Weapon X Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 //////////////////// EGM's TOP 200 Games by Steve Semrad 2.2.2006 The top 200 games? Surely that many games don't even exist. But what do I know--I'm just the intern, and I suppose EGM must have reviewed at least 200 titles over its 16-year history. (Actually, we've reviewed 4,562, for everything from the Atari 7800 to the Xbox 360. --Ed.) For our big bicentennial issue, the staff decided to rank the top 200 in ascending order of greatness. But top-games lists are so cliche, and one thing I know about my boss is that he won't touch a cliche with a 10-foot pole. (That's a cliche. --Ed.) So to spice up this monster list of gaming goodness (One more cliche like that and you're fired. --Ed.), we're altering the criteria and rounding up the greatest arcade and console games of their time rather than all time. What's the difference? Simple. We're ranking these games based on how much they consumed our lives--and, to a lesser extent, rattled the videogame biz--when they first hit arcades or consoles. That's why something as primitive as Pac-Man ranks higher than the more-fun-to-play-today Halo 2. Pac-Man's amazingly addictive mazes and quirky characters--and let's not forget its breakfast cereal or top-40 tune--enthralled us in ways few games have managed to since. We're also taking our list personally, filling it with anecdotes from game designers who created or were inspired by these hits, along with our own warm-and-fuzzy memories. Speaking of taking it personally, we're sure you're going to have a lot to say about the list, overloading our inbox with gripes and omissions and death threats, oh my! (That's your third strike. Clean out your desk. --Ed.) Fine, but who'll you get to sort through readers' outraged claims of dissed games and "corrected" ranking orders next month? (Good point...welcome back. --Ed.) Ahem. Send your levelheaded and entirely reasonable arguments to EGM@ziffdavis.com, with the subject "Top 200 of Their Time." "We're sure we missed something -- which is why we asked you to fill in the blanks. We're still tallying the vote, but check back soon to see the 25 greatest games our readers voted onto the list!" ---------------------------------------------- //////////////////// This is a great segment. So much nostalgia up in here. And they make pretty good picks! Read this, then post up your own top ten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 My Top Ten in no particular order: - God of War (PS2) - Resident Evil 4 (PS2) - Wolfenstein 3D (PC) - Madden '05 (PS2) - Civilization (PC) - Yar's Revenge (Atari 2600) - Super Mario 64 (N64) - Gran Turismo 2 (PlayStation) - Samurai Showdown (Arcade) - Street Fighter 2 Turbo (Arcade) That was hard. Of course there is more.. Oh well. *bonus - Activision's Ice Hockey for the 2600. I'd love to name all sorts of Mario and Castlevania and Zelda games, but I'll just leave it at those top ten games for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CACashRefund Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 this is bullshit where is mortal kombat 1? the game that revolutionized game violence you gotta be fucking kidding me not even top 20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 Originally posted by CACashRefund@Feb 23 2006, 06:46 PM this is bullshit where is mortal kombat 1? the game that revolutionized game violence you gotta be fucking kidding me not even top 20 Quoted post Yeah, I noticed that, too. But it's all good because they put Yar's Revenge on there, so I'll let them overlook MK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 23, 2006 Author Share Posted February 23, 2006 If you're into videogames, it's important that you read some of the anecdotes that go with the Top 10 games (each one listed at the top of each page). The Super Mario Bros. one, especially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.C.Shadow Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Mine in no order -Ninja Gaiden Black -Warcraft 3 -Diablo Series -Halo Series -Soul Caliber Series -Goldeneye 007 -Mario Bros (First game I ever played <3) -Doom Series -Mortal Kombat Series (I OWNED acrade MK3) Wonk. -Marble Madness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 I gotta put Medal of Honour there because it's the first historical shooter. *Well, aside from Wolfenstein, I guess, but MoH was more historical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harvey Wallbanger Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I found this article far more interesting than I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smart Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 All the games I've loved before... 185 - Dragon's Lair 183 - Gorf (I loved this game, not only the arcade version but a friend also gave me the cartridge for my Vic-20) 154 - Moon Patrol 134 - Yar's Revenge (Hells yeah, 5 finger discount at Freds!) 127 - Zaxxon 124 - Pole Position 103 - Super Mario RPG (way funner than I thought it would be) 94 - Centipede 93 - Track & Field! 74 - Chrono Trigger (Holy fuck this game kicks ass!) 73 - Gauntlet 72 - Spy Hunter 71 - Tempest (I would make $40 a day selling candy in 6th grade and spend it all on tempest! Seriously, I spent maybe $300 in a month) 62 - Frogger (Among my favorites at the first arcade that opened in my town, The Token Exchange also the first place I played Donkey Kong) 54 - Defender (Hayes Bayside Grocery, this, Centipede and the Black Knight pinball game... salad days, first fat skateboard an ALUMINUM fish shape w/ Caddy logo in a plastic raised emblem and red Hobie wheels, fully found it in a bush at the top of the drive way next to my apartments. Used to lay down and coffin the steep driveway, nobody ever claimed it and I used the fuck out of it... then one time when we were moving my father inexplicably gave it to the mover's kid... dick) 51 - Castlevania 50 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 47 - Joust 45 - John Madden Football (Fuck, the late night tournaments and drugs, almost as bad as the EA PGA Tour series) 43 - Tron 42 - R-Type 39 - Combat (Years and years, from like age 10 until drunken tournaments at age 25. Tanks and Jets, beauty!) 36 - Final Fantasy III (This was 'The best game ever!' when I played it but that was before Chronotrigger) 34 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Duh!) 32 - Robotron: 2084 29 - Final Fantasy II 28 - Galaga (I freaked on Galaga, I played the hell out of it, so, one time I was living back in Key West, and hung out at an arcade on Duval... this guy watched me beat the high score on my first game, walked over and told me that he thought I rocked ((not in a gay way))... turned out that he was one of the guys that actually wrote the code for Galaga ((or so he said)) and he showed me the first ever 'Easter Egg' I learned about. On the second wave (right before the first Bonus screen) kill everything but the 2 Bees on the left hand side of the screen... then you have to just avoid them and their shots ((2 per 'attack round')) and keep an eye out for the occasional 'sneaky pete' shot that will transfer from the left side of the screen and reappear on the right side to smash you if you're just trying to lounge in the lower right corner... So, ANYWAY, I was headed back home w/ a bottle of vodka in my luggage, which was actually just a green military duffle... I got to Orlando and had like a 5 hour lay-over in the middle of the night, so I skated the terminal some and wandered the deserted halls and finally found an arcade... since I'd done the trick only on one machine I decided to try on one I found there... and missed my flight... which arrived in Pensacola without me... but my duffle got there, to be picked up by my father and subsequently discovered to be soaked in the vodka, which had burst for some reason or other during handling... So, when I finally got home there was a warning poster that one would see entering liquor stores at that time... WARNING! It is Unlawful for persons under the age of... blah blah blah... I was in the shit house for most of a year... got my first mohawk like 2 weeks after that... anyway, this game was more than fun, it's woven right in to my life!) 18 - Pitfall! 15 - Donkey Kong wtf? it seemed to skip 10 -2 and go straight to... 1 - Super Mario Bros.(I actually only played this in the arcade but I could get to level 8-4 with like 6 lives... it was an endless maze that you just ran out of time in... sucky ending but it took like an hour and a half to get there, so, worth the quarter in my book) A couple for the Atari2600 that didn't make the list but TRULY kick ass are Downhill Skiing by Activision and NightDriver by Atari(?)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonesome Cowboy Bill Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 I guess I don't dissagree with the list, but I definately think SimCity is missing...thast one of the most important and intersting and innovative game ever.. and fun.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smart Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 word... simcity kicked ass! plus, you know, I guess it's more computer/adventure/text games but I still say that, on the same simcity level, and first but different was the Zork series... and Enchanter, the first text games kicked ass, but espescially Zork, that was Jolt cola and phreakin' the night away days, free 4 hour multi-line calls to Germany and shit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smart Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Do you think it's a testament to a life wasted that I have all these memories wrapped up in this sort of thing? I'm starting to wonder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lonesome Cowboy Bill Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 well you could talk about how great the fire was last night, like our ancestors did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Feets Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Final Fantasy 7 not in the top 20? This list is weak. NEXT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellow Feets Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Absurb even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest imported_Tesseract Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 GETTING UP! WHAT!>? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpyD Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Metal Gear Solid is my favorite game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 24, 2006 Author Share Posted February 24, 2006 Originally posted by Smart@Feb 24 2006, 02:20 AM wtf? it seemed to skip 10 -2 and go straight to... 1 - Super Mario Bros. Quoted post They count down 10 - 1 on the top section of each page. That is a really nostalgic post you have there. That's amazing how you got an easter egg in Galaga from a source like that. I didn't even know they had easter eggs back then. I remember playing 2600 in my brother's room on the little black and white TV. My neighbour played his on a b&w TV, as well. The first time I saw an Atari game on a colour TV was insanity. Track and Field was wicked. So was Solaris. I'm glad you remember Yar's Revenge. That game provides me with amazing memories of early childhood. Do you remember the comic book that came with it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbivore Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 Originally posted by Lonesome Cowboy Bill@Feb 24 2006, 02:37 AM I guess I don't dissagree with the list, but I definately think SimCity is missing...thast one of the most important and intersting and innovative game ever.. and fun.. Quoted post The list only covered console and arcade games. And by the time Sim City was released on SNES, it wasn't all that groundbreaking anymore, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyarlathotep Posted February 24, 2006 Share Posted February 24, 2006 no order. r-type gunstar heroes god of war phantasy star snake rattle & roll amored core star fox breath of fire 2 bonks adventure king of fighters 98-2001 street fighter 3 third strike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aReJae Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 that list was right on the money and FF7 was in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smart Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 WepX... hells yeah, got the comic in a box somewhere... for real, got it right off the shelf in the first week it was out... Xmas time... I remember it was the most expensive game ever at that point (I mean for atari, I dunno about other consoles but)... $40... all the others were $29 and you could get 'em from 47th St. Photo for like $22... not so w/ Yar's... I remember getting so far that the enemy lord guy was nothing but fireballs, just flashing out at you... by then in the game it was about incremental points like how many blocks of the barrier ou knocked out because you weren't usually gonna see another round... *Who said BoF2... hell yeah, right now I'm revisiting my old school Snes adventures... I'm trying to go by more the graphic quality and story depth than actual release dates but... yeah, I just finished BoF 1 the other day... SoulBlazer right now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 I wish I still had my 2600 and the shoebox full of games. But somehow my mom decided to donate it to my rich cousins had everything but that. haha, I remember Yar's getting that hard, too. Dude would just shoot out at you with no warning, over and over. I really liked the little story about Space Invaders in that article: "At the time, Atari's block-breaking game Breakout was popular in Japan. I thought the game was fun, too, and so I began making a game using [breakout] as inspiration. I decided to change the blocks to targets that had shapes and make a shooting game--a shoot-out between those targets and the player. For the targets, I tested out tanks, planes, and soldiers, but I was stuck because none of them seemed to fit the image of the game. But then a movie called Star Wars came out, so I took a note from that and made it a space game, and when I tried changing the targets to aliens, it looked very smooth--that settled it. "I started making Space Invaders around the summer of 1977. I did all the design, graphics, and programming on my own. In June 1978, I finished the game and had an unveiling, but the [arcade] operators didn't like it, and we received almost no orders. Many of the operators were older gentlemen; they said it was too hard. I don't think they knew how to deal with the targets shooting back--shooting games up to that point had been about the player shooting one way at targets, and this game went against that logic. But when the game went out into the world, its fresh approach brought thrills and excitement mainly to young people, and I think that led to it being a big hit. "The head of my company forced us to change the name of the game to Space Invaders, even though I had named it Space Monsters. I remember being really unhappy about that. This may come as a surprise to people--the game didn't leave me with a very good impression. But now time has passed, and when I think about how much this game has contributed to advancements in Japanese gaming, I'm very proud that I was able to create it." --Tomohiro Nishikado, Space Invaders creator And the Pac-Man one was eye opening. Who'da thought that it was created for women? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyarlathotep Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Originally posted by Smart@Feb 25 2006, 03:30 AM *Who said BoF2... hell yeah, right now I'm revisiting my old school Snes adventures... I'm trying to go by more the graphic quality and story depth than actual release dates but... yeah, I just finished BoF 1 the other day... SoulBlazer right now... Quoted post if you play all of the games backwards starting with dragon quarter for the ps2... and end with bof 1 ..thats how the whole story line goes not very many people caught that..and thats what makes the game so great to me. right now i'm playing this game called riviera - the promised land for gba that is alot harder than most gba rpg's also getting down on the really weird japanese puzzle game called "no no no puzzle chailien" ...i dont understand a word of it ..but its pure insanity.. like yea have to beat a microwave time in order to cook a chicken nugget via tetris attack like puzzles oh and and gta 3, lemmings, donkey kong country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
"DEO45" Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Quoted post I remember playing this game in my 2600 here's a link for people in Chicago. My Webpage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shape1369 Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 lemmings was the shit. hours and hours on that game. anybody remember commander keen? one of the best computer side scrollers, in my opinion. moving back beyond that, anyone ever play loom? shit was crazy. only text based rpg i ever got into. i used to have this game on a 286 machine called Gorillas. it was just two gorillas on top of a cityskape throwing explosive bannas at eachother. I tried running it on a 486 and a pentium later in life but everytime it would get to throwing the bannas, they would just fly off screen and not come back for ten minutes or something like that. shit even before all that i had an 8088 that i played tons of text based games on. There was this one called wild catter. As the name implies it was about natural gas and oil refinement and production. It was so hard. You had to manage production levels per day, while finding new drill sites and all this other shit... I also used to play a great WWII flight simulator called Aces of the Pacific. Nothing like gettin into a thirty minute dogfight with zeros while your crusin in an AF-4U Corsair. They had so many great planes in that game that you could choose from... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flippingreat Posted February 25, 2006 Share Posted February 25, 2006 Originally posted by CACashRefund@Feb 23 2006, 11:46 PM this is bullshit where is mortal kombat 1? the game that revolutionized game violence you gotta be fucking kidding me not even top 20 Quoted post TOASTIE!!!! i used to love it when that happened wot was the other sound affect that you could do with uber skill? id say one of the new gta's wud be near the top Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 25, 2006 Author Share Posted February 25, 2006 I just noticed that Bubble Bobble isn't in there. Weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shape1369 Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 no mario kart 64 either. i spend so many hours playing that game, still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weapon X Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 But Mario Kart for the SNES is in there, so it's cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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