Top 10 videos games of all time (your personal list)

[TJG1289]

This list will probably change in a day, but this is what I'm feeling thinking back on all the games I've played. In no order expect for the first entry, since the OG Dooms are my favs

• Doom 1/2/Final - Mostly due to the almost 30 years of mods that make this game endlessly replayable. No other shooter comes close to the sheer fun this game is. 
• Spyro: Year of the Dragon - I love all the PS1 Spyros, but the third one is my fav with all of the new environments, playable characters, and charm. The original game has my fav soundtrack of all time tho.
• Rock Band 3 - Pro drums are fun. I still play RB4 a lot, but 3 was the best.
• Celeste - Super fun, yet challenging platformer with amazing pixel graphics and a surprisingly deep story dealing with anxiety and depression. Plus, Lena Raine's soundtrack to this is the best video game soundtrack of the last 20 years. 
• Sonic Mania - Perfectly recaptures what made the original Genesis games so fun, and adds just a little bit more to make it even better. No surprise this was the best reviewed Sonic game since Generations, since it was done by fans who know and understand the games so much.
• A Hat In Time - Super charming 3D platformer in the style of the type of games in this style you'd find on the N64 and Gamecube. Plus, like Kaitorn says above me, a fantastic soundtrack that's one of my all-time favs. With all the combined OSTs, it's like 12 hours long.
• Super Mario Sunshine - The first 3D Mario I actually got into. Couldn't get into 64 when it came out since non-linear levels threw me for a loop. But when this came out, I was more used to them. I much prefer the environmental design of this game more than 64's. These areas actually seem lived in, real locations, than the obstacle courses of 64. Yeah, it has flaws (looks at pachinko), but I much prefer exploring this island paradise. Odyssey could make this list too. 
• Super Smash Bros Melee - Super addicting platform fighters with limitless replayability. I got good with Ness.
• Tony Hawk's Underground - Each installment of this franchise got better and better, and this one added a story mode. Eric Sparrow is one of the best antagonists in videogames since we all know a guy like that, and it just felt so good punching his lights out at the end. And gameplay-wise, it keeps the same addicting combo system, skating sick lines and collecting insane scores. 
• Portal 2 - fun puzzles and amazing humor. Cave Johnson is one of the funniest characters in video game history, and J.K. Simmons is fantastic as him.

Some honorable mentions that could show up tomorrow:

• Crash Bandicoot 2
• Zombies Ate My Neighbors
• Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal
• Bioshock Infinite
• Pokemon Gold/Silver
• GTA San Andreas / V
• Super Mario World
• Kirby's Dreamland 2
• Crash Team Racing
• Duke Nukem 3D
• Quake 2
• Ion Fury

I'm sure there's more too. But basically if it's a platformer, I'll probably like it.

[SilentD00mer]

12 hours ago, Daytime Waitress said:

 

I can dig this. Didn't have a Mega Drive/Genesis to play World of Illusion, so I completed this over and over and over. This and Ducktales on the NES. Man, that dragon boss was some bullshit.

I remember dying so many times to that dragon when I was a child :P but the game brought me so many hours of fun, I really love it :)

[pilottobombadier]

In no partic-uh-lar order:
 

• Classic Doom
• Elder Scrolls 2, 3 and 5 (Daggerfall, Morrowind and Skyrim)
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Ys: Oath in Felghana
• Super Mario World
• Final Fantasy 6
• Megaman 2
• Super Street Fighter 2
• Rock Band 3 (never played 4, but would have lost the majority of my DLC so, nope).
• Syndicate

[TJG1289]

1 hour ago, pilottobombadier said:

Rock Band 3 (never played 4, but would have lost the majority of my DLC so, nope)

 

Only if you switched console families. If you had RB3 on Xbox 360, you're able to re-download most of your DLC if you have a Xbox One. Same with the Sony consoles. Can't move DLC from Xbox to PlayStation tho and vice versa. You can even move the DLC songs to the Series X/S and PS5 now. Some DLC licenses have expired so you're not going to be able to redownload them, and all the previous game exports have expired. And no RBN songs made it through, but some have been re-released as normal DLC, but you'll have to repurchase them if you had it already since it's official DLC now. 

 

If you already knew this, sorry for re-explaining it. 

[Rudolph]

I hesitate to call this my "top video games of all time" list, as there are games in there that I have yet to actually beat or that I no longer enjoy playing. If anything, those are the games that, in no particular order, have had the biggest impact on me.

 

- Doom/Doom II

- WarCraft II-III

- StarCraft

- Command & Conquer: Red Alert

- System Shock 2

- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadow of Chornobyl

- Mega Man X1-X3

- Mass Effect 1 and 2

- Aliens Versus Predator 2

- Super Metroid

- MechWarrior 3

- Sonic The Hedgehog 2

- Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

- Vietcong (so sorry about that, Vietnam)

- Duke Nukem 3D

- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

- Earthworm Jim SNES

- Crash Bandicoot

- Age of Empires II: Age of Kings

[3t0]

On 6/23/2022 at 12:41 AM, Not Jabba said:

I feel like you could program an AI to guess the exact age of everyone in this thread.

Yeah and that is why we let the bazilisk's spiders datamine the shit out of it, in prepraration for real demonic invasion :).

 

On 6/23/2022 at 12:41 AM, Not Jabba said:

-Knytt Underground

Wow, you made me backtrack memory timeline, Knytt series is such great little thing, I played a Limbo a bit, maybe I should revisit it, thank you for this.

 

Man there some quality recommendations in this tread, thanks guys.

Edited June 25, 2022 by 3t0 : mention other recs too

[OniriA]

In no particular order.

 

* Secret Agent

* Ultimate Doom / Doom II / Final DooM
* Duke Nukem: Total Meltdown (PSX)
* Doom 3 (Plus expansions)
* F.E.A.R. (Plus expansions)
* Ridge Racer Type 4 
* Rayman 
* Inside
* Limbo
* Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain
* Resident Evil 2: Remake
* Donkey Kong Country 1,2 & 3
* Fire Emblem Series 

Edited June 25, 2022 by OniriA

[Captain Keen]

4 hours ago, OniriA said:

Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain

 

Not to get off topic, but this game is an interesting one for me. It's such a flawed, unfinished game... and yet the core mechanics of the actual GAMEPLAY are some of the most fun I've ever had. I put well over 100 hours into Phantom Pain just because it was such a true sandbox experience, where you could approach things in a huge variety of ways, some of them completely determined by the player. It wasn't afraid to be a game and have game-y moments, either. But then everything from Quiet (ridiculous character) to having to replay a bunch of missions to get the *real* ending and the overall story were just bad. The E3 trailer made it look so epic and so much of that was just in audio logs.

 

Yet -- still overall a fantastic experience!

[Matthias]

Hope it's ok that I won't list specific titles, but rather categories.

 

- Doom engine games (Doom, Doom II, Heretic, Hexen, Strife, etc.) - of course! What do you expect? They are not just games, but more like a lifestyle, considering I play many megawads and try mods and also I create megawads and such.

 

- Doom in general ( + Doom 64, Doom 3, DOOM (2016), Doom Eternal) - yeah :)

 

- Quake/Quake II - just like Doom, I love almost all games from ID Soft.

 

- Build engine games (Duke Nukem 3D, Blood, Shadow Warrior, etc.) - I love these, especially Blood. Of course, some of the build games are a little bit meh (Redneck Rampage, NAM).

 

- Sonic 3 and Knuckles - I love Sonic series since childhood, but the third one did everything so well and avoided all things that the previous ones did not. And Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles were great as separated games, but together... they make a masterpiece.

 

- Silent Hill series - I love this horror series, especially the first four and especially the very first one. I didn't care for horrors before, but this series convinced me the horror games can be very powerful emotional experience that have also some sort of depth.

 

- Castlevania series - I am a huge fan of Castlevanias - all of them. The ones that are metrodvanias but also the others. But Symphony of the Night is the best - I beat this game many times.

 

Aside of series, there are two specific games I love.

 

- Planescape Torment - probably the most powerful story ever. I played this many times. I even read the book that is as a bonus on GOG.

 

- Carmageddon II - I don't like games with cars much, but this one is different. It's so much fun with the physical engine and such. I can spent hours playing this destruction derby-like game.

[jmac]

 

 

1: Doom/Doom 2 (with mods, pwads)

2: Chrono Trigger

3: Ogre Battle 64

4: Hollow Knight

5: Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild/Majora's Mask

6: All of the Igarashi Castlevania games.

7: Metroid: Fusion/Prime

8: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles

9: Super Mario Odyssey/Sunshine

10: Enter the Gungeon

[Rudolph]

5 hours ago, Matthias (LiquidDoom) said:

I am a huge fan of Castlevanias - all of them.

Even Simon's Quest and Castlevania 64?

[pilottobombadier]

18 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

 

Only if you switched console families. If you had RB3 on Xbox 360, you're able to re-download most of your DLC if you have a Xbox One. Same with the Sony consoles. Can't move DLC from Xbox to PlayStation tho and vice versa. You can even move the DLC songs to the Series X/S and PS5 now. Some DLC licenses have expired so you're not going to be able to redownload them, and all the previous game exports have expired. And no RBN songs made it through, but some have been re-released as normal DLC, but you'll have to repurchase them if you had it already since it's official DLC now. 

 

If you already knew this, sorry for re-explaining it. 

It wasn't due to that, it was due to license expiry.

[Kokoro Hane]

Man, you guys certainly have quite the variety in your top 10s!

 

Okay imma try my own stab at this.... I realize my question was indeed a hard one so my turn to suffer and wrack my brain xD

 

First and foremost, my #1 favorite video game of all time is.......

- Unreal [Gold Edition]

 

Now for the other 9 in no particular order.....

- Unreal Tournament 

- Doppelganger: Dawn of the Inverted Soul

- Tekken 5

- Rollercoaster Tycoon 1&2

- DOOM 1&2 

- Diablo + Hellfire expansion

- Steins;Gate

- Bejeweled 3

- Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II + Mysteries of the Sith expansion

 

Honorable mentions;

Golden Axe 1-3

Streets of Rage

Pac-Man: All Star

Coffee Rush

Star Wars: Dark Forces

 

Games I still need to finish/am playing that have potential to end up in the top 10 someday;

Final Fantasy VI

Final Fantasy X

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

System Shock

Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel

Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon [Red]

Icewind Dale

Diablo 2

Phantasy Star IV

 

[Matthias]

3 hours ago, Rudolph said:

Even Simon's Quest and Castlevania 64?

 

Ha ha, no.. When I said all of them, I refered rather to the fact that I love metrodvanias and non-metrodvanias rather that I love literally all of them, including some of the borderline unplayable (Castlevania: The Adventure for GameBoy, Haunted Castle for Arcade, Simon's Quest, yeah, um... Vampire Killer and so on).

But also I respect these games and Simon's Quest idea with open-world is great and it could have worked if Konami avoided some totally unenessary design decisions (like the day/night feature, the endless respawn, the noclip floors that you can fall through down, too complicated puzzles to solve and many more).

 

And also honestly, I have never played any of the 3D ones :D

[Murdoch]

Tricky question. I don't like to play absolute favourites. Every game brings different things to the table in terms of type and style. So in no particular order...

 

1. Doom 1 and 2

While I cut my teeth on Wolfenstein 3D, Doom was obviously a revelation.

 

2. Bioshock 1 and 2

An amazing story in an even more amazing and unique location, with an art style that can only be called extraordinary. Currently replaying it via the remasters and loving every second.

 

3. Morrowind

Picked this up dirt cheap as a bargain re-release without really thinking about it. It was like 10 bucks. Played it for like ten minutes and dismissed it. Played it again later that year during a holiday, and then the enormity of what it was finally dawned on me as I watched my first sunset in a game. This was an actual world I could explore pretty much how I wanted. Spent some nights playing until light was coming through the curtains. Now with modern graphics mods it looks even more amazing. If only the combat were better.

 

4. Skyrim (modded)

Morrowind is definitely superior to Skyrim from a design perspective. But in Skyrim the combat is better, and mods can correct most of it's issues. And finally with the special edition release bringing much needed stability, I can still get lost in this world easily over 10 years later. 

 

5. Speedball II

I forget why I bought this game originally but I had a gift voucher from my mother and by God I was going to use it without delay. What else was I going to do, be patient? Pfft. I am not normally a sports game fan. I still remember a description of it in a magazine years ago that was something like "A cross between football, basketball, and thermonuclear war". It may have been that that made me buy it from my Master System so long ago. Still play it on emulators from time to time, though I favour the Genesis/Mega Drive version for obvious reasons. Good, simple but so very satisfying.

 

6. Streets of Rage II

For the beat 'em ups, I struggled to pick between this and it's obvious direct inspiration, Final Fight. I still love and play both games regularly. Final Fight is one of my earliest arcade memories, but Streets of Rage II is just a perfect refinement of what Final Fight started. From the more dynamic combat to the amazing soundtrack, it's pretty much the best example of the genre.

 

7. Fallout New Vegas

The Bethesda Fallout games are a mixed bag. For me, Fallout 3 has the superior and more interesting game world to New Vegas, but the quality of the writing in Fallout New Vegas was leagues better. Fallout 4 had major issues, but better gunplay and I loved the gameworld itself. Settlement building was glitchy but fun. Again, mods fix a lot of it's issues and add a lot more content. But overall, out of the box, I have to give the win to New Vegas as the overall best game of the three.

 

 

8. Unreal Tournament 2004 Onslaught

The vehicles added endless potential for combat creativity. I will never forget the time I ejected out of my Raptor, landed on top of a Cicada, and destroyed it with my flak cannon. The subsequent fall killed me but was totally worth it.

 

9. Left 4 Dead 2 Versus

When you got a good team, it could be enormously satisfying coordinating and executing attacks.

 

10. The Witcher III

While I enjoyed the first two games, they definitely had their issues. The Witcher III was leagues ahead. The combat was more dynamic and fun, the story fascinating, the writing exceptional, the characters fantastic, and the massive world was a joy to explore. I adored the father daughter relationship between Geralt and Ciri, and how to get the best ending for the game you had to handle it like a real relationship with a child - finding that critical balance between supporting them and protecting them but also showing you believe in them by knowing the right moments to step back let them make their own choices even if at first glance they did not seem like the safest idea.

 

Honorable mentions to Battlezone '98 (great mix of FPS and realtime RTS), Sunset Riders (dumb fun with friends), Dying Light (great world to explore, fun movement and combat, and I literally forgot I was playing a game first time I ran for safety from one of those night zombies I was so scared) and Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap (my first kind of open world game).

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Murdoch

[Rudolph]

3 hours ago, Murdoch said:

6. Streets of Rage II

Have you checked out Streets of Rage Remake and Streets of Rage 4?

[holaareola]

5 hours ago, Murdoch said:

Honorable mentions to Battlezone '98 (great mix of FPS and realtime RTS), Sunset Riders (dumb fun with friends), Dying Light (great world to explore, fun movement and combat, and I literally forgot I was playing a game first time I ran for safety from one of those night zombies I was so scared) and Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap (my first kind of open world game).

 

I love Battlezone '98. It's not quite top 10 for me, but in terms of the number of times I've replayed it, got to be top 20. They really nailed the combat and feel of the various craft and the RTS system is quite intuitive once you get the hang of the shortcuts. The ridiculously forceful ejection when your tank gets blown up never gets old, and successfully taking out the driver of an enemy tank on the last of your stingy alotment of 3 sniper bullets is I think the most satisfying victory-from-the-jaws of defeat moment ever to grace a game.  Graphics still hold up pretty well, even pre-remaster, and the soundtrack's not half bad either.

 

Shame Battlezone 2 didn't quite recapture the magic.

[Murdoch]

8 hours ago, Rudolph said:

Have you checked out Streets of Rage Remake and Streets of Rage 4?

 

Yes. I like both but they at best equal 2.

[Murdoch]

6 hours ago, holaareola said:

Shame Battlezone 2 didn't quite recapture the magic.

 

I need to get back to that game. Never finished the original and bought the rerelease some years ago. Wasn't bad but you're right it's not as good. They should have kept the control mechanics the same because like you said the original was quite intuitive when mastered and overriding that muscle memory of how it should work was difficult. 

[LadyMistDragon]

On 6/26/2022 at 2:13 AM, Murdoch said:

and Wonderboy III: The Dragon's Trap (my first kind of open world game).

 

I honestly didn't expect anyone else to even mention Wonderboy. But the combat in that game is so on point and the music is absolutely divinely fitting in a way hard to put into words.

[Murdoch]

24 minutes ago, LadyMistDragon said:

I honestly didn't expect anyone else to even mention Wonderboy. But the combat in that game is so on point and the music is absolutely divinely fitting in a way hard to put into words.

 

I played it for many many hours as a kid. Loved the feeling that it was a more interconnected world than just level one level two. Helped the sense of exploration that so helplessly hooked me from Morrowind on. I am an explorer at heart ultimately. Have you played the re-release? It's actually built on a reverse engineer of the original ROM. You can turn the modern graphics and sound off individually if you wish at the press of a button. So you can have old graphics, new sound and vice versa. It's very cool.

[LadyMistDragon]

4 minutes ago, Murdoch said:

 

I played it for many many hours as a kid. Loved the feeling that it was a more interconnected world than just level one level two. Helped the sense of exploration that so helplessly hooked me from Morrowind on. I am an explorer at heart ultimately. Have you played the re-release? It's actually built on a reverse engineer of the original ROM. You can turn the modern graphics and sound off individually if you wish at the press of a button. So you can have old graphics, new sound and vice versa. It's very cool.

Strangely enough I have, someone in my uni was playing it about 4 years ago. I also played this ultra-hard remake I'm not sure is available for download anymore which expands the world a lot but also requires an assload of patience to get through. I feel the better spells could've been spawned much more frequently, and you get knocked back too far when hit but I couldn't complain much otherwise. I nearly got to the end, but alas, things happened and I never returned

[out_of_service]

My personal top ten favorite videos games?

 

1) Doom

2) Quake

3) Half-Life

4) Resident Evil 2 (2019 Remake)

5) Silent Hill

6) Dead Space 2

7) Sonic The Hedgehog 3

8) Crash Bandicoot

9) Vectorman

10) Blast Chamber

[>:(]

1. Super Mario Bros 3 
2. Doom 1 / 2 
3. Tetris 
4. Carmageddon 1 (PC original)
5. Duke Nukem 3D
6. Blood 1
7. Final Fantasy 4 / 6 
8. System Shock 2
9. Silent Hill 2 
10. Dark Reign 1 (Criminally under-appreciated RTS)

[spd7693]

To come back I guess. I'm finally back in the forums, not sure about mapping though. 

 

1. Age Of Empires 2 - No doubt! To this day it still attracts attention, has new content released and new tournaments appear... How can it not be up there? 
2. Star Wars Jedi Knight 2 - Jedi Outcast - My main reason to hate what Disney did to the franchise! 
3. Star Wars The Old Republic - it's simply my favorite SW game.  
4. Doom
5. Chrono Trigger - not my type of game, but deserves the mentioning. 
6. StarCraft 2 - Not good story, great gameplay. If the story was better it would have been up. 
7. StarCraft 1 - Kinda the same, but still a great RTS game. 
8. Heroes Of Might And Magic 3 - though 4 is my favorite from the franchise  
9. Sims 3 - but 4 is my favorite 
10. Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic - though I still am yet to play 2. 

[KFGoldenEye]

#1. Doom 1 & 2 (1993) (1994)

#2. Half-Life 2 (2004)

#3. Left 4 Dead 2 (2009)

#4. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006)

#5. Vectorman (1995)

#6. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

#7. Super Mario World (1990)

#8. Mario Kart: Double Dash (2003)

#9. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

#10. Grand Theft Auto IV (2009)

 

Honorable mentions:

* The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011)

* Team Fortress 2 (2007)

* Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

* Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (2009)

* Serious Sam: The Second Encounter (2002)

Edited August 21, 2022 by NoxDoom

[heliumlamb]

no order:
Deus Ex
Tetris The Absolute The Grand Master 2 PLUS
Doom/Doom 2/Doom 64 (yes, one entry)
Quake
Marathon 2: Durandal

King's Field IV
We <3 Katamari!

Cruelty Squad

System Shock

Mushihimesama

honorable mentions to:

Armored Core 3

Ultima Underworld
Zanac
Outrun 2006: Coast 2 Coast

[spd7693]

I can't really classify them, so I'll just list them. 

 

• Classic Doom - maybe gradually Plutonia is becoming my favourite entry, but still some of my most favourite maps are in Doom 2 and TNT Evilution still has a big place in my heart - I played it first as I said earlier. 
• Bubble Bobble - my introduction to video gaming on an old NeXT. Loved playing it with mom and with unc, who was the first person in the family with a computer. I also loved that Formula 1 GP Simulator that computer had. 
• Age Of Empires 2 
• StarCraft - both came with the same first Compaq we had in 1998 as TNT Evilution. Old times! (So nostalgic to see old Formula 1 races and Compaq as Jacques Villeneuve's sponsor.) That was my introduction to mouse gaming and the RTS genre. I love both games to this day. That computer also came with C&C - Red Alert, but I never learned how to play it. 
• StarCraft 2 - self-explanatory. Impatient about 3 if there will be one. 
• Heroes of Might and Magic 4 - most underrated of the franchise and sadly the universe got butchered by Ubisoft afterwards. 
• Star Wars Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy 
• Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic - may not be able to save for a new computer to play 2 though, because I might need the money for something I have been planning for a while and have an opportunity now. (Still I hope to be chosen to perform in The Chase, might get some money from there.) 
• Star Wars The Old Republic - with the purchase of a new computer I also will subscribe with a plan. My current machine can no longer run the game. 
• I've played multiple GTA games, but I'm not sure if they are among my favourites. 

[Lippeth]

I just want to just reminisce about memories associated with notable games that come to mind for a minute.

 

F-Zero X - When I was maybe in 8th or 9th grade, for what seems like almost every day I would come straight home from school, boot up this game on the N64 with the sound off and put on Marilyn Manson's Antichrist Superstar, which is almost sacrilege because of F-Zero's great soundtrack, but the album was more of a time keeper, and I would turn off the game and start in with homework after the album was over.

 

Demon's Souls - I got a PS3 in 2010 and bought a handful of used games based on the covers alone, and I was not ready for this game. It was so obtuse, so punishing, so oppressive, that I had to put it down for over a month after beating my head against a wall for a week straight. But I really liked the art style and the world, so I came back and somehow finally beat the first boss, only to immediately die from what seemed like an invincible, impassable dragon, permanently cutting my hp in half again until I defeated another boss. I knew then that this was a different type of game, but it was one of the most unique and engaging experiences I ever had with a video game. Stress around every new corner, but the feeling after beating each boss was a larger dose of dopamine than I ever knew was possible.

 

Super Castlevania IV - I first rented this at a furniture store as a kid (different times I guess, you could rent games from any place it seemed), and between the music, weapons, monsters and atmosphere I was hooked.

 

Donkey Kong Country 2 - This was another after-school special, but in the 5th grade. The first Donkey Kong Country was one of my first experiences staying up until sunrise playing video games, but this was like the perfect sequel. More of everything without feeling bloated or like a rehash. Great soundtrack, tight controls, varied levels, years of fun.

 

Doom - I first played this at my Uncle's house during Christmas of '93 and it was just the coolest thing ever. It was like a video game, but instead of controlling a character, you are the character. I hadn't played Wolf 3D so this was the first game I ever played in the first person perspective. It got me into so many bands years down the road; I would hear a song and think, "I don't know why but this just has that Doom sound and I love it".

 

Doom 3 - I used to read all I could about this game in the computer lab in high school, but it came out a year after I had graduated, and by then I didn't have a computer and was in a totally different mental place. Around 2005 I played it for maybe half an hour on a friend's XBox, and wouldn't play it proper until getting a Steam account in 2012 I think. It instantly transported me back to the early 00s with all the hype surrounding its release, and I don't know, it just clicked. The campy story and characters, the dark sci-fi atmosphere, the general sound design. I still love to sit down occasionally and play the full game in only a few sittings followed by Resurrection of Evil. No mods, no graphical "enhancements", no fixes, no Editions, just Doom 3.

 

Perfect Dark - I loved playing this and Goldeneye in high school on the N64 with four player split screen with friends on a tiny tv, but more recently replayed with a mouse and keyboard and by god, it's twice as good.

 

Hexen - Another fatal combo of music, monsters, weapons, and atmosphere with some of the most cryptic puzzles. I wish I could go back in time and get absolutely lost in the world again, think about the puzzles for days on end until I finally get past them. As much as I love to play Heretic, Hexen has this extra unique touch to make something that has really stuck with me.

 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - I shoveled horse manure for months in order to save up for this game. I still remember seeing the tv advertisements, not knowing anything about the game but knowing I wanted it. I finally almost had enough money but the game wasn't quite out yet, and I impulsively bought a video tape of something called "Willy the Sparrow" instead. It worked out because my apparently my dad wanted the game as well and so he got it for me as a birthday gift which made the whole thing even more memorable. As much as I played that game, I would wake up in the middle of the night to see the glow coming off the living room tv downstairs and hear the clacking of a controller. The next day I would start up his save file just to see all the new goodies he acquired, asking for tips on where to go and how to get certain things. Fun times.

 

Silent Hill 2 - Probably the first time (and still one of the only times) I ever got invested with a story from a video game. I've used the radio static sound as a ringtone for like the past five years or so. Dozens of elements come together brilliantly to provide one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've ever had. I don't even know where I was or what year I played it, the game just took over and I can only associate it with itself.

[Spectre.Charles]

System Shock 2

Deus Ex

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Postal 2

Minecraft

Silent Hill 2

Half-Life

Doom 2

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus

Super Mario 64

 

Honorable mentions (no order):

Brickadia

Half-Life 2

Blockland

Garry's Mod

Sonic Adventure

System Shock

Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

Phantasmagoria 2

Team Fortress 2

Left 4 Dead 2

Spore

Sims 4