The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for N64! Such a great game! I remember playing this game about once a year after it first came out. Even when my friends would tempt me with Halo or GTA I'd always say "Let's just bust out the N64 and play Zelda"

"Ocarina of Time was released to universal critical acclaim and commercial success. It was the best-selling game of 1998, selling 2.5 million copies despite being released only 39 days before the end of the year. During its lifetime, it sold 7.6 million copies worldwide."

http://i44.tinypic.com/16giqyp.jpg
Source(s):
http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-4.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina_of_Time

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No question: Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64. The best multiplayer game I played on a console for years and years.

You could hook up a maximum of four people to the game, and spend hours shooting each other up. The graphics were ahead of their time, the gameplay was extremely good.

Since this came out, there have obviously been games with more capabilities, better graphics, etc, but I have never had as much fun as I did with this game.

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/1598/goldeneye1oz7.jpg
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Civilization II for the Playstation or PC. I still play this game on my old Playstation 1. No two games are ever the same. Ultimate re-play ability. And the Civ Universe has grown as tech improves. Civ 4 for PC and just last year, Civ Revolution for Xbox 360 & PS3.
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By far, the best video game of all-time is Super Mario Bros. 3 for Nintendo Entertainment System. As with most things you can pin-point their peak. The Simpsons had their best years between '92-'95; The Pink Floyd's peaked with Dark Side of the Moon; and Nintendo has never produced anything better than Super Mario Bros. 3.
SMB3 seems simple enough at first: run through this small level, watch out for Goombas, and hit that box at the end. But on second glance, it is a much more intricate game. In the first world alone you'll find among other things the ability to fall behind the background by holding the down arrow while standing on a white box, several secret cloud platforms filled with coins, and two whistles that can transport you to different worlds throughout the game.
Added bonuses along the way include the ability to throw hammers, the ability to turn into stone, and (my personal favorite) the ability to swim more easily by donning the ultra-cool Frog Suit.
Here's some footage of somebody who hacked the game so that they could use the Frog Suit on World One, Level One:
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C'mon, this debate again?

It has to be STARCRAFT!

The game that inspired the first professional video game careers. Editable maps, and online play system that is 10 years old and still has THOUSANDS of people log on daily.

Best. Game. Ever.

http://www.visionfutur.com/img/linux/starcraft1.jpg
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Mario brothers
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Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Tons of hours of gameplay, wicked multiplayer, best graphics, great story and crotch grabbing.
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All of the above mentioned games are excellent choices. I, however, would have to go down the more obscure route and nominate System Shock II. This game, released in 1999, was a head of its time. It is both atmospheric and features a terrific narrative. Fans of BioShock should definitely check it out.
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Resident Evil. Pick any games in the series. Revitalized the horror genre in ways that hadn't been seen since System Shock.

Plus, it had zombies, and people who are not terriffied of zombies, already have a bite taken out of them.

Favorite in the series? Resident Evil 2. It was the game I was introduced with. Leon is still my favorite RE character. Resident Evil 4 was a big treat for me. =)
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