Which Game delivered the Best Overall Gaming Experience

Battle of the Games

Hey, since this is a gaming forum and I know there are alot of shoppers out there, I thought it'll be useful and fun toe be start a debate forum on the game that delivered the most.

Keep in mind that when considering best overall experience, you'd want to consider:

1.Sensory presentation: How entertained were your eyes and ears?
2.Gameplay Design: How unique and interesting was the playing experience.
3.Story: Was the story written well? Interesting character development, great plot twists and emotion jerking moments are all sure signs of a great story.
4.Replay value: How many times will you pick up the game again?

So please vouch for your personal favorite and be sure to score fairly in each category (1-10) .

To start things off

I will vouch for Mass Effect:
Sensory Presentation: 9
Gameplay Design:8
Story:10
Replay Value:8

 

I'll give my Vote for Bioshock,

Presentation : 9

Gameplay Design : 10

Story : 9

Replay Value : 9

although many people hasnt played Bioshock twice, but there are many stuff to do in it. i personally played it 5 times.

 

I'll bring in the free rogue-like I keep pushing on people. I just think it's that awesome.

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup (Win32 tile version with mouse support)

Presentation - 3
What're you expecting, BioShock? It's a rogue-like. It's functional and it's darn good for what it is. (This is coming from someone who can't get the hang of Angband)

Gameplay - 10
Constantly being improved, Dungeon Crawl is a very combat focused rogue-like. It offers a wide range of Races and Classes, from Summoners to Paladins to Berserkers to Necromancers to Orcish Priests of Bough. There's plenty of fancy artifacts lying around to give you the false impression that you stand a chance against Zot.

Story - 3
Collect runes, get the orb of Zot, run to the surface. Doesn't seem like much of a story, but the game is laced with enough flavor to keep things interesting.

Replay value - 10
If you think you're getting to Zot on your first character you're poorly mistaken. There will be a morgue full of your dead avatars - waiting to get even.

Reading the name of this game, alone, will transform you into a level 20 nerd. It's too late for you. Your life is over. You might as well play it.

 

I'll say Call of Duty 4 multiplayer. It's very addictive, infact I don't even play any of my other games because of this stupid Call of Duty 4 multiplayer. I just don't have enough time for anything else. In life. No matter how necessary. And single player is also top notch.

Presentation : 9

Gameplay Design: 9

Story: 9

Replay value: 10

I don't really believe in 10 scores but you know what I mean.

 

I'll support deus ex.

presentation 8

gameplay 10

story 8

replay value 10

easily one of the best fps/rpg hybrid.

 

Am i the first final fantasy 7?

Presentation : 10
Everything looks great and fit's right in with the game world.
The game has the best soundtrack i ever heard!

Gameplay Design : 8
Very fun but the random battles you have to endure to level up can get repetative.

Story : 10
Nothing like it!

Replay Value : 9
I'm on my forth or fifth time through it right now!
The only game i've played more is final fantasy 8

 

Bioshock

1.Sensory presentation: 10
2.Gameplay Design: 10
3.Story: 10
4.Replay value: 9

I finished the game 4 times and can honestly say it's the best game I've ever played. And I've been playing games from the C64 era.

 

Battlefield 2.

Presentation: 8
Considering the dated technology it doesn't look the prettiest, but it is very functional and still looks decent.

Gameplay Design: 9
Different every time you play. Can play the same map 100 times and it gets more fun and interesting. Plus you learn the intricacies of the map which improves your skill. Despite the annoyances like super accurate automatic weapons, and tanks that can't go up a 30 degree angle, these are easily overlooked.

Story: 5
No real story. Just win the most points.

Replay Value: 10000
I don't normally agree with 10 ratings since it should be an unachievable theoretical maximum, but I'll give it a 10000. Hate to say it, but this is THE most addicting game I have EVER played (Descent 2 is a close second). According to BF2S I have logged more than 400 hours. That's a testament to an addicting game.

 

The Witcher

1. Sensory presentation: 8
Nice graphics and some very artistic design in its characters & environments.

2. Gameplay Design: 8
The fighting in this game is all about 3 things: swords, potions & spells. It's got a HUGE skill/spell tree and LOTs of different items/potions so you have to choose which skill or item you want. (You just can't have them all in one go!)
You also have to make a lot of different choices as you progress along the story line. I think this pretty much sums it up: "There are no right or wrong, only decisions and consequences."

3. Story: 9
Interesting main story with lots of twists. There's a huge amount of interesting side quests in each different area which will keep you entertained for a long time.

4. Replay value: 8
The huge variety of skills will make hardcore players come back for more. (As I said before you need to play this game more than once if you want to try out all the different level of skills/spells...)

Overall score: 8.5 (not an average of the above scores)
I played Mass Effect and then The Witcher. Both of them are good games but I would prefer The Witcher out of the two. The main story in Mass Effect is better but The Witcher wins in side quests, character development and game length. I found Mass Effect WAY too short and the side quests are really bad when compared to the ones in The Witcher. If you like Mass Effect then there's a high chance you may love The Witcher as well. Hope this helps!

 

Colonial Conquest (SSI) Old, now, turn based strategy game. I am talking about the Atari ST version which was the best at least in terms of presentation.
Three starting conditions 1880 no colonies, 1880 historical colonies, 1914 eve of first world war.

Sensory Presentation: 6
Plain map with different colours and patterns for each country. Well designed/drawn though and better looking than any other similar game of the time.

Gameplay Design: 9
Simple to play but hard to master turn based strategy of world dominiation. Pick one of 6 major powers (England, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, USA) and play for high score (by capturing territories and winning battles) or for world conquest. Any combination of human, AI controled countries and 10 difficulty levels for each AI country. Three scenarios/starting conditions.

Story: N/A but if I have to, 9

Replay Value:10
I would give it more if I could lol. I play the game from 1987 till 2008 so I guess it has replay value lol.

 

if i was voting for bioshock, i'd easily give:

Sensory Presentation: 10
You really feel it

Gameplay Design: 6
The actual gameplay mechanic is a fps/rpg hybrid that works somewhat. Some people enjoy this more than others. Somewhat repetitive enemies and gameplay.

Story: 10
A fps with a good story... an excellent story, even, that isn't just told to you, but unfolds in front of you. Wonderful.

Replay Value:6
Struggle to finish once. Happy to be done once its done.

 

Plasmids anyone?

 

Diablo 2 LOD B.net

1.Sensory presentation: 10
2.Gameplay Design: 10
3.Story: 5
4.Replay value: 10

 

Final Fantasy 7
Sensory Presentation: 10 - The world was so varied and beautiful to look at, especially for its time.
Gameplay Design: 9 - Materia and junction system were fantastic. Limit break system was great. Weapon system could have been a bit more exciting.
Story:10 - No explanation needed.
Replay Value: 9 - Plenty of side quests, in-game cookies, and secret characters.

Overall Score = 9.5

The Witcher
1.Sensory presentation: 9 - World came alive
2.Gameplay Design: 8 - Combat system could have been more complex. It was more complicated than your basic hack n slash though.
3.Story: 10 - Just epic, prerendered videos are awesome also.
4.Replay value: 9.5 - Three different endings, tons of amazing side quests, many different dialogue options.

Overall Score = 9.5

 

Dungeon Keeper 2

Sensory presentation: 10 well, it's old now but it looked great when it came out
Gameplay Design: 10 very well designed and so much stuff to do
Story: 8 big evil demon wants to conquer the mortal world. Videos after each mission ftw
Replay value: 9

Overall score: 9.25

 

Just thought up an old favorite

Battle Realms

Sensory Presentation: 7, great fighting animation, better than WCIII graphics makes this a game to beat even by current standards

Gameplay Design: 9, keeps very much to the standard rts build, but with its in in depth combat system and wide array of possible playing styles, this game gets points for allowing the player to maximize creativity and having fun doing it. Fighting with samuris and Buddhist monks become a huge plus as well.

Story: 9, single player campaign mode allows you to choose different paths of action that leads toward different outcomes with is surprising revolutionary in a RTS. Even though building a huge army is still a top priority, you are often faced with moral dilemmas and epic cut scenes that take you far beyond the scope of macro and micro management.

Replay Value: 10, lets think now, how many different ways to defeat your opponents? Lets test them all online!

 

Company of Heroes
Sensory Presentation: 9.5 (top notch)
Gameplay Design:10 (it feels like chess except with an interchangeable board, upgradable units, and countless military tactics)
Story:8 (the campaign is good)
Replay Value:10* (this is where COH shines, I have never played a multiplayer game that has played out the same.

 

No Half-Life 2 yet ;_;

Sensory Presentation: 9.5
-No 10 scores for me so keep that in mind. But yeah, the atmosphere they create is amazing and you just get so sucked in to what your doing.
Gameplay Design: 9.5
-Many a times you feel overwhelmed and need to make use of all your weapons to escape a situation. Oh and HELLO GRAVITY GUN. Physics engine is brilliant and all the weapons have the perfect "feel" to them.
Story: 8
-Now many consider this to be one of the best story telling games of all time. And true it does do that well, but sometimes it gets a little confusing especially when you're caught up in all the action.
Replay Value: 6
-If you like a challenge, hard mode significantly increases the difficulty. But other than that its the same story folks, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch isn't great either compared to other online shooters.

 

Metroid Prime

Sensory Presentation: 10
-Complex geometry and a solid use of effects makes the environments engrossing and and believable. Between the sound and the graphics/art this game will suck you in, and it pushes across the feeling of isolation well.

Gameplay Design: 9
-It uses a First Person Perspective but its not like the average FPS. To call it a First Person Adventure would be more acurate though its a mix between the two. It doesn't use two analog sticks like the average console fps. Rather its a fixed perspective that will move depending where you are. It works well if you are jumping up to a platform the perspective tilts up, the same for walking down ramp, etc. To kill enemies its uses a lock-on feature. Though you can move the reticule any direction by holding the left trigger, but you cant move. The game has alot of puzzle elements centered around the various capabilities of your suit. The only might be negative thing is back tracking is common and integral to the game.

Story: 7
-While not as heavy as Bioshock or Mass Effect, it certainly works well for the game. It's classic Metroid style though as the story isn't told by other characters (theres no voice acting and very little dialouge) but mainly through scanning objects and obtaining diaries and various logs written by other characters. You can skip past most of it altogether but I doubt you would want to, as I found myself searching for every piece of info I could find.

Replay Value: 7
-Scanning is huge in this game, and at the end it really counts as it unlocks one of several endings. The endings in general are all the same, but each slightly different. It comes with a rating too as to how many of the items you gathered and the percentage of things you scanned. I've played it multiple times trying to get 100%.

Theres no multiplayer this is a single player game only. So If you like games with heavy atmosphere and exploration Metroid Prime should easily suffice. Its a game with challenge and invokes thought into getting to the next location. Its creative, imaginative, and gives a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the game. It doesn't disappoint.

 

Half life 2 is a great game, i second that one

 

TF2

Sensory: 9
- You really get into the game, graphics are great for what they are, music is good, overall a fun game just to walk around the maps and check out different things.\

Game play: 10

- Addictive, fun, amazing. You get into your player, you strategize what kit to use, how to destroy that sentry gun. You become part of the map. But at the same time, it doens't over consume you like some games do. You laugh when you die, or somethign else happens. It's really light, while easy to divulge into. It's hard to explain until you actually play. There's not a lot of F**** you B******, i should've WON!!!! I HATE this server, get outta here!

It's like, F***, that was hilarious!!! hahahahah

Story: 8

No actual story, so i'll substitute that with game types and maps. Lots of variety, so much that dynamic on one game reminded us to "find that cart asap". Well, there was no cart, this was a different map. Great maps, lots of fun, some big, some small, all easy to manuever, while there are a lot of hiding spots.

Replay: 10

I could play everyday for 2 hours easily. Great game, addictive, huge community.

Overall a 9.9

 

one example of a 'ahahaha that was ****en halarious moment' in TF2 is using a spy and getting an enemy medic to ubercharge you, then turning around and killing that same medic..

only saw it once but boy was it great.

 

Spot on Link and WILLY S! For games it remains an unbeaten milestone in terms of storyline and characterisation in over tens years now. Even compared to games like the Metal Gear Solid series.

That's not to say it's quite on perfect as a game can be or that most fans would have you believe but in terms of graphics (for the time - more sublime than anything else) and plot I'm still looking for something better with no serious contenders to date. While it's still my favourite console game, for a PC game I'd probably choose something different but that's much more open field which I'm still considering...

...think I'm definitely going to have to try out 'The Witcher' now.

 

I think i've been ubercharged by medics twice as spy, it's funny because one of turns bright blue and the other red
And while i agree that most people it's just fun, you still come across plenty of hackers in the game... and some people hide it very poorly!
I havn't seen too many lately though

Edit: Thanks oiad, i have the witcher and i've only played an hour or so into it but what i can say is watch the opening video when the games starting up! You'll be pulled into the story before you even play the game!

 

I'll put in my vote for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

1) 7/10: the graphics weren't that great, but the voice acting was engaging and well done.

2) 8/10: I thought it was a unique game since it offered a look into what the Star Wars universe was like 4000 years before the movies.

3) 10/10: the main reason to play this game is for the story. Excellent characters, and there are many ways to go through the game.

4) 8/10: you have to play this game at least twice; I have beaten it five times. There are too many ways to go through the game.

 

Original Half Life anyone?

Sensory Presentation: 8 pretty **** good for the technology they had 10 years ago
Gameplay Design: 9 straight forward fast paced first person shooter that still makes you think, whats not to like.
Story: 10+. Between battling government black opps, otherworld aliens, and having a mysterious me in a suit following you, this is by far the most interesting story of any shooter in the past decade. The long gaming hours add up to extremely satisfying experience that end in a surprising ending. Definitely awarded two thumbs up.
Replay Value: 7, the first play through will last you 50+ hours and any replay will be to jump to special fights.

 

Absolutely agreed!

Both online and campaign rockz and I agree especially with the chess part, I often think why the hell would someone want to play chess when something this awesome (CoH) is around...

 

Assassins Creed

1.Sensory presentation: 10
2.Gameplay Design: 8
3.Story: 10
4.Replay value: 4

 

Crysis

1. Sensory Presentation: 11
2. Gameplay Design: 8
3. Story: 8
4. Replay Value: 3

 

lol can you change sensory presentation to just presentation which i think is more appropriate. just gives me goosebumps for some reason.

Company of Heroes
presentation 9
gameplay 10
story 8
replay 10

 

Besides the obvious Crysis (9, 9, 8, 10); I'd say Portal (8, 9, 7, 7).

 

Gotta give it to Bioshock (close behind is Mass Effect)

Presentation : 10
Most immersive experience... Ever

Gameplay Design : 9
FPS elements were slightly weak (mostly due to lack of enemy variety), but innovative uses of plasmids makes up for it.

Story : 10
Had to read a plot analysis after I beat the game to understand 70% of the story. They seriously made this game as deep as Rapture.

Replay Value : 8
Worth it to play through at least twice.

 

Mass Effect
Presentation: 10
Gameplay Design: 9
Story: 8
Replay: 9

Call of Duty 4
P.: 10
D.: 8
S.: 9
R.: 10

Bioshock
P.: 8
D.: 7
S.: 7
R.: 6.5

 

Assassin's Creed
P.: 7
D.: 4
S.: 7
R.: 2

Gears of War
P.: 8
D.: 8
S.: 5
R.: 7

Max Payne & Max Payne 2
P.: 9/9
D.: 8/9
S.: 10/10
R.: 10/10

 

in a rush, so i'll say this... as far as a single player game, BIOSHOCK, totally. The storyline plus the gameplay and graphics just made u keep wanting to play it. Unlike other games u stop midway. For multiplayer, Cod4 100%. Overall, i guess cod4, cuz it had a singleplayer that was also good, just short.

 

DIABLO 2:
Sensory Presentation: 5
Gameplay Design:9
Story:7
Replay Value:10

 

Fixed.

Also, I don't think the story really starts to get confusing (as in making less sense) until episodes 1 and 2, but it still had flaws albeit it being one of the best stories ever in an FPS game with good gameplay as well.

 

Time to put in the classic that most mmorpgs are based on (yes Wow is)

Everquest
Sensory Presentation: 10
Gameplay Design:10
Story:10
Replay Value:10

 

meh gameplay is worth 10 times as much as presentation.

i rate games by how long i play them for..........

and top of that list is aoe2 but i also play heaps of medieval 2 total war, company of heroes, hearts of iron and the occasional cod4.

 

i think the most voted for so far is bioshock.
*anyone else for battle realms?!! =D

 

Portal
Presentation: 10
Gameplay Design:10
Story:10
Replay Value:10

However short a game portal may be, it makes up for it with massive replay value (bonus levels, improving times on existing levels, or even replaying the game to pick up on a few more jokes). It's packed full of jokes and references to other games on the Half-Life engine and is extremely well made.

 

FALLOUT 1&2
1.Sensory presentation: low color bit-depth, but amazing sprites and sound. 7/10
2.Gameplay Design: SPECIAL... all i need to say. 10/10
3.Story: I wont spoil it, but it has the most immersible and believable story i ever experienced. and above all, the only game to give me dreams 3 days in a row. 10/10
4.Replay value: OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER 10/10

 

Wow, complete tens all-round

I better not be disappointed if I buy this after all... ...same goes for Everquest, Soulbreaker...

 

No one said X-COM yet? That's surprising.

 

Oh Sheeeeeeeeetttttt!!!!!!!!!! CLASSIC! BEST TURN BASED COMBAT, ROLEPLAYING, MANAGEMENT GAME, EVER! AGREED.

By the way where can I get the original one for free, and will it run on my modern rig? I have a Toshiba x205 sli1 and Vista 32 Home premium I think. I really want this freakin game. I'm gonna google it now, but if you have any other suggestions please post. Thanks for reminding me about this one!

Oh just to let you know I have the modern one UFO afterlight I don't think I like it as much as X COM though but to be fair I never really even started with the game.

 

I strongly agree. No other game has made me laugh, cry, and touched my life more than the orig EQ. I've made lasting friends, I've seen an angel tragically die (woman died of cancer at 31), and have lasting memories that I will never forget. It was a game, I don't play mmo's any longer, but I will never regret the time I spent in that world. No game can ever come close to what EQ was, but someone said it best. EQ was like your first kiss, nothing will ever be as magical.

 

Gears of War!! I just got the game and have been playing it for two days straight.

Presentation: 10, this game looks amazing and runs with amazingly little resources. I'd probably vote this unreal engine as the pinnacle of true next gen design.

Gamepaly Desgin: 9, great combat system, none stop action, and provides a great challenge for even veteran fps shooters.

Story: 8, very simple story line, but fits very well with the action, no long overdrawn cinematic, dialogue and cut scenes well paced with action are so that you always feel like you're right in the middle of it all.

Replay Value: 10. Between online competitive play which provides ample action already, there is also an online co-op mode that will team you with gears of war veterans. If playing this game on insane difficulty wasnt possible in single player campaign, you'll definitely go back to online campaign multiple times just to beat this difficulty.

 

Counter-Strike (and CS:Source)
Presentation: 10
Gameplay Design:10
Story:1 (but it doesn't need one)
Replay Value:10
Overall: 10

 

Gotta go with either Mass Effect or Knights of the Old republic. KOTOR is definitely better than mass effect in most ways but combat in mass effect is really fun.

For multiplayer ill go with battlefield 2. I logged so many hours into that game. Clan teamwork was soo fun in that game with dedicated pilots and infantry.

 

I have to go w/ FF 8. While FF7 is what really drew me in and got me hooked on RPG's, 8 was so much more appealing to me.
Presentation: 9 (Starting from the demo that blew me away all the way through to the final scene, it was amazing. Not to mention the music!)
Gameplay Design: 8 (Had you asked me this question at the time it came out it most certainly would have been a 10.)
Story: 10 (I laughed, I cried... It kept you coming back and wanting to know what was going to happen next!)
Replay Value: 8 (I couldn't begin to tell you how many times I've played this game. While some of the battles do become a bit annoying at times, that is more than made up for by the story line and the cgi's.)
Overall: 9

And for a quick vote from my mom it would be FF X. She's played this game (as well as FFX-2) so many times she can quote most of it! (Any one wanna head to Macarena Temple, ay! ) Fun, yet... bittersweet... I suppose. Yeah, so I'm done rambling!