In the 200th issue of Game Informer, they suggested the following games were the greatest ever made. My ambition is to play every game on the list. Can I do it? (spoiler alert: probably not! that's a lot of games!)
How many have you played? Do you agree with the list or disagree? Comment and let me know.
The greatest game of all time? It probably was back when it came out, but is likely here more because of its influence than its staying power. I remember as a kid playing it and struggling to figure out where all the hidden places were, just cutting down every tree and throwing bombs at every wall. It's amazing to consider how deep this game is when most NES titles were more like Bad Dudes.
I'm ashamed to say I didn't actually finish this game until the Super Mario All-Stars version, where you can save your progress, but I still liked it a lot. I struggled to find the self-restraint to avoid warping and play through every level, but man is it hard when you know where they're at.
I probably wouldn't sit down and play Tetris today, but back when I first got my Game Boy in around 1990 I couldn't get enough of it. One of my proudest ever gaming moments was completing it on the fastest speed with the highest level of preformed blocks, and saw the whole orchestra and rocket blasting off.
I'd fallen out of gaming a bit during the PS2 era, but I did manage to pick this one up. I was a fan of the first GTA on the PC, but never would have expected the series to get this good. This was the game I'd been dreaming of when I was a kid playing NES: a game that combines all different kinds of gameplay into one huge narrative.
Haven't played it.
When I got my first PC I mostly played Shareware games, and I remember playing the hell out of the first level of Doom. I think it ended up being one of the first PC games I actually purchased. I briefly considered making my own levels but almost immediately realized I was not capable of it.
Though I love many of Metroid's descendants (like Super Metroid, Dust, Shadow Complex, Symphony of the Night) I ended up losing patience with the original. If I'd played it when it was new, I'm sure I would have gotten months of enjoyment from it, but playing it now, after playing many of its successors, it's more of a chore than a good time.
Haven't played it.
Obligatory reference to the Wizard! Meanwhile, yes this is one of the greatest ever, even if I could never have the patience to go back nowadays and play a game like this without being able to save. Maybe I'll play the Super Mario All-Stars version.
I guess this is a great game? I'm not huge into Pac-Man.
I'm not an MMO guy, but I played the 10-hour free trial and I thought it was OK. I like having a huge list of quests to pursue and then turning a bunch in at once, but the actual gameplay itself has no draw for me.
Haven't played it.
I didn't own an N64 back in the day, so I'm still trying to catch up on some of the classic releases of that time. I played this a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. Having a vast world to explore with a huge variety of locations and different tasks to do is one of the most enjoyable settings a game can offer. Also, I like jumping into paintings.
I don't do a lot of online multiplayer, so I think the big impact of this game was a little lost on me, but I did like the single-player campaign a lot. That first level in the sinking ship was pretty killer.
Haven't played it.
How much do I love this game? I have a boxing poster of Little Mac versus Soda Popinski that I bought at the I Am 8-Bit art show hanging in my living room. But I never beat Mike Tyson, sadly. I'll take on King Hippo anytime though, even right now. Let's do this!
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I played the 3DS version of this one. The dungeons are excellent, but I could do without some of the between dungeon busy work.
I finally played this a year ago. I think it hurt it a little bit that I'd already played the GBA Metroid games, but I still thought it was very good. So many secrets and hidden googaws. Great ending!
Haven't played it. (specifically the NES version - I have played the arcade version)
Whenever I think of this game I think of the laundromat near my childhood home where I played it at every opportunity. There was nothing better than getting a second ship, even though technically I think it costs you a life. It just makes you feel so powerful!
Played this on XBLA. Excellent game. I never expected I'd actually play through the entire inverted dungeon as well but I just could not put this one away until I conquered every room.
Yes indeed. I remember being a kid playing this at the corner store with friends and various strangers. As an 11-year-old, there was nothing better than those rare occaions when I'd beat a high school kid. I don't think I was actually able to finish the arcade mode until Championship Edition and M. Bison.
What a revelation! I still think this is the best game of the series. The ending was so powerful. When Kratos deals the final blow to Ares, I jumped out of my chair. "I only wanted to make you a great warrior." You succeeded, dude.
If a game can get me to sit around for two hours reading articles about Ayn Rand after I finish it, it must have made quite an impact on me. Strangely I don't even really care about the gameplay that much, as it was so much more about the atmosphere and the story. Contains one of the best moments in gaming history.
Haven't played it.
Maybe I came to this one too late. I think I first played it three or four years ago. I've tried on three separate occasions, separated by several months or more, to finish this game, and always bail on it. The last time I even thought about putting on God mode just so I can run through it and I still bailed.
If I was making the list, I think this would be very close to the top. I actually upgraded my PC just so I could play it. I have probably spent more hours with Oblivion than I have any other single video game. The main story is OK, but all the side quests are simply amazing. Listen: at one point you are fighting monsters inside of a motherloving oil painting.
Haven't played it.
When visiting a friend in another town, he borrowed an N64 from another kid and we spent all day playing this, taking turns in single-player until we finished it. We had so much fun! I went back and played Perfect Dark a couple years ago and it didn't hold up, so I'm afraid to go back and play this one again because I bet it's no longer as great as I remember it.
The DS edition of Mario Kart is, in my opinion, the best one, but I can see including this one for its influence. It essentially invented a genre: the "kart" racer. When one of the original tracks comes up in a newer Mario Kart it's amazing how small and flat they were compared to where we are now.
Yes! I'm no Sonic apologist, but the early 2D games were truly excellent. I played this game so much. The music is burned into my brain. Sonic came along with just the right look, style, and attitude for that period. Did anyone else spend hours playing in Debug mode just filling the screen with bumpers and nonsense?
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I know I owned this game, and I know I had the first Mega Man too, but to be honest I don't really remember either one of them that well. They kind of blur together in my mind. I'm pretty sure I was terrible at them.
I don't know. It's not my thing, I guess. I played it for the first time last year and I couldn't get through it. I'm not a big FPS guy anyway, and this really wasn't doing it for me. A lot of corridors and waves of the same annoying enemies. Maybe it gets better later on?
Haven't played it.
A friend from out of town came to visit and brought a PS2. We rented this and a Twisted Metal game. I remember staying up late playing this in the dark, taking turns, and both of us almost jumping out of our skin about a thousand times. Scary as hell.
I'm not really into JRPGs, but this was such a smash hit that I decided to pick up Red anyway. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and I actually played through the whole thing. I guess I didn't fall in love enough to have ever played another Pokemon since then, but I'm not ashamed to it I had a great time.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I can't even explain how excited I was for this game, and the fact is, I was a bit disappointed. San Andreas is my favorite of the GTA series because of how crazy and over-the-top it was, and I think GTA IV took it in the wrong direction. It was not just more serious, but at times incredibly depressing. As a former die-hard GTA fan, I'm now praying for a new Bully.
Yoshi! Is this the best launch title ever? I think so. It's been so long since I've played it, I can barely remember any specifics. All I remember is how happy I was that Christmas when I got my SNES and spent days with Mario and Yoshi just eating apples and stomping goombas. Ah, the good old days.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it (not the first one anyway).
Haven't played it.
It's true: haters gonna hate. But there have been some amazing Wii games. I think this Top 200 is also lacking Wii Sports and Super Paper Mario but what do I know? I was almost totally exhausted by the end of this game, but not in a bad way. There was just too much good stuff!
Hey, it's Pac-Man again! But this one is older and doesn't have a bow in its hair. Pretty good stuff I guess.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I played this like a year or so ago. Despite really rough graphics, I became emotionally invested in the story. I'm sure my girlfriend wondering why she sometimes heard me muttering: "Hey! No! Stay away from my princess. Hey!" A beautifully simple game.
Oh hell yes. The best acting in video game history, along with some of the most amazing set pieces ever imagined. A shoot-out in a crumbling building, leaping from car to car, climbing up that train, the list could go on. Really astonishing production quality. Just jaw-dropping.
Haven't played it.
I'm normally averse to space-based stories, but I'm glad I took a chance on this one. What an amazing and involving game. The sequel is even better. Boy did I hate the human squad mates in this game though. It's all about Tali and Rex.
Haven't played it.
I remember playing this all the time at the Mexican restaurant next to 7-11. All I cared about was getting those power-ups. Man if you get the gun power-up it is over. Those blocks don't stand a chance.
I played the DX version of this game, so I got the bonus color-based dungeon, which was pretty neat. Overall I dug it. I wish the DS games were more like this one, and that Link got to go on more adventures outside the regular Hyrule/Zelda template.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I think this is the best of the Grand Theft Auto series. Granted I wasn't huge on the whole eating/exercising mechanic, but everything else was perfection. I loved travelling to the different locations, doing all the insane missions, and just experiencing the bizarre world of San Andreas. An L.A. gangster who needs to break into Area 51 to steal a jet pack is awesome.
One of the best ever! S-Rank! The main quest is really cool, but the real appeal is the world itself and all the side quests. The best thing is just to wander around and encounter bizarre stuff like talking plants and wanna-be super heroes.
Haven't played it.
Ivy's combination sword-and-whip is one of the best fighting game weapons ever. I didn't play this when it was new, but I got the XBLA version and liked it a lot. S-rank!
I played it in the arcades a few times, but I was much more into the Genesis version. It had updated graphics and smoother gameplay, and really made the whole experience a lot more fun. Beat 'em ups were my favorite genre when I was a kid. (Super Double Dragon on SNES rules!)
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I was excited about the first Rock Band because of the drums, but honestly I still mostly play the guitar. Nobody wants to hear those drums, especially because in the other room you can only hear the banging and not the music. This is probably the perfect music game. How could you improve on this? Um, it has "Kids in America" you guys. THE END.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I didn't get far in this one. I made it off the island and partway through the next area before deciding it wasn't for me. I like the concept of exploring all the Disney worlds, but didn't actually like doing it that much.
Haven't played it.
I'm sure I played it dozens of times when I was a kid, but I was never really that into it, and I didn't get very far in the game. I know I always played as Peach because she could float. Maybe I should go back and give this one another try and see if I can figure out the appeal.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Yes! Fantastic game. I love a good boss battle, and this game is nothing but. Inspired.
Haven't played it.
Yup, this is it. One of the best fighting games ever. I was obsessed with this game when it came out. I must have put almost 50 hours into it. Is that even possible? I was determined to unlock everything, and I don't even know why. Brawl might technically be a better game, but this had a bigger impact on me.
I think this is the only real-time strategy game I've ever been into. I got it for a Christmas gift in high school, and didn't have enough games to snub it, so I gave it my all. The only thing that really bugs me about it is having to build up all your resources again every level, but once that's out of the way, I loved the actual battles.
Haven't played it.
This is a wonderful game, but it didn't get me like the first one did. It's also got middle-game syndrome, where it doesn't have a real ending. Actually that's true for middle-movies as well, most of the time. It's still great fun though.
Believe it or not, this is the first Zelda game I played after the original NES Legend of Zelda. For some reason, I had always assumed the Zelda series wasn't for me, but a sale at Circuit City and a lack of high-profile Wii launch titles led me to give it a shot. Hey, this is a really good game. I love the variety of play, the puzzles, the boss battles, and even the bug catching side-quest was kind of fun.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
This game has a lot of good qualities: the artwork, the dungeons, the gameplay. But so much busy work! Hours and hours of sailing and wandering and looking for Triforce charts... I never even finished it.
Haven't played it.
Haven't played it.
I can't say I truly remember the levels or anything about Sonic 2 except "this is the one with Tails," but I'm sure I loved it because I loved all the 16-bit Sonic games when I was a kid. I even loved Sonic Spinball!
The things I remember most about this game are motorcycles and 80s music, and both of those were excellently implemented. Not as impactful as GTAIII and not as ambitious as San Andreas, but still very worthy.
Fun game! I played it years after it came out so I didn't get the most out of it, but I'm glad it exists because it lead to the creation of many more great games down the line.
The game that launched a thousand memes. It's much better than the sum of its slogans. Yes, it's hilarious. Yes, it introduced me to Jonathan Coulton. But it's also a wonderfully imaginative puzzle game, and is capable of raising the IQ of those play it.
