Video games that you keep returning to, and will most likely like/love forever. =P

[Halo Infinity]

I've thought of making this thread after noticing Fixer808's love for Super Mario Bros. 3. (I also love it.) I thought this would be an interesting and fun topic, as my thread on the stigma of adults playing video games sort of turned into this very topic. As for me, I find myself going back to Super Mario World, and a part of it really is because the Super Nintendo is the very first actual console I've ever owned, with Super Mario World being the first console game I've ever played. It's also as if I've almost played it every year, or after a every couple of years.

I also ended up going back to Super Mario RPG a lot as well. It was among the first few RPGs I've also played just right after being exposed to Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, which I'd also go back to if I had them. There are so many titles for me to get into for just one post, but I'd also like to at least mention Star Fox 64 and the entire and Super Smash Bros. franchise, and most of the Mario Kart franchise, as I've also played those games a lot over and over again.

@frankie teardrop (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=889) - I also noticed that you were big on retro-gaming, so I thought that you might have something to add to this thread. I also hope you like it. :)

[Iran_Ed]

Super Mario World: I've been playing it for almost 20 years now and it still captivates me. I know most of the secrets and it still challenges me. I've spent countless hours with it.

Fallout 3: I live 40 minutes from both DC and Point Lookout. When I'm in the city riding the metro I think of the corresponding in game area. I love exploring open world games, and to have a game that's modeled after an area I'm familiar with is awesome. Minus Super Mutants of course.

Journey: I always hear people say they play games to relieve stress. i've never done that, I've always played to push myself. Platformers are my favorites because you have to time everything just right or you fail. Journey was the first game I just sat back and relaxed while playing. There was no pressure I just traversed the landscape.

Metroid Prime: I'm no good at speed runs, I always stop and look around. I enjoy seeing where that dark corner over there leads to. I'll wander around Tallon IV the same way I wander around The Capital Wasteland. In fact Metroid Prime was the game that started that for me.

Pokemon: My childhood. Mainly Silver and Gold for the purpose of this post.

Jet Grind Radio: That game is buggy as hell at times, but just so cool. The characters, the environment, the music. That game and the Dreamcast were really important to me a decade ago. I bought an Xbox just so I could play the sequel.

Super Smash Bros. Melee: That game can bring a family together and tear them apart.

[Vertigo]

Civilization 3. I think it's the best iteration of the original formula, before Civ 4's religion and Duplo interface, and Civ 5's clunkiness and hexes. Alpha Centauri has a few tricks up its sleave that Civ 3 lacks, but 3 makes up for it in polish and moddability.

Unreal. Age has dulled the once-jaw-dropping visuals, even with 3rd-party HD textures and DirectX 11 renderers installed, but it still has the best FPS dynamic I've ever experienced. It's all about prediction and split-second outwitting, as almost every attack in the game can be dodged - and that goes for your own, too. Brilliantly varied and feelsome arsenal, palpable atmosphere, great creatures and sound... it's timeless.

Max Payne 2. The best storytelling in a shooter that I'm aware of, fun shooting, and it still looks pretty damn good.

Doom 3. Mostly because I can't stop modding it, but atmosphere like this never gets old.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Another example of a perfect gameplay dynamic, and the game is absolutely vast. Productive hacking community, too.

Ecco: The Tides Of Time. Extraordinary world-building, lots of variety, great music, and it still looks gorgeous.

[Merse]

For PC, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and all of the iterations of Civilization. For My XBox360? Geeze, what don't I love and replay? Including but not limited to: Saint's Row one and Two, GTAIV, Halo 3, Bioshock, Fallouts 3 and New Vegas, Skyrim, Midnight Club LA, Mass Effect 1,2,3, Assasin's Creed 1 and 2.

I guess each game has a different mood that I like to revisit, and they just never seem to get old.

[SM Rollinger]

Alot of the SNES titles i own, such as Super Metriod and Mega Man X, those never get old.

Over the last year, Ive really been stuck on the multiplayer for Black Ops II. Treyarc really nailed it this time around, and after Ghosts came out, I really realized that. Just hit prestige master on sunday, now to diamond alll the weapons!

[Madmya]

Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and NiGHTS. Still go back to these games every now and then.

[sentient02970]

I could play Fallout 3 forever.

[Halo Infinity]

When it comes to the 1990s, I think the majority of the games I'd go back to were really from the Super Nintendo and Game Boy. For the most part, I've mostly played the Mario, Kirby, and Donkey Kong games on it, and surprisingly enough didn't really play that many Zelda games on it. These games were my childhood, and I'd still get back to them if I had the chance. (Hindsight is still unforgiving, as other students in elementary school and junior high liked to borrow games permanently... which really was stealing all along.)

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - This is also the very first Game Boy game I've ever played. If you never played this, but played Super Mario Bros. 3 and/or Super Mario World, THIS is the Game Boy game of Mario that you SHOULD play. I like it so many times better than the first Super Mario Land.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 - If you loved Super Mario Bros. 2, as in the one that wasn't "The Lost Levels" this game is also a "must play", as you also get to pick up enemies and throw them. You can also absorb enemy's power-ups with the use of Wario's hats/helmets.

Kirby's Dream Land 1-3 & Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards - If you can't go wrong with one Kirby game, you can't go wrong with them all.

Donkey Kong Country/Land 1-3 - I don't get why some people stopped showing interest by the time DKC/DKL 3 came out, but it's still worth playing. (However, I do understand that the release of the Nintendo 64 could've done just that.)

Star Fox - I wish I had a chance to play this more, as I never really owned it, but I still enjoy it now, just as much as I did when I was a kid.

Super Mario Kart - The Super Mario World experience just didn't feel complete without it, and dare I say, I sometimes prefer to play this more than Mario Kart 64, but that also depends on my mood and overall nostalgia level.

Final Fantasy VI & Final Fantasy VII - My introduction to Final Fantasy, as I was only exposed to Final Fantasy since late 1994 if I remember correctly. When I have the time, and money, I hope to collect at least all of the Final Fantasy games before Final Fantasy 9. (It sucks that my PS2 also stopped working, and I only have Nintendo systems. And as much as possible, I like collecting the actual discs and cartridges.)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time - I'll admit that I've sometimes played this until I didn't want to look at it anymore, BUT, when the mood strikes again, I just LOVE the shit out of this game.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Link's Awakening, & The Ocarina of Time - These games definitely defined my early years as an LoZ fan.

Sega Ninja - I never played this as a kid, as I was either not born, or way under 1 year old, but I played it on an emulator, and it really was the shit.

[Space Suicide]

Crash Bandicoot, 2: Cortex Strikes Back and Warped

Top three platformers and still my top favorite video game mascot/character. Naughty Dog of course made them the best but I enjoyed the series up to Twinsanity. I LOVED that game but the afterwards, they went downhill.

Gears of War and Gears of War 3.

I still play Gears of war 3 regularly and have every week since it launched back in September 2011. Addictive and my favorite multiplayer go-to game.

[wizfan]

Any Mortal Kombat or Metal Gear Solid game.

[liquidcalm]

Sim City 3000, Rez, Wipeout HD, Half Life.
All are great games.. not like.. my favourite favourite games (although Rez is pretty special) but certainly games I'll just boot to run around and be instantly at home. I find playing old PSX Final Fantasy's like return to a town I've lived in too, not where I grew up maybe, but a place where you start going "oh yeh.. here! I remember here! You get the thing!" and thats a nice feeling.

[thelastdisciple]

The original Max Payne and it's easier than ever to just boot up on iOS now and play for a few, very convenient. Love it!

[virushopper]

Half Life 2.

[SarahConnor]

Ninja Ryukenden 3: its the japanese version of ninja gaiden 3, NOTABLY different damage setttings AND CRUCIALLY, passwords. played it yesterday AGAIN and want to play it FOREVER.

[Krazy]

Cool thread OP. Not gonna get into the reasons, just find these games super enjoyable and can play them for 5 minutes or 5 hours:

- Super Punch Out (SNES)
- NHL '94 (SNES)
- NBA Jam (SNES)
- Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)
- Resident Evil 4 (PS2)
- GTA: Vice City (PS2)
- Contra: Shattered Soldier (PS2) Ahhh.... my moment of VG glory, I actually beat this game without dying once AND getting an "S" grade on all levels. I have no record of it though because of some bug that was in a demo disc from Sony. Loading the disk erased your memory card. I'm still pissed at those fuckers because of that achievement :/

[henryeatscereal]

You know i'm an "old school" gamer @Kris (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=244) , so most of the games i play are old stuff anyways, but these are the ones i always end up playing at some point in my life:

- Contra (NES): The First one, no bull, no code (ok, i've used it a couple of times... :P )just shooting and good music

- Chrono Trigger (SNES): One of the most beautiful games i've ever played, i love everything on it: the music, the story, the characters... i played it recently all the way from the begining, it was during a very difficult time in my life but the game helped me a lot!

- DOOM (PC): Has to be one of the games i've spent most hours playing to, can't get enough of it...

- Tetris and PacMan: No explanation needed...

- Zelda 2, the Adventure of Link (NES): I like this one better than the fist one simply because it was the first Zelda game i ever played, can't describe the feeling it has on me everytime i play it...

- Mega Man (1,2,3,4) (NES): All of these are awesome and a very important part of my childhood, Mega Man 3 is my favorite game ever... don't ask me why...it just is...

- The King of Fighters 97' (Arcade): The KOF series was very popular around these parts, this one is my favorite, for me this is the best fighting game ever!!!

- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Turtles in time (Arcade) and TMNT 1 (NES): Both are my favorite turtles games, both of them made my love for the turtles even bigger and both of them have never left my mind...

- Warcraft (PC): Warcraft 1, 2 and 3 are classics for me, never got into "World of Warcraft", hated all the "chatty" part of it ...just give me my "gold", my "troops" and let me kick ass!!!

[Wretchedest]

Awesome thread!

Few games have survived the test of time, for me, especially the last generation which saw gaming become more practical and more sane. So most of these are relatively new.

Castlevania Symphony of the Night I mentioned in the proper thread that I have probably played this game through, more times than any other. and it DOES stand the test of time. Still just as playable as it was when it first came out. Still better than every side scroller ever, even with quality rivals like Mark of the Ninja and Braid. SotN is the fucking best, and still totally fun and neat all around.

Final Fantasy games

I feel like I owe it to myself to play through one of these, usually once a year. Normally it's 7. Sometimes it's 8. They are both fantastic and it's a quality of story telling still rare for games.

Pokemon
pokemon, of course is an ongoing game. As of this writing I have 490 hours logged on pokemon y! Which is 2-4 times more than I log on an average pokemon game. if SotN is the game I revisit the most, Pokemon is the game that, over time I've given the most time to.

Crackdown
Crackdown is built beautifully for replayability. You can play a hundred times and never take the same approach. It's a good way to let off some steam.

Mortal Kombat Trilogy
They just came out with basically the perfect MK game, but this is the one I still like to revisit. It has all of the classic characters, still plays nicely and has the nostalgia factor in spades.

Shadow of the Colossus
So many people have tried to do what this game did, and all of them have failed.

Halo

Left 4 Dead 2

because this is the best way, of the many, to blast apart zombies.

Starfox 64
Very very, nostalgic and super simple but lots of fun.

I also have an arcade cabinet with things like Frogger and Dig Dug and Galaga​. So i play those sometimes too.

also I'm about to finish my second playthrough of last years Tomb Raider and I'm probably going to do The Last of Us​ again before the March gaming season.

[Millionaire]

I play through campaign games again every once in a while, but the ones I find myself playing over and over are games that I can play for a short time and enjoy.

Mario Kart DS- My DS1 has a permanent residence in my bathroom. Two races is the perfect length for a number two.
Quake 3 Arena- Still my favorite multiplayer fps, I boot this up expecting to play two games, but sometimes end up going for a few hours.
Street Fighter 2- I have this cool boss at work who let me hook up my beat-up Xbox with roms to the lounge tv, and this gets a lot of run. Everyone knows how to play it, and its fun factor never gets old.
Left 4 Dead 2- When my brother is around and we have an hour to kill, one chapter of this is always a good option.
Ice Hockey NES- Me and this guy at work play this rom at 3pm most days. It has aged extremely well. Fat guys vs skinny guys.
Tetris DS- ​Same deal as Mario Kart.

[WorzelG]

The Half Life games as I love the stories and the way in 2 particularly there are several styles of games in one (driving, shooter, horror)
most of the Silent Hill games, except 4 which I never even managed to finish, as I love the sound and atmosphere
Resident Evil 4 (I must have played it about 9 times through)
I'm pretty into the latest Tomb Raider, it is just such great gameplay - the way you control Lara is beautiful and fluid (unlike the originals where she'd keep clunking into walls)
Bioshock for stories particularly and atmosphere
Metal Gear Solid 1 -3 - for gameplay and the whole stealth thing
Doom (all) for sound, atmosphere etc. love the story and the finding PDAs aspect of it, doom 3 is still the scariest game I've ever played (although silent hill comes close) - a caveat to this is that I started to play Amnesia Dark Descent and I'm too scared to even engage my first monster encounter, so I haven't played much of the game yet, if I get the nerve to actually play it this may take over as scariest game!
Alone in the Dark 1-3 these had a massive impact on me in terms of some of the earliest forms of survival horror
I'm showing my age here but i have a ZX Spectrum emulator on my laptop and I still play some of the text and graphics adventure games for nostalgia (also chuckle egg 2, tir na nog, dizzy)

[hollowed_point]

Final Fantasy VIII & X. Love both equally.
I even thoroughly enjoyed XII (multiple times), and I think it received a lot of unfair hate.

The Ocarina of Time.
A Link to the Past. Both absolutely amazing games.

Mega Man X 1, 2, & 3. I love the original mega man games, but I was and still am a huge sucker for the xbuster upgrades as well as Zero's light sword in X3.

The entire Mass Effect series, particularly 2 & 3. I can't tell you how many countless hours I've spent on these.

Last but not least, Galaga. I will always deeply love that game.

[gorast]

My main title that I keep returning to is Sonic Adventure 2, especially since the PC port was released and a modding community sprung up around it. I usually play it for a couple months at a time and then leave it alone for a while so that when I come back, the levels still feel relatively fresh. I know a lot of people didn't like it, but it was my first GameCube game, and has always been one of my favorites.

I go back to Pokemon HeartGold and Portal 2 ​a lot as well.

[frankie teardrop]

sorry, i know i got paged a few days ago but just had time now to check this thread out. as per the top 25 games list, most of the list here will likely overlap (as i can play any of those games over and over again every few years or so), but i'll try to say a few more things about some of the repeat offenders.

1. super mario bros. 2: mario 3 is generally considered the best of the NES lot, and while i agree that the game is expansive and impressive and always fun as hell, mario 2 is the one i keep returning to every few months. i've always found it to be the black sheep, nothing like the other games, and the idea of swapping characters between stages keeps it fresh (though really, why would anyone NOT choose princess for 90% of the game).

2. castlevania III/super castlevania IV: confession- i still haven't played symphony of the night... i know the metroidvania thing is huge, and i love the idea of it (and love both metroid and super metroid), but to me, the game is forever etched in my brain as a 2d platformer as such. i toggle back and forth between which one of these two games is my favorite. i used to play III more because i'd never beaten it (last form of dracula before dying), but now that i've finally beaten it, i find myself returning to IV more. it's a much easier game, but everything is just so...fluid. it's the whole package, for me.

3. balloon fight: whenever playing nintendo with friends, this one comes out for a few rounds, even if it's just about popping each other's balloons and not about the mission at hand.

4. ice hockey or blades of steel (NES): i grew up with these games, and was undefeatable until i met @halo33 (http://www.echoingthesound.org/community/member.php?u=376). fucker.

5. i could whip through doom/doom II/doom 64 any day of the week and still have a hell of a good time

6. maniac mansion- i rented that game every few months even though i could beat it in an hour, just to try different combinations and live in that world for a little while. it's obviously small in scope, but my love of b-movies, sci-fi, and horror made this a nice companion on the console front. i know you have to start over afterwards- but putting the hamster in the microwave never gets old.

7. i'm not sure how blast corps (N64) failed to make my original list... i just bought a cheap cartridge last week and i got addicted again, and played for about 10 hours straight on a snow day. there's just something so satisfying about destroying things, and there's just enough challenge to keep me coming back for more. the post-apocalyptic (albeit PG rated) aspect doesn't hurt, either...

8. speaking of n64, i still love star fox 64

9. a more recent discovery, but i also enjoy playing super dodgeball on the NES with friends. same sprites as river city ransom, including the insane faces when you knock over an opponent.

10. as for zelda games, i generally go for zelda II (more action packed) and majora's mask, even though i tend to get distracted and never finish the latter. still have yet to beat it. if you want some zelda meets RPG action, i highly advise crystalis on the NES. i played it for the first time since my teenage years and it still holds up, as did willow on the NES (one of the few good movie-licensed games- also batman).. as for RPGs, i forever love illusion of gaia, final fantasy III/VI, chrono trigger, mario rpg, etc. dragon warrior did not age well upon returning to it, but was still fun...

11. always happy to give life force or contra a solid run through from time to time... also duck tales.

and just a few that i've played recently, some of which have raised up the ranks to become favorites, and others that i look forward to revisiting time and time again:

the guardian legend (NES) - for fans of gradius AND metroid AND the first zelda game--- can't recommend this game enough.
little nemo the dream master (NES) - platformer
crisis force (NES/famicom) - shoot 'em up
sweet home (NES/famicom)- RPG
metal storm (NES) - sci fi. more linear than blaster master, but similar vibes, PLUS you can walk on the ceiling!
forsaken (n64)
knights of the round or magic sword (SNES) - fantasy style beat 'em ups

[Vertigo]

So many Nintendo people. *nervously clutches his Megadrive*

(emulator)

[frankie teardrop]

as far as sega goes... i never owned one, but my cousins had that and a playstation, and i was over often enough for the day to play a bunch of games. huge memories/nightmares of sonic 2's casino stage & the sound it makes when you're running out of air in the water stages. also loved the x-men games, though i never got too far. comix zone became a favorite when they released it for wii virtual console, before i learned about hacking the wii for maximum emulator pleasure.

otherwise, most of the best genesis games i preferred on the SNES (earthworm jim, mortal kombat II, zombies ate my neighbors, nhl/nba jam, street fighter II, TMNT, etc.) due to the better graphics & more button options. strider is the one exception i can think of where the megadrive/genesis version wiped the floor with the NES version, though that makes more sense.

[GibbonBlack]

The 7th Guest and 11th Hour are both games I can play time and time again.

[dpeters]

Super Mario Bros. 3
It's the shit. Branching missions, laden with secrets, and a watermark amongst platformers.

World of Warcraft
It's fun to poke my head in and get immersed in the new dungeons, new gear setups, etc.

Minecraft
Because legos are cool.

Star Trek Online
For a game many hated, I've been surprised by how far it's come: tons of quests, branching endgame, etc.

[Dr Channard]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 + Yuri's Revenge expansion - PC. Plus there are some fun mods for this out there.

ICO - PS2.

Resident Evil - PS.

Resident Evil 4 - PS2.

Silent Hill - PS.

Silent Hill(s) 2-4 - PS2.

Final Fantasy VII - PS.

Final Fantasy Tactics - PS.

Legend of Dragoon - PS.

Star Wars KOTOR - Xbox.

[Halo Infinity]

So many Nintendo people. *nervously clutches his Megadrive*

(emulator)
I'm actually pleased and comforted to see that there's more Nintendo people around here, as I often encounter PlayStation and XBox people in real life. :p