Game Informers top 200 games off all times

[Meier Link]

So to mark the 200 issue of Game Informer the crew that works there put together their top 200 greatest games of all times. I recently got a subscription to this magazine because it was "free" from Gamestop. I was plesently suprised when I open my mail box and found that the cover of this issue had the cast of characters from FFVI on it. Given it was luck of the draw because there are multiple covers for this issue' I was giddy because I managed to get the only FF one.

I found it pretty rad (yes rad) because there where numorous amounts of RPGs listed in the top 200, with 3 Square Enix / Squresoft titles being in the top 20. Personally I think that SE should be proud to have this many games in the top 200 games in SE eyes.

Honestly I could disagree with alot of these titles though and their placement but as I said it was suprising to see what all I saw so I figured I would share.

1. The Legend of Zelda (NES, 1987)
2. Super Mario Bros. (NES, 1985)
3. Tetris (PC, 1984)
4. Grand Theft Auto III (PS2, 2001)
5. Half-Life 2 (PC, 2004)
6. Doom (PC, 1993)
7. Metroid (NES, 1986)
8. Final Fantasy III (SNES, 1994)
9. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1990)
10. Ms. Pac-Man (Coin-op, 1981)
11. World of Warcraft (PC, 2004)
12. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES, 1992)
13. Super Mario 64 (N64, 1996)
14. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3/360/PC, 2007)
15. Final Fantasy VII (PS, 1997)
16. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES, 1987)
17. Chrono Trigger (SNES, 1995)
18. Resident Evil 4 (GameCube, 2005)
19. Metal Gear Solid (PS, 1998)
20. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998)
21. Super Metroid (SNES, 1994)
22. Contra (NES, 1988)
23. Galaga (Coin-op, 1981)
24. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS, 1997)
25. Street Fighter II (Coin-op, 1991)
26. God of War (PS2, 2005)
27. BioShock (360/PC, 2007)
28. Diablo II (PC, 2000)
29. Half-Life (PC, 1998)
30. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivious (360/PC, 2006)
31. Tecmo Super Bowl (NES, 1991)
32. GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997)
33. Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
34. Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Genesis, 1991)
35. Starcraft (PC, 1998)
36. Civilization (PC, 1991)
37. SimCity (PC, 1989)
38. Mega Man 2 (NES, 1988)
39. Halo: Combat Evolved (Xbox, 2001)
40. Gran Turismo (PS, 1998)
41. Resident Evil 2 (PS, 1998)
42. Pokemon Red and Blue (GB, 1996)
43. Final Fantasy X (PS2, 2001)
44. EverQuest (PC, 1999)
45. Final Fantasy Tactics (PS, 1998)
46. Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3/360, 2008)
47. Super Mario World (SNES, 1991)
48. Deus Ex (PC, 2000)
49. Guitar Hero (PS2, 2005)
50. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (PS2, 2001)
51. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, 2007)
52. Pac-Man (Coin-op, 1980)
53. Battlefield 2 (PC, 2005)
54. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (Xbox, 2003)
55. Ico (PS2, 2001)
56. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3, 2009)
57. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (PS, 2000)
58. Mass Effect (360, 2007)
59. Adventure (2600, 1980)
60. Arkanoid (Coin-op, 1986)
61. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GB, 1993)
62. Star Wars: X-Wing (PC, 1993)
63. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64, 2000)
64. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, 2004)
65. Fallout 3 (PS3/360/PC, 2008)
66. Zork (PC, 1980)
67. Soul Calibur (DC, 1999)
68. Double Dragon (Coin-op, 1987)
69. Dr. Mario (NES, 1990)
70. The Sims (PC, 2000)
71. Age of Empires (PC, 1997)
72. Mortal Kombat II (Coin-op, 1993)
73. Rock Band 2 (PS3/360, 2008)
74. Tomb Raider (PS, 1996)
75. Super Bomberman (SNES, 1993)
76. Mario’s Picross (GB, 1995)
77. Ninja Gaiden (NES, 1989)
78. Command & Conquer (PC, 1995)
79. Kingdom Hearts (PS2, 2002)
80. Final Fantasy II (SNES, 1991)
81. Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES, 1988)
82. Left 4 Dead (PC, 2008)
83. Okami (PS2, 2006)
84. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2, 2005)
85. Metroid Prime (GameCube, 2002)
86. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GameCube, 2001)
87. Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (PC, 1995)
88. Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (PC, 2000)
89. God of War II (PS2, 2007)
90. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii, 2006)
91. Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (PS2, 2004)
92. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault (PC, 2002)
93. Skies of Arcadia (DC, 2000)
94. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (GameCube, 2003)
95. Silent Hill 2 (PS2, 2001)
96. Counter-Strike (PC, 1999)
97. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Genesis, 1992)
98. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (PS3/360, 2009)
99. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2/Xbox/GameCube/PC, 2003)
100. Portal (PC/360, 2007)
101. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (PC, 2002)
102. Heroes of Might & Magic III (PC, 1999)
103. Donkey Kong (Coin-op, 1981)
104. Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3/360, 2009)
105. System Shock 2 (PC, 1999)
106. Resident Evil (PS, 1996)
107. Gears of War (360, 2006)
108. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3, 2008)
109. Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PS, 1998)
110. Halo 2 (Xbox, 2004)
111. Tetris Attack (SNES, 1996)
112. Final Fantasy XII (PS2, 2006)
113. Earthbound (SNES, 1995)
114. Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri (PC, 1998)
115. Command & Conquer: Red alert (PC, 1996)
116. Advance Wars (GBA, 2001)
117. Fallout (PC, 1997)
118. Team Fortress 2 (PS3/360/PC, 2007)
119. Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Xbox, 2005)
120. Mega Man X (SNES, 1994)
121. Lemmings (PC, 1991)
122. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn, 1998)
123. NHL ‘94 (SEGA Genesis/SNES, 1993)
124. Warlords (Coin-op, 1980)
125. Shadowrun (SNES, 1993)
126. Twisted Metal 2 (PS, 1996)
127. Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee (PS, 1997)
128. Metroid Fusion (GBA, 2002)
129. Homeworld (PC, 1999)
130. Kingdom Hearts II (PS2, 2006)
131. Pilotwings (SNES, 1991)
132. Quake II (PC, 1997)
133. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC, 1997)
134. Borderlands (PS3/360/PC, 2009)
135. Final Fight (Coin-op, 1989)
136. Star Fox (SNES, 1993)
137. Madden NFL ‘99 (PS/N64/PC, 1999)
138. Call of Duty 2 (360/PC, 2005)
139. Wolfenstein 3D (PC, 1992)
140. Diablo (PC, 1996)
141. Civilization IV (PC, 2005)
142. Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (PC, 1993)
143. Assassin’s Creed (PS3/360, 2007)
144. Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2/Xbox, 2004)
145. Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC, 2004)
146. Power Stone 2 (DC, 2000)
147. Super Castlevania IV (SNES, 1991)
148. Super Mario RPG (SNES, 1996)
149. Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos (PC, 2002)
150. ActRaiser (SNES, 1991)
151. Fable (Xbox, 2004)
152. Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (PS2, 2003)
153. Asteroids (Coin-op, 1979)
154. LittleBigPlanet (PS3, 2008)
155. Crackdown (360, 2007)
156. Gauntlet (Coin-op, 1985)
157. Devil May Cry (PS2, 2001)
158. Pong (Coin-op, 1972)
159. Battlefield 1942 (PC, 2002)
160. Thief (PC, 1998)
161. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved (360, 2005)
162. Far Cry (PC, 2004)
163. Robotron: 2084 (Coin-op, 1982)
164. X-COM: UFO Defense (PC, 1993)
165. Peggle (PC, 2007)
166. King’s Quest VI (PC, 1992)
167. Doom II (PC, 1994)
168. Tempest 2000 (Jaguar, 1994)
169. Braid (360, 2008)
170. Ridge Racer (PS, 1995)
171. Bully (PS2, 2006)
172. Ikaruga (GameCube, 2006)
173. Lode Runner (Apple II, 1983)
174. Gunstar Heroes (SEGA Genesis, 1993)
175. Dig Dug (Coin-op, 1982)
176. Castlevania (NES, 1988)
177. Tekken 3 (Coin-op, 1997)
178. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS, 2005)
179. NBA Jam: Tournament Edition (Coin-op, 1993)
180. Max Payne (PC, 2001)
181. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3/360/PC, 2009)
182. Samurai Shodown (Neo Geo, 1993)
183. NFL 2K5 (PS2/Xbox, 2004)
184. Vagrant Story (PS, 2000)
185. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island (SNES, 1995)
186. Marble Madness (Coin-op, 1984)
187. Infamous (PS3, 2009)
188. Planescape: Torment (PC, 1999)
189. Kid Icarus (NES, 1986)
190. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Xbox, 2004)
191. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2, 2004)
192. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem (GameCube, 2002)
193. Jak 3 (PS2, 2004)
194. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 (DC, 2002)
195. Ultima (PC, 1981)
196. Call of Duty (PC, 2003)
197. NHL 09 (PS3/360, 2008)
198. Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (Xbox, 2004)
199. Tactics Ogre (PS, 1997)
200. Beyond Good and Evil (PS2/Xbox/GameCube, 2003)

Source: Game Informer

So what are some of your thoughts?

:: edit :: I did a quick run through and bolded some of the SE titles. More then likely I missed one or two because I just did a brief one glance run though of the list.

[Confession]

That's pretty good but a few criques.

Firstly I raged at Fallout 3 being number 65 I find shocking it should be way higher in my opinion.

And Okami at 83? That game was groundbreaking, and the numerous awards proves it's worth higher in ranks

And where in the good name of nachos is Dragon Quest VII?

EDIT: I also think that Tombi, Jade Cacoon and Arc: twilight of the spirirts could replace a few of those games

[Taco-Calamitous]

Read my friend's copy of this issue. Thought it was very good; most of the top 10 are outstanding games (fuckin' GTA3 aside. Although I suppose at least one of those games had to make it high on the list...) I was extremely pleased with the top 3, and was also pleased that FFVI was the highest ranked FF title on the list. Also, that the original Warcraft strategy series of games hasn't gone forgotten in the wake of WoW (the game that eats people's souls and breaks up marriages-literally. I know of at least one case, and I've heard of others.)

If I were to make much of a gripe, it would be that Morrowind is a better game than Oblivion, and the only Star Fox game to make it on the list was the original (what about SFX64?) Still, it's someone else's opinion, and I'm not going to agree with them 100% regardless. Also, it was kinda fun to read.

There was this top 100 list a couple years back, put out by a Japanese magazine. They had made their list based on a poll for all of Japan. I wonder what a top 100 video game list would be like if all gamers in the US were polled? How many sports games would there be, and how high would Halo be? Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[nix]

Whoever compiled the list is clearly clueless

[Dodie16]

Posted by Confession
And Okami at 83? That game was groundbreaking, and the numerous awards proves it's worth higher in ranks

AGREED!!!

I think it should have at LEAST broke into the top 50, but I may just be a bit biased about it, because it is one of my absolute favorites. Also, Shadow of the Colossus at number 84? That game was an absolute treasure. I wonder what sort of process determined the order of ranking?

I could nit-pick this list all day but...oh well... It's published now, and I can't do anything about it... I am happy that so many Squaresoft/Square-Enix games made the list though.

[Josh_R]

some of these title's I could definately agree with, but other's are way higher than they should be, or not high enough.

Fallout 3 should be a lot higher than 65, and in my opinion and most of the people I know, Morrowind was a much better game than Oblivion.

How the hell is MGS 3 so low that game was the shit, my favorite of the entire MGS series...

[Xanatos]

I could nit-pick this list all day but...oh well... It's published now, and I can't do anything about it

Same here, I would put some games higher on the list, some lower, add or remove some games , but doing so I would be making my own top 200 game of all time list. Anyway, the list isn't bad and I'm glad to see FF VI as the best ranking FF game.

[chrono]

i did not see xenogears at all......

what the F**k is going on here!

i hope i missed it or something

[Rocky]

i did not see xenogears at all......

what the F**k is going on here!

i hope i missed it or something

Xenogears is definitely a cult classic, I could understand it not breaking into the top 200 all time. I agree with Dodie on this one too, Okami was a very unique, well thought out game that should of broken into the top 50.

Why the **** is CoD4 rated so damn high? Yeah, it has good multiplayer qualities but even with it's release there were still more people playing Halo 3.

Half Life should of broken into the top20 imo, it brought things like TF2, Orange Box, and Counter Strike and put them on the map!

And yeah, wtf happened to Dragon Warrior 7? Not only was it a long, challenging, well thought-out RPG that needed triple digit hour investments to beat, it was one of the last RPGs ever on the PS1, and I'm sure it could still stand the test of time against newer games.

I think the GTA3's placing was justified. It was the first game of it's kind to be something controversial and expanded on it's roots to get itself a large fanbase. In fact, I'll still go back and play GTA3 occasionally, and I'm moreso inclined to play it over Vice City/San Andreas.

Halo2 top110? wtf, what other game put Xbox Live to good use? Is there another game that still has thousands of players on it to this day?? I think not.

[Zerobanshee]

Halo2 top110? wtf, what other game put Xbox Live to good use? Is there another game that still has thousands of players on it to this day?? I think not.

Agreed. I'm not a big Xbox fan, I play the 360 from time to time, but Halo2 put Xbox Live on the map. Thousands of people still play it today, and Halo should've been placed higher than some of the other Xbox titles.

Personally, I agree with some of the list, but don't agree with others. I think GTA3 should've been in the top 10, but not the top 5. maybe like 6th, but I do agree that it set the standard for most open-ended games. Anyone remember the spin-off, the Wild West themed game? I can't remember the title, I just called it the "GTA Wild West Spinoff."

I think 1 & 2 should've been rotated around, but meh, they were both great games.

Also, I think Star Fox: 64 should've been on the list. It was a brilliant game, introduced Star Wolf, and gave the side characters depth. I loved Falco.

[Jin]

Because so many seem to be legitimizing their disagreements by citing their game of choice's impact on the gaming industry, I'm just going to point this out:

This is not a list of the top 200 most influential games of all time. This is a list of the top 200 best games. You can't assume that impact on the market was a criteria that Game Informer was using unless they've stated so. "Best" games are simply those which whoever compiled this list found to be the best based on their purely subjective criteria of what makes a game good.

[Che]

It's like they just made a list of 200 games they liked and threw them into the charts in no particular order.

[Victoria]

And this is why Game Informer is trash. It's a magazine owned by Gamestop, what do you expect?

Like Che said; someone just made a list of 200 games they liked and tossed them onto the list in no specific order.

[Jin]

A magazine is necessarily bad because it's owned by Gamestop? What kind of stupidity is that?

[Victoria]

It's not stupidity.

Their "average" score is 7. What does that tell you? Do you even read Game Informer at all? I know from experience how bad it's become. Besides, I didn't say the magazine was bad because it was owned by GameStop. I just said it happened to be owned by GameStop.

Although from my several years of experience....

In My Opinion, GI is trash. If you still like it after it got bought out by GameStop, by all means more power to you.

[Jin]

Their "average" score is 7. What does that tell you?

That tells me that when you add up all their scores and divide by the number of scores you'll get 7. What are you trying to say it means? That someone at the magazine has a different opinion than you? IGN rates high, G4 rates low, so what?

Do you even read Game Informer at all?

Do I have to to criticize your logic?

Besides, I didn't say the magazine was bad because it was owned by GameStop. I just said it happened to be owned by GameStop.

No you didn't. This would be just saying that it happened to be owned by Gamestop: "It happens to be owned by Gamestop." What you said was "It's a magazine owned by Gamestop, what do you expect?" implying that it being owned by Gamestop had something to do with the fact that it's, in your opinion, crap.

This is a list of someone's opinion of what the 200 best games are. Attacking the list as if it's "wrong" makes you about as intelligent as the GT comment trolls who call the staff stupid every time a top 10 list is different than how they'd do it.

[Taco-Calamitous]

This is a list of someone's opinion of what the 200 best games are. Attacking the list as if it's "wrong" makes you about as intelligent as the GT comment trolls who call the staff stupid every time a top 10 list is different than how they'd do it.

This. Haha. It's kinda like that with the comments on Rotten Tomatoes every time they do a top whatever list, too. Except it's worse there, because their lists are based on actual statistics of how critics have rated those movies. "You're stupid because your opinion does not reflect my own." Opinion is subjective, right? No? ...oh well. I was just happy that a lot of games I liked made this list. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

EDIT: Also, I hate the GTA series. Period. I gotta give it flack.

[Unknown Entity]

No you didn't. This would be just saying that it happened to be owned by Gamestop: "It happens to be owned by Gamestop." What you said was "It's a magazine owned by Gamestop, what do you expect?" implying that it being owned by Gamestop had something to do with the fact that it's, in your opinion, crap.

In my opinion, Gamestop is crap. I wouldn't expect them to shit out high quality game lists as much as Sheena.

That list makes me wonder why half the games even got on there. Was there some kind of vote for them, or were they just made up? I'm leaning towards the later.

[KeybladerXIII]

How the hell is CoD 4 and GTA 3 higher than ****in' OCARINA OF TIME?!?!?! And, as stated before Okami and Shadow of the Collossus deserve way higher spots.

Why are Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2 there if they haven't even been out for half a year. I could go on ranting like this, but I'll stay my breath....or fingers....for now.

At least I saw some Crash Bandicoot games up there....

[Unknown Entity]

How the hell is CoD 4 and GTA 3 higher than ****in' OCARINA OF TIME?!?!?! And, as stated before Okami and Shadow of the Collossus deserve way higher spots.

Why are Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2 there if they haven't even been out for half a year. I could go on ranting like this, but I'll stay my breath....or fingers....for now.

At least I saw some Crash Bandicoot games up there....

I don't think they're in order. Someone obviously got lazy when they wrote the list.

¬¬;

[Jin]

In my opinion, Gamestop is crap. I wouldn't expect them to shit out high quality game lists as much as Sheena

You do realize that Gamestop itself doesn't publish the magazine, right? It's published by the retailer's parent company. You know, like how Game Trailers is owned by Viacom (which owns MTV) and how IGN is owned by News Corporation (which is owned by Rupert Murdoch).

Ahh, negative rep. Nothing says classy quite like it.

Why are Arkham Asylum and Uncharted 2 there if they haven't even been out for half a year.

What does that have to do with the quality of the game?

[KeybladerXIII]

@Jin: Well, no doubt they are excellent games but it feels a bit sudden to me. These are the best games of ALL TIME???? I mean, I know they aren't high on the list, but when I see that I question whether they took the time to sit back and seriously consider this. To me, this just feels like fanboyism when the games on this list should be considered for their lasting impression on gaming culture. If they consider Arkham Asylum as such a huge mark on game history, where was Spider-man 2, for example? That game really showed how good a superhero game can be, even if it was based on a movie.

As I said before why was Ocarina of Time not higher when it had MUCH more of an influence on gaming than GTA 3 ever had? These games were just blindly put on here due to current popularity than lasting impression and I can think of some games a bit moe worthy than Asylum or Uncharted. Now if Arkham Asylum or Uncharted will continue influencing games in the future, than I will be glad to give them a spot on the list.

[Jin]

But as I've said before, Game Informer never claimed the games on this list were being rated on how influential they are/were; at least it doesn't say so in this thread.

You're universalizing your own idea of what criteria should be used and how these games should be selected. I may think tight controls are really important in what makes a good game and make decisions based on that whereas you may think it irrelevant and not consider it at all. You can't assume that the impact the game had upon the industry was a criteria being used when selecting these games. All we know is that these are the 200 games that the author thinks are the best. It isn't revealed why the author thinks this. It could be as simple as these being the games the author personally enjoyed the most. Until we know the author's criteria, it's impossible to critique the list itself in any fair and objective manner.

[Meier Link]

I don't think they're in order. Someone obviously got lazy when they wrote the list.

¬¬;

Per the magazine that is the order they are listed and the number is corresponding to each title. The further you move along (twards 200) the smaller the semiarticle gets. Hence a ranking system.

[KeybladerXIII]

@Jin: Ah, I see. So there was really no set guide on this and the guy just picked what he liked, no? I wonder if he polled other gamers, because at least that would give it some structure. For now, it just seems like only the magazine crew did this list by themselves. It still seems like fanboyism by those guys to me, I can't shake that feeling off.

I'll just say that this was done very poorly. They need a clear reason why these games were in the list. I mean, everyone knows and expects games like Super Mario Bros., Zelda, and Half-life to be high up on a list of top games, but if they actually tried to get out there and ask other peoples' opinions, the list would be much more legitimate.

I think I'll shut up now before I'm put in my place.......

[Jin]

Ah, I see. So there was really no set guide on this and the guy just picked what he liked, no?

I have no idea what criteria the author used, as I said. Unless it said so in the article somewhere, we don't have that information. All I'm saying is that we can't superimpose our own ideals of what makes a game good onto this list and then declare this list "bad" because its ideals don't match ours. If we find out that the author was taking into account the games' impact on the industry, then it can be fairly said that this article is poor. Until then, it's just a difference of opinion.

I understand that one can disagree with it, but it's a whole 'nother thing to claim the list itself is of poor quality or is faulty.

[SOLDIER #819]

Is it even possible to compare most of these games? It's like putting plums up against pierogi.

[Zargabaath]

Is it even possible to compare most of these games? It's like putting plums up against pierogi.

And I loooooooooooooooooove pierogis.

I would like to know what the criteria was, but from the looks of it the criteria would be dissapointing.

[smurphy]

Ok im an overzealous ff vii fanboy so anything other than #1 im fuming at. But i cant understand why pokemon is only at 42. It blows all other Nintendo franchises away.

Am i the only person who gets the impression after seeing a few of these lists that most western games journalists are nintendo fanboys( except Pokemon). I just dont see how they can justify having the likes of Metroid in the top 10. Talk about viewing the past through rose tinted glasses. For those reasons i prefer to pay attention to lists compiled through reader votes.

[Alpha]

^^ Yeah, and Tetris... wtf? Surely this suggests that the list isn't made on decisions of what was/is most enjoyable, as Tetris simply makes no sense. It could be argued that it was influential; thus, we may have an idea how the list was compiled.

Personally, I'd like to see FFVI on that list somewhere. Along with Jade Cocoon, FFIX, and a few others.