NationStates Jolt Archive

Everyone has a favorite! Or nearly everyone, I should think.

So, the topic is straight-forward. What's your favorite console game?

I was thinking of limiting it to last century, since those games can usually be downloaded and enjoyed by everyone over the internet, without owning some $700 box of blinking lights and spinning discs. But I decided against this. Give your favorite game, of any era! :)

I'll start with my favorite: Marble Madness!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Madness

Short, but challenging, and fun! :p

I also enjoyed the original Lemmings very much.

Wii FTW.

EDIT - wait, you said game?

Cooking Mama!

I think that's a Game Console, rather than a Console Game. :p

What's your favorite console game?

i've never been able to get the hang of console controllers, so duck hunt wins for having those lazer guns. also fighting games are easy to be crap at cuz you can beat people simply by mashing the controller with your fist. i like the GTA series if that counts, cuz even though the later installments were optimized for consoles they were still way better on PC.

also fighting games are easy to be crap at cuz you can beat people simply by mashing the controller with your fist.

Er, maybe with Pit Fighter, but any relevant fighting game? No way.

i've never been able to get the hang of console controllers, so duck hunt wins for having those lazer guns. also fighting games are easy to be crap at cuz you can beat people simply by mashing the controller with your fist. i like the GTA series if that counts, cuz even though the later installments were optimized for consoles they were still way better on PC.

For fighting games, I don't think it gets much better than "Mike Tyson's Punch-Out." It's a timeless classic.

GTA was also pretty good, I agree.

Er, maybe with Pit Fighter, but any relevant fighting game? No way.

relevant to what?

relevant to what?

I think he just means noteworthy or popular. But I'm not sure.

The best game ever is Legend of Zelda: Ocerina of Time.

End of Story.

The best game ever is Legend of Zelda: Ocerina of Time.

End of Story.

I haven't played it myself, but is it really better than the original Legend of Zelda, for NES? That would be hard to believe, to say the least.

The best game ever is Legend of Zelda: Ocerina of Time.

End of Story.
OoT does indeed kick video game ass.

ET the Extra-Terrestrial

ET the Extra-Terrestrial

Is it even possible to get a copy without a pick-axe and shovel? :p

Gyromite

The best game ever is Legend of Zelda: Ocerina of Time.

End of Story.

Final Fantasy VII shits on that.

Final Fantasy VII shits on that.

Mainly because it's too busy crying on the toilet about what an overblow, over-hyped piece of crap it is.

I've never played Ocarina of Time, but surely it's better than Final Fantasy bloody VII.

I haven't played it myself, but is it really better than the original Legend of Zelda, for NES? That would be hard to believe, to say the least.


Actually yes it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_games_that_have_been_considered_the_greatest_ever#All-format_publications

Zero Wing!

Zero Wing!

Take off every zig!

I'm going to be unconventional here and say... Super Smash Bros. Melee!

Best. Party. Game. EVAR.

Take off every zig!

For great justice!

What's your favorite console game?

Lots of good games come to mind.

If I have to choose only one, it would be Gunstar Heroes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunstar_Heroes).

Lots of good games come to mind.

If I have to choose only one, it would be Gunstar Heroes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunstar_Heroes).

Looks neat. :)

Super Smash Bros. Melee!

Best. Party. Game. EVAR.
*adopts cheesy announcer’s voice*

Choose Your Character!!!

....Link!!

....BOARD THE PLATFORMS!!

Looks neat. :)

Some of the best explosions evar on a 16 bit system. :D

http://www.danielthomas.org/Assets/GunstarHeroes_1.gif

Final Fantasy VII shits on that.

Well it would, except that no.

Some of the best explosions evar on a 16 bit system. :D

http://www.danielthomas.org/Assets/GunstarHeroes_1.gif

That's pretty good, especially for '93. I should've had a Sega back then! :p

I'd have to vote for Spanky's Quest, mainly because it's about a Monkey, and his name is Spanky. *burst out laughing*

God of War and God of War II. Anything else is just a game. :D

I haven't played it myself, but is it really better than the original Legend of Zelda, for NES? That would be hard to believe, to say the least.

I think so, in my opinion the original Legend of Zelda proves that a game can be too open. Well not necessarily, more along the lines of complete openness and story don't mix.

OoT does indeed kick video game ass.

Quite

I'm going to be unconventional here and say... Super Smash Bros. Melee!

Best. Party. Game. EVAR.

Speaking of which... they relaunched the site... it's coming!!!
http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/howto/basic/images/basic01/basic01_070522a-l.jpg
(http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/index.html)

I'm going to be unconventional here and say... Super Smash Bros. Melee!

Best. Party. Game. EVAR.

Oh, without a doubt. 99 life marathon, anyone?

Halo.

*ducks*

I also enjoyed the original Lemmings very much.

Lemmings was originally an Amiga game, it wasn't ported to consoles until later :p

Best console game would be Sonic 3 & Knuckles, also the best platformer ever. If you have to split it up, it'd be Sonic 3.

Lemmings was originally an Amiga game, it wasn't ported to consoles until later :p

Best console game would be Sonic 3 & Knuckles, also the best platformer ever. If you have to split it up, it'd be Sonic 3.

Now that I think about it more carefully, I do recall playing the original Lemmings on an old computer, around '93 or a bit before. So I guess I mis-remembered. :p

Pong.

Halo.

*ducks*
Its mechanics weren't as fun as Goldeneye. Sure, it was shiny, and it had a more interesting narrative, but I just thought in terms of gameplay it still didn't match up to the console FPS marvel that was 007 64.

As for the best console game, Gunstar Heroes was awesome, as was SSBM, simply because of their entertainment value. Final Fantasy 7 wins many points for plot, and Ocarina of Time is a superb overall experience, as is (god forgive me) Kingdom Hearts 2 (to a lesser extent, but still notable). I think, though, that my favourite is probably the Metal Gear Solid series. Lots of fun, exciting play, engaging story and with loads of replay value. Plus, Twin Snakes is cinematically probably even more awesome than Die Hard. *Drool*

Its mechanics weren't as fun as Goldeneye. Sure, it was shiny, and it had a more interesting narrative, but I just thought in terms of gameplay it still didn't match up to the console FPS marvel that was 007 64.

Now I'm as much a Goldeneye fan as the next guy. But. Time absolutely destroyed it. I can't play it anymore, not because of the outdated graphics or sound. But because the controls are so outdated I can't hit anything anymore.

ET the Extra-Terrestrial

Do you mean the old Atari version? I break it out every couple of years and keep falling down the same damned hole, and I still can't figure out how to get out. Stupid, useless alien.

My favorite console game ever was Toejam and Earl. Way too much fun.

Bah! Peasants, the whole lot of ya! Cooking Mama (Wii )and Katamari (PS2) are teh shitz.

Not sure. I never really understood the idea of consoles.

Not sure. I never really understood the idea of consoles.

What's to understand? Insert game->play

Simple.

What's to understand? Insert game->play

Simple.
Unless it's my old PS1, where it's Insert game --> kick --> play --> crash.

I liked mario bros alot...but then again I loved marble madness alot too...I just don't know which I liked better. http://smilies.vidahost.com/contrib/ruinkai/biggthumpup.gif

Mario Golf

What not to like about using your controller to annoy the hell out of whoever is playing the next shot...

Not sure. I never really understood the idea of consoles.

The idea of consoles is playing games on your couch, or with your family. Also a console is guaranteed to be able to run its own damn games.

Gran Turismo.

also fighting games are easy to be crap at cuz you can beat people simply by mashing the controller with your fist.

You are invited to have a match with me of either SoulCalibur or Tekken (any of them), and mash your control as much as you want. We'll see if that works. The fact of me being a girl will add a lot more of humiliation.

Please bring your own controller, although. Don't "mash" mine.

Regarding the main thing about the thread...Well, I'm enough of a gamer to think that I don't have a favorite game, but rather a long list of them, of different genres.

Regarding old school games, I can remember several that I used to play and was quite a fanatic with, although some of them weren't the classical mainstream ones for the NES. Wizards and Warriors I, II, and III, Faxanadu, Zelda and the Adventure of Link, the four first Megaman, the first Final Fantasy (and that's why I still read the 8 bit theater), the three first Super Mario, the first three Castlevanias, the Ultimas...Super NES was all about the Star Wars games, the Castlevanias, Final Fantasy VI and some others. Even Street Fighter II and the Chun Li feverish tactics.

In Playstation, I choose Final Fantasy Tactics, Tenchu, Metal Gear Solid...So many I can't remember...

Now I'm as much a Goldeneye fan as the next guy. But. Time absolutely destroyed it. I can't play it anymore, not because of the outdated graphics or sound. But because the controls are so outdated I can't hit anything anymore.
I agree, but I think that's a result of the way Console FPS games have had to compensate for the innate weakness of the console controller in an FPS environment. Halo, despite its innovations, still suffers due to the use of the XBox controller to direct your actions and the need to use a degree of automated aiming to compensate for that. You just can't get the same level of control with an analog stick as you can with a mouse, and while it was still quite fun to play with, it irked me that the machine had to do a lot of the tricky work for me.

Goldeneye suffered from the same flaw, but the level design and style of play made up for it in a way that didn't require the use of mechanical intervention. The light-heartedness and quirkiness of its gameplay, in that it both rewarded sneaking around and clever traps over and above conventional warfare tactics of just blasting away and provided arenas for people to do just that if they preferred, and the ease with which you could set up a multiplayer game just by throwing in more controllers and picking a few (sometimes really funny) options, made it a fun party game, first and foremost, and I always reckon that to be the ideal console FPS. Sure, it could do with a graphical update, but for its time it was more than adquate.

Guitar Hero

You are invited to have a match with me of either SoulCalibur or Tekken (any of them), and mash your control as much as you want. We'll see if that works. The fact of me being a girl will add a lot more of humiliation.

I own Soul Calibur II!! I'm not very good at it though... or fighting games in general. I'm more of an Action-adventurer, which means today is a good day for me. *does the release announcement dance*

SCII is awesome *nods*

We used to play Tecmo Super Bowl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecmo_Super_Bowl) all the time. Can't tell you how many weekend were wasted in college playing this game...

Knights of the Old Republic....

I own Soul Calibur II!! I'm not very good at it though... or fighting games in general. I'm more of an Action-adventurer, which means today is a good day for me. *does the release announcement dance*

SCII is awesome *nods*

With Link, Spawn or Heihachi? ;)

Action adventurer...Good day for you...Let me see, Halo 3, Starcraft II...

Which launching did I miss?

Super Nintendo FTW! And SMB is the best game of course!

The Suikoden series - with emphasis on the first one.

And the Kings Field series.

With Link, Spawn or Heihachi? ;)

Action adventurer...Good day for you...Let me see, Halo 3, Starcraft II...

Which launching did I miss?

Link, I'd have gotten one of the others, but I can only ever afford one console and I follow the one I grew up with from gen to gen.

And while the announcements for Halo and Starcraft are pretty cool, the one game I'm exciting about getting this year (I'm excited about other games (like the above) that I'll never get to play too) is...

:D Metroid Prime 3 is coming August 20th! Although I'll probably have to wait a few months for local release. :(

If anyone is willing to donate money to me so I can get more games, I'll gladly take it.

Ohhhhh, Metroid, nifty

You are invited to have a match with me of either SoulCalibur or Tekken (any of them), and mash your control as much as you want. We'll see if that works. The fact of me being a girl will add a lot more of humiliation.


oh, i shouldn't worry about humiliating me, i'd have thought being a grown adult still playing kids games would be quite humiliating enough.

Can't seem to choose. Metroid. Metroid Prime. Yoshi's Island. Both Super Smash Bros. games (not counting Brawl). Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask. So hard to choose.

Long live console gaming. Better than PC gaming in that you don't have to worry about updating stuff (did I get this patch or that card or whatever) or crashes. Stupid crashes.

oh, i shouldn't worry about humiliating me, i'd have thought being a grown adult still playing kids games would be quite humiliating enough.

Oh, when you are a rather succesful and self satisfied adult you stop feeling humiliated by someone saying that you should stop playing "kid's games". After all, each time someone pull out that card, you can beat them with the fact that you are either more happy, you earn more, you are more recognized, or you have a lot more of skills than the one pulling it out. When faced with that fact, most lower their heads.

What is a "grown up" supposed to be doing? Watching TV? Because I do the rest of the other stuff.

From the poll: super stalin bros!

Oh, when you are a rather succesful and self satisfied adult you stop feeling humiliated by someone saying that you should stop playing "kid's games". After all, each time someone pull out that card, you can beat them with the fact that you are either more happy, you earn more, you are more recognized, or you have a lot more of skills than the one pulling it out. When faced with that fact, most lower their heads.

What is a "grown up" supposed to be doing? Watching TV? Because I do the rest of the other stuff.

nah, i was just baiting you seeing as you seemed so proud and sure of you skill at computer games. i've never been into console games and never had a console as a kid, hence never developing a tecnique beyond mashing the controls. and yet ive beaten people who consider themselves 'pros' simply by pressing as many of the buttons as i can at once. couldn't tell you what the games were. when i was a kid i played in the mud, then everyone got consoles and i got bored so i read books. now i go out drinking with my friends and read books and go to the park and play frisbee and sit and chat and go to the beach and any number of different things every week. honestly, what do succes, happiness, recognition and skill have to do with computer games?

Final Fantasy Tactics. Best game period. Deep and complex battle system that's fun to play around with, and an amazing story that puts almost everything else to shame.

it has got to be one of the early productions of sensible soccer! on the megadrive! hours and hours and hours of drunken competative madness among friends!

Two greatest:

Sonic the Hedgehog.

and

Super Mario Brothers.

Both are classics yet still doing well to this day.

Long live console gaming. Better than PC gaming in that you don't have to worry about updating stuff (did I get this patch or that card or whatever) or crashes. Stupid crashes.
Updating stuff is because of bugs.. bugs which exist in console games as well. You don't have to buy separate memory to save games; you don't have to buy a new system every other year to be able to keep buying decent games (you don't have to with PCs if you don't buy a junker); playing online doesn't require extra peripherals or a separate fee. And if you don't think console games crash, you are mistaken...


And Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt are effectively the same game because they are on the same cartridge :rolleyes:

Earthbound: The most psychedelic RPG adventure of all time!
Seriously, it has aliens, psionic powers, corrupt politicians, loopy cults, and a baseball bat as your main character's weapon. Nothing beats that.

MR. Saturn RULES YOU!
http://camillecampos.com/sculptures/claymodels/mrsaturn.jpg

I'm going to be unconventional here and say... Super Smash Bros. Melee!

Best. Party. Game. EVAR.

hell yeah!

Lego Star Wars II was also wonderful to play, really well-rounded and it worked great on the console.


Goldeneye, anyone?

nah, i was just baiting you...
*Sticks up a big "Don't Feed The Troll" sign*

Sonic.

Especially the first and the Dreamcast ones.

nah, i was just baiting you seeing as you seemed so proud and sure of you skill at computer games. i've never been into console games and never had a console as a kid, hence never developing a tecnique beyond mashing the controls. and yet ive beaten people who consider themselves 'pros' simply by pressing as many of the buttons as i can at once. couldn't tell you what the games were. when i was a kid i played in the mud, then everyone got consoles and i got bored so i read books. now i go out drinking with my friends and read books and go to the park and play frisbee and sit and chat and go to the beach and any number of different things every week. honestly, what do succes, happiness, recognition and skill have to do with computer games?

Oh I played in the mud too, rode bycicles, played volleyball and kickingball, played the cello, wrote short stories and read a lot. I had my first console when I wass 11 or 12. My point was that against a really good player, mashing buttons doesn't work. I started mashing buttons, and now I am over that.

I go to parties now, I love to dance, perhaps dancing is my favorite activity. I have lots and lots of friends, I drink a bit but not too much, I go to the beach a lot, given that it is nearby and the beaches are one of the most fantastic of the world.

Honestly, nothing. Computer games have nothing to do with success, happiness, recognition and skill. But a lot of people, you included, tend to think that if you play computer games, you are a loser that live in your fathers' basement, have no friends, no social life, no culture apart from games, and know nothing else apart from the screen, negating that you can have success, happiness, recognition and skill, and also being a gamer.

That question is way too wide. I can make a list:

Super Mario Bros. 1-3 and SMB World
A bunch of Megaman titles
Sonic the Hedgehog (just the Genesis titles and a few new 2D handheld games)
Contra

In terms of RPGs, Shining Force and Disgaea are great. I also love Skies of Arcadia, even though it's too easy.

Oh I played in the mud too, rode bycicles, played volleyball and kickingball, played the cello, wrote short stories and read a lot. I had my first console when I wass 11 or 12. My point was that against a really good player, mashing buttons doesn't work. I started mashing buttons, and now I am over that.

I go to parties now, I love to dance, perhaps dancing is my favorite activity. I have lots and lots of friends, I drink a bit but not too much, I go to the beach a lot, given that it is nearby and the beaches are one of the most fantastic of the world.

Honestly, nothing. Computer games have nothing to do with success, happiness, recognition and skill. But a lot of people, you included, tend to think that if you play computer games, you are a loser that live in your fathers' basement, have no friends, no social life, no culture apart from games, and know nothing else apart from the screen, negating that you can have success, happiness, recognition and skill, and also being a gamer.
you read too much into an off-hand remark. i just think they're silly that's all.

Goldeneye suffered from the same flaw, but the level design and style of play made up for it in a way that didn't require the use of mechanical intervention. The light-heartedness and quirkiness of its gameplay, in that it both rewarded sneaking around and clever traps over and above conventional warfare tactics of just blasting away and provided arenas for people to do just that if they preferred, and the ease with which you could set up a multiplayer game just by throwing in more controllers and picking a few (sometimes really funny) options, made it a fun party game, first and foremost, and I always reckon that to be the ideal console FPS. Sure, it could do with a graphical update, but for its time it was more than adquate.

Proximity Mines, FTW!

*Sticks up a big "Don't Feed The Troll" sign*

rawr! i had my breakfast now, no worries :p

We used to play Tecmo Super Bowl (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tecmo_Super_Bowl) all the time. Can't tell you how many weekend were wasted in college playing this game...

Agreed. The only way I'll ever see Seattle win the damned game is playing Tecmo. The stats and player management were interesting without being overwhelming or micromanaging. It was a great game.

Final Fantasy Tactics. Best game period. Deep and complex battle system that's fun to play around with, and an amazing story that puts almost everything else to shame.

Absolutely agreed. Took me forever to find the game and I had to pay far too much for it, but damned well worth it.

I'm trying to think of which game I got the most mileage out of, not an easy task.

Super Smash Bros definitely ranks, but when you're doing 3 on 1 matches on the hardest difficulty setting and winning it gets a little old.

Ocarina of Time was stellar, but again you could only play it for so long.

I never beat Final Fantasy Tactics, or 7, or 8. Though, of those three, Tactics is the only one I would consider going back to beat.

Goldeneye was pure fun, then we found out our favorite arenas were transfered into Perfect Dark.

Chrono Trigger I probably replayed the most, but with a dozen endings how could you not?

I think I'm going to have to go with Earthbound. It was just pure fun from start to finish and if Nintendo doesn't release the Mother 1 & 2 GBA port here I think I'm going to have to go over there and "convince" them to.

OoT does indeed kick video game ass.
No console RPG has yet matched the genius that was ADVENTURE, for the Atari 2600.

I'm trying to think of which game I got the most mileage out of, not an easy task.

Super Smash Bros definitely ranks, but when you're doing 3 on 1 matches on the hardest difficulty setting and winning it gets a little old.

Ocarina of Time was stellar, but again you could only play it for so long.

I never beat Final Fantasy Tactics, or 7, or 8. Though, of those three, Tactics is the only one I would consider going back to beat.

Goldeneye was pure fun, then we found out our favorite arenas were transfered into Perfect Dark.

Chrono Trigger I probably replayed the most, but with a dozen endings how could you not?

I think I'm going to have to go with Earthbound. It was just pure fun from start to finish and if Nintendo doesn't release the Mother 1 & 2 GBA port here I think I'm going to have to go over there and "convince" them to.

Earthbound is, indeed, for the win.

Can't seem to choose. Metroid. Metroid Prime. Yoshi's Island. Both Super Smash Bros. games (not counting Brawl). Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask. So hard to choose.

Long live console gaming. Better than PC gaming in that you don't have to worry about updating stuff (did I get this patch or that card or whatever) or crashes. Stupid crashes.
Not to start a PC vs. console fight, but until console games are designed with mappable controls they will always be second fiddle to PC games.

There's a reason there are no good strategy games for consoles. The input devices simply don't have enough buttons.

Not to start a PC vs. console fight, but until console games are designed with mappable controls they will always be second fiddle to PC games.

There's a reason there are no good strategy games for consoles. The input devices simply don't have enough buttons.

FPS games are always better on the PC.

FPS games are always better on the PC.Console FPS games are necessarily easier than PC games because the controls aren't as fine. If you've ever played a console FPS ported to PC you know how much easier the game becomes when played with a mouse rather than a tiny analog stick.

Halo was trivial on the PC.

Consoles through the ages...

Arcade Cabinet Games (1977-1994):
Star Trek ("welcome aboard, Captain")
Konami Track & Field (got my vid fix AND cardio, too -- anyone ever use a knife or a carpenter's pencil to "run" faster? I did!)
Ms. Pac-Man (no idea why I'm good at that game)
Mat Mania (wrestling without the rug burns)
Elevator Action
Battlezone

and

Cyberball 2084 (football AND robots?!?)

My First home console, the Intellivision (1979-1989):

Microsurgeon (mind-blowing "Fantastic Voyage" kind of stuff)
Truckin' (economics and Interstate geography, a nerd's delight)
Discs of Tron (HOURS just to get to the orange stick-wielders)
Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin (endless fun with vicious doors)
Sub Hunt (I'm still trying to find a submarine battle sim that captures the same intensity and simplicity of this classic)
Sea Battle (the game that allowed me momentary dominion over my big brother)

and

Utopia (this game started my addiction to real-time strategy -- led me to Sim City, Civilization, WarCraft, and Total Annihilation, among others...I remember it fondly as the first such game for any console anywhere).

Next came the original NES (1989-1994):

Conflict (turn-based strategy, I was in heaven, even if the combat system was a bit too simple)
Final Fantasy II (and then the series would start to take itself too seriously)

and

Nobunaga's Ambition (turn-based historical strategy...again, a nerd in paradise)

Then was the SEGA Genesis (1994-1999):

Sonic (made Mario look stodgy)
Toe Jam 'n Earl (psychedelic and musically-oriented)

and

Star Control (turn-based strategy AND battle sims...very few have come close to this original combination of strategy, tactics and simplicity)

The N64 (1998-2001)

Perfect Dark
Mario Kart
Star Fox

and

GoldenEye (pissing off your friends with well-hidden proximity mines and then forgetting where you laid your own? Pricelss group entertainment)

PS1 (2000-2001)

Worms: Armageddon (a holy hand grenade and exploding sheep? Yes!)
Skullmonkeys (creatively warped story and innovative gameplay)
Monster Rancher (a bit frustrating, but always interesting to see which of your audio CDs would make what kind of monster)

and

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysey (side scrolling perfection)

PS2 (2005-2007)

Culdcept (made card-game-to-video-game idea work addictively)
Destroy All Humans! (the incidental dialogue was hilarious, plus, an anal probe!)
Beyond Good & Evil (interesting camera side-quests and combat without being combat-heavy, plus sneaking and racing and all kinds of stuff done to a great soundtrack)
Ace Combat 04 (best arcade flight/combat sim ever, IMO)
Dynasty Warriors: Empires V (yes, button-mashing, but the best strategy component to date in the series)
Star Wars: Battlefront (tactics and blowin' stuff up, always a good combo)
Metal Gear Solid (showed me there's more to kicking ass than blowin' everything up)
Roadkill (GTA without the ridiculous micromanagement)
Ratchet & Clank series (slick and entertaining platformer)

and

Worms 3-D (everything I love about Worms, with a Z-axis!)

Finally, the Mac, my favorite platform (1995-present):

Sim City (on my Mac Classic, I built Metropolae and loved the roads most of all)
Descent (my first full-immersion 3-D experience, and very intense)
Marathon series (where did Halo come from? Here, the best 2D-as-3D game ever made, IMO -- if you like the "SPNKR" missle and the random shouts of "they're everywhere" and the like, thank Marathon)
Civilization II (still the best mix of the Civilization milieu, for my money)
Total Annihilation (one of the best and overlooked RTS games ever made)
Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now (best auto demolition sim and pedestrian cruncher and very good physics model)
WarCraft series, including StarCraft (though TA is better, this introduced me to LAN and online play)
Diablo/II (simplified D&D with its own rules and universe)
Neverwinter Nights (actual D&D in the universe I first geeked out to)
Master of Orion II (the fact that it can't be played on OSX pisses me off because MOO III sucked hardcore -- building your own ships and turn-based strategy and turn-based combat took me back to playing games like that on the spacious basement floor with my friends in the days before computers -- Starfleet Battles or Car Wars, anyone?)

and

Unreal Tournament 2004 (online -- I'm no twitcher, so the discovery of entire servers dedicated to snipers was a gaming revelation. I can camp and wait for my targets to wander into my web -- it's awesome).

GAMES I WISH THEY'D MAKE:

Master of Orion II in some sort of redux as an apology for MOO III, or port it to OSX.

Car Wars. Like the original with all the math you had to do in order to get the right build balance of maneuverability, defense and firepower. Customization and online play would snare a whole market of 30-something geeks like me who loved the original pencil-and-paper, cardboard cutout Steve Jackson masterpiece.

007 for N64

Consoles through the ages...

Arcade Cabinet Games:
Star Trek ("welcome aboard, Captain")
Konami Track & Field (got my vid fix AND cardio, too -- anyone ever use a knife or a carpenter's pencil to "run" faster? I did!)
Ms. Pac-Man (no idea why I'm good at that game)
Mat Mania (wrestling without the rug burns)
Elevator Action
Battlezone

and

Cyberball 2084 (football AND robots?!?)

My First home console, the Intellivision:

Microsurgeon (mind-blowing "Fantastic Voyage" kind of stuff)
Truckin' (economics and Interstate geography, a nerd's delight)
Discs of Tron (HOURS just to get to the orange stick-wielders)
Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin (endless fun with vicious doors)
Sub Hunt (I'm still trying to find a submarine battle sim that captures the same intensity and simplicity of this classic)
Sea Battle (the game that allowed me momentary dominion over my big brother)

and

Utopia (this game started my addiction to real-time strategy -- led me to Sim City, Civilization, WarCraft, and Total Annihilation, among others...I remember it fondly as the first such game for any console anywhere).

Next came the original NES:

Conflict (turn-based strategy, I was in heaven, even if the combat system was a bit too simple)
Final Fantasy II (and then the series would start to take itself too seriously)

and

Nobunaga's Ambition (turn-based historical strategy...again, a nerd in paradise)

Then was the SEGA Genesis:

Sonic (made Mario look stodgy)
Toe Jam 'n Earl (psychedelic and musically-oriented)

and

Star Control (turn-based strategy AND battle sims...very few have come close to this original combination of strategy, tactics and simplicity)

The N64

Perfect Dark
Mario Kart
Star Fox

and

GoldenEye (pissing off your friends with well-hidden proximity mines and then forgetting where you laid your own? Pricelss group entertainment)

PS1

Worms: Armageddon (a holy hand grenade and exploding sheep? Yes!)
Skullmonkeys (creatively warped story and innovative gameplay)
Monster Rancher (a bit frustrating, but always interesting to see which of your audio CDs would make what kind of monster)

and

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysey (side scrolling perfection)

PS2

Culdcept (made card-game-to-video-game idea work addictively)
Destroy All Humans! (the incidental dialogue was hilarious, plus, an anal probe!)
Beyond Good & Evil (interesting camera side-quests and combat without being combat-heavy, plus sneaking and racing and all kinds of stuff done to a great soundtrack)
Ace Combat 04 (best arcade flight/combat sim ever, IMO)
Dynasty Warriors: Empires V (yes, button-mashing, but the best strategy component to date in the series)
Star Wars: Battlefront (tactics and blowin' stuff up, always a good combo)
Metal Gear Solid (showed me there's more to kicking ass than blowin' everything up)
Roadkill (GTA without the ridiculous micromanagement)
Ratchet & Clank series (slick and entertaining platformer)

and

Worms 3-D (everything I love about Worms, with a Z-axis!)

Finally, the Mac, my favorite platform:

Sim City (on my Mac Classic, I built Metropolae and loved the roads most of all)
Descent (my first full-immersion 3-D experience, and very intense)
Marathon series (where did Halo come from? Here, the best 2D-as-3D game ever made, IMO -- if you like the "SPNKR" missle and the random shouts of "they're everywhere" and the like, thank Marathon)
Civilization II (still the best mix of the Civilization milieu, for my money)
Total Annihilation (one of the best and overlooked RTS games ever made)
Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now (best auto demolition sim and pedestrian cruncher and very good physics model)
WarCraft series, including StarCraft (though TA is better, this introduced me to LAN and online play)
Diablo/II (simplified D&D with its own rules and universe)
Neverwinter Nights (actual D&D in the universe I first geeked out to)
Master of Orion II (the fact that it can't be played on OSX pisses me off because MOO III sucked hardcore -- building your own ships and turn-based strategy and turn-based combat took me back to playing games like that on the spacious basement floor with my friends in the days before computers -- Starfleet Battles or Car Wars, anyone?)

and

Unreal Tournament 2004 (online -- I'm no twitcher, so the discovery of entire servers dedicated to snipers was a gaming revelation. I can camp and wait for my targets to wander into my web -- it's awesome).

GAMES I WISH THEY'D MAKE:

Master of Orion II in some sort of redux as an apology for MOO III, or port it to OSX.

Car Wars. Like the original with all the math you had to do in order to get the right build balance of maneuverability, defense and firepower. Customization and online play would snare a whole market of 30-something geeks like me who loved the original pencil-and-paper, cardboard cutout Steve Jackson masterpiece.

I'm jealous that you have so much money and free time. :(

I'm jealous that you have so much money and free time. :(

Uh...the very first line?

Console games through the ages? I'm 36. I came of age right when the arcade was huge. I watched it die and get replaced by PC/home consoles. We're talking gaming since I was about 9 years old. 27 years. Don't be jealous that I'm old. Trust me, it has it's perks, but mostly, it's not a fun thing. Games keep me young.

Not all those systems were mine, either.

rawr! i had my breakfast now, no worries :p
Good, good.

*Waves the billy-goats across*

GoldenEye (pissing off your friends with well-hidden proximity mines and then forgetting where you laid your own? Pricelss group entertainment)
Almost as fun as secretly planting a remote mine on someone's back, then waiting until they meet up with someone else and having them spontaneously combust. :D

By the way, I found something rather cool recently.

Fan Remake! (http://dev.goldeneyesource.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page)

Meep!

Uh...the very first line?

Console games through the ages? I'm 36. I came of age right when the arcade was huge. I watched it die and get replaced by PC/home consoles. We're talking gaming since I was about 9 years old. 27 years. Don't be jealous that I'm old. Trust me, it has it's perks, but mostly, it's not a fun thing. Games keep me young.


I'm 33 and wish I could have had so much gaming systems and time to play them. My last console was Super NES, though I did get to play on my friends N64 sometimes and another friends PS2.

Okay, for my all time favorite(I have many regular favorites).

Super mario world2: Yoshi's Island.

Say what you will about is cuteness factor. It's, in my opinion, the most polished game for its generation. That and I was a kid when it came out so, lots of nostaligia.

Bomberman + Neo Geo + four giant controllers + big screen tv (50") + Pizza Hut Bigfoot pizzas = far far FAR too many parties where the geeks and elites would meet. Man, we did those Bomberman parties almost solid for two and a half years. Good times.

Okay, for my all time favorite(I have many regular favorites).

Super mario world2: Yoshi's Island.

Say what you will about is cuteness factor. It's, in my opinion, the most polished game for its generation. That and I was a kid when it came out so, lots of nostaligia.

Is that the one on N64? I <3'd that one. That, and Banjo Kazooie. Nothin like playing a bunch of Yoshi and Banjo, then relaxing on the couch to watch Sifl and Olly.

Is that the one on N64? I <3'd that one. That, and Banjo Kazooie. Nothin like playing a bunch of Yoshi and Banjo, then relaxing on the couch to watch Sifl and Olly.

No, Yoshi's Story was the N64 one. Yoshi's Island was Super Nintendo. I don't know why they replaced Yoshi's famous sound with that irritating voice. I still have Yoshi's Island. Too bad it now freezes whenever I reach Bowser's room.

No, Yoshi's Story was the N64 one. Yoshi's Island was Super Nintendo. I don't know why they replaced Yoshi's famous sound with that irritating voice. I still have Yoshi's Island. Too bad it now freezes whenever I reach Bowser's room.

Ah yes. I didn't like Yoshi's Island, because I hate games where you babysit stuff. I hated certain parts of Resident Evil 4 specifically for that reason.

Car Wars. Like the original with all the math you had to do in order to get the right build balance of maneuverability, defense and firepower. Customization and online play would snare a whole market of 30-something geeks like me who loved the original pencil-and-paper, cardboard cutout Steve Jackson masterpiece.
Did you never play AutoDuel?

And Utopia was excellent. Still the best strategy game ever for a console.

I'm 33 and wish I could have had so much gaming systems and time to play them. My last console was Super NES, though I did get to play on my friends N64 sometimes and another friends PS2.

I only ever owned a Mac, the Intellivision (and that because my parents worked for GTE, whose consumer electronics division, Sylvania, produced the Intellivision for Mattel Electronics), an 8-bit NES some two years after it came out and its price went down, same for PS1 & 2 (both bought 2 years after release).

Did you never play AutoDuel?

And Utopia was excellent. Still the best strategy game ever for a console.

I did play AutoDuel, by Lord British and Chuckles, and I loved it. I just wish they'd do some turn-based 3D-graphic update. There are many racing and car combat games, but none with the full-on geek math factor and true customization.

Jet Set Willy

I only ever owned a Mac, the Intellivision (and that because my parents worked for GTE, whose consumer electronics division, Sylvania, produced the Intellivision for Mattel Electronics), an 8-bit NES some two years after it came out and its price went down, same for PS1 & 2 (both bought 2 years after release).
I had a Commodore 64 all through my childhood. That was an awesome gaming system.

And while I did acquire both a PS1 and PS2, the only game on there that had realy staying power for me was Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Now I'm strictly a PC gamer. I can't afford consoles if I'm going to keep my PC vaguely current. Though, the recent release of PC monitors with HDMI inputs mean I can plug consoles into my monitor to save having to acquire a separate television. I have my eye on a 27" 1920x1200 LCD. I might have to investigate consoles again.

Metal Gear Solid or God of War

From the poll: super stalin bros!

That's not on the poll. :confused:

Also, kudos to my fellow Duck Hunt fans. Love the Duck Hunt, and that adorable bird dog! :p

Bomberman + Neo Geo + four giant controllers + big screen tv (50") + Pizza Hut Bigfoot pizzas = far far FAR too many parties where the geeks and elites would meet. Man, we did those Bomberman parties almost solid for two and a half years. Good times.

Haha, that brings back memories. Both of Bomberman and the bigfoot pizza. :p

Agreed. The only way I'll ever see Seattle win the damned game is playing Tecmo. The stats and player management were interesting without being overwhelming or micromanaging. It was a great game.

Tecmo is legendary. I think it even still sells for a few bucks at used game stores, compared to 50 cents or so for most other titles. And you can't beat that 90-yard TD pass! :D

Super Mario World for the Super NES. Featuring Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and all of his minions, and of course, Toad. And Red Yoshi. And Yellow Yoshi. And Blue Yoshi. Yeah, Blue Yoshi. He could fly with any shell. Though, Red Yoshi's fireballs were pretty useful. And Yellow Yoshi's stomping came in handy more times than not.

Hmm, this should be a topic. Which Yoshi had the best powers in Super Mario World?

Super Mario World for the Super NES. Featuring Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and all of his minions, and of course, Toad. And Red Yoshi. And Yellow Yoshi. And Blue Yoshi. Yeah, Blue Yoshi. He could fly with any shell. Though, Red Yoshi's fireballs were pretty useful. And Yellow Yoshi's stomping came in handy more times than not.

Hmm, this should be a topic. Which Yoshi had the best powers in Super Mario World?

I can't say I ever really understood Toad, but maybe that's part of the charm. Also, I liked the Yoshi that spat fire, if I recall.

There are many, but one I go back to often is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time. Since others were discussing fighting games a bit, I feel it is necessary to mention that the best fighting game ever made is Street Fighter III: Third Strike.

Chrono Trigger I probably replayed the most, but with a dozen endings how could you not?How did it take until the 78th post in the thread for this to be mentioned?

End of Story.Nope.

I quite like A Link To The Past myself. The only Zelda I've played through four times.

How did it take until the 78th post in the thread for this to be mentioned?

I'd have mentioned Chrono Trigger well before now, except that I do not consider it the best console game of all time, because it's not. It's a good one--a great one--but hardly the best.

Pong....nothing else needs to be said. :D

God of War II...only while playing the 300 soundtrack though. :D

ZZZUUUUEEESSSS!!!

Spartans like to yell apparently.