Your top 10!

[jp]

Basically what the title says. What are your true blue top 10 of all time games and why? And don't do like I (and probably most people) always do and just throw down 10 games you like (or maybe I'm the only one who does that? :lol:), think about it, make a list, work it out, then POST!!!! This should be fun. :nod:

I'll start off since I did this last night.

10. Secret of Mana (SNES) - Mainly nostalgic, because I honestly haven't played it in many years due to a lack of a SNES with me. But I will tell you this: If I had an SNES with me, I would be playing it constantly. For some reason I was infatuated with this game as a kid, constantly playing it even though everyone's levels were maxed, constantly looking for those orbs that made your weapons the best they could be... I love the game. The world its in, the plot, everything was just so damn good.

9. Final Fantasy VI (SNES) - Another one I haven't played in years, so another one thats getting here via nostalgia. FFVI was the pinnacle of Final Fantasy to young "Square fanboy" JP. It had an awesome cast, the best villian ever to grace videogames, moogles, secret characters, and so much cool stuff that I spent hundreds of hours glued to my TV just exploring. And it has oh so many memorable moments, it had to be on my list.

8. Scramble (Uh, a lot of stuff?) - Whenever I come across a portable Konami compilation at work, I always have to check and see if it has Scramble. And if it does, I have to loop it at least ONCE! I don't know why, but I love playing Scramble. I hate Gradius, but I love Scramble. Honestly, I was hesitant to throw it up on the list, but given how much I play it, I figured it has to be here.

7. NiGHTS (SEGA SATURN) - Yuji Naka's E.T. . A phenomenal little game with beautiful graphics, amazing music, and some of the most relaxing gameplay ever. I actually must admit I like Christmas NiGHTS more (due to the unlockables and Christmas music, and a playable Reala), but since its a demo I'll give the actual game its due.

6. Guardian Heroes (Sega Saturn) - Treasure kicks ass, and made, in my opinion, the best beat 'em up ever. With a great soundtrack, awesome boss fights, branching paths, and all around solid gameplay, Guardian Heroes is typically one of the first games I get friend to play when they come over to check out this legendary "Sega Saturn" I oft rant about. Despite the very long story bits, Guardian Heroes is a classic, and one of the greatest games ever made in my opinion.

5. Twinkle Star Sprites (Saturn, Dreamcast) - If someone will play this with me, then we shall game for hours on end. Twinkle Star Spirtes is my ultimate "versus" game, and for that it HAD to be in the top 5. The only problem is I can rarely get anyone to play it with me. But when I do, 50 matches later we'll still be gaming. I only put down the Saturn and DC versions because those are the versions I prefer to play. The Saturn has enhanced graphics and the DC one has no slowdown. I played a ton of the Neo-Geo version with my best friend as a kid, but once the Saturn version came out we stuck with that one. And all I have left to say is: NANJA MANJA!!!!!

4. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind GOTY (Xbox, PC) - I love this game. I love it. When I play it, I play it for days. I know the island like I know the city I live in. When I start up a new game, I become obsessed. To me, Morrowind is the pinnacle of what Bethesda wants to do. Its plot, environments, politics, enemies, EVERYTHING, is second to none. A lot of people shy away from it because, unlike Oblivion, Morrowind is BRUTAL to newcomers, but once you're high level Morrowind is oh so awesome. And if you know how to make 200k in 30 minutes, then having fun with enchanting items makes it even better. Of course, lets not forget places like Red Mountain and Ghost Gate that just make the world that much more awesome. I could rant for days about why I love Morrowind, so let me just say that it is, without a doubt, my favorite RPG of its type in existence. And given a lot of that love comes from the location (Morrowind, duh) and not so much the gameplay, I don't see this changing ever.

3. Blast Wind (Sega Saturn) - Most people think I'm insane because of my love for this game. Its stupid easy, it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre, and for all intents and purposes it is a very vanilla game. But for some reason, I love it. I've put more time into this shooter than I have any other shooter in existence. I've achieved a score in it that at one point in time I didn't even think was possible. The soundtrack in Blast Wind is second to NONE. The levels, branching paths, and boss fights are all fast paced fun, and at no point do I find myself bored while playing it. It is my oddball, but by God I love me some Blast Wind, and I cannot deny its place here.

2. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn) - My favorite plot in an RPG. My favorite world in an RPG. My favorite battle system in an RPG. My favorite enemies in an RPG. Panzer Dragoon Saga took my favorite franchise and turned it into an RPG. And oh my God is it ever so awesome. To this day I get a chill down my spine whilst exploring Zoah at night. To this day I get a bit teary eyed whilst fighting the Guardian Dragon and hearing that classic music start up. To this day I make it a point to play through this game AT LEAST once a year because it is so damn good it demands no less. Panzer Dragoon Saga is, in my opinion, the best RPG ever made. Its short. Oh is it ever short. But its so jam packed with greatness that doesn't even matter. From the moment Craymen shows up at the excavation site to the final showdown with Sestren itself, Panzer Dragoon Saga is a series of epic battles, amazing locations, and a solid dose of excellent plot.

1. Radiant Silvergun (Saturn) - Sometimes... sometimes I have to think about this. Do I really like RS more than PDSaga? Isn't Blast Wind my favorite shooter? But then I think about Xiga. I think about that fateful Wednesday afternoon around 2PM when I 1CC'd Radiant Silvergun for the first time. I think about the countless hours I spent learning the levels and honing my skills at shooters on this title alone. And answer always ends of being: Radiant Silvergun is my favorite game ever. Hitoshi Sakimoto's soundtrack is some of the best videogame music to ever grace the industry. Radiant Silvergun's level designs are very much a strategical and memorization based, while the boss fights offer much more of a hardcore shootout type endeavor. And Saturn version is so overflowing with extras its just insane. Everything about Radiant Silvergun adds up to create what is, in my opinion, the best shooting experience possible. The controls are JUST RIGHT, the level up system is sheer genius, the weapons are amazing, the boss fights are all of epic proportions, and the plot itself is just mind blowing, especially Iuchi's little bit that metaphors the "hardcore gamer" speaking out against the "mainstream industry". Radiant Silvergun is fucking awesome on every single level. It is perfection. Nothing can touch it. Sure, I might enjoy an occassional bout of Blast Wind a bit more, but in so far as design and the overall package? Radiant Silvergun surpasses EVERYTHING. And for this, it remains my favorite game of all time.

[Frogacuda]

Too hard for me to say without coming up with some kind of system or something. How do I decide if Dodonpachi is better than Under a Killing Moon? It's just apples and oranges, you know?

[jp]

I just made a list and was like:
"OK, these are my top 30 favorite games."

And then just thought really hard about what would make the top 10 and how they would place in the top 10. :shrug:

[MAD.MANTIS]

I can't really put them in order, but here are my favorites:

KOTOR
Rainbow 6 Vegas
Doom series
Quake series
Sid Meier's Pirates
Final Fantasy series, particularly 7 & 8
Silent Hill series
Metal Gear Solid - original
Sypro the Dragon series :faceblusher:
Legend of Zelda
Gears of War
Resident Evil series
Neverwinter Nights & expansion packs
I had a lot of fun with Crackdown, but mainly because of it being co-op.
Morrowind

[jp]

Mantis, did you play Oblivion?

I have to ask, since every time I come across another fan of Morrowind (like, FAN!, not "I played it for 10 minutes and kept dying so I quit", but like, "I fought Dagoth Ur in the pits of Red Mountain and lived to tell about it") I have to see what they thought about Oblivion.

[Frogacuda]

lordsnarf played the ever-loving shit out of Daggerfall and Morrowind.

[MAD.MANTIS]

Yeah, I played only about 20 hours of Oblivion though. I didn't feel the hook that I feel with most games. I think it's because I didn't play long enough. And also because I got terribly distracted by Gears of War and R6 at the time, so I didn't really give it my full attention. I'd like to play it again sometime from the beginning.

I played Morrowind all the way through though and totally and completely loved it.

[Hunter]

Hmmm. There's no way in hell I could do only ten, much less put them in order, so I'm just going list my top three, and then list a bunch of games.

1. Phantasy star IV
2. Shenmue II
3. Shenmue

Now for a shitload of ther awesome games:

Full Throttle
Grim Fandango
Age of Empires
Descent I, II, and III
Freespace 1 and 2
Nights
Phantasy Star
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Universe
Halo 1 and 3
Advent Rising
Beyond Good and Evil
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Baldurs Gate I & II

I'm sure Im missing a ton more.

[The Skies]

In no order, and i'll forget some, have to come back and say some, but we'll start with these.

DJ Max Portable
KOTOR
Rez
GRAW2

Actually i'll have to think long and hard about it later and put my reasons down! :p

Also, you played 20 hours of Oblivion and dident feel the hook? Hmm, yeah, I only played 15 more, 35 hours, definitly did not feel the hook as I havent played it since the first 4 days of playing it. :p

[MAD.MANTIS]

Well, the first 10 hours were spent in character creation and re-creation, and more re-creation. :p

[lordsnarf]

Mantis, did you play Oblivion?

I have to ask, since every time I come across another fan of Morrowind (like, FAN!, not "I played it for 10 minutes and kept dying so I quit", but like, "I fought Dagoth Ur in the pits of Red Mountain and lived to tell about it") I have to see what they thought about Oblivion.
I really liked Oblivion. To be blunt, it was better then Morrowind in ways that matter as a game, IMO. The combat was smooth, and the story's pacing was spot on. I did want the game to be bigger then it was though, or at least I wanted it to have more side quests and stuff. Frog and I were talking about that a few days ago. He put it best when he said the game's environment could have been more dense (him rephrasing how I felt about the game). I loved all the extra stuff in Morrowind and Daggerfall though. Morrowind on the other hand, had a lot more interesting side stuff going on, and a result a deeper more interesting world. It also felt a little less like a generic fantasy setting.

As for this top ten thing, I'll have to take a little while to think about it, but I'll play ball.
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[post updated]

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In no order, and i'll forget some, have to come back and say some, but we'll start with these.

DJ Max Portable
KOTOR
Rez
GRAW2

Actually i'll have to think long and hard about it later and put my reasons down! :p

Also, you played 20 hours of Oblivion and dident feel the hook? Hmm, yeah, I only played 15 more, 35 hours, definitly did not feel the hook as I havent played it since the first 4 days of playing it. :p
How can you play a game for 35 hours and not "feel the hook"?
Did you play Morrowind and prefer that?
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[post updated]

_

Well, the first 10 hours were spent in character creation and re-creation, and more re-creation. :p

My brother and I keep a save game file right at the sewer gates in Oblivion, so we can load right at the point where you can rebuild a full chracters without playing the intro. I am notorious for restarting the Elder Scrolls games to experiment with different character builds.

[MAD.MANTIS]

Yeah, I have a save right at the end of the sewer too. There's no way in hell I want to fight my way through the sewer again. But yeah, it's really fun to try different characters. My current one is a male orc, but he's a little heavy and slow. :(

[lordsnarf]

When I played Morrowind, I would always choose the sign of the Steed for my chracters. I hated slow moving characters and most of the other signs were useless. In Oblivion they made all the signs a lot better making that choice harder.

[DarthArcturus]

hate that this thread got sidetrack with morrowind vs oblivion (seems to be a popular topic heh) but anyways I never gave Morrowind a fair chance. I dunno I felt overwhelmed by having the game not give me any direction. I also thought the game looked like ass. However, I love oblivion. Excellent quest system and menus. really makes it easy to do whatever you want in such a huge game. But from what I've been reading lately about Morrowind it sounds like a more interesting land with dragons and all. My brother has the GOTY edition (fixes the bugs right?) so I should give it a chance once I'm done with mass effect.

back on topic:

NiGHTS
NFL 2k5
Shenmue
Shenmue II
Daytona USA
Legend of Zelda OOT
Sim City 2000
Knights of the Old Republic
Tie Fighter
Darius Gradien

that was pretty hard. I had a list of 30

[squall_vb]

This is just off the top of my head, but for shits and giggles:

1. Super Mario 64
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3. Earthbound (Mother 2)
4. Dragon Quest VIII
5. Maniac Mansion
6. SimCity 3000
7. Shenmue
8. Final Fantasy VIII
9. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
10. Jade Empire
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[post updated]

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Edit: I intentionally kept Galaxy off the list, despite my gushing impressions a few days ago. While I still stand behind what I said, it's really far too early to put it on such a list, even if I just pulled said list out of my ass on the fly.

[DarthArcturus]

Squall our list has some similarities. I have GTA SA and jade on the top 30.

[squall_vb]

Squall our list has some similarities. I have GTA SA and jade on the top 30.

Ah cool. Yeah, I noticed our tastes are quite similar.

If I was in an argumentative mood (which I never am, because I'm so fucking personable), I would question why you chose SimCity 2000 over SimCity 3000. I thought the latter had far more depth and personality, without succumbing to the unnecessary complexities than plagued SimCity 4.

[DarthArcturus]

tis a good question. I found Sim City 3000 to basically be Sim City 2.5. I guess I knock it off because of that, although I enjoy 3000 quiet a bit as well. I just happen to have a lot of great memories with 2000 spending afternoons as a kid in front the computer building cities :D

[squall_vb]

tis a good question. I found Sim City 3000 to basically be Sim City 2.5. I guess I knock it off because of that, although I enjoy 3000 quiet a bit as well. I just happen to have a lot of great memories with 2000 spending afternoons as a kid in front the computer building cities :D

Agreed. You can't really go wrong with a SimCity game, period. (Well, except for the problems I mentioned with SC4, but those weren't exactly show-stoppers as much as annoyances.)

[The Skies]

How can you play a game for 35 hours and not "feel the hook"?
Did you play Morrowind and prefer that?

I was being sarcastic, lol...cause 35 hours in 4 days time, thats major hookage! lol.

[koda]

I'll try to come up with some sort of list tomorrow, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to narrow it down to just ten. It might be sort've inaccurate, too, since I'll probably feel obliged to represent a variety of genres.

[ngt]

1: NHL 2k: I've had more fun with this game in co-op season mode than just about any game ever. Mainly because the lack of NHL 2k1, lol...making 2k last 2 years, but still...co-op hockey from sega with the big bro = good times

2: Real Bout Fatal Fury Special: The style of this game won me over right away and the more I played it, the more it grew on me. My favorite fighting game easy.

3: Tecmo Bowl: I grew up playing this game. We use to have tournys :) I can sit and play 2-3 games of this still and enjoy every minute of it. It's mostly memories etc but if I can only pick 10, it's on my list.

4: Powered Gear: It's a side scrolling arcade beat em up. You rumble through levels beating up robots and taking their guns, arm, and legs as upgrades. Great game, imo.

3am...ill finish in the morning, lol

[Bruhaha69]

I'll give this a shot sometime over the weekend, hopefully. I'm imagining most of my top games will be from Genesis, SMS, Saturn and DC, but I think some arcade games might make it along. So hard to limit to 10 games but I'll do my best.

[lordsnarf]

I was being sarcastic, lol...cause 35 hours in 4 days time, thats major hookage! lol.
I like how one of the board's resident Jersey guys missed sarcasm, damn internet's inability to convey emotion.

I forgot how much I hate making these kinds of lists, especially on my own. I just know there's a bunch of great games that are just slipping my mind right now. I'm too lazy to go into detail but here's my ten, in no particular order

Zelda 3
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2-SNES
General Chaos
Tempest
Ms Pacman
Crazy Taxi
Uncharted Waters New Horizons-SNES
Shadow of the Colossus
Elder Scrolls Games (I'm lumping the whole series minus Redguard in there for the sake of argument)
Sim City

This was compiled by listing the first thirty games that came to mind and then sorting the list. Here's the full list.

Zelda Link to the Past
Resident Evil 4
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2
Rez
Crazy Taxi
Ms Pacman
Call of Duty
Joust
Pirates!
Civilization 3
Sim City
Shadow of the Colossus
Ghost House
Penguin Land
Tempest
Elder Scrolls Series
Kid Icarus
Bomberman
Lemmings
Intelligent Cube
Archon
Virtua Fighter 4
Fatal Fury Mark of the Wolves
Nights
Uncharted Waters New Horizons
Gunstar Heroes
Bioshock
Deus Ex
Wing Commander
General Chaos

[DarthArcturus]

there are always games I forget. But if you forget them maybe they shouldn't be on the top 10 list :o

[koda]

Okay. I can, maybe, manage a top 15. :p Like I said, I'm not sure how accurate this list is.. my favorite genres of games are Rhythm, SHMUPs, 2D Fighters, and RPGs. Even though I tend to enjoy these types of games much more than others, I haven't had a ton of exposure to some of them, and I didn't want my list to be saturated with just a few types of games.

So here's my go at it.

1. Ikaruga
I honestly don't think that this will ever be unseated as my favorite game. It's such a beautiful juxtaposition of complexity and simplicity. The game is a metaphor for so many bigger, more universal ideas than just itself. My first tattoo will surely be Ikaruga-related.

2. Rez
This was just such a unique experience for me. It's so creative, and really hard to put into words. I feel like Rez is such a pure conduit for its creators' vision. The first time I played through the fifth area I had goosebumps the entire time. My brain was tingling. So cool.

3. Garou: Mark of the Wolves
I love SNK, and to me, this game represents their pinnacle. I know that there are people here with much more SNK experience than myself, but MOTW just really clicked with me. The art is gorgeous, the roster is unpolluted, input always feels tight, and the game itself is just brutal. Love it.

4. Unreal Tournament
Well, I've got quite a few PC games on my list in addition to the console and arcade games. UT arrived late in the golden era of PC gaming, and I was just incredibly enthusiastic about it. I'll never play an FPS nearly as much as I played UT. The community was large and incredibly active-- the competitive scene was the best around. The whole ritual of being in a nationally-ranked clan, attending practices, hanging out in Roger Wilco and IRC, listening to streams of play-by-play commentary during the top ladder matches... it was just way too much fun.

5. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn + Throne of Bhaal
I love me a D&D game, and I think that BG2 is tops in that department. This game is the definition of 'epic'. There's so much to do and see-- so much optional story waiting to be uncovered. I've never actually beaten this game, but I've come real close... and I must've played into the middle of it on at least ten different occasions now. With all of the different classes and kits available, I'm sure there are at least ten more attempts in my future. =)


6. Diablo II + Lord of Destruction
Wow, talk about addicting. With the stat trees, loot tables, and PVP setup how they were, it was virtually impossible to run out of things to do in this game. I can't even count the number of characters I got to level 90+.. 50 maybe? Who knows.. I played this for like five years, though. If I wasn't spending the day running Mephisto or Baal, I'd hop onto one of my hardcore PVP characters and smack some bitches around. Killing high-level characters is so satisfying when you know that they'll be gone for good after you're through with 'em.

7. Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete
The HoMM series is one that really ushered me into the PC gaming scene. I fell in love with Heroes 2, and when Heroes 3 came out it made everything bigger, better, and funner. I didn't like Heroes 4 or 5 nearly as much as this one (although 5 was a step in the right direction). To me, this is a perfect turn-based strategy game.

8. Dance Dance Revolution (Series)
I can't pick just one game out of the series, so I have to clump them all together. It's just different music, anyways. I love these games. At one point I even invested in a dual-Cobalt Flux setup.. that's like $700 worth of DDR pads. It was worth it, though... I played these games to death-- lost a lot of weight and had a lot of fun in the process. I still hop onto StepMania every now and then to slaughter some catas.

9. Skies of Arcadia
This has got to be my favorite traditional JRPG. Although I generally have a strong preference for sprites rather than polygonal models in Japanese RPGs, Skies was just so magical.

10. Pokemon Diamond Edition
Wow. I cracked out on this bigtime. I was way into Red/Blue back in the day, and I played Silver a little, but for the most part I'd been out of the pokescene for a long time before the DS games were released. I picked up Diamond and it all came rushing back to me-- I was hooked pretty instantly. For several months I lived Pokemon-- if I wasn't playing it, I was thinking about it. I got pretty into the competitive scene over on Smogon and became completely obsessed with teambuilding and breeding the perfect army of pokemon. Really, there's a lot to these games statistically. I think it took me like a week to fill up an entire notebook with stats, IV's, EV's, strategies, team concepts, etc. Now I'm afraid to start playing again.

11. Soulcalibur II
Definitely my favorite 3D fighting game. I usually don't get to play many games with my real friends, since I tend to like niche hardcore-ish stuff, and they're usually more of the "Screw this, it doesn't even have a commercial. Let's play Halo!" type. SC2 was fun because it's a game that both me and my buddies really got into. We'd take turns passing the controller on Survival mode, etc. Still, none of them can beat me when it comes to Vs.

12. Ogre Battle 64
Ogre Battle games are awesome! The N64 iteration is probably my favorite-- the art is so memorable, especially considering the platform it was on. This is a nice meaty SRPG with lots of stuff to do. I think I stopped on the second-to-last mission and never got around to finishing it, but that's something that I plan to go back and remedy soon.

13. Total Annihilation + The Core Contingency
I don't care what you say, Total Annihilation is the best RTS, period. Brutal, hardcore, and very impressive in terms of what it did in the context of its time. The best thing about this game was how open-ended it was... there was a neverending supply of user-created maps and units available to download. I love playing with map editors, and I even modeled and scripted my own unit for this game. It was a blast! One download of TAUIP adds like 350+ new units to the game... awesome!

14. The Curse of Monkey Island
I feel like I let point-and-click adventure games down by not representing them until now, but I couldn't find anything to bump off for one. I wasn't sure which to add.. I love the genre, and I've played so many of them.. the LucasArts and Sierra classics are all very fond memories. I had to pick one for the slot, though, and I think that Curse of Monkey Island was my favorite. Although I'm a fan of the older-school super-pixelated floppy-disc-looking characters and environments, the cartoonish look that Curse of Monkey Island has was really cool at the time, and still holds up pretty well. This game is a lot of fun, and funny as hell. =)

15. Final Fantasy IX
Eeh. I know I'm in the minority with my pick of 'best Final Fantasy game', but I can't help it. IX just really stood out to me.. I've played through it just twice, but it was nearly impossible for me to put the controller down either time. Great characters, great story, great mechanics, and it definitely had the type of world that I expect to see in a Final Fantasy game. Screw that 'blitzball' stuff.

Okay. I think that'll do it.

[MAD.MANTIS]

I'm going to play The Curse of Monkey Island. Looks like a fun game.

Should I start with the first one though? Or does it make a difference?

[koda]

I'm going to play The Curse of Monkey Island. Looks like a fun game.

Should I start with the first one though? Or does it make a difference?
I think you'll appreciate it more if you play the first two beforehand. Then again, it won't make a huge difference.

[Frogacuda]

I'm going to play The Curse of Monkey Island. Looks like a fun game.

Should I start with the first one though? Or does it make a difference?

IT's not a big deal and Curse hasn't aged as much thanks to the nice animation, voice acting, etc.

[SNKJorge]

JP: You gotta say that Twinkle Star Sprites comes from the NEO plz.

NGT: RBFFS is a fine game. I actually like it more now that RBFF2.

It's too hard for me to mention a top ten, but here are a few:

Metal Slug
Metal Slug X
Blazing Star
Street Fighter Series
KOF Series
WindJammers
Baseball Stars 2
Pro-Gear No Arashi
Resident Evil Series
Shock Troopers
Strikers 1945 Plus
Sonic Wings/AeroFighters Series
Castlevania Series
Ketsui
Donkey Kong Country Series (Including DK64)
Maximo Series

[jp]

Well, I explained why I didn't list the Neo-Geo version. I know it is the only time this applies, but TSS really is a lot better on the Saturn/Dreamcast. Though you're correct, I did learn to love the game on the Neo-Geo. :nod:

[ngt]

Sonic Wings/AeroFighters Series


I have been wanting to pick one of these up for some time now.

What would you suggest? 1, 2, or 3?

[SNKJorge]

Well, I explained why I didn't list the Neo-Geo version. I know it is the only time this applies, but TSS really is a lot better on the Saturn/Dreamcast. Though you're correct, I did learn to love the game on the Neo-Geo. :nod:

The Neo•Geo is the original arcade game.

NGT: I like AF3 the best. Really tough game though. The secrets
are very intriging however. Oh, and there's also Special for the
Saturn, and Limited for the arcades.

[daumal]

In a vague sort of order...

1. Rez

Has there ever been a game more perfect than this? I simply can't even begin to explain how much I love it.

2. Civilization 3

Probably my most-played game ever. The Civ series shits on RTS and Civ 3 was a class apart. Factor in the user-made mods and it transcends any other PC game I care to think of.

3. Fallout 2

Self-evident. IF they fuck up Fallout 3 I'm going to be a very unhappy bunny.

4. Football Manager 2008

If we're going on playtime then the Football Manager series has to be up there. You won't find anyone who'll push any other game as the most in-depth and meticulously designed football manager sim ever created. A slight English bias is nothing when compared to the fact that you can manage a team in the fourth tier of the Italian leagues with as much confidence that the stats are realistic as in the Premiership. The Football Manager series is hands down the deepest and most involved game ever, in any genre. Full stop.

5. Shadow of the Colossus

Beautiful. Compelling. Godlike.

6. Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call (Nocturne to you)

Just for the characters, the art design, the world, everything. This game, slong with Rez and Shadow of the Colossus, is reason enough to own a PS2.

7. Phantasy Star IV

No way would any list be complete without this. Fuck Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star IV is for me the pinnacle of 16-bit RPG goodness.

8. Suikoden III

An odd one, maybe. I really disliked Suikoden and Suikoden II, but III just got everything right for me. The characters are wonderful, the battle system is majestic. And to top it all off, the game world is stunningly beautiful.

9. Sonic 3 and Knuckles

Went close with Sonic 2, but the fact that I hate Mystic Cave Zone and, to a lesser degree, Metropolis, puts S3&K on top. Sandopolis is a travesty of a level (fuck that zone. Seriously.), but I find it difficult to fault any other element of this game.

10. Grandia II

Deserves to be in here just for the music, if nothing else. One of my first Dreamcast games and one which I've played more times than I care to remember. The battle system is top-notch, though I've not played XTreme or 3, so I can't talk about whether it was subsequently improved upon.

[koda]

In a vague sort of order...

1. Rez

Has there ever been a game more perfect than this? I simply can't even begin to explain how much I love it.

...

3. Fallout 2

Self-evident. IF they fuck up Fallout 3 I'm going to be a very unhappy bunny.
Nice. I'm a big Fallout fan myself, and I happen to think that Fallout 3 looks like a disgrace. =/ I'll try to reserve judgment until I play it... I've had it preordered for awhile now, so I'm definitely getting it... it just looks like a different sort of game, which is too bad. V.A.T.S. sounds like such a weak excuse for a combat system. What's wrong with how it was?

[daumal]

Nice. I'm a big Fallout fan myself, and I happen to think that Fallout 3 looks like a disgrace. =/ I'll try to reserve judgment until I play it... I've had it preordered for awhile now, so I'm definitely getting it... it just looks like a different sort of game, which is too bad. V.A.T.S. sounds like such a weak excuse for a combat system. What's wrong with how it was?

Well, quite. I thought that, but I've mellowed out a bit now. Seeing as it seems they would rather stick burning needles in their eyes than stick with a version of the old system, V.A.T.S seems okay - infinitely better than the straight-up FPS with token RPG elements than I thought it would be.

Like you, I'm trying to avoid bitching about what little information we have. I'll play the game with an open mind and see how I feel about it when I'm a bit of the way through. It seems that they are keeping the style of the old games in mind, so my biggest fear at the moment is that all the style will simply be a homage, and nothing deeper.

That said, the teaser trailer still sends shivers down my spine.

[Hunter]

7. Phantasy Star IV

No way would any list be complete without this. Fuck Final Fantasy, Phantasy Star IV is for me the pinnacle of 16-bit RPG goodness.




For that alone, I will love you forever . . .

[Wildcat]

I'll throw them down now, and validate them later.

1. Skies of Arcadia Legends
2. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
3. Super Metroid
4. Super Mario 64
5. Resident Evil 4
6. Mega Man 3
7. Zelda: Twilight Princess
8. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
9. Legend of Zelda
10. Metroid Prime

[Bruhaha69]

10 games is so limiting and I listed them in no particular order. I'm not even sure I fully trust my choices, but I did give it a lot of thought. Here we go, yo.

Shinobi III (Genesis/Mega Drive) - To me, this is the best example of what a ninja game should be. More than that, it's a perfect example of what an action game should be. I don't think a finer action game exists in this world. Everything about Joe Musashi is kick-ass in here: The running, the shuriken throwing, the flipping, the wall jumping, the sweeping, the ninjitsu-ing, the blocking, the sword swinging and especially the jump kicking....o man is that some sweet jump kicking. Tight controls, great graphics and great sounds/music. I know many people were pissed that Yuzo Koshiro didn't do the music tracks for this game, but I loved them all. I think the music is great. It's a completely different sound than Revenge, but I think it's of equal quality and matches the action fantastically.

Gunstar Heroes (Genesis/Mega Drive) - This is the game that made me a Treasure fan for life. I remember seeing it in magazines and thinking it looked "ok", but I wasn't prepared for how incredible the game would be. The special effects were amazing, the music was incredible, the graphics were faster than should be allowed with how much chaos was going on and the controls were as good as you can get in a run-and-gun action/shooting game. Putting in wall jumps and jump kicks/body splashes helped put it way up above similar games like Contra. Boss fights were varied with goofy and awesome designs along with levels that were just as creative and amazing. Fighting Green one-on-one (or two-on-one if you had a buddy) is one of my favorite fights of any game. Also, throwing enemies is one of the best things ever done in this type of game and the sliding tackle kicks ass.

Street Fighter II (Arcade and everywhere else) - I don't need to say much about this series, but it's probably the main reason I even started playing fighting games. So many hours put into all the SFII games on so many different platforms. It's just one of the most fun fighting games ever created.

Panzer Dragoon Zwei (Saturn) - Best rail shooting game of all time, or at least the best that I've ever played. I didn't think it could get much better than the first game, but man did they go silly on this follow-up. It's one of the Saturn's best games, it has amazing graphics (The water effects in level 4 STILL look great to this day. They aren't realistic, but they're fantastic) with unbelievable art direction and design, unique and perfectly fitting music, and replay value more than any game like this should have.

Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn) - One of the main reasons this one makes it is because the first time I read/heard the 3rd game would be an RPG, I was pissed. One of my favorite games was being turned into one of my least favorite genre's. Of course, it was Panzer Dragoon, so I had no choice but to get it. Everything JP said above from that point on is what makes this game so fucking great. It blew away my expectations and offered us something so different than the RPG's that came out so often. A bit short and a bit easy once you knew how to play, but no other RPG can beat this one, in my opinion. One of the best game experiences I've ever had.

Guardian Heroes (Saturn) - Mostly what JP said. Best beat em' up ever. I could care less about pixelly sprites......the game looks, sounds and plays awesomely. Some of my best gaming times involved playing this game with my Saturnless friends and family. Treasure knows action. Also, debug mode rules.

Shenmue (Dreamcast) - It was the most technically amazing game I had ever seen at the time. Aside form that, I had never played a game quite like it and it might have provided me with the most immersive gaming experience I've ever had. I spent as much time playing as I did just walking around in awe. Yu Suzuki is a game-making god. It fires me up that we haven't seen the conclusion to this series. The world be damned if we never do.....this game NEEDS resolution like no other.

Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap (SMS) - I've only played the SMS version of this game, but it's easily my favorite 8-bit game. It has extremely catchy music, awesome graphics (they bothered to draw the main characters from both sides....that's nice detail for 8-bit), and a nice large, well designed world to explore. For me, this was the pinnacle of 8-bit.

Daytona USA (Arcade) - The Saturn version was also great, but it didn't hold up well against the arcade, technically. Both were sweet, but the arcade has the edge. Anyway, this was AM2 at its best, making the most fun racing game I think I've ever played. I put more time in this racer than any other before or after it. There have been games since that I've considered to be as good, but none have managed to get their hooks in me like Daytona did. Sega Rally came close, but didn't quite do it as well.

Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) - I hate to do it, being a Sega fan who once despised Nintendo (there's still some hate inside), I must admit this game was awesome. Definitely one of the best 8-bit games I've played.

A group of other games that I considered:

Rayman 1 and 2 (Saturn/Dreamcast)
Shinobi (Playstation)
NiGHTS (Saturn)
Virtual On and OT (Saturn/Dreamcast)
Sega Rally (Saturn)
Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn)
Soul Calibur 2 (Dreamcast)
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 (Dreamcast)
Sonic 2 (Genesis)
Metal Gear Solid (Playstation)
Fighter's Megamix (Saturn)
Alex Kidd in Miracle World (SMS)
Zillion (SMS)
Phantasy Star I, II and IV (SMS/Genesis)
Mario 64 (N64)
The Legend of Zelda a Link to the Past (SNES)
The Legend of Zelda (NES)
Legend of Oasis (Saturn)
Shadow of the Colossus (Playstation 2)
Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica (Playstation/Dreamcast)
Ristar (Genesis)
Astal (Saturn)

[shinjirod]

ill throw in a quick list. not necessarily a correct or final one, just what comes to my mind.

Without order:

Ghost Recon
Wonderboy in Monsterland
RE4
Guitar Hero ( series )
Contra
Super Mario World
Super Mario Land
PSO
Soul Calibur
Prince of Persia

all those and some more id have to think more about and all to decide which are top 10 worthy. but the top 3 is:

3. Beyond good and evil
1.b Grandia 2
1.a Ocarina of Time

[Newport420]

I'll go with these and deny them later! :p No order by the way.

Beyond Good and Evil
Halo (series)
Phantasy Star (series)
Street Fighter II (arcade)
Quartet
Tetris
Civilization (series)
Sonic (series)
Guardian Heros
Panzer Dragoon Saga

[Frogacuda]

I'll go with these and deny them later! :p No order by the way.

Beyond Good and Evil
Halo (series)
Phantasy Star (series)
Street Fighter II (arcade)
Quartet
Tetris
Civilization (series)
Sonic (series)
Guardian Heros
Panzer Dragoon SagaIt's not quite what I would choose, but this is my favorite list yet in this thread.

[Wildcat]

I love Beyond Good & Evil. It's a marvelous game. I've been thinking of reevaluating my Top 30 list on my site...perhaps I will do that in the next few days. Some of your lists have made me catch games I have forgotten about.

[koda]

BG&E is something I've been meaning to pick up for a long time. There's a copy at my store, but it's missing the instruction book.

What's Quartet? I don't think I've ever heard of that. =X

[Frogacuda]

What's Quartet? I don't think I've ever heard of that. =X
Mid-80s arcade platform/shooter from Sega. Great fun with a few friends.

[squall_vb]

BG&E is something I've been meaning to pick up for a long time. There's a copy at my store, but it's missing the instruction book.

What's Quartet? I don't think I've ever heard of that. =X

I'm a strange type of whore when it comes to these things. I insist on instruction books and original boxes (no "greatest hits" releases, thank you). Such behavior tends to piss of the Gamestop clerks, but I am what I am.

[Frogacuda]

Instruction book doesn't bother me THAT much, and I don't mind GH releases, but I will not buy a game if it has one of those generic Gamestop cases.

[squall_vb]

Instruction book doesn't bother me THAT much, and I don't mind GH releases, but I will not buy a game if it has one of those generic Gamestop cases.

Ugh.. those things are fucking hideous. It's worse than the one time they tried to sell me a copy of Splinter Cell in a Blockbuster case. I wasn't having any of that.

[koda]

I'm a strange type of whore when it comes to these things. I insist on instruction books and original boxes (no "greatest hits" releases, thank you). Such behavior tends to piss of the Gamestop clerks, but I am what I am.
I'm with you on that. I make exceptions for cheap cartridge-based games-- people seem to have a tough time hanging onto cardboard, for whatever reason. If it came in a jewel case or DVD case, though, then I've gotta have everything with it. I don't have a single 'greatest hits' title, and I plan to keep it that way.

[Bruhaha69]

I love Beyond Good & Evil. It's a marvelous game. I've been thinking of reevaluating my Top 30 list on my site...perhaps I will do that in the next few days. Some of your lists have made me catch games I have forgotten about.

Yeah, it's too hard making a top 10 without forgetting an assload of other great games that could have easily made the list. I can't believe BG&E didn't even pop into my mind for games I considered. Sonic 2 also belongs on my list somewhere, just not sure what I'd swap out.....probably Mario 3, if only for Sega vs. Nintendo reasons.

[Wildcat]

Ugh.. those things are fucking hideous. It's worse than the one time they tried to sell me a copy of Splinter Cell in a Blockbuster case. I wasn't having any of that.

I've only bought a Gamestop branded game once, and it was Konami Classics: Arcade Hits for the DS. For some unknown reason they couldn't put the original packaging with a new copy of the game. :nuts: But that art is by far some of the worst I've ever seen. :dead:

[Newport420]

It's not quite what I would choose, but this is my favorite list yet in this thread.

I am not worthy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :wtf:

[NeoZeedeater]

I wasn't going to make a list for the reason Frog mentioned in his first post but I eventually decided to anyway. To make it easier for myself, I sort of cheated and left out series' that are usually in my top 10 but I can't decide on which game is best. Some of those are:

Mario
Sonic
Zelda
TRON
Unreal Tournament

I also left off Shenmue II because I can't decide whether it's fair to factor in the classic arcade games or not.

Xenogears blew my mind when it came out 9 years ago but since I have not yet replayed it (aside from briefly starting it again), and the fact that RPGs don't age well, I will leave it and other RPGs off.


So, besides all that, here are the 10 I came up with:


Deus Ex - Even if the dystopia wasn't my favourite fiction theme, this would probably still get my top spot because never has every small choice in a game felt so important to me. Even with all the advancements in the FPS genre in the past few years, this still holds up as exceptional in design.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - While I am getting sick of Metroidvanias, it's impossible to deny the impact the first (and best) of them had. Duo Dracula X ranks really high for me in this series, too.

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master - Bruhaha69 said what needs to be said. This was the game I chose my internet name from.

System Shock - The game was ahead of its time in 1994 for an FPS with puzzle/adventure elements, an in-depth story with scripted events, weapons with settings and multiple ammo types, mouse aiming, leaning, upgrades, and impressive voice acting. To this day, SShock1's SHODAN is the coolest enemy I have encountered in a game which is one of the reasons I like it more than its (still amazing) sequel.

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap - It's absolutely criminal that one of best games of the '80s continued to get neglected, especially by the media which should know better. It's also the best example of how to do underwater levels in platform games. Pirahna-man moves with such speed that it's not a chore like in most games.

Archon: The Light and the Dark - I spent so many hours in two-player battles with my younger cousin. The game has also defied aging. It has the perfect balance of strategy and simple yet effective action. None of the sequels or clones can match it.

Jet Grind Radio - The epitome of Sega style. I still remember how amazing it looked when I first got my DC VGA adapter.

Omega Race - Like Archon, this is a pick for nostalgia + aging really well. The VIC-20 version is my favourite Asteroids-style shooter. I like it more than the arcade original and C64 port because the glitches manage to add to the gameplay.

Sam & Max Hit the Road - Max: "Does it involve wanton destruction?" Sam: "We can only hope."

Out of this World - The Collector's Edition is the most polished version. The game is just so surreal and uniquely designed. Plus, it's cool that it inspired the Ico/Shadow of the Colossus series. SotC could have made my top 10, too.

[Bacon McShig]

Resident Evil 4
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Metroid
Zelda: Link to the Past
Space Channel 5 pt. 2
Tetris Attack
Crazy Taxi
Advance Wars 2
Guitar Hero

Mario Galaxy and maybe Pac-Man CE will probably go into the list in a while. I'm not comfortable with putting something in there the first year or so it's out, need to play it, put on the shelf for a while, then come back to it and reevaluate.

I'm a firm believer in these all time top whatever lists being about how much you enjoy the games NOW as it is about how much you enjoyed them when they came out.

Hence why no RPGs are on my list, FF6 or whatever was awesome at the time but hell if I can stand all those random turn-based battles now.