ABNorman vs. ElloSailor

ABNorman
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
2. Deus Ex (PC, Mac)
3. Portal 2 (PC, Mac, PS3, XBOX360)
4. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
5. DOOM (PC)
6. Grim Fandango (PC)
7. Plants vs. Zombies (iOS)
8. Psychonauts (PS2)
9. Dungeon Keeper (PC)
10. Subnautica (PC)

ElloSailor
1. Dark Souls (2011, PS3)
2. Diablo II (PC)
3. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)
4. Tekken 3 (PS1)
5. Bioshock (PC)
6. Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings (PC)
7. Super Smash Bros. (N64)
8. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC)
9. Counter Strike: Global Offensive (PC)
10. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - (GBA)

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ABNorman
1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Still the best Zelda game I've played, and every bit as impressive when it released as BotW is today.


2. Deus Ex (PC, Mac)
I've got the first mission etched into my brain because I've played it at least 20 times. More and more games are introducing cool "immersive sim" elements, and that rose largely from Deus Ex.


3. Portal 2 (PC, Mac, PS3, XBOX360)
The first game was so brilliant, it seemed impossible for Valve to come along and improve it - but they did.


4. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Easily the best JRPG out there. The time-travelling makes for some very interesting stories and puzzles.


5. DOOM (PC)
In terms of influence, this is the mightiest game on my list. And it's STILL got a thriving community modding it beyond recognition.


6. Grim Fandango (PC)
Some of my favourite games were LucasArts adventure games, and I considered selecting a Monkey Island game, but Grim Fandango is such an immense, beautiful story - sort of Day of the Dead Noir. The remastered version is out now - play it if you haven't.


7. Plants vs. Zombies (iOS)
I have played through this entire game at least 10 times - I reinstall it on every PC and Phone I get. It's entirely evergreen, though the sequels have veered off the path a bit.


8. Psychonauts (PS2)
My favourite platformer, made by the same guy who made Grim Fandango. Once you get the psychic wrecking ball that you can roam around on, moving around the levels is an absolute party.


9. Dungeon Keeper (PC)
The very first game I ever owned, and the first game to ever instill me with a sense of a living, breathing world. Plus, you got to slap minions with your god hand.


10. Subnautica
I almost had Ultima Underworld in this slot, but decided it was the predecessor to Deus Ex in many ways. Subnautica is recent, but astounding. I suppose it's thalassophobia, but I've never been so terrified and intrigued by a game world - and its story kicks in before any crafting becomes grindy at all.


ElloSailor

1. Dark Souls (2011, PS3)


2. Diablo II (PC)


3. Final Fantasy VII (PS1)


4. Tekken 3 (PS1)


5. Bioshock (PC)


6. Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings (PC)


7. Super Smash Bros. (N64)


8. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC)


9. Counter Strike: Global Offensive (PC)


10. Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - (GBA)

Final Fantasy 7 and Tekken 3 are why I’m voting Sailor.

I love both of these teams, to be fair.

Ello Sailor edges it out for me. Tekken 3, Super Smash Bros, Counter Strike vs Doom, Zelda and Portal 2.

Tekken 3 and Final Fantasy VII are the only games I've played on either team. Seems like these are both super strong teams, but my limited knowledge/experience hampers me here.

vote: ElloSailor

ABNorman

Ocarina of Time - great pick, awesome game

Deus Ex - Never played these, but it looks great.

Portal 2 - Yep, great pick

Chrono Trigger - Have never played it, but it's a legend

Doom - heck yeah

Grim Fandango - Respect! One of the few Lucasarts games I never played, but I totally get it

Plants vs Zombies - Meh. I liked Tower Madness way better for this genre, and they are all basically Command & Conquer for dummies. Not really into it, and like Angry Birds I don't think it belongs here simply by virtue of its popularity.

Psychonauts - Never played it, but it looks pretty awesome. I'd be into a remaster.

Dungeon Keeper - Meh. Never played it, but I have a hunch that Diablo is way better.

Subnautica - Dammit I wish this game was on PS4.



ElloSailor

Dark Souls - These games just aren't my thing

Diablo II - Now you're talking! I lost a lot of hours to the original, never played the sequels but I'm sure they are awesome.

FF VII - Yes.

Tekken 3 - Great fighting game, but there are better ones out there. Sort of on the fence about this pick.

Bioshock - I tried to play this one weekend at my brother-in-law's place, I was pretty bored.

Age of Empires 2 - Never played this series, but I get why it's here.

Super Smash Bros - Heck yeah!

Deus Ex - Never played these, but this one looks great.

Counter Strike -- Whoa, great pick. This series wasn't even on my radar while drafting, but yeah these games were awesome.

FF Tactics Adventure - Never played this one, but have tried some of the other Tactics games. I'm inclined to think it's a worthy pick.

I am really torn here. Generally speaking, ABN's list leans more towards exploring/adventuring, while Ello's list has more games that I'd consider very technical. I like games from both genres, so I have to go to the desert island fun factor to make a decision. Ello's list would be my pick there, because Diablo, Tekken, and Super Smash Bros would provide more endless playability then Ocarina, Portal, or Doom. Much respect for ABN's picks of Grim Fandango and Subnautica, though; those are probably my two favorite picks in this whole matchup, because they are deeper cuts that I'm sure most gamers would love to play sometime.

Voting Ello.

This matchup is chock full of games I either haven't played or heard of. I'll have to do more research before voting.

One point of order - Dungeon Keeper and Diablo are completely different genres. DK is essentially a management/base building game like Theme Hospital.

That doesn't necessarily make your hunch wrong for you, of course, but thought I'd mention it in case you weren't aware.

At the very least, I can certainly recommend playing almost all the games on these lists.

Ah, yeah I didn't get that. I just looked at some screen shots and it looked like a Diablo ancestor. Thanks.

Pretty balanced (at least on the surface) when it comes to games I've played:



That's a bit deceiving: I came to Doom a bit late after playing Quake, Dark Forces, and a bunch of Doom clones, so it wasn't fresh and new to me; I definitely didn't play through to the end. I remember playing a lot of Dungeon Keeper, but I am pretty sure it was a demo--one of those discs that came with PC Gamer where you could play for 2 hours or something like that. Still a lot of fun, but never got too too deep into it. SO ElloSailor's team jumps out to an early lead: AOE II was a phenomenal game, and I barely played the campaign! The escort missions and keep-so-and-so alive missions drove me nuts, so for the most part I would play those gigantic random maps and sink hours into waging war. Bioshock is such a great game from top-to-bottom: atmosphere, writing, gameplay mechanics...it goes on and on. I played it late in the PS3 cycle and somehow the "reveal" wasn't spoiled for me, which is nice. DE:HR I played on my MacBook, which I feel like isn't the ideal experience, but I still had a lot of fun with it.

But I've got to circle back and talk about the original Deus Ex for a minute. I don't remember where or how I first heard about this game, but I do remember being enthralled from the very start. I must have gotten it for my 16th birthday, if I'm remembering it correctly, and I sunk days and days and days into it. I'd never experienced the sort of freedom the game offers with the different paths to completing the same objectives, the way you could choose non-lethal over lethal, the way you could select augments to make yourself into the superhuman you wanted to be. I know role-playing games had existed for years, but this was my first foray into anything like that, and it made me feel an unprecedented level of control over my own storytelling--the idea that you could kill major characters early in one playthrough and let them live in another one was groundbreak (to me)--and I played this through multiple times, something I rarely ever did and still rarely do. I watched a Let's Play on YouTube in the past few years and, I have to admit, the voice-acting was mostly awful and the storyline begins to veer into late-series X-Files "let's put every conspiracy theory in a blender and hit GO," but that sense of possibility was still there--15 or more years later, I watched someone else play and thought over and over again, "Woah! I didn't know you could do it that way." An all-timer for me.

So strictly on games I've played, it comes down to an all-time great and 2 great/1 very good game. That is a tough choice. Looking at the games I haven't played, there isn't much on my to-play list: I want to get into Grim Fandango, even have it downloaded, but just don't have the time. I remember watching people playing FF7 and getting promised a turn, but never getting one--fuck those people. The whole Dark Souls phenomenon has mostly gone over my head, and while I like a challenge, its reputation as an extremely difficult game turns me off a little. Was a Team Fortress guy, not a Counter Strike guy. Played Diablo and liked it okay, but not Diablo II (or maybe I did? can't really remember, which shows what kind of impression it left). Nothing else is standing out.

It feels weird, but I want to be consistent with how I vote: I am voting for the better team, not the one with my favorite game, and going with ElloSailor.

Doom wins

You fiends!

I'm gonna going person on this one

Ellos been mean to me

Abn seems cool

Going abn

I was hoping DOOM would last another round. I definitely would've picked it. Had Trag not picked Half-Life 2, I'd have taken that over Bioshock also. That would have freed up Bioshock: Infinite for me, too.

Fuck you, Trag.

way to keep your tournament classy

Thanks. Yeah.. the games are kinda a wash for me in this one. Besides, it's my tourney I can't do what I want with it. Snake style.

wtf, you currently have my vote!

I actually lowkey love your buns, but Half-Life 2, man...

YOU FIENDS!