Your Top 25 Games of All Time

[Wretchedest]

I love this thread. Its super diverse and very insightful.

First of all: someone put Turok on top. I love you.

Second: if you look at these lists it really calla attention to games as a dividing medium. Do Earthworm Jim, Final Fantasy, and Marvel vs. Capcom and Bioshock all belong on the same list? All great games. All at the very peak of what they do. But are the same artistic medium. I just cant bring myself to think so. Theyre all so different. You come to each of those games for a completely different reason. Different from how you would come to "Dumb and Dumber" for different reasons than you'd come to Fellini's "8 1/2". Final Fantasy MVC and Bioshock arguably have much bigger gaps between then than those two movies.

Games have changed a lot over the years so its interesting to watch us struggle to take games from our Sega Genesis days and try to shove then in the same list as GTA V or The Last of Us.

[liquidcalm]

I love this thread. Its super diverse and very insightful.

First of all: someone put Turok on top. I love you.

Second: if you look at these lists it really calla attention to games as a dividing medium. Do Earthworm Jim, Final Fantasy, and Marvel vs. Capcom and Bioshock all belong on the same list? All great games. All at the very peak of what they do. But are the same artistic medium. I just cant bring myself to think so. Theyre all so different. You come to each of those games for a completely different reason. Different from how you would come to "Dumb and Dumber" for different reasons than you'd come to Fellini's "8 1/2". Final Fantasy MVC and Bioshock arguably have much bigger gaps between then than those two movies.

Games have changed a lot over the years so its interesting to watch us struggle to take games from our Sega Genesis days and try to shove then in the same list as GTA V or The Last of Us.

I guess that all depends on if your top 25 is 'the top 25 games I've played, enjoyed and loved in my lifetime' or 'these are the 25 game I think are most important to gaming as a whole'. Those lists would be very different (with some crossover).
If it was just hours played, I'm sure lists would be different again.. I think all my toilet breaks playing Jetpack Joyride would put that up in the top 10 of all time...

But yeah it does go to show how broad games are these days, with film, you sit and watch, all it asks is your time, games ask your time and input and let you define when you want to continue, if you want to go a different path, explore a side-quest or master a combo. As Dara O'Brein points out in one of his stand up routines, they are also one of the only mediums of entertainment that locks content away from you if you are not good enough. If you can't finish a mission, you can bottle neck and never see the end of the story. Imagine if a film did that? "Do you understand that scene in Breathless? Watch it again before scene 10 continues!"

[qotsa_1992]

EDIT: I would actually say in this order

1. Max Payne
2. Max Payne 3
3. Max Payne 2: The fall of max payne
4. Grand theft auto: Vice City
5. fallout 3
6. Hitman blood money
7. Hitman contracts
8. fallout: new vegas
9. Resident evil
10. the last of us
11. Dino Crysis (love me some dinosaurs)
12. Super Mario World
13. Turok
14. batman arkham asylum
15. Gears of war 2
16. alan wake
17. grand theft auto v
18. Resident evil: Code Veronica
19. condemned
20. portal 2
21. mortal kombat 2
22. batman vengeance
23. 007 goldeneye (N64)
24. starfox 64 (N64)
25. Killer instinct (N64)

kind of a weird list but I would say that would be mine pretty much

[TimA]

I could play around with the order all day and still not be happy with it, but I'll stick with this for now:

1. Dark Souls
2. Dwarf Fortress
3. Planetside
4. Bioshock Infinite
5. The Binding Of Isaac
6. Rayman Origins
7. Nethack
8. Deus Ex
9. Half Life 2
10. Amnesia: The Dark Descent
11. Team Fortress 2
12. DCS: A-10C Warthog
13. Rise Of Flight
14. Portal 2
15. Frontier: Elite II
16. Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
17. Beneath a Steel Sky
18. League of Legends
19. Operation Flashpoint
20. Crusader Kings 2
21. Tie Fighter
22. Sensible World of Soccer
23. The Secret of Monkey Island
24. Cannon Fodder
25. Colonization

[Thiah]

Tomb Raider (reboot)
Mass Effect
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Halo
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Vigilante 8
Parasite Eve 2
Goldeneye
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Metal Gear Solid
Diablo II
Starcraft
Max Payne
Resident Evil 2
Dino Crisis
Resident Evil 4
Super Mario Bros. 3
WCW Nitro
Grand Theft Auto 3
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Left 4 Dead
Gears of War

[Digital Twilight]

1. Metal Gear Solid
2. Unreal Tournament
3. Doom
4. Final Fantasy 7
5. Planescape Torment
6. Baldur's Gate
7. Fallout 2
8. Fallout 3
9. Morrowind
10. Sensible Soccer
11. Bioshock
12. X-Com Terror from the Deep
13. Command and Conquer Red Alert 2
14. Tomb Raider (original)
15. Left 4 Dead 2
16. Metal Gear Solid 3
17. Pokemon Red/Blue
18. Resident Evil
19. Sonic 2
20. Streets of Rage 2
21. Tekken 3
22. Rollercoaster Tycoon 2
23. Grand Theft Auto (first one)
24. Syndicate Wars
25. Dark Souls

[Digital Twilight]

17. Beneath a Steel Sky

I played that again recently. It was a free download from GOG.com.

[staleincense]

17. Beneath a Steel Sky

Oh Beneath A Steel Sky. Something for people who don't know: in Belle Vue, you'll meet a guy called Gallagher who will basically on a seeemingly nonsensical philosophical rambling. When you complete the game, listen to what he says again and HOLY SHIT IT ACTUALLY MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

[Swykk]

I don't play a lot of games...but here are the ones I do like and have played (ranked):

1. Final Fantasy 7
2. Mass Effect 2
3. Goldeneye N64
4. Mega Man 2
5. The Legend of Zelda
6. Mass Effect 3
7. Dragon Age Origins
8. WWF No Mercy
9. Diablo 2
10. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
11. WWF Here Comes The Pain
12. Resident Evil 5
13. Metroid
14. Scott Pilgrim vs The World
15. Double Dragon Neon
16. Tekken 3
17. Bioshock
18. Mass Effect
19. Little Big Planet
20. Super Mario Bros 3
21. Final Fantasy 8
22. Contra
23. Final Fantasy 10
24. Brutal Legend
25. Def Jam: Fight for NY

[The Reason Being]

1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest
3. Portal 2

4. TLOZ: Majora's Mask
5. TLOZ: The Wind Waker
6. TLOZ: Twilight Princess
7. TLOZ: Skyward Sword
8. Donkey Kong Country
9. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble
10. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
11. Super Meat Boy (Getting 106% = most frustrating achievement in my gaming memory!)
12. GTA: San Andreas
13. GTA V
14. Half Life 2 / Epiode 1 / Episode 2
15. Portal
16. Donkey Kong Country Returns
17. Rayman 2: The Great Escape
18. Super Mario Bros.
19. SSX 3
20. SSX (2012)
21. Banjo Kazooie
22. Donkey Kong 64
23. Resident Evil 4
24. Lylat Wars (Star Fox 64 to you American folk)
25. Timesplitters 2

Honourable Mentions:

FEZ
Limbo
Rayman Origins
Goldeneye
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
Bioshock

[Trains]

@The Reason Being I've only just got into FEZ, but wow I cannot stop playing this funky little game!

My list

1. Silent Hill 2
2. Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain
3. Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
4. Final Fantasy VIII
5. Final Fantasy VII
6. Legacy of Kain: Defiance
7: Sonic The Hedgehog 2
8: Mass Effect
9: Halo 2
10: Halo: Combat Evolved
11: Silent Hill 3
12: Final Fantasy VI
13: Star Wars: KOTOR
14: Mass Effect 2
15: Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen
16: Shenmue
17: Shenmue 2
18: Jet Set Radio
19: Max Payne 2
20: Silent Hill
21: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
22: Breath of Fire
23: Assassin's Creed II
24: Sonic CD
25: FEZ

[artdeco]

Very cool to see everybody's lists.

I have to do this by systems that I've owned:

NES
Mike Tyson's Punchout
The Legend of Zelda

SEGA GENESIS
NHL 94

GAMECUBE
Metroid Prime
Zelda: Windwaker

PC
Civilization 5
NBA 2k13 (maybe the best sports game I've ever played)

XBOX360
Mass Effect
Madden Football Series
Fallout 3

PS3
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (my favorite FPS)
Skyrim (my current favorite game of all time)

[Corvus T. Cosmonaut]

Mother 2
Commandos 2
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Fallout 2
Star Control 2
Age of Empires II
Silent Hill 2
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Panzer General II
Galactic Civilizations II
Baldur's Gate II
Freespace 2
Little Big Adventure 2: Twinsen's Odyssey
The Secret of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
Crusader Kings II
Thief II: The Metal Age
Worms 2: Armageddon
System Shock 2
Gabriel Knight 2: The Beast Within
Heroes of Might and Magic II
Master of Orion 2
Half-Life 2
Diablo II
Team Fortress 2
Starcraft 2

[Ash512]

15 is too many.

1. Silent Hill 2
2. Final Fantasy 8
3. Red Dead Redemption
4. The Last Of Us
5. Metal Gear Solid 3
6. The Walking Dead
7. Super Mario World
8. Journey
9. Echo Night
10. Dead Space

[ldeaf2]

Some good lists on here so far! I got my list down to 28 games. I have mine in no particular order.
SuperMario Bros. 3
Alan Wake
The Last of Us
Fallout 3
Diablo II
Resident Evil 4
Silent Hill 2
Halo: Reach
Grand Theft Auto V
Bioshock Infinite
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Arcade Game
Tomb Raider (2013)
Super Metroid
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (still need to play Blacklist, I hear itis phenomenal!)
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Dead Space
The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series
Assassin’s Creed II
Batman: Arkham City
Heavy Rain
Battlefield 4
MVP Baseball 2005
Shadow of the Colossus
Red Dead Redemption
Syphon Filter 2
Goldeneye
WWF No Mercy
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island

[Amaro]

Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Through and through.

[ThinkIcouldburn]

I know I'm missing somethings here, but I'm semi satisfied with this list:

1. Uncharted 2
2. Portal 2
3. The Last of Us
4. Metal Gear Solid 2
5. Uncharted 3
6. Metal Gear Solid
7. Half Life 2
8. Goldeneye
9. Fallout 3
10. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
11. Mass Effect 2
12. Metal Gear Solid 3
13. Grand Theft Auto 5
14. Bioshock
15. Portal
16. Flower
17. Braid
18. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
19. Assassin’s Creed 2
20. LA Noire
21. Red Dead Redemption
22. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
23. Bioshock Infinite
24. Mass Effect 3
25. Batman: Arkham City
26. Conker's Bad Fur Day
27. WWF No Mercy

Went two extra because I couldn't leave them off the list.

[Madmya]

I tried to do a list but then my browser spazzed out, so I'll just mention my favourite game is NiGHTS into Dreams.

Lots of nice lists but.

[Shadaloo]

1. Final Fantasy VI
2. Mortal Kombat II
3. Chrono Trigger
4. Super Street FIghter II Turbo Hyper Fighting Championship Tournament Edition HD Remix (etc.)
5. Mega Man 2
6. Final Fantasy VII
7. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past
8. Castlevania: Symphony Of The Night
9. Super Mario World
10. Silent Hill 2
11. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
12. Red Dead Redemption
13. The Last Of Us
14. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
15. Batman: Arkham Asylum
16. Killer Instinct (original)
17. Guilty Gear X2
18. Megaman X
19. Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
20. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
21. Transformers: War For Cybertron
22. Eternal Darkness
23. Goldeneye
24. Super Mario Bros. 2
25. Earthworm Jim
I`m old and this was tough.

[elevenism]

Like @frankie teardrop , i'm an oldschool gaming nut. I'm glad to see some of the rest of you are too.
I had to leave off a LOT, most notably Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Most men of a certain age pumped so many quarters into these games and then went batshit crazy when they came out for SNES. But ultimately, those were arcade games and i was going for console.
No particular order, except the first 4 or so.

1. Chrono Trigger
2. Castlevania Symphony of the Night
3. Super Mario World
4. Tekken 3
5. Final Fantasy 3/6
6. Mike Tyson's Punch Out
7. Rock and Roll Racing
8. Super Metroid
9. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
10. Defender of the Crown
11. Wizards and Warriors
12. Pilotwings
13. Super Mario Brothers 3
14. EVO
15. Super Dodge Ball
16. Legend of Zelda
17. Gunstar Heroes
18. Sonic the Hedgehog
19. RC Pro Am
20. GTA 3
21. Super Paper Mario
22. Mega Man 2
23. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow
24. Contra
25. Gunsmoke

[dogsipod]

jeez...this was tough. Not in order...but i left out so many. Bold are games that made me drift off into daydreams while making the list....


1. Conker's Bad Fur Day
2. Mass Effect 2
3. Skyrim
4. Goldeneye
5. Resident Evil 2 (my best friend and I played this for 40 hours straight. Didn't have a memory card so we couldn't turn it off.)
6. Super Mario 64
7. Call of Duty: MW2
8. Doom
9. Batman Arkham
10. Super Metroid
11. Metroid Prime (I failed Calculus II final in undergrad because of this game)
12. Super Mario Kart
13. The Legend of Zelda
14. Super Mario RPG: LotSS
15. Star Fox
16. Metal Gear Solid
17. Banjo and Kazooie
18. Super Mario Sunshine
19. The Last of Us
20. Mega Man 3
21. Wii Sports (don't judge, it was all we played...fuck...it made most america buy a wii)
22. World of Warcraft
23. Perfect Dark
24. Portal 2
25. Uncharted

[Vertigo]

I think we have to draw the conclusion that there's some parallel between being a NIN fan and a vintage Nintendo fan - the ratio here is skewing that way to an increasingly ludicrous degree. I need to get a Sega 16-bit t-shirt printed in time for the London concert, so I can fight the good fight with you bunch of heathens.

[elevenism]

I think we have to draw the conclusion that there's some parallel between being a NIN fan and a vintage Nintendo fan - the ratio here is skewing that way to an increasingly ludicrous degree. I need to get a Sega 16-bit t-shirt printed in time for the London concert, so I can fight the good fight with you bunch of heathens.

Hey now, i put gunstar heroes and hedgehog in there!
I think the thing is age combined with the fact that most people had nintendos, not segas.
I just started playing sega genesis in the past few years, and yes, it has some REALLY great games.
What are your favorites?

[Vertigo]

Well, I was a little surprised to see the original Sonic lurking in your list, actually. 2's the one most people consider the best of the series, and makes some massive improvements on the original (though I do love 1's atmosphere and pace), and Sonic CD gets a lot more love too. Personally, 3 & Knuckles is my favourite of the series, and I think it's one of the best games of that generation. Long, complex, varied, endlessly replayable, perfectly paced, loads to do, the apex of that original 2D Sonic gameplay dynamic, gorgeous artwork and animation, insanely fun, and even had a little bit of a narrative.

Anyway, my list's back on the last page, it's the thread's second post.

[kel]

2. maniac mansion (NES)

YES. the only nes game i still own. so brilliant.

[ManBurning]

14. EVO

Awesome, EVO! You don't see that game on too many people's "top games" lists. Very underrated game. I still have a copy. Quite a hard to find/rare game as well.

[thelastdisciple]

It's not 25 but i did put a top 20 gallery image together of my favorite games recently in another discussion group.



1. Max Payne (2001)
2. Half-Life 2 (2004)
3. Bioshock (2007)
4. Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast (2002)
5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
6. Batman: Arkham City (2011)
7. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
8. L.A. Noire (2011)
9. Alan Wake (2010)
10. Portal 2 (2011)
11. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011)
12. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
13. DooM 2 (1994)
14. Quake (1996)
15. Command and Conquer (1995)
16. Jazz Jackrabbit (1994)
17. Dark Forces (1995)
18. Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
19. SiN (1998)
20. Rise of the Triad: Dark War (1994)

[WorzelG]

It's not 25 but i did put a top 20 gallery image together of my favorite games recently in another discussion group.



1. Max Payne (2001)
2. Half-Life 2 (2004)
3. Bioshock (2007)
4. Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast (2002)
5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009)
6. Batman: Arkham City (2011)
7. Red Dead Redemption (2010)
8. L.A. Noire (2011)
9. Alan Wake (2010)
10. Portal 2 (2011)
11. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011)
12. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004)
13. DooM 2 (1994)
14. Quake (1996)
15. Command and Conquer (1995)
16. Jazz Jackrabbit (1994)
17. Dark Forces (1995)
18. Wolfenstein 3D (1992)
19. SiN (1998)
20. Rise of the Triad: Dark War (1994)

Nice to see Dark Forces there, I read some reviews that really dissed it but I found it really atmospheric

[nihilimo]

I remember Dark Forces.

No real order, and not 25:

Resident evil 4
Batman: Arkham city
Zelda: Ocarina of time
Super Mario world
Metroid (The original. I don't think any of the recent ones quite captured the fun of that one.)
Blaster Master
Goldeneye
Super Castlevania IV
Tekken 3
Tobol No. 2
Final Fantasy III
Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)
Ninja Gaiden (NES)
Little Nemo's Adventures in Dreamland
Battle of Olympus (Awesome later NES game.)

[Aladdinsanity]

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Max Payne 3
Far Cry 3
Tekken 3
Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit
Resident Evil 3: Nemesis
Gears of War 3
Street Fighter Alpha 3
Dynasty Warriors 3
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
Super Mario Bros. 3
Mass Effect 3
Diablo III
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Fallout 3
The Sims 3
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Grand Theft Auto III
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Wipeout 3
God of War 3
Dragon Age: Inquisition