What's your favorite video game of all time?
- Thread starter Poppy JR.
- Start date
Resident Evil 4. Has been since the first time I played it and I would imagine it always will be.
It was one of (if not THE) the first games I played where I felt like I was doing more than just killing time. I mean I love Crash Bandicoot and Worms and Tekken 3 and Ratchet & Clank and they're all great games but I didn't find a single one of them as engaging as Resi 4.
Truthfully it's hard to say what makes it such a firm favourite for me, particularly as I was never especially enamoured with the original games, but if I had to try and choose one main draw it has it'd probably be the actual gameplay. I mean the story's not bad but it's fairly basic, as are the majority of the characters, and visually the game used a lot of grey-y brown which I tend to dislike in modern games. The gameplay on the other hand really put you under pressure. If you wanted to take a shot at an attacking enemy you had to stop, effectively giving ground and potentially putting yourself in trouble should you miss. Plus the inventory system and gun upgrades were just excellent (as were all the guns themselves), forcing you to choose carefully what guns were worth the space they would take and what upgrades were most worth your hard earned pesatas.
Outside of that the general atmosphere is pretty spectacular. In particular the village at the beginning was just an inspired choice, with its general eeriness and scary locals shouting at you in spanish and throwing sharp objects at your head. Andthe soundtrack was perfectly designed for the game, going down a less conventional route focusing on being unsettling or tense at the right times in place of more typical melodical sountracks. Plus of course there's the merchant ("'ello stranger") and it's hard to forget the sheer terror of hearing Dr. Salvador's chainsaw revving up and knowing you have mere seconds before he's within decapitating range.
All these things are probably present in some form or another in other games but somehow the way they're tied together in Resi 4 just worked (for me at least), to the point that it was the first game that made me think video games might one day be seen as an art form like literature or film.
It was one of (if not THE) the first games I played where I felt like I was doing more than just killing time. I mean I love Crash Bandicoot and Worms and Tekken 3 and Ratchet & Clank and they're all great games but I didn't find a single one of them as engaging as Resi 4.
Truthfully it's hard to say what makes it such a firm favourite for me, particularly as I was never especially enamoured with the original games, but if I had to try and choose one main draw it has it'd probably be the actual gameplay. I mean the story's not bad but it's fairly basic, as are the majority of the characters, and visually the game used a lot of grey-y brown which I tend to dislike in modern games. The gameplay on the other hand really put you under pressure. If you wanted to take a shot at an attacking enemy you had to stop, effectively giving ground and potentially putting yourself in trouble should you miss. Plus the inventory system and gun upgrades were just excellent (as were all the guns themselves), forcing you to choose carefully what guns were worth the space they would take and what upgrades were most worth your hard earned pesatas.
Outside of that the general atmosphere is pretty spectacular. In particular the village at the beginning was just an inspired choice, with its general eeriness and scary locals shouting at you in spanish and throwing sharp objects at your head. Andthe soundtrack was perfectly designed for the game, going down a less conventional route focusing on being unsettling or tense at the right times in place of more typical melodical sountracks. Plus of course there's the merchant ("'ello stranger") and it's hard to forget the sheer terror of hearing Dr. Salvador's chainsaw revving up and knowing you have mere seconds before he's within decapitating range.
All these things are probably present in some form or another in other games but somehow the way they're tied together in Resi 4 just worked (for me at least), to the point that it was the first game that made me think video games might one day be seen as an art form like literature or film.
Carmageddon takes that cake for me!
Carnage, pretty large open levels, you can explore the crap out of every map (game even rewards you with power-ups for doing this), awesome level designs aswell as vehicle design. The Sequel took it up to 11 like a sequel should.
It has to share it's first place with this game though:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow Of Chernobyl, for these reasons:
Tactical battles, rewards with exploring, enviromental hazards you have to avoid, amazing atmosphere, actually scary unlike most horror games and it gives the difficulty level I want in a game. It's tough as nails but that encourages thinking before acting, which I love in games.
Carnage, pretty large open levels, you can explore the crap out of every map (game even rewards you with power-ups for doing this), awesome level designs aswell as vehicle design. The Sequel took it up to 11 like a sequel should.
It has to share it's first place with this game though:
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow Of Chernobyl, for these reasons:
Tactical battles, rewards with exploring, enviromental hazards you have to avoid, amazing atmosphere, actually scary unlike most horror games and it gives the difficulty level I want in a game. It's tough as nails but that encourages thinking before acting, which I love in games.
A relatively new and old pick for me. New is Far Cry 3, just the story, gameplay and characters got me pretty hard. First game I finished 100% too.
Old pick is System Shock 2. A survival horror game that if we didn't get it, we wouldn't have gotten Bioshock. It's amazing, still scary and just insane.
Old pick is System Shock 2. A survival horror game that if we didn't get it, we wouldn't have gotten Bioshock. It's amazing, still scary and just insane.
Turok: The Dinosaur Hunter on the N64 (PC version as well)
Replayed it countless times as a kid, and countless times as an adult.
It was between that and Turok 2, but the first game was much more fluid, and doesn't feel like as much of a chore to play sometimes. I blame the N64 versions low framerate for Turok 2 not being my all time favorite.
For the PS2 generation, I'm saying Metal Gear Solid 3. It's the first game to make me tear up towards the end, with fantastic visuals, story, and amazing gameplay for the time, and even today.
PS3/360 gen: A cross between Far Cry 3, and Deus Ex: HR.
Far Cry 3 has gorgeous visuals, a large island to explore, and a fantastic antagonist (Vaas, obviously)
Deus Ex: HR had an engrossing world and setting, a great story, and so many fantastic ways to play.
Replayed it countless times as a kid, and countless times as an adult.
It was between that and Turok 2, but the first game was much more fluid, and doesn't feel like as much of a chore to play sometimes. I blame the N64 versions low framerate for Turok 2 not being my all time favorite.
For the PS2 generation, I'm saying Metal Gear Solid 3. It's the first game to make me tear up towards the end, with fantastic visuals, story, and amazing gameplay for the time, and even today.
PS3/360 gen: A cross between Far Cry 3, and Deus Ex: HR.
Far Cry 3 has gorgeous visuals, a large island to explore, and a fantastic antagonist (Vaas, obviously)
Deus Ex: HR had an engrossing world and setting, a great story, and so many fantastic ways to play.
IOS/Android port is almost the same: Upgraded engine allowing better visuals and a few tweaks here and there, it's a port how a port should be done. Touch screen controls are pretty great aswell, and you hear this from someone who dislikes touchscreens. Yes, I can wholeheartedly recommend the IOS/Android port.Poppy JR. said:
I have two. My first is Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening for the original Gameboy. It introduced me to the Zelda world and i've been a fan ever since.
My second is Dragon Age Origins. It was a game with a great story and characters I really cared about. I still play it now.
My second is Dragon Age Origins. It was a game with a great story and characters I really cared about. I still play it now.
I can never pick one absolute favorite over another, so I'll just list a few of my all time favorites.
-Final Fantasy VI(SNES, PSX)
-Mega Man X(SNES)
-Mass Effect Trilogy(Xbox 360)
-Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(Nintendo 64, 3DS)
-Grandia II(PS2... and still has the best combat system I've ever seen in any JRPG)
-Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Game Cube)
-Persona 4 Golden(PS Vita)
-Dragon Age: Origins(PC)
-Final Fantasy VI(SNES, PSX)
-Mega Man X(SNES)
-Mass Effect Trilogy(Xbox 360)
-Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time(Nintendo 64, 3DS)
-Grandia II(PS2... and still has the best combat system I've ever seen in any JRPG)
-Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Game Cube)
-Persona 4 Golden(PS Vita)
-Dragon Age: Origins(PC)
Ah, jeez, that's like asking me to choose between my children... I don't have any children, though. This post is going to date me anyways, so I figure I'll just throw that out there.
Mine tends to change around a lot, but right now, it's probably Team Fortress 2. I only started playing it when Free to Play came out, but I've had a lot of good times with internet friends playing that. Super Smash Brothers' three iterations were also great fun with IRL friends, and Mario Party 4 and Mario Kart Double Dash were the two games my little sister would play with me growing up. (My sister's not sick or dead or anything; she's fine.)
My favourite single-player experiences are probably Super Mario Galaxy and Civilization V. Pokemon also holds a special place in my heart (I still love those games, even if they're a little samey at times), particularly Leaf Green, as that was the first time I defeated the Elite Four without using over-leveled legendaries or borrowed Pokemon from friends. I've beaten Leaf Green like six times since xD. I remember in my first (failed) run-through of that game, I only used this one Golem that I named "Kill that!". Almost all of my other Pokemon were ones I caught freshly off of Victory Road, and most of were the same type, so my team sucked. My starter was actually left in the box right after it evolved because it was under-leveled from me only using my Golem. I wish I'd tried to play it more with friends, but what's past is past. I was never a Zelda fan until my cousin gave me his old N64, a game that I was surprised to see lived up to most of the hype and aged phenomenally, even without the nostalgia goggles. I was too stupid and impatient to beat it without looking at a walkthrough now and again, though.
Now that I'm a little more mature, games like Portal 1 and 2, Dragon Age: Origins and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are working their way up my list, but I always come back to games like Smash Bros. and Leaf Green.
... Well shit, that was a real nice trip down memory lane.
Thank you for posting this thread.
Mine tends to change around a lot, but right now, it's probably Team Fortress 2. I only started playing it when Free to Play came out, but I've had a lot of good times with internet friends playing that. Super Smash Brothers' three iterations were also great fun with IRL friends, and Mario Party 4 and Mario Kart Double Dash were the two games my little sister would play with me growing up. (My sister's not sick or dead or anything; she's fine.)
My favourite single-player experiences are probably Super Mario Galaxy and Civilization V. Pokemon also holds a special place in my heart (I still love those games, even if they're a little samey at times), particularly Leaf Green, as that was the first time I defeated the Elite Four without using over-leveled legendaries or borrowed Pokemon from friends. I've beaten Leaf Green like six times since xD. I remember in my first (failed) run-through of that game, I only used this one Golem that I named "Kill that!". Almost all of my other Pokemon were ones I caught freshly off of Victory Road, and most of were the same type, so my team sucked. My starter was actually left in the box right after it evolved because it was under-leveled from me only using my Golem. I wish I'd tried to play it more with friends, but what's past is past. I was never a Zelda fan until my cousin gave me his old N64, a game that I was surprised to see lived up to most of the hype and aged phenomenally, even without the nostalgia goggles. I was too stupid and impatient to beat it without looking at a walkthrough now and again, though.
Now that I'm a little more mature, games like Portal 1 and 2, Dragon Age: Origins and XCOM: Enemy Unknown are working their way up my list, but I always come back to games like Smash Bros. and Leaf Green.
... Well shit, that was a real nice trip down memory lane.
Thank you for posting this thread.
Silent Hill 2 was a great game, imo it's story is second only to Silent Hill 4's, but 4 had bad (even by SH standards) gameplay. It's also my third (I think) favourite SH. But by realistic, do you mean 'realistic for them'? I'm pretty sure that a society wouldn't go and form a city in the sky if you know what I mean.Proverbial Jon said:
Monster Hunter.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite to be specific,but I've played all the PSP versions and caught a glimpse of the (sadly a lot better) Wii and Wii U ones and while it's true they wouldn't exist without the PSP versions first,MH3U is the only game I would actually buy a console to play.
Still,as tough it may to be to properly understand and get into the games,it's extremely rewarding to finally take down that one really hard monster and then skinning it and taking parts of its dead carcass to put on your head as a trophy and...huh.I don't think the game would be anywhere near as lighthearted on first glance should it be made by a western game company.
Shame it did so poorly everywhere except Japan,we could be playing PC versions without needing fake korean social security numbers and whatnot.
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite to be specific,but I've played all the PSP versions and caught a glimpse of the (sadly a lot better) Wii and Wii U ones and while it's true they wouldn't exist without the PSP versions first,MH3U is the only game I would actually buy a console to play.
Still,as tough it may to be to properly understand and get into the games,it's extremely rewarding to finally take down that one really hard monster and then skinning it and taking parts of its dead carcass to put on your head as a trophy and...huh.I don't think the game would be anywhere near as lighthearted on first glance should it be made by a western game company.
Shame it did so poorly everywhere except Japan,we could be playing PC versions without needing fake korean social security numbers and whatnot.
Well, I did have a go at Grandia II. It was a decent game, but didn't really 'hit the spot' like the original did. It had good characters, and I even found the protagonist to be perfectly likeable.Exhuminator said:
Yeah, I don't usually like games with moody and cranky protagonists, but this guy's banter was actually amusing enough to make up for it. He came across as a curmudgeon rather than an emo crybaby ([small]*cough*[/small]Squall[small]*cough*[/small]), and that made all the difference!
The story started out all right, intriguing and well paced, but the formula (travel to town, fix town's problems, travel to next town) eventually just got old. I ended up abandoning the game about halfway through, but am not entirely sure that I won't have another whack at it someday. I do feel that it kind of deserves a second chance.
I've never tried Grandia III, and I don't plan to. I understand that it wasn't even complete before release, that it's just a quick stroll through a completely linear world - littered here and there with an occasional dead-end that was supposed to be a side quest or diversion that never made it in. Anyway, IF I ever feel like a Grandia-like experience that doesn't feature cheerful, optimistic Justin, I'll be going for Grandia II!
Well, that would have to be Timesplitters: Future Perfect. The third and last game in the series, it's the one that I think really brought itself up to speed with other shooters of the time, while keeping a personality and style of gameplay that made it stand out.
Made my internet persona an obscure monster from that game specifically, because he's cool. And sorta cute. I think so, at least...what's cuter than an eyeless flesh-monster that makes widdle squeaky noises?
Looking forward to Rewind so I can see him in high-res glory, shooting the crap out of things, just like the old days.
Made my internet persona an obscure monster from that game specifically, because he's cool. And sorta cute. I think so, at least...what's cuter than an eyeless flesh-monster that makes widdle squeaky noises?
Looking forward to Rewind so I can see him in high-res glory, shooting the crap out of things, just like the old days.
See, I didn't care for the first one at all, but Grandia 2 is one of my all time favorite jRPGs. On the subject of Ni no Kuni, it's on sale on the PSN right now, and is going for $20 new at my local Walmart. I picked up my copy for like $12 from GameStop.busterkeatonrules said:
Ah, yes. I didn't even remember using the word realistic until I re-read my post! The idea I was aiming for was how well those games create a believable world, one I can become engrossed in and forget that it isn't real. Maybe Columbia isn't realistic in any sense of the word but I was totally pulled into the experience. Poor choice of words on my part!Evonisia said:
I've never really given SH4 that much time in all honesty. The gameplay has always ruined it for me along with the repeated environments. I keep meaning to go back and play again, it certainly has a brilliant premise and some truly horrifying moments. Those Twin Victims in the Water Prison? *Shudder*
I'd be interested to know how you rank SH in order of your favourites.