2015 "BEST GAME EVER!!!" Nomination Thread

[Ouenben]

Don't have time for reasons just now but want to get some titles in :

1. Super metroid (snes)
2. Super meat boy (xbla)
3. Super Mario world (snes)
4. Resident evil (Gc)
5. Sonic 3 & knuckles (megadrive)
6. Quake (pc)
7. Resident evil 4 (Gc)
8. Bubble bobble (master system)
9. Yoshis island (snes)
10. Zelda a link to the past (snes)
11. Tetris (gameboy)
12. Red dead redemption (xbox 360)
13. Crackdown (xbox 360)
14. Call of duty 4: modern warfare (xbox 360)
15. Burnout paradise (xbox 360)
16. Super smash bros melee (gamecube)
17. Zelda ocarina ocarina of time (N64)
18. Goldeneye (N64)
19. Doom (Pc)
20. The sims (pc)
21. Walking dead season 1 (xbox 360)
22. Super Mario 64 (N64)
23. Unreal tournament 2004 (pc)
24. Final fantasy x (ps2)
25. Marble madness (arcade)
26. Super monkey ball (gamecube)
27. Theme hospital (pc)
28. Viewtiful Joe (gamecube)
29. Super Mario Bros (nes)
30. Snake (Nokia)

[Jordan]

Wanted to get my foot in the door before the deadline!

1) Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) - I've beaten this more times than I can count. While the SNES original has more of a nostalgia factor, this is the definitive version. The controls, music, and graphics are just as polished as in the original, and the new games add a lot to the experience.

2) Resident Evil 4 (GameCube) - I love RE4 so much but it's hard for me to pinpoint exactly why. I think what stands it out for me is how memorable the environments are. Even though it's been about five years since I last went through this, I can still remember a lot of it.

3) Red Dead Redemption (Multiple) - This is a special kind of game, the kind that makes you optimistic about video games in general. It's a prime example of an open-world game; it's expansive but doesn't feel like it's bigger than it needs to be.

4) Portal 2 (PC) - Although it's a tough call between the two, I ended up liking this more than the original. The puzzles and the writing are both superb, and the addition of a fully-fledged level editor gave it a massive amount of replayability.

5) Team Fortress 2 (PC) - I have over 800 hours in this game. I have nothing more to say, goodbye

6) Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii) - While it's not as groundbreaking as the first Galaxy, this takes the tight platforming of the original and puts it into a creative new set of levels, plus a more satisfying post-game reward. I don't think there was a single level I didn't like.

7) Sid Meier's Civilization V (PC) - Civ 5 is both accessible for newcomers and extremely complex, and it's the first turn-based strategy game I felt like I was actually decent at. Multiple victory conditions reward both focused and balanced approaches, and diplomacy options have led to some hilarious moments with friends.

8) Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii) - Xenoblade sticks to its JRPG roots while cutting the fat typically found in the genre. The battle system is satisfying and requires minimal grinding, the characters are multi-dimensional and likable, and the environments are surprisingly large and complex, especially for the Wii.

9) Super Meat Boy (Multiple) - While it's (in)famous for being super hard, the difficulty rises at a manageable rate, and it's my favorite kind of difficulty where there's very little punishment for messing up. Getting 106% is one of my greatest gaming achievements.

10) Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (DS) - The story and gameplay of Ghost Trick are both phenomenal, and neither one outshines the other. It's not a long game, but it never feels like it's wasting your time.

I really loved Ghost Trick, Xenoblade, Civ V (one of my favorite games ever with the expansions), Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Kirby Superstar Ultra DS. I haven't played the others though. Ghost Trick was really cool because it took everything that was great about Phoenix Wright and added a bit more actual gameplay to it. I'm a big fan of Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, etc. so Ghost Trick felt like it was both appealing to my interests and innovative.

[VictorViper]

Cutting things close, here are my final nominations.

Dark Souls (all) - Bloodborne can't usurp this incredible classic

Wonder Boy in Monsterland (arcade) - better than Zelda 2, Faxanadu, et al.

Gran Turismo 4 (PS4) - I was tempted to put Driveclub up instead, but this one's still the king.

Wip3out XL (PS1) - I can't really say enough about this game and what it meant to me. None of the sequels managed the wow-factor of XL.

Joining:

Space Harrier (arcade)
Helldivers (PS3/PS4/Vita)
Robotron 2084 (arcade)
Bloodborne (arcade)
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (PC/PSN)
N++ (PS4)

[The Shoemaker]

Wonder Boy in Monsterland (arcade) - better than Zelda 2, Faxanadu, et al.

I remember playing this one during one of VC-forums Game of the Month threads. Good memories with this one.

[SkyPikachu]

Wow sorry about the long list.

Spoiler

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS)
Banjo-Kazooie (N64)
Cave Story+ (Steam/PC)
Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)
Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble (SNES)
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze (Wii U)
Earthbound (SNES) (Even though I havn't played the SNES version I assume the Wii U version is the same)
Final Fantasy X (Do I have to pick between HD and PS2?)
Halo: Combat Evolved (PC)
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (PS2)
Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix (Do I have to pick between HD and PS2?)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Wii U)
Little Big Planet (PS3)
Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
Mario Kart 64 (N64)
Mega Man Battle Network (GBA)
Mega Man X (SNES)
Mirror's Edge (Steam/PC)
NBA JAM (SNES)
NHL 09 (XB360)
Plants vs Zombies (Steam/PC)
Pokemon FireRed/Leafgreen (GBA)
Pokemon Gold/Silver (GBC)
Pokemon Red/Blue (GB)
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire (GBA)
Pokemon Emerald (GBA)
Portal (PC)
Portal 2 (PC)
Ratchet and Clank (PS2)
Rayman Legends (Wii U)
Rayman Origins (PS3)
Red Dead Redemption (XB360)
Skate 2 (XB360)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (Do I have to pick between HD and PS2?)
South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS3)
Splatoon (Wii U)
Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
Super Mario World (SNES)
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (PC)
Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

I wasn't aware about the weighted system is it to late to change my nomination to just 16* games instead of this huge list?

* 17 if Pokemon Emerald is standalone

If so.

Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
Kingdom Hearts 1 Final Mix (Either console)
Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald (GBA)
Pokemon Emerald (If Emerald doesn't count towards Ruby/Sapphire)
Pokemon Gold/Silver (GBC)
Super Mario World (SNES)
Rayman Origins (PS3)
Halo: Combat Evolved (PC)
Portal 2 (PC)
Splatoon (Wii U)
The Legends of Zelda: Wind Waker (Either console)
Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
Mega Man X (SNES)
Portal (PC)
Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3ds)
Final Fantasy X (Either console)
South Park The Stick of Truth (PS3)

[Kong Wen]

I wasn't aware about the weighted system is it to late to change my nomination to just 16* games instead of this huge list?

It's not too late. I'm compiling everyone's final lists after the deadline.

[Claytone]

A couple games I'm not sure if I ever got around to nominating:

Super Meat Boy (PC)
Banjo-Kazooie (N64): I'd actually like to REPLACE my nomination of Banjo-Tooie with BK if possible. I love both so much, but I think I'll go with the first. I've also only played the XBLA version, but I think they're fundamentally the same game (aside from the addition of Stop n Swap and 60fps), so in the interest of lumping it with others' nominations, I'll stick with N64 as the platform.
Super Mario World (SNES): I've been trying to avoid nominating two games in one series, but this is my only exception. Both it and Galaxy are too good.
Ghouls'n Ghosts (Genesis): I really like this series formula, and this is the only one I've beaten the required two times in a row to get the true ending. Easily the hardest single-sitting gaming task I've ever completed.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2): Okay, I lied. I'm also gonna nominate two Metal Gear games. They're both too good. I'd nominate all of them if nominations weren't weighted. To be fair, I'd honestly rather nominate the re-release Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, but that depends entirely on how my nomination will affect seeding. I don't want my nomination for MGS3 to fall through because I was the only one to nominate Subsistence instead of Snake Eater. Any suggestions, KW?
Rock Band 3 (PS3/360): Too good of a multiplayer offering to not nominate it. And Pro mode, while not utilized by me, was a very cool offering. I personally spent more time on the Beatles edition, but in terms of the game I played the most with friends, it's RB3 easily.
Pokemon Y

I also saw that Shoe nominated Skate 2 earlier. I'm not gonna nominate it, but man is it a good game! Definitely a solid choice.

I will also NOT be nominating Metal Gear Solid V. I'm still rolling around in my head how I feel about that game. In some ways, it's the best game in the series, and in other ways, I have my misgivings about it. Might have to wait until the next BGE until I feel I've formed a solid opinion on it!

[Kong Wen]

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2): Okay, I lied. I'm also gonna nominate two Metal Gear games. They're both too good. I'd nominate all of them if nominations weren't weighted. To be fair, I'd honestly rather nominate the re-release Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, but that depends entirely on how my nomination will affect seeding. I don't want my nomination for MGS3 to fall through because I was the only one to nominate Subsistence instead of Snake Eater. Any suggestions, KW?

BGE has always counted Snake Eater & Subsistence as the same entry, and this year will be no different, so you have nothing to worry about.

[Trapster]

RPG:

Final Fantasy VI
Phantasy Star IV
Xenoblade Chronicles
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Pokémon White/White 2
Golden Sun
Golden Sun: The Lost Age
South Park: The Stick of Truth
Diablo III
Bravely Default
Lufia: The Legend Returns
Pokémon Trading Cardgame

Action/FPS:

Borderlands 2
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield: Desert Combat
Far Cry 3
Unreal Tournament 2004
Saints Row IV

Indie:

Shovel Knight

Fighting:

Super Smash Bros for Wii U.

Racing:

Mario Kart 8
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I'll see if I come up with some more in a bit.

[TheGreatNads]

Mount & Blade(PC)