Your top 5 games of all time and why?

[Fayceless]

1. Alpha Centauri

"Civ in Space" you used laser guns and planet-busters instead of horses and wimpy nuclear bombs. Unit customization was fantastic, and the future techs really felt like you were exploring a new frontier, rather than comparing your progress to history.

Favorite moment(s): sweeping through that insufferable Miriam's vast expanse of bases (she always has too many) and their stupid pun names.

2. Sim City 4

What a city-builder should be. Deep, customizable, it became for many players, myself included, a hobby, and art project.

Favorite moment: watching, after careful planning and time spent cultivating a region, as the first real skyscraper grows and opens, crowning the fledgling skyline.

3. Final Fantasy 6

One of the first games to really embrace story-telling and character development. It really drew me in and made me believe the world and it's inhabitants. Plus a fantastic magic system that had you searching for magicite and swapping out stone to learn spells and boost stats. Very non-linear second half was brilliantly done.

Favorite moment: The opera scene. Gotta love that music.

4. Warcraft 3

I've always both enjoyed and sucked at RTS games, but Warcraft 3's heroes and small armies were easier for me to master and micro-manage. Playing online was great fun with the ladder system.

Favorite moment: Rexxar's campaign. More RPG than RTS but the founding of Orgrimmar was fun and exciting.
Favorite RTS moment: In an online game, the other player laughed at me and called me a noob when I challenged his group of chimeras with a handful of necromancers. Those chimeras never had a chance.

5. Timesplitters: Future Perfect

I've never been a fan of FPS games, but there was something different about Timesplitters. It's fun, time-traveling story never left me bored with the same old guns and enemies. But where it really shines is it's multiplayer. 4-player split screen with AI bots, the action was more frenetic and engaging than any other FPS of it's time, without the nuisances involved with online play. (nuisances mostly being idiotic players) The assault mode is epic, capture the flag great fun too. The mapmaker, though limited, was brilliant, and added so many possibilities. I spent hours upon hours making maps, still do from time to time.

Favorite moment: every time I sit down to play multiplayer.