The single best video game ever made according to you ? (OP)

[Jonst]

Tough question. Despite my love for shmups and fighters and gems in all genres of games... I'll have to say virtua cop (sega saturn). It was the first game to Truly make me feel like a kid filled with excitement and disbelief that I was playing it in the comfort of my own home. Everything about it was/is superb, especially at the time it came out, it just blew me away, I couldn't put it down! It seemed like the most magical Christmas day I'd had in a long time because of it.

[davyK]

It's Tetris for me.

Tetris will be played 100 years from now. You could argue there are better games in the genre (Puyo Puyo for example is deeper) but none match it for accesibility. It's as good a game in single player as in multi-player, and it can be as casual or as hardcore as you like (see TGM).

Doesn't really matter what version but the newer versions have slicker control and small tweaks like wall kicks that you would miss going back to an older version. Tetris Evolution on 360 is excellent, but my current favourite version is Tetris Party Deluxe on the Wii which delivers an excellent classic mode but adds in a stack of genuinely new games that reside within the Tetris ruleset and are just as enjoyable.

[e_tank]

close call between Tetris and Pac-Man, but since a few people have already mentioned Tetris i'll go with Pac-Man. no arcade / game center is complete w/o a Pac-Man cab

[SuperSoaker360]

Panel de Pon

[Squire Grooktook]

I cannot answer this.

To me, the various games in various genres all scratch completely different itches. I could list maybe, top 5 from each genre, but asking to pick an eternal favorite is just impossible for me.

Maybe one day I want excitement, so I'll play a shmup. Maybe the next, I want atmosphere or a heart warming story, so I'll play an rpg. Maybe the next day, I want some socializing, so I'll play a fun fighting game. I simply can't pick a favorite, it's like asking which part of your brain you'd like amputated.

[soprano1]

It's Tetris for me.

Tetris will be played 100 years from now. You could argue there are better games in the genre (Puyo Puyo for example is deeper) but none match it for accesibility. It's as good a game in single player as in multi-player, and it can be as casual or as hardcore as you like (see TGM).

Doesn't really matter what version but the newer versions have slicker control and small tweaks like wall kicks that you would miss going back to an older version. Tetris Evolution on 360 is excellent, but my current favourite version is Tetris Party Deluxe on the Wii which delivers an excellent classic mode but adds in a stack of genuinely new games that reside within the Tetris ruleset and are just as enjoyable.

I agree with davyK on this one.

[Xyga]

I cannot answer this.

To me, the various games in various genres all scratch completely different itches. I could list maybe, top 5 from each genre, but asking to pick an eternal favorite is just impossible for me.

Yeah it's difficult but you don't have to be so radical, there's tons of games we've never played and myriads to come, but if you have one in particular in mind you can tell here.
Again let your heart speak!

Also people; YOU CAN CHANGE YOUR MIND anytime, I'll update the list on 1st post (just make the switch clear plz).

[Ruldra]

I normally keep my posts short, but this time I feel like elaborating a bit.

While I enjoy skill-based games very much, I have a soft spot for RPGs. Different games scratch different itches but I feel that the games that had the biggest impact in me were all RPGs with great stories. And while normally I don't care about story in most games, in this particular genre it's absolutely crucial for me. I have no problem dropping a RPG with great gameplay mechanics but a very stupid plot (i.e. Resonance of Fate).

Having said that, no game has blown my mind like Treasure of the Rudras did. The premise is interesting from the start: the world will end in 16 days and you have to find a way to stop it. You have 3 different parties, each with a separate storyline but they're all working for that goal. You need to finish all 3 scenarios to make it to the end.

The game is VERY long but fun all the way through, has a great soundtrack, the mantra system is unique and allows you to cast any spell in the game from the start - assuming you know the correct mantras - and it was made back in the glory days of Squaresoft. The game was never released outside of Japan, which is probably why so few people heard of it.

So, if you're interested in emulating it, one site offers both the game and a translation patch. Google is your friend.

[GaijinPunch]

It's Tetris for me.

http://www.theonion.com/article/modern- ... upco-35394

[Ruldra]

Prince of Persia, the 1989 version.

Have you played the SNES version? I thought it was a huge improvement over the original.

[Zaarock]

Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram

Spoiler

Once you get past the strange controls and the camera being a limited viewport it's a super fun game. The skill ceiling for every character is extremely high. Characters play more differently from eachother than I've seen in any other competitive fighter (maybe smash series is similar?). It'll easily take years to get decent with a technical character so if you want to learn multiple ones there's a lot of content if you really get into it.

Sadly it's one of those games that is only popular and seriously competitive in japan. There isn't nearly as much tech or community in the west. Luckily the online community is really friendly, many of the best jp players even like to train with western beginners. It's fairly active for something that was originally released in 1998 I guess. I only picked it up in 2009 and it's been a good time.

For me it combines some things I like about various genres. Shmup skills become useful in certain matchups with a lot of projectiles going around. It's really quite similar to Senko no Ronde, at high level people really keep up the pressure with bullets flying around trying to trap their opponent. Close range combat can be satisfying like hack-and-slash games and more traditional fighters and some characters focus more on this than projectile pressure. The execution ceiling is ridiculously high and it's humanly impossible to play even close to perfectly, but not to the point where strategic play doesn't pay off. Of course the bias for this being my best game comes from that I've been playing it for many years instead of other fighters. But it's a no brainer for me, especially as there really isn't any competition for it as a 1v1 competitive mecha/3D arena fighter. If it was superseded by something the japanese community wouldn't be nearly as large I think.

Valkyrie Profile

Probably my favorite RPG, even with Sora no Kiseki recently (maybe some nostalgia, but eh..)

I think this discussion is interesting because unlike lists you know the poster is really into the game in particular, and has good if personal reasons to back it up.

[Giest118]

Chrono Trigger.

All other answers are scientifically false.

[Ghegs]

Prince of Persia, the 1989 version.

Have you played the SNES version? I thought it was a huge improvement over the original.

I haven't actually, but from what I've seen of it I'd probably still prefer the original. I like the shorter length, and the bossfights in SNES version don't really appeal to me.

[Squire Grooktook]

Just read the first page a bit more.

Majora's Mask.

Puke.

You're dead to me.

To be fair, Skykid kind of deserved it though. That does not justify speaking ill of Majora's Mask though.

Nothing does.

[LSU]

Robotron: 2084

Timeless!

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Probably Zelda 3: A Link to the Past. It is the most immersive game I have ever played (of course, this is also due to the most brilliant music themes incorporated into any video game ever), the gameplay itself is incredibly smooth, the progression of the game (story- and gameplay-wise) is perfect, the world and the dungeons are constructed perfectly, the items open up so many additional options. For over twenty years I have played it through at least once every two to three years. It's a timeless masterpiece and we will never get to play anything remotely as perfect ever again in this universe.

[pegboy]

Chrono Trigger.

All other answers are scientifically false.

FFVI > CT.

[mirkvid]

Had to think about this for a minute. I've been gaming for over 35 years, so a lot of titles come to mind; Super Mario World, Resi4, MGS3, all nearly perfect.

R4 Ridge Racer Type 4 gets my vote though . I've been playing this one for 16 years now and have yet to tire of it. The controls, level design, difficulty, length, and presentation are all just about perfect.

[Giest118]

Chrono Trigger.

All other answers are scientifically false.

FFVI > CT.

Sadly, not being Chrono Trigger, FFVI cannot be as good as or better than Chrono Trigger, as only Chrono Trigger can be as good as or better than Chrono Trigger.

FFVI is pretty rad though.

[TransatlanticFoe]

The Sensible Soccer 96/97 call is a close one for me but ultimately lack of player retirement and low difficulty stop it short of perfection. One of my last games had Mario Stanic miss half the season with injury but still score 126 goals!

I think MechCommander Gold comes closest for me. It just needed dynamic branching missions. I have played the shit out of the game and never tire of it. Gold introduces difficulty levels - hard is pitched just the right side of unfair in the "you have low defense and do low damage, enemy has high defense and does high damage" stakes. Easy missions can end with hefty repair bills while tougher ones are full on scrape through with a few dead/badly injured pilots. In the absence of AI scaling it's a nice challenge compromise for when you've mastered the game. I really got to love some of those disembodied voices and it's tense when you're trying to balance victory with getting an injured favourite pilot out safe. Nooooooo not Hunter *restart mission*

Or you can put it on easy and just murder everything with gleeful ease. Make sure those harmless farms burn too. Some beautiful detail in the tiny environments - cars, buildings, bridges... and you can burn them all to the ground!

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

R-Type

[Perikles]

I thought about this for a while since I'm in a similar boat than Squire Grooktook in regards to different genres. While I would love to nominate Valkyrie Profile or The Ninja Warriors Again I'm probably best off with the X68000 Akumajou Dracula. My favorite game of my favorite genre, that sounds about right.

[sven666]

Cybernator (assault suit valken)

simply perfection for me, this game just ticks everything i like in a game and i really cant think of a single flaw or weakness with it.
plus it has tons of nostalgic value for me, lusted over a few tiny screenshots from magazines up to getting to play it on release and then it kickstarting my love for retrogames as an adult.

[nissling]

This is a very hard question and although I change my opinion rather often (which is why I prefer not to rank my favorite titles), I think the game that made the best impression on me is Resident Evil Code: Veronica. I first played it on the Sega Dreamcast (which is my favorite console) but I prefer the HD remaster for Playstation 3*. Just enough challenging, has an unique atmosphere that basically defines the series and overall an extremely satisfying game. Creepy as hell on top of that.

* I know it's on Xbox 360 too but I prefer Dual Shock 3.

[evil_ash_xero]

Holy shit...that is such a hard question to answer.

Today...Super Metroid.

But it could be something different tomorrow.

[dan76]

Mr. Do! Incredibly deep gameplay for is time and way outshines pacman, dig dug et al. I've been playing it since it was released in 1982 and I'm still finding out new strategies and tricks. Completely original, but not very influential as it's the very best game of it's type. I'll never get bored of it.

[Strikers1945guy]

Love everyone who is mentioning Tetris Such an amazing games. Simple, yet complex in strategy. For me though, I'm going with:

Lumines

Such Brilliant take on a puzzle game, again simple concept yet a MUCH more fun than Tetris (for me).
Game play offers many more ideas for strategy I feel, amazing music and I love how the design of the blocks changes every round.

The original and sequel were on the PSP. A PS2 version came about after. Not sure if there's any more or them, possible some on Sony's PSN store Im sure they were somewhat popular.

Check them out if you haven't heard of the game, watch it in action when someone is far into the game it's nuts.

Literally the only reason I still have an original PSP is Lumines.

[Strikers1945guy]

Majora's Mask.

Puke.

Fair play, but I didn't say it was the best game ever.

PlzgodnomoreFUTARI

MM > OoT all day

[BrianC]

The original and sequel were on the PSP. A PS2 version came about after. Not sure if there's any more or them, possible some on Sony's PSN store Im sure they were somewhat popular.

There's a Lumines for 360 in the Qubed collection and XBLA (Qubed version has some, but not all, of the DLC included), there's a crappy phone game that doesn't go along with the music, and there's a Vita Lumines too.

[Skykid]

To be fair, Skykid kind of deserved it though. That does not justify speaking ill of Majora's Mask though.

Nothing does.

It's a masterwork of Biblical proportions.

I don't know what you think I deserved though? I'm just sick of hearing "FutariFutariFutari", although I'll freely admit it's a great game.