The Discussion Thread: The Greatest Games Event 2015 (Your #1 Favorite Game)

Smeags

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Smeags on 30 December 2015

#5: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Platform
1992

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a special game for me. It was the first game I ever fell in love with (I actually played the original after). It was the game that showed me how amazing video games could be, and how much they could achieve. It turned me into a Sonic fan, and after that Sonic was my hero. But more than that, Sonic 2 is a brilliant game that hones the experience set by its predecessor. The added spin dash gives Sonic his signature move and it also introduces Miles "Tails" Prower (Get it? Miles Prower? Miles Per Hour? Genius!), Mecha Sonic, and the Death Egg, an awesome homage to Star Wars. The music is brilliant, the graphics pixel perfect, and the level design fast, frantic, and unforgettable. Sonic 2 represents my start into this crazy thing called the entertainment industry, and I'll be forever grateful.

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Smeags on 30 December 2015

#4: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Action Adventure
1998

The cliched entry, but then again it's that way for a good reason. Ocarina is a special game, a game that broke barriers and pushed the medium while remaining faithful to what made the gaming industry so unique. This game opened eyes, mine included, to what gaming could achieve, and what you as the player could achieve through it. I was allowed to see through Link's eyes, and more importantly, walk in his shoes and interact through him. Every experience was one that we shared together, all through the magic of interactivity that gaming brings. Whether it be the first time we saw Hyrule Field, the startling realization of Adult Link and that the game wasn't even 1/3 completed, riding Epona, confronting Ganondorf and the incredible battle that followed... or finally saving the world and realizing that it was just a game. But a game like this is one that is truly unforgettable, truly revolutionary, and truly what gaming is all about. The game is here for a reason, so I raise a glass to Ocarina of Time, the God Father of video games.

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Smeags on 30 December 2015

#3: Super Mario Galaxy

Platform
2007

A game that bleeds invention, creativity, and above all else, joy. Super Mario Galaxy reached for the stars and pushed the series into the stratosphere. Every level was a joy to play through, and the game had so many ideas bursting at the seams. Even the controller was seen as a toy to play with, and how it was used in a variety of ways was brilliant. The game is an endless toy box, with each galaxy holding something new for you to play with. The soundtrack is a revelation, the graphics are gorgeous, and I could go on and on (as I already have) about the sublime game and level design. Super Mario Galaxy is a testament to interactive entertainment, and more than that, a look into the heart of what makes gaming so amazing.

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Smeags on 30 December 2015

#2: Sonic & Knuckles

Platform
1994

Many folks see Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as one whole piece, and I see where they're coming from. For some reason, Sega split the game in two halves and bookended them in 1994. Seprated, they're both incredible games (and to be honest, S&K would be #2 regardless), but together they form an experience unlike any other. It's like if Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were combined. But I'd like to focus on S&K, which to me represents the very best in 2D Gaming. Incredible sprite graphics, unforgettable music, a simple yet engrossing story told through the gameplay, and some of the best pacing in gaming history (I can't tell you how much I adore playing from Lava Reef Zone to the end. It's so damn perfect.). Everything just flows so perfectly that I can't help but gush about it all. So I'll stop while I'm ahead and smile to myself as all the memories come flooding back. Truly a masterpiece!

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Smeags on 31 December 2015

#1: Super Mario Galaxy 2

Platform
2010

As we see 2015 fade away, and over the past 50 days remind ourselves of why we love this hobby of ours so much, we all now stand at the precipice of it all: our greatest game of all time. For me that game is Super Mario Galaxy 2, a game that somehow improved on perfection. I'll sing its praises for a bit: the game is honed, tightened, and refined... yet at the same time expanded upon with bigger ideas and bigger stakes. Super Mario Galaxy 2 perfects what the original started, and even then it soars to new worlds of creativity. There's not much else to say to be honest. Galaxy 2 is the best that gaming has to offer, and reminds us all about the heights that interactive entertainment can reach. I'll close with a quote from Satoru Iwata, reminding me the simple truth that gaming has to offer:

Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone.

I couldn't agree more, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the perfect representation of that.

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Smeags on 31 December 2015

2015 was a weird year for me. A year of steps forward to what I want to achieve, and at the same time frustrating stagnation that I can't seem to shake. So with all that, I look upon 2016 with a hope of personal growth, new relationships, and taking more steps to be a more complete me.

VGChartz and all you crazy (and wonderful, and even sexy!) schmucks have been a great comfort to me this past year, and I appreciated this time to just talk about awesome games with you (even if I had to pester some of you, I regret nothing!). It was a great joy to me personally to see this thread grow with all of us recounting the games that have made us into the gamers we are today. Outside of this thread there's countless bickering, showboating, trolling, flaming, you name it. But this thread, well it reminded me of why we all come together in the first place: because we're all gamers and have played some pretty incredible games!

So thank you guys for reminding me of the best that gaming has to offer, and how that has affected folks from around the globe. All here on VGChartz, talking about awesome games. Together.

I'll appreciate that more than you know.

Your pal,

Patrick "Smeags" McNamara

(And now onto being overwhelmed by giant list projects. Huzzah!)

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Carl on 31 December 2015

My number 1 game of all time is Suikoden 2.

I cant really write much up about it at the minute, but from start to finish it really is a special game. Filled with great characters and storylines, traditional JRPG gameplay and a fantastic soundtrack to accompany it all.

If you havent done already, give it a shot