I've played a few thousand games, and deiciding which one is the best without some further criteria is like choosing between my thousands of babies. So, today we're breaking it down by the most objective means I can think of, raw time played. To that end, the ten games into which the most of my young life has been invested:
In my opinion, there has never been a more fun game to play than this. It is a true role-playing game without a heavy-handed story to shove down your throat (which I also love, see below), only opportunities for the player to play the role they want to play and tell their own story. No other game has done this better, and it is exactly what they need to be doing. I have owned the Genesis cartridge since 1995, and still play it at least bimonthly. I doubt I will ever play a game more than I've already played this.
Another game that ranked itself up largely by my having it when I was a kid and had limitless free time and also being infinitely replayable. The high point of my favorite franchise, you can play this game on nearly any PC (I'm looking at you, netbook owners) and never ever be bored. If turn-based strategy doesn't bore you by it's very nature, you twitchy little whelp.
Two Microprose games in a row, I know, but what can I say Sid Meier is my favorite game designer by far. This game consumed my life at a very young age for a very long time. I rebought it on Steam a while ago and didn't enjoy playing as much as I'd hoped, but I can't imagine I've been able to spend more time on anything other than the top 2 than this.
The first multiplayer oriented game on the list, I guess I'm lonelier than I thought I was. This game was the best part of randomly having a misanthropic group of friends that owned multiple Dreamcasts and only one N64 between us. All we did for about two years in high school was play this game. To settle who was best, we had the two best players (Ian and Peter) among the five of us play a hundred straight matches as Siegfriend and Voldo, the favorite respective characters, on the same stage in one sitting. 51-49 Ian. This is the best fighting game of all time. The controls are perfect, the graphics are perfect, the characters are awesome. I'm smiling right now and wishing I still had a working Dreamcast just thinking about it.
Sixteen player matches in the fraternity house in college. All day, all night. So much Halo. We used to run around the rooms of the house spinning our fingers around our heads to indicate that anyone near an Xbox was to turn it on and get in the game. I miss living with 44 people in 22 rooms that were all LAN'd together. I doubt I'll ever be in as perfect of a multiplayer gaming environment again.
This game makes the list simply because it's the only one where I've maxed out the play timer on a save file t 99:59. I got everything. I even beat Ruby Weapon. Eat it.
At uncertain times in my life I develop a Miss-Cleo-like relationship with Solitaire. I'm not sure when it began, but when I'm putting something off or really worried I'll play it endlessly and be either worried or encouraged by my success. My therapist has heard all about it, he's as confused as you are.
I'm not sure how many times I've beaten this game, only that it's a big number. I once witnessed a man in the depths of an acid trip wearing prism glasses beating the last Bowser stage without ever allowing Mario to break stride. It was a weird and amazing thing to watch, but made me realize that this game resonates in a very special place in the mind. It's so natural to play, so perfectly designed, I can't imagine liking a platformer more. Yes, that includes all the other Marios. Also, my best friend from second grade whom I haven't seen since then and I beat this game for the first time almost in one sitting because he was about to move to Alaska and we had to finish before then. Ahhh memories....
My portable favorite, we've been together three times, and each one has been at least as satisfying as the last. It's a mammoth game in which I STILL haven't unlocked everything. I've memorized most of it's 300-plus pins, it's highly original story, and the intricacies of it's revolutionary, difficult, but rewarding beyond measure battle system. I'll play it again, and I think if any game ever deserved a sequel that isn't going to get one it's this game.
My favorite JRPG. Beaten it three times, even though there's really no reason to play through it again other than that it's the best JPRG, and possibly even story-driven RPG of any kind, ever. The only reason it isn't ranked high is it's relative brevity (20 hours or so). The tale it tells is one of the best I've heard from anything and the gameplay, graphics and music are endlessly charming. My first playthhrough was in 1996, my last 2009.
