Last Friday I wrote up my top 50 games of all time. The idea was to do it quickly and make it personal. To not agonise over every decision, to put your own preferences over perceived classics, to basically just vomit it out. It was a fun exercise — what came from it was a record of my own gaming history instead of some definitive list.
I was inspired by AV Club writer Rowan Kaiser, who did his list just for fun but, after I wrote mine and posted it on Kotaku, a number of others followed suit. I must have gotten over a dozen tweets from people I know messaging me their own top 50 lists. It seems like the whole exercise just struck a chord with people. Just reading other people’s lists in the Kotaku comments or via twitter was a great experience, so I thought I’d share some of the lists I was sent from other people across the internet!
Before we dive into some more lists I thought I’d remind people of the rules I set out for my list. I think they apply with these lists as well…
— I know [insert game here] isn’t on the list. I know that’s outrageous. Make your own list and post it in the comments!
— I realise there are a lot of Mario/Zelda/MGS games on here. That just reflects the games I like and the games I’ve fallen in love with.
— People like different things for different reasons!
— Please do not use this list to justify any future comments I make in the future, or even things I might have said in the past. This is simply a list that represents how I feel right now. It would be different if I were to make it in the next 30 minutes, let alone in a year or two!
— I’ve written down the platform I played the game on — I realise it might have been on other platforms!
— Yes, they are ranked!
And now for some more super personal top 50 video game lists!
David Wildgoose
Ex-Kotaku Australia Editor
1. Deus Ex (PC)
2. Thief: The Dark Project (PC)
3. Planescape: Torment (PC)
4. Civilization V (PC)
5. Far Cry 2 (PC)
6. The Last Express (PC)
7. Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
8. Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (C64)
9. Metroid Prime (GC)
10. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
11. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1)
12. Paradroid (C64)
13. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
14. Day of the Tentacle (PC)
15. Red Dead Redemption (360)
16. Psychonauts (Xbox)
17. Super Metroid (SNES)
18. Exile (Amiga)
19. Outcast (PC)
20. Portal (PC)
21. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
22. The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind (PC)
23. Demon’s Souls (PS3)
24. Quake 3 Arena (PC)
25. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
26. Geoff Crammond’s Grand Prix 2 (PC)
27. Super Bomberman (SNES)
28. Beyond Good & Evil (GC)
29. Deadly Premonition (360)
30. Braid (360)
31. Doriath (C64)
32. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox)
33. Mashed (PS2)
34. Micro Machines V3 (PS1)
35. Nier (PS3)
36. Super Mario Sunshine (GC)
37. Grand Theft Auto 3 (PS2)
38. Lode Runner (PC)
39. Silent Hill (PS1)
40. Outrun (Arcade)
41. System Shock 2 (PC)
42. Half-Life (PC)
43. Flashback (SNES)
44. Impossible Mission (C64)
45. ICO (PS2)
46. Bioshock 2 (PC)
47. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC)
48. Actraiser (SNES)
49. Wizball (C64)
50. Pro Evolution Soccer 2 (PS2)
Rowan Kaiser
Freelancer (AV Club, Joystiq)
1. Sid Meier’s Pirates
2. Ultima 6
3. Civilization 4 (represents entire series)
4. Fallout 1
5. Jagged Alliance 2
6. Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
7. Chrono Trigger
8. No One Lives Forever
9. Crusader Kings 2
10. Suikoden 2
11. Rome: Total War
12. Doom
13. World Of Warcraft
14. Soul Calibur 2 (includes SC1)
15. Championship Manager 00-01 (represents entire series)
16. Puzzle Quest
17. Far Cry 2
18. Daggerfall
19. Diablo (includes D2-ish?)
20. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers
21. Mass Effect (in a three-way tie with its fellow ME games)
22. Halo
23. Jedi Knight
24. Final Fantasy 6
25. Phantasy Star 4
26. XCOM
27. Metroid Prime
28. Sid Meier’s Gettysburg
29. Wing Commander 2
30. Morrowind
31. Deus Ex
32. Tetris
33. Super Mario Bros
34. FIFA 98
35. Dynasty Warriors 5 (represents the series as I’ve played it)
36. Betrayal At Krondor
37. X-COM
38. Warcraft 3
39. Jet Grind Radio
40. Bejeweled
41. Wizardry 7
42. Shining Force 2
43. Team Fortress Classic
44. Final Fantasy X
45. Quest For Glory 4
46. Samba de Amigo
47. Ultima 7: Serpent Isle
48. Grand Theft Auto 3
49. Dynasty Tactics 2
50. Mario Kart: Double Dash
David ‘Raygun Brown’ Rayfield
Awesome Writer Man
1. Road Rash 2 (Megadrive)
2. Full Throttle (PC)
3. Desert Strike (Megadrive)
4. Manhunt (PS2)
5. Skate Or Die (Commodore 64)
6. Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360)
7. Flashback (Megadrive)
8. Age Of Empires 2 (PC)
9. Dreamweb (PC)
10. Tennis (Game Boy)
11. Streets Of Rage 2 (Megadrive)
12. The Untouchables (Commodore 64)
13. Operation Wolf (Arcade)
14. The Last Ninja (Commodore 64)
15. Iron Lord (Commodore 64)
16. I Am Alive (Xbox 360)
17. NBA Jam Tournament Edition (Megadrive)
18. Daytona USA (Arcade)
19. Bruce Lee (Commodore 64)
20. Jungle Strike (Megadrive)
21. Resident Evil 2 (PS One)
22. Combat School (Commodore 64)
23. Clive Barker’s Night Breed (Amiga)
24. Heavy Rain (PS3)
25. Tekken 3 (PS One)
26. Mario Kart Double Dash!! (Gamecube)
27. Dark Forces (PC)
28. Space Taxi (Commodore 64)
29. Power Monger (Megadrive)
30. Batman Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360)
31. Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver (PS One)
32. Skate 2 (Xbox 360)
33. Sam & Max Hit The Road (PC)
34. Mortal Kombat 2 (Arcade)
35. Advance Wars (GBA)
36. Homeworld (PC)
37. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360)
38. Dead Space (Xbox 360)
39. Silent Hill 2 (PS2)
40. Street Fighter II (Arcade)
41. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds (PC)
42. Beyond Good & Evil (Gamecube)
43. Deus Ex (PC)
44. Sound Shapes (PS3)
45. Resident Evil (Gamecube)
46. Warhammer 40k: Space Marine (Xbox 360)
47. Magic Carpet (PC)
48. Aliens Infestation (DS)
49. Hotline Miami (PSVITA)
50. Syndicate (PC)
Jamie Galea
Presenter, New Game Plus
1. Nier
2. Burnout Paradise
3. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater/Subsistence
4. Persona 3
5. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
6. Super Mario Kart
7. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
8. Full Throttle
9. Grim Fandango
10. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney – Trials & Tribulations
11. Tekken 3
12. Mortal Kombat (2011)
13. Micro Machines V3
14. System Shock 2
15. Colin McRae Rally 2.0
16. Yakuza 3
17. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
18. Perfect Dark
19. Bastion
20. Red Dead Redemption
21. Street Fighter III – 3rd Strike
22. 999: Nine Doors, Nine Hours, Nine People
23. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
24. Space Invaders Extreme
25. Sonic The Hedgehog 2
26. XCOM Enemy Unknown
27. Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri
28. Super Metroid
29. Dark Souls
30. Assassins Creed Brotherhood
31. Medal of Honor: Frontline
32. Pokemon Gold/Silver/Crystal
33. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
34. Silent Hill 2
35. Thief: The Dark Project
36. Ninja Gaiden (2004)
37. The Chronicles of Riddick – Escape from Butcher Bay/Assault on Dark Athena
38. The Darkness
39. Vib-Ribbon
40. Parappa the Rapper
41. Alien vs Predator 2
42. Final Fantasy IX
43. Sid Meiers Civilization IV
44. Mario & Luigi – Superstar Saga
45. Portal
46. Crash Team Racing
47. Deadly Premonition
48. Braid
49. Just Cause 2
50. Astro Boy Omega Factor
AlexPants
Editor, Potaku
1. Tomb Raider II
2. Assassin’s Creed II/Brotherhood
3. Crash Bandicoot
4. Pokemon Gold/Silver
5. Mass Effect 2
6. Jak and Daxter
7. Dark Souls
8. SSX Tricky
9. Super Smash Bros. Melee
10. The Last of Us
11. Journey
12. Halo 3
13. Telltale’s The Walking Dead
14. Skate 2 (You may have forgotten this Mark BUT I DIDN’T!)
15. Super Mario Galaxy
16. Portal
17. Grand Theft Auto San Andreas
18. Bastion
19. Uncharted 2
20. Heavy Rain
21. The Need for Speed
22. Pokemon Emerald
23. Spyro the Dragon
24. Prince of Persia ’08
25. Saints Row the Third
26. Tekken 2
27. Max Payne 3
28. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
29. Alan Wake
30. Rollercoaster Tycoon
Comments
52 responses to “More Super Personal Top 50 Video Game Lists”
Great lists!
Here’s mine again, reposted from last week:
Great to see some adventure games on these lists too! 😀
Awesome list. I can certainly see your love for adventure games now. 😀
Crap, crap, crap, crap.
Anyone else reminded of the guy from Full Frontal?
Not until you just mentioned it. Now I can’t be un-reminded 😛
In no order.
Rygar (arcade)
Shadowman (Dreamcast)
Bombjack (arcade)
Dangar (Arcade)
Res Evil 4 (Wii)
Majoras Mask
Wind Waker
Twilight Princess
GTA San Andreas
Paper Mario: The Thousand year door.
Ghosts and Goblins (Arcade)
Chaos Engine (SNES)
Havest Moon (SNES)
Mario 64
Circus Charlie (arcade)
Tutankhamen (Arcade)
Toki (arcade)
State of Decay (playing it now)
Turok 2
Super Mario World
Great Giana Sisters (C64)
Super Ghouls and Ghosts
Bubble Bobble (arcade)
Civ 1
Prince of Persia (original on Amiga)
I’ve done half, get back with the other half.
Crap.
Did you mean Tutankham? http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10227
That game is one of the very first that made me want to write my own games. Loved it but wanted a few changes so I designed my own but discovered the school’s Apple ][ wouldn’t let me fulfill my dream. There was Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond CW too and Lode Runner got me designing levels but that’s pretty much as far as I got back then.
But many years down the track I did get to work in the games industry for a couple of years, worked on 3 released titles and now developing my own 🙂 Dreams can come true 🙂
Still no Battle Chess
That’s 2 people I’ve heard praising Nier in the one day. Shit that might be enough to make me chase it down…
It’s very weird. It’s like an action-combat sort of Final Fantasy with more washed-out colour, better characters, and MMO’ish maintenance questing. But it’s good! And the art design, though often spartan, has a lot to recommend it.
And amazing music! Don’t forget the music!
Oh yes! I still randomly check out YouTube for music from those games. Especially the orchestral pieces.
I fucking love this guy.
This is my list, dashed off very quickly in keeping with the guidelines. It is already causing me heartache so I am publishing it and moving on. :p (oh it’s not in order apart from probably the top two)
1. Ico (PS2)
2. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
3. Lemmings (Amiga500)
4. Boulderdash (C64)
5. Uridium (C64)
6. Super Mario 64 (N64)
7. Mario Kart Double Dash (GCN)
8. Red Dead Redemption (X360/PS3)
9. Halo (Xbox)
10. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (X360/PS3)
11. Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox)
12. Lumines (PSP)
13. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
14. Pro Evolution 4 (PS2)
15. Fifa ’99 (PC)
16. Limbo (X360/PS3/Vita)
17. Project Gotham Racing 2 (Xbox)
18. Bioshock (X360)
19. Words With Friends (iOS)
20. Mass Effect (X360)
21. Mass Effect 2 (X360)
22. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
23. Journey (PS3)
24. Tomb Raider (PC)
25. ZombiU (WiiU)
26. Resident Evil 4 (GCN/Wii)
27. Call of Duty 2 (X360)
28. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2)
29. Rick Dangerous (Amiga500)
30. Dead Space (X360)
31. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
32. Pikmin (GCN)
33. Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
34. Super Monkey Ball (GCN)
35. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (GCN)
36. Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)
37. Spy vs Spy (C64)
38. River Raid (Atari2600)
39. Summer Games (C64)
40. Impossible Mission (C64)
41. Tiger Woods ’07 (PS3)
42. We Love Katamari (PS2)
43. Psychonauts (PS2)
44. The Secret of Bastow Manor (C64)
45. Donkey Kong (Game and Watch)
46. Halo Reach (X360)
47. Goldeneye (N64)
48. Banjo-Tooie (N64)
49. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GCN)
50. Guitar Hero/Rock Band (X360)
And already I realise I’ve left Viva Piñata off amongst many others. Hmm.
Great, diverse list, my friend! I only played Ico for the first time about two months back. Such a good game. Can’t believe I forgot about it when compiling my list. XD
happy to finally see super mario bros on someones list. smb and smb 3 were (imo) the best games of the late 80’s early 90’s.
i don’t think i’d be able to remember 50 decent games to make a list. lol.
Funny how Metroid Prime pops up in just about everyone’s list at least somewhere. A testament to how awesome that game really was.
This was my list from last week. It’s unranked and the games are in no particular order:
Secret of Mana (SNES)
Seiken Densetsu 3 (aka, Secret of Mana 2) (SNES) – travesty this was never officially released outside Japan!
Mortal Kombat II (Arcade)
Mortal Kombat Trilogy (PC, PS1)
Mortal Kombat 9 (PS3)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PC, PS1)
Starcraft: Brood War (PC)
Starcraft II (PC)
Unreal (PC)
Unreal Tournament (PC)
Killer Instinct (Arcade)
Warhammer 40:000: Dawn of War + expansions (PC)
Shadow of the Beast (Amiga, Lynx)
Scooby Doo’s Maze Chase (Intellivision)
Shark! Shark! (Intellivision)
Mind Strike (Intellivision)
Joust (Atari 7800)
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (Gamecube)
Metroid Prime (Gamecube)
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Gamecube)
Super Metroid (SNES)
Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest (SNES)
Super Mario Bros 3 (NES, SNES)
Quake (PC)
Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (Gamecube)
F.E.A.R. (PC)
Super Smash Bros Melee (Gamecube)
S.T.U.N. Runner (Lynx)
Sega Rally (Arcade)
Final Fantasy VII (PC, PS1)
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (Gamecube)
Lemmings (PC)
Terranigma (SNES)
Tales of Symphonia (Gamecube)
Ironman’s Super Offroad Racer (PC)
Jazz Jackrabbit (PC)
Rise of the Triad (PC)
Centipede (Intellivision)
Starfox/Starwing (SNES)
Commander Keen 4: The Secret of the Oracle (PC)
The Lost Vikings (SNES)
Q*Bert (Intellivision)
Pinball Fantasies (Amiga, PC)
Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PC, PS1)
Worms: Armageddon (PC)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade, SNES)
Soul Calibur II (Gamecube, PS2, Xbox)
Since I missed it on Friday, Here is my list:
1. Baldur’s Gate
2. Mass Effect
3. TES: Skyrim
4. Baldur’s Gate II
5. TES: Morrowind
6. Fallout II
7. Dishonoured
8. XCOM – Enemy Unknown
9. TES: Oblivion
10. Fallout New Vegas
11. Civilisation V
12. Planescape Torment
13. Total War: Rome
14. Monkey Island
15. Monkey Island II
16. TIE Fighter
17. Fallout III
18. Knights of the old Republic (360)
19. Knights of the old Republic II: The Sith Lords (360)
20. Jade Empire (360)
21. Dragon Age
22. Fallout
23. Mass Effect II
24. Mass Effect III (the ending ranks this lower, but with the Citadel DLC, it’s too good not to include here)
25. Command and Conquer
26, Supreme Commander
27. Dark Reign
28. Total Annihilation
29. Theme Hospital
30. Mario is missing
31. Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
32. Neverwinter Nights II
33. The Witcher
34. The Witcher II
35. Mount and Blade: Warband
36. Dragon Age II
37. Borderlands
38. The Sims 3 (Don’t judge me)
39. Crusader Kings II
40. Unreal Tournament
41. Icewind Dale II
42. Icewind Dale
44. Star Wars Rebellion (aka. Supremacy)
45. Star Wars X-Wing
46. Freelancer
47. Red Alert
48. C&C The Generals
49. Day of the Tentacle
50. Grim Fandango
Only the first 10 or so are in any real order.
That is a cracker list! nice work!
I wholeheartedly approve of your list!
There’s a disturbing lack of Half Life games on these lists.
Disturbing.
I have it down as my second! 😛
To be honest as much as I like the first and second game, they’re no where near my favourites. (Though I can appreciate how important they were for the genre!) Portal 2’s on my list though. Loved that.
OK, since we’re all doing this, in no particular order (besides the first) and off the top of my head – which means I’d have missed some great games:
1. Sextris
2. Mass Effect
3. The Longest Journey
4. Grand Theft Auto
5. Mass Effect 2
6. Mass Effect 3
7. The Last of Us
8. Deus Ex
9. Ultima 8
10. Dark Seed
11. Final Fantasy VII
12. Resident Evil
13. Witcher 2
14. Commander Keen
15. Lemmings
16. Forza 3
17. Assassin’s Creed
18. Silent Hill 2
19. Dead Island
20. Skyrim
21. Doom
22. Dark Souls
23. Half Life 2
24. Fallout 3
25. The Sims
26. Command & Conquer Red Alert
27. Grand Theft Auto SA
28. Flashback
29. Fallout
30. Diablo
31. Grim Fandango
32. Silent Hill
33. Strike Commander
34. Age of Empires 2
35. Resident Evil 4
36. Syndicate
37. Dead Space
38. Alien vs Predator 2
39. Uncharted 2
40. Quake 3
41. Metal Gear Solid
42. BioShock
43. Battlefield 2
44. Star Wars: X-Wing
45. King’s Quest VI
46. CoD 4
47. The Secret of Monkey Island
48. Solitaire
49. Carmageddon
50. STALKER
EDIT: Made some updates upon further reflection.
The Longest Journey. WOOOOO! Such a good game.
Great list too, Mike!
It was an awesome game! Oh man I thought of like another 50 games I could add to the list above. 😐
Did you like Dreamfall? Dreamfall Chapters is coming out next year!
Yeah, I’m pretty happy with my list but it could easily be a top 100. XD
I did! But I have a bad confession to make… I never finished it. 🙁
MONSTER! 😛
I know – reading these lists just confuses my own more and more – I forgot MGS, Assassin’s Creed II, Silent Hill… so many! 🙁
OMG Half Life! What have I done? And Portal! I’m an idiot.
Sextris? As in, that game every horny teenager downloads off an abandoware site and giggles at for a few minutes, then deletes (or at least renames) before their parents catch them?
I was 12 when I first played it. And it was Tetria and it had babes. Need I say more? 😛
And yeah I’m talking about the old game from the 90s not the recent crap ones.
My top 10 games would have to be:
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Bioshock
Carmageddon
Rise of the Triad
Doom
Half Life 2
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Duke Nukem 3D
Minecraft
Train Simulator 2012
Ok, so the last one was a joke but other then whats on my list, most games i have played have been decent but these games are the ones i come back to and replay the most. Most games i buy i playthrough maybe once and i never play them again.
Uh oh. Looks like we have a mass murderer in training here… 😛
Ohhhh Carmageddon, that needs to go on my list. Or maybe twisted metal instead, aaarghghhhg too many choices
I only have twenty odd, but have probably missed a lot anyway.
In no real order:
Pokemon Snap (N64)
Dead Space (360)
Viva Pinata: TiP (360)
Oblivion GotY (360)
Limbo (360)
Borderlands (360)
Rugby League Live 2 (360)
Advance Wars: Dual Strike (DS)
Pokemon Crystal (GBC)
Pokemon TCG (GBC)
Civilization V (PC)
Commander Keen: Secret of the Oracle (PC)
XCOM Enemy Unknown (PC)
Minecraft (PC)
Need For Speed: High Stakes (PS1)
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PS1)
Crash Bandicoot 3 (PS1)
Crash Team Racing (PS1)
Muppet Race Mania (PS1)
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (Xbox)
Red Dead Revolver (Xbox)
Star Wars Battlefront 2 (Xbox)
Mashed (Xbox)
Juiced (Xbox)
GTA San Andreas (Xbox)
Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
I’ve been meaning to play Limbo. Looks so damn atmospheric.
I highly recommend it – some really nicely done bits.
The first time I finished it, I just had to sit back for a while. Wow.
Then I kept replaying for the <5 deaths achievement, and cut it down to an hour per play. Still fun.
Yep, I concur with Mike. It is superb. So unremittingly bleak! There’s a moment
where you use dead children as stepping stones!Okay, I’ll play along. With a twist: I’m going to give you 45 games, and they’ll be selections from three platforms. 😛
Not necessarily ranked, and I may have left out a fair few titles, but these are all games I was pretty happy with. 🙂
Top 15 PC Games
1. Company of Heroes
2. Portal 2
3. Half-Life 2
4. World of Warcraft (pre-Cataclysm)
5. Medieval II: Total War
6. WH40K Dawn of War: Dark Crusade
7. Battlefield: 2142
8. Bioshock
9. TES II-V (yes I cheated)
10. Doom 3
11. Supreme Commander
12. Age of Empires II: The Conquerors
13. LIMBO
14. Quake 4
15. Terraria
Top 15 PS3 Games
1. The Last of Us
2. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
3. God of War III
4. Metal Gear Solid IV: Guns of the Patriots
5. Grand Theft Auto IV
6. Red Dead Redemption
7. Dead Space
8. Mortal Kombat
9. Twisted Metal
10. LittleBigPlanet 2
11. Assassin’s Creed II
12. Doom 3: BFG Edition
13. Heavenly Sword
14. Batman: Arkham City
15. Conan
Top 15 PS2 Games
1. Star Wars: Battlefront II
2. The Punisher
3. Shadow of Rome
4. God of War II
5. The Mark of Kri
6. The Getaway
7. Ratchet and Clank
8. SOCOM: US Navy Seals
9. Manhunt
10. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
11. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (had to)
12. True Crime: Streets of L.A.
13. The Warriors
14. Psi Ops
15. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
Top 5 Games Overall (I’m Terrible at Picking Favourites)
1. Portal 2 (PC)
2. Company of Heroes (PC)
3. The Last of Us (PS3)
4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)
5. Red Dead Redemption (PS3)
That last one was also mostly so I could still deliver a list numbered 50, even if the last five are repeated items 😛
It was also immensely difficult picking a ‘top five’ from an already favourited collection 🙁
I did 15 last week:
Max Payne 2 (PC)
Curse of Monkey Island (PC)
Neverhood (PC)
Gargoyles Quest (Gameboy)
Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Gameboy)
Arkham Asylum (PC)
Comix Zone (Megadrive)
River City Ransom (NES)
Grim Fandango (PC)
Tekken 5 (PSP)
Soul Blade (PSX)
Tombi (PSX)
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (C64)
Samurai Warrior : Usagi Yojimbo (C64)
Tony Hawk 2 (PC)
So here are 15 more. I made it a rule that I would only list 1 game per series. I also stopped myself just listing all of the ’90s LucasArts games and calling myself done, but you could probably consider them my ‘true’ top 50 🙂
Prince of Persia (PC) – This is the first game I ever played, and it was magical. I instantly knew that I wanted to make games.
Fallout (PC) – Loved the openness, the feeling that what I did actually mattered, and the way it managed to tie all of that freedom up into a cohesive, driven narrative.
Mashed (PS2) – Amazingly fun multiplayer with 4 people on 2 controllers
Time Crisis 2 (PS2) – This is my desert island game. I was so sad when I got rid of my CRT and could no longer play it.
Sid Meier’s Pirates! (PC – the mid ’00s one) – If you break it down, this is really just a collection of mini-games, and most of them are QTE’s, which I normally detest. Somehow this works, though. I spent a lot of hours with this game.
Need for Speed: SE (PC) – This was the first time I’d ever seen a game where you drove on regular streets, with traffic and cops. It was amazing.
Discworld Noir (PSX) – This is the only Discworld game that actually feels like part of the Discworld universe. I loved the notebook/clue mechanic, too.
Descent 2 (PC) – Go Wingnut!
Mirror’s Edge (PC) – The free-running was so good it eclipsed the mediocre story and combat.
FFVII (PSX) – First JRPG I ever played, and I still love the characters, story, and world.
Jedi Knight (PC) – Only FPS I’ve ever loved.
Stunts (PC) – First time I played a 3D racing game with physics simulation, and a great level editor.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? (C64) – This game really did make learning fun. I also loved that ’90s cartoon, for some reason.
Burnout Revenge (PS2) – Crashes and explosions! My family and I played this together over several Christmas holidays. Great memories.
Portal (PC) – Such a great game, and a great example of narrative done well in a video game.
How could I forget Prince of Persia! I loved that and part 2 to bits. The recent remake not so much for some reason.
All those lists and not one mention of Elite?
Can’t take seriously, there is no Dune2 anywhere on the page 🙁
Heres mine, will probably show my age… (alphabetical order) (no modern consoles in here either..)
Amped (XBOX)
Ancient art of War (PC)
Arkanoid (CPC)
Battlefield 3 (PC)
Bolo (2E)
Bombjack (CPC)
Burnout 3 (PS2)
Call of Duty 2 (PC)
Command & Conquer (PC)
Coolboarders (PS1)
Crysis (PC)
Cybernoid (CPC)
Dogfight (2E)
Doom 2 (PC)
Duke Nukem 3d (PC)
Elite (CPC)
F29 Retalliator (PC)
Far Cry (PC)
Far Cry 2 (PC)
Fifa 99 (N64)
Flatout (PC)
God of war 2 (PS2)
Gran Turismo (PS1)
Grand slam tennis (Wii)
GTA San Andreas (PC)
Head over heels (CPC)
Hidden and dangerous (PC)
IL2 Sturmovik (PC)
Interstate 76 (PC)
Jet Set Willy (CPC)
Jonah Lomu Rugby (PS1)
Just Cause 2 (PC)
MOH (PC)
Painkiller (PC)
Police Quest (PC)
Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)
Robotron (CPC)
Roland in Time (CPC)
Sim City 3000 (PC)
Sims (PC)
Skyrim (PC)
Streets of Rage (Sega)
Supreme Snowboarding (PC)
Taipan (2E)
Tau Ceti (CPC)
Tony Hawk 3 (PS2)
Twisted Metal (PS1)
Unreal (PC)
Vietcong (PC)
Words with friends… (ios)
1. Alpha Centauri (PC)
2. Deus Ex (PC)
3. Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
4. Civilization 1 (PC)
5. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
6. XCOM 2: Terror from the Deep (PC)
7. Chrono Cross (PS)
8. TIE Fighter (PC)
9. Command and Conquer: Red Alert (PC)
10. Tekken Tag Tournament (arcade)
11. Guitar Hero series (PS3)
12. Portal (PC)
13. Super Mario Bros (NES)
14. Persona 4 (PS2)
15. Final Fantasy IX (PS)
Wish I had time to take it to 50, but this is almost a representative list: the next bunch would include more Zelda, more JRPGs, more XCOM, Deus Ex: HR, Portal 2, the Rock Band series and I would at least try to sneak Flower in there.
What surprises me is that I am almost exclusively a console gamer these days and yet the majority of my top 10 would be PC games.
I’m throwing my hat (full of games that I remember fondly) in the ring in a vague scatter graph representation of top-ness:
XCOM: Terror From the Deep
Breath of Fire III
Breath of Fire IV
Suikoden II/V
Alundra
Ufouria
Mega Man III
Shadow Hearts
Chrono Trigger
Final Fantasy VII
Jak and Daxter
Future Wars
Little Big Adventure
Little Big Adventure 2
Syndicate
Battletoads
New Zealand Story
Super Mario Bros. 3
Shadow of Memories
King Of Fighters (pick a version)
Blaz Blue
Guilty Gear
Robot Odyssey
Zone 66
Tyrian
Stunts
Sim Ant
Devil May Cry 1&3
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia (SoT trilogy)
Four Heroes of Light
Gigawing
Last Blade 2
Garou MOW
Rage of the Dragons
Raiden
Tenchu (the series)
Crusader: No Regret
Settlers/Serf City
Dark Reign
Willy Beamish
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Ghosts and Goblins
Dark Souls
Sam and Max Hit the Road
Terraria
Metal Gear Solid (in general)
Puyo Puyo
Point Blank
Link to the Past
It was surprisingly tough trying to pin down 50 titles. Funny how it’s the ones that have memories attached to them that feature more in your mind than others.
No ranking, just a list of games I loved.
Ace Combat Zero
Megaman 2
Megaman X
Kirby’s Fun Pack
Capcom Vs SNK
Final Fantasy 9
Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy 7
Bejewelled
Super Mario World
Yoshi’s Island
Uncharted 2
Super Metroid
GRID
Chrono Trigger
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Mario Kart
Legend of Zelda – Link’s Awakening
GTA Vice City
Heavy Rain
Resident Evil 4
Halo
Unirally
Super Metroid
Yakuza 3
Unreal Tournament
Need For Speed Most Wanted
Unreal 2
The Sims
GTA Chinatown Wars
Carmageddon 3
Harvest Moon SNES
Metal Slug
UN Squadron
Forza 3 (Mt. Haruna only :P)
Double Dragon 2
Alien Vs. Predator Arcade
FF VII nowhere to be seen?? Man…. I thought that would be in everyones top 10….
Only the top 10 are in any real order. The rest kind of flow out as I remember one title, and then think of others in that genre/same console that I love. Bundled a few series together to save some space and allow for more titles, or else a few series would dominate the list.
1. Phantasy Star Online Episodes 1 & 2
2. Shining Force II
3. DOOM
4. Alan Wake
5. Bayonetta
6. NiGHTS: Into Dreams…
7. Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifers Call/Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2
8. Sonic The Hedgehog series (As a whole. A few stinkers, but love the series)
9. Devil May Cry series (Especially 3:SE. Didn’t mind DmC, but preferred OG Dante)
10. Halo series (Even Wars baby.)
11. Fable series
12. Monkey Island series
13. Jet Set Radio series
14. Ace Attorney series (Or else there would be 5 slots dedicated to men screaming “Objection!”)
15. Trauma Centre series
16. Serious Sam series (All of them. Even the indie titles like Random Encounter)
17. Final Fantasy series (VI, VII, X and XIII-2.)
18. Ico/Shadow Of The Colossus
19. Dark Savior
20. Fighters Megamix
21. Street Fighter series (Mostly Third Strike though)
22. Darkstalkers series
23. Virtua Fighter series
24. Trials Evolution
25. Puzzle Quest
26. Forza series
27. Daytona USA
28. Toy Commander
29. Shenmue 1 & 2
30. Unreal Tournament
31. Spec Ops: The Line
32. Sleeping Dogs
33. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
34. Donkey Kong Country series
35. Panzer Dragoon series (Especially Orta)
36. Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 1 & 2
37. Catherine
38. Minecraft
39. Warcraft series (Including WoW)
40. Armored Core series
41. Saints Row series (I’m hyped as hell for 4)
42. Assassins Creed series (even if 3 failed to grab me like the others)
43. Pokémon series (HeartGold/SoulSilver taking top honours)
44. Audiosurf
45. Portal 1 & 2
46. Jumping Flash 1 & 2
47. I.Q.
48. House Of The Dead series
49. Metal Gear series
50. Too Human (What of it!?)