metalhead212

I see these on the forums I frequent all the time so I figured I would start one here. This is a total "in your opinion" type thread. The rules are quite simple. Post the top 5-10 games that changed your life, opened your eyes to new genres, gave you the greatest memories, ect, with a little explanation as to why. The only requirement is that it has to be a game that you have either played or watched someone else play.

For myself, my top 10 would be, in no particular order:

1) Starsiege Tribes (PC)- The first game that really got me interested in online play. I got into this game pretty late into its life (3yrs into it) and found the community was still going strong. I skipped many classes in college to stay in my dorm room and play and play and play.


2) Gears of War (Xbox 360)- The first game to sell me on the latest generation of consoles, but more importantly got me back into online play. After I burnt out on tribes by playing 5 years straight everyday I didn't think I would ever play online again. I bought this game and got sucked into the world of online play once again.

3) Battle Toads (NES)- This game presented me with my first real challenging game. Before I bought Battle Toads I finished my games that didn't loop levels until lvl 99 (RAMPAGE!) quite easily. It took me two years to finish the 12 levels in battle toads and even at that I got lucky with some B.S. on the last boss and managed to win.

4) Pitfall (Atari)- The first video game I ever played. This started it all.

5) Tony Hawk (Playstation)- When this game came out I thought sports games could go no further. I wasn't really interested in sports games. I hated simulators because if I wanted to simulate a game I could just as easily go out and do it in real life. When THPS came out I was amazed at how many motions and moves and what not were crammed into the game. It was fun without being extremely over the top like games like Blitz and Hitz. This was the first game that really got me into playing games competitively with friends for nothing more than bragging rights.

6) Final Fantasy 7 (Playstation)- It was a toss up between FF6 and FF7 for me. Both games were equally awesome, but FF7 really jumps out because it was one of the first games that transcended the "laws" of video games where you don't kill off a main character. (For anyone that doesn't know what I am talking about I will say no more). Not only that, but it was the first game this side of Chrono Trigger that I really got into the story and cared about what happened at the end.

7) Tetris Attack (SNES)- My mom and I, when I was younger, would sit with our "cinder block" sized grey gameboys with the link cable and play tetris against each other for hours on end. One day we played for 16 hours straight. Eventually I started to find the patterns and develop strategies and the game no longer became fun. The same happened to my mother. So when we bought the SNES Tetris attack was a no brainer purchase for us. This game was amazing because it was tetris in 360 degrees. The game got me hooked on puzzle games for life. Nothing gave me a greater feeling than setting up the entire board for one single move that would be so massive and such a shock to the poor SNES that it would crash the system.

8) Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)- I loved games like MK, samurai showdown, and virtua fighter but they never really could hold my attention longer than the amount of time I had to invest in the game to finish it with all the characters. After that I would only really play when my friends wanted to. When I played Soul Calibur that all changed. They implemented so much into the game to keep me playing after the story modes were done, that I was so submerged into the game at that point that I the survival mode until my fingers would literally bleed.

9) Phantasy Star Online (Dreamcast)- I like this game a lot and have a lot of fond memories playing it. I met a lot of cool and interesting people playing this game. It didn't keep my attention long. I think I played maybe 200 hours and stopped, but I still look back on it with a smile.

10) Golden Eye 007 (Nintendo 64)- What more can I say that hasn't been said about this game? One of the best of all time for sure. I love this game. So many sleepless nights were spent with my friends playing this game. We knew all the maps by heart, knew all the locations for the weapons, and knew all the dirty little tricks, but we still continued on and played the game. In fact this game is still to this day in heavy rotation when my friends come over.

chris_sc77

1. Grand Theft Auto 3/Grand Theft Auto : Vice City (ps2)
2. Tetris (and all variation including Dr. Mario, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, etc.)
3. Super Mario 3 (Nintendo)
4. Goldeneye (N64)
5. Donkey Kong Country 1 & 2 (SUper Nintendo)
6. Sonic The Hedgehog 1 & 2 (Sega genesis/ps2)
7. Crash Bandicoot 1 & 2 (playstation)
8. The Simpsons (arcade game) / The X-Men (arcade game)
9. Teenage Mutant Ninga TUrtle games (NINtendo)
10. Resident Evil 2 (Nintendo 63)

metalhead212

Pretty solid list. Crash I don't have to much knowledge of, but everything else is aces!

HydroX2

1. Kingdom Hearts (PS2)
2. Gears of War (360)
3. Bioshock (360)
4. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (Dreamcast)
5. Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)
6. Mortal Kombat 2 (SNES)
7. Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
8. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
9. Killer Instinct (SNES)
10. Super Smash Bros. Melee (Gamecube)

Michael Corvin

1. Ms. Pac-Man - what's there to say. A classic and much improved over the hubby's game. Even better with the turbo mod chip.

2. Mega Man II - the little blue bombers greatest game. No sequel has come close to the platforming perfection that was MMII.

3. the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Zelda at it's zenith and obviously the template for every Zelda game since.

4. Goldeneye - wasn't the first FPS, but perfected it like no other on consoles. Even better with Turok control style.

5. Mario Kart 64 - Party gaming at it's best. Pure fun with a group of four.

6. Pac-Man: CE - Like Ms. Pac-Man, amplifies everything great about the original without losing it's charm.

7. Bioshock - Definitely GOTY '07.

8. Halo - Took the brilliance of Goldeneye and Turok style controls and brought it to an epic space saga starring an unforgettable main character, a killer soundtrack and vast open landscapes.

9. Super Metroid - A bit too easy, but an ageless classic.

10. Sierra's "Quests" - kind of a cheat, but hard to remember or pick just one. King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, and Leisure Suit Larry laid the foundation for Lucasarts and took up a great deal of time during my youth.

KurrptSenate

1. Soul Caliber : Not only is it the epitome of fighting games in terms of controls, variety of moves, and the various fighting stances and the ability to counter, but it's also the most in-depth fighting system. It didn't hurt that the graphics on the dreamcast were way before it's time

2. Ninja Gaiden (xbox) : I feel this game is the paragon of action based exploration games . The fighting system was very demanding, but also extremely rewarding. If you could make it through the game, you seriously felt like a ninja

3. Goldeneye 007 (N64) : Extremely easy to pick up, yet hard to master. The one player experience was very hard if you wanted to unlock all the extras in the game (which is also an awesome feature in and of itself). This was really the must-have game to own if you had a bunch of friends over

4. Zelda : A Link to the Past (SNES) : I have yet to see a Zelda game capture my imagination quite like this one. The bosses seemed so epic, yet rewarding when you'd use your newly aquired gadget to defeat him and his adversaries. I'm also in love with the soundtrack with this one in particular

5. Castlevania : Aria of Sorrow (GBA) : By far the greatest in the series. The graphics were very impressive for a handheld, the bosses were challenging and huge, and the limitless collectibles definitely put it on top for me. I can't really complain about the difficulty as all of them are damn easy

DthRdrX

The ones I've probably enjoyed the most.

1. THQ WCW/WWF Wrestling games (N64)
2. Alone in the Dark (PC/3D0)
3. Mortal Kombat 2 (Arcade/SNES)
4. Resident Evil (PS)
5. Super Tecmo Bowl (NES)
6. Goldeneye (N64)
7. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
8. KOTOR (Xbox)
9. Call of Duty 2 (360)
10. Still Life (PC)

metalhead212

How does Aria of Sorrow compare to Symphony of the Night?

KurrptSenate

aria of sorrow just seemed like the next evolution, if you will, of the series

they really took the variety of weapons and pushed the limits, i feel. the abilities gained from defeated foes was one of the best replay-features i've seen in the series.

also, this title really used the multiple endings and obtaining new playable characters to it's zenith, at least for the series.

harmony of dissonance is good as well, but not nearly as good

MasterofDVD

1. FFVII (PS) - First game I played on my brand new Playstation. Got it when I moved into my first apartment alone. Ended up playing it so long I fell asleep with the controller in my hands. Amazing story and at the time I never would imagined that a game character dying would cause my to feel the emotions I did.

2. Duck Hunt (NES) - The only game my Dad really enjoyed playing with me. We would spend hours on that damn game. Now and then I give my father my older systems but other than a Christmas Day Madden Fest a few years ago we have never played a game so much together.

3. Agent Under Fire (XBOX) - This was the first game I ever played with a large group of people. After getting this game and a few extra controllers the guys who worked for me would come over maybe 3 times a week to play. This went on for ages and even when Nightfire came out we got into it for a short period of time.

4. Halo (XBOX) - Thanks to XBOXConnect this was the first real online gaming experience I ever had. The same group of guys mentioned above would come over and for hours we would search for online games. Where previously we had all just fought each other it was a very cool thing to finally work together as a group to wipe out other people.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (Gameboy) - Pretty much the only Gameboy game that really left in impression on me. Once I started playing this game I only stopped when my parents thought I should either eat, sleep or go to school. Never before had I been so compelled to finish a game. I had played the first Zelda game but at the time I was too young to really have it capture my total attention. I may not of bought or played all the Zelda games since then but I have enjoyed all the ones I have played.

6. GTA III (PS2) - I had skipped the previous GTA titles, as I think many folks had, but the change in camera and overall design really drew me into this one. Could of cared less about the story and I couldn't even say how much of the story I completed. I can tell you I beat the hell out of many people, stole thousands of cars and wandered over every inch of that city. A free roaming world was an amazing idea at the time. None of the other GTA titles since then have been as amazing to me but I have very high hopes that IV will soon change that.

7. Guitar Hero Series (PS2 and 360) - Pretty safe bet that this game gained the attention of a huge number of people who had previously ignored video games. When the game first came out I was doubtful it would be any fun. I didn't care for the songs in the game and the guitar made me feel like a moron. Then one night I had a few drinks and loosened up enough to try the game out. I'm pretty sure I will keep buying the games until they stop making them. My skills are not amazing but the game is still outstanding and the songs keep getting better.

8. Animal Crossing Series (GC and DS) - Probably the games I felt I had the least chance of getting sucked into. For me to type a letter to my wife and send it in game instead of walking into the next room to talk to her seemed crazy.....but I did it nonstop for months. I even bought a portable gaming system just so I could go to that damn island. I have to say the Wii version of this game is my most wanted title and if I told my wife they were making one I am sure she would be all for it as well. I'm just not ready to tell her because I don't want her to ask me about the game constantly until it finally arrives.

Was hoping to have time to finish all ten but I have a funeral to attend.....

fumanstan

My quick list, although i'm sure i'm forgetting a game or two.

1) Quake 2 - Best multiplayer experience i've had, and I played this for years. Especially the Rocket Arena 2 mod. LAN's, online competitions, leagues... definitely the most played time i've spent total on a game. That and i was probably one of the best RA2 players

2) Quest for Glory (series) - Grew up playing these games, so I picked this out of all the "Quest" games from Sierra since i had the most fun with it. Number 5 was dissapointing and the end of that period adventure gaming, but these are still fun to revisit for me.

3) Monkey Island (series) - Some of the funniest games i've played. #1 specifically will hold a place in my heart due to the humor and the awesome theme song. And hell, it's a pirate game!

4) Chrono Trigger - My favorite RPG, slightly edging out Final Fantasy 7. I just flat out enjoyed the story and the characters. The artwork was top notch, and the multiple endings were great.

5) God of War 1/2 - Something about these games are just flat out fun, and playing the first GoW was the best action experience I had in years at the time. Great story to boot.

6) Super Mario Bros. 3 - My favorite Mario Bros. game. Spent hours playing this thing over and over again. Edges out New Super Mario Bros by a hair.

7) Mike Tyson's Punch Out - Not sure why I like this so much. But everytime i watch a Rocky movie I feel like playing this again. That and I ended up good enough that Tyson was a piece of cake.

8) Fallout 1/2 - Just a great RPG with some awesome dark humor that i loved. Since i didn't care for any of the D&D stuff like Baldur's Gate, this was easy to attach myself to based on the subject matter.

9) Gears of War - Probably the first game that knocked my socks off with the graphics and had the gameplay to match. For anyone that says graphics don't matter, I just can't imagine playing this with the graphics capabilities of the Wii. Immersive and fun.

10) Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past - My favorite Zelda game. I like the artwork and the story, and it was just a fun and entertaining game. For some reason i could never get into this series in 3D. It's a secret to everybody!

metalhead212

AC was a fantastic and very involving and addicting game. It was very awesome. Plus . . . the chicks love it when you take the time to type out a little love letter to them in the game.

The Bus

In chronological order:

Super Mario Bros. — It's a borderline glib answer but it's true. It's a game I still enjoy playing 20(!) years later. All of its 2D sequels were also fantastic.

F-Zero — Quite simply a perfect racer. I've bought the game four times. My original cart was lost, so I bought two replacements (one which I kept framed for a year). And I bought it again on the VC.

Mario Kart 64 — A perfect racer. Although multiplayer battle was never as much fun as the original, this was a great game. I played a month-long series against my cousin: we'd play as every character, doing every Cup, in every difficulty. He eventually ended up winning.

Money Idol Exchanger — My favorite puzzle game ever. Criminally overlooked.

Goldeneye 007 — A watershed moment for gaming: the console FPS had arrived. Console versions of FPSs were never very good, but after Goldeneye, they started to hold their own. The single player and deathmatch were simply flawless, considering the limitations of the console. Rare's last truly great game.

Dead or Alive 2 — My favorite Dreamcast game and of the most inclusive fighters ever made. Graphically gorgeous and fun to play, this game rewarded those with strategy as well as button-mashers since the characters had so many cool moves and animations that would accidentally be activated.

Last Blade 2 — In my opinion, one of the best fighters ever made.

Unreal — The first game I got when I bought a powerhouse PC. It had been out for maybe a month or so and I was able to play it at the highest settings in low resolution. The inclusion of UnrealEd in the game was amazing, and I made a few maps for it, one of which got me a job interview (which I declined) with a developer. The community at the time was extremely small and tight-knit. People moved away once Tribes came out and I never followed people into any of the UT games. I did play multiplayer with CliffyB, Mark Rein, and a bunch of other people from Epic.

Halo: Combat Evolved — I was a die hard opponent of Microsoft's entry into console gaming but I was quickly won over during the first time I played multiplayer Slayer. It was in the large, open-air ice map. I was driving a Warthog towards my friend, parked the Warthog, then ran behind a rock. While this was happening, he shot a rocket launcher towards the Warthog, which flipped in the air and launched over the rock. I happened to be looking up as it flew past me, and in that instant I knew I wanted to own this game.

Oblivion — Hello? Best game of this generation.

boredsilly

-in no order-

Beyond Good and Evil - It is a critical darling and cult classic now, but it's also a cliche that is listed in every "Games you've never played" type lists. However, taking a step away from how it sold (or should have sold), and just looking at the game I can say that this was one of my best experiences with a game ever. Perfectly balanced and varied gameplay, near perfect pacing, a fun mini-game (photography) that acted as a great diversion, a story that I actually really got into, and that fantastic whale-like monster that would jump out of the Bay if you were patient enough to wait for it. One of the best games ever.

Beetle Adventure Racing - I can appreciate Gran Turismo type racing games, but I always have more fun with the more arcadey racers. One of the best was Beetle Adventure Racing for the N64. A mix between cart style battle racers and simple straight up racing, this game had a near perfect feel. The tracks were fun and inventive (with a plethora of shortcuts and secrets) and while there were only VW's in the game all the cars had a different enough look and feel that it didn't matter. The battle arena's were incredible too. Easily my favorite racing game until...

Burnout Takedown/Revenge - Simply put the most insane racing game ever with an incredible sense of speed. This revolutionized racing games and forever changed what I wanted from these types of games. Many have tried to copy, but no developer has come close to replicating the fun of these games. I cannot wait for Paradise.

Jet Grind Radio/Jet Set Radio (not future) - The first game who's graphics made me have to play it. The first Jet Grind Radio game oozed with a cool and quirky style that really enhanced an already solid game. I spent many hours with this one. Sadly, the sequel did not live up to the original for me. But there is always the first game.

TMNT: Turtles in Time - Classic 2d scrolling beat 'em up. I loved the turtles as a boy, and beat 'em ups, so this was a perfect game for me. And it still holds up.

Yoshi's Island - My favorite game in the Mario family of games. Pitch perfect controls, exciting and innovative gameplay, and just a blast of a game. I actually played this after the fact (around 1999) and I was still blown away. Much better than Mario World if you ask me.

N64 Wrestling Games - I know there were four or so, but they were all similar enough that I'll group them together like ]DthRdrX did. My favorite wrestling games that came at a time when I was obsessed with wrestling in general. I love how simple the controls were, which never made playing a chore. Me and my little cousin would often do the 50 man battle royal in WCW/Nitro just to see if we could last on one wrestler.

Freedom Force - The best videogame based on superheroes ever. I love Ultimate Alliance and the X-Men Legends games, but Freedom Force was truly something special. A perfect love letter to 60's era comics. It was fun to run around beating up thugs, but there was also a large level of strategy that went into beating levls, something that isn't so present in the dungeon crawl superhero games.

Sonic 3 - I love all of the Sonic games on Genesis, but Sonic 3 is one I spent the most time with. It took what was cool about 1 and 2 and just added more on top. Wicked fun, with some great music.

Tekken 3 - Sentimental pick. I think I've probably spent more hours with this game than any other battling against my cousin. I really loved the reversal system on this as it felt so good when you would catch your opponent. Plus the soundtrack for this game was fantastic. I still listen to it today.

metalhead212

Even though it was kind of cheap and quirky I LOVED that mini-game where it turned into somewhat of a sidescroller "streets of rage" type game. It was damn cool.

starseed1981

01.Tetris DX - GBC
02.Metal Gear Solid - PS
03.Final Fantasy VII - PS
04.Chrono Trigger - SNES
05.Ninja Gaiden - xbox
06.Starfox 64 - N64
07.Castlevania: Sotn - PS
07.Resident Evil 2 - PS
08.Mario Kart 64 - N64
09.Mortal Kombat II - Arcade
10.Warcraft III: TFT - PC

boredsilly

Oh I forgot to mention the minigames! I was all about the Volleyball game. That could get really intense really fast.

lordwow

I think:

10) Final Fantasy VII (PS)
9) Metal Gear Solid (PS)
8) Goldeneye 007 (N64)
7) Starcraft (PC)
6) Half Life 2/The Orange Box (PC/360) (Moved up with Orange Box additions)
5) Warcraft II: The Tides of Darkness (PC)
4) Super Mario Bros 3 (NES)
3) Super Mario World (SNES)
2) Zelda: A Link To The Past (SNES)
1) Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time (N64)

Notes: I should come out and say I'm not a Zelda or Mario fanboy, nor am I a Nintendo fanboy, but those top 4 games are among the most well-designed and entertaining games ever created. Additionally, I suck at RTS, especially online, but Warcraft and Starcraft hold so much replay value and have such lasting appeal that I think they deserve to be on the list. Half-Life 2/CounterStrike was around #10 on my list the last time I did this, but the addition of TF2 and Portal (as well as the episodes), knocks this one up to the greatest game/package of all time. Goldeneye was the system-selling game for a lot of people my age, and it was the first real mass FPS phenomena off-line. MGS and FFVII are the only 2 PS1 games I've played through (along with about half of FFTactics, which I enjoyed), and both were spectacular. I think I enjoyed MGS a little bit more than FFVII, but FFVII was beautifully done and deserves recognition as well.



Potential Top 10 Games/Honorable Mentions:
- Bioshock (I just don't think it has the replay value to be a top 10 game like these games)
- Super Mario Galaxy (still playing through)
- Call of Duty 4 (haven't played yet)
- Mario Kart 64 (elastic banding in single player killed this game's rating for me, Multiplayer is still top-knotch)
- Resident Evil 4 (so close, so close)

MasterofDVD

Ok....to finish my list...

9. Leisure Suit Larry Series (PC) - My friend let me borrow a shoebox of floppies and a cheat sheet to pass the age tests and things were never the same. It was the first PC game I ever played on our low end Tandy. Of course I had to play the games when I first got home from work and had to stop as soon as my parents rolled in the driveway at night. A pretty engrossing game for a horny teenager but even later in life I enjoy going back and playing the games. With the exception of the most recent release they were all great games.

10. Burnout Takedown (XBOX) - Seeing it mentioned above instantly reminded me of the thrill I felt while playing this game. I never cared for racing sim games. The speed lacked and all I did was smack around other cars trying to inch my way into the lead. Then came a game where I could floor it and knock my opponent clean off the damn track. Perfection. To this day I have never played a racing game without thinking how I just want the cars to go faster. The sense of speed in these games is addicting and the gameplay great. I have high hopes for Paradise.

tpc

For me, I think my list is more to do with my memories of the game rather than overall quality... In no particular order:

God of War 1 and 2 : Basically the same game, but in my mind perhaps two of the most perfect games ever made.

Zelda: The Twilight Princess - I'd never played a Zelda game before this on the Wii. Since then, I've been immersing myself in the series... just magnificent.

Super Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour - I don't know why. I don't care for Golf... but for some reason, this game became an obsession for me.

Tecmo Super Bowl: I've probably wasted more hours of my life on this game than any other game on this list. Just amazing at the time to me.

Keystone Kapers (atari 2600) - A remarkably simple game that I spent hours on. Loved this game when I was younger. I have a PS1 collection that has this game, and I still pop it in from time to time.

Resident Evil - This is one of the first games that really showed me that games could not just be fun, but REALLY be an experience. So revolutionary at its time, and none of the sequels can hold a candle to it in terms of being legitimately creepy. Some play better, but this was so revolutionary at the time to me, that I remember it far more fondly.

Donkey Kong Country on the SNES - I remember being blown away by this in the waning days of the SNES (I was 5 years away at this point from jumping to the PSX generation... I kind of took high school off from gaming) and I just revisited it on the Virtual Console... ad you know what? it's still a damn fine game.

Mike Tyson's Punchout... Probably the first true rhythm game.

WWF Warzone (PSX) Not really a great game, but it moved me to buy a PSX back in the day. I remember it more fondly than it probably actually was.

Animal Crossing - I have a hard time calling Animal Crossing a game in the strictest sense, but my now-wife-then-fiance really bonded over this game, so much though that we used to joke over having custody battles over the gamecube. We both logged a ton of hours on this thing.

AudioWizard

1) Contra
2) FF 7/ Kingdom Hearts
3) Animal Crossing
4) Madden
5) Tiger Woods
6) Grand Turismo 3
7) Castlevania
8)Tony Hawk
9) Wii Sports (Bowling)
10) NBA Jam

Lastblade

My list that no one will agree with:

Super Bomberman series: If you have 3 or more ppl, that's the party game to play.

Samurai Shodown series (especially 2)

Street Fighter 3: Third Strike (arcade)

NHL 94 (Genesis), probably my favorite sports game of all time, NHL 08 brings back some of the magic

Yoshi's Island (SNES), still beautiful to look at, and more fun to play than almost every other platformer out there

Star Raiders (2600), the 5200/XE/XL version is better, but I played the 2600 version first and still play it today.

Starcraft (PC), no explanation needed

Civilization series (PC), same

I am leaving 2 spots open... Too many games I love and hard to put them in top spots (for now).

LivingINClip

1: Castlevania: Sotn

2: Star Wars: KOTOR

3: Super Mario Bros 3

4: Yoshi's Island

5: Super Metroid

6: Street Fighter Alpha

7: Virtua Fighter 2

8: Resident Evil : Rebirth

9: Soul Calibur

10: Cannon Spike

In no order, of course.

SexualPudding

I agree with you on NHL '94 for sure. That game is just about perfection. If only the fighting hadn't been taken out. NHLPA '93 was the last version (at the time) with fighting, and was a good game, but '94 had vastly improved AI and introduced one-timers.

edstein

Wow, 23 posts and not a single mention of Diablo II or Jedi Knight. Both in my top 5. Oblivion, Halo 2 and, Soul Calibur finish my top 5.