People of General Gaming, lend me your mic inputs; I propose a vote, to decide once and for all (or until we lose interest) the best games of all time.

For the next week (until the 27/09/10 in our FUTURE AUSTRALIAN DATE FORMAT, or 09/28/10 for the rest of you), i'll be taking nominations in the following categories:

Best PC Game (1998-present)
The best PC Game made in modern times. I'm using Half-Life as the turning point from 'retro' to modern, because I think it defined it; also, i'm biased.
Best PC game (Up to 1997)
Best 'retro' PC game, from before Half-life.
Best PS3 Game
Best game for Sony's black box; this can include PSN games.
Best X360 Game
Best game for Microsoft's white...black...shiny...?...you know. Includes XBLA.
Best Wii Game
You know the drill.
Best PSP Game
Best DS Game
Best iOS Game
Best Console Game: Previous Gen
PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube and Dreamcast combined into one, easy to vote for category.
Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen
PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Saturn
Best Console Game: The Retro Gen
All of the old goodies, including old portables - so including (but not limited to) NES, SMS, SNES, Genesis, Gameboy

Note on multiplatform games: for games like Fallout 3/Assassin's Creed etc, put it into the category that you think represents the game best, or even just your personal preference. Or even vote for it in multiple categories.

Also, to prevent this from being a list of text, put a sentence or two telling us why this game was the bomb. This is for BEST games people, not favourites; so think of what makes the game memorable, not just 'i liek it'.

KK? Good. GO

i can't decide for most of these. but i definitely can for one.

best retro pc game: doom

PC - 1998+ World of Warcraft
Love it or hate it, it's undeniable that WoW has had a huge impact on gaming. Culture-wise, it's a phenomenon; it's reached people who never would have considered Ultima Online, or even a single player RPG, to pick up a mouse and click into Azeroth. Design wise, it is stunning; the gameplay, already good for an RPG, has been honed and perfected over time; as of the latest expansion, quests manage to make you feel like you're really part of the world. As for the world, Azeroth is a beautifully designed and diverse place, full of interesting characters, and a wealth of backstory. The best thing about WoW is that it offers unlimited gameplay; you can spend your time levelling characters, or spend that same time making one character uber powerful with equipment; you can even spend your time playing the virtual economy. WoW is the powerhouse of the MMO world, and is PC game design at its finest.
PC - 1997- [
PS3 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Nathan Drake's first adventure was among the early PS3 titles that really showed how far games had come in terms of graphics and storytelling. Naughty Dog took that award winning formula, and improved on it for Uncharted 2. The graphics that wowed in the original are back and improved; the story is top notch (the adventures of Nathan Drake have out-Indiana Jonesed Indiana Jones), and the gameplay is incredible. Combining Naughty Dog's platforming experience with the best parts of third person shooters and Prince of Persia-style environment puzzles, Uncharted 2 is everything a game should be.
X360 Fallout 3
There is nothing quite like the experience of emerging from Vault 101 into the decimated wasteland of Washington DC - looking over the broken landscape and seeing something that looks so familiar, with 50s and 60s styling, all gone horribly wrong in an instant. The perfect realisation of Cold War fear if things had gone differently, the Fallout universe has always been a deep one, and the first person perspective (as derided as it was on launch) sends you deeper into it. A world filled with little touches and beautiful set pieces, Fallout 3 is a fantastic game.
Wii Super Mario Galaxy
Mario made the leap into 3D with Super Mario 64, but (very unlike Nintendo) didn't make many more strides - Super Mario Sunshine was a decent game, but not quite as magical as SM64. Super Mario Galaxy brought Mario into outer space, and provided what is probably the best 3D platformer ever created. Which excellently designed levels and an actual story that ties it together; not to mention graphics that put 'the Wii is just a GameCube' naysayers to shame. The controls, unlike a lot of other Wii titles, never felt like a gimmick, but what little motion was required added to the game - spinning the controller to spin through the warp stars felt more natural than pressing a button.
PSP Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Ever since the first screenshots of PSP games, people called it a 'handheld PS2'. Limitations of the device - most noticeably a lack of a second analog stick - prevented this from coming true, and the device was relegated to 'also ran' games, with few system defining games to call its own. Peace Walker is the first game that not only feels like a full PS2 game, but would also work comfortably as a current gen game; no doubt due to Hideo Kojima's direction. Beautifully realising Metal Gear Solid for the portable device, the game works its way around the control shortcomings to provide one of the best adventures of Solid Snake.
DS Dragon Quest IX
What MGS:PW is for the PSP, DQ9 is for the DS; a full console game in a portable package. Providing hours of gameplay and decent graphics for the underpowered console, DQ9 shows that even though a system is small, it can still be a contender.
iOS Drop7
Drop7 is a puzzle game, but the first one that can truly lay claim to being 'the tetris-killer'. A combination of drop-blocks gameplay and number-based gameplay ala Sudoku, Drop 7 is an addictive time killer that never gets boring.
Previous Gen Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
The best game in recent times to recreate the feel of the classic movies - and it was set thousands of years in the series' past. A grand RPG with BioWare's signature story telling is a great addition to the Star Wars canon, and is just as great - if not better - than the original trilogy.
PP Gen Final Fantasy VII
Square's game is another game you either love or hate - but it showcased the capabilities of the PlayStation beauitfully. Jumping from sprite-based RPGs to a fully 3D game, with a huge world, beautifully rendered cutscenes and an emotional (if anime-esque) storyline, FF7 is the defining game for RPG fans of the PlayStation generation. Sequel-itis plagued the series afterwards, and it hasn't make similar jumps since, but FF7 itself remains a fantastic game.
Retro Super Metroid
Super Metroid had a cinematic feel and a dark and brooding atmosphere that made you feel like you were actually there with Samus - in a 2D scrolling action title. The planet of Zebes was forboding, full of mysteries and puzzles to solve to reach Mother Brain, and it stands the test of time as a SNES game that is still enjoyable now as it was then.

---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:32 PM ----------


i can't decide for most of these. but i definitely can for one.

best retro pc game: doom

That's the one I can't decide on :(

I've got heaps of games I love, but I can't think of one that encapsulates technology, gameplay, and storyline - Doom is definately tech, Civ II for gameplay, and Monkey Island for story, but I can't think of one game that is all three.

Hmm... This could be fun. I'll only put votes for what I've played though. So, my votes go to:

Best PC game (Up to 1997)
Star Wars TIE Fighter - Great space combat simulator. The controls flowed smoothly, the music fit the overall feel of the game brilliantly. While some may complain about games which take a while to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed playing through all of the missions and could play it multiple times.

Best X360 Game
Can I pick more than one? Too many for me to choose just one. However, I nominate Saints Row 2. For me, this was a truly free roam game, go anywhere I want, shoot whoever I want and just have a general blast. The only game I've played where one of the side missions, is to drive around and paint the town a nice shade of brown. The voice talent, while I'm not a overall fan of it, fit the characters quite well. Gameplay quite good as well.

Best PSP Game
Dynasty Warriors Volume 2. I've only played 5 games on my PSP, so I can only vote for what I've played on this system.

Best Console Game: Previous Gen
... combining PS2, Dreamcast, Xbox... bad Raidenex. Combining these all under one category. For shame. However... my vote goes to:

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on Xbox. A great RPG, with great story, music and characters. The gameplay (on Xbox that is) was easy to use, menu easy to navigate. The music fit the game well imo.

Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen
Mystaria: Realms of Lore on the Sega Saturn. The first Strategy Role Playing game I ever played. Easy to play, great story and characters.

Best Console Game: The Retro Gen
Breath of Fire II on the Super Nintendo. Great story, characters, music everything... I can't find fault with this game at all.

PC game: Portal - Not hard to see why. Incredibly fresh, incredibly original, perfectly executed on all levels.

Retro PC:

PS3: Uncharted 2 - Ok so not incredibly original, not incredibly innovative. But the very best executed game of its genre. I'd even say far better than MGS4 does stealth action, God of War does action-adventure, or Valkyria Chronicles does SRPG. Everything is solid, right where it belongs. Very few games measure up to that.

Best X360 Game: Gears of War. The 360 is the shooter console. It may have a good variety of other great games, but it always comes down to the shooters. Probably because it has some of the very best. Don't tell me how Kill.Switch had cover first. Tell me why it wasn't a huge success like Gears. Because Gears did a great job of perfecting both that idea and the seamless feel of combat that any game with an attack button should strive for. Yeah, including Halo.

Best DS Game: Nintendogs - I'll say I'm not a fan of pet-raising sims, but damned if Nintendogs didn't encapsulate just about everything the DS could do in one pass, and with a depth of mechanic that blurs the line between core and casual labels. It's always these really well done games I'd usually NEVER play that get me into them.

Best Last gen Console Game:

Best Console Game from 2 gens past: Metal Gear Solid. Way easy. Kojima is a gamer's game designer, man. Look at Tenchu vs MGS. That's the difference between just good and genre-defining.

Best 16-bit era Console Game: Chrono Trigger - It was either this or Street Fighter II. But those years might be a little RPG biased since I played a bunch back then. There's not really a lot to say about CT that hasn't been already.

Best PC Game (1998-present)
Team Fortress 2

Best PC game (Up to 1997)
Age of Empires

Best PS3 Game
Metal Gear Solid 4

Best X360 Game
The best games that I've played on the 360 were multiplatform, and I prefer playing those games on PC anyway (namely Mass Effect).

Best Wii Game
Monster Hunter Tri... by a lot. This game is easily one of my favourite games ever.

Best PSP Game
I can't decide between Peace Walker and Freedom Unite. If you wait a few months this answer will probably change to Freedom 3, though.

Best DS Game
Mario Kart DS

Best Console Game: Previous Gen
Metal Gear Solid 2

Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen
Metal Gear Solid

Best Console Game: The Retro Gen
Pokemon G/S/C


X360 Fallout 3
There is nothing quite like the experience of emerging from Vault 101 into the decimated wasteland of Washington DC - looking over the broken landscape and seeing something that looks so familiar, with 50s and 60s styling, all gone horribly wrong in an instant. The perfect realisation of Cold War fear if things had gone differently, the Fallout universe has always been a deep one, and the first person perspective (as derided as it was on launch) sends you deeper into it. A world filled with little touches and beautiful set pieces, Fallout 3 is a fantastic game.
I've never played the first 2 because I found the gameplay to be absolutely horrid. However, I don't think Fallout 3 is anywhere near as atmospheric as them based on what I've read and watched in lets plays on youtube. I liked 3 a lot, but the writing doesn't seem as sharp as it was in the first two. The setting was also pretty wonky, with D.C. still being a wasteland with GREEN SKIES 200 years after the bombings.

Also, SMS is so much better than SM64. I recently went back and played 64 and grew so tired of the levels that make up the second half of the game. SMS is awesome all the way through.

where to start? ive had systems for 18 years. guess ill go by what i had, and what games ive played.

Best Console Game: The Retro Gen - Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins. Sure, i have played nintendo, gameboy/gameboy color, & Genesis, but this game for the gameboy had well-made levels as well as bosses. the music was incredible, too.

Best Console Game Previous Previous Gen - Final Fantasy Tactics. although Chocobo Racing was a close race with that game, despite all the ratings, i really enjoyed that game. Final Fantasy Tactics gave me reason to play through the game multiple times and ive never looked back. Final Fantasy VII also came close with it's very good storyline, characters, and bosses. not to mention sephiroth.

Best Console Game Previous Gen - Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories. i had picked this game up around 2-3 months ago. i was really addicted into this game with its many characters, classes, and the dark assembly. the item world also kept me up. the kingdom hearts series was very good too, but it falls short to this highly addictive game.

Best DS Game - New Super Mario Bros. havent played many DS games, but my brother had this game, got eager to try it, wasnt disappointed at all. mario still had his touch after many years.

Best PSP Game - Riviera: The Promised Land. This game had many unique characters and incredibly good music to boot. great storyline. not much else needs to be said there.

Best Wii Game - New Super Mario Bros. Wii. the levels were very well done as well as the castle theme that really got me hooked. some of the levels in world 9 were difficult, but no complaints overall. wii sports resort came in at a close 2nd.

Best PC Game (up to 1997) - dont remember a lot of games i played in that era, but ill have to give my vote to Expert Pinball: Pinball 4000. although the game was a little slow, the music was fantastic. and it kept me entertained for a while.

Best PC Game (1998-Present) - Hoyle Card/Board Games 2005. Just barely edgin out You Don't Know Jack, Vol. 3, this series featured many new features, such as not havin to play with the cd. the characters kept me entertained for hours.

thats it for now. when i get a ps3 and a 360, ill post my vote for those.

Best PC Game (1998-present)
Theme Hospital. It was witty and interesting, and if it wasn't released in it's beta form due to EA gobbling up Bullfrog, it would've been a truly awesome game.

Best PC game (Up to 1997)
The Bitmap Bros' Gods: Into The Wonderful. The main reason being that the opening theme alone was really awesome for a game from the time period. But there's more: said game also has a learning AI that alters it's difficulty based on how well you're doing.

Best PS3 Game
LittleBigPlanet. Only played the demo, but the demo was awesome.

Best X360 Game
Lost Odyssey. Solely on the fact that the former brains of FF was behind it. Seriously tho, can't vote, don't have a 360 yet (need one to complete my vision of having a Trinity)

Best Wii Game
Animal Crossing: City Folk. Wasted almost two years on it.

Best PSP Game
Little Big Planet again. Only played the demo. But damn you, Spiderbait! I have Glokenpop stuck to my head every time I think of my PSPs!

Best DS Game
Animal Crossing: Wild World. Before the AC:CF, I spent a year on this one instead.

Best iOS Game
Plants vs. Zombies HD. HD it is not (it's actually XGA), but it's pretty much what I spend the most time on when gaming on my iPad.

Best Console Game: Previous Gen
Katamari Damacy, solely on the music alone.

Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. I'd love to nominate Lunar: Silver Star Harmony for the PSP too, but I have issues finding the UMD in Malaysia.

Best Console Game: The Retro Gen
Rocket Knight Adventures for the Genesis. Truly has the best graphics I've seen for the system.

ok here goes.

after much debate, deliberation, investigation and 4 liters of pepsi, ive come with my nominations for the best game ever in each category and why.
im gonna take into consideration replay value, cultural impact and if it really fell into the category of good, so obscure or "its so bad its good" games were omitted, dont expect big rigs over the road racing here.


BEST PC GAME 1998-present:
first of all, im not a pc gamer that much since im better having system ports of pc games, not that much into the mod community.. yet, but even i know of one game that is special above all:
starcraft.
if you didnt expect this, youre not a gamer.
why? not only it has one of the biggest fanbases of the world, it also managed to be made a south korean sport.
now the game itself is extremely good, ridiculosly hard at times but thats the fun of RTS games, youre gonna fail, and fail and fail, and yet you will continue playing because its that addicting. very few games manage that, specially RTS games where with one fail you already RAGE and curse all gods.
and dont get me started on the multiplayer. unarguably the best aspect of starcraft is the multiplayer. where battles can last hours, and strategy is the key here, as the balanced maps offer equal grounds to everyone, yet you will constantly fight the other players for that one stash of minerals and vespene gas.
starcraft is a timeless game that is a must have for anyone who games, pc or not.
sure, there are countless new games that are extremely good, some say even better than a 12 year old game, and they may be right, but if a 12 year old game still played by millions even with the release of its sequel and a plethora of other games, then it CLEARLY deserves to be the best pc game from 1998 onwards.
BEST PC GAME 1998 DOWNWARDS:
quake
it may come as a surprise to some, and to others, it makes sense.
while wolfenstein 3d practically invented the FPS genre, and DOOM made it popular, quake introduced us into what today is commonplace: online gaming. sure, it wasnt the FIRST online game, but its the only one who got a convention named after it, and keep in mind this was HUGE back then, pc gaming no longer meant having lan parties, you could now not only fight your friends each in their respective houses, you could play agaisnt anyone in the world, a huge revolution was born thanks to quake and, like starcraft, is still played by thousands of players today, myself included.
and thats my nomination for best pc game 1998 downwards.

working on the next category, stay tuned.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to regret anything I say in any of these categories, except for the PSP and PS3. So here goes nothing, off the top of my head:

Best PC Game (1998-present)
Half-Life 2. This is what first-person-shooters can and should be all about. This is how glorious the genre was before Halo and Call of Duty started their own monopolies in the market. It's the absolute BEST game of the genre and it's sucked so many wonderful hours of my life.

Best PC game (Up to 1997)
Again, I'm probably going to regret it, but oh well. Diablo

Best PS3 Game
Easily inFAMOUS. Incredibly fun, imaginative and overall very very good. It's just a shame that what I feel is the best game on the system, essentially lacks a storyline. PS3 has a lot of games coming out for it both in the near and distant future so that will hopefully change.

Best X360 Game
Haven't played too many games on this thing, but from the ones I have played, Lost Odyssey is the best one. The few hours of it I played anyway.

Best Wii Game
No More Heroes 2. Like, big time. MASSIVE improvement over the original and still, as always, and absolute joy from start to finish.

Best PSP Game
Crush. Very underappreciated game imo, and is easily one of the best puzzle games of all-time, right up there with Portal. I'm not saying that lightly.

Best DS Game
Again, haven't played too many games on this, but my favorites would probably be the Phoenix Wright trilogy. Essentially, they're different episodes of the same game, but I had more fun with them than any other DS game I can think of right now.

Best Console Game: Previous Gen
Don't even make me do this.
Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen
This is probably the generation I'm least familiar with. But I really enjoyed Oddworld: Abe's Exodus on the PS1. So might as well go with that.

Best Console Game: The Retro Gen
Final Fantasy 6

posting for later editing, making a "best of" is no fucking easy task. specially with pc and its "every time you blink 3 RTS games are released for pc" reality, its like counting the grains of sand in the sahara.
and yes, aside from a collector im also a videogame critic, so my reviews of my choices will be walls of text, brace yourselves

Walls of text are good, they make the thread more interesting - walls and walls of people listing games are boring :P

Just 1 game in each category? Talk about tight...

Alright, here goes:

Best PC game (Up to 1997)
Star Wars TIE Fighter - One of my favourite ever games, in one my favourite ever genres. Fantastic combat, great presentation (the sound of the TIE fighter is like the music of the spheres...) and the chance to finally put those damn rebels in their place! Loved it even more than Wing Commander 2.

Best PS3 Game
Batman: Arkham Asylum - I was never all that into comic book heroes (more of a Transformers fan), but I always did like Batman, (or more specifically the Scarecrow and Raz al-ghul). And this was a superb game, full of bone crunching combat and wonderfuly demented atmosphere.

Best X360 Game
Bioshock - Almost certainly my favourite game of this gen. The best atmosphere and gaming environment I've experienced in years and years (since Killer7 and Silent Hill 2, probably). Gorgeous gothic visuals, evil blood sucking kids, crazed psychos singing songs and clubbing people to death... does life get any better than this?

Best DS Game
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - The whole series really, as it features some of the best quality writing you'll find in gaming. Expertly crafted, the games are some of the funniest, saddest and most genuinely engaging experiences out there. Though set in the same courtroom, the writing can manipulate your perception of it, closed in and claustrophic, then spacious and filled with people, like a circus big top with the crowd joining in, or cold and menacing as you face true Evil. First Class.

Best Console Game: Previous Gen
Metroid Prime - Nintendo demonstrated that its remarkable reboot of Zelda to the N64 with a truly 'Best Ever' installment (Ocarina of Time) was no fluke, as they did it again with Metroid. A game which just kept delivering new delights, as you enjoyed simply exploring and seeing all the sights. One of the few games I would give 10/10.


Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen
Final Fantasy 7 - Still the most consistently enjoyable JRPG ever made, it was all muscle and no flab. Superbly paced and packed to bursting with great encounters and characters, as well as getting that tricky balance between humour and drama exactly right. One of the first games to convince gamers en masse, that games could move you emotionally and be truly epic into the bargain.

Best Console Game: The Retro Gen
Super Mario World - The best installment of the Mario series, and certainly IMO one of the most legitimately greatest games ever to be made. Easily accessible, but packed with so many levels at all gradations of difficulty to please even the hardest of the hardcore, some of the best level design I've ever seen, and filled with more imagination and magic than you see in whole generations of games. A timeless classic from a golden age of gaming.


Well, that's me.

Best PC Game (1998-present) - Portal (Really, the only PC game I've played post 1998)
Best PC game (Up to 1997) - Simcity (Really, the only PC game I've played prior to 1997 that I remember besides solitaire and minesweeper, and it was only for a few minutes)
Best PS3 Game - LittleBigPlanet (Uncharted 2 to is a close 2nd)
Best X360 Game - Left 4 Dead (My vote is strictly due to my love for the zombie genre, can't say I've ever actually played a 360 game)
Best Wii Game - New Super Mario Bros.
Best PSP Game - God of War Chains of Olympus
Best DS Game - Final Fantasy III (This is the only game I've played besides the Mario 64 remake)
Best iOS Game - Plants vs Zombies
Best Console Game: Previous Gen - Final Fantasy XII (Kingdom Hearts is a close 2nd)
Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen - Final Fantasy VII (screw you guys, I'm not one of THOSE fanboys. Also, Banjo Kazooie and Ocarina of Time are tied in a close 2nd)
Best Console Game: The Retro Gen Super Mario Bros. 3 (I'd also say Super Metroid if we seperated the 8bit gen to 16bit gen)

funfact regarding l4d, they arent zombies.

Hence the word genre. Technically 28 Days/Weeks Later, Resident Evil (games and movies), the Crazies and even Shawn of the Dead have no zombies, but I still classify them under the zombie genre.

Best PC Game (1998-present) - Portal (Really, the only PC game I've played post 1998)
Best PC game (Up to 1997) - Simcity (Really, the only PC game I've played prior to 1997 that I remember besides solitaire and minesweeper, and it was only for a few minutes)
Best PS3 Game - LittleBigPlanet (Uncharted 2 to is a close 2nd)
Best X360 Game - Left 4 Dead (My vote is strictly due to my love for the zombie genre, can't say I've ever actually played a 360 game)
Best Wii Game - New Super Mario Bros.
Best PSP Game - God of War Chains of Olympus
Best DS Game - Final Fantasy III (This is the only game I've played besides the Mario 64 remake)
Best iOS Game - Plants vs Zombies
Best Console Game: Previous Gen - Final Fantasy XII (Kingdom Hearts is a close 2nd)
Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen - Final Fantasy VII (screw you guys, I'm not one of THOSE fanboys. Also, Banjo Kazooie and Ocarina of Time are tied in a close 2nd)
Best Console Game: The Retro Gen Super Mario Bros. 3 (I'd also say Super Metroid if we seperated the 8bit gen to 16bit gen)
You need to go play more PC and DS games, man.

lol. My laptop sucks.

resident evil has zombies, both games and movies.
zombie: reanimated corpse.

l4d: mutated rabies -straight from the developers
28: RAGE infected
crazies: as the word says: crazies
shaun of the dead: reanimated corpses, hence, zombies.

dont try to argue with me regarding zombies. zombies have been my favorite monsters since i can remember.

Nuh-uhh. They're my favorite. :p

Resident Evil 4 and 5 don't have reanimated corpses, though.

It's nitpicking though, really. If they look ghoulish, are mindless and like to hang out in groups, I think it's okay to call them zombies.

but then shaun comes out of your closet and tell you that is ridiculous.
and yes, re4 and 5 had ganados and majinis, but who cares about those games? i certainly dont.
as games, theyre good, but as re games, they make me cry.
anway, im researching the best pc game 1998 downwards, will post tomorrow.

I think it's silly to claim they're not RE games because they have brainwashed mobs instead of reanimated corpses.

did i ever said that was the reason? because it isnt. zombies with that type of camera and freedom (to aim) would be too easy.
there are other factors that made me dislike re and 5 as RE games, not as games.

I agree with Rokusho on this.

RE4 and 5 didn't feel like RE games at all. They were more straight action games than survival horror (particularly RE5). RE4 started out well enough, but when you get to the castle and see monks manning gatling cannons and popping out from secret passages to snipe you with rocket launchers... It all started to feel a bit like a particularly violent episode of Scooby Do.

Plus, the story of RE was always building up to the final takedown of Umbrella Inc, and the eventual defeat of Wesker. It just didn't make any sense to have Umbrella beaten off-screen (though they later revisited this in the lame Umbrella Chronicles). Trying to start over with a new story would have been fine, but why couldn't they finish the first story before they did that?

Watching the intro to RE4 as it casually mentioned that Umbrella were finished, was like going through Metal Gear Solid 2's twist all over again. My joy was less than full...

At least RE5 gave us some closure on the Wesker thing though (even if it was awful - I don't care how tough you are, you can't stand in lava!)

But, really, how long did you expect them to stick with it as a horror franchise? And horror isn't all about monsters jumping at you unexpectedly. There's a reason newer Silent Hill games aren't as good as the older ones, and it's not just because they're being developed by different people (partly perhaps, but not entirely). It's no different with Resident Evil.

Resident Evil 4 was just the thing to keep the series going while taking it in a new direction. I've never enjoyed any RE game besides 4, so I didn't mind. I can understand why some people might be disappointed with the new direction of the series, though.

Sure, I'll give this a go. This is off the top of my head, so I may regret some answers, but oh well~

Best PC Game (1998-present): Ever 17
Best PC game (Up to 1997): Warcraft II
Best PS3 Game: Disgaea 3. The number of PS3 games I've played is pretty limited, though. Best PSN game is Scott Pilgrim.
Best X360 Game: Bioshock. For exclusives, Viva Pinata. I barely play the 360, so again, choosing from a limited selection of games. For XBLA, Braid.
Best PSP Game: Jeanne D'arc
Best DS Game Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations
Best Console Game: Previous Gen: Powerstone 2
Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen: Harvest Moon 64/Back to Nature
Best Console Game: The Retro Gen: Final Fantasy VI

But, really, how long did you expect them to stick with it as a horror franchise? And horror isn't all about monsters jumping at you unexpectedly. There's a reason newer Silent Hill games aren't as good as the older ones, and it's not just because they're being developed by different people (partly perhaps, but not entirely). It's no different with Resident Evil.

Resident Evil 4 was just the thing to keep the series going while taking it in a new direction. I've never enjoyed any RE game besides 4, so I didn't mind. I can understand why some people might be disappointed with the new direction of the series, though.

Honestly, as much as I love RE, taking it in a new direction was the best decision Capcom ever made for it. There's only so many games you can keep making with the same formula before it gets stale.

Best PC Game (1998-present): Starcraft - It's fucking Starcraft, a game that is STILL being played competitively to this day. If that doesn't show a great game, I don't know what does.
Best PC game (Up to 1997): Warcraft 2 - I didn't play many PC games (I still don't) but WC2 was an old favorite of mine.
Best PS3 Game: Metal Gear Solid 4 - Stunning graphics, great story that ties in everything, Act 4 was fucking great, I played this game nonstop for weeks.
Best X360 Game: Gears of War 2/Crackdown - I refuse to put multiplatform games and these were the best I came up with.
Best Wii Game: Super Smash Bros. Brawl - I see Wii as a console with too many minigame... games and I loved Melee.
Best PSP Game: Final Fantasy: Crisis Core - I enjoyed the expansion on the FF7 story and characters. This game gave me a mancrush on Zack.
Best DS Game: Ultimate Jump Fighters - Smash Bros with anime characters? online? Fuck yes.
Best iOS Game: Stupid category, I hate you RX
Best Console Game: Previous Gen: Star Ocean: Til the End of Time/Super Mario Sunshine - Two of my favorite games from that gen. SO:TtEoT was my favorite RPG and SMS is still my favorite Mario game of all time.
Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen: Metal Gear Solid - I still have the original PS1 disc ;)
Best Console Game: The Retro Gen: Sonic 3 & Knuckles - Best 2D sidescrollingplatformerevar (Can't wait for Sonic 4)

Best PC Game Present - Starcraft, I don't usually play RTS because they're not my thing, but this game is flawless. I have to admit that.
Best PC Game up 1997 - Quake, my fauvorite FPS of all time, the level design, the monster design & the ambience & the music by Trent Reznor culminates in this beautiful masterpiece by Id Software. Plus it did a lot of things technically & most of the FPS engines come from this game. The legacy of this game is also a plus that makes it unique.

I don't have a PS3

I don't have a X360

I don't have a Wii.

I don't have a PSP.

I don't have a DS.

I don't have a iOS.

Best Console Game Previous Gen - I don't like this Gen that much, but if I were to vote here. I would go with Final Fantasy XII, it's the only game that I really enjoyed(well tbh I did enjoyed some other games like MGS2), the graphics are fantastic, the gameplay is amazing, the storyline is full of potential with a lot of flavor but sadly bad executed. The soundtrack is entirely awesome too IMO.

Best Console Game Previous Previous Gen - Yeah Metal Gear Solid, nuff said, people talked enough about this game. So there's no need for my explanation here.

Best Console Game The Retro Gen - Super Castlevania IV Konami did something really good here, a game from 1991, the graphics are arguably the biggest achievement in a SNES game at that time, the combined use of the Mode 7 & the multi-layered sprites at that time when the console was still fresh on the market is something really remarkable. The gameplay mechanics are the most perfect thing you'll ever see in a Castlevania game, the game isn't unfair with the player like in the NES era, this is real challenge. The level design is problably the most twisted yet inteligently made in a side-scrolling platformer game. The boss battles can get just epic the first times you'll play this game. The soundtrack is also perfect, the new compositions are full of energy & the arrangements of the old song are awesome too.

EDIT: About the RE discussion ROKUSHO & Vrykolas, I totally support you guys, I totally hate RE4.

Believe me it's better that RE4 was what it was. If it wasn't, Resident Evil would be doing the same thing Silent Hill is doing right now. Sucking. You don't have to like it, but I'm sure we can all agree it was the best choice.

Best PC Game (1998-present)- Doom 3, I'm kinda surprised I haven't seen much mention of it yet. I thought it was awesome when it first came out.

Best PC game (Up to 1997) - Ultimate Doom, or the first Doom game however you want to call it. Doom II Hell On Earth was good too, but if I had to pick between the two I'd probably pick the first mainly because I know it better.

Best PS3 Game: Don't own

Best X360 Game: Batman Arkham Asylum, it's just a well done very dark Batman game.

Best Wii Game: Smash Brothers Brawl

Best PSP Game: Don't own

Best DS Game: Super Mario 64 DS, it was a great game on the Nintendo 64 and the remake on DS does it justice.

Best iOS Game: -

Best Console Game: Previous Gen: Metroid Prime, long as hell but sure is a lot of fun.

Best Console Game: Previous Previous Gen: Goldeneye 007, rareware created one of the greatest first person shooter games back then and it still holds pretty good today. It influenced many first person shooters after it's release such as the other great rareware shooter Perfect Dark on N64 which also used a lot of Goldeneye elements.

Best Console Game:The Retro Gen: Either Donkey Kong Counry or SuperCastlevania IV, it's hard to pick which was better as they both excelled graphically, musically and in gameplay, but if I had to pick one my vote does go to Castlevania IV.

Smarty:
Don't want to get this thread too off-track, so I'll make this my final word on the subject.

Silent Hill has dminished precisely because they drifted away from it being a survival horror. SH4 and SH:Homecoming, emphasised action over scares and story - to disastrous effect. The burping nurses in SH4 ruining the traditional scarefest that is the Silent Hill Hospital Level, was a particular low for me.

And you say RE would be sucking like SIlent Hill - but a great many people regard RE4 (and certainly RE5) as serious mis-steps. A hell of a lot of people do think that RE sucks now.

RE was a horror game, and its fans bought it because it was a horror game. Changing the genre to pure action has outraged and disgusted many amnong the core fanbase. There are *thousands* of action games out there - did we really need another one?

And what if other companies did it? What if the next Mass Effect game was a football management sim? What if the next Final Fantasy was a 2-D Platformer? The next Call of Duty a puzzle game?

I'm not saying RE4 wasn't a great game - it was a blast, and I could enjoy it for what it was, but it wasn't what I wanted it to be. Because it was a woeful RE game, gaining lots of new fans, but annoying and in some cases alienating the base. .

And the fact is, the series has painted itself into a bit of a corner. There is no obvious route for it to go down now. The original story is finished (belatedly), and the new story hasn't thrown up any new points of interest that a new game could explore.

If we're not careful, they'll pull a Command and Conquer 'Er... and now there are aliens from Spaaaace!'


Oh and Top - kudos for mentioning Super Castlevania 4!

Silent Hill 4 doesn't have nurses. Those are aborted mothers. The name patient has been given to them, but they are not nurses. Eileen's head and the various other sights don't exactly put Hospital world on the same tier as Brookhaven and Alchemilla, but isn't shabby in the slightest.

Homecoming would probably be the best in the series if it wasn't for 2.

Hey look I did end up fanboying this thread up. HUZZAH. It's been too fucking long.

:neg::neg::neg:

The burping nurses in SH4 ruining the traditional scarefest that is the Silent Hill Hospital Level, was a particular low for me.

You do realize that SH4: The Room was not originally meant to be a SH game at all, right?

Whether it was meant to be a SH game or not, and whether those are nurses or not, it doesn't make the game any better. The room itself was an excellent idea, as was the FPS view. Having it as the central hub, with all kinds of creepy goings on, I thought it was going to be a fabulous game.

And indeed, the first level (the subway) was actually pretty good. But it was all downhill after that. Terrible levels, forgettable characters and far too much focus on action. Action was never what the series was about - part of the whole point of SH was that your people were ordinary and not good at combat.

Which is part of what made Homecoming so unpalatable. Instead of being a regular guy, you're an 'extremely tough and handy at combat' regular guy. Again, too much focus on action, and it just wasn't scary at all.

The series has been ailing for years - SH2 was fantastic, but it was also the last decent installment. SH3 was a mish-mash of great and awful sequences, not helped by an unlikeable main character and a forgettable story.

Team Silent's other project, 'Forbidden Siren' is much better, capturing more of the atmosphere of the earlier SH games. Avoid Siren Blood Curse though - it's awful.

What about Shattered Memories? I thought that one had some good ideas, and was a pretty good remake of the first. Admittedly that one wasn't particularly scary either, but for different reasons.

Also, this thread is going WAY off-topic.

Whether it was meant to be a SH game or not, and whether those are nurses or not, it doesn't make the game any better. The room itself was an excellent idea, as was the FPS view. Having it as the central hub, with all kinds of creepy goings on, I thought it was going to be a fabulous game.

And indeed, the first level (the subway) was actually pretty good. But it was all downhill after that. Terrible levels, forgettable characters and far too much focus on action. Action was never what the series was about - part of the whole point of SH was that your people were ordinary and not good at combat.

Which is part of what made Homecoming so unpalatable. Instead of being a regular guy, you're an 'extremely tough and handy at combat' regular guy. Again, too much focus on action, and it just wasn't scary at all.

The series has been ailing for years - SH2 was fantastic, but it was also the last decent installment. SH3 was a mish-mash of great and awful sequences, not helped by an unlikeable main character and a forgettable story.

Team Silent's other project, 'Forbidden Siren' is much better, capturing more of the atmosphere of the earlier SH games. Avoid Siren Blood Curse though - it's awful.

Agreed my view on the post Silent Hill 2 games is the same.

I don't agree with Siren, the gameplay mechanics make the game unplayable. Also:

Hungry villagers for a dying alien make the village a living hell, Are you fucking serious?. That's stupid borderline hilarious. XD

i hated siren, i still do.

Threads can go off-topic in the service of Silent Hill as much as they want in this forum, no worries gentlemen ;)

Threads can go off-topic in the service of Silent Hill as much as they want in this forum, no worries gentlemen ;)


Which is part of what made Homecoming so unpalatable. Instead of being a regular guy, you're an 'extremely tough and handy at combat' regular guy. Again, too much focus on action, and it just wasn't scary at all.

You're kidding me, right? If anything, that made Homecoming so much more enjoyable and probably better than other Silent Hill games. This type of combat made the game more challenging with melee items because you had to strategize and time your movements and attacks carefully. Even it it wasn't "scary", this is what survival horror should be... not just having a gun and blasting anything you see. Not to say it wasn't a good formula in the past, but when all games of the same genre do the same thing, it gets old very fast.

I want to say something about the significance of Alex being combat ready. So here it is:

The fact that he's as capable as he is, given that he isn't actually a soldier, is one of the few extremely uplifting parts of Alex's tale. Power of the mind, and such~ He might be psychological damaged, but he was able to manifest these skills by sheer force of will to (seemingly) save his brother, Elle, and the town of Shepherd's glen.

I want to say something about the significance of Alex being combat ready. So here it is:

The fact that he's as capable as he is, given that he isn't actually a soldier, is one of the few extremely uplifting parts of Alex's tale. Power of the mind, and such~ He might be psychological damaged, but he was able to manifest these skills by sheer force of will to (seemingly) save his brother, Elle, and the town of Shepherd's glen.

Good effing point, Neg. Ilu. :)

I disagree, the combat on Homecoming is boring and dull, probably more boring than 4.

The only Silent Hill where I can tell that the combat is fun. Is the first Silent Hill on hard mode and only because the type of enemies that you fight, in 2 the enemies are slow & stupid. 3 is action packed, but the enemies that you fight don't deal lethal damage like the "whatever attacks you" on the Elementary school of 1, plus the enemies on 3 are so damn resistent that you don't actually need to fight them, just pass them away.

But I don't give a damn about combat in SH, as long as it doesn't slow me on the game.

In Silent Hill you should get slowed by twisted & amazing puzzles & get surprised by the creatures.

I don't know, that's my opinion.

Also Survival Horrors shouldn't be the way you say Arigeitsu, Survival Horror games should be the way the game requires for you to survive. SH at the core wasn't about combat, this game was about a cinematic experience with emphasis on puzzles & character development, because the horror is psychological. RE was about on how well you admin your bullets for the big guys later. Call of Cthulhu DCotE was about how awesome you are at sneaking & fight only if it's mandatory.

I'm not saying that Silent Hill shouldn't have combat, I'm saying that it has to be secondary.

I disagree, the combat on Homecoming is boring and dull, probably more boring than 4.

The only Silent Hill where I can tell that the combat is fun. Is the first Silent Hill on hard mode and only because the type of enemies that you fight, in 2 the enemies are slow & stupid. 3 is action packed, but the enemies that you fight don't deal lethal damage like the "whatever attacks you" on the Elementary school of 1, plus the enemies on 3 are so damn resistent that you don't actually need to fight them, just pass them away.

But I don't give a damn about combat in SH, as long as it doesn't slow me on the game.

In Silent Hill you should get slowed by twisted & amazing puzzles & get surprised by the creatures.

I don't know, that's my opinion.

Also Survival Horrors shouldn't be the way you say Arigeitsu, Survival Horror games should be the way the game requires for you to survive. SH at the core wasn't about combat, this game was about a cinematic experience with emphasis on puzzles & character development, because the horror is psychological. RE was about on how well you admin your bullets for the big guys later. Call of Cthulhu DCotE was about how awesome you are at sneaking & fight only if it's mandatory.

I'm not saying that Silent Hill shouldn't have combat, I'm saying that it has to be secondary.

I don't get it though... with melee items in SH, that's pretty much what half the game was... combat. In past games, you could either choose to shoot or combat the foes. In Silent Hill Homecoming, they essentially expanded the ability of combat giving you the ability to dodge and counter which at essence is survival horror and more realistic. And you could do the admin of your bullets as well for bigger bosses... it has the best of both worlds.

The thread is getting off track, so I'll just finish up my thoughts on Survival Horror here, and have done with it.

I *love* the story in Siren (and Siren 2). I got so engaged with how the timeline jumps around, so you only realise certain things about characters and the story much later on, when the game unlocks a sequence that happens early on, and that informs later scenes.

The gameplay is certainly an acquired taste and I think even the series greatest fans (of which I am one), would admit it really does push its luck with how fiddly and hard (in the first game anyway), it is.

I don't see what is supposed to be so silly about the story - it's just like 'The Wicker Man' except that the 'Old Gods' that the people worship actually do exist. I like it for the characters, and how they don't pull their punches, with murders, suicides, insanity, redemption etc.


As for survival horror in general, I couldn't agree more with Top. RE was a blending of action and horror, but it needs both to be truly successful. Installments like RE3, 4 and 5 that focus just on the survival aspects, diminish the impact of the series.

And in SH, the whole point was you are no good at combat. It made you feel vulnerable, but it also made it feel more real, like you were just a regular game in an insane situation that was actually happening and which you had to find any desperate way you could to survive.

When you know you can beat anything that rolls up, it makes you feel powerful and reduces any fear you might feel. The combat in the earlier games was makeshift and desperate - in the later games, it is routine and just like any old game.

But more than that, I felt the later SH games just haven't got that magic formula right. All horror has to cope with the problem of potentially looking silly, rather than scary. Even something which should be terrifying, often doesn't translate to the screen in that way.

SH2 was masterful, in that the scares and the atmosphere really worked. In the later games, it is much more hit and miss. For every genuinely creepy moment, there are plenty of sequences that make you laugh out loud, or just frown because of how lame it looks.

You said it Agi, they've expanded that. An aspect that was completely secondary to it's very core. That's why it loses it's magic.

Besides the combat in Homecoming is so stupid, boring and dull that you pick up a knife put side by side with a nurse then play some DDR, until you see the nurse fall then it's the same thing over & over again. That isn't the best of anything to me.
If you want to see balance on action & horror, go get yourself a copy of Call of Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth.