If you could only play 5 games for the rest of your life, what would they be?

[nekunando]

This may seem like another topic to find out everyone's favourite games of all time, but I've been interested in posting this for a few weeks to see what kind of games everyone goes for..

 

Basically, as the title suggests, I want to know what 5 games you would play for the rest of your life, on any console, if you couldn't play anything else

 

I am sure that the results are bound to differ from lists for favourite games of all time as surely everyone will want some variety in their list to try to keep things from getting too samey Games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2 may well be two of your favourite games, but would you really want to fill 2 spaces with simlar experiences? Would either game even make the list as you may not see enough replayability in each title to keep you coming back after you finish them?

 

Let's see what you guys can come up with, and your reasons for each selection, and I'll try to consider my own selections

[Retro_Link]

Good thread!!

 

Variety I think is key here for me, try and cover as many bases as you can!

This may change if I think of more games, but I'm currently thinking something along the lines of...

 

1. Zelda Ocarina of Time - The Adventure Game

 

It's such a wonderous game that I like to complete the ending every few years anyway just so that I can watch it again. It's such a magical experince with possibly the best soundtrack of all time, giving me plenty of reasons to boot the game up over and over again!

 

2. Super Smash Bros Melee - The Multiplayer Fighter

 

This list needs multiplayer games if you're going to make the gaming experiences fresh each time, and for me they don't come much finer than this game! There's so much variety here with all the customisable options and again the music is incredible! Basically it's just a tribute to all things Nintendo and that's something I'd want to see again and again! Plus I don't think I could ever tire of that intro!

 

3. Goldeneye 64 - The FPS Campaign / The Multiplayer Shooter

 

Goldeneye's single player campaign is probably very dated now but I still think it's gotta be up there with the best of them to keep you going back! A fantastic range of diverse levels and environments, plenty of difficulty levels with differing objectives (that I never got round to completing), unlockable levels (which I never got around to unlocking), and a vast range of unlockable cheats and bonuses to keep the single player fun, varied and entertaining!

 

The multiplayer is simply some of the most fun I have ever had with a video game and offers fantastic maps, variety of weapons, characters and ultimately replayability and endless laughs!

 

4. Diddy Kong Racing - The Racing Game / The Multiplayer Racer

 

OK this was an tough choice over other incredible games such as Mario Kart Wii and F-Zero X!

Ultimately I had to give it to Diddy Kong Racing! Not only is it one of very few racing games that actually provides you with a Single Player Adventure, that single player adventure it's utterly fantastic and a real challenge!

It then goes even further by providing you with 3 different vehicle types, that can all be used together in the same race!

The level design is fantastic and varied with all the environments you could wish for. Power-ups are well balanced, fun and varied and not only that they're stackable which again offers something fresh! The characters are lovable! And to top it all off there's the soundtrack! SO GOOD!!!

 

5. Wii Sports/Resort/Fit (I can't choose :p) - The Social Game

 

Because I think I'd need a game that would be fun and accessible to everyone! Where as all the other games have provided variety in their options, Wii Sports would provide me with variety in terms of who I can play with! It's just fun for everyone!

 

Turns out a games Music/Soundtrack is VERY important!

Edited December 12, 2012 by Retro_Link

[Iun]

 

Let's see what you guys can come up with, and your reasons for each selection, and I'll try to consider my own selections

 

As a man who often fantasizes about being marooned on a desert island in order to be LEFT THE FUCK ALONE, this is something I've thought about a lot.

 

1: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.

 

This is a no-brainer for me, as it is undoubtedly my favourite game of all time and the game I have poured most time into. The simple truth of Morrowind is that there is a RIDICULOUS amount to do: there are maybe ten factions to join - three "Great Houses", the Temple, the Imperial Cult, Fighters Guild, Thieves Guild, Morag Tong, Twin Lamps, Blades.... they all individually run to more quests than the main questline in Oblivion and Skyrim (the lack of fast travel probably extends the length a great deal). But around every corner, over every hill and in every valley there is something to do: characters who are essential to certain quests in one play-through are victims in another or just non-entities. Every named NPC serves at least one quest function, sometimes even two or three and to meet every single one of them within one game run is unthinkable. I have only ever finished this game once, and given the fact that I've poured several hundred (perhaps even more than a thousand) hours into this makes it a game that is really about the journey and not the destination. The two expansion packs add extra difficulty and story, and I certainly never finished those either. A truly great game, and I could actually spend the rest of my life only playing THIS game and I'd be happy.

 

2: Final Fantay Tactics Advance 2

 

This was another game that never really needed to end for me: played and played this game for about 30 minutes every night before bed and it was just glorious. So many quests, so many different character classes and items to master. Another game that I never finished but got way, way more than my money's worth just meandering along at a happy pace.

 

3: Timesplitters 2

 

I was devastated when Free Radical folded and it was announced that Timesplitters 4 would never see the light of day. While I enjoyed TS3, TS2 really felt like the spiritual sequel to Goldeneye that everybody had been craving. The single player was long, fun and challenging and the multiplayer was just sublime. The extras such as time trials, challenge levels and even your own level editor rounded this out to be a fantastic and enjoyable package with masses of replay value.

 

4: Fallout: New Vegas

 

Something about the universe really "clicks" for me: this wonderful divergence from the real world and the way that vacuum tubes, reel-to-reel tapes and 40s music never disappeared is simply fantastic. I absolutely and categorically did NOT get on with Fallout 3 - too much time spent in subway tunnels, but New Vegas was a smarter and more logical progression of the series - you could really interact with the wasteland, and the decisions you made had a genuine impact on the endings. This game is actually one of the few I do enjoy finishing - already played through perhaps five or six times. Genuinely interesting characters, quests with several options and an immersive world.

 

5: Disgaea

 

Another one that I've spent hours on but only finished twice at most: funny characters, huge variety of items and challenging missions. The addition of geo panels makes you really consider how to approach each level rather than just rushing to defeat the enemy through tank-like characters. Level progression and changing abilities of your party members (who you get to create yourselves!) only adds to the depth.

[bob]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Good one. Basically it's just going to be the games i've spent playing the longest - as i assume that i'll be able to replay them for even longer...

 

In no particular order then:

 

Pokemon Red/Blue

 

This game would be good because you can replay it so many times with different teams of pokemon, and it changes each time you play it. The first few times i played it, i never took any notice of stats or any of the complicated stuff, but there's so much more to this game that comes out of repeated plays.

 

 

Spiderman 2

 

I LOVE this game. There's something so calming about just swinging around Manhattan, occasionally solving crimes, or just leaping off tall buildings web-shotting to safety. The story is fun, but mainly just the free-roaming makes this playable for a long time.

 

Just Cause 2

 

Again, the story for this is a bit crappy, but it's the huge world full of stuff to explore that i loved so much. Just messing around crashing stuff into other stuff, then grappling onto a enemy helicopter, punching out the pilot and then flying away. Badass.

 

Super Smash Bros

 

The original for the N64 - for some reason i preferred the physics and fighting in the original that i think has just been getting worse ever since. I like Melee, but i thought Brawl wasn't as good. Anywho, I love me some Smash Bros.

 

Halo

 

Depends on whether i'd be allowed to play online multiplayer, and there would foreverbe people to play against? If so, it would be some iteration of Halo. Don't mind which, although i've spent longest playing Reach, but i'd just want some awesome multiplayer carnage to play for the rest of my life.

[Cube]

1. Mass Effect

2. Mass Effect 2

3. Mass Effect 3

 

I love the games so much that I'd be willing to let them take up three slots.

 

4. Skyrim

 

So much to do.

 

5. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

 

My favourite Zelda has to be in here.

[Iun]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Good one. Basically it's just going to be the games i've spent playing the longest - as i assume that i'll be able to replay them for even longer...

 

In no particular order then:

 

Pokemon Red/Blue

 

This game would be good because you can replay it so many times with different teams of pokemon, and it changes each time you play it. The first few times i played it, i never took any notice of stats or any of the complicated stuff, but there's so much more to this game that comes out of repeated plays.

 

.

 

I toyed with adding the originals to my list, Red/Blue are still the best.

[Murr]

Good thread idea!

 

1 - ) Skyrim - I Still play this now and discover new things, My 2nd playthrough is over 30 hours without really touching the main questline. It's a game that does seem endless.

 

 

2 - ) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Another open world game that can still entertain you hours after the final missions are done. Looking back on my PS2 play time on this game is over 100 hours, yeah sure everything is completed, but I still love stealing a camper van, and touring the state, doing trivial things like that keep me entertained.

 

3 - ) Sims 3 - Play a game about life(s) for the rest of your life... make sense, they grow old as you do... granted you'd probably go through alot of generations of families in your life time, but you could write your own story lines for characters, it could be like your own sitcom.

 

4 - ) Football Manager - This game can steal hours / days / weeks of your life and you wouldn't realize unless you looked out the window to discover the seasons had changed. Totally addictive game.

 

5 - ) Animal Crossing - Another game that would keep you entertained trying to track down all them fishes, insects, paying off your mortgage, decorating your house. living through real seasons in game as through real life.

 

 

 

*** I'm almost certain though that GTA:V will most definitely be in this list if you were to ask me again in 12 months.

[Oxigen_Waste]

This may seem like another topic to find out everyone's favourite games of all time

 

Not at all. None of the games I would choose would even be anywhere near being my favourite games. I'd simply pick games that NEVER get old or stop being fun no matter how much you play them. Stuff like Street Fighter, League of Legends, Team Fortress 2, Left4Dead, etc... You'd desperatly need that kind of "endless appeal" type of game if you were seriously restricted to only 5. Otherwise you'd go insane. If I could only play my 5 favourite games, I'd end up hating their guts as they're not games you can constantly replay.

 

To be absolutely honest here, in my top 25 favourite games of all time there isn't a single one that isn't a mostly singleplayer game, but I wouldn't pick any one of them (except for Minecraft and Civ IV) if I really could only play 5 games until the end of time.

 

As such I kind of call bullshit on everyone's replies except Retro_Link.

 

As for my choices, assuming the respective multiplayer communities of each of these games would never die down I'd probably choose

 

-Jump Ultimate Stars. Because it's my favourite brawler ever. Yes, I like it even more than the SSB games.

 

- Team Fortress 2. Best online multiplayer FPS there is and probably the best there has ever been. 5 years old and it still completely destroys any CoD/Halo/Planetside/Tribes/Whatever game (all of which are games I do enjoy but just cannot compete) in terms of fun, balancing, level design and intuitiveness.

 

- Either Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. They never got old in all these years I've been playing them and I don't think they ever will. I would never choose both, but I can't decide which one I'd pick, so I'll leave it like this.

 

- Either DotA 2 or League of Legends. Because MOBA's never get old and these two are my favourites. Just like above, I would never pick them both but I can't pick just one (although I'd heavily recommed DotA 2 over League of Legends to any new players).

 

- Minecraft. Endless possibilities, constantly getting bigger/better.

 

 

It's funny because this doesn't reflect my taste in games at all. But I'd go batshit crazy if I was limited to constantly replaying Super Metroid, Shadow Of The Colossus, A Link to the Past, Chrono Trigger and Journey over and over and over again.

 

Honourable Mentions: Civ IV, Tetris, Starcraft 1/2.

Edited December 12, 2012 by Oxigen_Waste

[bob]

As such I kind of call bullshit on everyone's replies except Retro_Link.

 

Well....fuck.

 

I think that everyone else also realised what you did; that just picking good games wouldn't be enough, as they would get boring very quickly if they were all you could play.

 

However, some people don't like playing multiplayer and so had to put single player games in. Pretty much every game so far has been one that either has lots of replay value, or one that that person has spent many many hours playing up until now.

 

Also, i wasn't sure if online multiplayer games were allowed. But yeah, those would probably be better if they are.

 

EDIT: I considered Minecraft, there is no way that game could ever get boring, if your imagination is good enough.

[Murr]

As such I kind of call bullshit on everyone's replies except Retro_Link.

 

Sims3, Football Manager & Animal crossing wouldn't be considered my fave game of all time that's for sure, but they are practically endless.. which I figure is the point of the thread, 5 games to play for the rest of you're life, you want stuff to have longevity... Sims3 is undoubtedly endless...

 

 

Well....fuck.

 

I think that everyone else also realised what you did; that just picking good games wouldn't be enough, as they would get boring very quickly if they were all you could play.

 

 

 

Indeed, If it were favorite games list, that 5 would look ALOT different...(Shenmue says hello!)

Edited December 12, 2012 by Murr

[MoogleViper]

Shenmue

 

Shenmue 2

 

Shenmue 3

 

If Shenmue 3 came out I wouldn't care about any other games.

[Iun]

Gaming has always been a mostly single-player experience for me. As such, my choices stand.

[Jimbob]

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (with DLC)

 

So much to do, so much to see. Vast lands, guilds, caves, temples, dungeons. You name it. Each adventure is different every time you play. I’ve put in many hours and have hardly touched the main quest. ½ the time, I’m in caves exploring them or at forts conquering them.

 

GTA: San Andreas

 

Best GTA game, vast landscape of San Andreas to explore. I can’t think of a better GTA to put in this slot other than this one. Story is pretty decent, side-quests are plentiful. A good time-killer for me is to take any vehicle and try to climb the mountain with it, and then jump off the top with it. And also to see how long I could last with a 6 star wanted level in a tank.

 

Mass Effect Trilogy

 

It’s in 1 box, so it counts (well, I think so anyway). Great trilogy of games, and again each time around is different and can be played differently. The whole series is by far the best I’ve played on a console in most generations of them.

 

Goldeneye 007

 

Great single player, awesome multiplayer. Can't say much more really, because words can't do this game justice alone.

 

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

 

Enough said really, one of my top Zelda titles.

[Oxigen_Waste]

Well....fuck.

 

I think that everyone else also realised what you did; that just picking good games wouldn't be enough, as they would get boring very quickly if they were all you could play.

 

However, some people don't like playing multiplayer and so had to put single player games in. Pretty much every game so far has been one that either has lots of replay value, or one that that person has spent many many hours playing up until now.

 

Also, i wasn't sure if online multiplayer games were allowed. But yeah, those would probably be better if they are.

 

EDIT: I considered Minecraft, there is no way that game could ever get boring, if your imagination is good enough.

 

 

I get that most people obviously arrived at the same conclusions I did, but as much as I love Pokemon Red/Blue (I preffer silved/gold, but whatever) or Just Cause 2, I really can't picture them retaining appeal after endlessly being completed over and over and over again. We're talking about your whole entire lifetime here!

 

The same goes for all the Elder Scrolls (all the people saying Skyrim [which is my second fav ES game, btw] clearly never played Morrowind, amirite @Iun?)/Mass Effect nods, these are games I love but honestly I'd go batshit crazy if these were my only options lol.

 

I dunno, I just look at some of the games people are pointing out and as much as I love them I just couldn't imagine constantly playing them over and over. I'd completely hate them after a few years, no doubt.

 

Sims3, Football Manager & Animal crossing wouldn't be considered my fave game of all time that's for sure, but they are practically endless.. which I figure is the point of the thread, 5 games to play for the rest of you're life, you want stuff to have longevity... Sims3 is undoubtedly endless...

 

Yeah, Sims kinda falls into that same Civ IV category, and I guess FM does too (hate football, never played it). Animal Crossing however... it just gets so repetitive after a certain point I can't really see it :S

 

Gaming has always been a mostly single-player experience for me. As such, my choices stand.

 

For me too, my list is basically the entirety of my multiplayer experience. :P

 

---------

 

Are the people who are saying Skyrim Oblivion or Morrowind fans? I ask because even though I do much preffer Skyrim to Oblivion, it's 5 times smaller and has alot less to do. And Morrowind is also much bigger and more packed than Skyrim (and is my fav ES game).

[Jimbob]

I'm having more enjoyment playing Skyrim over Oblivion. Never played Morrowind before, so Oblivion was my first ES game. But for some reason i find Skyrim is overal better in everything over Oblivion.

[Murr]

Same as @Jimbob , Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Oblivion, and did plow hours into that, but I've just overall enjoyed Skyrim more and find myself alot more lost in it,

 

And yeh not played Morrowind myself so can't comment on it.

[Jonnas]

Oxi_Waste makes the best point, however...

 

1. Pokémon Black 2 / White 2

 

On account of being the most recent, and online. The sheer replayability of these games is immense, and I'm not talking about playthroughs, here. Completing the Pokédex, participating in events, raising multiple pokémon for the hell of it, and even battling competitively. It's insane and addictive. Gold&Silver is my ultimate favourite, but I've played that one to the marrow, and without online and public interest (and the battery growing ever closer to death), I've ran out of things to do, there.

 

2. Tekken Tag Tournament 2

 

Once again, on account of being the most recent and diverse in the series (Tekken 3 or 5 could easily fit, here). Tekken will never get old, I think.

 

3. Super Smash Bros. Melee

 

I don't need to explain anything, here, right? Feels better than Brawl, and I can play it as well in multiplayer.

 

4. Fire Emblem

 

I've been playing Fire Emblem 7 for years, so I know. So many ways to replay this game for self-challenge, supports that take multiple replays to get... Of course, the fact that I've already played it upside down a few times, kinda devalues it a little, so I guess Awakening, would be a decent alternative, since it seems to pack everything I like about FE7, plus DLC.

 

5. Timesplitters 2

 

Because it's the only FPS I'd gladly play over and over again. And I know how much that genre is popular. And how fun this game is.

 

(If I had an extra space, I'd probably pick Wind Waker as well. It never gets old. Ever.)

[Oxigen_Waste]

I'm having more enjoyment playing Skyrim over Oblivion. Never played Morrowind before, so Oblivion was my first ES game. But for some reason i find Skyrim is overal better in everything over Oblivion.

 

Same as @Jimbob , Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Oblivion, and did plow hours into that, but I've just overall enjoyed Skyrim more and find myself alot more lost in it,

 

And yeh not played Morrowind myself so can't comment on it.

 

 

I think pretty much everyone preffers Skyrim to Oblivion, lol. Oblivion is awesome but it felt much emptier and soulless than Skyrim does. As for Morrowind, it's usually considered the best game in the series... I haven't played Arena and only dabbled a bit in Daggerfall, but I did play the last 3 extensively and I must say, while I do agree that Morrowind is the best, there's absolutely no reason to play it today unless you're an old fan revisiting or a die hard completionist ES player. Nostalgia aside, there's really no point in going back to it except if you're a veteran.

 

I only asked specifically because Oblivion is by far the largest Elder Scrolls game, and Skyrim is the smallest.

[Grazza]

Well, this is difficult. Whilst I understand the idea of picking replyable games like Street Fighter, the reality is that they don't hold my attention as much as a single-player game, even once. Here goes:

 

Dragon Quest VIII - If there is one RPG world I could immerse myself in, it'd be this one. Even if I could only replay it every 10 years, it still deserves its place. No other game has ever quite grabbed me in the same way, with its towns and castles. Even more than that, I really believed in my role as a castle guard and escort to the king. Plus, the graphics are beautiful and the music stunning.

 

Wind Waker - Similarly, if there is one Zelda world I'd want to live in, it'd be the Great Ocean. I often have fantasies about being at sea, or on small islands, and so this is the clear choice. Remember that cabin in the south? I wanted to live there! Again, the atmosphere is just unparalleled.

 

Metroid Fusion - This game is included because it's so replayable. Every time I revisit it, I marvel at its tight design. It might be the best 2D game I've ever played.

 

Shantae: Risky's Revenge - My 4th choice was the hardest, as I had to eliminate some truly great games. I've included this because, like Metroid Fusion, it's highly replayable and represents 2D perfection. In addition to that, I never tire of its aesthetic and find the whole vibe inspiring.

 

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 - This one is here as my "toy". I've spent hours and hours and hours building coasters, modifying them and placing them in parks. It just goes on and on and on... (Oh, and this was the peak of the series).

[Jimbob]

Thats the thing with Oblivion, yes the map is bigger and yes the game is overall bigger. But like @Oxigen_Waste, it felt empty between towns and missions. At least with Skyrim, there are troops marching around, creatures hunting you down and dragons which appear out of nowhere.

 

Skyrim feels like there is more life contained within it's smaller land than Cryodiil. When i eventually get the Dragonborn DLC, i'll finally visit a small part of Morrowind and see for myself what it is like.

[Dog-amoto]

Most people only play 5 games as it is...

 

1. FIFA 12

2. CoD Modern Warfare

3. FIFA 13

4. CoD Black Ops

5. FIFA 11

[Ville]

Morrowind is awesome, but I'd suggest you play it with mods like Oblivion magicka regen etc. With those, it turns into a fantastic game; I mean you can fly, make out your own badass spells, conjure up several different minions to fight for you at once, etc. Also, the mood and environments are much better than Oblivion's. Anyway, it's pretty funny / sad how all of the later Elder Scrolls games (III-V) really need mods for the best game experience, even Skyrim... o_O

[Iun]

Oblivion is the black sheep of the recent 3 games: as everybody sense said, it feels empty relative to Morrowind and Skyrim, there's less to do and the characters feel one-dimensional. I hated the parallel levelling of enemies - at level 30 with an amazingly powerful sword, it should be unthinkable that a Scamp can offer you a life-threatening challenge.

[Ville]

Oblivion is the black sheep of the recent 3 games: as everybody sense said, it feels empty relative to Morrowind and Skyrim, there's less to do and the characters feel one-dimensional. I hated the parallel levelling of enemies - at level 30 with an amazingly powerful sword, it should be unthinkable that a Scamp can offer you a life-threatening challenge.

 

Yeah, the levelling system is just ridiculous...get to level 20, and suddenly every bandit / enemy in the game is wearing full ebony armour, wtf. This is the reason I've not completed the game, have to try it with mods at sometime...maybe.

[Cube]

Are the people who are saying Skyrim Oblivion or Morrowind fans? I ask because even though I do much preffer Skyrim to Oblivion, it's 5 times smaller and has alot less to do. And Morrowind is also much bigger and more packed than Skyrim (and is my fav ES game).

 

I absolutely hated Oblivion. With Skyrim I'm about to start the entire game again.

 

With Mass Effect, I could play it so many times.