The perfect list is dependent on what kind of games one likes, and my taste tends to be a bit different than the mainstream. Most of the games I like have one of two things (or both): A good story, or a good sense of place (i.e., I feel like I'm visiting somewhere). With that in mind, here is a list of games that I wished everyone would play and enjoy, but can't guarantee it:)
Zelda Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Windwaker I think all of these are worth playing for anyone, but if you picked one I would say Ocarina of Time would be the safest bet (many people like the others, but many people also don't). They're famous enough I probably don't have to describe them, but let me just say that in my opinion all of the praise they receive is well-deserved.
Out of this World (Another World) This is basically a puzzle-solving game, and one that requires trial and error and memorization, so it may not be for everyone. That being said, I love the atmosphere, the sparse story-telling, and the fact that although there are only a few basic controls, most of the game involves thinking outside of the box. I played this on Sega CD originally, but there is an updated version available: http://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk/
Flashback This is a game by the same person as above, I believe, but it is more action oriented. I'm not sure what someone would think playing it now for the first time, but when it came out I loved the setting and the atmosphere. Probably my favorite game I played on the Sega Genesis.
Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Full Throttle, Monkey Island 1-3, Grim Fandango I think the only LucasArts adventure game I _didn't_ much like was Monkey Island 4, but the ones listed above are my favorites. All of them have excellent writing and voice-acting (where applicable). I can't imagine anyone not being entertained, although some might not like the gameplay.
Broken Sword 1-3 In the same vein as LucasArts games, but a more realistic setting and serious story. The third one didn't seem to be very-well received, but I loved it. Again, I can see people being turned off by the gameplay, but the story is top notch.
Anachronox I bought this on a whim, and I will always be glad that I did. The gameplay is actually pretty dumb (it's like poorly-done Final Fantasy), but the story-telling is superb. I don't think I have ever laughed out loud at any game more than I did playing this one.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus My two favorite games for the PS2. These games are both so beautiful, both in presentation and mood. Probably the two best games I have ever played in terms of a sense of "place". The story-telling is also very interesting: I would say that both have a good story, but the story is told in a way that would only work in a game. In other words, the plot is not what makes it great, but experiencing it is.
Beyond Good and Evil This game is great on many levels. The gameplay is fun, but not too hard (this probably annoys hardcore gamers, but for me it's a plus). The graphics are stylized cartoony, but very beautiful, I think. The music is fantastic. I found the story cliche for the most part (towards the end you realize things haven't all been what they seem), but I didn't care because I grew to care about the characters and the world.
Psychonauts It is a mystery to me why this and Beyond Good and Evil did not sell better. I guess that most people who play games don't like cartoony type art direction. In any event, when I finished this game I said to myself, "why can't all games be more like this?" Again, the game play is fun and not too hard, the graphics are beautiful, the story is original, and the jokes are funny. Also, the different levels are some of the most varied I've seen in one game, and very creative.
Half-Life 2 I loved the first Half-Life, but I think Half-Life 2 set a new standard for games that
Here's my own personal list of games that scared me:
Haunted House (Atari 2600)
This one is kind of dumb, but at the time I was really scared of this game. The problem was that you had really limited visibility with your flashlight, and so you were never sure when something would suddenly appear. Today, I'm sure I would laugh if I saw it, but the basic concept still scares me on modern games (Doom 3 particularly).
The Black Cauldron (Apple IIe)
This wasn't a scary game, per se, but there were was one part that never failed to make me jump: In the castle, a guard would appear at random, and this little tune would play. Again, I'm sure I would find it hysterical if I played it now, but for some reason I've always remembered how I hated walking through the halls and never knowing when or where he would appear. Once he was on screen, it wasn't so bad, but the waiting put me on pins and needles.
The 7th Guest
This was the first game that scared me with atmosphere and not jumps. In fact, due to the nature of the game, you knew that you were never in any virtual danger, which I think makes it even more of an accomplishment that it made me so uneasy. I think the best part of this game was the music, which still brings a smile to my face and a shiver to my spine when I hear it. One scene I remember distinctly was the children's play room, but the other one was when you had to go through the maze. The funny thing is that I have often wondered in retrospect what made the maze scary, since thinking about it now it doesn't seem so bad, but someone else mentioned it here in this thread, so I'm not alone!
No One Lives Forever
This is another example of a specific scene, rather than the whole game, but the part where you were underwater and you come upon a large room with limited visibility and see a great white shark swimming around, and then realize you're going to have to go in that room gave me the creeps.
Half Life
Unfortunately, when I replayed this it didn't have the same effect at all, but when I first played this the beginning completely freaked me out. Even though I played it years after it came out it was only the second FPS game I had played, and I guess the fact that I wasn't very good contributed to my fear, but I had to advance an inch at a time, and when the vortigaunts started appearing I didn't know what to do with myself. I guess it was good that I got the genuine Gordon Freeman experience, where I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to deal with all of these monsters that were clearly better at killing me than I was at killing them.
Arx Fatalis
I was really glad to see someone else mention this game, since I think it is one of the scariest games I've ever played, and yet it never gets mentioned. The audio is excellent, and is used to brilliant effect. Many dungeons in fantasy-type games are mildly creepy, but the crypt you have to go into in this game actually made me dread going in, every time, and I was so relieved whenever I left that it took a lot of willpower to go back in. There is this evil temple-type place, with these evil monk people, and it feels perfectly evil, like you are an intruder walking around in a world you're not supposed to know about. I was _so_ glad to finally get out of there, that even though the exit led me to a goblin prison with the screams of tortured prisoners, I felt like I had emerged upon a sunny field.:)
Doom III
This is the big one. I have never understood why it receives such harsh criticism, but my theory is that there are two reasons I had such a different experience than many: First, I think the average gamer seems to have much more time to play than I, and consequently s/he gets used to it. Secondly, I seem to have the kind of personality where I can really put myself into a situation, and I always forced myself to play this at night with the lights off and the sound up. Whatever the cause, this game scared me more than any game before or since
To wit, look at shakespeare. Generally, a couple rich people who get in trouble with someone else, and either laugh it off or die. The end. The complexity is internalized in the characters; the plot itself is simple. That is why Shakespeare is Shakespeare, and Evangelion is just another mecha anime.
I strongly disagree with your assessment of Evangelion. I watch and re-watch it, and every time I find myself thinking how astonishing it is, precisely because of the "complexity internalized in the characters." I haven't seen much anime, because most of it doesn't seem very interesting to me, so I'm not really qualified to judge your claim that Evangelion is just another mecha anime, but I can assure you that the "point" of the story is not about kids piloting giant robots. The language is no match for Shakespeare, of course, but I hold it in the same high esteem that I do some of his greatest works in terms of character and as a study of the human condition.
Slashdot Mirror
The perfect list is dependent on what kind of games one likes, and my taste tends to be a bit different than the mainstream. Most of the games I like have one of two things (or both): A good story, or a good sense of place (i.e., I feel like I'm visiting somewhere). With that in mind, here is a list of games that I wished everyone would play and enjoy, but can't guarantee it :)
Zelda Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Windwaker
I think all of these are worth playing for anyone, but if you picked one I would say Ocarina of Time would be the safest bet (many people like the others, but many people also don't). They're famous enough I probably don't have to describe them, but let me just say that in my opinion all of the praise they receive is well-deserved.
Out of this World (Another World)
This is basically a puzzle-solving game, and one that requires trial and error and memorization, so it may not be for everyone. That being said, I love the atmosphere, the sparse story-telling, and the fact that although there are only a few basic controls, most of the game involves thinking outside of the box.
I played this on Sega CD originally, but there is an updated version available: http://www.anotherworld.fr/anotherworld_uk/
Flashback
This is a game by the same person as above, I believe, but it is more action oriented. I'm not sure what someone would think playing it now for the first time, but when it came out I loved the setting and the atmosphere. Probably my favorite game I played on the Sega Genesis.
Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max Hit the Road, Full Throttle, Monkey Island 1-3, Grim Fandango
I think the only LucasArts adventure game I _didn't_ much like was Monkey Island 4, but the ones listed above are my favorites. All of them have excellent writing and voice-acting (where applicable). I can't imagine anyone not being entertained, although some might not like the gameplay.
Broken Sword 1-3
In the same vein as LucasArts games, but a more realistic setting and serious story. The third one didn't seem to be very-well received, but I loved it. Again, I can see people being turned off by the gameplay, but the story is top notch.
Anachronox
I bought this on a whim, and I will always be glad that I did. The gameplay is actually pretty dumb (it's like poorly-done Final Fantasy), but the story-telling is superb. I don't think I have ever laughed out loud at any game more than I did playing this one.
Ico and Shadow of the Colossus
My two favorite games for the PS2. These games are both so beautiful, both in presentation and mood. Probably the two best games I have ever played in terms of a sense of "place". The story-telling is also very interesting: I would say that both have a good story, but the story is told in a way that would only work in a game. In other words, the plot is not what makes it great, but experiencing it is.
Beyond Good and Evil
This game is great on many levels. The gameplay is fun, but not too hard (this probably annoys hardcore gamers, but for me it's a plus). The graphics are stylized cartoony, but very beautiful, I think. The music is fantastic. I found the story cliche for the most part (towards the end you realize things haven't all been what they seem), but I didn't care because I grew to care about the characters and the world.
Psychonauts
It is a mystery to me why this and Beyond Good and Evil did not sell better. I guess that most people who play games don't like cartoony type art direction. In any event, when I finished this game I said to myself, "why can't all games be more like this?" Again, the game play is fun and not too hard, the graphics are beautiful, the story is original, and the jokes are funny. Also, the different levels are some of the most varied I've seen in one game, and very creative.
Half-Life 2
I loved the first Half-Life, but I think Half-Life 2 set a new standard for games that
Here's my own personal list of games that scared me:
:)
Haunted House (Atari 2600)
This one is kind of dumb, but at the time I was really scared of this game. The problem was that you had really limited visibility with your flashlight, and so you were never sure when something would suddenly appear. Today, I'm sure I would laugh if I saw it, but the basic concept still scares me on modern games (Doom 3 particularly).
The Black Cauldron (Apple IIe)
This wasn't a scary game, per se, but there were was one part that never failed to make me jump: In the castle, a guard would appear at random, and this little tune would play. Again, I'm sure I would find it hysterical if I played it now, but for some reason I've always remembered how I hated walking through the halls and never knowing when or where he would appear. Once he was on screen, it wasn't so bad, but the waiting put me on pins and needles.
The 7th Guest
This was the first game that scared me with atmosphere and not jumps. In fact, due to the nature of the game, you knew that you were never in any virtual danger, which I think makes it even more of an accomplishment that it made me so uneasy. I think the best part of this game was the music, which still brings a smile to my face and a shiver to my spine when I hear it. One scene I remember distinctly was the children's play room, but the other one was when you had to go through the maze. The funny thing is that I have often wondered in retrospect what made the maze scary, since thinking about it now it doesn't seem so bad, but someone else mentioned it here in this thread, so I'm not alone!
No One Lives Forever
This is another example of a specific scene, rather than the whole game, but the part where you were underwater and you come upon a large room with limited visibility and see a great white shark swimming around, and then realize you're going to have to go in that room gave me the creeps.
Half Life
Unfortunately, when I replayed this it didn't have the same effect at all, but when I first played this the beginning completely freaked me out. Even though I played it years after it came out it was only the second FPS game I had played, and I guess the fact that I wasn't very good contributed to my fear, but I had to advance an inch at a time, and when the vortigaunts started appearing I didn't know what to do with myself. I guess it was good that I got the genuine Gordon Freeman experience, where I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to deal with all of these monsters that were clearly better at killing me than I was at killing them.
Arx Fatalis
I was really glad to see someone else mention this game, since I think it is one of the scariest games I've ever played, and yet it never gets mentioned. The audio is excellent, and is used to brilliant effect. Many dungeons in fantasy-type games are mildly creepy, but the crypt you have to go into in this game actually made me dread going in, every time, and I was so relieved whenever I left that it took a lot of willpower to go back in. There is this evil temple-type place, with these evil monk people, and it feels perfectly evil, like you are an intruder walking around in a world you're not supposed to know about. I was _so_ glad to finally get out of there, that even though the exit led me to a goblin prison with the screams of tortured prisoners, I felt like I had emerged upon a sunny field.
Doom III
This is the big one. I have never understood why it receives such harsh criticism, but my theory is that there are two reasons I had such a different experience than many: First, I think the average gamer seems to have much more time to play than I, and consequently s/he gets used to it. Secondly, I seem to have the kind of personality where I can really put myself into a situation, and I always forced myself to play this at night with the lights off and the sound up. Whatever the cause, this game scared me more than any game before or since