I fucking love lists. I will make a list about anything. That being said, why don't we post about our favorite video games ever. I admittedly typed this up for somewhere else and am copy-pasting it here. That doesn't make it any less true or from the heart however! I admittedly don't play many video games and feel free to mock my list, I don't care! Here it is, with some words for each:
1) Smash Bros Melee(GCN)
There's no other game that can be #1. I knew this would be #1 the second I saw Grayson's thread posted. I probably have played this for more time than the rest of the top 5 combined. That's not the ONLY criteria for my list, but it can't be ignored. This game quite possibly ruined my life. Second semester, Freshman year, I continually chose to play Melee over going to class and ended up with a 0.5 GPA for that semester and lost all my free ride scholarship money. It's my favorite fighting game of all time, by far, and definitely the most replayable game I've ever played in both multi-player and singleplayer.
2) Super Mario 64(N64)
Coming home with a Nintendo 64 and playing this game for the first time remains my favorite single gaming experience ever. The jump from Super Nintendo to N64 was just tremendous. I was amazed and wide-eyed the entire time exploring the 3D world and seeing the gorgeous and vivid world of this game. I loved the way this game was linear, and you could get X stars to go to the next level, but at the same time, you could go back and have so many different things to do on each individual level. I loved the hunt for the 126 Stars(might have that # wrong)
3) Mega Man X(SNES)
I loved the NES Mega Mans too, even though I had to get my mom to beat Mega Man 2. HOWEVER, X is definitely my favorite Mega Man ever. The upgrades were such a cool thing. The dash and ability to quickly change between weapons was awesome. I loved looking for all the Heart and Sub tanks. All the boss fights were incredibly fun. I don't know what else to say! I still replay through this game on a fairly regular basis. It's always a lot of fun for me, and I always feel a sense of accomplishment at the end after I blow Sigma into smithereens. Only thing holding this back is no Dr. Wily to shoot in the face.
4) Goldeneye 007(N64)
To be completely honest, I barely remember anything from the single-player of the game. I think there was a train level, there was a really long and boring jungle level, and I believe the final fight with Trevelyn is really awesome. This game is #4 because of the Multiplayer. It was the first FPS I ever really got into, and I had a large group of friends that would play all day every weekend. I remember so many sleepovers and birthday parties that were just 100% Goldeneye playing. The different modes and weapon sets made each match really different. We could play proximity mines for a long time, then switch to pistols and license to kill, and the different levels were incredibly varied. Despite a finite group of settings and not that many different characters to play, every single game felt a little different.
5) Metal Gear Solid(PS, GCN)
This game is probably the best, and my favorite, at combining a pretty intresting and cool story with great gameplay seamlessly. I felt so fucking slick every time I would practically dance around a patrol. This is one of the few games where I would probably never skip cutscenes, even during replays through. It's just really fucking cool, and well-done. The boss fights of this game are also tremendous. It's been a while since I played through, but I can still remember everything vividly about each one. I listed it as Playstation and the Gamecube Twin Snakes "remake", because I probably played both equally. This is another game getting ranked up high because I have played through it again a whole lot of times.
6) Tetris(NES)
Tetris is just a great game. Solely because it's so simple, yet so perfect. It's easily the most basic game on the list here, but it's still not getting old in any way. I like this game since it's still the only game I know of that my mom can beat the shit out of me at, every time. I'm a huge fan.
7) Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past(SNES)
This is one of the few RPGs I've actually finished. I also am pretty sure it was the first RPG I finished without help from my mom or reading strategy guides in any way. It's also the last Zelda game I've completed!
8) Super Mario Bros 3(NES)
Maybe it's sacrilege to have this here, and no mention of the first Mario, or Mario World. But this game took what was great about the first one, and expanded on it greatly. I loved the different goofy suits you could get, too. This is my favorite Mario side-scroller out of the pre-64 days.
9) Madden 08(360)
I said it was incredibly lame to put a whole series under one heading. But I think it's okay with the Madden series, because of how similar each one is. I picked this one partly because 09 and 10 were incredibly disappointing, and partly because Vince Young is on the cover. This was the last Madden of the streak of each game being better than the last.
10) Rock Band 2(360)
My undying love of rhythm games has been well-documented, and this is the head of the pack by far. Guitar Hero 2 almost snuck into the list too, but Rock Band 2 put everything together with a great set list, endless waves of DLC to make the game nevr get boring or old, and the best set of plastic instruments to date.
11) Super Punch-Out!!(SNES)
Super Punch-Out!! is definitely simple. It really isn't much more than having good timing and memorizing patterns. But it's just a really fun game with goofy characters that I really can't stop myself from playing over and over again. Sometimes I take it easy and just cruise through beating everyone, sometimes I get really obsessive and go for the time trials, but every time I play through this game I have a lot of fun.
12) Mario Party 5(GCN)
Another game solely on here for the multiplayer. I played this relentlessly through college, and it's one of the few games that came dangerously close to starting fights and getting things broken because of how insane and goofy it can be. I loved all the twists they through in the game, and it's gloriously insane that you can play the best game and get screwe by chnace in the end.
13) Pokemon Red/Blue(Game Boy)
Gotta catch 'em all. This game was pretty fun, but I put it so high because of how it introduced a new form of multiplayer, and was the first time I remember using my gameboy with the connector cables. Trading pokemon during lunch at middle school was just hella fun and social.
14) NBA Jam: Tournament Edition(SNES, Arcade)
This is the goofiest sports game ever, I won't argue this. I love it. I loved the arcade style, playing 2 on 2 was just perfect enough to still kind of be basketball and still be fun for someone that knows fuck all about strategy. All the cheat codes were hilarious and awesome, the celebrities showing up to play as, the mascots. This game was just so fucking fun.
15) Star Fox 64(N64)
Another great game that really used the N64's new capabilities to the max. Just a fun shoot 'em up flier. The boss fights were all really great. The ending was incredibly epic. The duels with Star Wolf were really great fun. This getting rereleased on the Wii definitely has bumped this way up, since I played through it another many times. Multiplayer was also really great on this; it managed to knock Goldeneye out of the system on occasion.
16) Super Mario RPG(SNES)
This game was a really fun and uniquely "Mario" take on the RPG. It largely worked, and I was impressed with its ability to introduce a few new characters into the mix without being just Mario vs Bowser.
17) Mario Kart 64(N64)
The Mario Kart series was really great. And this one was my favorite! It had the best lineup of tracks by far, and Rainbow Road was a fitting, epic, and FUCK YOU final track that made every playthrough of the Special Cup an adventure.
18) Halo 2(XBox)
I openly hated most of the single player of this game. But that doesn't matter one bit. It rules solely on the multiplayer. For a bit in college, I managed to put down Smash Bros and frag some bitches on the campus network. The headsets were great for shittalking, and this even got me to pay money for XBL and play online with 13 year olds that love the word "******". I never really got that good at Halo 2, but I always had a bunch of fun with it.
19) Mortal Kombat II(SNES)
I don't even like 2D fighters that much, but Mortal Kombat II has to get a pass and has to be on the list for being just so cool. The Fatalities and everything made it so taboo and edgy to play. This was my equivalent of smoking in the boys' room after school. I was one of the coolest kids in school for actually owning this game. It gets the nod over the first one due to all the improvements in pretty much every area of the game.
20) Excitebike(NES)
Excitebike has a definite soft spot in my heart. It's a fun game period, just starting off. BUT what definitely gets it on my list is how it was one of the first games I remember with any sort of "Create A ____" feature. I spent more time building tracks in this game than I ever spent actually riding and controlling a bike. Lots of fun.
21) Marvel vs Capcom 2(Dreamcast? other systems? not sure)
Only game on the list that I never owned at all. I still played this game a bazillion times at friends' houses. It's another rare 2D fighter that manages to completely draw me in. I love all the characters, the huge number of recognizable people you can fight with. This game is just gonna take you for a ride.
22) Maniac Mansion(NES)
Probably the first/only game you might see and not recognize at all. This was a quirky, weird RPG type game. I don't think I even played through it that many times, but it is getting one the list because of all the fond memories playing it with my cousin when he lived with us. We were a great team and somehow we were able to figure this whole game out collectively.
23) Final Fantasy 7(PS)
This wasn't a game, it was an event. I almost left this game off because of how it broke my heart, BUT I did sink a lot of time into it and get pretty invested in the story. The breaking heart part - I got to the last boss, all leveled up, all ready to really kill him to death, and saved. Then I waited for Friday night, made an event of it. Had a 2-liter of coke, and a pizza all ready. Then I go to load the game and "SAVE FILE CORRUPTED". I eventually watched the ending at a friend's, but it wasn't the same.
24) Turtles in Time(SNES, Arcade)
Tell me you never had a bunch of fun throwing foot soldiers at the screen. Go on, tell me. The boss fight where you have to do that to hit Shredder in the face is the best ever. Lots of insanely fun boss fights, insanely fun to play through multiplayer, I love the Ninja Turtles. Bury my shell at wounded knee.
25) WWF No Mercy(N64)
Best wrestling game of all time. A huge leap in the Create-A-Wrestler mode. And you could fucking frog splash off the top of a ladder through a table. Who needs anything else?
1) Smash Bros Melee(GCN)
There's no other game that can be #1. I knew this would be #1 the second I saw Grayson's thread posted. I probably have played this for more time than the rest of the top 5 combined. That's not the ONLY criteria for my list, but it can't be ignored. This game quite possibly ruined my life. Second semester, Freshman year, I continually chose to play Melee over going to class and ended up with a 0.5 GPA for that semester and lost all my free ride scholarship money. It's my favorite fighting game of all time, by far, and definitely the most replayable game I've ever played in both multi-player and singleplayer.
2) Super Mario 64(N64)
Coming home with a Nintendo 64 and playing this game for the first time remains my favorite single gaming experience ever. The jump from Super Nintendo to N64 was just tremendous. I was amazed and wide-eyed the entire time exploring the 3D world and seeing the gorgeous and vivid world of this game. I loved the way this game was linear, and you could get X stars to go to the next level, but at the same time, you could go back and have so many different things to do on each individual level. I loved the hunt for the 126 Stars(might have that # wrong)
3) Mega Man X(SNES)
I loved the NES Mega Mans too, even though I had to get my mom to beat Mega Man 2. HOWEVER, X is definitely my favorite Mega Man ever. The upgrades were such a cool thing. The dash and ability to quickly change between weapons was awesome. I loved looking for all the Heart and Sub tanks. All the boss fights were incredibly fun. I don't know what else to say! I still replay through this game on a fairly regular basis. It's always a lot of fun for me, and I always feel a sense of accomplishment at the end after I blow Sigma into smithereens. Only thing holding this back is no Dr. Wily to shoot in the face.
4) Goldeneye 007(N64)
To be completely honest, I barely remember anything from the single-player of the game. I think there was a train level, there was a really long and boring jungle level, and I believe the final fight with Trevelyn is really awesome. This game is #4 because of the Multiplayer. It was the first FPS I ever really got into, and I had a large group of friends that would play all day every weekend. I remember so many sleepovers and birthday parties that were just 100% Goldeneye playing. The different modes and weapon sets made each match really different. We could play proximity mines for a long time, then switch to pistols and license to kill, and the different levels were incredibly varied. Despite a finite group of settings and not that many different characters to play, every single game felt a little different.
5) Metal Gear Solid(PS, GCN)
This game is probably the best, and my favorite, at combining a pretty intresting and cool story with great gameplay seamlessly. I felt so fucking slick every time I would practically dance around a patrol. This is one of the few games where I would probably never skip cutscenes, even during replays through. It's just really fucking cool, and well-done. The boss fights of this game are also tremendous. It's been a while since I played through, but I can still remember everything vividly about each one. I listed it as Playstation and the Gamecube Twin Snakes "remake", because I probably played both equally. This is another game getting ranked up high because I have played through it again a whole lot of times.
6) Tetris(NES)
Tetris is just a great game. Solely because it's so simple, yet so perfect. It's easily the most basic game on the list here, but it's still not getting old in any way. I like this game since it's still the only game I know of that my mom can beat the shit out of me at, every time. I'm a huge fan.
7) Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past(SNES)
This is one of the few RPGs I've actually finished. I also am pretty sure it was the first RPG I finished without help from my mom or reading strategy guides in any way. It's also the last Zelda game I've completed!
8) Super Mario Bros 3(NES)
Maybe it's sacrilege to have this here, and no mention of the first Mario, or Mario World. But this game took what was great about the first one, and expanded on it greatly. I loved the different goofy suits you could get, too. This is my favorite Mario side-scroller out of the pre-64 days.
9) Madden 08(360)
I said it was incredibly lame to put a whole series under one heading. But I think it's okay with the Madden series, because of how similar each one is. I picked this one partly because 09 and 10 were incredibly disappointing, and partly because Vince Young is on the cover. This was the last Madden of the streak of each game being better than the last.
10) Rock Band 2(360)
My undying love of rhythm games has been well-documented, and this is the head of the pack by far. Guitar Hero 2 almost snuck into the list too, but Rock Band 2 put everything together with a great set list, endless waves of DLC to make the game nevr get boring or old, and the best set of plastic instruments to date.
11) Super Punch-Out!!(SNES)
Super Punch-Out!! is definitely simple. It really isn't much more than having good timing and memorizing patterns. But it's just a really fun game with goofy characters that I really can't stop myself from playing over and over again. Sometimes I take it easy and just cruise through beating everyone, sometimes I get really obsessive and go for the time trials, but every time I play through this game I have a lot of fun.
12) Mario Party 5(GCN)
Another game solely on here for the multiplayer. I played this relentlessly through college, and it's one of the few games that came dangerously close to starting fights and getting things broken because of how insane and goofy it can be. I loved all the twists they through in the game, and it's gloriously insane that you can play the best game and get screwe by chnace in the end.
13) Pokemon Red/Blue(Game Boy)
Gotta catch 'em all. This game was pretty fun, but I put it so high because of how it introduced a new form of multiplayer, and was the first time I remember using my gameboy with the connector cables. Trading pokemon during lunch at middle school was just hella fun and social.
14) NBA Jam: Tournament Edition(SNES, Arcade)
This is the goofiest sports game ever, I won't argue this. I love it. I loved the arcade style, playing 2 on 2 was just perfect enough to still kind of be basketball and still be fun for someone that knows fuck all about strategy. All the cheat codes were hilarious and awesome, the celebrities showing up to play as, the mascots. This game was just so fucking fun.
15) Star Fox 64(N64)
Another great game that really used the N64's new capabilities to the max. Just a fun shoot 'em up flier. The boss fights were all really great. The ending was incredibly epic. The duels with Star Wolf were really great fun. This getting rereleased on the Wii definitely has bumped this way up, since I played through it another many times. Multiplayer was also really great on this; it managed to knock Goldeneye out of the system on occasion.
16) Super Mario RPG(SNES)
This game was a really fun and uniquely "Mario" take on the RPG. It largely worked, and I was impressed with its ability to introduce a few new characters into the mix without being just Mario vs Bowser.
17) Mario Kart 64(N64)
The Mario Kart series was really great. And this one was my favorite! It had the best lineup of tracks by far, and Rainbow Road was a fitting, epic, and FUCK YOU final track that made every playthrough of the Special Cup an adventure.
18) Halo 2(XBox)
I openly hated most of the single player of this game. But that doesn't matter one bit. It rules solely on the multiplayer. For a bit in college, I managed to put down Smash Bros and frag some bitches on the campus network. The headsets were great for shittalking, and this even got me to pay money for XBL and play online with 13 year olds that love the word "******". I never really got that good at Halo 2, but I always had a bunch of fun with it.
19) Mortal Kombat II(SNES)
I don't even like 2D fighters that much, but Mortal Kombat II has to get a pass and has to be on the list for being just so cool. The Fatalities and everything made it so taboo and edgy to play. This was my equivalent of smoking in the boys' room after school. I was one of the coolest kids in school for actually owning this game. It gets the nod over the first one due to all the improvements in pretty much every area of the game.
20) Excitebike(NES)
Excitebike has a definite soft spot in my heart. It's a fun game period, just starting off. BUT what definitely gets it on my list is how it was one of the first games I remember with any sort of "Create A ____" feature. I spent more time building tracks in this game than I ever spent actually riding and controlling a bike. Lots of fun.
21) Marvel vs Capcom 2(Dreamcast? other systems? not sure)
Only game on the list that I never owned at all. I still played this game a bazillion times at friends' houses. It's another rare 2D fighter that manages to completely draw me in. I love all the characters, the huge number of recognizable people you can fight with. This game is just gonna take you for a ride.
22) Maniac Mansion(NES)
Probably the first/only game you might see and not recognize at all. This was a quirky, weird RPG type game. I don't think I even played through it that many times, but it is getting one the list because of all the fond memories playing it with my cousin when he lived with us. We were a great team and somehow we were able to figure this whole game out collectively.
23) Final Fantasy 7(PS)
This wasn't a game, it was an event. I almost left this game off because of how it broke my heart, BUT I did sink a lot of time into it and get pretty invested in the story. The breaking heart part - I got to the last boss, all leveled up, all ready to really kill him to death, and saved. Then I waited for Friday night, made an event of it. Had a 2-liter of coke, and a pizza all ready. Then I go to load the game and "SAVE FILE CORRUPTED". I eventually watched the ending at a friend's, but it wasn't the same.
24) Turtles in Time(SNES, Arcade)
Tell me you never had a bunch of fun throwing foot soldiers at the screen. Go on, tell me. The boss fight where you have to do that to hit Shredder in the face is the best ever. Lots of insanely fun boss fights, insanely fun to play through multiplayer, I love the Ninja Turtles. Bury my shell at wounded knee.
25) WWF No Mercy(N64)
Best wrestling game of all time. A huge leap in the Create-A-Wrestler mode. And you could fucking frog splash off the top of a ladder through a table. Who needs anything else?
iablo II, Starcraft, Tie Fighter, X-Wing Alliance, Knights of the Old Republic:best damn video game character ever: Hk-47, Bioshock, Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 1942 and 2, Fallout 3: knew of the first 2 so thought it was fun and okay, Mass Effect.
