Top 5 games of all time

karma9308

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Oh? That time of the month again is it? I don't think anything's changed since whenever I did this last, but I love this topic enough so...

#5: Walking Dead Season 1:
It's a very well told story of flawed characters trying to make it in a world gone to hell. It's a very good character story, and I'm a sucker for those. The gameplay is meh, but a few twists and turns and the interactions between Lee and Clem are heartrendingly good.

#4: Final Fantasy X
So it used to be #6 on my list, but the recent remaster got me interested again and reminded me why I like it a lot. The gameplay is probably my favorite in the series. It's less press X to win, and more strategy involved. The original still has good looking visuals and the soundtrack is one of gaming's finest. The plot itself is a bit of a mess and is in dire need of an editor and a few touchups (something the sequel also needs), but the characters are still decent. Auron is a badass, Yuna is a very good sympathetic protagonist who is also upbeat without being unbearably so. Tidus...has problems, but I was able to personally sympathize with his problems and can at least see why he is that way.

#3: Chrono Trigger
So I'm sure I need to sell people on this 20 year old jrpg that everyone has played and already proclaimed as their god, but this game is still really good. I'll just let the song above say everything I could but better.

#2: Mass Effect 2
I love this game so much, even though it's likely the most flawed game on the list. The story is a mess, the gameplay isn't as good as the sequel while being less engaging than its prequel. It's story actively hurts the sequel and probably set the stage for the ending controversy in the third game. So why do I love it?
CHARACTERS! This game has fucking awesome characters that I came to love and wanted to keep alive. I felt invested in each of their stories and wanted to see them succeed. When I did the final mission for the first time I was so nervous, worried about who I may lose, who may suffer because of my mistakes. Few games have evoked a reaction out of me that can equal the ending of ME2 upon finding out everyone made it out alive.

#1: Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The little brother to Ocarina has always stood in its shadow, yet outshone it in every way. To be fair, MM reuses almost every art asset from Ocarina, has the same engine, mostly the same animations, sound files, and basically rips ocarina's face off and wears it. Yet it is the most unzelda zelda game in the series. The game touches on subjects that you wouldn't think would be talked about in a adventure like Zelda. I love the sidequests in this game, and it's one of the few games to make me feel a variety of emotions over several hours. It challenges the player without going too far (for the most part), and has a lot of tiny details that can be examined by dorks like me who scour the surface of a game to see if devs account for tiny differences. Thanks to this thread, I'm want to do another playthrough of it...though maybe after finals.
 

Artina89

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There are so many games I love, and my favourites tend to rotate over time, but I will give you 5 of my favourite games:

1.Deadly premonition: One of the best purchases for my PS3 was definitely Deadly premonition: The directors cut as I loved the original on the Xbox. I love the characters and the story, and the ending is one of the few times I have been moved by the ending of a game. I also love Twin peaks and the little nods to the TV series also make the game for me. Yes the graphics are terrible and the map and the controls are horrible, but I am willing to overlook that (and I have) and it is one of my most played games in my collection.

2. Pokemon: Soulsilver (or Pokemon Silver if I am in the mood for some retro gaming): My favourite game ever in the Pokemon franchise. It has two of my favourite Pokemon as a starter (Cyndaquil and Totodile) and I love that the game expands into Kanto after the elite 4. I also really like that you can get the gym leaders numbers from both Johto and Kanto in Soulsilver and that just adds to the replay value for me. I prefer this game to Pokemon X and Y.

3.Resident Evil 2: I just love the atmosphere in this game, I like how reminiscent it is of zombie horror flicks, and it also helps that it debuts two of my favourite Resi characters, Leon and Ada.

4. Psychonauts: I adore this game and it was one of the first games I acquired for my PS2 and I still play it annually to this day. I like the characters have their own backstories that you can glimpse into, and every character is well thought out, and there isn't any real "throwaway" characters that I can think of. I also like the whole level concept of going into someone's head and trying to sort through their mental problems. There are a couple of characters I would have loved to have a level for (I am looking at you Loboto) and the Meat circus level can just die in a fire, but on the whole I love this game.

5. Jet set radio future: The game I got bundled with my original Xbox and I lost my entire Christmas to it. Everything from the music, to the cel shaded graphics to the characters, especially with the voice overs by Professor K, I love everything about this game and I still have to revisit it. I also own the soundtrack (as well as the soundtrack to Jet grind radio) as I just find the soundtrack to be perfect. It definitely holds a place as one of my favourite games of all time. A perennial favourite to say the least.
 

floppylobster

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Five games I could put on right now and have fun for at least for a few hours -

1. Command & Conquer
2. Halo 2
3. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
4. Robotron 2084
5. Left 4 Dead 2

Top five games of all time? That's a bit tougher. I'd say -

1. Shadow of Colossus - The closest a game has come to art.
2. Ms. Pacman - Better than Pac-Man, more of a video game than Tetris.
3. Half Life 2: Episode 2 - Best Story telling in a game I've seen yet.
4. Super Mario 64 - Super Mario Galaxy was more fun to me but I can't deny this game's incredible influence over everything we've played since.
5. Street Fighter II - While I personally prefer Street Fighter Alpha 2, anyone can still play this and have fun. Ground breaking.
 

Kingjackl

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1. Metal Gear Solid 3

Depth, emotion and probably the best written Metal Gear game amidst all the nonsense. A personal favourite.

2. Super Mario Galaxy

The most fun you can possibly have in a game, with great visuals and an awesome soundtrack. The new Rayman games may have surpassed it, but you still gotta love Galaxy.

3. Persona 3

I couldn't decide whether to include this or the improved Persona 4, but in the end, I went for the one I played first. Persona 3 was such a pleasant surprise for me with it's brutal but strategic combat, social links and compelling end-of-the-world story with a cast of memorable characters. I'd still rate Junpei Iori as my favourite "bro" character in gaming, and I include Garrus in that list. The Answer epilogue that was added in FES can go suck a dick, though.

4. Mass Effect 3

Speaking of Garrus, this was a game that he's in. I played this game so many times, and each time I found some new permutation to put my Commander Shepard through, even if it was just a single different line of dialogue. The beauty of the Mass Effect trilogy's save import feature doesn't really shine through until the series finale, where you can have so many versions of the main character that each playthrough feels wildly different, even if there isn't that much actual change at the end of the day. Not to mentioned the tightened gameplay and the surprisingly solid multiplayer mode, which made this the most enjoyable Mass Effect game for me by far.

5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Another game I played heaps of, this is a perfect modern iteration of Deus Ex. It had great stealth gameplay, variety in the upgrades, slick visuals and a ton of depth in the world-building and environmental design. The boss fights were pants, but nowhere near the deal-breaker people make them out to be.

Honorable Mentions:

Persona 4 Golden (best Persona game)
Half Life 2 (functionally perfect)
Red Dead Redemption (José González)
The Beatles: Rock Band (Remember when that was a thing?)
Fallout 3 (Exploration)
Ace Attorney: Justice For All (Case 2-4. Also, 2-3 had a good villain)
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (DR NEFARIOUS!!)
Pokemon Fire Red (Nostalgia)
 

bojackx

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5) Rayman Legends
Now this is how a platformer is done. Unbeatable animation, flow and looks amazing. Add to that the fact that it came with half the content of its predecessor and you've got a very deserving 5th best game ever. Oh, and the first music level might just be the best 3 minutes I've ever spent gaming.
4) Fire Emblem: Awakening
The newest addition, probably causing Mass Effect 2 to fall off this list. Incredibly addictive and much deeper than it first appears. It's the first game I've immediately played through a second time after completion for a long time, and that first playthrough clocked in at 50 hours.
3) Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction
For me, an absolute classic. All games that aren't open world need to aspire to be like this. A good story that is mature despite being what most people would call a child's game, and great gameplay that has stayed phenomenal since the series started back in 2002. Currently the only long-running series in which I own every single installment.
2) Pokemon X and Y
Now this one is often quick to change. Before October 2013, this would have gone to Pokemon Black and White, and before that Pokemon Platinum. They are games which get consistently better with each installment and have been a major part, if not the main staple of my entire gaming life, ever since Pokemon Red.
1) TES IV: Oblivion
I wasn't sure whether to name this the top spot, since as I feel about the game as type this makes it unworthy of being on the top 5 list at all. The reason why is here is because of how much I loved this game back in '07, and how never before had I been so immersed in a game in my entire life. It was my first sandbox fantasy RPG that I ever played and pretty much consumed my every waking hour for about 2 months. Skyrim came along later, and whilst also amazing, never quite gave me the same sense of wonder that came with playing Oblivion.


Honourable mention goes to Mass Effect 2, which has my favourite ending to any game ever.
 

Rastrelly

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(order is random)
1) Doom
A pillar of FPS genre, a defining game for all industry, still highly enjoyable and easily beats all callofduties with battlefields.
2) C&C
A pillar of RTS genre, a game so definitive, that there were 2 or 3 new ideas since.
3) Civilization
Most influential and extensive global strategy of them all.
4) HoMM
A unique sub-genre, founded by Kings Bounty, was perfected by HoMM. probably, by HoMM2
5) Half-Life
While being FPS, Half-Life suggested a narrative that was never actually tried before and, basically, after, and succeeded.

I cannot point at most definitive and/or influential adventure, RPG and puzzle.
 

the_great_cessation

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1. Shadow of the Colossus

A beautiful game with a haunting atmosphere, moody art direction and a highly emotive score; Shadow of Colossus is one of the most complete visions in gaming to this day. Add to this an ambitious narrative grounded in ambiguity, mystery and the post-modern and an intense "meta-game disguised as a bonus mode" which rewards mechanical mastery with interesting perks and high level play, and you have one of the most engrossing, memorable and emotionally affecting games that, nearly ten years after it's release, still has yet to leave my thoughts.

2. The Last of Us

On paper The Last of Us really doesn't sound that spectacular: a survival-horror / stealth action game set to the backdrop of what is essentially a zombie apocalypse, two survivors (an adult and a child) make their way across a decaying America. However in execution, The Last of Us is much more than that; a stunning examination of the human condition set in one of the bleakest and harshest worlds realized in a video game. The core theme informing both the narrative and gameplay is violence. The Last of Us is brutal. Unlike most games which tend to fetishsize violence (or at the very least, remove any sort of psychological or moral implication from the act), violence in The Last of Us actively works to distance players from the character and makes them take perspective on their actions. This is, in part, one of The Last of Us' greatest strengths. Much like the industrial-noise of Michael Gira, The Last of Us is a work which is loud, violent and often hard to stomach. However beneath this hostile veneer, there is a real sense of humanity and beauty that grounds that violence and endears the story to the player. In fact, I have never experienced moments of such sheer beauty like those that within the final act of The Last of Us (which I won't detail due to spoilers).

However beyond the excellent theming, the game has a plethora of other strengths. On a pure mechanics level, The Last of Us is one of the most rewarding and intense gaming experiences that can be had in 2013. Throughout the game, you are purposely under-powered and limited in resources which results in a higher level of tension and fear whenever conflict arises. Along with this, certain infected kill you on contact. While many felt that this made the game borderline unplayable, I feel as if it only worked to better support the core themes of the game while making a mechanically unique and engaging gameplay system in the process.

However, perhaps the title's most openly advertised strength is in its character development and writing to which I can happily confirm it's quality. The Last of Us has near literary quality characterization and portrays some of the most realistic and three dimensional characters I have ever seen in gaming. In fact, I'd say its these elements that make the otherwise alienating violence and purposely underpowering and obtuse gameplay so engaging. Despite all this, the games biggest strength is how it works all these different aspects into one cohesive and engaging whole. I have honestly never played a game quite as well made and thematically resonant as The Last of Us. Not only my favorite of 2013, The Last of Us is, to me, the definitive title of the 7th console generation and perhaps, beyond that, one of my favorite titles of all-time.

3. Beyond Good and Evil

While this games has quite a few flaws, I find it so charming and imaginative that it's a title better than the sum of it's parts. This can be owed largely to the phenomenal world building found in this title. The sci-fantasy world of Hyllis is one of the few video game fantasies which is derivative of nothing (the most apt comparison I could come up with is Star Wars meets Zelda by the way of George Orwell and Jim Henson). A completely unique interactive space in which the player is meant to immerse themselves in. It was also one of the first games I ever played with a strong emphasis on true three-dimensional characters and narrative subtext. It also didn't hurt that the blend of adventure, stealth, vehicular exploration and photography made for a game that was highly creative and rarely boring. The only downside for me is that damn cliff hanger ending I've been waiting almost 10 years now to get some closure on...

4. LA Noire

I'm a sucker for film noir / detective fiction. I love it. I love the atmosphere. I love the character archetypes. I love jazz...

And while L.A. Noire is a great send up to that era of story telling, the real reason I love LA Noire so much is because it reinvigorated my love of games by showing me a game that was willing to be completely it's own thing. Prior to playing LA Noire, I was pretty close on giving up on gaming. I was seeing gaming as an industry afraid of taking risks an unable to tell stories more complex then the average Hollywood blockbuster. I actually bought it on a whim and was blown away by how different the gameplay was and how adult the story was. It was the type of the game I could sit down and play with my father and he would be just as into it as I was. This felt like the future of gaming - something far removed from the teenage power fantasies that I had came to relate gaming with. As a result, I will always have a special place for LA Noire in my heart as it showed me the potential games have as a story telling medium and got me excited about games for the first time in what seemed like years.

5. Psychonauts

One of my biggest passions is humor. My favorite film is a comedy. My favorite televesion series is also a comedy. Likewise, my favorite novel of all time is a social satire. However, few games really get comedy. Tim Schafer however gets comedy. While I could easily list any of his games , its Psychonauts that has resonated with me the strongest. While the clever writing and quirky characters are a big part of appeal, what I will always remember Psychonauts for is the way in which it perfected the 3D platformer with its creative and memorable level design. It also doesn't hurt that there is a clever reference to the author of my previously mentioned favorite novel of all time in the game.

(Kudos to anyone able to both catch the reference and also figure out my favorite novel as a result).

Also, an honorable mention goes out to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 as it often an interchangeable part of my top 5 in the place of Psychonauts or LA Noire.
 

INVALIDUSERNAME

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1. Ocarina of Time - It's timeless (hue) for me, and I can play it over and over any day of the week.

2. World of Warcraft - Pre Cataclysm - Until they did some stuff to it in Cataclysm that I absolutely could not agree with, the ungodly number of hours I poured into this game definitely makes it rank up there, and I still have some of my fondest gaming memories because of this game.

3. Bioshock Infinite - Despite criticisms against the combat or story, I loved them and I honestly liked it better than the first game. I thought the first game's combat was ass and it took me years before I could muster a playthrough of it.

4. Baldur's Gate II - Timeless, classic RPG and some of, if not, BioWare's best work.

5. Knights of the Old Republic - I've played this game dozens of times over and I still get goosebumps all throughout the game. I'd say KOTOR II has the better story but this one, to me, was a more polished and enjoyable experience, despite the better writing (with TSL mod) in 2.

Honorary mentions being:
Guild Wars
Guild Wars 2
Elder Scrolls Franchise
Twilight Princess
Mass Effect 1/2/3
Dragon Age: Origins
Jak and Daxter
Ratchet and Clank
Diablo II
Wind Waker
Skyward Sword
Age of Mythology/Empires II
Telltale's The Walking Dead

A few others, but those are the ones off the top of my head.
 

Poetic Nova

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Eamar said:
Bioshock 2 - yes, it's my favourite Bioshock. Come at me.
Doesn't happen often that I hear someone say that about Bioshock 2, high five!

My top 5? Bit hard but I'll give it a shot:

1) Carmagedon: 3D sandbox, mayhem, dark humor and more mayhem. what's not to like?
2) S.T.A.L.K.E.R.Shadow of Chernobyl: Amazing atmosphere, tactics are a must, hard as nails and the bets of all: no freakin' handholding.
3) Borderlands 1/2: What do you gett when Diablo clashes with FPS elements, set on a diffirent planet? Only one of the best loot driven games. 1 Has better items, 2 has better playable characters. Feels liek cheating for giving them both a third place but I just can't choose.
4) Killer7: Suda57's best work imo. Weird story (which I won't explain for spoilers sake). It might feel like a rail shooter to most but it's really more than that. Also one of the most obscure games for the GC but the best version of the 2 nonentheless.
5) Total Annihilation: This introduced me into the RTS gerne of gaming and dispite the other RTS' I have played this one remained the best.
 

TheMadDoctorsCat

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Ok... my favorite lists!

Rastrelly said:
(order is random)
1) Doom
A pillar of FPS genre, a defining game for all industry, still highly enjoyable and easily beats all callofduties with battlefields.
2) C&C
A pillar of RTS genre, a game so definitive, that there were 2 or 3 new ideas since.
3) Civilization
Most influential and extensive global strategy of them all.
4) HoMM
A unique sub-genre, founded by Kings Bounty, was perfected by HoMM. probably, by HoMM2
5) Half-Life
While being FPS, Half-Life suggested a narrative that was never actually tried before and, basically, after, and succeeded.

I cannot point at most definitive and/or influential adventure, RPG and puzzle.
I would go with "Doom 2" myself. I think it added scope and perfected what the original "Doom" merely suggested could happen. That is an excellent list though.

LaoJim said:
My list, stressing the 'all time' aspect. Not in any way original, but there are reasons why these games are cliches on this kind of list.

1. Super Mario Bros.

Given the technical limitation of the time, as close to a perfect game as has ever been created, and still playable as hell.

2. Street Fighter II

In the year SF2 was released, one of the video game magazine held their annual competition for top 10 best new characters in video games, something like 8 of them were from SF2. Ironically for a sequel, you could say it basically created the fighting game genre, but more than that it has the most character of any video game ever.

3. Geoff Crammond's Formula 1 Grand Prix

The first real game I ever played that could be described as a racing simulation. Before it we had games like Outrun and Super Hang-on, after it Forza and Gran Tourismo.

4. Doom

While Wolfenstein could reasonably claim to be the first FPS, Doom came only a year later and was an incredible step forward and is still incredibly playable today.

5. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

We could argue about which GTA is the best, but well as the innovative sand-box gameplay, VC was one of the strongest invocations of a real time and real place (i.e. 80s Miami) that I'd ever experienced before.

Bubbling under in no particular order: the first Tomb Raider, Jet Set Willy, Tetris, Geometry Wars, Civilization 4, Ocarina of Time, Arkham Asylum, GoldenEye, Diddy Kong Racing, Call of Duty 2, Phantasy Star, Boulderdash, Laser Squad, The Hobbit, WaveRace, Crazy Taxi, Knights of the Sky, Plants vs Zombies, PacMan, Asteroids, Millipede, Bayonetta, Just Cause 2, Forza 4 and probably a hundred others...
That's an awesome list, especially the top two. I love that you throw in "Tetris" and "Pacman" alongside "Bayonetta" and "Arkham Asylum".

It's fascinating to see people coming at this from all different perspectives and having used different systems / formats. There are so many games here that I haven't played or heard of before but sound really interesting according to you guys' discussions. Curse the "console exclusives" for not letting me play this stuff on my PC!
 

Mook_StyFawker

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These are my five, but they rotate all the time, except for number one.

1. Xenogears. First RPG I ever truly played and played for a long period of time. Also cemented my love of mechas. After a few of years of not playing it, when I finally got the chance to go back I was amazed it still held up and, even after a few more years, it still does.

2. Armored Core 2: Another Age. Look, another giant robot related game. Yes, almost every other Armored Core game is better than Another Age, but it was the one that got me into the series and it just has this feeling none of the others managed to grasp. The feeling that you're not some mercenary who becomes some great hero, you're just another mercenary doing mercenary work. For whatever reason, the vague at best story and self implied moral greyness to it all really appeals to me.

3. Final Fantasy X. Because goth boo--FINAL FANTASY IX BECAUSE IT'S GREAT. PLEASE DISREGARD FFX, THOUGH I DO ENJOY THAT GAME A LOT (especially when I mute just about every cutscene and opt to read a book instead of watch them).

4. Borderlands 2. Simple and fun combat, the right mix and amount of humor, and an art style I can get behind 100%. There isn't really much else to say beyond that.

5. I haven't a clue what to put here, now that I've gotten to this point. I'm just going to say Viscera Cleanup Detail and call it at that.
 

Arqus_Zed

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Top 5 games?
As in, the five best games out of all games ever made?

Christ... I can barely pick a top 5 by genre.

4) Ratchet & Clank 2
Probably one of the best sequels ever made, if not THE best sequel ever made. I took everything that made Ratchet & Clank great and added some upgrade-elements generally kept for RPGs. Weapons upgraded when used more often, you gained more HP as you continued and you could buy new armor. On top of that, it had fun characters, an enjoyable story, solid level design, a fitting soundtrack and tons of original weaponry.

5) Jak II: Renegade
Probably one of the best sequels ever made, if not THE best sequel ever made. Wait, I already put that line with R&C 2, didn't I? Oh well, I guess they're kind of tied for the fourth and fifth spot. Jak II simply did everything right. Combining internally managed attributes (Dark Jak) with externally attributes(Omni Gun)? Check. Combining an open, free roaming hub (Haven City) with more linear levels that offer greater variation in style and gameplay? Check. A hoverboard that can be deployed whenever you want? Double -Jesus-Christ-why-doesn't-every-game-have-this- check!

3) Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call
Dark, stylish, unique and hard as nails. From its occult themes to its stoic, clair-obscure presentation, I love every bit of it. The world has fragmented and all the pieces have turned inside out. Everyone is dead, except for you and five others - also, the souls of the dead still linger about and the inverted ball that used to be Tokyo is now inhabited by demons. Oh, and Lucifers himself jammed a bug down your throat and now you're a half-demon. What's there not to love? But here's the fun bit: you can talk to every demon and ask them to side with you - some haggling might be required - and after they join, you can just do whatever you want with them. Will you keep them? Will you fuse them? Will you sacrifice them? Kind of like Pokémon for a mature audience (except that the first installment of MegaTen was released 9 years before the first Pokémon, of course).

2) Shadow Hearts & Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Yeah, gonna cheat with this one. Covenant kept everything that was good in the original (story, characters, dialogue, setting, atmosphere, music, judgement ring, pacing, balancing humor and horror) AND fixed all the flaws (low quality backdrops, dated graphics, dated combat system, short lifespan). However, I am still gonna put the original on here as well because it is just so damn good. Plus, playing the second one after playing the original adds much weight to the experience. Also, Covenant has some of the best directed FMVs I have seen in any game ever.

1) Final Fantasy IX
Because of the story. Because of the characters. Because of the dialogue. Because of the environments. Because of the designs. Because of the music. Because of the chocobo mini-game. Because of the magic SFX. Because of EVERYTHING! Sure, the gameplay might be a tad slow by today's standards, but it's pretty much timeless in every way that truly matters.

This list is really nothing more than my top 5 platformers and my top 5 RPGs slammed together... And now I'm conflicted about leaving out Spyro: Gateway To Glimmer, Legend of Legaia and Chrono Trigger.
 

JagermanXcell

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These always take some time to make..... oh well!

Persona 4: A timeless 2008 turn based RPG with perfect characters, perfect story, perfect music, perfect sheeeeeeet. It's near perfect ok! There's not much else to be said really!

Dark Souls: Game's got too easy, valuable depth and majesty with a touch of challenge is what we needed. Well, we got it.

Metal Gear Solid 3: An example of great story telling and gameplay that really reaches out towards something that can be considered art... fun, stealthy, beautiful art.

LoZ Majora's Mask/Wind Waker: Why both? Both took chances, both are tonally different, and are what I consider equal in rank masterpieces of the adventure genre, for pulling it off.

The Entire FZero series: SCREW FORZA, SCREW DRIVE CLUB, SCREW MARIO KART. FZero is the king of it's genre, and it will NEVER be outclassed. Period.

Special Mentions: Devil May Cry 3, Red Dead Redemption, Tetris, Resident Evil 4, and Silent Hil 2.
 

Ihateregistering1

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Half-life: As much as I loved Half-Life 2, I liked the original's weapons, enemies, and plot-line much more. I'm still not 100% sure what's going on in HL2.

Baldur's Gate 2: Basically the pen-ultimate 'epic RPG' experience. Dragon's Age got a lot right, but to me BG2 nailed everything.

Diablo 2: I'm a big ARPG fan, so I kind of have to put D2 here just because it essentially perfected the ARPG formula. Still holds up to this day.

Planescape: Torment: The single best story I've ever experienced in any form of media (TV, books, VG, movies, etc.). That's really all there is to say about that.

Batman: Arkham City: Arkham Asylum was awesome, to me Arkham City perfected all of those elements and then knocked it out of the park.
 

Unspoken_Request

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1.Baldur?s Gate 2 (the whole series in fact, as it makes the story and character way more compelling)
Epic game all around with the a great storyline. It is the best work Bioware has ever done. The story offers the best closure I have seen in videogame. Your party members all have great voice dialogue. What they say to you in the end really made me sad to see them go! Bioware created great text explaining what happens to every member of your party. It all makes you feel like your character became a great legend of this world.
How could a company that got the ending so right for BG2 failed so much in Mass Effect 3?

2.Civilization 4
Sorry for being a bit of a Civ hipster, but Civ5 is not very good compared to its four previous offerings. To me, Civ 4 is the most refined, covering most major aspect of human civilizations (no other civ games tacked the rise of Corporations). Civ 4 clearly provides the most options in terms of play-styles. Some people have even managed to win the game using a Spy-based economy (as opposed to more traditional production, gold or agriculture outputs). It is clearly the most complex (and thus)best Civilization experience imho.

3.Morrowind
I played this for the first time last year. So this is not nostalgia goggles. It is simply the most imaginative world I have seen in a fantasy video game. Too bad other Elder Scrolls game do show as much imagination.

4.Zelda A link to the Past

5.Final Fantasy 6
Back when I was a kid, this game made me realize that game could tell compelling stories. And still the best music in video games!!!!

Runners up

Chrono Trigger
Objectively, Chrono Trigger is probably better than FF6, but FF6 holds the dearest place in my heart as my introduction to rpgs. Had I played FF6 after Chrono Trigger, Chrono Trigger would be on this list)

Skyrim
Currently playing this for the first time. The vanilla experience is a bit dull, but I am playing it with the proper mods (Frostfall, realistic needs and diseases, hunterborn, Deadly dragons, Interesting NPCs to name a few). This game could be in my top 5 once I am finished with it. Frostfall, especially, makes the game so much bigger! It almost rivals Morrowind.


Honorable mention:

Deus Ex
Not as good as the other games mentionned here, but, back in the days, I was very much anti-FPS and this game kind of reconciled me with the idea of a First person shooter. I know it is considered mostly an RPG, but this game showed me that games in the first person mode could be more than just dumb shooters a la Duke Nukem/Quake/Doom.

Oblivion
Great game with Oscuro?s Oblivion Overhaul (or another mod to fix the leveling system). Environment is still too bland and the caves/dungeons are still too similar.
 

Dead Seerius

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1. Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess
My favorite game in my favorite series. Adored the music and dungeons. I think the darker atmosphere suits the game wonderfully, and I hope Nintendo takes another stab at that sort of tone in the next series installment. Hell, it might even prompt me to buy a Wii U.... maybe.

2. Portal
A perfect game in nearly every way (bar cake memes.) The first time I received the complete portal gun I spent probably 20 minutes just messing around, having a blast. Plus, Still Alive.

3. Arkham Asylum
I loved City as well, but I felt a much greater attachment to the first installment. The asylum itself was eerily beautiful and the villains were fantastically realized. I have to give props to Scarecrow; the guy made me turn off my console in fear that my disc had somehow been damaged. You know what part I'm talking about.

Yes, I am that gullible.

4. Dead Space
Nothing like becoming intimately familiar with a Necromorph's blade-arm in the middle of the night with the lights turned off. Sexy.

5. The Walking Dead - Season 1
I usually catch flak for this, seeing as a lot of people don't consider TWD much of a "game," but the characters and story managed to captivate me in ways I never would have anticipated beforehand. And the last moments of Episode 5 still haunt my thoughts from time to time.
 

Kricketz

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Apr 25, 2014
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Best of all time...that's impossible.

Instead I'll give you my top 5, or at least I'll try too.

5) TES: Oblivion
My favorite elder scrolls and probably the game I've spent the most time playing...ever. It's funny, because I have never actually completed the main storyline. All of my time went to side quests, guild quests(thieves guild will always be my favorite) and just wandering' around causing all sorts of shenanigans will random npc's. Truly a good time.

4) Jet Set Radio Future
Like one of the previous posters I also received this game bundled with my original Xbox. This game was so much fun. Just the overall vibe, and the over the top but tasteful cel-shading. The grinding and tagging were done much better than the previous version, saving the complex joystick movements for special tags only. And the soundtrack....don't even get me started.

3) Gun Star Heroes
This game spent a ridiculous amount of time in my Sega genesis. I remember I only had 2 other games at the time, Sonic the hedgehog 3 and Mega Bomberman, Both of which I spent countless hours playing. Gun Star Heroes was a great side-scrolling shoot em' up. Also loved the power up drops. And that epic final boss with all the elements...Err, memories!!!

2)Final Fantasy Tactics
There's just so much about this game that I love. The characters are memorable and have some of the most epic names I can think of(Looking at you Ramza and Delita.) Overall, just a great storyline and decent difficulty level going through. Some area's required a little grinding and some of the battles were just rage inducing. No other Strategy JRPG has done it for me. The character customization was top notch. There was just enough but I never felt over whelmed with options and even a few secret characters to unlock. Just an amazing game overall.

1)Secret of Mana
This was the game that turned me into a "true gamer". This was the first game I ever played that grabbed me by the short-hairs and continues to pull me in again and again. The soundtrack is amazing and catchy. The game play was solid and fun. I suppose this game is why I enjoy the Kingdom Hearts series so much. I truly believe that this game is a sort of a predecessor to the kingdom hearts in terms of gameplay. I love the "Action JRPG" genre and this is by far one of my favorites.

Honorable Mentions: Super Mario World (SNES), River City Ransom (NES), Crash and the Boys (NES), Dragon Age: Origins (X360, PS3, PC), Mass Effect 2 (X360, PS3, PC), Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES), MGS 3: Snake Eater (PS2, X360, PS3), and soooo many more.
Would have been much easier if it were best of each individual generation of consoles.
 

The Madman

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Dec 7, 2007
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Oh, these are always fun. Won't bother numbering my choices because that would imply I'm actually capable of making up my mind on these things, but here's a go nonetheless at listing what I consider my favourite games of all time!

-Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn

What can be said about this game that hasn't already been said? In many regards it's just my perfect rpg with a compelling story, fun cast of characters, entertaining tactical gameplay, fantastic soundtrack, and gorgeous 2D visuals which continue to hold up well in my mind even today.

-Unreal Tournament 2004

UT2004 is the best damned arena shooter ever made, and if you disagree with that then I think you're wrong. This is the game I play when I've just got a bit of time to waste and I wanna do something that's instantly going to be fun. Great weapons, amazing soundtrack, intuitive controls, and so many maps, modes, and mutators it makes my head spin. Such a good game!

-System Shock 2

One of the most intelligent shooters ever made, SS2 is just a sublime mix of intense actions and hear pounding terror. Unlike most modern horror games SS2 builds its reputation for being frightening not from jump scares, but from sheer intensity. There is no safety, no relent. The villains taunt you constantly, they berate you, mock you, all while goons try with seemingly endless numbers to kill you at every moment. Add to that a truly disturbing story and one of the best villains gaming has ever produced and you've got what is unquestionably in my mind one of the best games ever made, regardless of genre or platform.

-Crusader Kings 2

Newest game on my lil' list, Crusader Kings 2 has just taken up so much of my time since its release that I'd be a fool not to mention it. The mix of grand strategy and political wrangling alongside the open-ended nature of this ever-expanding game means I'm never short of something to do whether it be a lofty goal like forming the Empire of Hispania or something more mundane like ensuring my characters children inherit their claims for the throne. Always something to do!

-The Longest Journey

I love this game, I really do. Not because of its gameplay, hell no, as far as adventure games puzzles and gameplay go its pretty terrible. But the story? My pick for best in the gaming medium. Something about it just resonates with me and as a result I'll proclaim its glory from the highest mountain (or gaming forum) till come the end. It deserves it!