IGN - Top 100 Games

Up thru #21, I've played a wopping 13 titles. I realize it's going to be hard to compare the relative merits across platforms and decades, but there's clearly some problems with the list.

A legit top 6, in no particular order:
Tetris (how many ripoffs have followed?)
PacMan (had its own tribute song in the top 40!!!)
Doom (introducing the FPS)
Myst (sold how many bazillion copies to non-gamers?)
Pong (started it all)
Starcraft (Koreans are dying from playing 72+ straight hours)

More Likely top titles on this list:
MW
One of the Final Fantasy titles
The first major Mario title
Diablo
Well, I had a few of the titles covered in 11-20- Doom, Starcraft, Marioworld, and I'll take partial credit for Ms PacMan. There's an awful lot of console games on the list. I understand there's a lot of console games out there and quite a few console platforms, but I'd think the PC titles would make a better showing.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
13,535
Location
Illinois, USA
I gave up reading ign, but reading all the post I like everyones ideas here, to bad we don't have a top 100 games or RPGs poll/article here at RPGWatch. *cough, cough, damn it* :p
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,772
Ive really wanted to play that Shadow of the Colossus game, too bad it's only PS2. That Okami one looks pretty cool too.

Baldurs Gate, Resident Evil, and Fallout should at least be in the top 20. I think BG might still make the top ten yet
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
I've played 66 of the games in the top 90 ...
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
Here's the top 20 (I posted the entire top 100 here)

20. Metal Gear Solid - PC, PSX (1998)
19. Doom - 3DO, 32X, MAC, PC, PSX, SAT, SNES (1993)
18. Chrono Trigger - PSX, SNES (1995)
17. Super Mario World - GBA, SNES (1990)
16. Shadow of the Colossus - PS2 (2005)
15. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night - PSX, SAT (1997)
14. Pirates! (1987) - MAC, NES, PC (1987)
13. Ms. Pac-Man - 5200, ARC, GB, GEN, LYX, SNES
12. Star Wars: TIE Fighter (Collector's CD-ROM) - PC (1995)
11. StarCraft - MAC, PC (1998)

10. Resident Evil 4 - GCN, PC, PS2, Wii (2005)
9. Final Fantasy III (US) - GBA, PSX, SNES (1994)
8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - GBA, SNES (1992)
7. Super Metroid - SNES (1994)
6. Half-Life 2 - PC, XBX (2004)
5. Super Mario 64 - N64 (1996)
4. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64 (1998)
3. Civilization II - MAC, PC, PSX (1996)
2. Tetris - ARC, GB, MAC, NES, PC (1989)
1. Super Mario Bros. - NES (1985)


There's one, or two, clear absentees from this list. Morrowind and Oblivion.

I find that hilarious, but that might just be me.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
1,558
What really is puzzling is missing out on Heroes of MM. And even more puzzling is the inclusion of such a high number of Mario games .... I believe they are good, but the sheer amound really is astounding!
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
394
Sorry but I've played exactly one of those games(Tetris). Guess I've missed all the really good stuff in life. :(
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
7,834
Civilization 2 deserves to be ranked so highly, IMO. So does Tie Fighter.
 
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
1,807
Location
Orange County, California
Vhoa, I played only 12 out of the first 20. Still more than what I would have played from a similar list published in, say, 2017. And I'm very glad they included Ocarina of Time as I can still shed tears of joy when I just think about it :).
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
3,754
I didn't expect much from IGN, but this list is absolutely pathetic. The fact that they have Doom at only #19, yet have Half-Life 2 at #6 is laughable.

Don't let me get started on 3 Mario games in the top 17. >:O
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
Yeah, the Mario thing is definitely overkill. The first one should definitely be there, but the rest is questionable. MW got unfairly dissed imho. Where the hell is BG?
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
Yeah, the Mario thing is definitely overkill. The first one should definitely be there, but the rest is questionable. MW got unfairly dissed imho. Where the hell is BG?



You mean to tell me that Baldur's Gate wasn't on the list at all?!? I guess they forgot about it while playing Mario Brothers. :lol:
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,129
Location
Florida, US
43. Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

The original is nowhere to be seen, that's horse-hockey! (as Colonel Potter would say)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
These lists are never 'right' - nor could they be ... but they do succeed - at generating discussion :D
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,932
Yep. There's simply too many variables to account for when doing such a list. What do you base your rating on? General reception? Popularity? Sales figures? Rating from inhouse-reviews? How does time play a role? Do you try to fit every game into it's historical context or do you compare older games more directly with modern games? For instance, Doom has aged considerably and would almost certainly not be as much fun as it was when it was first released. Or do you compare your memory of one game with that of another? And we all know how deceptive memories can be...

In a nutshell, dito to txa's assessment. ;)
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
Yep. There's simply too many variables to account for when doing such a list. What do you base your rating on?
"A number of factors were taken into consideration when selecting a winner: How good the game was compared to others of its time, its overall game design, how well it stands up over the years, how influential it has been in the realm of gaming and just plain how much fun we had playing it are all points for contention."

I would actually bother to read through a best-of list which accounted for just one of those factors. I could learn something about my hobby by trying to discern what the games with the greatest longevity had in common. But what can you say about a list that includes both Quake II and Ms. Pac-Man? I mean, besides "This list is ALL WRONG. Number one should be number four, number seven should be number twelve..."
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
321
I would actually bother to read through a best-of list which accounted for just one of those factors. I could learn something about my hobby by trying to discern what the games with the greatest longevity had in common.

True. And even "Top 100 RPGs" woudn't cut it. We need more specialized lists. :)
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
3,486
I just enjoy seeing what others think and then wonder what planet they are on. Still 7 on that list I would replay, 4 I want to play and about 6 or so that I played once but not again. I do admit to be a pure PC gamer and there are no consoles in my house (except when I won a PS and gave it to a nephew.)

regards
 
Joined
Dec 2, 2006
Messages
241
Location
UK
These lists are never 'right' - nor could they be ... but they do succeed - at generating discussion :D

Well, if we want a real convo-generating-countdown, bust out an official RPG Watch "Top ## Rpg List".

That'lll be a 100+/- page convo there ='.'=
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
5,228
Location
San Diego, Ca
I think they are convinced Dragon Warrior invented Tile Based RPG's, forgetting the tremendous influence Ultima had on JRPG's.

Its nice to see Arcade games even mentioned here but there are way, way too few of them, including Asteroids (Wizards of Wor, good one DTE, "auk auk auk auk"). Pre-NES console games aren't even considered. The "Mario" game they forgot to include was Donkey Kong. There was a hundred clones of side scrolling running jumping games games after it including Mario Bros and Super Bros.

Leaving Myst out is abominable. But no Diablo? Did I miss something? The latter is not my favourite but even I know it needs to make this list. I suppose WoW is the favourite flavour of MMOG's right now but a casual mention of UO or EQ wouldn't have hurt.

Considering the range of games I'm guessing this is a staff favourites thing.

I've seen so many of these by now it seems the best way to make them is to do them by year.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
5,212
Location
The Uncanny Valley
Back
Top Bottom