Looking for the perfect gift for the Geek who has (almost) everything. Might I suggest a OUYA? This week, GeekDad is giving away a brand new OUYA gaming system to our readers. This scrappy little gaming system has over 500 games, all of which you can try for free. Plug it in, and you’ll be playing in just a few minutes.
Want to win one? There are 2 ways to enter—
Method 1: Tweet the following message:
I want to win a OUYA Gaming System from @GeekDads and @PlayOUYA http://wp.me/p3gQdS-cXy #GeekDadOUYA
and then follow @jasonspeaking so that I can send you a direct message if you win.
Method 2: Add a comment at the bottom of this post mentioning your favorite video game EVER and what you liked about it. You will need to be registered so that we can contact you if you win.
Yes, you can enter both ways to increase your chances of winning. Entries close at 11:59 PM EST Friday night (12/13). Good Luck!
Disclosure: GeekDad received a free OUYA Console to giveaway.
My favorite is Resident Evil 4. Although I really liked Wizardry for the mac and Pitfall for Atari.
Symphony of the Night. There’s a lot of older classics I really love, but there was just something special about this one.
I still remember when my brother brought home FFIII (US) for the SNES. I had to beg for game time and a save space (not fun when they were the younger brothers, too), but I loved that game! Started my love of rpgs, though I just don’t have time for them anymore, that love is still there.
And the memories of playing Bubble Bobble on the NES with my mom…
Favorite video game of all time is the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. I spent countless hours in the arcade at my home towns bowling alley playing it, and one day I finally beat it. Not the only game I have ever completed/beat in an arcade, but easily my favorite!!!!! @thedevgeek
All-time favorite game? Tough question, but I’d probably have to say the Mass Effect series. It had such a great story that really pulled you in and gave you some tough decisions to make, knowing they may come back to haunt you 50 hours later. The characters were memorable, believable, and among the best in any game I’ve ever played. Sure, Skyrim probably gave me more hours of entertainment, but the Mass Effect series was definitely higher quality in terms of storytelling.
Being a gamer, especially now, 11 years into being a geek dad (and 32 years into being a gamer since I got my first computer at age 10), it’s so difficult to pick an all time favorite video game. I mean, do I go really old school and pick Bruce Lee on the Commodore 64? Or maybe the fun RTS game, Dune that I would play all night long on the Sega Genesis. I guess, for pure fun, storyline, graphics and re-play value, I have to go with the Half Life series. Moreso Half Life 2, but both had amazing stories that really immersed you. I have played and replayed both probably a dozen or so times over the years. In fact, it might be time to start it up again. =) Thanks for a great giveaway! I missed getting in on the Kickstarter when the Ouya was on there, but I hope it continues to do well.
Fallout 3 renewed my love of video games. I’ve spent a couple hundred hours on this and New Vegas. The size of the world, the story; everything is amazing. I was really hoping that the survivor2299 site was not a hoax. Oh well, Fallout 4 will be out eventually, right?
Baldur’s Gate. Great story and great exploration. Best adaptation of the D&D ruleset.
I’ve had some amazing gaming experiences, with friends, with my parents, with my husband, and with my kids. I’m grateful for the Saturdays/Sundays with my dad playing Twin Kingdom Valley, painstakingly mapping the caverns and being defeated again and again by the witch. I will never forget the LANs and social nights playing StarCraft, building maps and bases and sharing strategy.
Now Minecraft has given us a whole world to share with my kids and I really couldn’t be more blessed… If only I could find the time to catch up on Final Fantasy.
My all time favorite game is Donkey Kong and I still play it to this day. For some reason it never gets boring and I am challenged to go further every time I play it.
While many games of the SNES deserved our attention, my brother, sister and I spent many, many hours playing Dr. Mario in round-robin style competitions. It may not be the most sophisticated, but 20 odd years later, I can still here the theme playing in my head!
I’m currently playing the redone XCOM, which is just as awesome as the original, so I’m going to pick that one.
Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy text adventure, because it made me work for each little payoff. No cutesy graphics, but man. I still love that game.
My favorite game would have to be dragon age… Its not the one I’ve spent the most time with (oblivion) but it’s one of the only games that I honestly and deeply engaged with the characters and agonized over even minor decisions.
My favorite game of all time would have to be Final Fantasy IV (II in the US) for the SNES. Being my first introduction to JRPGs, which is my favorite genre of game by far, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Final Fantasy VI (III US) holds a very close second.
Probably Doom. Spent hours with that game … even spent some time building my own levels! Currently I love the quick-and-easy/pick-up-and-go type of games commonly found on iOS (like Plants vs. Zombies).
I have always loved CronoTrigger, When I was a teenager, my brother and I played it for hours and hours to see every possible iteration of the ending, It was the first game I played that had multiple versions of an ending. I’ve since downloaded the ROM to play it now and it’s almost as much fun. A Link to the Past is a very close second.
Hands down, A Link To The Past. It has everything: good story, music that never fails to get stuck in your head, interesting mechanics, memorable characters, and grand adventure.
Red Dead Redemption – I don’t recall ever getting drawn into a gaming world like I did with that game, and it had a great story to boot. I love westerns, and it was awesome being able to play one.
I had two favorites that i used to play religously SWOTL (Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffa) and MOOII (Masters of Orion 2). SWOTL was a very good WWII air combat game and MOO for the strategy none are like it now.
It gotta be Mario Party.
Played many late nights with my friends.
Love the mini games
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, my favorite game has to be Chrono Trigger. The excellent (and heartwarming) storyline, the beautiful art, the timeless characters and the MASSIVE replayabilty…I can’t opine enough about this game! And, in the past year, was lucky enough to be able to pass this experience down to my son. So, not only is this my favorite game for it’s all encompassing awesomeness, but it is also my favorite for allowing me to connect and bond with my son.
Ocarina of Time. It has a great, captivating story, and it’s gameplay has stood the test of time. I still love every playthrough.
I just recently played through To the Moon, and holy cow, what an emotional ride! There was just enough game play to keep it engaging, but the story really carried the whole thing. There are a lot a great turns in there, highly recommended.
I would have to say Mario Kart, not on the basis of game play, but because it’s a game that my whole family loves. There is nothing better than sitting in the living room with my husband and kids playing Mario Kart. No matter who wins or loses we all have fun doing it.
It’s hard to pick a favorite game. I have fond memories of all the original NES Mario games. I can remember by dad and uncles and aunt trying to play through Super Mario Bros when I was about 6 years old. So that is probably it.
N64 Goldeneye. Anyone who has spent countless hours playing with 3 other buddies needs no further explaination.
Limbo. At a time when games are insanely graphics dependent and complex, Limbo emerged and captured my interest. It didn’t become useless to me, once I finished it either. I’ve enjoyed playing it through several times, on different devices.
PS1/PSP Final Fantasy Tactics. The graphics are a bit dated now, but the gameplay, music, story were all epic. I can still go back and play it a million times.
Ultima II: Revenge of the Enchantress
Played it on my Apple II. Spent the fall of 1982 trying to defeat Minax and explore Planet X.
The Legend of Zelda. The original gold cartridge. So many hours. It was the best.
Without question, it’s The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. At that time, a game of such staggering scale just made my tiny child brain melt.
I’ll never be able to pick a favorite, but I can list a few early addictions.
Dune 2 – This was the first RTS game I played (and was the RTS that led to command and conquer, warcraft, starcraft, etc.). I spent hours playing it. There was no group select back then, so you clicked on a unit and gave it a command. The balance of tech upgrades, unit strategy, and resource management in real time, had me completely addicted. I used to map out the best arrangement of unit movement for the best results when resources forced me to stop castling and go offensive. Environmental elements like terrain and worms eating your harvesters just added to the fun.
MechWarrior Mercenaries – This is the game that forced me to buy a joystick. It was based on the MechWarrior 3 engine, but you were a freelance mercenary, able to take jobs as you chose (and this slowly revealed a larger story). It was a great balance of “choices in equipment gave you more options in battle and success or failure in battle gave you your options in equipment”. If you screwed up, you would have to take a bunch of low paying jobs to buy back things your broke in a failed mission. It was great fun.
Honorable mention: Lemmings. I played way too much Lemmings.
The Fallout franchise is my all time favorite setting, with Fallout 3 being my favorite game. I’ve played a lot of MMOs but I find myself coming back to Fallout 3 over and over again. The combination of pulpy grittiness and retro-futuristic apocalypse draws me in.
My favorite video game ever was X-Wing vs TIE Fighter for the PC. Why they haven’t made another one of those I can’t fathom. Hours and hours diving and rolling in a TIE Interceptor FTW!!
My fav game ever has got to be the Assassin’s Creed franchise, I’ve beat every single one and I wish they’d never end, Black Flag was so fun!
Double Dragon at the arcade
So many great games come to mind – Super Mario 3, Super Smash Brothers, Tetris… But I think my favorite game of all time is Legend of Zelda; A Link to the Past for the SNES. I played the crap out that on both the Super Nintendo and then again on the Gameboy Advance. d
My favorite game was Mario Brothers, with Mortal Kombat closely following. The first time I beat both games only made me hooked on them even more!
Wow, so hard to pick just one, but I’d have to say, I really loved the hell out of Counter Strike. Even long after the game was incredibly dated, engine-wise, I still enjoyed playing.
My favorite video game still has to be Lego Star Wars – my daughter and I still play that one every week or so.
I spent a ton of time playing Rogue Leader on the GameCube. Still looking for another Star Wars game that was that much fun. Really made me feel like part of the Star Wars story.
OH gosh.. I LOVED the Dead Space 1 & 2.. hey have a great startle factor and neat story, nothing like thinking you are insane, but Left for Dead was an amazing story with an unsettling and yet totally understandable end that left me neglecting food to play… too hard to decide!!!
My favorite game is Tales of Symphonia for the Nintendo Gamecube. It had a awesome story and interesting combat system.
My favorite game all around is Super Metroid for the SNES. The large environment, seemingly non-linear plot, and great graphics (at the time) drew me in but the spooky boss intros and item discovery kept me playing again and again and again.
Towerfall has recently taken the title of all-time favorite for me. I just can’t get enough of it!
The Original Star Wars arcade game. Well because it’s Star Wars!
Probably the 1st Space Quest. I remember loving to play all the Sierra point and clicks, but Space Quest really spoke to my sense of humor.
My family and I absolutely love MarioKart Wii, but I still remember the time when I was struggling with a level on Lego Indiana Jones and my wife offered to drop in and help me. We eventually finished it together and we still have fond memories about that game.
Portal is one of my top favorites for the delicious puzzles. Though I did pour a lot of hours into ADOM, a rogue-like, back in the day…