroughs. TF2 is my favorite multiplayer ever as I made friends and loved the strategy. Last of Us is my favorite story game and needs no explanation.

[Vegamyster]

Red Alert 2, between the great campaign, online & massive mod community which is still supported today it was hard to get bored of.

[Sophisticated_Chap]

Socom: U.S. Navy Seals 2

I had the time of my life playing this game on the PS2. The tactical team gameplay, where it was absolutely crucial that you communicate with your teammates, was what made this game the most interesting to play at the time. Even if you weren't very good in terms of hand and eye coordination, you were arguably still as valuable as the best player on the team if you were communicating and calling out enemy locations.

The best part of all for me however, was the community, and all of the great people that I got to know over the course of many years because of this game. I would argue that the multiplayer in this game from way back in 2003, was better than most games even today, particularly when you take into consideration the clan features that this game had. The multiplayer map design was also second to none, and was as good or better than most multiplayer shooter games today.

[Nes_Daze]

MAG,

Yeah I know, it was a game filled with flaws as far as sound design and graphics... but it had one of the best communities I've ever seen in a game. They really pulled it off as far as having so many players online in one match at once. There weren't any kill streaks or any of those instant gratification perks that wrecked the game's progression, it was always a mix of skill and experience vs. skill and experience... at least as close as it's ever gotten as far as shooters for me. I've played countless Battlefields and MWs, and none of those games gave me the rush and excitement that MAG did.

[Petebloodyonion]

It's always hard to pick a favorite game because there's a lot of games attached to great memories.

But I had to pick one I would go with Metal Gear Solid on PS1. (it was hard to choose between SMB3, RE4, Miss Pacman and Robotron 2814)

For me, this is a game that personifies perfection and still holds well quite today.
The graphics were unbelievable for the PS1. The gameplay is great with a good balance of arcade-style and simulation (I really miss the soliton radar). The boss fights are still epics and the story flow perfectly without dull or repetitive moment.

Like the initial poster, it's a game that I do replay once every 2 years.

[Smokey55511799]

Would have to agree, a link to the past is my all time favorite game.
At the time was my go to game, even now.