If you could only play one game for the rest of your life...
 

What would it be?

Feel free to choose multiplayer-heavy/mmo games.

For me, it would probably be between a Civ game or AOE2, but I would end up choosing Age of Empires.

Between different civilizations, maps, the amount of units and players, AOE2 can be incredibly addicting while maintaining a graduate level of difficulty.

What about you guys?

I'd go with a roguelike--Linley's Dungeon Crawl, in particular. Lots of strategic depth, challenge, and randomization keeps it from becoming a game you could beat through sheer repetition. It's low on grinding and unavoidable deaths, and is also not as "solvable" as the Hack branch (once you know Nethack's tricks, the challenge decreases considerably). Plus, I've managed to avoid most of the spoilers, so I'd have plenty to discover.

I'd be tempted to pick something complex that I've never played before, though. The Civ games sound like good choices, and I think EVE Online's number-crunching could keep me busy for years if I didn't have a FAQ.

City of Heroes. I already spend more time playing it then anything else.

Sometimes I'll go weeks at a time with my 360 being nothing but a big white DVD player.

If the updates kept coming, probably World of Warcraft. I stopped playing it a long time ago, but not out of boredom. Just didn't have the time, friends playing, or the money anymore really.

Possibly Crazy Taxi. I wouldn't mind making caaaaaarrraaaaaaaazzzzy money forever. That and the "YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH" would eventually make me start seeing other games on the screen. And generate an invisible friend named Stinks McKenzie for two player.

YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH. :rock:

On that vein, I'm also going to have to say, the taxi minigame in Grand Theft Auto games from III onward. It is just pure bliss to see people get where they desire! I'd like to do that until time stops in this world.

Making up stories for why a passenger and from where would be going to a specific place is also fun. And all this while Chatterbox is on the radio. YEAH.

Mega Man 2 is the easy answer since that's always my go-to game. Perfect music, perfect challenge, perfect gameplay. However, if I'll be playing this FOREVER and want something to last me more than just one sit-down, I'd probably go with Ocarina of Time.

If mini-games count, FFX's Blitzball would be my poison. I sunk a hundred hours into it alone. I'd love it if Squeenix would release an online version of it.

Otherwise, I'd have to pick Ragnarok Online. Stupid, silly game can be played for hours on end.

I would choose a board game, like Chess or Scrabble. Many people have probably played one of these two games to death in their lives, so at least it is bearable!

I hated Blitzball but I'd throw down for hours on Triple Triad. That game was just awesome.

I'd probably settle with either a blizzard strategy game (Warcraft or Starcraft), A Heroes of Might and Magic Game, or on of the Elder Scrolls games.

The first three for the obvious possibility of an endless number of new maps, and the later because I sank at least 120 hours into Morrowind and Oblivion each, and picking Morrowind back up last week showed me that I was nowhere near having completed every single possible quest, and that playing a new character meant a whole new set of challenges.

In the end, however, It would probably have to be HOMM III or V, since those were the most rewarding experiences for me as far as developing a good strategy goes, and I'm sure I still have a shit ton to learn about both games.

Zerg's idea of chess is a good one though, and I have to say if I could only play one game of any kind (so not uniquely videogames), then chess it would be!

Motherfucking Triple Triad yes. I wonder why I didn't like Tetra Master. It was basically a deeper TT.

Anyway, I might just pick Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst. Has the most missions out of any PSO release, I like the atmosphere of the game and it, like MMOs, takes forever to complete (honestly, I can really only play through a game once).

That's exactly the reason why I hated Tetra Master. It took away the simplicity and by doing so it also took away the fun.

I think my fondness for Team Fortress 2 is well-known at this point. A lot of other shooter games settle for a bunch of individuals doing their own thing and possibly winning, but TF2 forces you to collaborate with your buddies to take objectives, even if it's something as simple as "push in behind the uber, guys." The team dynamic adds a lot of the appeal to the game for me, because I love that feeling when you know you contributed to the team being able to do something.

I used to get that in Battlefield, but to a much lesser extent. The 24 person cap for TF2 means you're bound to be able to do something constructive during the time that you play.

If I could count on continued expansions/user generated content, I might pick something like Fallout 3, but I think eventually I'd feel like I'd done everything there was to do in the game, which is the danger in exploration games like that.

Obviously Disgaea 3 for me! Especially since it takes an absurdly long time to max out a single unit with every skill and evility the game has to offer, even when you know all the tricks to speed up the process. Multiply that by at least 10 units, and even more if you want to have one of everything. I have hundreds of hours logged into it, and am still not quite finished enjoying it, so I could happily play it forever without having to play another game :).

I second this. I haven't even started yet, but Disgaea (along with any other NIS SRPG) seems like a game where the amount of fun you get out of it is directly proportional to the amount of time you put into it.

Dwarf Fortress. Possibilities are ENDLESS. Gonna be building glass magma-filled statues and vomit fountains forever.

Any game with a decent map editor where I can spend all those years working on a map after I beat the game. And I will then proceed to beat the map I just made, and go on to the next one. So warcraft and HoMM comes to mind.

Props for great taste. I can't believe this didn't occur to me; I have like 200 hours in a save. The good thing is that the random battle follow your leveling up, so there is always a challenge there.

God yes. My friends and I spent many, MANY days in school playing this. It was always our favorite iteration of the MP franchise.

Doubly agreed! The series peaked it's fun levels with those deliciously evil Thwomp orbs. The orb system in 5 was the most fun out of all of them, and then series went to crap from there. :( Not to say that the old Mario Party installments weren't good, but 5 had some nice touches to it.

Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

At first I loved this game, then I started playing for beats (score) and this game just opened up. Everything about the game is perfect, the level design, the controls (DK bongos) and the combo system.

My favourite game of all time.

I think, for me, it'd have to be a toss-up between The Sims (latest version and expansions) or Pokemon.

The Sims would satisfy my God complex and as the series has expanded, there has been a lot of flexibility. With the cheat codes and architecture kits, I could spend a lot of time constructing mansions and guiding my Sims with more precision. I only have Sims One, but I've yet to grow tired of it. The only reason I haven't upgraded is because my computer is a somewhat old laptop and the graphics card doesn't seem compatible with the rendering techniques of most games made past 2007. But assuming I had a computer capable of running the current software, I could do a lot with the Sims and be endlessly entertained.

Pokemon would be my other choice due to the social nature of the game. There's a deceptively intricate system in the game and it rewards those with the patience to properly train for battle. The plot is superfluous to anything I want to do, which is mainly battle and stomp the shit out of other people. I love a challenge with a stern metagame and Pokemon provides that. Plus, even if it was my one game for the rest of my life, I could still interact with others and not grow bored or lonely.

- If I was alone, stuck on an island with an online connection, I'd probably play Guild Wars. Oh, and send for help while I was at it.
- Stuck on an island with no online, but not alone. Worms would be the game that created the most entertainment and variety for me.
- All alone in the whole wide world, I'd eventually grow tired of any sandbox game like GTA or AC anyway. I guess it'd have to be Mario 64, so I can just sleep in the garden all day.

It all comes down to the outer circumstances, but Guild Wars would be my preferred indulgence.

Morrowind... more used to this verson's gameplay. i will be allright with other variations (ie the Elder Scrolls series). me thinks that the map for morrowind only is big enough for me to explore for a long long time. if anything, if there exists a map for the entire TES world i go for that too.


i like to think of it more like that i am 'stuck' in the gameworld... so i definatly want a game that has more worlds and background for me to explore.

X: btf (or any sort of space operatic games) will be my second choice.. if i can do so.

PC game-wise, there's only one game I want:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...7447627-00.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b8...TIEFighter.jpg

Best.PC.Game.Ever. Normally I'd say nothing is perfect, but this is. Why hasn't LA re-released it yet?

As for consoles, I have no idea.

Good shot, Gamma One. Secret Mission Objectives Completed. The Emperor Will Be Pleased!

(Truth be told - Lucasarts re-released this several times, the last one being a bargain bin Collector's Edition for Win95/98. It hasn't been out since because the spacesim market is all but forgotten and no one makes or buys joysticks anymore. Also: X-Wing Alliance didn't do as well as they had hoped.)

(However, if you're looking for a fix, I cannot more highly recommend the offical strategy guide by Prima Books. Its your usual "Heres How To Do It" - but its written so each mission ends with a couple paragraphs or pages of a story. More or less, the entire game is turned into a novelization. Its absolutely fantastic.)

http://www.consolenauts.com/wp-conte...owindfront.jpg

or

http://starcraft2.strategyinformer.c...starcraft1.jpg

Oh, I know about those re-releases, but they don't work so well on newer machines. At least it doesn't on mine. My only joystick (it was the Logitech Wingman Extreme, awesome stick) is reallllly squeaky and old now. There's also a chance LA will release it on Steam though as they already released several games on the service. *crosses fingers*

As for strategy guides, it must be quite old.I guess I can try looking for it.

You can buy the damn thing for one cent - Amazon.com: TIE Fighter: The Official Strategy Guide (9781559585194): Rusel Demaria: Books

I can still run TIE Fighter Collector's CD ROM just fine with regular old Windows XP Compatibility Mode.

Hot damn, you're right. I must look into getting one then!

Oops I guess I should mention the version I have is the original one for DOS. For some reason I thought I had the re-release. I tried using DOSBOX once and I couldn't get the sound to work right. It was really scratchy. *le sigh* I guess I can check Ebay for the Win version if you say it runs fine. Does it support gamepads? I have one.

Look around. TIE Fighter is one of those games that goes for $60 on Ebay for no reason - and goes for under $10 on Amazon.

Once again you save me money. Thanks! I was just checking on Ebay and noticed the prices. Can't wait to play this game again.

damn only one game that is a tough one. I would probaly be stuck choosing between aoe2:tc or bf2 I wasted 100s of hours on both games and still play them these days. aoe2 has fun mp and some great usermade campaings and well bf2 I love the mp about that game.

Age of Empires 2 is actually a decent choice (if that's what you're saying, I honestly can't tell since you've only given an acronym).

I remember spending hours on a Three Kingdoms campaign, and I could realistically see myself redoing and tweaking all sorts of conflicts for an indefinite period of time.

If I could have the same amount of fun playing a single game originally, extended indefinitely, then I'd have to go with this:
However, if I'm hedging my bets, then I'd agree with zOrg (and his foul shadowy allies), that Dwarf Fortress is the way to go.

http://www.forsako.com/GFF/GuybrushScreenshot1.PNG

Free, under constant development, offering procedurally generated content that's new every time, and with a roadmap for the future that offers a lot of promise for the Civ lover in me.

Does Defense of the Ancient count? it's a map. or i'd say..Warcraft TFT

No. DotA does not count as a game. Try again.

I would have to go with Team Fortress 2. For some reason it's the only FPS I can actually snipe well.

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/4263/tetrisattack.jpg

If I had enough controllers (unlikely) and my fingers stayed it good shape (unlikely) I would be more than content playing this game for the rest of my life.

Best two player game ever made in my opinion!

You know, at first I thought this question would be quite easy for me, but then I started thinking. I get bored very easily.

I'm one of these people who just get's bored with a game after a while. But there is one game that I keep coming back too, and it never really gets old for me.

I hate to say it, but here it comes

Star Ocean: The Second Story.

It might be because the game itself holds a special place in my heart. I purchased it before I even owned a ps1. I knew I was getting one because my sister was giving me her old one. So I went out and bought a game, and this was it.

Although I've probably gone through every PA in the game, and still love creating my own weapons and working on each characters stats.

I've probably seen all 82 endings and beat Indalecio (Both the easy and harder version) which has hard as hell, by the way.

It's just one of those games that I could pick up and start over today, and still enjoy.

Honestly, In The Groove 2. With a strong stepfile community out there, and the ability to hack songs on to arcade machines with the use of Linux, the possibilities are endless with this game since people are always finding new and interesting songs to step.

On top of that, it keeps me in shape or just prevents me from becoming fatter than I already am. :(

Not bad for a dead video games series, huh?

nfs
 

it will be always need for speed most wanted....or space fight games like freelancer... nice thread... keep up the good work

Need For Speed Most Wanted is bent compared to Need For Speed Underground. They completely destroyed the sense of speed and made it about actual racing rather than just twitching reactions. Plus the fact you can't swap parts between cars makes upgrading no fun. I'm not saying you're wrong, you must obviously like the game but I was really disappointed with it.

You'll need the rest of your life just to get the achievement for level 280 in endless mode.