This month, Game Informer released issue 200 of their game informing glory. To mark this special occasion, they concocted a list of their top 200 games of all time. So I’m putting the list up, along with a [*] if I approve, a [?] if I disapprove and a [!] if I have yet to play it. This is in no way meant to undermind Game Informer’s opinions. Just tossing in my two pennies. Let’s get started, bitches!
1) The Legend of Zelda *
2) Super Mario Bros *
3) Tetris *
4) Grand Theft Auto III ?
(My disapproval mainly stems from how tired of GTA I am. It also has to do with how high up on the list it is. I’m not sure if they’re doing it in any particular order, but at the end of the Legend of Zelda snippet, they state “The Legend of Zelda is no less than the greatest game of all time.” Leading me to believe it’s in a particular order.)
5) Half-Life 2 !
(After I beat Doom 3 for the first time, I kept hearing the statement “Half-Life 2” is better. This might be the case, however, I’ve never played… so I have no way of knowing yet. Notice I said “yet.” Speaking of “Doom”…)
6) Doom *
7) Metroid *
8> Final Fantasy III !
9) Super Mario Bros. 3 *
10) Ms. Pac-Man *
(Considering the faster female coutnerpart to Sir Man of Pac, I’d have to say this is better)
11) World of Warcraft ?
(Again, it seems really high up on the list. As far as gameplay goes, it’s a very masturbatory game. I can see how it is innovative, but it seems more like “Blizzard’s greatest money-maker “than a Top 20 of the top 200)
12) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past **
13) Super Mario 64 **
(Personally, I think this should be where GTA III is on the list)
14) Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare *
15) Final Fantasy VII *
16) Mike Tyson’s Punchout *
17) Chrono Trigger !
(I always get shit for this, but I have yet to play Chrono Trigger. This my sully my say in what the greatest games of all time are in some people’s eyes. But it’s just one of those titles that slipped by me. Some day… some day…)
18) Resident Evil 4 **
19) Metal Gear Solid !
(Haven’t played it all the way through)
20) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time **
21) Super Metroid **
22) Contra *
23) Galaga **
24) Castlevania: Symphony of the Night *
(I’d almost say Super Castlevania IV should be in this spot, but this is a great game so I’ll let it slide)
25) Street Fighter II *
(I’m torn. I’m a Mortal Kombat kid at heart, but I LOVE me some Street Fighter)
26) God of War *
27) Bioshock **
(Could be higher up on the list, despite it being a relatively new game.)
28) Diablo II !
29) Half-Life I
30) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion !
(I’ve seen it being played… that’s about it)
31) Tecmo Super Bowl *
(OLSEN SNUFFMAN, FTW!)
32) Goldeneye 007 *
(Higher up, dammit!)
33) Super Mario Kart *
34) Sonic the Hedgehog *
(Personally, I think Sonic 2 is better. I know you need a jumping-off point, but seriously… you can’t even charge your spin in this one!)
35) Starcraft *
36) Civilization !
37) SimCity **
38) Mega Man 2 *
(I’d put Mega Man 3 in this spot, personally)
39) Halo: Combat Evolved *
(I’m kind of suprised it’s not higher on the list. Not because I think it should be, but because of how successful it was. It’s good to see GI not bowing to numbers.)
40) Gran Turismo ???
(For the record, FUCK GRAN TURISMO! I’d rather be diddled by my Uncle and have it be put on Youtube than play this chunk of sun-baked garbage)
41) Resident Evil 2 **
42) Pokemon Red & Blue **
43) Final Fantasy X *
(This one holds a special place in my heart, it was the first Final Fantasy I played almost all the way through [I was at Sin when somebody ganked my memory card. A frustration that has, to this day, kept me from playing again. I may never forgive whoever took that card]. Despite the protagonist being Ellen Degeneres, this is a fantastic game. Minus blitzball.)
44) Everquest !
45) Final Fantasy Tactics !
46) Grand Theft Auto IV !
47) Super Mario World ***
(Should be MUCH higher on the list)
48) Deus Ex !
49) Guitar Hero *
50) Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty !
51) Super Mario Galaxy **
(Boner…)
52) Pac-Man *
53) Battlefield 2 !
54) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic *
(Own it, still haven’t finished it. I suck at life)
55) Ico !
(Never heard of it)
56) Uncharted 2: Among Thieves !
(Didn’t this just come out?!)
57) Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 **
(Everytime I think of or play this game, I always think of Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP.” I played it all the time once I became tired of the game soundtrack. Which is a good soundtrack, but not after hearing it over and over and over and… you get the jist.)
58) Mass Effect !
59) Adventure !
60) Arkanoid !
61) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening *
62) Stars Wars: X-Wing **
(Although, I prefer Tie Figher, but that doesn’t make this anything other than a great game)
63) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask *
(Eh… alright, I’ll give it to ya)
64) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas *
(I find it difficult to get tired of this one. One, because you actually had a choice in what your character looked like. And two, because it’s gangsta as fuck.)
65) Fallout 3 ***
66) Zork !
(Text-based game, my cock! I kid. I dig the “choose your own adventure” books, this is basically like that. I may have played this WAY back in the day, but I don’t recall. All I know is I’ve played a text-based game and couldn’t do shit.)
67) Soul Calibur *
68) Double Dragon **
69) Dr. Mario **
70) The Sims *
71) Age of Empires !
72) Mortal Kombat II ***
(Hells yeah! Although, I prefer III.)
73) Rock Band 2 *
74) Tomb Raider *
75) Super Bomberman *
76) Mario’s Picross !
(…Wait, what?)
77) Ninja Gaiden *
(Big ups to Mikey T for slaying this bitch of a game at the Legacy)
78) Command & Conquer !
79) Kingdom Hearts
(Why… the fuck… isn’t this higher on the list? Seriously…)
80) Final Fantasy II *
81) Super Mario 2 *
82) Left 4 Dead ***
(What’s not to love about zombie killing? Get your strategies together before it’s too late.)
83) Okami *
84) Shadows of Colossus !
85) Metroid Prime !
86) Super Smash Bros. Melee ***
(This, right here, is my JAM! Beware the Red Death.TEAM P.O.B.S. LIKE A MAW PHUCKA!)
87) Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness !
88) Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn !
89)God of War II !
90) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess **
(Swap this with Majora’s Mask and we’re straight, GI)
91) Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal !
(I own this game, however, my PS2 died before I could play it)
92) Medal of Honor: Allied Assault !
93) Skies of Arcadia !
94) The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker *
95) Silent Hill 2 *
(I was about halfway through this one when my PS2 kicked the bucket)
96) Counter-Strike **
97) Sonic the Hedgehog 2
(Swap with #34)
98) Grand Theft Auto: Vice City ?
(Does there really need to be this many GTAs on the list?)
99) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time !
100) Portal **
101) The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind !
102) Heroes of Might & Magic III **
103) Donkey Kong *
104) Batman: Arkham Asylum *
(I’ve only played the demo, but I’ve seen a lot gameplay and this game is full of greatness)
105) System Shock 2 !
106) Resident Evil ***
(The blueprint for my favorite style of gaming. This game is, by all means, revolutionary)
107) Gears of War *
108) Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots !
109) Crash Bandicoot: Warped *
110) Halo 2 *
111) Tetris Attack !
112) Final Fantasy XII !
113) Earthbound !
(I. WANT. TO. PLAY. THIS. SO. BAD.)
114) Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri !
115) Command & Conquer: Red Alert !
116) Advance Wars *
117) Fallout !
118) Team Fortress 2 !
119) Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory !
120) Mega Man X *********
121) Lemmings *
(This game will try your patience like you wouldn’t believe)
122) Panzer Dragoon Saga !
123) NHL ‘94 !
(I’ve never played this one, but I guaranTEE this is not better than Mutant League Hockey. I think Morter will agree with me on that point)
124) Warlords !
125) Shadowrun !
126) Twisted Metal 2 **
127) Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee **
128) Metroid Fusion !
129) Homeworld !
130) Kingdom Hearts II ***
(Again, HIGHER ON THE LIST, DAMMIT!)
131) Pilotwings !
132) Quake II *
133) Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II !
134) Borderlands !
135) Final Fight *
136) Star Fox *
(Star Fox 64 should be right here… actually, higher on the list)
137) Madden NFL ‘99 !
138) Call of Duty 2 *
139) Wolfenstein 3D **
(This could be higher on the list, not only because of its innovation, but because you get to waste Nazis. Then you get to KILL HITLER!)
140) Diablo *
141) Civilization IV !
142) Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle !
143) Assassin’s Creed *
144) Burnout 3: Takedown !
145) Unreal Tournament 2004 !
146) Power Stone 2 *
147) Super Castlevania IV
(THERE it is!)
148) Super Mario RPG ***
149) Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos !
150) ActRaiser ?
151) Fable !
152) Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht ?
(Xenosaga is all cutscenes. Fail)
153) Asteroids *
154) LittleBigPlanet !
155) Crackdown ?
(Eh. It was fun for a little bit, but got old quickly)
156) Gauntlet *
(Legends would be more suffiicient)
157) Devil May Cry
(Way, way, WAY higher up. Come on!)
158) Pong *
159) Battlefield 1942 !
(I was about to have a nerdgasm about 1942 until I realized this was a completely different game.)
160) Thief !
161) Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved **
162) Far Cry *
(As long as it’s not Far Cry: Vengeance, I can deal)
163) Robotron: 2084 !
164) X-COM: UFO Defense !
165) Peggle !
166) King’s Quest VI !
167) Doom II ***
(This was the first FPS I played in absurd amounts. It holds a special place in my heart and this game, along with Devil May Cry games, made me want to be a Demon Hunter)
168) Tempest 2000 !
169) Braid **
(I definitely feel like this should be higher up on the list because of varying factors in the overall experience you get from Braid. You really have to earn victory in that game)
170) Ridge Racer !
171) Bully !
172) Ikaruga !
173) Lode Runner !
(I have NO idea)
174) Gunstar Heroes ****************
175) Dig Dug !
176) Castlevania **
177) Tekken 3 *
178) Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney ?
(I get it, kinda, but I’d much rather see any of the Trauma Center games of this list)
179) NBA Jam Tournament Edition **
(This one takes me back.)
180) Max Payne *****
(WHY is this so far back on the list? I appreciate that it’s on the list at all, but what the fuck? Max Payne is EASILY one of the coolest protagonists in video game history. Period… blood)
181) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ***
(I’m currently battling an addiction to this game)
182) Samurai Showdown **
183) NFL 2K5 !
184) Vagrant Story !
185) Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island ***
186) Marble Madness *
187) Infamous !
188) Planescape: Torment !
189) Kid Icarus *
190) The Chronicles of riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay ?
(Do I really need to go into detail?)
191) Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater !
192) Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
193) Jak 3 !
194) Marvel vs. Capcom 2 ***
195) Ultima !
196) Call of Duty *
197) NHL 09 !
(STILL no Mutant League Hockey. Lamesauce!)
198) Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow !
199) Tactics Ogre ?
200) Beyond Good and Evil ?
Dude…I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I have to totally disagree with your disapproval of Beyond Good or Evil. It is quite possibly one of the best games EVER made, and I personally can’t wait for the sequel . I agree it takes a a little time to get into the game, but its a stroke of genius and deserves to be much higher up on that list than 200! Good day
Wow. I’m actually amazed it’s so low on that list too. It’s one of those games, like Portal or Sands of Time, where it’s just too easy to fall in love with everything in it.
It’s not so much a disapproval of it, it’s that i’ve never played it so i have nothing to comment on about it. sorry for the confusion.