Desert island, only one game... per console!

[noiseredux]

I like how you said "will serve me well." I picture you packing these up and boarding a plane to a desert island haha.

[Sarge]

Not owned. Just played. Because we have all played things we no longer or can’t afford to own.

Ah, cool, in that case, I think I'll have to throw in Dracula X for the Duo. That pretty much wins by default, even if it isn't my favorite game in the series. There may be better games exiled in Japan, but I can't understand the RPGs, so I'll roll with the known quantity.

Since it's technically two systems in one, I'm going to throw in a HuCard as well. I've probably got enough Zelda games, so no Neutopia, but throwing in Dragon's Curse seems like a good choice after thoroughly enjoying the remake.

I used to have a lot of Commodore 64 stuff, but sold it all when I was a teenager. I think I was most enamored with Phantasie, a pretty slick RPG for the system that I played a good amount of at my aunt's house before I bought the system from her. Unfortunately, I didn't get the game from her in that deal.

[sevin0seven]

NES: Castlevania 3 Dracula's Curse - Just because I could play my favorite NES game over and over again.

Genesis: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Gotta have my sonic and I pick this one

Super Nintendo: Super Mario All-Stars + World - These covers all my Mario hunger

Neo Geo AES: Ghost Pilot - for my shmp hunger...and the stages feel like its on an island so yeah..

Jaguar - Tempest 2000 - pew pew pew (repeat)

Nintendo 64: WWF No Mercy - played this games for hours before (endless customized and better story line than recent WWE games today)...don't mind playing it on the island again.

Playstation : Castlevania Symphony of the night - Hey! another great castlevania to play over and over again on the island.

Saturn: Street Fighter Alpha 3 - My only street fighting needs on a island...and the best version of all the ports out there. Hadoken!

Dreamcast: Crazy Taxi 2 - Hey hey, lets make some crazy money!

Playstation 3 NBA Jam OFE - Boomshakala!!!

Xbox One S: Rare replay

PlayStation 4: Horizon - Played for a bit...wouldn't mind playing it again. Great game it just I chose to play Breath of the Wild over.

Switch: LOZ Breath of the Wild - Still in progress...and now I have more time to finish the game

[pierrot]

I was working on a post with a bunch of thoughts on why I chose something, and what other games would have vied for the spot, but I accidentally closed the browser with my hotkeying, and lost the post. So, I'm just going to dump a list here. Sorry, maru.


NES/FC - Little Nemo: The Dream Master
SNES/SFC - Tenchi Souzou (Terranigma)
N64 - Tsumi to Batsu: Hoshi no Keishousha
Gamecube - Kirby Air Ride
Wii - Zero: Shinkuu no Chou (Fatal Frame II)
Wii U - The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

GBA - Super Puzzle Fighter II
NDS - Final Fantasy III

PSP - Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Extend
Vita - Sayonara Umihara Kawase Chirari

Game Gear - Sylvan Tale

CPS-2 - Dimahoo

S-TV - Soukyuugurentai (Terra Diver)

TG-16/PCE - Final Soldier
Turbo-CD/Super-CD - Linda Cube

Xbox - Panzer Dragoon Orta (sort of a default case)
Xbox 360 - Mushihimesama Futari

Colecovision - Frenzy

PS1 - Suikoden II
PS2 - Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (Man, this is such a tough one, and the next ones are just going to be even tougher.)
PS3 - Child of Eden

Master System - Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
Genesis/MD - Contra: Hard Corps (Friggin' impossible; It's all Sophie's choice on this one, and I want to take about half of the library.)
Sega/Mega CD - Dungeon Explorer (really want SMT and/or Illusion City too, though)
32X - Chaotix
Saturn - X-men vs Street Fighter (Oh my god, I can't do this. I am weak.)
Dreamcast - Shenmue II



That was hell.

I just want to say, though, that in doing this, I may have inadvertently realized that the Genesis is the greatest console ever.

[Markies]

Whenever the desert island question comes up, I always have to choose between a game that I love and could play always or a giant game filled with content that would last me for hundreds of hours. I am going to try and choose both. I want games that I can go back to, but I want to experience something new instead of just retreading old ground.

NES = Tecmo Super Bowl

It was a toss up between this and the original Legend of Zelda. I was also thinking of maybe Dr. Mario as that is a favorite of mine or Mega Man 2 as well. However, I think I would tire of them. Tecmo Super Bowl is a huge favorite and the idea of winning the Super Bowl with every team adds some length to the game.

GEN = Streets of Rage 2

Something like Sonic 2 or Shining Force could easily fill this spot. Sonic 2 is just a fun romp to play for a quick fix and I would love grinding away in Shining Force. But, Streets of Rage 2 wins as it is far and away my favorite Genesis game. Also, I'd love to hone my skills and beat it on more difficulty levels.

SNES = Final Fantasy III

Chrono Trigger, Super Mario World & Lufia II could all fit this spot, but Final Fantasy III wins out. I need my Final Fantasy fix, I need my RPG fix and the ability to play it multiple times and to collect all skills is just too enticing.

N64 = Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time

Dr. Mario 64 and Super Smash Brothers were really close, but I need a Zelda game. I wish I could have picked the original Legend of Zelda, but Ocarina of Time will suffice. It is my second favorite Zelda game and one that I played so many times. I'd also love to do a 3 Heart Run of the game.

SDC = Skies of Arcadia

This one was a hard choice mostly because I do not have as many options. Phantasy Star Online & Metropolis Street Racer are giant games while Dead or Alive 2 is fun to play. But, Skies of Arcadia is probably my favorite Dreamcast game and would also qualify that RPG itch.

PS1 = Tactics Ogre

Valkyrie Profile, Suikoden II, Gran Turismo II and Final Fantasy IX all had options here, but I decided to go with length. Tactics Ogre is a very long game and with three different paths in the game, that is at least 3 different play throughs. I also need my SRPG fix and Tactics Ogre will satisfy that.

PS2 = Final Fantasy X

Atelier Iris, Burnout, Disgaea 2, Final Fantasy XII, GTA: Vice City and so many more choices. The PS2 is my desert island console and I had to choose my favorite game of all time. This is my desert island game and even though I would replay it several times over, I would never tire of it.

GCN = Super Smash Brothers Melee

I almost picked Double Dash or Animal Crossing, but Melee wins it out for me. The enjoyment and content factor win it out for me. I could play this game for hours and still find new things and still enjoy every moment of it.

XBOX = Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republix

This was a tough choice as I don't really know my favorite XBOX game. I almost picked Crimson Skies, but that game is small and I have done everything in it. KotOR is not my favorite game, but the game content and the ability to go through the game multiple times sky rockets it up my list.

Still ashamed that I didn't put the original Legend of Zelda for my NES game. If FFX is 1a, then Zelda (NES) is 1b of my favorite games of all time time. If that was my NES game, then N64 Smash would be my N64 game and Animal Crossing would probably be my GCN game.

Ugh, this was a lot harder than expected.

[MrPopo]

Let's see.

NES - Legend of Zelda. It's a large game, has the extra hard second quest, and lots of challenge potential.
Vectrex - Vectrexians. Because a Galaxian clone is always fun.
Master System - Phantasy Star. I haven't played much in the way of SMS stuff, so it's either this or Golden Axe Warrior, and LoZ beats out GAW in my mind, so let's go Phantasy Star.
Game Boy - Pokémon Red. This list is going to be weighted heavily to RPGs. Red is the superior version because it has the cooler exclusives. And Squirtle is a punkass.
Genesis - Shining Force 2. My favorite of the Shining Force games, and it's so much fun. Lots of fights, a huge cast, and some unique classes.
Turbografx-16 - Rondo of Blood. One of the best Classicvanias, and having two very different protagonists is really nice. Plus, the two routes.
Game Gear - Shining Force Gaiden 2. Because I've only played a couple of GG games.
Neo Geo - Stikers 1945 Plus. A nice vertical shmup. I'm not as into the Neo Geo scene as some of the people here.
SNES - Super Metroid. Way too many fantastic choices for this one, so I decided to go with this one and work on learning to speedrun it.
3DO - Star Control 2. A really great port of a really great PC game.
Saturn - Panzer Dragoon Saga. A pretty unique RPG and isn't split across three games like Shining Force III.
PlayStation - Xenogears. I am <turn> a man <turn> of the sea! <boom>
Virtual Boy - Wario Land. Though honestly, all of it sears my eyes after a few minutes.
Game Boy Color - Dragon Quest Monsters. I personally liked it more than the second, and I still need to breed myself a team of bosses.
Nintendo 64 - Ocarina of Time. Definitely the best N64 game ever.
Dreamcast - Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram. Giant robots are amazing.
PlayStation 2 - Persona 4. It's just so fantastic. I find the non-battle gameplay to be better than Nocturne, and there's a little less "you just die because you fused wrong" as well.
Game Boy Advance - Mother 3. I'm trying to avoid cheating by doing one of the SNES titles I wanted to pick for the SNES.
Game Cube - Metroid Prime. I still have no idea how Retro managed to make a first person Metroid work so well.
Xbox - Steel Battalion. Did I mention giant robots are amazing? And giant controllers for giant robots make it even more amazing.
Xbox 360 - Tales of Vesperia. I'd call this my fourth favorite Tales game. But the other ones are on systems with far more competition.
Nintendo DS - Etrian Odyssey III. The dual classing system really gives you a ton of options for your party building, and it dodged some of the poor balancing of the earlier games.
PlayStation Portable - Valkyrie Chronicles 3. It makes up for all the missteps of VC2 and I enjoyed the story of the cast off squad.
PlayStation 3 - Dark Souls. I wanted to be a hipster and say Demon's Souls, but Dark Souls just fixed too much from the first game.
Wii - Metroid Prime 3. A really great implementation of pointer controls for a first person shooter combined with the great exploration of the Prime series.
Nintendo 3DS - Bravely Default. Basically Final Fantasy V for the modern age, with a really amazing theme for when you fight someone who gives you a job. Plus, they didn't remove the hilariously broken stuff yet.
PlayStation Vita - Dungeon Travellers 2. Going by the rules of the game and my own rules, this is basically the only eligible game.
Wii U - Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. Persona with Fire Emblem characters. What's not to like?
PlayStation 4 - Persona 5. They outdid themselves with the latest entry to the series.
Xbox One - Ori and the Blind Forest. Not much available under this category anyway.
Switch - Breath of the Wild. Best Zelda EVER.

[dunpeal2064]

Cool thread! I decided to just do consoles, and no compilations or use of backwards compatibility. Also debated on arcade "consoles" but I think that deludes the list a bit for me, and I like what I came up with here, its a pretty good representation of what I really love and could honestly play until I'm dead with no complaints. I also avoided games that allow online communication (There is one borderline game in here), as that would be brought more for the ability to talk to others than for the game itself.

Spoilered for length!

NES - Mega Man III - This is my favorite classic MM, and it mostly gets picked here because I couldn't fit an X game elsewhere. One of my weaker picks, but it'd still be nice to have around.

SNES - Contra III: Alien Wars - I love a lot of SNES games, but few are as replayable as this. Contra III Hard Mode is such a fine mixture of having a gameplan, and adjusting that plan for the insane RNG the game can throw at you. I've yet to tire of this game after 20+ years. (The Ninjawarriors Again was a STRONG contender here)

Genesis - Streets of Rage 3 - Again, a softer pick as far as replayability goes, but I would have picked this just to have the sound test. Luckily the game is kickass too, and with TNWA's absence, I needed a good beater.

Turbographx 16 - Alien Crush - This was my most played game on my Turbo Duo, even when I had a stack of rare/expensive stuff. Its just pure pinball bliss, and as it went on between longer/tougher games back then, it likely would on the island as well.

Jaguar - Tempest 2000 - I've never even owned a Jaguar, and this is the jankiest console I've added to my list, but I think Tempest 2000 is worth dragging the thing along for. Its fun, and a nice mixup from my usual shooting-things games. (I'd rather bring TxK, but no handhelds!)

N64 - Mario Kart 64 - This is not my favorite racer, but its still one I enjoy and would happily go back to over and over to best track times and such. Another console I'm not crazy about, this was an easy pick, and since the racing games I prefer to it had stiffer competition on their consoles, this will be nice to have along.

Playstation - Final Fantasy VII - The least replayable game on my list by a large margin, but its my childhood, it was the start of my truly loving video games, and my copy of FF7 is the oldest thing I own that I treasure. Not to sell the game short, as despite its fall from fame amongst the larger crowds, I still love this game. I've played it through 9 times already, and of all the RPGs I could bring, this is the one I am familiar enough with to do weird challenge things like "No Materia" or "Low Level" or whatever.

Saturn - Battle Garegga - There are a few good shmups here, but Garegga was a pretty easy pick. Its a good port (The Dodonpachi port's inaccuracies would drive me mad), with two great soundtracks, lots of nice options, and most importantly, its a game with a ton of depth. 8 characters that all have to tackle this beast of a game differently. It is also the only Yagawa-developed game on my list, and having one is good, because they play so differently from a typical shooter.

Dreamcast - Ikaruga - This isn't a game I've spent a ton of time with, but enough to know there's something great here. I like the idea of bringing a game I know I'd like to spend a ton of time with, but just haven't gotten around to yet. Plus, the game's presentation is wonderful, and like Garegga, it plays so differently from other shooters, which is great for this desert island scenario.

GC - Phantasy Star Online Ep I & II Plus - I already can't stop playing this game. As soon as I put it on the list, I started thinking about which IDs I would level to try to get different rare drops. Maybe I could finally get a Sealed J-Sword!

PS2 - Beatmania IIDX 16th: Empress Mix - The ps2 library is insane, but I would be at a loss without some amount of rhythm games to keep me company. Sadly, the really good ones tend to be exclusive to arcades. Luckily, Beatmania got a ton of great ports on the ps2, and a fantastic controller. 16th Mix was the last release, a 2-disc game with a ton of great songs. I still play this regularly, and am still terrible at it, so its an easy pick.

Xbox - Ninja Gaiden Black - Thank god for the xbox, as there was little here that interested me in the first place, and squeezing a character action game in elsewhere would be challenging. Luckily, I can just take one of the best in the genre here. Another game I could play forever, and always see some improvement in.

Xbox 360 - Mushihimesama Futari - A contender for my favorite game ever made, so another easy pick. I've sunk hundreds of hours into this game, and yet I feel guilty that I've barely given it the time it deserves. Plus, maybe I could actually clear Ultra mode.

PS3 - Ketsui - I don't have much love for the ps3, and am just bringing it because it happened to get a port of one of the best games ever made. Again, as it is with these shooters, there is nearly endless depth and replayability, and I can't imagine getting tired of this, even if I got to the point of consistently killing the TLB, Doom.

Wii - Sin & Punishment: Star Successor - My favorite Wii game. This wouldn't get as much play as other games on this list, but I'd still love to have it around, and since it does have some sort of scoring system, I'm sure I'd end up diving deeper into it eventually.

Wii U - Super Mario Maker - This is my one cheat, because this game requires internet to be worth having, so I'm just assuming I have access to the actual contents of this game. This game is why there are no other platformers on my list, despite it being a genre I enjoy, because SMM is the end-all be-all for platformers to me. Its a bit of a stretch to have a game like this on here, but the Wii U had nothing else even close to this, and it just made room for so much good stuff elsewhere.

PS4 - Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone - The one downside to Beatmania 16th: No vocaloid music! Luckily, this 100+ song port of the arcade game is spectacular, and would be an absolute must for me. Having this + Beatmania should suffice.

Xbox One X - Dark Souls Remastered - I've never even played an xbox one, but I have played a TON of the first Dark Souls. It is my favorite game in the series, and a game I'd be happy to replay over and over. Luckily, this console offers nothing else of interest, so my ps3/4 and 360 slots were freed up, while still being able to bring this gem along.

Switch - Breath of the Wild - This is the only open world game that has really captivated me, and having a wide open, non-linear game to explore seems important, considering how strict and brutal most of the games I'm bringing are. I feel this rounds out the list nicely, as whenever I need a break from going hard on a song or shmup, I can relax here.

This was a ton of fun to put together! I almost want to just get rid of my games that aren't on this list and play these desert-island style right now. Even though the pick was easy, I think the 360 has the most desert-island games I wish I could bring, a lot of my favorite games had to be cut there.

[CFFJR]

Some beloved games are left off this list. I'll mention some runners up here and there though. I abused some ports, but in each case I think the port represents a (mostly) superior version, so no regrets. I did not include 4 systems I own, but I don't feel comfortable really picking a favorite for those just because my experience with them is so light.

Also, is PC allowed? I'll throw it in at the top here, but I can cut it if it doesn't really count.

PC - DOOM Because DOOM.

NES - Super Mario Bros. 3 Still my favorite Mario game and endlessly replayable.

SNES - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past See above, replace Mario with Zelda.

GB - Kirby's Dreamland A super chill, relaxing, fun game

GBC - The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons Just the best choice really. Shantae is a good second, but I'd probably burn out on that much sooner.

GBA - Metroid Fusion My favorite Metroid. Love it and it has to be there. Superstar Saga is close though.

DS - Chrono Trigger - Port abuse, but the DS version really is the best representation of an outstanding game.

3DS - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3d Same as above. I have beef with every boss having a ridiculous inflatable eyeball weak spot, but this version is still tops.

N64 - Banjo-Kazooie Need at least one collectathon, and I love this one. Tooie might be the better game in some ways, but it also has some frustrations that the first game didn't.

GC - Luigi's Mansion Couldn't be left off, I adore ghost busting with Luigi too much, but it was tough to put this up against Metroid Prime 2.

Wii - Super Mario Galaxy 2 Best level pack sequel ever? Yeah probably. This is a great time to curse you for not allowing Prime Trilogy though.

Wii U - Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze Easily my favorite DK. Platforming bliss. Goes up against Smash, but DK is a stronger choice when you're alone on an island.

Switch - Puyo Puyo Tetris Two superior puzzle games in one delightful mashup.

Master System - Phantasy Star Best 8 bit rpg. Easily.

Game Gear - GG Aleste Need a shmup. This one's easy but also addictive and fun.

Genesis - Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Should really be "& Knuckles" but that probably counts as 2. The Genesis is my favorite console, so this is kind of an impossible choice, and yet Sonic is the only choice.

Sega CD - AD&D: Eye of the Beholder I really love this version. Yuzo Koshiro's music makes it for me.

32X - Knuckles Chaotix I genuinely love Chaotix, and this allows me more Sonic style action. Tempo is a close second though.

Saturn - Sonic R You think I'm joking. I am absolutely not joking. Feel the fucking sunshine.

Dreamcast - Phantasy Star Online PSO is so addicting, even alone.

PS1 - Final Fantasy 9 Favorite FF by far. Love the cast, love the story, love the world, love the battles. I don't get tired of it.

PS2 - Silent Hill 2 I would have preferred Silent Hill 1, but I'll take what I can get.

PS3 - The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Tough to go without the sequel, but it's unforgettable on its own.

PS4- Project Diva: Future Tone Nice to see this on dunpeal's list. The vast library of great songs makes this an easy rhythm game choice.

PSP - Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl A bit more port abuse, but it's the most complete version of Back to Nature, and BtN is a must have.\

Xbox - Fable: The Lost Chapters I bought an Xbox for Fable back in the day. Unlike a lot of folks, I was not disappointed in the slightest. It's sad to put aside Jade Empire and Jet Set Radio Future, but I've run through Fable a couple of dozen times at this point and it continues to be enthralling.

360 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - The variety here is insane. Hate to give up any Mass Effect, but it stands better as a complete trilogy.

Xbox One - Resident Evil Revelations 2 I need a Resident Evil somewhere, and I happen to think this one is great. Plus the mere presence of Claire Redfield elevates anything.

PC Engine - Dracula X: Rondo of Blood The second best Castlevania! Can't beat Bloodlines, but again, I'll take what I can get.

[marurun]

Super Nintendo: Super Mario All-Stars + World - These covers all my Mario hunger
...
Xbox One S: Rare replay

Love most of your list, but per the conditions of the challenge, collections don't count. The point is to challenge you to have to make difficult choices. You did really make some unique choices, though, and while they're not selections I would have made, they are totally excellent selections nonetheless. It's cool to see what your personal tastes are.

[marurun]

Wow, just wow. I love everyone's lists. Making all these tough choices reveals a bit about our gaming personality. It also teaches us a little about how sometimes nostalgia can "power-up" a game that maybe has tougher competition. This is sort of the quintessential distillation of what we want for comfort play (what we keep coming back to) and ongoing challenge (the games that continue to push us to new heights, even after we've played them a dozen times).

Yeah, outlawing collections was a tough move on my part. I would have been tempted to throw some in, like Metroid Prime Trilogy or the Castlevania collection on GBA (Harmony and Aria, I think), or even the 6-pack that was released for Genesis. But I decided this challenge would be more revealing and meaningful when removing that shortcut, and I believe I was right. This is a lot more like baring our gaming souls than simply making a Best or Favorites list.