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Top 100 Games Of All Time Decided - Again

Posted by simoniker on from the where's-escape-from-the-planet-of-the-robot-monsters? dept.

Thanks to submitter Brad1138, who points out an article at MSNBC.com about a new list of the top 100 games ever. This time it was staffers at Entertainment Weekly and the games TV station G4 who decided the list, and the article only mentions the 5 highest-rated titles, which include Legend Of Zelda, Doom and Tetris. Which games would you have included in your list?

41 comments

  1. #1 best game ever:... by SpanishInquisition · · Score: 4, Funny

    Getting First Posts

    --
    Je t'aime Stéphanie
  2. IGN's list by jvmatthe · · Score: 5, Informative

    IGN is doing something similar just these past few days. Here's their list, which they haven't completely revealed yet (as of this writing): Top 100 Games.

    Blah blah blah everyone has an opinion blah blah blah no one can agree on best games blah blah blah it's all subjective.

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    Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
  3. Great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I fear for the generation that grows up with that channel dictating their tastes in games...

    Tell us G4, what do all the cool kids and movie stars play? I wanna be just like you Mr. TV host! You play the cool games and get all the hot chicks to like you!

    Ok I suppose that's enough hate for one day...

  4. My picks by Scarblac · · Score: 1

    Star Control II, Doom and Nethack are all the Best Game Ever.

    --
    I believe posters are recognized by their sig. So I made one.
  5. useless lists. by gl4ss · · Score: 3, Insightful

    they're just as useful as 'best song ever' lists..

    besides, no mention of nethack ;).

    try the useless factor yourselfs... pick a game, and then pick another, and another and another.. until you got enough games that you can't really rate over one, either because they're from different times or for other simlar reasons. make the list again tomorrow and come up with different games.

    "nethack, fallout1/2, ultima underworld 1/2, oh wait morrowind too, system shock, oh gripes can't forget star control2 or pool of radiance.. or rick dangerous! oh wait it would all be useless without elite and first encounters... can't forget doom either but halflife was more captivating"

    you could try the same thing with movies too.. even if nobody made _any_ new games, there would be enough for lifetimes worth already(actually, nethack is enough for that alone).

    sure they're fun but for fun the worst games ever lists kick more ass..

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    1. Re:useless lists. by nathanh · · Score: 4, Interesting
      they're just as useful as 'best song ever' lists..

      Well, I *do* find these lists useful. I have neither the time nor money to play every game in existence. I rely on these lists to give me an indication of which games are worth my attention.

      Oh sure, there's a tiny chance that the list won't have an obscure title that I would enjoy playing. Tough. I'm not willing to rent/buy an obscure title on the off-chance it won't suck.

      And yes, I have the same philosophy for music, movies and books.

    2. Re:useless lists. by gl4ss · · Score: 4, Insightful

      the thing is, that these lists make it also possible for you to fall for an overhyped shortlived(in gameplay) game that is on the list only because it was so overhyped at the time of the lists creation, and because of the nature of the business(you don't buy old games, usually) it's more possible that you buy a new game thats not really worth of your money than older title that is great and could keep you captivated for months. some of those titles that end up on these lists have NO chance of getting on that list again after a year, hows that for an all-time-greatest-games listing forming..

      also because of the nature of the video-games industry it's not feasible to watch these lists for stuff to buy because the titles are more or less tied to the hardware of it's age, meaning that once great graphics or innovative gameplay are not that great anymore if you only look for 'having a good time'(=look for tips on what to pick up at the mall), but are still worth mentioning and remembering!

      whats the deal with no 'post anon' checkbox?

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    3. Re:useless lists. by angle_slam · · Score: 2, Insightful
      they're just as useful as 'best song ever' lists..

      They much less useful than Best Song Ever lists. The reason is simple. E.g., Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind is considered a classic by some. Even if you think it is a little dated or it is not your style, that album was one important thing going for it: It is still available. Can you even find a game from 1991? Of course, the situation with pre-80s material is even worse, as games from those era are obsolete, as little hardware exists that still runs it (emulators can be used, though), but music from before the 80s is readily accessible.

      Finding out what albums or songs from the 60s are considered "must haves" can be good. Finding out about how "groundbreaking" a DOS game was is useless, because you can't find it and, even if you could, you might not be able to run it.

  6. Games, games, games! by vskjefst · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Is it just me, or has Slashdot become all crammed with game news lately? We all love games, but, hey...

    --
    Vegard
    1. Re:Games, games, games! by Xenex · · Score: 3, Informative

      Err, the new games section was just launched. Notice the purple?

      If you've set your preferences for all section articles to spill over into the main page, you're going to see a lot of game news in the future.

  7. Re:useless lists. x 2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you're correct, but calling this list "best games ever" is a big joke in more than one way; Madden NFL 2003 certainly didn't sell many copies outside of the US... and that game is suppose to be in the top 10 of the best games ever, riiighto. "Best games ever as voted by a small minority of the american people" maybe. Or not.

  8. The list lacks perspective by travail_jgd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From the article: "Rounding out the top five were the classic puzzle game "Tetris," the criminal adventure games "Grand Theft Auto III" and "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" from Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. and "Madden NFL 2003" from Electronic Arts Inc."

    Unfortunately, their full list is probably going to be full of recent (and mostly) mediocre games, with a few classics[1] thrown in for "flavor".

    [1]: Classics being anything before Y2K: Pac-Man, Asteroids, Quake, Civilization, etc.

    1. Re:The list lacks perspective by Babbster · · Score: 3, Insightful
      Civilization woud easily make my personal top 5 games (counting it's "primary sequels" 2 and 3).

      I have to say, though, that any top 100 games list that includes all platforms is ill conceived from the start. After all, I know many people who never played games on the Commodore 64 or Amiga (both of which had some great games) just as I was never into the Atari personal computer (400, 800, 1600XL, ST, etc.). Balance of Power, for example, was a great game but if you didn't play games on an old Mac or Atari ST, you'd never know it.

      I liked GTA3 and GTA: Vice City quite a lot, but how do either of those games make the list of the top five games of all time? They're great games and could be in my top 10 for the past five years but they'd probably miss my top TWENTY for all time.

      Unfortunately, when these lists are created, it's done by people who a) want to make a list that appeals to important marketing demographics NOW and b) have probably only played games that make the video game equivalent of the best-seller list.

      At least I don't have G4 so that I won't be annoyed by the list in its entirety. After all, Ball Blazer and Pitfall! probably won't make the list and that might cause me violent thoughts. :)

  9. Considering the sources. by An'Desha+Danin · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This e'er-so-accurate brought to you buy a magazine that thrives on pop-celebrity gossip, and a TV channel that tries to sell gaming as a "lifestyle brand." Doesn't get much more hardcore than that, nope.

    --
    Anything you might ever need to say about anything has already been said better by Penny Arcade.
  10. One of the best games ever by Charlton+Heston · · Score: 1

    Empire. The original one written by Walter Bright. Even the two retail versions by White Wolf (Bright's game company) were great.

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    Get your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape
    1. Re:One of the best games ever by Anarchy-X · · Score: 0

      I agree.. Empire is a great game.. This topic is going to make me want to dig out my old Atari 800.

  11. So um.. by dalassa · · Score: 1

    So for 90% of us that don't get G4 this means what?

    --
    Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.
  12. The lists are useless, but.... Zaxxon by dpilot · · Score: 1

    I remember the first time I saw Zaxxon. My wife and I were with another couple going to a movie, and there was a Zaxxon machine in the lobby. It was the first time I'd seen a video game attempting or approximating a real perspective view.

    Of course now it's cheesey, but at the time it was impressive. But the same could be said of Doom. But as someone once said, every year or so, it's kind of neat late at night to turn out the lights at night, set the sound, and go back to Episode 1.

    My other old favorite was Atari Star Wars with the line-drawn graphics.

    --
    The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
  13. I will avoid the chance to spout about my faves by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Just notice, Entertainment Weekly is one of the crappiest media franchises ever. They are complete playboys of the movie industry, consistently giving good reviews to complete formula pap. I am completely uninterested in their opinion on the best videogames. I've never really watched G4 (every time I turn it on some stereotypical geek is saying something stupid, so I click away from it, I watch less than 4 hours of television a week anyway so I won't waste it there) so I can't comment on their taste in games, but even if it matches mine perfectly, EW's skew will send it off into fuckville.

    Incidentally, if I had to pick the greatest video game of all time, I'm not sure what it would be, but Zelda would have a decent shot at it, so at least that is a reasonable match. But it's also a no-brainer, you look at the games that sold like mad and really captivated gamers in their time. I mean you have to put sonic on that list even if you think it sucks, it's just another platformer, albeit faster, because it's one of the best loved games of all time.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    1. Re:I will avoid the chance to spout about my faves by simoniker · · Score: 2

      Not sure I agree entirely about Entertainment Weekly. They actually seem pretty careful about choosing their videogame reviewers, who include Geoff Keighley of Gamespot/Gameslice and Erik 'Oldmanmurray' Wolpaw, both of whom are reasonably respected both online and off.

      Your mileage may vary, of course. :)

  14. jaded by rakanishu · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Everyone's so jaded on this topic. These lists can be useful. The AFI's top 100 Movies helped me identify a few that I managed to miss. There might be a few games that you missed that are worth checking out.

  15. So Much Yummy Goodness. Ow, Nostalgia Overload. by edward.virtually@pob · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As someone else mentioned, "best" is a very subjective term. Some of the games (video and pinball) I remember fondly from the arcades and 7-11s in no particular order: Qix, Astro Blaster, Gorf, Frogger, Lunar Lander, Star Fire, Night Driver, I Robot, Road Blasters, Sinistar, Space Duel, Dig Dug, Domino Man, TRON, Discs of Tron, Pac Man, Super Pac Man, Rushin' Attack, Food Fight, Wizard of Wor, Scramble, Black Knight, Space Fury, Gyruss, Star Wars, Star Trek, Test Drive, Outrun, Klax, Congo Bongo, Journey, KickMan, High Speed, Cyclone, Gauntlet, Road Runner, Rally-X. I remember playing computer games such as Adventure, Zork, Jumpman, Dungeon, Trader, Wumpus, Choplifter, Frantic Freddie, and Impossible Mission. Mmm.

  16. Old School by 010_digital_100 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Top 5 in no particular order:
    1. River Raid
    2. Pitfall
    3. Tyson's Punchout
    4. Contra (we all know the code)
    5. Dope Wars (aka Drug Cartel) for my TI-82 Calculator

    010_digital_100

    --
  17. Classics by AlasdairCake · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I'm always surprised when Top 100 lists miss games like Frontier Elite 2, HalfLife, Civilization 2, Homeworld, etc. At the time, many of these games scored top marks, and were "Game of the Year". I must admit, it's amazing that not a single "modern" Open-Ended Space Sim comes close to Frontier Elite 2 - Microsoft Freelancer is fun, but it's no way nere as "big" as the Frontier universe was. Or as open ended.

  18. Reasonable doubt by MMaestro · · Score: 3, Insightful
    There is no set standard for rating games that the (mass/mainstream) public can acknowledge yet. 'Top 100 Games Of All Time'? How are you going to rate that? That I think is the question we need to answer before we read these lists.

    Zelda is great, but in terms of technological advances (with the exception of the first game) it gets left in the dust compared to the work of Doom, Half-Life, and Quake.

  19. Console Games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0



    It looks like this list is limited to console games... ick.

  20. difference between 'best' and 'first'? by SophtwareSlump · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I always get a chuckle out of these lists. Some of the games are listed because they're one of the first games in their genre (or created the genre) and some of them are just recent games with great graphics and good gameplay.

    I still think 'Alone in the Dark', 'Out of This World' and 'Bomberman' are 3 of the most overlooked games of all time (at least for me in the early 90's). Heck, 4 player Super Bomberman on the Super Nintendo is one of the best 'gaming with friends' experiences ever.

    It should also be noted that some games age really poorly. Like Doom. I love Doom as much as the next gamer but if you play the original version it's pathetic. What? I cant crouch?? How do I climb ladders? I appreciate Doom for what it was in it's day, but it's no fun now that I've played better :)

    1. Re:difference between 'best' and 'first'? by pecosdave · · Score: 1

      I agree about bomberman on the SNES. Never have 7 hours gone by without me noticing so quickly. I walked out of that session with a game hangover having a hard time adapting back to reality.

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      The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
    2. Re:difference between 'best' and 'first'? by evilhayama · · Score: 1

      This is a good point. A more relevant list might be the best game in each (sub-)Genre of games. So Doom wouldn't be in there as it has been overshadowed in almost every way by games like quake, Halflife and maybe Doom 3. You could have best 'scary' FPS, best 'funny' FPS, best strategy FPS etc. That way if I wanted to check out a game in that genre I could go straight for the best one. I imagine that list could get quite long, depending how fine grained your genre choices were.

    3. Re:difference between 'best' and 'first'? by Student_Tech · · Score: 1

      Dang, we only had a mix of Bomberman 2 and 3 on a big screen in one of the dorms last night/this morning. Only went 4 hours but was really strange ending at 3 AM.
      The one level (9 I think) in Bomberman 3 with the seasaws, yeah we were calling that one seizure city.

  21. Can't believe anyone's giving credence to G4 TV by analog_line · · Score: 1

    I mean the entire thing is just one long 24/7/52 ad banner for the game companies. They bring in all their little promotional gimmiks (for some Star Wars game the guy they "interviewed" had two guys dressed as Imperial stormtroopers "standing guard" behind him through it). I can barely stand to watch it, even to laugh at it. I've never seen them pan ANYTHING.

  22. Watch Judgement Day by Da+VinMan · · Score: 1

    It's their games review program. They tend to be somewhat goofy, but they're fairly objective.

    I agree that the channel can get pretty disgusting with the amount of pandering to vendors that they do, but the channel isn't a total waste.

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  23. Oh yeah... by Kelz · · Score: 2, Funny

    When I think computer games... I think Entertainment Weekly!

  24. mine for each decade by ScurvySeaDog · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The 80s would be the Ultima series, with 5 being my favorite.

    The 90s, Civilization. That was the 90s right? or late 80s.

    Today there's a lot to choose from, but I pick Everquest. Yea, muds have been around for a long time and EQ wasn't the first big commercial venture... but I think they're still the best.

    Looking forward to Star Wars Galaxies and Everquest2.

    1. Re:mine for each decade by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ultima 7 was mine. The Ultima series was just amazing

  25. Ask Wil Wheaton about G4 by rickwood · · Score: 3, Informative

    q.v. http://slashdot.org/~CleverNickName/journal/20695

    I used to put G4 on in the background quite often while I was working. The commercials, being mostly about games, were at least less annoying than commercials for cars or tampons. I like to hear people talking when I'm doing chores, so that's why TV instead of music.

    Anyway, after some exposure to the channel, I found Arena. I would actually sit and watch this show because A) Wil was on it and B) I thought the idea of the competition was cool. For those unfamiliar, Arena was a computer and console game competition between two teams of four. (theoretically, anyway, see Wil's journal)

    Then Wil wasn't on anymore. I thought, "Oh maybe he's doing a movie or something and that's why they put these two pretty boys on the show." Then I read the above /. journal by Wil. I have not put on G4 even once since then.

    Message to G4: Wil Wheaton has a posse!

  26. could someone post a link to the llist itself... by jda487 · · Score: 1

    yeah, i couldn't find it within 15 seconds, and am too tired to look any harder.

  27. Madden 2003 is the fifth best game of all time? by bluemeep · · Score: 1

    I don't even NEED to write an amusing comment about that one. The subject alone is enough to send me into hysterical giggle fits.

    1. Re:Madden 2003 is the fifth best game of all time? by johnkoer · · Score: 1

      I think it is pretty obvious:

      Entertainment Weekly is owned by
      AOL Time Warner

      AOL is in cahoots with EA for the Madden Bowl

      EA may be mad they did not get the number 1 slot ;).

      --
      Johnkoerner.com
  28. Rate games by science! by JamPaladin · · Score: 1

    The problem with top 100 lists is they rate the games using opinions, rather than a true scientific method. Thus, to establish a true top 100 list, games must be rated using the only scientific method available - how long it takes to see the first crate!

    (Woot! Old man murray is back)

  29. Re:useless lists. x 2 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'd agree with tetris being in there, probably Doom, but the rest? They might be good, but not the greatest ever.