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[Iowa]

Every true gamer has one, through the relatively short history of video games there have been ten that have moulded it and shaped it to perfection, only to leave it's players with mouths agape in awe and astonishment. These are the best of the best.

I'll post my list, but i'd also like you to. Please post a description of why you believe that game deserves to be on the list and in that order. Any game system ever made is eligible.

Edit: You are also encouraged to name Honorable Mentions, and explain why you like them, your favorite games shouldn't just be limited to ten, right?

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10. Burnout: Revenge Playstation 2
The fastest, sleekest, most destructive racing game ever created. A must for anyone who loves major car crashes.
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9. Goldeneye 007 N64
The one that started it all, a phenomenal single player game, complete with detail and enough objectives and challenge to keep even the most hardcore First Person Shooter fans at the edge of their seat.
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8. Driver Playstation
Without a doubt one of the most satisfying racing games ever created. A white-knuckle challenge kept you trying for hours and hours to deliver that hitman to the theater.
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7. Star Fox 64 N64
Simply astonishing, the world's greatest flight-based game, in my opinion. Playing as Fox McCloud, you navigate your way through a mult-path galaxy to ultimately end up at your goal: the almighty Andross.
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6. Spyro The Dragon Playstation
An absolutely addictive platformer, almost everything about this game is programmed with care, delivering some of the greatest times of your life.
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5. Perfect Dark N64
"Perfect" just about describes this one-of-a-kind FPS, playing as Joana Dark, you creep your way through the campaign mode only to arrive at *gasp* the greatest multiplayer mode in any game, ever concieved. I don't care about Halo, Masterchief owes all his fragging prowess to Joana Dark.
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4. Quake PC
The one. The greatest FPS ever made...that's it, it just is. Everything about this game is perfect, fantastic level design, horrifying monsters, gruesome weaponry, terrifying atmosphere, this game is Id's finest work.
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3. Metal Gear Solid Playstation
Oh, where to begin? Let's start with "Oh my god!"...this game has the best-concieved storyline portrayal and composure of anything on the market, it even beats out most movies! Essentially addiction in a case, I played this one for fourteen hours straight and never once got tired of it.
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2. Conker's Bad Fur Day N64
Ah, Conker...so much bad language, so much inuendo, and yet everything about you is perfect...actually the only thing even slightly wrong is the camera, but it can be overlooked. This game still has some of the best voice-acting ever done, second only to Hideo Kojima's masterpiece. Conker's BFD also has a great plot, and above all, it is absolutely hilarious! The player actually prays for another cutscene, just to hear more of the gut-busting dialogue. A masterpiece, only beaten out by...
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1. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time N64
That's right, Zelda. This game is perfect. Don't even argue with me, I won't give up: THIS GAME IS PERFECT. Everything about it is magnificent, the graphics (for the time), the gameplay (best i've ever seen), and the level design (again, best i've ever seen). There isn't one thing wrong with this game anywhere.

Shigeru is the master when it comes to game-making, ALL HAIL THE HYRULIAN KING!

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[Blood-Pigggy]

10. Metal Gear Solid 3 : Snake Eater Playstation 2 - Probably the best entry in the MGS saga, it had an amazing cinematic quality, some of the most exciting and vigorous action sequences, and one of the most touching endings and well developed characters ever.

9. Tetris Any System Conceivable - Just because it's so damn fun.

8. Ultima: The Black Gate PC and SNES - If you were looking for a freeform RPG with an unequaled amount of available interactions in the world, screw Daggerfall, The Black Gate was your best choice. An excellent storyline just made it so much better, and the detail placed into the world was unsurpassed.

7. Half-Life PC and Playstation 2 - Not only did it change the way FPS games are played today with its amazing cinematic presentation, and incredible immersion, but it also brought the mod community that Doom birthed to its full potential, never before had there been so many mods and third party additions released for a game as there was for Half-Life.

6. Sanitarium PC - Probably one of the best adventure games ever made, Sanitarium's storyline was the best to be found in ANY videogame, with no visible plotholes, unbelievable situations, or lingering doubts of any kind. Along with a touching and deep underlying theme, Sanitarium just blew me away with its A list movie writing.

5. Starcraft PC and N64 - This was the game that revitilized the strategy genre, while most games being pumped out were either Warcraft II clones, or C&C clones, Starcraft finally changed the formulas that so many games had been using before, and set up its own, that while it was copied just as much as Warcraft II left a lasting impression on many gamers.

4. Wasteland C64 and PC - Considered to have been the inspiration for its spiritual successor Fallout, Wasteland had done what many industry types were predicting to be possible only in the late future. By combining an incredibly involving world, some fascinating quests and locales, and some of the most eerily creepy plotlines ever conceived, Wasteland was finally released as the RPG that many people had been searching for for years.

3. Silent Hill 2 Playstation 2 - While its gameplay was considered only "good" by most, this game left such a lasting impression on most gamers, that it's now considered one of the most unforgettable and memorable gaming experiences ever. While its story played upon the themes of marital woes, it delivered a shocking look into the life of a man who was far more troubled than initial impressions could ever have perceived.

2. Legacy of Kain : Soul Reaver Playstation - Considered to be Sony's answer to Zelda, the Legacy of Kain series had an excellent run on the original Playstation, before its decent into basic action game mediocrity on the current gen consoles. Soul Reaver, provided an intense and graphicly beautiful world that was so eerily empty and epic, that it dwarfed games developed on much more powerful hardware. With an compelling story (exception towards the lackluster ending) and a fantastic combat system. Soul Reaver was the best the original Playstation had to offer.

1. Super Mario Bros. NES, Gameboy, Gameboy Color - It had no real storyline, it was the most repetitive thing ever, it had the dumbest gaming concept of just jumping around and running, and it had a main character with the personality of a blank sheet of paper. Yet it was the most insidously addictive and expansive game ever to be released in the NES era, or any era for that matter. Even seven years after its released, gamers were still finding undiscovered secrets in the depth of this classic, and although it's grown stale and old by the standards of most games today, it still has that little bit of personality that turned it into the greatest platformer ever to be released.

[Iowa]

Well, you certainly have great gaming taste! I've never tried Sanitarium before, but I will look into it now.

[Treewyrm]

Considering the fact that I don't have any consoles and never had (I dislike them for a specific reasons) here is the list of my favourite games, all of which are PC:

1. Unreal
You might ask "what's so special about it? just another fps". Well, that is true, it is fps but not "just another one", for it was a turning point in my understanding of games in general, specifically the visual part. There aren't many good sci-fi games around, but Unreal stands high and shows how really beautiful alien worlds can be, and when you came out of Vortex Rikers debris you just starting to realise that. Unlike player I would not leave the planet. So I did not and started learning UnrealEd, the map editor for Unreal. :-)

2. Dune 2
What much to say about it other than it's here and that IS a history. Ordos 4tw...

3. Albion
A little german-based development team makes a game people barely know of, but I simply love it. Another good example of well-made sci-fi game with a great story. Someone should make a modern remake (assuming the one done right, not "just a remake").

4. Descent
First real 3D FPS. Other than that it was first to deliver 3dof. I hated those mazes, I hated those robots, I hated it so much that I started to love it more than any other FPS game! Quite an unusual experience, never in my life I had a game which I started to like after so much hate. Now I play it sometimes, it's always fun, straight-forward and very addictive.

5. Planescape: Torment
Some spent all to become immortal. Here is the chance to be one, turns out it is extremely boring to be immortal. PS:T is a great game with a great story. Dark and eerie, yet sometimes feels so home, a strange game but a brilliant one nonetheless.

6. Duke Nukem 3D
Aahh, here is something that everyone knows. No need explanation for this title. Execpt that I have to mention that I spent more hours in it's map editor (BUILD) than any other games combined. Incredible, eh?

That's just 6... 6 most important games to me. Others have great value to me too but they're just not on the top of my mountain, so that's it.

p.s. Freespace 2 should have special mention. Sathanas coming out of subspace just in front of you in the nebula... that's something you will not forget.

p.p.s. I had ZX spectrum as well, but it's hard to remember certain game there, many were cool but so many years passed... saboteur perhaps, r-type (yea, it was on zx too), survivor, rex 1/2 (awesome game, platformer but very detailed) just to name a few...

[Horoma]

Hard to pick just 10. Here are the first 10 I could think of, in no particular order, except number 1. Only PC-games, as I don't have any consoles.

1) UFO Enemy Unknown / Terror From The Deep : Need I say more, the ultimate classics, these games still have me addicted after such a long time. The X-com turn-based tactical combat is simply great.

2) Vampire The Masquerade - Bloodlines : Be it with storytelling, card games or video games, I've always been fond of the World of Darkness. Based on the Halflife 2 engine (not the definitive one), this game surely enhanced that experience, despite it's bugs. Many quests with different solutions provide for a non-linear storyline, where using your brains is as important as using your fists/weapons.

3) King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Larry, ... : When I was a kid, these Sierra adventures sure kept my behind my computer for a long time. I always loved humor in games.

4) Carmageddon : Never thought I'd enjoy driving into pedestrians with my car in an artistic way. Fun +

5) Star Wars - Rogue Squadron / Battle For Naboo : Perhaps not the most obvious Star Wars games, but these 2 were really so much fun to play.

6) Sid Meier's Civilization : Again, a game that got me hooked for a long time. No introduction needed I suppose.

7) Soulbringer : Not very well known, this RPG. No multiplayer, a few bugs, game controls that sometimes got me crazy, I can see why this title wasn't a big success. But somehow this game's atmosphere left a strong impression on me. I would definitely encourage a remake of this game, thought I seriously doubt it will ever happen.

8) Loderunner : So addictive, this classic game

9) The Mind's Eye : Very strange game. I still remember that sweet woman's voice at the start "At twice midnight, I give you light". In the same category, I could also have mentioned classics like 7th Guest, Myst or Atlantis.

10) Star Trek - Birth Of The Federation : Civilization in a Star Trek universe, but very well done, safe a few bugs. Play as Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians or Ferengi for a different gaming experience (specific structures and ships, but also different layout and music). I can't wait till any of the 2 fan-made sequels is completed.

[Iowa]

Honorable Mentions:

Duke Nukem 3D PC...we'll just ignore the 64 version...
Combining pulse-pounding action with gut-busting humor and a B-horror movie plot, Duke still stands out today as...well, I think i'll let him do the talking: "Hail to the king, baby!"...'nough said.

Max Payne PC and Playstation 2
You. Yes you, the one with the keyboard and the Playstation 2, stop what you're doing. Go out to your local video-game outlet and look for this game in the bargain bin, it should only cost you eight dollars tops...what will you get for those five to eight measly dollars? One of the most unforgettable action-game experiences you'll ever have in your life. This game comes from both the creators of Grand Theft Auto and Duke Nukem 3D...no, really. And as if that weren't enough, they threw in the Matrix while they were at it...the result? Diving down a flight of stairs in slow-motion with two Berettas blazing, nailing your enemies through the head and listening to them scream in agony as they fall to their knees...i'd pay eight dollars for that. For the record, this is the first "Bullet Time" game, it invented the slo-mo in games, neat eh?

More comin' at ya later...

Oh, and I edited the first post, take a look.

[STFM]

Might as well be an extension of my top 3!

1. Fallout
I just love the atomic 50's style

2. Diablo (ps version)
Endless multiplayer fun

3. Eye of the Beholder 2

4. Streets of Rage 2 (genesis/MD)
Colourful, well proportioned graphics, good combat engine, cool special moves, balanced difficulty, 2 player simultaneous - loved it!

5. Shadowrun (genesis/MD)
It was more loyal to the FASA creation than the snes version. A bit difficult to control at times but was interesting to play.

6. Mega lo mania (atari st)
"The designs ready" From the strange lads at sensible software... Mine strange elements, get advanced, get numbers, kill the other guys on the little island (or "epoch"). Frantic and brilliant!

7. Killer Instinct (snes)
Good arcade conversion with a brilliant combo system which was easy to use but also enabled you to learn challenging "hack" combos

8. Speedball (Atari ST/Amiga)
I broke over 10 joysticks playing this game.

9. European Air War
Apart from my obsession with all things WW2, this game had a pretty good physics and ai engine combined with a large, talented mod scene.

10. Mechwarrior 2
I just liked running around in a big metal thing shooting other big metal things!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Iowa @ Sep 6 2006, 10:22 AM) [snapback]253009[/snapback]</div>

For the record, this is the first "Bullet Time" game, it invented the slo-mo in games, neat eh?
[/b]

Prince of Persia

[TheChosen]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Iowa @ Sep 6 2006, 12:22 AM) [snapback]253009[/snapback]</div>

Honorable Mentions:

Duke Nukem 3D PC...we'll just ignore the 64 version...

[/b]

What do you mean "ignore"??? 64 version was great! And it had multiplayer option against bots!

[Blood-Pigggy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(STFM @ Sep 6 2006, 12:06 AM) [snapback]253030[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Iowa @ Sep 6 2006, 10:22 AM) [snapback]253009[/snapback]

For the record, this is the first "Bullet Time" game, it invented the slo-mo in games, neat eh?
[/b]

Prince of Persia
[/b][/quote]

Prince of Persia had bulletime? :P

[Iowa]

Actually STFM, Max Payne came out before PoP...I believe...

And TheChosen, Duke Nukem 64 wasn't horrible...it was just mediocre...crappy save system, censorship, washed-out graphics, no auto-aim, censorship, passable multiplayer...censorship.

I had fun with it for a little bit...then I bought the PC version and never went back.


Extremely Honorable Mention:

Wolfenstein 3D just about every single one...

Well, I need not say too much, as the crowd i'm talking to already knows the drill: navigate maze, shoot people/things, find key, beat boss, repeat. However, Wolf3D is spectacular (like everything Id publishes), it just has this engaging factor that pulls you in and keeps you enlessly navigating trying to find that damned last key! A thoroughly enjoyable time by any standards, Kosta gave this game a 3...I believe our master is insane, guys.