According to the internet, it is "National Video Game Day." In order to celebrate the holiday, the InvenGlobal staff felt it was appropriate to come together and reveal their favorite video game of all-time. Similar impossible tasks include a parent choosing your favorite child. Nonetheless, five of our writers selected one title each and wrote a bit of backstory into why they made the selection they did.

The selection

Nick D'Orazio: Monster Rancher 2

My favorite game, for the sake of honoring them on this fun holiday, is Monster Rancher 2.

I could have said Warcraft 3, or Street Fighter: Third Strike, or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night -- all amazing games. But Monster Rancher 2 is so wildly different and creative, it deserves the pick today. It isn't the most mainstream game, but like every underrated gem, it has a cult fanbase that understands the magic of collecting all your old CD's and popping them into your PlayStation in order to generate monsters.

What do you do with these monsters? Raise their stats, battle them like Pokemon (Only MUCH more dynamic) and even combine them to create all new monsters. As a child, this game felt like an impossibly deep adventure that made me look at the world differently. Gnarly garage sales around my neighborhood suddenly became opportunities to discover new monsters. Till this very day, I am still low-key hoping I run across the official Terminator 2 Soundtrack as, you guessed it, it gets you a rare Terminator-esque monster inside the game.

So, everyone else's favorite game is wrong and Monster Rancher 2 is the correct choice. Please worship this game today or none at all, thank you.

Chris Cuevo: Final Fantasy VII

Many games define who I am today. One game stood among to be more influential than others of all time. That game is Final Fantasy VII. Playing FF7 when I was young opened my eyes to more like it in its genre like Xenogears and Chrono Trigger. FF7 was also a stepping stone to playing more games during its generation.

The environment, music, and gameplay was satisfying to play. It immersed me into a world I had not yet seen in my life. Its story, while convoluted, invested me into every character. To this day, no game has given me the experience that FF7 did for my life. Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all time.

Tim Rizzo: Pokémon Red

I don't know if a video game franchise has had more of an impact on my life than the Pokémon one. I recall getting a GameBoy soon after Pokémon was released in the United States back in 1998. For a six-year-old boy, it opened up a world my small mind could not wrap itself around. I was fortunate enough to have both Pokémon Red and Blue and the excitement it brought myself and siblings to be able to explore this world together is still a fond memory to the day.

I remember how the franchise was the tip of the iceberg for my imagination as I spent countless hours grinding each game as they were released year after year. And, as Pokémon Sword and Shield are coming out this fall, I still have that boyish excitement whenever I see new information revealed online. I've played games I've enjoyed more in my life as my appreciation for the industry and innovation has grown and evolved but only one title began a lifelong passion and created an opportunity to bond as a family from a young age.

Nick Geracie: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

There have been games I’ve been better at. There have been games that become esports and immortalize themselves as competitions very dear to my heart. However, there is no stand alone gaming experience that compares to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I’ve beaten the game at least 15 times, and I long to play it anytime I come across a screenshot. A wave of nostalgia comes with a pang of yearning for a simpler past time. 

Tom Matthiesen: Team Fortress 2

This choice was not as difficult as I expected it to be. I've played many games, but few of those I've absolutely given my heart. When I think of the games that I've grinded like no other, they all have the following in common: They're goofy, I get a good amount of customization options and I can prove that I'm better than others. The one that started it all, the one where I discovered this specific itch, is Team Fortress 2.

At the time of discovering this gem, I did not have a PC that was capable of anything other than Minecraft—it even did that poorly. But it didn't matter. I launched Team Fortress 2 day after day, for years. On 15 to 20 fps (yes, it was that horrible) I fell in love with each class (some more than others, sorry Heavy), each map (but cp_Orange will be #1 forever) and all of the crazy weapons it had to offer. In-game I swapped between specific weapons to outclass my opponents. And when I got dominated by someone else I pulled out my secret weapon: the Spy. Boy was I good at the class nobody who wants to win plays. Cloak, disguise, stab. And then watch the enemies shoot around them trying to find my hiding spot. I had the best time playing with my friend teaming up to destroy the opponents, jumping into the absolute mayhem and tearing away amid the onslaught.

By the time I could afford a PC that could actually play games, I'd found new loves. But every now and then, about twice a year, my friend and I launch it again, and relive glorious memories while creating new ones.

Do you agree with our picks? What are some of your favorite video games? It's National Video Game Day, so let us know your favorite in the comments below!