One Game For Life

[Fox]

If you were only able to play one game from now and for the rest of your life, which game would you pick?

I'm picturing some sort of doomsday scenario where you're on a desert island that happens to be well stocked with food and refreshments, but only a single gaming machine and game. There's no hope of rescue because the island exists between dimensions, so this game is going to have to last a long, long time. Which game do you hope is on there?

[escobert]

I guess that means I wouldn't have internet and so DayZ wouldn't be accessible? :( I don't know what I'd do.

[Fox]

It's OK, I will allow the game to connect to the internet because of magic or science or something. You just can't download/play any new games cuz that'd be cheating!

Now, while my favourite games are (naturally) Final Fantasy games... I think after a few dozen times through it would start to get old. Need something with a bit more longevity. Something that allows for creativity. Something a bit sandboxy perhaps.

It'd either be RollerCoaster Tycoon (2) or Minecraft. I'm not actually a massive Minecraft fan but I think it might be a good fit for the one game ever scenario.

[WildRaubtier]

cookie clicker

[Karifean]

This was actually pretty hard at first. It broke my heart but visual novels were out because reading the same story without variation easily gets stale no matter how good it may be. Sad, but true, for me at least.

Thought about some Final Fantasy games... X-2 and XII have quite a bit of longevity and I could probably play them for a long time before I got too bored to play them anymore. X-2 especially, that game serves itself well to all kinds of differently styled playthroughs. I thought about VII because you can mod that easily with current tools, but that felt like bending the rules...

And that made me think of Warcraft III, a game with a full-on editor straight from the developers. Now this game I could play the rest of my life and STILL not have gone through even 10% of what this game has to offer. I could even recreate other games and code all sorts of different stuff with it. A game I really could play eternally. I might get sick of it from time to time but it's about as impossible to run out of things to do with it as it is to play every game in the world. I suppose that applies to Minecraft as well, but I really far prefer Warcraft.

So yeah, Warcraft III. Starcraft II would probably be just as good, but I didn't play much of it.

[Pete for President]

Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone but my vote goes to Dark Souls. I wonder if I can ever get enough of that game.

[Pike]

Assuming both internet access and all future updates/patches/expansion packs, then probably World of Warcraft. It might not be the best game ever, but I'm pretty sure it could satisfy me forever.

Otherwise I might have to hand it to Civ IV. I think I could easily dump years into its many different scenarios.

edit: alternatively, SimCity 4. For the same reason.

[Bolivar]

Probably a huge RPG like Dragon Quest VIII, Final Fantasy XII, Oblivion or a competitive online multiplayer game like Counter-Strike or Dota 2, provided I could get the latest patches, content updates, and somehow barter with the Steam Marketplace for cosmetics and consumables.

Although I guess Guild Wars II covers all that in one package...

[Madame Adequate]

That's really tough, but I'd probably go with WoW as well. If we're allowed to have mods, then Civ IV probably wins out, though that in turn introduces Morrowind and maybe Skyrim. I'd also give strong consideration to SimCity 4, Dwarf Fortress, and Darkest Hour/Crusader Kings 2/Victoria 2/Europa Universalis IV.

Or Nethack. or Tetris: The Grandmaster Edition.

[Egami]

That's quite a though one, Fox :p

Not sure really...first thing that comes to one's mind is of course favorite games, in my case FF VII & XII, Skyrim, Dark Souls, etc; but being stuck with being able to play just a single game is definitely bound to take it's toll no matter how much you like it. Out of those I think Skyrim (specially with the three DLCs) would probably be the better choice as it is massive and offers a huge amount of possibilities for you to role play virtually any character you want and I've put hundreds upon hundreds of hours into it and I still feel like playing it. But a factor in that, I think, is that I am able to take a break from it and play something else and then I come back to it. If I were stuck with only being able to play Skyrim, I don't know if it would work out that well.

Maybe a more casual type of game would be a better choice? The aforementioned Tetris is an interesting option.

[Vyk]

Yeah, now that I think about it I'd probably take some sudoku game that has thousands of puzzles or something. But as far as real games, I'm inclined to agree with those wanting deep base games with editors available like the Infinity Engine games, or NWN or the more recent Elder Scrolls games. Then you can craft your own stories

[Hollycat]

Probably an elder scrolls or fallout game. Maybe a persona game.
Or Terraria.

[Bubba]

Flappy Bird

[Pike]

If I was going to pick a TES game I'd pick Morrowind; the sheer amount of things you can do and ways you can break the game via enchanting and alchemy and stuff would entertain me for a long time. Ultimately though I think I'd still go with something that isn't story-based, like Civ, SimCity or one of the grand strategies.

[Mirage]

MMOs are strong candidates, if we are allowed to get patches. If not that, something like Civ 4 or perhaps indeed Morrowind.

[Fox]

MMOs are strong candidates, if we are allowed to get patches. If not that, something like Civ 4 or perhaps indeed Morrowind.

Yeah, you're allowed patches. I'm not gonna be too draconian with the criteria for this thread ;)

The thing with MMOs is even if you get lots of really cool patches, that's still very dependent on the longevity of the game. Even massive ones like WoW or EVE have only been going a decade or so, I wonder how much longer they'll keep adding new content? It'll be interesting to see what the life cycle of these things are, or indeed if they just keep going forever.

[Pumpkin]

The number one game on my games list :greenie:

[metagloria]

Progress Quest

[Del Murder]

Yes MMOs are key. I'd probably pick FFXI assuming there would be other people on there to play with me. If not, it would have to be something with a lot of customization and procedural generated content to keep the game fresh. I've not played many games like that since I generally prefer more static content.

Or just Tetris.

[Mirage]

Oh my, No Man's Sky.

[escobert]

It's OK, I will allow the game to connect to the internet because of magic or science or something. You just can't download/play any new games cuz that'd be cheating!

Well then! DayZ for sure. So many different things to do and keep you occupied. Especially when it's all done and finished :D I can't wait for that day.

[Fox]

It's OK, I will allow the game to connect to the internet because of magic or science or something. You just can't download/play any new games cuz that'd be cheating!

Well then! DayZ for sure. So many different things to do and keep you occupied. Especially when it's all done and finished :D I can't wait for that day.

I'm desperately trying to find a way to disallow DayZ out of spite :P

If it were still just an ArmA II mod I could say "It requires another game to play so no" but that doesn't work now that it's standalone. So it's fair game :D

[Mirage]

if it was just an arma 2 mod, he could just have chosen arma 2 instead and applied the mod, because the mod isn't an actual game so it still doesn't count as more than one game :D

[Fox]

if it was just an arma 2 mod, he could just have chosen arma 2 instead and applied the mod, because the mod isn't an actual game so it still doesn't count as more than one game :D

...touché.

You're wasting a gift if you aren't a lawyer :P

[escobert]

why the DayZ hate? :(

[Bolivar]

Oh my, No Man's Sky.

If it's real!

[Mirage]

Pretty sure it is.

[Vyk]

No Man's Sky is probably a fantastic choice once it's finished

[metagloria]

Am I the only one worried that No Man's Sky is doomed because it can't possibly live up to the expectations?

[Spuuky]

Magic: the Gathering, probably.

Although Dota and LoL would be possibilities. I could far more easily pour infinite hours into those than any MMO. Certainly nothing single-player would ever cut it, unless it was a game about creation with relatively limitless possibilities.

[Iceglow]

If you were only able to play one game from now and for the rest of your life, which game would you pick?

I'm picturing some sort of doomsday scenario where you're on a desert island that happens to be well stocked with food and refreshments, but only a single gaming machine and game. There's no hope of rescue because the island exists between dimensions, so this game is going to have to last a long, long time. Which game do you hope is on there?

Ok first up I've some questions about the scenario.

You say well stocked with food and refreshments. What food, what drink... even water becomes stagnant when bottled and on a shelf for more than a few months. Stagnant water isn't going to be good to drink. Rice can go off despite being a "dried food" and against most people's belief in the fiction of media stereotypes. Canned food, has a shelf life of between 6 months and about 2 years at best before it will go off. Military Emergency Rations may last longer than that (several years in fact) but without a source of fresh water and the ability to heat that water to boiling point (so you can clean the water up of bacteria and germs) means you're going to die of dysentery, dehydration or starvation pretty quick.

Secondly, we're completely alone without hope of rescue? Without hope of other people finding us? Being joined by loved ones or even just another person no matter if you hated them? The reason why I ask is because hope of rescue is what keeps people in these survivalist situations alive. Hope of seeing their loved ones, or even just another person. Watch Castaway, Wilson the ball was created through the need for a human companion. It's to do with the whole "we're social creatures". Without hope of being rescued or leaving that place ever, you'd probably commit suicide pretty quickly. In which case the game you choose for the rest of your life doesn't really matter it's going to be a pretty short life.

Third up, the environment. You said Desert island; tropical desert or tundra? Hot or Cold? How large is the island? What types of weather do we need to look out for? What tools/equipment do you have/could you make to build a suitable shelter? I'm asking this because having proven that the initial food supplies will run out or go off. I'm thinking of how we'd actually live a life providing there was reason to do so. You're looking at the Minecraft situation here, chucked in to the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on your back what can you do to survive? In reality we'd probably all die. However, say you have a starting tool allowing you to make some basics you'll have a chance to live Minecraft. As such choosing Minecraft may be a bit redundant as the game for the rest of your life. Though with multiplayer servers allowed there's an important social aspect to the game which cannot be overlooked. It's also readily accessible for many people including non-technical people such as most of my family.

Assuming however, we have hope of rescue/escape, decent natural resources and expansion options, food supply and fresh water, clement weather and the skills to actually survive in this "dimensional rift" you're looking at games what would improve your life on a social scale. However, with all the tasks you'd have to do daily to keep surviving you're not actually going to have all that much time to spend gaming! As such time consuming titles like World of Warcraft may not be as good as you'd hoped.

Having given this some clear thought I'm tempted to say something as simple as Words With Friends could well be the best choice. It'd exercise your mind plus you can play friends/family or strangers. The fact it has a messenger program built in too is pretty sweet. Socially your life probably wouldn't be as bad. You'd also be intellectually challenging yourself which gives you better odds of survival as you'll become smarter. If we disallowed the internet then The Sims would be great for this as your sim goes off to make a social life, could however get a little depressing when you remember you are not your sim. More time consuming games such as Skyrim, Fallout, WoW, Final Fantasy are good options in so far as they will take a long time to complete which with your now extremely limited time span for gaming you're going to have months/years of gameplay to keep your evenings distracted. However, Elder Scrolls with exception of one title, Mass Effect with exception of 3, Fallout and Final Fantasy (with exception of 11 and 14) are all single player games only. A Multiplayer game would have a higher social impact on your life and therefore give you better hope to keep going. As such I find myself leaning towards multiplayer games I enjoy for long periods of time. That my friends enjoy for long periods of time and would be happy playing with me for a lot of time, long past the lifespan of the average console. Which also means I find myself looking at PC games not consoles. As proven by the passing of time and several generations of Xbox and Playstation; eventually network support for the old consoles is pulled. That being said the games that come immediately to mind are mostly console based. Destiny, Halo (series), Mass Effect 3, Minecraft, GTA V, Saints Row 3, all games where the most amount of my time has been spent on my Xbox 360. Worse still, with exception of Halo 1, Mass Effect 3 and Minecraft; some of these games aren't even on PC so take themselves out of the running. Taking that previous sentence in to consideration. I'm not sure what specific title I'd go with. I'll need to get back to you later with that.

[Loony BoB]

FFXIV. Easily. Not because of it being the best game ever or anything, but because it would allow me to socialise with people, ask for tips on how to go spearfishing without attracting sharks, when you can tell a coconut is ready for eating, things like that. With access to other people, suddenly the world opens up to far more than the same NPCs over and over ever could.

If it were single player games only, probably Football Manager 2012. Dwarf Fortress warrants a mention, though.

[Spuuky]

Destiny, Halo (series), Mass Effect 3, Minecraft, GTA V, Saints Row 3, all games where the most amount of my time has been spent on my Xbox 360. Worse still, with exception of Halo 1, Mass Effect 3 and Minecraft; some of these games aren't even on PC so take themselves out of the running.ME3, Minecraft, GTAV, and SR3 are all available on the PC.

[Psychotic]

Stranded Deep. I would need some escapism from my predicament.

[Bolivar]

Am I the only one worried that No Man's Sky is doomed because it can't possibly live up to the expectations?

A lot of people are but I think that's mostly attributable to just how inspiring the concept and public demonstrations have been. I wonder if it says more about the state of games today or about ourselves that so many of us are skeptical.

[Mirage]

Canned food can definitely last way longer than a few years. Steve. The best before date on most of my canned food is two years into the future, and those dates are *extremely* conservative for canned food. As long as the container stays intact, they could last for decades.

[Madame Adequate]

Jesus Christ Steve.

[Iceglow]

Canned food can definitely last way longer than a few years. Steve. The best before date on most of my canned food is two years into the future, and those dates are *extremely* conservative for canned food. As long as the container stays intact, they could last for decades.

OK Mirage, go find me a 30 year old can of food. Show me the labels proving it and then show me a video of you eating it and not being sick afterwards. Also please ensure it has meat in and has not been chilled for that time. If you do this, I'll believe you. Scientists say a lot of things about canned food however, I'm yet to see one who would actually advise you to eat canned food (especially meat) past the expiry date on the tin. The reason being that the food could well have gone off and you'd be sick an they'd be fucked for saying you'd be fine.

The part where you mention "As long as the container stays intact it should last decades" is also of interest. Tins are extremely susceptible to dents. Tins have a lining which prevents the tin which can spoil the food and even in some cases poison humans from actually contacting the food. That being said, a slight dent is enough to actually breach that lining meaning that whilst the can is whole and unopened the tin is not "intact" and the food will begin to spoil. This is why you are meant to actually avoid purchasing the dented cans and why retailers will often reduce cans what are dented or take them off sale.

However, disregarding the fact that a slight dent in the tins would screw your food supply. Let's say tinned food does last forever! Let's also say you have enough to last you a lifetime. If there's game on your island, or if there's fish in the ocean would you really want to eat nothing but tinned food for the rest of your life?

If your answer to this is yes, then I pity your palette because there's very few tinned foods which taste good.

As a side note, whichever way you cut it; without a fully functioning water processing plant on your island, fresh clean water will be a major issue. Well stocked or not, you'll die of dehydration if you don't actually do something to prevent it

[Night Fury]

Oh my fucking god why.

[Bubba]

I think the online gaming option is too easy. Being able to speak to thousands of other people in the world would certainly prevent you from going crazy. I was even going to suggest gaining help from your online players to attempt a rescue but...


There's no hope of rescue because the island exists between dimensions

Sorry guys. There is no way you are getting internet connection in between dimensions.

Please revise your responses.

[Mirage]

Steve: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-9009146.html

I would eat canned food that was 10 years past its best before date if it was just a dare. If it was a matter of life or death, I would easily eat 30 year old canned food.

[Shauna]

Jesus Christ Steve.

[Fox]

This scenario has inspired a different discussion than I thought it would.

OT: Thinking about it another candidate for my game might be SpaceChem. Because I reckon 'the rest of my life' is probably about the amount of practise I'll need to get good at SpaceChem.

[Colonel Angus]

It would have to be a game that not only has longevity, but also isn't too frustrating. I think I'd go w/ Tetris.

[blackmage_nuke]

If only my game is allowed to connect to the internet then I choose firefox
Or mIRC

Otherwise it would be a mmo so I could at least use it as a chat program when I get bored of the game. I dont think League of Legends or WoW is going anywhere any time soon.

If it's in another dimension its possible to have pockets of distorted time to store your food.