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The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century
Ground Glass writes "Most top ten or top 100 lists are pure opinion, and thus a source of great debate as their objectivity is questioned by everyone with a personal favorite. Next Gen has chosen a different route — this is the top 100 games on PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube, calculated since the start of the decade by unit sales in America." As you'd expect, GTA, Halo, and Madden are in the top ten ... but did you know Smash Brothers Melee has sold 3.2 million units? Interesting stuff.
I know its a bit of a pointless argument since these lists are really just for entertainment. But I think there's a subtle detail missing:
::dramatic music::
Software piracy!
MPAA and the like are quick to quote numbers on how much revenue is lost due to illegal downloads and file sharing. Yet where are these statistics when it comes to determining a game's popularity and longevity? Industries are so quick to point these statistics out only when they cater to their own demands.
I know all my illegal downloads of "Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom" alone would've easily bumped it up from #67 to #66!
And yes, I know the stats on lost revenue are stupid since downloading a game illegally doesn't mean you would've paid for it.
I think the point I'm trying to make is that while they did try to take many factors into account, ultimately they're defining "popularity" as "sales" and I don't think that's entirely accurate.
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"A man is asked if he is wise or not. He replies that he is otherwise" ~Mao Zedong
Capitalism: When it uses the carrot, it's called democracy. When it uses the stick, it's called fascism.
"This list's order and content is copyright to Next Generation and must not be reproduced or copied without the permission of the publisher."
OK, content I can go along with. But trying to claim copyright on the rankings themselves? That's kind of like the NFL claiming copyright on the standings and prohibiting newspapers from publishing them without a license fee.
Come on kids. You're writing about VIDEO GAMES. Not exactly "War and Peace". Be happy that Slashdot picked up your link, is sending all kinds of people to visit, and get off the IP bandwagon.
11 pages for one article? It starts at 100, and gives you no option to click through to the top ten. next-gen.biz are pageview whores, and deserve their ad-free printable version link to be published.
This is why I don't do 'awards'. They never explain why one thing is better than another - and they always choose 'winners' that suck.
And this isn't "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century" it's "The 100 top-selling console games of the last 5 years".
Lame - with a capital 'L'.
Whoo, signature!
DesireCampbell.com
I fully agree with you. The PC is no less a gaming "console" for a lot of people than are the "real" consoles. In fact, one could easily argue that the consoles are all trying to become PCs with media play and Internet capabilities. I won't be surprised if you can have an e-mail address specifically for the console of your choice in the near future. (After all, keyboards are supported on some consoles.)
I would guess that games like Half-Life 2 and World of Warcraft would rank very highly in term of dollars produced, and last time I checked -- they're games. PC games deserve full recognition in this category as well. The fact that they're not included makes the article meaningless.
And does it really make sense to offer a Top 100 of ANYTHING where we're only five years into the 21st centry?
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
...but I was under the impression that there were still 94 1/2 years left in the 21st century.
"God is nothing but a public static final variable x." - my roommate
Nintendogs Out sold Halo and Pokemon consistantly outsells GTA.