Mycroft Holmes said:
Please place all listings in the easy to follow format used in the OP. Do not put the game name and then an explanation of why it is great, right next to it. Feel free to discuss your opinions(in fact it is obviously encouraged) just keep them separate from the actual list. And please do not include your 'runner ups.'
I've always done this by game series and not by individual games. This is going to suck super-balls.
Half a dozen of these could change at a moment's notice, but here goes.
10. Starcraft
9. World of Warcraft
8. Ultima VII + Serpents Isle
7. Ultima Online
6. Mass Effect 2
5. Jagged Alliance 2
4. Ultima V
3. Everquest
2. XCOM: UFO Defense
1. Planescape Torment
And yeah, there's a fucking billion honorable mentions, and since I usually rank by series and not by individual games, my top ten would look quite different from this. Fallout and Elder Scrolls would be in there, the entire Ultima Series including the Worlds of Ultima spinoffs would likely be #1, and strong individual showers like JA2 and the MMOs would slip. On a single game basis though it's pretty hard to disregard games you sunk hundreds if not THOUSANDS of hours into. And then I can't even make room for emotionally potent story experiences like To the Moon, Walking Dead, or Bioshock Infinite, all of which hover around outside of the top 10.
Very difficult. This was painful. Top 100 next time, plox.