Best Video game you have played and why?

In the childhood days i liked Mario the most but with the advent of technology now more interactive games have come up...they are more exciting and have much better graphics then the earlier games ex:- the age of empire ,F1 race,counter strike etc....

i loved the game pharaoh...its an empire building game and takes up hours somtimes. you fight battles and bulid beautiful places in a city... i love NFS underground as well..

There are some great video games that I have played in the past... however my all-time favorite is still Final Fantasy 7 on PS1. It was the perfect blend of story, gameplay, and graphics. There was no end for me, whether it was the battles and summoning or the mini-games like Chocobo racing... so much fun

The best game I've played is The Elder Scrolls II - Daggerfall. You could be anything you want and do whatever you want, you even didn't have to follow the main quest. Bethesda has improved technically and made new games, but in my mind they could not re-capture the spirit of Daggerfall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niU1bRqxrIU