So Jeff, what are acceptable best games ever?

As alluded to on the Bombcast, there are a number of games that Jeff will accept as valid "best game ever" contingent on when you were born.  So (wiithout judging people) let's start the list and maybe Jeff will chime in with what is acceptable and what isn't.   Obviously this list depends on context, so say a little bit (3 sentences) about your gaming life to we understand why you put your answer.  Please don't respond that someone's answer is crap . . . that is for Jeff to do if he has time.
 
I was born in 1978, but didn't start playing games until I was in high school.  I had a TurboDuo until I got an N64.  NO SUPER NINTENTO!   
 
My best game ever is the original Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast.

The best game ever is Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo.
 
No, it probably isn't. But it's up there.

Pokémon Red and Blue. Introducing the entire world's youth to RPGs. 
 
Splendid.

AfriKa.

Well here is his list on it, which I'm sure isn't complete, but it's a start.
 
Either way, I'd probably go for Grand Theft Auto. It is by no means my favourite game of all time (actually, I didn't particularly enjoy it at all), but it's had wide reaching impact on the industry. The game & the controversies it has caused has had a big impact on the gaming industry, and has shaped it into what it is today. Any game that shapes the game industry as significantly as GTA has, has got to be considered truly great.
 
But, having said that, Jeff's Tetris answer is up there too. That has had pretty far reaching impact on the industry too, and I love Tetris too, so I have a personal attachment too.

Resident Evil 4 or Silent Hill 2, as a horror fan.

I will personally say god of war, it had fantastic storytelling and fantastic action.  Just what i needed

I wonder what he feels about The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion, my all-time favourite. He's said in the past that he really liked the game, but I wonder just how important he thinks the game was.

I find the term "Best game ever!" to be meaningless to me. The amount of times I've heard it being applied to many games dulls the sensation of it all. It's very subjective to many people.

I know it's a cliché almost at this point but Ocarina Of Time should be on the list.

Shouldn't it?

It would be my answer anyway.

Shadow of the Colossus.

Born in 89, my first system was my uncle's old Master System that had one game on it that I don't remember the title. You land on some alien planet and go underground in a series of blue-ish tunnels and need to find a keycard and I could never find it. My first actual system was the original PlayStation, though. I kind of have two games I call the best, just 'cause I'm indecisive. I'd say Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for the PS1 because that game did everything right and had me glued to the TV longer than any other game on the system and the other would be Persona 3.

I was already a fan of RPGs before it but I had grown kind of bored with the genre's decision to abuse stereotypes and follow cookie-cutter storylines. P3 was a radical change from all of that and with it was a soundtrack I fell in love with, characters whom I still remember all their names by heart and love them, a simple and fun combat system, beautiful art, a deep persona fusion/social link system and a story that was original and addicting. It basically rejuvinated my love for the genre and made me go back, play Persona 2 and mindlessly wait for Persona 4's release. In many ways, P4 is technically better than P3, but P3 has this special little place in my heart that keeps it as my favorite game.

That's just my take, anyways.

Ocarina of Time. It isn't my favourite game at all, probably not even in my top five, but I think it's easy to see why that game is worthy of the title. It showed how 3D adventure games should be done and has inspired a lot of developers to try and capture the same essence in later titles, even Miyamoto himself, to varying degrees of success. 
 
The game was really ahead of its time with its mechanics and hooked you in with a gripping storyline, which was really interesting given the amount of lore which had been written as backstory to put you into that world. Exploring Hyrule and diving into each of the various dungeons and hidden areas around it was a blast; still is.
 
Edit: I'm a relatively young 'un I suppose, Prince of Persia on the PC (the original) was my first game. I do appreciate a lot of older titles but obviously the N64 and SNES were more prominent during my childhood. Maybe that has an impact on my choice, I dunno; you lot can decide that for yourselves.

" Well here is his list on it, which I'm sure isn't complete, but it's a start.  

Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
 
You've got the gameplay, the graphics, and for my money the best video game soundtrack ever. What more could you want?

Oblivion
Super Mario 64
Ocarina of Time
Link to the Past
Tetris
Super Mario World
GoldenEye 007
COD4
Half-Life
 
hmmm i think i will start a few lists....

vice city

Super Mario Bros. 3 is my favorite game ever. The platfromer that did everything right. It didn't do it perfectly, but it did right. 

Pacman. 

monkey island is a great game 
but then again so was time splitters or perfect dark!
sonic had its moments 
Legend of Zelda always gonna b one of the best
 there are many best games ever as long as i have a game to play i won't complain

Jeff once said on a Points Report that he'd accept Super Mario World as 'Best Game Evar', so I'm happy

My personal "best games ever" are Half-Life and Super Mario 64. Such huge impacts on what games today are, and what the gaming world was like at that time period.

One thing to consider is time. Obviously, Half-Life 2 is better than Half-Life from a technical perspective, and many would indeed say HL2 is the better game, but I had more fun with the first game. I suppose it's the narrative, it felt fresh when I played the first game, and while HL2 is a superb game, HL has a nostalgic quality that HL2 does not. I know I wouldn't discount anyone for saying either game was the best game ever made though.
 
I can't help but having an undying love for Final Fantasy VII, a game that seems to inspire both love and hatred(most often unjustified, the hatred is more often than not targeted at the people who like the game). Is it perfect? Well, no. Nothing is perfect, but it's good. It delivered a unique experience(at the time, it's success inspired countless imitators). Still, many people inside the many FF communities would say it had a weak villain(despite Sephiroth being one of the most popular game characters of all time) and detest the direction the series ended up going in. They would tell you FFXI, or FFIII is the best game ever made.

I heralded GTAIV as a possible candidate for the best game ever made last year, and though it's definitely in my personal top 10, four games are above it.
 
Super Mario(the main series) is a series that continuously strikes gold, with such notable games as SMB3, SMW and SM64. Still, my favorite of the series is SMB. Why? It was the first game I owned. It's the first game I played for more than 10 hours in total, and it's a game I could always come back to.
 
Still, above SMB I would place Mega Man 3, which many would call an odd choice, and others would wonder why I wouldn't go with Mega Man 2. It is indeed an odd choice, considering I never owned the game. Hell, I didn't really play it that much, I mostly played 4 and 5 as a kid. My affinity for MM3 can only be described as a result of a more adult, critical mind, and a more skilled hand. MM3 has the best music, it's the most challenging and it introduced Proto Man... okay, his inclusion flies in the face of what I said about challenge, but still, a great game. MM2 gets credit for having the awesomest stage song though. Coincidentally, this is reportedly Inafune's least favorite Mega Man game...
 
Finally, we come to Oblivion. Where to begin... I'm actually not sure. There's nothing about the game that really stands out, because every significant aspect of it is so well done. The combat is fun, the stealth stuff too. The magic allows you to feel very powerful without actually making you overpowered. 
 
When dealing with the best game ever, nothing but the most obviously wrong, is wrong. As long as there is some reasoning behind it, any game could be claimed to be the best. This is mostly because no two people are alike. Most people won't claim as I do, that FFVII is the best, and maybe I don't really claim that either. It's definitely my favorite and a candidate, but I'm not 100% sure it's the best. I just feel that way right now, and have felt that way for a while now.

Resident Evil 4. 
GTA: San Andreas.

Best game ever ! is as useless a term as: My best friend !

I'd have to say Quake 3 Arena, it was such a fresh feeling game, simply done well. 
 Plus allowing mods and custom maps was brilliant. 
 More games should be like that, smooth, quick, actionpacked. 
 
Edit addition: Saying all that; it should probably be the original Quake, but 3 grabbed me personally.

Super Metroid... somebody had to say it!

metal gear solid. one of the VERY few games i can go back and play at any time, and enjoy it just as much as i did back then. there are other old favs i have, such an example would be resident evil 2, but i could hardly take that game serious anymore. i still enjoy it, but more for a laugh than anything.

" I'd have to say Quake 3 Arena, it was such a fresh feeling game, simply done well.  Plus allowing mods and custom maps was brilliant.  More games should be like that, smooth, quick, actionpacked.  Edit addition: Saying all that; it should probably be the original Quake, but 3 grabbed me personally. "

For me, it has to be Ocarina of Time. N64 was my second videogame console ever, and Ocarina of Time was such a great 3D gaming experience. It changed gaming for me completely.
 
Taking his question out of my specific context, I'd have to agree with Jeff's assertion of Tetris as the #1 answer for the question of best game ever. It's still addictive to this day, and it appeals to almost anyone.

Not necessarily my favourite of all time, but I guess I'd say Mario 64 would be the best, for me at least.

Two Worlds

" Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest  You've got the gameplay, the graphics, and for my money the best video game soundtrack ever. What more could you want? "

Baldur's Gate 2

" Two Worlds "

It's not my personal favorite, but I think Ocarina of Time is the best game ever made.

Halo3
 
 
yeah i dont care what you think.

tetris