What do you consider the greatest game ever created?

[MisterGoomba | 132]

Pac-Man or E.T. on the 2600!!!

[GPX | 1,369]

I think “the greatest” game is somewhat of a myth. You can ask for the most popular game or the most purchased game, which is more easily quantifiable.

The reason why I’m saying this is that you simply can’t compare games between genres. How can you compare your favorite shooter to a platformer and to a beat em up? And then there’s the issue of constant sequels to a game that’s popular, do you favor the game that gave you the best first impression or the game with the best graphics/sounds irrespective of what version?

TLDR - SF2 (past)

           - Defense Grid (current)

           - ? (future)

 

[Inzoreno | 102]

I'm with Tetris, it's a game that basically anyone can just pick up and play, but it takes practice to get really good at. For the most part, it's been tuned so finely that it's hard to add anything to the game without ruining it and the same can mostly be said by removing it. If it was three blocks rather than for, it wouldn't work quite as well, same thing if it was five blocks. Alexey Pajitnov pretty much nailed the formula from the beginning and only a few tiny tweaks have beem made that genuinely improve upon it. There's a reason that even today, 35 years later, you can still buy the game on PS4. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

Objectively?  Maybe Super Mario Bros., Tetris, or Doom.

That's a pretty impossible thing to come up with though.  Like naming the objectively best book, album, or movie.

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

Your mom is a top contender. We all keep playing her. 

[captmorgandrinker | 1,649]

56 minutes ago, Andy_Bogomil said:

GTA is the same. People say GTA 3 was the greatest and it was definitely the biggest jump but so many things got fixed as the series progressed. I enjoy San Andres way more than 3 now but 3 is still the more important game in the series with the foundation it brought for everything that came after it. 

 

GTA III was pants-shittingly great when it came out.

Unfortunately, it didn't hold up all that well (especially since you can't swim).

[Strikezone1 | 154]

1 hour ago, jonebone said:

As much as I love SMB3 I have to agree it should get docked for not having a save feature.   Zelda came out in 1987 in the states as the first battery backed NES game (I believe?) and SMB was 3 years later in 1990.  The technology was there.

^I'm in this camp as well. Still a top tier NES game, but for as long a game as it is, it really should've had a battery save (or at the very least a password system).

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

1 hour ago, guillavoie said:

I've been saying for quite a while that Super Metroid could be considered a good  contender for greatest video game of all time in a 'pound for pound' comparison with newer and older games. So I'm going to say that, Super Metroid, yeah!

If Super Metroid had the later-style control scheme adopted by the guy that did AM2R, then it would be an even stronger contender.

As much as I love Super Metroid, there are elements of the play control that end up feeling just a bit too clunky compared to the later 2D games.

[glazball | 168]

Ocarina of Time has always been what I consider the best video game ever made.  I was happy to see (at least a few years ago) that critics felt the same when doing a meta-analysis of Top Video Games Ever lists.

That's still my answer, but I could also see any of these getting the same recognition:  Pac-Man, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Civilization II, Super Mario 64 and World of Warcraft.

[arch_8ngel | 1,597]

6 minutes ago, glazball said:

Ocarina of Time has always been what I consider the best video game ever made.  I was happy to see (at least a few years ago) that critics felt the same when doing a meta-analysis of Top Video Games Ever lists.

Having no nostalgia for OoT, since I was doing PC games that generation, my first 3D Zelda game was Twilight Princess.

I then went back and played OoT, and I really didn't see anything about it that would objectively stand out as better than the similar elements of TP, while TP wrappered on better graphics and more mature technology for the camera work and play control.

I can see how nostalgia plays a big role in thinking it is "the best", though.

Edited December 6, 2019 by arch_8ngel

[Splain | 2,569]

What role does historical context play? If Pac-Man were released today, it would be an indie that some people really get into but not much more. If Nintendo released SMB3 today, we'd all say "huh, neat game but I could just download these levels on Mario Maker??" Obviously we aren't just considering every game at the exact same face value. So how much better does a modern game have to be, to be able to defeat the historical significance/context of older games?

[peg | 370]

Zelda 64 the best game of all time.? LMFAO, I'd rather play the Game and Watch version than that shitshow.  Zelda 64 sucks.

I have to agree with Tetris if I absolutely could pick only one game.  It takes 2 seconds to figure out the basics and it's so simple to get into yet so hard to master.

[guillavoie | 1,208]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Objectively?  Maybe Super Mario Bros., Tetris, or Doom.

That's a pretty impossible thing to come up with though.  Like naming the objectively best book, album, or movie.

What the hell do you know about rating things?

Joking aside, while I agree it is something purely impossible to do, for movies there have been poll made among professional critics and movie makers to come up with list of the greatest films of all time. The BFI has one quite famous, for which Citizen Kane came in first for decades. But in the last years, it is now Vertigo who's coming first, which is quite interesting that such a long consensus for the greatest film finally changed.

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

Is the answer Mega Man 2?  It's Mega Man 2, isn't it?

It is.  It's Mega Man 2.  Mega Man 2 fer sure.
 

[Sumez | 2,949]

1 hour ago, Splain said:

What role does historical context play?

IMO none. If a game can't stand on its own outside of context, how "great" is it? Historically important, genre defining, influential, sure. But if you don't want to play it in favor of other current alternatives, what does that matter?

 

1 hour ago, Splain said:

If Nintendo released SMB3 today, we'd all say "huh, neat game but I could just download these levels on Mario Maker??"

Sure, if Mario Maker had any levels anywhere near as good. Mario Maker is great though, it's definitely up there.

 

1 hour ago, Splain said:

So how much better does a modern game have to be, to be able to defeat the historical significance/context of older games?

It just needs to be objectively better. The thing is, games can be really good at fooling us into thinking they are "better" by just shoving more shit in there. And if that works, then it obviously counts for something. But chances are you won't be returning to it later. If you find yourself saying 10 years later "oh that game didn't age well", maybe it wasn't super good at being young either.

Don't get me wrong though, tons of great games are still coming out nowadays. I can think of (and already listed) at least two modern games that I think are serious contenders for the best game ever.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Sumez

[MegaMan52 | 2,443]

If we're seriously talking about greatest games of all time, I think these two games qualify as honorable mentions (at the very least).

[Snappy | 13]

Robotron 2084 - longetivity due to being a high score game, challenging, rewarding, skill based, varied gameplay. Great visuals and sound effects.

Love the narrative of saving the last human family from destruction.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Snappy

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

53 minutes ago, JamesRobot said:

Is the answer Mega Man 2?  It's Mega Man 2, isn't it?

It is.  It's Mega Man 2.  Mega Man 2 fer sure.
 

It is the only Mega Man game Wikipedia considers best enough to be on their best list of the best. Not even Mega Man X makes it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_considered_the_best

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

1 minute ago, DefaultGen said:

It is the only Mega Man game Wikipedia considers best enough to be on their best list of the best. Not even Mega Man X makes it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_considered_the_best

Validated!  Good enough for me!

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

SMB for me. It's what got me into console gaming as a kid and I still enjoy playing it today. What it did for the industry has to put it in contention for that reason alone.

[Sumez | 2,949]

1 hour ago, DefaultGen said:

It is the only Mega Man game Wikipedia considers best enough to be on their best list of the best. Not even Mega Man X makes it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_games_considered_the_best

Anyone who thinks Mega Man 2 is the best of the series however, should really try out the rest of the NES series. You're in for a genuine treat.

[DarkTone | 984]

The best game that's not my favourite of all time? I need to think about this. 

[T-Pac | 7,539]

I feel like it should be impossible to pinpoint the 'best game ever' - but the more I consider it, the more I think Tetris is a solid answer. It's simple, it's satisfying, and the formula can't really be improved without changing the foundation of what makes the game so great. Bravo, Alexey Pajitnov.

-CasualCart

Edited December 7, 2019 by CasualCart

[JamesRobot | 5,800]

6 hours ago, Sumez said:

Anyone who thinks Mega Man 2 is the best of the series however, should really try out the rest of the NES series. You're in for a genuine treat.

Way ahead of you. 

Def love the entire series.  Some of my favorites. But it's like @DefaultGen said...

8 hours ago, DefaultGen said:

 best... of the best.

 

[nesmaster14 | 434]

For what it's worth, I have an oscilloscope at work (an HP 54602B to be exact), and it has an easter egg which allows you to play Tetris. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by nesmaster14