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[Vampirolol]

I'm going to write the list immediately because, besides the first position, it may change 1000 times in a day.

1. Metroid Prime ; When you look at those fantastic graphics that thanks to a perfect artstyle are aging so well and realize that it's all happening at 60 fps, that's it, that's the moment you are just starting to be amazed by the technical achievement that this game was. The sense of mistery of Metroid Prime starts right there because graphics are the first things you notice, but it's a constant through all the experience. If the "devil is in the details", Retro Studios is motherfucking Dante taking a walk inside the hell, slapping the devil and reaching the heavens of game design... then he opens the helmet and reveals his true identity: Beatrice Potinari, savior of the videogames galaxy because fuck that, let's put Metroid in everything. And that's what they did and what makes Prime full of mistery and atmosphere, the fact that this game screams METROID in every inch and yet, it feels new and fresh because the thousands of details on Tallon IV are rivaled only by the thousands of details in the level design, the one that will teach you how to play, what happened and where you have to go silently. On top of that, Kenji Yamamoto composed a masterpiece that had the courage to be both catchy and badass, sometimes it feels like 90's dance (Phendrana Drifts Ver. 2) sometimes it's like you are discovering the planet just by watching the rain shatter on your helmet while listening to the fantastic sound effects (Tallon Overworld). The best track? Tallon Overworld 2 is perfection. The best moment? Landing on Tallon IV.
2. Resident Evil 4 ; (Gamecube version) Let's just say thart RE4 is a game that everyone has played AT LEAST 3 times. Me, I've completed it 9 times I think. I still remember reacreations in school during 2004: my friends eating pizza and me fasting to store the money for the new Resident Evil. The demo I played in the little shop near school blew me away, first because the game was fast and fun, something that the previous games lacked for my tastes and second because the atmosphere was unique: walking in the woods, looking at old houses was like being near where I live (north Italy looks like that, besides crazy zombie killers). So when I reached 60€ I went immediately in the shop and with something like 2 bills and 40 different coins I realized I only had 59,60€. The shopkeeper laughed and gave me the game anyway. Sorry for the random story but it's a fond memory, there's nothing else I can say, RE4 is a masterpiece.
3. Mario Kart Super Circuit ; at first I was going to put Mario Kart DS here but KoopaKid warned me that DS games can't be elected. So I thought hey, let's just erase it and let every other title rise up! But of course everytime I make an important list I have some remorses and Super Circuit was one of those. It's a divisive game but I felt that a Mario Kart had to be in my top 3 since I pretty much played this game more than any other. If I spent 200 hours on MK DS, I've probably spent even more time on Super Circuit wich is the most technical game in the series and the best GBA game by far. Well, there's Advance Wars too but anyway this game keeps coming back in my life. It's timeless.
4. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater ; while I was playing that demo of Resident Evil 4, my friend behind me was playing the demo of MGS3 and I kept looking because the hype was unreal and well, the graphics were insane. This game is another technical achievement and honestly I'm tired of repeating myself: an amazing and unforgettable experience, probably the best MGS (even though I prefer the first one) and on of the best games ever. And DAT SNAKE EATER THEME. Score: Big Boss/10.
5. Time Splitters 2 ; hundreds of billions of hours with my best friend playing the shit out of this! Virus mode was the best thing ever! So much memories... the level editor was so good that my brother made something wonderful: you only had the sniper rifle with so many bullets, there were terrorists in the base and if they saw you, everything was going to explode. I don't remember if there was a timer or other rules but sure I remember spending hours and hours in it. Hey, my brother knows level design!.
6. Paper Mario: the Thousand-Year Door ; what happens when you combine good gameplay, funny and original story, amazing artstyle and unique atmosphere? You have a great game. Add a wrestling chapter and you have one of the best games ever made! Also, the soundtrack is pure awesomeness. I'm still waiting for the Luigi spin-off... yeah, his adventure in Waffle Kingdom with Princess Eclair... I mean, did you even listen or fell asleep?!?!?.
7. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; Years ago I would have put this game on top of the list. Never in my life I felt like living an adventure with a sense of freedom and joy so much in a videogame. Wind Waker didn't age graphically but sadly its level design has some real flaws that hurt the replayability year after year. The HD remake is a little bit better but you can't fix bad dungeons and stupid quests.
8. Super Mario Sunshine ; same as Wind Waker. It changed my life as a gamer but looking back at it... it's boring.
9. Halo 2 ; another hundreds of billions of hours with my best friend playing this game! The best coop mode ever!.
10. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat ; the best bongo platformer ever made. Also, the only one. Trivia: it may cure depression.

x. Shenmue II ; God I need to finish this wonderful experience. It feels like I've really been in Hong Kong!
x. Max Payne 1 and 2
x. Okami (PS2)
x. Luigi's Mansion
x. Halo
x. God of War 2
x. all those games I forgot

 

[archnemesis]

1. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind ; It's still the best Elder Scrolls game.
2. Shadow of the Colossus ; I can't wait for The Last Guardian to be announced at E3.
3. Ico ; I can't wait for The Last Guardian to be announced at E3.
4. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ; Picking between this and MGS3 was difficult.
5. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines ; Your thoughts on Game E.
6. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 ; Your thoughts on Game F.
7. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War ; More of a pure RTS than DoW2.
8. Final Fantasy X ; The last great mainline FF.
9. Sid Meier's Civilization IV ; At the time it was the best entry in the series, but now that we have Civ V I won't go back to it again.
10. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec ; The series peaked a long time ago.

 

[stalker]

1. Metroid Prime ; wonderful world design and a sense of inmersion in the exploration aspect that I have not experienced in any other game, regardless of its world comparatevily small size. Perfect mechanics overall, this is an all time favourite of mine
2. Resident Evil 4 ; with some problems hear and there, this is a great action-adventure game that feels like the precursor of many games released in the next generation, while still being a better game than all of those
3. Mother 3 ; I played this on the GBA thanks to the fan translation. I had never played Earthbound (now I have) so everything was completely new to me. This is probably my favourite RPG game,
4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; the prettiest game ever in my opinion. Controls and animation and overall mechanics are polished to the extreme. The game has problems in the lack of a couple of dungeons and some unnecessary fetch quest towards the end but it is still a joy to play.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess ; almost on par with Wind Waker, even if it feels almost the opposite as an experience. It was a bit of a chore to play at times, but the dungeons are so good and so many that this is still a great game.
6. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door ; a bit annoying at times with some of the backtracking but overall a great game with a lot of style and simple but very good mechanics
7. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ; I would say this game it actually a better game than anything else in this list except for Metroid Prime. I list it a bit below because it did not take me by surprise as the first one and because it is so complex that it was a bit too difficult for me to get into it at the time. When I finally managed to play it with the attention it deserves I was blown away again.
8. Pikmin 2 ; improved over the first one, easier to play for me without the time limit. Both are almost on par, great games.
9. Shadow of the Colossus ; this game is quite broken in some aspects which are very important to me, mainly controls; but it deliver so much as a complete experience that if deserves a place. Thankfully it was not too long.
10. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow ; was considering several GBA and PS2 games for this position which are about equal in quality and appeal to me. While derivative of SOTN and not even the first of its style on the GBA, this game perfected the formula.

x. Mario& Luigi: Superstar Saga
x. WarioWare Inc.
x. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
x. Super Mario Sunshine
x. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
x. Ico

hehe, I see that vampirolol two posts above has similar taste. I actually discarded Super Mario Sunshine and Jungle Beat with great regret.
By the way, Mario Kart DS should not be in your lis even if it released in 2005.

 

[BY2K]

Oh God, this is going to be a nightmare to do...

 

[Deleted member 125677]

WIP

1. Metroid Prime ; Truly a timeless masterpiece. Retro managed to capture the magic of the series in a first person adventure/shooter game. My favorite Metroid game, and my favorite FPS at the same time.
2. Half-Life 2 ;
3. Resident Evil 4 ;
4. Civilization IV ;
5. Super Smash Bros. Melee ; Probably still the best Smash Bros, gameplay wise.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker ;
7. SSX Tricky ; Spent a million hours playing this with friends in the early PS2 days. Still think it's a great game!
8. Battlefield 1942 ; Spent even more hours playing dumb multiplayer matches on LANs. Especially the Desert Combat mod, jesus christ, so many hours trying to navigate those stupid chopters. xD
9. Viewtiful Joe ;
10. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ;


X. Metroid Fusion ;
X. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga ;
X. Counter-Strike: Source ; Not as good as CS 1.6

 

[spekkeh]

Whew, I spent most of the decade playing Unreal Tournament, but that was released one month before the start of this GOTG period. Bad Luck Epic. At least it makes it slightly easier for me to compile the list.

 

[BY2K]

Wait, Twilight Princess came out on Gamecube but in 2006, is it eligible?

EDIT: Okay, yes it does.

 

[KooopaKid]

Mario Kart DS? Journey?

Please read the OP.

 

[Markitron]

1. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic ; My favorite game of all time without a shadow of a doubt. Greatest Story, characters, setting and combat of any RPG ever.
2. Resident Evil 4 ; The greatest action game of all time, no question. Probably the most influential game of the generation
3. Metroid Prime ; Possibly the most atmospheric game of all time.
4. Resident Evil (Gamecube); Best survival horror of all time
5. Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader ; My jaw dropped when I seen the Gamecube tech demo and the final game did not disappoint
6. Final Fantasy X; Best game in the series.
7. Devil May Cry; RE4 was so good that even a failed attempt was a fantastic game.
8. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 ; Not as good as the first, but still a special game in it's own right. Had it been given a decent development cycle it could have been phenomenal.
9. Resident Evil:Code Veronica; Only second to REmake and RE4 in the entire series.
10. Eternal Darkness; An amazing horror story, told very well. Very effective use of the medium.

x. Command and Conquer Generals: Zero Hour; Amazing memories of the multiplayer
x. F-Zero GX; HD update pls!
x. Gran Turismo 3 ; Highlight of the entire series imo
x. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King; Oddly enough this is the best hack and slash I have ever played.
x. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time; Can't believe this isn't in my top 10
x. Star Wars Republic Commando; Game was so good, I can't believe we haven't had a sequel
x. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes; This was how I experienced the masterpiece that is MGS.

Ico, SotC, MGS3 and GoW1&2 would all be in this list, but I played the PS3 versions. Didn't realise the Gamecube made up so much of my top 10.

 

[Vampirolol]

Mario Kart DS? Journey?

Please read the OP.

Oh wow my brain read DS somewhere... I'll have to fix that

 

[KooopaKid]

I did it!
My list is mainly based on playability (By today's standards) and is for gamers that missed that generation.

1. Advance Wars ; If I could only bring one game to a deserted island, that would be it. Infinite replay value.
2. Resident Evil 4 ; The best, most fun and replayable Resident Evil game, probably ever.
3. Shadow Of The Colossus ; Amazing art direction and oustanding game concept.
4. Viewtiful Joe ; A Kamiya classic. Timeless and very replayable.
5. Halo: Combat Evolved ; Redefined the FPS formula.
6. The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess ; It's Zelda. Excellent atmosphere and brilliant dungeon design.
7. The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker ; Timeless game and visual style.
8. Metroid Prime ; Excellent 3D rendition of the Metroid formula.
9. Half-Life 2 ; Still unmatched linear FPS adventure.
10. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne ; The best Max Payne game.

x. Grand Theft Auto III ; The father of open-world 3D games. Not qualified because later entries are clearly better and more playable.
x. Guitar Hero II ; This franchise invented a new genre altogether. Not qualified for the same reason as above.
x. Burnout 3: Takedown ; Burnout Paradise.
x. Super Mario Sunshine ; Super Mario Galaxy 1/2.
x. Pikmin ; Pikmin 3.
x. Beyond Good & Evil.

Spoiler

Beyond Good & Evil 2 lol

.
x. Metroid Fusion.

Spoiler

Metroid Dread lol

.
x. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Spoiler

Mass Effect

.
x. Outrun 2.
x. Resident Evil Remake.
x. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath.
x. We Love Katamari.
x. Max Payne.
x. ICO.
x. Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat.

 

[ramparter]

[Draft]
1. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance On of my favourite games ever, the first FE I finished, so addictive, I started a new game immediately after completing it.
2. Metroid Prime
3. Eternal Darkness
4. The Legend Of Zelda The Wind Waker
5. Soul Calibur 2

 

[Vaddon]

1. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door ; The best game Intelligent Systems has ever produced, in my opinion. As a massive fan of IS, that immediately means it's my game of the generation. It's more than that though, it has a stellar cast of characters, intriguing world and locales (no-one ever forgets their experience with Glitzville) and even a darker story with surprising depth. In an already stellar catalogue of games, I consider this to be IS's masterpiece and they have never matched it since. My definitive RPG (and game) of this generation.

2. Pikmin 2 ; One of the greatest things about this generation was the sheer amount original and creative games. Pikmin was my favourite new IP to emerge from this era as there was nothing really like it at the time. Later, we had games such as the Overlord series that sort of adapted aspects from the Pikmin series but we've still never had such a strange, whimsical world as Pikmin's. As a huge fan of RTS's and sci-fi games, this was such an unusual concept that hooked me immediately. I place Pikmin 2 here rather than the original game because I felt like the sequel massively expanded on the mechanics of Pikmin 1. With the cave system, many more bosses and extra Pikmin species, I felt as if that added a lot more depth to the game. I was also one of the people who much preferred the limitless playtime rather than the 30 Day System. Overall though, I still consider this one of the best "recent" IP's to emerge from Nintendo's stable and it remains that way to this day.

3. Metroid Prime ; I was one of many who brushed away the idea of a 3D Metroid game when it was first announced. It seemed as if such a title would be mediocre and to top it off, it was from an unproven studio. It turned out that this game happened to be an incredibly faithful adaptation of the Metroid universe, with the 3D offering an enhanced atmosphere and feeling of loneliness that naturally comes along with the worlds of Metroid. I'll never forget that first landing on Tallon IV, that feeling of a completely alien world has never been quite surpassed (though the later 3D Metroid games give it a run for its money). Retro Studios created a masterpiece of a game, so much so that it lands third on my list.

4. Halo: Combat Evolved ; A revolutionary FPS in every sense of the word. The mainstream success of the Xbox almost relied on this game and for good reason. With highly satisfying gunplay and simple but enjoyable mechanics, this game was a stroke of genius.

5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ; This is an interesting one to include, since it bridges the gap between the old and the new eras of Bioware games. While elements of Baldur's Gate remains, it introduces the modern aspects of lighter RPG elements, general karma systems and (for better or for worse) relationships with your companions. Star Wars, however, ended up being a perfect setting for a Bioware RPG, whether that was by accident or not. Bioware was allowed to be as creative as possible with the worlds and the story, while quite simple, had that one major twist that ends up surprising many. KOTOR was a wonderful surprise of this generation.

6. Rome: Total War ; The definitive strategy game to emerge from Creative Assembly. I remember my first encounter with this game, when I watched the show Time Commanders to subsequently discover that it was a real game that they were playing. I'm glad I did because it remains one of my favourite Total War games to this day. I consider later games to be better, such as Medieval 2 and Shogun 2, but this is where it all began for me. This is where my interest in strategy games skyrocketed and I owe a lot to it for introducing me to a wider range of games in the genre. Ultimately, it was an ideal blend of history and strategy, the perfect blend.

7. MDK2 ; I suspect this game will not appear on many lists but it holds a special place on mine. For whatever reason, this was the first Dreamcast game I was ever introduced to and I loved it. The weird chapter system where you repeatedly cycle through the three main characters was something I really enjoyed. Sort of like a very primitive GTA V system, where each character had their own storyline but ultimately had the same end goal. I loved the humour and the sometimes hilarious enemies. Each character also had a lot of personality and wildly differing mechanics, making the entire game a joy to play.

8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ; It was a struggle to decide between the 3 GTA games of this generation, each one would deserve this spot. However, San Andreas only just edges out the other two for being such a massive, fleshed out world. The customisation was greatly enhanced from the previous entries and the length of the game was huge. There were also plenty of side activities and the main missions had incredible variety. It was Rockstar's swan song to the sixth generation.

9. Super Mario Sunshine ; While 64 and the Galaxy games are highly revered, Sunshine is the often overshadowed 3D Mario game. I, however, loved the more realised hub world and environment based platforming. Rather than having random, floating platforms, I loved that there were actual buildings and realised environments to put Mario's platforming to the test. With the addition of FLUDD, I consider Sunshine to have the tightest, most enjoyable controls in a 3D Mario game. I also think it has aged far better than its predecessor, SM64. It's still something I aim to play most Summers and it has still never once grown old.

10. Timesplitters 2 ; This was the ultimate party game for my friends and I. The cast of characters was extremely wacky and the main story was enjoyable. I appreciated how the higher difficulty added extra objectives to the main missions (something that even modern games often lack) rather than only increase the damage taken/bullet sponge enemies. The real meat of the game though was the multiplayer, with its crazy maps and modes, alongside the many singleplayer challenges that could become insanely difficult later on. I had to include this somewhere, based upon my avatar, and so it gains the last spot on my list.

x. Fable
x. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
x. Sid Meier's Civilization IV
x. Battalion Wars

 

[The Elite]

This is happening for real?

Ok, I will get my list ready. I had a pretty good one a couple of years ago but I think I need to reexamine.

For now I will get my thoughts down here...

Edit: lol. I just realized this was for the previous generation.

Ok, I'm still in.


1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ; It's one of my favourite Star Wars adventures of all time. An incredible story filled with great characters and some incredible twists along the way. It's still an incredibly memorable experience to this day.
2. Ninja Gaiden ;
3. Resident Evil 4 ;
4. Persona 4 ;
5. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ;
6. Persona 3 ;
7. Halo 2 ;
8. Halo: Combat Evolved ;
9. Metal Gear Solid 3 ;
10. Burnout 3: Takedown ;

I will fill out the rest later. Off to work.

 

[Risgroo]

1. Metroid Prime ; A step above everything else that gen, and possibly the best game ever made.

2. Resident Evil 4 ; "You're right hand comes off?" Still one of the finest games ever made, and manages to be thrilling, scary and goofy. It's perfect.

3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; Timeless visuals, a huge open world, and the best story and characters in a Zelda game.

4. Shadow of the Colossus ; Incredible atmosphere and music. A game that cuts out all the bullshit and gives you a bunch of amazing boss battles.

5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater ; James Bond in the jungle.

6. Star Wars Battlefront 2 ; I've spent countless hours on this game, recreating my favourite Star Wars moments. I still fire it up for a round of Galactic Conquest a few times a year.

7. Timesplitters Future Perfect ; It's time to split!

8. Advance Wars 2 ; Crack on a cartridge. Pure strategy fun, and I enjoyed the new CO powers and units, though some prefer the simplicity of the first game.

9. F-Zero GX ; 2 fast.

10. Pikmin 2 ; There's nothing quite as special as sacrificing cute plant-creatures to get Dr. Pepper bottlecaps and Duracell batteries.

Honorable mentions:
x. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap ;
x. God of War 2 ;
x. Rome: Total War ;
x. Battalion Wars ;
x. Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader ;
x. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ;
x. Beyond Good & Evil ;

Best gen.

 

[Alo0oy]

1- God of War 2: One of the best games I've ever played, & the ending had probably the best cliffhanger ever.

2- God of War: Pandora's temple is still one of the best designed levels ever.

3- Final Fantasy X: Having a fantastic story isn't the only thing amazing about this game, the game had more end game content than the entire FF library before it.

4- Silent Hill 2: I must have beaten the game at least ten times.

5- Devil May Cry: Probably the most innovative game of the generation.

6- Resident Evil Remake: The best resident evil, but with better graphics & better VA? What's not to love?

7- Metal Gear Solid 3: Best game in the series, two of the best boss battles ever (The End, The Boss), I loved the eating/healing/camo mechanics.

8- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas: I probably spent over 100 hours just doing absolutely nothing but cause havoc.

9- Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec: The best racing game at its time (by far), probably my most played game ever, maybe over 1000 hours?

10- Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny: I know people prefer the Samanosuke games, but I loved 2 more because of the friendship mechanics.

 

[Canis lupus]

1. Shadow of the Colossus; the game the word "groundbreaking" was reserved for
2. Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy ; charismatic characters, beautiful worlds, colourful graphics, great level design. One of my favourite 3D platformers
3. God of War II; Best hack n slash, something awesome happened every 15 minutes
4. Final Fantasy X; best mainline FF ever
5. Ratchet & Clank 3
6. Metroid Prime
7. Metal Gear Solid 3
8. Devil may Cry 3
9. Sly 2: Band of Thieves
10. Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Honorable mentions
x. ICO
x. Okami
x. SOCOM II
x. Kingdom Hearts II
x. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
x. Mario Kart Double Dash
x. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
x. Gran Turismo 4
x. Everybody's Golf
x. Twisted Metal: Black
x. SSX3

+So much more the names escape me at the moment, the PS2 and gen 6 will never be topped.

 

[Linkyn]

Hard to pick. There were many great games in the early 2000s. For me, it was a time mostly dominated by PC gaming and Nintendo systems (the Gamecube holds a very special place in my heart, and the GBA was a worthy companion device for it). After giving it a lot of thought, I eventually decided to go with the games that have the most staying power for me. In any given year, I will probably play at least half of the titles listed below. In order to be somewhat representative of my own tastes in games, I've further decided not to list multiple entries from a single franchise, and to include as many genres as possible (without letting it compromise my other criteria).

1. Resident Evil 4 ; I love REmake, but to me, RE4 is the pinnacle of the series. It is faster. smarter, and more involved without losing the terror that made the first games great. Before eventually beating this game, I quit multiple times (first time fighting Salazar's henchman in the castle basement, second time shortly after encountering the first Regenerado). Today, RE4 is tied with OoT for most playthroughs of the same game (I should be somewhere around 20-25 by now), and I still find new things when I pick it up now and again.

2. Metroid Prime ;

3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ;

4. Super Smash Bros. Melee ;

5. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ;

6. Golden Sun ;

7. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos ;

8. Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven ;

9. The Sims 2 ;

Honorable Mentions:

x World of Warcraft ; I got into WoW in early 2007, and I've more or less stuck (and developed a love-hate relationship) with it since then. However, given the fact that it is still ongoing and thus hard to assign to any generation, I cannot give it a numbered spot.

 

[Lostconfused]

Oh man this is going to be great. Will have to spend a few days just reading through this thread to figure out all the potential candidates.

Should also spend more than a day or two that I did on my GOTY write up haha.

I am pretty sure Resident Evil 4 will have this on lock.

Can't actually vote for this because I played it on the Wii.

 

[Endo Punk]

1. Godhand ; Best 3D beat'em up and the customizable gameplay provides endless entertainment.
2. Silent Hill 2 ; It's scary to the bone, but so beautful at the same time. Just couldn't help but play it every night..
3. Ninja Gaiden Black ; A genre defining experience. My money for best action game to this day.
4. Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner ; Thrilling gameplay and beautiful visuals, a game that lingers in your memory years later.
5. Shenmue ; Absorbing tale and a world that is incredible to explore, you can really lose yourself in the experience.
6. Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty ; This is no fucks given Kojima. We will never see him again. *salutes*
7. Jak & Daxter The precursor legacy ; Saturday morning cartoon feels and the best platformer on the PS2.
8. Gran Turismo 3 A Spec ; It was as perfect a racer could get, truly a premium feeling racing experience.
9. Devil May Cry ; The setting was increbile and the gothic tone very fitting, best designed DMC game.
10 ; SSX 3 ; Going from the top of the mountain all the way to the bottom while being tricky, priceless.

 

[GreyOcelot]

1) Metal Gear Solid 3; GOAT. shockingly, the game is quite under-rated due to some of the more redundant tasks like camo switching, eating, health management. but the game is the perfect precursor to kojima is doing with mgsv. so far ahead of its time.
2) Half Life 2; probably could have been number 1 if they were able to deliver the AI they originally boasted about
3) Metroid Prime
4) Resident Evil 4
5) God of War 2
6) The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker; glad this has won people over as time as gone on. can't believe people were actually hating on this art style
7) Resident Evil (REmake); holds up surprisingly well
8) Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
9) Ninja Gaiden Black
10) Prince of Persia: Sands of Time


Honorable mentions: Max Payne 1 and 2, God of War, MGS2, Onimusha 1, SOCOM 2, DMC, Metroid Prime 2, Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: PT, Super Mario Sunshine

I'm glad i waited until there was a few pages, half of my top 10 was added in when i saw them mentioned over last few pages. I don't think I could rationalize taking any of these games off for any of the HM. I'd imagine gen 7 is easier

 

[Celine]

1. Metroid Prime ; Retro Studios , while being very faithful to Super Metroid, moved the franchise in the third dimension and despite the change of the point of view Metroid Prime still feels like a Metroid game.
That's a huge achievement comparable to the big passage from Super Mario world to Super mario 64.
2. F-Zero GX ; Phenomenal racing game. The sense of speed but also how you are in control of it is pure bliss.
3. Resident Evil 4 ; Fantastic masterpiece that reinvented the franchise.
The first time you visit the village is unforgettable and one of the highest point of that generation.
Of course I experienced the main version (Gamecube).
4. Outrun 2 ; Two decade later and yet Yu Suzuki effortlessly surpassed his own classic.
One of the high mark of the arcade racing genre of all time.
I've only played the Xbox conversion though.
5. Mother 3 ; Different from Earthbound but at the same time it keeps the strong writing.
A very peculiar RPG, with strong characters and overall interesting events to uncover.
6. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess ; The game that "perfected" the OoT formula.
it isn't perfect by any means but what is there is very very good.
Some of the finest dungeons in the entire series.
Of course I'm talking about the Gamecube version which is the original one.
7. Ninja Gaiden Black ; Great action game by Tecmo with very good sense of movement and controls.
8. Rallisport Challenge 2 ; IMO the best rally game ever made.
9. Wario Ware Inc. ; Simple yet very interesting concept. A true novelty at the time.
10. Anachronox ; Many PC gamers usually point out Planescape Torment as the pinnacle of gaming writings yet I feel that honour should be given to Anachronox.
Very interesting setting too, the only big flaw is that the game was just the first part of a full experience (due to financial problems) and to these days it's still unfinished.

x. Flash Koibito-Kun ; A puzzle game for WonderSwan which heavily resembles a Game & Watch. Simple in execution yet very effective.
x. Engacho! ; Another puzzle game for WonderSwan with a typical japanese humor.
Many stages (at least 200!) and all interesting to tackles because the core mechanics (based on movement) while being simple are also interesting.
There is a Playstation version too but the portable nature immensely benefit this genre.
x. Super Monkey Ball ; Classic Sega arcade experience although it was initially released for Gamecube.
x. Viewtiful Joe ; Fantastic sidescrolling action game by Capcom in a time I didn't think it was possible to get another good one.
x. Killer7 ; The gameplay may be unconventional but it's solid and delivers in spade a very original experience.
x. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow ; One of the best metroidvania ever done.
A great experience overall if you aren't afraid to read long texts.

And many many more!

Though I think condensing the best of an entire generation with just 10 spots is insane!

 

[Atlas157]

1. Kingdom Hearts II - My favorite game in the Kingdom Hearts series. Best gameplay, best worlds, best bosses.

2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - My first Gamecube game when I bought it in 2003. Everything about this game is amazing in my opinion. I love the giant ocean, I love the characters, I love the gameplay and the graphics are timeless.

3. Metal Gear Solid 3 - I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't play this until last year, but I'm glad I did, this game from start to finish is near perfection.

4. Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy - Best Star Wars game to date with the best Lightsaber combat. The multiplayer was a blast with friends too.

5. Star Wars: Battlefront II - Better than the first Battlefront (which was already great) but I get to play as a Jedi and do space missions now? Awesome.

6. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne - My favorite in the Shin Megami Tensei series. It kicks me in the balls with difficulty every time I play it, and I love it.

7. Katamari Damacy - I always play this when I need to relax after a bad day or if I just want to pass time. Rolling up a Japanese town while listening to amazing music is always the best.

8. Halo Combat Evolved - The very first PC FPS game I've ever played. I remember going to a friends house in 2004 because he wanted to show me this new amazing shooter (he didn't own an Xbox) and when I left his house that day I went to Best Buy and picked it up. The next morning I beat the single player, and from then until now I put ~1500 hours into the multiplayer.

9. Mother 3 - A real shame that this game never got localized. This game had huge shoes to fill because of how amazing Earthbound is but I think it filled those shoes and then some, it's my favorite Mother game. I would love to replay this again on GBA or Wii U VC (Nintendo pls)

10. Final Fantasy IX - My second favorite Final Fantasy game just behind Final Fantasy VI. Great cast, great gameplay, decent story.

Honorable Mentions
x. Final Fantasy X
x. Kingdom Hearts
x. Devil May Cry 3
x. Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
x. Pokemon Emerald
x. Shadow of the Colossus
x. Zone of the Enders
x. Mr. Mosquito

 

[trh]

1. Diablo II ; I put this here before I even started looking at what games came out that era, it's an instant lock for my #1 game of all time so it was an easy choice. Granted, what I think of as Diablo II comes from after patch 1.11 (2005) as well as 1.13 (2009), with an expansion pack backing it up and years of fine tuning.

2. Shadow of the Colossus ; Still waiting for a game that can give me boss battles half as epic as those in SotC, it's unparalleled in that regard. It's also incredibly atmospheric, with a great soundtrack, featuring what is most likely my favorite credit track of all time. I also remember being completely enthralled by all of the mysteries surrounding the game, watching youtube videos of people exploring out of bounds areas and discussing meanings where for the most part there probably was none.

3. World of Warcraft ; It's been over ten years since I participated in the beta, and I'm still considering playing it from time to time, granted, that has been because of the expansions, but the core game is still there. However, it will probably never be as fun as it was back in vanilla, despite the numerous improvements to the game.

4. Super Smash Bros. Melee ; This is a game I actually still DO play from time to time. Its staying power seems like a bit of a happy accident, as they've actively suppressed what makes Melee so fun in the sequels.

5. Metroid Prime ; Shoutout to all of the speedrunners that gave this game several extra lives.

6. Half-Life 2 ; The physics in Half Life 2 were so damn impressive at the time. Decapitating zombies with the gravity gun stayed entertaining far longer than it had any right to.

7. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; One of the coziest games I know. Every now and then I get the urge to play through it because it just makes me feel good inside.

8. Civilization IV ; The only game on the list that I feel has been surpassed by a sequel, which might lower my opinion of it. But I have to give it credit for being absolute monster of a time sinker.

9. Baldur's Gate II ; I only got around to playing this game for the first time last year, doing so with all of the essential mods that has been released over the years.

10. Resident Evil 4 ; Seems like an obligatory inclusion at this point.

Honorable mentions: God of War II, Final Fantasy X, Warcraft III, Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner, Super Mario Sunshine, Tribes 2, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Halo: Combat Evolved, Metroid Fusion, Metroid: Zero Mission, Halo 2

Just missed the boat, these would have all most likely made top 10:
Company of Heroes (PC, 2006)
Dwarf Fortress (PC, 2006)
Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup (PC, 2006)
Counter Strike (PC, 1999)
Quake 3 (PC, 1999)

Better than most games yet not a video game:
Twilight Imperium III (Boardgame, 2005)

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Resident Evil 4 - Gamecube - (masterpiece, often imitated never replicated)
Shadow of the Colossus - PS2 - (masterpiece)
Ico - PS2 - (masterpiece)
F-Zero GX - GC - (insanely fast and technical racing game, so good Nintendo gave up making another one)
Zone of the Enders 2 - PS2 - (one helluva action game, better than the first game in every respect)
Boktai - GBA - (I was going to include a Zelda, but this does everything Zelda does with some cool new ideas)
Ikaruga - Dreamcast, Gamecube - (one of the best shooters ever made, with a unique mechanic to boot)
Rez - Dreamcast, PS2 - (a beautiful, trippy rail shooter I played countless times)
Wario Ware Twisted - GBA - (the best tilt-control game ever made? yes)
Seaman - Dreamcast - (like no game before it or since, a truly unusual game you must experience)

X. Honorable mentions:

Dreamcast: Shenmue, Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, Elemental Gimmick Gear
PS2: Dragon Quest VIII, Gradius V, Metal Gear Solid 3, Katamari Damacy, GrimGrimoire,
Gamecube: Metroid Prime, Zelda Windwaker, Viewtiful Joe, Pikmin, Chibi-Robo!
GBA: Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, Drill Dozer, Zelda Minish Cap, Metroid Zero Mission, Wario Land 4, Rhythm Tengoku
Xbox: Panzer Dragoon Saga, Jet Set Radio Future, Otogi, Ninja Gaiden

 

[Kurtofan]

so many games, it's hard because many games I liked from that era got better sequels.

1. Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; Still one of my favorite Zelda game, the ocean setting is one of my favorites.
2. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne ; A truly amazing rpg, very tough.
3. Paper Mario Thousand Years Door ; One of the most charming rpgs I've played, and probably Nintendo's best rpg.
4. Persona 4 ; My favorite of the two Persona games that came out this generation .
5. Ratchet And Clank ; a great game full of humor, I like the whole PS2 trilogy but I'll only put this one on this list.
6. Sly Raccoon ; Same as RNC, a great introduction to a great platforming series.
7. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow ; A great addition to the castlevania series, the soul system a great mechanic.
8. Soul Calibur II ; Great Fighting game, a really great and extensive one player mode.
9. Wario Land IV ; Not my favourite in the series but a solid platformer with a lot of weird quirks.
10.Luigi's Mansion ; My introduction to the gamecube, a great adventure, a bit short.


By the way AniHawk, Grim Fandango came out in 1998.

 

[ColdRose]

1. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn ; an incredible game from beginning to end. Exciting combat, brilliant characters, a memorable villain, class-specific quests and strongholds, some terrific areas. Apart from somewhat limited exploration, it had everything I ever wanted in a game. Nearly 15 years on, I still have to play it once a year.

2. Deus Ex ; Such control over how I played! I have never, before or since, had such a good time with a cattle prod and a series of air vents. Helps that there was a good story and fantastic setting, too.

3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ; That twist, that wonderful twist that I never saw coming, is one of the stand out moments in gaming for me. This game captured the Star Wars feel perfectly and characters such as HK47 and Jolee Bindo have cemented it as one of my all-time favourites.

4. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords ; Ugh, I had a really hard time placing this below the first KotOR. I recognise that purely in terms of depth and writing and characterisation, it is the superior title. However, a couple of things made the difference. 1 - when I first played this game, it was a buggy, unfinished mess with a masterpiece hidden inside. Where the ending of the first game made me feel triumphant and heroic, the ending to this one just left me confused and annoyed. The whole bit on Malachor V just royally pissed me off. It took the restored content mods to fully appreciate the greatness of TSL - but since these did not release before 2005, I'm judging the vanilla game here, not the modded one. 2 - Chris Avellone doesn't really like Star Wars, and it shows. So much of TSL is a deconstruction and a (highly) critical examination of various bits of SW lore. I appreciated and enjoyed his insight on a critical level, but as a massive fan of the SW universe and the romanticism of it, on an emotional level I preferred the first game

5. Icewind Dale ; Kind of story light, but I loved the group of characters I created. Area design was just gorgeous (Fortress of the Severed Hand is one of my favourite areas in any game ever) and the music still sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.

6. Sims 2 ; This was the first Sims game I played, and I was pretty overwhelmed by it. I'd never experienced a game where there was just so much to do! I ended up downloading gazillions of mods, creating pretty much everyone I'd ever known in Sim form, and spending vast, vast amounts of time thinking of different ways to torture and kill them (yes, I'm a bad person).

7. Morrowind ; for me, this still stands out as THE game that Bethesda nailed. Yes, I had fun times with Skyrim and Fallout 3, but Morrowind is the game that did it all - gorgeous and interesting setting, a story that was pretty good, and characters whose names I can remember and who I actually enjoyed interacting with! Of course, exploration was still the thing to do - and I have very fond memories of levitating around Dwemer ruins, watching betty netches floating around as the stars came out, and climbing the steps to a silt strider or using a teleport spell (so much better than standard 'fast travel').

8. Max Payne ; Dripping with atmosphere, Max Payne was undoubtedly my favourite TPS of this period. Max was a fascinatingly tormented protagonist, and bullet-time was ridiculously good fun.

9. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne ; See above, plus the tragic relationship between Max and Mona. Great game.

10. Neverwinter Nights ; I really hesitated before putting this on my list, because viewed purely as a single-player campaign, it was actually pretty poor. But the mods! My God, I spent thousands of hours playing user-created content, some of which was of such a high standard that I could happily include it on a regular GOTY list. The various tilesets and assets and class packs, and campaigns such as The Aielund Saga, Shadowlords/Dreamcatcher, Almraiven and Saleron's Gambit, combined with exceptional support from Bioware, makes NWN the best value game - in terms of both money and time - that I've ever purchased.

 

[DagnastyEp]

1. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ; The first RPG I ever played, and tied with my favorite game of all time. Still one of the best Star Wars stories ever told.
2. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault ; Great levels and outstanding gameplay, and the MP was really fun.
3. Half-Life 2 ; An awesome game that I'd love to have a sequel to sometime...
4. Doom 3 ; Fast, intense, insane graphics and lighting.
5. Halo 2 ; Improved upon the first in every way
6. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 ; Didn't quite live up to the first, but still an awesome game
7. Metal Gear Solid 2 ; I don't know what happened the second half of this, but it was a blast to play
8. Halo: Combat Evolved ; It introduce a great world, and an iconic hero
9. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time ; A brilliant action platfomer, that none of the sequels have lived up to
10. Max Payne 2 ; Awesome action gameplay. Still the best in the series.

x. Grand Theft Auto 3 ; Game changing phenomenon when it came out.
x. Shenmue ; I was blown away by how much could be done in this game, so much freedom as a player.
x. Ratchet and Clank ; I was LTTP on this one, but I loved it all the same.
x. Resident Evil 4 ; Another title I was LTTP on, it's a great game. Would probably be much higher if I had played it when it first came out

 

[Xpliskin]

1. Resident Evil Remake Gamecube: The best survival-horror game ever made
2. Resident Evil 4: GOAT
3. Devil May Cry 1: It spawned a new genre, stylish hard action
4. Metal Gear Solid 2: A sequel ahead of its time
5. Final Fantasy X: One of the last memorably FF games
6. Max Payne 2: One of the best written games of its generation
7. Shenmue : How can you forget
8. Metal Gear Solid 3: Pushed the PS2 to its limits.
9. Silent Hill 2: A classic in the series.
10. Unreal tournament 2004 : the best vehicle team multiplayer game of the generation.

 

[maxcriden]

....This is going to be really hard. I'll have to give it some serious thought.

I have to admit to a bit of schadenfreude in not seeing Sunshine up on people's lists much yet, as I think it's the worst Mario by a wide margin and I don't understand the cult following for it.

Thanks for putting this together, AniHawk! I'll be eager to see your list as I noticed you're on my affinity list from the GOTY 2014 vote.

 

[KevinG]

Halo - It's the one I spent the most time with.

Halo 2 - See above.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Playing through on the Wii U reminded me of how incredible this game was on the GameCube.

Metroid Prime - The sense of atmosphere was unmatched until I played through Bioshock.

Metroid Fusion - Absolutely loved this one.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - That twist though.

Super Smash Brothers Melee - Hours of fun beating up my cousins (actually, I was mostly getting beat up, but having that much fun while losing is a testament to the greatness of the game).

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Played through it once, but once was enough to know how great it was.

Struggling to think up two more, so maybe I'm done at 8.

EDIT: I'm seeing Half-Life 2 on people's lists, but I didn't play it until the Orange Box. I'll add it in.

Half-Life 2 - Will never forget Ravenholm.

Super Mario Sunshine - Thought the new mechanics were controversial, I still loved the mess out of it.

Honorable Mention: GTA: San Andreas - The game took me 2 weeks to finish, playing several hours every day.

 

[Zia]

With the amount of remasters we've seen over the past few years focusing on games from this generation, and particularly the first two months of this year touching on a few key "classics" (Grim Fandango, REmake, Homeworld), I think it's a great time to revisit this era.

It was the first era of 3D games, post-N64 fuzz and fog, post-PlayStation triangular morass, where we honestly thought, "Okay, this is the first generation of 3D games that have a basic aesthetic competency so the greats will be timeless." Wrong. Absolutely wrong.

And with that in mind I'd encourage everyone to not vote for what your favorite games was in 2002, but what your favorite game from 2002 is today. Try to revisit whatever you plan on listing, or at least think critically about what you list, and whether you'd even still enjoy engaging with it. "The greatest games from the DC/GC/XB/PS2 era to play today" is a lot more interesting and valuable than listing games because you had a fun weekend with them when you were 14, or because they had a now mostly-irrelevant impact on the industry.

 

[Hellshadow]

1. Half-Life 2 ; played this almost three years straight.
2. Metroid Prime ; Magnificent soundtrack.
3. Deus Ex ; still holds up fifteen years later.
4. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind ; spent countless hours playing this.
5. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater ; the best metal gear.
6. Dragon Quest VIII ; I miss this style of DQ
7. Final Fantasy X ; Tidus is annoying.
8. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes ; not as good as the first but still godly
9. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos ; my favorite RTS
10. Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne ; great artstyle and soundtrack, hard as hell

 

[Violence Jack]

1. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS2) ; Growing up as a child of the 80s, Vice City was a dream come true for me. Everything from the setting, the fashion, the music, the cars, the style, the pop-culture references (Miami Vice and Scarface especially) brought back fond memories of the past. The game had a good story headed up by one of the most star-studded casts ever (Ray Liotta, Tom Sizemore, William Fintcher, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper (RIP), Fairuza Balk, etc). 13 years later, this is still in my top 5 games of all time and absolutely my favorite game of the generation.

2. Silent Hill 2 (PS2) ; Silent Hill is my favorite video game franchise. When I bought Silent Hill 2, I was expecting a similar experience to Silent Hill 1. What I got instead was a psychological horror masterpiece that has yet to be surpassed. James Sunderland's story is a tragic one, and the more you uncover, the worse it gets. When you beat the game the underlying meanings to James' "demons" becomes very clear and it was an amazing revelation to me at the time. Great gameplay, amazing soundtrack, superb story, and the debut of the iconic Pyramid Head make Silent Hill 2 the greatest horror game that I've ever played.

3. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) ; At first, I hesitated to buy this game. From what I read, it was going to be pretty different from the first two games, and it looked rather cheesy. But I'm glad I did. Once I played through the game, and wiped a proud tear from my eye, Metal Gear Solid 3 is probably the best entry in the series and gave me a whole new perspective on the Snake Eater song.

4. ESPN NFL 2K5 (PS2) - 11 years after its release, this is still the greatest football game that I've ever played. It was everything I wanted Madden to be, and then some. For $20, this was probably one of the greatest video game deals ever. I hope 2K gets the chance to start making licensed football games again.

5. Resident Evil 4 (PS2) ; While it may not be as high on my list, Resident Evil 4 was a great game. The over-the-shoulder perspective was pretty new, and gone were the tank controls from the previous games. The gameplay is perfectly balanced, and the setting was excellent.

6. Kingdom Hearts 2 (PS2) ; Kingdom Hearts was a very good game that had some major gameplay issues at times. The wonky camera, the often frustrating platform jumping, and everything about the Gummi Ship stopped it just short of being great. Despite a long and boring prologue, Kingdom Hearts 2 managed to fix all of the issues of the first game, and turn it into an all time great action-RPG.

7. Devil May Cry (PS2) ; Devil May Cry was a godly mix of action and platforming. The stylish combos and fast gameplay made this very fun to play. A precursor to Bayonetta.

8. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (DC) ; This was one of the first arcade-perfect fighting game ports I had played. The gameplay was perfect, great unlockables (Ah, the days before DLC and microtransactions), and the odd yet good soundtrack makes this one stand out for me. I was definitely taken for a ride.

9. NBA 2K1 (DC) ; Before NBA 2K11, this was the best basketball game I had ever played. The player models were great, the animation was smooth, and the controls were very tight. Amazing game, and another notch in the belt of my respect for 2K sports titles.

10. Beyond Good and Evil ; I'd heard some rumblings about how good this game was and how it sold like shit. In fact, I found it in the discount bin about a year after its release for $4.99. I would've gladly paid full price for it. This was the closest thing to Zelda on PS2. The variety of gameplay stands out as does the story. It's one of the most underrated titles ever, and I hope Ubisoft still plans on a possible announcement for Beyond Good and Evil 2.

Honorable Mentions:
x. Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix
x. Eye Toy Kinetic
x. Grand Theft Auto III
x. Manhunt
x. WWF Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain
x. Kingdom Hearts
x. Guitar Hero 2
x. The Punisher
x. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ; The only reason that it was not in my top ten is that I never finished the game.
x. Psi-Ops
x. Gungrave
x. Rez
x. Rygar
x. Killer 7

 

[trh]

quick question: is System Shock 2 eligible?

Does not fall within 2000-2005 for PC, so no.

 

[Klart]

1) Shenmue: not often a game captured me as much as this one; I really felt like I was living the life of a young man in Japan. It looked breathtaking.
2) Shenmue 2
3) Soul Calibur (DC)
4) Resident Evil 4: I got really late into the PS2 (after the DC) & this was actually one of the few games I really, really loved.
5) Quake 3 (DC): 4 player split screen mayhem
6) Half Life 2
7) Power Stone 2
8) Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
9) Metal Gear Solid 3
10) Power Stone

 

[Rezae]

Hmm..


1) Morrowind - one of my favorite games of all-time. ES before the hand-holding.
2) Diablo 2 - infinite replay value
3) Metroid Prime - one of the greatest surprises and adventures ever
4) Baldur's Gate II - classic in every way.
5) Ninja Gaiden Black - arguably one of the best action games ever made
6) Phantasy Star Online - multiplayer amazing, up there with D2 for replayability
7) SMT: Nocturne - very dark and original RPG. Challenging and long.
8) F-Zero GX - best arcade racer ever?
9) FF XI - super immersive, incredible soundtrack
10) GTA: SA - so big, refined the GTA3 formula to near perfection


Honorable Mentions:
Silent Hill 2
Halo 2
FFX
ICO
Shadow of the Colossus
Dragon Quest VIII
Shenmue
Virtua Fighter 4

 

[Spades]

Reserved

Why do people do this? Really annoys me. Why not just post when your list is ready?

 

[myco666]

1) Shenmue: not often a game captured me as much as this one; I really felt like I was living the life of a young man in Japan. It looked breathtaking.
2) Shenmue 2
3) Resident Evil 4: I got really late into the PS2 (after the DC) & this was actually one of the few games I really, really loved.
4) Quake 3 (DC): 4 player split screen mayhem
5) Half Life 2
6) Power Stone 2
7) Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
8) Metal Gear Solid 3

As you can see, I mainly played DC (Sega fanboy), but also some PS2 & PC.

Why can't I add Power Stone & Soul Calibur just because they were out before 2000?

You can vote for those since they were released on DC. If you voted for the arcade versions then no. Atleast this is how I understood the rules.

 

[Fireblend]

1. Mother 3 - Easily one of the best RPGs out there. Not only was it able to fill in the shoes of its extraordinary predecessor (a permanent resident in my top 5 games of all time), it did it by heightening the emotional depth of what Earthbound's story had achieved, considerably improving its battle system with the addition of rhythm-based mechanics, and looking and sounding good enough to age like nothing but fine wine. I will play this 10 years from now, and it'll make me feel as good as it did last year when I finally got around to beat it. A real shame it will never reach our shores officially.

2. Okami - Probably a controversial choice, but this is my favorite PS2 game ever. Music, graphics, story, battle system, this game had it all. It took what made Zelda great and turned it into what would be a game that would stay with me forever. Despite a very lengthy and somewhat disconnected plot, enjoying it through the end was well worth it. I love everything about this game. I'm gonna go listen to the soundtrack as soon as I'm done writing this.

3. Metroid Fusion - Another perfect game. The GBA might have a low number of truly great exclusives, but the ones in this list alone more than redeem the console and throw it into greatness. Few games have been as atmospheric for me as Metroid Fusion; being hunted down by SA-X while having to explore a desolated scientific space station was represented masterfully and beautifully through its outstanding music and graphics. Another endlessly replayable game that shows a great game isn't achieved by technical strength alone, but execution as well.

4. Zone of the Enders 2

5. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

6. Super Smash Bros. Melee

7. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

8. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

9. Metroid Prime

10. Advance Wars 2

Special Mentions:

x. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
x. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Old Door
x. Half-Life 2
x. Ikaruga
x. Golden Sun & Golden Sun 2
x. Klonoa 2: lunatea's Veil

 

[bathsalts]

1. Deus Ex ; The shooting may be janky and the atmosphere isnt up to System Shock 2 but the gameplay offered is unparalleled, it treats the player so intelligently, bowing to the all kinds non-linear player action.

2. Baldur's Gate 2 ; The most complete game of the infinity engine ranks, its staggering what Bioware achieved with this game.

3. Diablo 2 ; Blizzard's refined processed of digital crack will be the yard stick for the genre for the rest of time.

4. Thief II: The Metal Age ; The best stealth game of all time, despite its mediocre graphics proving again smart gameplay is king and a cool trapezoid box just sweetens the deal.

5. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos ; Unheard of production values at the time and Blizz's last gasp before WoW destroyed them.

6. The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind ; Easily the most believable and liberating open world of all time, Skyrim wishes it was half the game this is.

7. Half Life 2 ; Not as good as 1, but still the best fps level design in gaming.

8. Civilization IV ; I passed history class thanks to this game, I probably failed a different class also thanks to this game.

9. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher's Bay ; Cant say enough about how perfectly blended different genres are in this game, all pulled together by top notch art and Vin Diesel's growl.s

10. Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines ; It took quite awhile to make this playable but very much worth it, must play for any RPG fans who may have missed out.

 

[random25]

Making this list is too damn hard, as there's just too many awesome games to mention. But here goes!

1. Metroid Prime (NGC) ; The best game of the GC/PS2/XBOX/DC era IMO. A game that is worth being associated with the word "classic". Two generations after, it is still getting the "wow" factor to new players. All of its facets are outstanding. Gameplay? Superb. Graphics? Superb. Music? Superb. Atmosphere? Superb. Polish? Superb. There's just no other game in that era that will top Metroid Prime for me, the closest probably is its sequel.

2. Super Smash Bros. Melee (NGC) ; When a decade an a half later it is still being played at big fighting game tournaments and its community is still growing, you know you have to put this game at the top of its generation. SSB Melee is the best launch game to come into any console. It has vastly improved upon the experiment that was Super Smash Bros. on Nintendo 64. Improved roster, improved stages, additional modes, memorable music and improved gameplay and controls. This game made the franchise a dominant force in the fighting game genre, and even if I'm not as good of a tournament player as the other hardcore Melee fans, it is still my most played Gamecube game ever.

3. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (NGC) ; I did say that it's the closest rival to my top 1, but I'll give it my 3rd spot because my most played Gamecube game just needs to be mentioned higher . MP2 keeps the awesomeness of MP1, and while it didn't have the wow factor of MP1 due to it being a direct sequel, it still retains the same quality of the series. If only Corruption was a Gamecube game this list would have probably 3 Metroid Prime games lol. It's just that great.

4. Resident Evil 4 (NGC) ; The best Resident Evil game ever. It has the best protagosint of RE ever (Leon), the best controls, the best gameplay, and the most satisfying rifle reload animation (you know I have to put that one ). The jump from the old Resident Evil gameplay to this was so awe-inspiring back when I first saw it in the videos.

5. The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (NGC) ; Remember that awesome E3 of 2004? Yeah the hype was real, and this game delivered. Twilight Princess has some of the best dungeons to ever grace the Zelda franchise, and it gave us one of the most memorable characters in the Zelda universe, Midna. It may have been a little late in the Gamecube's life, but it still delivered.

6. Metal Gear Solid 3 (PS2) ; Well, Kojima is the man. What can I say more? MGS3 tells the past of the badass FOX operative known as Naked Snake, and there's really no question about Kojima's storytelling. The improved gameplay and stealth mechanics revolutionized the series and just wowed the audiences everywhere. Even if it still does not top my favorite MGS game, which is MGS1, it still deserves its spot in the best of its generation.

7. F-Zero GX (NGC) ; If I'm going to choose a timeless racing game, this would be my #1 choice. F-Zero GX was just truly outstanding. The feel of the speed, the awesome music, the hard as heck difficulty...everything about it was so satisfying, and I'm not even a racing fan. Even up to this day, when I play it gives me the adrenaline rush of an arcade racer. hope this series continues

8. Legend of Zelda Wind Waker (NGC) ; Such an ageless game. I still remember the outrage when people got their first look in the game. It was so different-looking and was "too kiddy". But several years later, now you get those critics silenced It is the most charming LoZ game and its artstyle just looks so good even in today's standards. And also, it introduced the concept of selfie when it wasn't a trending thing yet. So ahead of time

9. Mother 3 (GBA) ; Unfortunately for us non-Japanese, we had to wait for some fan-made translations to play this game in a more understandable language. But this game is amazing and really deserves an official worldwide release for everybody to experience! It just has tons of charm and is very unique to typical RPGs, which is a staple trademark in the Mother series. And it also has tons of emotional moments to keep you hooked in the story. This game deserves a recognition as one of generation's best in the handheld department.

10. Persona 3 FES (PS2) ; Persona series really flourished in the PS2. Well, having its 2 most iconic games in the franchise in the same console really helped! While P4 is the universal favorite, I still find P3 to be the better game despite its flaws. It's story is really close to the SMT themes, the way they call their Personas is the most awesome in the series, the protagonist is the best in the series (yeah, he died for everybody's sins! ) and it has a better mascot! PS2 has tons of great RPGs, but for me, P3 takes the cake as the best in its turf.

Honorable Mentions: Really hard not to put them in my top 10, but I just need to mention these outstanding games:

x. Mario Kart Double Dash (NGC) ; The 2-player controlled kart is crazy in a good way!
x. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) ; One of the best, if not the best, Castlevanias ever
x. Skies of Arcadia: Legends (NGC) ; Awesome RPG with awesome flying ship fights!
x. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (NGC) ; of the best RPGs in its generation and the best Mario RPG yet!
x. Devil May Cry 3 (PS2) ; Stylish Action Supreme!
x. Final Fantasy X (PS2) ; If not for Auron, I wouldn't put this game on the list! LOL!
x. Megaman Zero (GBA) ; One of the best Megaman games ever made.
x. Counter-Strike (PC) ; most awesome FPS multiplayer game ever!

 

[Morfeo]

Are rereleases allowed? If so, it will be hard to top stuff like Final Fantasy VI and Link to the Past on the GBA.

 

[shiftplusone]

not the full list and not in any order (except #1 probably) but just needing to jot down

1. Deus Ex- if you've ever said "this game is the best game of all time" and you are NOT talking about deus ex you are objectively wrong.
World of Warcraft
phantasy star online
diablo 2
vampire masquerade
ff10


question: does dota 1 count? I know it's technically a custom map for warcraft 3 but it's responsible for a lot of people getting into games with what it spawned, and it's barely tied to wc3 outside of launching from within that game.

 

[Trago]

1. Thief 2: The Metal Age; Greatest stealth game of all time, without question. Forward thinking in its design, deep and rich atmosphere, brutal ai, and levels that didn't feel like levels, but actual places. You will not find a more detailed and well designed stealth game. Period.

2. Metroid Prime; The best game ever printed to a disc by Retro Studios. Music that kicks ass, graphics that have aged really well, and fun gameplay, this really is a first person adventure.

3. Super Smash Bros. Melee; My most played fighting game of the generation. The most competitive feeling game in the series, it's still played in tournaments to this day.

4. Unreal Tournament 2004; My favorite competitive shooter of the generation. If you want to play the absolute best rendition of capture the flag in all of video games, look no further than this game.

5. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory; My second favorite stealth game this generation, Chaos Theory was released near the end of this gen. Best story in the series, and one of my favorite games to play co-op in. Play it, or miss out.

6. Skies of Arcadia: Legends; When it comes to JRPG's in this generation, there are very few that blew me away. This was during the time when JRPG's were becoming samey and predictable( sorta like how shooters are going through the same thing). Just when I thought I was gonna take a long break from the genre, out comes this little masterpiece! Apparently, this version of the game is a remaster of the original which was released on the Dreamcast and fixed a few of the problems that that version had. At any rate, this is a kick ass JRPG from start to finish, a real adventure.

7. Kingdom Hearts; One of the final Squaresoft RPG's, I was pumped for the game's release after seeing that kick ass commercial we all know for this game. As a huge Disneyphile, I think Square did an awesome job adapting these characters into video game form. The gamepay is addicting, the story actually made sense( unlike later entries in the series), and the fucking soundtrack turned me on to my absolute favorite video game composer ever, Yoko Shimomura.

8. Shadow of The Colossus; One of the very few Sony first party games that mattered this gen, Shadow of The Colossus proved that the PS2 could do great visuals. I mean, the fucking scope of the colossi, back in '05 was something to marvel at. Words cannot describe how fast my heart beat was when I encountered that first colossus and mustered up the courage to take it on. Moody soundtrack, a kick ass steed, quiet moments, grand moments, and an ending that just makes you sit there and think. Play this game.

9. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City; It's a GTA game, set in the fuckin' 80's. What more needs to be said? It's my favorite open world game from Rock Star.

10. Shenmue 2; When people bring up great stories in games and not mention anything from the Shenmue series, Yu Suzuki sheds a tear. The second game in particular has one of the best stories in all of gaming, with themes of redemption, revenge, loss, and just living life, you could tell that Suzuki and his team put their all in this title. Playing through this game will make you understand why this fan base is so vocal for a sequel even twelve years after its release.


Man, that was hard.

 

[Skullface]

1. Metal Gear Solid 2 ; Metal Gear Solid 1 was truly one of a kind at the time of release. Anyone who loved the game and saw the post credit ending knew a sequel was inevitable. Metal Gear Solid 2 had the biggest surprise of the generation and such a complex story that college theses have been written on it.

2. Halo 2 ; Following in the footsteps of Metal Gear Solid 2, Halo 2 also had a major twist. While the campaign was divisive among fans, the online multiplayer set the gold standard.

3. Metal Gear Solid 3 ; Continuing on my list of games with incredible story twists, Metal Gear Solid 3 had a major one. Unfortunately, many fans had this revelation spoiled. Adding survival mechanics really added a new dynamic to the series.

4. Halo: Combat Evolved ; The last first person shooter I had played was probably Goldeneye. This incredible title turned me on to the possibilities of future shooters with it's excellent physics and split screen multiplayer that blew Goldeneye out of the water.

5. Resident Evil (Gamecube) ; The original Resident evil was an incredible game! However, I was only 6 when it came out and was way to afraid to play the game alone. I got my hands on this gem when I was 14 years old, and with the updated graphics, it was scarier than playing the original when I was 6.

6. Castlevania: Circle of the Moon ; This was my very first Gameboy Advance title. I hadn't played Symphony of the Moon at this point, so it was my first foray into the Metroidvania style of play. I enjoyed this game so much that when I did finally get to Symphony of the Night, I was kind of disappointed.

7. Grand Theft Auto III ; This was the first Grand Theft Auto that I didn't like. It should be said though that I put many hours in to this game and was the first truly open world game I had ever experienced. There was truly nothing like it at the time.

8. Morrowind ; This game was really unique. It was my introduction to the Elder Scrolls series. I enjoyed exploring the world, but the graphics were mediocre, many of the quests were fetchy, and the world itself was mostly barren. As with Grand Theft Auto III, there was nothing quite like it at the time.

9. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 ; I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the only one who votes for this game. It came out when the cel shaded graphics became a thing in the early to mid aughts. Visually an improvement over it's predecessor, it's story mode was akin to a board game, giving it an interesting party/fighting genre combination.

10. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker ; This is probably a lot higher on other folks lists, but I thought it was too tedious to merit a top five. None the less, this game shook things up in such an awesome way. I was disappointed to see the kiddy cel shading, but the game play was as solid as ever.

 

[Macstorm]

1. Final Fantasy XII ; While there are lots of improvements I'd love to see made, that weren't even added in the IZJS version, I still love this game and its battle system more than any other. Gambits are the ultimate form of AI, and I found the open world encounters to be the greatest thing ever. I had reasons to actually use all my spells, things like protect and shell. It was strategic and fun. And the Gilgamesh fights were some of the best battles in an RPG.

2. Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra ; While it was a trek to get here, Episode III of Xenosaga was fantastic. It featured the best battle system of the trilogy, blending battle between individuals and mechs perfectly. The story was crazy, but it was my kinda crazy. I'd love to see the series remade using Episode III's engine and battle system as a base. It might help wash the awful taste of Episode II out of my mouth.

3. Metroid: Zero Mission ; This reimagining of the original Metroid just worked on every level. It was masterfully designed to be nostalgic, yet new at the same time. The second best Metroid game next to Super Metroid.

4. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance ; While it didn't have the same level of story as the original, I found the gameplay of FFTA to be much more enjoyable. I loved the expanded class system and how much choice you had in building your party. The law system could be annoying, but I found my way around it without it being too much of a bother.

5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 ; It took a couple tries to get into Persona 3, but when I did I found I really enjoyed that. That said, I dove into and loved Persona 4 from the start. The cast is one of the most relatable and memorable, and the way they work together to solve the murder mysteries just worked for me. I'm clearly on Team Naoto!

6. Final Fantasy X ; Until recently, this game would have been much higher on this list. My recent replay of it showed me that I was way too nostalgic with my love for FFX. That said, I still love the cast, especially Auron. How could you not think Auron is awesome? Being able to swap characters in and out during battle was great, though on additional playthroughs I've found that's an aspect of the game best experienced once.

7. Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones ; This was my second Fire Emblem game, and it was hard to determine which of the two I liked better. When I thought about it, I found that I really enjoyed the branching class system in Sacred Stones. Also, fans of FE Awakening's Donnel should know that Amelia in Sacred Stones is every bit as overpowered when built up. She rocks.

8. Final Fantasy XI ; While far from perfect, I found a lot of enjoyment with FFXI. The class system is the best in all Final Fantasy, and the story and music are highly underrated. I still feel that if Square Enix released a single-player Final Fantasy based on FFXI's world, classes, etc. that it could have the potential to be amazing. That said, I still had a lot of fun with FFXI, warts and all.

9. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty ; Some love it, some hate it. I'm in the former category. I love the crazy, over-the-top story. The mind screws this game does just works for me. The Major's codec calls toward the end of the game are some of my most memorable moments of gaming.

10. We <3 Katamari ; I don't play a love of action games that don't really have a story driving them along. I was never more pleased than to have fallen in love with We <3 Katamari when I just randomly happened to pick up a used copy. There is just something special about your first experience with a crazy new gameplay concept, and my wife and I both really dug this one.

x. Metroid Fusion ; I really love 2D Metroid games, so that's why this is on here. Fusion can be really frustrating at times, but even as annoying as it could be, I still had fun with this.

x. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES ; Back when I played this, it would have been up near the top of this list. Persona 3 Portable and both other versions of Persona 4 have retroactively dropped the original down my list a little. I still appreciate this game, but there's been so much better since this released.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Just 10 games? This is going to be impossible. I was hoping for at least 20.

I still have some games left to play from this generation, too. I hope I can get through a few of them before the end of February.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

1. Star Wars: Battlefront II ; Never have I put so much time into a single game before. SWBF2 had the best online play of the generation and I am proud to say that I put over 3 solid years into it.
2. Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
3. Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee!
4. Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
5. Super Mario Sunshine
6. Metroid Fusion
7. Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
8. Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
9. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
10. SOCOM II: US Navy Seals

 

[andymcc]

Oh boy, this is going to be fun!