Also, post the game!

There are a few different ways to look at this, but what I'm interested in is whether your favorite game is something you first played in your youth, or something you first played as an adult.

So for instance, if your favorite game is something that released when you were a youth but you didn't actually play it until you were an adult, you would pick adult not youth.

Also for the sake of the poll if your favorite game is an updated version of a game you played long ago, choose the option for when you played the earlier version. For example if you played Ocarina of Time as a youth and it became your favorite game and then played Ocarina of Time 3D as an adult and think it is the definitive version, you should still vote youth.

My theory is that, even though we still love new games, most of us have a favorite game from back in the days that just hasn't been surpassed (newer definitive versions aside) in our eyes. We'll see what the poll says.

URL to share (right click and copy)

I'll start... favorite game is either Super Metroid or Link to the Past. Both are from my youth.

I'm going to spoiler this. People need time to prepare themselves for the shock.

Ocarina of Time.

I suppose youth, technically. I was 15.

And holy shit I realise that was 16 years ago now. Awful.

I got Majora's Mask when I was about 4 years old and was terrified of the game. I always had to rush past the title screen because seeing the mask zoom in and out with the ominous sound design scared me. The pressure of knowing that everyone was depending on me to stop the moon and knowing that I wasn't good enough was overwhelming. These were my "friends" from Ocarina of Time that I had become so familiar with from playing that game constantly and now the stakes were suddenly much more dire and the challenge was greater. They all needed me to save them, but no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't do it. I couldn't even make it to the first dungeon. I wasn't good enough to save anyone and they all suffered because of my failures. It's kind of silly now, but that stuff is super serious when you're a kid. The plight of those bunches of polygons feels much more real, and your heightened imagination makes game's world feel all the more complete.

But as I grew up and got better at games, and steadily made more progress. I'd return to Majora's Mask every couple of years and get better every time, making more progress and helping more people. Eventually I was able to finish the game and collect everything, saving everyone and improving their lives. That sense of progress and improvement over the course of years was immensely satisfying and it has stuck with me as my favorite game. Today, I'm very familiar with Majora's Mask and can collect just about everything without a guide or checklist, so the game has taken on a sense of appreciation from me as a challenge to get as much accomplished in a 3 day cycle as possible and how efficiently I can complete the game.

I was just thinking today how I have now been an adult longer than I have been a child / youth. Well, for awhile now. BUT WHAT THE HECK.

I always say Chrono Trigger even though I rated Monster Hunter 3U higher, so I'll say "Youth."

Hero_Of_Hyrule said:

But as I grew up and got better at games, and steadily made more progress. I'd return to Majora's Mask every couple of years and get better every time, making more progress and helping more people. Eventually I was able to finish the game and collect everything, saving everyone and improving their lives. That sense of progress and improvement over the course of years was immensely satisfying and it's stuck with me as my favorite game.

The correct way to play Majora's Mask .

Kudos for sticking with it!

For me, that question is basically Ocarina of Time/Majora's Mask, which I both played for the first time prior to elementary school but really sunk my teeth into around 2nd or 3rd grade, versus Spelunky, which I first played a couple years ago. Right now I'm leaning towards Zelda, but I know that on a different day I might pick Spelunky, so I abstain from voting.

It's funny, being only 20, this poll ought to be pretty heavily biased towards my childhood, but I feel like games nowadays are so much better than they were a decade ago that I wouldn't be surprised if all of my favorite games get replaced within the next five years. There's a pretty great Aunoma quote about how it isn't good enough to surpass old games, you also have to surpass people's memories of those old games, and I think developers are finally getting to the point where they'll be able to do that. Zelda Wii U stands a real chance at beating out Ocarina of Time for me, and that's super exciting.

@Secret_Tunnel Don't we know like next to nothing about Zelda U (or maybe more likely Zelda NX)? Not to say you can't be hyped but it's sort of odd to me to have so much confidence in something with so little known.

Chrono Trigger.

Youth.

It's hard to pick just one...but most of my tip top favorite games are ones from before I was 18.

Youth
Sonic 3 and Knuckles
Super Mario 64
Super Smash Bros. Melee (though I appreciate it a lot more now as an adult than I did as a kid)
Kirby's Dream Course

Adult
Mega Man 9
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

@Zero

They're saying all the right things. The focus on world exploration over going through a linear story is what makes me like the N64 games over, say, Skyward Sword or even Twilight Princess. It seems like all they've gotta do is not mess it up and they'll have, at the very least, a really fun open-world game.

Now, how likely it is that they'll be able to capture the magic of the N64 Zeldas that I've had 15 years to feel nostalgic about, who knows. Star Wars pulled it off, so it's not impossible.

I was in my 20s when Metroid Fusion came out, and damn... I didn't think it was possible to top Super Metroid, but it was! Definitely my favorite game of all time. What a gem!

Well, the NES was still cranking strong when I was an 18+ adult, so that sort of limits my Youth options.

Honestly I don't even know what my favorite game is anymore, as it's changed so many times over the years. Adventure (2600), AD&D: Tarmin (Intellivison), MegaMan 2 (NES), ZAMN (SNES), etc. etc. I've got favorites that just never seem to slip out of my All Time Top 10 (Galaga), but my #1 pick usually changes with every new generation. Though Link To The Past always seems to slip in and out of the #1/#2 spot.

I guess my current #1 game is Farming Simulator 2013/15.

@Secret_Tunnel

I thought Twilight Princess was pretty good as far as world exploration went. It was the only game after the N64 Zelda's to give me that feeling of wonder as I uncovered a new cave or area. Skyward Sword certainly didn't.

But yes, that looks to be where the focus is, which is excellent (and explains the delays.) I'd hate to think we're getting this massively huge world with nothing in it.

(I'm looking at you Great Ocean with tiny one-secret islands)

New Forms said:

I guess my current #1 game is Farming Simulator 2013/15.

HOW ARE THESE THINGS POPULAR?!

My parents did Farming Reality for the first portion of their lives. I used to get glimpses of that life visiting my cousins and grandparents at Christmas time.

It's not fun!

(Okay raiding the fruit trees and strawberry patches was fun. But the cow pats were not.)

@Shadowlink

What's the appeal of playing 'mundane' simulator games? - http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28238064

The 5 minute video at the top of the page covers it pretty well.

It's one of those things you laugh at on paper. I know I once did.

However, attitudes are quite often changed after some legit hands-on.

New Forms said:

@Shadowlink

What's the appeal of playing 'mundane' simulator games? - http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-28238064

The 5 minute video at the top of the page covers it pretty well.

It's one of those things you laugh at on paper. I know I once did.

However, attitudes are quite often changed after some legit hands-on.

I'd love to see your stuff put into action with "NASCAR" in mind. There are exactly 1 & 1/2 NASCAR fans on here.

@New Forms

I've seen the vids for I think Surgeon Simulator? It's fun to watch them turn an appendectomy into a complete chest cavity cleanout given that the surgeon appears to be the QWOP guy.


But I can't imagine that's got long lasting appeal.


Looking at your list though, Bear Simulator might have it's moments. Can I terrorize a town until they unleash the Bear Patrol on me? Because that would be cool.

(I don't know why, but I find the mental images of bear maulings to be incredibly hilarious. I may need help.)

My favorite game is from my youth, although it's changed a few times (Ocarina of Time to Wind Waker, back to OoT, and finally to Super Metroid). I feel that games haven't been as good since after the GCN era or so.

@New Forms

Have you ever played Harvest Moon or Rune Factory? I really like (some of) those games, although they're kind of equal parts sim and fantasy.

@Shadowlink

Of course it would be the Australian that would assume the animal simulator would be used to terrorize and destroy human civilization. That's all the entire continent of Australia knows...!

@GameDadGrant