Half-Life could be a reasonable answer. And so could Shenmue. Pong would be my choice. Either that or Metal Slug. Just joking.

How about Tomba?

Well good thing I would have answered Super Mario Bros 3 then. Because that is the right answer.

Needs Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and LoZ: LttP

Strange the way that starcraft did in fact directly affect both mine and my mates college results when we found it installed on a few of the lab PC's.. 
 
As for the lack of Half Life..  :(

Tetris, though Super Mario Bros. should be there too. :p

A Link to the Past is totally missing.
 
As is StarFox 64.

"Greatest" is far too vague an adjective. What are we talking about here? Fun? Lasting impact? Influence? Pioneering? Popularity? Nostalgia? Don't try to tell me we're talking some weird amalgamation of them all, because that just leads to awkward compromises that satisfy none of those categories.  
 
Not to mention I always find talks of genre comparison fairly nonsensical. 
"This game is a better RPG than that one is a racer!" 
...What?

Super Mario Kart (SNES version) 
Also, no Final Fantasy??????

" uhm... The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? "

Okami?

Nice list. I'd definitely have to suggest X-Com though. Also Dwarf Fortress possibly, though it's a hell of a lot more obscure. Not as much as it used to be though.

no offence jeff, but your list is invalid without quake on it.

Portal and River City Ransom should be considered.  River City Ransom more in an ironic sense though.

Where the heck is Diablo?

This is missing Baldur's Gate. Or at least something from that general direction.

Suikoden 2 needs to be up there.

" Where the heck is Diablo? "

this list is much too short. although I could never decide on one favorite game ever i could definately choose a franchise.

Mass Effect 2?

If you accept Starcraft, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that DIablo II comes along.  EIther way, Diablo II is the correct answer.

Dude. Freespace 2 is the greatest game ever made. Period. Nothing before or since had so much WTF factor as that game when it dropped its big surprises.

Deus Ex. That is all.

Ehhh sonic CD didn't do it for me.  I thought the graphics were bad for a Sonic game and I didn't care for the time travel part.  For me its the worst 2d Sonic game of the Genesis games.    

Why is Ocarina Of Time not on this list? I am very confused, because it is the greatest game ever made.

No Crash Bandicoot? 
 
:(

hahaha, mgs, and symphony of the night, they took up hundreds of hours of my life and zelda is still a popular franchise, and as much as i hate to say it pokemon series

Got to say, A link to the Past or Super Metroid not being on the list kind of surprised me.  Easily 2 of the best games ever imo.   Personally, I would take Super Metroid over SOTN any day and I can't imagine a greatest games list with sonic but no Zelda.  Seriously?  This is entirely a matter of opinion, but Sonic is basically really fast SMB.   The Legend of Zelda coined a genre, and A Link to the Past perfected it (also entirely my opinion). 

Ok ok ok.... what about Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise?  Sure I'd rather play some games more than VP at the moment....but I think it could be my favorite game.  Kind of a stranded-on-a-deserted-island-and-you-have-one-game-with-you kind of deal.  
 
 If I were a kid today and had a 360 and VP:TiP but no Xbox Live, I could imagine myself growing into a well rounded individual eventually who just so happens to have Viva Pinata as his favorite game.

This list needs DKC2. 
But really, some people take this list too seriously. While Jeff is cool, he's not the imperial judge of video game law. You don't have to agree with him. He's just a dude making a list. Jeff's favorite game of all-time, Smash TV, isn't even on this list.

I'm REALLY shocked by the lack of either Ocarina of Time, or Link to the Past....

Will you accept Toejam and Earl?

Ms. Pac-Man is better in every way than Pac-Man. I love Ms. Pac-Man.
 
Super Metroid is probably my answer. MAYBE Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past

I would also say Super Mario 64, given that it defined 3D gaming somewhat, and can to this day be enjoyed in nearly the same way that it was upon release. It has managed to be incredibly influential, while still staying as its own game. Its certainly at least as worthy as Halo.
 
I also agree with Half Life, though I can respect why somebody might think otherwise (shoot dude, go to next area,shoot alien, solve rudimentry puzzle, go to next area, shoot dude...)

Holy shit! You didn't put (insert five star game here) on this list?

know i'm not the first but, what about ocarina of time???

indeed, jeff forgot diablo 2, now that's a game that made you drop out of school, maybe jeff is the one that droped out of college because of starcraft :D. Maybe you wouldn't call it the greatest game of all time but maybe you will in like 20 years or after it will die im talking about world of warcraft, I wonder what will people say about it in 50 years (something like they pressed buttons to play? what primitives, maybe they will call this era the mashing era or summtin). I personally can't pick a game to call my favorite, and you can't compare some games and say which is better between them, which is better super mario 3 or assassin's creed? If the games older does that mean it gets extra points but what if it's HD? Maybe a game made by a russian working in the USSR is the answer if you think about it.

I think Duke 3d should be on that list. one hell of a game plus it should be in memory of Duke Nukem Forever 
 
R.I.P Duke :'(

"If you accept Starcraft, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that DIablo II comes along.  EIther way, Diablo II is the correct answer. "

What about Chrono Trigger!?

Portal. 
 
Try and name one thing wrong with this game. 

Weird that FF7 is lacking from this list

" Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  Search your heart.  You know it to be true. "

1. could fly on birds
2. have another dimension as your inventory
3. could buy an apartment
4. were able to buy furniture
5. truly changed the world and its looks
6. owned a boat on which you could travel the world
7. had the strangest pet called "Fluffy"
8. could go to a BURGER restaurant (I know I got you now Jeff!)
9. could get drinks, too
10. fought an evil doctor who had wires sticking out of his body on an airship
11. could get drunk
12. could get a tan (more or less)
13. built airports
14. saved the world from the dark side (which is always a good thing to do)
15. met a deer which was eating from its friends body (shocker as a child)
16. died and were resurrected
17. talked with plants (rastafariism) 
18. could visit the studio of the guys who made the game
19. had multiple love interests
20. fought ghosts, androids and yetis in one game   
21. drugged the inhabitants of a whole castle by putting a mushroom in their food
22. met Christoph Columbus (for all the Americans of you)

Sea Battle, Intellivision 
Thumbs hurt just thinking about it.
Not to mention abruptly ended friendships;)

this list is so fauld.myou can tell from the first sentence. differnet people different upringings. 
i was born in 84.i played mario to maximum carnuge to ff 7 to halo to assasin creed 2. 
you cant really say tetris is the best game. greatest is a form of personal fealing your whole reasoning is because it has the most following which is true. o love tretris but this list seems like inovation and or kanf mark games rather than which one seems to be ananswer of ur acceptance of which game can be the best.

As an RPG guy, I'd have to throw my vote for FF6.  Got real into RPGs with 7, but 6 is probably my favorite overall and the one I can go back to the most.