2015 "BEST GAME EVER!!!" Nomination Thread

[Kong Wen]

Just a couple of clarification questions on some nominations so far:

The Shoemaker - Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Should this be a nomination for the 2011 3DS game, the 2012 Wii U game, or are they basically the same game? My guess is that they're the same game.

Kreegs - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - You qualified "with Knuckles?" In the past we counted Sonic & Knuckles as a separate game. Does anyone have any input on whether that's a valid approach? Should we consider Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as unique, individual games again?

Kreegs - Tetris - You mentioned the Game Boy and NES versions. We considered these separate games last time. How do people feel about that approach this time around?

[Kong Wen]

Wow. No limit on the amount this time? That's unexpected.

It's a trade-off with the weighting system now. Each additional game a person nominates skews them slightly lower in the initial rankings, but then we all know that lower-ranked games can shoot up the standings once the voting starts.

[Magic Hat]

No great order

1) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3)

Fun gameplay and all, a very well made shooter, but it was more the events in the story that stood out in my mind.

Spoiler

Like being driven through the streets of your fallen city, your government overthrown and you on your way to execution.

2) Metal Gear Solid 2 (PS2)

My first of the series, had no idea what kind of story I was getting into and I loved it. Enjoyed 1, 3 and 4 since, couldn't get into Ground Zero.

3) Final Fantasy X (PS2)

My first. Tidus was a bit annoying but I enjoyed the world, the characters and the romance. Plus Bliztball.

4) Bioshock (PS3)

I couldn't play it in the evening, I found the atmosphere in the dead city that haunting. I also planned to play evil but one look in their eyes and I could not. Haunting atmosphere, memorable characters, the haunting recordings, strong story, brilliant songs overcome the not that great gameplay.

5) Bioshock Infinite (Ps3)

Went for something completely different to the original (whereas the 2nd stuck a bit too closely) and that worked in it's favour. I did prefer Bioshock 1 but my sister preferred this one.

6) Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)

The score system being based on speed was annoying as was long load out times but loved the game. The main set of characters were a lovely group, the story, strong villains and lovely graphics.

7) The Last of Us (PS3)

Much preferred it over Uncharted, as much as I enjoyed those, had to gon easy. The apocalyptic world and the two strong leading characters made for a great adventure.

8) Neverwinter Nights (PC)

My first real RPG. Some of the habits from then have stayed with me in other rpg's: evil-ish mage, loved a romance. The "only one companion" at a time feels really dated now but was a very good game for me, I still remember characters like Toni, Fenwick, Linu, Sharwayn.

Spoiler

Still remember how upset I felt when Fenwick was executed

, also the most risqué of the series. Played all the expansions, played the second series (better gameplay, less memorable story) and so on.... Nearly went for Mask of the Betrayer which managed to capture the dark tone

9) Saints Row 2 (PS3)

Sometimes one just needs something silly. In my blue or purple car, my male character wearing good looking and hard earned clothes, perhaps an earing, enjoying the music and doing something over the top.

10) Spec Ops: The Line (PS3)

Haunting.

11) Dragon Age Origins (PC)

Only just finished the main campaign. I love the world, that blood stays on the clothes awhile after a fight, the story, characters like Morrigan and Alistair, the romance options.

12) Catherine (PS3)

The puzzle elements grew an increasing nightmare but the moral dilemma's made me think and I enjoyed the story.

13) Mass Effect 3 (PC)

The end of my internationalist, fairly goodie spectre. Finally got the paragon/renegade system into a good system, lots of nods to the past, my lovely companions of old and new standing out, exploring the galaxy.

14) Borderlands 2 (PS3)

Loved the franchise, my sister and I playing alongside each other. I'm either the Sniper or the Claptrap, enjoy the humour and the strange characters on the messed up planets, good gameplay though can be times where it feels a bit of a grind getting to the next objective/story.

15) Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3)

Slightly prefer it due to compactness vs City but was also the first time I really got the Joker thanks to Mark Hammil

16) Tomb Raider (PS3)

I wasn't a huge fan of the originals, my sister loved them. Didn't warm to Lara or the crew but enjoyed the action, the story, good pace and the relics. Needed more tombs though

17) Overlord (PS3)

A bit of a silly game but I have fond memories of it and my minions despite the control system.

18) Dynasty Warriors 7 (PS3)

Revived a franchise that was being dragged under by too many characters and very dated gameplay. Have always been fond of the franchise due to my love of the three kingdoms despite it's failings so was glad to see it doing well again. Also Liu Shan!

19) Hogs of War (PS1)

[VictorViper]

Kreegs - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - You qualified "with Knuckles?" In the past we counted Sonic & Knuckles as a separate game. Does anyone have any input on whether that's a valid approach? Should we consider Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as unique, individual games again?

Kreegs - Tetris - You mentioned the Game Boy and NES versions. We considered these separate games last time. How do people feel about that approach this time around?

My take is that they (Tetris and Sonic) should be considered different games. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were separate games with a combi-pack gimmick. Original intent should have no bearing on the final result. Star Wars was "supposed to be" one film. As for Tetris, they controlled differently (slightly but critically) and the GB version offered different modes. It is a game that has had 25 years of iteration, so if we don't separate these then we shouldn't separate any of the pure versions of the game, and that's a slippery slope.

[evildevil97]

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Super Punch-Out!! (SNES)
Punch-Out!! (Wii): Not sure how I almost missed the series that includes my favourite game ever (MTPO). The Wii game was a terrific reimagining that surpassed the original in so many ways. The SNES game is a terrific speedrun game.

God of War
God of War 2
God of War 3: I was surprised by these games. I thought they were just going to be violent beat 'em ups. There are some really smart puzzles in there.

Mortal Kombat II
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 4
Mortal Kombat (2011): I'm a MK fan, if it wasn't obvious from the avatar I've used everyone online for like fifteen years. I haven't played MKX yet, so I can't count that. I can't bring myself to vote for the original or any of the games in the 3D era. MK4 is a weird exception. It had a terrific modding community in the early 00s that brought a lot of replayability to it. And I also love that part of the series' storyline as well.

Super Street Fighter II
Ultra Street Fighter IV: Can't ignore the SF games.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U : I assume the last two count as two seperate games. The 3DS game deserves praise for bringing it to a handheld. And Smash Run is awesome. The Wii U game is great for the bigger matches. Brawl gets my nom for the adventure mode, though it had it's downsides too. And Melee is what introduced me to the series. Definite gem. The N64 original aged poorly, so I can't vote for it.

[The Shoemaker]

Just a couple of clarification questions on some nominations so far:

The Shoemaker - Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - Should this be a nomination for the 2011 3DS game, the 2012 Wii U game, or are they basically the same game? My guess is that they're the same game.

Same games, only difference is the Wii U version has online multiplayer. They even came out on the same date in 2013 in NA.

EvilDevil: Glad you mentioned Bubble Bobble, definitely deserves a spot.

[Kreegs]

Kreegs - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 - You qualified "with Knuckles?" In the past we counted Sonic & Knuckles as a separate game. Does anyone have any input on whether that's a valid approach? Should we consider Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as unique, individual games again?

Kreegs - Tetris - You mentioned the Game Boy and NES versions. We considered these separate games last time. How do people feel about that approach this time around?

My take is that they (Tetris and Sonic) should be considered different games. Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles were separate games with a combi-pack gimmick. Original intent should have no bearing on the final result. Star Wars was "supposed to be" one film. As for Tetris, they controlled differently (slightly but critically) and the GB version offered different modes. It is a game that has had 25 years of iteration, so if we don't separate these then we shouldn't separate any of the pure versions of the game, and that's a slippery slope.

I agree with this.

[Audio Ace]

These are the games i will be nominating

(1)Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door
This game was my first entry to the Paper Mario Series and it had my full attention from beginning to end. The story was interesting, the gameplay was fun and it still holds up as one of my favorite games and the best in this franchise.

(2)Soul Calibur 2 (GCN)
While the playstation 2 and xbox versions had guest characters like Heihachi and Spawn, the Gamecube version had Link, which at the time was pretty awesome. It was a very good fighting game in its own right, but adding the story mode, all the collectibles and different weapons that each character could get. It had alot of content that kept me satisfied when i was young.

(3)Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
I couldn't wrap my head around this game. To me it was so big. their was so much choice at the time that i didn't know what to do. The developer Bioware went on to make the Mass Effect series but to me this game is still their best. You could do side quests for hours in the first area itself.

I might nominate more but these are the only ones i can think of as of now.

[Sharecrow]

16-bit time

First, Phantasy Star IV, for the Genesis. I love 1 and 2 to distraction, but 4 is truly a crowning jewel for this short series. It does everything perfectly from story, to presentation, to gameplay, to music, to overall series closure. I miss it terribly but I feel I must finish replaying 2 and 3 before revisiting it again.

Next, Shining Force, also by Sega and on the Genesis. I was expecting a Shining in the Darkness type of game when I bought it but quickly got over my disappointment. The story and boards are terribly fun. The battles are interesting and the number of characters in your shining force that are available for use is outstanding. Like Kong, I felt the second one had some pacing issues.

[Kong Wen]

I agree with this.

Did you want to choose a Tetris, or nominate both?