A few weeks ago, I polled the users for their picks for games that anyone who calls themselves a gamer owes it to themselves to know a bit about. Call it "most classic games" (as I did in the title.) Call it "games you should play before you die." Call it most influential games. Call it whatever you like. But these are the games and franchises that everyone out to know a bit about.
Nominally, I said I was writing this list because I was irritated at high school students who didn't recognize basic stuff like Final Fantasy, but it was also a decent excuse to see what everyone thinks are the games with the most significant legacy.
First a few notes on the actual list formation, though. In an effort to avoid oversaturation, a lot of games' votes were rolled into others in the same series. I was careful about how I did this -- no extra points if someone voted for all four MGS games. In general I tried to limit a major series to two games, and others to one, but there was no hard-and-fast rule.
There were no restrictions on which games could be nominated. Some voters imposed their own rules, but I was steadfast in saying vote for what you want, and did not limit the number of games anyone could put on the table. However, the first five games counted for 3 points and the top 20 were worth 2.
I had wanted this to be the top 100, but annoyingly, there was a 14-way tie for 100th place with 4 votes. So we actually, really, have the top 113 games.
And finally, the reason this took so long is because I wanted to give write-ups for each game, but ultimately I decided I didn't have the patience to write about every one of these games, especially when there's quite a few I wouldn't be able to contibute meaningfully toward. So instead, I'm just giving you the games with like a one-line comment.
azuarc posted... Mario 64 may technically be the dawn of the 3D platformer, but you certainly can't say Nintendo had a monopoly on the genre. Just what the heck IS Crash, anyway?
He's a bandicoot.
-- One Piece: Pirates with style! -= Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action =-
THE FOURTEEN WAY TIE FOR LAST PLACE All of these games got four votes.
100A. Madden NFL (aka John Madden Football), series as a whole
Yeah, it seemed only fitting to start here, since I jokingly made fun of my old students for "only knowing Madden and Call of Duty."
100B. Breakout / Arkanoid, 1976, Arcade, Atari
Classic games were fun even when they were only about breaking blocks. Although Arkanoid is the first "Breakout clone," it's funny how many people consider the two synonymous.
100C. Counter-Strike, 1999, PC, modders
This will probably be the only game on the list that doesn't have an actual developer/publisher, though I suppose you could give credit to Valve.
100D. Duck Hunt, 1984, NES, Nintendo
The other half of the standard NES cartridge, but I still have nightmares about that dog sniveling and whimpering every time the light guns would screw up. I had no idea Sega had made a game like this forty-seven years ago.
100E. Final Fight, 1989, Arcade, Capcom
I don't know this was really the beginning of the typical Beat'Em'Up game, but it's certainly a likely contender. Unless you count Kung Fu, of course.
100F. Streets of Rage 2, 1992, Genesis, Sega
An appropriate act to follow the previous one, Streets of Rage is the absolute epitome of Genesis gaming -- the graphics, the controls, the animations. You can't find a more Genesis-y game.
100G. Kingdom Hearts, 2002, Playstation 2, Square-Enix
OK, hands up: how many people actually thought combining Final Fantasy with Disney characters was a good idea before they did it?
Liar. You did not!
100H. Lemmings, 1991, Amiga, Psygnosis
Stupid blue-shirted green-haired little freaks, why won't you stop walking! There's a pit and an incinerator and a bear trap and 20 other horrible things that...ah screw it, let's just see how comically they can die.
100I. Prince of Persia, 1989, Apple II, Broderbund
The original was great. The sequel was graphically better, but lost the flavor of being up against a clock. The 3D games with this title are hardly even the same franchise, really.
100J. Shadow of the Colossus, 2005, Playstation 2, Team Ico
I'm afraid I really don't know enough about this game to comment on it intelligently, so I'll leave this one for the peanut gallery.
100K. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen, 1993, SNES, Atlus
One part RTS, one part board game, Ogre Battle was an interesting take on what it's like to be the general of an army. The plot is totally about overthrowing a government and establishing a new socialist regime, though.
100L. Crash Bandicoot, 1996, Playstation, Naughty Dog
Mario 64 may technically be the dawn of the 3D platformer, but you certainly can't say Nintendo had a monopoly on the genre. Just what the heck IS Crash, anyway?
Before WoW and Diablo and Starcraft, before RTS was a known genre, before battle.net or any other kind of internet gaming, there was tying up your parent's housephone with a 14.4k modem to play your friend at Warcraft.
I won't blame anyone for failing to know about Shadow of the Colossus. :-)
--
... as if rights are like muscles - the more you use it, the better it gets. Indeed he may be exercising his first amendment-- but he's an IDIOT! - A. Scalia
99. Kirby's Dream Land (2 points, +3 from similar games) Genre: Side-scroller Original Year: 1992 Original Platform: Game Boy Company: HAL
So if Yoshi was such a big hit in SMW, why not make a character whose whole purpose is to suck things in and then spit them back out? Oh, and being an adorable puffball that flies will help, too.
98. Tron Deadly Discs (3 +2) Genre: Action Original Year: 1982 Original Platform: Intellivision Company: Mattel
I can see now that I probably shouldn't have given this game the point from Discs of Tron since the two are nothing alike, but I didn't realize that. Oops. Anyway, it's certainly not an entry you were expecting!
97. Tekken 2 (3 +2) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 1995 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Namco
New-fangled 3D style for fighting games? Check. More characters than any other game? Twenty-six, so check. Cheesy endings? Definite check.
T-92. Xenogears (4 +1) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: Playstation Company: Squaresoft
Er, somehow my comment got eaten here and replaced with the Tekken one. Oh well, I don't know Xenogears anyway.
T-92. Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millenium (4 +1) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1993 Original Platform: Genesis Company: Sega
Easily the finest pre-SNES RPG for gameplay. The out-of-combat animations were smooth, the graphics were attractive, and the battle dynamics were awesome. FOI-WAT-ZAN!
T-92. Mario Party (4 +1) Genre: Party Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: N64 Company: Nintendo
Mario Party was hardly the first party game, or the first game to consist purely of mini games, or the first VG based on board games, but it was probably the first to combine all three.
T-92. Rock Band (4 +1) Genre: Music Original Year: 2007 Original Platform: PS2/PS3/360 Company: Harmonix
Guitar Hero was big, but when Harmonix broke off to do their own thing, they thought bigger. Now we can sing karaoke or play on a cheap plastic drum set to go with our cheap plastic guitar!
T-92. Galaga (4 +1) Genre: Shooter Original Year: 1981 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Namco
"That man over there is playing Galaga. Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."
T-84. Worms Armageddon (5 points) Genre: TBS Original Year: 1999 Original Platform: PC Company: Team17
When little slugs carry bazookas around trying to blow each other up, it really is the armageddon.
T-84. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (5 points) Genre: Action-adventure Original Year: 2009 Original Platform: PS3 Company: Naughty Dog
If not for Uncharted 2 (and LittleBigPlanet,) what would that Sony VP guy from the commercials have had to actually brag about for the PS3 besides "OMG, we have blu-ray!"
T-84. The Simpsons (5 points) Genre: Beat'em up Original Year: 1991 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Konami
Anyone who ever went to the Arcade fed this game at least once to battle through to the end. It's mandatory.
T-84. (Mike Tyson's) Punch-out!! (5 points) Genre: Sports Original Year: 1987 Original Platform: NES Company: Nintendo
A little guy getting into a boxing match with like fifteen ginormous men and coming out on top? Yeah, right. Now try beating freaking Mike Tyson. Hope you wrote that code down to get back to him!
T-84. F-Zero GX (5 points) Genre: Racing Original Year: 2003 Original Platform: GameCube Company: Nintendo
Mario Kart may be Nintendo's signature racing franchise, but F-Zero takes itself a bit more seriously and is more about the action. (I never played the GC version, sorry!)
T-84. Rampage (5 points) Genre: Rampage is a genre all to itself Original Year: 1986 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Bally Midway
There have been other games since where the goal is to destroy everything, but where else do you get the chance to trash the U.S. as King Kong, the Wolfman, or a giant radioactive lizard?
T-84. Frogger (5 points) Genre: Action Original Year: 1981 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Konami
A simple game, yet so incredibly frustrating. It's understandable why Frogger dies when hit by a truck, but he can't even swim?
T-84. Defender (5 points) Genre: Shooter Original Year: 1980 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Williams
Defender may be a classic, but man did I hate playing it. Definitely had some of the smoothest graphics for its time, though.
Worms is fun, but the reason I didn't give it a point is that I don't know of any similar games it paved the way for.
--
... as if rights are like muscles - the more you use it, the better it gets. Indeed he may be exercising his first amendment-- but he's an IDIOT! - A. Scalia
83. Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (2 points, plus 4 coming from other games) Genre: RPG Original Year: 2007 Original Platform: Wii Company: Intelligent Systems
You people and your Fire Emblem games. There was absolutely no consensus which one people liked best, so I went with the one that had a name I could actually pronounce. (Or should I have called this "Akatsuki no Megami?")
T-81. Kirby Super Star (4 +2) Genre: Side-scroller, mostly? Original Year: 1996 Original Platform: SNES Company: HAL
The original Kirby just had the puffball suck dudes in and spit them out. Now he could absorb abilities from them. And there were a bunch of mini-games. Yay minigames?
T-81. SimCity (4 +2) Genre: Simulation / God game Original Year: 1989 Original Platform: Amiga/DOS/Mac/C64/Amstrad/Atari ST...basically every computer system that existed then Company: Maxis
Will Wright's game philosophy is not to make actual games, but rather "toys." SimCity was so well-received it started a series of Sim-Anything-You-Can-Think-Of. Nothing beats unleashing tons of disasters at once on a sprawling metropolis, though.
T-78. Command & Conquer (5 +1) Genre: RTS Original Year: 1995 Original Platform: DOS Company: Westwood Studios
Who says Blizzard makes all the good RTS games? C&C featured live-action cutscenes, "real" music by Frank Klepacki, and most importantly, the ability to run over infantry in a tank.
T-78. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (5 +1) Genre: WRPG Original Year: 2002 Original Platform: PC Company: Bethesda Softworks
Oblivion: Good game mechanics, terribly boring world. Morrowind: Great game world, painful game mechanics. And oh god, the cliff racers! Duck, here comes another twelve of them!
T-78. Half-Life 2 (5 +1) Genre: RTS Original Year: 2004 Original Platform: PC Company: Valve
And this, boys and girls, is why video game companies have to be careful with their security. Other companies might have bad jokes about their slow release time, but having your game outright stolen? Yeah...oh, and it's a really good game, too.
T-70. Myst (6) Genre: run-around-and-click-on-stuff-until-you-figure-out-what-to-do Original Year: 1993 Original Platform: Mac Company: Cyan
To say that I'm cynical about Myst is an understatement. Maybe I was just too young when it came out to appreciate it. But man, I like my games to have some semblance of directions or purpose. It was pretty, though. This and The 7th Guest marked the capabilities of a game produced on CD-Rom.
T-70. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (6) Genre: Beat'em up Original Year: 1989 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Konami
This is probably the best (or at least best-known) BMU game of all time. Many know it as TMNT2 for NES, but the Arcade version was much better...aside from the need to constantly feed quarters into the machine, of course.
T-70. BioShock (6) Genre: FPS Original Year: 2007 Original Platform: 360/PC Company: 2k Games
Little sisters, big daddies, a dystopian 50's era Atlantis-like civilization, genetically engineered monsters, shooting fire out of your palms, vending machines that sell guns. Would you kindly play this game?
T-70. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (6) Genre: WRPG Original Year: 2011 Original Platform: 360/PS3/PC Company: Bethesda Softworks
Skyrim takes mostly everything unfortunate about Oblivion and fuss-ro-dah's it off a cliff. The developers were planning on having the world be more interesting than even Morrowind's, but then they took an arrow to the knee.
T-70. Mortal Kombat (6) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 1992 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Midway
The game that for many years was the rallying cry of anti-violence activists, MK gave us a fighting game with actual "people" rather than cartoon drawings. And blood. Lots of blood.
T-70. Mortal Kombat II (6) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 1993 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Midway
I've been trying to avoid situations on the list like this, but both MK1 and MK2 had 6 completely unique votes. Literally they split the Mortal Kombat vote.
MK1 was more historic, but MK2 was a vastly superior game, adding tons of characters and features, and ending the nonsense of high punch spam. Plus plenty more fatalities.
T-70. Final Fantasy Tactics (6) Genre: TBS Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: PlayStation Company: Squaresoft
This game would have been higher on the list, but we had l i t t l e m o n e y to buy votes with. Don't blame us. Blame yourself or God.
T-70. Sid Meier's Civilization IV (6) Genre: TBS Original Year: 2005 Original Platform: PC Company: Firaxis Games
After the failing that was Civilization III, the folks at Firaxis took the good bits and threw the rest away. The result was a Civilization game that had clearly surpassed the original two. And included most of the lyrics from You are the Wind Beneath My Wings.
From: azuarc | #016 T-70. Sid Meier's Civilization IV (6) Genre: TBS Original Year: 2005 Original Platform: PC Company: Firaxis Games
After the failing that was Civilization III, the folks at Firaxis took the good bits and threw the rest away. The result was a Civilization game that had clearly surpassed the original two. And included most of the lyrics from You are the Wind Beneath My Wings.
Hahahaha no. Civ II is the best Civ game. No contest.
--
There's always hope for better things in life. But you can't let anything, friend, lover, God himself, be your hope. You have to be your own hope.
69. Ultima VII (4 points, plus 3 from similiar games) Genre: WRPG Original Year: 1992 Original Platform: DOS Company: Origin Systems
Ultima was a serious well ahead of its time. Where else could you milk cows, bake bread, or change a baby's swaddling? (OK, maybe Harvest Moon, but not the point!)
68. Mass Effect (6 +1) Genre: Action RPG Original Year: 2007 Original Platform: 360 Company: BioWare
This game has full-on nude sex that leaves nothing to the imagination! Um, wait, I take that back. Just kidding~
T-59. The Oregon Trail (7) Genre: Adventure? Original Year: 1981 (really 1971) Original Platform: Apple II Company: Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC)
You have measles. You have cholera. You have typhoid. A thief comes in the night and steals 800 pounds of food. You have died of dysentery.
T-59. EarthBound (7) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1994 Original Platform: SNES Company: HAL
Quick, hide! We're being attacked by a trash can and a fire hydrant! Maybe if we pray, they'll go away.
T-59. Banjo-Kazooie (7) Genre: Adventure Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: N64 Company: Rare
Dammit, who put these games next to each other? At least I don't have to listen to them.
T-59. Gran Turismo (7) Genre: Racing Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: PlayStation Company: Sony
It's, um, well, it's a racing game. A really famous one. Sold almost 11 million copies. Yup.
T-59. Diablo II (7) Genre: Action RPG Original Year: 2000 Original Platform: PC Company: Blizzard Entertainment
T-59. Super Smash Bros. (7) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 1999 Original Platform: N64 Company: HAL/Nintendo
Ha, why would you play as anyone other than Kir---oh ****, he's got the hammer! Run!
T-59. Super Mario Kart (7) Genre: Racing Original Year: 1992 Original Platform: SNES Company: Nintendo
"I've got one balloon left, and a crazed lunatic on my tail with a red shell just behind me. What am I gonna do besides...*gets feather from ? block*...jump?" -- my friend just before jumping out of bounds to avoid my shell, circa 1994
T-59. Mega Man X (7) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1993 Original Platform: SNES Company: Capcom
It's amazing how adding little things to an existing franchise like wall jumps and short little dashes can completely change a game. Well, so can improved hardware for better graphics, sound, and animation.
T-59. Asteroids (7) Genre: Arcade Original Year: 1979 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Atari
This doesn't look good. *Hyperspace* GDI, did you have to put me down INSIDE an asteroid?
58. Silent Hill 2 (5 +3) Genre: Survival horror Original Year: 2001 Original Platform: Playstation 2 Company: Konami
Don't ask me. I get nightmares too easily to play **** like this.
57. Sid Meier's Civilization (7 +1) Genre: TBS Original Year: 1991 Original Platform: DOS Company: MicroProse
Fun fact: when you wipe out an enemy civ early enough, a replacement civ enters the game. Second fun fact: If you can kill the replacement civ's settler unit before they can found a city with it, they're never registered as being killed and you can just completely colonize the world. Third fun fact: If you try to fully colonize the entire world, the game eventually runs out of memory and REALLY weird stuff starts happening.
T-52. The Secret of Monkey Island (8) Genre: Adventure Original Year: 1990 Original Platform: DOS Company: LucasArts
Do you have a cousin named Sven? No, but I once had a barber named Dominique.
T-52. NBA Jam (8) Genre: Sports Original Year: 1993 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Midway
Unlimited turbo mode. Power dunks mode. Speed mode. Big head mode. Power-up defense game....He's on fire! BOOM-shakalakalaka
T-52. EverQuest (8) Genre: MMORPG Original Year: 1999 Original Platform: PC Company: Verant Interactive
Hey, why'd you pull? The cleric's AFK! Feign it off! Feign it...crap.
LOADING, PLEASE WAIT . . .
T-52. Deus Ex (8) Genre: Action RPG Original Year: 2000 Original Platform: PC/Mac Company: Ion Storm Inc.
Afraid I really don't know this one. Sure, I know *of* it, but I've got nothing I can say.
T-52. Dance Dance Revolution (8) Genre: Music Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Konami
Before there was Guitar Hero, there was still cheap chintzy hardware used for single games in the form of crappy floor mats that never recognize your steps correctly.
51. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (8) Genre: Sports Original Year: 2000 Original Platform: Playstation Company: Neversoft
Tony Hawk's pretty good in a half pipe, but I'm pretty sure he's never grinded up rails 300 feet long, going uphill two stories.
50. Fallout: A Post-Apocalyptic Role Playing Game (8) Genre: WRPG Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: DOS Company: Interplay
What do you mean, you don't know what a super mutant is? Did you grow up in a vault or something?
49. SoulCalibur (8) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Namco
Health bars are kinda silly in a game where you fight with swords, aren't they?
Deus Ex is FPS with light RPG elements - experience, skills, augmentations, more involved narrative with some branching paths. It has lots of balancing issues but it's worth playing. It's also more popular than the similar genre System Shock 2.
--
... as if rights are like muscles - the more you use it, the better it gets. Indeed he may be exercising his first amendment-- but he's an IDIOT! - A. Scalia
T-38. Metroid Prime (11) Genre: Action-adventure (or Metroid-vania, if you prefer) Original Year: 2002 Original Platform: GameCube Company: Nintendo
Reboot Metroid as a first-person game in a 3-D world? Metroid? It has like tons of jumping and stuff, it'll never work!...ooh, hey, this is actually pretty damn cool.
T-38. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (11) Genre: Open world adventure Original Year: 2004 Original Platform: PlayStation 2 Company: Rockstar
Who knew that some hot coffee could get your ESRB rating changed, and your game effectively banned from many retailers? C'mon, it wasn't even in the game!
37. Castlevania (9 +3) Genre: Action-adventure platformer Original Year: 1986 Original Platform: NES Company: Konami
GDI, if I fall into a pit because of some piece of **** monster that appears out of nowhere and jostles me just enough to miss a jump...YARRRGHH!!!!
36. Donkey Kong Country (10 +2) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1994 Original Platform: SNES Company: Rare
The best-selling SNES game of all-time (besides SMW, which came with most Super Nintendos.) It also had maybe the best game soundtrack we had ever heard until CT came out a year later.
35. Portal (12) Genre: Puzzle-platform Original Year: 2007 Original Platform: PC/360/PS3 Company: Valve
"If at first, you don't succeed...you fail." But this game did not fail. No, one could certainly label it a triumph, worthy of celebration and non-existent cake.
34. Grand Theft Auto 3 (10 +3) Genre: Open world adventure Original Year: 2001 Original Platform: PlayStation 2 Company: DMA Design
Carjacking, gunning down civilians, f***ing prostitutes and then killing them so you can take your money back, driving fire engines into buildings...wait, this game actually has a plot? Don't tell Jack Thompson.
T-32. Wolfenstein 3-D (13) Genre: FPS Original Year: 1992 Original Platform: DOS Company: id Software
If I had never played Wolfenstein 3D, I would have never taken German in high school. Or killed so many Nazis with a chain gun.
T-32. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (13) Genre: Action-adventure Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: PlayStation Company: Konami
Never played it, surprisingly. Sorry. No comment.
31. Final Fantasy VI (7 +7) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1994 Original Platform: SNES Company: Square
You could call it the last old-style Final Fantasy game or the first new-style Final Fantasy game. I call it FF3.
T-29. The Sims (14) Genre: Simulation (really!?) Original Year: 2000 Original Platform: PC Company: Maxis
After SimAnt, SimTower, SimFarm, SimCopter...Will Wright said, screw it, let's just make "SimLife." (Not to confused with SimEarth.) And people have been trapping their artifical people in rooms without doors or pools without ladders ever since.
T-29. Contra (14) Genre: Side-scrolling shooter Original Year: 1987 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Konami
I won't say it. I will not recite the Konami code. There are better things to comment on than up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right, like...ah, crap...like how the Fire gun was such a waste of space or how I don't think anyone I knew actually had any idea what the "R" did.
T-46. World of Warcraft (9) Genre: MMORPG Original Year: 2004 Original Platform: PC Company: Blizzard Entertainment
Come join us! Twelve million people can't be wrong!...wait, isn't that what they used to say in America On-line commercials? But AOL didn't have Ragnaros and Onyxia raids!
T-46. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (9) Genre: FPS Original Year: 2007 Original Platform: 360/PS3/PC Company: Infinity Ward
Sure, twelve million people can be wrong. Play our game instead. Thirteen million people can't be wrong. Although they can all be cheaters or total a$$hats.
T-46. Mario Kart 64 (9) Genre: Racing Original Year: 1996 Original Platform: N64 Company: Nintendo
Bowser's Castle sucks a hell of a lot more in 3-D than it did in 2. But hey, Rainbow Road has guardrails at least!
45. Quake (6 votes, plus 4 from similiar games) Genre: FPS Original Year: 1996 Original Platform: PC Company: id Software
The game that gave rise to e-sports and allowed video games in general to reach new heights...thanks to rocket-hopping.
44. Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior) (7 +3) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1986 Original Platform: NES Company: Enix
It may not hath been literally thine first RPG, but for anyone who doth not haveth a computereth duringeth the 80's, it may as well have been....eth.
T-41. Resident Evil (10) Genre: Survival horror Original Year: 1996 Original Platform: PlayStation Company: Capcom
My friend's sister, who hates scary movies with a passion, grabbed the controller from my friend's hand once upon a time and decided to play whatever game we were playing at the time, unaware of what it was. He said absolutely nothing as she walked up to the front door and opened it....and then she threw the controller, ran out of the room, and never played a video game again.
T-41. Resident Evil 4 (10) Genre: Survival horror Original Year: 2005 Original Platform: Gamecube Company: Capcom
Another double feature. Sorry about that. It didn't seem right to combine this with RE1, as they're significant for different reasons. RE1 was the first (noteworthy) survival horror game. RE4 was just a great game.
T-41. Wii Sports (10) Genre: Minigame Buffet Original Year: 2006 Original Platform: Wii Company: Nintendo
Silly WoW, and CoD, come play the best-selling game of all-time! And probably also the game that has resulted in the most damaged television sets of all-time as well.
T-38. Tomb Raider (11) Genre: Action-adventure? 3D platformer? Puzzle adventure? Original Year: 1996 Original Platform: er...Sega Saturn?? I didn't even know it was out on Saturn! Company: Eidos
Poor Lara Croft. She went from the heroine of an illustrious franchise during the dawn of the Playstation era to bimbo eyecandy in crappy sequels played by Angelina Jolie. Remember the original!
GTA x2? I haven't seriously played them, but I figured they weren't different enough to grab two higher spots on the list. I just remember III opening the door.
--
... as if rights are like muscles - the more you use it, the better it gets. Indeed he may be exercising his first amendment-- but he's an IDIOT! - A. Scalia
I certainly could have combined the two GTAs. All that would have done was bump 3 further up the list. Since we had a 13-way tie at the bottom, we wouldn't add anything new.
In general I tried to combine things that were more or less the same, barring a good reason to do otherwise, and tried to generally stick to two entries for a major franchise or one for a smaller IP.
The core of San Andreas and III is the same and they do have the same game engine, but believe me when I say that they are vastly different games. I'm glad they weren't combined
Likewise -- the series is large enough to warrant two entries. GTA3 was a legendary smash-hit for the series while GTA:SA's probably the peak of the series quality-wise (while still being another huge hit). GTA:SA was also what I started the series with, which made GTA3 and even GTA:VC difficult to go back to afterward.
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http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/3492/eponaharr.jpg Nominate SuperNiceDog's Guru-choice, then Epona.
28. Star Fox 64 (16 +1) Genre: Rail Shooter Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: N64 Company: Nintendo
Slippy may be a terrible pilot, but with the amount of destruction you cause to your Arwings, where would your team be without him? (Also, R-wing sounds a bit too much like X-wing.)
T-26. Super Smash Bros. Melee (17) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 2001 Original Platform: Gamecube Company: Nintendo
The original was good, but SSBM gave us more characters, more speed, and definitely more ways to annoy our opponents. jigggguleeepuuuff, jiggggguleeepuuuff...
T-26. Half-Life (17) Genre: FPS Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: PC Company: Valve
Proof that all you need in order to get ahead in life is a little determination. And a crowbar. And that even guys with advanced degrees from MIT have to become action heroes to get some respect.
25. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (15 +3) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1992 Original Platform: Genesis Company: Sega
Sonic 1 was a great game, but Sonic 2 did everything 1 did, and did it better. (Especially the bonus stages, oh god the horrible Sonic 1 bonus stages.) Plus, you got a cute sidekick following you around.
24. Super Metroid (17 +1) Genre: Action-adventure Original Year: 1994 Original Platform: SNES Company: Nintendo
This is one of those games that makes me very grateful for emulators. I totally missed this the first time around since the first two Metroid games pissed me off too much. This was not only playable, but awesome.
23. Space Invaders (18) Genre: Shooter Original Year: 1978 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Taito Corporation
What's more classic than a '78 game about shooting encroaching aliens?
22. Super Mario World (19) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1990 Original Platform: SNES Company: Nintendo
Probably the highest-ranked game I should have cut from the list, but it was the flagship game of the SNES. I just couldn't...even with three higher-ranked Mario games.
21. Donkey Kong (20) Genre: Classic Arcade Original Year: 1981 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Nintendo
A fistful of quarters says you can't beat this game before the kill screen. Unless your name is Billie Mitchell, of course.
20. Chrono Trigger (21) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1995 Original Platform: SNES Company: Squaresoft
The most beloved RPG from the most respected time period for RPGs. And yet it only gets 20th on RPGfaqs?
19. Mega Man 2 (17 +5) Genre: Action platformer Original Year: 1988 Original Platform: NES Company: Capcom
T-17. The Legend of Zelda (22) Genre: Action-adventure Original Year: 1986 Original Platform: NES Company: Nintendo
Confession time: I've never accomplished anything while trying to play the original Zelda. I usually just get cut down by Octoroks or something. And yet I've beaten Link's Awakening...why am I so bad at the original?
T-17. Goldeneye: 007 (22) Genre: FPS Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: N64 Company: Rare
The first FPS worth a damn for a console, and still probably the only movie based on a video game that anybody will ever care about. Just say no to the remake.
16. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (21 +2) Genre: Action-adventure Original Year: 1991 Original Platform: SNES Company: Nintendo
When you talk about games that were truly ahead of their time, this game has to be on that list. I mean, what can I really say about it that doesn't sound trite?
15. Pong (23) Genre: Classic Arcade (or arguably Sports) Original Year: 1972 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Atari, Inc.
In many people's mind, the very definition of classic gaming, because nothing says video gaming quite like playing a very slow moving game of air hockey.
14. Doom (23 +1) Genre: FPS Original Year: 1993 Original Platform: DOS Shareware Company: id Software
Maybe you couldn't actually AIM up or down, but at least you actually truly had a third dimension for perhaps the first time ever in a game. Not that my old 486 could run it worth a damn or anything.
13. StarCraft (24) Genre: RTS Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: PC Company: Blizzard Entertainment
This write-up needs more vespene gas. There's a zerg rush of top 10 coming, and carriers are arriving.
12. Halo: Combat Evolved (26) Genre: FPS Original Year: 2001 Original Platform: Xbox Company: Bungie
Take Marathon. Put it on a platform people actually play. Add spoken text and a regenerating shield. Congratulations, you've just discovered the formula for about half a billion annoying 10-year-olds.
11. Super Mario Bros. 3 (30) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1988 Original Platform: NES Company: Nintendo
OK, seriously guys, how did this not make top 10? How did this not make top ONE? I would dare say that relative to its time period, this is the best game of all-time. And they made a freaking movie just to show it off!...I'm not the only one who remembers the Wizard, am I?
What happened with the 007 remake? The Perfect Dark one for the 360 was great.
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... as if rights are like muscles - the more you use it, the better it gets. Indeed he may be exercising his first amendment-- but he's an IDIOT! - A. Scalia
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Not changing this sig until the Bengals, Bills, Browns and Lions win the Super Bowl (10/10/10) The most American Canadian on Board 8 - #9 Bro on Board 8
10. Metal Gear Solid (29 +3) Genre: Stealth action (or at least that's what Wikipedia labels it) Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: Playstation Company: Konami
What game would be complete if you couldn't hide inside an Acme box? Y'know, when you're actually playing the game, and not merely watching it.
T-8. Super Mario 64 (34) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1996 Original Platform: N64 Company: Nintendo
Blocky graphics and getting used to a really weird controller are what I remember most about this game.
T-8. Sonic the Hedgehog (34) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1991 Original Platform: Genesis Company: Sega
ZOMG, Blast Processing. This game does what Ninten-don't.
7. Pac-Man (35 +2) Genre: Classic Arcade Original Year: 1980 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Namco
The only reason Pac-Man never gains any weight from eating all those dots is because he burns off all the calories running from those GD ghosts all the time. I'm still amazed at the people who skillfully evade them.
6. Pokemon Red and Blue (38) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: Gameboy Company: Nintendo
I like shorts! They're comfy and easy to wear!...mm-hmm, you too, buddy.
5. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (41) Genre: Fighting Original Year: 1991 Original Platform: Arcade Company: Capcom
And the legions and legions of off-shoot games that are truly just more SF2. I stopped paying attention long before they added Cammy and whoever the other three losers were that came with her. SSF2T is all the Street Fighter I need.
4. Tetris (45) Genre: Block Puzzle Original Year: 1984 Platform Best Known For: Gameboy Creator: Alexey Pajitnov
In Soviet Russia, your life take over block game. I can hardly think of a better top-5 pick than Tetris.
3. Final Fantasy VII (44 +2) Genre: RPG Original Year: 1997 Original Platform: Playstation Company: Squaresoft
Proof that killer FMVs can sell video game systems. Wait, what do you mean the whole game doesn't look like that?
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (47) Genre: Action-adventure Original Year: 1998 Original Platform: N64 Company: Nintendo
Gamers of the world have spent a collective 82,685 hours watching a fat fish-man scooch sideways to get out of the way, and in spite of that it's still one of the best games of all time.
1. Super Mario Bros. (48) Genre: Platformer Original Year: 1985 Original Platform: NES Company: Nintendo
Sorry, B8 crowd, our real #1 is in a different countdown. Or not. The game that revitalized the gaming industry after the Fall of Atari certainly deserves its spot at the top.
Pac-Man can be safe-spotted. I don't remember the exact details but I remember reading a while back that once you got to a certain point the map layout didn't change and there was a spot the ghosts couldn't "find" you in.
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... as if rights are like muscles - the more you use it, the better it gets. Indeed he may be exercising his first amendment-- but he's an IDIOT! - A. Scalia
So, the complete list (without me worrying about what is tied with what)
112. Madden 111. Breakout 110. Counterstrike 109. Duck Hunt 108. Final Fight 107. Streets of Rage 2 106. Kingdom Hearts 105. Lemmings 104. Prince of Persia 103. Shadow of the Colossus 102. Ogre Battle 101. Crash Bandicoot 100. Warcraft 99. Kirby's Dreamland 98. Tron Deadly Discs 97. Tekken 2 96. Xenogears 95. Rock Band 94. Phantasy Star IV 93. Mario Party 92. Galaga 91. Worms 90. Uncharted 2 89. The Simpsons 88. Punch-out!! 87. F-Zero GX 86. Rampage 85. Frogger 84. Defender 83. Fire Emblem: RD 82. SimCity 81. Kirby Super Star 80. Command & Conquer 79. Half-Life 2 78. Morrowind 77. Bioshock 76. TMNT Arcade 75. Myst 74. Skyrim 73. Mortal Kombat 2 72. Mortal Kombat 71. Final Fantasy Tactics 70. Civilization IV 69. Ultima VII 68. Mass Effect 67. The Oregon Trail 66. Gran Turismo 65. Earthbound 64. Diablo 2 63. Banjo-Kazooie 62. Super Smash Bros. 61. Mega Man X 60. Super Mario Kart 59. Asteroids 58. Silent Hill 2 57. Civilization 56. Monkey Island 55. NBA Jam 54. EverQuest 53. Deus Ex 52. Dance Dance Revolution 51. Tony Hawk 2 50. Fallout 49. SoulCalibur 48. Mario Kart 64 47. Call of Duty 4: MW 46. World of Warcraft 45. Quake 44. Dragon Quest/Warrior 43. Resident Evil 4 42. Resident Evil 41. Wii Sports 40. Tomb Raider 39. Metroid Prime 38. Grand Theft Auto: SA 37. Castlevania 36. Donkey Kong Country 35. Portal 34. Grand Theft Auto 3 33. Wolfenstein 3-D 32. Castlevania: SotN 31. Final Fantasy VI 30. Contra 29. The Sims 28. Star Fox 64 27. Super Smash Bros. Melee 26. Half-Life 25. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 24. Super Metroid 23. Space Invaders 22. Super Mario World 21. Donkey Kong 20. Chrono Trigger 19. Mega Man 2 18: Legend of Zelda 17. Goldeneye 16. LoZ: Link to the Past 15. Pong 14. Doom 13. Starcraft 12. Halo 11. Super Mario Bros. 3 10. Metal Gear Solid 9. Super Mario 64 8. Sonic the Hedgehog 7. Pac-Man 6. Pokemon RBY 5. Street Fighter 2 4. Tetris 3. Final Fantasy VII 2. LoZ: Ocarina of Time 1. Super Mario Bros.