Your Top 20. RULES, MOFOS. CLOSED.

[HaemishM]

No order here, just random 20's.

1. Wasteland - EA - PC - 1988
2. Betrayal at Krondor - Dynamix - PC - 1993
3. Everquest - SOE - PC/MMOG - 1998 (Yes, for all its many faults, it still represents a confluence of magic for me)
4. Unreal Tournament - Epic Games - PC - 1999
5. Duke Nukem 3D - 3D Realms - PC - 1996
6. Ancient Art of War - Broderbund - PC - 1984
7. Battleground: Waterloo - Talonsoft - PC - 1996
8. X-Com - Microprose - PC - 1993
9. ESPN NFL 2k5 - Sega - X-Box - 2004 (Only beat out 2k4 because of the online leagues)
10. Red Steel - Ubisoft - Wii - 2006 (Dog me for this all you want, it still rocked my world)
11. Command & Conquer - Westwood - PC - 1995 (First game I ever multiplayed through a modem - the awesome)
12. Wing Commander - Origin - PC - 1992
13. Star Raiders - Atari - Atari 2600 - 1982
14. Resident Evil 4 - Capcom - Gamecube - 2005
15. Earl Weaver Baseball - EA - PC - 1989
16. FIFA 07 - EA - X-Box - 2006
17. Half-Life - Valve - PC - 1998
18. Deus Ex - Ion Storm - PC - 2000
19. Thief - Looking Glass Studios - PC - 1998
20. Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec - Sony - PS2 - 2001

That's a hard list to make, because some things just need to go on there, only to be bumped by other things that need to go on there.

EDIT: Shit, already have to edit.

[MrHat]

Legend of Zelda - Nintendo - NES - 1987
Tetris - Bullet-Proof Software - GB - 1989
Super Mario Bros. 3 - Nintendo - NES - 1990
Dragon Warrior III - Enix Corp - NES - 1992
Super Mario Kart - Nintendo - SNES - 1992
Final Fantasy III - Square - SNES - 1994
Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Westwood Studios - PC - 1996
Simcity 2000 - Maxis Software - PC - 1996
Starcraft - Blizzard Entertainment - PC - 1998
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia - New World Computing - PC - 1999
Planescape Torment - Black Isle Studios - PC - 1999
SoulCaliber - Namco - DC - 1999
Counter-Strike - Minh Le and Jess Cliffe - PC - 2000
Diablo II - Blizzard North - PC - 2000
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos - Blizzard Entertainment - PC - 2002
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - BioWare - XBOX - 2003
World of Warcraft - Blizzard Entertainment - PC - 2004
Civilization IV - Firaxis Games - PC - 2005
Guitar Hero - Harmonix Music Systems - PS2 - 2005
Portal - Valve - PC - 2007

EDIT: Format.

[Zetleft]

To continue the trend, in no particular order.

Out of this World - Delphine Software 1991
Duke Nukem 3D - 3D Realms - PC - 1996 
Full Throttle - Lucasarts - PC - 1995
NFL 2k5 - 2k Sports - Xbox - 2004
Mutant League Football - EA - Sega Genesis - 1993
Ultima Online - Origin Systems - PC - 1997 
Deus Ex - Ion Storm - PC - 2000
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - Rockstar North - PC - 2003   
X-Com: UFO Defense - Mythos - PC - 1994
Fallout - Interplay Productions, Inc. - PC - 1997
Battlefield 1942 - DICE/EA - PC - 2002
Syndicate - Bullfrog - PC - 1993
Pirates! - Sid Meier/Microprose - PC - 1987 
Master of Orion - Microprose - PC - 1993
Half Life - Valve - PC 1998
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri - Looking Glass - PC - 1996
Alien Vs. Predator - Sierra/Fox Interactive - PC 1999
Privateer 2: The Darkening - Origin - PC- 1996
System Shock 2 - Looking Glass - PC - 1999
Jagged Alliance 2, Talonsoft, PC, 1999   

Damn this was hard, great games had to be left out.  I may still have to edit it.

Out of this World - le awesome
Duke Nukem 3D - I usually get bored with shooters well before the end but this game I played through multiple times and all the expansions.  Multiplayer was some of the most fun I've had in an online game (or lan party) too. 
Full Throttle - It was this or sam and max, hard choice. 
NFL 2k5 - Last great football game made, it will remain until the exclusive contract ends.
Mutant League Football - One of the first great football games made :p
Ultima Online - Opened my eyes to what a MMORPG is and what is possible.   I'll never forgive it.
Deus Ex - Multiple ways to win, great story, choices that matter.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The soundtrack and voice acting were just awesome.
X-Com: UFO Defense - I played this game so much.... I still have my original demo of it on a floppy :p
Fallout - Just preferred the original
Battlefield 1942 - Has to be on the list just based on how damn much I played it. 
Syndicate - That voice repeating syndicate is still in my head. 
Pirates! - The original is just a classic, this was free roaming perfection. 
Master of Orion - I just prefer the original uncomplicated one :)
Half Life - Addictive game, could not stop until it was finished.
Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri - Wish it was more popular, so ahead of its time.
Alien Vs. Predator - Sierra/Fox Interactive - Marine campaign = anxiety around every corner.   Loved it.
Privateer 2: The Darkening - Great friggin game, and FMV that didn't suck with actors like Clive Owen and Christopher Walken.  I really wish someone would make a new space sim, but at least I still have my copy. 
System Shock 2 - Those midwives still creep me out.

[Montague]

No particular order, but games on the bottom are ones I had to think hard about. List based on opinion of gameplay and actual time played.

1.    Civilization II, Microprose, PC, 1996
2.    World of Warcraft, Blizzard, PC, 2004
3.    Knights Of The Old Republic, Bioware, PC, 2003
4.    Master Of Orion II, Microprose, PC, 1996
5.    Europa Universalis, Paradox Interactive, PC, 2000
6.    Jagged Alliance II, Sir-Tech, PC, 1999
7.    Mass Effect, Bioware, X-Box 360, 2007
8.    Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar North, Playstation, 1997
9.    Diablo II, Blizzard North, PC, 2000
10.   Baldur's Gate II, Bioware, PC, 2000
11.   Guitar Hero II, Harmonix, PSII, 2006
12.   Need For Speed: Underground, EA, PS2, 2003
13.   X-Com: UFO Defense, Microprose, PC, 1993
14.   Clash Of Steel, SSI, PC, 1993
15.   Rome: Total War, Creative Assembly, PC, 2004
16.   Aces Of The Deep, Dynamix, PC, 1994
17.   Front Office Football: The College Years, Solecismic Software, PC, 2002
18.   Wing Commander: Privateer, Origin, PC, 1993
19.   Gorf, Midway, Atari 2600, 1982
20.   Star Raiders, Atari, Atari 5200, 1983

[schild]

read the rules update.

[Falconeer]

The only games in my list from the XXI century are Portal, Disgaea and Motor City Online, and I have 11 games from the 80s. I guess it says it all about me. I live in the past and my list is definitely made of regrets, lost chances and the "good ole days" which were probably not that good at all. When you lost your virginity too long ago, it really takes a bomb to make your eyebrow lift. As I said, this list is probably useless shit but just doing it and looking at it makes me feel better. Thanks for the chance.

1. M.U.L.E. - Ozark Softscape - C64 - 1983
2. Utopia - Don Daglow - Intellivision - 1982
3. NHL 94 - EA Sports - GEN - 1993
4. Ultima Online - Origin Systems - PC - 1997
5. Bard's Tale - Interplay - C64 - 1985
6. Mars Saga - Westwood Associates - C64 - 1988
7. John Madden Football 93 - EA Sports - GEN - 1992
8. Wasteland - Interplay - C64 - 1988
9. AD&D Treasures of Tarmin - Tom Loughry - Intellivision - 1983
10. Championship Manager - Collyer Bros - Amiga - 1992
11. Portal - Valve - PC - 2007
13. Laser Squad - Julian Gollop - C64 - 1988   
14. Disgaea - Nippon Ichi Software - PS2 - 2003
15. Pirates! - Sid Meier/Microprose - C64/Amiga - 1987
16. Half Life - Valve - PC - 1998
17. Archon - Free Fall Associates - C64 - 1983
18. Phantasy Star 2 - Rieko Kodama/SEGA - GEN - 1989
19. Motor City Online - EA Games - PC - 2001
20. Kick Off - Dino Dini - Amiga - 1989

Commentary? Who would read it. You know the games.

[Yegolev]

Twenty.  Heh.

Darklands - DOS - MicroProse - December 31, 1992
Super Metroid - SNES - Intelligent Systems Co., Ltd/Nintendo R&D1 - 1994
Bushido Blade - Square Co., Ltd - PS - October 17, 1997
Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role Playing Game - Interplay Productions, Inc. - Windows 95 - November 15, 1997
Grim Fandango - Windows - LucasArts Entertainment Company, LLC - November 2, 1998
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64 - Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development - November 23, 1998
Thief: The Dark Project - Windows 98 - Looking Glass Studios, Inc. - December 3 1998
Vagrant Story - Square Co., Ltd - PS - May 16, 2000
Diablo II: Lord of Destruction - Windows - Blizzard North - June 30, 2001
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - GC - Silicon Knights, Inc. - June 24, 2002
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando - PS2 - Insomniac Games, Inc. - November 11, 2003
Ninja Gaiden - Xbox - Team Ninja - March 11, 2004
Shadow Hearts: Covenant - PS2 - Nautilus - September 27, 2004
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - PS2 - Rockstar North, Ltd. - October 26, 2004
Resident Evil 4 - GC - Capcom Production Studio 4 - January 11, 2005
Phantom Dust - Xbox - Microsoft Game Studios Japan - March 15, 2005
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga - PS2 - Atlus Co., Ltd - April 5, 2005
Dead Rising - 360 - Capcom Co., Ltd - August 8, 2006
Portal - Windows - Valve Corporation - October 9, 2007
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune - PS3 - Naughty Dog, Inc. - November 20, 2007

This is basically twenty random titles from my list of favorites.  I will be happy to discuss their merits, and the merits of the missing titles, in another thread.
EDIT: Replaced Forza 2 with Uncharted

[naum]

1. Age of Empires - MS/Ensemble
2. C&C - Westwood
3. Kohan - Timegate?
4. Dominions3 - Illwinter/Shrapnel
5. SimCity - Maxis
6. Dune - Sega Genesis
7. NHL 95 - Genesis EA
8. Majesty (unique RTS) - ?
9. Nethack - a cast of hundreds in net space
10. Civ 2/3 - Sid Meier
11. Alpha Centauri - Brian Reynolds
12. Empire, the MP game, not the SP PC game sold in the late 80s/early 90s - so old school, not even sure
13. Crazy Taxi - Sega DC
14. Virtua Fighter 3 - Sega DC
15. Paperboy - multiple
16. Road Rash - Sega Genesis
17. Bomberman - multiple
18. Flight Simulator - M$
19. Wii Sports - Nintendo Wii
20. Europa Universalis - Paradox

[cosapi]

1) The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Nintendo Co., Ltd. - GB - 1993
2) Baldur's Gate - BioWare - PC - 1998
3) Fallout - Black Isle (Interplay) - PC - 1997
4) Suikoden II - Konami - PS - 1999
5) Guardian Heroes - Treasure Co. Ltd - SS - 1996
6) EarthBound - Ape, Inc., HAL Laboratory, Inc. - SNES - 1995
7) Jet Set Radio - Smilebit - DC - 2000
8) NetHack - The NetHack DevTeam - PC - 1987
9) Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - Quest - SNES - 1995
10) Cave Story - Pixel - PC - 2004
11) Castlevania: Bloodlines - Konami - GEN - 1994
12) Gunstar Heroes - Treasure Co. Ltd - GEN - 1993
13) Team Fortress Classic - Valve Corporation - PC - 1999
14) Kid Chameleon - Sega Technical Institute - GEN - 1992
15) Sonic & Knuckles & Sonic 3 - Sonic Team, Sega Technical Institute - GEN - 1994
16) SmartBall - Game Freak, System Sacom - SNES - 1992
17) Dragon Force - Sega - SS - 1996
18) Ultima Online - Origin Systems - PC - 1997
19) Final Fantasy Tactics - Square - PS - 1998
20) Mega Man 2 - Capcom - NES - 1989

If No. 15 counts as 2 separate games, I'll change that to Sonic 3. Sorry about that.

[Xuri]

Tough list to make. I have at least another 20 I struggled to fit into the list :/

1. Civilization - MicroProse Software - Amiga - 1991
2. The Secret of Monkey Island - Lucasfilm Games - Amiga - 1991
3. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Nintendo - SNES - 1991
4. Ultima Online - Origin Systems - PC - 1997
5. Pirates - Microprose - PC - 1987
6. Colonization - MicroProse Software - PC - 1994
7. Baldur's Gate - BioWare - PC - 1998
8. World of Warcraft - Blizzard - PC - 2004
9. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo - N64 - 1998
10. Quake - iD software - PC - 1996
11. The Settlers - Blue Byte Software - Amiga - 1993
12. Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon - MicroProse Software - Amiga - 1990
13. TES 2: Daggerfall - Bethesda Softworks - PC - 1996
14. Command & Conquer - Westwood - PC - 1995
15. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six - Red Storm Entertainment - PC - 1998
16. Lemmings - DMA Design - Amiga - 1991
17. UFO: Enemy Unknown (X-Com: UFO Defense) - Mythos - PC - 1994
18. Grim Fandango - Lucasarts - PC - 1998
19. Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards - Sierra - PC - 1987
20. Bruce Lee - Datasoft - C64 - 1984

[rk47]

It's hard to remember them if I don't play them anymore...but honestly I feel these are the games I really like, despite many faults. Oh, I do love most of the whole series btw.

1.Baldur's Gate 2, Bioware
2.Master of Orion 2, Microprose
3.Battlefield 2, DICE/EA
4.The Elder Scrolls:Daggerfall, Bethesda Software
5.Doom 2, ID Software
6.Ultima 7: The Black Gate, Origin
7.Fallout 2, Black Isle
8.Jagged Alliance 2, Sir-Tech
9.Command & Conquer, Westwood
10.Starcraft, Blizzard
11.Diablo 2, Blizzard
12.World of Warcraft, Blizzard
13.Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, Troika
14.Star Wars:Knights of the Old Republic 2, Obsidian
15.Monkey Island 2, LucasArts
16.Wing Commander: Privateer, Origin
17.Heroes of Might and Magic 3, New World Computing
18.Civilization 4, Firaxis
19.Might & Magic 6, New World Computing
20.Grand Theft Auto Vice City, Rockstar Games

[DeathInABottle]

1.  Fallout 2 - Black Isle - PC - 1998
2.  Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire - Sierra - PC - 1992
3.  Final Fantasy 7 - Square Co., Ltd. - PC - 1998
4.  Civilization - Microprose - PC - 1991
5.  Ico - Team Ico - PS2 - 2001
6.  Ultima 7: The Black Gate - Origin - PC - 1992
7.  Diablo 2 - Blizzard North - PC - 2000
8.  Mega Man 2 - Capcom - NES - 1989
9.  Guitar Hero 2 - Harmonix Music Systems - PS2 - 2006
10. Myst - Cyan - PC - 1993
11. Shadow of the Colossus - Team Ico - PS2 - 2005
12. God of War - SCEA - PS2 - 2005
13. WarCraft 2 - Blizzard - PC - 1995
14. Duke Nukem 3D - 3D Realms - PC - 1996
15. Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - Quest - SNES - 1995
16. SimCity 2000 - Maxis - PC - 1994
17. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Nintendo - SNES - 1992
18. Doom 2 - Id Software - PC - 1993
19. Quake - iD Software - PC - 1996
20. Super Mario Bros 3 - Nintendo - NES - 1990

[Ixxit]

01> Heretic (Raven PC 1994)
02> Strife (Rogue PC 1996)
03> Doom (id PC 1993)
04> Duke Nukem 3d (3D Realms,PC 1996)
05> Quake (Id PC 1996)
06> Rescue at Rigel (Epyx, Apple ][ 1980)
07> Temple of Apshai (Epyx Apple ][ 1980)
08> Pool of Radiance (SSI NES 1992)
09> Shadowrun (Data East SNES 1993)
10> Daggerfall (Bethesda PC 1996)
11> Abomination: The Nemesis Project (Hothouse Creations PC 1999)
12> Everquest II (SOE PC 2004)
13> System Shock 2 (Looking Glass PC 1999)
14> Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World (EA Sega Genesis 1991)
15> Wizardry 8 (Sir Tech PC 2001)
16> Bioshock (Irrational 360 2007)
17> Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels(EA 3DO 1995)
18> Star Control 2 (Accolade 3DO 1994)
19> Meridian 59 (3D0 Studios PC 1996)
20> Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday (SSI, Sega Genesis 1990)

These are the games that kept me up late throughout the years, and while some of them may not have not been the highest rated games ever, they at least had some hook that make them stand out amongst their peers.

[leodegrance]

can't resist, this is my list. Saved wc3 tft, based purely on nostalgia, in no particular order (well AR the dungeon is no.1).


1) Alternate Reality - The Dungeon (Datasoft - C64)
2) Warcraft 3 TFT (Blizzard - PC)
3) Final Fantasy VII (Square - PS)
4) Bard's Tale (Interplay - C64)
5) Ultima IV (Origin - C64)
6) Ultima Underworld (Origin - PC)
7) Sindicate (Bullfrog - PC)
8) Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time (Konami - N64)
9) Dragon Buster (Namco - Arcade)
10) Advanced Dungeons and Dragons  - Cloudy Mountain (Mattel - Intellivision)
11) Destructor (Coleco - Colecovision)
12) Infestation (Psygnosys - Amiga)
13) Tau Ceti (CRL Group - C64)
14) Portal (the old one, Activision - C64)
15) Elite (Acornsoft - C64)
16) Paradroid (Hewson - C64)
17) Dungeon Master (FTL - Amiga)
18) Pool of Radiance (SSI - C64)
19) Doom (Id - PC)
20) Diablo 2 (Blizzard - PC)

[bhodi]

20 entries simply isn't enough for such a broad range of platforms and styles. Here's my unordered top 5 and then everything else. Everything else is missing about 20 titles.

Star Control 2 - Accolade - PC - 1994
Tie Fighter - Lucasarts - PC - 1994
Planescape: Torment - Black Isle Studios - PC - 1999
Master of Orion 2 - Simtex - PC - 1996
Final Fantasy IV (II) - Square - SNES - 1991
Oregon Trail - The Learning Company - Apple II - 1985
Tetris - Bullet-Proof Software - Game Boy - 1989
Blaster Master - Sunsoft - NES - 1988
Super Mario Bros 3 - Nintendo - NES - 1990
Theme Park - Bullfrog - 1994
Homeworld - Relic - PC - 1999
World of Warcraft - Blizzard - PC - 2004
Doom 2 - id - PC - 1993
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - Nintendo - SNES - 1991
Fallout 2 - Black Isle - PC - 1998
Dragon Warrior - Chunsoft - NES - 1986
Ultima Online - Origin Systems - PC - 1997
Sim City - Maxis - PC -  1989
Master of Magic - Simtex - PC - 1995
Diablo - Blizzard Entertainment - PC - 1996

[Draegan]

SojournMUD - - PC - 1992
Tele-Arena - Elwynor Technologies - BBS/DOOR games - 1992
Populous - Electronic Arts - PC - 1989
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Activision - Xbox - 2007
Grand Theft Auto 3 - Rockstar Games - PS2 - 2001
Ironman Super Off Road - Leland - Arcade - 1989
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - BioWare - PC - 2003
World of Warcraft - Blizzard - PC - 2004
Civilization - MicroProse Software - PC - 1991
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo - N64 - 1998
Street Fighter II - Capcom - 1991
Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo - NES - 1985
Ultima III: Exodus - Origin Systems - PC - 1983
Final Fantasy - Square - NES - 1990
The Shadow of Yserbius - Sierra Online - PC - 1992
The Bard's Tale - Interplay Productions - PC - 1985
Halo: Combat Evolved - Bungie - Xbox - 2001
Wolfenstein 3D - iD Software - PC - 1992
Doom - iD Software - PC - 1993
Commander Keen: Secret of the Oracle - Activision - PC - 1991

[Fargull]

1)  X-Com: UFO Defense, Microprose, PC, 1993
2)  M.U.L.E. - Ozark Softscape - C64 - 1983
3)  Darklands - DOS - MicroProse - December 31, 1992
4)  Civilization - Microprose - PC - 1991
5)  World of Warcraft - Blizzard - PC - 2004
6)  Ultima Online - OSI - PC - 1997
7)  Ultima 3 - Origin Systems - Various - 1983
8)  Diablo I - Blizzard - PC - 1996
9)  Starcraft - Blizzard - PC - 1998
10)  Pirates! - Microprose - PC - 1987
11)  Pool of Radiance - SSI - PC - 1988
12)  Pitfall - Activision - Atari 2600 - 1982
13)  Fallout - Black Isle (Interplay) - PC - 1997
14)  Wasteland - EA - PC - 1988
15)  Battlefield 1942 - DICE/EA - PC - 2002
16)  Ultima Underworld - OSI - PC - 1992
17)  Advanced Dungeons and Dragons | Treasure of Tarmin - Mattel - Intellivision - 1981?
18)  Company of Heroes - Relic - PC - 2006
19)  Cosmic Balance - SSI - C64 - 1982
20)  ELITE - Acornsoft / Firebird - C64 - 1985

[shiznitz]

No order at all. These games just filled me with awe at the time:

1 Fallout
2 Castle Wolfenstein (original on Apple IIe)
3 Ultima III (Apple)
4 Phantasy (C-64)
5 Pool of Radiance
6 Civ 2
7 Railroad Tycoon 2
8 Ultima Online
9 Everquest
0 Golden Eye (N64)
1 Sanitarium
2 Daggerfall
3 Baldur's Gate
4 Lode Runner
5 Darklands
6 Grim Fandango
7 Gabriel Knight 2
8 Half-life
9 Quake 2 multiplayer
0 Myth

[Strazos]

Damn you, Schild...

In no particular order:

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn - Bioware - PC - 2000

Mario 64 - Nintendo - N64 - 1996

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne - Remedy - PC - 2003

Planescape: Torment - Black Isle Studios - PC - 1999

Homeworld - Relic - PC - 1999

Age of Empires - Ensemble Studios - PC - 1997

NHL 08 - EA Canada - 360 - 2007

Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete - New World Computing - PC - 2000

Final Fantasy Tactics - Square - PSX - 1998

Gemstone 2/3/4 - Simutronics - PC - 1988

Earthbound - Ape, HAL Laboratory - SNES - 1995

Quake 2 - id - PC - 1997

Mass Effect - Bioware - 360 - 2007

No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in HARM's Way - Monolith - PC - 2002

Deus Ex - Ion Storm - PC - 2000

Fallout - Interplay - PC - 1997

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Square - SNES - 1996 : How can you not love this game. I managed to beat this one in a single, 3-day rental. Sadly, I never actually Owned the game, I don't believe.

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 - Atlus - PS2 - 2007

Unreal Tournament 2k4 - Epic - PC - 2004

Team Fortress Classic - Valve - PC - 1999

Indigo Prophecy - Quantic Dream - Xbox - 2005

Star Fox 64 - Nintendo - N64 - 1997 : Had so much love for this one, in both solo play and with friends. Never owned the SNES version, but I owned the fucking hell out of this one.

Bushido Blade - Square - PSX - 1997

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past  - Nintendo - SNES - 1992

I had to make some excruciatingly difficult choices here, especially in what I left off, such as Dune  and General Chaos for the Genesis, or a bunch of SNES games such as a regular FF game. I also almost included EQ on here, especially since that game almost made me fail AP Biology my senior year of high school. There are even other games that I played a lot, but are not even really memorable, such as Earth 2025 (online browser-based game) way back when it was ugly and not filled with bots and when the clan politics mattered. I was a bit shocked by my lack of Genesis and PSX games.

Edit: Corrected format.

[Sky]

ADVENT (Colossal Cave/Adventure) - Will Crowther - Fortran mainframe -1975
Castle Wolfenstein - Muse Software - C64 - 1981
Raid On Bungling Bay - Broderbund - C64 - 1984
Seven Cities of Gold - Ozark Softscape - C64 - 1984
Racing Destruction Set - Electronic Arts - C64 - 1985
Wing Commander - Origin Systems - PC - 1990
Dune 2 -  Westwood Studios - PC - 1992
Ultima 7.5 - Origin Systems - PC - 1993
System Shock - Looking Glass Technologies - PC - 1994
Colonization - Microprose - PC - 1994
Civilization 2 - Microprose - PC - 1996
Sid Meier's SimGolf - Maxis - PC - 1996
Daggerfall - Bethesda Softworks - PC - 1996
Ultima Online - Origin Systems - PC - 1997
Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - New World Computing - PC - 1999
Thief 2 - Looking Glass Studios - PC - 2000
Baldur's Gate 2 - Black Isle Studios - PC - 2000
Everquest 2 - Sony Online Entertainment - PC - 2004
Battlefield 1942 - Digital Illusions CE - PC - 2004
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - Rockstar Games - PC - 2005



No order (edited to chronological order, edit 2 to fix formatting, woops). Tough as hell to weed through things that I've played since the mid-70s. Some comments:

Adventure. My first game, played on a mainframe. Fun exploration and puzzle solving.

Castle Wolfenstein. First stealthy game. Halt! Kommen Sie!

Seven Cities of Gold. One of my very favorites. Pioneer of the freeform undirected gameplay style. Explorer's dream.

Raid On Bungling Bay. Will Wright's first masterpiece. Basically a top-down helicopter shooter, but oh so much more. Islands that would upgrade their facilities, very sandboxy.

Racing Destruction Set. This one kind of represents a great period of multiplayer gaming on the C64, edging out Leaderboard (a golf game). Set up your own tracks and race on them. Sandboxy!

Dune 2. Set the bar and established the RTS genre. Played at a friend's house (not multiplayer, competing for high score), pulled me back into computer gaming after a long break from the C64 era.

Ultima 7.5. Tough to break down that series, so many great entries. 4, 5, 8 were some favorites. 7 was also incredible, but the Serpent Isle was my favorite.

Civ 2. Best Sid Meier game made by Brian Reynolds. Sid sucks, Brian rocks!

Colonization. See Civ 2. Some amazing gameplay elements added that never crossed back to the Civ series, including interactive natives, citizens you could train to work in buildings in your cities, and the great wargame for an endgame. I bumped Alpha Centauri for Colonization due to space limitations on the list. Col, Civ2 and SMAX are the Brian Reynolds hat-trick. He should be the household name, not Sid imo.

SimGolf. A joint project between Sid and WW. Build your own courses and play on them. Sandboxy! Maybe my favorite game of all time, oddly enough.

Daggerfall. You know it. Sure, it was buggy, but it's massive gameworld and dungeons were a wonder in gaming at the time. Fell in love when I fell down a well in a dungon and ended up like 40 levels deep in a submerged section and had to fight my way out. Apparently people hated the massive dungeons I loved. Designed a levitate spell when I got out.

Wing Commander. Sure, X-Wing and TIE Fighter were great. But WC really kicked off the space combat genre with it's 'realish' physics (powerslides to strafe enemies never got old, fighting in asteroid fields was so tense!).

System Shock. Elevated shooters to a new level. I was going to put Ultima Underworld in, but SS takes the prize overall. Fuck Doom and Quake, the goods were over here in rpg-land. The first time you lean around a corner and see a Maximillian-like bot hovering your way was so intense...and of course, SHODAN. Also the LGS/Irrational method of leaving voice data of dead people and stringing you along...a masterpiece.

Thief 2. God I loved this game. Ditching a lot of the non-thiefy parts of the original, this game has yet to be surpassed in the stealthy game genre. Amazing, words fail me.

Baldur's Gate 2. Toss up between this and PS:T. Leaned toward BG2 because of the more traditional AD&D elements. Seminal moments came playing as a paladin, doing traditional AD&D paladin quests, going after a red dragon for the holy avenger. No matter how much you played this game, you just scratched the surface.

HoMaM3. Best of the series. Solid series of TBS. I liked the rpg elements and the battle mini-game. Probably my #2 favorite of all time.

BF 1942. Best 'shooter' evar. Favored a more tactical style over bunnytarding, and amply rewarded teamwork. Combined arms with air, naval, armor, infantry and emplacements that just shocked gamers. Even the Wake Island demo would go on this list. Probably #3 of all time in my book. Phenomenal game.

GTA:SA. While I could live without the thug life crap, this game is the pinnacle of the series so far. Massive game world, tons of sandboxing, decent story and acting. Amazing soundtrack. I also lived in LA in the 90s, so the setting made me grin alot. Or groan... Just thinking about it I want to go reinstall.

Ultima Online. One of those cases of being in the right place at the right time, UO will probably never be toppled as an amazing experience. If you were in the right clique, best roleplaying game of all time. Origin of my nick, Sky.

EQ2. Probably the best implementation of mmo right now, in the 'diku' vein anyway. Started out awful, hated it. Hartsman and his team deserve a lot of credit for really turning things around and making a game that appeals to a casual crowd without alienating hardcore raid-style players.

[eldaec]

Archon - Various - Free Fall - 1984
Civilisation - Various - Microprose - 1992
Druid 2 - C64 - Electralyte/Firebird - 1987
Dark Age of Camelot - PC - Mythic - 2001
Freespace 2 - PC - Volition - 1999
Elite - Various - Brabham & Bell - 1985
Half Life - PC - Valve - 1998
Impossible Mission - C64 - Epyx - 1984
Laser Squad - C64 - Target - 1988
Lords of Midnight - C64 - Mike Singleton  - 1985
Max Payne 2 - PC - Remedy Entertainment - 2003
Monkey Island 2 - Amiga - Lucasarts - 1992
MULE - C64 - Ozark - 1983
Pirates - Various - Microprose - 1987
Sensible Soccer - AMiga - Sensible Software - 1992
Stunt Car Racer - Various - Microstyle - 1989
TIE fighter - PC - Lucasarts - 1994
Total War : Medieval 2 - PC - CA - 2006
Trailblazer - C64 - Mr Chip - 1986
Vampire Bloodlines - PC - Activision - 2004

[Miasma]

	Title	Company	System	NA Release
1	Deus Ex	Ion Storm	PC	June 2000
2	The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind	Bethesda	PC	May 2002
3	Bully	Rockstar	PS2	October 2006
4	Everquest	SOE	PC	March 1999
5	Final Fantasy VII	Square	PS1	September 1997
6	Baldur's Gate	BioWare	PC	November 1998
7	Grim Fandango	LucasArts	PC	September 1998
8	Phantasy Star	SEGA	SMS	December 1987
9	Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	BioWare	PC	November 2003
10	Zelda II: The Adventure of Link	Nintendo	NES	December 1988
11	Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas	Rockstar	PS2	October 2004
12	Fallout	Black Isle	PC	September 1997
13	Actraiser	Enix	SNES	November 1991
14	Starcraft	Blizzard	PC	April 1998
15	Myst	Cyan	PC	September 1993
16	Super Mario 64	Nintendo	Nintendo 64	September 1996
17	Street Fighter 2	Capcom	SNES	July 1992
18	Shadowrun	BlueSky	Genesis	1994
19	Advanced D&D: Treasure of Tarmin	Mattel	Intellivision	1983
20	MechWarrior 2	Activision	PC	June 1995

A curse on OP edit #4!  That was my solution for getting both portal and HL2 on the list.

[Samwise]

Millipede	Atari	arcade	1982
SunDog: Frozen Legacy	FTL	Atari ST	1984
Rampage	Midway	arcade	1985
Super Mario Bros. 3	Nintendo	NES	1988
Street Fighter 2	Capcom	SNES	1991
Streets of Rage 2	Ancient	Genesis	1992
Wolfenstein 3D	id	PC	1992
Doom 2	id	PC	1994
Caesar II	Impressions	PC	1995
Quake 1	id	PC	1996
Starcraft	Blizzard	PC	1998
Counter-Strike	Gooseman and Cliffe	PC	1999
DDR 3rd Mix	Konami	arcade	1999
Max Payne 1	Remedy	PC	2001
Natural Selection	Flayra	PC	2001
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	Rockstar	PC	2003
Vampire: the Masquerade: Bloodlines	Troika	PC	2004
Half-Life 2: Episode 1	Valve	PC	2006
Portal	Valve	PC	2007
Team Fortress 2	Valve	PC	2007

[GenVec]

I can't resist a list.

In chronological order, and all PC...

Beyond Zork (Infocom, 1987)
Darklands (Microprose, 1992)
Maelstrom (Merit Studios, 1992)
Doom (id Software, 1993)
Ascendancy (The Logic Factory, 1995)
Command and Conquer (Westwood Studios, 1995)
Daggerfall (Bethesda, 1996)
X-COM: Apocalypse (Mythos Games, 1997)
Thief: The Dark Project (Looking Glass Studios, 1998)
Baldur's Gate (Bioware, 1998)
Everquest (Verant Interactive, 1999)
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (Firaxis Games, 1999)
Shogun: Total War (Creative Assembly, 2000)
Grand Theft Auto - Vice City (Rock Star North, 2002)
Battlefield 1942 (DICE, 2002)
Morrowind (Bethesda, 2002)
Planetside (SOE, 2003)
Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines (Troika, 2004)
Company of Heroes (Relic, 2005)
The Witcher (CD Projekt, 2007)

[schild]

^^^ fix this post. Read the first post in the thread. Thanks.

Strazos you putz, get rid of the fucking inline comments! Paragraph at the end! That goes for the guy above me too. Damn!

[Daeven]

Here ya go, a list of 20 in chronological order.

Darklands – Micropose – PC – 1992
Star Control 2 - Toys for Bob – PC - 1992
Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger - OSI - PC – 1994
Master of Magic – Miccropose – PC – 1995
Civilization II - MicroProse – PC - 1996
Crusader: No Remorse – OSI – PC - 1996
Master of Orion 2 – Micropose – PC – 1996
Myth: The Fallen Lords - Bungie - PC - 1996
Fallout - Black Isle (Interplay) - PC – 1997
X-Com: UFO Defense - MicroProse - PC – 1998
Baldur's Gate – Bioware – PC – 1998
Half-Life – Valve – PC – 1998
Thief: The Dark Project - Looking Glass Studios – PC - 1998
System Shock 2 - Looking Glass - PC – 1999
Planescape: Torment - Black Isle Studios - PC – 1999
Star Trek: Starfleet Command – Interplay – PC - 1999
Shogun:Total War – Creative Assembly – PC – 2000
Deus Ex - Ion Storm Inc. - PC – 2000
Grand Theft Auto III - Rockstar Games - PC – 2002
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare, XB, 2003

Honorable Mention:
Mass Effect - Bioware - X360 – 2007

[Typhon]

(no particular order, last game is an arcade game, which might be against the rules?)

1.Master of Magic, Micriprose, PC, 1993
2.Master of Orion 2, Microprose, PC, 1996
3.Sacrifice, Shiny Entertainment, PC 2000
4.The Elder Scrolls II:Daggerfall, Bethesda Softworks, PC, 1996
5.Quake 2, ID Software, PC, 1997
6.Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past,Nintendo ,SNES ,1992
7.Fallout 2, Black Isle, PC, 1998
8.X-Com: UFO Defense, Mythos, PC, 1994
9.Magic Carpet 2, Bullfrog, 1995
10.Starcraft: Broodwar, Blizzard, PC, 1998
11.Diablo 2, Blizzard, PC, 2001
12.World of Warcraft, Blizzard, PC, 2004
13.Battlezone, Activision, PC, 1998
14.Dark Age of Camelot - PC - Mythic - 2001
15.Unreal Tournament 3, Epic Games, PC, 2007
16.Wing Commander: Privateer, Origin, PC, 1993
17.MechWarrior 2, Activision, PC 1995
18.Civilization 4, Firaxis, PC, 2005
19.Half Life, Valve, PC, 1998
20.Pigskin 621 A.D, Bally Midway, MCR-68k, 1990

[Arctic Circle]

Random order. Table format copied from Miasma.

	Title	Company	System	NA Release
1.	Planescape Torment	Black Isle	PC	November 1999
2.	Asheron's Call	Turbine	PC	October 1999
3.	Fallout 2	Black Isle	PC	November 1998
4.	World of Warcraft	Blizzard	PC	November 2004
5.	Sid Meier's Pirates!	MicroProse	c64	September 1987
6.	Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn	BioWare	PC	September 2000
7.	Grand Theft Auto: Vice City	Rockstar North	PC	May 2003
8.	Pool of Radiance	SSI	c64	October 1988
9.	Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar	Origin	c64	September 1985
10.	Star Control 2	Toys for Bob	PC	November 1992
11.	Syndicate Wars	Bullfrog	PC	September 1996
12.	Quake	iD	PC	June 1996
13.	Half-Life	Valve	PC	November 1998
14.	Myth: The Fallen Lords	Bungie	PC	October 1997
15.	Freedom Force	Irrational Games	PC	March 2002
16.	X-COM: Apocalypse	Mythos	PC	July 1997
17.	Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle	LucasArts	PC	July 1993
18.	Wing Commander	Origin	PC	December 1992
19.	Silent Storm	Nival	PC	July 2003
20.	Deus Ex	Ion Storm	PC	June 2000

-Edit- Fixed some incorrect release dates. Some months might still be wrong, especially on older games.

[schild]

Arcade games are fair game. Ugh, that's a rough sentence.

[BlackHamster]

In no order at all:

X-Com - Mythos/Microprose - PC – 1993 
Master of Orion 2 - Microprose - PC – 1996 
Homeworld - Relic Entertainment - PC – 1999   
Star Wars: TIE Fighter - Totally Games - PC – 1994 
Wing Commander II - OSI - PC – 1991 
Civilization 4 - Firaxis Games - PC – 2005 
Gauntlet - Atari - Arcade – 1985 
EverQuest - Verant – PC - 1999 
Legend of Zelda – Nintendo – NES – 1987 
Heroes of Might and Magic III - 3DO – PC – 1999 
Warlords 2 - Strategic Studies Group – PC – 1993 
Pool of Radiance - Strategic Simulations, Inc - PC – 1988 
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - BioWare - PC – 2003 
Soul Calibur II - Namco - XBox – 2002   
M.U.L.E. - Ozark Softscape – Atari 800 – 1983   
Lemmings - DMA Design - Amiga – 1991 
Simcity 2000, Maxis Software, PC, 1996 
Galaga – Namco – 1981 
Age of Empires – Ensemble – 1997 
Panzer General – Strategic Simulations – 1994 

Hard to believe no one else has mentioned any of the General series.  But then, I am still a turn based junkie.

[Hutch]

No particular order:

Civ 4 - Firaxis - PC - 2005
Sid Meier's Pirates! - Firaxis - PC - 2004
World of Warcraft - Blizzard - PC - 2004
Diablo II LoD - Blizzard - PC - 2001
Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Nintendo - N64 - 1998
Asheron's Call - Turbine - PC - 1999
Pharaoh - Impressions - PC - 1999
WH40K: Dawn of War - Relic - PC - 2005
Homeworld - Relic - PC - 1999
Advanced Civilizations - Avalon Hill (producer) - PC - 1995
Dungeon Keeper 2 - Bullfrog - PC - 1999
Secret of Mana - Square - SNES - 1993
Portal - Valve - PC - 2007
Ascendancy - Logic Factory - PC - 1995
Might and Magic VI - 3DO - PC - 1998
Super Street Fighter 2 - Capcom - SNES - 1994
Age of Empires 2: Age of Kings - Ensemble - PC - 1999
Warlords 2 - SSG - PC - 1993
City of Heroes/Villains - Cryptic - PC - 2004
Duke Nukem 3D - 3D Realms - PC - 1996


I have no idea who the developer was for Advanced Civilizations. AH was the producer.

[WayAbvPar]

I am sure I have forgotten some, but here we go (Chronologically)-


1) Return of Heracles Quality Software C64 1984

2) Seven Cities of Gold EA C64 1984

3) Wizard's Crown SSI C64 1985

4) Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar Origin C64 1985

5) Stuart Smith's Adventure Construction Set C64 1985

6) Racing Destruction Set EA C64 1985

7)  Sid Meier's Pirates! MicroProse PC 1987

8) Pool of Radiance SSI C64 1988
 
9) Their Finest Hour: The Battle of Britain LucasArts Amiga 1989

10) Wing Commander Origin Systems PC 1990

11) Darklands MicroProse PC 1992

12) Master of Magic MicroProse PC 1993

13) Civilization II MicroProse PC 1996

14) Ultima Online Origin Systems PC 1997

15) Magic: The Gathering MicroProse PC 1997

16) X-Com: UFO Defense MicroProse PC 1998

17) Rainbow 6: Rogue Spear Red Storm Entertainment PC 1999

18) Baldur's Gate II Bioware PC 2000

19) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Rockstar North PC May 2003

20) Battlefield 2 DICE/EA PC 2005


Apparently I am a giant MicroProse whore.

[Kail]

• Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Nintendo - N64
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Sega - Genesis
• Megaman Zero - Capcom - GBA
• Team Fortress 2 - Valve - PC
• Thief: The Dark Project - Looking Glass - PC
• Chrono Trigger - Square - SNES
• Gunstar Super Heroes - Treasure - GBA
• Space Quest 5 - Sierra - PC
• Quest for Glory 4 - Sierra - PC
• The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall - Bethesda - PC
• Rocket Knight Adventures - Konami - Genesis
• Mechwarrior 3 - Activision - PC
• Startopia - Mucky Foot - PC
• Super Smash Brothers Melee - Nintendo - GC
• Battlezone (The 1998 one)- Activision - PC
• Tribes 2 - Dynamix - PC
• Neverwinter Nights - Bioware - PC
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater - Konami - PS2
• Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield - Red Storm - PC
• Fable: The Lost Chapters - Lionhead - Xbox

Not in any special order, and I don't know the year for most of them.

[Ragnoros]

Chrono Trigger - Square - SNES - 1995
Kingdom Hearts - Square - PS2 - 2002
Ratchet & Clank - Insomniac Games - PS2 - 2002
Diablo - Blizzard - PC - 1996
Homeworld - Relic - PC - 1999
Warcraft 3 - Blizzard - PC - 2002
Fallout - Black Isle Studios - PC 1997
Earthbound - Ape, HAL Laboratory - SNES - 1995
Harvest Moon - Pack-In-Video - SNES - 1997
Parasite Eve 2 - Square - PS1 - 2000
Perfect Dark - Rare - N64 - 2000
Age of Empires - Ensemble Studios - PC - 1997
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - Square - SNES - 1996
TimeSplitters 2 - Free Radical Design - PS2 - 2002
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance - Snowblind Studios - PS2 - 2001
City Of Heroes - Cryptic - PC - 2004
Command & Conquer - Westwood Studios, Looking Glass Studios - N64 - 1999
Guitar Hero 2 - Harmonix Music Systems - PS2 - 2006
StarCraft - Blizzard - PC - 1998

-Chrono Trigger. Best. Game. Ever.
-Kingdom Hearts. Close second. It's just so fun, and brings back crazy nostalgia.
-Ratchet & Clank. Probably the most fun series EVER. But looses out to the top two due to story and setting.
-Diablo. What needs to be said. Crazy fun. This game ate over a year of my life. Also I would have put Diablo 2:LoD:Patch 1.11:Online with me Bro. if schild let me put both.
-Homeworld. Most moving story EVER. And you never even see a persons face! "Kharak is burning." Nuf Said.
-Warcraft 3. NOT meele, meele sucks balls. DotA rules, as do other custom maps.

Other then the top 6 or so they are not really in order. And mostly I picked games because I had a hella lot of fun playing them not because they are the best. Like TimeSplitters. Not the best FPS ever, but I had some crazy fun playing it with my brother. Also City of Heroes beats out WoW for being more fun. Oh and C&C 64 is on the list because PCs in my house were "not for games" till I got my own, so I played it on my N64.
And lastly my memory is not producing very well and I lost a large portion of my older games so I probably forgot a gem or two. But such is life.

[driph]

1. Warlords - Atari - Atari 2600 - 1981
2. Star Raiders - Atari - Atari 8-bit - 1979
3. Mail Order Monsters - Electronic Arts, Inc - Atari 8-bit - 1986
4. Eastern Front 1941 - Atari - Atari 8-bit - 1982
5. Archon: The Light and the Dark - Free Fall Associates - Atari 8-bit - 1983
6. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar - ORIGIN Systems, Inc - Atari 8-bit - 1986
7. TRON - Bally Midway - Arcade - 1982
8. Sinistar - Williams - Arcade - 1982
9. Cyberball - Atari Games - Arcade - 1988
10. The Ninja Warriors - Taito - Arcade - 1988
11. Herzog Zwei - TecnoSoft - Genesis - 1990
12. Space Empire Elite - Jon Radoff - Atari ST BBS - ?
13. Warlords -  SSG Strategic Studies Group Pty Ltd. - Amiga - 1990
14. Myth: The Fallen Lords - Bungie Software Products Corporation - Macintosh - 1997
15. Fallout - Interplay Productions - Macintosh - 1997
16. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos - Blizzard Entertainment - Macintosh - 2002
17. Halo: Combat Evolved - Bungie Studios - Xbox - 2001
18. Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem - Silicon Knights, Inc - Gamecube - 2002
19. EverQuest - 989 Studios - Windows - 1999
20. Starcraft - Blizzard Entertainment - Windows - 1998


No particular order, generally grouped by system...these are all games that at one time or another really struck a nerve. Due to the improving effects of nostalgia and my impressionable youth, most of the titles are from the old days. Sorry Madden '93, no room for you.