Best computer game of all time?

What was/is the best computer game ever made? It's a pretty subjective matter, to say the least. It just doesn't seem like the latest round of games out these days really have that much substance to them. Take a game like Max Payne. This was hyped as a very revolutionary and incredible game. So I believed the hype and purchased it. The whole concept of that Bullet Time was pretty neat but it got old fast. Then I beat the game a few days later. There's no way that would make my all time best games list. So, first we must define what makes a game good.

One of the top "features" of a game for me has to be suspension of disbelief. The game has to completely envelope me and bring me to another place. Like a really good book. It has to have me sitting there for hours and hours on end because I forget the rest of the world. That has to be the most important aspect of a game. Another really important aspect is replayability. What good is a game that is engrossing, but 10 hours later, the game is over and there's no real reason to play it ever again? Graphics are somewhat important, but definitely secondary. Too many games out today and recently are all window dressing and no substance (I won't name any names, but one recent one rhymes with Gloom 3). Another big part of a game is having good character development. Why bother spending so much time in a game if the characters in them are boring or not believable?

That's one aspect of most FPS (First Person Shooter) games that I dislike. In most, you never know anything about the main character. I suppose that is because they (the developers) want you to feel like it is you in the game. But come on, when was the last time I was on Mars battling demons? I'd rather a game, like the original Half-life, spend a great deal of effort making you feel for a character. That's one reason I've been looking forward to Half-life 2 just like everyone else. But after the disappointment that was Doom 3, I'm a bit jaded and am not planning on rushing out and buying HL2 when it comes out. So I think I'm about done with FPS games for a while. I need more than just running and gunning, at least done with single player FPS.

That brings me to multiplayer games. These types of games just about have limitless replayability, if they are done well. No too games are ever alike. My favorite multiplayer (not massively multiplayer, I'll get to that later) game of all time so far has been Battlefield 1942, with the Desert Combat mod, although the original is pretty damn fun too. I can't even count just how many hours I've spent playing this game, battle after battle. The aspect of playing against other real people gives a game a whole different feel that I've never experienced from a single player game. It must be the fact that after someone kills you, you get to respawn and then get your revenge! Can't do that in a single player game!

On to MMO games. To be honest, I've really only played one of these games, and that was Evercrack, I mean Everquest. This game has my vote for best game of all time. It had all the aspects, replayability, suspension of disbelief, character development, some decent graphics, etc. The game world was just immense. It really was the feeling of being in a whole other world that did it for me. I, like millions of others, spent many a sleepless night exploring, fighting, fletching (my main character was a ranger). Although I never really advanced too far in the game, it felt like watching a really good movie, like reading a J.R.R Tolkien or Terry Brooks book. I had to give the game up cold turkey though because my work was suffering. I kind of wish I could play this game again, but the time commitment required is just too large. This is not a game you can just jump in and play for an hour. Now that I am married and own my own home, there's no way I'd ever have the time to get back into this game. But I have fond memories of it and hope that game developers out there can put more time and money into developing characters, the game world, and the storyline rather than just the eye candy.

What do you think? Best game of all time?