The greatest video game ever created?

[El Fangel]

What in your opinion is the greatest video game ever made? It doesn't have to be your favorite or anything, as my favorite isn't the best in my opinion.

I'm talking about overall. Story, gameplay, setting, fun, etc. The whole shabang.

Now, I have two requests. One, is I want to know why you think that game is that good. Sure, you can just post the name and leave the thread, that's fine. I'd like some elaboration though and will rep anyone that does.

Secondly, It doesn't matter if the game is years old, if discussing significant plot or ending material please put spoiler tags. I probably will add most of your games to ones I plan on purchasing if you think they are that good and would rather it not get spoiled.

So, what is in your opinion the greatest game ever made?

[BrockLesnarRulez]

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/7/589727_front.jpg

It has the best storyline ever, BROCK LESNAR beating the crap out of crappy wrestlers. It has the best graphics because it has BROCK LESNAR made from polygons.

[Fignuts]

Super Metroid.

I will elaborate later. Too lazy atm

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Sonic 3 & K

[Kane Knight]

Final Fantasy VII because Sepiroth is so hawwwwt and so deep and man, that main character is so devoid of personality, I can imprint on him perfectly, like chicks do for that Bella from Twilight!

[Ultra Mantis]

Mega Man X2 because one of the bosses is a snail.

[LuigiD]

I feel there is a few but the one that always come to mind is the following:
http://images.wikia.com/metalgear/images/3/33/Metal_Gear_Solid_cover_art.png

It was one of the first games I bought for the PS1. Up to that point I was big into games but they were just for fun. I felt MGS was the first game that I really got into. I feel it does push that video games as art envelope, specially with the story. It made me even mature a bit. Back in the day I was just a typical kid who fantasized about armies blowing shit up. The game sort of slapped me across the face and got me interested in learning about the real face of war and the military industrial complex.
the gameplay is fantastic and I don't have much to add to it. I think you can't run and shoot which I remember pissing me off. Besides for that, all the action sequences, boss battles, etc were absurdly interesting and fun. Lots of variety.

[PrettyCool]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Action_52_(NES)_box_art.jpg/260px-Action_52_(NES)_box_art.jpg

Action 52 because its 52 games in ONE!

[El Fangel]

Suggested Retail Price of $200? No, thanks.

Ocarina of Time would get my vote, only thing I didnt care for was Nazi.

[Kane Knight]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/30/Action_52_%28NES%29_box_art.jpg/260px-Action_52_%28NES%29_box_art.jpg

Action 52 because its 52 games in ONE!

And the AVGN loved it!

[Fignuts]

Suggested Retail Price of $200? No, thanks.

Ocarina of Time would get my vote, only thing I didnt care for was Nazi.

um

I think you mean Navi.

Big difference.

[Kane Knight]

um

I think you mean Navi.

Big difference.

That's up for debate.

[Hanso Amore]

Ff7 is close for me. Only game I can remember that I played through 3 times over the years

[itsmeJD]

I feel there is a few but the one that always come to mind is the following:
http://images.wikia.com/metalgear/images/3/33/Metal_Gear_Solid_cover_art.png

It was one of the first games I bought for the PS1. Up to that point I was big into games but they were just for fun. I felt MGS was the first game that I really got into. I feel it does push that video games as art envelope, specially with the story. It made me even mature a bit. Back in the day I was just a typical kid who fantasized about armies blowing shit up. The game sort of slapped me across the face and got me interested in learning about the real face of war and the military industrial complex.
the gameplay is fantastic and I don't have much to add to it. I think you can't run and shoot which I remember pissing me off. Besides for that, all the action sequences, boss battles, etc were absurdly interesting and fun. Lots of variety.

This by far. I can remember renting this game and not returning it until I beat it. The story was enthralling, the characters deep, and the gameplay was fucking addictive. The game had it all. It is one of the few games I've gone back to over the years to play, and one that I've recommended to people because of the awesome story.

[Rammsteinmad]

Dunno if they're the greatest ever, but the first that come to mind for me are:

http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lfya3qWEFI1qdwu3no1_500.jpg

The story was simple enough, but it was the hours of fun that came with it. Completing the game itself was a fun-filled adventure, and then of course there was the ability to battle and trade with friends, and trying to fill up the Pokedex. The game was incredible, and was über advanced for a Game Boy game.

Seriously wish these games were still 'in', so I could play them again. I remember back in the day all of the kids in school had these, and every day everyone would have their Game Boys and we'd all be battling and stuff. Great fun. Just fighting lots of kids in school that we didn't know either, was a great way to meet new people.

(Except, you would always get those cunts who found that cheat so you could get your Pokemon's to level 100, and then they'd act all innocent like they didn't cheat). :foc:

[Kalyx triaD]

http://i734.photobucket.com/albums/ww344/theNL/Decorated%20images/ZeldaOcarinaOfTimeStartScreen.jpg

- The sense of being in another world and time, unmatched - a series signature.
- Riding your horse across the main field then turning around and doing it again, just for the sense of travel.
- Playing the rain song just to see it rain.
- Literally camping out with my horse at a certain time of night, waiting for dawn to travel.
- Looking at landmark from afar (Death Mountain, the Castle), and going there.
- Fishing.
- Gurudo Valley's theme (http://youtu.be/Hy0aEj85ifY).
- Drinking milk like a boss.
- Being the first guy in my social circle to crack the Water Temple.
- The dungeons.
- The bosses.
- The final stab.

Perfect.

[HellFireRider666]

Modern Warfare 2.

[Emperor Smeat]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a5/Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverart.png/250px-Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverart.png

Usually ends up topping or being in the Top 3/5 for the majority of "greatest ever" lists. The only video game that ever had a movie be used for its debut even if the movie wasn't that great overall.

The game is good enough that even with modern games having deep stories or great gameplay, people still manage to put this game near the top or in discussions about great games.

[JimmyMess]

Two top picks:

1a. Arkham City - Absolutely amazing graphics, and freedom to do just about anything you want. Its Batman first of all, so it gets a win in my book. But then the freedom and different overlapping stories just bring it all together. Fantastic!

1b. Metal Gear Solid 4 - When I first got my PS3 this was THE game. Picked it up and my buddy and me played it for hours on end. Unreal graphics, its actually like a movie the way it plays out, and when it ended, it felt like an awesome accomplishment.

[Extreme Angle]

Rammstein knows.

[Kane Knight]

Ff7 is close for me. Only game I can remember that I played through 3 times over the years

Really? Not a tendency to replay games? I do it a lot, especially with RPGs.

[Hanso Amore]

Modern Warfare 2.

You are 15, correct?

[Hanso Amore]

Really? Not a tendency to replay games? I do it a lot, especially with RPGs.

No, not really at all. I play alot of sports games, so that doesnt count.

But honestly single player games, I rarely play through more than once. And never more than twice.

FF7 - I think 4 times, every few years I would do it.
FF8 - 3 times, Beat it a few years back while on deployment.
FF10 - Beat it twice, several years apart.

Other than that

MGS- Beat it twice.
Mass Effect - Beat it Twice
Dragon Age - Beat it Twice.

I think that is it...Most games I simply play through again to try a different character class or type.

[Hanso Amore]

Now I kind of want to play through FF7 and FF8 all over again.

[JimmyMess]

Having said that... there are games that I will forever return to despite advancements in gaming technology.... Maybe nostalgia, but more or less because buddies of mine still love playing them...

Mario Kart 64 OR Super Mario Kart
GoldenEye 64
Diddy Kong Racing

[whiteyford]

Super Mario Kart for sure.

[Drakul]

Yoshi's Island.

Colourful cartoon graphics.
Cute music for the levels and exciting music for bosses.
A lot of variation in the levels, enemies and bosses. One boss has you trying to pull his pants down, another has you chase him around the moon.

A personal thing for me but it was the first time I ever "marked out" playing a game as a kid. During the final boss battle.

[Requiem]

As a kid, I spent more time playing Super Mario World than probably any other game. So that, I guess. I dunno. I have favorites, but it's hard to label something as the 'best ever' when there are so many quality games from different generations.

[Kane Knight]

No, not really at all. I play alot of sports games, so that doesnt count.

But honestly single player games, I rarely play through more than once. And never more than twice.

FF7 - I think 4 times, every few years I would do it.
FF8 - 3 times, Beat it a few years back while on deployment.
FF10 - Beat it twice, several years apart.

Other than that

MGS- Beat it twice.
Mass Effect - Beat it Twice
Dragon Age - Beat it Twice.

I think that is it...Most games I simply play through again to try a different character class or type.

Fair enough.

I tend to replay a lot of games if I really like them. I've got two playthroughs on SR3, and that was the one I was disappointed with.

[Fignuts]

Come to think of it, I don't replay many games from the last couple generations either.

Mass Effect, Gears of War 1 & 2, and Metal Gear Solied 4 are the only ones that come to mind.

I've played NES, SNES, and N64 games over and over again though.

[El Fangel]

I finished OoT and I was flabbergasted at it, that I had not played it prior. Keep in mind, my discussions over games was limited to only my circle of friends at that time, so only one recommended it as he was the only one who owned a N64.

I bought my own and it came with OoT, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros.

I feel I have gotten away from the main point here, so back to that. I played through and I was impressed at the simplicity of the game itself yet it was challenging at times.

Navi annoyed the piss out of me because I honestly didn't need the help, though I can understand if younger kids did and that is what made this game appealing. It wasn't so overly complicated that a kid of eight couldn't finish it with enough effort.

I digress, the closet game to this in my opinion is San Andreas. I loved the story, the gameplay, everything. It remains the first of only two games I have completed with 100% and the only one I have finished more then 20 times.

I still play it every few weeks, just to screw around much the same way I believe KK does with SR2. Which reminds me, is it common for that game to freeze up or did I just have a rogue disc?

[DaveBrawl]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a5/Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverart.png/250px-Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverart.png

Usually ends up topping or being in the Top 3/5 for the majority of "greatest ever" lists. The only video game that ever had a movie be used for its debut even if the movie wasn't that great overall.

The game is good enough that even with modern games having deep stories or great gameplay, people still manage to put this game near the top or in discussions about great games.

This pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[Party Hardy]

I think the best game ever is Mario Party or blue stinger for dreamcaste

[El Fangel]

I was hoping you would say Mario Party.

[My Final Heaven]

http://images.wikia.com/finalfantasy/images/b/b9/Fh_concert.jpg
http://www.ogeeku.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/final-fantasy-viii-battle.jpg

Final Fantasy VIII

There was a period from about 1996-'99 when I didn't do any gaming at all, after being seriously into the Arcade scene in my early teens. I guess you could contribute it to "uh oh, everybody thinks I'm a dork, I'd better start growing my hair out & listening to White Zombie & taking guitar classes or I'll be a permanent outcast with no social life". :o Long story short, I tried to change myself. Final Fantasy 8 was what brought me out of my exile, & it's still my #1 favorite game to this day. I fell in love with the storyline, Character designs, the way the game rewards you for being really fucking anal retentive with the Junctioning/Battle system, the mix of architecture of the ingame environs, everything. It's the only game I've bought 3 times over - PS1, PC & PSN - Unless you count Street Fighter, but c'mon, there's like 10 million different version of that. :shifty:

[weather vane]

Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball or NHL 94

[dronepool]

Lots to pick from so I say Fallout 3.

No reason.

[Kalyx triaD]

FF8 is my favorite one for so many reasons. I just fell in love with the world. The Junction system was addictive as I was an avid number cruncher at the time.

[Sepholio]

FF7. Because I said so.

[El Fangel]

I like how I'm not the only who liked 8.

[My Final Heaven]

I like how I'm not the only who liked 8.

I always thought 8 got unfairly compared to 7, it was like people wanted to take Square to task for not making a direct sequel or something. I never got terribly into FF7 anyway, something about the overly pretty main villain, Cloud's emo-ness and the battle system of putting little marbles into slots never clicked with me. I can understand the games following tho.

[My Final Heaven]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fb/WWESmackDownHereComesThePain.jpg/250px-WWESmackDownHereComesThePain.jpg

It has the best storyline ever, BROCK LESNAR beating the crap out of crappy wrestlers. It has the best graphics because it has BROCK LESNAR made from polygons.

Another thing it had made from polygons was BATISTA'S BOMB

I BOMB'D PEOPLE ALL DAY IN THAT GAME

[El Fangel]

I always thought 8 got unfairly compared to 7, it was like people wanted to take Square to task for not making a direct sequel or something. I never got terribly into FF7 anyway, something about the overly pretty main villain, Cloud's emo-ness and the battle system of putting little marbles into slots never clicked with me. I can understand the games following tho.

I'm sorry but Squall is the worst protagonist in the series.

FF9 had an awful ending.

[Fignuts]

Characters and story didn't really draw me in like 7 did. Bunch of overprivileged teenagers living in an awesome futuristic high school.

Why the fuck would I care about that, as opposed to the opening chapters of of previous games that really gave the characters a cause to fight for right from the start?

[Cool King]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a5/Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverart.png/250px-Super_Mario_Bros._3_coverart.png

Usually ends up topping or being in the Top 3/5 for the majority of "greatest ever" lists. The only video game that ever had a movie be used for its debut even if the movie wasn't that great overall.

The game is good enough that even with modern games having deep stories or great gameplay, people still manage to put this game near the top or in discussions about great games.

This pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[Ultra Mantis]

I'm sorry but Squall is the worst protagonist in the series.

FF9 had an awful ending.

FF9's ending was awful in comparison to FF7's ending? :wtf:

Also the worst protagonist of the series is in FFXII, whichever one of them is actually supposed to be the protagonist anyway.

[Swiss Ultimate]

Mass Effect 3

[El Fangel]

FF9's ending was awful in comparison to FF7's ending? :wtf:

Also the worst protagonist of the series is in FFXII, whichever one of them is actually supposed to be the protagonist anyway.

FFVII wasn't right out of the blue necron.

And I refuse to acknowledge anything past FFX.

[Pintint]

I like how I'm not the only who liked 8.

I dunno, 8 was a MAJOR let down for me after 7, but thats because of the setting/storyline. I prefer "fantasy" rpgs, and the character design and art style of the game was too "realistic" for me, so I was pretty dissapointed when FF8 came out. Played a bit of the demo, didnt get into it...FF6 and 7 remain two of my favorite RPGs of all time, and honestly, if 8 was set in a different environment, I probably would've liked it too.

FF7 is still my fav though, but thats probably because of RedXIII...

[Fignuts]

Yeah, it seems like ever since they went with "realistic" character designs, everything from enviornments to characters has just never clicked with me.

Feel like the more stylized designs of previous games made them stand out more.

[Fignuts]

rant I posted on another forum:

A big part of what keeps me from getting hooked into the newer games, is honestly the art direction. Final Fantasy 8, 10, 10-2, 12, 13 and 13-2 all have this similar art style. This weird futuristic sci-fi mixed with ancient architecture and culture style, that honestly is neat looking and colorful, but just doesn't have the "heart" and emotional connection of the Final Fantasys of yesteryear.

Pat mentioned in his review of FF 7 that the thing people immediately remember is Midgard. There is a reason for that. The place had so much character and personality. I feel like that was true for the many of locales in FF 4-7, though maybe to a slightly lesser extent when compared to midgar.

I didn't get any of that feeling playing the games after 7. Granted, I never finished any of them because halfway through I always get mind numbingly bored to death and play something else, but if they can't get me interested by that point in the game, then fuck em'.

And then there's the character design.

I remember when I used to play WWF Warzone for the Nintendo 64. It had a Create-a-Wrestler feature with a great deal of clothing options in a myriad of colors. You could also hit a "random" button and the CPU would just randomly generate a wrestler. I would spend a good 10 minutes just seeing what wacky concotion the CPU made up. Pink women's thong, blue kickboxer boots, ruffled shirt with a polka dot jacket over it, thick framed glasses, and a yellow mohawk. Stuff like that.

And yet nothing I ever saw in those days could prepare me for how fucking goofy tidus and his ilk look. Makes sense his Dad was never around, since you can obviously tell no one taught him how to properly dress himself. It just seems like there are so many useless, and impractical things added to these characters. And in every color of the rainbow. Seriously, it looks like someone butchered a muppet and threw it's remains at a character sketch. the fuck. 13 seemed to tone this down a bit, at least for the main cast (though I got even less into that game. Maybe a few hours in, so I dunno if they get cookier with the design later on) but judging from screens of 13-2, that was a brief reprive.


I think it's just time to shake things up from a visual standpoint. Maybe go back to the swords and sorcery look, but not in a shit online game that no one wants to play. I know I'd give it a whirl.

End rant, I guess.

[Ultra Mantis]

FFVII wasn't right out of the blue necron.

And I refuse to acknowledge anything past FFX.

Necron wasnt the ending, he was the final boss. It was a what the fuck moment sure, but Kuja suddenly growing a single wing and becoming five times as powerful would have been worse. The actual ending that follows is a lot more satisfying than FF7s complete lack of resolution.

Not just saying this because i dislike FF7 either, its easily one of my favourites.

[El Fangel]

The endings were both good in their own way, but FF9 just always annoyed me due to that. Felt like it wasn't supposed to happen. I threw Excalibur at it as well as Reis Wind :D

Also, best FF is tactics.

[Extreme Angle]

FF9 is the best on the PS1, mainly for Tetra Master, I had a Namingway bitches.

[owenbrown]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a7/Chrono_Trigger.jpg/250px-Chrono_Trigger.jpg