Your all time favorite video game???

[PGchris]

Thats right, I'm asking it. I know it's kind of an annoying question that is incredibly hard to answer but I'm curious what games people hold most sacred in their hearts. Also it is completely understandable to list a top 2 or 3 if you can't bare to put one over another.(I know I will)
I have two games that I would consider tied as my favorite, as a lover of classic point and click adventure games I would have to say that Sam and Max: Hit the Road would be my absolute favorite of that genre and I have found memories of playing it over and over again with my brother when I was 12. My other favorite is completely typical and a total cliche but nothing can really compare to how blown away I was when watched the first cut scene from Final Fantasy 7. It's probably because I had the hugest boner for FF6 and Chrono trigger growing up and for some reason I've always found a way to be completely oblivious to gaming news and culture. So when I bought it I really didn't know what to expect from it, I just saw it in the used section of my local video game store and thought "whoa, the next final fantasy I wonder what happened to 4,5 and 6."(I know thats how out of it I was) I really wasn't a huge gamer I mostly played lots of sports growing but for some reason I loved point and click adventures with a sense of humor and RPGs. This is why catching up on so many games I missed out on now is awesome, but I'm realizing that there were alot of people who loved street fighter that are now awesome at it and I suck at it.

[Hatta]

Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire from Sierra.

[General Chaos]

Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire from Sierra.

That's an awesome first response. The first QFG is damn near the top of my list.

I'm going to have to go with Guardian Heroes though. No game can be perfect, of course, but GH is just so fun it doesn't matter. After playing it at a friends house back when it first came out I went out and got a Saturn and never looked back. What a life changing event that turned out to be.

[miked]

Shenmue.

I know Shenmue 2 is pretty much better in all ways, but a nostalgic felling like no other comes over me when I pop in the first one. I actually make a point to beat the game at least once a year, and this year im going all out. I plan on beating Shenmue 1 collecting as many items as I can, and of course all of the moves and junk, THEN using the VMU Tool Dream Explorer CD to hex edit my save to euro so I can continue in Shenmue 2. Word

[aaron]

either ms. pac-man or sonic 3. don't make me choose.

[vash23n]

its really hard to pick a favorite... i could maybe go by console... ill say adventure for the 2600 is at the top... its a simple game and maybe not my favorite to play over and over, but the one i admire the most as it was one of the first of its kind... same with super mario brothers on the nes... and maybe ocarina of time... not the first zelda, but i feel it really raised the bar on the genre (i know this is hotly debated!)

[PGchris]

Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire from Sierra.

That's an awesome first response. The first QFG is damn near the top of my list.

I'm going to have to go with Guardian Heroes though. No game can be perfect, of course, but GH is just so fun it doesn't matter. After playing it at a friends house back when it first came out I went out and got a Saturn and never looked back. What a life changing event that turned out to be.

Quest for glory is up there pretty high for me as well. I've always wanted to play guardian heroes but it's so damn expensive, it looks like it would be really fun to play with a group of friends but all my friends are homos and won't go near any video games unless theyre halo or call of duty.

[Jrecee]

If I was trapped on a deserted island and could only play one game. . . Sonic 3. . . & Knuckles if you'll let me cheat.

[fastbilly1]

Legend of Zelda

[Bootaaay]

Really difficult decision, there are many different things that can raise a game to the upper echelons of my estimation - the enjoyability of the gameplay, the depth and immersion of the system & game world and the overall experience conveyed by the story, graphics, sound & art.

For enjoyability of the gameplay, i'll have to choose Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now - I spent so much time playing CM2, the addictive combination of a crazy destruction derby with tongue firmly in-cheek humour and buckets of gore was a real winning formula for me and Carmageddon 2 consumed a good 3 years of my life, I always make sure I have it installed on every PC I get, just in case i'm feeling nostalgic.

As for depth & immersion, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind would be my definate pick. Morrowind has provided me with over a thousand hours of gameplay, and i've still yet to experience every facet of the richly detailed labour of love that is the setting for TES3, Vvardenfel. The game may suffer in the eyes of many from a multitude of flaws, but I and many others were able to look past these shortcomings and were rewarded with one of the deepest and most engaging experiences in RPG gaming.

Finally, for the overall experience I would have to choose Shadow of the Colossus. SotC is a perfect example of how beautiful art direction, a brilliant soundtrack & an engaging story can overcome what some might describe as frustrating & repetative gameplay. SotC is one of those rare games that are worth playing just for the experience and it's one of the few games that effectively challenges the idea that games cannot be considered art.

Honourable mentions; Discworld, Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom, Flashback, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Rise of the Triad, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Simon the Sorcerer, Snatcher, Super Castlevania IV