1. Half Life (PC)
2. Duke Nukem 3D (PC)
3. Quake 2 (PC)
4. Age Of Empires: The Rise of Rome (PC)
5. Pitfall (SNES)
6. Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (PC)
7. Cool Spot (SNES)
8. Starcraft (PC)
9. Project Gotham Racing (XBOX)
10. Tekken II (PS)

Whoa boy, that one brings back some memories.

I downloaded that game not too long ago, surprised by how well it's aged.

For a game that is essentially one big 7 Up commercial, it's actually quite good.

So is that one Ronald McDonald game for the Genesis, which was developed by Treasure Co. Ltd, of all people.

It's about the most intersting game I think I've ever played.

YES! Water Temple is pure misery. It seriously takes two people to do this level. One to read off the complete step by step walkthrough and one to actually run the controller. It wouldn't have been near as bad (on ocarina of time) if you hadnt had to dick with the water levels every 2 seconds. Man it feels nice to vent this frustration. I would hate to think how many time I threw my controller over this game. Was it just me or was the Shadow Temple just as bad. I couldnt play Shadow Temple during the day because if there was the slightest glare on the TV I wouldn't have been able to see anything and fall into the abyss and get sent back 7 rooms.

Wow sounds like I hate this game, but actually Zelda is by far my favorite. I did a top ten N64 games thread not too long ago somewhere around here

Didnt see this until just now. Isn't Tekken great? I have Tekken Tag Tournament, I think it might be a a tad different than yours. Those 15 letter japanese/chinese character names just crack me up. Yoshimitinu and Hiachi Misimushu and then they throw in names like Eddy and Paul. I can play this game for hours. I couldn't wait to beat the game with a certain charater so I could see their "video clip" about them. And I always though the guy with the purple suit that turned into the devil was pretty good lookin for a cartoon character

These aren't necessarily my favourites but they all fit the criteria of being life-changing in some way. In an unordered order ;)

1. Baldur's Gate 1 - This game shook my world and changed my perceptions of what a game could be... for this is a work of art! There was a period when I was 13, and this game was pretty much all that my mates and I talked about.

2. Baldur's Gate 2 - The sequel (superior IMO) has to be on here ;)

3. Rollercoaster Tycoon - This was the first 'expensive' game I ever bought and i had a load of fun playing it. I suppose it appealed to the businessman inside me.

4. Battlefield 1942 - I've spent an endless amount of time playing various incarnations of this game with my mates and honing my sniping skills over the years. The only FPS I truly love.

5. Pokemon Yellow - I'm unashamed to be part of the Pokemon generation and pokefever was wild when I was in primary school. Trading pokemon by infrared was pretty novel at the time.

6. Age of Empires - An epic as hell intro to strategy games.

7. World of Warcraft - While I only played WoW for a few months and my life wasn't in danger of falling into disarray during those months, I'll admit it has a remarkable ability to consume time and indeed people. Its tendrils have reached out and throttled many people I know.

8. Heroes of Might & Magic III - As ancient as this game is, I've yet to grow bored of it and it's a big fuck-you to those who obsess so much over graphics that they forget about actual gameplay. This game rules.

9. Super Mario World - Such a fun game. I have many memories of playing this with my brother and neighbours. This is the kind of game which gives you a true sense of achievement.

10. Planescape Torment - PT was a very original game and a pleasure to play. Having a storyline is one thing, but having a thought-provoking storyline which really drives a game is another thing altogether.

Another game I have great memories with is Homeworld for the PC, wish I still had it.

Tekken II is epic win, the cut scene videos were by far the best part. Greatest fighting game ever.

I was always fond of Killer Instincts, and the Soul Calibur Series

I was never quite as big on the Tekken and Mortal Kombat series, too technical.

Smash Bros, Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Soul Calibur and Virtua Fighter are all ftw though.

Samurai Shodown is another fighting game I had many fond memories with playing at the arcade, I downloaded the emulated version for Genesis but it just ain't the same. :(

Great pick. I've been playing this game for years and still come back to it. I agree with you on the point about graphics. I never even finished the storyline to this game, just got enthralled in custom scenarios. I love games like this where you can spend a week just playing out one scenario.

With the exception of WoW and Planescape Torment (just couldn't get into it), this would be very similar to my list indeed.

Haha that's is true, damn I haven't played heroes in a long time. but I remember I got the game in like 3rd grade from one of those scholastic magazines. Also got heroes 4 which isn't a bad game at all.

Alright here's mine:

(In no order)

10. Grim Fandango (Lucas Arts 1998)

Possibly one of the best adventure games to come out, the artistic style was incredible for the time, the puzzles were well crafted and intuitive. The voice acting lived up to Lucas Arts' high standards and each of the characters was memorable.

9. DOOM I and II (id Software 1993/1994)

The first games I ever played, I was six of seven when my dad first showed me how to play so he could go off to the pub and get drunk. While they were no parental substitute, they did succeed in killing the time before my mom's custody days came in.

8. The Curse of Monkey Island (Lucas Arts 1997)

My first introduction to the Monkey Island series and I don't know if there really could be a better one. The cartoony graphics were very child friendly and the puzzles were well crafted so that younger audiences could complete them. The game succeeds in creating an atmosphere for both the younger and older crowd, something most games struggle with.

7. Duke Nukem 3D (3D Realms 1996)

The game took everything I loved about the DOOM series and added new elements, such as the video camera aspect, the ability to jump, and an assortment of fun weapons. When word got out that not only did I have a copy, but my parents knew and allowed it, I suddenly became very popular because it was a chance for friends to see pixelated boobies.

6. Perfect Dark (Rare 2000)

Tough choice between this one and Golden Eye, but I eventually had to give it up for the spiritual succseor. The original story, intriguing weaponry, and updated graphics ensured that this game was almost always in my N64.

5. Half-Life (Valve software 1998)

After I saw screen shots and a video back in '98 I knew that I needed this game. Luckily my mom is a huge tech junkie and periodically made enhancements to our PC to ensure that both of us could play the newest games. I remember going with her to EB games in '99 to pick it up and the clerk gave us the weirdest look because of how excited I was to get it. My mom explained to him that I had been playing First Person Shooters since the original DOOM came out that she had made sure to teach me the difference between real life violence and the violence in video games. He reluctantly sold us the game and I'm convinced he called child support, but nothing ever came of it. Both my mom and I got the game and there were times when we would have to kick each other off the computer so the other could play. Intelligent A.I. coupled with beautiful graphics (at the time) and new and innovative game play elements, no other FPS has had such a profound effect on me as this one.

4. Age of Empires/ Starcraft (Ensemble Studios 1997/ Blizzard Studios 1998)

My dad never really advanced with the FPS genre and instead chose Real-Time Strategy games. He thought that RTS games were more of a thinking man's game, whereas FPS were more reflex orientated. My dad is an extremely intelligent man and as such, he took great satisfaction in watching his careful planning pay off as the enemies quickly succumbed to his thought-out attacks. He then tried to teach me how to probably utilize my forces in Age of Empires, but I was young and far more interested in entering cheats to just obliterate my enemies. A year later Starcraft came out and I took far more interest with the careful planning and staging of my attacks, usually mimicking his style of playing. My dad and I never bonded on much, but I will never forget the hours we use to spend staging our attacks on the helpless Zerg or Terran enemies. I would honestly say that some of our greatest bonding moments were created by those two games, which is why they're both tied.

03. The 7th Guest (Trilobyte studios 1993)

There came a point somewhere in '97 or '98 where my mom stopped playing First Person Shooters in favour of puzzle games. Like my dad, my mom is a very intelligent and cunning woman, so for her games like Myst, The 7th Guest, and 11th Hour were perfect ways to utilize her intellect on the nights where I was with my dad. She eventually wanted me to start playing puzzle games as well as a way of helping my own thought and puzzle solving process flourish. She would sit behind me and offer me hints at how to proceed with a puzzle, and would scold me when I started to get frustrated and threaten to quit. However her instance paid off as I hit some kind of epiphany in the 11th Hour and solved a puzzle before she did. She was so proud of me and it was perfectly timed because I had just failed a test in school which she scarcely noticed.

02. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo EAD 1998)

The only other console game that will make it on this list, but it was really one of those games that struck a chord with me. It was truly the first "epic" game. My mom and dad were never big fans of console gaming, they always cited controls as extremely limiting and confusing. I think the fact that most of the ones I liked were one player games made them feel a little out of place. They could never really offer me any guidance because the games were usually easy enough to get through (minus the fucking Water Temple). My best friend at the time and I would take turns sleeping at each other's places on Friday, bringing our copies of Zelda to each other and taking turns playing. There was just a certain kind of magic to the game, that's the best I can really do, cite magic as the main reason I love it.

01. Tex Murphy: Under A Killing Moon/Pandora Directive (Access Software 1994/ 1996)

Very few games melded game play and a movie-like atmosphere in the same way that the Tex Murphy series did. Set in a futuristic San Francisco after World War III, you play as down on his luck Private Investigator Tex Murphy. Living in a crummy part of town where both normal residents and mutants congregate. My mom and I were both a little perplexed at first as how to proceed in the game, but when we started to understand the concepts of investigation and conversations we quickly became consumend by it. With an original story, fun game concepts, and great voice and visual acting, this game really became one of those things we both bonded over. We later purchased the sequel, Pandora Directive, which I still hold as one of the freakiest games I've ever played, and found it to be just as fun and addicting as Under A Killing Moon. The last game in that series Tex Murphy: Overseer failed to intice us the same was the the other two. If anyone is curious as to why my IM screename is overseer, now you know why.



Some other honorable mentions:

Dues Ex (Ion Storm Inc. 2000)
Mario 64 (Nintendo EAD 1996)
Indigo Prophecy (Quantic Dream 2005)
Call of Duty 4 (Infinity Ward 2007)
Army Men (3DO 1998)
System Shock 2 (Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios 1999)



Looking back on this, I really started to remember how much time my parents dedicated to gaming with me. Before I was born I don't think they played very much or at all, but once they saw the bonding capability that games could deliver, they quickly utilized it. Sure it wasn't going out and playing catch (although my dad and I would do that occasionally) they did take a gamble and it paid off. I think scenarios like this will become more common as the generation of people raised with video games starts to procreate, we'll definitely see a rise in parents paying attention to what their kids and playing or conversely, introducing their children to the wonders of gaming, making it a bonding experience like my parents made it for me.

I don't mind the Water Temple to be honest. Most games struggle to have a detailed and intricate level like that even today. Have to set a good few hours away for it though.

You forgot to mention the best thing about that game..

HELL YES! this game kicked tons of butt. so awesome hahaha. you remember rad racer?

rock and roll racing anyone?

funny how those two excellent racing games were some of the first titles made by companies only known for one or two franchises now (squaresoft and blizzard).

by far one of the best in the series. part 4 is really good too, unfortunately the powers that be decided that part 5 needed to be eff you hard even on the easiest settings.

---

as for me there are only 5 games that really 'changed' my life.

1 - crazy climber (arcade)

http://www.basementarcade.com/arcade.../ccscreen1.gif

i remember my old man having to hold me up to the cabinet so i could reach the two joysticks you had to move in order to make your character climb the building. it's where it all started. i was 4.

2 - metroid (nes)

my first taste of a game that actually had a 'story' and an ending. it was an actual adventure, you actually had to think and reason your way through the game. at least until you memorized the main path through it all haha. this is the first time i considered the possibility of a video game being more than just a high score.

3 - duke nukem 3d

not so much the game, but what came with the game - the build engine. the power to make a game was in my hands. it also inspired me to go back to school after dropping out of my first attempt at post-secondary education.

4 - quake 2

again, this one was less about the game and what i could do with it. the original quake was awesome but the tools for quake 2 were superior (the author of the user made world editor actually got hired by id software). unlike duke3d this was actual REAL 3d development. it opened my eyes to a whole new way of seeing the outside world (everything in wireframe - literally).

5 - crazy taxi

after graduating i started trying my hand at being a professional level designer with various development studios. i got paid to ripoff this game not once, but technically, 3 times. the last time i worked it, the first attempt almost tried ripping off my 2nd attempt to hand over as prep work on the 3rd attempt. i don't know if the NDAs are still in place but i'd rather not air dirty laundry.

regardless, this is what you get when you try ripping off a rather 1 dimensional game with development cycles shorter than a full term pregnancy.

Ambulance Driver Review for PC - GameSpot

the only thing incorrect in this review is that the announcer's voice was a graphic artist's instead of a programmer's. it changed my life in the way that i will NEVER work on a video game for a living again, i also hate the offspring now, and also refuse to play 'wacky' racing games.

Quake 2, a game that featured music that ACTUALLY makes you want to shoot ****.


Oh man I wish I could play this right now. One of the only hames I've ever actually stopped because of the music and said, "this is badass".

i remember slapping in ministry as my killing soundtrack of choice for the original quake hahaha

Crazy Taxi was the tits. What it lacked in any sort of longetivity it made up for in a good hours of pure fun.

Murray was kind of what I was alluding to when I said the game creates an atmosphere for both a young and old crowd. He was absolutely hilarious when I was a kid, even as an adult I love him to bits.

Here's my 10

1. Sinistar
2. Dragon's Lair for NES
3. Mario Party Advance
4. The Guardian Legend
5. Wonderpets save the Animals
6. Wii Music
7. Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix
8. The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
9. Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game
10. I need a Dispenser Here

I can't imagine why anybody would put Zelda on their list, that game is kinda stupid, I mean COME ON, time travel AND swords? and WHATS UP WITH that music?

You'd best be trollin.

Why do you think everybody should troll? That would not be conducive to a friendly atmosphere on the internet.

He is. He's winding people up. He won't be around long.

EDIT: Or he's just an idiot. I haven't quite decided.

yeah I just took a look at his posts.
He's one of the more unfunny trolls we've had.

Or he could just be revolutionary?

Revolutionary? No, Che Guevara was a revolutionary. I'm just a music fan.

Yep, he's a troll.

Can I just ban this guy and get it over with?

I'm pretty sure no one would object.

EDIT: 666th post. **** yeah.

He couldn't have gone with any of the 58 console Mario Party games, he had to go for the GBA one.

Hah. You actually just did it, didnt you?

*Round of applause*

I hope that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is in this list :D It's definitely the best video game I have ever played.

Animal Crossing is epic. Loved it for Gamecube (quit working, no more gamecube games for me unless i get a Wii) and I bought the one for DS too.

The one on Wii doesn't seem as great.

even if this person was a troll this is one of the best NES games that ever came out. imagine metroid crossed with the legend of zelda with boss levels that mixed up 1943 and gradius instead of dungeons.

yes it was THAT awesome.

Guardian Legend is a great game, but it's also hard as f*ck, even by NES standards.

I need to play this game again.

i never found it that rough. no rougher than the games it borrowed from. you just had to make sure to use the right weapons for each boss.

how about 'the legacy of the wizard'?

Played it only once, I don't remember what I thought of it.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l99/urbanH/jswad.jpg
Greatest game ever

Tom Raider, that was the only one!