Games that never get old.

[BHvrd]

I was thinking today of what my favorite games of all time are, but there are games that I play that are staples, not necessarily "the best". Games I always come back to and it's like a familiar friend, a long lost buddy. Games I can never get enough of.

I have many games I consider staples in gaming, but few I have logged nearly as many hours in as others, so I decided to boil it down to time invested over the years.

It turns out in my gaming life I have invested and returned to "Phantasy Star Online, which is offline also " more times than any other game, even Pokemon or Goldeneye 007 which are close runner-ups.

I owned the Dreamcast, Xbox, and Gamecube versions. I only play the Gamecube version now, and still play split screen with my buddies, and still love it.

I've logged well over thousands of hours on it over all 3 systems, and I find it amazing that I still love this game.

[boatofcar]

The Addams Family for SNES. I never get tired of running through that game.

[Apollo]

For me, TMNT 2 for the NES and Vanguard for the 2600

[Juganawt]

Man, there are so many games that I keep going back to.

Doom. I must have completed it on every difficulty on every system it's been released on. I adore Doom. The graphic style, the superlative level design, the urge to complete it faster with more kills each time you play... Once you've played doom once, it stays with you forever. It's a timeless classic, and I know I will never, ever tire of it.

Tempest X3. I loved the original arcade game, I played it to death. Then I got a Jaguar just to play Tempest 2000 and it was absolutely phenominal, and then came Tempest X3 on PS1...and quickly rose to the #1 spot of arcade shmups. Tempest X3 is a masterpiece, but it's often overlooked in the top 100 lists I see cropping up everywhere. It's fast, furious, beautiful, hypnotic, trippy, and just generally kicks ass! The best Shmup in existence, and one I still play to this day - it works especially well on PSP. It's the perfect game to play on the toilet.

Quake 3 Arena. I played it as a pro, and practiced for at least 5 hours a day, every day, for 2 years... and I loved every second of it. I then broke out the Dreamcast version to master the new levels, and loved every second of that too....then came Team Arena, so I mastered it some more. Q3A could well be the defining moment of online gaming for me, and I can't wait for the XBLA version.

Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe. Ice Cream! Ice Cream! One of only 2 future sports games that actually worked (the other being DeathRow on the Xbox1), Speedball 2 had simple play mechanics, beautiful presentation, crisp sound, and gameplay by the bucketload. How they ever managed to cram this into a 720k Floppy Diskette simply boggles the mind. The game is close to 20 years old, and I still play it with frightening frequency. Mixing strategy with violence seems to work a treat!

International Karate +. 3 Player fighting in the 80's, laced with humourous undertones. Archer Maclean made a title that was truly ahead of it's time. The interplay between 3 fighters on screen vying for points means that even though the fighting moves were simplistic and limited, the game never felt limiting at all. Even though the moves were just pulled off with a single button and joystick, controlling the fighter was so easy it became second nature. Add in the fact you could change game speed (about 4 years before SF2 Turbo did), and type in random stuff to get strange (and hilarious) effects to the game (try pressing T in a match, run your fingers across the number keys, or type in a swearword to see what I mean) to the background of awesome music and sound effects (you have to love the sound that punching someone in the gut gives off.. AwwoOOOOwwooo!) and you get a game that never gets old. I adore IK+.

NiGHTS Into Dreams. Another game that never gets old. It's a mixture of beauty and grace. The graphics were phenominal, and the feeling of flying gives a euphoric sensation that radiates through me as I glide through the rings and boss battles. NiGHTS is a work of art, and nothing could ever replace this game. I'm concerned about the sequel... I don't want it to ruin the fantastic memories and feelings I get when I play this on my Saturn. One of the greatest games of all time.

Elite / Frontier: Elite II. A game I'll never complete. It's just such an immense world that no matter how long you play, there's always a new mission or planet to explore. These games were WAY ahead of their times, and providing my hardware still works, I'll be playing them when I'm old and grey.

Warzone 2100. My favourite RTS. The graphics still hold up fairly well today (7 years later), and the gameplay is fantastic. The customisable units really do it for me. Being able to add tank tracks or wheels depending on terrain really adds a new layer of strategy to the proceedings. It's such a shame Pumpkin Studios went belly up before they finished the sequel.

Virtua Fighter Series. The single reason why I bought a Saturn, and one of only 2 fighting game series I took the time to really learn off-by-heart. I spent about £200 on the arcade version in 1993, and when I heard it was coming to the Saturn, I saved up my money for it. For the past 14 years I have played this till I could memorise every single one of the thousands of moves for each and every character, every counter, every combo, every difference between the versions. I'd like to say I've mastered it, but the joy of this game to me is knowing that somewhere out there, I could fight a new challenger, and learn a different way to own. It's timeless, and the most deep, engaging fighting game ever released. Can't wait till the 360 version hits so I can play the Japanese pros online.

Street Fighter Series. the 2nd fighting game series I'd like to think I've mastered. I remember playing SF1 on the Amiga in 1987 (I think) and thinking how exciting it was, but I only ever played it single player as we only had one joystick... then SF2 hit the arcade and it blew my mind. Now 20 years later I own every single Street Fighter game in existence on every single format - including the ZX spectrum version of SF2, the Hong Kong pirates on Gameboy, and the arcade boards. It's simply beautiful. When played right, SF games are like real martial art - poetry in motion, which is as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. It's as strategical as chess, and the characters seem to dance across the screen in a way which no other game has matched. Street Fighter is timeless, and I will ALWAYS have love in my heart for it. It was my parental figure in my childhood, my obsession, my passion. I'm part of the Street Fighter Generation. I grew up with it, and it will always be a part of me, and a part of my regular playlist.

[thetoxicone]

A lot of atari 2600 games fit that bill for me, including Circus Atari and many of the activision titles like Megamania, Seaquest, Stampede and Kaboom.

on n64, rush 2 and blast corps both get a lot of play from me

[Bigjobs]

I've always been the type of gamer to take one game at a time and destroy it. My fallbacks include great titles like Road Rash 2 for the Genesis. I could play that in my sleep. If I'm in the mood for a little competition, I'll give you a run for your money in any Worms title, and accept a beating from you in almost any 2D fighter...I would have to say Capcom Vs Snk 2 is my default.

[j_factor]

NiGHTS, definitely. That game can be played over and over and over. I usually go a long period of time without playing it, and then when I come back to it, I find that I'm not as good as I was, so I devote some time to re-mastering it. Then I move on to other games, and the cycle repeats.

Robotron 2084 is another one, but most versions lose it. I particularly like it on the Gamecube version of Midway Arcade Treasures (8-way notched sticks). Second best after the arcade.

[boatofcar]

Elite / Frontier: Elite II. A game I'll never complete. It's just such an immense world that no matter how long you play, there's always a new mission or planet to explore. These games were WAY ahead of their times, and providing my hardware still works, I'll be playing them when I'm old and grey.

For a game that was so successful, why do you think it's never been released on a compilation? I've read about this game a bunch but never had a chance to play it.

[SaturnFan]

WWF No Mercy will never get old. Donkey Kong Country will never get old. House of the Dead 1 will never get old.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I would have to say M.U.S.H.A. for the Genesis it's the best shump ever made, every time i play through it i think this game still rocks!!!!!!!!

[Trebuken]

Gauntlet
Galaga
Tetris
Asteriods
Ms. PacMan

some obvious ones for me.

[Mobius]

I think the game that I've kept going back to the most over the last 10 years has been WaveRace 64. It's a virtually perfect game as far as I'm concerned, and fun every time.

On the SNES, Tetris Attack.

Going back to the NES, I've always had a soft spot for Rad Racer. Marble Madness and the original Castlevania get honorable mentions.

Strangely, this list is entirely for Nintendo systems. Hm.

[bangtango]

Mega Man II is always a joy to play through. Even if you have a lopsided weapon advantage, battling each robot is as exciting as any fighting game I've ever played. My favorite part of the game, a part that never gets old, is when you are in the chamber near the end and fight all eight robots one after one. That particular section always gives me a real rush.

[Clong]

Games that I can play over and over and OVER again and again. Are Dr. Mario (NES), Boogerman (Gen), Mario 64 (n64), Tetris (NES), Donkey Kong Country 1,2,3, (SNES), and Super Mario World 1 and 2 (SNES). I have fond memories of all of these games and I've beaten them all more times then I can remember.

[ssjlance]

I still play Gunstar Heroes all the time. That game never gets old, especially as a two player. I love Ikaruga, it's timeless. DooM is a constant. Still play Super Mario World alot (my first Mario game ever). I have run through Zelda Ocarina of Time many many times and I've been thinking about doing it again. I expect Twilight Princess to be the same way, although I've only beaten it once so far. Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat 2 are both amazing fighters.

But the game I can always play is Galaga. It is the first game I was ever any good at and I can play it all day if I have nothing else to do. Pure classic arcade action.

[rcgamer]

Tony Hawks pro skater 2. I have never got into any other of the series but for some reason this game is still fun as hell. I have been playing the heck out of it on my dreamcast lately.

[G-Boobie]

Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on PC Xbox. I've put nearly 200 hours into single characters before...Oblivion was good, but it didn't capture the most important thing about the games that came before it; a sense of gravity and history to the world you're playing in. Everytime I boot that game up I find something new and interesting to see, and something fun and challenging to do(and fetch quests if everything else looks dull).

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is another game that I'll pop in the PSX once every couple of months; this is one of the top ten games ever made. I still havent gotten every drop item or found every secret(this is also one game I've never allowed myself to look at a FAQ for...Its the game I play when nothing else sounds good.

[8Ways2Tuesday]

If I don't know what I want to play, I play Disgaea. There's something comforting about creating ridiculously overpowered characters and conquering Earth accidentally that doesn't get old to me.

[exit]

Off the top of my head..

Tetris
Maniac Mansion
Code Name: Viper
Jackal
The Simpsons (Arcade)
TMNT2: The Arcade Game (Arcade and NES)
Metal Slug 2

[AMG]

These are some game I can pick up at anytime, "like old friends" as you say.

Doom series
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox)
Mortal Kombat 2 (SNES)
Asteroids (Atari 2600)
Puch-Out!! series
Tekken 3
Street Fighter II: Turbo (SNES)