Best Games

[pcm92]

What is the greatest video game of all time?

[MercenaryOne]

Based on the time I have put into games it will either be Warsong(Genesis), Shining Force(Genesis), or Medieval Total War 2(PC). I didn't pick only Sega because its a Sega Forum, I picked those because I have easily spent well over 600 hours each on them. And Warsong is still my favorite of those 3.

[Randroid]

This can be a great topic, if we can determine the best by genre, for all time.

[Tad]

It's unanswerable question. Too many games trigger different things in people that make them special to them for different reasons.

[pcm92]

It's unanswerable question. Too many games trigger different things in people that make them special to them for different reasons.

It is a difficult question indeed, but it's not impossible to answer. I didn't want a list like this:

http://www.thetoptens.com/video-games/

I just wanted people's personal favorites because I'm tired of the same old games I have in my house.

[OriginalName]

Just to humor the original poster, my favorite game of all time is "Rez", but I think that "Ikaruga" might be the most perfect marriage of intuitive, ingenious gameplay and effective conceptual design that I've ever experienced. Just effortlessly deep in a way that's so subtle, yet hits you like a ton of bricks when you finally pick up on the Taoist symbolism. "Rez", while its concept and design may not be as intuitively intertwined as "Ikaruga" just has that awesome "Panzer Dragoon" gameplay while combining it with ideas that I've always found fascinating, like synaesthesia, evolution, civilization, the universe as vibration, et cetera. "NiGHTS into Dreams..." was a long-time nostalgic favorite that hit new heights for me when I really started approaching it like an arcade game, then later on had a dream about the titular character and realized that the character therefore technically existed on its own terms. Started to make me realize why Yuji Naka gets so emotional about the game. "Shenmue" and "Seaman", in radically different ways, radically changed the way that I looked at what a video game could be.

If I were to pick a top 5, it would be:

Rez
Ikaruga
NiGHTS into Dreams...
Shenmue
Seaman

But since we're on a Sega site, those might seem a bit too obvious, so a top 5 for non-Sega games:

LSD: The Dream Emulator (PlayStation)
Download 2 (PC Engine)
Moon Remix RPG Adventure (PlayStation) (This game is in Japanese; a great English alternative would be Undertale)
Opoona (Wii)
Otocky (Famicom)

Basically, I like games that take advantage of the medium by putting me in a very different place, but don't lose sight of the fact that they're a video game, either.

In terms of game feel alone, apart from overall experience, Super Shinobi II, Sonic Jam/CD, and Batsugun get the highest marks from me as well.

[Tad]

Oh, okay. I can't just name one, but here's mine:

Broken Sword series
Shenmue series

[Randroid]

Alright, I'm being inspired by the people who have actually named games here so I'll jump in.

Sonic the Hedgehog - the original, on Genesis/MD

It was the game that blew my little 9 year-old brain away. Genius, unrivaled brilliance in all areas of the game's development. All of its surface elements, visuals, presentation, gameplay and sound were beyond first grade.

It was a game where the further I explored, the more it revealed from its seamless merging of pinball mechanics and iconography to its environmentalist subtext. In a single play-through and with no word spoken, it was able to communicate so many concepts effectively: Gaia theory, Technophobia, Trans-humanism, Recursion and Surrealism and all in a way a child could digest.

It effortlessly captured the spirit of the times and defined a child's vision of the present and the future. To say nothing of its sequel (Sonic CD) that reiterated those concepts explicitly.

Its music, sure the melodies are from its time, but the medium (FM Chips) through which those melodies played through is only now being appreciated as valid music. It is not hard at all to look at our current emergent genres like synthpop, future-bass, and chillwave and declare Sonic's music to be the first examples of them.

I was always a gamer, and enjoyed games, but the first Sonic game was the first game to teach me that games could be true art. Right after a few minutes of play, all other games around at the time immediately became juvenile and passe. It was the real avant-garde and was the first game to truly give me that internal paradigm shift. So while many great games came after it, and I enjoy its own sequels more than the original, I have to declare it the best game of all time.

[Moody]

takeshi's challenge

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ha ha can you imagine

Nah but for real, as far as objectively 'best game' goes, for me it'd be Mother 3. Very rarely do you get such a beautiful marriage of art, sound, game design, story, and character in a game. It's simply a must-play in my books, one of the games that I hold up as proof that games can be held to the standard of traditional high art.

[Tad]

Just to expand on why for my pick on Broken Sword.

Back in the mega drive days, I didn't really play that many games. Sure, I had fun when I did, but I had limited access  (lived in the middle of nowhere) and apart from the odd game here and there (Sonic and arcade games mainly), nothing really grabbed me. Years later, I got a PS1 and started playing so much more as my young mind thought the 3D was great! Not long afterwards, my friend came round with a few games and as I looked through them, I saw one that featured cartoon like 2D graphics called Broken Sword: The Shadow of the templar's. I asked what it was and my friend replied he must of brought it by accident, as it's quite slow and strange (bare in mind, we were about 7-8). Regardless, I asked if I could try it and he gave me the nod. I put the game in and after a short loading screen a voice came out of the TV to a black screen. Then, as he said his bit, the music started ramping up and I was greeted by a gorgeously hand drawn artwork.

You know those moments you have in life that stick with you forever? It was one of those. I loved everything about the game. The humour, the mystery, the puzzles, the characters, the music; everything! It left such a huge impression on me that for weeks afterwards I was trying to work out the plot before I had actually finished the game. I used to have a notepad that I'd try and write up ideas as to why and how each character were involved in the mystery haha.

The game was just full of moments that had me panicking, tense and excited. The panic when you're looking around the suspected murders hotel room only to find nothing and open the door to leave...only to see him heading straight towards you! The music jumps up, the characters remarks, and you're left thinking  "what do I do?!"

There's so many moments like that, it'll stay with me forever and I think that's why I still play games now to be honest. I'm still looking for those moments that I'm just completely drawn in by the story and it's characters.

I really recommend people try these games if you can. It's aged wonderfully as it's hand drawn and digitally coloured.

The best part was, after playing it for just a few minutes, my friend could tell I adored the game and he said I could borrow it. After a week at school where I was talking about it like crazy, he said I could keep it as an early birthday present from him.

[CrazyT]

Nice story Tad. Here another one who has cherished memories of broken sword. Truly a special game. I played it when I was like... 6 or 7? But before that I would watch my brother play all those point and click games and I remember love watching every second. Strangely I would want and love to see him progress to see what's next. It was all so interesting to my eye. Looking back its quite odd for a kid to be intrigued by such things? I dont know really

When I started playing it myself I also got stuck often and I remember quitting at marib hehe. Great game great memories.

For me picking the best game is so difficult. Im quite sure that if I name one i'll probably come up with something better the next time, but it could be a tie between final fantasy 7 and shenmue for me. Oddly enough both games were what set last E3 on fire hehe.  :D

[Tad]

Thanks!

I think it was intriguing for me (and other people) because of the art style. We had gotten out of the 2D pixel art and had moved to the rough 3D look in almost every game. Whereas Broken Sword decided to do something very different. I was practically IN a cartoon when I was playing it...and it's one of those games that has a timeless quality to it.

[Nameless 24]

I can't honestly answer.


A lot of great games out there to name one in particular.


I always go back to Streets of Rage 2 though...every time!


Love Dragon's Crown and Freedom Wars as well though....so it is honestly hard to say for me.

[crackdude]

Sonic Adventure 2
Nights

[Berto]

Tetris

That game is immortal, came up in all forms.