Topic: Your top 25 games, of any era, any platform.

@BAMozzy: Wow guys meanwhile I'm only 17 hahaha

@SKC_Diamond: My youngest is nearly 15!! Now I feel very old!!!!

@BAMozzy:

I find that a lot of the 16 bit era console games (some of the 8 bit as well), and more advanced 2D arcade titles....say from around 86 to around the end of sprite based fighters and shmups era, so the early 00's...................hold up very well, and I don't have much if any nostalgic value for many of these titles.

First of all, you can appreciate these games from an artistic view point, play a game like Progear, which was a 2001 Cave shooter based on Capcom's sprite based 2D arcade hardware, and the game is just beautiful, even today.......................even something like R-Type, from 87, can be appreciated on the graphical level. In fact, the sprite artwork in many of these titles are superior to what we say from modern indie developers.

Second, when it comes to ageing, simplicity, and fun factor rule all. Hence, why many arcade, or arcade like titles........which were meant to hook you within the first 25 seconds of gameplay, still hold up very well. They were designed from the ground up to be immediately accessible, challenging, and fun, and those values spilled over into the 8 and 16 bit era machines as well. As far as something like the Atari 2600, just my opinion, but I feel like many of those titles are a bit too archaic and shallow to hold much value these days.

But stuff like Super Mario Bros. 3, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Battle Garegga, Contra III: The Alien Wars, Mega Man 2, Streets of Rage 2, Final Fight, etc., etc...............IMO, are absolutely timeless in many aspects.

Now, as far as early 3D console games, so from around 96 to 2001ish......I feel like that's much more of a mixed bag. To be honest, they have aged rather poorly in some aspects. It's very dependent on the title (again, simplicity is key), but it was a proving ground.

Hmm tough one. Not sure I can rank them from favourite or not but here are the top 25 games I would take to a desert island with me...

1) Bioshock (xbox360)
2) Super Marios Bros 3 (NES)
3) Solstice (NES)
4) Street Fighter 2 (SNES)
5) Super Metriod (SNES)
6) Tetris (GB)
7) Super Mario Kart (SNES)
8) Goldeneye (N64)
9) Resident Evil (PSONE)
10) GTA (PSONE)
11) The Last of Us Remastered (PS4)
12) Everybody's Gone to the Rapture (PS4)
13) Portal (XBox360)
14) Portal 2 (XBox360)
15) Resident Evil 4 (Gamecube)
16) Civilisation 2 (PC)
17) Xwing vs Tie Fighter (PC)
18) Tomb Raider 2 (PS ONE)
20) Spiderman 2 (PS2)
21) Bioshock Infinite (XBOX360)
22) Super Mario Land (GB)
23) GTA: Vice City (PS2)
24) Super Mario World (SNES)
25) Command and Conquer: Red Alert (PC)

This is not a list of the best games ever but certainly those that I have or would revisit. I couldn't think of many games for some eras, I had loads for games for PS2, Wii and DS but just couldn't think of many that stood out. I am wrong as there were some ace games but sure I will remember at some point.

@sub12:
I find it akin to films. If the technological or stylish "wow" factor is the selling point of a movie (Avatar/Matrix) , then eventually it will be held in less regard as time goes by as things improve and new "Wow" factors replace it.

However, if your plot and characters are good, then the movie can hold up much better inspite of the visuals.

With games, the mechanics (and controls) are what keeps people playing. It's why I could still play the original "UFO - Enemy Unknown" or "Civilisation III", because the game design is timeless and each new playthrough is different, but using the same mechanics, like Dungeons and Dragons, or Chess.

@Kidfried: "I also hate it when those top games lists choose Tetris or Pong as the best game of all time. It wás great and ground breaking, but I think 'greatest of all time' also means they should hold up today."

That's the antipathy of what the list is, Tetris is as playable today as anytime since its inception. Its easy to pick a game like Tetris (I'm using the gameboy version here) and say its archaic and not as good in this day and age. But actually it is. Tetris was never ground breaking either, magazines used to write, 'why hasn't someone thought of this game sooner' and the truth is we have such limited real new ideas for games that something like Tetris blew everything away.

I'm also biased towards Tetris as the only thing I took to RNbasic training was civilian clothes, a couple of books, mobile phone and my old gameboy. Only Tetris got played - by almost everyone in my group. Great game dont knock Tetris.

For me, so much of my favourite games are extrapolated on elements of nostalgia and what those games meant to me. Someone mentioned Resi Evil 4 - playing it fresh today, it wouldn't make most peoples lists but I can remember the adrenaline and pure joy of defending that cabin from the villagers. It was just so satisfying - for me, I can't think of that game without fondness for the experience of that.

So my list are the games that mean something to me. I have no doubt that if I showed half the games to my daughter she would not be impressed. I think all the games are playable today but it is hard for me to see beyond my own nostalgia!

I like seeing other peoples lists though because it is good to agree, disagree or think,mmm I never played that.

@themcnoisy: Tetris was a great game and inspired many clones - Dr Robotnix Mean Bean Machine was influenced by Tetris. Tetris was one of those games though that you could play anywhere, anytime and for whatever time you had available. Its very difficult to play Fallout or Uncharted whi;st waiting for a bus. It was simple and still playable today. Would you put it on instead of playing Uncharted 4 (or one of the more recent games) if you had a few hours to sit down and play? Probably not!

In someways its like 'Snake' was for me. Snake had a lot of good memories - it was the first game I spent an evening typing code out to make for my Vic 20. My first mobile game was Snake too so I played that whilst waiting for Drs appointments or in spare 5mins whilst out but as soon as I got home and had time to game it didn't get a look in.

I can see why Tetris is important to you - because of the memories and the times it got you through but I still think there are better 'games' - games like Space Invaders, Asteroids, Donkey Kong (original), Star Wars (arcade wire frame), Commando, 1942, Doom, Dizzy etc etc but most of those didn't have that portability or that 'easy to put down' if you had to that Tetris provides. I played Tetris all the time (well a lot) whilst out or if the kids/wife were watching something on the TV and have some good memories surrounding that era of my life but I don't think its a 'great' game by modern standards...

Earthbound has always been #1 in my heart, the rest of the top 25 are in no particular order.

Earthbound
Super Mario Bros 2
Super Mario Bros 3
Super Mario World
Mario 64
Zelda: A Link to the Past
Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ni No Kuni
999
Final Fantasy VI
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy XI Online
Starcraft
World of Warcraft
Diablo
Ducktales
Plants vs Zombies
Harvest Moon 64
LittleBigPlanet
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Professor Layton: Curious Village
Costume Quest
Corpse Party
Mario Kart 64
Goldeneye

@BAMozzy: Would you put it on instead of playing Uncharted 4 (or one of the more recent games) if you had a few hours to sit down and play?

100% yes.

To be honest, I don't mobile game too often but I would play Tetris on the gameboy again. I drive to work and whenever I have down time I'm reading pushsquare or writing in here. I've put on Lumines briefly but the last game that grabbed me was geometry wars 3 when my daughter was born September last year.

@Rudy_Manchego: It's subjective vs objective nature of the question though, isn't it? I went with you, my strongest gaming memories.

No particular order (except #1-5)

1. Dark Wizard (Sega CD)
2. Nectaris (PS1)
3. Brigandine (PS1)
4. Golden Axe Warrior (SMS)
5. Master of Monsters (Genesis)

6. Legend of Zelda (LTTP) (SNES)
7. Warsong (Genesis)
8. Advance Wars (1&2) (GBA)
9. FInal Fantasy II (SNES)
10. Shining Force II (Genesis)
11. Shining Force CD (Sega CD)
4. Landstalker (Genesis)
5. FFII (SNES)
6. Legend of Zelda LTTP (SNES)
7. Vandal Hearts II (PS1)
8. Civilization (SNES)
9. Echo Night (PS1)
10. Blue Chicago Blues (Laseractive)
11. Shove It! (Genesis)
12. Gemfire (Genesis)
13. Seventh Saga (SNES)
14. Rebelstar Tactical Command (GBA)
15. Lunar the Silver Star (Sega CD)
16. Dragon Force (Saturn)
17. Boxxle 1 & 2 (Gameboy)
18. Iron Storm (Saturn)
19. Fire Emblem (Gamecube)
20. Vandal Hearts (PS1)
21. Super Rampart (SNES)
22. Equinox (SNES)
23. Phantasy Star II (Genesis)
24. Phantasy Star IV (Genesis)
25. Neo Nectaris (PC Engine)

Gosh dang, this is gonna be a tough one, but I'll try. I should note that despite the brilliance of many retro classics, if we're talking about the 25 best games I've ever played, then it has to be through the lens of hindsight. It doesn't matter how good a game was "for its time", what matters is how good it is in comparison to every other game I've ever played. So classics like Super Mario 64, I love you, but you just don't make the cut today. I will always cherish these games, and they're still fun to play, but this list is a no mercy list. You're either better, or you aren't. I'm also going to try to avoid collections, since that's not fair and doesn't showcase the one game in the collection that's great, although I will make one exception with Metroid Prime since they're all equally great and don't wanna take up 3 slots on the list (I will specify my favorite of the 3 though).

I'd also like to note that several games probably should be on my list that aren't, by virtue of the fact I've never had the opportunity to play them. Final Fantasy XII, Lost Odyssey, Tales of Vesperia, Ni No Kuni... I'm looking at you. I fully expect Ni No Kuni 2 to make my list at release, and I hope the others get added to X1 backward compatibility soon, seeing as I already own the games. Just need a means to play them. And I have started Final Fantasy VII but haven't played enough to make a judgement call. I suspect it belongs on this list as well.

I also never really got much out of PS2, and never owned a PSone, Xbox, Xbox 360, Saturn or Dreamcast, though I did play Dreamcast and no games made this list that I've played (most were ported to GameCube and Xbox anyways). I also have played many PSone games via my Vita virtual console, so it's not like I have no experience with many PSone classics. Dragon Quest VII makes the list but, seeing as I'm playing it on 3DS, that's the platform I'll list. Though it should be acknowledged it was released as a PSone game (not sure I'd have enjoyed it as much without the better graphics and new features though, like enemies appearing on world map and fragment finder).

Anyways, without further ado, I give you the " Jaxon 25"

1 Metroid Prime Trilogy (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes) [Wii]
2 Fire Emblem Path of Radiance [GameCube]
3 Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate [3DS]
4 Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door [GameCube]
5 Portal 2 [360]
6 Shadow of the Colossus [PS2]
7 Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze [Wii U]
8 Pikmin 3 [Wii U]
9 Super Mario Galaxy 2 [Wii U]
10 Zelda Skyward Sword [Wii]
10 Final Fantasy X [Vita]
11 Xenoblade Chronicles X [Wii U]
12 Persona 4 Golden [Vita]
13 Xenoblade Chronicles [Wii]
14 F-Zero GX [GameCube]
15 Splatoon [Wii U]
16 Fire Emblem Awakening [3DS]
17 Valkyria Chronicles [PS4]
18 Super Mario World [SNES]
19 Super Metroid [SNES]
20 Donkey Kong Country 2 [SNES]
21 Mega Man X [SNES]
22 Dark Souls 3 [PS4]
23 Chrono Trigger [DS]
24 Ori & the Blind Forest [Xbox One]
25 Dragon Quest VII [3DS]

And a shoutout to the following games which I really loved

• Infamous Second Son [PS4]
• Super Mario Bros 3 [NES]
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 3D [3DS]
• Sonic the Hedgehog 3 [Genesis]
• Sonic & Knuckles [Genesis]
• Sonic CD [Sega CD]
• Mega Man 3 [NES]
• Mega Man 2 [NES]
• Rise of the Tomb Raider [Xbox One]
• The Last of Us Remastered [PS4]
• Uncharted 4 [PS4]
• Star Fox 64 3D [3DS]
• Tales of the Abyss [3DS]
• Bayonetta 2 [Wii U]
• Forza Horizon 2 [Xbox One]
• Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn [Wii]
• Fire Emblem [GBA]
• Zelda Link Between Worlds [3DS]
• Sin & Punishment 2 [Wii]
• Resident Evil Revelations [3DS]
• Shin Megami Tensei IV [3DS]
• Zelda Twilight Princess [Wii]
• Rayman Origins [Vita]
• Rayman Legends [Wii U]
• Street Fighter IV Ultimate Edition [PS4]
• Donkey Kong Country Returns [3DS]
• Kid Icarus Uprising [3DS]

@Rudy_Manchego @Dryst @sub12 @RPE83

I noticed all 4 of you listed Civilization in your top 25 list. I'm the type of person that is of the thinking, if a person lists any game in their top 25 it must be worth its salt, even if it's a lone opinion. But for four people to list the same game, well, that brings consistency and you have my attention.

So tell me- as a strategy fan who loves Fire Emblem and Valkyria Chronicles, is there a good chance I'll enjoy Civilization? I own XCOM but haven't played it (it's from the same developer, right?). Shame cause that would probably be the best litmus test for determining if it's up my alley.

I'm tempted to go order the game right now. Is there any reason any of you think I shouldn't?

@JaxonH

It is a lot different than SRPGs - the military strategy in it is actually pretty simplistic (and is only part of the game) and doesn't really operate like battles do in games like Fire Emblem. But building up a civilization can be pretty fun - for some odd reason I particularly like building railroad networks between my cities when I get to that stage.

It is hard to say if you will like it since I don't know your full range of tastes gamewise.

I would look at any of the other SRPGs on my list that you are not familiar with - not that I am the ultimate authority on such games - but I have played lots of them and those are the ones I have gone back to and replayed the most. (I highly recommend any of the top 5 on my list - (except Golden Axe Warrior is not an SRPG - still a good game though.))

@Dryst:
For some reason I though there was a release on PS4. But I see now only Tropico. And the 360 release isn't BC.

So I just ordered Civilization Revolution 2+ on Vita [Asian version with English voices and subtitles]. I know it's probably not as good as the main entries on PC but, it's all I have access to atm. I'll take a chance on it. I enjoy games of pretty much any genre, provided they're good. And I play 100+ hour RPGs like Monster Hunter and Dragon Quest on the regular, so patience isn't an issue.

No particular order outside of the first two...

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Street Fighter II
Metal Gear Solid
Super Mario World
Super Mario Bros. 3
Punch-Out!!
Duck-Hunt
Sonic the Hedgehog
Super Metroid
Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Streets of Rage 2
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist
TMNT: Turtles in Time
Halo: Combat Evolved
Burnout 3
Golden Eye 007 (N64)
Mass Effect 1
Gears of War 1
Forza Horizon 2
The Last of Us
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Deus Ex: Human Revolution

For now my list looks like this

1. World of Warcraft — PC
2. Mega Man II — NES
3. Final Fantasy III (VI) — SNES
4. Tekken 3 — PS
5. Super Mario Bros 3 — NES
6. Diablo 3 — PS4
7. Ducktales — NES
8. Final Fight — Sega CD
9. SimCity — SNES
10. Street Fighter II — Genesis
11. NBA Jam — Sega CD
12. TMNT IV — SNES
13. Secret of Mana — SNES
14. River City Ransom — NES
15. GoldenEye — N64
16. Streets of Rage 2 — Genesis
17. Harvest Moon Save the Homeland — PS2
18. Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers — NES
19. Spyro the Dragon — PS
20. Jade Empire — Xbox
21. Empore Rise of the Middle Kingdom — PC
22. WWE Smackdown Here Comes the Pain — PS2
23. Super Mario Land — GB
24. Heroes of Might & Magic III — PC
25. Castlevania: SotN

@Dryst: @JaxonH:
Yes, agreed. The military stuff is more like a simple version of Risk in places, but it's only one facet of the game.
It's hard to say it's like X-Com, I see X-Com more as Humans vs Aliens chess on random board + resource management before the match.

You are "building" something, and there are several different ways to win, (Military/Diplomatic/Space Race/Cultural) ,
people often go on playing after the game has been "won" because you feel very invested in your creation and the narrative of the game that has happenend ("Pesky Vikings, I MUST liberate Orleans at any cost").

Civ II got me hooked, but I like Civ III myself because it can run on my old laptop and had some gameplay upgrades (and rampant corruption which wasn't so great). I recall liking Civ IV but I'm not sure it would run on my laptop. I'd imagine with V being out, you could pickup III and/or IV for the price of a pint each.

@JaxonH: To be honest, I still look back towards Civ 2 as my gold standard. The later Civ games on PC were great but came with manuals the size of War and Peace and I never engaged.

Civ Revolution on PS Vita has been on my wish list for some time now (looking for a price drop) and I think would be a good entry point though I haven't played yet.