Top 200 hundred game of all time - Game Informer

So I just read Game Informers top 200 hundred games of all time. I think most would agree with what is in the top 200 and probably only argue over order. What I find amusing is how for long running series the order always goes in order of generation. (I find this a lot with many of these list). The same happens with these movie list too.

It has always annoyed me that these list rank quote "for there time" pieces above today's. Again this goes back to the industry being so young. Why is GTA3 above GTA4? Why is legend of zelda above ocarina of time?

It is because, for the most part, every generation the quality on all ends improve significantly. Making it so a real list judging things for what they are today would have Tetris and then 90% newer gen games. Lets face it the reality is that for games that try to do narrative there are only maybe a hand full that pull it off in a way that is even acceptable compared to the other fully developed arts (Writing, Theater, Movie, etc.).

If you look at the greatest movies of all time lists that exist you will notice some very influential movies missing such as The Birth of a Nation or The Battleship Potemikn. Why? Because although they were ground breaking in there time, and helped shape the movie industry/cimatic experience/film technique, they are not master pieces in there own right but rather the building block that masterpieces would later use.

Citizen Kane is as impressive today as it was then, it can go toe to toe with The Godfather a movie made 40 years later.

See Super Mario 64, GTA3, Metroid, Half-Life 2, etc etc. are all building blocks and not complete masterpieces. Sure people will love to argue that, but guess what for what was available in there time the 2 movie I mentioned previously where the state of the art. But today they are incomplete and the truth is they always where, people just didn't know what movies could be so at the time they where great.

Now The Birth of a Nation or The Battleship Potemikn are at the top of any most influential films list, but that is different then greatest.

Is the first written novel the greatest because it was first or are great novels great because of there relevance to society?

I believe it will take another 20-30 years before this industry matures, before the video game equivalent of Transformers won't be believed to be equivalent to The Godfather, before reviewers won't just be video game enthusiast who can write but real critics educated in the arts.

Note: I am referring to how the industry is viewed not produced.

"Why is legend of zelda above ocarina of time?"

Because Legend of Zelda is a timeless classic and Ocarina of Time sucks...


"It has always annoyed me that these list rank quote "for there time" pieces above today's."

If you inherrit a fortune from your parents and add a few of your own stuff does that make you better and more wealthy then them ??? If I made a band that perfectly emulated the Beatles but we also had a funky black singer who plays the sax (1 million points for whoever knows what Im talking about here) would I deserve the same or even more credit ??? Would GTA jr. (GTA4) be what it is if grandfatherGTA (GTA3) had not left such a vast legacy ??? I say no to all these questions.

I see your point, but you are arguing influence. And yes $105 > $100 no matter how you obtained it. By your logic The Battleship Potemikn is a better film then The Godfather because The Godfather built on many of the foundation that the other film founded. Is it a more important film? YES

I agree 100% when it comes too importance, clearly no one likes the obnoxious son who thinks hes better then his father who gave him almost everything. No one should ever forget the father or the huge accomplishments. That said the son has more money and is wealthier. He may owe everything to his father and that may make him a lesser man/director/artist/etc but the amount of money he has is more.

Super Mario 64 was land mark for 3D, It is and should be taught in most game theory classes. So many games owe so much to the camera design and movement. But I think everyone can agree that it doesn't exactly have the best story ever made. The controls are not the greatest though they where at the time and the camera system is wongy though the best at the time.

I believe there are two games Narrative Games (just about everything we see in press today) and None Narrative Games (Tetris). When it come to None Narrative Games I believe there are quite a few game that stand the test of time and are great.

The Narrative Games though are just starting to not suck, sure there are a few bright spot in the past like Metal Gear Solid or Final Fantasy, but they are stepping stones.

NOTE: Although I am focusing on story right now as it is important do not assume I mean it has to have great depth, I fully believe Shadow of the Colosus is art.

Look there are a thousand ways to judge and the reality is the cumulative some of all that defines what its is, and it usually can't really be judged until decades later. However I do not believe this industry has seen the timeless gyms such as The Iliad or Romeo and Juliet. How could it its just a baby compared to those? (maybe Tetris)

I feel my rant may be becoming a little existential and therefore pointless (I am tired so who knows).

Basically Edison invented the light bulb the jump in tech he made is arguably the biggest since the wheel, but today's light bulbs are better.

Yeah but you where talking about *100 best of all times* list... that implies that you are judging everything by what it was when it came out... its kinda stupid to make a *100 best juded by the current standard* list ... that way of course the ones that had the biggest pool of experience to draw from have the best chances... would all the games that got 10/10 scores in the past years still get those scores if they came out in 10 years ? Naturally not but thats not the point... there is a difference if reviewing what has just been made and reviewing things after a longer period of time when you have a better view of the big picture...

Of course the *all times* lists are flawed by nature since your mixing things that have proven to be revolutionary and timeless with things that have not proven anything yet but are state of the art... it doesn´t really make sense to compare those with each other... and as always rating art with point systems is stupid in itself as well...

Well I might as well post the list.

1 - The Legend of Zelda
2 - Super Mario Bros
3 - Tetris
4 - Grand Theft Auto III
5 - Half Life 2
6 - Doom
7 - Metroid
8 - Final Fantasy III
9 - Super Mario Bros. 3
10 - Ms. Pac-Man

11 - World of Warcraft
12 - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the past
13 - Super Mario 64
14 - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warefare
15 - Final Fantasy VII
16 - Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
17 - Chrono Trigger
18 - Resident Evil 4
19 - Metal Gear Solid
20 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

21 - Super Metroid
22 - Contra
23 - Galaga
24 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
25 - Street Fighter II
26 - God of War
27 - Bioshock
28 - Diablo
29 - Half-Life
30 - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

31 - Tecmo Super Bowl
32 - GoldenEye 007
33 - Super Mario Kart
34 - Sonic the Hedgehog
35 - StarCraft
36 - Civilization
37 - SimCity
38 - Meag Man 2
39 - Halo: Combat Evolved
40 - Gran Turismo

41 - Resident Evil 2
42 - Pokemon Red and Blue
43 - Final Fantasy X
44 - EverQuest
45 - Final Fantasy Tactics
46 - Grand theft Auto IV
47 - Super Mario World
48 - Deus Ex
49 - Guitar hero
50 - Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

51 - Super Mario Galaxy
52 - Pac-Man
53 - Battlefield 2
54 - Star Wars: Kinghts of the Old Republic
55 - Ico
56 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
57 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
58 - Mass Effect
59 - Adventure
60 - Arkanoid

61 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
62 - Star Wars: X-Wing
63 - the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
64 - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
65 - Fallout 3
66 - Zork
67 - Soul Calibur
68 - Double Dragon
69 - Dr. Mario
70 - The Sims

71 - Age of Empires
72 - Mortal Kombat II
73 - Rock Band 2
74 - Tomb Raider
75 - Super Bomberman
76 - Mario's Picross
77 - Ninja Gaiden
78 - Command & Conquer
79 - Kingdom Hearts
80 - Final Fantasy II

81 - Super Mario Bros. 2
82 - Left 4 Dead
83 - Okami
84 - Shadow of the Colossus
85 - Metroid Prime
86 - Super Smash Bros. Melee
87 - Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
88 - Baldur's Gate II: Shadow of Amn
89 - God of War II
90 - The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

91 - Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsena
92 - Medal of Honor: Allied Assault
93 - Skies of Arcadia
94 - The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
95 - Silent Hill 2
96 - Counter-Strike
97 - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
98 - Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
99 - Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time
100 - Portal

Super Mario World should be much higher. But again, that's just their opinion.....

Within the spectrum that they judged I think Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, Metroid Prime should be higher.

Mario and Zelda dominate this list.

For how it was formed I think its a pretty solid list.

I guess the top ten is pretty solid since all those games really mattered... but the list lacks balance in some areas... StarCraft and Civilization are place 35 and 36... no strategy game before that... and no Dune 2 kinda sad... timeless adventures like Day of the Tentacle, Indiana Jones and Monkey Island are completely missing... but as I sait these things are flawed by nature... is Call of Duty 4 "better" then Chrono Trigger ? Oblivion more important then Golden Eye 64 ? Why is Meag Man 2 not on top of the list ? Why is potal, the most innovative and outside the box game of recent years only on 100 ? Its really not worth arguing about ...

EDIT: 1000 posts !!!

Found this interesting

http://www.filibustercartoons.com/games.htm

"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."