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Plain and simple.

Earthbound.

All I'm thinking right now is the Etrian Odyssey series.

Don't make me choose from the Fire Emblem series.

Mass Effect trilogy. Although Dishonored's a new contender, I have yet to see if it's lasting love or just a passing crush.

Return to castle wolfenstein

sid meier's alpha centauri

Super Mario Brothers with Mario 3 being close behind

Then probably Pac-Man

Probably RCT or Civ. LoL is close though.

Super Smash Bros. Melee

Although I also had tons of fun with Soul Calibur II (and still am with the HD Online version on PS3)

I don't even know anymore.

Chrono Trigger is up there.

Maybe Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty. I don't know why, that one game has a special place in my heart even though most people hate it more than the other games in the series. I thought the gameplay was really great and rewarded multiple playthroughs and extensive exploration to find little easter eggs and hidden treats.

The original BioShock... it lacks replayability but my god, that first playthrough was fucking magical. ranks among the biggest twists I've ever seen in any medium, it felt so good to use those plasmids and period-appropriate guns, and I was is awe exploring Rapture. The characters you encounter, even though it's only through recordings and intercoms, are still some of the most memorable. The Big Daddy fights were challenging and exciting. The variety in the gameplay choices you had was astounding. And all in all, it was the first time I remember thinking, "Hey, this video game has a lot of interesting shit to say about some interesting topics" and started to think of games as more than just hobbies and thought they could transcend the boundary into the world of art.

Braid was my first brush with indie games and it was beautiful. The puzzles were challenging and inventive, the story was abstract but made sense, and it was the first time I had seen the themes/motifs from the narrative directly inform gameplay mechanics. Really beautiful game with a lot of inventive new things I had never seen before. Deceptively simple and still beautiful to this day.

Final Fantasy IX, closely followed by Persona 3.

In post 11, Nexus wrote:Final Fantasy IX

I have this sitting on my shelf for about a year now. Should probably start is at one point.

(I've finished I think 3 other FF games in the past)

It broke my RPG virginity so it'll always have a special place.

tie between Nethack and System Shock 2

Honestly? RuneScape. It's a game that has captivated me for over ten years; no matter how much I keep giving up on it, I always return to relive the old things and experience the new things. I love the quests; there are such a variety of plotlines and types of quest. I also really like the multitude of skills to train and use, though I know RS probably doesn't do that the best. Finally, I think one thing that really hooks me into a game is the music, and RS does nothing but succeed at that, with over 700 music tracks including some very catchy ones and amazing voiced tunes. It gets so much hate but it's my favorite.

I think along those lines, a close second is Pokemon RSE. Once again, the music from that game is impeccable, and I think the graphical bump from GSC was enough to get me really into the game. The locations were so diverse and interesting so they took full advantage of the new capabilities. Finally, 3rd Gen still has some of my favorite Pokes so it's always going to be one that sticks with me.

Computer gaming it's tied between Starcraft and Myth 2 Soulblighter, I sunk countless hours into both of them growing up and still watch and play Starcraft to this day fifteen years later.

Console gaming it's without a doubt Shadows of the Colossus, after every year of university when I'd written all my exams and finished my placement hours I'd always break out the P2 and spend a day or two just working my way through it to unwind.

In post 15, Chevre wrote:Honestly? RuneScape. It's a game that has captivated me for over ten years; no matter how much I keep giving up on it, I always return to relive the old things and experience the new things. I love the quests; there are such a variety of plotlines and types of quest. I also really like the multitude of skills to train and use, though I know RS probably doesn't do that the best. Finally, I think one thing that really hooks me into a game is the music, and RS does nothing but succeed at that, with over 700 music tracks including some very catchy ones and amazing voiced tunes. It gets so much hate but it's my favorite.

Along these lines, World of Warcraft is another favorite of mine. It has a negative stigma now and may seem dated, but there's a good reason why every MMO since WoW has tried to copy what it has done.

In post 5, Svenskt Stål wrote:Return to castle wolfenstein

This was really good actually.

pokémon

Star Control 2

In post 1, Brandi wrote:Earthbound.

In post 10, xRECKONERx wrote:Maybe Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty. I don't know why, that one game has a special place in my heart even though most people hate it more than the other games in the series. I thought the gameplay was really great and rewarded multiple playthroughs and extensive exploration to find little easter eggs and hidden treats.

In post 14, Untrod Tripod wrote:Nethack

In post 20, Psyche wrote:pokémon

Warcraft 3.