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Ocarina of Time — Best Game Ever? 615

Posted by Zonk from the british-like-the-poncy-elves dept.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is the best game yet made, according to a list compiled by readers and writers of the lauded British gaming magazine Edge. Their list of the hundred best games ever is top-heavy with Nintendo titles, a full five out of the top ten being released to a Nintendo platform. Obviously, this sort of thing can get contentious, and CNet's Crave blog spoke up quickly with a contrary opinion. "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is truly a masterpiece that should be thought of as one of the greatest games ever created. But to call it the greatest game of all time is a serious misstatement. Unlike Super Mario Bros., Ocarina of Time was released in an era where video games were booming and sales were on the rise. Simply put, everyone was playing video games, and the game was the best of its time. But no other game in history--Ocarina of Time included--was able to save an entire industry from almost guaranteed destruction the way Super Mario Bros. did, and it is for this reason that we should all give ol' Mario and Luigi credit where it's due." Let's hear it, then. What game deserves to top a list of the 100 best games ever made?
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Ocarina of Time — Best Game Ever? More

Ocarina of Time — Best Game Ever?

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  • Counter-Strike (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Is clearly the best game ever made. With billions of player mins per month and timeless gameplay, it seems that CS will never die. How many millions of people still play Mario bros?

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by nebaz ( 453974 )
      How many millions of people still play Mario bros?
      I do.

    • Re:Counter-Strike (Score:5, Insightful)

      by LandoCalrizzian ( 887264 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:37PM (#19737477)
      It still doesn't compare to the number of hours spent playing Super Mario Bros. Counterstrike can't even come close to the number of children(boys AND girls), teens(men AND women) and parents(men AND women) who were drawn to SMB like a moth to a flame. In 15 years, I doubt you'll find many people who keep a computer around just to play Counterstrike or it's sequels.

      Nintendo is arguably the only developer(hardware and software) to stay true to the original idea of Video Games as a source of fun instead of pimping it out to gain control of the home theater market. Sony is starting to lose it's way and Microsoft is Microsoft.

      I am not a nintendo fanboy but I do respect the Old School.

      • Re:Counter-Strike (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Trogre ( 513942 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:42PM (#19738171) Homepage
        Which is well and good for people who like those kinds of games, but some of us like games to be sophisticated simulations that give a sense of immersion as if we are actually in a new environment. Back in the 90s this used to be called Virtual Reality, or Quake :) Currently such games are often still labelled FPSs or flight sims and for that no console even now comes close to a PC.

        And please don't bring out the old strawman that every FPS player is a pimply case-modding adrenaline junkie. You may as well say that everyone who drives a decent car is a boy racer.

        Sure I like the odd 1992-era candyland bubblegum game from time to time and that's when I break out my console, but for my style of serious gaming let's just say I'm apparently not Nintendo's target market.

        • Re:Counter-Strike (Score:5, Insightful)

          by CastrTroy ( 595695 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @09:55PM (#19738757)
          With the Wii, Nintendo may be getting closer to VR than any other game system ever has. Remember VR Headsets, Force feedback controls, and all those other things that you never see around anymore? Well I for one think the Wiimote is the best progression we have towards actual VR. The fact that you can swing it like a golf club, or a tennis racket, or a baseball bat, and have it do the same thing on the screen is kind of exactly what people looking for VR have been dreaming of for a long time. It's not much of VR if you're just pushing a bunch of buttons but you happen to have a set of VR goggles.

    • Re:Counter-Strike (Score:4, Funny)

      by gerbalblaste ( 882682 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:23PM (#19737989) Journal
      A game populated (seemingly) exclusively by teenage boys with unbearably high pitched voices who use more profanity and racial epithets than a clan rally? best game ever? Clearly.

  • Best of All Time is... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Final Fantasy VII is the best game of all time :)

    • Re:Best of All Time is... (Score:4, Funny)

      by casualsax3 ( 875131 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:54PM (#19737671)
      Here's what's going to happen to your post: You're going to get modded flaimbait or troll, and some people will respond and tell you that you're too young and you've never played Final Fantasy VI, then they'll mention the subpar translation and the rushed third disc... Then someone will mod you funny just because, and then someone overrated just because you've got points... But then a few people will come along and remember how they felt playing VII for the first time, when they first visited the Golden Saucer and found minigames as deep and fun as other *complete* PS1 games, the chill they got when they were under the sea in the submarine - stopping dead in your tracks as you saw Emerald Weapon lurking in the distance for the first time, and the epic theme you were treated to just sitting on the world map marveling at the most fantastic soundtrack Uematsu has ever written - and you'll be modded up.

  • Psychonauts (Score:5, Insightful)

    by cyberon22 ( 456844 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:28PM (#19737349)
    Psychonauts got in at 99? I would have pushed it into the top ten, but it's good to see that the game hasn't been completely ignored. I wonder how many people have actually played it.

  • Half-life (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Riverman5 ( 1018024 )
    Half-life goes at the top of my list.

    • Re:Half-life (Score:5, Interesting)

      by arth1 ( 260657 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:18PM (#19737933) Homepage Journal
      Half-Life is too short. Like the games it build on (Doom and Quake), it's a relatively short adventure. Impressive, yes, but short. I doubt many people spent months of actual playing time with it -- they either completed it, and spent a few hours more fooling around, or they gave up.

      For finite games, I would think the original Tomb Raider has racked up way more man hours of play time, not to say anything about Super Mario, and, yes, Zelda.

      For open-ended games, I can't think of many that were more addictive than Elite. And yes, that is old school. If you missed it the first time around, too bad - it won't appeal to those who think anisotropic filtering makes a difference. It's wireframes, and your imagination does all the shading much better than any graphics card can.

      Anyhow, it's hard to say what the best game of all times is. Di gustibus non disputandum est, and all that. What's clearer is the Biggest Flop of all time. It has to be Daitakana.

      *Art, going back to play "A Mind Forever Voyaging"...
  • By far the best game ever was Blazemonger. THousands of levels, nerve shattering graphics, nothing has even come close to matching its intensity.

  • Starcraft (Score:2, Funny)

    by Magneon ( 1067470 )
    Obviously...

    • I learned the other day... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by TerranFury ( 726743 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:35PM (#19737453)

      ...that the South Korean Air Force has an official Starcraft team.

      I'd say that getting your videogame elevated to the status of stadium-worthy spectator sport is a pretty huge achievement. Blizzard's Starcraft is surely up there.

      (This is complicated only by the fact that it has so many worthy competitors from the same era: Age of Empires is the first that comes to mind.)

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Rebelgecko ( 893016 )
      I definitely have to agree with Starcraft. Despite being 10 years old, it still has a huge fanbase [teamliquid.net], especially in South Korea where it is played professionally [wikipedia.org] and where some of the players make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. This very second over 24,000 people are playing Starcraft online.

  • BGOAT (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Reason58 ( 775044 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:31PM (#19737389)
    You can't say something is the "best" without defining what you think those qualities are that make something best.

    Storyline? Gameplay? Graphics? Sounds? Replayability? Uniqueness?
    • Hear hear!
    • Story: Baldur's Gate. The original PC one, not the PS2 version.
      Gameplay: Half-Life 2
      Graphics: Valkyrie Profile 2
      Sounds: Valkyrie Profile 2
      Replayability: Galactic Civilization 2
      Uniqueness: Shadow of the Colossus

      Only two of my games hit the list. And Tomb Raider made it on. There's no justice.

  • DNF!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by binarybum ( 468664 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:31PM (#19737391) Homepage
    Duke Nukem Forever will most certainly be the best game of all time

      This is so friggin' obvious that even though the game is not yet complete, it should still easily have made #1. I demand a recount!

  • Print View (Score:5, Informative)

    by GroovinWithMrBloe ( 832127 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:31PM (#19737395)
    For people who don't like clicking next 100 times. Print View [next-gen.biz]

  • Yes (Score:4, Insightful)

    by sycomonkey ( 666153 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:32PM (#19737399) Homepage
    The answer is yes. Ocarina of Time has every element that makes video gaming such a rewarding and engaging pasttime. It was revolutionary, and it is still fun to this day.
    • The real answer is no. It's a fucking* RPG after all.

      Oh, and Halo doesn't belong on the list. Anyway, enjoy your scheduled pointless top-XX list flamewar.

      *- since there's no actual intercourse involved, it's not a good one at that
      • If Zelda is an RPG then Solitaire is a FPS. It has RPG elements, but it's an action-adventure game.

        • If Zelda is an RPG then Solitaire is a FPS. It has RPG elements, but it's an action-adventure game.
          Zelda is an action-RPG. Flashback and Another World are action-adventures.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by plunge ( 27239 )
      I have to disagree on the last part. I've actually by coincidence been playing through it recently, and I don't think it holds up all that well: the controls and concept were neat for its day, but compared to modern versions the controls are clunky and the world sort of shallow: way way too much of the game feels I'm playing through busywork to get to the good stuff. It also doesn't help that the game is so dark: I have the brightness turned up all the way on my tv, and I still can barely see anything at

  • What's with the sequels? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Jazzer_Techie ( 800432 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:33PM (#19737411)
    There are a lot of sequels on the list, often coupled with the omission of the original(s). They omit both Doom and Half-Life, while charting Doom II at 78 and Half-Life 2 at 4. Honestly, that just doesn't make much sense.

  • Huh? Is This Only Console Cames? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Plekto ( 1018050 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:33PM (#19737413)
    There seems to be an utter lack of PC titles from the 70s, 80, or most of the 90s.

    Elite? Command and Conquer? Doom? Temple of Aphsai? Ultima IV? Zork?(anything by Infocom?)...

    Or any other systems of note. Marathon? Tempest?(the original), Defender? Mortal Kombat? The list of things that they didn't even include is amazing. Almost as amazing as the just that made most of the top twenty.

    • Re:Huh? Is This Only Console Cames? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by spoco2 ( 322835 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:44PM (#19737553)
      Look at who it's compiled by.

      ALWAYS look at the source of any 'list', 'survey', or stats.

      This is Edge, it's by far a console heavy magazine, they only really have PC there to try and make 'everyone' buy it.

      No, they're not an unbiased source for this sort of list.

      I far more trust the opinions of sites like http://gamespot.com/ [gamespot.com] or the like, as they have true PC sections.

  • Nintendo games (Score:5, Interesting)

    by gustgr ( 695173 ) <gustgr@gma[ ]com ['il.' in gap]> on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:34PM (#19737415)
    Titles released by Nintendo usually do not have that super-duper-ultra virtual reality and graphics effects, like those for Playstation or X-Box, however, they are FUN. You don't need fancy and world-like effects with physics simulation to enjoy a title, you just need to be entertained by the plot and by the universe it immerses you. Nintendo is an odd company on that issue. I love their titles above all else.

    I would not consider only Ocarina of Time as the masterpiece of Nintendo, but it is a hell of a game. Very fair list.

  • It's obvious! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Carnildo ( 712617 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:34PM (#19737417) Homepage Journal
    Best games of all time? E.T. and Custer's Revenge, of course!
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by arodland ( 127775 )
      Because that one isn't very interesting, or fun. "Best" is good for an interesting argument, discussion, flamefest on slashdot, whatever. "Most popular according to polls" is just a bunch of numbers. The best argument you can scare up is to insult the polling techniques. :)
  • The sims series wins hands down as a series if you look at how many people play it. starcraft wins because you cant beat the sound of zerg being slaughtered in a poorly planned attack mario bros because of the fact that people still play it halo because of the fan following warcraft doesn't need an explanation spore is going to win if what they say about it is true
    • diablo
    • diablo 2
    • starcraft
    • war craft 1 & 2
    • ultima
    • space harrier

  • Crave Misunderstanding (Score:5, Informative)

    by Dunx ( 23729 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:37PM (#19737479) Homepage
    What criteria are you using to measure greatness?

    The Edge piece is quite clear that it is looking for games which are still worth playing now.

    The Crave posting misunderstands this point and brings in an entirely different criterion.

    I don't actually agree with either article (I don't remember Mario mattering that much in Britain, and I didn't like Ocarina of Time much), but the Crave piece just seems like pointless disagreement with the basis of the Edge article.

    • Re:Crave Misunderstanding (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Lewisham ( 239493 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:50PM (#19737629)
      Mod parent up!

      Every single article I've read about this poll gets confused and doesn't mention that it is a poll on games that must stand up today, which is why Pong or Doom aren't in the Top 10. Which of course, has lead to everyone to go off on a tangent and say silly things like "Mario Bros 1 should be number 1" and things.

      This wasn't helped by the BBC deciding to choose a misleading headline and then burying this information at the bottom. I guess "journalists" don't read past the first two paragraphs anymore.

  • Super Mario 64 (Score:5, Interesting)

    by mushadv ( 909107 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:38PM (#19737487)

    Perhaps even more innovative and just as fun, but with wider appeal.

    Metroid Prime and Mega Man 2 hit #2 and #3 on my personal list, respectively.

  • One of the best (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Jerry Rivers ( 881171 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:38PM (#19737491)
    Deus Ex gets my vote.

    • Re:One of the best (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Zeio ( 325157 ) on Wednesday July 04, 2007 @02:52AM (#19740629)
      I second that. I would say Ocarina of Time is one of my top 5 games, its awesome, I play it once a year or so in an emulator, and I hated all the Zelda games after it. It should be extended with more content. They ruined it with the follow on games, in my opinion. It was an impossible act to follow, really.

      Deus Ex is the best game ever. [Deus Ex 2 was one of the worst]

      I miss Deus Ex. I wish there were like 10 sequels using the exact format and an updated graphics engine.

      The awesome voice acting and huge amounts of immersion content made that game just awesome. The inventory system ruled. The skill system ruled. The game could be played many ways and the whole things was just good.

      I would say for console, Ocarina of Time and Super Metroid are the best console games that come to mind. But I have a long list of console game I really like.

      I really also like Herzog Zwei a lot and wish they would come out with a sequel to the awesome and fun Kid Icarus.

  • I can think we can all agree that Snotty Ragsdale was the man.
  • Baldur's Gate II. One of the few games I _still_ replay.

  • Billy Madison says: (Score:5, Funny)

    by TheDarkener ( 198348 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:43PM (#19737537) Homepage
    Kid: Mortal Kombat, on Sega Genesis, is the best video game ever.

    Billy Madison: I disagree, it's a very good game, but i think Donkey Kong is the best game ever.

    Kid: Donkey Kong sucks.

    Billy Madison: You know something? YOU SUCK!
  • Whew! With all the rain that's been dumping where I live I thought Summer would never get here. But finally, the game media has finally brought Summer to the masses with the yearly list of "Best Games List Evah!!!111" Now I can relax, read the entertaining flamewars of what should be number one, what game was left off and the messages of hatred that this game was ranked so low. Ahhh... I'm grabbing my beach blanket, suntan lotion and start tanning by the light generated from the flames.
  • I'd add
    • forza motorsports (xbox) - excellent realism, customization and prediction (drivatar)
    • neverwinter nights - awesome concept and graphics, networking code could have been better. With more resources, could have been a WoW contender. User created worlds are great.
    • an old school dnd such as Pool of Radiance - The graphics weren't great, but the stories were.
    Jade Empire was quite good too...

  • Idiotic. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Intellectual Elitist ( 706889 )
    Most "Top Anything" lists are silly and miss a number of obvious choices, but this list is downright idiotic. I give them points for including games like Gitaroo-Man and Tempest 2000, but some of the omissions and especially the ordering they chose are just obscene.

    Virtua Tennis 3 better than Robotron? Nights Into Dreams better than Tomb Raider? Darwinia, Super Monkey Ball and R-Type Final making the list while classics like X-Com and Fallout are nowhere to be found? Don't even get me started on the t

  • RE 4 at #2?? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by KIFulgore ( 972701 )
    Pffft, what a crock. The Resident Evil series did more to destroy clean 3D movement in games than any other series. I can't forgive the series for that. Mario 64 and Metroid Prime both blow away RE4.

    And SMB belongs in the top 10.

    Ocarina of Time is right where it belongs, at #1. It's funny the reviewer says "to call it the greatest game of all time is a serious misstatement," because as we all know, video game ratings lists are Serious Business (R).

  • UK gaming rag ignores Bullfrog??? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by *weasel ( 174362 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:57PM (#19737717)
    No Magic Carpet.
    No Dungeon Keeper.
    No Theme Hospital.
    No Syndicate.
    No Populous.

    Furthermore: No X-Com, No Ultima IV and No Fallout.

    Almost all lists like this are complete pap, but you simply cannot omit 5 top-50 titles and 3 more that are easily top-10 contenders. Not when you're presenting a list like this with a straight face. I know we bag on gaming 'journalism' for being a joke, but this isn't even funny.
    It's just kinda sad.
  • Best game seems too subjective to choose any single title, but I'm of the opinion that Shigeru Miyamoto is without compare in the industry, both for his artistic achievements, and how well he has advanced the grammar and cinematic language of interactive storytelling. For sure one of his titles deserves to be on the top of any list.
    --
    Franklin Brauner

  • I can prove it's not the best (Score:3, Insightful)

    by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) ( 613870 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @07:58PM (#19737731) Journal
    I don't know what is the best game. But there was another game for the same platform as Ocarina that was better - GoldenEye.
  • Seriously Zonk, are you TRYING to start a flame war?

  • Top 10 (Score:2, Informative)

    by Bibz ( 849958 )

    is top-heavy with Nintendo titles

    Here it is, for those who don't want to click all 10 pages :

    01. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
    02. Resident Evil 4
    03. Super Mario 64
    04. Half-Life 2
    05. Super Mario World
    06. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link to the Past
    07. Halo
    08. Final Fantasy XII
    09. Tetris
    10. Super Metroid

  • Something is seriously wrong with this list... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Murrdox ( 601048 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:06PM (#19737831)
    This list is one of the worst "Top 100" I've ever seen.

    The flaws are many and frequent.

    How could you have a top 100 list of games that completely excludes ANY Bioware or Black Isle Studios games? On top of that, there's no homage to some clear classics and pioneers of gaming, such as Zork, or Hero Quest. Only a brief mention is made for Monkey Island.

    The fact that the vast majority of the games on the list were made after 2000 says a bit.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Zeebs ( 577100 )
      Was going to waste everyones time with a brand new post, but I'll just reply here because it's semi related.

      What?! No Fallout/Fallout 2. Lord thunderin' I'm playing through Fallout 2 again for because I'm some form of addict appearntly, any media mention of a fallout game and I dig out my copies. I loves me those games.
  • Tony Hawk should be in the top 10.
  • Which other game has cranked out clones, sequels and spinoff's like Pong has. Heck this year Rockstar got into the game with Table Tennis and pong is an essential part of Wii Play. Sure its simple but its basically what started it all and its simplicity is still being borrowed from today.
  • Awesome game! Does anyone else remember this one?

  • Solitaire! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Wordsmith ( 183749 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:21PM (#19737965) Homepage
    Um, dude. Solitaire. Win 3.11 edition. Before they ruined it with fancy graphics. Back when it was pure.

  • Elite (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Roger W Moore ( 538166 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:25PM (#19738019) Journal
    I don't know how popular this was outside the US but Elite will definitely get my vote for most game play ever per Kb of memory. The old BBC cassette version packed it all into less than 32Kb of memory via creative use of the built in random number generator. I've never yet seen a game that was so far ahead of the competition.
  • doom2 at 55, WoW at 22... one of the worst lists ever. nothing like wow has been seen before, people have DIED from lack of sleep and food playing it. doom2 was similar wasting a good chunk of my childhood playing it multiplayer.

  • Top 100's are subjective; but this one has holes. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Cordath ( 581672 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:39PM (#19738139)
    Top 100 lists are something that are pretty open to criticism. Nobody's top 100 is the same, nor should they be. However, this particular list fails to mention an unsettlingly large number of the "obligatories" that all top 100 lists should have at least a few of. While this is evidence that the author didn't just troll other top 100 lists and cherry pick the titles he had played, it's also evidence that his gaming experience has some rather gaping holes.

    Obligatories from the RPG category:
    - *Anything* from the Baldur's Gate series?
    - Planescape: Torment?
    - Knights of the Old Republic?
    - Dragon Warrior?

    From Strategy:
    - Some of the Civ sequels show up, but where's the original?
    - Master of Orion?

    Other must-haves in any top 100:
    - Tie Fighter
    - Privateer, or at least *something* from the Wing Commander world?
    - Grim Fandango? (The list is in dire need of more classic lucasarts adventure games)

    There are plenty more, but this is the point at which I get lazy. :p I'll leave it to others to list off other "obligatories".

    Isn't nitpicking top 100's fun on a slow news day?

  • Glaring Omissions (Score:3, Informative)

    by jpatters ( 883 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:43PM (#19738175)
    They correctly honored several classic arcade derivatives including Tempest, Robotron 2084 (twice) and Pac Man, but if they are going to include Dig Dug in that list (Mr Driller) than they should also include Defender, Galaga and Joust. There is no excuse. I would also argue for I Robot as a pioneer in 3D, even though they only sold like 500 of those.

    As far games that are not classic arcade derivatives, I would also include Master of Orion and Crazy Taxi.

  • Dai-friggin-Katana! (Score:3, Funny)

    by monopole ( 44023 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:50PM (#19738231)
    John Romero made you his beyoch!! and you just don't want to admit it!

  • wolfenstein enemy territory - the clear winner (Score:4, Funny)

    by hxnwix ( 652290 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @08:50PM (#19738239) Journal
    Freed from the constraint of costing money, this game obviously floats to the top.

    I'm not talking about Hindenburg-esque floating, either. I'm talking panzerfausts flying straight up until they explode at the edge of the universe. I'm talking cosmic panzerfaustage tearing space & time a new asshole. I'm talking about the best fucking shit you've ever turded out your bunghole after eating spicy food and then some. A veritable big bang of gaming ferocity and artillery raining down upon gibbing newbies.

  • Half-Life (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Kingrames ( 858416 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @09:00PM (#19738323)
    without question half-life. It was the first game to have mod tools for the fans that were freely available as well as an actual effort behind them to ENCOURAGE mod-making, it was the first to make such a business model succeed on a massive scale, and encouraged the proliferation of community involvement in games, eventually resulting in what some would call "Web 2.0".

    Nothing in the history of gaming has impacted the WORLD in the way that it did, and for that reason I'll say that it was the best game ever.

    You may claim that other games did it better, I might even yield to the idea that the BUILD engine with Duke 3D should have the title, or maybe even quake or quake 2, but those games didn't succeed in luring in the mod community and fostering its growth as well as Valve did with Half-Life. The mod community for Quake 2 seemed to be just a thing that popped up around the game, but Half-Life actually welcomed it in and put effort into it.

    This truly was the beginning of the real internet we know today, and marked the point in history where the community surrounding a game became just as important as the game itself.

    I cast my vote for Half-Life, not any Zelda game. While Ocarina of Time was exceptionally well made, and possibly flawless, it IS possible to do more. And many games have.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by optimus2861 ( 760680 )

      without question half-life. It was the first game to have mod tools for the fans that were freely available as well as an actual effort behind them to ENCOURAGE mod-making, it was the first to make such a business model succeed on a massive scale, and encouraged the proliferation of community involvement in games, eventually resulting in what some would call "Web 2.0".

      Say what? Where were you when Doom was released, and in the years that followed? Doom had thousands of user-created custom levels, graphi

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Kingrames ( 858416 )
        Like I said, there were games before it that were moddable, but Half-Life really caused the biggest explosion in fan-driven community efforts.

        When the #1 most-played online multiplayer game in America is a MOD for half-life, you know something is up.

        And that doesn't even begin to tap into the vast collection of mods and user-created content for the game.
        Like I said, Quake and Duke Nukem had lots of user-created content, but when you compare the communities for the games, you'll see a huge difference. Why? I

  • Best game I can't get past the first stage! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Bob of Dole ( 453013 ) on Tuesday July 03, 2007 @09:03PM (#19738367) Journal
    I've played most of the other zeldas, and I've bought Link to the Past at least four times. I'm a huge Zelda fan, and I was playing Twilight Princess within 3 hours of its release...

    But I can't get past the first area in Ocarina of Time. I've tried, many times. I've seen the game played through (My brother loves it + Speedruns), so I know how good it is and how great a game it is, but I cannot get over the framerate in the first scene.

    I don't know how Nintendo dropped the ball on this one. A little slowdown is acceptable during a large boss battle where there's hundreds of explosions and enemies going every which way, but in THE FIRST ZONE? A zone with, let's count them, ZERO enemies? (One if you use the starfox cheat, but that's it)
    It just tells me it's only going to get worse from there.

    But all this "Best Game Ever!" publicity is great, really. Maybe it'll inspire Nintendo to remake the game, on the Wii...

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