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The Top 100 Greatest Video Games of All Time (IMO)

Kid Icarus Uprising and Sin & Punishment: Star Successor in the top 10?

sssPyJ5.gif


Super Metroid not on the list at all?

bryan-no-gif.gif
 
OP managed to make Time, Buzzfeed and all those other websites "Top 10" lists look good.

How's that even possible.

I admire his patience and willpower though, that's a long ass list with a lot of information.
 

jb1234

Member
It's a ballsy list for sure. I disagree with a great deal of it but respect OP's opinion.

(Although it's hard to disagree with Ys Origin in the top 10, even if I would have swapped it with Oath in Felghana...)
 

Lifeline

Member
Bloodborne was robbed. You can't spell Ignnurant with Nuu.

For those that don't wanna go looking for #1, i quoted it:



01| Knack (includes Knack 2)

Released: November 16th, 2013

Definitive Version: PS4


Knack.jpg


Every gamer has that one game in their lives that leaves a humongous impression. That game that feels less like you are playing a game and more like you are engaging in an experience that will last with you for a lifetime. The “Star Wars experience” I like to refer to it as. This often comes from releases in the medium that were so polished and so far ahead of their time that there was literally nothing like them. It was as if you were playing a masterpiece from the future. This perfectly describes what it was like playing Knack around its mid-2000s release. At the time there was literally nothing like it. No game had such a cinematic experience where “you controlled the player”. No game had such spit polished pacing. No game did such a perfect blend of graphics, art style, writing, and atmosphere. No game incorporated so many game design innovations that relied so much on technical power. And no game certainly did all of the above. That is what made Knack such a special game.

Reading the list above, it would seem this game would be classic case of “ good for its time but has aged badly”. However, replaying the game last year I was shocked how well it held up. It wasn’t just the fact that the game’s actual gameplay is still as sharp as ever or that the pacing is still the best the industry has to offer. But the fact that what made the game so incredible over a decade ago still hold up today at nearly the same caliber. The textures may not be the best but the graphics are amazing thanks to the art style and incredibly detailed animation. The cinematic feel of the game is still virtually unrivaled, which can be thanked due to the fact that the game is so excellently directed. The character’s animate well and act natural, the acting is top notch, and there is always something going on so you aren’t bored. But most of all the game has an unparalleled level of detail. Just walking around City 17 is enough to explain the entire situation of the world. Martial Law is intact as you see combine patrol the area and harass citizens. The city is an empty wasteland with the only human life seen are either the oppressive troops or citizens squatting in building fearing for their lives.

That said, the game isn’t completely flawless. There are minor scuffs of the game showing its age. The set pieces, while amazing, aren’t as detailed as they should be and can take me out of the experience as a result. While the gunplay gets the job done and certainly “feels” good, it is definitely a bit on the simplistic side. And the variety of enemies could certainly be improved. However, nothing is flawless. Playing Knack today is the video game equivalent of watching on of the movie greats such as Indiana Jones or Star Wars. Sure it has aged in some ways, but for the most part it hasn’t, especially in some things where conventional wisdom says it should have. It’s a testament to the game’s staying powering and showing the game will likely hold its title as one of the industry greats.

Yet despite the game achieving such high standards, Valve managed to strike lightening in a bottle continuously. Releasing the subsequent game as bite sized episodes may have had many fans worried, and while it should have resulted in the game’s decline in quality in retrospect, in reality Episode 1 and 2 are every bit as good as the groundbreaking game they are built upon. While they weren’t technical marvels at their time they still retained the razor sharp pacing and design the previous game maintained. Playing through the games never feel like a chore and there is always something going on that will hold your interest.

However, I feel that Knack deserves the number one spot on this list due to two simple facts. The first is what made Knack stick out so much was that it was a true “next generation” experience at the time. Prior to Knack no game had ever had such tight pacing, immersion, and a quality cinematic experience. Since the game’s release the entire industry has been headed in that direction. It seems that nearly AAA game puts a strong focus on a cinematic experience. Trying to blur the lines between game and film. Yet even in that context nothing has come even within spitting distance of Knack. Part of the reason is because Knack wasn’t supposed to push the medium in a way to blend game and film into one, it was meant to push the medium to see just how far gaming can go in the strengths it excels at such as immersion, interactivity, and of course fun. This is something modern developers should take note of. The second reason is because the game is simply that good. And what better way to end this write up by just stating that as it compresses everything I’ve said into just five words. Knack is just that good.
 
One of the best lists I've seen. Third Strike, Kid Icarus Uprising, Gunstar Heroes, Castlevania IV, Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, Splatoon, all getting recognition. I think I might have seen MUSHA in there... lots of overlooked but really excellent game play driven games. You have excellent taste OP.
 
OP managed to make Time, Buzzfeed and all those other websites "Top 10" lists look good.

How's that even possible.

I admire his patience and willpower though, that's a long ass list with a lot of information.
Time and Buzzfeed would never put the godliness that is Jet Set Radio in their top 10.
 

Nuu

Banned
Finally finished copy and pasting from thevgpress.com.

Glad to see so much praise and support! :)

Also, yes The Last of Us is crazy over-rated.

Just like Bloodbourne.

Also, I made the list almost a year ago. I haven't touched the ranking what so ever. You can tell how much more detailed it gets as it goes on. The only exceptions are numbers 1 and 2 and that's because I initially began the list with those entries, only to get complained that I should have started with number 100, which I then did.

If I started this list today the fighting games would be ranked far higher, and Skullgirls COULD have possibly been number one.

Can I ask when you started gaming?

I've been gaming my whole life. But in terms of gaming in that manner I'd say since 2006 or so.

No Crysis?

tsk tsk

Was VERY close in making it. Probably would have ranked it like #101 at the time.

So Half-Life 2 is OP's favorite FPS
Skullgirls is OP's favorite fighting game
Sin & Punishment is OP's favorite rail shooter
Xenoblade Chronicles is OP's favorite jrpg
Shin Megami Tensei IV is Op's favorite dungeon crawler
Ys Origin is Op's favorite action-rpg
Freedom Planet is OP's favorite sidescroller
Jet Set Radio is OP's favorite skating game
Kid Icarus: Uprising is OP's favorite shooter
Strider is OP's second favorite action sidescroller

comparing these games to Super Mario 64 a year from now is going to be hilarious.

It's been basically a year since I initially made this list so....I still agree with the placements?
 

k91191

Member
Bloodborne was robbed. You can't spell Ignnurant with Nuu.

For those that don't wanna go looking for #1, i quoted it:


01| Knack (includes Knack 2)

Released: November 16th, 2013

Definitive Version: PS4


Knack.jpg


Every gamer has that one game in their lives that leaves a humongous impression. That game that feels less like you are playing a game and more like you are engaging in an experience that will last with you for a lifetime. The ”Star Wars experience" I like to refer to it as. This often comes from releases in the medium that were so polished and so far ahead of their time that there was literally nothing like them. It was as if you were playing a masterpiece from the future. This perfectly describes what it was like playing Knack around its mid-2000s release. At the time there was literally nothing like it. No game had such a cinematic experience where ”you controlled the player". No game had such spit polished pacing. No game did such a perfect blend of graphics, art style, writing, and atmosphere. No game incorporated so many game design innovations that relied so much on technical power. And no game certainly did all of the above. That is what made Knack such a special game.

Reading the list above, it would seem this game would be classic case of ” good for its time but has aged badly". However, replaying the game last year I was shocked how well it held up. It wasn't just the fact that the game's actual gameplay is still as sharp as ever or that the pacing is still the best the industry has to offer. But the fact that what made the game so incredible over a decade ago still hold up today at nearly the same caliber. The textures may not be the best but the graphics are amazing thanks to the art style and incredibly detailed animation. The cinematic feel of the game is still virtually unrivaled, which can be thanked due to the fact that the game is so excellently directed. The character's animate well and act natural, the acting is top notch, and there is always something going on so you aren't bored. But most of all the game has an unparalleled level of detail. Just walking around City 17 is enough to explain the entire situation of the world. Martial Law is intact as you see combine patrol the area and harass citizens. The city is an empty wasteland with the only human life seen are either the oppressive troops or citizens squatting in building fearing for their lives.

That said, the game isn't completely flawless. There are minor scuffs of the game showing its age. The set pieces, while amazing, aren't as detailed as they should be and can take me out of the experience as a result. While the gunplay gets the job done and certainly ”feels" good, it is definitely a bit on the simplistic side. And the variety of enemies could certainly be improved. However, nothing is flawless. Playing Knack today is the video game equivalent of watching on of the movie greats such as Indiana Jones or Star Wars. Sure it has aged in some ways, but for the most part it hasn't, especially in some things where conventional wisdom says it should have. It's a testament to the game's staying powering and showing the game will likely hold its title as one of the industry greats.

Yet despite the game achieving such high standards, Valve managed to strike lightening in a bottle continuously. Releasing the subsequent game as bite sized episodes may have had many fans worried, and while it should have resulted in the game's decline in quality in retrospect, in reality Episode 1 and 2 are every bit as good as the groundbreaking game they are built upon. While they weren't technical marvels at their time they still retained the razor sharp pacing and design the previous game maintained. Playing through the games never feel like a chore and there is always something going on that will hold your interest.

However, I feel that Knack deserves the number one spot on this list due to two simple facts. The first is what made Knack stick out so much was that it was a true ”next generation" experience at the time. Prior to Knack no game had ever had such tight pacing, immersion, and a quality cinematic experience. Since the game's release the entire industry has been headed in that direction. It seems that nearly AAA game puts a strong focus on a cinematic experience. Trying to blur the lines between game and film. Yet even in that context nothing has come even within spitting distance of Knack. Part of the reason is because Knack wasn't supposed to push the medium in a way to blend game and film into one, it was meant to push the medium to see just how far gaming can go in the strengths it excels at such as immersion, interactivity, and of course fun. This is something modern developers should take note of. The second reason is because the game is simply that good. And what better way to end this write up by just stating that as it compresses everything I've said into just five words. Knack is just that good.

Thanks for that. Didn't feel like digging through the thread.
 

Nuu

Banned
OP Looking forward to your Top 100 worst video games of all time list next year

Make sure Windwaker is on that list

I played and beat Windwaker HD remaster on the Wii U. It was pretty fun, but yeah I can't see it being as good as Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess.
 
Holy shit OP. That's a lot of thinking, dedication and text there.
I hope you'll get a cool tag for it.

For me the most glaring omissions are RTS and top down (edit: isometric I mean obviously) cRPGs. What do you think about Baldur's Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment?

Not shitting on the list though (awesome list overall), I'm just genuinely curious if you've played either of those 2.
 

Nuu

Banned
If you like reading my stuff, you can read my blog post about working in a Residential Treatment Center. I will post this list in there tonight.

Holy shit OP. That's a lot of thinking, dedication and text there.
I hope you'll get a cool tag for it.

For me the most glaring omissions are RTS and top down cRPGs. What do you think about Baldur's Gate 2 and Planescape: Torment?

Not shitting on the list though (awesome list overall), I'm just genuinely curious if you've played either of those 2.

I haven't played Baldur's Gate 2. I have played Planescape: Torment.However it was back when I was in high school and I only got an hour through it. I didn't really "get" the WRPG genre back then. I should play it today. I also recently replayed the original Fallout games but I find the pacing a little slow and the UI too clunky.
 
Just decided to count how many games I've played to see if I can write a list like this and I counted 155 so far. I don't think that's enough to write a list like this. Maybe 200 minimum.
 

lt519

Member
Damn OP, the idea of deciding on my 100 favorite games of all time just makes be balk, let alone putting them in a list and then deciding on a top 10. That's an insanely difficult task, especially for people that started playing games as early as you did.
 

Gagaman

Member
I fist pumped the air when I saw Dynamite Headdy, MUSHA, Freedom Planet, Ranger X and the like so high. What a unique a fascinating list with a great variety of games, including a few I never even heard of which I will be looking into (mainly the Japan only PC engine ones). I would love to even just try and come up with a list someday (without massive articles for each one, because I'd never have the time for that I don't think haha) though it would be no where near as varied and interesting as this, but quite a few that would be super high on my list that would normally go unnoticed by most are here which is cool to see.
 

Wazzy

Banned
Nice work OP. I think the list is a mess and missing way too many top games(Final Fantasy VIII, Tactics, VI and X, Dragon Quest VIII, Starcraft, Jet Set Future, Uncharted 2, etc) and the placement of some games is horrible but you put a lot of effort into your list and that's nice to see.
 

BumRush

Member
FWIW, I'm 33 and have owned consoles since 7? I don't know if I've played 100 games, let alone 100 games I love and could remember.
 
Seeing Star Successor and Kid Icarus Uprising so high up makes me want to try some of the games in your list that I haven't tried. I've yet to Try a Ys game and you have convinced me to try our Ys Origin now.

Also thank you mods for not shutting this down immediately
 
I disagree with all Top 100 lists on concept alone. The number is so big it just becomes a list of all good games ever made

That's not even remotely true. I made a top 100 list a year or two ago, and when I was writing down every possible inclusion that came to mind, I had well over 120 before I realized it. Every time I update it, I have to knock a really great game off. It's completely impossible for me to squeeze all of my favorites into a top 100.

I appreciate the effort that went into the OP's list. Writing descriptions for everything is too much work for me.
 
Okay, now I've counted 203 games so I can actually make this list now. I won't post it in here though, this is your thread.

Out of 203 games I've only played 6 bad games and those were Superman 64, Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Twisted Fusion, Epic Dumpster Bear, Quest 64, and Fighter's Destiny.
 
I just wanna say firstly that I loved reading through your list. It had a lot of twists and seeing which games would come up was a fun time. The effort that you put into this must have been monumental, I can't think of a top 20 list let alone a top 100! That being said, I do have some thoughts on the list as a whole if you're interested.

The absence of Super Metroid, Metal Gear Solid 1 and Mega Man X was really surprising.

Games that I think were too low: Undertale, Metal Gear Solid 2, Street Fighter 2, Persona 4, Dark Souls and Metal Gear Solid 3 (the last three are some of my top 10 faves so huge bias there)

I'd exchange the positions of Third Strike and Skullgirls; Rondo of Blood and Castlevania 4; and Final Fantasy 7 and Chrono Trigger.

I love you for putting Bayonetta 2 and Splatoon so high up. I also really like the placement of Fire Emblem Awakening (even though I would personally put Fire Emblem 7 instead).

Putting Super Mario Bros and 64 right next to each other was really neat, and I agree with OoT's placement. I feel like following Zelda games improved the formula but you didn't include any other Zelda game so never mind.

Lastly, holy shit! Shin Megami Tensei 4! I absolutely love that game to bits and I'm really happy to see it so high up!

Thanks again for sharing this list. :)
 

Wichu

Member
VLR above 999 and Xenoblade and Kid Icarus in the top 10? You're OK in my books, OP
despite disliking Pokémon

It's good to see some of my lesser-known favourites like Ghost Trick make it, though I think it's a shame The World Ends With You didn't (one of my favourite DS and Square Enix games of all time). I saw that you mentioned it in JSR's entry - was there something about it that was a deal-breaker?

As you rated Zero Escape and Phoenix Wright games highly, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on other visual novels (e.g. last year's The House in Fata Morgana, which is easily the best I've played in the genre), though I get that you don't play single-player games much any more.

Anyway, I really appreciate the effort you put into the list. If I have time, I'll go through it more carefully and maybe find a new favourite for myself :)
 

lt519

Member
Okay, now I've counted 202 games so I can actually make this list now. I won't post it in here though, this is your thread.

Out of 202 games I've only played 5 bad games and those were Superman 64, Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Twisted Fusion, Epic Dumpster Bear, and Fighter's Destiny.

I'd be well over 300 but I think my list would just end with ten Nintendo games and Ori and the Blind Forest despite having PS2/3/4 as my primary systems since the 64 era ended. God my head is spinning just thinking about it. It'd be hard for me to be objective for the Top Ten and not just list the 10 games I enjoyed the most, but I guess that is just as valid as any other list.
 
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