The most fun you ever had in a video game

[Zhukov]

- Several of the chase sequences in Mirror's Edge. There's nothing quite dashing through an expensive lobby, vaulting the furniture and frantically seeking an exit as cops burst in and bullets fill the air.

- The Last of Us's 'Winter' chapter. Hunter City was fun too.

- Mass Effect 2+3. Come at me.

- Halo: Combat Evolved multiplayer. Tearing across battlefields in a warthog, doing close quarter shotgun-and-grenade runs, using ghosts in unorthodox ways.

- The combat in this one old game called Oni. Charge at a group of four enemies, grab the first one by the neck and swing yourself around him, knocking over two of his buddies with your feet. Dodge right as the last upright enemy opens fire, close and disarm him with a grapple, shooting him with his own gun as he goes down. Turn and empty the clip into one of his friends as he tries to get up. As the remaining two get up, grab one and throw him from the rooftop, nutshot the last one to stun him, then finish him with a rapid combo.

- Flashback. Old game. There's this one part where you get interrupted mid dialogue by an enemy entering stage right. I still remember how my ten year old reflexes allowed me to perform a perfect draw-turn-crouch-fire before my brain even know what was happening.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Multiplayer wise I've had years and years of fun playing Gears of War, Battlefield Bad Company 2 and Halo 3 with mates.

As for singleplayer games I'll pick a recent example and say Assassin's Creed Black Flag. Roaming around on the high seas attacking ships with my broadsides then boarding for the loot was probably the most fun I've had in a game for a long time.

 

[SnakeTrousers]

The best that I can remember had to be when I was playing Halo: Anniversary co-op with a roommate. I hadn't really played Combat Evolved much before, not really being a huge fan of the other games, but I picked this one up and wound up being pleasantly surprised. Lots of fun, and holy shit was it gorgeous.

Anyway, we were both quite intoxicated on something, me for pretty much the first time, so unsurprisingly some stupid shit ensued. We got lost and wound up on opposite sides of an island, we battled in warthogs on the beach, we got hopelessly disoriented in on the alien spaceship bit, and the whole time we were both laughing our asses off at the smallest little details. That was probably the most vivid any video game experience has ever been for me.

 

[the_great_cessation]

I'm not really sure how to quantify "fun" but I'll play it safe and say all the main console Zelda games released between 1992 and 2006 (plus last year's 3DS release). In general, they are my favorite games of all time (I kind of view them as a holistic experience) and they consumed my imagination for the bulk of my late adolescence. However, the fact that I still replay a Zelda title or two every year around Christmas is just a testament to how, despite all the naval gazing and nostalgia I relate to them, I just find these games really fun and mechanically satisfying at their core. Most notably, I love the feeling that comes with exploring a dungeon and navigating through a series of traps, puzzles and monsters to find some mystical treasure. Nothing in gaming captures that adventurous feeling quite like the dungeon and overworld design of the best Zelda games.

However, if I were to make a short list of games I have enjoyed in a purely "mechanical satisfaction" / "dopamine rush to the brain" sort of way, I'd probably say:

Rayman Legends
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (single player and local multiplayer)
God of War II
Super Smash Bros. series (local multiplayer)
Halo 2 (local multiplayer)

The first four games are all very mechanically satisfying and have amazing "game feel". However, the last two contain some of the best interpersonal gaming experiences I have ever had which in turn equate to some of the "most fun" I have had with games.

 

[Foolery]

Most fun? Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors, and Sengoku Basara with my sister. It's fun to mindlessly take down some foes and laugh at the cheesy dialogue.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

Myth: The Fallen Lords multiplayer. I normally don't even really care for multiplayer, but it was the funnest damn video game experience of my life. Whether you took it seriously or not, it was just an absolute blast.

 

[Not Matt]

Portal 2.
messing around in the 2 player with my friends while yelling at each other via Skype is probably the fondest memory from gaming i have.

Fallout New Vegas.
Trotting around the Mohave with my head in the clouds and my rambling away like a lunatic version of Freeman's Mind driving my roommate insane.

 

[LegendaryVKickr]

I'd have to say, probably Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie. I still end up replaying those games again every few years. They were my favorite games growing up as a child, and so now it's probably mostly nostalgia based. However, I'd argue that they're also extremely fun games. So replaying them over and over is not a chore. I'm at a point now where I've memorized where everything is, so I can plow through the game in six hours and feel like a total champ.

More recently, I'd say it's a toss up between Skyrim and Saints Row. Saints Row games tend to have me laughing out loud and sporting an epic shit-eating grin from start to finish. Skyrim boasts thousands of hours I've clocked, so it could arguably win on the months of college it took from me, where I probably should have been studying for finals at 3AM instead of killing vampires. Meh. Worth it.

Portal 2, Paper Mario TTYD, and Super Smash Brothers all hit some of my other honorable mentions.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Well, the first time I had the most fun ever with a video game was when I played my own copy of Sonic & Knuckles the first time.

I had played it before in the stores, but something about owning and playing my first ever video game made me enjoy it even more. Getting to plays as both Sonic and Knuckles in their own campaigns with familiar zones with varying paths, as well as finding all the secrets and collecting all the Chaos Emeralds, gave this title a high replay value.

I tell you, the first time I played Doomsday Zone, I was both amazed and excited to play as Super Sonic for the entirety of the level. It was truly the perfect send off the the Classic Sonic series.

Most recently, the most fun that I'm having is with Pokemon X. I simply love the large Pokedex and all of the Pokemon look awesome in their 3D models. Seriously, after Gen 5, Pokemon X and Y feels like the series has been rejuvenated and there are only good times to be had with these titles.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Just plain fun?

Little Big Planet - It was all just so lovely and happy. It made me feel like a little kid again playing around with my toys and stuffed animals. Nothing cynical, nothing moody, even the "darker" bits were brimming with innocent charm. And the level editor gave me weeks of building and experimentational glee.

And that soundtrack...

 

[username sucks]

I think I'm going to list multiple games here as well. So here they are, in the order that I first got into them.

Legend of Zelda OoT. This one is mentioned so often that I don't think I need to explain it.

Super Mario 64. I haven't played it since I was 8, but I still remember how much I enjoyed being free to explore all those places. I also enjoyed deleting all of my big sister's saves every once and a while. Got a few bruises, but worth it.

The Ratchet and Clank PS2 series holds some of my fondest gaming memories. I thoroughly enjoyed all four of the games, even Going Commando. I knew it sucked even at the time, but still was fun. Up Your Arsenal was by far my favorite.

Team Fortress 2. I spent almost 1000 hours in this game, and I never intentionally idled. I got good enough to where I could top the scoreboard with any class except sniper. I can never snipe in any game, ever.

Fallout: New Vegas was just plain amazing. I loved the game mechanics, I loved exploring, I loved how the game was mostly light-hearted but could be serious at times. I spent countless hours, although the main reason I cannot count those hours is because game-breaking bugs plagued me and I started at least 15 different characters before I learned to save very often and keep at least 24 back up saves.

EDIT (I accidentally hit post before I was done): Finally, Dark Souls has given me my greatest feeling of accomplishment in my life, several times. I also like the multiplayer, and I still spend most of my time gaming on this game.

 

[Johnny Impact]

I'd say the most fun I used to have was playing old Genesis games with friends. Tommy LaSorda Baseball, Mutant League Football, Toejam & Earl, and Lemmings. Oh my god, LEMMINGS. My friends and I used to go head to head and just laugh our asses off. There is nothing like the look on your best bud's face when he thinks he's got you beat, then hears the sound of you murdering all the lemmings. I laugh like that maybe once a year nowadays. Back then I used to do it two or three times a week.

Honorable mention to the second half of my post here. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.842149-Tired-of-Teammates#20717416

 

[Pink Gregory]

Most recently, games made by Platinum.

There's a point where being amused just becomes hysterical, uncontrollable laughter as the previous over-the-top level is blown out of the water. I can *feel* it. And it's INCREDIBLE.

The Wonderful 101 tops Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising, somehow.

 

[Ratty]

Hm, by myself/in single player, probably exploring the levels in Sly 2: Band of Thieves or Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

 

[Sarah Kerrigan]

Personally it's the Kingdom Hearts series. It's the only games I don't mind backtracking in, and I want to collect every item and every weapon, and I adore grinding because it makes you realizes the abilities you didn't know you had equipped.

 

[Yokillernick]

Persona 4. As in all 50 hours of it. Baist gaem evar and all that.

[sub][sub]Wonder if I should start to keep a tally on how many times I mention Persona 4 per month here...[/sub][/sub]

[sub][sub][sub][sub]Personapersonapersonapersonapersona...SocialinkssociallinksSOCIALLINKSSOCIALLINKS[/sub][/sub][/sub][/sub]

You. You I like.

For me the most fun I ever had was playing Oblivion for the first time. Since this was the first time playing an open world sandbox game made by Bethesda I had no idea at the possibilities so I was so excited when I found out that you could break into people's shops at night and steal everything that wasn't nailed to the floor.

Also as my man here mentioned Persona 4. I mean I had so much fun with it on the PS2 that I bought a Vita just so I can play Persona 4 Golden. £160 for 1 game. I don't care what anyone else says, this was worth.

 

[Scarim Coral]

To me that probably playing Contra with my bro on two player mode as we try to complete the game. We eventually did it one time abliet I died on the final boss battle (the part when it still trying to killed you as you cling onto the helicopter) but I was just content that we finally seen the ending to that game!
Ah those were fond time as these days we never play co-op together (last time was Halo 3).

 

[Artina89]

There have been so many, so I am going to limit it to the most recent two. I recently acquired Digimon world for the PSOne, and I have sunk so much time into that game just maintaining my Digimon, it is a really hard game, but so much fun, I have lost long passages of time when I put that game into my Playstation 2.

The second is Rayman Legends on the Playstation 3. It is a brilliant platformer, some of the levels are really challenging, but the game is so much fun and I must admit to really enjoying the colours and the graphics. It is a really pretty game, and sometimes the simplest games are the most fun to play.

 

[Nadia Castle]

Multiplayer- Sitting down with three friends at university, opening a few drinks, and playing the unholy hell out of 'Rush 2049' on a Dreamcast I'd bought on the cheap. Literally the entire night went in a snap, and by the end of one particularly intense stunt match our eyeballs were practically kissing the screen from sheer concentration. Not bad to say our best mode basically consisted of 'drive up a ramp and try not to die'

Singleplayer- Playing Resident Evil 4 on the Gamecube. Bought it the day it came out, put the disk in the console, never looked back. Everything about it was pure joy and still don't think it's been beaten yet in terms of sheer fun.

 

[Crowns18]

This little sucker here. Damn this game was fun with friends, when doing free roam and going to the edge of the map you were just blasted off to the other side of the map. and that hockey minigame was awesome who would have thought hockey with atvs. That's just genius!