Hey, I mentioned a while back that I'd been trying to compile an ordered top 50 list. A lot of shuffling was made...but at this point I ended up with this order. I posted it on Facebook earlier but needed to share it with you guys whom I don't have added on there, too.

So after 20 years of gaming...here are my personal top 50 games of all time:

----------------------------------

50 Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus

Sucker Punch's instant platforming classic

----------------------------------

49 Aggressive Inline

Surprisingly succeeded in matching the fun of Tony Hawk

----------------------------------

48 Tony Hawk's Underground

The pinnacle of Tony Hawk games

----------------------------------

47 Okami

Overlooked masterpiece with heavy Zelda influence

----------------------------------

46 Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem

Impressive storytelling and innovative gameplay elements

----------------------------------

45 Banjo-Tooie

A massive game in the golden age of 3D platformers

----------------------------------

44 Tetris DS


The very best version of Tetris that I've played

----------------------------------

43 Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

The best single-player experience in the series

----------------------------------

42 Viewtiful Joe

Off-the-wall beat-em-up extraordinaire

----------------------------------

41 Perfect Dark

The game that set the new standard for console shooters in the new millennium

----------------------------------

40 Super Mario Bros.

Platforming's great grandfather has aged just fine

----------------------------------

39 Chibi-Robo

House cleaning has never been so fun

----------------------------------

38 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

The funniest game I've played, and great fun, to boot

----------------------------------

37 Viva Pinata

An instant classic with a ton of charm

----------------------------------

36 Mirror's Edge

A refreshing, exhilarating experience

----------------------------------

35 The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The best use of DS controls out there mixed with classic Zelda

----------------------------------

34 Diddy Kong Racing

Out of left field, and shockingly above & beyond Mario Kart 64

----------------------------------

33 F-Zero GX

The fastest, most difficult and satisfying racer

----------------------------------

32 Conker's Bad Fur Day

How can something so foul and disgusting be so good?

----------------------------------

31 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Metroid in a battle between light and dark

----------------------------------

30 Paper Mario

One of the best mixes of the action and RPG genres

----------------------------------

29 Mario Kart DS

The greatest in the series, excellent single- and multi-player fun


----------------------------------

28 Battlefield 2

The game I've put the most hours into; the best multiplayer shooter out there

----------------------------------

27 Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

An excellent, action-packed end to the Prime trilogy

----------------------------------

26 Kirby Canvas Curse

Refreshing gameplay, akin to the freshness brought forth by Mario 3 in 1990

----------------------------------

25 Daigasso! Band Bros.

The best music/rhythm game out there, bar none (released in Japan only)

----------------------------------

24 Pokémon (series)

Some of the most addictive games I've ever played, with Silver being the best version

----------------------------------

23 Burnout Paradise

The best racing game...ever

----------------------------------

22 Pikmin 2

The now-rare Nintendo "magic" is alive in this one, a genre-bending experience

----------------------------------

21 Beyond Good & Evil

An overlooked gem

----------------------------------

20 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes

One of the best stories in gaming

----------------------------------

19 Skies of Arcadia: Legends

The best, most memorable RPG I've played

----------------------------------

18 Resident Evil 4

Unanimously agreed upon to be one of the best games out there

----------------------------------

17 Metroid: Zero Mission

A re-telling of the original Metroid, done right; classic Metroid gameplay

----------------------------------

16 Super Mario Sunshine

Take control of the most mobile 3D platforming character

----------------------------------

15 Donkey Kong Country

The game that put Rare on the map plays great even today

----------------------------------

14 Star Fox 64

A true classic, featuring the most memorable lines in gaming

----------------------------------

13 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

The game that brought Zelda into the 3rd dimension and took the gaming world by storm

----------------------------------

12 Bioshock

The most atmospheric game I've ever experienced

----------------------------------

11 Half-Life 2

The definition of good game design, and some of the best characters in gaming

----------------------------------

10 Super Smash Bros. (series)

The most fun I've had with any multiplayer game, with 'Brawl' being the best in the series

----------------------------------

9 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Zelda gameplay formula, perfected

----------------------------------

8 Super Mario Bros. 3

It's no wonder this game made such a worldwide splash - 19 years old and it still holds up

----------------------------------

7 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest

Rareware's best 2D gameplay, and it looks kinda good, too

----------------------------------

6 Super Mario World

2D platforming at its peak

----------------------------------

5 Banjo-Kazooie

Project Dream materialized into this, a masterpiece with a great deal of charm

----------------------------------

4 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Classic Zelda gameplay teeming with exploration within the most stylized, charming universes in all of gaming

----------------------------------

2 Metroid Prime

The best transition from 2D to 3D for any franchise...an impeccably designed Metroid

----------------------------------

2 Super Metroid

Shares the most brilliant of game design (and the number 2 spot) with its 3D brother

----------------------------------

1 Super Mario Galaxy

The epitome of gaming

URL to share (right click and copy)

I can't really disagree with none of this...or add anything. Golden Eye 007 or would Perfect Dark somewhat cancel that out?

Posted by

PetitionToKonami

on: 07/10/09, 12:45

Nice list. It probably took a long time to decide where everything should be.

Posted by

Red Shell

on: 07/10/09, 18:53

Woah how did you get all the images for the games so perfect?!

Anyway not a bad list, I know we have discussed this before but I think no Link to the Past is a tad bit sad. Otherwise, probably not *too* far off from what my list would be, albeit mine would have a lot more SNES and handheld games.

I should make a list! Well. No way. It's impossible really. I envy people who can do this and not go insane over the choices.

Posted by

Zero

on: 07/10/09, 19:40

Wow, you put a lot of effort into that. I agree with much of it.

Posted by

Anand

on: 07/10/09, 19:55

But I know one game you don't agree with... #3. Which erm, is the second #2 up there. So I guess it is a tie for #2.

I think the most difficult part of making a list like this, for me, would be weighing how much I care about a game now versus how much I cared about a game back in the days. For instance, the original Legend of Zelda is probably one of the greatest gaming experiences I have ever had. But looking back on it now it is tough to remember why exactly. Of course it was brilliant for the time, but it has long since been surpassed.

Also my tastes have kind of changed a lot over the years. While I remember Mega Man X always making my top 10 lists at the time, nowadays it is hard to imagine a short game like that standing up against some big game like say... Persona 4 or something. But then, I did play through X about 10 times.

Yeah like I said, it'd be impossible for me to make a list. Which is precisely why it is so very tempting.

Posted by

Zero

on: 07/10/09, 20:32

Yeah, there are some I don't agree with, but that's to be expected. (Especially with that damned game!!)

I couldn't make a list, either. I get totally paralyzed just choosing food at a restaurant. Maybe if they didn't have to be in order...

Posted by

Anand

on: 07/10/09, 21:13

Zero, the screenshots took a long time to compile. It was irritating...especially with my spotty internet connection the past few days. But they were all put into photoshop and exported in the same size.

One of my rules for a game to make the list is that it has to be one that I've beaten. I haven't beaten A Link to the Past, though I keep telling myself I'll go back. Last I remember, I was stuck getting to one of the temples, had no idea where to go. It was temple 6 or so...but yeah it would definitely be on here if I'd beaten it.

Final Fantasy 7 is another that would be on here, but I only ever finished disc one (of three) of the PC version.

And if I were to make a list of the next 50, a lot of mega man games would be on there :D

I think the most important aspect of a game is how well it ages, and that's a recurring theme for me. I try to ignore nostalgia. For example, Mario 3 is 19 years old but I can play it today and still call it a classic because of its gameplay. Super Mario 64 on the other hand...has been bested by many games, and in playing it recently it shows that, despite my love for the game in '96, it hasn't aged as well. Still a really good game, but not where it was in '96.

I never played the original Zelda as a kid, but I played it when the Wind Waker bonus disc was given out, and I absolutely disliked the game. I figure the NES's limitations really hindered the gameplay and design, but that's no excuse. It's a very difficult game, but not by design...which makes it frustrating. No map? Good lord man! The same goes for Metroid, unfortunately. I don't quite like the original.

So yeah, aging is important to me. In 5 or so years, my list might change because games like Galaxy and Bioshock will have been bested and THEY will feel old, but I have faith that they will age well :]

Finally yeah it was freakin hard coming up with the list, and the games moved around a lot. I think Conker, for example, was at one point nearer to the 46 mark, and ended up at 32.

But I'd love to see everyone's lists. Please try to make one! If not 50, at least top 20 or something. I'm always curious as to what the favourite games of the people I talk to are.

Posted by

Griptor

on: 07/11/09, 01:12

Nice list!!

Posted by

Oni Link

on: 07/11/09, 08:01

Yeah, I own 50% of those games myself. Hmm. I've always wanted to make my own game screen shots like the magazines/websites. Use to try this back in '90/91 but I would get TV glare in the photos and stuff. Nowadays there's digital cameras and a person can repeat as many times as they want when taking pictures. I wanna make my own gameplay videos too.

Posted by

PetitionToKonami

on: 07/11/09, 09:43

Look into capture cards, PTK. I can take direct feed screens and videos with mine, but it's not a very good one. It was 15 bucks though. You can find some good ones for more money.

Posted by

Griptor

on: 07/11/09, 11:13

^ Nice I'll definately be sure to check that out.

Posted by

PetitionToKonami

on: 07/11/09, 16:03