Child Neglecter

As someone who's actually worked as a mid-end chef in the past, there are two different types of pasta.

I'm going to tell you the best one from each world. 

Long Pasta: 

This includes Angel Hair, Spaghetti, Fettuchine, Bucatini and Linguine, each of varying width and thickness, though all about the same length. 

If you want the best of Long Pasta, where you can combine the lightness that something like Angel Hair or Spaghetti can give you with the meatiness behind a good Fettuchini, your best option is Linguine. This is arguably the best long pasta, and can be used in any dish where you'd either want thinner long pasta OR thicker long pasta.

Hollow Pasta: 

This includes Tortiglioni, Rigatoni, Ditalini, Farfalle, Fusilli, Orecchiette, Cavatappi, Penne and so many more.

This one is definitely a bit more tricky to decide, but these pastas are all purposed toward being present in sauces of some kind, because their different shapes allow them varying degrees of being able to hold the sauce best, such as the different grooves and ridges present within Rigatoni or the cupped shape of the Orecchiette, there are many different purposes behind each of their designs. 

For maximum flavour, as well as it's own simplicity, Rigatoni is the obvious choice here. Rigatoni has the best capacity to hold sauces, above any other type of hollow pasta, and it's got the girth and the meatiness to it that allows you to be truly satisfied in a dish that's meant to be enjoyed without being concerned about the calories. It goes well in literally anything, from Pasta alla Ragu Bolognese or even Pasta Pasticciata, the civilised, Italian original that Americans ripped off and called Macaroni and Cheese. 

I'd like to remind you all that this education is objective fact and cannot be argued against. I am factually correct about everything I have said here.