The BEST game ever.

[Vindekarr]

Ok, so we've got a really successful thread for the worst game ever, now lets do one for the best.

 

Criteria and rules are very simple: ANY game can be mentioned here for any reason, be it mechanical or subjective, as long as it was special to YOU. Now, I don't care if it's got a Metacritic of negative-five trillion out of ten, I'm not interested in what others think of it, I want YOUR opinion. With that in mind, try to keep any negative thoughts to yourself, please. Lets try to remember that just because you don't like it, doesn't mean everybody dislikes it.

 

To start us off, I'd mention a few.

 

Ratchet And Clank Up Your Arsenal. PS2.

 

Why? it was the first shooter I ever played, and even looking back having played some majestic shooters, I have nothing but fondness and admiration for this little title. It was a blast to play, with intuitive, instinctive controls, excellent graphics for it's generation, good sound, as good a quality of acting as you could expect from it, and it was just simply fun. I must have replayed that game half a dozen times, and I think I'd still love it if I picked it up today.

 

HotWheels: Velocity X. (PC) 1999-2000 ish

 

An obscure game by an obscure dev, but from the perspective of a then pre-teen, it was perfect. I mark this game for this thread not because it had amazing graphics(though they were good for early full 3D era) or good sounds(fantastic engine effectws though) or even for being so big on content and low on bugs. I mark it here for raw effort. I'm sure Dark Horse must have groaned outloud when they got a contract to make a hotwheels game, but to their credit, instead of making something fit only for young children, they went absolutely all-out. Thinking back through the years, I think they must have decided "OK, there's not much we can do with this licence, but god damn if we're not going to make the best Hotwheels game EVER" And they did. It was an open-world car combat/racer with what was for 2000, an extremely impressive roster of 35-ish cars, 20 or so guns, and I think nine free-roam maps. The maps weren't huge by modern standards, but they were big enough to get lost in, which was impressive enough for that era. The game itself just felt like the absolute limit of what the universe allowed them to achieve; a vicarious open world shooter/racer hybrid with excellent controls, huge longevity, and graphics that exceeded the GT of it's day.

 

And now some more recent titles.

 

Max Payne 3. (various)

 

Simple really, and probably not unexpected. This third-person shooter was one of the single best examples of storytelling in a game that I've ever seen. Compelling, emotionally involving, and quite believable, this dark tale of a failed cop doing his best in an impossible situation reall stands out as an example of what a game can achieve. There's almost nothing bad I can say about this game, certainly the controls could be a little better, but even then, they weren't that bad.

 

Halo 4. My current addiction, Halo 4 is for me, a living personification of what I love in a good console shooter. A well-made, beautifully paced and acted campaign, one of the best multiplayers on the market, and a rock solid progression/unlock path, it's just a gem. Rarely does a sequal ever stand out like the orginal, let alone this far into the saga, but Halo 4, for me, might just be better even than Halo 1, as heretical as that may sound.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Vindekarr

[hoofhearted4]

lol i played the original HotWheels game. was soo much fun!!

 

best game ive every played. well actually there was a thread like this, so ill just redirect my statement to there.....ok i seriously cant find the thread. i will continue to look as i listed my favorite games in it and gave good descriptions as to why i thought they were the best games (to me)

 

EDIT: hmm. im not sure if this is what i was thinking of or not. it was actually a thread on games you spent the most time in. i thought i had a more in depth post about my favorite games, but i couldnt come up with anything. anyways, ill link it here none the less as my response. to be more direct, the best game of all time, the one i vote for when its on any list is MGS4

 

linked post

Edited November 22, 2012 by hoofhearted4

[Vindekarr]

I feel extremely lucky when I look back at the games of my childhood, most of them were amazing. A few Crash Bandicoots, some Sonic, some Ratchet and Clank, and some Hotwheels, most of them I think i'd still enjoy if I replayed them today.

[JanusForbeare]

Hide and seek! The price is right, I never had any technical issues, there's TONS of replay value...

 

Huh? What? Oh, video games...

 

Ultima 7. Hands down. I already raved about it on another thread somewhere, but it was the first open-world RPG I ever played. It was light years ahead of its time, and while the storyline was somewhat linear, the sandbox quality kept things fresh. I remember playing a mad, power-hungry mage who slaughtered the entire population of Moonshade (the city of wizards), and re-animated their army of automatons to be his personal servants. I had another character who conquered a Fellowship (evil cult masquerading as a legitimate religion) monastery on a secluded island, completely redecorated it - since in U7 you could pick up pretty much anything - and turned it into his headquarters.

 

The magic system was also pretty cool... eight or nine circles of magic, with spells ranging from Circle of Swords, to Conjure Food, to Create Ice, to Fire Blast, to Armageddon (which killed everything in the world, except you and the king... boy, did that piss off the king). Each spell used a unique combination of spell components, which you could buy, steal, or find growing around the world. Some spells could be learned from other mages - most of whom had a speciality, like ice or death magic - while others had been all but lost to time, and had to be dug up.

 

And then there's the endless supply of things you could do to pass the time. You could gamble. You could bake bread (usually using flour, a rolling pin, an oven, and water - but you could substitute the water for blood). You could fight in the arena. You could change children's diapers and throw the dirty ones at your enemies. You could rob museums. You could have affairs. You could visit libraries and read books. The possibilities were pretty much endless.

 

If U7 had been made in the last decade, I can't even begin to fathom what the modding community would do with it. In some ways, it's almost too bad that it came out so long ago. That said, it has a timeless quality, and I highly recommend it to any and all RPG buffs.

[JimboUK]

Morrowind. (PC) I've played this to death over the years, Bethesda managed to create a fantastic world filled with interesting characters and lore. Nothing they've made since has come anywhere near it.

 

Zelda OOT. (N64) Nintendo's best game by far, shame they've not really been able to build on it.

 

Fallout NV. (PC) Really good dialogue, interesting characters and real choices more that make up for the less that detailed world.

 

Mario Kart (SNES) Great fun, the N64 version was just as good.

[Vindekarr]

One of my few gaminhg regrets is that I never played OOT. Someone should remake it. I played Mario Kart, it was, literally, THE FIRST video game I ever played, on N64, at a friends house. I was 9, and it left a massive impression. Edited November 24, 2012 by Vindekarr

[ziitch]

One of my few gaminhg regrets is that I never played OOT. Someone should remake it.

 

They did... for the 3DS. New graphics and everything, but the result is something that's not as dark as the original (which did benefit the story).

 

If you want to go for the original game, try finding one of the Zelda OOT Collector's Edition discs. It was a promotional item that came with a Wind Waker preorder - I still have mine. You got not just the original, but the more difficult Master Quest version as well.

[K00L]

I remember that Hot Wheels game...

 

Morrowind. (PC) I've played this to death over the years, Bethesda managed to create a fantastic world filled with interesting characters and lore. Nothing they've made since has come anywhere near it.

Zelda OOT. (N64) Nintendo's best game by far, shame they've not really been able to build on it.

I will agree with these two. And for pretty much the same reasons. Morrowind was what really made me a Bethesda fan but I feel like nothing else has really felt the way that felt from them.

Zelda OOT was like... THE game to play on the Nintendo 64. It was just a great game.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic was another thing I loved. Great story. It was one of my favorite games in the time it came out.

 

Personally my favorites will always probably be the Mass Effect series though. I even liked the ending of the third one. Its just a great story and the characters are so... alive and memorable. And there's the fact that they aren't bad looking games. :P I don't think any game has ever been so exciting for me.

r] I always see people say Bioware could learn from Bethesda but Bioware does something that Bethesda to me rarely can do. The game is just so cinematic and exciting and emotional. And that's what it is that I feel like Bethesda can't do, some of the stuff in their stories could be so good but their "cutscenes" are kind of... Boring. The voice acting can be weird sometimes (and I know they have to give a voice to everyone the create its not that big of a deal its just annoying sometimes that they can't find a less goofy sounding voice actor). And the characters from their games I can barely remember. #1 reason I play their newer games is because of how open it is (choices, world and character wise) and mods.

Anyway back to ME, I can't count how many times I've played through the three of them. The characters, I don't know you kind of get to feel attached to them and it can be sad. And the music is perfect.

Love. Mass. Effect.

 

I'll stop now because I could go on forever about Mass Effect.

 

 

PS I LOVE BETHESDA AND I'M SORRY!!!

[Vindekarr]

I hated it the first time because I couldn't find a way to enjoy the combat. Replayed it last year and loved it, absolutely loved it. Different class, obviously, and that single thing just... *CLICK* and it all worked. The combat could be better, but even it's not bad, especialy from 2 onwards.

 

Gears Of War. One of those franchise people either love or hate. I love them. I really, really enjoyed Gears 3, and will probably eventually replay it, it was one of my picks for 2011. The story was fairly strong, it had some characters you actually gave a damn about, the pacing was good, and it had awesome combat. Certainly, it may just be one of the goriest games in history, but that's mostyl down it's it's Unreal Tournament heritage.

Edited November 25, 2012 by Vindekarr

[JimboUK]

I remember that Hot Wheels game...

 

Morrowind. (PC) I've played this to death over the years, Bethesda managed to create a fantastic world filled with interesting characters and lore. Nothing they've made since has come anywhere near it.

Zelda OOT. (N64) Nintendo's best game by far, shame they've not really been able to build on it.

I will agree with these two. And for pretty much the same reasons. Morrowind was what really made me a Bethesda fan but I feel like nothing else has really felt the way that felt from them.

Zelda OOT was like... THE game to play on the Nintendo 64. It was just a great game.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic was another thing I loved. Great story. It was one of my favorite games in the time it came out.

 

Personally my favorites will always probably be the Mass Effect series though. I even liked the ending of the third one. Its just a great story and the characters are so... alive and memorable. And there's the fact that they aren't bad looking games. :P I don't think any game has ever been so exciting for me.

r] I always see people say Bioware could learn from Bethesda but Bioware does something that Bethesda to me rarely can do. The game is just so cinematic and exciting and emotional. And that's what it is that I feel like Bethesda can't do, some of the stuff in their stories could be so good but their "cutscenes" are kind of... Boring. The voice acting can be weird sometimes (and I know they have to give a voice to everyone the create its not that big of a deal its just annoying sometimes that they can't find a less goofy sounding voice actor). And the characters from their games I can barely remember. #1 reason I play their newer games is because of how open it is (choices, world and character wise) and mods.

Anyway back to ME, I can't count how many times I've played through the three of them. The characters, I don't know you kind of get to feel attached to them and it can be sad. And the music is perfect.

Love. Mass. Effect.

 

I'll stop now because I could go on forever about Mass Effect.

 

 

PS I LOVE BETHESDA AND I'M SORRY!!!

 

How did I forget Knights of the Old Republic? that's another game I played to death. I was a huge fan of pre EA Bioware. Their ability to create interesting characters and stories was second to none, that ability is still there to some degree but the emphasis now is on awesome buttons and other nonsense designed to cater to the COD crowd. It was worth buying a 360 just for the first Mass Effect.