I can't believe I forgot to add the xbox version of Ninja Gaiden.
With an amazing combat fighting system, awesome graphics, creative enviroments, superb art, breath taking cinimatics, great story, and of course NINJAS, this is of course one of the best games of all time.
I have so many hours in Ninja Gaiden it's really not funny. Beat it on Normal, Very Hard, Hurricane Pack 1 and the grueling challenge of Hurricane Pack2. When I beat Hurricane Pack 2 I actually stood up and shouted. I had 2 spectators... it was quite the moment. I've you've ever played the Hurricane Pack 2, you will understand that it will bring even the most hardcore gamer to throw controllers in frustration. After beating hurricane pack 2 my buddy and I went back and played on normal mode. We'd string together hilarious combos and never use potions. I felt like a god.
I've played all the Ninja Gaidens over the years and they all hold a special place in my gaming memories, but the xbox version took it to a new level with it's sheer, for lack of a better term, SUPEROMGHARDCORENESS.
Tecmo's Team Ninja: you are truely lords walking among nerds. I salute you.
My new revised list with genre additions:
OnlineFPS: QuakeWorld wins so hard it's not even close.
Singleplayer Action game: A Tie between Freespace 2 and Half-Life2
Flight Sim: Sturmovik Forgotton Battles
RPG: Planscape torment NO Contest
Shooter: A tie between Lifeforce (NES) Contra (NES) and Contra III (Sega) and Contra: Shattered Soldiers (PS2)
Action: Xbox Ninja Gaiden
Fighter: Killer Instinct 1
RTS: A tie between Warcraft 2 and Rome Total War
Short commentary:
Counterstrike was a good game the first few betas. In order to make it accessible to more people, they ruined it by adding dumb levels of randomness to the aiming system. It's still a fun game, but it's so bland. You counterstrike folks need a dose of Tribes1 or Quakeworld. Now that's action.
