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

[Feedbacker]

Dodonpachi Daioujou Black Label

PS : salut ManU !

[Aliquantic]

Smash Bros, specifically Melee, despite the best efforts of its creator

[Squire Grooktook]

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.

Well, puking in response to someones professed favorite game is probably a good way to get on their bad side

[Udderdude]

I'm going to say Futari just to annoy certian people in this thread. But if we're going by raw time invested I'd have to say Doom 2 with runner-up Mario Kart 8.

[vector7]

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.

there is even pc lumines http://store.steampowered.com/app/11900/

[Herr Schatten]

Bubble Bobble

[iconoclast]

Vita Lumines is probably my favorite in the series. Every version pretty much plays the same, so I like the Vita one just because it has the best skins & soundtrack imo. It also has some gimmicky touchscreen features that kinda break the game, but you can just ignore that stuff.

I don't have most of the DLC on the 360 version though, so maybe that one is the best overall if you have the complete package. It has Heavenly Star, after all - it's hard for the Vita to compete with that.

[NTSC-J]

Another vote for Symphony of the Night here. In terms of art design, graphical quality, music, controls, and enjoyment, it hits the mark.

I have a question for you guys: is your favorite game ever also your most played game ever? It seems to me that it would have to be, but I'll admit I've played other stuff more than SotN. It just bothers me a bit when people go nuts over something like The Last of Us, but then they never touch it again. How great is it really if you never play it?

[Jonst]

^ I have to to admit my choice was based on how vc made me feel, and how close it was to the arcade version, and sega made awesome games back then... The sound, visuals and gameplay were all top-notch.

But like you point out, I haven't touched it in years...

[iconoclast]

Another vote for Symphony of the Night here. In terms of art design, graphical quality, music, controls, and enjoyment, it hits the mark.

I have a question for you guys: is your favorite game ever also your most played game ever? It seems to me that it would have to be, but I'll admit I've played other stuff more than SotN. It just bothers me a bit when people go nuts over something like The Last of Us, but then they never touch it again. How great is it really if you never play it?

Not for me. I put around 600 hours into Futari IIRC, but I've definitely played a bunch of multiplayer games more than that. World of Warcraft, MechAssault, Halo 2 & 3, Fire Pro Wrestling S/D/Returns, probably Shadowrun, maybe Street Fighter II & IV, etc. I've played Daioujou way more than Futari, too. It's pretty easy to sink tons of time into multiplayer because your opponents make the game different every time you play (and it has a social factor), but I don't think any of them are better games. To me, there's nothing better than "me vs. myself" - pushing a game as far as I can and breaking through personal walls.

I agree with the last bit, too. I really like a bunch of 'one and done' games (including The Last of Us), but I'd never champion them as being among the best ever made. I just don't think they much merit as games when compared to practically anything that's highly skill-based and/or competitive. I'd still recommend them for other reasons, though.

[Xyga]

I'm going to say Futari just to annoy certian people in this thread. But if we're going by raw time invested I'd have to say Doom 2 with runner-up Mario Kart 8.

Ack. I don't want to add a vote for the wrong reason, please don't mind other people's opinion I just want yours.
So... Futari or Doom 2. ^^

PS : salut ManU !

[Squire Grooktook]

I have a question for you guys: is your favorite game ever also your most played game ever? It seems to me that it would have to be, but I'll admit I've played other stuff more than SotN. It just bothers me a bit when people go nuts over something like The Last of Us, but then they never touch it again. How great is it really if you never play it?

One of my big problems with choosing, as I mentioned above, is there are some games which were incredibly memorable and entertaining to me at the time, but that would make terrible "desert island" games.

I actually have a draft saved for a huge write up on why Odin Sphere was one of the most memorable and enchanting games I've ever played, and while it's not terrible for me after accepting it's flaws, I don't imagine it's the kind of game that you could replay every day and still have fun.

[Sir Ilpalazzo]

If I were going to pick one, it'd definitely be Viewtiful Joe. I feel like it's a real realization of the modern complex 3D action game in 2D space, while at the same time being a lot more refined and tightly balanced than any 3D action game. It's got fantastic-feeling player movement, a great lineup of enemies and bosses, fantastic hit reactions that make tearing up hordes of enemies feel great no matter how many times you do it, really solid level design with a lot of variety - everything I want from a game, pretty much. The extra playable characters are a great bonus, too; they add a lot of extra replay value.

I'll dump this post I made with the rest of my favorite games, since I don't like to leave discussions like these at just one single game, and also give props to Perikles for his Castlevania X68000 vote. That game is rad.

[Stevens]

Robotron: 2084

Timeless!

I am awful at it, but I think this is my answer as well.

2084 is twitch gaming distilled down to its purest form.

As others have said though, ask me tomorrow and my answer might be different. Super Turbo is up there too in my opinion.

[Hoagtech]

Another vote for Symphony of the Night here. In terms of art design, graphical quality, music, controls, and enjoyment, it hits the mark.

I have a question for you guys: is your favorite game ever also your most played game ever? It seems to me that it would have to be, but I'll admit I've played other stuff more than SotN. It just bothers me a bit when people go nuts over something like The Last of Us, but then they never touch it again. How great is it really if you never play it?

Your not wrong but can a franchise based off another Nintendo franchise (Super Metroid) be the best if there not original? And are you saying SOTN is better than super Metroid?

If so that's a bold statement

And even if you liked SOTN, your vote should be for Akumajo Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight on the sega Saturn, even without the English subs it's a much better version

[Despatche]

the saturn version is a lot worse. it runs poorly, it looks bad, and iirc some big glitches were patched. jp ps is what you want.

[Squire Grooktook]

Yeah the Saturn version is kinda horribad IIRC.

Super Metroid vs Symphony of The Night is an interesting one.

I'm of the opinion that originality should never be a factor in judging anything. There are a lot of (mostly subjective) metrics for quality, but I don't think chronology should ever be one of them. I believe a work should be judged on its own merits, not the order it appeared in relative to other works.

As for the games, I think Super Metroid is a much more tightly designed game overall. SOTN's difficulty balance goes out the window halfway through, and the rooms don't have nearly as much platforming or thoughtful enemy placement as Super Metroid.

Both games have sublime handling though, and it's hard to pick between SOTN's graceful manuevering and SM's awesome wall jumping movement. SOTN also has a sense of "vastness" in terms of secrets that I don't think any other Metroidvania quite matches. There are so many weapons, so many obscure spells and combinations, that you always feel like you haven't seen everything. Of course, not all of those secrets are useful, but it does add a unique sense of mystique to the game.

I do overwhelmingly prefer SOTN in terms of atmosphere though. The art and music are simply gorgeous and right up my alley, and honestly, neither are games you can really play for heart pounding intensity, so I feel like I'd rather get lost in SOTN's gorgeous gothic world then Super Metroid's murky caverns, despit the latter being a technically more polished game IMO.

[Strikers1945guy]

Thinking about this subject has brought back tons of memories for me. I don't play console games much st all anymore or even follow new console stuff

If I hadn't discovered Lumines my vote would have probably gone the way of Resident Evil 4. Got that game on launch for the Gamecube and after surviving the village and managing to beat that first boss battle at the lake I was so blown away and on edge I had to stop playing for like 2 days lol. So many shit your pants moments along with the great action aspects I consider that game (at thetime);to really be above everything else that was out at the time.

[Tregard]

Love the passion this question has brought out in people. Not an easy one to answer as it immediately brings all manner of games to mind, and so many wonderful experiences. In the end I closed my eyes, emptied my mind of all thought and waited for the first glimpse of a game to materialise. It was Grim Fandango.

That game is pure romance to me. I wasn't particularly well-versed in Noir cinema back when I first played it, so the second year in particular was a revelation. The silvery moonlight on the waves, the sound of boats in the distant night, the cool midnight jazz. I used to kick back to that soundtrack and dream about my future life as a kind-hearted but world-weary detective, drinking whisky on the porch overlooking the bright lights of a city.

"Manuel... are you... in love with her?"
"Love is for the living Sal."

I've been fearful of returning to it in the last 10 years or so because I'm older now and far more cynical of the world, and I just know I wouldn't be able to wring that same romance from it any more.

[Cagar]

I'm gonna give the most hipster answer for sure, but I've had this opinion for years and I'm very confident about it.

It's An Untitled Story.
A freeware PC metroidvania (sort of) where "you're an egg".

Play it on hardest (Masterful) difficulty despite the warnings: it's clearly how the game was designed to be played, given that easier difficulties have out-of-place extra platforms to help with hard parts. Choosing that was probably the reason what ended up making it so special to me

[Leandro]

Great thread, love the posts

I choose 3rd strike. While it has an overpowered Chun-Li and the backgrounds are not as good as the first two games, still is my favorite fighting game and overall favorite game ever played

[lilmanjs]

My profile pic pretty much says it. Knytt Underground is a game that for some reason seems to make me feel at ease and calm whenever I play it. That soundtrack fits the world perfectly and even if it doesn't have a real ending to it, it pretty much sums up life. Reviewers didn't understand the ending in most reviews I read. The atmosphere just fits and the platforming can get hectic at times, but works well.

[Xyga]

Awesome selection of games people, thanks.

Keep it up !

[Cagar]

My profile pic pretty much says it. Knytt Underground is a game that for some reason seems to make me feel at ease and calm whenever I play it. That soundtrack fits the world perfectly and even if it doesn't have a real ending to it, it pretty much sums up life. Reviewers didn't understand the ending in most reviews I read. The atmosphere just fits and the platforming can get hectic at times, but works well.

Hmm I quit Knytt Underground pretty fast, but can't remember why. I have to give it another go.
The guy who made it is a genius at making relaxing games though. Nightsky and Saira are fantastic.

[Ex_Mosquito]

As much as I love everything 2D, I could never put any shoot em' up or platform/scroller as the best game ever made. I personally don't find that they have enough replay value to be given such a lofty title. I know the OP said to choose 1 but these are joint 1st for me.

- Super Street Fighter II X/Turbo. Even after 20+ years of playing it (and the previous II games) I find it as fun as the day I first played, maybe even more. With an almost infinite set of variables against an equally match opponent it's pretty much videogame perfection. Even to this day I find myself learning new strategies and subtle ways to improve my game even after 2 decades of playing.

Tetris - The Grandmaster 2 PLUS (TAP) It's criminal this games isn't more popular! To be fair I guess the fact that it's arcade/Japan only doesn't help matters, but still! Whenever people say the word 'Tetris' people more often than not site the gameboy version as the definitive 1 player version.. But TGM with it's vastly superior rotation mechanics blow it out the water in every possible way. When Arika made their ARS (Arika Rotation System) and IRS (Initial rotation system) and super fast DAS (Delay auto shift) coupled with the brutal 20G instant gravity speed, they took single player Tetris to another level of depth speed and precision. It can take months/years of practice and dedication to get to grips with the 20G instant gravity, recognising how to make neat overhangs + repairs, and to learn how to manipulate the pieces in the most efficient way and to understand the clever subtle nuances to the rotation system and 20G stacking. It's built for speed, precision and finesse, a true masterpiece. Even after 10 years of play you can still improve your game. I cannot express how much I love this game. Don't get me wrong I love the other TGM games, they all have there own strengths but I feel TAP is the most pure and has the right mix of mechanics Eg: no I-piece floorkick and only 1 preview.

[dink]

Ghouls 'n Ghosts

[quash]

If I give in to sentimentality but still only include games that are actually good, I'd have to say NiGHTS was the game that ensured I would play videogames for the rest of my life. No other game at the time looked or played anything like it, and there was so much to admire in its presentation. Every time I come back to it, it feels like I never stopped playing. It's not without its issues, of course, but few other games from that early in the 32 bit era have aged as well.

But factoring everything else, if I had to pick just one, today my mind is set on Metal Gear Rising. It basically took all the best elements of Ninja Gaiden and the best elements of DMC and rolled them into one game. Not to mention the awesome and incredibly fitting soundtrack.

[Rob]

Pretty easy answer. Definitely not most played, but must have around in case I ever need some potent gaming magic.

[Shepardus]

I have a question for you guys: is your favorite game ever also your most played game ever?

I'm pretty sure Dota 2 is my most played game ever, far eclipsing games I've known and played over a much longer period of time including those I don't have Steam logs for. That game has a way of draining time like crazy... I haven't played it in over a year now and I definitely wouldn't consider it the best video game, though I would consider it the best MOBA/ARTS/whatever you want to call it and I probably would have gotten back into it when custom games/maps support was released if I weren't afraid of getting addicted to it again. Even when I was still playing it I'm not sure if I would have called it the best video game ever; I think I would have answered with Dark Souls.

[Xyga]

Guys you're not making it easy for, please pick a clear one, not two or three titles with a paragraph full of IF's and MAYBE's.
I'm no gonna decide your place, whether you've played most or rationalized is up to you, there can be only one.

- Udderdude
- Ex_Mosquito
- Shepardus

Yup you three here !